36. Hazrat Imam Mahdi al-Mau'ood (AS), too, has said that Allah has sent Mahdi (AS) at a time when the purpose of religion (deen) had vanished from the world. He has said that the purpose of religion vanishes from the world by three things. They are custom, habit and innovation. When Mahdi (AS) comes he would demolish custom, habit and innovation, and help the religion of Prophet Muhammad (SLM). This has been stated in the book, Sharah-e-Maqasid.

37. It is reported that Imam Mahdi (AS) said, Allah had sent him when religion (deen) had vanished from the world, except among the majzoobs (persons possessed by divine attractions or divine ecstasies).

38. All the attributes which have been proved by the ahadith and rivayat (narrations) described above, were manifest in the zath (essence, nature) of Hazrat Syed Muhammad (AS) (of Jaunpur). And there is no controversy about it.

39. And when the purpose of Allah in sending Imam Mahdi (AS) is only to help His religion (deen) so that people achieve His ma'arifat (knowledge) and His Unity (tauhid), the other controversial signs of Imam Mahdi (AS) go against the (divine) purpose and aim. If the controversial signs are not manifest in the Imam, and, for this reason, somebody calls him a false pretender and opposes him, he oppresses his own soul (nafs). For, Imam Mahdi (AS) has said: "Whatever I do and I say is in pursuance of what has been revealed to me by Allah." In proof of this claim, he offered the Book of Allah, the Quran.

40. This situation has two alternatives; either he is true or he is false. If he is false, the painful burden (wabal) thereof will be on him, since he then becomes a great oppressor (zalim). If he is true, the damage and the painful burden of denouncing him will be on the person who denies him, because the denouncer is the great oppressor (zalim) in this case, as he is calling him (the Imam) a liar (darogh-go).

41. And whatever Imam Mahdi (AS) has said, he said it in accordance with the teachings (ta'leem) of Allah. Imam Mahdi (AS) has said that he was directly taught by Allah in the station of tariqat (Islamic Mysticism) every day. "Allah commands me: 'Say, O Syed Muhammad (AS): I am the slave (banda) of Allah and am the follower of Prophet Muhammad (SLM) (in the station of Shariat).' "

42. Syed Muhammad (AS) is the Mahdi (AS) of the Last Era (Aakhir az-Zaman), he is the heir of Prophet Muhammad (SLM) and elucidator of the knowledge of Quran, the iman (faith), the commandments relating to Shariat (Islamic Code of Law), Divine Reality (haqiqat), and the pleasure of Allah (rizwan).

43. It is reported by Hazrat Allauddin Danishmand Bidri (Mahdi (AS)) that when Imam Mahdi (AS) went to Makkah (on pilgrimage), there were three hundred Indians (Hindi) with him. When he had performed the Haj, he announced in a loud voice: "Whoever followed me is a mumin". Following this call, all his companions made covenant on his hand.

44. And it is reported by Imam Syed Muhammad Mahdi Mau'ood (AS) that he was receiving Allah's command that "You are Mahdi" for about twenty years before he staked his claim to be Mahdi (AS). Hazrat Mahdi (AS) did not disclose this divine command for twenty years. When he came to Barhli (near Patan in Gujarat), Allah asked: "Why do you not announce your claim to be Mahdi?" Allah said angrily: "You are afraid of the people (makhluq)." It was after this that Imam Mahdi announced that he was Mahdi (AS).

45. After this, the mullahs of the city of Nahruala (Patan) came to the Imam and said: "You call yourself Mahdi?" Imam Mahdi (AS) replied: "It is not that this slave (of Allah) calls himself Mahdi. Allah commands me (to say so)." The mullahs said: "The name of the Mahdi (AS) should be Muhammad (AS) bin Abdullah. But your father's name is Syed Khan." Imam Mahdi (AS) replied: "Is Allah incapable of making the son of Syed Khan the Mahdi?"

46. It is further reported that the mullahs again asked: "Mahdi (AS) should be Muhammad (AS) bin Abdullah. But the name of your father is Syed Khan." Imam Mahdi replied: "Ask Allah why He made the son of Syed Khan the Mahdi."

47. It is reported that the mullahs recited the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SLM) which said: "His name would be like my name and his father's name would be like the name of my father." They further said: "The name of your father is Syed Khan." Imam Mahdi (AS) said: "The father of the Prophet was a kafir (infidel). How could he be Abdullah? (But in reality) the Prophet is Muhammad (SLM) Abdullah and Mahdi too is Muhammad (AS) Abdullah. The calligrapher had written "ibn" between Muhammad and Abdullah, in the name by mistake."

48. There are many other ahadith, narrations and rivayat in the books, and the companions of Imam Mahdi (AS) also answered the mullahs.

49. It is reported that Mullah Moinuddin sent two other mullahs to Imam Mahdi (AS) with four questions. Their first question was: " A person says: "Allah willing, I will go to such and such a place tomorrow." But he did not go. Allah says in Quran: 'And you cannot will, unless Allah wills (in His infinite wisdom).' (S. 76: 30 AMD). Is it necessary for him to go or not?" Imam Mahdi (AS) replied: "This slave (of Allah, or I) thought that the mullahs knew something. But now I learn that they are without any knowledge (be-ilm)." Imam Mahdi (AS) then said: "Allah's pleasure was that the person would wish what he did, and he would not achieve what he wished."

50. The next question was: "What is the name of your father?" Imam Mahdi (AS) replied: "The name of my father was Syed Khan." The mullahs said: "The name of Prophet was Muhammad (SLM) bin Abdullah and the name of Imam Mahdi (AS) too should be Muhammad bin Abdullah." Imam Mahdi (AS) said: "Wage a war against Allah on why he made the son of Syed Khan the Imam Mahdi al-Mau'ood (AS)."

51. Their third question was: "You give fazal (superiority) to vilayat (sainthood) over nubuvat (prophethood)?" The Imam replied: "This servant (banda) gives fazal superiority to vilayat over nubuvat, or does Prophet Muhammad (SLM) say that vilayat is superior to nubuvat?" The mullahs said that Prophet Muhammad (SLM) had said that the vilayat of Prophet Muhammad (SLM) had superiority over his nubuvat, but not the vilayat of others. Imam Mahdi (AS) said: "When had this servant said that his Vilayat had superiority over the nubuvat of Prophet Muhammad (SLM)? Then Imam Mahdi (AS) added: "You know what is nubuvat and what is vilayat?"

52. Their fourth question was: "You are convinced of the increasing and decreasing of iman (faith)." Imam Mahdi (AS) asked: "Am I convinced of it or is it Allah Who has said it? Allah says: 'They alone are believers whose hearts thrill with the thought of Allah whenever His name is mentioned, and whose faith in Him increases as His revelations are recited, and who place implicit trust in their Lord,...," (S. 8: 2; SAL) (In place of the word, thrill, MMP uses the term 'feel fear'). The mullahs said that Imam Azam (RA) has said that faith neither increases nor decreases. Imam Mahdi (AS) replied that Imam Azam (RA) had spoken of his own faith while Imam Shafei (RA) has lamented (zari karna) and has said that faith increases and decreases.

53. It is narrated that when Imam Mahdi (AS) was exiled from the city of Nahruvala, he said in the local Gojri dialect that those uncivilised people should not have exiled him; instead, they should have incarcerated him for a year or two, or even ten or twenty years; they should have called scholars from all over the world and should have debated with him, so that if he was true, they should have helped the religion of Allah; and, if he was not true they should have killed him.
54. And, he has also said, it was not expedient for them to exile him (the Mahdi). For, wherever he went, he would, (according to them) misguide the people (makhluq).

55. The Imam (AS) also said that "Allah would blacken the faces of (or, disgrace) the ulema either way; for, if this servant was right, they would be held to account as to why they did not help the religion of Allah; and, if this servant was wrong, they would be held responsible for not killing him, for, according to them, he would misguide the people wherever he went."

56. Further, it is reported that the mullahs told Imam Mahdi (AS) that the people of the whole world would repose faith in Imam Mahdi (AS). Imam Mahdi (AS) then asked the mullahs whether the mumins would repose faith in him or the kafirs. The mullahs said that the mumins would repose faith. After this, Imam Mahdi (AS) said that all the (eternal) mumineen had reposed faith in him and obeyed him.

57. After this, Imam Mahdi (AS) asked Miyan Makhdoom (RZ) to recite Quran. Miyan Makhoom (RZ) was a hafiz (one who had memorised the Quran) and a mubashshir (one who is given glad tidings). He used to recite the Quran when Imam Mahdi (AS) explained the scriptures.

58. It is reported by Bandagi Miyan Syed Khundmir Syed as-Sadat (RZ) that the Imam had sent a letter to Syed Kabir. It said: "May it be known that from the day Imam Syed Muhammad Mahdi al-Mau'ood (AS) started calling the people on behalf of Allah, the people began their opposition to him. The Imam said he did not know the reason for their opposition. "If this servant had committed any wrong, it was the duty of the Muslims, in accordance with the Quranic Verse: 'The believers are after all brethren unto one another...' (S. 49: 10; SAL) , to inform this servant and we too would have joined them in referring to the Quran and conforming with (the sayings of) Prophet Muhammad (SLM), as Allah has said: '...And if in anything you differ, refer it to Allah and the Apostle and abide by their decision if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day....' (S. 4: 59; SAL). From among the contestants, the party, which transgresses the limits of following the Quran and the Apostle, is duty-bound to eschew its wrongdoing and repent (tauba). And the person who does not give up his opposition to Quran and the Apostle, and insists on his wrongdoing, is liable to be killed. And for years, Imam Syed Muhammad (AS) and his followers have been complaining that from among the Muslims, whoever sees any defect or shortcoming (in their beliefs or practices) and does not convince us of it through fairplay and knowledgeable argument, shall be accountable before Allah. But none has convinced us through such argument (that we are misguided). However, they tried to allege that we are misguided and innovators and tried to coerce us by force, duress, high-handedness and by the power of the Government. We have, therefore, become the oppressed now. Some of the Mahdavis have been beaten, some have been jailed and some have been exiled from their habitations and their mosques have been set afire. The oppressors have tortured our people in many ways. Allah has said in Quran: "...Had not Allah repelled some men by others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is ever mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down..." (S. 22: 40; SAL). It has now become necessary for us to stake our lives for the religion of Allah, so that Allah helps us. Allah says: "...Verily, him who helpeth Allah will Allah surely help..." (S. 22: 40; SAL) . Although we are few and weak, our Lord is Powerful and Dominant. Allah says:''...Allah is indeed right Powerful, Mighty...'' (S. 22: 40; SAL) It is thirty-five years since Hazrat Bandagi Miyan Syed Khundmir (RZ) sent this letter to Syed Kabir. In Sharah-e-Masabeeh, it is stated that Imam Mahdi (AS) would be a dominant person who will be recognised only by aarifeen (the knowledgeable).

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