Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 295
29. 5 the bodily act of the pilgrimage is accompanied with the spiritual pilgrimage, his performance of the rites of the pil- grimage is only a lifeless ceremony devoid of all meaning. But many people perform the pilgrimage only to be called pilgrims and spend their foully earned wealth for a visit to the holy places Almighty God does not accept their pilgrimage, for they are only crusts without any essence. (Vol. VI R- R- 1907). OBJECT OF MUSLIM PRAYERS. There exists a great misunderstanding with respect to the nature of the prayers enjoined by the Muslim Law. The prayer of a Muslim is a prayer ia the truest and highest sense of the term, a devout supplication to Almighty God and reverential expression of the spill's sincerest desires before its Maker. But on account of the great ignorance that prevails among the Mus- lims, prayers are looked upon as a burdensome duty. Does Al- mighty God stand in need of imposing tax upon His creatures ? Certainly not ; for He is above. all. needs and able to dispense with all creatures. Almighty God has commanded men to pray to Him and utter His praise, not because He stands in need of it, but for their own good, for only thus can they attain the great object for which man has beea created. It grieves me to see that men have no love for piety, righteousness and the wor- ship of God. The true devotion of the heart has degenerated into a lifeless ceremonial. Tne love of God is on the wane and the heavenly enjoyment in His worship is nowhere felt. There is taste and flavour in everything and most of all in prayers and in the worship of the Divine Being. But as the sweetest thing would excite a bitter taste in the mouth of one whose organs of taste are morbid, similarly prayers and worship do not afford any pleasure or enjoyment to those who are spiritually sick. The