Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part III — Page 39
Footnote Number Eleven 39 the basic elements of language I mean letters, words, and small phrases upon which language is built; for example: God exists, man is mortal, al h amdulill a h [all praise belongs to Allah], and Rabbul-‘ A lam i n [Lord of all the worlds]. All these are the basic elements of language that God has disclosed to man. The work of God was not just to create [man as] a mere shape out of clay and then to step aside. Indeed, it is evident that everything that man has been granted for the perfection of his natural faculties is from God; man has nothing to call his own. Hence, a seeker after truth must not be misled by the fact that the Word of God and the word of man contain the same letters, words, and simple phrases. He should bear well in mind that these are the basic elements of language that were provided by God. They are used by God as well as by man, with the difference that in the composition of God—which is His composition both in words and meanings—these words and sentences are employed at their proper occasion, in per- fect order, with wisdom, precision, and moderation, just as all works of God in the world are done by Him with perfect appropriateness, moderation, and wisdom. Man, in his composition, as in everything else, cannot achieve divine perfection. This is the reason why all the disbelievers, despite being renowned for their eloquence and being hailed as great poets, were left speechless before the Holy Quran, as indeed they remain speechless to this day. And this silence is in itself a testimony to their inability [to respond]; for what is inability, after all, other than the failure to refute the opponent’s argument after hearing and understanding it. Thus far in this footnote, I have proven the necessity for the Divine Word to be matchless in light of the laws of nature. However, there is another way to prove this, which would be appropriate to explain in this very footnote. There is no doubt that the definite good end of man— whereby he can have real hope of salvation—depends on having perfect certainty in the existence of the True Creator, His Omnipotence, and His promise of reward and punishment. This is a matter that cannot be achieved by the mere study of creation. To attain such certainty,