Bounties of the Gracious God — Page 71
Our Beliefs in Brief 71 worldly desires and how they have fallen into the abyss, and how they have lost their share of the heavenly light. Furthermore, they have become devoid of sound reason and clear understanding. You will find their statements to be replete with contradictions and absurdities, and, on account of all kinds of ignorance, you will find their actions excessive or deficient. For example, they claim that Jesus was the greatest traveller and that he travelled all over the world and did not leave any part of it untouched. And then, contrary to this, they make another statement and insist upon it. They say that at the time of Crucifixion he was raised to the heav- ens by the command of the Lord of all the Worlds and that he ascended to the heavens at the age of thirty-three. One, therefore, has to reflect as to when he travelled around the world and visited every habitation and did not leave any known place unvisited? Likewise, they also claim that Jesus was raised to the heavens and caused to join the dead. Then they also say something that contra- dicts their earlier statement, i. e. he is alive and will soon descend from the heavens. Likewise, they also accept that the Promised Messiah will be raised from among this Ummah; but then they make a contradictory statement and openly declare that Jesus will descend from the heavens and will not be from the Ummah of our Prophet, the Best of Mankind. Similarly, though [my oppo- nents] utter from their tongues the words 1 ِ ن الد�ِّی�ْ ی �ِ ن َ إِکْرَاہ َ � اَّل and read this verse in the Manifest Book (the Holy Quran), yet they also say what is quite opposite to this and insist that their Mahdi will appear with a sword and will not accept anything other than 1. There should be no compulsion in religion ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:257). [Publisher]