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Translator's Note:
- Any text in round
brackets ( ) is the author's original text or
its translation.
- Square bracktes [
] are used to enclose any text added by the
translator.
- The serial
numbers within braces { } are links to the
explanatory Notes by the translator.
- The Publisher's
Note at the bottom of the last Author's
footnote was added to all editions of this
booklet (both Lahori and Qadiani) in about
1967 due to a requirement of the authorities
in Pakistan.
Correction of an error
English translation of Ayk Ghalati Ka
Izala
by Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad
Translated from Urdu
by Zahid Aziz
Some people in our
Movement who are not well-acquainted with my claim and
the arguments relating to it --- not having had the
occasion to study my books carefully, nor having stayed
in my company for a sufficient length of time to complete
their knowledge --- in some instances in response to an
objection of the opponents give a reply which is entirely
against facts. So, despite being on the side of truth,
they have to face embarrassment.{1}
Thus it happened a few
days ago that a person faced from an opponent the
objection that "the man whose pledge you have taken
claims to be a prophet (nabi) and a messenger (rasul)".
This was answered by only a denial, while such an answer
is not correct. The fact is that the holy revelation of
God Almighty which descends upon me contains words such
as rasul, mursal and nabi, not once but
hundreds of times. So how can the reply be correct that
such words are not present?{2} In fact, at this time these words
occur more clearly and explicitly than in the earlier
days. And in the Barahin Ahmadiyya too, published
22 years ago, these words are not few.{3}
Thus, in the Divine
communications published in Barahin Ahmadiyya, one
revelation from God is as follows: "He it is Who
sent His messenger (rasul) with guidance and the
true religion in order to make it prevail over all other
religions" (see p. 498, Barahin Ahmadiyya).
Here, this humble one has been clearly addressed as rasul.
Then after this, in the same book, is the following
Divine revelation regarding myself: "The messenger
of God in the mantle of the prophets" (p. 504). Then
quite near this in the same book is the following
revelation: "Muhammad is the messenger of God; those
with him are firm against disbelievers, compassionate
among themselves." In this revelation I have been
given the name "Muhammad' as well as rasul.{4}
Then there is the following Divine revelation noted on
page 557 of Barahin Ahmadiyya: "A warner came
into the world." Another version of it is: "A
prophet (nabi) came into the world."{5} Similarly
in many other places in Barahin Ahmadiyya the word
rasul has been applied to this humble one.{6}
If it be said that the
Holy Prophet Muhammad is the Khatam an-nabiyyin,
so how can another prophet come after him, the reply is
that there certainly cannot come any prophet, new or old,
in the way in which you people consider Jesus to descend
in the latter days and believe him in those circumstances
to be a prophet. In fact, it is your belief that wahy
nubuwwat [revelation exclusive to prophets] shall
then continue for forty years, exceeding even the term of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad.{7} Such a belief is undoubtedly a
sin, and the verse "he is the Messenger of God and
the Khatam an-nabiyyin" [the Quran, 33:40]
along with the hadith "there is no prophet after
me" is conclusive proof of the absolute falsity of
this view.{8}
I am strongly opposed to
such beliefs, and have true and full faith in the
statement "he is the Messenger of God and the Khatam
an-nabiyyin." This verse contains a prophecy
which our opponents know not. It is that God Almighty
says in this verse that, after the Holy Prophet Muhammad,
may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, the doors
of prophecies have been closed till the Day of Judgment,
and it is not possible now for a Hindu or a Jew or a
Christian or a nominal Muslim to apply the word nabi
to himself. All the windows of prophethood have been
closed, but one window, that of the path of Siddiq,
is viz., fana fir-rasul.{9}
The person who comes to God through this window is made
to wear, by way of zill, that same mantle of
prophethood which is the cloak of the prophethood of
Muhammad.{10}
His being a prophet,
therefore, is not a violation of sanctity because he gets
all this, not from his own person, but from the fountain
of his Prophet, and it is not for himself but for the
glory of that Prophet. It is for this reason that his
name in heaven is Muhammad and Ahmad. It
means that the prophethood of Muhammad was in the end
given only to Muhammad, though in the manner of burooz,
but not to anyone else.{11} Hence the verse: "Muhammad is
not the father of any man from among you, but he is the
Messenger of God and the Khatam an-nabiyyin"
means: Muhammad is not the father of anyone from among
the men of this world, but he is a father to men of the
other world because he is the Khatam an-nabiyyin,
and there is no way to the graces of God except through
his mediation.
In short, my prophethood
and messengership is in my capacity as Muhammad and
Ahmad, not on account of myself. And I received this
title in the position of fana fir-rasul. Hence, it
makes no difference to the meaning of Khatam
an-nabiyyin. However, the descent of Jesus would
certainly make a difference.{12}
It is also to be
remembered that the meaning of nabi according to
the lexicon is one who gives the news of matters unseen,
having received it from God. Wherever this meaning
applies, the word nabi will also apply.{13}
And a nabi must necessarily be a rasul, for
if he is not a rasul he cannot receive news of the
holy, unseen realm, the following verse being a bar
against it: "He [God] does not make His unseen known
to anyone except a messenger (rasul) whom He
chooses." [the Quran, 72:26-27] {14}If,
after the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the coming of a prophet
according to this meaning is denied, it implies that one
should believe that this Umma is destitute of
Divine communication and revelation, because the person
through whom news of the unseen from God is manifested,
to him the meaning of nabi shall apply according
to the above verse. Similarly, he who is sent from God
will be the one we shall call rasul.{15}
The difference is that,
after our Holy Prophet Muhammad till the Day of Judgment,
there is no prophet to whom a new shariah is to be
revealed, nor one who is granted the title of prophethood
without the mediation of the Holy Prophet and without
attaining to such a stage of fana fir-rasul that
he is named Muhammad and Ahmad in heaven.{16} And
whoever makes such a claim indeed commits heresy.
The real secret in this is
that the meaning of Khatam an-nabiyyin requires
that, so long as there remains a veil of separation, if a
person is called nabi he would be breaking the
seal which is upon Khatam an-nabiyyin. If,
however, a person is so lost in that Khatam
an-nabiyyin that, due to a complete union and absence
of difference,{17} he has received his name, and the
face of Muhammad is reflected in him as in a clear
mirror, he will be called nabi without breaking
the seal, because he is Muhammad, though in the manner of
zill. Hence, despite the claim to prophethood of
the person who has been given the names Muhammad and
Ahmad by way of zill,{18}
our master Muhammad still remains Khatam an-nabiyyin
because this second Muhammad is the image and the name of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of
God be upon him. Jesus, however, cannot come without
breaking the seal because his prophethood is a separate
one.
And if no person can be a
prophet and messenger in the sense of burooz, then
what is the meaning of the following: "Guide us on
the right path, the path of those upon whom Thou hast
bestowed favours." [the Quran, 1:5-6] {19}
| Author's
Footnote: Remember that this Umma
has been promised every blessing which was
bestowed upon the earlier prophets and the
truthful ones (siddiq). Among those
favours are the prophecies and predictions on
account of which the prophets were called nabi.
But the Quran closes the door of the knowledge of
the unseen to all except a nabi, or in
fact a rasul, as is clear from the verse:
"God does not make His unseen known to
anyone except a rasul whom He
chooses." So to attain knowledge of the holy
unseen, it is necessary to be a prophet. The
verse "on whom Thou hast bestowed
favours" testifies that this Umma is
not deprived of the holy unseen which, according
to the verse quoted, implies prophethood and
messengership. But the direct path of attaining
it is closed, and hence it must be acknowledged
that, for this gift, the way of burooz, zill
and fana fir-rasul is |
It should be borne in mind
that, according to this sense, I do not deny prophethood
and messengership.{20}It is in this sense that the
Promised Messiah has been called nabi in the Sahih
Muslim.{21}If one who receives news of the unseen from
God is not to be called nabi, tell us what he
should be called? If it is said that he should be called muhaddas,
I say that in no lexicon is the meaning of tahdees
'making known the unseen.' The meaning of nubuwwat
is, however, making known matters of the unseen.{22} Nabi
is a word which is common to Arabic and Hebrew. In Hebrew
this word is naabi, and is derived from naabaa
which means "to prophesy, upon receiving intimation
from God.'{23} And it is not a requirement for a nabi
that he should be a bearer of shariah.{24}
This is a mere gift by which matters of the unseen are
disclosed. As I have received up to this time about 150
prophecies from God, and seen with my own eyes that they
were fulfilled clearly, how can I deny the application of
the word nabi or rasul to myself? And when
God Almighty has himself given me these titles, how can I
reject this, or fear someone other than Him?{25}
I swear by God Who has
sent me --- and about Whom it is the work of the accursed
to make fabrications --- that He has sent me as the
Promised Messiah. And just as I believe in the verses of
the Holy Quran, similarly, without an iota of difference,
I believe in the clear andrevelation of God which I
receive, the truth of which has become evident to me by
its repeated signs. I can swear on oath in the House of
God that the holy revelation which descends on me is the
word of the same God Who sent His word to Moses, Jesus
and Muhammad mustafa, may peace and the blessings
of God be upon him.{26} The earth testified for me, and so
did heaven. So also did both heaven and earth proclaim
that I am the khalifa (appointed one) of God.
However, according to the prophecies it was necessary
that I should be denied, so those upon whose hearts are
veils do not accept me. I know that God will certainly
succour me, as He has ever been helping His messengers.
None can stand against me, as he has not the aid of God.
Wherever I have denied
prophethood and messengership, it is only in the sense
that I am not the independent bearer of a shariah,
nor am I an independent prophet. However, in the sense
that, having gained spiritual graces from the Messenger
whom I follow, and having attained for myself his name, I
have received knowledge of the unseen from God through
the mediation of the Holy Prophet, I am a messenger and a
prophet but without a new shariah.{27}
I have never denied being called a prophet in this sense.
In fact, this is the sense in which God has addressed me
as nabi and rasul. Nor do I now deny being
a prophet and messenger in this sense.{28}
And my statement, "I am neither a messenger nor
bearer of a scripture," means only that I am not a
possessor of shariah (sahib-i shariah).{29}
Nonetheless, it must be
imperatively remembered, and never over-looked, that
despite being addressed as nabi and rasul,
I have been informed by God that all these graces have
not been bestowed upon me without mediation, but that
there is a holy being in heaven, namely, Muhammad mustafa,
may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, whose
spiritual benefit I have received. On account of this
mediation, and by having submerged in him and having
received his names Muhammad and Ahmad, I am a rasul
and nabi, i.e., one who has been sent and one who
receives news of the unseen from God.{30} In
this way, the seal of Khatam an-nabiyyin is
preserved because I have received the same name in the
sense of image and reflection, through the mirror of
love.
If anyone is indignant at
this Divine revelation, as to why God Almighty has called
me nabi and rasul, it is his own folly
because the seal set by God is not broken by my being a
prophet and messenger.
| Author's
Footnote: What a fine point it is that,
in this way, neither does the prophesied seal of Khatam
an-nabiyyin get broken, nor are all the
members of the Umma deprived of that sense
of prophethood which corresponds to the verse
"God does not make His unseen known to
anyone ...". But by bringing down Jesus,
whose prophethood was established 600 years
before Islam, nothing at all remains of Islam,
and the Khatam an-nabiyyin verse is
clearly falsified. The opponents will only abuse
me for this, so let them. "The unjust shall
know which final destination they will return
to." |
It is obvious that, just
as I say about myself that God has addressed me as nabi
and rasul, so do my opponents assert about Jesus,
son of Mary, that he shall return to the world after our
Holy Prophet, and as he is a prophet the same objection
applies to his coming as the one levelled against me,
namely, that the seal of finality of Khatam
an-nabiyyin will be broken. But I say that after the
Holy Prophet, who was actually the Khatam an-nabiyyin,
my being called by the words nabi and rasul
is not a matter for objection, nor is the seal of
finality broken by it. For I have explained over and over
again that, in accordance with the verse "others
from among them who have not yet joined them" [the
Quran, 62:3] I am that same prophet, the Khatam
al-anbiya,{31} in the sense of burooz, and
twenty years ago in Barahin Ahmadiyya God named me
Muhammad and Ahmad and declared me to be the very
embodiment of the Holy Prophet. Hence, in this way, the
Holy Prophet's being the Khatam al-anbiya does not
suffer at all by my prophethood because a reflection is
not separate from its original. And as, in the sense of
reflection (zill), I am Muhammad, the seal of Khatam
an-nabiyyin does not break because the prophethood of
Muhammad remained limited to Muhammad. In other words,
Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him,
is the Prophet and no one else.{32}
As I am Muhammad in the sense of burooz, and all
his attainments including his prophethood are projected
as an image by way of burooz in my mirror of
reflection, who is the other person that has made a claim
to prophethood separately?
If you do not accept me,
then understand it in this way that the promised Mahdi is
to be akin to the Holy Prophet in creation and nature,
and his name is to correspond to that of the Holy
Prophet, i.e., his name too shall be Muhammad and Ahmad,
and he is to be from his line (ahl bait).
Author's
Footnote: It is known from the history
of my ancestors that a grand-mother of mine
belonged to the noble family of Saadaat
and the Bani Fatima. The Holy Prophet has
also confirmed this, and said to me in a dream:
"Salmaan is from the people of my house,
having the disposition of Hasan." He named
me Salmaan [a companion of the Holy Prophet, of
Persian descent], which means "two salm".
Salm in Arabic means reconciliation,
and thus it is destined that two kinds of
reconciliation will take place at my hands. One
is internal which will remove the internal enmity
and discord, and the other is external which, by
eliminating the causes of external opposition and
demonstrating the greatness of Islam, shall
incline the followers of other faiths towards
Islam. It appears that by the Salmaan mentioned
in Hadith is also meant myself, for the prophecy
of two reconciliations was not fulfilled by
Salmaan himself. I say, having received
revelation from God, that I am of Persian
descent, and according to the hadith in Kanz
al-Ummal the Persians are from among the
Israelites and the Holy Prophet's household. In a
vision, Hazrat Fatima put my head upon her lap,
and showed me that I was from her lineage. This
vision is in Barahin Ahmadiyya.
Publisher's
Note: In the account of this vision in Barahin
Ahmadiyya it is recorded: "Then at that
time there appeared five handsome, pleasing and
beautiful persons, namely, the Messenger of God,
peace be upon him, Ali, Hasan, Husain and Fatima,
may God be pleased with them. One of them, and I
seem to remember that it was Fatima, with
tremendous love and affection, like a kind
mother, put my head upon her lap."
|
кольца
In some hadith reports, it
is said that "he shall be from me." This is a
profound indication of the fact that, from a spiritual
view-point, he shall be an offspring of the Prophet and
an image of his spirit. A very strong evidence supporting
this is that the words in which the Holy Prophet has
described the relationship --- so much so that the names
of the two have been made into one --- clearly show that
he wanted to convey that this promised one would be his burooz,
just as Joshua was a burooz of Moses. It is not
necessary for the burooz to be a son or maternal
grandson of the original person. However, it is necessary
that, in terms of spiritual relationship, the burooz
must be his offspring, and from the very beginning there
must be mutual attraction and connection between them. It
is, therefore, totally derogatory to the status of the
Holy Prophet's knowledge to think that he would leave
aside the description which is necessary to express the
significance of burooz, and instead declare that
he would be his maternal grandson. What has being a
maternal grandson conceivably got to do with burooz?
If such a connection was necessary for being a burooz,
why was the imperfect relationship of being merely a
maternal grandson required? It should have been son.
However, God Almighty in His Holy Word has negated the
Holy Prophet being a father of anyone, but has given the
news of a burooz. If burooz is not meant,
how could the comrades of this promised one have been
considered as companions of the Holy Prophet in the verse
"others from among them"? Denial of burooz
implies a rejection of this verse.
People who think in
physical terms have variously considered this promised
one to be a descendant of Hasan, or of Husain, or of
Abbas. But the Holy Prophet only meant that, like a
descendant, he would be his heir --- heir to his name,
heir to his nature, heir to his knowledge, and heir to
his spirituality --- displaying his image within himself
from every aspect.{33} Not of his own self but from the
Holy Prophet would he acquire everything, and would
reflect his face through annihilation in him. Just as he
shall receive his name, his nature and his knowledge in
the sense of reflection (zill), in the same manner
shall he receive his title nabi, because the burooz
image cannot be complete if it does not possess the
qualities of its original in every respect. Hence, as
prophethood also is a quality of a nabi, it is
essential for it to be manifested in the burooz
image. All prophets have held that the burooz is a
perfect image of its original,{34}
so much so that even the name becomes one. Therefore, it
is obvious that, just as by being named Muhammad and
Ahmad in the sense of burooz, there are not two
Muhammads and two Ahmads, similarly by using nabi
and rasul in the sense of burooz is not
meant that the seal of Khatam an-nabiyyin has been
broken, because the burooz does not have a
separate existence. In this way, the prophethood bearing
the name Muhammad remains limited to Muhammad,{35}
may peace and the blessings of God be upon him.
All prophets, peace be
upon them,{36} have agreed that there is no
duality in burooz, for the station of burooz
is as described in the following saying:
"I become thou
and thou become me, I become the body and thou become
the soul, So no one can thereafter say: I am one and
thou art another."
If, however, Jesus
returned to the world, how could he do it without
breaking the seal of Khatam an-nabiyyin? In other
words, the term Khatam an-nabiyyin is a Divine
seal which has been put upon the prophethood of the Holy
Prophet. It is not possible now that this seal could ever
break. However, it is possible that the Holy Prophet, not
only once but a thousand times,{37}
come into the world in the sense of burooz and
express his prophethood in the manner of burooz
along with his other qualities. And this particular burooz
was a confirmed promise from God, as He says:
"Others from among them who have not yet joined
them."
The prophets do not feel
their dignity violated by their burooz because
such a one is their very form and image, but they would
certainly feel it in case of someone else. Consider how
Moses, when he saw the Holy Prophet Muhammad on the night
of miraj rise higher than his station, wept to
show his sense of self-esteem. So, considering that God
has said that "no other prophet shall come after
you",{38} if He were to send Jesus against
His own word, how very hurtful would this act be to the
Holy Prophet!
In brief, prophethood in
the sense of burooz does not make any difference
to the finality of prophethood, nor is the seal broken.
But the coming of another prophet does undermine Islam,
and it is a big insult to the Holy Prophet Muhammad that
the great task of slaying the Dajjal (Anti-Christ)
be accomplished by Jesus and not by him. And the holy
verse "but he is the Messenger of God and the Khatam
an-nabiyyin" is, God forbid, falsified by it.
There is a hidden prophecy in this verse, namely, that a
seal has been put upon prophethood till the Day of
Judgment. And except for a burooz, which is the
being of the Holy Prophet himself, none has the power to
receive knowledge of the unseen from God in a clear andmanner like prophets. As the burooz of
Muhammad which was promised of old is myself, prophethood
in the sense of burooz has been bestowed upon me.
The whole world is now helpless in the face of this
prophethood because a seal has been put upon prophethood.
A burooz of Muhammad, having all his qualities,
was destined for the latter days, and therefore he has
appeared. Except for this window, there is no other
window left for obtaining water from the fountain of
prophethood.
To summarise, the seal of
finality is not broken by prophethood and messengership
in the sense of burooz. But the concept of the
descent of Jesus, which implies denial of the verse
"but he is the Messenger of God and the Khatam
an-nabiyyin," does break the seal of finality.
There is no trace of this meaningless and contradictory
belief in the Holy Quran; and how could there be, as it
is clearly opposed to the above verse. However, the
coming of a burooz prophet and messenger is
established from the Holy Quran, as is clear from the
verse "others from among them."
One subtlety of expression
in this verse is that that group has been mentioned here
which is considered as being included among the
Companions of the Holy Prophet. But there is no explicit
mention here of the burooz, i.e., the Promised
Messiah, through whom these people came to be considered
as the Companions and regarded, like them, as being under
the guidance of the Holy Prophet himself. This omission
of reference is meant to indicate that the burooz
does not have an existence of his own, and hence the seal
of finality is not broken by his buroozi
prophethood and messengership. Therefore, in this verse
he is treated as a non-existent being, and the Holy
Prophet is mentioned in his stead.{39}
Similarly in the verse
"We have granted thee al-kausar" [the
Quran, 108:1] there is the promise of a burooz in
whose time kausar (abundance) will appear, i.e.,
fountains of spiritual blessings shall flow forth, and an
abundance of people in the world shall become true
followers of Islam. In this verse also, the necessity for
physical progeny is belittled, and a prophecy is given of
buroozi offspring. And although God has bestowed
upon me the privilege of being an Israelite as well as a
Fatimi, having a share of both stocks, I give precedence
to the spiritual relationship which is the burooz
connection.{40}
Now by all of this
writing, I mean to say that ignorant opponents accuse me
of claiming to be a prophet and messenger. I make no such
claim. I am neither a prophet nor a messenger in the
sense which they have in mind. However, I am a prophet
and a messenger in the sense which I have just explained.{41}
Hence the person who maliciously accuses me of claiming
prophethood and messengership is a liar and evil-minded.{42}
It is the form of burooz which has made me a
prophet and a messenger, and it is on this basis that God
has called me nabi and rasul again and
again, but in the sense of burooz. My own self
does not come into it,{43} but that of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him.
It was on this account that I was called
"Muhammad" and "Ahmad". So
prophethood and messengership did not go to another
person. What belonged to Muhammad remained with Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian,
5 November 1901 C.E.
|