Nubuwwat & Khilafat Prophethood & its Successorship — Page 73
Belief of the Promised Messiah 73 nubuwwat of Muhammad sa are perfectly reflected. ( Nuz u l-ul- Mas ih , Ruhani Khaz a ’in , vol. 18, p. 381) He also writes: Wherever I have denied being a Nab i or a Ras u l , it is a denial in the sense that I have not brought any permanent law, nor am I an independent Nab i. I am a Ras u l and a Nab i in the sense that I have received spiritual grace from my leader Ras u l , and by acquiring his name for myself and through his interme- diation, I have received knowledge of the unseen from God, but without a new law. I have never disowned this kind of nubuwwat. Indeed, God has addressed me as Nab i and Ras u l in this sense; so even now I do not deny being a Nab i or Ras u l in this sense. ( Eik Ghalat i k a Iz a lah, Ruhani Khaz a ’in , vol. 18, p. 210–211) Then he writes: However, it must be borne in mind and should never be forgotten, that despite being addressed as a Nab i and Ras u l , I have been informed by God that these favours have not descended upon me directly. There is a holy being in heaven whose spiritual grace is with me, that is, Muhammad the Chosen sa. It is through relationship with him, and by merging myself in him, and by receiving his names—Muhammad and Ahmad—that I am a Ras u l as well as Nab i. ( Ibid. , p. 213) In March 1908, he explained the point in the following words: I claim to be a Ras u l and a Nab i. The controversy relates to the definition. Whoever is a recipient of converse with God in a manner that exceeds others in quantity and quality, and the converse includes prophecies, would be called a Nab i. This definition applies to me; therefore I am a Nab i. However, it is not a nubuwwat which brings a new law, nor does it abrogate the Book of God. ( Badr , March 5, 1908)