Some people have asked me regarding the claim of Sheikh ‘Abdul Husain of Nagpur that he is the deputy of the Promised Mahdi and has been appointed by Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Know that I have not paid any attention to this matter, nor do I consider it worthy of my attention. Allah will remove the veils and reveal the whole truth. A tree is known by its fruit and after a time you will come to know every tree by the fruit it has brought forth. He who follows us in our beliefs is of us, and he who does not do so is not of us. Allah will judge between us and them. He is indeed the Best of Judges. Those who attack the honour of the Companions of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and accuse them of being disbelievers and sinners have nothing to do with us, and we have nothing to do with them. They have caused a rift in the religion of Allah and are the mischief-makers. These are the people who did not truly recognize Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] nor valued Khairul-Bariyyah [i.e. the Best of Creation—the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas)] because they considered most of his Companions to be sinners and disbelievers who did not keep away from foul deeds, who committed every type of betrayal, open and secret, and were hypocrites. Hence, Allah has diverted their [the Shiites’] hearts from the truth. They are being unjustly arrogant. They claim to love the household of the Messenger of Allah but they do not in truth love them.
They desire to please their own people by vilifying the Companions, but if they had been true believers, they would have been more keen to please Allah. Beware! They are following falsehood and are among those who create disorder. Prejudice has completely covered their eyes and blinded them. They can never be the friends of Allah, and a grievous punishment awaits them in the Hereafter. They are among those who are completely deprived. The only exceptions are those who repent, mend their ways, purify their hearts and their selves, and come faithfully to the Lord of the Throne. Allah will not let their reward be forgotten and will not join them with helpless and forsaken. You shall find the lights of Allah’s love illumining their countenances and the marks of Allah’s mercy adorning their faces, and you shall find them to be His true lovers. Faith has been etched in their hearts and there is a barrier between them and their selfish urgings, so that they do not follow the self except in what is true. They fall in supplication before Allah’s Threshold. They have built an edifice in their hearts for their Beloved and have completely surrendered before Him. They follow the best of what has been sent down to them from their Lord and they fear Allah as He should be feared. You will find them like those who have died [to their baser selves]. They refrain from insulting or backbiting others. They seek Allah’s forgiveness and shun evil deeds. They follow the Messenger perfectly, such that they become completely immersed in his love. Likewise, you will recognize the disobedient through their appearance, their associating partners with Allah, and the foul odour of their lies. Tell me, O seeker of truth, can lions be the same as foxes?
You should also know that only he can recognise the true friends of Allah who possesses the eye of righteousness. Therefore, do not exceed the limits and do not act rashly towards anyone, as you will become one of the transgressors. Hasten to be well-wishers of others and to do good deeds, for Allah loves those who do good deeds. Let not your mutual enmity make you antagonistic towards the righteous. Allah bestows His favour on whomsoever He wills from among His servants, and He cannot be questioned as to what He does. Do not, therefore, deny the truth like those who cross the limits. Do not underestimate the consequence of vilifying the friends of Allah. They are a people on whose behalf Allah demonstrates His fury. He fights their enemies and they are among the victorious. Do not approach them but in a goodly manner. If you are indeed righteous, then do not blaspheme them and do not transgress. Whoever makes an enemy of a truthful person is struck by tribulation. Alas for the impetuous! If any of you has ever harboured enmity against a truthful person, I admonish you to never do such a thing ever again.
Whoever hears the truth and rejects it and moves away from it, will eventually cry in grief. It does not behove Allah to destroy a people until He has presented the truth comprehensively and convincingly before them. If they then reject it, the Omnipotent One will seize them. Be fearful of Him, you who are negligent.