Here we present you with a thorough study in a sincere attemt to separate the gold from the brass.
 

The question of the finality of Muhammed's ( PBUH ) prophethood
        You must have read the various hadiths in the `what islam says' page. However, the Bahais claim that the Hadith are not protected as the Qur'an & the Bahais argue that they have suffered the same fate as the Gospels of Jesus ( PBUH ). So lets go directly to the verse of the Qur'an dealing with finality. The Bahais differ with Muslims when it comes to this verse. Bahais claim that the `seal of the Prophets' does not mean that Muhammed ( PBUH ) will be the final prophet, but only that he is the last of the great Prophets & all future Prophets will bear his seal. So lets us now examine this verse & try to come up with a solution to this arguement.

" O people! Muhammed is not the father of any of your men, but he is the messenger of Allah, And the seal of the Prophets: And Allah has full knowledge of all things"

        In refutation of the charge it was affirmed by the almighty, " Muhammed is not the father of any of your men..." therby making it very clear that the man whose divorced wife was taken into wedlock by the Prophet being  not his real son, the marriage, therefore did not violate anything.

        The arguement of their second charge was that "admitted that the adopted son was not his real son and thus it was lawful for him to marry the divorced spouse, but where was the compulsion for the Prophet ( PBUH ) to do so?". Allah subhan wa ta'ala answers this charge " But verily he is the messenger of Allah". The message was that it was Allah's mandate to the Holy Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH ) to wipe out all the unnecessary taboos of the pagan customs of the time & declare them lawful.

        In order to lay emphasis on this point, Allah observes `and he is the seal of the prophets' or in other words the `last of the prophets', which means that no messenger not even a Prophet will be sent to carry out reforms in the sphere of law which might have been omitted. The phrase used in the place of is `seal of the prophets' is `khatam Al Nabiyyin'. In Arabic lexicon and linguistic usage `khatam' means to affix seal, to close, to come to an end, and to carry something to its ultimate end. For example-

1. Khatam Al kitab means `the letter has been enclosed and sealed so that it is finally secured.

2. khatam 'ala al qaib means `The heart has been sealed so that it cannot percieve anything new nor can it forswear what it has already imbibed'.

3. Khatam kulli Mashrubin means the final taste that is left in the mouth when the drink is over

4. Khatam-i-Qur'an means the closing verses of the Qur'an

5. Khatim ul Akhiruhum means `The last man in the tribe'

        For all these reasons all linguistic commentators agree that khatam Al nabiyyin literally means `The last in the line of the Prophets'
The dictionary meaning of the word `khatam' does not refer to the post office stamp which is afiixed on an outgoing stamp like the Bahais claim, but its literal meaning is the seal which put on the envelope to secure its contents.

        So for the above reasons there is absolutely no scope left for the Bahai arguement that all the future Prophets will attain Prophethood by Prophet Muhammed's seal alone. If indeed the term does mean what the Bahais claim, then certainly the term is out of place in the context in which it has been revealed. Moreover, when the term is changed with this meaning it distorts the whole purpose of the revealed verse. The Bahai interpretation bears no connection with the context whatsoever, not the least even. If the interpretation was true then the unbeleivers may have argued with Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH )- "There is no need for you to abolish all customs by yourself. Just leave it to your successor". If this is the case then Bahaullah might have also left out many things!.
 

The second coming of Jesus Christ ( PBUH )
        Bahaullah declared during his lifetime that he was the Christ incarnate that the Christian and the Islamic scriptures are supposed to have prophesiced. The Bahais unanimously declare that a Prophet always fulfills prophecies of previous Prophets and messengers. A visit to Bahai websites will see a avalange of verses from various scriptures relating to Prophecies, which the Bab and Bahaullah are supposed to have fullfilled. One of the prominant being the fullfillment of prophecies relating to the second coming of the Christ. Now you must have read the Islamic Prophecies of his return in the `What Islam says' page. If you have not already read them we recommend you to do so. Here are some points we come to know about his return through the prophecies.

        1. He is a man of medium height and moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors and of lank hair;

 
2. He will descend among Muslims, near the White Eastern Minaret of Damascus, Syria, clad in two yellow sheets (dyed with saffron), while leaning on the shoulders of two angels;

3. He will pray behind Imam Mahdi;

4.He will fight with, chase, and kills Dajjal (the Anti-Christ) at the gate of Ludd;

5. Messiah will rule justly according to the Laws of Islam and not Gospel;

6. People of the Book will accept him as a Messenger of Allah(SWT) and will embrace Islam (Quran 4:159); subsequently, Cross (Christianity) and Jizyah tax (on non-Muslims) will be abolished;

7. He will encounter attack of Gog and Magog and will be victorious;

8. Islam and justice will rule, oppression will be eliminated, and no fighting (War) will be needed (will be abolished);

9. Everyone will be well off and hatred, jealousy, and grudge will disappear;

10. Messiah will perform Hajj and/or Umra;

11. He will get married, remain married for 19 years before his death and have children;

12. He will die after living on earth for 40 years and will be buried in a grave next to the holy Prophet(SAW).  His advent is a sign for the closeness of the day of Judgment (Quran, 43:61);

13. Afterwards, all believers will die before the advent of the day of Judgment and the other prophecies will take place.

14. The Promised Messiah is none other than Hazrat Isa bin Maryam( PBUH ) (Jesus);
 

Where is the Dajjal  ( anti Christ )?
        The first thing that comes to our mind when hearing the return of Jesus Christ ( PBUH ) is the Masih Dajjal (otherwise known as the Anti Christ). This is a man that Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH ) and all the previous Prophets have repeatedly warned their people about. According to authentic hadith, the anti christ is supposed to appear before the coming of Jesus ( PBUH ). The coming of the anti christ will mean the greatest test for the believers of the time. Prophet Muhammed tells us that there will be no worse test for the believers than the coming of the dajjal.

Hadhrat Imraan bin Husain (R.A.) relates that, "I heard Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) saying: "Since the birth of Adam (A.S.) till the advent of Qiyamah there is no fitnah (evil, test) much greater that of Dajjal."

The Dajjal will claim to be a Prophet and will eventually claim divinity. He will cause great pain to the believers. His main followers will be the jews, who will think that he is the promised Prophet. He will perform great miracles & decieve many people. He will try to annhialate the believers under Imam Mahdi ( detailed study of Imam Mahdi is discussed later ) altogether. It is at this critical juncture that Jesus ( PBUH ) will descend. He will be the one who will chase & ultimately kill the dajjal.

        The Bahais cannot escape just by claiming, like always, that Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH ) & all the previous messengers were speaking metaphorically, as the dajjal is real and Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH ) has described him in great detail.

 Ubadah bin Saamit (R.A.) once said, "I have explained Dajjal to you but I fear that you might not have understood. Maseeh Dajjal will be short, and his legs will be crooked. The hair on his head will be extremely twisted. He will have one eye (with which he can see, and this is the protruding eye about which other ahadeeth inform us) while his other eye will be totally flat. It will neither be deep (in its socket) nor protruding.

 If you still have any doubt regarding him then remember that your Sustainer (Rabb) is not one-eyed. (Because Dajjal will eventually claim to be Allah). In a lengthy Hadith narrated by Abu Saeed (R.A.), Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said: "Dajjal will come but it will be prohibited and impossible for him to enter Madina. He will set up camp in a barren land outside Madina. One person who will be the best of persons will confront him by saying: "I bear witness that you are the very Dajjal about whom Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has informed us."

Here, even a person with the least knowledge of english language can understand that Prophet Muhammed is talking about a real person and not a metaphor. Other hadiths also inform us that-
 

1. He will emerge between Shaam and Iraq, and his emergence will become known when he is in Isfahaan at a place called Yahudea.
2. The Yahudis (Jews) of Isfahaan will be his main followers.
3. Apart from having mainly Yahudi followers, he will have a great number of women followers as well.
4. He will have with him fire and water, but in reality the fire will be cold water while that what appears to be cold water will in reality be a blazing fire.
5. Those who obey him will enter "his Jannat" while those who disobey him will enter "his Jahannam."
6. There will be a thick fingernail-like object in his left eye.
7. The letters "Kaa" "Faa" "Raa" will appear on his forehead and will be deciphered by all Mu'mineen regardless of them being literate or not.
8. He will have a wheatish complexion.
9. He will travel at great speeds and his means of conveyance will be a gigantic mule. It is said that he will play beautiful music which will attract the music lovers.
10. Dajjal will lay claim to prophethood.
11. He will then lay claim to Divinity.
12. He will perform unusual feats.
13. He will travel the entire world. He will send down rains upon those who believe in him, which in turn will cause good crops to grow, trees to bear fruit and cattle to grow fat.
14. He will cause drought to those who disbelieve in him, resulting in starvation and hardship for them.
15. During those trying times the Mu'mineen will satiate their hunger through the recitation of Subhanallah and La'ilaha Ilallahu.
16. The hidden treasures will spill forth at his command. He will stay on this Earth for a period of forty days; the length of the first day will be one year, the second day will be equal to one month, the third day will be equal to a week and the remaining days will be normal.
17. He will be unable to enter Makkah because the Malaikah will be guarding the Holy City and nor will he be able to enter Madina because there will be Malaikah guarding each of the seven entrances to Madina; From Madina he will proceed towards Shaam where Imaam Mahdi will be stationed.
18. Finally Isa (A.S.) will descend from the heavens and pursue him and eventually kill him at present day Lydda (Baad Lud).

        From the above points it is obviously evident to anyone that the Dajjal is for real and not metaphorically spoken of. Now the question arises that if the appearence of Bahaullah was really the second coming of Christ as he claimed to be, where is the anti christ?. He must have surely appeared before Bahaullah appeared. Are the Bahai interpreters & experts going to tell us that the man regarding whom Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH ) has repeatedly warned us about just forgot to appear?. This surely cannot happen. And what about the Dajjal being chased & finally killed by Jesus ( PBUH )?. Bahaullah just has no answer to our problem. I am sure many Bahais are coming across these prophecies for the first time. There just isint any explanation to these shortcomings of Bahaullah. It is very strange that the allegedly prophecised Bahaullah doesn't fulfil the prophecy, which is indeed the highlight of the return of the Christ! (PBUH).
 

War hasnt disappeared, it has intensified!
     This point is something which every Bahai should seriously think about. According to prophecies of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), the coming of Jesus Christ ( PBUH ) will herald an era of total peace. War will be unknown. Jealousy, hatred and grudge will be long gone. Islam & justice will be firmly established. Now, if Bahaullah was truly the second coming of Jesus Christ (PBUH), then why hasnt this happened?. On the contrary war, oppression & racism have reached an all time high after the death of Bahaullah!. Everybody knows that the rise of Nazi Germany & Hitler was after the death of Bahaullah. The two great world wars, ended in mass destruction & death of people & property. Millions died in Japan after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. The policy of aparthied in South Africa was one of the sickest ever. The wars in Chechnia, Bosnia, Afganisthan, Vietnam, the gulf war, etc were one of the most brutal in the history of humankind. In fact more people died in the twentieth century than in any other century. And Bahaullah and the Bahais want to tell us that he was the peace maker promised to us by the Holy Prophet (PBUH)?. Thats strange enough.
 

He will be Jesus (PBUH) & not anyone else

        This is something which will totally knock Bahaullah off the list of the candidates for Jesus Christ. The person who will return will be Jesus Christ himself and not his incarnation or any such thing. This is what Jesus had to say about his return. This is very similar to what Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said.
 

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Jesus-Bible-Mathew 7:15.10)
 

"Watch that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Jesus-Bible-Mark 13:6)
 

"And many false prophets will come and deceive many people" (Jesus-Bible-Mathew 24:11)
 

[Luke 21:8] And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.

        Please note that this is exactly what Bahaullah said. He said that his coming heralded the day of judgement.  Here is what the real Christ will be like

Jesus Christ said in the New Testament (Mathew 24:23-27):
 "At that (end) time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to DECEIVE EVEN THE ELECT - IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE. See, I have told you ahead of time. "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. FOR AS LIGHTNING THAT COMES FROM THE EAST IS VISIBLE EVEN IN THE WEST, SO WILL BE THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN"

        And what is more astonishing about Baha'ullah is that he claimed to be the Christ who has been Prophecised several times by the Prophet. He is supposed to be the sign for the day of judgement, the establisher of world peace, he will be the on who will kill the anti christ, the one who will bring the world under one rule, etc. And the world just failed to notice?. Bahaullah is recognised by hardly  10% of the world's population. And you claim that he was the Christ?. A man who spent most of his life in prison is the messiah?. Very strange.

Other details

Jesus will descend to the earth beside a white minaret in Damascus. Bahaullah has never been to Damascus.

He is supposed to rule the world by the laws of the Qur'an and not the Gospel. But sadly our Bahaullah had to write his own books.

Bahaullah never performed Haj or Umrah in his lifetime.

He is supposed to be buried next to the grave of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). But Bahaullah is buried in Akka.

He is supposed to encounter the attack of Gog & Magog and defeat them. Where were they during Bahaullah's lifetime?

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Please do e mail me with your comments & suggestions or if you want me to add something to these pages. The author can be contacted at rihan@mantramail.com