The Advent of the Promised Messiah — Page 40
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad laid down their lives. Moreover, God Almighty would not have said the following about them: مِنْهُم مَّنْ قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا 1 Hence, when even worldly gains cannot be secured without hardship and toil, how utterly foolish then is one who considers faith to be easy. It is true that religion is a thing of ease, yet every blessing demands travail. Regardless, Islam is not overly demanding. Observe the Hindus, whose yogis and ascetics go to great lengths- their backs are broken while others grow out their nails. Likewise, celibacy was practiced by the Christians. Islam does not teach such practices but rather states: قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّهَا 2 Meaning, a person who purifies their soul has attained salvation. In other words, one who abstains for the sake of God Almighty, from every kind of self-invented belief, sin, impiety, and from their base desires; who abandons every form of selfish pleasure, preferring hardships in the way of God; who gives precedence to 1 There are some of them who have fulfilled their vow, and some who still wait, and they have not changed their condition in the least. (al- Ahzab, 33:24) [Publisher] 2 as-Shams, 91:10 [Publisher] 40