‘The Sun will rise from the West’

The Holy Prophet^sa prophesied that one of the signs of the last hour is that the sun will rise from the west. One interpretation mentioned by the Promised Messiah^as is that the spiritual sun of Islam will rise from the west, which means western nations will accept the religion of Islam. The eastern nations which had inherited this religion, with the passage of time forgot and did not fully appreciate this blessing, yet the western nations are thirsty for such guidance.

The Holy Quran refers to the Holy Prophet^sa as light-giving sun^[1]. Now as the sun of spiritual guidance had descended in the east revealing deep religious truths for the whole of mankind, it was destined that his message shall also reach the west and be accepted. Western materialistic philosophy and science by means of its human exertions and endeavour cannot quench the spiritual thirst of the western nations. Thus, God has destined the spiritual enlightenment of the west would occur when the revelation of God would reach the west and the words ‘that He may cause it to prevail over all religions’ would be fulfilled through the advent of the Promised Messiah^as.

The Promised Messiah^as interpreting the prophecy of the Holy Prophet^sa writes:

“”Similarly, the rising of the sun from the west which will take place, we believe in it. However, what was disclosed to this humble one through a vision is that the sun rising from West means that the Western countries which had been engulfed by the darkness of infidelity and ignorance, will be illuminated by the sun of truth, and they will have a share of Islam.  I saw myself standing on a rostrum in London revealing the truth of Islam through well-reasoned arguments in the English language. Afterwards I caught many birds sitting on small trees. Their colour was white, and their bodies were like those of partridges. Therefore, I interpreted this to mean that even though not me, yet my writings would spread amongst those people and many righteous Englishmen would become the prey of truth. In fact, the connection of the Western countries with religious honesty had hitherto been very rare. It is as if Allah gave knowledge of religion to the whole of Asia and secular knowledge to Europe and America. The chain of Prophethood also remained with Asia, as did the benefits of consummate sainthood. Now God Almighty wants to encompass these people with His divine mercy”^[2]

This grand vision of the Promised Messiah^as clearly points towards the acceptance of Islam in the west and Britain in particular. The white birds represent pious souls of the west who would later come forth to join the fold of Islam Ahmadiyyat. Although the Promised Messiah^as would not be able to travel there himself, physically, nevertheless, his writings and followers would do so in time.

It was due to the divinely inspired fore sightedness of the Promised Messiah^as that the foundation of the establishment of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was laid down in the west during his lifetime. Due to his fervent prayers and the Grace of Allah the Almighty, these prophecies were fulfilled in the most glorious manner. The message of Islam through his writings reached Europe, America and Britain within his lifetime and he has written and spoken about the west and Britain on number of occasions.

Why do you wonder if I’ve come as the Messiah?

The spring-breeze itself is laced with the messianic spirit!

There is fervour in the heavens for the invitation to truth;
The angels are descending upon those with pious nature.

The free people of Europe are leaning this way
The pulse of the dead has suddenly revived like the living.

The men of wisdom are now saying farewell to the Trinity.

They are cherishing the spring of unity once again.[3]

In accordance with the practice of the Holy Prophet^sa when he sent letters of invitation to Islam to various kings, the Promised Messiah^as in 1893 invited the Queen to accept Islam through a letter included in the Arabic part of ‘Aina Qamalati Islam’ (The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam).

The Promised Messiah^as addressing the Queen said:

‘O Honourable Queen, I am surprised that you deny the religion of Islam, despite your grace, knowledge, and insight.’^[4] The Promised Messiah^as received a receipt of the letter thanking him and more books were asked to be sent.^[5]

The Promised Messiah^as   had always been ardent in his propagation of the message of Islam to the West. Once Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq^ra was sitting in a room with the Promised Messiah^as and a companion knocked at the door with great excitement. When Mufti Muhammad Sadiq^ra inquired as to the reason of his eagerness, the companion told him that he had defeated a Maulvi in a debate. The Promised Messiah^as replied “I had thought that he had come with a news that all of Europe has accepted Islam”.^[6]

Similarly, on an occasion speaking on the importance of the propagation of Islam he stated:

‘If it were within my power, I would have desired to go from door to door like beggars and propagate the True Religion of Allah and thereby rescue humanity from polytheism (Shirk) and disbelief (Kufr). If Allah would grant me the knowledge of the English language, I would personally embark on preaching (Tabligh) expeditions and spend my entire life in this pursuit even if I were to die in this cause.‘[7]

Some of the books and smaller pamphlets of the Promised Messiah^as were translated and sent to the USA and Europe.[8] However, after it had been revealed to the Promised Messiah^as that he was indeed, the long-awaited Messiah of God Almighty (December 1890), his mission assumed much greater earnestness. He announced in January 1891 in his book ‘Victory of Islam’ that the All-Wise and All-Knowing God had sent him into the world to attract it to truth and righteousness. He writes:

‘In short O Muslims the coming of this humble one is a miracle. It is a miracle to dispel the darkness of Western magic. Was it not imperative that this magic should be dispelled by a miracle? Do you think it strange and incredible that to confront and defeat the terrible intrigues – I call magic – there should be a dazzling manifestation by God with the compelling power of a miracle?

Ye wise, don’t be surprised that right in time of need, to dispel darkness of this depth, God has sent a light from Heaven and appointed one of His servants for the benefit of all and sundry to raise again the Voice of Islam; to spread the light and knowledge we owe to the Holy Prophet, to support and assist the interests of Mussulmans, and also at the same time to bring about their internal reform. You would have had more cause to be surprised if God had remained silent at such a time. And yet He has promised always to guard and support the Faith of Islam, and never to let it lose its power and popularity and influence in the world.[9]

(Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah) A Gift for the Queen

Since the purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah^as was to propagate the Unity of God and His message, he found a way to serve those objectives on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria which was celebrated with great pomp and show in June 1897. He published a book Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah [A Gift for the Queen] on May 25, 1897. In addition to felicitating Her Majesty, the Promised Messiah as outlined the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet^sa and Islam with great subtlety and wisdom. He then outlined the principles which can lay the foundations of world peace and international brotherhood. After giving the gist of the Islamic teachings, he invited Her Majesty Queen Victoria to hold a conference of great religions in London so that the inhabitants of England may learn the true teachings of Islam. He then discussed the abhorrence of the Christian dogma that Hazrat ‘Isa^as [Prophet Jesus] died on the cross and thus accepted the curse in order to save the Christians. On the joyful occasion of the Jubilee, the Promised Messiah as asked Her Majesty to exonerate Hazrat ‘Isa^as [Prophet Jesus] of the curse that is wrongfully placed upon him, thereby clearing his honour from the unjustified accusation.

The Promised Messiah^as undertook to show a sign of his own truthfulness, provided that Her Majesty would agree to accept his message in case of fulfilment—adding that he would accept the death penalty by being put on the gallows in Her Majesty’s capital if he is unable to show a convincing sign.

A meeting to celebrate the Jubilee was also held in Qadian in June 1897, which was attended by several members who joined from out of town. In accordance with the directives of the government officials, a resolution was passed and sent to the Viceroy of India. Copies of Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah were prepared in high quality binding, one of which was sent to Deputy Commissioner District Gurdaspur for onward transmission to Her Majesty, and copies were sent to the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governor Punjab. A prayer was recited in six languages in the meeting, which included:

“Almighty God! As Thy Wisdom and Providence has been pleased to put us under the rule of our blessed Empress enabling us to lead lives of peace and prosperity, we pray to Thee that our ruler may in return be saved from all evils and dangers as Thine is the kingdom, glory and power. Believing in Thy unlimited powers we earnestly ask Thee, All-Powerful Lord, to grant us one more prayer that our benefactress the Empress, before leaving this world, may probe her way out of the darkness of man-worship with the light of la-ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. [There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet]. Do Almighty God as we desire and grant us this humble prayer of ours as Thy will alone governs all minds. Amen!”[10]

In his book the Promised Messiah^as also suggested that a conference of World Religions should be held and gave the example of third Roman Caesar who after ascending the throne, held a debate between two Christian sects which lasted for forty days and after carefully pondering over their arguments he adopted the belief in the oneness of God and accepted Jesus^as a mere prophet of God.

The Promised Messiah^as wrote:

“I also dare to make another submission. It is evident from the historical records that when the third of the Roman Caesars ascended the throne, and had firmly established his authority, he thought of organizing a debate among the two well-known sects among the Christians, one who believed in the Oneness of God and the other that considered Jesus as god. The debate took place in the presence of the Caesar of Rome in good decorum and arrangement. Hundreds of chairs were laid to seat honoured observers and members of the government according to their status to listen to the debate. The debate of the priests from both sides lasted for forty days in the court of the king. The Roman Caesar listened to the arguments from both sides and pondered over them. In the end, the sect considering Jesus, the Messiah, to be only a messenger of God and a prophet prevailed. The other sect faced such defeat that the Caesar disclosed in the gathering that he was drawn towards the sect believing in the Oneness of God due to their argument and not of his own consideration. Before leaving the gathering, he adopted the belief of Oneness of God and became one of those mentioned also in the Holy Quran and stopped using the phrase ‘son’ with reference to God. Thereafter, the next three Caesars who ascended the throne also believed in the Oneness of God. This shows that such conferences were a tradition of the Christian kings of the past and led to great changes. Pondering over such events, it is the earnest desire of my heart that our Empress of India may also hold such a conference presided from the throne. It would be a memorable spiritual event. This conference should be of a broader scope than that held by the Caesar of Rome as our Honoured Empress has a higher status than the Roman Emperor. An additional reason for this request is that since the people of this country have come to know of the Conference of Religions in America, naturally hearts are excited that Your Majesty should also arrange such a conference in London so that, due to this event, groups of loyal subjects in this country and their leaders and scholars may meet Your Majesty at the capital; and so that Your Majesty’s eyes may also fall on the thousands of loyal subjects of British India, and respected citizens of India be seen in the streets and boulevards of London for a few weeks. It will be necessary that every participant present his faith’s excellences and not malign others. If such a conference takes place, it will be a legendary spiritual event from our Honoured Queen; and England, which has been fed with Islamic matters incorrectly, will be introduced to the true face of Islam. In this way, the people of England will be apprised of the true philosophy of every religion. It is not a satisfactory state of affairs that the information about the religions of India reaches England through priests, because the books of the priests which mention other religions are like a polluted drain of water contain-ing much refuse and waste. The priests do not want to elicit the truth, rather they want to hide it. There is such an adulteration of prejudice in their writings that it is difficult, indeed impossible, that the real truth about religions should reach England… Therefore, it is highly desirable that for the good of humanity a conference of religions be held by the Empress of India to disseminate the reality of religions”[11]

Sitara-e-Qaisaraya, Star of the Queen

The Promised Messiah^as had the expectation that should the Queen receive his book ‘Tuhfah Qaisriya’ she would certainly, in line with Royal protocol, send a confirmation of receipt. However, after two years had passed with no response, the Promised Messiah then published another book on the 24th of August 1899 – ‘Star of the Queen’-Sitarah Qaisriyah’.^[12]

The Promised Messiah^as once again commended the British government for granting peace, security and religious freedom to all its subjects. He then refuted the false doctrine of the advent of a militant Messiah and Mahdi, who according to some, would presumably, compel the world into accepting Islam. Furthermore, he eloquently removed misconceptions surrounding the concept of Jihad and clearly expounds that Islam was never spread by the sword, nor is religious compulsion permitted in Islam. The Promised Messiah^as further explained that the Christian concept of atonement, which logically results in Jesus^as bearing the burden of curse, is a dishonour to a prophet of God. Finally, the Promised Messiah^as presented his claim as being the Promised Messiah and Mahdi of the latter days, awaited by all world religions.

The Promised Messiah^as addressed Queen Victoria:

“I have also been commissioned to convey the glad tidings to Her Majesty, the magnificent Empress of India, that just as on earth and through worldly means, God the Exalted, with His infinite Mercy and perfect Wisdom has established the rule of Her Majesty in this country and abroad, so that He may fill the world with justice and peace; similarly, from the unseen, He has Himself ordained in Heaven, the establishment of a spiritual system in her auspicious reign, so that the heart-felt objectives of our august Queen, the Empress of India, may be fulfilled and supported, which are to promote justice, peace and the welfare of mankind; the eradication of disorder, reformation of morals and the removal of savage conditions. This shall nurture with heavenly water the garden of peace, security and goodwill that she wishes to plant. In accordance with His eternal promise with respect to the advent of the Promised Messiah, He has sent me from Heaven, so that in the spirit of that man of God, who was born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth, I may engage myself in assisting with the good and blessed objectives of Her Majesty. He has anointed me with countless blessings and has appointed me as His Messiah so that from Heaven, He may Himself support Her Majesty in her pure ambitions. O Blessed Empress may God protect you and gladden our hearts with your long life, prosperity and success. The advent of the Promised Messiah in your reign, which is filled with the light of sincerity, is a testimony from God that you excel all other monarchs in your love for peace, good governance, compassion towards your subjects and in justice and equity.”^[13]

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[1] AlAhzab 33:47

[2] Izalah Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol 3, pp. 376 377

[3] Ruhani Khazain, Vol 21, p.131/ Essence of Islam Iv

[4] A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, p. 530.

[5] Hayat-e-Ahmad P.19-20

[6] Seeratul Mahdi Part 1, P.273

[7] Malfuzat Vol 3 P.90 (Edition 2016)

[8] https://history.ahmadiyya.uk/braheen-e-ahmadiyya-the-claim-to-be-a-mujaddid-reformerbraheen-e-ahmadiyya-the-claim-to-be-a-mujaddid-reformer/

[9] Victory of Islam P. 6

[10] Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah A Gift for the Queen P. 48-50

[11] Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah A Gift for the Queen P. 48-50

[12] Tareekh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol.2, p. 61

[13] Sitara-e-Qaisarah (Star of the Empress, p. 6-7)