Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 39
Malfuzat - Volume I 39 ods to reform people from all walks of life have been provided in the Holy Quran. This is a Book of Nature, as it states itself: فِيهَا كُتُبْ قَيِّمَةٌ In other words, this is a book which contains every truth. What a blessed book indeed. For it contains all that is needed to attain the greatest of heights. The Messiah and the Mahdi As stated in the Hadith, it is unfortunate however, that a time known as the Era of the Misguided would dawn. In other words, the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, said that one era is my blessed era and the other is that of the Messiah and Mahdi who would appear. The Messiah and Mahdi are not two separate indi- viduals, rather, both titles refer to the same person. The term Mahdi means 'The Guided One' and it cannot be said that the Messiah is not divinely guided. Ir- respective of whether the Mahdi has Messianic qualities or not, in the least, no Muslim can suggest that the Messiah is not guided by God. In actuality, Allah the Exalted has used these two words to defend against the slander and reproach of the people, and to establish that the person in question is not a disbeliever, misguided or one who leads others astray, rather, he is divinely guided. For Allah knew that the Messiah and Mahdi who was destined to come would be branded an Anti-Christ and one gone astray, and so Allah named him the Messiah and Mahdi. The Anti-Christ was best described as (one who inclined to the earth) but the Messiah was to be raised to the heaven. And so all that Allah the Exalted had desired was destined to come about in two eras: firstly, the era of the Holy Prophets, and secondly, the era of the latter-day Messiah and Mahdi. To elaborate, in one era the Quran, a true teaching, was revealed, but then the Era of the Misguided veiled this teaching; and this veil was destined to be lifted in the time of the Messiah (as). It is stated that the Noble Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, purified a community in his lifetime, i. e. the revered compan- ions, as well as another group of people in praise of whom it is said: لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ 3 Those who have not yet joined them. 1 al-Bayyinah, 98:4 al-A'raf, 7:177 al-Jumu'ah, 62:4