Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 79
29 December 1904 79 then seek the favour of God Almighty and His grace through supplication. So long as a person is not characterised by both these attrib- utes—that is, he does not start doing good deeds by giving up evil deeds—he cannot be called a believer. It is in praise of the perfect believer that it has been said, 1 َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع [‘on whom You have bestowed Your blessings’]. Now, ponder whether this reward of God’s blessings was so utterly trifling that they used to refrain from committing theft and highway robbery, or is something far greater intended? Indeed not. The rewards referred to in َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع are of the loftiest rank and are said to be the converse and dialogue with God. 2 If the objective had only been to the degree—as some peo- ple understand—that avoiding major evils is achieving perfec- tion, then the prayer taught would not have been َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع َتْمَعْنَا ْمِهْيَلَع , the ultimate and highest stage of which is dialogue and converse with God Almighty. The perfection of the Prophets, peace be on them all, was not just that they did not commit theft and the like, but they were unique in their level of love, sincerity, and faithfulness to God Almighty. Accordingly, it was taught through the teaching of this prayer that virtue and Divine favours are something altogether different. Until a person achieves it, he cannot be called good and righteous and does not fall into the category of ْہ ی َ ل َ ع ْ م َ ٰع ُْنْ م ْہ ی َ ل َ ع ْ م َ ٰع ُْنْ م [ mun‘am ‘alaih —those whom Allah has favoured]. Next, Allah says: 3 ِرْيَغ ِبْوُضْغَمْلا ْمِهْيَلَع َو اَل َنْيِّلٓاَّضلا ِرْيَغ ِبْوُضْغَمْلا ْمِهْيَلَع َو اَل َنْيِّلٓاَّضلا 1. S u rah al-F a ti h ah, 1:7 [Publisher] 2. Al- H akam, vol. 9, no. 2, p. 2, 3, dated 17 January 1905 3. …those who have not Thy incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray ( S u rah al-F a ti h ah, 1:7). [Publisher]