Ahmadiyya Movement — Page 46
46 justice, the sanctity of the rights of man, the relation of master and servant and the modes of settling disputes, that may arise between them, the duties of a Muslim citizen, the rights of the poor, the relations between different religions and different governments, etc. , and one is forced to admit that in this respect it stands alone among religions. I have dealt with this aspect of the subject at greater length in my book Ahmadiyyat or the true Islam, but I shall here confine myself to a brief mention of the principles explained by the Promised Messiah in this connection. With regard to the relations between sovereign and subject, he pointed out: First, that a government is the servant of the public and must always regard itself as such. The Promised Messiah himself possesed a spiritual dominion, but concerning himself he says: ! "#$ “Do not place a chair for me, for I have been appointed to serve. ” In these few words he has referred to two great principles of government, viz. , that government is the servant of the public, and there is no rest for a government and that those who are placed in authority over others must sacrifice their comfort to duty and devote the whole of their time to the service of the public. He used often to recite the Arabic proverb: -T1VYZ ! = “The chief of a nation is its servant. ” It is his duty to sacrifice his own comfort and to provide for the comfort of others. On one occasion some people came to see the Promised Messiah, and, according to custom, sat down very humbly at a distance from the mat on which he was sitting. He expressed great displeasure at this, and exclaimed, “I wonder at these people; the Messiah has appeared and yet they will not give up their old customs. Come and sit near me. ”