The Descent of the Messiah — Page 86
THE DESCENT OF THE MESSIAH ing a religion, then what good is such a religion? During the time of the Companions, peace be upon them, fountains of certainty were flowing. They would witness Divine signs with their own eyes, and through these signs they gained certainty about the Word of God. This is why their lives were extremely pure. How- ever, when that era came to an end and centuries had passed, what then was the source of certainty? They indeed possessed the Holy Quran, which can be compared to the Dhulfiqār, the double-edged sword, one side of which is meant to purify the inner selves of the believers, while the other side is used to defeat their enemies; however, the wielding of this sword requires the strong arm of a champion, as God says: يَتْلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ آيَتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتُبَ Thus, the purification that is obtained from the Holy Quran is not described in isolation but in conjunction with the attributes of a Prophet. This is why the Word of God never comes down from heaven by itself but is always accompanied by the cham- pion who wields this sword and knows its essence. Hence, the strong arms of a champion have always been required to bring about true and fresh faith in the Holy Quran, to demonstrate its essence, and to complete the argument through it. This need has been most pressing in the latter days because this is the age of the Dajjal and there is a war raging between heaven and earth. In short, when God Almighty says that one who is blind in this world will also be blind in the next, it is essential for every seeker of truth to search for the light of the eyes in this very world and to find the living religion in which the lights of the 1 "Who recites to them His Signs, and purifies them and teaches them the Book. " Ale-Imrān, 3:165 [Publisher] 86