Various voices and opinions have emerged from the Muslim world since the death of Osama bin Laden. Some Muslims express relief that his reign of terror has come to an end, whereas others express condemnation for the manner of his death. Some Muslims feel this will help the Muslim world, whereas others argue it will cause more problems. People like Irshad Manji go as far as to say that we must reform Islam itself. With such disunity among Muslims, it is evident that Muslims need a spiritual leader who can unite them all under a single banner of peace and instill in them the correct interpretation of Islam.
But attempts at appointing this reformer will inevitably fail. No average person we choose can perform this duty. Ms. Manji is absolutely right that Muslims need reformation for spiritual advancement. But she forgets that mankind cannot spearhead this cause. True reformation must be divinely guided. After all, the Prophet of Islam warned about this time of disunity and chaos in the Muslim world, but he also explained its solution.
The Prophet once said, "There will come a time upon the people when nothing will remain of Islam except its name and nothing will remain of the Quran except its words. Their mosques will be splendidly furnished but destitute of guidance. Their divines will be the worst people under the Heaven; strife will issue from them and avert to them." The Prophet of Islam, however, gave glad tidings that in this critical state, God would send the Messiah who will bring about a renaissance of Islam to reform Muslims and mankind, consistent with the pristine teachings of the Holy Quran.
But Jesus is the Messiah whose return Muslims are waiting for, right?
In a review of the history of religions, one finds scores of instances where founders of religions or other divines are reported to have bodily ascended to Heaven. These claims are so numerous and widespread that it seems to be a universal trend of man to conceive such stories in order to elevate their religious leaders. Even if we accept all such claims of religious leaders having ascended to Heaven, throughout human history there is not a single example of bodily return of any person to this world. Absent of literal fulfillment of such claims, one is left with two choices: either reject such claims as untrue or only metaphorically accept them, as Jesus did in the case of Elijah's second coming.
Regarding the second coming of Christ, many Muslims believe he would come with such glory and clear signs -- descending from Heaven in broad daylight with angels supporting him -- that it would be impossible for even skeptics to refuse to accept him. But history tells us that all such divines and beings come with humility as opposed to grandeur. They are always treated with callousness, prejudice and fanatic hostility, not welcomed with open arms.
Generation after generation will pass and the wait will continue, but no Jesus will bodily descend from Heaven. They may build a wailing wall as did the others 3,000 years before, but they will not see the Messiah descend.
These are the times of the latter days. The recognition of the Messiah of the age is central to achieving peace in the world today. The Messiah is to have humble beginnings and not the glory and fanfare we associate with his coming. As John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of the second coming of Elijah, a person with his characteristics will also spiritually fulfill the second coming of Christ. Their missions are similar: revival of religion and reformation of its people.
Only such a divinely appointed Messiah can provide Muslims the reformation they need by reviving the true spirit of Islam and bringing Muslims out from the darkness and away from misguided, violent interpretations of the Quran. Only this reformer can impart Muslims the correct interpretation of Islamic scripture and teachings.
If we cannot understand the second coming of the Messiah, how will we recognize when it occurs? All Muslims must comprehend how this Messiah will appear. The acceptance of this Messiah is key for the unity of the Muslim world and vital for reforming those among us who have misinterpreted the Quran.
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Iman Mahdi, as mentioned in The Holy Scripture, Koran, was here too. He had already Returned to God Almighty.
You are right that They come with humility as opposed to grandeur. Yes, They have to face callousness, prejudice etc as you had mentioned too. May i add that even their own followers may not be able to appreciate their prophet status. They are even hardly recognized in their own hometown !
What then is their Mission on Earth ?
They introduced a technique of worship / prayer / meditation that is already enshrined in all the World's Scriptures. Humans have not been able to decipher correctly the Essence as contained in all Scriptures as they are cryptic and couched in allegory. More often than not, it is their literal interpretation of the Scriptures that give rise to severe differences / misunderstanding.
The only way to convince the already convinced is via divine revelation. I pray its´ light reveals that we´re all part of the same family and that sibling rivalry will be no more.
Thanks Harris for your courageous articles!
Please visit www.alislam.org to learn more about peaceful teaching of Islam explained by the promised Messiah Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (Peace be on him).
Please visit www.alislam.org to get details on the coming of this reformer
At the end we all know that one day we have to leave from this world, why not do good deeds to please God Almighty. The God of Islam says * INDEED WE ARE FOR ALLAH (GOD ALMIGHTY) and it is to Him that we return* so my Humble request to all Peace lovers, Please “Protect and strengthen your faith, assess and remove any inconsistencies between your speech and deeds, and invite others to piety through your pious words and actions” (from Friday Sermon Feb:04, 2011 by 5th successor of promised Messiah Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian www.alislam.org).
part of my Bible. There is not only violence in it, but apparently
a claim that God would approve of it's "chosen people" attacking
peaceful villages [for their land I guess], and even killing all
of the children and animals.
Compare this to Jesus only kicking over tables for selling
at the temple, that's about as bad as it gets in the NT.
So I have to ask if those Koran quotes we hear about also
allow, or encourage, violence, in any way. Some say that
is not understanding the broader context, that written before
or after those heated statements.
I ask if that is so. If a book Only of peace then why any ambiguous
sayings, why would the 'prophet' not do everything possible
to leave nothing misunderstood ? What are the verses that
are used so often to justify violence?
Regardless, it seems also flawed, to an outsider, that
he changed his mind on where the holy city should be...
would God have to change his mind ? That and other
things seem odd. Also that Jesus is mentioned
more than the 'prophet', so why not honor him more ?
He does no miracles if I understand it, but Jesus, if
believed, does....???
Lastly, I had a NDE, do Muslims believe in that or
is there a good web site to read ?
Thanks God bless you and guide you towards right path
Of course, nobody have been able to come up with an explanation for why so called god inspired texts needs interpretations. Sane people do however understand this as we understand these books were invented by humans with their limited understanding and knowledge of the universe and everything within it. There is no need to cling to several thousand year old mythology when we know the real facts.
It is interesting to ponder this statement, "Their [ie Islam's] divines will be the worst people under the Heaven". When I reflect upon this verse, I realise it means that Muslims have to introspect on whether their own divines, mullahs, kilafa (sometimes spelt caliph) etc are sufficiently free from bigotry to escape this clause.
In this sense it reflects poorly on Mirza Masroor Ahmad (kilafa of the London based Ahmadiyya community) that in addressing his followers he has stated in his friday sermon of Jan 30th 2009 (with reference to the Baha'i faith), "...we should always avoid these people" 1
By comparison, Baha'u'llah (founder of the Baha'i faith) states, "O people! Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship." 2
One may do well to reflect which leader is more in touch with the true spirit of love and unity.
Kind regards.
1 http://www.alislam.org/archives/friday/FSS20090130-EN.html
2 http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TB/tb-4.html
It's utter garbage just like every other so called religious book written by humans. What is it you don't understand about mythology?
With such disunity among Muslims, as is the case with all philosophies and religions, it seems rather comical to speak of "the correct interpretation" of any of them. When making such a statement, one is essentially saying that "the correct interpretation" will be the interpretation with which you agree.
As for the second coming, my personal belief is that she has been here and gone. It seems irresistible though for current man to apply 'maleness' to the second coming but nowhere does any document written or referred to, except the "Official" books of the Major religions say that it will
definitely be a male. The reincarnation of the Christ personality provides many possibilities.
And who, with the many reality based distractions and distortions, would you trust to recognize the reincarnated Christ figure?
I came to Christ when I was child in child like faith and as I grow older again I enter into his bossom as a child. We that truly believe are likened to little children. We love him for the tears he dries from our eyes and the knowledge he gives us when we don't expect it though we pray for it daily. Those that argue faith are blind and cannot see. His children hear his voice and obey with humility. We love our enemies and our neighbors. But most of all we desire to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Boring preaching about mythological nonsense!