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FULFILLMENT

OF A GRAND PROPHECY

By:

Anwar Mahmood Khan

Los Angeles, CA

 For More Islamic Prophecy Information:

The Final Signs of Qiyaamah (Islam)

 

 FULFILLMENT

OF A GRAND PROPHECY

By:

Anwar Mahmood Khan

Los Angeles, CA

 

 


The year 1994 commemorates a century of the lunar and solar eclipses that were witnessed during the month of Ramadhan on Thursday the 21st March, and Friday the 6th of April 1894 respectively - two heavenly signs which were to mark the advent of the Promised Messiah and the Imam Mahdi, as predicted by the Holy Prophet  S.A.W.  (an abbreviation for the Arabic 'sallalaho alaihi wassallam', which means 'May peace and blessings be upon him.' of Islam.) The Review of Religions is publishing a series of articles to mark the fulfillment of this prophecy; this article is the fourth in the series.


There is a famous phrase which states 'knowledge is power'. This phrase has withstood the test of time in every walk of human life. There exists, however, a class of knowledge which is perhaps the most powerful of all the known types of knowledge, yet it cannot be taught in any school or university. Man has been trying his level best to acquire it, but with total failure. What is this type of knowledge, which is so powerful and yet out of human reach?

This invaluable class of knowledge is the knowledge of the unseen. The sole reservoir of it is the one All-Knowing God. He Himself bestows some glimpses of the unseen to His select and sacred few -- known as prophets or divine messengers. All of the prophets were the torch bearers of divine wisdom which aided them in guiding humanity. In the Holy Quran, the holy book of Islam, Allah (God) describes His special blessing thus:

He (Allah) is the Knower of the unseen and He reveals not His secrets to any one, except to him whom He chooses, namely a Messenger of His. And then He causes an escort of guarding angels to go before him and behind him.

(Surah Al-Jinn v.27-28)

In light of this Quranic verse, all of the messengers of God were bestowed with the knowledge of the future, which was unknown to mankind. Examining biblical scriptures, we find that both the Old and New Testaments present glad tidings of the coming of an ultimate reformer at a later date. This reformer would bring a message that would be universal in its scope, complete in its teachings and perfect in its ideology. In the Song of Solomon, even his name -- Muhammad -- has been mentioned. A few selected extracts from these prophecies are presented below:

The prophet Moses received the following promise from God:

I will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

(Deuteronomy 18:17-19)

Further we read:

And he said, the Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them, he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousand saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

(Deuteronomy 33:2)

Jesus Christ said to his followers:

If ye love me, keep my Command. And I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another Comforter. That he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of the Truth.

(John 14:15-17)

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

(John 16: 7)

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me.

(John 16:12-14)

All of the above statements, given by God to his messengers, or stated by the messengers themselves, point to the fact that a reformer would be coming at a later date. Subsequent events of the world indicate that all these prophecies were gloriously fulfilled by the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Mecca, Arabia, as the universal prophet for all of mankind. The Holy Quran comments on this fact:

Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the Immaculate one, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and Gospel.

(Surah Al-Araf, 7:158)

An unbiased seeker of truth would like to have additional proof of the truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The authenticity of the Holy Prophet (SAW) can be tested on all the criteria mentioned in the divine scriptures. The Holy Quran has set forth a very clear guideline to test the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(SAW). We read in Chapter 69 thus:

And if he had forged and attributed any sayings to Us, We would surely have seized him by the right hand, and then, surely, we would have severed his life-artery. And not one of you could have held Us off from him.

(Surah Al-Haqqah, 69:45-48)

Similar criteria have been mentioned in biblical scriptures. God spoke to Moses and said:

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other Gods, even that prophet shall die.

(Deuteronomy 18: 20)

These passages clearly indicate that a truthful person succeeds in his mission, and that God assists his true messenger at every turn. In addition, He causes His prophets to prevail against all odds. Thus, the prophet's future predictions come true to the letter in every instance. Now, let us objectively evaluate the ministry of Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), using the above criteria. A study of his life indicates that he was bestowed with innumerable glad tidings of the future, and all of them came to fruition. Also, he was considered even by his worst enemies as a truthful and honest man. Among the people of Mecca he was called Al-Sadiq, meaning 'The Truthful', and Al-Amin meaning 'The Trustworthy'. An eminent Christian author comments on the honesty of the Holy Prophet of Islam(SAW) thus:

How could [Muhammad] have dared to preach, in spite of the insults of his countrymen, if he, a man of simple nature, had not been continuously urged on by inner forces? How could he have started a struggle which looked hopeless? How could he have carried it on for over ten years at Mecca with very little success and countless sorrows, if he had not the very deep conviction of the truth of his mission? How could so many noble and intelligent Muslims have believed in him and thrown in their lot with him, joined the new faith and consequently associated themselves with a society made up for the most part of slaves, freedmen and indigent people if they had not felt in his word the sincerity of the Truth? We do not need to say more, for even among Occidentals the truth is accepted that the sincerity of Muhammad was deep and true.

Perhaps the greatest of his prophecies was about the advent of a messiah in the latter days. This prophecy had been described at length by both the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet of Islam(SAW). Several signs of the second coming of the Messiah have been cited in commentaries and interpretations of the Holy Quran, and one such sign is expressed as follows:

When the eye is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say, 'Whither to flee?'

(Surah Al-Qiyamah, 75:8-11)

Commentators interpret these verses to be the signs of the last days. They expect that these eclipses will take place at the time of the advent of the Messiah. The phrase 'the sun and moon are brought together' signify the eclipses of both in the same month. As the occurrence of an eclipse is a natural phenomenon, to mention eclipses as signs must indicate that they will have a special significance in the advent of the Mahdi of the latter days. It is for him that these celestial signs will be shown. Without this link with the Imam of the age, the eclipses have little significance. The Holy Prophet(SAW) explained these signs further:

For our Mahdi, there are two signs which have never appeared before, since the creation of the heaven and earth, namely, the moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramadhan (on the first of its appointed nights of eclipse), and the sun will be eclipsed on the middle day of Ramadhan (middle of the appointed days of eclipse). And these signs have not appeared since the creation of heaven and earth.

(Darqutni Vol. 1, Part 2, p 65)

A closer look at the words of this prophecy reveal the following facts:

i) An advent of a person with the title 'Mahdi' is predicted. ii) It is implicit in the statement that the 'Mahdi' will be among the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, as denoted by the words 'Our Mahdi'. iii) To establish the authenticity of this claimant, Allah will bestow the Mahdi with two heavenly signs. iv) These signs have never been shown for any claimant since the beginning of time. v) These signs are:

  1. The eclipse of the moon to take place on the first of its appointed nights according to the laws of nature.

  2. The eclipse of the sun to take place on the middle of its appointed days according to the laws of nature.

  3. Both of these eclipses will occur in the month of Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims.

Status of Hadhrat Imam Darqutni in the eyes of Islamic elites:

Since the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(SAW) (known as Hadith) have been reported by many people, it is advisable to study the narrators of this Hadith to ascertain the authenticity of the report. Research shows that Imam Darqutni, the narrator of this Hadith, was one of the most respected saints in early Islam and was scrupulously careful in recording the sayings of the Holy Prophet (SAW) .

Commentaries of Islamic Scholars and Saints on this Hadith of the Holy Prophet of Islam:

Divine scriptures, as well as the sayings of the messengers can be interpreted literally, metaphorically, allegorically, or figuratively. Although the text of this Hadith is quite clear and specific, it is necessary to review the various interpretations offered by the different scholars of Hadith and the pious elites of the Islamic past. A summary of this review is presented below:

  1. Hadhrat Sheikh Nematullah Wali wrote:

  2. He will be both Mahdi of the time and the Messiah of the Age, I see him blessed with both attributes. I see both the sun and the moon obscured.

  3. (AI- Qaseeda)

  4. Maulana Mohammad Ismail Shahdeed stated:

  5. Strange and unusual events are going to happen in the 13th Century, and I am visualizing the Eclipses of the Sun and the Moon to occur in this century.

  6. (Arabaeen Fi Ahwalil Mahdiyeen)

  7. Allama Sheikh Shahabuddin Ibn Al Hajar-al Hashimi wrote:

  8. Muhammad bin Ali, an elite among the Ahl-e-Bai't, narrates that there will be two signs for Imam Mahdi which have never been shown to mankind since the creation of the heavens and the earth. One of these is the eclipse of the moon on the first of its nights in the month of Ramadhan, and the eclipse of the sun will be on the middle of the days.

  9. (Kitab-ul Fataw 91 Hadeesiyya p. 31 Egypt)

  10. Mohammad Noorul Haq wrote:

  11. The Signs of the advent of Imam Mahdi include: Sinking of the Earth's crust, prevalence of accusations, an increase in women's population, a decrease in men's population, increase of wars and battles, eclipse of the moon on the first of its appointed nights, and the eclipse of the sun on the middle of its appointed days. This sign has never been shown since the creation of the heavens and the earth.

  12. (Shajar-ul-Auoliya, p. 165)

  13. Qazi Mohammad Suleman, President of Ahl-e-Hadith, commented on this Hadith thus:

  14. Among the distinct portions of the knowledge of Hadith is that section which consists of prophecies. As the knowledge of the unforeseen belongs to Allah alone, the presence of certain prophecies in the statements of Holy Prophet(SAW), and their complete fulfillment is the clear proof of the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet's(SAW) prophethood and the veracity of the statements uttered by him.

  15. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bahaduri, in the light of divine revelation, wrote:

  16. During the month of Ramadhan, both the eclipses of the sun and of the moon will occur, then the Second Advent of Isa and Mahdi will take place. (Al- Fazal, March 23, 1979)

It becomes quite clear from the foregoing reviews that all the various scholars of Islam agree that this Hadith has a specific prophecy, to be interpreted literally, and hence all await the advent of the Mahdi.

Astronomical Facts About Eclipses

Since the signs described are celestial in nature, it would be advisable to understand eclipses in the light of the laws of nature.

According to today's knowledge of astronomy, the sun is one of millions of stars of our galaxy, the Milky Way. There are nine planets revolving around the sun. Our planet Earth is the third closest planet to the sun in the solar system, titled on its north-south axis at an angle of 23° 27', and revolving around the sun in one year. The moon is the natural satellite of earth, and it rotates around our planet completely in about 29-30 days.

The moon and the earth rotate on their own orbits, and together they rotate around the sun. During these rotations, there are times when all three bodies share the same plane, resulting in a situation known as an eclipse. When the earth comes between the sun and the moon, it prevents the light of the sun to be shed on the moon. Consequently, the moon appears dark and the result is a lunar eclipse. Similarly, at other times the moon comes between the sun and the earth; this prevents the light of the sun from reaching a portion of the earth, and the sun thus appears dark if viewed by an observer standing within that shadowed portion. This phenomenon is referred to by astronomers as a solar eclipse.

A renowned Indian astronomer, Dr. Saleh Mohammad Aladin, in one of his articles explained this phenomenon thus:

In astronomical terminology, we say that a solar eclipse occurs at new moon and a lunar eclipse occurs at full moon. At the time of the new moon, the longitudes of the sun and the moon are the same and the moon is said to be in conjunction. An eclipse does not occur at every new moon and full moon because, for the occurrence of an eclipse it is necessary that the sun, the earth and the moon should be aligned. If the earth's orbit around the sun and the moon's orbit around the earth, were in the same plane, there would have been alignment twice every month, and hence there would have been one lunar eclipse and one solar eclipse every month. Actually the two orbital planes are inclined to each other by an angle of five degrees, on account of which the maximum number of eclipses in a solar year does not exceed seven (four or five being solar and three or two being lunar). The minimum number of eclipses which can occur in a year is two, both being solar. A solar eclipse occurs more than a lunar eclipse but it is visible from a much smaller surface of the earth than a lunar eclipse. Hence from any given place of the earth, more lunar eclipses are visible than solar eclipses.

(Review of Religions, No. 11, Nov. 1989, page 7)

The scientific calculation of the possible dates of this specific eclipse correspond to the 13th, 14th, and l5th for the lunar eclipse and the 27th, 28th, and 29th for the solar eclipse, with respect to the Islamic calendar (the holy month of Ramadhan).

The Claimants of the Title 'Mahdi' in the History of Islam

Having understood the prophecy, its interpretation and subject matter, we are now ready to investigate whether or not this prophecy has come to come to pass since it was presented fifteen centuries ago. The scope of this investigation would include the identification of those who claimed to be the Mahdi, a study of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi's life and his bona fide claims, as well as the occurrence of the celestial signs which the claimant used to demonstrate his authenticity.

The records of Islamic history of the last fifteen centuries indicates the emergence of several individual claimants to this high rank of Mahdi, from both within the Islamic faith and outside of the Islamic faith. The text of the Hadith restricts our search of such claimants to the followers of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

In this regard, Islamic history records several people who claimed to be the embodiment of the predicted Messiah, most of whom, however, used this title for achieving political supremacy and/or territorial gains. It would indeed be illogical to expect them to be the torch bearers of any sort of divine guidance, let alone show heavenly signs in this regard. It is interesting to note that the extremely short span of life that each had, subsequent to making their claims, lend credence to the universal spiritual law cited above from both the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible: impostors (i.e. any false claimants who assert that they are indeed from God or appointed by Him) are killed and ruined in a short period. Background information of some of these claimants (including their respective biographical sketches) is now presented:

Ubaydullah Al-Mahdi

Abu Abdullah, who intended to build the Fatmid Dynasty, left a message for his son Ubaydullah at the time of his death stating that he would be the Mahdi that people had been waiting for. The letter further stated that he should establish himself as the Mahdi of the age. In the year 909 C.E., Ubaydullah claimed to be the Mahdi. He established a city in 912 C.E. and named it Al-Mahdiya, which in 921 C.E., became the capital of Fatmid. Al-Mahdi was imprisoned by his enemies, and it is reported that he was killed in his second or third year in prison, by the dictator Al Yasa of the Saljaman District. With no spiritual attachment, political motives led him to gain power in the name of his spiritual importance as the Mahdi.

Muhammad Ibn Taumart: circa 1130 C.E. (524 A.H.)

Mohammad Ibn Taumart began his career as a moral reformer, but was unhappy with the Shah of Morocco. Their conflict resulted in his flight from Morocco to Mount Soce (Jabul-us-Soca). Here he formulated a group of people in opposition to the Moroccan Shah's regime under the title Al Mohad. The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics explains the false miracles claimed to be performed by Ibn Taumart and how he acquired the title of Mahdi:

He appears to have started genuinely as a religious and moral reformer, and to have taken the title Mahdi when opposition and danger induced him to draw the sword; he is likely then to have been influenced by the prophecy of the appearance of such a reformer, which, as we have seen, had already found its way into an authoritative collection of traditions. The pedigree which brought him into connection with Ali may well be an invention later than his time, and as such his biographer appears to regard it. Some stories told by Ibn Khallikan are characteristic of such adventurers, though not perhaps true in this case; he got access to the Book of Jafr in which Ali had prophesied all that was to occur till the end of time, whence he obtained the letters which formed the name of the person destined to be his chief helper and successor, with a description of his appearance. In order to be armed with a miracle, he persuaded a learned associate to feign illiteracy and ignorance of correct Arabic; one day this person claimed to have learned the Quran by heart in a dream, and this miracle convinced the most stubborn; the confederate then proclaimed Ibn Taumart the Mahdi, whereas he had previously been called imam. According to Ibn Khaldun, the only heresy of which he could be convicted was his agreeing with the Imamiyyah sect that the sovereign was infallible.

(The Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics p. 338)

Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh of Iran, his disciple Mir Sayyed Muhammad of India (circa 1505), and his disciple Sheikh Alai of India

These three individuals all claimed to be the Mahdi. Two of them retired from their claim and the third was torturously killed. The following is an account recorded about these men in The Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics:

The prophecy of a Mahdi assumed special importance at the commencement of the century preceding the first millennium of Islam, especially in India. According to the details collected by H. Blochmann, the Mahdist movement started in Badakhshan, were one Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh gained numerous adherents, defied the Afghan government, was defeated, and fled to Iraq, where he maintained himself till the end of his life. In India it assumed a definite form through the action of Mir Sayyid Muhammad of Jaunpur, who found an adherent in Gujarat in Sultan Mahmud I. Apparently this personage was, like Ibn Taumart in his early days, a preacher and reformer, whose doctrines gave offence, and who was forced to leave one place after another. Ultimately he decided that the burden of Mahdi-ship was too heavy for him to bear, and that, if he returned home, he would recant; he died in 911 AH at Farah in Baluchistan, where his tomb became a place of pilgrimage. An interesting account of another Indian Mahdi of this century is given by the historian Bada'uni in his Muntakhab al-Tawarikh. This person was named Shaikh Alai, and was born in Baiana in Hindustan.

(The Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics p339 - 40)

Sheikh Alai continuously and seriously interfered with the government and was finally told to abandon his claim of Mahdi. When he refused, he was tortured to death.

These individuals had similar claims and aspirations, and had serious conflicts with various governments of the time, but lost in their politically motivated deceptive practices.

Mohammad Ahmed of Sudan ( 1844-1885)

Mohammad Ahmed Ibn Abdullah was born on August 12, 1844, and died on June 22 1885. He was raised in the Sufi tradition of Samaniya in the Khartoum area. He was discontented with the Ottoman Empire, and used this discontent as a backdrop for his movement. He claimed to the Mahdi in March 1881. Encyclopedia Britannica describes the background of his claim thus:

It was Muhammad Ahmed who converted this diversified discount into a unified movement that for a time would transcend tribalism and weld the faithful into an unconquerable military machine. Gradually, during 1880 and the first weeks of 1881, he became convinced that the entire ruling class had deserted the Islamic faith and that the khedine the Viceroy of Egypt, was a puppet in the hands of unbelievers and thus unfit to rule over Muslims. In March of 1881, he revealed to his closest followers what he considered his divine mission - that God has appointed him to purify Islam and to destroy all governments that defiled it. On June 29, he publicly assumed the title of Al-Mahdi, who according to a tradition cherished by the oppressed throughout Islamic history, would appear to restore Islam.

(Encyclopedia Britannica 15th Edition Vol. 7, p. 697)

Immediately after his public announcement in Abba, the Kalima, or Islamic Creed, was modified. The Kalima had always remained sacred. It states 'There is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.' Byron Fanvell, in his book Prisoners of the Mahdi wrote:

Here, for the first time, the new creed was recited by Abdullahi. It added a line to the old creed, and some repeated after him: 'There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is the Prophet of Allah, and Mohammad-al-Mahdi is the Successor of Allah's Prophet.'

(Prisoners of the Mahdi 1967 p. 11)

The above excerpt already sheds light on the fact that this claimant to the title of Mahdi defied the very creed which he was supposed to uphold. The false Mahdi died within four years of his claim. Although he scored politically by defeating the armed forces of the British Empire (who eventually took revenge 10 years after his death with the destruction of his Mahdiyya Movement), he lost all his glory by 1898. His tomb was destroyed completely. One of his sons attempted to continue his father's abrupted mission, but to no avail.

In addition to these false claimants, history also reveals that the nineteenth century turned out to be quite different from the previous ones, inasmuch as the coming of a reformer was awaited by many. While Muslims were waiting for the Mahdi, Christians were desperately awaiting their Messiah, and Buddhists and Hindus were also anxious to receive Buddha and Krishna, respectively. Christians were eagerly waiting for the Messiah to descend from the heavens in 1844. Michael Sours comments about this situation:

There were large numbers of Christians who even thought that the year 1814 would be the year of Christ's return. The expectation was so great and so widespread that historians have called the period immediately following 1814 as 'the Great Disappointment.' Afterwards, many Christians continued to regard 1814 as a significant year, clearly marked by the prophecies of the Bible, but they acknowledged that the Signs which they expected to accompany the appearance of Christ had not occurred.

(The Prophecies of Jesus p. 13-14)

Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (1835-1908)

The seventh major claimant to the title 'Mahdi' was Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Let us analyse the major events of his life:

Birth: February 13, 1835

Claim of Reformer: March, 1882

Claim of Mahdi: 1891

Demise: May 26, 1908

Hadhrat Ahmad began receiving divine revelations in 1876, and in March of 1882, he was commissioned by God as the reformer of the age through the following revelation:

Allah bless thee O' Ahmad. It was not you who threw, it was Allah who did throw. The most Gracious One has taught you the Quran so that you should warn the people whose ancestors have not been warned, and that the way of the guilty ones might become manifest. Proclaim: I have been commissioned and I am the first of the believers.

Unlike the other claimants discussed so far, Hadhrat Ahmad (AS) (The letters (AS) are an abbreviation for the Arabic 'alaihi salaam', which means 'May peace be upon him.') was quite different, as he neither aspired for any power, political or military, nor did he show any rebellious actions against a state or sovereignty[3]. On the contrary, he vehemently opposed the concept of a 'Warrior Mahdi', and he denounced all acts of violence generally condoned under the euphemism 'Holy War'. His life was full of righteousness, extreme piety, and a love for humanity; he championed the cause of Islam with reason, intellect and Divine wisdom.

In 1891, he claimed to be the Mahdi who was prophesied by Holy Prophet Muhammad(SAW), to rejuvenate Islam at the time of extreme crises. He wrote 85 books explaining the beauties of Islam and the concept of the Messiah; he presented the true definition of a Messiah as presented in the Holy Quran.

When he declared himself to be the Mahdi, a very strong opposition began. This was due to the fact that he declared the prevailing notions of 'Warrior Mahdi' to be absurd and false. Demands of him to show signs and miracles became an almost daily routine of the prevailing Islamic elites. They even demanded the fulfillment of the prophecy of the eclipses, as had been described by the Prophet Muhammad(SAW).

Hadhrat Ahmad(AS) was determined to carry out the task assigned to him by Allah, irrespective of the magnitude of the opposition. He continuously sought assistance from God for the support and success of his mission. In 1882, God told him that he would be bestowed with a heavenly sign in support of the truth of his claim. Twelve years later, in 1891, the sign of the eclipses of the sun and the moon manifested itself, exactly according to the prediction of the Holy Prophet(SAW). In that year, the holy month of Ramadhan saw the occurrence of a lunar eclipse on the 13th day, or March 21, 1894. It began in the early part of the night and lasted two and one-half hours. Similarly, a solar eclipse took place on the 28th day of Ramadhan, or April 6, 1894. It was visible throughout the north-eastern region of India, including the town of Qadian where Hadhrat Ahmad(AS) lived. This great sign was seen by thousands of people, and The Civil and military Gazette, a daily Indian newspaper, and The Pioneer both reported the news of the occurrence of these eclipses.

Several renowned astronomers have recorded these eclipses in their books. A few of these references are presented below:

  1. Robert Sewel. Eclipses of the Moon in India, London: Swan Sommerschein & Co., Ltd., 1898. Tables E and H

  2. Mecus, Jean and Mucke, Herman. Canon of Lunar Eclipses (2002- 2526), Astronomisches Büro Wien Gegründet, 1907. Page 211.

  3. Von Oppolzer, Theodor Ritter. Canon of Eclipses. Translated by Own Gingerich, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1962. Pages 296-297, 393, and plate 148.

  4. Nautical Almanac, London 1894.

Dr. Saleh Mohammad Aladin, an astronomer at Oosmania University in Hyderabad, India, presented a scientific paper in a symposium in Calcutta, India in February of 1992. He presented new findings that he had made about these two eclipses, substantiating their uniqueness. Some of his findings are given below:

In the two centuries (1800 - 2000 C.E.), both lunar and solar eclipses occurred in the month of Ramadhan seventeen times. Out of these, nine times neither the lunar eclipse nor the solar eclipse was visible from Qadian, six times the lunar eclipse was visible but the solar eclipse was not, and once was the solar eclipse visible and the lunar eclipse not visible. Only in the year 1894 were both the eclipses visible from Qadian and they also occurred at Qadian on the prophesied dates. Our study thus shows that although eclipses are phenomena that occur frequently, the occurrence of the solar and lunar eclipses on the specified dates of the Islamic Calendar at a specified place on the earth is quite a rare event. The Holy Prophet made such a marvellous prophecy, which was exactly fulfilled in our age.

(Review of Religions June, 1992. Vol. 87(6):21-22.)

In a saying of the Holy Prophet(SAW), we read: 'The sun will be eclipsed twice in Ramadhan.'

The first set of eclipses took place in 1894, and these were observed in the world's Eastern hemisphere. A year later, in 1895, the lunar and solar eclipses were again observed during the month of Ramadhan on March 10 and March 26. These eclipses were seen in the Western hemisphere in various places. The corresponding dates for the 1895 eclipses in the Islamic Calendar are the same as predicted in the prophecy (13th and 28th days of Ramadhan). Two major U.S. newspapers, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times reported these eclipses.

In this way, the prophecy of the Holy Prophet(SAW) became manifest all over the globe by the appearance of these great eclipses in both hemispheres of the planet in 1894 and 1895. Hadhrat Ahmad(AS) made the following remarks:

As stated in another Hadith, this eclipse occurred twice in Ramadhan, first in this country and then in America, and on both occasions it occurred on the same dates. Since at the time of the eclipse there was no claimant of Mahdi Ma'ood (Promised Divine Reformer), on the earth and since nobody else declared this eclipse as his sign and published hundred of pamphlets and books in Urdu, Persian and Arabic, this heavenly sign is for me. Another proof of this is the fact that 12 years ago this glad tiding was published in Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya and became well known to hundreds of thousands of people before this sign was manifested.

(Haqueequatul Wahi)

Before I conclude this essay, I would like to draw the reader's attention to the universal law which has been observed since the beginning of times to vindicate the truthfulness of a divine Prophet, i.e. he always prevails and impostors are severely punished by God. This was outlined above in the light of both the Holy Quran and the biblical Scriptures. With this background in mind, let us now review the following bold declaration of Hadhrat Ahmad(AS) in which he has declared to be the Mahdi. Under Divine Oath, he writes:

I swear by God in whose hand is my life, that He has manifested this sign in the sky to attest to my truthfulness; and He manifested a time when the maulvis (theologians) named me Dajjal (Anti-Christ), biggest liar, infidel and even biggest infidel. This is the same sign promised to me, and recorded 20 years ago in 'Braheen-e-Ahmadlyya' namely: 'Tell them I have with me testimony of Allah, will you believe it or not? Tell them I have with me testimony from Allah, will you accept it or not?' It should be remembered that although there are many proofs from Almighty God for vindicating my truthfulness, and more than a hundred prophecies that have been fulfilled to which hundreds of thousands of people are witnesses, but in this revelation, this prophecy has been mentioned specifically, i.e I have been given such a sign which was not given to anybody else from the time of Adam to the present time. In short, I can stand in the sacred precincts of the Ka'ba and swear that this sign is for testifying my truth. (Dafeul Bala'a, p. 18)

If Hadhrat Ahmad(AS) had been an impostor (God forbid), then he would have been ruined according to the universal spiritual law, according to which, false prophets are destroyed. He himself says in his Urdu psalms:

If this had been a human endeavour, the God of universe would have destroyed me Himself.

Vaglieri, Laura V., An Interpretation of Islam, Washington D.C. The American Fazal Mosque, 1957.

 


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