Allegation: Opponents of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Islam and the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas raise allegations on the revelation of the Promised Messiahas:
زَلْزَلَةُ السَّاعَةِ
“An earthquake of Judgement Day.”
They say that on 4 April 1905, a massive earthquake hit India, however there was no prophecy pertaining to it.
Answer: Al Hakam (Urdu) wrote on 17-24 December 1903, under the heading Revelations and Dreams:
“I saw in a dream that someone said:
زلزلہ كا دهكا
‘Shock of an earthquake.’ I saw the house shaking but did not see anything fall, nor did I feel the earthquake. Then came the revelation:
اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَضُرُّ۔ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّقَوْا وَّ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُوْنَ۔ تَريٰ نَصْرًا مِّنْ عِنْدِ اللّٰهِ وَ هُمْ يَعْمَهُوْنَ۔
‘Allah will cause no damage. Allah is with those who are righteous and who do their duty to the utmost. You will see help from Allah and they will continue to flounder.’” (Al Hakam, 17-24 Dec 1903, p. 15)
Similarly, under the heading God’s Pure Words, the weekly Al Badr had it:
“On 19 December 1903, in a dream I saw someone saying:
زلزلہ كا ايك دهكا
‘A [single] shock of an earthquake.’ Neither did I feel any tremors, nor did the walls shake. Thereafter, I received the revelation [same Arabic as above], ‘Allah will cause no damage. Allah is with those who are righteous and who do their duty to the utmost. You will see help from Allah and they will continue to flounder.’” (Al Badr, 1 January 1904, p. 6)
Then, under Revelations, the weekly Al Hakam says:
“8 June 1904:
عَفَتِ الدِّيَارُ مَحَلُّهَا وَ مُقَامُهَا۔ اِنِّيْ اُحَافِظُ كُلَّ مَنْ فِي الدَّارِ۔ اَعْطَيْتُكَ كُلَّ النَّعِيْمِ۔
‘Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out. I shall safeguard all those who are in this house. I have bestowed upon you all bounties.’” (Al Hakam, 10-17 June 1904, p. 10)
On 4 April 1905, an earthquake strikes causing large scale damage and destruction. Many months prior to the quake, Allah informed the Promised Messiahas of this devastation. Along with the news, He promises that although “temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out”, but God “shall safeguard all those who are in this house”.
If God Almighty did not promise to safeguard Hazrat Ahmadas and his family in advance and he concocted the revelation himself, it would have resulted in enflaming God’s self-honour and anger and thereby rendering him and his family to the destruction of the earthquake.
However, according to the divine revelations, the devastation of the earthquake was witnessed on 4 April 1905. This earthquake was referred to by all countrymen as an extraordinary occurrence that was out of the norm. Some went to the extent to say that such a happening had not been witnessed in India for over 1,600 years and that this incident was akin to Judgement Day.
All ancient buildings that had stood for hundreds of years suddenly collapsed. A Hindu temple in Kangra that dated back to two thousand years could not stand the tremors of the earthquake and succumbed to it.
Such an earthquake had not been witnessed in over two thousand years. Had this not been the case and had there been more powerful earthquakes before this, then the ancient buildings that collapsed in 1905 would have fallen much before in earlier earthquakes. Thus, God Almighty protected Hazrat Ahmadas and his physical and spiritual family.
It is unfortunate that the opponents, under the meaning of the verse below succumb to misguidance and mislead others as a result:
وَ كَاَيِّنْ مِّنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْاَرْضِ يَمُرُّوْنَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُوْنَ
“And how many a Sign is there in the heavens and the earth, which they pass by, turning away from it.” (Surah Yusuf, Ch.12: V.106)
Allegation: Another allegation that is raised is concerning Al-Wasiyyat, The Will. The founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, Hazrat Ahmadas authored the book, Al-Wasiyyat, two months after the demise of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira, which occurred on 11 October 1905. In the book, Hazrat Ahmadas says that Allah had informed him of his own demise and addressed him in Urdu, saying:
بهت تهوڑے دن ره گئے هيں، اس دن سب پر اداسي چها جائے گي۔ يه هوگا، يه هوگا، يه هوگا، بعد اسكے تمهارا واقعه هو گا۔ تمام حوادث اور عجائبات قدرت دكهلانے كے بعد تمهارا حادثه آئے گا۔
“Very few days are left. On that day all will be saddened. This will happen, this will happen, this will happen. Your event will take place afterwards. Your event will take place after all other happenings and natural wonders have been demonstrated.”
This means that certain incidents and natural wonders would take place prior to Hazrat Ahmad’sas demise.
With regard to this revelation, Hazrat Ahmadas himself states:
“I have been given knowledge concerning hawadith [happenings]. From every corner, death shall extend its wings and earthquakes shall occur. They shall occur with great might and shall bear resemblance to Judgement Day [meaning a global, worldwide catastrophe]. They will shake the earth to its core and many lives will be ruined. However, God shall show mercy to those who repent and desist from sin.”
In this regard, it is asserted that nothing significant occurred between 1906 and May 1908. Thus, opponents attempt to show a flaw within this prophecy.
Answer: Al-Wasiyyat was published on 24 December 1905. The Promised Messiahas said in it that God Almighty had informed him that his demise was near and that prior to his demise there would be earthquakes.
Hazrat Ahmadas passed away on 26 May 1908. Opponents assert that no earthquakes appeared from the time of writing Al-Wasiyyat until Hazrat Ahmad’sas demise, however, the truth is that there were many.
From the internet, the following earthquakes were found as examples of some that occurred between the said period:
1. Colombia-Eduador, 31 January 1906. Magnitude 8.8 with around 1,000 deaths
2. San Francisco, USA, 18 April 1906. Magnitude 7.7. This is considered the worst earthquake in the history of California, causing around 3,000 deaths and destroying 28,188 residences, with damage costs reaching $530 million
3. Valparaiso, Chile, 17 August 1906. Magnitude 8.2 with 3,882 deaths and 20,000 injured people
4. Xinjian Province, China, 22 December 1906. Magnitude 7.8 with 280 deaths and 2,000 residences destroyed
5. Mexico, 15 April 1907. Magnitude 7.8, causing 8 deaths and many houses destroyed
6. Border of Russia, Tajekistan and Turistan, 21 October 1907. Magnitude 8.0, causing 12,000 deaths, widespread devastation and many villages wiped away
7. Indonesia, 6 February 1908. Magnitude 7.5
8. Greece, 17 May 1908. Magnitude 6.6
These are only a few selected examples from a finding of over a hundred earthquakes that occurred between the said period. Alongside earthquakes, there were floods, famine, wild fires, typhoons, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions and meteor showers, all of which can be found on the web with a simple search.
On 31 March 1907, at around 5:30pm in India, a large fireball was seen in the sky and was seen travelling a distance of 700 miles above India. The collision it made as it landed shocked many and causing some to fall unconscious.
People attested that they had seen an extraordinary big ball of flame. This was seen all over India. (See Haqiqatul Wahi, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 22, p. 518 for more information)
This incident was talked about a great deal in Indian newspapers. The Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore on 3 April 1907; the newspaper Army News, Ludhiana on 6 April (page 11); the Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore on 6 April all published news on the sighting.
After all these occurrences, on 26 May 1908, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi passed away, according to the prophetic words:
“Very few days are left. On that day all will be saddened. This will happen, this will happen, this will happen. Your event will take place afterwards. Your event will take place after all other happenings and natural wonders have been demonstrated.”
The words, “This will happen, this will happen, this will happen. Your event will take place afterwards”, also connote the three years between the revelation and Hazrat Ahmad’sas demise; that his demise would occur after 1905, 1906 and 1907.
It is sad to see opponents attempting to prove that no incident occurred after the Promised Messiah’sas announcement in Al-Wasiyyat on 24 December 1905 until his demise.
(Research by a panel of scholars at the Research Cell, Rabwah.)
