The 52 Signs Mentioned In The Prophecy Of Hazrat Musleh Maud (May Allah be pleased with him)

By Lubna Waheed

On 20th February 1886, a leaflet was published in which Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, expressed that Allah the Almighty vouchsafed a sign during his time of isolation that a child would be born to him who would serve Islam, be pious and righteous and would have many other qualities.

In this leaflet 52 signs were stated that God had foretold about the life of this promised son. Needless to say that such a prophecy being fulfilled would support the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah. However just as the purpose of his advent was to prove the truth of Islam and to establish the greatness of the Holy Prophet (saw), the Promised Messiah did not attribute this prophecy to his own truth, but said:

Each characteristic of the prophecy is in essence a proof of the truth of Islam, in that the individual in question-Musleh Maud-would prove to be a champion of Islam. The prophecy not only foretold the birth of a son, but also stated that he would have a long life. If this prophecy is pondered over objectively, there remains no doubt in it being a Divine sign.

Opponents would mock the Promised Messiah, especially due to the fact that before the birth of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, every child would pass away at a young age. However the graciousness of God is such that they were proved completely wrong and the world was able to witness the truth of this prophecy which was illuminated through the life of Hazrat Musleh Maud. Some parts of the prophecy were fulfilled in his life before his appointment as the second successor of the Ahmadiyya Jama'at, while others were fulfilled during his Khilafat, which spanned a period of 52 years.

We are reminded and guided through Khilafat about understanding the depth of this prophecy and the ways in which it was all fulfilled. Our beloved Imam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaba reminds us of this historical and religiously inspiring manifestation enabling us to never lose touch from the blessings and truthfulness that God has bestowed upon this Jama'at.

What were those 52 qualities mentioned in the prophecy?

I will now present them to you as they were stated in the leaflet by the Promised Messiah as well as briefly explaining some of the prophecies as mentioned by our beloved Hazura in some of his Friday sermons.

The prophecy begins with the words:

The Promised Messiah explained that the word "guest" in the prophecy was for the first Bashir who soon departed from this world. The reference that he would be "free from all impurity" also signifies his childhood death. These phrases were all meant for Bashir, the first son that was born to the Promised Messiah before Hazrat Musleh Maud. The indication of the "promised son" in the prophecy begins with the words "He will be accompanied by grace which shall arrive with him".



Hazrat Musleh Maud said he saw in a vision that the following phrase was made to issue forth from his tongue, "Ana al-masihul maudo, maseelohoo wa khalifatoh." (I am the Promised Messiah, his like and his Successor). It felt very strange to him even in the dream to have these words be issued from his mouth but afterwards some friends drew his attention to the fact that the mention of being a "messianic soul" was found in the announcement of the Promised Messiah" about the promised son.

He also saw in a dream that he was having many idols broken. He said this indicated healing ills through the blessings of the Holy Spirit. The "Holy Spirit" signifies the spirit of Unity of God and the truth is that in reality, the only thing worthy of mention is the Being of God Himself, and all other things are simply reflections and shadows. So only by the spirit of the Unity of God would he, by its blessings, purify many of their ills.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III said that even if just one aspect of the grand prophecy is taken, for example "[He] will be filled with secular and spiritual knowledge", it is so extensive that one could not encompass it, no matter how much is said on it. One glance at his works show us secular, as well as spiritual knowledge and the beauty of it all is that each time he wrote a book or a journal, everyone said that one could not write any better! Each time he gave counsel in politics or leadership, great minds were compelled to acknowledge his matchless ability.

Hazrat Musleh Maud wrote and indeed spoke on a whole range of subjects, from religious and spiritual, to economics and impressed everyone with the breadth of his knowledge. He was Musleh Maud and God had sent him to reform mankind. In the 52-year era of his Khilafat, apart from his Friday sermons, he wrote numerous books and delivered countless addresses. All these make up a great scholarly and spiritual treasure.

One specific and most important example is his work on Tafsir-e-Kabir, which is his translation and commentary of the Holy Qur'an. Hazrat Musleh Maud found meanings for verses of the Holy Qur'an that famous commentators could not find any commentary for, stating that there was no need to delve into their meanings. For instance, he gave detailed explanations about Qur'anic abbreviations that others could not find.

The amazing works of Hazrat Musleh Maud and the fact that this prophecy was fulfilled only through the Grace of God, is further established through the fact that growing up, Hazrat Musleh Maud suffered from many health conditions, which affected his ability to study in school. This aspect was anticipated to be the pinnacle part of Hazrat Musleh Maud's life, as the truth of the claim of him being the Promised Son depended on the success of his knowledge. However, despite the challenges and complications, the Promised Messiah did not go out of his way to enable his son to seek the most expensive education or any special arrangements for his health and success. He left it to Allah Almighty to prove this prophecy to be true in all the promised qualities. Due to a chronic eye condition, he was unable to attend school regularly and so could only achieve below satisfactory marks. Not once did the Promised Messiah's express any pressure or anxiety towards this matter. True to his faith in God, these health problems never hindered Hazrat Musleh Maud's ability to give such incredible and inspiring lectures as well as his literature.

Regarding this part of the prophecy, Hazrat Musleh Maud says: "What this means is that he [the Musleh Maud] would not go and learn secular knowledge, but rather he would be taught such knowledge by God Almighty. It needs to be remembered here that it is not said here that he would be an expert in secular knowledge, but the words are 'he will be filled with secular knowledge.' What this means is that some other power would teach him this secular knowledge. His own effort and concentration and struggle would not have anything to do with it. Here, secular knowledge does not mean mathematics and science etc. because it is said here that he would be 'filled with such knowledge, which indicates that he would be taught these fields of knowledge by God Almighty. And when it is said that God Almighty would teach, then it is not meant that God Almighty will teach maths, science and geography etc. but rather what is taught by God Almighty has to do with knowledge of faith and of the Holy Qur'an. The manner in which I was taught speaks for itself, in that there was no human endeavor in it. From among my teachers, some are alive and some have passed away and the greatest favour upon me from among them all is that of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I."

Explaining this part of the prophecy, Hazrat Musleh Maud says that it was incorrect that this did not fit upon him. He was the one who made three into four in many ways.

Firstly, before him, Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib, Mirza Fazal Ahmad Sahib and Bashir Awwal [the First] were born and he was the fourth. Secondly, after him, three sons were born to the Promised Messiah and in this way he made those three into four. Mirza Mubarak Ahmad, Mirza Shareef Ahmad and Mirza Bashir Ahmad and the fourth being myself.

Thirdly, he was able to make three into four from among the surviving progeny of the Promised Messiah. Only three brothers-himself, Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib and Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib-accepted Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Promised Messiah. Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib was not among his spiritual progeny. He had great faith in Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, but despite this in his period of Khilafat he did not accept Ahmadiyyat. It did however appear from a vision of the Promised Messiah that Allah the Exalted had destined guidance for him. But he did not embrace Ahmadiyyat in the time of the Promised Messiah or the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I. When the time of Hazrat Musleh Maud came, Allah the Exalted, arranged that he entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat through this Khilafat. Another example was that, as stated by Hazrat Musleh Maud, he was born in the fourth year of the prophecy. The prophecy was made by the Promised Messiah in 1886 and he was born in 1889. Thus 1886, was one, 1887 two, 1888 three and 1889, four. Thus in the prophecy it was also suggested that his birth would occur in the fourth year of the prophecy and thus, in this way also, he was the one to make three into four...

"It is Monday, a blessed Monday" may have other meanings and significance but Hazrat Musleh Maud felt that Monday is the third day of the week and in spiritual movements, prophets of God and their successors (Khulafa) have their own eras. A prophet's time is an era in its own right just as a Khalifa's time is an era in its own right. In the current age, the first era was of the Promised Messiah's, the second era was of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I while the third era was that of Hazrat Musleh Maud. Another revelation of the Promised Messiah's "Fazl-e-Umer" (a name given to his yet-to-be-born son) corroborated this. Similarly, Hazrat Umar's era was the third in that age.

"It is Monday, a blessed Monday" does not signify any special or blessed day, rather, it means that he will be third among people who will be raised to serve faith in this mission. Hazrat Musleh Maud said that this revelation was also fulfilled in his person in a way which was out of his hands. He started the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid in 1934 in response to a situation that was not at all in his control. Due to the government of the day planning to take harsh steps towards the Jama'at and the wicked plotting of the Ahrar Movement, God inclined his heart to initiate the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid in 1934 and he planned its first phase to last ten years. He said that after every sacrifice, there was time for Eid (felicitation). Thus at the end of the ten-year phase of Tahrik-e-Jadid would be a year of felicitation and that year was to begin on a Monday. Thus, he explained that God informed through these words that at a time when Islam would be in a weak state, an organisation for its propagation would be established and the successful conclusion of its first phase would be a blessed time for the Jama'at.

When Hazrat Musleh Maud assumed the office of Khilafat, people used to say that he was just a child. He explained, that one day he overheard someone saying in the adjacent mosque that the Jama'at was being ruined by placing a child in prominence. He was astonished as to which child they meant. He later asked someone in the mosque as to which child was being referred to. The person laughed and said that child was him. A few months later, the very same people that criticised Hazrat Musleh Maud referred to him as cunning. Although people considered him a child, God conferred a spiritual office to him. In a worldly office, one can utilise force, power, wealth and much more, but he was given a spiritual office at a time when a few pennies were left in the funding box for the Jama'at and a huge debt had accumulated. Those responsible for this situation had remarked as they left the Jama'at, that very soon Christians would take possession of the Madrasa building in Qadian. One can only imagine what the whole Jama'at felt in that situation. However Hazrat Musleh Maud made a world of difference and the Jama'at grew many hundred-folds and the message of the Promised Messiah had reached scores of countries and the box which contained a few pennies were then filled with hundreds of thousands! Hazrat Musleh Maud said, "Even if I die now, I will leave behind hundreds of thousands and I will also leave behind a lot of knowledge." Thus the Divine prophecy of "He will rapidly grow in stature" was fulfilled most splendidly.

The 52-year long era of Khilafat of Hazrat Musleh Maud also proved that he did indeed grow "rapidly in stature". He established the name of Islam around the world by forming overseas missions. The Jama'at at the time did not have much economic means, but it did spread around the world. The Holy Qur'an was translated in different languages and the administrative structure of the Jama'at was made by Hazrat Musleh Maud. The auxiliary organisations were also made in those times and to this day, they are serving the Jama'at magnificently throughout the world. His main objective was to maintain the Jama'at at the highest level of activity, both in terms of self-improvement and in respect of striving to spread the message of Islam. In this matter, the creation of the auxiliary organisations was a huge boost in fulfilling his objective.

This was fulfilled with great glory as it was Hazrat Musleh Maud who initiated the movement for the independence of Kashmir. Later on, great Islamic names of the time joined in and (part of) Kashmir was granted independence. Among those who openly acknowledged that it was Hazrat Musleh Maud whose dynamic leadership attained the success in Kashmir, despite religious differences, were Abdul Majeed Salik and Syed Habib, Allama Niaz Fatehpuri and Allama Daryabadi recognized the great and eminent knowledge of the Holy Qur'an that Hazrat Musleh Maud possessed.

"Fame", referred to in the prophecy, signified that through Musleh Maud, the name of the Holy Prophet and the Promised Messiah will reach all over the world. The fulfilment of the grand predictions comprised in this prophecy leaves no room for even a shadow of doubt that the prophecy was made under Divine direction and its fulfilment firmly establishes the existence of God, the truth of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the divine origin of the Holy Qur'an, the truth of the Promised Messiah" and the righteousness of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II", and that he was the Divinely appointed Successor of the Promised Messiah". His outstanding qualities and his astonishing record of high achievement in so many fields of human endeavour, all related to the revival of the faith and the supremacy of Islam over all other religions, marking him out as a great and shining figure of Islam in the latter days.