The Descent of the Messiah — Page 163
HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS lead to such certainty. Allow me to say that this arrangement, which has been in operation from the beginning of the world to this day, is the Word of God that is corroborated and confirmed by His miraculous works. Do not be deceived into believing that the Divine Word that has descended a few times in past ages is sufficient to impart certainty and that there is no need for it to be revealed over and over again. The Arya Samajists labour under this very misconception, for they believe that the Vedas are the word of God that have already been revealed for the present era of the world, hence there is no need for it to be revealed again and again. The same error is adopted by like-minded people, such as the Christians who say that since the Torah has already done justice to the teaching, there is no need for the Quran. The answer to all misconceptions is that it is certainly true that the purpose of God in revealing [divine] books is to benefit humanity, so that people may come to have faith in Him and become certain of His Essence, Attributes, and His preferred and disapproved ways, and then with the blessings of certain- ty, they may place their complete trust in Him and avoid evil, and obtain goodness in its entirety. However, when the time of prophethood has passed and God's Word is only read like fables, this objective is lost and hearts no longer believe in it. As you can see in the case of the Jews, the Torah is in their hands, but impu- rity resides in their hearts. Similarly, how many Christians are there who would turn the other cheek after being struck on one, who are ready to give their cloak when someone asks for a shirt, who keep their eyes from lustfulness, who do not malign people, and whose hearts are not crooked, cunning and crafty? It would be a rare few, but even they would abstain from evil out of the dictates of their own nature rather than through the teachings of the Gospels. Just as one requires fresh food each morning, so is it that when, with the passage of time, the light of faith-which 163