Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Parts I & II — Page 131
131 PArT T Wo and exhortation. I tell you truly that throughout the history of all other Prophets there is not one who showed such trust in God, preached His Oneness, forbade idolatry in the face of so much danger, and remained ever-steadfast and firm while facing so many enemies. Anyone who ponders over these events with any degree of honesty will find them bearing witness to the inner truth of the Holy Prophet sa. Upon deeper reflection, a reasonable person will also realize that the age in which the Holy Prophet sa appeared stood in dire need of a great heavenly reformer and spiritual guide, ☆ and that the teachings he brought were certainly true and met all the ☆ h istory clearly testifies, as do several verses of the h oly Quran, which, God-willing, I shall proceed to discuss in greater detail in c hapter 1, that the h oly Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appeared in an age when idolatry, creature-worship and all kinds of misguided beliefs were rampant in the world. All People had forsaken the true principles and strayed from the right path, and the follow- ers of every religious denomination were merely following the paths of their own invention. The Arabs were steeped in idol-worship, the Persians were prostrating before fire and the Indians had succumbed to hundreds of forms of creature-worship in addition to idolatry. It was at that time that several ancient writings and books had been written containing myths whereby scores of men of God were deified, and the foundation was laid for the worship of avatars. c hristianity was in the worst state of all, according to the admission of r everend d avenport and several other Western scholars. It had become severely tainted due to the immorality and faithlessness of its clergy, and its doctrines, too, raised not one or two but several to the status of gods. The fact that the h oly Prophet sa appeared at a time of spiritual decadence, when the need for a great spiritual physician and reformer and extraordi- nary divine guidance was keenly felt, and with his advent, lit the world with the light of Tau hi d and righteous conduct, doing away with idola- try and creature-worship—which is the mother of all evils—is clear Footnote Number 10