Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 191
28 April 1905 191 ْ ِاَنْفُسِهِم َب ِّرُوْا م َا ی َ ْغ ُ ی ی ّٰ َت َ ٍ ح ِم ْ َو َ ِق َب ِّر ُ م َا ی َ ْغ ُ ی هّٰللَّٰ اَلَ ا َ اِن ْ ِاَنْفُسِهِم َب ِّرُوْا م َا ی َ ْغ ُ ی ی ّٰ َت َ ٍ ح ِم ْ َو َ ِق َب ِّر ُ م َا ی َ ْغ ُ ی هّٰللَّٰ اَلَ ا َ اِن Surely Allah the Exalted will never change the condi- tion of the nation until people change in their hearts. After hearing of these things, everyone is generally ready to say that they observe Prayer and do istighf a r [seek forgiveness], so why do they face calamities and afflictions? The essential thing is that the one who understands the words of God Almighty is indeed fortunate. Allah the Exalted intends one thing but people understand it to be something else, and then measure it by their own stand- ards of intellect and actions. This is incorrect. For something to be effective it ought to be used in the right amount. An example is if a person takes only one drop of a medicine that is supposed to be taken in the amount of one tola , 1 what benefit will they derive? Similarly, if someone eats only a single grain instead of a whole piece of bread, will this satisfy his hunger? And instead of a bowl of water, will a drop suffice to satiate? Most certainly not. The same is the case with actions. They do not ascend [to the heavens] until they are carried out in their proper measure. This is the practice of Allah which we cannot change. Therefore, it is absolutely wrong that you adopt this prac- tice of avoiding people with the plague, so that you can remain safe from it. You should take as many precautions as are appro- priate, but not at the expense of mutual brotherhood and com- passion. At the same time, develop a true relationship with God Almighty. Remember that helping with the funeral rites and preparations of the deceased, and sympathising with your brother is like charity. This kind of charity is from among the 1. A tola is a unit of weight used in South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan, for measuring things like gold, spices, herbs, and other small items. It is equal to about 11. 66 grams. [Publisher]