True Worship of God

The Promised Messiah^as, Imam Mahdi (Guided One), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as

Man boasts to worship God, but can worship be done merely by an abundance of prostration, bowing, and standing? Or can those who keep rotating the beads of a rosary many a time be called worshippers of the Divine? Rather, worship can [only] be done by the one whom the love of God draws towards Himself to such a degree that his own self is removed from in between. To begin with, there should be firm conviction in the existence of God, and then there should be a full acquaintance of God’s beauty and beneficence, and then there should be such a bond of love with Him that the flame of love should be ever present in the bosom, and this ecstasy should be evident upon the face at every moment. God’s greatness should be [so firmly planted] in the heart that the whole world appears dead in front of His being, and every fear should be only related to His be- ing. Pleasure should exist only in the pain [endured] for Him, and comfort should exist only in seclusion with Him, and without Him, the heart should find no tranquillity with anyone. If such a state is realized, this is what is called ‘worship’, but how can this state develop without the special help of God Almighty?

That is why God Almighty has taught this supplication:

Meaning that, we do worship You, but how can we give worship its full due until there is special help from You. To worship God, having made Him one’s True Beloved, is the sainthood beyond which there is no rank, but this rank cannot be achieved without His help. The hallmark of having achieved it is that God’s greatness and God’s love should be established in the heart, and the heart should trust Him alone; and he should prefer Him alone, he should choose Him above everything, and consider His remembrance to be the [sole] purpose of his life. And if he is commanded to slaughter his beloved children with his own hand like Abrahamas or if he is given a command to put himself into the fire, he should carry out even such testing commands with the zeal of love. He should endeavor to such an extent in seeking the pleasure of his Bounteous Lord that there should remain no deficiency in his obedience [to God]. ²

Endnotes                                                                                                                                                

1. The Holy Qur’an, 1:5.
2. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as, Haqiqatul Wahi (Farnham, Surrey: Islam International Publications, 2018), 66-67.