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Netflix has recently released a new series –  ‘Messiah.’ The lead character appears to be a religious leader or prophet-like figure who emerges from the Middle East and is referred to by some characters as Al-Masih (the Messiah).  Al-Masih performs miracles of various sorts but his arrival coincides with a series of environmental disasters accompanied by ensuing havoc and violence. As he gathers followers, a CIA agent ‘must race to unravel the mystery of whether he really is a divine entity or a deceptive con artist capable of dismantling the world’s geopolitical order.’ The series has provoked controversy and debate, especially amongst Muslims and Christians. Some Muslims have pointed out that to refer to the lead character of the series as Al-Masih (the Messiah), is to use the name by which the ‘Dajjal’, or Anti-christ, will announce himself when he appears in the latter days. Others have been outraged and described the series as offensive, blasphemous and disrespectful. A change.org petition has been launched as well describing the show as “evil and anti-Islamic propaganda.” The creator, Michael Petroni has commented that he “doesn’t set out to offend anyone,” and goes on to say that, “there is going to be a lot of noise around the show and a lot of debate. I’m hoping for debate.” It is said that the purpose of this new series is to “imagine how modern society would react if such a figure appeared.” Netflix describes this as “a provocative and suspenseful thriller that explores the power of influence and belief in the social media age.” The new Netflix series ‘The Messiah’ has provoked the sentiments that surround it by religious followers who believe in the second coming of the Messiah and who hold that when the Antichrist (or Dajjal) emerges, the ‘Mahdi’ would fight him in an ultimate battle between good and evil. Let us breakdown the true nature of these concepts of the ‘Messiah’, ‘Mahdi’, and ‘Dajjal’ (Antichrist). Given the confusion, it is helpful to clarify some of the terms being used and what they really represent. So who is the Messiah? Muslims believe that Jesus (as), the Messiah, will appear in the latter days according to the prophecies of the Founder of Islam (sa). An overwhelming majority of non-Ahmadi Muslims believe that he physically ascended into the heavens after his Crucifixion and so he will physically descend from the sky in the latter days, with his hands on the shoulders of two angels. They believe that the Messiah will then join forces with the Imam Mahdi and wage a bloody war against the disbelievers until they convert to Islam. As a result, the Muslims would become kings and rulers. The fact of the matter is that this grossly disfigured view of Islam couldn’t be further from the truth. It is neither supported by the Holy Quran, nor the words of the Prophet of Islam (sa). Religious adherents throughout the ages, have always enjoyed fantastical stories of people flying up into the heavens, and returning again, and overturning the world in their favour through magic spells and bloody wars, but this has never materialised in the past, nor will it in the future. Firstly, Jesus (as), who was a prophet of God, did not physically ascend into the heavens, and so it naturally follows that, he will not descend physically in the latter days either. The Holy Quran categorically states in chapter 5 verse 118 that after Jesus (as) died his natural death, God was a watcher over his people. There is mention in Islamic literature and various source texts of the ‘descent’ of Jesus (as) in the latter days but the Arabic word ‘nuzul,’ which is used for ‘descent,’ refers to the coming of a great blessing of God Almighty, which as if, is a grace that descends from the heaven. In the Holy Quran, it is said that iron and cattle ‘descended’ from on high, and of course, all this means is that these are immense blessings of God, by which humanity benefits immensely; it does not mean that these things physically came down from the sky. Secondly, it ought to be noted that when the Holy Quran, which is considered to be the word of God, vouchsafed to the Prophet of Islam (sa), that the Jesus (as) would die a natural death. So it is obvious that prophecies which refer to his coming in the Latter Days must be understood in a metaphoric and spiritual context. The fact of the matter is that in light of the Holy Quran and the sayings of the Prophet of Islam (sa), the true Messiah who would appear in the latter days, would be a man that would appear as a spiritual manifestation of Jesus (as). He would be a prophet of God and possess a disposition that was similar to that of Jesus (as) and would heal the world from the wounds of sin and evil with his Messianic qualities. Who is the ‘Imam Mahdi?’  Non-Ahmadi Muslims believe that the Imam Mahdi will appear from among the Muslims in the Latter Days and join forces with the Messiah . Together they will literally rid the world of Christianity, breaking every Cross around as well as ridding the world of its pig population! In the havoc and chaos that this bloody Mahdi would bring, everyone would also convert to Islam.  This is clearly  nothing more than the fabrication of warmongering clerics who incite the masses to serve their own vested interests. There is a saying of the Prophet of Islam (sa) recorded in a Hadith (saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)), which states that when the Messiah appears in the latter days, he would put an end to religious wars. Further, the Holy Quran clearly states that there should be no compulsion in religion (2:257). So any notion about the coming of a bloodthirsty Mahdi or Messiah is diametrically opposed to the teachings of Islam. Just one of countless examples from early Islam can demonstrate this. When the Holy Prophet

Narrated by Syed Mir Mahmud Ahmad Nasir Sahib, son-in-law of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. Al Hakam is grateful to Syed Mir Mahmud Sahib for sharing his personal recollections of a great Syed Mir Mahmud Ahmad Nasir A personal problem Aside from many other reasons, it is difficult to say anything about Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, may Allah be pleased with him, because he was a universe in himself and an ocean of knowledge. I remember his great personality and become anxious as to whether I can even describe him adequately or whether I will be able to explain his characteristics completely and draw a sufficient sketch in the minds of readers and listeners. Given the situation, how can a person express such a vast, diverse and deep personality? This is a hurdle and I think that I will not be able to fulfill the responsibility of this article. Once, I reached for a notebook to write something, but I was not able to do it. One of the reasons was that I was afraid that I would not be able to fully introduce a great being like him. Another reason was that I could not stop my tears when remembering the compassion and kindness of his majestic personality. A personal hindrance in writing is that though I have seen Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra myself, I have also heard a lot of things in the house from my elders over an extended period of time. Verbal accounts are equally important, but I am afraid that when people hear them from me, they will start considering them as my eyewitness accounts. Careful consideration of the narrated accounts is very necessary. In response to a man’s query about Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra while I was serving in the United States, I said that I had not witnessed any prophet with my material eyes, but the closest person I had seen to a prophet was Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, whom I observed closely. Love of God Regarding Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra love for his Lord, I would say that people do remember God, but at times, they tend to forget Him. However, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra states: سوؤں تو تجھ کو دیکھ کر، جاگوں تو تجھ پہ ہو نظر موت سے تھا کسے دریغ، اُس کا ہی انتظار تھا “I go to sleep looking at You [God] and when I wake, You are my focus. I am not reluctant to die because am waiting for death [so that I may meet You].” (Kalam-e-Mahmud, p. 182) Some people used to call Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra a prophet owing to their innocence or deep affection for him. For instance, Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar Sahib, who belonged to Sialkot, used to say that Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra did not call himself a prophet because of his humility, but people should call him a prophet. I [Syed Mir Mahmud Ahmad Nasir Sahib] have also heard one such incident that listening to similar discourses, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said, “Some people call me a prophet, but I am certainly not a prophet,” but after a short pause he stated, “I wonder whether the love of God I have in my heart is somehow less than that of prophets?” He had a yearning for attaining God’s love. Though I am not an eyewitness, I have also heard another incident that occurred in Qadian. Once, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra became very ill. There were frequent announcements in the newspaper and requests for prayer were made. A regular pronouncement was published by Hazrat Amma Janra that her son, Mahmudra was ill. After some time, Allah the Almighty blessed him with good health. He visited the house of Hazrat Umm-e-Tahirra for a formal meal. Food was served, but he would not eat it. In fact, he would not even pay heed towards it. His family members requested him to start eating. Then in a very unique manner, expressing great displeasure, he told his relatives upon their repeated requests, “I was sick; I was to die and meet my God I was to see Him, but you all prayed and my health was restored.” He said this due to his passion of beholding the Divine. The narrator of the incident states that he left without eating any food. Greatness and glory I will now describe a bit about the feeling people used to experience when they would see Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and the way they would observe him. To put it briefly, they used to experience a kind of grandeur, spiritual elevation, splendour, magnificence and dignity. It was as if a person was standing beneath a great mountain of the Himalayas and the mountain was about to come tumbling on them. However, looking closely, people would be filled with the certainty of affection, compassion, benevolence and kindness. This is not just my personal impression, rather just as has been said [to the Promised Messiahas]: نُصِرْتُ بِالرعْبِ “You have been helped with prestige”, similarly, he too had an awe-inspiring personality that was full of grandeur, glory, excellence and honour. When I imagine the pure life, prominence and magnificence of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, the following verse of the Holy Quran comes to mind: الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ سَبۡعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا ؕ مَا تَرٰی فِیۡ خَلۡقِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ مِنۡ تَفٰوُتٍ ؕ فَارۡجِعِ الۡبَصَرَ ۙ ہَلۡ تَرٰی مِنۡ فُطُوۡرٍ۔ ثُمَّ ارۡجِعِ الۡبَصَرَ کَرَّتَیۡنِ یَنۡقَلِبۡ اِلَیۡکَ الۡبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَّ ہُوَ حَسِیۡرٌ “… Who has created seven heavens in harmony. No incongruity canst thou see in the creation of the Gracious God. Then look again: Seest thou any fl aw? Aye, look again, and yet again, thy sight will return unto thee only confused and fatigued.” (Surah al-Mulk, Ch.67: V.4-5) For 52 years, Paighamis [otherwise known as Lahori Ahmadis] and non-Ahmadi scholars kept trying to find faults in Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra but were unable to do so. I remember one scene vividly. I was a bit late for Friday prayer. Normally, we used to reach the mosque before the arrival of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. He would come and then the muazzin would make the call to prayer. Huzoorra would wait by the pulpit and then stand up to deliver the sermon. On that specific day, I saw that the Huzoorra departed to lead