Advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi

Advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (Abdul-Wahab Adam) Some years ago, after one of the Arab-Israeli wars, when the combined forces of the Arab nations had suffered a most crushing and humiliating defeat at the hands of the Jews, King Hassan of Morocco made the significant statement that the defeat of the Muslims at the hands of the non-Muslims was attributable to only one factor which was that Muslims had ceased to be good Muslims. Yes, time was when all the non-Muslim powers together would be filled with awe and tremble at the mere mention of a Muslim power. Today all the Muslim powers together cannot face a tiny non-Muslim foe! Time was when all the non-Muslim powers would dare not touch any Muslim power because of the conviction that other Muslim countries would not stand by unconcerned without going to the aid of their Muslim brethren. Today Muslims are fighting among themselves. Two Muslim nations are locked in a fierce war, each being determined to annihilate the other and destroy whatever the other possesses and holds dear. Time was when Muslims were the torch-bearers of learning and enlightenment, when non-Muslims would flock to Islamic centres of learning and research to seek knowledge. Today, throughout the world, “Muslim” and “ignorance” are considered as two words of the same meaning, just as “Muslim” and “backwardness” are also considered as two words of the same meaning. Time was when a Muslim, for fear of Allah, would adhere scrupulously to the commandments of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah and refrain from approaching anything that was forbidden by Allah and His Prophet. Today a Muslim would not only hesitate but even pride himself on gambling away millions of dollars in the course of one night at a casino at Monte Carlo, completely ignoring the Quranic injunctions prohibiting gambling. I am reminded of an incident. I was stunned when in the course of 26 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS discussion with an Arab Muslim friend when he emphatically asserted that there was nothing in the Holy Quran which forbade intoxicants. I quoted the Quranic verse: “O ye who believe! wine and the game of hazard and idols and divining arrows are only an abomination of Satan’s handiwork. So shun each one of them that you may prosper.” (5:91). He simply smiled and said the verse does not say it is “haram”. Just imagine! For anyone with the fear of God in his heart and the least regard for the Holy Prophet (on whom be peace), even a casual mention in the Holy Quran that intoxicants are undesirable would have been enough to dissuade him from indulging in them. Here, it is clearly stated that it is “an abomination,” and the “work of Satan”. The command then goes forth from Allah Himself: “Shun it”. Yet the conclusion that is drawn from all this is that it is not intended that we should not indulge in it. What is intended is that you should go ahead and drink it! No wonder in a recent magazine called NURADDEEN, there is an eye-witness account of what goes on in the heart of Islam which includes the fact that intoxicants are brewed and indulged in with impunity by the privileged among the so-called custodians of Islam. Sectarianism has assumed such horrible proportions that Muslims would argue hotly on minor points of differences and disagree so violently that they – would draw swords and spill blood and pride themselves in letting the blood of fellow Muslims flow. Belief in God has become only a lip service because Muslims would see nothing wrong in going to the graves of saints to prostrate and to ask them to bestow riches or children upon them. Permit me to narrate to you an incident that occurred in Pakistan. I was on a visit to Rawalpindi. With me was the then Ambassador of Ghana in Pakistan who was a Christian. All of a sudden traffic came to a standstill. Then we saw people carrying on their heads pots of fire, chanting slogans and waving red flags. In Pakistan, I had been in Rabwah most of the time. I had never seen such a weird and bizarre thing in my life nor could I associate what I was seeing with any religion, let alone Islam. Upon the enquiry of the Ambassador, somebody told us that the actors in that bizarre drama were Muslims who were returning from the graves of their dead saints where they had gone to prostrate and to seek various types of favours. THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI 27 On hearing this the Ambassador said: “Why then do you Muslims dare preach against idol-worship, because from what I have seen today, I can say without any fear of contradiction, that Muslims indulge in the sort of idolatry that would shame even pagans,” I can go on and on to cite instances of the social, moral and spiritual degradation of Muslims in the latter days. Suffice it to say, this was a most trying period in the history of Islam. The greatest challenge, the greatest tribulation that Islam had ever faced. This was the time that instead of Muslims converting non-Muslims to Islam, Muslims were being converted in great numbers and with incredible rapidity to Christianity. These erstwhile Muslims after abandoning Islam would become such virulent enemies of Islam that they would be foremost in attacking Islam and they would attack it with such vehemence as would defy description. Would Allah watch these terrible times, these tribulations, this deluge to engulf and swallow up Islam without any move to remedy the situation? Never! The fact is, in the whole long history of the world, the greatest single event was the advent of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Mustapha (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah). The next most significant event in the history of the world is the advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (on whom be peace). The Holy Prophet of Islam (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah) is reported to have said: “Even if only one day would have been left for the world to come to an end, Allah would lengthen that day and would not let that day end until He causes the Promised Messiah and Mahdi to appear.” (Abu Daud Vol. 2: Kitabul Mahdi). In other words, the appearance of the Mahdi is so important for the fulfilment of the object of the creation of the world that he will, definitely, without doubt, be made to appear before the world comes to an end. The Hadith goes further to tell us the moral condition of the world at the time of his appearance. It says that he will come at a time when the world would have been filled with corruption, transgression, iniquity and injustice and it is only with his coming that these evils will be removed and in their place, virtue, equity and justice would be established. The wording of the Hadith is as follows: “He (the Messiah and Mahdi) will fill the world with justice and virtue in place of the injustice and iniquity that would have engulfed the world.” I marvel at the temerity of those Muslims who witness with their own eyes 28 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS the crass ignorance, the utter faithlessness, the terrible corruption, the iniquity, the transgression, the disunity, the internal bickering and in-fighting among Muslims with the resultant social, moral and spiritual decadence of Muslims and yet believe that there is absolutely no need for the Mahdi, the Guided One, who is also referred to as the Promised Messiah, to come to reform them. It must be stated with all the emphasis at our command that if Allah would allow this horrible condition of Muslims to persist without taking any remedial steps to arrest the situation, if Allah would permit Muslims to divide into 73 sects without any move to unite them, if Allah would allow such unprecedented moral degeneration of Muslims without raising a Reformer to reform them, then, there can be no justification in describing Muslims as: “the best community that has been raised for mankind.” (Quran Ch. 3:111). In that case, Islam may be likened to, in the words of the Mahdi (on whom be peace), a beautiful garden that has been abandoned by its owner so-that, for lack of care, it withers away and its charming and sweet smelling flowers fall off. It could also be likened to a building which though complete in every respect, has developed cracks through the passage of time. Yet its owner does not see to its maintenance and allows it to deteriorate further until it completely falls apart. Or it could be likened to a situation when each and everyone in a household is afflicted with a deadly disease. Yet it be insisted that there is absolutely no need for a doctor to administer medicine to those who have been so afflicted with the deadly disease. It should be clear to all those who have read the Holy Quran and the Hadith that all the signs which were meant to herald the appearance of the Mahdi have been fulfilled. There are those who say that the Traditions which deal with the advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (on whom be peace) are weak and unreliable. This is a later development otherwise the truth is, the appearance of the Mahdi in the latter days was so stressed by the Holy Prophet (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah) that it had become a cardinal part of the faith of every Muslim. The glad tidings of the appearance of the Mahdi and the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had been transmitted from generation to generation. The appearance of the Mahdi was linked up with the ascendance of Islam and the spiritual position that the Mahdi was to occupy in the world of religion was described as so lofty that great saints spent their entire lives praying fervently THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI 29 that the Mahdi be made to appear during their time so that they could derive blessings from attaching themselves to him. The question of the unreliability of the traditions pertaining to the appearance of the Mahdi does not even arise. Besides, it is worth considering that when all the signs which are mentioned in the Traditions about the advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi have been fulfilled as clearly as daylight, then that, in itself, constitutes a proof of the authenticity of the Traditions. Another thing in this connection which is worthy of note are the prophecies about the advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi which are not confined to the Traditions only. The Holy Quran also prophesies his advent. One of the signs mentioned in the Hadith to herald the appearance of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi is that a time would come when the camel which used to be the most reliable and efficient means of transport in Arabia would be abandoned and when that time comes, we should know that the time of the appearance of the Mahdi is at hand. (Majma’ Bihar, Vol. Ill p. 165, Mishkaat Bab Nuzul Issa Ibn Maryam). This same sign has been mentioned in the Holy Quran: when the she-camels, ten months pregnant, are abandoned. (81:5). It will be seen, therefore, that the Holy Quran and the Traditions agree on the appearance of the Promised Messiah. The Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, has written a book, SHAHADATUL QURAN, in which he has quoted the Holy Quran extensively to prove that it is replete with prophecies about the advent of the Mahdi. So it will be seen that if we-reject the Traditions which prophesy the appearance of the Mahdi, we will have to reject the Holy Quran as well! The Holy Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah) is reported to have said: “What will be your condition when the Son of Mary, will descend among you and he will be your Imam from among you.” (Sahih Bukhari, Bab Nuzul Issa Ibn Maryam). From this Tradition, it has been wrongly inferred that Jesus has been kept alive for nearly 2000 years in the skies and that he will come again in the latter days for the reformation of mankind, including Muslims. Without going into polemics — because space will not permit such polemics in the course of this brief article — I must draw the attention of those Muslim brethren who hold such opinions that nothing can be more derogatory to the honour of the Holy Prophet of Islam (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah) than this belief. 30 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS Is it suggested that while the Holy Prophet, the best of creation, the one individual who is the cause of the creation of the entire universe, has tasted of death like all other prophets, but Jesus, son of Mary, has been kept alive in the heavens for as long as 1900 years? We read in the Holy Quran: “We granted not everlasting life to any human being before thee. If then thou shouldst die, shall they live here for ever.” (21:35). When we say it is believed that Jesus, son of Mary, has been kept alive in heaven for 1900 years in order to be brought back to the earth to reform the Muslims, is it also believed that the adherents of Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) will become so depraved that not one of them will be considered worthy of being raised for the reformation of the Muslims and that “a Prophet for the Jews” will have to be kept alive for 1900 years for this purpose? Finally, I ask those Muslims who hold such opinions to consider the verse: “And He will teach him the book and the Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel. And will make him a Messenger to the Children of Israel”. (3:49-50). Should he come again as a Messenger for the whole of mankind, are those Muslims going to alter this verse from the Holy Quran and insert: “A Messenger to the whole world?” When one ponders over the Hadith which foretells the second coming of Jesus, one finds that the solution of this matter is contained in the very Hadith itself. The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be on him and the blessings of Allah) was so perfect in his diction that nobody dares suggest other meanings to what he said. The literal translation of the Hadith is what will be your condition when Jesus, son of Mary, will appear from among you and will be your Imam from among you? The phrase “from among you” occurring twice in the same Hadith clearly shows that the Mahdi was to appear from among the Muslims themselves and not from among another community of people. It also means that the Mahdi was to be from among the living on earth and would not be an earlier prophet descending from the sky. When Jesus was asked about Elijah who, according to prophecy, was to THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI 31 descend from heaven before him, his answer was that Elijah had already come in the spirit of John the Baptist. (Matt. 17:10-13; Mark 8:11-13; Luke 1:17). This clearly shows that whenever a prophecy referring to the descent of any prophet means that somebody else will come in his spirit and power. I do not intend to discuss here in length, the question of the possibility of a prophet coming after the Holy Prophet of Islam (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah) because it was the Holy Prophet himself who called the promised Mahdi to come “Issa” (Jesus) which makes it clear that the expected Mahdi was to be a Prophet. Besides, there is a Hadith in Muslim in which the Holy Prophet (on whom be peace) has himself referred to the Mahdi as a Prophet as many as four times: “The Prophet of Allah, Issa, and his Companions will be besieged . . . then Issa, Prophet of Allah, and his Companions will turn to Allah . . . then Issa, Prophet of Allah and his Companions will invade the camps of the enemy. . . and again, Issa the Prophet of Allah, and his Companions will turn to Allah”. (Muslim, Bab Zikrul Dajjal). There is yet another Hadith: “There is no Prophet between me and him. He will definitely appear. So when he does appear, you should recognize him.” (Abu Daud Kitabul Malahim). In effect, what the Hadith means is that there will be no other Prophet after Muhammad (peace be on him) except the Promised Mahdi. The truth is, the verse in which the Holy Prophet is referred to as ‘Khatum-un-Nabiyeen (Seal of Prophets), was revealed some five years before his son, Ibrahim, died. Yet on the death of Hazrat Ibrahim, the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, is reported to have said: “If Ibrahim had lived, he would certainly have been a true Prophet.” (Ibn-e-Maja, Kitabul Janaiz). If no Prophet could come after him, he would not have said that if Ibrahim had lived he would certainly have been a Prophet. Some of our friends have said that Allah caused him to die because He did not want him to become a Prophet. Nothing can be more ridiculous and more derogatory to God than such an opinion, for if this is to be accepted, it will mean that God had forgotten His Own revelation that there was to be no Prophet after the Holy Prophet and so it was after Hazrat Ibrahim had been born that He remembered His promise and, therefore, caused him to die. 32 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS Is any Muslim prepared to accept such a course of thinking? No. Never! What is important to note in this connection is that just as Jesus (on whom be peace) came without a new law but to serve the law of Moses (on whom be peace) so also was the Mahdi not to bring any new law but to serve the law of the Holy Prophet of Islam (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah). And this is exactly the claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) He says: “Whatever my spiritual attainment, I have attained it through the blessing of the master Prophet Muhammad Mustapha (on whom be peace and blessings of Allah).” (Durri Samin Urdu). And this also is the view expressed by eminent Companions of the Holy Prophet of Islam, on whom be peace, including Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her and distinguished Muslim divines and saints after them. These include Hazrat Muhiuddin Ibri Arabi, Hazrat Imam Abdul Wahhab Shi’irani, Hazrat Imam Muhammad Tahir and Hazrat Mulla Ali Qari. In deference to the space, I shall quote only Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, and Hazrat Muhiuddin Ibn Arabi. Hazrat Ayesha is reported to have said: “Say, by all means that he is Khatamun Nabiyyeen i.e. Seal of the Prophets, but do not say there will be no Prophet after him”. (Durri Manthur, Vol. 5; Takmila Majma-al-Bihar, p. 85). Hazrat Sheikh Akbar Muhiuddin Ibn Arabi is also reported to have said: “The prophethood that has ceased after the Messenger of Allah, on whom be peace, is the prophethood with a new law. And this is the meaning of his saying: ‘Messenger-ship and Prophethood have ceased; so there will be no Messenger after me.’ All that this saying means is, there will be no Prophet after me who will abrogate my law so that any Prophet who will appear will be bound by my law,” (Futuhate-Makkiyya, p. 100). Having cleared some of the misconceptions regarding the advent of the Mahdi, I now intend to mention a few signs which were to herald the appearance of the Mahdi and adduce facts from them to prove that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on whom be peace) is indeed the Promised Messiah. It must be said from the outset that nobody who reads the Traditions will fail to be impressed with the spiritual vision of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be on him and the blessings of Allah) because the prophecies are so clear and convincing that it would appear as if at the time of making the THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI 33 prophecies, the Holy Prophet (on whom be peace) was seeing exactly what was to happen 1400 years hence. For instance there is the Hadith: “The Promised Messiah will appear beside a white minaret to the east of Damascus.” (Kanzul Ummal, Vol. 7, p. 202). There are those who would want it to appear that the Promised Messiah was to descend on a white minaret in Damascus. But the Hadith does not say so. What the Hadith says in plain words is: “besides a white minaret to the east of Damascus”. Now brethren, take a world map and study the location of Qadian. It is exactly to the east of Damascus! And it is to this that this Hadith also refers: “The Mahdi will appear in a town the name of which will be Qada’a.” (Jawahirul Asraar, p. 55). So that the Holy Prophet did not only tell us the location of the Mahdi’s appearance, he even went to the extent of telling us the name of the town from where he was to appear! The Holy Prophet, on whom be peace and blessings of Allah, also gave us the description of the appearance of the Mahdi: “I saw in a vision that I was making the circuits round the Ka’aba. I suddenly saw a man of wheat colour and his hair was straight and long.” (Bukhari, Vol. II, Kitab Bad-el-Khalaq). Now this is a perfect photograph of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The colour of his skin was wheat colour exactly as indicated in the prophecy and his hair too was straight and long. After having described the location, the appearance of the colour of his skin and the texture of his hair, the Holy Prophet of Islam, on whom be peace, proceeded further to give us a sign the like of which has not occurred since the creation of the heavens and the earth, as proof of the appearance of -any Prophet: “For our Mahdi there shall be two signs which have never happened for any one else since the creation of the heavens and the earth: At his advent there shall occur an eclipse of the moon in the first of its appointed nights and an eclipse of the sun on the middle one of its appointed dates and both will occur in the month of Ramazan.” (Darqutni,p. 188). The same prophecy is to be found in the Holy Quran: 34 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS “And the moon is eclipsed and the sun and the moon are brought together.” (75:9-10). Both the Holy Quran and the Hadith are one in proclaiming that for the Promised Messiah, God will manifest two spectacular signs the like of which has not been manifested in favour of any other claimant to prophethood. And it is that within one month, and the month will be Ramadhan, there will be both an eclipse of the moon and then the eclipse of the sun! It must be remembered that there have been eclipses from time to time ever since the creation of the heavens and the earth; but never had this sign been shown as evidence of the truth of any Prophet, and the beauty of the sign is further enhanced when it is specifically predicted that it will be the month of Ramadhan. Yes, within one month, in the month of Ramadhan, there was going to be manifested, first, an eclipse of the moon and then an eclipse of the sun. Eclipses of the moon occur on 13th, 14th or 15th of a given month. The Hadith specifically mentioned that it will be on the first of the three days, that is the 13th of the month. Eclipses of the sun occur on 27th, 28th and 29th of a given month. The Hadith specifically mentioned the second day which is the 28th of the month. Most miraculously, this phenomenon that had not been witnessed ever since the creation of the heavens and the earth as a proof of the truth of any prophet, was manifested by the Almighty in support of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. In 1311 Hijri which corresponds with 1894 A.D., this spectacular sign was manifested, first in India and then in the United States of America. This was such a clear sign in support of the Mahdi that the Mullahs were convinced that people will not fail to recognise it. In their envy, they started saying that people will now be misled. Such were the powerful and clear signs manifested in support of the Mahdi (on whom be peace). Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was, and still remains, the only claimant to the eminent spiritual position of the Mahdi. The condition of the times was pointing to the need of a Reformer. So he came. Truly he said: “The time was quite ripe for the appearance of the Messiah. Even if I had not come somebody else would have come.” (Durri Sameen). There are also the prophecies which throw light on what Allah had intended THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI 35 to be accomplished at the hands of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. This is important because if it is proved that he did whatever Allah intended that it be accomplished at the hands of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, then that would constitute a proof that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The Hadith clearly mentions two such tasks. One of the tasks to be accomplished was the breaking of the Cross while the other was the killing of the swine. (Bukhari, Bab Nuzul Issa Ibn Maryam). It is erroneously believed that what was meant by the “breaking of the cross” was that the Mahdi would go from place to place breaking all the wooden, silver and golden crosses wherever he-would find them. It is common knowledge that earrings and necklaces in the shape of a cross are generally worn by women, especially Christians, throughout the world. In other words, the Mahdi would literally have to search through the necks and ears of women in all countries of the world to find out if they wore earrings and necklaces of copper, silver and gold in the shape of the cross. He would then instantly seize them and break them into pieces! What a strange job for a Prophet! The idea of a Prophet who unjustly destroys peoples’ property without compensation is bad enough but the idea of a Prophet who goes through the streets and around peoples’ homes examining the necks and ears of strange women in his search for ornaments in the shape of a cross is even more revolting! These ridiculous interpretations of such important prophecies of the Holy Prophet of Islam (on whom be peace) is one of the most tragic happenings in the history of Islam. The breaking of the cross meant that the Promised Messiah and Mahdi would disprove with incontrovertible arguments the false doctrines of Christianity which revolve round the crucifixion of Jesus (on whom be peace) i.e. that Jesus was the Son of God who was sent to the world to die on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind. It was Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on whom be peace) who proved beyond any shadow of doubt that there is not even an iota of truth in the fictions of the divinity of Jesus (on whom be peace) his accursed death on the cross, his bodily ascension to the skies, and his atonement for the sins of mankind. Nor can the Mahdi’s “killing of the swine” be taken literally. All that is meant by his “killing the swine” is that he would expose the shameless and immoralpractices and concepts, that would have become widespread among the Christian nations during the time of his appearance. This task was also accomplished at the hands of Hazrat Mahdi (on whom be peace). 36 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS Another task of the Promised Mahdi, as mentioned by the Holy Prophet of Islam (on whom be peace), was to bring back faith which would have ascended to the Pleiades at the time of his advent. Placing his hand at the shoulder of Salman the Persian, the Holy Prophet, (on whom be peace) is reported to have said: “If faith would have ascended to Pleiades it would be brought back by a man from these.” (Bukhari, Kitabut Tafseer Bab Tafseer Sura Jum’a). Today when belief in God is openly ridiculed so that it has become fashionable for academics to opine that “God is dead”, mankind stands in need not only of cogent and incontrovertible arguments but also powerful signs to establish the truth of the existence of God. From this conviction alone can firm faith flow and flourish. This task too was accomplished by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, who claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. In the world of disbelief, he succeeded in establishing a religious Community the members of which have such implicit faith in the Almighty that each one of them would be prepared to sacrifice his or her all, including his or her life, for winning the pleasure of Allah. In today’s world of materialism, prominent and well-placed Ahmadi Muslims are literally being slaughtered in Pakistan for nothing other than their faith in Allah and they remain firm in their avowed faith. What other evidence is required to establish the claims of the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement? The Holy Quran affirms the fate that awaits a false claimant to prophethood: “And if he had forged and attributed any saying to Us, We would surely have-seized him by the right hand, And then surely We would have severed his life-artery. And not one of you could have held Us off from him.” (Holy Quran Ch. 69:45-48). I close with an extract from the writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi: “Hearken, all ye people. This is a prophecy of Him Who had created THE ADVENT OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI 37 heavens and earth. He will spread this Community of His in all countries and will make it supreme over all, through reason and arguments. The days are coming, indeed they are near, when this will be the only religion which will be held in honour. God will bestow extraordinary blessings on this religion and Movement. He will frustrate everyone who seeks to destroy it. This supremacy will last till the Judgement Day. Remember, that no one will descend from the heavens. All our opponents who are alive today will die and no one will see Jesus son of Mary descending from the heavens. Then their next generation will pass away and none of them will see this spectacle. Then the generation next after that will also pass away without seeing the son of Mary descending from the heavens. Then God will make them anxious that the time of the supremacy of the Cross had passed away and the world had undergone great changes, yet the son of Mary had not descended from the heavens. Then the wise people will suddenly discard this belief. The third century after today will not yet have come to a close when those who hold this belief, whether Muslims or Christians, will lose all hope and will give up this belief in disgust. There will then be only one religion that will prevail in the world and only one leader. I have come only to sow the seed, which has been sown by my hand. Now it will sprout and grow and flourish and no one can arrest its growth.” (Tazkaratush Shadatain, pp. 64-65). Fruits of Righteousness If there be righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. When there is order in each nation there will be peace in the world. (Chinese proverb)