Written by Jesus (as) was a true prophet of God who was sent “to the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (1) and came “to seek and save that which was lost” (2).
A significant part of Jesus’ life is shrouded in mystery. It is generally believed that his body ascended to the heavens. Although most Muslims and Christians both share this belief, Christians believe that Jesus (as), being the son of God, died on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind and then his body was later resurrected and ascended to heaven. Most Muslims believe that Jesus (as) ascended to heaven before the crucifixion actually happened. Both Muslims and Christians believe in the second coming of Jesus in the latter days, where that same Jesus will descend in the same body.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (as) was the first one who refuted this common belief. In his books, particularly, Jesus in India (3), he not only established with proven facts that Jesus did not die on the cross but also demonstrated that he traveled to Afghanistan, India, and the surrounding lands, died at the age of 120, and was buried in Khaniyar, Srinagar, Kashmir.
If Jesus’ life on earth ended at the age of thirty-three, then he would not be able to fulfill his mission of finding the lost tribes of Israel. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) presented proofs from the Holy Qur’an, Scriptures, historical, and evidence-based on current medical knowledge to show that Jesus (as) was taken off the cross alive and was taken to the sepulcher, where he was treated for his wounds with a special ointment. He recuperated there for three days and then left on a journey to find the lost tribes of the Israelites.
At this time in history, the Israelites were divided into twelve tribes. Ten of those tribes were driven out of the land and moved toward the East. They settled in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and other parts of India. Many renowned historians, as well as Jewish writings, have documented this fact: “The confirmation of what has been stated above is to be found in ‘Tabaqat-i-Nasiri’ where it is stated: …in the time of the Shansabi dynasty, a people called Bani Israel (Children of Israel) used to live in Asareth and were engaged in trade. Thomas Ledlie, in his book, More Ledlian, writing on the origin of Afghans, gives cogent reasons for connecting Asareth with Hazara District in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, and the territory of Kashmir adjoins that of Hazara. But the old boundary of Asareth in Swat was just on the opposite bank of the Indus River, and, higher up near Chilas, it ran into Kashmir territory” (4).
There are plenty of historical records and inscriptions showing that the people of Afghanistan and Kashmir are direct descendants of the Israelites. There is a long list of historians and authors documenting this fact. The most ancient manuscript is Rauzat uo Albab fi Tawarikh-ul-Akabir wal Ansab (The Garden of the Learned in the History of Great Men and Genealogies) by Abu Suleman Daud bin Abul Fazal Muhammad Albenaketi. Other such texts include Mirat-ul-Alam by Bukhtawar Khan, Khulasat-ul-Ansab by Hafiz Rahmat bin Shah Alam, Risala-i-Ansab-i-Afghana by Fareed-ud-Din Ahmad Travels into Bokhara, by Sir Alexander Burnes, Narrative of a Mission to Bokhara in the Years 1843-1845 by Dr. Joseph Wolff, An Historical and Descriptive Account of Persia and Afghanistan by J.B. Farser, are a few to name from a long list of books and authors (5).
In “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad states:
“The first three early historians of Kashmir, namely Mulla Nadiri (1378-1416) in his book Tarikh Kashmir (The History of Kashmir), Mulla Ahmad in his book Waqqya-i-Kashmir (Events of Kashmir), and Abdul Qadar Bin Qazi-ul-Quzat Wasil Ali Khan in his book Hashmat-i-Kashmir, have all categorically stated that the inhabitants of Kashmir were the descendants of Israel. The last-mentioned author adding that they had come from the Holy Land” (6).
The proclaimed mission of Jesus was to seek, preach to and save the lost tribes of Israel. Following his escape from the cross and sensing danger in staying at the place of his persecution, we find him traveling in disguise to Damascas through Judea, Samaria, Nazareth, and the Sea of Tiberius in search of the lost tribes. The place where Jesus first stayed for a time, about two miles from Damascas, is even to this day known as Maqam-i-Isa (which means the resting or halting place of Jesus) and was initially called Rabwah.
Mir Muhammad Khawand Shah Ibn-i-Muhammad wrote in his famous book “Rauza-tus-Safa fi Sirat-ul-Ambia wal Muluk wal Khulafa (The Gardens of Purity Concerning the Biography of the Prophets, Kings and Caliphs)” that the Jews turned Jesus (as) out of the city and Jesus (as) and Mary (as) set out and went to Syria, and then from there, Jesus (as) traveled to Mosul and then to Aleppo.
It is stated that during his journey, Jesus traveled incognito under the name of Yuz Asaf, the word Yuz stands for Yusu (meaning Jesus), and Asaf in Hebrew means gatherer, namely, one who was to gather the lost sheep of Israel.
Next, we hear of Jesus in Iran. It is said that Yuz Asaf came to this country from the West and preached there, and many believed him. The sayings of Yuz Asaf, as recorded in Iranian traditions, are similar to those of Jesus (7).
We can then trace Jesus in Afghanistan: In Ghazni (Western Afghanistan) and in Jalalabad (in the extreme southeast of Afghanistan), there are two platforms that bear the name of Yuz Asaf, for he sat and preached there. We then find a quotation from Acta Thomae, which records the presence of Jesus and his disciple Thomas at Taxila in present-day Pakistan.
Jesus (as), his mother Mary (as), and Thomas proceeded toward Murree, also in Pakistan. Mary (as) died there and was buried at a hilltop known as Pindi-Point. The town Murree was called Mari until 1875 and was named after her. Her tomb adjoining the Defense Tower is even today called “Mai Mari da Asthan” or “The Resting Place of Mother Mary” (8).
We can almost with certainty trace the entry of Jesus (as) into Kashmir through a valley called Yusu Margh, which is named after him and where the race of Yudu (Jews) is still to be found. It lies on the bridle route followed by merchants coming, generally on foot, from Kaghan and Afghanistan. The Kaghan valley, on one side, touches Kashmir and on the other, touches the Murree hills. Aish Muqam (about 47 miles from Srinagar) is not far from Yusu Margh. In fact, it lies on the same route. Aish or Ashush is also considered to be a variation of the word Issa or Jesus (as).
The prophet Jesus (as) lived there to the age of 120 and was then buried in Kashmir. Another decisive piece of evidence in support of this is provided by the discovery of his tomb in Mohalla Khaniyar in Srinagar. It is called Rauzabal and is described as the tomb of Yuz Asaf, the prophet, who is also styled as Shahzada Nabi (the Prince of Prophet). This discovery and revelation were made by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (as) through Divine guidance and research. Here again, we find strong evidence in support of the proclamation. We find a description of the tomb in the book of the “British Resident in Kashmir” by Sir Francis Younghusband:
“There resided in Kashmir some 1,900 years ago a saint of the name of Yuz Asaf, who preached in parables and used many of the same parables as Christ uses, as, for instance, the parable of the sower. His tomb is in Srinagar [..…] and the theory is that Yuz Asaf and Jesus are one and the same person. When the people are in the appearance of such a decided Jewish cast, is it curious that such a theory should exist?” (9).
Hence the prophet Jesus (as) escaped from the cursed death on the cross and traveled to the East, specifically to India. He lived up to the age of one hundred and twenty years and died naturally after fulfilling his mission of guiding the lost sheep of Israel.
References:
- Matthew 15:24
- Luke 19:10
- Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Jesus in India, (Edition 2016) Qadian
- Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (1991) “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” The Muslim Sunrise, Summer 1991. P: 26
- Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (1991) “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” The Muslim Sunrise, Summer 1991. P: 28
- Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (1991) “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” The Muslim Sunrise, Summer 1991. P: 30
- Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (1991) “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” The Muslim Sunrise, Summer 1991. P: 36
- Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (1991) “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” The Muslim Sunrise, Summer 1991. P: 36
- Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (1991) “The Lost Tribes of Israel,” The Muslim Sunrise, Summer 1991. P: 37
Last modified: January 2023
