INTRODUCTION

Prophets and Messengers have been sent to all nations throughout history to teach the core concepts of the same religion: to believe in the one and only God, to abandon idolatry, to live and do good deeds only for God's good pleasure, to have faith in God and to seek His help alone, and to be virtuous. The principles of faith that they have taught to humanity have always been the same, despite some slight differences in practical matters according to place and time. For instance, Jesus (peace be upon him)1 did not bring a different religion, and the religion revealed to Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (may God bless him and grant him peace), the last prophet, is the same. (In other words, the Torah sent to Moses and the Gospel sent to Jesus as guiding lights for people, have been tampered over time and so are no longer true to their respective original revelations.2) In one verse, God tells believers not to distinguish between revealed religions:

Say: "We believe in God and what has been sent down to us; what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes; and what Moses, Jesus, and all the Prophets were given by their Lord. We do not differentiate between any of them. We are Muslims submitted to Him." (Qur'an, 3:84)

Another verse reveals the following:

He has laid down the same religion for you as He enjoined on Noah, that which We have revealed to you and which We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: "Establish the religion and do not make divisions in it." What you call the idolaters to follow is very hard for them. God chooses for Himself anyone He wills and guides to Himself those who turn to Him. (Qur'an, 42:13)

Our Lord, Who has sent His religion to all nations, has cautioned all of their inhabitants through those He honored by choosing as Prophets. Every human being who has received the call to the true religion will be held accountable for how he or she responded to it.

The lives of God's chosen Messengers contain many messages and lessons for all people, especially when we study their encounters, their troubles, and their great struggles. The Qur'an cites Jesus as an example for people to follow, because of how he conducted his life and his struggle, and because of his great virtue.

Jesus' birth, life, and ascension to God's presence are all miracles that the Qur'an reveals in some detail. Although God reveals the narratives of many Prophets, Jesus, whom God supported with superior wisdom, is set apart from the others in several aspects, among them that he spoke even in the cradle, and that he was the vehicle for countless miracles while he was in this world. That his status is different also can be deduced from the fact that he was raised to God's presence and that the Qur'an indicates strongly his second coming.

The book seeks to analyze Jesus' life and struggle, as well as his virtue and character, closely and to spread the good news of his second coming in light of the relevant Qur'anic verses and hadiths (the sayings and teachings of the Prophet Mohammed). Our Lord gives important signs about Jesus and the future (the time between the Qur'an's revelation and the Day of Judgment) in the Qur'an, and the Prophet Mohammed (may God bless him and grant him peace) revealed much good news about him. The valuable information about Jesus' great struggle after his second coming, provided by the renowned Islamic scholar Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960), is a glad tiding for all readers and should increase their excitement and lift their morale. All of this, as we said previously, shows that Jesus' creation was miraculous and that his life continued to be full of miracles.

While reading this book, the reader will come to know of his miraculous life and realize that we live in a very special time. One purpose of this work, besides drawing attention to an important miracle revealed in the Qur'an, is to say a "practical" prayer in the hope of being present when Jesus, a praised Messenger who is lauded in the Qur'an many times, returns to this world. Given that his second coming will be an extraordinary, miraculous, and metaphysical event that will affect the whole world, all believers should prepare and mobilize to welcome him in the best possible way. The excitement, love, and morale invested in these preparations will be an actual prayer, and those who do not prepare will feel great remorse when he returns. All of the signs indicate that the second coming will take place soon, so there is no time to waste.