Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 4
4 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to seek forgiveness, ultimately, God says, 'We have forgiven you, now do as you please. This actually means that the heart of such a one has been transformed and thereafter he shall feel an innate aversion towards sin. No one who observes a sheep eating filth is driven by greed to consume it as well. Similarly, a person who is forgiven by Allah will never commit sin. Muslims instinctively abhor the flesh of swine though they may be indulged in thousands of other unlawful and forbidden things. The wisdom in placing this form of disgust in Muslims is to illustrate that mankind should develop a similar revulsion towards sin. Prayer is an Antidote The thought of having committed a plethora of sins ought not to hold back a sinner from supplication. Prayer is an antidote. Ultimately, such a one will observe how prayers serve to foster within him an aversion towards vice. In the end, those steeped in sin who despair of the acceptance of prayer and do not seek recourse to repentance, lose faith in the Prophets and their effects. Repentance is an Essential Component of the Oath of Allegiance This is the reality of repentance (which has been mentioned above). But why is repentance an integral part of swearing allegiance to a spiritual guide? The fact of the matter is that man is given to negligence. When an individual takes the oath of allegiance at the hand of one upon whom Allah the Exalted has bestowed this transformed state, the same divine grace and light-that exists in this trans- formed individual begins to emerge in the individual just as a graft changes the properties of a tree. The condition, however, is that one should possess a true relationship with this person as though they were a branch attached to his very being; not a lifeless branch. The greater a person's affinity with this spiritual lead- er, the better. A Superficial Oath of Allegiance is Useless A superficial oath of allegiance to a spiritual guide brings no benefit and it is difficult to derive any gain from such an oath of allegiance. A person shall truly reap benefit only when they abandon their ego and attach themselves to this per- son with abiding love and sincerity. Since the hypocrites did not possess a true relationship with the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,