A Letter to the Scholars of India

These include: Maulawi ‘Abdul-Jabbar Ghaznawi, Maulawi ‘Abdur-Rahman Lakhukay, Maulawi Ghulam Dastagir Qasuri, Maulawi Mushtaq Ahmad Ludhianawi, Maulawi Muhammad Ishaq Batalawi, Qadhi Sulaiman, Maulawi Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Maulawi Muhammad Bashir Bhopalawi, Maulawi ‘Abdul-Haqq Dehlawi, Maulawi Nadhir Husain Dehlawi, Sheikh Husain Arab Bhopalawi, Hafiz ‘Abdul-Mannan Wazirabadi, Maulawi Shah Din Ludhianawi, Maulawi ‘Abdul-Majid Dehlawi, Maulawi ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Ludhanawi, Maulawi ‘Abdullah Talwandi, and Maulawi Nadhir Husain Anbethawi Saharanpuri.

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah who causes the moon to rise in splendour after the darkness of the crescent nights, relieves the earth with heavy rain after the drought, sends forth the breeze after its absence, guides His servants after they have been misled by the whisperings of Satan, shines His light when deep darkness prevails, and sends down guidance when ignorance reigns. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Master of the Messengers, the Best of Mankind, and upon his Companions who purified the earth of all kinds of evil and false innovation, and upon his household who, through their deeds, left behind an example for good men and women to follow, and upon all righteous servants of Allah.

O servants of Allah, you are aware that the fragrant breeze of Islam has ceased to blow, and its lights have dwindled, and trials and tribulations have become commonplace, and innovations in religion have appeared and spread. The beginning of the century that you long awaited has passed, why then has the Reformer you were expecting not appeared? Do you believe that Allah has failed to keep His promise, or perhaps you are the ones who have been negligent? Do understand that Allah has sent me as a Reformer for this age. He has given me knowledge of His book the Quran and has made me a Mujaddid to arbitrate in matters wherein you differ. Why do you not obey your Arbiter and why do you deny and attack me when I am neither a disbeliever nor an apostate? The fact is that you did not comprehend the mysteries of Allah. You lost your reasoning faculties and gave in to delusions and accused me of apostasy without trying to fathom even an iota of what I was saying to you. You are indeed a hasty people.

By Allah, I do not claim prophethood, and I do not overstep the boundaries of Islam, and I only receive from the treasure of Khatamul-Anbiya’ [the Seal of the Prophets]. I believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, and I pray facing the Qiblah. Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy? Do you not fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds?

O people! Do not be hasty in judging me. My Lord knows that I am a Muslim. Do not, then, apostatize a Muslim. Ponder deeply upon Divine scriptures and reflect upon the Holy Quran. Allah did not create you to accuse others of blasphemy without any knowledge, to abandon the ways of compassion, tolerance and goodwill, and to curse the believers. Why do you knowingly go against the Word of God? Were you brought into existence solely to accuse the believers of heresy? Or have you perchance cut open our hearts and found hypocrisy, disbelief and falsehood therein? Repent, O people! Repent and show penitence. Do not exceed all limits in your suspiciousness. Fear Allah, do not blaspheme and do not despair of His mercy. Surely, He will not allow the Ummah of Khairul-Mursalin [the Best of Messengers] to go astray. He created mankind so that they may worship Him, and He sent the Messengers so that they may spread true knowledge and judge concerning that wherein people differ. He made the commandments plain so that people might obey and fear Him. He sent Reformers to remind people of that which they had forgotten. He deepened their insights so that they may detach themselves from the world and He may tell apart those who obey and those who reject. For the people who follow the right path, He prescribed the bai‘at [pledge of allegiance], so that they may become heirs to ever-increasing blessings. He made it incumbent upon them to think good of others so that they may thereby avoid the paths of destruction and be safe. He opened for them the doors to repentance so that they might be forgiven and absolved. Allah is ever more abounding in mercy and grace. He is Arhamur-Rahimin [the One who is the most Merciful of all who show mercy]. It does not behove me to forge a lie against Allah; He will most certainly destroy the wrongdoers.

I was named ‘Isa ibn Maryam [Jesus son of Mary] on the authority of Divine revelation. It is not possible for me to forego this status after Allah, the All-Knowing, has designated it for me. Nor do I find this contrary to Divine verities or the Traditions of the Best of Messengers (sas). The truth is that you have stumbled and are not even remorseful. You have not turned to the Holy Quran, nor pondered deeply upon the Traditions. You have abandoned the paths of guidance and truth and are inclined towards bigotry and antagonism. Your selfish inclinations have so overwhelmed you that you do not even try to understand the meanings of the words and have instead adopted the stance of the biased. Alas! You are ever ready to insult others but do not see your own faults because of the deceit of Satan. Heedlessly, you chase after the world and its vanities. By Allah, mixing the world with faith is a desire that has never been fulfilled. It is harder and more problematic than marrying two women and expecting them to live together in harmony. If only you would ponder over this!

Know, that the raiment of righteousness is of no benefit without the truth that is only known to the Lord. Every dark fruit is not a date, nor is every reddish drink wine. Many a charlatan holds on to the Lord of mankind like a chameleon hangs on to a tree, but he has no share of its fruits and knows nothing of its sweetness. Thus has Allah made the hearts of the hypocrites; they pray but do not know what true prayer is; they give alms but do not know what charity is; they fast but do not know what real fasting is; they perform the Pilgrimage but do not know the significance of ihram; they profess the Shahadah [There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah] but do not know what Tauhid [Oneness of Allah] is; and they say, ‘To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return,’ but they do not know who the One True Master is. They are like cattle; nay, even lower than cattle. The true servants and faithful lovers of Allah, on the other hand, reach the core of the truth and the essence of reality. Allah plants in their hearts the mighty tree of His glory and majesty, and so they live in His love, die for His love, and when the time of gathering comes, rise from their graves in His love. They are people who have completely given themselves to Allah. They bear hardship for His sake and turn their attention exclusively to Him. They move only when He moves them, speak when He causes them to speak, look where He guides their gaze, and befriend or shun others by His leave. True faith is theirs and self-effacement is their abode. They are so hidden in the cloak of Allah’s protective jealousy that none of the blind ones can recognize them. They are known by signs and miracles and the support of Allah who befriends them and bestows on them all manner of blessings. He helps them in every calamity and grants them clear victory in every battle. They are the disciples of the Gracious God. He is to them as a midwife is to a baby. Their every movement comes from the Hand of providence and from the One concealed from the eyes of creation. Their every action is miraculous and they excel in all manner of good. Their patience is a miracle, their truthfulness is a miracle, their loyalty is a miracle, their contentment is a miracle, their compassion is a miracle, their wisdom is a miracle, their modesty is a miracle, their prayer is a miracle, their speech is a miracle, their worship is a miracle, and their steadfastness is a miracle. Allah has elevated them to a position that humankind cannot perceive. They are the people whose companion is not deprived and whose friends are not rejected. You will discern in their assemblies the scent of the Beloved and the sweetness of the morning breeze, unless you are dispossessed of the faculty of smell and are not of those who have been deprived. Blessings descend upon their homes and upon their friends, and you will witness those blessings if you are not blind.

O people, your excuses have fallen apart and your lies have been laid bare. You rushed to attack me like assailants but my Lord saved me from annihilation and I emerged triumphant and victorious. O people, you have transgressed greatly! Fear Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware. Do not make yourselves, in your enmity to me, like the bones whose marrow has been extracted, and do not create disorder in the earth unjustly. I am a man who cares naught for rank or status of the world; I crave poverty and humility just as a greedy person craves gold and silver. I seek humility, like the ailing seek medicine or the poor seek wealth. I put my trust in Allah, the Best of Creators. I do not fear sharp tongues or harsh words. My Lord protects and keeps me safe from all evil and from the mischief of the wrongdoers.

O people, do not follow those who have opposed me. Let each one of you reflect upon what the end of the transgressors will be if I am true, but you insult me and accuse me of falsehood and blasphemy, and seek to harm me. I did not renew the Khilafah of my own accord but by the command of Allah, the Compassionate. I am in the Hands of my Lord who nourishes me, just like the newborn in the hands of the midwife.

I was in great sorrow due to the tribulations of this age, the domination of the Christians, and all sorts of afflictions. When Allah saw that my heart was in distress and my soul was anguished and my body trembled with trepidation, He looked at me with His loving and tender eye, and elected me out of His mercy and grace, and said:

إِنِّی جَاعِلُکَ فِی الأَرْضِ خَلِیْفَةً

I am making you a Khalifah upon the Earth.

He said:

أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَسْتَخْلِفَ فَخَلؒقْتُ آدَمَ

I decided to appoint a Khalifah from Myself so I created this Adam.

All this is from my Lord. Do not fight Allah, if you are righteous. He does what He wills, why then are you so surprised? I realize that in your eyes I am the most wretched and ignorant of people, but how I can reject the grace of the One who is the Most Merciful of all who show mercy? I do not say any of this without proper research, for I have a testimony from the Traditions and from the Holy Quran. Would you not accept these testimonies? Do you not see how Allah has clarified the matter of the death of the Messiah, how Khairur-Rusul [the Best of Messengers] has categorically testified to it, and how the interpretation of Ibn ‘Abbas collaborates the two? Yet, you deny and forsake the words of Allah and His Messenger without any fear of God, and you insist upon the word nuzul even though you have knowledge of past scriptures. Allah has not narrated anything to you that does not have a parallel in those scriptures. How then can you go astray in the light of all those examples? Are you deliberately abandoning the path of truth? Allah has said that your sustenance is in Heaven,1 and has told you about the nuzul [descent] of iron, clothes, cattle and all that you need, while you know that these things do not come down from heaven but are born of the earth, and that these descriptions only point to the appearance of warmth, light, rain and air. What then is the matter with you that you reflect not and act impetuously? You know only of the appearance of things but forget their reality and pass by the signs of Allah heedlessly. If you are in any doubt about what I say, wait and see what becomes of me, and I will wait with you. There is a lot of knowledge that Allah has kept hidden in order to test humankind. Know, then, that this is also a subject that is hidden, while you have nothing with you but conjecture. Therefore, O deniers, do not excommunicate me based on your conjectures. Desist, and it is indeed better if you do so. I am not perturbed by everything you do by way of abuse, criticism, denial and accusations of apostasy. I only submit my complaints to Allah. When I observed your aversion and reluctance, I knew it was a trial from Allah. I desire only to please Him and He is the One who is the Most Merciful of all who show mercy. I remembered my Glorious Lord and I exercised patience and forbearance, but you were not to be guided and continued to be cruel and unjust. Allah commanded: لَا تَنَابَزُوۡا2 but you did just that. He said: لَا یَسۡخَرۡ قَوۡمٌ مِّنۡ قَوۡمٍ3 but you derided me. He said: یٰعِیۡسٰۤی اِنِّیۡ مُتَوَفِّیۡکَ4 but you denied it. He also said: اجۡتَنِبُوۡا کَثِیۡرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ5 and yet you remained suspicious, accusing me of disbelief and insulting me. He said: لَا تَجَسَّسُوۡا6 but you spied and turned away frowning. Allah also said: لَا یَغۡتَبۡ بَّعۡضُکُمۡ بَعۡضًا ؕ اَیُحِبُّ اَحَدُکُمۡ اَنۡ یَّاۡکُلَ لَحۡمَ اَخِیۡہِ مَیۡتًا7 and: لَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا لِمَنۡ اَلۡقٰۤی اِلَیۡکُمُ السَّلٰمَ لَسۡتَ مُؤۡمِنًا8 but you engaged in backbiting and accused me of apostasy. I see that you still do not desist. Do you forget Allah’s retribution and the confines of the grave, or have you been given an exemption in the scriptures or granted immunity by Allah, the Lord of the worlds? Think, and then think again, do you believe in the depths of your hearts that Allah, who helps you at every moment, would not send a Reformer at such a tumultuous time? You had been praying for victory but when the help of Allah came, you were the first to reject it. You ignored me and turned away from me and replaced your love with hatred. Your goodwill has melted away, your love has vanished, and you have become the greatest of opponents. When I saw their treacherous heedlessness and the fact that they went to such pains to apostatize me, I realized that it would be of no use to address such people. Therefore, I have turned my attention to noblemen and scholars from among the Arabs, and I believe that they will accept me, come to me, and hold me in high regard. I was glad to see these blessed faces, and my optimism at this promising situation led me to write some books in clear Arabic. I realized that if I were to benefit these brothers, I should write to them disclosing the innermost spiritual Truths. Therefore, I wrote Tuhfat Baghdad, Hamamatul-Bushra, Nurul-Haqq, Karamatus-Sadiqin, Itmamul-Hujjah, and this present work Sirrul-Khilafah. In these texts, there are many benefits for those who think of me as an apostate. I am sure that my Lord will forgive all those who come to me having confessed their sins.

Do you not see that the garbs of our religion are all worn out, its palaces are in ruins, and it has become a prey of the enemy? In these circumstances, does it surprise you that God, by His grace and mercy, has come to your aid and has not deprived you of the shelter of His grace? How could it be that the coming of the Dajjal [Antichrist] was required in this age but there was no need for God’s help? What is the matter with you and where are you wandering? Where are your reason and understanding, and where is your wisdom and insight and vision that you are unable to tell apart the truthful ones from the liars? I have indeed lived among you a whole lifetime before this; will you not then understand? A man who spends all his energy and all that God has given him in the service of the religion that He loves will be considered as an heir to that religion. You have witnessed my concern for Islam and what I have done for the welfare of the followers of Khairul-Anam [the Best of Mankind], and yet you do not see! I have presented every sign before you but you do not reflect. Truly, I came to you to save you from a burning deception and a flaming terror, and yet you do not reflect. You attributed to me the claim of prophethood and did not fear Allah at this aspersion, and you are not of those who fear Him. You do not grasp my words and you think that the sweet, clear water I offer you is salty and bitter, and you do not understand. How can an arrogant one understand Divine secrets while he turns away from the truth, is moved by enmity and is happy in his ignorance, and inclines towards frivolity and deviates from the right path like the blind?

While turning away from my discourse and denouncing me as misguided, you say that angels physically descend on the earth, vacating their places in heaven and leaving them empty; and that sometimes they do not return to their places for a long time or go near them because they spend time on earth undertaking various tasks for human beings, and, according to the Sheikh of Batala, they also waste time in the journey. He has not outlined this in so many words but this is what is construed from his statements. Anyone who needs to travel to complete a task will certainly spend time travelling, as the former necessitates the latter. This much is obvious. As such, it is possible that due to the time spent in travel, there may not be enough time left to complete the task properly and it might remain unfinished. Just look at the dire implications that such a belief entails. How can you move away from a doctrine of faith and give more credence to other statements? You are aware that belief in the existence of angels is one of the pillars of faith, and that the descent of angels resembles the descent of God in all its attributes. How then can a believer accept that the heavens become empty when the angels descend, that no one is left behind, that the whole system is disrupted and falls into disarray, and that all who are in heaven are cast out and heaven is left empty? If this is indeed the truth, then show us some categorical evidence for it. You will, however, not be able to submit such proof even if you die trying. O transgressors! Repent and fear Allah.

Know, that the authenticity and the understanding of a text are like twins; anyone who does not give equal credence to both falls into the pit of deprivation and wastes his treasure of knowledge and insight. One of the characteristics of our religion is that it combines reason with revelation, and understanding with authenticity, and does not leave us to slumber in ignorance. We ask Allah to grant us the true understanding of faith, to make wisdom our dwelling place, to bestow upon us a vision of Paradise with the vision of our hearts, to let us move forward with obedience, to enable us to dedicate ourselves to pleasing the Gracious Lord, to make the Divine threshold our abode, forgetting any other home, and to spend our mornings and evenings in the pleasure of Allah who is our Protector. May we hasten to that which is more appropriate. May we walk the path of knowledge and hasten to the ways of God’s love. May we take shelter in His strong fortresses and abodes which are protected from the attacks of devils by the armour of the example of the Unlettered Prophet, Khatamun-Nabiyyin [the Seal of the Prophets]. O Allah, bless and prosper him to the Day of Judgement. Our last prayer is that glorified be the name of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!

Scribed by
His most unworthy humble servant of Allah, the One, Ghulam Muhammad of Amritsar, one of the disciples of His Holiness,
The Promised Messiah and the Most Eminent Mahdi.
May God perpetuate his blessings.
This was completed on July 14, 1894, on a Saturday.