Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Parts I & II — Page 115
115 PArT T Wo which seems to run in their very blood, has impaired their capac- ity for trust and good-will, in which lies the nobility and dignity of humankind, and which adorns humanity with elegance and beauty. ☆ Consequently, they have been led to believe that, with the exception of those who appeared in the land of the A ryas, the Prophets and Messengers—who delivered a large section of man- kind from the darkness of idolatry and made the light of faith and Unity of God shine in most countries of the world—were, God forbid, liars and imposters. They hold that Brahmans alone have inherited true Prophethood and Messengership, which was the ☆ To trust and have faith in others, unless there is a genuine reason for suspicion, is a part of human nature. Anyone who is unduly suspicious and distrustful is considered a madman, paranoid, insane or an imbe- cile. For instance, if a person refuses to eat bread or sweets purchased from the market fearing that they may be poisoned, or, during a jour- ney, unduly suspects anyone who guides him to the path, or is terrified lest the barber should cut his throat with a razor, all these would be considered signs of approaching madness and insanity. Such perverse thoughts are a precursor of insanity. As one gets more and more ob- sessed by such thoughts, they lead to insanity. Undue suspicion is thus a kind of madness that every reasonable person should do his best to avoid. God has invested man with the faculty of trust in the same way as h e has ingrained truth and righteousness in his nature, so that one does not want to tell a lie or do evil unless prompted to do so. h ad man not been blessed with a trusting nature, he would have been deprived of all the benefits of truthfulness and righteousness upon which rest the entire fabric of society and culture, and on which all domestic and national affairs are poised. It is because of this trust, for example, that babies learn to speak and accept their parents as their own. h ad they been distrustful, they would imagine that the parents had some ulteri- or motive in trying to teach them to talk. They would thus learn noth- ing and remain dumb and even doubtful of their parentage. —Author Footnote Number 7