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Elsewhere
Hazrat Mirza has explained in detail that this prayer is
for enabling one to follow the example of the prophets.
Therefore by his statement here that, through this
prayer, a person can become "a prophet and messenger
by way of burooz", it is meant that a person
can acquire likeness to prophets, in the way that Muslim
saints attain it. It is certainly not meant that this is
a prayer for one to become a prophet. Hazrat Mirza writes:
1. "God exhorts
us to pray to Him five times a day and beseech Him as
follows: 'Guide us on the right path, the path of
those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours', i.e.
O my God, the Beneficent and the Merciful, grant us
guidance so that we may become the like of Adam, the
chosen one of God; the like of Seth, the prophet of
God; the like of Noah, the second Adam; the like of
Abraham, the friend of God; the like of Moses, the
recipient of God's word; the like of Jesus; and the
like of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and Ahmad, and the
like of every truthful and faithful one. ...
"Of all the
leaders of Tasawwuf that there have been till
the present day, not even one has disagreed with the
point that in this religion the path to become the
likes of prophets is open, as the Holy Prophet
Muhammad has given the glad tidings for spiritual and
godly learned persons that 'the ulama of my Umma
are like the Israelite prophets'." (Izala
Auham, September 1891, pp. 256-259)
2. "The entire
Umma is agreed that a non-prophet takes the place of
a prophet by way of burooz. This is the
meaning of the following hadith: The ulama of my Umma
are like the Israelite prophets. Look, the Holy
Prophet has declared the ulama to be like prophets.
... God has it in the Holy Quran: 'Guide us on the
right path, the path of those upon whom Thou hast
bestowed favours'. All the commentators of the
Quran agree here that the purpose of being guided 'on
the path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed
favours' is to attain likeness to the prophets,
which is the real essence of following." (Ayyam
as-Sulh, August 1898, pp. 163-164)
In these quotations Hazrat
Mirza has referred to the hadith report: "The ulama
of my Umma are like the Israelite prophets", and it
is clear that what he is saying is that the prayer
"Guide us on the right path" is a prayer, not
for becoming a prophet, but for becoming one of the
righteous persons of this Umma who bear a likeness to
prophets.
3. "The Quran has
taught the prayer, 'Guide us on the right path,
the path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed
favours'. What is the object of this prayer? Just
this that 'O our God, make us the likes of the
prophets and messengers." (Izala Auham,
September 1891, p. 539)
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