In these difficult days, it is important to develop our relationship with God, therefore, I thought I would talk about this in today’s newsletter.
In the Holy Qur’an, Sura Al-Mu’minun, Chapter 23, verses 2-12, it explains seven steps to help a true believer to develop. The verses are:-
Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers, and who shun all that which is vain, and who are prompt and regular in paying the Zakaat, and who guard their chastity – except from their wives or what their right hands possess, for them they are not to be blamed; But those, who seek anything beyond that are the transgressors – And who are watchful of their trusts and their covenants, and who are strict in the observance of their prayers. These are the heirs, who will inherit Paradise. They will abide therein forever.
These verses refer to a true Mu’min (believer) of a very high spiritual calibre whose characteristics and special marks have been mentioned in these verses. Such believers will achieve Falah (success) and not only Najah (salvation) because the achievement of Falah, is a much higher spiritual stage than the attainment of Najah.
The whole purpose of Islam is to develop our spirituality and become a true lover of Allah, the One God, and one of His faithful servants. The spiritual path lies ahead of each and every one of us and we should all try to develop ourselves and ensure that we are true Muslims – humble servants of the Gracious God.
These verses describe a true Mu’min, the quality and character of a believer and the various stages that he/she should pass through to reach the highest spiritual station – a closeness with Allah that makes you become one with God. This should be our real goal in life and what we should be constantly aiming for.
When we meet pious members and see that wonderful relationship that they have with their Maker, then that should inspire us to also have such a relationship. The path is open for us all, nothing prevents you except yourself! It is important to constantly look at yourself and seek ways to improve yourself, develop your spirituality. We have to constantly improve our personal conduct and seek to keep putting Allah first and win His pleasure and blessings.
The first stage is - who are humble in their prayers -
The first step in developing your relationship with Allah is to talk to Him. The prayers are the best method to achieve this, but it is important that they are done properly. Allah informs us the best way to do our prayers – be humble. To show proper humility, you need to recognise who Allah is and who are you. You must remove all pride, forget your own needs and submit yourself totally to God.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, may peace be with him, has said:
It behoves a man to become like a complete beggar and like the one having dire needs. Just as a beggar humbles himself and attracts the mercy by either posing to be in great need or by his change of tone, one should be utterly humble and then ask God for the fulfilment of his needs. Unless a man humbles himself during the prayer and unless he makes the Salat a means of his supplications, the Salat cannot be enjoyed to its full extent (Malfoozat Vol. II, p145)
We should always bear in mind that nothing can be achieved without prayers, especially our spiritual progress.
The second stage is: “And who shun all that which is vain”
This is our greatest downfall – our ego. In order to make spiritual progress we have to give up our own desires and instead think ‘what does Allah want’? We have to make sure that Allah is always first before everyone and everything. We have to be doing constant self-examination, thinking over what we are saying and doing. We have to avoid all vain talk and thoughts and also idle, vain and futile actions. Instead we must use every moment usefully and shun all vain and useless pursuits. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth Khalifa of the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi (may Allah have mercy on him) told us that ‘every night we should do self-reckoning’ By doing self-examination you will be able to keep improving yourself.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, may peace be with him, has said
One should get rid of lies and bad manners and he who is walking on the (straight) path should be asked the way. One should also continue removing one’s shortcomings gradually. Just as the writing cannot be perfected without correcting it all the time, the moral also cannot be perfect unless one continues removing the shortcomings. (Malfoozat Vol I. p 443)
These two verses have been summed up nicely by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
Allah has revealed to me that you should behave with humility towards one another so that no one transgresses against another, nor boasts of any superiority over another.
The third stage is: ‘And who are prompt and regular in paying the Zakaat’
Sacrifice is very important for spiritual development. We should always be ready to sacrifice our time, money, even our life. The object of Zakaat is not only to provide means for the relief of the distressed, or for the promotion of the welfare of the economically less favoured sections of the community, but also to discourage the hoarding of money and commodities and therefore ensure a brisk circulation of both, which leads to a healthy economic adjustments.
The Zakaat is a very beautiful system and is a means for the rich to help the poor and needy without directly giving to them. Instead they pay to the Zakaat collectors and it is then distributed to those in need. In this way the rich do not know where their money has gone and so they can’t demand anything from the poor and needy, likewise the poor and needy do not know where the money has come from and therefore do not feel indebted to anyone.
The verse states who are ‘prompt and regular’, this shows the importance of paying the Zakaat when it is due.
Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said:
Let no one image that his wealth or station or power is the result merely of his own efforts or enterprise. That is not so. Your power and your position and your wealth are all earned through the poor
True inner peace cannot be found running after worldly things, as we constantly desire more. Real inner peace is achieved when you are always satisfied with what you have and want to share with others.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, may peace be with him, has said:
It is not true to say that wealth affords comfort. Mere wealth cannot do so. If somebody has got wealth but he has not got good health – his stomach, let us say, is not in good order – do you think his is a life of bliss.
That shows that wealth is also not a source of comfort. The truth is that only he who has communion with God lives a life of bliss in every way, for, God is powerful over all things and He can remove the trials and the tribulations and the worries connected with wealth: If the trials and tribulations and hardships are there, God can grant strength to bear them and to confront them. (Malfoozat Vol. III, p335)