Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 206
this procedure, may multiply the list of objections to any extent that he likes. ID like manner, the whole mass of the prophecies of our Holy Prophet is denied by men of this type, because of certain objections to one or two of them. If the procedure adopted by -my opponents is right, then nothing will be left in their hands, and they will have to reject in the same breath the prophecies of every other prophet of God. There is no doubt that if they continue to walk in this line, they shall have to bid farewell to Islam itself. In the interpretation of the words of prophecy, the opinion of the prophesier is some- times mistaken. But an error of opinion does not in anyway vitiate the prophecy itself. This was what happened in the journey of the Holy Prophet during which a truce was made at Hudaibiyya. Anticipating the time of the promised victory he undertook a journey to Mecca. But let me say again that such an error in opinion does not detract from the glory, honor and excellence of the Holy Prophet. Perhaps it might be said that the liableness of a prophet's opinion to error, destroys our confi- dence in his infallibility. The reply to this Objection is that such error is a very rare occurrence and that infallibility is the rule. It sometimes happens that revelation comes like a single / piece of news, and being concise it does not explain itself. It then requires to be explained, and such explanation, it is easy to see, would be a matter of opinion. Now opinion is liable to r error, though in the case of the prophets of God, this happens \ very rarely. Such an error does not lessen the effect of the clear and perspicuous signs which are more numerous. I do not there- i fore, deny that like all true prophets, I may err in interpreting ! the word of prophecy when there is any obscurity about it, but then there are thousands of my prophecies which are fulfilled in the clearest manner and which defy all scepticism. So no defect