Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part III — Page 56
BarĀhĪn-e-a H madiyya — Part three 56 In a way, it is as if they grant a favour to God, in that, without hav- ing been informed that God exists and without complete certainty that disobedience to Him would subject them to such and such torment, and obedience to Him would attract such and such bounty, they have submitted to this fictitious god. That is to say, their entire discovery was what they had themselves concocted; but, God was so weak and infirm that He could not announce His own existence and could not provide any reassurance concerning His promises. He was hidden and these people disclosed Him; He was unknown, and they made Him known; He was silent, and they performed His work. That is to say, His Godhead has become known only recently, and that too, through their efforts. Every wise person would appreciate that such a statement goes beyond even that which idol-worshippers allege. For, idol-worshippers believe their deities only to be their bestowers and benefactors, but those who deny revelation have crossed all limits by alleging that their deity (which is reason) is the benefactor not only of people but also of God, inasmuch as God became known (according to them) through the exercise of reason alone. Hence, it is patently obvious that by deny- ing revelation they have erred, not only because their belief in the exist- ence of God is based on doubtful conjectures and they are entangled in diverse errors, but also because they are deprived of belief in the absolute Oneness of God and are tainted with polytheism. After all, what is polytheism. It is nothing but attributing to others the favours and bounties that have been bestowed by God. At this point the Brahm u Sam a jists may counter that they do con- sider reason to be a gift of God and they do acknowledge His grace and munificence. This, however, is a grave error on their part. It is the nature of man that he attributes to himself all that is under his con- trol and power, or whatever he achieves through his labour. Whatever rights of man are established in the world, their genesis is the thought that everyone who achieves something by his labour, he or she regards it his or her property and wealth. If a person were to genuinely feel that