THE VERSES

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;

Meaning, that whatever I write in these verses shall not be some astrological divination, rather it is something of which God Almighty has apprised me through Revelation.

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

Meaning, that with the beginning of the thirteenth century Hijra, there will be a revolution in the world and strange and amazing phenomena will be observed. And I see that immediately after twelve hundred years of Hijra, strange events will begin to unfold.

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

Meaning, that in the thirteenth century righteousness and piety will disappear from the world and there will be a storm of mischief. The rust of sin and dust of malice will spread everywhere, which means that hostility will become widespread, dissension will increase and love and sympathy shall disappear. But we must not grieve on account of it.

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

In every country, injustice will be at its height. Rulers will be unjust to their subjects; one king will be unjust to another, one co-heir will be cruel and unjust to the other, and there will be a precious few who will adhere to justice and equity.

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

In India and on its borders there will be great rebellions, wars and tyranny.

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

Such revolutions will take place that the master will become a slave and the slave will take the place of his master, i.e., the rich will become poor and the poor rich.

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

This means that the old dynasty of India will decline and there will be a new ruler of India and a new coin will be struck which will have very little intrinsic value. And all these events will occur in succession in the thirteenth century Hijra.

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

This means that there will be famines and the orchards will yield no fruit.

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

In this time of tribulation and anxiety, which is the thirteenth century, you should not grieve, because amidst these tribulations I see the joy of meeting the Beloved. This means that when the tribulations of the thirteenth century reach their climax, then, at the end of the century, the meeting with the Beloved shall take place, i.e., God, the Exalted, will turn (to us) with Mercy.

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

This means that when the winter of the thirteenth century is over, the sun of spring will rise at the beginning of the fourteenth century. That is to say, the Mujaddid (Revivalist) of the age will appear.

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

This means that when his mission comes to its successful conclusion, his son, who will be his very image, will succeed him. That is, it is destined that God, the Exalted, will grant him a righteous son, who will be his exact image and will follow in his footsteps and thus remind people of his father. This is, in fact, in accordance with the prophecy that I have made about a son of mine.

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

It is also destined that kings and noblemen will ultimately become his humble followers and devotion for him will lead some of them to high fortune and sovereign power. This is in keeping with the prophecy that was vouchsafed to me by God, the Exalted. Addressing me, He said: "I will bestow such numerous bounties upon you that kings will seek blessings from your garments." On another occasion He said: "Grace shall be bestowed on your friends and those who love you."

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

This means that he will revive the Sharia and Faith will blossom and bear fruit. This is in accordance with the revelation mentioned on page 498 of Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, which means that through me God shall cause Islam to prevail over every other religion. And again on page 491 of Brahin is recorded the revelation: 'God will not desert you until He has distinguished the good from the evil.

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

This means that he will live to forty years from the day he becomes the recipient of revelation and proclaims to be the Promised Imam. Now, let it be clear, that I was commanded, through a specific revelation, to call the people to Allah, in the fortieth year of my life, and I was given the glad tidings that I will live up to eighty years or thereabout. In view of this revelation, the tenure of my prophetic mission will extend to forty years out of which ten full years have already passed. (See page 238 of Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya). [And Allah has power over everything]. Although, like the call of Noah, the signs of this call to the Truth are not yet evident, all will be fulfilled at its proper time.

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

This couplet clearly indicates that the Imam, who will come at the beginning of the fourteenth century, will have many opponents and insolent deniers who will be destined to suffer disgrace and humiliation. This is referred to in the revelation which was published in Asmani Faisla and which is as follows: I am the Bestower of victory. I will give you victory. You will witness wonderful help and your opponents will fall down in prostration, supplicating: 'O, Lord forgive us! We were indeed the miscreants.'

I see his hand shining like the white hand of Moses
And in his hand I see the Dhulfiqar.1

In respect of incontrovertible arguments, his adroit hand flashes like a sword. Then I see him with the Dhulfiqar. There was a time when Hazrat ‘Ali(ra) held the Dhulfiqar in his hand; but Allah, the Exalted, will bestow Dhulfiqar upon that Imam in such a manner that his luminous hand will accomplish that which in the past had been accomplished by Dhulfiqar. Thus his hand will be as if it was the Dhulfiqar of ‘Ali(ra) that has reappeared. This is an indication that the said Imam will be Sultanul Qalam2 and his pen will serve as Dhulfiqar. This prediction is an exact translation of a revelation vouchsafed to me, which was published ten years ago in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya. It reads: Kitabul Wali Dhulfiqar-e-‘Ali, which means that the book of this saint is the Dhulfiqar of ‘Ali(ra). Here the reference is to myself, and, on account of this, in many a visions I have been called Ghazi3 and there are allusions to this in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya and in other places.

I see that he is God's soldier, defender of friends and killer of the foe;
And he is compassionate and faithful like the Friend of the Cave.4

He is the Ghazi appointed by God, the Exalted. He is the rescuer and defender of friends and the annihilator of the foe.

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

This means that his inner and outer self is that of a prophet and the majesty of Prophethood is evident in him. Knowledge and forbearance are his characteristic traits. That is to say, due to his obedience to the Holy Prophet(sa) he has acquired, as it were, the very appearance and character of the Holy Prophet(sa). This is in keeping with the prophecy regarding me which was published in Brahin-e- Ahmadiyya:

Which means: 'The Messenger of Allah in the garb of the Prophets.'

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

This means that his advent will bring back the glow to the Sharia and Islam shall be rejuvenated; the strong Faith of Muhammad(sa), will become stronger and more established. This is in accordance with the revelation concerning me which was published in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya ten years ago:

5

As well as this revelation:

6

See the footnote on page 239 of Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya.

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

Meaning that it has been disclosed to me in a vision that the name of that Imam will be Ahmadas.

I see that with his advent, the Faith and the world will prosper
And mankind will float upon a wave of good fortune.

With his coming Islam shall see better days and there shall be spiritual as well as temporal progress. This is an indication that God shall forgive all the sins of those who will join him whole-heartedly, and He shall make them firm and steadfast in their faith. It will be through them that Islam will make temporal progress, for God will cause them to flourish and bless them and their progeny till they will become a highly venerated people. The following revelation in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya is in keeping with this prophecy:

8

The indication that with his advent the spiritual as well as material condition of Islam will improve actually means that the one who comes from God comes as a blessing for Islam and sooner or later the Mercy of God descends with him. But in the beginning famines and epidemics, etc., also descend as a warning. The Visions of Seers tell about the final result rather than of the early condition.

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

That is, in my vision I saw him as a king of noble descent and monarch of the world. This is in accordance with the prophecy mentioned in Izala Auham.

The prophecy relates to me and it means: 'The Vicegerent of Allah! The monarch who will be given a great kingdom and the treasures of the earth will be thrown open for him.' Here 'kingdom' does not mean temporal kingdom rather it means the spiritual kingdom.9

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

This means that he shall be the Mahdi(as) as well as ‘Isa(as) and shall be endowed with both attributes which will be manifested in him. This last couplet is a wonderful elucidation from which it can be clearly understood that, by the command of God, he will also claim to be Jesus(as). It is evident that during the last thirteen hundred years none other than myself has proclaimed to be the Promised ‘Isa(as).

For the sake of brevity, I have given here these few couplets from a very long poem of Ni‘matullah Wali. One should read the original verses for full satisfaction. Peace be on those who follow the guidance.