Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 679
A SHINING SIGN—SIGN NUMBER 198 679 thousands of people would hasten, upon contracting the plague, to immediately have their wills recorded in favour of their survivors. In short, all his pretensions to being Mūsā were thrown into the sea the moment he contracted the plague. Remembering the thousands of dying people and in particular thinking of the death of Ya'qūb, he too must have understood that he would surely die. Under such circum- stances, how could he cling on to the perception that he was Mūsā? Thus, it is indeed the mercy of God that he did not carry with him his false beliefs to the next world. God grabbed him, as it were, by his throat and forced him to recant [his claim] to let him join those about whom God says: وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَبِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ Now, first, I shall prove that all the revelations that he had recorded in his book 'Aşa-e-Mūsā have been proven to be false. Then I will demon- strate that he died in accordance with my prophecy and that his death is a Sign in support of my truth; nay rather, it sets the seal upon my truth. I will divide this statement into two chapters. 1. And there is none among the People of the Book but will believe in it before his death (Surah an-Nisa', 4:160). [Publisher]