Bounties of the Gracious God — Page 72
72 Islam. Therefore, ponder over their contradictory statements and absurd talk! Here, simpletons would definitely ask as to what will become of the people of the past who died holding the false belief that Jesus would descend from the heavens. Do they know that the condition of these people is like that of the Israelites who, before the time of Kh a tamul-Anbiy a ’ [the Seal of the Prophets], believed that the one who personified Moses would appear from among themselves, but Allah did not hold them accountable for this false belief. So, when our Master, the Chief of the Prophets, appeared and those who were to deny him did deny him, and said what those who were before them had said, Allah held them accountable for their sins, for they were deniers, and a crime is only a crime once its proof has been established. Therefore, those who have not witnessed the age of a prophet and have passed away before his advent in a state of ignorance, they are not held accountable by Allah, for they did not deny, nor did they receive the message. So Allah forgives them through His mercy. Do peo- ple wonder that a Warner has come to them in this age? Alas! How they have forgotten the eternal practice of Allah while they recite the Quran. It has been the perpetual practice of Allah for His creatures that whenever they cross the limits and overstep the bounds of righteousness, He sends to them a prophet to stop them from committing vice and immoral acts. And whenever such a Warner has come to them, they have instantly split into three groups. The first group recognizes him from his face and his speech, just as a horse recognizes a lush green pasture. The sec- ond group is the one whose eyes are opened only after witnessing miracles. They witness manifest signs and all their suspicions are