Tadhkirah — Page 381
1897 381 (B) Hadrat [ Haji Sheikh Muhammad Ra da T ehr ani , Najaf i , alias] Sheikhul-Isl a m [who is a Shia] promised in his letter that he was ready to show a Sign within forty minutes. Well then let him announce a prophecy and we shall give him, not forty minutes, but forty hours. Thereafter if no Sign appears on our side within forty days and he shows a Sign within forty hours, or, indeed within forty days, we shall believe in his spiritual eminence and we shall give up our own claim. But if within the period specified a Sign appears on my side and none appears from his side, this would be the proof of my righteousness 418 and of his falsehood. [Ishtih a r W a jibul-I z h a r of February 1, 1897, p. 3 footnote, Majm u ‘a-e-Ishtih a r a t, vol. 2, p. 323 footnote] February 1897 On one occasion I saw [a vision] about the same Lekhr a m that there was a spear the head of which shone brightly. 418 Shiekh Najaf i had in his letter promised to show a Sign within forty minutes and in my announcement of February 1, 1897, I promised a Sign within forty days…. It is God’s bounty that after thirty five days from February 1, 1897, that is to say within forty days, the Sign of the death of Lekhr a m Pesh a war i occurred…. Now on our side the Sign has appeared and Najaf i ’s falsehood has been established. Even so, to make things easier for him, we are quite willing that as he claimed he should ascend to one of the minarets of the Sh a hi Masjid [Royal Mosque] in Lahore and throw himself down from it. While Sheikh Najad i [the Satan]* has been granted respite**, there would be a sudden end to Shiekh Najaf i. If he still does not [come forward to] show his Sign, then: [curse of Allah be on the liars. ] [Announcement of March 10, 1897, Majm u ‘a-e-Ishtih a r a t, vol. 2, p. 339] * The Persian-English Dictionary defines Sheikh Najad i as ‘devil’. [Munawar Ahmed Saeed] ** The reference is to s u rah al-A‘r a f , 7:16: ‘Allah the Almighty said to Ibl i s : ‘You are of those who are given respite. ’ [Syed Abdul Hayee]