What Does the Minaret Symbolise

The Promised Messiah^as & Imam Mahdi (Guided One)
Founder of
THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as

Darkness has completely pervaded the world and the flickering lamp of righteousness is about to die out. Customary belief, traditional knowledge and superficial prayers can no longer bring back its faded light. Can the blind lead the blind? Can darkness dispel darkness? No! A new minaret has to be built on the earth which rises above the lowly dwellings, so that the heavenly lamp may be placed on it, and the whole world may be illuminated by its light. How can light reach distant places unless it is placed somewhere high?

What does the minaret symbolise? It represents the holy, pure and resolute soul, which is given to that perfect man who is worthy of heavenly light, and this meaning is inherent in the word ‘minaret’ itself. The loftiness of the minaret signifies the high resolve of such a man, its strength signifies the fortitude which he shows at times of trial, and its pristine whiteness represents his innocence, which must ultimately be established. And when all this has taken place, i.e. when his truthfulness has been established with arguments, and his fortitude, steadfastness, patience and perseverance has become apparent like a shining minaret, the period of his first advent – which was marked by trials and tribulations – comes to an end, and the time is now ripe for him to appear in glory. Spirituality, which is imbued with Divine glory, descends upon him who is like a minaret, and invests him with Divine powers by God’s permission. All this happens in his second advent, and this is exactly the manner in which the Promised Messiah was supposed to appear. The traditions prevalent among the Muslims which speak, for instance, of his descent near a minaret, are only meant to signify that his advent will be a glorious one and that he will be accompanied by Divine power. Heaven holds him back until the time God has appointed for his advent, but this does not mean that he was not [physically] present on the earth before that.¹

Endnotes

1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as, How To Be Free From Sin (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications, 2008), 6-7.