Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 621
EPILOGUE-SIGNS 621 will appear at the time of the dominance, power, and enormity of the Christian missionaries. That is to say, when their deception, manipula- tion, and adulteration will have reached its ultimate extreme and they will exert their utmost to widely publish interpolated books, it would be then that the Promised Messiah would appear. His real mission will be to break the Cross. However, Sahih Muslim does mention the kill- ing of the Dajjal, and it is written therein that the Promised Messiah will kill the Dajjal and that he will appear for this very purpose, but it is also written that the Dajjal will emerge from the Church. It might be perceived that these two books—namely, Bukhārī and Muslim— differ in a very significant way, because according to Ṣaḥiḥ Bukhārī the real purpose of the appearance of the Promised Messiah is to break the Cross but Sahih Muslim states that the true purpose for which the Promised Messiah shall appear will be to kill the Dajjal. Perhaps the answer may be given that at the time of the Promised Messiah's advent, a portion of the earth will be dominated by the Dajjāl and another por- tion will be under the sway of the worshippers of the Cross, quite like two distinct kingdoms. But this answer is not correct for it is accepted doctrine that, except for Makkah and Madinah, the Dajjāl will run rampant across the entire earth. In other words, the Dajjal will domi- nate everywhere, and this is what the authentic aḥādīth bear witness to. Will then God forbid—the Cross come to dominate in Makkah and Madinah because some part of the world at least must be accepted as the place where the Cross will be dominant? Thus, since the entire earth with the exception of Makkah and Madinah—will be under the sway of the Dajjal, then only the lands of Makkah and Madinah would remain whereupon the Cross could dominate! These are the aḥādīth that make mention of the Dajjal's domination. On the other hand there are also aḥadīth that state that at the time of the Promised Messiah's advent, Christian temporal power will rule almost the entire globe with great power and majesty. In fact, the hadith [He will break the Cross'] also indicates this very point. Moreover, the following verse also proclaims this fact very loudly: