“I
believe that subordinate prophets will continue to arise in Islam when mankind
strays from the path of righteousness and needs divine revelation. It is
necessary that, as the pattern of human life develops, mankind should have a
living example set before them of a life utterly pure and devoted to the
service of God and man”.
-Sir Zafrullah Khan Sahib (ra) on American Radio Speech, in 1950
Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan Sahib (ra) (1893-1985),
arguably one of the greatest public figures to have emerged among the followers
and disciples of the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as), stated these ringing
words in a context where he was explaining his inner most spiritual convictions
and beliefs as a devout Muslim. In the 1950’s, the US radio service CBS invited
Sir Zafrullah Khan Sahib, who at that time was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan
with a formidable reputation of being a preeminent leader-statesman of the
Muslim world, to deliver this address in the series on “This, I believe”. This
speech was rebroadcast almost sixty years later on The Bob Edwards Show on July 23,
2010 and is now publically available on You Tube and also in Ahmadi media
networks.
This special
speech of Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan (ra) is a public testimonial of his deeply
held spiritual convictions and as such, it beautifully captures the sum and
substance of the faith that the Promised Massih (as) had taught all his life and left behind as his spiritual legacy for all his followers and disciples. All members of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya need to ruminate and
profoundly ponder over the ringing words of this great ambassador of the
Ahmadiyya community.
For the benefit of our Ahmadi readers, many of whom have been misguided by their current leaders and scholars with the notion that “Ummati-Nubuwwat’ in Islam has been replaced by a system of man-elected man or ‘Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya’, we reproduce below the transcript text and audio of the Speech.
For the benefit of our Ahmadi readers, many of whom have been misguided by their current leaders and scholars with the notion that “Ummati-Nubuwwat’ in Islam has been replaced by a system of man-elected man or ‘Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya’, we reproduce below the transcript text and audio of the Speech.
Read the Speech here:
I believe in
God’s angels as the agency through which He communicates with His creatures,
and I believe that from time to time that revelations from God have been
delivered for the guidance of mankind. I believe in all of God’s prophets—Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna—and that the Holy Prophet Muhammad on
whom be peace was the last law-bearing prophet.
I believe
Jesus did not die upon the cross but was taken down from the cross and revived.
Thereafter, he journeyed eastward, reaching to the scattered tribes of Israel
and died in Kashmir, where his tomb is still preserved in Srinagar.
I believe
that subordinate prophets will continue to arise in Islam when mankind strays
from the path of righteousness and needs divine revelation. It is necessary
that, as the pattern of human life develops, mankind should have a living
example set before them of a life utterly pure and devoted to the service of
God and man.
I believe in
the resurrection of the soul and the life after death. I believe that the
object of man’s existence is to seek union with God through the cultivation of
divine attributes in himself. I believe that man has been endowed for this
purpose with appropriate capacities and faculties. The right and proper use of
these capacities and faculties promotes beneficent development and leads to the
state known as salvation. I believe in the brotherhood and equality of man. I
recognize no division or privilege based on race, color, family, or wealth. The
only badge of honor and nobility that I recognize is the purity and
righteousness of a man’s life.
My life is
guided by this faith and by the following rules. Whenever I feel lonely, weary,
or discouraged, I must turn towards God for companionship, comfort, and help.
He is ever-near and will not fail me. I must make my heart His shrine and
temple and let Him ever dwell in it in sweet guardianship and companionship. I
must stand up for truth, righteousness, fair dealing, and justice. I must stand
with God, though I may have to stand against the whole world, and I believe the
love and fear of God are the sum of all wisdom.