The Purpose of The Promised Messiah’s Advent

“I firmly believe that whoso follows me with steadfastness and sincerity of heart will not perish but will partake of the life which is immortal.”

All Prophets Come for the Same Purpose

The main purpose of the advent of Prophets (as) in this world and the grand objective of their teaching and preaching is that mankind should recognize God Almighty and should be delivered from the life which leads to hell and ruin and which is known as the life of sin. In fact, this is the most important objective before them. Now that God Almighty has established a dispensation and has raised me, the same purpose which is common to all Prophets (as) is also the purpose of my coming, namely, that I wish not only to tell the world what God is, but I actually want them to see Him, and to show them the way of desisting from sin.

[Malfuzat, Vol. 3, p. 11]

Blessings of the Imam of the Age

Whenever the Imam of an age makes his appearance in the world, he is accompanied by thousands of lights. There is jubilation in heaven and people’s good qualities are stimulated through the spread of spirituality and light. So, the one who possesses the capacity of receiving revelation, begins to receive revelation, and the one who has the capacity to gain understanding by reflecting upon matters of faith, his power of reflection and understanding is augmented, and the one inclined towards worship begins to find pleasure in worship and supplication, and the one who engages in discourse with the followers of other faiths, is bestowed the power of reasoning and carrying the arguments to a convincing conclusion. In fact, all this results from the diffusion of spirituality which descends from heaven with the Imam of the age and finds its way into every eager heart. This is a general phenomenon and a Divine practice to which the Holy Qur’an and the authentic Ahadith guide us and which I have observed through my personal experiences. But the age of the Promised Messiah has a unique characteristic, which is that in the scriptures of earlier Prophets (as) and in Ahadith it is recorded that at the time of advent of the Promised Messiah, the spread of spiritual light will reach a degree that women will also receive revelations, children will be able to prophesy and common people will speak with the power of the Holy Spirit. All this will be a reflection of the spirituality of the Promised Messiah.

When the light of the sun falls upon a wall, it is illuminated, and if it has been white-washed with lime it shines even more, and if it is studded with mirrors it reflects the light so strongly that the naked eye can hardly bear its reflection. But the wall cannot claim that the light is its own, for the light vanishes altogether after sunset. In the same manner, all the light of revelation is a reflection of the light of the Imam of the age.

[Darurat-ul-Imam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 13, pp. 474-475]

Strengthening of the Faith

I have been sent to strengthen the faith and to prove the existence of God Almighty to the people, for their faith has become weak, and they take life after death no more seriously than a fable. The conduct of every person proclaims that he has not the faith and trust in God and in the hereafter as he has in the world and its ranks and its resources. Tongues profess a lot but the hearts are suffused with the love of the world. It is the same condition in which the Messiah (as) had found the Jews. As a characteristic of the weakness of their faith, the moral condition of the Jews had deteriorated greatly, and love of God had become cold in their hearts. The same is true in my time. I have been sent so that truth and faith may be revived and righteousness may inspire the hearts. This is the purpose of my advent. I have been told that heaven will once more come near the earth after it had moved far away. These are the reforms that I have to bring about and these are the tasks for which I have been sent.

[Kitab-ul-Bariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 13, pp. 291-294, footnote]

… I wish to state that God Almighty—having found this age full of darkness, and sunk deep in heedlessness, denial and paganism, and having observed the waning of faith, truthfulness, sincerity and righteousness—has sent me so that He may once again reestablish in the world the intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual verities, and to safeguard Islam against the onslaughts of those who design to harm this Divine garden in the guise of philosophy, naturalism, innovation, polytheism and atheism.

[A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 5, p. 251]

The task for which God has appointed me is that I should remove the malaise that afflicts the relationship between God and His creatures and restore the relationship of love and sincerity between them. Through the proclamation of truth and by putting an end to religious conflicts, I should bring about peace and manifest the Divine verities that have become hidden from the eyes of the world. I am called upon to demonstrate spirituality which lies buried under egoistic darkness. It is for me to demonstrate by practise, and not by words alone, the Divine powers which penetrate into a human being and are manifested through prayer or attention. Above all, it is my task to re-establish in people’s hearts the eternal plant of the pure and shining Unity of God which is free from every impurity of polytheism, and which has now completely disappeared. All this will be accomplished, not through my power, but through the power of the Almighty God, Who is the God of heaven and earth.

[Lecture Lahore, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 20, p. 180]

God has sent me into the world so that through gentleness, love, and kindness, I should draw towards God and His holy guidance people who have gone astray, and should enable them to tread the right path with the Divine light that has been bestowed upon me. Man stands in need of such reasoning as would convince him that God does indeed exist, inasmuch as a great part of the world is being driven to ruin for lack of faith in the existence of God Almighty and in His revealed guidance. There is no clearer and easier way to believe in the existence of God than through the understanding that He reveals to His close servants matters of the unseen and prophecies regarding future events. He discloses to those who are close to Him the deep hidden secrets, because there is no way for man to be enlightened about such secrets of the future as are beyond the reach of human faculties. It is indeed true that knowledge of unseen events and hidden matters, especially those which are related to the exercise of Divine power and will, are matters that man can never attain through his own efforts. Therefore, God has bestowed His beneficence upon me and has chosen me out of the whole world so that, through the manifestation of His signs, He may bring back to the right path those who have gone astray. But God has observed from heaven that the helpers and followers of the Christian faith i.e. the Christian clergy, have wandered far from the truth, and have become a people who have not only lost the straight path themselves but they traverse thousands of miles of land and ocean and endeavour to convert others to their own doctrines. They do not know the true God, but their god is their own invention. Therefore, God’s mercy for mankind demanded that He should rescue His creatures from their deception. He has, for this reason, sent this Messiah so that through the right reasoning and argument he should break the cross that had broken and wounded the body of Jesus (as).

[Tiryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, pp. 143-144]

This humble one has been sent for the sole purpose of conveying to God’s creatures that, of all the faiths present in the world, the true faith which is in accord with the Divine will is the one which has been brought by the Holy Qur’an, and that the door that opens into the house of salvation is:

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[Hujjatul-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 6, pp. 52-53]

Grand Design for the Victory of Islam2

If you are honest, then be thankful and fall prostrate with gratitude that you have found the time which was awaited by your ancestors, and longing for which countless souls have passed on to the next life. It is for you now to value it and take advantage of it or to ignore it. I shall state it repeatedly and cannot restrain myself from announcing that I am the one who has been sent at the proper time for the reform of mankind so that faith might be re-established in the hearts of people.

Coming of the Promised Messiah (as) For the Revival of Islam

I have been sent in the same way as he who was sent after Moses (as), and whose soul was raised to heaven having endured all kinds of trials in the reign of Herod. When the second Kalimullah3, who in reality was the first and was the Chief of Prophets (sas), came for the annihilation of other Pharaohs, and it was said concerning him:

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he too, being the like of the first Kalimullah but of much higher rank, was promised a Messiah like the first Messiah. This Promised Messiah, having been bestowed the power and disposition and characteristics of the Messiah son of Mary (as), descended from heaven at a time which was like the time of the first Messiah and after more or less the same period of time as had separated the Messiah son of Mary (as) from the first Kalimullah, i.e., in the fourteenth century. His was a spiritual descent like the descent of the perfect ones who, after their spiritual ascent, descend for the reform of God’s creatures. He descended at a time that resembled in all respects the time of the descent of Jesus son of Mary (as) so that this should be sign for men of understanding. Everyone should take care not to hasten to deny him, lest he should be adjudged as fighting God Almighty. Worldly people with their blind adherence to old concepts will not accept him, but the time is fast coming when their mistake will be made manifest.

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These are not the words of man but are the words of the Lord of Glory and the revelation of the God Almighty. I am sure that the days of these assaults are near, but they will not be carried out with sword or hatchet, nor will there be any need for guns and cannon. God’s help will descend with spiritual armaments and a great battle will be waged against the Jews. Who are they? They are the people of this age who worship that which is overt and follow the Jews one and all. The Divine sword will cut them asunder and will wipe out their Jewish dispositions. Every concealer of truth, Antichrist, world worshipper and every one-eyed one who does not possess the eye of faith will be slaughtered with the sword of conclusive proof. Truth will be victorious and Islam will again enjoy the day of freshness and light which it had enjoyed before and the sun shall rise again in its full glory as it had risen before. But not just yet. It is necessary that heaven should keep it from rising until we have carried our endeavour and sacrifices to the extreme and given up all our comforts for the sake of its appearance and made ourselves ready to accept every humiliation for the glory of Islam.

Sacrifice Necessary for the Revival of Islam

The revival of Islam demands a sacrifice from us. What is that sacrifice? That sacrifice is our death in the cause of Islam. It is this death upon which depends the life of Islam, the life of the Muslims and the manifestation of the Living God. This is what in other words is called Islam and it is this Islam whose revival God Almighty now desires. It was necessary that for the consummation of this grand project, God Himself should bring into being a great scheme which should be effective in every way. The Wise and Mighty One has brought this about by deputing this humble one for the reform of mankind. And for the purpose of drawing the world towards truth and righteousness, He has divided into several branches the scheme for the support of the truth and the propagation of Islam.

Branches of the Scheme for the Propagation of Islam

One of these branches is the scheme of publications that has been given to this humble one. For this purpose, God has given me such deep knowledge and taught me such fine points of wisdom as cannot be acquired by man through his own efforts and can be learnt only through the power of God Almighty. The difficulties in my way are resolved not through any human effort but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The second branch of this scheme is the system of announcements, which is operational under Divine behest for the purpose of furnishing conclusive proof. More than twenty thousand announcements have already been published for the purpose of presenting to the people conclusive proofs in support of Islam. This effort will continue as and when the need arises in future.

The third branch of this scheme is the system of visitors and seekers after truth and other visitors with diverse motives, who come to visit me upon hearing of this Divine scheme….

The fourth branch of this scheme consists of letters written to seekers after truth or to opponents. So far, more than ninety thousand such letters have been received and answered … Every month six to seven hundred, and sometimes even a thousand, such letters are received and answered.

The fifth branch of this scheme, which God Almighty has established through His special revelation, is the system of Bai‘at, whereby people become members of this Jama‘at. When God established this system, He commanded me:

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He also said:

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God Almighty has also given me the glad tiding:

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[Fathe-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 3, pp. 7-25]

Heavenly Signs

Twenty years ago, I received this revelation:

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All these revelations constituted a prophecy that through me God Almighty will establish the truth of Islam and the falsehood of all other faiths. That prophecy now stands fulfilled because no opponent has had the capacity or fortitude to prove the truth of his faith as against me. Heavenly signs are being displayed at my hand and the verities and deeper meanings of the Holy Qur’an are being set forth through my pen. Arise and search everywhere in the world. Is there anyone from among the Christians or the Sikhs or the Jews or the followers of any other faith who can stand against me in exhibiting heavenly signs and in setting forth verities and learning? I am the one concerning whom this Hadith is found in the authentic books of Hadith that in his time all religious communities will be destroyed but Islam will shine brighter than it ever did in the intervening periods.

[Tiryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, pp. 265-268]

By raising this humble servant in this age and bestowing upon me hundreds of heavenly signs and vouchsafing to me miraculous secrets and verities and furnishing me with hundreds of conclusive intellectual arguments, God Almighty has designed that the true teachings of the Holy Qur’an should be published and made current among every people and in every country, and that by so doing He may provide them with conclusive arguments. In order to fulfil this design and to lead the matter to its conclusion, God Almighty enabled me to annex to this book an announcement of an award of ten thousand rupees. And I set forth a heavenly sign with the testimony of my opponents and antagonists and invited all my opponents for a contest, so that not even the minutest aspect of carrying the matter to its conclusion is left unattended and every one of my opponents should himself become a witness to his own helplessness and defeat. In short, the resources for the propagation of the faith and the arguments and conclusive proofs which God Almighty has bestowed upon me by His grace and beneficence have not been bestowed upon anyone of the followers of earlier faiths, nor were all the intrinsic abilities, which have been vouchsafed to me in this regard, granted to any of them.

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As God Almighty has distinguished me with special resources and has raised me in an age which is most conducive and helpful in carrying out the service of propagation to its completion, He has also given me the glad tidings, by His grace and beneficence, that from the beginning it had been destined that the spiritual fulfilment of the above quoted verse and also of the verse:

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should take place through me. God Almighty will Himself convey to my opponents the reasons and arguments and everything that I have written for their benefit and will thus fulfil the meaning of this verse by exposing the frustration, confusion and defeat of my opponents.

[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 596-597, sub-footnote 3]

I am not here relating some old stories, but only that of which I have personal knowledge. I have found superlative power in the Holy Qur’an and I have observed a wonderful quality that comes from complete devotion to the Holy Prophet (sas). No other religion possesses such power and such quality that can lead its sincere follower to the station of sainthood. God not only honours the true servant with His word but also shows him through His actions that He is the God Who has created heaven and earth, so much so that his faith transcends the far flung stars. I have personal experience in this regard. God talks to me and has shown more than a hundred thousand signs at my hands. Thus, though I honour all Prophets (as) and their books, I believe that Islam alone is the living faith, for through it God has manifested Himself to me. Anyone who doubts this statement of mine should come over to investigate these things and stay with me for at least a period of two months. I shall be responsible for his expenses during his stay. A religion worth the name must be a living religion which is able to exhibit God through living and fresh demonstration of His powers. A mere claim on behalf of a religion is vain and without basis.

[Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 23, p. 428]

The Status of the Messiah and Mahdi

Although I have explained in various books that my claim of being Jesus the Messiah, and Muhammad the Mahdi, does not mean that I am actually the same person as Prophet Jesus (as) or the Holy Prophet (sas), yet those who have not read my books with care might fall into the error that I have put forward this claim in the context of the transmigration of souls, and that I claim that the souls of these two holy Prophets (as) have actually entered my body. This is far from the truth. The fact is that past Prophets (as) had made a prophecy with regard to the latter days, according to which it would be a time when the world will be replete with two kinds of errors; one that will relate to the rights of the creatures and the other will relate to the rights of the Creator.

The wrong relating to the rights of creatures would be that blood of man will be shed under the pretence of Jihad, so much so that one who kills an innocent person would be under the illusion that by this shedding of blood he has acquired great merit. Many other injuries will be inflicted upon mankind through such fanaticism merely on the basis of religious honour … The second type of wrong, which concerns the Creator, is the doctrine of modern day Christians which has reached the height of exaggeration. There is no doubt that Jesus (as) was a great Prophet, and he certainly was the beloved and chosen one of God and was the light of the world and the sun of guidance and was close to God and has a station near to His Throne. Millions of people who love him sincerely and follow his guidance will be delivered from hell; yet, it is a great mistake and is sheer infidelity to deify him … The truth is that when spiritual and heavenly matters fall into the hands of the multitude they are unable to penetrate to their reality and thereby fall into grave error, partly through perversion and partly through literal interpretation of the metaphorical. Christian scholars of this age have fallen into this error and are trying by all possible means to deify Prophet Jesus (as). This amounts to usurping the rights of the Creator and … it was to establish this right and to establish the Unity of God in the hearts of people, that a great Prophet arose in Arabia, whose name was Muhammad and Ahmad, countless greetings of peace be bestowed upon him by Allah. The Islamic law was divided into two parts, the greater part was:

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which signifies the Unity of God. The second part was sympathy for mankind so that one should desire for others what he desires for himself. Out of these two, the Messiah (as) emphasised sympathy for mankind, for his age was in need of such emphasis. The other part, which is greater and is the fountainhead of the Majesty and Unity of God, i.e.,

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was emphasised by Muhammad, the Chosen One (sas) because in his age emphasis was needed on that part. Now it is our time and in this age both these wrongs had reached their climax; contravening the rights of people and slaying innocent persons had become part of the Muslim belief and, in consequence of this false doctrine, thousands of innocent people had been put to sword by the savages. On the other hand disregard of the rights of the Creator had also reached its climax and had become a part of Christian doctrine….

Thus in this age God, in view of the disregard of human rights, has named me the Messiah and sent me as the Avatar of Jesus the Messiah (as); in the same way, in respect of the disregard for the rights of the Creator, God has named me Muhammad and Ahmad and, for the spreading of Divine Unity, He made me the like of Muhammad (sas) and his Avatar. In this sense, I am both Jesus the Messiah and Muhammad the Mahdi. Messiah is a title that was bestowed upon Jesus (as), which means he who touches God, partakes of the favour of God and is His vicegerent and adopts truth and righteousness. Mahdi is also a title which was bestowed upon Muhammad, the Chosen One (sas). It means one who by his very nature is rightly guided, is heir to all guidance, and is an embodiment of the reflection of God’s attribute Hadi [the Guide]. The grace and mercy of God Almighty has made me an heir to both these titles in this age and has combined these two titles in my person. In line with these meanings, I am both Jesus the Messiah and Muhammad the Mahdi. In Islamic idiom, this kind of advent is called Buruz14. I have been bestowed two types of Buruz, the Buruz of Jesus (as) and the Buruz of Muhammad (sas). By way of Buruz, therefore, my being is a combination of the beings of these two Prophets. In my capacity of Jesus the Messiah, it is my function to restrain the Muslims from wild attacks and bloodshed. The Ahadith set forth clearly, that when the Messiah comes back to the world, he would put an end to all religious wars. This is now being done….

In my capacity as Muhammad the Mahdi, it is my function to re-establish the Unity of God with heavenly signs, for our lord and master the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) had established the Majesty and Power and Might of God in the hearts of the idolaters of Arabia through heavenly signs. I have been helped by the Holy Spirit in the same manner.

[Government Angrezi aur Jihad, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 17, pp. 23-29]

Two Aspects of the Perfection of Faith

It should be borne in mind that all bounties and the perfection of the faith that were bestowed on the Holy Prophet (sas), had two aspects: first, the perfection of the guidance, and secondly, the completion of the propagation of the guidance. The perfection of the guidance from every aspect took place through his first advent, and the completion of the propagation of the guidance was accomplished through his second advent. The verse of the Surah Al-Jumu‘ah:

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which refers to another people who will be prepared through his grace and instruction. This makes it clear that he will have a second advent, and this advent—which is by way of reflection—is now taking place. Thus this is the time of the completion of the propagation of the guidance.

[Malfuzat, Vol. 4, p. 10]

In addition to the natural resemblance which this humble one possesses to other great ones and that is set out in detail in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, I have a singular resemblance with the Messiah (as) on account of which I have been sent with his name so that I should demolish the doctrine of the cross. I have been sent to break the cross and to slaughter the swine. I have descended from heaven with angels on my right and left, whom God, Who is ever with me, will cause to enter, and indeed is already causing to enter, into every eager heart for the achievement of my purpose. Even if I were to remain silent and my pen were to refrain from writing, even then the angels that have descended with me would not stop their function. They have been furnished with powerful maces with which to break the cross and to demolish the temple of creature-worship.

[Fathe-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 3, p. 11, footnote]

God Almighty has raised me to bear witness against the Christians of this age and has commanded me to proclaim that the deification of the Son of Mary (as) is a false doctrine and amounts to the denial of God. He has honoured me with His converse, has sent me with many signs, and has displayed many miracles in my support. By His grace and bounty, our company is such as leads to God. I believe that he who stays in this company for a time with a pure and holy intent and remains with us steadfastly seeking knowledge, would ultimately believe in God even if he were an atheist. It behoves a Christian, find, who entertains the fear of God Almighty and who is in search for the True God and hungers and thirsts for Him, that he should cast aside senseless tales and myths and, seeking clear proofs, should remain in my company for some time. He would then see how God, Who is the Master of heaven and earth, would display His heavenly signs to him. It is, however, a pity that there are few who truly seek God and wander in His search day and night.

[Kitab-ul-Bariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 13, p. 55]

Reformation of the Evil Doctrine of Trinity

As I have been sent to reform the evils of the doctrine of Trinity, my heart is grieved beyond measure at the contemplation of the painful fact that there are more than four hundred million people who deem Jesus (as) to be God. I do not believe that I have ever been hurt or grieved by anything in my whole life as I have been hurt and grieved by this doctrine. Had it been possible for me to expire under a load of grief and sorrow, I would have died grieving over the question why people abandon God Who has no associate, and worship a humble man, and why do they not believe in the Prophet (sas) who had come into the world with true guidance and the straight path. I have always been apprehensive lest I should die through the shock of this sorrow … Where other people seek heaven, the heaven that I seek, in the face of this agony, is that I might witness in my lifetime mankind being rescued from this idolatry and that the glory of God be made manifest. My soul supplicates constantly: Lord, if I am from Thee and the shade of Thy grace accompanies me, then let me witness the day when this calumny—that, God forbid, the Messiah (as) claimed to be God—will be proven false. For a long time, I have been praying five times a day that God might bestow inner sight upon these people so that they should believe in His Unity and should recognize His Messenger (sas) and should discard the doctrine of Trinity.

[Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 3, pp. 161-163]

The Ahadith set forth that the principal purpose of the Promised Messiah would be to wipe out the wiles of the Christians and he would demolish their doctrine of the cross. God Almighty has so brought it about that the doctrine of the Christian faith has been shattered at my hands. Having been bestowed perfect inner sight by God Almighty, I have established that the accursed death that is attributed, God forbid, to the Messiah (as) and which is the very basis of salvation through the cross can on no account be attributed to him. The connotation of the word la‘nat16 can in no way be rightly applicable to a righteous person. Christian clergymen have been so frustrated by this novel point of view which blows their doctrine to pieces that all those who have learnt of it have realized that it has demolished the religion of the cross. From the letters that I have received from some of them, I have perceived that they are frightened at this decisive research and have realized that the foundation of the doctrine of the cross would thereby tumble down and that its fall would be a fearful one.

[Kitab-ul-Bariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 13, pp. 262-263, footnote]

One of the characteristics of the perfect elects of God is that they exhibit heavenly signs. I record with the utmost gratitude that all these signs have been fulfilled to a perfect degree in the case of this servant of the Holy One. Today’s bigoted clerics of the Christian faith, who concealed the truth by their assertion that our Holy Prophet (sas) worked no miracle have been completely refuted and put to shame by the response made by God Almighty, Who has displayed clear signs in support of this servant of His.

Time was when the preachers of the Gospels went about the streets and the bazaars repeating shamelessly the lie that no prophecy had been made and no miracle had been worked by our lord and master, the Seal of Prophets, the Best of Messengers and the purified ones, the Chief of the pure-natured and the righteous, the Beloved of the Lord of Unity, Muhammad, the Chosen One (sas). Now the time is that in addition to the thousands of miracles of our master, the Intercessor on behalf of sinners (the Holy Prophet (sas)), which have been repeatedly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith and have been fully confirmed, God Almighty has exhibited hundreds of fresh signs that no opponent or denier can in any way match. We have humbly and gently urged upon Christians and other opponents, and do so again, that every religion which is established by God Almighty and preserves its verities, must from time to time produce some people as the deputies of their leader and guide and Messenger to prove that that he is alive through his spiritual blessings and is not dead. For, it is necessary that a Prophet who is followed and is accepted as an Intercessor and Redeemer should be forever alive through his spiritual blessings. He should be stationed with his shining countenance in the heaven with honour, exaltation, and glory; and his sitting on the right hand of the Eternal, the Ever-Living, and Self-Subsisting, and Mighty God should be established by the manifestation of such Divine light that those who love him perfectly and obey him completely should necessarily enjoy the bounty of the Holy Spirit and of heavenly blessings. Such followers should obtain light from the light of their beloved Prophet whereby they should be able to remove the darkness of their age and to inspire in the hearts of eager people such firm and perfect faith in the existence of God as burns up all inclination towards sin and all low and mundane passions and desires. This alone is enough to prove that the Prophet is alive and is in heaven. We cannot offer gratitude enough to our God, the Lord of Glory, that by enabling us to love and obey His dear Prophet Muhammad (sas) and by bestowing upon us a perfect portion of the grace which is the sign of true righteousness and the true heavenly sign, He has proved to us that our beloved Prophet (sas) is not dead, but is seated in the highest heaven on the right side of his Omnipotent King on the Throne of eminence and glory.

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[Tiryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, pp. 137-139]

For this reason alone, this humble one has been commissioned to establish this Community. I would like to greatly expand the circle of those who join my company, and enable such people who are desirous of fostering their faith, love and certainty, to stay in my company day and night. May they be shown the light and the blessings that have been shown to me. May they partake of the zeal that has been granted to this humble one, that the light of Islam may spread in the entire world, and the black mark of hatred and disgrace may be washed away from the face of Muslims. With that glad tiding, God sent me and said:

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[Fathe-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 3, pp. 22-23]

God wills that of all the souls that inhabit the different parts of the world—whether in Europe or Asia—those who possess pure natures should be drawn towards Unity, and His creatures may be united on one faith. This is the aim of God, with which I have been raised. So follow this aim but with tenderness, good mannersand fervent prayers. Until God raises someone with the Holy Spirit, you should continue to work together after I have gone.

[Al-Wasiyyat, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 20, pp. 306-307]

What is needed today is not the sword but the pen. As a result of the doubts which our opponents have raised concerning Islam, and the assault that they have planned to mount against the true religion revealed by God Almighty, using all the ploys of science and other methods available to them, I have been drawn to think that I should equip myself with the armament of the pen and enter the arena of science and intellectual progress to demonstrate the spiritual valour and inner power of Islam. I was not myself fitted for this field, but the grace and limitless bounty of God desires that the honour of His faith should be demonstrated at the hands of a humble one like me.

[Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 59-60]

Call to the Truth

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I address this announcement to the Christian clergymen with great humility, respect and lowliness. Were it true that Jesus the Messiah (as) was actually the son of God, or God Himself, I would have been the first to worship him and I would have propagated his godhead throughout the country and would never have given up this propagation even if I had been persecuted or killed or slaughtered or cut to pieces in his cause. But, dear ones, may God have mercy on you and open your eyes, Prophet Jesus (as) is not God, but only a Prophet and not a speck more than that. I call God to witness that I bear him such love as you do not. You can never recognize him with the light with which I recognize him. There is no doubt that he was a beloved and exalted Prophet of God and was one of those who are particularly blessed by God and are purified by His hand. But he was neither God nor the son of God. I do not say this on my own. Indeed, God, Who is the Creator of heaven and earth, appeared to me and has made me the Promised Messiah for this latter age. He has revealed to me that the truth is that Jesus son of Mary (as) was not God or the son of God. God has informed me that the Prophet who brought the Qur’an and called people to Islam is a true Prophet (sas) and that he is the one under whose feet lies salvation, and no one can ever achieve any light without following him. When my God disclosed to me the high status and greatness of this Prophet (sas), I fell atremble and my body was shaken, for as people have so exaggerated their praise of Jesus the Messiah (as) that they have deified him, but people have not recognized the true status of that Holy Prophet (sas) in the same way and they are yet unaware of his lofty status. He is the one Prophet (sas) who planted the seed of Divine Unity in such a manner that it still continues to flourish. He is the only Prophet (sas) who appeared at the time when the whole world had been corrupted and he departed at a time when he had spread Divine Unity all over the world like an ocean. He is the only Prophet (sas) concerning whom God has exhibited His jealousy in every age and has manifested thousands of miracles in his support and affirmation. In this age too that Holy Prophet (sas) was greatly defamed. Therefore, God’s jealousy was stirred more than it had been stirred in any past age and He sent me as the Promised Messiah so that I should bear witness to his Prophethood before the whole world. If I put forward this claim without any argument to support it, I am false. But if God bears witness to my truth with such signs as have no parallel from east to west and from north to south, then justice and fear of God make it incumbent that I should be accepted with all my teaching. God has exhibited such signs in my support that if they had been displayed to the people who were destroyed by water, or fire, or wind, they would not have been so destroyed. But how shall I describe the people of this age? They are like the unfortunate one who possesses eyes but does not see, who possesses ears but does not hear, who possesses understanding but does not comprehend. I cry for them but they laugh at me and I provide them with the water of life but they heap fire on me. God has appeared to me not only by His word but has also manifested Himself to me through His actions and has shown and will show such works in my support as are not shown in support of anyone unless he is the recipient of special Divine favour. People abandoned me, but God has accepted me. Who is it who can compete with me in showing these signs? I have appeared so that God may appear through me. He was like a hidden treasure, but now, by sending me, He has designed to silence all atheists and all faithless ones who say that there is no God. Dear ones, to you who seek God, I convey the good news that the true God is He Who has revealed the Qur’an, it is He Who has manifested Himself to me and Who is ever with me.

[Haqiqat-ul-Wahi, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 22, pp. 617-620]