Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 369
2 May 1908 369 are in a most precarious position even if they discharge their obligations to God, because Allah the Exalted is the Sattar [Concealer (of weaknesses)], Ghaffar [Most Forgiving], Rahim [Merciful], and Halim [Forbearing], and He forgives. It is His habit to mostly forgive, but the bent of man, on the other hand, is such that he hardly ever forgives anyone. Thus, if man does not forgive the transgression against his rights, then the one who has failed to fully discharge his obligations to other human beings or has transgressed against others, is at risk of losing the reward for his good deeds because of this negligence even if he is striving to obey Divine commandments and is adhering to the religious ordinances like Salat [obligatory Prayers], Fasting etc. Thus, a true believer is indeed the one who is careful and diligent in discharging both the rights of God and the rights of His creation. Thus, he alone truly follows the Quran in its entirety, who keeps in mind both these aspects while carrying out his actions. Otherwise, he believes in only one half of the Quran. However, it is not within the power of man to perform both these types of deeds by the strength of his effort alone. He is constrained by the shackles of nafs-e-ammarah [the self that incites to evil]. Nothing can come about until the grace and power of Allah the Exalted accompanies man. Therefore, one should continue to supplicate so that he may be granted the power to perform virtuous deeds and so that he may be released from the bondage of nafs-e-ammarah which is a dan- gerous enemy of man. If there were no nafs-e-ammarah, there would be no Satan either. This is man’s enemy from within—an enemy in the guise of a friend, while Satan is the enemy from without. It goes with- out saying that, as a rule, when a thief breaks into someone’s home, he must first conspire with some insider who is familiar with the house and knowledgeable about it. Without conspiring