Arba'in — Page 178
178 brings a trial along with him. When Hadrat ‘ I s a [ Jesus] came, the unfortunate Jews faced the trial that Elijah had not descended again from the heavens, yet it was essential that Elijah must first descend from the heavens and then the Messiah would come as recorded in the Book of the Prophet Malachi. And when our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was sent, the People of the Book faced the trial that this Prophet did not appear from among the Children of Israel. Was it, therefore, not essential now that a trial also be faced at the time of the appear- ance of the Promised Messiah? And if the Promised Messiah was to accept all the beliefs of the seventy-three sects of Islam, then in what sense would he be called the H akam [Arbiter]? Did he come to believe what people were saying or to make them believe [what he was saying]? If he was to agree with all of them, then his coming would have been without benefit. Hence—O people!—do not be stubborn. There are thou- sands of things that are not understood before their time. Prior to the Messiah [ Jesus], no Prophet could explain the true nature of the second coming of Elijah to prepare the Jews for the acceptance of the Messiah. Similarly, no Prophet from the earlier Prophets could clearly dispel the belief entrenched in the hearts of the Jews that Kh a tamul-Anbiy a ’ [the Seal of the Prophets] would be a descendant of the Israelites. In the same way, the issue concerning the Promised Messiah also continued to remain obscure, so that in accordance with the practice of Allah, it should also prove to be a trial. If my opponents had not been bestowed the good fortune of accepting me, it would have been better for them to at least hold their tongues for some time, and—keeping silent—watched