Tadhkirah — Page 480
480 of the plights that have descended upon Islam, and the vicissitude of the times. Hearts have died, and sins have become rampant while grief has intensified. Thus in the black of night, and in the darkness of the stormy winds, the mercy of Allah demanded the descent of heavenly light. 516 So, I am that light and the reformer who has come by the command of God Almighty, the servant [of Allah] who enjoys support. I am the awaited Mahdi and the 516 Where it is stated in the a ha d i th that the Promised Messiah will descend, the word nuz u l [descent] has been used to indicate that this age will be such that darkness would have swallowed the entire world, while honesty, trust, and truthfulness would have bid it farewell. The earth would be filled with injustice and tyranny. It was to be then that God would send down a light from the heavens and would thereby illumine the world once again. It was to descend from above, because light always descends from on high. The time of the Promised Messiah is said to be one in which all means for the propagation of Islam would have been out of reach and Muslims would be left totally powerless. This will happen because the jealousy of God wills to remove, refute and eradicate the objection that has been raised against Islam suggesting that it was spread by the sword. Therefore, it is ordained that during the time of the Promised Messiah swords be sheathed and no one take up the sword for the sake of religion. If anyone does so, they would be defeated and suffer humiliating defeat by the disbelievers. The hosts of Hadrat M u s a , who had been banished from Egypt continuously suffered defeat in the battles in which they marched forward against the command of M u s a. So too will it happen now, for the descent of the Promised Messiah from the heaven is an indication that his hand will not utilise worldly means. Rather, he will irrigate the garden of Islam with heavenly water, because now God desires to manifest the miracle that Islam does not depend upon the sword and worldly means for its propagation. Thus, anyone who despite this clear prohibition, and in view of the hadith containing the words [he will put an end to warfare], raises the sword and seeks to be a warrior, would essentially cast doubt upon this miracle. It is God Almighty who has willed to manifest this miracle, namely, to make Islam victorious and loved by the people, without the use of material means. [Author]