Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 252
252 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad evil? It is the absence of moral strength. If a thief possessed mercy he would realise that the victim’s children would wail in pain—screams that would even horrify enemies. A thief who stops to think that his victims have been hungry since last night and could not even find a few dry scraps to eat, would feel a deep sense of pain. Obviously, if a thief felt these conditions and was not blind to the moral state, why would he steal? Every other day, we read news reports of excruciating deaths, stating that some child was killed out of greed for jewellery or that such and such woman has been murdered. On one occasion, I myself served in a case as an assessor, and a man had murdered a child over a mere twelve annas or one and a quarter rupees. Now reflect and observe that if the people’s moral state was good and healthy, why would these misfortunes have dawned upon us? How can a person not feel for their fellow human being on whom a misfortune has fallen? The Characteristics of Cattle The Holy Quran states: 1 ُ تَاْكُلُ الْاَنْعَام يَاْكُلُوْنَ كَمَا Meaning, they eat even as the cattle eat. This has various aspects. Firstly, cattle have no sense of quality and quantity, and go on consuming whatever comes before them no matter how much, just as dogs that eat and eat until they finally vomit. Secondly, cattle do not distinguish between that which is lawful and unlawful. An ox never thinks to itself that this is the neighbour’s field and so I should stay out. Similarly, it does not make a distinction in the matter of food. A dog has no sense of uncleanliness and cleanliness. Cattle have no limits. Those who break moral principles and show no concern in this regard, are not humans, as it were. Such was the indifference to distinguishing between that which is pure and that which is unclean that in Arabia, people would even eat dead dogs. The state of affairs is that in many countries even today rats, dogs and cats are eaten as delicacies. Filthy people, those of the lower castes and people who eat carrion exist today even in our own country. Then, people feel no reluctance or hesitance in devouring the wealth of orphans. For example, if the hay that belonged to an orphan was placed before a cow, it would eat the hay without a second thought, and this is also the condition of the people I have just described. The following refers to these very people: 1 Muhammad, 47:13