[Footnote by Charagh Din]1

Here I also consider it appropriate to make it clear that this announcement of mine is not just from myself but is from Allah the Exalted as He has appointed me to testify to the truth of the Imam of the Age (peace be upon him) and the conditions of his hallowed times as is borne out by the meaning of the verse of Surah al-Buruj for [the Promised Day] is none other than the present age and the term mashhud (the one who is testified) means the Imam of the Age, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), and Shahid stands for those persons who would bear witness to his truth by the command of God Almighty. Therefore, I bear witness with a sincere heart and recognizing Allah the Exalted to be Omnipresent and Omniscient, that without any doubt or reservation whatsoever, His Exalted Holiness, Hadrat Mirza Sahib, has been appointed by Allah the Exalted as the Imam of the Age, and that obedience to him is the source of earning Allah’s pleasure and any opposition to him is the cause of invoking wrath and displeasure.2 Therefore, for the satisfaction of the world at large, I consider it appropriate to hereby briefly set down some of my own dreams and visions.

Let it be clear to the readers that some twelve years ago I saw in a true dream that a light appeared in the shape of a column. It enveloped me and transformed my condition, making me pronounce the Kalima-e-Tauhid [Islamic proclamation of the Oneness of Allah]. After this, for a little more than a year, I continued to have visions of beholding God Almighty. When this condition began to subside, one night I saw God Almighty in a dream in which I became totally effaced into and united with Him. This state of ecstasy and pleasure in my heart lasted the whole day. After this, some seven years ago, I saw in a true dream that a large number of people were waiting at some place for Hadrat Masih [His Holiness the Messiah], peace be upon him, and looking towards the heavens as if Hadrat Masihas was about to descend. I also saw that they were having some hesitation about the building of a minaret for the descent of the Messiah. At that time I was shown written in a revealed book that the minaret upon which the Messiah would descend would be built by the hand of Charagh Din; i.e. this humble one. At the same time it was dis- closed to me as if there was no other person in the world sharing my name in the context of the construction of this minaret. I was then shown in a dream about three years ago that all the nations of the world are making a lot of noise like sparrows. As I was watching them, I received the following revelation from Allah the Exalted: "Tell them to come to this side so that they may find comfort.’

Again, after this I saw once in a true dream that an assembly of righteous people was arranged and I was included among them and people were congratulating me. And again I saw [in a dream] that the sincere followers of His Holiness are holding a public meeting in which I have been allotted the task of loudly inviting people to take the bai‘at [pledge of allegiance] with His Holiness, the Messiah, and take all those who respond into his august presence. Now a year ago I saw in a true dream that a light appeared from the West which was many miles wide and as high as the heavens. This light came straight towards me. The closer it came, the less intense it became. When it came close to me, I saw, instead of the light, a single person who was holding in both his hands something that looked like two horse shoes and light came out of them as he moved them. And so as this person came close to me, he announced with great fervour, ‘Present the sick!’ At his command, I bowed before him. At this, he touched my head with the thing that he was holding in his hand and I saw that I had around my neck an iron shackle like the prisoners which I am opening with both my hands. So, a few days after this, quite like before, I was overtaken by a state of spiritual vision. My heart became steeped in such delight as if I were a king. One day, in a state of similar delight of rapture I was spiritually transported to the presence of the Divine. At that moment the reality about the Christian teachings—that is, the reality of the Gospel—was brought home to me. I was informed of the misperceptions of the Christians. Also, it was disclosed to me at the same time as if the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him (i.e. the Messiah of this ummah), was about to descend in all his glory and that I have been appointed to announce his coming and to communicate the glad tidings to the nations to join his kingdom. Then a few days later, in a true dream, it was shown to me that bright heavenly bodies looking like the half moon were floating down and that extending my hands, I am catching hold of them with the intent to present them to the Imam of the Age. Again in the same dream I noticed that at a certain place a large number of houses were being built for the Europeans and that on one side a holy person, namely His Holiness, is also seated. On all sides around him there is a curtain on account of which His Holiness is not visible from the outside. And from within the curtain His Holiness is admonishing the builders very severely to make haste and that if the job is not finished by the next day, their contract would be cancelled. Meanwhile, a wind happens to blow which casts aside the curtain behind which Hudur is seated and the luminous person of His Holiness becomes visible, shining like the sun. And this humble one saw that his blessed face is so very beautiful and bright, as if radiating divine light. I also saw that from head to toe His Holiness is dressed in extremely white and bright clothes. Then, stepping forward, I offered my salam [greeting of peace] and he received me with such kindness and affection as fully convinced me that I have been granted the favour and honour of being his servant, so much so that I find that my own dress has turned white and bright like his. Similarly, a saintly person, after focusing attention, had seen this dream about me that there is a pond, in the centre of which there is a brick building from within which there is emanating a flame of light. The holy person says that when he approached the gate of the building in order to determine the source of the light, he found that I was there inside it.

The point of the discourse is that there are many other similar dreams and visions which it will take long to describe. But it is well worth remembering that Allah the Exalted, has, through these dreams and visions, effectively established and proved to this humble one that I am one of the spiritual helpers of His Holiness the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him. Just as he was shown two helpers, in a true dream, in the early part of his claim to be the Messiah, the truth of which is testified to by a hadith of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to the effect that the Promised Messiah will descend resting his hands on the shoulders of two angels or men, hence my dreams and visions, as briefly described above, amply prove that of the two helpers mentioned in the blessed visions seen by the Holy Prophet(sa) and by His Holiness, I happen to be one of them. It is so, firstly, because I have been shown written in a revealed book that the minaret at which the Messiah will descend shall be built by the hand of this humble one. Secondly, in a vision God appointed me to proclaim the majestic descent of the Messiah and to convey the glad tidings to the nations that they should enter his kingdom.

Thirdly, through His revelation, God has commanded me to invite nations to the deliverance from the plague. Fourthly, God sent down bright heavenly bodies to this humble one, by way of support to the Holy Imam of the Age. Fifthly, by His Holiness, I was granted the exalted office of being his attendant and attorney. Sixthly, I was bestowed the service of inviting nations to enter into the covenant of bai‘at with His Holiness.

In the face of such self-evident arguments, is there any possibility to doubt that I am entitled to be one of the supporters of His Holiness mentioned in the hadith and true dreams? No, not at all. Of course, I confess I do not have the scholarly or financial wherewithal to reasonably claim to be a helper of His Holiness for, on both these counts, I find myself still unequipped and lacking. But I have faith in the promises and reassurances accorded to me by God that He will certainly bring this about. Rather, I hereby declare, with full certainty, that I shall not be made to leave this world until I fully carry out the service allotted to this humble one. Because His will and promises cannot be thwarted, I, therefore claim with self-assurance that I am the Messenger of the Promised Messiah’s glorious advent. It is because hitherto the Promised Messiah’s advent had been compassionate in nature and henceforth his coming shall be glorious in nature. In other words, people were persuaded and made to understand things, until now, in a gentle manner. But now God Almighty shall warn by means of His glorious and wrathful recourse, and it is to announce this very fact that I have been appointed.

[Author Charagh Din]