Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 294
294 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Meaning, deeds are based on intentions. With good intentions, even an appar- ent offence, no longer remains to be as such. Even in the case of the law, intent is important. For example, if a father were reprimanding his child to go to school and study, and the child happens to sustain an injury in some way, which results in death, it will be understood that the death cannot be deemed as an intentional, punishable offence, because the father did not intend to kill the child. Therefore, every action is based heavily on one’s motive. In Islam, this concept solves many issues. Hence, if someone does a deed with good intentions, purely for the sake of God, they should not care about how worldly people view that action. The Etiquette of Proclaiming God’s Blessing Bear in mind that one ought to remain a seeker by way of supplication to God always and in every state. Secondly, one ought to act upon the following: 1 ْ ِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّث ۃ بِنِعْمَ اَمَّا The bounty of thy Lord, proclaim. One ought to proclaim the favours, which are conferred upon a person from God Almighty, for this increases a person’s love for God and fosters a zeal in them to be obedient and dutiful to Him. The word ‘proclaim’ does not only mean that a person should verbally speak of these blessings; these blessings should be appar- ent on their body as well. For example, if Allah the Exalted has granted someone the ability to wear elegant clothes, but they always wear spoiled and dirty clothes so that people will look at them with sympathy or so that the individual’s afflu- ence remains hidden from the people, such an individual commits a sin. For such a one seeks to hide the grace and bounty of God Almighty, and follows a way of hypocrisy; such a one deceives the people, and seeks to mislead them, and this is far from the greatness of a believer. The way of the Holy Prophet sa was always to embrace both aspects. The Holy Prophet sa would wear whatever was available to him and would not reject anything; he would accept whatever clothing was presented to him. However, after the Holy Prophet sa , certain people saw humil- ity in adopting the way of asceticism. Certain dervishes have been known to mix dust with their meat before consuming it. Once a man went to see a dervish. The 1 ad-Duha , 93:12 p. 268