Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 175
175 Pride in One’s Ancestry Deprives One from Virtue The Promised Messiah as states: “Allah the Exalted has no liking for the outer shell; it is spirituality and the essence that finds acceptance with Him. This is why God Almighty states: 1 ْ مِنْكُم وَ لٰكِنْ يَّنَالُهُ التَّقْوٰى دِمَا ٓٔوُهَا وَ لَا لَنْ يَّنَالَ اهللَ لُحُوْمُهَا Their flesh reaches not Allah, nor does their blood, but it is your righteousness that reaches Him. In another instance, God Almighty states: 2 َ يَتَقَبَّلُ اهللُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِيْن اِنَّمَا Allah accepts only from the righteous. In actuality, this is a very delicate matter. Here, even if someone is the child of a Prophet, this is of no benefit. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said a similar thing to Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her. The Holy Quran also clearly states: 3 ْ اِنَّ اَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اهللِ اَتْقٰىكُم Verily, the most honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. The Jews too are the progeny of Prophets. Did hundreds of Prophets not appear among the Jews? But what benefit did being the children of Prophets bring to them? If their deeds were good, why would they personify the following verse: 4 ُ ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَ الْمَسْكَنَة They were smitten with abasement and destitution. God Almighty desires a pure transformation. On certain occasions, even pride in one’s ancestry deprives one from acts of virtue and a person will surmise that they shall receive salvation due to their lineage alone, which is an utterly absurd notion. Kabir says: ‘It is good that I was born in the home of the lower caste. O Kabir! It is good that we are among the lowly, for we greet everyone equally. ’ 1 al-Hajj, 22:38 2 al-Ma’idah, 5:28 3 al-Hujurat, 49:14 4 al-Baqarah, 2:62