The Promised Messiah (as) said: “Allah the Exalted states that when you sever your ties with the world completely and turn towards Him, God will Himself become your Guardian and Supporter. A person who does not detach themselves completely from the world and remains somewhat inclined to the world and somewhat inclined to God, can never attain the prime objective at hand. Such a one can neither find honour in religion, nor in the world. God Almighty desires for you to become a complete Muslim. Even the word Muslim itself demonstrates that one must sever their ties with the world completely. Allah the Exalted has showered His infinite grace on every Muslim by making them a Muslim, provided that the individual reflects and understands. If you were to engage in a debate with a Hindu on the divinity of Ramchandra or God Almighty as the Creator, you will feel a pleasure and joy over the fact that your God is Omnipotent, He is the One Who gives life, He is the One Who causes death, and He is the Creator of all things. And this is in contrast to those who believe in Ramchandra—a man dependent on food and drink—to be God. When it is said to them that Rawana abducted his wife, how embarrassing will this be for those who believe in this god, in that what a strange god indeed who could not even protect his own wife? Further, when a follower of the Arya Samaj is challenged by an opponent that the nature of their God is such that he has not created even a single particle and that he cannot grant salvation to even his greatest of lovers and devotees; and when he is asked whether this God of theirs has prescribed for mankind a religious law which permits a man, who cannot have children with his wife, to allow her to sleep with another man and to have children with him, how embarrassed would that person be if he has even an ounce of honour and shame in him? On the contrary, how full of joy would a Muslim be, and how immensely would their hopes grow, when they present their own Creator—the Creator of all things—the Holy and Pure.”
The Promised Messiah (as) said: “So remember that God Almighty never wastes His chosen servants. As such, Allah the Exalted states:
اِنَّ اللهَ لَا يُضِيْعُ اَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِيْنَ1
Surely, Allah suffers not the reward of those who do good to be lost.
The names of those who are pious and holy remain until the end of time. No one speaks the names of kings who belonged to olden times, not even the Caesar and Chosroes, but as for those who are among the righteous and chosen ones of God Almighty, they are praised and admired the world over. Observe the degree to which our Messenger of God, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commands greatness in the world. There are 940 million Muslims in the world who speak his name, and who constantly invoke salutations and blessings on him. Does anyone send salutations on Caesar or Chosroes? Observe, how greatly is Jesus, peace be upon him, revered in the world today? So great is the extent that in their ignorance and lack of knowledge, they have turned him into God. The fact of the matter is that the class known as Messengers have passed on from this world bearing hardships. However, since they abandoned the luxury and comfort of this world and bore countless forms of pain and suffering for the sake of God, this elevated them to a station of greatness. This does not mean that the beloved of God are plagued by misfortune. There is a fine secret in the difficulties experienced by the Prophets. They are not faced with the most hardships and misfortunes so that they would perish, but so that they can grow and flourish more than everyone else. One may observe that the law which God has established for the gifted is that firstly, they are subjected to suffering. A farmer pierces the belly of the earth and refines the soil to such an extent that gusts of wind carry the soil here and there. A foolish man would surmise that the landowner has committed a mistake and ruined a patch of soil that was perfectly fine. However, a wise person knows well that until the soil is refined to such an extent, the land cannot demonstrate its inherent capacity of producing fruits and vegetation. Similarly, a seed is planted in the land, which is mixed with the dust and almost becomes a part of the soil itself. However, are seeds planted in the soil so that the farmer may view them as though they were worthless? Of course not. Those seeds are invaluable to the farmer. His only purpose in throwing these seeds into the ground is so that they will germinate and flourish, and so that each may turn into a thousand more.
So this is the law that God has instituted for all the gifted. God casts His special servants into the soil and people walk over them, crushing them under their feet, but it is not long before they emerge from the ground with a wondrous colour and splendour in the likeness of vegetation, which sprouts from a seed buried under dry leaves and straw, and every onlooker is left in amazement. Since time immemorial the way of God has been to put His chosen servants into a grand vortex, not to drown them, but so that they may attain the pearls that lie in the depths of the ocean of divine unity. They are cast into fire, not so they may burn, but so that a spectacle of the power of God Almighty may be manifested. In short, they are mocked and ridiculed, and cursing them seems to the people a good deed, and this continues until God Almighty shows a manifestation of His being and exhibits the shining brilliance of His succour. At that time, the truth is proven to the world; the jealousy of God surges forth for the sake of this seemingly helpless individual, and his enemies are crushed to pieces with one manifestation alone. So firstly, it is the enemies that remain dominant, but in the end, it is the chosen one of God who reigns supreme. It is to this that the following alludes:
وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ2
And the end is for the God-fearing.
Then, another secret purpose in the trials and tribulations which are faced by those appointed by God Almighty is so that their exemplary model of good morals may be shown to the world, and so that the magnificent quality that they possess, which is no less than a miracle, is manifested.
What is that quality? It is steadfastness—a quality about which it is stated:
اَ لْاِسْتِقَامَۃُ فَوْقَ الْکَرَامَۃِ
Steadfastness is greater than showing a miracle.
It was this very steadfastness in Abraham, peace be upon him, that when he was instructed in a dream to slaughter his son, even though that dream could have been interpreted or understood metaphorically, he was prepared to fulfill this command as soon as he received it; and he would have slaughtered his young son, since he possessed such faith in God Almighty, and his heart was full of such strength and steadfastness. In the present time, if someone’s child is afflicted by various illnesses and dies, people begin to entertain a thousand doubts about God Almighty, and begin to complain and criticise. But Abraham (as) was a man who crushed the love he had for his son and was prepared to slaughter him with his own hands. It is people like these whom God never allows to be ruined. The words of such people are declared by God to be holy and pure, and prayers are accepted through them and God proclaims that their garments too are blessed.
Remember that the pain which believers experience actually becomes a means of reward for them; others do not partake of this. We cannot even begin to fathom the extent of the hardships and misfortunes to which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was subjected during the thirteen-year period spent in Mecca after his claim. The heart palpitates even at the thought of them. From this we come to learn about the outstanding courage, open-heartedness, steadfastness, determination and perseverance of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. What a magnificent man he was! Mountains of misfortune fell upon him, but he did not waver in the least. He was not weakened or disheartened even for a moment from fulfilling his mission. These challenges could not dissuade him from his objective. By way of misunderstanding, some people state that if the Holy Prophet (sas) was the beloved of God, the Chosen One and the Elect of God, why then was he subjected to so many misfortunes and hardships? My response is that how can water be extracted from the ground until the earth is dug into and its heart is pierced, as it were? It is only when a person continues to dig deep into the ground for many yards that finally pleasant tasting water can be attained, which sustains life. Similarly, the pleasure that one receives by showing perseverance and steadfastness in the way of God Almighty cannot be attained until man passes through trials and tribulations. How can those who know nothing of this subject understand and feel the pleasure that is derived from these misfortunes? How can these people know that whenever a pain was inflicted upon the Holy Prophet (sas), a spring of pleasure and delight would gush forth from within him; he would grow in his trust of God Almighty, in his love for Him and in his faith in divine succour.
Love is something that can make a person do anything. When a person is in love with someone, what will they not do for the sake of their beloved? There was a woman who was madly in love with someone. They would bring her forcefully and torment her in countless ways; she would suffer physical abuse, but continue to say: ‘This gives me pleasure.’3 When superficial forms of love, when passions that stem from sin and transgression, can move a person to feel pleasure in bearing difficulties and misfortunes, then just imagine the degree of pleasure that an ardent lover of God Almighty, who yearns to offer themselves at the threshold of the Divine, can feel in bearing pain and hardship. Observe the state of the noble companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them. Countless pains were inflicted upon them in Mecca; some of them were captured, others were gripped by a multitude of tortures and torments. Men aside, even Muslim women were subjected to such brutalities that even the thought of them makes one tremble. If these people had joined the Meccans, they would have apparently honoured them greatly, because after all, they were their brethren. But what was it that kept them firm on the truth even in a storm of misfortune and hardship? It was the very same fountain of pleasure and delight which would gush forth from their breasts due to their love for the truth. It is written in relation to a companion that when his hands were cut, he said: ‘This is my ablution.’ Finally, it is written that he said: ‘Sever my head and it shall prostrate before the Lord,’ and with these words, he breathed his last. At that time, he prayed: ‘O Allah! Inform the Holy Prophet (sas) of my state.’ At the time, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was in Medina. Gabriel (as) came to the Holy Prophet (sas) and said: ‘Assalamu Alaykum’ (peace be upon you), to which the Holy Prophet (sas) responded: ‘Alaykum Salam’ (peace be on you). Then he was informed of the incident which had occurred. Hence, after one experiences the pleasure that is attained in God Almighty, one is ready to be crushed and killed like an insect. For a believer, even the most excruciating and severest of pains become easy. Truth be told, this is the very sign of a believer that they are ready to be killed. In this way, if someone were forced to choose whether to become a Christian or die, at such a time one ought to see what voice comes from their soul: does such an individual lay down their head to face death or prefer to become a Christian? If the person prefers to die, then they are a true believer, otherwise they are a disbeliever. In short, the hardships that strike the believers arouse a feeling of inner pleasure. After all, do reflect, if these difficulties were not a source of pleasure, how would the Prophets, peace be upon them, be able to go through such a long string of adversities?
The Meccan life of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, presents an extraordinary example; in a way, he spent his entire life faced with hardships. Even in the Battle of Hunayn, the Holy Prophet (sas) was left all alone. It speaks volumes of the magnificence, courage and resilience of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to proclaim in the heat of battle that he was the Messenger of Allah. I can truthfully say that until a person treads this path, they cannot attain any pleasure whatsoever. This is the pleasure to which God Almighty invites all believers. Just as you relish the pleasure of other things, taste the pleasure of this as well; and indeed, those who seek do experience this feeling.
If there is heedlessness and sloth on the part of man, there will be no movement from God; if man strives, God will move to him as well. Struggle is something without which one cannot attain any high ranking success. God Almighty states in the Holy Quran:
وَ الَّذِيْنَ جَاهَدُوْا فِيْنَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا4
This means, those who strive in Our path, We guide them in our ways. Therefore, engage in spiritual effort on the path of God, being wholly devoted to Him, so that His ways may be opened to you, and so that you may tread these pathways and attain the pleasure that is found in God. At such a stage, misfortunes and difficulties have no value whatsoever. This is the station which is referred to as that of a Martyr (Shaheed) in the terminology of the Holy Quran.
The only conception that people have of the word Martyr (Shaheed) is that when a person fights a non-Muslim disbeliever in war and is killed in battle, they become a Martyr. If this was the only meaning of the word Shaheed, then the opponents would have a most ample opportunity to raise objection; it is perhaps due to this understanding that the Christians and Aryas allege that Islam is a religion that was spread by the sword. Even though it is incredibly foolish of these people to raise objections without ascertaining the true state of affairs, I am disappointed nonetheless with those Muslim clerics who have failed to present the verities of the Holy Quran, and who have obscured the pure and beautiful countenance of Islam with their imaginary and fictitious commentaries, and fabricated stories. However, God Almighty, Who is Himself the Protector and Helper of Islam, now wishes to manifest the pure and radiant countenance of Islam. As such, this community which He has established with His own hand makes it clearly evident that now the era of divine succour has dawned, and the days of Islam’s honour and glory have arrived. For the help and support which stands by my side is not enjoyed by the follower of any other Faith. I confidently proclaim, is there anyone from any faith who can manifest heavenly signs which support the truth of their own religion aside from Islam? God Almighty has established this community in view of His promise to preserve the teachings of Islam as follows:
اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ اِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰـفِظُوْنَ5
Verily, We Ourself have sent down this Exhortation, and most surely We will be its Guardian.
My objective was to explain that a Martyr (Shaheed) does not refer solely to one who fights a non-Muslim in war and dies. It is this definition which has defamed Islam; and even now, we observe that often the foolish Muslims of the frontier region fancy it a means of spiritual reward to kill innocent Englishmen. We hear of such incidents every other day. Some days ago, a person belonging to the frontier region murdered a English lady in Lahore. These asinine people fail to realise that this has nothing to do with martyrdom; this is the murder of an innocent soul. Islam does not wish to create disorder and conflict; in fact, the very word Islam demands peace and harmony. If those who raise allegations with reference to the Islamic wars had stopped to observe the sorts of injunctions that were given when these wars presented themselves, they would be astonished. Muslims would not kill women and children, or the old, and those who paid the jizyah would be released. These wars were based on principles of defence. In my view, those ignorant Pashtuns who attack innocent British people and murder them, do not attain the status of martyrdom in the least; in fact, they are murderers, and so they ought to be dealt with as murderers.
So what it truly means to be a Martyr is that when a believer reaches this station, Allah the Exalted grants them a special kind of steadfastness. Such a one is prepared to bear any misfortune and hardship in the way of Allah Almighty with pleasure. As such, the class known as Martyrs is also from among the group referred to as ‘those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings’, as alluded to in the following:
اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ6
Guide us in the right path—The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings.
And what this means is to be granted a level of steadfastness which will not let one waver even in the face of death.”7
1 at-Tawbah, 9:120
2 al-A’raf, 7:129
3 Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 24, dated 30 June 1901, pp. 1-2
4 al-Ankabut, 29:70
5 al-Hijr, 15:10
6 al-Fatihah, 1:6-7
7 Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 25, dated 10 July 1901, pp. 1-2