Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 248
248 BARĀHIN-E-AHMADIYYA PART FOUR has instructed His servants to supplicate and has said, اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ meaning that, bestow upon us that path of fanā [total annihilation of one's ego for the sake of God] and of Oneness of God and love of God which has been pointed out in the above-mentioned verses, and cut us asunder altogether from everything besides You. In short, God Almighty has bestowed such true means upon man for creating zeal in prayer, which create such a heartfelt fervour in the supplicant that he is transported from the world of self-conceit to the world of self-negation and nothingness. It should be borne in mind that Surah al-Fatihah is not merely one of the many means for seeking guidance; rather, as has been established by the above-mentioned argu- ments, it is the only means upon which depends the offering of prayer with a heartfelt zeal and which the nature of man desires to follow under the urge of its natural demand. The truth is that just as God has appointed rules for other matters, there is a specific rule for prayer and that rule pertains to those very motivators that are set out in Sürah al-Fatihah; unless these two motivators are present in one's mind, it is not possible to offer prayers with zeal. Thus, the natural way of prayer is that which is set out in Sūrah al-Fatihah. Hence, it is one of the excellent beauties of this blessed sūrah that prayer has been explained along with its motivators فتدبّر ]so ponder[. Another beauty of this sūrah is that it comprehensively expresses the means of persuading others to accept guidance; for, perfect persua- sion expressed in a rational manner makes a powerful impact. In terms of rational assessment, perfect persuasiveness must consist of three ele- ments. First, the inherent beauty of the object towards which persua- sion is desired should be described. This account has been provided in the verse اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ : that is guide us in the path which is inher- ently characterized by the attributes of steadfastness and rectitude, and which has no crookedness. 1. Sūrah al-Fatihah, 1:6 [Publisher]