Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 149
1 Malfuzat - Volume I يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُو 149 Surely, Allah changes not the condition of a people until they change that which is in their hearts. " 14 January 1898 On one occasion, there was some discussion related to the courts, and how wit- nesses are intimidated by lawyers and judges. The Promised Messiah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Often, witnesses become so intimidated by lawyers and judges in court that they fail to protect the rights of mankind, and utter some untrue or false state- ment here or there, which results in injustice. To be in awe of the courts is also a form of associating partners with Allah. God Almighty states: 3 إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ Surely, associating partners with God is a grievous wrong. The Promised Messiah (as) said: Some British judges are meticulous in examining the facts and only issue a verdict after deep contemplation and reflection. It so happened, as per the will of God, that on one occasion, during the time of Mirza Sahib (my father), I was in Amritsar to appear in the court of the commissioner for a case with some of our tenants. One day before the verdict was to be an- nounced, the commissioner was unjustly favouring the tenants, and turning a blind I eye to their mischief, and said in court that these were poor people and we were being unjust towards them. That night I saw in my dream that the very same Englishman was standing before me in the form of a child and I was patting his head with my hand. The next morning when we went to court, his state had changed completely, as if he was a new person altogether. He rebuked the tenants sternly and issued a verdict for the case in our favour, and also ordered them to pay for all our expenses. The Promised Messiah (as) said: One of the ethical responsibilities of a judge is to reflect deeply over cases so that no one is made to suffer injustice. The Promised Messiah (as) said: Until and unless an individual is strong-willed and calm in disposition, it becomes difficult for a person to stand in the presence of worldly judges. What then will be the state of such people when they stand 1 ar-Ra'd, 13:12 Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 22, dated 17 June 1901, p. 4 2 Luqman, 31:14