Life of Ahmad — Page 349
as THE ESSENCE OF ISLAM 349 surrender, which is the essence of Islam, is of two kinds. The first kind of self-surrender consists in the fact that one should make God alone the object of one’s worship, one’s desire and one’s love, that there should be no other partner in His worship, His love, His fear and in hope, that one should glorify and worship Him with all one’s heart; that one should submit to all forms of humility, to all commandments, ordinances and decrees of God and that one should make oneself fully conversant with all the holy truths which are a means of knowing His vast powers and the sublimity of His kingdom and a powerful guide to the recognition of His favours and boons. The second kind of self-surrender consists in the fact that one should devote onself to the service of His creatures, to the bearing of their burdens and to true sympathy for mankind and that one should bear afflictions to relieve the pain of others. From what has been said above, it is clear that Islam has a lofty significance and, strictly speaking, no man deserves to be called by the noble name of Muslim unless he gives over to God his whole self with all its faculties, desires and intentions, totally surrenders his egotism with all its accompaniments, and devotes himself wholly to the service of God. A man deserves to be called a Muslim in the real sense