Jesus in India (book)
Encyclopedia
Jesus in India is a treatise written by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. It discusses at length Jesus
’ possible survival from crucifixion and his subsequent migration towards Kashmir
in order to preach to the 'Lost Tribes of Israel'. Jesus in India is often cited as original source material in literature that deal with the issue of Jesus’ possible post-crucifixion life. The author has drawn upon Christian
as well as Muslim
Scriptures and old medical and historical books including ancient Buddhist records for evidence about Jesus’ deliverance from the cross and his journey into India
.
The treatise was completed in 1899 but was not published until shortly after Ghulam Ahmad’s death in 1908, having been only partly serialised in the Review of Religions between 1902 and 1903. The first complete English translation was published in 1944.
The treatise suggests that Jesus, starting his journey from Jerusalem and passing through Nasibus and Persia, eventually reached Afghanistan
where he met the Israelites who had settled there after their escape from the bonds of Nebuchadnezzar
. From here he travelled to Kashmir where some Israelite tribes had also settled. Here he lived until his death at an old age.
Ghulam Ahmad also differs herein from other individual’s views (such as those of Nicolas Notovitch
) , who on account of the resemblance between Buddhistic and Christian teachings and between the life of Buddha and that of Jesus as recorded in their respective scriptures; held that Buddhistic teachings must somehow have reached Palestine
and incorporated by Jesus, or that he must have travelled to India pre-crucifixion and returned to Palestine after having imbibed Buddhistic teachings. As opposed to this Ghulam Ahmad asserts that Jesus came to India only after the crucifixion and it was not he who borrowed Buddha’s teachings but the Buddhists who seem to have reproduced the Gospels in their books. Ghulam Ahmad is able to support this view by arguing that Jesus also preached to the Buddhist monks some of whom were originally Jews, as asserted in this work. They having accepted him as the manifestation of the Buddha, the 'Promised Teacher' incorporated his teachings into those of Buddha’s.
Jesus in India also contains a scholarly dissertation on the whereabouts of the Lost Tribes of Israel, suggesting that these tribes were scattered
Throughout Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Western China. It also provides a list of numerous tribes of these regions seeking to trace their Israelite roots.
, District Gujrat, spoke to him about a tomb in Srinagar
that was said to be the tomb of a prophet named Yuz Asaf
. Ghulam Ahmad instructed him to do some further research into the matter. Nur Din went to Srinagar and stayed there for about four months. He collected information and also obtained the signatures of 556 inhabitants who attested to the fact that, according to their traditions, the remains of Jesus Christ lay in the Roza Bal
. He also brought back a sketch of the Roza Bal. Thereafter, Ghulam Ahmad decided to send one of his followers, Maulvi Abdullah, to Kashmir to investigate this tomb. Maulvi Abdullah arrived in Kashmir, conducted his investigations, and wrote back to Ghulam Ahmad about his findings. Ghulam Ahmad then published a poster that contained Maulvi Abdullah’s letter, as well as Maulvi Abdullah’s sketch of the Roza Bal.
Ghulam Ahmad began studying the local traditions of the people of Kashmir, both oral and written, and discovered that these traditions, as mentioned in the letter from Maulvi Abdullah, quite clearly referred to the Roza Bal as the tomb of Nabi Isa (Prophet Jesus). According to this information, the Muslims in the that locality did not believe Jesus to be in heaven, as was taught by the orthodox clergy. In fact, the Ahmadiyya publication, Review of Religions, recorded this belief in its October, 1909 edition.
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Section 1:
Section 2:
Section 3:
Appendix
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad was a religious figure from India and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community. He claimed to be the Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah , and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days...
, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. It discusses at length Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
’ possible survival from crucifixion and his subsequent migration towards Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
in order to preach to the 'Lost Tribes of Israel'. Jesus in India is often cited as original source material in literature that deal with the issue of Jesus’ possible post-crucifixion life. The author has drawn upon Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
as well as Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
Scriptures and old medical and historical books including ancient Buddhist records for evidence about Jesus’ deliverance from the cross and his journey into India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The treatise was completed in 1899 but was not published until shortly after Ghulam Ahmad’s death in 1908, having been only partly serialised in the Review of Religions between 1902 and 1903. The first complete English translation was published in 1944.
The treatise suggests that Jesus, starting his journey from Jerusalem and passing through Nasibus and Persia, eventually reached Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
where he met the Israelites who had settled there after their escape from the bonds of Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar was the name of several kings of Babylonia.* Nebuchadnezzar I, who ruled the Babylonian Empire in the 12th century BC* Nebuchadnezzar II , the Babylonian ruler mentioned in the biblical Book of Daniel...
. From here he travelled to Kashmir where some Israelite tribes had also settled. Here he lived until his death at an old age.
Ghulam Ahmad also differs herein from other individual’s views (such as those of Nicolas Notovitch
Nicolas Notovitch
Nicolas Notovitch was a Russian aristocrat, Cossack officer, spy and journalist known for his contention that during the years of Jesus Christ's life missing from the Bible, he followed travelling merchants abroad into India and the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh, India, where he studied Buddhism.-Life...
) , who on account of the resemblance between Buddhistic and Christian teachings and between the life of Buddha and that of Jesus as recorded in their respective scriptures; held that Buddhistic teachings must somehow have reached Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and incorporated by Jesus, or that he must have travelled to India pre-crucifixion and returned to Palestine after having imbibed Buddhistic teachings. As opposed to this Ghulam Ahmad asserts that Jesus came to India only after the crucifixion and it was not he who borrowed Buddha’s teachings but the Buddhists who seem to have reproduced the Gospels in their books. Ghulam Ahmad is able to support this view by arguing that Jesus also preached to the Buddhist monks some of whom were originally Jews, as asserted in this work. They having accepted him as the manifestation of the Buddha, the 'Promised Teacher' incorporated his teachings into those of Buddha’s.
Jesus in India also contains a scholarly dissertation on the whereabouts of the Lost Tribes of Israel, suggesting that these tribes were scattered
Throughout Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Western China. It also provides a list of numerous tribes of these regions seeking to trace their Israelite roots.
The discovery
Ahmadiyya literature states that one of Ghulam Ahmad’s disciples, Khalifa Nur Din (or, Noor al-Din) of Jalalpur JattanJalalpur Jattan
Jalalpur Jattan is a town located in Gujrat District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 32°38'0N 74°12'0E with an altitude of 232 metres . The city was founded by a JATT named Jalal and Kula Chor, and a place in Jalalpur Jattan, was built by Chandragupta Maurya, an Indian ruler in 300 BC....
, District Gujrat, spoke to him about a tomb in Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
that was said to be the tomb of a prophet named Yuz Asaf
Yuz Asaf
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...
. Ghulam Ahmad instructed him to do some further research into the matter. Nur Din went to Srinagar and stayed there for about four months. He collected information and also obtained the signatures of 556 inhabitants who attested to the fact that, according to their traditions, the remains of Jesus Christ lay in the Roza Bal
Roza Bal
Roza Bal is the name of a shrine located in the Khanyar area of district Srinagar, in Kashmir, India, venerated by some Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Some people identify the sage buried there with one Yuz Asaf, that is Jesus of Nazareth, whom they allege to have arrived in Kashmir after...
. He also brought back a sketch of the Roza Bal. Thereafter, Ghulam Ahmad decided to send one of his followers, Maulvi Abdullah, to Kashmir to investigate this tomb. Maulvi Abdullah arrived in Kashmir, conducted his investigations, and wrote back to Ghulam Ahmad about his findings. Ghulam Ahmad then published a poster that contained Maulvi Abdullah’s letter, as well as Maulvi Abdullah’s sketch of the Roza Bal.
Ghulam Ahmad began studying the local traditions of the people of Kashmir, both oral and written, and discovered that these traditions, as mentioned in the letter from Maulvi Abdullah, quite clearly referred to the Roza Bal as the tomb of Nabi Isa (Prophet Jesus). According to this information, the Muslims in the that locality did not believe Jesus to be in heaven, as was taught by the orthodox clergy. In fact, the Ahmadiyya publication, Review of Religions, recorded this belief in its October, 1909 edition.
Contents
The initial work was indented to comprise ten chapters but due to unforeseen circumstances and as stated by the Ahmadis, Ghulam Ahmad, having to attend to other important works, ended the book with four chapters:Introduction
Chapter 1
- Evidence from the Gospels
Chapter 2
- Evidence from the Quran and Authentic traditions
Chapter 3
- Evidence derived from Medical Literature
- List of Books mentioning Marham-i-Isa (ointment of Jesus), and that the Ointment was Prepared for Jesus’ Wounds
Chapter 4
- Evidence from Historical Records
Section 1:
- Evidence from Islamic literature concerning Jesus’ journeys
- Probable Route Map of Jesus’ Journey to India
Section 2:
- Evidence from Buddhist Records
Section 3:
- Evidence from Historical Writings which Show that Jesus’ Journey to the Punjab and Neighbouring Territories was Inevitable
- List of 24 Tribes of Abdalees
Appendix
See also
- Jesus in Ahmadiyya Islam
- The Ten Lost TribesTen Lost TribesThe Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to those tribes of ancient Israel that formed the Kingdom of Israel and which disappeared from Biblical and all other historical accounts after the kingdom was destroyed in about 720 BC by ancient Assyria...
- Turin Shroud
- The Jesus Conspiracy
- Writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad