Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 37
Promised Messiah•' himself said: In 1290, according to the Hijrah calendar, this humble one had been blessed with the Divine revelation. Haqiqat-ul-wahi, p. 199 The Promis ed Messiah as further said, "That was the time for the coming of the Messiah; if I had not appeared, someone would have definitely appeared. " Parable of the Fig Tree In the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the fig tree makes further predictions about the time of the coming of the Messiah: Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branches become tender, and the leaves come out, you know that summer is near; so likewise when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Matthew 24:32-33 The parable makes it clear that when those signs start appearing,Jesus as will be 'at the door'. But how does one interpret the references to the timing of his appearance? - When the branches of the fig tree become tender, it is a sign that summer has arrived. Similarly, if the various signs foretold in the Gospels are fulfilled, then it means J esus as has already appeared. But many people would not necessarily recognize his second advent, as people had not recognized his first advent, either. Sun shall be darkened, and the Moon shall not give its light. (Matthew here must not be taken as an ordinary one: solar and lunar eclipse occur frequently. Every year, eclipses of the sun and the moon occur in cliff erent parts of the world. Therefore, the sign predicted by all major religions must be unique in nature. The Islamic literature has specified further details regarding the prophecy. With these details in mind, the sign indeed becomes unique - it had never before occurred in human history. The Holy Prophet' ;aw had predicted: For our Mahdi (the Messiah), there are two signs which have never appeared before, since the creation of the h eaven and the earth, namely, th e moon will be ecl ipsed on the first night in Ramadan (on the first of the nights on which a lunar eclipse can occur) and the sun will be eclipsed in the middle of it (on the middle one of the days on which a solar eclipse can occur). And these signs have not appeared since God created heaven and earth. Daar Qutni The above prophecy is the same that is provided by all other prophets, with one important difference: there is much more detail provided here. According to it, the solar and lunar eclipse would occur in the same month of Ramadan , on specified dates (13 and 28 Ramadan, respectively). This very specific and unique sign did indeed take place in 1894, in the Eastern hemisphere, followed in the Western hemisphere in 1895. Accordingly, a little more than 100 years ago, this grand prophec y of the Bible, of all major religions, and as made by the Hol y Propher •w 24:29) This specific reference is one of the most important ones contained in the Bibl e. It was predicted by different prophets, includingjoel as , Isaiah as , and tnQF WISDOM C For our Mahdi (the Messiah), there are two signs which ~ have never appeared before, since the creation of the. . . . . heaven and the earth, namely, the moon will be eclipsed J esus as. And it was not just in the Christian scriptures that such a sign had been foretold. Similarly, the Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Islamic literatures also make this prophesy. Solar and lunar eclipses are divine signs, often mentioned in the religious literature, and which no human has the power to produce. At the same time, the reference 0 on the first night in Ramadan (on the first of the nights on which a lunar eclipse can occur) and the sun will be eclipsed in the middle of it (on the middle one of the days > on which a solar eclipse can occur). And these signs have ;;;. not appeared since God created heaven and earth. Holy Prophet sa w Daar Qutni