Life of Ahmad — Page 184
COMMANDED TO TAKE BAI’T as 184 the ranks of Muslims. There was trouble within, and it was there that he saw a storm brewing. He faced the situation immediately and in a straightforward manner. He told his friends that they should beware of themselves. Love of the world seemed to have paralysed their hearts; spiritual leprosy had stricken their limbs; and they were blind to the clear manifestation of Divine power shown through his prophecies and Heavenly Signs. He now invited Muslim divines to come to him and see for themselves unmistakable proofs of the truth of his claims. He told them plainly that Islam was not a religion of mental gymnastics; it was a living religion and those who really acted up to it actually became the recipients of Divine revelation. At the end of this tract Ahmad as added a paragraph in which he conveyed to the world a most important message that he had received from on high. It ran as follows: 'I have to convey here another message to mankind in general and to Muslims in particular, which is that I have been commanded to take Bai‘at of those who are seekers after truth so that they may know what true faith and righteousness are. They should give up indolence, faithlessness and all manner of iniquity, so that they may find the way that leads to the fountain of Divine love. Those who feel prepared for this should come to me so that I may befriend them and try to lighten their