Means of Obtaining Salvation From Sin— Certainty of Faith

motives, and it should give Allah the Almighty priority over everything. (Malfuzat, new edition, vol. 3, pp. 457–458)

Then the Promised Messiahas says:

O ye, the seekers of God: pay attention and listen. There is nothing like certainty of faith. Certainty rescues one from sin.

Certainty gives one strength to do good. Certainty makes one a true lover of Allah. Can one give up sin without certainty?

Can one desist from the desires of the flesh without convincing manifestation? Can one find any satisfaction without certainty? Can one bring about a true change without certainty? Can one achieve true happiness without certainty? Is there any such penance or ransom that can make one give up sin?… One should remember that without certainty, one cannot come out of a dark life, nor can one attain the Holy Spirit. Blessed are those who have been delivered from doubts and misgivings because they alone will be delivered from sin. Blessed are those who have escaped uncertainty and doubt because they will get rid of sin. Blessed are you when you are given the treasure of certainty because after that your sin will disappear. Sin and certainty cannot co-exist.

Would one put his hand in a hole in which he could see a poisonous snake? Can one stand at the place where stones rain from a volcano, or where lightening strikes, or at the place of attack of a vicious lion, or at a place where a deadly plague is wiping out the human race? If you have this much certainty

about God as about the snake, or the lightening, or the lion, or the plague, then it is not possible for you to defy Him nor to break the ties of sincerity and loyalty with Him. (Kashti-eNuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 19, pp. 66–67)

The Promised Messiahas also said:

Perfect understanding is the root of fear, love and appreciation. Whoever is given the prefect knowledge is given the perfection of fear and love as well. Whoever is given perfect fear and love is given freedom from every sin that originates from recklessness. For this salvation, we are not dependent on any blood, we are not in need of any cross, and we do not need any penance. Instead, we only need one sacrifice, the sacrifice of the ‘self’. Its need is felt by our conscience, and this sacrifice is named Islam. Islam entails putting out your own neck for sacrifice. It means to put your soul on the threshold of God with total willingness. This charming name is the soul of all revealed laws and the crux of all commandments. To put out one’s neck to be sacrificed with real pleasure and contentment requires perfect love and perfect devotion. Perfect love requires perfect understanding. Thus, the word Islam points to the fact that true sacrifice needs perfect understanding and perfect love. And it needs nothing else. (Lecture Lahore, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 20, pp. 151–152)

May Allah the Almighty grant us the ability to act upon all these exhortations.

[From the Friday sermon delivered at the Fadl Mosque, London, United Kingdom, on September 12, 2003, in which ninth condition of bai‘at was discussed in detail.]

The teachings of Islam are so beautiful that they have not left any aspect of human life untouched. All of these favours of Allah the Almighty demand that this teaching, which descended on His dear Prophetsa, be adopted as part of our lives. We bear even greater responsibility as we have joined and claimed to have joined the Jama‘at of the true lover and servant of the Holy Prophetsa, and the Imam of this Age. Thus, whereas Allah the Almighty has drawn attention towards His worship and the discharge of one’s obligations toward Him, He has also drawn the attention toward the discharge of our obligations to humans. He has also commanded us regarding the rights of different relatives and relationships that need to be discharged. It is due to this importance that the Promised Messiahas mentioned in the ninth condition of bai‘at kindness towards the creation of Allah the Almighty and the obligations owed to them.

IX condition

That he/she shall keep himself/herself occupied in the service of God’s creatures for His sake only and shall endeavour towards the beneficence of mankind to the best of his/her God-given abilities and powers.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:85

And worship Allah and associate naught with Him, and show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and to the neighbour that is a kinsman and the neighbour that is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the

85.(al-Nisa’, 4:37)