Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 227
227 otherwise, there would be no way of proving the truth of a truth - ful claimant. This criterion, however, does not apply to those who do not claim any spiritual status, such as Nadir Shah or Napoleon. It also does not apply to those who do not lay claim to a spiritual office but make other claims, such as the claim of being God, or similar insane assertions. Nor does it apply to those who regard their own speech to be the speech of God, such as the Shaikhiya sect. They thought that at all times there were men in the world who could be said to represent the will of the Mahdi, and that since the will of the Mahdi is the Will of God, whatever they spoke or whatever thoughts they had would be from God. ‘Al i Muhammad B a b, and Bah a ’ull a h, the founder of the Bah a ’i faith, both belonged to this sect. Since these people hold it as a matter of faith that whatever they say is from God, they cannot incur the penalty laid down by the Quran for people who deliberately ascribe lies to God. Similarly, this criterion will not prove the truth of a claimant who attains temporary success because of personal influence, or because he is supported by some group or faction, or because he represents the views of the masses, or because he invites people to the modern way of thinking, or because he is not opposed by people for some other reason.