Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 31
Malfuzat - Volume I 31 person, even giving in the cause of God first required a battle with the inner self. As a result, he gave some and kept some. Of course, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave everything that he had in the way of God and kept nothing for himself. As has been expounded in the treatise that was read out in the Conference of Great Religions (Dharam Mahautsav), there are three states that man traverses through, from the beginning of life until the end. In this context, the Quran, which was sent down to lead man through all the stages of progress, starts with the state of righteousness (ittiqa), which is a path of forced effort. It is a perilous arena, as it were, in which man stands against a foe-both with swords in hand. If one is able to escape death, salvation is his; otherwise, he becomes the lowest of the low. As such, when describing the attributes of a muttaqi, Allah has not stated that they spend in entirety all that He has bestowed upon them. A muttaqi does not possess the same faith that characterises the grandeur of a Prophet, so that like our Perfect Guide, they are able to return to God, whatever He bestowed on them in entirety. And so, initially, man is taxed insignificantly so that the sweet taste of this sacrifice motivates him to an even greater degree. Allah the Exalted states: Provision وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ And they spend out of what We have provided for them. Provision does not only imply wealth. In fact, it connotes everything that is en- dowed to humans, whether knowledge, wisdom or experience in medicine. All of this is considered 'provision' and man is to spend out of all this in the way of God. Learning Reaches Perfection in Stages Man is to progress on this path gradually and step by step. If, like the Gospel, Muslims were taught to offer the other cheek when slapped on one, or to give away everything they possessed, they too like the Christians would, as a result, have been deprived of spiritual reward due to an impractical teaching. The Quran, however, leads man to progress in degrees, and this accords with the al-Baqarah, 2:4