The Holy Quran (continued...)

I was young and am now old and people can bear witness that I never concerned myself with worldly affairs and was always interested in matters of the faith. I have found the word which is called the Quran of the utmost holiness and full of spiritual wisdom. It does not deify any man and does not bring God into contempt by excluding souls and bodies from His creation. The Holy Quran in the end brings down that blessing on the heart of man for which a religion is embraced and makes him the heir of Divine grace. Then having found a light, how shall we revert to darkness and having eyes how shall we become blind? [Sanatn Dharm, (Qadian, Ziaul Islam Press, 1903); Now printed in Ruhani Khazain, pp. 6-7].

It is well established that the Holy Quran has duly perfected the faith, as it affirms itself: This day have I perfected your religion and have completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you Islam as your faith (5:4). Thus there is no need for any other book after the Holy Quran, for it sets out all that is needed by man. Now only the door of revelation is open, but not automatically. True and holy words which are obviously charged with Divine help and comprise many hidden matters, are acquired after the purification of the soul only through following the Holy Quran and obeying the Holy Prophet, peace be on him [Chashma Marifat, (Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 23., p. 72].

For every revelation the way of Allah which is mentioned in the Holy Quran, is the leader and guardian. It is not possible that any revelation should be vouchsafed contrary to this way, for that would amount to falsifying Holy Scriptures (Tableegh Risalat, Vol. III, p. 156).

The clear miracle of the Holy Quran which can manifest itself to every people and by presenting which we can silence every one, whether an Indian, or a Persian or a European or an American, is the unlimited treasury of insights and verities and wisdoms, which are expounded in every age according to its need and stand as armed soldiers to refute the thinking of every age. If the Holy Quran had been limited in its verities and insights it would not have amounted to a perfect miracle. Beauty of composition is not a matter the miraculous nature of which can be appreciated by every literate and illiterate person. The clear miracle of the Holy Quran is the unlimited insights and fine points which it comprises. A person who does not admit this miracle of the Holy Quran is altogether deprived of the knowledge of the Quran. He who does not believe in this miracle does not estimate the Quran as highly as it should be estimated, and does not recognize God as He should be recognized, and does not honour the Holy Prophet as he should be honoured.

Bear it in mind that the miracle of unlimited insights and verities which are contained in the Holy Quran has accomplished more in every age than has the sword. All the doubts that every age raises according to its circumstances, and all the claims of superior insights that are put forward, are completely refuted by the Holy Quran. No Brahmo or Buddhist or Arya or any other philosopher can put forward a Divine verity which is not already comprised in the Holy Quran. The wonders of the Quran will never cease. As the wonderful qualities of the book of nature have never come to an end in any previous age, but appear ever fresh and new, the same is the case with this Holy Book, so that the word of God and the work of God should be proved to be in accord.

As I have written before, very often the wonders of the Holy Quran are revealed to me and are such that they are not to be found in the commentaries. For instance, it has been revealed to me that the period that elapsed between the creation of Adam and the advent of the Holy Prophet is mentioned in the Surah Asr in the value of its letters and amounts to 4,740 lunar years. This fine point which discloses the miracle of the Holy Quran is not mentioned in any commentary. In the same way, God Almighty has disclosed to me that the meaning of: We sent down the Quran during the Night of Decrease (97:2); is not only that the Quran was revealed in a blessed night, but that it also has another meaning which I have set out in my booklet Fateh Islam. Which commentary mentions all these verities? It should be borne in mind that a multiplicity of meanings of the Holy Quran does not create any contradiction, nor import any defect in the guidance of the Quran. Indeed the light of the greatness of the Quran is enhanced by the addition of one light to another. As the passage of time gives rise to unlimited thinking it is necessary for the Holy Quran to manifest itself in ever new forms, and to disclose ever new knowledge, and to refute all innovations and novelties. In these circumstances, if a Book which claims to be Khatamal Kutub were not to meet new contingencies, it would not establish its claim. If this Book comprises everything that is needed in every age, we would have to confess that it comprehends unlimited insights, and that it takes care of the needs of every age.

It should also be remembered that the way of Allah with every perfect recipient of revelation has been that the hidden wonders of the Quran are revealed to him. It often happens that a verse of the Holy Quran is conveyed to the mind of a recipient of revelation and its purpose is something different from its original meaning. Maulvi Abdullah Ghaznavi has written in a letter that on one occasion he received the revelation: We said: O fire, be cool and a means of security; but that he could not comprehend its import. He then received the revelation: We said: O steadfastness be cool and a means of security. Then he understood that in his case fire had meant steadfastness [Izalai Auhan, (Amritsar, Riyaz Hind Press 1308 A.H.); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 3, pp. 305-320].

This is an age in which thousands of objections and doubts have been raised and Islam has been attacked from many directions. God Almighty has said: There is not a thing but We have unlimited stores thereof, and We send it down in regulated quantities (15:22). Thus, this was the age of the disclosure of the insights and verities that are hidden in the Quran which refute every type of philosophic and unphilosophic religion, for they could not be disclosed without their need having arisen. Now that attacks were made by the new philosophy, the time came for the manifestation of those insights. It was not possible that without the manifestation of those insights, Islam could be victorious against all false religions. A victory by the sword means nothing and is wiped out by the decline of temporary power. True and real victory is that which is achieved with an army of insights and verities. This is the victory that Islam is now achieving. This prophecy related to this age and it was so understood in the past. This is an age that demands that the Holy Quran should disclose all the meanings which are hidden in it . . . . An intelligent person can easily understand that no creation of God the Glorious is without wonderful qualities. If one carries out a research till the Day of Judgment, into the qualities and wonders of a fly, they would not come to an end. Then are not the wonders and qualities of the Holy Quran even as many as those of a fly? Without doubt those wonders are in excess of the total wonders of the whole of creation and to deny them would be to deny the Divine origin of the Holy Quran for there is nothing in the world which proceeds from God Almighty and does not comprise unlimited wonders . . . . The verities and fine points which foster understanding are always disclosed according to need. New corruptions call for ever fresh meanings, which are full of wisdom. It is obvious that the Holy Quran is a miracle in itself, and the greatness of its miracle is that it is comprehensive of unlimited verities, but they are manifested at their due time. As the difficulties of the time demand, those hidden insights are disclosed. Secular knowledge, most of which is opposed to the Holy Quran and makes people heedless, is increasing rapidly. Wonderful changes are being disclosed in mathematics and physics and philosophy. Was it not necessary at such a time that the door of progress in faith and understanding should also be opened, so that facilities might become available for repelling every new mischief. Know it for certain then that the door has been opened and God Almighty has determined to disclose the hidden wonders of the Holy Quran to the arrogant philosophers of the world. Half-baked mullahs who are the enemies of Islam cannot frustrate this determination. If they will not stop their mischief, they will be destroyed and they will receive such a stroke of Divine wrath that they will be ground down to the dust. These stupid ones do not cast an eye on the circumstances surrounding them. They desire that the Holy Quran should appear weak and small and overcome, but it will now come forth like a champion. It will appear as a lion in the field and will devour the whole philosophy of the world and shall demonstrate its supremacy, and shall fulfil the prophecy that Islam will be supreme over all religions and shall carry the spiritual fulfilment of the prophecy: He will establish for them their faith to its perfection (24:56). It is not possible to establish the faith in the world to its perfection through compulsion. Faith is established upon the earth when no other faith remains standing; in opposition to it and all opponents lay down their arms. That time has now arrived and cannot be blocked by stupid mullahs. Now the son of Mary, whose only spiritual father is the True Teacher and who for this reason resembles Adam, will distribute a large treasure of the Holy Quran among the people, so much so, that people will be satiated with it and everyone will be filled with it to his capacity so that he will not accept more of it [Izalai Auhan, (Amritsar, Riyaz Hind Press 1308 A.H.); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 3, pp.675-681].

The holy and perfect teaching is that of the Holy Quran which nourishes every branch of the human tree. The Quran does not stress only one side. Sometimes it urges forgiveness and forbearance on condition that they should be appropriate, and sometimes on proper occasions, it directs the punishment of an offender. In truth the Holy Quran is a picture of the Divine law of nature, which is visible everywhere. It is perfectly reasonable that the word of God and the work of God should be in accord with each other, that is to say, as the work of God Almighty appears in the world, the true Book of God should teach in accordance with that work, and not that His work should manifest one thing and His word should manifest something else. We observe in God's work that there is not always forgiveness and forbearance but that He punishes offenders with diverse types of chastisement. Such punishment is mentioned in the previous Books also. Our God is not only Compassionate but is also Wise and His torment is great. The True Book is the one which is in accord with this law of nature, and the True Word of God is that which is not inconsistent with His work. We do not find that God has treated His creation always with compassion and forbearance and that there is no chastisement. Even today God Almighty has for the chastisement of the wicked prophesied through me the occurrence of a great and terrible earthquake which will destroy them [Chashmai Masihi, (Qadian, Magazine Press, 1906); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 20, pp. 12-13].

We had raised an objection to the current Gospels that they do not provide for the development of all man's faculties and that even the portions of them relating to moral qualities are taken from the Torah. To this some Christians had replied that Divine Books are concerned only with morals and that the punishment of offences is not appropriate for a Book of God, inasmuch as offences should be punished according to changing circumstances which are unlimited and it is not proper that there should be a fixed law laying down penal ties. Every penalty should be such as is in accord with the times and is helpful for the warning and restraint of offenders. Fixed penalties are not beneficial for the reform of people. In the same way, civil and criminal and revenue laws should not be fixed and rigid as they would create difficulties under changing circumstances. For instance, they might adversely affect commercial conditions which have become current and cannot be avoided, or a penal law might not be helpful where offenders have become accustomed to one kind of punishment, or may not be amenable to it. I would say that this type of thinking proceeds from people who have not studied the Holy Quran with care. The directions contained in the Holy Quran with regard to civil and criminal and revenue matters are of two types. One, which lays down the details of punishment or of procedure, and the other which only prescribes the principle and does not lay down any specific direction. The purpose of the latter is to provide guidance for the meeting of new circumstances. For instance, at one place the Holy Quran lays down the rule of a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. This is a detail. In another place, the principle is set forth: The penalty for an offence is chastisement in proportion thereto (43:41). On reflection we find that this principle is laid down for the widening of the law in cases where the specific law cannot be carried into effect. For instance, if a person who has lost his own teeth breaks the tooth of another, he ceases to be amenable to the rule of a tooth for a tooth, for he has no teeth himself. In the same way, if a blind person should destroy the eye of another person, he cannot be deprived of his own eye, for he has none. The Holy Quran lays down general principles to meet such cases and by doing so encourages everyone to deduce rules suitable to every case. It is a pity that the Torah does not follow this method and the Gospel is wholly deprived of this teaching. It only lays down a few moral exhortations, but they are not part of any code or system of law. The statement of the Christians that the Gospel has left legal matters to the intelligence of people is not a matter of pride, but one of remorse, for whatever is not laid down as a principle and as a regulating rule, is liable to be misused and become vicious, however good its purpose might be [Kitabul Bariyyah, (Qadian, Ziaul Islam Press 1898); Now printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 13, pp. 69-70].

God Almighty, Who knows the secrets of the hearts, is witness that if anyone is able to point out a defect in the teaching of the Holy Quran to the extent of a thousandth part of a particle, or is able to point out an excellence in his own book, which is opposed to the teaching of the Quran and excels it, we would be prepared to submit ourselves to the penalty of death (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, p. 269, footnote).

Of all current revealed Books, the Holy Quran is the only one in accord with human nature. Its doctrines are so perfect and firm that strong proofs bear witness to their truth. Its commandments are based upon truth. Its teachings are free from every type of polytheism, innovation and worship of creatures. It is full of eagerness for the manifestation of the Unity of God and of Divine greatness and of the perfection of the Lord of Honour. It is replete throughout with the Unity of the Divine and does not tolerate any kind of deficiency or defect or unworthy attributes in the case of the Creator. It does not impose any doctrine by mere authority, but sets down the reasons for the truth of that which it teaches. It establishes every purpose with proofs and arguments. It sets forth reasons for the truth of every principle and carries the mind to perfect certainty and full understanding. It repels all evils that afflict peoples' doctrines and actions and words, and works with bright reasoning. It teaches good manners, the knowledge of which is necessary for every human being. It repels every corruption with as much force as that which inspires the corruption. Its teaching is straightforward and strong and secure, as if it were a mirror of the law of nature and is a true reflection of it. It is an enlightening sun for the insight of the heart. It expounds the details of the principles of reason and corrects its deficiencies. Other books that are called revealed are in their present condition deprived of all these perfect qualities and contain many wrong conceptions with regard to the Being and attributes of the Divine. The followers of these books profess strange doctrines. Some of them deny God being the Creator and All-Powerful, and set themselves up as His partners in being eternal and selfexistent. Some set up idols and images and deities as partners with the Divine and managers of His kingdom. Some fashion sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters for Him. Some worship Him in the form of an alligator or tortoise. In short, they run ahead of each other as if the Perfect Being is most unfortunate that He has not been able to attain the perfection which reason demanded for Him. When I discovered people involved in such false doctrines and afflicted with so much error my heart trembled and melted and I felt it a bounden duty and obligation to write this book for their guidance, which I shall fully discharge (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, pp. 91-93).

The external evidence of the truth and superiority of the Holy Quran is of four types. One, that is derived from those matters which need to be reformed; and second, that is derived from those matters which need to be perfected; and third, which is derived from natural matters; and fourth, which is derived from hidden matters. The internal evidence of the truth and superiority of the Holy Quran is all derived from natural matters.

Matters that need to be reformed are false doctrines which people have adopted in place of true doctrines and righteous action, and which have become so widespread that Divine favour should address itself to their reform.

Matters that need to be perfected relate to the teachings which are found in a defective condition in all revealed books, and whose defectiveness and imperfection are manifested by comparison with perfect teachings and which, therefore, demand a revealed Book which should perfect them.

Natural matters are of two kinds. One, external, by which are meant matters which are created by God without any human planning and which invest every particle with that majesty and dignity and greatness the acquisition of which is impossible in the eyes of reason and the like of which is not to be found anywhere in the world.

Secondly, internal. By these are meant those beauties of form and meaning of the revealed Book which cannot be matched by human faculties and which, by being in fact matchless and peerless, point to a Unique and A11-Powerful One and are thus a mirror pointing to God.

By hidden matters are meant matters which proceed from the tongue of a person with regard to whom it is certain that their exposition is beyond his power. That is to say, by comparing them with the circumstances of that person it becomes obvious that they are neither natural to him nor could have been acquired by observation or reflection; nor should it be possible to imagine that he could have obtained knowledge of them from one who was familiar with them. They may not be matters which are beyond the power of another person. Thus they are relative matters, that is to say, when they are attributed to some particular person they can be considered as hidden and when they are attributed to some other persons they have not this quality (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, pp. 139-141).

Some of the miracles and prophecies of the Holy Quran are such that they can be appreciated by us in this age and no one can deny them.

The miracle of the sign of chastisement which was shown to the disbelievers of that time is a sign to which we are also witness, the reason being that it is the necessary consequence of premises that are certain and which cannot be denied by anyone. The first premise is that this sign was demanded when the Holy Prophet and his few companions were being persecuted in diverse ways in Mecca. That was a time of such weakness for Islam that the disbelievers of Mecca mocked at the Muslims and said: If you are right, then how is it that you are suffering so much at our hands and God, upon Whom you rely, does not help you and why are you so small in numbers that you will be soon destroyed? If you are in the right why are we not chastised? What was said to the disbelievers in reply is set out in the Holy Quran at diverse places and that constitutes the second premise for the appreciation of the grandeur of this prophecy. That was a time when the lives of the Holy Prophet and his companions were always in danger and failure stared them in the face in all directions. At such a time, in answer to the demand of the disbelievers for a sign of chastisement, it was stated plainly that they would soon be shown the sign of the victory of Islam and their own punishment. It was said that Islam which appeared as a seed at the time would one day manifest itself as a large tree and that those who demand a sign of chastisement will one day be put to the sword and the whole of Arabia would be cleared of disbelievers. The sovereignty over Arabia would pass to the Muslims and God Almighty would so firmly establish Islam in Arabia that idol worship would be abolished forever and the state of fear of the Muslims would be replaced by security. Islam would grow strong and would become supreme till other countries would fall under the shadow of its victory which would extend to far regions and a great kingdom would be established which would endure till the end of the world. If a person considers both these premises and finds out that the time when this prophecy was made was a time of great distress for Islam, and the prophecy that was made was altogether opposed to the prevailing circumstances and appeared wholly impossible, and then looks at the history of Islam, which is well known to enemies and friends, and sees how clearly it was fulfilled and how its fulfilment awed the hearts and how it was manifested with full power and strength in the east and the west, he would appreciate it as a miracle witnessed by himself regarding which he would have not doubt whatever left.

The second miracle of the Holy Quran which we can appreciate as eye witnesses, is the wonderful changes that were manifested in the companions of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, through the blessing of the following of the Holy Quran and the effect of the company of the Holy Prophet. When we see what kind of people they were before they embraced Islam and what were their ways and habits, and then in consequence of keeping company with the Holy Prophet and following the Holy Quran, how they changed from their low condition into a clean and pure condition in their beliefs, their morals, their conduct, their conversation, their behaviour and all their ways, we would have to confess that this great change, which invested their rusted personalities with a wonderful freshness and bestowed upon them light and brightness, was an extraordinary transformation brought about by the hand of God Almighty . . . . This transformation was so extraordinary as to deserve being called a miracle.

A third miracle of the Holy Quran which is present before our eyes is its verities and insights and fine points with which its eloquent composition is replete. This miracle has been set forth very forcefully in the Holy Quran. It is said that if all men, high and low, were to combine together to produce its like, it would not be possible for them to do so (17:89). This miracle is proved by the fact that during the last 1,300 years, although the Holy Quran has been published in all directions and forcefully challenges equality, yet no one has come forth to take up the challenge. This proves clearly that all human faculties are unable to compete with the Holy Quran. Even if out of the hundreds of excellences of the Holy Quran, one is put forward and its match is demanded, it is impossible for any human being to put forward the like of it. For instance, one of the excellences of the Holy Quran is that it comprises all religious insights and there is no religious verity related to truth and wisdom which is not found in the Holy Quran. Is there anyone who can put forward any other book which has this quality? If any one doubts the fact that the Holy Quran is comprehensive of all religious verities, then such a doubter, whether Christian or Arya or Brahmo, or atheist, can satisfy himself by examining the matter in his own way and we take the responsibility of satisfying him, provided he turns to us as a seeker after truth. All the holy verities that are contained in the Bible, or the words of truth and wisdom which we have seen in the books of philosophers, or the verities that have found place by chance in the Vedas, or are still to be found in them which we have seen, or the wisdom and understanding which are set out in the hundreds of books of the Sufies, which we have come to know, are all found in the Holy Quran. This perfect research which we have carried out in depth during thirty years has disclosed to us conclusively and certainly, that there is no spiritual verity which is helpful for the perfection of the soul and for the training of intellect and the heart which is not mentioned in the Holy Quran. This is not only our experience, but is the claim of the Holy Quran, which has been tested not only by me, but by thousands of divines from the very beginning who have borne witness to its truth.

A fourth miracle of the Holy Quran is its spiritual effects which have been inherent in it from the beginning. This means that its followers are accepted of the Divine and are honoured with the converse of God. Their supplications are accepted by God Almighty, and He responds to them with love and mercy, and He informs them of some hidden mysteries as He informs the Prophets and distinguishes them from other people by bestowing upon them signs of His support and help. This is also a sign which will continue till the Day of Judgment among the Muslims. It has been manifested throughout and is present even today. There are today among the Muslims people whom God, the Glorious, through His special support honours with true revelation and visions relating to hidden matters.

O ye who are seekers after truth and are hungry and thirsty for true signs, consider justly and with a pure vision of what high degree are the signs which God Almighty has set forth in the Holy Quran and how they are present and perceptible in every age. The miracles of previous Prophets are now mere stories and we do not know to what degree they are true (Tasdeequen Nabi, pp.20-23).

The miracles and extraordinary signs of the Holy Quran are of four types; one, miracles relating to the intellect; two, miracles relating to knowledge; three, miracles relating to spiritual blessings; and four, miracles relating to extraordinary matters.

The first three are miracles of the inherent qualities of the Holy Quran. They are very grand and are susceptible of obvious proof. They can be witnessed in every age like visible realities, but the fourth kind are external matters which are not inherent in the Holy Quran. Of these is the miracle of the splitting of the moon. The true excellence and beauty of the Holy Quran are exhibited in the first three kinds of miracles. Indeed, this is the great sign of all Divine words that these three kinds of miracles should be found in them. In the Holy Quran all three are found in a high and perfect and complete degree, and they are put forward by the Holy Quran repeatedly as proof of its being matchless and peerless, as it is said: Proclaim: If all men, high and low, were to combine to produce the like of this Quran, they would not be able to produce the like thereof even though they all help each other in the effort (17:89).