A Call to Faith — Page 18
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad 18 command of its Lord. Such fruit can only be found in Islam and is a magnificent proof of its vitality. The Holy Prophet sa referred to one such fruit as the Promised Messiah and Awaited Mahdi. For 1300 years Muslims have looked to the tree of Islam to bear this fruit and prove its ascendency over other creeds. And this era was certain to come as the Holy Prophet sa had inspired an eagerness for its arrival in the following words: How can Islam perish when I am at the beginning and the Promised Messiah is at the end? 12 Further, he is reported to have said: I do not know if the period of the beginning of this umma is better or the end. 13 After the demise of the Holy Prophet sa , the most earnest desire of the Muslims was to see the era of the Promised Messiah and Awaited Mahdi. All of them, young or old, literate or illiterate, looked forward to his advent, so that once again Muslims would be worthy enough to be numbered among the companions of the Holy Prophet sa ; so that the light of God Almighty would once again dwell 12 Kanzul-‘Ummal , Vol. 14, p. 337, 2012 Damascus, hadith no. 38858 [Publishers] 13 Al-Jami Us-Saghir , Vol. 1, p. 54, 1304 h Egypt [Publishers]