Lecture Lahore — Page 42
42 in Mecca, and suffered persecution and ridicule at the hands of his enemies, until he was forced to leave the city. Who would then have known that this helpless man was to become the Imam and leader of millions? Such indeed is the Divine law that, in the beginning of their missions, His Messengers are viewed with derision and only a few are able to recognize them. They must suffer at the hands of ignorant people and be slandered and mocked and abused until God opens people’s hearts for their acceptance. So much for my claim. The actual mission for which God has appointed me is to remove the estrangement that has come between man and his Creator and re-establish a rela- tionship of love and sincerity between him and his Lord. He has also appointed me to put a stop to religious wars by proclaiming the truth, to create religious harmony, to reveal the religious truths that have long remained hidden from mortal eyes, and to display the true spirituality that lies submerged under the darkness of selfish passions. I have also been sent to demonstrate practically, and not just in words, how Divine powers enter man and how they are manifested through prayer and concentration. But, first and foremost, I have been sent to re-establish forever the lost belief in the Unity of God— Tau hi d —which is pure and luminous and unadulterated by any form of idolatry— Shirk. All this will not come about by my power, but by the Mighty hand of the Lord of heaven and earth. While God has taken upon Himself the task of my spiri- tual training and has inspired me, through His revelation,