However, whenever people stray far from God and lose faith in Him, in order to revive faith afresh and to re-establish man's relation with God, according to the teachings of the Quran and Hadith there arise saints and reformers. Such persons are known by various titles in the Quran and Hadith, such as wali (saint), imam (spiritual leader), mujaddid (reformer), and muhaddas (a recipient of revelation who is not a prophet). The same persons are referred to in Sufi terminology as fana fir-rasul, masil anbiya, zilli nabi, buroozi nabi, ummati wa nabi etc., the meanings of which have just been explained. These terms of the Sufis do not describe prophets, but refer to saints.

Extracts are given below from the writings of Hazrat Mirza showing that he believed that the highest spiritual rank open to Muslims is sainthood (wilayat), which is attained only through truly following the Holy Prophet Muhammad. He held, as shown below, that thousands of true believers over the centuries of Islam reached this stage, and that he himself was one such man.

``I have seen a great power in the Holy Quran and a wonderful characteristic in following the Holy Prophet Muhammad, which power and characteristic are not to be found in any other religion. That is that the true follower reaches the stage of sainthood (wilayat). Hence I have personal experience of this.''

(Chasma-i Ma`rifat, Part II, p. 60)

``This is the sainthood (wilayat) beyond which there is no higher stage.''

(Haqiqat al-Wahy , p. 52)

``Remember that by `learned one' is not meant a person whose knowledge of language, grammar, or logic is unmatched, but a person who is always fearing God and does not use his tongue frivolously. And in the Holy Quran the quality of the learned ones is that they fear God. In fact 'ulama [learned ones] is the plural of `alim, and `ilm [knowledge] is that thing which is certain and definite. True knowledge can only be had from the Holy Quran, not from ancient Greek or modern Western philosophy. The true philosophy of faith is obtained through the Holy Quran. The perfection and highest achievement of the believer is to reach the stage of the 'ulama and to acquire that degree of conviction which is the ultimate extent of knowledge.''

(Malfuzat, Part I, p. 346)

``But in the end the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the one to receive the crown of honour. I am one of his slaves and servants, to whom God speaks.''

(Haqiqat al-Wahy, p. 274)

``Similarly, whatever God has mentioned in the Holy Quran of His virtues, it is by way of beauty and love. By reading it, it becomes quite clear that He wants to turn the reader into a lover of God. So He made thousands of lovers in this way, and I too am one such humble servant.''

(Chashma-i Ma`rifat, Part II, p. 64)

``Remember that in the Holy Quran God has described this characteristic of holy life that such a person shows miracles. God listens to the prayers of such people and speaks to them and gives them news of matters unseen beforehand and aids them. So we see that there have been thousands of such persons in Islam, and in this age I am here to show this example.''

(The Four Questions Answered, p. 15)

``Muhaddases are the people who have the privilege of Divine communication, and their souls bear the utmost resemblance to the souls of the prophets. They are living reminders of the wonders of prophethood, so that the subtle issue of Divine revelation may not become a mere tale in any age, due to being devoid of proof. It is not a correct idea that the Prophets, peace be upon them, left the world with no heirs rather, in every century their heirs arise according to need, and in this century there is my humble self.''

(Barakat-ud-Dua, p. 18)

``In this age too, whatever spiritual blessings of God are being sent is a result of following and obeying the Holy Prophet. I say truly, and from my experience, that no person can be called truly holy and attaining the pleasure of God, nor can he receive those blessings, deep truths and visions which are obtained by a high degree of spiritual purity, till he becomes totally absorbed in following the Holy Prophet Muhammad. This is proved by the word of God itself which says: `If you love God, follow me [i.e. Holy Prophet]; God will love you' [the Quran 3:30]. I am the practical and living proof of this claim by God. Recognise me by the signs of the lovers of God and the saints as given in the Holy Quran.''

(Tafsir Sura Fatiha, p. 121)

``This teaching [i.e. Islam] can make thousands into Messiahs, and has done it for hundreds of thousands.''

(The Four Questions Answered, p. 22)

``Though in Islam there have been thousands of saints and godly men, none of them had been prophesied about specifically. But the one who was to come bearing the name of Messiah, he had been prophesied about. Similarly, no prophet before Jesus was a promised prophet. Only the Messiah was a promised one.''

(Tazkira Shahadatain, p. 29)

``All the khalifas [successors to the Holy Prophet] of this religion are to be from amongst the Muslim nation, and they are the likes of the successors to Moses. Only one of them, to appear at the end of the chain, will be the Promised one who shall resemble Jesus. The rest would not be promised ones, i.e. they have not been prophesied about by name.''

(ibid. p. 37)

``Of course, muhaddases will come who will be spoken to by God, and possess some attributes of full prophethood by way of reflection (zill), and in some ways be coloured with the colour of prophethood. I am one of these.''

(Nishan Asmani, p. 28)

``We believe and acknowledge that, according to the real meaning of prophethood, after the Holy Prophet Muhammad no new or former prophet can come. The Holy Quran forbids the appearance of any such prophets. But in a metaphorical sense God can call any recipient of revelation as nabi or mursal. The Arabs to this day call even the message-bearer of a man as a rasul, so why is it forbidden for God to use the word mursal in a metaphorical sense too? Do you not even remember from the Quran the words: `So they [some non-prophets] said, We are messengers to you'?

(Siraj Munir, p. 3)