Heavenly Signs for the Messiah

Heavens and the Earth bear witness when a Messenger of Allah appears on the horizon to call mankind on the path of Allah. According to the Holy Qur’an, eclipses of the sun and the moon are important signs of the approach of the Last Days. The Holy Qur’an says:  “He asks: When will be the day of Resurrection? When the eye is dazzled, And the moon is eclipsed, And the sun and the moon are brought together, On that day man will say, whither to escape? (75: 7-11)

In the tradition attributed to the 7th century Imam Muhammad al Baqir, also known as Muhammad bin Ali, it is stated about the appearance of the Al  Imam Al Mahdi: “For our Mahdi (Divine Reformer) there are two signs which have never appeared before since the creation of the heavens and the earth, namely the moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramadhan and the sun will be eclipsed on the middle day in the same month of Ramadhan, and these signs have not appeared since God created the heavens and the earth” – Dar Qutni, Vol 1, page 188.

During the time of the Promised Massih (as), the solar and lunar eclipses were observed from Qadian in 1894. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) stated that the eclipses represented heavenly signs in favour of him. He famously asked the people to ponder over the fact that the sign was manifested in his country and that the wisdom of God does not separate the sign from the person for whom the sign is meant. Likewise, Allah has raised Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius as the Messiah of Allah in the new Century. Countless heavenly signs have appeared on the Mauritian sky in the last decade, bearing witness to the presence of Divine Manifestation in our times. Reflecting on the issue, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) stated:  'Allah has sent this humble self with lots of heavenly signs and the most flagrant and being a prophecy of both the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is the eclipse of both the moon and the sun in the same month of Ramadhan back in November 2003 (November 9 and 23). 

At that time (in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen), Allah made me stood up and proclaim that I was the one whose advent is announced through this heavenly sign in our present era, that this sign is for the advent of this humble self. Moreover, during the course of the Divine Manifestation (in its beginning), there were the rare (and frequent at that time) manifestation in the Mauritian Sky of sun-halos or what is also known as full-circle rainbows (October 2002 +, December 2007 etc.). Later on, in 2004 (June 8), scientists from all round the world took Mauritius as a vital centre for the observation of the extremely rare “Once in a lifetime” Venus Transit.

It must be noted also that more than once, the name of Allah has appeared in the Mauritian Sky, and witnessed personally by this humble self along with a group from among my disciples. In addition, twice there has been the witness of the crescent of the moon along with its star (an Islamic symbol), where six months back on 11 September 2010, there have been once again this manifestation in the sky (after Maghrib and Esha prayers), to which I am a personal witness.

Likewise, all round the world there have been manifestation of such like phenomena, so that they act as an eye-opener that all these rare occurrences in this special era (2000-till now – in my times). And now, I am going to prophecy yet another heavenly phenomenon, which is the splitting of the moon into two. Such phenomenon has happened in the times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) and in my times also, such sign shall be witnessed by my friends and foes alike as a proof of my truthfulness as the Chosen Messenger of Allah of this era, the second Muhammad (saws) whose advent has been prophesised in the Holy Qur’an in Chapter 62. This prophecy (moon-splitting) shall be physical and spiritual, both literal and metaphorical”.  (Friday Sermon of 25 March 2011).

Interpreting the Prophecy on Khilafat

Ahmadi scholars usually quote a prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) regarding Khilafat in support of the permanent nature of the elected Khilafat in the Ahmadiyya Community.

"Prophethood shall remain among you as long as Allah shall will. He will bring about its end and follow it with Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood for as long as He shall will and then bring about its end. A tyrannical monarchy will then follow and will remain as long as Allah shall will and then come to an end. There will follow thereafter monarchial despotism to last as long as Allah shall will and come to an end upon His decree. There will then emerge Khilafat on precept of Prophethood. The Holy Prophet said no more”. (Mishkat).

The argument is that “Khilafat on precept of Prophethood” shall remain continued after the advent of Imam Mahdi till the Last Days.  They point out that “the Holy Prophet said no more” is an indication that “Khilafat on precept of Prophethood” shall remain uninterrupted. In other words, the silence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) has profound meaning: there is nothing more to be said on the subject. One can only admire the spirituality of those who value not only the express words of the Holy Master (sa), but also the profound meaning of his silences at times. But the important question here is this: Can his silence be interpreted against his express words in other times or even against the context in which he remained silent?

The Fourth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Thahir Ahmad Sahib is on record stating that in this tradition, Mujaddidin are included in the Khilafat that existed before the advent of Imam Mahdi. But, he also claimed that no Mujaddidin are mentioned afterwards in this noble tradition. As it happens, the Prophetic tradition uses the same phrase “Khilafat on precept of Prophethood” (khilafathun ala minhajunnubuvva) both before and after the advent of Imam Mahdi. So, the argument that Khilafat in the past included Mujaddidin but cannot include them after the advent of Imam Mahdi do not hold water when examined against the express words of this noble tradition.

It is ironical that the silence of the Holy Prophet (sa) in the tradition is being sought to be misinterpreted only to denigrate his other prophecy regarding the coming of Mujaddidin in every century. These arguments will only be rubbished for what it is by those who fear Allah alone: a desperate attempt to perpetuate an elected,  family Khilafat system within the Community even at the cost of denying God’s Messengers.

The 'Doctrine' of Ahmadiyya Khilafat

“God will continue to raise among these people, in the beginning of each century, a man who would teach them the spirit of Islam and thus, in a manner, renew the days of the Prophet”.

- Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)

To secure the future of Islam in its pristine spiritual purity, the community of believers was thus given the glad tiding of a wonderful arrangement- Khulafa of Allah being raised in every century to renew the Faith and to rejuvenate the garden of Islam. The objective was to preserve the letter and spirit of the Holy Qur’an for all times and for ensuring the development of high spiritual qualities among the believers in every century. 

The Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian explained that the achievement of salvation for everyone necessitated the coming of a Mujaddid (Khalifatullah) in every century. The Beneficent Lord has made “the arrangement in every century so that His creatures should not fail in any age to attain the stage of absolute certainty”.  Hadhrat Ahmad (as) believed in the authenticity of this tradition of the Holy Prophet (sa). He projected it in support of his famous claim as the Mujaddid of the Fourteenth Century. On every opportunity that became available to explain the importance of the tradition regarding the coming of divinely ordained Mujaddidin at the turn of a Century, the Promised Massih (as) urged his followers to be careful against complacency on the matter. He cautioned that any one who raises objections against this noble tradition objects to the wisdom of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). Further, he stated that rejecting this tradition amounts to denial of a Divine Plan of Allah, the Most High.