Sub-Footnote Number Four1

My humble self had written [this book] up to this point when a man, by the name of Shahab-ud-Din, of Theh Ghulam Nabi, a believer in the Oneness of God, came and informed me that Maulavi Ghulam Ali, Maulavi Ahmadullah of Amritsar, Maulavi Abdul Aziz, and some other maulavis [Muslim religious clerics] emphatically deny the kind of revelation that resembles prophetic revelation. Further, some maulavis among them regard such revelations to be delusions of maniacs. The argument they advance in support of this contention is that if this kind of revelation was indeed true and authentic, then the Companions of the Holy Prophet of God, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were the most deserving and worthy of receiving it, and yet it is not proven that they were recipients [of such revelation].

I, the humblest of men, now submit that if the maulavis have indeed raised this objection—as Shahab-ud-Din, a believer in the Oneness of God, says they did—then, in response, every seeker after truth as well as the above-mentioned maulavis should keep in mind that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Is it not possible that the revered Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, might have been the recipients of these types of revelation and yet did not deem it appropriate to make them generally known at that time? God Almighty ordains ever new courses of action to be appropriate in every age. Hence, during the time of the prophethood, divine wisdom required that the revelations of non-prophets should not be recorded in the manner of prophetic revelation, lest the words of the non-prophet be intermingled with those of the Prophet. But the revelations of the auliya’ [friends of Allah] and other men of inner spiritual excellence who came after that age are well known and well publicized, and have been duly recorded in every age. To verify this, one should read Maktubat of Shaikh ‘Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani2 and Mujaddid Alf Thani3, as well as books by other auliya’ullah [friends of Allah], wherein a vast number of their revelations have been recorded. Even Imam Rabbani [Mujaddid Alf Thani] has explicitly written in the second volume of his Maktubat, letter number 51 to be precise, that even a non-prophet can be honoured with the divine word and discourse, and that such a person is called a muhaddath and his rank is nearer to the rank of the Prophets. Likewise, Shaikh ‘Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani has elucidated this matter at various places in Futuhul-Ghaib. A diligent search into the sayings and letters of auliya’ullah will yield many such statements. And the rank of muhaddathiyyat4 in ummat-e-Muhammadiyyah [the followers of Muhammad] is proven so widely that only the extremely ignorant and utterly unaware can deny it. Up to the present day, thousands of auliya’ullah have appeared within this ummah, endowed with perfect excellences, whose wonders and miracles are as proven and established as those of the Israelite Prophets. Anyone who investigates will know that just as the One True God has bestowed the title Khairul-Umam [the Best of People] upon this ummah, so has He bestowed the greatest excellences on its elders which cannot be concealed in any way, and to deny them is the worst kind of concealment of truth.

I would also like to add that it is completely baseless and wrong to allege that there is no proof that the revered Companions received such divine revelations. For, according to authentic ahadith, there is ample proof of the great number of revelations and miracles experienced by the revered Companions, Allah be pleased with them. Hazrat Umar’s, Allah be pleased with him, learning of the perilous state of Sariyah’s troops through divine communication has been recorded by al-Baihaqi5 on the authority of Ibn-e-Umar. What was it, if not divine revelation! Moreover, Hazrat Umar’s words, [‘O Sariyah! The mountain, the mountain!’] were uttered in Madinah, but were heard by Sariyah and his troops in a far off land through the grace of divine providence. What was it, if not a miraculous Sign! Likewise, certain revelations and visions experienced by Hazrat Ali Murtada, may Allah honour and exalt him, are also very well known. Besides this, I ask: Is the testimony of God Almighty in the Holy Quran in this regard not sufficient for one’s satisfaction? Has He not said regarding the revered Companions:

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When on one hand, the Almighty God declares the Companions of His Noble Prophet to be better and greater than the past peoples in terms of all excellences, and on the other hand, by way of example He gives an account of the perfect ones of the past peoples, such as Maryam Siddiqah [Mary the Truthful], the mother of ‘Isa [Jesus], as well as the mother of Hazrat Musa [Moses], the disciples of Hazrat Masih [i.e. Jesus the Messiah] and Khidr—none of whom was a Prophet, but they were all recipients of revelation from Allah and were apprised of the secrets of the unseen through wahy-e-i‘lam.7

Now consider what conclusion follows from this. Does it not prove that the perfect followers among ummat-e-Muhammadiyyah should be more deserving to be mulham-o-muhaddath [the recipients of revelation and discourse] than those people, because according to the explanation of the Holy Quran they [the perfect followers among ummat-e-Muhammadiyyah] are Khairul-Umam? Why do you not ponder over the Holy Quran? And why are you so prone to error in your deliberations? Do you not know that the Sahihain8 record, about this ummah, the glad tiding of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that like the previous ummahs, many a muhaddath would be raised in this ummah as well? And the word muhaddath—in which the [dal] is pronounced with a fathah—refers to those who are blessed with divine converse and discourse. You are also aware of Ibn-e-‘Abbas’ qira’at9 of the verse:

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Thus, according to this verse, which Bukhari has also documented, it is established that a muhaddath’s revelations are certain and unequivocal, in which the interference of Satan cannot stand.

It also goes without saying that if the revelations of Khidr and the mother of Musa were only a bundle of doubts and delusions, and were not certain and unequivocal, what right did they have to endanger the life of any innocent person or to push them to death, or do anything else that was both unlawful and unreasonable? After all, it had to be unequivocal knowledge that made those actions obligatory upon them, and made permissible for them matters that were by no means permissible for others.

Apart from this, one should reflect impartially that an observable and existing phenomenon which has been proven true and has been established as fact through verifiable experiences cannot be shaken by mere conjectures and suspicions: [And conjecture avails nothing against truth]. In the revelations received by my humble self, there is nothing concealed or hidden. Rather, it is a phenomenon that has withstood the crucible of hundreds of trials, yet emerged securely intact, and the Benevolent God has granted me manifest victory in great contests.

Here I recall that the true dream, which I have recorded in Part III regarding a court case of a Hindu, was also accompanied by a revelation that came at a time of a strange dispute and denial and relieved me of a great anxiety and distress. The following is a detailed account.

In this true dream of mine, which was like a clear vision, it was conveyed to me that one Bishambar Das, a Khatri11 Hindu, who is alive and present in Qadian, would not be acquitted in a criminal case, but that his sentence would be reduced by one-half, and that his fellow prisoner named Khush Hal, who is also alive and present in Qadian, would serve out the whole of his sentence. A trial was encountered about this aspect of the vision. It so happened that when the Chief Court remitted the case to the lower court, in accordance with the prophecy of my humble self, the relatives of the two accused persons considered this remittal as an acquittal and announced the news in the town that both of them had been acquitted of the crime. I recall that this news spread in town during the evening. I was ready to offer the ‘Isha’ prayer while I was in the mosque, when one of the worshippers stated that this news had been spread in town and that the accused persons had returned to town. As I had publicly announced that they would certainly not be acquitted, I became prey to indescribable grief and sorrow. Then God, who always lends support to this humble servant of His, gave me the glad tiding at the beginning or during the course of the prayer with this revelation:

Fear not, for you will have the upper hand.

Accordingly, the next morning it became clear that the news about the acquittal was totally false and that the result was exactly as my humble self had been foretold and of which Sharampat, the Aryah, and several other people—who still live in Qadian—had been apprised in advance. Another similarly awe-striking incident took place which is even more astonishing. It is described hereunder. Concerning a case instituted by my late father against one of his tenants relating to some tenancy rights in dispute, it was revealed to me in a dream that the suit would be decreed favourably. I communicated this dream to an Aryah who lives in Qadian. Then it so happened that on the final date of the hearing, only the defendant appeared in the court with some of his witnesses, but no attorney etc. appeared from this side. The defendant and all witnesses, upon their return in the evening, spread the news that the suit had been dismissed. On hearing this news, the said Aryah accused me of falsehood and mocked me. It is difficult for me to put into words the pain and torment that I suffered at that time, for it was hard to imagine that all these people, including some who were impartial, would make a statement contrary to the facts. In this condition of extreme grief and sorrow the following revelation came to me very forcefully and was entrenched into my heart like an iron nail:

The suit has been decreed; are you a Muslim!

It meant: ‘Do you not believe and, despite being a Muslim, entertain any doubt?’ On further investigation it transpired that the suit had in fact been decreed and that the opposite party had misunderstood the verdict when they heard it.

Likewise, it is a fact without any exaggeration that hundreds of revelations [of mine] were as clearly fulfilled as the bright day. And there are many revelations which have come down by way of secrets which I cannot communicate. Time after time, I have received such clear revelations in the very presence of opponents that they could not possibly deny their fulfilment.

Only a few days ago, I was suddenly confronted with certain situations in which I faced three types of grief. I could think of no means of resolving them and there appeared no way out of suffering loss and damage. The same evening, my humble self went out for a walk in the woods, as was my routine. At the time, I was accompanied by an Aryah named Malawamal. Upon my return, when I approached the gate of the village, I received the following revelation:

We shall deliver you from grief.

Then again, I received the following [revelation]:

That is: ‘We shall deliver you from this grief—will certainly deliver you. Know you not that Allah has power to do all things?’

That Aryah was informed about this revelation at the very spot it was received. Then God removed all three aspects of the grief. [So Allah be praised for this].

From many extraordinary coincidences, one is when Shahab-ud-Din, a believer in the Oneness of God, informed me about the opinion of the above-mentioned maulavis; that very night, I received a revelation in English which I narrated to Shahab-ud-Din which is as follows:

Though all men should be angry, but God is with you. He shall help you. Words of God cannot exchange.

Apart from this, I received some more revelations which I write below:

Meaning: ‘All good is in the Quran, which is the Book of Allah the Almighty—that very Allah, who is the Most Gracious; towards that Gracious One ascend all holy words.’

Allah is the Noble One who causes the rain to descend after people have despaired of it and spreads His mercy over the world.

This means that God turns His attention towards the revival of the Faith precisely at the time when the need arises.

He chooses whomsoever He wills from among His servants.

In this way, We bestowed Our bounty on Yusuf [Joseph] so that We may avert from him evil and indecency; so that you should warn those people whose ancestors have not been warned by anyone, and therefore, they are neglectful.

Here the name Yusuf refers to this humble one on account of some spiritual affinity. [And Allah knows best]. After this, He said:

Say, ‘I have with me proof from Allah, then will you not believe?’

That is, God Almighty’s support, [His] revealing the secrets of the unseen, informing of hidden things before their occurrence, accepting prayers, revelations in various languages, and disclosing points of wisdom and divine verities, are all divine testimony which is the duty of the believer to accept. The translation of the remaining above-mentioned revelations is:

Indeed my Lord is with me. He will show me the way. O my Lord, forgive my sins and show mercy from heaven. Our Lord is [‘aji] (The meaning of this has not been disclosed as yet). O my Lord, prison is more attractive to me than the unworthy things towards which they invite me. O my Lord, deliver me from my grief. O my God! O my God! Why have You forsaken me? Your bounties have made us daring.

All these are mysteries which apply to their appropriate times, which are in the knowledge of the All-Knowing. After this, He said:

[Howasha‘na, Na‘sa]

These two phrases are probably Hebrew, the meaning of which has not as yet been disclosed to this humble one.12

Thereafter, there are two English phrases, the correct wording of which I am still not sure on account of the speed of the revelation. They are:

I love you. I shall give you a large party of Islam.

Since there is no English-speaking person present today, nor has the full meaning of this revelation been conveyed to me, it is written here without the [Urdu] meaning. After this came the revelation:

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O ‘Isa, I shall give you full reward or cause you to die and shall raise you towards Me, meaning that I shall raise your status or will raise you from the life on earth towards Me, and I shall grant predominance to your followers over those who disbelieve, until the Day of Judgment.

This means that I shall give supremacy to those who follow your beliefs and religion over others in arguments, reasoning, and blessings, until the Day of Resurrection.

There is a group from among the first ones and a group from among the last ones.

In this revelation, the word ‘Isa alludes to my humble self. Then, after this, Allah revealed in Urdu:

I shall demonstrate My light and shall raise you with a demonstration of My power. A Warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God shall accept him and demonstrate his truthfulness with mighty assaults.

There is a trial here, then be steadfast as were the Prophets of high resolve.

When the Lord will manifest Himself on the mountain of difficulties, He will crush them into bits.

It is the power of [the Gracious] God, which He, the Absolutely Independent will demonstrate for His servant.

Meaning that to be the ‘servant of Allah, the Independent and Besought of all’ is a status that is bestowed through special bounty. It cannot be achieved through efforts.

O Dawud [David], behave towards people gently and benevolently and return the greetings of peace with a better greeting. And proclaim the bounties of your Lord to the people.

You must do what I told you.

Be grateful for My favour that you have found ahead of time. Today you have a great share of good, you are a muhaddath of Allah. You have the quality of distinguishing between the truth and falsehood.

Peace on you, O Ibrahim [Abraham]. Today you have an established position of high rank, trustworthiness, and strong intellect with Us. You are a beloved of Allah, a special friend of Allah, and a lion of Allah. Call down blessings on Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

Meaning that, this is the result of obedience to this Noble Prophet. The remaining translation is:

Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased with you. Have We not opened up your bosom? Have We not made everything easy for you by granting you Baitul-Fikr and Baitudh-Dhikr? He who enters Baitudh-Dhikr sincerely, for the sake of worship, with purity of intention, and good faith, will be secure against an evil end.

Here Baitul-Fikr refers to the upper room in which this humble one has remained, and still remains, occupied with the compilation of this book, and Baitudh-Dhikr refers to the mosque established next to it.

The last sentence mentioned above refers to the attribute of the same mosque whose letters also indicate the date14 of the foundation of this mosque, which is as follows:

Meaning that, this mosque is a source of blessings, is blessed itself, and every blessed deed will be performed in it. After this, in regard to my humble self, He said:

You have been elevated and made blessed.

Meaning that, those who will believe in the blessings and light which have been bestowed upon you by Allah the Almighty, and whose faith is sincere and filled with loyalty, will be secured from the paths of error. They alone are rightly guided in the sight of Allah.

The opponents will desire to extinguish the light of Allah. Say: Allah Himself is the Guardian of this light. Allah’s favour guards you. We have sent it down and We are the Guardian. Allah is the Best of guardians and He is the Most Merciful.

They will try to frighten you with diverse things; they are the leaders of disbelief. Fear not, indeed, you will be on top. That is, you shall prevail in terms of arguments, proofs, acceptance, and blessings. Allah will help you in many fields; that is, you will remain victorious in all polemical discussions and debates.

Then the revelation continued:

My Day will distinguish clearly between truth and falsehood. Allah has decreed: I and My messengers shall certainly prevail. No one can change the words of God. These acts of God are powerful arguments in support of the truthfulness of the faith [of Islam]. I shall provide you help from Myself. I Myself shall deliver you from distress, and your Lord is Powerful. You are with Me and I am with you. I have created the night and the day for you. Act as you would like, for I have forgiven you; you have a standing with Me of which people have no knowledge.

The last sentence does not mean that the prohibitions of the law are lawful for you; rather, it means that prohibited things are repulsive in your sight and that the love of righteous acts has been ingrained within your nature. In other words, whatever is God’s will has been made the will of His servant, and all matters of faith have been made dear to him as a natural desire. [And that is Allah’s grace which He bestows upon whomsoever He pleases].

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And they will say: ‘This is a falsehood that he has invented. We have not heard of any such thing among our elders, that is, among the auliya’ of past.’ The fact is that all children of Adam [Adam] have not been created equal; God has exalted some of them above others and has chosen them from among others. This indeed is the truth, so that it might be a Sign for the believers. Do you imagine that Our wonders are confined to Ashab-e-Kahf [the People of the Cave] only? No, rather, Allah possesses wonders since eternity and His wonders never come to an end. Everyday He is in a magnificent state. Thus, We taught those Signs to Sulaiman [Solomon], meaning my humble self. People denied them wrongfully, though their hearts believed [in them]. So, We shall soon strike terror in their hearts. Say, Light has descended from Allah, so do not reject it if you are believers. Peace be on Ibrahim. We purified him and delivered him from grief. We Ourself have done this; therefore you should follow in the footsteps of Ibrahim.

Meaning that, follow the true path of the Noble Messenger sas which is no longer clearly recognized by many people in this age—some of them have become slaves of the letter like the Jews while some others have indulged in the worship of creatures, like the polytheists. They should enquire about this path from this humble servant of the Benevolent God and should tread upon it.

I fear for the people who are engrossed in doing evil deeds,
That they might ruin their faith for the sake of these foul activities.

[O my Lord! Forgive and have mercy].

Friends accuse me, asking why did I fall in love with You,
Whereas they should ask You first, ‘Why are You so beautiful?’

[All grace comes from Allah. There is no strength or power but from Allah, the High, the Exalted].

—Author