Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 521
17 May 1908 521 miracles in the Vedas—then what sign is there for the existence of God? And what indeed is the sign of His life? When the two components have been in existence on their own, then why should we not accept that the third component (the quality of them uniting with each other) is also intrinsic? When one vital transaction occurred on its own, why should we concede that someone is needed for the easier task? It is thus a special favour of God, unique only to Islam, that no teaching of Islam is against the rightly inclined mind or nature of man. ُ ل َٓٓ إِلٰه َ إِل َّ هللا [‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allah’] is a statement. Its practical proof is the conduct: 1 ىٰلَب ١ۗ ْنَم َمَلْسَا ٗهَهْجَو ِهّٰلِل َو َوُه ٌنِسْحُم ىٰلَب ١ۗ ْنَم َمَلْسَا ٗهَهْجَو ِهّٰلِل َو َوُه ٌنِسْحُم Mere verbal claim (the claim of faith) is of no use nor can it be of any benefit. Dry faith is like a rooster without feathers and wings. It is simply a lump of flesh which can neither move about nor maintain the ability to fly. On the contrary, Islam means that one lays his head down in the path of God without any concern for personal loss in this path, despite witnessing frightening spectacles and being fully aware that even by stand- ing there he would be risking his life. At the time of war, a soldier knows that he journeys into the jaws of death. Death seems more certain to him than coming out alive. Yet, in loyalty and obedience to his commander, he marches forward regardless of the risk. This is known as Islam. Hence, in the one sentence ( ُ ل َٓٓ إِلٰه َ إِل َّ هللا ) Allah has taught Tauhid [the Oneness of God] and in the other ( ْنَم َمَلْسَا ٗهَهْجَو ِهّٰلِل ْنَم َمَلْسَا ٗهَهْجَو ِهّٰلِل ) He has taught that one needs to provide proof of his true and living belief in this Tauhid by his conduct that he should lay 1. Nay, whoever submits himself completely to Allah, and is the doer of good ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:113). [Publisher]