Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 217
217 Malfuzat – Volume IV patience and steadfastness, derive benefit. Ultimately, the shining lustre of truth illuminates their hearts; their eyes are opened, and their ears develop a new fac - ulty of hearing; their heart is moved and develops within a person the quality of practice by which they receive tranquillity. We observe in the world around us also that when a person receives an oppor - tunity to do virtue and good, but the opportunity is missed, they feel sadness and grief for having lost that opportunity, and they experience pain. In the same manner, those who were blessed to see the era of Prophets, peace be upon them, but lost the opportunity, are in a state of divine punishment. What is regrettable is that the people of this world are uninformed of this fact. If the people of this world could know the circumstances of the dead and if the dead could come back to the world and relate their state of affairs to the people, everyone would begin to live a life of angels and sin would die in the world completely. However, this is not the will of God Almighty, and He has kept this matter hidden behind a veil, as it were, so that merit and spiritual reward are not wasted away. You see, if the questions for an examination are published in advance, how can the value of the answers given be tested? Similarly, God Almighty has preserved His system of accountability from both extremes. Concealment in the Matters of Faith If Allah the Exalted had removed all of the veils, if He had left nothing hidden and secret, and if the dead returned to tell people that heaven and hell were all true, could anyone remain to be an atheist or an idol worshipper? For example, if a few dead people from these parts came back to life and told their grandchildren and other relatives about the truth, could anyone persist in their denial? Of course not. However, this was not the will of Allah Almighty. Now if someone were to say that they believe in the sun because it exists and emits light, can such belief be worthy of any spiritual reward? Not at all. Likewise, in order to preserve the value and worth of faith, and to reward virtue, God Almighty has willed to keep certain things hidden. An intelligent man receives blessing, while a foolish one is deprived. Moreover, there is no matter of faith which does not possess an underlying reality and philosophy. The concealment of which I speak is underpinned by a magnificent philosophy. As I have men - tioned, if everything was so visible that absolutely nothing remained hidden any - more, and everything of the next world and the will of God became known to p. 484