Ata-ul-Haye Nasir, Al Hakam
In the Holy Quran, Allah the Almighty mentions His promise which he made regarding the Promised Land, Palestine. He said:
وَ لَقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِی الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ
“And already have We written in the Book [of David], after the exhortation, that My righteous servants shall inherit the land.” (Surah al-Anbiya, Ch.21: V.106)
Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, Musleh-e-Maud, provided a detailed insight into this promise. During his speech of 28 December 1954, he said:
“How wonderful this promise was, and how gloriously it has been fulfilled! The detail of this promise is that Allah the Almighty states in Surah Bani Israil:
فَاِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ اُوۡلٰهُمَا بَعَثۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ عِبَادًا لَّنَاۤ اُولِيۡ بَاۡسٍ شَدِيۡدٍ فَجَاسُوۡا خِلٰلَ الدِّيَارِ ؕ وَ كَانَ وَعۡدًا مَّفۡعُوۡلًا
ثُمَّ رَدَدۡنَا لَكُمُ الۡكَرَّةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَ اَمۡدَدۡنٰكُمۡ بِاَمۡوَالٍ وَّ بَنِيۡنَ وَ جَعَلۡنٰكُمۡ اَكۡثَرَ نَفِيۡرًا
“[So when the time for the first of the two warnings came, We sent against you some servants of Ours possessed of great might in war, and they penetrated the innermost parts of your houses, and it was a warning that was bound to be carried out. Then We gave you back the power against them, and aided you with wealth and children, and made you larger in numbers. (Surah Bani Israil, Ch.17: V.6-7)].
“Then [Allah the Almighty] says:
فَاِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ الۡاٰخِرَةِ لِيَسُوۡٓءٗا وُجُوۡهَكُمۡ وَ لِيَدۡخُلُوا الۡمَسۡجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوۡهُ اَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَّ لِيُتَبِّرُوۡا مَا عَلَوۡا تَتۡبِيۡرًا
عَسٰی رَبُّكُمۡ اَنۡ يَّرۡحَمَكُمۡ ۚ وَ اِنۡ عُدۡتُّمۡ عُدۡنَا ۘ وَ جَعَلۡنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ حَصِيۡرًا
“[Now, if you do well, you will do well for your own souls; and if you do evil, it will only go against them. So when the time for the latter warning came, We raised a people against you to cover your faces with grief, and to enter the Mosque as they entered it the first time, and to destroy all that they conquered with utter destruction. It may be that your Lord will now have mercy on you; but if you return to your previous state, We too will return, and We have made Hell a prison for the disbelievers. (Surah Bani Israil, Ch.17: V.8-9)]
“[Allah the Almighty] said that He had given them [the Jews] another land – which had some conditions attached as well. [They were told] that Palestine would be given to the ‘righteous servants of God.’” (Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 25, p. 73)
Huzoorra continued by citing those conditions in light of the above-mentioned verses. He stated that Allah the Almighty said that after some time, this land [Holy Land] would be taken away from the Jews, and a nation possessing huge military power would enter all cities of Palestine and dissolve their government.
Huzoorra said:
“Therefore, the Babylonian armies invaded and they destroyed places of worship, cities, occupied the country and ruled for almost a hundred years. After that, the government was changed, and the Jews got their country back.” (Ibid, pp. 74-75)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained that Allah the Almighty states that He would again take away this land from the Jews. Those who would occupy it, would humiliate them and disrespect their places of worship, and they would spread destruction everywhere, just like the Babylonians did earlier.
Huzoorra continued by stating that Allah the Almighty further says:
عَسٰی رَبُّكُمۡ اَنۡ يَّرۡحَمَكُم
Meaning, “It may be that your Lord will [now] have mercy on you.”
Huzoorra elaborated:
“Here, [Allah] did not say that it would come to their [the Jews] possession, instead, it stated that Allah the Almighty would show mercy, meaning that the previous humiliation would be removed, it did not mean that the Jews would regain [the land].” (Ibid, p. 74)
Huzoorra said:
“Therefore, after the Messiahas [of Nazareth], the Romans invaded this country again and destroyed and ruined it. Hence, they destroyed the ‘mosque’ and sacrificed the swine inside [the mosque], and got its occupation. But at last, the Roman king accepted Christianity.
“That is why [Allah] did not say here that the land would be returned to the Jews. Earlier [He] stated that it would be returned, meaning that the Jews would get it back. But at the second place, [He] did not say it would be returned, instead [He] stated that ‘Your Lord will [now] have mercy on you’, meaning their humiliation would be removed.
“Hence, when the Roman king became a Christian, he started to accept Mosesas, Davidas and similarly all prophets who had come. Although he was a follower of Jesusas – as Jesusas was from the Mosaic line – the Christian kingdom showed respect for the Jewish prophets and the Torah as well, [they] even considered the Torah to be their holy book. Meaning that God had mercy on them. Although the Jews did not get the government, it went into the hands of Christians [who were obviously the followers of the Mosaic Law].” (Ibid, p. 75)
Huzoorra said that Allah the Almighty further stated that “if you return to your previous state”, then the land would be taken away from the Christians as well, who were a group among the Jews as they also followed the Mosaic Law.
Huzoorra added that here, Allah the Almighty indicated that after this, the Muslims would come to this land, and they would occupy it, and become عِبَادِيَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ – the righteous servants of Allah.
Huzoorra elaborated:
“But here, [Allah] did not say that they [Muslims] would disrespect the ‘mosque’. Look, at the first two instances, it is stated that they [the invaders] would disrespect the mosque. But the third time when the punishment had to come – during which the land was to be taken away from them [the Jews] – He did not say that they would disrespect the ‘mosque’, because Mosesas and all the prophets under his law were holy in the eyes of Muslims, and their places were also sacred [for them]. For this reason, the Muslims could not do any harm to their [Jews’] ‘mosques’ [place of worship], which the Babylonians and the Romans did.” (Ibid, p. 76)
Huzoorra said it was strange that when European authors wrote books, they did not object to the Babylonians and the Romans, but they abuse and object to the Muslims, who respected the “mosques” of the Jews.
He said:
“Now, when Palestine went into the hands of the Muslims, it could be questioned that in this case it did not remain in the hands of the Jews or the [followers of the] Mosaic Law, and so what is the mystery to this?
“However, if we ponder, this is a baseless objection because sometimes a dispute arises when some inheritors emerge, then the actual inheritors say that we are the real inheritors. The same is the case here.
“The fact of the matter is that it was God who granted the land – the case was presented before God Almighty [and He was asked,] ‘Are these Muslims the inheritors of Mosesas and Davidas, or the Jews and the Christians?’
“Thus, the Court [of Allah] decided that now the Muslims are the [true] inheritors of Mosesas and Davidas. Hence, the inheritance was granted to them.” (Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 25, pp. 77-78)
Concerning the return of the Jews to Palestine, Huzoorra said:
“Then, further [Allah the Almighty] states:
فَاِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ الۡاٰخِرَةِ جِئۡنَا بِكُمۡ لَفِيۡفًا
“Meaning, ‘And when [the time of] the promise of the latter days comes, We shall bring you together [out of various peoples].’ (Surah Bani Israil, Ch.17: V.105)
“[In other words:] Then a time would come when the Jews would be settled in Palestine by gathering them from around the world. That time has come now [the establishment of Israel], when the Jews have arrived here.” (Ibid, p. 78)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra also clarified that some people mistakenly believe the triumph of Jews over Palestine as the end of Islam. Their viewpoint asserts Muslims’ loss of Palestine as proof that they are no longer regarded as the righteous servants. However, if the momentary occupations by the Babylonians and Romans during the time of Mosesas and Davidas are not considered to have abrogated their respective laws, it is irrational to term Muslims’ loss as a sign of Islam’s abrogation.
Huzoorra said:
“Some people say that after the arrival of the Jews [to Palestine], Islam has been abrogated. Meaning that according to them, the argument for the abrogation of Islam is that as the ‘righteous servants’ were promised to get the occupation [of Palestine], so when the Muslims have lost the occupation, they are no longer the ‘righteous servants’. […]
“However, if the temporary occupations of the Babylonians and the Romans – which lasted for one hundred years and almost three hundred years respectively, were not termed as the sign for abrogation of the Message [Law] of Mosesas and Davidas, then at this instance […] how can it be termed as the sign for Islam’s abrogation?
“Instead it is a sign for the truthfulness of Islam, because it had prophesied itself that the Muslims would lose the occupation, and the Jews would come back [to Palestine]. The return of the Jews is not the sign of Islam’s abrogation; in fact, it is a sign of Islam’s truthfulness. […]
“In regard to the question that how did it remain in the hands of the ‘righteous servants’, the answer is that in the past as well, [the Muslims] had temporarily lost the occupation [of Palestine] twice and have lost it now too. And when we say ‘temporarily’, it necessarily means that the Muslims will again go to Palestine and will rule it. It necessarily means that the Jews will again have to leave it and it necessarily means that Allah the Almighty will enable the Muslims to defeat this whole order which is being established with the help of the UNO and America, and once again let the Muslims settle here […]
“So, I say ‘temporarily’ because there is a [Quranic] injunction ‘My righteous servants shall inherit the land’ [Ch.21: V.106] […] So, the ‘righteous servants’ of God Almighty, the people of Muhammad Rasulullahsa, will surely go to this country [Palestine].
“Neither can America’s atomic bombs and H-bombs do anything, nor can the help of Russia do anything. This is God’s decree, which will come to pass eventually, no matter how much power the world exerts.” (Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 25, pp. 78-81)
Thus, the temporary loss of Palestine by Muslims is consistent with the prophecy of the Holy Quran, where the return of the Israelites is not indicative of Islam’s abrogation but rather substantiates its truthfulness. The concept of temporarily losing the land of Palestine clearly aligns with the Quranic promise asserting that the righteous servants will inherit the land, and it clearly means that, despite all the efforts of the global powers, the decree of Allah the Almighty will prevail, ensuring the eventual return of Muslims to Palestine and the establishment of their rule.
Now a question arises as to how long this land will remain in the occupation of the Jews. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has provided an answer to this as well:
“There is no doubt that the Holy Quran and ahadith tell us that the Jews will settle in Palestine once more, but it has not been stated that they will settle here forever. The permanent occupation of Palestine has been decreed for the ‘righteous servants’ […] The first [part of the] prophecy of Allah the Almighty has been fulfilled in this way that the Jews have announced their independent government there, but if we will not follow the path of righteousness, then [the fulfilment of] the prophecy [of the Jews’ occupation] will continue for a long time, and will prove to be a dangerous setback for Islam.
“So, we need to minimise the duration of [fulfilment of] this prophecy through our actions, sacrifices, unity, prayers and cries, and bring the era of Muhammad Rasulullah’ssa government over Palestine, as close as possible.” (Al-Kufru Millatun Wahidah, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 19, p. 574)