Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 210
BarĀhĪn-e-a H madiyya — Part Four 210 to be alive and well, eats and drinks, is secure against afflictions, and is well-provided with all that it needs. All necessities of life are provided for the survival of every living being and the survival of its species. This very grace results in the provision of everything that living beings need for their physical development. Similarly, for living beings that need spiritual development in addition to physical development—that is, which have the capacity for making spiritual progress—the Word of Allah has been revealed since the beginning, whenever the need arose. In short, through this very grace [of ra h m a niyyat ] man enjoys the satisfaction of millions of his needs—the surface of the earth for hab- itation, the moon and the sun for light, air for breathing, water for drinking, a variety of provisions for eating, hundreds of thousands of types of medicines for treating ailments, different kinds of apparel for wearing, and divine scriptures for guidance—but no one can claim that these were attained due to his actions or that he had been engaged in some virtuous deeds in a previous incarnation in recompense of which God has bestowed all these innumerable bounties upon mankind. It is thus established that this grace, which manifests itself in thousands of ways for promoting the comfort of all animates, is an ex gratia bounty which is not due to the result of any action on the part of anyone. It is only the upsurge of mercy of the Provident God so that every ani- mate may attain its natural goal and may satisfy the urges inherent in its nature. In short, the function of eternal favour through this grace is to provide for the needs of mankind and all animals and to attend to what they require and what they do not require lest they should perish or their capabilities remain in the realm of dormancy. The presence of this grace in the Being of the Almighty God is clearly established by the observation of the law of nature, because no wise person would deny that the moon, the sun, the earth and the elements, and all other essen- tials which are found in the universe upon which the life of all animates depends are manifested through this grace. And every individual takes advantage of the above-mentioned bounties, according to his needs, without distinction of man or beast, believer or non-believer, good or