the philosophy of Istighfar, wherein a person is forgiven his past indiscretions when his heart is purified and becomes filled with hatred for whatever sin or wrong act he was previously involved in. Conversely, if a person offers Istighfar, but continues to repeat the same mistake, it cannot be said that his contrition is sincere and so it will not be accepted. Therefore, it is essential to offer Istighfar with sincerity until you develop a firm aversion to those wrong things you have done in the past. If you reach that stage, you can be fully confident that Allah has forgiven you and that the doors to His mercy, love and bounties have been opened up to you, both in this world and in the next. Apart from Istighfar, you should continually seek the help of Allah by repeating the prayer: That is: ‘Guide us on the right path’. This prayer should be offered with total humility and a firm intention to stay on the path of righteousness and to reject the advances of Satan, who constantly seeks to entice us towards engaging in the type of illicit and deceitful behaviour that will surely incur the wrath of Allah. Hence, every Ahmadi, man or woman, young or old, having accepted the Promised Messiah (as) and pledged to prioritise their faith over all worldly matters, should repeatedly offer this prayer in order to stay rightly guided. Always remember that being steadfast in your faith and showing perseverance is the way to protect yourself from wrongdoing. When a person shows even a hint of weakness or negligence in his faith, it is an invitation to Satan to take advantage and to guide him astray. In today’s world, in all directions, there are
countless temptations and attractions that can easily take a person away from their faith and towards transgression. For example, indecent television programmes and films are constantly being broadcast or streamed and serve to weaken the moral fabric of society. Similarly, the influence of social media is everincreasing and many videos and posts are those which encourage or facilitate immorality. The same is true with many computer games that people play online, especially young children of the age of twelve to fifteen or other teenagers. Unquestionably, the harmful aspects of modern technology can easily take people away from God, away from the worship of Him and, over time, weaken a person’s faith in the existence of God Almighty. Accordingly, if any of the Khuddam or Atfal are falling prey to such vices, they should realise that they are letting themselves come under the utterly destructive influence of Satan, who proclaimed from the outset his intention to take people away from God. And Allah the Almighty has made it clear that those who end up in the clutches of Satan will be held accountable and punished by Him. Remember, Allah the Almighty has given human beings a mind of their own and the right to choose between good and bad. By graciously sending His Prophets to the world, Allah the Almighty has clearly distinguished between what is right and what is wrong and those who oppose the Prophets of God, are those who are assisting Satan in his quest to destroy religion and belief in God Almighty. It is no exaggeration to suggest that in this era, more than ever before, society is engulfed by satanic influences. I have already mentioned how social media can harm a person’s faith and take them on the wrong
ISMAEL ISMAEL APR-JUN JUL-SEP 2019 2019
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