Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V — Page 352
B AR Ā H Ī N-E-A H M ADIY YA — PART F IV E 352 that his kingdom was not of this world; rather, the kingdom meant the Kingdom of Heaven. Notice here that, in the beginning, Hadrat ‘ I s a as himself believed that he would be granted earthly kingdom—and he even bought weap- ons on this very assumption—but ultimately it turned out to be the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, it is not too far-fetched that by ‘earthquake’, he also meant some heavenly event. Otherwise, the land of the area of the Levant has always been prone to earthquakes. To make a prophecy about earthquakes in such a land would be, in the eyes of an opponent, an occasion to ridicule. So also Hadrat ‘ I s a as had declared that his twelve disciples would sit on twelve thrones in Paradise. This prophecy is also contained in the Gospel. But, one of those disciples, Judas Iscariot, died an apos- tate. Now explain how the prophecy about the twelve thrones could be true! If you can reason it out, help me understand; I will be grateful to you. In this instance, it cannot even be taken as a metaphor. Similarly, Hadrat ‘ I s a as had said: The people of this age will not have passed before I return. The onus to answer it is upon those who claim that he has ascended to heaven—be they Christians or Muslims— that nineteen centuries have already passed but Hadrat ‘ I s a as has not yet returned. For nineteen centuries, all those who had lived out their spans of life have become part of dust, but no one saw Hadrat ‘ I s a as descending from heaven. Moreover, what are we to make of the prom- ise that the people of that time would still be alive when Hadrat ‘ I s a as would return? Then, what happened to the promise that the people of that generation would still be alive when he would return? In short, whoever wants to exult in such prophecies, let him do so by all means. As for us, we consider Hadrat ‘ I s a as to be, as per the verdict of the Holy Quran, a true Prophet. Otherwise, going by the Gospels that exists today, even his Prophethood is suspect. The Christians cry about his ‘Divinity’, but I find it impossible to prove even his Prophethood except by means of the Holy Quran. Although it is true that the Christians have distorted the Gospels