Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 390
390 HAQIQATUL-WAḤI—THE PHILOSOPHY OF DIVINE REVELATION may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said, ‘If there is a [running] stream in front of the door of one's home and he bathes in that stream five times a day, can there remain any dirt on his body?" The Companions [of the Holy Prophetsa] submitted, 'No. ' At that he said, 'Similar is the case of the one who offers Prayer five times a day' (which comprehends repentance, seeking forgiveness, supplication, humility, submission, and praising and glorifying God). On such a person, too, no dirt of sinfulness can possibly remain, as if he bathes five times a day. It is evident from this hadith that the Promised Messiah taking his bath also means the same thing; otherwise, what is particularly meri- torious about a physical bath? For that matter the Hindus also take a bath in the morning every day, and drops [of water] after the bath drip too. What a pity! The literalists drag every spiritual phenomenon into a physical one and, like the Jews, they are unaware of [spiritual] secrets and verities. The fact that both the Promised Messiah and the Dajjāl will perform circuits of the Ka'bah proves that this does not mean that they will physically perform circuits of the Ka'bah, for in that case we would have to concede that the Dajjal will succeed in entering the Ka'bah or that he will become a Muslim. Both of these assertions go against the clear purport of aḥādīth [sayings of the Holy Prophetsa]. This hadith has to be interpreted, and the interpretation which God has made manifest to me is that a group of people will emerge in the Latter Days who will be called the Dajjal. This group will be a bitter enemy of Islam, and, in order to completely tear down the edifice of Islam, it will go circuiting round the Ka'bah, which is the centre of Islam, like a thief. As against this, the Promised Messiah will also per- form the circuit of the centre of Islam, which the Ka'bah symbolises. The purpose of the Promised Messiah in performing the circuit of the Ka'bah would be to apprehend the thief named Dajjal, and to safe- guard the centre of Islam from his designs. We know that a thief goes around the houses at night and so does a watchman, but while the pur- pose of the thief is to rob and plunder a household, the purpose of the