Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 208
208 not cafe for all these testimonies, because they strike at the ! root of their cherished opinions. They give Jesus a peculiarity. which is not given to any other prophet of God. These are matters which the Christians count upon as supporting the r Divinity of Jesus, and many ignorant men stumble because of \ / such beliefs. I bear witness that Almighty God has informed me that Jesus is dead. His life involves the destructions of the j faith of Islam, and to undertake to prove the exploded theory of his ascent to heaven is a puerile task. The very first fact agreed upon by all the companions of the Holy Prophet, and thus the first point of agreement in Islam, was that all the prophets were dead and that none was an exception to this rule, as is clearly : stated in the verse : J^ f ) *A*S ^ ^IL & Jy ; $ ) i>*sw> u? j ( ll*r c < )^*^ J I) "Muhammad is no more than an apostle, all the other apostles have passed away before him. " (III. 143). May God bestow ample reward upon Abu Bakr who was the first to assert that all prophets had died, and who going up into the pulpit at once proclaimed this verse of the Holy Quran. In conclusion, I sincerely thank the Government which has with kindness and liberal-mindedness granted us religious liberty. It is this liberty which enables us to preach the truth and to convey important religious knowledge to others. It is one of the greatest blessings of this Government for which it. deserves our deepest and sincerest thanks. I would not exchange this liberty for a jagir of millions of rupees, for the wealth of this world is transient and is a thing which must pass away, but the wealth of liberty does not pass away. I enjoin all my followers to be sincerely thankful to this Government, for he who does nob thank a man for his gifts, cannot be thankful to God. The virtuous man as he thanks God, thanks also the man through whom he has received any blessing from God. And peace be upon those who follow true guidance. (Vol. Ill R. R. 1904).