3 January 1908

(During a walk)

Signs of the Latter Days Mentioned in the Holy Quran

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

It is mentioned in the Holy Quran that the disbelievers would say:

لَوْ کُنَّا نَسْمَعُ اَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا کُنَّا فِیْۤ اَصْحٰبِ السَّعِیْرِ1

This shows that faith is not sound without thoughtful consideration. All the Signs mentioned in Surah Takwir pertain to the Latter Days. One of these Signs is: وَ اِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ 2 meaning, ‘When she-camels would be left abandoned.’ It was in exposition of it, that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said وَلَیُتْرَکُنَّ الْقِلَاصُ فَلَا یُسْعٰى عَلَیْہَا3[i.e. then the she-camels will be abandoned, and no one will travel upon them] which shows that the Promised Messiah would appear in those very days. In fact, these are the Signs of the early days of his epoch.

Then it is said: وَ اِذَا النُّفُوْسُ زُوِّجَتْ4 meaning that such form of travel would become available that nations would come together despite being far apart; the new world would establish contacts with the old world. The appearance of Gog and Magog, the advent of the Dajjal [Antichrist], and the dominance of the Cross are the Signs of that age too. People have created discordance because of their misunderstanding and believe that all these are distinct from each other while they believe, with regard to each one of them, that they would prevail over the entire globe. If Gog and Magog would prevail then where would the Dajjal prevail and where would the Cross dominate? There is no other explanation except that they all are various individuals of one and the same people. There would be no confusion left if they were considered to be one and the same.

Allah says about them:

وَ تَرَکْنَا بَعْضَہُمْ یَوْمَئِذٍ یَّمُوْجُ فِیْ بَعْضٍ وَّ نُفِخَ فِی الصُّوْرِ فَجَمَعْنٰہُمْ جَمْعًا 5

This indicates that a great degree of disagreement would develop. All religions would emerge as combatants. تَرَکْنَا[Tarakna] indicates that it would be a time of freedom and that freedom would reach its zenith. Allah would then decide to gather them through His Appointee. Note that first He said جَمَعْنٰہُمْ [‘We shall gather them’] and for the beginning of the world, He said:

خَلَقَکُمْ مِّنْ نَّفْسٍ وَّاحِدَۃٍ وَّ خَلَقَ مِنْہَا زَوْجَہَا وَ بَثَّ مِنْہُمَا رِجَالًا کَثِیْرًا وَّ نِسَآءً6

The words بَثَّ [spread] and جَمَعَ [gather] are perfectly opposed. So the circle will be completed and the same age will return. In the beginning it was the unity of an individual and now in the end it will be the unity of the whole species.

Next He says:

وَعَرَضْنَا جَہَنَّمَ یَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْکٰفِرِیْنَ عَرْضًا7

It was described as a Sign for the Promised Messiah that Hell would be presented to the disbelievers on that day. It is not talking about the Day of Judgement; it makes no sense to present Hell on that Day. The disbelievers would, in fact, be interned into Hell that day. Hell implies the plague. Accordingly, many a time, the plague has been called ‘hell’ in my revelations.

یَأْتِیْ عَلٰی جَھَنَّمَ زَمَانٌ لَّیْسَ فِیْھَا أَحَدٌ

[‘A time will come upon Hell when no one will be left in it.’]

This is also one such revelation.

God Almighty has mentioned two groups. The first are the auspicious who accepted the Messiah. The second are the wretched who would reject the Messiah. For them, He said, ‘We would send the plague as hell for them.’

The meaning of نُفِخَ فِی الصُّوْرِ8 is that a voice is sounded in those who come from God Almighty and then this voice reaches all around the world through them. And then such an attraction is created in them that, despite differences of ideas, natures, and circumstances, people start to gather around his voice. Eventually, the time does come when there is only one flock and only one shepherd.

God Almighty has Himself provided the means for gathering all auspicious souls upon one religion. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was told:

قُلْ یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اِنِّیْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰہِ اِلَیْکُمْ جَمِیْعًا 9

جَمِیْعًا [to all] and جَمَعْنٰہُمْ جَمْعًا [gathering them all] have a special correlation and it seems that the initial work for this gathering was put in motion in the time of the Holy Prophet, although the preparation of the means for it reached its perfection in this age.

All the means of travel had not opened up in the time of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It is written in at-Tafsir al-Kabir [a commentary on the Holy Quran] that there were places where the message of the Holy Prophet had not reached, whereas now news can reach from this corner of the world to the other by means of mail, telegrams, and trains. Construction of a railway line in Hejaz also comes under this prophecy. Many Arabs have started saying that the time for اِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ10 has come.

The word عِشَارْ [‘ishar—ten-month pregnant she-camels] itself indicated that all this would transpire before the Day of Judgement because it is written about that Day that every pregnancy would miscarry and, moreover, everything would cease to function. What would be so unique about the she-camels? What it meant was that at present, trade depends on the she-camels, but at that time it would be on the railways. Since the same time frame is mentioned in the Hadith to be that of the Promised Messiah, the Arabs should now look for the Promised Messiah. Look, now railways are being built in their homeland and our enemies themselves are working hard on it. This, too, is a Sign that God has pressed our enemies in service for the cause. It is they who are funding it, but it is our truth that will be proven.

Rejection of the Signs

It is a pity that, in their spite for me, they even reject the prophecies of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing of God be upon him. But how many of the Signs are they going to reject? God Almighty has sent the plague. The earthquake struck too. Gog and Magog and the Dajjal [Antichrist] have already issued forth. The extraordinary eclipses of the moon and the sun in the month of Ramadan have already taken place. They contend that this hadith is weak. The fools do not understand that when it has come to fruition, it is useless to call the narrators into question. Only a great fool would still argue about the narrators even after the event has transpired as prophesied.

A saint has written that it would not be surprising if some sahih hadith [authentic saying of the Holy Prophet (sas)] is proved to be moot. And there are many Ahadith they say are moot, but were proven true by real events. If these people had only a grain of faith, they would accept it. Look at how the Quran and the Hadith have concurred with present-day events.

They allege that I have fabricated. Well, I could have fabricated the revelation, but did I have control over the heavens that I could have brought about the extraordinary lunar and solar eclipses in the month of Ramadan? Did I have control over the plague that I could have brought it on? Is the railway under construction the product of my effort? The truth is really what God has said after:

عَرَضْنَا جَہَنَّمَ یَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْکٰفِرِیْنَ عَرْضًا11

That

اَلَّذِیْنَ کَانَتْ اَعْیُنُہُمْ فِیْ غِطَآءٍ عَنْ ذِکْرِیْ وَ کَانُوْا لَا یَسْتَطِیْعُوْنَ۠ سَمْعًا12

Zikr [remembering] means that He remembered the humans through His Appointee. To be remembered by God just means that He sent a Reformer at His behest, but they remained oblivious to that Appointee. Many veils of doubt remained in front of their eyes and they did not see the light of truth because their condition became such, in the rage of prejudice, that they could not even hear the discourse of that Appointee. وَ کَانُوْا لَا یَسْتَطِیْعُوْنَ۠ سَمْعًا13 This is what their condition has now become and they are getting the same punishment for it as is mentioned in the Holy Quran and that is عَرَضْنَا جَہَنَّمَ یَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْکٰفِرِیْنَ عَرْضًا14,15.