Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 79
79 But this army cannot be seen until one is covered by the mantle of Allah Almighty. The Path to Great Prosperity I return to my actual subject and say that there is only one path appointed by Allah Almighty to attain ultimate prosperity and that is to obey the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. As Allah the Exalted states: 1 ُ ُحْبِبْكُمُ اهلل ی ْ قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّوْنَ اهللَ فَاتَّبِعُوْنِي That is, come and follow me, so that Allah may also take you as a friend. This does not mean that one should engage in worship in the form of a tradition. If this is the essence of religion, then of what significance is Prayer and fasting? To refrain from a certain action, or to perform an action of one’s own accord—this is not the true meaning of Islam. The meaning of Islam is for one to place their head to be slaughtered like a sheep, just as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘My death, my life, my Prayer and my sacrifices are for Allah alone, and I am the first to put forth my neck to be sacrificed. ’ This pride of Islam was first and foremost the distinction of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, not Abraham as or anyone else. It is to this very point that the following words allude: ِ ِ وَالطِّیْن ء ٓ کُنْت ُ نَبِیًّا وَّاٰدَم ُ بَیْن َ الْمَا I was a Prophet even when Adam was in the initial stages of creation between water and clay. Although the Holy Prophet sa appeared after all other Prophets, the call that ‘my death and my life are all for the sake of Allah Almighty’ was not proclaimed by anyone else. The Actual State of the Muslims Observe the state of the wor ld today. Our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, demonstrated through his own actions that his death and his life were all for the sake of Allah Almighty alone, but then, there are the Muslims of today. If someone is asked whether they are a Muslim, they will respond in the affirmative by saying: ‘All praise belongs to Allah. ’ But the man whose creed they 1 Aal-e-Imran, 3:32 p. 70