Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 160
160 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad fervently and passionately pray to God Almighty that just as He has granted us diverse forms of pleasure in fruits and other things, may He enable us to experi- ence, even once, the sweet taste of Prayer and worship. One never forgets the taste of a thing. If an individual looks at someone beautiful with pleasure, they remember it well. Further, if a person sees an ugly and hideous figure, the entire state of such a figure comes forth as an embodiment in the mind of the observer, whenever they are reminded of it. Of course, if a person is indifferent and saw the figure in passing, then one remembers nothing. Similarly, in the estimation of those who do not pray, the Prayer is like a penalty, whereby one is unjustly forced to wake up in the morning when it is cold and leave their precious sleep to per- form ablution, and compelled to forsake many comforts in order to offer it. The actual fact is that such a one is averse and therefore, is unable to understand; they are oblivious of the pleasure and satisfaction that is present in Prayer. How then can they experience pleasure in Prayer? I observe that when a drunkard or one who suffers from addiction is unable to find satisfaction, they continue to drink glass after glass, until they are finally inebriated. A wise and prudent individual can benefit from this example. In other words, one must remain persistent in Prayer and continue observing it until they begin to experience pleasure. Just as drunkard conceives of a pleasure in his mind, which is the actual objective he pursues, in the same way, the mind and all of one's faculties must feel a propen- sity towards the acquisition of that very pleasure that exists in Prayer. Then, with sincerity and passion, at least to the extent that an addict suffers from anxiety, restlessness and pain, an individual ought to pray that they are able to experience the pleasure they seek. I say truthfully that surely and most definitely they will experience the pleasure of Prayer. a Then, in the observance of Prayer, one ought to strive to seek the benefits that are associated with it and keep in view the concept of goodness or ihsan (i. e. to worship God as though one can see Him or at least that God can see you). As God Almighty states: and that is to say, good works drive away evil. Therefore, whilst aspiring to goodness and striving to attain the pleas- ures in Prayer, one ought to supplicate that God enables one to observe the Prayer that is characteristic of the Truthful (Siddiqin) and of those who excel in good works (Muhsinin). 1 Hud, 11:115