Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 35
35 be separate from his teacher and the disciple cannot be distinct from his Prophet. They are indebted to his munificence and their hearts and minds are inebriated with the wine of his love. To say that an ancient Prophet will come after him would be an insult to the Holy Prophet s as and contrary to the status which Allah has granted him, as He says: 27 َّنِا َهّٰللا اَل ُرِّيَغُي اَم ٍمْوَقِب ىّٰتَح اْوُرِّيَغُي اَم ْمِهِسُفْنَاِب Allah does not take away a blessing after having bestowed it on a people unless some vice develops among them. Now, by accepting this belief, one has to either accept that there has been some change in the status of the Holy Prophet s as (God forbid), or that God has broken His promise. Both these notions are heretical, as one amounts to the denial of God and the other to the denial of the Holy Prophet s as. This is why we find these beliefs so unacceptable. We believe that the Messiah whose advent had been promised was to appear from within this ummah and that it is in God’s power to elect whomsoever He pleases for any status. It is evident from the sayings of the Holy Prophet s as that the Promised Messiah as would appear from within this ummah. The Holy Prophet s as says: 28 ْسٰی ي عِ َّ ل َ الْمَھْدِی ُّ اِل meaning, there is no Mahdi except ‘ I s a , and then, 29 ْ ْکُم ْ وَاِمَامُکُم ْ مِنْکُم ي ْف َ اَنْتُم ْ اِذَانَزَل َ ابْن ُ مَرْیَم َ فِ ي کَ mean - ing, how will you be when the Son of Mary descends amongst you and your imam is among you. Looking at these two Traditions together, it becomes perfectly clear that the Messiah himself would be the Mahdi, and that he would be the Imam of this ummah from within this ummah and not an outsider. It is incorrect to think that the Messiah and the