The House of Allah Is a Source of Everlasting Manifest Signs and Divine Support

Friday Sermon, May 12, 1967, Mubarak Mosque, Rabwah.

“God Almighty had promised to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) that this House [the Ka‘bah] would become a source of everlasting manifest Signs and Divine support. That is to say, the purpose of the construction of this ‘House’ was to raise an umma by whose virtue Divine signs would continue to be manifested to the world until the end of time.”

After Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah Al-Fatihah Huzoor recited the following verse from the Holy Quran:

“In it are manifest Signs; it is the place of Abraham; and whoso enters it, enters peace. And pilgrimage to the House is a duty which men–those who can find a way thither–owe to Allah.”1

And said, I have been expounding on the twenty-three objectives of the House of Allah for which Allah the Exalted had the foundations of the Ka‘bah raised at the hands of Hazrat Ibrahim (as), and that how these objectives were achieved through the Holy Prophet (sas). I have already spoken on three of these objectives in my previous sermons.

The fourth objective of the House of Allah, or in other words, the fourth promise of God Almighty to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was (In it are manifest Signs). I told you that Allah the Exalted had made a promise to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) saying that this House would become a source of everlasting manifest Signs and Divine support. That is to say, the purpose of the construction of this House was to raise an umma, by whose virtue Divine signs would continue to be manifested to the world until the end of time.

The Holy Quran claims that this door is opened until the last day only for him who lives up to the teachings of this book; and that such people will continue to appear in every nation and every age who will partake of its blessings and Allah the Exalted will continue manifesting Divine signs through them.

The manifest signs were also given to the Prophets of old, but they were meant for their people and their time only. They were not meant for all mankind and all times to come. Whereas these verses expressly indicate that these objectives are related to all mankind, every people and every age. It is for this reason that the subject has been started with (for mankind) in the verse (Surely, the first House founded for mankind).

Though the manifest signs were also bestowed upon the earlier peoples; but the ones which were meant for all peoples and all times were bestowed only on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas). Allah the Exalted says in the Holy Quran:

“Nay, it is a collection of clear Signs in the hearts of those who are given knowledge. And none but the wrongdoers deny Our Signs.”2

This verse denotes that such people will always appear by the holy influence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) who would be bestowed upon comprehensive knowledge and full understanding. As a result of this full understanding their hearts will be filled with great fear and deep love for their Lord and they will value Him. Since such personages will continue to appear, they will show such manifest signs which are closely linked to the Holy Quran. It will not be out of place to say that the Holy Quran is the personification of manifest signs. This light (of the Holy Quran) will continue to illuminate the world. But there will also appear some men in this umma who will be transgressors, and thus will bar the doors of such bounties of the Holy Quran on themselves. Verily, Allah will not show His manifest signs through them. But those who will be vouchsafed comprehensive knowledge will continue appearing in this umma and the door of manifest signs will remain open to the Muslim umma until the last day.

This is no unfounded claim. The Islamic history bears testimony to the fact that in order to vindicate the truthfulness of Islam and the Holy Prophet (sas), Allah has filled the earth, the sky and every age with the Signs. The Promised Messiah (as) says:

“The second sign of a true religion is that it should not be dead. It should possess the magnificence and all the blessings until the end of the world which were sown in it in the beginning for the benefit of mankind; so that the current signs should corroborate the signs of the past and should not allow the light of its truthfulness to become a mere tale. So I have been writing since long that the Prophethood which our lord and Master, Muhammad (sas) the Chosen one, proclaimed and the arguments of heavenly signs which he presented do exist even to date, and are witnessed by his followers; so that they may reach the station of true understanding and see the Living God without any veil in between.”3

Similarly the Promised Messiah (as) writes in Tasdiqun Nabi:

“The fourth miracle of the Holy Quran is its spiritual influences which are preserved in it since its beginning. That is, its followers are invested with the lofty station of Divine acceptance and are vouchsafed Divine communion. Almighty God answers to their supplications and responds to them with love and benevolence, and like Prophets, reveals to them some secrets of the unknown and distinguishes them from rest of the people by the signs of His help and support. This is a sign which will be shown in the Umma of Muhammad (sas) until the Judgement Day. It has been shown in the past and still can be witnessed and is an established truth.”4

Likewise the Promised Messiah (as) writes in Kitabul Bariyya:

“The number of heavenly signs of Islam that have been shown in the past and are still being shown through the holy personages of this Umma in favour of Islam and the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet (sas) are without any parallel in other religions. Islam is the only religion which has progressed always through heavenly signs; and its uncountable blessings and effulgence have shown God Almighty to be close. Rest assured that Islam, on account of its heavenly signs, has never been mortified in any age.”5

After this, at the same place in this book, the Promised Messiah (as) gives example of his own self. Allah the Exalted has shown hundreds of thousands of manifest signs at the hands of the Promised Messiah (as). His very person and every moment of his life was a living proof of the truthfulness of Islam. Fresh heavenly signs poured down like rain; and only a prejudicially blindfold eye remained unable to see them. Even a slow-witted person, who was unbiased, could not have denied these signs. These manifest signs were not culminated in the person of the Promised Messiah (as). Rather, Islam was refreshed as a result of reformation in faith and a door which some people, out of their ignorance, had thought to be barred on themselves, the Promised Messiah (as) proved it to be open, and not barred. The succession of the heavenly signs continued through the successors of the Promised Messiah (as) after him. The life of Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I (ra) was a life of those people about whom Allah says in the verse mentioned above (they are given knowledge). The same was true for Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ud (ra). The world saw hundreds and thousands of signs at his hands, and this door is not closed yet. Only a few days back I was engaged in Istighfar before Fajr prayer; I was overtaken by a kind of fear and sought forgiveness from my Lord. Then, all of a sudden, I felt as an unseen force had overtaken me and the words Qiyame Din (establishment of faith) were initiated on my tongue. Then, with a jolt that shook all of my body, I returned to the state of wakefulness. What I understood from this was that Allah would establish and reinvigorate the faith of Islam by the programme I am going to put before the Jama’at in the present series of sermons. Inshallah.

Thus, the series of thousands of signs has been initiated by the Khilafat of Masih-e-Muhammadi. But this ought to be borne in mind that a rightly guided Khalifa who has completely lost himself to God and is in full union with Him does not normally give expression to the love of God he receives from Him, except in matters that are related to the Jama‘at and are essential to be discussed. I can say from my personal experience that God has always been forbidding the rightly guided Khulafa’ to express openly their intimate relationship with Him. I have reached this conclusion in view of my personal experience, a saying of the Promised Messiah (as) and in the light of historical evidence. History records only a few incidents of manifest signs of the former rightly guided Khulafa’. For example, I suppose, only five or ten signs of Hazrat Umar (ra) are recorded. That is, only a few of the prophecies or glad tidings given to Hazrat Umar (ra) are recorded in the History. Whereas the Promised Messiah (as) says that thousands of prophecies had been fulfilled by those noble Khulafa’ of old and that they held lengthy discourses with God Almighty.

There is no denying the fact that this statement of the Promised Messiah (as) is true, but history is silent. The conclusion thus is that these people would not disclose such matters in public except when they felt there was a need and except for the issues which were related to the community and should have been publicized. For instance, once when acute agitation stirred up against the Jama‘at, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II (ra) said to the Jama‘at that they would find it hard to stay alive if he disclosed to them the things he knew. (I cannot recall his exact words but they were to this effect.)

In short, history bears testimony that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) is the one who fulfilled the promise to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) made in the words, (In it are manifest signs). The world has witnessed hundreds of thousands of signs of God in the life of the Promised Messiah (as) and at the hands of his successors after him; and also through other holy personages in the Jama‘at Allah shows His signs. With the blessings of the Promised Messiah (as) this reality, too, has dawned very clearly upon his followers that normally such matters ought not to be disclosed as they can result into egoism, and sometimes one may risk incurring Allah’s displeasure.

The Holy Quran, the examples set by the holy personages in the umma recorded in history, and the way God Almighty treated those who were devoted to the Holy Prophet (sas) and made sacrifices to earn God’s pleasure prove beyond doubt that manifest signs are shown to all peoples and in all times; and these manifest signs are exclusively related to the Muslims. Other faiths can neither make such a claim nor is it within their power to prove it.

The fifth objective of building the Ka‘bah was (the place of Ibrahim (as)). And it was promised that by virtue of the (spiritual) station of Ibrahim (as) a party of those who would love God Almighty would always be raised. They will sacrifice all their desires for the sake of His will and would shun every earthly filth and attain the status of being lost in Him. A rumination will make it clear that the achievement of the station of Ibrahim (as) is possible only as a result of manifest signs and is not possible otherwise. The “manifest signs” and “station of Ibrahim (as)” are closely associated with each other. A sea of manifest signs is always raging in the Muslim umma, therefore, the appearance of hundreds of thousands of holy personages, who attained the station of Ibrahim (as), became possible in the umma of Muhammad (sas). The station of Ibrahim (as) is, in fact, a reflection of the station of Muhammad (sas). One can never attain to the station of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas), but second in position after that is the station of Ibrahim (as). Hazrat Ibrahim (as) partook of the manifest signs by way of reflection. The Holy Quran claims that legions of people will appear among its followers who will attain the station of Fana [being lost]. What is this station of Fana? The Promised Messiah (as) expounds on it in the following words:

“There is a station of personal love and only the true followers of the Holy Quran are invested with it. The love of God affects so much the whole of their body and soul that it becomes the reality of their selves, rather it becomes the life of their soul; and an unfamiliar type of love surges in their hearts for their true Beloved; and their pure hearts are possessed of a miraculous affection and longing which cuts asunder and breaks absolutely from any other else; and the fire of love of God rages so much that it is experienced and felt axiomatically by bedfellows in particular times [of copulating].… The noblest sign of their sincerity and earnestness is that they give preference to their true Beloved over everything else. If they are stricken with grief from him, they take it as a reward out of love [for Him], and as for affliction, they regard it as a sweet drink. No sharp edge of any sword can separate them from their Beloved, and no misfortune of great magnitude can prevent them from remembering Him. They consider Him to be their life; and find all pleasures in His love; and deem only His Person as existing; and consider His remembrance as the very aim of their life. If they love anyone, it is Him, and if they get comfort from anyone, it is Him. Their beloved, out of the whole world, is only He and they become solely His. They live for His sake and die for His sake. They live in the world, yet do not belong to it; they live with their selves, yet they are selfless. Neither have they any concern for their honour, nor for name, nor for self and nor for their comfort; rather, they forsake everything for the sake of One, and lose everything else to achieve that One. They burn with the love of 6 and cannot express as to why they burn. At getting to know and understanding they find themselves deaf and dumb. They are ever ready to undergo any ordeal and defamation, and take delight in it.”7

Similarly at another place the Promised Messiah (as) draws a picture of this holy Community in accordance with the Divine promises to Ibrahim (as) and glad tidings given to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas),

“Hundreds of thousands of holy people share the experience that Divine blessings descend on heart as a result of obedience to the Holy Quran, and a wonderful bond is established to the Gracious Lord … And a very enjoyable Divine love, which is nourished by the pleasure of union [with Him] is caused in their hearts. If they be crushed in a mortar of sufferings and be squeezed by the hardest of squeezers, nothing would come out of their beings save the love of God. The world does not know them and they are far away and far higher than the world.”8

This is that station of Ibrahim (as) which was promised to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) the glad tidings of which were given to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by his Lord. God Almighty, Who always keeps His promises, has kept His word and raised hundreds of thousands of such personages in the Muslim umma who were capable of achieving the station of Ibrahim (as).

The sixth promise made to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) has been discussed in (whoso enters it, enters peace) which means whoso enters the House of Allah, that is, performs all the forms of worship associated with it will be safeguarded against the hell of this world and the hereafter. All his past sins will be forgiven and he will be protected against the fire of hell, and whoso enters this House will be protected against the fire (which God has ignited for unbelievers). Thus, Allah the Almighty says in Surah An-Naml (such will be secure from terror that day)9 that is, those who do good deeds in accordance with the Islamic teaching, Allah will bestow on them a better reward, and they will have no fear of hell at the time of the blowing of the trumpet. Then Allah the Almighty will give them the glad tidings saying, you will not be taken to the fire of hell, rather you will be taken to the heaven, therefore, fear not at all.

Similarly, at another place in the Holy Quran, Allah says,

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That is, verily, the righteous will enter the place of gardens and fountains and they will be asked to enter therein with peace and without any fear at all. This is the peace that is granted by the Holy Quran to its true followers.

The promise was (whoso enters it, enters peace) and exactly the same words have been used for the Holy Prophet (sas). Allah the Almighty said, We gave you a word that,

“You will, certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, by Allah’s will, in security.”11

And the promise was kept.

One apparent interpretation of this [verse] is that God Almighty devised the means of Fall of Mecca and the infidels of Mecca (who had invested all of their lives in wiping out Islam) surrendered without fighting; and the angels, who descended from the heaven, terrified them to the extent that they could not gather courage to fight.

But this verse has another connotation as well, that is, you are the very umma who is to fulfill the promise given to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) in these words (whoso enters it, enters peace). This promise has seen fulfilment in you. I have explained to you that all these promises are related to the whole of mankind, every people, and every age, and they are not peculiar to any one people or time.

Thus, the phrase, (whoso enters it, enters peace) means that a person, no matter what people or age he belongs to, if he performs the Hajj rituals with sincere intention, he will become secure against the hellfire. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) is reported to have said that the Holy Prophet (sas) said:

(Remember that these words can be pronounced in both ways as ‘Yarfas’ and ‘Yarfis’, and ‘Yafsuq’ and ‘Yafsiq’ in Arabic) that is, one who abstains from foul and vulgar talk, that is, while performing the Hajj rituals he abstains from foul talk; which means his inner self is so purified that he restrains himself from talking evil. It does not mean that for some days during the eleven months he should indulge in every kind of foul talk and refrain from it only during the prescribed days. Rather, it means that the person whose inner self has been so purified and evil has been so distanced from his heart, evil and foul talk would never come on his tongue; and that he would never abandon the path of truth and rectitude. Such a person would never exceed the limits set by the shariah, and would comply with it, and would be obedient to it to the best of his ability. So, anybody who performs the Hajj with such sincere intention, with such sincere deeds and with such chaste manner, God Almighty assures him of forgiving all his past sins. And he whose all past sins are forgiven is certainly secured against the hellfire.

There is another way to be secured against the hellfire both in this world and the next, that is, whoso enters the station of Ibrahim (as) comes under the protection and peace of God Almighty.

The Promised Messiah (as) says:

“God possesses infinite wonderful powers … But these wonderful powers of His are manifested only to those who become solely His. Only those who create a pure change in themselves for His sake witness these marvels, and prostrate at His threshold, and become crystal clear like the drop that makes pearl. Having melted with warmth of love, sincerity and purity they begin to flow towards Him. Then He looks after them in misfortunes, and in a wonderful way He wards them off the machinations and contrivances of their enemies, and saves them from ignominy. He becomes their guardian and undertakes their responsibility. He comes to their help in such adverse times when no man can extend help, and His armies come to their support. How obliged should we be that our God is a Benevolent and Omnipotent God. So, will you then turn away from such a Mighty Friend? Will you then transgress His limits for your wicked soul? To die seeking His pleasure is better for us than living a wicked life.”12

This is the peace one achieves who subjects himself to rigors of death and wears a mantle of selflessness and attains to the station of Ibrahim (as). It is only then that the hosts of Allah descend from the heavens and protect him against all kinds of catastrophes. God Almighty does not set two fires for His servants. Some of His servants are those who burn themselves with the fire of His love and attain to the station of annihilation; at that stage the doors to the other fire are closed to them. The other category of His servants consists of those who act indifferently towards His love; who are not obliged for His love; who exhibit disbelief in His bounties; who, turning their faces from Him, heed to the material world, and instead of loving Him they love the world. Instead of making God their beloved, they make the worries and ties of the world dearer to them. The protection of God does not descend on such people; neither His hosts come down for their rescue. On the contrary, the gates of hell are opened for them and hellfire becomes their abode.

Thus, the servants of God do not suffer two fires. Now it is up to them either they seek the fire of love and burn to ashes the evil, their soul, their earthly desires, their self, all of their inclinations, and all of their worldly ties and connections. Or else they give precedence to the love of the world over that of God and hence open the gates of hell for themselves with their own hands.

The seventh promise made to Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was that the Hajj would remain obligatory not only for your progeny; rather a Prophet would be raised here who would be given a universal shariah, and after the advent of that shariah the Hajj would be made obligatory for all the peoples in the world. Hence, this House of Allah would be made a hub for all the peoples in the world. We can see that this promise was not fulfilled before the advent of the Holy Prophet (sas). But when the Holy Prophet (sas) appeared and the Quranic shariah was revealed to him, then, through this shariah, Allah the Exalted made the Hajj obligatory for all mankind. Allah the Exalted says in Surah Al-Baqarah:

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That is, O, mankind! Remember, the months of the Hajj are well known; so whoever, therefore, considering the Hajj obligatory upon himself determines to perform it, he is not allowed to indulge himself in any amorous talk, or any transgression, or any quarrelling during the [Hajj] days (equally as in other days). And then said, whatever good you do, Allah will surely value it. He will not discriminate between you on grounds of race and colour. No matter what people or land you may belong to, if responding to the call of Allah you take the Hajj as an obligatory article of worship as God has prescribed for you, and when the conditions related to performing the Hajj are fulfilled in your favour, and you regard this obligation of Hajj as obligatory for you, and when you abide by all the instructions by God during the Hajj, then listen O, mankind! whatever good you do you would be valued in the eyes of God. He will know your good deed. Nothing is hidden from his sight, and you would inherit countless bounties on account of His regard for your deeds. The Promised Messiah (as) says that the performance of mere rituals of the Hajj is not called Hajj. Every Islamic ritual has a philosophy and an underlying spirit behind it. Apparent performance of worship is like a body, that has a spirit functioning in it. He who does not take care of the soul and loves the body only, worships a dead; in fact, the worship of the one whose spirit has not been taken care of would not be rewarded at all. Rather, they would be treated by their Lord like the worshiper of a dead should be treated. The Promised Messiah (as) says about Hajj:

“The truth is that the final stage for a seeker is that becoming selfless he is head over heels in love with God. A true adorer and lover sacrifices his soul and heart, and the circuit of the House of Allah symbolizes this sacrifice. Just as there is a House of Allah on earth there is also a House in the heavens; a circuit of this House [on the earth] is not made unless a person makes circuit of the house in the heavens. The circuit maker of this House takes all his clothes off and covers his body with only one cloth, but the circuit maker of that House is stripped off altogether and becomes naked for the sake of God. The circuit is a sign of the lovers of God. The lovers go round it, as if they are left with no will of their own, and around Him they lay down their lives.”14

So, this is what constitutes the heavenly Hajj. Unless a person performs the Hajj of the heavenly House of Allah, his Hajj on earth is not accepted. Thus, those who perform the Hajj, or intend to do it should not neglect this point. On our part we perform apparent religious rituals but about the intrinsic worship, which is under the order of God, we know nothing whether that has been accepted or not. Why should there be then any pride, vanity, conceit, love of the self or egoism. This distances one even farther from his Lord. One should be grateful and sing songs of Allah’s praise, but that, too, should be done in the manner described by the Promised Messiah (as). He says, when a beloved servant of God is engaged in the worship of his Lord and cries in prostration with meekness and humbleness, if seen by someone in that state, he is as much mortified as someone seen while engaged in worldly pursuit [sexual intercourse].

Thus, these discourses of love are not to be disclosed. They are a secret between man and his Lord. That is why the Promised Messiah (as) says that the world does not know them for they are beyond and far higher than the world. But anybody who forsakes God for the sake of getting closer to the world and shuns spiritual elevations and loftiness, and stoops down to the earth so as to become famous in the world, and to be extolled, he attains the world but is distanced from God and loses spiritual elevations and loftiness. May Allah the Exalted safeguard us against such an eventuality. Allah had promised Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and had given glad tidings to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) for his umma. In accordance with these glad tidings millions of holy men have appeared, are appearing, or will appear in future; may Allah include us, and keep us, in that party of the holy men. We do not seek worldly applause but may Allah see any virtue of our heart even if it be equal to a mustard seed; and may He reward our good deed equal to mustard seed with love and affection and be pleased with us. May it happen so.15