Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 289
SuB-Footnote Number Three 289 it—then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, which has been prepared for the disbelievers. I reiterate that before you engage yourselves in searching for a book that is comparable to the Holy Quran, you must first ascertain whether or not the book in question even makes the claim that you have heard in the above verses. For, if a speaker does not even claim that his word is incomparable and all jinn and men are powerless to compete and con- test against it, to hold up his work as incomparable without any rhyme or reason is, as the saying goes, the witness being more eager than the plaintiff. Moreover, in presenting some book as equal or comparable to the Holy Quran, you ought also to produce evidence that the book which is being presented as an equal contains excellences comparable to the external and internal excellences that the Holy Quran possesses. For, if the book that is presented as an equal does not possess any of the excellences of the Holy Quran, what purpose would be served by presenting it as an equal, other than exposing your own ignorance and foolishness? But, remember well that just as it is absolutely impossible to imitate and emulate all the things that have emanated from Allah, so is it outside the realm of possibility to present the like of the Holy Quran. This was why many prominent Arab poets, whose mother tongue was Arabic and who were, by nature and also through their efforts, well-versed in the art of composition, had to admit that the Holy Quran is above and beyond human capabilities. This does not stop with Arabs alone, as there have been many from among your own people who were blind but were made to see by its perfect light, who were deaf but began to hear through it. Even now, that light continues to dispel darkness all around. The veritable light of the Holy Quran goes on illuminating hearts. The fact of the matter is that the more that people’s eyes are being opened, the more they are convinced of the greatness of the Holy Quran. Accordingly, some extremely prejudiced Englishmen, who are hailed as sages and philosophers, have themselves admitted that the Holy Quran is peerless in its fluency and eloquence.