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Similar to mainstream Islamic views, the Ahmadiyya Movement consider that Jesus was a mortal man, but go a step further to describe Jesus as a mortal man who died a natural death in India - as opposed to having been raised up alive to Heaven. They also believe that the Turin Shroud was of Jesus Christ.[1]
Although the view of Jesus having migrated to India had also been researched in the literature of independent historians predating the foundation of the movement,[2] the Ahmadiyya Movement is the only religious organization to adopt these views as a tenet of their faith, although independently of the early historians. The general notion of Jesus in India[3] has also been discussed at length by modern western historians Grönbold[4] and Klatt[5] and publicized in several documentaries.[6][7]
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According to the late 19th Century writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, the theological basis of the Ahmadi belief is that Jesus was only “in a swoon”[8] when he was taken down from the cross. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad interpreted the phrase in Deuteronomy 21:31: kī qilelat Elohim taluy, “… for a hanged man is the curse of God”, as suggesting that "God would never allow one of His true prophets to be brutally killed in such a degrading manner as crucifixion". Following his ordeal, Jesus was cured of his wounds with a special ointment known as the 'ointment of Jesus' (marham-i ʿIsā).[9]
After his Resurrection from the tomb, Jesus fled Palestine to avoid recapture and journeyed towards India. He later settled in (what is now) Kashmir where he died a natural death of old age,[8][9] and was laid to rest in Srinagar, Kashmir. The prophet Yuz Asaf said to be entombed there (at what is today known as the Roza Bal) is believed by some to be that of Jesus of Nazareth.[10]
According to ancient manuscripts and Kashmiri tradition, Yuz Asaf is said to have been a Prophet who possessed miraculous healing powers and had travelled from Palestine during the 1st century.[11]
The Encyclopedia of Islam states that this aspect of Ahmadi belief is one of three primary tenets that distinguish Ahmadi teachings from general Islamic ones, and that it has provoked a fatwa against the movement.[10]
Ahmadis also illustrate the notion of Jesus having survived the Cross through various Biblical scriptures.[12]
After surviving crucifixion, Jesus fled to Galilee. Jesus (along with several disciples) later left Palestine to further preach the Gospel to the Lost tribes of Israel (John 10:16) - that had scattered as far as Afghanistan and northern India. He eventually settled in Kashmir where he was given the name Yuz Asaf (meaning “Leader of the Healed”/"Son of Joseph").
Furthermore, Ahmadi theologians highlight passages from the Qur'an to suggest that Jesus did not ascend to Heaven but died a natural death on Earth. The verses in Chapter Al-Nisa (4:157-158) for example describe that Jesus did not die on the Cross and that God had “raised” Jesus unto himself
[4:157] And their saying, ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it; they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this conjecture into a certainty;
[4:158] On the contrary, Allah raised him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise.
As the Quran speaks of God being omnipresent in the Earth and in the Hearts of mankind, God's existence should not be misconstrued as being confined to the Heavens alone.[12]
Thus Ahmadis interpret the Arabic word for "raised" in these verses to mean “exalted”. In other words, Jesus' spiritual rank and status was elevated to become closer to God.
To further support the view of Jesus having died a mortal death, Ahmadis interpret the verse in Quran 5:76:
[5:76] The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger; surely Messengers the like unto him had passed away before him. And his mother was a truthful woman. They both used to eat food. See how We explain the Signs for their good, and see how they are turned away.
In this verse Jesus is compared to the previous Messengers, all of whom had died a natural death and none of whom had ascended bodily to Heaven.
The Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and the Bible indicate that Jesus will return during the latter days. Islamic Hadith commonly depicts that Jesus, upon his second coming, would be an Ummati (Muslim) and a follower of the Prophet Muhammad and that he would revive the truth of Islam rather than fostering a new religion.[13]
The movement interprets the prophecised Second Coming of Jesus as being that of a person "similar to Jesus" (mathīl-i ʿIsā), and not Jesus himself. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad professed that the prophecy in Muslim and Christian religious texts were traditionally misunderstood to say that Jesus of Nazareth himself would return. Ahmadis consider that the founder of the movement, in both his character and teachings was representative of Jesus, and in consequence, he attained the same spiritual rank of Prophethood as Jesus.
Henceforth, Ahmadis believe this prediction - the Second Coming - was fulfilled by Ahmad and continued by his movement.[14][15]
The expected arrival of a Latter Day Messiah is historically represented across all major faiths. Although the original prophecy refers only to one single Messiah, this diverged into separate distinct theories and misinterpretations. As such, Ahmadis declare that the Messiah concerning all world faiths has been unified by the advent of the Promised Messiah (Mirza Ghulam Ahmad). Finally, Ahmadis believe that eventually all world faiths will gradually move towards Ahmadiyyat; and that such a process will follow a correlative pattern of circumstances and take a similar amount of time to what it took for Christianity to rise to dominance (roughly 300 years).
The Islamic Hadith describe that Jesus would, upon his second coming, "Break the Cross". Ahmadis interpret this to mean that he will make plain the "error of the creed of the cross" and that the teachings of Jesus, being a mortal man who survived crucifixion and died a natural death upon earth, is a testimony of this prophecy being fulfilled, as it would eventually render the traditional Christian worship of the Cross and doctrine of the immortality of Jesus meaningless.[16]
Ahmadi scholars also present this event. When the Prophet Muhammad died, the Sahaba were grieved and sad. Umar, angered and upset, took out a sword, and said that he would kill anyone who said Muhammad is dead. At this instance Abu Bakar quoted: And Muhammad is but a messenger; the messengers have come before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful." (3.144) No companion said Jesus is alive in heaven and he would come physically in Second Coming. This means that they knew Jesus was dead. This is extensively discussed in Ahmadi books.[17]
Hazrat Hassan had quoted from events of Ali but did not say that Jesus was not raised to heaven alive because Ali had died a natural death. [18]
Many early scholars of Islam believed that Jesus Christ including Imam Malik. [19]
See also: Jesus in India (book)
As discussed above, the notion of the Jesus having travelled India was not exclusive to the Ahmadiyya Movement. Numerous articles and books have been written and several documentaries discuss the topic in depth. Prior to the Ahmadiyya claim Nicolas Notovitch had also researched and studied the evidence of Jesus in India. However unlike Notovitch, who proposed that Jesus spent his early life in India before his crucifixion, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed that Jesus travelled to India post-crucifixion.
"Yus Asaf" is the traditional Kashmiri name for Isa (Jesus).
Many of the local people in Kashmir also traditionally hold a belief that Yuz Asaf was a Prophet who had travelled from Palestine and who had miraculous healing powers.
During his research into Jesus' death, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad initially suggested that Jesus may have been buried in either Galilee or Syria, until eventually uncovering evidence to conclude that the tomb of Jesus was located in Srinagar, Kashmir. Thus, based upon this evidence, Ahmadis today believe the tomb of Jesus is located in the Srinagar region of Kashmir.
According to a sacred Hindu scripture named Bhavishya Purana, it is written that Jesus Christ meet a Hindu monarch, King Shalewhin. It is written that the king along with his companions went to the peak of Himalayas to meet a man who was a dignified person of fair complexion in white clothes sitting in the mountain. When the king asked who he was then he replied "I am the Messiah, born of a virgin." He told the king he had come from a far off place where he has suffered at the hands of his people. When the king asked his religion then he said the his religion was of peace, love and purity of heart. The king was impressed from him so left after paying homage to him.[1]
Ancient literary works[20] in Kashmir testify to the view that Yuz Asaf and Jesus are the same person. One ancient manuscript for instance describes the shrine of Yuz Asaf as the grave of Issa Rooh-Allah (Jesus the Spirit of God).[21] The importance of the shrine has been preserved in the memory of the descendants of the ancient Israelites to this day. They call the shrine "The tomb of Hazrat Issa Sahib", "The Tomb of Lord Jesus".[22]
The building constructed is named "Roza Bal" or "Rauza Bal". "Rauza" is generally a term used to denote the tomb of a celebrated personality, i.e. noble, wealthy, or saintly. In accordance with Jewish tradition, the tomb is arranged with the feet pointing in the direction of Jerusalem.
Ahmadis give the Yuz Asaf enshrined in the tomb the epithet Shahzada Nabi, “Prophet Prince”. However, given the strong influence of hardline clerics and militancy in the Kashmiri region, many of the Srinagar residents distance themselves from the Ahmadiyya claims of Prophet Yuz Asaf as being the Prophet Jesus.
The Ahmadis also believe[8] that Mary had accompanied her son on the journey to Kashmir.
Numerous Muslim and Persian documents — the Tafir-Ibn-I-Jarir, the Kanz-al-Ummal, and the Rauzat-us-Safa — have references that contribute to the theory of Jesus' escape. Some of these also mention that Jesus was accompanied by Mary, and there is another burial place in Pakistan, along his theoretical route to Kashmir, known as Mai Mari da Ashtan, or "resting place of Mother Mary." [23]
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