Malfuzat - Volume IX — Page 19
25 December 1906 19 25 December 1906 (Morning walk) The Soul is Neither Eternal Nor Everlasting On the morning of the 25th, the Promised Messiah as went out for a walk. A large gathering accompanied him, the majority of which included Ahmadi brothers from the Sialkot district who presented themselves before the Promised Messiah as with their worthy leader, Chaudhary Maula Bakhsh. One person asked some questions. The first question was: ‘Since God Almighty has been the Creator since the beginning and will be to the very end, and souls have always been among His creations and will continue to be, then according to the belief of the Aryas, is the soul also eternal and everlasting?’ The Promised Messiah as said: This statement is not correct. There is false reasoning in the question. God Almighty has been the Creator since eternity, but all His attributes should be considered. He gives life and also causes death. He is the One who establishes, and He is also the One who effaces. He is the One who creates, and He is also the One who annihilates. What proof is there that souls are not mortal, and that these same souls have continued to be in existence eternally? He sustains a being as long as He wishes; everything has to see an end. The only being that is eternal is God. As the soul expe- riences progress and decline, then how can it remain forever? So long as the soul exists, it does so under Divine command. A being can exist only under the command of God, and He alone