The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 179
The Messiah and his Second Coming 179 as to guarantee its accuracy. The way of fairness and support of the truth was not to reject the prophecy, but to reject the interpretations put upon it by the foolish clerics which entail all manners of contradiction. It is the faulty reasoning of the dim-witted clerics which has misinterpreted a simple prophecy in such a way that it has become a myriad of contradictions which have bewildered every research minded people. . True Meaning of the Ascension and Second. Coming of Jesus. God Almighty has now disclosed the true meaning of the prophecy, which is free from all contradictions and unreasonableness. He has thus furnished every fair-minded seeker of truth the opportunity to accept the prophecy and to look for its fulfilment, thus safeguarding himself against rejecting a clear and true prophecy. [Kitāb-ul-Bariyyah, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, vol. 13, pp. 205-211, footnote]. There are great difficulties in interpreting this prophecy literally, for this would invite all manner of objections before the Messiah even descends from heaven. There is no need for us to get involved in these difficulties. Why should we seek to bring the son of Mary down from heaven and deprive him of his Prophethood? Why should we degrade him so that someone else should be the Imam and he should be the follower; and another should take the covenant of allegiance as the Imam and Khalifa while he should be a helpless spectator; and he should become a common Muslim, and dare not even mention his. Prophethood? [Izāla-e-Auhām, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, vol. 3, p. 174]. Sensible people had no difficulty in understanding this prophecy as the holy words of the Holy Prophet (peace