Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 66
66 (Holy Qur’an, Ch. 2: V. 184) w hich means, s o that it gives you the strength to be righteous. Similarly, Zakat makes your heart pure. The Holy Qur’an has mentioned all the principles, and it is these principles which are the essence of all this. We can see that by drinking water , we feel full , but someone who has a fever, remains un satisfied and continues to ask for more water. Similarly, Sal ā t has a special advantage of keep ing you away from unbecomin g things and giv ing you the strength to do g ood deeds. If we do not find this strength by offering p rayers, then we must recognize that there is certainly something wrong with our spiritu al health. Just as a feverish person canno t digest h is food or experi ences diarrhea or vomiting after eating at which point we realize that he is sick and then we seek for a doctor to have him treated. If we do not seek treatment , then the illness becomes more serious. Similarly, if spiritual sustenance is not providing spiritual strength, and you do not even worry about it , then the result is you will die a spiritual death. This is because you have developed a disease. We offer p rayers but fail to concentrate on its outcome. We observe fasting but fail to focus on its results. We continue to do them blindly , and as a result, just like the body that does not digest food and dies, o ur soul does not absorb the nourishment and as a result, dies. One should closely monitor whether spiritual nutrition is being absorbed and whether any spiritual strength is being gained or not. If you do not pay attention to the change brought about by spiritual nourishment then it is possible that you have a disease and if it is not treated in time , it might result in one’s complete destruction. I will now give a brief overview for you. First , Lajna Ima’illah should keep in mind that they should be regular in Sal ā t. Secondly, in religious occupations they should remember that just as there is physical nutrition , there is spiritual nutrition. Just like the body dies without nutrition, the same way the soul dies without sustenance. However, n either is food the ultimate goal of the body, nor is spiritual nutrition the ultimate goal of the soul. We use the physical nutrition to make blood and obtain energy. With this energy we can do various things. Likewise, spiritual nutrition has the same purpose, which is to obtain spiritual energy to perform other tasks. If spiritual food was the o nly goal , then why would God Almighty say: