The Descent of the Messiah — Page 38
THE DESCENT OF THE MESSIAH the Hakam that, out of your many sects, he should accept only the beliefs of the Ahl-e-Hadith or the Hanafites and reject the interpretations of all others? If this were the case, you would be the Hakam, not he. It is true that when a belief becomes habitual, it is difficult to give it up. This is why you still believe that Jesus, who died long ago, is still sitting in heaven in his physical body. The truth is that he is not sitting in heaven but is sitting in your hearts and is ever present on your tongues owing to these ancient beliefs. The Israelites who preceded you, also grappled with a similar predicament, as they held the belief that the physical descent of Elijah from heaven must occur before the arrival of the Messiah. However, when the Messiah came and there was no sign of Elijah descending from heaven, they rejected him with a great hue and cry. In fact, it would be difficult to see a difference between your hue and cry and theirs. ¹ The Israelites demanded of Jesus, "How can you be the true Messiah when Elijah has not yet returned to the world?" He replied, Elijah is present among you, and he is none other than the Prophet John, or Yahyā. They, however, disliked this answer and, to this day, call Jesus an disbeliever be- cause he expressed an opinion against the collective belief of the Israelites. Stranger still, instead of accepting my invitation, my oppo- nents want me to accept their store of speculations and doubts, even though they themselves remain oblivious to the existence of the Almighty, Who is the ultimate source of deliverance. When God, in His bounty, has Himself given me the light by which I 1 A punishment befell the Jews, Christians, and Muslims because of their hidden sins, in that the promised prophets did not appear to them through such paths for which they were waiting, but came through a different path like a thief. (Author) 38