Chapter One in Al-Istifta’

(Call for a Religious Verdict)

O scholars of Islam and jurists of the religion of the Best of Creation [the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa)]! Give me your verdict regarding a man who has claimed to be from Allah the Benevolent, and who believes in the Book of Allah and His compassionate and merciful Messenger(sa). Allah has shown supernormal matters for him, and has manifested brilliant Signs and magnificent victories.

He has appeared in an age which has nothing to don in regard to the Faith, and is [pierced] into the heart of Islam like a spear. The [religious] scholars of the time are like a man whose legs are both paralysed.

The Christian priests have emerged like a valiant champion who is equipped with two arrows: one which they sharpen with lies and a variety of slanders to smite the religion of Islam; and the other which they load into their bow to lure people into the fold of Christianity. You will find them resembling a wolf that wreaks havoc or a robber who plunders the possessions [of others].

They possess nothing but false traditions and [doctrines] which reason rejects. The wood of Atonement is the lone pillar upon which their faith is supported, and with it, all doors have been flung open for an-nafsul-ammarah [the self that incites to evil].

Is there anything more frightening, more obscene, and beyond acceptance by the good natured than this doctrine? In addition, they [these priests] hurl abusive language against the religion of Allah [Islam] and the Best of Creation; this is the greatest affliction to befall Islam.

A religion that is based upon a mere piece of wood merits no investigation, nor does reason guide towards affirming it. On the contrary, a pious nature abhors it, flees from such a tale, and pronounces three divorces1 upon the religion of Trinity. As for the ascension and descent of ‘Isa [Jesus], it is a matter that is rejected both by reason and the Book of Allah, the Holy Quran. It is nothing more than a lullaby by which children are put to sleep, or like a doll with which little girls and boys play. There is no proof of its validity, nor is there any convincing argument to verify it. To sum up, therefore, this claimant has appeared in these days in the face of rampant mischief and religious innovations, and the debilitating state of Islam.

No trace of the habits of deceit, falsehood, and calumny is found in this person’s life before his claim—neither in his old age nor in his youth. Nor is there anything to be found in his conduct which is opposed to the Sunnah [practice] of the Best of the Prophets(sa). Rather, he believes in all the commandments and prophecies brought by the Noble Messenger(sa), and in all that is proven to be from our Prophet(sa), the Leader of the righteous; and that he [the Holy Prophet(sa)] is the healer for carnal desires and has bandaged and cured the wounds of sins.

He came to remedy the ills of all people and to unite the ummahs of the earlier times with the last Ummah. If you seek who his role model is, you will surely find in him the moral character of al-Mustafa [the Chosen One(sa)], whom he follows in all paths of guidance. The enemies exerted their utmost efforts and fell upon the claimant like a tribulation. They closely scrutinized his case in an attempt to find any flaw or any statement in contravention to the illustrious religion [of Islam]. They delved deeply into the events of his life on account of their enmity and malice. But in spite of their deep-seated enmity, they did not find any grounds for criticism, fault-finding, or scorn; nor did they find in his actions anything which could be attributed to personal or carnal desires.

In his early days he was concealed in a life of seclusion—unknown and overlooked—with neither hope nor fear associated with him. He was ignored and was granted no respect. He was not even considered a worthy topic of conversation amongst the general public or the elite. It was considered that he amounts to nothing and the intellectuals avoided mentioning him in their assemblies.

During that very period His Lord gave him the glad tidings that He is with him; that He has chosen him; that He has included him among His loved ones; that He will soon exalt his remembrance and raise his status, and will grant him great authority. As a consequence, he will be renowned amongst the people, and will be remembered both in the Easts and the Wests of the earth with goodly words and reverence. His greatness will be spread throughout the entire world by the command of the Lord of the Heavens. He will be granted succour from the Lord of Grandeur, and, like a stormy sea, hosts after hosts [of people] will flock to him by every distant track, so much so that he might well-nigh grow weary on account of their large number, feel constrained by their sight, and be overawed much like the head of a large family who must discharge his responsibilities despite the large size of his household and meagreness of his resources.

People will abandon their homelands and will adopt his town as their home because of the attraction God has infused within their hearts for him. They will discard the company of their close friends for the sake of meeting him. Their hearts will be burning with the yearning for keeping his company, and their hearts will grow tender at the sight of his countenance. Godly people will hasten to follow him with the utmost truthfulness, sincerity, and fidelity. They will prefer to endure diverse kinds of hardship for his sake. There will be a group among them who will be called Ashabus-Suffah,2 who will live in some of his courtyards like mendicants. Their personal ambitions will melt and their hearts will flow like water. You will find their eyes flowing with tears on account of their recognition of the truth and beholding the heavenly light. They will say: ‘Our Lord, verily we have heard a crier calling unto faith.’ They will weep with extreme delight and ecstasy like those who have recognized their Lord. And they will be grateful because Allah has helped them achieve their objective and their souls will prostrate before the Lord of Grandeur.

Thus, all kinds of gifts, wealth, and a variety of other things will arrive from all sides for this man of God. His Lord God will grant him great blessings, an overpowering soul, and intense attraction, as has been ordained for him since the beginning. People will hasten to reach his door and kings will seek blessings from his garments, and hosts of kings and chiefs will come to pay frequent visits to his court.

Some people from every nation will rise to oppose him and will try in every way to eradicate him. They will hatch schemes of all kinds to extinguish his light, to conceal his overwhelming success, to diminish his status, and to prove his arguments to be spurious. Moreover, [they will try] to kill him or crucify him, or expel him from the land, or reduce him to a forlorn beggar, or drag him to the rulers through backbiting and fabricating lies and accusations against him with beguiling and cunning words, or torture him in the worst possible manner.

Despite all this, God, in His grace, will safeguard him from heaven against their unholy designs, and will cause their machinations to recoil upon them, and will debase them. As a result, all of them will return totally frustrated and unsuccessful, as if they are not of the living. God will vouchsafe upon him all the rewards and bounties that He has promised. Allah will never do anything contrary to His promise in favour of His servant, nor [will He avert] the warning of punishment against his enemies.

This is from the prophecies of Allah which were revealed to this servant [of His] before the occurrence of these events. They were recorded, published, and disseminated in different countries for the general public as well as the elite, and were communicated to diverse nations and different countries. As such, each nation had been made like a witness thereof. These prophecies had been published twenty-six years before our present time.

At the time, there was simply no indication of the fulfilment of these prophecies nor did anyone among the wise have any clue about their fulfilment. Indeed, every person regarded their fulfilment to be far-fetched, mocking them and considering them to be false or self conceived thoughts rooted in wishful thinking, or from the temptations of Satan and not from the Lord of Grandeur. Indeed, all these prophecies are recorded at different places in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, which is one of the books of this servant of God written in the Indian language;3 whosoever has doubts about them should revert to that book and read it with pure intention and with the fear of Allah. He should ponder over the grandeur, glory, and excellence of these prophecies; the loftiness of their arguments; the lengthy period since they were published; and [also reflect upon] their brilliance and lustre. Is any human being capable of making such prophecies without being informed by God, the Knower of all things? Such prophecies are plentiful. I have mentioned some of them and not others. This much should suffice for the righteous who fear God and whose hearts are moved when they recognize the truth. They do not pass by them like the unfortunate ones. Instead, they pray, ‘Our Lord! We have believed. Therefore, count us among Your believing servants and witnesses.’

Again, know—may Allah have mercy upon you—that the time of [the announcement of] these prophecies was when there was no trace of their fulfilment, nor any manifestation of their light, nor any avenue to find their hidden aspects; rather, the matter was completely hidden from the eyes and thoughts of people, and this servant of God was lying in complete anonymity. No one knew him except a few people who were his father’s acquaintances since the beginning. If you so wish, you can enquire about it from the residents of the township called Qadian, and from the Muslims, polytheists, and his enemies living in its suburbs. It was at that time that Allah the Exalted addressed him and said:

You are to Me like My Unity and Uniqueness. The time has arrived when you will be helped and made well known among the people. The help will come to you by every distant track. People will come to you so that the track will become deep due to excessive travel. Such people will help you whom We shall inspire from Ourself from the heavens. When the help of Allah comes and the age turns to us, it will be asked: ‘Is this not the truth?’ Do not turn away from Allah’s creatures and be not fatigued by people. And enlarge your house (in order to accommodate those who will come to meet with you out of love).

These are the prophecies from Allah; by this time, twenty-six years have elapsed since their revelation. There is a great Sign in this for the wise.

Then, after this, God Almighty helped this servant [of His], as was His promise, with various kinds of favours and multifaceted bounties. As a result, seekers after truth flocked towards him in droves with monetary contributions, presents, and all that they could afford, so much so that not enough room was left to accommodate them and he might have well-nigh felt weary due to meeting with the large numbers. Thus, what Allah had said was fulfilled truly and to the letter. Indeed, who is more capable of fulfilling his promise than the Lord of Grandeur? No enemy had the power to stop the support and descent of bounties which Allah had decreed for him. Eventually, God Almighty unveiled His plans which the enemies sought to frustrate, and fulfilled His promise which they denied. He bestowed upon that servant of His the title of Khilafah [vicegerency] from heaven.

There is a great Sign in this for a seeker after truth who comes after discarding hatred and malice. Hence, O righteous people! Explain and be rewarded. Is this the act of Allah or the fabrication of a man who dares to commit the sin of falsehood to be counted amongst the people who are sent by God? Are such criminals immune from divine punishment in this world, or will they be chastised?

Now, O jurists! I seek your verdict for the second time, so be righteous for the sake of Allah and deliver your verdict like those who fear Allah and are not unjust. O brave young people! A man claims that he is from Allah, then those who reject him contest with him through a mubahalah [prayer duel], hoping to be victorious. But Allah destroyed and disgraced them and frustrated their plans. If you like, you may read their stories in this book and [reflect upon] how Allah treated them. Is that not a conclusive argument against those who reject [him]?4

Allah supported him in every contest and caused him to prevail over his enemies; He informed him about it before the events took place—O wise people!—is that not a Sign of his truthfulness? Does your reason permit that the Most Holy God—who is not pleased with anything but good deeds and does not grant His nearness to anyone except on account of his good deeds—would love a transgressor and an impostor, and permit him to have a life longer than that of our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him; that He would show enmity to his enemies and love to his friends and would show Signs in favour of him, honour him with His support and help him with His miracles and favour him with His blessings and grant him victory over his enemies in every field; that He would save him from harmful places and occasions of being reviled; while He—being displeased—would destroy and abase the one who challenges him through a mubahalah and, for his sake, would wield His whip and kill his enemy with a sword from the heavens? Would He do all this despite the knowledge that the man is imputing falsehood to Him and then, along with the fabrication, he presents his self coined lies to people in order to mislead the ignorant?

What is your opinion about this man? Has God helped him despite his fabrication, or is he from God and one of those who are truthful? Will those attain salvation who experience false dreams but claim to have received divine revelation, even though nothing has been revealed to them and they are only telling lies?

Again, O learned people! I seek your verdict for the third time regarding the person you have heard about and the blessings that God Almighty has bestowed upon him. God has granted him further Signs aside from these that people might recognize him. One of these Signs is that the shooting stars broke apart and fell down on two occasions to support him. The moon and the sun testified to his truthfulness when they were eclipsed in the month of Ramadan. The Holy Quran had prophesied about them, when it mentioned both of these among the Signs of the Latter Days. Then the Hadith elaborated on what the Holy Quran had mentioned in brief. Certainly, God Almighty had also informed His humble servant about them, as was recorded in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, long before their occurrence. O honourable people! There are certainly Signs in them for all who have eyes. Therefore, give a clear verdict and be rewarded [from Allah the Exalted]. Is this the act of Allah or the fabrication of a human being?

Moreover, among the Signs is that God Almighty informed him of great earthquakes in far-off lands and in this country before their occurrence and before there were any indications of their appearance. Accordingly, you have heard what has happened in this country and around the globe. You are well aware of how mankind was hit by these calamities in such a manner that the sun rose upon bustling populations, but when it set, it set upon entire metropolises lying destroyed with the roofs of the houses razed to the ground, burying their inhabitants and filling the houses with death and grief. Assemblies were moved from palaces to graves and the gathering places vanished underground, thus exposing life to be nothing more than a mirage or a bubble of water upon the surface of the sea. Anxiety stamped the hearts of those who survived, and grief tore apart their bosoms. Razed to the ground were the mansions, to reside in which they so proudly vied with one another and which they considered a distinction to abide in. This series of earthquakes has neither relented nor has it ended. Rather, the one that is imminent will be of much greater severity than the earlier ones. Verily, it is a means of enlightenment for the righteous people. Therefore—O equitable people!—explain and be rewarded. Are these divine Signs or forgeries hatched by fabricators?

Believers are those who are truthful when they speak; and when they are appointed to give a verdict, they are just, and they do no wrong. But those who fear people as they should fear Allah and hide the truth as if it would cut off their noses [i.e. degrade them] or put them behind bars, are women in the garb of men and disbelievers in the guise of believers.

Another Sign is that Allah informed this servant [of His] of the plague that was to break out in this country and indeed, in all directions and all regions. He said:

Diseases will be spread and lives will be lost.

So you have seen that, quite like voracious animals, the plague has played havoc with people’s lives. You witnessed how the plague ran rampant in this country and quite a large number of people were killed. It still attacks like wild beasts and keeps roaming and seizing people every day. With each passing year it becomes more dreadful than the previous year. Moreover, it has been followed by terrible earthquakes. All these prophecies were widely published even in distant lands before their fulfilment. In this, certainly, there is a great Sign for those who can see. Allah has also informed him of another earthquake which will be like doomsday; we do not know what Allah will reveal thereafter. Surely, for those who are endowed with reason, there is a reason to fear. So explain and be rewarded—O brave young people!—is this the work of Allah or the fabrication of a human being?

Verily, Allah has ordained deaths as well as gifts for this age. Those who believe and do not taint their faith with injustice, will be granted gifts by the Gracious God; however, those who do not repent nor seek forgiveness, nor does the piety of heart or the fear of that which has befallen the towns bring them to this servant of God, and who are guilty of a great rebellion against God, and—like the intoxicated—are bent on pursuing their worldly pursuits, they will be given a taste of death on a massive scale because they had crossed all limits in disobedience. The heavens shall crash down upon their heads and the earth shall split beneath their feet. Everyone shall encounter their [due] reward. The promise of God the Requiter shall be fulfilled on that day.

Another Sign for him is that God gave him the glad tiding that the plague would not enter his house and the earthquakes would not destroy him or his helpers, and that God would keep the evil of both [these calamities] away from his house. The arrows of both of them will not be brought out of the quiver, nor will they be shot, feathered, or sharpened. And so has it happened by the grace of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Surely, this Servant of God and his Companions are living in peace by His mercy. They do not hear even their faintest sound and have been granted protection from fright and wailing. On the other hand, you can see the havoc the plague is wreaking in our country as well as the other regions and faraway lands. It is visiting the streets and the markets. Similarly, the earthquakes do not seek permission from residents, nor do they ask [their victims] before they strike and destroy. They continue to wreak havoc on this country. In the township of this servant of God, many people within its vicinity and neighbourhood fell prey to it and died of the plague in the houses situated left and right and all around; whereas not even a mouse—let alone a human being— has died within the premises of his home. There is a Sign in this for the one who has eyes. By God, should you seek to count the Signs the Almighty God has showered in support of this servant of His, you will certainly not be able to count them. Such a variety of wonderful bounties have been laid out for him as have not been witnessed or tasted by anyone [in this age]. Certainly, in this, there is vivid proof [of his truthfulness] for a people who reflect—those who do not hasten to reject, and ponder over the matter.

Another Sign for him is that Allah hears his prayers and does not let his cries [in supplications] go to waste. I have already recorded a large number of illustrations of this acceptance of prayer in the book Haqiqatul-Wahi, and how God showered His grace whenever he turned to his Lord with earnest supplications. There is no need to repeat them here. Anyone who is enslaved by doubt should refer to it [the book Haqiqatul-Wahi].

Yet another Sign for him is that God Almighty has granted great eloquence to his statements in the Arabic language, with due regard to truth and wisdom, even though he is not an Arab, nor was he well versed in their language, nor had he thoroughly studied the vast corpus of Arabic literature. Likewise, he is not from among those who have been fed milk from the breast of eloquence.5 Yet there was not even a single human being who could compete with him in this fierce battle. In fact, they [his opponents] did not even come close to [challenging] him out of the fear of humiliation. This [God-given eloquence] is, in fact, the drink that no other has sipped in this age. God offered him to partake of this drink, so he drank it from the Lord of all mankind.

You neither reflect nor act with righteousness: So where are you going? Do you say that he is a poet? Actually, the poets do not speak except in vain talk, and they wander aimlessly in every valley. Have you ever seen a poet who does not forsake truth and verities, and does not utter anything except points of cognition and subtle truths, and does not speak except in wisdom, and does not utter anything but subtle points replete with knowledge [about God]?

Rather, the poets speak like those who talk nonsense, or like madmen who babble deliriously. On the contrary, you will find this discourse [of mine] to be filled with subtle points of spirituality and divine insights. Moreover, it is designed with the utmost refinement, exquisite composition, and lofty wording, and you will not find in it anything without purpose. What is the matter with you that you do not reflect? God is my Witness that my writings are a shadow of the eloquence of the Holy Quran, so that it may be a Sign for those who reflect.

Do you allege that I am a plagiarist? If you are truthful, then do produce the likes of these ‘plagiarised pages’, which adhere firmly to truth and wisdom. Is there a writer amongst you who can compose the calibre of writing I have composed? If you cannot do so—and you certainly will not—then know that it is a Sign like other Signs for a people who see.

In brief, God has revealed every Sign for the sake of this servant of His and has aided him with all kinds of succour. He has comprehended within him every Sign of the truthful and all the characteristics of the Messengers. He trained him in the best possible manner and enabled him to perform the cardinal virtues. He made him follow His Sunnah [go through the same experiences] that He has established for all the Prophets. As a result, any attack on him amounts to an attack upon all the Prophets, and indeed upon everyone sent by the Lord of Grandeur. Furthermore, God assured him of His protection in times of danger and invested him with steadfastness and stability under all circumstances and helped him when the conspirators hatched plots against him. He protected him from the mischief of the mischief-makers, from the harm of the harmful, and the attack of the attackers. He provided him ease after hardship and shade after heat.

Therefore—O community of the righteous!—reflect over this! Could reason allow the Holy Lord to grant these rewards and support to a man whom He knows to be amongst the fabricators? Can any text or statement of the Lord of all the worlds be found in this regard? And do you find any such precedent of this anywhere in the universe?

Can reason affirm that all such matters can be found in their entirety in an impostor? That he ascribes falsehood to God day and night, and does not repent from his lies by discarding his own shamelessness; nevertheless, God grants him respite for twenty-six years, reveals to him knowledge of the unseen in abundance, helps him in every way, and grants him succour in every mubahalah against his enemies. Certainly not! Indeed, such a statement can be uttered only by someone who does not believe in the Best of Judges. Beware! Allah’s curse is upon the people who ascribe lies to Allah and upon those who reject His Messengers, despite witnessing the Signs of their truthfulness; they knowingly deny Signs which they have seen. Do they not see that an impostor is never supported like the truthful? Were such a one to be supported, the whole affair would have been confused and falsehood would have been mingled with truth. There would have remained no difference between the recipients of revelation from Allah and the impostors. Beware! The curse of Allah is upon the one who forges lies against Allah or rejects the truthful. Whosoever rejects the truthful or forges lies, Allah will gather them altogether in a fire that He has prepared for them and they will be incapable of escaping therefrom.

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Those who had rejected [the truth] would say:

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And we reckoned them to be among the liars. On that day, God will inform them that: ‘Those people are in Heaven and you will abide for long in the burning hot Hell.’ There they will testify to the truth of the Prophets under the canine teeth of Hell. Woe unto those who reject!

When it is said to them, ‘Let us turn to the Book of Allah for arbitration between us and you’, they say, ‘Nay, we shall instead follow our past elders.’ They have, in fact, abandoned the Scriptures of Allah. Instead, you will find them to rely on others [i.e. books] besides them. They flee from the one who has been sent to them, even though he is al-Hakam [the Arbiter] commissioned by Allah; and Allah testified to his truth and He is indeed the Best of Testifiers. He appeared at the head of the century and God sent down such Signs for him that help cure the sick and diminish the need for back and forth discussion. However, the Signs are of no use to a people who exceed the limit.

O wise people! He has been raised at the time of true need when Islam faces great hardships at the hands of the disbelievers and just when the two eclipses [lunar and solar] have taken place during Ramadan, as was prophesied. He has invited you to truth, as supported by true insight. He has been aided by everything that is provided as assistance to the elect of God and those whom He loves. Furthermore, the age demands that he should come and silence the disbelievers [with arguments] and demolish what they have constructed.

He is calling [the people of ] the age and the age is calling for him. Despite that, those who exceed the limit go on denying him, are ever so eager to deride him, and view him with ridicule. He is indeed the Promised Messiah—the one to break the Cross with clear arguments based on true guidance, in much the same way the cross broke [the body of ] the earlier Messiah. Now is the time for the rays of Islam to reach their zenith. The Promised Messiah came at the time of midday [when the heat is at its peak] by the command of the All-Knowing God, so that Allah may reveal His complete light to mankind after darkness. As a result, his truth has been manifested like the sea when it surges or the deluge when it strikes.

These matters were destined for him for the Latter Days by the Gracious God. Hence, it happened exactly as ordained by the Munificent God.

He looked at the Indian subcontinent and found it worthy of the seat of this Khilafah [vicegerency], for, in the beginning of creation, this part of the world was the cradle of the first Adam.8

This is why God raised the Adam of the Latter Days in this part of the world, with a view to establishing their mutual resemblance and connecting the beginning to the end, and thus completing the full circle of the divine call, as was the requirement of truth and wisdom. Thus, the time has now come back to its original state and reached its destined form which the Best of Creation [Holy Prophet(sa)] had referred to.

Thus it was that in this blessed land, the end point merged with the starting point and the sun rose in the East. This is what was recorded in the holy Scriptures of Allah, so that those people should be comforted whose tears did not cease upon viewing darkness. Their cheeks radiate their happiness and they take delight in it. Allah has indeed removed all thorns of doubts from their path. As a result, they walk in peace and they have been transported from wilderness to gardens. They have come out of the dark cave to the light of the Lord of all creation and behold! they have begun to see. They have moved from the wilderness to the fortress of God, the Protector. Lamps of faith have been lit in their hearts and they have entered the safe haven of peace, to which satanic people cannot even come close. As for those who love the life of this world, their hearts have been sealed; therefore, they do not understand. The night has cast its shroud over them and darkness has spread its ropes. Therefore, they are straying in darkness.

O brave young people! Once again, I ask you, so that the argument is clinched against him who rejects the truth; and the reward be established for the one who speaks the truth, keeps guard over his righteousness and faith, and does not follow the paths of Satan. Give me your verdict about the one who says that he has been sent by Allah, and every day he is helped by Allah, and is honoured and never dishonoured. His Lord God is with him at every step. He provides for his needs expeditiously and blesses his provisions, life, Jama‘at, followers, and community. He grants him succour and acceptance among the people many times greater than could be imagined in the beginning of his mission. He elevates his remembrance and spreads it to all parts of the world and carries it to all sides and ends of the earth. He elevates his rank and makes his arguments magnificent. He grants him clear victory in every field and causes his praises to flow from the tongues. He hears his prayers at the time of adversity and disgraces his enemies and perfects His bounties to such an extent that people begin to feel jealous on this account. God destroys whoever enters into a mubahalah [prayer duel] with him and disgraces the one who seeks to disgrace him. He inspires people at large to think and speak well of him and protects him from all kinds of dishonour. He declares him free of the slanders hurled upon him and helps him in extraordinary ways on all occasions. He declares him innocent of all that is said about him by the ignoble.

Allah testifies to his truth with Signs that are not granted except to the truthful and with the support reserved only for the truthful. He blesses his lifespan, his breath, his words, his arguments, and the Signs he shows. People are attracted to him in large numbers to hear his words and seek his favourable attention. He endears him to His righteous servants and gathers large parties of sincere followers towards him. Initially, He causes him to emerge as a seed that sends forth its sprout, with no one among the people being with him, but then He makes him like a grand tree, and a large number of people take shelter under his shade and fruits.

Through him, God bestows life to the soil of the hearts so that it becomes fertile, and He illumines the faces with His argument and they begin to glow. Through him, He opens the eyes that were blind, the ears that were deaf, and the hearts that were wrapped up [in heedlessness]. O brave young people! You have witnessed all of this. You have seen for yourselves how some members of my community demonstrated supernormal steadfastness, to the extent that some of them were murdered and some stoned to death only because they belonged to this community. They fulfilled their vow with truthfulness and firm faith, and drank the cup of martyrdom like a pure wine and surrendered their lives blissfully. It certainly constitutes a Sign for one who has eyes. I swear by Allah that from the early days of his adolescence up until now, this servant of God has been witnessing a large variety of bounties from the Gracious God. Whenever one bounty was delayed, another would appear instead. Every time trouble of any kind was posed by an enemy, it was warded off by Allah, and he continued to remain victorious in each and every battle, until the time came for divine help to reach him, and truth became distinct [from falsehood], doubt vanished away, and a multitude of people had recourse to him. Those who asked, ‘Whence did you come by all this?’, God demonstrated to them that all this was from Him. Those who sought to disgrace him, God caused them to taste disgrace and destruction and placed them under the threat of the hatchet. Whenever they held their heads high, the divine hand came down hard on them. It happened thus so that they may acquire hearts with which they should understand, and ears with which they should hear, and so that they may be awakened or their sensory organs be sharpened. Among them are many who entered into a mubahalah and, in consequence, were smitten with disgrace or were destroyed, or their lineal descendants were cut off, so that Allah might awaken them from their slumber.

Whenever they hatched a plot, God defended His servant, even if their machination was powerful enough to move mountains, and He caused every conspirator to taste something of a chastisement. And God recoiled the curse upon everyone who invoked curses upon His servant.

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At the time of the mubahalah, having compassion for the weak and helping those who were unaware of the reality of the situation, Allah destroyed their leaders. Thus, Allah averted the evil outcome and resolved the issue, and there remained no one to dare to take up the challenge of mubahalah. God thus demonstrated for them such Signs as had not been shown to their forefathers. This was done so that the paths of the guilty ones should be exposed and so that Allah may distinguish between the rightly guided and those who had gone astray. God thus disproved their boasts of knowledge, piety, sacrifice, worship, and righteousness. God exposed to mankind the deeds they were hiding; He removed their clothing, revealing their emaciation.

But God granted safety to those who feared Him and whose hearts trembled. Thus, they were saved from punishment. Moreover, many of the transgressors dragged this servant of God to the authorities so that he may be incarcerated, hanged, or banished from the land. You are well aware of the final and ultimate verdict that God delivered in this encounter. All the bounties and grace that I have mentioned that God granted to this servant of His during times of hardship were announced based upon information received from the Lord of Glory well before they were actually manifested. Do you know of any precedent under the heavens where this ever happened in the case of impostors? If so, then come forward with it and stop this verbal wrangling. Verily, the people wronged him greatly and committed an injustice against him; they encircled him like mountains. But then a clear victory came to him from Allah. Thus, the high were laid low, and whatever they shot recoiled on them and struck them on their skulls and heads. God demonstrated His help in perfect form. But the refuse of mankind rallied with full preparation to assist his enemies; however, by God’s command, they suffered defeat, and Allah’s word alone reigned supreme. All those on whom the enemy relied were found ineffective and God granted His servant success, victory, and triumph in all affairs, in every direction, and under all circumstances. God, who does whatever He wills, invested him with great awe and majesty. Had you only observed the hosts of initiates who have spread across the earth, and the hosts that Allah has gathered for His servant who seeks Allah’s pleasure, and the gifts and wealth that came to him from countries near and far, you would certainly concede that it is nothing but Allah’s grace, support, and succour, and divinely bestowed honour and grandeur [for him].

But people continued to disbelieve despite witnessing divine support and Signs. They hatched all kinds of plots to inflict some harm upon him but Allah granted him security and peace against every mischievous Antichrist and from every person who came out for a fight and a dispute. Whenever they sought to disturb his life, Allah transformed his fears into felicity, and, by the command of Allah, the Bestower of Bounties, his life became more pleasant than before. They wanted to broadcast his [supposed] faults, but he was lauded and praised on account of his comely virtues and noble deeds. They wanted his livelihood to be straitened; instead, there descended upon him presents, gifts, and monetary contributions from all sides, falling down upon him like ripened fruits. They wished to see his humiliation and disgrace, but Allah blessed him with spectacular honour and raised his status. The most surprising part of it is that they malign and vilify him even though they are totally unaware of the facts. When they are told to believe as others have believed, they say, ‘Shall we believe as the foolish have believed?’ Beware! It is surely they that are foolish, but they perceive it not. They do not reflect on the act of God and how [benevolently] He has treated His servant. Is this the reward for those who forge lies? Verily, those who blaspheme are cursed in this world and in the Hereafter and they are never helped. For them there is no share of this world except a tiny portion. Then, in the end, they die of divine chastisement that overtakes them from above and from beneath their feet and from their right and left. They shall be given full requital for what they used to do. No true Prophet was ever sent except on whose account Allah debased the people who would not believe. They eagerly await his death whereas only those are destroyed who deserve to be destroyed.

Will God destroy someone whom He knows to be truthful on account of the designs and prayers of these people? Nay, it is they who are blind. O fair minded ones! What do you say about this servant of God and his enemies? Have you ever witnessed someone who fabricated lies about God, and was engaged in a mubahalah with a believer, but Allah helped him against the believer and utterly destroyed the one who opposed him and engaged in a mubahalah with him?

So explain—O wise people!—and be rewarded: Have you ever seen that a person fabricated lies about God, and then God supported him and removed every hurdle meant to harm him? And whenever a plot was hatched against him, God Almighty smashed it into pieces, and opened for him the doors of His grace, mercy, and bounties, and rewarded him as He rewards His Messengers; and opened for him the doors of every bounty and blessing, protected his honour and life against the enemies, and then, with His Signs and divine testimony, cleared him of all their charges? [One whom] God Almighty safeguarded against [the mischief of ] his enemies and attacked those who sought to attack him, descending against anyone who showed enmity towards him, and helped His servant as He helps those who are sincere to Him?

O brave young people! Give me your verdict in this matter and show me an impostor upon whom God bestowed such favours and bounties like this servant of His. Fear God to whom you will return.

O learned ones and erudite scholars! Yet again, I seek your verdict. Do not say aught but the truth and fear God in whose hand is your recompense. You know that the virtuous never lie, and to conceal [the truth] is not among their traits; none hides the truth except the one doomed for wretchedness.

O brave young people, contemporary jurists, learned men of the time, and erudite scholars of various towns! Give me your verdict concerning him who claims to have come from God and for whom divine protection appeared like the midday sun, the light of whose truth is resplendent, like the full moon on a dark night, and for whose sake God displayed brilliant Signs, and in whatever matter this servant of God decided to proceed, God arose to help him. Furthermore, God answered [his prayers] about his friends and foes. This servant of God says nothing except what the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had said and does not take a single step away from the right path of guidance. He says that God has designated me a Prophet in His revelation and the same name has also been conferred upon me earlier by the tongue of our very Prophet al-Mustafa [the Chosen One of God].10 By ‘Prophethood’ he means a great abundance of converse with Allah, abundant news of the unseen from Allah, and abundance of revelation. He says: By ‘Prophethood’ I do not mean what the earlier Scriptures meant. On the contrary, it signifies a spiritual station that is not granted except through [complete] following of our Holy Prophet, the Best of Mankind. Whosoever is blessed to attain this station, Allah speaks to him abundantly and with great clarity. The Shariah remains sacrosanct. No command is dropped nor is any injunction added. He also says: I am just an individual member of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet(sa). Despite this, by virtue and blessings of the Muhammadan Prophethood, God has designated me a Prophet and has revealed to me what He has revealed. Therefore, my prophethood is nothing but his prophethood. And there is nothing in my attire except his light and rays. Were he not there, I would not be anything worthy of mention, nor [even] be named.

Every Prophet is recognized on the basis of his beneficence. Imagine how lofty is the spiritual station of our Holy Prophet(sa)who is the greatest of all the Prophets. He is greater than them in beneficence and his spiritual station is loftier and higher than all of them. What worth is a religion whose light does not illumine any heart, whose elixir does not quench any thirst, whose appearance does not have a profound impact upon the hearts, and which does not possess any praiseworthy feature that clinches the argument when quoted? What worth is a faith that does not distinguish a believer from the one who disbelieves and rejects, as though he who enters it is just like the one who leaves it, and no difference can be seen between them? Of what worth is a religion that does not bring death upon the base desires of the living one nor gives him a new life?

God becomes his who devotes himself to God entirely; this has been His way among the peoples of the past. A Prophet who lacks the quality of bestowing grace upon others possesses no firm argument to establish his truthfulness, nor can he be recognised by anyone who comes to him. His case is like a shepherd who does not provide fresh leaves and water for his flock but instead restrains them from water and pasture.

You are well aware that our Religion [of Islam] is a living faith and our Holy Prophet(sa)raises the dead to life. His advent brought great blessings like heavy rain from the clouds. No religion dares to compete with it [Islam] in regard to these magnificent features. Other than this resplendent Faith, there is no religion that removes the burden of a person’s veil, or brings him to the edifice of Allah and its door. Only he who is blind can doubt these [excellences of Islam].

People conspired to draw their swords from their sheaths against this servant of God. In reply, the Lord of Creation advanced forth to fight against them. Consequently, some were cut off, some disgraced, and some—in accordance with His warning—were granted reprieve until the time destined for their punishment. For their part, they had solemnly vowed to treat him with nothing but injustice and falsehood. Their multitude drifted away from the path of righteousness and fled from the path of truth as if there was a ferocious lion tearing them apart, or a snake ready to bite, or some other affliction facing them.

It was their desire that this servant of God be slain or incarcerated or expelled from the land, so that they might later claim that he was a liar, and therefore, Allah had destroyed and annihilated him or humiliated and debased him. Instead, God helped him with never-ending support both from the earth and the high heavens. He prayed for victory and God caused all his arrogant enemies to come to naught. God enabled him to turn to Him during every trial and make heart-rending supplications; He then accepted his prayers and blessed them with influence. Whosoever prayed against him was [himself ] destroyed, and many fell victim to the plague as a result of his prayers and tasted horrible death even while they, for their part, had been anxiously awaiting the day of his death all the while saying: ‘Allah has intimated his death to us through revelation.’ Verily, there is a Sign in this for those who possess wisdom. God made his house a sanctuary of peace. Whoever entered it was protected from the plague and was not harmed in the least, whereas people living in his neighbourhood continued to be swept away by it. Surely, anyone who has eyes to see will discover the hand of divine omnipotence in this.

God granted him the bounty of performing good deeds along with their fruits for the benefit of the pious, as if they are gardens beneath which rivers flow. He granted him renown across the land and, as a result, people hasten to him day and night; God drew towards him hosts of enlightened people possessing purified souls, noble natures, clean hearts, and bosoms as vast as the oceans. He has engendered mutual love and compassion among them and has dispelled all kinds of heedlessness and pride from their bosoms. God had informed him of these phenomena at a time when this servant of God was totally unknown and this succour was a hidden secret. God granted him the staff of truth with which He disgraces the enemies. This staff then devours the snakes of secretly hatched plots, and God promised that He would disgrace whoever intends to disgrace this claimant. Thus, anyone who insulted him and was arrogant suffered disgrace. Verily, they continued to reject him without knowledge while their hearts were in a state of negligence on account of their mundane desires. They looked upon the divine order spitefully and tormented the servants of God with their aspersions.

They themselves do not enter the abode of truthfulness; and moreover, they block those who wish to enter it and not to remain in denial. Therefore, the wrath of Allah is upon them and He has prepared for them robes of fire and afflicted them with the flames of deprivation. They can neither bear them nor can they repel the heat of restlessness.

They look right and left but can find neither refuge from the wrath of God Almighty nor one who can save them from ruin. Hence, their end was nothing but loss, destruction, humiliation, and degradation. The arrows they shot at this servant [of Allah] missed as God kept him safe from their evil. God admitted him into the sanctuary of peace and the house of tranquillity. They emptied their quivers to ward off the inevitable decree, and sought to extinguish with their mouths the heavenly light that had descended. Like a rock they fell upon him with the desire to reduce him to dust. They wanted mountains to crash down upon him, wiping out his existence, but God granted him overwhelming victory, that Allah might make it a cause of regret for them.

Surely, Allah never allows the disbelievers to prevail over the believers. The disbelievers could not ward off the misfortune that Allah had forewarned about them. Allah gave His ordained servant the glad tiding that: he would always be under His protection and security, the enemies from among the wicked would not be able to harm him in the least, and he will always live under the grace of the Most Forgiving God. God thus kept him safe and welcomed him in His presence, but for his enemies, He became like a sharp sword. God helped him, like a friend, in every field and granted him prosperity after distress and for his sake transformed the earth into a verdant vale or an orchard laden with fruit; He placed blessing in his breath and cleansed him of every impurity and carried the light of his holy lamp to the ends of the earth. As a result, many of the righteous turned to him, forsaking their homelands for the sake of Allah the Almighty, and adopting his village as their home in the hope of attaining the mercy of Allah the Most Forgiving. Consequently, the enemies burnt with envy and they hatched all kinds of plots but they all dissolved into dust. They tried all stratagems but the only portion they acquired from God was their own destruction. They collaborated against him and mounted a united attack. But he returned with the grace of Allah and greater worldwide acclaim. Thus did Allah help His servant and fulfil His promise. God Almighty granted him many helpers and gave him the glad tiding that He would protect him against his enemies and that He would attack whosoever attacks him. Accordingly, God fulfilled His promise and kept him safe from all types of harm.

God has made him a chosen one, free from every type of defilement, and has purified him. He drew him near to Himself for special communion and revealed to him that which He did reveal, and taught him the path of wisdom and guidance, and on his account joined together the Signs from both the earth and the high heavens. He warded off the mischief of his enemies. He caused all his affairs to be based on piety and righteousness and rectified his matters after they had suffered great dissipation. He enabled his arrow to hit its target every time. God Almighty caused the world to serve him like a maid who comes to him selflessly, opened the door of every bounty, and protected him against every calamity. He nourished him and taught him on His own, and thus revealed to him profound verities.

He came to you at the appointed time. Hence, what do you say about this man? Is he truthful or is he a liar? What is the source of this beneficence? Did Allah bestow on him what He bestowed or does Satan possess the power to do these great things? Explain and be rewarded, and fear the Day of the final decision that will expose all that is concealed.