Prophecy of the ‘Promised Reformer’
After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta’wwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated, Nowadays, Jalsa Musleh Maud Day is being celebrated with regards to the prophecy of the Promised Reformer. 20th February is that day on which the Promised Messiah (as) – having been informed by Allah the Exalted – prophesied and published a leaflet about the birth of a son. The celebration of Musleh Maud Day is in fact due to the fulfilment of a magnificent prophecy by the Promised Messiah (as) and not to celebrate the birth of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (ra).
First of all, I shall present the words of the prophecy, according to the words of the Promised Messiah (as).
“I confer upon you a Sign of My mercy according to what you begged of me. So I have heard your entreaties and have honoured your prayers with My acceptance through My mercy and made your journey (i.e. the journey to Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana) a source of blessings for you. Therefore, a Sign of power, mercy, nearness is bestowed on you, a Sign of grace and beneficence is awarded to you and you are granted the key of success and victory. Peace on you, O victorious one. Thus did God speak so that those who desire life may be rescued from the grip of death and those who are buried in the graves may come out of them and so that the superiority of Islam and the dignity of God’s Word may become manifest unto the people and so that truth may arrive with all its blessings and falsehood may flee with all its ills, and so that people may understand that I am the Lord of Power, I do whatever I will, and so that they may believe that I am with you, and so that those who do not believe in God and deny and reject His religion and His Book and His Holy Messenger Muhammad, the Chosen One (sa) may be confronted with a clear Sign and the way of the guilty ones may become manifest. Rejoice, therefore, that a handsome and pure boy will be bestowed on you; you will receive an unblemished youth who will be of your seed and will be of your progeny.” (This means that he will be from the physical offspring of the Promised Messiah (as), not only will it be from the Promised Messiah (as)’s physical progeny, but rather, he will be from among the children of the Promised Messiah (as). A handsome and pure boy is coming as your guest. His name is Emmanuel and also Bashir. He has been invested with a spirit of holiness, and he is free from all impurity. He is the light of Allah. Blessed is he who comes from heaven.
He will be accompanied by grace which shall arrive with him. He will be characterised with grandeur, greatness and wealth. He will come into the world and will heal many of their disorders through his Messianic qualities and through the blessings of the spirit of holiness. He is the Word of Allah for Allah’s mercy and honour have equipped him with the Word of Majesty. He will be extremely intelligent and perceptive and will be meek of heart and will be filled with secular and spiritual knowledge. He will convert three into four … It is Monday a blessed Monday.(Persian) (Son, delight of the heart, high ranking, noble.) (Arabic) (A manifestation of the First and the Last, a manifestation of the True and the High; as if Allah has descended from heaven.) (Urdu) His advent will be greatly blessed and will be a source of manifestation of Divine Majesty. Behold a light comes, anointed by God with the perfume of His pleasure. We shall pour Our Spirit into him and he will be sheltered under the shadow of God. He will grow rapidly in stature and will be the means of procuring the release of those held in bondage. His fame will spread to the ends of the earth and peoples will be blessed through him. He will then be raised to his spiritual station in heaven. (Arabic) (This is a matter decreed.)
Hence, these were the words of the prophecy regard Musleh Maud (ra)(Promised Reformer). Following this, the Promised Messiah (as) states in relation to Hazrat Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifat-ul-Masih II and this prophecy, ‘Similarly, when my first son passed away, the ignorant Maulvis (religious clerics), their associates, Christians and Hindus expressed their immense joy at his demise. Hence, they were repeatedly informed that on 20th February 1886, it was also prophesied that certain sons would pass away. Thus, it was necessary for a son to pass away in his very infancy. Yet, these people did not refrain from raising allegations. Following this, God the Exalted gave me the glad tidings of another son. Hence, the glad tiding of the birth of this second son is found on the seventh page of my green announcement. Another Bashir will be granted, whose second name will be Mahmood.’ The Promised Messiah (as) states, ‘Even though it is 1st September, 1888 (and he has not been born yet)…..’
The Promised Messiah (as) is making an announcement in September 1888 stating, ‘Even though it is 1st September and he has not been born yet, he will most certainly be born within the appointed time in accordance with the promise of God the Exalted. The heaven and the earth may alter; however, His promises cannot be altered.’ The Promised Messiah (as) stated, ‘This is the abstract from the seventh page of green announcement, in accordance to which a son was born in January 1889, who was named Mahmood and, by the grace of Allah the Exalted, is still alive and in his seventeenth year.’
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) signed a statement on 11.9.1913 confirming that he believed that Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad was the Promised Son. One of the elders, Ghulam Hussain Sahib, also confirmed that he saw in a dream that he related Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih I (ra) that Hazrat Bashirud Din Mahmood Ahmad was the Promised Son. Similarly, there is another elder, respected Sufi Muti’-ur-Rahman Sahib Bengali had a similar dream. Similarly, Hazrat Sheikh Muhammad Isma’il Sahib of Sarsawi says “We have repeatedly heard the Promised Messiah (as) state, not once but repeatedly, that the boy, who has been mentioned in the prophecy, is in fact Mian Mahmood.” Furthermore, we have also heard the Promised Messiah (as) state that Mian Mahmood is filled with such immense passion for religion, that I specifically pray for him at times.
Until Allah the Exalted informed Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) (of being the Promised Reformer), he did not claim to be the Musleh Maud (ra)(Promised Reformer). Furthermore, when he was clearly given permission to make this announcement, he did so. At the time of the announcement, on the occasion of the Jalsa in Hoshiarpur, he said “In accordance with the commandment of God, I swear by His name and announce openly that according to the prophecy of the Promised Messiah (as), God has declared me to be that Promised Son, who was going to spread the name of the Promised Messiah (as) to the corners of the world.” Then, during the Jalsa in Lahore, he said “I swear by the One and Supreme God, to swear falsely in Whose name is merely the doing of accursed ones – whoever makes a false claim in His name cannot escape His punishment – that God informed me in Lahore, in the home of the advocate, Sheikh Basheer Ahmad Sahib, on 13 Temple Road, that I am in fact the fulfilment of the prophecy of Musleh Maud (ra) (Promised Reformer) and that I am that very Musleh Maud (ra)(Promised Reformer), through whom Islam would reach the corners of the earth and (through whom) the unity of God would be established in the world.”
Several signs can be found, which the Promised Messiah (as) has mentioned regarding the Promised Son in the prophecy of Musleh Maud (ra) (Promised Reformer). There are fifty-two or fifty-eight. Nevertheless, there are more than fifty signs. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) narrated a number on tributes refelecting the ability, knowledge, political prowess and above all the understanding of the subject matter of the Holy Quran that was granted to this Promised Son and was widely acknowledged by Ahmadis and Non-Ahmadis. During the Jalsas that are taking place these days, and given the opportunity to listen to this prophecy as well as the incredible achievements of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra), we should pray for the rank of Hazrat Musleh to continue to increase. At the same time, we should analyse our own conditions and understand that the progress of Ahmadiyyat requires every Ahmadi to have firm resolve and to use their faculties to the best of their abilities in order to achieve this. If we do this, then we will see the progress and advancement of Ahmadiyyat in our very lifetime. May Allah the Almighty enable us to do so.