Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, The Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the Latter Days writes in his book, Blessing of Prayer (Footnote 13, pages 24-26):
For the benefit of the reader, I wish to reproduce the text and translation of what Qutub-e-Rabbani and Ghauth-e-Subhani* Sayyid Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) has written in his book Futuhul Ghaib, regarding the effect of the prayers and attention of the perfect men of God, based upon his own personal experiences. The meaning of the following excerpt is that the only testimony recognized in any field is that of a person who is well experienced in that particular field. Thus, only the person who enjoys a relationship of true sincerity and love with God can truly understand the philosophy of the acceptance of prayer. Therefore, to enquire about this holy philosophy from Sayyid Ahmad Khan Sahib is like seeking the remedy of a human illness from a veterinary surgeon. If Sayyid Sahib were to expound the relationship between a worldly government and its subjects, he would no doubt be qualified to do so; but Godly affairs are known only to godly persons. The excerpt is as follows: That is to say, if you desire to become an accepted one of God, then believe with utmost certainty and understand that your hands, your feet, your tongue, your eyes, and your whole being, and all its organs, are like idols in your way, and all other creation is similarly an idol barring your path. Your children, your wife, the worldly objectives you wish to achieve, worldly riches, worldly honour and prestige, every worldly hope and fear, your reliance or trust in anyone or anything, your fear of being harmed by anyone, all these are idols in your way. So do not become subservient to any of these idols, and do not lose your way in pursuit of them. That is, have recourse to them within the bounds of the shariah and the way of the righteous. If you succeed in this you will become [precious as] the red brimstone and your status will be raised beyond people’s imagination, and God shall make you heir to His Prophets and Messengers (as), which means that all their knowledge, wisdom and blessings, which had disappeared into obscurity and oblivion, will be granted afresh to you, and you will reach the highest level of sainthood, and none after you shall be able to rise higher. Your prayers, your fortified resolve, and your blessings will relieve people of their anguish; the famine-stricken will be granted rain and crops will grow; the affliction and anguish of every low and high, and even the troubles of kings shall be alleviated through your attention and prayers; the Hand of Providence shall be with you, whichever direction it takes you will be guided in the same way; the Eternal Voice will beckon you to itself, which means that whatever flows from your tongue will be from God and it will be blessed; and you will be made a successor to all the righteous servants of Allah who were granted knowledge before you; a kind of power of creation will be bestowed on you, i.e., your attention and your prayer will exercise control in the world; if you then wish to turn the existing into non-existing, and vice versa, it will come to pass; extraordinary and miraculous things will take place at your hand; Divine secrets shall be revealed to you and you shall be given understanding of subtle and profound matters of Divine knowledge, of which you are considered to be worthy and deserving. *Qutub-e-Rabbani and Ghauth-e-Subhani are titles signifying the spiritual status of Sayyid Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra). [Publishers]
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True purity can only really be achieved when one's heart, mind, body and soul are fully cleansed. This isn't something that can be achieved in one day. Rather, it takes time, effort, energy and commitment, as well as persistence and is in fact a life-long process. As the shell that houses our inner being, our body has an immensely important role in self-cleansing. If the outer sphere is unclean, then the inner part has no chance at all so here are 5 ways to keep your body clean, fit, healthy and pure.
1. Eat right The maxim 'you are what you eat' holds ever true. Food is known to have a profound effect on not only your body but also your mind, heart and soul. Moderation is key, eat not too much of one thing but have a little of everything in proportion. Also never eat too much or overfill yourself. A general rule is to fill 1/3 of your stomach with food, 1/3 with water and leave a third for air - to breath. It takes your body a considerate amount of energy to digest your food - energy that can be better utilised elsewhere. So it's always better to regulate the amount of food you eat. 2. Drink plenty of water Water is the drink of life. Just as the earth is made up of 70% water, so are our bodies. Get addicted to water, drink it all day long. It is the best way of flushing out toxins and impurities. Until your urine is regularly either very light or clear, then you're not getting enough water. Water will hydrate you more than anything else and keep your concentration levels high and your skin clear and smooth but don't just take my word for it, see here, here and here. 3. Remove all intoxicants and offending foods This may be one of the hardest ones. Giving up something isn't easy and requires tremendous motivation, dedication and commitment but it can and has been done. There's hardly any need for a reminder of the harms of smoking - you get it on every packet you buy. Likewise it's better to give up alcohol all together as the principle in life should be that anything which has more harm than benefit should not be pursued. As drinking alcohol is likely to get you drunk, lose your senses, damage your liver and senses, it's best to stay complete away from it all. And don't even go near drugs! If you are truly looking for a clean, healthy and pure body then keep away from those three harmful intoxicants - alcohol, drugs and cigarettes. If you're addicted to anything then fight that addiction! Eating an apple in the morning is better than coffee and will keep you feeling clean, free and fresh whereas the effects of coffee will eventually wear off leaving you no option but to drink more thus making you a slave to that bitter tasting drink, not to mention the unpleasant coffee breath you'll get afterwards. In the same way tea, fizzy drinks, junk food and anything else you seem to be unable to live without, give them up from time to time. This will not only be good for your body but it will greatly strengthen your will power and mental capacity. Take it in small steps, the first 3 days are the hardest, but it starts getting easier after that. From 3 days go to 7, then if you can go 21 days without giving in to your cravings, you can consider yourself successful. 4. Exercise Yes, you can't escape exercise. It's recommended to have at least 30 minutes of exercise a day and thumb exercises on your Xbox or playstation controller doesn't count. Nor can you trick yourself in to thinking you're actually playing football while you're actually staring at a screen with 22 players running around while you twiddle your thumbs. No. Exercise means actually getting up and moving about. If you haven't done it in a while start slowly. You have to crawl, walk and then run. I don't actually mean start crawling around your living room but start by light exercises such as moving your arms and legs, stretching, yoga then you can move on to walks, jogging and and even the gym or team and individual sports. Everyone needs exercise, preferably at least 30 minutes a day minimum. There are so many different forms of exercise to try. Try brisk walking, jogging, football, table tennis, squash, yoga etc. Find something you enjoy and exercise won't feel so much like a chore. The key to this is trying new sports and exercises a few times and see which one works best. Personally I like mixing things up. Start with a brisk walk or jog in the morning with some yoga. Some table tennis in the evening and a football match once or twice a week. Occasionally I'll go to the gym and do a light workout. I have a friend who found his passion in gym workout and from being of average build, he's now become one of the most muscly people I know. An upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger you might even say. Point is, if you find your passion, you'll do much better. 5. Morning is best If there ever was a time to purify yourself, it is most certainly the morning period. Apart from the early morning peace, serenity and calm, the morning is a great time for self-reflection, contemplation and preparing for the day. If you start the day with peace and calmness you'll be better able to effectively tackle your problems and tasks in the day. Start the morning with a nice brisk walk, taking in the clean morning air which will also assist in helping your digestive system work properly. The body eliminates toxins and bodily waste best in the morning so it's a good idea to get a good start. Don't have a lie in, rather, get going with some exercise, shower and drink plenty of water in the morning as well as fruits which will not only give you energy but will help cleanse your body. As they say 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Speaking of fruits, exercise and water - these are some of the most effective methods of removing the problem of constipation. As far as purifying the body is concerned, constipation is the antithesis of purity. When the body can't remove waste, what hope is there of purifying the body? I have a proven method to tackle constipation however bad. It seems to be quite a big problem and really hinders a person's life causing discomfort and distress. So there it is. 5 ways to purify one's body. Remember, when you're successful in cleansing and purifying your body it in turn heals and gets rid of many of your niggling health problems, makes your mind sharper and clearer, strengthens your immune system, improves your sleep and makes you a much more effective, well-rounded and happy person. Take care of your body and it will take care of you! |
AuthorAtif Rashid writes about faith, extremism & mental health. Categories
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