Future Assured by Divine Promise and Divine Support

In short, the foundations of the New Order were not laid in Russia in 1910 or in any other country, nor will they be laid in future after the present war. As a matter of fact the New Order, which is designed to bring comfort and prosperity to every human being and to safeguard true religion, was founded in 1905. The world is in need of no other New Order. This New Order is not based upon coercion or violence but upon affection and goodwill. It preserves the self-respect of man, fosters intellectual progress and promotes individual initiative and enterprise.

It would not be correct to assume that the money collected under the system can only be spent on the propagation of Islam. I have already quoted Al-Wasiyyat to show that this fund is to be used for the achievement of several objects. The Promised Messiah^(as) has stated that all plans calculated to promote the spread of Islam in the world would be fit objects on which to spend these funds. Only, it was premature to describe those plans in detail. This means clearly that many of these objects could be explained only in the future. When Islam is given practical effect and its beauties began to be appreciated, there will be several purposes on which it would not only be proper but necessary to spend money out of this fund. Further, the Promised Messiah^(as) has drawn attention to the orphans and the needy and has pointed out that they also would be entitled to relief out of this fund. These words point to the Islamic social and economic system under which it is directed that food, clothing, shelter, medical relief and means of education must be provided for every human being. In the circumstances of today this cannot be accomplished by means of taxes alone. It is necessary that wealth and property should be devoted towards this purpose.

It may be objected that we are a small community and that it would be vain to expect that we should be able to give practical effect to the expectations based upon this system. To this my reply is that it is a part of our firm belief and faith that the spread of our Movement has been decreed by God. Under Divine Revelations and in accordance with Divine Promises we firmly believe that in the course of half a century, or a century, Ahmadiyyat is bound to become dominant. We believe equally firmly that the system which was inaugurated by the Promised Messiah^(as) is bound to establish itself successfully. Heaven and earth may pass but God’s Words cannot go unfulfilled.

It is objected sometimes that the progress of the community is so slow that it is not possible to foresee when this New Order may become established. The answer is that a structure which is not raised on firm foundations soon falls to the ground. These hastily constructed social and economic systems which are being advocated today will pass away very quickly. The only system, that will endure, will be the one based upon the willing cooperation of human beings. The grass grows today and withers tomorrow, but the tree which has to yield fruit takes long to grow and then endures for long. As our community grows, this system also will grow with it. The Promised Messiah^(as) has said in Al-Wasiyyat, “Do not think that this is all fancy. This is the decree of the Almighty, the Ruler of the earth and the heavens. I am not worried over how all this property will be collected and how a community will grow up to accomplish all this in the strength of its faith. What I do worry about is lest, after our time, those who are put in charge of these funds should be tempted by their volume and should yield to such temptation and incline towards the world. So I pray that God may continue to provide this Movement with honest and faithful workers who should work for the sake of God, though it would be permissible that in the case of those, who have no other means of subsistence, an allowance may be made out of these funds.”

In other words, he had no fear that there would not be enough to make adequate provision for everybody. He was convinced that large amounts of money and property would become available. What he was afraid of was that people who might be put in charge of these funds might fall into temptation and begin to appropriate these funds for purposes for which they are not meant, and leave unattended purposes to which they ought to be devoted. So, the Promised Messiah^(as) has himself raised this question and given the answer. People say, where will all this money come from? He says it will come without fail. His fear is lest people should begin to love this money for its own sake. He is convinced that money and property will come by millions, so much so that no State — American, Russian, English, German, Italian or Japanese — will ever have had so much wealth and property under its control. He is afraid that this might lead to dishonesty. He, therefore, tells us not to worry as to how this system would be established, but to be diligent in making ourselves fit for it. He has assured us that large amounts of property and wealth will be committed to our care and that we should so train ourselves as to become fit to administer these funds for the true benefit of mankind.

Here I cannot help paying a tribute to the foresight of one who subsequently became my opponent. On the day the Promised Messiah^(as) wrote out his Al-Wasiyyat: he sent the manuscript out and the late Khwajah Kamaluddin Sahib began to read it. Reading the passages which I have just quoted, he was overcome by admiration of the whole scheme and exclaimed, “All praise to you, O Mirza! You have made firm the foundations of Ahmadiyyat.” Khwajah Sahib no doubt appreciated the implications of the scheme to some extent, but not well enough. A careful study of Al-Wasiyyat compels one to exclaim, “All praise to you, O Mirza! You have made firm the foundations of Islam. You have made firm the foundations of humanity.”

O Lord, shower Thy blessings on Muhammad^(sa) and the descendants of Muhammad^(sa) and on Thy servant the Promised Messiah^(as)! Thou art the Master of Praise and Dignity!