Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part III — Page 189
Footnote Number Eleven — Tenth Objection 189 and the Hereafter—rational research is able to reach the level of absolute certainty. Thus, reason achieves certainty by pairing up with a companion, as appropriate under the circumstances: sometimes with a perfect rev- elation, sometimes with repeated evidence based upon observation, and sometimes with well-established and reliable historical testimony. But if reason fails to find a companion which is suitable for the path it intends to travel, it then never reaches the state of perfect certainty. Rather, at best, it reaches the level of probability. But when it finds the companion to reach its goal, the companion definitely takes it to the level of complete certainty in a manner whereby 1 it does not leave any room for doubt. Such well-established matters are wont to be doubted only by those people who are insane, phobic or given to sophistry—who by nature are so overwhelmed by their phobia that believing something even to be most probably true is impossible for them, and who always remain immersed in doubts and suspicions. No matter how bright the light may shine, their inner blindness, which is an essential character of their being, as it is of a bat, shows no sign of decline; so much so that they continue to doubt even the existence of God. Thus, the ailment of such blind ones is, in fact, irremediable; otherwise, anyone who possesses even a glimmer of insight can understand that once research and anal- ysis have reached the point at which true facts are fully revealed and clear arguments and decisive testimonies converge from all sides, and are shining like the sun, all investigation and inquiry stops there and then. The seeker after truth, then, has to take a firm stand at that point, for there is no choice for man but to believe it. Obviously, when perfect proof has been obtained and all aspects of the point in question have become apparent like the breaking of dawn and the facts of the matter 1. In the original Urdu edition of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part III, Footnote Number Eleven ended here. The remaining portion of Footnote Number Eleven is from Part IV. [Publisher]