11 April 1908

(During a walk)

Reply to an Objection Concerning the Prophecy About Mirza Ahmad Baig

Some critic had sent a letter to Hazrat Maulana Maulawi Sayyed Muhammad Ahsan in which he had criticized the prophecy concerning Mirza Ahmad Baig. Maulawi Sahib mentioned it at the time of the walk.

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

One should first ask such a person whether he even subscribes to the Kalimah [Islamic creed]1 or not, and whether he even believes in the Holy Prophet (sas) and the Prophets before him or not?

I am baffled at the condition and mindset of such people that they witness thousands of Signs. They neither care for them nor benefit from them, yet they are eager to raise an objection when they fail to comprehend out of their weak understanding and wisdom, the true import of a matter that is susceptible to interpretation. If they are asked what use they have made of thousands of clear Signs that are on record, they have no answer. The issue they criticize due to their lack of knowledge is in conformity with the practice of God, and no Prophet has been dealt with differently [by this practice of God].

What peril his faith is in who denies this practice of God! He does not just criticize my prophecy, he falsifies even the Holy Prophet (sas). In fact, this necessarily implies rejection of all Prophets.

Consider the incident of the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah of the Holy Prophet (sas) in which many of the senior Companions (ra) faltered. However, God saved them by lending them a helping hand. Even Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was involved in it. Another incident was when the Holy Prophet (sas) said that Abu Jahl would accept Islam.2 Besides these, there is the matter of twelve thrones for the twelve disciples of Jesus (as); the matter of the tribe of Prophet Jonah (as) . A similar incident is also found in the life of Moses (as).3 I wonder what other things such a person would dispute even though he is called a Muslim. It is absurd to reject something simply because you fail to comprehend it.

One leg of this prophecy of mine was broken in accordance with the prophecy, right away. This caused fear to descend upon them. They repented by giving alms and charity, by showing their submission and humility in so many other ways, and by shedding tears and crying. Thereupon, God Almighty also turned to them in accordance with His practice.

Look, there was no precondition in the promise of destruction that was given by Prophet Jonah to his people and the wording was clear and explicit that (after forty days), destruction would descend upon them. Thus, when the suspension of an unconditional and definitive prophecy with repentance, anguish, shedding of tears, and wailing is in conformity with the practice of God, then why is a conditional prophecy criticized? It had the following clear words:4

تُوْبِىْ تُوْبِىْ فَإِنَّ الْبَلَآءَ عَلٰى عَقِبِکِ

[‘Repent, repent, for mischief is pursuing you!’]

Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him, writes in his book, Futuhul-Ghaib, قَدْ یُوْعَدُ وَ لَا یُوْفىٰ—meaning that there are some promises of God Almighty that are not fulfilled. The Holy Quran also mentions of mutashabihat [verses susceptible to differing interpretations]. Such mutashabihat help distinguish a believer from a disbeliever. They are an instrument to set apart the concealed apostates and hypocrites. The world would not have been the same if there were no mutashabihat. It is the way of a hypocrite that he fails to see the river flowing and fails to draw any benefit from it. Instead, he is drawn towards the dried sticks and straws, and [consequently] becomes an apostate.

They would have had an occasion to criticize if I had presented something outside the things common to previous Prophets, and had presented something new on my own accord. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran that:

لَوْ کُنَّا نَسْمَعُ اَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا کُنَّا فِیْۤ اَصْحٰبِ السَّعِیْرِ 5

How can he be guided who has never stayed in my company and heard my discourses, nor does he have the ability to evaluate them by comparing them with the standards of other Prophets6?

In this era, God has amassed such a rich treasure of mighty Signs, and has furnished such means that even a 100,000 Prophets could prove their prophethood if they wished to do so. In earlier times, there were neither such pressing needs nor such means and resources. If powerful Signs and manifest miracles are shown right with the advent of a Prophet, faith would no longer remain faith—it would merely be an acknowledgement of a manifest reality. There would remain no basis for reward and higher ranks. If clear successes and victories are achieved right at the outset, the corrupt, the wicked, and the sinful would have been the first to join the Prophet (sas).7 There would remain no way to distinguish between the truthful and the imposter, or between the sincere and the hypocrite. In that case, there would be—God forbid—no assurance.

Look, Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, recognised the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, due to his sound judgement and light of faith. Did he ask for a Sign? Of course not! He accepted the truth of the claim of the Holy Prophet (sas) with great conviction and steadfastness simply on the basis of the initial events of the life of the Holy Prophet (sas).

It Is the Prerogative of God Almighty to Make a Khalifah After a Prophet

Sufis have written that, before all others, truth is instilled by God in the heart of the person who is to become the Khalifah [Successor] of a saintly person, a Messenger, or a Prophet of God. There is a quake that rattles the world at the death of a Messenger or spiritual leader, and that time is extremely perilous. And God effaces it through a Khalifah and the work is stabilized and realigned through that Khalifah.

Why did the Holy Prophet (sas) not appoint a Khalifah after him? The secret behind this was this very point that he knew full well that Allah the Exalted would Himself appoint a Khalifah, as this, indeed, is the prerogative of God Himself and that there is no error in the choice of God. Accordingly, Allah the Exalted made Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, the Khalifah for this work and truth was instilled in his heart before all others.

Hazrat Maulana Sayyed Muhammad Ahsan submitted that this same subject is indeed also mentioned in the revelation of the Promised Messiah (as):

اَلْحَمْدُ للّٰہَ الَّذِیۡ جَعَلَکَ الْمَسِیْحَ ابْنَ مَرْیَمَ

[All praise belongs to the Allah who has made you Masih Ibn-e-Maryam (the Messiah, Son of Mary).]

Similarly, in Ayat Istikhlaf [Quranic verse about Khilafat], Allah the Exalted has pointed to Himself, لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّ [‘He will surely make them Successors’] and لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ [‘He will surely establish’] and not the Messenger for this task.

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

In one of the revelations, Allah the Exalted has also named me Sheikh [Revered]:

أَنْتَ الشَّیْخُ الْمَسِیْحُ الَّذِیْ لَایُضَاعُ وَقْتُہٗ

[‘You are the revered Messiah whose time shall not be wasted.’]

And in a different revelation, it is said:

کَمِثْلِکَ دُرٌّ لَّا یُضَاعُ

[‘A jewel like you cannot be wasted.’]

These revelations provide clear proof of my success.

A Believer Is a Community in Himself

Hazrat Maulana Sayyed Muhammad Ahsan mentioned another letter.

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

Whenever I receive a letter of this kind saying that he [the letter writer] is alone, I become fearful for his faith. A believer is a community in himself. A believer never remains alone. God does not let a person who has perfect faith in God remain alone.

There Is Sin in Marrying a Girl to a Non-ahmadi

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

There is no harm in accepting a girl in marriage from non-Ahmadis inasmuch as it is permitted to marry the women of the People of the Book. In fact, it is beneficial in that one more person attains thereby to guidance. We should not give our girl in marriage to a non-Ahmadi. If you can, you may take [one from them]. There is no harm in taking one, but there is sin in giving one.

Excessive Love for the World Causes Loss of Faith

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

There are some who fall under the purview of یَکْتُمُ اِیْمَانَہٗۤ8. They are unable, as yet, to declare their faith due to certain valid, albeit very private, reasons. Nonetheless, they are not لَاۤ اِلٰى ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ وَ لَاۤ اِلٰى ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ9. They have expressed to you their faith and the sincerity of their devotion. Such people are not culpable.

And then there are those people who present themselves as not being from among those who declare me to be a disbeliever—these people should make a public announcement stating that they are not from among those who declare me to be a disbeliever and that they dissociate themselves from those who call me a disbeliever etc. In fact, they should also write that those who declare me to be a disbeliever are themselves disbelievers, in accordance with the hadith10 of the Holy Prophet (sas), due to having declared a Muslim to be a disbeliever. Notwithstanding, it is not the way of the believers that they should come to us quietly and pretend they are one of us, and when they go to the opponents, they become one of them.

I do not have the knowledge of the unseen so as to know the state of one’s heart. This avenue is available to them by which they can become—if they do not have the affliction of hypocrisy in their hearts—a distinct community by dissociating from those who call me a disbeliever. However, if their case is akin to:

فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ مَّرَضٌ ۙ فَزَادَہُمُ اللّٰہُ مَرَضًا ۚ11

and they, indeed, have the fire of hypocrisy in their hearts, their affliction will increase even more by this method and will become exposed.

The fact of the matter is that, at times, the overwhelming love of this world can also strip one of his faith. It is a dangerous and toxic affliction to become excessively engrossed in worldly affairs and to assign so much importance to worldly matters so that no concern is left for religion, faith, and the Hereafter. This age is the one about which the Noble Messenger (sas) said, ‘Go to the tops of mountains or cling to the tree trunks and try to save your faith from the perils of that age in any way possible.’ Therefore, if an Ahmadi has no other Ahmadi close to him, he should offer the Salat [Prayer] by himself under these trying times and should try and supplicate that God might make him a community.

Sometimes It Is Necessary to Be Stern

The fact is that a believer ought to show deference to the status of people even while preaching the Faith. He should not be harsh and rude if the occasion demands gentleness. However, it is a sin to be gentle when success does not seem possible without sternness.12 [Persian proverb:] گر حفظِ مراتب نه کنی زندیقی [‘If you do not pay due regard to the status of people, then you are faithless’].

Look how manifestly a confirmed disbeliever Pharaoh was, yet Moses was admonished فَقُوْلَا لَہٗ قَوْلًا لَّیِّنًا13. There is also a similar commandment for the Noble Messenger (sas) mentioned in the Holy Quran:

وَ اِنْ جَنَحُوْا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَہَا14

Thus, he is commanded to be gentle and kind towards believers and the Muslims. The condition of the Messenger of Allah and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, is also described to be exactly like this:

مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰہؕ وَ الَّذِیْنَ مَعَہٗۤ اَشِدَّآءُ عَلَى الْکُفَّارِ رُحَمَآءُ بَیْنَہُمْ15

Similarly, at another place, the Holy Prophet (sas) has been addressed and directed to confront the hypocrites and the disbelievers firmly. Thus, He says:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّبِیُّ جَاہِدِ الْکُفَّارَ وَ الْمُنٰفِقِیْنَ وَ اغْلُظْ عَلَیْہِمْ16

In short, it is clear from these verses that even God Almighty has shown deference to the ranks of people. Tenderness has been commanded towards the believers and the faithful. However, some among the disbelievers have a disposition that needs harshness just as a competent physician has to resort to cutting and slicing and surgical procedures for some illnesses and wounds.

Hazrat Ibn Arabi discusses the reason why God Almighty admonished Moses (as) to be gentle in dealing with Pharaoh. The reason in this, indeed, was that Allah the Exalted knew that he would ultimately come to believe. Accordingly, the word اٰمَنۡتُ [‘I believe’] issued forth from his own mouth. He goes to the extent to write that even his salvation is substantiated by the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran does not state that Pharaoh would enter Hell. It is only written that: یَقْدُمُ قَوْمَہٗ یَوْمَ الْقِیٰمَۃِ فَاَوْرَدَہُمُ النَّارَ17.

Lightning in the Sky

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

Lightning is the most consummate and complete display of the awe-inspiring and wrathful manifestations of God Almighty. It has both elements—wrath and mercy of God Almighty—running side by side like the sweet and bitter waters in an ocean.18 On the one hand, thunder is the expression of the wrath of God, while on the other, light and rain—which are manifestations of the mercy of God—are present as well.

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

There is also a revelation:

إِنِّیۡۤ أَنَا الصَّاعِقَۃُ

[‘Indeed I am the Lightning.’]

The Promised Messiah (as) said:

It has been observed that, at times, lightning causes death even without striking directly. I once saw some donkeys die just by the shock of the thunder. Once, I was present in a house in Sialkot and there were fifteen or sixteen other people with me. Suddenly, lightning struck the door of the house and split the wood of the door into two pieces. The house got filled with smoke. It felt as if a lot of sulphur had been set on fire. There was a temple in another neighbourhood that had winding passages.

At this point the Promised Messiah (as) stood up and, with his walking stick, drew the following on the ground:

Then he said:

The lightning travelled through this intricate path into the temple and struck a Hindu ascetic sitting inside. The ascetic became like charred wood.

One Proof of My Veracity

The Promise Messiah (as) said:

My case is very clear and manifest for those who ponder. Even in the absence of any other miracles (while in this case, there are thousands of heavenly and earthly Signs and successes present), just the survival of my person for such an extended period of time (despite making such mighty claims and being in such perilous circumstances) is sufficient in itself. It is a point to ponder that my claim dates back to the time when there were still a few years left in the thirteenth century [Hijri], and now twenty-six years have elapsed even of the fourteenth century.

Despite internal and external opposition and frenzied contrivances—and in the presence of my varied serious illnesses—God has granted me a miraculous long life. They themselves assert that it would have been lethal and would have caused an end to the life of Holy Prophet (sas) if he forged a lie [against God] even for a moment or fraction thereof. Yet God gave me continued respite for thirty years despite the fact that—as they allege—I have forged lies [against God].

And not just that, He has supported the veracity of my claim with thousands of diverse earthly and heavenly Signs, and treated me like He treats only the truthful. He [God] did not do a single thing to insinuate that I am a liar. God only knows why, despite all this, the curtains of ignorance have drawn across their minds and why they fail to comprehend.19