The Promised Messiahas wrote over 80 books in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian. Excerpts of his collected works have been translated into English and organised by topic. The Review of Religions is pleased to present these excerpts as part of a monthly feature. Here, The Promised Messiahas elaborates on the subject of the proof of the truthfulness of his claim.

Extracts from the Essence of Islam, Vol.III, pp. 60 – 67.

Proof of Truthfulness

Here, a seeker after truth can validly raise a question, namely, what evidence is there to support the claim of my being the Promised Messiah – for every claim requires some evidence, especially in these times when cunning, deceit and dishonesty have become widespread and false claims are being actively promoted.

In answer to this question, it would be enough for me to state that the following matters are sufficient as signs and evidence for a seeker after truth:

First of all, there is the prophecy made by the Holy Prophetsa which has consistently been interpreted to mean that, at the turn of each century, God Almighty shall raise a person to revive the faith by removing the weaknesses that might have crept in and would restore it to its true might and vitality. According to this prophecy, it was necessary that God Almighty should have raised a person at the turn of this fourteenth century who should have striven to reform the ills that have become current. Accordingly, I have been sent at the proper time. Previously, hundreds of saints have borne witness, on the basis of revelation, that the Reformer of the fourteenth century would be none other than the Promised Messiah. Authentic Ahadith also confirm repeatedly that the Messiah would appear after the thirteenth century. Then, does not my claim at this point in time clearly conform with the time and the circumstances? Is it possible that the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa should turn out to be false? I have made it clear that if the Promised Messiah were not to appear at the turn of the fourteenth century, many of the prophecies of the Holy Prophetsa would go unfulfilled and many saints, who were recipients of revelation, would turn out to be wrong.

When the divines are asked, who else besides me has claimed to be the Reformer of the fourteenth century, and who else has announced his advent from God and claims to be the recipient of revelation and to have been commissioned by God, they have no answer and are unable to name anyone who has made such a claim…

The third sign of the truth of my claim is that, as I have set out in the Nishan-e-Asmani [a book written by the Promised Messiahas], some men of God, who passed away many years before me, had given the news of my coming, specifying clearly my name and place of residence and my age.

The fourth sign of the truth of my claim is that I have dispatched approximately twelve thousand letters and announcements to the representatives of other faiths, inviting them to a contest in the blessings of faith. There is perhaps not a single well-known clergyman in Europe, America and India who has not been addressed by registered letter. They were all so over-awed by the truth that not one of them came forward. The criticism levelled against this invitation by the maulvis [religious clerics] is in truth based on falsehood and filth. I have been given the glad tiding that if any opponent of Islam comes forward to challenge me, I shall prevail over him and he will be humiliated…

The fifth sign in support of my truth is that I have been informed that I shall ever remain triumph over all Muslims in the matter of vision and revelation. So let those of them who claim to be recipients of revelation come forward to compete with me. If they triumph over me in respect of Divine support and Heavenly grace and signs, I would submit to being slaughtered howsoever they wish.

—A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 5, pp. 340-348

I see that those who wish to be the followers of nature and the law of nature have been offered a good opportunity by God Almighty of accepting my claim, inasmuch as they are not confronted by the difficulties in which our other opponents are involved. They know well that Jesusas has died and at the same time they have to confess that the prophecy contained in the Ahadith about the appearance of the Promised Messiah is among the long-established verities that cannot be denied by any reasonable person. Thus they are left with no other option but to accept that the Promised Messiah will be one of the Muslims. They are, however, entitled to inquire as to why they should believe in me as the Promised Messiah, and on what grounds do I base this claim? The answer is that all the indications mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith with regard to the Promised Messiah have been combined in me and in my age and in my country; as, for instance, the age and the country and the town in which the Promised Messiah was to appear and the circumstances which called specially for his advent, and the earthly and heavenly occurrences which had been specified as indications of his advent, and the knowledge and learning that were to be his characteristic, have all been combined in me. In addition to these, and to provide further satisfaction, I have been strengthened by Heavenly support.

[As I was invested with authority for the Christians, I was, therefore, named the son of Mary. Heaven is showing signs and the earth proclaims that this is the time. These two witnesses stand firm in my support.]

To illustrate: The indication given in the text of the Holy Qur’an proves that he Holy Prophetsa appeared in the likeness of Mosesas, and that the chain of Khilafat [or Caliphate] after the Holy Prophetsa would be very similar to the chain of Khilafat established after Mosesas. Just as Prophet Mosesas was promised that in the latter days – i.e., when the Prophethood of Bani Isra’il [the Tribes of Israel] would reach its limit and Bani Isra’il would be divided into many sects, each contradicting the other, so much so that some would declare others to be infidels – God Almighty would raise a successor, i.e., Prophet Jesusas, to support the faith of Mosesas; he would gather the scattered sheep of Israel, and bring sheep and wolves together at one place, and he would be an Arbiter for all the sects of Bani Isra’il, and he would iron out their differences and remove all rancour and ill-will; likewise, a similar promise was made by the Holy Qur’an in the verse:

[And others from among them who have not yet joined them – 62:4]

Many details of this are set out in the Ahadith. For instance, it is mentioned that Muslims would become divided into as many sects as the Jews; they would contradict each other and brand each other as infidels; and [that they] would increase in hatred and enmity towards each other, till the time when the Promised Messiah would appear as an arbiter. He would remove all rancour and hostility. During his time, the wolf and the sheep will be brought together. All historians are aware that, at the time of the advent of Jesusas, the Israelite sects were ridden with dissension and labelled each other as heretics and infidels. I have also appeared at a time when inner dissension has multiplied and each sect has started calling others kafir [disbeliever]. At such a time of dissension, the Muslims were in need of an arbiter. God has, therefore, sent me as one.

—Kitab-ul-Bariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 13, pp. 254-257, footnote

My status is not that of an ordinary maulvi, but my status is that of Prophets. Accept me as one who has come from heaven, and all the altercations and dissensions which have divided the Muslims will at once be resolved. Whatever meanings are attributed to the Holy Qur’an by him – who has come as an arbiter and as a commissioned one of God – will be its true meaning and whichever Hadith he affirms as true will be a true Hadith.

—Malfuzat, vol. 2, pp. 140-141

It is set out in an authentic Hadith that he who fails to recognize the Imam of his age will die the death of ignorance…This direction of the Holy Prophetsa entails that every seeker after truth should continue to seek the true Imam…The question arises: Who can be called the Imam of the age, and what are his characteristics, and in what respect is he to be preferred to other recipients of revelation and dreams and visions? The answer is that the Imam of the age is the person whose spiritual training is undertaken by God Almighty Himself Who invests his nature with such guiding light as enables him to overcome all philosophers and logicians of the world in every kind of debate. He refutes the subtlest criticism of every description so well by his God-given power, that one is compelled to admit that he has come into the world equipped with all the resources needed for its reform and thus he was not to face humiliation before any opponent. He is the spiritual Commander-in-Chief of the Muslim forces and God Almighty designs once again to make the faith victorious at his hand. All those who seek shelter under his banner are also equipped with the highest capacities. He is bestowed all that is needed for reform and is endowed with all knowledge that is required for repelling objections and setting forth Islamic excellences.

—Darurat-ul-Imam, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 13, pp. 472-477

It must be borne in mind that the expression ‘Imam of the age’ comprises the titles of Prophet, Messenger, Muhaddath and Mujaddid [Reformer]. Those who are not Divinely appointed for the reform and guidance of mankind and are not invested with the requisite excellences cannot be described as Imams of the age even if they are saints or Abdal [Literally, ‘Those who have brought about a holy change’, a term used by the Sufis for the higher grade of saints.]

The question remains as to who is the Imam of this age who must, under Divine command, be obeyed by Muslims in general, the pious, the seers and the recipients of revelation. I have no hesitation in affirming that, by the grace of God, I am this Imam of the age. God Almighty has combined all the signs and conditions of the Imam in my person and has raised me at the turn of the century.

—Darurat-ul-Imam, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 13, p. 495

As I have come from God Almighty with truth and righteousness, you will find the signs of my truthfulness all around you. The time is not far – indeed it is very near – when you will observe angels descending from heaven in large numbers on the hearts of the people of Asia, Europe and America. You have learnt from the Holy Qur’an that, with the advent of the vicegerent of God, the descent of angels is incumbent so that they should turn people’s hearts towards the truth. So wait for this sign. If angels do not descend and you do not perceive the clear effect of their descent in the world and you do not find the hearts inclined in an extraordinary manner to move towards the truth, then you may reasonably conclude that no one has descended from heaven. But if all this happens, then do not persist in denial, lest you be judged by God Almighty as a disobedient people.

—Fathe-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 3, pp. 13-14, footnote