What are the criteria of a true prophet? Does Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian fulfill those criteria?

Regarding the standard and criteria of a true prophet we need to know the distinctive features of a true and false prophet.

By the grace of Allah, the holy Quran guides us and informs us regarding the distinction between a true and a false prophet. Mullah is trying to make the people believe that it is unislamic to even investigate about the truthfulness of the claimant of prophet-hood. The holy Quran negates this notion as under:

“Say, ‘I only exhort you to do one thing: that you stand up before Allah in twos and singly and then reflect. You will then know that there is no insanity in your companion; he is only a warner to you for an impending severe punishment.’ [34:47]

Likewise, we request our Muslim brothers to reflect upon the claim and life of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and join his community.

LIFE BEFORE CLAIM

Say, 'If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you, nor would I have made it known to you. I have indeed lived a whole lifetime before this. Will you not then understand?' Who violates justice more blatantly than the one who forges a lie against Allah or who treats His Signs as lies? Surely, the guilty shall never prosper.[10:17, 18]

In these verses two standards of the truthfulness of a claimant of the prophet-hood are mentioned. In one verse, the human intellect has been challenged and in the other Allah’s custom and history has been presented as testimony. The life of the claimant of prophet-hood before his claim has been presented as a logical witness. Allah exhorts people to use their common-sense and intellect by saying that why you don’t ponder upon this fact that how it is possible that a person who has never told a lie, now suddenly turns into a liar. One day the holy Prophet (peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) ascended to a height and called every one of the tribes of Quraish by its name. When they had collected together, he addressed them as follows: ‘were I to tell you that a large host has collected together on the other side of this height and is preparing to attack you, would you believe me?’ They responded: ‘Surely, we would believe you as we have always found you truthful.’

The life of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) before claim of prophet-hood also depicts the same standard as we see in the life of the holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). His opponents testify that he had pure character in his youth and had no parallel in the service of Islam amongst his contemporaries.

A staunch opponent of Ahmadiyyat, Molvi Sana-Ullah Amratsari wrote in his book, “Tareekh-e-Mirza” that he had such a great respect and honor for him that he used to visit him in Qadian on foot. Not a single opponent has ever dared to point out a single flaw in his character. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) rightly claimed:

“You cannot attribute any charge of forgery, lie or deceit to my earlier life lest you say that this is another lie from a habitual liar. None of you can criticize my life. It is, therefore, a blessing of God that He kept me on righteousness since the day one and it is an evidence for those who ponder.” (Tazkaratu-shahadatain, P-64, R.K. vol-20)

Second criteria mentioned in the above quoted verses is that whosoever forges a lie upon God is severely punished and doomed. This success of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) against his opponents and the perpetual success of his community is stark evidence of his being a true prophet of Allah.

REVELATION OF UNSEEN

“He is the knower of the unseen, and He does not grant anyone ascendancy over His domain of the unseen. Except him whom He chooses as His Messenger. And in front of him and at the back of him march angels as sentinels.” [72:27, 28]

It is a sign of true prophets that they receive knowledge of unseen future events from Allah and communicate it to people and then these prophecies are fulfilled to the hilt. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) also prophesied many events which fulfilled magnificently testifying his truthfulness.

PUNISHMENT OF FORGERY

Do they say, 'He has forged it?' Say, 'If I have forged it, on be my guilt and I am clear of all the crimes you commit.' [11:36]

Do they say, 'He has forged a lie against Allah?' If Allah had so willed, He could seal thy heart. But Allah blots out falsehood through thee and establishes the truth by His words. Surely, He knows quite well what is in the breasts. [42:25]

And a believing man from among the people of Pharaoh, who kept hidden his faith, said, 'Will you slay a man because he says, 'My Lord is Allah,' while he has also brought you clear proofs from your Lord? And if he be a liar, on him will be the sin of his lie; but if he is truthful, then some of that which he threatens you with will, surely, befall you. Certainly, Allah guides not one who exceeds the bounds and is a great liar;' [40:29]

And if he had forged and attributed any sayings to Us, We would, surely, have seized him by the right hand, And then, surely, We would have cut his life-vein, And not one of you could have held Our punishment off from him. And verily, it is a reminder for the righteous, [69:45-49]

BE DEVOTEES OF LORD – NOT MINE

It does not befit a truthful man that Allah should give him the Book and Wisdom and Prophet hood, and then he should say to men, 'Be my worshippers instead of Allah; but he would say, 'Be solely devoted to the Lord because you teach the book and because you study it. [3:80]

In the awe-inspiring and pure character of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) we can see the manifestation of this characteristic of a truthful prophet. During the last days of his life, he visited Lahore and one day he asked his hosts to go for a ride in a horse-carriage and the hosts readily complied. When the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) came out the house, he amazingly noticed that some young men have fastened themselves at the horse’s place to pull that carriage. He asked what this is. The young men intoxicated in his love replied that Huzoor, we’ll pull your carriage for your ride. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) became angry and admonishing them to not to do that remarked, “I have come to make you humans, not animals.”

On the other hand, we witness an incident in the history that a great leader of Muslim league went to Aligarh to visit the great Muslim University. From Aligarh railway station to the university, he traveled in a carriage pulled by the students of Aligarh University. WHAT A DISTINCTION!

CENTRE OF HOPES

They said, 'O Salih, thou wast among us one whom we placed our hopes. Dost thou forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? And we are surely in disquieting doubt concerning that to which thou callest us.' [11:63]

We know that history repeats itself, especially in the cases of the Prophets. As evidenced in the above mentioned verse, the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) received the same fate of his predecessors. In the beginning, when he started debate with the Christian and Hindu scholars and rebutted their attacks on Islam and foiled all of their attempts to annihilate Islam and the Muslims from India and the rest of the world, the Muslims of India started pinning their hopes to him. The clergy and laity unanimously declared that this is the person who shall bring victory to Islam and shall defeat all those who are fiercely attacking Islam. Ironically, later these clergy rejected the claims of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) and termed him Dajjal.

REACTION OF NON-BELIEVERS

SIMILAR ATTITUDE

And those who have no knowledge say, 'Why does Allah not speak to us, or a Sign come to us direct?' Likewise said those before them what was similar to their saying. Their hearts are all alike. We have certainly made the Signs plain for a people who firmly believe. [2:119]

Nothing is said in opposition to thee but what was said to the Messengers before thee. Thy Lord is, indeed, the Master of great forgiveness; and also the master of painful chastisement. [41:44]

Even so there came no Messenger to those before them, but they said, 'A sorcerer or a madman.’Have they bequeathed this attitude to one another? Nay, they are all a rebellious people.[51:53, 54]

SHOULD WE FOLLOW A POET?

One of the reasons of rejection of the claim of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) is that he is a poet and we cannot follow a poet. Allah has mentioned in the following verse that earlier prophets were rejected on the same pretext.

And said, 'Shall we give up our gods for a mad poet?' [37:37]

REJECTION OF EVERY NEW MESSAGE

Allah has mentioned that there has been not a single incidence where people have not rejected and ridiculed the new divine message sent to them.

There comes not to them any new admonition from their Lord, but they listen to it while they make sport of it. [21:3]

And there comes not to them a new reminder from the Gracious God, but they turn away from it. [26:6]

Our opponents argue that in the following verse Allah has ordained us to believe in the revelation on the holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and revelation before him and that there is no mention of any revelation after him. The only incidence that has to happen after the revelation on the holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) is “AAKHIRA” i.e., doomsday.

And who believe in that which has been revealed to thee and that which was revealed before thee and they have firm faith in the hereafter. [2:5]

This stance has been mentioned in the following verse where Allah states that it is custom and nature of non-believers that they argue that we believe whatever was revealed upon us and reject all that comes after that.

And when it is said to them, 'Believe in what Allah has sent down,' they say, 'We believe in what has been sent down to us;' and they disbelieve in what has been sent down after that, yet it is the Truth, fulfilling that which is with them. Say, 'Why, then, did you seek to slay the Prophets of Allah before this, if you were believers. [2:92]

DEMANDING SIGNS OF EARLIER PROPHETS

When the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) claimed to be the “MESSIAH”, the reaction he had to face was similar as described in the following verse of the holy Quran. His opponents demanded him to show such miracles as, they believe, Jesus Christ used to show. They forgot that, notwithstanding all these miracles, his people rejected him.

And when there comes to them a Sign, they say, 'We will not believe until we are given the like of that which Allah's Messengers have been given.' Allah knows best where to place His Message. Surely, humiliation before Allah and a severe punishment shall afflict the offenders because of their plotting. [6:125]

AMAZEMENT OVER RAISING A PROPHET AMONGST THEM

It is an every day experience for an Ahmadi preacher to come across such argument that how an Indian Punjabi can become a prophet. It is the progeny of Abraham, they say, wherein the prophet-hood has been restricted. They feel themselves so utterly low that it is hard for them to think of a prophet raised amongst them.

'Do you wonder that an exhortation has come to you from your Lord through a man from among yourselves, that he may warn you and that you may become righteous and that you may be shown mercy?' [7:64]

It is a matter of wonder for men that We have sent down revelation to a man from among them, saying, 'Warn mankind and give glad tidings to those who believe that they have a true rank of honor with their Lord?' The disbelievers say, 'Surely, this is a manifest sorcerer.' [10:3]

TRYING TO EXTINGUISH THE DIVINE LIGHT

The following verse has very important place in the Ahmadiyya movement. In this verse a reaction of the opponents has been mentioned that they strive hard to eliminate the divine system by hook or by crook but all their efforts remain futile. The opponents of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) tried to eliminate his mission by torture, persecution and by sword. They were so helpless in rebutting or producing a parallel of the eloquence of the holy Quran, notwithstanding having great standards in prose and poetry, that they resorted to eliminate Islam by the means of physical persecution and war. So this verse cannot be applied to them.

It is the opponents of modern times who are using propaganda machinery, media, newspapers and books against the Ahmadiyya Movement. Their endeavors can rightly be described as using their mouths to extinguish the light of God

They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with the breath of their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, however much the disbelievers may dislike it. [61:9]

LEAVE THE COUNTRY OR LEAVE THE FAITH

“And those who disbelieved said to their Messengers, ‘We will surely, expel you from our land unless you return to our religion.’ Then their Lord sent unto them the revelation: ‘We will, surely, destroy the wrongdoers.’ [Ibraheem-14:14]

In this verse a reaction of disbelievers has been mentioned. They demand the prophet and his followers to forsake their faith in order to live in their country. Otherwise, they shall be forced to leave their native land. Following the same pattern of earlier creed of disbelievers, the present day mullah is on record to intimidate Ahmadies to either forsake their Ahmadiyya belief or leave the country.

BRITISH AGENT

An important sign of true prophets mentioned in the holy Quran is that they are accused of being agents of foreign nations. The opponents of divine mission argue that had the foreign nation not helping you, we would have defeated you. The standard response of the prophets is that is God weaker (God forbid) than the nation helping me so that He cannot overcome me and my mentor.

The opponents of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) consider these parables of Quran as outdated stories not applicable in the present age, as no new Prophet has to come ever again. But, as a matter of fact, these parables are mentioned in the holy Quran for us to pay heed to them lest we follow the opponents of earlier prophets. However, the divine tradition has to be fulfilled and there have always been two groups, the believers and those who denounce the divine message.

They replied, 'O Shu'aib, we do not understand much of what thou sayest, and surely we see that thou art weak among us. And were it not for thy tribe, we would surely stone thee. And thou holdest no strong position among us.' He replied, 'O my people, is my tribe mightier with you than Allah? And you have cast Him behind your backs as a thing neglected. Surely, my Lord encompasses all that you do;[11:92, 93]

And those who disbelieve say, 'It is naught but a lie which he has forged, and other people have helped him with it.' Indeed, they have perpetrated a great injustice and a great falsehood. And they say, 'These are fables of the ancient; and he has got them written down and they are read out to him morning and evening.'[25:5, 6]

In our age, the denouncers of Ahmadiyya Movement alleged that the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) was a British stooge and was trained to spread these teachings amongst the Muslims. They say that had he not been raised in the British Raj, we would have wiped him and his mission out. Following the traditions of earlier prophets and their followers, our response is the same that is God weaker than the British that He couldn’t punish Ahmadiyya community for its forgery. This is our last and final response that All the Praise belongs to Allah Who is the Lord of the entire Universe and our responsibility is just to convey the message. May Allah grant the Muslims opportunity to turn towards this holy Book and get guidance from it. Amen.

Is there any information or disclosure in the Quran regarding the advent of any prophet in this age?

A WITNESS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)

Can he, then, who stands upon a clear proof from his Lord, and to testify to whose truth a witness from Him shall follow him, and who was preceded by the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy, be an impostor? Those who are the true followers of Moses believe therein, and whoever of the opposing parties disbelieves in it, the Fire shall be his promised place. So be not thou, O reader, in doubt about it. Surely, it is the truth from thy Lord; but most men believe not.[11:18]

This verse is heralding the advent of a testifier who shall be amongst the followers of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and he shall witness the truthfulness of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah upon him) at such time when it is made suspicious and doubtful. It is obvious that only that witness can be accepted who has pure character and has observed the incidence to be witnessed with his own eyes.

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) was raised in such age when Islam was either forsaken or corrupted. Huzoor challenged the followers and scholars of all religions to present such irrefutable evidence as he claimed to have presented for Islam, i.e., heavenly signs and live communication with God. Nobody dared to accept this challenge and thus proved the authenticity of Islam.

HIS NAME IS AHMAD

And call to mind when Jesus, son of Mary, said, 'O children of Israel, surely, I am Allah's Messenger unto you, fulfilling that which is before me of the prophecies of the Torah, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me, his name being Ahmad. And when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, this is manifest sorcery.' [61:7]

In this verse the advent of a prophet has been heralded whose name shall be Ahmad. It is said that holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) is mentioned in this verse. This interpretation is acceptable but it should be kept in mind that his name was Muhammad, not Ahmad.

RAISING IN LATTER DAYS

And He will raise him among others of them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. [62:4]

This verse is from Sura Juma which is very next chapter after Sura Saff wherein the prophecy about a prophet named Ahmad is mentioned. Now in this chapter it is mentioned that first appearance of that prophet has taken place in Makka amongst the unlettered people and his second appearance shall be in latter days amongst another people who haven’t so far met him. At the revelation of this verse Hadhrat Abu Huraira (RA) asked the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that who shall be these people amongst whom this second appearance of the prophet shall take place, upon which he put his hand on the shoulder of Hadhrat Salman of Persia, one of his companions, and said that if faith ascends to the highest star, one man or some men from his people shall bring it back to the earth.

As the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) was from the Persian people, this prophecy is fulfilled in his person.

FIGHT BY PEN

“By the inkstand and by the pen and by that which they write, Thou are not, by the grace of thy Lord, a madman.” [68: 2, 3]

In this verse of Chapter “The Pen”, Allah has presented pen and writing by it as the testimony to the effect that the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) has no mental illness. It means that there shall come a time when such writings shall appear wherein it shall be alleged that the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was God forbid mentally sick, but these allegations and accusations shall be rebutted by pen and it shall be proved that all these allegations are bundle of lies. By the Grace of Allah, the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) wrote thousands of pages proving the high standard and truthfulness of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him).

REVIVALISTS, TESTIFIER & TESTIFIED

“By the heaven having mansions of stars, and by the promised Day, and by the testifier and the testified” [85:2-4]

In these verses, 12 revivalists of Muslim Ummah have been mentioned as mansions of heavens who appeared in the beginning of every century. Then the promised day has been mentioned in which the testifier, i.e., the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) appeared and testified the truthfulness of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). The appearance of this testifier is also mentioned in Chapter “Hud”.

IS IMAM MAHDI MENTIONED IN THE QURAN?

Some people argue that there is no mention, whatsoever, of Imam Mahdi in the Holy Quran. They demand us to prove from the Quran that Imam Mahdi shall come. We have already proved from the Quran that prophet-hood is continued. In the following verses we’ll prove that Imam Mahdi, which means “a guided leader”, is a title of the prophets and all the prophets have been called Imam Mahdi. The confusion arises in the minds when people think of Imam Mahdi as a separate and distinct personality from the Promised Messiah. In the Ahadees of Hadhrat Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned in Ibn-e-Majja and Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam Mahdi and the Promised Messiah has been mentioned as one and the same person. The holy Quran also does not differentiate Imam Mahdi from prophets and call the prophets as Imam Mahdi, as is evident in the following verses.

And remember when his Lord tried Abraham with certain commandments which he fulfilled, He said, 'I will make thee a leader of men.' Abraham asked, 'And from among my offspring?' God said, 'My covenant does not embrace the transgressors.' [2:125]

In this verse Allah gives this glad tiding to Abraham that He is making him the Imam, which means that prophet and Imam are only two different names for one office.

In the verses 72 & 73 of Al-Anbiya, Allah mentions Prophet Lot, Ishaq and Yaqoob and then in verse-74 calls them Imam Mahdi.

And We made them leaders who guided people by Our command, and We sent revelation to them enjoining the doing of good works, and the observance of Prayer, and the giving of alms. And Us alone they worshipped. [21:74]

Similarly in the following verse, Allah also mentions the Prophets of Israelites as Imam Mahdi.

And We appointed from among them leaders, who guided the people by Our command, because they were steadfast and had firm faith in Our Signs. [32:25]

Do we need Prophet in this age?

We really need a prophet to deliver Muslim Ummah in particular and whole humanity in general from the present miseries and problems.

CORRUPTION:

‘Corruption have spread on land and sea because of what men's hands has wrought, that He may make them taste the fruit of some of their doings, so that they may turn back from evil.’ (Quran 30:42)

This verse mentions the corruption not only in the environment but also in the spiritual world, which is so self-evident these days that no argument or evidence needs to be brought up to authenticate it. Even the worst enemies of Ahmadiyyat recognize that spiritual and religious world has been corrupted.

SECTARIANISM IN THE UMMAH:

‘And hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah and be not divided; and remember the favor of Allah which He bestowed upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became as brothers; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah explain to you His commandments that you may be guided.’ (Quran 3:104)

‘And be not like those who became divided and who disagreed among themselves after clear proofs had come to them. And it is they for whom there shall be grievous punishment.’ (Quran 3:106)

In these verses Allah has mentioned that at the time of split in the society, Allah reunites them by sending a prophet. We can witness the schism in Muslim Ummah, which calls for a divine reformer.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN GOOD AND WICKED:

‘Allah would not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He separated the wicked from the good. Nor would Allah reveal to you the unseen. But Allah chooses of His Messengers whom He pleases. Believe, therefore, in Allah and His Messengers. If you believe and be righteous, you shall have a great reward.’ (Quran 3:180)

In this verse Allah has mentioned that He shall not forsake the believers at such time when good and wicked both claim to be believers and faithful. He distinguishes between them not by informing every one but by raising a prophet who segregates the pure from the evil. This is the scenario we can see in our midst these days.

According to a tradition mentioned in Tirmadhi, the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) is quoted as saying that in latter days of this Ummah, many catastrophic events shall happen including earthquakes and fall of humans from humanity to the level of mimicking the animals. One of the companions asked that whether these events shall happen even if we have some righteous people amongst us, the holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied “yes! when the wicked shall outnumber the righteous.”

According to the above quoted verse, Allah shall continue to raise such reformers who shall be given the knowledge of unseen. These reformers shall establish a community of righteous Muslims, separating them from those wicked who also claim to be believers and Muslims. This verse also corroborates the tradition of Revivalists which some people repudiate being inconsistent with the holy Quran. The holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) prophesied that Allah shall raise for the sake of this Ummah a reformer in the beginning of every century who shall reform and rejuvenate its religion for it.

The words used by the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) are that “Allah shall raise”. It wouldn’t happen that any one just raise himself and claim that because I feel so sympathy and concern for this Ummah that I decided to do some reformation and revival for Islam and the Muslims. The wisdom behind raising such reformer once in a century is that in one century three generations are passed. The youngest generation of that time still holds fast to the traditions and values of their previous generation, but they consider the values and teachings of their grand-fathers’ times as invariably obsolete, outdated and unworthy of implementing in this modern world. Now, this is the most appropriate time to show them the validity and effectiveness of those old values and teachings by practically and successfully applying them in this modern age. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) wrote in his book “Ishtihar Wajib-ul-Izhar, P-18, Roohani Khazain vol-13:

“The notion of some unwise persons, that I have falsely claimed to be recipient of revelations, is untrue. In fact it is God, the Creator of this universe, Who has done this. When the belief in God is diminishing, a person like me is raised and God speaks to him and shows His wonders through him. Then the people realize that God really exists. I pronounce extensively that if anybody; whether Asian or European, stay with me for some time, then he shall definitely recognize the truth of my claim.”

GUIDING FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT:

Allah assures the believers that He is their friend and guardian and that He continues to guide them and take them out from darkness into the light.

‘Allah is the Friend of those who believe; He brings them out of all kinds of darkness into light. And those who disbelieve, their friends are the transgressors who bring them out of light into manifold darknesses. These are the inmates of the Fire, therein shall they abide.’ (Quran 2:258)

In the following verse Allah has mentioned His procedure of guidance and taking people out of darkness into light. Allah mentions that whenever humanity plunges into darkness, He raises a person and reveals His signs upon him and that person guides humanity from darkness to light.

‘He it is Who sends down clear Signs to His servant, that He may bring you out of every kind of darkness into light. And, verily, Allah is Compassionate and Merciful to you.’ (Quran 57:10)

ABANDONING THE HOLY QURAN:

‘And the messenger will say, O my Lord, my people indeed treated this Quran as thing to be discarded.’ (Quran 25:31)

The holy Quran was revealed upon the holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and there was no such time in his life when his followers had forsaken the Quran. However, we find in the traditions that there shall come a time upon the Muslims when they shall forsake the Quran.

“Nothing shall be left from Quran except its words”

If we observe the prevalent situation, read the lamentations of our scholars, intellectuals, sages, and divines, we’ll definitely come to the conclusion that this is the age predicted in the traditions when the holy Quran has been forsaken to the hilt. Now the holy Quran is used only for ritualistic recitation, widening the rift and creating schism amongst the Muslims and for false oath-taking in courts.

As the Jews and the Christians denied the prophet-hood of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) notwithstanding the fact that their scriptures have overwhelming evidence of his truthfulness, similarly their replicas in this modern age, the so-called Muslim scholars neglected the teachings of the holy Quran and denied the claim of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him). Allah mentions this attitude in (Quran 2:102) as under:

‘And now when there has come to them a Messenger from Allah, fulfilling that which is with them, a party of the people to whom the Book was given have thrown the Book of Allah behind their backs, as if they know it not.’

PREVAIL OVER ALL RELIGIONS BY IMAM MEHDI:

‘He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the true Religion, That He may cause it to prevail over all other religions. And sufficient is Allah as a Witness.’ (Quran 48:29)

This verse shows that the ultimate purpose of revelation of Islam is to prevail it over all other religions. This is a historical fact that though Islam has been made known as the most perfect and sublime religion, but its prevalence is yet to be seen. The commentators of the holy Quran are unanimous over this interpretation that this complete dominance of Islam shall happen through Imam Mahdi

GUARDING ISLAM:

‘Verily, it is We Who have sent down this Exhortation, and most surely We are its Guardians.’ (Quran 15:10)

In this verse Allah mentions that He has revealed the Quran and He shall be guarding it Himself. It is manifestly clear that the holy Quran was revealed through a human being and eventually it shall be guarded through humans who shall explain its wisdom in all the ages.

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 Love for all & hatred for none                                 With Love to the Muslims of the World

Is prophet-hood and revelation continued as per Quran?

COMPLETION OF RELIGION & PERFECTION OF BLESSING

The question deals with the continuation or otherwise of the prophet-hood. Before we start arguing and quoting evidence from the holy Quran, it is pertinent to clear a common misunderstanding spread by mullah. By quoting the verse (4) of Sura Mayeda,

This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed my favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.

They claim that Allah has perfected the religion for us and has completed the blessing. So, we don’t need any prophet. This is a clear and manifest deception and shatters away by looking at other verses of the Quran. It is not customary for every prophet to bring new religion. In the following verse Allah mentions that there were some prophets with whom Allah talked, meaning thereby that He gave them Sharia and for some He just elevated their ranks meaning that they were just made prophets and no new law was given to them.

These messengers have We exalted some of them above others; among them there are those to whom Allah spoke; and some of them He exalted in degrees of rank. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs and strengthened him with the spirit of holiness. And if Allah had so willed, those that came after them would not have fought with one another after clear Signs had come to them; but they did disagree. Of them were some who believed, and of them were some who disbelieved. And if Allah had so willed, they would not have fought with one another; but Allah does what He desires [2:254]

Similarly, in the following verse Allah mentions that many prophets of Israelites did not bring any new religion, but were acting upon Torah.

Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets, who were obedient to US, judge for the Jews, as did the godly people and those learned in the Law, because they were required to preserve the Book of Allah, and because they were guardians over it. Therefore fear not men but fear ME; and barter not My signs for a paltry price. And whoso judges not by that which Allah has sent down, these it is who are the disbelievers. [5:45]

The second part of the verse (4) of Sura Mayeda is about perfection of Blessing. The interpretation of non-Ahmadi mullah, that by “ATMAMTO ALAIKUM NE’MATI” means that I have finished the prophet-hood upon you, is rebutted by the following verse of Sura Yousaf, wherein same word and same process has been stated not only for Hadhrat Yousaf but also for his grand fathers Hadhrat Ishaq and Hadhrat Ibraheem.

'And thus, as thou hast seen, thy Lord shall choose thee and teach thee the interpretations of things divine and perfect His favour upon thee and upon the family of Jacob as He perfected it upon thy two forefathers - Abraham and Isaac. Verily, thy Lord is All-Knowing, Wise' [12:7]

IS THE BOOK SUFFICIENT ALONE?

Some people claim that we have a perfect and comprehensive book like Quran and we do not need any prophet. In the following verse Allah mentions that only book cannot guide, but it is given to a person who guides people.

Alif Lam Ra. This is a Book which We have revealed to thee that thou mayest bring mankind out of the depths of darkness into light, by the command of their Lord, to the path of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy --[14:2]

In the following verse of Sura Bani Israel, a common characteristic of non-believers is mentioned who want the prophet to bring the book only and not teach them its contents.

'Or, thou have a house of gold or thou ascend up into heaven; and we will not believe in thy ascension until thou send down to us a Book that we can read.' Say, 'Holy is my Lord! I am but a mortal sent as a Messenger.' [17:94]

Against the whims and desires of the non-believers, Allah has specifically mentioned in the Holy Quran the responsibility and duty of the holy Prophet (pbuh) to teach them the Book and wisdom, not to handover the book only for their reading pleasure.

He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom though before that they were in manifest error; [62:3]

Now, we proceed to bring evidence from the holy Quran regarding the possibility of prophet-hood.

CHILDREN OF ADAM

O children of Adam, If Messengers come to you from among yourselves, rehearsing My Signs unto you, then whoso shall fear God and do good deeds, on them shall come no fear nor shall they grieve. [7:36]

As we are all children of Adam, the possibility of prophet-hood is still open to us. Allah has stated that He shall raise Messengers “from among us” not “from above us” as non-Ahmadis are waiting for Jesus to come down from heavens.Secondly, the outcome of heeding to those prophets is deliverance from fear and grief. The situation of post colonial Muslim Ummah specially after 9/11 shows that they are engulfed in the fear and grief, which is apparently the repercussion of denial of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him).

REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE

Allah has taught us a great prayer in Sura Fateha to guide us to the path of those whom He has blessed.

Guide us in the right path -- The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. [1:6,7]

In the following verse Allah has explained that who are those blessed people.

And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings - the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And an excellent company are they. [4:70]

The context of this verse also explains this subject. In the preceding verses (60 to 69), the Muslims have been advised to obey Allah and His prophet which can ultimately lead them to the right path and then the above verse explains that to be on right path means to be amongst one of these four categories.Non-Ahmadi scholars argue that in this verse the word “Ma’a” means “with” and not “amongst” and even this companionship shall be in the world hereafter and not in this world. So the righteous people shall be “with” those blessed people but not amongst them. This interpretation deprives the Muslim Ummah of all categories and ranks of righteousness. According to this point of view no Muslim can ever become even a righteous person, let alone a prophet. Further, how those who do not get this status in this world can achieve them in the hereafter. Allah says in verse 73 of Sura Bani Israel that whosoever is blind in this world shall be raised as blind in the hereafter. Thus, in order to get a status in the next world, one has to have that in this world.
Secondly, this word “Ma’a” has been used in the following verses of the holy Quran expressing the meaning of “amongst”.

And it moved along with them amid waves like mountains. And Noah cried unto his son, while he was keeping apart, 'O my son, embark with us and be not with the disbelievers.' [11:43]

God said, 'O Iblis, what has happened to thee that thou wouldst not be among those who submit?' [15:33]

'Our Lord, we have heard a Crier calling us unto faith, saying, 'Believe ye in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, therefore, our sins and remit from us our evils and in death join us with the righteous;' [3:194]

THE IMPERFECT VERB (MUZAR’E)

The imperfect verb in Arabic grammar has the dual time expression, i.e., present and future. A muzar’e verb expresses present and future at the same time. The following verses of the Quran clearly manifest the possibility of prophet-hood.

And when there comes to them a Sign, they say, 'We will not believe until we are given the like of that which Allah's Messengers have been given.' Allah knows best where to place His Message. Surely, humiliation before Allah and a severe punishment shall afflict the offenders because of their plotting. [6:125]

Allah chooses His Messengers from among angels and from among men. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. [22:76]

He is of most exalted attributes, Lord of the Throne. He sends His Word by His command to whomsoever of His servants He pleases, that He may give warning of the Day of Meeting, [40:16]

THE WAYS OF REVELATION

In the following verse Allah has mentioned three ways of His communication or revelation to people. If revelation has been discontinued, according to non-Ahmadi interpretation, then Allah wouldn’t have mentioned these ways in an ever-lasting book like Quran.

And it is not for a man that Allah should speak to him except by direct revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His command what He pleases. Surely, He is High, Wise.[42:52]

HE WHO DOESN’T TALK IS NOT GOD

In this verse Allah has mentioned the incidence when the Israelites took the golden calf as their god. Allah negates the divinity of that calf by merely saying that how can that calf be their god when it doesn’t talk to them. It clearly shows that to talk is an attribute of God and we cannot think of a God who doesn’t talk and communicate with people.

And the people of Moses made, in his absence, out of their ornaments, a calf - a lifeless body, producing a lowing sound. Did they not see that it spoke not to them, nor guided them to any way? They took it for worship and they were transgressors.[7:149]

DENIAL OF FINALITY OF PROPHETHOOD

'And, indeed, they thought, even as you think that Allah would never raise any Messenger, [72:8]

And Joseph, indeed, came to you before with clear proofs, but you ceased not to be in doubt concerning that which he came to you till, when he died, you said, 'Allah will never raise a Messenger after him.' Thus does Allah adjudge as having gone astray every transgressor, doubter - [40:35]

In the above two verses Allah has categorically denied the cessation of prophet-hood and calls those, who claim that now no new prophet shall ever come, as gone astray, transgressors and doubters. These verses also show that finality of prophet-hood is not a new belief and those who adopt such belief are doubters of God’s mercy.

IS THE PROPHET-HOOD BENEFICIAL OR HARMFUL?

A believer cannot even think for a moment that prophet-hood is harmful for mankind. All religious people believe that Allah established prophet-hood for the benefit and guidance of mankind. So how can a beneficial thing be terminated, as we see Allah’s principle in the following verse that beneficial things for mankind stay in the earth.

He sends down water from the sky so that the valleys flow according to their measure and the flood bears on its surface swelling foam. And from that which they heat in the fire, seeking to make ornaments or utensils, comes out a foam similar to it. Thus does Allah illustrate truth and falsehood. Now, as to the foam it goes away as rubbish and perishes but as to that which benefits men, it stays in the earth. Thus does Allah set forth parables.[13:18]

ANGELS’ DESCENT

As for those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah;' and then remain steadfast, the angels descend on them, reassuring them: 'Fear not, nor grieve; and rejoice in the glad tidings of the Garden which you were promised; [41:31]

This self-explanatory verse is clearly heralding the descent of angels upon those who believe and remain steadfast and communication of good news to them from their Lord. How can one believe discontinuation of Allah’s communication with His servants?

PURE TREE

Dost thou not see how Allah sets forth a parable of a good word? It is like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches reach into heaven? It brings forth its fruit at all times by the command of its Lord. And Allah sets forth parables for men that they may be reminded.[14:25, 26]

These verses of Sura Ibraheem tell us that the likeness of Islam is of a pure tree which has its roots firm in the ground and its branches are reaching heavens and that it shall always produce its fruits.

REVIVAL OF DEAD EARTH

Has not the time yet arrived for those who believe that their hearts should feel humbled at the remembrance of Allah and at the truth which has come down to them, and that they should not become like those who were given the Book before them, but because the period of the bestowal of Allah's grace upon them was prolonged for them, their hearts became hardened, and many of them became rebellious? Know, then, that Allah quickens the earth after its death. We have made the Signs manifest to you, that you may understand. [57: 17, 18]

In these verses of Sura Hadeed Allah has mentioned an irrefutable and invariable principle that when a long time passes after a prophet, his followers become perverts and their hearts become hard. This hardness and deviation is corrected with revival of message through another prophet. The allegory mentioned here is that of earth when it becomes dry and hard after a long dry period without rain and it is revitalized by rain.

THE “BELIEVERS” ARE ASKED TO BELIEVE!

O ye who believe! believe in Allah and His Messenger and in the Book, which He had revealed to His Messenger, and the Book, which He revealed before it. And whoso disbelieves in Allah and His angels, and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day, has surely strayed far away.[4:137]

O ye who believe! Shall I point out to you a commerce, which will deliver you from a painful punishment? That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your persons. That is better for you, if you did but know. [61: 11, 12]

In the above verses, the “believers” are being called upon to believe and help any new prophet raised amongst them. This commandment is in accordance with the “COVENANT” taken by Allah from all the prophets.

THE COVENANT OF THE PROPHETS

And remember the time when Allah took a covenant from the people through the Prophets, saying, 'Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom and then there comes to you a Messenger, fulfilling that which is with you, you shall believe in him and help him.' And He said, 'Do you agree, and do you accept the responsibility which I lay upon you in this matter?' They said, 'We agree.' He said, 'Then bear witness and I am with you among the witnesses.'[3:82]

In this verse, Allah has mentioned the covenant, which He took from all the prophets regarding acceptance and help of any such prophet who testifies the teachings they already have. Non-Ahmadi religious scholars argue that Hadhrat Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is not included in this covenant. This misconception is cleared by the following verse wherein Allah has specifically mentioned the holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) by addressing him.

And call to mind when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from thee, and from Noah and Abraham, and Moses and Jesus, son of Mary, and We indeed, took from them a solemn covenant; [33:8]

This verse explains that this covenant was not only taken from the previous prophets but also from the holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). According to this covenant, the Muslim Ummah has been made responsible that whenever a prophet comes to them who testify Islam and accept the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Seal of the Prophets, they have to accept him and support him.In the issue of April 1988 of the magazine “Khatm-e-Nabuwwat” a mullah tried to mislead the people by writing that in verse -158 of Sura Al-A’raaf Allah has mentioned that the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) has freed the Muslims from their responsibility which is the same responsibility mentioned in the verse of covenant as no new prophet is to come whom we have to accept and support.
The first reply of this statement is that in the last verses of Sura Baqara Allah mentioned that Allah does not put such burden on anybody which they can not carry or have to throw away later.
Secondly the word mentioned in verse-158 of Sura Al-A’araff is (ISRAHUM) means their responsibility which represents those burdens which humans assume themselves and later they wish to throw away but can’t do that without divine help; whereas the word mentioned in the verse under discussion is (ISREE) my responsibility.
Once, the companions of the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) decided on their own not to share beds with their wives during Ramadan, although there is no such commandment in the holy Quran. Later, those who couldn’t keep their self-imposed restriction came to the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and sought forgiveness. Upon this Allah revealed the verse that it is lawful upon you to go to your wives during Ramadan except that you are in mandatory seclusion (aitkaaf). So this burden, responsibility or restriction was imposed by the companions themselves and not by Allah.
Similarly Allah mentioned in Sura Alam-Nashra about the holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that Allah removed “his burden” which was going to break his back.

Have We not opened for thee thy bosom, And removed from thee thy burden, Which had well-nigh broken thy back? [94:2-4]

It is therefore very well clear that Allah doesn’t put any responsibility on humans which He later had to remove being excessive and improportioned to their capacity. It is humans who assume such heavy responsibilities which Allah later removes from them.Allah has reminded this “covenant” in the following verse exhorting people to fulfill their promise and believe in the prophet who hasn’t brought a new religion but calling them towards their own God they already believe in.

Why is it that you believe not in Allah, while the Messenger calls you to believe in your Lord, and He has already taken a covenant from you, if indeed you are believers? [57:9]

The repercussions and consequences of breaking this covenant have been mentioned in the following verse:

And those who break the covenant of Allah, after having established it and cut asunder what Allah has commanded to be joined, and act corruptly in the earth, on them is the curse of Allah and they shall have a grievous abode. [13:26]

We are very fortunate to witness all these incidents happening before us. Those who broke the covenant by rejecting the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), did not stop there and cut that which they were ordained to join, i.e., the unity of Ummah by declaring Ahmadis as non-Muslim and then they started doing demonstrations and created law and order situation in the earth. The wrath of God fell upon them and now they find no peace anywhere.

History was to re-enact itself: The disease was to be the same, the remedy should have been the same!

Before we rest the case here we want to make a passionate appeal to the Christian and Muslim world to get down from their ivory tower of make-belief and descend to the hard realities of life.

Jesus Christ was a perfect man in the context of his age, but no more than a man. He reached the heights which he was destined to reach as a special messenger of God entitled the Messiah. This made him unique among all the prophets since the time of Moses to the time of his advent.

Every prophet is assigned a difficult task indeed. They have to bring about reformation among a people that have become thoroughly evil. In the case of Jesus, this task was made even more difficult because he was not only to fight against the common evils of society, but he was to bring about a dramatic and revolutionary change in the attitude of the Jewish people.

As it happens in the case of followers of every religion, with the passage of time they gradually deviate away from truth and begin to wander in the wilderness of sin. So did it happen in the case of the Jewish people. By the time of the advent of Jesus, they had virtually become spiritually dead. The water of divine life had ebbed out, leaving behind dead stony hearts. The task Jesus was assigned was to transform them once again into living pulsating human hearts and to bring forth from them springs of human kindness. This was the miracle Jesus wrought and therein lies his greatness.

Now, that the world of Islam and Christianity are jointly awaiting the second advent of Jesus Christ. They must not forget that the Jesus who was destined to come had to be essentially the same Jesus in character and style of mission. However, according to the prophesies of the founder of Islam, Hazrat Mohammed, this Jesus was to appear in his second advent not in the world of Christianity but in the world of Islam. Yet the great miracle he was to bring about was to be the same. But this time it was to be the hearts of the Muslims of the latter days, which he would be assigned to transform. This understanding of his second advent is fully supported by some other prophesies of the Holy Prophet. He predicted that the state of the people of Islam, during the latter days, would be so similar to that of the Jewish people during their decadent period, as one of the pair of shoes is similar to the other of the same par.

Hence, if the disease was to be the same, the remedy should have been the same as well. The Messiah had to return to the world in the same humble style, not in person but in spirit and in character and this is exactly what has happened and has taken place. Such divine and revolutionary persons are always born as insignificant and humble human beings and live a life of humility. They spiritually revisit the earth in exactly the same style and are treated again with the same callousness, prejudice and fanatic hostility. They are never easily recognized, as the true representative of those who had promised their revisit.

What happened to Christ in his first appearance at the hands of the Jews was bound to happen to him again, but this time at the hands of the Muslims and the Christians who were expecting his return. The same distorted and unreal expectations regarding the way he was to revisit the earth; the same imaginary goals he was expected to pursue; the same unrealistic views of his performance and his achievements on earth as were displayed by the Jewish people of the time of Jesus Christ, were to be repeated by the Muslims during his second advent. And in this way history was to re-enact itself.

Looking back now, one is in a better position to understand the failure of the Jews to recognise their Messiah. We can easily understand their difficulty and draw lessons from their tragedy. Their literal understanding of the scriptures misled them. It always happens in the history of expected religious reformers that the people who await them most often than not fail to recognise them because the signs of their recognition are misread and misunderstood. Realities are mythyfied and metaphors are taken literally.

Almost the same story has been repeated at the time of the second advent of the Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. Like the case of the promised descent of Elijah from the heaven as was awaited by the Jews of Christ’s time someone was again expected to bodily descend from heaven, this time the Messiah himself.

In the case of the Jews, they were expecting the Messiah to come in the state of glory. In the case of the Jews, they were expecting him to usher them into a new era of their domination and ascendancy over their Roman masters. All these expectations were shattered by Jesus of Nazareth. When he appeared at last, he appeared to be so far removed and distant from the expected image of the advent of Messiah which Jews had been dearly entertaining for centuries.

Strikingly similar events have taken place in relation to the advent of Christ in the person of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. The role played by his opponents is the same, only the names differ. The main stream of the Muslims and the Christians alike has acquired the role of Jews of the time of Jesus. The objections are the same. The logic of rejection is the same. Yet God treated this humble man with even greater signs of His support than the Jesus of the previous age and helped him spread his message far more rapidly in far greater number of countries and in all the continents of the world. These are the facts which speak for themselves, but only for those who listen. These are the facts which are becoming more and more apparent with the passage of time, but only for those who care to observe.

Again, the spirit of the messianic message in the context of the contemporary attitudes of the Muslims and the Christians is no different. But only they will understand who do not shut their eyes to it.

Let us, in the end, remind the Christians and the Muslims who are awaiting the re-appearance of Christ for the last so many centuries that in the prophetic words of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the divinely appointed Messiah of the latter days:

Remember very well that no one shall ever come down from heaven. All our opponents who are alive today shall die and none from them shall ever see Jesus son of Mary coming down from heaven; then their children that are left after them shall also die and none from among them shall ever see Jesus son of Mary coming down from heaven and then their third generation shall also die and they too shall not see the son of Mary coming down. Then God shall cause great consternation in their minds and they shall then say that even the age of the domination of the cross has passed away and the way of life has changed completely, yet the son of Mary has not come down. Then in dismay the wise among them shall forsake this belief and three centuries from now shall not have passed when those who await the coming of Jesus son of Mary, whether they be Muslims or Christians, shall relinquish altogether this conception. [Roohani Khazain Vol. 20: Tazkiratush Shahadatain pg 67]

So you may wait until a new generation is born and they will also wait until they have run their course and a new generation would take over. This state of waiting may continue till the end of the time, but no Jesus will bodily descend from heaven. However much those who crave him to return his personal visit would ever see their dream come true. They may even build a wailing wall for themselves as the Jews did more than three thousand years ago. And may they go on striking their heads against it. But as it happened in the case of the Jews so will it happen again. They will see no messiah descend despite their wailing and torment, generation after generation after generation. Their future expectations of Christ will achieve nothing but emptiness and a void that will never end. An utterly bleak prospect indeed.

As for the Christians who really take Christ to be a literal son of God let us end this discussion with the warning words from the Holy Quran, the divinely revealed book to the Holy Prophet of Islam. It lays out the purposes of his advent:

'He came as a warner to those who attributed a son to God. They have no knowledge or evidence of what they believe or did their forefathers have any. It is an enormity which is uttered by their mouths. They only make an unfounded false claim. They utter nothing but falsehood'. (Quran 18:5–6)

Ref: Christianity: A Journey from Facts to Fiction

Book written by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (4th Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community)

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 Love for all & hatred for none                                 With Love to the Muslims of the World