English translation of Inqilab-e-Haqiqi
An address by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Khalifatul Masih II, al-Musleh al-Mau‘ud
Delivered at Jalsa Salana Qadian on 28 December 1937
The time of divine ordinance
This indicates that the period, as per the divine ordinance, would span over three centuries, followed by a thousand years of decline, after which Islam was to progress once again. It was as if Islam was to be resurrected 1300 years after the advent of the Holy Prophetsa. Thus, the words قُلْ لَکُمْ مِیْعَادُ یَوْمٍ1 (‘Say, ‘For you is the promise of a day.’) hint at the ‘day’ mentioned in Surah as-Sajdah. Islam was to undergo a thousand years of decline, before advancing once more and spreading throughout different communities and nations. This would be the period of the completion of the spread of Islam. This verse indicates as much:
هُوَ الَّذِىْ أَرْسَلَ رَسُوْلَهٗ بِا لْهُدٰى وَدِيْنِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهٗ عَلَى الدِّيْنِ كُلِّهٖ
[He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions. Surah as-Saff, 61:10 (Publishers)]
The Meaning of the مِیْعَادُ یَوْمٍ (promise of the day)
The ‘promise of the day’, means the one thousand years of the decline of Islam prior to the advent of the Promised Messiahas. Following this, Islam was destined to once again experience great growth and progress.
The Limitations of the Message of Jesusas
At this, some Christians argue that this teaching is not exclusive [to Islam]. They contend that Christian writings speak of the need to spread the message of Jesusas throughout the whole world as well and that Jesusas was not raised for a particular people but for all mankind.
I have already addressed in an old essay this [aforementioned] claim made by the Christians and, through numerous references from the Bible, have shown that Jesusas of Nazareth was not meant for the entire world but came only for the Children of Israel. In the Gospels, he is quoted as saying, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’2 This was also [the belief and] the practice of his followers. But today, I will disprove this Christian claim from a new perspective. Had God said that Jesusas was sent for the whole world in order to unite the people under one banner, His words ought to have been fulfilled. Since this teaching would have been revolutionary in nature with the aim to unite the whole world and weaken the nationalist loyalties; therefore, one should see whether Christianity managed to fulfil this purpose.
No doubt that Christians spread throughout Europe, China, Japan, India and other such far-flung places [of the world] where Muslims have yet to reach. But the question is, has the teachings [of Christianity] achieved this purpose? The purpose of the teachings was to get rid of any thoughts of dissension, weaken the [sentiments of] nationalism and gather people under the banner of equality. If God had said to Jesusas that through him differences between nations would come to an end and the world would become one, then this revolution should have happened through Christianity. But if God said this to the Holy Prophetsa, then world unity should have emerged through Islam. But the truth is that no other ideology has promoted nationalist ideologies more than Christianity, and you cannot point to a single country in the world where Christianity has established [true] equality. On the contrary, there is no country that, after having been influenced by Islam, has not become more equal and tolerant. Today the British are the enemies of the Germans and the Germans are the enemies of the British. They are ready to cut each other’s throats. As a result of this hostility, both countries have armed themselves with fighter planes, invented cannons and created innovative long-range missiles. But despite this, a British Christian would never be able to form the same relationship with an Indian Christian that he is able to develop with a German atheist. If God established Christianity for the whole world, why has it failed to achieve this purpose? Furthermore, European Christians do not even extend equality to [the Jews] who are their brothers in faith by divine decree.3 One need only look at the Christian persecution of the Jews in Germany and various other countries. Who are these, if not their brothers [in faith] by divine decree? Yet they fail to show them any semblance of equality.
As opposed to this, the Holy Prophetsa established such a sense of equality that if an ignorant, underprivileged or even dishonest Arab goes anywhere in the world, Muslims greet them with such joy as if one of their esteemed elders has risen from the dead and returned to earth. [Out of utmost respect], they repeatedly call them ‘Arab Sahib’ until their mouths are made dry. Thus, the act of God contradicts the claims of the Christians and testifies that it was the Holy Prophetsa who brought about this revolution and was the recipient of this teaching [to unify the world]. If such a teaching had been given to Jesusas, God Almighty would also have made him work towards it.
Winds bearing glad tidings of a true reformer begin to blow before his advent. Therefore, the good news of the advent of the Holy Prophetsa was revealed in the time of Jesusas. Allah the Exalted informed Jesusas that the world was about to unite under a magnificent prophet who would be the chief of all the other messengers and unite the world under one banner. However, Christians misunderstood this to mean that the time of the fulfilment of this promise was close at hand. But just as a stolen piece of clothing does not fit its thief, [the teachings they were given did not suit the circumstances Christians had envisioned]. The act of God has shown that Muslims and not Christians were the intended recipients [of this promise].
The Islamic Revolution
Thus, in keeping with the principle of reformation, Islam brought great changes to the sciences, thought, philosophy, emotions, religion, politics, morals, civilisation, economics and culture of people. The world was transformed. [Through Islam,] the Holy Prophetsa gave birth to a new heaven and a new earth.
The Advent of The Promised Messiahas
The Reason for the Apparent Similarities between the Teachings of Islam and Those of Other Religions
Today the apparent similarities between the teachings of Islam and other world religions are not because these similarities were already present in those religions, but as a result of other faiths having interacted with Islam and adopting certain Islamic principles. Even beyond the world of religion, European intellectuals have been known to plagiarise whole books written by Muslim [scholars] and present them as their own work. Recently, a number of books have been published in Europe that have exposed this [intellectual] theft. Not too long ago, I ordered a book from England in which it was argued that Europeans stole a great wealth of musical knowledge from the works of Spanish Muslims. The writer discloses the secret that he can produce exact references to texts that Europeans have plagiarised. Furthermore, he calls it unfortunate and cites a book that includes a letter to a priest, which is housed in the British Museum. In the letter, a Christian gentleman writes to a priest that the musicianship of the Muslims is magnificent and the European art of music pales significantly in comparison. He expresses his desire to translate these musical texts, but fears that by doing so, he will be declared a heretic [by the church]; therefore, he asks the priest for his advice. He further writes that it is important these works be copied as it would greatly benefit the church. In response, the priest writes that the musical knowledge [of the Muslims] may be reproduced. However, he asked him to be careful in terms of quoting the original sources, as people would become aware of their Arab origin and consequently realise the greatness of Islam. Therefore, these works may be reproduced but without being accredited so that the people might assume it to be his original work. According to the writer, both these letters can be found in the British Museum. Until 1840 the philosophy of Ibn Rushd was taught in Parisian [centres of learning] under a pseudonym in order to conceal the fact that he was a Muslim. What’s intriguing is that in Roman universities it was once decided that following advancements in philosophical thought, a new philosophical treatise should be taught in place of what was current at the time. But the church opposed such a move and passed an edict against it, calling it an act of heresy. Thus, after a number of years, people had even forgotten the fact that this treatise was written by a Muslim and many people considered it a Christian work and were unwilling to accept the teaching of any other form of philosophy in its place, deeming it an act of heresy.
As a result of their ignorance, many of our own people say that we have taken certain things from Christians. The reality is that the Muslims as a community have not taken anything from Christian culture, but the Christian community as a whole has acquired a great wealth of knowledge from Muslims. But because of the intellectual decline of the Muslims and the fact that Christians have not only safeguarded all the knowledge they have accumulated but have also made great strides in the field of learning and transformed it over time to such an extent that the Muslims no longer recognise them. The Muslims have become so unmindful of their current plight that they have failed to retain any semblance of religion, morals, civilisation, society, politics and culture. They are completely daubed by the hue of Western culture and it has become their entire way of life. The teachings of the Holy Qur’an which once led the Muslims to greatness, are still present. The Muslims of today can still achieve the glories [of the past]. But they have turned away from the Holy Qur’an and look towards Western ideas in the same way a [hungry] sparrow searches the skies for its returning mother.
The example of today’s Muslims is like that of the Persian king who heard praise of the mangoes grown in India and longed to taste them. He sent one of his ambassadors to India to bring him [sack of] the fruit. However, his ambassador arrived once the season was over, but the king of Delhi – mindful of the fact that he was the representative of the king of Persia and had travelled from afar – searched for any remaining mangoes in the city and the surrounding area. After extensive effort, a solitary, out of season and sour mango was found. The king of Delhi presented it before the Persian emissary and told him that although it retained the shape of a ripened and sweet mango, it had long since lost its flavour. He further told the dignitary to taste it so as to report the true nature of the fruit to his king on his return. The dignitary tasted it and found it unsavoury and sour. When he returned, the king enquired from him about the mango. He replied that the fruit had left him questioning the intellect of the people of India. The king asked why. He said that they sing the praises of the mango, and although the king of Persia had explicitly sent him to India to bring a sample of it, the fruit he had tasted was unworthy [of any form of tribute]. With this, he presented the sample before the king in a bowl filled with some water and tamarind pulp. The king was astonished by the account and expressed [disbelief] at how Indians could praise such a miserable fruit.
The current state of the Muslims is the same. They are completely estranged from the disciplines [and teachings] of the Holy Qur’an. To them, the Holy Qur’an has become [spiritually] dead. The scripture they see today is as different from the true teachings of the Holy Qur’an as the taste of a ripe, seasonal mango differs from dissolved tamarind. Although, [in truth], all beauty and virtues lie in Islam, the Europeans have drawn and extracted all their learning and knowledge from Islam and its followers. But because the Muslims are not aware of this fact, they have become infatuated with the West.
Endnotes:
- Surah Saba, 34:31 [Publishers]
- Matthew New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, 15:24 [Publishers]
- Both religions share religious and historical foundations such as the Hebrew Bible (known as the Old Testament in Christianity). Many of the same texts, including the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), are central to both traditions. In this sense, they are considered brothers in faith. [Publishers]
To be continued…
(Translation by Fazl-e-Umar Foundation, English Section)