Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 47
KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH 47 that Allah, the Almighty will greatly prolong the life of the Prophet. Therefore, there has never been any Prophet about whom his followers ever presumed that he will die and they will remain alive. Rather, every person (except those of little faith) presumes that the Prophet will remain alive and that they will die. This is why also adherents never discussed what would happen after the Prophet. At other times, people may discuss the consequences of the death of a certain person, but they have no such apprehensions during the life of a Prophet. The reason for this, I have already mentioned, is intense love. We also have personal experience of this. A Personal Experience Among us, there was no Ahmadi—except those whose hearts were diseased or whose faith was imperfect—who ever thought that the Promised Messiah as would die and that he would outlive him. Young or old, children or elderly, men or women, all thought that they would die first and the Promised Messiah as would remain alive. Due to the intensity of love and the close relationship that a Prophet has with God Almighty, his followers always imagine that Allah, the Almighty would bestow great longevity upon His Prophet. No one thinks that a Prophet will live forever, but they do think that they will die first and that the Prophet of God Almighty will continue to live in this world. Thus, on many occasions, young