Appendix to Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V

O my Eternal Friend, Your countenance is sufficient for me;
Your alley is dearer to me than a thousand paradises.

I cast my eyes elsewhere only out of a wise precaution;
Otherwise, my sight is ever directed towards You.

What am I, and of what worth is my honour?
This battle is only for the sake of Your honour.

In the issue dated 22 May 1905 of the daily Paisah Akhbar, one Muhammad Ikramullah has raised some objections about my announcements that contained prophecies about the first and second earthquakes. I think that prejudice is not the only reason for these objections, but they are also the product of naivety and utter lack of information. I feel terribly sorry for such people as they do not think before they object. In fact, they seem to do it out of some kind of irrational exuberance. Or, perhaps on account of their desire for self-promotion, they think that by raising such objections they can find a place among the foremost of my critics, or—at the very least—they may be considered competent and scholarly. But, instead of being acknowledged as able scholars, they only end up exposing themselves. Let fairminded people listen to these objections and reflect upon my replies and determine whether any reasonable person, who has even the slightest of intelligence and faith, would ever raise such objections. How unfortunate it is that these people initially fall prey to error themselves and then try to mislead others! And all this ignorance is rooted in the seething bigotry that contains the fire of Hell in its essence.

THE FIRST OBJECTION laid out briefly in his words: ‘I will now prove from Mirza Sahib’s own words that a prophecy regarding the earthquake is of no great significance. He has himself written in his book Izala-e-Auham that the prophecy regarding earthquakes is of no great value; rather, it is vague and not worthy of attention.’

ANSWER Let it be known that the critic has here quoted my words from Izala-e-Auham which I wrote with reference to a prophecy of the Gospel of Matthew that is attributed to Hazrat Masih [Jesus the Messiah]. It should, hence, suffice to present before the public the words that have been ascribed to Hazrat Masih (as) in Matthew’s Gospel and which I quoted in Izala-e-Auham. And then I should also present those writings in which I prophesied about the two earthquakes, so that readers should view them side by side and decide whether or not the two prophecies fall into the same category or are of a different category altogether, and whether the words used in my prophecy are of a common nature that can apply to any earthquake—as are the words of Matthew’s Gospel—or my prophecy relates to some earthquake of extraordinary proportions.

It would not be out of place to mention here that the land in which Hazrat Masih dwelt—the land of Sham3—has always been prone to earthquakes, just like Kashmir. And the plague, too, was common in those parts. So, for that country, it was nothing unusual if earthquakes or plagues were to occur; indeed, it would not have been anything unusual for even a great earthquake to occur there. Earthquakes are known to have been experienced before the birth of Hazrat Masih, and even during his lifetime there were minor and major earthquakes. What, then, can be the significance of a prophecy that relates to a common occurrence? As for the earthquake prophesied by me, I will soon explain that it was not some common occurrence for this country; rather, it was quite an unusual and extraordinary phenomenon, and was declared so by all the dwellers of this land. Indeed, some even called it a sample of Doomsday. All European scientists have testified to this as well, and it is also borne out by the history of the Punjab. Ancient buildings that had stood intact for over 1,600 years also bear witness to it because of what they suffered. But everyone knows that Sham was a land that experienced so many earthquakes that it is not unlikely that an earthquake was occurring at the time when the prophecy of Hazrat Masih was being written.

I now proceed to set out the prophecy that is written in Matthew’s Gospel about the coming of an earthquake which is attributed to Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus], may peace be upon him:

Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. (See Matthew, chapter 24.)

It was with reference to this prophecy that I wrote those lines in Izala-e-Auham which have been published by the critic on page 5, column 1, line 26, of the paper mentioned above. Those lines are as follows:

What kind of prophecies are these, that ‘there will be earthquakes and pestilences and wars and famines!’

By citing these words of mine the critic draws the conclusion as if I have admitted that making prophecies about earthquakes is not anything great. Every reasonable person can understand that by these words I do not mean what the critic has understood by them. What was meant is that saying something casually, which is by no means extraordinary and which contains nothing unusual or supernormal, is not covered by the sense of the term ‘prophecy’. For instance, if someone predicts that there will be rains in the rainy season, this will not be called a prophecy, for it is the divine scheme of things that rains occur in these months. On the other hand, if someone predicts that this year there will be such torrential rains in the rainy season that springs will gush forth from the earth and the wells will get filled with water and start to flow like canals, and that nothing of the kind has been seen in the last hundred years; this would be called something extraordinary and a prophecy. It was on the basis of this principle that I criticized the prophecy in Matthew, chapter 24, observing that to say merely that earthquakes will occur, particularly in a country where earthquakes—even severe ones—are common, is not the kind of disclosure that could be called a prophecy or something supernormal.

Now, it should be seen whether in each of those three announcements published in the country by me and which contain a prophecy about an earthquake, there is also found just such an ordinary forecast which has nothing unusual about it. If this is the case, then my prophecy about the earthquake will similarly be just an ordinary affair.

Regarding the earthquake, the words used in my announcements are: On the first of May 1904, I received this revelation from God Almighty which I got published in Al-Hakam and Al-Badr newspapers:

Meaning that, a part of this country will be wiped out; those of its buildings that are used as temporary dwellings and those buildings meant as places of permanent residence, would both disappear; no trace of them would be left.

The definite article

[al] of the word

[ad-diyar—‘this country’] makes the reference specific that there are places in the knowledge of God Almighty that will be visited by this devastation, and the buildings of those places will be razed to the ground. How extraordinary is this prophecy, and how strongly it refers to the coming event of which there is no parallel in the last 1,600 years in this country!

A study of the English newspapers will tell you that eminent geologists have declared the earthquake to be quite extraordinary for this part of the world. Indeed, there is the published testimony of renowned European scientists affirming that such an earthquake has not occurred in the Punjab for the last 1,600 years. And all newspapers are full of articles describing the earthquake as a reminder of Doomsday.

Thus, since the revelation that was vouchsafed to me from God contains the tidings of an extraordinary event that would cause buildings to be destroyed and a part of this country to be ruined, it is regrettable indeed that this great prophecy—that speaks of the destruction of a whole land—is equated to the prophecy of the Gospel that earthquakes will occur in a country which is the home of earthquakes.

Could any prophecy be couched in more fearful words? Let every fair-minded person ponder whether it is possible to foretell the coming of an earthquake in the land of the Punjab in terms that are more extraordinary than these divine words:

which means that a portion of this country will be so devastated that all its buildings will be obliterated—neither boarding houses nor places of permanent residence will survive.

A person with even a rudimentary knowledge of Arabic will realize that the

[al] in the worَd

[ad-diyar] refers to a portion of this country. And the word

[‘afat] means that all buildings in that portion of the country would fall, disappear, and be obliterated.4

So, can someone tell me when such an event occurred in this land before? It is a sign of sheer faithlessness that a man should shamelessly tell lies and not fear God, who has the power to inflict punishment whenever He wills.

And, then, in the announcement of Al-Wasiyyat, published before the earthquake, on 27th February 1905, there occur the words: ‘Just now, at four o’clock after midnight, I saw in a vision that a large number of grievous deaths had created an impression as if the Judgment Day had arrived. At the same time, I received this revelation:

Just think: Can this prophecy—which speaks of an occurrence that is akin to Doomsday and will result in a tumultuous uproar—be at par with a prophecy that promises earthquakes in the most general terms, and even that in the land of Sham that is commonly visited by earthquakes and plagues?

If you had any fear of God, you would not deny prophecies of God Almighty with such temerity. Your attack is not against me, but against God, who said:

To say that these words are the first line of a couplet written by Labid bin Rabi‘ah is an insolent attack on God, for He is the ultimate owner of all words whether they are spoken by Labid or by anyone else. It is solely by His grace that anyone can compose a couplet. Thus, there is no room for objection if God chooses to send down the words of a poet as His revelation. And if your objection is valid, then what will you say about the fact that the verse contained in the Holy Quran

was really the speech of a human— namely, ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah—who initially used to write down the verses of the Holy Quran, but then turned apostate. The words [in the above verse] were his and were revealed verbatim in the Holy Quran. The letters of the revelation

[Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out] do not exceed the letters of the verse:

The revelation has 21 letters, whereas the verse consists of 22. So, for the critic who states this revelation of Allah is

[‘only a hodgepodge derived from various sources’],6 should realize what he has done to his salvation by attacking the Noble Quran. Nor is this the only example in the Noble Quran where the words of revelation of God Almighty coincided with the words uttered previously by a human being. Many such examples can be given where this happened. For instance, scholars are not unaware that in many places the words of the Holy Quran coincided with the words of Hazrat ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. And there can be a long list of such examples. What all this shows is that the critic is, in fact, denying the Holy Quran itself, or else he would not have uttered such an insolent blasphemy. Can a believer raise an objection against anyone which can—exactly—be levelled against the Holy Quran? God forbid! No; never.

Again, the critic takes another issue with the prophecy

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’]. He says that the word

[‘afat—‘wiped out’] is in the past tense, and that it should have been translated to denote the past, whereas it has been translated as applying to the future. The critic raises this objection with great insolence as if he has scored a great success in making this hostile attack. Now, which and how many of his deceptions should I expose! Anyone who has read the Kafiyah or Hidayatun-Nahw knows full well that in Arabic the past tense is at times used to connote the present or future. Indeed, the past tense is more often used for a future event when the speaker is certain that the event is definitely going to occur and wishes to highlight his conviction.7

There are many examples of this in the Holy Quran. For instance, Allah the Almighty says:

Now, let the critic say whether these Quranic verses employ the past tense or the future tense? And if it is the past tense, is their message related to the past or the future? As a punishment for your falsehood, it is enough that you have not attacked me, but have attacked the Holy Quran. You seem to think that the rules of grammar that you know are unknown to God, which is why He erred in so many places and used the past tense where the future tense should have been used.

ANOTHER OBJECTION that you have raised is that nowhere in the words of the prophecy:

is there a mention of any earthquake. Alas, this critic does not realize that the essence of the prophecy is evident from its words; viz. that a great calamity will hit a portion of this country. Any man of sense can understand that the destruction of buildings and towns indeed usually occurs through earthquakes. But it is quite possible that this great destruction of dwellings and cities is wrought through some other means, and in that case, too, the prophecy will stand fulfilled. Since, in keeping with the divine practice, earthquakes are inherently implied in such destruction, it was not necessary to mention it specifically. However, as God knew that some ignorant people, who have naivety and prejudice ingrained in their nature, would raise such objections, He has also clearly mentioned the word ‘earthquake’. See Al-Hakam, 24 December 1903.

Even though this prophecy, when viewed separately from the one that mentions the earthquake, only says that portions of this country will be destroyed, there will be great devastation, and buildings will collapse and dwellings will be wiped out, it does not specify the method through which this will come about. But anyone who reflects as to how towns and villages disappear into the earth, and what causes buildings to collapse at once, and reads this prophecy along with the one that was published in the same newspaper five months earlier, whose words are:

he will not hasten to object that the prophecy does not contain the word ‘earthquake’.

And yet it is true that God’s words are often in the form of metaphors, as, for example, He says:

Therefore, it was quite possible that the earthquake might mean some other great calamity that has all the characteristics of an earthquake. Still, the actual words have priority over the interpretation. Even though this prophecy had a wide scope, God fulfilled it literally as well, so as to humiliate the enemy. And it is possible that aspects of this prophecy might manifest themselves in the future in some other way. But it will still be something out of the ordinary as stated by the prophecy.

This very earthquake which wrought so much damage in the Punjab that, regarding it, researches have been published in the Civil and Military Gazette and other sources that incontrovertibly conclude that an earthquake of such magnitude has not been experienced in the Punjab during the last 1,600 years. Thus, this prophecy foretells an extraordinary event of the first order. Moreover, it is quite possible that it may be followed by calamities resulting from various natural causes and lead to destruction that is extraordinary. Thus, even if there was no specific mention of the earthquake in any part of this prophecy, it would still constitute a very great Sign; for, the crux of the prophecy is the extraordinary and unparalleled destruction of houses and places, regardless of whether it comes about through an earthquake or through other means. And in the presence of the testimony that such destruction has not been seen in the Punjab for the last 1,600 years, this prophecy cannot be dismissed as something trivial that can be anticipated by human conjecture. Regardless, when the word ‘earthquake’ has been clearly and precisely mentioned in the first part of the prophecy, published in Al-Hakam on 24th December 1903, we know not whether to laugh or weep at the level of intelligence of such a critic who says that there is no prophecy about an earthquake.

consists of the words that God put into the heart of Labid bin Rabi‘ah al-‘Amri 1300 years ago, and it forms the first line of his qasidah [ode], the fourth qasidah of the Sab‘ah Mu‘allaqah.17 Labid lived to witness the advent of Islam, was honoured to embrace Islam, and was among the blessed Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. This is why God honoured his words by revealing a line from his verses as a majestic prophecy about the Latter Days when a country would be devastated. Thus, it is foolish to wonder how the words of a believer could have found their way into divine revelation, because—as I have just explained—the words uttered by ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah, viz.

were revealed in the Holy Quran verbatim, which caused him to turn apostate and run away to Makkah.18 So if divine revelation could coincide with the words of an apostate, what is so strange if it were to coincide with the verse of an eminent Companion like Labid?

Just as God is the ultimate Heir to everything, He is also the Heir to all chaste speech, and every such pure speech proceeds from the tongue on account of the power and ability bestowed by God Almighty. So, if speech like that descends by way of revelation, only he would entertain doubt regarding it who entertains doubts about Islam. And among the excellences of Labid, one was that he not only saw the time of the Holy Prophet, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, but he also saw a good deal of the victories of Islam. He died in the 41st year of the Hijrah [Islamic calendar] at the age of 157.

Likewise, the words spoken by Hazrat ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, coincided with the words of the Holy Quran a number of times, as related by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:

Meaning that, four things were uttered by me and the same were uttered by God Almighty.

If I were to mention the experiences of the saints of this blessed Ummah, and how words spoken by other people were revealed to them by God, and how the verses of Rumi’s Mathnawi were revealed to some, this would require a whole separate book. And I know that anyone who is the least bit cognizant of these matters will never claim that the words of God can never coincide with the words of a mortal. Indeed, anyone who has some knowledge of the Shariah [Islamic Law] will consider such a claim to be a cause for apostasy, because such a creed requires rejection of the Holy Quran itself.

There is also a difficulty here, and I think it is appropriate that I resolve that also. It is that if it is permissible for the word of man to coincide with the Word of God, then would this not detract from the miraculous excellence of the Holy Quran? But, as the author of Tafsir-e-Kabir and other commentators have written, there is no need for any confusion here, because a miracle is not based upon such a short portion of the text. Otherwise, the individual words used in the Holy Quran are the same that were used by the Arabs. For a discourse to be considered miraculous in nature, it has to size up to the criteria laid down by the Holy Quran; namely, that it should be at least as long as the shortest Surah of the Holy Quran or equal to ten Quranic verses. I do, however, say that when a man’s words become the words of God in the form of revelation, they do take on a miraculous character. For instance, this very revelation from Allah:

was not a miracle when it issued from the tongue of Labid, may Allah be pleased with him, but after appearing in the form of revelation, it has now became a miracle.

All Labid did was to speak of bygone events—the description of which lies within human power. But now, when God caused His revelation to coincide with Labid’s words, He gives the news of great future events that are beyond the power of man to foretell. So, the same words, when ascribed to Labid, do not constitute a miracle, but when attributed to God they undoubtedly became miraculous. A year ago, who knew that a large portion of this country would be destroyed and rendered uninhabitable by a terrible earthquake? Who knew that so many towns and villages would be swallowed up by the earth in an instant, and buildings would collapse and disappear as though they had never existed? This is exactly what a miracle is: Something should transpire that no one could previously think—or even imagine—to be possible.

Is it not true that the dwellers of this country were left awestruck by the severity of the earthquake and regarded it as something extraordinary and an impossible occurrence which was a foretaste of Doomsday? And is it not true that European researchers have given the verdict that a review of the past history of 1,600 years of this country shows that such a terrible and destructive earthquake has not been experienced by this country before? So, is the prophecy that gave news of such an extraordinary event a long time before its occurrence, not a miracle? Does it lie within the scope of human powers?19 Therefore, considering that the people of this country and their ancestors for almost the last 2,000 years20 have not witnessed nor heard of such a catastrophe, nor did they ever imagine such an occurrence to be imminent, then if someone gives news of it and it happens exactly as he says, this will not only be called a miracle, but a miracle of the first order.

Turning again to the original topic, I wish to state that the critic, in order to take away the grandeur of a magnificent prophecy and to belittle it in the estimation of all, has compared it to the vague prophecy of the Gospel where it has been mentioned in only mundane words that earthquakes would come. But whosoever will read the text of my announcements carefully will have to admit that, regrettably, the critic has tried unjustly to cover up the bright day and has employed great dishonesty. He has read my announcements and knew full well that the words of my prophecy regarding the earthquake were not dull and ordinary as the words of the Gospel. Nonetheless, he wilfully chose to remain obdurate. Who does not know that the Arabic revelation:

narrates startling news in the form of a prophecy that is enough to make people tremble. Is it an ordinary affair that towns and villages would sink into the earth? And it has been detailed in Urdu that this would be:

See the newspaper Al-Hakam, page 15, column 2, dated 24th December 1903. And then it has been written in the tract Amin, which was published in 1901, that it would be a calamity that would remind of Doomsday.

And it had been published in Al-Hakam of 24th March 1904, that the sceptics would be shown a Sign. And then it is written in the announcement Al-Andhar that the impending earthquake would be an apocalyptic earthquake. And it is written in An-Nida that the earth would be turned upside down by the impending earthquake. Then, it is written in the same that this great calamity would bring to mind the calamity of Doomsday. Then, in the same, God Almighty says that: ‘I shall descend upon the earth for you to show My Signs. For you, We shall show the Sign of the earthquake and We shall demolish the buildings that the heedless people erect or will erect in the future. And I shall manifest the Sign that will cause the earth to tremble. Then that day will be a day of wailing for the world.’ Then, in the announcement entitled, ‘News of the Earthquake for the Third Time’, it is written with regard to the impending earthquake, ‘It is indeed true, and absolutely true, that the earthquake about to strike this country will be such as no eye has hitherto witnessed, nor has any ear heard of, nor has it crossed anyone’s mind.’ Now, tell me honestly: Where in the Gospels do you find such descriptions concerning an earthquake? If there are any, they should be presented. Otherwise, one should fear God Almighty and stop trying to conceal the truth.

HIS STATEMENT—The word ‘earthquake’ was inserted in the translation so as to make ignorant people think that the word ‘earthquake’ is present in the revelation too.

[Shock of earthquake. Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out].

See the newspaper Al-Hakam of 1903 and 1904. The meaning of both of these is that there will be a jolt of the earthquake, a portion of this country will be destroyed by this jolt, and buildings will collapse and will cease to exist.

Do tell now: Have I deceived the ignorant21 or are you deceiving them? Have I lied or are you lying?

[The curse of Allah be upon the liars].

The newspaper Al-Hakam is there; check both its issues. This newspaper was published in the country a year before the promised earthquake. It has even reached the Government. Now, tell me what prejudice persuaded you to utter such falsehood as to claim that there is no mention of ‘earthquake’ in the prophecy?

HIS STATEMENT—This revelation is found on the page, column 4, of the 31 May 190222 issue of Al-Hakam, and it is clearly written in bold letters alongside it: ‘Related to the plague.’

MY ANSWER—Can there be any doubt that this earthquake is a supplement to the plague and is related to it, for God has told me again and again that both the earthquake and the plague are in support of my claim? Thus, the earthquake, indeed, has a connection with the plague; for, the plague is a Sign from God Almighty for me and so is the earthquake. That is the reason that both have a mutual connection and both are in support of the same issue.

And if some doubt arises in the mind that this sentence does, in fact, refer to the plague, then such doubt is indeed spurious, because something that has a connection with another cannot possibly be identical to it.

Moreover, there is a strong indication here that this sentence does not really refer to the plague, because there already is present the revelation, ‘The jolt of the earthquake.’ One should then ponder, invoking a little fairness and sound reason, whether falling of buildings and elimination of habitations can be features of a plague. Rather, these pertain to features of an earthquake. A fair person can never be so audacious as to continue denying the meanings which are apparent in the words of the text, are fully supported by the context, have become evident by the occurrence of the incident, and human conscience has accepted that all that has happened is what is implied by the revelation of

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’].

Even if we suppose that the recipient of the revelation made an error of interpretation, and understood the calamity that is implied by the revelation

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] to refer to the plague, his error—having been made prior to occurrence—would be no excuse for the opponent. There has been no Prophet or Messenger in the world who has not erred in understanding any of his prophecies. Would such a prophecy not be a Sign of God in your estimation?

If this is the disbelief that you harbour in your hearts, why do you speak in such a subdued manner; why don’t you attack Islam fully? Can you name a single Prophet who was never mistaken in understanding the meaning of any of his prophecies? So even if it is supposed that the word ‘about’ exactly means the plague, does this not constitute an attack on all Prophets?

It is quite evident, from looking at the revealed sentence of

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] that what is meant by this sentence is that it will be such a calamity whereby the buildings of a portion of this country would collapse and would cease to exist. And it is obvious that a plague has no effect on buildings. So even if the editor of Al-Hakam did write the sentence that it is about the plague, and the word ‘about’ is understood to mean what the critic has said, then the most that can be said in this context is that the editor of Al-Hakam made a mistake in writing so.

Such error in understanding the prophecies has been sometimes made by the Prophets themselves, may peace be upon them. For instance, there is the hadith containing the word

[‘it occurred to me’] in Bukhari and its words are as follows:

(Bukhari, Chapter Migration of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his Companions towards Madinah)

Meaning that, Abu Musa has quoted the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as saying, ‘I saw in a dream that I had emigrated from Makkah to a land which has date palm trees. At the time it occurred to me that it is either the land of Yamamah or the land of Hajar, but it has turned out to be Madinah, that is Yathrib.’

Now take note that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, whose dreams are revelation from God, and whose interpretation is more sound, robust, and correct than all interpretations, had interpreted his dream that the emigration would be towards Yamamah or Hajar, but that interpretation did not turn out to be correct. So, does this prophecy not qualify as a prophecy in your estimation? And are you prepared to launch an attack even on the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him? Thus, whereas even the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is included in the possibility of making an error of interpretation, then what kind of a faith is yours that, in your prejudice, you care nothing even for the honour of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and feel no shame before God?

Moreover, like an impartial judge and being deferential to the fear of the Almighty, one should consider the words

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] and see whether these words are applicable to the plague or to an earthquake? Is it fair that when the actual occurrence of the prophesied event itself revealed the meaning of

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’], one should still take it to mean the plague?

The words of the prophecy are clearly crying out that it is a calamity that will cause buildings to collapse and that a section of the habitations of this country would cease to exist. If you are unacquainted with Arabic, then ask someone who knows Arabic about the meaning of:

And if you do not trust anyone, then take a look at the meanings of the line as written by the commentator which is:

Meaning that, the towns of friends and their homes ceased to exist and those buildings ceased to exist that were used for temporary residence—such as inns or national shrines—and so did those buildings that were for permanent residence. Now, explain how can these meanings be applicable to the plague, and what connection does the plague have with the collapse of buildings? The only difference between these meanings and those of the revelation from God Almighty is that of the past and future tense. While Labid referred to the past in this sentence, the revelation from God refers to the future. The implication of it is that buildings and towns of a portion of this country would cease to exist—neither temporary nor permanent abodes would remain.

Now, do tell: Can these meanings truthfully apply to the plague? What is there to be gained now by being obstinate? Only two kinds of people show unwarranted obstinacy: either the extremely foolish or the extremely dishonest and prejudiced. And if you present the same objection again which has been answered before, that the past tense has been used here and Labid, may Allah be pleased with him, has also used it to mean the past, the answer—as has been given before—is that now this discourse is not Labid’s but is the discourse of God. God has stated grand prophecies at various places in the Holy Quran using the past tense. For instance, God Almighty says:

Now, be just a little fair and answer whether the words of this prophecy are in the past tense or in the future tense. It is an occasion for profound shame for any wise man; but for someone who claims to be very knowledgeable, such an error becomes an occasion to die of shame when—despite claiming erudition—someone denies such an evident fact. I cannot visualize what your condition will be after assessing these answers. Of what benefit is it to a person to adopt a path that—on the one hand—leads to the displeasure of God Almighty on account of abandoning the truth; while—on the other—suffers shame and humiliation for insisting on falsehood.

The real philosophy behind the prophecies in the Word of God being mostly narrated in the past tense is that every event that is to take place on earth has already transpired in Heaven. So, from the perspective of the Heavens it is as if that event belongs to the past. It is on this basis that in hundreds of true dreams seen by the ordinary people, future occurrences are told in the past narrative; for example, if a boy is to be born to someone, what is shown is that a boy has been born or a daughter has been born, or that he has received something which implies a boy. This usage—of expressing the prophecies using past tense even though they refer to the future—occurs not just in the Holy Quran but is published and well known even in earlier Scriptures; even a child cannot deny it. This usage appears abundantly in the Hadith [for example]:

The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had said prior to gaining victory over Khyber, ‘Khyber has been ruined. And inauspicious is the morning for the people who are warned— when we descend upon the courtyard of that people.’ So here the Holy Prophet (sas) used the past tense, whereas it was meant to refer to a future triumph.

In short, this was one prophecy that was made utilizing past tense but, in fact, had the connotation of the future. The same is the case with the prophecy:

It is in the past tense but implies the future. Also, as I have said, the word

[ad-diyar] means a part of the country, as denoted by the article

[al]. Labid, may Allah be pleased with him, also did not take

[ad-diyar] to refer to homes in general, but has taken it to mean the homes of friends. Here, in the words of God:

mahal refers to the ancient places of pilgrimage of Hindus; that is, the temples that were present in Dharamshala and Kangra from ancient times, and the duration of their existence is proven to be at least 1,600 years. The word muqam implies the buildings in these areas that were made for permanent dwelling. And God had foretold in this prophecy that those temples—meaning, the places where idols are worshipped— would also collapse, and their collapse would be the harbinger for the spread of the Oneness of God, while other buildings would also collapse. And this is what came to pass.

So, when the prophecy has been fulfilled in accordance with its literal wording, to deny it now is absurdity. The literal words deserve to be considered when ascertaining the meaning, and it is sheer folly to turn away from the literal at the time when the words of the prophecy have been fulfilled literally.

been fabricated by man and had the plague been implied by it, the fabricator could not have used this sentence; for, reason would have stopped him from using the words that cannot be applicable to the plague, since buildings do not collapse because of the plague. If the meanings were not interpreted correctly before the actual occurrence, it would be an error of interpretation, but to refuse to accept the correct meanings after the truth has become evident, is called mischief, dishonesty, and obstinacy.

HIS STATEMENT—I ask you for the revelation in which you have given the news that an earthquake would strike. But you cannot present such a revelation till Doomsday.

MY ANSWER—I say that the Doomsday that you deemed far off is right upon you. See the newspaper Al-Hakam of 24 December 1903, page 15, column 2, where it has been clearly stated:

will take place. And then, five months later, on 31 May 1904, the magnitude and the force of this jolt has been described in this divine revelation:

Meaning that, it will be such a jolt as to destroy the dwellings in a part of the Punjab, and no trace will be left of the buildings, whether they be temporary abodes—like the Hindu temples of worship in Dharamshala and Kangra—or the permanent abodes as were the places of permanent dwellings in Dharamshala and Kangra etc.

Answer me now regarding that Doomsday which you imagined was so far off—claiming that I would not be able to present such a revelation till Doomsday—whether that Doomsday descended upon you or not? Everyone can appreciate that the ‘Day of Doom’ certainly seized you, since the prophecy regarding the earthquake that you deny is clearly recorded in Al-Hakam of 24 December 1903, page 15, column 2. Just open your eyes and read it; then drown yourself in shame!

Thus, it was to define the characteristics of this very earthquake that the revelation

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] followed the first revelation. Has Doomsday not befallen you yet? And should you say that all people will die on Doomsday yet you are still alive, the reply is that you have—in fact—died the death of humiliation, for this physical life is nothing after spiritual death. Can that person be deemed ‘alive’ who had so vehemently claimed that there is absolutely no mention of the earthquake in the prophecy and had so arrogantly insisted that, till Doomsday, I would not be able to present any such prophecy mentioning the earthquake, whereas thereafter the prophecy was produced mentioning the earthquake in explicit terms

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’], having been published in Al-Hakam just five months earlier. And the revelation:

expresses the grandeur of that very earthquake. Therefore, it was not necessary to mention the word ‘earthquake’ again.

Now tell me what good is the life of one who claimed that something could not be produced till Doomsday, yet it appeared from right under his nose!

The Hell foretold by the Holy Quran
Is the burning abode of the liar and the evil one.

Anyone who is not blind and dead can appreciate that this prophecy enjoys clarity and eloquence of the highest order as is required of this prophecy; indeed, even greater than that. To deny it is such obstinacy that it clearly shows that such a person does not even believe in God. And this is not something new. In earlier times, people who were not willing to accept the truth under any circumstances, adopted the same attitude.

In the fervour of prejudice, you might also object that God Almighty gave the news of the earthquake five months earlier, which was published in Al-Hakam on 24 December 1903, and then described the signs of the ferocity of the earthquake and its horrible consequence five months later by means of His revelation; [objecting] why did He not describe them together? Should you raise such an objection, it would not be a new objection either. Rather, it is the same objection that was raised by the accursed Abu Jahl and the accursed Abu Lahab 1,300 years ago when—criticising the Holy Quran—they had said:

Thus, such an objection falls under the category of

[similarity of mindset] and a Muslim should refrain from it.

HIS STATEMENT—You have also not specified what is meant by ‘earthquake’ in this revelation.

MY ANSWER—The explicit wording in the divine revelation is the earthquake, but an earthquake that would be reminiscent of Doomsday. Indeed, it would be a cataclysmic earthquake and thousands of buildings would collapse therefrom—many a town being wiped off—no parallel of it would be found in earlier times; thousands would be killed instantaneously, and it would be such an event as no eye had witnessed heretofore. Thus, the collapse of buildings in this way, the sudden death of thousands of people, and the appearance of something extraordinary, is the real import of the prophecy.

Moreover, although from the apparent words of the prophecy, ‘earthquake’ is undoubtedly taken to mean an earthquake, the deference to the Word of God Almighty does indeed require that we bear in mind the true import, which is an extraordinary phenomenon and a miracle; not conjecture about the particulars of the earthquake as to what form and shape it would take. Though the apparent words of the prophecy indicate that it would indeed be an earthquake, it is possible that it might be some other terrible calamity the like of which has not been witnessed in the world before, and that it might have the quality and character of an earthquake in it. For instance, it might be in the form of a sinkhole in which the earth would be turned upside down without any earthquake being felt, or some other extraordinary calamity might appear which human knowledge has never experienced before.

So, the event would, in any case, be a miracle. If, however, such a grievous calamity did not appear—a calamity which would shake the world, which, according to the apparent words of the divine revelation, would be of the nature of an earthquake—or, if some ordinary event which the world witnesses all the time and which is not extraordinary and unusual and which is not truly cataclysmic, came to pass or if that calamity does not take place in my lifetime, then, you may, by all means and by beating a drum, reject me and consider me a liar. The import of this great calamity is that it would be a reminder of Doomsday and it would end up bringing about instantaneous destruction of the world and would bring thousands of people into my Jama‘at [Community].

HIS STATEMENT—Seeing the opportunity, you applied the statements from Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya to the earthquake too, whereas there is no mention of ‘earthquake’ in those statements.

MY ANSWER—This is the same kind of objection that the prejudiced Christian priests level these days against this prophecy of the Holy Quran:

They assert that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, made this prophecy out of his own conjecture in view of the prevailing situation. He prophesied the triumph of the Roman Empire merely because he thought that the power of the Romans was actually greater, they had full provisions of war, and their army was experienced and brave, whereas the condition of the Persian Empire was the opposite. Therefore, he made this prophecy based upon the prevailing situation. So, I wonder how this habit and attitude of Christian priests got into you. Cruel-natured priests raise the same objections against all the prophecies of the Holy Quran as you have done. Repent, lest you make some other advance beyond this similarity with them.

Open your eyes and look at your objection! On page 55728 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, there is the prophecy wherein God proclaims:

[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].

When God shall manifest His Glory on the mountain, He will cause it to break asunder. He will do so in order to show the truth of His servant.

Now reflect carefully: What is in this that I have made on my own? Here God Almighty Himself promises to show a glorious manifestation just as the glorious manifestation appeared on Mount Sinai for Musa [Moses], and He promises such a manifestation of His power that it will transcend the ordinary and will be the cause of my acclaim. And then the third time, He promises that God shall demonstrate His truth with powerful assaults. And in the end, He expounds the nature of the powerful assault and the manifestation of His Glory and Power that has been mentioned above. And He says that God shall manifest His Glory on a specific mountain and shall cause it to break asunder. Now, if your eyes fail to see anything out of bigotry, you may ask some other fair-minded person whether some great Sign has been promised in this revealed text, or whether it is merely an invention of my own? And if there is a promise, then do the words of the prophecy mean that a mountain will be broken asunder as a Sign, or does it mean something else?

As to the objection that at the time my mind was not directed to the fact that the mountain would be broken asunder, this is something akin to when the mind of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon, was not immediately directed to the fact that the place of migration he had been shown in a vision was Madinah, and not Yamamah or Hajar, and also like when the mind of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was not directed to the fact that on the journey of Hudaibiyyah, they would not be able to enter Makkah nor would they be able to perform the circuits of the Ka‘bah. So, if your objections are similar to those made by the wicked disbelievers against the prophecies of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then I am getting concerned lest you might someday even lose your faith in Islam.

It should be borne in mind that in the above-mentioned prophecy, which is recorded on page 557 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, God has clearly indicated the earthquake, because the verse:

refers to the time when God Almighty had broken asunder Mount Sinai by subjecting it to an earthquake, as its detailed description is set out in the Torah. This being the case, what should we call your behaviour—is it prejudice or ignorance when you say that there is no mention of the earthquake in these statements? Well, if there is no mention of the earthquake, then you should also deny that Mount Sinai was broken asunder by an earthquake.

HIS STATEMENT—The line

[‘afatid-diyar] means that dwellings were laid to waste in the past.

MY ANSWER—Alhamdulillah [All praise belongs to Allah]! At least you have admitted that:

indeed means the collapse and destruction of houses! As for the fact that you confine the meaning of the word

[‘afat—‘wiped out’] to the past, I have already cited the examples from the Holy Quran in refutation of this notion. Indeed, all Arabs can testify to this for me. Tell me now whether this prophecy is extraordinary or not?

And if you say that no time has been specified in it, the answer is that if God wishes that their time be kept a secret, He never tells when the prophecy is going to be fulfilled. And when God says that the prophecy of the earthquake will be fulfilled at a time when no one would have known about it, and that calamity would occur all of a sudden, it would be contrary to His own Word to announce the time of its occurrence. See the announcement An-Nida, page 14.

And should you say, ‘What distinction does the prophecy have without specific determination, for calamities are wont to visit the world once in a while anyway?’; the reply is that it is a sufficiently specific determination that God said that this calamity would come as a testimony for me in my own lifetime and millions who would be living at this time would still be alive and would witness this calamity, and the calamity would be such that there would be no parallel of it in this country for ages in the past. So, this specification is enough that the cataclysmic earthquake would come within my own lifetime and that of most of my opponents. And remember, the Makkan opponents, too —like you—had sought specification as to the time by asking

[‘When will that promise be fulfilled?’], but they were not disclosed the time.

HIS STATEMENT—Newspapers that are sympathetic to the Islamic causes should reproduce this article in their publications and inform the public that these announcements are false, and that Mirza [Ghulam Ahmad] had not made any prophecy.

MY ANSWER— Now, what could be the reply to this, except

[‘The curse of Allah be upon the liars’]? As for the newspapers publishing the article accusing me of falsehood, the All-Powerful who has sent me does not care the least for it. What harm can the insects of the earth do to the Will of the Heavens? Before this, Abu Jahl, may he be cursed, had instigated the peoples of Arabia—that this man (meaning that, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was making a false claim—and he had rallied ignorant people around him. Then, ponder over his ultimate end! Was the Will of God thwarted by his mischiefs? Rather, God Almighty decided the fate of that unfortunate one in the Battle of Badr, and the religion of the true Messenger of God Almighty prevailed throughout the world. Likewise, I say in all truth that no newspaper can stop the Will that has been decreed in Heaven. God’s fury is greater than the fury of man. It is not an attack on me, but is an attack on God who created earth and heaven. It is His Will to cleanse the earth of sin, and to bring the days of sincerity, righteousness, and Tauhid [the Oneness of God] back again, but the hearts that love the world do not wish for such days to return. O fool! Will you resist God? Is it in your power to fight Him? Had this been the work of man, there was no need for you to oppose it. God was enough to destroy it. This Movement has continued for nearly twenty-five years and is progressing by the day, and God has granted it extraordinary success in keeping with His holy promises. It is inevitable that before this world would come to an end, God would grant progress to this Movement to the point of perfection.

God has shown thousands of Signs to affirm my truth, to which hundreds of thousands of people stand witness. Signs appeared from the earth as well as from heaven. And they appeared amidst friends as well as foes. Hardly does a month pass without the manifestation of a Sign. And even now there is the promise of an extraordinary Sign, which has been designated as a cataclysmic earthquake which will unleash havoc upon the world never before witnessed by the world. So, if you fear God, why can you not be patient for a while? This earthquake will only surface so that God might manifest the truth of the truthful, and afford the people an opportunity to see Truth with the help of a glittering Sign. Though believing afterwards will not be of much honour, those who accept shall yet have a share in the blessing that has been prepared for the believers.

HIS STATEMENT—Does not the incident of Ahmad Baig’s daughter take the lustre away from Mirza’s revelations?

MY ANSWER—O critic! Was the shame of the earlier absurd objections not enough for you that you also chose to partake of the humiliation of making this frivolous objection?

Now listen with open ears! This prophecy had two parts and both were conditional. One part was conditionally related to the death of Ahmad Baig, meaning that it was prophesied that if he did not abide by the conditions laid down by God Almighty, he would die before the completion of three years. And not just him but with him there would be several deaths of his relatives too. So, because he—out of insolence—could not observe any of the conditions, God took him away from this world even before the stipulated period had elapsed, and several other deaths also occurred along with it.

But the part of the prophecy that pertained to Ahmad Baig’s son-in-law, was deferred because the remaining people developed fear according to the purport of the condition and became very frightened. And this can be understood by everyone that if there is any prophecy about the death of two persons and one of them dies within the stipulated time, fear naturally develops in the heart of the second person. So it was inevitable that the associates of Ahmad Baig’s son-in-law should have become fearful in their hearts upon witnessing Ahmad Baig’s death. Hence, when God saw the fear of those people, He delayed the part of the prophecy that related to the death of the son-in-law, in keeping with His promise.

This is similar to what transpired in the case of the prophecy of death concerning Deputy ‘Abdullah Atham and Pundit Lekh Ram. Since Deputy ‘Abdullah Atham showed much fear on hearing the prophecy about his death, his death was deferred and he lived a few months longer than the stipulated period, but Lekh Ram exhibited great insolence upon hearing the prophecy and surpassed all limits in vilification. Therefore, he was removed from this world even before the original term limit.

The fact is that prophecies made by God’s Messengers which contain the news about someone’s death or some other calamity, are called prophecies of wa‘id [warning]. And it is divine practice that such prophecies can be averted or delayed through repentance and seeking forgiveness, regardless of whether there is any condition in them or not, just as it transpired in the prophecy of Prophet Yunus [Jonah]. And the prophecy that Prophet Yunus made for the chastisement to befall his people within forty days, was absolute—there was no stipulation that they believe or become frightened. Nevertheless, when the people repented and lamented, God Almighty deferred the chastisement. It is an established doctrine, with the consensus of all the Prophets, may peace be upon them, that every misfortune which God Almighty has willed to befall someone, can be averted by charity, almsgiving, repentance, seeking forgiveness, and prayer. So, the affliction that has been intended—when its news is communicated to a Prophet or Messenger or one ordained by God—is called a prophecy of wa‘id [warning]. And, as it is an affliction, it can be averted in accordance with God’s promise through repentance, seeking forgiveness, charity, almsgiving, prayer, and by earnest supplication, or it can be deferred. If the affliction, which has been made known in the form of a prophecy, cannot be removed through charity, almsgiving etc., all the Divine Books would stand invalidated and the entire edifice of religion would be disrupted.

The critic has thereby mounted a serious assault against Islam— and not just against Islam—it is an assault on all the Prophets. If this attack is not deliberate, it betrays his rank ignorance of Islam and the Shariah [Islamic Law]. The faithful should be wary of such people for, by attacking me, they do not intend only to attack me, they care not the least for the religion of Islam—they are the hidden enemies of Islam. May God Almighty safeguard His religion against their evil.

This ignoramus doesn’t even know that just as God Almighty has made it an integral part of His own noble attributes to avert prophecies of warning on the basis of repentance, seeking forgiveness, prayer, and charity, so did He teach the same morals to man as is evidenced by the Holy Quran and the Hadith. When—out of sheer maliciousness—the hypocrites had perpetrated a calumny against Hazrat ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, some unwary Companions also had joined in this narrative. One of those Companions used to get his meal, twice a day, from the home of Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Due to this lapse, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) pledged that he would never again feed him as a punishment for this misdeed, whereupon the verse was revealed:

At that Hazrat Abu Bakr broke his pledge and restored his meals as usual. It is for this reason that it is part of Islamic morality that should one pledge something by way of punishment, the breaking of that pledge is a component of good morals. For instance, if someone swears that with regard to his servant, he shall strike him fifty times with a shoe, to forgive him on account of his repentance and earnest supplication is the Islamic custom, so that

[morality mirror the attributes of Allah]. Nevertheless, it is not permissible to break a promise; one will be held accountable for the breach of promise, but not for breaking a pledge of chastisement.

MY ANSWER—O bigoted ignoramus! When did you have the occasion to study my prophecies with care and to learn about them all, and when did you have occasion to stay in my company to witness my Signs first-hand! Who should I compare you with? You are comparable to a blind man who denies the existence of the sun yet fails to see his own blindness. Everyone cognizant of this matter can determine whether the state of my prophecies is worthless or whether the state of your faith is worthless. For the wise, this sample of your objections is enough; namely, the issue which is incontrovertible for all the Prophets and which is incontrovertible for all Islamic sects, is objectionable in your estimation. How sad! Are these the people who want to become the leaders of Islam who are not even aware of the teachings of God and the doctrines of Islam?

[To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return].

O cruel critic! Is this the wherewithal that prompted you to take up the pen? Though you suffer the fervour of prejudice, was it necessary to advertise your ignorance? Every statement, a rank lie; every doubt, simply satanic suspicion! With this knowledge and understanding, what tickled your fancy to criticise the holy revelation of God? It would have been better had you remained silent. You have earned sin for nothing and you have exposed everyone to your [heretofore] concealed ignorance with your tongue, defaming yourself in public and meriting the application—to your plight—of the parable of Shaikh Sa‘di, may God have mercy on him, that is contained in Bostan which is as follows:

There was a good and well-renowned fellow in Egypt
Who never opened his mouth in speech.

A host of people congregated around him in all sincerity
Like moths converging upon a lamp at night.

One night he said to himself:
‘There is a [wise] man concealed beneath my silent tongue;

Should my cleverness remain hidden within my head,
How would people know that I am a man of intellect?’

Thereupon he spoke—and friend and foe came to know—
That in Egypt, there was no one more ignorant than him!

His followers dispersed and his glory vanished;
He fled away after writing on the arch of the mosque:

I have now completed replying to the objections raised by Muhammad Ikramullah Khan of Shahjahanpur which have been published on page 5 of Daily Paisah Akhbar, 22 May 1905, but this was followed by a letter addressed to my friend, Maulawi ‘Abdul Karim, by a gentleman who chose not to reveal his name, in which, appealing in the name of God, he has sought answers to some of his objections regarding the same prophecies. These objections have been sufficiently answered in this part of Barahin, but since the critic has appealed to me in the name of God, I will briefly answer the gentleman’s objections, even at the cost of repeating myself.

HIS STATEMENT—The phrase

[‘Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out’] which His Holiness Mirza Sahib claims to be his revelation is a verse written by an ancient poet. The question is, has a revelation ever been vouchsafed to a Prophet which is—word for word—the same as something that has already been uttered before this Prophet by some other man? And if you are able to prove this, then the second objection would be that under such circumstances what would be the distinction between the Word of God and the word of man?

MY ANSWER—As I have written about it earlier, we do not need to go looking for such an example among other Prophets, because even to our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, some such phrases were contained in the revelations of Allah that had already been uttered by someone else. For instance, this sentence of Quranic revelation:

issued forth first from the tongue of ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah, and the very same sentence was revealed in the Holy Quran. See Tafsir-e-Kabir, part 6, page 276, printed in Egypt. The actual words are:

Translation is that: Kalbi narrates it on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may peace be upon him, that ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah used to take down verses of the Holy Quran; i.e. the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would direct him to write down the verses as they were revealed to him. And so once when the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, dictated to him the verse that ends with

[‘another creation’], ‘Abdullah marvelled and said

[‘So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators’]. The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then said, ‘Write this down as well, for God has also revealed the same words that have issued from your tongue, namely:

Thereupon, ‘Abdullah became mistrustful as to how the words that he had uttered could be the words of God. He said, ‘If Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, be true, then I receive the same revelation that he does, and if he be false, then there is no good in following him.’ So, he fled to Makkah. According to one narrative he died a disbeliever, while according to another he became a Muslim after the fall of Makkah.

So you can see that the words of ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah coincided with the words of God; i.e. this sentence:

issued forth from the mouth of ‘Abdullah and this very sentence was revealed by God. And should you ask, ‘What, then, distinguishes the Word of God from the word of man?’, the first answer is as God Himself has said in the Holy Quran—to establish a distinction the words uttered by any other than God must at least equal some chapter of the Holy Quran, for that is the quantity considered sufficient to count as a miracle, as God says:

He did not say

[‘Produce a verse like it’] or

[‘Produce a sentence like it’]. And, in reality, it is true that the Words of God, taken separately, are indeed those very words that issued forth from the tongues of disbelievers, but they took on a miraculous form as a whole through their beautiful eloquence, structured symmetry, and other characteristics.

And the same is true of the miracles inherent in Works of God Almighty. They acquire their miraculous nature when viewed as a whole, just as His Words become miraculous when seen as a whole. Nevertheless, even the short phrases that issue forth from the mouth of God are absolutely distinct from human phrases on account of the lofty meanings that are inherent within them. And though man may not succeed in penetrating their hidden mysteries, they do possess an inherent light in which lies their true spirit. For instance, the above words:

have a distinct quality on account of their relation to the preceding verses. In other words, they possess a spiritual philosophy which is in itself a miracle, the like of which is not found in the words of man.

To elaborate, in the beginning of Surah al-Mu’minun, which contains the verse:

God speaks of how man passes through the six stages essential for his progress to reach his physical and spiritual perfection. God has divided both kinds of development into six stages each, and has declared the sixth stage to be the stage of perfect development; and the affinity between the physical and the spiritual stages of development has been shown in such an extraordinary manner that ever since man was created, the mind of no man has been able to attain this insight. And if someone claims otherwise, then the onus would be on him to produce this holy philosophy from the book of any human being. But, remember, no one will ever be able to prove any such thing. Hence, this is an evident miracle that Allah the Exalted has revealed in these blessed verses—namely, the deep parallelism that exists in both the physical and spiritual progress until one reaches the point of perfection. And this, in turn, shows that both the physical creation and the spiritual creation have been wrought by the One and same hand; that is, the hand of God.

Some ignorant people have also objected that the Holy Quran’s description of the stages of man’s creation, starting from that of a sperm to his full physical perfection, is not accurate in the light of modern medical research. It is foolish of them to interpret these verses to mean that God creates a human being in the

[rihm—womb] in such a manner that He first completes one organ and then attends to another. This is not at all the intent of the divine verses. Rather, just as I have myself witnessed, the True Creator fashions all the organs—internal and external—at the same time, not one after the other in the development of the child in the

[rihm—womb] from a shapeless lump to the end. It is, however, established that at first the human form consists of a clot of blood, then all of it turns into a shapeless lump, and then—at one and the same time—some of it turns into bones at the proper places, and then—at one and the same time—the whole structure is clothed with flesh, which is called the skin and helps to embellish the body. At this point the physical human form becomes complete and is infused with life. I have witnessed all these stages with my own eyes.

I will now turn to the six stages of spiritual development, as Allah the Exalted states in the Holy Quran:

As against these, He has also declared the number of stages of man’s physical development to be six, as He states after these verses:

As I have stated above, it is clear that the first stage of man’s spiritual development is the one described in this verse; that is:

Meaning that those believers have attained salvation who adopt humility and meekness in their Prayers and in their remembrance of God and who busy themselves in the remembrance of God with tenderness of heart and depth of emotions. Against this, the first stage of man’s physical development has been described in this verse:

Meaning: Then we made man a sperm and placed that sperm in a safe place. Thus, after the creation of Adam, God Almighty has declared the sperm to be the first physical stage of human development.

Obviously, the sperm is a seed which embodies within it all the faculties, characteristics, inner and outer organs, and the physical features that are plainly revealed at the fifth stage, and are fully and manifestly perfected at the sixth stage.49 Nonetheless, the stage of the sperm is the most precarious of all the stages, for it is like a seed that has not yet attached itself in any way to the earth. It has still not felt the pull of the

[rihm—womb] and it is possible that it may be wasted on entering the body of the woman just as a seed is wasted on rocky soil. And it is also possible that the sperm itself may be defective; that is, it may have some imperfection in itself that makes it unfit for growth. It may not have the ability to be attracted by the

[rihm—womb] and may only be like a corpse in which there is no movement, just like a rotten seed that is sown in the soil; and even though the soil may be excellent, yet by virtue of its own defect it is incapable of growth and development. And it is also possible that due to some other disorders, which we need not elaborate here, the sperm is not able to connect to the

[rihm—womb] and the

[rihm—womb] deprives it of its attractive influence; just as a seed is sometimes crushed underfoot, carried away by birds, or destroyed by some other accident.

The same are the characteristics that attend the first stage of a believer’s spiritual development—the state of humility, meekness, tenderness, and pathos—that he experiences in worship and in the remembrance of God, which, in other words, means to cultivate in oneself anguish, tenderness, humility, modesty, meekness of spirit, and a yearning and longing, and to turn to God having been overcome by His fear, as has been described in the verse:

Meaning that: Those believers have attained their desires who adopt humility and meekness in their Prayers and in every type of their remembrance of Allah, and who occupy themselves in remembering Him with true fervour and supplication, passion, and anguish. This stage of humility, which has been indicated above, is the first stage in the development of the spiritual being. In other words, it is the first seed that is sown in the soil of servitude to God, and it carries in it— in a compact form—all the faculties, attributes, features, beauty, and characteristics of the spirit, which, in the fifth and sixth stages, manifest themselves in the perfect man in a attractive manner.51 Since this stage, like the stage of the sperm, is the first stage in man’s spiritual development, the Quranic verse has placed it in the first stage alongside the stage of the sperm and has described their similarities. This is so that those who reflect deeply on the Holy Quran may understand that the state of humility in Prayer is like a sperm in case of the spiritual being, and like the sperm it contains all the faculties, attributes, and features of the perfect man. Likewise, just as a sperm remains in a precarious state until it has established a link with the

[rihm—womb], so is this initial stage of the spiritual being—the stage of humility—not free from danger until it becomes firmly linked to

[Rahim—the Merciful God].

It should be noted here that when the favour of God Almighty is received without any effort on one’s part, this is due to the attribute of

[Rahmaniyyat—Graciousness]. For instance, everything that God has created for mankind by way of heaven and earth etc., or even creation of man himself, all this has come about on account of God’s

[Rahmaniyyat—Graciousness]. But when one receives favour as a result of one’s deeds, worship, effort, and striving, it is the result of

[Rahimiyyat—Mercifulness]. This has been the continuous divine practice towards mankind so that when man adopts humility in his Prayer and remembrance of God then he makes himself deserving of

[Rahimiyyat—Mercifulness].

So, the only difference in the sperm and in the first stage of the spiritual development—that of humility—is that while the former is dependent upon the pull of the

[rihm—womb], the latter requires the pull of

[Rahim—the Merciful]. So, just as it is possible that the sperm may be wasted before it can establish connection with the

[rihm—womb], so is it possible that the first stage of man’s spiritual development—that of humility—may be wasted before it is able to establish the connection with the Merciful One.

There are many people who in the initial stage cry, are ecstatic, and rave and rant in their Prayers, and show all manner of frenzy and fervency in their love for God, and manifest various states of being enamoured with God, but since they are unable to establish any connection with the Bountiful One, whose attribute is Mercifulness, and are not drawn towards Him by means of His special manifestations, all their crying, humility, and supplication are baseless and they often falter and fall into a state worse than before. So, this is a wonderful and interesting similarity between the sperm—which is the first stage of the physical development and which comes to nothing unless the pull of the

[rihm—womb] comes to its aid, and the state of humility—which is worthless unless the pull of God’s mercy comes to its assistance.

It is on this account that you will find thousands who, in some part of their lives, had enjoyed the state of humility in their Prayers and remembrance of God, and they cried and supplicated in ecstasy, but then some such curse took hold of them that turned them suddenly towards selfish ends, and they became totally lost in the world and its desires and passions. This is indeed a fearful scenario whereby their state of humility ends before they have established a link with the Merciful One. Before the pull of the Merciful God effects some action upon them, that state is gone and lost. As such their spiritual condition, which is at the first stage of spiritual development, is akin to the sperm that is lost before it can establish a connection with the

[rihm—womb]. In short, the first stage of the spiritual being—that of humility—and the first stage of the physical being—that of the sperm—are similar in that the first stage of the physical being—that of the sperm—is worthless without the pull of the

[rihm—womb], and the first stage of the spiritual being—that of humility—is nothing without the pull of God, the

[Rahim—Merciful].

And just as countless sperms go to waste in this world, being destroyed in that state without having established a connection with the

[rihm—womb], so are there countless instances of the states of humility that are wasted because they fail to be connected to

[Rahim—the Merciful God]. There are thousands of ignorant people who, on account of a few days of humility, rapture, and supplication, become satisfied and think that they have attained the status of wali or ghaus or qutb or abdal,52 or have become godly, whereas in fact they are nothing at all; they are still a mere sperm. As yet they are only acquainted with the name of God, the rosebud of spring [i.e. loving relationship with Allah] has not even touched them. Alas! A large number of people have been destroyed on account of such vain thoughts.

Bear in mind that the first stage of the spiritual being—that of humility—can perish due to a myriad of factors, just as the sperm— which is the first stage of the physical being—can come to naught due to various kinds of mishaps, including a defect in the sperm itself. For instance, if the state of humility has some idolatrous contamination in it, or is mixed with some unlawful innovation or frivolity, such as a person’s carnal and unholy desires and passions expressing themselves, or the heart is in the grip of base objectives, or has become overpowered by the frivolous worldly desires; thus, burdened by all these unholy disorders, the state of humility is not deemed worthy of establishing a link with the Merciful God, in the same way as a defective sperm will fail to connect itself to the

[rihm—womb]. This is why the state of humility of the Hindu yogis and the Christian clergymen does not benefit them in the least. If they take their anguish and supplications to a level where they reduce their bodies to a fleshless skeleton, even then the

[Rahim—Merciful One] does not establish a connection with them because their state of humility has an inherent flaw.

The same is the case of the mendicants of Islam steeped in innovation who, shunning the Holy Quran, adopt instead a thousand forms of innovation, so much so that they shamelessly employ hemp or marijuana or alcohol, not to mention other forms of evil in which they indulge as freely as a child partakes of its mother’s milk. Since their condition has no affinity or connection with the Merciful God; rather, their condition is extremely repugnant in the eyes of God, therefore, despite all their own type of ecstasy, dance, poetry, and music etc., they remain totally deprived of establishing a relationship with the Merciful God. They are like the sperm which, on account of syphilis or leprosy becomes defective and unfit for the

[rihm—womb] to establish a link with it.

Thus, the relationship with the

[rihm—womb] and

[Rahim—the Merciful God], or the absence of it, is due to the same cause, the difference has only to do with the disorders being physical or spiritual. Just as a sperm at times is not fit so that the

[rihm—womb] may establish a connection with it and draw it to itself on account of some inherent disorders, the same is true of the state of humility— which is equivalent to the state of the sperm—which, due to some inherent disorders of its own, such as pride, arrogance and ostentation, and other forms of misguidance or idolatry, becomes unworthy that God, the

[Rahim—Merciful]. God should establish a connection with it. In short, all the excellence of the first stage of spirituality—i.e. the state of humility—depends upon establishing a true link with the Merciful God, in the same way as all the excellence of the sperm depends on its developing an association with the

[rihm—womb]. Thus, if the state of humility is not really linked with God, the

[Rahim—Merciful] and no true relationship with Him can develop, then that state is akin to the impure sperm that can never develop a real connection with the

[rihm—womb].

Remember that if a person at one time happens to experience true immersion and fervour and pleasure in Prayer and remembrance of Allah, it does not prove that he has a true relationship with God, the

[Rahim—Merciful], just as the sperm may enter the woman’s body and pleasure may be experienced, but it does not necessarily mean that the sperm has become linked to the

[rihm—womb], for there is a whole separate set of signs and indications that would prove the link. Thus, the passion and fervour one experiences in the remembrance of God Almighty—which is known as the state of humility—is akin to the state of the sperm that enters the woman’s body after being ejaculated. There is no doubt that in the physical realm it is a moment of great pleasure, and yet the entering of the sperm does not entail that it will become linked to the

[rihm—womb] and will be drawn towards it.

Similarly, it is not necessary that the spiritual passion and fervour and state of humility will definitely lead the supplicant to establish a relationship with God, the

[Rahim—Merciful] and be drawn towards Him. Instead, the sperm that enters the body of a prostitute as a result of an illicit relationship results in the same sort of pleasure as one experiences with one’s wife. Thus, the pathos and fervour of idolaters and creature worshippers is similar to the lust of those who associate with prostitutes. The fervour and passion of the polytheists who remember God merely for the sake of worldly objectives is akin to the sperm that enters the body of a prostitute and results in pleasure.

Nonetheless, just as the sperm has the inherent ability to establish a link, so is the case with the state of humility, and yet this state of humility and pathos and anguish alone does not prove that the link has indeed been established. This is just like the sperm—which is a physical parallel of the spiritual state—for when a man comes to his wife and his sperm enters her body and he experiences the ultimate pleasure, this pleasure is no guarantee that conception has indeed taken place.

Similarly, no matter what pleasure and ecstasy one experiences in the state of humility and fervour, it is by no means a definitive indication of the existence of a link with God.53 In other words, if some person experiences humility and fervour during Prayer or remembrance of God, it does not necessarily mean that he has a relationship with God.

A person may experience all these states and yet have no connection with God. We commonly see people who cry with elation and raise slogans during sermons and religious discourses, during Prayers and remembrance of God, and express deep emotion with tears running down their cheeks. Indeed, some are prone to weep at the slightest occasion, and yet such people do not detach themselves from frivolous activities, and much that is absurd and frivolous recreation is their constant companion, which goes to show that they have no relationship whatsoever with God and their hearts are devoid of His fear and majesty. This is indeed a strange display—such impure souls together with such states of humility and fervour. This is indeed a matter to learn from, for it shows that mere show of passion and crying that is not attended by the shunning of frivolity is nothing to be proud of, nor is it at all a sign of one’s nearness to God or a link with Him.

I have with my own eyes seen many faqirs [Muslim religious ascetics] and other such people who, upon hearing a tragic verse or witnessing a tragic event or hearing a tragic story, at once start shedding tears, just like some clouds that start pouring large drops of rain so suddenly as to not afford those sleeping in the open an opportunity to run indoors without their bedding being drenched in water. But I can testify, based on my personal observation, that I have found many such people to be very cunning, even more so than worldly people. Indeed, I have found some of them to be so evil-natured and dishonest and villainous in every aspect that having seen their tears and demonstrations of humility I am loath to express such sentiments in public. There was, of course, a time when this was specifically the hallmark of righteous people, but nowadays it has become a trait of devious and dishonest people. They put on green mantles, grow long hair, always have a rosary in their hand, tears are ever welling up in their eyes, their lips ever moving as if in remembrance of Allah, and then they also indulge in every innovation. Such are the signs of mendicancy that they exhibit, and yet their leprosy-stricken hearts are devoid of the love of God, with a few exceptions of course. The truly righteous whose actions are spontaneous and heartfelt—and not for ostentation and display—are exempt from these remarks of mine. In any case, what this proves is that crying and supplication is not something that is unique to Godly people; rather, it is a human faculty that comes into play at its proper place or otherwise.

At times a person reads a fictitious story and he knows that it is all fiction, such as a novel and yet when he comes to a tragic turn of events, he loses control over his heart and is unable to restrain the gush of tears. The power of such tragic stories is such that at times a person starts to relate it and at one point his eyes well up with tears, and his voice also becomes like that of a weeping person, and suddenly he cannot restrain his emotions. He experiences the kind of satisfaction and pleasure that comes from such crying even though he knows well that the basis upon which he weeps is invalid and is merely fiction.

Why is this so? What is the reason that lies behind it? It is because the faculty of crying and pathos that resides within man is not concerned with the truth or untruth of an event. It will come into play whenever such conditions exist, and man takes a kind of pleasure in this state whether he is a believer or a disbeliever. This is why in unholy gatherings that comprise of all kinds of innovations, licentious people, who adorn themselves in the garbs of faqirs, upon hearing eulogies and verses, start to dance and get into a state of trance and ecstasy and crying. They experience their own form of pleasure and think that they have thus become one with God. And yet the pleasure they experience is like the pleasure that a fornicator might experience with a prostitute.

Yet another similarity between the sperm and the state of humility and fervour in Prayer is that just as a man’s sperm enters the body of his wife or another woman, at the time of ejaculation it flows freely just like the flowing of tears in a state of fervour and anguished supplication.

And just as the sperm ejaculates spontaneously, so do tears flow from the eyes of a person at the height of anguished prayer. And just as the pleasure of ejaculations is at times lawful when experienced with one’s wife, and at times unlawful when experienced with a prostitute, the same is the case with the state of anguish and fervour, which at times is only for the sake of the One and Peerless God, with no contamination of idolatry or innovation. This is lawful pleasure. But at times such pleasure is experienced in the passion and fervour of worship that has the element of innovations, creature worship, and the worship of idols and goddesses, and then it is like the pleasure experienced during intercourse with a prostitute. In short, mere crying, supplicating, fervour, and anguish and the pleasure derived therefrom do not necessarily mean a relationship with God, just like so many sperms that are wasted and the

[rihm—womb] does not accept them. Similar is the case with cries and supplications of many people. It only serves to destroy their eyesight, for the Merciful God does not accept such supplications.

Thus, there is a manifestly clear similarity between the state of humility—which is the first stage of the spiritual being—and that of the sperm—which is the first stage of the physical being. I have described [this similarity] in detail. And this similarity is not a trivial matter, for the Eternal Creator—glory be to Him—has created this complete and perfect similarity by His express will; so much so that it is also written in the Book of Allah that both these pleasures will also be experienced in the next world, but in that world the similarity will have grown so much that they will virtually become one. In other words, when in the next world a man makes love to his wife, he will not be able to tell whether he makes love to his wife or is immersed in the boundless sea of the love of Allah. This state is experienced in this very world by those who become one with the Lord of Honour, but it is beyond the comprehension of worldly and the unenlightened people.

Having explained how the first stage of the spiritual self has complete affinity with the first stage of the physical self, it is now necessary to explain how the second stage of the spiritual self, too, has an affinity with the second stage of the physical self. To elaborate, as I have already stated, the second stage of spiritual development has been outlined in this noble verse [of the Holy Quran]; that is:

Meaning that: Believers are those who shun all that is vain, they do not indulge in vain conversations, activities, or actions and keep away from vain assemblies, companions, and relationships.

In parallel with this is the second stage of the physical self which God has described in His Noble Word as

[‘alaqah—‘clot’]. As He says:

Meaning that: Then We fashioned the sperm into an

[‘alaqah—clot]. That is, We saved it from being lost in vain and turned it into an

[‘alaqah—clot] through the connection and influence of the

[rihm—womb]. Prior to this, it was in a perilous state and it could not be said whether it would develop into a human being or would go to waste. But after establishing a connection with the

[rihm—womb], it was saved from going to waste and a change camَe over it that did not exist before; that is, it took on the form of an

[‘alaqah—clot] of blood and became thicker. And a connection with the

[rihm—womb] developed, and thus it came to be named

[‘alaqah—‘clot’], and the woman became eligible to be called pregnant. And by virtue of this connection, the

[rihm—womb] became its guardian and the sperm began to grow and flourish under its care. However, at this stage the sperm has not acquired much of purity. It merely turned into an

[‘alaqah—clot] of blood that was saved from going to waste on account of being linked to the

[rihm—womb]. And as it would otherwise have spread and spilled out in an unseemly manner and desecrated one’s clothes, now, on account of its link, it has been saved from being wasted. But it is still only an

[‘alaqah—clot] of blood and not free from contamination of subtle impurities. Had it not become linked to the

[rihm—womb], it was likely that it would not have been able to stay therein, even if it had entered the woman’s body, and would have just flowed out. But the power of the

[rihm—womb] held on to it and turned it into something like a clot of blood. And then, as I have said, it came to be called

[‘alaqah—‘clot’] on account of that link—a link that had hitherto been missing. It is this that saved it from being wasted, and it is on this account that the fluid shed its watery form and became somewhat thicker.

Corresponding to this

[‘alaqah—clot], which is the second stage of the physical being, is the second stage of the spiritual being which I have mentioned above and of which is indicated by the following Quranic verse:

Meaning that, the emancipated believers are those people who shun vain actions, vain talk, vain behaviour, vain assemblies, vain company, vain relationships, and vain passions, and their faith rises to a level that it becomes easy for them to achieve that much. For, on account of the strengthening of their faith they do establish a certain link with the Merciful God, in the same way as the sperm, when it turns into an

[‘alaqah—clot], becomes linked to the

[rihm—womb] and saved from spilling out in vain or being wasted; otherwise,

[except as God wills]. Thus, in this second stage of the spiritual being, the relationship with the Gracious God is exactly similar to the relationship which the

[‘alaqah—clot] has with the

[rihm—womb] in the second stage of the physical being. And just as before the advent of the second stage of the spiritual being it is not possible to become free of frivolous relationships and activities, and more often than not the first stage of the spiritual being—that of fervour and supplication—goes to waste and has an inauspicious end, so is the case with the sperm, which is the first stage of the physical being. Before it becomes an

[‘alaqah—clot], there is every chance that it will go to waste. But when it is willed by God that it should be saved from being unduly wasted, then by His command the same sperm turns into an

[‘alaqah—clot]. This, then, is deemed as the second stage of the physical being.

So, the second stage of the spiritual being is when one shuns all frivolous acts, deeds, talk, relationships, and passions. And this stage too is only attained when one has established a link with the Merciful God, for it is this relationship that has the potential and force to break it free from the other relationship and save it from being wasted. Even if a person experiences fervour and devotion in one’s Prayers—which is the first stage of the spiritual being—this state is unable to keep him from indulging in frivolous talk, acts, and deeds, and cannot restrain his frivolous passions until one develops the link with God as in the second stage of the spiritual being. This is just like the case of a man who might consort with his wife several times a day, but the sperm will not be saved from being wasted unless it becomes linked to the

[rihm—womb].

it means that the believers are only those who wean themselves away from vain relationships—and weaning away from vain relationships is a requisite for the relationship with God.57 In other words, weaning one’s heart away from frivolous activities amounts to attaching one’s heart to God, because man has been created for eternal worship, and the love of God is by nature imbued in his heart. This is why his soul has an eternal relationship with God, as is evident from the verse:

The relationship that man establishes with God Almighty by coming under the shade of

[Rahimiyyat—Mercifulness] through the medium of worship—the first stage of which is that, having attained faith in God, he should shun every vain conversation, vain deed, vain company, vain relationship, and vain passion—amounts simply to bringing that same eternal relationship from a potential into the realm of actuality. It is not something new.

And as I have already stated, the first stage of man’s spiritual being— which is to attain to the state of humility, fervour, and anguish in one’s worship and remembrance of God—this stage amounts in itself merely to that of general application. In other words, the anguished self does not necessarily shun the frivolous or show higher moral values or civilised traits. Rather, it is quite possible that the heart of the person who assumes humility and cries and supplicates in Prayer, so much so that it even affects other people, may not be free from frivolous things, deeds, actions, companionship, relationships, and passions; that is, he may not have attained emancipation from sin.

The reason is that the occasional experience of inner anguish, or feeling of pleasure and concentration in Prayer is one thing, and the purity of the self is something altogether different. Even when the supplication, humility, and crying of a seeker is free from the contamination of innovative practices and idolatry, still the person who has not yet reached the second stage of the spiritual self is only searching for the spiritual goal, wandering on the way which is yet beset at every step with many a desert, wilderness, thorny bush, mountain, great tempestuous ocean, and wild animal—all enemies of faith and spiritual life— unless he has attained the second stage of spiritual development.

Bear in mind that the states of humility, meekness, and submission do not at all necessitate a true relationship with God, for often times even mischievous people become humble upon witnessing a manifestation of the wrath of God, while in fact they have no relationship with God whatsoever, nor are they free of vain pursuits. For example, the earthquake that struck on 4th April 1905 caused hundreds of thousands of hearts to become so humbled and overawed that they did nothing but cry and beseech God, so much so that even the atheists forgot their atheism. But as the time passed and the shocks ceased, their humbleness also disappeared so much so that I heard that some atheists, who had—at that moment—believed in God, brazenly and shamelessly declared that they had been mistaken and overawed by the earthquake, but that otherwise there was no God.

In short, as I have written several times earlier, the state of humility and awe can be accompanied by much impurity. Of course, this state is like a seed for future excellences, but to consider this state to be perfection in itself amounts to self-deception, because there is a stage after this that a believer should seek and must not rest content or become lax until he has attained it. And it is this stage which is described in the Word of Allah as:

That is, believers are not just those people who adopt humility in their Prayers and exhibit tender emotions. Rather, greater believers are those believers who, in addition to their humility, meekness, and anguish, also keep away from all vain things, deeds, and relationships. They do not allow their state of humility to be wasted by contaminating it with the frivolous; rather, they are naturally averse to all vain pursuits and a repugnance develops in their hearts for all frivolous suggestions and deeds.

This is evidence of the fact that they have acquired a certain relationship with God Almighty, for man turns away from one thing only after he has established a connection with another. So man’s heart only grows cold towards frivolous things, deeds, entertainment, merriment, and companionship when it has attached itself to the Merciful God and is overwhelmed by His majesty and fear. And so is the sperm saved from being wasted once it has become linked to the

[rihm—womb] anَd comes under its influence, at which stage it comes to be called

[‘alaqah—‘clot’]. Thus, the second stage of the spiritual being, whereby a believer shuns all that is frivolous, is also

[‘alaqah—clot] in spiritual terms, for it is at this stage that the heart of a believer is overawed by the grandeur of God and forever bids farewell to frivolous things and actions.

This is indeed the state which, in other words, is called ta‘alluq billah [relationship with God]. However, this relationship with God that results from discarding frivolous things is only a fragile relationship, for although the believer at this stage has turned away from the frivolous, his heart is still attached to things that are deemed essential for the self and on which his prosperity and comfort depends. So an element of impurity still abides within him. This is why God has likened this stage of the spiritual being to an

[‘alaqah—clot], which is congealed blood and—owing to the blood—there remains an element of impurity in it. This defect remains at this stage because such people do not fear Almighty God to the fullest degree and the awe and grandeur of the Lord of Glory has not fully overwhelmed their hearts. They are only able to relinquish small and frivolous things, but not the others. Thus, their imperfect selves are still left with an element of impurity, so that having established a fragile relationship with God, they do turn away from the frivolous but cannot do away with things that are difficult to abandon. In other words, they cannot, for the sake of God, renounce those things that are essential for selfish pleasures. All this goes to show that mere turning away from the frivolous is not something that is too commendable; rather, it is a lowly state for a believer, albeit a stage above the stage of humility.

Corresponding to the third stage of physical development is the third stage of spiritual development, the detail of which is as follows. The third stage of the physical being has been described in this verse as:

Meaning that: ‘Then We fashioned the

[‘alaqah—clot] into a piece of flesh.’ This is the stage whereby the physical being of man comes out of the impurity. Compared to its previous states َit acquires a degree of density and solidity. Both the sperm and the

[‘alaqah—clot of blood] have a slight impurity in them, and in respect of consistency, too, they are thinner and softer than the

[mudghah—piece of flesh]. But

[mudghah], which is a piece of flesh, develops a pure state in itself, and compared with the sperm and the

[‘alaqah— clot], develops a certain extent of firmness. The same is true of the third stage of the spiritual being which is described in the verse:

This verse means that the believer who goes beyond the first two stages does not only stay away from vain and frivolous things, but, in order to rid himself of the impurity of miserliness that is to be found in every human being, also gives Zakat. That is, he spends a portion of his wealth in the path of God. Zakat62 is so called because when man gives Zakat—gives away his beloved possessions for the sake of God— he is freed from the impurity of miserliness. And when the impurity of miserliness—which man is naturally prone to—departs from within a person, he attains a certain degree of purity and so acquires an affinity with God who is Holy in His Being.

Whoever gives his heart to that Holy One
Must first purify himself, then will he find Him.

This quality is not found in the first two stages because humility, submissiveness, and supplication and the giving up of vain pursuits can be done even by such a person who still has the impurity of miserliness in him. But when, for the sake of God Almighty, a man gives away his cherished possessions, on which depends his subsistence and which he has acquired with much toil, hardship, and sweat, then the impurity of miserliness leaves him, and at the same time his faith becomes more solid and firm. The two stages referred to above, which are antecedent to this stage, are not characterized by this pure quality, for they still have a concealed uncleanliness.

The reason behind this is that turning away from the frivolous only amounts to discarding evil, and that too, of the kind that is not necessary for living and sustenance, and it does not put great hardship on the self to discard them. But to give away one’s own hard-earned possessions for the sole purpose of winning the pleasure of God is an act of acquiring goodness, and it leads to the removal of the worst of the impurities of the self—the impurity of miserliness. Hence, this is the third stage of the spiritual being and it is nobler and superior to the first two. And corresponding to this is the third stage of the physical being, that of the

[mudghah—piece of flesh], which is superior than the first two stages of the sperm and the

[‘alaqah—clot].

It is also characterized by its purity, for both the sperm and the

[‘alaqah—clot] have a subtle impurity in them, whereas the

[mudghah—piece of flesh] is free from it. And just as the

[mudghah—piece of flesh] is more developed and purified in the

[rihm—womb] and has a stronger connection with the latter than the sperm and the

[‘alaqah—clot], in addition to being more solid and hard, the same is true of the third stage of the spiritual being, referring to which God says:

Meaning that the believers are those who, in order to free themselves of miserliness, spend their cherished possession in the way of God, and do so out of their own free will.

Thus, in this third stage of the spiritual being, those same three excellences are found as in the third stage of the physical being; that is, those that are found in the

[mudghah—piece of flesh] state. Because this is a state in which one spends—in order to be free from miserliness—one’s wealth in the way of Allah and gives away one’s hard earned possessions to someone else purely for the sake of God, it is certainly a state more developed than that of merely shunning frivolous pursuits and vain actions. Within this state one definitely and manifestly attains purification from the filth of miserliness and develops the relationship with the Merciful God. Since giving up one’s cherished possession for the sake of God is a far greater burden upon the self than shunning vain pursuits, undertaking this harder exercise leads to a greater relationship with God and, due to undertaking a difficult task, the faith is strengthened and intensified.

Then, after this, comes the fourth stage of the spiritual being, which Allah the Exalted describes in this noble verse:

Meaning that the believers who rise above the third stage are those who protect themselves against carnal passions and forbidden lustful urges. This stage is above the third stage because in the third stage the believer only gives away his most cherished and dear possessions in the path of God, but in the fourth stage he sacrifices what is even dearer to him than money and possession, and that is his carnal passions. Man is so enamoured by his carnal passions that he can spend his money like water and squander thousands of rupees for their fulfilment. In fact, he considers money to be nothing when it comes to fulfilling carnal desires. As is often seen that evil-natured miserly people, who would never give a penny to a hungry and destitute person due to their extreme miserliness, will—under the passion of carnal desires—squander thousands of rupees on prostitutes, destroying their home in the process. This shows that the flood of carnal passions is so strong and fast that it can carry away even the filth of miserliness. It is, therefore, evident that compared to the power of faith that does away with miserliness and causes man to give away his cherished possessions for the sake of God, this power of faith that saves man from the storm of carnal passions is extremely potent, hard, and enduring in enabling one to fight Satan because its purpose is to trample underfoot the ancient python of nafs-e-ammarah [the self that incites to evil].

Miserliness can be overcome even while in the grip of fulfilling one’s carnal desires or even at times when one is in the grip of show and ostentation, but the storm that emerges under the domination of carnal passions is a fierce and lasting tempest that can in no way be quelled other than through the mercy of God. And just as in the human body the bone is the hardest organ and endures the longest, in the same way the power of faith that can quell this storm is also very hard and enduring, so that by fighting such an enemy for a long time it can subjugate it—but only by the mercy of God, for the tempest of carnal passions is so devastating and threatening a turmoil that it cannot be calmed other than through the special mercy of the Most Holy God.

Meaning: ‘I do not hold my own self to be free from weakness; the self is surely most prone to enjoin evil and one cannot be delivered from its onslaught except that God Almighty should Himself show mercy.’ The phrase

[‘Except that God Almighty should Himself show mercy’] occurs in this verse; similar words also occur in the description of the flood of Nuh [Noah], where Allah the Exalted says:

This is to indicate that this flood of carnal passions is similar in its grandeur and awe to the flood of Noah.

And corresponding to this spiritual stage which is the fourth stage of the spiritual being is the fourth stage of the physical being, about which is this verse in the Holy Quran:

Meaning: ‘We then fashioned bones out of the

[mudghah—piece of flesh].’ It is obvious that, as compared to

[mudghah—piece of flesh], there develops in the bones greater hardness and firmness; furthermore, in comparison to the piece of flesh, the bone is more long-lasting and its remains can endure for thousands of years. Thus, the similarity between the fourth stage of the spiritual being and the fourth stage of the physical being is evident. Since the fourth stage of the spiritual being has greater faith and perseverance, it also enjoys a greater relationship with the Merciful God. In the same way the formation of bones in the fourth stage of the physical being is greater in strength and firmness than the third stage, which is mere flesh, and it also more strongly attached to the

[rihm—womb].

Then, after the fourth stage, the fifth stage of the spiritual being is that which God Almighty has described in this verse:

Meaning that the believers at the fifth stage, who have gone ahead of the fourth stage, are those who not only possess the excellence of overcoming their carnal passions and gaining a grand victory over such desires, but rather they go a step further and, by fulfilling their trusts and pledges towards God and His creatures in every respect, they strive to walk the finer paths of taqwa [righteousness] to the best of their ability. Pledges to God refer to the pledges related to faith which are taken from a believer at the time of entering into the bai‘at [pledge of allegiance] and adopting a faith, such as not committing idolatry, not killing anyone unjustly, etc.

The word

[ra‘un—‘watchful’] that occurs in this verse, means ‘those who are watchful’. According to the Arabic usage, this word is used when someone adopts the finer path of something to the best of his power and ability and undertakes to carry out all the minute details of the matter, leaving no aspect unattended. So this verse means that the believers who are at the fifth level of the spiritual being strive, to the best of their present ability, to tread the finer paths of taqwa. They do not wish to leave unattended any requirement of taqwa related to their trusts or pledges and are ever mindful of fulfilling them. They are not content with merely calling themselves trustworthy and truthful in a broad sense, but remain fearful lest they should be guilty of dishonesty in any matter inadvertently. So, to the extent of their ability, they keep examining all their affairs lest there be some latent flaw or drawback in them. This vigilance is indeed what, in other words, is called taqwa.

In short, those believers who are in the fifth stage of the spiritual being are not unrestrained or heedless in their undertakings, whether such undertakings be in relation to God or in relation to His creatures. Rather, fearing lest they should come under some culpability in the estimation of God, they keep in mind even the minutest aspects of their trusts and covenants and always keep examining them. And by making use of the penetrating lens of taqwa they go on evaluating their inner condition so that no hidden deficiency may arise in their trusts and covenants. And they utilize all of God’s trusts—such as their faculties, organs, life, wealth, and honour—to the best of their ability and in conformity with the demands of taqwa, while carefully considering the appropriateness of the occasion. They strive with all their power and full sincerity to live up to the pledge that they made to God at the time when they accepted the covenant of faith. Similarly, to the best of their ability and in conformity with the norms of taqwa, they fulfil the trusts they owe to God’s creatures or anything that falls under the purview of a trust. And if there happens to be a dispute, they settle it in accordance with taqwa, even if it means incurring a loss for themselves.

This stage is superior to the fourth stage because here one has to employ—to the best of one’s ability—the finer ways of taqwa in all one’s actions and to take every single step in all affairs—to the best of one’s ability—while keeping in mind the requirements of taqwa. But the fourth stage consists only of a general principle which is to abstain from adultery and licentiousness.

Everyone can understand that adultery is a most shameless act whose perpetrator, being blinded by his carnal passions, commits an unholy deed that adulterates the lawful human species with the unlawful and causes the spoiling of one’s progeny. This is why the Shariah has declared it to be such a major sin that whoever commits it is prescribed a penalty in this very world.

Evidently, it is not enough for the perfection of a believer that he should only abstain from adultery, since adultery is the work of extremely corrupt and shameless people, and it is such an obvious sin which even the most ignorant of the ignorant consider to be evil and no one but a faithless person will be audacious enough to commit it. Shunning it, therefore, is a matter of ordinary decency and no great excellence.

But man’s full spiritual beauty lies in treading upon all the finer ways of taqwa.69 The finer ways of taqwa are the graceful features and lovely curves of spiritual beauty. It is obvious that to abide by the trusts that one owes to God and by the pledges of faith70 to the best of one’s ability, and to utilize all one’s organs and faculties from head to toe—of which the physically obvious are the eyes, ears, hands, feet, and the other organs; as well as the inner capacities such as the heart and other faculties and morals—appropriately at their proper occasion, to safeguard them from the unlawful, and to be wary against their secret assaults, while at the same time fulfilling one’s obligations towards God’s creation—this is the path on which depends all one’s spiritual beauty. God Almighty in the Holy Quran has labelled taqwa as raiment.

Libasut-taqwa [‘Raiment of righteousness’] is an expression of the Holy Quran, and this is an indication that spiritual beauty and adornment are indeed born out of taqwa. And taqwa means that man should abide by all of God’s trusts and pledges of faith, as well as all one’s trust and pledges towards God’s creatures to the best of one’s capability, which is to say that he should firmly adhere to their subtlest and minutest aspects.

This is the fifth stage of the spiritual being, which corresponds to the fifth stage of the physical being which is described in this Quranic verse:

Meaning: ‘Then We clothed the bones with flesh and somewhat embellished the physical structure.’ This is a wonderful likeness, because just as God Almighty has at one place described taqwa to be the spiritual raiment, so does the word

[kasauna—‘we clothed’] which is derived from

[kiswah—‘clothing’] show that the flesh which is wrapped upon the bones is also a kind of raiment to cover them. The two words thus signify that the embellished garb provided by taqwa is similar to the one that covers up the bones, lending them an element of beauty.

In the first instance the word is

[libas—‘raiment’] while in the second it is

[kiswah—‘clothing’], but they both mean the same thing. The text of the Holy Quran is announcing it loud and clear that the purpose of both is to embellish. Thus, just as the removal of the raiment of taqwa would reveal spiritual ugliness, similarly if the flesh that the All-Wise Creator has draped on the bones is removed, the human form will appear repugnant. But even at the fifth stage—whether it is in the physical realm or the spiritual realm—perfect beauty is still missing, for the spirit has not yet been bestowed upon it.

It is commonly observed and felt that no matter how beautiful a person may be, when he dies and the soul leaves his body, his beauty that had been bestowed on him by the power of the Almighty, is all at once affected. Even though all the organs and the features are present, just with the departure of the soul the human body seems like a deserted and abandoned house, without any of its previous glory. The same is true of the fifth stage of the spiritual being. It is also commonly witnessed and felt that so long as a believer does not receive from Almighty God the spirit that is bestowed at the sixth spiritual stage, and which grants him extraordinary power and vitality, until then he is unable to exhibit the true brilliance of taqwa in respect of meeting God’s trusts and making their proper use, such as fulfilling the covenant of faith with absolute sincerity, and discharging the trust and obligations owed to God’s creatures. He lacks the brilliance of taqwa whose beauty and elegance draws hearts towards itself and all of whose graceful aspects appear extraordinary and miraculous.

Prior to the bestowal of this spirit, the taqwa of such a person is tainted by an element of superficiality and ostentation, as he lacks the spirit that can manifest the splendour of spiritual glory. And it is true and most certainly correct that such a believer, who is yet deprived of that spirit, cannot remain steadfast upon virtue. Rather, just as the limbs of a dead person might be moved by a gust of wind and return to their earlier state when the wind dies down, so is the case at the fifth stage of the spiritual being. At this stage the believer is only temporarily moved by the breeze of the grace of God Almighty towards goodness and virtue and is motivated to act with taqwa. But since the spirit of virtue does not yet reside in him, it lacks the beauty which manifests itself in all its glory after the spirit of virtue has entered into him.

So although the fifth stage of the spiritual being also partakes of the beauty of taqwa, this beauty only manifests itself to perfection at the sixth stage when the personal love of God descends upon the human heart as a spirit for his spiritual being and removes all imperfections. And man cannot become perfect simply by virtue of his own powers until that spirit descends from God, as Hafiz Shirazi says:

We cannot reach that lofty threshold,
Unless You mercifully come forward a few steps [towards us].

Then the fifth stage of the spiritual being is followed by the sixth which God Almighty has mentioned in this Quranic verse:

Meaning that the believers of the sixth stage who have surpassed the fifth stage are those who themselves safeguard and watch over their Prayers. In other words, they are no longer in need of someone else’s exhortation or reminder, for they have attained such a relationship with God, and His remembrance has become so dear to their nature and so comforting, and has assumed such a pivotal role in their lives that they are ever engaged in safeguarding it. Every moment of their lives is spent in the remembrance of God and they do not want to be separated from His remembrance for even a single moment.

It is evident that man strives arduously and consistently, fully and all the time, to safeguard and protect only such a thing in whose loss he envisages his own ruin and destruction. For example, a wayfarer traveling through a barren wilderness, wherein there is no hope of finding water or food for hundreds of miles, will guard his belongings of food and water as dearly as his own life, for he knows that losing them would mean death for him. Thus, the people who safeguard their Prayers with the same care, and do not abandon them even if it means the loss of possessions or honour or even incurring someone’s ire, and are anxious lest they miss their Prayers so that they all but die for the sake of Prayer and cannot for a moment bear to be oblivious to the remembrance of God, such are the people who in fact consider worship and remembrance of God to be the essential nourishment on which their life depends.

This state comes about when God loves them and a burning flame of His love—which can be called the spirit for their spiritual being—descends upon their hearts and gives them a second life. This spirit brings light and life to their entire spiritual being. In this state their devotion to the remembrance of God is not out of artificiality or pretence; but rather God, who has made the physical being of man dependent on food and water, links their spiritual life, which is so dear to them, to the food of His remembrance. Hence, they love this food more than they love physical food and water, and are fearful lest they lose it. All this is the result of the spirit that is put into them like a flame, which inebriates them with the love of God’s love. Therefore, they do not wish to be separated from His remembrance even for a single moment.

They suffer and face misfortunes, but do not wish to part from it even for a single moment. They keep an eye on their self, and protect and watch over their Prayers. And all this comes naturally to them, for God has made the sustenance of His loving remembrance—which is called Prayer in other words—essential for them, and by inspiring them with His personal love has bestowed on them an exquisite pleasure in His remembrance. And so God’s remembrance becomes as dear to them as their own life—nay, even dearer than their own life. Their personal love for God is the new spirit that descends on their hearts like a flame and makes their prayers and remembrance like unto sustenance for them. Therefore, they believe firmly that their lives are dependent, not on water and bread, but on Prayer and remembrance of Allah.

Thus the much-loved remembrance of Allah, which is called Prayer, becomes their true sustenance without which they cannot survive at all. They protect and keep guard over it just as a traveller in a barren and waterless wasteland watches over his belongings of the few pieces of bread, and treasures the meagre amount of water in his sheepskin as life itself.

God the Supreme Bestower has decreed this stage also for the spiritual progress of man, and it is the last stage of the prevalence and predominance of personal love and adulation. And in reality at this stage the love-filled remembrance of God—which, in the terminology of the Shariah [Islamic Law], is called the Prayer—takes the place of food. Indeed, time and again he wishes to sacrifice his own physical being for the sake of this sustenance, without which he cannot live, just as a fish cannot live without water, and he considers even a moment of separation from God as his death. His soul remains ever prostrate upon the threshold of God, all his comfort lies in God, and he is certain that if he were to be separated from the remembrance of God even for the blinking of an eye, it would be the end of him.

Just as food rejuvenates the body and grants vigour to the eyes, ears, and other faculties, in the same way, at this stage, the remembrance of God Almighty—that is inspired by the fervour of love and adoration— helps to sharpen one’s spiritual faculties. The eyes are thus blessed with very clear and subtle visionary powers, and the ears are able to hear discourse of God Almighty, and those discourses flow through one’s tongue with great purity, clarity, and exquisiteness, and one also continuously experiences true dreams,73which come true as clearly as the breaking of dawn.

By virtue of the relationship of pure love which they have with The Lord of Honour, they are granted many dreams that bear glad tidings. This is the stage where the believer feels that the love of God acts for him like bread and water. This new birth takes place when the spiritual body is already fully developed. It is then that the spirit, which is a flame of God’s personal love, descends upon the heart of such a believer, when all of a sudden a power from on high carries him far and above his station of humanity. This is the stage which, in spiritual terms, is called Khalq-e-Akhar [‘Another Creation’].

At this stage God Almighty causes a burning flame of His love—which in other words is called the‘Spirit’—to descend upon the believer’s heart, and removes all his darkness, impurities, and shortcomings. As soon as the Spirit is breathed into him, the beauty that was hitherto at a lower level now reaches its climax. It creates a spiritual radiance and at the same time removes the uncleanliness of evil life. The believer now feels that a new spirit has entered him that was not present before, and with its coming he experiences a wonderful serenity and contentment. And the personal love of God gushes forth like a fountain and irrigates the plant of servitude. The fire that had till then produced little heat, begins to burn in full flame at this stage, and consumes all the filth of the human self, and hands over its control to God. The fire encompasses all the organs, and he becomes like the iron rod that is heated by the fire to such a degree that it turns red, indistinguishable from the fire itself.

Such abeliever begins to show signs and characteristics of Divinity, just as the iron rod at this stage exhibits the qualities and effects of fire. But this does not mean that the believer has become God. The fact is that love of Allah has the quality of transforming the outward human self into its own form, while inwardly there still remains the inherent human frailty. At this stage, for the believer, God is the bread upon which depends his life, and God also becomes the water by drinking which he can save himself from death, and God is also for him the cool breeze that brings solace to his heart.

Hence, it would not be improper to say, by way of metaphor, that God at this stage enters into the believer and penetrates into his every fibre, making his heart into His throne. So the believer does not see by his own spirit but rather he sees by the Spirit of God, and it is by His Spirit that he hears and speaks and attacks his enemies. This is so because he is at this stage at the station of self-annihilation and destruction of his own being, and the Spirit of God manifests itself upon him with His personal love and grants him a second life. This is the moment that he becomes the spiritual embodiment of the verse:

This then is the sixth stage of the spiritual being that I have described above. Corresponding to this is the sixth stage of the physical being, and it is described by the same verse cited above with reference to the spiritual being:

It means: ‘Having created him once, We developed man into another creation.’ The word ‘another’ is meant to convey that this birth is so unfathomable as to be beyond the confines of human intelligence and very far from his understanding. In other words, the spirit that is infused into the body after its completion, both in a spiritual and physical sense, is so profound that all the philosophers and materialists are left to wonder about its nature. When they could not find their way to the reality, they started speculating. Some went so far as to deny the existence of the soul altogether, while others declared it to be eternal and uncreated. What Allah the Exalted says here is that the ‘spirit’ is also a creation of God, but it is beyond worldly comprehension and just as the philosophers of this world are unaware of the spirit that is bestowed by God upon the physical human form at the sixth stage of its being, so are they devoid of the knowledge of the spirit that the true believer is granted at the sixth stage of his spiritual being and they have adopted varying creeds in this regard as well. Many started to worship the people who had been bestowed this spirit and declared them to be eternal and uncreated and deified them. And many denied the very existence of people who reach this stage, and refused to believe that man is even granted such a spirit.

But an intelligent person will readily understand that as man is the best of creation, and as God has—by granting him eminence over all birds and beasts of the earth, and by bestowing upon him mastery over all of them, and by having granted him intelligence and understanding, and having infused him with a thirst for gaining His cognizance— shown that man was created for the purpose of loving God.Why then should it be denied that having reached the stage of personal love with God Almighty, he should also progress to such a stage that God’s love falling upon his love in the form of a Spirit should remove all his weaknesses? As regards the sixth stage of the spiritual being, Allah the Exalted has said:

Accordingly, man should demonstrate eternal obedience and earnest supplication and servitude so that in this way he may fulfil the purpose of his creation, as Allah the Exalted says:

Of course, such worship and constant presence before the Lord of Honour is not possible without personal love for Him. And by love here is not meant a one-sided affair; rather, what is meant is both the love of the Creator and the love of creation so that the fire of lightening that falls upon the man who is ready to die and which also emanates from within such a man at such a time, should burn all human weaknesses, and joining together, they should take control of his whole spiritual being.

This is that perfect way in which man can, completely and at each and every appropriate occasion, fulfil his trusts and pledges that I have outlined while describing the fifth stage of the spiritual being. The only difference is that while at the fifth stage man fulfils his obligations and pledges to God and His creatures out of taqwa [righteousness], at this stage he does so on account of the personal love that he has now developed for God, and which has also evoked in him the love of the creatures of God.

Such people fulfil all their obligations naturally and in the most becoming manner due to the Spirit that God has bestowed upon them. They are thus granted spiritual beauty—which is akin to man’s physical beauty—to a greater extent, because at the fifth stage the Spirit which is born out of personal love for God has not yet entered man, and so the beauty is not manifested to the fullest extent. But once the Spirit has entered the being, the beauty reaches its climax. It goes without saying that the splendour of beauty manifested by a dead body cannot equal that manifested by a handsome living being.

As I have already stated, man possesses two-fold beauty: One, the beauty of conduct; that is to say, that a man in the discharge of all the trusts and covenants of God should be careful not to overlook anything connected with them, as suggested by the expression

[ra‘un—‘watchful’] in the Holy Quran. It is equally important that man remain vigilant about fulfilling his trusts and pledges to God’s creatures. In short, he should abide by taqwa in fulfilling his obligations to God and His creatures. This is the beauty of conduct or spiritual beauty which becomes apparent at the fifth stage of the spiritual being but does not yet show its full brilliance, whereas at the sixth stage when the birth has been perfected with the infusion of the Spirit, this beauty manifests itself in all its splendour and glory. And it should be remembered that in the sixth stage of the spiritual being, the Spirit refers to God’s personal love which descends like a flame upon man’s personal love for Him, and drives away all inner darkness, and grants spiritual life, and is necessarily accompanied by all-encompassing help from the Holy Spirit also.

The second kind of beauty that attends man’s creation is physical beauty. Although both kinds of beauty begin to manifest themselves at the fifth stage of the spiritual and physical being, their true splendour and glory is only manifested after the advent of the Spirit. In the same way, as the soul enters the physical body after it has been perfected, so does the Spirit enter the spiritual being after it has been perfected; that is to say, when man takes upon himself the yoke of the Shariah and is prepared to abide by all the divine restrictions and prohibitions with effort and striving. Through practicing the norms of the Shariah and abiding by the injunctions of the Book of Allah, he becomes worthy that theSpirit of God should attend to him. But above all is the fact that through his personal love for God he becomes eligible for Almighty God’s personal love, which is white as snow and sweet as honey.

As I have already stated, the spiritual being starts with the state of humbleness, and reaches its perfection at the sixth stage of spiritual development; that is, at the stage when the spiritual body having attained perfection, the flame of the personal love of God falls like a Spirit on man’s heart imparting to him a perpetual consciousness of the Divine Presence. It is then that the spiritual beauty shows its fullest manifestation, but this beauty which is spiritual—which may be called the beauty of conduct—is the beauty which, by virtue of its strong powers of attraction, is far greater than the physical beauty of a person.

The physical beauty of a person may excite the ephemeral love of, say, one or two persons, and will soon decline; its attraction being extremely weak. But the spiritual beauty which has been called the beauty of conduct is so strong and powerful in its attraction that it draws an entire world to itself—and every particle of heaven and earth is drawn towards it. This is also, in reality, the philosophy behind the acceptance of prayers; that is to say, when a man possessed of such spiritual beauty, into whom the spirit of the love of God has entered, prays for some impossible or extremely difficult matter, and exerts himself so completely in that prayer, then, as his being is equipped with spiritual beauty, so, by God’s permission and by His command, every particle of the universe, is drawn towards him, and there come into being such means as are sufficient to ensure his success.

Experience and the Holy Book of God Almighty confirm that every single particle of the world has a natural relation of deep love with such a person, and his prayers draw all those particles towards him, as a magnet draws a piece of iron to itself. So it is that extraordinary phenomena—that find no mention in science or philosophy—come about as a consequence of this attraction. And this attraction is natural and inherent: Ever since the All-Powerful Creator designed the material world with particles, He has placed in each particle this attraction, and every particle is a true lover of spiritual beauty as is every blessed soul. This is so because it is through spiritual beauty that the manifestation of God takes place. It was regarding the same spiritual beauty that God said:

And even today there is many an Iblis that does not recognize this spiritual beauty, but it continues to perform great feats.

Nuh [Noah] possessed this very beauty, and for its sake the Lord of Honour and Glory destroyed all the disbelievers with the calamity of the deluge. Then, after this, Musa [Moses] also came with the same spiritual beauty, and after a period of suffering lasting a few days, it led to the downfall of Pharaoh. And then at long last came the Lord of the Prophets, the Best of Creation, our lord and master, the Chosen One, Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with the sublime spiritual beauty of the highest grandeur, in whose praise it would be enough to quote the noble verse:

That is to say, that Prophet drew very near to the Presence of Allah, and then he leaned towards the creation, and thus fulfilled both the obligations; viz. obligations to God and to His creation, and manifested both kinds of spiritual beauty. He became like the chord between two bows; that is to say, like the central line between two arcs that would look something like this:

The inherently impure and blind people, however, failed to see this beauty, as Allah the Exalted, says:

Meaning: ‘They look towards you but they see you not’, and in the end all those blind ones were destroyed.

At this point some ignorant people state, ‘Why are some prayers of the perfectly righteous people not accepted? The answer to this is that it lies in the hands of God Almighty to manifest their beauty, so that whenever this grand manifestation occurs, and their beauty comes into play for a specific purpose and reveals its brilliance, the particles of the universe are drawn towards it and the impossible comes to be. This is what, in other words, is called a miracle. But this spiritual zeal is not aroused at all times and on every occasion, for it is dependent on external stimuli. This is so because just as the Benevolent God is Independent in His Person and free from every want or need, so has He endowed His chosen ones with the same attribute of total independence. So, being totally independent, like God, their power is not roused unless someone appeals to them for mercy through perfect humility and sincerity. What is even more wonderful is that such people are endowed the attribute of mercy more than the rest of the world put together, yet its exercise is not in their own power. Even though they may desire for that power to be manifested again and again, it is not displayed except by the will of God. They particularly have very little regard for disbelievers, hypocrites, and the weak of faith, and consider them to be like a dead insect. Their independence and freedom from any want or need possesses a grandeur and dignity like a beloved of profound beauty whose face is kept concealed behind a veil.

Another aspect of their independence is that when some evil person thinks ill of them, they sometimes, through their zealous sense of independence, cause such a thoughts, because of their

[mirroring the attributes of God]. As Allah the Almighty says:

When God Almighty wills that a miracle should be manifested by them, He creates a passion in their hearts and inspires their hearts with the greatest longing and craving for the attainment of a certain objective, then it is that they remove the veil of independence from their countenance, and that beauty of theirs, which is not visible to anyone except God, manifests itself upon the angels of Heaven and upon each and every particle.

Their removing the veil from their countenance means that with their perfect sincerity and purity and spiritual beauty—on account of which they have become God’s beloved—they turn to Him in such an extraordinary manner, and such a condition of absorbing godly influences is created in them that it draws His extraordinary mercy towards them and with it, each and every particle of the world is also drawn towards them. The intensity of their ardour of love gathers together in Heaven and manifests its countenance to the angels like unto clouds, and their anguish which has the quality of lightening within itself causes a great clamour in the upper echelons of Heaven. It is then that, by the power of God Almighty, those clouds come into being that shower the rain of mercy of God Almighty that they desire. When their spirituality turns its attention—with its full and fervent anguish—to resolve some difficult issue, it draws the attention of God Almighty to itself.

Since these people have a personal love for God, they are counted among His loved ones and so everything under the dominion of God, is moved with great zeal to help them81, and—simply to fulfil their desire—the mercy of God Almighty readies to bring about a whole new creation. Such things come to pass that seem impossible in the eyes of the world, regarding which the worldly sciences are completely unaware. We cannot say that such people are God, but such is the sincerity and purity of their friendship and love for God that it seems as if God has descended upon them.

Like Adam, the divine Spirit is breathed into them. It is not that they are God, but their relationship to Him is akin to the iron which, when placed in fire, takes on a fiery hue. Thus, all that falls under God’s command comes under their command. The stars of heaven, the sun, the moon, the oceans of the earth, wind, fire—all things hearken unto their voice and recognize them, remaining occupied in serving them. All things naturally and intrinsically love them and are drawn to them in the manner of a true and sincere lover, with the exception of the evil ones who are manifestations of Satan.

Worldly love is an ill-fated affair that sprouts and soon withers away. Moreover, it is based on a beauty that is bound to decline and, furthermore, there are very few indeed who come under its sway. On the other hand, the spiritual beauty that is generated in man through the beauty of conduct, sincerity, purity, and manifestation of the love of Allah, is such that it has universal appeal and draws willing hearts towards itself, just as honey attracts ants; so much so, that not just people but every particle of the universe is affected by this attraction. The man who is true in his love, whose love for God Almighty is true, is like that Yusuf for whom every particle of the universe is like Zulaikha. His beauty is not yet manifested in this world for this world cannot bear it. God Almighty says in His Holy Book—the Glorious Furqan—that the light of the believers is manifested on their faces and the believers are recognized by this beauty which, in other words, is called nur [‘light’].

And once, while in a state of vision, I was made to hear this apt phrase in the Punjabi langِuage about this very hallmark of the believers

[‘The love of Allah rains down upon their face; this is the hallmark of the friends of God’].

The light of the believer which is mentioned in the Holy Quran is the very spiritual beauty and charm that is granted to a believer in the perfect degree at the sixth stage of the spiritual being. Physical beauty may have a handful of seekers, but this is a wonderful beauty that is sought by millions of souls. It is in the context of this very beauty that someone has written this eulogy about Sayyed ‘Abdul-Qadir Jilani,82 may Allah be pleased with him, describing him as extremely beautiful and handsome. These verses are as follows:

That foreign sage when he became inebriated with the wine of love,
He stole the hearts of Kufa, Baghdad, and Halab.

There were hundreds of faces as beautiful as flowers,
He surpassed them all—such wonders did he work!

And Shaikh Sa‘adi, may Allah shower His mercy upon him, has also said a couplet regarding this that very aptly applies to spiritual beauty. It is the following:

O silk painter of China! Go and look at that beautiful face—
Then either portray a face like it or abandon your art.

Now, it should also be remembered that a servant [of Allah] displays his sincere love for God by his good conduct, but God’s response is astonishing indeed. In response to the rapid advance of the servant, God rushes towards him like lightning and displays Signs for him on earth and in heaven and becomes the Friend of His friends and the Enemy of His enemies. Even if 500 million people oppose him God humiliates them and makes them abject and helpless like a lifeless insect. He destroys a whole world for the sake of that one person and makes His earth and heaven the servants of such a one. He blesses his words and sends down a rain of light upon his dwelling. He places blessings in his clothes and his food, and even in the dust upon which he treads. He does not let him die as a failure and Himself answers all objections raised against him. He becomes his eyes with which he sees, and becomes his ears with which he hears, and becomes his tongue with which he speaks, and becomes his feet with which he walks, and becomes his hands with which he attacks his enemies. He personally takes on the enemies of His friend, draws His sword against the wicked ones who persecute him, and makes him victorious in every battlefield. He conveys to him the secrets of His decrees. In short, God is the very first Purchaser of his spiritual beauty and grace, which results from his good behaviour and personal love. Then, how unfortunate are the people who live during such an age while such a Sun should rise among them, yet they remain sitting in darkness!

Some ignorant people again and again put forward the objection that the sign that distinguishes the beloveds of God is that each and every prayer of theirs is heard and answered and that he who lacks this power is not of the beloveds of God.83 But, it is a pity that, while these people utter such things, they do not realize that such senseless objections make all the Prophets and Messengers of God their target. For example, every Prophet longed that all the disbelievers of their time who opposed them should become Muslims but this wish of theirs was never fulfilled; so much so, that Allah the Exalted, addressing our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

That is: ‘Will you grieve yourself to death why these people do not believe?’

This verse shows that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prayed with such fervour and pathos that the disbelievers should believe, that it was feared lestthe Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, should himself die on account of this grief. This is why Allah the Exalted said to him not to grieve so much for these people and not to subject his heart to anguish to such a degree becausethose people were unmindful about believing and their aims and objectives were different. In this verse, Allah the Almighty has pointed out that: ‘O Prophet (may peace be upon him)! You pray for the guidance of these people with such determination, complete concentration, pathos, and putting your soul in hardship, that there is nothing lacking for the efficacy of your payers. However, the prerequisite for the acceptance of a prayer is that the person for whom the prayer is made should not be overly biased, heedless, and evil-natured; in such cases, the prayer will not be accepted.

So far as God Almighty has bestowed upon me the knowledge of prayer, it is that there are three conditions for the acceptance of prayer.

[1] FIRST, the supplicant should be righteous to the perfect degree, for only he is acceptable of God Almighty whose characteristic is righteousness and who has grasped firmly the subtle paths of righteousness and who is a favourite of God on account of being trustworthy, pious, and true to his pledge; and who is replete and filled with the personal love of God.

[2] THE SECOND condition is that his resolve and attention should be of such calibre as though, to revive one person, he himself perishes and—to pull one person out of a grave—he himself enters the grave. The secret to this is that His elect are dearer to God than a handsome child—who is also the only child—is dear to its mother. Thus, when God, the Benevolent and Merciful, observes that an elect and beloved of His has reached the brink of death with spiritual labours, humble supplications, and striving, in an effort to save the life of one individual, He disapproves that he be destroyed in that state on account of His relation of love. Then, for his sake, He forgives the sin for which the other person had been seized. Therefore, if he is afflicted with a fatal disease or is overwhelmed and trapped in some calamity, then, by His power, He creates means for his deliverance. Oftentimes He is resolved to definitely destroy or ruin a person, but through the good luck of the afflicted, someone who has a good standing before God intervenes with his earnest supplications so that the record of the case that had been completed and formulated for his chastisement, has to be torn up for the matter is now transformed, dealing with a beloved rather than a stranger. How is it possible that God would inflict torment on His sincere friends?

[3] THE THIRD condition for the acceptance of prayer is more difficult than all the conditions, in as much as compliance with it is not in the hands of those who are accepted of God, but is in the hands of the person who desires the supplication to be made. And it is that he should be desirous of supplication with the utmost sincerity, perfect trust, perfect certainty, perfect devotion, and perfect subservience. He should resolve in his heart that even if the supplication is not accepted, his trust and devotion would not falter. The request for supplication should not be by way of a test; rather, it should proceed from a sincere conviction.

He should fall most humbly at the door of his [the person from whom he is seeking supplication] and, so far as is possible for him, he should establish such nearness to him—with money, with service, and with obedience of every kind—so as to make a place for himself inhis heart. Along with all this, he should think well of him to the extreme and should esteem him as being pious of the highest degree and should regard it ablasphemy to entertain even a single thought inconsistent with his holy stature. He should prove and show to him his sincere belief in him through varied sacrifices of this nature. He should not regard anyone in the world as his equal and should be ready to lay down his life, his property, and his honour for him and should neither utter nor let his heart entertain anything derogatory of him in any way. He should establish it to his satisfaction that he is, indeed, such a believer and follower. With all this, he should wait with patience and even if he should fail fifty times in his objective, he should not slacken in his devotion and trust. The reason is that such people have exquisitely acute sensibilities andtheir perspicacity can recognize the degree of a person’s sincerity from one’s countenance. These people are tender-hearted, yet they are exceedingly independent. Their hearts have been created so self-subsisting by God that they do not care the least for the arrogant, the selfish, and the hypocritical-natured person. Only those derive any benefit from these people who obey them to a degree where they are ready to lay down their lives for them. A person who thinks ill of them at every step and harbours any objection in his heart and does not have total love and devotion, derives no benefit from them and only ruins himself.

After this discourse let me add that the manner in which Allah the Almighty has—having described the six stages of a believer’s spiritual development—compared them to the six stages of the physical development is a miracle of knowledge. None of the numerous books in the world that are called divine or those written by philosophers on soul and theology, or those who have written about insights in the manner of the Sufis, have taken the lead in showing this similarity between the physical and spiritual being. If anyone refutes this claim of mine and thinks that someone else has also demonstrated this similarity between the spiritual and the physical, it is incumbent upon him to produce the like of this miracle of knowledge from any other book.

I have studied theTorah and the Gospels—as well as the Vedas of the Hindus—but I say absolutely truly that I have never encountered this kind of miracle of knowledge in any book except the Holy Quran. It is not limited to just this one miracle. The entire Holy Quran is full of such intellectual miracles, such that an intelligent person, by casting a glance at them, can realize that it is the Word of the All-Powerful God whose powers are manifest throughout the creations within the heaven and earth—the same God who is Unique and Peerless in His words and works.

Moreover, when—on the one hand—we find such miracles in the Holy Quran and—on the other hand—look at the unlettered state of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he did not learn even a single word from any teacher, nor did he acquire any knowledge of the sciences or philosophy; rather, he was born among a people all of whom were unlettered and uninitiated to learning and who lived a barbaric existence; and, besides this, he did not have occasionof parental instruction—all these facts put together give us a clear insight into the divine origin of the Holy Quran, and we are convinced that it is indeed a miracle of knowledge, so much so that by beholding this Book we virtually behold God. Since it is clearly evident that these verses of Surah al-Mu’minun from the beginning to the verse:

is a part of that miracle of knowledge, and thus, being one component of a miracle, is to be counted as a miracle. And this is what I intended to prove.

Bear in mind that the aforementioned miracle of knowledge is such a clear, open, luminous, and evident truth that even reason is now eager to add it to its rational sciences with great pride after the guidance and emphasis by the Word of God Almighty.

It stands to reason that the first act [movement] that develops in the heart of a pure-natured person, in his quest for God Almighty, is in the form of khushu‘ [meekness] and humbleness. Khushu‘ implies that meekness, servitude, and humility be adopted for the sake of God and all the evil traits that are opposed to this, such as arrogance, conceit, ostentation, heedlessness, and indifference be eschewed for the fear of God.

And it is evident that unless man shuns the baser attributes, he cannot adopt the higher morals that stand in contrast to them and are the means to reaching God because two opposites cannot coexist in one heart. This is what God alludes to in the Holy Quran as He says at the beginning of Surah al-Baqarah:

Meaning: ‘The Holy Quran is a guidance for those who are muttaqin [“righteous”].’ In other words, those who are not arrogant and reflect upon the Word of God Almighty with khushu‘ and humility, are the ones who ultimately find guidance.

It should also be kept in mind here that the word

[aflaha—‘succeeded’] occurs six times in these verses.87 Its use is explicit in the first verse:

and in others it is conjunctive. The dictionary meaning of

[aflaha] is

meaning, ‘One was turned towards his object of success and made to move towards it.’ Thus, according to this meaning, a believer’s adoption of humility in his Prayer is the first movement towards achieving his objective, an act that involves the abandonment of pride and conceit. The attainment of the objective of success thereby is that the self, adopting the attitude of humbleness, becomes ready and prepared to establish a connection with God.

The second task of the believer according to sound reason—the task by which the strength of faith reaches the second stage and faith becomes somewhat stronger than before—is that the believer should purge his mind, which has reached the stage of humility, of vain thoughts and vain pursuits. Until a believer acquires, for the sake of God, the minimal strength to abandon vain thoughts and vain pursuits—which is not very difficult at all and which is nothing but indulgence without enjoyment—it would be afalse hope to expect that the believer could turn away from such pursuits withdrawing from which weighs very heavy upon the carnal self, and the carnal self has some benefit or pleasure in indulging in them.

Therefore, it proves that after the first stage which is renunciation of arrogance, the next stage is the renunciation of all that is vain.At this stage the promise that is made with the word

[aflaha]—that is, the achievement of the object of success—is fulfilled in that, when the bond of the believer with vain pursuits and vain pastimes is severed, a feeble bond is established with God Almighty and the strength of faith also becomes greater than before. I have called it a feeble bond because the bond with vain pursuits is also feeble. Thus, a feeble bond is obtained upon discarding a feeble bond.

Then the third act of the believer, according to sound reasoning, by which the strength of faith reaches the third stage, is that he not only shuns vain pursuits and vain matters for the sake of God Almighty, but he also relinquishes his valued possessions for the sake of God. And it is obvious that parting with wealth is a greater sacrifice for the carnal self thangiving up vain pursuits, as wealth is earned with labour and is something useful on which depends pleasant living and comfort. Therefore, renunciation of wealth for the sake of God requires more of the strength of faith than the renunciation of vain pursuits. And the promise in the word

[aflaha] implied in these verses would here mean that the strength of faith and connection with God in this stage becomes greater than the second stage, and the purity of the self is engendered by it; for, to give away wealth earned with one’s hard labour, merely out of a fear of God, is not possible without the purity of the self.

Then, the fourth act of a believer—which carries the strength of faith to fourth stage—according to sound reason is that he not only renounces wealth for the sake of God, but he also renounces the part which is unlawful of what he loves more even than wealth; namely, his carnal passions. I have stated that everyone naturally values his carnal pleasures more than wealth, and one sacrifices wealth for their pursuit. So, renouncing carnal desire for the sake of God is much more difficult than renouncing wealth. And the word

[aflaha] which applies to this verse as well, here means that just as a man naturally has a closer tie with carnal desires, so—after he renounces them—a corresponding closer tie develops with God Almighty, for whosoever loses a thing for the sake of God, he finds something better in its place.

Whoever seeks this path, finds it;
Bright becomes the face that does not turn away from Him.

Then, the fifth act of a believer—which carries the strength of the faith to the fifth stage—according to reason is that he should renounce not only carnal desires but should renounce the very self for the sake of God and be ready to sacrifice it. That is to say, the self which is a trust from God should be returned to the same Owner and that he should consider his relationship with his self limited just like the ownership of a trust. He should fulfil the demands of righteousness in a manner as if he has dedicated his self,89 his wealth, and all things to God. This is what is indicated in the verse:

Since a person’s life and wealth and all kinds of amenities are trusts committed to him by God, the rendering back of which is obligatory on the trustee, therefore, the renunciation of the self etc. means that he should offer this sacrifice by dedicating this endowment in the path of God Almighty. Secondly, he should fulfil all of his pledges—his pledge with God Almighty at the time when he believed in God and all the pledges and trusts of [God’s] creations which he bears—in such a manner, with due regard to righteousness, that it also becomes true sacrifice, inasmuch as the complete fulfilment of all aspects of righteousness also amounts to a type of death. And the word

[aflaha], which is also applicable to this verse, here means that when a believer of this stature spends his life in the cause of God and carries into effect all aspects of righteousness, lights from the Majesty of Allah envelop his being and invest him with spiritual beauty, as the flesh beautifies bones by clothing them. As I have stated, both these conditions have been described by God Almighty as garments. Righteousness, too, has been described as a garment, as Allah says:

The flesh with which the bones are clothed is also a garment, as Allah the Almighty says:

This is because

[kiswah], from which

[kasauna] is derived, means garment too.

Now, it should be remembered that the fifth stage is the highest stage of the spiritual journey. When the fifth stage reaches its perfection, it is followed by the sixth stage, which is by way of a pure bounty, and is bestowed upon the believer without effort or toil; and his effort does not have the least involvement in it. And it is that, as the believer annihilates his soul in the path of God, he is granted a new soul. Since it is the eternal promise that whatever one will lose in the path of God, one shall find the like thereof. Therefore, those who lose a soul, find a soul. In the same way, since a believer dedicates his life to the cause of God out of his personal love, he is honoured with the Spirit of God’s personal love which is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. God’s personal love is a Spirit and works as a soul within the believer and thus it is itself a soul and the Holy Spirit is not something apart from it. There cannot be any separation between that love and the Holy Spirit. That is why we have mostly mentioned only God’s personal love without the mention of the Holy Spirit, inasmuch the existence of one essentially warrants the existence of the other.

When this Spirit descends upon a believer, all the weight of worship ceases to be a burden, and he is invested with such strength and pleasure that it prompts him to worship and remember God out of the natural urge and not through formal effort, and bestows upon him the passion of love. Such a believer perpetually stands at the threshold of God, like the angel Gabriel, may peace be upon him; and he is granted permanent nearness of the Lord of Honour, as Allah the Almighty has said about this stage:

Meaning that the perfect believers are those who are granted such perpetual presence before God that they guard their Prayers themselves.

This indicates the condition that a believer of this stature deems Prayer to be essential for his spiritual survival; he acknowledges it to be his sustenance without which he cannot survive. This station cannot be achieved without the Spirit, which descends upon a believer from God Almighty. When a believer surrenders his life for the sake of God Almighty, he deserves to be granted another life.

This entire discussion reveals that, according to sound reason, these six stages lie in the path of the believer who seeks the perfection of his spiritual existence, and everyone can understand with a little reflection that a believer must pass through six conditions during the course of his spiritual journey. The reason is that, until a person succeeds in establishing a perfect connection with God, his imperfect self loves five wretched conditions, and to repel the love of each condition, a motive is needed that can overcome that love and that the new love may break the hold of the previous love.

Accordingly, the first condition which a person loves is one of heedlessness in which he is absolutely estranged and distant from God Almighty. His soul is in a state of a kind of disbelief, and the veils of heedlessness pull him towards arrogance, carelessness, and callousness. There is not even a trace of humility, empathy, meekness and lowliness. He loves this condition and regards it good for himself. When the favour of God Almighty designs his reform, his heart is impressed by the grandeur and majesty and power of God Almighty with the occurrence of some event or the descent of some calamity. As a consequence, a state of humility is created in him that eliminates his attitude of arrogance, rebelliousness, and heedlessness, thereby breaking his bond of love with them.

It is something that is seen in the world all the time and it is observed that when the whip of the awe of God strikes in the form of some terrible calamity, it bends the necks of even the most wicked, awakens them from the slumber of heedlessness, and makes them humble and meek. This is the first stage of turning to God which is attained by a man of righteous disposition through observing the grandeur and awe of God or through some other means. Although he earlier loved his heedless and unrestrained life, he has to give it up perforce when the opposing influence creates a greater impact than the earlier influence.

Then the second condition after it is that, though such a believer does turn towards God Almighty in some measure, this orientation is still defiled by the impurity of vain talk, vain actions, and vain pursuits that he has love and affinity for. Of course, he sometimes manifests humility in prayer but vain pursuits continue to preoccupy him. Vain affiliation and vain association and vain indulgences continue to hang around his neck as if he has a dual nature oscillating between the two.

On the pulpit the preachers put up a great show;
In private, they act quite differently.

Thereafter, as divine favour wills not to let him be ruined, another manifestation of divine grandeur, awe, and power descends upon his heart, which is more intense than the first manifestation. The strength of his faith is enhanced by it. Striking the heart of the believer, it consumes all his vain thoughts and tendencies in an instant. And this manifestation of divine grandeur and majesty generates in his heart such love for the Lord of Honour as overcomes his love for vain pursuits and preoccupations and, having repelled them, it occupies the space they held. It turns the heart away from all absurd preoccupations. Then the heart develops an aversion to vain pursuits.

After the elimination of vain preoccupations and pursuits, there still remains a third evil affliction in the believer and which is far dearer to him than the second and it is that he has natural love of wealth, because he considers wealth to be essential for his life and comfort. And, in addition, he credits only his labour and hard work to be the reason for attaining it. For this reason, it is very difficult and bitter for him to part with it in the cause of God Almighty.

Thereafter, when divine favour desires to rescue him from this grave entanglement, he is given the knowledge of the providence of God and the seed of trust in God is sown in him. This is supplemented by the awe of Allah the Exalted, and these two manifestations of benevolence and grandeur bring his heart under their control. In consequence, the love of wealth also flees his heart and the seed of the love of the Bestower of wealth is sown in his heart and his faith is fortified. This strength of faith is greater than the strength in the third stage, inasmuch as at this stage the believer not only discards all things vain, but also gives up the wealth which he thinks is the basis of his happy life. And if his faith had not been granted the power of trust in God, and his eyes had not been directed towards the True Bestower, he could never have been cured of the malady of miserliness. Thus, this strength of faith not only rescues him from vain pursuits, it creates a strong faith in the providence of God Almighty and illumines the heart with the light of trust in God. Then the believer can spend wealth, which is considered most dear, very easily and cheerfully in the cause of God Almighty, and all the weakness—which results in the state of miserliness from pessimism—is dissipated due now to eager hopes pinned on God Almighty. The love of the Bestower of wealth surpasses the love of wealth.

This is followed by the fourth state which is so dearly loved by nafs-e-ammarah [the self that incites to evil] and which is worse than the third state because, in the third state only wealth had to be discarded, but in the fourth state, the unlawful carnal passions have to be eschewed. It is obvious that the renunciation of wealth is easier for man than the renunciation of carnal passions. Therefore, this state is much more intense and dangerous than the previous ones. Naturally, the bond with carnal passions is much dearer to man as compared to the bond with wealth. This is why he gladly sacrifices wealth—which, in his view, is the basis of a comfortable life—in the path of lustful desires. As a witness to the terrible storm of this state, it should be enough to refer to the verse:

Thus, it is obvious that the strength of faith at the fourth stage is very robust and immense compared to the third stage. In addition, the experience of the grandeur, awe, and power of God Almighty is also greater in it than before. Not only this much, but it is also necessary in it that the prohibited pleasure, which has been eliminated, should be substituted by some spiritual pleasure. As strong faith in the providence of God Almighty is needed to cure miserliness, and a strong trust in God is required when the pocket is empty so that miserliness may be repelled and hope in the opening of hidden sources should be engendered; in the same way, for deliverance from impure carnal passions and the deliverance from the fire of lust, it is necessary to have strong faith in the existence of the fire which subjects both body and soul with severe torment. Also needed with it is the taste of the spiritual ecstasy which makes one not care and not need these gross pleasures.

A person who is in the grip of forbidden carnal passions is in the jaws of a dragon that has extremely toxic poison. Thus, it is obvious from this that, as the malady of miserliness is graver than the malady of vain pursuits, in the same way being caught in the claws of forbidden carnal passions, in comparison to the malady of miserliness, is a calamity graver than all other calamities, and is in need of a special mercy of God Almighty. When God Almighty wills to deliver someone from this calamity, He visits him with such a manifestation of His grandeur, awe, and power, as grinds down all forbidden carnal passions and then invests his heart with eagerness for His own superior love as a manifestation of His beauty. Just as a suckling baby, on being weaned, passes only one night in distress and soon forgets that milk such that it loathes suckling even if his mouth is put to the breast, a righteous man develops the same repulsion to the forbidden carnal passions when he is weaned away from the milk of the physical desire and is granted spiritual nourishment in its place.

Then, after the fourth stage, is the fifth stage, the evils of which are intensely and dearly loved by the self that incites to evil. At this stage, only one struggle is left and the time approaches near when the angels of the Powerful and Glorious God would conquer the whole territory of this being, and bring it under their complete control, and disrupt the whole system of the ego, and devastate the territory of carnal faculties, and humiliate and debase its chieftains, and destroy the earlier sovereignty. That is what happens when a government is toppled. [As the Holy Quran says:]

This is the last trial and last battle for a believer with which all stages of his journey come to an end. His progress, through his effort and striving, reaches its climax and human efforts complete their operation up to their ultimate point. Thereafter, only the operation of the bounty and grace (of God) remains, which pertains to the other creation.

This fifth stage is even more difficult than the fourth stage. In the fourth state, the believer only has the challenge to discard unlawful passions of the self but in the fifth state, he has the challenge to surrender his self altogether and to restore it to God Almighty as a trust which had been committed to his care. Devoting his self to the work of God, he should put it into service, resolve to spend his self in the cause of God, and strive to annihilate his self altogether; for, as long as the self persists, temptations to sin which are opposed to righteousness, also persist. Besides, so long as the self persists, it is not possible for man to tread the narrow paths of righteousness or to discharge fully the trusts and covenants of God or His creatures.

However, just as miserliness cannot be discarded without trust in God and faith in His providence, and deliverance from illicit carnal passions cannot be achieved without the realization of the awe and grandeur of Allah, and spiritual delights; in the same way, this grand rank—where the self is abnegated and all trusts of God Almighty are restored to Him—can never be attained until a fierce windstorm of the love of God begins to blow and makes a person pursue it with utter devotion. These are, in truth, the lot of those who are intoxicated and inebriated with the love of God—these are not the pursuits of the worldly wise.

The heavens could not bear the burden of the trust—
The lot fell on a madman like me.

We presented Our trust—which must be rendered back to Us like a trust—to all the creation in the earth and in heaven, but all of them refused to accept it out of apprehension that a default might ensue, but man accepted this trust as he was zalum [able to subdue himself ] and jahul [able to be unfair to himself]. Both these terms [zalum and jahul] as applied to man, are complimentary and not derogatory in nature. They signify that man had been endowed with the capacity of being harsh upon his own self for the sake of God and he could incline towards God Almighty such as to forget his self. That is why he accepted the responsibility of treating his entire being as a trust and then to expend it in the cause of God.

Meaning: ‘The believers are those who are watchful of their trusts and covenants.’ That is to say, in discharging trusts and fulfilling covenants they spare no effort in exercising righteousness and watchfulness.

This is an indication that man and all his faculties—the vision of his eyes, the hearing of his ears, the speech of his tongue, and the strength of his hands and feet—are all trusts committed to him by God Almighty, and He can take His trusts back whenever He so wills. Being watchful of these trusts means devoting the self and all its faculties, and the body and all its faculties and organs, to the service of God Almighty while observing all the subtlest requirements of righteousness as if all of these things belong not to him, but to God, and the movement and operation of all these faculties and organs is not directed by his desire, but by the will of God—nothing of his own will should remain; rather, the will of God should work through them. His self should be in the hand of God Almighty like a corpse is in the hand of the living. He should dispossess himself of his volition and complete control of God Almighty should be established over his being, so much so, that by Him should he see, and by Him should he hear, and by Him should he speak, and by Him should he move or stop. The minutest impurities of the ego, which cannot be observed even with a microscope, should be removed, leaving only the spirit.

In short, the protection of God should envelop him and should isolate him from his own being; he should have no dominion left over his being and all the dominion should belong to God. All carnal incitement should become extinct and the will of God should rage in his being. The previous governance should be totally uprooted and another government should establish itself in his heart. The house of selfishness should be laid waste and the camp of the Lord of Honour should be erected. Divine awe and might should uproot, from the foul land, all the plants that were watered from the foul spring of the ego, and replant them in the in the holy ground of seeking the pleasure of the Lord of Honour.

All the desires and designs and ambitions should become subordinated to God. All the structures of the self that incites to evil should be demolished and razed to the ground, and such a palace of purity and holiness be erected in the heart that the Lord of Honour may descend and His Spirit may dwell therein. Only then could it be said that a person has restored those trusts that the True Bountiful has committed to him. Then would this verse be truly applicable to such a person:

At this stage a framework is prepared and, thereafter, the Spirit of manifestation of God which means the personal love of the Lord of Honour—enters into such a believer together with the Holy Spirit and bestows a new life upon him and a new power is granted to him. All this happens under the influence of the Spirit, which at this stage, establishes a relationship with the believer but does not yet take up its abode in his heart.

This is followed by the sixth stage of the spiritual being—the stage in which the personal love of the believer reaches its climax and draws to itself the personal love of Allah, the Lord of Glory. Thereupon, the personal love of God Almighty enters into the believer and envelops him, in consequence of which he is granted a new and extraordinary power. That power generates life in his faith like a soul entering a lifeless body. Having entered the believer, it indeed acts like the soul. All faculties are illumined by it, and the support of the Holy Spirit assists the believer of this stature so that he is given access to matters and to knowledge that are beyond human ability.

The believer of this stature, having traversed all stages of the progress of faith, is designated in heaven as the Vicegerent of God on account of the excellences which he receives—by way of reflection—of the excellences of the Lord of Honour. Just as when a person stands before a mirror, all the features of his face are clearly reflected in it; similarly, a believer of this stature—who not only discards the self but carries the task of negating his being and discarding the self to such a degree of perfection that there remains nothing of his own being, and he becomes like a mirror—then all the features and all the attributes of the Divine Being are comprehended in him. Just as it can be said that the mirror, which reflects all the features of the one standing before it, becomes his vicegerent; in the same way a believer, by having gathered within him the attributes and qualities of Allah by way of reflection, attains the station of the Khalifatullah [Vicegerent of God] and becomes the expression of the countenance of God by way of reflection. As God is Hidden upon hidden and Transcendent beyond transcendent in His Being, in the same way, the perfect believer is hidden upon hidden and transcendent beyond transcendent in his being. The world cannot attain his reality because he moves far away from the sphere of the world. It is remarkable that, after that holy change in the perfect believer—when he loses his self altogether for the sake of God and emerges from it donning a new garment of the holy change— God, who is Unchangeable, Ever-Living, and Self-Subsisting, makes a change in His being for his sake also. However, this does not mean that any change takes place in the eternal attributes of God; nay, He is Unchangeable from antiquity and eternity—but it is only a manifestation of His Providence for the perfect believer. A change, the mystery of which we cannot comprehend, appears in God as well corresponding to the change in the believer, but this happens in a manner which does not soil God’s remaining Unchangeable with the dust of the creature-state—He remains Unchangeable as He eternally is.

However, the change which occurs at the time of the change in the believer is of the type spoken of in the statement: ‘When the believer moves towards God Almighty, God comes towards him with a faster movement.’ Though it is obvious that as Allah the Exalted is not subject to any changes, so is He also not subject to any movements. All these expressions are metaphorical and the need for their use arises because experience testifies that as a believer builds a new being—by self-abnegation, annihilation, and mortification in the cause of God Almighty—God also becomes new vis-à-vis the believer corresponding to the changes in him, and deals with him as He does not deal at all with others. God reveals to him of His kingdom and mysteries that which He does not reveal to others at all, and displays for his sake that which He does not display for the sake of others at all. He helps and supports him to such an extent that causes people to marvel. He shows extraordinary happenings for such a person, and displays miracles and establishes his supremacy in every respect. He places in him a power of attraction, whereby a whole world is drawn to him and only those remain unaffected who are overpowered by eternal misfortune.

Thus, all this shows that, with the immaculate transformation of the perfect believer, God Almighty also appears to him with the manifestation of a new form. This is proof that God Almighty has created man for Himself; for, whenever anyone begins to turn to God Almighty, He begins to turn to him—the same day—the same hour—nay rather, the same moment! He becomes his Guardian, his Providence, his Supporter, and Helper. And if the whole world were to be on one side and a perfect believer on the other, it is he who dominates in the end, because God is True in His love and Perfect in His promises. He does not let one who becomes truly His, go to waste.

Should such a believer be thrown into fire, he emerges from the midst of a garden; be he pushed into a whirlpool, he reappears in a beautiful garden. The enemies design many stratagems against him and wish to destroy him, but God shatters all their machinations and plans, for He is with him at every step. Therefore, in the end, those who seek to humiliate him die in disgrace and their lot is failure; but he who becomes God’s with all his heart and soul and determination, never dies a failure. His life is blessed and, it is certain, that he should remain alive till he accomplishes all his undertakings. All blessings are in purity and all purity is in seeking the pleasure of God, and all seeking of God’s pleasure is in surrendering one’s own pleasure. This is the ‘death’ which is followed by life. Blessed is he who partakes of this life.

Now let it be clear that I have written everything that I intended to write about the above-mentioned verses of Surah al-Mu’minun being a miracle. I have meticulously elucidated that the six stages that have been mentioned for the spiritual being of a believer in the beginning of this particular Surah—the sixth of which has been named Khalq-e-Akhar [‘Another Creation’]—are the same six stages that have been outlined with regard to the physical birth in verses that follow the description of the spiritual birth. This is a miracle of knowledge and this intellectual insight has not been mentioned in any book prior to the Holy Quran. The last portion of these verses:

is undoubtedly the essence of this intellectual miracle, for it has been applied at a miraculous occasion. It is not possible for man to work such a miracle in his discourse and then to apply to it the verse:

And if someone demands a proof as to how the comparison between the stages of man’s spiritual and physical being outlined in the above verses amount to an intellectual miracle, the answer is that a miracle is something the like of which man is unable to perform, or had previously been unable to perform, or there is no proof that he will be able to perform it in the future. So I say this with authority that this description of the profound philosophy of man’s birth mentioned in the Holy Quran is such a unique and unparalleled description that the like of it cannot be found in any previous book. Nor do we know in this age of anyone, not versed in the Holy Quran, who matched the Holy Quran in presenting this philosophy. Since the Holy Quran claims to be a miracle in terms of all its insights, its Signs, and its eloquence and diction—and these verses are part of the Holy Quran and fall under the purview of the claim of being a miracle—this illustration of it being unmatched and unparalleled, in the presence of its claim of being a miracle and its challenge to produce a match, undoubtedly constitutes a miracle. The answer to the remaining objections of the critic is set out below.

HIS STATEMENT—

[‘Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out’] is a line from a couplet of an ancient poet. Did any Prophet ever have a revelation which was word-for-word the same as issued forth from the tongue of a human being before that Prophet?

MY ANSWER—As I have mentioned before also, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself had such a revelation and it was:

This is the sentence that had come out of the mouth of ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah, and exactly the same descended as the revelation of God. And it was due to this very trial that the unfortunate ‘Abdullah turned apostate. Making such objections, therefore, amounts to following the thinking of ‘Abdullah, the apostate, which ought to be avoided. As for the words

they form the first line of a couplet of Labid, may Allah be pleased with him, a Companion [of the Holy Prophet (sas)]. The complete couplet is:

It means that the homes of my loved ones were demolished; there remained no trace of the buildings, neither of temporary nor of permanent residences. Both kinds of buildings were destroyed. They were located in Mina, which is in the land of Najd. There are two Minas: a Mina of Makkah and a Mina of Najd. Here the Mina of Najd is meant. The poet then says that there were two towns in that land—one was called Ghaul and the other Rajam—both of which were destroyed and levelled so completely that there is now a forest in place of these towns where wild animals such as deer live. These are the meanings of the Arabic word

[ta’abbada], which appears in the couplet.

[ta’abbada] is derived from

[awabid], which means animals of wilderness, like deer etc.

[awabid] is derived from

[abad] which means ‘something that lives forever’. Since the deer and other such animals mostly do not die a natural death—rather, they are hunted and are killed by others—they were called

[awabid].

HIS STATEMENT—If the words of man can coincide with the Words of God, then what would be the difference between the Word of God and the word of man?

MY ANSWER—I have just explained that the Holy Quran is a miracle in the sense that the writing of any human being cannot be identical to a long passage—which should not be less than ten verses—of the Holy Quran. Such a passage of the Holy Quran possesses so much eloquence and elegance and other insights and verities that its like cannot be offered by human efforts. The Quranic text is, therefore, a miracle provided it is no less than ten verses, as the Quran points out explicitly. But as for one sentence—which is equal to, at most, one or two verses—it is possible that the word of man may appear to correspond with the Word of God. Even then some hidden insights and a kind of light, are inherent in the Word of God. Besides, an element of its miracle is hidden. To illustrate, the distinction between man and deer is obvious on looking at them as a whole, but the eye of deer is similar to the eye of man. Nevertheless, the human eye has certain capabilities that the eye of a deer does not have at all.

HIS STATEMENT—When the revelation

[‘Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out’] was published, it was stated in its context that it was concerning the plague, but now it is stated that it is concerning the earthquake.

MY ANSWER—The chastisement of

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] being related to the plague cannot literally make it the plague. Besides, the statement that the phrase

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] is concerning plague, is the composition of a human. The objection would have been valid if this word had been present in Almighty God’s revelation. The revelation of God Almighty clearly says that it pertains to the earthquake. Refer to the revelation that was published in the same Al-Hakam newspaper towards the end of December 1903, and whose words are:

Then five months later, in the issue of 31st May 1904 of the same newspaper, this revelation was further explained by the second revelation that:

Alas what an era has emerged! God’s Word is recorded in two issues of the same newspaper and one Word explains the other, but no one cares to look at it and, instead, people point towards the words of a human being—whose error cannot be attributed to the revelation of God. Such prejudice while being called the progeny of Muslims! God knows what will be its evil consequences in future.

Further, I do not deny that the entire truth of any prophecy is not clear before its appointed time, and it is possible that an error may occur in human interpretation. Thus it is that there has not been any Prophet in the whole world who has never made an error in interpreting any of his prophecies. If a Prophet, however, makes any error by way of interpretation in explaining the meaning of his prophecy before its time, it does not diminish the glory and the honour of that prophecy itself, for the divine prophecy is extraordinary, beyond human insight, and above human intellect. Can you claim that it does get diminished? If that is the case, I can produce before you a long list of prophecies in which eminent Prophets made errors of interpretation. However, I trust that you will not raise such an objection after this and that you will be cautious in view of the far reaching ramification of this objection.

It is obvious that when a prophecy is fulfilled and, with its fulfilment, reveals its true meaning by itself, and, on comparing that meaning with the words of the prophecy, it is quite clear that it is the correct meaning of the words of the prophecy, it is not honesty then to find faults with it. Is it not true that the above revelation, indeed, means that buildings in a part of the country will collapse? This being so, how can the words of the revelation, in their apparent sense, apply to the plague? And when a calamity destroyed buildings, that very calamity must be considered to have been referred to in the prophecy. Does the plague ever cause buildings to collapse? Also, in a revelation prior to this prophecy, which was published just five months previously in the same newspaper, the word ‘earthquake’ is clearly mentioned. The words of that revelation were:

So is there any doubt that the news of the future earthquake has been given in the same newspaper?

in its literal sense applies to this prophecy of the earthquake, and it was mentioned beforehand too, or whether it applies to the plague. Moreover, the prophecy about the earthquake relates to the statement

[‘afatid-diyar— ‘residences will be wiped out’] with respect to the proximity of time just as it relates to it with respect of the purport. And it is that the prophecy about the earthquake had been revealed in clear words five months prior to the prophecy

[‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’] and both prophecies have been published one after the other; i.e. the prophecy:

HIS STATEMENT—If categorical knowledge was not given about the prophecy

[‘afatid-diyar—residences will be wiped out…] that it pertained to the earthquake, then what benefit did such a revelation provide?

MY ANSWER—Alas! You know nothing of the practice of Allah. It is not necessary for a Prophet to have definitive knowledge of a particular aspect of a prophecy that it shall necessarily be fulfilled only in this particular way. What is necessary for a prophecy, though, is that its implication should be supernormal, and human prowess or machination or contrivances should not be able to match it; but it is not necessary that the true nature of the prophecy should be made known in every respect. In the Torah, there is an important prophecy about our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, but it is worded in general terms, that:

A Prophet like unto Moses will be raised from the Israelites from among their brethren.101

Nowhere was it clearly stated that he will be from among the Ishmaelites, his name would be so and so and his father’s name would be so and so, he will be born in Makkah, and he will come after lapse of this much time. This is why the Jews did not benefit the least from this prophecy and, for this very error, hundreds of thousands of the Jews ended up in Hell, even though the Holy Quran has alluded to this same prophecy in the verse:

And the Jews say that the ‘like of Musa’ [Moses] was the Prophet Yasu‘a [Joshua] who succeeded him after his death. And the Christians say that ‘Isa [Jesus] is the ‘like of Musa’, for, like Musa, he too came as a saviour. Now, tell me what good did this prophecy of the Torah do since it did not make a clear decision. Neither the Jews nor the Christians could recognize the Prophet, may peace be upon him, whom the prophecy was about and both groups remain deprived of the blessing of accepting him.

is not ambiguous, as you imagine it to be, for another prophecy had previously been published in the same newspaper as:

describes the features of that very earthquake already mentioned in the same newspaper. This prophecy cannot apply to the plague in any way. Both of these revelations were published in the same newspaper Al-Hakam just five months apart. Tell me, is it obduracy or not to declare such a grand prophecy—which foretells this great calamity twice in the same newspaper, specifying the term ‘earthquake’ and its attributes—to be useless and absurd? If that is so, it is doubtful if you can remain faithful to Islam, for it is written, in authentic commentaries, that when the verse:

was revealed, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said that he did not know what event that prophecy referred to.

Later, at the great victory in the Battle of Badr, he said that he had now realized that this was the victory the prophecy had foretold. On one occasion he said that [in a vision] he was given a bunch of grapes and was told that it was for Abu Jahl, but he was surprised that Abu Jahl was so thoroughly evil that he was not worthy to enter Paradise. And he [the Holy Prophet (sas)] did not comprehend its purport at all. At last that prophecy was fulfilled when Abu Jahl’s son ‘Ikrimah became a Muslim. On another occasion, he made a long journey from Madinah to Makkah in conformity to a divine revelation in which the glad tiding was given that he would enter Makkah and make a tawaf [circuit] of the Ka‘bah. The time had not been disclosed. However, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, suffered the hardship of that journey only on account of his interpretation, but that interpretation did not prove correct and he could not enter Makkah. So here an error was made in understanding the prophecy due to which some of his Companions were put in a trial.

Similarly, God had informed Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus], may peace be upon him, that he would be a king. He took this revelation to mean a worldly kingdom and on that very basis Hazrat ‘Isa ordered his disciples to buy arms by selling their clothes. Eventually, however, it turned out to be a misunderstanding of Hazrat ‘Isa and that the kingdom implied heavenly kingdom and not the kingdom of the earth. The essential point is that a Prophet too is a mortal, and it is not a blemish for him if he happens to be mistaken in his interpretation. He is not, however, allowed to persist in the error and, at some point, he is necessarily informed of his error.

The prophecy of a Prophet should always be viewed with regard to its extraordinary import. The greatness and the significance of the prophecy does not suffer the least if the prophecy is not fulfilled in one specific way; rather, it is fulfilled in another manner. However, the essential element of the prophecy—namely, its extraordinary import—is evident in this second aspect as well; and, at the occurrence of the event, every reasonable person realizes that the true meaning of the prophecy was indeed the one that the unfolding event had itself revealed. To unfairly object to it is tantamount to mischief, dishonesty, and obduracy.

HIS STATEMENT—To make an ambiguous statement that some calamity is about to come without specifying its nature and timing is not a prophecy but is mockery. And anyone can make such a statement.

MY ANSWER—What shall I say except

[‘The curse of Allah be upon the liars’]! Such an opponent ought to merely say [as a counter prophecy] that such a calamity will not strike. Just think for yourself: How can this prophecy be deemed ambiguous when the word ‘earthquake’ is clearly present in it, it is also stated that a part of the country will be annihilated, it is also stated that it will occur within my lifetime, and with it is also the prophecy that it will be like unto Doomsday for those whom it will afflict? If this is ambiguous, then what else is called a clear prophecy? And saying that there is no indication of time in it, is tantamount to an attack not only Islam but on all heavenly Scriptures.

The prophecies of the Holy Quran, in most cases, do not make any mention of time. [Tell me], what time limit did the Torah give for the prophecy about Nebuchadnezzar and Titus of Rome? Similarly, what time stipulation was made in the prophecy that was present in the Torah concerning the advent of a ‘like of Musa’? And with regard to the prophecies about earthquakes and wars contained in the Gospel—can you tell what is the stipulation about time with regard to them? And then there is the prophecy about the advent of the Promised Messiah— which you construe to justify bringing Hazrat ‘Isa ibn Maryam [Jesus son of Mary] back upon the earth a second time. What is the time frame given to you by God Almighty so that you may take a few steps forward with the intention of welcoming the one coming from so far off—at least proceed up to the extreme cold of the stratosphere if not farther—and take quilts etc. along with you?

I wish that you had considered that such objections are not just against me but your objections strike Islam and—God forbid— the Holy Quran itself ! Rather, they constitute an assault on all past Prophets. The essential point is that when a prophecy is extraordinary in itself or comprises of the unseen such that its knowledge is beyond human ken, if the prophecy contains a clear claim that such an event has never happened in this country for centuries, and that it had not in fact happened, and if, then, that event happens as claimed—to raise objections against such an extraordinary prophecy is the wont of the faithless who care nothing for God or the truth. Such unfortunate people, owing to their hard-heartedness, have always criticized every Prophet. Now you tell me! The certainty and persistence with which the news about the earthquake is given in the prophecy—can you cite its parallel in this country during the last two thousand years?

Also bear in mind that it is not just one prophecy; rather, my God has foretold about it through me again and again in the previous volumes of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. It is mentioned in Mawahib-ur-Rahman [‘The Bounties of the Gracious One’]. It is mentioned in the pamphlet Amin, and it is mentioned in various revelations in several issues of the newspaper Al-Hakam. And yet, the prophecy, in your estimation, is vague. Now what is the remedy for this!

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return].104

The unjustified assaults on Islam that was the wont of other religions are now being made by Muslims themselves! If it was not in their lot to defend their faith, they should at least have given a moment’s thought before the attack. Facing humiliation and being ultimately exposed as liars—is this practicing your faith?

Had their hearts been illuminated by the light of Islam, they would not have only understood all this themselves, but would have also countered those who raise such objections.

HIS STATEMENT—The Honourable Holy Mirza Sahib has again given news of an earthquake, but at the same time he has also said that he has not been informed whether it would be an earthquake or some other severe calamity, and that he has not been informed when would such a calamity strike.

MY ANSWER—No objection can be levelled at this statement of mine, for even in the case of the chastisement that was promised to the Arabs, God Almighty did not provide details of that chastisement as to what kind of chastisement it would be and what would be its nature. He only said that God has the power to bring it down from heaven, or send it from the earth, or make the infidels taste the swords of the Muslims. In these verses the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself admits that he has not been informed as to what kind of chastisement it would be. And when he was asked about the time of its occurrence, he did not specify any date, as the Holy Quran says:

Meaning: ‘The disbelievers ask, “When will this proclamation come to pass; tell us the date if you are indeed true?” Say to them, “I do not know of any date, only God has this knowledge. I am only a warner.”’

And when the disbelievers repeated their question about the date, they got the answer:

Meaning: Tell them, ‘I know not whether the chastisement is near at hand or far off.’

Now, remember—O you who listen! It is true, and absolutely true—and there is no choice but to accept it—that the prophecies of God Almighty are at times fulfilled literally while at other times they are fulfilled metaphorically. Therefore, no Prophet or Messenger can dare to claim everywhere and in every prophecy that this prophecy would be fulfilled in such a manner. The Prophet, however, has the right, as I have stated, to claim that the prophecy he narrates is extraordinary or is far and beyond the reach of human knowledge. If the Punjab had experienced earthquakes like the one that occurred on 4th April 1905 even once in every century, this prophecy would have no significance, and everybody would be entitled to say that such earthquakes occurred in the Punjab all the time and it was nothing impossible. However, when the recent earthquake struck in the extraordinary manner that was foretold by the prophecy, all objections were rendered meaningless. Similarly, the prophecy about the future earthquake, that has been made, is also not an ordinary prophecy. If it ultimately does turn out to be ordinary, or does not occur within my lifetime, then I am not from God Almighty.

God informs me that the calamity which He has designated ‘the earthquake’ shall be like unto Doomsday, and that it will be mightier than the first one. There is no doubt that in this prophecy about the future, as in the previous prophecy, the word ‘earthquake’ appears repeatedly and no other word is used. The literal meaning has greater right to be accepted than the metaphorical meaning, but it has to be said—in keeping with the practice of all Prophets to show deference to the providence of God and to the vastness of the knowledge of God— that although the word ‘earthquake’ has been used apparently, it may possibly mean some other calamity of the nature of an earthquake but it might be even more devastating than the previous one, and may severely impact buildings as well.107

This prophecy cannot be invalidated just because it does not specify the date and the time, for it contains so many other details that make it unnecessary to mention the date and time. For example, God said: The earthquake will appear within your lifetime; the occurrence of this earthquake will mark a great victory for you, and a great many people will enter your Jama‘at [Community]; it will be a heavenly Sign for you; God Himself will descend for your support and will show His wonderful works that the world has not seen before; people will come from far off places and enter into your Jama‘at. And that earthquake will be greater than the previous one, and the signs of Doomsday will appear in it and it will bring about a revolution in the world. God says that He shall come when the hearts would have become hardened and people would feel safe from the possibility of an earthquake.

And God says: ‘I shall come secretly, and I shall come at the time when no one would be aware.’ That is to say, people will be busily and calmly engaged in their worldly pursuits when all at once the calamity will befall. Prior to this people would have felt reassured that no earthquake would come, and they would imagine themselves to be out of danger and secure. Then the calamity will suddenly befall them. And God says: Those will be the days of spring—the sun would rise in the morning of spring and would set in the evening of autumn. Then there will be wailing in many homes, for they did not recognize the time. No astrologer nor geologist has access to the unseen, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow, but God—who created all this—is aware of the most hidden aspects of His creation.

HIS STATEMENT—Whereas the Holy Quran contains the news of both earthquakes, why is it said that perhaps it is an earthquake or it is some other calamity?

MY ANSWER—I have said time and again that the literal words of the Holy Quran and those of this revelation that I received, indeed, foretell an earthquake. But God’s custom compels us to bear in mind the possibility of the metaphorical fulfilment. God Almighty says, on one occasion, in the Holy Quran with the regard to a people:

Meaning: ‘They were struck by a terrible earthquake’, even though no earthquake overtook them. Thus, some other calamity was called ‘earthquake’ in this instance.

Meaning: ‘He who is blind in this world will also be blind in the Hereafter.’ This is also a prophecy, but it does not mean what is understood from the literal words. It is a characteristic of Prophets and Messengers that they believe in the limitlessness of the knowledge of God and do not hold their own knowledge as equal to His. In the Holy Quran, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was repeatedly given the promise of the victory over the disbelievers, but when the Battle of Badr—which was the first battle of Islam—started, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, began supplicating and praying, and these are the words that issued from his tongue:

Meaning: ‘O my Lord! If you destroy these people (they were just three hundred and thirteen men), none will worship You till Doomsday.’

When Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, heard these words from the mouth of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, he submitted, ‘O Prophet of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, why are you so perturbed? God has given you the firm promise that He would give victory.’ He said, ‘This is true, but I am keeping my eyes on the fact that He is in need of no one.’ That is to say, God is not obligated to fulfil any promise. Now, it must be understood that when the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, observed this much deference to etiquettes of respect of God, why should one turn aside from this accepted belief of all Prophets, may peace be upon them, that sometimes God’s prophecy is fulfilled literally and sometimes it is fulfilled metaphorically and figuratively? It is folly to controvert this position. To ask what kind of prophecy it is whose words cannot be depended upon and whose time has not been specified, is a very lowly way of thinking. It only goes to show that the person who raises such an objection has no understanding of the way of Allah.

The truth of the matter is that when a prophecy has some grandeur and majesty and some extraordinary news in it, and, at the time of its fulfilment, God’s hand is clearly witnessed, hearts accept it and no one mentions anything about date etc. Indeed, such controversy and such objections are quite premature. Let the time come and then you can object afterwards. It is not proper to raise such hue and cry beforehand. When the time comes for its fulfilment, the prophecy will speak for itself as to whether it is something ordinary or extraordinary.

HIS STATEMENT—When, according to your own statement, the Holy Quran also gives tidings of two earthquakes, there should be no room left to doubt that the impending calamity will be an earthquake.

Meaning that, on that day the earth will make a severe agitated movement, and severe and fierce agitation will develop in the earth, and after that another agitation will develop in the earth which will manifest after the first one. There is no mention of ‘earthquake’ in the explicit words because, according to the lexicons, the word

[rajfan] means ‘severe agitation’.

When and where did I interpret the words of my prophecies as not meaning ‘earthquake’? On the contrary, what I have maintained is that probably and preponderantly the word

[zalzalah] means ‘earthquake’. And yet it is possible that these words may, in conformity with the eternal practice of God, signify some other such terrible, extraordinary, and devastating calamity that has the appearance and characteristics of an earthquake. Metaphors do abound in the discourse of God Almighty, which men of learning do not deny, yet the literal words need to be given precedence, and the explicit words of these prophecies do, indeed, imply an earthquake.

The critic has again and again questioned how this can be considered a prophecy when the one making the prophecy has neither declared the word

[zalzalah] to be definitively an earthquake nor has he spelled out the time. Some calamity or other would befall between now and the Doomsday anyway and it would be convenient to claim every such event to be the fulfilment of his prophecy!

It is strange that while I keep saying over and over again that the word

[zalzalah—‘earthquake’], in my prophecies, most probably implies an earthquake—if it is not that, then an extraordinary calamity is implied that would have a very great resemblance with an earthquake and would have the character of an earthquake fully—yet the critic is not satisfied with these many words. I do not know how, with such doubts, he ever came to be satisfied with Islam. Everyone knows that, with regard to the prophecies of past Prophets, may peace be upon them, it has been considered adequate that they should be extraordinary and beyond the power of human beings, or that they should comprise the unseen that is beyond human foresight.

When a prophecy is narrated as consisting of an extraordinary happening—and at the time of its announcement no mind or imagination can conceive that such an event is going to happen, and it is clearly an unusual event which has no parallel in earlier centuries nor are there manifest signs of its occurrence in the future—and that prophecy turns out to be true, then sound reason dictates that such a prophecy would necessarily be taken to have been from God. Otherwise, all the prophecies of Prophets would have to be rejected.

Now, listen to this carefully: The notion that my prophecy regarding the future earthquake does not specify any time limit is a completely false notion that has developed merely from lack of deliberation, excessive prejudice, and hastiness because the revelation of Allah has apprised me time and again that this prophecy will come to pass within my own lifetime, in my own country, and only for my sake. And if it turns out to be only something ordinary, having hundreds of precedents and if it is not something extraordinary that manifests the marks of Doomsday—then I myself tell you not to regard it as a prophecy. Treat it as the hoax you say it is.

I am now almost seventy years [of age], and a period of more than thirty years has passed since God had informed me in clear terms that I would live to the age of eighty, or that five to six years more or five to six years less. So in this scenario even if God Almighty were to cause much delay in the appearance of this severe calamity, there are, at the most, 16 years—not more than that—as it is essential that this incident should take place within my lifetime.111

However, it is not the intent of the prophecy that the fulfilment of this prophecy will remain in abeyance for the full sixteen years; rather, it is possible that this prophecy may be fulfilled within the next one or two years, or even earlier. Nor is there a promise of God that my age will necessarily exceed eighty years. Rather, the hope implied in the words in the revelation of God is that, if God so desires, my age could even somewhat exceed eighty years. The actual words of the Revelation that pertain to this promise, however, fix the age between 74 and 86. In any case, it is a false allegation against me that I have not defined the time limit for this prophecy at all. God says again and again in His revelation that, ‘We shall demonstrate this Sign for you’, and, ‘Tell them that this Sign shall be a witness to my veracity; I will descend for you and show My Signs for your sake; I shall come to you with my hosts at the time when no one will be aware.’ No one knows of the time but God. Just as it happened in the time of Musa [Moses] when Pharaoh and Haman remained deceived until the flood of the river Nile overtook them, so will it happen now too. God also said, ‘Prepare the ark before My eyes and do not plead for the transgressors and do not be an intercessor on their behalf, for I shall cause them all to drown.’ There are other similarly explicit revelations of God and the gist of them all is that that this prophecy will come about in my lifetime and in my very age, and this is the limit that is determined and fixed which it cannot exceed. It is not known, however, whether it will come about after months or after weeks or after years; in any case, it will not exceed sixteen years.

This is similar to the statement that the life of the world starting from Hazrat Adam is 7,000 years as inferred from Quranic verses, of which 6,000 have elapsed until our own time, as may be reckoned by the numerical value of the letters of Surah al-‘Asr. We are now in the seventh millennium according to the lunar calculation, and the Promised Messiah, who was to be raised at the end of the sixth millennium, has already appeared.112

Similarly, when it is said that the hour of Qiyamah [the Resurrection] is not known, it does not mean that God has not given mankind even some general information about the Resurrection. Otherwise, describing even the Signs of Doomsday would be a meaningless exercise, for what was the need to even describe the Signs of something that God wishes to keep secret?

What is meant by such verses is that though the specific hour of Qiyamah is not known to anyone, God has given mankind this much knowledge—like the duration of pregnancy—that when the seventh millennium has passed, the Qiyamah shall have come upon the dwellers of this world. This is just like the human foetus in a womb—which must be born before nine months and ten days have passed—and yet the exact hour of its birth is not known. In the same way Qiyamah will occur before 7,000 years have passed, but the exact hour of its occurrence is not known. It is also possible that after the completion of 7,000 years, two or three more centuries may be additional as fractions which would not count.

And the other objection of the critic—that it has not been claimed that it really is an earthquake—is also born out of lack of insight; for, I have written again and again that, from the apparent words of the prophecy, it seems most probable that it is an earthquake and the first earthquake also testifies to this, and the following verse of the Holy Quran supports it too:

Besides, the Scriptures of God Almighty also direct our attention to it that, at times, such prophecies are fulfilled figuratively, though the character of being extraordinary and of being unusual occurrence remains in them. In my own opinion, ninety out of a hundred indications are that it, indeed, will be an earthquake and not anything else, it speaks of the shaking of the earth and the collapse of buildings. This is what my understanding is. Beyond it, God knows well His hidden secrets, and it is possible that He may at a later stage disclose to me more than this, for He has power over all things.

It is a strange statement of yours and a strange opinion that you say that Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus] did not provide any interpretation of the earthquakes mentioned in his prophecies, and hence those prophecies were specific. It is obvious that in these prophecies Hazrat ‘Isa (as) did not speak of any terrible, destructive, and extraordinary earthquake. The land where he lived, hardly any year would have passed in which there was no earthquake. History establishes the frequent occurrence of earthquakes in that country—and, even some terrible ones too. Hazrat ‘Isa (as) himself must have witnessed many earthquakes while he was in that country and had not yet travelled to Kashmir.115

Hence, I cannot understand why such common occurrences should be given the name of prophecy. The material for scoffing that you sought—unsuccessfully—to find in my prophecies, you may readily have found in the prophecies of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) without much effort. It is also not true that Hazrat ‘Isa (as) designated the earthquake as an earthquake and did not give any interpretation for it. Can you show me any statement of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) in which it is stated that the earthquake, in these prophecies, literally means an earthquake and is not a figure of speech?

How can your statement be accepted without the testimony of Hazrat ‘Isa (as), because it is established, from a study of his prophecies, that they are all metaphorical in nature? For instance, Hazrat ‘Isa (as) had proclaimed that he was ‘King of the Jews’, and this matter was reported to the Roman government that, while the Jews were under the Roman Empire, this man claimed that the Jews were his subjects and he was their king. When the Roman government demanded a reply, he stated that his kingdom was not of this world; rather, the kingdom meant the Kingdom of Heaven.

Notice here that, in the beginning, Hazrat ‘Isa (as) himself believed that he would be granted earthly kingdom—and he even bought weapons on this very assumption—but ultimately it turned out to be the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, it is not too far-fetched that by ‘earthquake’, he also meant some heavenly event. Otherwise, the land of the area of the Levant has always been prone to earthquakes. To make a prophecy about earthquakes in such a land would be, in the eyes of an opponent, an occasion to ridicule.

So also Hazrat ‘Isa (as) had declared that his twelve disciples would sit on twelve thrones in Paradise. This prophecy is also contained in the Gospel. But, one of those disciples, Judas Iscariot, died an apostate. Now explain how the prophecy about the twelve thrones could be true! If you can reason it out, help me understand; I will be grateful to you. In this instance, it cannot even be taken as a metaphor.

Similarly, Hazrat ‘Isa (as) had said: The people of this age will not have passed before I return. The onus to answer it is upon those who claim that he has ascended to heaven—be they Christians or Muslims— that nineteen centuries have already passed but Hazrat ‘Isa (as) has not yet returned. For nineteen centuries, all those who had lived out their spans of life have become part of dust, but no one saw Hazrat ‘Isa (as) descending from heaven. Moreover, what are we to make of the promise that the people of that time would still be alive when Hazrat ‘Isa (as) would return? Then, what happened to the promise that the people of that generation would still be alive when he would return?

In short, whoever wants to exult in such prophecies, let him do so by all means. As for us, we consider Hazrat ‘Isa (as) to be, as per the verdict of the Holy Quran, a true Prophet. Otherwise, going by the Gospels that exists today, even his Prophethood is suspect. The Christians cry about his ‘Divinity’, but I find it impossible to prove even his Prophethood except by means of the Holy Quran.

Although it is true that the Christians have distorted the Gospels so much that you cannot trust anything of it, good or bad; yet, even if we accept the distorted version, the prophecy of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) about the earthquake is totally unacceptable to the Muslims as there is no mention of this prophecy of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) in the Holy Quran at all. Therefore, how and on what basis can it be accepted as valid?

Alas! The extent to which you have striven to repudiate my prophecies and, setting aside the fear of God, have tried tooth and nail to somehow prove to the public that these prophecies are trivial you have opted for this pleasureless sin for nothing. If you had some success in breaking my arguments, you could at least have won the admiration of the Christians. Even if you had remained silent there would have been some benefit. What did you achieve by opening your mouth? And you have not launched this attack upon me; rather, you have attacked the God who has sent me. Alas! It is only sheer hard-heartedness and the desire for fame that has prompted most people to stand up in opposition to me; otherwise, it was not at all difficult to understand my claim and my arguments.

Thousands of Signs have appeared so far, and even the heaven and earth have given testimony [for me], but still those whose hearts are sealed did not desist from opposition. They have called for a chastisement from God that will befall at its due time. For those who are opposing God, it was better for them if they had died prior to this. But they have been intoxicated by the wine of prejudice and vanity and the days are coming when God will bring them to their senses.

I will now dispose off some objections that Maulawi Abu Sa‘id Muhammad Husain Batalawi published in the newspaper Paisah Akhbar issue dated 19 June 1905. And they are as follows:

HIS STATEMENT—He writes (the reference is to this humble one) that I had given news of this earthquake in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and had written that mountains would burst asunder. This is a falsehood beyond measure.

MY ANSWER—Do you have any doubt that the following passage is present on page 516116 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya:

Meaning that: ‘When the Lord of this humble one shall manifest His glory on a particular mountain, He will cause it to break asunder, and God shall thwart the schemes of the deniers. And We shall make this event of the mountain a Sign for the people and it shall be a source of mercy for the believers. This matter was decreed from the very beginning. That is to say, past Prophets had foretold that such terrible earthquakes would take place in the time of the Promised Messiah.’

Similarly, I again ask, do you have any doubt that page 557117 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya records this second prophecy relating to the same event:

(Translation) When his (my humble self ’s) Lord manifests Himself at the mountain, He shall cause it to break asunder. This shall come about by the power of God and it shall be in support of His servant; that is, to demonstrate his truthfulness.

Now that both these passages are present in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, and they contain the promise, in clear words, that God shall show a Sign and shall help and support, how can that which has been written in this regard in the Announcement be a white lie? Does the breaking asunder of the mountain not necessarily signify an earthquake? Is it not a clear promise here that He shall make the breaking asunder of the mountain a Sign for this servant of His, and this incident shall signify help and support of Allah? And can there be better and clearer words than those found on page 516118 wherein it is stated:

That is, ‘We shall make the rending asunder of the mountain a Sign for the people.’

Likewise, what could be a more explicit statement than the one given on page 557 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya because first the promise was made for breaking asunder of the mountain and then it was said:

Meaning: ‘It shall come about by the power of God for the support and succour of His servant?’ Whoever, despite these explanations, considers such a clear prophecy to be a white lie, we can only say that his own eyes have turned white; for, he considers the bright day to be the night.

Besides, the context in which this verse appears in the Holy Quran also points to an earthquake; for, the Torah clearly has it, to this day, that when the mountain was rent asunder to show Musa a Sign of power of Providence, it was the result of an earthquake. If someone does not accept this even after so many testimonies, he is not free from either of these two states: Either there is something amiss with his senses and he has a defect in his eyesight, or the veil of extreme prejudice has deprived him of the capability of seeing the light and accepting it. Besides this, every sane person knows that the rending asunder of the mountain necessitates an earthquake and this incidence categorically and necessarily implies an earthquake. How, then, can Maulawi Sahib say that there is no mention here of the earthquake at all? Are mountains rent asunder even without earthquakes?

Alas for the Maulawi Sahib’s intelligence that he doesn’t comprehend something so obvious! Having reached the age of seventy years, he is again exhibiting the naivety of a child. Moreover, when there is also the declaration that, ‘We shall make this event a Sign and shall help and assist this appointed one through it,’ who but the one whose heart is covered with the rust of villainy, can deny that the rending asunder of the mountain mentioned in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya is an event that God will make a Sign for His appointee? This is as He said, at the same place, by way of a promise:

HIS STATEMENT—Let the Government and the public examine the aforementioned pages of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Is this passage to be found anywhere. There is no limit to this fraud and forgery.

MY ANSWER—What can I write in response to this brazenness, audacity, and temerity other than

[‘Allah’s curse be uponthe liars’]?

O mortal man! You are going to die one day. Visualise, for once, the hour when the rattle of death will set in. Are both these statements in Arabic, to which I have referred in my Announcement, not present on pages 516 and 557119 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya? So much fabrication and in this old age! Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya has spread all over the world and is not just in your possession. So what can you gain from such audacity and mischief? Is it not true that these verses mention the rending asunder of mountains? Is it not true that God Almighty says in the same revelation, ‘We will make the rending asunder of the mountain a Sign for the people, and for some this Sign will be a cause of mercy’? Is it not true that God says in these revelations that ‘We shall show this Sign for the support and help of Our servant’?

And is it not true that the Arabic revelation on page 557 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya is preceded by the Urdu revelation:

A Warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God shall accept him and demonstrate his truthfulness with mighty assaults.120

Does it not become evident from looking at all these passages together that whereas the breaking asunder of the mountain has been mentioned in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, it has also been written in the same book that it is a prophecy? It cannot, however, be denied that I could not beforehand determine in what manner this prophecy of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya would manifest itself. And this is a phenomenon shared by all Prophets. But never have I, either in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya or in any other book, denied that this is a prophecy. How indeed could I deny it when it is clearly written on page 516121 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya:

Meaning: ‘We shall make the rending asunder of the mountain a Sign for the people.’ And then, on page 557, it is written:

Meaning: ‘The rending asunder of the mountain shall be by the power of God—in support of His servant.’

Thus, who—other than a mischievous and dishonourable person who cares nothing for faith, God, or the Day of Reckoning—can deny that this is a prophecy, and a Sign has been promised in it? When God Almighty Himself has called it a Sign and has promised that He would manifest it for the benefit of the people at some point in time, who then dare say that it is not a Sign and it is not a prophecy? As for my admission that at the time of the writing of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya I was unable to specify any particular facet of the prophecy, it cannot benefit the opponent at all, for it is not necessary for a Prophet to define the specifics of every prophecy before its time. I have already dealt quite extensively with this subject in this very book, and there is no need to write it again and again.

[One call is enough to know if somebody is at home.]

HIS STATEMENT—The ‘Krishna of Qadian’ has lied in these three sentences. The first is the sentence mentioned above that has already been answered. The second was my statement that ‘after the earthquake, the thought crossed my mind over and over that I had committed a grave sin122 for not having publicized the prophecy of the earthquake as much as I should have.’ And the third is the statement that ‘although I knew at that time that my writing would not move the hearts to take proper precautions, still I was beset by sorrow for not having adequately publicised the news that had been given to me by All-Knowing, All-Wise God.

MY ANSWER—Distrust is something that has no cure. Otherwise, it is obvious that if a person is given the knowledge that a certain calamity is going to befall a certain people, and he fails to duly warn them of the destruction about to befall them—at the same time he also believes that his warning them or not will be equal to them—still his heart will be saddened after that calamity that only if they had listened to him they would have been saved. I think every heart has this quality in it, but it may be that the hearts of some of the maulawis of this age are such that God has taken away this quality from them.

And if it is wondered as to why they should believe that the recipient of the revelation had become convinced that the revelation:

referred to an earthquake, I have already written in answer to this that it is such a clear revelation that even a child, on being informed of its meaning, would be convinced that this is the prophecy about a severe calamity that will impact buildings. Moreover, the prophecy about an earthquake is present in clear words in the newspaper Al-Hakam a year and five months prior to it; that is, in its issue towards the end of December 1903.

And then the same prophecy about the earthquake is present in Mawahib-ur-Rahman, published in 1902. Again, the very same prophecy about the earthquake is present in Risalah Amin, published in 1901. Therefore, despite such repetition, how can any intelligent person think that I was totally unaware of this prophecy? Of course, I have also reiterated again and again, as is my belief, that it cannot be categorically claimed with regard to the prophecies that they will necessarily be fulfilled in a certain way. It is possible that God—the All-Knowing, the All-Wise—may choose some other manner for its manifestation that has the same grandeur and power and awe-inspiring feature as the prophecy signifies.

and I believed it, with full faith, to be the word of God Almighty, and its fulfilment had made it clear to me that it came about as were the literal words of the prophecy. Therefore, was it not the time when compassion for mankind should have been stirred and I should have strived that, in order to be saved from the future earthquake, they should turn to repentance and seeking forgiveness and should adopt some appropriate measures? Did I do something wrong that I warned people to save themselves from the calamity regarding which I had been granted certainty? Is it not in the nature of man that when he learns of a calamity his heart is stirred with sympathy for his fellow beings? Of course, there are some people of butcher-like mentality who care nothing for the pain and suffering of the other. But I do not consider such people to be humans.

HIS STATEMENT—By having admitted his sin (referring to myself), he has foolishly cut at the root of his own original claim to Prophethood.

MY ANSWER—Like the Jews, you may twist my words as much as you want; what can I say to you! Nonetheless, those who fear God Almighty, despite being Prophets and Messengers, maintain that they were not able to do discharge the obligation of the propagation of the message as was its due.123 And even this, they considered to be a grave sin and they wail and weep and well up with anguish and remain constantly in istighfar. However, these barren maulawis—who possess only dry bones—what do they know of this spirituality? None of the Prophets displayed the self-assurance of being sinless. The one who came into the world as Afdalur-Rusul [the Most Exalted of the Messengers] and Khatamur-Rusul [the Seal of the Messengers], had even uttered:

[O our Lord, forgive us our sins and create a distance between us and our shortcomings].

The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him always said, ‘Surah Hud has aged me.’ He used to offer istighfar more than anyone, and used to say that he offered istighfar more than seventy times a day.

This Surah was revealed near the time of demise of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. In it Allah the Exalted emphatically informs of His help and support and the attainment of the objectives of the faith: ‘Now O Prophet, praise and extol God, and seek forgiveness from God, for He is Tawwab [Oft-Returning with compassion].’ The mention of seeking forgiveness at this juncture means to point out that now the work of propagation has ended, and now you should pray to God that He should forgive if there has been any minimal lapse in the task of propagation. Musa [Moses] too, in the Torah, cries recounting his errors. And as for the one whom the Christians have made into ‘God’, a man once addressed him as ‘Good Master!’ and the latter replied: ‘Why callest thou me good? There is no one good but God.’

This has been the custom of all the Auliya’. All declared istighfar to be their practice. Satan is the exception.

They killed the horse having ridden it hard through the night,
And in the morning they lament that they have been left behind.

HIS STATEMENT—In order to justify the prophecy in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and to paint it to be about an earthquake, and to establish, thereby, his knowledge of the unseen and prophethood, he (meaning, this humble one) has claimed that, through the prophecy in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, he had been given the information from God with great clarity that it implied an earthquake; but, due to the fear of abuse and distrust of people, he concealed it and did not translate the Arabic into Urdu and publish it. And by virtue of this act he (meaning I) says that he was guilty of a grave sin against God and remained firm and persistent in this very sin for twenty-five years.

MY ANSWER—Maulawi Sahib! You have, today, surpassed even the Jews in distortion. To be called maulawi and commit such wilful dishonesty in expounding the meaning of such a clear text! Can it be the work of people who believe in the Day of Reckoning? Where and when in my announcement did I write that I remained firm and persistent in this sin for twenty-five years that I did not publish the translation of the Arabic revelation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya? Open pages 516 and 557125 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and see the translation of the Arabic revelations is present at both places. Then how could I have said that I did not translate and publish the Arabic revelation and remained firm and persistent in this sin for twenty-five years?

In the presence of the fact that both these revelations are recorded on pages 516 and 557 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya along with their Urdu translation, can any wise person accept that I could have written in my announcement that I had not set out the translation of those revelations in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya? Rather, my statement in my announcement of 11 May 1905 pertained to the Arabic revelation that had been published without translation in my announcement of 31 May 1904, namely, the revelation:

Translation of this had not been set out in Urdu. Maulawi Sahib made this distortion so as to establish the blame on me as if I wilfully did not translate the Arabic revelation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya for twenty-five years and kept it concealed.

Apart from this, there were, in fact, two prophecies in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya regarding the earthquake, one was recorded on page 516 and the other was recorded on page 557. And in my announcement of 11 May 1905, it is written with regard to just one prophecy that it had not been translated into Urdu. Hence, if the announcement of 11 May 1905 refers to those two prophecies of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, it should not have contained this statement: ‘The Arabic prophecy was not even translated,’ Instead it should have had the statement, ‘Two Arabic revelations were not even translated.’ But even then writing such would have been false because the translation of both the Arabic prophecies is present in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Let him who so desires, look them up.

Besides this, the announcement of 11 May 1905, which has been thus criticized by Maulawi Sahib has not vanished from the world; many may still have it. Its actual text is: ‘After that earthquake, it occurred to me again and again that I committed a grave sin for not having publicised the prophecy as it should have been, since that prophecy had been published only in two Urdu newspapers and two magazines, and there had also been the omission that the Arabic prophecy was also not translated.’

Now, it is quite evident that the Arabic prophecies of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, which are recorded on page 516 and page 557, were neither published in two Urdu newspapers nor was their translation omitted, nor were they mentioned in any other magazine. Rather, the prophecy that was published in two Urdu newspapers and was not translated from Arabic to Urdu was this very prophecy:

because it was not only published in two newspapers, Al-Hakam of 31 May 1905 being one of them, but was also published by Maulawi Muhammad ‘Ali, M.A. in both of his magazines on 20 March 1904.

Now, just open your eyes, and first read the note of Maulawi [Muhammad ‘Ali], and then drown in shame. There is no need to say anything more. O mere mortal! Such slyness could not have been practiced even by the Jews regarding whom Allah says:

What kind of specimen of your scholarship did you show? I cannot imagine that you were so naïve that you erred, in your simplicity, in understanding the text. You had written a review on Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, and you knew well that the Arabic revelations which I have mentioned in the Ishtihar [Announcement] were not set out without translation.

And you knew well that these Arabic revelations of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya have neither been mentioned in our two newspapers Al-Hakam and Al-Badr, nor has anyone from my Community composed two such magazines in which there is any mention of these revelations of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Hence, when these Arabic revelations of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya have their translation recorded in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, and when they are neither mentioned in any newspaper nor magazine, nor do they constitute one prophecy so that this text of the announcement of 11 May 1905, ‘The Arabic prophecy was not even translated,’ might apply to them, and when they are in fact two prophecies—it becomes quite legitimate to demand from you as to why did you lie so much? Perhaps you acted on the fatwa justifying ‘expedient lie’ against me issued by the maulawis in the course of the Karam Din trial. In any case, you must explain as to why you applied to the two revelations of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya found on pages 516 and 557128 the words meant for the revelation:

Is this the honesty and integrity you people have in your status as maulawis that you fabricated such a lie and you felt no fear of God Almighty in your heart? That is not all; you have slyly and mischievously written something on your own in your article and have tried to make it appear to people as though the statement you have attributed to me had indeed come from my pen.

Through the prophecy in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, I had been given the information from God with great clarity that it referred to an earthquake. Nonetheless, I concealed it due to the fear of abuse and distrust by people and did not render the Urdu translation of the Arabic and publish it. By so doing I committed a great sin against God and persisted and persevered in this very sin for twenty-five years.

O wretched fabricator! Should I still not say: ‘God’s curse be upon the liar!’—who fabricated words and attributed them to me? O callous tyrant! You call yourself a Maulawi and yet were not ashamed when you unjustifiably lied so much about me. Can you show me these words that you have written in my announcement of 11 May 1905 or in any other announcement or in any magazine?

[May the curse of Allah be upon the liars].

Let those who consider such people to be maulawis [religious clerics] and honest and are eager to act upon their word, be cautious. This is the state of their honesty. The words of a liar necessarily have contradictions, and so is this statement of the Maulawi Sahib full of contradictions. Thus, on page 5, column 3, lines 15 and 24, he quotes the statement of my Ishtihar as: ‘I had given the news of this earthquake in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, and even though at that time my mind did not envisage something out of the ordinary, but now, looking at these prophecies, it seems that they were about a future earthquake which remained obscure to me at that time.’

Now, readers should see for themselves that the statement recorded above just means that at the time when I was writing Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, my mind could not turn to it that the earthquake means an actual earthquake. This point remained obscure from my mind, and now after twenty-five years when the earthquake came about did I realize that those prophecies of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya were related to the future earthquake.

This is what he has written as an admission on my part and it is quite accurate, for I did indeed publish this in my announcement of April 1905, entitled An-Nida min Wahy-is-Sama’ on page 7 of the announcement published at the Nawal Kishore Press, Lahore. The full text is as follows: ‘It should be noted that both these earthquakes are mentioned in my book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya which was published in many countries twenty-five years ago. Even though at that time my mind did not envisage anything out of the ordinary, yet looking at these prophecies now, it seems evident that they were related to future earthquakes that remained obscure to me at that time.’

Now readers can understand that I have clearly written in this Ishtihar that prior to the occurrence of the earthquake on 4 April 1905, my mind had not moved to realize—as is understood from the literal words of ‘the rending asunder of a mountain’—that the prophecies of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya did in fact mean ‘earthquake’.

And there is an argument for it too that the translation of both of these prophecies as is in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, has not been done literally either. This is why in the Ishtihar of 21st April 1905, which was composed after 4 April 1905, I openly admitted that for twenty-five years I could not designate the prophecy recorded in both places in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya which is:

specifically to be about an earthquake. However, it became clear after the earthquake of 4th April 1905 that it was about this very earthquake. And this is the fact that is established by my Ishtihar of 21 April 1905.

As against this announcement, the claim that Maulawi Muhammad Husain has falsely forged against me and the statement of his own which he has attributed to me, is given below once again. Here it is: ‘I had been given the information from God with great clarity that the prophecy in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya referred to an earthquake. Nonetheless, I concealed it due to the fear of abuse and distrust by people and did not render and publish the Urdu translation of the Arabic. By so doing I committed a great sin against God and persisted and persevered in this very sin for twenty-five years.’

Now let the readers decide in all fairness whether or not in this statement, that Maulawi Sahib has attributed to me is opposed to the text of my announcement of 21st April 1905, which I have cited above. In the aforementioned announcement I had clearly written that, prior to my announcement of 11 May 1905, which was published twenty-five years after Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, my mind had not moved to consider that the earthquake meant a real physical earthquake. But the meaning of the revelation became clear twenty-five years later at the occurrence of the earthquake.

Since the two statements are contradictory, and I only accept one of them, which has been set out in this article of Maulawi Sahib with his own hand, namely, that for twenty-five years I could not ascertain the meaning of the prophecies found on pages 516 and 557 of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Now can there be any doubt that the second statement would be considered a fabrication of Maulawi Sahib until he proves it from any of my books or announcements, that I have written the aforesaid statement somewhere or I have written somewhere that I persisted and persevered in this sin for twenty-five years that, I had categorically learnt about the earthquake from the time of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and yet kept this news concealed?

Now, readers, for the sake of God, being mindful of your death, tell me honestly whether or not a person who fabricates so much and concocts statements and ascribes them to me deserves some punishment and penalty as per the Shariah? Make a clear statement and be rewarded. And also tell me, solely for the sake of Allah, whether such a person who commits forgery with such cheek, deserves to be called a maulawi in the future? And is it not appropriate that a council of scholars should be appointed and he should be summoned and asked in which book or magazine have I written the imagined statement that he has attributed to me?

I shudder at the thought of someone being called a maulawi, and yet being guilty of such forgery, distortion, dishonesty, falsehood, impertinence, and insolence. Do those who label me as a kafir and faithless not remember the hadith of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in which it is written that the majority of maulawis in the Latter Days would develop similarity to the Jewish divines? Rather, even worse than that, some ahadith [pl. hadith] state that they would develop similarity to the extent that if a Jew had committed incest with his mother, they, too, would do the same.130

Despite the fact that the Batalawi has hurt me by lying to this extent and by his dishonesty and distortion, if he can still produce from any of my books the statement that he has ascribed to me, that I persisted and persevered in this very sin for twenty-five years, I can give him fifty rupees in cash. Otherwise, for my part, it suffices to say

[‘The curse of Allah be upon the liars’].

HIS STATEMENT—It is not the hallmark of a true Prophet or recipient of revelation that he should knowingly and wilfully conceal and not proclaim for twenty-five years what God has commanded him to proclaim.

MY ANSWER—This calumny has already been answered and I have stated that I never claimed in any announcement that the true connotation of the two prophecies recorded in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, namely:

[When God shall manifest His Glory on the mountain, He will cause it to break asunder!]

had become evident to me at that time. Rather, I have written time and again that their true meaning became manifest after twenty-five years. And if the meaning had become apparent to me earlier, why would the error in its translation, as recorded in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya have occurred?

Again, I am surprised at this statement of this ignorant Maulawi who says that it is not the hallmark of a true Prophet or a recipient of revelation to knowingly and wilfully conceal for twenty-five years that which God commanded him to proclaim. This ignorant one doesn’t know it yet that the propagation relates to the injunctions and not to prophecies, which the recipient of revelation is not ordained to propagate. Rather, he has the prerogative whether or not to announce them. Moreover, since the reality of the prophecy had not become manifest to me, I was not obliged to reveal its meaning and purpose to the people. And yet I did publish its translation in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya insofar as I could understand it with due diligence. So how was I remiss as far as propagation is concerned?

But if the reality of those prophecies of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya—which became clear to me after the earthquake of 4 April 1905—had been known to me at the time of the publication of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, then, even though I was not ordained to publish it, I would still have done all in my power to inform the people about its true purport, out of sympathetic consideration for mankind.

HIS STATEMENT—This is a strange excuse, worse than the charge it is intended to explain, that not only the ordinary people, but also the Prophets, may Allah be pleased with them, commit errors in interpreting prophecies!

MY ANSWER—It is these things that prove dishonesty being your profession. I know well that you are not a suckling infant. You are not so ignorant of the knowledge of hadith as should be called an ignoramus of the first order. You are not insane whose senses are not stable at all. Is it dishonesty or something else that you deny that Prophets, may peace be upon them, can commit an error in interpretation. Everyone knows that, without a doubt, an error can be made. But they cannot be allowed to persist in that error forever. I have written much about it in this very Supplement, there is no need to reiterate.

HIS STATEMENT—Whenever the charge against you of a prophecy turning out to be false is established, you try to refute the objection with the same excuse.

MY ANSWER—O Maulawi! May God guide you aright and bring the day when your eyes open up. Like the person who has a large carbuncle on the back of his neck—and because of it, he is always leaning towards the earth and is unable to lift his gaze towards the sky—you, are deprived of heavenly light and do not benefit from it. To this day, God Almighty has manifested more than 10,000 Signs in my support which have been fulfilled like a bright day, but according to you every one of the prophecies has turned out to be false, and, in your estimation, I have been making excuses as if to make falsehood appear true. Now here too, what can I say other than

[‘The curse of Allah be upon the liars’]?

Anyone who stays in my company even for 40 days does witness one Sign of God Almighty or another. It is for this reason that thousands of people have inclined this way, and despite your malice and miserliness and continuous babble, a whole world has come to me and continues to come. No harm could be caused by the air blowing from your mouth. God caused the solar and lunar eclipses in the heaven for me, but according to you the hadith [which prophesied these happenings] is erroneous. I came at the head of the 14th century, and by the grace of God and in accordance with the conditions set down by the Traditions, I have already lived for a quarter of a century; but, in your estimation, this hadith also is erroneous! It was also written that plague would strike—and strike forcefully—when the Promised Messiah would appear, but even this hadith is false in your eyes. It was written that a Sign would appear in the sun—and this has appeared and can be viewed with a telescope—but in your eyes even this hadith is false. And it was mentioned in hadith that in those days the Star of Dhus-Sinin [comet] will rise. Accordingly, that star did rise long ago but, according to you, this hadith, too, is erroneous. And it was written that the Promised Messiah would be from this very Ummah and would appear towards the east of Damascus but, according to you, this hadith too is erroneous. And it was written that in the time of the Promised Messiah the she camels would be rendered useless—and, in it, there was an indication that trains would run between Madinah and Makkah, but, according to you, this hadith too is erroneous! Thus, when, in your estimation, the ahadith of the Messenger, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, are erroneous, then why would you feel hesitant at pronouncing my prophecies to be erroneous?132

Let alone the discussion of hadith and my prophecies, you turn away even from the Holy Quran despite being called a Muslim. God Almighty proclaims that Jesus has died; you designate him to be alive and have him seated in some chamber in Heaven. Did God Almighty not say on behalf of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) that:

Does this not mean: ‘After You caused me to die, You Yourself were the Watcher over them.’? Does it not become clearly established, after reviewing all these verses, that the answer Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus], may peace be upon him, gives to Almighty God’s question is that: ‘As long as I was among my ummah, I was a witness over their deeds and knew of their condition. When, however, You caused me to die, thereafter it was You who were their Guardian and Protector.’

Thus, is it not clearly the purport of these verses that his people were not corrupted during his lifetime but were corrupted after his death; and he did not know what befell them and what creed they adopted after his death? Hence, it is clear from this Word of God Almighty that, if we were to suppose that Hazrat ‘Isa is still alive, we will also have to suppose at the same time that the Christians have not been corrupted yet and are still established on the true faith, since Hazrat ‘Isa ties the adherence of his people to the right path to his own life span and repudiates that he taught them to accept him and his mother to be god. And he submits before God, ‘As long as I lived among my Ummah, I only imparted them the teaching that You had directed me to impart. And when You caused me to die, I know not what became of them thereafter.’

These verses also make it clear that Hazrat ‘Isa (as) will not come to the world a second time; otherwise, it necessarily implies that Jesus would lie before God Almighty on the Day of Judgment, for had he returned to the world before Qiyamah, it would be a blatant lie to say that he had no knowledge what doctrine his people adopted after him. One who comes to the world a second time and has seen with his own eyes that his people have been corrupted—and witnesses their state of disbelief not for one but continuously for forty years—how can he say before God Almighty on the Day of Judgment that he is completely unaware of the state of his people?

Now, it is obvious that your belief that Hazrat ‘Isa (as) is alive and shall descend upon the earth a second time is clearly and blatantly against the explicit statements of the Holy Quran, and yet you do not abandon this belief. Therefore, in this state of affairs, why should I regret if you—having seen hundreds of my Signs—should reject them outright? Your condition is like that of a person who gets into the habit of eating clay and even when he is presented with the choicest food, he still craves for the clay.

It is also a lie to say that you understand Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, to be alive on the basis of the Hadith. It is clearly written in Sahih Bukhari, which you consider to be the truest book after the Book of God, that on the night of the Mi‘raj [Spiritual Ascension] the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, among the deceased souls who had passed away from this world. In fact, he found his station close to Hazrat Yahya [John the Baptist] who had died. Pray, have some fear of God. If Hazrat ‘Isa had gone to heaven along with his earthly body without surrendering his soul, then what compatibility did he have with those souls who have reached the other world after death? For him, a separate house or room was needed where he could live his physical life; rather, than going to the dwellers of mortal world who have already tasted death. So, how great a lie it is that hangs from your neck like a garland; namely, that that you declare a person alive who died 1900 years ago!

Everyone was excusable as long as God had not unravelled this mystery. Now that the Hakam [Arbiter] has come, and the reality has come to light, and the death of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) has been established from the Holy Quran, and the testimony about his residence among the souls of the dead was found on the basis of the Hadith, and the death of Hazrat ‘Isa stands proven by the Word of God and by the act of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—that he had given his eyewitness testimony. Moreover, it has been established from the Hadith of Muslim and Sahih Bukhari that the Messiah would be from within this very Ummah, and this Messiah—in his capacity as the Hakam—has also testified in keeping with the Holy Quran and these ahadith. If you still do not accept, pray tell, is it honesty or dishonesty?

Why should I be disappointed in someone who does not accept my Signs, when he neither believed the Word of God nor did he accept the testimony of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—and he did not wish to disavow his error by being fearful of God? Then why should I regret if such a person fabricates a lie against me?

One person’s error cannot be used as justification by the other. If during the Dark Ages, such a notion had developed in the heart of people that Hazrat ‘Isa had gone to heaven alive, it cannot serve as an authority. In the best of ages [the age of the Holy Prophet (sas) and his Companions], there was no trace or sign of this concept; otherwise, why would the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, have reached the agreement that all Prophets, peace be upon them, had passed away?

In Islam, the very first consensus was that all Prophets had died. When the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away, some of the Companions were also of the opinion that he had not died, and would return to this world and would cut off the noses and ears of the hypocrites. At that time, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique, may Allah be pleased with him, gathered them all in the Prophet’s Mosque and read out the verse:

Meaning that Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is a Messenger and all previous Messengers have died before him.

Thereupon, the Companions, who were all present, may Allah be pleased with them, realized that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had undoubtedly passed away, and they were fully convinced that none of the Prophets was alive. No one raised the objection that Hazrat ‘Isa (as) is outside the purview of this verse and he is still alive. Was it possible that those true lovers of the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, could be reconciled with the notion that their own Prophet died at a relatively young age while ‘Isa had been alive for 600 years and would continue to live until Doomsday? Indeed, such a thought would have killed them. This is why Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, reassured them by reciting this verse to them:

And such was the impact of this verse upon the hearts of the Companions that they roamed the bazaars of Madinah reciting this verse as though it had been revealed that very day. In Islam, the earliest ijma‘ [consensus] was that all Prophets had died. But O Maulawi Sahib!! What would you care for this ijma‘ of the Companions! Your religion is prejudice, not Islam.

The religion of Islam is being destroyed day after day by such false beliefs but you people are exulting;

Your beliefs have demolished the splendour of the Faith;
Enemies are happy, but the friends are sad.

It appears that prior to this ijma‘ upon the death of all Prophets, may peace be upon them, some of the less-informed Companions, who lacked perspicacity, were still unaware of the doctrine that all Prophets had died, and this was the reason why [Abu Bakr] Siddique, may Allah be pleased with him, needed to recite this verse to them. Upon hearing this verse, they all became convinced that all the people of the past had been consigned to their graves. It was in this context that Hassan bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote these few couplets as elegy for the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in which he has alluded to this. These are:

(Translation): You were the pupil of my eye, so I became blind with your demise. After you, it makes no difference to me if someone (be it Jesus or Moses) dies, for I was only fearful of your demise.

May God reward him the best reward [for these verses]. This indeed is called love.136

And if there is an iota of fairness, you would realise that Hazrat Masih, may peace be upon him, was himself against the belief that someone can go to heaven and then return to the world. Therefore, when the Jews asked him about the second coming of the Prophet Ilyas [Elijah] and showed him the Scriptures—that it was written that Ilyas would return to the world, and only after the coming of Ilyas, the Messiah whose advent had been promised to the Jews, would come and he was to be the Khatamul-Anbiya’ [Seal of their Prophets]. Hearing this objection, ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, said that Prophet Yahya [John the Baptist] who was among them and has come before him [Jesus] ‘He is Ilyas who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’137. His statement greatly displeased the Jews and they labelled him disbeliever, an innovator, and violator of the consensus of the people.

In the same vein, in a book recently compiled by a great Jewish scholar, which I have with me in which he makes a great clamour to denounce Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, and calls him, God forbid, a great liar, a disbeliever, and heretic and appeals to people and says: ‘Be a judge and consider that whereas God had given the information in His book—as is written in Malachi, which is declared by the author to be authentic and from God—that the Promised Messiah of the Jews would not come until the Prophet Ilyas comes to the world again having descended from the heavens; and it is acknowledged that the Prophet Ilyas has not yet descended from the heavens—whose descent in advance of the Promised Messiah is essential—how, then, can we accept him as the true Promised Messiah? Are we to ruin our faith or turn away from the Torah? What should we do? And when the Prophet Malachi has told us, having received revelation from God Almighty, that it is necessary that the Promised Messiah must not be born among the Jews until Prophet Ilyas returned to the world according to the promise of God, how can this man be the Promised Messiah for Jews?138 And [he further says that] since we received the news of Ilyas’s return to the world before the coming of the Promised Messiah with such clarity and detail, which cannot have any different interpretation, if we artificially turn away from its obvious import and give some interpretation to this prophecy, it will be a terrible dishonesty. God did not tell us in His book that someone the like of Ilyas will come before the Promised Messiah; rather, He told us in explicit terms that Ilyas himself would descend from heaven. How can we deny such categorical tidings?

And then, at the end of his article, he writes: ‘If God were to ask them on the Day of Judgment why they did not accept this man—Jesus son of Mary—and why they did not believe in him, they would submit Prophet Malachi’s book before Him.’

In short, it is a long-standing belief of the Jews that their true Messiah—the first Promised Messiah—will only come when Prophet Ilyas has returned to the world before him. And yet Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, wouldn’t listen to anything from them and insisted that the one who was to come was meant to be the Prophet Yahya. This is the verdict of Hazrat ‘Isa which you have raised a clamour against. Did Prophet Ilyas return to the world so that ‘Isa should come back too? Indeed, were it permissible for anyone to return to the world, then Hazrat ‘Isa would not be deemed a true Prophet. His Prophethood would be invalidated, for in that case, it would have to be conceded that, to unfairly justify his claim, he made Prophet Yahya to be Ilyas while Ilyas had not yet descended from heaven. Shouldn’t the story about the return of Elijah serve as a lesson for the wise as it led hundreds of thousands of Jews to reject Jesus and to be cast into Hell?

When the Prophet Ilyas—whose descent from heaven had been appointed as a Sign for the truth of the claim of Hazrat ‘Isa—did not descend from heaven, why then do the Muslims of today adopt the same path that led the Jews to disbelief before it? If descent from heaven had been the practice of God, then what were the obstacles in the path of Ilyas that he could not descend while the Scripture promised his descent, forcing Jesus to suffer embarrassment before the Jews and finally having to rescue himself from the nonsensical critique of the Jews by declaring Prophet Yahya to be the ‘like’ of Prophet Ilyas?

Just imagine how ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, would have been hurt by this contention of the Jews when they kept questioning how he could be the true Messiah when the Signs of the Promised Messiah were not to be found in him, for the Scripture says in clear words that the Promised Messiah would not appear until Ilyas had first come to this world. The Jews were apparently justified in this argument, for Ilyas had not descended from heaven—nor has he descended from heaven to this day. It would seem that all the audacity that the Jews showed in mischief and impertinence was due, indeed, to the fact that Hazrat Masih did not possess the required Sign for the Promised Messiah as given in the literal words of the Scripture. And Hazrat Masih had realized in his own heart that his reply was merely interpretative which the Jews would not accept. He, therefore, stated in soft words that the Ilyas who was to return to the world was none other than Yahya son of Zakariyya [John the Baptist son of Zachariah], so accept him if you will. In the same vein, it was demanded of our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as is mentioned in the Holy Quran, that he should show a miracle of ascending to heaven and descending back, but ultimately they were told in categorical terms and God Almighty said:

To this day the Jews taunt the Christians that if Jesus was indeed the Promised Messiah, why did Prophet Ilyas not descend before him? The Christians have never been able to answer this objection and cannot argue with them.

Hence, our opponents should learn a lesson from the prophecy regarding the return of Prophet Ilyas lest their fate be like that of the Jews. However, to complete the similarity, it was also necessary that just as the earlier Jews had quarrelled much with Hazrat ‘Isa (as) about the second coming of Ilyas and had declared him faithless, disbeliever, and apostate, so would these people quarrel with me regarding the return of Hazrat ‘Isa. Little do these ignorant people realize that the person they supplicate for, and on whose account they hurl abuse at me, has himself decreed against them, for what I say to them with regard to the return of Hazrat ‘Isa is exactly what Hazrat ‘Isa said to the Jews. And just as God has named me as ‘Isa, so had He named Prophet Yahya as Ilyas.

This aforesaid precedent is reassuring to a person who has faith. And God also affirms:

The Jews were excusable to some extent because in their time there was to be found no decisive pronouncement in God’s books regarding the second coming of anyone, but now the verdict is already before us. Did the Prophet Ilyas return to this world in keeping with the prophecy of Prophet Malachi, so that these people too should entertain hope of the return of Hazrat ‘Isa?

In fact, the authentic ahadith do not even contain the word ‘second coming’ and only use the word

[nuzul—‘descent’], which is only used for honour and respect. We may say of an honoured guest that ‘when he comes he will “descend” at our house’, but would we take this to mean that he will return from heaven? In Arabic, the word for return is

[ruju‘—‘return’], not

[nuzul—‘descent’]. It is a pity that this creed that helps Christianity has—without rhyme or reason—become such an entanglement for those who call themselves Muslims.

Thus humiliated and silenced, our opponents finally come up with the excuse that this is what their forefathers have been saying. They do not consider that those elders were not infallible, and that just as the ancestors of Jews stumbled in the understanding of their prophecies, so have these elders stumbled. By the will and providence of God Almighty, a similar false creed has gained currency among them—the creed had found currency among the Jews that Prophet Ilyas would descend from heaven a second time, and the elders of the Jews awaited the second coming of the Prophet Ilyas with much love and eagerness. Their writings—in poetry and prose—reveals how much their yearning and ecstasy was in anticipation of that event.

Your ancestors were not infallible, but the elders of the Jews even had among them God’s Prophets and recipients of revelation, yet they remained engrossed in this error and it remained hidden from them that some other Prophet was implied by the second coming of Prophet Ilyas and not that literally Ilyas would descend himself. Not until Hazrat ‘Isa had appeared could any of the Prophets or saints understand this sealed mystery that the return of Ilyas meant the coming of Prophet Yahya and not the real return of Ilyas. So it is nothing new that some of the elders of this Ummah were to be mistaken in the understanding of a matter.

What is even more interesting is that even these elders are not unanimous in this matter. There have been many ulema who were convinced of the death of Hazrat ‘Isa. Among them is Hazrat Imam Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, as it is written:

Meaning that there was disagreement concerning Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, as to whether he is alive or dead and Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he is dead. And Muhy-ud-Din ibn al-‘Arabi wrote in one of his books—which is his last book—that ‘Isa would indeed come but only in a new manifestation; that is, that some other person of this Ummah would appear in the spirit of ‘Isa. It is an established creed among the Sufis that some perfect people return to this world in the manner that their spirituality manifests itself in some other person, and this latter person virtually becomes as if he is the same first person. The Hindus also maintain a similar principle and they call such a person an ‘Avatar’.

As for the belief that a living human being went to heaven or disappeared, it is also an ancient concept which had a different connotation in remote times, but the ignorant later took it to mean that a person goes to heaven with his body and then returns therefrom. Somewhat similar notions regarding Sayyed Ahmad Barelvi are in vogue among his followers even to this day, as though he too will return like Hazrat ‘Isa. And they believe that though, like ‘Isa, he remained unsuccessful in his first advent, he would wield the sword with great strength the second time. The truth is that such creeds were concocted to cover up for those people who left the world in failure and frustration after making grandiose claims.

No one holds such a belief regarding our Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he too would come again because in his very first advent he showed such might of his hands to the disbelievers that they remember it only too well to this day, and he died after having fully accomplished his mission.

It seems that Ibn al-‘Arabi had recanted in his later life from his previous utterances, and that is why his last statement is contrary to the earlier one. There are also other Sufi sects who openly profess the death of Hazrat ‘Isa. And I have just described that, at the time of the death of Holy Prophet, may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, had reached an ijma‘ [consensus] that all past Prophets, which includes Hazrat ‘Isa too, were deceased, and that not one of them was still alive. But as ignorance and innovations began to find their way into Islam, so did this innovation become part of the religion that Hazrat ‘Isa would leave the group of souls of the dead and return to the world again. This doctrine has done great harm to Islam, for only one person out of the entire world has been accorded this distinction that he went to heaven with his body and will come back with the body at some point in time. This doctrine is the initial brick in building the ‘Divinity’ of Hazrat ‘Isa, because he has been accorded a distinction that no one else shares with him. May God soon remove this stain from the face of Islam. Amin.

Finally, merely for the sake of God, I would like to advise Maulawi Abu Sa‘id Muhammad Husain that you have reached the last stage of your life. Now you should give up absurd shenanigans against God. You tried very hard and connived in every way and used shameful ploys to extinguish this light, but you remained unsuccessful. Had I been an impostor, something must have worked for you and I would have been destroyed long ago. A person who speaks falsehood against God every day and who concocts words on his own—thereafter claiming it to be the revelation from God that he has received—such a person is worse than dogs and swine and apes, so how would it be possible for God to help him? Had this been the enterprise of man and not from God, then no trace of it would have remained. It has been twenty-five years—indeed, an even longer period than this!— since I claimed that I am from God. Although there has been a whole host of people who showed the fury of opposition to my claim, but you—Maulawi Sahib!—left no stone unturned to harm me; and you kept deceiving not only the public but even the British Government with complaints that I was an impostor and wished ill towards the Government. Grave charges like murder were brought against me and you appeared in the courts as a witness to prove such charges; you had edicts of apostasy written against me and tried to dissuade people from me. This was when there were only a few people with me, but after your antagonistic endeavours, many hundreds of thousands joined me. Had I not been from God, there would have been no need for your efforts to destroy me; I would have perished by my own imposture and the consequences of my actions. Sound reason cannot accept that an impostor should be given a respite so long as to surpass the time of the ministry of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. In such a case there would be no security, and no distinction would remain between the truthful and the impostor. Can you reply to this: How is it that ever since I have made this claim, so many criminal cases have been brought against me and efforts were exerted to apprehend me—you leaving no stone unturned in the support of such litigation—yet did you or your ilk ever succeed in any of them?

Had I not been true, why would God keep helping the ‘liar’ in every instance and at every occasion; and why would those who were called ‘truthful’ humiliated in every conflict? Their noses were worn down from prostrations invoking malediction upon me, but God continued to support me day after day and none of their prayers against me was accepted. It has been your wont up till now that you wish to incite the British Government and to make them think evil of me by repeatedly publishing reports in your periodicals and newspapers concerning me that are contrary to the facts, but what can be achieved by such cunning? Bear in mind that you will always remain frustrated in such schemes; nothing can transpire on earth until decreed in heaven.

And, in my heart, I harbour no ill-will towards this benevolent government. I was young and now I have grown old. For a long time, I have repeatedly published in many of my books that we are indebted to this government that under its protection we fulfil our duty of propagation with freedom. You are aware that in terms of apparent means there are other countries where you can live. If you were to leave this country and move to Makkah or Madinah or Constantinople, all these countries are of your religion and disposition, but if I were to go there, I realize that all of them are like beasts to me with exceptions, as Allah may desire. In these circumstances, it is obvious that it is Almighty God’s favour upon me that He has raised me under a government that does not believe in persecution and provides security to its citizens. Notwithstanding this, however, I put all my trust in only One Being, and I am cognisant that it is of His hidden interventions that He has caused this government to be benign towards me, and did not allow the schemes of mischievous reporters to come to fruition. And I do hope that till the time I leave this world, I will not have to depend on anyone other than my True Master, and He will keep me in His protection from every enemy.

[So, praised be Allah—the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden—He is the Protector here and in the Hereafter—and He is the Best Guardian, and the Best Helper].

I trust that He will help me and will never ever let me be wasted. Even if the whole world were to become worse than beasts in their animosity towards me, He will still support me. I will not descend into my grave as a failure at all, for my God is with me at every step, and I am with Him. No one knows my inner self as is known to Him. Even if all were to abandon me, God would raise another people who would be my companions. The foolish opponent imagines that this affair will be damaged on account of his schemes and machinations and the Movement will disintegrate, but little does the fool know that the earth has no power to efface what has been decreed in heaven. The earth and heaven tremble before my Lord.

God is He who sends down His holy revelation on me and informs me of the secrets of the unseen. There is no God beside Him. And it is certain that He will cause this Movement to flourish and advance and thrive until He demonstrates the distinction between the holy and the unholy. Every opponent may do everything in his power to annihilate this Movement, and strive tooth and nail and then see who ultimately triumphs: him or God? Before this, how hard did Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab and their comrades strive to annihilate the truth—but where are they now? Is there any trace now of the Pharaoh who wished to kill Musa? So know for certain that the truthful cannot perish. He is surrounded by an army of angels [to protect him]. Unfortunate is the one who does not recognize him.

Think for yourself: What happened to your reformer [i.e. Nawwab Siddique Hasan Khan of Bhopal] whom you had given the title of Mujaddid? If this had indeed been his title in Heaven, then, in keeping with his own statement published in Hijajul-Kiramah, he would have lived twenty-five years into this century, but he died at the very onset of the century, and the one whom you call a liar has seen through almost a quarter of the century.

For the sake of God alone, I once again remind you that though it is the wont of all those who oppose any Prophet to claim that no miracle was worked at his hands, and that none of his prophecies was fulfilled—just as we read in Jewish literature with regard to Hazrat ‘Isa, and this indeed is what we find written in the Christian literature with regard to our Prophet, may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him— but I give you good advice that, even now, abandoning beastly ways, you should carry out investigations with regard to me.

First of all, you can ask me for the scriptural proof as to whether it is necessary for the Messiah of this Ummah to appear from within this very Ummah. Secondly, you should ascertain how many Signs have appeared from me in support of my claim.

As for the claim that a certain prophecy was not fulfilled, this is absolutely false,141 for the fact is that all prophecies have been fulfilled, and there can be levelled no such objection against any prophecy of mine that has not been raised by ignorant and faithless people against the prophecies of the former Prophets.

If you feared God Almighty, you would understand that your opposition to me is far removed from righteousness. Your reliance is totally on such ahadith from among which some are inauthentic and some fabricated, and some from among them are such as you do not understand their true meaning. As against this, my claim is based on insightful discernment. I have such faith in the revelation that has informed me that Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, has died and my humble self is the Promised Messiah who was to come, as I have [faith] in the Holy Quran.

This faith is not based merely on good intentions but has been bestowed upon me by the light of revelation from God which shines on me like the sun. How can I expel from my heart the certainty which has been raised to the utmost level by the continuous display of extraordinary Signs, unequivocal knowledge, and the daily experience of clear and unquestionable converse with God? Shall I reject the bounty of understanding and true knowledge which has been bestowed upon me? Or should I turn away from the heavenly Signs that are shown to me? Or should I disobey the commandment of my Lord and Master? What should I do?

I consider death to be a thousand times preferable than turning away from Him who has revealed Himself to me in all His beauty and grace. How long will this worldly life last; and what fidelity can I expect from the people of the world, for the sake of whom I should abandon the Beloved Friend? I know well that my opponents rely only on a moth-eaten crust and they desire that I too should adopt it and should give up the kernel. They try to intimidate and threaten me but, I swear by that Dear One whom I have recognized, that I attach no weight to their threats. I would prefer sorrow in His company to the joy in the company of another. I would prefer death in His company to a long life by abandoning Him. Just as you cannot say that it is night when you have seen the day, in the same way I cannot consider the light that has been shown to me to be darkness.

When you are not prepared to renounce your doctrines which are a collection of doubts and superstitions, how can I leave the path upon which I perceive that a thousand suns are shining? Am I insane or mad that I should not accept the truth even when God Almighty has exhibited it to me with evident Signs? I call God Almighty to witness that thousands of Signs have been displayed to me for my satisfaction, some of which I have communicated to others and some of which I have not communicated to anyone. I find that these Signs are from God Almighty and no one else beside that One—who has no associate—has the power to exhibit them.

And apart from this, I have been bestowed knowledge of the Quran and the true meanings of ahadith [pl. hadith] have been disclosed to me. Why then should I give up such a bright path and adopt the path of ruin? What I say is based on enlightened conviction and what you say is only speculation.

And the example of this is like that of a blind person plunging along on uneven ground in the darkness, not knowing where his foot lands. How shall I then exchange the light that has been bestowed upon me for darkness? I find that God hears my prayers, displays great Signs in my support, talks to me, and discloses the secrets of the hidden to me, helps me with His powerful hand against my enemies, and bestows victory upon me in every conflict, and gives me knowledge of the deeper meanings and verities of the Holy Quran. Then, whom should I accept if I leave such a Powerful and Supreme God?

I know with complete conviction that God is the very same Powerful God, who has manifested Himself to me and who has enlightened me of His existence and His Word and His Work. And I fully believe that the manifestations of His power which I see, and the knowledge of the hidden that He discloses to me, and the Strong Hand from which I receive help at every time of danger, are all the manifestations of that same Perfect and True God who created Adam (as), and appeared to Nuh (as), and showed the miracle of the flood. He indeed is the same who helped Musa (as) when Pharaoh was about to destroy him, and He indeed is the same God who bestowed complete victory on Hazrat Muhammad, Chief of the Messengers, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, guarding him against the designs of the disbelievers and the pagans. This same God has manifested Himself to me in these Latter Days.

Some ignorant ones, who are malicious and evil-minded, say: ‘It must be Satan that has appeared to you.’

[May the curse of Allah be upon them till the Day of Resurrection]. These fools do not know that Satan does not have power over all things, whereas the God who appeared to me through His words and His works has power over all. Is there anyone who can stand against Him? The opponents are lifeless, and the enemies are dead insects.

There is none that can defeat the mighty Signs that are revealed to me through His Word and His Work. He possesses all the attributes and perfect powers and there is none like Him in earth or in heaven. If there is another god in earth or in heaven, other than the One who manifests Himself to me every day and shows me His profound secrets, then give proof of such a being—but never shall you be able to provide such proof ! I can see that there is no God other than Him. He is the One who created the earth and the heavens. When He is shining upon me like the sun and has granted me perfect insight and shown me His wonders and granted me the true knowledge and thus apprised me of His existence, how then can I ever leave Him? It is easier for me to surrender my life than to forsake the God who manifested Himself to me.

The blind foe speaks nonsense, for he knows nothing of God. His heart is stricken with leprosy and his eyes are bereft of sight. The knowledge of such people is limited to the worship of the idol of their conjectures. In their eyes there exists nothing beyond this idol. They are totally deprived of the knowledge of God who is recognized through His powers. They are like the blind one who steps forward but knows not whether there is an elevation or depression in front of him, or whether he is treading upon clean land or dirty soil.

In their foolishness, they stress one aspect and totally ignore the other. They say that when ‘Isa descends, he will become an ummati,143 and the difference between their words and the Word of God is that while they declare ‘Isa to be an ummati, God Almighty declares an ummati to be ‘Isa. This144 was not such an error as could not have been rectified. If the providence of God Almighty could bestow the title of ‘Isa upon an ummati, and thus establish the superiority of this Ummah over the Israelites, then what was the need to bring ‘Isa ibn Maryam [ Jesus son of Mary] down from heaven and contradict the promise of God (that the one who leaves this world never returns to it)?145

Hazrat ‘Isa was the last Khalifah of Bani Isra’il [the Children of Israel], therefore declaring an ummati to be ‘Isa signified that he would also be the last Khalifah of this Ummah, and that the ‘Jews’ of this Ummah would attack him too and would refuse to accept him. But what is the wisdom in declaring a Messenger to be an ummati? Also, it is evident from the Holy Quran that every Prophet is part of the ummah of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as Allah the Exalted says:

Thus, in this way, all Prophets, may peace be upon them all, belong to the ummah of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. What then is the meaning or significance of declaring Hazrat ‘Isa to be an ummati? Are we to think that—God forbid—he recanted the faith that he had professed along with all the Prophets, and that as a punishment he was brought down to earth again to reaffirm his faith, whereas for other Prophets their previous affirmation was considered sufficient. Does such frivolous talk not amount to ridiculing Islam?

The matter was clear enough, for just as ‘Isa appeared at the end of the Jewish line of Khilafat, and the Jews rejected him and refused to believe in him, so was it destined that a Khalifah would be born at the end of the Islamic line of Khilafat whom the Muslims would reject and renounce. This is why he will be called ‘Isa, for he would be Khatamul-Khulafa’ [the Seal of the Successors] and also for the fact that he would be rejected just as ‘Isa was rejected. This is how Allah the Exalted had outlined this similarity in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya in these words:

A Warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God shall accept him and demonstrate his truthfulness with mighty assaults.

So, this was simple enough; everyone, where there is a similarity like that, would give a person such a name. A mountain has been made out of a molehill for nothing.

Had our opponents limited their belief to the point that ‘Isa would definitely return, but that he would follow the teaching of the Gospel, that he would not be bound to follow what is deemed lawful or unlawful in Islam, and would also pray in his own manner separately, and would recite the Gospels in his prayer instead of the Holy Quran, and would consider himself a Messenger independently and not an ummati, and, in short, would not exhibit any characteristic that would lead him to be called an ummati; rather, he would abide by the Torah and the Gospel and follow their faith, then the point at issue would be whether the return of such a person could be considered beneficial for Islam while he practically shows himself to be separate from and even against Islam?

Obviously, the coming of such a person would not augur well for the Muslims. If a man of such stature presented himself as someone who does not conform to the norms of Islam, and did not pray like the Muslims, and preached the Gospel to the people instead of the Holy Quran, and ate what Muslims do not eat, and drank wine, then he would undoubtedly be the cause of great tribulation for Islam, and possibly there might also be some strife between him and the Muslims. Such a dangerous person would cause Muslims to be led astray, and it would hardly be surprising if they started converting to Christianity.

But if ‘Isa, immediately after his descent, professes

[‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’] with full sincerity of his heart, and abides by the Prayer which the Muslims perform and observes the fast that was taught to the Muslims, and follows the injunctions of Islam in everything lawful and unlawful, in this case there can be no doubt that he would declare himself an ummati. There is nothing peculiar about being an ummati, for one becomes an ummati when he performs all the deeds necessary for being part of the Ummah. However, if ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, were to be weaned from the teaching of the Torah and made an ummati, it would need to be explained as to whether bringing the same ‘Isa—who was the Khatamul-Khulafa’ [Seal of the Successors] of the Jewish Prophets—as the last Khatamul-Khulafa’ of the Muhammadan dispensation fulfils the purpose desired by wisdom of Allah Almighty.

It should be evident to the wise that when God Almighty willed to establish a dispensation among the Ishmaelites parallel to the dispensation of Israelites, he desired to create a similarity and likeness in every way between the two dispensations. It was with this intent that He raised our lord and master, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the likeness of Musa [Moses], as He says,

Meaning that, We sent this Messenger like the one who was sent to Pharaoh. Likewise, it was necessary that at the end of this dispensation its Khatamul-Khulafa’ should be the like of ‘Isa and appear fourteen centuries after ‘the like of Musa’, in the same way as ‘Isa, who was the last Khalifah of the Mosaic dispensation, appeared fourteen centuries after Musa. And then there were the Jews of the Israelite dispensation who did not accept ‘Isa, and so God promised in His Word that in this Ummah too people of such ‘Jewish’ character would also be born in the Latter Days when the Promised Messiah would appear.

Now, when it is obvious that the ‘like of Musa’ is not Musa himself, and the ‘Jewish-natured’ people of the Latter Days are not the actual Jews, so what then is the reason that the ‘Isa who was to come is the very same who had passed away before? To think in this way is contrary to the Book of Allah, for God Almighty has decided in Surah al-Fatihah that some people of this Ummah will walk in the footsteps of the Israelite Prophets, and some will walk in the footsteps of the Jews who did not accept Hazrat ‘Isa, sought to crucify him, and were declared as

[maghdubi ‘alaihim—those who have incurred displeasure].

This is why God Almighty has taught us to recite this very prayer of Surah al-Fatihah in our five daily obligatory Prayers:

Hence, by

[an‘amta ‘alaihim—on whom You have bestowed Your blessings] are meant the Israelite Prophets, and by

[maghdubi ‘alaihim—those who have incurred displeasure] are meant those Jews who did not accept Hazrat ‘Isa.

This verse shows that since there were to be born in this Ummah people of the same character as the Jews who lived in the time of Hazrat ‘Isa, it was necessary that there should also be in this Ummah an ‘Isa, by denying whom they could become the ‘Jews’ who are

[maghdubi ‘alaihim—those who have incurred displeasure]. So, when people object to me for calling myself ‘Isa, their objection in fact recoils upon themselves, for if they had not been ‘Jews’, I too would not be ‘Isa. Nevertheless, the Word of God had to be fulfilled. It is strangely naïve of them that they are willing to become ‘Jews’, but insist on bringing ‘Isa from outside!

In short, the edifice of the Ishmaelite dispensation was erected in the image of the Israelite dispensation. This is the logic behind the fact that the ‘Isa of this dispensation is not from the Ishmaelite lineage. Just as the Messiah did not belong to the Israelite lineage, as he had no father and only his mother was an Israelite, similar is the case with me. I have already mentioned that some of my great-grandmothers were from among the progeny of the Holy Prophet (sas), and God made it clear to me through revelation that as ‘Isa did not acquire his spirit through his father, in the same way I, too, did not acquire the spirit of learning and knowledge through a spiritual father; that is, a teacher.

Thus, in all these things, I have a marked resemblance with Hazrat ‘Isa. And this is why God Almighty established the Ishmaelite dispensation similar to the Israelite dispensation and chose me to be its ‘Isa. At the beginning of this dispensation was Our Lord and Master, Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who was given the title of Musa and both of whose parents were from among the Quraish. And at the end of this dispensation is my own humble self, who is only descended from the Quraish on the maternal side and is given the title ‘Isa.

Thus, in all these things, I have a marked resemblance to Hazrat ‘Isa. And this is why God Almighty established the Ishmaelite dispensation similar to the Israelite dispensation and chose me to be its ‘Isa. At the beginning of this dispensation was Our Lord and Master, Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who was given the name Musa and both of whose parents were from among the Quraish. And at the end of this dispensation is my own humble self, who is descended from the Quraish only on my maternal side and is given the name ‘Isa.

Since the Holy Quran named you ‘Jews’,
Hence for these ‘Jews’ He named me ‘Isa.

Otherwise, you are not from the bloodline of the Jews,
Nor am I physically the same Ibn Maryam [the Son of Mary].

Without you I would not even exist;
My advent is because of you; so, what is the point of all this clamour?

Whatever there was of good and evil among the Israelites,
Found its way into the followers of Ahmad (sas) as well.

Our people are like the people of Musa [Moses] in every respect;
Some are good while others are as worthless as unwanted lumps.

As our Prophet (sas)—the Chief of the Faith—was ‘Musa’,
Necessarily and as a consequence, I was ‘Isa by the command of the Loving Lord.

Moreover, here too, evil-natured ‘Jews’ have come into existence,
To torment ‘Isa, as they did among the earlier people.

In short, the Gracious God, in terms of every good and every evil,
Has opened the door for this Ummah as He did for the Israelites.

Since God named the Holy Prophet the ‘like of Musa’;
So when Abu Jahl’s animosity towards him reached its peak, he was named ‘Pharaoh’.

Just as in the beginning of this Ummah there appeared by God’s command a Kalim,
So did He cause an ‘Isa to appear in its Latter Days to complete the parallel.

To turn away after understanding this is sheer misfortune;
For what I have said is enough to dispel every doubt and suspicion of yours.

Of what use is shooting arrows at the truthful ones?
He who does not desist from evil becomes the fuel of the Fire.

In short, I stand upon the truth and my claim is in accord with the explicit texts of the Holy Quran and Hadith, and thousands of Signs stand witness to my truthfulness. Nor is the door of Signs closed for those who will seek the truth in future. And whatever the opponents say about a certain prophecy not being fulfilled is a result of their inner blindness; otherwise, all prophecies have been fulfilled or will be fulfilled. However, as their vision is obstructed by the dust and smog of prejudice, and though they have to accept the prophecies that have been clearly fulfilled, when it comes to prophecies that require a somewhat refined vision, they consider them as not having been fulfilled; but such a prophecy is perhaps one in ten thousand. How great is the curse that stains the heart that derives no benefit from 10,000 prophecies and keeps barking like a dog that such a prophecy was not fulfilled, and goes on to hurl abuses with extreme shamelessness. If such a person had lived in the times of the Prophets of the past, would he have believed in them? Absolutely not. For one or the other of the prophecies of every Prophet remained doubtful in the eyes of the disbelievers.

O ignorant one! Remove the veil of prejudice from your eyes, for then you will come to know that all the prophecies have been fulfilled. Support from God Almighty is assailing the opponents like a fast and raging river, but alas! these people are not influenced at all. The earth showed Signs, as did the heavens, and Signs were manifested among friends as well foes, yet the sightless ones think that no Sign has yet appeared. But God will not leave this task undone and He will manifest the distinction between the pure and the impure.

The opponents wish for me to be annihilated, and that some ruse of theirs may succeed in wiping out my name and all trace of my existence; but they will fail in these desires and will die in frustration. Many from among them have died before my very eyes, taking their frustrations with them to their graves; but God will fulfil all my desires. These ignorant ones do not realize that I do not engage in this battle of my own, but for the sake of God. Therefore, why should I perish, and who can harm me? And it is also obvious that when someone is devoted entirely to another, then that other necessarily becomes his.

Some people say that although it is true that it is written both in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim that the ‘Isa who is to come will be from this very Ummah, but he has been described explicitly as ‘Prophet of Allah’ in Sahih Muslim, so how then can we believe that he will be from this very Ummah?

The answer to this is that all this unfortunate deduction is the outcome of a misunderstanding arising from the fact that they have not reflected on the true meaning of the term Nabi [Prophet]. The term Nabi only means one who receives knowledge from God through revelation and is honoured with converse and discourse with Allah. It is not necessary that he should be the bearer of a new law, nor is it necessary that he should not be the follower of a law-bearing Prophet. Thus, no harm is done if an ummati [follower] is said to be such a Prophet, particularly when such an ummati derives spiritual bounty from the Prophet whom he obeys. What is most perverse is to declare that, after the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, this Ummah is unworthy of enjoying converse with God until the Day of Judgment.

That religion does not deserve to be called a religion nor is that Prophet worthy of being called a Prophet, whose followers cannot attain such nearness to God Almighty as to be honoured with His converse. Accursed and detestable is the religion that teaches that human progress depends only on a few narrated things, that all revelation is a matter of the past and there can be no further revelation, and that hearing the voice of the Ever-Living and All-Powerful God is to be wholly despaired of. And that even when such a voice from the unseen reaches someone’s ears, it remains dubious and it cannot be said with certainty whether it comes from the Gracious God or from Satan. A religion such as this would more properly merit being labelled ‘satanic’ rather than ‘godly’.

True religion is that which brings one out of darkness and takes them into the light, and does not confine man’s recognition of God to mere anecdotes; rather, it grants him the light of cognizance. Thus, a follower of the true faith—provided that he himself is not veiled by nafs-e-ammarah [the self that incites to evil]—is able to hear the word of God Almighty. To turn an ummati into such a Prophet is the essential Sign of a true religion.

If Nabi means someone upon whom the shariah descends—that is to say, he must bring a new law—then this meaning will not apply even to Hazrat ‘Isa, as he cannot abrogate the shariah of Muhammad, nor can he be the recipient of a revelation that would abrogate the Holy Quran. Thus, by his coming again, a suspicion would arise that through him perhaps some alteration would be made in the Law of Islam. But if Nabi is taken only to mean a person who enjoys converse with Allah, the Lord of Glory, and to whom certain matters of the unseen are revealed, then what harm can there be if an ummati should become such a Prophet, particularly when God Almighty has raised the hope in many a place in the Holy Quran that an ummati can be the recipient of a word and discourse from Allah. God Almighty does speak with and listen to His friends, and this is the very blessing for the attainment of which we were taught the prayer in Surah al-Fatihah, which is recited in the obligatory prayers five times a day:

So why is the possibility of an ummati attaining this favour denied? Does the favour that is asked of God Almighty in Surah al-Fatihah, and which was bestowed upon the Prophets, may peace be upon them, consist of dirhams and dinars? It is evident that the Prophets were blessed with the gift of converse and discourse with Allah, whereby their cognizance of God reached the level of true certainty, and verbal communion substituted for the physical beholding of God. So when we pray, ‘O Lord, show us the path whereby we too may inherit that bounty,’ what else can it mean other than that we too should be blessed with the same gift of converse and discourse?

Some ignorant ones say at this juncture that this prayer means only that God may strengthen our faith, bless us with the opportunities to do good deeds, and enable us to do the works that please Him. But these ignorant ones do not understand that the strengthening of faith, doing of good deeds, and acting in accord with the will of God Almighty results from perfect cognition of the Almighty. The heart that has not acquired the slightest cognition of God Almighty will also remain bereft of firm faith and good deeds. It is only through ma‘rifat [divine cognition] that the fear of God Almighty develops in the heart. And it is only through cognition that the love of God Almighty surges in one’s heart.

Even in worldly affairs we see also that the fear or love of something is born out of knowledge. If, for instance, a lion was standing beside you in the dark, but you did not know that it was a lion and thought that it was only a goat, you would have no fear of it at all. But as soon as you realize that it is a lion, you would at once flee in panic from that place. Similarly, if in the wilderness you come across a diamond worth hundreds of thousands of rupees, but you take it for a stone, you will not care for it at all. If, however, you were to realise its magnificence and value, you will fall desperately in love with it and do everything in your power to possess it. This shows that all love and fear is based on knowledge. Man will not thrust his hand into a hole wherein he knows that a poisonous snake resides, nor will he abandon a house underneath which he believes with full certainty that a valuable treasure is buried.

Therefore, since all fear and love depends on cognizance, man can bow fully before God Almighty only when he truly recognizes Him. First, one has to learn about His existence, and then realize His excellences and His perfect powers. But how can such cognition be achieved unless one is gifted with divine converse and discourse, and is convinced through divine Signs that He is the Knower of the unseen and has power to do what He wills. Hence the true bounty (on which depends the strength of faith and the performance of good deeds), is to be bestowed divine converse and discourse, through which one realizes His existence, learns about His powers, and then, in accordance with the knowledge, beholds His powers with his own eyes. This is indeed the bounty that was bestowed upon the Prophets, may peace be upon them, and it was promised to this Ummah that it, too, will be given this bounty if it asks God for it. Thus, he whose heart has been blessed with the thirst for this bounty will surely find it.

But God Almighty does not care for people who are unmindful of Him. Divine converse and discourse is the very root of all cognizance and the fountainhead of all blessings. Had this door been closed upon this Ummah, all the doors of heavenly bliss would also have to be shut upon it. But, ‘divine converse and discourse’ does not meant such words of speech regarding which even the recipient himself is unsure whether they come from Satan or from the Gracious Lord. Indeed, words that are so devoid of blessings that even Satan could have a part in them should be considered to be satanic. Almighty God’s luminous, blessed, and sweet words cannot be similar to the words of Satan. Hearts that have nothing satanic in them and have been perfectly purified, receive revelations in which Satan has no part. Satan only descends upon the unclean hearts that have within them the impurity that Satan has. The words of the Pure One descend upon pure hearts, while the impure receive the words of the impure one [i.e. Satan].

And if the recipient is confused about his revelation, and cannot tell whether it comes from Satan or from God, it will prove to be disastrous for him, for it is quite possible that he might, on the basis of that revelation, declare a pious one to be evil, even though the revelation is from Satan, and it is also possible that he might declare an evil one to be pious, even though such information may be entirely from Satan. Likewise, it is possible that he may follow a commandment he has received through revelation, considering it to be from God, whereas in fact it is from Satan. And, contrarily, he might ignore a commandment thinking it to be from Satan, whereas it is in fact from God Almighty.

It is evident that without a decisive judgement, i.e. unless and until the heart is filled with certainty that a particular command is indeed from God, one cannot call forth one’s full determination to carry it out, more so because these commands at times pertain to matters that are apparently contrary to the Shariah; for instance, in the case of Khidr there were many objections as far as the Law was concerned, for in no Law given by any Prophet do you find the command to kill an innocent child. Therefore, if Khidr did not have firm conviction that the revelation was from God, he would never have killed him. Similarly, if the mother of Musa was not certain that the revelation was from God Almighty, she would never have placed her child in the river.

Obviously, therefore, how can a person take pride in such revelation—and how can man be safe from its harm—that at times he thinks is from God Almighty, and at other times imagines to be from Satan? Such a revelation would be ruinous to both life and faith. It would be a tribulation that would sooner or later destroy such a person. God Almighty would never allow those of His servants who have cut themselves off from the baser self, have become totally His, and for whom the fire of His love has consumed all else, to be caught in the clutches of Satan. And the truth is that just as there is a clear distinction between light and darkness, so is there a clear difference between satanic insinuations and holy revelation from God Almighty.

Some superficial clerics go so far in their denial that they assert that the door of revelation from Allah is closed altogether and it is not at all in the lot of this unfortunate Ummah to perfect its faith by acquiring this bounty and then act righteously under the attraction of this faith.

The answer to such thinking is that if the Muslims are indeed so unfortunate and blind and are the worst of people, why have they been named the best of people by God? The truth is that those who think like this are themselves foolish and stupid. In fact, just as God Almighty has taught the Muslims the prayer that is set out in Surah al-Fatihah, He has also designed to bestow upon them the bounty that was bestowed upon the Prophets; that is to say, the bounty of converse with the Divine, which is the fountainhead of all bounties. Has God Almighty merely deceived us by teaching us this prayer? What good can there be in a useless and fallen people who are inferior even to the womenfolk of the Children of Israel?

Obviously, the mother of Hazrat Musa and the mother of Hazrat ‘Isa were both women and, as our opponents believe, they were not Prophets. Yet they were favoured with unequivocal converse and discourse with Almighty God. So now, is it to be imagined that if a Muslim were to be so perfect in the purity of his soul as to develop the heart of Ibrahim; and were to be so obedient to God Almighty as to cast aside his ego altogether; and were to be so absorbed in the love of God Almighty that he should lose his own self entirely, yet despite achieving such great reformation, he cannot be the recipient of revelation like the mother of Musa? Can any reasonable person attribute such miserliness to God Almighty? My only response to such people is:

[‘The curse of Allah be upon the liars’].

The truth is that when these people became wholly the insects of the earth, and the only signs of Islam left in them were their turbans, beards, circumcision, a few verbal affirmations, and mere formalities of observing the ritual Prayers and fasting, God Almighty deformed their hearts and thousands of veils of darkness fell upon their eyes, and their hearts became dead. And they came to be bereft of any living examples of people who are alive spiritually. Helpless and forlorn, they thus denied the possibility of converse with the Divine. And this denial is, in truth, a denial of Islam; however, since their hearts are dead, they do not realize their own miserable condition.

These fools do not realize that if this is how things stand, then what is there to distinguish Islam from other religions? As it is, even the Brahmu Samajists say that they believe God Almighty to be One and without partner. Likewise, they do not believe in reincarnation, do not commit idolatry, believe in the Day of Reckoning, and affirm that

[‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allah’]. So, when the Brahmus share all these qualities with the Muslims, and the Muslims cannot attain spiritual advancement greater than them, then what would be the difference between them and the Brahmus?

If—God forbid—Islam is a religion that does not bestow any distinctive favour and confines itself to the extent of human thought, it cannot be taken as being from God Almighty. When there is a person whose beliefs conform to the holy creed of Islam, with the exception that he considers the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to be an impostor—as do the Brahmu Samajists—what can a Muslim who thinks like this claim before such a person, by way of a distinction of his faith, which is not mere tales and fables but is such a manifest and tangible favour that has been bestowed upon them and not given to others?

O wretched and unfortunate people, this favour is none other than divine converse through which knowledge of the unseen is attained, God’s support is manifested, and the succour of God bearing the testimony of revelation from Allah is experienced, and it is through this testimony that such people are recognized. There is no other distinction apart from this. And when you yourself believe that God hears prayers, then why, O heedless of faith and blind of heart, can He not speak if He can listen! And if listening does not denigrate His status, then why should it be unworthy of Him to speak to His servants too? Otherwise, you will have to believe that as divine revelation has been sealed up now for some time, so too, for the same time, God’s power of hearing has also been sealed; that God is now among the deaf and dumb, God forbid! But can any sane person believe that in this age God does indeed listen but that He does not speak, for then the question would arise as to why He does not speak. Has his tongue been stricken with some disease while his ears are safe from suffering any illness? When it is the same God and the same people, and the needs for the perfection of faith are the same, indeed they are more acute today on account of the hold that atheism has taken on people’s hearts, and there is as much need for God to speak as there is to listen, then how is it that He still has the power to listen but the power to speak has become dormant?

What a pity that twenty-two years of the 14th century [of the Islamic calendar] have passed—and so much time has elapsed since I made my claim that those who were in wombs at that time are now themselves parents of young people—and yet you do not realize that I am true. And you keep saying that you do not believe in me because it is written in our ahadith that thirty dajjals [deceivers] will come.

O unfortunate people! Have only dajjals fallen to your lot? You have already been trampled from every side like a field that has been decimated by a stranger’s cattle at night. Your inner conditions have deteriorated terribly, and the external attacks have also reached their peak. The Mujaddids [Reformers] used to come at the head of every century; but perhaps God has forgotten this—God forbid!—and at the head of this century He has instead sent, according to you, a deceiver. You have been reduced to dust and yet God did not attend to you. You were swept away by innovations but God did not come to your help. Spirituality bade you farewell, and not a trace of truth and righteousness remained in you. Tell me truly, where is your spirituality now, and where are the signs of belonging to God? What is faith in your eyes but the sharpness of the tongue and mischievous quarrels and blind attacks fuelled by bigotry? A star appeared from God but you recognized it not and opted for darkness, so God left you to languish in darkness.

In this state of affairs, what is the difference between you and other religions? Can a blind person who is sitting with other blind people claim to be better than them?

O foolish people! Who should I compare you to? Indeed, you are like the unfortunate person around whose house a generous man built an orchard—wherein he planted all kinds of fruit-bearing trees, and irrigated it by a canal carrying sweet water—and it contained large, shady trees which could protect thousands from the sun. Then the generous man invited the people, who were sweltering under the sun without any water, shade, or fruit, to come and sit in the shade and to eat and drink. But those unfortunate people rejected his invitation and died of hunger and thirst and intense heat under the sun. God, therefore, says that He will bring another people who will sit under the cool shade of these trees, and eat these fruits, and drink this sweet water. In a parable, God relates in the Holy Quran that Dhul-Qarnain came across a people who were burning under the sun with nothing to protect them from its heat, and yet they did not seek any help from him, and so they continued to languish in their misery. But then Dhul-Qarnain came across another people who sought his help against an enemy, so he built for them a wall that protected them against the onslaught of the enemy.

So I say truly that, in keeping with this prophecy of the Holy Quran about the future, I am that Dhul-Qarnain [‘man of two centuries’] who has seen two centuries, per the reckoning of every people. The people being burnt by the sun are the Muslims who did not accept me, the people languishing in the pool of muddy water are the Christians who did not even care to look up at the sun, and the people for whom the wall was built are the people of my Jama‘at [Community]. I say most truly that they alone are the ones whose faith will be saved from the onslaughts of the enemy. Every foundation that is feeble will be eaten away by idolatry and atheism, while this Jama‘at will live long. Satan will not be able to overpower them, and the satanic horde will not be able to overwhelm them. Their argument will be sharper than the sword and more deeply penetrating than the spear, and they will continue to prevail over every other religion until the Day of Judgment.

Alas for these fools who did not recognize me. How dark and sightless were the eyes that could not see the light of truth. I cannot be seen by them, for prejudice has blinded their eyes. Their hearts are covered with rust and over their eyes are veils. If they strive to seek the truth and cleanse their hearts of all malice, and fast during the day and wake up at night to pray and cry and supplicate and call out, then it can be hoped that the Benevolent Lord will disclose to them who I am. They should fear God, who is entirely Independent in His Being.

When the Jews did not accept the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and did not desist from bigotry and prejudice, God sealed their hearts. Despite the fact that there were hundreds of sages and divines and scholars of the Torah among them, they were unable to realize the truth, and neither did God reveal the truth to them through dreams or revelations. Since this Ummah is also following those people step by step, their eyes too can never be opened, nor can they recognize me—unless they are blessed with true righteousness. God cannot be pleased with senseless verbosity, for He looks at the hearts. No one who tries to hide his dishonesty can avoid His penetrating gaze.

Truly righteous is he alone who is proven to be righteous through divine testimonies, for a righteous one is in the benevolent embrace of God, just like a beloved child in its mother’s lap. The world falls upon him to destroy him and he is stung from all sides, but God saves him. And just as the sun rises and its rays fall visibly on the earth, so is the righteous one openly attended by the help and succour of God Almighty. God becomes the enemy of his enemies and, before their eyes, grants honour to the righteous one whom they had sought to debase. He is neither wasted nor destroyed until he has accomplished his mission. Opposition to him is like striking a bare hand against the edge of a sharp sword.

You witness the help of my God—how it is arriving and manifesting—
And everyone who has eyes is hastening towards us.

Do you know of any such impostor who is helped by God as I am?
For the way of my Lord is He cuts off every branch not bearing fruit.

You say that this person is a liar, whereas my truth has become manifest;
It appeared with such Signs in which there is no impurity.

Can day and night be equal in light?
How then can a liar be the same as the truthful who has been purified?

Reflect, therefore, and hasten not in attacking me;
But if you fear not, proceed to reject me, employing every deceit.

Call me a disbeliever—for your calling me a disbeliever is nothing new;
Deniers before you slandered like you and were ultimately destroyed.

This is indeed the time that can benefit you;
Therefore, repent before the time you are summoned and held to account.

The Sun of Guidance is at its zenith, and our works
Shine forth like rubies, but you wish to smear them with dust.

Had you not been frenzied by these three qualities, you would have been drawn towards me:
One of them is certainly ignorance, the second is the arrogance which rages within you,

And the third—whose poison is destroying you—
Is your fear of the people who hate [me] on account of their foolishness.

Yet the one who fears God does not fear people;
He is the blessed tree, blossoming flowers and bearing fruit.

And the person who believes in Allah the Protector
Worries not the least about the ravages of time.

I salute the people who merely witnessed a single blossom of my tree,
And finding it pleasing they became eager to partake of its fruit.

How dull you are, O son of frivolity!
You behold all my fruits and yet show hesitation.

God will soon guide you after your going astray;
I have come to know this by revelation of God Almighty, so I hereby inform you.

The end of your affair was revealed to me by my Friend, God Almighty.
It brought solace to my heart and I am reminded about it.

I find no permanence in my displeasure—
Like a wave in a sea, it subsides as suddenly as it rises.

When a person replaces evil with good,
I forget his evil and remember his good deeds.

And if I had said some harsh words in any of my discourses—
For a long time I had suffered at your hands and I am broken-hearted.

I have come from God Almighty—not of my own accord—
And I have only said what God has commanded.

Had God so willed, I would not have been appointed in the position of Ibn Maryam [the Son of Mary];
The matters that God has decreed are such that they leave us astonished.

And God is not questioned about what He does,
But a people who go astray are held to account why they did so.

Such is His eternal practice with regard to His will;
He decrees such orders from which eyes are blinded and twisted.

And I am not the kind to forsake the Truth out of fear;
Ours is the stallion that darts forth during battle.

And when one battle prolonged, they said,
‘Victory is ours!’—but look how they were ground down!

I have never witnessed their victory upon the battlefields;
Rather, the one made arrogant by any given talent was seen turning his back in flight.

I have witnessed the favours of my Friend in times of hardship;
Indeed, a friend is truly tested during arduous times.

I find myself unable to desist in pursuit of His path;
And I do not see it relenting in times of fear.

I forget all grief, sorrow, and affliction
When His help and revelation bearing glad tidings comes to me.

And we—by the grace of God—are advancing forth on our path,
Riding she-camels that swiftly glide forward like the blowing breeze.

These she-camels have feet like mountains,
As if they are boats sailing in the river of cognizance.

The Sun of Cognizance has turned towards us,
So we proceed forth, seeing with the light of this Sun.

We attained desires that were difficult to achieve—
The cloud gradually moving towards us after a fearful delay.

Twenty and some years have elapsed since this affair—
Since God chose me and I started receiving glad tidings.

Thus did He say, ‘People will flock to you and will help you;
People will come to you upon every road, and you will be helped.’

Thus, all these groups of people who have been alighting at my home
This is that very promise of God, and—shouldyouwish—rememberit.

Yet should you be in doubt and fail to believe it—
Imagining what I write and recite to be false—

Then [remember], I have documented all these revelations in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya;
For these are incidents that you were previously made aware of.

So do not follow the self that ruins the soul
And do not adopt the crooked path, for you will thereby suffer loss.

Do you think it is easy to fight God who is the Most High?
And the sword of God kills but with a mere touch!

And if you have indeed made up your mind to fight,
Then we will come forth as a lion pounces upon its prey.

We are accustomed to bearing adversity in the path of God;
When we are commanded, we tarry not [the least].

Should we reject the command of Allah for fear of the people?
Should we be cowards, frightened by the accursed horde?

God knows them well—inside and out—
Albeit their affairs might remain concealed from people.

So look not [in admiration] at the turbans they wear,
For underneath them are heads which are deceiving.

Do you desire their [transient] world while those Gardens go to ruin?
Are you unmindful of the Gardens [of Paradise] that will never suffer change?

And in your anger, you think much ill of me;
But I am innocent of all that you imagine about me.

I am in the centre of the abode of my Protecting God,
Yet—by God—without seeing me, you simply utter nonsense.

I am a lion—I do not fear the braying of donkeys!
And why would I fear them? They are my prey and I roar at them.

Do you threaten me with mortal objects? This is utter ignorance!
And of a truth, the pain of this world passes and vanishes.

I am not the one whom any death would turn away from the path of God,
Even though I be injured or slaughtered in the way of God!

The faces of the ill-informed were distorted with anger
When they were given the news of the death of Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus].

They clamoured, ‘He is a lying disbeliever, following his selfish desires!’
And they incited and chided the people to kill me.

So the mischief of their group constrained the earth for me;
Had it not been for the hand of God, I would have surely perished.

Their machinations were of no avail to them;
But when the Sun of the favours of God shone, they turned on their heels and ran away.

I returned to find their spears pointing back at them;
The matter was decided by the Friend with whom no denier can compete.

On account of their rancour and enmity, they are—all of them—uttering sheer nonsense;
My affair is bright and clear, would they but only reflect!

The crux of the disagreement between them and ourselves is—in reality—
Small and trivial but with their frivolous thinking they exaggerate it manifold.150

We inclined towards peace when they desired peace,
But we sallied forth—armed with lance—when they prepared for battle.

God manifested many a Sign, but their egos
Are crooked and furious like a flaming fire.

And if they desire peace, we do not like war;
Should someone advance seeking peace, we honour him.

We dislike those who dislike us;
But he who comes forth for peace, we too move forward with peace.

Some of them were my opponents in the darkness of their twilight;
But when the day dawned, they were blessed with faith and guidance and began to see.

Their ignorance only augmented my knowledge and compassion;
I remained calm in the face of their repeated expressions of anger.

I am amazed at the enemy’s fury and wrath;
I view them as those who get intoxicated by drinking liquor at night.

O my enemy! Think carefully—Has there ever been an impostor
Whom God has helped in the way He helps me?

Open your eyes, for life will not last forever!
Every one of us—no matter how long we live—will die one day.

What has befallen you that you do not fear God the Reckoner?
What has come over you that you have opted for Hell!

Do you—by declaring me a disbeliever—cause yourself to be a disbeliever!
Do you not fear the day that will drag you into the grave?

And while you seek comfort in the life of this world,
What has come over you that you—becoming lax—seek not the comfort of the Hereafter?

If you are indeed hungry for guidance, then come to me;
I serve my guests, slaughtering (animals) for them.

When the Sun of Guidance shines forth and its light becomes manifest,
There would, then, be no glory in declaring that you can now see.

Had you even a particle of fear of God,
You would have come to me and would have saved yourself sincerely from being swept away by the ego.

You became enamoured with the earthly mirage that is bereft of vegetation;
You run after the transitory world and are heedless about the Faith.

You raised a dust storm so that people
May think that I am misguiding them, and thereby reject me.

So my God inspired hearts to turn towards me;
And—behold!—I became a place of refuge for the people.

Just as people perform circuits around the Ka‘bah,
So do people come to see me; and the people of my Jama‘at [Community] are persecuted and slaughtered on my account.

You desire to debase me, while God continues to exalt me;
You desire to humiliate me, while God continues to manifest my honour.

Do you wish to debase and destroy me through your machinations?
This is an endeavour in which you will certainly not succeed.

So—O insane man!—leave aside this vain effort;
A tall date-palm like me shall not be cut down.

Do you deny God and His might?
Do you—like Satan—think that you are more powerful?

You abuse me yet I know not why you do so;
Have I killed any of your forefathers whom you seek to avenge?

You can see that I am—by the grace of God Almighty—a refuge for the people;
Do you ever see a pigeon singing merrily in an abandoned wilderness?

The wretched and the accepted cannot be equal;
May God reproach you, for you see my acceptance and yet deny me.

And you are indeed the one who ascribed every evil to me,
As though I was the worst of creation and more evil than all others.

So what has happened to you that you do not fear the wrath of God, the Reckoner?
And where is your piety that you used to lay claim to?

And if you engage in enmity you will not be able to cause me any harm,
Even if you were to become a wolf or a cheetah.

There are only two destined epochs in time;
The first is yours, and the second is mine wherein I will be helped.

Know—O poor creature!—that life is but a trust,
And one day you will surely be returned and presented [before God].

Do you desire life and not its fruit?
Life without its fruit is a curse, would you but only reflect!

Has your abject worldly life made you arrogant?
Be mindful of the death that will suddenly pounce upon you.

You desire to humiliate me every single day and night;
You want my luminous face to be covered in dust.

Neither I, nor you, are hidden from that Being,
Who sees all of our thoughts that are in our hearts.

Man’s existence is but like a bubble;
Slumber on if you want, for death will come to you as sure as the dawn.

Ignoring dates and pomegranates, you pluck the bitter colocynth;
Who then could be more unfortunate than you!

And if you are truthful, then where is the light of truth?
For every truthful one is recognised by his signs.

O slave of your desires! Do you seek to harm the servants of God?
You fear not the All-Knowing God, parading audacity.

These are a people whose affairs are in the hands of a Guardian,
Who is All Powerful and who holds them as friends, guides them, and helps them.

And—by God—for each age there is a cycle and an epoch;
So I have appeared in the age of guidance and remind of the path of guidance.

You witness the misguided innovations and the rising dust,
Whereas I am the Rain of the grace of God that is pouring down.

I am not foul of tongue nor harsh of nature,
But when the enemy hates me bitterly, then I hate as well.

I have witnessed severe tribulations and sorrows;
For in the eyes of those who call me a disbeliever I was deemed a wild beast.

I am not afraid of that which is to transpire
From our God, even if it be in the form of a sword.

God alone is cognizant of people’s secrets;
Hence, do not follow a conjecture of which you lack true knowledge.

You left no stone unturned in trying to hurt me,
And you sought to trespass over my wall.

And—by God—had I been given authority over you,
My hand would yet remain unwilling to punish you.

By God, there is inherent within my heart
The quality of compassion, regardless of whether you deny me.

I have learnt certain things of yours that have laid heavy upon me—
Not just like swords—but even sharper.

And I am not one to become fearful and abandon the Truth;
I am a plain Warner—I only warn for the sake of God.

Although you seek to find faults in me, I desire guidance for you;
I show forbearance even though you incite the enemy against me or try to humiliate me.

Should you be unhappy with me about something I have said,
It is less harsh than the sword you are brandishing.

So do not bewail my words when you have uttered things twice as harsh;
You torment me openly in order to cause me pain.

Due to the blindness of the people,
Mischief, infidelity, and imposture were collectively attributed to me.

It was implied as though it was my habit each night
To fabricate some lie and then to spread it and publicise it.

I showed patience in the face of all such suffering and nonsensical chatter;
For everything concealed is ultimately revealed.

I wonder at my enemies who have all come together to attack me,
Even though there be among them the ignorant and those who embellish lies.

Can faith be polished or blindness be removed
With the words of people who are bereft of piety?

Such are the people who run away from me and their suspicions fester;
I do not find that any wise man could hate me.

I have been hurt by the blind but, like them,
There was one who we know who pretended to be blind but can see.

You will find that land and wealth and crops are their ultimate goal,
While God’s religion has become like stubble left after the cattle have grazed.

You know about the Jews and what became of them—
Similar is God’s decree with this nation, and it will not be altered.

I see evil deeds are on the rise every day;
Goodness is diminishing and transgression is growing.

I see that they have attached themselves to darkness and sin,
And they are moving away from chastity.

I composed these words for them in poetic verse when I
Beheld them transgressing all extremes in error.

They desire that I be wiped out, destroyed, and cut down,
But this is only the barking of a dog that is killed in the end.

How can the light of one who is a Star be concealed?
The one who has become the Full Moon will triumph.

I have beckoned them with a powerful argument,
And I have come from God to settle the dispute.

I have come to them in the fourteenth century, which is the Badr (full moon) of the centuries,
That they might know my perfection and my light, yet they see not.

Would that they could understand that—despite their search—
They found no falsehood in my affairs, so how could they make such suppositions?.

And people are coming to me from every path,
And everyone who can see is hastening towards me.

There are many who have preferred me over their lives,
Even though they were threatened and even killed!

And from among my Jama‘at was Maulawi ‘Abdul-Latif 151
Who demonstrated such light of his truth that the people were amazed upon seeing such attachment to the truth.

May Allah reward that youth, who from among us
Gave his life in God’s path; so ponder and reflect.

These are the people whose persons are like the monsoon winds;
When they come, they bring with them the Rain of Mercy.

Do you know any abdal [saints] other than these people;
for, these people Are those who were stoned and yet they remained steadfast and their inner composure remained intact?

Their God who is the Lord of all creation manifested Himself upon them;
Thus, they hastened towards the Eternal Light.

You see tears from their eyes due to their overpowering love of God;
And their hearts are aflame with all kinds of fire, while their heads are covered with dust.

Their countenances are lit up by the light of piety;
Your eyes would surely recognize them if there was no haze in the way.

They draw people’s hearts to themselves;
With eyes that pull the hearts in their direction.

It is as if the life of the nation is beholden to their life;
Through them the garden of faith sprouts and becomes verdant.

Thus, if you wish to see them, then look at them as a friend;
For their faces are such as are kept concealed from strangers.

Likewise did my Sun rise from behind a veil,
And I told it to stop until I become illuminated and prevail over all other lights.

And I am not hidden from the eye of the seeker;
He who will come to me will see me, provided that he adopts perseverance.

And if you deny, there is no compulsion upon you;
But if you come to believe, then what the Blessed Book of Allah says will suffice for you.

And—by God—I cannot forget the grief that I have endured
Because of the way my people tormented me, declaring me a disbeliever.

When the truthful one is suffering from the axe of cruelty and torment,
How then can the liar remain hidden from the hand of God?

Upon being told of the death of Jesus, my people became like a snake;
Many poisons did they manifest and bring forth.

Jesus died, and after him
Death also came upon the reasoning of these people who fail to reflect.

If a mortal human could indeed fly to the heavens,
Our Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was the most worthy of it.

Do you abandon the Word of God,
While the Book of God is the foremost in guidance and light?

Therefore, shun the traditions that are contrary to the Word of God;
What hadith is there that is worthy of acceptance as against the Word of God?

Shun pride that destroys and save yourself from ruin;
For a certainty, it is only righteousness that bestows salvation and bears fruit.

Do you become blind like an owl in the morning light,
And begin to see in the darkest of nights?

Once you have found the truth after your misguidance,
Then righteousness lies in discarding everything that you had adopted before.

Do not desire the death and humiliation of the spiritually eminent ones;
What are you—after all—but a worm, O embellisher of falsehood!

Had my people been able to recognize me, they would have been saved
From humiliation in this world and they would have been accorded honour in the Hereafter.

But some hearts became like those of the Jews;
This being the very [prophesied] account that has come to pass, so remember it [well].

Thus, when they became ‘Jews’, I became, for them ‘Jesus’—
This explanation should suffice from me for those who reflect.

And surely, the promise of our Holy Prophet (sas), mentioned in the ahadith has been fulfilled;
For there has appeared among the Muslims an Imam from among themselves who admonishes them and reminds them.

They destroy people with the venom of their tongues;
They slandered me, speaking lies.

They fail to practice what they preach, and from the perspective of spirituality,
Their condition in their home is very different from what they pronounce from their pulpit.

There are many who talk much and are such that their words will sound pleasing to you,
But when you look at their faces they will appear abhorrent to you.

The eye can only see what is apparent and not concealed;
Eyes cannot see that which is concealed.

Although they claim to have found guidance, there is in them error.
And arrogance abounds along with which that error grows and ripens and bears [evil] fruit.

They are the people who have wasted away their religion with arrogance,
Giving preference to worldly pleasures over faith.

Their ignorant onslaughts have wounded my heart;
There is an anguish in my bosom and a sword piercing my heart.

There were among their elders those who made mistakes in their discourses,
And these people have adopted their traditions.

I endeavoured to do good, but was met with aggression on their part;
I came with justice, but they began to treat me unjustly.

I have found deadly snakes to be less harmful than them;
Not even the most lethal scorpion stings as they do.

In their eyes I am like a mere shred of a dry date;
Indeed, even more insignificant and contemptible than that.

Hence, it is to Almighty God that I submit my complaint in all humility,
For who can help like Him in times of adversity?

Every enemy shot arrows at me,
So I was left alone and was declared a disbeliever.

There was a Husain who was killed by the enemies in the desert of Karbala.
But there is another Husain [of Batala] who wounded me out of mere cruelty.

O you who shoot arrows at me! There was a time when you used to praise my words—
You would praise me with love; you would honour me.

And what a wonderful review you wrote—with sincerity—for my book,
Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, becoming a guide for every one fallen astray!

And you are indeed that very one who had written in his review
That there is absolutely no lion among us like this author in the cause of the Faith.

You recognized my status and then denied me—
What ignorance is this that was deliberately manifested after knowledge!

It is astonishing indeed that a man like you who knew me so well,
Should have found guidance only to then let go of the right path.152

You cut off the tree of friendship that we planted in our youth;
But my heart did not fall short—whatsoever—in this friendship.

Nothing you said was uttered but in haste;
For—by God!—I am truthful and have never lied.

1 In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. [Publisher]

2 We praise Allah and invoke His blessings upon His Noble Messenger. [Publisher]

3 The term Sham [Levant] refers to the historical area now covered by Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. [Publisher]

4 If anyone is in doubt regarding these meanings, I appeal to him in the name of Allah the Almighty to ask an opponent who is well versed in Arabic, under oath, whether or not the words in the revelation [‘afatid-diyar] betoken the collapsing and annihilation of buildings, and the collapse of houses that serve as temporary residences for travellers, such as Dharamshala and the Temple of Latan Wali in the mountains of Kangra, as well as the houses that serve as permanent residences? This is so patently obvious that it requires no further elucidation. (Author)

5 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

6 Although there are thousands of kinds of sin, but the most accursed is one who objects to Almighty God’s Holy Word. An ignorant one is hasty, insolent and relishes in finding fault with God’s Word and he fights with the Holy Being. Yet, he would have been better off dead than that to be guilty of this. (Author)

7 For example, a person who has been given a large dose of lethal poison says ‘I am dead.’ The words imply something that has already happened and not something of the future. But what he means is that he is going to die. Also, for example, a lawyer who comes across a clear ruling of the Chief Court which supports the case of his client, will exclaim with joy, ‘Now we have won,’ even though the case is still under consideration and no verdict has yet been written. All this means is that he is certain of his victory, and so he uses the past tense to connote a future event. (Author)

8 And the trumpet shall be blown, and lo! from the graves they will hasten on to their Lord (Surah Ya Sin, 36:52). [Publisher]

9 And when Allah will say, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, do you say to men, “Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah?’’’ (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:117) [Publisher]

10 Allah will say, ‘This is a day when only the truthful shall profit by their truthfulness.’ (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:120). [Publisher]

11 And We shall remove whatever of rancour may be in their breasts so that they will become as brothers reclining on couches, facing one another (Surah al-Hijr, 15:48). [Publisher]

12 And the inmates of Heaven will call out to the inmates of Hell: ‘We have indeed found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you too found what your Lord promised you to be true?’ They shall say: ‘Yes.’ (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:45) [Publisher]

13 Perished be the two hands of Abu Lahab, and so perish he. His wealth and what he has earned shall avail him not (Surah al-Lahab, 111:2–3). [Publisher]

14 And if you could only see when they are made to stand before the Fire! (Surah al-An‘am, 6:28) [Publisher]

15 And if you could only see when they are made to stand before their Lord! He will say, ‘Is not this second life the truth?’ They will say, ‘Yea, by our Lord.’ (Surah al-An‘am, 6:31) [Publisher]

16 This verse [Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:73] means that one who is blind in this world will also be blind in the next; i.e. the one who fails to see God in this world, he will not see Him in the next either. It does not mean that the poor people who are physically blind in this world will also be sightless in the next. It is a metaphor whereby the ignorant have been termed as ‘blind’. (Author)

17 The Suspended Odes, or Mu‘allaqah, are reportedly seven famous masterpieces of Arabic poetry that were hung in the Ka‘bah during pre-Islamic times. [Publisher]

18 See the commentary by Al-‘Allamah Abi al-Sa‘ud on the footnote of Tafsir-e-Kabir, p. 276–277, volume six. (Author)

19 The critic, as I have mentioned previously, has published in Paisah Akhbar his objection that the word ‘earthquake’ is not found in the prophecy:

[Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out.]

He says this despite the fact that the earthquake was specifically mentioned in a prophecy that was published in the same newspaper five months previously, whereas this prophecy only gives a description of that earthquake. Such, then, is the honesty, integrity, wisdom, and understanding of our opponents! Is there not one among them who could take him aside and reprimand and rebuke him as to why he tried to deceive the public in this way, knowing full well that the clear prophecy of the earthquake can be found in the 24th December 1903 issue of Al-Hakam, the same earthquake whose terrifying consequences are outlined in [‘afatid-diyar—‘residences will be wiped out’]? And both these prophecies were published a year before they were fulfilled. Indeed, the prophecy about the earthquake can be found clearly outlined in Mawahib-ur-Rahman, page 86*, which was published two and half years ago. (Author)

*This reference text appears in Ruhani Khaza’in, volume 19, page 305, published in 2008. [Publisher]

20 According to research published in the Civil and Military Gazette, the temple at Kangra that was destroyed in the earthquake was about 2,000 years old. Had such earthquakes occurred before, this temple would already have collapsed long ago. (Author)

21 As I have just written, this prophecy is also contained, in clear words, in my book Mawahib-ur-Rahman which was published in 1902, and the word ‘earthquake’ is clearly mentioned therein. This being the case, ignorant are only those who, despite all this elucidation and explanation, still ask as to where the mention of ‘earthquake’ is. They should open their eyes and read the 24 December 1903 issue of the Al-Hakam newspaper, as well as the tract Amin, which was published in 1901. They should also read page 86 of Mawahib-ur-Rahman, which was published in 1902, and then shed tears over [the pathetic] state of their faith. (Author)

22 There seems to be a scribal error. It should have been written as Al-Hakam, 31st May 1904, page 9, column 4. [Publisher]

23 There seems to be a scribal error. It should have been written as . [Publisher]

24 In the Bible, too, future events have been described in the past tense, such as the words, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen!’ See Isaiah, 21:9* And the words ‘Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded.’ See Jeremiah, 48:1. (Author)

*The scribe had mistakenly put number 5 here; but 9 is the correct reference. [Publisher]

25 Perished be the two hands of Abu Lahab, and so perish he. His wealth and what he has earned shall avail him not (Surah al-Lahab, 111:2–3). [Publisher]

26 Why was not the Quran revealed to him all at once? (Surah al-Furqan, 25:33) [Publisher]

27 Alif Lam Mim [I am Allah, the All-Knowing]. The Romans have been defeated in the land nearby, and they, after their defeat, will be victorious (Surah ar-Rum, 30:2–4). [Publisher]

28 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, page 665. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on page 435. [Publisher]

29 And when his Lord manifested Himself (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:144). [Publisher]

30 Let them forgive and forbear. Do you not desire that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful (Surah an-Nur, 24:23). [Publisher]

31 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

32 And if you are in doubt as to what We have sent down to Our servant, then produce a Chapter like it (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:24). [Publisher]

33 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

34 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

35 Surely, success does come to the believers, who are humble in their Prayers (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:2–3). [Publisher]

36 And who shun all that which is vain (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:4). [Publisher]

37 And who are active in paying the Zakat (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:5). [Publisher]

38 And who guard their chastity—except from their wives or what their right hands possess, for then they are not to be blamed; but those who seek anything beyond that are the transgressors—(Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:6–8). [Publisher]

39 And who are watchful of their trusts and their covenants (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:9). [Publisher]

40 And who diligently guard the observance of their prayers (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:10). [Publisher]

41 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:14 [Publisher]

42 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

43 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

44 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

45 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

46 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

47 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:2–3 [Publisher]

48 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:14 [Publisher]

49 The stages referred to here are the ones that have just been mentioned. The fifth stage is when, by the power of the Almighty Creator, the human body becomes complete in the [rihm—womb] and the bones are covered by an embellished skin. The sixth stage is when the body is endowed with life. And, as I have said above, the first stage of man’s spiritual development is that of humility, tenderness, and pathos, and that, too—in fact—embodies, in a compact form, all that is later manifested in man’s spiritual being. (Author)

50 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:2–3 [Publisher]

51 The fifth stage, as I have stated, is the one described in the verse:

[And who are watchful of their trusts and their covenants. (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:9)].

And the sixth stage, as mentioned before, is that outlined in the verse:

[And who diligently guard the observance of their Prayers (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:10)].

And this fifth stage has been placed in juxtaposition to the fifth stage of man’s physical development described in the verse:

[Then We clothed the bones with flesh (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15)].

And the sixth stage is juxtaposed with the sixth stage of the physical development as referred to in the verse:

[Then We developed it into another creation (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15)].

(Author)

52 Wali (friend), ghaus (saint), qutb (guiding star), and abdal (substitutes, i.e. vicegerents appointed for carrying out the will of God Almighty) are various designations used for Auliya’ullah—i.e. the friends of God. [Publisher]

53 In the initial stages, the state of humility and passion can go hand in hand with all sorts of frivolous activities. For instance, a child is in the habit of crying and becomes fearful and shows humility repeatedly; and yet in childhood one is engrossed in much frivolity, and is more readily drawn towards it. He often likes to indulge in senseless things like jumping about and even incurs injuries. This shows that frivolity is what comes to man first of all in life’s journey and he cannot move on to the next stage without passing through this stage first. And the first step to adulthood is to shun the frivolities of childhood. This goes to show that man by nature initially associates with frivolous things. (Author)

54 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:4 [Publisher]

55 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

56 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:4 [Publisher]

57 The reason why weaning away from vain relationships leads to a relationship with God Almighty is that in these same verses God Almighty has used the word [aflaha—‘succeeded’] to promise that whoever does something in order to seek God will find God to the extent of his labour and striving and to that extent will have a relationship with Him. So whoever shuns vain deeds for the sake of a relationship with Him is able to enjoy that bit of relationship with God as promised in the word [aflaha—‘succeeded’]. This is because what he has done is nothing very heavy, he has merely cut off the light connection he had with that frivolous deed. Bear in mind that since the word [aflaha—succeeded] is found in the first verse which is:

[Surely, success does come to the believers, who are humble in their Prayers (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:2–3).]

the same word is associated by way of a promise with all the subsequent verses. Thus the verses:

[Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:4] –

That is, ‘those who turn away from that which is vain’ means, ‘Verily, believers have succeeded who turn away from that which is vain.’ At each stage of development of faith, the word [Iflah—‘success’] has a distinctive meaning, holding out the promise of a special relation with God. (Author)

58 ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They say, ‘Yes, we do bear witness’ (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:173). [Publisher]

59 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:4 [Publisher]

60 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

61 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:5 [Publisher]

62 The word zakat is from the root zaka, which means ‘purification’. [Publisher]

63 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:5 [Publisher]

64 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:6 [Publisher]

65 Surah Yusuf, 12:54 [Publisher]

66 ‘There is no shelter for anyone this day, from the decree of Allah, excepting those to whom He shows mercy’ (Surah Hud, 11:44). [Publisher]

67 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

68 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:9 [Publisher]

69 For faith, the stage of humility is like a seed. And then by shunning vain pursuits, the faith sprouts its soft greenery. And then by giving one’s wealth as Zakat the tree of faith grows branches which give it a certain degree of strength. And then when one fights the carnal desires, these branches grow stronger. And when one fulfils all the aspects of one’s trusts and pledges, the tree of faith develops a strong and sturdy trunk. And then when it comes to yielding fruit, it receives another bounty without which the tree can grow neither fruit nor flowers. This is the power that in the sixth stage of the spiritual being is called Khalq-e-Akhar [‘Another Creation’]. It is at this stage that the fruit and flowers of human excellence start to manifest themselves, and its spiritual branches are not only perfected but also bring fruit. (Author)

70 The pledges of faith are the pledges which a person makes at the time of pledging bai‘at and accepting faith, for instance, that he will not kill, will not steal, will not give false testimony, will not associate partners with God and will die professing Islam and obedience to the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. (Author)

71 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15 [Publisher]

72 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:10 [Publisher]

73 Many ignorant people are under the delusion that since they, too, at times experience true dreams and have a true revelation, then what is the distinction between them and these exalted people, and what superiority do they enjoy? The answer is that the faculty of experiencing true dreams or revelations is granted to common people only to a degree in order for them to have a specimen of the subtle phenomena that transcend this world, so that they may not be deprived of accepting them, and the argument may be completed against them. Otherwise, if the people had been completely ignorant of the concept of revelation or true dreams, they would perforce reject them and could not be held fully answerable in this regard. So while the philosophers of today deny the existence of true dreams and revelations even when they can see their specimen, then what would have become of common people if they had experienced no specimen of the kind at all. And the fact that many people occasionally have true dreams and experience true revelation does not take anything away from the glory of the Messengers and the Prophets, because the dreams and revelations of the common people are not free from the haze of doubt and ambiguity, and also are not as numerous. Just as a destitute person who has a penny cannot say that he too has money and is therefore at par with the king on account of that penny, so also is it foolish to claim equality in the case described above. (Author)

74 Then We developed it into another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

75 And who are strict in the observance of their Prayers (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:10). [Publisher]

76 Surah adh-Dhariyat, 51:57 [Publisher]

77 ‘Submit to Adam,’ and they all submitted except Iblis (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:35). [Publisher]

78 Surah an-Najm, 53:9–10 [Publisher]

79 Surah al-A‘raf, 7:199 [Publisher]

80 In their hearts was a disease, and Allah has increased their disease to them (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:11). [Publisher]

81 The disbelievers and enemies also help them in a way because their excesses and persecution causes pain to their hearts and arouse their spiritual fervour. [As is said]:

Until the heart of a man of God is filled with pain and sorrow,
God does not humiliate a people.

(Author)

82 There is sometimes an inherent kinship between two persons. This is the case between my soul and the soul of Sayyed ‘Abdul-Qadir that have a natural affinity with each other, and I was apprised of this through clear and true visions. One night, about thirty years ago, God informed me that He had chosen me for Himself. And, strangely enough, an old lady who was about 80 years old had a dream the same night and she came and related it to me in the morning. She said that she had seen Sayyed ‘Abdul-Qadir Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him, that night along with another saintly person and they were both clad in green, and it was the latter part of the night. The other saintly person was a little younger than him. They both first offered Prayer in the main mosque and then came out into the mosque’s courtyard and I [the old lady] was standing beside them. A bright star then appeared from the east, and its sight gladdened Sayyed ‘Abdul-Qadir very much and he addressed it in the words, ‘May peace be upon you!’ and likewise, his companion too said, ‘May peace be upon you!’—This star was myself. [As has been said:] [‘Sometimes it is the believer who sees, at other times, something is shown to others for the believer.’] (Author)

83 Remember that Almighty God’s relationship with the believer is one of friendship, and desires sometime to fulfil the believer’s wish and at other times He desires that the believer be content upon His will. So in one instance He addresses the believers and says:

[Pray unto me; I will accept your prayer (Surah al-Mu’min, 40:61).]

And this is when He wills to fulfil the believer’s desire. And in another instance He wants the believer to accept His will and that is when He says:

[And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives, and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient, who, when a misfortune overtakes them, say, ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.’ (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:156–157)]

It is a pity that the ignorant only look at one side of things and not the other. (Author)

84 Surah ash-Shu‘ara’, 26:4 [Publisher]

85 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

86 Surah al-Baqarah, 2:3 [Publisher]

87 The reference is to the opening verses of Surah al-Mu’minun, the twenty-third chapter of the Holy Quran. [Publisher]

88 ‘Surely, success does come to the believers, who are humble in their Prayers’ (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:2–3). [Publisher]

89 Just as one’s self is a trust from God Almighty, so are one’s possessions a trust from God Almighty. One who only gives Zakat out of his wealth considers the wealth to be his own, whereas one who considers his wealth to be a trust from God Almighty knows that it all belongs to Him. He, therefore, gives away in His cause all the time, even if no Zakat is incumbent on him. (Author)

90 And who are watchful of their trusts and their covenants (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:9). [Publisher]

91 Raiment of righteousness (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:27) [Publisher]

92 Then We clothed the bones with flesh (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

93 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:10 [Publisher]

94 And she made up her mind with regard to him, and he made up his mind with regard to her. If he had not seen a manifest Sign of his Lord, he could not have shown such determination (Surah Yusuf, 12:25). [Publisher]

95 Surely, kings, when they enter a country, despoil it, and turn the highest of its people into the lowest. And thus will they do (Surah an-Naml, 27:35). [Publisher]

96 Surah al-Ahzab, 33:73 [Publisher]

97 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:9 [Publisher]

98 Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:9 [Publisher]

99 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

100 So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:15). [Publisher]

101 In the Torah, the Israelites have been addressed at certain places to the effect that he would be raised from among them. (Author)

102 Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger, who is a witness over you, even as We sent a Messenger to Pharaoh (Surah al-Muzzammil, 73:16). [Publisher]

103 The hosts shall soon be routed and will turn their backs in flight (Surah al Qamar, 54:46). [Publisher]

104 A phrase from the Holy Quran which is recited by Muslims to express their deepest sorrow. [Publisher]

105 Surah al-Mulk, 67:26–27 [Publisher]

106 Surah al-Anbiya’, 21:110 [Publisher]

107 The prophecy that had been made to the Jews about the coming of the Promised Messiah was that he would not come until Prophet Ilyas [Elijah] descends upon the earth from the heavens. But no one descended from the heavens, and Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus], may peace be upon him, claimed that he was the Promised Messiah, and that Ilyas [Elijah] referred to Prophet Yahya [John], who had appeared before him. Thus, the prophecy about the re-advent of Ilyas, which the Jews awaited, and still do, was metaphorically fulfilled by the advent of Prophet Yahya. Thus, it is obvious that it does happen in case of prophecies that God Almighty fulfils them metaphorically and ignores their literal sense. (Author)

108 Surah al-Ahzab, 33:12 [Publisher]

109 Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:73 [Publisher]

110 Surah an-Nazi‘at, 79:7–8 [Publisher]

111 There is another revelation of God Almighty:

[Spring is here again, and again God’s word is fulfilled].

This shows that the promised earthquake would happen in spring, and as some revelations show it would probably be the morning time or near it. And the time probably is near when this prophecy should be fulfilled, and possibly God might delay it a little. (Author)

112 God created Adam on the sixth day, Friday, at the time of ‘Asr. This is what is established by the Torah, Quran, and the Hadith. And God has ordained seven days for mankind, and, as against these days, one day of God spans a thousand years. It is inferred on this basis that the age of the world, starting from Adam, is seven thousand years, and the sixth millennium— which corresponds to the sixth day—is the day for the advent of the Second Adam. That is, it is destined that in the sixth millennium the spirit of righteousness would disappear from the world, and people would become extremely heedless and irreligious. Then will the Promised Messiah appear to re-establish man’s spiritual dispensation. And, like the first Adam, he will appear at the end of the sixth millennium which is the sixth day of God. So has he appeared, and he is none other than the one who is proclaiming the truth through this writing at this time. My being named Adam here is meant to point out that the perfect individual of the genus man started with Adam and ended with Adam too, for the shape of this world is circular and the climax of a circle is it should end at the point from where it started. Thus, was it necessary to name the Khatamul-Khulafa’ [Seal of the Successors] as ‘Adam’. And for this very reason, just as Adam was born a twin, my birth is also twin; and just as Adam was born on a Friday, so was I born on a Friday as well; and just as the angels raised objection about Adam, so did the revelation of Allah come down concerning me which is as follows:

[They said: What! Wilt thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it? He said: I know what you do not know].

And just as the command to prostrate for Adam was issued, so regarding me too, there is the prophecy in God’s revelation:

[They will fall down prostrate on their faces, supplicating: Lord, forgive us, we were in error].

(Author)

113 ‘On that day, the earth will make an agitated movement, and then there will be another agitated movement.’

This means that two terrible earthquakes will strike close to Qiyamah [the Day of Resurrection]. The second earthquake will come after the first. (Author)

114 Surah an-Nazi‘at, 79:7–8 [Publisher]

115 I have proven that the ascension of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) to heaven is no more than a myth. Rather he, having survived the cross, travelled through Persia and Afghanistan, reached Kashmir and he lived a long time there. Ultimately he died and was buried in Mohalla Khanyar, Srinagar, and his tomb is there to this day. People visit it and seek blessings by it. He did not die on the cross, he suffered some wounds on his body that were treated with Marham-i-‘Isa

[Jesus’ Ointment], which was given this name for this very reason.* (Author)

* Just as our lord and master the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was wounded in the Battle of Uhud; and Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sustained several sword wounds on his forehead and he was soaked in blood from head to toe, in the same way—rather to a much lesser degree—did Hazrat ‘Isa suffer wounds on the cross. I wonder what sort of idolatrous adulation ignorant people have for Hazrat ‘Isa (as) that, while they acknowledge the wounds suffered by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, they consider it beyond the status of Hazrat ‘Isa (as) to be injured and wounded. They raise a clamour to such a notion and wish to bestow upon Hazrat ‘Isa (as) a special quality distinct from the entire world. He alone rose to heaven and then would return to earth. He alone had such a long life, but God did not keep him unique in his birth; rather, he had several real brothers and several real sisters from the same mother, whereas our Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was an only child, had neither any brother nor sister. (Author)

116 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, pages 615–616. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on page 395. [Publisher]

117 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, page 665. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on page 435. [Publisher]

118 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, page 616. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on page 395. [Publisher]

119 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, pages 615 and 665. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on pages 395 and 435. [Publisher]

120 Some similar prophecies can be found in past Scriptures with regard to Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus], may peace be upon him, that say that the Jews would not accept him. It is written in the Gospels also, with reference to the same prophecies, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.’ That is, he became the Khatamul-Anbiya’ of the Israelite Prophets. Similar to these prophecies is this prophecy for God says that the world accepted him not; yet I shall accept him and make his truth manifest with very powerful assaults. So it is necessary that the world should not come to an end until all these things have come to pass. And just as it is written in the Gospels that ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ so does God say to me that though they reject you I will make you the Khatamul-Khulafa’. The divine revelations in this regard are contained in many passages, and it will be too lengthy to cite them all here. (Author)

121 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, page 616. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on page 395. [Publisher]

122 Maulawi Muhammad Husain has been very jubilant over my statement that ‘I thought again and again that I committed a very great sin’. Even though he calls himself a maulawi, he does not know that perfect insight for a man is that, before his Glorious God, he should hold himself guilty on every occasion. This is the practice of Prophets. It is only Satan who does not show humility before God Almighty. The anguish and grief—the crying and wailing that the Prophets did—was for this very reason that they felt that they had committed a sin that they did not discharge the trust of conveying the message of God as it deserved. To them all honour consisted in confessing this shortcoming before their Lord and Master. All the istighfar [seeking of forgiveness] offered by our Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was on this basis alone that he was extremely fearful that he did not perform the task assigned to him—the task of propagation and the task of vigorous striving in the way of God—the way it deserved. This, despite the fact that no one performed this task as well as the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did. But he had extreme fear of the glory of God Almighty and the awe of God in his heart. For this very reason he occupied himself with perpetual istighfar. We find in the Torah too: ‘And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth and he said “O Lord… pardon our iniquity and our sin.”’ (Exodus 34:9) The Prophet Saul said, ‘Now I beg you, forgive my sin’ (Samuel 15:25). And Prophet David says to God Almighty, ‘For I acknowledge my transgressions’ See Psalms 51:3. (Author)

123 The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: . Meaning: ‘O our Lord, we were not able to discharge the obligation of Your worship as was its due.’

Will you object here that if the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was himself unable to worship, how could he admonish others to do so? Alas! (Author)

124 When the help of Allah comes, and the victory, and you see men entering the religion of Allah in troops, glorify your Lord with His praise and seek forgiveness of Him. Surely, He is Oft-Returning with compassion (Surah an-Nasr, 110:2–4). [Publisher]

125 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, pages 615 and 665. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on pages 395 and 435. [Publisher]

126 My master, peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you! This revelation:

[Temporary residences and permanent ones will be wiped out.]

had been published in both magazines in March, and is to be found on page 126 of the magazine. It was after reading this revelation and then reading the news of the earthquake in newspapers that Charles S. Wright Abdul Haq, who was then in New Zealand, wrote a letter expressing his great joy at the fulfilment of this prophecy by way of an earthquake. (Muhammad ‘Ali)

127 They pervert the words from their proper places (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:14). [Publisher]

128 In the 2008 edition of Ruhani Khaza’in, the referenced text appears in vol. 1, pages 615 and 665. In the 2016 English translation of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part IV, this text appears on pages 395 and 435. [Publisher]

129 When God shall manifest His Glory on the mountain, He will cause it to break asunder! [Publisher]

130 Those ulema of the Latter Days whom the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, termed as the Jews of this Ummah are specifically this particular kind of maulawis who are opposed to the Promised Messiah, thirst after his blood, are ever eager to destroy him, call him a disbeliever, faithless, and deceiver, and are ready to crucify him if it were possible for them; for this is how the Jewish divines and Pharisees treated Hazrat ‘Isa [Jesus], may peace be upon him, and sought to kill him. But the ulema who are not of this kind, we cannot call them the Jews of this Ummah; rather, the Jews are only those who, like the enemies of Hazrat ‘Isa, call me a deceiver, disbeliever, and faithless. It is not I that call them ‘Jews’, it is the Word of God Almighty that labels them as such. And this cannot be avoided in view of the fact that I am indeed true and am not a disbeliever, deceiver, or faithless. Thus, anyone who calls the true Messiah with these names, he is designated by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as a ‘Jew’. Had Maulawi Abu Sa‘eed Muhammad Husain not declared me to be faithless, disbeliever, deceiver, and not considered him worthy of being killed, I would not call him a ‘Jew’, but while he does use such words regarding me, and while God knows that I am the true Promised Messiah, he makes himself a ‘Jew’ by justifying the application of the hadith of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to himself, and yet asks me how I came to be ‘Isa. The answer to it is that it happened just because of you people—had you not become ‘Jews’, I could not have this name. (Author)

131 Allah burdens not any soul beyond its capacity (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:287). [Publisher]

132 In some of the hadiths it is also said that at that time people would be barred from performing the Hajj, but in your estimation all these hadiths are erroneous since they furnish proof in favour of my claim. (Author)

133 Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118 [Publisher]

134 Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:145 [Publisher]

135 Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:145). [Publisher]

136 Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique has done such a great favour to this Ummah that it cannot be adequately thanked. Had he not gathered all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in the Prophet’s Mosque and recited this verse to them that all the previous Prophets had died, the Ummah would have perished. For, in that case, today’s mischievous ulema would have contended that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, too believed that Hazrat ‘Isa is alive. But now, due to the presentation of Siddique the Great this verse, an ijma‘ has formed among all the Companions that all past Prophets had died—even couplets were composed reflecting this consensus. May God shower thousands of blessings upon Abu Bakr’s soul. He saved all souls from perdition. All the Companions were included in this ijma‘, not even a single one of them was out of it. It was the first ijma‘ of the Companions and was an act deserving of the utmost gratitude. There is a mutual similarity between Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and the Promised Messiah, namely, the promise of God, in the Holy Quran, regarding both of them was that they would appear at a time when a state of fear will prevail upon Islam and a chain of apostasy will start. So, that is exactly what happened in the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr, and in the time of the Promised Messiah. That is, in the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr hundreds of ignorant Arabs had turned apostate after the demise of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and there remained only two mosques where prayers were held. Hazrat Abu Bakr re-established them on Islam. Similarly, in the time of the Promised Messiah hundreds of thousands of people renounced Islam and became Christians. Both these circumstances are mentioned in the Holy Quran, that is, they are mentioned by way of a prophecy. (Author)

137 Matthew 11:15 [Publisher]

138 It is the belief of the Jews that there are two Messiahs: (1) One is that Messiah of the earlier advent, for whom there is the precondition that Elijah would come to the world before him. This is the Messiah who Jesus claimed to be, but the Jewish scribes did not accept this claim and said that this claim was contrary to the categorical dictates of the Book of God, the reason being that Elijah, as told by the book of God, did not return to the earth from heaven. Hazrat ‘Isa told them again and again that such texts are metaphorical in nature and that the Elijah referred to here was the Prophet Yahya. But, since the Jews were strict literalists they did not accept this explanation and, for this very reason, they still do not accept Hazrat ‘Isa to this day and vilify him. (2) The second Messiah awaited by the Jews is the one regarding whom they believe that he would appear at the end of the sixth millennium. Therefore, there is much consternation among the Jews these days, since, according to the lunar calendar, the sixth millennium since Adam has ended and now the seventh millennium is underway, and that Promised Messiah has not yet come. The Christian scholars also held the same belief that the second coming of their Messiah would take place at the end of the sixth millennium. They too are in despair now as the sixth millennium has ended. At last, having despaired, they have expressed the view that the Church itself should be considered the Messiah and give up the hope about the one expected to return. In short, according to the Jews, there are two Messiahs, and that the last Promised Messiah, who was to appear at the end of the sixth millennium, is far superior and triumphant compared to the first Messiah, yet they have been deprived of both, having found neither the one nor the other. (Author)

139 Say, ‘Holy is my Lord! I am not but a man sent as a Messenger.’ (Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:94). [Publisher]

140 So ask the people of the Reminder, if you know not (Surah al-Anbiya’, 21:8). [Publisher]

141 Given that, the death of Hazrat ‘Isa is established from the verse of the Holy Quran [‘when You did cause me to die]; and in Sahih Bukhari, Ibn ‘Abbas has interpreted the word [mutawaffika] to mean [mumituka—‘I shall cause you to die’]; and Shah Waliullah also gives [mumituka—‘I shall cause you to die’] to be the meaning of [mutawaffika] in Fauzul-Kabir; and it is established from the Holy Quran that [rafa‘a—‘He exalted’] comes after [tawaffi—‘death’], for Allah the Exalted, says:

[‘O Jesus, I will cause you to die a natural death and will exalt you to Myself ’ (Surah-Al-e‘Imran, 3:56).]

And not [‘O Jesus! I will exalt you to Myself and will cause you to die’]. And taking words of the Holy Quran out of their context at one’s own whim falls under the purview of the verse:

[They pervert the words from their proper places (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:14)].

And no reliable hadith permits the placing of [rafi‘uka—‘exalt you’] before [mutawaffika—‘I will cause you to die’] in this verse. Thus, the death of Hazrat ‘Isa is proven from every aspect. It is also proven that the ‘Isa who was to come would be from within this Ummah, as [the following hadith of the Holy Prophet (sas)] is recorded in Bukhari [‘your Imam from among you’], and in Muslim it is cited as [‘your leader from among you’]. (Author)

142 Conjecture avails naught against truth (Surah an-Najm, 53:29). [Publisher]

143 See footnote for ummati on page 474. [Publisher]

144 They do not realize that if they have given Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, he title of an ummati, then why should they object if God Almighty gives an ummati the title of ‘Isa? Does not the hadith mean precisely that: ‘O people of the Ummah! The ‘Isa who is to come will be from among you and not from another people?’ (Author)

145 Allah the Exalted says:

[Surah al-A‘raf, 7:26] –

Meaning that, ‘You will indeed live your lives on the earth, and indeed die on the earth, and be resurrected from this very earth.’

How then was it possible that a person live in heaven for hundreds of years? And God says:

[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:37] –

Meaning that, ‘And for you there is abode in the earth.’

How then is it possible that abode of ‘Isa for hundreds of years should be in heaven? Again God says:

[Surah al-Mursalat, 77:26] –

Meaning that, ‘We have made the earth such that it draws everyone towards itself and holds every body in its grip.’

How then was it possible for Hazrat ‘Isa to have escaped the grip of the earth?

(Author)

146 You shall believe in him and help him (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:82). [Publisher]

147 Surah al-Muzzammil, 73:16 [Publisher]

148 Guide us in the right path, the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your blessings, those who have not incurred Your displeasure, and those who have not gone astray (Surah al-Fatihah, 1:6–7). [Publisher]

149 Guide us on the straight path—the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your favours (Surah al-Fatihah, 1:6–7). [Publisher]

150 The root of this debate has to do with Hazrat ‘Isa, may peace be upon him, as to whether he is dead or alive. So this matter is clear to those who reflect. Allah the Exalted has said:

[O Jesus, I will cause you to die a natural death and will exalt you to Myself (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:56)]

Here tawaffi [dying] precedes raf ‘a [exaltation], as you can read. So this is the verdict of Allah, and whoever does not judge in accord with what Allah has sent down such are surely the disbelievers. And it does not behove anyone to change the word of Allah from its place. And Allah has cursed all interpolators, as you well know. The second testimony is the verse:

[But since You did cause me to die… (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118)]

Glad tidings be to those who reflect! And the third testimony from the Holy Quran is the word of God:

[And Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him. (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:145)]

What then, after this, will you believe in? And, indeed, our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw Jesus among the dead on the night of the Mi‘raj [Spiritual Ascension]. Do you still disbelieve? (Author)

151 ‘Abdul-Latif mentioned in this verse is Sahibzadah Maulawi ‘Abdul-Latif, who was also known in Kabul as Shahzadah Maulawi ‘Abdul-Latif. He was the chief of a large clan and a prominent scholar with about 50,000 followers and disciples. He played a key role in developing and spreading the knowledge of Hadith in that land. And despite his knowledge, scholarship, and excellence, on account of which he was considered second to none in those lands, he was by nature so humble and meek that it seemed as though he did not have the capacity for pride and ostentation. Indeed, the existence of such a man in the land of Kabul (which is known for its hard-heartedness, callousness, arrogance, and vanity) is no less than a miracle.

Hence, it was his inner piety that drew him towards Qadian. And since he was an enlightened, selfless, and truly insightful person, and was blessed with a power through the knowledge of the Hadith and Holy Quran, and since he had experienced true dreams with regard to me, therefore, he accepted me as soon as he set his eyes upon me, believed in my claim of being the Promised Messiah with full conviction, and entered into bai‘at [the pledge of allegiance] to me promising to sacrifice his very life if required. In a matter of a single meeting, he became so close to me as if he had lived in my company for years. Not only that, but he also started receiving revelations from Allah, and true insights began to be disclosed to him, and his heart was emptied of everything except God. Having thus been filled with knowledge and love, he returned to his country. But as soon as he arrived there, some people reported to the Amir how Maulawi Sahib had gone to Qadian and pledged bai‘at, and that he now believed that his spiritual guide was the Promised Messiah and the Promised Mahdi. As a result of this, and on account of some political expediency, Maulawi Sahib was arrested, and heavy chains were put on his feet. The ulema of Kabul gave their verdict that if he did not repent, he would deserve to be killed. A debate was then held between him and the maulawis of Kabul, and he silenced them on each and every point. Finally, they objected that he was against Jihad, which was true because it was my teaching that this age is not for wielding the sword; rather it calls for Jihad through prayer, powerful lectures, luminous arguments, and dazzling proofs. And so on this final charge Maulawi Sahib was held guilty. The Amir of Kabul pleaded with him again and again that if he would recant from the bai‘at of this person who claims to be the Promised Messiah and is opposed to Jihad with the sword, he would not only be acquitted but would become accorded greater honour and reverence than before. Maulawi Sahib, however, did not accept this and said, ‘Today I put my faith above my life. And I know that the man whose bai‘at I have pledged is true, and there is none like him on the face of the earth.’ Thus, when his ‘repentance’ was despaired of, he was stoned to death in the most heart-rending manner. Eyewitnesses report that to this day a sweet fragrance wafts up from his grave. [May God have mercy on him and admit him into His Abode]. When he was arrested, he was offered a final meeting with his wife and children, but he said he had no need for it. I have published a separate book regarding him. May Allah be pleased with him. (Author)

152 Maulawi Muhammad Husain Batalawi has admitted with regard to me in his magazine Isha‘at-us-Sunnah that I am unique in my defence of the Faith in this age, and am totally devoted to Islam, and am an unrivalled champion in the path of God. Moreover, he admits about himself saying that: ‘There is none who is more aware of this person’s inner condition than I.’ (Author)

(Appendix to Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V)