Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 337
337 and none should be able to oppose it, so it is brought aboutj and Almighty God makes evident their truth by powerful signs. The righteousness which they wish to spread upon earth is sown. like a seed with their hands, but it is not in their life-time that this seed grows into a powerful tree. On. the other hand, He sends death to them at such a time that their mission is still in fear of failure, and thus gives an opportunity to their opponents to laugh at them and to scorn and abuse them. After they are thus laughed at, He mani- fests another hand of His power, and brings means into exist- ence by which that purpose, is completely achieved which had been left incomplete in the first instance. In short two different manifestations of Divine power are witnessed, one at the hands of the Prophet himself, and the other after his death, when diffi- culties surround the infant dispensation on all sides, and the enemies are in the height of their power and think that the mission of the Prophet will be wrecked and his followers des ? troyed, when even the followers show anxiety and their hearts fail and many. unfortunate men apostatize. It is afc such a juncture that Almighty God manifests a second time His mighty power and supports the cause of the tottering mission. He, therefore, who waits patiently to the last mo,- rnent sees this great miracle. So it happened in the time of Abu Bakr when the death of the Holy Prophet was thought to be premature and many ignorant dwellers in the desert become renegades and the companions of the Holy Prophet also became like mad men on account of great grief. Then Almighty God made Abu Bakr to stand up, and showed a second time the manifestation of His power. Thus He took Islam' by the hand when it was about to fall and ful- filled His promise which He had made in the Holy Quran :