Your Honour has averred in several of your announcements that the world is not subjected to divine chastisement because of corruption in religion but because of insolence, mischief, and ridicule levelled at the Messengers [of God]. Now you have designated the recent earthquakes in San Francisco and elsewhere as Sign in your support. One fails to understand how these earthquakes have been caused by the rejection of your claim.
Answer: I have never said that all these earthquakes in San Francisco and other places have been caused only because of the rejection of my claim and that no other factor has played any role in it. But, of course, I do say that the rejection of my claim has been the cause for the occurrence of these earthquakes. The fact of the matter is that all the Prophets of God agree that divine practice has always been operative such that when the world commits sins of all kinds and when a variety of their sins piles up, it is then that God commissions someone from Himself, but a part of the world rejects him. It is then that the Messenger’s advent becomes a catalyst for the punishment of the other mischievous people, too, who have already qualified as being guilty. It is not necessary for a person who is punished for his earlier sins to be aware that a Prophet or Messenger of Allah has been raised in the world in that age.
As Allah the Exalted says:
Thus, I meant no more than to say that the rejection of my claim could possibly be the cause of these earthquakes. This indeed has ever been the practice of God that no one can deny.
Hence, although the real cause of the chastisement of the residents of San Francisco and of other places, who have died due to the earthquake and other calamities, was their past sins, these earthquakes that killed them constituted a Sign of my truth. The reason is that since the beginning it has been the way of Allah that the mischievous are killed at the time of the advent of a Messenger. And also because in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and many other books of mine I had foretold that in my time many extraordinary earthquakes and other calamities shall strike the world and the world shall witness widespread destruction. Thus, there is no doubt that, subsequent to my prophecies, the occurrences of a series of earthquakes and other calamities in the world is a Sign of my truth. Keep in mind that, regardless of which part of the world a Messenger of God is rejected in, other offenders are also apprehended at the time of that rejection, including those who happen to live in other countries and have not even heard of that Messenger. This is what happened in the time of Nuh [Noah] that an entire world was overtaken by chastisement due to the rejection of a single people. Indeed, not even animals and birds were spared in that chastisement.
In short, this is how the way of Allah operates. When the repudiation of one who is truthful exceeds all limits or when he is persecuted, the world is visited by a variety of calamities. All the divine Scriptures testify to this and the Holy Quran also affirms it. For example, the land of Egypt was overtaken by calamities of different kinds because of the repudiation of Hadrat Musa. There was a rain of lice, of frogs, and of blood and there was a widespread famine, although people who lived in remote places in the land of Egypt had not even heard of Hadrat Musa nor were they guilty of any sin in this regard. Moreover, the firstborn of all Egyptians were killed. Pharaoh remained safe from these calamities for quite some time, whereas those who were simply unaware were the first to be killed. Also, in the days of Hadrat ‘Isa, those who had tried to kill Hadrat ‘Isa by crucifixion were not hurt at all and continued to live in comfort, but after as many as forty years when that century was drawing to a close, thousands of Jews were slain by Titus of Rome. Moreover, the plague also broke out. The Holy Quran affirms that this chastisement was solely due to [the rejection of ] Hadrat ‘Isa.
Similarly, in the days of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, there was a seven-year famine. It was mostly the poor who died in this famine, and the principal leaders, who were the real mischief-mongers and persecutors, remained safe from retribution for a certain period. To sum up, the divine practice is operative such that whenever someone comes from God and he is rejected, a variety of calamities descends from the heavens, and mostly those are seized who have nothing to do with this rejection. Then gradually the leaders of the disbelievers are apprehended. The turn of big mischief-mongers comes in the end. It is this point at which the Holy Quran indicates in the verse:
Meaning that, slowly but surely, We continue to come closer to the earth.
This statement of mine contains the answer to the objections raised by some ignorant people who allege that it was the maulawis who had pronounced the verdict of disbelief, but the poor people died of the plague and thousands belonging to the hills of Kangra and mountain of Bhagsu perished in the earthquake. What was their fault? What rejection were they guilty of ? Beware, therefore, that when any Messenger of God is rejected, whether it is done by a particular people or is in a particular part of the land, jealousy of God Almighty is aroused to send down a widespread chastisement, and calamities descend from the heavens in general. And often it so happens that the real culprits, who are the actual source of mischief, are caught later, just as Pharaoh remained unharmed by the Signs of divine wrath, which Hadrat Musa showed in his presence. Only the poor perished. But in the end, God drowned Pharaoh along with his hordes. This is the way of God which no knowledgeable person can deny!
1 We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:16). [Publisher]
2 Surah ar-Ra‘d, 13:42 [Publisher]
