Text Box:  By R. Fazil Jamal Heaven and earth bear witness to the grandeur and majesty of Allah, the Most High. The appearance of a Messenger of Allah is thus the most sublime spiritual event in any age. The revelation of the Holy Qur’an and the purifying teachings and the presence of the Holy Prophet (sa) converted an unlettered people into the thought leaders of mankind. It is no accident, then, that countless signs and miracles appear in favour of the Elects of Allah even in the course of every day lives of ordinary believers and others. The Messengers of Allah makes an appearance at a time of Allah’s choice, when the conditions of the world necessitate it. They come and confirm each other as they belong to the same chain of enduring Divine Plan. In this context, the Holy Qur’an contains a remarkable prophecy about the second coming of the Holy Prophet in the Latter Days and presciently describes the condition and behaviour of the religious divines and oracles of the day. The time of the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) witnessed the fulfillment of these prophecies. Now that Allah has once again sent another Massih in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius (as), we can certainly discern the fulfillment of these prophecies once again. Their material circumstances and experiences in this world may vary. Yet, those who have eyes will certainly discern remarkable similarities that appear across time and space in the experiences of these Elects of Allah. This article seeks to examine and reflect upon this spiritual phenomenon in the light of recent events. Maulvi Muhammad Ismail HA, one of the leading Ulema of the Ahmadiyya Community in Kerala, India has been spreading canards against the new Messenger of Allah and his disciples in Kerala for some time now. In order to retain the loyalty and blind faith of ordinary Ahmadis in the system itself, he converted the sacred precincts of Mosques into theaters of cheap wit and abused his position to raise spurious charges and false allegations against the Khalifa of Allah. Like a deranged sorceress, the Maulvi also threatened the new disciples of the Massih in Kerala, warning them with the death of their children because they accepted the Divine Manifestation of our times.   It is the same Maulvi who translated the Holy Qur’an into Malayalam. Yet, he could not comprehend the similarity between his argument and that of the Pharaoh who, in the time of the Moses (as), wished the death of the sons of his disciples. It is the same Maulvi who translated the book “My Mother” by Sir Zafrullah Khan Sahib into Malayalam. Yet, he could not foresee the similarity between his position and that of the sorceress in the time of the Promised Massih (as). Khalifa Awwal Hadhrat Hakkim Nuruddin (ra) lost a son after he became a disciple of the Promised Massih (as) and the opponents of the Massih (as) tried to torment him by linking the two events. Had he been alive in the time of the Massih, what position would the Maulvi have taken? The Signs prophesied by the Holy Qur’an have to eventually fulfill. In his Friday Sermon of March 11, 2011, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius thus publicly challenged this Maulana for a Mubahala Duel “so that the world, the Ahmadi people and his caliph may know who really the liar is”. The Mubahala Challenge Hadhrat Sahib stated: “I have gotten the needed information about the one who spread the false rumour of financial corruption on this humble person. He is none other than the Molvi Muhammad Ismail H.A (the senior Muballigh of the Ahmadi in Kerala). He is the foremost person to have spread this false rumour and verily soon he shall taste of the evil consequences of his actions. He not only spread such lies on this humble self but he also is playing God as to say that the death of someone is due to his father’s disobedience to the Ahmadiyya Caliphate and his acceptance of the New Messenger of this era. God forbid, according to this so-called Maulana, the father commits sin whereas the son pays for it? Now, he is spreading the words that beware of forthcoming deaths of the sons of the disciples of this humble Messenger.   I hereby invite this so-called Maulana, Molvi Muhammad Ismail H.A (the senior Muballigh of the Ahmadi in Kerala) to come forward in an open duel of prayer (Mubahila) concerning what all that he said about this humble self, and my disciples in Kerala (India).    Let him come officially forward and make this announcement officially that he has accepted my challenge of Mubahila so that the world, the Ahmadi people and his caliph may know who really the liar is.    And I am waiting for his reply to this open challenge for a duel of prayer (Mubahila) so that the world may witness the clear defeat and death of the liar within one year!   He must come forward officially and sign this part of the official Mubahila which I have included in my Friday Sermon of today 11 March 2011, and this Mubahila will take effect as soon as he accepts and puts on officially his signature, date and time of acceptance to this challenge. As soon as he signs the challenge to Mubahila, I am ready to sign and date the document. Insha-Allah.    As Allah said in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Verse 61: “If anyone argues with you, despite the knowledge you have received, then say, “Let us summon our children and your children, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then let us invoke Allah’s curse upon the liars.”  Come together and implore Allah and say: “O my Creator! Descend down Your curse in the period of one year upon either one of us who is the liar and deceitful in Your eyes and cover him with shame and humiliate him and show them the manifestation of Your anger and punishment. Punish him, hit him, and try him so that everyone knows that all their misfortunes do not come from men, but from Your all-powerful Hand and so that it may be known that these wonders are from Your jealousy, Your Self-Esteem.”    I personally make this prayer: “O Allah, so punish the liar, the so-called Maulana Muhammad Ismail H.A (the senior Muballigh of the Ahmadi in Kerala) who is spreading false rumours on Your humble Messenger of this era, Your Munir Ahmad Azim. O Allah, show to the world your humble Messenger’s veracity through the defeat of this so-called Maulana who is adamant to deviate your servants from the right path. O Allah, in You I place my trust and through You shall truth become manifest. Ameen.” - (Friday Sermon of March 11, 2011) What is the reaction of the Maulana to this Mubahala challenge? When challenged about personal integrity and courage of conviction, an honest man would want to stand his ground, leave alone those who profess to carry the burden of serving the faith of Islam in this age. When the General Secretary of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala sent him the official letter containing the Friday Sermon and the Mubahala Challenge as a registered document, astonishingly, the Maulvi even feared to accept it and the letter returned back to the sender with the reason “refused”! Instead of displaying manliness and a straight spine in a battle to determine the future of Islam, the Maulvi chose to reveal himself by refusing to accept the challenge and to “sit at home with those who sit” (9:46). Moreover, the Khalifathullah said of the recent Mubahala waged to Maulana Muhammad Ismail H.A of Kerala, India: “It is an eye-opener to the fact that in the epoch of every Elect of Allah, there have been opponents who are thirsty for their blood. Likewise in this present era, I, the Khalifathullah and Massih of this era am target to many blames and accusations. My stubborn opponents are adamant to label this humble self all sorts of vicious names and to deviate the people from the right path, misguiding them and leading them far away from my call in the capacity of Chosen Messenger of Allah. Recently, a Maulana from Kerala, India went so far as to create disorder and to misguide the Ahmadi people and in the same go said a lot of falsehood on the person of the Messenger of Allah of this era. His name is Maulana Muhammad Ismail. On account of the lies he told, I challenged him to a Mubahala, which he flatly refused to acknowledge and continued in his madness. The Secretary of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam of Kerala sent him a registered letter of Mubahala but the Maulana refused to acknowledge reception of the registered letter of Mubahala. But this is absolutely no coincidence when in the epoch of the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), there was one Maulana with the same name (Maulana Muhammad Ismail Sahib) as the present Maulvi whom I challenged to a Mubahala also. The present Maulana Muhammad Ismail H.A of Kerala has been going from mosque to mosque in his region and doing classes against this humble self to tell people that no Mujaddid will come and that only their mundane elected Khalifa is all that they shall ever need. Instead of him making these classes and trying to deviate the people from path of truth, I have already invited him to come in the court of Allah so that one and all may come to know who is the liar and who is the Massih of this era – is it this humble self or the man-elected Khalifa? I am still waiting for him to come forward and accept this challenge of Mubahala, but he is adamant to hide behind falsehood and pretend to be deaf and blind to this invitation. I am still waiting for his reply to come forward for the Mubahala if he is really a great defender of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya and Nizam-e-Jamaat Ahmadiyya. I have the patience to wait for his reply…” (from the Speech of the Khalifathullah ~ Study-Circle 09 April 2011) Promised Massih (as) and the new Mubahala Challenge The Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has had to confront his enemies all through his life. Sometimes, he invited them even to the decisive challenge of Mubahala. In his book “Sachchai ka Izhar” (The Truth Revealed), the Promised Massih (as) made important statements of principles that are directly relevant to the current Mubahala Challenge issued by the new Massih of Allah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib in the wake of the false allegations against him by the Ahmadi Maulvi Muhammad Ismail Sahib of Kerala. 1. On the significance of Mubahala: “O Ye who reject me, come unto that which God and His Messenger (sa) have prescribed for the silencing of disbelievers. But if you should turn away, know that the curse of God befalls the disbelievers whose fear and retreat is testimony to their falsehood”. (p.22) 2. On Sending the Announcement of Mubahala through Registered Post A mubahala is not a trivial business which can be entered into lightly. This matter should be decided once and for all. Thus, whosoever demurs after reading this advertisement and eschews this challenge will have no right in the future to issue a Mubahala and may shamelessly call me what he wills from the shadows. Thus, to precipitate the denouement of this affair, numerous copies of this announcement will be sent by registered post so that my opponents will have no cause for excuse.” (pp.20--21) 3. Consequence of rejection of Mubahala: “However, if any of them should baulk at taking part in the mubahalah, upon reading the announcement that has been sent to them through registered post, their demurral will suffice to show that they are false and unjust in their edicts of disbelief”. (p.20). By refusing to accept the Registered Post containing the Mubahala Challenge, sent on behalf of the Massih of Allah by the General Secretary of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala, Maulvi Muhammad Ismail Sahib shows that he has “no cause for excuse”. To put it mildly, according to the criteria given by the Promised Massih (as), the Maulvi’s reluctance is suffice to show that he is “false and unjust” in his behaviour which prompted the Mubahala Challenge. Is it a mere coincidence that the book of the Promised Massih (as) is titled “The Truth Revealed”? After all, if Ahmadi Ulema were true and just, why would Allah send an Elect of His in this age? Regarding the condition of the Ulema in the time of an Elect of Allah, the Holy Qur’an says: “The likeness of those who were entrusted with the law of Torah, but did not carry out its commandments, is as the likeness of an ass carrying a load of books. Evil is the likeness of the people who reject the Signs of Allah. And Allah guides not the wrongdoing people. Say, ‘O ye who are Jews, if you claim you are the friends of Allah to the exclusion of all other people, then wish for Death, if indeed you are truthful’. But they will never wish for it, because of that which their hands have sent on before them. And Allah knows well those who do wrong”. Say, ‘The Death from which you flee will surely overtake you. Then will you be returned unto Him Who knows the unseen and the seen, and He will inform you of what you had been doing’. [62: 6-9] These verses appear in Surah Al Jum’ah. Even more remarkably, the verses immediately follow the prophecy regarding the second coming of the Holy Prophet (sa) in the Latter Days. In his Five Volume Commentary on the Holy Qur’an (pp.2627-29), Hadhrat Musleh Maoud (ra) has deducted three important points from these verses: An implied warning to Muslims not to reject the Promised Massih like the Jews before them who had rejected the Holy Prophet. The Promised Massih will challenge the Muslim Ulema who will reject his claim to Mubahala, i.e, a prayer contest in which Divine curse is invoked against those who forge lies against God (3:62). The Muslim Ulema, whom the Promised Massih will invite to Mubahala, will refuse to accept the challenge as they are convinced of the falsity of their position. It is a great irony of spiritual history that those who have the biggest responsibility to recognize and accept an Elect of Allah fail to live up to their primary mandate when the time actually comes for the same. In spite of their learning and scholarship, their spiritual vision goes blind by the time an Elect of Allah appears among them. Creeping arrogance and hubris within the Ulema invariably make them fierce adversaries of the new Elect of Allah, rather than his ardent supporters. All this while, they will continue to pretend to be rightly guided and claim to serve Allah and His religion under the leadership of the one whom they themselves have elected as the chief of their group. It so happened in history that in spite of the warning contained in these verses, most Muslims rejected the Promised Massih (as) when he actually arrived, just like the Jews before them had rejected the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). The fact remains that the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) did challenge the Muslim Ulema of the day for Mubahala when they raised false allegations against him. For instance, like we are presently witnessing, we can read in the book, The Victory of Islam (pp.17-23), how Hadhrat Ahmad (as) challenged one Maulvi Muhammad Ismail Sahib to Mubahala when he dared to raise false accusations against the Messenger of Allah. In response to the allegations against him, the Promised Massih (as) cited the following verse of the Holy Qur’an: “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and our people and your people, then let us pray fervently and invoke the curse of God on those lie” (3:62). Needless to add, the spineless Maulvi developed cold feet and refused to take the Mubahala challenge of the Lion of Allah. This very act and behaviour of the Maulvi, in its own way, became an enduring Sign for the veracity of the claim of the Promised Massih (as). Even more astonishingly, the incident testified to the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet (sa), a full fourteen centuries after he left the world and to the grandeur and Majesty of the author of the Holy Qur’an, Who knows the unseen and the seen. Today, we are witnessing a remarkably similar Phenomenon. Based on the glad tidings that Allah vouchsafed to the Promised Massih (as) and also to the Musleh Maoud (ra) and in accordance with the timeless Divine Plan of sending His Messengers whenever there is a requirement of an Elect of Allah, a new Massih has come in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius (as). That an Elect of Allah appears from among the spiritual progeny of the Promised Massih (as) should have been an occasion for spiritual joy and happiness in the Jamaat. The objective of strengthening and expanding the spiritual work of the Jamaat of the Promised Massih (as) could have been radically boosted with the blessed presence of an Elect of Allah. And the greatest responsibility of recognizing and accepting the new Messenger naturally lies on the