Way of The Seekers — Page 44
44 THE 7. At this last and lowest stage, he becomes a profile of Satan, propagation of evil becomes his daily concern. In comparison with sin-infected conditions we have the following good conditions which are listed below in an ascending order: 1. To do good for the sake of reward. 2. To choose good as a commandment of God. 3. To do good for the sake of good and to consider virtue to be its own reward. 4. To do good as a natural habit. 5. To enjoy doing good. 6. To propagate good in the world. 7. To become an embodiment of good and to treat its dissemination as one’s single unalloyed aim in life like the angels. There are higher grades of goodness like prophethood; but they are a gift of God and cannot be attained by mere effort. I have explained above that human actions may be good both morally and spiritually. when human actions pertain to other human beings, they are called moral. when they pertain to God, they are called spiritual. This means that from the practical point of view, they are subject to the same practices and rules, the same exercises and the same general principles. Moral and spiritual ailments, therefore, can be classed and treated together. I do not feel the necessity of elaborating this treatment any further. Others have already done this, including Sufis. So I would not like to add to whatever little I have said on the subject. The practical side of sin, however, remains important. This has to be studied in the light of the teachings of Islam. Islamic treatment of sin is unique. It is part of its perfect teaching. Islam does not start treating sin after It has been