Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 188
188 -. . -> , i indifferent, but it also is awake to the serious necessity of protec- ting itself from hostile religions. In short, the ^competition of religions has grown hot and every sect is inspired with the zeal to make acquisitions from other faiths. There is a commotion in the religious world more violent than the commotion which is f ! " p ' I caused in the sea by a storm, and as the billows roll down upon one another, so do at present the different religions. The various movements described above lead one at least to this conclusion that the time has come at which Almighty God has willed to gather all men into one fold. . Regarding this very time, He says in the Holy Quran I**?- ^ U** ; ^ j ^ JM ^ Bea- ding this verse along with the preceding verses its proper signifi- cance appears to be that when there will be a hot competition for victory among the various religions, and they will be in a tumult like the waves of the ocean, then will Almighty God bring into existence a new dispensation which will draw all o. capable hearts to itself. Then will they know what religion them is, and a new life, the soul of true righteousness, will be breathed into and they will be made to drink at the fountain of true knowledge of God. It was necessary that this world should not have come to an end until this prophecy was fulfilled which was announced by the Holy Quran 1300 years ago. The Holy Quran has mentioned many other signs of the last ages when all people would be gathered upon one religion ; for instance, that the rivers would be generally split into canals, that the earth would bring out its hidden treasures of minerals, inventions and sciences, that such means would come into exis- tence (referring to printing presses) as would cause books to be multiplied in large numbers, that a conveyance would be dis- covered which would render the camels useless and facilitate men's going to and fro, that the means of correspondence and of