Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 258
BarĀhĪn-e-a H madiyya — Part Four 258 The second [stage of ] progress, which is the next step in treading in the fields of the nearness [to God], has been taught in the verse where He says: 1 َطاَرِص َنْيِذَّلا َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع Meaning that, Guide us along the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your favours and bounties. It should be remembered here that those who are the recipients of divine favours and receive the overt and covert bounties of God are not exempt from suffering. On the contrary, in this realm of trials, they are afflicted with such hardships and difficulties that if someone else were afflicted with them, the foundation of his faith would have shattered. They have been named mun‘am ‘alaihim [the recipients of divine favours] on account of their overwhelming love [of Allah] they consider pains as favours, and from every pain or comfort which comes to them from the True Friend, they derive pleasure, on account of their being intoxicated with [Allah’s] love. Thus, this is the second type of progress in nearness [to Him], in which everything that proceeds from the Beloved is a source of delight and whatever is granted from Him is counted as pure bounty. The real reason that brings about this condition is the perfect love and sincere bond which is acquired with the Beloved. It is a special gift which has nothing to do with design and planning; rather, it is granted by God alone. When it is received, the devotee is totally transformed and is relieved of all of his burdens and every pain is perceived as a favour, and no trace of complaints remains. This state is akin to a man being revived after death, because he is relieved from all tribulations which he was experiencing in the first stage, whereby he seemed to be facing death at all times, but now [in this condition] he encounters favours from every direction. From this very perspective, it was appro- priate that he should have been called mun‘am ‘alaih. This condition, in other words, is called baq a , inasmuch as in this condition the devotee feels that he was dead and he has been given life. He experiences a great felicity and cheerfulness in him and all his 1. S u rah al-F a ti h ah, 1:7 [Publisher]