Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 232
232 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad never powerful enough to exact retribution. In fact, if someone swore at such a person, they would perhaps begin to weep out of grief. So this is a case of the proverbial ‘saint’ who is holy because he has no other choice. What relation does this have with good morals and forbearance? The moral example of the Messiah is similar to what I have just described. If he had received any powerful authority and if he had the opportunity to seek revenge from his enemies, and then if he had showed love towards his enemies and forgave them their wrongdoings, we would invariably accept that, indeed, he demonstrated an example of his lofty morals. But when no such opportunity was available to him, it is utterly shameful to hold him up as an example of good mor - als. Until both of these aspects are applicable, there can be no evidence of moral quality. Now in contrast, observe our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The people of Mecca exiled him and continuously inflicted all manner of pain upon the Holy Prophet sas for thirteen years. His companions were sub - jected to such brutal and extreme torment that even the thought of them makes the heart tremble. The patience and forbearance that the Holy Prophet sas dem - onstrated is plainly clear. However, when the Holy Prophet sas migrated upon the instruction of God Almighty and he was given the victory of Mecca, in view of all the pain, hardship and brutality that the Meccans had inflicted upon him and his community for thirteen long years, he was well within his rights to execute everyone and destroy the people of Mecca completely. No one would have been able to object if they had been executed, because these people were worthy of death due to their atrocities. Therefore, if the Holy Prophet sas was possessed of a wrathful disposition, this was the perfect time for revenge—all of Meccans had been arrested. But what did the Holy Prophet sas do? He released them all and proclaimed: َ ِم َْوْ ْي ْلْ َْيُْكُُمُ ا ُل َ ِع َ ٍب ْ ُي َِْثِْر َّت َا ْل No blame shall lie on you this day. This is no insignificant matter. When one sees the pain and torment that the Meccans inflicted, and observes the manner in which these cruel enemies were forgiven by a person who had power and authority over them, this is an example of the moral quality of the Holy Prophet sas the like of which cannot be found anywhere else in the history of the world. p. 498