Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 322
Malfuzat - English translation of Urdu Volume 7 322 14 August 1905 (Evening gathering ) Who are Meant by U lul-Amr? Sheikh ‘Abdul- H aqq, previously an A ryah and now a new Muslim, sought permission [to leave]. Upon this, the Promised Messiah as said: ‘Stay for a few more days. The yearning and pursuit of faith should be a priority for man. ’ Upon this, he asked the following question, and the reply given by the Promised Messiah as is also presented: Question— What is meant by U lul-Amr [those in author- ity]? Some say that every maulaw i is U lul-Amr, and others say no one is. The reply (by the Promised messiah as )— The truth is that in Islam, it has continued to be the practice that the kings of Islam, who hold the reins of government in their hands, should be obeyed. So, they are a class of U lul-Amr , but the real U lul-Amr are those whose lives are pure and are given a discern- ment and cognisance and who get orders from God Almighty; that is, the Appointees of God. The kings hold the reins of government and have full involvement in administrative affairs, but what can they do for religious affairs? The true U lul-Amr are indeed those by follow- ing whom one obtains the eye of cognisance and man moves away from sin. Consider both these things with regard to U lul- Amr. If a person rebels against the reigning king, the result will not be good for him because it will lead to mischief, and Allah