Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 243
APPE N DI X to B AR Ā H Ī N-E-A H M ADIY YA — PART F IV E 243 now this discourse is not Lab i d’s but is the discourse of God. God has stated grand prophecies at various places in the Holy Quran using the past tense. For instance, God Almighty says: 2 ٭ , 1 ْتَّبَت ۤاَدَي ْيِبَا ٍبَهَل َّو َّبَت ۤاَم ىٰنْغَا ُهْنَع ٗهُلاَم َو اَم َبَسَك Now, be just a little fair and answer whether the words of this proph- ecy are in the past tense or in the future tense. It is an occasion for profound shame for any wise man; but for someone who claims to be very knowledgeable, such an error becomes an occasion to die of shame when—despite claiming erudition—someone denies such an evident fact. I cannot visualize what your condition will be after assessing these answers. Of what benefit is it to a person to adopt a path that—on the one hand—leads to the displeasure of God Almighty on account of abandoning the truth; while—on the other—suffers shame and humil- iation for insisting on falsehood. The real philosophy behind the prophecies in the Word of God being mostly narrated in the past tense is that every event that is to take place on earth has already transpired in Heaven. So, from the per- spective of the Heavens it is as if that event belongs to the past. It is on this basis that in hundreds of true dreams seen by the ordinary people, future occurrences are told in the past narrative; for example, if a boy is to be born to someone, what is shown is that a boy has been born or a daughter has been born, or that he has received something which implies a boy. This usage—of expressing the prophecies using past 1. Perished be the two hands of Ab u Lahab, and so perish he. His wealth and what he has earned shall avail him not ( S u rah al-Lahab, 111:2–3). [Publisher] 2. ٭ In the Bible, too, future events have been described in the past tense, such as the words, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen!’ See Isaiah, 21:9* And the words ‘Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded. ’ See Jeremiah, 48:1. (Author) *The scribe had mistakenly put number 5 here; but 9 is the correct refer- ence. [Publisher]