The Noble Prophet
Every blessing is from Muhammad on whom be the blessings and peace of Allah.
Blessed is He who taught and he who was taught.
Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. You
have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar, for him who hopes to meet
with Allah and the Last Day, and who remembers Allah much (33:22).
After God I am inebriated with the love of Muhammad. If this is infidelity,
then by God I am a great infidel.
That light of high degree that was bestowed on perfect man was not in angels,
was not in stars, was not in the moon, was not in the sun, was not in the
oceans and the rivers, was not in rubies or emeralds, or sapphires, or pearls;
in short, it was not in any earthly or heavenly object. It was only in perfect
man whose highest and loftiest and most perfect example was our lord and
master, the Chief of the Prophets, the Chief of all living ones, Muhammad, the
chosen one, peace be on him. That light was bestowed on this man and, according
to their ranks, upon all those who bore the same colour to some degree.... This
dignity was found in its highest and most perfect form in our lord and master
and our guide, the immaculate Prophet, the righteous one, testified to by the
righteous, Muhammad, the chosen one, peace be on him [Ayenae Kamalat-e-Islam,
(Qadian, Riyadh Hind Press 1893); Now printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984),
Vol.5, pp. 160-162].
I always wonder how high was the status of this Arab Prophet, whose name was
Muhammad, thousands of blessings and peace be upon him. One cannot reach the
limit of his high status and it is not given to man to estimate correctly his
spiritual effectiveness. It is a pity that his rank has not been recognized as
it should have been. He was the champion who restored to the world the Unity of
God which had disappeared from the world; he loved God in the extreme and his
soul melted out of sympathy for mankind. Therefore God, Who knew the secret of
his heart, exalted him above all the Prophets and all the first ones and the
last ones and bestowed upon him in his life-time all that he desired. He is the
fountain-head of every grace and a person who claims any superiority without
acknowledging his grace, is not a man but is the progeny of Satan. He has been bestowed
the key to every exaltation and he has been given the treasury of every
understanding. He who does not receive through him is deprived forever. I am
nothing and possess nothing. I would be most ungrateful if I were not to
confess that I have learnt of the true Unity of God through this Prophet. The
recognition of the Living God we have achieved through this Perfect Prophet and
through his light. The honour of converse with God, through which we behold His
countenance has been bestowed upon me through this great Prophet. The ray of
this sun of guidance falls like sunshine upon me and I continue illumined only
so long as I am adjusted towards it [Haqiqatul Wahi, (Qadian, Magazine Press
1907); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 22, pp. 115-116].
O all ye who dwell upon the earth, and O all human souls that are in the east
or in the west, I announce to you emphatically that the true reality in the
earth is Islam alone, and the true God is the God Who is described in the
Quran, and the Prophet who has everlasting spiritual life and who is seated on
the throne of glory and holiness, is Muhammad, the chosen one, peace be on him.
The proof of his spiritual life and Noble majesty is that by following him and
loving him we become recipients of the Noble spirit and are favoured with the
bounty of converse with God and witness heavenly signs [Tiryaqul Quloob, Now
printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 15, p. 7].
The man who in his being and his attributes and his actions and through his spiritual
and Noble faculties set an example of perfection, in knowledge and action and
in sincerity and steadfastness, and was called the perfect man was Muhammad,
peace be on him.... The man who was most perfect as man and as Prophet, and
came with full blessings, and who through a spiritual revival and resurrection
manifested the first judgment in the world and revived the dead world, that
blessed Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, the leader of the righteous ones,
the pride of the Prophets, was Muhammad, the chosen one, peace be on him. Our
Lord, send down on that beloved Prophet that mercy and blessing that Thou hast
not sent down on anyone since the beginning of the world. Had that grand
Prophet not appeared in the world then we would have no proof of the truth of
lesser Prophets like Jonah, Job, Jesus son of Mary, Malachi, John, Zakaria,
etc. Though they were favourites and honoured and were beloved ones of Almighty
God, they are under obligation to this Prophet that they were accepted in the
world as true Prophets. O Allah, send down Thy blessings on him and on his
people and on his companions, all of them. Our last word is that all praise
belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds [Itmamul Hujjah, (Lahore,
Gulzar Muhammadi Press, 1311 A.H); Now printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 8, p. 36].
* * *
When we estimate justly, then out of the whole series of Prophets, we find one
of high courage and alive and greatly dear to God, the Chief of the Prophets,
the pride and the crown of the Messengers, whose name is Muhammad Mustafa and
Ahmad Mujtaba. By walking under his shadow for ten days one obtains that light
which before him could not be obtained in a thousand years.... We have found
every light by following the immaculate Prophet and whoever follows him will
also find it and he will become so accepted of God that nothing will be
impossible for him. The Living God Who is hidden from people, will be his God
and all false gods will be trodden under his feet. He will be blessed
everywhere and Divine Power will be with him. Peace be on him who follows the
guidance [Siraj Muneer, (Qadian, Ziaul Islam Press 1897); Now printed in Ruhani
Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 12, p. 80-81].
Now under heaven there is only one Prophet and only one Book. The Prophet is
Muhammad, the chosen one, peace be on him, who is higher and more exalted than
all Prophets and is the most perfect of Messengers and is the Khatamal Anbiya,
and the best of men by following whom we find God Almighty and all the veils of
darkness are lifted and the signs of true salvation are witnessed in this very
life. The Book is the Noble Quran, which comprises true and perfect guidance
and effectiveness, through which knowledge and understanding of the Divine are
obtained and the heart is purified of human weaknesses, and being delivered
from ignorance and heedlessness and doubts, a person arrives at the stage of
complete certainty (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, p. 467-468, sub-footnote 3).
There have been millions of pure-natured people in the world and there will be
more in future, but we have found the best of all of them and the highest man
of God, whose name is Muhammad, peace be on him. Allah and His angels call down
blessings on the Prophet and do you who believe call down blessings on him and
greet him with the greeting of peace. We shall leave aside any mention of the Noble
ones from among those people whose circumstances have not been described in
detail in the Noble Quran. We shall express our view only with regard to the
Prophets who are mentioned in the Quran like Moses, David, Jesus and other
Prophets, peace be on them. We affirm it on oath, calling God to witness, that
if the Noble Prophet, peace be on him, had not come into the world, and the Noble
Quran had not been revealed, and we had not seen with our own eyes the
blessings that we have witnessed, the truth of all past Prophets would have
remained doubtful in our eyes. No reality can be gathered from mere stories,
for it is quite possible that they may not be true and it is also possible that
the miracles that are attributed to these Prophets might be exaggerations, for
no sign of them is visible today. We cannot even ascertain for certain from the
Books revealed in the past that God truly exists, because we are not assured
that God speaks to man. But through the advent of the Noble Prophet, peace be
on him, all these stories became real. We now realize not merely as a
statement, but as a matter of experience, what converse with the Divine means
and how God's signs are manifested and how prayers are answered. All this we
have discovered by following the Noble Prophet, peace be on him, and what other
people relate as stories we have witnessed it all. We have attached ourselves
to a Prophet who manifests God to us.
How shall we express our gratitude to God who bestowed upon us the good fortune
to follow the Prophet who is a sun for the souls of the righteous as there is a
sun for the bodies. He appeared in a time of darkness and illumined the world
with his light. He was neither tired nor fatigued till he purified all parts of
Arabia from associating partners with God. He is the proof of
his own truth for his light is present in every age and true obedience to him
purifies a person as the clear and transparent water of a river cleanses dirty
linen. Who has come to us with a sincere heart and has not witnessed that
light, and who has knocked honestly on that door for whom it has not been
opened? But the pity is that most people prefer the lower life and do not
desire that higher light should enter into them [Chashma Marifat, (Qadian,
Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 23., p. 288-289].
* * *
The Noble Prophet was directed in the Noble Quran to supplicate:
Exalted then is Allah, the True King. And make no haste to recite the Qur'an
ere its revelation is completed unto thee, but only say, 'Lord, bestow on me
increase of knowledge.' (20:115) .
This means that the Noble Prophet was directed to supplicate for perfect
knowledge of God's greatness and understanding and attributes. At another place
it is said:
Thus have I been commanded and I am the foremost of those who submit (6:164).
Reading these two verses together we find that the Noble Prophet, peace be on
him, became the foremost of the Muslims because he was the most learned in the
knowledge of Divine understanding. For this reason his Islam is the highest of
all and he is the foremost of the Muslims. Another verse also indicates the
vastness of his knowledge as is said:
He has taught thee that which thou knewest not, and great is Allah's grace on
thee (4:114).
This means that God Almighty taught the Noble Prophet that which he could not
have learnt by himself and that by Divine grace he was blessed more than anyone
else. That is to say, the Noble Prophet exceeded everyone in his knowledge and
understanding of the Divine and God Almighty perfumed him with the fragrance of
Divine understanding more than anyone else. Thus God has appointed knowledge
and understanding as the principal means of obtaining a true concept of Islam.
Though there are other means for obtaining such knowledge, like fasting and
Prayer and supplication and carrying out all the Divine commandments, the
number of which exceeds six hundred, yet the knowledge of the Greatness of God
and of His Unity and of His attributes of Glory and Beauty is basic for
everything. He who has a heedless heart and has no understanding of the Divine,
cannot obtain the strength to observe the fast or perform Prayer or make
supplication or occupy himself with doing good. All righteous action is incited
by understanding of the Divine and all the other means proceed from it and are
its issue. The beginning of this understanding is the reflection of God's
Rahmaniyyat and is not the result of any action or any prayer, but is a gift of
pure grace. He guides whom He wills and He lets go astray whom He wills. Then
this understanding is fostered by righteous action and good faith, till it
assumes the form of revelation and descending in the word of God, illumines the
whole expanse of the bosom with the light which is called Islam. At the stage
of perfect understanding, Islam does not remain a mere phrase, but all its
reality that we have described is achieved and the human soul prostrates itself
humbly before Divine Unity. Thereupon, from both sides it is announced:
Whatever is mine is thine. That is to say, the human soul cries out and
confesses: Lord whatever is mine is Thine; and God also speaks and conveys the
good news: O My servant, the heaven and earth etc. that are with Me are with
thee also. This stage is indicated in the verse:
O my servants who have committed excesses against your own selves despair not
of the mercy of Allah, surely Allah forgives all sins (39:54).
In this verse instead of: Say: O servants of Allah; the Noble Prophet was
commanded to say: O my servants. This verse was revealed in this form so that
God Almighty might convey the good news of limitless mercies and might comfort
those who are broken hearted in consequence of their sins. Thus Allah the
Glorious desired to exhibit a sample of His mercies and to make it manifest to
what extent He honours His faithful servant with special favours. By adopting
the form: Say: O my servants; God in effect said: Look at My beloved Messenger
and see at what high rank he has arrived through his perfect obedience to Me
that now all that is Mine is his. He who desires salvation should become his
servant. That is to say, he should obey him so perfectly as if he was his
slave. Then whatever sins he might have committed will be forgiven him. The
word abd in Arabic idiom also means slave as it is said:
A believing slave is better than an idol worshipper (2:222).
In the verse to which we have drawn attention, it is indicated that he who
desires salvation should establish the relationship of a slave with this
Prophet. That is to say, he should not step outside his commandment and should
consider himself bound to his obedience as a slave is bound and he would then
obtain salvation. One pities those dark-souled ones who bear such rancour
towards the Noble Prophet that they consider that names like Ghulam Nabi,
Ghulam Rasul, Ghulam Mustafa, Ghulam Ahmad, Ghulam Muhammad, saviour of
associating the Noble Prophet with God, whereas, the verse indicates that these
names are a means of salvation. As abd implies that a person so named should
refrain from every kind of freedom and self direction and should be completely
obedient to his master, therefore, the seekers after truth have been urged that
if they wish to attain salvation they should adapt themselves to this
condition. This verse has the same connotation as the verse: Announce:
If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will then love you and forgive you
your sins (3:32).
Perfect following demands that devotion and full obedience which is conveyed in
the expression abd. The verse: Say: O my servants; means in effect: Say: O my
followers, who are involved in sins, despair not of the mercy of Allah for
Allah, through the blessing of your following me, will forgive all your sins.
If the word servants in this verse is construed as meaning the servants of
Allah, the purport of the verse is perverted for it cannot be true that God
Almighty would forgive all idol worshippers and disbelievers without their
believing in and following the Noble Prophet. Such construction would be
contrary to the express directions of the Noble Quran. It should be remembered
that the purport of the verse is that those who become the sincere servants of
the Noble Prophet will be bestowed the light and the faith and the love and the
passion which will deliver them from all that is beside Allah, and they will be
freed from sins and will be bestowed a pure life in this world and they will be
delivered from the narrow and dark graves of human passions. This is indicated
by the Hadith: I am the resurrector on whose footsteps people will be raised
up. The Noble Quran is full of the idiom that the world had died and that God
Almighty revived it through sending the Noble Prophet, peace be on him, as is
said:
Know that Allah revives the earth after its death (57:18) .
In the same way, it is said with reference to the companions of the Noble
Prophet:
God helped them with the Noble spirit (58:23).
The help of the Noble spirit is that it revives the hearts and delivers from
spiritual death and bestows pure faculties and pure senses and pure knowledge
and carries a person to the station of nearness to God through certain
knowledge and conclusive arguments.... This knowledge on which salvation
depends cannot be obtained without that life which is bestowed through the Noble
spirit. The Noble Quran affirms it emphatically that that spiritual life is
obtained only through following the Noble Prophet and that all those who
repudiate obedience to him are dead and do not possess that life. Spiritual
life means the intellectual and active faculties which are brought to life by
the Noble spirit. The Noble Quran shows that the commandments of God to which
He desires man to conform are six hundred. In consonance with this the wings of
Gabriel are also six hundred. Until the egg of humanness lies under the wings
of Gabriel bearing these six hundred commandments, it cannot hatch the baby of
being completely lost in Allah. The reality of man has the capacity of six
hundred eggs. A person whose six hundred eggs are covered by the six hundred
wings of the capacity of Gabriel is the perfect man whose spiritual birth is
perfect and whose life is perfect. If one looks with care one finds that the
spiritual issue of the egg of humanness which by the blessing of the following
of the Noble Prophet were born to the Noble spirit, are more perfect and
complete than the spiritual children of all the other Prophets. This is
indicated by the verse:
You are the best of people who have been raised up for the reform of mankind
(3:111)
[Ayeenae Kamalat-e-Islam, (Qadian, Riyadh Hind Press 1893); Now printed in
Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol.5, pp. 186-197].
* * *
The Noble Prophet came into the world so that he might bestow hearing on the
deaf, who had continued in that condition for hundreds of years. Who is blind
and who is deaf? The same one who does not accept the Unity of God and who does
not accept this Prophet who revived the Unity of God on the earth; the same
Prophet who converted the wild ones into men and then converted them into men
possessing true moral qualities, then dyed them in the Divine colour of those
who establish their relationship with God; the same Prophet, the sun of
righteousness, at whose feet thousands of those who had died of paganism and
atheism and evil living were revived and came to life and a sample of the
Judgment Day was exhibited. It was not mere talk like that of Jesus. The
Prophet who appeared in Mecca and dispelled the darkness of association with
God and the worship of man, was the true light of the world, who found the
world in darkness and bestowed such light upon it that he converted a dark
night into day. What was the world before his advent and what did it become
after it? This is not a question that is difficult to answer. If we are
faithful our conscience will tug at us to persuade us to believe that before
that great personage the greatness of God had been forgotten by the people of
every country and it had been assigned to avatars and stones and stars and
trees and animals and mortal men, and despised creation was seated in the place
of that Lord of Glory and Holiness. It is true that if these men and animals
and trees and stars were in fact God, Jesus being one of them, then this
Prophet was not needed, but if they were not God, the claim that our lord
Muhammad, peace be on him, made on the hill of Mecca has a grand light
attending upon it. What was that claim? It was that God, having found the world
in the deep darkness of associating partners with God had sent him to dispel
that darkness. It was not only a claim, but that Messenger, accepted of God,
fully established that claim. If the superiority of any Prophet can be
established by such works as proclaim true sympathy with mankind exceeding that
of all other Prophets, then, O ye people, arise and bear witness that in this
respect Muhammad, peace be on him, has no equal in the world.... Blind
worshippers of creatures have not recognized that great Prophet who set forth
thousands of examples of true sympathy with mankind. I perceive, however, that
the time has arrived when this Noble Messenger would be recognized. If you wish
you might record my statement that henceforth the worship of the dead will
decline daily till it disappears altogether. Will man set himself up against
God? Will a despised drop frustrate the designs of God? Will the projects of
mortal man disgrace Divine commandments? O ye who can hear, listen, and O ye
who can reflect, consider and remember that truth will be proclaimed and he who
is the true light will shine forth (Tableegh-e-Risalat, Vol. VI, p. 9).
* * *
It is my personal experience that to obey the Noble Prophet, peace be on him,
with a sincere heart and to love him, ultimately makes a person beloved of God.
God creates in his heart a burning for His Own love and such a one, withdrawing
his heart from everything else, leans towards God and his affection and desire
remain only for God Almighty. Thereupon a special manifestation of Divine love
falls upon him and bestowing upon him the full colour of love and devotion
pulls him towards itself with great force. He then overcomes his passions and
from every direction extraordinary works of God Almighty appear as signs in his
support and to help him [Haqiqatul Wahi, (Qadian, Magazine Press 1907); Now
published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 22, p. 65].
I have observed that by calling down blessings upon the Noble Prophet, Divine
grace in the shape of wonderful light proceeds in the direction of the Noble
Prophet, peace be on him, and is absorbed into his breast and then issuing
therefrom numberless streams of it reach everyone deserving them according to
his capacity. Certainly no grace can reach anyone without the agency of the Noble
Prophet, peace be on him. Calling down blessings on the Noble Prophet brings
into movement His Throne from which these streams of light issue. He who
desires to obtain the grace of God Almighty should call down Divine blessings
on him very diligently so that that grace might be moved (Al-Hakam, 28 Feb.
1903, p. 7)
One night this humble one called down blessings on the Noble Prophet to such a
degree that my heart and soul were filled with its fragrance. That night I saw
in my dream that angels were carrying water-skins full of light into my house
and one of them said to me: These are the blessings that you called down on
Muhammad, peace be on him (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, p. 503, sub-footnote 3).
* * *
We should not let a doubt enter our minds how a mere follower can partake of
the names and attributes and praises of that accepted Messenger. It is true
that in reality even a Prophet cannot share equally in the Noble excellences of
the Noble Prophet. Indeed even the angels cannot claim equality in that
respect, let alone that anyone else should share in his excellences. But O
seeker after truth, may God guide you aright, listen carefully to this. With
the object that the blessings of that accepted Prophet should be displayed
forever and that the perfect rays of his light should confound and refute his
opponents, God Almighty has made the following arrangement by His wisdom and
mercy. Some individuals out of the followers of Muhammad, peace be upon him,
who obey him with thorough humility and falling prostrate on the threshold of
humbleness are completely lost to their ego, being found by God like a clear
mirror, exhibit the blessings of the accepted Messenger in their humble selves.
Whatever praise is bestowed upon them by God and whatever signs and blessings
are manifested by them, the true source of all their praise and the perfect
fountain-head of all those blessings is the Noble Prophet, peace be on him. In
reality and in their perfection those praises are worthy only of him and he is
their perfect exemplar, but as the follower of the way of the Noble Prophet
becomes through his perfect obedience like a reflection of the Noble Prophet
and the Divine lights which are manifested in the latter are also manifested in
his reflection, the appearance in the shadow of the whole form and manner of
the reality is a matter that is not hidden from anyone. This shadow is not
established in itself and no superiority is in reality present in it. All that
appears in it is a picture of the real one which is manifested in the
reflection. Do not, therefore, consider it a loss that the inner lights of the Noble
Prophet, peace be on him, reach those who are perfectly obedient to him out of
his followers. Two great matters result from this reflection of lights, which,
like permanent grace, manifests itself in some members of the following of
Muhammad, peace be on him. One is that the extreme perfection of the Noble
Prophet, peace be on him, is thereby displayed; for a torch from which other
torches can be lit and are ever lit, is better than a torch from which no other
torch can be lit. Secondly, the perfection of the Muslims and their superiority
over the followers of other religions is established by this permanent grace
and the proof of the reality of the religion of Islam is furnished afresh and
reliance is not had only upon the past. This is the manner in which the lights
of the truth of the Noble Quran shine forth like the sun, and the proof of
Islam is established conclusively as against its opponents, and the disgrace
and humiliation and frustration of the enemies of Islam are made manifest. They
observe in Islam those blessings and light the like of which they cannot find
in the ministers and pundits of their own religion. Consider this well, O true
seeker, May Allah help thee in thy search.... How great is the station of the Khatamal
Anbiya, peace be on him, and how excellent is the bright effectiveness of this
sun of righteousness that obedience to him makes someone a perfect believer and
someone else a recognizer of God and bestows upon a third one the rank of a
Sign of Allah and a Proof of Allah and bestows upon him Divine praise (Braheen
Ahmadiyyah, pp. 243-245, sub-footnote 1).
* * *
Ever since the appearance in the world of the sun of righteousness in the
blessed person of the Noble Prophet, peace be on him, up to today, thousands of
persons who possessed the capacity and the ability, by following the Divine
word and obeying the Noble Prophet, have arrived at the high ranks that we have
mentioned and continue to do so. God Almighty continuously bestowed upon them
such favours and bounties and support and help that it is proved to those
possessing clear sight that such people are Divine favourites, who are under
the grand shadow of Divine bounty and are recipients of great grace. Observers
can see clearly that these people are honoured with extraordinary favours and
are distinguished by wonderful signs and are perfumed with the fragrance of
love and enjoy the pride of being accepted of God. The light of the All
Powerful so fills their companionship, and their attention, and their resolve,
and their moral qualities, and their way of living, and their joy, and their
anger, and their desire, and their dislike, and their movement, and their rest
and their speech, and their silence, and their outer and inner selves, as a
clear and transparent glass receptacle is filled with excellent perfume. By the
grace of their companionship and their relationship and love, that is achieved
which cannot be achieved by great effort. By establishing a relationship With
them and thinking well of them, faith assumes a new aspect and strength is
gained for the display of good morals. The tendency of the ego towards clamour
and sinfulness begins to be restrained and contentment and sweetness are
generated. According to one's capacity, the eagerness of faith surges up, and
love and devotion are manifested, and delight in the remembrance of Allah
increases. A person who keeps in their company for a long time is compelled to
confess that in the strength of their faith, and in their moral qualities, and their
cutting off from the world, and their attention towards God, and in their love
of the Divine, and their kindness toward God's creatures, and in fidelity and
acceptance of the will of God and steadfastness, they occupy such high rank as
is not equalled in the world. Sane reason immediately discovers that the chains
and shackles in which other people are bound have been removed from their feet,
and that the narrowness and constriction whereby the bosoms of other people are
constricted and fatigued, have been removed from their bosoms. They are
honoured by continuous converse with the Divine and they are accepted as a
means of approach between the Divine and His eager servants for the purpose of
gaining direction and guidance. Their brightness illumines other hearts. As at
the approach of spring vegetation bursts forth, in the same way, at their
appearance natural light surge inside sane temperaments and the heart of every
fortunate one desires to bring into display, with full effort, its capacities,
and is delivered from the veils of deep sleep, and is relieved of sinfulness
and the stains of vice, and the darkness of ignorance and unawareness. Their
blessed age has such a characteristic and there is such spreading of light in
it that every believer and seeker after truth, according to the strength of his
faith, without any apparent cause, perceives in his soul an expansion and an
eagerness for religion and an increase in and strengthening of resolve. Every
sincere one receives the benefit of the delicate perfume which is bestowed upon
them on account of their perfect obedience, according to the degree of his
sincerity. Those who are eternally unfortunate, obtain no share of it, but
continue to increase in their enmity and envy and ill-will and finally fall into
hell. This is indicated in the verse:
Allah has set a seal on their hearts (2:8)
(Braheen Ahmadiyyah, pp. 443-445, sub-footnote 3).
* * *
The Noble Quran
My heart yearns every moment to kiss Thy Book and to perform a circuit around
the Noble Quran, for it is my Kaaba.
The Noble Quran is a casket of jewels but people are unaware of it.
We are a witness and testify before the whole world that we have found in the Noble
Quran the reality that leads to God. We have heard the voice of God and have witnessed
the signs of the mighty arm of Him Who has revealed the Quran. We believe that
He is the True God and is the Master of the worlds. Our heart is filled with
this certainty as the ocean is filled with water. We, therefore, call everyone
to this faith and to this light on the basis of our insight. We have found the
true light which dispels all darkness and which renders the heart cold to all
that is beside God. This is the only way by following which a person emerges
from the grip of passion and the darkness of the ego as a snake comes out of
its skin [Kitabul Bariyyah, (Qadian, Ziaul Islam Press 1898); Now printed in
Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 13, p. 47].
* * *
It is obvious that the great merit of anything is that it should fulfil the
purpose for which it has been fashioned. For instance, if a bullock is
purchased for ploughing land its merit will be judged by the degree to which it
is able to discharge its function of ploughing. In the same way, it is obvious
that the true purpose of a heavenly Book is that it should rescue its followers
from a sinful life through its teaching and influence, and its power of reform
and spiritual qualities, and should bestow a pure life upon them and after
purifying them should bestow upon them full insight for the recognition of God
and should establish a relationship of love and devotion between them and the
peerless Being, Who is the fountain-head of all joys. In truth this love is the
root of salvation and this is the paradise on entering which all fatigue and
bitterness and pain and torment are removed. Without doubt the living and
perfect revealed Book is the one which should lead a seeker after God to his
goal and rescuing him from a low life should lead him to the True Beloved,
meeting Whom is salvation itself. It should rescue him from all doubt and
should bestow, such perfect understanding upon him as if he can see God. It
should establish such strong relationship between God and him that he should
become a faithful servant of God and God should be so benevolent towards him
that He should make a distinction between him and those beside him with diverse
types of His help and support and should open the gates of His understanding to
him. If a book fails to discharge this duty which is its real purpose, and
seeks to establish its merit by making all sorts of irrelevant claims, it would
be like a person who claims to be an expert Physician, but when a patient is
brought to him and he is asked to heal him, he replies that he is unable to
heal him, but that he knows how to wrestle, or that he is an expert in
astronomy or philosophy. It is obvious that such a person would be called a
jester and would deserve the condemnation of all reasonable people. The chief
purpose of a Book of God and a Messenger of God is to rescue the world from a
life of sin and to establish a Noble relationship between God and the world. It
is not their purpose to teach people subjects of secular study and to instruct
them in worldly inventions.
It is not difficult for a reasonable and just person to understand that the
purpose of a Book of God is to lead people to God, and to make them believe in
Him as a certainty, and to stop them from committing sin by impressing the
majesty and awe of God upon their hearts. Of what use is a book which cannot
cleanse a heart, nor can bestow such pure and perfect understanding as should
make one hate sin. The attraction of sin is a dangerous leprosy which cannot be
healed till the manifestations of the living understanding of God, and the
signs of His awe and greatness and power, descend like rain and till a person
perceives God with His terrible powers as a goat perceives a tiger which is
only two steps away from it. Man needs to be freed from the fatal passion of
sin. The greatness of God should so occupy his heart that it should rid him of
the overpowering desire of passion which falls upon him like lightning and
instantly consumes his store of righteousness. Those impure passions which
attack repeatedly like epilepsy and destroy all sense of piety cannot be wiped
out by a self-conceived impression of God, nor can they be suppressed by one's
own thinking, or be blocked by an atonement whose suffering has not been
experienced by one. This is not a matter of indifference but in the estimation
of a wise person it is worthy of consideration above all else as to how he
might safeguard himself against the ruin which confronts him on account of his
daring and his lack of relationship with God, the root of which is sin and
disobedience. It is obvious that a person cannot give up a certain pleasure for
the sake of conjecture. It is only a certainty that can rescue one from another
certainty. For instance, if we are certain that there are a number of deer in a
forest whom we can easily catch, we are incited by that certainty to enter the
forest for that purpose; but if we are also certain that there are half a
hundred lions in the forest and thousands of pythons, we would be dissuaded
from making the attempt. Thus sin cannot be avoided without this degree of certainty.
It is only iron that can break iron. There should be that certainty of the
greatness and awe of God which should tear up the curtains of heedlessness, and
should make the body tremble, and should make death appear near. The heart
should be so overcome by fear that all relationship with the sinful ego should
be cut asunder and one should be drawn by hidden hands towards God and the
heart should be filled with certainty that God Who is truly present does not
leave a daring offender without punishment. What shall a seeker after true
purity do with a book which does not fill this need?
I wish to convey it to everyone that the Noble Quran is the Book which fills
all these needs. Through it a person is drawn to God and his heart grows cold
to the love of the world. By following it God, Who is hidden beyond hidden, in
the end manifests Himself and displays those powers of which outsiders have no
notion, and informs of His existence by the affirmation: I am present. But the
Vedas certainly do not possess this quality. They are like a worn out bundle
whose owner is dead or is not traceable. The Permeshwar towards whom the Vedas
call is not proved to be living. Indeed the Vedas put forward no proof that
their Permeshwar exists. The misleading teaching of the Vedas has rendered it
doubtful that one could find the Creator through His creation; inasmuch as,
according to the teachings of the Vedas, souls and particles are all eternal
and uncreated, then how can one discover the Creator through that which is
uncreated? Also the Vedas shut the door of Divine revelation and deny the fresh
Signs of God. According to the Vedas Permeshwar cannot display a Sign in
support of His special servants which should be beyond the knowledge or
experience of the average person. The utmost that can be said about the Vedas
is that they affirm the existence of God like an average being, and do not put
forward any certain proof in support of the existence of God. In short the
Vedas cannot bestow that understanding which comes fresh from God and conveys a
person from earth to heaven, but our observation and experience and of those
who have passed before us, is witness that the Noble Quran draws its true
follower to itself through its spiritual effect and its inherent light and
illumines his heart, and then by displaying great signs creates such a strong
relationship with God as cannot be cut asunder by a sharp sword. It opens the
eye of the heart and banks up the dirty spring of sin and honours one with the
delicious converse of God and discloses that which is hidden and helps
acceptance of prayer and gives information of it. God Almighty, through His
terrible signs, makes it manifest to everyone who opposes a true follower of
the Noble Quran that He is with that servant of His who follows His Word
[Chashma Marifat, (Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908); Now published in
Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 23., pp. 291-295].
* * *
God, in whose meeting is man's salvation and eternal happiness, cannot be found
without following the Noble Quran. Would that people could see that which I
have seen and they could hear that which I have heard and give up following
stories and run towards reality. The means of obtaining perfect knowledge
through which one can see God, and the cleansing water which removes all
doubts, and the mirror through which one can behold that High Being, is the
converse with God which I have just mentioned. He whose soul seeks the truth
should arise and search for it. I say truly that if souls were inspired by true
search and hearts felt true thirst, people would look for this way and would
search for it. I assure the seekers that Islam alone gives the good news of
this way for other people have since long sealed up the possibility of
revelation. Be sure that this seal is not set by God, but as man has deprived
himself of this favour, he seeks excuses for its absence. As it is not possible
that we should be able to see without eyes or should be able to hear without
ears or should be able to speak without a tongue, in the same way, it is not
possible that we should be able to behold the countenance of the Beloved
without the Noble Quran. I was young and am now old, but I have found no one
who might have drunk of this clear understanding without this Noble fountain
[Islami Usul ki Philosophy, Now printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol.
10, pp. 128-129].
The straight path and the principal means which is full of the lights of
certainty, and is the perfect guide for our spiritual welfare and our
intellectual progress, is the Noble Quran which is charged with the settlement
of all the religious contests of the world. It contains a large quantity of the
water of life for us and comprises many rare and priceless jewels which are
hidden in it and are being displayed every day. It is an excellent touchstone
whereby we can distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is the one bright
lamp which shows the way of truth. Without doubt the hearts of those who have a
relationship with the straight path are drawn to the Noble Quran. God has so
fashioned their hearts that they lean towards their Beloved like a lover and
find no rest elsewhere, and hearing a plain and clear directive from Him, they
listen to nothing else. They accept joyfully and eagerly every verity contained
in it. In the end it becomes the means of illumination of the heart and
lighting up the conscience and of wonderful disclosures. It leads everyone to
the heights of progress according to their capacities. The righteous have
always been in need of walking in the light of the Noble Quran. Whenever Islam
has been confronted with any other religion in consequence of some new
condition of the age, the sharp and effective instrument that has immediately
come to hand is the Noble Quran. In the same way, whenever philosophic thought has
been given publicity in opposition to it, the Noble Quran has destroyed that
poisonous plant and has so humiliated it as to provide a mirror to its students
which shows up that true philosophy which is contained in the Noble Quran. In
the modern age, when Christian missionaries started their propaganda and made
an attempt to draw away unintelligent and ignorant people from the Unity of God
and to make them worship a humble creature and employed every kind of sophistry
for dressing up their doubtful ideas and thus created a storm in India, it was
the Noble Quran which repelled them so that they are not now able to face an
intelligent person and their extensive apologetics have been folded up like a
piece of paper [Izalai Auhan, (Amritsar, Riyaz Hind Press 1308 A.H.); Now
published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 3, pp. 524-525].
* * *
The Noble Quran is a rare pearl. Its outside is light and its inside is light
and its above is light and its below is light and there is light in every word
of it. It is a spiritual garden whose clustered fruits are within easy reach
and through which streams flow. Every fruit of good fortune is found in it and
every torch is lit from it. Its light has penetrated to my heart and I could
not have acquired it by any other means. If there had been no Quran I would
have found no delight in life. Its beauty exceeds that of a hundred thousand
Josephs. I incline towards it with a great inclination and drink it into my
heart. It has nurtured me as an embryo is nurtured and it has a wonderful
effect on my heart. Its beauty draws me away from my soul. It has been
disclosed to me in a vision that the garden of holiness is irrigated by the
water of the Quran, which is a surging ocean of the water of life. He who
drinks from it, comes to life and brings others to life [Ayenae
Kamalat-e-Islam, (Qadian, Riyadh Hind Press 1893); Now printed in Ruhani
Khazain (London, 1984), Vol.5, p 545-546]
* * *
The expression Khataman Nabiyyin which has been applied to the Noble Prophet,
peace be on him, demands that the Book that was revealed to him, should be the
most perfect of all books and should comprise all excellences; and indeed so it
is. The rule is that whatever degree of spiritual power and inner perfection is
possessed by the person upon whom the word of God descends, the same degree of
power and majesty is possessed by that word. As the spiritual power and inner
perfection of the Noble Prophet, peace be on him, were of the highest degree,
which no one exceeded or will exceed, therefore the Noble Quran occupies that
high station and rank which has not been reached by any of the previous Books
and scriptures. The capacity and spiritual power of the Noble Prophet were the
highest of all, and all excellences had reached their climax in him. Therefore,
the Noble Quran that was revealed to him is also perfect and as the excellences
of Prophethood reached their climax in him, the excellences of the miracle of
the word reached their climax in the Noble Quran. Thus he was the Khataman
Nabiyyin and his Book was the Khatamal Kutub. From the point of view of every
aspect of a miraculous word, the Noble Quran is at the highest stage. The
perfection of the Noble Quran is seen and its miraculous character is proved
from every point of view, that is to say, from the points of view of excellence
of composition, of the sequence of its subjects, of its teaching and its
perfection and of the fruits of its teaching. That is why the Noble Quran has
not demanded its match from any particular point of view, but has issued a
general challenge demanding a match from any point of view. From whichever
point of view it is looked at, it is a miracle (Malfoozat, Vol. III, pp.
36-37).
* * *
The Noble Quran is a miracle the like of which never was and never will be. The
door of its graces and blessings is always open, and it is bright and manifest
in every age as it was in the time of the Noble Prophet, peace be on him. It
should also be borne in mind that the speech of everyone corresponds to his
high resolve. The higher the resolve and determination and the purpose of the
speaker, the same will be the case with his speech. Divine revelation also
follows the same rule. The higher the resolve of the person to whom Divine
revelation is vouchsafed, the higher will be the character of the revelation.
As the circle of the resolve and capacity and determination of the Noble
Prophet, peace be on him, was very wide, the revelation that came to him had
the same high rank. No one else will ever attain the same degree of resolve and
courage inasmuch as his message was not for any limited time or for any
particular people, as was the case with the Prophets before him. It was said to
him: Proclaim, O Prophet: I am the Messenger of Allah to you all (7:159); and
again: We have not sent you but as a mercy for all the worlds (21:108). Who can
match him, the circle of whose advent and messengership was so wide. Today if a
verse of the Noble Quran is revealed to anyone, I am convinced that the circle
of that revelation will not be as wide as it was in the case of the Noble
Prophet, peace be on him (Malfoozat, Vol. III, p. 57)
The fine verities pertaining to religion, and all the learning pertaining to
the subject of Divinity, and conclusive arguments in support of the truth
together with the mysteries and insights that are set out in the Noble Quran,
are such that human faculties collectively are not able to discover them nor
can the intelligence of an intelligent person alight on them on its own. A
consideration of past ages has shown that no philosopher or wise man was able
to discover all that knowledge; but in this case there is a wonder upon
wonders, that is to say, that knowledge and insight were bestowed upon one who
was entirely unlearned. He had never seen a school nor read a book nor kept
company with any learned or wise person. He lived his life among wild people,
was born and brought up among them and kept company with them. The Noble
Prophet being unlettered is a matter so patent that no historian of Islam is
unaware of it (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, pp. 470-472)
* * *
Whatever comes into being by the exercise of God's perfect power, whether it is
a part of creation or it is a Noble Book, literally revealed by Him, it is
necessary that it should possess the quality that no one out of creation should
have the power to produce its like. This is proved in two ways; one is by way
of deduction. God is One and without associate in His Being and attributes and
works, and this does not admit of any partnership with Him in any of his
creations or words or actions, for if such partnership were permissible in
respect of any of His creations or words or actions, then it would be
permissible in all His attributes and actions, and as such it would be
permissible that there should be another God. That which possesses all Divine
attributes would be God and that which possesses some of the attributes of the
Divine, would be a partner of God in respect of those attributes, and this is
contrary to reason. It follows that it is necessary that God should One without
associate in all His attributes and words and actions, and His Being should be
free from all those inconsistencies which would lead to someone being His
partner. Secondly, it is proved by observation of all those things which have
been created by God that none of them could be created by man, not even the
least of them like a fly or a mosquito or a spider. On observing their shape
and formation, one sees such wonders that furnish conclusive proof of the
existence of the Creator of the universe. Besides all these arguments, it is
clear to every wise person that were it permissible that some one other than
God could have the power to create that which God has created by His power,
then no part of creation could be cited as proof of the existence of the True
Creator and the matter of His recognition as the Creator would become doubtful;
for if some of those things that have been created by God Almighty could be
created by someone else, then there is no reason why someone else cannot create
everything that God has created. Now that it is established that it is
necessary that that which God has created should be matchless and its
matchlessness is conclusive proof of its being from God, this is a complete
refutation of the proposition that it is not necessary that the Divine word
should be matchless, or that its being matchless is no proof of its being from
God . . . . Matchlessness is a speciality of the work and word of God. Every
wise person knows that the principal means that reason has for establishing the
Godhead of the Divine is that everything that proceeds from God is so matchless
that it is conclusive proof of the Unity of the Creator. Had this means not
been available, the way of reason reaching God would have been closed (Braheen
Ahmadiyyah, pp. 145-170).
* * *
The Noble Quran is a Book which has proclaimed its own matchlessness and has
claimed its own greatness, its wisdom, its truth, the beauty of its composition
and its spiritual lights. It is not true that the Muslims have themselves put
forward these excellences on behalf of the Quran. It sets out its own merits
and excellences and puts forward its matchlessness and peerlessness as a
challenge to the whole of creation and calls out loudly: Is there any
contestant? Its verities and fine points are not confined to two or three which
would leave room for doubt on the part of an ignorant person, but are like the
surging ocean and are visible in every direction like the stars of heaven.
There is no truth outside of it. There is no wisdom that is not comprised in
it. There is no light that is not obtainable through following it. These things
are not without proof and are not mere words. It is an established and clearly
proved verity which has been shining through 1,300 years. We have set out this
verity in great detail in this book and have expounded the fine points of the
Quran at such length as to constitute a surging ocean for the satisfaction of a
seeker after truth (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, 554-558, footnote II).
* * *
The high estate of the Noble Quran which it has proclaimed of
itself.
All knowledge is comprised in the Quran, but the intellect of people falls
short of it.
One of the principal causes of people going astray in this age is that in the
eyes of most people the greatness of the Noble Quran no longer prevails. One
group of Muslims has become the follower of misleading philosophy. They seek to
decide every matter by reason. They claim that the highest arbiter available to
man for the settlement of disputes is reason. When they find that the existence
of Gabriel and other angels that are mentioned in religious books, and the
existence of heaven and hell as is established in the Noble Quran, cannot be
proved by reason, they immediately reject them and begin to have recourse to
flimsy explanations. They interpret angels as meaning powers, and revelation
only as a faculty, and heaven and hell as meaning merely spiritual comfort or
pain. They do not seem to realize that reason alone is not the instrument for
discovery of the unknown. Indeed high verities and extreme insights are far
above the reach of reason and are established only through true visions. If the
touchstone for verities were to be reason alone, the great wonders of Godhead
would remain hidden and man's understanding would remain incomplete and
imperfect and he would not be rid of doubts and suspicions. The end of this
one-sided understanding would be that in the absence of guidance from above and
without any knowledge of the lines of thought that are set in motion by the
Power on High, all sorts of doubts would arise with regard to the existence of
the Creator Himself. The idea that reason alone is sufficient for unravelling
all the mysteries of the True Creator is wholly insupportable.
The second group has discarded reason altogether and has also left aside the Noble
Quran which is the fountain-head of all knowledge of things Divine and has
taken firm hold of stories and meaningless sayings. We desire to draw the
attention of both these groups to the Noble Quran and to urge them to value its
greatness and its light, and to make use of reason in the guidance of its
light. They should leave aside the sayings of other people, and even if they
should find a hadith which contradicts the Noble Quran, they should discard it
immediately, as God Almighty has said in the Noble Quran: In what discourse,
leaving aside the Noble Quran, will they believe (7:186)? It is obvious that
the Noble Quran is an authority of the highest grade which is absolute and
certain. Most ahadith are conjecture, and conjecture does not avail anything in
contrast with truth.
Study the following verses carefully and then consider whether it is proper to
leave aside the Word of God and to set up some other guide or arbiter. These
verses are:
Most surely this Quran guides to that which is most firm and right (17:10).
Herein, surely, is a message, for those who are devoted worshippers (21:107).
It is a reminder for the righteous (69:49).
It is the certain truth (69:52).
It is consummate wisdom (54:6).
It is an exposition of everything (16:90).
Light upon light (24:36).
It is healing for that which is in the breasts (10:58)
The Gracious One has taught the Quran (55:2-3).
He has sent down the Book according to the requirements of truth and has sent
down the balance (42:18).
It comprises guidance for mankind and clear proofs of guidance and Divine
Signs, which discriminate between truth and falsehood (2:186).
It is a decisive discourse (86:14)
There is no doubt in it (2:3).
We have not revealed to thee the Book except for the purpose that thou mayst
expound to them that in which they differ and as a guidance and a mercy for a
people who believe (16:65).
It comprises lasting commandments (98:4).
Falsehood cannot approach it from fore or aft (41:43).
It is manifest proof for people and a guidance and a mercy for a people who
have faith (45:21).
Then leaving aside Allah and His Signs, what is it that they will believe
(45:7).
Say: With Allah's Grace and His Mercy. Let them rejoice in this. It is better
than that which they amass (10:59).
The meaning of these verses is that this Quran guides to the way which is
straight. It contains teachings about true worship for people who worship. It
reminds the righteous of the perfection of righteousness. It is the acme of
wisdom. It is certain truth and contains the exposition of everything. It is
light upon light and is a healing for the minds. The Gracious One has taught
the Quran. He has revealed the Book which is the truth and is a balance for
weighing the truth. It is guidance for mankind and contains the exposition of
guidance. It discriminates between truth and falsehood by its reasoning. It is
a decisive discourse and free from doubt. We have revealed it to thee so that
it might decide matters concerning which there is difference and so that
believers may be provided with guidance and mercy. It comprises all the
verities which were contained in the previous books in a scattered form.
Falsehood cannot approach it from fore or aft. It comprises clear proof for
people and is a guidance and a mercy for those who have faith. Then leaving
aside Allah and His Signs, in what discourse will you believe? (It follows that
if a hadith is contradictory of the Noble Quran, it must be rejected. If it can
be interpreted as being in accord with the Noble Quran, it might be accepted).
Tell them that by the Grace and Mercy of Allah this Quran is a precious
possession which you should accept with joy. It is better than the properties
which you gather together. This is an indication that no property is as
valuable as knowledge and wisdom. This is the wealth concerning which it had
been prophesied that the Messiah would distribute it so much that people will
have their fill of it. The prophecy does not mean that the Messiah would
collect together material wealth concerning which it has been said: Your
properties and your progeny are a trial (8:29); and that he would deliberately
put people on trial by distributing wealth among them. In his first advent also
the Messiah felt no attraction towards worldly wealth. He has stated in the
Gospel that the property of a believer are not gold and silver, but are the
jewels of verities and understanding. This is the property that is bestowed by
God Almighty on the Prophets, which they distribute. It is concerning this
property that the Noble Prophet said: I am a distributor and Allah is the
Bestower. It is related in the ahadith that the Promised Messiah would come
into the world when knowledge of the Quran will be lost and ignorance will
prevail. That is the time which is referred to in the hadith: If faith ascends
to the Pleiades it will be brought down by a man of Persia. It has been revealed to me in a vision that the climax
of that age will begin in the Hijri year which corresponds to the value of the
letters of the verse: And We have the power to take it away (23:19); which
amounts to 1274. Consider this well and do not pass over it in haste and
supplicate God that He should open your minds to it. The ahadith state that in
the latter days the Quran will be taken away from the world and its knowledge
will be lost and ignorance will prevail and the eagerness and sweetness of
faith will depart from the hearts. Among them is the hadith that if faith will
ascend to the Pleiades and will disappear from the earth, a man of the Persians
will extend his hand and will bring it down. This hadith shows clearly that
when ignorance and faithlessness and error, which are described as smoke in the
other ahadith, will become widespread and true faith will become so rare as if
it had been drawn up to the skies, and the Noble Quran will be abandoned as if
it had been raised towards God Almighty, at that time, a man of Persia will
take hold of the faith from the Pleiades and will descend with it to the earth.
Be sure, therefore, that he is the son of Mary who was to descend [Izalai
Auhan, (Amritsar, Riyaz Hind Press 1308 A.H.); Now published in Ruhani
Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 3, pp. 651-659].
* * *
Tuesday,
19 August 2008
http://www.islamspedia.com/search/label/Ahmad%20%20Qadian%20Ahmadiyya
