Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 445
9 May 1908 445 mind that purity and lack of discipline oppose each other like light and darkness. It appears that in the city of Lahore, minds are amenable to the acceptance of truth but lack of discipline and unbridled freedom are a serious obstacle in their path. It is recorded that a tribe accepted Islam in the time of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and they petitioned him in his presence, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Exempt us from Salat. ’ However, he replied for them to observe that a religion in which there is no worship of God Almighty is a religion of nothing whatsoever. When gazing upon the state of the world’s share of this heedlessness and unbridled freedom, a kind of quaking and quivering descend upon the heart, and the thought comes [to mind] of how difficult it really is to remove this massive stone from the path of [spiritual] reformation without the coming of a remarkable revolution throughout the world, inspiring within hearts the unshakeable belief of the awe, majesty, omnipotence, and grandeur of God Almighty. These days if someone claims to give up alcohol and declares its consumption unlawful, he essentially means that it should not be consumed in excess or that it should not be consumed openly outside in the marketplaces in front of others. Within the four walls of your homes, do whatever you wish. However, Islam has commanded strict conditions of true righteousness and genuine purity in all these matters, remaining within the limits of God Almighty.