Book Review: Mithaq-un-Nabiyyin (میثاق النبیّٖن)
by Maulvi Abdul Haq Vidyarthi
The Light (Pakistan), 24th January 1937 Issue (Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 7–8)
Pages: 272
To be had of Dar-ul-Kutub-Islamia, Ahmadiyya Buildings, Lahore
The book has been fitly named after the famous covenant (میثاق) between God and all the world prophets mentioned in the Quran, verse 3:80. According to this covenant it was made obligatory on the followers of those prophets to accept a certain prophet when he should appear. The mark of identification of this coming prophet has been mentioned to be that he would testify to the truth of all the foregoing world prophets. Such a prophet came in the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. He is the one world Teacher who proclaimed that all the nations of the world had prophets of their own. This is but one part of the covenant, says the author, which was fulfilled in the person of the Prophet of Islam. But the covenant cannot be complete unless it should have a counterpart in all the previous scriptures in the form of prophecies as to the advent of the coming prophet. And Maulana Abdul Haq, who is a research scholar and has studied several scriptures in their original languages, positively claims that every scripture contains unmistakable prophecies as to the advent of Prophet Muhammad. The present volume culls such prophecies from the scriptures of Zoroastrians, the Hindus, and the Jews. He means to pursue the research to Buddhist and other scriptures and unearth the prophecies there as well.
Prophecies, points out the author, are never put in plain language. They are always clothed in metaphor, and there is wisdom in doing so. It is a common phenomenon that the previous scriptures have been greatly tampered with by the hand of man. Now, if the coming prophet were mentioned by name and locality, the prophecy would in all likelihood have been torn out of the scripture. It is as a measure of protection therefore that such prophecies are wrapped in the garb of metaphor so that they might remain as hidden mysteries and no one should take liberties with them. Just as a precious pearl is put in a shell, even so a prophecy is put in the shell of metaphor. One has only to remove the shell to see the pearl inside shine in all its beauty.
And the Maulana has in the present volume removed many a shell from over the prophet’s identity as foretold in the various scriptures. From the Atharva Veda, for instance, some of the pearls unearthed are as follows.
The mantra which contains the prophecy speaks of 300 Arab horses being given to the prophet foretold. This refers to the warriors who fought by the Prophet’s side on the field of Badr. Their number was about 300. Then the mantra speaks of 10,000 cows being given to him. This obviously refers to the 10,000 righteous men — also mentioned in the Bible as a mark of the prophet — who accompanied the Prophet at the time of the conquest of Mecca. Cow is a sacred animal with the Hindus. The Prophet’s 10,000 men were all also sacred souls. Another mantra mentions 10,000 foes being routed without any encounter. This is a reference to the battle of Ahzab when the enemy besieged Medina and had to leave without striking a blow.
Piecemeal discussion of things so hidden and mysterious would however mar the beauty of the whole thing. A comprehensive view as given in the book is so convincing. It is all so interesting — quite an original thing which never saw the light of day so far.
We pray the Maulana may be given strength to carry on this very interesting research and dig out many more such pearls from Buddhist and other scriptures.