Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 718
718 HAQIQATUL-WAḤI—THE PHILOSOPHY OF DIVINE REVELATION all those conditions. On such an occasion a novice is likely to stumble and disbelieve, but the perfect person admits his lack of knowledge. This is why during the Battle of Badr, despite the fact that there was the promise of victory, the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, kept supplicating most tearfully and prayed to God thus: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ أَهْلَكْتَ هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةَ لَنْ تُعْبَدَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَبَدًا The Holy Prophet sa did so because he was afraid that there might possi- bly be certain hidden conditions precedent attached to [the fulfilment of] the divine promise that might remain unfulfilled. [The one who excels in cognition, exceeds all in the fear of God]. Another objection raised by Bābū was that I had prophesied the birth of a boy but a girl was born instead. However, he knows that the girl was as good as non-existent for she died [soon] thereafter. After this, a boy died as well, but after this, God gave me four sons—one after the other-who are still alive through His grace and mercy. Hence, in terms of knowledge of God, the prophecy cannot apply to the child who died for he is as good as non-existent in the knowledge of God. This prophecy was about a male child who was destined to live. There is no revelation of God that says that the boy who will live long would be born from the first pregnancy. And if this is a criticism of some inter- pretative statement, then to raise objections against it is the pastime of those who consider a Prophet's own personal judgement to be infalli- ble. It is indeed surprising how these people manufacture an objection based on their own concoction. The fact of the matter is that once a per- son considers lying permissible, his shame and fear of God also suffer decline. The readers should remember that I had never published any such prophecy, the revealed words of which specify that the boy would 1. God, my Lord! If You let this party perish, no one will worship You on earth. (Author)