Evidence for the for the truth -The Review of Religions

The Sign of the Heavens
20
The Plague
58
A Murder in British
Lahore: Closing the Case
of Lekh Ram
80
World War One:
Centenary of Fulfilment
of a Grand Prophecy
102
vol. 110 - issue eightaugust 2015 www.reviewofreligions.org
evidence forthe
truthYoubetheJudge...
sp e c i al 1 6 4 pag e e d i t i o n

And [Jesus] shall be a Sign of the
Hour [of Judgment]; therefore
have no doubt about it, but
follow Me: this is a straight way.
Islam, the Holy Qur’an,
Ch.43:V.61.
The Messengersa
of Allah
observed, “What will be your state
when the Son of Mary descends
amongst you, and there will be an
Imam amongst you? What would
you do when the son of Mary
would descend and lead you?”
Islam, the Holy
Prophetsa
, Hadith of
Muslim.
Whenever the Imam of an age
makes his appearance in the world,
he is accompanied by thousands
of lights.There is jubilation in
heaven and people’s good qualities
are stimulated through the
spread of spirituality and light.
Islam, the Promised
Messiahas
, The Essence of
Islam, Vol. 4, p. 108.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government shall be upon
his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
“Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Judaism and
Christianity, The Bible,
Isaiah, 9:6-7.
Immediately after the tribulation
of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not
give its light, and the stars will fall
from heaven, and the powers of
heaven will be shaken; then will
appear the sign of the Son of man
in heaven, and then all the tribes
of the earth will mourn, and they
will see the Son of man coming
on the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory; and he will
send out his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather
his elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other.
Christianity, Matthew,
24:29-31.
He shall be the victorious
Benefactor (Saoshyant) by name
and World-renovator [Astavat-
ereta] by name. He is Benefactor
because he will benefit the
entire physical world; he is
World-renovator because he
will establish the physical living
existence indestructible. He will
oppose the evil of the progeny
of the biped and withstand the
enmity produced by the faithful.
Zoroastrianism, Avesta,
Farvardin Yast 13:129.
Whenever the Law declines
and the purpose of life is
forgotten, I manifest myself on
earth. I am born in every age
to protect the good, to destroy
evil, and to reestablish the Law.
Buddhism, Sutra of the
Great Accomplishment
of the Maitreya.
The Messiah
world faiths
Hazrat Hudaifara
relates that the Holy Prophetsa
once said:
“Prophethood shall remain among you for as long as Allah wills. He will
then cause it to end. Then a caliphate will be established in the footsteps
of prophethood which will last for as long as Allah wills. He will then
cause it to end. Kinghood will follow which will inflict great pain and
misery on its subjects. Its rule will last for as long as Allah wills. He will
then cause it to end. After this tyrannical monarchies will follow. Their
rule will last for as long as Allah wills. He will then cause it to end. The
caliphate will be re-established in the footsteps of Prophethood.”[1]
Thereafter, the Holy Prophetsa
became silent.
1. Masnad Ahmad, Vol. 5, P.342. No.17939. Mishkat ul Msabih, Kita bur Riqaq, Bab Al-Anzar wal Tahzir.
A Grand Prophecy
About the
Latter Days

12 Untold Stories
20 The Sign of the Heavens
Various world scriptures mention
the coming of a great reformer in
the last days. Mention is made
of a remarkable sign that would
accompany this great reformer.
Late Professor Hafiz Muhammad
Saleh Alladin
Edited by Dr. Syed Muhammad
Tahir Nasser ‘Science and Religion’
Editor, The Review of Religions
58 The Plague
This article seeks to examine Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’sas
prophecy
of the plague and to closely analyse
its salient features and the extent of
its fulfilment within the parameters
specified by the prophecy itself.
Mirza Usman Ahmad, Rabwah, Pakistan
80 A Murder in
British Lahore
Closing the case of
Lekh Ram
One prophecy of Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
warned the Pundit
Lekh Ram to refrain from hurling
abuse at Prophet Muhammadsa
, as
his attacks on the character of the
Prophetsa
were extremely insulting
and provocative, and could lead
to Divine Wrath. We examine
this prophecy in minute detail.
Asif M Basit, London, UK
102 World War One -
Centenary of the Fulfilment
of a Great Warning
This article examines some of the
Promised Messiah’sas
prophecies and
announcements relating to the Great
War in light of accurate historical
sources and eyewitness accounts. It
then assesses the degree of fulfilment
of these prophecies and critically
discusses their wider reception.
Bilal Ahmed Tahir, UK
contents
august 2015 Vol.110 issue eight
102
20
58

CHIEF EDITOR & MANAGER
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MANAGEMENT BOARD
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fold of Ahmadiyyat. Alhamdulillah (All
praise belongs to Allah)!
The village of Coban is approximately
300 km away from the Baitul Awal
Mosque, and 47 km of that journey is
very arduous,being along a broken road.
On 4th
July 2015, Mr. David Gonzalez
(General Secretary),Mr.Dario Samayoa
(President of Majlis Khuddam-ul-
Ahmadiyya - auxiliary group of Ahmadi
Muslim men aged between 15-40
years), Hafiz Dawood of Mexico and I
reached Coban after a journey of nine
hours by car. On this day, Mr. Domingo
had gathered some of his friends and rel-
atives in a school. The discussion began
with the translation of the Holy Qur’an.
Islam’s beautiful teachings were presented
in a discussion that continued for about
seven hours.This was followed by a ques-
tion and answer session. Alhamdulillah,
on 5th
July 2015,89 individuals including
ladies,men and children,accepted Islam
Ahmadiyyat from Coban Alta Verapaz,
after learning of the beautiful teachings
of Islam.
Among the individuals who did Bai’at
(oath of allegiance) was a priest,who had
served as a catholic priest for 34 years
and was affiliated with the protestant
faith for 5 years. Now by the Grace of
Allah, he has accepted Islam. He now
openly opposes the vices of the Church,
including the dishonesty of priests and
other evil practices. Alhamdulillah, he
was so impressed after learning the true
and beautiful teachings of Islam,that he
announced himself to be a Muslim in
front of everyone.
Abdul Sattar Khan,National President and
Missionary In Charge, Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, Guatemala
Islam’s Beauty Accepted in
Guatemala
In March 2015,three Ahmadi missionar-
ies arrived from Canada with the purpose
of distributing literature in Guatemala,
in order to introduce the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community.Mr.Domingo from
Coban had the privilege to receive one
of these literature packs. This sparked
his curiosity about the Community;
consequently he decided to contact me.
He wanted to know more about the
Community and thus came to our Baitul
Awal Mosque.We spent many hours dis-
cussing the beautiful teachings of Islam.
As he left, I gave him some further
literature about Islam and Ahmadiyyat.
When he returned home he introduced
the remarkable teachings of Islam to his
wife and children and also his friends.
In April 2015, Mr. Domingo brought
along another six individuals to the
Baitul Awal Mosque upon my invita-
tion, who were in search of the truth.
They stayed there for about a week and
gained a good insight into Islam and
Ahmadiyyat through the different classes
on various topics given by Mr. David
Gonzalez, Mr Dario Samayoa, Mr Faiz
and myself.Thereafter,Mr.Domingo and
his wife accepted Islam and entered the
[UNTOLD]
STORIES
12 The Review of Religions | august 2015 august 2015 | The Review of Religions 13

In the course of consequent interro-
gations, three more Pakistani Mullahs
were discovered in the community and
also arrested.During questioning by the
security personnel,the Pakistani Mullahs
claimed that they were in the country to
propagate the religion of Islam during
the Holy Month.
As their claims was contrary to their
earlier actions, the security personnel
rebuffed them and informed them that
they were not in the country to propagate
Islam, but rather to cause violence and
chaos among the peace-loving Ahmadis
there, who had co-existed peacefully
within the local community for many
years.
In the course of further investigations,it
was discovered that the Pakistani Mullahs
entered the country illegally from
Cameroon. Thus, they were deported
back within 24 hours.
This is how Allah the Almighty exposed
and foiled the evil plans of Pakistani
Mullahs targeted at Ahmadis in Malabo,
Equatorial Guinea.
Missionary Abdul Kabeer (missionary of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community)
Pakistani Mullah Attack on Ahmadis
Thwarted by God
On Thursday, 25th
June 2015, at about
5:40pm (local time), there was an inter-
ruption to the programme at the Compo
Yaoundé Mosque, Malabo, during the
Ramadan Tafseer (commentary of the
Holy Qur’an) Programme, when two
Pakistani Mullahs (Muslim clerics)
entered the mosque and disrupted the
ongoing activities.
Events transpired when one of the
Mullahs walked up to the Missionary
In Charge of the Ramadan Tafseer and
tried to instigate violence by claiming
before the congregation that Ahmadis
are Kafir (disbelievers), and conse-
quently have been justifiably attacked
and killed in Pakistan.Thus, he claimed
that Ahmadis are not true Muslims.
He also demanded that a similar bru-
tal attack should be carried out there
(in the Mosque). He insinuated that
Ahmadis use their own Qur’an, which
he claimed was different from the one
other Muslims use throughout the
world.
The congregation refused to accept his
false accusations and treaties, and began
laughing at his absurd claims, as they
were well aware that Ahmadis are true-
followers of the Holy Prophetsa
and a
peace-loving Jama’at (Community).The
Mullah then physically assaulted the mis-
sionary by grabbing him by the neck; a
scuffle ensued.
Security personnel were alerted and
the two Mullahs were apprehended.
The congregation refused to
accept his false accusations
and treaties, and began
laughing at his absurd
claims, as they were well
aware that Ahmadis are
true-followers of the Holy
Prophetsa
and a peace-loving
Jama’at (Community).
untold stories
Do you have an
“Untold
Story”
you wish to share
with us?
Email us your unique story at
editor@reviewofreligions.org

The Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
advent of the messiah
in the latter days
Allah’s Apostlesa
came to us all of a sud-
den as we were busy in a discussion. He
said:“What are you talking about?”The com-
panions said: “We are discussing about the
Last Hour”.Thereupon,he said: “It will not
come until you see ten signs before and (in this
connection) he made a mention of the smoke,
Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from
the west, the descent of Jesusas
, The Gog and
Magog, and landslides in three places, one in
the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at
the end of which fire would burn forth from
Yemen, and would drive people to the place of
their assembly.”[1]
1. Sahih Muslim, Book 40, No. 6931.
© Masood T

evidence forthe
truthYoubetheJudge...
T
he scriptures of many religions speak of a great
reformer appearing in the latter days,whose mission
would be to bring mankind together and establish
everlasting peace.The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community,Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
,claimed to
be the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi (The Guided
One) of the latter days. Indeed, extraordinary claims
require extraordinary evidences. Thus, he established the
truthfulness of his claim by not only presenting irrefutable
arguments found in the scriptures of various world reli-
gions but also but also through thousands upon thousands
of miracles, signs and prophecies.The fulfilment of these
grand prophecies were witnessed by millions during his
lifetime and beyond and stand as a living testimony to his
divine appointment.
The Review of Religions presents a detailed analysis of some
of these historic prophecies and their global impact.
© MarcelClemens | shutterstock.com

“You imagine that a Mahdi will come
who will shed blood
And make religion prosper by killing
disbelievers,
O ignorant people, these ideas are com-
pletely wrong
They are calumnious and baseless, and they
will not flourish,
O my dears ones, the man who was to
come, has already come
Even the sun the moon have disclosed this
secret to you.”
(Durre Sameen v.43-45 by Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
,the Promised Messiah
and Imam Mahdi)
Introduction
The prophecy of the coming of a great
reformer from God in the latter days is
found in the scriptures of various world
religions. Mention is also made of a
remarkable sign which would accompany
this great reformer – two natural phe-
nomena that cannot be forged by human
hands: eclipses of the sun and the moon.
In the NewTestament,Jesus,peace be on
him, narrating the signs of his second
coming, said:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those
days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light.”[1]
In Hinduism, Mahatma Surdasji has
mentioned the prophecy that when the
Kalki Autar (destroyer of ignorance)
would appear, the moon and the sun
Science
Solar Eclipse “Elements of this image furnished by NASA”
© muratart | shutterstock.com
by the late Professor Hafiz Muhammad Saleh Alladin
Edited by Dr. Syed Muhammad Tahir Nasser
‘Science and Religion’ Editor, The Review of Religions
T
his article was edited together
from three smaller articles,orig-
inally written by the late Hafiz
M.S. Alladin, Professor of Astronomy
at Osmania University, India and
Director of the Centre of Advanced
Study in Astronomy. Additions have
been made to the original writings in
places,to update the content with new
and appropriate evidence.The original
articles are listed in the references for
purposes of comparison.
The Sign
of the Heavens
Close up of old Holy Bible book
© Janaka Dharmasena | shutterstock.com
The prophecy of the coming of
a great reformer from God
in the latter days is found
in the scriptures of various
world religions. Mention is
also made of a remarkable
sign which would accompany
this great reformer...

1. Fatawa Hadisiya by Allama Sheikh
Ahmad Shahabuddin Ibn Hijrul
Haismi.
2. Hejajul Kirama by Nawab Siddeeq
Hassan Khan.
3. Maktoobaat-e-Imam Rabbani
Mujaddid Alf-e-Sani.
4. Qiyamat Nama Farsi by Hazrat Shah
Rafeeuddin Muhaddis of Delhi.
5. Aqaedul Islam by Maulana Abdul
Haq Muhaddis of Delhi.
6. Iqtirabus Saa’t by Nawab Nur-ul-
Hassan Khan.
7. Ahwalul Akhirat by Hafiz Muhammad
of Lakhoke.
Before the fulfilment of this prophecy
is to be assessed, the phenomenon of
eclipses and their science should first be
appreciated and understood.
Lunar and Solar Eclipses in Light of
the Laws of Nature
Lunar and solar eclipses are phenom-
ena which occur according to the laws
of nature. The Holy Qur’an has repeat-
edly drawn our attention to natural
phenomena:
“Holy is He Who created all things in pairs,
of what the earth grows and of themselves,
and of what they know not. And a Sign for
them is the night from which We strip off the
day, and lo! they are left in darkness. And
the sun is moving on to its determined goal.
That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-
Knowing God. And for the moon We have
appointed stages, till it becomes again like an
old dry twig of a palm-tree. It is not for the
sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night
would be eclipsed. He wrote:
“Both the moon and the sun will be eclipsed
and there will be much violence and
death.”[2]
In one of the holy book of the Sikhs,
Sri Dasam Granth Sahib, it is written
about the latter day Nehkalank (the one
without sin):
“All the suns and moons and even Indra
and Vaman are subservient to Kal
(Nehkalank).”[3]
In short, various religious scriptures
mention signs of the sun and the moon
in support of a latter day reformer sent
from God.The Islamic scriptures too are
not silent on this topic but in fact offer
a degree of detail that is absent from
other scriptures.The Holy Qur’an refers
to eclipses of both the sun and moon
occurring as a sign of the latter days:
“He asks, ‘When will be the Day
of Resurrection?’ When the eye is dazzled,
And the moon is eclipsed. And the sun and
the moon are brought together.”[4]
While the root of this prophecy thus lies
in the Holy Qur’an,a hadith (narration)
of the Prophet of Islamsa
elucidates these
verses and gives valuable detail. Hazrat
Ali bin Umar Albaghdadi Ad-Darqutni,
an eminent authority on the reported
sayings of the Prophet of Islamsa
, who
lived from 918 C.E to 995 C.E, had
recorded the following hadith by Hazrat
Imam Baqar Muhammad bin Ali, son
of Hazrat Imam Zainul Abideen (may
Allah have mercy on them):
“For Our Mahdi there are two Signs which
have never appeared before since the crea-
tion of the heavens and the earth, namely,
the moon will be eclipsed on the first night in
Ramadan and the sun will be eclipsed on the
middle of it (the same month), and these
Signs have not appeared since God created
the heavens and the earth.”[5]
These Signs are mentioned in the collec-
tions of hadith of both Sunni and Shia
sects. Eminent Muslim scholars have
quoted these signs in their books. This
prophecy is recorded in several books,
some of which are mentioned below:
the sign of the heavens
© Igor Zh. | shutterstock.com

the conditions that produce a new moon
are necessary also for a solar eclipse and
the conditions that produce a full moon
are required also for a lunar eclipse. For
example, at the time of the new moon,
the longitudes (alignment) of the sun and
the moon are the same and the moon is
said to be ‘in conjunction.’ If the earth
was also to be at the same longitude, a
solar eclipse would occur. A full moon
occurs usually on the 13th
– 15th
of a lunar
month,with the new moon occurring on
the 27th
-29th
.These are therefore the only
possible dates of a lunar and solar eclipse,
respectively.
This phenomenon of the solar and lunar
eclipses occurring only on the dates of the
new moon and full moon, respectively,
has been recognised throughout human
history. For example, the well-known
Islamic theologian, Ibn Taymiyyah
(1263-1328 C.E), writes on the science
of eclipses that:
“Thus Allah has decreed that the sun is
eclipsed only in dark nights, and the moon is
eclipsed only in moonlight nights. These
are the nights when the moon is full, and
during which days the keeping of optional
fasts is preferable. These nights are the
thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth.
Hence, the moon is eclipsed only on these
nights.”[8]
An eclipse does not occur at every new
moon and full moon because for the
occurrence of an eclipse it is necessary
that the sun, moon and earth should be
aligned. If the earth’s orbit around the
sun and the moon’s orbit around the
earth were in the same plane,there would
outstrip the day. All of them float smoothly
in an orbit.”[6]
In the first of these verses a fundamental
fact has been mentioned that Almighty
God has created all things in pairs. We
learn from science that the earth and
the moon move around each other and
complete a revolution in one month.
Therefore,they form a pair.The earth and
the moon jointly move around the sun
and complete a revolution in one year.
Thus, the sun and earth-moon system
form another pair. In the solar system
there are numerous pairs within pairs.
The sun, with all its planets and their
satellites, move around the centre of the
Galaxy completing a revolution approxi-
mately every two hundred million years.
“Holy is He Who created all things in pairs.”
When the moon in the course of its
motion around the earth,comes between
the sun and earth in such a way that it
prevents the light of the sun from reach-
ing the earth, we have a solar eclipse.
When the earth comes between the
sun and the moon in such a way that
its shadow falls on the moon, we have
a lunar eclipse. Both solar and lunar
eclipses occur when the three celestial
bodies are in alignment. This is known
as ‘syzygy.’
In astronomical terminology,we say that
a solar eclipse only occurs at the time
of a new moon and a lunar eclipse only
occurs at the full moon.[7]
This is because
Solar eclipse, space earth moon sun.
© Naeblys | shutterstock.com

of the lunar month. At that time the
moon cannot be seen at all.The month of
the Islamic Calendar (Hijri) begins with
the first sighting of the lunar crescent,i.e.
when the phase of the moon becomes
big enough to be visible. An excellent
book dealing with the problem of the
first visibility of the lunar crescent, has
been written by Dr.Muhammad Ilyas.[12]

With this background understanding we
now turn to the prophecy at hand made
by the Prophet Muhammadsa
and sup-
ported by various religious scriptures.
The Sign of the Heavens
According to the prophecy; the lunar
eclipse would occur on the first night and
have been alignment twice every month,
and hence there would have been one
lunar eclipse and one solar eclipse every
month.[9]
In reality,the two orbital planes
are inclined to each other by an angle of
approximately five degrees,on account of
which the maximum number of eclipses
in a solar year does not exceed seven (four
or five being solar and two or three being
lunar).The minimum number of eclipses
which can occur in a year is two, both
being solar. For further information, see
works on spherical astronomy.[10]
The motion of the moon is quite compli-
cated.To a first approximation,the moon
moves around the earth in an elliptic
orbit, on account of which its distance
from the earth and its speed varies within
certain limits.When the moon is closest
to the earth, it is said to be at ‘perigee.’
The speed of the moon with respect to
the earth is greatest when it is at perigee.
On account of the gravitational attraction
of the sun, the position of the perigee
changes in space. Thus, sometimes the
moon moves faster in the early part of
the month and sometimes it moves faster
in the latter part. Likewise, the distance
and velocity of the earth-moon pair with
respect to the sun also changes within
certain limits in accordance with the law
of gravitation.As the Holy Qur’an states:
“The sun and the moon run their courses
according to a fixed reckoning.”[11]
The changes in the distances and veloci-
ties of the bodies have their effects on
the dates on which the eclipses can occur.
Astronomers take the time of conjunc-
tion (when the sun and moon come
together in alignment) as the beginning
Solar and Lunar Eclipses.
© Alhovik | shutterstock.com
In reality, the two orbital
planes are inclined to
each other by an angle of
approximately five degrees,
on account of which the
maximum number of eclipses
in a solar year does not exceed
seven (four or five being solar
and two or three being lunar).
© Photobank gallery | shutterstock.com

day of the same Ramadan.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
of
Qadian,India,was born in the year 1835
of the Gregorian Calendar. From early
childhood, he displayed a profound love
for the Holy Prophetsa
; as the salient fea-
ture of his personality.He was grieved to
see the perpetual attacks against Islam by
its critics and the poor spiritual condi-
tion of all peoples.He dedicated himself
to the service of Islam and prayed fer-
vently for the spiritual regeneration of
the world. His epoch-making work,
Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya, published in five
volumes from 1880 to 1908, is a mas-
terpiece in which the truth of Islam and
the excellences of the Holy Qur’an and
the Holy Prophetsa
were triumphantly
advocated.
Hazrat Ahmadas
had the privilege of
being the recipient of Divine revelation
from 1876 until 1908, when he passed
away. In 1882, he received his first rev-
elation regarding his appointment as a
divine reformer in the following words:
“Allah bless thee O Ahmad. It was not thou
who didst throw but it was Allah Who did
throw. The Most Gracious One has taught
thee the Qur’an so that thou shouldst warn
the people whose ancestors have not been
warned and that the way of the guilty ones
might become manifest. Proclaim; I have
been commissioned and I am the first of the
believers.”[16]
He also received the following revelation:
“Tell them I have with me testimony from
Allah, then will you believe? Tell them I
have with me testimony from Allah, then
will you submit?”[17]
In obedience to Divine command,
he declared that he was the Mujaddid
(reformer) of the 14th
century of the
Islamic era in 1884. On March 23rd
,
1889, under Divine command; he took
the first Oath of Allegiance at Ludhiana,
India, and thus formed the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community. On the same day
40 individuals swore allegiance to him
and solemnly promised that they would
give priority to religion and spirituality
over all worldly affairs.
Towards the end of 1890 C.E; Hazrat
Ahmadas
claimed to have been informed
by God that the Prophet Jesusas
, whose
re-advent was awaited by Christians and
Muslims alike, had died a natural death
and that the prophecy of his second
advent was to be fulfilled by a person of
Jesus’sas
character and spiritual qualities.
the solar eclipse would occur on the mid-
dle day in the same month of Ramadan.
But what do these terms mean? Does
this mean that on the 1st
night of the
lunar month; there should be a lunar
eclipse and that the solar eclipse should
happen on literally the middle of all the
days in Ramadan, i.e.: the 15th
? A closer
study of the hadith in Arabic dispels this
interpretation. In the hadith, a particu-
lar Arabic word, Qamar, is used for the
moon and not the word, Hilal. This is
significant because the crescent of the 1st
,
2nd
and 3rd
nights is called Hilal; while
Qamar denotes the moon from the fourth
night onward.[13]
Hence, the wording of
the hadith itself unambiguously dispels
the interpretation that the 1st
night of
Ramadan is meant.
In addition,such an interpretation would
violate the words of the Holy Qur’an
itself; which states that the sun and
moon are fixed in their movements and
do not go beyond the limits God has set
for them:
“It is not for the sun to overtake the moon,
nor can the night outstrip the day. All of
them float in an orbit.”[14]
“The sun and the moon (run their
courses) according to a fixed reckoning.”[15]
What then is meant by the terms first
night and middle day?
As a lunar eclipse can only occur when
the moon is full (13th
-15th
of a lunar
month) and a solar eclipse can only
occur when the moon is new (27th
-29th
of a lunar month),this indicates that the
meaning of the first night means the first
night of the possible nights on which a lunar
eclipse can occur and the term the middle
day means the middle of the days on which
a solar eclipse can occur. This would make
the prophecy fulfilled if a lunar eclipse
occurred on the 13th
night of Ramadan
and a solar eclipse occurred on the 28th
Image 2 - The Crescent Moon: This moon
is in the first three days of its cycle, thus
known in Arabic as “hilal”. After three
days old, the moon is referred
to as “Qamar”, as in the prophecy.
© Don Williamson | shutterstock.com

He was further informed that he was that
long awaited second coming.Among the
revelations, which he received to this
effect, was the following:
“The Messiah, son of Mary, prophet of Allah,
had died and in his spirit thou hast come in
accordance with the promise. And the prom-
ise of Allah was bound to be fulfilled.”[18]
After receiving this explanation from
Almighty God,Hazrat Ahmadas
claimed
in 1891 to be the Promised Messiah and
Imam Mahdi whose advent was proph-
esied by the Holy Prophetsa
as well as
Jesusas
. He asserted that Almighty God
had sent him to remove the malaise
that had grown between mankind and
God and to re-establish human moral-
ity. He wrote over 90 books in support
of his claim during the course of his
life. However, despite the evidences he
presented, many contemporary theolo-
gians rejected his claims and he met a
storm of fierce opposition,not least from
the Muslim leaders of the time.
In his book, Noorul Haq (Light of Truth)
Part I, written in Arabic and published
in early 1894, Hazrat Ahmadas
, the
Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi,
made the following humble supplica-
tion to God:
“Judge between us and our people with jus-
tice forThou are the Best of those who judge.
O God! Please send thy succour for me from
the heavens and help Thy servant in this
time of adversity.”[19]
Among the objections raised against him
by contemporary theologians was that
the prophecy pertaining to the eclipses
of the sun and moon had not been
Moon, partial lunar eclipse
© Sarit Wuttisan | shutterstock.com
Table 1 - Solar eclipse dates in the 19th and 20th centuries and their characteristics.
Table 2 - Lunar eclipse dates in the 19th and 20th centuries and their characteristics.

calculations.The calculations do indicate
that there was a possibility of sighting the
moon on the evening of March 8th
,1894,
if meteorological conditions were good;
but meteorological conditions were not
favourable and the lunar crescent could
only be observed in the evening of March
9th
from Qadian.[21]
The age of the moon
at sunset on March 8th
was 22.7 hours.[22]
As Dr Mohammad Ilyas has stated: “On
the basis of recorded accounts, sightings of
the moon younger than twenty hours are
rare and sightings of more than twenty four
hours are not uncommon although the vis-
ibility may at times require it to be more
than thirty hours old.”[23]
Using images provided by the NASA
Five Millennium Eclipse Database, we
can see the tracking path of the eclipses
across the sky as the people of Qadian
would have seen them.[24]
Image 3 shows
the lunar eclipse of the 13th
Ramadan
after the sunset of March 21st
, 1894, at
14:20TD/GMT (TD refers to “Terrestial
Time”, which for our purposes is syn-
onymous with GMT),corresponding to
approximately 19:50 in Qadian, India.
The sunset in Qadian on March 21st
,
1894, began at 18:28, making the time
of the eclipse squarely in the beginning
of the 13th
day of Ramadan.[25]
Image
4 demonstrates the tracking pattern of
the shadow cast by the solar eclipse of
April 6th
, 1894. This eclipse began at
03:54TD/GMT, making the time of
eclipse in Qadian approximately 09:24
on the same day.
Another method to confirm the dates of
the Christian era for these eclipses is to
use The Canon of Eclipses or the Nautical
Almanac.[26,27]
Apart from the almanacs,
there was mention of the eclipses in the
Indian newspapers of the time, such as
Azad and Civil and Military Gazette (see
Image 5). Interestingly, mention of the
solar eclipse of 1894 can also be found
from the monthly notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society (see Image 6).[28]
In this, the authors refer to the solar
eclipse of the 6th
April, 1894 as “consid-
erable” resulting in a “reduction in light
(which) was very marked.”
It should be noted that online Hijri-
Gregorian converters that are commonly
found on the internet vary and have an
error margin of 1 day.[29]
In addition,
many such converters take into account
the fact that Hijri days start from sun-
set of the previous Gregorian day. Thus,
the Hijri date given for any Gregorian
day is the day that will begin after sun-
set of that day. For example, the March
21st
, 1894, would be given as the 13th
fulfilled in his favour. Extraordinarily
however, the prayer made in Noorul Haq
was answered in an awe-striking man-
ner. Later the same year, in 1311 Hijri
(1894 C.E), the lunar and solar eclipses
occurred over Qadian in India, on the
specified dates of Ramadan in fulfil-
ment of the grand prophecy of the Holy
Prophetsa
.The lunar eclipse occurred after
sunset on the 13th
of Ramadan (March
21st
,1894) and the solar eclipse occurred
on Friday, the 28th
of Ramadan (April
6th
, 1894).
Proof of the dates of the eclipses is
reproduced in Tables 1 and 2 below,[20]
demonstrating the dates in the 19th
cen-
tury and early 20th
century of all lunar
and solar eclipses during the month of
Ramadan, as provided by the Positional
Astronomy Centre of the Meteorological
Department in Calcutta,India.This data
demonstrates that it was only in 1894
and 1895 that the lunar and solar eclipses
occur on the 13th
and 28th
Ramadan
respectively, during the lifetime of a
claimant to being the Mahdi.
The date of Ramadan depends upon
when the lunar crescent was first
sighted and this depends on meteoro-
logical conditions as well as astronomical
Earth with the Mooon.
© Filipe Frazao | shutterstock.com

Ramadan, 1311, because after sunset
on March 21st
, the 13th
Ramadan would
begin.This should be borne in mind for
any Hijri-Gregorian calculators used in
confirming the dates of the eclipses to
avoid miscalculations.
Extraordinary Features of the
Eclipses
Soon after the celestial Signs were
witnessed, the Promised Messiah and
Mahdias
, wrote the book Noorul Haq
(Light of Truth) Part II,which is devoted
to an extremely enlightening discussion
on the accurate fulfilment of the proph-
ecy of the Holy Prophetsa
. In this book,
he explained in light of divine revelation
that the true interpretation of the hadith
is that in the time of the Imam Mahdi,
the moon would be eclipsed on the first
of the three nights in Ramadan,on which
a lunar eclipse can occur i.e. on the 13th
night,and that the sun would be eclipsed
on the middle day out of the days on
which a solar eclipse can occur, in the
same month of Ramadan,i.e.on the 28th
.
The Promised Messiahas
drew atten-
tion to several properties of the eclipses,
which highlight their extraordinary
nature. He pointed out that the words
‘first’ and ‘middle’ used in the hadith
was fulfilled in two ways: with regard to
the dates as well as the times. Not only
did the lunar eclipse occur on the first
of the three nights but it also occurred
in the first part of the night in Qadian;
soon after sunset. The solar eclipse not
only occurred on the middle day but
also occurred towards the forenoon in
Qadian. It did not occur early in the
morning and it was over before noon.
According to Calcutta Standard Time,
the lunar eclipse was visible in India in
Image 3 - Lunar eclipse as seen from Earth. The
pathway of the Earth’s shadow (small circle)
tracking across the moon (red sphere) during
the lunar eclipse of March 21st, 1894
at 14:20TD/GMT. Courtesy of NASA Eclipse
archive: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
Image 6 - Extract from the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
describing the solar eclipse of the 6th April, 1894 as “marked” with “considerable”
meteorological effects. Provided by NASA Astrophysics Data System.
Left: Image 4 - Solar eclipse as seen from
Earth. Shadow of the solar eclipse over India
and other countries on April 6th, 1894 at
03:54TD/GMT. Courtesy of Her Majesty’s
Nautical Almanac Online Eclipse Portal;
http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0241894/.
Above: Image 5 - Newspaper cutting
with explanatory text, from the Civil
and Military Gazette Lahore, following
the solar eclipse of April 6th, 1894.
II. - Annular-Total Eclipse of the Sun 1894 April 06
Circumstances Time (UT) Longitude Latitude
h m o / o /
Eclipse begins; first contact with Earth 1 15.8 E 72 25.8 S 6 31.5
Beginning of southern limit of penumbra 2 00.8 E 63 40.8 S 26 48.4
Beginning of southern limit of umbra 2 23.6 E 53 59.3 N 6 31.5
Beginning of centre line; central eclipse begins 2 23.9 E 53 53.0 N 6 47.0
Beginning of northern limit of umbra 2 24.2 E 53 46.7 N 7 02.5
Central eclipse at local apparent noon 4 27.6 E 113 43.5 N47 21.8
End of northern limit of umbra 5 23.0 W157 18.4 N63 00.9
End of centre line; central eclipse ends 5 23.3 W157 30.1 N62 47.3
End of southern limit of umbra 5 23.5 W157 41.6 N62 33.8
End of southern limit of penumbra 5 46.7 W172 22.6 N29 37.0
Eclipse ends; last contact with Earth 6 31.5 W179 33.9 N49 44.1
C HM Nautical Almanac Office Globe centred on E 107.7o
and N 30.8o
T = -6.4s
∆

both eclipses were visible in the same
location - that of the claimant. The
Promised Messiahas
, exhorted people to
ponder over the fact that the sign was
manifested in his country.He thus wrote:
“O servants of God, ponder and think. Do
you consider it permissible that the Mahdi
should be born in the countries of Arabia and
Syria and his Sign should be manifested in
our country; and you know that the wisdom
of God does not separate the Sign from the
person for whom the Sign is meant. Then
how could it be possible that the Mahdi
should be in the East but his sign should be
in the West? And this should be sufficient for
you if you are really seekers after truth.”[32]
A Miracle, Repeated
“The sun will be eclipsed twice in Ramadan
before the advent of Mahdi.”[33]
“For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of Man be.”[34]
The above narrations indicate a mani-
festation of this sign a second time. In
the following year of 1895 C.E, the
lunar and solar eclipses again occurred
in the month of Ramadan on the 11th
March and the 26th
March respectively
(see Images 7 and 8).Whilst the eclipses
of 1894 occurred in the Eastern hemi-
sphere, the eclipses of 1895 occurred in
the Western hemisphere, thus fulfilling
the prophecy of Jesusas
regarding his
second advent, as set out above. These
eclipses were not visible from Qadian
in India, yet when the eclipses occurred
the evening between 7 pm and 9:30 pm,
and the solar eclipse was visible in India
in the forenoon between 9 am and 11 am.
Aided by divine revelation,the Promised
Messiah and Mahdias
elucidated the
deeper meaning of the hadith as follows:
“So the correct interpretation and the true
meaning of the expression ‘the lunar eclipse
will occur in the first night of Ramadan’ are
that it will occur in the first of the three full-
moon nights and you know the expression
‘white nights.’ In addition to this there is
also a hint that when the lunar eclipse occurs
in the first full-moon night, it will occur in
the beginning of the night and not after a
long time, as will be clear to an enlight-
ened person. And the lunar eclipse did occur
accordingly and many had seen it in this
country.”[30]
With regard to the solar eclipse, he
stated:
“The saying that the sun will be eclipsed
in the ‘middle’ implies that the solar eclipse
will manifest itself in such a way that it
will divide the days of the eclipse into two
halves (The word nisf used in the had-
ith and translated as ‘middle’, also means
‘half ’). It will occur in the second day of the
eclipse and its time will not exceed the first
half of the day because that is the limit of
the half. So just as Almighty God ordained
that the lunar eclipse should occur in the first
night, so also He ordained that the solar
eclipse should occur in the eclipse days in the
time specified by ‘half ’. So it happened as
prophesied. Almighty God does not reveal
His secrets to anyone except to those whom
He chooses for the reformation of the world.
Hence there is no doubt that this hadith is
from the Messenger of God, peace and bless-
ings of Allah be upon him, who is the best of
all messengers.”[31]
It may also be noted that both the lunar
and solar eclipses were visible from
Qadian, India. A lunar eclipse can be
seen from more than half the earth’s
sphere, but a solar eclipse is visible from
a much smaller area. It often happens
that a solar eclipse is only seen from a
sparsely populated area or over an ocean.
The solar eclipse of April 6th
, 1894, was
visible from a vast area of Asia includ-
ing India is shown by Oppolzer’s map
(Chart 148), the Nautical Almanac of
1894 as well as Image 4 above from Her
Majesty’s Nautical Almanac.
The conjunction of the prophesied
eclipses occurring at the specified times,
dates and month, is made all the more
extraordinary when one considers that
© Harm Kruyshaar | shutterstock.com

Qur’an thus states:
“He asks: When will be the day of
Resurrection? When the eye is dazzled, And
the moon is eclipsed, And the sun and the
moon are brought together,On that day man
will say, whither to escape?”[37]
The above verses clearly speak of a lunar
eclipse followed by the coming together
of the sun and moon in ‘conjunction’
i.e.: a solar eclipse. The hadith of Dare
Qutani gives valuable details about the
prophesied eclipses but the root of the
prophecy is in the Holy Qur’an itself.
From this angle then, objections against
the authenticity of the narration are
meaningless for the Holy Qur’an has
confirmed it.
It is worth mentioning in regards to
this Qur’anic verse, that the prophesied
eclipses may be argued to occur at the
destruction of the universe,as the eclipses
are given as a reply to the question “When
will be the day of Resurrection?” This
however, is not a valid interpretation, as
explained by the Promised Messiahas
:
“It must not be supposed that the sign indi-
cated here is one among the events of the Day
of Judgement; because the eclipses referred to
in the verse depend for their occurrence upon
the existence of this earth.They are the result
of certain definite and well-known circum-
stances and occur at fixed times and stated
periods.In the case of the eclipses, the circum-
stances are such that after they have ceased,
the sun and moon will return to their former
condition. On the other hand, the phenom-
ena which will be manifested on the last day
are such as will come to pass only after the
universe has been completely upset … In
short, the eclipses depend for their occurrence,
upon the existing order of our system and
from the beginning of the universe, form a
in the Western hemisphere, the dates
in Qadian were the 13th
and the 28th
of
Ramadan, respectively. Image 7 shows
how the lunar eclipse of the 11th
March
occurred in the early hours of the morn-
ing at 03:39TD/GMT. The 13th
day of
Ramadan had already begun with the
sunset of the 10th
March.Image 8 shows
that the solar eclipse of March 26th
,1895,
occurred in the morning at 10:10TD/
GMT which corresponds to the 28th
day of Ramadan in India, which had
already begun with the sunset of March
25th
.Thus,this remarkable prophecy was
accurately fulfilled a second time.
also made
mention of these eclipses in his book
Haqiqatul Wahi:
“In accordance with another hadith, these
eclipses occurred twice in Ramadan, first
in this country and then in America, and
on both occasions it occurred on the same
dates. Since at the time of the eclipses there
was no claimant on earth of Mahdi Ma’ud
(Promised Mahdi) and since nobody else
declared these eclipses as his sign and pub-
lished hundreds of pamphlets and books in
Urdu, Persian and Arabic, this heavenly
sign is for me. Another proof of this is the
fact twelve years before this sign occurred,
Almighty God had informed me that such
a sign would occur and this information,
which is stated in Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya
was announced to hundreds of thousands of
people before the sign was manifested.”[35]
Sir Isaac Newton had discovered the law
of gravitation in the 17th
century C.E.
Detailed astronomical calculations of the
eclipses were not possible before this dis-
covery.Despite this,our lord and master,
the Holy Prophetsa
made such a prophecy
that could not have been possible without
knowledge from the Omniscient God.
One cannot conceive of a better heavenly
sign than this for indicating the advent
of the Promised Messiah and Imam
Mahdias
. It is irrefutable, for it is beyond
the reach of human concoction.
“So blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.”[36]
How Authentic is the Prophecy?
A common objection against the hadith
of the sun and moon eclipses is that it is
an inauthentic hadith, with no evidence
of it having originated from the Holy
Prophetsa
.
The first point is that the root of the
prophecy lies in the Holy Qur’an. It is
well known that the time of the advent
of the Promised Messiah and Mahdias
is
also known as the ‘Latter Days.’The Holy
Sir Isaac Newton, who elucidated
the law of gravity and made possible
detailed astronomical calculations.

fulfilled because God has borne witness to
its truth since except God nobody has power
over the unknown. The Holy Qur’an says:
‘He (Allah) is the Knower of the unseen, and
He reveals not His secrets to anyone, except
to whom He chooses, namely a Messenger of
His.’ i.e. only the Messengers of Allah can
narrate the unseen in a perfect way; oth-
ers cannot be of this rank. Here Messengers
include Rasool, Nabi, Muhaddath and
Mujaddid.”[39, 40]
When the prophecy in the hadith has
been fulfilled, the criticism against the
narrators thus loses significance. The
Promised Messiahas
has discussed this
point further in other works also.[41]
In regards to whether the hadith is in
itself inauthentic one should note that
Hazrat Ali Bin Umar Albaghdadi Ad
Dare-Qutani, the compiler of the had-
ith, was a very respected saint and was
part of its phenomena. It therefore follows
that the lunar and solar eclipses mentioned
in the Holy Qur’an are only the harbingers
of the last day and not the sign of the last
day having already begun.”[38]
The second proof of the authenticity
of this hadith, was elucidated by the
Promised Messiahas
also:
“That hadith is quite correct and is recorded
not only in Dar Qutani but also in other
books of hadith of both Shia and Sunni sects.
Furthermore,this principle has been accepted
by the scholars of hadith that if a prophecy
of any hadith has been fulfilled, then even
if, for the sake of argument, that hadith was
earlier considered as false, the hadith will be
regarded as true after the prophecy has been
Imaginary space and astromony
banners with sun eclipse
Image 7 - Lunar eclipse as seen from Earth.
Pathway of the Earth’s shadow tracking across
the Moon during the lunar eclipse of March
11th, 1895 at 03:39TD/GMT. Courtesy of NASA
Eclipse archive: http://eclipse.
gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html.
Image 8 - Solar eclipse as seen from earth.
Shadow of the solar eclipse over the
Western hemisphere on March 26th, 1895
at 10:10TD/GMT. Courtesy of Her
Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Online Eclipse Portal;
http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0221895/
II. - Partial Eclipse of the Sun 1895 March 26
Circumstances Time (UT) Longitude Latitude
h m o / o /
Eclipse begins; first contact with Earth 8 38.8 W 39 33.0 N31 20.3
Beginning of southern limit of penumbra 8 57.5 W 43 52.1 N23 31.4
Greatest eclipse (magnitude = 0.3534) 10 09.6 W 64 56.4 N61 11.8
End of southern limit of penumbra 11 21.1 E 115 33.1 N81 11.0
Eclipse ends; last contact with Earth 11 39.9 E 165 26.9 N87 38.0
C HM Nautical Almanac Office Globe centred on W 32.8o
and N 60.2o
T = -6.4s
∆

Hazrat Imam Baqar. Muhammad Bin
Ali is considered as Hazrat Imam Baqar
in Iqtirabus Saat by Nawab Nur-Ul-
Hassan Khan (p.1061).In this connection
it may also be noted that Allama Shaikh
Shahabuddin Ibn Al Hajar-al Hashimi
wrote:
“Muhammad Bin Ali, an elite among the
Ahle-Bait, narrates that there will be two
signs for Imam Mahdi which have never
been shown to mankind since the creation of
the heavens and the earth. One of these is the
eclipse of the moon on the first of its nights in
the month of Ramadhan, and the eclipse of
the sun on the middle of the days.”[43]
Finally, it should be noted that many
scholars and saints of Islam have writ-
ten about the future fulfilment of this
prophecy. One particularly outstand-
ing example is that of Hazrat Sheikh
Muhammad ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Pahaarwi, a
well-known Indian saint of Multan. In
his works he writes of being informed
by revelation that the sign of the eclipses
would be fulfilled in the year 1311 of the
Hijri calendar.[44]
This corresponds to
1894 C.E – the same year in which the
prophecy was fulfilled for the Promised
Messiahas
.
Are the Dates of the Eclipse Correct?
In this article it has been demonstrated
that the dates of the lunar and solar
eclipses should be taken as the 13th
, 14th
,
15th
and 27th
,28th
,29th
respectively of the
Islamic calendar.Dr David McNaughton
has opined that lunar eclipses can occur
on 13th
, 14th
and 15th
and solar eclipses
on 28th
and 29th
and that only under
special circumstances can a solar eclipse
occur on the 27th
of the Islamic month.[45]
Also,under special circumstances,a lunar
eclipse can occur on the 12th
.Hence,the
dates of the eclipses should be taken as
13th
,14th
,15th
and 28th
,29th
or as 12th
,13th
,
14th
, 15th
and 27th
, 28th
and 29th
.
Perhaps the author is the first person to
point out that it is possible to observe a
lunar eclipse on the 12th
. On the other
hand, it seems to be well known from
observational records that a solar eclipse
can occur on the 27th
. Two examples
taken from authoritative books in which
the 27th
is considered as one of the dates
for the solar eclipse are presented below:
Firstly,Nawab Siddeeq Hasan Khan writes
that according to astronomers a lunar
eclipse does not take place on any date
other than 13th
, 14th
and 15th
; and in the
same way a solar eclipse does not take place
on any date other than 27th
,28th
and 29th
.[46]
scrupulously careful in recording the
sayings of the Holy Prophetsa
. Hazrat
Shah Abdul Aziz, Muhaddith of Delhi,
another eminent elite of Islam, com-
ments about Imam Dare-Qutani in his
book, Nukhbatul Fikr:
“Imam Dare-Qutani once said,‘O residents
of Baghdad. Do not even think that any
narrator would be able to refer any false or
incorrect statement to the Holy Prophet of
Islamsa
during my life time.’”[42]
Some individuals have expressed doubts
as to whether the narrator really was
…there will be two signs for
Imam Mahdi which have
never been shown to mankind
since the creation of the
heavens and the earth. One
of these is the eclipse of the
moon on the first of its nights
in the month of Ramadhan,
and the eclipse of the sun
on the middle of the days.
© NikoNomad | shutterstock.com

In response to this it should be noted that
the hadith does not merely imply that
eclipses did not occur on the 13th
and
28th
Ramadan ever before, but it implies
that such eclipses never happened before
as signs.The Promised Messiahas
wrote in
this regard:
“The hadith of Dar Qutani does not say
at all that solar and lunar eclipses did not
occur ever before, but it does clearly say that
such eclipses never occurred earlier as Signs,
because the word Takoona is used which
denotes the feminine gender; this implies
that such a Sign was never manifested
before. If it was meant that such eclipses
never occurred before, Yakoona which
denotes the masculine gender was needed
and not Takoona which denotes the femi-
nine gender. It is clear from this that the
reference is to the two signs because signs
are of the feminine gender. Hence if any-
body thinks that lunar and solar eclipses
have occurred many times before (as signs),
it is his responsibility to show the claim-
ant to Mahdi who declared the solar and
lunar eclipses as his signs and this proof
should be certain and conclusive and this
can only happen if a book of the claimant
is produced who claimed to be the Mahdi
Ma’ud (Promised Mahdi) and had writ-
ten that the lunar and solar eclipses which
occurred in Ramadan on the dates specified
in Dare Qutani are the Signs of his truth.
In short, we are not concerned with the
mere occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses
even if they had occurred thousands of times.
As a sign this has happened at the time of
a claimant only once and the hadith has
proved its authenticity and truth through
its fulfilment at the time of the claimant to
Mahdi.”[48]
It is noteworthy that although lunar and
solar eclipses have occurred on the spec-
ified dates many times; the occurrence
of these dates from a specified place is
quite rare. A lunar eclipse can be seen
from more than half the earth’s sphere,
but a solar eclipse is visible from a much
smaller area.It often happens that a solar
eclipse is only seen from a sparsely popu-
lated area or from an ocean. The solar
eclipse of the April 6th
, 1894 was visible
from a vast area of Asia,including India.
The calculations made by Professor
G.M. Ballabh and the author at the
Department of Astronomy, Osmania
University, Hyderabad, indicate that
from the time of the Holy Prophet,peace
be on him, up to the present day, pairs
of eclipses have occurred in the month
of Ramadhan 109 times. Of these only
three times were both eclipses visible
Secondly, Professor F. Richard
Stephenson, who has devoted consider-
able effort to the study of ancient records
of eclipses, writes:
“In the Islamic calendar, lunar eclipses con-
sistently take place on or about the 14th
day
of the month and solar eclipses around the
28th
day.”[47]
Hence, considering the dates as 13th
,
14th
and 15th
for the lunar eclipse and
27th
, 28th
and 29th
for the solar eclipse
for interpreting the prophecy in 1894 at
the time of the claimant,is quite reason-
able. The purpose of the prophecy was
to help people recognise the time of the
Promised Messiahas
and it has served the
purpose very well.
It may also be noted that the Promised
Messiahas
claimed on the basis of divine
revelation that the prophecy has been
fulfilled in his person. He declared on
oath that he was the Promised Messiah
and Mahdias
.
In order to understand the hadith on
the basis of our present knowledge we
should note that the time between the
astronomical new moon and full moon
varies between 13.9 days and 15.6 days,as
mentioned by Dr McNaughton. Hence,
if a lunar eclipse occurs on the 12th
of a
month,the solar eclipse cannot occur on
the 28th
of the month because in that case
the interval between the new moon and
the full moon would exceed 15.6 days.
If the hadith had not laid any restriction
on the date of the solar eclipse, the first
date of the lunar eclipse may have been
considered as 12th
. But since the hadith
has specified the date of the solar eclipse,
the first night in the hadith has to be
interpreted as the first of the well-known
three nights, i.e. the 13th
.
Have Eclipses in Ramadan Occurred
Before?
Another issue that is sometimes raised is
that lunar and solar eclipses have occurred
on the 13th
and 28th
of Ramadan thou-
sands of times whereas the hadith states
that these events had not occurred before.
It may also be noted that
the Promised Messiahas
claimed on the basis of divine
revelation that the prophecy
has been fulfilled in his
person. He declared on oath
that he was the Promised
Messiah and Mahdias
.

do not have any evidence of any claim-
ant who put forward the testimony of
eclipses in support of his claim.
In an article entitled “Fraud of Eclipses”
by Idare Dawato-Irshad, the author has
mentioned the names of Saleh Bin Tarif,
Mirza Ali Muhammad Bab, Hussain
Ali Bahaullah, Mahdi Sudani, and Dr
Alexander Dowie.The author states that
they could have claimed signs of eclipses,
though he gives no written evidence of
their claims.
With regard to the above persons we
make the following comments on the
basis of our calculations:
Saleh Bin Tarif claimed to be the Mahdi
in 125 AH and ruled until 174 AH.
During the period 125 AH to 174 AH,
pairs of eclipses occurred in Ramadan in
126 AH (744 CE) 127 AH (745 CE),
170 AH (787 CE) 171 AH (788 CE).
We studied the occurrence of pairs of
eclipses in Ramadan with respect to
Morocco, the place of the claimant. We
found that in none of these years was the
solar eclipse visible from Morocco. The
lunar eclipses were visible in 745, 766,
787, and 788 CE.
Mirza Ali Muhammad Bab claimed to
be the Mahdi in 1264 AH (1848 CE)
and was killed on 28 Shaban 1266 AH
(9th
July 1850CE). During the period
1848 to 1850 CE there was neither a
lunar eclipse nor a solar eclipse in any
part of the world.
Hussain Ali Bahaullah did not claim to
be the Mahdi.He claimed to be a mani-
festation of God in 1867.He died in May
1892. During the period 1867-1892, we
do not have any year in which both lunar
and solar eclipses occurred in Ramadan
and were visible in Iran. In 1289 AH
(1872 CE) both eclipses occurred in
Ramadan but neither of them were vis-
ible there. In 1290 AH (1873 CE), both
eclipses occurred in Ramadan but only
the lunar eclipse was visible on the 14th
Ramadhan.
Muhammad Ahmad of Sudan claimed
to be the Mahdi in 1298 AH (1881 CE)
and he died on the 9th
Ramadhan 1302
AH (22nd
June 1885).During the period
1881-1885, neither a lunar eclipse nor a
solar eclipse occurred in Ramadan in any
part of the world.
Dr Alexander Dowie did not claim to
be the Mahdi. He was a Christian reli-
gious leader and a self-declared enemy
from Qadian on the specified dates,
i.e. on the 13th
and 28th
of Ramadhan.
Hence, the eclipses occurring on speci-
fied dates at a specified place is quite rare
(for details see Review of Religions, June
1992 and September 1994).
In regards to the relationship between a
claimant and the signs,it is often argued
that the signs should occur before the
claimant appears,not after.The Promised
Messiahas
has given valuable guidance in
this matter. He writes:
“The hadith does not imply that before the
advent of the Mahdi there would be eclipses
of the moon and the sun in the month of the
Ramadan, because in that case it was pos-
sible that after seeing the lunar eclipse and
the solar eclipse in the month of Ramadan,
any impostor could claim to be the Promised
Mahdi and the matter would become
ambiguous since it is easy to claim after-
wards. If after the eclipses there are many
claimants it is clear that the eclipses cannot
testify in favour of anyone.”[49]
“From ancient times, this has been the way
of God that a Sign is manifested when the
Messengers of God are treated as liars and
are regarded as impostors.”[50]
Have Eclipses Occurred in Support of
Other Claimants?
The fifth common objection is that the
eclipses have occurred on the 13th
and
the 28th
Ramadan at the time of other
claimants also.
Professor G.M. Ballabh and the author
investigated the dates of eclipses that
occurred in Ramadan at the time of 25
other claimants to the title of ‘Mahdi.’
The dates depend upon the place of
observation.We calculated the dates with
respect to the place of the claimant. We
found that for none of the claimants can
we definitely say that after their claim a
lunar eclipse occurred at their locations
on the 13th
and a solar eclipse on the 28th
,
within the same month of Ramadan,dur-
ing their lifetimes.[51]
Furthermore, we
Mirza Ali Muhammad Bab
claimed to be the Mahdi in
1264 AH (1848 CE) and was
killed on 28 Shaban 1266 AH
(9th
July 1850CE). During
the period 1848 to 1850 CE
there was neither a lunar
eclipse nor a solar eclipse
in any part of the world.

also declared on oath that he was the
Promised Divine Messenger and that the
lunar and solar eclipses were divine signs
for him. He stated as follows:
“I swear by God in Whose Hand is my life
that He has manifested this sign in the sky to
testify my truthfulness, and He manifested
it at a time when the Maulvis (theologi-
ans) named me the Dajjal (Anti-Christ),
the greatest liar, infidel and even the great-
est infidel. This is the same sign regarding
which twenty years ago I was promised
in Braheen- e-Ahmadiyya, namely:
‘Tell them I have with me testimony from
Allah, will you then believe? Tell them I
have with me testimony from Allah, will
you then accept?’ It should be remembered
that although there are many proofs from
Almighty God for vindicating my truthful-
ness and more than a hundred prophecies
have been fulfilled to which hundreds of
thousands of people are witnesses, but in this
revelation, this prophecy has been mentioned
specifically. I have been given such a sign
which was not given to anybody else from
the time of Adam to the present time. In
short I can stand in the sacred precincts of
the Ka’abah and swear that this sign is for
testifying to my truth.”[54]
This sign verifies the truth of not only the
Promised Messiahas
, but also the Holy
Prophetsa
from whose blessed tongue
this remarkable prophecy was made.
The resplendent manner in which these
signs have been fulfilled in support of
these beloved ones of Allah Almighty is
encapsulated beautifully in the words of
the Holy Qur’an:
“Nay, We hurl the truth at falsehood, and it
breaks its head,and lo,it perishes.And woe be
to you for that which you ascribe to God.”[55]
The original articles from which this article was
edited together can be found at the following
sites:
Professor Saleh Muhammad Alladin, Comments
on the Article Entitled “Flaws in the Ahmadiyya
Eclipse Theory” by Dr David McNaughton:
https://www.alislam.org/topics/eclipses/
response-to-mcnaughton.html
Professor Saleh Muhammad Alladin, The Truth
About Eclipses; The Review of Religions, May-
June, 1999: https://www.alislam.org/library/
articles/new/TruthAboutEclipses.html
Professor Saleh Muhammad Alladin; The
Advent of the Promised Mahdi and the Lunar and
Solar Eclipses: https://www.alislam.org/library/
sign.html
of Islam. In 1903 CE he claimed to be
the harbinger of the Messiah. He died
in 1907. During the period 1903-1907,
there was no eclipse of the sun or the
moon in Ramadan in any part of the
world.
Conclusion
The above are some examples of how
allegations are easily made.When,how-
ever, the facts are examined in detail,
it emerges clearly that the Promised
Messiahas
is the only claimant for whom
the sun and moon bore testimony. That
there were to be false claimants is indi-
cated in the words of the hadith itself,
when the Holy Prophet, peace be on
him, refers to the Mahdi as “our Mahdi.”
The indication in this is that there would
also be false Mahdi’s who would ascribe
themselves to the Holy Prophetsa
, but
who would not belong to him.
,summarised this
sign most wonderfully when he wrote
that:
“As a matter of fact, since Adam to the pre-
sent time, nobody ever made a prophecy like
this. The prophecy has four aspects: (1) the
occurrence of the lunar eclipse on the first
of the eclipse nights. (2) the occurrence of
the solar eclipse on the middle of the eclipse
days, (3) the occurrence of both in the same
month of Ramadan and (4) the presence of
the claimant who has been rejected. Hence
if the greatness of this prophecy is denied,
then show a parallel to it in the world, and
until a parallel cannot be found, this proph-
ecy ranks foremost among all those prophecies
to which the verse ‘He reveals not His secrets
to anyone’can be applied, because it is stated
here (in the hadith) that from the time of
Adam to the end, it has no parallel.”[52, 53]
The Promised Messiah and Mahdias
As a matter of fact, since
Adam to the present time,
nobody ever made a prophecy
like this.The prophecy has four
aspects: (1) the occurrence of
the lunar eclipse on the first
of the eclipse nights. (2) the
occurrence of the solar eclipse
on the middle of the eclipse
days, (3) the occurrence of
both in the same month
of Ramadan and (4) the
presence of the claimant
who has been rejected.

as Signs of the Promised Messiah, Review of
Religious, July 1987.
21. Professor Saleh Muhammad Alladin,
Lunar and Solar Eclipses as Signs of the Promised
Messiah, Review of Religious, July 1987.
22. The Review of Religions, September 1994.
23. Mohammad Ilyas, A Modern Guide to
Astronomical Calculations of Islamic Calendar,
Times & Qibla (Kuala Lumpur: Berita
Publishing, 1984).
24. See: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.
html or http://moonblink.info/Eclipse/search;
the coordinates of Qadian (31.82N, 75.39E),
elevation (250m) and time zone (GMT+05.30)
require inputting.
25. Calculated through use of Solar Calculator
(accessed: 03/07/15): http://www.esrl.noaa.
gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/ using the coordinates of
Qadian (31.82N, 75.39E), elevation (250m) and
time zone (GMT+05.30).
26. Prof T. R Von Oppolzer, Canon of Eclipses
(Dover Publications: New York, 1962).
27. Nautical Almanac, (London, 1894).
28. C. M Smith, Sun, Annular Eclipse of, 1894
April 6, observed at Madras; Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 55, p. 76.
29. http://www.islamicfinder.org/hijri_intro.
php , accessed 03/07/15.
30. Mirza Ghulam Ahmadra
, Noorul Haq, Part
II, p. 201.
, Noorul Haq, Part
II, p. 204.
, Noorul Haq, Part
II, p. 215-216.
33. Abdul Wahab Sherani, Mukhtasir Tazkira
Al-Qurtabi, p. 148.
34. Matthew, 24:27 (King James Bible).
, Haqiqatul Wahi,
p. 195.
36. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Mu’minun, Verse
15.
37. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Qiyamah, Verse 11.
, Najamal Huda,
Ruhani Khazain, Vol.14, p. 117-120.
39. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Jinn, Verse 28.
, Aiyamus Suleh,
endnotes
1. Matthew, 24:29 (King James Version).
2. Surdas; Sursagar “Ocean of Melody.”
3. Sri Dasam Granth, p.107, line 9: http://www.
sridasam.org/dasam?c=t ; accessed 02/07/15
4. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Dahr, Verse 7-10.
5. Sunan Darqutni, Kitabul Eidain, Chapter:
Salat-ul-kasoof-ul khasoof wa haitahuma.
6. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Ya Sin, Verse 37-41.
7. Robin M. Green, ed., Spherical Astronomy,
Chapter 18: Eclipses and Occultations
(Cambridge Cambridgeshire; New York:
Cambridge University Press, 1985), 439.
8. Fatawa Sheikh ul Islam Taqi ud Din, Chapter
Khasuf ul Qamar, Vol. 1.
9. Robin M. Green, ed., Spherical Astronomy,
Chapter 18: Eclipses and Occultations
(Cambridge Cambridgeshire; New York:
Cambridge University Press, 1985), 439.
10. Robin M. Green, ed., Spherical
Astronomy, First Edition edition (Cambridge
Cambridgeshire; New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1985).
11. Holy Qur’an, Al-Rahman, Verse 6.
12. Mohammad Ilyas, A Modern Guide to
Astronomical Calculations of Islamic Calendar,
Times & Qibla (Kuala Lumpur: Berita
Publishing, 1984).
13. Aqrabul Mawarid, Vol. 2.
14. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Ya Sin, Verse 41.
15. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Rahman, Verse 6.
, Barahin-e-
Ahmadiyyah, part 3, pp. 238–242 subfootnote 1;
Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 265–268, subfoot-
note 1.
, Barahin-e-
Ahmadiyyah, part 3, pp. 238–242 subfootnote 1;
Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 265–268 subfoot-
note 1.
, Izala-e-Auham,
pp. 561–562; Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 3, p. 402.
, Noorul Haq Part 1;
Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 8, p. 6.
20. Provided by: Positional Astronomy Centre
of the Meteorological Department in Calcutta,
India, first reproduced in: Professor Saleh
Muhammad Alladin. Lunar and Solar Eclipses

Ruhani Khazain, Vol.14, p. 419.
, Zameema Anjame
Atham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol.11, pp. 333-334.
42. Nukhbatul Fikr, Footnote p.52.
43. Allama Shaikh Shahabuddin Ibn Al
Hajar-al Hashimi, Kitabul Fataw Al Hadeesiyya,
p.31.
44. Badr, 14th
March 1907, p. 8.
45. See: http://www.dlmcn.com/qadsum.
html#beg , accessed 03/07/15.
46. Nawab Siddique Hasan Khan, Hujajal
Kirama, p. 344.
47. Professor Richard Stephenson, Historical
Eclipses and Earth’s Rotation (Cambridge
University Press: 1997), 436.
, Chashma-e-
Marifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol.23, pp. 329-330.
Anwarul Islam,
Ruhani Khazain, Vol.9, p.48.
, Tohfae Golarviya,
Ruhani Khazain, Vol.17, p.142.
51. Al-Fazal International, London, 12th
June
1998.
52. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Jinn, Verse 27.
, Tohfa-e-Golarviya,
p. 29.
, Tohfa-e-
Golarbiyya, p. 53.
55. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Anbiya’, Verse 19.
The English Rendering of the
5 Volume Commentary of the
Holy Qur’an
One of the most comprehensive commentaries of the
Holy Qur’an ever written.
Commentary by
Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra)
Read it online at: http://www.alislam.org/quran/
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52 The Review of Religions | august 2015

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
the review of religions
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
The Holy Qur’an Regarding the Eclipse
The root of the prophecy in fact lies in the Holy Qur’an:
He asks: When will be the day of Resurrection? When
the eye is dazzled, And the moon is eclipsed, And the
sun and the moon are brought together, On that day
man will say,‘Whither to escape?’[1]
Quotes of the Promised Messiahas
Regarding
the Eclipse
We are not concerned with how often solar and lunar
eclipses have occurred in the month of Ramadan from
the beginning of the world till today. Our aim is only
to mention that from the time man has appeared in this
world, solar and lunar eclipses have occurred as Signs
only in my age for me. Prior to me, no one had this
circumstance that on the one hand he claimed to be
Mahdi Ma’ud (Promised Reformer) and on the other,in
the month of Ramadan, on the appointed dates, lunar
and solar eclipses occurred and he declared the eclipses
as signs in his favour.The Hadith of Darqutani does not
say at all that solar and lunar eclipses did not occur ever
before, but it does clearly say that such eclipses never
occurred earlier as Signs, because the word Takoona is
used which denotes feminine gender; this implies that
such a Sign was never manifested before.If it was meant
that such eclipses never occurred before,Yakoona which
denotes masculine gender was needed and notTakoona
which denotes feminine gender. It is clear from this
that the reference is to the two signs because signs are
feminine gender. Hence if anybody thinks that lunar

and solar eclipses have occurred many times before, it is his respon-
sibility to show the claimant to Mahdi who declared the solar and
lunar eclipses as his signs and this proof should be certain and con-
clusive and this can only happen if a book of the claimant is produced
who claimed to be Mahdi Ma’ud and had written that the lunar and
solar eclipses which occurred in Ramadan on the dates specified in
Darqutani are the Signs of his truth. In short, we are not concerned
with the mere occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses even if they had
occurred thousands of times. As a sign this has happened at the time
of a claimant only once and the Hadith has proved its authenticity and
truth through its fulfillment at the time of the claimant to Mahdi.[2]
O servants of God, ponder and think. Do you consider it permissible
that the Mahdi should be born in the countries of Arabia and Syria
and his Sign should be manifested in our country; and you know
that the wisdom of God does not separate the sign from the person
for whom the sign is meant. Then how could it be possible that the
Mahdi should be in the East but his sign should be in the West? And
this should be sufficient for you if you are really seekers after truth.[3]
The Hadith does not imply that before the advent of the Mahdi
there would be eclipses of the moon and the sun in the month of the
Ramadan,because in that case it was possible that after seeing the lunar
eclipse and the solar eclipse in the month of Ramadan, any impostor
could claim to be the Promised Mahdi and the matter would become
ambiguous since it is easy to claim afterwards.If after the eclipses there
are many claimants it is clear that the eclipses cannot testify anyone.[4]
From ancient time, this has been the way of God that a Sign is
manifested when the Messengers of God are treated as liars and are
regarded as impostors.[5]
In my age only, in the month of Ramadan, eclipses of the sun and
the moon occurred; in my age only, in accordance with the authen-
tic sayings of the Holy Prophetsa
and the Holy Qur’an and earlier
Books, there was the plague all over the country, and in my age only,
a new mode of transport, namely railways came into existence and in
my age only, as per prophecies, terrible earthquakes came. Does not
then righteousness demand that one should not be bold in denying
me. Look! I swear by Almighty God and say that thousands of signs
for establishing my truth have been manifested,are being manifested
and will be manifested.If this were a man’s plan,never would he have
enjoyed such support and help.[6]
endnotes
1. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Qiyamah, Verses 7-11.
2. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, Chashma-e-Marifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23,
pp. 329-330.
, Noorul Haq, Part 2.
, Anwarul Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 9, p. 48.
, Tohfa e Golarviya, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 17, p.
142.
, Haqiqatul Wahi, p. 45; Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 22,
p. 48.
In short, we are not concerned with the mere
occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses even if they
had occurred thousands of times. As a sign this has
happened at the time of a claimant only once…

T
he importance placed by Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
on the
content of his prophecies can-
not be understated. He viewed them as
part of the historic fabric of religious
truths and averred that only through the
insights which are revealed by God from
‘behind the veil of the unseen,’ can the
truth of anyone claiming to be a divine
prophet or messenger be recognised. It
is firmly within this context that the
following study is situated. This article
seeks to examine Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad’sas
prophecy of the plague and to
closely analyse its salient features and the
extent of its fulfilment within the param-
eters specified by the prophecy itself.
The origins of the plague prophecy can
be traced back to one of Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad’sas
earliest and most
well known revelations. Whilst writing
his first book,Barahin-i-Ahmadiyya (The
Proofs of Ahmadiyyat), he asserted that
God had divinely disclosed to him the
words, “A Warner came to the world but
the world did not accept him. But God will
accept him and manifest his truth through
powerful assaults.”[1]
This was revealed
before Hazrat Ahmadas
had made any
claim to being the Messiah or a prophet
of God. As the passage of time would
show, this revelation formed the basis of
not only the prophecy in question, but
all of Hazrat Ahmad’sas
punitive pre-
dictions. It also alludes to several key
aspects of the plague prophecy. Firstly,
in the period leading up to the outbreak,
Hazrat Ahmadas
would not only have
made a divinely inspired claim,but would
also be engaged in his prophetic mission.
Secondly, that the epidemic would have
its origins in the rejection and denial of
. Thirdly, that
God would punish the people for their
actions and manifest the truth of the
Promised Messiahas
through powerful
assaults, in this case the plague. More
implicit references to the outbreak of
the disease appeared well after Hazrat
Ahmad’sas
claim to be the Messiah.
The earliest intimation he received of
this was in 1893, when he prophesied
the death of one of his fiercest opponents,
Lekh Ram.[2]
In a letter dated June 14,
1903, he wrote “[At that time] it was
disclosed to me that shortly after he [Lekh
Ram] dies, Punjab would be afflicted with
plague.”[3]
This is an extremely important
and crucial source,for it is the only refer-
ence to the plague mentioned by Hazrat
Ahmad,as
which predates the spread of
the disease. All other historical source
material is from 1898 onwards.
It was in February 1898, that Hazrat
Ahmadas
made his first public announce-
ment regarding the plague, and foretold
its spread throughout the Punjab.When
The Plague
by Mirza Usman Ahmad, Rabwah, Pakistan
Yersinia pestis bacteria which caused Bubonic Plague.
© Everett Historical | shutterstock.com
This article seeks to examine
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad’sas
prophecy of the
plague and to closely analyse
its salient features and the
extent of its fulfilment within
the parameters specified
by the prophecy itself.

Foreign plague commissions also arrived
in India to statistically and scientifically
investigate the causes of it and identify
ways of combating it.[5]
Despite these circumstances, the
Promised Messiahas
forcefully prophesied
that only divine intervention could tame
the devastation and that the pestilence
would soon wreak havoc in the Punjab.
He wrote,
“Today, Sunday, February 6, 1898, I saw
in a dream that God’s angels were planting
black trees in different parts of the Punjab.
Those trees were very ugly, black in colour,
terrifying and of small size. I asked some of
those who were planting them: ‘What kind
of trees are these?’ They answered: ‘These
are trees of the plague which is about to
spread in the country.’ It remained unclear
to me whether it was said that the plague
would spread during the coming winter or
the winter after, but it was a terrible sign
which I saw.”[6]
In the same announcement,the Promised
Messiahas
also referred to another revela-
tion. He wrote,
“Before this [dream] I also received a rev-
elation about the plague, that is: Until the
people do not cure themselves of the disease
of their sins, the epidemic of this world will
not be alleviated.”[7]
He added that because this was a proph-
ecy of warning it could be averted if the
people repented of their wrongdoing and
turned to piety and virtue.
Several months later,on May 2nd
,the day
of Eid-ul-Adha,the Promised Messiahas
held a ‘plague meeting’ for his follow-
ers in which he “dealt with the objections
raised against the measures of segrega-
tion and isolation which the authorities
prescribed, explained their necessity and
usefulness and emphasised the importance of
cooperation with the authorities.”[8,9]
Again,
he also elucidated that the disease was
a divine punishment for the precipitous
rise of sin and evil among people of all
faiths and that the only way to put off the
devastation would be to seek repentance
from God.
Further elaborating on the causes of the
plague, in light of one his Arabic revela-
tions of 1902, the Promised Messiahas
identified one principle reason for the
disease as being the rejection of God’s
messenger and the various attempts to
cause him harm.
He explained:
this announcement was published, the
plague had already arrived in India,
starting in Bombay in 1896 and then
spreading to its surroundings, how-
ever; it had not yet reached epidemic
proportions.
The occurrence of the disease greatly
perturbed the governing British adminis-
tration,who made “vigorous and energetic”
efforts from the outset of the outbreak
to curtail its spread.[4]
There was a real
fear among the ruling elite that a wide-
spread epidemic could threaten the
empire, Indian social order and interna-
tional trade. This resulted in wide scale
state intervention to control the disease,
including measures such as quarantine,
travel restrictions,isolation camps for the
sick and the evacuation of entire towns.
Plague Hospital, Mumbai.
© Clifton and Co., Bombay, India.
“Today, Sunday, February 6,
1898, I saw in a dream that
God’s angels were planting
black trees in different parts
of the Punjab.Those trees
were very ugly, black in colour,
terrifying and of small size.
I asked some of those who
were planting them:‘What
kind of trees are these?’They
answered:‘These are trees
of the plague which is about
to spread in the country.’

who are obedient to me and who on account
of their righteousness have devoted them-
selves to me; will be saved from the plague…
However, anyone who does not follow me
absolutely is not part [of my Jama’at].”[12,13]
He added,
“I repeat long before today, the Lord of
heaven and earth; the all-knowing and all-
powerful God,disclosed to me that He would
save all those who live within the four walls
of my home from death by the plague; but,
on the condition that they enter my alle-
giance with complete sincerity, humility and
obeisance and extinguish the fire of prejudice
and enmity. Also, that they do not consider
themselves superior to His commandments
or those of His prophet; that they do not pos-
sess a selfish and rebellious disposition, nor
behave at variance with their beliefs.”[14]
In Nuzul-ul-Masih the Promised
Messiahas
explained the meaning of the
words ‘four walls of your home,’
“In recent days God has revealed to me – ‘I
will save all those who dwell in the four
walls of your home, except for them who
behave with arrogance and presume for
themselves a high station. And I will save
you with distinction. Peace be on you from
God, the Merciful.’
It ought to be known, that the decree regard-
ing Qadian has two aspects; firstly, His
decree which relates to the town in gen-
eral; that [Qadian] will be saved from such
plague as brings chaos and destruction and
consumes entire dwellings, secondly, His
decree which relates to my home in particu-
lar; that all those who reside within it will
be saved from the ravages that might inflict
certain inhabitants of Qadian.”[15]
also issued a
challenge to various religious leaders
throughout India to pray for the protec-
tion of those towns and cities where the
headquarters of their religious institu-
tions were based in order to show that
they, and not Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
, or any other individual group
or community, were supported by God.
In Dafi-ul-Bala he wrote:
“If the Aryas sincerely believe in the truth of
the Vedas, they should prophesise that their
Parmeshwar will save Banares (Varanasi),
the seat of Vedic learning. Likewise the
Sanatan Dharam should prophesise the
protection of a town known as a habitat
for cattle. For example, they could proph-
esise that Amritsar will be saved from the
plague because of the blessings of the cow;
and should any bovine demonstrate this
“Firstly, the plague was not raised in the
earth solely because of the rejection of the
Messiah of God, but also on account of the
multiple sufferings inflicted on him; the
intrigues of those who conspired to kill him;
and his being branded a disbeliever and a
Dajjal [antichrist]… In truth, the non-
acceptance of a messenger is not the reason
a calamity befalls a people. If a messenger
of God is rejected with propriety and good
conduct and is not made to endure the hard-
ships of injury and abuse, the judgement of
his deniers awaits them [not in this world
but] in the hereafter.”[10]
The same revelation contained another
significant element of the plague proph-
ecy, that those who resided in the home
of the Promised Messiahas
would be saved
from the calamity.The revelation was,“I
will save all those who live within the four
walls of your home.”[11]
From the moment
these words were revealed, they came to
form an integral part of the prophecy.
In his book Kishti Nuh, the Promised
Messiahas
wrote,
“In these present times, God has willed
to show a sign of heavenly mercy, so He
has informed me that I and all those who
dwell within the four walls of my home;
who wholly and unconditionally follow me;
Plague infected house, Mumbai, India
Clifton and Co., Bombay, India.
the plague
“In recent days God has
revealed to me – ‘I will save
all those who dwell in the
four walls of your home, except
for them who behave with
arrogance and presume for
themselves a high station.
And I will save you with
distinction. Peace be on you
from God, the Merciful.’

take into consideration cases that were
misdiagnosed, unreported, concealed or
wrongly classified.[18]
It is interesting to compare the geo-
graphical spread of the disease and
death toll with various other parts of the
world affected by the plague. The third
plague pandemic began in the Yunnan
province in China in 1855, and accord-
ing to the World Health Organisation
remained active until 1959 - “The network
of global shipping ensured the widespread
distribution of the disease over the next
few decades.”[19]
In the years to come,
the plague spread as far as Europe, the
United States and even to countries
in South America, such as Peru and
Argentina. However, in all these places
its effects were “limited in epidemic force
to coastal cities and even there hardly pen-
etrated beyond docklands. Instead of millions
killed, as happened with the previous two
pandemics, and as Europe feared at the
beginning of the twentieth century, death
counts of this third pandemic in temper-
ate zones rarely exceeded one hundred.”[20]
Nor was the number of victims in any of
these places comparable to that of India
and Punjab. For example, in Honolulu
where the disease lasted for a year there
were 61 reported deaths. The American
city of San Francisco also succumbed to
the epidemic, but in the four years that
the disease was active it only claimed
113 lives.[21]
The only country where the
destruction was in any way comparable to
miracle, it would be wholly understandable
were the government to enforce a total ban
on the slaughter of this wondrous animal.
Again, the Christians ought to predict
that the plague will not afflict Calcutta
as it is the home of the chief bishop of
the British Empire. So too should Mian
Shams-ud-Din and the members of the
Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam foretell
that Lahore will be protected. The account-
ant, Munshi Ilahi Bakhsh, who claims
to be the recipient of divine revelation,
has a wonderful opportunity to assist the
Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam in this. It
would also be appropriate for ‘Abdul Jabbar
and ‘Abdul Haq to make a similar proph-
ecy regarding Amritsar. And because Delhi
is the centre of Wahabism, both Nadhir
Hussain and Muhammad Hussain should
prophesise the protection of the city. In this
way the whole of the Punjab will be rescued
from the clutches of this virulent disease and
the British regency will be relinquished of
the responsibility and expense of having to
control the epidemic. But, should they fail to
do this, it will perforce be determined that
the true God is He Who has raised His mes-
senger in Qadian.”[16]
By taking these revelations together one
can see that the salient features of the
plague prophecy were,
1. The plague would spread throughout
the Punjab and cause havoc in the
province
2. The plague was both a warning and
a sign of punishment because of the
unyielding rise of sin and wrongdo-
ing,and on account of the persecution
of God’s messenger. If the people
repented,the plague would be abated;
otherwise it would spread devastation
and fear.
3. Those who resided within the four
walls of his home; that is his physi-
cal home, the town of Qadian or as
members of his spiritual community,
would for the most part be saved from
the ravages of the plague, as long as
they truly and sincerely believed in his
teachings.
What then was the impact of the plague
and to what extent were the various
strands of the prophecy fulfilled?
To begin with, the force of devastation
in the Punjab and India as a whole was
immense. The third plague pandemic
claimed more than 12 million lives
between 1898-1948.[17]
It should be
noted that this and any other such figures
are only modest estimates which do not
the plague
A photo of an old pamphlet on
how to prevent the plague.
To begin with, the force of
devastation in the Punjab and
India as a whole was immense.
The third plague pandemic
claimed more than 12 million
lives between 1898-1948.

the epidemic. According to figures pro-
duced by J.N.Hays,the annual death toll
exceeded 1 million in these years. It is
also significant to note that in the period
of peak mortality, it was the Punjab that
was the worst affected area.[23]
The fulfilment of the Promised Messiah’sas
prophecy was also evident through the
public and civic reaction caused by the
disease. As has already been made clear
saw the plague
as a sign of warning and divine wrath.Its
purpose was to frighten people so that
they would repent from their sins.This is
extremely pertinent for almost all writers
and historians who have written on the
subject and agree that the panic caused
by the plague at all levels of society “bore
no direct relation to the virulence of the epi-
demic.”[24]
Although the bubonic plague
was a great killer, it was not the most
destructive epidemic to ravage India
over a similar period. Both malaria and
tuberculosis claimed twice as many vic-
tims.[25]
Parts of India also suffered at the
time from famine and cholera.But it was
the plague that struck the most fear and
panic both among the ruling elite and the
general public.Some writers on the sub-
ject have gone so far as to suggest that the
significance of the plague lies not in the
cost of human lives (which was indeed
great) but in the political and public
unrest it caused.[26]
A tragic and promi-
nent example of the immense terror and
chaos which the disease created,were the
riots in Pune,which were sparked by the
sanitary measures adopted by the British
and resulted in the murder of the plague
commissioner in the city W.C.Rand.[27]
Similar instances of panic occurred in
other cities where the perceived invasive
policies of the government led to strikes
and the mass flight of people from cities
and towns affected by the plague.[28]
Evidence for the third part of the proph-
ecy comes from the writings of the
Promised Messiahas
and the accounts of
his companions.Though there are no real
statistics for the extent to which plague
affected Qadian, we know from anec-
dotal evidence including the Promised
Messiah’sas
own, that the town expe-
rienced small outbursts but nothing
like the devastation that affected large
India and the Punjab was China, where
close to 10 million people died.
In terms of the havoc that the plague
would wreak in the Punjab, a further
dimension was given to the prophecy
when in 1903 the Promised Messiahas
received the revelation:
“‘The door of the plague has been opened.’
Thus, it seems that from this point forth,
there will be no relenting in the Plague.”[22]
This is immensely significant because
it is widely acknowledged amongst
experts in the field that the years 1904,
1905 and 1907 were the most deadly of
Inoculation against the plague, Mumbai, India.
Colombo, Sri Lanka Apothecaries
and Co. Ltd. Photographers.
Yersinia pestis
Some writers on the subject
have gone so far as to
suggest that the significance
of the plague lies not in
the cost of human lives
(which was indeed great)
but in the political and
public unrest it caused.

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