Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 175
29 November 1905 175 The Immense Good Fortune of the Holy Prophet, may Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him The Promised Messiah as said: Even if the days [left] are few and are spent in the pleasure of Allah the Exalted, they are a blessing. Jesus, peace be on him, spent only three and a half years as a Messenger in the country where he lived. The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, spent twenty-three years as a Messenger. However, I know that the way in which the good fortune of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is established is not shared by anyone else. No one else was conferred this success and good fortune in the particulars of Messengership. The time of advent was such that Allah the Exalted Himself said: 1 َرَهَظ ُداَسَفْلا يِف ِّرَبْلا َو ِرْحَبْلا َرَهَظ ُداَسَفْلا يِف ِّرَبْلا َو ِرْحَبْلا That is, there was no peace on land or sea. What is meant by this is that the People of the Book as well as those without any Book had all become corrupted, and all kinds of mischief and evils had spread among them. It was as if the condition of the age innately demanded a powerful Guide and Reformer to arise at that time. Allah the Exalted raised him under such condi- tions, and then he left the world at such time when he received this call: 2 َمْوَيْلَا ُتْلَمْكَا ْمُكَل ْمُكَنْيِد َو ُتْمَمْتَا ْمُكْيَلَع ْيِتَمْعِن َو ُتْيِضَر ُمُكَل َماَلْسِاْلا اًنْيِد َمْوَيْلَا ُتْلَمْكَا ْمُكَل ْمُكَنْيِد َو ُتْمَمْتَا ْمُكْيَلَع ْيِتَمْعِن َو ُتْيِضَر ُمُكَل َماَلْسِاْلا اًنْيِد 1. Corruption has appeared on land and sea ( S u rah ar-R u m , 30:42). [Publisher] 2. This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion ( S u rah al-M a ’idah, 5:4). [Publisher]