Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 243
Footnote Number Eleven 243 and the indignant wrathfully. In fact, one of the Brahm u Sam a jists has recently published a pamphlet on the subject, in which the writer raises the objection against Divine Books as to why the attribute of retribution has been ascribed to God Almighty. [He asks,] Does God get irritated by our shortcomings? Now, it is obvious that if the writer knew anything of this verity, he would not have unnecessarily wasted his time in composing such a pamphlet, which exposes his ignorance to everyone. In spite of his claim to be wise, he has failed to realize that God’s wrath is but a reflection of man’s own attitude. When someone becomes distant from God on account of some opposing evil and turns his face away from God, can he still remain worthy of possessing the same favours of mercy that the true lovers and the truthful receive? Indeed not! On the contrary, the eternal law of God which has existed since time immemorial and which the righteous and truthful have been experiencing throughout—and still continue to witness it through true experiences—is this very same law that the one who, emerging from dark veils and turning his soul straight towards God Almighty, pros- trates at the threshold of God Almighty, becomes the recipient of the favours of the special mercy of the Divine. And the one who adopts some other way contrary to this, inevitably experiences the wrath of God which is against [divine] mercy. The true reality of [divine] wrath is that when a person deviates from the right path, which according to the divine law is the path of receiving the grace of divine mercy, he deprives himself of the favours of [divine] mercy. This condition of deprivation is called gha d ab-e-il a h i [divine wrath]. Since man’s life, comfort, and tranquillity are due to the grace of God alone, those who discard the way to the favours of mercy are afflicted with sufferings of different kinds in this life or in the Hereafter, for the simple reason that one who does not enjoy divine mercy inevitably draws upon himself different types of spiritual and physical afflictions. Since it is part of the divine law that special grace is bestowed upon only those who adopt the path of attaining mercy— that is, prayer and Tau hi d [Oneness of God]—therefore, those who