Ahmadiyya Movement — Page 33
33 between revelation and the fancies of a man’s own mind. The Promised Messiah explained that revelation is conveyed in words possessing extraordinary glory and majesty, and that a dialogue is possible between God and man in the same manner as between two men, so that a recipient of revelation attains to that degree of certainty which dispenses with any further proof or argument. To the question whether God has a tongue with which he speaks, he made answer that God is not dependent upon material means for the expression of His will and pleasure, and that, as He has created the universe without material hands and can see without material eyes, so can He speak without the aid of a material tongue. Indeed, when we say God speaks, we do not mean that He speaks with a tongue, but that He directs such movements in Nature as express themselves in the form of words which are heard by the recipient of revelation. He does not himself stand in need of words, but man to whom revelation has to be conveyed stands in need of them. The Promised Messiah not merely claimed that revelation is conveyed by means of words, he was able also to demonstrate it, for many thousands of persons who had benefited from his spiritual powers were able to receive such revelations, and the writer of this paper has had this experience on several occasions. By this exposition of the nature of revelation, the Promised Messiah has laid the world under great obligation to him, for he has thus provided means for the checking of that dangerous on- slaught upon religion which was sweeping away the authority of all revealed books under the explanation that revelation was mere inspiration, and has aroused such certain hopes of attaining to perfect realization which are sure to quicken the steps of the stragglers on the way.