What does the word Messiah mean? I’ll explain, yes, thank you. Messiah is understood to mean different things. It depends on which root it springs from, it hails from. You know in Arabic and in Hebrew, there are root systems. You have a root word, infinitive, from which the words are derived. And some words are similar in sound, so much so, that it’s difficult for the researchers to tell you which root they belong to.
So they could be belonging to any of so many roots. So this is why they acquire their different connotations and different meanings are attached to those words. Messiah is one of those words. If the root from which it is derived is Saha, yesiho, it means one who travels a lot. Saha is applicable to walks and travel, particularly walking. So anybody who walks very long distances and covers long distances on foot would be called a messiah. So there was a prediction, that is to say, inherent prediction in his name, in his title, that he would cover a lot of ground on earth. He would travel a lot.
And this is why, after he was saved from crucifixion, he went on foot to Kashmir and to Tibet, Nepal, you know, all these places, and this is not just a claim of Ahmadis. I mean, this is a historical fact that Messiah is the only prophet who is being reported to have visited foreign lands by those who do not believe in him. I mean, the record of his having travelled to Tibet is imprinted in the old remnants of the monuments which you still find there.
Also in the world, various history books of the world in various regions, for instance Hindu history and Buddhist history and some other books of history of the local people, this fact is mentioned. Legends also tell us, tales are woven around this fact, that Messiah once passed through these areas. And even in Japan, there is a legend that Messiah visited Japan. So why of all the prophets, just Messiah is chosen for this? Of course there must be some significance to this.
Otherwise this event happened about any other prophet, although it is said that 124,000 prophets appeared on earth, yet not one prophet is said to have travelled beyond his own region and so extensively. So the word Messiah was in fact, from this point of view, a prediction about extensive travels of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, who was to be a Messiah. Secondly, Masaha, if that is the root of this word, Masaha Mashan, Masahayam Sohamasan, that means somebody who touches, and not just touches, it also has the connotation of healing by touch.
So if somebody has that spiritual power of healing in his body, so that with a touch of his hand like this, or a passing of his hand with such motion, he heals the diseased, he would be called a Messiah as well. So he combines both these qualities. Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. So that shows that he was true Messiah, the one who was predicted. Messiah is not his personal name, that is his title, that is an attributive name, which describes his attributes.
So in this regard, he is a Messiah because he travelled a lot, he is reported to have visited places far off from his motherland, and also because it is extensively reported that he had the healing power in his hands when he passed his hands over the diseased or touched them with his hand, they were cured despite the fact that sometimes they were congenitally ill. So I think that should suffice for the time being.
