Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 83
29 December 1904 83 Almighty, like the sunlight falling on a wall illuminates it, but the wall cannot boast that this light is due to its ability. It is another matter that the cleaner the wall is, the clearer the light will be, but in any case, the personal merit of the wall has nothing to do with this light; rather, its pride belongs to the sun. And even so, it can neither say to the sun to take away this light. In the same way, the souls of the Prophets, peace be on them, are pure. The light of cognisance falls upon them by the beneficence and favour of Allah the Exalted, and it illuminates them, so they do not make any claims personally but attribute every bounty to Allah the Exalted, and this, indeed, is also the truth. This is why whenever the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was asked whether he would enter Paradise through his deeds, he replied, ‘Not at all; 1 it would be by the grace of God Almighty. ’ Prophets, peace be on them, never attribute any power and strength to themselves. They receive it from God and always proclaim His name. Yes, indeed, there are people who are millions of times lower in rank than the Prophets, peace be on them, who become arrogant after praying for two days. In the same way, instead of achieving purification by fasting and performing Hajj, they develop arrogance and pride. 2 Remember, arrogance comes from Satan and makes a person a satan. As long as a person is not far removed from it, he is blocked from the way of accept- ing the truth and receiving the grace of God. One should not 1. This is in al-Badr : ‘He answered that “Not at all, but by the grace of God”’ ( Al- Badr, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 3, dated 10 January 1905). 2. This is in al-Badr : ‘Yes, indeed, it is not surprising if there is a trace of arro- gance left among those below the [level of the] Prophets. Because this is the affliction that does not stop pursuing a person, some people carry out the rites of Hajj, but arrogance and haughtiness are still found in them as before’ ( Al-Badr, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 3, dated 10 January 1905).