Prepare for the 'Journey'
And so, it is absolutely imperative to state that every individual
and friend who is present now must not hear my words as though they
were a storyteller’s tale. Rather, I counsel you from Allah and
have been commissioned by Him. I address you with immense sympathy,
true goodwill and with a burning heart. Hence, I call on my friends
to heed my counsel. I reiterate that you ought to listen
attentively and take my words to heart.
Belief in God
Allah is the most Supreme Being and He is the Light, for He has
established His existence and Oneness in the Holy Quran with powerful
and simple arguments. Those people who express doubts and harbour
suspicion regarding His existence, despite witnessing the powers and
miraculous wonders of this Magnificent Being, are truly the most
unfortunate. In proof of His Magnificent and Powerful Being, Allah
the Exalted has stated:
‘Are you in doubt concerning Allah, Maker of the heavens and
the earth?’ (Surah Ibrahim; Ch. 14, v. 11)
meaning, can there be doubt in the existence of Allah the Exalted,
who is the Creator of the heaven and earth? Now reflect, is it not
perfectly clear and obvious that a created thing leads one to accept
the existence of a creator? When a person sees a well-crafted shoe or
chest, they are left with no choice but to immediately accept the
existence of its craftsman. In the same way it is inexplicably
astonishing that there should be any room for denial in the existence
of Allah Almighty. How can one reject the existence of a Maker who
has created thousands of wonders with which the heaven and earth are
replete?
Hence, know for certain that a foolish person who doubts the Being
and existence of God, even after observing these works and wonders of
nature, which are beyond the power, mind or intellect of man to
create, is an unfortunate person caught in the grip of Satan. Such a
one ought to seek forgiveness from God. To reject the existence of
God has no basis in argument or observation. In fact, to reject the
existence of Allah, the Glorious, despite witnessing His powers, and
the wonders of His creatures and creation at large, which fill the
heaven and earth, is the height of blindness.
There are two forms of blindness: the blindness of one’s eyes and
the blindness of one’s heart. A person’s physical blindness does
not affect his faith. But a blinded heart does affect a person’s
faith. Hence, it is necessary and absolutely imperative that every
single individual constantly beseeches Allah Almighty with humility
and submission so that He may grant him true divine understanding,
insight and vision, and so that He may protect him/her from the evil
whisperings of Satan.
Belief in the Hereafter
The evil whisperings of Satan are abundant, but the most dangerous
doubt and suspicion that develops in the heart of man and causes him
to lose in this world, as well as in the afterlife, relates to the
Hereafter.
For belief in the hereafter— among other ways and means—is a
strong catalyst which moves an individual to perform good and
virtuous acts. An individual who considers the Hereafter to be
nothing more than a fable or tale, becomes one who is rejected, and
loses in this world and the next. This is because awe of the
Hereafter also arouses fear in a person, drawing them in towards the
true fountain of divine understanding. And divine insight cannot be
attained without the awe and fear of God. Hence, remember that when a
person begins to doubt the Hereafter, this puts a person’s faith in
danger and taints the prospects of a good end.
The Lives of the Pious
The pious, holy and righteous personages who have passed throughout
history, spent their nights standing and in prostration until the sun
would rise upon them. Do you believe that they possessed
extraordinary physical strength? Were they well-built, strong,
muscular wrestlers? Not at all. Know well that physical power and
strength can never accomplish that which spiritual power and strength
can.
You must have observed many people who eat three or four times a day
and consume many fine and nutritious foods like pilau rice,
but what is the outcome? They remain asleep and go on snoring until
the sun rises. They become so completely overtaken by sleep and sloth
that even to offer the Isha prayer becomes an arduous and
incredibly difficult task, let alone Tahajjud.
Do reflect, did the revered companions of the Holy Prophet, may Allah
be pleased with all of them, prevail over the disbelievers because
they were taken by a life of luxury, and exquisite food and drink? Of
course not. It was foretold in earlier scriptures as well that they
would stand in Prayer during the nights and fast often during the
day. They would spend their nights in the remembrance of God and in
contemplation. How else did they spend their lives? The following
verses of the Holy Quran are a vivid illustration of the manner in
which the companions spent their lives:
‘And make ready for them whatever you can of armed force and
of mounted pickets at the frontier, whereby you may frighten the
enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you know
not, but Allah knows them’.(Surah
Al-Anfal,
8:61)
‘O ye who believe! be steadfast and strive to excel in
steadfastness and be on your guard and fear Allah that you may
prosper’. (Surah
Aal-e-Imran, 3:201)
Meaning, tie your horses on the frontier so that the enemy of Allah
and your enemy remain in fear of your preparation and readiness. O
believers, be steadfast and strive to excel in steadfastness and be
on your guard.
The Meaning of ‘Ribat’
The word ‘ribat’ refers to those horses that are tied at the
enemy frontier. Allah the Exalted instructs the companions to remain
prepared to fight the enemy. The word ‘ribat’ draws their
attention towards the fact that they should remain fully prepared in
all respects. The companions were given two responsibilities.
Firstly, to fight their apparent enemies and secondly, a spiritual
war.
The lexicon states that ‘ribat’ also refers to a person’s
soul and heart. A subtle point to note is that only those horses can
be brought into service that are schooled and trained. In these
days, horses are trained and instructed, and schooled and taught just
as children are educated in schools with great care and attention. If
they are not trained and taught, they would turn out to be completely
useless and instead of being beneficial, would prove to be dangerous
and harmful. This is an indication of the fact that the souls, i.e.
‘ribat’ of human beings ought to be trained as well. Their
faculties and strengths ought to function within the limits set by
Allah Almighty. Otherwise, they shall not be able to serve in the
inner war and battle that wages on at every second and every moment
between man and his arch-enemy, Satan.
In war and on the field of battle, in addition to one’s physical
strength, skill is also necessary. Similarly, human souls must be
trained and appropriately taught for this inner war and struggle.
Otherwise, as a result, Satan shall gain victory over man. Such a
person shall in turn be disgraced and dishonored.
For example, if an individual possesses an arsenal of artillery such
as canons and other guns, etc., but is completely ignorant on the use
of these weapons, such a one can never succeed in fighting the enemy.
Similarly, if a person is equipped with weapons of war and guns,
etc., and knows how to use them, yet they have no strength in their
arms, such a one will also be unsuccessful. This demonstrates that
merely learning the method and technique required to wield a weapon
is also insufficient until a person exercises and trains in order to
develop power and strength in their arms. Now if there were a
person who is knowledgeable in the art of swordsmanship, but they
have not trained and exercised, upon entering the field of battle,
after three or four maneuvers and a few strikes, their arms will fall
lifeless and they shall render themselves useless by exhaustion.
Ultimately, such a one will fall prey to the enemy out of their
own weakness.
Spiritual Struggle and Exercise
So, understand full well that mere knowledge of tactic and
theoretical training are of no avail, until they are coupled with
action, effort and practice. Oneought to observe that it is precisely
for this reason that governments do not allow their armies to sit
idle. Even in a time of peace and comfort, they create war scenarios
to keep their armies engaged, and target practice and parades, etc.,
are a daily routine.
As I have just mentioned, just as knowledge and skill in the use of
weaponry and the like is required on the one hand, in order to gain
victory in the field of battle, on the other hand, exercise and
knowledge of best practice is also imperative. Similarly, in war and
battle, trained horses are required—horses that do not fear the
sound of guns and canons, and do not scatter and retreat at the sight
of chaos; rather, advance, come what may. Similarly, the souls of
mankind cannot triumph in the field of battle against the enemies of
Allah without tireless exercise, rigorous practice and the best of
training.”
----Extracts from the second speech of the Promised Messiah (as) on the occasion of Jalsa Salana in Qadian, 28 December 1897; taken from the first volume of the 'Malfuzaat' (in English; pp. 52-56).