The Heavenly Sign — Page 14
14 Nish a n-e- A sm a n i middle of the thirteenth century, how then can he be called the Mujaddid of the Fourteenth Century? Moreover, Sayyid Sahib himself never made the claim which is ascribed to him, nor can any statement of his be presented which contains such a claim. Besides, in his poem, Shaikh Ni‘matull a h Wal i has said that he who has to come will also be called the Mahdi and ‘ I s a as (Jesus); and it is well known that Sayyid Ahmad had never claimed to be ‘ I s a as. Furthermore, these verses also indicate that his son, who will have the characteristics of his father, will succeed him. It is also clear that Sayyid Ahmad Sahib never made a prophecy about such a perfect, righteous son, nor did he have any son who was imbued with the spirit of ‘ I s a as. These verses also indicate that after being commissioned, the reformer will live for forty years, while it is well known that Sayyid Sahib passed away from this transitory world just a few years after his advent. It is evident from Br a h i n-e-Ahmadiyya that I was commissioned to revive the faith at the age of forty, about eleven years ago. According to the prophecy mentioned in Iz a la Auh a m : 14 it appears that the tenure of my mission will extend to forty years. And it is Allah Who knows best. The expectation that Sayyid Ahmad will return to this world, is similar to the expectation regarding the coming of Elias as and of Jesus as. Many simple and ignorant people 14 Eighty years or thereabout. [Translator]