Condition of the Muslim Laymen

As far as the laymen among the Muslims are concerned, the majority of them have followed various devils. You will find their old and young steeped in sinfulness and you will see that their anxiety is only for this world and for their sons and daughters. When arguing or debating, they steer clear of the truth. They petition tribunals in order to usurp the rights of their familial rivals. They wish to do away with their brothers so that they may become sole heirs of any inheritance. They never speak about the Day of Judgement, either seriously or in jest. If a worldly possession is lost, they are rendered senseless with grief and agony, but if like the unbelievers, their entire faith is lost, they do not grieve in the slightest. They would sacrifice anything for this world. Their anguish never ends and their hidden grief never abates. However, they are not worried about the day when their Self-Sufficient Lord will show His wrath. The entire sum of their efforts has been lost in seeking things pertaining to the life of this world and they have lost all understanding. Their hearts have died, so that they cannot be roused from this stupor. They have brought their souls to the watering hole of God’s Wrath. Moreover, they do not eschew the path of the sinful and tread only those paths which run counter to the ways of righteousness, even if it is made clear to them that such acts are forbidden by the Shariah. They see the Devil’s urine as bountiful rain and the excrement of cattle as a blessing. They reach the end of their years, but the crookedness of their character, which entered them from their infancy does not seem to end. The moment talismans were taken away from them1 sins besieged them. They gave value to the beauty and worth of this world; they thought its dry clouds were laden with rain; they perceived its drizzle to be a shower. They came to love the beauty of this world and were covetous for its camels and donkeys. They were beguiled by this world and its apparent beauty. They fell in love with its camels and mules. They were deceived by its sweet livelihood, the freshness of its rain, delicacy of its harvest and the seeming lustre of its countenance. They did not employ deep insight in identifying the reality of this mortal realm, nor did they use keen vision to recognise its true face. They congratulated their souls with lies and were hasty in kissing the hand of this deceitful beguiler. They were not able to recognise the reality by looking at the paint on its dilapidated walls and were instead seduced by its buildings, not remembering the anecdotes of its mowing down like grass. Their faith has changed from its initial character; the soul has been lost and only the skeleton remains. The innovations of their scholars have changed the face of Islam, and they have made it appear like a rabbit even though in reality it is like a lion. Therefore, you will see that today its thunder does not bring forth rain and time turns against it. Every adversary wants to gobble it up and every enemy wants to annihilate it. The sciences have caused it great grief, and astronomy has also stepped up its onslaughts. On one hand as night turned into day for the Hindus, so they attacked us due to their excessive wild imagination, and on the other hand the philosophers attacked us so ferociously that they exceeded even the storms brought on by the harshest of winds. Among them, you will observe an Islam which is unrecognisable, its countenance has been made to look grotesque: like someone on the battlefield, whose two hands have been amputated so that he cannot fight, and at the same time his feet are crippled such that he cannot even escape, so at a time of such calamities and at a time when such battles have been forced upon Islam, what is there to protect it? Other than that God Almighty should send down His mercy from heaven and should manifest the true face of Islam with His luminous Hand. Moreover, you can see that external afflictions are befalling Islam one after another; the countenance of Islam has been distorted; its fountain-head has retracted deep into the ground, and its streams have dried up; the gatherings of faith have emptied and ended; the beds of the righteous have become hard and devoid of comfort; their affairs are in disarray; and a perpetual state of fear has descended upon them.

The swift steeds of their intellect have stumbled, the respected centres of learning lie empty of the learned, and due to an utter lack of the righteous, spring’s rain has ceased. The animalistic among them have abounded, and those who could speak out have perished. Islam has put on the shoes of misery and Muslims have become grief-stricken. Wretchedness, defeat and destitution visit them again and again; their intellect has been thrown into the abyss and nothing remains in their thoughts except for diabolical arrogance. Since the time God Almighty sent Islam down to this earth, it has never seen such humiliation and has never been disgraced before like it has today. Muslims have no remedy for this illness which is much discussed as if it was only a folk-tale with no way to treat this asphyxiation.

The state of the Muslims is like that of a traveller who becomes stranded in a barren land, having lost his steed. Devoid of provision or food, an enemy suddenly descends upon him like a storm, brandishing spears and keen swords. However, this traveller has a powerful friend who is the ruler of a nation and possesses an army. If news of the calamities that have befallen him reach his friend, he will immediately come to his aid with the full retinue of his army and officials. So that his friend may be liberated, and the criminals punished for their crimes. In the same way God Almighty comes to the aid of His religion—a fact that every wise man is aware of. If you do not understand this, then reflect over the verse 2 for therein is a sign for those who reflect. Hence this is the time to reclaim your lost heritage and embrace the moment. Take pity on yourself and your family. Do not forget the days of Muslim glory, and do not despair of the promise of God, the Lord of all people, who, despite their blindness, is the Sustainer of their bodies and souls. Do you not observe that signs have come to pass, disasters are prevalent, hearts have become corrupt, and sins, both minor and major have increased manifold? Previously people did not openly commit debauchery, but these days if a person is fornicating and another even sees him do it, he does not consider it to be a sin. You see that gatherings are held with prostitutes, music and wine, but no objection is raised from anywhere. Rather people are pleased to look at these prostitutes, to kiss them, and to drink with them openly in public places without any shame or fear. Undoubtedly there is a sign in this for a people who contemplate. Without a doubt the edifice of Islam has fallen, its affairs are in disarray and the winds of antagonism blow ever harder. So how can they deny the need of a Hakam [arbiter] who shall come to the aid of faith and buttress that which has been weakened, with strength of argument. You can see that innumerable calamities have befallen Islam and darkness has besieged the hearts of men. How can your heart conclude that God Almighty observes all of these calamities, sees all the errors and ignorance, and yet does not have mercy on His servants and does not come to the aid of His desolate people? If you are unaware of the unchanging practice of God Almighty, or if you are plagued by doubt; then just consider how you yourself behave and act. For example, you tend to your fields by regularly watering them at set times and, when required, would never discard the use of agricultural machinery. Similarly, if one of you were to be informed that the wall of his home is about to collapse, his face would turn pale and without a second thought, he would immediately get up to call a bricklayer; in this manner out of mercy towards his family and his own self, he would get the wall repaired. Therefore, how is it possible to think that the Most Gracious and Ever Merciful God, despite observing such immense damage, would not care about the vulnerability of His right religion? Verily, evil is that which You judge! You act unfairly and do not act with justice. If God were to punish this Ummah due to their injustices, He would treat them in the same way as the Jewish scholars before them. However, He has given them respite till a set time—an appointed term—so that perhaps they will desist, contemplate and return to the Loving God. Do they not see that they perform no actions with the intention of earning the pleasure of God or perform any in preparation for the Day of the Judgement? Every one of them should reflect as to whether they walk with an upright stature or grovel upon their faces like animals? He should be circumspect, and consider whether an illusionary mirage or rainless clouds can satisfy him instead of fresh running water. Just think how many hardships are borne for the sake of worldly affairs, but is the same anxiety demonstrated in the way of your Lord? Everyone can testify that he has struggled tirelessly for his own self to achieve his desires. He fully accepts putting himself through harsh struggles and great pain for the sake of the world, but cannot even be bothered to simply bow down in prostration before God Almighty! He hastens before officials with humility etched on his face, but does not hasten to pray and fast with the same degree of humility. He attends gatherings which are full of exultation, jubilation, debauchery and ostentation, even if he has to bear hardships to undertake such journeys, but does not come to offer the Jumu‘ah prayer even at his neighbourhood mosque. If such a one is a clergyman, his own self will testify that he spent his entire life in utter hypocrisy. That whenever he ascended the pulpit to deliver a sermon, render advice or proselytise, or stood in a prominent position, or shed tears and cried in front of a packed congregation, or cried with such anguish like the rolling thunder of rainless clouds, or emerged as a masterful orator among the esteemed scholars, or said Salam to the audience at the start of a sermon: on all such occasions his own heart would be full of all kinds of worldly desires, to fulfil which he would exhort the audience to be generous.

He would recite phrases such as 3 at the start of his speech encouraging the audience to spend. He would say 4 encouraging the audience to be generous and magnanimous. And then he would say 5 only to encourage the worshippers to spend and line his pockets with gold and silver. Furthermore, if such a person is from among the Sufis—to whom people pledge their allegiance so that God may enable them to remain steadfast on the path of repentance; may instil faith in their hearts and plant the seed of love in them and beautify righteousness in their eyes so that their hearts are opened to deeds of righteousness, piety, godliness and virtue—there is no doubt that such an individual’s own heart and innate faith will testify against him, berating and cursing him, because his outward appearance is contrary to his inner self. His heart will question him, O you! What kind of trap have you set? And what kind of idolatry are you committing? Do you not know that you are a simple layman who has not been bestowed even an iota of the knowledge of sages and the magnanimity of the righteous? None of the mysteries of faith have been disclosed to you, nor has your heart been touched by any of the rays of brilliance of the knowledge of faith. Your bosom has not been opened and your lote-tree has not borne any fruit. God has not granted you any esoteric knowledge and Has not sent down His blessings upon you, therefore you cannot be considered as one of the gallant in this field. You do not show any signs of perfection. Prayers of supplicants are not accepted through you and you are not one of those people who are helped by God Almighty, when no other helper or supporter remains. Neither are you from among those who taught people the wonders of the faith, its principles and statutes; the ones who paved the way for Islam and established this religion; who exhorted others to follow the ways of the prophets; who guided the hearts of those who sought the truth; and who safeguarded nations from Satanic whisperings and upheld the ties of kinship through spiritual favours. Then his own self will question him as to what excellence he possesses which ranks him among the scholarly elite, so that people, by following him, may also benefit from that excellence! Have you been blessed with any such verity that other sages and scholars did not possess? Or did the Almighty and Omnipotent God bestow upon you greater knowledge of the unseen than others? Or does the spirit of holiness course through you to such an extent that just by following you, sensual desires are annihilated? Or that by becoming your heir through the pledge of allegiance, spiritual wealth is inherited? Or that by pledging allegiance to you one becomes ready for the journey to the Hereafter like the righteous? Or that through this pledge God’s mercy is attracted and one becomes one of the righteous, putting on the garb of piety, and saving oneself from falling and slipping, setting aright all shortcomings in one’s actions, morals and beliefs, becoming free from the shackles and chains of the sensual self such that one may also be able to emancipate others? But if you have not been bestowed with any such quality or miraculous power and yet you claim to be true, then tell us what hidden power do you possess! Have you been granted a staff like that of Moses? Or have you been given the sign of blood for the ones who disobeyed? Or have you been granted the sign of the illuminated hand for all those who can see? Or have you been granted a miracle like the miracle of the Holy Quran? Or have you been granted eloquence like that of the Prophet of the Last days, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him? For, a saint always comes in the footsteps of a Prophet and partakes of the same miracles which were granted to the Prophet whom he accepts and follows. The pious are agreed upon the fact that the station of Wilayat is a mirror image of Prophethood. Therefore, the various miraculous powers that are present in a true personage are also granted to the mirror image as a sign of his station. One of the miraculous powers of our Holy Prophet was the miracle of eloquence, as is portrayed through the lens of the Holy Quran. Therefore, eloquence is one of the prerequisites of the station of Wilayat so that the station of being a mirror image is ascertained through perfect similitude. And you should not entertain the suspicion that this fact detracts from the miracle of the Book of the Almighty and Omnipotent God: for a mirror image is in itself nothing, rather the true object appears through its form, and in a mirror only a reflection of the real object is manifested. This is not unknown to the knowledgeable. And if it were considered to be derogatory, then all great miracles would be rendered false by lesser miracles, for these lesser miracles are similar in their occurrence to the greater miracles due to their being extraordinary and supernatural. Therefore, this suspicion is undoubtedly false and borne of a misunderstanding. No one can entertain such a thought except such a thick-headed person whose intellect has been washed away by the torrents of prejudice. We have no answer for such a stagnated personality and wasted intellect and there is no need to refute their preposterous claims. If this objection is truly valid, then the Holy Prophet would have forbidden his companions from eloquent speeches and articulate statements, so as to close the door [of such objections]. But the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not forbid them, nor did he exhort them to eschew such a habit, nor did he proclaim that such actions stink of idolatry and are therefore prohibited in the Shariah. Rather, he exhorted in their favour on many occasions, so that the Companions did not refrain from them on account of a so-called “preservation of the sanctity of Divine Word”. Instead they busied themselves in composing poetry and prose and became engrossed in it. There are verses, compositions and prosaic writings attributed to them which were composed with great articulation and then collected in famous tomes. It is quite well known that a group of skilled poets and eloquent writers used to remain in the presence of the Holy Prophet. I would like to inform you that the word of a Wali is a mirror image of the word of a Prophet, like a face and its reflection, or two mirrors placed in front of each other so that both flow from the same fountain-head. Therefore, that which is true for the real object is also unequivocally true for the reflection. The word of a Wali can never be truly recognised, save for its perfect similarity to the word of the Prophet in all of its attributes and forms. Even if you have been given a little understanding, you should be able to accept this point.

I will now return to the original subject. We live in an age of tumultuous change. Wrongdoing is rampant and sympathy has diminished. Calamities, attacks of the enemy and various other burdens have descended, so much so that even the pious are treated with disdain. The enemy will not rest until he sees them suffering pangs of death and has consigned them to their graves and destroyed every last trace of their existence. On the other hand those from within [Islam], due to jealousy, also wish to destroy every last trace of their existence and ensure that life becomes difficult for them. Every fool and wretched urchin has grown bold and rude, and servant has overcome master. The disobedience of children has broken their parents’ backs. Medicines have given birth to all kinds of diseases. The majority of people are now in the habit of remaining engrossed in frivolities, while their egotism has made them habitual show-offs. The education of their children has led to results contrary to their expectations and has dried up faith and morality. [Their] Astrology has changed the very features of the incidents, while physics has ruined their dispositions. They have taken on the traits of heresy as if it was their inheritance and forgotten about God and His Grandeur and Majesty. They have made physical means their god and consider that to be what comes to their aid. They ridicule the believers and consider them to be ignorant and lacking in intellect, like women.6 They have come under the influence of philosophers like the dead enter the graves. Except for a few servants of the Gracious God , there is no-one whose heart is open towards the faith, for the winds of debauchery have stirred up a tempest that has hardened the hearts. All praiseworthy qualities and high morals have come to a standstill in this age and their lamps have lost their flicker. Fear of the Almighty God and trust in the Omnipotent God has grown weak and people have exceeded all limits in seeking worldly means and strategies. They neither believe in the Omnipotence of God Almighty nor in the Day of Judgement, for had they been such believers, they would never have been bold enough to sin. No fear of God Almighty remains in their hearts, hence the deluge of sin has exceeded all limits and swift winds of disobedience have carried them away. Their entire life has become dedicated to their own selves and their satan. Their world has consigned them to distress and their quest for this world has cast them into fires of agony. They study many niche fields for the sake of the world, such as astronomy, physics and the arts. But if they only attain a low position in their examination results as opposed to a high one, they become close to committing suicide and the cries of their distress are as loud as thunder claps. On the other hand if they are successful in their endeavours, they start to rock and dance at the fulfilment of their heart’s desire. They find solace in wealth and tranquillity in money. All their efforts are aimed at attaining sensual desires and their life’s goals are the fulfilment of their vain desires. They study books at the cost of great hardship and anguish, spend their nights learning by heart whatever they have read and pondering over its meanings. In this race some of them outpace others and their mounts are rendered sick in this pursuit to such a worrying degree that one fears for their very life. Every one of them wishes to become a rich nobleman who has hordes of gold and silver. And to this end he makes his best effort, working day and night, studying books and destroying his body. You will see that many of them have become afflicted by either tuberculosis or epilepsy due to their extreme efforts. Their life is wasted away in the pursuit of wealth and when they die, their very skeletal remains quickly disappear like bubbles in water. All of their stratagems come to an end, death overtakes them, and annihilation whisks away their souls. In the end, this is the conclusion of this world and the result of making extreme efforts to attain it. Indeed, it is only one example of the various branches of worldly striving. Alas, for those who are bewitched by its sweetness and sparkle and forget about the bitterness of death and doom. When it is said to them, fear Allah and do not forsake your share of the Hereafter, they ask, “What is the Hereafter except tales fabricated by Arabs and non-Arabs alike?” Most of them have exceeded all limits due to their sinful nature. They have grown vile and their brains have become devoid of intellect. They incline towards wretchedness, meanness, niggardliness, jealousy, arrogance, debauchery, disobedience and a myriad of innovations, all the while being predisposed towards back-biting, telling tall tales and malice. You will not find a single person among them who has turned his attention towards God, except a few pious ones who form only a small minority in their large groups and gatherings. You will find thousands of youngsters and adolescents who have studied the modern sciences and learned the expertise of the Christians, but their hearts do not render obeisance to the Lord of all the Worlds. They have wronged their own selves by denying the existence of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. They did not keep to the limits prescribed by the Shariah and Islamic morals, and threw away the honourable mantle of Islamic identity, becoming like animals. Their belief in the Almighty is not like one who is part of the Islamic community. Rather they have gone outside the pale of the Godly order and come under the influence of the norms of the philosophers, placing their reins into the hands of western heretics. They have turned away from the sagacity of the Yemenites and the mystic knowledge of the believing Arabs. So, wherever the heretics find them, they drag them away. They have fallen far from the Mercy of Allah and incurred His wrath. Their inner devils have destroyed them. Their own wolves have torn them to pieces. Their evil leaders have led them astray. They were attacked from every quarter and the rubies [of their faith] were taken away from them. The attackers targeted the water skins [of their faith] and spilt all of it on the ground, leaving nothing inside save air. So, the Almighty God sent a Reformer to them, from among themselves, so that he may return to them the wealth [of their faith]. There will now be an abundance of [spiritual] wealth, and he will turn their fear into tranquillity. The enemies are a people who will never desist unless countered with a perfect argument and a mind-shattering blow, for in their dark upbringing they have now reached diabolical levels. Hence, they need a shattering staff. They followed whatever the philosophers had spoken or written down. They joined their fold and considered their hypothetical statements to be facts. They regarded their works too highly and chose the bitter Zaqqum7 in exchange for the heavenly gift. They threw away their matchless pearl necklaces and replaced it with earthenware. They said that, without the books of the philosophers, they could neither solve their problems nor could the truth become apparent to them. These are mere lame excuses and statements full of both lies and fabrications. The truth is that the desires of their sensual selves cannot be met until they are totally free of the limitations of faith and religion. They do not realise that the laws brought by a Prophet, guide towards that One Being, regarding whom the intellect of the philosophers is unaware. They reveal those mysteries about which the philosophers have always been in the dark. These people are not aware of the paths of guidance. The key to understanding all this is that the Prophets are bestowed knowledge from a Wise and All-Knowing God, and Allah never leads away from the path of true guidance. Rather through His Word He establishes such true knowledge and intellectual arguments as lead towards the path of guidance. It is so, for His Station is not worthy of ignorance. He is the Most Perfect Light, and His Station is free from the darkness of ignorant opinions. However, as far as mortals are concerned, it is unavoidable that if they concentrate on one thing they will ignore another, and when doing one thing will forget the other, and there is no law which saves them from forgetfulness and error. As far as logic is concerned, it is mere junk and it cannot safeguard against this raging tempest. The wise philosophers were led astray after they took this science of logic as their ultimate guide; incongruities, inconsistencies and suspicions abound in their statements and they do not possess the prowess to resolve their own disagreements through it. It is due to this that you find the philosophers contradicting one another in their statements, with each of them claiming to possess the perfect intellect. This is where Prophets and their followers stand distinct from the philosophers. Hence, save yourself from ignorance in these matters and save yourself from becoming estranged from the Omnipotent God. You are aware of the fact that this is the age of heresies, innovations, trials and tribulations. The world is brimming over with tyranny and oppression, while the number of righteous men and women has dwindled. The greatest calamity to befall Islam is that the new generation, who are the heirs of their Muslim ancestors, consider all Muslims to be ignorant and hold the philosophers to be true. They have become completely consumed with the elixir of these philosophers and state that they are at a high rank in research, whilst Prophets, on the other hand, may have made some true statements, but have erred in others; and that their word is a hodgepodge of truth and fiction; and that they were thick-skulled and obtuse in matters of wisdom. Therefore, reflect how far Islam is being undermined. Undoubtedly this is a clear trial and one of the great calamities. This situation requires that light descend from heaven, just as this hellish darkness has arisen from the hearts of the blind and ignorant. So that God gives this situation the attention it deserves and comes to the aid of those who are on the verge of destruction. This is the perpetual practice of God which is not hidden from the wise.

Undoubtedly these poisons have spread to such a degree that, let alone the intellect of the wise and sagacious, they have even affected the hearts of women and children. The matter of these poisons is not trivial, for nothing like it can be found from the time of the first creation till the present day. These poisons have destroyed more than the poisons of the past ages. Not even in the deepest recesses of their heart does the fear of God remain. Their hearts have become smitten with the love of this world and its affairs, like the love of a beloved. Thus, whatever was created in the hearts of mankind, its remedy was created in the heavens, so that it may become manifest that all authority belongs to the One God, the Subduer, and so that He may tear to shreds all that which the hands of Satan have woven, for the Jealousy of the Almighty God does not allow error to survive for long. The weapon of truth descends from His Presence and it kills with arguments and evidence all those who have subdued the truth. Never entertain any doubt that perhaps God does not keep the promises that He made with His Prophets, or that He forgets His perpetual practice and His way, for He is Gracious and Beneficent, and He has mercy on His people in times of tribulations. He sends down His mercy when calamity after calamity overtakes them. This has been His perpetual practice since the dawn of creation and He has warned those who deny this practice. Therefore, seek the Reformer and find out where he is in this time of tribulations. Many years have now passed since the start of this century, and Islam has been riddled with the spears of its enemies. The Almighty God does not let the city of His faith remain like ruins with crumbling walls; rather He repairs its fortifications and aids those who seek refuge therein. He turns away the onslaught of enemies, and whosoever lights the fire of disruption, He extinguishes it, until not even a single Muslim is afraid of the opponents, and the disbelievers despair of bringing down the house of faith. This has been the decree of the Almighty God, in place since the beginning of time. The appearance of these tribulations was a prerequisite to the advent of this light. If you are not aware of this perpetual Divine practice, then read in the Holy Quran what was said to Moses:

8

Consider how the transgression of the Pharaoh demanded the appearance of a Kalim9, and how God sent His Prophet when that accursed one transgressed. And then, when disorder reared its head during the time of Hazrat Khatam-un-Nabiyyin, and groups of mischief mongers grew in numbers; and people began to worship idols; and the All-Knowing and All-Powerful God was forsaken; and when all nations engaged themselves in wars and battles; and when the wretched ones deemed debauchery and sin as lawful; and when no occupation remained for them except eating and drinking, and it was as if they had become mere animals, at that time the Almighty God raised His Holy Prophet among the unlettered people and sent him towards the whole of mankind. He said:

10

In a nutshell, our Holy Prophet sas was sent from the Lord of Mankind for this very purpose. Every Prophet is raised at the appearance of a specific form of mischief, and every form of mischief had come together at the time of our Holy Prophet sas, who was the foremost in praising the Almighty God and worshipping Him.

Then our age has dawned, Oh do not ask what we have witnessed in this age! By the Almighty God! Debauchery, fornication, idolatry and injustice have reached their zenith in this age and people have exceeded all limits in committing lesser and greater sins. How great is their endurance of the Fire! They consider sins to be righteous deeds, the bitter to be sweet, and consume the poison of disobedience. Only a few believing and righteous gentlemen remain, whereas the wretched ones have grown in number. Sprouting like a wretched weed which has been nurtured in gatherings of heresy, apostasy and ingratitude. Transferring what was considered the prerogative of Almighty God to others, following the path of transgression. Not a single attribute or power remains which is not attributed to beings other than the Master of the Day of Judgement. For example, love is a high moral and great quality in man and the Almighty God has blessed man with the feeling of love so that he may immerse himself in contemplating the Divine beauty of his Beloved God; consigning himself to God with all his heart and soul; ascending the path of His love so much so that no sign of his separate self remains, rather his being melts in the fire of the Love of God. However, the blind have wasted this great and praiseworthy attribute of love in useless places and wasted the essence of faith. The faculty of love that was due for God, is instead focussed on sensual desires, which have sprouted and proliferated. They have forsaken Allah and His Love, becoming infatuated instead with women and young boys. They have disappeared from the presence of God and forgotten His Divine beauty. Woe to such blind ones who possess eyes but do not see, and who have hearts but do not understand! These hearts have fallen in love with beings other than the Gracious God, and so, unclean thoughts have taken a complete hold of them, not leaving them even for a second, committing sins freely and blatantly. So much so, that one cannot discern whether they even believe in Allah or the Day of Judgement! Observing their actions, one cannot imagine that they have the slightest fear of the Almighty God. These state of affairs demand that a Reformer should come down to them from heaven. This perpetual practice of God has been the same even for transgressors and rebellious people of the past. Undoubtedly this is the reason that the Almighty God has recorded the narratives of the people of Noah, Abraham, Lot and Saleh in the Quran, explaining that they were all sent at times of rampant disorder, debauchery, and all kinds of disobedience. This perpetual practice has never ceased nor changed; and Allah is not forgetful like mortal men. If you require any proof, this statement should suffice for you to understand the perpetual practice of Allah:

11

Know, and may God have mercy on you, that I am a person to whom my Lord has granted all the attributes of a Reformer. He has shown me His signs and made me one of His men who have firm faith. He has showered me with blessings, and illuminated my abode, and there remains no wish of mine which He has not fulfilled. A man desires to be born to an affluent and landed family and to have a great ancestry; hence God has granted me this honour in all its perfection. Similarly, man wishes to be honoured in the physical and spiritual realms and to be revered among the dwellers of the heaven and earth; hence my Lord has bestowed upon me the respect of both realms and granted me reverence in both worlds. Sometimes people do not leave behind heirs and they do not have any children who may be their heirs after their death, and having no sons, they are beset by sadness, restlessness and anxiety. They spend their days in sorrow, weeping day and night. By the Grace of God, this kind of sorrow has not touched me in the slightest, for God has bestowed upon me sons who serve His faith. Often people wish that they be bestowed with pearls of wisdom and knowledge of special subjects, and that they may have money, gold, property, land and wealth. Hence, my Lord, with His perfect favour and kindness, has bestowed upon me all of these and given me a great share of the good things in this world and the Hereafter. He has showered me with blessings in all their perfection and granted me the best of both worlds without me even asking for it. Sometimes people wish that they may love God like an ardent lover loves his beloved; that he may be granted a drink from the goblet of the ones lost in divine love. And sometimes a person wishes that the doors of visions, revelations, knowledge of the unseen and miracles are opened unto him, and that his prayers are heard at once, and extraordinary signs and miracles occur at his hand, and that his God should converse with him and grant him the station of Divine Conversation and Divine Communion. All praise belongs to the Almighty God, for He has granted me all of this and bestowed upon me all the favours that I have ever read in books or heard of. He has made me among those that are granted closeness to the Almighty, and bestowed upon me the knowledge of the ones who came before and the ones who came after. He has granted me fluency and imbued my speech with the nectar of eloquence. He has adorned my speech with the mantle of articulation and strengthened my arguments. By God! My words have more effect on the hearts of men than a hundred-thousand swords. And these are the words by which I have ended the war and captured the castles, without any tyranny or oppression. Not a single enemy has been bold enough to challenge me in this field, apart from those who came forward and instantly perished from my rebuttal. In a nutshell, God has honoured me with all kinds of favours and has granted me both worldly and religious excellences. He has, through His Perfect Grace, overlooked my shortcomings in all matters, and through His Kindness and Grace has perfected my abode. He has given me the glad tiding that He will watch over me in all circumstances, whether I am alone or in the open, and that He will shower me with His Mercy in times of fear, granting me hope and conviction. I firmly believe that whatever is His is, as it were, mine; and that He is my Refuge, my Sanctuary, my Shield, and my Helper. He has permeated my heart, my veins, and my blood. To Him, I have such status that no one, Arab or non- Arab, can fathom. He created me and created all of my faculties, and with this convoy I travelled towards Him, and I moved towards Him just as water gushes forth from the peaks of mountains towards the valleys. He took me into His protection, and I took refuge under His cloak. He allowed me to glimpse the brilliance of His Beauty. Hence I turned away from my enemies and His enemies. He removed all my dirty clothes and dressed me in the mantle of Light. He chose me for Himself in this age, and I have no one except Him.

This was indeed His greatest favour. One of His blessings is that He opened my heart and transformed me into the full moon, therefore I was not afflicted by any of the worldly anxieties, grief or problems, and no one ever saw my forehead furrowed with worldly anxiety and sorrow. He made me the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi whose advent had been promised, upon which the religious scholars attacked me, assaulting me from every angle and claiming that I was a liar and deceiver. They refuted me, branded me as ignorant and misguided, and demonstrated no fear for the Day of Judgement. They inclined towards one extreme and reflected neither on the Hadith nor on the Quran. People gravitated towards these men who had raised such a hue and cry and had not sought the straight path. They established for them a portion from their alms and their wealth so that they could persevere in refuting my books and write their counter arguments. However, their rebuttals contained nothing but vile abuse and name calling of the worst kind. I challenged them to step into the field with their cavalry and counter me, and question me regarding whatever doubts they had in their hearts and whatever opinions they entertained about me. However, they did not step out of their doors and did not leave their home. It would have been better for them, that at the time this debate was announced, their faces lit up and their foreheads brightened hurrying towards me, so that they could render me speechless in the face of arguments from the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Without a doubt, truth can give courage even to an apprehensive heart and can open closed doors. Whereas, since their speech was based on falsehood, they ran away with their staves and their ropes.12 I offered to debate them on the basis of the Quran and the Sunnah; or if this was not acceptable, then on the basis of logical arguments; or if even that was not acceptable, then through heavenly signs. But not a single one of these three avenues was accepted. Some apologised to me like true sages and sought forgiveness and took the Bai‘at. God saved them from the doubt-inducing Satan. But others were recalcitrant in their denial and sought to expose me. Stating that I was false in my claim, and that my lie had been grave, and asking that I bring a credible sign if I was indeed truthful in my claim. They persisted in their demands and pressured me, causing me grief and pain. God then demonstrated manifest signs from heaven, but, as is the habit of the wretched, they denied them and turned away. Stubbornly rejecting these signs even though their hearts found them to be true, choosing not to follow the path of guidance. It has to be said, however, that having witnessed the signs of God, the Creator, they desisted from hurting me and the ferocity of their attacks abated somewhat.

Indeed, some became polite in their speech and adopted the course of civility and humility. From the time I have been appointed by God, the Master of all miracles, I have aspired to treat people with patience and kindness and to be cordial with whoever comes to me abandoning his habit of attacking. I have made this my practice and hence expected the same from my enemies. However, their arrogance became manifest, just as mountains become visible after the snow has melted away. None of the established decorum was found in them. I marvel at my heart as to how I feel pity for these opponents despite the fact that I get nothing from them except torment. They sought to humiliate and kill me, and wound me with words that were like spears. They took up the mantle of shamelessness and discarded the robe of truth and attacked me like wild animals, apart from those who repented, made amends, gave up abuse, and made a firm pact to eschew sins and never leave righteousness.

I do not seek any recompense from them lest some may think I am indebted to them, nor do I stand before them so that they should give me something. This is because my Gracious Lord looks after me in every single moment, and I hope that I move on from this world before I ever have to depend on anyone else. By God Almighty! I have come to the people so that I may guide them away from drought towards rain- bearing clouds; away from ignorance towards higher forms of knowledge; away from indolence towards diligence; away from humiliating defeat towards victory and bliss; away from Satan towards the God of Miracles. I wanted to apply the Marham-e-’isa13 on their itching wounds, but they did not choose reconciliation and instead chose to quarrel, dispute and target me with arrows of reproach. Except for a few revered personages among them, they turned into beasts from the cattle they were before. I brought to them miracles and took the lectern of missionaries among them and gave them as much advice as I could. Before this, they would pray for the arrival of these days and would seek the heavenly kingdom so as to come under its shade. But when the truth arrived in their land and heavenly blessings descended upon their homes, due to the long period of waiting, their chests had grown constrained and their light had faded. Indeed, I found most of them to be interned in the dungeon of ignorance, away from the path of justice. They do not desire to be free from this dungeon and to adopt the straight path; rather, the door of this dungeon is crafted from the iron of prejudice, animosity and rejection. This is the very reason that they increasingly abuse me and cause me grief through their rage. Their example is like that of a person who spent his entire life grieving because he had no son. He visited fakirs and fortune tellers seeking a solution through both medicine and prayer to have a son. But when, through the Grace of Allah, his wife became pregnant and that which he had sought was about to come to fruition, he sought to abort the foetus before it could be delivered. Wanting to abort the baby because of some desires that he had, and then destroying the baby like the shattering of glass into pieces. The truth is—and the truth I speak—that this is the example of those who seek to hurt me with their animosity. They tread difficult paths and refuse to tread the easiest and well- established path of cognition, even though they had previously been in search of it and used to pray to God like one thirsting for water. Then, upon my advent in keeping with God’s destiny, their faces grew dark. There were many who used to cry in their prayers like a woman in labour, such that their cries reached the heavens. Due to these prayers, my advent was hastened, and due to these emotions, I was brought into existence. I was invisible and unknown, not even capable of laying claim to the word I. It was their own prayers that made me come to light and beckoned me. And when I did come, it behoved that they should have been jubilant and should have glorified God at my advent and should have congratulated one another. On the contrary, however, they rejected me, abused me, hurtled down the paths of trying to excommunicate me, showed such infidelity that it became apparent that they were among the enemies and not among the seekers of truth. When I observed their dishonesty, much like that of people who adulterate food, I gave up hope and turned away. A time shall soon come when an entire world shall become attached to me, and kings shall receive blessings by touching my clothes. This has been destined by God and there is no one who can overturn His destiny. I do not say this from my own self; rather this is a revelation from the Lord of the High Heavens. My Lord has revealed to me and has promised me that He shall certainly help me until my mission has spread throughout the east and west. The oceans of truth shall surge forth and onlookers will be astounded by the ferociousness of the foaming waves.

It was my intention to write about some of the evils of this age; and I have kept this book free of any disrespect for righteous people following any other religion. I seek refuge with God from debasing pious scholars and vilification of courteous, honourable people, be they from the Muslims, Christians or the Aryas. Indeed, I do not even mention the foolish among these people, with the exception of those among them who are notorious for balderdash and spreading evil. Any person who is impeccable and has a pure tongue, I speak of him with due praise and respect and honour him and love him like a brother. In this regard I consider the rights of the three peoples [Muslims, Christians and Aryas] to be equal, and I lower the wing of kindness and tenderness. I, out of courtesy, will not criticise these noble people, implicitly or explicitly, for indirect speech accords ample scope to avoid lying. I will not backbite against those people who are outwardly pious. We do not speak ill of the foolish, but of those sick ones who have given themselves to every kind of evil and announce it openly before men and women. They are always out to dishonour people and use their faith as a shield when expressing such evil. You will find no shortage of such people from among every group. If you are not aware of this, then ask different people and enquire about its veracity from anyone. Such people are from among the masses and have no value in the eyes of decent people. They hurl abuse at their superiors and raise a hue and cry at the slightest suspicion. You will find them bawling on account of their wretchedness and poverty, for their religion revolves around money, and even for a little money they might change their religion. In a nutshell, in this book I have only condemned those who openly commit sin, and, like prostitutes, boldly indulge in all kinds of debauchery, and openly reveal their sinful and evil habits. They uncover what God has covered for them, and propagate their sins to the ends of the earth. To condemn a debauchee who himself showcases his sins cannot be considered by the wise as back-biting. Such people have destroyed their own homes with their own hands like a mad man. Hence, all that I have related in this book with regard to such mischievous people, refers only to them; I am completely absolved of reviling any of those people whose inner condition is veiled, for I leave their fate to God who has knowledge of all the worlds. I only condemn those who openly commit sin. Who can doubt that sin, along with corrupted beliefs, has become common in this age of ours; and there is none among us who will not attest to this. Ask anyone, high or low!

Misguided sects have mushroomed, depravity is rampant, the bigoted consume filth like animals feeding on dung. This reality of the latter days was foretold by our Lord and Master, the Best of Mankind, the Best of Prophets [Hazrat Muhammad sas]. He said that surely, you will follow the ways of those who were before you just like one footstep follows another. Here the Holy Prophet was explaining that the extent of falsehood and deception amongst the Muslims would become similar to the previous peoples. Explaining that inch by inch, centimetre by centimetre every habit would be adopted, so much so that if they were to enter the burrow of a lizard, you would enter after them. The scholars of Islam are aware that the Israelites splintered into seventy-one sects; therefore, based on these Hadith we can conclude that the sects of the Ummah of our Lord and Master, the Seal of the Prophets will also be similar to them in number. This dissension was absent during the first three centuries, from the first century of Prophethood till the century of the Taba‘ at-Tabi‘in14; rather it raised its head after many years and then grew day by day until it reached its zenith in this age. Prejudice has grown, knowledge has left the hearts of men and women, and people have chosen ignorant ones as their leaders, who have neither been given knowledge, nor granted any special spiritual status like the men of God. As such, they have gone astray, and advocate depravity. We see that the glory of faith and the honour of the Magnificence of our Lord God, is withdrawing back towards the Hijaz15, just as a serpent shrinks back to its burrow at the time of danger. The glory of faith and the respect for the boundaries it specifies have vanished everywhere, except in Mecca and Medina; and even in these two cities you can only observe the ruins of faith like a leftover nugget of gold from a once vast treasure. Even in these cities we are beginning to find innovations among some of the people and in other nations they are spreading like wildfire. Nonetheless, nowhere except in the Holy Land do we still smell the aroma of faith and feel its strength. As far as other countries are concerned, we see them filled with depravity.

In summary, sin and shamelessness have become common in this age, so much so that they have infiltrated into beliefs and doctrines and people commit them openly. This age now resembles a dark night, and on top of this you can observe the Christian clergymen leading people astray by distorting the truth through their writings and speeches. They attract people through their wealth and women and try to draw them into their faith by enticing them with property and wealth. They portray their freedom and licentiousness in a beautiful light and offer the best intoxicants. Thus, the apostates think that fasting, prayer and righteousness are a burden upon them. In short, this is the type of war that faithlessness is waging. However in a war, victory and defeat alternates between the warring parties. Now God’s anger has been provoked to come to the aid of His religion, how can He overlook all this. Not a day passes without a new innovation being made. The enemy sometimes interpolates the words [of God] or redacts them. The Ummah of Islam has splintered into sects and each of them has taken a different path [in the matters of faith]. Some of them have blindly followed the laws of nature and became Naturists, saying that they do not recognise the miracles and supernatural acts of the Prophets, for they are mere tales that are not validated by the laws of nature, nor do they find anything like it in the observable realm. Others have followed the majority opinion of the Muslim Ummah, even if that opinion was formed by a group of wicked people; and they say that whoever follows the path of Ijma‘ [consensus] is saved from stumbling.16 They do not realise that the concept of Ijma‘ was applicable to the time of the Companions [of the Holy Prophet]; then the great period of darkness came and many turned away from the straight path. This is why the need for an arbiter from God became so urgent, and this was also promised by the Bountiful God. People have split the Holy Quran into parts, some claiming that they are of the Ahlul-Hadith, rolling up their sleeves to vilify the followers of the four Imams. The other group of people [i.e. Naturists] claim that the Shariah of Islam has been rendered impractical in this age and that her breasts have dried up. They claim that these are all tall tales of the bygone ages, which are not balms but themselves cause wounds. They propagate this opinion extensively and promote these ideas. Observe how the hardships of this serpentine path have grown exponentially, and this belief has infiltrated most people, from prince to pauper.