Daniyal Kahlon, Missionary, MTA Social Media
Proof the Second Advent is figurative
As the Holy Quran has undoubtedly proclaimed the death of Jesusas, and nowhere does the Holy Quran mention he would physically descend to the earthly realm in the Latter Days, it is only natural to assume the second advent of the Messiah refers to another person who would personify the first Messiah’s characteristics.
Proof for this can be found in two ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa in which he clearly draws a distinction between the physical features of the two Messiahs.
The first hadith refers to Jesusas (Isa ibn Maryam):
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ۔ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَيْتُ عِيْسَى وَ مُوْسَى وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ، فَأَمَّا عِيْسَى فَأَحْمَرُ جَعْدٌ عَرِيضُ الصَّدْرِ
Hazrat Ibn Abbasra narrated that the Prophetsa said, “I saw Moses, Jesus and Abraham [on the night of my ascension to the Heavens]. Jesus was of red complexion, curly hair and a broad chest […]” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Here, the Holy Prophetsa clearly describes some physical features of Jesusas:
He was of red complexion
Had curly hair
Had a broad chest
The second hadith refers to the Latter-Day Promised Messiah. Regarding him, the Holy Prophetsa described different physical features, compared to Jesusas. In Sahih al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophetsa is reported to have said:
أُرَانِي اللَّيْلَةَ عِنْدَ الْكَعْبَةِ فَرَأَيْتُ رَجُلاً آدَمَ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا أَنْتَ رَاءٍ مِنْ أُدْمِ الرِّجَالِ، لَهُ لِمَّةٌ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا أَنْتَ رَاءٍ مِنَ اللِّمَمِ، قَدْ رَجَّلَهَا تَقْطُرُ مَاءً، مُتَّكِئًا عَلَى رَجُلَيْنِ ـ أَوْ عَلَى عَوَاتِقِ رَجُلَيْنِ ـ يَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ، فَسَأَلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا فَقِيلَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ. ثُمَّ إِذَا أَنَا بِرَجُلٍ جَعْدٍ قَطَطٍ أَعْوَرِ الْعَيْنِ الْيُمْنَى كَأَنَّهَا عِنَبَةٌ طَافِيَةٌ، فَسَأَلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا فَقِيلَ الْمَسِيحُ الدَّجَّالُ
“I saw myself (in a dream) near the Ka‘bah last night, and I saw a man of brown complexion, the best you may see amongst men of that complexion, having long straight hair reaching his earlobes which was the best hair of its sort, and he had combed his hair and water was dropping from it, and he was performing the tawaf around the Ka‘bah while he was leaning on two men or on the shoulders of two men. I asked, ‘Who is this man?’ Somebody replied, ‘(He is) Messiah, son of Mary.’ Then I saw another man with very curly hair, blind in the right eye, which looked like a protruding grape. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ Somebody replied, ‘(He is) Messiah, al-Dajjal.’”
In this hadith, the Holy Prophetsa describes the messiah with the following physical features:
a) A brown complexion
b) Long and straight hair
Evidently, there is a difference in the physical appearance of both messiah’s mentioned by the Holy Prophetsa. The fact the Holy Prophetsa mentions the Dajjal in the second hadith along with the messiah, proves that in this hadith the Latter-Day Messiah was being referred to.
As there is a stark difference in the physical descriptions in the two ahadith, it becomes clear the Promised Messiah would not be Isa ibn Maryamas of the Bani Israel, rather someone who resembled his character and disposition.
Another point mentioned by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was that Jesusas was an Israelite prophet from amongst the Bani Israel, whereas the Latter-Day Messiah was described as an “ummati” (one from amongst the ummah of the Holy Prophetsa). And so, the second messiah would be a prophet by virtue of the Holy Prophetsa and from amongst the Muslims, as the following ahadith testify:
أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَيْفَ أَنْتُمْ إِذَا نَزَلَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ فِيكُمْ وَإِمَامُكُمْ مِنْكُمْ
Hazrat Abu Hurairahra narrated that Allah’s Messengersa said, “How will you be when the son of Mary descends amongst you and is an Imam from amongst you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
The Latter-Day Messiah is being clearly referred to as an ummati by the words “from amongst you [Muslims]”.
The Promised Messiahas provides another hadith of the Holy Prophetsa, which testifies to the advent of the Latter-Day Messiah as a different person to the Israelite Messiah:
علماء امتي كأانبياء بني اسرايل
“The scholars of my ummah are like the prophets of the Bani Israel.” (Al-Tafsir al-Kabir, Imam Razirh, Vol. 3, p. 302)
From this hadith, we can draw the conclusion that the Latter-Day Messiah would resemble Isa ibn Maryamas of the Bani Israel because it mentions that some of the followers the Holy Prophetsa would be in “likeness” of the prophets of the Bani Israel.
The Promised Messiahas goes on to explain that Jesusas, due to his soul having been raised, had entered Heaven, as the Holy Quran states:
يٰۤاَيَّتُهَا النَّفۡسُ الۡمُطۡمَئِنَّةُ ارۡجِعِيۡۤ اِلٰي رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرۡضِيَّةً فَادۡخُلِيۡ فِيۡ عِبٰدِيۡ وَ ادۡخُلِيۡ جَنَّتِيۡ
“[And] thou, O soul at peace! Return to thy Lord well pleased [with Himand]He well pleased [with thee]. So enter thou among My chosen servants, And enter thou My Garden.” (Surah al-Fajr, Ch.89: V.28-31)
Although the final reckoning will be on the day of resurrection, and that is when all souls will enter Heaven or Hell in their entirety; however, even at this point whatever rewards of Heaven (to a lesser degree) have been granted to souls means that they will not be taken out of those comforts and be brought back to this world full of grief and sorrow.
The above-mentioned arguments, in both parts 1 and 2 of this article, prove two very important points that non-Ahmadi Muslims should really take heed of, as these arguments are purely based on the Holy Quran and the ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa. They are:
The Israelite Messiah, Hazrat Isa ibn Maryamas (Jesus) has passed away and will not physically return to the earth in the Latter Days
The references of the Holy Prophetsa to the Latter-Day Messiah are metaphorical in nature and refer to a person from amongst the ummah of the Holy Prophetsa who would personify the characteristics of the first Messiah; and that person is Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian.
Although the Promised Messiahas has provided many more verses of the Holy Quran and plenty of authentic ahadith in his books and treatises as a testimony to his claim, I have presented a mere taste of these references.
May Allah guide all Muslims to the right path and may they attest to the truth of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiahas.