Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 264
264 HAQIQATUL-WAḤI-THE PHILOSOPHY OF DIVINE REVELATION faithlessness, because there has not been any Prophet concerning whom all the preconceived Signs have been literally fulfilled; somehow or other, there has been some shortfall. The Jews used to say about the first Messiah namely, Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā—that he would appear only when Prophet Ilyas [Elijah] had returned to the earth before him. But did Ilyas come? Similarly, the Jews used to insist that the awaited Khatamul- Anbiya' [the Seal of the Prophets] would be from among the Israelites. Did he appear from among the Israelites? When, defying the Jewish expectation to which all their Prophets agreed, the Khātamul-Anbiya' did not come from among the Israelites, why is it any wonder then if the Promised Mahdi has not appeared from the House of the Fatimids or the Abbasids? God's prophecy carries many a hidden secret; a trial is also intended. " Therefore, Muslims should take a lesson that the Jews were deprived of faith as the consequence of insisting upon their own interpretation, for an authentic hadith foretells that in the Latter Days some from among the Muslims will become Jews; that is, they will adopt the atti- tude of the Jews and will follow in their footsteps as is written that if a Jew had committed incest with his mother, so will they [the Muslims] do. Indeed it is an occasion to tread warily; most of the Jews failed to accept Hadrat Īsās and the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, only because they considered it unlawful to accept until they would see all the marks and signs being fulfilled in them in accordance with their own preconceived ideas. Consequently, they 1. Study the aḥādīth with careful deliberation, for they are so disparate about the Promised Mahdi as if they were a collection of contradictions. Some aḥādīth say that the Mahdi will be a Fatimid, some say he will be an Abbasid, while others report that he will be a person from among my Ummah. And the hadith of Ibn-e-Mājah has repudiated all these reports, for this hadith has these words meaning that, ‘Īsā himself is the Mahdi; there is no Mahdi besides him. Moreover, the aḥādīth concerning the Mahdi are such that none is beyond question, and none of them can be described as authentic. Therefore, the way the prophecy manifested itself and the verdict that was given by the Promised Arbiter is what is correct. (Author)