Re: preaching by reasoning
doc2000,
revelation does not necessarily bring a new law or a new religion. Revelation for the purpose of shariat remains completed and sealed for 1400 years in the form of Quran. I am an Ahmadi muslim and I believe that Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the promised Mahdi and Messiah prophecised in Quran and countless ahadith. One of such ahadith with my comments is given below.
The hadith of Nawwas bin Summaan is given in Sahih Muslim.
I will comment on it in paranthesis.
This hadith in Sahih Muslim has two chain of narrators.. One is by Nawwas and the other by Jabir..
Book 041, Number 7015:
"An-Nawwas b. Sam'an reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) made a mention of the Dajjal one day in the morning. He sometimes described him to be insignificant and sometimes described (his turmoil) as very significant rand we felt) as if he were in the cluster of the date-palm trees."
{Dajjal the western civilization and christianity with those who believe in godship of Isa (as) also those who support the idea that Jesus is alive.. The false christian docrines and their ill effects on human moral values are not hidden from anyone. Those who stay steadfast in the true religion Islam are safe from this trial, whereas those who fell prey to it have been misled into a life of sin and all sorts of turmoils.}
"When we went to him (to the Holy Prophet) in the evening and he read (the signs of fear) in our faces, he said: What is the matter with you? We said: Allah's Messenger, you made a mention of the Dajjal in the morning (sometimes describing him) to be insignificant and sometimes very important, until we began to think as if he were present in some (near) part of the cluster of the datpalm trees. Thereupon he said: I harbour fear in regard to you in so many other things besides the Dajjal. If he comes forth while I am among on, I shall contend with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth while I am not amongst you, a man must contend on his own behalf and Allah would take care of every Muslim on my behalf (and safeguard him against his evil). He (Dajjal) would be a young man with twisted, contracted hair, and a blind eye. I compare him to 'Abd-ul-'Uzza b. Qatan. He who amongst you would survive to see him should recite over him the opening verses of Sura Kahf (xviii.)."
{This is the part of hadith which is supported by the ahadith in Bukhari. Being most authentic of all the books.
Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 553: Narrated Ibn Umar:
Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed."
So Dajjal here is compared to Allah. No person can be compared to Allah. There is a wisdom in this comparison. Which is that Having two eyes is somehow better than having just one. What does it mean that Allah is not one-eyed? It means that Allah provides for needs of both materail and spiritual worlds. Whereas Dajjal is the liar who lures man to the materialistic persuites. Exactly the case today!
Another Hadith will explain the metaphor on the description..
Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 649:
Narrated Abdullah:
The Prophet mentioned the Massiah Ad-Dajjal in front of the people saying, Allah is not one eyed while Messsiah, Ad-Dajjal is blind in the right eye and his eye looks like a bulging out grape. While sleeping near the Ka'ba last night, I saw in my dream a man of brown color the best one can see amongst brown color and his hair was long that it fell between his shoulders. His hair was lank and water was dribbling from his head and he was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men while circumambulating the Kaba. I asked, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'This is Jesus, son of Mary.' Behind him I saw a man who had very curly hair and was blind in the right eye, resembling Ibn Qatan (i.e. an infidel) in appearance. He was placing his hands on the shoulders of a person while performing Tawaf around the Ka'ba. I asked, 'Who is this? 'They replied, 'The Masih, Ad-Dajjal.' "
So it was a dream in which the future Massiah (Different from the Jesus of Nazareth) and Dajjal were mentioned. In the language of dreams a person can be shown as embodiment of something good or evil too. Here Ibne Qatan was shown to the prophet (Saw) as the Dajjal with blind eye and curly hair. His doing tawwaf of ka'ba means that this evil will come in the guise of religion. Or the religion will be used to spread a false faith. i.e, false christian docrine and the resulting turmoil.
Whereas the Person of Jesus has been confirmed to be different than the one already passed away. Yet his appearance has been confirmed by many other sahih ahadith. Surah Kahaf and its first verses specifically discuss the falsehood of trinity and the rest of the surah is also about the past of christianity. Yajuj and Majuj are also mentioned in the same surah}
"He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. O servant of Allah! adhere (to the path of Truth). We said: Allah's Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth? He said.. For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days."
{As we all know that western colonization began in the arab regions in 1800s. And the region of iraq, syria and palestine with egypt were the first targets. As they were the gateway to the Africas. Link The days mentioned can not be taken as literally. Forty days means a definite period. Which can run into centuries. The Dajjali system rose slowly gradually "one day like a year", gathered pace "one day like a month" and took over all the world "one day like a week". Messiah is said to appear when the fitnah is on its peak. It was the end of 19th century when almost all the world was colonized. }
"We said: Allah's Messenger, would one day's prayer suffice for the prayers of day equal to one year? Thereupon he said: No, but you must make an estimate of time (and then observe prayer)."
{This can be attributed to the inability of the people to understand the phenomenon of Imperialism or colonization. But see what a wise answer was given. This again means that Holy Prophet (Saw) knew that there will be regions discovered which will have days of 6 months and nights of 6 months. }
"We said: Allah's Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the earth? Thereupon he said: Like cloud driven by the wind. "
{The transport of Dajjali powers is on modern vehicles and ships and planes. }
"He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He would then give command to the sky and there would be rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the evening, their posturing animals would come to them with their humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them. But they would reject him and he would go away from them and there would be drought for them and nothing would be lef t with them in the form of wealth.
He would then walk through the waste, land and say to it: Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures would come out and collect (themselves) before him like the swarm of bees."
{The wrong religion is the system which modern europe had developed to capitolize on the world resource. It was driven by christianity in those days. Although the church has bowed out of the political game yet it was responsible for paving the way for the foriegn trading invaders. The agricultural boom and the new industries. Oil in the deserts and oceans. Selective breading of cattle and such. Those nations who fell for all these and accepted the colonial rule were given their share of this new technology. The canal system of Indo Pak, the railway lines laid in those days is an example. Yet those who resisted were punished. Red Indians, Aborgines, Zulu were given the sword treatment while submitting people were treated with some dignity. The new technology made possible to look for oil reserves, metals and stones. }
"He would then call a person brimming with youth and strike him with the sword and cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at a distance which is generally) between the archer and his target. He would then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness)"
{No one can give life except for Allah. So this is another metaphor for the ability of Dajjal to influence nations with propaganda or with technology.}
"it would at this very time that Allah would send Christ, son of Mary, and he will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damscus wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. When he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter from it. "
{The beads of perspiration represent the hard work done by the Messiah to fight Dajjal. The metaphor is about the appearance of Son of Mary. And this is clearly a vision or a dream shown to Rusoolullah (saw). Not to be taken literally. }
"Every non-believer who would smell the odour of his self would die and his breath would reach as far as he would be able to see. He would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. "
{Here the the odour and breath of Son of Mary are mentioned. There is no sword. What is this odour and this breath? It is the argument and its the Jihad of the pen. The gate of Ludd can have a few interpretations. But its not Lydda (as people try to prove it in israel). The killing of Dajjal means the refutation of the false doctrine. If Surah Kahaf can save from fitnah of Dajjal than the Messiah can Kill him with arguments. }
"Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus these words: I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur, and then Allah would send Gog and Magog and they would swarm down from every slope. "
{These people that no one can fight are Gog and Magog. Gog and Magog are the military aspect of Dajjali system. As they are the western nations. Descendents of Gog and Magog (Progeny of Noah) . And not some weird underground specie. Another arguement against your warrior Mahdi and sword weilding Jesus. That Allah will tell him to take the people away from the the fighting. The swarming down from every slope is also mentioned in Quran and that means that the military forces of Gog and Magog will sieze every opportunity to make war and gain strategic positions. Oil rich countries. etc. Tur is the mountain where Moses (as) went to meet Allah. Here it stands for prayers and effort to reform ones ownself to save him/herself from the Dajjali fitnah. Language of visions and dreams.}
"The first of them would pass the lake of Tibering and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: There was once water there."
{This lake is present at the border of Isreal and Jordan. and Israel is dependent on its water. Hence a prophecy that the western nations will draw water from the lake and will use it up.}
"Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinirs and Allah's Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah's Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah's Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of bactrin camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will."
{This is the prophecy about new diseases emerging in the world all the time. Insect transmitted diseases like plague, Malaria etc. Although, the Gog and Magog are still rampant on earth. But the prophecy surely says that they will meet their end if they continue in their ways. For Muslims only supplication is advised. Not war. Their perishing in one night or a days time means that it will be very quick. Probably another grand scale war?}
"Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels' hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror."
{Rain in Quran also means revelation from Allah. It also stands for blessing.}
"Then the earth would be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, there would grow (such a big) pomegranate that a group of persons would be able to eat that, and seek shelter under its skin and milch cow would give so much milk that a whole party would be able to drink it. And the milch camel would give such (a large quantity of) milk that the whole tribe would be able to drink out of that and the milch sheep would give so much milk that the whole family would be able to drink out of that "
{Figurative expressions used to describe the spiritual state of the believers after the final victory. }
"and at that time Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe (people) even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them."
{This hadith ends on this note. So there will be qiyamah. but only on the wicked people. this hadith clarifies that Mahdi and Massiah are the same person. They will not fight wars with swords. Their people will strive in the cause of Allah in peacefull way. The Dajjali fitnah will be countered with arguments and Gog And Magog will fight among themselves and self destruct due to their own wrong doings. And ISlam will spread and there will be peace and harmony in the world.}
As far as the issue of death of Jesus (as) and other matters regarding the ahmadiyya jamaat are concerned, you can visit this website. www.alislam.org