Ahmadiyya Movement — Page 17
17 the other religions unguarded and unprotected? In the Holy Quran God says:— ; %9 @ 2 < # ; % ; < @ L9/ # ; M 3 ; ; %9 ;. ; < ? 9 ; < ; G ; % ) N# 10 ( “We have caused this book to be revealed and we shall provide for the preservation of its truth. ” In accordance with this prophecy the purity of the text and the spirit of the Quran have been preserved in a manner of which history affords no other instance. With regard to the text it is admitted on all hands that the only book in the world which has kept its text intact without the alteration even of a vowel-point through so many centuries is the Quran. Each generation has produced hundreds of thousands of men, who had committed the whole of the book to memory, so that even if all written manuscripts had been destroyed or were now to disappear, it would be possible to produce the whole book without the alteration of a single vowel-point at a moment’s notice. Again, the spirit of the book has been preserved in a wonderful manner. The Holy Prophet (on whom be peace and the blessings of God) had said:— PQ 0R1&S TU , T,VTV!N,21R=RW1X ) U,! ( “God will continue to raise among these people, in the begin- ning of each century a man who would teach them the spirit of Islam and thus, in a manner renew the days of the Prophet. ” In accordance with this prophecy such men have appeared in Islam in the beginning of each century. But, as after the lapse of a long interval, despite intermediate reform, serious defects creep into a religion, which call for radical treatment, a great reformer is raised to bring about a thorough and complete change. So it happened towards the end of Mosaic dispensation. Despite the appearance of numerous prophets during the course of thirteen