Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Abstract

The Holy Qur’an has long been regarded by Muslims as a scripture of inexhaustible wisdom, whose depths cannot be fully sounded by any single individual or generation. This article introduces Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (1835–1908), the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and examines his perspective that the Qur’an’s wonders and insights are essentially unlimited. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad argued that the Qur’an is matchless not only in its literary beauty but in all its qualities – an infinite fountain of truths that can never be exhausted[1]. We present his own words on the subject, along with viewpoints of other Islamic scholars (classical and modern) which similarly affirm that Qur’anic commentary and understanding will continually expand over time. These perspectives collectively underscore that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad should be seen as one teacher of the Qur’an among many, rather than the sole teacher of this holy scripture. The commentary and insights of the Qur’an have never been confined to one person – not even to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ or the earliest generations – and will continue to unfold through successive scholars and teachers for centuries to come[2][3]. In conclusion, the Quranic text is a living miracle with limitless meanings, and each era yields new interpretations without exhausting its treasures. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s contributions exemplify this ongoing tradition of tafsīr (exegesis), reinforcing the Islamic belief that the Qur’an’s guidance remains ever-relevant and its wisdom ever-renewing for all of humanity.

Introduction: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Quranic Scholarship

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian was a prominent 19th-century Indian Muslim scholar and reformer who founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889[4]. Revered by his followers as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, he devoted his life to defending Islam and the Holy Qur’an at a time when both were under intense criticism from Christian missionaries and Orientalists in British India[5][6]. Born in 1835 and educated in Arabic and Persian, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad emerged as a prolific author, writing over eighty books and pamphlets on Islam. A central theme in his writings was the miraculous nature of the Qur’an – its literary excellence, fulfilled prophecies, and profound harmony with rationality and scientific truth. He engaged in public debates with clerics and missionaries, consistently using Qur’anic arguments to demonstrate the superiority of Islamic teachings[7][8].

Crucially, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad asserted that the Holy Qur’an is a living scripture, not a static artifact of history. In his view, God’s word in the Qur’an continues to yield fresh insights and guidance in every age. He positioned himself as a reviver (mujaddid) of Islam for his era – a divinely guided teacher raised to rejuvenate understanding of the faith[9]. However, he was always careful to acknowledge the continuity of Qur’anic teaching: that he was following in the footsteps of earlier authorities and that many more teachers would continue to emerge after him by God’s grace. The Qur’an’s truths, he taught, are inexhaustible; therefore, no single teacher – himself included – can ever claim to have grasped all its meanings. This philosophy is vividly reflected in his writings, where he emphasizes the unlimited nature of the Qur’an’s knowledge and the need for ongoing exegesis.

In the sections that follow, we will first present an extensive quotation from Mirza Ghulam Ahmad articulating the concept of the Qur’an’s limitless excellences. We will then compare this with insights from other Islamic thinkers, classical and modern, showing that the notion of the Qur’an’s unending wisdom is well-grounded in Islamic thought. Finally, we will argue that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad represents one exemplary teacher among many in Islam’s rich history of Qur’an commentary (tafāsīr), rather than a solitary authority – reinforcing the idea that the Qur’an will continue to be taught and elucidated by countless voices in the future.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on the Inexhaustible Qualities of the Qur’an

In Karamat-ul-Sadiqin (1893), one of his seminal works, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad eloquently describes why the Holy Qur’an is unique and inimitable on account of its infinite qualities and wisdom. He argues that anything originating from the Infinite God must itself be limitless and matchless in all aspects. The following is a direct quote from his writings, in which he expounds this idea with a vivid analogy and scriptural proof:

The Holy Qur’an is not matchless merely on account of the beauty of its composition, but is matchless on account of all its excellences which it claims to comprise and that is the truth, for whatever proceeds from God Almighty is not unique only on account of one quality but on account of every one of its qualities. Those who do not accept the Holy Qur’an as comprehensive of unlimited eternal truths and insights, do not value the Qur’an as it should be valued. A necessary sign for the recognition of the holy and true Word of God is that it should be unique in all its qualities, for we observe that whatever proceeds from God Almighty is unique and matchless even if it is only a grain of barley, and human powers cannot match it. Being matchless means being unlimited, that is to say, a thing can be matchless only when its wonders and qualities are unlimited and have no end. As we have just stated, this characteristic is found in everything created by God Almighty. For instance, if the wonders of a leaf of a tree are investigated for a thousand years, that period would come to an end, but the wonders of the leaf will not come to an end. That which has come into being through unlimited power, must comprise unlimited wonders and qualities. The verse, “Say, ‘If every ocean becomes ink for the words of my Lord, surely, the ocean would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even though We brought the like thereof as further help;’” (18:110) supports this, for the whole of creation is Words of God. … Thus this verse means that the qualities of creation are without limit and endless. Now when every created thing possesses unlimited and endless qualities and comprises numberless wonders then how could the Holy Qur’an, which is the Holy Word of God Almighty, be confined to the few meanings which may be set out in a commentary of forty or fifty or a thousand volumes, or could have been expounded by our lord and master the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] in a limited period? To say so would almost amount to disbelief, if it is deliberately persisted in. It is true that whatever the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has set forth as the meaning of the Holy Qur’an is true and correct, but it is not true that the Holy Qur’an contains no more than the insights that have been set forth by the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Such sayings of our opponents indicate that they do not believe in the unlimited greatness and qualities of the Holy Qur’an. Whereas the Holy Quran says, “Say, ‘If every ocean becomes ink for the words of my Lord, surely, the ocean would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even though We brought the like thereof as further help.’” (Al-Quran 18:110) [Reference: Karamat-us-Sadiqin, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 7, pp. 60–62][1][10]

In this remarkable passage, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad twice invokes the Qur’anic verse “If all the oceans were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the ocean would surely run dry before the words of my Lord are exhausted” (Qur’an 18:109 or 18:110 in different compilations) as evidence that God’s words and knowledge are infinite[11][12]. He interprets “the words of my Lord” to include not only the revealed scripture but all of God’s creative works – the entire universe, down to “a grain of barley” – each of which contains endless wonders when examined[13][14]. By extension, the Holy Qur’an, being the direct Word of God, must likewise contain an unlimited treasury of wisdom, guidance, and insight that cannot be fully expounded in any finite number of books or time period[10].

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad pointedly notes that even the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in his lifetime, did not verbally exhaust the Qur’an’s meanings – not because of any deficiency, but because the Qur’an’s wisdom is boundless[10]. The Prophet taught all fundamental truths needed for salvation, yet new dimensions of understanding can continually unfold beyond what was explicitly taught by him. To claim that only the interpretations given by the Prophet or the early Muslims are valid, and that no further insights remain to be discovered, is regarded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a virtual denial of the Qur’an’s greatness. In his words, “to say so would almost amount to disbelief”[10]. This bold statement underscores how strongly he felt that limiting the Qur’an to a closed set of meanings is an injustice to the scripture’s divine depth.

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