English translation of Inqilab-e-Haqiqi
An address by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Khalifatul Masih II, al-Musleh al-Maud
Delivered at Jalsa Salana Qadian on 28 December 1937
The Quran refers to the age of the Promised Messiahas as a Day of Judgement
The age of the Promised Messiahas has also been referred to by the Holy Quran as a Day of Judgment. As Allah the Exalted says:
لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِأَ يَحْسَبُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَلَّنْ نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهٗ بَلٰی قٰدِرِينَ عَلٰٓی أَنْ نُّسَوِّىَ بَنَانَهٗ بَلْ يُرِيْدُ الْإِنْسَانُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَهٗ يَسْـَٔلُ أَ يَّانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيٰمَةِ فَإِذَا بَرِقَ الْبَصَرُ وَخَسَفَ الْقَمَرُ وَجُمِعَ الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ يَقُوْلُ الْإِنْسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ
God says that disbelievers who deny the resurrection of the dead and the Day of Judgment are in error, and as evidence of this God presents to the disbelievers the Day of Judgment and nafs-i-lawwama. [Nafs-i-lawwama is a Quranic term meaning self-accusing soul.]
Here the Day of Judgement can only be taken to mean an event rooted in the [physical] world for [God] advances it and the concept of nafs-i-lawwama as proof of the fact that the dead are raised back to life. If it meant that Judgment Day which is to occur after the destruction of the world, it serves no purpose as (a proof of the afterlife), since it is not possible for people to be guided in their faith by an event which is to take place after their death. [Again it makes no sense for] the point of debate is whether the dead will be raised back to life and yet those who deny this are told to forgo their doubts because the Day of Judgment is testimony of this truth. Such reasoning benefits no one. When the Day of Judgment finally comes, humanity would have come to an end, therefore, this argument would not ameliorate the faith of anyone. Those who are in doubt about the afterlife are from among the living. For them the only worthwhile evidence is that which can be availed in the present life.
Here the Day of Judgement can only mean something that can be manifested and shown in this world, in order to demonstrate the truth to those who negate it and open for them the path to belief. The day of the final judgment can only be presented as evidence if people refuse to accept it even when some people deny its existence even on the day of resurrection itself. Only then can it be reasonably argued that, “How can you deny the resurrection when you have died and been brought back to life again? However, in this life such arguments are worthless. Those who have taken قیامتِ کُبْریٰ (great judgement) to mean the ‘final judgment’ have done so when reading this verse in isolation. They did it without integrating the broader context, and their intention is not to consider the verse in conjunction with its context.
In truth, it is [the verse under discussion forwards] an event of this world that signifies great judgement and when combined with the nafs-i-lawwama, it constitutes as the second proof of the resurrection that occurs after death. Both of these evidences have been presented because sceptics of the afterlife are to be found in all ages. Therefore, [the Holy Quran] forwards specific proofs so that all people can benefit from them. For example, the concept of nafs-i-lawwama was put before the people of Mecca as evidence of the afterlife. Those who were to harbour doubts about the afterlife in the latter days would be presented with an event that was to occur in their life as evidence of Judgement Day. Further evidence in support of this reading is found in the following verses:
فَإِذَا بَرِقَ الْبَصَرُ وَخَسَفَ الْقَمَرُ وَجُمِعَ الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ يَقُوْلُ الْإِنْسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ
[When the eye is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say, ‘Whither to escape?’ (Surah al-Qiyamah, Ch.75: V.2-11)]
The human gaze will sharpen, meaning that observation will be utilized more than ever before and the secrets of the world would be penetrated and revealed and the moon would be eclipsed and the sun would join it in this phenomenon, meaning that after the eclipse of the moon the sun would also be eclipsed in the same month. In that moment, man will cry out, ‘Where can we find refuge now.’
It is obvious that these verses point to a time when people would be hurriedly turning away from God, disbelief would prevail throughout the world and the afterlife would be denied. Material forms of knowledge will be making progress and human insight will become very sharp in uncovering the mysteries of nature. Moreover, both the moon and sun would be eclipsed in the same month.
An explanation of the final sign mentioned in these verses is found in a Hadith which further specifies the [future] period mentioned in here. It is reported that the Holy Prophetsa once said that a sign will appear for the Mahdi, one that has never been witnessed since the creation of the world and has never been shown for any other appointed by Allah. Namely that in his age, the moon would be eclipsed on the first of its possible days and the sun would be eclipsed in the middle of its possible days during the month of Ramadan.
By reading this hadith together with the afore-mentioned verses, it is clear that the Holy Quran is referring to the revered Mahdi and the time of his advent has been determined as the Day of Judgment so as to demonstrate the truth of the greater Day of Judgment, wherein the dead will be raised to life [and which is to occur in the afterlife].
Two signs of the Final Day of Judgment
As I mentioned earlier, two signs have been forwarded in support of the final Day of Judgment. First the Day of Judgment when the age in which human perception will have made great advances and the moon and the sun will be eclipsed and secondly nafs-i-lawwama. The testimony of the latter is for all people at all times, but the evidence of the former can only benefit the people of the latter days. Therefore, both type of proofs were given to people of both these periods (the latter days and the pre-latter day era) for the edification of their faith.
A closer look at this verse reveals that it has a specific relevance to this age and even the evidence of nafs-i-lawwama is more readily applicable to the people of the latter days. After all, it is in the current time that academic advances have been made in the understanding of the nature of the self and questions such as the issue of good versus evil from the perspective of the make-up of the human mind have been contemplated at length.
Again it is in this age that evidence of the inherent human capacity to distinguish between good and evil can be more readily absorbed. Setting aside for the moment as to what counts as good and what counts as evil, if we only consider the fact that the capacity to distinguish between good and evil and the necessity to establish certain moral limits is an inherent quality of the human mind, we have to accept that human beings are connected to some sort of system of reward and punishment from which they cannot escape. And this awareness, along with its natural implications, stands as a powerful testimony to the existence of the Day of Judgment and resurrection after death. If there is to be no final reckoning, why does a sense of shame and an inclination towards any type of good exist within them?
Accordingly, the afore-mentioned verses which affirm belief in life after death, present resurrection in this very life as proof of it, through the prism of the future spiritual decline of Islam. That is, by alluding to a time when Islam will face decline, although its teachings will remain alive, but Muslims will abandon them. Then Allah the Exalted would resurrect the faith through an appointed follower and servant of the Holy Prophetsa thereby advancing a grand testimony in support of the afterlife. For, who other than God could have foretold the birth of Islam 1300 years ago and foreseen its subsequent stagnation and ultimate revival as marked by the eclipse of both the sun and moon in a particular month and in the age of a claimant, as well as by advancements in material forms of knowledge and the predominance of atheism?
Thus 1300 years later when the Day of Judgement, foretold by Holy Quran, would arrive, it would confirm the God of the Quran as All-Powerful and the Knower of the Unseen. How can people reject the news conveyed by the God, who is the Knower of the Unseen, regarding life after death? And how can they deny Judgment Day after witnessing the might of the God Who is all-powerful.
When the first Day of Judgment comes, those who are wise will take heed and recognise that they have nowhere left to run. Once made a witness to it, no prudent person would be able to reject that immense Being in Whose hands rests the entire universe, Who has the power to act as He wills and Who is the Knower of the Unseen. No knowledge lies outside of His grasp.
The creation of a new heaven and earth by all prophets is evidence of the truth of the Promised Messiahas
The Promised Messiahas writes on page 566 of his book A’ina Kamalat-e-Islam [Aina Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 565-566, 2021 Ed]
وَاُلْقِیَ فِیْ قَلْبِیْ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ اِذَا اَرَادَ اَ نْ یَخْلُقَ اٰدَمَ فَیَخْلُقُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ فِیْ سِتَّةِ اَیَّامٍ وَ یَخْلُقُ کُلّ مَالَا بُدَّ مِنْہُ فِی السَّمَآ ءِ وَ الْاَرْضِیْنَ ثُمَّ فِیْ اٰخِرِ الْیَوْمِ السَّادِسِ یَخْلُقُ اٰدَمَ وَکَذٰلِکَ جَرَتْ عَادَتُہُ فِی الْاَوَّلِیْنَ وَ الْاٰخِرِیْنَ 14
Allah the Exalted has revealed to me in my heart that whenever He wishes to create Adamas, He creates the heavens and the earth in six days. He brings into being within the heavens and the earth all that is necessary. At the end of the sixth day, Adamas is brought to life. This has been the practice of Allah the Exalted in the past and will remain as such in the final days.
One can infer from this that a new heaven and earth are created in the time of a great prophet. The world undergoes a form of spiritual reformation. The previous order is destroyed and by means of a spiritual Judgment Day, the world is given a new life.
A vision of the Promised Messiahas
With reference to this, the Promised Messiahas once saw in a vision that he had been completely immersed by God:
“In this condition I said: We desire a new system, a new heaven and a new earth. I then created the heaven and the earth in a mass without order or distinction and then, according to the divine will, I arranged and classified this mass. I felt that I had the power to create it. Then I created the lower heaven and said:
اِنَّازَیَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْیَابِمَصَابِیْحَ
(We have decorated the lower heaven with lamps)
Then I said: We shall now create man from the essence of clay. Then my condition moved from vision towards the reception of revelation and my tongue uttered:
اَرَدْتُ اَنْ اَسْتَخْلِفَ فَخَلَقْتُ اٰدَمَ اِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْاِنْسَانَ فِیْٓ اَحْسَنِ تَقْوِیْمٍ
(I determined to make a vicegerent so I created Adam. Then We created man in the best mould)
(.Tadhkirah, p. 250, 2009 Ed)
As this vision clearly shows all prophets come with a particular mission and are charged with bringing about such a complete transformation that in comparison to the old order it can be described as a new heaven and new earth. Indeed, when a new law comes, it is called a new earth and a new heaven compared to the old law because it is better than it. If a prophet is sent to revive an existing teaching, the purpose of his mission is to destroy the civilisation and cultural practices of the time and re-establish true religious authority. In this way, he creates a new heaven and a new earth. That is, although the religion he upholds is old, it appears novel in the eyes of the world because it had become extinct in that era, and a different civilization had emerged, eclipsing its existence.