(Before Asr Prayer)
Maulawi Muhammad Husain had requested the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, in writing through one or more letters and verbally also, to act as the arbitrator in some dispute. And at the same time he had also threatened that if he would not agree to be the arbitrator in that matter, he would name him as a witness in the matter in court and, thus, he would have to appear in the court.
The Promised Messiah (as) said:
It is baffling that on the one hand he considers me to be a kafir [disbeliever] and dajjal [deceiver], faithless, and an apostate; and then, he has not just kept this limited to himself alone, but rather he has tried his utmost to enlist all the big maulawis of nearly the whole of India in his fatwa; yet, on the other hand, he wishes me to act as the arbitrator in a matter pertaining to the Shariah! If he considers me to be out of the circle of Islam, then what do I have to do with a matter pertaining to the Shariah and what would be the value of my verdict? Tell him that first he needs to settle the issue of my Islam or apostasy, then he can make me an arbitrator also.
This man has perpetrated everything that has been possible for him and has been within his power to even have me hanged, and has left no stone unturned in these efforts of his. However, it was the grace of Allah the Exalted and His special favour that He honoured me in every conflict and humiliated my enemies and those who sought my humiliation.
Look, how he incited the Aryas at the time of the murder of Lekh Ram! Even my house was searched. Then, he exerted efforts in the case of murder against me by becoming a witness in support of a Christian. He has not left any stone unturned to malign me before the government. He called me a traitor and openly questioned why the government does not arrest such a traitor. He has tried his utmost to create misgivings about me among the masses. He has told people not to say salam [Muslim greeting of peace] to me; not to shake hands with me. He has told them that it is justified to plunder our properties, to kill us, and to snatch our women. Thus, in view of such great favours that he has done to us, what is this communication and correspondence!
It seems that he has a personal and selfish purpose in this matter for which he is applying this pressure. If he had any share of good fortune, he would have pondered over how I have been bestowed great increase by God Almighty and what types of beneficence Allah the Exalted has caused to descend upon me, and in comparison, what has happened to him since the day he took up the task of opposing me and making all his back-breaking efforts to annihilate me. Just this one thing would have sufficed to guide a fortunate and good-natured person.
Then, he has written in his letter that a son would be born in his home. By writing this sentence, his purpose is to nitpick, and his objective is to, God forbid, belittle the prophecies and the matters related to prophethood. So in response to this, he should be told that he should study my book, Haqiqatul-Wahi [The Philosophy of Divine Revelation]. I have written about these matters in great detail in that book. He does not know that dreams can often be experienced even by low-life, carrion-consuming individuals, and do come true in many cases. So what is there to boast about in this that a son would be born to him?
Some Hindus come to me and relate their dreams and also tell me that their dreams have proven true. By this they only want to raise the objection that what distinction is there about Islam regarding this. I can provide such examples where even some sinners, transgressors, criminals, idolators, thieves, adulterers, and robbers saw dreams, and some of them came true. So what is special about Maulawi Muhammad Husain in this regard?
Sharampat is an Arya from here. He had told me that he was going to have a son [born to him] on the basis of his dream and the son was indeed born. Then at another time he said that Babu Allah Ditta would be transferred and this dream of his was also fulfilled. He cites Babu Allah Ditta as its witness of this also. So, are we to conclude from these things that Sharampat or other such people should, God forbid, be accepted by us as Prophets?
The truth of the matter is actually that Allah has bestowed these faculties upon people from all echelons of society to hold human beings accountable and so that a witness is provided from within one’s self to help him accept [the truth of] prophethood. There are no prerequisites for true dreams. Allah the Exalted has, rather, endowed the constitution of man with the ability to see dreams lest he deny prophethood.
Allah the Exalted has not set any prerequisite for man to experience true dreams. This faculty has been given to every human being irrespective of him being a Muslim or a non-Muslim, virtuous or evil. Do you not see that the two men who were in prison with the Prophet Joseph (as)—both saw dreams and both were true as well? The Pharaoh, who was the king at that time, also saw a dream which came true. So did Joseph (as) pay homage to them and accept them as Prophets? Or tell me—have you also held them in any esteem? One of them proved the truth of his dream by getting executed, while the other gained proximity to the king. At least he should have been held in esteem.
If one could become a Prophet by one or two such true dreams and he acquires the glory of a Prophet, then tell me all the people you will come to believe in as your Imam? God forbid! This is an affront to the glory of prophethood and results in derision of the Prophets.
Bear in mind that no one becomes a king by having one or two pennies, a few shillings, or a few pounds. Rather, pennies, shillings, and pounds just prove the existence of immense wealth and riches, the seeing of which one is able to deduce that there must necessarily and certainly exist billions of pounds and unlimited collections of treasures.
Thus, there exists a distinct difference between the dreams of these people and the revelations, discourse, and converse of the Prophets. The wahi [revelation] of the Prophets is accompanied with all its essential accompaniments. There is a grandeur and majesty and awe in it. The wahi of Prophets is much greater, both in quality and quantity, than that of ordinary people. It is founded on their success and the utter failures of their enemies. The wahi of Prophets comprises of the unseen.
لَا یُظۡہِرُ عَلٰی غَیۡبِہٖۤ اَحَدًا ﴿ۙ۲۷﴾ اِلَّا مَنِ ارۡتَضٰی مِنۡ رَّسُوۡلٍ 1
In short, ordinary people do not share anything with the wahi of the Prophets. The commonality by way of similarity of kind that is there, is only meant to help man come to believe in the pristine wahi of the Prophets. Beyond this, it has no value. It is really nothing in comparison to the wahi of Prophets.
Addressing the person who had brought the message, the Promised Messiah (as) said:
Thus, you may tell Maulawi Muhammad Husain that being a maulawi, how could he utter such things that imply, God forbid, derision and disrespect of the glory of prophethood? First of all, his dream or revelation, whatever it is, requires interpretation. Secondly, even if it is true, it can neither be the basis for an objection against the glory of prophethood, nor can he become a Prophet on its account. Before him, another person from Amritsar had made the prophecy of the birth of a son to him as a challenge to me. God knows what happened. That pregnancy, as suspect as it was, did not last and not even a mouse was born. Thus, his [Muhammad Husain’s] dream or revelation is still in need of attestation. But the dreams of others have already been validated, and some among them are idolaters and atheists too, while some were sinners, transgressors, thieves, and adulterers. He should give some response to them as well—will he come to accept them as Prophets or saints and godly people?
If he does wish to come here, he should come seeking the truth and not for selfish reasons. He may come here to settle just this issue that dreams are seen by sinners and disbelievers as well as by Prophets, both share the commonality by way of similarity of kind, so what, then, is the distinguishing feature between the dreams and revelations of Prophets and those of disbelievers? Has Allah created a criterion to judge between the two or not? This is a religious task. He may come to investigate this. It is also something meriting reward from Allah.
Remember that in both these types [dreams and revelations] the distinguishing hallmark [between the Prophets and disbelievers] according to the Holy Quran, is the prophetic content that is beyond human capabilities and comprises news of the unseen in an extraordinary manner.
Miracles are of two types. The first [type] are those that are shown right away, like the staff of Moses (as). The second [type of miracles] are in the form of elucidation of subtleties of knowledge, and in the form of the prophecies that comprise information from the realm of the unseen. The first type of miracles are such that they silence the opponents but are not meant for lasting and permanent effect—rather, they are commensurate with the immediate exigencies. They do not serve as a proof or argument for the later generations because people do not get any intellectual benefit. The latter type of miracles are in the form of [elucidation of] knowledge and are long lasting and meant for people of all times. The more man ponders and dives deeply into them, the greater their grandeur and majesty becomes. And with the passage of time their lustre and grandeur keeps increasing—their greatness does not diminish.
Thus, the miracles of our Prophet (sas) fall into this second category. Thirteen hundred years have elapsed. The world has reached its pinnacle with regard to [material] progress. New fields of knowledge and science have emerged. Yet, no one has been able to show any flaw in the teachings of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, nor did the stature and eminence of his miracles decline in any measure. Indeed, their grandeur and glory continues to increase daily, and as new disciplines of science and philosophy emerge, so the greatness of his teachings and the grandeur and glory of his miracles continues to increase.
There is another mighty criterion Allah the Exalted has established and that is:
لَوۡ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَیۡنَا بَعۡضَ الۡاَقَاوِیۡلِ ﴿ۙ۴۵﴾ لَاَخَذۡنَا مِنۡہُ بِالۡیَمِیۡنِ ﴿ۙ۴۶﴾ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعۡنَا مِنۡہُ الۡوَتِیۡنَ ﴿۫ۖ۴۷﴾ 2
Meaning that if anyone perpetrates taqawwal alallah [fabrication against Allah], he would be destroyed. I do not know why they apply this verse selectively to the Holy Prophet (sas) alone. Why is it that if the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were to commit taqawwal alallah, he would be seized, but if someone else does it, then that would be ignored? God forbid, if this is the case then all assurance of security is lifted and there remains no difference at all between a truthful one and a liar.
اِنَّہٗ مَنْ یَّاْتِ رَبَّہٗ مُجْرِمًا فَاِنَّ لَہٗ جَہَنَّمَ .3 فَمَنۡ یَّعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّۃٍ خَیۡرًا یَّرَہٗ ؕ﴿۸﴾ وَمَنۡ یَّعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّۃٍ شَرًّا یَّرَہٗ ﴿٪۹﴾4 اِنَّہٗ لَا یُفْلِحُ الظّٰلِمُوْنَ.5
The above verses, however, clearly illustrate the universal application [of this principle] of punishment without any exception. It is beyond me why God is offended if the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, falsely attributes something to Allah, but if someone else commits the same offense, there are no consequences [God forbid].
Look back at the time of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. He [Maulawi Muhammad Husain] himself wrote its review also. Ask him under oath if I was all alone at that time or not. And now I have more than 400,000 people with me. Does Allah the Exalted ever help a fabricator in this way?
In short, Allah the Exalted has Himself set the differentiating criteria between the dreams of ordinary people and the wahi of Prophets. Almost every category of people have this common experience by way of similarity of kind but the wahi of Prophets is distinguished and trustworthy in its quality, quantity, profusion, and its attendant support [by God].
I do not claim that I have a law-bearing prophethood. I believe that law-bearing prophethood ended with the Holy Prophet (sas). My claim is that I am to serve this very same Shariah with the help of revelations, discourses, conversations, and prophecies [from Allah the Exalted].
Mujaddid Sahib writes that the same dreams and revelations that man experiences off and on, makes one a muhaddath [recipient of discourse with God] if he receives them in abundance. I have explained all this in detail in my book, Haqiqatul-Wahi. He can study it to satisfy his curiosity.6
1 He does not grant anyone ascendency over His domain of the unseen, Except him whom He chooses as His Messenger (Surah al-Jinn, 72:27–28). [Publisher]
2 And if he had falsely attributed even a trivial statement to Us, We would surely have seized him by the right hand, And then surely We would have severed his jugular vein (Surah al-Haqqah, 69:45–47). [Publisher]
3 Verily, he who comes to his Lord a sinner—for him is Hell (Surah Ta Ha, 20:75). [Publisher]
4 Then whoso does an atom’s weight of good will see it, And whoso does an atom’s weight of evil will also see it (Surah az-Zilzal, 99:8–9). [Publisher]
5 Surely, the unjust shall not prosper (Surah al-An‘am, 6:22). [Publisher]
6 Al-Hakam, vol. 12, no. 18, p. 4–5, dated 10 March 1908