Let it be clear that to affirm the covenant of Bay’at with the tongue alone amounts to nothing unless it is practiced with full, heartfelt resolve. Thus, whosoever fully acts upon my teachings enters that house of mine, concerning which God Almighty has promised in His Word:
That is, I shall protect everyone who is within the four walls of your home. This should not be taken to mean only such people who dwell in my house made of brick and mortar; rather, this also refers to all those who follow me completely and dwell in my spiritual home. To follow me, it is necessary for them to believe that they have an Omnipotent, Self-Sustaining God, who is the Creator of all things, and whose attributes are eternal, everlasting and unchangeable. He has no father and no son. He is above suffering, being crucified and killed. He is such that despite being far, He is near; and despite being near, He is far. Despite being One, His manifestations are diverse. For a person who brings about a change in himself, He becomes a new God for him and deals with him by means of a new manifestation. Thus, such a person experiences a change in God according to the change in himself. Yet no change takes place in God, for He is eternally unchangeable and possesses complete perfection, but when a person undergoes a transformation and begins to move towards virtue, God manifests Himself to such a person in a new way. At the time of every improved condition that manifests itself in a person, the manifestation of God Almighty’s power also reveals itself to a greater extent. He manifests His might in an extraordinary way only when an extraordinary change takes place in a person. This is the root of all extraordinary happenings and miracles. The God so described is the fundamental bedrock of my community. Believe in Him and give precedence to Him over your own souls and comforts and over all your relationships; show sincerity and loyalty in His cause by exhibiting courage in your practice. Worldly people do not prefer Him over their means, and their kith and kin, but you ought to, so that you may be counted in heaven as belonging to His community.
It has been the practice of God since the remotest ages to manifest signs of His mercy, but you can partake of it only when nothing separates you from Him, His will becomes your will, His desire becomes your desire, and you remain prostrate at His threshold at all times and in all conditions — whether of success or failure — so that He may do whatever He wills. If you do so, then God, who has for so long kept His countenance hidden, will manifest Himself in you. Is there anyone from among you who will implement this and seek His pleasure, without being dissatisfied by His will and decree? So when you encounter misfortune, you should step forth even more eagerly, for this is the means of your success. Exert all your power to spread the Oneness of God on earth. Show mercy to His servants and do not wrong them by your tongue or your hand or by any other means, and strive for the welfare of God’s creation. Behave not arrogantly towards anyone even if he is your subordinate, and revile not anyone even if he should revile you. Become humble, tolerant, well-intentioned and compassionate towards God’s creation so that you may be accepted by God.
There are many who show meekness, but they are wolves from within. There are many who outwardly appear clean, but from within they are serpents. You, therefore, cannot be accepted by God unless you are the same inside and out. If you are above others, have mercy on the lowly and do not look down upon them. If you are learned, counsel the ignorant and do not degrade them with disdain. If you are wealthy, serve the poor, and do not treat them with arrogance and self-conceit.
Dread the ways of ruin and always be fearful of God. Adopt righteousness and worship not His creation. Cut asunder from everything to turn to your Master. Turn your hearts away from the world and become wholly His; live for Him alone and, for His sake, hate every impiety and sin, for He is Holy. Let every morning bear witness that you have spent the night in righteousness, and let every evening bear witness that you have spent the day with the fear of God. Be not afraid of the curses of the world, for they shall vanish before your eyes like smoke and cannot turn day into night. Fear instead the curse of God which descends from heaven and uproots its victims in both worlds. You cannot save yourselves with hypocrisy, for your God is He who sees the innermost depth of man. Can you then deceive Him? So become straightforward, clean, pure and truthful. If even a particle of darkness is left within you, it will dispel all your light. And if you possess even the slightest arrogance, hypocrisy, self-conceit or sloth, you are not worthy of being accepted. Be careful lest a few accomplishments delude you to think that you have sufficiently fulfilled your purpose. For God desires a complete transformation in your being and He demands from you a death whereafter He should revive you. Hasten to make peace with one another and forgive your brethren their sins. For he who is not inclined to make peace with his brother is wicked and will be cut off, because he is the cause of dissension. Part with your ego in every way and do away with mutual grievances. Be humble like the guilty, though truth be on your side, so that you may be forgiven. Do not feed your vanity, for those who are bloated cannot enter the gate to which you have been called.
How unfortunate is the one who does not believe in that which has come from the mouth of God and which I have set forth. If you desire that God should be pleased with you in heaven, unite with one another as though you were brothers from the same womb. The one who most forgives the transgressions of his brother is the more honourable among you. Unfortunate is the one who is obstinate and does not forgive. Such a person has no part in me. Be very fearful of God’s curse, for He is Holy and Jealous. An evildoer cannot attain nearness to God. One who is arrogant cannot attain nearness to God. A wrongdoer cannot attain nearness to God. He who is unfaithful cannot attain nearness to God. Every such person who is not jealously protective for the sake of God’s name cannot attain His nearness. Those who fall upon the world like dogs, ants and vultures, and find their comfort in the world, cannot attain nearness to God. Every impure eye is far from Him; every impure heart is unaware of Him. He who burns for His sake will be delivered from the fire; he who weeps for His sake will laugh; and he who cuts asunder from the world for His sake will find Him. Befriend God with a true heart, full sincerity and complete eagerness, so that He too may befriend you. Have mercy on your subordinates and your wives and your less fortunate brethren so that you too may be shown mercy in heaven. Become truly His, so that He too may become yours. The world is home to a thousand evils, one of which is also the plague. So hold fast to God with sincerity so that He should safeguard you against all calamities. No calamity visits the earth until there is a command from heaven, and no affliction is alleviated until mercy descends from heaven. So, you would be wise to take hold of the root rather than the branch. You are not prohibited from having recourse to the necessary means and appropriate remedies, but you are forbidden to rely upon them. Ultimately, the will of God will prevail. Complete trust in God, if one has the strength for it, is greater than all else.
An essential teaching for you is that you should not abandon the Holy Quran like a thing forsaken, for therein lies your life. Those who honour the Quran will be honoured in heaven. Those who give precedence to the Quran over every Hadith and every other saying will be given precedence in heaven. Today, there is no book on the face of the earth for mankind except for the Quran. The sons of Adam have no Messenger and Intercessor but Muhammad, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Endeavour, therefore, to cultivate true love for this Prophet of glory and majesty, and do not give precedence to anyone over him, so that in heaven you may be counted as those who have attained salvation.
Remember, salvation is not something that will be manifested after death. On the contrary, true salvation exhibits its light in this very world. Who is the one who attains salvation? Such a person is he who believes that God is true and that Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the Intercessor between God and all His creation, and that under the heaven there is no Messenger equal in rank to him, nor is there any book equal in status to the Quran. God did not desire that anyone should remain alive eternally, but this Chosen Prophet lives forever. To keep him alive forever, God has ordained that his spiritual and law-giving blessings would last until the day of resurrection. Finally, as a continuation of his spiritual blessings, God has sent unto the world the Promised Messiah — whose advent was essential for the completion of the edifice of Islam. It was necessary that the world should not come to an end until the dispensation of Muhammad had been granted a spiritual Messiah, as had been endowed to the Mosaic dispensation. This is indicated in the verse:
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Moses was bestowed a treasure which earlier generations had lost, and Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was bestowed the riches, which the dispensation of Moses lost. Now the dispensation of Muhammad has replaced the Mosaic dispensation, but it is thousands of times higher in status. The one sent in the likeness of Moses is greater than Moses and the one sent in the likeness of the Son of Mary is more exalted than the Son of Mary. Just as the Messiah son of Mary came in the fourteenth century after Moses, the Promised Messiah appeared in the fourteenth century after the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,[2] and he appeared at a time when the condition of the Muslims was similar to that of the Jews at the time of the advent of the Messiah son of Mary. I am that Messiah. God does what He wills. Foolish is the person who wars with Him and ignorant is the one who objects to his works and considers that they should have been otherwise. He has sent me with over ten thousand brilliant signs, one of which is the plague. So, in these calamitous times, my soul shall intercede only for such a person who sincerely enters my allegiance of Bay’at and wholeheartedly follows me and submerges themselves in obedience to me to the extent that they relinquish their own will.
O ye people who consider yourselves members of my community! You will be counted as such in heaven when you truly tread upon the ways of righteousness. So, offer the five daily prayers in such fear and with such complete attention as though you were actually beholding God Almighty. Sincerely observe your fasts for the sake of God. Let everyone who is liable to pay the Zakat do so and anyone upon whom the Hajj has become obligatory and who face no hindrance ought to perform the pilgrimage. Do good in a handsome manner and discard vice with disgust. Bear well in mind that no action of yours, which is empty of righteousness, can reach God. Righteousness is the root of all goodness. No action that is rooted in righteousness will go in vain. It is inevitable that you should also be tried with various forms of anguish and misfortune, just as the faithful before you were tried. Be on your guard, lest you should falter. So long as you have a firm relationship with heaven, the earth can do you no harm. Whenever harm befalls you, it will be from your own hands and not from the hands of your enemy. Even if you lose all honour on earth, God will bestow eternal honour upon you in heaven. So do not forsake Him.
You will certainly suffer pain and many of your desires will not be fulfilled, but do not lose heart in such situations, for your God tries you to see whether you are steadfast in His path or not. If you desire that even the angels should praise you in heaven, then endure beating and remain joyful, hear abuse and be grateful, suffer setbacks but do not sever your relationship with God.
You are the last community of God, so practice virtue at its best. Anyone of you who becomes slothful will be cast out of the community like a foul thing and will die in regret and will be able to do no harm to God. I gladly inform you that your God truly exists. Though all are His creation, but He chooses the one who chooses Him. He comes to the one who goes to Him. He bestows honour upon him who honours Him.
Approach God with sincere hearts, and pure tongues, eyes and ears, for He will then accept you. What God requires of you, in the matter of belief, is that God is One and that Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is His Prophet and Khatam-ul-Anbiya [the Seal of Prophets] and that he is the greatest of them all. After him there is no Prophet except one who is cloaked in the mantle of Muhammad[(sa)], by way of reflection. For a servant cannot be separated from his master, nor is a branch separable from its root. Thus, one who completely annihilates himself for his master is bestowed with the title of Nabi [Prophet] by God. Such a one does not break the seal of prophethood. When you look into a mirror, although there seems to be two, in reality there is only one. The distinction exists between that which is real and its reflection. Such is the will of God with respect to the Promised Messiah. This is also the secret behind the saying of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when he stated: ‘The Promised Messiah would be buried in my grave; meaning, he and I are the same and completely identical.’
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