Sacred writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian The Promised Messiah & Mehdi
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The Ark of Noah
English Translation of Portions of the Book'Kishti-e-Nooh'
PREFACE: Summary of Kishti-e Nuh (The Ark of Noah):
In the year 1902, the British Government in Hindustan [India] made arrangements on a very vast scale to get the residents of the province of Punjab vaccinated against a prevailing plague epidemic. It was under these circumstances that Hazrat Promised messiah wrote a book titled Kishti-e Nuh, which was published on 5 October 1902. Paralleling the government’s scheme of providing earthly vaccination, in this book Hazrat Promised Messiah has presented a heavenly vaccination, as it were, to the public. The following two pairs of poetic verses were printed very prominently on the title page:
This plague has lacerated the world’s core into fragments, This is not merely a plague, but actually a great upheaval. Come hither soon to seek shelter in our ship, Because this ship has the support of the Knowing God.
At the very outset, Hazrat Promised messiah has gratefully acknowledged the measures taken by the British government to have the masses vaccinated against the plague. However, he has stated:
"With great respect to the compassionate government, I would like to say that had there not been a heavenly prevention for myself, I would have been the first person to get myself vaccinated. ... It is the will of Allah that has led me to abstain personally from getting myself vaccinated, and it is the will of Allah that leads me now to declare that all those taking shelter within the four walls of my house do not need the vaccination either." Following these statements, Hazrat Promised messiah has presented his teachings "in order to answer the inquiry of those who will like to know about the teachings strict obedience to which will save a person from the affliction of the plague". He begins by saying:
"Let it be clear that taking the pledge and merely professing with the lips is meaningless unless it incorporates the conviction of the heart and implementation through good deeds … Let it also be understood that when Allah spoke about granting safety only to those who take shelter within my house, Allah referred to those people who obey me completely and those who have entered my spiritual house; Allah did not refer to those people taking shelter in my temporal house, which consists of sticks and stones." Hazrat Promised messiah has then presented the pure teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, so as to provide the reader with their quintessence. He has discussed the Unity of God and man’s knowledge and concept of God, and the knowledge of and complete obedience to Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This discourse is truly a distillation that has been poured, as it were, into the form of a book. It is quite impossible to summarise it here or to do justice to the force and beauty of the exposition. The reader is referred to the original book. Hazrat Promised Messiah has also strongly urged the members of his Jama‘at [Movement] to seek piety and to inculcate high morals. The passages in which he describes the Greatness of Allah and exhorts his devotees to seek His nearness are unparalleled in their sublimity.
Teachings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani (The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement) Translation of 'Kishti-e-Nooh' ("The Ark of Noah"):
Translator's Note: The following is an attempt to present to the English-speaking world the power, sublimity and spiritual magnetism of the Founder’s teachings, even though some of the grandeur of the original Urdu may have been lost in the translation.
Let it be absolutely clear that a mere verbal pledge has no value if it is not supported by a genuine and firm resolve to live up to it in every way. Therefore, he who fully lives according to my teaching alone enters that house of mine with reference to which Allah, Most High, has promised: I, Myself, shall protect all those who are in this house. It should not, however, be understood here that this Divine protection is extended only to those living within the compass of my house of mud and bricks; the pledge also encompasses those who follow my teaching to the fullest extent, and who, therefore, can truly be said to be the inmates of my spiritual home.
In order to observe my teachings in the proper manner, it is essential that one should firmly believe that there is an All-Powerful, All-Sustaining Supreme Being, that Creator of everything, Changeless, Everlasting and Eternal. He does not beget, nor was He begotten. He is Holy, so that there is no need or occasion for Him to go on the Cross, nor suffer in any way, nor be subject to death. He is such that although He is far removed, He is still very near; and being very near, He is still very far. Although He is One, and absolutely unique, His manifestations are diverse and multifarious. Whenever there occurs in man a transformation, for the changed man He becomes a new God, Who deals with him on the basis of a fresh manifestation. In fact, the man witnesses a change in Allah in proportion to the change in himself – not that there occurs any change in Allah, He being Eternal, Changeless and most perfect in Himself – but with every change in man for the better, Allah also reveals Himself to him in a fresh and clearer manifestation. With every progressive effort on the part of man, Allah also shows Himself with a higher and more powerful manifestation. He displays an extraordinary manifestation of His power and glory only when man shows an extraordinary change in himself. This is the root and the essence of the marvels and miracles witnessed at the hands of all servants of Allah. Belief in this God with these powers is the most essential condition of our Movement. Inculcate this belief in your hearts and give to its implications and requirements the first and topmost priority over all considerations of self, over all comforts and relationships. By means of actions in the field of your daily life and with unflinching courage, show steadfast loyalty in His way.
Others in this world do not give Him preference over material means and the support they hope to get from their friends and relations. But you must give Him the first place so that in heaven you should come to be reckoned as His people.
To show signs of grace is the eternal way of Allah. But you can partake of this blessing only when there remains no difference and no distance between Him and you: only when all your wishes, hopes and desires merge into His will; only when, at all times, in success or failure, in hope or disappointment, you remain in humble prostration at His door, so that He should do with you what He may choose.
If you act like this, in you will appear that God Who for a long time has kept His face concealed from the world. Who is there among you, then, who will act upon this teaching, seeking only His pleasure, without the slightest sense of dissatisfaction against the way His will works?
Even in distress you should put your best foot forward, for this is the secret of your success; and you should strive to the utmost limit of your power to spread the idea of His uniqueness and unity all over the earth.
Golden Qualities:
Be kind and merciful to humanity, for all are His creatures. Do not oppress them with your tongue, or hands, or in any other way. Always work for the good of mankind. Never unduly assert yourselves with pride over others, even those who are placed under you. Never use abusive language to anyone even though he abuses you. Be humble in spirit, kind and gently, and forgiving, sympathetic towards all and wish them well so that you should be accepted.
There are many who pretend to be kind, gently and forgiving, but inside they are wolves. There are many on the outside who look pure, but in their hearts they are serpents; you cannot be accepted in the presence of the Lord unless you are pure, both on the outside and inside.
If you are big, have mercy and not contempt on those who are small; if you are wise and well versed in learning, serve the ignorant with words of wisdom. Never desire to bring disgrace on their ignorance by trying to show off your own learning. If you are rich, instead of treating them with egoistic and scornful pride, you should serve the poor.
Beware of the paths of destruction. Fear the Lord, be righteous and do not worship the creation of Allah. Turn wholly and solely to Him so that you lose interest in this world. Become entirely His, living wholly for His pleasure, for His sweet sake, hating everything impure and sinful for, indeed, He is the Holy One. Every morning should be a witness for you that you spent the night in righteousness, and every evening should be a witness for you that you went through the day with the fear of Allah in your heart.
Do not fear the curses the world may heap on you for they dissolve in the air like smoke and they cannot turn day into night. What you should be afraid of is the curse that comes from Allah, which totally uproots from both the worlds those on whom it falls.
You cannot save yourselves with hypocrisy and pretence because the sight of the God Who is your Lord can penetrate the innermost depths of your being. How, then, can you hope to deceive Him? Therefore, reform yourself and purify and cleanse yourself and be firm and steadfast without a particle of dross anywhere in your being, for if there be any such, it will take away your light. And if in any corner of your heart there be pride, empty pretence, hypocrisy, vanity, love of self, or laziness of disposition, you do not amount to anything acceptable in the sight of the Lord.
Take care that on the basis of a thing or two, which you think you have accomplished, you do not fall into the delusion that you have done all that is needed to be done, for Allah desires that your entire life, your whole being, should undergo a deep and thorough revolution. Indeed, He demands from you that you accept a death, after which He will give you another life. Immediately set right all your differences and make peace among yourselves. Forgive the transgressions of your brothers for, indeed, evil is he who is not willing to make peace with his brother. He will be cut off for he tries to create disruption. Leave off vanity and emphasis on self, and all mutual resentments as well as all unpleasantness.
Though truthful and justified in your stand, be humble in your demeanour as if you were in the wrong, so that you yourself should be treated with forgiveness. Leave off everything which feeds you vanity, for the door you have been invited to enter is not one that will admit a fat person.
How unfortunate is the man who fails to believe in things which proceed from the mouth of Allah and which I have stated to you. If at all you desire that Allah in heaven be pleased with you, hasten to become one among yourselves, as though you were brothers born of the same mother. Only he is most honoured among you who most forgives the transgressions of his brother; and unfortunate is he who remains stubborn and does not forgive. He is not part of me and he has no share with me. Remain in great fear of the curse of Allah, for He is holy, intensely jealous and singular in His holiness. An evil-doer cannot win nearness to Him. No one who is proud can win His nearness, nor can the oppressor and the unjust; nor one who is dishonest, nor anyone who is not jealous for His name.
Those who chase after worldly benefits like dogs, or ants, or vultures swooping blindly on carrion, those who have sought only the luxuries and comforts of life, cannot win nearness to Him. Every impure eye remains far removed from Him; every impure heart remains unaware of Him. For His sake, whoever lives in fire will be saved from the flames. He who weeps for His sake will be made happy, full of laughter and jubilation and he who runs away from this world for His sake will find Him. With the deepest sincerity of heart, with steadfast strength and ardour, become the friends of Allah so that He, too, should become your friend. Show mercy to your subordinates, be kind to your spouses and to your brethren who are poor, so that in heaven you, too, may be received with mercy. Be true and sincere to Him so that He, too, should be yours.
This world is a place of thousands of evils, tribulations and trials. In all sincerity and steadfastness of heart hold fast to Allah so that He may keep these evils, tribulations and trials away from you.
No evil and no distress takes its birth on this earth without a decree from Heaven to that effect, and no distress is lifted until mercy descends from Heaven. Therefore, wisdom on your part lies in this - that you take firm hold of the root and not the branches.
It is not forbidden to you to have recourse to remedies or to make plans. What is forbidden is that you place your entire reliance on them. In all circumstances it is Allah’s will that will ultimately be done, and for one who has the power to take his stand on this point, the position of faith in and reliance on Allah is the best of all positions.
Those who do Honour to the Holy Quran shall be Honoured in Heaven:
For you, another very essential teaching is this, that you do not treat the Holy Quran like a book that has been forsaken, since it is in this Book, and nowhere else, that your life lies. Those who do honour to this Holy Book will be honoured in heaven. Those who hold the Holy Quran superior to every tradition (hadith) and every other word will be given preference in heaven. Throughout the world, there is now no Book for mankind except the Holy Quran; for humanity there is no Messenger and no Mediator except Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. So strive in order to cherish the purest love for this Prophet of power and glory and give no one else any kind of preference over him, so that you may be recorded in heaven as those who have been saved. And very clearly bear in mind that salvation is not something that you will experience in the life after death. The real and true salvation is only that which shows its light in this very life. Who is the saved one? Only he who maintains a firm faith that the living God is a reality, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the Mediator between Allah and mankind; that under the skies there is no equal to him in rank and elevation, nor any Book to rival the Holy Quran; that for no one else did Allah wish that he should live forever, but only for this blessed Prophet He did so wish; that to keep him alive forever He laid the foundation for continuing the benefit of his Shari‘ah (Law) and his spiritual blessings to the Day of Resurrection. And at long last, from the flow of his spiritual benefits for mankind, he sent the Promised Messiah to this world whose advent was indispensable for the completion of the structure of Islam for it was necessary that this world should not come to an end before the Movement of Muhammad was given the colour of a spiritual Messiah, the same as was given to the Movement of Prophet Moses. This is what the following verse of the Holy Quran points to: Guide us in the right path The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.(Chapter 1 Al-Fatihah,6-7 ).
Prophet Moses received the treasure which had been lost by the earlier ages, and Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) received the treasure which the Movement of Prophet Moses had been unfortunate enough to lose. Now the Movement of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stands in the place of the Movement of Prophet Moses, but such that in grandeur the like of Moses exceeds him a thousand times, while the like of the Messiah in the Movement of Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) excels Prophet Jesus’ by a thousand measures. And not only did the Promised Messiah of the Muhammadi Movement come, in terms of time, exactly in the fourteenth century after the Holy Prophet, as Jesus had appeared fourteen centuries after Moses, but he also came at a time when the condition of the Muslims of the day was identical with that of the Jews in the time of Prophet Jesus. Therefore, I alone am the Promised Messiah, and no one else. Whoever enters into sincere bai‘at with me and becomes my follower from the bottom of his heart, and is so engrossed in his obedience to me as to forsake all his own personal desires for him alone in these days of great distress, my soul will desire to intercede.
So, all you people who are reckoned as members of my community, in heaven you will be counted as members of my following only when in all truth you actually begin to advance on the paths of righteousness. Offer your five daily obligatory prayers with such concentration and awe of mind as though you were seeing Allah in front of you with your physical eyes. Observe the days of fasting in full sincerity for the sake of Allah. All those among you who are eligible to pay zakah should never fail to fulfil this important obligation; and those on whom the pilgrimage to Makkah has become obligatory, without any obstacles standing in the way, should duly undertake that blessed journey. Do all good deeds with the proper care they deserve whilst forsaking evil from a real repulsion of the heart. Be very, very much aware that no action whatsoever can take you to Allah if it is devoid of righteousness of the heart. The root of everything good is taqwa (fear of God). If taqwa is the mainspring of any deed, that action will never be void or futile. It is necessary, too, that you be tried by being thrown into diverse griefs and distresses, even as those before you were tried. Be, therefore, forewarned lest you stumble when the time comes. The earth, with everything in it, can inflict no injury on you provided your contact with heaven is firm.
Whenever any injury comes to you, it wil