Seerat-i-Tayyiba — Page 33
33 known to all and sundry, having been published very early in the history of the Movement, and continually in circulation among the members of the Movement, as well as outside the Movement. Under clause Four and Nine of this pledge the Promised Messiah enjoins everyone who joins the Movement to promise that “Generally speaking, in the case of all creatures of God, and especially in regard to the Muslims, he should pledge that he would exercise the fullest care lest under the influence of some human passion he should do harm of any kind, either with his tongue, or hand, or in any other way. ” And similarly: “That solely and purely for the sake of God, he would always keep himself occupied in the ways of love and sympathy for the creatures of Allah in general; and as far as it might lie in his power, he would strive, with all his faculties, and other blessings he has received from God, to be of benefit for all fellow human beings. ” ( Ishtihar takmil-i-Tabligh, dated January 12, 1889) This is the pledge which forms the door of entry into the Movement and it was, given this position by the Promised Messiah under a Divine command to this effect- a pledge without which no true Ahmadi can look upon himself as being an Ahmadi at all. Now we shall here do well to pause for a moment, and to ponder deeply over the matter. Where a teacher and religious reformer lays the foundation of entry into his Movement, and of spiritual contact with himself, on this that anyone who takes bai’at at his hand would treat all human beings with kindness and sympathy, would strive to be of benefit to them in every possible way, and would in any case, refrain from doing them harm of any kind, it goes without saying that the personal example of such a teacher and reformer in all these respects should be of a very high order. And here in the case of the Promised Messiah, we find that it was really so. Often and often he used to say that he was not the enemy of anyone at all in the world; that his heart was always brimful of love and sympathy for mankind. For instance, in one place he writes: