Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 220
1 220 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad His Holiness: Is it my fault that you do not know Arabic grammar? This is your own fault. I am against turning the Quran into a book that is wrapped up and carried around as a keepsake. The Holy Quran was revealed for the unlettered upon a man who was himself unlettered. If we should not derive argumentation from the Holy Quran, shall we do so from some shastra? The Muslims have a special relationship with Arabic and it is their own misfor- tune that they do not give it the attention it deserves. However, the matter under discussion is so obvious that no intricate knowledge of Arabic mor- phology and syntax is required. Even the ordinary man knows the meaning of mutawaffi. Mahdi Hasan: In the Word of Allah, when tawaffi has been used for the Messiah, on what basis is it established that someone would appear in the likeness of the Messiah? His Holinessas: On the basis of the Quran. Mahdi Hasan: Does your good self believe that the Hadith on this issue are authentic or fabricated? His Holinesss: My principle is that I believe in those Hadith to be authen- tic which accord with the clear and manifest verses of the Holy Quran. However, as for those Hadith which apparently contradict the principles of the Holy Quran, I will endeavour to interpret them in a manner that they accord and agree with the manifest verses of the Book of Allah. If I come across a Hadith that is contrary to the text of the Holy Quran and I am unable to reconcile it in any way with the Quran, I shall disregard such a Hadith as a fabrication and as a statement that is worthy of being rejected. For the rank of the Hadith does not match that of the Holy Quran. Mahdi Hasan: Invariably, this principle is correct, but does my good sir accept the Hadith which specifically relate to the son of Mary, or are they invalid in your view? His Holinesss: I have already said that my principle in relation to the Hadith is that if they contradict the clear pronouncements of the Holy Quran in every respect, I never accept them. So in view of this very principle, if it Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 32, dated 31 August 1901, pp. 10-12