The Descent of the Messiah — Page 161
HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS Experience shows that it is either true love that keeps one from sin and transgression, or true awe that holds one back from disobedience. There is a kind of fear in true love, and it is the fear of being estranged from a benevolent friend. One who is under the definitive influence of true love or true awe, or someone who truly knows and loves and is under the influence of such a per- son, such a one is undoubtedly kept away from sin, while none of the other people in the world are free of the poison of sin. It is true that many people cunningly say that they are innocent and that there is no impiety in their hearts, but they are liars and seek to deceive God and His creatures. It is not possible for one to be cleansed of sin unless, on account of the intense rays of certainty, there descends on him the death that is born of Divine awe, and love and true fear settle in his heart, and the heart is dyed in the colours of Divine beauty and majesty. These two states are such that they can never enter a heart that is devoid of perfect faith in God and in His attributes of both kinds. This establishes the fact that certainty alone is the root of salvation and the means there- of. It is out of certainty that one bows one's head in obedience despite all kinds of tribulations and is even prepared to enter a fire. It is the sight of certainty that makes one an ardent lover and prepares one to lay down one's life. It is the sight of certainty that makes one give up comfort and become oblivious to the praise and adulation of the people, so that one takes on the enmity of the entire world for the sake of the One. Man, out of true fear, at times uses even lawful things with dread and trepidation and keeps his tongue from what is forbidden as if his mouth were full of gravel. Such certainty is achieved either through seeing or through God's certain discourse that establishes itself as the Word of God through its power, magnificence, charm, and mira- cles. Without this, one can neither be certain of the existence of God nor of His attributes. 161