Hear, O noble ones! May Allah guide you to the paths of good fortune. I am, indeed, the seeker of a verdict, and I am the claimant. I do not speak with any veil [of ignorance]; rather, I am established upon clear insight from the Lord God, the Great Bestower. Allah has commissioned me at the turn of this century, so that I may revive the Faith, illumine the face of the Religion, smash the Cross, extinguish the blaze of Christianity, and establish the Sunnah of the Best of Mankind [Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa)]; and so that I may reform what has been corrupted, and revive [the values] that have stagnated. I am the Promised Messiah and Prophesied Mahdi. Allah has graced me with His revelation and word and He has spoken with me as He spoke with His honoured Messengers and He has testified to my truth with Signs that you are witnessing. He has shown my face with such light as you recognize. I do not ask you to accept me without any proof and believe in me without any indubitable argument. Rather, I announce to you to stand up with justice for Allah’s sake and consider the Signs, arguments, and testimonies that God Almighty has sent down for me.
O host of deniers! If you do not find my Signs to be consistent with the established practice of Allah regarding the righteous, and with His past practice for the earlier Prophets, then you may reject me and not accept me. But if you witness my Signs to be like the Signs for the earlier ones, then faith demands that you should accept me and not walk away by ignoring them. Do you view the mercy of God with scepticism, whereas the time for it has come? You see that the Religion has lost its flesh, and its bones have become exposed. Its enemies have been elevated and its servants debased. What is wrong with you that you witness the Signs of Allah and yet you reject them; and you see the sun of truth in front of your very eyes, yet you are not convinced?
O people! Allah’s argument has been clinched against you; so, whereto do you flee? And certainly His Signs have appeared from all sides. Islam has descended into the cave of banishment and its commandments are not being practised. Every calamity has descended upon it, every affliction has exposed its canine teeth for it, and every misfortune has opened its door to it. The sixth millennium, during which the Messiah was promised to appear, has already passed. So what do you think? Did Allah go against His promise or did He fulfil it?
Do you not see how all nations have united against this Religion? They have attacked it together like a pack of wild beasts that emerges suddenly from behind a single cluster of trees. Islam has become like a lonely outcast and the target of every transgressor. It is Eid for the opponents, but ours is the moon of Dhul-Qa‘dah.1 We sit in utmost fear and terror, as if vanquished by the disbelievers. They malign our religion and their taunts are worse than the attacks of spears.
In the face of all that, my Lord appointed me at the turn of the century. Do you think that He sent me without necessity? By Allah, I see that the need [for my advent] is greater than in previous times. Good fortune has disappeared like a slave who has fled. Islam was like a man with a wonderful physique and handsome face but now you will see the ugliness of religious innovations and the wounds of fabricated rituals on its face. And its robustness has turned into frailty, the clear water of its spring into murky water, its light into darkness, and its mansions into wastelands.
It has become like a home with no inhabitants, or like a honeycomb with nothing left in it except the bees. How can you imagine that God did not send a Mujaddid [Reformer] in this age when this was the precise time for bringing down the heavenly food—not for folding up the dining table? How can you imagine that the Benevolent God did not want to reform mankind in the face of this profusion of innovations and flood of evils; and that, instead, He imposed on Muslims an Antichrist [deceiver] from among themselves, so that he might cause them to be destroyed by the poison of misguidance? Was the Christian mischief not sufficient enough in its perversity that God Almighty had to complete it by means of this Antichrist?
By Allah, such an opinion has not sprung from the fountain of wisdom and insight, but it is a sound uglier than the braying of a donkey and weaker than the cry of a baby camel. In addition, how is it possible that successive Signs be shown in support of a person whom Allah knows to be an impostor? O band of deniers! Is there no vestige of righteousness left in your hearts?
It is simply impossible that anyone should forge a lie against Allah yet Allah should help him the way He helps the chosen ones. If that were to happen, peace would disappear, the matter would become suspect, and faith would be shaken; in this is a trial for the seekers. Do you imagine that one can forge lies against God every day and night, morning and evening, and claim that he receives revelations—albeit nothing has been revealed to him—yet His Lord helps him as He helps the truthful? Is this something sane reason can accept? What has gone wrong with you that you do not reflect like the righteous? Are the Antichrist your only lot? Where are the rejuvenators and reformers at the time when the worms of disbelief have devoured the Faith? Do you not see?
Do you not see how the Christian scholars are deceiving the ignorant and how they gild their words and deeds in order to lure them? Most certainly God has sent down for you an argument against them. O Wise ones! Why do you not benefit from His argument? I swear by Allah that even if their earlier ones and their latter ones, their elite and their commoners, and their men and their women, were to gather together, they would not be able to produce a single Sign like the ones our Lord has bestowed upon us, even if some of them were to help others. This is because they are established on falsehood, and we are established on truth; our God is Living, and their god is dead and cannot hear their sobbing and sighing. Verily, we have a Prophet, the Signs of whose truth we are witnessing even in this very age, whereas they have nothing but the vegetation that grows in manure. Hence, O heedless people! Where do you flee to from the citadel of peace?
Indeed, our Prophet is Khatamul-Anbiya’ [the Seal of the Prophets]. There is no Prophet after him, other than the one who is illuminated with his light and whose advent is a zill [shadow] of his advent. Hence, by following him, revelation is our due right and entitlement; it is the lost property of our natures, which we have rediscovered by virtue of this blessed Prophet whom we follow. Thus it has been granted to us for free and not as a purchase. The perfect believer is the one who is granted this bounty as a gift. And an evil end is feared for the one who is granted nothing of it.
This is our religion. We see its fruits and witness its light at all times. As for the religion of the Christians, it is like a house whose darkness frightens people and whose smoke blinds the eyes. Does it have a Sign which we can behold? By Allah! If the religion of Islam was not there, recognition of the Lord of all the worlds would have been difficult. Through this religion alone, the hidden verities have come into light. Verily, it is like a tree that bears fruit in every season and invites the wise to partake of it. As for the religion of ‘Isa [ Jesus], it is like a tree that has been uprooted from the earth, displaced by furious winds and then the thieves have left no trace of it. There is nothing in their religion except tales that have been handed down, and it is lacking in tangible evidence. It is obvious that mere tales do not provide conviction and they do not have the power to attract one to the Lord of all the worlds.
The power to attract is only in tangible Signs and existent miracles, and by them the hearts are transformed, souls are purified, and faults are effaced. All this is unique to Islam and the following of our Prophet, the Best of Mankind; I am among the witnesses thereof. Indeed, I am one of its recipients and of those who have personal experience. And it is with it that we clinch the argument against the deniers. After all, what good is a religion that is like a house whose relics have been obliterated or is like a garden whose trees have been uprooted? No reasonable person would be content with a religion that is like a ruined house, or a broken staff, or a barren woman, or a sightless eye. Therefore, all praise belongs to Allah that Islam is a living religion that quickens the dead, grants verdure to the barren land, and imparts lustre to life. By God, I am deeply astonished at those who claim to belong to one of the sects of Islam, yet deny the blessings of this religion and the blessings of our Prophet, the Best of Mankind, and deny converse with the All-Knowing God. What has gone wrong with them that they do not wake up from their slumber and do not open the eyes of their reason?
So I seek refuge with Allah from the like of the state in which they are, and I am surprised at them and at their assertions. Certainly, I have stood among them as the appointee from Allah, but they do not believe. I invite them towards Allah, but they do not come; and they pass by as if they have not heard, though they do hear. Have not the stories reached them of the people who used to reject their Messengers and who did not desist from it? Or is there an exception for them in the Quran that they hold fast to?
By Allah, I am truly from the Gracious God. My Lord speaks to me and grants me revelation by His grace and beneficence. I searched for Him until I found Him, and I sought after Him until I attained Him. And I have been granted life after death. I found the Truth after forsaking the transitory things. Verily, our Lord does not waste the people who seek, nor does He leave in doubt the one who seeks conviction. Certainly you have exercised all kinds of connivance and, if it had not been for the grace and mercy of God, I would have been annihilated.
My Lord addressed me and said:
You are, certainly, under Our watchful care.
Accordingly, He fulfilled His promise in every field and against the machination of every one who devised plans [against me]. He helped me and granted me refuge with Himself. I was attacked by each one of you, but no man could overpower me. Thus they all returned in frustration. You cut asunder what God Almighty had enjoined to be united. You propagated among the masses that these people are not among the Muslims. You wished that we should be among the forsaken. But Allah caused your wishes to recoil upon you and spread our name throughout the world. Is such the recompense of the impostors?
O people! You have two colours: a colour of your hearts, and a colour of your tongues—belief is on your tongues while disbelief is in your hearts. You have made your words for the Gracious God, but your actions for Satan. So where do you stand with respect to the guidance of the Holy Quran? You read in the book of Allah that ‘Isa tasted the cup of death, yet you raise him to the heavens with his corporal body. Therefore, I do not comprehend the reality of your belief in the verses [of the Holy Quran]. You recite in your prayers that ‘Isa has died and
not that he was raised bodily or is still alive.2 Then after the prayer you sit cross-legged by the pillar in the mihrab and, turning to your companions, you say, ‘One who believes in his [ Jesus’s] death is a disbeliever, worthy of punishment in Hell; and it is obligatory to pronounce him to be a disbeliever.’ Such are your prayers and these are your statements. You read 3
in the Quran and you believe in it, yet you knowingly cast its import behind your backs. Do you find in the Book of Allah any mention of the descent of ‘Isa after his death? Then, O wise people! What is the meaning of 
?
Do you reject the Book of Allah after having believed in it? Do you not fear Allah, and seek instead to please your brethren? Do you show enmity to the one sent at the turn of the century, though he is one from amongst you and belongs to this ummah; one who has come at the time of need and at the time of the mischief of Christianity? He adhered to the narrow paths of the Scriptures of Allah with truth and wisdom, and Allah testified to his truth with shining Signs. What is the matter with you that you reject the mercy of Allah when it has descended, and are not among the grateful? Your night [i.e. unenlightened thinking] has covered Islam and your flood [i.e. violent behaviour] is raging towards it, yet you think what you are doing is good? What is the matter with you that you do not take note of this age and its attendant troubles, of the storm of disbelief and its assaults? Is no man amongst you to be counted among the sagacious? By Allah, I am utterly surprised and completely baffled by what you say and what you do. What strategy have you devised against the disbelievers, and what preparations have you made in response to the Christians? You cut your roots with your own hands and you support the enemies of religion with your statements. Allah has raised His servant at the time of this storm, but you reject him and expunge him from the circle of faith, while he has come with a brilliant light and beautiful insights so that he may be the divine argument for the truth of Islam, so that the sun of Islam may emerge from the darkness, so that Allah may protect it from the harm and bitterness of the time, so as to lengthen its shade and multiply its fruit, so as to show its light to the masses, so as to enable people to see for themselves that it [Islam] is greater than all other faiths in terms of quality, quantity, reform, and rectitude; yet you reject him. Nay rather, you are the foremost of his enemies! I thought you were the elect of the age and a running spring for the thirsty, but it has become evident that you are like impure water; indeed, no one equals your impurity throughout the entire world. You disputed, and disputed excessively, until you surpassed those who have gone before. You crossed the limits and you broke the covenants, and you declared Muslims to be disbelievers.
Do you not see that I was a humble servant hidden in the corner of oblivion? I was so far from accolade and recognition that no reference was made to me nor any allusion; no benefit was expected from me nor any harm, and I was not among the well known. It was then that my Lord addressed me and said:
I have chosen you and I have preferred you. Therefore, say: ‘I have been commanded and I am the first of the believers.’
And He said:
You are to Me like My Unity and Uniqueness. The time has come that you should be helped and be made well known in the world. Help will come to you by every distant track—such tracks which will become deep due to the excessive travel of the people that will come to you. So many people will come to you that the track on which they travel will become deep. Such people will help you whom We shall inspire from the heavens. Gifts will come to you by every distant track.
This is what my Lord said. Thus can you see the manner He has shown His help. People came to me in multitudes. Gifts were offered to me in such profusion as if they were a raging sea. These are the Signs of Allah, the light of which you do not see and which you deny after they have made their appearance. Why do you not ponder concerning my case? Had you ever heard of my name before my Lord gave the news? I was hidden like an ordinary person who was not mentioned amongst the elite or the commoners. For a long while I remained unworthy of any mention, and I lived like one whom people considered forsaken. My town was far too isolated to be the destination of travellers and lowly in the eyes of its beholders. Marks of its heyday had been obliterated, and residing in it was disliked. Its blessings had dwindled and its pains and troubles had increased. People living in it were like animals. Because of their obvious degradation, they invited [the rebuke of ] the reprover. They did not know what Islam is, or what the Quran and its commandments are. Therefore, it is from the extraordinary decrees of God and unusual acts of His Omnipotence that He raised me from this desolate place in order that I may serve like a spear against the enemies of the Faith.
And He gave me the glad tiding in the period of my obscurity and in the days of my acceptance, that I will soon become the recourse of the masses, and an impregnable wall against the onslaught of the disbelievers; I will sit at the head chair and I will become like a protective chest for the hearts. They will come to me from every distant track with gifts and all that is valuable. This is heavenly revelation from the Lord of Majesty. It is not a concocted statement, nor is it a product of selfish motives. It was, on the contrary, the promise of my Most Exalted Lord, which had been documented, published, and publicized to the entire world before its fulfilment and it was dispatched to cities and towns. Then it became manifest like the midday sun, and you see people flocking to me with gifts that are beyond count and enumeration. Is there not a Sign in this for those who have wisdom? If you consider me a liar, then reveal my secret to mankind and expose what I hide. Inquire from the residents of this town; maybe you will find assistance from my enemies. I have laid out this case to you so that you may investigate and be rightly guided.
Thus, if you do not fear Allah, then you may continue on your course; Allah will bring someone in exchange for you. But if you fear Him, then the argument is evident and the matter is easy. Islam has faced the trauma of autumn. Consider, then, has not the time arrived for spring and its pleasant breeze? You see that the hearts suffered from drought in this age of ours and the cool refreshing winds departed and left them forsaken. Then came the mercy of God like heavy rain and redressed the situation in a perfect manner. In this age, Allah has willed to remove the thorns that have wounded the feet of Islam, and to cut down every thorny branch that lies in its path and to cleanse the Earth of the ignoble ones. Whether you accept it or not, certainly, I am the spring shower. I have not made this claim out of selfish ambition. Rather, I have been sent by Allah, the Originator, so that I may purify the world of its idols and cleanse the minds of carnal desires and satans. Do you not see what has befallen this Religion and how weaknesses have piled up atop weakness?
The epidemic has extended beyond household members to the neighbours. Death has called its mate [victim] in the same manner in which he invited it. Religion has been trampled beneath the feet of the worshippers of a human being. Its enemies have attacked it like a serpent, until it became like a town ravaged by flood or like ground overrun by horses. Allah then took note that the Earth had been laid to waste and the thoughts of people have become corrupt and nothing was left in them except ambitions of the world and its desires, and its admirers have lurched toward it. It is at this juncture that Allah has raised me amongst you for the revival of the Religion, and for the reformation and beatification of the Faith. So ponder—may Allah have mercy on you—have I come to you untimely, as the impostors do, or have I come to your aid when satans are plundering you?
May God guide you. Know that this matter is with the decree and determination of Allah. This light is not from any darkness; rather, it is from His Full Moon [the Holy Prophet(sa)].
How many a wolf has torn apart the servants of Allah? Do you not see? How many a thief has pillaged the wealth of the Faith? Do you not bear witness? So then, what do you think? Has the time not yet come for the Gracious God’s help? Aye, the days of the bounty and beneficence of Allah have come. I have not come to you without a clear-cut argument. I have testimonies from Allah that add certainty upon certainty.
I was like a dead one among the living of my people. I was in a house but was homeless. I was obscure and unknown. No one knew me in this town except for a few among them. I was living in the corner of obscurity. No one from among men or women came to me. I was hidden from the people of the time. I did not undertake a trip to any land, nor did I travel all over the world. I have not seen Arabia nor explored Iraq. And, Allah is my Witness, I did not have an abundance of wealth. I have not suckled from the [udders of the] world, except like suckling from the barren from whom the milk of high quality cannot be expected; I did not ride an animal except such as did not provide any comfort. Then my Lord gave me glad tiding in those days that He would suffice for me in all my endeavours and would open for me the door to every blessing from the bounties. As I have pointed out, it was a time of scarcity and of diverse needs when my Lord gave me the glad tiding that He would make my affairs easy and my path effortless and provide for all my needs. At that time, and in a time far removed from peace, I was commanded to get a ring made with these prophecies engraved on it so that, at the time of their fulfilment, it would be a Sign for the seekers of truth and an incontrovertible argument against the enemies. O people of sound judgement! I still possess this ring. Here is its impression 
4.5 Then Allah acted in accordance with His promise and the cloud of His bounty rained just as it had thundered. Allah transformed a small seed into tall trees and ripe fruits. There is no way to deny even if all the groups of the disbelievers were to unite, for the testimony of the witnesses has blackened the face of everyone who denies it. How can the midday sun be denied? When the Word of my Lord was fulfilled and He filled my coffers, people came running to my door. From a drop, I became like oceans; from a small pebble, I became like mighty mountains; from a small plant, I became like trees laden with fruits; and from an insect, I became like a renowned hero of the battlefield. Certainly there is a Sign in this for those who are wise.
Similarly, in the very beginning of my mission, my Lord gave me the glad tidings of a long life, saying:
You will witness a distant progeny.
Hence, in keeping with this, He granted me a life long enough to see not only my own children but also the children of my children. He saved me from being like the abtar, who are not granted a child. This Sign alone shall suffice for a person of good fortune. Therefore, O ulema, muhaddithin [traditionalists], and fuqaha [jurists]! Does your wisdom allow you to accept that Allah would take care of all these matters for someone who forges calumnies against Him and tells lies in His presence?
Can you find any precedent in the sunnatullah [way of Allah] that, for such a long time, He would continue to manifest His knowledge of the unseen upon an impostor; that He should perfect His bounty upon such a person as He does in the case of His truthful Messengers; that He should help him with manifest honour in every field; that He should grant him such respite that he reaches from youth to old age, despite such fabrication; that thousands of his friends should be joined with him; that He should, on the one hand, help him and, on the other, reprove his cruel enemies as if they were dogs; that He should grant him what has not been granted to any of his contemporaries, and annihilate or disgrace and abase before his eyes whoever engages in a mubahalah with him? Have you ever witnessed divine succour, like that bestowed upon me, for someone who is always inclined towards worldly pursuits, and has fallen in love with worldly charms and is from among the fabricators and deceivers? Have you ever seen Allah’s help for such a one the way He has helped me? What then is the matter with you? Why do you not reflect like the righteous? May God guide you. How long will you continue to declare the servants of God, who are recipients of His support, to be disbelievers? You reject me, and I do not know why you reject me.
Have I repudiated the Book of Allah or denied that which the Prophets have brought? Or have you not witnessed divine Signs, so that you are in doubt? Or have I come to you at the wrong time to let you allege that I have come like an impostor? What is the matter that you neither understand nor recognize the truth? Reflect upon the earlier group of impostors and the large multitude of pretenders claiming to receive revelation: how Allah smashed them into pieces on account of their imposture and how He destroyed them, left no trace of them, effaced their signs, and annihilated their supporters for their lying and for their competing with the truthful ones. Had it not been for the differentiation made by Allah between truth and falsehood, peace would have disappeared. The holy would have been deemed to be at par with the unholy, and the deserts with habitations. No distinction would have been left between those favoured by God and those rejected by Him.
May God have mercy on you. Know that falsehood does not last long and impostors are humiliated in the last part of their lives. Moreover, the impostors are a forsaken community that is not supported by the All-Knowing God, nor does He testify to their truth. Their quivers are without arrows. They possess nothing but talk. They are not supported, nor blessed like the elect of God. For this indeed is the way of Allah that whenever an impostor rises against a truthful one, and stands up to him in disagreement and confronts him with the intent of mubahalah, God Almighty throws him down with disgrace and humiliation. This is what God, the Holy One, always does in order to distinguish between the truthful and those who are liars. Impostors are never granted help from Allah, nor are they supported by the Spirit from Him, nor are they blessed with heavenly light. They are not offered the food that is granted to the virtuous. They are nothing but the dogs of the world; you will find them ever inclined towards it. You will find their bosoms full of mundane desires. Indeed, their own actions testify against them. Hence, eventually, they will be humiliated. Only then will the Being that distinguishes the wicked from the pure be recognized.
As for those who were found to be truthful by their Lord, Allah the Exalted turned their attention away from the mundane world and inclined them to His own self. Therefore, for His sake, they opted for the dark day [i.e. a life of trials] and a red death [i.e. the death of martyrdom]. They surrendered both their body and soul to Him and hastened to Him to the best of their ability. They fulfilled all the requirements of love and completed the circuits of devotion. Such people shall not be disgraced in this world or in the Hereafter. They will abide in mansions of honour and loftiness. They will not witness any weakness when facing their enemies, and Allah will protect them from every slip. He shall pardon them and exalt them if they stumble. As such, they will lead a life of security. The difference between them and fabricators is comparable to the growing brightness of the forenoon, and the night when it becomes still, or the one between good milk and very sour vinegar.
To the onlooker, the light upon their face is very evident. They have bidden farewell to the hag of the world and her embellishments and opted for the Hereafter and tasted its tranquillity. They attained peace with God after discarding their baser desires. They fell prostrate at the altar of God and hastened to Him after their estrangement from this world. They contented themselves with the coarse fabrics and humble vegetables of this world.
Thus, their souls are given cloaks shining like lightning along with a pure diet, and they are given back what they have left behind—this is how Allah treats His sincere people. Allah looked upon them and found them clean and pure. He saw that they preferred Him to whatever is other than Him; therefore, He accorded them preference in opposition to their opponents. He found that they were His and so He became theirs; and made them the recipients of the descent of light.
This indeed has been the divine practice for the earlier people as well as the latter ones. Numerous wells are dug up so that they may be thrown into them, but God pulls them out with His own hands and assists them. The calamities they face are not meant to destroy them, but are intended to show God’s miracles through them. The afflictions they encounter are not meant to annihilate them, but to prove that they are the ones receiving His succour. These are the people whom their Beloved has chosen for Himself. And God does not humiliate a people unless the hearts of these [chosen ones] are distressed because of the trouble caused by the evil ones. Such has been His practice since times immemorial, for whenever His servants turn to Him, their entreaties are accepted. And when they seek victory, the plans of every unjust and stingy [opponent] are frustrated. His chosen servants live under the mantle of His protection. You see them to be living, but they have annihilated themselves [for Him]. Do you think that such people belonged only to earlier ages and that God does not desire similar individuals to be raised in the Latter Days?
May your mother lose you!6 This kind of thinking is manifest error. May Allah forgive you! You have strayed too far away from the sunnah [practice] of the Lord of all the worlds. But for the presence of such [Elect of God], the earth and its inhabitants would have fallen into chaos. This is why their being is essential until the Day of Judgment.
My Lord has sent me to restrain the hands of the disbelievers from reaching you, and to prepare you for the descent of the heavenly light. What is the matter with you that you are not grateful, but are instead turning away from guidance? Do you know that you will be left [to yourselves] uncontrolled? Every day is followed by its morrow. I have not come to you out of any selfish inclination, nor was I eager to make an appearance. Rather, I preferred to live an anonymous life quite like the dwellers of the graves. Despite my dislike for being known, my Lord made me go before the people, and despite my fleeing from fame and prominence, He illumined my name throughout the world. I spent a sizeable portion of my life in a manner that resembled a close secret, or a scared hedgehog, or an old, rusty bone buried beneath the earth, or an insignificant whit. God then bestowed upon me that which has made my opponents indignant. He honoured me graciously with His shining revelation, which incensed the ignorant. They were unjust and unfair and tried to outdo each other in aggression. Whirlwinds and great gales [of hatred] raged from them against me. But—O wise people!—you have witnessed their sad end. Now, after them, I invite you to Allah. If you accept, Allah will suffice for you, but if you reject, again, Allah is enough to reckon with you. Peace shall be upon him who follows the guidance.
O brave young people! May Allah’s mercy be upon you. You are witnessing a great revolution in the world and watching a variety of Signs. The most unfortunate people in this age are the Muslims; their dominion has been snatched away from them and many of them are alienating themselves from the Faith. No calamity descends except upon them, and no misfortune befalls except upon their people; nor is there any innovation but is introduced among them. The world does not present its treasures to them except to dazzle their eyes. We see their youth—they have discarded the lifestyle of the Islamic nation and have obliterated the marks of the sunnah of the Prophet. They shave their beards, take pride in their moustaches and let them grow, along with dressing like the Christians. They are the unluckiest people under the canopy of the heavens, for whom the earth provides a shelter in this age. They turn away from the grace of Allah whenever it visits them, flee from the mercy of Allah when it comes, and avoid Allah’s serving table [heavenly food] when it approaches them. They follow other paths. They fear not the heat of the fire and its flames, yet they fear the bitterness of the world. They have traversed the entire path of which Satan did not cover even half; in this way, they have gone beyond the rebellious sneaking whisperer. Among them are some who say they alone are scholars, yet they talk like fools and mislead people without possessing knowledge and guidance. They turn away from the truth which now is so open and self-evident. They bury the Best of the Messengers(sa)in the earth but raise ‘Isa(as) to the heavens. That, indeed, is an unfair division! They have sight, but do not see. They witness the truth, yet they pretend knowingly to be sightless. They hide truth that is as manifest as the midday sun. Do they not see the help of Allah and the way it came? Each year, God demonstrates to them Signs, which they so abhor.7 Then they pass by them as if they have not seen anything. They are distancing themselves from the paths of piety as if there is a lion wreaking havoc on these paths, or there are other afflictions that would seize them. Do they imagine that they will not be called to account and will be left alone like something lost and forgotten? Do they not see the Signs of my Lord, or have they ever seen Allah treating an impostor like this? What has happened to them that they do not give up the habit of inflicting pain, using abusive language and hurling insults? Are they under an oath or a pledge or a promise? The fact is that God listens and watches. Woe be upon them! They exceeded the limit of piety, and their hearts have been sealed. As a result, they have given preference to nyctalopia and blindness. They do not fear God but are afraid of [His] creatures. Nor do they protect themselves from the heat and flames of Hell. They were given the keys of the house of the Faith, which they neither entered themselves, nor did they let others enter it. Can there be any hope that they would believe in the Imam of the age? On the contrary, they say that he is an impostor who is misleading the world and parading in the garb of a Muslim, and that he does not believe in God and His Chosen Prophet [Muhammad(sa)]. They have not split my chest open; what then has informed them of my secret disbelief ? They have witnessed such Signs that if they had been witnessed by the perished people of the earlier ages, they would not have suffered chastisement in this world and in the Hereafter. It is indeed so unfortunate that the sun rose in their presence, became so bright, and yet they are hiding themselves in a cave, and give preference to darkness. They make no distinction between the embezzler and the trustworthy, nor between the bright day and a dark night. They seek to put out the light sent down by the Glorious God, but Allah is the Master of His will even if their machination could move mountains. Do they imagine that they are a people who know no decline? God will soon nullify their machination even if it looks like the milk that goes down the throat fast and becomes part and parcel of the body, or like a diet that is very nice and sweet. Do they have the power to avert His decree? Holy is our Lord, the Incomparably High. He is always triumphant and is never defeated. The jurisdiction of His writ extends from the heavens to the depths of the earth. Is there a brave young person who fears Him and does not transgress? Is there an emancipated person [unfettered by prejudice] who submits to Him and does not disobey? Are they relying on the beliefs of their early forefathers in whose thinking there was no consistency; you would find that they differed among themselves. Their minds repeatedly tossed their views in diverse directions and, therefore, they could not muster any stability or permanence. Each moment it continued to change.
I swear by Allah that I am truthful. They denied what I brought without any knowledge or clear reason. Should they be proven true, I willingly surrender myself for the slaughter—what more can I do? For their part, they only concoct wild conjectures while remaining unaware of the truth. They claim that the earthquakes and the plague had struck them due to the evil fortune of those people who are inauspicious. Look at what they are saying! They simply blurt nonsense. O enemies of the Book and the Messenger! Wherefrom do you auger evil fortune? Do you think that this calamity has hit you because Allah has sent His servant to clinch His argument and to warn the people who are heedless?
Woe unto you and your conjecturing! Allah had given tidings of these phenomena beforehand, yet you mock Allah and His Messengers. Verily, Allah is watching all that you do. You witness the nights of disbelief and their darkness and you do feel the need for a Messenger and behold the Signs of his coming, yet you deny as if you were a blind people. Ever since the auspicious day of Islam dawned and Allah decided to eliminate shirk [associating partners with Allah] from the world by demonstrating extraordinary Signs, you made it a point to hatch plots against His Signs, so that people might not turn towards the truth. This is despite the fact that you clearly read in Surah an-Nur that all the Khulafa’ [Caliphs or Successors] will be raised from among this very ummah. Nevertheless, you continue to search for ‘Isa, who was amongst the Israelites, and forget about what has been explicitly stated [about the Khulafa’ within this ummah].
You read the hadith of the Prophet of Allah [stating,] 
[‘Your Imam will be from among you’], yet you feign ignorance. Do you dare deny the one who has come from the Gracious Lord with clear Signs and arguments? You can see how badly the disbelievers have damaged your Faith, the best of all faiths. They are bent upon making you apostates and turning you into the cohorts of Satan as they themselves are.
May Allah have mercy upon you. Know that Allah, out of His jealousy for His honour, has decreed that He will send His servant to the world, fulfil His promise, and safeguard His servants from the band of the rebellious. Thus, I am the appointed servant of God and the present time is that time which had been written about beforehand. Truth has been manifested and the time has been determined. What is the matter with you that you do not understand? Woe unto you for becoming the first to reject me, whereas previously you had been waiting for someone to come. Do you not see how the earth has been completely overtaken by shirk? Why then do you reject knowingly what Allah has Himself sent down?
O scholars of this nation! Do not be inclined towards the goblet of sleep, for God is awakening you with extraordinary calamities, and is warning you of even greater troubles. Where is the fear like that of the righteous, and where is the water of tears [that flow] in remembrance of Allah the Supreme? You were the vessel of faith, yet this [vessel] overflowed, indeed, and started streaming down with disbelief. It has astonished me that the bird of your souls did not bear young ones or eggs. O squanderers! Were you created for merely sitting at neatly laid tables to eat bread with roasted meat? Nay, Allah the Exalted said:
He did not say, ‘...but that they may eat.’ Holy is Allah! What a path you have adopted and what a way you have taken! Do you think you will live to the end of the world, never die, and continue to reap the fruits of this world forever? The world is approaching its end. Why do you not wake up and ponder—even after the plague and many other calamities have encamped in this land of yours? Summer or winter, these calamities are your constant companions that never leave you alone. Why do you not reflect? Are you weak of eyesight or you are stark blind? You have witnessed a number of calamities unfolding before your eyes. They have not spared even your own selves, your children, your women, and your near ones. Many of your relatives depart this world with each passing day. Indeed, you do little more than wail and cry. Allah never chastises a people unless He first sends a Messenger to them, so that He might clinch His argument against them and decide the matter once for all. Thus has Allah declared in His Book, and thus has it been His practice with regard to the earlier ummahs. What, then, is the matter with you that you do not recognize the Imam that has been sent to you, and fail to follow the summoner raised among you? Are you unaware of the end of those who denied and rejected? Are you content to die in ignorance and to be held accountable in the Hereafter? You are being guided to the pure word, so why do you prefer the impure and leave what is purer? You reject him who has appeared before you yet call upon the one who is dead [i.e. Jesus] from the high heavens. You are guilty of abusing and maligning and say whatever you [want to] say without fear of the day when every soul will be brought before God for the Reckoning. A Prophet is never disgraced but in his own land. Hence, you may continue to abuse and malign, but Allah is All-Hearing and All-Seeing.
O my people! Why do you pretend to be blind when you can see? Why do you feign ignorance despite being knowledgeable? Are you not aware of the end of those who were guilty of ridicule? You sting like a wasp and cause pain to the one who emits light like a lamp. You see the full moon but bark at it. The righteous, on the other hand, are benefiting from its light, but you remain lurching in darkness. People turned towards me, whereas you turned away. Many of those who ridiculed me prophesied my death, as if they had been informed about it by the All-Knowing God. They persisted in their prophecies and advertised them among the public, but the end result was exactly the opposite. God Almighty exposed their falsehood and recoiled their mockery on their own selves, and their livestock [i.e. unenlightened following] was left with nothing but the fodder of shame and disgrace. Some of those who were instrumental in causing me pain were able to do so because God Almighty willed to manifest of some Signs through them. I have narrated the stories of some of them in Haqiqatul-Wahi for the enlightenment of men and women who seek after truth.
One recent incident is of a person who died in the month of Dhul-Qa‘dah. He used to revile and curse me. His name was Sa‘dullah. His abuse was as painful as a dagger. When his abuse reached its extreme and he exceeded all others in tormenting me, my Lord informed me of his death, disgraceful end, and cutting off of his progeny, and said:
Your enemy will certainly be without issue.
I publicly announced this revelation of my Lord, the Incomparably Great, and thereafter, God Almighty fulfilled my revelation. So I decided to write about it in detail and convey publicly how Allah dealt with this mischief-maker and enemy of the servants of the Gracious God. A lawyer who is a member of my Jama‘at tried to stop me from publishing this prophecy, and warned me of the frightful consequences of my intended publication. He said that if I published it, I would not escape the displeasure of the authorities, and the law would deem it a crime and there would be no way of escaping and no way of salvation. A chain of calamities would cling to me like a creditor, and the ultimate result after the troublesome prosecution is also obvious; for, the government would not spare a ‘criminal’. He urged, therefore, that the safer way would be to keep this revelation secret, as due precaution. I told him that divine revelation must be duly honoured, and my failure to announce it publicly would be sinful and an act of lowly character. I also told him that no one except the Creator of the creatures has the power to cause any damage; therefore, I was not afraid of the reprimand from the authorities. I would pray to my Lord, who is the Source of all grace and benevolence, but if He does not accept the prayer, I would cheerfully accept humiliation. I affirmed with an oath in the name of Allah that He would not let that evil man [Sa‘dullah] prevail against me and He would afflict him with some calamity to safeguard His beseeching servant.
A scholar who is the utmost in sincerity and magnificent in the knowledge of the Religion—namely, my devotee Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud-Din—heard what I said. The hadith 9
[there are some people who have tousled hair] flowed from his tongue spontaneously. My affirmation along with his mention of this hadith served to reassure the hearts [of those present]. They realized that the cautioner was mistaken and his fears had no substance. Thereafter, I continued to supplicate during three days for Sa‘dullah’s ruin and begged the All-Knowing Lord to cause his death. Thereafter, He revealed to me:
Meaning that, Allah the Almighty would safeguard me against the mischief of that person. I swear by Allah that only a few days had passed when the news of his death arrived. So Allah be praised for having made that enemy the target of His whip.
O people! I have come to you with a serving table from my Lord to feed those who are [spiritually] poor and in need. Is there anyone among you who would partake of this table and save themselves from baneful hunger? Those who do not find this food congenial are indeed unfortunate, but those who partake of it will enjoy immense reward, followed by abundant grace.
Allah desires to relieve you of your burdens and rid you of all chains and shackles; He wants to deliver you from the famine stricken land and lead you to a territory that is enriched by bounty and prosperity. He wants to deliver you from the darkness that is accompanied by fierce winds, and guide you towards palatial homes enlightened by brilliant lamps; He wants you to be free of sin and falsehood, so that you may become like a person who has just returned from the Hajj accepted by God. But you are pleased to be soiled by the dross of sinfulness, and content to be forever away from the threshold of the Beloved. I offer you the water of life, but you prefer the chalice of death. I invite you to the Ancient House [the Ka‘bah], but you hasten to worship idols. I bear all kinds of hardship and pain for your sake. In times of darkness of grief, I pray for you as if offering [last prayer of the day offered after nightfall] ‘Isha’ prayer. Certainly the matter rests with Allah. He does what He pleases. The time is nigh when the stone [i.e. the obstinate heart] will soften. How long will this anxiety last?
O people! Do not follow the masses, for they have already turned away from the paths of peace. Should you be astonished, then there is nothing more astonishing than their statement that ‘Isa is alive in the heavens with his physical body; but in spite of this, he has joined the dead and entered Paradise along with them. They also say that during the Latter Days he would part company with the dead and descend upon some part of the world where he would live for as many as forty years and then depart from this world and join the dead again until the end of time. This is the gist of their beliefs and the essence of their absurd ideas. I am amazed at what they claim. I remain perplexed by their statement, along with their madness. I do not know whether their selfish desire has dragged them to it or if they are overpowered by black bile [resulting in loss of mental balance]. What has gone wrong with them that, despite the passage of a long time and reciting the Holy Quran, they have still not turned towards the truth? I am at a loss to understand what kind of madness it is which does not leave them even after centuries.
By Allah, I am astonished at the way they insist upon a belief that is contrary to the Holy Quran and deadly to the Faith. This is in spite of the fact that the Arbiter commissioned by Allah has already come to them at the turn of the century with truth and wisdom and at the time of prevalence of every type of innovation and of the ascendency of disbelief. Hence, I am utterly amazed as to what causes them to deny him in spite of the fact that he is calling the [people of his] time, and the time is calling for him.
Allah is my Witness that I alone am the Promised Messiah. God my Lord has granted me with an incontrovertible argument and graced me such conviction that even if all veils were to be lifted, it will not add anything to my certitude. Allah sent me when He found people sinful and the age full of darkness, so that they might repent. How can I admonish them when they do not listen to me and are moving away from the true path? They rejected the food sent by God Almighty and its loafs, and dispersed, leaving the [heavenly] table alone in its place. For their part, they preferred worldly porridge. Their mouths watered for it and their lips relished its taste. Hence, in order to demonstrate my truth, the least would be that they suffer a part of the calamities about which I have warned them.
What has gone wrong with them that they do not wait? They say that ‘Isa is alive, a claim based on their ignorance of the Holy Quran and the Hadith. Thus, they vehemently reject ‘Isa’s death and insist that he is alive. They cling to this belief until they die. But you should discard this belief if you are from among those who believe in the Furqan [Holy Quran] and do not deny it. And do not be like those who have put the Word of God behind their backs and do not care. They say that there is consensus among the Muslims about him still being alive. Nay, they are telling a lie.
How can there be a consensus as long as the Mu‘tazilah are among the Muslims? When they are asked, ‘Why do you not you reflect upon the Word of your Lord 10
or do you not believe in it?’, they have no answer to this except to misinterpret the words of God and say that tawaffi means the raising of the spirit along with the material body. Behold how they deviate from the truth. They know that these are the words of ‘Isa which he would deliver on the Day of Judgment before the Lord of Honour when He would enquire from him why his people digressed from the right path. This is what you read in the Holy Quran.
Allah is my Witness; I am amazed at their plight and their lack of reason and understanding! Do they not know that no human being is capable of presenting himself on the Day of Judgment unless he surrenders his soul and joins the ranks of the dead? What has gone wrong with them that they do not ponder that the Companions buried the Best of Mankind [the Holy Prophet] in dirt and his grave is still present in al-Madinatul-Munawwarah.11 Hence, it would be extreme disrespect to say that ‘Isa did not die. Indeed, it amounts to extreme shirk, which undermines virtue and is totally opposed to reason. Rather, the fact is that ‘Isa died just like his brothers and contemporaries.
Indeed, the belief of his being alive has infiltrated the Muslims from the Christians, who, only because of this [presumed] characteristic, have deemed him worthy of worship. Then the Christians, spending money and wealth, carried this creed to towns and villages where there dwelled no learned scholars or thinkers. As for the early Muslims, it was a slip or a stumble on their part to profess this statement. Hence, they may not be held accountable before God for a mistake they made unwittingly. Allah forgives every man of opinion who opines with sincere intentions and fulfils the requirement of investigation without any dishonesty, according to his ability. The exceptions are those to whom the Imam al-Hakam [the Just Judge] has come with clear arguments for guidance and has distinguished guidance from falsehood and has exposed what was concealed. Yet people ignored his statement and did not opt for the paths of truth; rather, they tried to prevent those who followed it. They opposed him and died like mortal enemies in a state of enmity and mischief. They were happy over this and forgot the one who had come from God. Will they deny that of which Allah has warned? They will not be able to traverse beyond their appointed time when the decree comes. Every soul will then witness the acts it had performed out of selfish motives. He who presents himself before Allah with a righteous heart, God will save him from the flames of Hell.
As far as the sinful evader, he will taste Hell, in which he will neither die nor live. Indeed, I await this day and night and my eyes keep searching in every direction for the decrees. For a certainty, the chastisement of Allah has knocked upon your door and has broken your canine teeth, yet you fail to see that you have come close to the lion of death in the jungles. Hence—O heedless ones—build for yourselves a fortress to protect you against this kind of death. Save yourselves from this suicide. Indeed, your life depends upon belief and the Religion, and not upon the bread and sweet water of springs.
When faith is lost, no life remains. One who loses faith is like the dead. You see that disbelief has mortally damaged Islam and people only pay lip service to it. By Allah, the lion [of Islam] has been injured by the dogs [of disbelief ] and forced to retreat instead of advancing forth to attack the prey, and has seated itself in the boat among those who are destined to die. This is why you are surrounded on all sides by pain and hardship, and calamities have visited you to accompany you forever, as if they found your homes inviting. Indeed, with each passing day, these calamities continue to crush you to pieces. You find them descending upon you one after the other and see them inflicting destruction upon you, with each new calamity being severer than its predecessor, but still, you do not fear.
You have witnessed a few of these calamities, but there are more to come. Therefore, turn towards your Creator that you might attain salvation. How can hope for repentance be expected for you when you turn away from every Sign that comes to you? Soon you will hear the fulfilment of that which you used to ridicule. Among the calamities you are afflicted with is that there is a people [i.e. the Christians] who are inviting you to disbelief by offering gold and silver. They are offering gold to any apostate in the hope that he may become a Christian. Of course, they are rich, and you are poor. The doors of worldly wealth have been opened to them, whereas you are passing your days in poverty. This is a mischief greater than any other mischief, and a calamity greater than all other calamities. You depend upon these people; they do not depend upon you. They landed in your homeland and their kings conquered it. To be affected by it is a necessary consequence that you witness.
Another calamity is that the rich among you mock the Faith and the poor hanker after the world. Therefore, I am neither solaced by those [rich] nor by these [poor]; I am disappointed with all. When I looked at the condition of both groups, I was caught by what catches the sick upon seeing the signs of death. You could not have been defeated by any disbeliever; rather, your own sins have defeated you. You forsook the Ever-Present, so you will be forsaken likewise. He looked at your hearts and found them devoid of righteousness. As a result, He thrust upon you a pack of transgressors and armed them with spears to torment you, but will you desist?
So then, will you change yourselves?
Hence, will you come to believe!
Do you consider yourselves [spiritually] alive while you are constantly afflicted with sinfulness? Indeed, for a brave, young person it is better to die than to live like an animal. What is wrong with you that you pay no heed? Christianity devours you day by day as fire devours timber so that what He has ordained and decreed for you be fulfilled. By Allah, this epidemic is the worst of all epidemics and this earthquake is the greatest of all earthquakes.
O transgressors! What has befallen you has descended only as the consequence of your sins. Worldly calamities destroy only the body, whereas spiritual calamities destroy the body, soul, and faith all at once. If you are wise, do not censure your enemies; censure yourselves. What has gone wrong with you that you look not up to the heavens and have become the children of the world? Verily, Allah has offered you the fresh and nourishing milk of faith, but you reject it; yet on the other hand, there are a people who offer you the flesh of swine, and you eat it with delight. He who converted from among them to your faith has done so with hypocrisy. His only purpose is to move around in the markets and greedily beg people for money. They [i.e. Christians] are increasing and you are decreasing [in number].
O ignorant people! How long you will live in this world? You are pursuing the riches of this world and pay no attention to where they come from. You see tables adorned with food, but you fail to notice the beguiling deceivers as if you are a blind people. Instead of offering the ‘Isha’ prayer, you indulge in drinking in the company of your friends You live in lethargy and dare not touch religion with your fingertip lest you feel a sting from it. Despite all this, you say, ‘We have done everything we could [for religion] and now we can relax.’
Reflect—O brave and young people!—had the time not come for God to send the Imam for the present day dwellers of the world? Indeed, you break your covenant with Allah. You cut asunder what Allah had commanded to be joined and create disorder in the earth. By Allah! This indeed is the time [for the Imam to come]! What has then gone wrong with you that you do not accept him?
I declare in the name of Allah that just as the Ka‘bah exists in Makkah for the pilgrims, I am the Ka‘bah for all those who are in need [of guidance]. I alone am al-Hajrul-Aswad [the Black Stone] whose acceptance has been ordained for the whole world and the touching through which people seek blessings.14 May Allah’s curse be upon those who accuse me of being a seeker of the world despite the fact that I am far removed from the world. I have come to make people firm in Tauhid [Oneness of God] and in prayer, and not to bestow different kinds of gifts.
Allah is fully aware of what lies in my heart. He has proven through His Signs that my accusers are liars. My claim is not based on my own fabrications. Instead, I have brought the truth, and with truth have I been sent. What has gone wrong with you that you do not recognize me?
O Muslims! Indeed, I am your lost property. I will not lead you astray. Hence, is there anyone among you who is willing to accept me and reflect on my words in good faith? O proud people! Is there not even one right-minded man left among you? O brave young people! If I had not been sent in this age, the people of the Cross would have trampled the Faith under their feet. This flood has reached as high as the head and has drowned many a soul. Do you not know the manner in which the priests mislead? Doubtless, I have been sent at a time that has—through its darkness—rendered the whole world impure and ruined those who inhabited it. What, then, has gone wrong with you that you do not understand?
By God, there is no other nation in the world whose condition is more astonishing than yours. It has been a long time since you began treating me with indifference and disinterest. You witnessed Signs and were granted perspicuous evidence, yet you rejected them all as if they were worthless pebbles. The doors of piety were opened to you, but you closed them upon yourselves lest goodness should enter your homes. What has gone wrong with you that you do not observe the limits set by Allah and hasten to deny me? Allah is wielding His sword. He is ready to attack anyone who crosses the limits set by Him.
Indeed, I am the Promised Messiah, but you reject me and slur foul language against me. You also say that my claim is false and is a statement that has been opposed by earlier people. This statement of yours has shocked me, despite all your claims to knowledge and scholarship. Do you allege something that contradicts the Holy Quran, even while you are aware of it?
Any claim of ijma‘ [consensus] after the Companions(ra) [of the Holy Prophet(sa)] is false and an atrocious lie. Only the wrongdoers can persist in it. And what consensus? Have you forgotten what the Mu‘tazilah said? Do you think they were not Muslims, and only you are Muslims? Thus it is proven that your viewpoint is not unanimous; rather, there are disagreements among you. Therefore, Allah Himself will now decide about your mutual disagreements.
I am supported by the testimony and Signs from my Lord to which you are witnesses. Do you persist in denial? There is no blame on those who passed away before me, and they are not answerable for what they did. However, those whom my claim has reached, who have seen my Signs, who recognized me, and to whom I introduced myself, and against whom my argument has been fully established, but they nevertheless rejected the Signs of Allah and oppressed me—they are a people who have become deserving of Allah’s punishment, as they do not fear Allah and mock at Allah’s Signs and His Prophets. I did not come to them without manifest Signs. My Lord showed them Sign after Sign and miracle after miracle. The argument has been established and all disputes and disagreements have been settled, yet they persist in denial. Do they fight Allah because He made me the Promised Messiah and the Prophesied Mahdi? To Him alone belongs the command and the decision. He cannot be questioned for what He does, but they will be held accountable for what they do. Some of them withdrew from this dispute out of shame and fear and returned to me repentant, but most of them remain astray.
Do they insist that ‘Isa is alive and conceal the consensus agreed upon by all the Companions and go against the people who were blessed with the company of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, whereas every one of them benefited from, and was taught by, the Holy Prophet? They formed a consensus on the death of ‘Isa, and this was the first consensus reached by them after the [demise of the] Messenger of Allah. The learned scholars are well aware of this.
Have you forgotten the Word of Allah:
Or do you opt knowingly for disbelief ? Every single one of the Companions died while they adhered to this consensus. Later, you became sects and the winds of dissension started blowing among you. You have been deprived of any authoritative argument for his [‘Isa’s] life. You follow nothing but conjectures. Allah quotes ‘Isa as saying 16
, yet you do not reflect upon these words of Allah, nor do you pay heed to them. 17
Or do you say that which you do not know?
Know also that the term that is coined to convey a particular meaning deserves to be applied to everyone equally in its assigned sense without any distinction or exception. But you particularize ‘Isa for the meaning that you have devised for the word tawaffi [to ascend bodily] and say that no one else in all the worlds shares that meaning, as if this particular meaning came into existence only when ‘Isa was born and it had no existence before him, nor will it exist again [after him] until the end of times.
O brave and young person! Assume that ‘Isa was not born and was not granted a physical body by God Almighty. In that case, the word tawaffi would have been left like a woman deprived of her ornaments. So ponder without showing me your canine teeth. Fear Allah, the Oft-Returning with compassion. Do you think that this meaning [for the word tawaffi] is a carpet that only Ibn Maryam [the son of Mary] walked upon, or a tablecloth that no one has betaken except this honourable king [‘Isa]?
Moreover, even if we accept that in the phrase 
the word tawaffi signifies physical ascension to the heavens, despite the supposition of this meaning, the verse would reject the idea of ‘Isa ever returning to the earth and the purpose of my enemies cannot be achieved; rather, the matter of not descending remains intact. This is not hidden from the wise, because ‘Isa will utter these words on the Day of Judgment. In other words, he will say on the day when all creation will be resurrected and presented [before their Lord]. O wise ones! This is what you read in the Holy Quran. ‘Isa’s reply, to put it in a nutshell, is that he would state to God that: ‘I left my people established upon the Oneness of God and belief in Allah, the One Jealous of His Honour. Since then, I never saw them again up to the Last Day, nor did I ever visit the earth again until the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, I do not know what they did after me with regard to polytheism and evil deeds, and I am not to be blamed.’
If his return to the Earth before the Day of Judgment were a reality, then it would imply that he would resort to a despicable lie when questioned by the Lord of Honour about his people. This is evidently false. Hence, the belief in his descent is also false without any doubt and ambiguity.
Therefore—O brave young people!—wake up! How far have you drifted from the teachings of the Holy Quran! Actually ‘Isa died just as his fellow Prophets and joined them in Heaven, as you read in the ahadith of the Best of the Prophets(sa). Have you ever read in the Hadith of the Leader of the World(sa) that ‘Isa is resting in a chamber separate from other dead people? Indeed, not. The fact is that he is dead and will never return to the Earth up to the Day of Resurrection. Anyone who deliberately states something contrary to this is from among those who deny the Holy Quran. As for those who have passed away before me, they are not answerable to God for the error they made.
The Holy Quran testifies that on the Day of Judgment Jesus will deny any knowledge of the apostasy of his people and of their abandoning the Lord of the entire creation and making him into God. He will thus absolve himself of any knowledge of the disorder in Christianity and their falling into error.
If he were destined to descend before the Day of Judgment, then he would have said so truthfully before God Almighty, as was befitting his lofty station. This is what the righteous do. Indeed, truth is from among the cloaks of the Prophets and Imams. How then can it be imagined that he would resort to falsehood and be guilty of hiding the testimony by saying, ‘O my Lord! I never returned to the earth, neither do I have any knowledge of what happened to my people, nor do I know how they acted after I had left them.’ This would be a despicable lie that makes the body tremble and shake violently.18
If we assume that such would, indeed, be the answer of Jesus, and he would, when enquired by Allah the Glorious, hide intentionally the fact of his return to the Earth and, despite being aware of his followers’ apostasy and falling away from the right path, will try to conceal it, then no doubt God would say to him, ‘O ‘Isa! What is wrong with you that you do not fear My honour and glory and lie to My face in answer to My questions? Did you not return to the Earth upon your descent, and become aware that your followers indulged in shirk [associating partners with Allah]? Did you not see those who made you into God and then spread to every part of the world and, like a galloping horse, they came down from every high place. You actually fought against them and broke their Cross with your power and effort. But you now deny that you returned to the Earth? Indeed, I am amazed at your falsehood and imposture.’
In short, your belief in ‘Isa’s bodily ascension is false and so harmful to Islam, as if it were a murderer. You say that the word rafa‘a is found in the Holy Quran. True, it is there, but its meaning can be seen from the words mutawaffika [I will cause you to die]. Rather, the entirety of the wording of the verse testifies to ‘spiritual ascension’. Do you believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part? Is this your Islam or is it disbelief and deviation? Or do you wish to interpolate the Book of God just as the Jews did? Do you not see that the word mutawaffika occurs before the word rafa‘a and is present in the Holy Quran? What is the reason that you discard the sequence and opt for what is harmful to you and avoid what is beneficial to you? Indeed, you cross the prescribed limits. Has not Allah prohibited you from misinterpreting the meanings of the Holy Quran and following the ways of Satan?
By Allah! Again, by Allah! Nothing but prejudice and enmity has taken you away from the truth. You consider the greatest mischief as the very means of removing mischief itself, yet you accuse me saying, ‘You declare the adherents of the Qiblah [i.e. the Muslims] to be disbelievers and you oppose the word of Khairul-Bariyyah [i.e. the Best of Creation—the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa)].
Subhanallah [Holy is Allah]! How quickly you have forgotten your edicts against me; for, I have neither been impetuous in issuing edicts of disbelief nor have I been the first to demean others. Have you not publicized [the accusation of ] my disbelief in every street and alley all over this country? Have you forgotten the papers documenting your edicts and the shameless comments you made—and continue to make—about me? Indeed, you spared no effort to refute my beliefs and frustrate my plans.
For twenty years, or even more than that, you hatched all kinds of plots against me and created every kind of disorder and vituperated against me in the manner of your choosing. Then you advertised those abusive remarks among friend and foe alike, as if you are immune from chastisement and accountability. God Almighty, however, perfected the light you wanted to extinguish, and filled the ocean you wished to run dry.
You prayed against me for a famine stricken land, but God, on the other hand, granted me refuge in an elevated land,19 and a lush green valley and garden. He showered upon me bounties and favours and vouchsafed to me blessings which neither you nor your forefathers ever witnessed. Is this the reward of imposture? Have you ever heard of such rewards being showered on a liar in any of the past ages?
May God have mercy on you all! Know that the issue of the truth of my claim and the death of ‘Isa was not hard to understand, but your own self incited you to reject your Imam. So, your hearts were perverted and you did not duly reflect upon the matter. I brought to you manifest Signs, testimonies, and clear-cut arguments. In addition, God Almighty revealed to me what He had kept hidden from you about Ibn Maryam. It is His grace that He made me understand what He never disclosed to you, nor made you understand:
Do you think that the People of the Cave and the Inscription were a wonder among our Signs?
For a long time, he kept me hidden from your eyes and placed a covering over them. Consequently, you kept waiting for the Messiah to come down from the heavens. Thus did God Almighty keep your minds and thoughts from understanding this illuminating truth, so that He may make you realize that you cannot grasp the mysteries and secrets of the God of Majesty. It is from the ways of Allah to teach you the etiquettes of expressing your opinion. Hence, the matter remained dubious to you so that He may put you to the test; then, after that, He caused it to be manifested after keeping it hidden.
What can be a greater sin than this: Allah gives the news of the death of ‘Isa in the Holy Quran; He mentions that on the Day of Judgment ‘Isa will plead that he died before the apostasy of his people and has no knowledge about it, as has been mentioned earlier; and the Holy Prophet(sa)says that he saw ‘Isa among the dead with Ilyas [Elijah] during the night of Mi‘raj;21 yet you raise him with his physical body to the heavens! I have not seen anything stranger than this! What is the matter with you that you do not understand? What I have said in this regard is decisive; you cannot flee from it. You insist on him being alive, yet you fail to present an argument for it.
The only answer you have to this is that your forefathers adhered to the same belief, even though they might have fallen away from the right path. What is the value of the thoughts of those who were born after the Companions—indeed, three centuries later? They had no right to interpret the news [of the unseen] conveyed by Allah before those events had actually taken place. Due respect called for leaving the issue of the origins of this spring to Allah. Indeed, such has been the practice of the elders of the ummah that while interpreting the tidings of the unseen they never insisted on any single meaning. They believed in the prophecies in their entirety and left the details to the All-Knowing God. This is the safest way according to those who possess righteousness and wisdom. However, afterwards, there came a people who transgressed the limits of their knowledge and forgot what has been said:
Like fleas, they jumped around from one place to the other and insisted upon things they had not fully comprehended. What pity upon them and their audacity! They have caused such damage to the Religion that it can be called the sister of the damage caused to it by Christianity. Indeed, they are like the years of famine for the Religion.
They raise ‘Isa with his physical body to the heavens and do not reflect upon the words of God Almighty:
Instead, they continue to increase in malice and spite. O brave young people! What is your stance vis-a-vis these verses? Why do you follow that which is dubious and abandon the Signs that are evident and certain? Do you not know that the disbelievers had, according to the verse mentioned above, demanded from our Holy Prophet(sa)—the Best of Mankind and the Chosen One of God—the miracle of physical ascension to heaven? In response, God told them that His practice never allowed any human being to be physically raised to heaven; rather, it was in contradiction with His eternal practice and law? Suppose that ‘Isa [ Jesus] was really raised to the Second Heaven, then what would the restriction laid down in the aforesaid verse imply? Did the God of Honour not consider ‘Isa to be a human being? So why was there an urgency for him to be raised to the high heavens? Had the earth become too narrow for him? Or was there no refuge left for him to escape the Jews so that he had to be raised to the heavens to be hidden?
O people! Deviate not from the right path, and weigh with a fair balance. By God! The death of Jesus is better for Islam than his life. The victory of the Religion [of Islam] lies entirely in the death of Jesus. Do you want to exchange what is good for that which is foul? Can you not distinguish between profit and loss? By God, Jesus’ life cannot coexist with the life of Islam. You have seen what his presumed life has constructed and what it has demolished, and you are seeing how it has helped and advanced Christianity and has wounded the most upright religion. Since the damage it has caused is proven before us, how can we expect it to bring any good in the future? Having so long experienced the harm done by his presumed life, what good can we hope to acquire from this belief thereafter, given the established proof of its being invalid?
Wise indeed is he who does not go against this experience. God Almighty guides to the paths of wisdom, and shows mercy to His servants and safeguards them against the doors which lead to misguidance. Without a doubt, the belief that Jesus is alive and will descend is a door from among the doors to misguidance and nothing can be expected from it except for various unwholesome consequences. In His works Allah has wisdom which you cannot comprehend, as well as appropriateness which you cannot fathom. Therefore, ponder over this; may Allah have mercy on you! The belief about Jesus being alive which you insist upon to this day, and the belief of his descent in the Latter Days, is a matter that has not provided you even an iota of benefit. Moreover, it has not helped our Faith, which is the best of all faiths. It only supported Christianity and caused droves of Muslims to join the people of the Cross.
O people of Islam! I do not understand what made you feel the need for Jesus to descend. The fact is that his life only brings you harm, not benefit. Have you not witnessed its damage in the past years? Has this belief benefited you in the bygone age? Instead, it brought ruin upon you by causing your males and females to become apostates. Therefore—O brave, young people!—How can anything good be expected from this belief ? You have seen that the converts to Christianity were pulled towards the priests only through these lassos, and indeed they [these priests] are the very thief who threw them into the well of destruction even though they had descended from the Muslims. But, then they became like snakes and wild beasts. They became hostile to Islam and defamed it in a voice worse than a donkey’s. They left their near ones and their parents weeping and wailing upon their condition and devoted themselves to vituperation against the Best of Mankind [the Holy Prophet(sa)] and to blaspheming the Best of Books [the Holy Quran]. They alleged that it contained nothing but poetry and that it had not been beneficial to anyone. They made our religion the target of their ridicule and spoke of it only as an object of derision and warned the Muslims that if they died practicing it, they would enter Hell.
May God show you the right path and safeguard you from the path of His displeasure. Remember that the bane [of Christianity] that you consider to be harmless is, in the eyes of God, a great evil. It has ruined many among you and dispatched them to Hell. This is why God Almighty warned of it in a number of places in the Holy Quran. Indeed, it is to this very belief that He ascribed the renting asunder of the heavens, the blowing away of the mountains, and the appearance of the Signs of great punishment. By Allah, I am amazed at the Muslims who have supported the Christians by stating what is contradictory to the Word of God Almighty; they said that Jesus was physically raised to the heavens and would, at some time in the future, return to the earth. The Christians consider this to be the greatest argument in support of their belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ. Indeed, they misguide so many ignorant people by dint of the same argument in spite of the fact that Jesus is dead and is living among the dead. This is affirmed by a number of arguments set out both in the Holy Quran and Hadith. The Holy Quran speaks of him as dead in a number of places. The Holy Prophet(sa)saw him in the Second Heaven during the Night of Mi‘raj, residing among the dead along with Prophet Yahya [ John]. What can be a greater and more magnificent testimony than this? Yet the ignorant attack me when they hear it from me. They say that if they had a sword, they would have killed me. Verily, the sword of Allah is sharper than the swords of this group. Have not some of them already seen the strike of His sword during the mubahalah [with me]?
The Holy Quran repeatedly mentions Jesus [‘Isa] to be dead. It also mentions that he was granted refuge on an elevated land of green valleys and springs of running water. It has been established with a number of other arguments that this was none other than the land of Kashmir, where Jesus’ grave has been discovered. This event is also mentioned in the old literature of this country—evidence that cannot be denied. Truth has become manifest, and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. The people of this country [Kashmir] have testified that the grave is that of an Israelite Prophet who had migrated to this region after he was persecuted by his people, and that this occurred almost as many as 2,000 years ago. In short, there are incontrovertible arguments to prove that ‘Isa is dead. Only one who does not believe in the categorical arguments of the Holy Quran and Hadith can deny this. Had God so willed, He would have granted guidance to such people, but He lets go astray who wishes it and guides who wishes it, and they will all be returned to Him. They follow nothing but conjecture. I do not find them sticking to any reasonable argument. To cling to conjectures in the face of such precepts of incontrovertible import is dishonesty and departure from the path of righteousness. Woe unto those who do not desist.
Those who do not ponder would say that Jesus’ advent is a ‘Sign’ of the Day of Judgment [and quote the verse]:
This is what they have heard from their forefathers, but they have never pondered over it like the wise. What has gone wrong with them that they do not know that the word ‘Sign’ here signifies his miraculous birth which was without a father which is mentioned in the Scriptures and which no sane and knowledgeable person denies! As for the belief of the People of the Book in [the truthfulness of ] Jesus—as is imagined to be the import of this verse—you are only too well aware of its reality. There is no need to delve into it further. You know that hosts of Jews have died without believing in Jesus. Therefore, do not interpolate the Word of God for the sake of a belief so obviously wrong. Verily, God has said:
Hence, how can they be his enemies after believing in Jesus? Is there not an iota of sense in your brains? Does this verse not disprove any such person who believes that all the sects of the Jews will come to believe in Jesus? Why are you then going against the text that is so clear and evident? Which verse [of the Holy Quran] is now left in your hands to which you are clinging?
Indeed, I am amazed at your condition! What argument do you have to oppose me? God Almighty repeatedly mentions the death of Jesus in the Holy Quran. Why, then, are you not admonished? There cannot be any contradiction in the Word of the Lord of all the worlds. What has gone wrong with you that you bear enmity towards the rational arguments and reject the scriptural records? I present to you the Word of God but you turn your faces aside and walk away.
You are well aware that both you and we unconditionally agree on the advent of the Promised Messiah. So the real contention between us and you is the issue of the son of Mary coming down from the sky. God Almighty has settled this issue by conveying the news of Jesus’ death in His enlightening Scripture. Anyone whom God chooses to guide to the right path, He opens his heart to accept the Quranic statements. After all, which book, besides the Furqan [Holy Quran], deserves to be followed with the utmost conviction by you and us both? Woe unto you! You neither want to show up for the debate nor accept the invitation to mubahalah. You only attack from afar. I have numerous arguments in my support from the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger(sa), but how can I present them to those who are turning away? Know they not that Allah never grants succour to those who bring innovations into faith or are unbelievers, nor are they helped. Such people are neither accepted by Him nor are they given preference as is granted to the righteous.
After all, what wrongdoing can my opponents ascribe to me except that I have informed them of Jesus’ death? Whereas all other Prophets that lived before him are also dead, will they reject an established consensus that is evident and based on an incontrovertible argument, or will they make a decision on their own? I declare in the name of Allah that Jesus is dead. They [my opponents] are hostile to evident truths and claim what is contrary to the Holy Quran. Indeed, they have no fear [of the Almighty]. What prevents them from accepting that ‘Isa is dead? The fact of the matter is that they are a people who exceed all bounds. They ascribe to him [i.e. Jesus] an attribute which is not found in any human being, and knowingly support the Christians. How can the jealousy of Allah tolerate ascribing anyone with one of His attributes, which no one has shared with Him from the beginning of the world to the end of times? What can be closer to disbelief than this belief ? Would that they had pondered over this, for such particularization is the very basis of idolatry. O ignorant ones! Is there any sin greater than holding partners with God Almighty? Remember when the Christians said that Jesus was the son of Allah because he was born fatherless and they were holding firmly to this belief. Allah responded to them with His word:
But we do not find in the Holy Quran any response to Jesus’ assumed peculiarity of physical ascension to heaven and then his descent from there, whereas the people of the Cross consider it to be the strongest evidence in support of their deification of Jesus. If Jesus’ ascension to the heavens and his descent from there were correct in the knowledge of our Gracious Lord, He would surely have compared Jesus with a person with the same attribute in the Holy Quran, just as He has compared him with Adam to refute the argument of the people of the Cross. Hence, certainly, the absence of such a comparison implies that the whole story of ascension is false; it is entirely baseless, and is nothing but nonsense. Do you know what wisdom prevented Allah from giving this answer whereas He was expected to respond to and uproot the Christian inference comprehensively? The Christian scholars are a people who are, with each passing day, increasing in exaggeration; and they do not turn towards the truth because of their arrogance and haughtiness. Nevertheless, I have fully established Allah’s argument in support of Islam against them.
I wrote numerous books on this subject and, for the benefit of the general population, published them in far off countries. However, when the debate between me and my opponents was prolonged and I did not find even a single person taking interest in Islam, I understood that it was a matter that demanded the succour of Allah the Great Bestower; for, I am nothing except when the mercy of my Gracious Lord comes to me. I then prostrated at the threshold of the Holy Lord to seek His help like a person who was already dead. It was then that my Lord blessed me with a new life by granting me two sentences and enlightened my eyes. He said:
Allah has placed blessing in you, O Ahmad. The Most Gracious God has taught you the Quran so that you should warn the people whose ancestors have not been warned, and that the way of the guilty ones might become manifest; say, ‘I have been commissioned from God and I am the first of the believers.’
Similarly, He gave me glad tidings: ‘Islam will be granted dominance and will be greatly disseminated’ and ‘a jewel like you is not wasted’. This was the first revelation that my insignificant self received from Allah, the All-Powerful and the Helper. My Lord granted me the glad tiding that He will show for my sake bright Signs and help me by repeated manifestations of His succour, so that He should confirm the truthfulness of truth and falsity of falsehood with supremely powerful arguments and splendid miracles.
Thereafter, I invited the priests, the Christians, and those who had embraced Christianity, as well as the Brahmus and polytheists, and asked them to judge the true faith in light of the Signs and succour of Allah, to make it clear who will be supported by Allah and who will be the object of His curse. However, they did not come out for this competition as the armed soldiers do; rather, they hid themselves in their nests. God is my Witness that if they had come out for this competition, my Lord would have shot His arrows precisely on the target and none of them would return except in loss and frustration. By Allah, if you had made proper investigations, you would have found that Islam is a treasure house of Signs and a city of their dwelling. You would have found in it the light capable of granting comfort to each and every soul. Regrettable indeed is the condition of those who deny its hidden troves, pay no heed to its treasures, and consider Islam to be like rotten bones and not full of magnificent bounties.
These are the people who do not believe that Allah will speak to anyone after our Master, the Chosen Prophet(sa). They say that divine converse has been sealed after the Best of Mankind [the Holy Prophet]. It is as if God has lost His ability to speak in this age and is able to hear only; perhaps He may also lose the ability to hear in the future. Thus, when He is [supposedly] unable to speak and hear the prayers offered to Him, then one can no longer rely on the integrity of His other attributes either. In other words, all His attributes will become unreliable. Hence, anyone who denies the eternal nature of even one single attribute of God Almighty denies all His attributes and inclines towards atheism. O people of wisdom! What would you say about such a person? Do you believe him to be a Muslim or has he fallen from the tower of the Faith?
Do you believe that Islam has nothing except a handful of stories and that it is devoid of tangible Signs? Has our Lord turned His blessed countenance away from us after the demise of the Holy Prophet(sa), the Best of Mankind? If so, what is the proof of the truth of this religion? Has God forgotten about the reward that He had promised in Surah al-Fatihah; that is, He would make the people of this ummah like the Prophets of the earlier ummahs?
Has not the Holy Quran declared us the Best of Ummahs? What has then—contrary to the Furqan—made us the worst of ummahs? Does reason permit that, despite our best efforts to obtain the cognizance of Allah, we will fail to tread upon the ways that lead to Him; and that, in spite of dying for the gentle wind of mercy, we will not be granted its breeze? Is this the limit of perfection for this ummah? Whilst the sun of this world is about to set, know that this belief is false not only from the standpoint of perfect wisdom, but it is also false on the basis of an in-depth look at the holy Scriptures.
Is there any death worse than a death of ignorance? What blindness is more painful than the prevention from beholding the countenance of Allah, the Great Bestower? If this ummah had been like the dumb and deaf, the lovers would have died on account of this grief. Those who melt themselves for meeting the Beloved and have no desire in the world other than achieving this objective—how can their Beloved leave them in the flames of restlessness and in the fire of waiting? They are lovers who let themselves melt away in order to attain the closeness to their Beloved. They entertain no other wish in this world except that they find the desire of their heart, God. How, then, can God—their Beloved Lord—be so heedless of them as to let them burn away in the fires of unrelenting wait for finding a look at His blessed countenance?
Had this been the case, this nation would have been the worst of nations. Its morning would not be bright, nor its cries heard; its people would die weeping and wailing. But, this is not the case—Allah is the Most Merciful of all who show mercy! He has not created hunger except that with it He created food for the hungry, and He has not created thirst except that with it He created water for the thirsty. Such has been His continuous sunnah for those who seek after His cognizance. This is what I have seen, so how can I deny it after seeing it? I have experienced it myself, so how can I have doubts about it after my personal experiences?
Hence, I have no choice but to call people towards that which I have found with perfect insight. Therefore, everyone who believes in Allah the One and Unique, and is not averse to Kalimatut-Tauhid,29 should not rest content with old rags, but rather seek the august cloak of religion and be eager to perfect both the inner and the outer garments, and should knock upon the door of God the Benevolent with perfect sincerity and pathos for He is Most Generous and tires not of the pleas of people.
His treasures are beyond reckoning and imagination—so, the one who asks for more will receive more gifts. Therefore, one of the beauties of faith is that His servant should not despair of His munificence and should not consider His door to be closed upon His loved ones.
O people! You are in need of Allah’s bounties and grace. Therefore, it will be a great misfortune if you reject the bounties after they have been bestowed upon you. Which of the hungry can be more ill-fated than the one who is about to die of hunger, yet refuses to accept the delicious food and wholesome bread that is offered to him, nor glances upon it even though he is struck with hunger and unnerved by it? Despite that, he does not want it!
My brothers! May Allah the Gracious have mercy on you! I have come to you with a feast from heaven. Upon the turn of this century God has fulfilled the desires for which you used to pray. He, therefore, opened the doors of His bounties to you. Will you now accept them? I know you will never be pleased with me unless I follow your beliefs, but how can I ignore the revelation of my Lord and follow your desires? He is Supreme over His servants, and to Him alone will you be returned.
Verily, I have been granted Signs and blessings and every kind of help and support. This door is not opened to liars, even if they exert so hard in worship that nothing remains of their bodies except the tendons. Do you expect God to love someone who is dishonest and sinful? I have come from His Honour to help you like a lion that emerges from his den, displays its canine teeth, and attacks. Show me a single person from among the clergy, or the atheists, or the disbelievers at large, who can confront me in this battleground and defeat me with the Signs of Allah the Supreme. By Allah, they all are my prey and Allah has closed the path of escape upon them. No jungle will provide them shelter, nor any of the seas. We are covering the earth, closing upon them speedily like fast-moving travellers, and will—God willing—overtake them victoriously.30
They would never have prevailed over you, but you rejected those who could protect you and have headed for the wastelands. You shunned the refuge of the one who could safeguard you and you fled to the wilderness. You deprived yourselves of the ambrosial food of knowledge, and became as a famished one in dire straits. You made yourselves like a decrepit old man who is deprived of sound opinion and wisdom, or like an animal that knows nothing beyond green foliage. You refuse to arm yourselves with the weapon that the God of Grandeur has sent down for you from heaven. As for the worldly arms, they amount to nothing against these enemies. So now you dwell in a land that is barren and a desert devoid of water. You intentionally move away from the running streams that can satiate the thirsty. You prefer deserts and fail to take caution against those who will destroy you. Your bodies have been scorched by the noonday sun. What, then, has gone wrong with you that you do not take refuge under the mighty shade that may protect you against the blistering heat, lead you to the cold sweet water, and safeguard you from falling into the pits of graves [of ignorance]? The biggest argument in favour of the truth of a claimant of Prophethood is the very age which is steeped entirely in darkness.
If you have any doubt about my claim, then be patient until God Himself decides between us. Indeed, He is the Best of the Judges. Is it not sufficient for you that God granted me decisive victory when my enemies entered into a mubahalah with me? They claimed that God would cause them to emerge victorious, but Allah destroyed those who were to be destroyed through clear proof. You hatched plans against me, but God made His own plan; and He is the Best of Planners. You can see how the enemy is encamped, surrounding you, and how calamities are descending upon you. You are subdued by them due to your own weaknesses, and your selfish desires have attracted you towards them. Surely, they have prepared such wiles as amaze both the eyes and insight.
What is the matter with you that you cannot see the tornado which has uprooted the trees? They [i.e. Christians] are a people who are desirous of apostasy and misguidance for you. They never fall short of inflicting evil upon you. They have subdued all the peoples of the world and made them like their servants and maids. They might even try to launch their arrows at the heavens. Allah is my Witness, you cannot compete with them. They consider you nothing more than a speck of dust. Now, tell, should I be annoyed with you, or should I not? Why are you sleeping at this time? Are you pleased with the life of this world in exchange for the Hereafter and have, therefore, stooped heavily to the earth like drunkards? What has benumbed you so that you have become a victim of loss? O honourable people! What strength has survived in you? By Allah! Nothing remains save our Lord, the Great Bestower. I do not know what you earned in the past and what you will gain from your [worldly] resources in the future and how your wisdom, which is no more than a fly, will come to your help, and what adornment you exhibit through these garments. When I stood up among you and claimed to be from Allah the Benevolent, you became angry and furious, calling me an impostor. You said that this man is a liar, and considered me to be like Satan the accursed. You did not even pay attention to the time, whether it called for the Antichrist to spread misguidance, or the Reformer to revive the Faith and return to you what you had lost.
I call Allah as the Witness to what is in my heart. By Allah, I am from Him and I have not done anything with falsification. Indeed, you committed a great wrong when you undertook to declare me a disbeliever and to humiliate me. You even ignored the crimes that are being committed today against Islam. So I cry for you with flowing tears and falling teardrops in the same way as you laugh and mock at me. What has gone wrong with you that you neither reflect upon your own selves nor upon the debilitating state of Islam? Are you not fed up with Antichrist that you crave for another one in this frightful time and in these threatening days? I have come to you at the turn of the century and at a time of true need. The lunar and solar eclipses, earthquakes, and the plague have all testified to my truth. It amazes me that you witness the Signs but still your doubts do not vanish. O scholars, is this what your insight tells you? Nay, the pride which you kept secret, and still hide, has intervened between you and your righteousness. Indeed, you have become blind, so you cannot see the mischief of the enemy. You call me the Antichrist and do not use any insight. You issue the verdict that I am a disbeliever; rather, a greater disbeliever than all those who disbelieved in the Prophets!
What a marvel your declarations are! The wonder upon wonder is that you do not hold those to be Antichrist who from among the Christians and unbelievers want to totally destroy the Faith; on the contrary, I am the Antichrist, rather the worst of all those who spread mischief. Hence, I cry out unto none other than Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Whilst you have declared me a kafir, how can it be expected that the admonishment of the disbelievers would do you any good? But I wanted to narrate the hardship that I have borne in the way of Allah. It was for this reason that my discourse deviated towards narrating them.
May God have mercy on you! What has gone wrong with you that you do not shun cruelty and transgression, neither do you fear the All-Knowing God, the Lord of reward and punishment? O my people! I have come from my Lord at the appointed time. I speak not but when He wants me to speak. I convey to you the message of truth, but you respond with curses. I do not comprehend your vile response.
You have imitated the Jews so much so that your shoes resemble their shoes and your statements resemble their statements. The Jews, on account of their miserliness, called Jesus [‘Isa], who was a Prophet of God Almighty, the Antichrist. Similarly, I have been given the same name by you. Thus you have resembled them in word and deed. Indeed, if it had not been for the sword of the Government, I would have seen the same thing from the disbelievers as Jesus saw. Hence, it is not out of sycophancy but rather out of sincere gratitude for the favour it has done us that we thank this Government. By Allah, we have been blessed with such peace under this Government as cannot be expected from any Islamic government. This is why I consider it utterly wrong to raise the sword against this Government in the name of Jihad. I rather deem it unlawful for any Muslim to wage war against it or support a rebellion or an insurgence against it, for the Government has been kind to us in numerous ways, and one must respond to kindness with kindness. There is no doubt that this Government guarantees us peace on account of which we have survived the cruelties of the people of this age. However, we make no secret of the fact that we are against the Christian clergymen; rather, we are their foremost opponents.
The reason for this is that they declare a weak and humble human being to be the Lord of all the worlds, and forsake the True Creator of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, Allah knows that they are liars who fabricate and Antichrists who interpolate. We know for a fact that the Government is not with them—it neither incites them to adopt such behaviour, nor does it help them. Instead, the Government is Christian only in name. They have formulated laws by themselves and have placed the Gospel behind their back. How can we can call them Christians? They are rather a different people with different views. They do not read the Gospel, neither do they act upon its commandments, nor do they pay any attention to it. When it comes to deciding a dispute, we find them just and fair. During certain court cases I have experienced this for myself. They respect us better than many others. They wish to be peaceful and want others to do the same. The night we spend under them is better than the day we spent under the idolaters. Therefore, gratitude towards them is incumbent upon us; and if we do not thank them, we would be sinful.
In short, we found this Government benevolent to us. The Book of God Almighty has made it incumbent upon us to be grateful to it. This is the only reason why we thank them and wish them well, and pray to the Almighty that He may guide them to Islam and help them get rid of the worship of the humble human who, in respect of bearing hardships and trials, was in no way different from them. May He open their eyes so that they can see the truth of His Faith, and may He lead them to the best of all faiths [i.e. Islam]. May He protect them against any loss, be it worldly or religious.
This is my prayer, and the reward of goodness is nothing but goodness. Only the one whose heart has become sinful and who follows Satan can commit wrong in return for goodness. Hence, I do not wish to follow those who were guilty of wrongdoing. The addressees of my critique in this booklet are only those Christian scholars or clergymen who have considered it their religious obligation to vituperate and blaspheme our chief and master, the Best of all Creation [i.e. the Holy Prophet]. My Lord has, therefore, appointed me to stop and keep people away from committing this wrongdoing. God is the Helper of His religion, and He is the Best of Helpers.
My Lord, in order to help His faith, addressed me with words in which I find a great promise. He said:
Give them good news of the days of Allah and keep reminding them well.
I can, therefore, say with great conviction and confidence that God will help His religion and protect it from its enemies, and will Himself, from the heavens, make it prevail over all other religions. However, this victory will not be attained through any war or jihad, but rather through extraordinary Signs and by the Hand which will crush the skulls of the enemies. This is what we find written in His Book. Then my Lord once again sent down His revelation to me like He had sent it earlier. I have only given a summary of it. Allah would never go against His promise, and the wrongdoers will receive full requital for their wrongdoing. Hence, it was in accordance with this that the Signs of the fulfilment of divine promise appeared in this age and my Lord made His countenance manifest to the world through an extraordinary demonstration of His wrath. He showed Signs of His retribution all over the world. Countless people have died due to the plague. Many have been uprooted by earthquakes and death overtook them. You can see that those who, just a few days ago, took pleasure in sleeping in their palatial homes are now lying dead in their graves. They are no longer seen to enjoy the company of their friends. Their palaces have been deserted, and they have entered a home which does not allow them to return to their brethren and regain possession of their homes from their occupying neighbours. You can see that people are unable to protect themselves against this epidemic [of plague]. They fail to find any refuge from it under the heavens. Remember this calamity does not result from any ill luck or coincidence, as our opponents allege. Fortunate, therefore, is the one who recognizes these Signs and enters into these rocky valleys [i.e. life of hardship for Allah’s sake].
May Allah have mercy upon you! Remember these calamities were preordained; they were never witnessed by you prior to this age, neither were they ever witnessed by your forefathers. Indeed, these Signs have been shown for the sake of the one who has been raised among you by Allah the Great Bestower in order for Allah to revive the Faith and establish His arguments, and in order to restore the lost greenery and verdure to its orchards and make its trees laden with holy fruits and turn the withered and burnable branches into fresh green boughs. This happened so that people may recognize the strength of the mighty faith of Allah and submit completely to their Merciful Lord, and so that they might come to hate this world like the one whose heart is truly noble.
When the day dawned for the revival of Islam and its truth was proven through incontrovertible arguments, then most of its opponents tried to keep their eyes low so as not to see the light of truth. They intentionally disliked the message of God Almighty. Alas for them, they flee from good and incline towards loss. Indeed, the time has come for the door [of God Almighty] to open. Is there anyone who is ready to knock upon it again and again? The fountain [of cognizance] is flowing for those who have eyes to see. Allah is Most Forgiving and Merciful. Therefore, He does not reject anyone who comes to Him with a righteous heart. To the one who asks for more, will God grant more.
It is strange that this nation has combined physical poverty along with spiritual poverty, yet they think that they do not need a Reformer from Allah, the Benevolent! The doors of all kinds of goodness have been closed upon them, yet they imagine that they have been granted all kinds of bounties. They are content to live like animals turning their faces away from Allah’s blessings and rewards. I am amazed at their subdued resolve and degraded condition. Hence, I will continue to seek their reformation from the Almighty until they are granted success. Indeed, I have devoted most of my time, particularly early in the morning, to pray for them, and also [I have devoted to their well-being] my eye, which can never overlook these concerns.
Allah is my Witness; I had informed them of the days of the plague before it actually broke out. I said nothing except when my Lord disclosed its secrets to me and commanded me to make them known. Only then did it happen that the plague caught them and death was inflicted upon them, and I had informed them of this at a time when no physician could predict it and no sane person had prophesied about it. Then what followed was in accordance with what God had revealed to me. Indeed, this was a great argument from the Lord of the Heavens, yet people did not turn their eyes towards it. There was none among them who shed tears, neither did they hasten to repent or do good deeds. On the contrary, they only increased in sinfulness and vice. They rejected me and called me a kafir and accused me of being the accursed Antichrist. In moments of my solitude, there was no one to console me except my Lord. In fact, they all united against me in abusing and vituperating me and chased me as creditors hound their debtors. Indeed, they did not recognize me on account of their age-old prejudice. I, therefore, kept myself hidden from their eyes like the People of the Cave and Inscription.
On account of their own injustice and transgression they rejected divine Signs despite the fact that at heart they had come to believe them. Hence, it was not possible for them to return to God after they had been guilty of violence and vice. By Allah, the Signs of God Almighty showered from heaven like rain. They were lamps that radiated light, but failed to dispel the darkness that had overtaken people who remained seated on dry wood and who disregarded lofty trees, luscious fruits, and the most beautiful flowers.
Allah is my Witness; I am at a loss to understand as to why, in the presence of such evident Signs, they turned away from me and did this despite the fact that Allah had established His argument against them and against all those who had been overtaken by darkness. When I feared them like the one who is alone and helpless, the help of my Lord came to my rescue and increased day by day. I was granted this help and succour continuously until the time I had successfully established my argument. God Almighty always supported me, and divine Signs became so large in number that I was unable to count them. However, I have considered it appropriate to mention just one of these Signs at the end of this book so that it might benefit those who possess a righteous nature, and so that people may realize that succour from Allah encompasses both the east and the west of the earth. This has caused such a widespread acclaim among the righteous as well as the vicious that the holy influence of these Signs has reached even America, one of the farthest countries of the world.
Any revelation that was sent down to me by God Almighty with bright Signs and incontrovertible arguments was not to support me alone, but rather to testify to the very truth of Islam. I am but a servant among so many. Indeed, I am amazed at the condition of the deniers. They insisted upon denial to an extent that they became foremost among those who were unfair. Each one of them tried hard and exerted all his energies trying to blow out the light that descended from heaven. But, Allah, on the other hand, caused His light to shine brighter. He proved their efforts to be nothing better than dust. I saw their mischief to be like raging seas and devastating floods, but the end result was that I was granted victory and they were defeated; I was honoured, and they were humiliated. Had this affair been from someone other than Allah, my opponents would have shattered me to pieces and removed all traces of mine from this world. But the hand of God safeguarded me against the mischief of my enemies until the Signs He showed for me became known in far off countries, and this was done by none other than the Lord of all the people.
I would now like to write about the great Sign that has been shown for the people of the American continent. Though the sun of my glory rose from the east, it became so bright that its dazzling light was seen by the people in the west in a remarkable manner. This happened purely on account of Allah’s grace and mercy and His benevolence and graciousness. Hence, glad tidings are for those who recognize Him and blessed are and the servants of Allah who accept Him.
1 Meaning, our opponents are rejoicing in launching assaults against us and rejoicing in what they do, but we have been prohibited from responding in kind. Therefore, our position is as if we are passing through Dhul-Qa‘dah—one of the four Islamic months in which fighting is forbidden by God Almighty. [Publisher]
2 And when Allah, the Holy and Exalted, says, 
[‘O Jesus, I will cause you to die a natural death and will exalt you to Myself.’ (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:56)], it does not mean the ascension of the body along with the soul. The argument for it is that the death is mentioned prior to the ascension, and this ascension after death is the prerogative of every believer. This is substantiated by the Holy Quran, Hadith, and traditions. Jews, on their part, disputed the ascension of ‘Isa. They said that certainly ‘Isa would not be raised like believers, nor would he be granted life; and that was so because they declared him to be a disbeliever and did not consider him to be from among the believers. This is why God Almighty refuted them in this verse and in other verses, as He said: 
[‘On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself.’ (Surah an-Nisa’, 4:159)]; and they [the Jews who calumniate Jesus] are among the liars. (Author)
3 But since you did cause me to die (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118). [Publisher]
4 More than thirty years have passed since the casting of this ring but it has not been lost up to this day by the grace of God Almighty. At that time, there was no sign of any honour for me nor any mention of my fame. I was in the corner of obscurity, deprived of renown and acceptance. (Author)
5 The inscription reads 
meaning, ‘Is not Allah sufficient for His servant?’ [Publisher]
6 In the Arabic language, this phrase is used to convey a reprimand with affection. [Publisher]
7 I have recorded time and again that among the magnificent Signs of Allah is the prophecy that contains the news that great multitudes of people will accept me and join this Movement. I received this revelation when I was unknown and obscure among the commoners and the elite. After that, the number of my followers increased to such an extent that its full range and the extent of its numbers is known to God who has knowledge of all that is known and unknown. Therefore, pause and reflect! Is this not one of the great Signs? My statement is also supported by what I received today, the last day of January 1907, from Egypt. I reproduce a couple of lines for the perusal of the fair-minded, which are as follows:
Letter of Ahmad Zuhri Badr-ud-Din of Alexandria
To, The Honourable and worthy of respect,
The Promised Messiah of Qadian, India and the Punjab,
After salutation, it is submitted that in this country the number of your followers is very large, quite like the particles of sand and pebbles. Every one of them is a genuine follower of your creed and the follower of your helpers.
The writer: Ahmad Zuhri Badr-ud-Din of Alexandria
19 December 1906.
—(Author)
8 I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:57). [Publisher]
9 The first three words of a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim that follows: 
The revelation that the Promised Messiah(as) received includes some words of this hadith. The meaning of the full hadith is: there are some people who have tousled hair and are covered with dust…if they were to take an oath in the name of Allah about something, Allah the Almighty would certainly fulfil their oath. [Publisher]
10 But since You did cause me to die (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118). [Publisher]
11 Literally, ‘the Radiant City’; an honorific title for the city of Madinah. [Publisher]
12 Surely, Allah changes not the condition of a people until they change that which is in their hearts (Surah ar-Ra‘d , 13:12). [Publisher]
13 Why should Allah punish you, if you are thankful and if you believe? (Surah an-Nisa’, 4:148) [Publisher]
14 This is the summary of what God has revealed to me. In fact, Allah the Benevolent has used this expression for me as a figure of speech. To the interpreters of dreams, al-Hajrul-Aswad [the Black Stone] signifies a person with sound judgment in religious matters and a man of wisdom. (Author)
15 Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:145). [Publisher]
16 Since You did cause me to die (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118). [Publisher]
17 Do you know better or Allah? (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:141) [Publisher]
18 Imam Bukhari relates from Mughirah bin Nu‘man that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, ‘On the Day of Judgment some people from among my ummah will be brought before me and dragged to be with those on the left. At this, I will say, “O my Lord! They are my Companions.” I will be told that I do not know what they did after I left them. To this I will respond in the same words as did a righteous servant of God (i.e. ‘Isa): 
[“And I was a witness over them as long as long as I remained among them, but since You did cause me to die, You have been the Watcher over them.” Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118]
Imam Bukhari also quotes a hadith by Ibn ‘Abbas regarding the meaning of the word tawaffi. Ibn ‘Abbas said, ‘Mutawaffika means mumituka [i.e. I will cause you to die].’ (Author)
19 God Almighty said in the Holy Quran 
[‘And We rescued them and helped them reach an elevated land, a restful place with springs of running water’ (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:51)]. When God raised me in the image of ‘Isa, He caused the British Government to be an elevated land for me, i.e. an abode of peace and comfort. Hence, all praise is due to Allah, the Refuge of the oppressed. He alone is the Source of all wisdom and foresight. No one can cause harm to a person whom He wants to protect. Surely, He is the Best of all Protectors. (Author)
20 This is the revelation that God Almighty vouchsafed to me in Quranic words. Thus did He keep me hidden as He kept hidden the People of the Cave. Indeed, His practice is such that He keeps some of His secrets hidden from the eyes of people, so that they might come to know that their knowledge is limited, and so that He might put His servants to test and distinguish between the believers and the guilty ones. (Author)
21 The spiritual ascension of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa)to Heaven, which is recorded in both the Holy Quran and the Hadith, wherein he met the previous Prophets. [Publisher]
22 And who can be more truthful than Allah in word? (Surah an-Nisa’, 4:123) [Publisher]
23 Follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge (Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:37). [Publisher]
24 Here, I mean to refer to the verse 
[Say, Holy is my Lord! I am not but a man sent as a Messenger (Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:94)]. Doubtless, this verse categorically rejects the idea of any human being ascending to heaven with his physical body. Only the most ignorant would deny this. In fact, the words 
refer to another verse of the Holy Quran, which is 
[Therein shall you live and therein shall you die (Surah Al-A‘raf, 7:26)], for physical ascension of any individual to heaven would result in the breaking up of this natural law and God Almighty does not violate His law. Hence, reflect upon it, O wise ones! (Author)
25 And there is none among the People of the Book but will believe in it before his death (Surah an-Nisa’, 4:160). [Publisher]
26 We have cast among them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5: 65). [Publisher]
27 Surely, the case of Jesus with Allah is like the case of Adam. He created him out of dust, then He said to him, 'Be!', and he was (Surah Al-e-‘Imran, 3:60). [Publisher]
28 My enemies from among the Muslims call me the foremost of the disbelievers. To refute this, the Word of Allah that is recorded in my book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, is: 'Say: I have been commissioned from God and I am the first of the believers.’ Also, my enemies asserted that I should not be buried in a Muslim graveyard. To refute them, the Holy Prophet(sa)said that the Promised Messiah would be buried in his grave and they will be raised together on the Day of Resurrection. This is in response to those who say that I have declared Muslims to be disbelievers and consider me from among those who will enter Hell. If you have any doubt about what I have quoted above, you may enquire the righteous ones. It is from among the peculiarities of the state between the day of death to resurrection that some people, after they die, are granted spiritual nearness to the grave of the Holy Prophet(sa)which holds Paradise beneath it; whereas some are taken away from it. The Holy Prophet(sa) has, therefore, declared me to be from among those who will be granted nearness. This negates anyone who considers me to be from among the dwellers of Hell. God Almighty will spiritually bury me in the grave of the Holy Prophet(sa). This is what has been intimated on a number of occasions in the Book of God Almighty as well as in the sayings of the Holy Prophet(sa). Those who are cognizant of the spiritual realm do testify to the truth of this phenomenon.
Another objection that my opponents raised was that those who follow me will become disbelievers, and, therefore, should not be buried in a Muslim graveyard. To them, my followers were the worst of the disbelievers. At this, God spoke to me and drew my attention to a piece of land which He said held Paradise beneath it. He said those who will be buried in it shall enter Paradise and shall be granted security. Hence, there would have been no such rewards by Almighty God if my enemies had not maligned me. The hostile attitude of my enemies kindled the mercy of the Gracious God to be showered upon me. All praise is, therefore, due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Author)
29 Declaration of the Oneness of Allah: La ilaha illallah, ‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allah’. [Publisher]
30 My Lord spoke to me and said, ‘I will accept all the prayers you make tonight; among them is the prayer for the victory and ascendency of Islam.’ This occurred on 16 March 1907. (Author)
31 [And they rejected them] wrongfully and arrogantly, while their souls were convinced of them (Surah an-Naml, 27:15). [Publisher]
