The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 238
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI. ABOUT ISLAM 1. The purpose of religions is that man should obtain. deliverance from his passions and should develop personal love for. God Almighty through certain faith in His existence and His perfect attributes. Such love of God is the paradise which will appear in diverse shapes in the hereafter. To be unaware of the true God and to keep away from Him and not to have any love for Him is the hell which will appear in diverse shapes in the hereafter. Thus the true purpose is to have faith in Him. Now the question is which religion and which book can fill this need. The Bible tells us that the door of converse with God is closed and that the ways of obtaining certainty are sealed. Whatever was to happen, happened in the past and there is nothing in the future. . . . Of what use then is a religion which is dead?. What benefit can we derive from a book that is dead? What grace can be bestowed by a God who is dead? (Chashma-i-Masihi, pp. 20-23 Essence of Islam, Vol. 1, p. 2). 2. The technical meaning of Islam is set out in the verse: The truth is that whoever submits himself completely to the will of Allah and acts righteously shall have his reward with his Lord. No fear shall come upon such, nor shall they grieve (2:113). This means that a. Muslim is one who commits himself wholly to the cause of God. Almighty; that is to say, one who devotes himself to God Almighty, to following designs and to winning His pleasure, and then becomes steadfast in doing good for the sake of God Almighty and devotes all his faculties to that cause: In other words, he belongs entirely to God. Almighty both doctrinally and in practice. . Doctrinal belonging means that one should esteem one's being as something which has been created for the recognition of God. . Almighty and His obedience and the seeking of His love and pleasure. . Practical belonging means to do all the good that is related to every one of one's faculties with such eagerness and attention as if 238