Elucidation of Objectives — Page 18
Tau di h-e-Mar a m 18 26 If you ask what exactly is the quality and spiritual 26 “Do try to understand—and may All a h guide you aright—that a Prophet is a Mu h addath and a Mu h addath a Prophet, i. e. , a Mu h addath is vouchsafed one out of many kinds of Prophethood. The Holy Prophet sa says that of the different kinds of Prophethood, nothing remains except Mubashir a t —glad tidings. In other words, only one kind of Prophethood is left, namely, spiritual experiences, for example, true dreams, visions and revelations of which the elect of God are the recipients and the accompanying light that illumines the dismal hearts of suffering humanity. Do consider, my sharp and wise critic! How can you ever conclude from this that the door to all kinds of Prophethood is totally closed? On the contrary, this tradition of the Holy Prophet sa proves that Prophethood of the principal kind containing revealed law has of course been terminated but the Prophethood comprising Mubashshir a t —true dreams, visions, revelations, etc. , continues and will never come to an end till the day of resurrection and shall never be terminated. As you are well aware, and should have also read in books of A ha d i th , true dreams constitute one out of the forty six parts of Prophethood, i. e. , Prophethood of the perfect kind. Whereas even true dreams partake of the Prophetic station, you can well imagine the exalted quality of the word of God revealed to the hearts of Mu h addath i n. There- fore, do try to understand—and may All a h be your help—that the doors to this kind of partial participation in Prophethood are always open. And this kind of Prophethood contains nothing but Mubashir a t and Munzir a t (glad tidings and warnings) concerning hidden and unseen phenomena, Quranic subtleties and Divine knowledge. As for the kind of Prophethood that is supreme and perfect and comprehends all the excellences of revelation, we certainly believe it to have terminated since the Divine revelation: " 'Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of All a h and the Seal of the Prophets. ' " (The Qur’ a n 33:41) [Translator]