Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 203
203 seen that the prophecies so objected to related to the punishment of certain individuals arid the Divine law is, as appears from the Holy Books of God, that a prophecy relating to punishment is always conditional, whether the condition be or be not expres- sed in it, and the punishment can be averted upon repentance or deeds of charity or upon manifesting a fear of God. The prophecy of the prophet Joaah is an example of this. There was no express condition in that prophecy, but still the punishment was averted on the people's repentance. If, therefore, the law established above were not true, the prophethood of Jonah would be seriously in question. It cannoc be questioned that God's in tention to punish a people is suspended or averted on their repen- tance, and what is prophecy but a manifestation of that intention through a prophet. If such intention can be suspended or aver- ted when it is not disclosed to any person, there can be no objec- tion to its being suspended or averted when it has been revealed through a prophet. Now the essence of the prophecy relating to the death of Atharn which is objected to in my case, was that of the two, Atharn and myself, the party in error would be brought to destruction before the eyes of the other. The truth of this pro- phecy has been sealed by the death of At ham, and it is quite un- reasonable to object to it on the ground that he did not die within the stated time, for the limit of time had with it a condition in express words. Atham showed fearfulness and was granted a res- pite according to the express condition of the prophecy, but when he concealed the truth, he was soon seized by God and died in occordance with the piophecy. Even if the condition had not been expressly stated, he could have taken the benefit of. it ac- cording to the Divine law with regard to the prophecies of punishment). Besides this, all the details are not always contained in prophecies, and such details are only manifested after their