The Promised Messiah (as) said: “You will observe certain people who are overcome by a state of ecstasy and joy upon hearing Sufi poetry and verse. However, when these very same people are called, for example, to bear testimony, they will avoid doing so and say: ‘Please excuse us, because we are related to one of the relevant parties; do not involve us in the issue at hand.’ So these people will not vouch for the truth. One should not be misled by the ‘ecstasy’ and ‘joy’ experienced by such people. When they are subjected to a trial, they are unable to furnish proof of their truthfulness. The ecstasy and joy of such people is not worthy of praise. The joy and state of ecstasy experienced by such people is a temporary phenomenon; it is a natural state. There are even some who reject Islam and who harbour animosity against the holy, yet they partake of this state of joy. There was a prejudiced Hindu who would feel exhilarated when reading the Mathnawi by Maulvi Rumi, may Allah have mercy on him, even though he was an enemy of Islam. Would you say that a snake is holy because it is entranced by the sound of a flute? Or would you say that a camel is godly because it is intoxicated by the sound of a melodious voice? The excellence of truth, which results in the pleasure of God Almighty, is for one to show loyalty to Him. Even the few deeds such a one performs outweighs the many deeds of others. Let us take the example of a man who has two servants. One servant presents himself before his master numerous times throughout the day and greets him, and constantly remains in his company, while the other one comes to him only rarely. However, the master gives the former a meagre wage but gives the latter much more. For he knows that when the time calls for it, the latter would be ready to even lay down his life for him, and because he knows that the servant is loyal, while the former would be prepared to kill him if instigated to do so, or in the least, would willingly leave him to offer his services to someone else. In the same manner, an individual who is not loyal to God Almighty, but offers the five daily prayers and even goes above and beyond to observe the Ishraq Prayer, and recites numerous litanies and invocations, cannot compare, in the sight of God Almighty, to a person who is loyal. For God Almighty knows that in a time of misfortune, that person will not be loyal. When a person demonstrates loyalty, it necessarily follows that they are blessed with joy as well—just as the table cloth accompanies food. However, it ought to be borne in mind that even saints are faced with times when they feel spiritually constricted, for it is only in such a state that one can fully appreciate the value of joy, and as a result, one is able to feel joy with a heightened sense of perception.”
The Promised Messiah (as) said: “No one can be privy to the inner state of someone else’s heart, nor can anyone come to know what lies in the hidden corners of another’s heart. Therefore, no one should be hasty in forming an opinion about another individual, but should be forbearing. There is mention of a certain individual who made an oath with God Almighty that he would consider everyone to be better than him and no one to be beneath him. People do tend to form such ideas in order to attain the pleasure of their beloved. One day, he saw a man sitting near a river along with a woman, where there was a nearby bridge on which many people were crossing. There was a bottle in the man’s hand; he would drink from the bottle himself, and give some to the woman beside him as well. The individual who had made the aforementioned vow thought ill of the man near the river and told himself: ‘Surely, I am better than this shameless man.’ Then, a boat sank nearby along with its passengers. The man who was sitting with the woman dove into the river and saved all of the passengers except for one. Then he turned to the man who was guilty of ill-thinking and said to him: ‘You thought ill of me. I have saved all but one, now you go and save the last. God sent me to test you and informed me of what was in your heart. This woman is my mother, and this bottle does not contain alcohol, but is filled with water from the river.’ Therefore, one should never be quick to judge another person.”1
1 Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 14, dated 17 April 1901, pp. 14-15