Nubuwwat & Khilafat Prophethood & its Successorship — Page 80
N UBUWWAT AND K HIL A FAT 80 Messiah as wrote a letter to the editor of the paper, refuting this news. The letter starts by saying: To the Editor, Akhb a r-e-‘ A m , In Akhb a r-e-‘ A m dated May 23 rd , 1908, column 1, line 2, a news has been printed about me that I have denied my claim of being a Nab i. In response I would like to make it clear that in my address I proclaimed, and do so again, that the charge preferred against me as if I claim to be a of Nab i who is not bound by the Holy Qur’ a n, and that I have instituted a new kalimah and have appointed a new qiblah , and that I claim to have abrogated the shar i ‘ah of Islam, and that I do not follow and obey the Holy Prophet, may peace be on him, is entirely false. I consider a claim of such nubuwwat as amounting to be kufr and I have set forth throughout, in all my books, that I do not claim any such nubuwwat , and that it is a calumny to attribute such a claim to me. The basis on which I call myself a Nab i is that I am honoured with the converse of God Almighty, that He speaks to me frequently, and responds to me, and discloses many hidden things to me, and informs me about future events, in a manner that He adopts only towards one who enjoys special nearness to Him, and that on account of the multiplicity of these matters he has designated me a Nab i. Thus, I am a Nab i in accordance with divine command- ment and it would be a sin on my part to deny it, and I shall continue to be firmly established on it till I pass away from the world. I am not a Nab i in the sense of separating myself from Islam, or abrogating any commandment of Islam. I bear the yoke of the Holy Qur’ a n and no one dare abrogate a single word or vowel point of the Holy Qur’ a n. I affirm, not out of a desire for self-praise, but on the basis of God’s grace and His promise, that if the whole world were on one side and I were alone on the other side and a matter were put forward as a criterion for determining the truth of a servant of God, I would be granted supremacy by God in such a contest. God