Does the prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud mention the colour green?
A missionary from the USA wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that the trend of wearing green clothes among people at Jalsa Musleh-e-Maud has grown significantly, to the extent that the entire mosque is decorated with the colour green and everyone is urged to wear green clothes on that day. He asked whether this custom is correct and what the details of its origin are.
In his letter dated 21 March 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following guidance in this regard:
“Firstly, in this regard, the grand prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud granted to the Promised Messiah (as) is not called ‘the green prophecy’ because there is no mention of the colour green in it, nor does this prophecy have any direct connection with the colour green. This prophecy, which is referred to as the prophecy of 20 February 1886 and was published on 1 March 1886 in the supplement of the Riaz-e-Hind newspaper of Amritsar, was printed on standard off-white paper. The green announcement is different from the aforementioned prophecy and is titled Haqqani Taqrir Bar Waqi‘ah Wafat-e-Bashir [A Truthful Discourse on the Death of Bashir], which was published on 1 December 1888 in Riaz-e-Hind, Amritsar. In this announcement, the Promised Messiah (as) elaborated on certain portions of the Musleh-e-Maud prophecy of 20 February 1886 and recorded some signs and names of this illustrious son that were mentioned in the original prophecy of 20 February 1886. Since this announcement was published on green paper, it is referred to as the Green Announcement [Sabz Ishtihar]. And since it contains an elaboration of the Musleh-e-Maud prophecy of 20 February 1886 along with a mention of some of its parts, a connection with the colour green has also been established with the prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud. Thus, a tradition has developed within the Jamaat where, during the gatherings held on 20 February, some girls and women from Lajna wear green clothes or scarves and in the decoration of certain mosques where the Musleh-e-Maud Day gatherings are to take place, some green items are used to a certain extent.
“Otherwise, green is a beautiful colour that is pleasing to the eyes. The mystics have also described a physical association of this colour with the personage of the Holy Prophet (sa), observing that the dome upon his blessed tomb is green, which is known as the Gumbad-e-Khazra. It is well known among the mystics and the people of the spiritual path that the reflection of the blessed tomb becomes fixed in the eyes of a true lover of the Holy Prophet (sa) due to the constant remembrance of their Master and Guide (sa) in their heart and mind, causing the colour of their eyes to appear green. Accordingly, the prominent writer of the Indo-Pak subcontinent, Mirza Farhatullah Baig (1886-1947), writes in one of his articles:
“‘I had an uncle named Mirza Inayatullah Baig. He was a great friend of ascetics [faqirs]. He travelled all over India simply to meet ascetics and undertook exceedingly arduous spiritual exercises. You can gauge the extent of his spiritual striving from the fact that for almost forty years he did not sleep at night. He would offer the morning prayer and then sleep for two or two and a half hours, whereas the rest of his time was spent in the remembrance of God. One day, when I was setting off to visit Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib, my respected uncle said to me, “Son, do a task for me. The task is that you must observe the colour of the eyes of the gentleman you are going to meet.” I did not even understand what he meant by this. However, when I went to Mirza Sahib, I kept looking at his eyes very intently. I observed that a green-coloured fluid seemed to circulate within his eyes. In this context, I also observed him a little more closely myself, because previously, whenever I visited him, I would always sit with my eyes lowered. This time, I noticed that his face was highly radiant. He had only about two fingers’ breadth of hair on his head and his beard was quite long. His eyes were lowered. When he spoke, he did so with great dignity, but sometimes he would also show a flash of righteous indignation. In any case, upon returning from there, I recounted all these events to my respected uncle. (He said to me,) “Farhat, look, never speak ill of this man. He is an ascetic and he is a true lover of the Holy Prophet (sa).” I asked, “How did you know this?” He replied, “Whoever remains constantly immersed in the thought of the Holy Prophet (sa) develops a green hue in their eyes and it appears as though a wave of green water is flowing within them.”
“‘At that time I did not ask him the reason for this, but later I learned that all ascetics and people of the spiritual path agree that the colour of (the tomb) of the Holy Prophet (sa) is green. Through excessive remembrance of him, its reflection becomes fixed in the eyes.’
(‘Aalami Digest, Karachi, No. 10, October 1968, pp. 73-74)
“Thus, if someone incorporates the colour green into their attire on the day of the Jalsa Musleh-e-Maud to express these associations and their joy or if some green decoration is put up in a mosque, there is no harm in it. However, it is entirely wrong to make it binding upon people, compelling them to attend wearing green attire or to think ill of those who do not wear green clothes or to force them into wearing it.
“When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) was asked about the wisdom of the green colour in the Green Announcement, he stated:
“‘Green is a good colour and because it was a glad tiding, a prophecy concerning a boy and it was a joyful news, perhaps the colour green was chosen for this reason. I remember that in Qadian on Musleh-e-Maud Day, girls used to wear green clothes in association with the Green Announcement.’
(Majlis-e-Irfan, 31 March 2003)
“Therefore, if some girls wear green scarves and the like on the occasion of Jalsa Musleh-e-Maud or if some people wear a piece of green clothing, there is no harm in this at all. Even in my classes with young girls, a number of them arrive wearing green scarves or green shawls. I do not stop them from doing so. However, when this practice begins to take on the form of an unlawful innovation [bid‘ah], the Khalifa of the Time will himself stop it, insha-Allah.”
Witr, purity, Sha‘ban and menstruation
A lady from Syria sent the following questions to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa):
- If the witr prayer is offered before going to sleep, can one offer Tahajjud thereafter or not?
- Is offering witr merely preferable or should it never be missed?
- What is the method of attaining purity from major impurity or menstruation during severe cold?
- Is it preferable to observe fasts in Sha‘ban or is it better not to fast in Sha‘ban in preparation for Ramadan?
- Is it permissible to memorise the Holy Quran during menstruation?
In his letter dated 12 March 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following answers to these questions:
Can one offer Tahajjud if one has already prayed witr before sleeping?
“It is permissible to offer witr in the first part of the night, after which Tahajjud can be offered in any part of the night upon waking up. Similarly, witr can also be offered after Tahajjud. Both methods are established by the ahadith. Accordingly, it is narrated by Hazrat Aisha (ra) that the Holy Prophet (sa) offered witr in every part of the night. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-witr, Bab sa‘ati l-witr) However, his general practice [sunnah] was to offer witr after having offered the Tahajjud prayer. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-witr, Bab ma ja’a fi l-witr) It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Qatadah (ra) that Allah’s Messenger (sa) asked Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) when he offered his witr prayer. He submitted, ‘In the early part of the night.’ Then the Holy Prophet (sa) asked Hazrat Umar (ra) when he offered his witr prayer, to which he submitted, ‘In the latter part of the night.’ Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that Abu Bakr adopted the path of precaution and Umar adopted the path of resolve and strength. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab as-salah, Bab fi l-witri qabla n-nawm) Similarly, it is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Holy Prophet (sa) strictly instructed him to ensure he offered witr before going to sleep. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Kitab as-salah, Bab ma ja’a fi karahiyati n-nawmi qabla l-witr)
“The Promised Messiah (as) generally offered witr in the early part of the night and would offer the Tahajjud prayer, consisting of eight units [rak‘at] in sets of two, in the latter part of the night. (Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. 1, Narration 320, 2008, p. 295)
What is the significance of the witr prayer?
“In response to your second question regarding whether offering witr is merely preferable or if it should never be missed, the answer is that the witr prayer is not like an obligatory [fard] prayer, but great emphasis has been placed upon it in the ahadith. Accordingly, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that whoever does not offer witr has no connection with us. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab as-salah, Bab fi man lam yutir) Furthermore, expressing the importance and excellence of this prayer, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that Allah the Exalted has granted you a prayer which is better for you than red camels and that is the witr prayer, the time for which extends from after Isha until the break of dawn. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab as-salah, Bab istihbabi l-witr)
“Thus, the status of the witr prayer is higher than that of sunnah prayers because in the event of combining prayers or during a state of travel, sunnah prayers are waived but witr is not waived. Accordingly, the Holy Prophet (sa) offered the witr prayer even in these states. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-witr, Bab al-witri fi s-safar)
“Elevating the witr prayer above sunnah and voluntary prayers [nawafil], Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“‘In all the works of Allah the Exalted, odd numbers have been kept in view. Thus, out of the five daily prayers, the units [rak‘at] of one obligatory [fard] prayer were made three so that the law of Allah the Exalted concerning odd numbers is reflected in the prayers as well. Similarly, the witr prayer has been made odd so that the voluntary prayers [nawafil] also become odd and it is for this reason that witr has been given greater weight than ordinary sunnah prayers, ensuring that a Muslim definitely offers them and their voluntary prayers become odd. This is the very reason why no voluntary prayer other than witr is an odd number, lest two odd numbers combine to form an even number.’
(Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 20, Friday sermon delivered on 17 March 1939, p. 171)
How should one attain purity (ghusl) in extreme cold without warm water?
“The answer to your third question, regarding the method of attaining purity from major impurity or menstruation during severe cold, is that even in the cold, the method of attaining purity from major impurity [janabah] and menstruation is full ablution [ghusl]. However, if warm water is unavailable and there is a risk of falling ill if one bathes with cold water, dry ablution [tayammum] may be performed. After this, one can perform standard ablution [wudu] and offer their prayers. Accordingly, Hazrat Amr bin al-Aas (ra) narrates that during the Battle of Dhat as-Salasil, on a very cold night, he had a wet dream. He feared that if he bathed, he might perish. Therefore, he performed dry ablution and then led his companions in the Fajr prayer. Later, when the companions mentioned this to the Holy Prophet (sa), he asked, ‘O Amr! Did you lead your companions in prayer while you were in a state of major impurity?’ He submitted the reason that prevented him from taking a bath and said, ‘I have heard the saying of Allah the Exalted: وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ کَانَ بِکُمۡ رَحِیۡمًا [“And kill not yourselves. Surely, Allah is Merciful to you.” (Surah an-Nisa, Ch. 4: V. 30)]’ Hearing this, Allah’s Messenger (sa) smiled and said nothing. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab at-taharah, Bab idha khafa l-junubu l-barda a-yatayammamu)
What is the sunnah of fasting during the month of Sha‘ban?
“Regarding your question about observing fasts in the month of Sha‘ban, the answer is that the practice of the Holy Prophet (sa) concerning the fasts of this month was that he would fast very abundantly during it. Accordingly, Hazrat Aisha (ra) narrates that Allah’s Messenger (sa) would sometimes observe voluntary fasts to such an extent that they felt he would not stop fasting and when he ceased fasting, they felt he would not fast at all. She said that she never saw Allah’s Messenger (sa) fast for a complete month other than Ramadan and that she never saw him fast more in any month than the fasts he observed in Sha‘ban. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab as-sawm, Bab sawmi sha‘ban) Yet alongside this, the Holy Prophet (sa) also instructed his followers not to observe voluntary fasts after half of Sha‘ban had passed. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Kitab as-siyam, Bab fi karahiyati s-sawmi fi n-nisfi th-thani min sha‘bana li-hali ramadan)
“The reason written by scholars and jurists for the prohibition of fasting after the middle of Sha‘ban is so that the obligatory fasts of Ramadan are not adversely affected by observing these voluntary fasts. However, if a person possesses the strength and is certain that their Ramadan fasts will not be affected by the fasts of Sha‘ban or if they have some remaining fasts from Ramadan that they are making up or if they regularly fast on certain days of every month, such a person can observe those fasts in Sha‘ban as well. However, the Holy Prophet (sa) strictly forbade fasting one or two days before the start of Ramadan with the intention of welcoming it. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab as-sawm, Bab la yataqaddamu ramadana bi sawmi yawmin wa la yawmayn)
Can a woman memorise the Holy Quran (hifz) during menstruation?
“The answer to your next question regarding whether it is permissible to memorise the Holy Quran during menstruation is that just as a woman is exempt from other acts of worship during these specific days, she is likewise exempt from recitation performed as an act of formal worship. However, if a woman is memorising the Holy Quran or has been assigned the duty of teaching the Quran to someone, then in such a situation there is no harm if she reads or teaches the Quran so that she may revise her memorisation to retain it or teach the Quran to others to fulfil her duty.”
Is ‘Quba’ mentioned in the Holy Quran?
A lady from Egypt wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), mentioning a dream of hers and asking whether there is any Surah in the Holy Quran named “Quba” or any verse wherein “Quba” is mentioned.
In his letter dated 25 March 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa) provided the following answer to this question. Huzoor (aa) stated:
“To my knowledge, there is no Surah in the Holy Quran named ‘Quba’, nor has this word been directly mentioned in any verse. However, two viewpoints are found in the exegeses [tafasir] regarding the following verse of the Holy Quran:
لَمَسۡجِدٌ اُسِّسَ عَلَی التَّقۡوٰی مِنۡ اَوَّلِ یَوۡمٍ اَحَقُّ اَنۡ تَقُوۡمَ فِیۡہِ ؕ فِیۡہِ رِجَالٌ یُّحِبُّوۡنَ اَنۡ یَّتَطَہَّرُوۡا ؕ وَاللّٰہُ یُحِبُّ الۡمُطَّہِّرِیۡنَ
“‘A mosque which was founded upon piety from the [very first] day is surely more worthy that thou shouldst stand [to pray] therein. In it are men who love to become purified, and Allah loves those who purify themselves.’ (Surah at-Tawbah, Ch. 9: V. 108)
“One is that it refers to the Prophet’s Mosque and the second is that it refers to the Mosque of Quba.” (Ahkam al-Quran by Ibn Arabi, under the commentary of Surah at-Taubah: 108)
(Submitted by Ehsan Ahmad, Murabbi-e-Silsilah, Private Secretariat, Islamabad and translated by Al Hakam)