The Heavenly Decree — Page 62
62 A sm a n i Fai s lah Human beings are like mines—some of gold, some of silver and some of brass, therefore, if the revelation mentions some innate and unalterable virtue of M i r Sahib, it is nothing to marvel at, nor is it anything to object to. Let alone Muslims, non-believers, too, possess innate virtues and they too are naturally endowed with some moral qualities. God has not created anything which is totally devoid of good. It is true, of course, that an innate virtue cannot of itself lead to eternal salvation unless one treads the right path, which, in other words, is called Islam. Faith, cognition of God, righteousness and fear of God are the highest virtues without which all other virtues are worthless. What is more, this revelation pertains to the time when M i r Sahib possessed the quality of steadfastness and had tremendous capacity for sincerity, and he too believed that he would remain steadfast forever. The news given by God Almighty pertained to his condition at that point in time. It is well known regarding Divine revelations that God gives tidings according to a person’s obtaining condition; when one is a kafir, He calls him a kafir; when one is a believer and steadfast, He calls him a believer, sincere and steadfast. There are many such examples in Divine revelations. There is no doubt that for ten years M i r Sahib was one of my sincerer, devoted and loyal companions. Such was his effusive sincerity that, at the time of pledging allegiance to me,