Another Great Prophecy Fulfilled — Page 6
devastation by death, may equally well be applied to mortality by plague as in thorn da) s plague VHlS raging in the country. But all doubt of this kind is removed by a latter revelation that came down on April 1, 1905, which runs to this effect: " We have stopped the spread of the fire of plague for some time. " (Al-Badr, 1905, Vol. 1, No. 1. ) That is to say there would be no more outbreak of plague for some time to come in the land, and that the calamity foretold in the revelations would be of a different kind from the above scourge. " Then finally, on April 3, that is only one day before the calamitous event actually occured, the revelation came down : " Death stands at the door. " (A l-Badr, 1905, Vol. I, No. 1. ) This prophecy meant that the calamity wasjust going to take place. So on the following day, that is on April 4, 1905, the foretold catastrophe made its appearance A fearful earthquake, which had no parallel in the history of India, wrought in the twinkling of an eye a frightful havoc in the affected area. As foretoled in the prophecy, it exacted its heaviest toll in the ill-fated Kangra valley, where the hill-stations of Dharmsala and Palampur were completely devastated The loss of life and property was appalling. According to t_he Government calculations hundreds of thousands of buildings were wrecked and about twenty thousand lives were lost (vide C. & M Gazette, January 17, 1934). But by the grace of God, as ·He had promised in advance in the prophecy, not a single Ahmadi lost his life. Every fair-minded person will admit that this catastrophe was a most remarkable heavenly sign, and a glowing testimony to the truth of the Promised Messiah. God informed the Promised Messiah beforehand of the nature and character of the catastrophe, the place which it was to visit, the details of the destruction to be caused by it, the time of its occurrence and of the immunity of the Ahmadies from the loss to be wrought by it. And everything happend exactly as had been predicted in the divine revelation. But, as God Himself deplores in the Holy Quran, the attitude of the people in general towards God's messengers being alwars