Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 339
1 May 1908 339 or considers any commandment to be abrogated? In my view only such a one is a believer who truly follows the Holy Quran, and believes the Holy Quran to indeed be the Khatamul-Kutub [Seal of the Books], and considers the very Shariah that was brought to the world by the Holy Prophet s as to be everlasting and does not make even an iota of change or modification in it. And only such a one can be a firm Muslim who, annihilating himself in following this Shariah, loses himself and dedicates every particle of his being in this path and does not oppose this Shariah in theory or practice. However, it should not be misunderstood from the Divine revelation that descends upon me that I have claimed some new and Law-bearing prophethood. I have been called a Prophet because of the profusion of the discourse and converse, both in its quantity and in its quality. If someone sitting here has knowl- edge of Arabic or Hebrew, he would know that the word nabi is derived from the word naba. Naba means giving the news and nabi is the one who gives the news. Thus, the one who, having received a revelation from God Almighty which has mighty prophecies comprising knowledge of the unseen, conveys it to the people, is called a Prophet according to Islamic terminol- ogy. Thus, the Holy Quran says, 1 ْيِنْؤُـِبْۢنَا۠ ِءٓاَمْسَاِب ِءٓاَلُؤٰۤه ْيِنْؤُـِبْۢنَا۠ ِءٓاَمْسَاِب ِءٓاَلُؤٰۤه. In reality, the dispute between us is merely semantics. If my opponents do not forsake righteousness and piety, and abandon prejudice and obstinacy, then they know, and our elders and saints who have preceded us have written that ٌ َآءِہ ٖ مُكَالِمَات ٌ وَمُخَاطِبَات ی ِِّٰ بِأَوْلِ لل َ و ٌ َآءِہ ٖ مُكَالِمَات ٌ وَمُخَاطِبَات ی ِِّٰ بِأَوْلِ لل َ و [‘Allah speaks and converses with His friends’]. Throughout the world there exist not hundreds but indeed thousands and hundreds of thousands who experience true 1. Tell Me the names of these ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:32). [Publisher]