What is prophethood? It is a God-given gift. If it were a station that could be earned, everyone would become a Prophet. The very nature of the Prophets is such that they do not fall prey to an inappropriate chain of discourse—they do not engage in this ‘converse with the inner self ’ that I have just mentioned. Other people, however, take on a state where they become so engrossed in these exchanges that they lose sight of God altogether. Prophets, on the other hand, are free from this and they are so lost in God, and so absorbed in discourse and converse with Him, that their hearts and minds do not have the capacity or space to entertain such a series of thoughts. In fact, all that is left within them is the channel for discourse with God. As this is all that remains in them, God converses with them and they often speak to God. In solitude and in a state of inactivity, when a string of ill thoughts arise in an ordinary human being, if a Prophet is observed in a similar state of solitude and apparent inactivity, one may perhaps think out of misjudgment and a lack of knowledge that this individual is probably not engaged in converse with God. However, this is not the case. A Prophet converses with God at all times saying: ‘O God! I love You and seek Your pleasure. Shower me with such grace that I may reach the point and station, which is the station of Your pleasure. Grant me the ability to perform such deeds which are pleasing in Your estimation. Open the eyes of the people so that they recognise You and fall at Your threshold.’ These are the thoughts and yearnings of a Prophet, and he is so absorbed and lost in them that others cannot understand them. A Prophet constantly remains engaged in these thoughts with pleasure and then reaches a state where his heart melts; then his soul begins to flow forth and falls at the threshold of God with full force and vigour, and proclaims:
أنت ربي أنت ربي
You are my Lord! Indeed you are my Lord!
It is then that the grace and mercy of Allah Almighty surges forth, and God addresses him and responds to him with His converse. This is a most exquisite phenomenon which not all people can understand and the pleasure that is derived in this cannot be described in words. Hence, a Prophet knocks at the gate of divine providence (rububiyyat) again and again like one who thirsts for water, and it is here that he finds comfort and pleasure. Such a one lives in the world, but is not of the world. He does not desire anything of the world, but the world serves him, and God Almighty places the world before his feet.
This is the reality of prophethood in brief. At this stage, both of these forms of ‘converse with the inner self ’ just mentioned are burnt to ashes and a third stream of converse begins—a form of converse that starts and ends with God alone. At this point, an individual draws in divine converse, which is free from the ambiguity and confused nature of ‘converse with the inner self.’ In fact, they are detached from this world completely like one enslaved by carnal pleasures who develops a relationship with a beautiful lover, and then constantly fantasises about them; the sensual pleasures of such an individual reach their apex in their lover, and they have no desire whatsoever to meet anyone else. In the same manner, a Prophet intensifies his relationship with God Almighty to such an extent that they are extremely averse to anyone else intruding in on their seclusion and privacy. They converse with their Beloved, and find pleasure and comfort in Him, and do not wish to part with this state of seclusion for even a moment. However, God Almighty brings them out into the world so that they may reform the people and serve as a mirror that reflects the image of God. It is in God Almighty that a Prophet seeks the natural pleasure and ecstasy that they experience. There is no other way in which I can describe this state. My heart is replete with this pleasure and the more I expound this subject, the more pleasure I feel. But where shall I find the words with which to express myself?
(Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, pp. 75-76)