Worthy audience, I will now speak about my claim which has been communicated to the people of this country. Both reason and tradition testify that when the world is engulfed by the darkness of sin, the earth is filled with evil and vice, spirituality falls to its lowest ebb, the land becomes polluted with sin, love for the Almighty grows cold, and a poisonous wind blows over the land, at such times Divine mercy desires to resurrect the earth once again. This process is similar to the changing of seasons; in Autumn the trees are stripped of their fruit and leaves and flowers, and seem as unsightly as a man in the last stage of consumption with a bloodless visage, looking more dead than alive, or like a leper whose limbs have begun to wither; and then comes Spring when the same trees take on an entirely different hue and colour, and bring forth fruits and flowers and leaves that are so pleasing to behold. Mankind goes through similar phases of light and darkness. Some ages are like Autumn, in which human excellences lose all their shine and lustre, while others are like Spring, in which a heavenly breeze brings fresh life into people’s hearts. These two phases have alternately influenced mankind since its creation.

The current age can be likened to the beginning of Spring. The deadness of Autumn was seen in the Punjab during the Sikh rule, when ignorance swept the land and religious books became so scarce that they could only be found in the libraries of a few noblemen. This was followed by the British rule, in which we have enjoyed such peace and freedom that it would be wrong to compare even the days under the Sikhs to the nights under the British.

This age is attended by both spiritual and material blessings, and the beginning of this Spring holds great promise for the future. But, like a freak creature, this age also has many faces: some are ugly and frightful, for they are contrary to piety and God-realization; and others are blessed and auspicious, for they promote piety and righteousness. The British Government has undoubtedly advanced all kinds of knowledge and learning in this country and has introduced such easy methods for printing and publishing books that nothing like it has ever been seen in the past. Thousands of libraries that had hitherto been unknown have now come to light, and, in terms of knowledge and learning, the nation has been transformed beyond all recognition. But, notwithstanding all this, the practical condition of the people has deteriorated and the seeds of atheism have begun to sprout in their hearts. There is no doubt the British Government has done everything in its power to provide facilities to its people and to bring them justice and security, and it is hard to find anything like it under any other government, but most people have not been able to digest the freedom which is necessary for creating a completely peaceful environment, and, instead of being grateful to God and to the Government, have succumbed to indolence, worldliness, materialism and wantonness. They seem to think that they are going to live forever, and no one has done them any favour, and they do not consider themselves answerable to anyone. In keeping with the law that most sins are committed in times of peace and tranquillity, we find that sin has proliferated in this country and callousness and apathy has brought it to an alarming state. Rogues and mischiefmakers — who are more beasts than men — are busy committing heinous crimes such as robbery, rape and murder, while others indulge in other kinds of vices according to their personal dispositions. The result is that taverns are faring better than other businesses, immoral professions are on the rise, places of worship are only used for rituals, the earth has been overwhelmed by a deluge of sin, and, just as whole villages are quickly inundated by a raging river that breaches its banks, so has peace and comfort caused people to be overwhelmed by their carnal passions. The earth has been enveloped by darkness and the time has now come when God will either bring light into the world or destroy it altogether. But the world still has a thousand years to survive, and all the new innovations that have been made for worldly comfort and well-being clearly show that God desires to bring about a spiritual reformation parallel to the physical revolution. The truth is that man’s spiritual condition has deteriorated far more than his physical one, and mankind is in danger of coming under Divine wrath. Every sin is at its peak, spiritual powers are growing weaker and weaker, and the light of faith is fading out. Reason, therefore, demands that a light must come from heaven to overcome this darkness. Just as physical darkness is only dispelled by heavenly light, similarly, the light that illuminates the hearts also descends from heaven. Ever since God created man, He has ordained that, to unite mankind, He shall bestow the light of His awareness upon one of them at every time of need, and shall speak to him, and make him drink the cup of His love, and show him His chosen path, and grant him the eagerness to invite others towards the light, love and insight that has been given to him, so that they, too, may become part of him, and guard themselves against sin, and share his awareness, and attain the heights of piety and purity. In accordance with this time-honoured law, God has already foretold through His Prophets that, at the end of the sixth millennium after Adam — when a great darkness would envelope the earth, and the deluge of sin would inundate the land, and hearts would become devoid of love for God — He will breathe into a man the spirit of truth and love and awareness, just like in the case of Adam, without resorting to any physical means. And this man will also be called the Messiah because God shall Himself anoint his soul with His love. This Messiah, whom the scriptures also call the Promised Messiah, shall be made to stand up against Satan, and the final battle between the legions of Satan and the Messiah shall ensue. For this spiritual battle, Satan will come prepared with all his powers and all his progeny and all his resources. Never will the world have seen such a fierce clash between good and evil, for on that day the Satanic schemes and devices shall be at their deadliest, and all possible means for misleading mankind shall be at Satan’s disposal. Then, after a great fight — which, you must remember, will be a spiritual one — God’s Messiah shall emerge victorious, and Satanic forces shall be annihilated. Thereafter, for a thousand years, which have been described as the ‘seventh day’, God’s majesty, glory, holiness and oneness shall prevail upon the earth. And this shall be followed by the end of the world.

Let it be known that I am that Messiah. Let him who will, accept me.

There are sects that do not believe in the existence of Satan, and they might wonder what I mean by all this. Be it known that man is drawn by two forces, the force of good and the force of evil. The Islamic Shariah attributes the first to Angels, and the second to Satan. This means that there are two forces acting upon man, and he at times leans towards good, and at times inclines towards evil.

I believe there are many in this gathering who view with disdain my claim of being the Promised Messiah and being blessed with Divine discourse, and look down upon me with contempt, but I can hardly blame them. Those who are sent by God always have to bear ridicule in the beginning, and it may be rightly said that a Prophet is not without honour but in the beginning of his mission. God’s Holy Prophet and Messenger^(sa), to whom the Holy Quran was revealed, who gave us the Shariah, whose followers we are proud to be, and upon whom the Law was perfected, was received in the same manner by his people. For thirteen years he led a solitary and helpless existence in Mecca, and suffered persecution and ridicule at the hands of his enemies, until he was forced to leave the city. Who would then have known that this helpless man was to become the Imam and leader of millions? Such indeed is the Divine law that, in the beginning of their missions, His Messengers are viewed with derision and only a few are able to recognize them. They must suffer at the hands of ignorant people and be slandered and mocked and abused until God opens people’s hearts for their acceptance.

So much for my claim. The actual mission for which God has appointed me is to remove the estrangement that has come between man and his Creator and re-establish a relationship of love and sincerity between him and his Lord. He has also appointed me to put a stop to religious wars by proclaiming the truth, to create religious harmony, to reveal the religious truths that have long remained hidden from mortal eyes, and to display the true spirituality that lies submerged under the darkness of selfish passions. I have also been sent to demonstrate practically, and not just in words, how Divine powers enter man and how they are manifested through prayer and concentration. But, first and foremost, I have been sent to re-establish forever the lost belief in the Unity of God — Tauhid — which is pure and luminous and unadulterated by any form of idolatry — Shirk. All this will not come about by my power, but by the Mighty hand of the Lord of heaven and earth.

While God has taken upon Himself the task of my spiritual training and has inspired me, through His revelation, with a zeal to bring about this reformation, He has also prepared hearts that are ready to accept my words. Ever since God sent me, a great revolution has begun to take shape in the world. Even though the people of Europe and America are ardent believers in the divinity of Christ, their own scholars are now beginning to distance themselves from this doctrine. People who had for generations been infatuated with idols and other deities are now coming to realize the worthlessness of their gods, and, even though they remain unaware of true spirituality and still hold on to their rituals, they have managed to break free from many frivolous rites, superstitions and idolatrous practices and are virtually standing upon the threshold of accepting Divine unity. I sincerely hope that soon God’s grace shall push them into the citadel of His true and perfect Oneness — Tauhid, where one is granted perfect love, perfect fear and perfect awareness. This is not just wishful thinking on my part, for God Himself has informed me of this through His holy word.

God, in His wisdom, has brought about this change so that all the different people of this country may become one, and a morning of peace and harmony may dawn upon this land. The hope that all the religions will become one is in fact shared by all religions. The Christians believe that the time is near when all people will accept the divinity of Christ. The Jews, also known as the Israelites, are fervently hoping that these are the days for the coming of their own Messiah who will make them masters over the earth. Islamic prophecies also speak of the end of the fourteenth century as the time for the advent of the Messiah of the latter day, and most Muslims believe that the time of the dominance of Islam is at hand. I have also heard some Pundits of the Sanatan Dharam proclaim that the time is ripe for the coming of their last Avatar who will cause their faith to spread all over the world. The Aryas, even though they do not believe in prophecies, have also been affected by this wind of change, and are exerting all their efforts to spread their faith in Asia, Europe, America, Japan, etc. Oddly enough, even the Buddhists are beginning to cherish such ambitions. And, humorous as it may sound, even Churas, or menials, of this country have been stirred by the desire to protect themselves against the hostility of other communities and to at least protect their own faith.

A new wind is thus blowing in the land. Every religion and community is zealously striving for its own supremacy at the cost of others, and faiths are grappling with one another like waves in a tempest. This, therefore, is the time when God Almighty had destined to put an end to all religious differences and to bring all religions together into one fold. It is with reference to this time and age, when wave will fall upon wave, that the Holy Quran says:

¹

In its context the verse means that when the world will become filled with religious wrangling, and religion will attack religion as a wave falls upon a wave, desiring to destroy one another, the Lord of heaven and earth shall bring about a new dispensation by His own hand, without resorting to worldly means, and shall draw into this dispensation all worthy and capable souls, who will then understand the true purpose of religion, and a new life and a spirit of true righteousness shall be breathed into them, and they shall be made to drink from the fountain of true God-realization — Ma‘rifat. This world will not come to an end until this prophecy — announced by the Holy Quran thirteen hundred years ago — is fulfilled. Nor is this the only sign of the age when all people will be united under one religion, for the Holy Quran mentions many other signs, such as, the building of numerous canals flowing out of rivers, discovery of minerals from beneath the earth, profusion of worldly knowledge, availability of means for the mass publication of books (this refers to the printing press), invention of a new means of transport — which will render camels useless, make it easy for people to meet and communicate, and facilitate the spread of news and information — and the eclipse of the sun and the moon in the same month of Ramadan. The plague will also be a sign of that age, and it will be so severe that no town or village will be spared from its ravages and death will pervade the land making it virtually desolate. Some habitations will be completely wiped out, while others will be spared after suffering to an extent. These days will be marked by expressions of Divine wrath, because people will not accept the signs shown in favour of His Emissary in that age and will reject His Messenger who will come for their reformation. In this age, we have seen the fulfilment of all these signs. Every sensible person will realize that God has sent me at a time when all the signs that were written in the Holy Quran have been fulfilled. Although I have only quoted the Holy Quran, these signs have also been mentioned in the Traditions. Another sign of the time of the Promised Messiah recorded in the Holy Quran is:

²

i.e., ‘A day in the sight of God is like a thousand years according to your reckoning.’ Since the days are seven, we infer from this verse that this world is also meant to last seven thousand years, counting from the particular Adam whose descendants we are. We learn from the Holy Quran that other worlds have existed before us, though we do not know what kind of people inhabited them. But it seems that an era of the world lasts for seven thousand years — as a symbol of which the days have been fixed at seven, each standing for a thousand years. We cannot say how many such cycles the world has gone through and how many Adams may have appeared in their own times, but it is certain that, since God is the Eternal Creator, the world must also be eternal as a species, though not in its forms and manifestations. Here, too, the Christians have erred, for they believe that God was eternally idle before He created heaven and earth some six thousand years ago. Surely no sensible person would accept this. But the Holy Quran tells us that God is the Eternal Creator Who, if He so wills, may destroy the heaven and earth billions of times and create them anew just as before. God has informed us that the present human race originated from Adam, our common ancestor who came after the previous ‘races’, and this human race has an age of seven thousand years, and that these seven thousand years are to God just as seven days are to man. It has been decreed by the Divine law that every ‘race’ has a life span of seven thousand years, and it is to highlight this fact that the seven days have been ordained for man. Thus, the time ordained for the children of Adam is seven thousand years, five of which had already passed by the time of our Holy Prophet^(sa), as shown by the numerical value of the words of Surah Al-‘Asr. By now six thousand years of this era have gone and a thousand years remain. It has been prophesized, not only by the Holy Quran but by many earlier scriptures, that the last Messenger who will appear in the likeness of Adam, and will be named the Messiah, will appear at the end of the sixth millennium, just as Adam was born towards the end of the sixth day. All these signs should suffice for a man of understanding.

According to the Holy Quran and other Divine scriptures, the seven millenniums have been further divided as follows: First millennium: for the spread of guidance and virtue. Second millennium: for dominance of Satan. Third millennium: for the spread of guidance and virtue. Fourth millennium: for the dominance of Satan. Fifth millennium: for the spread of virtue (this was the millennium in which our lord and master the Holy Prophet^(sa) appeared for the reformation of mankind and Satan was put in shackles). Sixth millennium: for the release and dominance of Satan (this millennium extends from the end of the third century of the Islamic era to the beginning of the fourteenth). Seventh millennium: for the supremacy of God and His Messiah, spread of virtue and faith and righteousness, establishment of the Unity of God and Divine worship, and dominance of every virtue.

We are now at the head of the seventh millennium and there is no room for any other Messiah to come after this, because there are only seven millennia that have all been divided into good and evil. All Prophets have spoken of this division whether in passing or in detail. But the Holy Quran has mentioned it very clearly, and from this we deduce the prophecy about the Promised Messiah.

It is indeed remarkable that all Prophets, in one way or the other, have foretold about the time of the Messiah and the mischief of the Antichrist. In fact, no other prophecy has been made so frequently and with such consistency. But some people still doubt its authenticity and demand its proof from the Holy Quran. Had they given some thought to the matter and pondered over the Word of God, they would have found this prophecy so clearly mentioned in the Holy Quran that no wise man would ever doubt it. In Surah Al-Tahrim, for instance, the Holy Quran has named some individuals of this umma as ‘Sons of Mary’. It first mentions their likeness to Mary and then speaks of the holy spirit being breathed into them, which means that after acquiring the status of Mary, these people will progress further and attain the status of the Son of Mary. It is in the same context that God Almighty initially called me Mary, as is recorded in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya:

“O Mary, enter thou and thy friends into Paradise.”

Later He said:

“O Mary, I breathed into thee the Spirit of Truth.” (This meant that, metaphorically speaking, Mary was now pregnant with the truth).

And He finally said:

“O ‘Isa, I will cause thee to die and exalt thee towards Me.” Here I was exalted from the status of Mary and was named ‘Isa, or the Son of Mary, and the promise contained in Surah Al-Tahrim was thus fulfilled.

It is also written in Surah Al-Nur, that all the Khulafa’ shall come from this umma, and it appears from the Holy Quran that Islam was to undergo two great trials. The first of these occurred after the demise of the Holy Prophet^(sa) when Hadrat Abu Bakr^(ra) became the Khalifa, and the second was to be at the time of the Antichrist which would coincide with the coming of the Messiah. It is to seek refuge from the evil of this time that the Holy Quran has taught us to pray:

³

Another prophecy about this age is also found in Surah Al-Nur:

⁴

In its context, the verse means that Islam, in the latter days, will experience a great turmoil and will be in danger of extinction, but God will re-establish it upon the earth and bestow peace and tranquillity after great fear. This is also borne out by another verse:

⁵

i.e., God is He Who sent His Messenger so that Islam may prevail over all other religions. This alludes to the time of the Promised Messiah, as does the verse:

⁶

According to the Holy Quran, the time of the Promised Messiah^(as) will be similar to the time of Hadrat Abu Bakr^(ra). The evidence I have produced from the Holy Quran should suffice for any reasonable person, but if someone considers it inconclusive, then he should also admit that the Torah does not contain any prophecy about Jesus^(as) or our Holy Prophet^(sa), for the words of those prophecies were not so precise and had caused the Jews to reject him. If the Torah had indeed contained a clear and unambiguous prophecy about the Holy Prophet^(sa), which mentioned his appearance in Mecca, his name as Muhammad, his father’s name as ‘Abdullah, his grandfather’s name as ‘Abdul Muttalib, his birth in the House of Ishmael, his migration to Medina, and the time of his appearance, there would be no question of any Jew rejecting him. In the case of Jesus, the Jews were faced with an even greater dilemma, and one would think that they were rather justified in refusing to accept him, for the prophecy contained in the Divine scripture had clearly laid down that the true Messiah must be preceded by the return of Elijah. Although the Messiah contended that the prophecy did not mean the return of Elijah in person, and only referred to the coming of someone in his likeness, the Jews took this to be an interpolation in the word of God and continued to await the return of Elijah. This example shows that the prophecies about Prophets are always somewhat veiled so as to make a distinction between the good and the evil.

Besides, claims that are based on the truth do not have only one kind of evidence in their favour, for they are like diamonds and shine in every facet. In the same way, my claim of being the Promised Messiah can be proved from whatever angle one may look at it.

Take, for instance, my claim that I have been sent by God and that I receive Divine revelations. These claims go back some twenty-seven years and were even recorded twenty-four years ago in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Every reasonable person can see that something based on falsehood cannot persist for such a long time. However big a liar a man may be, he can never be so audacious as to keep up a lie for as long as it takes a person to be born until he becomes a father. It is equally inconceivable that God should help a man and cause his Jama‘at to flourish and frustrate the designs of his enemies, while He knows him to be a cursed liar who, virtually every morning for the last twenty-seven years, has been fabricating revelations and prophecies and falsely attributing them to Him. Another argument which vividly demonstrates the truth of my claim is derived from the prophecies revealed to me when I was all alone and no one even knew me. I was writing Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya at that time and none but God — the Knower of the Unseen — was aware of my circumstances. It was during a time of such isolation and anonymity, that God granted me some prophecies regarding myself, which I recorded in Brahin-e- Ahmadiyya, and they were published at that very time. The prophecies were as follows:

O My Ahmad, you are my purpose and are with Me. Your secret is My secret. You are to Me as My Unity and My Oneness. The time is near when people shall be made ready to help you and you will become known among men. The world is unaware of the status you have in My eyes. God will help you in every field. You have a place of honour with Me. I have chosen you for Myself. I will make many people follow you and you will be their Imam. I will inspire people’s hearts to help you with their wealth, and financial support shall come to you from far off places. People will flock to you from distant lands. You must not be impolite to them and must not grow weary of them due to their large numbers, and pray to God, “Do not leave me alone, You are the best Companion.” God shall provide you with companions like ‘the people of the bench’, and do you know who they are? You will see tears flowing from their eyes and they will profess, “O God, we heard the voice of one who was calling people towards the faith.” I shall make you vicegerent in the earth. People ask with disdain, “How can you have such a status?” Say to them, “My God possesses wonderful powers. He is not answerable to anyone for what He does. It is you who will be called to account for what you say.” They say, “This is no more than a fabrication.” Tell them, “All work has been initiated by God,” and leave them to their frivolities. God is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and true faith, so that it may prevail over all other faiths. They will contrive to blow out the light that God wishes to spread in the world, but He will bring it to perfection, i.e., He shall convey it to all the hearts that are ready to receive it, even though the disbelievers like it not. God will save you from their mischief even if people do not. You are before My eyes. I have named you ‘Mutawakkil’ [one who puts his trust in God]. He shall never leave you until He has made a distinction between good and evil. Two sheep shall be slaughtered, and everyone who is upon the earth must taste death. That which you consider to be bad may be good for you, and that which you think is good may be bad for you. Allah knows what is good, and you know not.

These revelations contain four grand prophecies: (1) The first is the good news conveyed to me twenty-seven years ago when I led solitary life. God told me that I would not remain alone and the time was near when people would come to me in throngs from far off places, and they would come in such numbers that I might grow weary of them or be unkind to them, and this, He told me, I must not do. (2) The second prophecy was that the people who would come to me would lend me much financial support. There are many people who can testify to these prophecies and to their fulfilment. I was all alone at the time when I recorded them in Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, and I lived a solitary life in the little known village of Qadian. But, within ten years, people began to flock to me exactly as had been described in the Divine revelation, and started supporting me financially. To date, more than two hundred thousand have already pledged allegiance to me. (3) The third prophecy, which was implicit in the above two, was that people would try to destroy this movement and to extinguish this light, but all their schemes would come to naught. There is no cure for one who is bent upon disbelief, but the fact is that these three prophecies have been fulfilled as clear as day. To predict success and Divine support in favour of a person who has long lived in a state of anonymity and helplessness, and shows no sign of becoming the leader of millions or being offered thousands of rupees, is beyond the power of human reason and foresight. If someone does not believe this, let him produce a precedent. These prophecies become all the more unmatched when viewed in the context of the third prophecy, that people would try their utmost to stop their fulfilment, but God would make them come true. Anyone who looks at all these prophecies together, will have to admit that this is not the work of man, for man cannot foretell if he will even live to a certain age. (4) The fourth prophecy contained the above revelations related to the martyrdom of two of my followers. This prophecy was fulfilled when Sheikh ‘Abdur Rahman was martyred on the orders of Amir ‘Abdur Rahman, the ruler of Kabul; and Sahibzada ‘Abdul Latif Khan Sahib was also martyred in Kabul at the behest of Amir Habibullah.

Apart from these, thousands of other prophecies have also been fulfilled. I once informed Maulawi Hakim Nuruddin Sahib that a son would be born to him with sores on his body, and it transpired exactly as I had foretold. I believe Maulawi Sahib is present in this Jalsa and anyone can ask him to swear on oath whether or not this is true.

Then, ‘Abdur Rahim Khan, son of Sardar Muhammad ‘Ali Khan, a chieftain of Malir Kotla, fell seriously ill and his life was despaired of, but God informed me through revelation that the boy could recover through my intercession. So when I prayed for him out of heartfelt sympathy and compassion, the disease left him and he virtually returned from the dead. ‘Abdullah Khan, son of the same gentleman, was also struck down by a fatal disease and was close to death when I received glad tidings of his recovery, and he, too, recovered as a result of my prayers.

Signs of this kind are so numerous that if I were to relate them all this lecture would not end even in ten days. Nor are the people who have witnessed these signs few in number, for hundreds of thousands have witnessed them.

In my book Nuzul-ul-Masih, which is to be published shortly, I have enumerated a hundred and fifty signs of all sorts. Some of these appeared in the heavens and some on earth; some were related to my friends and others to my enemies, and have already been fulfilled; some of them concerned myself and some my children; and some were even manifested through my opponents without any involvement on my part. For instance, Maulawi Ghulam Dastagir Sahib of Qasur challenged me to a Mubahala [prayer-duel] in his book Fath-e-Rahman, and prayed to God that whoever among the two of us was a liar may die first. No more than a few days had passed when Maulawi Sahib passed away, thus bearing testimony to my truth. There are thousands of others whom God informed of my truthfulness through dreams.

These signs are so clear and categorical that anyone who looks at them collectively will have no choice but to believe. And yet some of my opponents demand that I must cite evidence from the Holy Quran to prove my claim. Though I have already shown that the Holy Quran contains enough evidence to show that I am the Messiah, I believe that it is sheer impertinence to lay down such conditions. If it was indeed essential to produce specific prophecies from Divine scriptures, it would be impossible to prove the Prophethood of any Prophet.

The true criteria for judging the claim of a Prophet is to see whether he has come at the time of need, whether he has made his appearance at the time foretold by the Prophets, whether he has been accompanied by Divine help, and whether he has satisfactorily answered the objections raised against him by his opponents. Only he who meets all these criteria can be considered truthful in his claim.

As far as the need of the time is concerned, this age is practically crying out for a heavenly reformer who will save Islam from inner dissension and external challenges, re-establish the long lost spirituality, strengthen the faith by granting certainty, save people from sin and transgression, and draw hearts towards piety and virtue. This shows that I have come at the time of need, and only the most prejudiced will deny this.

The second condition, that the claimant should appear at the time foretold by the Prophets, has also been fulfilled with my coming. The Prophets had prophesied that the Promised Messiah would appear at the end of the sixth millennium after Adam. The sixth millennium, if we go by the lunar calendar, has already passed; and if we go by the solar one, it is almost coming to its end. Moreover, there is the saying of the Holy Prophet^(sa) that there would appear a Reformer — Mujaddid — at the turn of every century in order to revive the faith. We are in the 22nd year of the fourteenth century, and is it not a sign that the Reformer has come?

The third condition, that of Divine support, has also been fulfilled with my coming. People from every religion rose to destroy me, sparing no efforts and doing everything in their power to bring this about, but they were totally frustrated in their designs. There is no religion in this country which can take pride in the fact that its followers did not exert themselves to destroy me, but, despite all their endeavours, God honoured me and caused thousands to follow me. If this is not Divine succour, what is? Everyone knows how people of every community stood up against me, and how they all failed in their designs to destroy me, while I continued to grow by the day until I had with me a Jama‘at of over 200,000 people. Had I not been supported by a Hidden Hand, and had my mission been based on human contrivance, I would surely have fallen victim to one of the numerous arrows aimed at me, and would have been destroyed, and no one would even know where I was buried, because God Himself becomes the enemy of one who attributes falsehood to Him and there is no shortage of means for his destruction. But God saved me from all the designs of my enemies exactly as He had promised me twenty-four years ago.

It is undoubtedly a clear sign of Divine support that, at the time of Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, when I was alone and lived in anonymity, God informed me in plain words that He would help me, give me a large following and frustrate the designs of my enemies. If you reflect with an unbiased mind, you will realize what a clear and outstanding sign this is. Does any man or devil have the power to make such a prophecy at a time of anonymity and to cause it to be fulfilled while thousands of people have risen up to stop it?

The fourth condition, that the claimant should satisfactorily answer all objections levelled against him, has also been fulfilled in my case. The major objection raised by my opponents was that Jesus^(as) himself was to return to the world as the Promised Messiah. I told them that it is evident from the Holy Quran that Jesus^(as) is dead and will never return to the world. For instance, Allah has quoted Jesus^(as) as saying:

⁷

When read in its context, the verse says that when Allah will ask Jesus^(as) on the Day of Judgement whether it was he who taught his followers to worship him and his mother, he will say, “Lord, If I had done so, You would surely have known it, for You are the Knower of the Unseen. I only taught them what You commanded me, that God is one without partner and I am His Messenger. I was only aware of their condition as long as I lived among them, but ever since You caused me to die, You have been witness over them, and I know not what they did after me.”

It is evident from these verses that Jesus^(as) will say, “As long as I lived, the Christians did not go astray, but when I died, I knew not what became of them.” Hence, if we suppose that Jesus^(as) is still alive, then we will also have to believe that the Christians have not yet gone astray and are still following the true religion. Jesus^(as) will also defend himself by saying that he only knew about the condition of his people as long as he was with them, but was unaware of what they did after God had caused him to die. So, if we believe that Jesus will return to the world once again before the day of resurrection and fight the infidels alongside the Mahdi, then — God forbid — we will have to consider this verse as false, or else we will have to admit that Jesus^(as) will lie to God on the Day of Judgement and try to conceal the fact that he had returned to the world and fought the Christians for forty years together with the Mahdi. Anyone who truly believes in the Holy Quran will find that this single verse is enough to negate the concept of Jesus returning from heaven in order to fight alongside a bloodthirsty Mahdi. Whoever holds such a belief forsakes the Holy Quran.

When the objections of my opponents are thus countered, they, as a last resort, start alleging that my prophecies have not been fulfilled, and to prove their point they cite my prophecy about Atham. Where is Atham? The essence of my prophecy was that the liar would die in the lifetime of the true one, so Atham is dead and I am still alive. The fact is that the fulfilment of this prophecy was conditional, and as long as Atham lived in awe of this prophecy he lived up to the condition and was, therefore, granted a few months of respite. Those who raise such objections do not seem to remember that the prophecy made by Prophet Jonah was also not fulfilled, even though it is evident from the Book of Jonah that the prophecy was not conditional. The fact is that prophecies about impending punishment are not categorical and are conditional upon repentance, charity, alms-giving, prayer and even fear — all of which can either delay the punishment or avert it altogether. If this was not so, we could not consider Jonah to be a Prophet of God as his prophecy had not be fulfilled. When God intends to punish a transgressor, the punishment can be averted through charity and alms-giving, and even through fear. So, a ‘warning prophecy’ only means that God has decided to punish a person and has disclosed His intention to His Prophet, it is, therefore, foolish to think that a prophecy can be averted through alms-giving, charity and prayer when it has not been disclosed to a Prophet, but not when it has been so disclosed. Such an assertion amounts to an attack on all Prophets.

Moreover, some prophecies are not very explicit and their meaning only becomes clear with time. Even a Prophet might at times err in the interpretation of a prophecy, and this is nothing to object to, for Prophets are only human. Jesus^(as) once said that his twelve disciples would sit on twelve thrones in paradise, but this did not come to pass, for one of them became an apostate and was destined for hell. Jesus also said that some people of his time would yet be alive when he returned, but this also did not happen. Many other prophecies made by Jesus^(as) similarly remained unfulfilled due to errors of interpretation.

On the other hand, if someone listens to my prophecies with patience and sincerity, he will find that more than a hundred thousand signs and prophecies have been manifested in my favour. It is sheer insolence to ignore thousands of prophecies that have been fulfilled and to raise an uproar about one that has not been understood and to settle the issue on the strength of this alone. I hope, indeed I am sure, that anyone who comes to stay with me for forty days will himself witness a sign. I now conclude this lecture with the hope that what I have said will suffice for a seeker after truth.

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MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD OF QADIAN