20 January 1901

The Promised Messiah and His Community Mentioned in the Holy Quran

The Promised Messiah (as) said: “There are four chapters in the Holy Quran which are recited often, and they contain mention of the Promised Messiah and his community. Firstly, there is Surah Fatihah, which is recited in every rak’at of the formal Prayer. This chapter contains proof in support of my claim, as shall be established in this commentary. Secondly, there is Surah Jumu’ah which contains the following verse in respect of the Promised Messiah and his community:

 اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ1
And among others from among them.

This Surah is recited every Friday. Thirdly, there is Surah Kahf, the recitation of which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has emphasised. The first and last ten verses of this chapter speak of the Antichrist. Fourthly, the last chapter of the Holy Quran, in which the Antichrist has been given the name khannas (the evil whisperer); this is the same word which has also been used for the Antichrist in the Hebrew Torah, i.e. Nahash (נָחָשׁ). In the same manner, there is extensive mention in other instances throughout the Holy Quran as well.”2

The Commentary of Surah Fatihah

Work has not yet begun on the commentary of Surah Fatihah and only a short period of time remains. On this, the Promised Messiah (as) said: “I do not know as of yet what I should write. It is with the trust of Allah that I have undertaken this work. I do not depend on the material that is present already. I depend solely on God so that He will put something in my heart and this is something that is beyond my control. When I am able to find the points and verities which I seek, I shall pen them in eloquent and articulate Arabic. Since people must reflect in order to attain spiritual reward, for this reason I am engaged in thought, but the rest I leave to God Almighty so that He inspires me whenever He so wills. I pray to God and it is my experience that when I seek help from God, He does lend His support.”

The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, had written a preamble to the commentary he was preparing. In relation to this, Hazrat Maulvi Syed Muhammad Ahsan Sahib submitted: “The Pir of Golra wanted a speech and a debate before engaging in this contest of writing commentary of the Holy Quran. This preamble has served to address these demands as well.” During the course of discussion, there was mention of Hazrat Syed Ahmad Shaheed (rta) and Maulvi Muhammad Isma’il Shaheed (rta). The Promised Messiah (as) said: “These people were of pure intention. They wanted to see a removal of the restrictions laid down by the Sikhs in this country on Muslims offering the Prayer, making the call to Prayer and performing sacrifices. God accepted their prayer and manifested this acceptance by the arrival of the British in this country and the decline of Sikh rule. These two were wise to not fight against the British and deemed it appropriate to engage in a jihad against the Sikh regime. However, since the era had almost arrived in which religious war was destined to end with the advent of the Promised Mahdi, they could not succeed in this jihad. However, since they were well-intentioned, their desire to see the Muslims make their calls to Prayer and offer the Prayer was fulfilled when the British arrived in this country.”

The Time of the Advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi

Then, the Promised Messiah (as) said: “Time can be described in two respects: firstly, in the external and apparent sense; secondly, in the internal sense, i.e. spiritually. The visions of the Noble Messenger, the saints and other holy people which tell us that the Promised Messiah and Mahdi would appear in the fourteenth century, refer to the apparent aspect of this era. Time in the internal sense, i.e. in terms of spirituality, is that the state of the present era proclaims the need for the advent of the Messiah. In the present age, the time has come in both respects.”