Through Force or Faith? — Page 218
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 218 if someone brings about a change in him for His sake, God also reveals Himself to him with a new manifestation. And when someone brings about an extraordinary change in him, God per- forms miracles for him. When man moves his gaze away from the world and focuses his complete attention towards God, God also turns to him with special attention, and the man observes the nearness of God as if he sees Him. According to Islam, God establishes contact with His servants not only by converse and revelation, but by other means as well. He listens to their prayers, and by answering their entreaties, He strengthens their hearts and provides succour. ُبْيِجُا َةَوْعَد ِعاَّدلا اَذِا ِناَعَد١ۙ … I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me… ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:187) Acceptance of prayers is a matter which every human being can observe in his own life, and thereby learn with certainty the pres- ence of God. Moreover, in the form of dreams and visions, and sometimes by engraving a thought in the mind, God expresses his contact with man. Therefore, according to Islamic precepts, God is certainly Transcendent but He is not disconnected with this world. The founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam writes in his book, The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, after discussing the details of divine converse and relations: I would be guilty of doing great wrong to my fellow beings