Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad - Khalifatul Masih IV on Socrates.

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After this lengthy defining of Righteousness in the end he mentions poverty and meekness.  He says you cannot achieve anything unless you first cultivate poverty and meekness in your life. [1] When I read this excerpt I thought of Socrates who gave the same message which was not understood by the people of his time expect by some and most philosophers who present the philosophy of Socrates before you still do not understand this point to this day. Socrates wandered the streets and said that 'You will only come to know when you first become ignorant. It is impossible that one can journey towards knowledge without first being ignorant.' And the people of the world would laugh at him and mock him saying 'What a foolish man he is, he calls us towards us ignorance.'  Socrates would say 'You are ignorant. Without even knowing about it.'  And he would give examples of common Trades and crafts of the day. He would address the artisans. He used to ask them concerning the arts and crafts that were their livelihood whether they even knew about their craft or not. The common craftsman would be astonished.  Thinking that we make such good things and he calls himself a philosopher and asks us if whether we know what we make or not. How could we have made it without knowledge?' What he meant was to point out that the God who has created you must have a purpose in doing so. If a good artisan, whatever he makes, is ignorant of its purpose he cannot benefit from making it. Even a person who fashions a ladder he has the ability to do it for a purpose. So when he said ignorance he was talking of ignorance of one's own craft. For just as one has been created oneself, so whatever one creates ought to be for a purpose and one ought to mould things to fit their purposes.  If one is ignorant of the purpose then one is foolish and cannot create anything of value.  Allah has created you and granted you consciousness, it is impossible for Him have done so for no reason. At least admit your ignorance before understanding the purpose. The Promised Messiah says that even the angels affirm their ignorance before Him and are granted knowledge as a result [2]. So Socrates (peace be upon him) who I believe to be a prophet of Allah, I haven't an iota of doubt in my heart, was not a worldly philosopher but he spoke in parables those things that are said by prophets.  Just as Prophet Jesus (peace and salutations be upon him) used to preach to the world in parables. So this is the purpose [Righteousness] which can be gained through poverty and through meekness. This is the same thing stated by the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) that if you make tall claims and boasts about your logic and knowledge of everything you will not gain anything at all. At least acknowledge your ignorance before God, at least say that 'O God! You know and we do not know.' Only then when you will grasp the hand of one who knows will you achieve everything. If you will not even acknowledge your ignorance and are lost in your own ego then you cannot achieve anything in the world.

(Concluding Address delivered at the Annual Conference of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on 27 July 1997 in Surrey - United Kingdom).

[1] It is a condition for the Righteous to live their lives in poverty and meekness. This is a branch of Righteousness.  

(Ahmad, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam. Inaugural Address to the Jalsa Salana [Annual Conference] of 1897. 25 December 1897.  Qadian - India.  Malfoozat i [Discourses]. 22).
Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad - Khalifatul Masih IV on Socrates.

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