The Essence of Islam – Volume IV — Page 176
176. Essence of Islam-IV is that God's greatness and love should be established in the heart and the heart should rely completely on. Him and love Him alone. And he should prefer Him to everything and make His remembrance the purpose of his life. Such a person would be ready to carry out with the eagerness of love the most testing commands of God, even if, like Abrahams, he is commanded to slaughter his own son or to jump into the fire. He will leave no stone unturned in obedience to God and in his eagerness to win His pleasure. This door is very narrow and this drink is very bitter. There are few who enter this door and drink of this bitter cup. It is no great thing to refrain from adultery or killing a person unlawfully; nor is it a great achievement to refrain from bearing false witness. But to prefer God to everything and to welcome every bitterness with true eagerness and out of true love for Him, and to create bitterness for oneself in this path, is a status which cannot be achieved by anyone except the truthful. . This is the worship which is prescribed for man. . When a person performs this worship, God responds to it with something which is called His bounty; as we are taught in the Holy Qur'ān: اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمُ 938. O Allāh, guide us along Thy straight path, the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy favour and have singularized them with Thy special Grace. 93 Al-Fatihah 1:6-7 [Publisher]