Messiah Descends From Heaven With Clouds

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

In the previous post I presented quotations from the Great Imam Abu Hanifah and also Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi establishing the orthodox Sunni Islamic creed that the Messiah Jesus will descend from Heaven.

This belief is Scriptural, being established from the Bible and also the Hadith; the most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said:

كَيْفَ أَنْتُمْ إِذَا نَزَلَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ‌مِنَ ‌السَّمَاءِ فِيكُمْ وَإِمَامُكُمْ مِنْكُمْ

How are you when the Son of Mary descends from the sky among you and your Imam is from you? (al-Asma wal-Siffat lil-Baihaqi; v.2, p.331, #895)

Some misguided individuals and groups, who strangely profess Islam, altogether deny the doctrine of the Second Coming of the Messiah, despite the fact that this belief is established through Mutawatir al-Ma’nawi (mass-transmitted in meaning) from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Companions. Others are more deceptive in claiming to accept the prophecy of the Second Coming of the Messiah but denying that it means the Messiah Jesus will come in person, or that he will literally descend from Heaven. Interestingly, the Messiah Jesus himself anticipated such a deviation from the truth when he said: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:23-27)

The simile of a lightning flash in the east being visible in the west indicates that the coming of the Messiah shall be an incredible Sign which none but those who are blind could possibly deny. As for the false Messiahs and false Prophets claiming to fulfil the Second Coming of Jesus they do not appear from the clouds but it is said about them that they are in the desert or sitting in some closed room somewhere, and this is true of every false Messiah, like Mirza of Qadian, who appeared since the time of Jesus. I believe the following narration best describes the reality of how Jesus will descend from Heaven in the clouds and reappear among the people:

فَبَيْنَا هُمْ تَحْتَ ضَبَابَةٍ مِنْ غَمَامٍ ‌إِذْ ‌تُكْشَفُ عَنْهُمُ الضَّبَابَةُ مَعَ الصُّبْحِ فَإِذَا بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْهِمْ

While they are under the mist of a cloud, suddenly the mist will be rolled away for them by the morning, and Jesus son of Mary will be in their midst (al-Fitan li-Nu’aym bin Hammad; p.388)

And this is confirmed in the Gospels: “and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27), “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62), “Behold, he cometh with clouds” (Revelation 1:7).

Messiah Jesus عليه السلام will Descend From Heaven

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

The agreed upon creed of the Sunni Muslims is that in the Latter-Days or the End Times, before the Hour and the Resurrection, the Messiah Jesus على نبينا وعليه السلام shall descend in person from Heaven. The Great Imam, Abu Hanifah رضى الله عنه said:

وَخُرُوج الدَّجَّال ويأجوج ومآجوج وطلوع الشَّمْس من مغْرِبهَا ونزول عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام من السَّمَاء وَسَائِر عَلَامَات يَوْم الْقِيَامَة على مَا وَردت بِهِ الْأَخْبَار الصَّحِيحَة حق كَائِن

The emergence of the Dajjal and of Gog and Magog, the rising of the sun from the West, the descending of Jesus, peace be upon him, from the sky are inevitable facts so are all the other signs of the Day of Resurrection, as narrated in authentic reports (al-Fiqh ul-Akbar, p.72)

Likewise, Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi رحمة الله عليه said:

وَنُؤْمِنُ بِأَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ مِنْ خُرُوجِ الدَّجَّالِ وَنُزُولِ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ

And we believe in the portents of the Hour; the appearance of the Dajjal and the descent of Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him, from the sky (al-Aqidat ut-Tahawiyyah, p.31)

Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi's Vision About Kafir Guru Arjun

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

In the year 1606 CE the fifth guru of the Sikhs, Arjun, was executed under the authority of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The great Islamic Saint and Reformer, Mujaddid Alf Thani, Imam Rabbani Ahmad Sirhindi نوّر الله مرقده celebrated this execution with the following words:

کافر لعین گوبند اور اس کی اولاد کا مارا جانا بہت خوب ہوا اور ہنود مردود کی بڑی شکست کا باعث ہوا۔ خواہ کسی نیت سے اس کو قتل کیا ہو اور خواہ کسی غرض سے اس کو ہلاک کیا ہو بہر حال کفار کی خواری اور اہل اسلام کی ترقی ہے۔

اس فقیر نے اس کافر کے قتل ہونے سے پہلے خواب میں دیکھا تھا کہ بادشاہ وقت نے شرک کے سر کی کھوپڑی کو توڑا ہے۔ واقعی وہ بہت بت پرست اہل شرک کا رئیس اور اہل کفر کا امام تھا۔ اللہ تعالی ان کو خوار کرے۔

The execution of the cursed infidel [Arjun] and his children was very well. It was the cause of a great defeat for the accursed Hindus. Regardless of the intention and motive behind his death, this is a disgrace for the infidels and progress for the Muslims.

Prior to the killing of that infidel, this Faqir saw in a dream that the King [Jahangir] had broken the skull of Shirk. Truly, he [Arjun of Goindwal] was the head of the polytheists and leader of the infidels. May Allah Most High humiliate them! (Maktubat Imam Rabbani, #193)

Till today Sikhs assert that their fifth guru was unjustly executed. However, the historical reality is that Arjun of Goindwal was no other worldly mystic who was simply killed out of religious bigotry. Arjun was a scheming rabblerouser who engaged in political intrigue. He was involved in fomenting rebellion against Jahangir by supporting Jahangir’s rebel son Khusrau Mirza.

Mirza Qadiani used to lock himself in the toilet for 3 hours a day

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على اشرف الانبياء والمرسلين

وعلى أله واصحابه اجمعين

The false prophet of Qadian, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, used to lock himself in a small restroom (which used to be used as a toilet) for up to three hours a day. The Qadianis describe this as his khalwah (seclusion for spirituality). His follower Mufti Muhammad Sadiq has mentioned this in his biography of Mirza entitled Zikr-e-Habib (p.34) which is more appropriate to be called Zikr-e-Khabith

Look at the contrast with our most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم who used to offer Tahannuth (tehinnot) in the blessed Cave of Hira, where he received his first visitation from the Angel Gabriel and first Prophetic Revelation. On the other hand this antichrist Mirza of Qadian would lock himself in a toilet for two to three hours and I have no doubt it is there the filthy Jinns that live in such ritually unclean areas would whisper their Satanic “revelations” to him. It is for this reason the holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم taught us to recite the following prayer before entering the restroom:

اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّـي أَعـوذُ بِـكَ مِـنَ الْخُـبْثِ وَالْخَبائِث

Talqin at the Grave

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

ِAllah سبحانه وتعالى says:

ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُسۡمِعُ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ۚ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِمُسۡمِعٍ مَّنۡ فِی الۡقُبُوۡرِ

Surely, Allah causes to hear whomsoever He wills; and you can not make those hear who are in the graves

(Surah 35 Ayah 22)

Now it becomes evident that the deceased are unable to hear us ordinarily, but that Allah may cause a deceased person to hear and such an occurrence would be considered paranormal or extraordinary خارق العادة

In the instance of a Muslim who has died and is freshly buried, we say and believe that he is temporarily granted the ability to hear some matters from this world, such as the footsteps of his companions that buried him:

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا وُضِعَ فِي قَبْرِهِ، وَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُ أَصْحَابُهُ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيَسْمَعُ قَرْعَ نِعَالِهِمْ

When the servant is placed in his grave and his companions go away from him, then surely he hears their footsteps (Sahih al-Bukhari)

I also believe that the freshly buried deceased Muslim is given the ability to hear the one standing at his grave urging him to say لا اله الا الله

لَقِّنُوا مَوْتَاكُمْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ

Urge your dead (to say) “La ilaha illa Allah” (Sahih Muslim)

Although the word موتاكم literally means “your dead” meaning those that have already died, it is usually understood by the people to mean those that are close to dying. Therefore, the general practice concerning Talqin is to encourage the one on his deathbed to say La ilaha illa Allah. However, this practice should also be extended to the actual dead when he is freshly buried in the grave. According to a narration:

إِذَا مَاتَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ إِخْوَانِكُمْ، فَسَوَّيْتُمِ التُّرَابَ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ، فَلْيَقُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ عَلَى رَأْسِ قَبْرِهِ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلْ: يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُهُ وَلَا يُجِيبُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْتَوِي قَاعِدًا، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ يَقُولُ: أَرْشِدْنَا رَحِمَكَ اللهُ، وَلَكِنْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ. فَلْيَقُلْ: اذْكُرْ مَا خَرَجْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا شَهَادَةَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَأَنَّكَ رَضِيتَ بِاللهِ رَبًّا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا، وَبِالْقُرْآنِ إِمَامًا، فَإِنَّ مُنْكَرًا وَنَكِيرًا يَأْخُذُ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْا بِيَدِ صَاحِبِهِ وَيَقُولُ: انْطَلِقْ بِنَا مَا نَقْعُدُ عِنْدَ مَنْ قَدْ لُقِّنَ حُجَّتَهُ، فَيَكُونُ اللهُ حَجِيجَهُ دُونَهُمَا

If one of your brothers dies and you level the soil on his grave, then let one of you stand at the head of his grave and say: O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, for he hears him but does not respond. Then let him say: O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, for he will sit up straight. Then let him say: O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, for he will say: Guide us, may Allah have mercy on you, but you will not perceive. So let him say: Mention what you came out of this world with, the testimony that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and that you are pleased with Allah as Lord, and with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet, and with the Quran as Imam. For Munkar and Nakir, one of them will take the hand of his companion and say: Go with us, we will not sit with one who has been taught his proof. So God will be his argument against them (Mu’jam al-Kabir, v.8 pp.298-299, #7979)

Although this Hadith is weak, it is good to act upon it, and its meaning and purport is strengthened by the Hadith concerning Talqin.

Nothing From Prophesy But Mubashshirat Doesn't Negate Ilham

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Today several false teachers who style themselves Islamic scholars have negated the phenmenon of Ilham (divine inspiration) in this Ummah, and dress up such a heretical denial as a necessary implication of the Khatm an-Nubuwwah (finality of Prophesy) doctrine. Among such false teachers are Javed Ghamidi and the notorious Engineer Mirza of Jhelum who was directly influenced by the former in this issue. They have put forward a novel and dissenting interpretation of the Hadith:

لَقَدْ كَانَ فِيمَا قَبْلَكُمْ مِنَ الأُمَمِ مُحَدَّثُونَ فَإِنْ يَكُ فِي أُمَّتِي أَحَدٌ فَإِنَّهُ عُمَرُ

Among the Ummats before you there were Muhaddaths. So if there is one in my Ummah then surely it is Umar (Sahih al-Bukhari)

According to the interpretation of these false teachers the Hadith means that there shall be no Muhaddath in this Ummah, and that Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was not a Muhaddath. This is in direct contravention of the understanding of the Sunni Muslims and our Imams and Ulama. Even Ibn Taymiya affirmed that Umar al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, was actually a Muhaddath:

فإن ‌سيد ‌المحدثين والمخاطبين الملهمين من هذه الأمة هو عمر بن الخطاب

Verily, the Chief of the Muhaddaths and Mukhatabs and Mulhams from this Ummah is Umar son of al-Khattab (Majmu al-Fatawa, v.11 p.65)

Likewise, his student, Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani, explained the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that if there is to be a Muhaddath in this Ummah it will be Umar, may Allah be pleased with him:

كَذَا قَالَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى سَبِيلِ التَّوَقُّعِ وَكَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنِ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كَائِنٌ ‌وَقَدْ ‌وَقَعَ ‌بِحَمْدِ ‌اللَّهِ مَا تَوَقَّعَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَوَقَعَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ لِغَيْرِهِ مَا لَا يُحْصَى ذِكْرُهُ

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said this as an expectation, as if he had not known that this would happen. Praise be to God, what the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, expected happened with Umar, may God be pleased with him, and more of the same happened with others that are too numerous to mention (Fath al-Bari, v.6 p.516)

And Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani said that the one who denies the phenomenon of Ilham in this Ummah is stubborn and arrogant:

وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ ‌كَثِيرٌ ‌مِنَ ‌الْأَوْلِيَاءِ عَنْ أُمُورٍ مُغَيَّبَةٍ فَكَانَتْ كَمَا أَخْبَرُوا

Many of the Saints informed about the affairs of the unseen and it happened as they informed.

وَالْجَوَابُ أَنَّ الْحَصْرَ فِي الْمَنَامِ لِكَوْنِهِ يَشْمَلُ آحَادَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِخِلَافِ الْإِلْهَامِ فَإِنَّهُ مُخْتَصٌّ بِالْبَعْضِ وَمَعَ كَوْنِهِ مُخْتَصًّا فَإِنَّهُ نَادِرٌ فَإِنَّمَا ذُكِرَ الْمَنَامُ لِشُمُولِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ وُقُوعِهِ وَيُشِيرُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنْ يَكُنْ

The answer is that the restriction in dreams is because it includes individuals among the believers, unlike inspiration, which is specific to some, and despite being specific, it is rare. Dreams were mentioned because of their comprehensiveness and frequent occurrence, and this is indicated by his statement, may God bless him and grant him peace: “If it is…”

وَكَانَ السِّرُّ فِي نَدُورِ الْإِلْهَامِ فِي زَمَنِهِ وَكَثْرَتِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ غَلَبَةَ الْوَحْيِ إِلَيْهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْيَقَظَةِ وَإِرَادَةَ إِظْهَارِ الْمُعْجِزَاتِ مِنْهُ فَكَانَ الْمُنَاسِبُ أَنْ لَا يَقَعَ لِغَيْرِهِ مِنْهُ فِي زَمَانِهِ شَيْءٌ

The secret behind the rarity of inspiration in his time and its abundance after him was the prevalence of revelation to him, may God bless him and grant him peace, while awake and the desire to show miracles from him. So it was appropriate that nothing from him should happen to anyone else in his time.

فَلَمَّا انْقَطَعَ الْوَحْيُ بِمَوْتِهِ وَقَعَ الْإِلْهَامُ لِمَنِ اخْتَصَّهُ اللَّهُ بِهِ لِلْأَمْنِ مِنَ اللَّبْسِ فِي ذَلِكَ وَفِي إِنْكَارِ وُقُوعِ ذَلِكَ مَعَ كَثْرَتِهِ وَاشْتِهَارِهِ مُكَابَرَة مِمَّن أنكرهُ

When the revelation was cut off with his death, inspiration came to whomever God chose for it, to ensure safety from confusion in that regard. And in denying that it happened despite its abundance and its fame, there is stubbornness on the part of those who denied it (ibid, v.12 p.376)

And here Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani has explained the Hadith:

لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ إِلاَّ الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ

Nothing remains of Prophesy except the Mubashshirat (Sahih al-Bukhari)

And this Hadith, misinterpreted by the likes of Javed Ghamidi and Engineer Mirza, is put forward by them as the main argument to deny the phenomenon of wakeful Kashf and Ilham in this Ummah.

Ibn Taymiya's Rejection of Creatio Ex Nihilo

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

One of the doctrines of the modern-day Salafis in which they dissent from the creed of the orthodox Sunni Muslims is that Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, did not create anything from nothingness (creatio ex nihilo). Rather, in following the innovated belief of Ibn Taymiya, the Salafis affected by his thought insist that all creation is creatio ex materia, meaning created from some pre-existing matter. Ibn Taymiya said:

فقد أخبر أنه خلق السموات والأرض ‌في ‌مدة ‌ومن ‌مادة ولم يذكر القرآن خلق شيء من لا شيء

Translation: “He (Allah) informed us that He created the Heavens and the Earth in a period of time and from matter, and there is no mention in the Quran of creation of something from nothing.” (Majmu al-Fatawa; v.18 pp.235-236)

The implication of this doctrine is that Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, was never truly alone, but that the phenomenon of creation is eternal without beginning. However, such a notion directly contradicts what has been narrated from the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him:

كَانَ اللهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَىْءٌ غَيْرُهُ

Translation: “Allah was and there was nothing other than Him”

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

But Ibn Taymiya claimed the wording of this Hadith was not proven because there are other versions of the Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari with two other wordings:

كان الله ولم يكن شيء قبله

Translation: “Allah was and there was nothing before Him”

كان الله ولم يكن شيء معه

Translation: “Allah was and there was nothing with Him”

Incidentally, the third version “Allah was and there was nothing with Him” that Ibn Taymiya claimed is also found in Sahih al-Bukhari is actually not there. Nonetheless, there are apparently two versions of the Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, and this is known as the Hadith of Imran bin Husain. Ibn Taymiya argued that logically only one version is correct because this incident occurred only once, and used that as justification to deny the other two versions of the Hadith:

واللفظان الآخران لم يثبت

Translation: “The two other wordings are not proven”

And Ibn Taymiya concluded that only the version of the Hadith “Allah was and there was nothing before Him” is correct because:

لم يكن في هذا اللفظ تعرض لابتداء الحوادث ولا لأول مخلوق

Translation: “This wording does not necessitate a beginning for events or a first creation.” (Majmu al-Fatawa; v.18 p.216)

Now it becomes clear that Ibn Taymiya had a preconceived notion, due to being influenced by the philosophy of his time, that creatio ex nihilo is incorrect and therefore based on that preconceived notion sat in judgment over the authentic Ahadith narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari, declaring the versions that fit his narrative true and those that don’t “unproven”.

But what does Islam actually teach? Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, says:

وَّقَدۡ خَلَقۡتُکَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ وَلَمۡ تَکُ شَیۡئًا

Indeed, I created you before when you were nothing

(Surah 19 Ayah 9)

اِنَّمَا قَوۡلُنَا لِشَیۡءٍ اِذَاۤ اَرَدۡنٰہُ اَنۡ نَّقُوۡلَ لَہٗ کُنۡ فَیَکُوۡنُ

Our word to a thing, when We will it, is only that We say to it, ‘Be!’, and it is

(Surah 16 Ayah 40)

Ibn Taymiya is often attributed to the Hanabila, yet before he came along they had unanimity on the text of the Qadiri Creed, authorized by the Abbasid ruler Al-Qadir Billah:

‌كان ‌ربنا واحد لا شيء معه

Translation: “Our Lord was alone, there was nothing with Him” (Al-I’tiqad al-Qadiri)

Although it may be true that Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, created this universe from pre-existing matter, that does not negate that fundamentally the origin of all creation is that Allah created it out of nothing. The Verses of the Holy Quran cited by Ibn Taymiya, for instance that the Heaven was دخان (smoke or steam), to argue that the universe was created from pre-existing matter, are in fact only referring to the primordial form of the universe and not necessarily a reference to the material from which the universe was created. And we Sunni Muslims firmly believe that the origin of all creation is that Allah created it from absolute nothingness, and that prior to the act of creation Allah was alone, there was nothing else with Him.