The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 613
612 Ā'ĪNA-E-KAMĀLĀT-E-ISLĀM―DĀFI UL-WASĀWIS age, but I There are many other aḥadīth about the maulawis of this will provide, by way of a sample, proof of the hadith about the errone- ous fatwas that I have cited above so that everyone should realize that if there is any benefit from these maulawis, it is only that their degenerate behaviour is a reminder of the Day of Judgment and it is understood that it is near. Thus, we become eyewitnesses to the perfectly complete fulfilment of a prophecy of Hadrat Khātamul-Anbiyā' [the Seal of the Prophets], may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. To elaborate, since it was decided last year after consultation with most friends that the members of our Community should meet my humble self at least once a year with the intent of learning the essen- tials of the Faith and for consultations about propagating the Faith and the unshakeable Shariah. At the time of this consultation, it was also considered most expedient to appoint December 27 as the most appropriate and preferable date for coming to Qadian for this purpose because these are holidays and provide greater convenience and free- dom to those serving employment. Moreover, because of the winter season, these days are convenient for travel. The friends and sincere members agreed happily with this advice and considered it appropriate. Therefore, based on this, my humble self sent an announcement to all members on 7 December 1892, and it was published in Riyāḍ-e-Hind Press Qadian. The gist of the announcement was that from among its objectives, the major purpose of this Jalsa [Annual Convention] is that all participants should get an opportunity to derive religious benefit from the face-to-face meeting and so that their religious knowledge and cognizance may be fostered. It has now been heard that, in order to prove this activity to be an innovation, and indeed a sin, an older person has been bold enough to present a query to a maulawi by the name of Raḥīm Bakhsh-an imam in the Chiniyanwali mosque in Lahore. The import of the query was: What is the verdict about making a long journey for going to this conference on a specific date? And if a guest house is constructed specif- ically for accommodating the guests for such a conference, what is the