Eighteenth Argument: Buroozi nabi

[ BACK ] If Hazrat Mirza had indeed claimed to be a prophet, he would not have called himself a buroozi nabi (image or manifestation of a prophet) because, according to the spiritual savants of Islam, being a burooz implies a complete negation of one's own existence. He wrote:

``All prophets have believed that the burooz is a full picture of its original, so much so that even the name becomes one.''

(Ayk Ghalati Ka Izala)

``The Sufis believe that the nature, disposition and moral qualities of a person from the past come again in another. In their terminology, they say that so and so is in the footsteps (qadam) of Adam, or the footsteps of Noah. Some also call this as burooz.''

(Mulfuzat, Part I, p. 239)

``It is customary with Muslim religious scholars that they call burooz as qadam [footsteps], and say, such and such a person is in the footsteps of Moses, such and such is in the footsteps of Abraham.''

(Lujjat an-Nur, p. 1)

``The whole Muslim nation is agreed that a non-prophet takes the place of a prophet as a burooz [image]. This is the meaning of the hadith: Ulama ummati ka-anbiya Bani Israil, that is, the savants from among my followers are the likes of the prophets. See that the Holy Prophet, peace and the blessings of God be upon him, has likened the godly savants to prophets.''

(Ayyam as-Sulh, p. 163)

``Being a burooz implies the negation of its own existence. Hence prophethood and apostleship by way of burooz does not infringe the seal of the finality of prophethood.''

(Ayk Ghalati Ka Izala)

``As a person's face is seen in the mirror, though that face has its own independent existence; this is called burooz.''

(Tafsir Surah Fatiha, p. 330)