The Second:  Intending  to gain the  good opinion of the worldly and the  new officer, a courageous, serious, and bold friend of mine of five years’ standing unthinkingly and involuntarily did not meet with me for several months, despite being my neighbour. He did not even pay me a visit during Ramadan or the Festival. But the village question turned out exactly the opposite of what he had intended, and he lost his influence.

The Third:  A hafiz  who  used  to  visit  me once  or twice  a week became  the prayer-leader, and so that he could wear the turban, deserted me for two months. He did not even visit me during the Festival. But contrary to his intention, and contrary to usual practice, he was not allowed to wear a turban, even after seven or eight months.

There have been numerous incidents like these, but I have not mentioned them so as not to offend the people concerned. Each of them is only a sign, but when they are put together one perceives a strength. It gives one the conviction that – not directed towards myself,  for I do not consider  myself worthy of any favour, but purely in respect of serving the Qur’an – we carry out that service under dominical protection and through divine grace. My friends should think of this and not be carried away by groundless fears. I have explained these things to them privately because our service is a divine bestowal, and because it is the cause of thanks not pride, and because the Qur’an commands:

But the bounty of your Sustainer rehearse and proclaim.(93:11)

Eighth Matter

[This forms the footnote to the third example in the Third Point about the  fifth  of the  obstacles  to  making  independent  judgements  of the divine law (ijtihad), in the Twenty-Seventh Word.]