The Shining Lamp — Page 9
Truth has Come 9 criticisms and save yourselves from impious thoughts. Do not cast false accusations upon me that I have claimed to be a Prophet in the real sense. Have you not read that a Mu h addath [recipient of Divine revelation] is also a Mursal [one sent as a Messenger]? Have you forgotten about the qir a ’at [reading (of the Quran)]: ٍ و َاَلَ مُحَدَّث ٍ و َاَلَ مُحَدَّث [ wa l a Mu h addath ] ? 1 Thus, how absurd is this nitpicking criticism that I have claimed to be a Mursal? O ignorant ones! Can you tell me if one who is sent would be called a Mursal or a Ras u l [Messenger] in Arabic or would he be called something else? However, remember that here, in the ilh a m [revelation] of God, the real meaning that relates to a law-bearing Prophet is not meant, but rather that one who is appointed by God is indeed a Mursal [one sent as a Messenger]. It is indeed true that in the ilh a m that God has caused to descend upon this servant of His, the words Nab i [Prophet] and Ras u l [Messenger] and Mursal [one sent as a Messenger] are present in abundance with reference to this servant of His. However, these terms do not carry their literal meanings. َ وَلِكُل ٍّ أَن ْ يَصْطَلِح َ وَلِكُل ٍّ أَن ْ يَصْطَلِح —And every- one has their own terminology, so this is the terminology that God has employed using these words. I acknowledge and assert the fact that according to the literal meanings of nubuwwat [prophethood], neither a new prophet nor an old one can come after the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The Quran prohibits the coming of such prophets. However, from the perspective of metaphorical mean- ings, it is Allah’s prerogative to refer to a Mulham [recipient of 1. This is in reference to an alternative qir a ’ah of verse 53 of S u rah al- H ajj, which was recited by Hadrat ‘Abdullah ibn Abb a s ra. [Publisher]