Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 233
233 bear their prayers because tbey are afflicted, is in manifest error as to the applicability of tbe verse k^)6 ) jk*aJ) ^xo ^l j. e. , " He is tbe God who hears the afflicted," because the afflicted spoken of in this verse are those afflicted 'by way of trial and not by way of punishment. Had the case been as he deems, the people of Noah, of Lot and Pharoah would all have escaped the afflictions with which God punished their transgressions against His Messengers. The verse applicable to their case is found else- where in the Holy Quran and runs thus: '^/^) aUdUj J^\y ^1 " And the supplications of the rejectors of the Mesen- ger of God are useless. " To clear all doubts upon this point, I take the liberty of repeating the real object of this announcement. The message which I bear to rny countrymen is, that the plague which now prevails in this land is due to no other cause than the persistent rejection, accompanied with abuses, persecutions, fatwas of heresy, and threats of murder, of the Promised Messiah, who has made his appearance in the seventh thousand after Adam, in accordance with the prophetic utterances of the former prophets. The jealousy of God has therefore come into motion for His Messenger a-nd He has sent down His warning upon the people for their mischiefs and insolence. Almighty God had also made it known in the sacred writings that in the days of the appear- ance of the Promised Messiah, severe plague shall rage in the country on account of his denial. The appearance of the plague was, therefore, inevitable. The name Ta'oon given to this plague throws light upon its real cause. Ta'oon, is derived from Ta'n> which means to revile and the word therefore literally means a great reviler. The plague is called Ta'oon inasmuch as it is the punishment of those who revile the Prophets of God, thus being an answer to their calumnies. The Israelites used to be infected V-'-