Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 411
APPE N DI X to B AR Ā H Ī N-E-A H M ADIY YA — PART F IV E 411 peak. The Mujaddids [Reformers] used to come at the head of every century; but perhaps God has forgotten this—God forbid!—and at the head of this century He has instead sent, according to you, a deceiver. You have been reduced to dust and yet God did not attend to you. You were swept away by innovations but God did not come to your help. Spirituality bade you farewell, and not a trace of truth and righteousness remained in you. Tell me truly, where is your spirituality now, and where are the signs of belonging to God? What is faith in your eyes but the sharpness of the tongue and mischievous quarrels and blind attacks fuelled by bigotry? A star appeared from God but you recognized it not and opted for darkness, so God left you to languish in darkness. In this state of affairs, what is the difference between you and other religions? Can a blind person who is sitting with other blind people claim to be better than them? O foolish people! Who should I compare you to? Indeed, you are like the unfortunate person around whose house a generous man built an orchard—wherein he planted all kinds of fruit-bearing trees, and irrigated it by a canal carrying sweet water—and it contained large, shady trees which could protect thousands from the sun. Then the gen- erous man invited the people, who were sweltering under the sun with- out any water, shade, or fruit, to come and sit in the shade and to eat and drink. But those unfortunate people rejected his invitation and died of hunger and thirst and intense heat under the sun. God, therefore, says that He will bring another people who will sit under the cool shade of these trees, and eat these fruits, and drink this sweet water. In a para- ble, God relates in the Holy Quran that Dhul-Qarnain came across a people who were burning under the sun with nothing to protect them from its heat, and yet they did not seek any help from him, and so they continued to languish in their misery. But then Dhul-Qarnain came across another people who sought his help against an enemy, so he built for them a wall that protected them against the onslaught of the enemy. So I say truly that, in keeping with this prophecy of the Holy Quran