Defence Against the Plague and a Criterion for the Elect of God — Page 18
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad 18 is that, in any case, however long the plague remains upon the earth—even if it should last for seventy years—God Almighty will safeguard Qadian from its horrific destruction, because this is the throne of His Messenger. This is a sign for all nations. Now, should anyone deny this Messenger of God Almighty and this sign, and if anyone believes that only superficial obser - vances of prayer and supplication, or worship of the Messiah, or blessings of the cow, or belief in the Vedas—despite opposition, enmity, and disobedience towards this Messenger—will quell the plague, then such an opinion, unless supported by evidence, is not worthy of acceptance. Hence, a truly excellent opportunity now presents itself to any individual from among all these sects who wishes to furnish proof in support of the truthfulness of their respective faith. It is as if God has provided an exhibition hall so that the truthfulness or falsehood of every religion can be demonstrated. And God Himself took the initiative to put forth the name of Qadian [in order to establish its truth]. Now if the A ryah people consider the Vedas to be true, they should prophesy that their Parmeshwar [God] will protect Benares from the plague, for it is the true seat of Vedic learn - ing. Similarly, the people of San a tan Dharam should prophesy that the plague will not enter a city where cows are found in large numbers. For example, they could foretell that Amritsar would be saved because of the blessings of the cow. If the cow should exhibit this miracle, it would be wholly understanda - ble if the government enforced a ban on the slaughter of such a wondrous animal. Similarly, Christians should prophesy that the plague will not afflict Calcutta because the great bishop of