Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 141
141 ences, and in the eyes of the world, could well be the greatest expert in all fields of knowledge, but if such an individual does not purify their soul, the knowledge of the Holy Quran is not granted to them. I observe in this day and age that the world’s attention is greatly inclined towards the acquisition of worldly knowl- edge, and the enlightenment of the West has astonished the world with its new inventions and creations. The path that Muslims have thought to follow in order to secure their own prosperity and success, unfortunately, is by making the peo- ple of the West their leaders and priding themselves on following Europe. This is the state of modern Muslim thinkers. Then, there are those Muslims who are old-fashioned in their thoughts and who consider themselves to be the guardians of the Faith. The summary and sum-total of their lifelong achievements is that they are entangled in intricacies and disputes that relate to Arabic morphology and syntax; and they are at daggers drawn over the correct pronunciation of the Arabic word daleen. They pay no attention whatsoever to the Holy Quran, and how could they, when they pay no attention to the purification of their souls? There is one class among the Muslims nonetheless that does claim to undertake the purification of the soul. This group is composed of sufis and the successors of saints, however, these people have abandoned the Holy Quran and have invented their own practices. Some of them perform forty-day retreats in seclusion; others raise slogans of ُ اہلل َ ّ اِل (there is none but Allah) , while some of them are indulged in meditative practices of ‘negation and affirmation’ (nafi-o-asbat), concentration, breath control, etc. In short, these people have invented practices that are not taught by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and do not align with the teaching of the Holy Quran—practices which have never been favoured by the institution of prophethood. In short, it ought to be remembered that until an individual brings about a pure transformation and purifies the soul, one cannot gain an understanding of the insights and excellences of the Holy Quran. The points of wisdom and divine verities comprised in the Holy Quran are ones which quench the thirst of the soul. Alas! If only the world knew of that which brings pleasure to the soul, and then came to realise that what they require is comprised within the Holy Quran, and the Holy Quran alone. Who Are the Saints? Hearken! The greater a transformation one brings about in oneself, the more