Today I would like to speak on the subject of the different aspects of the Sufi Message. The Sufi Message, having the character of a prophetic message, has five different aspects of work.

The first is warning humanity of the coming danger.
The next aspect is bringing about a friendly understanding between the followers of different religions.
The third aspect is giving the form of universal worship in which people of all different denominations may offer their prayers to the God of humanity.
The fourth aspect is interpreting in the terms of the day life's secret to the generality.
And the fifth aspect of the Message is guiding the seeking souls on the spiritual path.

Since these five different missions the Sufi Movement has to carry out, in order that the Message may reach all people in all parts of the world, naturally the need of helpers is felt every day more and more. When we see how few we are in number, and when we compare our limited actions with the great object we have before us, we cannot for one moment look at the success of our Movement hopefully, except that by our unchanging and everlasting faith. Besides, a few sincere workers can perform miracles, whereas thousands of workers who have not that spirit may not be able to accomplish. Therefore for us there is no need of being disappointed. We must be hopeful. Only we must be conscious of the fact that the work is great, and we are too few. And we must hope that this condition will change. And we must do our best to change it. Besides this, if there are many occupied in the spreading of the Cause, one can say, "Well, I will rest, because my friend is doing." But as we are so few we cannot rest. We must do everything possible for the spreading of the Cause.

Who must work for the Cause?

But now coming to the question: who must work for the Cause and who need not work for the Cause? and the answer is that we all need not work for the Cause; only those who will work for the Cause must work for the Cause. For the service that a worker will render to the Cause must not be rendered in this spirit that: we return to Murshid, or we render to Murshid a service in return for what we receive from him. Because that will be a business. It will mean Murshid helps his pupils to the light on condition that they will work for the Cause. There must be these two things separate. The idea that we receive a spiritual help on the path of truth is something priceless, that we must never think of returning in any form, for it cannot be returned. And as long as a mureed will not value it to this extent he will not be able to be fully benefitted by it.

Well then, working for the Cause is a separate thing. There are reasons for which you will work for the Cause.

The first thing is your faith in the Message of God. If you believe it, naturally you feel that the Cause is the first thing. For we believe that here is the Message of God.
And the second aspect of it is that you are feeling for humanity, for the need of mankind today, and your comprehension of the effect that the Message can make and will make at this present condition of the world.
And the third aspect is your sympathy with your Murshid, as a pupil, as a friend, as a brother, as a sister.

Your heart can never allow you to see your Murshid carrying some bricks on his shoulder, to stand there and look at it, and not take some also yourself to carry this load. Naturally out of your sympathy for your Murshid you feel what little we can do, or as much as we can do, we shall try and do it. Either of these three things or all these three things make a mureed inclined to be a worker. And that is the only way to render one's service to the Cause. I need not say, your own experience in working will tell you how greatly we need workers. But at the same time there are two aspects of workers: one worker will limit himself to so much work, and he will not do further. But the other worker will try and train himself to do besides what he does, that which is needed for the Cause.

You are not ignorant of the fact, but at the same time it is better that I may repeat before you this, that many new places where I have happened to travel and introduce the Message, and where many have become interested in the Cause, owing to the absence of someone to carry out the work, the whole effort I have made in that place by going there, by staying there, by giving my thought and time, by speaking there and creating all interest, it has gone in vain. Only because there was no one to hold that group together, to cultivate that ground, to rear those plants, to water that place where Murshid has sown seeds. Any mureed who has sympathy, devotion for Murshid, for the Cause, will understand this, that how much disappointment it must bring to Murshid, what a soreness of heart, to feel that all this work done there vanished -- at least apparently, not really -- because there was no one to carry out the work in my absence. Therefore it is necessary that those sincere mureeds who in every way wish to do some good for the Cause will know of the need, our great need, of being able to do everything that is necessary for the spreading of the Message.

God Bless You.