M Adam Ahmad, Al Hakam
Our lives are experiencing constant changes and becoming increasingly complex by the day. The world is going through a critical phase of social, racial, political, economic and natural unrest and turmoil. The current pandemic has also shown us that we have no control over anything. Everyone is seeking answers to contemporary problems, but confusion is on the rise.
A comprehensive global solution is needed to curb the rapidly growing issues of modern time. Many great minds and men of exceptional qualities have tried to figure out a way to bring inner peace and satisfaction to mankind, but have thus far failed to do so.
God Almighty had promised a universal saviour for restoring justice and bringing harmony in the lives of His creation. The prophecy of his coming and the signs of his age were present in the books and scriptures of religions across the globe. Accordingly, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, appeared in the East, Qadian, India. As prophesied, he made every possible effort to unite mankind and reestablish justice and peace in the world.
The guidance presented by the Promised Messiahas serves as the perfect solution for the problems of contemporary society as he was the chosen one of God, who was sent to put an end to this global unrest.
The Promised Messiahas came to revive Islam and restore the teachings of Islam to their original condition for they are complete and perfect to bring mankind back on track.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“The teaching of Islam is so coherent that it keeps every human faculty in balance, precisely at its appropriate place, and nurtures it; this is a magnificent miracle of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Other teachings are not the same; it is as if they lack certain sensory organs, as it were. As such, all other teachings are deficient or inadequate. Only the teaching of Islam is fully formed. The unity of God, His attributes, prophethood, lofty morals, the perfection of the inner self etc. and everything else that man requires have been expounded by Islam so perfectly and lucidly that no lengthy debates are needed in this respect.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, pp. 6-7)
Irreligiousness has engulfed the world and people have lost sight of their Creator. To counter this challenge, the Promised Messiahas reestablished tawhid, i.e. the unity of God, as it had been corrupted by the introduction of various practices and ideas which constituted to shirk [attributing partners to Allah]. Moreover, the Promised Messiahas stressed that only a prophet of God could perform this service and people could truly believe in tawhid only through him.
The Promised Messiahas states:
“How can a person be called a muwahhid [a believer in the One God] if he considers any of his own faculties to be at par with God, the Maker? This is why the Holy Quran, at several places, ties perfect tawhid to following in the footsteps of the messenger, because perfect tawhid means a new life. It is not possible to attain salvation unless and until one brings death upon one’s baser life by becoming the follower of the messenger of God.” (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation [English translation of Haqiqatul Wahi], p. 175)
The Promised Messiahas further said:
“Tawhid is a light which arises within the heart after negating outer and inner [false] deities, and it permeates every particle of the person. How can it be acquired by anyone on his own, without the medium of God and His messenger? Man’s obligation is only that he should impose a death upon his ego and should discard the satanic vanity that he is well-versed in knowledge. He should deem himself ignorant and should remain occupied in supplication. Then the light of tawhid would descend upon him from God, bestowing a new life upon him.” (Ibid)
Then, the Promised Messiahas has advised the people of the world to establish a bond with their Creator to achieve individual peace and satisfaction of heart.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“Islam is the blazing fire that burns up our life and, consuming our false deities, presents the sacrifice of our life and our property and our honour to our Holy God. Entering it, we drink the water of a new life and all our spiritual faculties establish such a relationship with God as subsists between kindred.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, p. 133)
In order to save oneself from anxiety and depression, the Promised Messiahas advises us to never let any worldly pleasure or desire come between us and the love of God Almighty. The Promised Messiahas said:
“My friends must never lose sight of the fact that man should not lose himself and become intoxicated in the love and passion of wealth and riches, or in a woman or son, to the extent that they become a screen between him and God Almighty. This is why wealth and children have been termed a ‘trial.’ These too can lead a person to hell; and when a person is separated from them, man displays extreme anxiety and restlessness.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, pp. 274)
Moreover, the Promised Messiahas reestablished man’s faith in the communion of God Almighty. He emphasised that God still speaks as He used to speak in the past and this is a way of meeting Him and acquiring a new holy life.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“Through our complete surrender to the will of God, our passions are killed and through supplication, we acquire new life. This second life is signalised by the receiving of revelation. Arriving at this stage is interpreted as meeting with God; in other words, beholding God. At this stage, a person establishes a relationship with God by virtue of which he becomes as if he were beholding God, and he is invested with power and all his senses and his inner faculties are illumined and he feels the strong pull of a holy life.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, p. 133)
The Promised Messiahas explained that it is after this holy communion that God becomes a person’s eyes with which they see, and becomes their tongue with which they speak, and becomes their hands with which they safeguard themselves from enemies, and becomes their ears with which they hear, and becomes their feet with which they walk. Consequently, the person achieves nearness of God and He Himself saves them from every kind of catastrophe and despair.
The Promised Messiahas calls the attention of people towards the attribute of mercifulness of God Almighty and encourages all and sundry to seek His mercy without being hopeless. The Promised Messiahas summarised what God says in the Holy Quran in this regard:
“O My servants, do not despair of Me. I am Ever Merciful and Benevolent and cover up sins and forgive them and am more Merciful towards you than anyone else. No one will have mercy on you as I have. Love Me more than you love your fathers for I am greater in love than they are. If you come to Me, I shall forgive all your sins and if you repent, I shall accept your repentance. If you advance towards Me slowly, I shall run to you. He who seeks Me shall find Me and he who turns to Me shall find My door open. I forgive the sins of a penitent even if they are more than the mountains. My mercy upon you is great and My wrath is little because you are My creation. I have created you and therefore My mercy encompasseth all of you.” (Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 250; Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 56)
The Promised Messiahas also draws our attention towards repentance and prayers to save ourselves from all sorts of calamities.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“Repentance and prayer at times of calamities have proven beneficial for man; that is, a calamity is deferred through repentance and seeking forgiveness, just as the punishment of the nation of Prophet Jonah was deferred. In the same way, the punishment of Israelites was deferred several times through the prayers of Prophet Moses. There were disbelievers who had severely persecuted Islam and Muslims, so much so that women and children were killed. God subjected them to the punishment of the sword, but then gave them reprieve due to their seeking forgiveness, repentance and acceptance of truth. It was the same eternal way of God which has been observed throughout history.” (A Gift for the Queen [English translation of Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah], p. 10)
Referring to the sudden increase in natural disasters and the need of repentance, the Promised Messiahas states:
“The plague is virtually proclaiming that the days of doom are close at hand, and on the other, such extraordinary earthquakes as had never hit this land before are announcing that the wrath of God is raging upon the earth. New calamities descend with great frequency, indicating that there is a change in the world order. It seems God Almighty intends to unleash some great terrible calamity.
“I am informed beforehand of every calamity that appears and I publicise it through newspapers, periodicals, or posters. Thus, I exhort again and again towards repentance, for the earth is about to be visited by so many calamities as if a sudden dark sandstorm is approaching as happened in the days of Pharaoh.” (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation [English translation of Haqiqatul Wahi], p. 239)
At another place, the Promised Messiahas said:
“How fortunate are those who cleanse their hearts and purify them of every impurity and swear an oath of loyalty to their God, for they will never be destroyed. It is not possible that God should humiliate them, for they are God’s and God is theirs. They will be safeguarded at the time of every calamity. Foolish is the enemy who moves against them, for they are in the lap of God and enjoy His support.” (Noah’s Ark, p. 32)
Another solution to contemporary problems presented by the Promised Messiahas is to foster brotherhood and love among ourselves. We should be kind to our fellow human beings and forsake mutual dissensions. We should treat one another with respect and give preference to the comfort of others over ourselves. This will create an atmosphere of harmony and establish peace among every nation and race of the world.
Injustice and hatred is also an underlying cause of rising conflict and disorder in this world. The Promised Messiahas said:
“Do not let enmity of any sort prevent you from dispensing justice. Unite with each other. Do not be mean to one another and do not show envy, prejudice, jealousy and cold-heartedness. There are two significant commandants of the Holy Quran. The first is unity of God, His love and obedience to Him, exalted be His name. The second is to treat your brothers and fellow beings with kindness.” (Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, p. 550)
Hence, the message of the Promised Messiahas is to follow the true teachings of Islam by believing in the unity of God and establishing a pure relationship with Him. Our lives will become peaceful if we are kind, tolerant and just with each other. We must shun every evil to live a happy life.