Waiting for
Masih
T
HERE
IS
A
great misunderstanding among the people about the
second coming of Christ. They have taken it upon themselves
to turn his coming into a great mystery and are waiting for a
miraculous personality to come down to them from the heavens.
But a study of the Quran and Hadith tells us that neither
Masih
nor any other mysterious personality will appear. Keeping this
reality in mind, there is a great fear that the Muslim community
may again face the same situation as was faced by the Jews.
The Quran tells us that the Jews awaited the coming of the final
prophet, but when he came, they denied him (2:89) . This was
because he did not match up to their preconceived ideas of
what a prophet should be like. Given the present situation of
the Muslim community, it is greatly feared that they too will
keep on waiting for the coming of Christ—rejecting all those
who do not live up to their expectations—until
qiyamat
approaches and then nothing but eternal remorse and
deprivation will be their lot.
Masih
is another name for a reformer of the Muslim
Community rather than the title of any mysterious, miraculous
personality descending from the heavens. The role of this
individual will be similar to the role played by Jesus Christ.
The way to recognize the Mujaddid of the
final phase
T
HERE
IS A
detailed tradition in the Hadith about the final stage
which reads: “At that time nothing will remain of Islam except
for its name and nothing will remain of the Quran except for its
words, the mosque will be full but deserted as regards guidance.”
(Al-Baihaqi).
What is the meaning of this Hadith? Of this later time the
Prophet observed: “When Islam began it was alien, and again it
will become alien.” This description of the situation shows how
