The Call of Heaven

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HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD The Call of Heaven

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HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD The Call of Heaven

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The Call of Heaven By Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad Khalifatul-Masih II Present English Edition: UK 2019 ©Islam International Publications Ltd.No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, copying or information storage and retrieval systems without permission of the publisher.Published by: Islam International Publications Ltd.Unit 3, Bourne Mill Business Park, Guildford Road, Farnham, Surrey UK, GU9 9PS United Kingdom Printed and bound by:

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The Call of Heaven is a short essay written by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra in 1933 which explains the importance of divine revelation as a sign of the truth of a claimant of prophethood.

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1 ِ اَعُوْذُ بِہللِ مَِ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْم 2 ِ نَْمَدُ ہٗ وَنُصَلِّْ عَٰ رَسُوْلِہِ الْکَرِیْم ِ بِسْمِ للاِّٰ الرَّحْٰنِ الرَّحِیْم 3 ُِ ھُوَ النَّاص دا ےک لضف اور رمح ےک اسھت.خ � 4 ر ےہ وہ آےئ اگ ااجناکم ی خ سج یک رطفت � ارا اکم آج ہ ا ےہ � خ ی � ہ ر رطف آواز د� 5 ی زم د ی م�یگ�و� ت ت اول� اں ش خ � �بارد آامسں I say to those who will listen: where does guide you? A mother does not 1 I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed.[Publishers] 2 In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.We praise Allah, the Exalted, the Greatest, and we invoke His blessings on His Holy Messenger sa.[Publishers] 3 By the grace and mercy of God Almighty—He alone is the Helper.[Publishers] 4 Our task is only to proclaim the message, the virtuous will accept it in the end.Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya , Part V, Ruhani Khaza’in , Vol.21, p.137 [Publishers] 5 From heaven rain down signs as the cries ‘now or never’.Tohfa-e-Golarhviyyah , Ruhani Khaza’in , Vol.17, p.155 [Publishers]

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‑ 2 ‑ neglect her children.How can God Almighty neglect His people? Your instruments—your flutes, drums and conches—have raised a din.Be silent! For now your creator speaks to you.Blessed are you who live on the earth.Heaven has opened its doors for you.And blessed are you who dwell in darkness.The sun of spiritual life rises from the eastern horizon.The same message of hope delivered 1300 years ago is proclaimed again today; the pure teaching of tauhid (oneness of God) is conveyed again as it once was before.Do those who profess to love Muhammad sa not recognise the voice of their beloved? Listen to what the most handsome of all beings has to say: Heed the one who comes in my name and convey to him my greetings.And even if you have to crawl on your knees

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‑ 3 ‑ over mountains of ice, go to him still.But alas you have given little thought to this, and you reject the voice of one who calls you not from himself, but in the name of his master—Muhammad sa.He has raised this cry in the towns, but it was as though a cry in the jungle.And this was so that a previous prophecy—‘listen to him who cries in the wilderness’—could be fulfilled.Do you consider yourselves free of fault? Or do you think that the soul of the Holy Prophet sa will not suffer at your plight? Perhaps you labour under these misapprehensions.Sadly, both these errors hinder you from hearing the voice raised in the name of the Prophet Muhammad sa.If this is the case, then in the first instance, do you not overestimate your own virtue, and in the second instance, do you not belittle the Prophet’s sa concern for your predicament?

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‑ 4 ‑ Remember that the pages of history bear witness to the fact that no community of heaven was brought to life, except through the voice of God Almighty.When the Hindus were recipients of His word; who raised them to the pinnacle of their glory? Was it not Krishna as , Ramchandar as or Buddha as ? Or was it instead a worldly leader? Who awakened the Jews? Was it not the likes of David as , Elijah as , Daniel as and Jesus as ? Or was it a self-appointed guide [from among them]? Think not that mortal voices can rouse the Muslims, without the sounding of the horn of heaven? Those souls that come from heaven hear only the divine voice.You all know there are people who say that Mr Gandhi is the greatest man on earth; but even he sought refuge in heaven and declared that he followed the divine voice.He said that revelation touched him and he had no choice but to accept its lead.But you also know that

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‑ 5 ‑ when the same Gandhi, whom the world esteemed, rushed to describe the voice of his heart as the voice of God Almighty, the influence of his words waned.The grace of God Almighty, which had attended him on account of his determined efforts as a servant of his nation, was snatched away.He is now as one who gropes in darkness and sees not a glimmer of light.This shows that even Mr Gandhi recog- nised that only the voice of God Almighty can save the world from disaster.Yet one can also see that to claim to hear the word of God is no small thing.Those who are false or make haste in their claims are bereft of divine support.And this is just the latest testimony in support of the truth of the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community, who for more than 40 years declared that he was the recipient of divine discourse.In all this time, not

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‑ 6 ‑ a single day dawned which did not bring with it progress and success and in which new pathways of divine help were not opened.What a momentous sign! On the one hand, you have an individual who in a state of complete anonymity claims that God Almighty has spoken to him; thereafter, he succeeds in all his endeavours.On the other, you have an individual who is esteemed by all of society to such a degree that people hold him in higher regard than the prophets.He too makes the same claim.But, from that moment forth he is reduced to misery, the strength of action abandons him and he is left confounded by his circumstances.Do these two examples not prove the truth of the Qur’anic law according to which a false claimant—unless they are the victim of a grievous error—is bound to incur divine wrath; whereas the true chosen ones of God Almighty always receive His support.They

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‑ 7 ‑ continue to succeed despite all opposition to them.Thus this is a fresh sign from God, which He has caused to descend from heaven, to prove to you the truth of the Promised Messiah as and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community.If only you could perceive this so that God would look upon you with pity and transform your present state.Listen then those who will! A voice raised by heaven is no ordinary thing.The greatest source of pride a person can have is to be remembered by their creator; and the greatest danger one can face is to turn a deaf ear to the word of God Almighty or be unmindful of it.Therefore, be warned and amend your idle ways.Listen to and accept the voice raised by God in heaven, in the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , to awaken humankind from their slumber and to revive Islam and re-establish its teachings in the world.

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‑ 8 ‑ Remember that to tarry in accepting the truth is to delay the hour of progress and to afford the enemies of Islam the opportunity to ridicule and defile it.God Almighty calls to you from heaven, while on the earth your own hearts bear witness that they no longer possess the truth of Islam.It can only be restored through external help.Why then do you not turn towards the voice of God Almighty? Why do you not look upon the state of your hearts? Do you require a greater testimony in this world than the verdict of your own hearts, and a greater testimony in heaven than the decision taken by God Almighty? Can those who deal in falsehood receive the kind of support which the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community received from God? Can a community founded by an imposter, ever be endowed with the zeal to serve Islam, in the way that distinguishes the followers of the Promised Messiah as ? Do you

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‑ 9 ‑ think that those who follow a liar can succeed in propagating Islam in the same way that the Ahmadiyya Community has? And after seeing the fate of Mr Gandhi following his claim to have spoken with God, do you consider such proclamations a thing of insignificance and that God does not punish false claimants? If not, it is your duty to forgo your cowardice and indifference, and enter the fold of the Ahmadiyya Community with true courage to serve the cause of Islam and its founder through the sacrifice of your lives and wealth.Do not tarry, for every minute that is delayed is a grave danger.Again, I say to those of you who possess erudition and understanding, can there be a more emphatic worldly testament than that of your inner heart? Be honest with yourselves and truthfully admit that your hearts bear witness that you have deviated far from Islam, and that today [the faith of the Holy Prophet sa ]

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‑ 10 ‑ is not receiving the same assistance from God Almighty as it did in the past.If this is the truth, as it most certainly is, then do not seek to conceal it and squander any justness you might have had.You may be able to deceive others, but you cannot deceive yourselves.Your affairs rest with Allah the Exalted Who knows what dwells within the hearts of people.Worldly prestige is nothing; true honour is that which comes from God Almighty.What shame is there in accepting the truth? Therefore, do not tarry and accept the truth, so that the hour of Islam’s victory might draw near.The voice raised by the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community is not his own, but has been raised for the glory of the Holy Prophet sa.Know also that he spoke not of his own accord, but through the will of God Almighty.So heed the call of God for your own entreaties to be heard.Listen to the one who speaks in the name of the Holy

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‑ 11 ‑ Prophet sa so that your own names may be honoured and blessed.And the conclusion of our prayer shall be, all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.With Humility, Mirza Mahmud Ahmad Khalifatul-Masih II Qadian

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Short Essays Series of HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD Islam The Future World Religion Khilafat Keeps Prophethood Alive The Beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

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