Friday Sermon
26 March 2021
The Promised Messiahas: The need for the Imam
After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa recited the following verses 3 and 4 of Surah Al-Jumuah, before commencing with the sermon:
هُوَ الَّذِيْ بَعَثَ فِي الْاُمِّيّٖنَ رَسُوْلًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوْا عَلَيْهِمْ اٰيٰتِهٖ وَ يُزَكِّيْهِمْ وَ يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتٰبَ وَ الْحِكْمَةَ وَ اِنْ كَانُوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِيْ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيْنٍ
“He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered [people] a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance.” (Surah al-Jumuah, Ch.62: V.3)
وَ اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ وَ هُوَ الْعَزِيْزُ الْحَكِيْمُ
“And [among] others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.” (Ch.62: V.4)
A few days ago was 23 March; this day is commemorated in the Ahmadiyya Jamaat as the day the Jamaat was established and the Promised Messiahas took the bai‘at [pledge of allegiance]. Thus, each year, this day ought to serve as a reminder for us that the purpose of the Promised Messiah’sas advent, which is in line with the prophecies of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophetsa, was to revive the faith and to re-establish the true teachings of Islam in the world.
Furthermore, we are the ones who profess to have pledged allegiance to the Promised Messiahas. Therefore, in order to fulfil this significant mission, we must play our role according to our respective capabilities and ensure that we re-establish the relationship between mankind and God Almighty, for mankind has lost its way. We must also draw people’s attention towards fulfilling the rights they owe towards mankind. Undoubtedly in order to achieve this, we must first reform ourselves.
Nonetheless, at present, I will mention some extracts of the Promised Messiahas in which he explained the purpose of his advent; how the earlier prophecies of the Quran and the Holy Prophetsa were fulfilled to demonstrate the proof of his truthfulness, which we are also witnessing being fulfilled today. I will also mention what the Promised Messiahas stated about the pious transformations brought about by the Companions [of the Holy Prophetsa]. The Promised Messiahas also mentioned the difficulties and hardships which the Companions had to endure and which some members of the Jamaat are experiencing today. Thus, we should always be mindful of these points so that we can progress as a community as opposed to stumbling.
With regard to his advent and truthfulness, the Promised Messiahas openly announced making God his witness, which undoubtedly is a means of strengthening our faith. If we continue to be mindful of these things and keep them before us, then they will most certainly become a means of progressing in our faith and will continue to remind us of our objectives. Now, as I mentioned, I will present certain extracts which invite others towards his message, be they Ahmadis or non-Ahmadis. Regarding the verse of the Holy Quran which I have just recited, the Promised Messiahas explains:
“The essence of this verse is that God Almighty is He, Who sent the Messengersa in an era when the people were completely bereft of knowledge and wisdom. Furthermore, the prospect of any religious sciences, through which perfection of the soul could be accomplished and mankind’s knowledge and deeds can reach their pinnacle, had completely vanished.
“Furthermore, people had gone astray, meaning that they had become distant from God and His right path. Then at such a time, God Almighty sent His Prophetsa, the immaculate one, who purified their souls and filled them with the knowledge of the Book, and wisdom, by way of signs and miracles, led them to perfect certainty, and through the light of the recognition of God, illumined their hearts. Thereafter, He stated that there was another group of people, who would appear in the Latter Days. They would also, at first, be in darkness and misguidance, and bereft of knowledge, wisdom and certainty. Then, God would also make them like the companions; meaning that whatever the companions witnessed, they would also be made to witness, to the extent that their sincerity and level of conviction would resemble the sincerity and conviction of the companions.”
Thus, this is the level of conviction and faith that we ought to have in the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas after having pledged allegiance to him. We should have the same level of faith and conviction in God Almighty, the Holy Prophetsa, the truthfulness of Islam as the companions did. These days, I am relating accounts from the lives of the companions; hence their examples are before us. The Promised Messiahas further states:
“Moreover, it has been narrated in an authentic tradition that whilst explaining this verse, the Holy Prophetsa placed his hand on the shoulder of Salman the Persian and said:
لَوْ كَانَ الْاِيْمَانُ مُعَلَّقًا بِالثُّرَيَّا لَنَالَهٗ رَجُلٌ مِّنْ فَارِس
“Meaning, ‘Even if faith goes up to the Pleiades’, meaning the sky, ‘then a man of Persian descent will bring it back.’ This indicates to the fact that in the Latter Days, a man would be born of Persian descent, in a time regarding which it is written that the Quran would ascend to the skies. This very time is that of the Promised Messiah.”
In other words, people would completely abandon the teachings of Islam and the Holy Quran.
“Moreover, the man of Persian descent is non-other than the Promised Messiah because the onslaught of false Christian doctrine, for which the Promised Messiah was meant to come and break, is an attack on faith. All these signs have been mentioned regarding the time of the onslaught of false Christian doctrine and it is written that this assault would have a very negative effect on the faith of people.”
These severe attacks were taking place during the era of the Promised Messiahas and in fact, they continued for a long period of time after him as well and history is a witness to this. The Promised Messiahas continues:
“These very attacks, in other words, are called the onslaught of the Dajjal. The traditions say that during the assault of that Dajjal, many naive people would leave God – the One Who has no partner – and the zeal of their faith would diminish. Moreover, the most significant task of the Promised Messiah would be to rejuvenate faith because the attack is against faith and the following tradition:
لَوْكَانَ الْاِيْمَانُ
“[even if faith ascends to the Pleiades] which is regarding a man of Persian descent, proves that he would come to establish faith once again. Thus, just as the time of the Promised Messiah and that of the man of Persian descent was the same, so too were their duties, that is; to re-establish faith. This is why it has certainly been established that the Promised Messiah himself was the man of Persian descent and it was regarding his community that the following verse refers to:
وَ اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ
“[And (among) others from among them who have not yet joined them.] The meaning of this verse is that after complete deviation from the right path; there are only two groups that attain guidance and wisdom, and witness the miracles and blessings of the Holy Prophetsa. Firstly, the Companions of the Holy Prophetsa, who, before his advent, were in total darkness, after which, they witnessed the age of prophethood with the grace of God and saw miracles with their own eyes and witnessed the fulfilment of prophecies. Furthermore, their level of conviction created such a change within them that they became as if they were a single soul.
“The second group are the followers of the Promised Messiah, which according to the aforementioned verse are like the companions. Because this group, like the companions, would also witnessmiracles of the Holy Prophetsa, and would become recipients of guidance after darkness and misguidance.
“In the verse ‘Akharina minhum’ [And ‘among’ others from among them], this group has been referred to in the words ‘minhum’ [from among them], which signifies that this latter group would be granted a measure of the blessings of being likened to the companions.”
The Promised Messiahas further states:
“[…] This is exactly what has come to pass today. After 1,300 hundred years, the door of the miracles of the Holy Prophetsa was opened and people witnessed with their own eyes that the solar and lunar eclipses of Ramadan has been manifested, according to the hadith of Al-Daraqutni and Fatawa Ibn-Hajr, that is the moon and the sun were eclipsed in Ramadan. Moreover, as described by the contents of the hadith, the lunar eclipse took place on the first night from among the nights the eclipse could occur, and the sun was eclipsed on the middle day from among the days it could occur; and this was at a time when a claimant to being a Mahdi was also present. This condition has not come to pass since the creation of the earth and heaven because no one has been able to present an example of it from history. This was a miracle of the Holy Prophetsa, which people saw with their own eyes. Moreover, thousands of people saw the appearance of the star, Dhus-Sineen [The Great Comet of 1882], which was said to appear at the time of the Promised Messiah. Similarly, millions of people witnessed the fire of Java. Likewise, everyone observed, with their own eyes, the spread of the plague, and the prohibition of Hajj. The railways being manufactured in this country as well as the abandonment of camels are all prophecies of the Holy Prophetsa, similar to those witnessed by the Companions. This is why; speaking of this final community, God, the Exalted used the word ‘minhum’ [from among them] to indicate that they are also similar to the companions with regards to witnessing miracles.
“Just consider whether, during the last 1,300 years, anyone had experienced a time which was so similar to the time of the Holy Prophetsa. Our Jamaat, which has been established in this age, resembles, in many respects, the companions of the Holy Prophetsa. Our people witness miracles and signs such as the companions witnessed and gain light and certainty from fresh heavenly signs and support as the companions did. They endure, in the cause of Allah, the mockery and derision and reproaches of people, and bear persecution and boycotts, just as the companions endured. They lead pure lives helped by clear heavenly signs and supports and wise teachings, as did the companions.”
This is a very important point. One must always remember that through the wise teachings one has to attain a pure life. It is important that one ponders over the Holy Quran. The Promised Messiahas further states:
“There are many among them who weep during their Prayers as the companions wept – so profusely that their places of prostration were dampened. Many of them see true dreams and are honoured with Divine revelations, as was the case with the companions. Many of them spend their hard-earned money in promoting the activities of the Jamaat, purely for the sake of winning the pleasure of God Almighty, as did the companions. Many among them keep death in mind”; this is also a very important point as one ought to always be mindful of death; “and they are gentle of heart and tread the path of true righteousness, as was the practice of the companions.”
These are very important points which the Promised Messiahas has mentioned and we must always keep this in mind just as the companions did.
“They are the party of God who are supported by God Himself and whose hearts He is purifying daily and whose bosoms He is filling with the wisdom of faith”. Thus, we ought to assess our own conditions as to whether we have also instilled these qualities within us or not. “… and whom He is drawing towards Himself through heavenly signs, as He did with the companions. In short, this Jamaat exhibits all those signs which are implied in the verse:
وَ اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ
“[and others from among them who have not yet joined them], the Word of God Almighty was bound to be fulfilled.” (Ayyam-ul-Sulh, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 14, pp. 304-307)
The Promised Messiahas further states:
“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:
وَ نُفِخَ فِي الصُّوْرِ فَجَمَعْنٰهُمْ جَمْعًا
[and the trumpet will be blown. Then shall We gather them all together. (18:100)]
“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 divine cognisance – ma‘rifat.
“This world will not come to an end until this prophecy – announced by the Holy Quran 1,300 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, the discovery of minerals from beneath the earth, a profusion of worldly knowledge, the availability of means for the mass publication of books, 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 in this day and age, these means continue to further increase, “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 realise that God has sent me at a time when all the signs that were written in the Holy Quran have been fulfilled.” (Lecture Lahore [2018 edition], pp. 44-46 [English Translation])
History bears testimony that all of these signs were fulfilled during the time of the Promised Messiahas and some of them continue to be fulfilled to this day. The Promised Messiahas further states:
“When God saw the world sunk into an abject state and the earth full of wickedness, tyrannies and iniquity, He sent me with the mission of propagating truth and reforming the world. And the time was such that people had witnessed the end of the thirteenth century and had entered into the fourteenth century. Then, under Divine command, I raised my voice through printed announcements and public speeches proclaiming to everyone that I am the one who was destined to be raised by God at the beginning of this century to renovate religion, claiming that I have been sent with the mission to re-establish the faith that has disappeared from the face of the earth and to draw the whole of mankind back to piety and righteousness with the aid of God’s own hand and to reform them and to remove errors of belief and conduct.
“It was disclosed to me through Divine revelation a few years later that the Messiah that had been promised from the earliest time to this nation and that the last Mahdi (Reformer) who was destined to appear after the deterioration of Islam and who was to be granted direct guidance from God and who was to provide once again the spiritual nourishment, as had been preordained and about whom glad tidings had also been given by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself 1,300 years ago, is none other than me. Divine revelations from God the Gracious, in this regard, came to me so clearly and persistently that no room for even the least doubt was left in this matter. Every revelation that came in this respect was firmly fixed in my mind like a steel nail and all these revelations contained profound predictions which were fulfilled later with the clarity as of the daylight. Their constant persistence, as also their miraculous powers, constrained me to acknowledge that the words revealed to me were, no doubt, the words of the same One and peerless God Who had revealed the Holy Quran. I have not mentioned the Torah and the Gospels in this connection because they have suffered so terribly at the hands of the interpolators that they could hardly be called the Word of God now.
“The revelation that has come to me is so convincing and definitive that I have been able to attain nearness to God through it. This revelation was explicitly true, not only through reinforcement by heavenly signs, but when referred to the Holy Quran was found to conform fully to it. Thereafter, heavenly signs from above poured in like the raindrops in support of these revelations. It was in these very days that the eclipses of the sun and the moon occurred during the month of Ramadan as had been foretold in the earlier scriptures beforehand, as a sign of the appearance of the Mahdi. And in those very days, the plague spread in epidemic proportions in the Punjab; it later spread throughout the length and breadth of the country as has been foretold in the Holy Quran. The earlier prophets had also forewarned that deaths would increase in those days to an extent that no town or village would escape the scourge. And so has it happened while the epidemic is still rampant. Nearly 22 years ago, God had foretold me about this scourge when there was no sign or likelihood of its occurrence.” (Tadhkiratul Shahadatain, Ruhnai Khazain, Vol. 20, pp. 3-4)
In relation to his claims, the Promised Messiahas states:
“I am the one who came at the appointed time and for whom the eclipses of the sun and the moon in the month of Ramadan occurred as a Sign as foretold by the Holy Quran, hadith, the gospels and earlier Prophets; and I am the one in whose time the plague spread in extraordinary circumstances, in accordance with the prophecies of the Holy Quran and all the earlier prophets; and I am the one in whose time, as predicted in the authentic traditions, the pilgrimage to Mecca was banned; and I am the one in whose time the same star appeared as had appeared at the time of Jesus son of Mary; and I am the one in whose time railway trains commenced running in this country and the camel became redundant and the time is approaching – nay it is near – when railway trains shall begin to run between Mecca and Medina and camels shall become superfluous and be deemed a relic of the past.”
Initially, people travelled by road but now they travel by means of train as well.
“Although they were being continuously used for the past 1,300 years for these auspicious journeys and the prediction contained in Muslim’s Hadith shall be fulfilled which says:
لَيُتْرَكَنَّ الْقِلَاصُ فَلَا يُسْعٰی عَلَيْهَا
“That is, in the time of the Promised Messiah, ‘they shall abandon the use of the she-camel’, which shall cease to ply there, i.e. no one shall use them for riding.
“In the same way, hundreds of signs have appeared in my support. Is there a person living on the earth today who could outshine me in this respect? I call Him as a witness who is the Master of my life that so far more than 200,000 Signs have been manifested in my favour and, more or less, 10,000 souls have seen the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, in dreams who gave testimony in my favour. Moreover, sages of great renown and spiritually exalted persons who have very large numbers of followers numbering up to 300,000 to 400,000 have been directed in their visions that I have truly come from God. Some of these died 30 years before my appearance; such a sage was named Gulab Shah, who lived in Ludhiana and who had told Mian Karim Bakhsh of Jamalpur that Jesus had been born at Qadian and that he would visit Ludhiana.
“Mian Karim Bakhsh was a righteous man of advanced age who firmly believed in One God. He came to see me at Ludhiana and related to me this prediction for which the ‘maulvis’ harassed him greatly, but he paid no heed to them. He told me that Gulab Shah used to say in his presence that Jesus, son of Mary did not live; he was dead; he would never come back to this world; Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Jesus for this nation who, under divine power and wisdom, had been created the-like-of-Jesus and in heaven, he had been named Jesus. He reiterated saying, ‘O Karim Bakhsh’”, i.e. referring to his follower, “‘when that Jesus shall appear, you will see how bitterly the clerics shall oppose him, but they will not succeed’” and they continue to fail till this day. “‘He shall be sent to this world to clear and embellish the disfigured and distorted commentaries of the Holy Quran, which he shall again present to the world in their original perspectives.’ In this prediction, the sage had clearly pointed out that Mian Karim Bakhsh would live long enough to see the Messiah personally.” (Tadhkiratul Shahadatain, Ruhnai Khazain, Vol. 20, pp. 35-37)
In other words, this prophecy was also regarding the age of one of his followers.
The Promised Messiahas then further states:
“Remember, God is also Ghafur – Most Forgiving. Why then should He not forgive those who repent and turn to Him? One example of this kind of erroneous thinking, which is rampant in Muslims as a whole, is Jihad. It is amazing how they start breathing fire when I say that Jihad is forbidden, and yet they admit that the traditions about the blood-thirsty Mahdi are doubtful. Maulvi Muhammad Hussein Batalvi has written a number of booklets on this subject.” He accepted the fact that such traditions are doubtful. “Mian Nazir Hussein of Delhi too was of the same opinion.” Even today, some of the ulema are of this viewpoint as well. “Both do not consider such traditions authentic. Why then should I be called a liar? The truth of the matter is that the main task of the Messiah and Mahdi was to abolish religious warfare and to establish the superiority of Islam with pen, prayer and dedication.” This is the same task which the followers of the Promised Messiahas ought to continue, i.e. to use the pen, prayer and dedication.
“What a pity, people do not understand this because they are interested more in what is mundane than in faith.” We should also assess our conditions in that after having accepted the Promised Messiahas, are we inclining more towards worldly pursuits?
“Steeped as they are in worldly worries and immoralities, how can they ever hope that the deeper verities of the Holy Quran will be revealed to them, for the Book clearly says:
لَا يَمَسُّهٗٓ اِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُوْنَ
“[which none shall touch except those who are purified. (Ch.56: V.80)]
“Listen carefully as to the ultimate purpose of my advent, which is to renew and reaffirm Islam. This should not be construed to mean that I bring a new law or shariah or new commandments or a new book will be revealed – not at all. If somebody so thinks, he is highly misled and devoid of faith. Let it be clear that prophethood and the shariah have found their total and absolute expression in the person of the Holy Prophetsa. There can be no new divine law. The Holy Quran is the last and perfect book; it does not admit of any change, not even of a dot or a mark. Nevertheless, it is also true that the blessings and bounties of the Holy Prophetsa and the rewards of the Holy Quran’s teaching and guidance are unending. They are to be seen in every age, ever fresh in their pristine purity. It is for the demonstration of these rewards and blessings that God Almighty has appointed me. The dire state that Islam is in today is not a secret. Everyone agrees that Muslims suffer from all sorts of shortcomings and decadence. They are degenerating in every aspect.” Today, their situation is in an even more dire state.
“They pay only lip-service to Islam; their heart is not in it. Islam has become like an orphan. Such are the circumstances in which God has sent me so that I may support Islam as its guardian. What is more, God has sent me in fulfilment of His promise, for He had declared:
اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ اِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰفِظُوْنَ
“[Verily, We Ourself have sent down this Exhortation, and most surely We will be its Guardian. (Ch.15: V.10)]
“When will this help and succour and protection come if not now? The situation in the fourteenth century is like that of the Battle of Badr, regarding which Allah says:
وَ لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللّٰهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَّ اَنْتُمْ اَذِلَّةٌ
“[And Allah had already helped you at Badr (Ch.3: V.124)]
“This verse actually implied a prophecy: When in the fourteenth century, Islam becomes frail and weak, God, according to His promise, shall come to its help. Why do you wonder if Allah has come to help Islam?”
Then with regard to the profanities uttered by the opponents, the Promised Messiahas states:
“I do not care about being called a liar and Antichrist or about aspersions cast on me. This had to happen, for such was the treatment meted out to God’s Messengers who came before me. I too had to share this age-old tradition. In fact, my share of these sufferings and hardships is not even a fraction of what our lord and master, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa had to face. His suffering has no parallel in the whole history of the prophets. He suffered such hardship for the sake of Islam as is beyond the pen to describe and the tongue to express. This shows how magnificent and determined a prophet he was. Without divine help and succour, it would not have been possible for him to face up to such mountains of trials and tribulations. Any prophet other than the Holy Prophetsa would have failed. The Islam he established in the face of such suffering and hardship is in such dire straits today as defy description!” (Lecture Ludhiana [2003 English Edition], pp. 43-45)
This is the condition which the Muslims have left Islam in and they are unwilling to accept the one who was appointed to come for the revival of faith.
The Promised Messiahas states:
“Through my writings, I have exhaustively demonstrated the way which would help Islam succeed and establish its supremacy over all religions. My publications are sent to America and Europe. Endowed with intelligence, those people have come to realise the truth. But when the same point of view is presented to a Muslim, it makes him froth at the mouth, as if he were mad or seeks to kill.” These days they are practically perpetrating such acts against the Ahmadis. “In point of fact, the teaching of the Holy Quran is none other than:
اِدْفَعْ بِالَّتِيْ هِيَ اَحْسَنُ
“[Repel evil with that which is best. (Ch.23: V.97)]
“The purpose of this teaching is to transform the enemy into a friend through such kind and decent behaviour that he feels compelled to listen with patience and calmness. I swear by Allah, the Glorious, that I am from Him; He knows that I am not a liar or an impostor. If, in spite of this solemn oath and despite witnessing the signs God has shown in my favour, you still call me a liar and an impostor, then I implore you to cite just one instance of an impostor who continues to be blessed with divine support and succour in spite of his constant lying in the name of God.”
They ought to present an example of such a person, who is a liar and yet Allah the Almighty continues to grant him support. Today, is the Jamaat spread across the world not clear proof that the support of God Almighty is with the Promised Messiahas? The Promised Messiahas further states:
“Such a person should be killed by God, but just the reverse is happening in my case. I again swear by God that I speak the truth and that I have been sent by Him. Though I am, in turn, called a liar and an impostor, God comes to my help in every case in which my opponents implicate me. What is more, He helps me by infusing my love in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people.”
At the time, the Promised Messiahas was referring to India alone, but today this has been instilled in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people from across Europe, the USA, Africa, North America, South America, various Islands, Australia and the Arab countries. What a strange phenomenon this is that all of this is happening in support of the one who they claim to be false.
The Promised Messiahas further states:
“I stake my credibility on this.” This is the proof of the Promised Messiahas’s claim. “Show me an impostor and a liar and someone who dared attribute to God what was not from Him, and was still the recipient of His help and continued to enjoy life as long as mine and whose aspirations were similarly fulfilled.” (Lecture Ludhiana [2003 English Edition], pp. 37-38))
The Promised Messiahas states:
“It is incumbent on Muslims to value the light and the blessings that are, at present, descending from Heaven and be grateful to God for this timely guidance and for helping them out in their hour of distress in keeping with His promise. If Muslims do not cherish this divine bounty, God Almighty will not be in the least bothered about them. He will not stop before completing His task and will leave them to rue their plight. I declare with all the emphasis at my command and with full conviction and understanding, that God has decided to demolish all other religions and let Islam triumph and be strong. No power or person can now resist or stall the fulfilment of the Will of God. He is:
فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيْدُ
“[Doer of whatever He wills. (Ch.85: V.17)]
“O Muslims, Listen! God has communicated this tiding to you through me and I have duly conveyed the message. Now it is for you to heed or not to heed. The plain truth is that Jesus, on whom be peace, has passed away, and I swear by God that I am the Promised one who was to appear. And this too is an undeniable fact that Islam lives if Jesusas dies.” (Lecture Ludhiana [2003 English Edition], p. 59)
The Promised Messiahas then states:
“Each day God continues to humiliate my ignorant opponents by manifesting all kinds of signs. I swear by Him that just as He granted His converse to Prophet Abrahamas and then to Isaacas, Ishmaelas, Jacobas, Josephas, Mosesas and Jesus, son of Maryas, and, after them all, spoke with unmatched clarity and purity to our Prophet Muhammadsa, so did He honour me with His converse and revelation.
“But this honour was bestowed upon me solely because of my complete submission to the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. If I had not been part of the Holy Prophet’ssa ummah and had not been his follower, then, even if my good deeds had matched all the mountains of the world, I would never have received this honour of divine converse with God, for all prophethood has come to an end except the prophethood of Muhammadsa. No law-bearing prophet can come after him. A prophet who does not bring a new law can come, but he has to be a follower of the Holy Prophetsa first.
“On this basis, I am both an ummati and a prophet. My prophethood, i.e. my converse with God, is nothing but a reflection of the prophethood of Muhammadsa. Apart from this, my prophethood is nothing. It is the same prophethood of Muhammadsa which has manifested itself through me. And, since I am a mere reflection of him as well as his devout follower, this does not in the least diminish the high status of the Holy Prophetsa.
“The divine converse which I experience is unequivocal. If I were to doubt it even for an instant, I would become a disbeliever and my afterlife would be ruined. The word that is revealed to me is certain and definite. Just as no one can doubt the sun and its light when he has seen it, in the same manner, I cannot doubt the veracity of the word which is revealed to me from God. I believe in it just as I believe in the Book of God.” (Divine Manifestations [2006 English Edition], pp. 27-29)
The Promised Messiahas then states:
“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 – tawhid – 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 the Heaven and the 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” and now there are countless people who reject this view. “People who had, for generations, been infatuated with idols and other deities are now coming to realise 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 – tawhid – 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 He will bring about peace and harmony. The fragrance of this breeze can be experienced by all and all the various people will soon unite as one.” (Lecture Lahore [2008 English Edition], p. 42-43])
May Allah the Almighty enable the people of the world, particularly the Muslims, to understand the true reality [of the advent of the Promised Messiahas] and his claims. And may they quickly enter into the bai‘at of the Messiah and Mahdi, who was sent to the world by Allah the Almighty for the revival of Islam. May Allah the Almighty also enable us to do true justice to our bai‘at.
I would like to remind you all once again to pray for the Ahmadis in Pakistan and Algeria. The conditions are worsening and remain uncertain. Therefore, we cannot say that there is complete peace and harmony.
Every day, a new incident comes to light in Pakistan. Similarly, in Algeria as well, the intention of some of the government officials does not seem to be good and they want to reopen the cases [against Ahmadis].
May Allah the Almighty keep all the Ahmadis in His protection; those in Pakistan, Algeria and every Ahmadi, wherever they may be who are having to face hardship. However, along with this, Ahmadis should pay even more focus on the fact that they ought to prostrate before Allah the Almighty even more than before. And may they do true justice to their worship and in fulfilling the rights of mankind and also improve their own conditions and establish a special bond with Allah the Almighty. May Allah the Almighty grant everyone the ability to do so.
(Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 16th April 2021, pp. 5-9. Translated by The Review of Religions.)