261 References from the Books/Letters/etc. of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian that Prove that he did not Lay Claim to Prophethood!!!
Prophethood in Islam by Maulana Muhammad Ali Sahib, pp. 489-604 [The Supplement]
Translated by Sheikh Muhammad Tufail and Mr. Nasir Ahmad

1. Barahin Ahmadiyya, (1884), p. 254, footnote No. 1

"And it should be remembered that although persons, who are outside the fold of Islam, also sometimes see true dreams, but in their dreams and those of Muslims who commit themselves to complete obedience of the chosen Messenger of God, there are visible distinctions. The one among these is that such dreams are experienced by Muslims in abundance, as has been promised by God the Most High, ‘for them is good news in this world's life’ (10:64), while the unbelievers and the deniers of Islam never attain such frequency. On the contrary, even a thousandth part does not fall to their share. This can be abundantly proved by thousands of my true dreams about which I had informed hundreds of Muslims and Hindus beforehand and about which I have been pronouncing from the very beginning that other nations are incapable of showing such a phenomenon.

Another distinction is that the dream of a Muslim frequently consists of good news of magnificent and remarkable events . . . whereas that of an unbeliever generally is of little or no value."

2. Ibid, p. 541, footnote No. 11

"It is now for the seekers after truth and fair-minded people to judge for themselves that when thousands of prophecies and unusual signs are fulfilled and manifested at the hands of the most humble and obedient servants of the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya), how impudent and shameless is the blind heart that denies the prophecies of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."

3. Ibid., p. 545, footnote No. 4

"The writings of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Jilani, Mujaddid Alf Thani and other saints corroborate this statement. These show the frequency with which their inspirations (Ilham) are found in them. The Imam (Mujaddid Alf Thani) writes clearly in his Maktubat, volume II, letter No. 51, that a non-prophet is also blessed with divine communions and communications and such a person is called muhaddath (one spoken to by God) and his office (martabah) is very near to that of the prophets. ... In the Muslim ummah the rank (mansab) of muhaddathiyyah is found in such abundance that to deny it is the work of ignorant and careless people. Thousands of saints, the possessors of perfection (sahib-i kamal) have passed in this ummah whose supernatural signs (khawariq) and miracles (karamat) have been proved like those of the Israelite prophets. ... And, moreover, I also assert that the charge that such ilhamat (inspirations) were not granted to the Companions of the Holy Prophet, is absolutely wrong and baseless because, according to the authentic reports (ahadith), the inspirations and unusual signs which were frequently shown at the hands of the Companions have been fully established. If Hazrat 'Umar's sudden information about the critical situation of the troops of Sariyah obtained by divine indication was not an inspiration (ilham), what was it then? The incident has been reported by Baihaqi from Ibn 'Umar. If the voice of 'Umar: ‘O Sariyah, (turn) towards the mountain, towards the mountain,’ uttered at Madinah and conveyed by the Unseen power to Sariyah and his troops at such a far off distance was not a supernatural sign, what was it then? Similarly, many inspirations and visions (kushuf) of 'Ali are well known.... Do you not know that it has been established from the Sahihain that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has given the good news that like the previous ummah there will also appear muhaddathjn in this ummah."

4. Surmah Chashm Arya, (1886), pp. 164-165, footnote

"This position of Muhammadiyya is by way of reflection (zill) an embodiment of all the ranks of divinity. That is why Messiah was only compared allegorically to a son on account of some deficiency which remained in him. For in reality Christhood (haqiqat-i 'Iswiyyah) is not a complete and perfect manifestation of all the divine attributes but is one of its sections, while reality of Muhammadhood (Haqiqat-i Muhammadiyya) is a complete manifestation thereof overwhelmingly proved both logically and traditionally. Reflection of a perfect object is always perfect while that of an imperfect remains imperfect."

5. Fath Islam, (January 22, 1891), footnote, p. 6

"People who are endowed with the power of reformation (mujaddidiyyah) by the Most High God are not mere dealers in husk but are virtually the deputies of the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and are his spiritual successors (khalifa). The Most High God enables them to inherit all the divine favours which are given to prophets and messengers."

6. Ibid, p. 9

"God the Most High always uses a figurative expression (isti'arah) and applies the name of one person to another according to their natural likeliness (khasiyyat) and capacity (isti'dad). One whose heart resembles the heart of Abraham is Abraham in the sight of God and one who possesses the heart of ‘Umar the Great is 'Umar in the sight of God."

7. Taudih Maram, (January 22, 1891), second edition, p. 7

"To take the metaphorical expressions in a literal sense is to portray a blonde as a monster. The eloquence of style (balaghat) entirely depends on the fine similes (isti'arat). Therefore, the communication (kalam) of God the Most High, which is the richest in eloquence (ablagh al-kalam) is replete with similes which are not found in the kalam of anyone else."

8. Ibid., p. 8

"The Last of the Prophets has drawn a line of distinction between the Israelite Messiah and the Promised Messiah by stating that the second Messiah will be a Muslim, will follow the Shari'ah of the Quran and, like common Muslims, shall abide by the Quranic commandments such as fasting, prayers.... He will be born from amongst the Muslims and will be their Imam (leader). He will neither bring a new religion nor claim an exclusive and independent prophethood."

9. Ibid, pp. 9, 10

"Here if it be argued that the like of Messiah should also be a prophet because Messiah was a prophet, the reply in the first instance will be that our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has not made prophethood a pre-requisite for the coming Messiah, but has clearly stated that he shall be a Muslim and abide by the Law of Islam like common Muslims. He shall not say anything beyond that he is a Muslim and their leader. Besides, there is no doubt that this humble servant has been raised by the Most High God as a muhaddath for this ummah and a muhaddath is in one sense a prophet too. This, however, is not perfect prophethood (nubuwwat-i tammah), yet a muhaddath is a prophet partially (juzi nabi) for he is endowed with the gift of being spoken to by God and matters Unseen are manifested to him and, like the revelations of messengers and prophets, his revelations are protected against the intervention of the devil. And the real kernel of the Law (Shari'ah) is disclosed to him and he is commissioned just like prophets, and it is obligatory on him, like prophets, that he should announce his mission publicly and anybody who rejects him deserves punishment. And prophethood in his case means only that the above characteristics are found in him.

If it is argued that the door of prophethood has been closed and a seal has been set on the revelation that descends on prophets, I shall say that neither the door of prophethood has been closed in all respects nor a seal has been set on every form of revelation. On the contrary, the door of revelation and prophethood has remained partially open for this ummah ever since. It is to be carefully remembered that the type of prophethood, which is to continue for ever, is not perfect prophethood but, as I have just mentioned, is only a partial prophethood, which in other words is termed muhaddathiyyah attainable by following the greatest and the most perfect of all human beings i.e., the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the embodiment of all the excellences of perfect prophethood (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Now, may Allah guide you, make a note that a prophet is a muhaddath, and muhaddath is a prophet in the sense that he possesses one of the various kinds of prophethood. The Messenger of Allah is reported to have said that nothing is now left of prophethood, except mubashshirat (good news); that is to say from the kinds of prophethood only one kind is left, that is mubashshirat -- such as true visions (al-ru'ya al-sadiqah), true sights (al-mukashifah al-sahihah) and the revelation which descends on the chosen servants of God (auliya). And that is a light which illumines the hearts of a gloomy people. Thus behold, O critic! The possessor of insight and understanding, is the door of prophethood entirely closed? On the other hand, the Hadith proves that the perfect prophethood which contained the revelation of Shari'ah has ceased but prophethood containing mubashshirat (good news) only shall exist till the Day of Judgement. And you are aware and have read in the books of Hadith that true vision is forty-sixth part of prophethood i.e., perfect prophethood. Thus when true visions could rank so high what would be the position of revelation which descends on the hearts of muhaddathin. To sum up, the door of partial prophethood has always been open. But nothing remains of prophethood except mubashshirat (good news), and munzirat (warnings), foreknowledge about Unseen matters, deep understanding of the Quran and divine knowledge. But prophethood which is perfect and complete and possesses all the excellences of revelation has been discontinued, and we believe in it from the time this was revealed: ‘Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and Khatam al-Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets)’ (33:40)."

10. Ibid, pp. 12, 13, footnote

"The hand of divine wisdom starting the process of creation from the insignificant and lowest stages has brought it to the highest stage which, in other words is, Muhammad the most praised one, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that is the perfect manifestation of the highest attributes. So intrinsically this Prophet attained the highest and the most elevated status, in the same way externally he was endowed with the highest and the most exalted rank of revelation and also the loftiest position of (divine) love. It is that exalted position which the Messiah and I cannot reach."

11. Ibid, pp. 13, 14, footnote

"The Messiah alone has not prophesied that the coming of our guide and the Holy Prophet, the Khatam al-Anbiya in the world is actually the manifestation of God, but other prophets have also expressed similar views in their respective prophecies and have declared the coming of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), as the appearance of God by way of simile; rather on account of his being the perfect manifestation of God, his appearance has been called the appearance of God. It has been mentioned in the Book of Psalms:

‘Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever (that is, he is Khatam al-Anbiya). Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows"’ (45:2-7).

 

The book of the prophet Isaiah also contains similar indications (chapter 42). . . . The third rank, which is the highest, has been established for the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I do not say it by way of ijtihad but the Most High God has disclosed it to me by His revelation (ilham)."

12. Izalah Auham, (Septembers, 1891), p. 138

"We cannot attain any position of excellence and perfection or a place of elevation and nearness (to Allah) but through true and perfect following of our Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Whatever we attain is by way of reflection (zill) and through his blessings (tufail). I have a firm belief that whatever excellences I can get are the -reflection (zill) of the spiritual achievements of those perfect and complete followers of the Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who had the blessings of close association with him. And there are certain excellences parts of which are otherwise inaccessible for me."

13. Ibid., p. 199

"It is possible that in future even ten thousand likes of the Messiah may appear, but I am the like of Messiah for this age and it is vain to wait for another."

14. Ibid., p. 237

"To sum up, the hadith about Damascus quoted by Imam Muslim runs counter to another hadith by the Imam himself and it is clearly proved that Nawas, the reporter, has erred in narrating this hadith."

15. Ibid., p. 253

"(God) repeatedly addressed me, O Ahmad, and thus by way of zill declared me the like of the leader of the prophets, Imam of the chosen, the Holy Prophet, Muhammad Mustafa, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

16. Ibid., 255

"When one passionately desires disclosure of certain Unseen matters, Satan invariably intervenes, but the revelations to prophets and muhaddathin are always guarded against such intervention of the devil."

17. Ibid., p. 259

"The following words of Hazrat Ba Yazid Bistami occurring in Tazkirat al-Auliya written by Farid al-Din Attar, and also found in other reliable books, support the resemblance of devout saints to prophets. I am Adam, and Shis and Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus and Muhammad, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them)."

18. Ibid., p. 260

"Similarly, Syed 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani in his book Futuh al-Ghaib asserts that through self-denial, asceticism and by annihilation in God man becomes the like of all the prophets, rather acquires their very image."

19. Ibid, pp. 316-318

"In the circumstances, if a book claims to be the khatam al-kutub (the last of the books) but does not meet the requirements of the time in every walk of life, it can never be regarded as the last of the books. But if the book contains solution of all such problems for all ages to come, then we will have to admit that the Holy Quran undoubtedly comprises infinite divine knowledge and completely fulfils the requirements of every age.

It should be remembered that it has been the practice of God that the wonderful things hidden in the Quran are manifested to the perfectly inspired ones (mulham). Very often a verse of the Quran is revealed to him intending to suggest some idea other than the literal meaning of the verse."

20. Ibid., p. 349

"Now, as far as the Israelite Messiah is concerned it has been clearly stated that he was a prophet but the Messiah to come has been called an ummati (follower) as is evident from the hadith imamu-kum min-kum (your Imam from among you).

And the hadith: "The learned from among my followers are like the Israelite prophets," hints at the coming of the like of the Messiah. Thus, according to this, the Promised Messiah being a muhaddath, is also metaphorically a prophet."

21. Ibid, pp. 421, 422

"(II) Question: A claim to prophethood has been made in Fath-i Islam?

Answer: I have not claimed prophethood. I have only claimed to be a muhaddath (one spoken to by God) and this, too, under the divine command. Muhaddathiyyah undoubtedly contains a strong element of prophethood. Now when true vision is admittedly forty-sixth part of prophethood, what is the harm if muhaddathiyyah, which has been spoken to in the Quran along with prophethood and messengership, and about which an authentic report exists in Sahih al-Bukhari, is styled metaphorical prophethood or an integral element of the excellences of prophethood. Does it amount to a claim to prophethood? After all a complete seal has never been set on the divine revelation after the perfection of the prophethood . . .. O ignorant people! Rivulets of revelation are to flow in this ummah till the day of Resurrection subject, of course, to one's status."

22. Ibid., p. 522

"How can Messiah come? He was a messenger and the impregnable wall of Khatam al-Nabiyyin prevents his coming. Thus here is one who is like him, but he is not a messenger although he resembles the messengers and is their like."

23. Ibid., pp. 532-533

"Truly the Messiah to come has also been spoken of as a prophet, but he has been called a follower too; rather the followers of the Holy Prophet have been foretold that ‘he shall be indeed from among you, and shall be your Imam,’ and his being a follower has been expressed not only in words, but it has also been shown that practically like other Muslims he shall only be a follower of the word of God and the sayings of the Messenger and shall solve the difficult and intricate questions of religion not by dint of his prophethood but ijtihad (exercise of judgement), and shall offer his prayers after others. Now all these clearly indicate that he shall not factually and in reality possess the characteristics of perfect prophethood, although partial and imperfect prophethood (nubuwwat-i naqisah) shall be found in him which, in other words, is called muhaddathiyyah and contains only one aspect of the perfect prophethood. So, the fact that he has been called a prophet as well as a follower indicates that he shall possess both these aspects i.e., followership (ummatiyyat) and prophethood, as it is necessary that both these aspects should be found in a muhaddath. But the possessor of perfect prophethood (nubuwwat-i tammah) has one aspect of prophethood only. In short, muhaddathiyyah is imbued with both the colours. That is why in Barahin-i Ahmadiyyah, too, God the Most High named this humble servant a follower as well as a prophet."

24. Ibid., p. 534

"How was it possible then that another prophet could come after the Khatam al-Nabiyyin, in the complete and perfect sense which is one of the conditions of perfect prophethood (nubuwwat-i tammah). Is it not necessary that such a prophet should possess the pre-requisites of perfect prophethood, viz., prophetic revelation and the descent of Gabriel, because according to the express teachings of the Quran a prophet is he who has received the commands and creeds of faith through Gabriel? But a seal has been set on the prophetic revelation for the last thirteen hundred years. Would this seal be broken then?"

25. Ibid, p. 539

"The Quran testifies our claims and discredits the false notions (auham-i batilah) of our opponents with its forceful arguments. It closes the door on the previous prophets for their return to this world but allows in persons resembling Israelite prophets. It teaches us to pray: ‘Guide us to the right path, the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed favours.’ What is the sum and substance of this prayer? It is: O Lord! Make us the like of the prophets and messengers."

26. Ibid, p. 544

"And I have written this several times that the coming of the messenger Messiah, son of Mary, after Khatam al-Nabiyym would create chaos. This would either mean that prophetic revelation has started afresh or Messiah, son of Mary, has been deprived of the essential characteristics of prophethood by God Almighty and has been sent as a follower (of the Holy Prophet) but obviously both these situations are improbable (mumtani')."

27. Ibid, p. 569

"The possessor of perfect prophethood (nubuwwat-i tammah) can never be a follower (ummati). The clear and explicit teachings of the Quran and authentic Hadith strictly bar a perfect messenger to be a perfect subordinate (muti) and follower (ummati) of another prophet. Allah has said: "’And We sent no messenger but that he should be obeyed by Allah's command’ (4:6). That is to say, every messenger is sent to be a guide (muta‘) and an Imam. He is not sent with the object of becoming obedient and subordinate (tabi') to another. A muhaddath, of course, who is from among the sent ones (mursalin) is a follower as well as a prophet but in an imperfect sense. He is a follower because he is totally obedient (tabi') to the Shari'ah of Allah's Messenger and is the recipient of light from the lamp of his Messengership, and is also a prophet because God deals with him like prophets. God has made the muhaddqth as an intermediary between prophets and nations. Although he is a perfect follower, he is also a prophet in one sense. And it is necessary for a muhaddath that he should be the like of a prophet and acquires the name of that prophet from Allah Almighty."

28. Ibid, pp. 575-579

"Many doubts arise if the Messiah, son of Mary, would be a perfect follower (ummati) at the time of his descent; because being a follower he can not in any way be a messenger (rasul), for the significance of a rasul and ummati is antithetical. Moreover, the finality of our Holy Prophet precludes the coming of any other prophet. This restriction in fact does not apply to an apostle who receives his light from the lamp of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and lacks perfect prophethood. In other words, he too is a muhaddath because on account of discipleship and annihilation in the Messenger (fana fir-Rasul) he is included in the person of Khatam al-Mursalin (Seal of the Messengers) as a part is never outside the whole. But Messiah, son of Mary, the recipient of Evangel, for which the descent of Gabriel was an essential requisite, cannot become a follower in any way because he would be bound to follow the revelation that would descend on him from time, to time.

If it be argued that the Messiah will receive only this much revelation, "follow the Quran" and the divine revelation will be cut off thereafter and Gabriel will never descend on him and he would become like followers after being totally deprived of prophethood, then all this is a child's play. It is quite obvious that should revelation be permitted but for once, and should Gabriel bring a single sentence only and become silent thereafter still this much is contrary to the finality of prophethood; for, when the seal of finality is broken and the apostolic revelation starts to come down again, it matters little whether the revelations are few or many. Every wise man can understand well that if God is true to His word, the promise given in the verse Khatam al-Nabiyyin and more explicitly in the Traditions -- that after the death of the Holy Prophet, Gabriel is to bring no more prophetic revelations -- are true and correct, then no one can ever come in the capacity of a messenger after our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If, for the sake of argument it were assumed that the Messiah, son of Mary, would resurrect and appear in the world, then how would his being a messenger be denied and the descending of Gabriel and resumption of the divine communication. As it is not possible that there should be no light with the rising of the sun, similarly, it is quite impossible that a messenger should come for the reformation of mankind devoid of divine communication and visits of Gabriel."

29. Ibid., p. 583

"And evidently it is impossible (mustalzim mahal) that Gabriel descends with apostolic revelation after the Khatam al-Nabiyyin, and a new book, although its teachings be in agreement (tawarud) with the Quran, is revealed. And something which is not possible is fantasy. The point is worth consideration."

30. Ibid., p. 586

"He has promised that no messenger would be sent after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The students of the Traditions have erred in holding that the words Isa, or son of Mary, occurring in the Traditions about the Promised Messiah refer to the very son of Mary, who was a messenger of Allah. They have not appreciated that his re-coming to the world, in other words, means Islam's exit from this world. The consensus of opinion is, and there is a report too about it in the Muslim, that the Messiah will appear as a prophet of God. If the words Messiah, or son of Mary, are applied metaphorically to a follower of the Holy Prophet who holds the rank of muhaddathiyyah, the tradition remains intact, for a muhaddath in one sense is also a prophet. But he is a prophet in the sense that he receives his light from the lamp of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and does not receive knowledge directly but through the agency of his Prophet, as an inspiration of this humble servant has been recorded on p. 239 of Barahin-i Ahmadiyya."

31. Ibid, p. 614

"Verse 40 of chapter al-Ahzab (33:40) runs thus: ‘Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and Khatam al-Nabiyyin.’ This, too, expressly proves that no prophet would appear in the world after our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is thus abundantly clear that the Messiah, son of Mary, cannot come back in the world because he is a messenger and inter alia, the true significance of the office of a messenger is that he obtains knowledge of spiritual sciences through Gabriel and it has just been proved that the apostolic revelation (wahy risalat) has been cut off for ever till the day of Judgement."

32. Ibid, p. 647

"And if it be said that the like of Moses, that is the Holy Prophet, ranks higher (afzal) to Moses how is it that the like of Messiah is a follower of the Holy Prophet? The reply to this is that if a prophet had appeared to prove the dignity of the prophethood of the like of Moses and to show the eminence of the Khatam al-Anbiya it would have affected the dignity of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But this is, however, acknowledged that this Messiah has a partial superiority (fazilat) over the Israelite Messiah because the call of the former is universal whereas that of the latter is endemic."

33. Ibid, p. 761

"The Holy Quran does not admit the coming of another messenger, whether new or old, after the Khatam al-Nabiyyin, because a messenger receives the knowledge of faith through the mediation of Gabriel and the door for the descent of Gabriel with apostolic revelation has been closed. And this is also an impossibility that a messenger should come to the world without an apostolic revelation."

34. Ibid., p. 914

"Likewise all the well-known righteous servants (auliya) have testified by their own personal experiences the occurrence of divine communion and communication with them. Very often they hear, during the prayer and even at other times, the sweet words of Almighty Lord. It should be noted that Syed Abd al-Qadir Gilani, in his book Futuh al-Ghaib, has at several places given testimony to the fact that the communication of God certainly descends upon His honoured and righteous servants and that it is communication and not mere inspiration: Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Thani, in a letter addressed to Muhammad Siddiq (Maktubat, volume II, page 99), writes: 

‘Let it be known to you, O Siddiq, that God sometimes communicates with a person face to face and such persons are from among the prophets, and sometimes the communication takes place with some of those perfect ones who are not prophets but are their followers. And when a person is honoured with this kind of communication (kalam) in abundance he is called a muhaddath. And this (divine communication) is not the kind of ilham nor is it what has been called 'ilqa fil rau nor is it the kind of communication which takes place through the agency of the angel. Such communication is addressed to the perfect person (insan al-kamil). And God blesses with this distinction whomsoever He pleases’."

 

35. Nishan-i Asmani, (May 26, 1892), p. 28

"Neither do I lay a claim to prophethood nor go astray from the ummah; neither am I a denier of miracles and angels nor of the Grand Night (Lailat al-Qadr). I solemnly believe and know it with perfect certainty that our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Nabiyyin) and have firm faith that he is the Last of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya) and no prophet is to come after him in this ummah, new or old, and that not a jot or a tittle in the Quran shall be abrogated. Of course, muhaddathin, who are spoken to by God and possess some of the qualities of perfect prophet-hood by way of reflection (zill), shall come. They are in some ways imbued with the colour of prophethood. And I am one of them."

36. Ibid., p . 34

"It is now the eleventh year, by the grace of God, that I laid claim to be mujaddid (reformer), the like of Messiah and a recipient of divine communication."

37. Al-Haqq Mubahasa Ludhiana (The Debate at Ludhiana), (1891), p. 79

"I also believe that it is not for every mujtahid and maulvi to deduce and infer conclusions in religious matters from the Quran and to grasp the divine meanings and understand the correct details of the mujmilat (verses requiring explanation) of the Quran. But this is particularly the job of those who have been supported by divine revelation either as a prophet or one blessed with great sainthood (wilayat-i 'uzma). ... And God has, from time to time, been disclosing the hidden subtilities of the Quran to those who are illuminated with the light of the revelation of great sainthood and are among the group of illa al-mutahharun (the purified ones)."

38. Ibid., p. 91

"Whatever is outside the Quran or repugnant to it is rejected (mardud). And the authentic reports (ahadith) are not outside the Quran, because all these problems (masa’il) have been drawn forth and inferred from the Quran with the help of revelation which is not recited (wahy ghair-matluww) of course, this is true that deduction (istikhraj) and inference (istinbat) is not the job of every one but the Messenger of Allah or one who has attained these excellences by way of reflection (zill)."

39. Tuhfah Baghdad, (July 1893), p. 7

"And God has brought an end to the prophets with our Messenger, and the prophetic revelation (wahy-i nubuwwah) has been cut off. Then how could the Messiah come when there is to be no prophet after our Messenger? Will then his prophethood be suspended and he would come like the one deposed from his office?"

40. Ibid., p. 13

"You are aware, my brother, that our books are replete with the promise that God speaks with His saints (auliya) and communicates with His chosen servants. He is Bountiful and "He makes the spirit to alight upon whomsoever He pleases from among His servants and increases their faith and belief." You must have read in Futuh al-Ghaib written by Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani wherein he has explained the reality of (divine) communication and has said: Surely the Most High God speaks to His righteous servants (auliya) in a sweet and eloquent manner and unfolds to them some secrets and informs them of news and grants them the knowledge, the light, insight and miracles of the prophets although by way of inheritance and not in reality and grants them a sway (tasarruf) in the affairs of the earth, the heavens and the kingdom of God."

41. Ibid., p. 17, footnote

"According to the Holy Quran, God spoke to Moses' mother and bade her: ‘fear not nor grieve; surely We shall bring him back to thee and make him one of the messengers;’ and similarly, Allah mentioned in His Book that He spoke to the disciples (of Messiah) and Dhu-l-Qarnain. And then He gave us the good news that ‘a multitude from among the earlier and a multitude from among those of later times in this ummah’ will be spoken to by God as has been the case with the previous ummah."

42. Ibid., pp. 20, 21

"And it is apparent from the writings of the said Imam (Abd al-Qadir Gilani) that revelation descends on saints as it descends on the prophets. There is no difference in the revelation whether it descends on a saint or a prophet. ...Every one receives God's communion and communication according to his capability. A prophet's revelation is, however, most complete and perfect. And the revelation of our Messenger, the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Nabiyyin), is par excellence.

And the Imam Mujaddid of Sirhind, Shaikh Ahmad, writes in one of his letters addressed to his disciple Muhammad Siddiq: 

‘Let it be known to you, O Siddiq, that God sometimes communicates with a person face to face and such persons are from among the prophets and sometimes the communication takes place with some of those perfect ones who are their followers. And when a person is honoured with this kind of communication (kalam) in abundance, he is called a muhaddath. And this (divine communication) is not the kind of ilham nor is it what has been called ilqa fil rau nor is it the kind of communication which takes place through the agency of angel. Such communication is addressed to the perfect person (insan al-kamil) and God blesses with this distinction whomsoever He pleases’."

 

43. Ibid., p. 28

"And this should also be understood that our Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya). And there is no doubt that he who believes in the descent of Messiah who was a prophet among the Israelites is a denier of Khatam al-Nabiyyin. Woe to the people who say that Messiah, son of Mary, is to descend after the death of the Messenger of Allah. ...Now how can a prophet appear after him? O Muslims, why don't you try to understand instead of following your own whims?"

44. Ainah Kamalat Islam, (February 26, 1893), p. 21

"I make the Great Lord witness and swear in the name of Allah, the Bountiful, that I am a mu’min (believer), Muslim and mawahid (one having faith in the unity of God) and am a follower of God's commands and the Holy Prophet's Sunnah (practices). ...And I believe that our Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya) and our book, the Holy Quran, is the only source of guidance. There is no prophet for us whom we should, obey except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there is no book for us which we should follow except the Quran, the guardian over the previous Scriptures. And I do believe that our Messenger is the leader of the descendants of Adam and the leader of the Messengers and surely God has brought prophethood to an end with him. And the Holy Quran is protected against the interpolations of the interpolators and the mistakes of the mistaken after Allah's Messenger. Neither an abrogation nor an addition or a subtraction will take place in it nor will it become deficient after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And the inspiration (ilham) of the true inspired ones cannot run counter to it. And whatever knowledge of the intricacies of the teachings of the Quran has been revealed to me and whatever I have received by way of inspiration (ilham) from God, I have accepted it as correct and true. And it has been disclosed to me that it (the inspiration) is indeed pure and correct and is undoubtedly in conformity with the Shari'ah. Neither is there any doubt in it nor any mixture nor any incertitude.

Although it is hardly possible, but assuming it (the inspiration) goes against the Quran, we shall unhesitatingly discard it...."

45. Ibid., p. 42

"The Quran records the evidence of the Messiah in the following words: ‘(I am) giving the good news of a Messenger who will come after me, (i.e., after my death) his name being Ahmad.’ Therefore, if the Messiah has not yet passed away from this physical world it necessarily follows that our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has not yet made his appearance in the world, for the text suggests in plain words that when the Messiah has passed away from this physical world then the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), shall make his appearance therein. The reason is that the coming has been mentioned in the context of going."

46. Ibid., p. 66

"If the present-day Brahmus, philosophers and naturalists deny the miracles they are to be excused because they cannot appreciate that state in which man receives divine power by way of reflection (zill)."

47. Ibid, p. 104

"Now it stands established from these reports that the angel Gabriel stayed with Hassan and always assisted him. Similarly, the verse: ‘(God has) strengthened them with a spirit from Himself’ clearly indicates that the Ruh al-Qudus (Holy Spirit) remained with the believers."

48. Ibid., p. 106

"Bukhari, in his al-Sahih and Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Muslim, too, agree on the point that the descent of Gabriel from the heavens with revelation on prophets took place from time to time (i.e., the manifestation which has already been explained by us)."

49. Ibid, p. 224

"All eternal fountains (of divine knowledge) in the world owe their existence to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This is the very ummah in which although there is to be no prophet but there are those who, like prophets, receive communication from the Most High God and although there are no messengers (rusul) but there are those at whose hands God's bright signs are manifested as is the case with messengers. And the rivers of spiritual life flow in this ummah and there is none who can stand against it."

50. Ibid., p. 237

"Even if he is pounded in a mortar of calamities and is reduced to dust he utters nothing but ‘I am with God.’ When the condition of a person reaches this stage then his affairs go beyond this world. And he becomes the recipient of all the high stations and guidance by way of reflection (zill) which were granted to earlier prophets and messengers and thus becomes their successor and vicegerent. The reality which is called miracle (mu'jizah) in the case of prophets appears as wonder-worker (karamat) in righteous and perfect followers; likewise, immunity from sin of the prophets takes the shape of safeguard from evil for the latter and the potentiality which is prophethood in the prophets demonstrates in the form of muhaddathiyyah among the righteous and perfect followers."

51. Ibid., p. 238

"Had not the door of prophethood been closed, every muhaddath had the potentials of becoming a prophet. And on the basis of his potentials it is permissible to take muhadddath for a prophet, i.e., it could be said that muhaddath is a prophet."

52. Ibid., p. 247

"At the head of every century, particularly a century in which faith and righteousness have drifted far away and is encompassed by forces of darkness, He raised a substitute (qa’im maqam) of the Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in the mirror of whose nature the Holy Prophet's face is reflected. And that substitute demonstrates to people the excellences of his Master Prophet."

53. Ibid., p. 322

"God Almighty, after declaring it to be the sign for a true claimant, says: "and if he be truthful, there will befall you some of that which he threatens you with" and that "He makes His secrets known to none other than a messenger (rasul) whom He chooses. The word rasul here is general and includes rasul, nabi and muhaddath. ...I am God's vicegerent (khalifat al-Allah), His appointed one (mamur min al-Allah), the mujaddid of the age and the Promised Messiah."

54. Ibid, p. 323

"Has it ever happened in the world that God has supported an impostor (kazib) to the extent that he went on fabricating a lie against Him for eleven years, that wahy-i-wilayat (revelation granted to saints) and wahy-i-muhaddathiyyah -- descended on him and God did not cut his life-vein."

55. Ibid., p. 339

"It is sheer folly to examine the follower in the same manner as that of his Master Prophet while the former has full faith in the latter's commandments and the Book of God. As a matter of fact, prophets are raised for converting people from one religion to another, to establish a qiblah other than the existing one, to abrogate some of the existing laws and to introduce new ones. I have never claimed such a revolution. Here the faith Islam, the prayers, the Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the Book are the same as before. Nothing has been omitted from the original faith which should have been a matter of concern. The claim of being the Promised Messiah should have been considered grievous and abhorrable if he, God forbid, introduced some alterations or additions in the tenets of faith and practically our condition would have been different from that of other Muslims. But there is nothing like that. The only controversy is about the life and death of the Messiah. The claim to the promised messiahship is in fact an offshoot of the main problem which does not signify any change in practical life or affect adversely the tenets of Islam. Is a great miracle or supernatural sign pre-requisite for the acceptance of this claim? Of course, it has been the habit with the common folk to demand miracles from the claimants of messengership (risalat)."

56. Ibid., pp. 340, 341

"And it must be remembered that the claim of being the Promised Messiah in no way excels the claim of being a recipient of divine communication (mulham min al-Allah) or a mujaddid raised by God. Obviously, one who enjoys the privilege of divine communication may be named by Allah as the like of Messiah or the like of Moses and such epithets are lawful. No real superiority lies in one's being the like of Messiah. The real and true superiority lies in one's being the recipient of divine inspiration and communication. Then whosoever attains the excellence of divine communication and is appointed by God for any mission in the cause of religion, God Almighty calls him by a name according to the exigencies of the time. Such naming matters little. A number of Muslims bear the names of prophets e.g., Moses, Jesus, David, Solomon, Jacob, etc. with the presageful intention of acquiring their good morals. Then what is the harm if God, after conferring the honour of His communication on a person, calls him by a name according to any expediency."

57. Ibid, p. 342

"This happened twice in the case of the Messiah that his spirituality necessitated a deputy. At first, when the Jews, six hundred years after his death, persisted, that God forbid, he was an impostor and a liar and that he was born of an illicit wedlock.... Our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was then raised. And, inter alia, one of the objects of his advent was to acquit the Messiah of all such false charges and witness his truthfulness. That is why according to the Gospel of St. John, the Messiah stated: ‘Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter (i.e., Muhammad) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgement’."

58. Ibid., p. 343

"The spirituality of the Messiah was agitated on the second occasion when the quality of anti-Christianism (dajjaliyyat) had completely and fully overpowered the Christians. According to the scriptures, Antichrist would lay a claim to prophethood as well as to Divinity. The Christians behaved exactly in the same manner. The claim of prophethood was advanced in as much as that they interfered with the divine commandment and enforced rules and rites and made additions and alterations which only a prophet could do. Commands were codified, new tenets of faith introduced, and the rituals adopted according to their likes and dislikes."

59. Ibid., p. 344

"Anyone who lays claim to prophethood should necessarily declare his faith in the existence of God and should also say that revelation from the Most High God descends on him and, furthermore, he should convey this divine revelation to the people and form an ummah who should consider him a prophet and his book as the book of God."

60. Ibid, p. 346

"It should also be remembered that the spirituality of our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), also manifests itself whenever there is disorder and chaos in the rank and file of Islam. And the reality of Muhammad (haqiqat-i Muhammadiyya) always exhibits itself by indwelling (hulul) in some of his perfect followers (kamil muttabi'). It has been mentioned in the reports (ahadith) that the Mahdi would be born and bear the name and disposition (khulq) of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If these reports are authentic, then these hint at the same spiritual descent. But this descent is not confined to a particular denomination. There have been hundreds of such persons in whom the reality of prophet-hood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (haqiqat-i Muhammadiyya) was found established and in the sight of God their name was Muhammad or Ahmad by way of reflection (zill)."

61. Ibid., p. 367

"O brethren, I have been sent to you from God as a muhaddath and towards all and sundry who inhabit the earth. ...And I have been sent at the beginning of this century."

62. Ibid, p. 375

"This is the point which my Lord has revealed to me now as well as before. He confers His favour on whomsoever He pleases and He is the best of the Benefactors. And from among the saints (auliya) there are His servants who are named in heaven after the prophets for they resemble in their essence (jawahar) and nature (tabiy'at) and derive light from their light and are created on their disposition. Thus God makes them their heirs and calls them by the names of their heritors (maurith-i him). These are His ways and He is the best of workers (fa‘ilin). ...He sends some of the saints in the footsteps of some of the prophets. Thus, whoever is sent in the footsteps of a certain prophet, he is given the name of the same truthful prophet in the kingdom of God."

63. Ibid, p. 376

"God is single and loves singularity, and for the very reason His practice has been that He sends some saints in the footsteps of some prophets. Thus, whoever is appointed in the footsteps of a prophet, he is called by the name of the same prophet in the kingdom of God."

64. Ibid, p. 377

"It does not beseem God that He should send a prophet after our Holy Prophet, the Khatam al-Nabiyyin or to revive prophethood after it has been cut off and that He should abrogate some of the Quranic commands or add thereto."

65. Ibid, p. 383

"I am not a prophet but a muhaddath from God and a recipient of divine communication so that I may revive the religion of Mustafa and verily He has sent me at the beginning of the century."

66. Ibid., p. 444

"And from among the forms of descent of the spirits (arwah) of prophets and messengers a form of descent is their reflection on those who resemble them in their nature, essence, character, truthfulness and purity."

67. Ibid., p. 540

"Praise be to God Who made the spiritual 'ulama (i.e., muhaddathin) inheritors of the prophets and disciplined them in the best way and cleansed them of all their impurities and made them (pure) like transparent water."

68. Ibid, p. 567

"My Lord chose me for the revival of this religion and for the manifestation of the glory of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and He commanded me to spread the fragrance of the jasmine of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And He bade me to invite the people to the religion of Islam and' to the community of the best people of the world (millat khair al-anam). And He gave me a good share of inspirations, communion and communication, and visions and made me from among the muhaddathin."

69. Hamamat al-Bushrah (1894), p. 8

"I swear by the grace and the glory of God that I am a believer (mu’min) and a Muslim and I believe God and His books, messengers, angels and resurrection after death. And I also believe that our Messenger Muhammad Mustafa, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the best of the messengers and Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Nabiyyin). And these people forge a lie against me when they say that I claim to be a prophet and that I use insolent and derogatory language in respect of Jesus, son of Mary."

70. Ibid., p. 9

"And they say that I do not believe in the angels and their descent and ascent, and consider the sun, moon and stars as angelic bodies, and do not believe Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), to be the Seal of the Prophets and the Last of the Messengers whereas no prophet can come after him and he is Khatam al-Nabiyyin. All these (charges) are mere slanders and fabrications. Glory be to my Lord, I did not utter anything like that. This is nothing but falsehood and God knows that these people are from among the liars (dajjalin)."

71. Ibid., p. 20

"Because this is against what God Almighty has said precisely, 'Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and Khatam al-Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets).' Don't you know that the Beneficent Lord has declared our Holy Prophet to be Khatam al-Anbiya without any exception, and our Holy Prophet too has explained this verse to connote la nabiyya ba’di -- there is no prophet after me. For the seekers after truth, it is evident that if we accept the coming of another prophet after our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) permissible it would mean we have opened the door of prophetic revelation which had been closed and this is against a fact which is admittedly not hidden from Muslims. And how can a prophet appear after our Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when revelation stands cut off after his death and God has brought prophethood to an end with him."

72. Ibid., p. 23

"It is really strange that these 'ulama, who believed that prophetic revelation stood cut off, now say that the Most High God will send (prophetic) revelation to the Messiah for forty years (on his second advent). Woe to them who shun not the beliefs which they know harm the teachings of Islam!"

73. Ibid, p. 49

"The Quranic verse: 'But he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets' hints at the finality of prophethood. Thus if our Holy Prophet and God's Book, the Quran, were to have no impact on the future generations and their reformation and the cure (of the ills) of the people living thereto, surely God would not have sent this great and benevolent Prophet for their reformation for all times to come till the Day of Resurrection. Now, we do not stand in need of any prophet after the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

74. Ibid, p. 77

"Undoubtedly, we are the best nation raised up for the good of men. And we are gifted with many excellences found in the prophets in a far better and esteemable degree by way of reflection (zill)."

75. Ibid, pp. 77, 78

"Have you not seen the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that there is a house (makan) in paradise which will be given only to one person and I hope that I am that person. On hearing this one of the audience started to cry and said: O Messenger of God, 1 can not bear your separation nor can I bear to remain far away from you and be deprived of the honour of your company. The Messenger of Allah said to him, ‘You will be with me in the same place where I shall be.’ Just mark the precedence (fadilat) of this person over prophets who could not attain that place."

76. Ibid, p. 78

"Now when the excellences of the prophets are like different elements and we have been commanded to beseech all of them and imbibe them in ourselves which necessarily means that we should acquire these by way of reflection (zill) through following the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as otherwise we can not achieve these from all the prophets individually. And the Muslim 'ulama have agreed that a non-prophet is granted some partial excellence (juzi fadilat} not to be found in a prophet."

77. Ibid., p. 79

"And one of the objections raised by the 'kafir-makers' (mukaffirin) is that I am a claimant to prophethood and declare myself to be a nabi. Let it be known to you, O brother, that neither did I lay claim to prophethood nor did I proclaim that I was a prophet. But these people made haste and misunderstood my words.

"I have said nothing beyond what I had written in my books, that is, I am a muhaddath, and God communicates with me as He did with other muhaddathin. And God knows that He has honoured me with this rank (martabah). And how could I reject what God has gifted me with? Should I turn my face away from the grace of Lord of all the worlds? And it does not behove me that I should lay claim to prophethood and go outside the pale of Islam and join the unbelievers. And I do not take my inspirations authentic until I have applied them to the Quran. And I am aware that whatever is against the Quran is a lie, heresy and blasphemy. And how is it possible for me, being a Muslim, to lay claim to prophethood? Praise be to God that I have not found any of my revelations against the Quran. These are rather in conformity with the Book of the Lord...."

78. Ibid, pp. 80, 81

"Imagine how God has shown this favour to us and has commanded us in the mother of the books (i.e., the Quran) -- that we should pray for the guidance which was given to the prophets so that these (spiritual realities) may be revealed to us as were disclosed to them, but through following (ittiba') them and by way of reflection (zill) according to capability and potentiality (of each recipient)."

79. Ibid, p. 81

"And this is proved by the sayings (athar) and practice (Sunnah) of the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he has said: ‘There used to be persons among those who were before you of the Israelites who were spoken to by God though they were not prophets, and if there are such persons among my followers, 'Umar is one of them.’ He further said, ‘There used to be muhaddathin in the ummah before you and if such persons are to be found in my ummah, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab is one of them.’ It has been mentioned in Bukhari in context of the Quranic verse, ‘And We never sent a messenger or a prophet before thee but when We desired.’ Ibn 'Abbas is reported to have added the word muhaddath in this verse i.e., he would read it: ‘and We never sent a messenger or a prophet or a muhaddath’. ..."

"I have written in some of my books that the office of tahdith bears a close resemblance to that of prophethood and they differ only in the matter of potentiality and actuality. But my opponents did not understand my statement and asserted that I was a claimant to prophethood. And God knows it well that their assertion is quite false, baseless and devoid of the slightest truth. They have falsified it only to incite the people to takfir, abuses, curses, vilifications, abhorrence, animosity and violence against me, which caused dissension among the believers."

"I declare in the name of God that I believe in Allah and His Messenger and I also believe that he is Khatam al-Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets). I have, however, said that all elements of prophethood are found in a muhaddath in a potential form but not in actuality. Thus a muhaddath is potentially a prophet and had not the door of prophethood been closed, he too would have been a prophet. And on this count it is permissible to say that prophet is a muhaddath, for he possesses, par excellence, all the excellences (kamalat) in their true form. Likewise, it is permissible to say that a muhaddath is a nabi in a potential form and all the excellences of nubuwwah lie hidden and concealed in his office of tahdith, but their manifestation (zuhur) and outward expression (khuruj) are limited because the door of prophethood has been closed. And the Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has hinted at this in his saying that 'had there been a prophet after me it would have been 'Umar.' And this was said because 'Umar was a muhaddath. Thus he pointed out that the seed and substance of prophethood exist in a muhaddath."

80. Ibid., p. 82

"And undoubtedly tahdith is only a gift (mauhibah) which is not acquired by dint of effort as is the case with prophethood. Muhaddathin communicate with God just like prophets and muhaddathin are sent exactly as messengers are sent. A muhaddath drinks from the same fountain from which a prophet does. Had not the door of prophethood been closed, he would undoubtedly have been a prophet. And this is why the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), called Faruq (i.e., 'Umar) a muhaddath in consonance with his saying: 'Had there been a prophet after me it would have been 'Umar.' It connotes that a muhaddath too possesses excellences of prophethood and there is no difference in the two except that of the visible (zahir) and the hidden (batin), the potential and the actual. Prophethood is thus a tree which exists externally and bears fruit and is capable of reaching its height, and tahdith is the seed in which are to be found the potentials which manifest in a tree. And this illustration is plain and understandable for those who search spiritual realities. And the Messenger of Allah hinted at this in one of his sayings that 'The 'ulama of my ummah are like the prophets of Israel’; and by 'ulama are meant muhaddathin who are given knowledge from their Lord and become mukallamin (those who are spoken to by God)."

81. Ibid., p. 83

"Now, judge for yourself, how far they have gone away from my words and say that I am a claimant to prophethood. O brother! Harbour no doubt that whatever I have said smells something of a claim to prophethood as has been taken by the slanderers about my faith and honour. On the other hand, whatever I have said was only with regard to explanation of the spiritual realities and subtleties of the Quran. And actions are judged only by intentions and, God forbid, how could I lay claim to prophethood after God has made our Prophet and Leader, Muhammad Mustafa, the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Nabiyyin)?"

82. Karamat al-Sadiqin (August 24, 1893), p. 5

"Neither I nor any person other than the prophets, can claim to be sinless (ma'sum)."

83. Ibid., p. 25

"Before I conclude I wish to make it clear again to the general public, and I declare it in the name of God Almighty, that I am not an unbeliever (kafir). La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah (There is no god except Allah, Muhammad is His Messenger) is my creed and I believe that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Nabiyyin). And for the veracity of my above statement, I swear in the name of the Most High God as many times as are His sacred names and as many times as are the excellences of the Holy Prophet in the sight of God. None of my beliefs are against the commandments of God and teachings of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

84. Ibid, p. 85

"Then (God) holds him by his hand and elevates him towards the higher stages of spiritual evolution and gnosis and enlists him among those who have passed before him from among the righteous (sulaha), the saints (auliya), the messengers and the prophets; and grants him excellence like their excellence, glory (jamal) like their grandeur; and the time and expediency demand that such a person he sent in the footsteps of a particular prophet. So, he is gifted with the knowledge like the knowledge of his prophet, wisdom like his wisdom, light like his light and name like his name. God places the souls of these persons against each other like mirrors. Thus the prophet is like the original and wali (saint) his reflection (zill).^"

85. Ibid, p. 89

"The prophets' excellences (kamalat) are not like the excellences of the Lord of the worlds. Verily, Allah is One, and is He on Whom all depend and there is no associate for Him in His being and His attributes. But the case of prophets is different. God has raised their heirs from among their true followers. And their ummah is their inheritor and they receive whatever their prophets had received when they follow them.

"And the verse: 'Guide us on the right path, the path of those upon whom thou hast bestowed favours,' shows that the inheritance of those who have passed before from among the sent ones (mursalin) and the truthful ones (siddiqin) is a lawful right (haqq wajib) which is never cut off and which has been made indispensable, till the Day of Resurrection, for their adherents who are righteous believers (mu'minin al-salihin). And they are the heirs of the prophets and are endowed with the favours received by the prophets. This is indeed true, so be not of the disputers."

86. Ibid., p. 90

"Let it remain no longer hidden that in this prayer God has made us like the reflections (azlal) of the prophets and He has made us the inheritors, and has enlightened about the known and the unknown, the concealed and that which has been sealed and all kinds of gifts and favours."

87. Jang-i Muqaddas (22 May - 5 June, 1893) p. 67

"I lay no claim to prophethood. This is either your misconception or you are blaming me with some ulterior motive. Is it necessary that whoever claims to be the recipient of revelation (ilham) does ipso facto become a prophet? I am of Muhammad (Muhammadi) and am a sincere and obedient follower of God and His Messenger, and do not wish to name these signs given to me as miracles (mu'jizat). On the other hand according to our religious terminology such signs are karamat which are granted to the followers of God's Messenger."

88. Ibid., p. 79

"Prophets are raised for the very purpose that, by following them, one is imbued in their colour and, after becoming a branch of their tree, bears the same fruit and flowers which they (the prophets) have borne."

89. Shahadat al-Quran (September 22, 1893), p. 26, (Second Edition)

"Since the resemblance in favours (mumathalat fi al-in'amat) is very essential and a perfect resemblance can only be possible when (at first) the resemblance in favours stands established. Thus, it occurred for this very reason that while Moses was granted such servants of Shari'ah who were rusul (sent ones) and mulham min al-Allah (inspired ones from God) for about fourteen hundred years after him, and this chain was brought to an end with such a messenger who preached the truth not by sword but by love and meekness, likewise, our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), was also granted such servants of Shari'ah who, according to the hadith: ‘the ulama of my ummah will be like the prophets of Israel’ were mulham and muhaddath."

90. Ibid., p. 27

"The Promised Messiah also appeared at the head of the fourteenth century and thus Muhammadan dispensation fully coincided with the Mosaic dispensation. If it be said that prophets used to appear for the support of Mosaic dispensation and that the Messiah was also a prophet, the reply to this is that in the capacity of being mursal (sent one) prophets and muhaddathin have one and the same status. And as the Most High God has given the name of mursal to prophets so has He applied this epithet to muhaddathin. For this very reason it has occurred in the Quran wa qaffaina min ba’di-hi bir rusut) i.e., ‘And We sent messengers after him one after another’ and not We sent prophets after him one after another. Thus this refers to the fact that rusul (messengers) means mursal (sent ones) whether they be rasul, nabi or muhaddath. And because our Master, the Messenger of Allah, is Khatam al-Anbiya (Seal of the Prophets) and as no prophet can appear after him, therefore, in this Shari'ah muhaddathin have been substituted for prophets. And to this a reference has been made in the verse: 'a multitude from the earlier period and a multitude from among those of later times.' As the word thullah (multitude) has occurred in both the sentences, therefore, it stands evidently proved that the muhaddathin in this ummah are equal in their number to the long chain of mursal in the ummah of Moses."

91. Ibid., p. 42

"It is a pity that unwary critic has quoted the verse: ‘This day have I perfected for you your religion’ without any justification. Where have I said that mujaddid and muhaddathin come to add to or subtract anything from the existing religion? Rather I assert that since with the passage of time the pure teachings are overcast with false notions and the truth is somewhat hidden, mujaddids, muhaddathin and spiritual khalifas (successors) are raised to remove these notions and glister the pristine beauty of the religion. I do not know from where and from whom the poor critic has learnt that mujaddid and spiritual successors come into the world to amend or abrogate religion. Indeed they do not abrogate anything of the religion, rather they appear in order to show the light and glory of the religion."

92. Ibid., p. 46

"And it should also be remembered that perfection of a religion does not preclude any suitable arrangement for its protection. Take the example of a person who builds a house, constructs all its rooms neatly, and meticulously provides all the basic requirements of the house. After some time dust-storm hits the house and subsequent rains settle dust upon it which mars the design and decoration of the building and destroys its beauty. Will it be fair or folly to prevent the owner from carrying out necessary repairs, whitewashing and beautification of the house? It is a pity that such critics do not realize that maintenance of a completed building necessitates its periodical repairs. Completion is quite distinct from renovation. It should be remembered that mujaddids do not add to or subtract from-the religion. They re-write on the minds of people what these have forgotten of religion. And to assert that it is not essential to believe in such mujaddids is going astray from the commandments of Allah, as He says in the Quran: ‘Whoever is ungrateful after this, they are the transgressors’ (24:55). That is, whoever refuses to accept the khalifas (successors) after him (i.e., the Holy Prophet Muhammad) shall be considered a transgressor."

93. Ibid, p. 50.

"Besides, this ummah is also to face new problems in every age. Although the Quran is the embodiment of all the (spiritual) science but it is not necessary that all these sciences should come to light in one and the same age. On the other hand, as new problems crop up, appropriate Quranic sciences become manifest. With a view to solving the problems of every age, competent spiritual teachers are sent who are the heirs of messengers and are endowed with their Messenger's excellences by way of reflection (zill). And the mujaddid, whose performance resembles mostly the official activities of a messenger, is called after the name of that messenger by God."

94, Ibid, p. 53

"God Almighty says in the Quran: 'And as for that which does good to men, it tarries in the earth.' It is evident now that the most beneficial group for mankind in the world is that of the prophets who strengthen the, faith of the people seeking truth by supernatural signs (khwariq), miracles, prophecies, and by imparting knowledge of spiritual truths and by their own precept of honesty and truthfulness. And this is also evident that they do not stay in this world for long but after spending a limited life depart from this earth. The verse quoted above in no way contradicts this fact because if is not possible that God's word run counter to facts. When this verse is applied to the prophets it would mean that their reflection (zill) is never extinct and in time of need God raises one of His servants to resemble and appear as a zill of those prophets, and these imbued in their colour display their eternal life. For perpetuating this reflective (zilli) existence, God has taught this prayer: '(Our Lord), guide us on the right path, the path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours.' Obviously, the favour which was granted to prophets and is asked for in this prayer, is not of money but is of spiritual splendour and blessing, of love and faith, of supernatural signs and heavenly support, of (divine) acceptance and perfect and complete gnosis, and of revelation and true vision. God the Most High commanded this ummah to beseech this favour because it had been destined to be bestowed upon them. This verse thus abundantly proves that God has held this ummah to be the heir of all the prophets so that the prophets may continue their reflective existence in the world for all times and the world is never devoid of their presence."

95. Ibid., p. 57

"Now when it is proved from the Quran that in this ummah, may God bless it, the order of the eternal khilafat has been established in the same way as it was done in the Shari'ah of Moses only with this verbal difference that at that time prophets appeared to support the Christian religion while muhaddathin are raised now for this purpose."

96. Ibid., p. 58

"Likewise, it is essential that a muhaddath should be raised like that prophet (i.e., Jesus Christ) at a corresponding period when this ummah would also become corrupt as Jews had been in Jesus Christ's time."

97. Barakat al-Du'a (April 2, 1893), p. 12

"The recipient of the revelation of muhaddathiyyah fully resembles his master-prophet and is given all that is given to a prophet except prophethood and revival of the commands (tajdid-i ahkam)...and this path is open for this ummah. ...God the Most High has promised that the knowledge of prophethood (or Unseen) is given only to the purified ones (mutahharin)."

98. Ibid., pp. 13, 14

"The proof of the living force of Islam and the positive reality (yaqini haqiqat) of prophethood which could silence the deniers of revelation in every age can only be maintained when revelation in the form of muhaddathiyyah continues for ever. And God has willed thus. Muhaddathin are the people who are honoured with divine communications and the essence of their soul (jauhar-i nafs) strongly resembles the essence of the soul of the prophets and they are the existing signs (ayat-i baqiyah) of the marvellous qualities (khawas-i 'ajibiyah) of prophethood so that this subtle problem of the descent of revelation may not become a mere tale of the past by reason of its having no proof."

99. Ibid., p. 17

"I have personally experienced a sway of strong external and extremely effectual force over me at the time of revelation which descends on me in the form of wahy-i wilayat (revelation granted to saints)."

100. Nur al-Haq (February 1894), vol. 1, p. 73

"It has been revealed to me that the word ruh in this verse (‘where the spirit and the angels stand in ranks’ - 78:38) refers to the group of messengers, prophets and mujaddids on whom the Holy Spirit descends, and they are blessed with divine communications."

101. Anwar al-Islam (September 6, 1884), p. 34

"If an objection is raised to the effect that I have laid claim to prophethood which is a word of heresy, what can be said except that the-curse of Allah be upon the liars and the impostors!"

101. (a) Sat Bachan (October 1895), pp. 55, 56

"It has been Allah's dispensation since the creation of this world that He has been manifesting His presence on His chosen ones. No one can approach Allah directly. A complete and perfect faith in His Being is achieved only by one whom the All-powerful and Majestic convinces of His existence by His voice 'I am here' (anal maujud) or the one who associates with the former so much so that both get merged into one. There are thus these two ways (of accessibility to Allah) which exist in this world. Since Allah the Most High has planned various stages in His creation, viz., plants, minerals, animals and even celestial bodies and there are objects which benefit others and objects which are benefited by others, He has placed the human beings in two categories ton. Firstly, those high-calibred persons who have been directly gifted with innate light just as the sun is. Secondly, those who derive light from the sun as they are not capable of acquiring it themselves. The point may be elaborated by the illustration of the sun and the moon which the Holy Quran has referred to in 91:1, 2: ‘By the sun and his brightness. And the moon when she borrows light from him.’ Now the moon is there by reason of the existence of the sun. Likewise, there is the remotest, possibility of the existence of auliva (friends of Allah) in the absence of prophets -- the most accomplished and perfect models for human beings. This is a law of nature which we observe day and night. Allah is unique and loves unity in His works. He has produced a thousand objects from a single object both in physical and spiritual spheres. Thus prophets who are the most perfect models for human beings are like fathers to auliya and righteous persons in the spiritual sense, and stand in relation to them as a father is to his son in every day life. Hence, Allah has manifested His dispensation so that His affairs do not go beyond His unity. He Himself guides the prophets and is the source of making them aware of the sublime gnosis. None has obliged Him to publicise His domain after seeking Him by prudence and insight. Rather it is mankind which is under obligation to Him for raising prophets for guidance and awareness. We learnt about that incomprehensible, subtle and inapprehensible Creator through these prophets. Had not the prophets been sent down in this world, the learned and un-lettered would have been equally unaware of His munificence. It is the teaching of prophets which increased our comprehension and sharpened our wit. We have just explained that a child is incapable to speak unless proper instruction is imparted to him. Then, how can we comprehend Him Who is inscrutable and beyond our conception?"

102. Siraj al-Din 'Isai ke Char Sawalun ka Jawab (June 22, 1897), p. 15

"It must be borne in mind that, according to the Holy Quran, the characteristic of a high state of pure life is that supernatural signs are manifested at the hands of such persons. And God the Most High listens to their prayers and communicates with them and tells them the news of the Unseen beforehand and lends His support to them. So we see that there have been thousands of such persons in Islam. Accordingly, in this age, this humble servant is present to demonstrate this precept."

103. Siraj-i Munir (March 24, 1897), pp. 2, 5

"Do not lay false charges against me that I have claimed absolute prophethood. Have you not read that muhaddath (one spoken to by God) is also a mursal (sent one)? Do you not remember the recitation (qir'at or version) wa la muhaddath-in? Then, how absurd is the allegation that I have claimed to be a mursal. O ye the ignorants! Tell me what is the appropriate word in Arabic for one sent by God other than mursal or rasul. But remember that in God's revelation (ilham) it does not here carry the real sense (haqiqi ma'ni) which is specific for the giver of law (sahib shari'ah). On the other hand, whoever is appointed (mamur) is indeed a mursal. This is, of course, true that in the revelation which God has sent down on me He has-frequently used the words nabi, rasul and mursal but they are not in their real significance. And every one has its own terminology. So, this is God's terminology that He has used such words. We admit and hold the view that in the real sense of prophethood neither a new nor an old prophet can appear after the Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Quran precludes the appearance of such prophets. But God may, in a metaphorical sense, address a mulham (an inspired one) as a prophet or a messenger. ...

The people in Arabia still call a person's messenger (faristadah) rasul. Why then shouldn't God use the word mursal metaphorically? Do you not remember the Quranic verse: ‘fa qulu inna ilaikum mursalun’ (So they said: surely we are sent to you) -- 36:16? Is it fair and justifiable to call me a kafir only on this count? When you will be questioned by God on the Day of Judgement for declaring me kafir, may I know what reasons you will advance before Him? I again repeat that no doubt the words rasul, mursal and nabi occur for me in my revelations from God but they are not applicable in their real sense. Likewise, the description of the Promised Messiah in reports (ahadith) as a prophet does not connote prophethood in its real sense. This is the knowledge which God has granted me. Let him who wishes to understand grasp it. It has been disclosed to me that the doors of real prophethood (haqiqi nubuwwat) are absolutely closed after the Khatam al-Nabiyym. Neither can a new prophet appear in the real sense (of the term) nor an old one. But, our unjust opponents (zalim mukhalif) dc not consider the doors of the finality of prophethood as entirely closed, rather, according to them, a window is still open for the coming of a prophet, i.e., the Israelite Messiah. Thus, when after the Quran a real prophet (haqiqi nabi) comes and the prophetic revelation (wahy-i nubuwwah) is resumed then tell us how prophethood came to an end. Will the revelation of such a prophet be called wahy-i nubuwwah or something else?"

104. Ibid., p. 4

"It is even conceded by you that an ordinary martyr may have partial (juz’i) superiority over a great prophet. Verily, I do not see myself less favoured with divine grace than the Messiah. But, this is not unbelief (kufr). This is (an expression of) gratitude for God's favour. Since you cannot understand God's secrets, therefore, you take it to be unbelief. How then will you interpret the words afzalu min ba'di al-anbiya (i.e., he is superior to some of the prophets)? If I am a kafir in your estimation, I may be compared with the son of Mary who was also dubbed as kafir by Jewish Pharisees. I have been endowed with greater grace of God, but you cannot accept this."

105. Hujjat Allah (May 2, 1897), p. 14

"My writing of these books is a proof of God's favours on me because this wilayah (sainthood) is perfectly the reflection (zill) of prophethood. God showed (the fulfilment of) prophecies in support of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

106. Anjam Atham (January 22, 1897), p. 27 footnote

"Can a cursed impostor, who lays claim to messenger-ship and prophethood, has any faith in the Quran? And can a person, who has faith in the Quran and the verse: ‘wa la-kin rasu-lullah wa khataman nabiyyin’ (but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets) say that he too is a messenger and a prophet after the Holy Prophet? The seeker of justice should note that this humble servant has never laid claim to prophethood or messengership in the real sense of the term. To apply a word in other than its real significance and to use it commonly in its general literal sense does not amount to heresy (kufr). But I am even averse to this because it might create confusion in the minds of general Muslims. However, being an appointed one of God (mamur), I dare not conceal the words 'prophethood' and 'messengership' occurring frequently in the communions and communications received by me from God Almighty. But I declare it repeatedly that in such revelations (ilhamat), the words mursal, rasul or nabi occurring for me are not to be taken in their real sense. (Such words occur in my ilhamat not only now but for the last sixteen years; in Barahin-i Ahmadiyya, you will find many such divine communications about me). And the true fact (asl haqiqat) which I pronounce at the top of my voice is that our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya) and no prophet, either new or old shall come after him.

"And whoever claims to he a real prophet or messenger after our Messenger and Master, it is a fabrication and the repudiation of Shari'ah and he is an unbeliever (kafir) and a great liar (kazzab)."

107. Ibid., p. 28 footnote

"But it should be remembered, as I have just explained, that such words (e.g., prophet, messenger) used in God's revelations for some auliya (saints) by way of metaphor and simile are not to be taken in the real sense. This is, in fact, the entire dispute which has been drawn towards another direction by the prejudiced ignorants. The name of the corning Messiah which, in al-Sahih of Muslim etc., has been mentioned by the blessed tongue of the Holy Prophet as nabi Allah (Prophet of God) is, in fact, a metaphorical expression, which is an admitted and colloquial term for divine communication in the writings of the high ranking sufis (mystics). Otherwise, how can there be a prophet after the Seal of the Prophets?"

108. Ibid., p. 143

"And I have been sent for the purpose of eradicating vice and promoting virtue and convincing the people of the unity of Godhead and piety. I have no religion other than the religion of Islam and no book besides the Holy Quran and no messenger except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who is the Seal of the Prophets."

109. Ibid., Supplement, p. 19

"The sum and substance of the divine communication Is that God, as in the case of His prophets, honours a person who annihilates himself in She Prophet (fana fin Nabi), with God's perfect communication (kamil mukalamat). And during this communication the person who is spoken to by God (kalim Allah) has direct communication with Him. He makes a request and God answers it, although such a question and answer should occur fifty times or more. God the Most High grants three favours to His perfect servant through His divine communication. Firstly, his prayers are mostly granted and the grant is made known to him. Secondly, God apprises him of many Unseen matters (umur-i ghaibiyyah). Thirdly, many spiritual sciences of the Quran are disclosed to him by means of revelation. Here, in the name of God, I ask everyone who rejects me (mukazzib) and claims to possess this virtue (hunar) to stand and compete with me in these three favours."

110. Zururat al-Imam (September 1898), p. 12

"Sixthly, visions (kushuf) and inspirations (ilhamat) are necessary for Imam al-Zaman (Imam of the Age). The Imam al-Zaman very often receives from God, through inspirations, (knowledge of) spiritual sciences, truths (haqaiq) and realities (ma'arif). His revelations cannot be compared with those of others because both in quality and quantity these are of such a high standard that it is not possible for any other person to attain them. Through them (spiritual) sciences are disclosed and Quranic realities are made known and the religious problems and intricacies are solved, and prophecies of a high standard which could influence the antagonistic people are manifested at their hands. In short, the visions and inspirations of the persons who are Imam al-zaman are not confined to their own persons but are extremely helpful and blessed (mubarak) for the support and strength of religion. God the Most High speaks to them in great clarity and grants their prayers. ...And prophecies of the Imam of the Age based on inspirations (ilhami) possess the power of the manifestations of the Unseen (izhar 'ala-l ghaib) so as to comprehend the Unseen in every respect as a skilled horseman has control over his charger. And this potentiality (quwwat) and disclosure (inkishaf) are blended in their inspiration so that their pure inspirations may not be confused with satanic inspirations (of others) and that these may serve as a clear proof (hujjat) against others."

111. Ibid., p. 24

"It should be remembered that the term Imam of the Age (Imam al-zaman) includes prophets, messengers, muhaddathin and mujaddidin (reformers). But people who have neither been raised by God (mamur) for the guidance of others nor such excellences have been given to them, may be wall (saint) or abdal (saint of a certain degree) but cannot be called the Imam of the Age."

112. Raz-i Haqiqat (November 30, 1898), p. 16

"The word nabi was common among the prophets of two nations only i.e., Muslims and Israelites. And in Islam no prophet can come after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

113. Kitab al-Bariyyah (January 24, 1898), p. 90

"As far as the claim to messengership (risalat) is concerned, I am fully satisfied by going through your book Izalah Auham and by listening to your soul-inspiring speech -- a quickener of the dead hearts -- presented at the Religions Conference at Lahore. This charge has been brought against you by someone only by way of calumny and accusation."

114. Ibid., p. 182, footnote

"They accuse me unjustly that I have laid claim to prophethood and that I deny miracles and angels. But let it be known that all these are fabrications. I firmly believe that our leader and master Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya) and I also believe in angels and miracles and all the fundamentals of the faith as the Ahl Sunnah do."

115. Ibid, pp. 184, 185 footnote

"The Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), had repeatedly stated that no prophet would come after him and the hadith: La nabiya ba'di (there will be no prophet after me), was so widely known that no one had ever doubted its authenticity. In the Holy Quran, every word of which is absolutely true, the verse: wa lakin rasul lul-lahi wa Khataman Nabiyyin (but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets) also substantiates the fact that in reality prophethood has come to an end with our Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Then how was it possible that any prophet in the real sense of the term should come after the Holy Prophet, whereby all the warp and woof of Islamic teachings are completely destroyed. And to say that Jesus Christ would come after being deprived of prophethood is a statement of great impertinence....

"The Most High God's naming the Holy Prophet as Khatam al-Nabiyyin in the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet's declaration in the hadith that 'there will be no prophet after me' settle the point once and for all that no prophet, in the real sense, was to appear after the Khatam al-Nabiyyin."

116. Kashf al-Ghita (December 27, 1898), p. 46

"It is a fundamental principle of Islam that no prophet will ever come after our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

117. Ayyam al-Sulh (January, 1899), p. 35

"Now, take the prophecy of our Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that the keys of the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes fell in his hands. Obviously, the fulfilment of the prophecy did not occur during his Lifetime. He saw neither these treasures nor their keys but, as it was destined, these keys were received by Hazrat 'Umar, may God be pleased with him, because the person of 'Umar was, by way of reflection (zill), the person of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Therefore, in the world of revelation, the hand of 'Umar was admitted to be the hand of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

118. Ibid.., p. 41

"It should be remembered here that, at one place in Barahin-i Ahmadiyyah, I erred in interpreting the word tuwaffa as 'giving it in full measure' which is now quoted by some maulawis as an objection against me. But this objection is void. I concede that this was a mistake on my part and not a mistake in the revelation (ilham). After all I am human and all the human weaknesses ('awarid) such as omission, forgetfulness and errors are found in me also like in other human beings. Although I know that God does not let me stay in error for long but I do not claim that I cannot err in my ijtihad (exercise of judgement). It is only God's inspiration which is free from error while human words are liable to go wrong, as omission and forgetfulness are parts of humanity (bashariyyat)."

119. Ibid., p, 47

"Besides these points, the verse: wa lakin rasul-lul lahi wa khatam an-Nabiyyin (but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets) also precludes the coming of the Messiah, son of Mary, for the second time; likewise, the hadith, la nabiyya ba'di; (there will be no prophet after me) stands in his way. How is it possible that, in spite of our Holy Prophet being the Seal of the Prophets, another prophet can come at some time and the prophetic revelation (wahy-i nubuwwah) can start again? Do not all these suggest that while interpreting this hadith, we are not to adhere to the apparent meaning of these words?"

120. Ibid., p. 74

"If it be argued that Jesus, who came for bearing testimony (tasdiq) to the Torah, was a prophet of God, how do you compare him in this respect? Again, a prophet ought to have come for vouching and reviving (tajdid) the religion. The reply is that, in Islam, the door of independent prophethood is closed as the Most High God says: wa la-kin rasulul lahi wa Khataman Nabivyin (but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets') and in the Hadith we find: la nabiyya ba'di (there will be no prophet after me). Moreover, the Messiah's natural death has been proved by conclusive arguments (nusus qat'iyyah); therefore, his coming to this world again is nothing but mere wishful thinking. And, if another prophet, new or old, does come, then how can our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), be the Last of the Prophets. No doubt, the door of wahy-i wilayah (revelations granted to saints) and of divine communications is still open.

"The signs are God's whether they are manifested through a prophet or a saint (wali) and are all of one and the same standard (darjah) because they have a common source. It is sheer folly and stupidity to think that if the Most High God demonstrates heavenly signs at the hands of a prophet these are greater in power and grandeur than those demonstrated through a wali. On the other hand, some signs in support of Islam are manifested at a time when there is neither a nabi nor a wali. For instance, the sign of the annihilation of the 'possessors of the elephants'."

"The authentic Hadith corroborate that muhaddath is also included among the prophets and messengers as God's sent ones (mursals). A careful perusal of the recitation (qir'at) of the hadith in Bukhari, wa ma arsalna min rasulin wa la nabiyyin wa la muhaddath-in (And We never sent a messenger or a prophet or a muhaddath) will bear this out. Again, it is mentioned in another hadith: ulama-u ummati ka anbiya bani israil (i.e. the 'ulama of my ummah will be like the prophets of Israel). The sufi (mystics) have also, in their visions, got this hadith verified by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It should also be remembered that in the book of Muslim the word prophet has also been used for the Promised Messiah i.e., by way of metaphor and simile."

122. Ibid., pp. 86, 87

"We believe in the basic five articles of Islam. We believe that there is none to be worshipped except God and that the Prophet Muhammad is His Messenger and Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya). We do believe in the angels, the resurrection of the bodies (hashr-i ajsad), the Day of Judgement and in the paradise and hell, and we acknowledge that whatever God Almighty has revealed in the Quran and whatever our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has preached is true, and we do believe in it. And we also believe that any one who adds to or deletes even an iota from the Shari'ah of Islam or introduces renunciation of religious obligations (tark-i faraid) and declares unlawful as lawful is faithless and a renegade. We exhort our followers that they should have faith in the Kalimah Tayyibah: la ilaha il-lal lahu Muhammadur Rasulul al-Allah i.e., there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) from the core of their hearts and abide by it till the end of their lives and that they should believe in all the prophets and books whose veracity is established by the Quran and that they should keep up fasting and prayer, pay the poor-rate (zakat), perform the pilgrimage and fulfil all other religious obligations (faraid) ordained by God and His Messenger. And they should abstain from all prohibitions and faithfully follow Islam. In short, it is incumbent (fard) upon them to abide by all those matters on which the celebrated authorities of yore have agreed (ijma‘) regarding their creed and practice and also those matters which are called Islam by the consensus of opinion (ijma' al-rai) of the Ahl Sunnah."

123. Ibid., p. 138

"The perfect spirituality sometimes manifests in the chosen ones of God to the extent that their acts are influenced wholly by it. In sufi terminology, this state is called baruz (manifestation). In the commentary of Fusus al-Hikam, an illustration of the term baruz has it that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the alpha and omega of this universe in as much as he manifested himself in Adam when this world was created. In other words, the spirituality of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, transcended in Adam and shall re-appear in the Khatam al-wilayah, the Mahdi, towards the close of this world, and marvellous feats and performances shall occur at his hands. This is a state of manifestation (baruz) par excellence." (Reproduced from Iqtibas al-Anwar by Sh. Muhammad Akram Lahori and quoted by the Founder.)

124. Ibid., p. 146

"Our Holy Prophet's being the Khatam al-Anbiya (the Seal of the Prophets) also vouches for the death of Jesus, peace of God be upon him, because if another prophet comes after him he no longer remains the Khatam al-Anbiya nor the chain of prophetic revelation (wahy-i nubuwwah) can be deemed to have ended. And if it be considered that Jesus will come as an ummati (follower) even then he shall not be devoid of the dignity of prophethood (shan-i nubuwwat). Although he shall also act upon the Shari'ah of Islam like other followers but it cannot be said that at that time he shall not be a prophet in God's knowledge. And if he shall, however, be a prophet in the knowledge of God then we have to face the same objection that a prophet had come after the Khatam al-Anbiya, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. This is derogatory to the Holy Prophet's dignity and contradicts the explicit teachings of the Quran on this point. The Quran speaks nowhere about the second advent of the Messiah, son of Mary, rather the Finality of Prophethood (Khatm-i Nubuwwat) has been mentioned most expressly. And it is a mischief to differentiate between an old and a new prophet. Such a differentiation (tafriq) is to be found neither in the Hadith nor in the Quran. And the same general negation (naf‘i-i 'am) is found in the Hadith: la nabiyya ba'di (i.e., There will be no prophet after me). How audacious and impertinent it is then to stick to the sordid thoughts and disregard and ignore the clear injunctions of the Quran and accept the coming of a prophet after the Seal of the Prophets and resumption of the prophetic revelation after it had been cut off. Because in whomsoever exists the dignity of prophethood (shan-i nubuwwat) his revelation will undoubtedly be that of prophethood."

125. Ibid., p. 147

"In Muslim and Bukhari we find the clear words, imamu-kum minkum (he will be your imam from among you) and amma-kum minkum (he will be from among you). This is the divine will. The words of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that the Messiah, son of Mary, would be raised from amongst you as an arbiter (hakam) and judge (adl) would have agitated some minds as regards the finality of prophethood. To remove this misconception, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), further said that he would be a follower (ummati) from amongst you and would also be called Messiah by way of manifestation (baruz). Likewise the coming of Mahdi, which has been mentioned together with the Messiah, also suggests that the spirituality of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), will be manifested in Mahdi (ruhaniyyat ka maurad) by way of manifestation (baruz)."

126. Ibid., pp. 151, 152

"Just as the promised Imam has been called by the names Ahmad and Muhammad in relation to the characteristics gifted to him, likewise he has been called 'Isa and Messiah, son of Mary, for the latter's characteristics were to be found in him. It is evident that by the word Ahmad nobody can take that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would himself return to the world. Similarly, the mere name 'Isa does not indicate that Jesus Christ would come again in person to the world. Such a misunderstanding is caused by not grasping the essence of this prophecy. As a matter of fact, both these names suggest the appearance by way of manifestation (baruz)."

127. Ibid., p. 152

"Similarly by saying la nabiyya ba'di (there will be no prophet after me), he (the Holy Prophet) has definitely closed the door for the coming of a new or an old prophet."

128. Ibid., pp. l63, 164

"Question: Is not a prophet needed to bear witness to the prophethood of our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?

Answer: No, otherwise another prophet (nabi shahid) would be needed for (witnessing) the prophethood of that witnessing-prophet. And you can imagine the consequences. Woe to them a thousand times who think that the nubuwwah of our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has not yet been proved, but will be proved when Jesus will come and bear witness to it!

Question: The Messiah would not come as a prophet but as a follower (ummati) although prophethood would be manifest in his dignity (shan).

Answer: When the dignity of prophethood (shan-i nubuwwat) would be manifested in him and he would be a prophet in God's estimation, then undoubtedly his reappearance would be contrary to the finality of prophethood because, in fact, he would be a prophet and the coming of any prophet after our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is forbidden according to the Holy Quran.

Question: Can the like (mathil) of a prophet be considered a prophet?

Answer: The entire ummah agrees that a non-prophet becomes a substitute of a prophet by way of reflection (baruz), which view is implied in the hadith, ulama-u ummati ka anbiya bani Israel (the 'ulama of my ummah are like the prophets of Israel). Here the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has declared the 'ulama (learned) as the like of the prophets. In another hadith it occurs that the ulama are the heirs to prophets. Further, another hadith says that forty persons among the followers of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), would be on the pattern (qalb lit. heart, soul) of Abraham. In this report, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has declared them to be the like of Abraham. And the words of God: ihdinas siratal mustaqim, siratal lazina an-'amta 'alaihim (guide us on the right path, the path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours), and these words are agreed upon by the commentators to signify resemblance with the prophets (tashabbah bil anbiya) which is the main reality (asl haqiqat) underlying the discipleship (ittiba'). The Sufi (mystics) believe that a person is neither perfect in faith nor becomes righteous (salih) until he cultivates such a resemblance with the prophets in his faith (iman), deeds (a'mal) and character (akhlaq) that he himself becomes just like them. Thus it is unjust to advance a self-made argument as common litigants do, in utter disregard of what the religious books say. God has sent the prophets in the world in order to raise their likes therein. If it is not so, then the (institution of) prophet-hood becomes absurd (laghw). The prophets do not come to be worshipped, but the purpose of their advent is that the people may follow their precepts and acquire resemblance with them and by annihilating (fana) in them become as if they are one and the same. God says to the Holy Prophet in the Quran: ‘Say: If you love Allah, follow me, Allah will love you.’ Thus whom God loves is sure to win His favours. And following (ittiba') also means the stage of annihilation (martabah fana) which raises one to the rank of likeness. This proposition is widely acclaimed and none denies it but an ignorant or a heretic."

129. Ibid., p. 111

"It occurs in the Quran: ‘He makes His secrets known to none except a messenger whom He chooses.’ (The announcement of the secrets ghaib or the Unseen in a perfect (kamil) form is only the work of messengers and none else is given this status.) By messengers are meant those people who are sent by God whether they are nabi, rasul, muhaddath or mujaddid."

130. Arba'i`n No. 2, (December 15, 1900), p. 18

"This is God's messenger in the garb of prophets."

131. Ibid., pp. 18, 19 footnote

"These words are by way of metaphor (isti'arah) just as in the Hadith the word prophet has been used for the Promised Messiah also. It is evident that he whom God sends is His messenger (faristadah) and a faristadah is called a rasul in Arabic, and he who makes known the news of the Unseen (ghaib) on being informed by God is called a nabi. The meaning, according to the Islamic terminology (islami istilah) is, however, different. The word has occurred here in its literal sense (lughwi ma'ni)."

132. Arba'in No. 3, (December 15, 1900), p. 25 footnote

"Here the words rasul and nabi have been used for me in God's revelation denoting a messenger and prophet of God. These are by way of metaphor and simile. Because he who receives direct revelation from God and is honoured with divine communication ... as was granted to the prophets, the use of words rasul or nabi for him is not improper, it is rather an eloquent simile."

133. Arba'in No. 4, (December 15, 1900), pp. 6, 7

"I believe that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya) and the Quran is the Seal (khatam) of the divine books. Nevertheless, God has not forbidden for Himself to issue commands such as, thou shalt not tell lies, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not tell lies, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not shed blood, by way of revival (tajdid), through some appointed one (mamur). It is evident that such an exposition (bayan) of Shari'ah is also the work of the Promised Messiah."

134. Ek Ghalati ka lzalah (1901) -- Appendix

135. Khutbah Ilhamiyyah (October 17, 1902), p.c.

"And this is from among God's grace and favour that He has destined this victory at the hands of the Messiah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so that He may demonstrate to the people that the Muhammadi Messiah excels the Israelite Messiah in certain aspects and this is because the Christians had exaggerated in the case of Christ and invited Allah's reprisal. Thus when such is the dignity of Muhammad's Messiah how great the dignity of the Holy Prophet would be to whose ummah he belongs." - (Announcement dated 25 August 1901.)

136. Ibid., pp. 8, 9

"And after this, the mantle of khilafah is bestowed on the perfect man by God and he is imbued with the colour of Godhood (uluhiyyah) by way of zill so that the station of khilafah may be established."

137. Ibid., p. 35

"I have brought the chain of sainthood (wilayah) to an end as our leader the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has brought the chain of prophethood to a close. He is the Last of the Prophets (Khatam al-Anbiya) and I am last of the saints (Khatam al-Auliya). There is no saint (wali) after me except he who is from me and is in my footsteps."

138. Ibid., p. 114

"This ummah is the best ummah. It has been gifted with such capabilities for advancement that it is quite possible that some of its adherents may become prophets."

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