Truth Prevails — Page 8
( 8 ) had presented the Promised Messiah as a Prophet, which rank and position he had expressly denied in regard to the three Khalifas… who were assassinated, of which number Hazrat Ali was one. Similarly, after he had changed his belief, following his move to Lahore, he also changed his commentary on the Sura Fatiha and the verse referred to a moment ago setting his view in his Bayanul Quran to the following effect: “From the word Nabi used here, some people have been misled into holding that the rank and elevation of Nabuwwat also, can be attained by means of this prayer. If the prayer be taken as a means for the attainment of Prophethood, then we shall have to yield during the last thirteen hundred years this prayer has not been granted even in the case of one single Muslim. ” ( Bayanul Quran , page 110) Further he writes: “For anyone to pray for the conferment of Nabuwwat on him would be a futile prayer, which comes to the lips only of one entirely unaware of the basic principle in religion. ” ( Bayanul Quran , Tafsir Sura Fatiha ) Ignorance in Regard to the Basic Principle in Religion In other words, in contradiction of his earlier stand, Maulvi Mohammad Ali now lays down that the possibility of Nabuwwat being attained through any prayer and supplication is a manifest error, rooted in an inadequate awareness of the essential, and basic principle in religion, though earlier he had said in regard to this identical prayer, that acceptance thereof, by the Lord God, stood clearly guaranteed and fully ensured, irrespective of how others might interpret it, we stand firm on the meaning that Allah can create Prophets, Siddiqs , Shohada , and Salihin. The only thing needed is an earnest enough supplicator. ” (Address, as published in Al-Hakam , July 18, 1908) It is very much to be regretted that he remained firm on this belief during the time he was at Qadian. But after he came over to Lahore, and set up a headquarter for himself and his friends, he shifted his ground; while we, of the Qadian (now Rabwah) Section, have made no change in our views. The earlier mind of Maulvi Mohammad Ali, on this point, was identical with the view held by the Promised Messiah namely, that Allah, even now, could raise Prophets, since we know that in his tafisir of “ Ihdenassiratal mustaqima ” the Promised Messiah wrote: “The need is indispensible that, to take you to the point of absolute conviction and love, Prophets should continue to appear, from time to time, enabling you to receive those blessings. ” ( Lecture Sialkot , page 42) And in his memorable discourse known by the title Ek Ghalati Ka Izala the