The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 393
392 Α'ΙΝΑ-Ε-ΚΑMĀLĀT-E-ISLAM-DAFI UL-WASĀWIS deletion-God forbid—in the religious commandments and if my practical condition had in any way differed from other Muslims, but there is nothing of this kind. The only controversy is the question of the life or death of the Messiah [Jesus]. The claim of being the Promised Messiah is, in reality, just an off- shoot of this very issue. This claim does not imply any practical revolution, nor does it adversely affect Islamic beliefs. So, does accepting this claim require some great miracle or marvel, such as have always been demanded by people from the claimants of Prophethood? For an honest and God-fearing person, can there be any difficulty in accepting the claim of a man who is a Muslim, who has been sent by God Almighty to support Islam, whose objectives are to show people the beauties of Islam, to prove Islam to be free from the objections raised by modern day philosophies, etc. , and to bring the Muslims back to the love of Allah and the love of the Messenger? Had the claim of being the Promised Messiah been accom- panied by anything that had adverse effects to the command- ments and beliefs of the Shariah, it would have been something horrible without a doubt. Nevertheless, one should consider which Islamic principle I have perverted by making this claim, and to which Islamic commandments I have added or sub- tracted even an iota. Yes, of course, I have interpreted a proph- ecy in the light of the meanings which God Almighty has disclosed to me at its appointed time. The Holy Quran bears testimony to the authenticity of that interpretation, as do the authentic ahādīth. Therefore, I do not know why there is so much commotion and clamour! A seeker after truth may, however, ask here: 'What indi- cations are present for accepting the claim of the Promised Messiah; for, there should be some such indications present to accept the truth of a claimant, especially in the present age which is full of dishonesty, deceit, and fraud, and in which false