(During a walk)
The Promised Messiah (as) said:
In reality, there are two aspects of my claim—one is the death of Jesus and the other is his second coming. With regard to his death, I have mentioned thousands of times that the confession of Jesus himself is recorded in the Holy Quran:
فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّیْتَنِیْ کُنْتَ اَنْتَ الرَّقِیْبَ عَلَیْہِمْ1
It is an amazing point that Allah the Exalted has specified this statement would be made on the Day of Judgement. From this it becomes clearly established that Jesus has died, because in reply to the question of Allah the Exalted as to whether he had taught these people such idolatrous ideas and doctrines, Jesus categorically denies it. He insists that he had only taught them the Oneness of God and that it was only after his death that his followers had adopted the idolatrous doctrine, that he was not culpable for it, and if Allah desires to punish them or to forgive them, it was His prerogative and they are His servants.
Now, it is quite obvious that had Jesus come into this world a second time and corrected the false beliefs of the Christians, he would have submitted it resolutely that, ‘O Allah! I fought formidable conflicts and after suffering many an affliction, I established Your Tauhid [the Oneness of God] among them in place of their idolatrous beliefs and doctrines—I merit far greater rewards than to be asked such a question!’ In short, it is clear from his statement that he has died and would not come back to this world again.
Then, the Holy Prophet saw him among the dead on the night of Mi’raj [Spiritual Ascension]. What relation can there be between the living and the dead? If Jesus was alive then why did he go and join the dead? Besides this, there are hundreds of other places in the Holy Quran which prove his death.
The strange thing is that when this very same word tawaffi is used for others, it is interpreted to mean ‘death’, but when it is used for Jesus, it is interpreted differently. It is not known why this distinction is given to Jesus (as). There is the prayer of Joseph (as) that:
تَوَفَّنِیْ مُسْلِمًا وَّ اَلْحِقْنِیْ بِالصّٰلِحِیْنَ2
Apart from this there are scores of other places where the word تَوَفِّىْ [tawaffi] has been used precisely in the meaning of death. No one can show that when this word tawaffi is used as a verb with Allah as the subject and a living being as the object, that it can have any other meaning than death.
His miracle of raising the dead has also been singled out as a peculiarity without any basis. One is surprised at these maulawis [Muslim clergy] that when the words ‘giving life to the dead’ are used for Jesus, it is taken by them to mean that those who have indeed literally died should come back to life, which runs contrary to the practice of Allah and the Holy Quran. But when the very same words are used for the Holy Prophet, it comes to mean the spiritually dead.
It is written in the New Testament that Jesus raised the dead in such huge numbers that all the dead who were in their graves came to life and entered the cities. One might ask them how did the thousands of dead who had been raised and had entered the cities sustain themselves? A second question to ask would be, ‘Why didn’t those people believe in him after seeing such a great miracle?’ Someone should have helped them understand that it was he [Jesus] who prayed and brought them back to life; therefore, they should now believe in him. It is incomprehensible that such a great miracle did not prove beneficial for those dead who had been revived or for their relatives who had—with their own eyes—witnessed them coming back to life and emerging from their graves and entering into the cities.
The truth of the matter is that—according to the science of interpretation of dreams—if someone sees that the dead have come to life and entered the cities, its interpretation is that pious-natured people of that age would be delivered from captivity. At that time, since the Messiah [Jesus] was himself in captivity, it is possible that he himself or someone else saw this dream or vision. Later on, the mention of the dream or vision was omitted and a literal meaning was adopted.
There were also many accounts concerning the Holy Prophet (sas) giving life to the dead, but they have not been mentioned in the authentic books of Hadith. Imam Bukhari, may Allah shower His mercy upon him, collected close to 100,000 Ahadith [sayings of the Holy Prophet (sas)] at the cost of great hardships, but he retained only 40,0003 of them, discarding the rest. Muslims have been very scrupulous in this regard.
Similarly, there is the issue of creating birds by Jesus. I do not deny miracles, rather I believe in them. The miracle of creation of birds by Jesus (as) is very much akin to the incident of the staff of Moses (as). Despite the fact that it became a snake at the time of the confrontation with the enemies, yet at other times it had remained the same staff that it ever was and had not gone and mingled with some colony of snakes afterwards. Similarly, the birds of Jesus were, in the end, just of clay. In fact, the staff of Moses is far superior than the birds of Jesus (as) because it had to face the challenge and showed its supremacy in that challenge whereas those birds did not compete with anything nor was their supremacy ever proven.
In short, one part of my claims has to do with proving the death of Jesus (as) which I have established in every way by writing scores of books—presenting logical reasoning, reproducing records, quoting the statements of Imams.
The other part relates to his second coming and that, Allah the Exalted has Himself made manifest, with heavenly Signs and Divine help, and by daily making us advance and the enemies decline. A torrent and waves of the sea of help and support are coming from God Almighty. No one can combat them. Fresh Signs and plentiful and powerful prophecies impact the hearts and they have been the cause of my progress. Superficial stories, which have become the mainstay of religion, cannot bring about such a change. What progress can be achieved by the old anecdotes that these clerics have in the form of stories and fables? Rather, these are the reason for the decline.
It is remarkable that these people used to cry from their pulpits that the thirteenth century was accursed. The fourteenth century would bring blessings and bounties and the Imam Mahdi and the Promised Messiah would appear in this century. Siddiq Hasan Khan has proven in his book, on the basis of sayings of many saintly people of God, that all of them were unanimous that the Messiah who was to come would appear in the fourteenth century. I cannot comprehend what has happened to these people now.
What really matters is that one should try to purify oneself. Mere verbal affirmation that one has done the Bai’at has no value at all until something is shown by way of actions. The tongue on its own can do nothing. It is stated in the Holy Quran:
لِمَ تَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُوۡنَ ﴿۳﴾ کَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ اَنۡ تَقُوۡلُوۡا مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُوۡنَ ﴿۴﴾ 4
Now is the time to join the sabequn [those who advance and greatly excel others] means that you should excel in every virtue. Actions alone are of use; all verbal chit chat serves no purpose.
Look, the Holy Prophet (sas) told Hazrat Fatimah (ra) that she should be concerned about saving her own soul and not expect that he would be of any help to her. Of course, Allah is not the kin of anyone. In the Hereafter, one would not be asked who one’s father was. Rather, it will be deeds that would be inquired about.
Man has many kinds of sins, laziness, arrogance, lethargy, and very fine and subtle sins—one should strive to eschew all of them. In the Holy Quran Allah the Exalted has defined three states of the human self—Ammarah [the self that incites to evil], Lawwamah [the self-reproaching self], and Mutma’innah [the soul at rest]. Nafs-e-ammarah goes on pulling a man towards sin and disobedience all the time, and is very dangerous. Lawwamah is the self that reproves and reprimands man upon commission of any evil deed, but even this is not satisfactory either. The only satisfactory state of self is the one that has been termed nafs-e-mutma’innah by Allah the Exalted, and that is the only laudable state. That term is applied to the state when one comes to abide with God. It is by arriving at this state that man is purified of the filth of sin. This alone is the state which consumes sin, and it is only with people who have attained this rank that promises of blessings have been made. Angels descend upon them and true piety and purity is exclusively their lot.
Mere verbal assertion has absolutely no merit in the estimation of God Almighty. I have seen many Hindus who deceive, defraud, lie, and are consumed by the love of this world and yet, on the other hand, keep saying with their tongue that the world is transient and fleeting.
Therefore, you should become such that the objectives of God Almighty should become your objectives. Your pleasure should lie in His pleasure alone. You should surrender everything to Him; you should possess nothing. Purification means exactly this, that all opposition to God Almighty should be eliminated from the heart, both in beliefs and actions. God Almighty does not help anyone until He does not observe for Himself that his aim and his pleasure is not completely subservient to His own aim and pleasure.
I am never pleased just with the large numbers of [people belonging to] my Jama’at [Community]. At present this number is 400,000 or even greater but the true Jama’at does not come into being by people merely taking the oath of allegiance at my hand. Rather, only such people deserve to be called the Jama’at when they are acting upon the real objectives of entering into the Bai’at—when a pious change has truly taken place in them, their lives have become totally cleansed of the filth of sin; when having escaped from the clutches of carnal desires and of Satan, they have become absorbed in seeking the pleasure of God Almighty, they discharge the rights of God and the rights of His servants in a comprehensive fashion with an open heart, and a passion develops in them for their faith and for its propagation; when they become devoted to God having annihilated their own desires, passions, and ambitions.
God Almighty says that you are all misguided except the one whom I guide; you are all blind except the one whom I give sight to; you are all dead, only that one lives whom I give the elixir of spiritual life to drink. Sattar [Concealer of weaknesses] is an attribute of God Almighty that keeps man under its cover. If the inner state and condition of people was exposed to the world, people would not even want to go near anybody. God Almighty is the great Sattar and does not inform everyone of the faults of others. Therefore, one should strive to perform good deeds and always remain engaged in prayer.
Know it for certain that if in fact there is no sign that distinguishes the members of the Jama’at from others, then for what reason would God—Who is not the kin of anyone—bestow honour upon them and keep them under His protection in every way, and punish the others and seize them with His chastisement?
اِنَّمَا یَتَقَبَّلُ اللّٰہُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِیْنَ5
Only those are righteous who abandon, out of fear of God Almighty, such things as are opposed to Divine Will, who consider their self and its carnal desires, and the world and everything within it, insignificant in comparison to Allah the Exalted. The level of one’s faith becomes known when it is put to test.
There are some people who hear things from one ear and discard them from the other without permitting them to descend into their hearts. They remain unaffected no matter how much they are counselled. Remember well that God Almighty is not in need of anyone at all. His attention is not drawn until one prays to Him abundantly and repeatedly and with urgency and anguish. Look how much anguish one feels if one’s wife or child becomes ill or one becomes involved in some grave court case. Thus, unless and until there develops a real restlessness and a state of anguish in supplication, it is a totally ineffectual and absurd endeavour. Anguish is a prerequisite for acceptance [of prayers] as Allah says:
اَمَّنْ یُّجِیْبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ اِذَا دَعَاہُ وَ یَکْشِفُ السُّوْٓءَ6
Our Jama’at members should make themselves into an example for others. If the life of anyone, even after entering into the Bai’at [Pledge of Allegiance], is as unholy and filthy as it was before, and the person sets a bad example despite being a member of my Jama’at and displays weakness in his belief or in his conduct, then such a one is a wrongdoer because he defames the entire Jama’at and makes me a target of criticism as well. Members who are a bad exemplification create aversion in others while those who are a good exemplification serve to attract others. Some people write to me that though they are not yet members of my Jama’at, they surmise from the condition of some of its members that it must have pious teachings.
اِنَّ اللّٰہَ مَعَ الَّذِیْنَ اتَّقَوْا وَّ الَّذِیْنَ ہُمْ مُّحْسِنُوْنَ7
God Almighty also prepares a daily record of man’s actions so we too should prepare a daily record of our actions and should ponder upon it to see how far we have moved forward in righteousness. Our today should not be the same as our yesterday. If one’s today equals yesterday as far as the progress in piety is concerned, he is in a loss. If one believes in God and has perfect faith in Him alone, he would never be allowed to go to waste. Rather, the lives of hundreds of thousands are saved for the sake of that single person.
It is said about a saintly person that he was on board a ship when a storm developed in the sea. The ship came close to sinking. However, it was saved because of his prayer. When he was praying, he received a revelation that everyone was being saved for his sake. But these things do not happen merely by lip service.
Look, I too have been given a promise by Allah the Exalted:
إِنِّیْٓ أُحَافِظُ کُلَّ مَنْ فِی الدَّارِ
[‘I shall safeguard all those who are within the four walls of this house.’]
However, included amongst them are neglectful women and people of variegated temperaments and conditions. If, God forbid, someone from amongst them dies of plague—or as some people from my Jama’at have died of plague—it would provide an opportunity to these opponents to criticize me although Allah the Exalted has also said:
اَلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ لَمْ یَلْبِسُوْۤا اِیْمَانَہُمْ بِظُلْمٍ8
Nevertheless, the weakness of the members of the Jama’at or their poor example does affect me and it provides an opportunity for people to unfairly criticize me. Therefore, I admonish that you should always strive to make yourself a good and noble example.
How can someone be said to have been purified until his life becomes like unto the life of angels? یَفْعَلُوْنَ مَا یُؤْمَرُوْنَ9 One should undergo self annihilation for the sake of Allah and, abandoning one’s own wishes and desires, abide purely by the desires and commands of Allah so as to become a source of mercy for one’s self, one’s progeny, wife, children, kindred, and friends—and for me as well. You should never provide an excuse for the opponents to criticize me.
Allah the Exalted says:
فَمِنۡہُمۡ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفۡسِہٖ ۚ وَمِنۡہُمۡ مُّقۡتَصِدٌ ۚ وَمِنۡہُمۡ سَابِقٌۢ بِالۡخَیۡرٰتِ10
Both of the first two traits are deficient. One should embody sabequn-bil-khairat [excelling in goodness]. To come to a halt at any one level is not a good trait. Stagnant water ultimately becomes foul; due to the proximity of sludge, it develops a bad odour and bad taste. Running water is always excellent, clean, and pleasant tasting; even though it may have sludge beneath it, it cannot have any effect on it. The same holds true for man. One should not halt at any particular stage—this state is precarious. One should always keep moving forward. One should strive to advance in piety; otherwise, God Almighty does not assist man with His help and thus, in this way, man becomes bereft of Divine light, the result of which, in some cases, is ultimately apostasy and thus, he becomes spiritually blind.
The help of God Almighty is with those who continue to advance in piety at all times and do not halt at any stage. They are the ones who attain a good end. I have seen some people who had great ardour and zeal, and extreme affection but, subsequently—after advancing somewhat—they come to a complete standstill and ultimately their end does not prove to be good.
Allah the Exalted has taught us this prayer in the Holy Quran: اَصْلِحْ لِیْ فِیْ ذُرِّیَّتِیْ11 Reform my wife and children too. While you are trying to bring about a pure change in your own selves and praying for it, you should also continue to pray for your wife and children because most trials befall man on account of one’s children and wife. The first trial that befell Adam was also due to his wife. Also, it appears from the Torah that the real reason behind Bal’am losing his faith in the confrontation with Moses (as), was that his wife had been lured by the king by showing her some ornaments, who then cajoled Bal’am to pray against Moses (as). Thus, many a time, one suffers hardships and trials because of them. Therefore, full attention should be paid to their reformation, and one should continually pray for them.12
1 Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:118 [Publisher]
2 Let death come to me in a state of submission to Your will and join me to the righteous (Surah Yusuf, 12:102). [Publisher]
3 This appears to be an error in transcribing. Sahih al-Bukhari contains approximately seven thousand two hundred and seventy-five Ahadith and if repetitions are excluded, there remain four thousand Ahadith. (Compiler)
4 Why do you say what you do not do? Most hateful is it in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do (Surah as-Saff, 61:3–4). [Publisher]
5 Allah accepts only from the righteous (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:28). [Publisher]
6 Or, Who answers the distressed person when he calls upon Him, and removes the evil (Surah an-Naml, 27:63). [Publisher]
7 Verily, Allah is with those who are righteous and those who do good (Surah an-Nahl, 16:129). [Publisher]
8 Those who believe and mix not up their belief with injustice (Surah al-An‘am, 6:83). [Publisher]
9 They do as they are commanded (Surah at-Tahrim, 66:7). [Publisher]
10 And of them are some who are breaking down their own selves by suppressing their desires, and of them are some who keep to the right course, and of them are some who excel others in acts of goodness by Allah’s leave (Surah Fatir, 35:33). [Publisher]
11 Surah al-Ahqaf, 46:16 [Publisher]
12 Al-Hakam, vol. 12, no. 16, p. 4–6, dated 2 March 1908