Life of Ahmad — Page 572
RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION as 572 priests who opposed him were 'blind leaders of the blind'. Like the Scribes and the Pharisees of the time of Jesus as they loved their blindness. They would not acknowledge their ignorance; and the bitter venom of their hatred towards Ahmad as was not driven forth by his forbearance. Their purpose to destroy Ahmad as was fixed. If one plot failed, they resorted to another. Love had played her part in vain and it appeared there was no hope of their becoming reconciled to Ahmad as. And just as Jesus as had, in similar circumstances, 'rolled over their guilty heads, with crash on crash of moral anger, the thunder of his utter condemnation', and 'scathed them in utterance after utterance with a flame which at once revealed and scorched' 136 136 I may mention that as a matter of principle the holy founders and sacred scriptures of all religions have been forced to use strong expressions with regard to their evil-minded opponents. The responsibility of such expressions has, however, always lain on such wicked and mischievous persons as have persisted in vilifying and abusing the Holy Messengers of God. In this connection I would give below the following few instances : The Vedas have used, among others, the following words about the opponents of holy persons: n i ch , i. e. mean; dasyu , i. e. thief and violator; dush , i. e. , vile, depraved and unchaste; man-adhima , i. e. , base and evil- minded; rakhshas , i. e. demon, fiend; pisshach , i. e. , infernal spirits, maligant fiends; yatudhan , i. e. , vile demons, etc. (vide Rig Veda, 3/53/14; 6/34/9, etc. ) The Biblical prophets, including Jesus as himself, have been reported to have used the following expressions: The Prophet Isaiah as says: 'A sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that ate corrupters' (Isaiah 1:4); and 'ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore,… are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood ?' (Isaiah 57:3, 4). David as says: 'Dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me' (Ps. 22, 16); and 'they make a noise like a dog,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . they belch out with their mouth' (Ps. 59:6, 7).