The Promised Messiah (as) wrote over 80 books in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian. Excerpts of his collected works have been translated into English and organised by topic.
The Review of Religions is pleased to present these excerpts as part of a monthly feature. Here, the Promised Messiah (as) explains how miracles distinguish between truth and falsehood, and who they are given to.
This is the second part of a multi-part series.
Extracts from The Essence of Islam –Vol. V. pp. 11-25.
(RoR Photos)
It is appropriate in this context to address the question that if everything is subject to the eternal laws, or is predetermined, then what is the significance of miracles? It is undoubtedly true that nothing lies outside the eternal laws or the eternal will of God and His decree, whether we are aware of it or not.
[ 1] جَفَّ الْقَلَمُ بِمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ
And yet the same divine practice – also called the law of nature – has made certain things dependent upon others. Likewise, there are certain phenomena which the eternal will has made conditional upon the prayers of the holy ones, and the blessings of their holy breath, and upon their attention, their firm resolve and their glory, and has linked them to the entreaties and supplications of these people. When such phenomena occur through these means and under these conditions then, in this particular situation, they are called miracles, wonders, signs or supernormal phenomena.
Here the term ‘supernormal phenomena’ should not lead someone to think that there are things which lie outside the scope of divine practice [laws]. Because, in the present context, the expression ‘supernormal phenomena’ carries an additional significance: Although nothing lies outside the eternal practice of the God of glory, His practice that relates to mankind is of two kinds. First, there are ‘ordinary practices’, which, in the form of cause and effect, apply to everyone. Second, there are the ‘special practices’ which, with or without the agency of the visible causes, relate only to those who are totally lost in His love and completely given to His desire. That is to say, when a person turns completely to God and brings about a transformation in his human condition, for the sake of gaining His pleasure, then God, in accordance with his transformed state, deals with him in a special manner, which He does not practise when dealing with others. In other words, this special treatment, relatively speaking, is Khariq-e-‘Adat [supernormal], the nature of which is revealed only to those who are drawn towards God through His grace.
When a person, in his eagerness to have communion with God, breaks out of his mortal habits, which intervene between him and his Lord, then, for the sake of such a person, God too breaks His customary ways. This phenomenon of ‘breaking’ is also part of the eternal practice of God and is not something novel that should be called into question. It has been the way of God since eternity that as man’s faith in Him increases, He too casts more and more light of His omnipotence upon him. And, just as a pure and perfect relationship continues to develop from the man’s side, so do the perfect and pure bounties of God descend upon man’s outer and inner self. And just as the tidal waves of divine love surge from the heart of His true lover, so does a pure and pristine river of love gush forth from the other side, which envelopes him and, by virtue of its divine force, takes him to even greater heights. This matter is not only very clear but is also in conformity with our natures. One of the hallmarks of the purity of reciprocal love is that, as we advance in friendship, love and sincerity, the signs of devotion, unity and solidarity appear on both sides, and do not remain one-sided. Every person deals with his friend in an extraordinary way, compared to other people. The moment a person attains a ‘new’ life – which may be called supernormal when compared to his earlier life – the same Eternal God, through His extraordinary manifestations, reveals Himself to him as a ‘New God’ and deals with him in such a way that he could never have imagined in his earlier life.
The key to miracles – which set the wonders of nature in motion – is the transformed human soul. A genuine transformation exhibits such visible signs, and the fervent cries of love at times so overwhelm the heart, that the passionate emotions of love for God and the powerful pull of truth and conviction transport one to a state where, if he were cast into a fire, it would have no effect on him whatsoever. Likewise, if he were to be thrown before lions, wolves or bears, they would not be able to do him any harm, because, at that moment, due to the perfect and powerful manifestations of truth and love, he breaks out of the human condition and is a different being altogether. Just as fire engulfs a piece of iron and makes it seem like fire, so do such people, by virtue of being overwhelmed by the fire of love for God, begin to exhibit something of the attributes of the Great Power which has overwhelmed them. It is little wonder, therefore, that such a supernormal phenomenon should occur when the servant, in his submission, comes under the complete influence of the Lord. In fact, it would be surprising if, despite such an influence, no change is brought about in the ordinary state of the person, for even a piece of iron, when it is heated in fire, starts to partially exhibit the properties of fire, and this is in total conformity with the laws of nature. But, if it is exposed to intense heat and still maintains its former state, and acquires no new characteristic, such a thing would be contrary to reason. Empirical philosophy also testifies to the necessity of such phenomena. This is no fiction. Ponder over it with true wisdom.
—Surmah Chashm Arya, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 2, pp. 105-107
Remember, it is only to demonstrate the distinction between truth and falsehood that miracles are granted to men of God. The real purpose of a miracle is none other than that a distinction between a truthful one and a liar be established in the eyes of the wise and just. A miracle is shown only to the extent that is sufficient to establish such distinction. And this extent is determined by the need of the time, as is the nature of the miracles. It does not mean that whenever a prejudiced, ignorant, and evil-minded person demands a miracle, it has to be shown, no matter how contrary it is to the divine wisdom or the need of the moment. Were it so, it would be as harmful to one’s own faith, as it would be contrary to divine wisdom. For if the realm of miracles were to be stretched to the extent that whatever has been put off until the day of resurrection can all be witnessed in this world, then no difference would be left between this world and the hereafter. It is due to this very difference that the righteous actions and true beliefs, when adopted in this world, earn reward; but if the same beliefs and actions are adopted in the hereafter, they will not be worthy of any reward whatsoever.
As is stated in the books of all prophets as well as in the Holy Qur’an, no belief or deed will be of any avail on the Day of Judgement, and all affirmations of faith will be futile. For faith is considered to be faith only in so far as one believes in something hidden. But when the veil has been lifted and the sun of the spiritual realm has risen, and things have been manifested which leave no doubt about the existence of God and the Day of Judgement, to believe at such a time, or to have faith is like trying to achieve what has already been achieved. In short, a sign is not something so self-evident that the entire world is obliged to accept it without any disagreement, excuse or hesitation, and no one, regardless of his disposition, is left with any doubt about it, and even the dullest of men accepts it without a qualm.
A sign or a miracle, therefore, is not a self-evident phenomenon for men of every disposition, so that it should be accepted as soon as it is witnessed. Rather, the fact is that only wise, just, righteous and truthful people derive benefit from signs. They are the ones who, on account of their intuition, far-sightedness, observation, fair-mindedness, fear of God and righteous conduct, come to realise that these phenomena are not ordinary phenomena of this world, nor could any impostor have the power to show them. They know that such things are far removed from human contrivance, and are beyond the reach of mortals, and have such a quality and distinction about them that the humble powers of man and his elaborate schemes are powerless against them. And these people, by virtue of their profound wisdom and light of intuition, understand that these phenomena possess a certain light and a fragrance which comes from the hand of God, which cannot be mistaken for any cunning, deceit, or trickery.
Thus, just as sunlight alone is not enough for one to believe in the light of the sun, but it is equally necessary to have eyesight with which to see the light, similarly, in order to believe in the light of a miracle, the miracle itself is not sufficient, and the light of intuition is equally necessary. Unless he who witnesses the miracle is naturally endowed with true insight and light of reason, it is impossible for him to believe in it. But the wretched one, who is bereft of the light of intuition, does not find any satisfaction in miracles that are only meant for making a distinction, and persists in his demand that he will not accept any miracle save that which is as clear as doomsday. He demands, for instance, that someone should go to heaven and return before his very eyes, holding a book in his hand; not only that, he also says that he will not believe unless he himself takes the book in his own hand and reads from it. Or, for instance, that the one who descends should bring with him a piece of the moon or the sun to illuminate the earth. Or, better still, he should descend from heaven accompanied by angels who should do wonderful things, as angels do. Or that many dead people should be resurrected through his prayer, and they should be recognised as fathers or grandfathers of so and so, who had died at such and such a time. As if this too were not enough, these resurrected people must hold rallies in different cities and deliver lectures in which they should proclaim that they are the dead who have been brought back to the world so that they may testify to the truth of a particular religion, or that they have come to bear witness that a certain person who claims to be from God is indeed from Him, for they have heard from God Himself that he is truthful.
Such are the self-conceived miracles that the majority of ignorant people, who are totally unaware of the essence of faith, are in the habit of demanding. They also demand other similarly unreasonable and absurd phenomena that are far removed from the will of God.
—Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, part 5, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 21, pp. 44-46
Miracles are, in fact, like moonlight which is partly obscured by clouds. This light is of no use to a person who is night-blind, and, therefore, cannot see anything at night. In this world, miracles have never been, nor shall ever be, manifested in the way as they will be manifested in the hereafter. For example, it can never happen that two or three hundred people rise from the dead, and they should have with them both the fruits of paradise and the flames of hellfire, and they should go from town to town testifying to the truth of a prophet, who is at that moment present among his people, and the people should recognise these people as the dead who have been brought back to life; and that the latter should raise a commotion with their sermons and lectures that this person who claims to be a prophet is true in his claim.
Remember that such miracles have never been shown, nor will they ever be shown till the Day of Judgement. Anyone who claims that such miracles have ever been shown, is simply deluded by baseless myths and is totally unaware of the ways of God. Had such miracles ever happened, this world would cease to be what it is, and all veils would have been lifted, and faith would not have deserved any reward whatsoever.
—Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, part 5, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 21, pp. 43-44
Statement by Deputy Mr. Abdullah Atham: …In response to your Mubahala [invitation to prayer duel] of yesterday, we Christians see no need of fresh miracles for old teachings; nor do we find ourselves up to the task. We have only been promised that whatever supplications we make, consistent with divine will, shall be granted, but we have not been promised any signs, whereas you, sir, seem to take pride in showing signs. We have no objection to witnessing a sign, and if it is indeed in the interest of mankind that a decision should be reached through the showing of a sign, we, for our part, have already expressed our inability to do so; it is now up to you to show a sign if you so please.
This is what you said in yesterday’s closing statement, and this is what you have hinted at today; so there is no need to discuss the matter any further. We are both well-advanced in age, and the grave is our destination. Let us be merciful to mankind and settle the matter on the basis of some heavenly sign.
You have also said that you have received special revelation to the effect that victory shall be yours in this contest, and that the Just God is surely with those who are true, therefore, this is bound to happen. We have already pointed out in reply to the summary of your statement that we are not debating with you because we consider you to be a prophet or a messenger or the recipient of revelation. Nor are we concerned with your personal beliefs, your arguments and your revelations. We assume that you are a Mohammedan, and are therefore having a dialogue with you on the subject of Christianity and Mohammedanism on the basis of the principles that are generally accepted by both.
But as you are willing to show a sign of divine power and are inviting us for contest in this regard, we have no objection to witnessing a sign. So here are three people, one is blind, one has an amputated leg, and one is dumb. You are welcome to cure any one of them if you can. And whatever penalty falls upon us as a result of this miracle, we shall be willing to pay. By your own admission, you believe in a God Who is not only All-Powerful in name but is truly All-Powerful; He should, therefore, have no difficulty in curing them. Why wait then, as, in your own words, God shall most surely be with the truthful. Please do have mercy on God’s creatures, and be quick about it. Moreover, you must have been informed [by God] that today you will face this situation and you must have known that this is going to happen, for the same God Who told you that victory shall be yours in this contest, must have also informed you that a blind man and other afflicted persons are going to be presented before you. So please go ahead and do as you have claimed right here in the presence of both Christians and Mohammedans…
Statement by Hazrat Mirza Sahib: …Let it be clear that I wrote to Deputy Abdullah Atham and told him that just as he considers the Christian faith to be the only means of salvation, so does the Holy Qur’an regard Islam as the sole way to salvation. You have made your claim on your own, while I have quoted the actual verses from the Holy Qur’an. But a claim without proof is of little value. This is why I said to him that the Holy Qur’an has described the hallmarks of those who have attained salvation, and, in keeping with these hallmarks, we find that the followers of this Holy Book attain salvation in this very life. But do you find, in your religion, believers who possess the signs of salvation as Jesus (as) himself has described them? For instance, it is written in Mark 16:17:
‘And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’
So now I respectfully submit the following and beg to be forgiven if there is any harshness or bitterness in my words: With regard to the three sick persons you have presented before me, let me say that they symbolise a sign which Jesus (as) has particularly attributed to the Christians. He says, ‘If you are a true believer then your sign will be that you will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.’ Pardon me, but if you indeed claim to be a true believer, we have here three sick persons, whom you yourselves have presented; just lay your hand on them, and if they recover we will believe that you are indeed true believers and have attained salvation. Otherwise, there is no ground for accepting your claim, because Jesus (as) also says, ‘If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove.’ [2]
I do not want you to remove a mountain right now, because there are no mountains around here, but we do have a very good opportunity for you, since you yourselves have presented the sick, go ahead, therefore, and lay your hand on them and just heal them! Otherwise you will not be left with any faith, not even as little as a mustard seed!
But the same cannot be said of us. Because, in the Holy Qur’an, Allah has never given us the special distinction that whenever we lay our hands on the sick, they will be cured. True, He has said that He shall accept our prayers as and when He pleases. And if a prayer is not worthy of acceptance or runs counter to divine wisdom, then, at the very least, one would be apprised of it. Nowhere has He said that you have been given the power to do whatever you please. On the other hand, it seems to be the decree of Jesus (as) that he grants his followers powers such as to cure the sick, as it is written in Matthew 10:1,
‘And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.’
It has now become incumbent upon you, and indeed a test of your faith, that you should cure these sick persons; or else you have to confess that you do not have faith even as little as a mustard seed. Remember, everyone is called to account according to his own book.
Nowhere in our Holy Qur’an is it stated that we would be granted such power. Rather, it clearly says:
[3] إِنَّمَا ٱلۡأٓيَٰتُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ
i.e., ‘Tell them that signs are with Allah.’ He shows whatever sign He wills. Man has no power to force a sign from Him. Such things are only to be found in your books. According to you, Jesus (as) used to show miracles of his own power and he also transferred this power to his disciples. It is also your belief that Jesus (as) is still alive, ever-living, self-existing, all-powerful, and knows the unseen, and that he is with you day and night and can grant whatever you wish. Therefore, you should request Jesus (as) to cure these three sick ones as you place your hands on them, so that you are spared your faith. Otherwise, it is not appropriate that you enter into debate with the People of Truth [Muslims] claiming to be true Christians, but when you are asked to show the signs of a true Christian, you say that you do not have the power to show them. By such statements, you confess that your religion is no longer a living religion. For my part, I am prepared to show the signs of a true believer, exactly as God has described them. If I fail to do so, you are free to punish me as you wish, and cut my throat with the knife of your choice.
The way in which I have been appointed to show signs, is that when, at the time of a contest, the True and Perfect Prophet (sa) is rejected, I humbly implore God, Who is my True and All-Powerful Master, to show a sign. He then shows a sign out of His own will, without being subservient or subordinate to us…I neither claim to be God nor do I have any power of my own. I am a Muslim and a follower of the Holy Qur’an, and it is in accordance with its teachings that I claim to be the salvation of this age. I lay no claim to prophethood; you are either mistaken in this regard or you are saying such things for some motive of your own.
Is it a must for someone who claims to receive revelation that he should be a prophet? I am only a follower of Muhammad (sa), and I am perfectly subservient to Allah and His Prophet (sa). I hesitate to call these signs ‘miracles’; in fact, in our religion, signs that are granted through true obedience to Allah and to the Holy Prophet (sa) are called karamat. Hence, for the sake of inviting towards the truth, I once again offer the final and incontrovertible argument, that true salvation and the blessings and fruits accompanying it are found exclusively in those who are the followers of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (sa), and who truly submit to the injunctions of the Holy Qur’an.
My demand, in keeping with the Holy Qur’an, is only that if there is a Christian gentleman who denies that true salvation can be achieved through the Holy Qur’an, he is free to seek the heavenly signs of true salvation from his Messiah and present them against me…For my part, I shall be bound to prove from the Holy Qur’an that I possess the signs of a true believer. But here, it should be remembered that the Holy Qur’an does not grant us personal power or authority, in fact, we shudder at the very thought of it. We know not what sign He will show. He is God and there is no god besides Him. What I can solemnly promise is that Allah the Glorious has disclosed to me that I will surely emerge victorious in every contest. But I do not know what sign He will show and in what manner. The true purpose, after all, is that the sign should be such as lies beyond human power.
Should we first deify a human being and then compel him to grant us miracles? This is not what we believe, for the signs that are promised to us by God are quite general and open-ended in nature. If I turn out to be a liar in this, I am ready to accept whatever punishment you propose, even if it be death. But if you transgress the bounds of moderation and justice, and demand from me signs that ‘Lord’ Jesus (as) himself could not show, I consider such a claim to be blasphemous. And Jesus (as) himself used to hurl abuse at those who made such demands.
—Jang-e-Muqaddas, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 6, pp. 149-157
ENDNOTES
1.Whatever is going to happen has been written and the pen has dried.
2. The Bible, Matthew 17:20.
3. The Holy Qur’an, 6:110.
