The Institutes of Akbar 2.1.7

2.1.7

In the book entitled ‘Shawahid’ it is said that when he was born, he had on his right arm the words written, ‘Say, the truth has come and error has vanished, surely error is vanishing’ [Qoran, xvii, 83]. It is also related that when he was born into the world, he came on his knees, pointed with his fingers to heaven, sneezed, and said, “Praise be to God, the Lord of the world.” Some one also has left an account of a visit to Imam Hasan ’Askari [the eleventh Imam], whom he asked, “O son of the Prophet, who will be Khalifah and Imam after thee?” ’Askari thereupon went into his room, and after some time came back with a child on his shoulders, that had a face like the full moon and might have been three years old, and said to the man, “If thou hadst not found favour in the eyes of God, He would not have shewn you this child: his name is that of the Prophet, and so is his patronymic.” The sect who believe Mahdi to be alive at present, say that he rules over cities in the far west, and he is even said to have children. God alone knows the truth! The alleged prophecies of the Founder regarding the advent of the Restorer of the Faith, assumed a peculiar importance when Islam entered on the century preceding the first millennium, and the learned everywhere agitated the question till at last the Mahdi movement assumed in India a definite form through the teaching of Mir Sayyid Muhammad, son of Mir Sayyid Khan, of Jaunpur. This man was a descendant of the Prophet, and bore his name;