Arsalan Ahmed, Missionary, Newfoundland
Today, we rely on cellphones, the internet, and satellite communication to connect with people across the globe in mere seconds. Yet few pause to consider: Was this unprecedented connectivity foretold in divine scripture? The answer is a resounding yes. The Holy Quran, more than 1,400 years ago, prophesied the advent of an era in which human souls would be brought together – an age of global interconnection and spiritual renaissance.
This prophecy is found in Surah at-Takwir:
وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ
“And when the people are brought together.” (Ch.81: V.8)
According to the explanation of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, this verse refers to the advent of the Promised Messiah in the Latter Days, when novel modes of communication and transportation would unify humanity. Remarkably, the foundation of long-distance wireless communication – the very technology that underpins our mobile devices today – was established during his lifetime.
The Arabic word “zuwwijat” connotes “paired” or “joined.” While classical exegetes often interpret this in the context of resurrection or spiritual coupling, the Promised Messiahas offers a more expansive and profound elucidation. He asserted that this verse heralds a time when people would be interconnected through technological innovations, particularly in the realm of communication. He wrote:
“This refers to the relations between various nations and countries. It means that owing to the opening up of new routes, the availability of mailing services and the telegraph, mutual communication between people will increase. One nation will meet another and build far-reaching relationships and trade alliances, and friendly relationships between distant countries will be fostered.” (Testimony of the Holy Quran, pp. 33-34)
This interpretation aligns seamlessly with the sweeping transformations that unfolded during his lifetime – railways, telegraphs, and eventually wireless communication revolutionised the way humans interacted across the globe.
A historic fulfilment in Newfoundland
124 years ago, on 12 December 1901, the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal at Signal Hill, St John’s, Newfoundland, transmitted from Cornwall, England. This marked the first instance in human history where a message traversed the ocean without any physical conduit – no wires, no ships, no paper.
This moment signified the genesis of long-distance wireless communication, laying the groundwork for radio, television, and ultimately the internet and mobile phones. It was a technological watershed – but for those who contemplate the Quran, it was also a spiritual vindication.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was alive during this epochal event and had already proclaimed that such signs would distinguish the age of the Promised Messiah. The fact that this historic signal was received in Newfoundland, where I now serve as a missionary, imbues this prophecy’s fulfilment with a deeply personal resonance.
Before Marconi’s breakthrough, transoceanic communication necessitated physical conveyance – letters ferried by ships or messages transmitted via undersea cables. But with this innovation, the world began to contract. People could now connect across continents in real time, actualising the Quranic vision of a unified humanity.
Indeed, wireless communication has been the foremost catalyst for bringing people together. Today, with just a few taps on our cellphones, we can see and speak with our loved ones – no matter where they are in the world. What once seemed miraculous is now routine, yet its spiritual significance remains profound.
Technology as a spiritual sign
The prophecy “when the people are brought together,” speaks to a profound metamorphosis in human connectivity. For centuries, oceans segregated civilisations, and communication across continents was sluggish, expensive, and dependent on tangible media. But in the era of the Promised Messiahas, this barrier was decisively dismantled.
Marconi’s signal was not merely a scientific milestone – it was a literal manifestation of Quranic prophecy. For the first time, human voices and messages could traverse vast distances invisibly, uniting people instantaneously.
This technological leap did not occur in isolation – it was part of a divinely orchestrated epoch, wherein the physical convergence of people mirrored the spiritual mission of the Promised Messiahas: to unite mankind under the banner of Islam and the love of God.
Newfoundland: A land of fulfilment
As a missionary in Newfoundland, I perceive this land not merely as a place of residence but as a terrain of prophecy. Signal Hill is more than a historical landmark – it is a testament to the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas and a living miracle of the Holy Quran.
It is profoundly moving to contemplate that this remote corner of the world played a pivotal role in fulfilling a divine promise. The soil of Newfoundland bore witness to the moment when humanity was first “brought together” through wireless communication, just as the Quran had foretold.
A call to reflection
Today, we take global communication for granted. But behind every cellphone call, every internet message, and every satellite broadcast lies a spiritual reality: the Quran prophesied this age, and it was fulfilled in the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas.
Let us reflect upon these signs and recognise the divine wisdom that continues to unfold around us. The prophecy of Surah at-Takwir is not a relic of antiquity – it is a living testament. Its fulfilment through Marconi’s wireless signal in Newfoundland is a reminder that the Quran speaks to every age, and that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was indeed the one foretold by Allah and His Messengersa.
Today, thousands of tourists visit Signal Hill each year, drawn by its panoramic vistas, military heritage, and the story of Marconi’s groundbreaking wireless transmission. But few discern the deeper truth – that this hill is not merely a monument to scientific ingenuity, but a silent witness to the fulfilment of a divine prophecy.
And it was on this very hilltop in Newfoundland that the foundation of long-distance wireless communication was laid during the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas. While tourists marvel at the brilliance of Marconi, they remain unaware that this technological leap was also a spiritual milestone, echoing the words of the Quran and affirming the truth of a prophet sent by God.
