The Quetta Earthquake - A Mighty Divine Sign — Page 4
4 formed for them. So fearful is this sign, that the hardest of hearts would melt before it. But, alas, the people of this age do not seem to heed even this mighty sign. . Exactly 31 years ago God vouchsafed to the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, the revelation: )'~ J u; ~ ~. 6 tA J u j } , ~ ~. , 41~ ) 4. ~J' ~SLc i. e. , " God \~lill send wide-spread destruction over the world. 1"his destruction "",ill involve not only to"vns. where men dwell pernla. . nently, but also holiday resorts, where people take up only a tern- porary residence. But, at the tim~ of this calamity, God \-vill protect those, living with you in your house. " (J une 8, 1904, vide Alhak1n 1904, Nos. 19-20), The first part of this revelation was also vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah separately, on the 1st of May, and both of these revelations were published by hinI at the tilne they \vere received. About a year after their publication, that is, on the 4th April 1905, came the great earthquake \\7hich shook the \\'hole of the Kangra Valley, and which clainled about '25,000 deaths as its toll, the number of those who were injured. not being known at all. Now, ye who fear God t Pause for a moment! How clear \vas this sign! In this revelation, it was clearly laid down (1) that an earthquake would come; for, only an earthquake can destroy a whole area; (2) that the earthquake would come in places where people go for rest and re- creation; Dalhousie, DharlTIsala, and Palampur, are all places whose population is composed largely of n1en on holiday from outside; (3) that the area destroyed, would be in the vicinity of Qadian, but Qadian, the home cf the Promised Messiah, though situated within the earthquak area, would be protected by God. This also came about. Qadian was on the edge of the earthquake area, yet it remained safe. I n fact, it is significant that Amritsar and Lahore \vhich, from the earthquake area, were even farther than ·Qadian, by about 50 to 70 miles, had thousands of buildings damag-