Address by the Promised Messiah (as)
(11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Lahore)
At this time I deem it imperative and appropriate to acknowledge that we should be grateful on three accounts.
First and foremost is to be grateful to Allah who gave us life, health, vigour, peace, and provided the means for the propagation of the Faith. And, in reality, the truth is verily that if one were to try and enumerate these bounties of God Almighty, it would be absolutely impossible for us to count the favours and blessings of Allah.2
His blessings encompass both the physical and the spiritual realms. His title is رَبُّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَ [Rabbul-alamin—Lord of all the worlds], as is mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah, which is the first chapter of the Holy Quran. The entire Quran is, in fact, an exposition and explanation of this Surah. Also, this Surah is recited repeatedly in the five daily Prayers. His name is Rabbul-alamin. The meaning of this title is that in every condition and in every place, it is only through His Rububiyyat [Providence] that man attains life and progress. A closer look reveals that, in reality, the existence, well-being, comfort, pleasure, and peace of human life is linked to this Divine attribute. If Allah the Exalted were to withhold His attribute of رحمانیت—[Rahmaniyyat—Graciousness], and remove the shade of His Rahmaniyyat from the world, it would perish.
Next in this chapter, Allah the Exalted has identified Himself as رَحْمٰنْ [Rahman—Gracious] and رَحِیْم [Rahim—Merciful]. I wish to explain the difference between the attributes of Rahman and Rahim.
It should be kept in mind that رحمانیت—[Rahmaniyyat—Graciousness] is the name of that blessing of Allah the Exalted, which accompanies man at all times and in all conditions, and is not bestowed upon him by way of recompense, nor is there any pre-requisite of human action, labour, or effort. Allah the Exalted, has, for example, created the system of the universe; brought into being the sun, the moon, the stars, air, water and grain; created cures and medicines for the treatment of our various illnesses. In short, there are thousands of such bounties that He has brought into being without any deed, effort, or labour on our part, purely out of His grace. Should a man look deeply, he will find hundreds of thousands of such bounties and he will be forced to admit—finding no reason to dispute—that all those bounties and means of comfort that predate even our coming into being could not possibly have been the result of some deed on our part.
Reflect upon the fact that this earth and this heaven and everything within them—even our own form and condition when we were yet in the wombs of our mothers, and our faculties during that time—which deed of ours is all this the result of? Here, I do not wish to discuss those who believe in reincarnation, nor can I desist from saying at least this much that there are innumerable other bounties and favours of Allah the Exalted upon us that they cannot be weighed in any scale. All these blessings that He created the moon, the sun, the earth, and provided for all our needs even before our birth—can anyone tell me which deed exists that could be weighed against all these blessings?
We are thus compelled to admit that Allah is رَحْمٰنْ [Rahman—Gracious], and there are hundreds of thousands of such blessings of His that accompany us at all times and in all places, purely as a result of His Rahmaniyyat [Graciousness], and those bounties are not the result of any of our previous deeds. Those who believe them to be the result of some previous deed of theirs do so only because of their shortsightedness and ignorance. The blessings of God and His Rahmaniyyat are for the purpose of our physical and spiritual nurturing and no one can claim that these are on account of his deeds.
Rewards sincere human effort and labour. A farmer puts forth genuine effort and labour. In its response, it is the practice of Allah that He does not allow his effort and labour to go to waste, and renders it fruitful. The rare exceptions do not count.3
One of the attributes of Allah is that He is Rabb [Lord], meaning the One who nurtures and educates. It is indeed Allah the Exalted who has bestowed upon man all faculties, be they physical or spiritual. Had He not bestowed these faculties in the first place, how could man have made any progress? For physical progress as well, one should sing hymns of the grace, benevolence, and bounty of Allah the Exalted, that He bestowed those faculties and then imbued them with the innate ability to excel.
مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ4, God is the Master of the Day of Judgement. In one sense, punishment and reward is occurring in this world as well. We observe on a daily basis that a thief may not be apprehended on the first day or the second, but would eventually get caught someday and go to jail, and suffer the consequences of his actions.
This is also true for the adulterer, the drunkard, and others who live an unrestrained life of sin and evil. Up to a certain time, Allah’s attribute of Sattar [Concealer (of weaknesses)] hides their deeds, but eventually they are afflicted with a variety of calamities and their lives become bitter due to such suffering. This is a glimpse of the punishment of Hell in the Hereafter. In the same way, those who do good with zeal and for whom following the commands of Allah the Exalted and His obedience is the supreme purpose of their lives—God Almighty does not waste their piety either. And in due time, their piety also bears fruit and thus bestows upon them something of the likeness of Paradise in this very world.
In short, all those who commit evil deeds—the transgressors, the wicked, the alcoholic, and the adulterer—don’t think of God and the Day of Judgement but they lose their health, vigour, peace, and sublime faculties in this very world, and must complete the remaining days of their life in great despair and hopelessness. They suffer debilitating illnesses like tuberculosis, stroke, tremors, etc. and succumb to death even before dying, and eventually pass on before their time.
Therefore, keeping in mind the blessings and bounties conferred by Allah the Exalted for human development and perfection, man should render thanks to Him. He should ponder as to who has bestowed all these faculties upon him. It is man’s choice to be grateful or not, but if he possesses a rightly-inclined nature and ponders over it, he will find that all the faculties—overt and covert—have been granted to him by Allah the Exalted alone, and they are fully under His control. He can amplify them out of gratitude or diminish them in an instant out of ingratitude.
It is worth considering that if all these faculties were within man’s own control and command, who would want to die? The heart of man grows cold and neglectful about the Hereafter due to the warmth of the love of this world. Heedless man is so ignorant that even if he received a written decree from God that he would be granted Paradise and every comfort, and all manner of gardens and streams, and that he was being given the permission to either come to Him should he so please or to continue to remain in this world, rest assured that there would be plenty who would opt to continue dwelling in this world, and would love this world despite all its hardships and difficulties.
You see, there is no guarantee how long one will live. These times are extremely perilous. You must have noticed that many friends and foes, relatives, brothers, and sisters pass away from this world every year. Even the nearest and dearest of relatives cannot help one in trying times, yet the toil and trouble that one exerts for them and for one’s own worldly affairs far exceeds his effort in the way of God.
Worship and obedience of God and striving in His path, and pain and passion for Him are mostly lacking. Moderation has not been observed. The world has exceeded the limits of moderation. They strive to make progress in their worldly pursuits and are making advances. Has anyone ever considered that a day has been fixed for his death and he himself or someone else should exert such effort that might result in averting it or saving him from it? Not at all! On the contrary, even if there was someone to remind them of death, they would not heed him and drive it away from their minds with jeering and jesting. Most people are in very grave error.
Look, do not think that by these statements I mean that you should give up your commerce and abandon the chores of this world or stop caring for your families and children, or disregard the obligations that you have towards your spouses or children or your fellow human beings. No. What I mean to say is that you should fulfil these as well, and don’t be neglectful of God either. When you can develop such devotion and dedication to your transient and passing worldly needs, how is it prudent to disregard God Almighty, and not to strive to win His approval and pleasure?
The God who created in the beginning, has command and control over intervening circumstances, and He and His sovereignty will have to be faced in the end; withdrawing from such God and becoming oblivious of Him will not bring a peaceful end at all. It is extremely important that one should always remain grateful for all His favours which are countless and beyond comprehension. Gratitude means honest and genuine recognition that, indeed, the favours of Allah the Exalted are countless and beyond comprehension.
The second thing that I wish to say, and that I will say—even though some might consider it superficial or pretentious or something else—is that the favour this British government has granted to us Muslims is an immensely great favour and is such that it merits our gratitude. You can ponder and see for yourself. Those who know, are well aware of what types and assortments of hardships we faced before this administration during the period under Sikh rule and how our predecessors were surrounded by perilous conditions. The promotion of religious ordinances[for Muslims] was a far cry—even the Azan [Islamic call for Prayers] could not be called out in a loud voice. Calling the Azan in a loud voice was a crime punishable with death. Even those things which were permitted by the Shariah could not be used. On trivial pretexts, people were put to death disgracefully like insects and worms.
Notwithstanding, we now have such wonderful peace and liberty under the current government that a Muslim can do everything in fulfilment of his religion with complete freedom provided he does not, himself, have any ill intent. You may call Azan as loud as you want, offer your Prayers, carry out other religious deeds, seek education, write a rebuttal to anyone, even of Christians—there is no censure [by the government].
Just a few days ago, the Honourable Financial Commissioner Bahadur came to Qadian during his tour. During the meeting he reiterated that there was freedom for everyone to express their views openly, to write books, and to make speeches as long as they do not go beyond the limits of the law. Had there been any bias, they would have constrained at least those who refute Christianity.
In short, this is a good example and proof of the fairness and impartiality of this government. However, it is obligatory upon man that he should not push the matter to the extent that it becomes a crime and liable for legal prosecution. Therefore, it should be remembered that if someone, while being a Muslim, commits disobedience [to this government], he commits disobedience to God. It is mentioned in the traditions5 of the Holy Prophet (sas) that a person who does not show gratitude towards his fellow beings cannot be counted as being grateful to God.
Keep in mind that the displeasure of the government is incurred by rebellion. The government does not persecute anyone for rightfully conducting their religious affairs and living a peaceful life. It is even sinful not to thank such a government that follows the principles in pursuit of harmony, promotion of peace, and adherence to justice. Thus, it is incumbent upon Muslims in general and my followers in particular to render thanks to their kind government as well.
You can imagine what would happen if this government was not here—how people would be slaughtered like animals without any regard! Why blame this government if it took over? It happened to be the will of God. Muslim rulers had become derelict in their duties. They fell into a life of luxury and opulence and ignored their obligations of governance and protecting the rights of their subjects. They became preoccupied with ornamentation and beautification like women and neglected matters of civic governance. God, finding them incompetent, handed over the reign of governance to these people who are competent.
If they are strict with some, it is for some cause. Sometimes lack of understanding is an issue. They can be excused in matters where they do not have [proper] information as even pious and righteous persons can make a mistake out of ignorance. They do not at all permit injustice wilfully. Many a time, conscientious officials work hard with diligence and true spirit of justice to get to the bottom of the legal cases and to unmask the real truth, sometimes even discounting apparently obvious facts if they seem suspect.
Take the example of the case brought against me of attempted murder that was brought by a well-respected priest, alleging that I had sent a man named Abdul Hameed to kill him. Eight or nine witnesses had already made depositions in the case. Not only that, Maulawi Abu Saeed Muhammad Husain, who is renowned as a leader of Muslims, had also testified to the same. The name of the fair-minded official, in whose court my case was being heard, was Douglas. He observed, despite all the above circumstances, that he could not commit the atrocity of sending an innocent man to the gallows in this manner. And although the case had become eligible to be referred to the sessions court [for criminal justice], he ordered the Police Chief to conduct a fresh and thorough investigation.
Eventually, Abdul Hameed admitted that, indeed, he had been coached by the priests to say that, and that there was no truth in it. At this discovery, he was so jubilant and I sensed from his smile, that he was happier than a person who had just received a lot of wealth and riches. In the end, he congratulated me and said that I was acquitted.
Now, tell me if such a case had been heard in the court of a Muslim judge, could he have done the same? Would he have pursued truth and justice in this fashion? Of course not! On the contrary, I expect that, under the prevailing circumstances, if this case had been heard in the court of a Muslim, he would have most certainly made me suffer. Eight or nine witnesses had already submitted depositions and the file was complete. There was no way for him to absolve me. Nevertheless, this nation has been victorious everywhere because of this very pursuit of justice. Just practices are rewarded with strength of conscience. The more one adopts justice, the greater the inner illumination that he is granted. Opposition in matters of religion and faith is something different and governance is something else. If they don’t keep justice foremost, their rule will be overturned one day.
Muslims wonder why they are not given high level posts. It is their own fault. Remember, nothing can take place on this earth unless it is first ordained in the heavens. You need to adopt righteous conduct and mend your ways; become worthy so that in the eyes of God in the heavens, you become deserving of receiving respect and honour. Then, God Himself will grant you everything. Reform yourselves so that God may pave some other path for you. Otherwise, beware! God will not relent until you reform yourselves.
The third reason to be grateful to God is that it is a special grace of God that He directed your attention to this matter and you have inconvenienced yourself to come here. May the day come when we can come together spiritually even as we have met this day physically and are sitting together here with our physical bodies. God Almighty has given man a tongue and a heart. No victory can be achieved merely with the tongue. It is the heart alone that can win hearts.
Remember that the nation that only renders lip service, can never ever achieve success. Look at the example of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, of the Holy Prophet (sas). Did they possess any material resources? Absolutely not! And yet, despite their lack of means and resources, God gave them unparalleled victories even in the face of an enemy which was larger in numbers and richer in resources. Is there any precedent of such victory to be found anywhere in history? You may do the search, but it will be futile.
Thus, the person who wishes to please God and desires that his world be set aright, that he become pure hearted and pious, that all his difficulties be solved and all his griefs be removed, that he be granted every kind of success and victory—then, for all this to happen, Allah the Exalted has described a rule and that is:
قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَکّٰىہَا6
Meaning that the person who purifies his self is the one who prospers and achieves success. The secret of all blessings, bounties, and successes is hidden in the purification of the self.
Success will not merely be in spiritual matters alone, but rather it will be in both material and spiritual realms. The man who saves himself from spiritual impurity can never be disgraced in this world.
I cannot accept that developing proficiency in philosophy, astronomy, and science can bring about purification of the soul. Not at all! I can concede that the mental faculties of such a person become sharp and refined. Otherwise, these disciplines have no connection with spirituality. On the contrary, sometimes these sciences can become an obstacle in the path of developing spiritual excellence. In most cases, I have seen that its ultimate outcome is arrogance and conceit, except for some fortunate one who possesses a righteous nature. They hardly ever have piety and humility in them.7
Another issue that should be kept in mind is that it is a rule inherent within the law of nature that all things are born out of need. We observe this every day in worldly affairs. Clothing, food, transportation, and all other instruments of trade and commerce have all come into being out of necessity. Similarly, in spiritual matters, many things are born out of necessity. And whenever there is a need, it is fulfilled by God. This need is a guide in all matters—material or spiritual—and through it, one can differentiate between truth and falsehood. Just as there is nothing without it being needed or it being of some benefit, similarly—nay, even more so—to think at a time of spiritual need that God has not provided for it, is an egregious error.
The present age in which we are living is so filled with mischief—internal and external—that whatever aspect one looks at, nothing pleasing can be seen. Externally, Islam has been attacked so much and has suffered so many setbacks that a large section of Muslims, having been influenced by them, have themselves given up on their faith altogether. In addition to them, a large number of sceptics have surfaced who are not satisfied with Islam and are extremely weak. The rest, who have strong conviction and believe in Islam on the basis of thorough understanding, are very few indeed. Many types of attacks are taking place. The weapons of scriptural objections are being fired upon Islam. The Aryas and the Christian priests are raining down objections, albeit they realize that they are ignoble and possess nothing themselves. It is always easy to criticize but difficult to offer a compliment.
Modern sciences are also a sort of assault on Islam. Today’s education, philosophy, physics, and astronomy also engage man in error. It is my experience that most individuals, whether they have acquired full and proper knowledge of these sciences or possess it to a limited degree, they generally adopt an unrestrained mode of living. And then they gradually lose even the respect for Islam and the Holy Prophet (sas) and there comes a time when they deny even God Himself.
A sort of stench emanates from their conversation and one perceives that they are about to be lost whether it be today or perhaps tomorrow. In reality, the assault mounted by this group is worse than the assaults of the Aryas and the Christian priests. And although the criticism of the latter are usually in the form of scriptural objections which bear the possibility of being based on fact or fiction, since these people present their personal experience and daily observation, it has a far greater and negative impact.
In short, the truth is verily that internal assaults are far more advanced than external assaults and they have a dangerous and poisonous effect. It is true that, as they say, ‘What comes from within us has a greater impact upon us.’
In reality, the fault lies with the Muslims themselves who sent their naïve children to these schools and colleges without educating them about the essential teachings of the Quran and Islam. I acknowledge that seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every man and woman as is evident from the hadith: طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِیْضَۃٌ عَلٰی کُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ وَّمُسْلِمَۃٍ۔8 [‘It is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to seek knowledge’], but first and foremost, is the acquisition of religious knowledge.
Once children have become fully acquainted with religious knowledge and become fully aware of the essence and light of Islam, then there is no harm in teaching them the contemporary sciences. The present attitude of these Muslims is very dangerous indeed.
Look, if a woman is first made a prostitute and then asked to repent—what kind of a repentance would that be? Once drinking, prostitution, and living an unscrupulous life have become her second nature, it would be difficult for her to repent in the first place, and even if she does repent, what sort of a repentance would it be? Everyone can imagine. This very situation is the case of those boys who are made to develop doubts about the very existence of God by first instructing them in the poisonous knowledge of philosophy and science and then it is expected that they would come to be fond of Islam as well.9
It is my faith that the Quran is such a perfect book that no modern philosophy or science—even after advancing a thousand times from its present state—can ever prevail against it. But how can I hold such an opinion about a person concerning whom I know that he has no inclination towards the knowledge contained in the Holy Quran and has never ever paid any attention to it to the extent that he has never studied even one line of the Holy Quran with thought and deliberation?
For example, there is the philosophy of spiritual guidance outlined in the Quran that man will receive the outcome of his deeds in the form of Paradise after his death which will have streams flowing underneath it. On the surface it is just a tale, but it is not a tale though it looks like a tale. The truth of it is indeed that the people of that age were like ignorant children due to their lack of knowledge of spiritual sciences.
It was necessary, therefore, to explain such subtle and spiritual concepts to them through metaphors appropriate for them, and to help them comprehend the real truth by using similitudes. This is why the Holy Quran adopted this method to make them understand the reality of Paradise but it was stated also that:
مَثَلُ الْجَنَّۃِ الَّتِیْ وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُوْنَ10
This is an example and not to be taken literally. It is apparent from these words of the Holy Quran that Paradise is actually something altogether different. It has also been clearly mentioned in the traditions of the Holy Prophet (sas) that the comforts of Paradise should not be compared with the palpable material, worldly experiences because it is something that no eye has ever seen nor any ear has ever heard, etc.11 Yet the examples given to illustrate the comforts of Paradise are things that we do see and hear. At one place in the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted says about Paradise that :
وَ بَشِّرِ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَہُمْ جَنّٰتٍ تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِہَا الْاَنْہٰرُ 12
In this verse, faith and good deeds are likened to Paradise and streams; meaning that, Paradise results from faith, and the streams therein result from righteous deeds. Thus, just as a garden would perish quickly without streams and water and would not last long, similarly faith without righteous deeds is not of much benefit. Then, at another place, faith has been likened to trees and it is said that the faith to which Muslims are called is akin to trees, and righteous deeds irrigate these trees.
In short, the more one ponders, the more insight he accumulates. Just as it is required of a farmer to sow the seed, so is faith similarly necessary and obligatory for the one who wishes to harvest spiritual advances, as this amounts to sowing the seeds of spirituality. And then again, just as the farmer irrigates his field or garden, similarly the spiritual garden of faith needs good deeds for its irrigation.
Remember it well that faith without righteous deeds is as useless as a magnificent garden would be without a stream or other source of irrigation. Trees may be of a superb quality, capable of bearing high quality fruit, but if the owner grows careless in watering them, the result of this is something that is known to everyone. The same is the case of the tree of faith in spiritual life.
Faith is like a tree for which the righteous deeds of man work like streams in the spiritual sense for its irrigation. Furthermore, just as a farmer is compelled to toil and trouble on top of seeding and watering, similarly God Almighty has required and necessitated spiritual striving for obtaining the comely fruits of spiritual blessings and bounties. Accordingly, He says: وَ الَّذِیْنَ جَاہَدُوْا فِیْنَا لَنَہْدِیَنَّہُمْ سُبُلَنَا [‘And as for those who strive in Our path—We will surely guide them in Our ways’ (Surah al-‘Ankabut, 29:70)].13
The human soul is like a vine and it has three stages. Nafs-e-ammarah [the self that incites to evil]—Ammarah conveys a sense of exaggeration; ammarah means what takes one towards evil, one that drives towards the commission of much evil.14
The second type of nafs [self] is nafs-e-lawwamah [the self-reproaching self]. Lawwamah is said of one who rebukes. Man commits a misdeed at some time but simultaneously his conscience reproaches him for having committed this evil and he becomes remorseful. This tendency is ingrained within human nature. Nevertheless, there are also some dispositions of the type that become so mired, on account of their foul condition and evil deeds, that their disposition or nature cannot, in fact, be considered as rightly inclined anymore. They fail to even feel this reproach. However, one who has a pure nature, is sensitive to this feeling and sometimes the same self-rebuke makes him rectify his course and leads him to salvation, albeit this state is not one that can be relied upon.
There is a third condition of the self, which has been termed as mutma’innah [(the soul) at peace]. It is attained by man when he has overcome the challenges of nafs-e-ammarah and then of nafs-e-lawwamah and has achieved victory in this battle. Nafs-e-ammarah is the enemy of man, and is the enemy hidden in his own home. Lawwamah also intends to mount an attack off and on, but it desists. As opposed to these two conditions, when man progresses to the stage of nafs-e-mutma’innah [the soul at peace] it is as if his enemy has come under his sway and he has achieved a clear victory over it and a truce has been agreed to.
The ultimate limit of human progress and the zenith of life for a man is to attain the state of mutma’innah [at peace]. This is the state where his pleasure becomes the pleasure of God and his displeasure becomes God’s displeasure; his will is the will of God and he speaks when God calls him to speak and he walks when God makes him walk. All his deeds and all his activity and inactivity are executed not by him, but are carried out by God. A kind of death descends upon the earlier condition of the person and a mantle of new life is bestowed upon him afresh. Thereafter, such a man becomes a man of distinction.
In short, God Almighty has created two systems side by side in the law of nature—one physical and the other spiritual. Whatever is made available physically, that very same is happening spiritually as well. Thus, the individual who works hard and strives in his endeavours, keeping both these systems in mind, will make quick progress. His knowledge will be vast. In each situation, every physical action will reflect its spiritual counterpart: اَلدُّنْیَا مَزْرَعَۃُ الْأٰخِرَۃِ [This world is preparation for the Hereafter].
We observe in the physical system that a physical farmer is still in need of water from the heavens despite all the regular hard work and labour. And if the heavenly water does not descend upon his crop, along with all his labour and efforts, his crop will be ruined and labour wasted. Accordingly, this very same scenario prevails in the spiritual realm. Mere dry faith cannot be of any benefit to man until spiritual rain descends and cleanses him by washing his inner impurities with mighty Signs. Accordingly, the Holy Quran points to this very reality when it says:
وَالسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجۡعِ ﴿ۙ۱۲﴾ وَالۡاَرۡضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدۡعِ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾ 15
meaning, ‘By the heaven that pours down rain, and by the earth that brings forth herbage.’
Some people object, out of their ignorance, as to why God had to make use of oaths. However, in the end such people merely embarrass themselves on account of their hastiness. Essentially, an oath counts as a substitute for testimony. Even in secular administration, we observe that some litigations are decided primarily on [proclamations under] oath. Hence, in the same way, God Almighty swears by the heavenly rain and presents this physical phenomenon of nature as a witness that just as the greenery of the earth and flourishing of the fields depend upon heavenly rain; and in the absence of heavenly rain, no greenery can endure upon the earth; and the earth becomes dead, even the water of the wells dries up; and the world is turned upside down resulting in devastation; people die from hunger and thirst; men and animals, birds, and beasts feel its impact—similarly, there is a spiritual world exactly comparable to it as well.
Remember that mere dry faith can never ever bring about salvation or real comfort without the heavenly rain which descends in the form of converse and communion with God. Those who believe they can attain salvation without spiritual rain and without an Appointee of God, and that they are not in need of the Reformer and Appointee of God, and they already have everything they need—they should also make water for themselves16 in their own homes. Why do they need rain to descend from the clouds? It is right in front of their eyes as to how the material system is being sustained. Thus, you can understand from this that there are exactly comparable needs and requirements for spiritual life.
This boast of man that he has learnt everything and has acquired all knowledge is a totally false assertion. What does human knowledge amount to? It is like a needle after being dipped in an ocean [i.e. the tiny droplet of water that clings to the needle in comparison with the ocean]. This is the state of human knowledge—how little he has been given of wisdom and knowledge!
ترسم نہ رسی بہ کعبہ اے اعرابی
کین راہ کہ تو می روی بترکستان است17
O Bedouin! I wonder how you can reach the Ka‘bah,
When the road you have taken leads to Tuxrkistan .
It is, therefore, astounding that some people make lofty claims after acquiring just routine traditional learning, while the path of faith is so very subtle and fine and its truths and spiritual philosophy are not things that everyone can claim expertise in.18 This religion has indeed come from heaven and the means to keep it fresh and green forever and always shall also continue to descend from heaven itself. I regret to say that if the people educated in mundane sciences and traditional fields are asked, most of them will turn out to be knowledgeable only in those areas but here I also wish to say to these gentlemen who are learned in mundane and worldly knowledge:
اے کہ خواندی حکمت یونانیان
حکمت ایمانیان را ہم بخوان
O thou who art studied in Greek philosophy!
Study also the wisdom of people of faith.
I have observed that there are also many in this day and age who consider religion to be fanaticism and they do not hold any respect for it in their hearts. They claim that the dwellers of Arabia were savages and illiterate—that the Quran was sent down at that time apropos for their needs. Now the world has advanced and this is the age of enlightenment. Now religion needs to be amended to suit the present times. But let it be known that religion is not some absurdity. Quite the contrary, real comfort of the world and salvation in the Hereafter are bound up with this religion alone.
Those unlettered people of Arabia who were the sincere servants of this religion—their being unlettered was itself a miracle in that these same unlettered people, after coming under the sway of Quranic teachings, worked such wonders that claimants of great scholarship were utterly unable to compete against them.
God knew full well what new fields of knowledge would emerge in this age, and people with what kinds of opinions would come into being among the Muslims. Allah the Exalted has already addressed all these issues in the Quran and there is no new research or advance in knowledge that can outstrip the Holy Quran. And there is no new truth that has emerged now but is already present in the Holy Quran.
The course that the Holy Quran has presented is not found in the New Testament nor can it be discovered in the Torah. There is also no other book in the world that can lay claim to the same perfection and comprehensiveness that Allah the Exalted has, out of His perfect wisdom, endowed upon the Holy Quran. There is no comparison with the Holy Quran; they are not even worth mentioning. The New Testament transformed a frail and feeble man into God, but the true measure of his strength can simply be assessed in his confrontation with the Jews.
The second element and the source of pride was the moral teaching of the New Testament, but it is so absurd and deficient that no right-minded person can adhere to them. Even the conduct of Christian priests is totally opposed to this teaching. For instance, the New Testament teaches that if anyone slaps you once, you should turn to him the other cheek; and that if anyone asks for your shirt, you should hand over your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Now, to begin with, I’d like to ask those very gentlemen—the Christian priests who support and laud the New Testament—to what extent they follow this teaching. What exemplary conduct of this teaching have they shown that they should invite others to it as well?
Moreover, it is written in this same New Testament that you should not resist evil. In short, the teaching of the New Testament is so wholly given to the extreme [of forbearance] that one cannot possibly act upon it save for some unusually extraordinary circumstances. On the other hand, if we look at the teachings of the Torah we see that they are tilted to the other extreme—that only one aspect is stressed: life for life, eye for eye, ear for ear, and tooth for tooth. There is absolutely no mention of forgiveness and pardon in it.
The fact of the matter is that these scriptures were actually particular to a specific time and a specific people. On the contrary, what a holy path the Holy Quran has told us about which is free from either extreme and is in perfect accord with human nature! For example, the Holy Quran says :
جَزٰٓؤُا سَیِّئَۃٍ سَیِّئَۃٌ مِّثْلُہَاۚ فَمَنْ عَفَا وَ اَصْلَحَ فَاَجْرُہٗ عَلَى اللّٰہِ19
meaning that, recompense for an evil is permissible to the extent of the evil committed, but if one pardons, and reformation is the objective of the pardon and the forgiveness is not out of place or occasion, then there is reward for him who thus forgives, which he will receive from God.
Just look, what a pure and pristine teaching this is! There is no exaggeration and there is no deficiency. Retribution is permitted but it also holds out the enticement for forgiveness so long as the prerequisite of reformation is present. This is the third option presented to the world by the Holy Quran. Now, it behoves a fair-minded person to compare and contrast these teachings and decide for himself which teaching is in conformity with human nature and which one is repulsed by the righteous mind and conscience.
In Judaism, a father would charge his son or grandson to take his revenge. Thus, at times the son or the grandson would take the revenge for his father or grandfather. In short, the regulations of the Torah were extremely violent.
And as for the New Testament, those who boast about its moral teaching do not realize that, in the first place, that teaching is so defective and, because of it being specific to a time and a people, there exists no need for it today; nor does it deserve to be called a moral teaching in this day and age. And even if it is accepted as such, there is no one who can be seen practicing this teaching. Those who are enamoured by this teaching should at least present a practical example. In reality, as the expression goes, ‘We are dealing with elephant teeth here; one set for display and another to eat with.’ Divine philosophy is totally different from it. Man is like a tree with many branches. The teaching of the New Testament is [applicable to] only one branch. Are the other human faculties useless?
Bear in mind that all faculties of a human being have been granted to him by that very same Being who is the Creator of nature. Among these faculties, one faculty is indeed that of anger and another is that of revenge. These faculties are not useless nor without purpose. It is their misuse and their application at the wrong time and the wrong occasion that is bad. At one place in the New Testament there is even the injunction to become celibate. If true Christians had followed this injunction, the world would certainly have come to an end. The strange thing is that this is not just an injunction, but there is promise of very great reward for acting upon it. Then, why is it that no Christian takes part in this pious deed?
Can anyone show that the Holy Quran has given any such command that is beyond the power of man to carry out, or has given some such order by acting upon which there would necessarily result some harm or that could possibly cause disorder in the workings of the world? Can a scripture that includes injunctions that are beyond human capacity [to implement] or whose implementation would entail some harm and would result in disruption of the functioning of the world, be attributed to the God who is the Creator of human nature, Controller of the system of the universe, and is the Knower of the very capability of human faculties; and can such a book deserve to be called a complete and comprehensive shariah?
My intent from this statement is not to criticize, but it is to point out that both these books were meant only for one family [of Israelites]. Neither Jesus (as) nor Moses (as) ever claimed that they had come as Messengers for the whole world. On the contrary, they confined their teaching to the Sheep of Israel. Their own declaration to this effect is on record.20 Therefore, the scripture they received, corresponding to the need, had the Law specific to the time and to the nation.
It is obvious that if something that came for a specific need and for a specific time and place, is forcibly and unnecessarily stretched to encompass the entire world—the inevitable result would be its failing to fulfil that purpose. How would it be capable of carrying the load it was never designed to carry?
This is verily the reason why we find defects in these teachings under the present circumstances, but the Holy Quran is not restricted to any particular age, people, or place. On the contrary, the claim of the one who brought this Perfect and Complete Book is: اِنِّیْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰہِ اِلَیْکُمْ جَمِیْعًا21.
And in a different verse it is also said لِاُنْذِرَکُمْ بِہٖ وَ مَنْۢ بَلَغَ22 meaning that, it will be incumbent upon anyone who receives the Quranic teachings to accept the yolk of obedience of this teaching on his neck regardless of who he is and wherever he may be.
It is only the Holy Quran that reflects human nature comprehensively and in its entirety. Even if the Quran had not been revealed, man would have been judged by the standard of this teaching because this is the teaching that is ingrained in the nature [of human beings] and is manifest on every page of the laws of nature. Those whose teachings are deficient and limited to a particular people and cannot even go a single step beyond, the door of their prophethood is also specific to their own house alone.
However, the Holy Quran states:
اِنْ مِّنْ اُمَّۃٍ اِلَّا خَلَا فِیْہَا نَذِیْرٌ23
Behold! What a pious and persuasive statement this is and what a profoundly true principle this is! Nevertheless, these people here think that the dominion of God is restricted exclusively to their own house.
The same is the case of the Aryas. They, too, believe this very notion that it is only the Vedas that are revealed every time, and there are only four men exclusively selected for this task, and the Sanskrit language has been chosen by God forever—it is absolutely impossible that this Divine bounty of inspiration and revelation can be received by any other person or any other language. According to their belief, Divine revelation has been left in the past and now a seal has been placed on it forever. But these people do not realize that this would create difficulties in proving even the very existence of God. How can man be satisfied just with hearing about it from others and how can perfect conviction and true cognizance [of God] be achieved by hearing things narrated by others? As is said: شنیدہ کے بود مانند دیدہ [‘Hearsay is nothing like seeing the real thing’].
How can man’s thirst for knowing God—that is so inseparable to man—be quenched unless God Himself says أَنَا الْمَوْجُوْدُ [‘I am present’] or He reveals His countenance through His wonderful Word and mighty Signs from the unseen? To say that God used to show Signs and miracles before and used to send Messengers in earlier times but He no longer does so, is to show great disrespect and contempt24 of God. Why is it that although now He hears and sees, yet He does not speak any more? Besides, what proof do you have that His abilities of hearing and seeing are not extinct just as His power to speak is?
Man cannot dissociate himself from his nature. Could a lamb be employed to carry out the job of a wolf? Of course not! The same is the case of the nature of man that it cannot deviate from its constitution. How can it be convinced merely by tales! Someone might express satisfaction on the surface, but his heart would curse, reject, and refuse to accept.
You must realize that if revelation ever existed in earlier times, then it is inevitable that revelation must occur in this age as well. When Islam was united as one community and had but a few members, it held the need for a Prophet and a Messenger, and had the need for revelations to occur. Now, when the one has split in to seventy-three sects and there is no limit or constraint left on the divisions—a seal is forcibly placed on the Word of God and the mouth of God is forced shut! No righteous heart and sane mind can accept this logic.
Necessity is the mother of everything that comes into being. For instance, there is the case of train accidents. When the incidents of accidents started increasing, corrective measures came into being. All the technology we observe has indeed been brought about by need. So, now, when the condition of man has reached rock bottom—be it in its external state or internal—atheism dominates every faction and a living faith cannot be found in anyone. Yet the rule is that it is indeed a living faith that inspires one to act [righteously]. So when there is no faith left, which is the real motivator of righteous deeds, how can good deeds be expected?
Thus, with the disappearance of faith from the world, all traces of righteous deeds have also disappeared. So how, then, is it that God abandoned His age-old practice and did not send some Prophet or Messenger or recipient of Divine revelation at the time of such perilous predicaments and dire needs?
The declaration of Tauhid [the Oneness of God] is لَآ إِلٰہَ إِلَّااللّٰہُ. It means that there is no one worthy of worship and true obedience besides Allah. If God was in need of someone else in spreading Tauhid, or if He had made someone else His partner in this task, even that would have necessitated shirk [associating partners with God]. The wisdom of adding the sentence مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰہِ [‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’] to the creed لَآ إِلٰہَ إِلَّااللّٰہُ [‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allah’], is indeed to complete the lesson of Tauhid and so that the world should know that whatever comes, in reality, comes from God alone. The Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is tasked to convey the guidance to all creation after having received it from God, and that whatever comes from there (God) comes only through this channel.
Shirk does not just mean the worship of carved stones. One form of shirk that has been set forth is when a man puts his entire trust in means and methods while abandoning God. This is called shirk fil-asbab. The Brahmus etc. have failed to understand this secret of Tauhid that has been conveyed through the statement, ‘You recognize God through the one who comes from God.’ The one who comes from God is as if God has come Himself.
When we look at worldly governments, one who comes from them is their representative. Similarly, a Prophet, after surrendering himself completely to God, is no longer the same person—rather, it is God Himself [in his guise]. Therefore, the sentence مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰہِ [‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’] was essential for the perfection of Tauhid. God likes Tauhid and it is indeed a cause for gratitude that this distinction is found only in Islam that we present in this age. It is not present in any other religion.
The Christians can reach only so far as the sacrifice of Jesus for Atonement—that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are three, but don’t say that they are three, say they are one. This is a strange enigma that is beyond comprehension. The Jews are also very hard-hearted and are mired in many kinds of shirk, and they are not even concerned about it. It is the belief of the Aryas of this age, who are so boastful and proud of their doctrines that oppose Islam, that the soul with all its attributes and matter with all its attributes exist on their own account and they maintain that nothing can come into existence from non-existence.
In other words, they have made every particle a partner of God. They do admit that physical faculties of man are from God but contend that the faculties that a soul has are its own and not from God. They believe that souls and particles, with all their qualities, are self-existent. The task of God was only to put them together; however, I ask, ‘Why shouldn’t we believe that their ability to unite with each other [soul with matter] is also their own?’
So, they deny any fresh miracles and there is no mention of miracles in the Vedas—then what sign is there for the existence of God? And what indeed is the sign of His life? When the two components have been in existence on their own, then why should we not accept that the third component (the quality of them uniting with each other) is also intrinsic? When one vital transaction occurred on its own, why should we concede that someone is needed for the easier task?
It is thus a special favour of God, unique only to Islam, that no teaching of Islam is against the rightly inclined mind or nature of man. لَآ إِلٰہَ إِلَّااللّٰہُ [‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allah’] is a statement. Its practical proof is the conduct:
بَلٰی ٭ مَنۡ اَسۡلَمَ وَجۡہَہٗ لِلّٰہِ وَہُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ25
Mere verbal claim (the claim of faith) is of no use nor can it be of any benefit. Dry faith is like a rooster without feathers and wings. It is simply a lump of flesh which can neither move about nor maintain the ability to fly. On the contrary, Islam means that one lays his head down in the path of God without any concern for personal loss in this path, despite witnessing frightening spectacles and being fully aware that even by standing there he would be risking his life.
At the time of war, a soldier knows that he journeys into the jaws of death. Death seems more certain to him than coming out alive. Yet, in loyalty and obedience to his commander, he marches forward regardless of the risk. This is known as Islam.
Hence, in the one sentence (لَآ إِلٰہَ إِلَّااللّٰہُ) Allah has taught Tauhid [the Oneness of God] and in the other (مَنْ اَسْلَمَ وَجْہَہٗ لِلّٰہِ ) He has taught that one needs to provide proof of his true and living belief in this Tauhid by his conduct that he should lay down his life in the path of God. One should pay attention to this issue. It is an issue that is of benefit to the Muslims.
One should not be content with just being a Muslim in name or that we abide with the apparent offering of formal Salat [obligatory Prayers] and keeping of the Fasts. To remain steadfast and to keep pushing forward in the face of dangerous challenges and to succeed in the trials set by God is proof of the truth and sincerity of one’s faith. It is necessary that a believer should face difficulties and suffer calamities so that it may become clear who is a true believer and who is only making a verbal claim of faith. Allah the Exalted says:
اَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ اَنْ یُّتْرَکُوْۤا اَنْ یَّقُوْلُوْۤا اٰمَنَّا وَ ہُمْ لَا یُفْتَنُوْنَ 26
The founding Muslims had proven through their actions that they had, in reality, dedicated their lives to the service of the Religion of Allah. No religion can advance until the commandments of God are given preference over all worldly concerns. Routine deeds like Salat, Fasting, Zakat [almsgiving], etc. ultimately become a habit after continued practice.
This subject has been illustrated very well in a verse of Mathnavi by Rumi [the poet]. He says in it that, ‘I keep attempting to fill the store with grain but it does not fill up. It appears empty whenever I look. There must be a rat in the store that keeps eating the grain and is busy trying to empty it. I fill it and he empties it. When I finally opened the door and checked, there was, indeed, a rat who used to eat the grain.’ Therefore, one should not be satisfied just with his deeds.
Some weaknesses render some good deeds vain. Pretentiousness is a dangerous worm that renders good deeds vain. For instance, some donations are being collected in a gathering. One person stands up and pledges 500 rupees. If he does this merely to show off and to hear the applause or to earn the fame, then he has already had his reward. There will be no reward for him with Allah.
At this point I recall a narration from Tadhkiratul-Auliya. It is written that once there was a holy man who encountered an urgent need for 10,000 rupees. When he made mention of his need someone brought a bag with 10,000 rupees in it and placed it in front of him. The holy man began to praise him and continued praising him for a whole hour. At that point the man left but came back from his home and said, ‘I made a grave mistake. In reality, that sum of money belonged to my mother. I did not have the authority to give it on my own behest. The money should be returned to me.’
Now, everyone started to curse him instead of praising him and said, ‘It is clearly obvious that he has made it up and is making an excuse, etc.’
However, thereafter, the same man came to the home of the holy man quietly during a very late hour of the night and presented the same sum of money to him and submitted, ‘Sir, I had given the money for the sake of Allah and not to hear the praises. Now I bind you in the name of God that you will not make mention of this money to anyone.’
Hearing this, the holy man began to weep on the thought that people would curse that man as long he would live; they would taunt and slight him; they would only rebuke him as they would remain unaware of the truth.
In short, any deed that has even a speck of pretentiousness is doomed. It is as if a dog has put its mouth into a dish of sumptuous food. This disease is also quite prevalent in these days and most deeds are adulterated with pretentiousness. Actions should be free of this adulteration. In reality, man is excusable to some extent as he is susceptible to this adulteration because he is not perfect until such time when he achieves nafs-e-mutma’innah [the soul at peace] and becomes immune to the rebuke of others. His deeds should become so sincere that people—who applaud or curse, praise or revile—become equal in his eyes and he starts to consider them equivalent as if both are corpses who are capable of neither harm nor help to him.
At this time, I am not discussing the merits of سِرًّا وَّعَلَانِیَۃً—hidden or open deeds. I am talking about the corruption caused by the ego. I do not say that all charity should be done in private and not in public. Every deed that is carried out with righteous intentions is rewarded. A pious person takes the lead in some work, and others join in the good deed by taking the cue from him. In this way not only does he get his reward but he gets a share from the reward of others as well. Thus, to carry out a good deed in this fashion with the intent that others would get inspired and persuaded to follow, has immense reward.
In the Shariah, there are many subtle and fine matters that help develop the faculty of altruism. Altruism is a death that one has to accept for his ego. If a person notices that his ego feels pleasure in doing charity in public or giving alms or participating in financial sacrifice, and it engenders pretentiousness, he should put an end to his pretentiousness. Instead of spending openly, he should spend in charity in secret so much so that even his left [hand] should not know [what he is giving with his right hand]. Thereupon, it is quite possible that God, who is Omnipotent, may forgive him due to his virtuous deed and pious change. It does not take a hundred years. It only requires sincerity.27
Look, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, used to serve halwa [a sweet dish] to an old and frail lady without fail. No one knew about it. One day, when the old lady did not receive her halwa, she became convinced that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, had passed away. Just imagine the consistency with which he was serving the woman who could not eat anything else, that only one day’s interruption made her come to believe for certain that he had passed away. In other words, that old lady could not imagine that she would not receive the halwa if he was still alive. It was just not possible.
So, this is sincerity and these are the deeds done solely for the sake of God with pure intentions. There is no sword quite like sincerity to win over hearts. Those people prevailed over the world through just such things. Nothing can be accomplished merely with talk. Now, there is no light shining from their forehead, no spirituality, nor any share of cognizance [of God]. God is not cruel. The fact of the matter is that there is no sincerity in their hearts.
Nothing can be achieved by deeds performed simply as ritual and routine. No one should conclude from this that I am deriding Salat.
The Salat that is mentioned in the Holy Quran and is the mi’raj [the ladder upon which man ascends to God]—someone should ask these people performing Salat whether they even understand the meaning of Surah al-Fatihah [the first chapter of the Holy Quran]. You will find people who have been strict in performing Salat for over fifty years, but most are still unaware of the meaning and essence of Salat, even though the knowledge of all the sciences of the world is worthless when compared to this knowledge. They strive hard to acquire the knowledge of worldly sciences but are so indifferent towards these matters that they perform it like some incantation of a magician.
I even go so far as to say that you should not stop from supplicating in your own language during Salat—in Urdu, Punjabi, English, or whatever language one speaks—he should supplicate using that language. But of course, it is essential to recite the words of God Almighty verbatim, and not to add anything to them. You should recite them as they are, but try to understand them. Similarly, recite the traditional supplications in their original language. After the Quran and traditional supplications, pray to God for whatsoever you desire and pray to Him in any language you wish. He knows all languages—He hears and He accepts.
If you wish to make your Salat delightful and pleasurable, it is essential that you should make some of your supplications in your own language. However, what is mostly observed is that people finish the Salat hurriedly and then they start supplicating after it. Salat [to them] is like unfair taxation. If you see any sincerity, you see it only after the Salat has been completed. They do not understand that Salat itself is prayer, which is made with great meekness, humility, sincerity, and anguish. Prayer alone is the key to success in the greatest of great tasks. It is prayer indeed which is the first step in opening the doors to the grace of God.
To perform Salat as a ritual and as a routine is of no benefit. Indeed, God has Himself cursed and rebuked such supplicants rather than accepting their Salat. God Himself says:
فَوَیْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّیْنَ28
This pertains to those supplicants who are unaware of the reality of Salat and its meanings. The Companions (ra) [of the Holy Prophet (sas)] had Arabic as their language and understood its [Salat’s] essence rather well, but for us it is necessary to know its meanings and thereby create delight in our Salat. But these people have misconstrued things as if another Prophet has come and has abolished Salat altogether.
Look, there lies no benefit in this for God. On the contrary, it is purely for man’s own good that he be given occasion for an audience with God, and be conferred the honour of pleading and petitioning through which he attain salvation from many a harsh affliction. I am astounded at how those people go through life whose day passes as does night, but they have no awareness that they, in fact, have a God. Know for certain that such a person is doomed to destruction whether it be today or tomorrow.29
I wish to give you an essential piece of advice. I hope it finds its way into the hearts of people.
Behold! Life is passing by. Abandon negligence and supplicate earnestly. Supplicate to God in seclusion, that God may preserve your faith and that He be pleased and content with you.
There are only two ways for man to make progress. The first is through observance of the dictates of the Shariah such as Salat, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj [the Pilgrimage], etc.—abiding by the constraints of the Shariah, which he carries out on his own, in accord with the directive of God. But because these matters are in man’s own control, he sometimes become lazy or lax in them, and sometimes he manages to create some measure of ease or leniency in them. So, the other way is that which is brought down upon man directly by God and it is this which is the cause of man’s true progress. In the hardships of the Shariah, man manages to find some way to avoid or make it easy and comfortable for himself.
Look, imagine if someone is handed a whip and asked to hit his own body with it—it is natural that the love for his own body would come over him. Who would want to put himself in pain?
That is why God has appointed a second course for human advancement. Thus, 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﴾ؕ30
I shall continue to try you—sometimes by sending some fear, sometimes by hunger, sometimes by inflicting loss of property, life, and harvest, but give glad tiding to those who suffer these hardships and calamities, destitution, and hunger, saying:
اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَ اِنَّاۤ اِلَیْہِ رٰجِعُوْنَ31
that there are great rewards, blessings, and the choicest gifts of God decreed for them.
Consider the case of a farmer—how he prepares the land by ploughing it with a great deal of toil and trouble. He then sows the seed and bears the hardship of watering it. Then, finally, when the harvest is ready after all these difficulties, hard work, and due care—sometimes it is struck with a hailstorm due to some profound wisdom of God Almighty or the harvest is destroyed due to drought.
This is just an example of those trials which are called the hardship of fate and destiny. Under such circumstances, what a true example and lesson of remaining content with Divine decree is provided in the pure teaching that has been given to Muslims! And this, too, is unique only to Muslims. How can the Aryas, have the ability to proclaim اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ [‘Surely all of us belong to God’] while they believe that the soul and body, with all their attendant faculties, have an independent existence and are present, like God, since eternity and shall remain so forever?
Thus, hardships are of two types only. One portion is comprised of the commandments—in which Salat, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj, etc. are included, but in these there is room, to some extent, for excuse and evasion. Unless one has total sincerity and complete faith, man does manage to find one way or the other to evade them to some extent or create some form of relief for himself.
Thus, in order to compensate for the deficiency left due to human weakness, Allah the Exalted has appointed the hardships of fate and destiny so that the grace of God may make up for this shortfall. The Aryas call the hardships of fate and destiny as recompense for a former life. If this is so, may we ask them: ‘What, then, is the benefit of all their worship and adoration? If heavenly adversities are the result of your earlier deeds, then why do you create another suffering for yourself by subjecting yourself to religious rigours?’
Thus, both these methods—at times by subjecting himself to the suffering by fulfilling the demands of the Shariah and at others by surrendering himself to the decisions of fate and destiny, are meant to help man achieve his perfection. It is by pointing to this that Allah the Exalted says:
بَلٰی ٭ مَنۡ اَسۡلَمَ وَجۡہَہٗ لِلّٰہِ 32
meaning, ‘What is Islam? It is indeed to surrender oneself in the way of Allah so as to win His pleasure.’
In the difficulty of trials, when death is staring one in the face, the rattle and glitter of drawn swords in a battlefield, the risk of losing one’s life—to still accept the will of Allah and care for nothing else—this is the summary of Islamic teachings.
The second part relates to the obligations towards the creation of God and fellow human beings. In this matter, the teaching of the Holy Quran is as follows:
اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَاۡمُرُ بِالۡعَدۡلِ وَالۡاِحۡسَانِ وَاِیۡتَآیِٔ ذِی الۡقُرۡبٰی33
First, God says do adl [justice]. Then, going even further, it is said that God Almighty has also enjoined upon you to do ihsan [benevolence]; meaning that, you should not just do good to one who has done good to you, rather you should do good out of benevolence, even to someone who has no right to it. However, there is a deficiency even in ihsan: a subtle and imperceptible link remains with the beneficiary and if the beneficiary does something that is unpleasant to the benefactor or involves his disobedience, the benefactor might get offended and call him ungrateful or disloyal etc.
Even if the benefactor tries to suppress it, a flaw yet remains in a subtle and concealed way that does become manifest sooner or later. Therefore, in order to rectify this flaw and deficiency, Allah the Exalted has enjoined that you should advance even further than ihsan and, making progress, carry out such goodness as is dyed in the hues of اِیۡتَآیِٔ ذِی الۡقُرۡبٰی [‘doing good to others as if they were your kith and kin’]; meaning, like a mother acts kindly towards her child. The love of a mother for her child springs from her natural and instinctive urge and not from any expectation of a return.
You see, sometimes a mother is sixty years of age and has no expectation of service from her child because she can hardly expect that she would live to see him grow up and become accomplished. Thus, the love of a mother for her child, without expectation of some service or benefit from him, has been ingrained in human nature. A mother bears hardship herself but tries to provide comfort for her child. She lies down on the soggy area if the bed gets wet but places her child on the dry part. If the child gets sick, she remains awake all night and bears all kinds of hardships. Is there any element of artificiality or pretence in what a mother does for her child?
Thus, [to paraphrase] Allah the Exalted says: ‘Strive to go beyond even the stage of ihsan [benevolence] and rise to the stage of اِیۡتَآیِٔ ذِی الۡقُرۡبٰی. Do good to the creation of God with a natural and innate urge, without the expectation of any reward or benefit or service [from them]. Your service to the creation of God should not have any pretentiousness or artificiality about it.’
At another place it is said like this:
لَا نُرِیْدُ مِنْکُمْ جَزَآءً وَّ لَا شُکُوْرًا34
Meaning that, it is the practice of a person who is godly and who has achieved lofty ranks, that his good deeds are purely for the sake of Allah. He does not even have the thought cross his mind that someone would pray for him or express gratitude to him for the good he has done. He does virtuous deeds purely out of the urge that has been placed in his heart to have sympathy for mankind.
I have not seen such a pure teaching—neither in the Torah nor in the New Testament. I have read them page by page but have not found therein any trace or sign of such a pure and perfect teaching.
Darkness is spread extensively throughout the world at this time. The strength needed to act upon the Book of God Almighty is lacking.
It has been the practice of God from ancient times that whenever the darkness of sin spreads in the world and people stray far away from the true purpose of life, Allah the Exalted Himself makes arrangements to rejuvenate the faith of people, and sends a Reformer and a Restorer [of the Faith]. Worldly reformers cannot do anything at such a time. It is only within the power of the Appointees of God that by gaining control of hearts, they develop a holy life in them. Those who are appointed by God for spiritual reformation are like a lamp.
This is verily why he (sas) [the Holy Prophet Muhammad] has been referred to in the Holy Quran as:
دَاعِیًا اِلَى اللّٰہِ بِاِذْنِہٖ وَ سِرَاجًا مُّنِیْرًا35
Look, if there are fifty or a hundred people in a dark room and only one of them has a lamp that is lit, everyone will be drawn to him, and the lamp will dissipate the darkness and illuminate and brighten36 the place.
There is another profound wisdom in calling him a lamp here, and it is that thousands and hundreds of thousands of lamps can be lit from one lamp without it suffering any loss. The moon or the sun do not have this quality. The implication is that thousands and hundreds of thousands of people will reach this rank by following the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (sas) and by being obedient to him, and his blessing will not be restricted; rather, it would be universal and unending.
In short, this is the practice of Allah that during a time of extreme darkness, due to some of His attributes, Allah the Exalted sends some human being, having given him knowledge and wisdom from Himself. The speech of such a one has impact, his attention draws people toward him, and his prayers are accepted. But he only draws those who are worthy of it and the impact of his prayers is felt only by those who are deserving of being selected for this. Consider the case of the Holy Prophet (sas). He is called سِرَاجًا مُّنِیۡرًا [the Radiant Lamp], but Abu Jahl did not accept him. As is said:
باران کہ در لطافت طبعش خلاف نیست
در باغ لالہ روید و در شورہ بوم و خس
No disagreement exists over the pure nature of rain, yet it causes tulips to flourish in the garden and yields but grass and weeds on barren land.
Just as with heavenly rain, lands bring forth greenery according to their own abilities—weeds at places, while roses at other places—this is exactly the case with human spirituality at the time of spiritual rain. This, indeed, is the tradition of Allah and there is nothing unusual about it.
The descent of wahi [Divine revelation] continued from Adam all the way to the Holy Prophet (sas). Subsequent to it, Allah the Exalted promised that He would raise Mujaddids [Reformers] for the tajdid of faith. Tajdid is to wash a cloth clean that has become soiled with dirt and filth; dirt is removed from it thoroughly and it is made to look like new.
Similarly, with the passage of time, various pollutants find their way into beliefs and deeds, and the foundation of faith comes to rest upon old stories and fables alone. Not much is left in it except anecdotes. For such a situation, Allah the Exalted has promised Islam through the words of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that He would send such people at the head of every century who would rejuvenate the Faith. Now, not only has the head of the fourteenth century passed, but another twenty-six years have lapsed as well. The one to come has come according to the promise of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, exactly at the appointed hour and yet these people are still in doubt.
They falsely and slanderously accuse me that I—God forbid!—insult the Messengers, but how wretched and accursed is the person who rejects the holy men [of God] or dishonours them with his word or deed!
I have also been accused of denying miracles, whereas it is my belief that without miracles, one cannot have a living faith.37 How far can logic and reasoning assist a man and how far can he go with only its help?
God is very much present and alive. And just as He showed His handiwork in the past, it is incumbent that He shows His handiwork now too. Why is it that only past miracles are believed in and quoted? Has God now become old? Or has He lost His ability to speak? Or has His might, support, and omnipotence come to an end?
Present-day philosophers do not believe in these things, but I have had personal experience in these matters. Just as Signs were manifested in the past, they are made manifest today as well. God still assists and helps His chosen ones and supports them with revelation and inspiration as He did before. If your doctrine is accepted that there is no more revelation and communication and God has become a corpse, then what can be expected from a corpse? Can a corpse revive another corpse? Can a blind individual show the path to another blind person?
Verily I say to you that God is as alive as He was in the time of the Holy Prophet (sas). God had promised to take us to a specific station. Would He now abandon us in the middle of the path? Let us say, as an example, that someone promised a blind person that he would help him reach Calcutta or Madras but deserted him half way—now he is neither here nor there. Is this fair? Is this not cruelty?
We cannot possibly accuse God of such a crime—that while He made the promise that He would continue to raise Khulafa [Successors] and Mujaddids [Reformers] till the Day of Judgement but that He stopped doing so after a certain period of time.
Read the verse about Khilafat [Successorship] in Surah an-Nur with careful deliberation. I, too, have come according to the promise given therein. And this is why I am called the Promised One. It is not that the very same previous Messiah is to come by way of reincarnation. On the contrary, Allah the Exalted knew that Muslims would deteriorate in the Latter Days, and the condition of Muslims during the time of the Promised Muhammadan Messiah would become comparable to the condition of the Jews during the time of Jesus, peace be upon him. This, indeed, is what is alluded to in the verse:
غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْہِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّیْنَ38
Ask the Muslims themselves as to what is written about the Muslims and their religious scholars of the Latter Days? It is indeed written that they would become such that although they would read the Quran, it would not go past their throat [they would not be able to understand it]. Faith would be a mere verbal claim. Now, it is obvious that the person who would come to reform them in those times would have to be suited to the task. He, too, would be called ‘Messiah’ by virtue of his challenge and mission.
Is it not obvious that the Faith has died? One is grieved and saddened when his beloved friend dies, or even if his pet dog or cat dies. Why is it then that no one is grieved by the death of the Faith and no mourning is seen in any heart?
I am also charged with having laid claim to prophethood and that I have made a new religion or that I am contemplating some different qiblah. It is said that I have instituted a new Salat or that I have made a new quran, having abrogated the Quran. So what can I say in response to these allegations except لَعْنَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَى الْکٰذِبِیْنَ [‘The curse of Allah be upon those who lie’]?
My claim is only that God has sent me due to the evils of the present day. And I cannot conceal the fact that I have been conferred the honour of communion and converse, and God converses with me and does so abundantly. This is indeed what is called ‘prophethood’ but not actual prophethood.
نَبَأٌ is an Arabic word meaning news. Now, anyone who reveals to people the news received from God, would be called a نَبِىْ [Prophet] in Arabic. I do not separate myself from the Holy Prophet (sas) and make any claim. This is merely a dispute in semantics. Plentiful communion and conversation [with God] is alternatively called prophethood.
Look, the quote from Hazrat Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, provides clarity on this issue: قُوْلُوْا إِنَّہٗ خَاتَمُ النَّبِیِّیْنَ وَلَاتَقُوْلُوْا لَانَبِیَّ بَعْدَہٗ39 [‘Say, he (the Holy Prophet) is Khatamun-Nabiyyin—the Seal of the Prophets—but do not say that there is no Prophet after him’]. If prophethood has been discontinued in Islam, then rest assured that Islam, too, has died and there is no distinctive Sign in it either. If a garden is abandoned and forgotten by its caretaker and gardener, and he remains unconcerned about watering it, then the result is obvious: it would dry up and become fruitless in a few years, and ultimately its wood would be used for fire.
In reality, the dispute between them and us is about terminology. They, too, acknowledge communion and converse [with God]. Mujaddid Sahib40 also acknowledges this. He writes that those holy men who have communication and converse with God in abundance are called Muhaddath and Prophets.41 In any case, I ask if one receives news from God and conveys it to the world, what do you propose to call him in the Arabic language other than a Prophet?
It is strange that if the purport of this word is explained in Urdu or Punjabi, they accept it, but if the same is presented in the Arabic language, they hate and reject it. Is this anything but prejudice?
There is one last thing and I deem it necessary to explain. These people might have deceived even the educated and civilized people in this matter, and might have tried to alienate them against me. Therefore, I consider it advisable to make it clear to you that God has sent me for the renewal of the Faith with His support and help by giving me fresh Signs. You should know for sure that if God had not sent me, this religion would also have become caged within ancient stories and anecdotes like other religions. One who comes from God is not allowed to perish. Ultimately, God makes his success manifest to the world.
These people have made use of lies, fabrications, false accusations, and many other machinations to slander me. They have tried very hard to make people entertain doubts about me and to halt my progress. Nonetheless, with the power of Allah I continued to make progress despite all this, and this is continuing so much so that there are now more than 400,000 members of my Jama’at present in different countries. The fact is that, when sensible people understand that this is the only way to prevail against the enemy, they firmly embrace it with a sincere heart.
Now, those who believe that Jesus (as) did not die and is alive, while the Holy Prophet (sas) is dead and buried in Madinah—have they not mounted a grievous attack on the honour of the Holy Prophet (sas)?
And then they say that the same Israelite Prophet would come back to the world and reform the ummah of Muhammad (sas) and revive the Faith. Now, tell me how the Holy Prophet (sas) would continue to be Khatamun-Nabiyyin [the Seal of the Prophets] after an Israelite Prophet comes after the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him? By virtue of this doctrine, Jesus (as) would be Khatamun-Nabiyyin and not the Holy Prophet (sas). Most certainly not!
Jesus (as) was himself a Prophet of God in his own right. Would his earlier shariah and prophethood become abrogated?
When we have received the promise in clear words in Surah an-Nur that the one to come would only come from within you—there is now no room for anyone to come from the outside. Sahih al-Bukhari, which is the most authentic book after the Book of Allah, also says إِمَامُکُمْ مِنْکُمْ42 [‘Your Imam from among you’]. And when his death [that of Jesus] is clearly proven from the Holy Quran and the Hadith, then why is such a doctrine maintained that is a belief that is totally against the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (sas)? The Holy Prophet (sas) himself saw him [Jesus] among the Prophets who are deceased on the night of Mi’raj [Spiritual Ascension]. If he was alive, there should have been some other place designated for him rather than being with the deceased. The living and the dead have nothing in common.
In short, God through His Word and the Holy Prophet (sas) through his action have proven that he [Jesus] has already died.
فَمَا ذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ اِلَّا الضَّلٰلُ43
Now, being Muslims, if they do not accept the Quran and the word of the Messenger (sas), it is a choice that they make. They do not reject me but they reject the One from whom I have been sent and the one to whom I am enslaved. Set me and my rejection aside—they dare to reject the Holy Prophet (sas)! This is one and same thing—the Quran has set forth the promise of the coming of a Khalifah [Successor], and in the Hadith, the Khalifah to come in the Latter Days has been named Messiah. Where is there conflict in this?
Allegations other than these are also likewise baseless and born out of obstinacy and prejudice. I have refuted them all in detail within my books. Some of their beliefs are such that they cause the heart of a true Muslim to tremble.
For example, they hold the belief that no one is free from the touch of Satan except Jesus, peace be upon him. What a shameful doctrine this is that they adhere to! Our Noble Prophet, the Best of all Prophets, the Leader of all holy men is not free from the touch of Satan (God forbid) but Jesus (as) is! How pitiable a scenario this is! God only knows what has become of them despite the fact that they are called Muslims.
Just look, this is what is they think even about the Holy Prophet (sas); the Muslims themselves say with their own tongues what the Aryas and the Christians are saying. If our most beloved Prophet (sas) has passed away, following whom is a source of pride and honour for us and who is the cause of our salvation, then what do we care about Jesus (as)?
So these are the issues for which I am denounced as a kafir [disbeliever] and a dajjal [deceiver]; and it is said that I am outside the pale of Islam; and that anyone who exchanges the greetings of peace with me, or shakes hands with me, or gives me audience becomes a kafir [disbeliever] as well. This apostasy is contagious and the entire Community is a body of apostates.
It is a pity that the one who is ever ready to rejuvenate and serve the exemplary life of the Holy Prophet (sas) and his religion, is abused with filthy language, and is given most foul names. I have chests full of their filthy abusive writings. At times I have received an unstamped letter, for which I had to pay postage, only to find that it has nothing but curses and abuses from beginning to end. They are known as maulawis [Muslim clergy] but hurl such filthy and obscene curses like the low class and crude, that one feels ashamed even reading them. And yet they claim that Islam is in need of no one because the Quran is there and the maulawis are there [to defend it]. Little do they know that their maulawis—who are the shepherds of these sheep—are themselves the wolves! What a perilous situation the flock is in, which does not have a shepherd.
Islam is being attacked from within and without and is being thrashed. Indeed, there was an urgent need for someone to clear the path by removing misunderstandings and enigmas, and by solving complex issues, and to present the original light and genuine brilliance of Islam to other nations. There was a time when Christians boasted that the Holy Prophet (sas) had no prophecy or miracles to his credit, and now no one dares to come face me even when I have been challenging them.
This, indeed, was the will of God Almighty. He attended to and provided help to His Religion in a timely manner in accordance with His promise:
اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّکْرَ وَ اِنَّا لَہٗ لَحٰفِظُوْنَ44
Islam was established in the world by God. He disseminated the teachings of the Quran and it is He Himself who is responsible for its safeguarding as well. When even a human being waters the sapling he has planted assiduously to prevent it from drying up, then would God prove any more inept and careless than even a mere mortal? Remember it well that Islam will make progress today through the very same pathways that it made progress by following before. Dry logic is a bewitching ogress; it causes the faith of an ignorant person to falter, and worldly philosophies are totally opposed to spiritual philosophies.
Gentlemen! These are the matters for whose reformation I have been sent. I am also aware that some individuals will arise from this gathering without having effected any change whatsoever, and my address will not have had so much as the slightest impact on their viewpoints. Nonetheless, remember it well that anyone who opposes me, does not, in fact, oppose me, but comes into opposition with Him who sent me.
Even if a lowly peon is disrespected and his directive is not accepted, the one who is in contempt of the government or the one who is disobedient in this way is held accountable and punished. Then, how is it possible that disrespecting a person who comes from God and showing no regard to what he says would go unnoticed?
I assure you most certainly that if my Movement is not from God, it will fall into disarray by itself whether anyone opposes it or not, because God Almighty Himself says that:
قَدْ خَابَ مَنِ افْتَرٰى45
and
مَنْ اَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرٰى عَلَى اللّٰہِ کَذِبًا46
So one who fabricates a lie at night and tells the people during the day that God has told me so, how can such a one succeed and prosper? Allah the Exalted said to the Holy Prophet (sas) :
وَلَوۡ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَیۡنَا بَعۡضَ الۡاَقَاوِیۡلِ ﴿ۙ۴۵﴾ لَاَخَذۡنَا مِنۡہُ بِالۡیَمِیۡنِ ﴿ۙ۴۶﴾ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعۡنَا مِنۡہُ الۡوَتِیۡنَ ﴿۫ۖ۴۷﴾ 47
If this is being said regarding such a glorious person, then for an ordinary human being, all that was needed was simply a small knife and the affair would have been settled long ago.48
1 This address of the Promised Messiah (as) has been published in Badr, dated 25 June 1908 under the title al-Balaghul-Mubin. In the beginning, the following note is given:
I will remember till my last breath the ecstatic scene of 17 May 1908 when the Messiah anointed by the hands of God was giving a speech before the honourable dignitaries of Lahore at eleven o’clock. What an amazing address this was: an ocean of knowledge with all its power and majesty. It was a cloud filled with Divine cognizance that poured down mercy upon them. It was a final message that was delivered in the capital city by the Honourable Vicegerent of the All-Encompassing, All-Powerful, King of Kings—the Lord of Glory. At twelve o’clock, the Promised Messiah (as) said:
‘It is getting past the time for lunch. If you wish, I can stop here.’ However, everyone pleaded, ‘This food we eat every day. We need spiritual nutrition.’ Thus, the speech lasted till one o’clock. May Allah the Exalted bless Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din, Pleader of the Chief Court, for his efforts. He invited his friends for a feast and created an occasion for them to listen to the words of the Promised Messiah (as) (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 3, 25 June 1908).
2 From Badr: وَ اِنْ تَعُدُّوْا نِعْمَتَ اللّٰہِ لَا تُحْصُوْہَا [and if you try to count the favours of Allah, you will not be able to number them (Surah Ibrahim, 14:35)] (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 3, dated 25 June 1908).
3 From Badr: It is a different issue if the crop perishes on account of some undisclosed wisdom or bad practices on the part of the farmer. Such rare instances do not count (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 3, dated 25 June 1908).
4 Surah al-Fatihah, 1:4 [Publisher]
5 Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitabul-Adab, Babo fi Shukril-Ma‘ruf, Hadith 4811 [Publisher]
6 Surah ash-Shams, 91:10 [Publisher]
7 From Badr: Arrogance is such an evil that man is withheld from making any progress as a consequence of it (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 4, dated 25 June 1908).
8 Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitabul-Muqqadimah, Hadith 224 [Publisher]
9 From Badr: To send your children to the schools of the Aryas or the Christian priests and then to expect that they would be true Muslims is, as they say in Persian, ‘This is an idea which is impossible and pure insanity’ (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 4, dated 25 June 1908).
10 A description of the Garden promised to the righteous (Surah Muhammad, 47:16). [Publisher]
11 Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitabuz-Zuhd, Bab Sifatul-Jannah, Hadith 4328 [Publisher]
12 And give glad tidings to those who believe and do good works, that for them are Gardens beneath which flow streams (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:26). [Publisher]
13 From Badr: You should not be content with light efforts, rather great striving is needed on this path (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 5, dated 25 June 1908).
14 From Badr: One that turns to evil again and again (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 5, dated 25 June 1908).
15 Surah at-Tariq, 86:12–13
16 From Badr: Why do those, who say there is now no need for Prophets, beg for physical rain? (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 5, dated 25 June 1908)
17 Publisher’s Note: This is a couplet of Abu Muhammad Muslih-ud-Din Mushrif ibn-Abdullah Shirazi, better known by his pen name Sadi. Another variation of the couplet is (but the meanings are the same):
ترسم كہ بہ كعبہ چوں رسى اے اَعرابى
كىں رہ كہ تومے روى بتركستان است
18 From Badr: The person who has no knowledge of the faith and yet claims that he needs no help from another is a fool (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 5, dated 25 June 1908).
19 Surah ash-Shura, 42:41 [Publisher]
20 From Badr: Thus, Jesus (as) himself said, ‘I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ The Holy Quran also confirms this وَ رَسُوْلًا اِلٰى بَنِیْۤ اِسْرَآءِیْلَ And will make him a Messenger to the children of Israel (Surah Aal-e-‘Imran, 3:50), Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 6, dated 25 June 1908.
21 Truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:159). [Publisher]
22 So that with it I may warn you and whomsoever it reaches (Surah al-An‘am, 6:20). [Publisher]
23 There is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent (Surah Fatir, 35:25). [Publisher]
24 From Badr: We have no clue now whatsoever whether God is even alive or not at this time (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 6, dated 25 June 1908).
25 Nay, whoever submits himself completely to Allah, and is the doer of good (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:113). [Publisher]
26 Do men think that they will be left alone because they say, ‘We believe,’ and that they will not be put to trial? (Surah al-‘Ankabut, 29:3) [Publisher]
27 From Badr: Do not think that you will be saved only by engaging in worship for a hundred years. On the contrary God rewards even an iota of good and can forgive simply due to just one good act. What is needed is sincerity (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 7, dated 25 June 1908).
28 So woe to those who pray (Surah al-Ma‘un, 107:5). [Publisher]
29 From Badr: Hear this well! This world is indeed transitory. There is a wife and brother too. There are all the other relatives. There is wealth and riches. But it is all naught if one does not take God Almighty to be his shield (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 7, dated 25 June 1908).
30 Surah al-Baqarah, 2:156–157 [Publisher]
31 Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:157). [Publisher]
32 Nay, whoever submits himself completely to Allah (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:113). [Publisher]
33 Verily, Allah requires you to abide by justice, and to treat with grace, and give like the giving of kin to kin (Surah an-Nahl, 16:91). [Publisher]
34 Surah ad-Dahr, 76:10 [Publisher]
35 As a Summoner to Allah by His command, and as a radiant Lamp (Surah al-Ahzab, 33:47). [Publisher]
36 From Badr: If a person with the lamp walks into a dark room, the whole room will become illuminated in an instant. Then, everyone will feel drawn to him (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 8, dated 25 June 1908).
37 From Badr: A religion that does not have living miracles, that religion cannot survive (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 8, dated 25 June 1908).
38 Those who have not incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray (Surah al-Fatihah, 1:7). [Publisher]
39 Ad-Durr al-Manthur fi Tafsir al-Ma’thur, by Jalal-ud-Din Suyuti, Part 5, p. 386, Darul-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah [Publisher]
40 From Badr: Mujaddid Sahib [Ahmad al-Faruqi] Sirhindi (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 9, dated 25 June 1908).
41 Following is the report in Badr: Hazrat Mujaddid Sirhindi also believes in such communications. If someone makes a prophecy upon receiving the news from God, what would it be called in the Arabic language other than prophethood? (Badr, vol. 7, no. 25, p. 9, 25 June 1908)
42 Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul-Anbiya’, Hadith 3449 [Publisher]
43 So what is left after truth but manifest error? (Surah Yunus, 10:33) [Publisher]
44 Verily, We Ourself have sent down this Exhortation, and most surely We will be its Guardian (Surah al-Hijr, 15:10). [Publisher]
45 Surely, he who forges a lie shall perish (Surah Ta Ha, 20:62). [Publisher]
46 Surah al-An‘am, 6:22 [Publisher]
47 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]
48 Al-Hakam, vol. 12, no. 41, p. 2–13, dated 14 July 1908