Truth about Khatm-e-Nabuwat — Page 113
pare such people to the thief who makes bold to commit burglary holding candle in one hand. The figure thirty mentioned in this tradition is itself an evidence of the intention to delimit the number of Impostors lo a specific figure and not to extend it to every claimant. A little ,nflection will show that this specific figure in reality con- tains n covert warning against rejecting all and sundry who might also include the genuine claim- ants. Brethren, reflect a little, i( the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him) had meant that every claimant shall be a liar, be would have certainly a:io_t limi- ted their number to thirty but would h~ve clear- ly declared that whosoever claimed to be a prophet after him shall be an impostor. He did not say so aud on the contrary limited the number of im- posters to thirty. It embodies a dear hint that there will be true claimants apart from these im- postors. This is exactly the position which has been explained in the tradition quoted by us from Sun- ani Abu Daud in the fore going pages. Thi~ tradit- ion consists of the following statement of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him) :. Ir• I -•~ * ~ t,l ol • I •, ,_ -,. , ,,,, •. ,. \ c,. . . . ,. 1'-t''-'"'-''~~ •U. JI. I iU ~ '-':-4' •. ~!-'~,v=-' "There is no prophet in between ·me and him l the Promised Messiah ) and he shall undoubtedly appear. '' I The above tradition throws an illuminating flood of light on the inner content-matter of the tradit- ion relati11g to thirty impostors and expounds the fact that while, undoubtedly, there will rise thirty impostors umong the prophet's followers, there will all the same, appear a true Prophet and he will be the Messiah. of the latter days. In other. words. 113