(186) Narrates Abdullah bin Masud that the Apostle of God [once] recited the Quranic verse, And whomsoever it is Allah’s will to guide He expandeth his bosom unto the Surrender, [vi : 1267], and, then explaining it, he said, “When light enters the bosom, the bosom opens up.” He was asked, “O Apostle of God! Is there a sign from which this state can be recognised?” “Yes”, the Prophet replied. “To lose interest in the world, which is the place of deception, and to develop liking for the Hereafter, which is the permanent dwelling place, and to make ready for death before it comes [through earnest repentance, abstention from sin and abundance of prayers].”
                                                                   -Baihaqi
Commentary.-It denotes that when God decides to bestow the gift of distinctive servitude on a bondman, He produces in his heart a special light and a characteristic feeling of devoutness. His bosom, then, opens up for a life of submission. Detachment from the material world and solicitude for Futurity, along with an ardent desire for the attainment of Paradise, become the distinguishing features of his existence from which it can be deduced that the Divine light had reached him and he had attained the cherished goal of God-realisation.

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