The Essence of Islam – Volume I — Page 30
blind is in need of knowing something of the heavenly kingdom and needs to see some signs of the existence and power of God in Whom he believes. The signs of a past age cannot suffice for a subsequent age, for hearing is not the same as seeing and, by the passage of time, past events become like stories. Every new century, in a manner of speaking, starts a new world. Therefore, the God of Islām, Who is the True God, manifests new signs for each new world. At the beginning of each century, especially at the beginning of a century which has strayed far away from faith and integrity and is envel- oped in many darknesses, He raises a substitute Prophet in the mirror of whose nature is exhibited the form of a Prophet. Such a one demonstrates to the world the excel- lences of the Prophet whose follower he is and convicts all opponents through the truth and the display of reality and the frustration of falsehood. [Ā'īna-e-Kamālāt-e-Islām, Rūķānī Khazā'in, Vol. 5, pp. 245-247] The sign of a true religion is that through its teaching such righteous ones should continue to arise who should arrive at the stage of a Muhaddath to whom God Al- mighty should speak face to face. The first and foremost sign of the truth of Islam is that at all times it produces such righteous ones with whom God Almighty talks: تتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَئِكَةُ إِلَّا تَخَافُوا وَ لَا تَحْزَنُوا 16 This alone is the test of a true, living and acceptable re- ligion. We know that this light is to be found only in Islām and that the Christian faith is without such light. [Hujjat-ul-Islām, Rūķānī Khazā'in, Vol. 6, p. 43] 16 Angels descend on them, saying: 'Fear ye not, nor grieve. ' Hã Mīm al-Sajdah, 41:31 [Publisher]