The Heavenly Sign — Page 54
54 Nish a n-e- A sm a n i for the signs of faith. There is not the least doubt that God distinguishes the believers with special signs and, through such heavenly signs, they become completely distinct from others, be they infidels, hypocrites or transgressors. This is what I had called them to, so that it may be decided who, in the eyes of Allah, is a true believer and who deserves His wrath and chastisement. If these people were certain about their faith, they would not have shied away from this contest. But, to date, none of them has dared to accept the challenge and finally they have offered this plea; "You show us the sign and we will accept, provided manna descends from heaven, or a leper is cured, or a one- eyed person becomes two-eyed, or a piece of wood is turned into a serpent, or if I come out alive and unhurt from a blazing fire after jumping into it. " See page 50 of Jaw a b Fai s la A sm a n i. The answer to all these absurdities is that Allah is, indeed, the Omnipotent and has power to do all this as well as to show countless other signs, but He acts according to His own Will and Wisdom. The previous disbelievers had made a similar demand: 37 That is, if he (the Holy Prophet sa ) is a true Prophet, then he must show Signs like those of Moses as and the other Israelite Prophets. The idolaters even demanded that he should raise their dead to life or ascend to the heavens 37 Al-Anbiy a ’, 21:6 [Translator]