True Insights into the Concept of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat — Page 94
[ 94 ] The Real Reason for the Opposition of Those Commissioned by God As for opposition, will not the Im a m Mahd i be opposed? Will the Messiah not be opposed? If the lack of opposition to one who is appointed by God is used as a criterion for the truth and veracity of a claimant, then no true claimant will ever appear among these people. History tells us other- wise and their elders also held a different view. On page 224 of Iqtir a bus-S a‘ ah , Naww a b N u rul H asan Kh a n who died in 1336 A. H. , writes: Should the Mahdi make his appearance, his plight would be the same. The Orthodox brethren will be his most ardent enemies and will seek to kill him and will charge him with distorting their religion. Similarly, Hadrat Sheikh Mu hy- ud-D i n Ibn-e-‘Arab i , the renowned Muslim scholar, wrote in Al-Fut uha tul-Mak- kiyyah , volume 3, page 336: When the Im a m Mahd i makes his appearance, none other than the theologians will be his most ardent and open enemies. The Im a m is asserting that open enmity will be shown only by the theologians. Others will be their less vocal followers. Obviously, these ulema will continue to assert that they are