THE MESSIAH OF QADIAX. 



247 



applies to Cashmere, especially when we bear in mind that 

 there is no other country which is so like His native land 

 Galilee, in the greenness of its soil, and the charming beauty of 

 its scenes. Moreover, the verse plainly indicates that the 

 refuge was given after some heavy misfortunes, or great danger, 

 for the word dvd signifies the giving of refuge in danger" 

 (Review of Religions, June, 1903, p. 225). (4) But the crowning 

 proof that Jesus visited Kashmir is found in the existence of a 

 tomb in Srinagar, Kashmir, which the Qadiani people with one 

 accord stoutly affirm to be the very tomb of Jesus Christ. It 

 is the tomb of a certain Yus Asaf, and is situated in Elian 

 Yar Street, Srinagar. It is asserted that the keepers of this 

 tomb regard it as a tomb of a Prince- Prophet. But Muhammad 

 was the last of the Prophets. Therefore it must have been 

 before his time. Whose tomb could it be but that of Jesus? 

 Besides, the first part of the name Yus Asaf is clearly a 

 corruption of Yasu (!) or Jesus, and Asaf (from Hebrew asaf, 

 to gather) means gatherer. Hence, according to the Qadiani 

 interpretation, Yus Asaf means Jesus the Gatherer of the lost 

 sheep (i.e., the ten lost tribes) of the House of Israel. 



Thus, according to the revised life of Jesus as described by 

 the Qadiani school, Jesus Christ by opportunely becoming 

 unconscious escaped the fate which befel His comrades in 

 crucifixion, and through the wonderful efficacy of the 

 " Ointment of Jesus," was soon healed and ready for His 

 journey to the East in search of the "lost sheep of the House 

 -of Israel." He preached to His brethren in Afghanistan and 

 Kashmir, and finally died a natural death at the age of 

 120 years and was buried in Srinagar. The writer of this 

 paper visited the tomb of Yus Asaf in Srinagar, Kashmir, 

 on September 5th, 1903. While there, he was informed by 

 the keepers of the tomb that Yus Asaf was by tradition a very 

 tall man, being no less than 40 yards long. Now 40 yards 

 equal 120 feet, and 120 feet might possibly be interpreted as 

 120 years. Such seems to be the origin of the 120 years. 



This theory of the death of Jesus Christ is given great 

 emphasis, because in the view of the Qadiani aspirant to 

 Messiahship it is absolutely fundamental to his claim to be the 

 promised Messiah. If the Christian belief that Jesus Christ 

 died on the cross, rose again on the third day, and ascended 

 into heaven, be true, then the predicted second coming of Jesus 

 Christ will be the second coining of " this same Jesus " 

 (Acts i, 11), and not of one who comes merely in His "spirit 

 and power." Hence the Qadiani Mirza tries to break down 



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