With Love to Muhammad (sa) - The Khatam-un-Nabiyyin — Page 248
248 With Love to Muhammad sa the Kh ā tam-un-Nabiyy ī n described as the prophets, the righteous, the witnesses and the virtuous. 240 The Promised Messiah as further elaborates as follows: We supplicate in our prayers: Guide us along the straight path, the path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy favors. This means for the purpose of advancement in faith and for the benefit of mankind we seek four types of signs in the shape of four excellences – the excellence of the prophets, the excellence of the righteous, the excellence of the witnesses, and the excellence of the virtuous. The special excellence of a prophet is to receive from God knowledge of things hidden which should be a sign. The excellence of the righteous is that one should so completely possess the treasure of truth, the verities comprised in the Book of All ā h, that because of their outstanding character they should be a sign, confirming the integrity of the righteous person. The excellence of the witness is that he should possess such firmness of faith and such strength of character and such steadfastness in times of trial and troubles and hardships that they should be a sign for him. The excellence of the man of virtue is that he should so completely discard every type of mischief and become such an embodiment of goodness that his virtue should become a sign, because of its extraordinary character. 240 Commentary of The Holy Qur’ ā n- S ū rah Al-F ā tihah , Pages 238-239