Jesus’ Travels Post Crucifixion

  

All the Messengers of Allah, especially the law-bearing prophets were made in some way or another to leave their initial place of residence for another place through the will of Allah. Sometimes, places within their own homelands or they switched altogether countries where their missions went on to be successful.

Today I would like to put before you the heart-touching story and the lesson which Jesus – Hazrat Isa (as) has given us in his emigration from Jerusalem to Kashmir in India. [Inset: Jesus in western art, symbolic- not historically accurate, representation]. 

In his post-crucifixion period, Jesus was helped by his well-wishers and disciples in secret. His disciples on record may have been official twelve men, out of which one (i.e. Judas) became a hypocrite and “sold” him to his enemies, but he may have had many secret disciples not recorded in history who became sincere help when he had to flee Jerusalem. From a study of his life, and the research of various authors including the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Jesus (as) may have stayed in Palestine, as well as Afghanistan and Northern India before he finally met his lost sheep, i.e. the Lost Tribes of Israel.

Jesus and the 'Sign of Jonah'

In a recent series of Online interactions with Truth-seekers from around the world, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius chose to respond to several questions, explaining the teachings and practice of Deen-e-Islam as well as certain momentous episodes from spiritual history for the benefit of those who were asking. In this context, reproduced below is one of the responses given by Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) to a sister in religion, Ms. Meryl Philips from United Kingdom, explaining the crucifixion of Jesus Christ from an Islamic perspective. 

Contrary to the irrational exaggerations and mythical Divinity claims preferred by people who claim to be his followers, the historical Jesus was a human being like any other human who lived and preached Gospel among his people, a reformer-servant of God among the people of Israel in historical Palestine. While much of his life is shrouded in the distance and unknowns of history, the essence of his truthfulness as well as the shadow of Divine Protection that helped him survive the scheming machinations and plots of his wily opponents is preserved to the benefit of all times, including through the Holy Qur’an which speaks about the trial of crucifixion: 

“And they (the persecutors of Jesus) planned (to crucify him) and Allah planned (to save him) and Allah is the best of planners.” (3:55) 

“They killed him not, nor did they cause his death by crucifixion, but he was made to them to resemble (one crucified to death. Verily, those who differ therein are certainly in (a state of) confusion about it. They have no definite knowledge of the matter but are only following a conjecture. They did not kill him. This much is certain (and thus could not prove the Christ as accursed). Rather Allah exalted him with all honour to His presence”. (4: 158-59)   

While Jewish tradition viewed death on the cross as an accursed imposter’s fate, Jesus himself predicted his escape from death on the cross saying, “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whales’ belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of death”.  (Matt. 12: 40) The prophecy meant that like Jonah, Jesus would also survive the ‘grave’ trial and survive the attempt on his life. In this brief exposition on the crucifixion of Christ, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) marshals evidence from human mortality, and the sign of Jonah mentioned in the Bible to dispel mythical notions about Jesus prevailing among people in our times. 

Read the Extracts from the Response Below:  

'Be Helpers in the Cause of God'

Become the Helpers of Allah!

“O you who believe! Become helpers of Allah: As said Jesus, son of Mary, to the Disciples, ‘Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah?’ The disciples answered, ‘We are Allah’s helpers!’ then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved: But We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed.” (As-Saff, 61: 15)

In the history of nations, on occasion they are obliged to take certain basic decisions. This had equal application to worldly as well as divine communities. When confronted with such situation, using a well-known phrase, they have to decide: “to be or not to be?” This is the question. Today the question is whether you will advance or you will perish.

In the religious world, since the origin of faith is divine, this option is not applicable. It is already decreed that the divine communities will advance. There is never a question of retreat. For the achievement of the goal set for them, they are always prepared to sacrifice all. Such an occasion has now arisen in the history of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. The verse that I have just recited is most appropriate for our times also.

Even if Jesus (as), the Messiah and the Prophet of Allah is dead, but his image has come yet again in this era through the will of Allah to give you all a new lease of life. Had the Christians and Muslims understood the real scope of this truth, they would have stopped waiting for the physical descent of Jesus, son of Mary, Prophet of Allah to the Israelites.

Now, a new era has dawned. This era is that of Islam and perpetually so, till the end of times. Even though the origin of all religions or faiths is divine, but through the course of all these centuries, people have lost their original essence, i.e. the unity of God. Thus, with time, association with God became widespread in religions which were basically monotheists and true. Their teachings were falsified to quench the thirst for power of the modern divines [i.e. the high priests, pundits, etc.]

But now, with the rise of a Man of God who has come in the mantle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to revive the true teachings of all previous faiths, the time is crucial, and help is needed to break all false doctrines which have crept in the pure faith.

The Holy Quran instructs those who believe to enlist themselves as: Helpers in the cause of Allah, in the same manner as Jesus (as), the son of Mary who asked his disciples: ‘Who amongst you will help me for the sake of Allah?’ So Allah enabled a party of the Children of Israel to believe while another party disbelieved.

Furthermore, Allah says: “We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed.”

'Istighfar': On Divine Forgiveness

‘I do not absolve myself of weakness, for the inner self is surely prone to enjoin evil, except on whom my Lord has mercy. My Lord is of course Protector (against sins), Ever Merciful’.---(Surah Yusuf, 12:54).

This sublime expression of humility in the declaration of Prophet Yusuf (as) points to a larger truth about moral failings in the human condition: only Divine Grace can help us traverse the flood of base passions. As humans, each one of us has an innate proclivity or inborn weakness to be swayed at times by the attractions and colours of this world. Our bodily urges can and will, at times, eclipse our moral responsibility and injure our spiritual self. Satan can induce us to stumble in moments of frenzy and we might forget or even willfully ignore that God watches over us in all that we do, openly and secretly. Whether we remain within the laws of the permissible- respecting the boundaries of the Shari'ah- or commit transgressions and become liable for sins; the reality is that God knows about it all. Indeed the Lord of the Universe knows about the deep desires and other inner passions that fuel all our actions- good and bad- and especially, our many failings. The Qur’an emphatically declares: “Were it not for God’s Grace upon you and His Mercy, not one of you would ever be pure.” (Surah Al-Nur, 24: 22)

Qur'an on the Death of Jesus (as)

Muhammad is only a messenger; Verily, all the messengers have died before him. So, were he to die, or if he was killed, would you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful. (Al-Imran 3: 145).

A false rumour was spread at Uhud, that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had been killed. The verse alludes to this incident and means that even if the rumour was founded, it should not have made the faithful falter in their faith. Muhammad (pbuh) was only a prophet and like other prophets before him were dead, he too would die. Only the God of Islam, the One and Supreme God lives eternally.

First Proof

When seven years after the incident at Uhud (after the battle of Uhud) the Holy Prophet (pbuh) died, Umar (ra) stood in the mosque of Medina, sword in hand, and said, “Whoever says that the prophet of God has died, I will slit his throat. He has not die but went to his Lord just as Moses had gone to his Lord and he shall return to punish the hypocrites.”

At that moment, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), who was not present at the moment when the prophet breathed his last, returned quickly, went straight into the prophet's room and upon realising that he had actually died, kissed his forehead and said, “You are sweet (sacred) in death as you were when alive, and surely God is not going to give you two deaths.”

Then he went out, resolved, and asked the assembly in the mosque: “O people! Whoever worshiped Muhammad, let him know that Muhammad is dead; And he who worships God, let him be assured that God is alive, and that He does not die.” 

And he recited to them this verse: “Muhammad is only a messenger; Verily, all the messengers have died before him. So, were he to die, or if he was killed, would you turn back on your heels?” (Al-Imran 3: 145). He meant that it was not surprising under these circumstances that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was also dead. On hearing this very appropriate verse, Umar (ra) and all the others were convinced of the prophet's death and were plunged into great mourning. Thus this verse proves incidentally that the prophets who had preceded our beloved prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had all died because if any one of them was still alive, the verse could not have been cited as evidence of the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

The Concept of 'Nabi' in Our Claims

Divine Revelations Today

Given the debate between the Ahmadi Muslims and Salafi Muslims as well as the other Muslim groups, I have decided today to devote my Friday Sermon on the subject of Nabuwwah (prophethood) and status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the “Khatam-an-Nabiyyine”.

Just like for the Promised Messiah of the past century, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the revelations I have been bestowed upon as a divine grace contain the words Nabi and Rassool, not once but several times. Messenger can also mean prophet. I have been addressed as Rassool by my Beloved Creator several times. 

A "Nabi" after Prophet Muhammad ?

However, if we agree on the fact that the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the seal of the prophets, and that no other prophet could come after him in the world, I would say that of course, any old or new prophet cannot come in the sense that my opponents as well as those of the Promised Messiah (as) seem to believe; for verily while slandering and accusing the Muhammadan prophets of Kufr (disbelief/ infidelity), but ironically at the same time they expect a prophet of an ancient Ummah (Community) to revive the perfect Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh).

They await the return of Jesus Christ – Isa (as); that is to say, in other words, they believe in the continuity of the latter’s prophethood of the latter and in the divine revelations received by him for a period of forty years, a period longer than that enjoyed by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) himself, and so such a belief is clearly wrong as it is disavowed by the verse of the Holy Quran:

“... He is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets.” (Al-Ahzab, 33: 41)

And also by the following tradition: “... La Nabi Ba’adi” (No prophet after me). 

And I totally agree with the Holy Quran. This Quranic verse of the Holy Quran contains a great prophecy that has escaped the attention of my opponents. It means that after the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) no member of any religion other than Islam will receive the gift of prophethood and no man, be him Hindu, Jewish, Christian or so-called Muslim (Muslim in name only) cannot justifiably be called Nabi.

Blessings of "Nubuwwah" within the Ummah

The only approach to accede to this high position is the path of the Siddiqeen (Truthful) or those who lose themselves in the love of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Whoever takes this path may get the privilege as a “Zill” to wear coat of prophethood, that is to say, by being a perfect reproduction of the spiritual image of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and loving the latter (pbuh) out of a sincere love, he is given to wear the mantle of prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself. A claimant of prophethood of this nature cannot be a rival of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) because he gets all his strengths and favours through him; and therefore the spiritual position that he reaches is only for the glorification of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

Moreover he is known in heaven as Muhammad and Ahmad at the same time. Thus the greatness of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is not reached by any other person (even not his Zill), while his Zill (spiritual double/ reflection) still owes him a debt of gratitude.

Ahmadi Mosques under Attack

HATE CRIME AGAINST ISLAM

We all know what happened on 13 November 2015 in Paris (France) after extremists opened fire on people, out of whom 129 died and more than 350 injured. After that incident, there have been other attacks and last month itself in the USA, some hours after the Paris Attacks, some people opened fire on an Ahmadi Mosque in Meriden, Connecticut, the “Baitul Aman”. By the grace of Allah, there were no victims. But these attacks on mosques, be it those of Ahmadiyya or other mosques and Islamic centres, be it in America or elsewhere in the world, are becoming all the more frequent, especially because of the vendetta/ revenge which people are extracting against Islam. According to them, it is Islam and its teachings which are to be blamed!

Worst, nowadays in America there are some stupid people who are standing as presidential candidates of the USA, for example, Donald Trump, a Republican who has seized the opportunity of the Paris Attacks to make his political campaign against Islam whereby he has proposed that if the Americans vote him, he shall make it a must to spy on the Muslims and bar entry of Muslims in the USA. His hate speech against Islam and the Muslims has brought shame to his own political party. His own people have fallen on him for what he said for America is for the freedom of religion, people and liberty of expression. I warn him, and all those like him, that if he does not desist from his words and realise his error, if he continues in his hate speeches against Islam and Muslims, therefore Allah shall seize him in a severe punishment and humiliation. It is Allah who shall deal with him, because terrorism has no religion. 

‘Jesus is in the Third Heaven’

Religious beliefs sometimes have a tendency to challenge common sense. Thus, the Christians hold the belief that the founder of their religion, i.e., Jesus, Son of Mary is the literal ‘Son of God’. Likewise, defying gravity, logic of reason and experience of history, sections of the Muslims continue to hold the belief that the Prophet Jesus (as) is still ‘alive’, two millennium after his birth and they say that he would physically descend in our times among the Muslims as their Imam!

     

No doubt, in the Muslim spiritual tradition, Jesus (as) is one of the great messengers of the Almighty, celebrated along with Hadhrat Muhammad (sa). However, the ‘belief’ on or the myth of, a physically alive Jesus crept into Islam/among the Muslims in the medieval period when the influx of Christians into Islam led to a mixing of ‘cultures’ and the dogmas of the Christians found their way into, replacing the traditional Muslim understanding on the matter, shaped by the Qur’an and taught by the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). In a special Sermon delivered on September 07, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius throws searching light on the physical death of Jesus (as), as emerging from the express Qur’anic verses and the opinions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) on the matter.    

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

Fa lammaa tawaffay tanii kunta ‘Antar-Raqiiba ‘alayhim: wa ‘Anta ‘alaa kulli shay-‘in Shahiid.

But when You cause me to die, You were the Guardian over them, and You are, over all things, Witness. (Al-Maida 5: 118)

Death and life are not alike. If God has given us life, He also decreed death for us, humans, and all living creatures that He has placed in the universe. And verily, in death, there is life and in life, there is death.

Sacrifice and Striving: The Road to Success

The political, economic and ideological precepts and value systems being practiced today are leading the world, inevitably and inexorably, to the brink of natural and man made-disasters, including war. On the other hand, as a religion, Islam offers a fascinating, analytical framework to lead life in all its complex settings. Islam’s ability to appeal to the human mind and its innate capacity to recognize and accede to what is just and right and morally appropriate is evident from its great confidence and self assurance in declaring that the norms, principles and methods that Islam deploys to analyze and critique the worldly  systems and competing ideologies, will eventually gain universal appeal and traction. The open challenge to produce an equally appealing, if not exceeding, philosophy of life that Islam presents to the world stand testimonial to this magnificent edifice, built on the sure foundation of guidance from a Living and Ever-Subsisting God, as against the illusion-filled worship or pursuit of mere human images and conceptions.

Through his exemplary personal conduct and exceptional sacrifices, the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) portrayed the trajectory of practical spirituality in  individual and social life. Hadhrat Muhammad (sa), thus, left enduring imprints on the sands of time for all peoples and souls in search of the ultimate Divine reality. It is astonishing to note that even at times when material preoccupations have corrupted the general Muslim populace, Islam’s inherent capacity to produce the Divinely-raised saints in every age was never in doubt. These saints or Khalifatullah, who gave practical guidance on the ordinances of spiritual life in their epochs, injected fresh blood and revitalized Islam through their tireless sacrifices and striving in the cause of Allah and His religion.

As a way of life, the superiority of Islam over all other frameworks and ideologies, is self- evident to Muslims who practice Islam. The incremental expansion of the Muslim Ummah, in its own way, slowly but surely, testifies to the turning tide and the inevitable victory of the Divine Truth. The Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam is today engaged in this noble and extraordinarily important mission of spreading the message of Islam at many, different levels, with different initiatives being pursued simultaneously. In his Friday Sermon of March 15, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius exhorts the noble believers to imbibe and imprint in their hearts the culture of supreme sacrifice and mighty striving and do all they can in their every day life so that the glory of Islam can illuminate the world in its darkest hour.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Are Now ‘Online’

The Dead Sea Scrolls or the Qumran Manuscripts are an important source of historical information regarding the material and spiritual life in an early Community of Believers during the Biblical times. According to many scholars, the Scrolls offer illuminating insights on the beliefs and practices of the historical Essene Community of Jewish people to which, it is said, the Hadhrat Jesus (as) belonged. The majority of the Scrolls, preserved at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, are now available online and can be accessed by all here.

Dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea, Palestine/Israel. 

The manuscripts are generally attributed to an isolated Jewish sect, referred to in the scrolls as "the Community," who settled in Qumran in the Judean desert. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, offer critical insight into Jewish society in the Land of Israel during the Second Temple Period, the time of the birth of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism.

Celebrating ‘Christmas’

The very basis of modern Christianity and its foundational theological concepts are shrouded in mythical haze. No less a festival than the ‘Christmas’- celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (as)- itself reminds one about the extraordinary theological engineering that underpins and sustains the constructed belief systems of contemporary Christians. In his Friday Sermon of December 23, 2011 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) spoke about the dimensions of mystery surrounding the faith and the futility of Christmas when viewed through the prism of pristine spirituality. As the Divinely-raised Warner of this (spiritually) empty age, Hadhrat Sahib reminds Muslims-including Ahmadis and their leader- against indulging in vain pursuits-such as celebration of Christmas- that takes one away from the true path of Allah.

Read the extracts from the Friday Sermon:     

”…That Jesus is the central figure and the very soul of Christian theology is manifestly clear. Without some kind of belief in his Christhood, whichever way may it be defined by various denominations and scholarly theologians, the very foundations of Christianity are totally altered. Throughout the last two thousand years, hundreds of millions of Christians have been sustained in their beliefs through their deep faith in the life of Jesus. The miraculous character attributed to his birth, the stories of the miracles he performed, his encounters with the Romans, Israelites and other gentiles, and finally, his crucifixion provide the basic ingredients which have continued to nourish this leading religion of the western world not only today but through the centuries past.

Yet, it is rather strange, indeed ironic, that most important events of his life have always remained veiled in mystery. Was he born of a virgin mother? When was he born? Why is hardly anything known about his life from early infancy to the time when he proclaimed his ministry? How long did his ministry last? Who were really responsible for his being led to the cross – hostile Jewish leaders or the Roman rulers? Did he really die during the few hours that he was on the cross or was he only unconscious when he was taken off the cross with unusual haste? If there was a resurrection, then who were the eye-witnesses, if any? What is the significance of the blood stains of the shroud in which he was temporarily wrapped and which is now preserved in the Cathedral of Turin, Italy? [Inset: An image of Christ which corresponds exactly to the Shroud of Turin]. Did he leave Palestine for the eastern regions to accomplish his proclaimed mission of having come for the lost tribes of Israel? These and several other issues about the life of Jesus of Nazareth have continued to challenge the curiosity of the Christian as well as the non-Christian scholars.