Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 32
32 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad nature of man. The case of the Gospel may be likened to a young boy who is com- pelled to study an immensely difficult book as soon as he begins his schooling. Allah the Exalted is Wise and so His wisdom demanded that teaching reached perfection gradually. After this, Allah states with reference to a righteous person (muttaqi): وَالَّذِيْنَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْأَخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ Meaning, righteous are those who believe in the books that were revealed in previous times and in the book that was revealed to you. Moreover, they believe in the hereafter. This affair is also not free from forced effort. At this stage, belief is still somewhat deprived. The eyes of a muttaqi lack divine understanding and insight. Such a one wars with Satan and manages to believe only in fundamental terms and this is the case with our community at the present time. Indeed, our community has also believed, but they still remain unaware of the extent to which it will soon flourish in the hands of Allah. Hence, such belief ultimately yields benefit. When the word 'yaqin' is used in a general sense it implies the lowest level of belief. That is to say, the lowest stage among the three stages of knowledge is knowledge by inference (ilm-ul-yaqin)-at this stage a person possesses right- eousness (ittiqa). After this, their advances in degrees of righteousness lead them to certainty by sight (ayn-ul-yaqin) and true certainty (haqq-ul-yaqin). Righteousness is no insignificant thing. For it is through righteousness that man fights all the devils within, which command ascendancy over his every inner strength and faculty. In the state of the self that incites towards evil, each of these faculties are a Satan which dwells in man. If not reformed, they shall enslave man. Even knowledge and reason, if misused, become satanic. The task of a muttaqi is to correctly put these and all his other faculties to good use. A True Religion is One that Nurtures the Human Faculties As for such people who consider retribution, anger or marriage to be unaccepta- ble in all cases, they too disregard the Book of Nature and defy the faculties of man. A true religion is one that nurtures the human faculties, not one that uproots them. To forsake virility or anger, which God Almighty has invested in man, is 1 al-Baqarah, 2:5