Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 168
168 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Those who worship Jesus, declare the blood of the Christian Messiah to be an atonement for their sins. However, I proclaim that until the spirit of sin remains, how can such people find peace and comfort through outwardly cleansing and self-contrived doctrines? Until inner cleansing and purification takes place, it is impossible for one to attain the result of salvation, which is to be truly cleansed and purified. Indeed, a lesson may be learned nonetheless. Without cleaning, the filth and odour of the body cannot be removed, and it cannot be safeguarded against imminent and threatening illnesses. Similarly, the filth and impurity that accumulates on the hearts of people in the spiritual sense due to impiety and countless forms of impertinence, cannot be washed without the pure and holy water of repentance. In the physical realm, just as there is a philosophy which underpins various phenomena, there is a corresponding philosophy that exists in parallel within the spiritual realm. Blessed are those who contemplate these matters and reflect. The Philosophy of Sin and Methods of Safeguarding Oneself At this instance, I also wish to exhort you in relation to the causes of sin. The elaboration in this regard is that in simple terms, when the love of anything other than God covers the heart of a person, the pure glass of the heart is sullied. As a result, gradually the heart becomes completely dark and an inclination towards that which is besides God begins to take its place, thus distancing the heart from God. This is the root of associating partners with Allah. But when the heart is possessed by the love of Allah Almighty and Him alone, this love reduces to ash any inclination to that which is besides God and makes the heart wholly devoted to Him alone; then this love becomes unwavering and assumes its rightful place to rule over the heart. When a limb happens to break and is fixed, this causes pain. But a broken limb is far more excruciating than the temporary pain experienced in fixing it, after which a person feels relief. However, if a limb is left broken, a time comes when it must be amputated completely. Similarly, in order to attain unwavering steadfastness, initially in the elementary stages an individual experiences a temporary pain and is confronted with difficulties as well, but when steadfastness is attained, there is everlasting relief and joy. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was instructed (So stand thou upright, as thou hast been commanded) it is narrated that he had no 1 Hud, 11:113