Notes & Comments

Tomorrow’s World? This short note is not about some n ew scientific discove ry that is about to change the course of human history. Nor is it a mu c h – d e s e rved protest against exper- iments on cloning and the dangers implicit to the creation of p rototypes ending up uncon- t ro l l a b l e. Neve rtheless, it is about events destined to happen in the f u t u re but then, you may well ask, who knows the future. Does the modern world not have sufficient p roblems for us to concern o u r s e l ves about the future? In the absence of belief in a supre m e a u t h o r i t y, crime has become w i d e s p read; marriages are bre a k – ing up; and family violence is rampant. Yet, a look at past history reveals that we have had such p roblems in the past. Man has a lw ays lived in the hope that the f u t u re would be better and that a time would come when someone would say enough is enough and sit d own and ponder. When that will h appen in the current cycle of human history is beyond our k n owledge but it is becoming re a s o n a b ly clear that we are fast ap p roaching that breaking point. As for the future, you would no doubt agree that very few people b e l i eve now a d ays in new s p ap e r columns on your luck in the stars, or some ‘guesstimate’ by a palm or t e a – l e ave reader or crystal ball gazer. Knowledge of the unknown rests only with our Creator and the Creator of this wo r l d . Sometimes a person is so deeply immersed in his love for the C reator that his striving establishes a living re l a t i o n s h i p with his Creator. The Almighty C reator envelops this pious person with His Divine grace, mercy and protection and grants him an insight into events yet to unfold. But His words are unlike those of some stargazer or palm reader or some hit and miss fortune-teller. There is a clarity and precision in those predictions beyond dispute. When the event fo retold actually happens, each word of that prophecy become 3The Review of Religions – January 2003 Notes & Comments m a n i fe s t ly clear. (For a fuller explanation, the reader is invited to the extract from R ev e l a t i o n , R a t i o n a l i t y, Know l e d ge and Tr u t h featured in this edition.) It is a fitting response to Billy Graham who stated in 1960 that ‘you can read the Qur’an from cover to c over and not find a wo rd concerning the future of mankind.’ The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad( a s ) of Qadian, came to remind mankind that it must re – establish a living relationship with its Creator and God Almighty fo retold him many events yet to h appen. Many of his pro p h e c i e s we re fulfilled during his life t i m e, some after he passed aw ay and m a ny others relate to the future. T h ey strengthened the belief of his fo l l owers and upheld the truth of his claims. He stated: ‘Hear ye people and bear witness to it that Allah Almighty, the Creator of the h e avens and the earth, has fo re t o l d me that He shall spread His ow n c o m munity in all parts of the wo r l d and shall grant victory over all by dint of reasons and arguments. The d ays are ap p roaching, nay they are at the door, when this shall be the o n ly religion and this Movement in an extraord i n a ry manner shall bring to naught eve ryone who has an evil design against it. He shall grant it a lasting victory that shall c o n t i nue to the end of days. There shall be only one religion and only One Guide on the surface of the e a rth. I have only come to sow the seed, and have done it. It shall now g row and bear fruit and there shall be no stop it. Mansoor Ahmad Shah 4 Notes and Comments The Review of Religions – January 2003 The Review of Religions We have re s t o red the title of this m a gazine to its original name and have put the word ‘the’ back in its title – a reflection of the ‘definite’ articles it carries. (Editor) In this edition, for the convenience of non-Muslim English readers, (sa) or sa after the word the Holy Prophet or the name Muhammad, are used. They stand for salallahualaihiwasallam and abbre-viated as ‘sa’, meaning peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Likewise, the letters ‘(as)’ or as after the name ofall other Prophets is an a bb reviation (meaning, peace be upon him derived from alaih salato- wasalam) for the respect a Muslim readers utters.