Birth of the Soul — Essence of Islam Vol. 2

14 Sep, 2026 Essence of Islam 0

Essence of Islam Book Cover by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS)

Introduction

In this discourse from Essence of Islam (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, expounds upon Birth of the Soul, presenting profound spiritual insights and scriptural verities.

Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 15: The Soul
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: The Doctrine of Transmigration Is False | Next: Body and Spirit Are Continuously Renewed »

much as he who exercises his godhood with the help of others would cease to be God sooner than later. The affirmation that the system of transmigration of souls, which has been in operation according to the Aryas for millions of years, results from the sins committed in a previous existence is proved to be crude, absurd and false in the light of natural sciences. It is obvious that there is a Divine system of the birth of souls which remains constant. For instance, millions of insects appear in the rainy season and flies abound in the summer. Then are we to assume that sinfulness abounds in these seasons so that large numbers of human beings are transmuted into flies and insects on account of the multiplicity of their sins? There are thousands of other reasons by virtue of which this doctrine must be held to be false.
[Nasim-e-Da‘wat, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 19, pp. 441-444, footnote]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 404]

It is absolutely true that the soul is a fine light which is developed inside the body and is nurtured in the womb. In the beginning it is hidden and imperceptible, and later it is made manifest; but from the very beginning its essence is present in the sperm. It is related to the sperm in a mysterious manner by the design and command and will of God. It is a bright and illumined quality of the sperm. It cannot be said that it is a part of the sperm as matter is part of matter, nor can it be said that it comes from outside, or falls upon the earth and gets mixed with the sperm. It is latent in the sperm as fire is latent in the flint. The Word of God does not mean that the soul descends from heaven as a separate entity, or falls upon the earth from the atmosphere and then by chance gets mixed with the sperm and enters the womb with it. There is no basis for such a notion. The law of nature rejects it.
[Islami Usul ki Philosophy, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 10, pp. 322-323]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 404]

There is conclusive evidence that the male and female sperm have the capacity to generate the soul without its falling from heaven like the dew. When the two sperms unite the capacity is strengthened and grows till when the framework of the embryo is ready the soul is activated from the framework by the power of God Almighty. This is the creation of something from non-existence, because the soul is not anything material and yet it is generated from the same matter which grows into a framework after the union of the two sperms in the womb. It is not necessary that the soul should fall like dew on some vegetable and should be generated in this manner. The matter from which the soul is generated can be formed out of a piece of meat or fish, or from clay from the depths of the earth from which frogs and insects are generated. Undoubtedly it is a Divine mystery that He creates from the body something which has nothing of the body in it. It is clear that the soul does not fall from heaven but is a new creation which is produced from the compound sperms by the Power of God as Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: 172

That is to say, when the human framework is ready in the womb God completes it with a new creation, meaning the soul is created out of the matter from which the framework was prepared.
[Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 23, pp. 123-124]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 405]

Body is the Mother of the Soul Physical injuries disclose that there is a mysterious relationship between the soul and the body which is beyond the ken of man. A further proof of this relationship is that reflection shows that the body is the mother of the soul. The soul does not fall into the womb of a pregnant woman from above. It is a light that is inherent in the sperm which begins to shine forth with the development of the embryo. The Holy Word of God Almighty sets forth that the soul is generated by the framework which is prepared in the womb from the sperm, as He says in the Holy Qur’an:
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 406]

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Introduction