Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 92
92 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad This is the philosophy of repentance as well, a parallel of which we clearly observe in the law of nature. It should also be kept in mind that when punishments descend upon various nations in the time of the Prophets, as in the case of the people of Lot as , or in the manner that the Jews were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar or Titus of Rome, it is not because of mere disagreement. Instead, these chastisements and miseries are due to the mischief, evil and pain that they inflict upon the Prophets. Ultimately, their evil is overturned upon their very selves, and leads to their ruin and destruction. At the heart of governance and rule, a fundamental principle is that anyone who disturbs the public peace, be it thieves, robbers, rebels, or criminals guilty of other wrongdoings, is punished so that peace is maintained in future and others take a lesson. Similarly, God Almighty has established the law that He punishes the wicked and disobedient who do not care about His limits and commandments so that these people do not cross all bounds. Those who seek to transgress the bounds are warned by God immediately. It ought to be remembered also that such punishments and warnings are a blessing for the one who receives them and others as well who observe and take a lesson. For if pun - ishments were not given, peace would be lost and ultimately the outcome would be most unfortunate. If one reflects over the law of nature, it becomes manifestly clear that this phenomenon is a part of human nature. It is on the basis of this very natural human characteristic that the Quran states: 1 ِ ُب َا ْب ْلْ َ اْلْا ْي ِ َوٰل ُ ا ۤـ ُيٰ ٌ ْوٍة ٰ ْي َ ُح ِصِ َِصَا ْق ْلْ ا ِـي َف ْ ُم َُكُ ْل َوَ And there is life for you in the law of retaliation, O men of understanding, that you may enjoy security. This means that retribution is necessary to preserve the fabric of society. If actions had no outcomes, then what would be their use and what would be their pur - pose? Therefore, the punishments that are given in this world are not actually the real thing; in fact, they are a reflection of the real punishment to come, and the purpose is to warn the people. The objectives of the next world are different and they supersede everything else. In the hereafter, people will see consequences reflected before them as men - tioned in the following: 1 al-Baqarah , 2:180 p. 365 ََٗرَٗه ُي ً َر ٍََةٍ َش ُر َ ْذ َََل ْق ِْثْ َم َْْمَْل ُع َ ُي ْ ُن َمَ ًَسَِبِْيًْل ُ ْل ََضَ ََو ٰ َم ْ ِع َ ِ ٍة َِرَ َخ ٰ ْْل ِ َف َ ْو ُ ِه ََف ٰ َم ْ ِع َ ۤ ٗهٖ ِ ِّذ ٰ ْه ْ ِ َف ََكََن ْ ُن َمَ