vital it is that the Mujaddid should arrive. But now, the question
arises as to what criterion would enable us to recognize the
Mujaddid of the final phase. Clearly, he will not be recognized
because of his miraculous personality. Rather, there will be two
basic signs by which to identify him. These are recorded in the
Quran and the Hadith.
When we peruse such traditions, we find that the first
identifying feature of the Mujaddid of the final phase will be
that, by the special grace of God, he will be able to discover the
true religion in its original form. Going beyond the Quran’s
outward form and all fallacious interpretations of it, he will be
able to understand its true message and will thus be able to
discover the real spirit of Islam.
That is to say, he will be able to discover the religion of God
once again just as it was discovered by the companions of the
Prophet. Although having come at a later time, he will be able
to find Islam at the same level of realization as that of the
Companions of the Prophet.
The second sign by which to recognize him will be as
expressed in the Quran in relation to other prophets: “Each
messenger We have sent has spoken in the language of his own
people.” (14:4). This verse gives us a certain criterion by which
to recognize a prophet or a
dayee
. “Language” in this verse does
not just mean parlance, but covers all those features which are
considered necessary parts of a successful means of
communication. For instance, clarity and an effective style of
speech which will fully address the minds of his contemporaries,
etc.
Such a powerful style is never acquired. It is always granted
to the person whom God has designated to communicate His
religion. If, in spite of this distinctive quality, one is not able to
recognize a
dayee
, one may be said to be suffering from
intellectual blindness. It was because of this kind of intellectual
blindness that people failed to recognize the prophets in the
past and denied them.
The way to recognize the Mujaddid ...
51
