Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part III — Page 54
BarĀhĪn-e-a H madiyya — Part three 54 God’s Oneness admits to no form of idolatry, and who has turned to God so completely as to overcome the cravings of the flesh. As I have already said, the philosophers themselves admit that man cannot attain perfect certainty about theological matters through unaided reason; all he can do is draw hypothetical and doubtful conclusions. It is obvious that as long as man’s knowledge remains in the realm of doubt and con- jecture, and thus below the level of certainty, he will be as prone to err as a blind man is to lose his way. To think that unaided reason may lead to error, but the error is always set right upon further reflection, is another one of the mistakes caused by the strange reasoning of the Brahm u Sam a j, which they have not been able to dispel. As I have already pointed out, human reason, on account of its deficient insight, is bound to make some errors regarding supersensible phenomena sooner or later. No reasonable person will deny this. However (think carefully for yourself ), it is not necessary that every error will be realized and corrected. It is thus easily understood that what is bound to happen cannot possibly be prevented, at all times and under all circumstances, by that which is unreliable and uncertain. Rather, the only thing that can rectify such an inevitable error is that which, in comparison, possesses greater accuracy and certainty, and possesses the quality described in: 1 َكِلٰذ ُبٰتِكْلا اَل َبْيَر ِهْيِف The reason why Tau hi d cannot be understood in its pure form without divine revelation, and why one who denies revelation cannot cleanse oneself of the filth of paganism, becomes apparent when one reflects upon the reality of Tau hi d itself. For, Tau hi d means that we should believe that God’s being and His attributes are free of any association, and that those tasks which can be accomplished by God’s power and 1. This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:3). [Publisher]