"Then Allah sent down His peace upon His messenger." (Al-Tauba : 26)Everybody knows that peace is a quality of the human mind and sleep a function of human brain. Animals, garments, green fields, quails (salwa), iron, and other things grow on the soil or come from under it. They do not descend or drop down from heaven. Nor is their descent from heaven a description sanctioned by the Holy Quran. The description of the Holy Quran is quite clear. It says:"Then after the sorrow, He sent down peace on you, a slumber that overcame a party of you." (Al-Imran: 155)
"And He has sent down eight head of cattle in pairs." (Al- Zumar : 7)
"We have indeed sent down raiment to you to cover your shame, and to be an elegant dress; but the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. That is one of the Signs of Allah that they may remember." (Al-A'raf: 27)
"And sent down on you Manna and Salwa" (Al-Baqarah: 58)
"And We sent down iron, wherein is material for violent warfare and many benefits for mankind and that Allah may distinguish those who help Him and His Messengers without having seen Him. Surely, Allah is Powerful, Mighty." (Al-Hadid: 26)
"And if Allah should enlarge the provision for His servants, they would rebel in the earth; but He sends down according to a proper measure as He pleases. Indeed, He is All-Aware and All-Seeing with regard to His servants." (Al-Shura: 28)
"And He put therein firm mountains on the surface, and He put blessings therein and measured its food therein into four periods, alike for all seekers." (Ha Mim Sajdah: 11)In this verse, God points out that they whole subject of the creation of nature and the creation of different kinds of wealth needs for its comprehension a knowledge of the different sciences. This knowledge God reveals in pieces. Some of it has been revealed already, some will be revealed in time to come. Ever new questions will be raised and they will received their answers. But, says God, We have described the creation of nature and the creation of the wealth of nature in such a way that all men at all times (according to their capacity) will find in them a description which would be both satisfying and true.
From the Holy Quran, therefore, it appears that all things in nature descend from God - are gifted by God - and yet they do not drop from Heaven. Their creation takes place in and on and through this very earth. They grow on it or show themselves from under its surface. Therefore, the word nazul (descend), when used from the coming of the Messiah, can have no other meaning. It can only point to the importance, the blessedness and the spiritual significance of the Promised Messiah. It is not in the least intended to suggest that he would physically drop from Heaven to earth. Most people forget that the word descend has been used in the Holy Quran from the Holy Prophet also. All commentators of the Holy Book take this expression to point to the greatness of the Holy Prophet and to the importance of his advent. And they are right; for, as all the world knows, the Holy Prophet was born in the house of honourable Quraish parents. The name of his father was Abdullah and the name of his mother Amina. The verse which describes the advent of the Holy Prophet as descent is this:
"Allah has indeed sent down to you a Reminder, a Messenger, who recites unto you the clear Signs of Allah, that he may bring those who believe and do good deeds out of every kind of darkness into light." (Al-Talaq: 11)Now it is amazing that the same word nazul is used about the Holy Prophet and the Messiah. Yet, that same word is interpreted one way for the Holy Prophet and quite another way for the Messiah. The Holy Prophet was born like any other human on this earth and grew up to be a prophet. The event was described as nazul (literally, descent). Why not mean the same thing when the same word is used for the Messiah? Why not let even the Messiah descend in the ordinary way, that is, born on this earth and grow up to be a prophet?
(By Hazrat Al-Haaj Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II, Second Successor to the Promised Messiah, in his book "Dawat-ul-Amir", English translation: "Invitation to Ahmadiyyat")