Tadhkirah — Page 294
294 their hands means destroying their opposing strength, frustrating them, stopping them from putting up opposition and contest, depriving them of weapons and arms, and reducing them to helplessness. Cutting off their feet means repelling all their arguments, closing upon them all ways of escape, and convicting them and reducing them into the position of prisoners. This is all Allah’s grace Who has power over everything. He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills. He vanquishes whom He wills and bestows victory upon whom He wills and no one can frustrate Him. [ A’i na-e-Kam ala t-e-Isl a m , pp. 578–581, R uha n i Khaz a ’in, vol. 5, pp. 578–581] (B) [Badr reports that the Promised Messiah [as] said]: A long time ago, I saw in a dream that I was riding a horse and went towards my garden all alone. In front of me appeared an army bent upon destroying my garden. I felt no fear of them and was certain in my own mind that though alone, I was more than adequate for them. They entered the garden and I entered after them. When I arrived inside, I saw that they were all lying dead, with their hands, heads and feet all cut off and their skins stripped off. Observing this spectacle of divine power, I was overcome and wept thinking who else would have the power to do all this?. . . The army is in reference to the people who desire to turn the members of my Community into apostates and to distort their beliefs. They desire to cut off the trees of the garden of my Community. God Almighty will demonstrate His power and will defeat their purpose and will render all their efforts vain. . . . By their heads being cut off is meant that their pride will be broken and their arrogance and disdain will be trampled underfoot. A person’s hand is a weapon with which he fights the enemy. The cutting off of their hands