Guidance for Perceiving Minds — Page 44
h a d rat Mirza ghulam AHmAD as 44 When required to testify, they withhold the truth; when asked for a fatwa, they conceal the truth and lie, driven by greed of a little gain. They lead people in Prayers as if they were hired labourers. In fact, you will find some unlawfully exploit mosque endow- ments, depriving the poor of their rights. They adamantly refuse to relinquish their leadership, asserting, “This is my mosque, and I have led [the Prayers] for more than sixty [years],” even if another Imam is more qualified, knowledgeable, and pious. Despite being disliked by the congregation and perceived as sinful, they resort to pleading with rulers to retain their position, motivated solely by greed for the money allocated for the mosque. And there are those among them who, upon seeing the wealth you have earned or the treasures you have acquired, would gather around you like flies, approaching you as if they were dear friends. They would not depart from your doorstep until they had eaten from your fruits. You will discover that the hearts of the majority among them resemble barren land, and among the most desolate patches of stony ground. They fail to produce any fruit; instead, all you witness is harm emanating from them. There is no hint of tolerance within them; instead, they resemble wild beasts with sharp teeth and harsh tongues. They approach you cloaked in sheepskins, yet they are beasts that devour through all manner of slander, as long as they are not offered an agate shield. They present themselves to the public adorned with hats, smocks, tur- bans, and mantles, carrying books and wearing cloaks. This is the facade they project, but their actions reveal otherwise. They have embarked on a quest for worldly pursuits, forsaking the abode of the Hereafter to which they are destined to return.