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Glad Tidings of the Victory of Islam

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the Distinct Manifestation of God Almighty

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an Invitation to the Paths of its Pursuit and the Means of its Support!

[My Lord! Infuse the spirit of blessings into this composition of mine and inspire the hearts of people to incline towards it.]

O readers! [May Allah forgive in this world and the hereafter.] Today, after a lengthy duration of time, this humble one calls your attention to an important treatise concerning the divine mission that God Almighty has entrusted me with for the defence of the religion of Islam. In this treatise, I wish to impress upon you gentlemen—with the fullest capacity of speech that God Almighty has Himself conferred upon me—the greatness of this mission and the need to support this undertaking, that I might be absolved of the duty incumbent upon me to convey the message. Therefore, in setting forth this topic, I am not the least concerned with what impact this composition has upon the hearts. My sole objective is to discharge—in the manner it ought to be done—the duty that is obligatory upon me and the conveying of the message that is demanded of me as a mandatory debt, regardless of whether people listen to it with attentive ears or look upon it with aversion and constraint, and whether they think well of me or entertain ill-thinking about me in their hearts. [And I resign my affair to Allah, and Allah is Ever Watchful over His servants.]

I now proceed to write the treatise which has been promised above, as follows:

O seekers after truth and true lovers of Islam! It is clear to you all that this age in which we are expending our lives is such a dark time that extreme wickedness has permeated whatever exists in matters of faith and deeds. A fierce tempest of vice and depravity rages from every direction. What is called faith has been replaced by a few words of mere verbal profession, and the phenomena referred to as good deeds are deemed to be satisfied by so many rites of ceremony or extravagance, or acts of hypocrisy, whilst being completely oblivious to what true piety is. Even the philosophy and naturalism of this age stand in stark opposition to spiritual well-being. Infatuation with them proves to have an extremely negative influence upon those acquainted with them, and seduces them towards [spiritual] darkness. They stir toxic elements and awaken the slumbering satan [within]. Those who indulge in these disciplines frequently develop such scepticism in religious matters that they begin to view the principles established by God Almighty, as well as the acts of worship related to fasting, prayer, etc., with an attitude of contempt and derision. Their hearts do not so much as hold any regard or reverence even for the Being of God Almighty. On the contrary, most of them are coloured with apostasy and filled with atheism and despite being recognized as the progeny of Muslims, they are enemies of the Faith.

Oftentimes it verily happens that those who are studying in colleges are not even relieved from learning their required disciplines before they have relieved and resigned themselves from the Faith and from sympathy for the Faith. This is merely one branch that I have mentioned that is laden with the fruits of darkness in the present age, but there are yet hundreds of other branches besides it that are no less than it!

It is generally observed that trust and honesty have departed from the world to such a degree as if they have disappeared completely. Fraud and deceit in pursuit of worldly wealth have transgressed beyond the extreme; the individual most cunning of all being considered the most competent of all! Various forms of dishonesty, fraud, adultery, deceit, and falsehood; schemes abounding in the most egregious degree of cunning and covetousness; and habits rife with evil are spreading about. Vindictiveness and wrangling, combined with the utmost cruelty, are on the rise. A storm of bestial and evil passions has surged forth. The more adept and proficient people become in these contemporary sciences and laws, the more deficient they become in the natural traits of nobility of disposition and nobility of conduct, and the innate qualities of modesty, shame, fearfulness of God, and honesty.

The teachings of Christians, too, are devising different types of mines to blow up [the edifice of] truth and honesty. Christians are painstakingly exerting the maximum effort to concoct all the subtle nuances of falsehood and fabrication to obliterate Islam, employing them at every occasion and opportunity in order to plunder [Muslims of their faith]. Brand new paradigms to beguile and ever modern means to mislead are being fashioned. They egregiously insult the Perfect Man [Muhammad(sa)], who was the Pride of all Holy Ones, the Crown of all Chosen Ones, and the Chief of all Noble Messengers, to the extent that Islam and the Holy Guide of Islam are diabolically portrayed in theatrical shows in a variety of unflattering themes and caricatures. Such slander is propagated by means of the theatre in which all villainy has been employed to debase the honour of Islam and the Holy Prophet.

Now—O Muslims!—listen and listen attentively! To the extent that this Christian nation has employed convoluted calumny to impede the purifying effect of Islam, indulging in the most deceptively fraudulent machinations and breaking their backs in propagating them while streaming money as if it were water, and exerting efforts even to the point of exhausting the most shameful means—the mentioning of which is better left out of this essay—for the very sake of those magical feats from the court of Christian nations and advocates of the Trinity; it is completely beyond belief and imagination for naive souls to be delivered from this European sorcery so long as God Almighty does not brandish that Mighty Hand which holds within itself the power of a miracle and so long as He does not shatter this spell of sorcery into pieces with that miracle. So in order to thwart this enchantment, God Almighty granted this miracle to the true Muslims of the present age by sending this servant of His to confront the enemies—having honoured him with His revelation and word and His special blessings, and having bestowed upon him perfect understanding of the subtle intricacies of His path, and having granted him a multitude of heavenly wonders and miracles, and spiritual insights and subtleties—so that this Heavenly Stone may smash the waxen idol prepared by European sorcery. Therefore—O Muslims!—the coming of this humble one is a miracle from God to dispel the darkness of this spell. Was it not demanded that a miracle should also appear in the world to confront this sorcery? Is this idea so strange and incredible in your eyes that God Almighty should manifest such a divine radiance as bears the impact of a miracle to confront the most egregious degree of wile which has accrued up to the true [deceptive] nature of magic?

O wise ones! Marvel not that God Almighty has sent down a Heavenly Light during this time of need and within these days of intense darkness, having designated a servant for the universal good, and sent him into the world for the purpose of [demonstrating] the supremacy of the message of Islam, promoting the light of the Best of Mankind [the Holy Prophet(sa)], and to help the Muslims as well as to purify their inner condition. Rather, astonishment would have been applicable in the event that that God—who is the Defender of the faith of Islam and who had promised that He would forever remain the Guardian of the Quranic teaching and would never allow it to grow cold, lifeless, or lightless—had kept silent upon seeing this darkness, gazing upon mischief, internal and external, all the while forgetting that promise of His which He had affirmed so emphatically in His Holy Word!

I say it again, if there were an occasion for surprise, it would be that the clear and explicit prophecy of that Holy Messenger went unfulfilled, in which it had been stated that God Almighty would continue to raise a servant of such [exalted] calibre at the head of every century who would revive His Religion.3 So this is no occasion for surprise. On the contrary, it is an occasion for rendering thousands upon thousands of thanks, and it is a time to strengthen one’s faith and conviction that God Almighty, through His grace and mercy, fulfilled His promise and did not allow even a minute’s delay in the prophecy of His Messenger. Not only did He fulfil this prophecy, but He also opened the door to thousands of prophecies and miracles in the future. If you possess faith, be grateful and perform prostrations of gratitude for you have chanced upon the epoch in whose eager anticipation your noble forefathers passed away, and in whose very yearning countless souls departed from this life. It now lies within your hand to appreciate it or not as well as to benefit from it or not.

I shall proclaim it time and time again—the declaration of which I cannot refrain from—that I am the very one who was sent at the appointed time for the reformation of mankind so that the Faith might be firmly planted afresh within the hearts. I am sent in the same manner as the one [i.e. Jesus(as)] who had been sent after the man of God, Kalimullah [the one who converses with Allah; i.e. Moses(as)], and whose soul was raised to Heaven after a great deal of suffering during the reign of Herod. Thus, when the second Kalimullah [i.e. Muhammad(sa)]—who is, in fact, the foremost of them all and is the Chief of all Prophets—came to punish other ‘pharaohs’, and about whom it was stated,

[Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger, who is a witness over you, even as We sent a Messenger to Pharaoh (Surah al-Muzzammil, 73:16).]

Then he—who in his mission was the likeness of the first Kalim, albeit superior to him in rank—was also given a promise of [a follower of his coming in] the likeness of the Messiah. And that likeness of the Messiah [i.e. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as)]—bearing the power, spirit, and unique character of the Messiah Son of Mary—descended from Heaven at a time that resembles that very age [of the first Messiah] and after nearly the same duration of time that existed from the time of the first Kalim up to the time of the Messiah Son of Mary; that is, the fourteenth century. That descent was spiritual in nature just as the descent of [spiritually] perfect people occurs for the reformation of mankind after their [spiritual] ascent. And he descended in an age resembling all aspects of the very age in which the Messiah Son of Mary descended so that it might be a Sign for those who reflect.4

Therefore, it is incumbent on everyone not to be hasty in rejecting him lest he is adjudged fighting against God Almighty. The people of the world who persist stubbornly in their obscure imagination and antiquated ideas will not accept him, but the time has drawn nigh which will expose their error to them.

A Warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God shall accept him and demonstrate his truthfulness with mighty assaults.

This is not the word of man; it is the revelation of God Almighty and the word of the Glorious Lord. I hold the firm belief that the days of those assaults are near at hand, albeit these assaults will not be with the scimitar and hatchet, and no need will exist for swords and muskets. On the contrary, the help of God Almighty will descend with spiritual weaponry, and a fierce conflict will ensue with the ‘Jews’. Who are they? The superficial literalists of this age who have followed the Jews in complete unison, step for step. All of them will be split asunder by the heavenly sword of Allah, obliterating the traits of the [wayward] Jews. And lo! Every truth-concealing, one-eyed deceiver worshipping the world who lacks the eye of faith shall be slain by the sword of irrefutable arguments. Truth will triumph. Then, a day of revival and light shall return for Islam which had come before, and that sun will rise again in its full perfection as it had risen before. But for now, it is not so. It is necessary that Heaven should restrain it from rising until our hearts bleed from toil and devotion marked by self-sacrifice, and we abandon every comfort for its dawn, and we embrace every humiliation for the glory of Islam.

The revival of Islam demands a ransom from us. What is that [ransom]? To die in this very path! This is the very death upon which the life of Islam, the life of the Muslims, and the glorious manifestation of the Living God depend; and this is the very phenomenon whose name is otherwise expressed as ‘Islam’. God Almighty now desires the revival of this very Islam, and in preparation for the undertaking of that momentous mission, it was necessary that He establish on His own behalf a grand operation that would prove effective in every way. So, that Wise and Omnipotent One did precisely that by sending this humble one for the reformation of mankind. In order to draw the world towards truth and righteousness, He divided the work of promoting truth and propagating Islam into several branches.

Accordingly, one branch from among these branches is the arrangement for the compilation and composition of publications, the management of which has been placed in the trust of this humble one.

And lo! Such insights and subtleties were intimated [to me] which are not within the capacity of man, but can be known only through the power of God Almighty; and intricacies were unravelled not through human industriousness, but through the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

The second branch of this operation is the arrangement for the distribution of leaflets, which is underway through divine command for the purpose of Itmam-e-Hujjat [the Conclusive Argument]. Thus far, over 20,000 leaflets have been published—and will forever continue to be [published] in the future, during times of need—to fully convey Islamic arguments to the people of different faiths.

The third branch of this operation consists of visitors, travellers, and those who journey in search of truth, and those who come for other various reasons, [all of] whom—having obtained tidings of this heavenly undertaking—regularly come to visit, inspired by their respective motives. This branch, too, is in equal growth and expansion. Although it is somewhat less on certain days, there are other days wherein this activity picks up with the utmost zeal. Accordingly, during the past seven years, a little over 60,000 guests must have come. Only God Almighty has knowledge of the extent to which those among them who were ready and willing obtained spiritual benefit, resolution of their challenges, and removal of their weaknesses through the means of discourse. Nevertheless, there is absolutely no doubt that this approach, consisting of these verbal explanations that were given—or are being given—in reply to the questions of inquirers, or whatever is expounded on my part as is appropriate for the time and occasion, is proven in some cases to be far more beneficial and effective and quicker to permeate the hearts in comparison with literature. This is the very reason that all Prophets viewed this method with respect, and with the exception of the Word of God Almighty—which was propagated in a specific manner, indeed being committed to writing—all remaining sayings of the Prophets were disseminated as verbal discourses upon their respective occasions.

This indeed was the general rule of the Prophets that, much like judicious orators during times of need, they would—strengthened by the Spirit—deliver addresses in various assemblies and gatherings suitable to the occasion. However, [they spoke] not like the orators of this age, who merely showcase their wealth of knowledge through their lectures, or whose intent is to ensnare some simpleton to follow them through their spurious logic and sophistic arguments, thereby making him even more worthy of hell than they are. On the contrary, Prophets spoke with the utmost simplicity and poured into the hearts of others that would spring forth from their own heart. Their sacred words would flow at the exact point and precise time of need, and they would not recite to their audience in the manner of amusement or fiction. Rather, seeing them sick and suffering from diverse spiritual afflictions, they would admonish them as a type of cure or would dispel their doubts with irrefutable arguments. The words in their discourse were few, but plentiful in meaning. Hence, this is precisely the rule observed by this humble one, and the door to dialogue always remains open in conformity with the aptitude of the visitors and travellers, tailored to their needs and with regard to their spiritual maladies.5 To ward off evil by marking it as a target and shooting it with the necessary arrows of admonition, and to restore deteriorated morality to its true shape and position by treating it like a limb dislocated from its joint, is a cure that requires being face-to-face in the presence of the sick and is not possible in any other setting.

This is the very reason that God Almighty sent so many thousands of Prophets and Messengers and enjoined [people to seek] the honour of being in their blessed company, so that the people of every age—acquiring eyewitness precedents first-hand and beholding their life as the embodiment of the Word of God—might strive to emulate them. If being in the company of the righteous had not been amongst the requirements of religion, then God Almighty could have revealed His Word by some other means without sending Messengers and Prophets, or He could have limited the affair of Messengership to just the very beginning of time, forever terminating the future succession of Prophethood, Messengership, and revelation. However, the profound wisdom and sagacity of God Almighty did not approve of this at all; in times of need—that is, whenever the love of God, His worship, righteousness and purity, and other essential matters suffer a decline—holy people, receiving revelation from God Almighty, have been appearing throughout the world in the form of exemplars. These two decrees are mutually dependent, that if God Almighty is drawn towards the reformation of humanity for all times to come, then it is absolutely essential that such people continue to appear for all times to come as are bestowed sight through the special favour of God Almighty Himself and steadfastly tread upon the path of His pleasure. Without a doubt, it is a certain and established fact that this monumental feat of reforming mankind cannot be undertaken simply by making castles in the air. For this [to occur], it is incumbent to tread upon the very path which the holy Prophets of God Almighty have been treading upon since time immemorial. Islam, from its very inception, had embraced this effective approach so firmly and resolutely that its parallel cannot be found in other faiths.

Who can point out the existence anywhere else of this large a community, which had grown beyond even 10,000 in number—and with perfect conviction, humility, self-sacrifice, and absolute effacement—that would lay prostrate at the threshold of the Prophet day and night in order to attain truth and seek righteousness? No doubt, Moses also had a community, but as to how and to what extent it was rebellious, disobedient, and distant and detached from spiritual fellowship and the right path, is a well-known matter to scholars of the Bible and students of Jewish history. However, the community of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had developed such unity and spiritual solidarity in the path of their Chosen Messenger that it actually became like one limb [of the same body] from the perspective of Islamic brotherhood.

The light of Prophethood had so permeated their daily routines and lives—inside and out—that it was as if they were all mirror images of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Accordingly, this tremendous miracle of inner transformation, through which vulgar idol worshippers progressed to the point of perfect worship of God—and through which those constantly submerged in worldly affairs forged such a bond with the True Beloved that they shed their blood without hesitation in His way as though it were water—was actually the result of sincerely living their lives in the company of a true and perfect Prophet. Hence, it is upon this very basis that this humble one has been appointed to uphold this movement, and desires that the silsilah [spiritual chain] of those who keep companionship be expanded even wider—such people staying day and night in fellowship as those who carry the passion to strengthen their faith, love, and conviction—and that the kinds of light that have been manifested upon this humble one be manifested upon them, and that the dhauq [spiritual perception] that has been conferred upon this humble one be conferred upon them, so that the light of Islam may spread all over the world and the dark stain of disgrace and humiliation be wiped off the forehead of Muslims. Giving this very glad tiding, the Lord God sent me and said:

Now come forward and go forth, as your time is near. The time is now coming that the people of Muhammad will be lifted from the pit and their steps will be planted firmly on a strong tower.

The fourth branch of this operation is the correspondence that is written to seekers after truth or adversaries. Accordingly, during the previously mentioned period to this date, a little over 90,000 letters must have been received whose replies have been written, with the exception of some letters considered worthless or unnecessary. This campaign proceeds routinely as well, and every month the exchange of letters probably reaches the extent of 300 to 700 or as many as 1,000.

The fifth branch of this [divine] movement, which God Almighty has established through His special revelation and inspiration, is the system of votaries and those taking the bai‘at [pledge of initiation]. Accordingly, He informed me at the time of establishing this jama‘at [community]:

The earth is covered with the flood of error. You should prepare this ark in this time of flood so that whoever boards this ark would be delivered from being drowned and whoever will persist in denial will face death.

He also said:

Whoever pledges his hand in your hand, pledges it not in your hand, but the Hand of Almighty God.

Furthermore, the Lord God gave me the glad tiding: I will cause you to die, and exalt you towards Me, and I will cause your followers to prevail over your deniers till the Day of Judgement.

This is a fivefold movement that God Almighty has established with His own hand. Granted, an individual with superficial thinking might consider only the scheme of publishing books to be necessary, while dismissing the other branches as unnecessary and useless; however, all of them are vital in the view of God Almighty. As for the cause of the reformation that He has ordained, that reformation cannot possibly come to pass except through employing these five methods. Although this entire operation is entrusted to the special assistance and special grace of God Almighty—He alone being sufficient to bring about its fruition and His promises of good news granting a sense of reassurance—yet it is through His very command and prompting that the attention of Muslims is being drawn to provide assistance, just as how in the days of yore all the Prophets of God Almighty would draw the attention [of people] during times of difficulties. So, it is with this same purpose of calling attention that I proclaim the obvious fact of how much collective support is required from Muslims to maintain the best and broadest approach of implementing these five branches.

Considering just the initiative of publishing books as an example, imagine—if we accept this service as our responsibility with the intent of maximum propagation—the financial resources that will be incumbent upon us for its accomplishment. For, if our intent is truly to accomplish the propagation [of Islam], then our real goal should be the dissemination of our religious publications—which are replete with the gems of diligent investigation and meticulous scrutiny, drawing seekers of truth to the right path—to urgently and abundantly reach those who have been infected by corrupt teachings and are either afflicted with fatal [spiritual] diseases or are well-nigh on the brink of [spiritual] death. In addition, wherever the prevailing circumstances of a country become perilous in consequence of the deadly poison of misguidance, it should always be our concern to distribute our books there without delay, and those books should be seen in the hands of every seeker after truth. Nevertheless, it is obvious that this objective cannot possibly be achieved in its fullest and most perfect sense if we always maintain the mindset that our books should be disseminated through selling. To disseminate books exclusively through sales, and to forcibly thrust religion into the material world due to selfish motives, is the most worthless and objectionable approach. And due to the resulting misfortune, neither could we rapidly distribute our books throughout the world, nor could we give those books to people in large numbers.

Without a doubt, the assertion is true and absolutely true that were we to, for instance, distribute 100,000 books free of charge, we could dispatch all of those books to far and distant countries in just twenty days, and we could circulate them generally across every echelon [of society] and every locale, granting them to every seeker after truth and everyone searching for the right path. In the event we imposed a price for such distribution, we would probably be unable to accomplish such an operation of this lofty calibre even over a period of twenty years. In the case of sales, we would lock up the books in cases and would wait for purchasers; that is, when will someone arrive or send a letter [of request]. During this prolonged period of anticipation, it is quite likely that we ourselves may depart from this very world while the books remain locked up and bound in cases! Hence, whereas the scope of selling is quite restricted and seriously obstructs the true objective, extending the work of a few years to centuries; and no magnanimous and generous Muslim nobleman has yet come forward to purchase a large number of copies of our recent publications to distribute them free, purely for the sake of Allah; nor does any such society exist within Islam that is similar to the Christian mission, which can aid in this endeavour;6 nor is there any guarantee of life, which would permit us to—hopeful of a long life—wait for some distant future; therefore, with regard to my books, I have resolved from the very beginning to distribute gratis, so far as possible, a sizeable portion of the books, so that these books—laden with the light of truth—be disseminated quickly and universally throughout the world. However, as my personal resources did not enable me to carry this great burden alone—in addition to the enormous expenses of the other branches accompanying this branch—this work of publishing books was suspended after having advanced to a certain point and it remains suspended there to this day.

God Almighty has viewed all branches of this movement with equal importance and desires the accomplishment of them all and the establishment of them all to the same extent; however, the expenditures of these five branches are so great that they need the special attention and sympathy of the sincere. If I were to set out the actual details of these religious expenditures, they would grow to an extraordinary length. However—O brethren!—observe, as an example, just the stream of travellers coming and going and see that nearly 60,000 or more guests have come during the seven-year period till today. Now, you can imagine the various expenses that were incurred in the service, feeding, and accommodation of these honourable guests and the various measures that had to be taken for their comfort during winter and summer. A man of penetrating foresight would undoubtedly be baffled as to how all the necessities and particulars for the hospitality of such a vast number of people were capable of being satisfied over time and, going forward, what arrangement could sustain such a large operation.

It was in this very same way that those 20,000 leaflets were printed in English and Urdu. Thereafter, a little over 12,000 of these were sent by name to the leaders of opposition groups through registered mail, leaving not even a single Christian missionary throughout the land of India who was not sent the leaflet by registered mail. Moreover, these leaflets were also dispatched to the countries of Europe and America through registered mail, satisfying the duty of fully conveying the argument [of Islam’s truth]. In evaluating these expenditures, is it not occasion for wonder as to how these expenses are being met with such meagre resources? Yet these are [just] the major expenses.

If an assessment is made strictly of those expenses that are incurred every month for the mailing of letters, they will similarly amount to such a large sum for whose sustainment there still exists no means of financial support. So my gaze looks towards the Heaven for the sustenance of those who, having joined the Movement through bai‘at, wish to permanently settle near me for the purpose of seeking truth, akin to the Ashab-us-Suffah.7 I know that the means for the continuity of these five branches will be brought forth by the Omnipotent One Himself, out of whose own Will this operation came into being; nevertheless, with regard to delivering the message, it is imperative to acquaint the people with this.

I have heard that some uninformed persons publicize the criticism of me that approximately 3,000 rupees have been collected from individuals as the price of the book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, as well as some donations, but the book has still not been published completely or in its entirety.

In reply to this, I am making it clear to them that the sum of rupees received from people is not just 3,000, but in addition to this, even more rupees were received, perhaps nearing 10,000, which were neither donations for the book nor submitted as payment for the book; rather, various petitioners of prayers donated it purely in the manner of gifts or various friends rendered this service solely out of love. Accordingly, all of that was being spent over time on this operation’s essential and upcoming activities, and since divine wisdom had imposed a delay in the composition of the book, nothing could be saved for it from the other important branches that were operative under divine command. Indeed, the wisdom behind the delay in publishing the book was to fully disclose certain subtleties and verities to the author during this period of time, and also to allow the enemies to vent all their rage.

Now that Divine Will has again turned towards the completion of the remaining books, He has turned my attention towards the authoring of this treatise as an invitation. Hence, at this moment there is a dire need for me to complete the writing of books. A sizeable portion of Barahin has yet to be published. If that is prepared, then it should be dispatched to purchasers and all those who were given the earlier parts of the book purely for the sake of Allah [i.e. gratis] and are promised to be given in future. The same applies to other books, such as Ashi‘at-ul-Qur’an, Siraj-e-Munir, Tajdid-e-Din, and Arba‘in fi ‘Alamat-il-Muqarrabin. I also intend to write a commentary of the Holy Quran. I also have a fervent desire in my heart that a journal refuting Christianity and other false creeds—and in opposition to their newspapers—be published on a monthly basis.

Outside of financial provision and monetary support, there is no other obstacle in keeping all this work in continuous motion. If we had the facility of our own printing press and a full-time editor with us, along with the means for all necessary expenses within our reach—in other words, were funds made available routinely for whatever expenses we incur to pay for paper, printing, and salaries for editors—then there would be adequate arrangements for the full growth and thriving of this particular branch out of these five branches.

O ye land of India! Is there no wealthy one possessed of generosity within you who could bear the expenses of—if not more, then—just this very branch? If five resourceful believers recognize [the significance of ] this hour, they could each assume the responsibility of managing these five branches, respectively.

O Lord God! Awaken these hearts Yourself ! Such poverty has not yet befallen Islam; it is miserliness of the heart, not this sort of penury. Those people who lack full capability can also support this endeavour by making at least some contribution, in accordance with their respective financial abilities, on a monthly basis and with a firm resolve to support this initiative. Indolence, apathy, and mistrust never benefit the Faith. Suspicion is what lays waste to homes and divides the hearts.

Look at the kinds of sacrifices made for the propagation of religion by those who lived during the time of Prophets. Just as the rich man offered his beloved wealth for the cause of the Faith, so did the poor beggar sacrifice his bowl full of cherished crumbs, and they persisted in this very manner until the hour of victory arrived from God Almighty. Being a Muslim is not easy; earning the title of ‘believer’ is not easy.

Therefore—O ye people!—if the spirit of righteousness that is conferred upon believers lies within you, then do not look upon this invitation of mine with a cursory glance. Concern yourselves with attaining virtue, for God Almighty is watching you from the Heaven above to see what reply you give upon hearing this message.

O ye Muslims who are the last remaining vestiges of believers of high resolve and the progeny of the pious! Hasten not towards denial and mistrust, and fear this terrifying pestilence that is raging all around you with countless people falling into its treacherous trap. You are witnessing how aggressively efforts are being exerted to obliterate the religion of Islam. Is it not an obligation upon you that you too should make an effort?

Islam did not proceed forth from man that it could be destroyed by the efforts of man, but pity upon those who are bent upon its destruction, and pity again upon those who have everything for their wives, their children, and their selfish pleasures, but nothing in their pockets for the share of Islam.

Woe be upon you slothful ones! Not only do you yourselves lack any ability to propagate the message of Islam or manifest its spiritual light, but you are also incapable of accepting with gratitude the movement established by God Almighty that has come to manifest the brilliance of Islam. These days, Islam is like a lamp stored away in a trunk or like a freshwater spring concealed by twigs and trash. This is the very reason that Islam is in a state of decline, its beautiful face cannot be seen, and its attractive figure is not visible.

It was the obligation of the Muslims to exert their utmost to show its charming face, and sacrifice not only their wealth but also their blood, shedding it as if it were water; however, they did not do so. In the height of their ignorance, they also remain stuck in the error of ‘Are not the earlier books sufficient?’ They fail to realize that to repel modern forms of mischief, which continue to appear in ever-evolving guises, it is also necessary to have a modern means of defence. Moreover, when darkness began to spread in every era in which a Prophet, Messenger, or Reformer appeared, were the earlier books not already available? Therefore—O brethren!—it is necessary that light should descend from Heaven at a time when darkness is spreading.

I have already explained in this very treatise that God Almighty states in Surah al-Qadr—rather, gives glad tidings to the believers—that His Book and His Prophet were sent down from Heaven during Lailatul-Qadr [the Night of Decree]. Every Muslih [Reformer] and Mujaddid [Renewer] who comes from God Almighty verily descends during Lailatul-Qadr. Do you understand what Lailatul-Qadr is? Lailatul-Qadr is the name of that age of darkness whose darkness reaches an extreme limit. For this reason, such an age inherently demands that a light descend to dispel the darkness. This period has been designated metaphorically as Lailatul-Qadr, but in reality it is not a night. It is an age that is akin to night on account of its darkness. When a thousand months elapse—the period that brings the span of a human life close to its end and heralds the departure of human senses—subsequent to the death of a Prophet or his spiritual successor, then this ‘night’ begins to establish itself. Then, the seeds of one or many Reformers are sown secretly by heavenly operation, which are prepared covertly to make their appearance at the head of the new century. Allah the Glorious alludes to this by saying:

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Meaning that: The one who beholds the light of this Lailatul-Qadr and attains the honour of being in the company of the Reformer of the age, is better than an old man of eighty years who did not experience that glorious period; and had he experienced even one moment of that period, then that one moment would have been better than those thousand months that had passed before.

Why is it better? Because during this Lailatul-Qadr, the angels of God Almighty and the Holy Spirit descend from Heaven alongside that Reformer by command of the Lord of Majesty, not in vain, but for the purpose of descending upon worthy and eager hearts and opening the paths of peace. Accordingly, they remain engaged in opening all the paths and lifting all the veils until the darkness of heedlessness disappears and the dawn of guidance breaks.

Now—O ye Muslims!—read these verses carefully and see how much God Almighty praises the age in which He sends a Reformer to the world at the hour of need. Would you fail to appreciate such an age? Would you look down upon the pronouncements of God Almighty with scorn?

Thereupon—O ye Islam’s people of means—behold! I deliver this message to you that you should support this reform initiative that has proceeded forth from God Almighty with all your heart, full attention, and complete sincerity; and you should promptly discharge your duty to serve, acknowledging all of its aspects with reverence. The individual who desires to donate a certain amount monthly according to his means, should submit his monthly contribution on his own with due concern, considering it to be akin to an obligatory duty and mandatory debt. Deeming this obligation as an offering purely for the sake of Allah, he should not allow any delay or dereliction in its discharge. The individual who desires to render assistance by contributing a lump sum may do so in this very manner, but keep in mind that the true objective—upon the basis of which it is hoped that this movement will continue to function without interruption—is this very arrangement in which the true well-wishers of the Faith make it incumbent upon themselves to make regular monthly contributions of such sums which they can easily afford according to their means and capabilities, barring any unforeseen obstacle. Certainly, he who has been granted the means and an open heart by Allah, the Lord of Glory, can help beyond his monthly contributions by donating a lump sum commensurate to the extent of his magnanimity and the measure of his means.

My dear friends! My beloved ones! The flourishing branches of the tree of my existence! [You] who are entered into the bai‘at of my movement through the mercy of God Almighty which is upon you, and are sacrificing your life, your comfort, and your wealth in this cause! Although I know that you will consider it your blessing to comply with whatever I say—not hesitating up to your fullest capacity—I cannot verbally impose any fixed obligation upon you for this service, such that your services proceed not out of the compulsion of my directive, but out of your own free will.

Who is my friend? And who is dear to me? Verily, he who recognizes me. Who recognizes me? Only he, indeed, who holds the belief that I have been sent [by God] and accepts me in the same way as those who are sent are accepted.

The world cannot accept me for I am not of this world, but those whose nature has been given a share of the other world accept me and will continue to do so. He who forsakes me, forsakes Him who has sent me, and he who forges a bond with me, forges a bond with Him from whom I have come. I hold a lamp in my hand. He who comes to me will certainly partake of that light, but he who takes flight from me out of doubt and distrust will be flung into darkness. I am the impregnable fortress of this age. He who enters me shall protect his life against thieves, robbers, and beasts, but he who desires to live far from my walls faces death from every direction. Even his corpse will not remain safe.

Who enters within me? Only he who shuns evil and embraces good and abandons crookedness, treads upon the right path and breaks free from the servitude of Satan, and becomes an obedient servant of God Almighty. Everyone who does so is within me and I am within him, but the only one capable of doing so is the one whom God Almighty places under the shade of a soul that purifies. Then, when he [the Purifying Soul] places his foot into the hell of the individual’s carnal self, it becomes so cool as if there had never been any fire in it. Thereupon, he advances further and further until the Spirit of God Almighty dwells within him, and the Lord of all the worlds descends upon his heart with a special manifestation. At that point—his previous human nature having been consumed by fire—he is granted a new and pure human nature. Even God Almighty—having become a ‘new’ God—forges a bond with him in a new and distinct manner, and he receives all the pure provisions of the heavenly life in this very world.

At this juncture, I cannot proceed without mentioning and expressing gratitude for the fact that the grace and bounty of God Almighty has not left me alone. Those who build the bond of brotherhood with me and enter this movement, which God Almighty has established with His own hand, are adorned with the hues of love and loyalty in a wonderful manner. It was not through any effort of mine, but out of His own special favour that God Almighty gifted me these souls brimming with sincerity.

First of all, I find a fervent desire in my heart to mention a spiritual brother of mine whose name—like the nur [light] of his sincerity—is Noor-ud-Deen [i.e. ‘the Light of the Faith’]. I gaze constantly with intense longing upon the various religious services that he is rendering by spending out of his lawfully acquired wealth for the propagation of the message of Islam. Alas! Would that those services could be carried out by me as well! As I envision the burning zeal that overflows in his heart to serve the Faith, the illustration of divine power appears before my eyes as to how He draws His servants to Himself. He stands ever ready to obey God and His Messenger with all his wealth, all his strength, and all his resources. Moreover, I hold this knowledge as factually true through personal experience—not from merely thinking well [of others]—that he hesitates not to sacrifice even up to his life and honour for my cause, not to mention his wealth. Had I permitted, he would have sacrificed everything in this cause in order to—much like his spiritual fellowship—fulfil the duty of physical fellowship and remaining in my company at all times. I will relate a few lines from some of his letters by way of example for readers to understand how far my dear brother, Maulawi Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen of Bhera, Physician of the State of Jammu, has advanced in the degrees of love and devotion. Those lines are as follows:

Our Master, our Guide, our Leader!

Assalamu ‘alaikum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatuhu!

Exalted Sir! My prayer is to forever remain in the court of Huzoor and to attain from the Imam of the Age the objectives for which he was appointed the Mujaddid. If permitted, I shall tender my resignation from this employment and remain engaged in [your] noble service day and night. Or, if commanded, I will give up this work and wander throughout the world, calling people to the Religion of Truth, dedicating my life in this very cause. I am sacrificed in your cause. Whatever I have is not mine; it is yours. Honoured Leader and Guide! I submit humbly with absolute honesty that if my entire wealth and property were consumed in religious propagation, then I will have achieved my ultimate end. If the buyers of Barahin[-e-Ahmadiyya] are agitated over the delay in the publishing of the book, then please allow me to render the insignificant service of refunding their entire payments from my own account. Honoured Leader and Guide! This unworthy and humble servant makes this request; should it be granted, then it would be my good fortune. My desire is to shoulder all the printing costs of Barahin. Thereafter, whatever monies are received from sales may be expensed for your needs. My relation to you is similar to Faruq9 and I stand ready to sacrifice everything in this cause. Please pray that my death be the death of the Siddiqs [the truthful ones].

The esteemed Maulawi Sahib’s sincerity and resolve, and his empathy and willingness to sacrifice his life, are evident from his words, but they are even more evident from his present state and sincere services. Out of the utmost passion of love and devotion, he desires to sacrifice everything in this cause, even the very essentials of sustaining his own family. In the passion and ecstasy of love, his spirit is exhorting him to advance beyond his capacity. He is engaged in service at every moment and every instant.10 However, it would be the height of cruelty to place the entire burden upon such a loyal devotee—well beyond his ability—when it is the responsibility of an entire group to bear. Without a doubt, Maulawi Sahib would consent to handing over his entire estate to provide this service and affirm, like Prophet Job, ‘Alone I came and alone will I depart;’ nevertheless, this is an obligation shared by the entire [Muslim] nation. It is incumbent upon all to be concerned with [achieving] a good end to their lives in this age, which is infused with danger and mischief that is forcefully and violently jolting the delicate link of faith that should exist between God and His servants. They should carry out such righteous deeds upon which salvation depends by sacrificing their precious wealth and dedicating their precious time to serve. They should fear the immutable and firmly established law of God Almighty which He affirms in His Glorious Word:

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Meaning that: You can never attain true piety that leads to salvation unless you spend, in the cause of God, the wealth and the things that you hold dear.

Here I consider it appropriate to mention a few more of my sincere friends who are included in this divine movement and who, with great affection, possess a heartfelt love for me. One of them is our brother Sheikh Muhammad Husain of Muradabad [in India], who has come to Qadian from Muradabad and is presently setting down in writing the manuscript for this very treatise purely for the sake of Allah. The pure bosom of the esteemed sheikh appears to me as if a mirror. He holds the highest degree of love and sincerity for me purely for the sake of Allah. His heart is imbued with the love of Allah and he is a man of the most amazing constitution. I consider him a radiant lamp for Muradabad and I hope that one day the light of love and devotion in him will permeate others as well. Although the sheikh is a man of meagre means, he is generous and unconstrained at heart. He remains occupied in serving my humble self in every way, with a faith full of love, permeating every vein and fibre [of his body].

Another one of our brothers is Hakim Fadl Din of Bhera. I find it impossible to describe the magnitude of love, devotion, good intention, and inner attachment that the esteemed Hakim Sahib holds for me. He is a genuine well-wisher of mine, a sincere sympathizer, and a man of keen insight. After God Almighty directed my attention towards writing this public notice and encouraged me with His specific revelations, I mentioned my intention to write this public notice to a number of people, but no one agreed with me. This dear brother of mine, however, prompted me to write this public notice of his own accord, without my mentioning it to him, and contributed 100 rupees of his own towards its expenses. I am amazed at his spiritual perception; his will concurring with the Will of God Almighty. He serves continually in a discreet manner, having secretly donated several hundred rupees towards this cause merely to seek the pleasure of Allah. May God Almighty grant him a good reward!

Another from among them is my very dear brother Mirza ‘Azim Baig, the mercy and forgiveness of God be upon him, Chief of Samana, State of Patiala, whose separation has left a bruise upon our hearts. He passed away from this temporary world on the 2nd of Rabi‘uth-Thani 1308 AH.

Surely to Allah we belong and surely to Him shall we return. Our eye is moist and our heart in grief and we mourn his separation.

Where can I find the words to possibly describe that station of love—the degree to which the late Mirza Sahib felt love for me, purely for the sake of Allah—and the extent to which he was effacing himself into me! The overwhelming grief and sorrow his untimely departure has inflicted upon me is the like of which I have so very seldom seen in all my years gone past. He is our guidepost and the lead to our final resting place, who departed from us as we looked on. As long as we live, we shall never forget the grief of his departure.

So much pain inflicts my heart that if I try to stop the flow of tears from my eyes,
The tears will stream down my sleeves to the edge of my robe.

Sorrow fills my mind and my bosom aches, overwhelmed with grief; my heart mourns and tears begin to flow from my eyes at the memory of his loss. His entire being had become filled with love. The late Mirza Sahib was quite dauntless in demonstrating his passionate devotion. He had devoted his entire life to this path; I do not think he even dreamt of anything else. Although Mirza Sahib was a man of meagre means, in his view, wealth was worth less than dirt when it came time to serve the Faith, which he was constantly doing. He maintained the highest degree of intellectual competence for comprehending the mysteries of divine knowledge. The conviction, overflowing with love, that he held regarding my humble self was a miracle of the absolute power of God Almighty. Beholding him was as delightful as beholding a garden laden with flowers and fruit. He seems to have left his survivors, including his child of tender years, in a greatly distressed, impoverished, and destitute condition. O Lord of unrestrained omnipotence! Be their Provider and Guardian and inspire the hearts of my friends to discharge their obligation of sympathy towards the survivors of this sincere brother of theirs who are left helpless and destitute!

O God! O Remedy for every aggrieved heart!
O Refuge of the helpless, Forgiver of the sinners!

Forgive Your servant out of Your own grace;
Lend Your compassion to the bereaved left behind.

Here I have mentioned only a few of my friends by way of example, yet there are other friends of mine of this very character and this very calibre, the detailed account of whom—God-willing—I will mention in a separate tract. As this subject is becoming prolonged, I will end it here.

At this juncture, I consider it appropriate to also mention the fact that, still, not every single person who is initiated into my movement by means of the bai‘at merits that I be able to express some favourable opinion regarding them. On the contrary, some of them appear to be withered branches, which my Lord, who is my Guardian, will cut off from me and cast into the pile of firewood. There are also even some who burned with fervour and sincerity at first, whereas now a stubborn reluctance has befallen them and the zeal of sincerity and the glow of a disciple’s love no longer remain, leaving instead only deceitfulness akin to [that of] Balaam. Like a decayed tooth, they have no use now except to be pulled out of the mouth and trampled underfoot. They grew weary and fatigued, the worthless world entrapping them under its net of deception. Therefore, I truly say that they shall soon be cut off from me, except the one whose hand the grace of God Almighty takes hold of anew. There are also very many whom God Almighty has conferred upon me for eternity and they are the flourishing branches of the tree of my being. I will—God willing—pen their account at some other time.

Here I would also like to dispel the misconception held by some of those people who are wealthy and deem themselves very generous and devoted to the cause of the Faith, yet who entirely refuse to spend their wealth at the opportune time, saying: Had we lived during the time of a truthful man supported by Allah who had come from God Almighty to strengthen the Faith, then we would have been so inclined to support him that we would have even sacrificed our lives in his path, but what can we do when the business of deception and deceit rages all around?

Nevertheless—O people!—let it be clear to you that a man has been sent to strengthen the Faith, but you failed to recognize him. He is in your midst and he is the very one who is addressing you now, but thick veils are upon your eyes. If your hearts are in search of truth, then it is very easy to test the man who claims to converse with God Almighty. Come to him. Stay in his company for two or three weeks so that—if God Almighty so wills—you personally witness a share of the shower of blessings raining upon him and the light of divine revelation descending upon him. Only the one who seeks shall find. Only for the one who knocks is it opened. If you shut your eyes and hide yourself in a dark room yet ask, ‘Where is the sun?,’ then this complaint of yours is absurd. O ignorant one! Open the door to your room and lift the veil from your eyes so that not only does the sun become visible to you, but so that its light may also illuminate you.

Some assert that simply establishing societies and opening schools is sufficient to support the Religion, but they do not understand what is signified by the term ‘religion’, what the ultimate objectives of our existence are, and how and by what means those objectives can be achieved. Therefore, they should know that the ultimate objective of this life is to attain a true and certain connection with God Almighty that liberates one from carnal attachments and delivers them to the fountainhead of salvation. The paths to this perfect conviction can never be opened through human contrivances and machinations; the fabricated philosophy of man is of no avail here. On the contrary, God Almighty always causes this light to descend from the Heaven through His chosen servants during the time of darkness. And he who has descended from Heaven is the very one who leads [people] to Heaven. Therefore, O people who are sunken in the pits of darkness, imprisoned as a result of doubt and suspicion, and enslaved by carnal passions! Exult not over an Islam of mere name and ritual and think not that your true comfort, your genuine well-being, and your ultimate success lie in the strategies that are implemented through the means of present-day societies and schools.

These endeavours do yield benefits, as a start, and can be considered the first step towards progress, but they are far removed from the ultimate objective. These contrivances may generate mental dexterity; or they may impart craftiness of mind, keenness of intellect, and expertise in strict logical reasoning; or the titles of scholarship and proficiency may be attained thereby. Perhaps, after a prolonged period of learning, they might even be helpful in [achieving] the real objective to some extent, but [as the Persian proverb goes]: [By the time the antidote arrives from Iraq, the victim of snake bite will be dead]. So, wake up and beware lest you stumble, lest you face the journey to the hereafter in a state that is, in reality, a state of apostasy and disbelief. Know for certain that the hopes of success in the hereafter can never entirely rest and rely upon the acquisition of these conventional disciplines of knowledge. It is necessary for that heavenly light to descend which dispels the filth of doubt and suspicion; extinguishes the fire of sensual lusts; and draws towards the true love, true adoration, and true obedience of God Almighty.

Should you question your own conscience, the only answer you will receive is that you still have not attained that true contentment and true peace that brings about spiritual transformation in an instant. Thus, it is an absolute pity that the regard you have for this heavenly movement is not even a minute fraction of the magnitude of passion that you hold for the promotion of mundane matters and conventional learning. Your life is primarily devoted to such pursuits that do not have any kind of connection with the Faith, and even if they do, that connection is of the lowest level and lags far behind the real objective. If you had the sense and wisdom that focuses on the crux of the matter, then you would never rest until you had achieved that real objective.

O people! You have been created to know, love, and obey your true Lord God, your real Creator, and your actual Deity. Therefore, so long as this reality, which is the ultimate purpose of your creation, does not manifest clearly within you, you remain very distant from your true salvation. If you speak impartially, then you yourself can be a witness over your internal state: Instead of worshipping God, an enormous idol of materialism stands constantly before your heart to whom you prostrate thousands upon thousands of times every single second, and all of your precious time is so occupied in the gibberish and babble of the world that you have no time to look in the other direction. Does it ever even cross your mind what the ultimate end of this existence is? Where is the justice in you! Where is the integrity in you! Where in you is the righteousness, the piety, the honesty, and the humility towards which the Quran beckons you! Did it ever occur to you over the years—even by chance—that we even have a God? Does it ever cross your mind what are all the rights that He has over you? The truth is actually that you have not maintained any interest, any link, or any bond whatsoever with the real Qayyum [Sustainer] and it is a struggle for you to so much as mention His name.

Now you will slyly contend that it is absolutely not so, but the universal law of God Almighty puts you to shame as it reminds you that you lack the hallmarks of believers. You emphatically apply your wisdom and intellectual depth in your worldly cares and concerns, but your skill, your penetrating intellect, and your foresight go only as far as the edges of this world. And with this intellect of yours you cannot even see a tiny corner of the other world, the eternal dwelling of which your souls were created for. You rest content upon the life of this world in the very way a person rests content upon something everlasting, but that other world—whose pleasures are capable of providing true contentment and are eternal—does not come to your mind even once throughout your entire life!

How unfortunate it is that you are sitting completely oblivious and with your eyes closed to an issue of paramount importance, while day and night you are running full speed ahead in pursuit of matters past and passing! You know all too well and without any doubt that the hour is impending which will, in a single instant, put an end to your life and all your dreams. Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary misfortune that in spite of this knowledge, you are still squandering all your time in the mere pursuit of this world.

What is more, your pursuit of the world is not solely through lawful means. On the contrary, you have made lawful all the illicit means, ranging from falsehood and fraud to the extent of shedding innocent blood. Yet with all these shameful offences that are prevalent among you, you assert that you have no need for heavenly light or a heavenly movement; rather, you harbour extreme hostility towards it. You have very little regard for the heavenly movement of God Almighty, to the extent that even while making mere mention of it, your tongues mock it with hate-filled words and with an attitude of great arrogance with noses pointing up. You protest over and over: How can we be sure this movement is from God? I have just given the reply to this: You shall know this tree by its fruit and this sun by its light. I have conveyed the message to you once and for all. Now it is your choice to accept it or not, and to remember my words or allow them to be forgotten from the tablet of [your] memory.

A man is never appreciated during his lifetime—dear ones!
You will remember my words when I am gone.