Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 220
BarĀhĪn-e-a H madiyya — Part Four 220 coming into being and taking shape, it is equally dependent on it for its continuation and sustenance. It is He who sustains the world at every moment, and every particle of the universe is kept vibrant and flour- ishing because of Him, and He exercises His rub u biyyat with respect to everything by His will and intent. It is not as if His rub u biyyat is exercised with respect to anything without His will. In short, according to the verses of the Quran, the summary of which I am giving here, the intent of this verity is that everything exist- ing in the universe is created and is dependent upon the rub u biyyat of God Almighty in regard to all of its excellences, conditions, and circum- stances. There is no spiritual or physical excellence which any created thing can acquire on its own without the determination of the Absolute Controller. Moreover, according to the detailed accounts given in the Holy Word itself, it is latent in this and other verities that the attrib- utes, such as ن ی رب العٰلم [ Rabbul-‘ a lam i n ] and others which are found in God Almighty, are exclusive to Him alone, who is One without any associate, and none else is associated with Him, as has been stated in the opening phrase of this s u rah; that is, ّٰ لل الحمد [ al h amdulill a h ], mean- ing that all kinds of praise belong to Allah alone. The second verity is رحمٰن [ Ra h m a n ], which has been stated after ن ی رب العٰلم [ Rabbul-‘ a lam i n ]. The meaning of رحمٰن [ Ra h m a n ], as I have explained before, is that all animates—whether gifted with reason or not, good or bad—have been furnished, and continue to be furnished, with all the necessary means for their stability, preservation of life, con- tinuation of their species, and perfection, out of the common mercy of God Almighty. This is an absolute gift that does not depend upon anyone’s actions. The third verity is رحیم [ Ra hi m ], which has been mentioned after رحمٰن [ Ra h m a n ]. It means that, as demanded by His special mercy, God Almighty brings about good results as a consequence of the efforts of those who strive. He forgives the sins of those who repent, bestows upon those who ask, and opens for those who knock. The fourth verity mentioned in S u rah al-F a ti h ah is ن ی وم الد ی مٰلك