Commemoration of The Promised one
Commemoration of the Promised one:
All the prophets, in their own times, told the people around them the evils, violence, and tyranny which was to take place in the last age. They also tried to terrify the masses from the justice and vengeance of the just avenger and thus they strived to bring them round to penitence. Judgment day was told by the Holy Quran to be quite at hand so as to improve and embellish the human character, similarly, every prophet in his time told their people that the arrival of the Universal Leader was quite at hand and that they should try to improve their character.They frightened their ‘believers’ by telling them that the rule of that great Leader would be the rule of the Lord and his government would be the ‘Day of the Lord’. For instance John declared:“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew chapter 3 (1-2)
He actually announced the rule of the great Ruler of the last age. Most Christians think that he declared the arrival of Jesus as Jesus himself made the prediction in the same words. This proves that the former prediction was not about Jesus but was the memorandum of the Great Universal Leader about whom all the prophets had foretold almost in similar words. Jesus started his preaching thus:“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”St. Matthew chapter 4 (17)“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Mark Chapter 1 (14-15)In the same manner, it is in the book of St. Luke:“And he said unto them, (who wanted to detain Jesus) I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore I am sent.”
Chapter 4 (43)The promised kingdom of God is to be in the last age because the period in which the said declaration was made up to the end of Jesus here, was one in which the tyrants were in predominance. This promise will stand fulfilled in the last age when Christ will come with real majesty and splendor.The Prophet Isaiah, while telling about the emergence of this Heavenly Leader, has further elaborated the fact as to who is meant by the prophecies of the prophets. He says:“The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdom of nations gathered together, the Lord of the hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye: for the day of Lord is at hand: it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.”Isaiah chapter 13 (4-6)“Behold the day of Lord (1) cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land of desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners there out of it.”
Isaiah chapter 13 (9)It means that the concept of God’s kingdom is a glad-tiding for the poor and oppressed on one hand and news of torture and punishment for the tyrants and evildoers on the other. It stands proved also from the Dreams of Micah that the Rule of Heaven will be destruction for the rebels and revenge for the tyrants.- Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his Holy Temple. For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.” (Viz. He shall vanquish the rebels.)
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(1)Those who understand the temperament of the scriptures know that the word ‘Lord’ is not used for Almighty God everywhere. Sometimes it means Master or owner. It is spoken in these meanings for Almighty- The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
“O Israel, thee, prepare to meet thy God.”
Amos chapter 4 (12)It is found in detail in the Psalms of David:“The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah”Psalms No. 50 (1-6)The context of the preceding verses shows clearly that the word ‘God’ therein does not denote God Almighty. He is omnipresent and therefore does not need to come and go anywhere. Physical eyes cannot see Him. Christ is also not meant by this word because he didn’t administer justice and revenge in his times. This all is to take place in the last age.The Old Testament — Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 35 says:“To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand.”
The Holy Quran throws more light on this aspect of the matter while saying that the prophets had been directed to remind the people of the day when the Rule of God was to take prevalence and predominance. It is actually the Government of the personality promised by almost all the prophets. As in Tafseer Ayashi, while explaining the verse of sura ‘Al-e-Imran’, Abi Abdillah said to his companion Zararah ” Since Adam up till now the reign of Devil and tyrants is prevalent, the rule of Lord will be when Great Leader will emerge.- (Tafseer Ayashi vol.1 page 199)
The day of the Lord’s Rule has been called the day of God Almighty. Verse of Sura Ibrahim says:
“We verily sent Moses with our revelations, saying; bring thy people forth from darkness unto light. And remind them of the days of God Almighty.” Abraham (5)
In Tafseer-Qummi it has been said that Imam Muhammad Baqir A.S (of the Holy Prophet’s family) has said that the days of God Almighty are three.
(1). The day on which the Last Great Leader will emerge;
(2). The day of death and
(3). The day of Resurrection (Judgment Day)
If we see minutely, all these days have a common shade of Meeting. Death is a man’s meeting with his God. The day of Judgment is also a meeting
with God. The day of the emergence of the Last Great Leader is also a meeting with God because his rule will be the Divine Rule. This is why all the prophets gave the glad tidings to their people, of meeting the Lord God and also directed them to be always ready in a befitting manner for the same:
“O Israel ….. Prepare to meet thy God.”
Amos chapter 4 (12)
In “Surah Baqarah” God Almighty said:
“You should fear the Almighty and keep in mind that verily you are to meet him and give good news to believers.”
Al-Baqarah
While telling about the firm belief of the believers, in sura Baqarah the Almighty said:
“Those who were sure to meet God Almighty said that there are many small groups that vanquished the big groups.”
Al-Baqarah
“They indeed are losers who deny their meeting with God.”
Al-Anam 31
“So that, they may believe in the meeting with their Lord.”
Al-Anam 155
“So that, you may be sure of meeting with God.” Ar-Raad
“Those who expect meeting with God should know that the hour of God is at hand.” Al-Ankabut
“Those who know that they will have to meet their Lord and that unto Him they are returning” Al-Baqarah (46)
The upshot of all this is that all the prophets gave a concept of heavenly rule in the last age. In many of their preachings, they promised the establishment of the Government of God. They gave the glad tidings of a pleasant future to the believers and warned the wicked of a bad end. In the Holy Quran, there are many verses about the personality promised by the prophets. All the revealed religions coincide on the point that true justice and equity will be meted out in the reign of the Sovereign to arrive in the future, and that he will totally banish the tyranny and oppression. There is no difference so far as the personality is concerned. The difference is restricted only to various names of that personality.
A question arises why did all the prophets in the past mention that Personality so frequently?
What was the need to mention that Leader of the World time and again?
There are so many answers to this question.
Answer 1
- The first answer is that God Almighty has said in the Holy Quran:
“When Allah made (His) Covenant with the prophets, (He said): Behold that which I have given you of the Scripture and knowledge. And afterward, there will come unto you a Messenger, Confirming that which ye possess. Ye shall believe in him and Ye shall help Him. He said: Do you agree, and will ye take up My burden(Which I lay upon you) in this (matter)? They answered: We agree. He said: Then bear Ye witness. I will be a witness with you.”
Al-e-Imran (81)
The prophets had thus avowed to help him, who was to come in the last age. The help can be of various kinds. Help by pen and tongue, help by money, help by person and help by manpower, etc. etc. The covenant referred to above demanded that first of all help by tongue should be offered. The great personality to come should be introduced to people beforehand so that all the believers of a prophet should be able to recognize him and answer positively to the call of this last Universal Leader. Every prophet sincerely wished that he should help this Great Leader so that he might become a co-sharer in the establishment of Divine Rule. They intended that by helping the last Universal Leader with their tongues they would be able to fulfill the promise made by them on the day of Covenant (1)
Answer 2
Holy Quran provides
“And the earth shineth with the light of her Lord, and the book is set up, and the prophets and the witnesses are brought, and it is judged between them with truth, and they are not wronged.”
Az-Zumar (69)
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For detail please see the book ‘Irfan-e-Hujjat’
Mufazzal bin Amr gives the explanation of the above verse from Imam Jafar Sadiq (A.S.) as follows:
- When the establisher of Lord’s Government comes, the earth will shine with the light of her Lord and people will not need the light of the sun.”
- All the prophets will be sent for in that reign. The famous martyrs of every age will also come and oppressors and oppressed of every Ummah will be brought and their cases will be decided on merit.
This was the reason that every prophet time and again made a mention of it so that his believers should prepare themselves and be not ashamed in the court of the Lord. The resurrection of the prophets in the time of the Lord’s Government is proved by the Scriptures of various religions:
“And he said, go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end… But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.”
Daniel chapter-12 (9,13)
“And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Daniel chapter 12(1-2)
In the Holy Quran, the word ‘book’ has been used and here too the word ‘book’ is there. Quran speaks about the just decision and here the same has been said.
“All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him.”
Psalms No. 22(29)
“But the Lord shall endure forever: he hath prepared his throne for Judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness. The Lord shall be a refuge for the oppressed.”
psalms No.9 (7-9)
It means that all the strata of life will appear before the Heavenly prince to seek justice. Prophets, martyrs, and tyrants — all will be present in his court. When Christ was presented the fruit of the vine he said:
- But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my father’s kingdom.” Matthew chapter 26 (29)
- Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you.”
John chapter 14(28)
“For the son of man (Christ) shall come in the glory of his father with his angels and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
Matthew chapter 16-(27)
Similarly, the other prophets also told about their return and the Holy Quran also tells about their return. In sura ‘Aal-e-Imran’ it has been said about Christ:
“Then you will come to me and I shall judge upon the matters in which you had been showing differences.”
As told previously, sura-e-Zumur (The Troops) also says that the earth will shine with the light of her Lord the prophets will be sent for and real justice will be administered. As detailed in sura-e-Nisa, God Almighty promised with Christ.
“There is not one of the people of the scripture but will believe in Him before his death, and on the day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.”
In Tafseer Qummi (p.146), Tafseer Safi (p.238), and Alburhan vol.1 (p.426) the following commandment is found:
“Verily Christ will come down to this world before the Day of Judgment. There will remain no Jew or Christian who will not believe in Him.”
In sura-e-Sajda (The Prostration) it has been said:
“We verily gave Moses Scripture; so be not ye in doubt of his receiving it; and we appointed it a guidance for the children of Israel.”
As-Sajdah (The Prostration-23)
