The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 54
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI also referred to as of the 'NABI SAHIB' meaning 'The Prophet". There has been no prophet among Muslims after the Holy Prophet. Muhammad. Hindus and Buddhists do not use the word 'Nabi'. Thus. YUS ASAF has to be a Hebrew prophet. YUZ ASAF is not an Indian name. Some oral traditions state that YUS ASAF was a stranger who came from a country in the West about 1900 years ago. John Noel in his article in Asia magazine (Oct. 1930 New York) has acknowledged the traditions in Kashmir about survival of Jesus on the cross and coming to Kashmir and Ladakh to seek lost tribes. Some of the historians of Kashmir who have written about YUZ ASAF and his tomb are, Abdul Qadir, M. Ghulam Nabi Khanyari, Mir Saadullah. Shah, Khwaja Muhammad Azam and Mirza Saif-ud-Din. Considered together, they all write that YUZ ASAF was a prophet who had come from a great distance after suffering great hardships. Mulla Nadiri writes in his old and important 'History of Kashmir' that during the reign of Raja Gopadatta (49-109AD. ) YUZ ASAF came from. Jerusalem to the valley of Kashmir and proclaimed prophethood. The author mentioned an incident showing that YUZ ASAF was highly respected both by the people and the king of Kashmir. This historian writes further that Sulaiman, who was a Persian and a minister of the. Raja, carried out repairs to the temple on Mount Solomon (in. Srinagar) in the year 54A. D. He made two inscriptions in Persian on stone flank walls of stairs of this temple which were as follows: (1) "In these times YUZ ASAF proclaimed his prophethood. " (2) "He was YUSU (Jesus), prophet of the children of Israel. ". Mulla Nadiri further writes that he had seen in a book of Hindus that this prophet was really Jesus who had assumed the name of YUZ. ASAF. The above historical reference is most significant and clarifies the mystery of YUS ASAF or Jesus. The ancient temple mentioned still exists in Srinagar and is known as Takht-a-Sulaiman. . Hindus call this temple 'Shankaracharia'. The two inscriptions which. Mulla Nadiri has stated were mutilated during Sikh occupation of. Kashmir. However, historians have recorded them before the mutilation. Another interesting fact recorded about YUZ ASAF is that 54