The True Nature of the Mahdi — Page 55
55 his presence. He utters words that both the elite and common people find beautiful. He spontaneously speaks words that resemble a string of pearls, and extemporises points of wisdom that may be likened to low-hanging fruit. He is skilled in providing excellent answers. He possesses unmistakable judgment. He commands words which, to the greatest extent, speak directly to the mind and, to the greatest extent, penetrate the heart. He silences the opponents in every gathering he attends. He dumbfounds the deniers in every speech he gives. So there is no sword in this era except for the ‘sword’ of the force of plain speech; and I do not deem spears to be effective in this age, except for the ‘spears’ of proof, evidence, and signs. The Imam of this age is a knight in the field of divine understanding, supported by Allah with Signs and other ways of completing the argument, and many kinds of proof. He is more knowledgeable than any other in the Holy Book of Allah so that he may strike fear into the enemies of Allah by it, and cure the hearts of the seekers. He possesses the ability to reform his own self—which is his greatest nemesis—to melt it away completely so that it cannot compete with Allah’s majesty. He relies completely on Allah. He is humble, and he fervently prays to elevate the illustrious law [of