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Before ending my sermon on this vast subject –
Revelations – I wish to say a few words on the prophecy of 20th
February 1886. Today is the 20th February, and this reminds us of
the grand prophecy in the announcement of 20th February 1886
concerning the Promised Messiah’s entreaties to Allah in Hoshiarpur to bless
him with such a physical son as to become his physical and spiritual heir in
majestic respect.
A prophet, envoy of Allah always wants pious children,
from his own lineage and blood to carry on his mission, his works with the same
intensity of devotion as he showed towards Allah throughout his life on earth. Prophets
of Allah seek such gems from their own blood but only after supplicating Allah
for them. When Hazrat Ibrahim (as) prayed for a blessed son and messenger of
Allah, after being childless for years, he sought a miracle of Allah from the
grace and majesty of Allah, and his Zaki Ghulam (Pure Son) was not only from
his own blood, but also his spiritual heir, in that which he became a Prophet
of Allah, chosen and purified by Allah. The same was for Hazrat Zakariyya and
Hazrat Dawud (as) among others.
A prophet of Allah is not mistaken in his
entreaties to Allah as to which type of son he is seeking from Allah! He seeks
a biological and spiritual heir, who shall have both these attributes in him
(physical and spiritual for the sake of Allah and from Allah) from his own body
to carry on the works he is blessed with from Allah. And when a prophecy, more
specifically a glad tiding is granted to him from Allah that he shall father
such a son, and for whom Allah has granted much more spiritual and divinely
attributes in him to reflect that purity of being the son of a prophet of
Allah, therefore, the prophet of Allah, in occurrence, the Promised Messiah of
Islam, the first of his kind, was granted such a request.
Through several of his announcements, he made it clear
that he was waiting for the fulfillment of a physical son who shall be that
reformer of Islam, who shall be his mirror image, that is, possessing messianic
qualities to carry on his mission to the end of the worlds.
As you all will agree with me, whenever a prophet of
Allah comes on earth, as it has always happened ever since the creation of the
earth, it is expected that this prophet of Allah
shall have spiritual heirs, prophets of Allah who shall confirm his veracity
and spread his mission and honour for as long as life exists on earth. Moreover,
it is Sunnat-Allah (the way of Allah)
to preserve the honour of all His prophets from the beginning to the end of
times. Therefore, spiritual heirs of prophets are bound to come, especially
after the advent of the final religion, Islam whose extent is a universal one,
and the purpose of receiving messengers from Allah is for the revival of the
state of Muslims and to bring back the glory of Islam.
Likewise, it is expected
that Allah as an ever-living God shall always protect Islam and the Jamaat of
His Islamic Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), and that it is Sunnat-Allah that messengers of Allah
continue to rise in Islam and more specifically in the Jamaat of Hazrat Massih
Maoud (as) as links of a chain attached to another one, reinforcing the chain
and preserving the glory of the pendant (in occurrence here, the best of prophets
and men Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)).
Therefore, when an elect of Allah, more specifically
here (in our context) a prophet of Allah, from the waters of Allah and the
prophethood of His beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) seeks a majestic sign
from Allah in the form of the birth of such a son who shall represent the
glorious future of Islam, then it is a biological son that he seeks for the
manifestation of that grand sign. For he knows, that a day shall come years
after his demise when Islam (and his Jamaat) shall cease to reflect and comply
to his teachings, then like it is Sunnat-Allah,
Allah shall send one from his own people, community, religion (Islam), and
Jamaat, his brother to continue his mission. His heir is a brother in faith for
him, and also a spiritual son because he shall imbibe in him the qualities of
his predecessor as per the will of Allah.
But the most majestic of all, the true manifestation
of a grand sign is when a prophet of Allah supplicates Allah for a biological
son who shall be also a Messenger of Allah or a reformer of Islam to carry on
the heritage of his hard works to the end of the worlds. And that grand
manifestation takes place when Allah hears such a call and grants such a son to
his elect, of course during his lifetime when he fathers such a son! He does
not have to wait years after his demise to witness the realization of such a
sign, for the simple reason that he is no longer alive to see the fulfillment of
this request.
Likewise, my brothers-in-faith in the various Jamaats
within the Jamaat Ahmadiyya has called the attention of the seekers of truth on
Mirza Mubarak Ahmad (ra) as being that son, but who after a brief stay in this
world had to leave, just like we all have to leave this world one day. Let me
tell you that prophets of Allah go through trials from Allah also, but when
Allah has promised a majestic sign as a result of prayer (supplication), then
this sign is certainly manifested in grand ways. They said that even after the
death of Mubarak Ahmad, Hazrat Massih Maud (as) has received the glad tiding of
a boy (Zaki Ghulam – Pure Son), but
that he did not father any other children and thus the prophecy had to indicate
a spiritual son instead of a biological one. But spiritual pure sons are bound
to come in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya for it is Sunnat-Allah,
but the realization of a precise grand prophecy has to be that of a biological son
when God’s Messenger supplicated for and expected a biological son like he so
clearly showed through his writings.
Through his writings, the revelations he mentioned for
all his sons, whether those who died or those who remained alive showed that
Allah has endowed him with sons with pure souls, with special faculties, but
the test remained for him to know clearly as to whom among his living sons was
his true biological and spiritual heir, the heir of Islam, the one with
messianic qualities. All his sons were promised sons to him by way of
revelations, yet one of them was the promised reformer, and the nine years span
he mentioned in one of his announcements in 1886 cleared out all doubts that he
was waiting eagerly for the birth of that child, and when Hazrat Mirza
Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra) was born he was given the names Bashir and
Mahmud. Is that not the way of Allah guiding His messiah to name the Musleh (reformer) and Ghulam (son) he prayed so much to
receive?
After the demise of the Promised Messiah (as), we saw
how parts of the prophecy of 20th February 1886 were fulfilled, but
like Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) has always
proclaimed:
“I do not say that
I am the only Promised One and that no other Promised One will appear till the
Day of Judgment. It appears from the prophecies of the Promised Messiah that
some other promised ones will also come and some of them will appear after
centuries. Indeed, God has told me that at one
time He will send me a second time to the world and I will come for
the reform of the world at a time when association with God will have become
widespread. This means that my soul will, at
some time, descend upon someone who will possess faculties and capacities like
mine and He will, following in my footsteps, bring about a reform of the world.
Thus, promised ones will appear in their due times according to the promise
of God Almighty.” ---(Speech of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra)
during a Meeting in Hoshiarpur – 20 February 1944).
A revelation from Allah and even a grand prophecy from
Him can be realized in different ways. Just like the words of the Holy Quran
are as alive today as it were in the past, and like they shall be alive till
the Day of Judgement, likewise same prophecies also can be realized for future
messengers of Allah also, and these revelations are means to show the grandeur
of Allah, fulfilling those prophecies not one time but many times as a sign of
His mercy and kindness upon mankind and the greatest sign of all is the sending
from time to time up till the day of Judgement His devoted messengers to guide
mankind on the right track, to make them realize the truthfulness of all
prophets of Allah and confirming them and help to preserve their honour come
what may.
On this note, I conclude my sermon. May Allah enable
the Ulul’al-Baab to perceive the
truth of my speech and may Allah open the doors of their hearts to perceive the
light of truth, faith and the divine proximity. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
- Extracts from the Friday Sermon of February 20, 2015 delivered by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius.