BATALWI SAHIB'S CRITICISM OF MY TREATISE, 'ASMANI FAISLA': ITS REFUTATION AND SUBSTANTIATION WITH DECISIVE HEAVENLY SIGNS

On pages 27, 50, 51, 52 of his pamphlet, written in response to Asmani Faisla, Shaikh Batalwi has tried his level best to convince the public that my request for a contest, which is in fact a test of faith, which I made to Mian Nadhir Hussain of Delhi and his ilk, is unjust. But, anyone who is fair-minded and well informed, can understand that, instead of exonerating himself and his Shaikh of Delhi, his writing has provided further proof that they have no intention whatsoever of turning to the truth or getting rid of their satanic suspicions. Everyone can learn by reading the Edict of Disbelief by the Shaikh, that he and Nadhir Hussain have issued this edict with absolute conviction and full faith and have persistently charged me with disbelief and heresy. They have dubbed me as Dajjal, the misled one and an infidel. In response to all this, I have explained time and again the purpose of my books and the fact that they do not contain a single sentence which implies heresy. I do not claim to be a Prophet, nor do I say that I am not part of the Muslim Umma, nor do I deny miracles, angels, or Lailatul Qadr. I know with perfect certainty and it is my firm belief that our Prophet(sa) is Khatamul Anbiyya’. No Prophet, new or old, will come after him and not an iota or title of the Qur’an will be abrogated. Yes, Muhaddath will come, who have converse with Allah, the Exalted, and in whose persons certain characteristics of Perfect Prophethood are manifested. Indeed, in certain respects, they have the very grace and dignity of Prophethood, and I am one of them. But these religious clerics have failed to comprehend my reasoning. I am particularly sorry for Nadhir Hussain, who, in his old age, has rendered to nought all his learning.

When I realized that these people completely ignore the Qur’an and Hadith and give contrary meanings to the Word of God, I lost all hope in them and entreated Allah, the Exalted, for a Divine Decree. So, in accordance with what God revealed to my heart, I proposed a way of reaching a decision. If these people had any desire for justice or truth, they would have accepted my proposal without hesitation. What an absurd demand it is that I should, of my own accord, change the period of one year, which is the period given in the revelation, and reduce it to just one week or a fortnight. They do not understand that this period has been fixed by God Almighty and a mere mortal can never dare set a time-limit for showing miracles on his own. Even the Prophets never did so and if they ever tried to fix dates on their own, they were censured. How, therefore, can one week substitute for one year? I wonder what has happened to their learning and righteous perception. Do they not understand that it is not for a man to fix time limits? If one of them has indeed received a revelation to show a sign in two weeks, then he should go ahead and do so. I shall accept his challenge. And if I fail to do the same in response, they will be declared truthful. But, keep in mind, they are just lying and babbling. The fact is that Allah, the Exalted, has hardened their hearts and put veils over their eyes: they can neither see nor understand. O you, who are just and who judge fairly! Think! Can a recipient of revelation say anything on his own? How then can I change the period which God Almighty has revealed to me? Indeed, God may change it Himself, for He has the authority to do so, while man has none, and no one can dictate to Him.

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If they really are true seekers and fear Hell, then one year is not long. Moreover, one year does not mean one full year. Allah, with His grace and compassion, will decide the matter within this time. He has the power to show the Sign even before the end of a fortnight. I wrote for a contest because Nadhir Hussain and Batalwi etc. openly wrote about me that I was a disbeliever, rejected, accursed, Dajjal and a prevaricator, to the extent that, according to him, anyone who believes in me also becomes a disbeliever. In such a case, it was necessary to hold a test for the signs of faith. There is not the least doubt that God distinguishes the believers with special signs and, through such heavenly signs, they become completely distinct from others, be they infidels, hypocrites or transgressors. This is what I had called them to, so that it may be decided who, in the eyes of Allah, is a true believer and who deserves His wrath and chastisement. If these people were certain about their faith, they would not have shied away from this contest. But, to date, none of them has dared to accept the challenge and finally they have offered this plea; "You show us the sign and we will accept, provided manna descends from heaven, or a leper is cured, or a one-eyed person becomes two-eyed, or a piece of wood is turned into a serpent, or if I come out alive and unhurt from a blazing fire after jumping into it." See page 50 of Jawab Faisla Asmani.

The answer to all these absurdities is that Allah is, indeed, the Omnipotent and has power to do all this as well as to show countless other signs, but He acts according to His own Will and Wisdom. The previous disbelievers had made a similar demand:

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That is, if he (the Holy Prophet(sa)) is a true Prophet, then he must show Signs like those of Moses(as) and the other Israelite Prophets. The idolaters even demanded that he should raise their dead to life or ascend to the heavens right before their eyes and bring a book that they might hold in their hands and look it, so on and so forth. However, God Almighty did not submit to their will like a subordinate and He showed only those signs which He intended to. Sometimes those who demanded sings were told, 'Is not the Holy Qur’an big enough sign for you?' This was a very wise answer because, every sensible person can understand that Signs are of two kinds. Firstly, the signs which are difficult, nay impossible, to differentiate from deceit, trickery or sleight of hand etc. The other kind are those that are totally different from such falsifications and have no semblance to deceit, trick, sleight of hand or chicanery.

The Holy Qur’an is a miracle of second kind. It is a resplendent sign which in every way and from every angle shines like a glittering gem. Turning a stick into a snake is not a distinguishing sign. Moses(as) made a snake, so did the magicians and it is done even today, but the difference between a snake which is the result of a magical trick and the snake that is the product of a miracle remains unclear. Similarly, most of the people who practise ‘Amaluttirb are skilled in curing diseases, irrespective of whether they are Christians, Jews, Muslims or Atheists. And, if Allah wills, they are sometimes able to cure chronic diseases like leprosy. Hence, curing the diseases is not a reliable criterion unless it is accompanied by a prophecy.

Similarly, nowadays some entertainers jump into a blazing fire and come out unharmed. But what do such tricks prove? Maybe you have never watched the Manna and Quails show in which for the charge of one paisa they can rain raisins. Were you to watch the European conjurors who, using a secret trick, sever the head from the body and then replace it, perhaps you will become their disciple. I remember that once in the city of Jalandhar, when a conjuror Mihtab ‘Ali by name, who later repented and joined my Jama‘at, performed a trick at a gathering in my house, an old man like you exclaimed, 'This is a miracle!'

Gentlemen, performance of such feats cannot disclose the truth. On the contrary, in this age, it makes the matter all the more dubious. There is no scarcity of such entertainers and magicians whom you would consider miracle-makers, were you to watch their shows. But a sensible person, who knows all about these tricks, can never call them miracles. For instance, if a man were to conceal a piece of paper under his armpit and then bring it out as a pigeon, a man like you may call him a Man of Miracles, but a sensible man, who is aware of the tricks of such people, will never call it a miracle. He will call it a trick or sleight of hand.

This is why, according to the Holy Qur’an and the Torah, playing tricks with fire or turning wood into snake or sleight of similar kind, are not the signs of true prophets. Rather, it is the fulfilment of prophecies made by him and prophecies which testify to his truth, that is the criterion. If, along with accepting the prayers of a person, according to His Own desire, God also reveals a hidden matter to him, which turns out to be true, this would serve as an undeniable proof that such a person is truly from God. To say that astrologers and fortune-tellers are their equals in this respect is wholly perfidious and contrary to the teaching of the Qur’an, because, Allah, the Exalted says:

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Since Allah has declared the knowledge of secret matters as a special sign of His Messengers, as in another place also He says:

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therefore, only these Maulawis who have ceased to deliberate on the Holy Qur’an and are ignorant of the trends of the age, can be contemptuous of prophecy and demand instead that wood be turned into snake.

Anyhow, as I have requested in Asmani Faisla for a contest to show signs of faith, Mian Nadhir Hussain and Batalwi Sahib have no right to withdraw from the contest and request me in particular to show a sign until, in accordance with my writing, they first publish a confession. They should admit that they are Muslims only in name and do not possess the light and the signs of faith, and should then request me to show a sign unilaterally. Because, in order to break their pride, this is the condition I have laid down in Asmani Faisla for showing unilateral signs. Besides, everyone knows that they claim to be perfect believers, the leaders of their people and, recipients of revelation; and they believe that I am devoid of faith and ill-fated. Now, is there any other way of deciding the issue except through a contest? If they would, indeed, retract the claim of their excellence in faith, the burden of proof shall lie on me.

Mian Nadhir Hussain and Batalwi Sahib should also explain why, in spite of their claim to be the perfect believers and chiefs of holy men, should they be reluctant to enter into a competition with a man whom they believe to be a Kafir, nay, worst than a Kafir? On what basis do they demand a one-sided sign from me? If this demand is in response to Asmani Faisla, then their request should be exactly as stipulated in that booklet. That is, if they claim to be believers, they should join the contest, a precondition laid down in Asmani Faisla. Otherwise, they should frankly admit that they are devoid of true faith and request for a unilateral sign.

In the end, I would like to make it clear that both these prophecies—of Mian Gulab Shah and Ni‘matullah Wali— concerning me, are, in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, manifest signs that have no possibility of sleight of hand, trick or deceit. Now, if there is indeed a Sufi, who lives in seclusion and does not want to come out of it, but, as claimed by Batalwi Sahib and Mir ‘Abbas Luddiyanawi, is ready to compete with me and show a sign, he should also present two such prophecies of some saint of the past about himself, along with similar proofs. I swear by Allah, the Exalted, that in case it is proved that the Signs in those predictions and evidence proffered are similar in grandeur, and have been fulfilled exactly as foretold, after a long passage of time, I am ready to be punished by death.

This humble one has made about three thousand prophecies in the past, most of which were vouchsafed in response to my prayers. Among them is one concerning Dilip Singh. I had predicted that he would fail in his attempt to return to the Punjab. This prediction was published in outline in a poster and also verbally related to hundreds of men. So was the prediction about the death of Pandit Dayanand, and about Ra’is Shaikh Meihr ‘Ali Sahib, that he will be afflicted with grave trial but will be safely delivered from it.5 And I had also foretold that Shaikh Batalwi would become my adversary, etc. But to go into the details would be too lengthy. If the Maulawis of the opponent party have even an iota of faith, they should hold a public meeting at which they should first demand evidence from me about these prophecies. Then they should relate their own prophecies and provide evidence of the same. But, if they are incapable of competing either way, they have the option to avail of one year's respite. There is no need create an uproar. They should simply announce the prophecy that is granted to them in response to their supplications, in some newspaper, giving a time limit for its fulfilment, and I will do likewise. At the end of the year, it will become clear who enjoys the succour of God and who is the reprobate, rejected and cursed by God.

If they don't do even this much, then everyone should understand that these mullas intend only to conceal the truth and to promote bigotry and prejudice. They do not at all seek the truth. If they had any wisdom at all, they would have recognized a great sign in the fact that they are doing their utmost to extinguish this Light of Allah. They resort to all sorts of tricks to mislead the people and leave no stone unturned in trying to wipe out the truth. They issue edicts of disbelief against me and contrive to cause harm to me. And Batalwi Sahib has even incited people to protest against me before the Government. In short, they have resorted to every kind of falsehood and deceit and have gathered a crowd of people around them. However, as I had informed Batalwi Sahib about this revelation long before these things happened, that I am alone and God is with me, this is exactly what is happening now. People have become so hostile that they have broken off all relations with me. Would it not be a great sign if, in spite of all these intrigues which have reached the boiling point, I should end up victorious?

Anyone who has eyes can see that all the favours which Allah Almighty is showering upon me are signs. Pay heed to me! God Almighty has declared in the Holy Qur’an that there is none more unjust than he who forges a lie against Him.6 He never fails to punish the impostor and gives him no respite. But now, by the grace of God, this is the eleventh year since I proclaimed to be the Mujaddid, the Like of the Messiah, and Recipient of Divine Revelations. Is this not a Sign? If I were not from Him, how could I have survived a full decade, which is a considerable period of man's life? I ask again: Is it not a Sign that no one can come forward to engage in a contest against me in announcing Divine prophecies? Were any one to dare it, God would humiliate him terribly.

Similarly, Allah's support for me is manifest in hundreds of ways. I am the Garden of the Holy One; Whosoever designs to cut me down, will himself be cut down. The opponent shall be disgraced and the one who denies me shall be sorry and remorseful. All these Signs are for those who can recognize them.

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