The Devotion of Life — Page 448
448 ‘waqf’ is a narrow door that has to be passed through but it is accompanied by many blessings to change the hardship into comfort and prosperity. Wealth alone cannot provide peace and comfort. A rich man may have a disturbed and restless heart, while an outwardly poor man who receives Allah’s blessings will have comfort and solace and will be internally prosperous. ” Hadrat Musleh Maud ra said: “Financial difficulties are another problem that cause hesitation in sacrifice. On the one hand is the material attraction of the world, while on the other is the call of the faith. This causes a weak individual to tremble, to think that he and his children would starve and that he would not be able to maintain his standard of living if he commits to dedicating himself in the service of God. Worldly greed deprives him of service to God. Allah asks how humans, the most eminent of created beings, can doubt the God of the heavens and the earth. Look at the grazing animals of the land, the carnivorous animals of the forests and the birds of the air. Do you provide sustenance for them or does God? Contemplate the millions of living things in Creation and wonder who provides them with sustenance. Consider also that when grain is winnowed from the plant, the straw thrown away is food for grazing animals. Thorny shrubs and trees feed camels. Who provides sustenance for the untold millions of living things in the seas, rivers, caves, treetops, the skies and even in a drop of blood? What organisation makes a budget and allocates resources for them? It is God Who provides for all living things. How foolish is man then, who hesitates to serve God, fearing that doing so