In 1892, addressing the Promised Messiahas, Allah the Almighty promised him:
اِنِّيْ مُهِيْنٌ مَّنْ اَرَادَ اِهَانَتَكَ
“I shall humiliate him who seeks to humiliate you.” To this very day and in accordance with this promise, whoever has used foul language to humiliate the Promised Messiahas and assumed a path of mockery and scorn has been disgraced by God. Those who embrace such a course of action are including their own selves within this party.
The mannerism of mockery and scorn that some have adopted in their videos on social media regarding the Promised Messiahas is not unanticipated. This has always been the practise of enemies of the truth, and Allah the Almighty has presented proof of the truthfulness of prophets commissioned by God in the following words:
يَا حَسْرَةً عَلَي الْعِبَادِ مَا يَاْتِيْهِمْ مِّنْ رَّسُوْلٍ اِلَّا كَانُوْا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُوْنَ
“Alas for mankind! there comes not a Messenger to them but they mock at him.” (Surah Ya Sin, Ch.36: V.31)
In accordance with the eternal principle mentioned in this verse, the manner of mockery and scorn of some opponents in respect to the Promised Messiahas is proof of his truthfulness.
Allegation 1: On 11 October, when 1905 was drawing to a close, Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira passed away after a long illness. The founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas prayed for him repeatedly and delivered numerous prophecies of his recovery, but he did not recover.
A short while after his death, he said that he had prophesied and received revelation that he would, on no account, recover from his illness. However, [in such circumstances] it was impossible for him to have received revelation of the demise of Hazrat Abdul Karim Sialkotira prior to its occurrence.
Response to allegation 1: Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira was born in 1858 and passed away at the age of 47 on 11 October 1905. In August 1905, Hazrat Abdul Karim Sialkoti’sra illness intensified, upon which the Promised Messiahas prayed for his recovery. The revelations which occurred during this period are presented before readers.
Under the heading Recent Revelations in the weekly Al Badr, the following revelations have been recorded:
2 September 1905:
سينتاليس سال کی عمر. اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَ اِنَّا اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
“The age of 47. To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”
4 September 1905:
مَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ اَنْ تَمُوْتَ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ
“No soul can die without Allah’s leave.”
8 September 1905:
اِذَا جَاءَ اَفْوَاجٌ وَّ سَمٌّ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ۔ كفن ميں لپيٹا گيا
“When armies and poison shall descend from the sky. Wrapped in a shroud.”
9 September 1905:
اِنَّ الْمَنَايَا لَا تَطِيْشُ سِهَامُهَا
“The arrows of death do not miss.” (The weekly Al Badr, 7 September 1905, p. 2)
In the weekly Al Hakam, the following revelations have been recorded under the heading “Recent Revelations and Visions”:
2 September 1905:
سينتاليس سال کی عمر سينتاليس سال کی عمر. اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَ اِنَّا اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
“The age of 47. To Allah do we belong and to Him shall we return.”
4 September 1905:
مَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ اَنْ تَمُوْتَ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ
“No soul can die without Allah’s leave.”
8 September 1905:
اِذَا جَاءَ اَفْوَاجٌ وَّ سَمٌّ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ۔ كفن ميں لپيٹا هوا
“When armies and poison shall descend from the sky. Wrapped in a shroud.”
9 September 1905:
اِنَّ الْمَنَايَا لَا تَطِيْشُ سِهَامُهَا
“The arrows of death do not miss.”
(The weekly Al Hakam, 10 September 1905, p. 12)
Before you are the revelations revealed during the illness of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira and a few days prior to his death. On some occasions, the Promised Messiahas used to undoubtedly conclude from several of these revelations and dreams that Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira would recover, but God Almighty had not mentioned his recovery in any revelation.
In accordance with the revelations, Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira passed away at the age of 47 on 11 October 1905. According to the aforementioned revelation, “Two rafters will break”, two of his prominent companions passed away – Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira and Hazrat Maulvi Burhanuddin Jehlmira on 11 October 1905 and 3 September 1905 respectively – thereby manifesting the truth of revelations from God Almighty to the Promised Messiahas.
The Promised Messiahas used to interpret certain dreams to mean that Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira would return to health, but no revelation included mention of his recovery. Thus, he was wrapped in a shroud, passing away at the age of 47.
It is absolutely unobjectionable for the Promised Messiahas to conclude from interpreting some revelations and visions that Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira would recover. The true interpretation of a prophecy is that to which true accounts attest. Sometimes, prophets can also err in interpreting prophecies.
For instance, Allah the Almighty informed Noahas that a great storm was coming his way and instructed him to build an ark that would save his followers and family from the storm. Hence, he constructed an ark and when the flood arrived, he boarded his followers and essential necessities on the ark. His son did not board the ark and though he instructed him to do so, he disobeyed. He said, “I shall betake myself to a mountain that will shelter me from the water.” At that very moment, a wave of water surged forth and his son drowned before his eyes. When the rain ceased and the floodwater dried, Noahas prayed with great humility before God Almighty:
رَبِّ اِنَّ ابْنِيْ مِنْ اَهْلِيْ وَ اِنَّ وَعْدَكَ الْحَقُّ
“My Lord, verily, my son is of my family, and surely, Thy promise is true.” (Surah Hud, Ch.11: V.46)
Upon this, Allah the Almighty replied:
اِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ اَهْلِكَ اِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَالِحٍ
“[O Noah] He is surely not of thy family; he is indeed a man of unrighteous conduct.” (Surah Hud, Ch.11: V.47)
These verses inform us that within the period since he had received revelation regarding the safeguarding of his family from Allah the Almighty up until the dialogue that he shared with the Almighty, Noahas had assumed the meaning of the revelation to be that his son would also be within the scope of the promise of safety and would be protected. However, divine revelation had informed him that the interpretation which he had understood of this revelation, was not correct. Similarly, it is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهَا أرِيتُكِ فِي الْمَنَامِ مَرَّتَيْنِ، أَرَى أَنَّكِ فِي سَرَقَةٍ مِنْ حَرِيرٍ وَيَقُولُ هَذِهِ امْرَأَتُكَ فَاكْشِفُ عَنْهَا فَإِذَا هِيَ أَنْتِ فَأَقُولُ إِنْ يَكُ هَذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللّٰهِ يُمْضِهِ ».
“Hazrat Aishara relates that the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘O Aisha, you have been shown to me twice in my dream. I saw your image on a piece of silk and it was said to me, “This is your wife.” When I uncovered the picture, what I saw was you.’ Then I remarked, ‘If this is the will of Allah, it shall certainly come to pass.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Manaqib-ul-Ansar)
It is further recorded in Bukhari:
قَالَ اَبُوا مُوْسٰي عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ رَاَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ اَنِّيْ اُهَاجِرُ مِنْ مَّكَّةَ اِليٰ اَرْضٍ بِهَا نَخْلٌ فَذَهَبَ وَهَلِي اِليٰ اَنَّهَا الْيَمَامَةُ اَوْهَجَرُ فَاِذَا هِيَ الْمَدِيْنَةُ يَثْرِبُ.
“Hazrat Abu Musara relates that the Prophet of Allahsa said, ‘I saw in a dream that I was migrating to such a land which contained date palms. Therefore, my estimation was that the land would be Yamama or Hajar, but in the end, it emerged to be Medina which is also known as Yathrib.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Manaqib-ul-Ansar)
Thus, if the Promised Messiahas had interpreted a revelation or vision to be that he would recover, which did not prove right, it is definitely not a basis for raising an allegation. This is because Allah did not mention his recovery in any revelation. On the contrary, the tidings were clearly of death.
In the book, Al-Nabras Ala Sharah Aqaid byAllama Abdul Aziz Farhari, which pertains to beliefs of Sunnis, it is written:
ان النبي صلعم قد يجتهد فيكون خطا كما ذكره الاصوليون و كان النبي صلي الله عليه و سلم يشاور الصحابة فيمالم يوح اليه و هم يراجعون في ذالك ۔۔۔ و في الحديث ما حدثتكم عن الله سبحانه فهو حق و ما قلت فيه من قبل نفسي فانما انا بشر اخطي و اصيب.
“As scholars have mentioned, when the Holy Prophetsa used to interpret a certain revelation, the interpretation would sometimes not prove to be correct. He used to consult his companions in matters regarding which revelation had not yet descended and they would engage with him in fruitful dialogue in that respect. It is recorded in the Hadith that the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Anything which I relay to you from God is the truth, and know regarding that which I relate as my own interpretation that I am a human; my interpretations can be both correct and can prove to be inaccurate.’” (Al-Nabras Ala Sharah Aqaid, p. 392, published Quetta, Pakistan)
(Research by a panel of scholars at the Research Cell, Rabwah. Translated by Al Hakam)