Scattered Pearls — Page 66
65 between the Creator and His creatures. The Holy Prophet has most truly said: "Prayer is the inner marrow of all acts of worship, without which man's devotion to his Creator remains like a bone wholly empty inside. " (Tirmazee) 32. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that all members of the Ahmadiyya Movement should develop the utmost concentration, humility and a burning of the heart in prayer, making it the greatest mainstay of their lives, not only in words, and as a mere matter of form, but as the most living reality. They should cultivate the most firm conviction that Allah listens to the supplications of His servants and creatures. But at the same time they should always bear in mind that while on the one hand Allah grants the prayers of His servants, in His great wisdom. He also sometimes insists that they submit to His will. The mere fact that some prayers have not been answered should not, therefore, be taken to mean by anyone that it effects the basic philosophy of prayer in any way. . For the ordinary people Allah, in any case, is the absolute. Master and Lord; and the Master has every right that in view of the iniquities of some servant He should withhold from him the blessed fruit of the acceptance of prayer, in some ways and in certain circumstances. For His specially devoted servants, however, God is also the Friend, in addition to being the Master; and the most reasonable position of friendship is that in certain things your friend accepts your wishes as preferable, while in others you accept the will and wish of your friend to be binding on you. But in all such cases it is the grace and mercy of God which, really speaking, manifests itself, whatsoever the circums-