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chapter of the Book of Daniel, the Ram and the He-goat
are explained by a Saint as representing the Persian and
the Greek Empires respectively. It is expressly explained
that the Greek Empire immediately succeeded the Persian
and that it was divided into four kingdoms, as stated in the
first vision. Secondly, the Horn with the speech indicates
that the person who blasphemed and changed the Law
and holy days could not be a pagan, but one who knew
God and associated with Him purposely the other two
persons whom he had equally known, and perverted the
faith. Antiochus did not pervert the faith of the Jews by
instituting a trinity or plurality of Gods, nor did he change
the Law of Moses (pbuh) and its festival days. Thirdly, it is
childish to give such a magnitude and importance to local
and insignificant events which took place between a petty
king in Syria and a small Jewish chief, so as to compare
the latter with the glorious man who received the homage
of the millions of angels in the presence of the Almighty.
Moreover, the prophetical vision describes and depicts
the Barnasha as the greatest and the noblest of all men,
for no other human being is reported in the Old Testament
to have been the object of such honour and grandeur as
Muhammad (pbuh) .
3. It is equally futile to claim for Jesus Christ (pbuh) this
celestial honour given to the Son-of-Man. There are two
main reasons to exclude Jesus (pbuh) from this honour;
(a) if he is purely a man and prophet, and if we
consider his work a success or failure, then he is certainly
far behind Muhammad (pbuh) . [1] But if he is believed to
be the third of the three in the Trinity, then he is not to be
enlisted among men at all. You fall into a dilemma, and
[1] Quran, 2:253. Those Messengers We endowed with gifts, some above others:
To some above of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to
Jesus the son of Mary We gave clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the holy
spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among
each other, after clear (Signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some
believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought
each other; but Allah does what He wills. (Editors).