Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 5
Malfuzat - Volume I 5 and his progeny, ultimately, they remained bereft of faith; they were left devoid of pure love and sincerity. And so, the mere proclamation (There is none worthy of worship except Allah) was of no avail to them. Thus, it is very important to forge these bonds. If a follower does not strengthen these ties and fails to make an effort in this cause, any expression of grief or regret would be unwarranted. One should nurture a relationship of love and sincerity with one's spiritual guide and insofar as possible, adjust the hue of one's disposition to that of one's master, both in terms of action and belief. The inner self of man promises him a long life, but this is deception. There is no telling how long a person will live. One should hasten to adopt piety and worship, and introspect on one's condition from morn- ing to evening. ' An Exhortation to Offer Tahajjud If our entire lives are spent in worldly engagements, what will we have accumu- lated for the hereafter? Make a special effort to wake up for Tahajjud and offer it with fervour and joy. At times, the Prayers to be offered during the day pose a challenge to those who are in employment, but Allah the Exalted is the Provider. The obligatory Prayers ought to be offered at their prescribed times. On occa- sion, it is permissible to combine the Zuhr and Asr prayers. Allah Almighty made provision for this, for He knew that some would be weaker than others. However, this permission does not allow for three Prayers to be combined. To Bear Hardship for the Sake of Allah the Exalted When disciplinary action is meted out to people in employment and in other matters and they are reprimanded by rulers-how wonderful would it be if they were to bear hardship for the sake of Allah the Exalted. Those who shoulder pain and difficulty so that righteousness may be upheld find favour amongst people as well. This is the way of the Prophets and the Truthful. Allah the Exalted never remains in debt of an individual who sustains material loss for His sake, and always grants a full reward. I recall that the 1 Al-Badr, volume 1, nos. 5-6, dated 2 November 1902 and 5 December 1902 Promised Messiah delivered this speech when Muhammad Nawwab Khan Sahib Tehsildar took the oath of allegiance at the hand of the Promised Messiah (as). (Editor)