Malfuzat - Volume IX — Page 417
19 September 1907 417 After hearing this letter, the Promised Messiah as said: Prophecies are those that are published publicly in newspa- pers and periodicals before their fulfilment, and they become known in the world generally. What is the reliability of the ver- bal testimonies of the people of today? Our opponents are in a strange state these days. It is a mat- ter of a few days that at one place eight people stated under oath that they had seen me afflicted with leprosy. Through ver- bal testimonies extraordinary excellences become popularly known among the people, whereas there is no truth to them. The Promised Messiah as said: This newspaper [copy] is worth keeping. I do not consider mere verbal testimonies sufficient for his first prophecy. However, this is a prophecy recorded in this newspaper. The truth will itself become apparent now. He has committed a grave injustice that thousands of people died of the plague in Delhi, yet he did not ‘touch’ them. The verbal testimonies of the people of today have no value, though this prophecy of his is worth keeping. What kind of deception is this that the one who makes the prophecy remains silent and someone else publishes it instead? Take note that as many prophecies as I make, I write them myself and have them published. In fact, the plight of the [period following the first] three centuries has reached its ultimate point. Lying is considered an easy feat these days. Egregious fabrications were forged against me, and I became the target of an array of slanders. In court, efforts were made to prove fabricated allegations against me, and how many lies did they speak against me before A tma R a m and Chandu L a l? All limits were crossed in immorality and impiety, and especially