The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 241
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI they are steadfast and no earthquake and clamity and no confrontation of death can shake their faith. God speaks to them and reassures them not to be afraid of calamities or of enemies and not to be sorrowful over past misfortunes. He reassures them that He is with them and that He has bestowed upon them in this very world the paradise that was promised to them in which they should rejoice. This is a promise which has now been fulfilled. There is testimony to the effect that thousands of humble ones in Islam have tasted of the spiritual paradise which is promised in this verse. The true followers of Islam have been made heirs of Almighty God to all the previous righteous ones, and bounties that were bestowed upon them have been bestowed upon the Muslims. (Lecture Lahore, pp. 20-22 Essence of Islam,. Vol. 1, pp. 14-15) 5. Rest assured that in this struggle between Islam and Kufr,. Islam has no need to sue for peace, as a weak and defeated opponent. . The time now is the time for the spiritual sword of Islam to do its work, as in a previous era of its ascendance it demonstrated its outward might. Take careful note of this prophecy, that even in this battle the enemy shall be routed with great disgrace, and Islam shall come out triumphant. It does not matter how strong and powerful are the attacks launched by the modern sciences; it does not matter what new weapons they bring into the field; the end destined for them is defeat. In gratitude for the favour conferred on me. I declare that knowledge of the high capabilities and strength of Islam has been vouchsafed to me; and on the basis of that knowledge I say that not only will Islam save itself from the attacks of new philosophies; it will also prove that the modern branches of knowledge and science opposed to it were no more than a gross kind of ignorance. The domain of Islam has nothing to fear from these forces and their attacks. The days of its glory stand very near, and I perceive that signs of this development, of this victory, are beginning to be visible already. (Aa'ena-i-Kamalat-i-Islam, pp. 254-255 241