Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 75
75 the Book of God. When a person is idle and inactive, this immoral mindset pre- vails for a very long period of time. The second form of converse with the inner self is to prolong the string of one’s yearnings. This train of thought encourages inappropriate desires, and this gives rise to the ailments known as greed, jealousy and selfishness. Therefore, as soon as this way of thinking begins, put an end to it immediately. These two categories of converse with the inner self which I have mentioned ultimately destroy a person. However, a Prophet is pure from this form of discourse. The Reality of the Station of Prophethood What is prophethood? It is a God-given gift. If it were a station that could be earned, everyone would become a Prophet. The very nature of the Prophets is such that they do not fall prey to an inappropriate chain of discourse—they do not engage in this ‘converse with the inner self ’ that I have just mentioned. Other people, however, take on a state where they become so engrossed in these ex- changes that they lose sight of God altogether. Prophets, on the other hand, are free from this and they are so lost in God, and so absorbed in discourse and con- verse with Him, that their hearts and minds do not have the capacity or space to entertain such a series of thoughts. In fact, all that is left within them is the chan- nel for discourse with God. As this is all that remains in them, God converses with them and they often speak to God. In solitude and in a state of inactivity, when a string of ill thoughts arise in an ordinary human being, if a Prophet is observed in a similar state of solitude and apparent inactivity, one may perhaps think out of misjudgment and a lack of knowledge that this individual is probably not en- gaged in converse with God. However, this is not the case. A Prophet converses with God at all times saying: ‘O God! I love You and seek Your pleasure. Shower me with such grace that I may reach the point and station, which is the station of Your pleasure. Grant me the ability to perform such deeds which are pleasing in Your estimation. Open the eyes of the people so that they recognise You and fall at Your threshold. ’ These are the thoughts and yearnings of a Prophet, and he is so absorbed and lost in them that others cannot understand them. A Prophet con- stantly remains engaged in these thoughts with pleasure and then reaches a state where his heart melts; then his soul begins to flow forth and falls at the threshold of God with full force and vigour, and proclaims: