Ahmadiyyat or Qadianism! Islam or Apostasy? — Page 196
SPAN OF 40 YEARS. LACKS CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF AUTHENTICITY. Any sincere Muslim who has had the good fortune to study the. Traditions attributed to the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, may not have failed to detect that there is a considerable amount of uncertainty as to what the Holy Prophet, upon whom be peace, actually said in relation to the span of the Promised Messiah's life. . For instance, a Tradition related by Hazrat Abdullah ibn Amr ibn 'As reports that the Holy Prophet stated: 'The anti Christ will appear and will remain for forty, I do not know, forty days or forty months or forty years. Then Allah will raise Jesus, son of Mary, who will pursue him and will slaughter him. Thereafter, people will survive for seven years and there will be no enmity between any two. ' 25. When studied closely, this Tradition suggests that after the annihilation of the Dajaal by the Promised Messiah, such people as are of decent disposition will survive for a period of 7 years only, since after this period: 'Allah, the Lord of honour and glory, will send a cool breeze from the direction of Syria and there will not remain on the face of the earth a single one in whose heart there will be the smallest particle of good or faith but that his soul will be taken in custody, so much so that if any of you entered into the heart of a mountain, the breeze will follow him and enter therein and take his soul in custody. ' ' 26. Hence, according to this Tradition attributed to the Holy Prophet of. Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, it would be unreasonable to expect the Messiah to survive beyond a period of 7 years after the Dajaal has been annihilated at his hand since this cool breeze which is expected to blow from the direction of Syria, after 7 years, following the slaughter of the Dajaal would also take the Messiah's soul in 25. Sahih of Muslim 26. Ibid. 197