The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 189
The Messiah and his Second Coming 189 place of the appearance of the Messiah is an indication that the Messiah does not mean Jesus who was given the Gospel but he is someone from among the Muslims who, in his spiritual condition, resembles both the Messiah and Imam Hussain. . . . The word Damascus clearly indicates that Jesus in not the Messiah who was to come, but as the Yazīdīs resem- ble the Jews in the same way the Messiah who is to come resembles Jesus and possesses the temperament of Hus- sain. This is a very subtle point: the word Damascus has been used metaphorically. As the tragedy of Imam Hus- sain was an enormity in the estimation of God Almighty and resembled closely the tragedy of Jesus, as even the Christians would acknowledge, therefore, God Almighty desired that the coming generations may be apprised of its enormity and its resemblance to the tragedy of Jesus. Damascus has been metaphorically mentioned in this context so that the readers might be reminded of the time when the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was, like Jesus, put to the sword most tyrannically by the wretches of Da- mascus. Thus God Almighty particularly mentioned Da- mascus, wherefrom such tyrannical directions had issued and which was the home of such hard-hearted and dark- minded people, as an indication that the place which re- sembled Damascus would now become the headquarter for the propagation of faith and justice. [Izāla-e-Auhām, Rūķānī Khazā'in, vol. 3, pp. 134-137, footnote] I would now like to draw attention to the Hadith nar- rated by Abū Dāwūd in his compilation. It contains a prophecy that a person designated as Hārith, or a culti- vator, will appear from Transoxiana, that is to say, from the direction of Samarkand, who will lend support to the