Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 56
56 these fond hopes can not be realized and this door has been shut. by almighty God by the words. u^^JJ)" Verily thou arfc mortal. " If this door were open and the. Divine laws allowed the return of a person who had once departed, why was not Elijah sent for a : few days before Jesus, and why were thousands of the Jews left to perish on account of rejecting Jesus on this very ground ? Bub Elias did not come back and ultimately Jesus himself had to explain his second advent as meaning the advent of one in his spirit and power. This verdict of Jesus is plainly recorded in the Gospels and the question of second advent has thus'been decided once for all. A wise man should not walk in the path, which has once been shown to be dangerous. Did the Jews gain anything by insisting on a too literal interpretation of the prophecy of Elijah's second advent ? Unbelief and damna- tion was the consequence to them, and those who walk in their footstep, should not expect any thing better. Why do they thrust their hand into a hole from which many have been bitten before ? Do they not remember the tradition. "The true beliver is not bitten from the same hole twice. " They read the Fatiha every time in their five daily prayers but do not for a moment reflect on its meaning and object. There is another consideration of great importance in this connection. On the death of our Holy Prophet, some of the companions were under the impression that the Holy Prophet was not dead and that he would come again. Upon this Abu Bakr read the verse. . V JL J) dixj ^ft> u^J. ^,. jJ (Jr* ) 5J). iXo^sw* U> " Muhammad is only an apostle and all the apostles have passed away before him. " From this he concluded