Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 372
372 regard to their respective views concerning the scope of Divine revelation is striking. As the Aryas believe that the revelation of God has always been limited to certain Arya families in this land of the Arya people and has always found expression in a single language, the Yedic Sanskrit, which is for this reason considered to be the Divine language, the Jews entertain similar belief with regard to their own family and their own language and their own books. According to the latter's belief Hebrew is looked upon as (rod's favourite language and the Israelites His favourite people, and any one who claims to be a Prophet of Grod, but does not belong to their tribe and speak their language, must be considered as a false Prophet. Remarkably striking as this resemblance may appear, there are other sects who while they lay claim to still older revelations have their views marked by the same narrow-mindedness. There are, for instance, the Zorastrians who look upon their religion as millions of years older than the Vedas. A consideration of all these circumstances leads us to the conclusion that the idea of limiting Divine. revelation to one's own language is based upon ignorance and strong prejudice against others. In early times it was very sel- dom that one people knew much about another or one country was acquainted with the conditions prevailing in another, and the natural outcome of the limited means of intercourse and inter- communication was that wherever a Prophet appeared among a people and a book was given to them for their guidance, they thought that they were the only recipients of Divine revelation in the world and that true guidance was only given to them. This belief has been the source of a great many evils, and strong prejudice against the religious books and religious leaders of other people ultimately developed into the severest haired and enmity. For a long time one people remained ignoraati of an-