The Promised Messiah (as) said: “It is from the rib that Eve was created. I believe in the power of Allah Almighty. Now if someone were to assert that if this were the case, we would have no rib, I would respond by saying that this is a false analogy. Do not judge Allah the Exalted by your own standards. If I did not consider God Almighty to be Powerful and Magnificent, I would not be able to witness these examples of the acceptance of my prayers. One may observe whose power was at work in the case that was presented before Captain Douglas. Doctor Clark, a man that commanded influence on account of his religion, was involved and he was joined by the lawyer Ram Bajhat, from the Aryas; then Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, a staunch enemy was presented as a witness against me. With all of this, there was the statement of Abdul Hameed himself, in which he alleged that I had sent him to commit the murder in question. This statement was submitted in Amritsar and he repeated this statement before the Deputy Commissioner as well. Now, who moved the heart of Captain Douglas to doubt the statement made by Abdul Hameed and hand him over to the police again to ascertain the actual truth of the matter? In short, everything that transpired during the course of this case clearly demonstrated the power and control of Allah the Exalted. The reason I have mentioned this case is only to explain that it is utterly foolish and in fact a sin to measure Allah the Exalted by the same yardstick that one would use to measure a lowly human, no matter who that person may be.
Therefore, to suggest that if the rib of Adam, peace be upon him, was taken out and then Eve was fashioned from that rib, then how do human beings at present have ribs, is a very ignorant thing to say and is an affront to Allah Almighty. Bear in mind that European philosophy is full of misguidance and leads a person to ruin. In the same manner, to claim that there was no era in time in which humans were created from clay is wrong. I do not believe in the eternity of species at all. I do believe, however, that Allah the Exalted has never ceased being the Creator; the world has withered away into non-existence many times and then been recreated anew; this is nothing unusual. When death occurs in individual cases, why should it not be a possibility that the whole of existence will taste of death? Even the Hindus and Greeks believe in the Great Reckoning. Those who consider Allah the Exalted to be a Being of finite powers may be described as follows:
مَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهٖ1
They do not make a just estimate of Allah.
Such people believe in God only in a limited sense. This is also a branch of naturalism.
The Holy Quran clearly tells us:
اِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيْدُ2
Surely, thy Lord does bring about what He pleases.
Then, the Holy Quran states:
اِنَّمَاۤ اَمْرُهٗۤ اِذَاۤ اَرَادَ شَيْــًٔا اَنْ يَّقُوْلَ لَهٗ كُنْ فَيَكُوْنُ3
Verily His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!,’ and it is.
It is this very omnipotence of Allah the Exalted, and His extraordinarily supreme powers which have instilled a passion in my heart for prayer.
Prayer is a magnificent thing! Alas, people fail to understand it. Some people believe that every prayer, irrespective of the manner and state in which it is made, ought to be accepted in every case. For this reason, when certain people pray but do not see their supplication fulfilled in the manner that they have assumed in their own minds, they become disheartened and lose hope, and as a result they begin to think ill of God Almighty. The greatness of a believer lies in their not losing hope even though apparently they may not have achieved the objective of their prayer. For divine mercy considers that prayer to be contrary to their best interest. You may observe that if a child attempts to grasp a piece of flaming coal, the mother will run towards the child and stop it from doing so. In fact, if a mother slapped her child on account of such foolish behaviour, this would not be surprising either. In the same manner, I feel pleasure and delight when I reflect on this philosophy of prayer and observe that the All-Knowing, All-Aware God knows which prayer is suited to our best interest.
I am so disappointed time and again when people send letters for prayer and also write in those requests that if such and such prayer is not accepted in their favour, they will consider me to be false. Alas! How uninformed these people are of the etiquette of prayer. Such people are unaware of the requirements that fall upon one who prays and the one who makes a request for prayer. Such people fall prey to ill thinking even before the prayer is made and act as if they do a favour upon me by accepting me and threaten to reject and deny me. I am able to perceive the stench of such letters and I believe that it would have been better if such people had not written a request for prayer at all.
I have spoken on this issue many a time and briefly advise that Allah the Exalted desires to maintain with His servants a relationship of friends. The relationship between two friends is one of give and take. A similar relationship exists between Allah the Exalted and His servant.
What is a relationship of give and take in the estimation of Allah Almighty? God fulfills and accepts the many thousands of prayers made by His servant, covers his flaws, and showers divine grace and mercy upon him, despite his being a most lowly and worthless creature. In the same manner, God also deserves, by way of right, that His servant accepts His will as well. In other words, if a servant is unsuccessful in attaining the objective that he seeks in a certain prayer, as per his own will, he should not think ill of God. On the contrary, such a one ought to ascribe their failure to some mistake of their own and accept the will of Allah Almighty with open-heartedness, believing that this is what their Lord desires.
This is the very concept to which Allah the Exalted alludes in the following verse:
وَ لَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوْعِ وَ نَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْاَمْوَالِ وَ الْاَنْفُسِ وَ الثَّمَرٰتِ4
And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives, and fruits.
The word fear (khawf) in this context refers to an empty fear and implies that the final outcome is destined to be a positive one. This alone becomes an atonement for one’s sins. Then, the word hunger (al-ju) refers to straitened circumstances such as hunger or poverty. Sometimes when a person’s shirt becomes torn, they do not have the ability to buy a new one. The Arabic word ju has been used here and not thirst (atash) because the definition of the latter is encompassed in the former word. Then, there is the loss of one’s wealth (naqsim-minal-amwal) when, for example, a thief robs everything that a person owns and does not even leave enough for the victim to eat in the morning. Just reflect! How painful and agonising are such misfortunes. Then, there is the loss of life. Some people are forced to bear the death of their children, one after another, until not even a single child remains. In this verse, a loss of life implies that the individual being tried remains alive, but their dear ones and relatives die. In times like these a person is faced with great tragedy. There are a large number of friends with whom I hold such a close relationship that they themselves and their families are, as if, my own. When any of these dear ones depart this world, I feel as much grief as one who loses their most beloved child. The term fruits (thamarat) includes a person’s children as well and also the final success that one expects after their efforts. When such efforts are wasted, this causes a sense of deep anguish as well. It has been observed countless times that when a person sitting an exam fails, they will be driven to take their own lives. The condition of Ayub Baig also worsened after he failed in his examination. Previously, he was very healthy and well.
Therefore, Allah the Exalted gives glad tidings to those who are faced with such tribulations and states:
وَ بَشِّرِ الصّٰبِرِيْنَ
But give glad tidings to the patient.
That is to say, in such circumstances, when a person bears these hardships with fortitude, they are given glad tidings. When such people are struck by misfortune, they say:
اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَ اِنَّاۤ اِلَيْهِ رٰجِعُوْنَ
Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.
Bear in mind that a chosen servant of God only grows in nearness to the Divine when they give precedence to God over every affliction. In short, there is an aspect of this relationship where God desires that His servants submit to His will. The meaning of prayer is when a human being expresses his desire and requests for something to happen. On certain occasions the desire of the Noble Lord ought to be given precedence. At times, however, Allah, who is Compassionate, fulfills the desire of His servant.
The other aspect of this give and take relationship is expressed in the following verse:
اُدْعُوْنِيْٓ اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ5
Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer.
This is not a contradiction. When the situation at hand is different, there is no question of contradiction. In this particular instance, Allah the Exalted accepts the will of His servant.
Bear well in mind that a person’s prayer is accepted when they abandon heedlessness, sin and transgression for the sake of Allah Almighty. The more an individual grows in divine nearness, the greater they will partake of the fruits of the acceptance of prayer. This is why Allah the Exalted states:
وَ اِذَا سَاَلَكَ عِبَادِيْ عَنِّيْ فَاِنِّيْ قَرِيْبٌ اُجِيْبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيْـبُوْا لِيْ وَ لْيُؤْمِنُوْا بِيْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُوْنَ6
And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.’
At another place, Allah the Exalted states:
وَ اَنّٰى لَهُمُ التَّنَاوُشُ مِنْ مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيْدٍ7
But how can the attaining of faith be possible to them from a position so far-off.
In other words, why should I listen to the prayer of one who is distant from Me? A lesson has been given here based on what we generally observe in the law of nature. This does not mean that God cannot hear, for He is privy to the most hidden desires buried in our hearts. In fact, He is aware of even those desires which have not yet come into existence. However, in this verse, Allah the Exalted has directed man’s attention to attaining divine nearness and explains that just as a distant voice cannot be clearly heard, in the same manner, an individual who is plunged in heedlessness, sin and transgression, becomes distant from God. The further away a person grows from God, the more obstructed and improbable the possibility of the acceptance of their prayer becomes. How true it is:
پیدا است ندارا کہ بلند ہست جنابت
It is clear from the voice that your royal court sits at a lofty station.
As I have said, although God is the Knower of the unseen, the law of nature stipulates that nothing can be gained without righteousness. Sometimes a foolish person will renounce their faith due to the non-acceptance of their prayer.
There is a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari that through voluntary acts of worship a believer grows closer to Allah. There are obligations and then there are deeds done voluntarily. In other words, there are those injunctions that are necessary rights that must be fulfilled, and then there are voluntary deeds which are above and beyond one’s obligations. These voluntary deeds are prescribed to complement a potential deficiency in one’s obligations.
People believe that voluntary worship is limited to the formal Prayer alone. This is not the case. Every deed can be supported by an act of voluntary service. For example, a person who pays the zakat should give charity that is above and beyond this basic requirement. People fast during the month of Ramadan, but one should fast at other times during the year as well. If someone must repay a debt, they ought to return an amount that is somewhat greater, because the one who gave them the loan did them a kindness.
Voluntary deeds serve to complete a person’s obligations. When a person performs voluntary deeds, they do so with humility and fear in the hope that this will compensate for the lapses in their obligations. This is the secret that underpins the very deep relationship between voluntary acts of worship and nearness to God. Essentially, people who engage in voluntary service develop within themselves a state of humility, meekness, and detachment from the world. Fasts are observed on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth day of the lunar month and also there are the six fasts which are observed in the month of Shawwal. All of these are voluntary acts of worship to attain the nearness of God.
So remember that perfect love of God can only be developed through voluntary acts of worship. As a result of this, God states: ‘I become the sight of My believing servants who are close to Me’, that is to say that the sight of such people is directed exactly in the direction that God wills. One who is sincere and true to God does not wait for death and is never heedless of the Divine.
Then God Almighty states that He becomes the ears of such people. This means that wherever Allah, His Messenger or His Book are being dishonoured and denigrated, they become averse and displeased with such gatherings and leave at once. They cannot hear such things and do not pay heed to anything that is contrary to the will of Allah Almighty or against His command. They do not sit in the sorts of gatherings aforementioned. In the same manner, they avoid discussions revolving around sin and transgression, and stay away from the indecent displays and voices that are characteristic of the Sufi practice of sama. Illicit thoughts roused by listening to the voices of those who are beyond the permissible bounds is a fornication of the ears. This is why Islam has taught the practice of the veil. The statement of the Messiah that one should not look at someone with adulterous eyes is no complete teaching. In contrast, a complete teaching is one which saves a person even from the initial causes that lead to sin. Allah the Exalted states:
قُلْ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَغُضُّوْا مِنْ اَبْصَارِهِمْ8
Meaning, do not look at women with any intention because a man’s heart is not within his control. What a perfect teaching indeed. Then, Allah the Exalted states that I become the hands of such people. On certain occasions, an individual inflicts grave cruelty on another by the use of their hands. God states that the hands of a believer do not unjustly cross the limits of moderation; they do not touch a person of the opposite gender who is beyond the permissible bounds.
Allah Almighty also states that He becomes the tongue of one who grows close to Him through voluntary worship. This may be expounded further by the following verse:
مَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوٰى9
He does not speak of his own desire.
It is for this reason that all the words of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were actually the words of Allah Almighty. In respect of the hand of the Holy Prophet (sas), Allah the Exalted states:
مَا رَمَيْتَ اِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَ لٰكِنَّ اللهَ رَمٰـى10
Thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but it was Allah Who threw.
In short, through voluntary acts of worship, an individual achieves a great rank indeed and attains the nearness of God, until they are admitted into the class of those who are known as friends of God. In respect of such people, Allah the Exalted states:
مَنْ عَادَلِیْ وَلِیًّا فَقَدْ بَارَزْتُہٗ بِالْحَرْبِ
Meaning, I say to the enemy of my friend that he should be prepared to fight Me. It is related in a Hadith that God pounces on such an enemy in the likeness of a lioness who defends her cub if it is taken from her. Therefore, man should constantly strive to reach such a level. No one knows when death will arrive. It behoves a believer to never grow heedless and to forever remain in fear of God Almighty.”11
1 al-Hajj, 22:75
2 Hud, 11:108
3 Yasin, 36:83
4 al-Baqarah, 2:156
5 al-Mu’min, 40:61
6 al-Baqarah, 2:187
7 Saba, 34:53
8 an-Nur, 24:31
9 an-Najm, 53:4
10 al-Anfal, 8:18
11 Al-Hakam, vol. 4, no. 44, dated 10 December 1900, pp. 2-4