Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 24
24 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا Meaning, they say our Lord is Allah, then show steadfastness; and turn away from all else to find God. In other words, success depends on steadfastness. And steadfastness is to recognise God and stand unshaken in the face of all difficulty, trial and tribulation. If a person is able to do this, they will surely become the recipient of divine communion and converse like the Prophets. One Must Bear Trials to Become a Saint There are many who come here hoping—by some magic spell—to reach the high- est spiritual heights and attain communion with God. Such people are guilty of mockery. They ought to cast a glance upon the lives of the Prophets. It is false to assert that hundreds of people were instantly transformed into saints by merely visiting a certain religious divine. Quite the contrary, Allah Almighty states: أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا اَنْ يَقُوْلُوْا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ Do men think that they will be left alone because they say, 'We believe,' and that they will not be tested? In other words, until man is tried and made to face affliction, how can he become a saint? Once, Bayazidth was exhorting the people in a gathering. The descendant of a long line of saints, who harboured malice in his heart for Bayazidth, was also present. It is the way of God that He chooses newer families for older ones. For example, he selected the Children of Ishmael over the Children of Israel, as the latter had fallen prey to worldly pleasures and enjoyment, and thus had forgotten God. وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ 3 And such days We cause to alternate among men that they may be admonished. So, the thought crossed this person's mind that Bayazidth belonged to a lower-class family. How then could he possibly be a man of miracles who attracted so many people to himself? The other man realised that people did not flock to him the same way. God Almighty disclosed the thoughts of this man to Bayazidth and so, he began to relate a story. He said that once, in a gathering, a lamp containing oil 2 1 Ha Mim As-Sajdah, 41:31 al-Ankabut, 29:3 Aal-e-Imran, 3:141