Life of Ahmad — Page 112
SHOWING HEAVENLY SIGNS as 112 laboratory. Why then was Ahmad as not allowed to have his owm way? As often happens, a majority of people must have been too busy for such pursuits. Those who honestly sought the truth came to the conclusion that Ahmad as was right, and followed him. But it appears that the people who smarted under Ahmad’s as challenge and did not come forward to make the experiment were only those who were really insincere or timid. The extreme solicitude of Ahmad as for the spiritual welfare of mankind drove him in these circumstances to seek solitude where he could be alone with God and implore Him to grant him a heavenly sign of such an extraordinary nature as would bring humanity back to God. Under Divine instructions therefore he repaired to Hoshiarpur in the beginning of 1886 (see Ch. 13) and there, after about a month of uninterrupted devotions and prayers, Ahmad as received the good news of a mighty heavenly sign from God which he published in a leaflet on February 20th, 1886. God promised to grant him an illustrious son. This son was born on January 12th, 1889. (For further details see Ch. 18). Ahmad as had a transparent air of sincerity about him, which never failed to impress those who came in contact with him. He was in real earnest. Religion to him was not an amusement or a pastime. He realised the existence of God. He was fired, enthused and intoxicated by the Divine presence. He lived with God and God lived with him. He was at one with his