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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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