Life of Ahmad — Page 489
as LETTER TO THE AM i R 489 Jesus as ; but the Holy Prophet sa has nowhere said that he would come again in this world. He did, no doubt, say, that a man would come with his name i. e. like him in character. Hence, the second advent of Jesus is also, to take place in the same way and not in a way which finds no parallel in the whole of the world. Imam Malik, Imam Ibn H azm, Imam Bukh a r i and other great Imams and learned theologians had also held the same view. The masses, who like novelty and are unaware of the truth, imagine that Jesus would come physically. They expect a strange entertainment like that of an illumined paper balloon descending from a height. They think Jesus would descend in the same way with great pomp and show, people pointing towards him saying 'There comes he!' But that is not the way of God. With such an open display of Divine power, faith in the unseen would be no more. Those people are grievously at fault who think that Jesus is still alive in the heavens. It is utterly wrong. The Quran repeatedly mentions his death; and the tradition of Mi‘r a j found in the Bukh a r i at five different places mentions him among the dead. How then can he be alive? Hence this belief runs counter to the Quran and the Hadith. Moreover, the verse (Al-M a ’idah 5:118) i. e. since Thou didst cause me to die Thou hast been the