The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 189
The Messiah and his Second Coming 189 place of the appearance of the Messiah is an indication that the Messiah does not mean Jesus who was given the. Gospel but he is someone from among the Muslims who, in his spiritual condition, resembles both the Messiah and. Imam Hussain. . . . . The word Damascus clearly indicates that Jesus in not the Messiah who was to come, but as the Yazīdis resemble the Jews in the same way the Messiah who is to come resembles Jesus and possesses the temperament of Hussain. This is a very subtle point: the word Damascus has been used metaphorically. As the tragedy of Imam Hussain was an enormity in the estimation of God Almighty and resembled closely the tragedy of Jesus, as even the. Christians would acknowledge, therefore, God Almighty desired that the coming generations may be apprised of its enormity and its resemblance to the tragedy of Jesus. . Damascus has been metaphorically mentioned in this context so that the readers might be reminded of the time when the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was, like Jesus, put to the sword most tyrannically by the wretches of Damascus. Thus God Almighty particularly mentioned Damascus, wherefrom such tyrannical directions had issued and which was the home of such hard-hearted and darkminded people, as an indication that the place which resembled Damascus would now become the headquarter for the propagation of faith and justice. [Izāla-e-Auhām, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, vol. 3, pp. 134-137, footnote]. I would now like to draw attention to the Ḥadīth narrated by Abū Dāwūd in his compilation. It contains a prophecy that a person designated as Ḥārith, or a cultivator, will appear from Transoxiana, that is to say, from the direction of Samarkand, who will lend support to the