Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 50
50 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad port and conveyance, shall become useless. In other words, during that era, the mode of transport will become so advanced that these earlier forms would be rendered useless. This alluded to the age of locomotives. Those who believe that these verses speak of the Resurrection do not stop to reflect how a she-camel could remain pregnant at such a time. The word ishar refers to pregnant she-camels. Then, these verses state that streams shall be made to flow forth in all directions and books shall be published abundantly. Hence, all of these signs relate to the era under discussion. The Promised Messiah's Place of Advent As for the place of the Promised Messiah's advent, it ought to be remembered that the emergence of the Anti-Christ has been foretold to take place from the East and this refers to our country. The author of Hujaj-ul-Kiramah writes that the disorder of the Anti-Christ is manifesting itself in India. And it is obvious that the Messiah must also appear in the same place that the Anti-Christ emerges. Then, it is narrated that the Messiah will appear in the village of Qad'ah, which is short for 'Qadian. ' It is possible that in Yemen a village by this name exists, but one ought to remember that Yemen is not to the east of Hijaz, it is to the south. In fact, there is another Qadian, in the Punjab near Ludhiana as well. Furthermore, the name given to me by divine destiny and decree is also a subtle indication to this very fact. The numerical value of the letters in 'Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani' equal 1300 exactly. In other words, the Imam whose name this is, was to come at the start of the fourteenth century. Hence, it is to this fact that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, alluded. Heavenly and Earthly Calamities Calamities were also to serve as a sign. Heavenly calamities took on the form of famine, plague and cholera. The plague is an affliction so vicious that it has even shaken the government, and if it continues to grow, it shall devastate the entire country. As for earthly calamities, there are wars and earthquakes, which have destroyed the land. It is necessary for a person commissioned by Allah to manifest heavenly signs in support of their truth as well. Was the sign of Lekhram not a magnificent sign? This contest ensued for many years with the term out- lined in advance. This encounter went on for five years without fail. Both parties