Arba'in — Page 26
26 ARBAIN recipient of help from the Holy Spirit, and that the angels assist him from time to time. 1✩ The remaining translation is as follows: You were on the brink of a pit from which God has deliv- ered you. And this had been ordained since eternity. No one can change the words of God. And He shall suffice against those who mock [you]. All of this enterprise is a mercy from your Lord. And He will perfect His bounty upon you so that it might be a Sign for the people. Tell them, 'If you love Allah the Exalted, then come follow me, that God may also love you. And tell them, I have with me testimony from God for my truthfulness, then 1. At this point, there apparently rises the suspicion that the Mahdi, too, receives guidance through the Holy Spirit. The answer to this is that in the concept of the Mahdi, it is implied that he is neither a pupil nor a disciple of any human being in terms of religious knowledge and that he is continuously nurtured under a special Divine illumination called 'Ilm-e-ladunni, which surpasses every representation of the Holy Spirit. Receiving such education is an attribute of Muhammad, and this is in- dicated in the verse: عَلَمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوى ]The Lord of mighty powers has taught him (Sūrah an-Najm,53:6)]. And the verses : وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوسُى ]Nor does he speak out of his own desire. It is nothing but pure revelation that has been revealed by God (Sūrah an-Najm, 53:4-5)] points to the perpetual and inseparable nature of this grace. In the concept of the Messiah, it is implied that he may be permanently accompanied by the Holy Spirit, which is a status lower than that of Shadidul-Quwā ]شَدِيدُ الْقُوى -the Lord of mighty powers]. This is because the influence of the Holy Spirit is that, through the one upon whom it descends, it enjoins the Path upon men, whereas Shadīdul-Quwā, through the one upon whom it descends, instils the highest essence of the Path in the hearts of men. Author