Nuruddin’s Advice
In the life of the Mirza as in the history of Qadianism, the year 1891 is very crucial. It is at the beginning of this year that Nuruddin, in one of his letters, advised the Mirza to proclaim himself to be the Promised Messiah.1 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?”2 (xxix, 2)
What were the real motives of 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 do 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 very hard 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 a good 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 am I commanded and I am the first of those who bow to His Will. (VI: 163)
1Although 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.”
2Maktubat-i-Ahmadiyah Vol. V. No. 2, p. 85
