Answering Objectionable Questions on 25 May 1908 (In Lahore at the time of Zuhr)

Approximately twenty hours before death of the Promised Messiah ( Imam Mahdi ) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, please be upon him

The Essence of Prophethood

A person from the Frontier came and started to talk audaciously. The Promised Messiah^as ( Imam Mahdi ) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said the following in response:

I have not made up any kalimah [creed] from my side, nor have I made a separate salat. On the contrary, I consider following the Holy Prophet ^sas to be my faith and my religion. The term prophet that has been adopted is done so only at the behest of God. A person who receives plentiful communication in the form of prophecies from God Almighty is called a prophet. The Being of God is recognized by the Signs of God. This is indeed why holy men of God are raised. It is written in Mathnavi [by Rumi] [ ‘O Disciple! He shall be the Prophet of the Age’].

Muhy-ud-Din ibn Arabi has also written the very same. Hazrat Mujaddid [Alf Sani] has also expressed the same belief. Now, would you call all of them disbelievers? Rest assured that this system of prophethood shall remain established till the Day of Judgement.

Need for a Mujaddid

Upon hearing this the person from the Frontier asked, ‘What deficiency was left in the Faith for the completion of which you have come?’

The Promised Messiah^as ( Imam Mahdi ) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said:

There is no deficiency in the commandments. Salat, Qiblah, Zakat, and the Kalimah are the same. With the lapse of time, observance of these dictates slackens. Many people become unmindful of the Oneness of God. Then He raises a person from Himself who helps the people reaffirm themselves upon the Shariah once again.

Slackness creeps in with the lapse of a 100 years. About 100,000 Muslims have renounced their faith, yet—in your opinion—there is no need for anyone. People are abandoning the Quran, they have no regard for the Sunnah [practice of the Holy Prophet^sas], they have taken their own customs to be their religion and yet, still—in your estimation—there is no need for anyone.

Upon hearing this the person said, ‘At that time all will be disbelievers. Only thirty or forty believers will have been left.’

The Promised Messiah^as ( Imam Mahdi ) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad asked, ‘Will all those who fight together with the Mahdi [the Guided One] be disbelievers?’

What Reformation have You Accomplished?

The person then asked, ‘What reformation have you accomplished?’
The Promised Messiah^as ( Imam Mahdi ) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said:

Look, more than 400,000 people have repented at my hand from impiety, immorality, many other sins, and false beliefs. Indulgence in impiety and immorality is like becoming a disbeliever. Not a day goes by that many come to repent. Turning to Allah in every matter is a monumental thing. To be a Muslim is not just what you think it to be.

To carry out a virtuous deed is an extremely difficult task. Pretentiousness nullifies a deed. In this day and age, it is hard to act with sincerity. People are focused on materialism. A Reformer has been promised at the beginning of every century to correct these kinds of errors, and to help people develop a focus on God.

If there was no need for a Reformer at the head of every century, and—according to you—the Holy Quran and the scholars were sufficient, then an objection arises against the Holy Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. People still go to Hajj [the Pilgrimage], pay the Zakat, and keep the Fasts. Even then the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said there would be a Mujaddid [Reformer] every 100 years. Even the opponents accept this. The prophecy would prove to be false if there was no need for one at this time. Do not just look at the
visible; no one knows the unseen except God:

فَوَيْلٌ لِّ۠لْمُصَلِّيْنَ ۰۰ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُوْن ¹

Meaning, ‘So woe to those who pray, but are unaware of the essence of their Salat [Prayer].’

Thus, only such an individual attains success and only such an individual can be called a true believer who performs a virtuous deed with all its essentials. This is found in very few during this present age. Thus, I have come at my appointed time to remove these internal and external weaknesses. If I am not from God, this Movement will perish. And if I am from God, then—rest assured—the opponents will remain unsuccessful.²