Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 177
177 A time will come when my followers will become divided into seventy-three sects. All of them, except one, will be thrown into the Fire. Some in the audience asked who were the people that would be on the side of truth? The Holy Prophet s as answered, ‘Those who follow my example and the example of my Companions. ’ On another occasion, he said: ْل َ یَا ي اس ُ خُذُوْا مِن َ الْعِلْم ِ قَبْل َ اَن ْ یُقْبَض َ الْعِلْم ُ اَوْقَبْل َ اَن ْ یُرْفَع َ الْعِلْمُ. قِ َّ یٰٓاَیُّھَا الن ٖ ْن َ اَظْھُرِنَا فَقَال َ اَی ْ ثَکَلَتْك َ اُمُّك َ وَھٰذِہ ي ْف َ یُرْفَع ُ الْعِلْم ُ وَھٰذَالْقُرْاٰن ُ بَ ي رَسُوْل َ ہللا ِ کَ ْ اجَآء َ تْھُم َّ قُوْنَا بِالْحَرْف ِ مِم َّ ْن َ اَظْھُر ِ ھِم ُ الْمَصَاحِف ُ لَم ْ یُصْبِحُوْا یَتَعَل ي صَارٰی بَ َّ َھُوْد ُ وَالن ي ْ ال 4 ٍ ات َّ ذْھَب َ حَمَلَتُہ ٗ ثَالَث َ مَر َّ ذَھَاب َ الْعِلْم ِ اَن ْ ی َّ َ وَاِن ل َآؤُھُم ْ اَ ي بِہ ٖ اَنْبِ ‘O men, acquire knowledge before knowledge disappears. ’ He was asked, ‘O Prophet of God, how will knowledge disappear while we have the Holy Quran in our posses - sion?’ The Holy Prophet s as replied, ‘In the same way as it happened before. Do you not see that the Jews and the Christians have their scriptures but they have not the least regard for the teachings contained in these Books that their Prophets had brought to them from God? Knowledge disappears from the world when those who have knowledge disappear from the earth. ’ The Holy Prophet s as repeated this three times. It appears from this Tradition that a most critical time lay ahead for the Muslim ummah when true knowledge would disappear from the world. However, we are also told that there would be one sect that would be established on the truth and would be similar