SALVATION (continued...)
How relationship with God may be established
The means which the Holy Quran has taught us of establishing a spiritual and perfect relationship with God is Islam and the prayer set out in the Surah Fatihah. This means that one must first devote one's life to the cause of God, and then should be occupied with the prayer that the Muslims have been taught in Surah Fatihah. This is the essence of Islam. This is the only means of reaching God and drinking of the water of true salvation. This is the only means which the law of nature has appointed for man's higher progress and his meeting with God. Only those find God who enter into the spiritual fire which is the essence of Islam and occupy themselves with the supplication taught in the Surah Fatihah. Islam is the burning fire which by consuming our lower life and by burning up our false deities offers the sacrifice of our lives and properties and honor before our Holy God. We drink the water of a new life from this spring and all our spiritual faculties establish a relationship with God. Like lightning, a fire emerges from inside us and another fire descends upon us from above and by their meeting all our passions and the love of anything beside God are consumed and we become dead to our previous life. This condition is called Islam by the Holy Quran. Through Islam our passions suffer a death and through prayer we are revived again. For this second life revelation is necessary. Arrival at this stage is called meeting with God, that is to say, beholding God. Arriving at this stage a person establishes a relationship with God as if he sees Him with his eyes. He is bestowed strength and all his senses and inner faculties are illumined and the attraction of a pure life is generated with great force. On arriving at this stage, God becomes the eye of a person with which he sees and becomes his tongue with which he speaks, and becomes his hand with which he grips, and becomes his ear with which he hears, and becomes his feet with which he walks. This stage is referred to in the verse: The hand of God is above their hands (48: 11); and also in the verse: It was not Thou who didst throw but it was God Who threw (8: I8). At this stage complete unity ensues with God Almighty and His holy will saturates the soul, and moral faculties that were weak become firm like mountains, and reason and intellect acquire a high degree of delicacy. This is the meaning of the verse: He strengthened them with a spirit from Himself (58:23). At this stage the streams of love and devotion well up in such a manner that to die for Almighty and to endure thousands of hardships for Him and to be disgraced for His sake, becomes as easy as breaking a straw. A person is pulled towards God Almighty and does not know who is pulling him. A hidden hand upholds him, and to do God's will becomes the purpose of his life. At this stage God Almighty appears very near as He has said: We are closer to him than his jugular vein (50: 17). In that condition a person is like ripe fruit which falls of itself from the tree. In the same way, all the low relationships of such a person come to an end and his relationship with God becomes so strong that he draws away from creation and is honored with the converse of God Almighty. For achieving this rank, the doors are still open as they were open before, and God's grace bestows this bounty upon the seekers today as He bestowed it before. But this path is not found through mere words and this door is not opened by useless talk and boasts. There are many who desire but there are few who find. The reason is that this rank depends upon true endeavor and true sacrifice. You can go on talking till Judgment Day without avail. To step out in sincerity on to the fire of which people are afraid is the first condition of this path. If there is not practical eagerness, it is vain to talk of it. In this connection God Almighty says: When My servants inquire from thee concerning Me, tell them I am close. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So should they respond to Me and have firm faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided (2: 187) (Islami Usul ki Philosophy Now prited in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol. 10 , pp. 80-82) .
The philosophy of salvation is that those who establish a holy and perfect relationship with God become the manifestations of that light which has no decline, and falling into the fire of His love depart from their existence like a piece of iron, which when it is heated in the fire, assumes its appearance, though it is not fire and is still a piece of iron. As through the manifestations of God a surprising change takes place in His lovers, in the same way, God also makes a change for their sake. It is true that God is unchangeable and is free from change, but for such of His servants He manifests such wonderful works as if He is a new God and is not the same God Who is the God of the common people. To the degree to which righteous servants of God move towards Him through their pure deeds and their sincerity and fidelity, so much so that they become dead to their previous existence, God also moves towards them with benevolence and help so much so that He displays His help and support and jealousy for them in an extraordinary way.
It is impossible and contrary to God's benevolence that He should condemn to hell a servant of His who is devoted to Him in his love with his whole heart and soul and with full sincerity in a manner which is the characteristic of true love. He does not consider anyone equal to Him and regards everyone in contrast with Him as naught and is ready to lay down his life in His cause. How can such a person be the subject of torment? Indeed the truth is that perfect love is salvation. Can you deliberately cast into the fire a child of yours whom you love? Then how will God, Who is altogether love, cast into the fire those who love Him and every particle of whom is sunk in His love? No sacrifice is better than the sacrifice that a person should so love the True Beloved that he should realize that no one else beside Him is dear to him. Not only this, but he should give up the love of his own self and should adopt a better life for His sake. When he arrives at this stage, then undoubtedly he attains salvation. At this stage of love, he has no need of passing through the chain of transmigration, nor has he the need to have anyone crucified for his sake. At this stage of love a person does not merely imagine that he has attained salvation, but his love teaches that the love of God is with him and the love of God causes contentment and peace to descend upon his heart. God begins to treat him as He has always treated those who are dear to Him and are accepted of Him. He accepts most of his prayers and teaches him fine insights, and informs him of many hidden things, and brings about changes in the world according to his desire. He makes him known and accepted in the world with honor, and disgraces the person who persists in enmity towards him and strives to disgrace him. He supports him in an extraordinary manner and puts his love in the hearts of millions of people and manifests wonderful things through him. The hearts of people are drawn to him through Divine revelation and they hasten to serve him with diverse kinds of gifts and with money and other articles. God speaks to him in delicious and majestic words as a friend speaks to a friend. The God Who is hidden from the eyes of the world manifests Himself to him and comforts him with His words at the time of every sorrow. He carries on a dialogue with him in His eloquent and delicious and majestic words and answers his questions and informs him of things that are beyond the knowledge and power of man. He does this not like astronomers, but like mighty kings whose words are full of kingly power. He discloses to him prophecies which are a sign of his honor and of the disgrace of his enemies, which indicate his victory and the defeat of his enemies. In this way, through His words and His works, manifests His existence to him. Then that servant being purified of all sin arrives at the perfection for which he has been created {Article attached to Chashmai Maarafat ( Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908) Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol. 23., pp. 50-52}.
Faculties for seeing God can be developed in this very world
The Holy Quran teaches us that salvation is a matter that is manifested
in this very life as He has said: He who is blind in this world will be
blind in the hereafter also (17:73). This means that a person takes with
him from this world the faculties for seeing God and the means of eternal
salvation. He has repeatedly indicated that the means of man's attaining
salvation is eternal as God Himself is eternal. It is not that after a
time He recalled that if men cannot attain salvation by any other means,
he should bestow salvation on them by killing Himself. A person can be
described as having attained salvation when all his passions are consumed
and God's will becomes his will and he becomes so devoted to God out of
love that nothing remains his and everything becomes God's. All his words
and deeds and movements and designs should be for God and he should perceive
in his heart that all his delights are now in God and that a moment's separation
from God means death for him. He should be so inebriated with the love
of God that everything beside God should be naught in his estimation. If
the whole world should attack him with swords and should seek to separate
him from God through fear, he should remain steadfast like a firm mountain.
The fire of perfect love should flare up within him and he should hate
sin. As other people love their children and wives and friends so that
their love pervades their hearts, and the death of any of them distresses
them so much as if it was their own death, that type of love and indeed
a greater love should be generated in his heart for God, so much so, that
he should become like an insane person in the grip of that love and should
be ready to endure every torment and every wound for the sake of that love
so that God Almighty may be pleased with him.
When a person is overcome to this degree by his love for God, all his
passions are burnt up by the fire of love and a great revolution takes
place in his nature and he is bestowed a heart that he did not possess
before, and is bestowed eyes that he did not have before, and he is so
much affected by certainty that he begins to see God in this very world.
That burning sensation for the world with which the nature of the worldly
is afflicted like hell, is totally removed from him and he is bestowed
a life of comfort and pleasure and delight. This condition of his is called
salvation inasmuch as his soul falling upon the threshold of God with love
and devotion finds unending comfort and the union of his love with the
love of God transports him to a station of devotion which is beyond description
{Article attached to Chashmai Maarafat ( Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press,
1908) Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol. 23., 47-48}.
Salvation is not attained through one's effort, but through the grace of God Almighty. The law that God Almighty has appointed for acquiring this grace is never falsified. That law is: If you love Allah then follow me, Allah will then love you (3: 32); and: He who seeks a faith other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him (3 :86). Salvation is not something whose blessings and fruits will be known to man only after his death. It is something the effects of which are manifested in this very world and a person who has attained salvation is bestowed a heavenly life in this world. The followers of other religions are altogether deprived of this. If it is said that the Muslims are also in the same condition, the answer is that they are deprived because they do not follow the Book. A person who possesses a medicine but does not use it and is careless will derive no benefit from it. That is the case of the Muslims that they have a Holy Book like the Quran but they do not follow it. Those who turn away from the Word of God Almighty are deprived of lights and blessings. Turning away is of two kinds; one, in action and the other in doctrine. A person cannot partake of lights and blessings unless he acts as God Almighty has commanded: Keep company with the righteous (9: 119) (Malfoozat, Vol. IV, pp. 206-207).
Prophets are mirrors of God's countenance
It is perfectly true that he who does not recognize God's Messengers does not recognize God either. A mirror of God's countenance are His Messengers. Everyone who sees God sees Him through this mirror. Then what kind of salvation is this that a person denies the Holy Prophet, peace be on him all through his life and rejects the Holy Quran and God Almighty does not bestow eyes upon him nor a heart and he remains blind and dies blind and yet attains salvation? It is our observation that when God Almighty desires to bestow mercy upon someone He first bestows sight upon him and bestows knowledge upon him from Himself. There are hundreds of people in our movement who have joined it in consequence of dreams or revelation. The mercy of God Almighty is very wide. If one advances towards Him one step, He comes two steps and if a person hastens towards Him, He runs towards that one and opens the eyes of the blind. Then how can it be accepted that a person believes in Him and accepts Him as One without associate and loves Him and joins the company of His friends and yet God keeps him blind and he remains so blind that he does not recognize God's Prophet? This is supported by the hadeeth: He who dies without recognizing the Imam of his age dies the death of ignorance and is deprived of the straight path {Haqiqatul Wahi (Qadian, Magazine Press 1907) , Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol. 22., p. I47}.
The Vedas represent God as vengeful
It is worthy of note that of all the religions, that of the Vedas is the only one which presents Permeshwar as wrathful and vengeful and is opposed to the doctrine that God Almighty forgives the sins of His servants through repentance and seeking forgiveness. Yet it also teaches that Permeshwar is the Master of all creation and controls the fate of all animates, and He is the one before Whom all sinners are brought. Unfortunately for mankind, He possesses the attribute of wrath whereby He punishes sin with dire chastisement, but He does not possess the attribute that He can forgive anyone's sin through repentance and supplication. Once a default is committed, there is no acceptance of repentance and no attention is paid to any supplication though it is obvious that man, on account of his natural weakness, cannot safeguard himself against sin and is apt to stumble at every step, yet the Vedas do not offer any way of salvation. The Vedas have only one prescription, which is altogether wrathful and vengeful and which is that for the least sin it prescribes a long and endless chain of incarnations. A sinner deserves mercy on this account also that his weak faculties that fall into sin are not self-created but are created by God. In this situation man deserved that allowance should have been made for this. According to the Aryas, Permeshwar makes no allowance in awarding punishment for the fact that He too has something to do with the occurrence of sin. The Vedas have laid it down as a condition for salvation that man should be purified completely from sin. Judged by the standard of the law of nature, it will be found that it is impossible for man to fulfill this condition, for till man carries out all the obligations that he owes to God Almighty, he cannot claim that he has fulfilled all the requirements of obedience. The law of nature and the book of man's nature bear witness that at no stage of progress and perfection can man be acquitted of the default that he has not been truly grateful for all Divine bounties and has fallen short in the complete fulfillment of Divine commandments. Thus if man can attain salvation only by carrying out all the obligations that he owes to God Almighty, without a single default, this way of salvation is an impossibility. No one can attain that degree of fulfillment of obligations and therefore no one will attain salvation. That which impossible and is contrary to the law of nature and contradicts the book of nature cannot be a Divine commandment. Seek through the East and the West and you will not be able to discover one person who is wholly free from and innocent of all defaults and neglects and who has fulfilled all the rights due to man and who claims that he has carried out all the obligations of obedience and gratitude. If there is no such person in the world today, then be sure that such a one has never existed, nor is there any hope of his coming into existence in the future. Then as it is impossible in a view of the law and the book of nature that any person of his own strength should be able to discharge all his obligations to God Almighty, and should be completely grateful to Him, and the experience of every person bears witness to this, it does not behove a book that claims to be from God, to make salvation dependent upon a matter which is impossible of achievement. It is possible, however, that, as in many other respects the Vedas had been perverted, this might also be a perversion and may not be the true teaching of the Vedas {Chashmai Ma’arafat ( Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908) Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol.23., pp. 42-44}.
The Christian concept of salvation is opposed to justice and mercy
The Christians are agreed that after Jesus, revelation has been sealed and has been left behind and now there is no way of receiving it, and that the door of grace is closed till the Judgment Day. This may be the reason that they have invented a new way of attaining salvation and have proposed a new prescription which is contrary to all principles and is altogether opposed to reason, justice and mercy. It is said that Jesus took upon himself the sins of the whole world and consented to death upon the cross so that through his death mankind might be delivered. God put His innocent son to death to save sinners. We fail to understand, however, that the hearts of people can be purified from the foulness of sin through such a wrongful death and how, by the slaughter of an innocent one, the past sins of others can be forgiven. This is opposed both to justice and to mercy, inasmuch as it is contrary to justice to seize an innocent one in place of a sinner and it is contrary to mercy to kill one's son in this hardhearted manner. Besides, all this has achieved nothing {Lecture Lahore (Lahore, Rifahi Aam Steam Press, 1904) , Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol. 20, pp. 17}.
The Holy Quran does not endorse the doctrine of salvation which is set out in the Gospel, namely, the crucifixion of Jesus and his atonement. The Holy Quran affirms that Jesus was a great Prophet and was the beloved of God and near to Him and honored, but he was only a man. It does not consider it necessary for salvation that the burden of a sinner should be placed upon an innocent one, nor does reason permit that for the sin of X, Y should be held responsible. No government has ever followed this principle. It is a pity that the Aryas have also taken a wrong stand on the question of salvation, as have the Christians and they too have forgotten the reality. According to the doctrine of the Aryas, repentance and seeking forgiveness amount to nothing. Till a person goes through all the incarnations, which are appointed as a penalty for a sin, salvation cannot be attained and when attained, it is only limited. Permeshwar has not the power to forgive sin, and true repentance, which is a spiritual death and is a fire in which a person is willing to consume himself in order to please Permeshwar, amounts to nothing. This shows the miserliness of Permeshwar. When He directs His servants to forgive those who offend them and does not act upon it himself, He seeks to teach His servants that which He does not practice Himself. In such case the followers of that religion are bound to think that if Permeshwar does not forgive the sins of an offender then how can they do that which is contrary to the qualities of Permeshwar? Those who are subject to the rule of kings and sovereigns, who have no notion like Permeshwar of forgiving offenders, are in evil case. Besides, what evidence is there to prove the reincarnation of souls? We have never observed that the soul of a person who has died has entered into another body. Then such punishment is also useless, for if a soul which is reborn is not warned that it has been placed in a lower incarnation on account of a particular sin, how will it refrain from that sin?
It should be borne in mind that where human nature possesses many excellent qualities, it is also subject to the defect that on account of its weakness it is prone to commit sins and defaults. The Almighty Who has made human nature has not invested it with the inclination to commit sins so that He might condemn man to torment, but so that His attribute of forgiveness might be manifested. Sin is doubtless a poison, but the fire of repentance and istighfar converts it into an antidote. Thus after repentance and remorse, sin becomes the means of progress and roots out from inside a person the feeling that he amounts to something and stamps out arrogance and pride and self-exhibition.
Salvation is attained purely through grace
Remember that no one can attain salvation through his deeds. Salvation is attained purely through grace. The God in Whom we believe is most Merciful and Benevolent. He is Almighty and suffers from no weakness and defect. He is the Source of all manifestations, and is the Fountainhead of all grace, and is the Creator of all creation, and is the Master of all bounties, and comprises all praiseworthy and perfect qualities, and is the Source of all lights, and is the Life of all lives, and is the Sustainer of everything. He is close to everything but we cannot say that He is all things. He is higher than everything, but we cannot say that there is something intervening between Him and us. He is imperceptible and hidden and yet is more manifest than everything. All true delight and comfort is in Him. This is the true philosophy of salvation {Article attached to Chashmai Ma’arafat ( Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908) Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984) vol. 23., pp 44-47}.
The Christian doctrine that God loved the world, and to provide salvation for the world He arranged to put the burden of the sins of the disobedient ones and of disbelieves and of wicked ones on His beloved son Jesus, and made him accursed in order to deliver the world from sin and hanged him on the accursed rood, is false in every aspect and is shameful. If it is appraised from the point of view of justice, it is obviously wrong that the sin of X should be fastened upon Y. Human conscience does not approve that the punishment of an offender should be inflicted upon an innocent one. If one reflects upon the reality of sin from the point of view of spiritual philosophy, that also condemns this doctrine. Sin is a poison which is generated when a person is deprived of obedience to God, His eager love and His loving remem- branch. As a tree which is uprooted from the earth and is unable to suck water begins to dry up and loses its greenness, the same is the case with a person from whose heart the love of God is uprooted so that it begins to dry up and falls into sin. In God's law of nature there are three remedies for this dryness. One is love; the second is istighfar which means the desire to suppress and cover up, for so long as the root of a tree is firm in the earth there is hope of its greenness; and third is repentance, that is to say, to turn humbly towards God in order to draw the water of love and to get close to Him and to pull oneself out of the darkness of disobedience with the help of good deeds. Repentance is not merely by word of mouth but is completed by good deeds. All virtues are for the perfection of repentance, for the purpose of all is to approach close to God. Prayer is also repentance for through it we seek nearness to God. That is why God having created the life of man and called it the soul, inasmuch as its true comfort lies in the affirmation of the existence of God and His love and His obedience, He also called it self inasmuch as it seeks union with God. To love God is to be like that tree in the garden which is firmly planted in the ground. This is man's heaven. As a tree sucks the water of the earth and draws it into itself and thereby expels its poisonous vapors, so is the condition of a person's heart. It sucks in the water of God's love and is thereby enabled to easily expel its poisonous matter and, being based in God, is purely nurtured and spreads and exhibits pleasant greenness and brings forth good fruits. But he who is not firmly related to God, cannot suck in nourishing water and therefore dries up progressively and in the end loses its leaves and only dry and ugly branches are left (Answer to the Four Questions of Sirajuddin, the Christian, pp. 2-3).