THE ESSENCE OF VOLUME III Extracts from the Writings, Speeches, Announcements and Discourses of the Promised Messiah Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian [May peace be upon him] Published under the auspices of Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Fifth Successor to the Promised Messiah [May Allah be his help] The Essence of Islam Volume III A rendering into English of Extracts from the writings, speeches, announcements and discourses of Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Founder of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Community. First Edition (2005): Islam International Publications Limited Translated into English by: Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khan Revised by: Munawar Ahmed Sa‘eed © Islam International Publications Ltd. Published by: Islam International Publications Ltd. ‘Islamabad’ Sheephatch Lane, Tilford, Surrey GU10 2AQ United Kingdom Printed in UK at: Clays Ltd, St Ives plc ISBN: 1 85372 756 3 SUMMERY OF CONTENTS, VOL. I, II , & III VOLUME I INTRODUCTION 1. ISLAM, THE TRUE AND LIVING FAITH 2. ALLAH THE EXALTED 3. THE HOLY PROPHETsa 4. THE HOLY QUR’AN VOLUME II 1. ARABIC, THE MOTHER OF TONGUES 2. REVELATION, INSPIRATION, VISION AND DREAM 3. HADITH AND SUNNAH OF THE HOLY PROPHETsa 4. ANGELS 5. PRAYER 6. REPENTANCE AND SEEKING FORGIVENESS 7. SALVATION 8. THE PILLARS OF ISLAM 9. FIGHTING IN THE CAUSE OF ALLAH 10. DIVINE DECREES AND DETERMINATION 11. RIGHTEOUSNESS 12. ARROGANCE 13. THINKING ILL OF OTHERS 14. PUNISHMENT IN THIS WORLD 15. THE SOUL 16. RESURRECTION 17. HEAVEN AND HELL 18. THE PURPOSE OF CREATION VOLUME III 1. THE NATURAL, MORAL AND SPIRITUAL STATES OF MAN 2. FAITH, CERTAINTY AND INSIGHT 3. EFFORT AND NATURAL APTITUDE 4. THE NEED OF PROPHETS 5. PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM 6. JESUSas AND THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH iv Essence of Islam—III 7. DAJJAL OR THE ANTICHRIST 8. DHULQARNAIN 9. GOG AND MAGOG 10. WOMAN 11. THE VEIL 12. PROPER UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN 13. REPEATED CHALLENGES CONTENTS VOLUME III PUBLISHER’S NOTE ................................................................... XI NATURAL, MORAL AND SPIRITUAL STATES OF MAN......1 THE THREE HUMAN STATES............................................................1 THE FIRST SOURCE—THE SELF THAT INCITES TO EVIL....................1 THE SECOND SOURCE: THE SELF-REPROACHING SELF ...................2 THE THIRD SOURCE: THE SOUL AT REST ........................................3 NATURAL AND MORAL STATES OF MAN .........................................5 THREE METHODS OF REFORM .........................................................8 KHALQ [CREATION] AND KHULQ [MORALS] ....................................8 NATURAL STATES BECOME MORAL BY PROPER REGULATION......10 TRUE MORALS...............................................................................11 MORAL STATE OF MAN .................................................................13 MORAL QUALITIES RELATED TO DISCARDING EVIL......................13 MORAL QUALITIES RELATED TO DOING GOOD .............................20 TRUE COURAGE.............................................................................28 PATIENCE ......................................................................................30 TRUTHFULNESS .............................................................................33 CHANGE IN MORAL QUALITIES .....................................................35 THE REALITY OF LOVE ..................................................................36 FAITH, CERTAINTY AND INSIGHT.........................................43 FAITH IN THE UNSEEN TAUGHT BY PROPHETS...............................43 FAITH AND CERTAINTY .................................................................46 SALVATION DEPENDS ON FAITH ....................................................50 PROGRESSIVE STAGES OF FAITH....................................................52 BLESSINGS OF DIVINE RECOGNITION.............................................54 THREE CATEGORIES OF THE FAITHFUL ..........................................55 THE SOUL AT REST........................................................................68 A LOVELY PRAYER .......................................................................72 STEADFASTNESS IN FAITH .............................................................73 PERSONAL MERIT AND RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.........................75 STAGES OF SPIRITUAL FULFILMENT ..............................................78 EXCELLENCES OF THE MEN OF GOD ..............................................93 COMPREHENSION OF THE DIVINE...................................................94 EFFORT AND NATURAL APTITUDE .....................................107 THE NEED FOR PROPHETS.....................................................111 vi Essence of Islam—III PROPHETS ARE A MANIFESTATION OF DIVINE UNITY ..................111 PROPHETS DEMONSTRATE GOD’S EXISTENCE .............................114 SA BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE TO THE HOLY PROPHET ..................116 BELIEF IN GOD CANNOT BE PERFECT WITHOUT BELIEF IN PROPHETS....................................................................................116 WHY DO PROPHETS HAVE NEEDS LIKE OTHER PEOPLE? ..............122 PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM ......................................................125 MEANINGS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEAL OF PROPHETHOOD .125 SA EXCELLENCE OF THE HOLY PROPHET .......................................127 THE SEAL OF PROPHETHOOD AS THE PERFECT MAN ...................129 PROPHETHOOD BY WAY OF REFLECTION .....................................130 FREQUENT CONVERSE WITH GOD—THE ONLY CLAIM OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH ....................................................................146 NEED FOR REFORMERS AFTER THE PERFECTION OF FAITH ..........154 NEED OF THE COMPANY OF THE RIGHTEOUS ...............................158 NEED FOR TEACHERS AND FRESH EXPOSITION OF THE HOLY QUR’AN .......................................................................................160 FULFILLING THE NEED OF SAFEGUARDING THE HOLY QUR’AN...162 DIVINE PROMISE OF KHILAFAT....................................................165 THE MESSIAH AND HIS SECOND COMING.............................169 POPULAR BELIEFS ABOUT THE ASCENSION..................................169 AHMADIYYAH BELIEF ABOUT THE MAHDI ..................................171 CONTRADICTIONS IN THE POPULAR BELIEFS ...............................174 TRUE MEANING OF THE ASCENSION AND SECOND COMING OF JESUS...........................................................................................179 MISGUIDANCE ABOUT JESUS CAUSED BY THE ANTICHRIST..........184 CORRECT MEANINGS OF NUZUL ..................................................185 EVIDENCE REGARDING THE DEATH OF JESUS ..............................193 TRUE STATUS OF JESUS ...............................................................210 OBJECTIONS AGAINST JESUS........................................................213 MIRACLES OF JESUS ....................................................................218 THE TRUE CLAIM OF JESUS .........................................................228 REVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH...............................................229 JESUS DID NOT CLAIM TO BE GOD ...............................................231 CONFESSION OF HUMAN WEAKNESSES BY JESUS ........................234 TRUE MEANING OF ‘SON OF GOD’...............................................236 CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE ABOUT THE SON OF MARY .......................237 Contents Volume III vii JESUS AS A PROPHET....................................................................242 ABSURDITY OF THE DOCTRINE OF TRINITY .................................243 JESUS NOT ACCURSED .................................................................246 OINTMENT OF JESUS ....................................................................261 JESUS IN SEARCH OF THE LOST SHEEP .........................................263 JESUS IN KASHMIR.......................................................................263 EVIDENCE FROM BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES.....................................267 BREAKING OF THE CROSS BY THE PROMISED MESSIAH ...............272 DIVINE MYSTERY OF JESUS’ SECOND COMING ...........................273 DAJJAL OR THE ANTICHRIST ...............................................279 DAJJAL AND SATAN.....................................................................279 THE WORD DAJJAL SIGNIFIES A GROUP ......................................280 CHRISTIAN PRIESTS AS DAJJAL....................................................281 DAJJAL AND THE MISGUIDED MAULAVIS ....................................284 THE MEANING OF DAJJAL CIRCUITING THE KA‘BAH ...................287 DHULQARNAIN...........................................................................295 PROPHECY ABOUT THE PROMISED MESSIAH IN SURAH AL-KAHF295 TIME OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH ...............................................301 GOG AND MAGOG .....................................................................305 RELIGIOUS DISPUTES AT THE TIME OF GOG AND MAGOG ...........306 EUROPEAN POWERS ARE GOG AND MAGOG ................................307 WOMEN.........................................................................................311 EXTREME ATTITUDES ABOUT WOMEN ........................................311 KIND TREATMENT OF WOMEN ....................................................311 A MAN’S RIGHT TO DIVORCE......................................................314 A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO DIVORCE ................................................316 PROPAGATION OF THE HUMAN RACE THROUGH MARRIAGE........317 POLYGAMY..................................................................................318