Tadhkiratush Shahadatain Complete 101005b

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The TWOMARTYRSTadhkiratush-SHAHADATAIN

Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadof Qadianas

The Promised Messiah and MahdiFounder of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jamaat


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ISLAM INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS LIMITED


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Tadhkiratush-ShahadatainThe Two Martyrs

Islam International Publications Ltd

First Urdu Edition: Qadian, 1903English Edition: UK, 2010

Published by:

Islam International Publications Ltd.

'Islamabad' Sheephatch Lane,

Tilford, Surrey GU10 2AQ

United Kingdom

Printed in UK at:

Raqeem Press

'Islamabad'

Tilford, Surrey GU10 2AQ

ISBN: 978-1-84880-056-4


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Contents

INTRODUCTION V

PUBLISHERS NOTE XI

THE TWO MARTYRS 1

MARTYRDOM OF MIA ABDUR RAHMAN, A DISCIPLEOF MAULAWI SAHIBZADAH ABDUL LATIF SAHIB,NOBLEMANOF KHOST, AFGHANISTAN 81

AN ACCOUNT OF THE TRAGIC MARTYRDOM OFMAULAWI SAHIBZADAH ABDUL LATIF, CHIEF OFKHOST, INTHE STATE OF KABUL (MAY ALLAH HAVEMERCYONHIM) 83

PERSIAN VERSES 105

A WORDOF ADVICEFOR MY FOLLOWERS 113

PROPHECIES RECORDED ON PAGES 510-511 OFBARAHIN-E-AHMADIYYAH RELATING TO THEMARTYRDOM OF SAHIBZADAH MAULAWI MUHAMMADABDUL LATIF SAHIB AND MIAN ABDUR RAHMAN

SAHIB, ANDTHE PROPHECY REGARDINGMY PERSONALSAFETY 123

A FRESH MIRACLE RELATINGTO MAULAWI ABDULLATIF SAHIB 133

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGEFOR MY JAMAAT 135

NOW ISTHE TIMEFOR PRAYER, NOTFOR TAKING UPARMSTO FIGHTTHE ENEMY 145

WHAT IS REVELATION AND HOW IT CAN BEEXPERIENCED 179

SIGNSOFTHE MENOF GOD 187

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE MARTYRDOM OFSAHIBZADAH MAULAWI ABDUL LATIF SAHIB 235

INDEX 241


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IntroductionAbout the Author

Born in 1835 in Qadian (India), Hadrat Mirza

Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdias,

devoted himself to the study of the Holy Quran and

to a life of prayer and devotion. Finding Islam the

target of foul attacks from all directions and thefortunes of Muslims at a low ebb, he, as the Imam

and the voice articulate of the age, undertook the

task of vindicating Islam and presenting its

teachings in their pristine purity. In his vast corpus

of writings, lectures, discourses, religious debates

etc., he argued that Islam was the only living faith,

by following which, man could establish contact

with his Creator and enter into communion with

Him. He announced that God had appointed him

the Messiah and Mahdi, according to the

prophecies of the Bible, the Holy Quran and Hadith.

In 1889 he began to accept initiation into his

Jamaat, which is now established in over ahundred and ninety countries. He wrote more than

eighty books in Urdu, Arabic and Persian.

After his demise in 1908, the Promised Messiah as

was succeeded by Khulafa (Successors), who have

since continued his mission. Hadrat Mirza Masroor

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Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vat, is the present head of

the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jamaat and the fifth

Successor of the Promised Messiahas.

About the Book

Tadhkiratush-Shahadatain, written by Hadrat Mirza

Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdias

in 1903, contains a detailed account of the events

pertaining to two of the most brutal and heinousmurders ever committed in the history of religion.

The book comprises of two parts, Urdu and Arabic.

The Urdu part relates to the first two martyrs of

Jamaat Ahmadiyyah, Hadrat Sahibzadah Abdul

Latif Sahib and his disciple Hadrat Mia Abdur

Rahman Sahib, both from Kabul. The PromisedMessiahas writes at length about the revelations he

received foretelling the events before they

happened, how his message reached the martyrs,

what were the arguments that convinced them of

his truth, and the manner and circumstances of

their martyrdom. Huduras also urges his followers to

follow the example of these martyrs and, like them,

put their faith above every worldly consideration.

The Promised Messiahas has mentioned many signs

and arguments in support of his claim, including

the sixteen qualities that he shares with the first

Messiahas. He also has this challenge for his

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opponents:

You cannot point out any falsehood, fraud ortreachery in my earlier life which might lead

you to think that I have lied in this matter also.

Indeed, there is none among you who can point

a finger at my character. It is sheer Divine

grace that has helped me on the path of

righteousness from the very beginning. In this

is a great sign for those who care to reflect.

Speaking of the glorious future that awaits hisJamaat, the Promised Messiahas says,

Let all people know that the Creator of the

heaven and earth has promised to spread this

Jamaat in all countries and to grant it victory

over all other faiths through the weapon of

reason and argument. The day comes, indeed it

is at hand, when this faith alone shall behonoured and esteemed.

The Arabic part consists of the following three

sections:

(i) Now is the Time to Pray, not to take up

Arms and Fight the Enemy: In this section the

Promised Messiahas

says that Islam does not needthe sword to convey its message and that He has

declared prayer to be the sole weapon through

which the Promised Messiahas would become

victorious. It is a war, says he, to be fought with

a steel pen, not with a sword or a spear.

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The Promised Messiahas also explains how he is the

Promised Messiah and a Prophet at the same time.

(ii) What is Revelation and how it is Attained:

This sections throws light on the reality of

revelations and the means that are necessary for

experiencing it. It also outlines the qualities of

those who are blessed with Divine revelation.

(iii) Signs of the Men of God: Continuing with thesame theme, the Promised Messiahas defines, in

fluent and elegant Arabic, the character and

qualities of those who enjoy Gods nearness. Herein

also the Promised Messiahas presents his claim of

being Dhulqarnain of this age.

Acknowledgements

I am first of all indebted to Raja Ata-ul-Mannan

whom Allah blessed with the opportunity to

undertake this translation. I am likewise grateful to

all the following who assisted in the various stages

of this work: Dhulqarnain Bharwana, Mirza Usman

Ahmad, Uzma Aftab Sahiba, Syed Tanwir Mujtaba,Aziz-ur-Rahman Hafizzadah and Kashif Imran.

Gratitude is also due to Muniruddin Shams Sahib,

Additional Wakilut-Tasnif, London and Dr.

Muhammad Shafiq Sahib, Naib Wakilut-Tasnif,

Rabwah, for their help and guidance.

Chaudhry Muhammad Aliviii


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Wakilut-TasnifTahrik-e-Jadid

Rabwah20 September, 2010

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Publishers NotePlease note that words in the text in normal

brackets ( ) and in between the long dashesare

the words of the Promised Messiahas. If any

explanatory words or phrases are added by the

translator for the purpose of clarification, they are

put in square brackets [ ]. Footnotes given by the

Publisher are marked [Pb.]The name of Muhammadsa, the Holy Prophet of

Islam, has been followed by the symbol sa, which is

an abbreviation for the salutation Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam (may peace and blessings of Allah be

upon him). The names of other Prophets and

Messengers are followed by the symbol as, an

abbreviation for Alaihissalam (on whom be peace).The actual salutations have not generally been set

out in full, but they should nevertheless, be

understood as being repeated in full in each case.

The symbol ra is used with the name of the

companions of the Holy Prophetsa and those of the

Promised Messiahas, and it stands for Radi Allahu

anhu/anha/anhum (May Allah be pleased withhim/with her/with them). Likewise, the symbolrh stands for Rahimahullahu Taala (may Allah have

mercy on him), and at stands for Ayyadahullahu

Taala (May Allah, the Mighty help him).

In transliterating Arabic words we have followed

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the following system adopted by the Royal Asiatic

Society.

at the beginning of a word, pronounced asa, i, u preceded by a very slight aspiration, like h in

the English word 'honour'.

th, pronounced like th in the English word'thing'.

h, a guttural aspirate, stronger than h. kh, pronounced like the Scotch ch in 'loch'. dh, pronounced like the English th in 'that'. s, strongly articulated s. d, similar to the English th in 'this'. t, strongly articulated palatal t. z, strongly articulated z. , a strong guttural, the pronunciation ofwhich must be learnt by the ear. gh, a sound approached very nearly in the r'grasseye' in French, and in the German r. It

requires the muscles of the throat to be in the

'gargling' position whilst pronouncing it.

q, a deep guttural k sound. , a sort of catch in the voice.Short vowels are represented by:a for (like u in 'bud');

i for (like i in 'bid');

u for (like oo in 'wood');

Long vowels by:

a for or (like a in 'father');

i for or (like ee in 'deep');xii


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u for (like oo in 'root');

Other:

ai for (like i in 'site');au for (resembling ou in 'sound').

The consonants not included in the above list have

the same phonetic value as in the principal

languages of Europe.

For quotes straight commas (straight quotes) are

used to differentiate them from the curved commasused in the system of transliteration, for, for .Commas as punctuation marks are used according to the normal

usage. Similarly for apostrophe normal usage is followed.

The Publishers

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1

The Two Martyrs

There is no doubt that every form of cruelty

and barbarity is being perpetrated under theheavens in this age, but the tragedy I am

about to relate is so heart-rending that its

recollection sends a shudder through ones

body and soul.

Before I relate the events in their chronological

order, let me state that when God Almightysaw the dire state of the world and found it

filled with all kinds of depravity, sin and

misguidance, He chose me to proclaim the

truth and to bring about the reformation of

mankind. It was at the end of the thirteenth

century [of the Hijrah] and the dawn of thefourteenth when, in obedience to Divine

command, I began proclaiming through written

1 In the name of Allah, Ever Gracious, Ever Merciful. We

praise Him and invoke His blessings upon His noble

Messenger. Praised be Allah and peace be on His chosen

servants. [Pb.]

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announcements and public lectures that he

who had been destined to come from God atthe turn of this century to reform the faith was

none other than myself. I had been sent to

revive the faith which had disappeared from

the earth, to lead mankind towards

reformation, piety and righteousness, and to

correct its errors of creed and conduct with the

help of God.

Then, after the passage of a few years, Divine

revelation manifestly disclosed to me that I

was the Messiah who had long been promised

to this ummah, and also the Mahdi of the latter

days who was destined to appear when Islamwould fall into decline and darkness would

pervade the world. I was the same Mahdi who

was to be guided directly by God in order to

bring Heavenly nourishment to mankind, and

the news of my coming had been given by the

Holy Prophetsa thirteen hundred years ago. The

revelations I received from God were so clear

and unequivocal that they left no doubt in my

mind and penetrated my heart like an iron

nail. They also contained grand prophecies

that came to be fulfilled as clear as day. These

revelations were so numerous and so frequent

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THE TWO MARTYRS

and so miraculous in their nature that I was

forced to admit that they were indeed fromthe One and Peerless God Who had revealed

the Holy Quran. I do not mention the Torah

and the Gospels, for these have been grossly

disfigured by interpolators and can no longer

be considered the word of God.

The revelations that descended upon me wereso definite and unequivocal that I found my

God through them. Every letter and word they

contained was substantiated by the Holy

Quran and certified by Heavenly signs which

descended in their support like torrential rain.

The Sun and the Moon were eclipsed duringthe month of Ramadan, literally fulfilling the

prophecy about the coming of the Mahdi, and

the plague broke out in the Punjab exactly as

the Holy Quran had foretold. Past Prophets had

also given news of a great epidemic that

would ravage towns and villages, and this is

what we are witnessing today. God informed

me about this plague twenty-two years before

it broke out, when there was no sign of it

anywhere in this land. These revelations

descended upon me like rain and some of

them were repeated in different words. These

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are the revelations that God addressed to me:

Allah's decree is approaching; do not be inhaste.

This is the good news that has always

been given to Prophets.

God is with those who adopt piety, who,

due to their modesty and their reverence

and fear of God do not tread the uncertain

paths which might lead to sin andtransgression, who do not take any step

with impudence, and who do not say or do

anything but with the fear of God in their

hearts; and He is with those who are

faithful to Him and kind to His servants.

He is Strong and Mighty and has power

over everything but most people know not.

When He determines something, He says,

Be! and it comes to be.

Can you flee from Me? We shall exact

retribution from the culprits.

They say: These are the words of a man

and others have helped him in this; he is

either ignorant or insane.Tell them: If you love God then follow me

so that God may love you too.

We shall suffice you against those who

mock you.

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THE TWO MARTYRS

I shall humiliate him who tries to humiliate

you and I shall help him who desires to

help you.

I am the One in Whose presence the

Messengers have no fear.

When Gods help and victory arrive and

the word of thy Lord is fulfilled, it will be

said [to them]: This is what you had

hastened for.

When it is said to them: Create not

disorder in the land, they say: We only

work for peace. Beware, they are the

mischief-makers.

They mock thee and they ridicule thee

saying: Is this the one whom Allah has

raised? This is only what they say, but the

fact is that We brought them the truth butthey hate to accept it. The transgressors

will soon know what fate awaits them. God

is free from and exalted far above the

calumnies they attribute to Him.

They say: You have not been sent by God.

Tell them: I have come with Gods

testimony, will you then not believe?You have a high standing in My Presence.

I have chosen you for Myself.

When you are annoyed with someone, I,

too, am annoyed with him; and whoever

you love, I love also.

God praises you from His Throne.

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THE TWO MARTYRS

God praises you and comes towards you.

Your status in My eyes is such that the

world knows nothing of it.

You are to Me like My Oneness and My

Uniqueness.

You are of Divine water and they are of

filth.

All praise belongs to Allah Who made you

the Messiah, son of Mary, and taught you

that which you knew not.

They say: How could you have attained

this status? Tell them: My God is

wonderful; no one can obstruct His grace.

He is not called to account for that which

He does but people are called to account.

Thy Lord most surely does that which He

wills. He created this Adam and bestowed

honour upon him.

In this age I decided to appoint a

vicegerent on the earth, so I created this

Adam. The people said: Will you make

such a person your vicegerent who will

create disorder in the earth, i.e., create

divisions? God said to them: You know notwhat I know.

They say: This is only an imposture. Tell

them: It is from Allah; and leave them to

their frivolities.

We have sent him down with truth and he

came when he was truly needed.

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THE TWO MARTYRS

We have sent you as a mercy for all

mankind.

My Ahmad, you are My purpose and you

are with Me. Your secret is My secret.

Wonderful is your status and near is your

reward. I gave you the light and chose

you. There will come upon you a time like

the time of Moses.

Do not supplicate to Me on behalf of the

wrongdoers for they shall be drowned.They plan and God plans; God indeed is

the Best of planners.

He is the Benevolent One Who walks

before you and He declares your enemy to

be His enemy.

Soon your Lord will give you all that shall

please you.

We shall inherit the earth, and We eat into

it from its sides so that you might warn a

people whose ancestors were not warned

and the way of the wrongdoers might

become manifest.

Say: I am the appointed one and I am the

first of believers.

Say: It is revealed to me that your God is

One God and that all good is to be found in

the Quran; only those who have been

purified can grasp its truths and verities.

What else will you accept in its place?

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THE TWO MARTYRS

They desire and endeavour to frustrate

your mission but God desires it to succeed.

Allah is not such as will abandon you until

the good has been distinguished from the

evil.

God is He Who has sent His Messenger

(my humble self) with guidance and the

true religion so that He may cause it to

prevail over all religions; and Allah's

promise was bound to be fulfilled.

Allah's promise has come to pass. He put

down one foot on the earth and corrected

the disorder.

God will safeguard you against the

enemies and He will attack him who will

attack you unjustly.

His wrath descended upon the earth, for

people were bent upon disobedience and

had crossed all bounds. Disease will

spread in the land and people will die from

many diverse causes. This has been

destined in Heaven. This is the decree of

God, the Great and Powerful. God will not

avert whatever befalls the people untilthey change the state of their own hearts.

As for the village of Qadian, God shall take

it under His Own protection after a short

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trial.2Today there is no one who can save

you except Allah.

Build the ark before Our eyes and under

Our revelation.

Hethe Almighty Godis with you and

with your people.

I shall safeguard all those who dwell in

your house, except those who arrogantly

disobey Me and consider themselves

above My command, i.e., who do not fully

obey Me; and My protection shall be with

you in particular.

Peace is the word from the Merciful Lord.

Peace be on you. You are purified.

As for you guilty ones, stand aside today. I

shall stand with this Messenger and I shall

break the fast and shall also keep the fast.

I shall despise him who despises [you].

And I shall grant you a bounty that shall

endure forever.

2 The word awa in Arabic means the protection that is

given to a person after he has undergone some

tribulation and is saved from greater trials and evenannihilation. For instance, God Almighty says: *

In the whole of the Holy Quran, the words

awa and awa have been used to describe situations

where a person or a nation is granted relief after

suffering some affliction. [Author]

* 'Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee

shelter?'Ad-Duha, 93:7 [Pb.]

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THE TWO MARTYRS

I shall grace you with the light of My

manifestations.

I shall not leave this land till the appointed

time, i.e., I shall not relent in My wrath.

I am the Lightning and I am the Gracious

One, the Lord of grace and mercy.

An Account of the Two Martyrs

It was in those dayswhen I was receiving the

abovementioned revelation, and great signs

were appearing in my support, and my claim

of being the Promised Messiah was being

proclaimed with the aid of reason and

argumentthat some of my books reached a

revered man by the name of AkhundzadahMaulawi Abdul Latif, who lived in Khost, in the

territory of Kabul. He read my treatises

rational, scriptural and those based on signs of

Divine supportand, being pure-hearted and

righteous and a true scholar, was greatly

moved by them and had no hesitation inaccepting my claim. His pure conscience

readily admitted that I had been sent by God

and was true in my claims. He read my books

with great love and his pure and eager spirit

began to be drawn towards me. So much so,

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THE TWO MARTYRS

that he could not bear to stay away from me

any longer. Drawn by this powerful love andattraction, he decided to seek permission to

leave Kabul and, for this purpose, decided to

go for the Hajj. The Amir of Kabul, who revered

him as a distinguished scholar, indeed the

chief of scholars, not only granted him the

required permission but also gave him some

money for the journey. Having obtained

permission, Maulawi Sahib proceeded to

Qadian.

When I saw himand I declare this in the

name of God, Who is the Possessor of my life

I found him so immersed in my love, so sincerein his affirmation of my claim and so devoted

to me that I thought there could be none other

like him. Like a vial full of perfume I found him

full of love for me, and as his countenance was

radiant so did I find his heart aglow with the

Divine light. But the most enviable quality this

honourable man possessed was that he put his

faith above everything of this world. He was

among the steadfast ones who fear God and

achieve the pinnacles of piety and submission

and, in order to win His pleasure, are ever

prepared to sacrifice their lives, their honour

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and their wealth, as these things hold little

value in their eyes. So strong was his faith thatI am afraid that I would not be doing justice to

it if I were to compare it even to a mountain.

Many people, even after they have pledged

allegiance to me and have affirmed my claim,

are not able to get rid of the lamentable trait

of putting the world above the faith. All toooften I find in them the poisonous seeds of

worldliness. Their imperfect souls are tainted

by a latent miserliness with regard to their

lives, their honour, their wealth or their moral

condition. At times I hesitate to ask some of

them to undertake certain tasks for theJamaat, lest, considering them a burden, they

may want to cut their ties of allegiance to me.

On the other hand, I do not have the words to

express my admiration for this venerable sage

whoin his devotion to megave up his

wealth, his honour and even his life as though

they were nothing. There are many who fail to

persevere to the end and are swayed by the

slightest tribulation, satanic instigation or evil

influence. Hence I have no words to describe

the steadfastness of this courageous man who

grew in his enlightened conviction with every

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passing moment.

After he came to me, I asked him about thearguments that had led him to recognize me.

He said, "It was the Holy Quran, above all, that

guided me towards you." He also said, "I had

already come to the conclusion that the

majority of Muslims in this age are far

removed from the true spirit of Islam. Theyprofess faith with their tongues but their

hearts do not believe and their words and

deeds are steeped in innovation, idolatry and

sin of every kind and description. And, at the

same time, Islam is also assailed by external

threats. I could also see that the hearts ofmost Muslims were so veiled in darkness and

devoid of zeal as to be virtually dead. But for a

few negligible exceptions, the true faith and

piety which the Holy Prophetsa taught to his

Companionsra and the sincerity and conviction

that was granted to this blessed ummah have

all been lost due to the heedlessness of its

people. I realized that Islam was fast becoming

a dead religion and it was time God sent a

ReformerMujaddidfrom the unseen. I was

all the more concerned for I knew that time

was fast running out. Then I heard about you

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THE TWO MARTYRS

a man from Qadian, in the Punjab, who

claimed to be the Promised Messiahandprocured your books with great difficulty. I

studied them with an open mind and when I

referred your claims to the Holy Quran, I found

that everything you had written was in

complete accord with Gods sacred word. The

point that first impressed me was that while

the Holy Quran says that Jesus is dead and will

never return to this world, at the same time it

promises that God will send Successors to

sustain and strengthen the Muslim ummah in

its hour of darkness and turmoil, just as He

sent Successors to sustain the Mosaic

dispensation. Since Jesusas was the last

Successor of that dispensation and he did not

come to wage wars, I concluded that a similar

Successor must also appear in the final days of

this ummah." I heard many more words of

wisdom from this venerable sage, some of

which I remember while others have escapedmy memory.

Having stayed with me for some months, he

became so interested in my discourses that,

rather than proceed to Hajj as he had

originally intended, he preferred to stay on in

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THE TWO MARTYRS

Qadian. The reason, he said, was that

knowledge has precedence over deeds and hehad great need of knowledge to strengthen his

faith. Finding him so eager to learn, I imparted

to him as much of my God-given knowledge as

I could. I told him, for instance, that Allah had

declared the Holy Prophetsa to be 'the like-of-

Moses' in the verse:

3

"We sent to you a Messenger who is a witness

over youi.e., a witness to your decadent

conditionin the likeness of the Prophet who

was sent to Pharaoh."

Likewise, in a verse of Surah An-Nur,4

Hedeclares the Successors of the Holy Prophetsa

to be similar to the Successors of Mosesas.

Now, for there to be even minimal similarity

between the two dispensations, it is necessary

that, even as the Muslim ummah began with a

'like-of-Moses', it should culminate with a 'like-of-Jesus'. The ulema who oppose me readily

accept that this ummah was founded by 'the

3Al-Muzzammil, 73:16 [Pb.]4 'He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as

He made Successors from among those who were before

them.'An-Nur24:56 [Pb.]

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like-of-Moses', but obdurately refuse to believe

that 'the like-of-Jesus' shall come at the end ofit. Thus they wilfully go against the Holy Quran

which speaks not only of a similarity between

the Holy Prophetsa and Mosesas, but also

between their Successors. It says:

5

This shows that a 'like-of-Jesus' must appear inthe latter days of the Islamic dispensation. In

view of the importance of similarity in the

beginning and end, God foretold about them in

past scriptures and even described the

similarities between the enemies of the two

dispensations: Abu Jahl was compared to the

Pharaoh, and the enemies of the Messiah of

the latter days were likened to the Israelites

who [opposed the first Messiah and] were

cursed by God.

Since the word kama in the verse

also denotes similarity interms of time, it follows that as Jesus appeared

fourteen hundred years after Moses, the last

Khalifah of this ummah would also appear

fourteen hundred years after the Holy

5 Ibid.

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THE TWO MARTYRS

Prophetsa. All Jewish sects agree that Jesusas

made his claim in the fourteenth century afterMosesas. Though the Protestants believe that it

happened a few years into the fifteenth

century, their view carries little weight against

the unanimous belief of the Israelites. Nor

would such a minuscule difference detract

from the overall similarity. Similarity, in fact,

admits a measure of disparity.

The Holy Quran speaks of the similarities

between the Muslim and Israelite

dispensations both in terms of their good and

evil characteristics. In the following verses, it

uses the same words for the Israelites as forthe Muslims:

6

7

i.e., We shall grant them Khilafat and Kingdom

and see whether or not they stick to the right

path.The fact that the same words have been used

for both indicates that some Muslims would

6 So that He may see how you act.Al-Araf, 7:130 [Pb.]7 That We might see how you would act.Yunus, 10:15

[Pb.]

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behave like the Israelites and their divines

would commit the same errors as the Jewishdivines had done in the past. This is what the

words 8 also refers to. All

Commentators are unanimous that this verse

points to the Israelites who suffered Divine

chastisement for rejecting the Messiah.

Authentic Traditions also testify that the Jews

incurred Divine displeasure for trying to kill

Jesus on the cross. Likewise, the Holy Quran

tells us that the Jews were cursed by Jesus.

There can be no doubt, therefore, that the

Jews who tried to kill Jesus on the cross are the

ones who 'incurred Divine wrath'. When the

Muslims are taught to pray that they do not

become like the Jews, it clearly implies that a

'Jesus' will be born among them as well,

otherwise the prayer would be without

purpose. The notion that Jesusthe Israelite

will himself descend from heaven to reform

the Muslims who, according to the aboveverse, will have become much like the Jews, is

contrary to reason. Firstly, the coming of a

Prophet from outside the ummah would break

8 'Those who have not incurred Thy displeasure.'Al-

Fatihah, 1:7 [Pb.]

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the seal of the Holy Prophetssa Khatamiyyat,

whereas the Holy Quran categorically declareshim to be Khatamul-Anbiya. Secondly, it

would be a great humiliation for this ummah

which the Holy Quran calls 'the best of

peoples'if it required Jesus to come from

outside to reform its people. If the ulema who

will become like the Jews are from this

ummah, then the 'Jesus' who will come to

reform them must also be from among them.

Surely, it is not hard to understand that just as

some people of this ummah have been called

'Jews', so will an individual among them be

called 'Jesus'. In any case, it cannot be denied

that both the Holy Quran and the Traditions

have named certain people from within this

ummah as 'Jews', as is categorically stated in

the verse 9 . Otherwise, God would

never have taught this prayer.

Further, we find that ever since God began

revealing His Books, whenever He has

forbidden something to a peoplefor instance,

do not commit adultery, do not steal, or do not

become like the Jewsthese prohibitions have

always contained a hidden prophecy that

9 Ibid.

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some among them would be guilty of these

sins. There is not a single instance wherebyGod warned people against an evil and they all

refrained from it; for some of them are

invariably guilty of such actions. The Jews, for

example, were commanded not to tamper with

the Torah, but some of them did just that. On

the other hand, God never gave the Muslims

such a warning regarding the Holy Quran,

rather He said:

10

i.e., Verily, We have Ourselves sent down this

Exhortation, and most surely We will be its

Guardian.

Hence, the Holy Quran has remained free from

interpolation. Such is the Divine scheme of

things that whenever He forbids or enjoins an

act, He knows, on the basis of His eternal

knowledge, that some will disobey the

injunction. So, when God commanded thisummah to pray in Surah Al-Fatihah that we

may not become like those Jews who wanted

to crucify Jesus and were visited by Divine

wrath in this world, it must have been in His

10Al-Hijr, 15:10 [Pb.]

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eternal knowledge that some of them, the so-

called ulema, would become like the Jews onaccount of their mischief and rejection of the

Messiah of their time. Why else would God

have taught us such a prayer?

But this obviously does not mean that the

ulema will physically become part of the

Israelites and attempt to kill the same son ofMary who has long departed from this world,

for neither those Jews nor that Messiah exist in

this age. This verse clearly foretells a future

event and refers to the advent of a man in the

likeness of Jesus who would be reviled and

persecuted by the Muslim ulema as Jesus wasreviled and persecuted by the rabbis.

Authentic Traditions also confirm the view that

the ulema will be guilty of the same immoral

deeds and innovations as the rabbis. Despite

professing to be Muslims, their hearts will be

perverted and they will follow in the footsteps

of the Jews who had persecuted Jesus and

incurred Divine wrath as a result. Would it not

be a disgrace for this blessed ummah if its own

people were to become like the Jews but, to

reform them, the Messiah had to come from

outside? Such an assumption is in plain

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contradiction to the Holy Quran which not only

declares Muslims to be like Jews in theirpositive qualities but also in the negative ones.

The verse 11 indicates that Muslims

would be called 'Jews' because they will reject

and denounce the Messenger who will come to

reform them and will focus all their fury on him

and even try to kill him. They will be accursedlike the Jews who had rejected the Messiah

and were consequently punished by a severe

plague and crushed by Titus, the Roman

Emperor. The verse makes it

amply clear that some form of Divine

chastisement will overtake them in this world.Remember, all disbelievers will incur Divine

wrath on the Day of Judgement, but this verse

speaks only of those evil-doers who have to

face it in this world. More particularly, it refers

to the Jews who persecuted Jesus.

Consequently, they were punished by thescourge of the plague and those who survived

were tyrannized and driven out of their

country by Titus. The words

contain a grand prophecy that the Muslims

11Al-Fatihah, 1:7 [Pb.]

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who will be called 'Jews' will also reject a

Messiah who, like the past one, will not carryout Jihad with the sword, but shall spread the

faith through his holy teachings and Heavenly

signs. His rejection by the people shall be

followed by a plague and all that was foretold

by the Prophets from the very beginning shall

come to pass.

The misguided notion that the same old

Messiahas, son of Mary, will reappear in the

latter days is contrary to the teachings of the

Holy Quran. Those who study this Divine Book

with the fear of God in their hearts and reflect

over it with a fair mind shall behold the truthas clear as the sun and admit that God has

indeed made the Muslim ummah similar to

Mosaic dispensation and has invested them

with good and evil qualities parallel to the

other. There are some among the Muslims who

resemble the Prophets of the Mosaic

dispensation, and there are others who

resemble the accursed among the Jews. This

point can be illustrated by the example of a

fine house, consisting not only of beautifully

furnished rooms befitting decent and civilised

people but also toilets and drains. Now, if the

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owner decides to build another house exactly

like the first one, consisting of all its amenities,it would also have to consist of the furnished

rooms and the drains. If the first house is the

Mosaic dispensation, the second would stand

for Islam. Just as the second house is not in

any way dependent upon the first, so is the

Holy Quran independent of the Torah and this

ummah has no need of an Israelite Prophet.

Every man of God who appears in this ummah

is exalted through the blessings of the Holy

Prophetsa and the revelation granted to him is

no more than a reflectionzillof the Holy

Prophetssa revelation. This is a very crucial

point.

Unfortunately, our opponents, who wish to

bring back the Messiah, do not realize that the

similarity between the two dispensations is

meant as a compliment to Islam and not an

indignitywhich the coming of an Israelite

Prophet for the reformation of Islam would

certainly imply.

It is absurd to lay stress on baseless doctrines

[like that of Jesus bodily ascent to heaven]

which have nowhere been mentioned in the

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Holy Quran. On the contrary, the Quran tells us

that the disbelievers asked the Holy Prophet

sa

to ascend to heaven before their eyes, but

God rejected their demand and said:

12

Was Jesus not a human that he should have

been raised to heaven? The fact is that, in the

context of Jesus, the Holy Quran only uses thewords Rafa Ilallah [being raised towards

Allah], which is a spiritual state, and not Rafa

Ilassama [being raised to the heavens]. The

Jews objection against Jesus was that he who

is killed on the cross cannot be spiritually

exalted towards God in the manner of the

Prophets. This was the objection that had to be

refuted. So where in the Holy Quran do we find

this refutation? The whole dispute was based

on the Jews claim that they had killed Jesus on

the cross and that, since one who is thus killed

is never granted spiritual exaltation, he could

not have been exalted towards God. They

claimed that Jesus was not even a believer and

never attained salvation. The Holy Quran,

being the one that settles all disputes, ought

12 Say, 'Holy is my Creator, I am no more than a mortal

Prophet.'Bani Israil, 17:94 [Pb.]

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to have given its verdict on the matter. If not

in this verse, then where is this verdict to befound? Surely, God would know better than to

counter the Jews denial of Jesus spiritual

exaltation with the statement that Jesus is

present in the second heaven in his physical

body. Salvation obviously depends on spiritual

exaltation, not on bodily ascension. The only

way to counter this objection was by stating in

categorical terms that not only was Jesus not

accursed but that he had been granted

spiritual exaltationrafa.

The fact that the word tawaffa [passing away]

precedes the word rafa [exaltation] is a clearindication that Jesus exaltation took place

after his death, as happens in the case of

every believer. Anyone who tries to imply that

Jesus was raised to heaven alive is as guilty of

interpolation in the Holy Quran as the Jews

were in the case of their Books. Everywhere in

the Holy Quran and the Traditions, the word

tawaffa connotes death and nowhere is it used

for bodily ascension. Moreover, if this word is

taken to mean physical ascension whenever it

is used with reference to Jesus, we will have to

conclude that the Holy Quran does not say

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anything regarding Jesus death and we have

no way of establishing his demise.Furthermore, if it was possible for anyone to

return to this world, why did God allow Jesus to

be derided by the Jews? When Jesus presented

his claim before them, they rejected him citing

the Book of Malachi in which it was written

that Elijah must return before the coming ofthe true Messiah. Jesus tried to explain that

Johnknown to the Muslims as Yahyawas

the Elijah who was supposed to return, but this

only infuriated the Jews and they denounced

him as a liar and impostor. To this day they

continue to deride him in their books, some ofwhich I have in my library. They say that if God

asked them on the Day of Judgment why they

had rejected Jesus, they would simply produce

the Book of Malachi and submit: 'Lord, You told

us that the Messiah promised to the Israelites

would not come before the return of Prophet

Elijah. Since Elijah had not returned, there was

no way we could accept this mans claim. After

all, we had been told of the return of Elijah, not

of someone in his likeness.'

In one such book, which I possess, a Jewish

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scholar proudly argues this point and asks:

'Surely, no one would believe this pretenderwho had only his own interpretations to

support him and claimed that his own mentor

[John the Baptist] was the Elijah who was

supposed to return from heaven. He then

proceeds to denounce Jesus in such

derogatory terms as cannot be quoted here.

The fact is that, had the Holy Quran not been

revealed, the Jews might have been justified in

their claim. There is no doubt that the Book of

Malachi foretells the return of Elijah and not of

'the like-of-Elijah', and this makes it difficult to

justify the Prophethood of Jesus, let alone his

divinity which the Christians are so eager to

prove. The truth, on the superficial level,

seems to lie on the side of the Jews, but the

Holy Quran has established once and for all

that the Messiah was indeed a true Prophet of

God. For this the Christians owe a debt of

gratitude to the Holy Quran.

Another question that remains to be answered

is why the Jews should be held accountable for

rejecting Jesus and declaring him a disbeliever,

an apostate and a heretic, even though it was

clearly written in Malachis prophecy that the

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Messiah could not come before the return of

Elijah. Could it not be a proof of their honestintentions that they acted strictly in conformity

with the letter of the scripture? They would of

course be considered guilty if the Book had

spoken of the coming of 'the like-of-Elijah', for

then it would be easy to prove that John was

that person. The answer to this question is

that the Jews knew perfectly well how, in the

Divine scheme of things, people never return

to this world and that there had never been

such a precedence. The prophecy was clearly

in the form of a metaphor, like countless

others found in Divine scriptures, and the Jews

were no strangers to such figures of speech.

Truly, it would not have been difficult for a

discerning nature to recognize and accept

Jesus on the basis of the Divine support that

attended him. But the Jews only grew in

mischief. Had it not been for their prejudice,

meanness and mischief, they would surelyhave recognized in Jesus the light that

accompanies the righteous and the truthful.

Remember that the above question related to

the Jews who had faced this predicament for

the first time. The Muslims, however, could

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have avoided the same pitfall if they feared

God. The Holy Quran not only says that Jesusis dead, but makes it categorically clear that

he will never return to this world. In the verse13 it is stated that when, on the Day of

Judgement, God asks Jesus whether it was he

who had told his people to worship him and his

mother as gods, he will reply, "My Lord, had I

done such a thing You would surely have

known it, for nothing lies outside Your

knowledge. I taught them no more than what

You commanded me; but once you caused me

to die, You were the guardian over them and I

know not what they did after me."

Now, if Jesus were to return to this world

before the Day of Judgement and live here for

forty years, breaking the cross and fighting the

Christians, how would it be possible for him, on

the Day of Judgement, to say, I know not

what path they followed after you had caused

me to die. If he did so, there would be no

greater liar, for how could he deny this

knowledge in front of God when he had in fact

returned to this world and seen the Christians

worshipping him as god and had even fought

13Al-Maidah, 5:118 [Pb.]

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wars against them. If that were the case, the

proper answer would be: "My Lord, I am awarethat my people deviated from the right path,

for I later returned to the earth and lived there

for forty years, fighting the transgressors and

breaking the cross. But I am not to blame for

what they did, for as soon as I found out about

their idolatrous beliefs I turned against them."

Since it would already be in the knowledge of

God that Jesus visited the world a second time,

stayed there for forty years and punished

those who considered him to be god, it would

be meaningless for Him to ask such a question

in the first place. In fact, it would be contrary

to His honour and majesty.

If the Book of Malachi had contained the kind

of indication that God gave to the Muslims

telling them clearly that Jesus was dead and

would not return to the world and only 'the

like-of-Jesus' would comethe Jews would not

have come to such a woeful end. Whoever

awaits the return of the Messiah, despite clear

indications to the contrary given by God in His

Holy Book, is undoubtedly worse than the

Jews.

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The maulawis who oppose me are trying to

mislead people by asserting that it is evidentfrom the Traditionsthough not from the Holy

Quranthat Jesus will come to this world a

second time. I can only wonder where they

find the Traditions in which it is written that

the same Israelite Prophet, whose name was

Jesus and to whom the Gospel was revealed,

will come back in contravention of the

Khatamiyyatof the Holy Prophetsa.

One should not be misled by the name Isa or

Son of Mary because, in Surah At-Tahrim, the

Holy Quran has conferred both these titles on

some people of the Muslim ummah. A truebeliever can readily comprehend that when, in

this Surah, God calls certain people of this

ummah 'Mary' and speaks of the spirit being

breathed into them, this spirit is none other

than Isa. Hence, a person from within this

ummah will first become 'Mary', on account of

his virtue and piety, and will then be exalted to

the status of Isa. Accordingly, God first called

me 'Mary' [as is recorded] in Barahin-e-

Ahmadiyyah, then He spoke of the spirit being

breathed into me, and finally He called me

Isa.

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It is also clear from the Traditions that, on the

night of the Miraj, the Holy Prophet

sa

sawJesus among the souls of the dead. Even

though the Holy Prophetsa ascended to the

ultimate point in Heaven, i.e., the Divine

Throne, he never came across anyone with a

physical body bearing the name of Jesus. He

only met Jesus soul along with that of Yahya,

and it is obvious that the living do not dwell in

the abode of the dead. In short, God has

testified to the death of Jesus with His Word

and the Holy Prophetsa has verified it with his

eyewitness account. If one still fails to

understand, I rest his case with God.

Compared to the Jews, the Muslims have

greater experience of the fact that God never

allows the dead to return to this world.

Otherwise, we would have desired the return

of the Holy Prophetsa far more than that of

Jesus. And yet God has denied us this hope

with the words 14 . And if it was possible

for people to return to this world, why did God

not send the Prophet Elijah back for a few days

to save millions of Jews from perdition? Jesus

clear verdict, that is still to be found in the

14 'Surely, thou wilt die.'Az-Zumar, 39:31 [Pb.]

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Gospels, was that the return to this world of a

person only means the coming of someone inhis likeness.

It does not behove sensible people to follow

the paths that have led so many to their ruin.

Did the Jews gain anything from their

obstinacy regarding the physical return of

Elijah? No, they only grew in transgression andsuffered ignominy. Why should the Muslims

hope to fare any better? Why must they thrust

their hand in the same hole from which a host

of people have already been bitten and

destroyed? Do they not remember the

Tradition

15

? Do they notremember that death awaits them? Do they

not ponder over these verses which they recite

in their five daily prayers ?

Do they not remember the time of the demise

of the Holy Prophetsa when some Companionsra

were expecting him to come back from the

dead but Hadrat Abu Bakrra awakened them

from their delusion by reciting the verse:

16

He said that, according to this verse, there had

15 'A believer does not get bitten though the same hole

twice.' [Pb.]

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never been a Prophet who had not met his

death. Hence, it was no matter for surprisethat the Holy Prophetsa also died.

If the Companionsra had believed that Jesus

had been alive in heaven for the last 600

years, they would have objected to Hadrat Abu

Bakrs interpretation, but they did not. Even if

some of them had previously believed thatJesus was alive, they must, at that moment,

have abandoned this notion as baseless and

absurd. I mention this only because some

simple and nave people might have held such

a belief under the influence of their Christian

neighbours. On that day, however, they allunanimously accepted the word of Abu Bakrra

and acknowledged the demise of all Prophets

prior to the Holy Prophetsa. This was the first

consensus arrived at by the Companionsra

after his passing away. Truly, it would have

been intolerable for those ardent lovers of the

Holy Prophetsa to think that Jesus should have

been alive in heaven for the last six hundred

years while their own lord and master, the

16 'And Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily all

Messengers have passed away before him.'Al-e-Imran,

3:145 [Pb.]

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Chief of all Prophets, could not live to his sixty-

fourth year. They could never have accordedJesus such superiority over their holy master

and would have cursed any doctrine that was

derogatory to him. Being lovers of the Holy

Prophetsa, they would sooner have died than

accept such a notion. And God, too, loved him

more than any other Prophet. This is why,

when the Christians rejected him and exalted

Jesus to a divine status, God, in His glory and

majesty, declared a servant of the servants of

the Holy Prophetsa to be 'the like-of-Jesus' and

caused him to be born within this ummah and

bestowed upon him far greater bounties and

favours than had been bestowed on Jesus, so

as to teach the Christians that it is for God to

exalt whosoever He pleases. The purpose of

the coming of 'the like-of-Jesus' was to shatter

[the myth of] Jesus divinity. The concept that

man should go to heaven and reside there in

his physical body is as much against theDivine law of nature, as it is for Angels to

come and physically live on earth.

17

17 'Thou shalt not find any change in the law of Allah.'

Al-Fath, 48:24 [Pb.]

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Do these ignorant people not consider that

Jesus mission was still incomplete when hewas put on the cross and that there were ten

tribes of Israel scattered in other lands who

were yet to hear his name? What then came

over him that he suddenly abandoned his

mission and went to reside in heaven? And

how could he have been described in Islamic

literature as a great traveller if he only

preached in his own native town for three and

a half years and then ascended to heaven?

If the Christians have managed to deify Jesus

on the basis of a few myths, we can only

wonder what they will do if they actually sawhim descending bodily from the heavens in the

company of Angels.

Remember, however, that he who was to

come has come at the appointed time. All that

had been foretold has now come to pass and

this is the time foretold in the scriptures. Eventhe Christians believe that the time is ripe for

the Messiahs return. It was foretold in past

scriptures that the Promised Messiah would

come at the end of the sixth millennium after

Adam; and we now stand right at the end of

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that millennium. The appearance of a comet

was also foretold; and it has been some timesince it appeared. It was written that both the

sun and the moon would be eclipsed within the

same month of Ramadan; this also has come

to pass exactly as foretold. There was a

prophecy in the gospels about a terrible

plague; we have witnessed its outbreak and it

has still not abated. It was written in the Holy

Quran, the Traditions and other past scriptures

that in the time of the Promised Messiah a new

form of transport would be introduced that

would feed on fire and render camels useless

this last part being mentioned in Sahih

Muslim; this prophecy, too, has come true with

the invention of the railway. It was written that

the Promised Messiah would come at the turn

of the century; we are already twenty-one

years into the new century [of the Hijrah].

Whosoever rejects me after witnessing all

these signs, rejects not just me but allProphets of God. He draws sword against God

Himself and it were better for him if he had

never been born.

Do remember that the true cause of the

deteriorating state of Islamto the extent that

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almost three million people became apostates

and converted to Christianityis that Muslimshave attached false hopes with the person of

Jesus and have exaggerated his status almost

as much as the Christians have done. They fly

into a rage if some human shortcoming is

attributed to Jesus, while they have no

scruples in attributing the same to the Holy

Prophetsa. For instance, we all know that the

Holy Prophetsa would at times fall ill and take

medicine and even resort to bloodletting. But

if it is said of Jesus that he suffered from fever

or something and had to be carried to a

physician, they are shocked at the 'indignity'.

The fact is that Jesus was only a humble

human being, subject to all human frailties. He

had four real brotherssome of them even

opposed himand two sisters. He was not a

very strong man and fainted after only two

nails had been driven into the cross. Alas, if

the Muslims had accepted the verdict of the

Holy Quran that Jesus is dead and there is no

possibility of his return, Islam would not have

suffered such decline and Christianity would

have long been vanquished. But thanks be to

God that He has finally come to the aid of

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Islam.

These are some of the things I conveyed toSahibzadah Maulawi Abdul Latif Sahib. The

last point I explained to him was that Jesusas

possessed the following sixteen distinctive

qualities from the spiritual point of view:

1. He was a Prophet whose coming had been

promised to the Israelites. This is evident fromJewish scriptures.

2. He came at a time when the Jews had lost

their kingdom and no longer ruled their own

country, though they might have established

their rule in other lands where some of their

tribes had migrated. For instance, it cannot be

denied that Afghans and Kashmiris are Jews by

origin and they ruled these countries after

converting to Islam. But the fact remains that

they no longer had sovereignty over their own

land, having been made subjects of the Roman

empire which had much in common with theBritish empire of this day.

3. When Jesus came, the Jews were divided

into many sects, each a bitter enemy of the

other. Most of the teachings of the Torah had

become dubious because of the bitter

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unending disputes between the sects. With the

exception of their unanimous belief in theOneness of God, they differed about almost

every other commandment. No teacher or

rabbi could bring them together or settle their

disputes, and they all awaited a Divinely

appointed Arbiter who, with the help of fresh

Divine Revelation, would come to the aid of

the rightly guided ones. But they had

degenerated to such a degree that not one of

their sects could truly be called 'rightly

guided', each having its own share of false

beliefs and innovations. They all wanted Jesus

to confirm their beliefs and testify to their

piety and to condemn all other sects as false.

But Jesusbeing a Prophet of Godcould not

be guilty of such duplicity. This is why they

opposed him bitterly and became thirsty for

his blood.

4. Jesus, son of Mary, was not commanded to

take up arms. By his time the Romans and

Greeks had ceased to respect the Israelites

because of their use of force, upon one pretext

or another, to spread their religion. To this day

books are written blaming Moses and his

successor Joshua for the slaughter of

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thousands of innocents. Wars fought by David

and other Prophets also lend weight to theseobjections. When these cruel teachings

became revolting to human nature and the

objections of other religions intensified, God

decided to send a Prophet who would spread

the faith through peaceful means and remove

the criticism levelled against the Torah. This

Prophet of peace was Jesus, son of Mary.

5. In the time of Jesusas the moral condition of

the rabbis had greatly deteriorated. They had

ceased to practise what they preached and

their prayers and fasting were only for display.

Under the Romans, all their efforts were aimedat acquiring material gains for which they did

not desist from dishonesty, falsehood, giving

false testimony or proclaiming false edicts.

Other than adorning themselves in monastic

vestments and elaborate garb they did not

possess a vestige of spirituality. Their greatest

wish was to gain honour in the eyes of the

Romans and they even succeeded, through

intrigue and flattery, to attain a certain degree

of power. The world was everything to them

and they were oblivious of the true honour

that is attained by faithfully following the

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commandments of the Torah. They fell upon

the world like worms and took material gloryto be the source of all honour. At times they

were even able to pressurize the Roman

Governor, because some of their worldly-

minded rabbis had undertaken long journeys

to meet Caesar and had established direct

links with his court. Some even received

stipends from the Romans and projected

themselves as their most loyal subjects.

Although the empire kept a wary eye on them,

they had won the confidence of the rulers with

flattery and cunning, and some of their leaders

were accorded respect in Roman courts. It was

for the sake of such mischievous people that

Jesus, son of Mary, the poor Galilean, was so

cruelly treated. He was not only ridiculed and

spat upon by these wicked people but was

even scourged by the order of the Governor

and locked up with thieves and vagrants,

despite his innocence. All this was donemerely to please the Jews, for it is the policy of

most governments to acquiesce to the wishes

of the majority. Hence no heed was paid to the

poor solitary man. Such was the trial that

ended with Jesus being handed over to the

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rabbis who wasted no time in putting him on

the cross. Such courts are cursed by GodtheLord of heavens and earthand cursed are the

governments that do not fear Him. It would

seem that both Pilate, the Governor, and his

wife were sympathetic to Jesusas and wanted

to set him free, but when the Jewish rabbis

who had cunningly gained the trust of Caesar

threatened to report the matter to the

Emperor, Pilate lost his nerve and wavered in

his devotion, for he was a coward. But his fear

was justified to a degree, because some of the

eminent Jewish divines had already reported to

Caesar that Jesusas was a mischief-monger and

a secret enemy of the empire who was

conspiring to raise an army against him. The

odds were against Jesus, for he was a poor and

meek person who had no links with Caesar or

his officials nor any other powerful

connections. While most of the Jewish divines

had acquired a strong foothold within thegovernment through cunning and obsequious

flattery, Jesus placed all his trust in God. The

Jews were not at heart friends of the empire,

but they had managed to create an impression

to the contrary and this is why the government

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humiliated an innocent Prophet at their

behest. Evildoers, however, cannot hide awayfrom God Who looks from on high and knows

what lies in the hearts. He saved Jesus from

death after he had been put on the cross and

accepted the heart-rending supplications he

had offered in the garden. It is written that

when Jesus became convinced that the Jews

were after his blood and would never spare

him, he went into a garden at night and fell

down crying and supplicating, "Father, all

things are possible unto thee; take away this

cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but

what thou wilt."18 In the Arabic New

Testament, we find the words:

i.e., He cried so much that as he prayed the

tears rolled down his face and flowed from his

cheeks like water. So heart-rending were his

cries and supplications that, on account of his

piety, God heard him.

God, in His grace, created the means by which

Jesusas was taken down from the cross alive.

He later came out of the sepulchre in the guise

18 Mark, 14:16 [Pb.]

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of a gardener and, under Divine command,

migrated to another land accompanied by hismother, as is evident from the verse:

19

i.e., After the ordeal of the cross, We conveyed

Jesus and his mother to a highland where they

found streams of clear water and peace and

comfort.It is written in some Traditions that Jesus lived

to the ripe old age of 120 before he died and

returned to his Creator. In Heaven he joined

Yahyaas, for there had been a similarity in their

circumstances. Jesus was undoubtedly a

righteous man and a Prophet of God, but it issheer blasphemy to call him God. Thousands

of righteous people have lived before and

thousands more will follow, and God never

has, nor ever will, tire of exalting them.

6. Jesus was born under the rule of the

Romans.

7. Although the Romans opposed Christianity,

it ultimately won their hearts and, after a time,

the Roman Emperor himself became a

Christian.

19Al-Muminun, 23:51 [Pb.]

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8. In the time of Jesus, whom the Muslims call

Isa

as

, a comet appeared in the sky.9. A solar eclipse occurred when Jesusas was

put on the cross.

10. A plague broke out among the Jews when

they persecuted the Messiah.

11. A case was made up against Jesus because

of religious prejudice and it was alleged that

he was an enemy of the Roman empire and

was planning a rebellion.

12. When Jesus was put on the cross, a thief

was crucified alongside him.

13. When Jesus was brought before Pilate andthe death penalty was demanded, the latter

declared that he did not find him guilty of any

crime.

14. Having been born without a father, Jesusas

was not an Israelite, but he was still the last

Prophet who appeared among them in thefourteenth century after Mosesas.

15. The Caesar who ruled at the time of Jesus

introduced many innovations for the

convenience of his people, such as the

building of roads and inns, and a new system

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for dispensing justice similar to the British

judicial system of this day.16. Jesus had a resemblance with Adam, for

they were both born without a father.

These were the sixteen qualities peculiar to

Jesusas who belonged to the Mosaic

dispensation.

When God Almighty brought that dispensation

to an end and, in keeping with past

prophecies, established the dispensation of

Muhammadsa in its place, the All-Wise and All-

Knowing One desired to create a complete

resemblance between the beginnings and

ends of the two dispensations. For this

purpose, He first sent the Holy Prophetsa

whom, in the following verse, He declared to

be 'the like-of-Moses':

20

Just as Moses took up the sword against the

disbelievers, so was the Holy Prophetsa forced

to take up arms in self-defence after he was

exiled from Mecca and pursued by the enemy.

20 'We have sent to you a Messenger who is a witness

over you, even as We sent a messenger to Pharaoh.'Al-

Muzzammil, 73:16 [Pb.]

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And just as Pharaoh, who was Moses arch-

enemy, was drowned in front of him, so wasAbu Jahl, the sworn enemy of the Holy

Prophetsa, killed before his eyes. I could

mention many more similarities, but will omit

them for the sake of brevity. In addition to the

similarities in the beginning of the two

dispensations, there also has to be a marked

similarity between their last Successors, if the

Word of God mentioned above is to be true.

When comparing two dispensations, it is

essential to examine their beginning and end,

because the intermediary period is too long

and obscure for scrutiny. Once that similarity

is established, it can safely be concluded that

similarity must exist in their intermediary

period as well, though the eye of reason may

not readily discern it.

I have already stated that Jesusas possessed

sixteen distinctive qualities and these must all

be found in the last successor of the Islamic

dispensation if a complete resemblance is to

be established. They are as follows:

1. None of the Prophets before the Messiah

were 'promised' except himself. In the same

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way, none of the thousands of saints in Islam

were 'promised' and only he who was to comein the name of the Messiah was called Mauud

the Promised One.

2. Just as the Jews had lost their kingdom prior

to the birth of the Messiah, so had the

Muslims, due to their own failings, lost their

dominion in India to the British prior to thebirth of their Messiah.

3. The Jews were divided into many sects at

the time of the first Messiah and awaited the

coming of an Arbiter to settle their disputes.

The Muslims, too, have become divided into

many sects in the time of the Messiah of thelatter days.

4. Like the first Messiah, the last Messiah has

not been sent to fight wars. This is as it should

be, for in this age people cannot be converted

by force and civilised people no longer raise

the sword in the cause of religion. Indeed, thisage is a witness that the Muslim sects who are

awaiting a bloodthirsty Mahdi or Messiah are

utterly mistaken and their beliefs are contrary

to the will of God. It stands to reason that if it

had been Gods desire for Muslims to take up

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arms to spread their faith, He would have

made sure that they were at the forefront ofmodern warfare. They would be the ones to

make canons and guns and would have

attained excellence in every aspect of warfare,

inventing airships as well as submarines that

strike from below the water and leave people

amazed. But this is far from the case. It is the

Christians who are progressing by leaps and

bounds in this field. This shows that God does

not desire Islam to be spread through the use

of arms. On the other hand, the Christian faith

is fast losing ground in the field of reason and

argument and many of its eminent scholars

are renouncing the doctrine of the Trinity.

Even the German Emperor is moving away

from this belief. All this shows that God desires

the doctrine of Trinity to be wiped off the face

of the earth through the weapon of reason. As

a rule, great events are heralded by certain

signs. The Muslims have so far failed todistinguish themselves in the art of warfare

and the Christian faith is fast eroding and

might soon disappear from the face of the

earth.

5. The Jews had become morally bankrupt and

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their rabbis in particular were cunning and

greedy and hankered after worldly honour andriches. The same is true of most Muslims and

their ulema in the time of the last Messiah.

This point requires no elaboration.

6.Just as the first Messiah was born under the

rule of an Emperor, the last Messiah has also

appeared under an Emperors rule. ThisEmperor, however, is far nobler than Caesar

who, on being informed by the rabbis that

Pilate had contrived to save Jesus from the

cross and had arranged his escape, ordered

Pilates arrest and put him in jail where he was

eventually beheaded. Pilate thus became amartyr in his love for the Messiah. This also

shows that people with power and authority

often remain unblessed by the bounty of faith.

That foolish Emperor placed undue trust in the

Jewish rabbis and thought it in the interest of

the Empire to put Jesus to death. But I feel that

times have changed and our present Emperor

is far wiser than that foolish and tyrannical

Caesar.

7. The Romans were eventually converted to

the faith of the first Messiah. The same is

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going to be true of the last Messiah, for I see

the people of Europe and America growingmore and more interested in my claim and my

arguments. My claims have been published in

hundreds of newspapers and words have been

written in my favour that one would least

expect from a Christian. Some have said that

they see no reason to deny my claim. Some

are beginning to have serious doubts about

the divinity of Jesus and others have described

my claim of being the Promised Messiah as a

very timely one which, they believe, is in itself

a proof of my truth. From all this it is apparent

that their hearts are being readied to accept

my claim while the Christian faith in those

countries is melting away like ice.

8. A comet appeared at the advent of the first

Messiah. The same comet has also appeared

in my time, for I am the last Messiah. British

newspapers have recorded its appearance and

some have taken it as a sign that the coming

of the Messiah is at hand.

9. A solar eclipse occurred when the Messiah

was put on the cross. Likewise, when people

rejected me, there occurred not only a solar

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but a lunar eclipse as well. And they both

occurred twice, each time in the month ofRamadan as foretold by the Traditions.

Prophecies about these eclipses are also found

in the Gospels, in the Holy Quran and books of

Tradition such as Dar Qutni.

10. The plague broke out among the Jews

when they persecuted Jesus, and so it hashappened in my time.

11. Jewish rabbis tried to condemn Jesus as a

traitor. They fabricated a case against him and

demanded that he be put to death. In this also

Divine providence has made me similar to

Jesus, for a case of conspiracy to murder wasbrought against me in which my opponents

tried to prove that I was a traitor conspiring

against the government. This is the same

lawsuit in which Maulawi Muhammad Hussain

Batalwi appeared as a witness for the

prosecution.12. When Jesus was put on the cross, a thief

was crucified alongside him. Similarly, when I

was acquitted of the charge of conspiracy to

murderin keeping with the tidings which God

had communicated to me through revelation

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and which I had made public beforehanda

thief was also produced in court. He happenedto be a Christian belonging to the Salvation

Army who had been charged with stealing

money. He was only sentenced to three

months imprisonment and was not

condemned to die like Jesus companion.

13. When Jesus was brought before theGovernor Pilate and the death penalty was

demanded, Pilate said that he could not find

any fault with him. Similarly, Captain Douglas,

District Magistrate, Gurdaspur, in answer to

my submission said that he did not find me

guilty of any wrongdoing.I am sure that Captain Douglas was a much

more courageous man than Pilate who got

scared and gave in before the mischievous

Jews. Captain Douglas showed no such

weakness. When Maulawi Muhammad Hussain

Batalwi demanded to be given a chair in thecourt and said that he had letters from the

Lieutenant Governor, Captain Douglas refused

to be moved and, even though he had given

me a chair despite my being the accused, did

not yield to Batalwis demand and rebuked

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him. It is true that people who are honoured in

Heaven have no need for worldly honours, butthis 'Pilate' of our time will always be

remembered by me and my Jamaat for his

moral courage and his name shall always be

remembered with esteem till the end of time.

14. Jesusas, having been born without a father,

could not be called an Israelite, but he was stillthe last Prophet of the Mosaic dispensation,

appearing in the fourteenth century after

Mosesas. Similarly, I am not descended from

the Quraish but have appeared in the

fourteenth century [after the Holy Prophetsa],

and am the last Successor of this ummah.15. In the time of Jesusas, the world was

undergoing a major transformation. New roads

were built, means of communication were

improved, the armed forces were made more

efficient, new innovations were introduced to

facilitate travel and the judicial system wasmade more transparent. Similar changes have

occurred in my time and many innovations

have been made towards material comfort.

The invention of the railway is an example that

was also foretold by the Holy Quran. The

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reader himself can think of many more

examples.16. Jesus had an affinity with Adam, for they

were both born without a father. I, too, have

an affinity with Adam, for, like him, I was born

a twin. My birth took place exactly as foretold

by Hadrat Mohyi-ud-Din Ibn Al-Arabi. He wrote

that the last Successor would be a Mongol byorigin and would be born a twin, a girl being

born before him. And so it happened when I

was born on a Friday morning. I do not know

the source of his prophecy but it has been

fulfilled word for word and can still be found in

his books.These, then, are the sixteen similarities

between me and the Messiahas. If this had

been the work of man and not of God, such

clear similarities would never have existed

between us.

Rejecting the Prophets of God has always beenthe misfortune of the disobedient, but the

manner in which the maulawis of our time

have rejected me is beyond all

comprehension. I am the one who appeared at

the appointed time; it was for me that the sun

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and the moon were eclipsed in the month of

Ramadan, as foretold by the Holy Quran, theTraditions and past Prophets; I am the one in

whose time the plague spread in the manner

foretold by the Holy Quran and Prophets of the

past; I am the one in whose time people were

barred from going to Hajj; the same comet

that had appeared at the time of Jesus

appeared in my time also; and I am the one in

whose time the railway was introduced in this

country and camels were rendered useless for

travel. The time comes when trains will run

between Mecca and Medina and camels will no

longer undertake the blessed journey that they

have done for centuries. Then will the

following prophecy contained in Sahih Muslim

be truly fulfilled: i.e., in the

time of the Messiah, the camels will be

abandoned and will no longer be used for

travel.

Yes, I am the one at whose hands thousands of

signs have been shown and no one in the

world can compete with me in this respect. I

swear in the name of the One who is the

Master of my life that more than two hundred

thousand signs have appeared for me and

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nearly ten thousand people have met the Holy

Prophet

sa

in their dreams in which he hastestified to the truth of my claim. Some

eminent seers and saints of this land, with a

following of up to three or four hundred

thousand, have been informed through

dreams that I am from God. One of them, an

eminent saint from Ludhiana by the name of

Gulab Shah, passed away some thirty years

before I made my claim. He had told the late

Mia Karim Bakhsh of Jamalpur that the

Messiah has been born in Qadian and that he

would at one time visit Ludhiana. Mia Karim

Bakhsh was a pious man and well-advanced in

age when he met me in Ludhiana and told me

about the prophecy. He was harassed by the

maulawis on this account, but he remained

steadfast. Gulab Shah had told him that Jesus,

son of Mary, was not alive. He had died and

would never return to this world, and for this

ummah God has chosen Mirza Ghulam Ahmadwhom He, in His eternal wisdom, has made in

the likeness of Jesus and named Isa in

Heaven. He said: "Karim Bakhsh, when that

Isa appears you will see how bitterly the

maulawis will oppose him, but you will also see

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them fail. He will come to do away with all the

false commentaries that have been imposedupon the Holy Quran and reveal its true face in

its pristine purity." These words also contained

the prophecy that Karim Bakhsh would live

long enough to see the Messiah.

In spite of all these testimonies, miracles and

extraordinary signs, the maulawis continue tooppose me. This was bound to happen so that

the prophecy contained in the verse

would be fulfilled. Their opposition

stems from their nave expectation that each

and every sign mentioned in their collection of

Tradi

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Tadhkiratush Shahadatain Complete 101005b