Up till then (i.e. 1890), the Mirza had only claimed that he was a mujaddid and that he had been commissioned by God. According to Mirza Bashir Ahmad, he continued to say that he had been raised to reform the people in the manner of the Messiah of Nazareth and that he had a certain resemblance to him.[1] In the Barahin, he expressed the opinion that the absolute predominance of Islam which has been promised in the Quranic verse: ‘It is He who has sent His Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth to proclaim it over all religions’ would be fulfilled through the Promised Messiah, whose return to the world had been mentioned in the Traditions of the Prophet. As for himself, he merely resembled the Messiah in respect of the first phase of his life, that is, his life on earth. In his own words:
“This verse (‘it is He who has sent His Apostle’) is a prophecy which, in the physical and political senses refers to the Messiah; and the promise of the complete predominance of the religion of Islam which has been made will be fulfilled through the triumph of the Messiah. And when Hazrat Masih (upon him be peace) will come into this world, Islam will spread all over the world, to all lands. But it has been revealed to this humble one that in view of his poverty and humility, his trust in God and his sacrifice, and in respect of signs and illuminations, he is an example of the first phase of the life of Messiah and that the natures of this humble one and of the Messiah are extremely alike as if they were two pieces of the same substance, two fruits of the same tree; and the similarity goes to such an extent that the distinction is very minor.”[2]
Nuruddin’s Advice
In the life of the Mirza as in the history of Qadianism, the year 1891 is very crucial. It is in the beginning of this year that Nuruddin, in one of his letters, advised the Mirza to proclaim himself to be the Promised Messiah.[3] We have not been able to see this letter from Nuruddin, but the reply sent by the Mirza refers to this advice of Nuruddin. This letter of Mirza is included in the collection of his letters and is dated January 24, 1891. This letter reveals the intellectual sources, the behind-the-scene director of the play, and the actual author of Qadianism. The following is an excerpt from this historic letter:
‘‘It has been said by you, Sir, that there is no harm in proclaiming myself to be the Promised Messiah even independent of the one referred to in the Damascene Hadith. This humble one has no need or becoming a replica of the Messiah. I merely want Allah to include me among His humble and obedient servants. But we cannot escape from being put to test. The Exalted Allah has made trial the only way to advancement, as He says: ‘‘do men think they will be left alone on saying ‘we Believe, that they will not be tested?”[4] (xxix, 2)
What were the real motives for this advice? Was it merely Nuruddin’s far-sightedness and ambitious nature, or had it been made on some kind of encouragement from the powers that were? It is difficult now to say what actually lay behind the advice. As for the latter possibility, it appears not far-fetched at all if we bear in mind the historical background of the rise of this new movement. The situation was that the British had witnessed the religious movement of Sayyid Ahmad Shaheed and had been put to considerable difficulty owing to that. In more or less the same period of time, there had risen another movement in Sudan, led by the Sudanese Mahdi, and this too had given the British a tough time. It is not unlikely that the British should have hit upon the desirability of the rise of a reliable religious leader of their choice. If such a leader was able to win the confidence of the Muslims through his services to the cause of Islam, and capture the religious imagination of people through his religious zeal, he could serve as an excellent means to secure the British against the threat of anti-British religious movements. And since the Muslims already believed in the advent of the Messiah, their acceptance of such a person as the Messiah could not have been ruled out as impossible. Such a Messiah, if he preached loyalty to the powers that were in the name of God and Islam, could be of great service to the cause of the British. Nothing, however, can be said with complete certainty. Nevertheless, the above-cited letter of Mirza remains a significant document and might have the clue to the origin of Qadianism.
What is worth remembering at this point is that so far as the prophets of God are concerned, their mission does not depend on outside suggestions. They receive revelation from heaven and are categorically informed of their position and mission. Their hearts are full of conviction and from the very first day, they announce and keep on stressing what they believe to be the truth. Neither their own faith nor their summons depends upon someone else’s drawing their attention towards it. From the very first day, they keep on saying:
This is what I commanded and I am the first of those who bow to His Will. (VI: 163)
[1] Sirat-al-Mahdi, vol. 1, p. 39. Riwayat 47 n.
[2] Barahin-i-Ahmadiyah, Vol. IV, p. 498-99., Roohani Khazain, vol. I, p. 593 n.
[3]Although in his letter Nuruddin used the expression Replica of the Messiah, the study of Fath-i-Islam and Izalat-al-Awham shows that Replica of the Messiah and Promised Messiah were treated as synonymous terms and were used by the Mirza interchangeably. To cite an instance: “This descent does not mean the real descent of the Messiah, the son Of Mary; it is only a figurative expression which informs the coming of the one like the Messiah which, according to Divine pronouncements and inspirations, is this humble one.”
[4]Maktubat-i-Ahmadiyah Vol. V. No. 2, p. 85
