The Descent of the Messiah — Page 67
HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS competition, why does he say that certain sentences in the book are plagiarised? If such a feat is possible through plagiarism, then why does he not take up the challenge, instead of running around like a fox? O ignorant one! Before anyone will pay attention to your criticism, you must first demonstrate your command of Ara- bic by writing some commentary in fluent Arabic. Otherwise, criticising me, accusing me of plagiarism, and pointing out gram- matical errors without having established your own knowledge of Arabic would be like eating filth. O ignorant and shameless one, first publish the commen- tary of some Sürah in eloquent and elegant Arabic, only then will you have the right, in the eyes of everyone, to find mistakes in my book or declare it plagiarised. When someone has writ- ten thousands of chapters in eloquent and elegant Arabic, not just frivolously but describing true verities, you cannot respond to him merely through denial; you can only do it by producing something that equals his work. Does the mere utterance of non- sense suffice as an argument? Moreover, what can be the merit of merely proclaiming with your tongue that this book is wrong or that some of its sentences have been plagiarised from some oth- er book? How does this prove your ability? And if your ability remains unproven, how can your criticism be accepted as valid? On the contrary, there is none more insane than he who criticises able and accomplished people who have demonstrated some aspects of their ability. If a person becomes such a master of the pen that he can portray matters of knowledge and wisdom in myriad colourful passages—through expressive and eloquent metaphors and is granted mastery in both poetry and prose by the grace of God, without any artificiality or deficiency, then there is no cause for objection if, in such a state of perfection, some verses of the Quran appear at suitable places and occasions 67