The True Nature of the Mahdi — Page 25
25 selves. But it had not happened so, and thus a great harm was done. Even though in the Announcements of 21 and 30 November, 1898, an explanation was given about it, yet Muhammad Husain, according to his old habit, had tried to derive this benefit from the Prophecies about Atham and Lekhram that all that uproar and bloodshed, [which occurred after my Prophecies about them], was carried out on my advice and at my behest. And it was claimed by him [before the Government] that to make such Prophecies is an old habit of mine. However, it is clear that so far no one has realized that both of these Prophecies were made on the dogged insistence of these very two persons [Atham and Lekhram ] and, before my publishing them, they had willingly published these Prophecies. And there are abundant proofs of this. What accusations could then be levelled against me? Yes, in accordance with the subject matter of these Prophecies, both had died and thus had made these Prophecies ful - filled: the one died a natural death, and the other at the hand of someone else. Abdullah Atham, who died a natural death, had—during the period within which he had to die according to the Prophecy—never claimed that he had ever been attacked with the intent of willful murder [as he had claimed later on]. As the Prophecy was conditional, so he, letting his heart be inspired with