In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful

I see the power of the Creator
And I see the plight of the age.

I do not say all this by reading the stars:
Nay! I relate what God Almighty has told me.

In Khorasan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq;
I see sedition and wars.

Every one is in a wretched state,
Even the highest and the best.

I hear a strange story:
I see grief and sorrow everywhere.

Pillage, plunder and massacre by numerous armies,
I see left and right.

I see many men of little importance
Masquerading as teachers and scholars.

Religion and faith do I find weak and defenceless;
Alas! I see this sad state is a source of pride and glory for the heretic.

I see the compassionate friends of every nation
Shamefully disgraced and deserted.

I see that appointment and dismissal of public officers
Is frequent and of little importance.

I see enmity and dispute
Between the Turk and the Tajik.

I see hypocrisy, deceit, and guile everywhere,
And among the high and the low.

And shrines, the abode of peace,
Have become the place of rendezvous of mischief mongers.

If peace can be found anywhere,
I see it only on the top of the mountains.

Although I see all these tribulations, yet I do not despair;
For I rejoice in having a sympathetic friend.

After a year or so,
I see a different picture of the world.

I see a monarch who is the essence of wisdom—
A stately and graceful leader.

Analogies need to be interpreted,
As I do not see these things while fully awake.

Immediately after the passage of twelve hundred years,1
I see terrible things happening.

On the mirror of the conscience of the world,
I see the dust and rust of sin.

The tyranny of tyrants in all the countries
I see immense and immeasurable.

I see revolts, wars, disorder and injustice
Within the land and on its borders.

I see that the slave has become like his master;
And the master I see like a slave.

I see that any one who is befriended by adversity
Is under a heavy burden and embarrassed.

I see that a new coin is struck,
Whose value is less than it seems.

I see that the rulers of the seven kingdoms
Are at dagger's drawn, each with the other.

I see the face of the moon darkened
And the heart of the sun I see wounded.2

I see the trader helpless and forlorn in the middle of his journey
Far away from his destination.

I find India in a wretched state
I see the tyrannies of the Turks and the destruction.

I see that trees in the orchard of the world
Are barren and without fruit.

I find that Unanimity, Contentment and Seclusion
Are the best recourse at this time.

But do not grieve, for in the midst of these anxieties,
I envision the joy of meeting the Sweetheart.

When the unfruitful winter3 is over,
I envision the rising of the sun of a happy spring.

When his4 tenure comes to its successful end,
I see that he will be succeeded by his illustrious son.

I foresee that aristocrats and nobles
Will become his faithful disciples.

I see that this exalted ruler will be
The monarch of all the seven continents.

He resembles the Holy Prophet(sa) in his appearance
And I find him to be of placid disposition and scholarly deportment.

I see his hand shining like the white hand of Moses
And in his hand I see the Dhulfiqar.5

I smell the fragrance of the Garden of the Law of Islam
I see the flower of the Faith blooming and flourishing.

Extending up to forty years, O my brothers,
I see the ministry of this champion.

I see the sinners ashamed and out of countenance
Before this immaculately innocent Imam.

I see that he is God's soldier, defender of friends and killer of the foe;
He is compassionate and faithful like the Friend of the Cave.6

I see the beauty of Sharia enhanced in his time,
And Islam flourishing on a sound footing.

I see the treasures of Chosroes and wealth of Alexander
All being disbursed for the cause of the Faith.

I see him as the universally accepted leader;
The whole world following him faithfully.

I see the name of that illustrious personage written
And I read: Alif, Ha, Mim, and Dal.7

With his advent I see that the faith the world shall prosper;
And mankind will float upon a wave of good fortune.

I see that he is the Mahdi and the Messiah of the age
And he is the champion in both capacities.

I see the whole world has become like one big city;
And his justice is the fortress for one and all.

This monarch of mine will have seven ministers
Each will be an excellent administrator.

In the hands of this Cup-bearer of Tauhid,
I see a sweet and delicious wine.

I see the rusted swords of the iron-hearted champions
Blunt and discredited.

The wolf and the sheep and the lion and the deer
I see them all grazing in peace and without fear.

I see that the wary and the vigilant Turk are slack
And their enemy is inebriated.

I see Ni‘matullah sitting smug in a corner,
Aloof and indifferent to everything.

Here Munshi Muhammad Ja‘far Sahib insists that the couplet 'The vigilant Turk…' actually contains a prophecy that people would deny me. But, as any sensible and fair-minded person, who is disposed to thought and reflection, can perceive, this couplet is found in the latter part of the poem, and it is obvious from the sequence of the verses, that first the Promised Messiah(as) was to appear, and then an event was to take place that would show that the vigilant Turk had slackened and his enemy was inebriated. It is obvious that no one besides me has claimed to be the Promised Messiah(as) in this age, therefore, not even a simpleton can consider me to be the 'Turk'. The correct interpretation of this couplet is that, after the advent of this Messiah, the Turkish Empire will become weak and its enemy—Russia—will also not gain much from its victory. The stupor of victory will dissipate, giving way to a hangover. Moreover, the couplet 'The Mahdi and Messiah(as) of the age' clearly indicates that this Promised Mahdi(as) will also be the Promised Messiah(as), whereas Sayyid Ahmad Sahib never claimed to be the Promised Messiah(as). The Ahadith also bear out the fact that, at the time of the Promised Messiah(as), the Turkish Empire will grow weak and people in some parts of Arabia will contrive to establish a new state and will be ready to break away from the Turkish Empire. So these are the signs of the coming of the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi(as). Let him who will, reflect upon this.

I am surprised at Muhammad Ja‘far Sahib, for he did not even ponder over the verse, 'I behold his successor, his illustrious son'. How can this prophecy be applied to Sayyid Sahib? If he could come back to life today, 27th January 1892, he would be a hundred and twelve (112) years old. Would he, in such an old age, get married and beget a son? It is also mentioned in a number of Ahadith that the Promised Messiah(as) shall marry and beget children. The revelation of Ni‘matullah Sahib is in accordance with these Ahadith. The words of Hadith about the Promised Messiah(as) are:

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Sayyid Sahib never claimed to be the Promised Messiah(as), how then can he have fulfilled this prophecy? It must also be remembered that the word 'vigilant' in the couplet 'the vigilant Turk' has not been used to criticize, and that the Persians use this word for eulogy and praise. The poet Hafiz, has said:

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