A part of the speech I gave yesterday remained undelivered because the speech could not be finished as I was indisposed. Therefore, I address you again today.
Life is uncertain. No one knows who—from among those present here today—will still be alive next year and who will have died.
It is my duty to impress upon people in every way that the present time is extremely precarious. God Almighty has warned me over and over through revelation concerning an even more perilous time to come to the extent that it appears that the Day of Judgement is near and fast approaching. As I had explained yesterday, deaths are occurring in many different forms—there is the plague, the epidemics, the famine, the earthquakes.
When such calamities befall, worldly people lose their minds and are seized with terrible grief and suffering and can find no way out of it. The Holy Quran alludes to this:
وَ تَرَى النَّاسَ سُکٰرٰى وَ مَا ہُمْ بِسُکٰرٰى1
You see people as if they are intoxicated though they are not intoxicated in any way. The fact is that they have lost their mind due to extreme grief and fright and have no courage left.
None other than a God-fearing person can show patience in such circumstances. In religious matters no one can show patience without taqwa [righteousness]. Who can endure in the face of a calamity except the one who has aligned his will with the will of God? A person can stumble and become an atheist through a minor loss, unless his faith is firm prior to it. One who does not have a bond with God Almighty has no ability to endure a calamity.
Materialistic individuals end up denying even the existence of God in such calamities. The design of this world is such that adversities are but essential. Of all the people who have lived in the world, who can claim that he has never faced any misfortune? For some, the misfortune befalls their children; for some, their wealth; and for some, their honour.
In short, everyone has to face some misfortune and trial. There is no escape from it in the world. It is an essential part of this world. An Arab poet of earlier times writes:
سَئِمْتُ تَکَالِیْفَ الْحَیَاۃِ وَمَنْ یَّعِشْ
ثَمَانِیْنَ حَوْلًا لَا أَبَالَکَ یَسْئَمٖ
I have seen great adversities in this world.
Anyone who lives for eighty years like me will most certainly face some.
Misfortunes of the world are, indeed, only for a few days. In the end all die, some sooner and others later.
There are two types of hardships in the path of the Faith. The first type are the hardships associated with the Shariah, such as Salat [obligatory Prayers], Fasting, Hajj [the Pilgrimage], and Zakat [almsgiving]. One interrupts his work for Prayer and goes to the mosque even if it means a loss to him. In the cold weather, he rises in the latter part of the night [for Prayer]. During the month of Ramadan, he endures the day-long hunger and thirst [of fasting]. In the Hajj, he suffers the hardships of travel. In Zakat, he surrenders his hard-earned money to others.
All these are the hardships of the Shariah and are, thus, the means of reward for him and make him advance towards God. However, in all these, man is given some latitude and he finds a way to make it easy for himself. In the winter season he heats up the water for ablution. If he cannot perform [the Prayer] standing up due to an illness, he does so while seated. In Ramadan, he can have a large meal during the sahar [period before daybreak]. Some even spend more than usual on food during the month of fasting.
In short, one continually seeks ways to find some ease in these hardships of the Shariah. This is why it does not cleanse fully and the stages of spiritual journey are not covered expeditiously.
However, man has no option in the afflictions that descend from heaven and they must be endured anyway. That is why man attains nearness to God through them.
Both of the hardships—of Shariah and of nature—have been mentioned by God Almighty in the Holy Quran.
Hardships of the Shariah have been mentioned in Part 1 of the Holy Quran:
الٓـمّٓ ۚ﴿۲﴾ ذٰلِکَ الۡکِتٰبُ لَا رَیۡبَ ۚۖۛ فِیۡہِ ۚۛ ہُدًی لِّلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ ۙ﴿۳﴾ 2
Meaning that believers those who believe in God while He is unseen, and establish their Prayers. That is to say, hundreds of thoughts distract their hearts but they remain steady in their Prayer by focusing on God Almighty over and over again. They spend out of the wealth God bestows upon them. These are the hardships of the Faith, but one cannot fully rely upon them for spiritual reward, because man shows negligence in many issues. Many observe just the outer form of Prayer being oblivious to its substance and essence.
For this reason, heavenly hardships have also been provided for the purpose of man’s advancement in his [spiritual] rank. God Almighty has also mentioned this in the Holy Quran where He says:
وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّکُمۡ بِشَیۡءٍ مِّنَ الۡخَوۡفِ وَالۡجُوۡعِ وَنَقۡصٍ مِّنَ الۡاَمۡوَالِ وَالۡاَنۡفُسِ وَالثَّمَرٰتِ ؕ وَبَشِّرِ الصّٰبِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵۶﴾ۙ الَّذِیۡنَ اِذَاۤ اَصَابَتۡہُمۡ مُّصِیۡبَۃٌ ۙ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّاۤ اِلَیۡہِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ ﴿۱۵۷﴾ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ صَلَوٰتٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّہِمۡ وَرَحۡمَۃٌ ۟ وَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡمُہۡتَدُوۡنَ ﴿۱۵۸﴾ 3
These adversities come directly from God. At times, man is afflicted with a terrible fear; he is constantly fearful that the matter would take the worst turn. At times, poverty and hunger become his lot; he must manage everything with a small pittance. Sometimes his wealth suffers loss. His business and trade goes awry or is stolen by thieves. At times, the fruits suffer a loss; meaning that, fruits go bad, crops get destroyed, or the beloved children succumb to death.
In the Arabic lexicon, progeny is also called ‘fruit’. Trial through progeny is also very difficult. Many write to me in desperation to pray that they may be blessed with children. Trials through one’s children can be so severe that some become atheists due to the death of their children. Sometimes children are so dear to one that for him, they become like an associate with God. Some become atheists, apostates, and faithless on account of their children. Some become Christians for the sake of their children if they become Christian. Some children die at a young age and become the cause for their parents to lose their faith.
Allah the Exalted, however, is not cruel. When one shows patience in the face of severe hardship—the greater the hardship, the greater is his reward. God Almighty is Rahim [Merciful], Ghafur [Forgiver], and Sattar [Concealer of weaknesses]. He does not inflict hardship on man so that he would disassociate from the Faith upon suffering the hardship. Rather, the hardships come to spur him forward [toward God]. There is a saying among the mystics that in times of trial, a sinner pulls back but a righteous person pushes forward all the more.
According to one account, eleven sons of the Holy Prophet (sas) had died [in his lifetime]. The lofty ranks that the Prophets and Messengers achieve are not achieved by such ordinary things that can be accomplished easily and comfortably. They were afflicted with grave trials and tribulations but they endured them with patience and steadfastness. Then they were bestowed great ranks by God Almighty. Consider the magnitude of the trial faced by Abraham (as). He took a knife in his hand so as to slaughter his son and did slice the throat of his son in his own estimation only to find that it was a ram, and not his son, under the knife. Abraham succeeded in his test and God saved his son too. God was pleased with Abraham that he had not held back in his own estimation.
It was the grace of God that the son survived. Otherwise, Abraham would have slaughtered him. For this, he [Abraham] was given the title of ‘the Truthful’. And it is written in the Torah that God told Abraham: ‘O Abraham! Look at the stars. Can you count them? In the same way your progeny will be countless.’
The adversity was short-lived and it passed, but how immense was its reward! Today all the Sadat [descendants of the Holy Prophet (sas)], the Quraishites, and the Jews and other nations call themselves the children of Abraham (as).4
It was an event that only lasted a few moments but he received such a tremendous reward from God. The fact is that the taqwa [righteousness] stands proven when one is afflicted with some adversity. When one discards all other concerns and gives precedence to the concern of God—abandoning a life of comfort and embracing a life of bitterness—only then does man attain real taqwa. The inner condition of man cannot be rectified merely by formal Prayers and Fasting. It is necessary that hardships should come.
عشق اوّل سرکش و خونی بود
تا گریزد ہر کہ بیرونی بود
In the beginning love is wild and bloodthirsty
So as to keep the outsiders away.
The initial attack of love is vicious like a lion. None of the Prophets and Messengers and the Truthful of the past progressed through mundane activities. The secret of their elevated stations was that they made perfect alignment with God Almighty. Even if all the children of a believer are slaughtered and he is faced with hardships even beside that, he continues to persist marching forward under all circumstances.
Despite thousands of weaknesses, man shows loyalty to his sincere friend. How is it, then, that God, who is Rahman [Gracious] and Rahim [Merciful], would not show loyalty to you? Love God Almighty such that even if you have a thousand of your children on one side and God on the other, you prefer God and disregard all the children.
Hardships have befallen all the Prophets. None has remained without them. For this reason, there are great rewards for those who bear hardships. God Almighty has said in the Holy Quran, addressing His Prophet (sas), give glad tiding to those who show patience who—in the face of adversity—say, ‘There was a time when we did not even exist, God Almighty has created us, and we are His property and it is to Him that we shall return.’ For such people, there are glad tidings. The blessings which are achieved through these hardships and the special glad tidings bestowed from God Almighty, cannot be achieved through Prayer, Fasting, and Zakat. If one discharges his duty of Salat properly, it is a laudable thing, but the strike that comes from God Almighty is most precise and it is through it that guidance and access is attained.
Now, members of the Jama’at should listen to this carefully and understand that God has appointed both kinds of hardships for you. The first are the asperities of the Shariah. You must bear them. The second kind of asperities are those of qaza and qadr [destiny and fate]. Most people eschew the asperities of the Shariah in one way or another and do not observe it to the full extent, but who can run away from qaza and qadr? Man has no option in it.
Bear in mind, for humans, this is not the only world. There is another world after it. This here is only a very short life. Some died at the age of fifty or sixty years. Some lived ten or twelve years longer. The hardships of this life end with death, but there is no end to that world. Given that the Day of Judgement is valid and is an integral part of faith, how hard is it to put up with the hardships of this temporary life? One should strive for that eternal world. One who does not suffer any hardship at all—what capital does he possess?
The hallmark of a believer is not just that he should show patience, but even more that he should be reconciled with the calamity; he should align his will with the will of God—this indeed is a lofty status. In times of adversity, precedence should be given to the will of God. Give precedence to the Bestower of bounties over the bounties themselves. There are many who start to complain when faced with a calamity. In a way, they sever their ties with God. Some women react by vituperation and cursing. Some men, too, are infirm in their faith.
It is crucial advice and should be kept in mind that when one suffers a calamity, he should be fearful that a greater calamity may befall him. The world is home to calamities. It is not good to be careless in it. Most adversities come to warn. Initially, they are mild and one does not consider them to be a calamity. Then it becomes a calamity causing distress. If one is massaged gently, it would comfort him, but the same hand struck with force would cause pain. Some calamities are severe and become distressful. The Holy Quran has mentioned both types of adversities.
Hardships are for spiritual elevation. Abraham (as) did not make a fuss when God Almighty had asked him for his son. Rather, he thanked God Almighty that an opportunity to serve Him had become available. The mother of the boy gave her consent and the boy agreed as well.
It is mentioned that once a minaret of a mosque fell. The king of the time prostrated [in gratitude] that God Almighty had given him the opportunity to share in the service that the noble kings had rendered [beforehand] in the building of the mosque.
Time passes no matter what. People who live lavishly also die in the end, but one who shows patience in the face of hardships, is ultimately rewarded. One hundred and twenty-four thousand Prophets bear testimony that there is reward for patience.
Those who do not show patience for the sake of God have to endure as well, but then there is no reward and no merit. Women wail at the death of their loved ones; some ignorant men put ashes on their heads—but they all settle down after a while and forget their loss. It is said that a woman’s child had died and she was wailing at his grave site. The Holy Prophet (sas) happened to pass by. He told her to fear God and be patient.
The unfortunate lady replied, ‘Go away! You have not suffered a calamity like mine.’
Little did the wretched lady know that he had shown patience even at the death of his eleven children! Later, when she discovered that the one counselling her was none other than the Holy Prophet (sas), she came to his house and said, ‘O Prophet of God! I am patient.’
He replied الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَۃِ الْأوْلٰی5 [‘True patience is if you demonstrate it at the outset in the face of a calamity.’]
In other words, one has to reconcile with the passage of time. Patience is if you do it for the sake of God Almighty in the very beginning. It is the promise of God Almighty that He abundantly rewards those who show patience. This promise of immense reward is destined only for those who demonstrate patience.
Who knows what is in store for today and what is to happen tomorrow? I have just received many letters from Rawalpindi saying that there was an earthquake that caused people to panic. Some said that this earthquake was equal to the earthquake of the 4th of April. There have been three earthquakes in this one month and God Almighty has informed me of a severe earthquake still to come. That earthquake would be so severe that it would drive people insane.
People have forgotten God in their negligence and they are indulging in happiness, but those who have managed to find God are prepared to accept a life of bitterness. It is necessary for hardship to come. The practice of God cannot be muted. Everyone ought to stay engaged in prayer and seeking forgiveness from God and align his will with the will of God. One who makes this decision beforehand, does not stumble. One should realize beforehand that he has no bond with his wealth, his children, his wife, and his brothers—they are all the trust of God. As long as they are there, you should appreciate and respect them and honour them, but when God takes His trust back, you should not be distressed.
Religion is anchored in giving priority to God in every affair. In reality, we belong to God and God belongs to us. What concern do we have with anyone else? As long as God remains pleased with us, there is no cause for grief even if not one, but one hundred thousand of our children die. Children, even if they remain alive, can become a trial without the grace of God.
Some people go to prison because of their children. Sheikh Sa‘di has written the story of one person who was in shackles due to the mischief of his children. One should consider his children as guests—he should look after them and care for them but should not prefer anyone over God. How can children benefit? The approval of God is essential.
Those who lack full inclination toward God, experience many distractions during Prayer. When a prisoner stands before a ruler, does any distraction cross his mind? He is totally attentive to the ruler and is only worried about the order the ruler is about to give. He is completely oblivious to even his own body at that moment. Similarly, how can Satan dare instil distractions when man turns to God with a genuine heart, falling before His threshold in all sincerity?
Satan is the absolute enemy of man and has been called enemy in the Quran. He first caused the expulsion of your father, yet he was not content with this. Now he desires to cause all of you to be cast into Hell. And this second attack is even more severe than the first one. He has perpetrated evil from the beginning and desires to overpower you, but he will not gain dominance over you so long as you give precedence to God in all matters. When man suffers in the way of God, and does not get overpowered by Satan, he is bestowed a light.
When a believer prefers God Almighty over everything else, his ascension towards God occurs. He is raised towards God Almighty in this very life. He is illuminated by a special light. In this ascension, he becomes elevated beyond the range of Satan such that the hand of Satan can no longer reach him. For every single thing, God has set an example in this world as well, alluding to it that when Satan tries to climb towards heaven, a blazing meteor pursues him and hurls him down.
A bright star is called saqib. Saqib also refers to something that creates a hole, as well as something that rises to great heights. In this, an example is mentioned with reference to the human experience which not only has an obvious truth, but also a hidden one. When a person attains a sure faith in God Almighty, his ascension towards God is affected. He is bestowed a special strength, force, and light with which he is able to throw Satan down.
Saqib also refers to one who kills. It is essential for every believer to try to kill his Satan and annihilate him. Those who are ignorant of the science of spirituality laugh at such things, but, in fact, they themselves deserve to be laughed at. They should try to understand their own ignorance. There is an overt law of nature. Similarly, there is a covert law of nature as well. The overt law serves as a guide for the covert law.
God has also told me in His revelation that:
أَنْتَ مِنِّیْ بِمَنْزِلَۃِ النَّجْمِ الثَّاقِب
Meaning, ‘You are the Saqib in My estimation.’ This means that He has created me to kill Satan. Satan shall meet his end at my hands.
Satan is unable to climb high. If a believer climbs high, Satan cannot then overpower him. A believer should pray to God that he may be given the strength to kill Satan. Elimination of all evil thoughts requires the destruction of Satan.
A believer should be steadfast and not give up. He should persevere in destroying Satan. Ultimately, he will succeed one day. God Almighty is Merciful and Gracious. Those who strive in His way, He ultimately shows them success. A lofty status for man lies in him killing his Satan.
Some people overlook such important tasks which are the true objective of a believer, and pursue other things. For example, if one sees a [true] dream or a few [divine] words spill from his tongue, he thinks that he has now become a saint. This is the point at which man gets deceived. Even the impious, the impure, and the immoral can witness dreams that may even come true. To take pride in such a thing is accursed. Suppose one had some dreams and they came true—what does that accomplish?
Can one survive if he is given a few drops of water when he is extremely thirsty? Of course not. Rather, his thirst will be further intensified. In the same way, these dreams amount to nothing until one has been endowed with a full measure of cognition of God both in its quality and quantity.
The condition of a man is noble and satisfactory when he is righteous and pure in practical conduct. His conduct should testify to it. When the blessings of God and powerful miracles accompany him and support him every moment, it is then that God is with him and he is with God.
Satan manages to find an opportunity to mislead people at every occasion. Because I present my wahi and ilham [revelations and inspirations] over and over again, it occurred to some people to do the same. This is a trial that has come upon them. Satan helped them on this path towards their destruction and they began to experience Satanic revelation and hadithsun-nafs [whisperings of the self]. Chiragh Din, Ilahi Bakhsh, Faqir Mirza, and many others were destroyed on this path and there are many who are marching down the same road.
Members of my Jama’at should turn their minds away from such things. On the Day of Judgement, God Almighty will not ask them about how many revelations they had or how many dreams they had. One will be questioned about what righteous deeds they have done.
Ilham and wahi are the actions of God; they are not the work of man. One cannot base his pride on the actions of Allah. Only a foolish and ignorant person would consider an act of God to be his personal achievement and exult in it. Look at the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when he would sometimes stand so long in worship at night that his feet would swell up. His companion asked why he was working so hard when he was free of sins? He replied, أَفَلَا أَکُوْنُ عَبْداً شَکُوْرًا 6 (‘Should I not be grateful?’).
One should never despair. Sins can be overwhelming and salvation may seem impossible, but one should not get flustered. Some say that they are very sinful and are overpowered by the carnal self, and how could they become pious. They should understand that a believer never despairs. It is only Satan, and none else, who loses hope in the mercy of God.
A believer should not be a coward. No matter how overwhelmed he is by sin, God has bestowed upon him such power that he can overcome sin under any circumstances. God Almighty has endowed man with such sin-decimating power which is innate within his nature.
Look at water. No matter how hot it is—even when it is so hot that it can burn anything it is poured on—it is still capable of extinguishing a fire if poured on one. This is so because God has endowed it with the quality that it will extinguish fire. Similarly, a human being, regardless of how engrossed he is in sin and how deep he is in illicit acts, has the power to extinguish the fire of sins. If man did not have this quality, then he could not have been held accountable, and even the advent of Prophets and Messengers would have been unnecessary. The fact is that human nature is innately righteous.
Food and water are available for the hunger and thirst of the body, and air is available because it is needed for man to breathe. When all the means of sustenance needed for the body have been provided, why wouldn’t the things needed by the soul be provided? God Almighty is Rahim [Merciful], Ghafur [Forgiver], and Sattar [Concealer of weaknesses]. He has also provided all the means for spiritual defence.
Man should search for the spiritual water; he will certainly find it. He should search for spiritual bread; it will certainly be granted. As there is a law of nature for physical needs, there is also a law of nature for spiritual needs, but seeking is the prerequisite. One who seeks, shall certainly find. God Almighty will certainly be pleased with one who strives to establish a bond with Him.
This was to be the last age—one that was to be full of darkness. It was the promise of God Almighty about this age that the sun would rise in this age. Maulawis [Muslim clerics] should consider the miserable plight of taqwa [righteousness] in this age. A person killed a child for only four rupees worth of jewellery. One should ask these maulawis, who issue the fatwas [religious verdicts] of apostasy against us, what is their reason for considering us worse than everyone—Hindus, Christians, etc.? Don’t we proclaim the Kalimah [creed of Islam]?
The truth is that these maulawis are slaves to their own selfish motives. It was well put when a person once said to me, ‘It was not so hard to silence these maulawis—had you called them all and given them a couple of rupees each, they would have become silent and none of them would have opposed you.’
I told him that I had counted on their taqwa. Little did I know that they would turn out to be such slaves of their base self. They used to declare from the pulpit that it mattered little who Moses or Jesus even was. Little did I know that, despite reading out and making these sermons, they would get so infuriated about the death of Jesus as if Islam was entirely dependent on the life of Jesus.
But these people can do whatever they like. Now God Almighty has made the intention to destroy Satan. This is Satan’s last battle and he will certainly be destroyed. He will certainly be killed. Satan has also taken refuge in the life of Jesus, but with proof of the death of Jesus, Satan will also be killed. Satan has taken his residence with the priests and their supporters, but the angels and the pious are gathering with the Messiah of God. Every effort is being put into the opposition of Islam.
In the first place, this age is such that the entire earth is becoming one city because of telegrams, mail, and railways. The news of every hour is available. People travel from here to there a lot, but India, in particular, is such a country where people of all kinds are found. There are those who deny the existence of God. Then there are those who are unrestrained and assert that one can do whatever one likes. There are the Brahmu who deny the scripture. There are worshippers of humans too and others who believe stones to be God. There are more than 100,000 who have become Christians. There are worshippers of the sun, water, and fire present too.
The earthquake had destroyed the big temple of fire worship. Now they are building it anew but they do not know that another earthquake is about to come. Freedom is of the kind that anyone can say anything with little regard for others.
In short, this is that time, particularly in India, that presents the same scene concerning which the prophecy had been made beforehand. Christians are publishing tens of thousands of books against Islam.
The Arya Samaj claim that a scripture is revealed to the world only after billions of years and each time it is a Vedas, and they only come to India and the Sanskrit language is exclusive to them, as if Parmeshwar [God] does not know any other country or language. It is beyond comprehension why Parmeshwar has become so enamoured by India, and—notwithstanding—why he has kept Hindus in such humiliation. Presently, Christians boast kings, Muslims boast kings too, and Buddhists boast kings as well, but there is no kingdom of the Aryas anywhere. Who knows why Parmeshwar liked this so much? Maybe because niyogis [people who practice niyoga] live here who seek big and strong men to cohabit with their wives, while they themselves are alive, so as to beget handsome children through them, and it is also a prerequisite for the bairaj data [surrogate father] to be a Brahman [highest caste in Hinduism].
One cannot help but laugh at the profane doctrine of the Aryas, according to which one would live in Mukti Khanah [Paradise] after salvation only for a finite time and then would be expelled from it and made into a dog, a pig, or a cat, even without committing any other sin. According to the Aryas, Parmeshwar retains a small measure of man’s sins in him as the seed which is used to trap him again. However, it is difficult to understand as to why such varied sentences are dispensed for that residual sin that some should be made a lion and some a goat, some a scorpion or a snake, and some a horse or an elephant, some a filthy worm and some a pristine human being—and then among the humans, some are made men and some are made women. What can possibly be the reason for this differentiation?
Then there is the strange doctrine of the Aryas that [in transmigration] different species are bestowed because of different sins. This necessarily implies that there should be as many sins as there are species. Since Veda is the only revealed scripture, all those sins should have been enumerated in the Veda. But when the commandments of Veda are looked at, their count cannot be more than a few hundred even according to the Aryas, while there are thousands of animals present in the jungles alone, many thousands of insects and worms are crawling in the earth; then there are the birds on trees and animals in the ocean that are beyond count. Where did so many species come from?
Aryas contend that the need for the expulsion of souls from Paradise would arise because their worship was only for a finite time and, therefore, the recompense for such finite worship should also be for a finite period of time. This doctrine is extremely perverted. Maybe the Aryas worship with this notion that it is only for a limited time.
Islam does not subscribe to this. Our pledge with God Almighty is eternal. It is not our intent to worship God only for a specified time. Rather, we consider such intent to be kufr [disbelief]. We have put the yolk of eternal worship of God around our necks. If God causes us to die, it would not change our intent. We die with the expectant reward for this worship. We do not deem it to be limited.
Thank God that the Quran has not presented a god of such imperfect attributes who is neither the owner of souls nor of particles; neither can he give them salvation nor can he accept repentance of anyone. According to the Holy Quran, we belong to a God who is our Creator, our Master, our Sustainer. He is Most Gracious, He is Most Merciful, and He is the Master of the Day of Judgement. It is an occasion for the believers to be grateful that He has granted us the Book that reveals His true attributes. This is a great blessing of God Almighty.
Pity be upon those who did not appreciate this blessing. Pity be upon those Muslims who were presented with a sumptuous meal and cool water, but they have turned their backs to it and do not partake in this meal. A vast palace, which thousands can enter, was built to save them from the hardships of the time, but alas they did not enter it themselves and stopped others from entering it as well.
Was it not said beforehand that in the Latter Days a trumpet would be sounded from heaven? Is wahi [revelation] not the voice of God? Prophets amount to the ‘Trumpet’. The blowing of the Trumpet, indeed, meant that an Appointee [of God] would be sent and he would announce that your Hour has now come. Who can reform anyone without God Almighty’s will to reform? God Almighty grants His Prophet a force of attraction such that the hearts of people incline towards him. Acts of God Almighty never go wasted. A natural pull will do its job. Now the Hour has come that was foretold by all the Prophets from the beginning. The hour of God Almighty’s judgment is near. Fear it and repent.7
1 Surah al-Hajj, 22:3 [Publisher]
2 Surah al-Baqarah, 2:2–3 [Publisher]
3 And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives, and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient, who, when a misfortune overtakes them, say, ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.’ It is these on whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is these who are rightly guided (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:156–158). [Publisher]
4 A sect of Christians also believe that they are from among the progeny of Hazrat Ibrahim (as). (This is probably the note added by the editor of the newspaper, Badr—Editor).
5 Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul-Janaiz, Bab Ziyaratil-Qubur, Hadith 1283 [Publisher]
6 Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabut-Tahajjud, Bab Qiyamun-Nabi Hatta Tarima Qadamaho, Hadith 1130 [Publisher]
7 Badr, vol. 7, no. 2, p. 4–9, dated 16 January 1908; Al-Hakam, vol. 12, no. 5, p. 3–6, dated 18 January 1908