Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 818
818 AL-ISTIFTA' SUPPLEMENT TO HAQIQATUL-WAḤI Accordingly, He fulfilled His promise in every field and against the machination of every one who devised plans [against me]. He helped me and granted me refuge with Himself. I was attacked by each one of you, but no man could overpower me. Thus they all returned in frustra- tion. You cut asunder what God Almighty had enjoined to be united. You propagated among the masses that these people are not among the Muslims. You wished that we should be among the forsaken. But Allah caused your wishes to recoil upon you and spread our name through- out the world. Is such the recompense of the impostors? O people! You have two colours: a colour of your hearts, and a colour of your tongues-belief is on your tongues while disbelief is in your hearts. You have made your words for the Gracious God, but your actions for Satan. So where do you stand with respect to the guidance of the Holy Quran? You read in the book of Allah that ‘Īsā tasted the cup of death, yet you raise him to the heavens with his corporal body. Therefore, I do not comprehend the reality of your belief in the verses [of the Holy Quran]. You recite in your prayers that ‘Īsā has died and not that he was raised bodily or is still alive. * Then after the prayer you sit cross-legged by the pillar in the miḥrāb and, turning to your companions, you say, 'One who believes in his [Jesus's] death is a disbe- liever, worthy of punishment in Hell; and it is obligatory to pronounce 1. And when Allah, the Holy and Exalted, says, ['O Jesus, I will cause you to die a natural death and will exalt you to Myself. (Surah Al-e-Imran, 3:56)], it does not mean the ascension of the body along with the soul. The argument for it is that the death is mentioned prior to the ascension, and this ascension after death is the prerogative of every believ- er. This is substantiated by the Holy Quran, Hadith, and traditions. Jews, on their part, disputed the ascension of ‘Īsā. They said that certainly ‘Īsā would not be raised like believers, nor would he be granted life; and that was so because they declared him to be a disbeliever and did not consider him to be from among the believers. This is why God Almighty refuted them in this verse and in other verses, as He said: [On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself?' (Surah an-Nisa', 4:159)]; and they [the Jews who ca- lumniate Jesus] are among the liars. (Author)