The Guiding Light — Page 350
S u rah al-Baqarah, Verse 255-258 350 sense of connection. God means to say that as the Jews have refused to connect themselves with the Holy Prophet sa of Islam, therefore no other connection will avail them. Their being counted among the followers of Abraham as or Moses as or David as , etc. , will be of no avail to them. In this sense a Prophet of God is a ﺷﻔ ﻴ ﻊ ( shaf i ‘ ) or intercessor for all his true followers without distinction. Everybody who establishes a true connection with him is saved while others perish. In this sense God also is a ﺷﻔ ﻴ ﻊ ( shaf i ‘ ); for those who connect themselves with Him are saved, while others who remain disconnected are ruined. Now the question arises, why has God instituted ﺷﻔﺎﻋﺔ ( shaf a ‘a h ) at all? The answer is as follows: - Firstly ﺷﻔﺎﻋﺔ ( shaf a ‘a h ) in the sense of good association is the very essence of spirituality. All spiritual progress depends on a good spiritual contact. A soul not in contact with God is lost and, for that matter, a soul not in contact with the Prophet of the day, who represents God on earth, is also lost. The Qur’ a n says, he who forms a good connection will reap the benefit thereof and he who forms an evil connection will suffer the