The person who brought Chinese people close to God

Hazrat Lao Tze (AS)

Similarity with the Jesus and prophecy of his second coming
Allah the Almighty bestows his blessing in every direction equally, be it
light of the sun or water from the rain, every country and every nation
benefit from it. This most general grace from God manifests itself in
every corner of the world in the form of prophets and messengers for
the temporal and spiritual upbringing of the whole of humanity. The
Holy Quran points at this divine phenomenon in these words:

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i.e. and there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent.

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And there is a guide for every people

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China is by far the largest nation in the world right now. It has also
been blessed with its fair share of divine guidance in the form of
prophets like all the other places on this planet. These messengers
guided by the divine wisdom and with the virtue of their disposition
kept the name of one true God alive. Among these messengers were
Confucius, Lao Tze and Mo Tze, a Chinese author writes about them:
They spent their lives creating this nation as we know it today. Even
after 2600 years, the nation is benefitting from this celestial legacy
that these sages have left behind them.4
Lao Tze founder of Taoism is the most distinguished among them who
have left their mark on Chinese culture and heritage. His teachings
were not limited for China rather the peoples till far east gained from
his teachings. Today the number of followers of Taoism in China and
Taiwan would be in millions. The original Chinese pronunciation of
“Tao” is actually “Dao”, so this would be used from here on in this
article. Other common variations are Lao Tze, Lao Tzu or Laozi. His

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real name was “Li Er” but he was known by the name of Lao Tze which
translates as “venerable teacher” or “old philosopher”.
Lao Tze the founder of Daoism is known throughout the world as a
sage, a philosopher or a thinker. He was the in-charge librarian during
the time of Zhou dynasty in 6th century BC. According to some legends,
he was the teacher of Confucius while others pronounce him as a
fictitious character in Chinese literature.5
Some research scholars present Lao Tze as a mysterious character,
whose real name, place of birth, family and other information is
obscured in the mist mystery.6
In Chinese literature, he is shown as a white-bearded saint. At times he
is riding a bull which portrays him in a way that people of that area
refused to accept him, and now he is willing to migrate from this
place.7
Some historical narratives claim that his birth was a miracle. He was
borne of a virgin, after the birth when he came in front of the world,
he was in a guise of a sixty-year-old saint, that is the reason he is
remembered by the name of Lao Tze which means great teacher.8
Some authors have written that his birth was miraculous in a way that
he started speaking right after birth.9
His mother after observing his extraordinary traits named him (耳) Er,
which means ear. His facial features are also recorded in history,
according to them; he had extraordinarily large eyes; beautiful nose
and thick lips. He had a lot of distinctive physical features which were
foretold of him an eminent being, one of these signs were strange
markings on the soles of his feet.10
His book is Dao De Jing (also known as Tao te Ching), this name is a
compound of three words and can be translated in many ways, but it is
usually translated as “The Book of the Way and Its Virtue”. In this
book, it is narrated that when he appeared in front of the world his
heart and soul were in search of God. Despite being in the world he
was a stranger to this world:
Other people are joyous, like on the feast of the ox, Like on
the way up to the terrace in the spring.
I alone am inert, giving no sign, like a newborn baby who has
not learned to smile.
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 I am wearied as if I lacked a home to go to.11
He had the epiphany that salvation of heart and soul is not related to
royal robes or palaces rather it is conditional to finding God. According
to Dao De Jing:
“I follow a great Way, and fear only to stray from it.
The great Way is very straight, but people prefer to deviate.
When the palace is magnificent, the fields are filled with
weeds, And the granaries are empty.
Some have lavish garments, Carry sharp swords, And feast on
food and drink.
They possess more than they can spend. This is called the
vanity of robbers.
It is certainly not the Way.” 12
That is why he quit his royal position and decided to leave Zhou state.
When he reached till Hangu mountains, the guardian recognized him
that he is the famous wise thinker Lao Tze. So, he requested him to jot
down his thoughts so that the knowledge of eternal truth would be
available for the generations to come. Henceforth Lao Tze composed
this treasure of knowledge in 5,000 words and that’s how the holy
scripture of Dao De Jing came into existence. The book starts with
these words:
"Dao (The Almighty God) that can be spoken of is not the Constant Dao’
The name that can be named is not a Constant Name. Nameless, is the
origin of Heaven and Earth; The named is the Mother of all things.”
These few words are the beginning of his message. Because this
message consists only on five thousand words, each word carries a lot
of meaning and weightage. In these words, it is professed quite clearly
that “Dao” (God) is not understood properly. The real God is very
different. He has no fixed name, but He is the originator of the earth
and the heavens.
His teachings revolve around “Dao”. Dao a Chinese word which means
"the way ahead" or "the way”. So, “Dao” is the right way to which Lao
Tze is the guide. His philosophy shows us the path to one true God, and
he did it with such ferocity that echoes of his message can still be
heard. The qualities of this one true God in Dao De Jing are:
'The great Dao is vast. He is on the left and He is on the
right. All creatures depend upon Him, and the care of them
tires Him not. He brings creation to completion, without
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 seeking reward. He provides for all His creation, but requires
nothing for Himself, so He may be considered small. All
creatures turn to Him for their needs, yet He keeps nothing
for Himself, thus He may be named 'the Supreme'. He does
not consider Himself great and because of this He is truly
Great.'13
'Looked for but not visible, such a Being may be colorless.
Listened for but not heard, such a Being may be called
Silent. Grasped for but not caught, such may be called
Concealed.14
Nearness to God
As it has been mentioned that “Dao” stands for God, and Lao Tze’s
philosophy is all about recognizing God. If someone asks how did Lao-
Tze achieve nearness to God. The most probable answer is the same
way all the other prophets and messengers spoke to God. Dao De Jing
explains this condition as:
“From now back to antiquity, its name has not been lost.
Thereby, see the origin of all. How do I know it is the origin of
all? By this.” 15
Here the words “By this” are noteworthy, they show that his
interaction with God was through the revelation, just like men of God
before him. This is further elaborated by:
“Cling to the mother. Until your last day, you will not be harmed.”16
Summary of his teachings
As it has been mentioned that the center of Lao Tze’s teachings is
“Dao”, this is a Chinese word which means the way, the religion or the
road. The holy scripture of Daoism “Dao De Jing” contains 81 chapters,
36 of them consist upon praising the traits of ‘Dao”. The second part of
the teaching is “De” which means virtue or ethics and 16 of the
chapters cover this topic in the book.
In short, his message is comingling of the obligations due to God and
the obligations due to fellow human beings. To follow this message,
one must be in line with nature. One must be in harmony with nature
to achieve nearness to God. Water is the perfect analogy for this, a
human should be subtle like water, it flows through highs and lows of
the land and irrigates land without any distinction, that is why Lao Tze
instructs his followers to be like water.

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Peoples’ reaction to Lao Tzes’ Message
Studying Bible and the Holy Quran shows that chosen ones from the
God have always had to face dissidence and hostility and their message
was ridiculed, despite the high morals and righteousness from the
people of that time. Dao De Jing mentions this kind of circumstances
with Lao Tze:
“My words are very easy to understand, and very easy to
practice.
Still, no one in the world, can understand or practice them.
My words have an origin. My deeds have a sovereign.
Truly, because people do not understand this, they do not
understand me. That so few understand me is why I am
treasured.”17
After completing “Dao De Jing” his life becomes a mystery.
Researchers have failed to find out his whereabouts after that. there is
still some ambiguity as to whether he died or ascended to heavens.
According to some he migrated to the Middle East or India.18 “He is
thought to have travelled to India and he appeared over there in the
form of Buddha twice.19
10 Similarities between Jesus and Lao Tze
The life study of Lao Tze shows that from his birth till death there are
many incidents which coincide with that of Jesus’.
• A virginal conception.
• Known with a name other than the birth name.
• Having several names.
• The image of riding a bull shows similarity to extensive
travelling of Jesus.
• Abrupt disappearance and tales of travelling towards East or
India.
• References of ascending towards heavens.
• Did not get many followers during the lifetime but after a few
centuries’ Daoism became the national religion during Tang
Dynasty.
• The prophecy of the second coming like Jesus.

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 • Prophecies of ending wars and ensuing peace upon second
coming.
Research on this topic can be fruitful for those who are interested in
the study of Chinese literature, especially in preaching people over
there. A Chinese scholar pronounces Lao Tze and Jesus to be brothers.
“Lao Tze and Jesus are brothers.”20
Dr. Paul de Vries president of New York Divinity School enumerates the
similarities between the two:
Although Tao Te Ching is concise, it is a treasure of knowledge. I have
thought of writing on the topic that “Lao Tze” and “Tao Te Ching” are
precursors to the Bible, and they paved the way for Jesus just like
Isaiah and other Hebrew prophets did.21
He further writes: “why shouldn’t we Lao Tze same as his
contemporary Isiah or why couldn’t we pronounce Isiah as Lao Tze,
because both of them cleared the way for the prophets to come.”22
Boston University professor Louis Komjathy writes: “The fame and
acceptance Dao De Jing achieved within a short period of time, made
it Daoist Bible and made Lao Tze the equivalent of Jesus.”23
The prophecy of second coming
Lao Tze completed his task when he wrote “Dao De Jing” and then he
left with the promise of a second coming and left a crying guardian of
a mountain pass, ascended to heavens.
“Lao-tzu having now settled all his worldly affairs, bade farewell to
the keeper of the mountain pass, told him that he would return to
earth after the lapse of a thousand days and that he would be
recognized by the sign of a Ching Yang, literally, a heavenly sheep. He
then rode a cloud and soared out of sight of the weeping guardian in a
dazzling glare of light away into the regions beyond, to his abode in
the heavens.”24
This shows another similarity with Jesus i.e. prophecy of a second
coming. Lao Tze's family name was “Li” that is why it is believed in
Daoism that he would reappear in the world with the name “Li Hung”:
“He would reappear to the world to restore peace. He would play the
role of a wise advisor to the kings.”25

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Today, for an onlooker might get the impression that Daoism is
complex, philosophical and any “Dao” temple is filled with idols, but
originally Lao Tze's’ teachings were based upon finding one true God
and achieving virtue. His widespread acceptance and his everlasting
impression on all the Chinese and Japanese religions provide the
evidence that before the Holy Prophet (saw) when Allah the Almighty
sent prophets and messengers to all the different lands and countries,
He sent Lao Tze and Confucius to China as the torch-bearers of truth
and righteousness.
The promised Messiah (as) mentions this boundless generosity of Allah
the Almighty in his book “A message of Peace”:
“It is the universal beneficence of God which encompasses all
peoples, all countries and all ages. It so happened lest anyone
should have cause to complain that: ‘God has bestowed His
favour upon such and such people, but not upon us.’ Or that: ‘So
and so received the Book to be guided while we did not.’ Or
that: ‘In such and such an age, He revealed Himself through His
revelations, communications and miracles but in our time He
remained hidden.’ Thus, by demonstrating His universal
beneficence, He left no justification for such possible
accusations.”26
“The Holy Qur’an explains through various examples that just as
God has been looking after the physical development of the
people of every country, in accordance with their requirements,
so has He blessed every country and every people with spiritual
upbringing. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
ٌ ‫َوإِن ﱢﻣ ْﻦ أُ ﱠﻣ ٍﺔ إِ ﱠﻻ ﺧ ََﻼ ﻓِﯿﮭَﺎ ﻧَ ِﺬﯾ‬
27‫ﺮ‬

Meaning that there is no people to whom a Warner has not been

sent.”28
“In fact, we believe that for all the Prophets who have come to
different peoples of the world and have been accepted by
millions of people in all parts of the world, and love for them
and their greatness has been firmly established in any one part
of the world, and further that this state of devotion and love
for them has endured the test of time, is evidence enough of
their truthfulness. Had they not been from God, they could not
have been accepted on such a wide scale by millions upon
millions of hearts.” 29

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 Fatir, 35:25

2 Al-Ra’d 13:8

3 Yunus 10:48

4 Lao Tzu and The Bible ;A Meeting Transcending Time and Space by Yuan Zhiming
translated by Translated by Chen Shangyu page 29

5 Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te- Ching. Albany by Olivia Kohn and Michael LaFargue, eds : State
University of New York Press, 1999, chs. 1-3.

6 Yang Jialu, Lao Tzu Bai Hua Ju Jie (Interpretation of Lao Tzu) (Taiwan Wen Yuan Shu Ju,
1969), Preface.

7 Fischer-Schreiber, Dictionary, 88-90; Robinet, Taoism, 19, 26

8 The Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion by Diane Morgan, page 223. New York:
renaissance Books, 2001

9 Lao-Tzu: a study in Chinese Philosophy page 16 by T.Watters,M.A Printed at The China

Mall Office 1870

10 Lao-Tzu: a study in Chinese Philosophy page 16 by T.Watters,M.A Printed at The China

Mall Office 1870

11 Tao Te Ching - Chapter 20 Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu. The Taoist Classic by Lao Tzu
https://www.taoistic.com/taoteching-laotzu/taoteching-20.html

12 Ibid chapter 53; line 2-10

13 Mirza Tahir Ahmad. Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth. P148.

DAN, L (1969) The Works of Lao Tzyy. Truth and Nature. The World Book Company, Ltd.
Taipei, Taiwan, China. Ch.34, p.17

14 ibid

15 Tao Te Ching - Chapter 21 Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu. The Taoist Classic by Lao Tzu

16 Ibid chapter 52 line 6

17 Ibid chapter 70 lines 1-10

18 Nan Haijin 南懷瑾, Lao Tzu Ta Shuo (Legend of Lao Tzu) (Guo Ji Wen Hua Chu Ban Gong

Si, 1991), 32.

19 Cf. Fischer-Schreiber, Dictionary, 56-57, 90; Morgan, Guide, 225

20 Lin Yutang, Xin Yang Zhi Lu (From Pagan to Christian) (Bejing: Xin Hua Chu Ban She,
2002), 243.

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21 Lao Tzu and The Bible ;A Meeting Transcending Time and Space by Yuan Zhiming
translated by
Translated by Chen Shangyu page 18

22 Lao Tzu and The Bible ;A Meeting Transcending Time and Space by Yuan Zhiming
translated by
Translated by Chen Shangyu page 17

23 Daoist Texts in Translation by Louis Komjathy Boston University. page 3

24 Lao-Tzu: a study in Chinese Philosophy page 19 by T.Watters,M.A Printed at The China

Mall Office 1870

25Historical Dictionary of Taoism by Julain F.Pas in cooperation with Man Kam Leung
published in the united states of America by Scarecrow Press,Inc. Boston . Page 200

26 A Message of Peace written by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad The Promised Messiah
(peace be upon him). Page 10 (translated) (443) ‫۔ ﭘﯾﻐﺎم ﺻﻠﺢ ﺻﻔﺣہ‬23 ‫روﺣﺎﻧﯽ ﺧراﺋن ﺟﻠد ﻧﻣﺑر‬
27 (Fatir, 35:25)

28 A Message of Peace written by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad The Promised Messiah
(peace be upon him). Page 10 (translated) 44) ‫۔ ﭘﯾﻐﺎم ﺻﻠﺢ ﺻﻔﺣہ‬23 ‫روﺣﺎﻧﯽ ﺧراﺋن ﺟﻠد ﻧﻣﺑر‬2(

29 Ibid page 23 ) ‫ ﺻﻔﺣہ‬٢٣ ‫ روﺣﺎﻧﯽ ﺧزاﺋن ﺟﻠد ﻧﻣﺑر‬452-453 (

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