Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 623
EPILOGUE-SIGNS 623 disputes—for further details, we find that it does not even mention the name Dajjāl, but declares the mischief of Christianity to be so grave as to be the enemy of all Islamic principles and proclaims that the heavens might well-nigh burst asunder and the earth shatter into pieces [because they ascribe a son to God (Sūrah Maryam, 19:91–92)]. It denounces the same Christian group as being guilty of distorting and adulterating the revealed Word of God. It ascribes to this group the act indicated by the term dajal [i. e. deceit, imposture] in its proper sense. Furthermore, in Surah al-Fatihah it teaches the Muslims to seek ref- uge with God from the mischief of Christianity. And this is what all commentators of the Holy Quran have interpreted the phrase Cur to mean. From this Quranic verdict it is clearly proven that the mis- chief of which the aḥadīth forewarn us is none other than the mischief of the Cross. Thus, if a person can legitimately be called a dajjāl on account of a slight deception or dajal on his part, why can an entire group that is guilty of changing an entire shariah and teaching, not be described as the Dajjāl? And when we see Allah the Exalted Himself testifying to deceit on the part of the Christians, why then can they not be collectively called by the name Dajjal? Of course, they could not be called the greatest Dajjal at the time of the advent of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as their deceit and dishonesty had not yet reached the extreme; only the foundation of becoming the Dajjāl had yet been laid. But after this, in our own age, with the advent of printing machines, the Christian missionaries have disseminated distortion and corruption to the extreme. They have spent tens of millions of rupees to publish those distorted books and have left no stone unturned in their efforts to lead people to apostasy. It was then that the prophecy of God came true and- —as subsequent events bear out—they became worthy of being called the greatest Dajjāl. Unless and until someone appears to surpass them in oppos- ing truth and in distortion and adulteration, all must concede that this 1. And those who have not gone astray (Surah al-Fātiḥah, 1:7). [Publisher]