The Promised Son

THE PROMISED SON (Mansoor Shah) In 1886, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, the Promised Messiah, was given the glad tidings of a. Promised Son (the words of the prophecy in its historical context are reproduced elsewhere in.this edition). According to the promise nfade by Almighty God, that Son would be filled with secular and spiritual knowlegde. That Son happened to be Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih n. It is not within the powers of man, no matter however intelligent, to predict several years in advance that a son would be born to him because such matters are decreed by forces beyond human control. To add further that he would live and be filled with secular and spiritual knowledge places such prediction beyond the realm of any human control because no matter how intelligent the parents, the intelligence of a child is not entirely hereditary. But such was the promise made by God and so was it fulfilled. The Promised Messiah was then 54 years old. The son was born on 12th January, 1889. Because of illness, he did not complete formal education at a school and by educational standards did not even possess a matriculation certificate. Yet, in spite of ill-health and the onerous duties of Khilafat, he compiled his magnum opus in the form of a detailed commentary on the Holy Quran called Tqfseer Kobir (the Great Commentary). .It is available in English in an abridged version composed of five volumes, though the original Urdu version is more than thrice that size. It is a most valuable exposition of the numberless verities comprised in the Holy Quran and is a great milestone in the history of the exegesis of the Holy Quran. It justly deserves the superlative encomiums from research scholars of the Holy Quran. The work extended over a number of years and the result was several volumes of monumental proportions, about two—thirds the size of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, setting forth the wisdom and the philosophy underlying every verse of the Holy Quran, which will remain unparalleled for a long time to come. This unique compilation illuminates new facets to the Holy Quran and encourages the reader to fresh thoughts, on the depth of the meanings hidden in the Holy Quran, (see abridged specimen, pp. 2—3). When the writer was only 13 years of age, he started making speeches on the beauties of the Holy Quran. That first speech was greatly 10 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS appreciated by his tutor, Hazrat Maulvi Nur—ud—Din, Khalifatul Masih I. He continued this work and his more than 200 books are filled with new facets of the Holy Quran. He challenged his opponents on numerous occasions to write a commentary but no one dared to accept. As an example of his knowledge, his. commentary on Surah kauthar, which is the shortest chapter of the Holy Quran comprising only three verses apart from Bismfflah/is published on 15 7 pages. It presents a fresh interpretation of these verses. By repeating the word definitions of eminent lexicographers, he proves the superiority of the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, over previous prophets supporting his arguments with 20 characteristics, 35 proofs of his pure nature, and by recalling various incidents of his life, proves that he was Khatamun Nabiyeen, The entire commentary, based on accepted interpretations of lexicographers, proves that the true history of events lies in the Holy Quran and dismisses the objections of various orientalists as being contrary to logic and estab- lished facts. He was a great promoter of translating the Holy Quran- into various languages. During his Khilafat, it had been translated into 12 languages, a vast majority of them based exclusively on his masterpiece Tafseer Saghir and Tafseer Kabir. No one with an elementary schooleducation could dismiss secular and non-secular subjects with the deep understanding that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II possessed. This gift was acquired by him through God Almighty who opened the treasures of knowledge to him and how well he presented these treasures to the rest of mankind! (From page 3) cannot be a mere coincidence. God Almighty had indeed promised that He would help His chosen Community in diverse ways. It would appear that God Almighty has set the ball rolling. The opportunity it presents to Ahmadiyyat represents a major turning point in its future history. It needs no matchsticks because.it deals with the truth. Its revolution will be caused by God Almighty opening the hearts of people to this truth. This is unlikely to happen overnight. However Ahmadiyyat has shown in the past that it has patience and fortitude and that it can commit the appropriate resources when the time comes.