GOOD CONDUCT

RIAZAT OR EFFORTS IN THE WAYS OF GOD

Know, 0 dear readers, that the Prophet of God was the possessor of good character and conduct, Good conduct is half of religion, fruit of the efforts of God-fearing men and an important quality of the worshippers of God. Bad conduct is a ruinous poison, a dangerous wound in brain and much condemned evil. There are many doors of bad conduct which remain open to the fire of Hell as the doors of good conduct are open towards the bliss of Paradise. Bad conduct is a disease of soul which ruins the ever-lasting life. If efforts are necessary to save the temporary body from disease, how much efforts are necessary to save the soul from its diseases which will be everlasting? In the following verse, God says of the treatment of soul: He who purifies it is successful and he who ruins it is ruined - 91: 2. We shall describe in this chapter the diseases of soul and its cures.

MERITS OF GOOD CONDUCT. Know, Odear readers, that God praised His Prophet and said: You are upon sublime character. hazrat Ayesha said: The Quran is the conduct of the Messenger of God. When a man asked the Prophet about good conduct, he recited the following verse: Take to pardon, enjoin good and keep away from the illiterate - 7: 199. Then the Prophet explained good conduct and said: Good conduct is this join the tie of relationship with one who cuts it off. Pardon one who oppresses you. The Prophet said: 'I have been sent to complete the best of conducts.' Good conduct will be heaviest of all attributes in the Balance on the resurrection day. Once a man came to the Prophet and said: 0 Messenger of God, what is religion? He replied: God conduct Then he came to his front and asked: 0 Messenger of God, what is religion? He replied: Good conduct. Then he came by his left side and asked: What is religion? He replied: Good conduct. Then he came by his back side and asked the same question and he replied the same. Then he said looking at him: Not to be angry is good conduct. The Prophet was asked: What is misfortune? He said: Bad conduct.

Once a man asked the Prophet: Give me some advice. He said: Fear God wherever you are. He said: Give me more advice.

٣:٤٧The Prophet said: If you commit an evil do a good action soon after it. As a result, the evil will vanish He said: Give me more advice. The Prophet said: Treat well with the people. He was asked: Which action is best? He said: Good conduct. The Prophet said: God will not throw one into Hell whom He gave good temperament and good appearance. The prophet was once asked. A certain woman fasts all days and prays all nights, but she has got a bad temper an gives trouble to her neighbours by harsh words. The Prophet said: There is no good in her and her place is in Hell. Hazrat Abu Darda'a said: I heard the Prophet say: The first of what will be placed in the Balance is good conduct and benevolence.

When God created faith, it said: Give me strength. God gave it strength through good conduct and benevolence. When God created infidelity, it said: 0 Lord, give me strength. He gave it miserliness and bad conduct. The Prophet said: God preferred this religion for Him. There will be no good in your religion except good conduct and benevolence. Beware, adorn your religion with these two virtues. The Prophet said: God created good conduct as the best thing He was asked: 0 Prophet of God, who is best in t th among the believers: He replied: He who is best among them in good conduct. The Prophet said: Don't entertain the people with your wealth, but entertain them with smiling face and goo conduct. The Prophet said: Bad conduct destroys divine service as condiment destroys honey. The Prophet said: So make your conduct good, Hazrat Bara'a-b-Ajeb said: The face of the prophet was most beautiful and his conduct was best. The prophet used to say in invocation: 0 God, you have made my constitution good. So make also my conduct good. He used to pray most; 0 God, I pray to Thee for health, peace of mind and good conduct.

The Prophet said: Honour a believer for his religion. Think him superior for good conduct and wisdom. Some desert Arabs once came to the Prophet and asked him: What best thing has been given to men? He replied: Good conduct. The Prophet said: He who will become dearest and nearest to me on the resurrection day will be a man of good conduct. He also said: Don't believe any action good out of the divine services of one in whom one of these matters is not found - (1) God-fear which restrains him from infidelity of God, (2) patience which restrains a fool, (3) or good conduct with which he lives in society.

٣:٤٨The Prophet used to say at the beginning of his prayer: 0 God, guide me to good conduct. Nobody except Thou can guide me towards it. Hazrat Anas said: We were once with the Prophet who said: Good conduct removes all faults as the rays of the sun melt snow. The Prophet said: Good-conduct appertains to the fortune of a man. The Prophet said to Abu Zarr: 0 Abu Zarr, there is no wisdom like efforts and there is no virtue like good conduct. He said: A true Muslim can get for his good conduct and high rank the rank of Saemur Dahar and Qaemul Lail (one who fasts all days and prays all nights). The Prophet said to his companions: I saw last night a wonderful dream. I saw one of my followers sitting upon his knees and there was between him and God only one screen which was removed by his good conduct and so he became close to God.

The Prophet said: A man will get high rank and an honourable place in the next world by dint of his good conduct even though he had little divine services. The Prophet said once to Hazrat Omar: 0 Omar, by One in whose hand there is my life, the devil does not tread a path which you tread. He said: Bad conduct is such a sin which has got no pardon. Bad idea is such a fault which spreads. The Prophet said: A man reaches the lowest stage of hell for his bad conduct.

Wise Sayings. The son of Loqman asked his father: 0 father, which fine qualities in his conduct are good? Loqman said: Religion, treatment, shame, good conduct and generosity. When these five qualities are united in a person, he becomes pure, God-fearing and friend of God and is freed from the devil. Hazrat Junaid said: Four virtues raise up a man to highest rank though his divine service and learning are little - (1) patience, (2) modesty, (3) generosity and. (4) good conduct. Good conduct completes faith. Hazrat Ihya-b-Ma'az said: Bad conduct is worst evil and if one has got many virtues along with it they do not do him any benefit. Good conduct is a good attribute. If he has got many sins with it, it does not do him harm. Hazrat Ibn Abbas was asked: What4s honour? He said: God explained it in the Quran: The most honourable of you is he who is the most God-fearing among you - 49: 13. He said: He who has got best good conduct among you is the possessor of best quality among you. He said: Every building has got foundation. The foundation of Islam is good conduct.

٣:٤٩WHAT IS GOOD CONDUCT: Know, 0 dear readers, that God said that He created man out of clay and infused His spirit unto him and then the angels made prostration before him. It appears from this that there is connection of body with earth and of soul with the Creator. So human nature is rooted in soul and actions flow out of it. If good actions come out of soul, it assumes good conduct, and if evil actions come out of it, it assumes bad conduct. Hence there are four things - (1) to do good or bad action, (2) to possess power to do there actions, (3) to have knowledge of both, (4) and to become either of the two actions, good and bad, easy. Owing to his attachment to either of them, conduct arises. As a man cannot be called beautiful if he has got only two beautiful eyes but not beautiful face and nose, so he cannot be called to possess good conduct if he has got only one of the above attributes! A beautiful man is he who has got his bodily limbs proportionate and beautiful, so also a man is said to have good conduct if he has got in him all the qualities proportionately.

The nature of soul is divided into four kinds: (1) power of discerning knowledge, (2) power of administration or anger, (3) power of greed and (4) power of adjustment of the above three natures. If knowledge finds full display and becomes mature, truth can be ascertained from falsehood, good from bad. So knowledge is the root of good conduct. God says: Whoever is given wisdom has been given abundant good - 2 : 269. When anger conducts itself under knowledge and Shariat, it can be termed beautiful. When greed becomes subject to wisdom and shame, it can be termed beautiful. Power of adjustment of the natures or judgment is beautiful when anger and greed are guided by wisdom and Shariat. The beauty of anger is called bravery and the beauty of greed is called patience. If anger exceeds the limit of moderation, it is called cowardice. If greed exceeds moderation, it is called hope against hope; and if it goes down, it is, called sluggishness. Moderation of greed is good and the two extremes of greed are bad. If wisdom is used immoderately, it is called deception. If it reaches to the extreme, it is called genius. The middle course is called wisdom.

So there are four basic qualities of good conduct knowledge, bravery, patience and power of adjustment or judgment. Other qualities are their branches. Nobody was blessed with all these ٣:٥٠qualities except the Prophets. There are differences in these qualities in the persons other than the Prophets. he who is devoid of these qualities is near the accursed evil. The Prophet was sent to complete good conduct and good manners. The Quran praised the believers for possessing these qualities: The believers are those who have got faith in God, His Prophet and then do not entertain any doubt and fight with their lives and properties in the way of God. These are they who are truthful. God described the companions of the Prophet in this verse: They are hard upon the unbelievers but sympathetic to one another-48:28.

CHANGE OF NATURE: It has been argued that nature cannot be changed and this mistaken belief arises out of two reasons.

(1) The first reason is that just as figure of a man or his colour can not be changed, or a man can not be made short or long, or a black man cannot be changed to a white man, so also nature cannot be changed. Another reason cited is that inspite of our efforts, sexual passion, anger etc. cannot be uprooted and to make efforts to control them is useless. The answer to these objections is as follows. If nature is unchangeable, then sermons, education and learning would have been useless. The Prophet said: Make your conduct good. This advice would have been meaningless. When the nature of lower animals can be changed by training, human nature can all the more be changed by training, education and habits. All things of the world are made of two elements. Man has got no power over one element, but he has got control over another element. The sun, moon, stars and the external and internal forms of animals cannot be changed. God created another element which may develop into perfection according to certain rules and regulations. For instance a paddy seed, if kept under certain conditions, can develop into paddy plants, but it cannot produce a mango tree or a date tree. Similar is the case with passion, anger, pride etc. If they are kept under rules and regulations and control, they cannot take to the highest degree of progress, but they cannot be uprooted at will. To keep• them under control is the cause of salvation.

MEN ARE OF FOUR CLASSES ACCORDING TO NATURE: (1) One class of men are in attentive. They don't distinguish between truth and falsehood and they remain with nature with which they are born. By training, their conduct can be good.

٣:٥١(2) The second class of men can know the evil actions of others but are not habituated to good actions and are prone to evils. They are to give up the habits of evil actions and seeds of good actions are to be sown in their souls. (3) The third kind of men believe bad conducts to be good. (4) The fourth kind of men are bred upon evils. The first kind of men are illiterate to the extreme, the second kind are illiterate and misguided, the third kind are illiterate, misguided and sinners and the fourth kind are illiterate, misguided, sinners and dishonest.

(2) The second reason of the above argument is that greed, passion, anger, pride etc. can be uprooted. This is a mistaken Belief. The object of these is to bring them under control and not to uproot these natural propensities. These are necessary for a man. Had he not had greed for food, he would have been ruined. The object is to use it with moderation without going to the extremes. The Prophet said: I am only a human being. I get angry as others get angry. When anything was said to him which was doubtful, he used to get angry, even his two cheeks assumed then reddish colour. God says regarding control of anger - Those who control anger and forgive men. He did not say to uproot it. To take middle course in conduct is better and not the two extremes. Benevolence is a good quality and it is the middle course between two extremes - extravagance and miserliness. God praised it in the following verse: When they spend, they do not squander, nor become miser, but the stand between these two conditions. In another verse: Don't make your hand tied up with your necks, nor spread it to utmost spreading -17 : 29. To take middle course in green for food is best. God says : Eat and drink, but do not measure. God does not love those who squanders. The Prophet said : The middle course is the best. Heat is a name between scorching rays and snow, free from two extremes. Benevolence is the middle course between extravagance and miserliness and bravery is an attribute between haughtiness and cowardice.

MEANS OF ACQUIRING GOOD CONDUCT. Know, 0 dear readers, that good conduct is the name of bringing greed and anger under the control of intellect and Shariat. This middle course can be acquired in two ways. The first way to gain this middle course is to make perfect God-given powers and in born qualities. Some men have been created with full intellect and ٣:٥٢good conduct and their greed and anger have been placed under control of intellect and Shariat. So these people become wise without education and receive good conduct without training. prophet Jesus and Prophet Ihya and other prophets are such type of people. Many boys are born opposite to them. They can acquire these virtues by education and training through spiritual guides. The second means is efforts by which these qualities can be acquired. For instance, if anybody wishes to acquire the virtue of benevolence, he must be habituated to make charity inspite of his unwillingness to spend money. Then it will be easy for him to spend. To acquire the virtue of modesty, one is to follow the actions of the humble for a long time. Then it will become easy after a place of time. He who finds pleasure in charity is called a pilanthorpist. the Prophet said : Prayer has been made a doll to my eyes. God says : It (Prayer) is difficult except to the God fearing. The Prophet sai4 : Do divine service with contentment. if you can not do it, it is better to do it with patience inspite of unwillingness.

Acquisition of fortune by habits. to acquire fortune, it is necessary to stick to a thing always and it is not sufficient to hate sins. He must find pleasure in doing good deeds. The longer the life, the more firm and perfect will be its good. When the Prophet was asked about good fortune, he replied 'To stick to worships throughout life is good fortune.' For this reason, the Prophets and the friends of God disliked death as this world is the seed ground for the hereafter. the longer the life, the more the divine service, and the more the rewards, the more will be the soul pure and the character and conduct will be more strong and firm. The object of divine service is its effect on soul. The object of good character and conduct is to cut off the attachment of the world from soul and to confine them to the love of God. The greatest thing for the soul is its meeting with god. Good habits create light in soul which shows many wonderful things. He who finds pleasure in playing with pigeons stands throughout the day in sun's rays and does not feel tried. He who is accustomed to theft taken pride for acts of theft even though his hands are cut off and he is whipped. Those males who like to be females allow their hairs to grow long, paint the faces and mix with females with female dresses. They taken pride in that. These are acts of habit for which they take pride and find pleasure.

٣:٥٣HABITS OF GOOD DEEDS: Similarly, one should grow habits of doing good deeds. If they are done for long and are not given up, pleasure will come as a matter of course like that of the above persons. If a mar, forms the habit of eating earth, he will find pleasure in eating it. So soul will find pleasure in doing good deeds if one sticks to them for a pretty long time. He who wishes to be a good scribe, he must stick to writing for long. Similarly if one if wishes to acquire the qualities of patience, generosity, modesty etc. he must stick to these habits in actions and behaviours. There is no other means to acquire them except this method. Acquisition of learning is not the result of one day, but of endless days and nights in studies. The natural food of soul is knowledge, divine knowledge and love. Its taste might be changed for some illness of soul, as owing to disease of stomach, there is no taste in food. So diseases of soul must be removed by efforts to acquire divine love and knowledge.

CAUSES OF MISFORTUNE: Only one sin does not bring misfortune. It is the cause of committing sins after 'sins and disobeying the commands and prohibitions of God. This is also the condition of minor sins. Repetition of a minor sin amounts to a great sin. One black spot falls in soul if a sin is committed and repetition of sins causes repetition of spots in soul. Thereafter the soul becomes completely dark and black. When death suddenly comes to such a man, he dies upon that condition. God says: I have placed screen in their front and screen in their back. Hazrat Ali said: Faith puts a white spot in soul. The more faith increases, the more the white spot increases. When the faith of a man become perfect, his soul is filled up with that light. A black spot falls in the soul of a hypocrite. The more hypocrisy increase, the more the black spot increases. When hypocrisy is disclosed in full, his soul becomes completely dark.

Now you have understood that sometimes good conduct comes with birth, sometimes it is acquired by good deeds and sometimes by following the actions of good and religious people... God does not oppress any man but man himself oppresses his soul and becomes unfortunate. God says: He who does an atom of good will see it, and he who does an atom of evil will see it. 99 8. God does not oppress them, but they themselves oppress theit souls.

٣:٥٤METHODS OF EFFORTS TO IMPROVE CONDUCT: You have come to know now that the middle course in the matter of conduct is good and this keeps the soul pure, and if there is any drifting away from this middle course, it causes disease of soul, just as the middle course is best for preservation of health. The treatment for the diseases of soul is to remove from soul the evil natures and habits and to bring in good natures and habits. Every child remains upon nature or natural inborn qualities, but his parents make him a Jew, or a Christian or a Magian. It is the saying of the Prophet. The child acquires bad habit through his surroundings.

If there is change in the temperament of moderation, it must-be understood that the body has got disease. Its medicine is to act to its opposite. For instance, heat can be removed by cold and cold by heat, and fire by water. If one catches cold it can be removed by using hot things. Illiteracy can be removed by learning, miserliness by charity, pride by humility and greed by patience. Similarly the diseases of soul can be removed by the bitter pills of patience and good actions. The diseases of body end with the death of body, but the diseases of soul will last after death as soul is ever-lasting. Appropriate medicine of soul can be prescribed by a spiritual physician or guide. He must first be acquainted with the diseases of his disciple and then cautiously treat them. If he is ignorant of Shariat, he must first teach it to him and the fundamental principles of Islam. If he earns unlawfully, he must be told to give it up. Then when the open sins aie removed, the guide should look to the removal of his inner faults and character and conduct. If he has got wealth beyond the limit of his necessity, he should tell him to spend it in charities. If he has got pride and haughtiness; he must be taught to be humble by frequenting bazars and markets with bags for sale and buy. If he finds him too clean, be should tell him to cleanse his own house and kitchen. To worship body is to worship idols. So the ordinary means to remove the diseases of soul is to act against its low desires. God says: He who fears the places, of his Lord and restrains hims if from evil passion, his place of abode is Paradise -74:41.

SIGNS OF DISEASES OF SOUL: Know, 0 dear readers, that every limb of the body has been created for a particular purpose.

TREATMENT OF DISEASED SOUL: The medicine of the disease of soul is to accustom itself to the opposite attribute. If there is disease of miserliness, the medicine to remove it is to give constant charities and spending money. There is limit to charity and expenditure. He who exceeds the limit falls into another disease the fault of extravagance. He becomes_ then just like the man suffering cold who uses such hot thing which takes him to another. trouble. Our object is to gain the limit of moderation avoiding the two extremes. The middle path is the straight path which is more narrow than a hair and more sharp-edged than a sword. He who can remain in the straight path in the world can cross the bridge easily in the hereafter. Majority of people will be inclined to one side or the other. While crossing it, somebody will fall down suddenly. Some will cross it like lightning, God says: There is nobody among you who will cross it. This is your Lord's decree. I shall save those who are God fearing - 19 : 71. The God-fearing are those who tread the straight path or the path'

٣:٥٥If that limb or organ does not do that particular function, it has got disease. If it does that function easily, it is sound. Eye has been created to see. If it does not see, it has got disease. So also the case with ear and nose. Soul has been created for acquiring divine knowledge, love of God and finding pleasure in divine services. God says: I have created man and jinn that they should worship Me - 51: 56. Man can be distinguished from beast by soul. A man is not free from food, cohabitation, drink and other matters. So is the case with lower animals. The latter has got no soul, but men have got. It has got the quality of recognising the nature of everything. he who knows God loves God. The sign of love of God is that he places love of God above everything in this world. God says in verse - 9 : 24. If your parents, your children etc are dearer to you than God and His Apostle and serving in His way, then wait till God brings about His command.

He who loves anything more than God has got his soul diseased. He is just like a person who loves to eat earth more than bread. This is the sign of the disease of soul. Every soul is diseased except that which loves God. There is hardly any physician of soul at present. The physicians themselves are diseased. A diseased physician can hardly look to his own treatment, not to speak of the treatment of others. The people are now addicted to the love of the world. ٣:٥٦very near it. For this reason, it is our bounden duty to pray to God for seventy times a day for being established in the straight path. God directed us to pray: Show us the straight path.

One day a man dreamt the Prophet and said to him: 0 Messenger of God, you have said that the chapter Hud has made you grey-haired. Why have you said that? The Prophet recited the verse and said: Be firm on what you have been ordered." So to keep firm on the path is very difficult. Still one should try his utmost to remain on it or very near it. There is no salvation except for good deeds which cannot be achieved without good conduct.

WAYS OF LEARNING EVILS: Know, 0 dear readers, that God shows evils to one for whom He wishes good. He has got no fear who has got deep insight. When a man can know his faults, he can try to remove them but majority of men remain ignorant of their faults. The man who wishes to see his faults has got four ways.

(1) The first way is to inform his faults and evils to his spiritual guide who can treat his diseases, but this is very rare nowadays. , (2) The second way is to appoint a true and pious friend to detect his faults and defects. A religious man takes to this method of finding out his own defects and shortcomings. Hazrat Omar prayed: May God show mercy on the man who points out my defects to me. He asked Hazrat Salman Farsi about his evils. Hazrat Salman told him: I heard that you enjoy two curries at the time of your meal and that you have got two pieces of cloth to put on - one piece for day time and another piece for night time. Hazrat Omar said: Have you heard other than this? He said: I heard nothing except this? Hazrat Salman once asked Hazrat Huzaifa whether he had got any hypocrisy in him? Thus the companions of the Prophet inquired their own faults? Hazrat Daud Tai remained aloof from society. The people once asked him: Why don't you mix with the people? He replied: What benefit shall I derive from them when they conceal my faults and do not inform me? Now the table has turned. He who informs us our faults is our great enemy.

(3) The third way of knowing faults is to gather them from enemies. The attention of the enemies is upon the faults of their adversaries. So there is some basis of their information about one's faults.

٣:٥٧(4) The fourth way is to mix with the people and know their faults. If you see their faults, you may think that you have those faults in you as a believer is a mirror to another believer. He sees his defects from the defects of others. Once Prophet Jesus was asked: From whom have you learnt good manners? He replied: Nobody has told me, this. When I have seen the faults of the illiterate, I at once gave them up.

PROOF OF SHARIAT ABOUT SOUL AND MEDICINE: If you ponder over what has been described above, your insight will be open and the diseases of soul and their treatments will be disclosed to you in the light of certain faith. If you are unable to achieve it, you should not secede from faith and blind belief. This is the rank of faith as there is a rank of education. Education comes after faith. God says: God raises the rank of those of you who have faith and those having been given learning. To go against passion is the greatest jihad. H who believes that the way to reach God is to act against low desires is included within the group of believers and he who searches the causes of these helps is included within the educated. God says: For one who opposes his low desires, there is the abode of paradise-79 79: 4God says: They are those people whom God tried by God fear. It has been said by way of explanation of this verse that the love of greed in their hearts has been crushed. The Prophet said: A believer lives in five troubles - (1) he is envied by another believer, (2) a hypocrite harbours hatred against him, (3) an unbeliever fights against him, (4)-the devil misguides him, (5) and-'evil desires dispute with him.' When evil desires become enemy, it is compulsory to fight with them.

God once sent revelation to David: Warn your followers from eating the objects of greed, as greed stands as screen to such souls in which there is worldly attachment. Jesus Christ said: Blessed is he who has given up his present greed in hope of getting future promised reward. When some people returned from je' had, our Prophet said: Thanks to you! You have returned from little jehad to a greater jehad. he was asked: 0 Prophet of God, what is greater jehad? He said: Fight with passion is a greater jehad. The Prophet said: He who makes effects in divine service is a Mujahed (fighter). He also asked: Keep your soul away from the harmful things and don't run after your evil desires in violation of God's commands. If you do it, it will dispute with you on the ٣:٥٨resurrection day. Then your one organ will curse upon another organ if God does not forgive and conceal. Sufyan Saori said: I have not treated a more serious disease than the disease of my soul. It is sometimes for me and sometimes against me.

Hazrat Hasan Basari said: As an unruly horse is to be kept by strong rein, the disobedient soul of man should be kept by a more firm rein. Hazrat Ihya-e-b-Ma'az said: Fight against your passion by the weapon of Riazat or effects. It is of four kinds - (1) to eat little, (2) to sleep little, (3) to speak when necessary and (4) to keep patience at the troubles of the people. There is death of passion because of little food. Sincere intention arises out of little sleep. There is safety from dangers and difficulties on account of few talks. If there is patience at the troubles given by others, one can reach his destined goal. There is no greater difficulty than to keep patience at the time of harsh treatment of the people and the troubles given by them. He also said: The enemies of a man are three - world, devil and passion. So save yourself from the world by renouncing it, from the devil by opposite behaviours and from passion by giving up greed. Hazrat Zafar-b-Hamed said: The learned and the wise said unanimously that happiness can not be achieved without giving up happiness.

It has been narrated that when Jospeh was appointed treasures of Egypt, he was one day travelling in the country with 12000 respectable men riding on horses. At that time, Zulaikha wife of the king of Egypt was seated by the side of the pathway of Jospeh. She said on seeing him: Glory to God who made the kings slaves of sins and the slaves of God worst beings. Joseph said what God dictated to him: God does not destroy the rewards of the doers of God, who fear God and remain patient. The sage Yezid Rakkashi said: 0 my friends, don't give me cold drink in the world, as I may be deprived of it in the hereafter.

Once a man asked Caliph Omar-b-Abdul Aziz: When shall I talk? He said: When you wish to remain silent. He asked: When shall I remain silent? He said: When you wish to talk. Hazrat Ali said: He who is eager to go to Paradise should remain free from worldly greed. when there is no other alternative for fortune of the next world but to oppose passion and temptation, we should believe in the words of the learned and sages: Weep your soul and mind engaged in the knowledge of God, love of God and thoughts about God.' Cut of all connections to achieve these ٣:٥٩things. Man has got no power to achieve these things without the company of God.

In the above matters, mankind is of four classes. (1) The minds of one kind of people remain busy with the remembrance of God and do not look to the world except for the bare necessaries of life. They are included within the class of the truthful. This rank cannot be attained without efforts for a long time and without patience for long at worldly pleasures and temptations. (2) The second kind of people remain busy with the worldly affairs and they remember God with tongue and not with heart. They are included within those who are ruined. (3) The third kind of men remain busy with religion and world buy religion remains strong in their minds. They will enter Hell but they will soon be rescued therefrom, because religion was strong in their minds. (4) The fourth kind of people remain busy with religion and world but the world is strong in their minds. They shall have to reside long in Hell, but they will be rescued ultimately therefrom.