Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 45
CHAPTER III وَ إِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَبِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ 45 His interpretation was comical to anyone who heard it, for he wanted to prove by this verse that all would come to believe in Hadrat Īsā before his death, whereas an alternative reading of this verse is 'before their death', not before his death. And this belief that a time would come when all people would accept Hadrat ‘Īsā is in contravention with the Holy Quran because God Almighty says in the Holy Quran: يُعِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَ رَافِعُكَ إِلَى وَ مُطَهَرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيمَةِ. Meaning that, O Īsā! I shall cause you to die and then after your death, I shall raise you, like the believers, to Myself and then I shall absolve you of all calumnies, and then I shall keep your followers dominant over your enemies until the Day of Judgment. It is obvious that if all people will come to believe in Ḥaḍrat Īsā before the Day of Judgment, then which of his ‘enemies' will survive until the Day of Judgment? Again, God Almighty says at another place: وَالْقَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيِّمَةِ. 3 Meaning that, antagonism between the Jews and Christians shall endure until the Day of Judgment. Thus, it is obvious that if all Jews came to believe in Ḥaḍrat ‘Īsā before the Day of Judgment, then who will be there to maintain antagonism until the Day of Judgment? Moreover, this concept is also absurd and unreasonable in view of 1. And there is none among the People of the Book but will believe in it before his death (Surah an-Nisa', 4:160). [Publisher] 2. Surah Al-e-Imran, 3:56 [Publisher] 3. Surah al-Ma'idah, 5:65 [Publisher]