Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 337
APPENDIX TO BARĀHIN-E-AHMADIYYA PART FIVE 337 all. At last that prophecy was fulfilled when Abū Jahl's son 'Ikrimah became a Muslim. On another occasion, he made a long journey from Madīnah to Makkah in conformity to a divine revelation in which the glad tiding was given that he would enter Makkah and make a tawaf [circuit] of the Ka'bah. The time had not been disclosed. However, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, suffered the hardship of that journey only on account of his inter- pretation, but that interpretation did not prove correct and he could not enter Makkah. So here an error was made in understanding the prophecy due to which some of his Companions were put in a trial. Similarly, God had informed Hadrat 'Īsā [Jesus], may peace be upon him, that he would be a king. He took this revelation to mean a worldly kingdom and on that very basis Hadrat 'Isā ordered his disciples to buy arms by selling their clothes. Eventually, however, it turned out to be a misunderstanding of Hadrat Īsā and that the kingdom implied heavenly kingdom and not the kingdom of the earth. The essential point is that a Prophet too is a mortal, and it is not a blemish for him if he happens to be mistaken in his interpretation. He is not, however, allowed to persist in the error and, at some point, he is necessarily informed of his error. The prophecy of a Prophet should always be viewed with regard to its extraordinary import. The greatness and the significance of the prophecy does not suffer the least if the prophecy is not fulfilled in one specific way; rather, it is fulfilled in another manner. However, the essential ele- ment of the prophecy-namely, its extraordinary import-is evident in this second aspect as well; and, at the occurrence of the event, every rea- sonable person realizes that the true meaning of the prophecy was indeed the one that the unfolding event had itself revealed. To unfairly object to it is tantamount to mischief, dishonesty, and obduracy. HIS STATEMENT-To make an ambiguous statement that some calamity is about to come without specifying its nature and timing is not a prophecy but is mockery. And anyone can make such a statement.