Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 258
258 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad God—for a person to love God. The actual purpose and objective of the teaching of the Holy Quran is that just as God is One and without partner, even in the context of love, one believes in Him to be One and without partner. This has always been the real aim of the teaching of every Prophet. Therefore, on the one hand, where the words ُہللُ َا َ � َاْل ِ َا َ ٗہ ٰ َل ِ َا َ (There is none worthy of worship except Allah) impart a teaching of divine Oneness, they teach one how to perfect one’s belief in divine Unity through love of God as well. As I have just mentioned, this is such a beautiful phrase so rich in meaning that the like of it cannot be found anywhere throughout the Torah and Gospel, nor has any other book in the world given such a perfect teaching. The word ilah describes a being so beloved and adored that it is worthy of worship. In other words, this principle of Islam fully and perfectly conveys the meaning of love. Remember that divine Unity that is empty of love is flawed and deficient. Love of God and Advice to the Community What does it mean to love God? It is to give precedence to the pleasure of Allah the Exalted over one’s parents, wife, children, and even one’s own self—in short, over everything. Hence, the Holy Quran states: 1 ًا َر ْ ُك ِ ْذ َ ْد ََشَ ا ْ َو َ ا ْ ُم َُكُ ء َبَٓا ٰا ْ ُم ُِكُ َر ْ ُك ِ ِّذ َ ُك َ ُهلل ا ا َو ُ َر ْذُْكُ َفَا Celebrate the praises of Allah as you celebrated the praises of your fathers, or even more than that. Meaning, remember Allah the Exalted as you remember your fathers, rather remember Him with even greater and deeper love. Now, there is a point that calls for reflection here. In the aforementioned instance, God Almighty did not teach that one should refer to Him as the Father. He has taught that one should not refer to him as the father, lest one is deceived like the Christians. Now, if some - one raises the objection that the aforementioned teaching places the love of God below our love for our fathers, God Almighty has cleared this objection by using the words: ًا َر ْ ُك ِ ْذ َ ْد ََشَ ا ْ َو َ ا (or celebrate their praises even more than that). If these words had not been used, this objection would hold weight, but the aforementioned phrase has resolved this potential criticism. Those who refer to God as the Father 1 al-Baqarah , 2:201 p. 522