The following is a lecture delivered in Sialkot, India on 2 November 1904 by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) (the Promised Messiah and Mahdi)
The Holy Qur’an teaches us that there are three ways of the purification of the soul. Firstly, a man should strive hard to get out of the impurities in which he is involved, and exert himself to his utmost to forsake every evil and every evil desire so that he should begin to hate evil. Secondly, he should pray to God with a truly humble heart and weeping eyes that He may draw him out of the life of impurity, and kindle within him a fire which should consume the chaff of sin and grant him a power which should make him overcome the temptations of flesh. Thus he should constantly pray until a Divine light descends upon him and a glorious ray of light enters into his heart, which illumines every corner of it and suppresses every evil desire and generates a holy transformation. Great is the efficacy of prayer indeed and mighty are the results it can achieve. It is by prayer that the dead can be brought to life and by prayer that the prisoners can be released and by prayer that the impure can be made pure. But all that is said is not prayer, for true prayer is almost a death. The third way of getting out of the impurities of a sensual life is the company of the righteous and perfect servants of God, for one lamp can be lit from another which is already burning.
These are the three ways of being released from the bondage of sin, and when they are all employed, Divine grace takes a man by the hand. But a mere belief that Jesus(as) died for us, cannot effect any object, and it is a mere supposition that he took away our sins or that we are purified by such a belief. It is nothing but a mockery and a delusion. Nor is it the ultimate object of man’s creation that he should not sin. That is merely the negative side of human excellence and is far from being the perfection of humanity. Some animals are also submissive and innocent, but no one has ever thought of considering them perfect on account of their innocence and submissiveness. Nor does mere submissiveness entitle us to any favour. If a person were to come and tell us that he had not offended us in any way, and that, therefore, he deserved to be rewarded, would we not laugh at him and take him for a fool? To win favour from a person or to earn any good reward, we must show some faithful service. Now the service which a man can do to God is that he should devote himself entirely to Him, and forsake every love for the sake of His love and give up his own will to carry out His will.
The Holy Qur’an draws attention to this point in beautifully metaphorical language. It tells us that to be perfect a man must drink of two kinds of elixir, viz., of a cup tempered with camphor and a cup tempered with ginger, by the first of which is meant the suppression of evil desires or purification from sinful tendencies, and by the second, the doing of faithful service and ascending the heights of spiritual perfection. But the Christians and the Aryas have both gone astray from the right path, and taking two opposite courses have both fallen into errors. The Aryas believe that sin must be punished whether a man repents or not, and that for every sin a man shall have to pass through an almost interminable series of births and re-births. The Christians have gone to the other extreme, and in making a belief in the blood of Jesus(as) an essential condition for the remission of sins, have practically done away even with repentance and striving after purity. Both parties have wandered away from the real point, and not entering through the door they were supposed to enter, are roaming in thorny woods.
Of these two groups, Christianity and Arya Samaj, however, the case of the former is more deplorable than that of the latter. While the Aryas are trying to the best of their understanding to get rid of the evil of creature worship, their old religion, the Christian Missionaries are exerting themselves to their utmost to involve the whole world in the self-same evil, i.e., the worship of a human being. Jesus Christ(as) is quite credulously, and over-confidently, made a God, and it is not shown what peculiar Divine power he possessed which was not found in the other prophets of God. In working miracles they excelled him, while his weaknesses clearly show him to be nothing more than a mortal. To draw his divinity from the words he spoke, is a still greater error, for similar words are used in the sacred books for other persons, and to take these metaphorical expressions literally is rank nonsense. In my own revelations, there are more dignified words concerning myself than those attributed to Jesus(as), but I regard it as gross blasphemy to set up a claim to Divinity on the basis of meta-phorical expressions like these.
It should be borne in mind that the attribution of the claim of Divinity to Jesus Christ(as) is a false accusation against him, for he never made the extravagant assertion that he was actually God. The only reasonable inference that can be drawn from his words is that he claimed to be an intercessor with God, and no one has ever denied the intercession of the prophets of God. Moses(as) interceded with God many a time for the Israelites and saved them from being consumed by the wrath of God. I have personal experience in the matter and many of my respectable and trustworthy followers can bear witness how men involved in adversities and trials from which they could not see any way of deliverance and persons suffering from serious diseases which appeared to be irremediable, were saved by my intercession. As for Jesus(as) willingly suffering on the cross for the salvation of his followers and his being crucified for their sins, no sensible person has ever seriously considered it to be a rational or intelligible doctrine. Is it in consonance with Divine justice that one should sin and another be punished for it?
In short the Christian belief is a conglomeration of errors. No reasonable man would ever like to forsake the worship of one God and bow instead in submission before human beings, making them equal with God. And to consider three distinct persons, all equal in power and glory, as constituting a single person, three in one as it is called, must, no doubt, be a sensible principle of Christian logic! Now all these unintelligible doctrines could have claimed some attention, had the object been attained with which they were invented. But no one has by this plan been yet delivered from sin or granted purity of life. A contrast between the conditions of the followers of Jesus(as) at an early period and those who came after the doctrine of atonement had taken a firm root, shows conclusively not only the failure of this doctrine as a remedy for evil, but also its evil effect upon the Christian masses.
The apostles of Jesus(as) undoubtedly believed in him at a time when the doctrine of atonement had not yet been formulated, yet their unworldliness is marvellous when compared with the gross materialism of the later Christians. They had not much attachment to the treasures and wealth of this world, they were not involved in the impurities of worldliness and they did not devote themselves to worldly pursuits. But such men are not met with among the Christians after the atonement. Never has so much stress been laid upon this doctrine as in these latter days, and yet never has the Christian world been given more than now to the cares and anxieties of this world utterly forgetting the next, to say nothing of the other evils which overshadow the atmosphere of Europe, especially drunkenness and sexual immorality.
I will now bring this lecture to a close with a few words concerning my own claim, and I pray to God that He may open your hearts for the reception of truth and Himself inspire it into your hearts. It can be easily seen that for the acceptance of a prophet or a messenger of God who appears as a reformer, the only thing about which one has to satisfy oneself is to see that what he teaches is true, and that there is no deceit or falsehood in it. Sound judgment does not stand in need of a miracle for the acceptance of truth. But as it happens that notwithstanding truth and correctness of a matter, men have sometimes scruples, or doubt the motive with which it is presented, or think that the person presenting it may be the dupe of a false belief or may really be a deceiver, or thinking him to be an ordinary man, do not pay attention to his words, or slight him from feelings of dislike or contempt, or even understanding the truth are unable to follow the path pointed out because of their subjection to sensual passions and carnal desires or because of the weakness of the flesh, therefore Divine wisdom has ordained that those who come from Him, and are charged with a special mission for the reformation of the world, should be attended with signs of Divine assistance which are manifested sometimes in the form of God’s mercy and sometimes in that of His wrath. It is for this reason that a prophet is called Bashir (bearer of glad tidings) and Nadhir (warner) i.e., a giver of the glad tidings of the mercy of God and a warner from His wrath.
The signs of the first kind are meant for the faithful who do not revolt against the commandments of God, nor treat the messengers of God with contempt or insult. The clear judgment God has given them helps them to recognise the true messenger of God at once. Thus recognising him, they are not deterred from accepting him by vanity or a false position in society. When they see that a prophet has risen at the proper time after the manner of the bygone prophets and just in time, that there is a way for his recognition as a true messenger of God, that he is granted Divine assistance and walks in purity and righteousness, and that judged by the standard of the Divine laws prevailing with respect to prophets his words and deeds are not open to any objection, they have no hesitation or scruples in submitting to him. For such, Almighty God manifests the signs of His mercy, and being strengthened in faith by association with a righteous servant of God and witnessing a holy transformation, they constantly see fresh signs of God.
Every new truth revealed by God, every subtle point disclosed, every assistance granted from heaven, and every communication of a future event is for them a sign, and on account of the fineness of their perception, they are able to discover with minuteness, every assistance granted by Almighty God to His holy ones and thus see the subtle signs hidden from the eyes of the masses. In opposition to these is another class of men who have no share in the signs of mercy displayed by God. These are the opposers of the prophets of God. The people of Noah(as) and the people of Lot(as) did not benefit from any sign of mercy until they were destroyed by the wrath of God, the one by being drowned in a flood, and the other by a severe shock of earthquake and by the raining down of stones upon them.
I see that the majority of this generation resemble the people of Noah(as). Long since two signs appeared for me on the heavens in accordance with a prophecy handed down to later generations by the descendants of the Holy Prophet(saw). This prophecy was to the effect that when the reformer of the latter days would appear, two signs would be manifested for his sake upon the heavens which have never been manifested as signs before, viz., that the moon would be eclipsed in the month of Ramadhan on the first of its eclipse nights, and the sun in the same month on the middle of its eclipse days. The tradition containing this prophecy is accepted by both the Sunnis and the Shiahs, and it has been written down in books for more than a thousand years. But when it came to fulfilment in my time, no one paid the slightest heed to it. No one accepted me as the rightful claimant upon the manifestation of this grand sign. Nay, it made them more insolent and bolder in hurling abuses at me, and I was called a Dajjal (dissembler or Anti-Christ), a Kafir (disbeliever) and a Kadhdhab (impostor or great liar). The mercy of God manifested a sign, but they did not benefit by it. They did not turn towards me when it was shown and slighted the sign of God as if it were mere trash or treated it indifferently as if it had not been shown.
Thus their insolence and their contempt for me continued to increase until the sign of heaven’s wrath appeared upon earth. This sign was the plague and it appeared in accordance with the prophecies uttered by the prophets of God. It has been raging in this country for several years, and all mortal efforts to check its progress have signally failed. The appearance of the plague in the last days is also foretold in the Holy Qur’an in plain words. Thus it says:
Some time before Doomsday, a severe pestilence shall strike and some villages shall be totally wiped out while others shall revive after suffering to an extent. (Ch.17:V.59) [This is an interpretation of: “And there is not a township but We shall destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe punishment…” – Editor]
Similarly on another occasion the Holy Qur’an says:
When the sentence is passed against them, We shall bring forth for them a creature out of the earth which shall injure them because people did not accept Our signs. (Ch.27:V.83)
Both these verses speak of the plague, because it is now an established fact, although it was not known at the time of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, that the plague is caused by various bacteria. Almighty God, Who is the Knower of all secrets, knew the origin of the disease, and hence described it in these terms, calling it ‘a germ to come forth to them out of the earth.’ In short, when this sign of wrath appeared and caused a heavy destruction in the country, then some hearts were turned towards me, and about 200,000 people entered into my Bai’at in a very short time. And as the plague is growing more virulent, more people are coming to me and accepting the truth of my mission. And as it appears as a sign, I do not think it will disappear until it brings about a transformation in the lives of many people.
Thus does this land bear a resemblance to the land of Noah(as), for no one believed when heaven showed its sign of mercy; but when the sign of Divine wrath was manifested, thousands saw their errors and were led to accept me as the Promised Messiah. The appearance of the plague was also foretold by the former prophets, and the Gospel also tells us that a destructive plague would rage in the time of the Promised Messiah, and also speaks of great wars in the last ages, the fulfilment of both of which signs we are witnessing today with our eyes. Repent ye then, O Muslims, for do you not see how the plague is snatching away from you your dearest friends and relatives one by one? Turn to God that He may turn to you, for great is the wrath of heaven and without your true repentance as desired by God it would not be turned away from you.
If you entertain any doubt as to my claim, it can be easily settled, provided you earnestly search after truth. The truth of every prophet is judged in three ways. Firstly by reason, that is to say, it should be seen whether the time at which he appears actually stands in need of and calls for a reformer. Secondly, by previous prophecies. Is his appearance foretold by former prophets, or do prophetic utterances speak of the appearance of a prophet at the time at which he has appeared? An affirmative answer to these questions will be a certain evidence of the claimant’s truth. Thirdly, by Divine assistance. This is also a conclusive argument. If Almighty God grants him assistance, he must be from Him, because Almighty God does not assist an impostor. These are the three criterions for judging the truth of one who claims to be inspired by heaven for the regeneration of mankind. When put to these three tests, my claims will be seen to be perfectly true.
Thus has my truth shone forth whether you accept me or not. Consult reason and you will find it crying in plaintive tones that the Muslims are badly in need of a heavenly reformer at the present moment. They are surrounded by evils on all sides, internally as well as externally. You will find them standing on the frightful brink of a pit or before the current of a heavy flood. If you turn over the pages of prophetic literature, you will find me spoken of in various places. The Prophet Daniel(as) foretold of me and of this my time. The Holy Prophet(saw) also said that the Promised Messiah would be born from among the Muslims. Anyone who doubts this statement may consult the Bukhari and Muslim. There is, moreover, the prophecy that a reformer would appear at the commencement of every century. As for Divine assistance, thousands of heavenly signs have been manifested for me by Almighty God.
Of the numerous signs which support my claim, is a prophecy published twenty-four years ago in the Barahin-e-Ahmadiyyah, at a time when no one came to me, nor had I any disciple. In that state of solitariness, the Word of God came to me saying:
‘Time will come when assistance will come to thee from every distant quarter