Tadhkirah — Page 89
1883 89 Makh ad [the pains of childbirth] denotes those matters which produce dangerous consequences and by jid‘in- nakhlah [the trunk of the date-palm tree] refers to those people who are the progeny of Muslims but are Muslims only in name. In this context, the meaning of the revelation would be: [Arabic] This heartfelt invitation which was bound to draw the inveterate enmity of the people brought this commissioned one towards the people who are like a dry branch or root of the date-palm tree. Then, being frightened of the prospect, he said: Would that I had died before this and had been quite forgotten. [Barahin-e-Ahmadiyyah, part 5, p. 53 footnote, R uha n i Khaz a ’in, vol. 21, pp. 68–69 footnote] revelations. It relates to a period when Allah the Almighty first bestowed the title of Mary upon me and then revealed to me about Nafkh-e-R uh [the breathing of the soul]. This was followed by the revelation: That is, [Arabic] then Mary, which refers to this humble one, was brought to the trunk of the date- palm tree by the pangs of childbirth. That is, I had to deal with ignorant masses and unenlightened scholars, who did not possess the fruit of faith. They rejected and insulted me and abused me and they raised a storm of opposition. Then Mary said: ‘I wish that I had died before this, and were totally forgotten. ’ This refers to the clamour that was, in the beginning , started by the Maulav i s [clerics] as a group. They could not tolerate my claim and tried to annihilate me in every way possible. In this revelation, Allah the Almighty has depicted the condition of my heart at the torment and agony that I endured at that time in view of the noise and condemnation of the ignorant. [Kashti-e-N uh, pp. 47–48, R uha n i Khaz a ’in, vol. 19, p. 51]