The Descent of the Messiah — Page 265
HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS 83 [continued] age of twenty-five, leaving behind an infant. This was a great shock to them and also a great sign for them and the Aryas. Living Witnesses to number 82 and 83: There are many witnesses to this revelation [i. e Prophecy 82] who were present in Qadian at the time. Among them are Maulawi Noor-ud-Deen; Maulawi Abdul Karim; Maulawi Muhammad Ali; Mufti Muhammad Sadiq; Hakeem Fazal Deen; Maulawi Sher Ali; and others. The witnesses to this [i. e Prophecy 83] are Mirza Imam-ud-Deen, Mirza Nizam- ud-Deen, and many of the Aryas of Qadian. 1 No Date of Prophecy The Revelation that I have been graced with has disclosed to me these miraculous prophecies that have already ap- peared in the world, and thousands of witnesses attest to them, some of which have been mentioned here Date Prophecy Fulfilled 84 1884 Around 1884, God graced me with the revelation: This prophecy continues to be وَلَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّنْ قَبْلِهِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ This was an indication on behalf of God, the All-Know- ing, that no opponent of mine would be able to point to any default in my life. Accordingly, up until now, when I am about sixty-five years old, no one, whether living close to me or far from me, can point to any stain in my past life. Indeed, God Himself has made my opponents bear witness to the purity of my past life. For instance, Maulawī Muhammad Hussain has, on many occasions, praised me and the members of my family in his journal Ishaat-us- Sunnah and has claimed that no one is better acquainted with me and my family than him. Then, to the extent that he understood, he praised me. In this way, an opponent who became the founder of me being declared a disbeliev- er, has confirmed the truth of the prophecy وَلَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ [And I have lived among you]. fulfilled all the time. "And I have lived a whole lifetime among you before this; will you not understand?" [Publisher] 265