Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 307
307 existence and yet a third class would drive the soul back into this world to be suitably dealt with for its past conduct. In short, every one has his own theory as to what ought to happen to the human soul after death. The Promised Messiah as has, however, revealed to us a knowledge of the conditions governing the existence of the soul after death, which completely satisfies our reason and is emphatically endorsed by our instinct and by the laws of nature. Those who are granted a fuller insight into, and a personal realization of these matters in this life are able to testify, from their own experience, to the truth of the Promised Messiah’s as teaching, and to attain to a condition of perfect certainty concerning it. The truth is that, as in other departments of religion, so in this, the Promised Messiah as has revealed to us the teachings of Islam in a new light and has, as it were, uncovered hidden truths and wonderful spiritual secrets for our eyes. As, however, the life after death is entirely hidden from the view of mankind, it is not possible to explain its conditions without entering into a detailed exposition; and this would not be justified by the limited scope of this paper. I shall, therefore, content myself with a description of the barest outlines of the subject, in the hope that those who desire a fuller appreciation of it would pursue an enquiry into its details. The first question that confronts us in connection with this subject is what is the nature of the human soul. The Islamic teaching is that the soul has a distinct existence, and that it is the means by which man is enabled to acquire knowledge and perception of things which are not susceptible of comprehension through his