Page 208 - New English Book L
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in the Holy Quran there is the end of the prophecy and
of revelation. They are not made sinless saints because
their piety and good works would not be the outcome of
effort and struggle against evil, and therefore not justly
meritorious. They are not appointed to become workers of
supernatural miracles because they have a firm and sound
faith in their Lord.
Further, this “Sibghatullah” makes the true Muslims
grave, constant in their duties to Allah and towards their
fellowmen, especially towards their families. It does not
move them to the folly of believing themselves holier
than their co-religionists, and so to arrogate the post of
pastorship to themselves over others as if they were their
flocks and herds. Fanaticism, religious conceit, and the
like are not operations of the Holy Spirit. Every Muslim
receives at his creation the same “Sibghatullah” the same
religion and spiritual baptism, and has to run the race of
his short earthly life to the best of his ability and effort in
order to win the crown of glory in the next world. Every
Muslim needs only education and religious training in
accordance with the wisdom of the Word of God, but
he needs not the intercession of a priest, sacrament, or
saint. Every enlightened believer can become an Imam,
a missionary, a preacher according to his learning and
religious zeal, not for vainglory or lucrative gain.
In short, every Muslim, whether at his birth or at his
conversion, is baptized spiritually, and becomes a citizen
of the Kingdom of God, a free man, and possesses equal
rights and obligations, according to his ability, virtue,
knowledge, wealth, rank.
St.John the Baptist (pbuh) ascribes this spiritual and
igneous baptism to the Great Apostle of Allah, not as a
divine being, God, or son of God, but as a holy agent,
and as an instrument through which this divine baptismal
sacrament was to be operated. Muhammad (pbuh) delivered