Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 229
229 The Class of Those Upon Whom Allah Has Bestowed His Blessings I now wish to turn to Surah Fatihah and state that in the words: 1 َ الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْم اِهْدِنَا (Guide us in the right path) we seek the way of اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِم (on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings). I have stated many times that there are four classes of people referred to in اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِم (on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings) — the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous. Hence, when a be- liever offers this supplication, they actually make a request to be blessed with the morals, habits and knowledge of these classes. As a result of this prayer, if an individual does not develop the morals of these four classes of people, then this supplication would prove to be futile in his respect and the person who makes this entreaty is nothing more than an animal who utters lifeless words. These four classes of people are those who have attained sublime knowledge and lofty ranks from God Almighty. The Prophets are those whose detachment from all else for the sake of God reaches such a state that they converse with God and receive revelation from Him. The Truthful are those who love truth. The greatest truth is ُ اہلل َ ّ ٓ اِلٰہ َ اِل َ ل (There is none worthy of worship except Allah) and the second truth is ِ مُحَمَّد ٌ رَّسُوْل ُ اہلل (Muhammad sa is the Messenger of Allah). Such people hold dear all the avenues of truth and pursue nothing but the truth. Thirdly, there are those who are called the Martyrs who, as if, witness God. A Martyr is not merely one who is killed, or a person who dies in battle or by some epidemic. In fact, a Martyr is a person who is so strong in faith that they do not even hesitate in laying down their lives for the sake of God Almighty. The class of the Right- eous are those who are purged from every inner corruption. For example, when a person is healthy, the taste of their tongue is also perfectly fine. In a state of complete equilibrium, such a one is deemed fully healthy and no disorder exists internally. In the same manner, the Righteous do not suffer from any form of spiritual illness from within and they are free from all elements of corruption. The pinnacle of this state is attained through a person’s negation, whereas the excellence of a Martyr, the Truthful and a Prophet are in practical demonstration. A Martyr strengthens their faith to the extent that they behold God. Then, the Truthful actively love the truth and abstain from falsehood. Finally, the excel- lence of a Prophet is that he is cloaked in the mantle of Allah. Some people assert that these excellences cannot be attained by any other person. The Muslim clergy 1 al-Fatihah, 1:6