Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 404
B AR Ā H Ī N-E-A H M ADIY YA — PART F IV E 404 particularly when such an ummat i derives spiritual bounty from the Prophet whom he obeys. What is most perverse is to declare that, after the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, this Ummah is unworthy of enjoying converse with God until the Day of Judgment. That religion does not deserve to be called a religion nor is that Prophet worthy of being called a Prophet, whose followers cannot attain such nearness to God Almighty as to be honoured with His con- verse. Accursed and detestable is the religion that teaches that human progress depends only on a few narrated things, that all revelation is a matter of the past and there can be no further revelation, and that hear- ing the voice of the Ever-Living and All-Powerful God is to be wholly despaired of. And that even when such a voice from the unseen reaches someone’s ears, it remains dubious and it cannot be said with certainty whether it comes from the Gracious God or from Satan. A religion such as this would more properly merit being labelled ‘satanic’ rather than ‘godly’. True religion is that which brings one out of darkness and takes them into the light, and does not confine man’s recognition of God to mere anecdotes; rather, it grants him the light of cognizance. Thus, a follower of the true faith—provided that he himself is not veiled by nafs-e-amm a rah [the self that incites to evil]—is able to hear the word of God Almighty. To turn an ummat i into such a Prophet is the essen- tial Sign of a true religion. If Nab i means someone upon whom the shariah descends—that is to say, he must bring a new law—then this meaning will not apply even to Hadrat ‘ I s a , as he cannot abrogate the shariah of Muhammad, nor can he be the recipient of a revelation that would abrogate the Holy Quran. Thus, by his coming again, a suspicion would arise that through him perhaps some alteration would be made in the Law of Islam. But if Nab i is taken only to mean a person who enjoys converse with Allah, the Lord of Glory, and to whom certain matters of the unseen are revealed, then what harm can there be if an ummat i should become