Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 159
159 Hazm also holds the same belief. Therefore, the Malikis, Ibni Hazm’s followers and the Mutazilites stand with us on this issue. However, even stepping down a degree, if I were to accept that no one supports me in this view, I would say that the era following the first three centuries of Islam was given the name fayj-e-a’waj , i. e. a crooked group, by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. In respect of these people, the Holy Prophet sa says: ْ لَیْسُوْا مِنِّی ْ وَلَسْت ُ مِنْھُم They are not from among me, nor am I from among them. What do these people have left in their hands? 1 Therefore, it is we who are the heirs of the companions, and it is established that we are the inheritors of the deeper essence of the Quran and Hadith. Now, what remains is that the word nazil or ‘one who will descend’ has been used for the Messiah. However, let it be known that the word nuzul has a very wide connotation; a traveller is referred to as a nazeel as well. The Concept of Spiritual Manifestation In addition to this, the actual fact of the matter that ought to be remembered is that in light of the knowledge that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was granted of the latter days, he foretold of the appearance of two spiritual manifestations. The saints believe that there are only two kinds of being, and I believe the same. This is what we derive from the Holy Quran as well. The esteemed Sufis believe that the nature, disposition and morals of people who have passed away reappear in the persons of other human beings. In the terminol- ogy of the Sufis, it is said that such and such person is an appearance of Adam or an appearance of Noah, and some of them use the term buruz (which means the spiritual manifestation of a person). They believe that there is a spiritual manifes- tation for all eras, just as Seth, on whom be peace, was the spiritual manifestation of Abel (Habil) —the first of all spiritual manifestations. Habal means ‘to mourn’. God conferred this spiritual manifestation upon Seth. Then this system contin- ued until the spiritual person of Abraham, on whom be peace, was manifested in the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. This is the wisdom in the following words: 1 Al-Hakam , vol. 5, no. 14, dated 17 April 1901, pp. 1-2