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Hazrat
Mirza has, it will be seen, given much explanation of the
words nabi and rasul, to the effect that
the word rasul is a broad term and is used for
saints just as it is used for prophets, and the word nabi
is used non-technically for saints just as it is used in
its technical sense for prophets. If a person uses these
words about himself, his own explanation should be sought
from his writings to see if he has used them for actual
prophethood or used them metaphorically to mean muhaddas. It should be remembered that at no
time did Hazrat Mirza claim real prophethood; on the
contrary, he always used these words about himself in the
root sense or as metaphors. And besides, he has made so
abundantly clear the root vis-a-vis the technical
meanings of these words, and their real vis-a-vis
metaphorical use, that no person should stumble by these
terms and erroneously believe him to be claiming to be a
prophet.
``Remember that in the
word of God, the term rusul [pl. of rasul]
is used for the singular and also for non-prophets.''
(Shahadat
al-Quran, pp. 20,--,21)
``The word rasul
is a general term and includes the messenger, the
prophet (nabi) and the saint (muhaddas).''
(Ainah
Kamalat Islam, p. 322)
``By rasul are
meant those persons who are sent by God, whether nabi,
or rasul, or muhaddas or mujaddid.''
(Ayyam
as-Sulh, footnote, p. 171)
``If the rank of muhaddas
is called a metaphorical prophethood or displaying an
aspect of prophethood, does this imply a claim to
prophethood?''
(Izala
Auham, p. 422)
``In a metaphorical
sense, God can call any recipient of revelation as nabi
or mursal.''
(Siraj
Munir, p. 3)
``Sometimes the
revelation from God contains such words [nabi,
rasul] about some of His saints in a metaphorical
sense.''
(Anjam
Atham, footnote, p. 28)
``It is true that I
have said that elements of prophethood are found in tahdees
[station of muhaddas], but this is the case
potentially, not actually. So the muhaddas is
potentially a prophet, and if the door of prophethood
were not closed, he would be actually a prophet.''
(Hamamat
al-Bushra, p. 81; new edition p. 290)
``God speaks to muhaddases
just as He speaks to prophets (nabi), and He
sends muhaddases just as He sends messengers (rasul).
The muhaddas drinks from the same fountain,
from which the prophet drinks. So there is no doubt
that he [the muhaddas] would be a prophet if
the door of prophethood had not been closed.''
(ibid.,
p. 82; new edition pp. 291,--,292)
``In terms of being
sent by God (mursal), the prophet (nabi)
and the saint (muhaddas) are on a par. And
just as God has named prophets as mursal
[`sent ones'], so has He also named the saints as mursal.''
(Shahadat
al-Quran, p. 27)
``By rusul [pl.
of rasul] are meant those who are sent,
whether a messenger or prophet or muhaddas. As
our Leader and Messenger [Holy Prophet Muhammad] is
the Last of the Prophets (Khatam al-anbiya),
and no prophet can come after him, for this reason muhaddases
have been substituted for prophets in this
Shari`ah.''
(ibid.,
pp. 23,--,24)
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