Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 98
98 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proach someone, now whether the person has anything to give or not, they will feel compelled to give the beggar something—if not due to fear of God, then out of regard for what people will think. However, a Martyr is free from such strain and forced effort, and this power and strength of theirs continues to increase. As their power continues to grow stronger, the initial difficulty that is felt in doing good proportionally decreases, until they feel no burden whatsoever. For what would an elephant feel if an ant sat upon its head? Does the Prayer Become Futile at Any Point? In the Futuhat 1 a subtle point has been written whilst alluding to this station. It is written that when a person reaches a rank of perfection, the Prayer becomes useless for them. The foolish have understood this to imply that one becomes ex- cused from offering the Prayer altogether, as certain free-minded dervishes claim. Such people are unaware of this station and fail to understand this subtle point of wisdom. The fact of the matter is that in the initial stages of the spiritual quest, things like the Prayer and other good deeds feel as though they are a sort of burden, and the disposition is weighed down with feelings of indolence and inconvenience. However, when a person receives strength from God Almighty and reaches the rank of a Martyr (Shaheed), they are granted such power and steadfastness that no difficulty is felt in performing these deeds. An individual becomes possessed and preoccupied in these deeds and fasting, the Prayer, Zakat, sympathy for hu- manity, kindness, and selflessness, in short, every good deed and sublime moral is performed with the power of faith. No misfortune, grief or pain can stop such a one from moving their steps towards God Almighty. A person will only be called a Martyr (Shaheed) when the power of their faith brings about through their person such actions that are performed with ease. Good deeds issue forth from a Martyr just as water falls from a height. A Martyr, as it were, sees God and wit- nesses His powers. When this rank reaches its point of perfection, it becomes a sign. The Conduct of a Martyr in the Face of Trials and Tribulations Some men have been observed to lose their composure in the face of trials and 1 Al-Futuhat-ul-Makkiyyah by Ibni ‘Arabi [Publisher]