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Introducing the Books of the Promised Messiah (as) The Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), wrote more than eighty books, mostly in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. Only a small number of these have been translated into English. In order to hopefully bring English readers closer to the original writings of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), we are serialising Introducing the Books of the Promised Messiah by Mr. Naseem Saifi. In this work. Mr. Saifi has presented a brief account of every book written by the Promised Messiah (as). Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya The first and the second volumes of Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya were published in 1880 CE, the third volume in 1882 and the fourth volume in 1884. The fifth volume took, under the divine scheme, a long time to be published. It saw the light of the day after 1905. When the book started to be written and published, the British Government was well established in the sub-continent of India and in its wake the Christian religion was getting itself entrenched with great force and speed. The statistics show that whereas there were 91,000 Christians in India in 1851 CE, there were no less than 470,000 in 1881 CE. The increase in number was simply unprecedented. The onslaught of the Christian missionaries was mostly directed towards
the Muslims. Followers of some other religions, like Hinduism, also did not
lag behind in attacking Islam. Arya Samaj was particularly opposed to all
that was connected with Islam and the Muslims. It was in these circumstances that Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) who later
on claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, took up his pen to prove
the truth of Islam and the excellence of the Holy Qur'an. As for the reason
why he wrote his book Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya, he says:
Let it be clear to all the seekers after truth that the reason why this book entitled Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya ala haqiqati kitabilla hil Qur 'an wannubuwwatil Mohammadiyya (the proofs of the truth of the Book of Allah - the Holy Qur'an, and the Prophethood of Muhammad (sa)) has been compiled is that the proofs of the truth of Islam and the proofs of the excellence of the Holy Qur'an and the proofs of the truth of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet (sa), the Khatamun-Nabiyyeen, may God's choicest blessings be upon him, are made known to the people with the greatest clarity and all those who do not believe in the sacred book and chosen prophet, are silenced with perfect intellectual proofs in a way that they cannot open their mouths any more. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) offered a prize of 10,000 rupees to anyone who could refute these proofs and give even one-fifth of these proofs in favour of his own religion, scripture and Prophet. He was so anxious to make things clear to the people that he got this challenge (with prize) printed in such bold letters that a page of almost 10" length had only seven lines on it and it was spread over pages 24 to 52. When the Christians and the Hindus saw the first volume, they became furious
and talked most irrelevantly but none of them succeeded in taking up the challenge
sincerely. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) then explained to his readers that he never
had any intention to injure the feelings of the people. What he actually wanted
to do and what he was doing was to prove intellectually that Islam was a better
religion than every other religion. He said the days had passed when stories
were considered to be sufficient to prove that a religion was a living and
practical religion. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has made mention of the following six points about this
book:
The third volume starts with a mention of the poor condition of the Muslims and Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has shown great concern for them. It contains the external and internal proofs of the truth and excellence of the Holy Qur'an. This topic has been discussed at length and quite a number of details have been mentioned in the marginal notes. The fourth volume begins with the list of the topics discussed in the book.
It makes mention of the proofs of the need of the Word of God (revelation)
and asserts that the perfect faith and God realisation which is all important
for salvation can be achieved through the revelation of God. It also mentions
the excellent and unique interpretation of the Sura Fatiha and also some other
verses of the Holy Qur'an; the teachings of Vedas are devoid of the idea of
the Oneness of God; Pundit Dayanand silenced and the prophecy about his death
of which many people were informed beforehand came to pass; the comparison
of the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the New Testament; prophecies which
many people were told beforehand; the miracles of Jesus Christ (as), and what
is the real salvation and how it can be obtained. At the close of the fourth volume, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) added a note which
is entitled 'We and our Book'. In it he says that when he started writing
this book things were different from what they are now. He remarked that a
sudden manifestation of God the like of which was shown to Moses (as) had
been received by him and he had heard the voice of God Who said: 'Verily I am your Lord', and thereafter such secrets of spiritual heights
were made known to him as could never be gotten through the medium of wit
and intelligence. He further said that he now had no control over this book
and it was God alone Who knew how it would proceed. The fifth volume of Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya was published no less than 23 years
after the publication of the fourth volume. This volume starts with a description of the true and living religion and
stresses the point that a true and living religion must have the miraculous
manifestation of the words and deeds of the Almighty God. Any religion that
is not true and is not living will certainly be devoid of these manifestations. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) then continues to explain what a miracle really is and
why it is essential that the miracles must take place. He adds that the living
miracle and not merely the stories of the old are the sure sign of a living
religion. In the second chapter of the volume, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) makes mention of
the fulfilment of what had been outlined in the first four volumes, almost
25 years back. During this period a large number of prophecies had come to
pass and hundreds of his revelations had been mentioned to the people with
the result that all those people were witnesses to those revelations. He also
shows to his readers the succour that he had received from God on all the
occasions. All these things, he says, are a proof of the truth of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace and blessings of Allah and also they, quite
clearly, show that he (Hadhrat Ahmad (as)) was true in all the claims that
he had made in respect of his having been commissioned by God. There is a lengthy supplement attached to the book (Volume V). In this supplement,
Hadhrat Ahmad has answered the objections raised by the people, especially
by Mr. Muhammad Ikramullah of Shahjahanpur, Maulvi Abu Saeed Mohammad Hussain,
Sayed Muhammad Abdul Wahid of Bengal and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi. He has also dealt with the death of Jesus Christ (as), basing his arguments on a number of verses of the Holy Qur'an. After the supplement, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) wanted to write an epilogue. The short notes for this epilogue have been added to the book. These notes show that he wanted to explain what Islam really is, how excellent and perfect is the teaching of the Holy Qur'an, the fulfilment of the promises God had made to him as mentioned in the first four volumes of the book and, also, he wanted to explain what those revelations meant in which he had been called Jesus. As for his claim, he says (and with that ends the fifth volume of Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya):
I deem it necessary to say this much about my claim that I have been sent by God at the most appropriate time. This is the time when most of the people have become similar to the Jews. They have not only abandoned the fear of God (Taqwa) and purity of heart, they have become, like the Jews of the days of Jesus, the enemies of the truth. That is why, as a matter of contrast with them, God has given me the name of Messiah. It is not that just I call the people to myself, it is this Age that has called me (i.e. my advent is the need of the hour). Purani Tahrirain (Old Writings) The book entitled Purani Tahrirain (which means 'Old Writings') contains
an article and a correspondence between Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, and
some Arya Samajists. The article was written in 1879 CE and the correspondence
took place immediately after that, for that also was connected with the article.
But these writings were collected and published by a great disciple of Hadhrat
Ahmad (as) in 1899. The article and the correspondence make mention of three
things:
A certain Pundit Kharhak Singh (a member of the Arya Samaj) went to Qadian and asked Hadhrat Ahmad for a discussion on some religious points. The discussion did take place but it was not very fruitful, for Mr. Singh left abruptly. After he left, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) addressed some important members of Arya Samaj and sent them the article which he had read at the public meeting held at the request of Mr. Singh. He asked all of them for a reply and reiterated that the prize of Rs 500/ - which he had announced before was valid with this article as well. A correspondence ensued. There were two letters from Shiv Narain and one from Bawa Narain Singh (this letter is not included in the booklet). It was published in a magazine called Aftab on 18th February, 1879. All the letters were replied to by Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him.
Surma Chashm Arya (Collrium for the eyes of the Aryas) Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, had gone to Hoshiarpur under divine guidance. There he received the revelation prophesying the birth of a son with great qualities. He was still there (at Hoshiarpur) after the revelation when a certain Arya leader, Murli Dhar, asked for a discussion and his request was accepted. As a result of the acceptance of this request, the discussion took place on 11th and 14th March, 1886 CE. Lala Murli Dhar did not stick to the previously decided conditions of the discussion and the discussion, therefore, could not be completed and concluded as it should have been otherwise. Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, therefore, felt the necessity of telling the reading public what Murli Dhar wanted to ask and what the reply of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) would have been. The topics discussed in this book are:
Shahna-i-Haq (Battalion of Truth) This book (published in 1887) is also named Aryon ki kisi qadr Khidmat aur un ke vedon aur nukta chinion ki kucheh mahiyat (i.e. A little service of the Aryas and the truth about their Vedas and the objections they raise). When Surma Chashm Arya was published, the Aryas were stunned and instead of replying to it in a sober manner, they brought out a book with utterly filthy abuses. They called Hadhrat Ahmad (as) names, and they hurled abusive language on the Holy Qur'an. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) replied to this abusive book with Shahnai Haq. He told them point blank that their threats on his life were meaningless. He was not so much concerned with his life as he was with the spreading of the truth of Islam. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) also told his readers that Lekh Ram of Peshawar who was mostly engineering opposition to him and who was nastily abusive while talking about Islam and its Founder was a man with no knowledge and sense at all. A letter from Mr. Alex R. Webb of the United States and the reply to it from the pen of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) are given at the close of the book.
Sabz Ishtihar (Green Poster) Sabz Ishtihar is the title by which it came to be known because it was printed
on a green paper, otherwise the title of the poster is Haqqani Taqreer bar
waqia-wafat Bashir (i.e. A speech full of truth delivered on the death of
Bashir). Bashir the first, was born on 7th August 1887 CE, and he died on 4th November
1888. Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, published posters on 20th February 1886,
8th April 1886 and 17th August 1887. The posters had made mention of the birth
of a son who was to have very special qualities. When Bashir the first died,
there was a great hue and cry from the opponents saying that the prophecy
of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) about an illustrious son had been proved false, for
the child about whom he thought was illustrious was no more. Hadhrat Ahmad (as), in this address (published in the form of a poster which came to be known as the Green Poster) draws the attention of the opponents to the fact that the posters really made mention of two boys. One of them was to come to the world and go away quickly as a guest does. The other was to live a fairly long life and was to be the fulfilment of that prophecy. At the end of this poster (issued on the first day of December 1888), Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has added a note headed as 'Tabligh' (the conveyance of a message) and has invited the people to take Baiat at his hand. He expressly states that he has been commanded by God that all those who are seekers after truth should be told to take Baiat (get themselves initiated) for the acquisition of faith, piety and the love of God: they should do so to get rid of a dirty, lazy rebellious kind of life. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) invites the people to join him and he assures them that he would be sympathetic towards them and would try to lessen their burdens; he further says that God will help them through his prayers, the condition being that they should be ready, heart and soul, to act according to the divine guidance.
Fat-hi-Islam (Victory of Islam) In this book (written and published in 1891 CE), Hadhrat Ahmad (as) first makes mention of the efforts that the Christians were making at that time to convert the Muslims to their own faith. He remarks that the darkness has prevailed and disorder has become the order of the day. Good deeds are derided and poisonous ideas are being infused into the minds of people. He pointedly makes mention of the teachings of Christianity, which are like mines to blow up righteousness and piety and announces to the people all over the world that he has been sent by God to counter all these evils. He asks the Muslims if they do not think that it was necessary that in such circumstances, a godly man should have come to help them and the world at large. He claims that he is the one who has been sent at the most appropriate time to correct the wrongs, to revive the religion and to establish it in the hearts of the people. As for the sacrifices that would be needed, he says that revival of Islam demands a sacrifice from us and that sacrifice is that we should give our life for it. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) outlines his work and says that in order to reform the
people, there are five things that will have to be done like five separate
departments, or five branches of the main task. Those five branches
At the close of the book Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has made an announcement to the effect that all those who would like to ask any questions or who have any objections against Islam, the Holy Qur'an and the Holy Prophet (sa), or against himself (Hadhrat Ahmad (as)) or his claims or the work that he is doing, should write to him and seriously and sincerely ask for his answers. He tells them in this announcement that he will publish their questions or objections with his answers in a book form.
Aasmani Faisla (The Divine Decision) This book was published in December 1892. As the title of the book shows
it is a sort of invitation to Mian (Maulvi) Nazir Hussain of Delhi and his
pupil of Batala (Maulvi Muhammad Hussain) and to all those who think in the
like manner, be they Maulvis, Mystics (Sufis) or the Pirs (religious leaders),
to a Divine Decision and it also shows the truth about their previous discussions.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that these are the people who have dubbed him a Kafir
(non-believer), Dajjal, liar, irreligious, faithless, the accursed and far
away from the men of God. At the very outset, Hadhrat Ahmad (as), addressing Maulvi Nazir Hussain,
reminds him that he also is not free from the Fatwas of Kufr and in fact he
is considered to be the greatest of the kafirs. Just as the truthful and the
righteous Muslims are anxious to bring the people into the fold of Islam,
so is the Maulvi Nazir Hussain anxious to see that somehow or other somebody
from among the Muslims is dubbed as a kafir. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) refers to his books Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya and Surma Chashm
Arya and says that anybody who would read these books would certainly be convinced
that the writer is a great champion of Islam and is greatly interested in
establishing the grandeur of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, in the hearts of the people. Despite this fact, Mian Nazir Hussain and his pupil of Batala have taken
no time in calling him a kafir and that shows lack of patience on their part.
He invites them to heavenly signs and says that God has promised four kinds
of divine help for the true and perfect believers and these four kinds are
the surest signs for the distinction of perfect believers:
Having mentioned these signs of the true and perfect believers, Hadhrat
Ahmad (as) says that he is prepared heart and soul to prove as against Maulvi
Nazir Hussain and others that these things are to be found in him while they
are devoid of these things. He gives some detailed explanation as to how these
proofs could be supplied. It was like a duel that he wanted to hold. The book closes with a notification to the effect that the Annual Conference be held every year on 27th to 29th December. This notification was issued on the 30th December 1891 and Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that his followers should meet on 27th December of next year and they should meet for three days. As for the meeting, he says that his followers should get together to be in his company, to listen to spiritual talks and to join in collective prayers. Ludhiana Debate Ludhiana Debate took place between Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, and Maulvi
Abu Saeed Muhammad Hussain for twelve days starting from 20th July 1891. On reading Fat-hi-Islam, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain wrote to Hadhrat Ahmad
(as) that according to what he had written in the book it seemed that he had
claimed to be the like of the Messiah who was to come according to the Holy
Qur'an and the Sayings of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him. If it was so, he should confirm it; the answer, he said, should
be in a clear form of 'yes' or 'no'. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) wrote back to say that the answer was 'yes'. Maulvi Muhammad Hussain again wrote to Hadhrat Ahmad (as) to say that he was mistaken in this claim and that he should make a retreat. Later on, having read Tauzi-hi-Maram, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain again wrote
to say that he was strengthened in his view that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was very
wrong to claim to be the like of Messiah who was to appear in the latter days. The correspondence continued and as a result of it a debate took place between
the two of them. Since the debate took place at Ludhiana, it is generally
known by the name of Ludiana Debate. The subject to be discussed was the death
of Jesus Christ (as). Maulvi Muhammad Hussain wanted the position of Hadith
to be clarified before taking up the real subject of the debate and he harped
on this clarification for all the twelve days till the debate ended without
the topic of the death of Jesus Christ (as) being discussed. Hadhrat Ahmad
(as) gave clear and full-length answers to his questions about the position
of Hadith but the Maulvi repeated his demand every time; he said that a clear
cut reply had not been given. The stand of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was that only
such Hadith as tallied with the Holy Qur'an could be accepted. He remarked
that the surest thing that the Muslims had with them was the Holy Qur'an.
The Hadith could explain the Holy Qur'an but could not go against it. Maulvi
Muhammad Hussain insisted on putting the Hadith at the same level as the Holy
Qur'an is and asserted that whatever we find in the Hadith must be believed
in and acted upon in the same way as we do to whatever we find in the Holy
Qur'an. At the end of the debate, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) drew the attention of the people by swearing in the name of Allah, the Almighty, that now the way out was that Maulvi Muhammad Hussain should pray for forty days - as he also would do - and show some heavenly sign. If he could do that, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) remarked, he would not mind being butchered with any weapon the Maulvi liked, and he would pay any fine that he would be asked to pay. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) further said, 'A Warner came to the world but the world accepted him not'. However, God will accept him and prove his truth with mighty onslaughts. This brought the debate to an end.
Delhi Debate The Delhi Debate took place between Hadhrat Ahmad (as) and Maulvi Muhammad
Bashir Bhopali in October 1891. When the Ludhiana Debate did not prove fruitful from the point of view that
Maulvi Muhammad Hussain did not touch upon the real topic of the debate -
the death of Jesus Christ (as) - Hadhrat Ahmad (as) addressed Rashid Ahmad
Gangohi, Maulvi Sayed Nazir Hussain, and Maulvi Abdul Haq and in fact he issued
a poster on 2nd October 1891. He was then in Delhi. In this poster he made
mention of his beliefs and stated his claim along with the assertion that
Jesus (as) had died a natural death. He called upon Maulvi Sayed Nazir Hussain
and Maulvi Abdul Haq (both of them Maulvis of the top rank) to get the issues
clarified. The proposal did not materialise in the real sense of the word.
Of course, one Maulvi Muhammad Bashir came forward for a debate on the life
or death of Jesus (as). Maulvi Muhammad Bashir quoted four verses from the Holy Qur'an to show that
Jesus (as) was still alive but based his claim on just one of them which he
said was basic in this issue. In the course of the debate, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) explained at length that Jesus Christ (as) could not be living and that he actually was not living; he had died a natural death. He stressed the point that Jesus (as), having died, his coming back could never mean that it was he himself who had to come for the reformation of the world - especially the Muslims.
Izalai Auham (Removal of Suspicions) This book starts with an appeal to the doubters that they should come forward
for divine decision. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) invites them to show heavenly signs
as he was doing and assures them that if they will try to do so, they will
be put to shame, for, they will not receive any heave succour. Then he answers the questions as to what this Messiah (Hadhrat Ahmad (as))
had done as compared with Jesus Christ (as) who is said to have give life
to the dead, eyes to the blind and hearing power to the deaf. He draws the attention of the people to the fact that the books Hadith do
not say that the Promised Messiah (as) will give life to the dead rather they
say that the living will be caused to die with his breath. Moreover, he says
that, God has sent him to give spiritual life to spiritually dead people and
in this connection he asserts that those will be made to live through him
(Hadhrat Ahmad (as)) will never die. If life-giving words which were also
full of wisdom could be uttered someone else also, then he would admit that
he had not been sent by God. He assures the Muslims that the time for the help of Islam and victory had come and all what he is doing is not of human planning; it is from God. He it is Who established this dispensation and He is the One Who is at his back. Then he goes on to explain the miracles that are said to have been shown by Jesus Christ (as). Next, he takes up the metaphorical signs of the second advent of Jesus Christ
(as) and along with them he comments on a chapter of the Holy Qur'an entitled
Zilzal. Among the signs, he mentioned the darkening of the sun and the moon,
the falling of the stars and the shaking of the heave powers. He actually
quotes the Gospel according to Matthew (Chap. 24) for this purpose. Hadhrat Ahmad (as), having quoted the Gospel, shows the glaring contradictions
in them and then points to the fact that these things could taken only metaphorically. Sura Zilzal also makes mention of the signs that were to take place in the
latter days. Having explained all this at some length, Hadhrat Ahmad (as)
outlines his religion under the heading 'Our Religion'. He says that the gist
of his religion is La ilaha illallaho Mohammadur Rasulullah and he believes
- and he will continue to believe this till the last breath of his - that
the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the
Khataman Nabiyyin and the best of the Messengers and superior to all of them
and that he is the one at whose hands the law of religion has been perfected
and completed. He says that he also believes that the Holy Qur'an is the last
and the best of heavenly books and neither anything can be added to it nor
anything can be diminished from it. He goes on to explain his faith in detail
and then he asserts that the Promised Messiah (as) who has been mentioned
in his visions and revelations contained in Fat-hi-Islam and Tauzi-hi-Maran
is none other than himself. Further on, he gives some details of the proof
of his being the Promised Messiah (as) and assures the readers that only those
who have believed in him and have joined his fold are the people who can be
considered to be secure and deserving rewards and increase in faith. In the second part of Izalai Auham, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) announces that this
book contains answers to all the questions which the people pose due to their
ignorance, in connection with the life and death of Jesus Christ (as). He
says that anyone who will read this book of his attentively will find that
the doubts have been removed and his questions have been answered. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) quotes and explains the thirty verses of the Holy Qur'an
which clearly prove that Messiah, the son of Mary, has really died. Since it was one of the objectives of his life that the excellence of the Holy Qur'an should be made manifest he has a separate chapter in this book which is entitled 'The Excellence of the Holy Qur'an as it is outlined by the Holy Qur'an itself'. And after that, once again, he quotes some people as witnesses who proclaimed that they had been shown in a vision that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was really the true claimant to be the Promised Messiah (as). Next, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) talks of some of his followers and helpers and also makes mention of a plan of carrying the message of Islam to Europe and America. At the end of the book, there are some pieces of advice for those who have
been initiated at his hand and a few words for those who are still seekers
after truth. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) refers to the views of Sayed Ahmad Khan K.C.S.I. on revelation and explains the Islamic ideology on this point. He also throws a challenge carrying a prize worth one thousand rupees about the word Tawaffa - which is the keyword in all discussions about the life or death of Jesus Christ (as) - and it must be remembered that the death of Jesus Christ (as) is basically important for the truthfulness of a claimant to be the Promised Messiah (as).
Nishan-i-Aasmani Shahadatul Mulhimin (The Heavenly Signs) Nishan-i-Aasmani (the second title being the testimony of those who are
the recipients of Revelation from God), published in 1892, contains the witnesses
of the godly persons in favour of the claim of Hazrat Ahmad (as) to be the
Promised Messiah and Mahdi. One of these divine persons was Ghulab Shah. Hadhrat
Ahmad (as) says that Ghulab Shah had died some thirty years ago. Mian Karim
Bakhsh was the one who was told by Ghulab Shah about the appearance of the
Mahdi. Though mention had been made of it in Izalai Auham, this book contains
more details. The other prophecy was made by Nimatullah who was a greatly revered godly person and the prophecy made by him is contained in a poem which he composed in the Persian language. His prophecy makes mention of the name of the Promised Messiah as Ahmad and also points to the fact that the Promised Messiah (as) would get an illustrious son - it draws the attention of the reader very conspicuously to the Hadith of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to the effect that the Promised Messiah would be married and get a son. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) quotes all the couplets of the poem composed by Nimatullah and gives a comprehensive explanation of all of them. After quoting this prophecy, Hadhrat Ahmad (as), refers to the Hadith of
the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to the effect
that God would raise a Mujaddid (one who revives) for the Muslims to revive
their religion at the head of every century and he remarks that it is mentioned
in the books of Hadith that when the Promised Messiah appears, the Ulema will
oppose him tooth and nail and dub him a kafir. Next, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) gives
the statement of Karim Bakhsh Jamalpuri who says that he is doing so out of
sympathy for his Muslim brothers. In this statement, Karim Bakhsh says that Ghulab Shah said it three times that the name of the Promised Messiah was Ghulam Ahmad and that the Messiah who was the son of Mary had died and he was therefore not coming back. Ghulab Shah also told him that (Hadhrat) Ghulam Ahmad (as) was to come in Qadian, i.e. he was to be born there. After the statement of Karim Bakhsh, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) takes up the criticism
levied by Maulvi Mohammad Hussain of Batala against his book entitled Aasmani
Faisla . He explains his claim and tells his reader that the Batalvi and his
master - Sayed Nazir Hussain - are trying to mislead the people by accusing
him of things which he has never uttered. He says the reason why they are
doing so is that their hearts have been hardened. He repeats his demand that
they should show heavenly signs as he was claiming to show. He calls upon the generality of the people, especially those who are seekers
after truth and who realise that God will question them - that they should
not follow the Maulvis of this age without making a thorough research. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has also warned
the people against the Maulvis of the latter days. He appeals to them that
clearing their minds of all the preconceived ideas they should pray to God
- he specifies a method of prayer by saying that two Rakaat prayers should
be offered, reciting Sura Yasin in the first Rakaat and Sura Ikhlas (twenty-one
times) in the second Rakaat and Allahumma salli, three hundred times and Istighfar
three hundred times. They should pray to God that He may let them know the
truth of his claim. He closes the book with an announcement that he would like to make an arrangement
for the preaching of Islam in the Indian sub-continent. Before this announcement
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) appeals to those who are in a position to help the religion.
He says that he is very grateful to his friends who are doing all they can
to help the cause of religion but things have taken a new turn and more help
is needed. This new turn, Ahmad (as) says, is that even those who call themselves
Muslims have started a wave of opposition, so much so that they do not let
the people read his books. He expresses confidence in the fact that if the
Jamaat does not become slack in its efforts, all these hurdles will soon be
removed. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that it has now become incumbent upon him to spare
no efforts to reform the people within and without. He further says that such
being the case he has decided that he will not put down his pen till all the
hurdles have been removed. The blessings of God that are being showered on
him like a heavy rain make him believe that he will be successful and God
will not let his efforts go to waste. Then he talks of some of the books that
he intends to write after the present volume.
Aainai Kamalat-i-Islam (Mirror for the Excellence of Islam) The book Aainai Kamalat-i-Islam has two parts, one in Urdu and the other
in Arabic. The Urdu part was published in 1892 while the Arabic part was published
in the early days of 1893. The book has another title also and that is Dafi-ul-wasawis - i.e. 'the
remover of the suspicions' (or doubts). The Arabic part of the book has a
sub-title and that is Al-Tabligh (conveyance of the message). To start with, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that his books Fat-hi-Islam, Tauzihi-Maram
and Izalai Auham should have made the Muslims grateful to God that at such
a critical time He had enabled one of them to defend Islam and answer satisfactorily
the questions of the non-Muslims, but having come across his claim to be the
like of Messiah, they got furious and in their rage that was quite out of
proportion, they hurled abuses at him and dubbed him a kafir and called him
all sorts of names. Maulvi Mohammad Hussain led the way and prepared a Fatwa
(religious decree) to declare him a kafir and got his teacher, Mian Nazir
Hussain, to sign it as the first signatory. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that he
does not see anything strange in it because that is what has always been done
to the godly people. It is only after some time has passed that their true
position is recognised. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that he does not mind the fatwas of Kufr that are
being issued against him, what he is after is that God may make him serve
His religion and he may be able to establish the excellence of the Holy Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and that of the Holy Qur'an. As for the reasons why he has written this book, he says that on the one
hand the Christians are undermining Islam and on the other the Muslims who
are overawed by the European philosophy are talking of religion in such a
way that Islam is harmed by being misunderstood by the non-Muslims. As an
example, he quotes Sir Sayed Ahmad who had very different views about revelations,
angels, prophethood, etc. His views gave support to those who, in their own
way, wanted to attack Islam. Hadhrat Ahmad (as), therefore, decided to write this book to expound the
true theory of Islam and to explain to his readers what Islam really means
and what was the significance of all that it teaches its followers. He wanted
to show the beautiful face of Islam to the world. In this book he deals with the excellences of Islam, the prophetic revelations,
the angels and their functions. He also answers those who are engrossed in
modern philosophy and raises their eyebrows on the teachings of Islam. He
proves with full length arguments that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and
blessings of Allah be on him, was far superior to Jesus Christ (as) - as he
was to other prophets also. He had to do so because it was being preached
that Jesus (as) was superior to the Holy Prophet (sa). Having given details of what really Islam is, he goes on to tell his readers
how to become good Muslims and what could a man do to attain to that position.
Having proved that Islam is a living religion, he assures the Muslims that
the days of the victory of Islam are at hand. He admires the British Government for religious freedom, peace, maintenance
of law and order and prays for the Queen that she may accept Islam and become
the recipient of the blessings of God. He addresses the Queen and explains
to her the excellences of Islam and the Holy Qur'an. A Christian newspaper Noor Afshan published an article in its issue for
13th October 1892 in which the writer said that since man had existed on this
planet, there had never been a person who claimed to be the resurrection and
life and who said that he who would believe in his words would live even though
he might have died or in other words would become free from sin, disobedience
to God, negligence and the death of disbelief and would attain to the spiritual
life and perfect obedience to God. The writer of the article said that the only person who did claim all that was Jesus Christ (as) who also proved that what he had claimed was true - if somebody else had put up his claim he would have failed in it and he could not have done any of these things. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) answers this article with full length discussion. He says that if Jesus Christ (as) had actually claimed to be resurrection and life, he being a true prophet of God, his claim would have been proved true and spiritual life would have become abundant in the world in his own life-time as well as after he had passed away. But it is quite clear that the truth and the ideology of the oneness of God did not spread much through him and it can be said that the success in spreading these things was so small that perhaps every other prophet was able to do more than he did. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) also refutes the idea of Jesus Christ (as) having performed
the miracles which are ascribed to him, i. e. giving life to the dead. He
says that if Jesus (as) had actually performed these miracles, the end of
some of his disciples would not have been so bad as it really was - one of
them took a small amount of money and got him arrested and another expressed
his ignorance of who Jesus (as) was. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) compares the Companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) with the disciples of Jesus Christ (as) and shows the marked difference and proves thereby that truly speaking it was the Holy Prophet (sa) who was life giving and not Jesus Christ (as). Hadhrat Ahmad (as) announces that he has been commissioned by God to call
upon all the Maulvis and Muftis who call him a kafir, because of their partial
difference or because they have not been able to understand his claim, for
a prayer duel to show who is on the right and who is not. He also calls upon
the Christian missionaries, Hindus, Aryas, Brahmans, Sikhs, Atheists and Naturalists
to come forward and get the issues decided. After these challenges and invitations,
he assures those who had believed in him or who would believe in him in future
that their end would be a blessed one and they would not be the losers at
all. The second part of this book which is in Arabic and is entitled Al-Tabligh
was written at the instance of Maulvi Abdul Karim, one of his close companions,
Maulvi Abdul Karim suggested that a detailed letter be written to the Muslim
religious leaders who are known as Faqirs and Pirzadas. Hadhrat Ahmad (as)
liked this suggestion very much and wanted to write the letter to be a part
of his book, in Urdu. But he had some indications from God that he should
write this letter in Arabic. That is why it was written in Arabic. This was
the first writing of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) in Arabic. At the very outset he addresses the Faqirs, the Zahids and the respectable people of Arabia, India and other countries and tells them that he has been raised to uproot the evils that crept into the world and to remind them of all that the religious Islamic law says. He also calls upon them not to look down upon him. He proves to his readers that Jesus (as) had died and he adds that it is
simply not possible that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him, should be lying buried under the ground while Jesus Christ
(as) should be alive and that too in the heavens. He also quotes the Holy
Qur'an and the Hadith to prove the death of Jesus Christ (as). As for the
second coming of Christ of the latter days he was to be born in those very
days; he had not to come from the skies. In this Arabic section also he calls
upon the Queen to accept Islam for this is the only religion now acceptable
to God. He tells her to repent and to listen to him. He gives some details of his lineage and also the biographical notes about
some of his 'Brothers in religion'.
Barakatud Dua (The Blessings of the Prayer) Sir Sayed Ahmad Khan (who has been mentioned in Aainai Kamalati-Islam) published
a book Ad-Dua wallstijaba to show that the acceptance of the prayer was not
an actual fact; it was only a sort of consolation that one felt in one's heart
after prayer to God that could be called acceptance of the prayer. Since this
ideology is totally opposed to the Islamic ideology of the acceptance of prayer
as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and other sacred scriptures, Hadhrat Ahmad
(as) lost no time in issuing a refutation of the ideas of Sir Sayed Ahmad.
Barakatud Dua was the result. Sir Sayed Ahmad had also written another book
containing his views about the principles of commentary on the Holy Qur'an.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) found that this book also contained incorrect principles.
So he included his views on the commentary of the Holy Qur'an. In this book,
Barakatud Dua, Sir Sayed was of the opinion that revelation did not mean that
it was a message from another source; it only meant what somebody strongly
felt as an idea taking hold of him. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) in this respect explained
what revelation really is. In this book he says: 'I have seen that when revelation comes to me - and
that is what the wahyi walayat - I feel that I am in the grip of someone and
this grip is very strong and sometimes it is so strong that I feel that I
am merged in the light of the one who grips me. I find a pull towards Him
and I cannot resist in the least. It is when I am in the grip like this that
I hear a very clear voice.' Hadhrat Ahmad (as) also assures Sayed Ahmad that
if he wishes to have the proof of the acceptance of prayer he is prepared
to supply the same but he tells him that if the proofs are actually supplied,
Sayed Ahmad should abandon his views. Before closing, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) mentions
one of his prayers that was accepted; it was in connection with Lekhram. He
asks Sayed Ahmad to pray to God that his views about prayer may be corrected
and this, he said, he could do by prayer alone. In his booklet Sayed Ahmad had mentioned the principles of the commentary
of the Holy Qur'an. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) gives his own seven principles and
asserts that Sayed Ahmad knows nothing about the commentary of the Holy Qur'an.
The seven principles mentioned by Hadhrat Ahmad (as) are:
Hujjatul Islam (The Convincing Proof of Islam) The Hujjatul Islam was published in 1893 CE and as the title page says it
was intended to be an invitation to Dr. Henry Martin Clarke and some other
Christians to the fact that Islam is the only living religion in the world
and that it has its proofs of being a living religion today as it had in the
days gone by. It is also stated in this publication that Christianity has
been pushed into darkness and there are no signs of being a living religion
that can be displayed by Christianity. The conditions of the debate fixed
for 22nd May 1893 are also mentioned. In the very beginning of the book Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that although
the followers of all the religions claim that they love God, what really needs
to be proved is whether God also loves them or not. The way we can know that
God loves the people is that first He opens up their hearts and they begin
to have certainty in His existence and His powers. Then God speaks to them.
It is the 'talk' of God that gives them the real satisfaction of their life.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) further remarks that it is this kind of 'talks' with the
people that shows that their religion is a living religion. This now is possible
only for the followers of Islam and therefore no other religion but Islam
is the living religion. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that Reverend Doctor Henry Martin Clarke has expressed
a desire through correspondence that he is preparing for a crusade against
the Muslims and he would like to get the issue decided in such a way that
Muslims should never think of confronting the Christians any more. Hadhrat
Ahmad (as), who was raised to see Islam victorious, says in this book that
having come to know of the desire of Reverend Doctor Henry Martin Clarke,
he sent a delegation of fifteen persons to see the Reverend and arrange a
debate. Consequently, it was decided that the debate should take place at
Amritsar as from 22nd May 1893. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) also calls upon Maulvi Mohammad Hussain to write the commentary of the Holy Qur'an in Arabic. He had been asked to do so before but there was no reply from him, so this was a reminder.
Sach-Chai Ka Izhar (The Expression of Truth) The book also contains correspondence between Hadhrat Ahmad (as) and some
Christian dignitaries. This book (published in 1893) contains a promise made by Abdulla Atham (Christian)
to the effect that if he is defeated in the debate he will become a Muslim.
Also there are some letters written by some leamed Arabs (from Hejaz and Syria)
confirming the truth of the claim of Hadhrat Ahmad (as). Hadhrat Ahmad (as) makes mention of the help that Maulvi Mohammad Hussain had given to the Christians through his newspaper - Ishaatus Sunna. And this help was in the form of declaring Hadhrat Ahmad (as) a kafir, so that the Christians could say that he (Hadhrat Ahmad (as)) being a non-Muslim, they were not prepared to debate any religious issue with him. At the end of the book, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) issues an announcement in reply to a poster issued by Abdul Haq Ghaznavi. In it Hadhrat Ahmad (as) invites him and others of his kind to a prayer duel and as a postscript to the announcement Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that if Maulvi Mohammad Hussain does not turn up, it will be a proof of the fact that the prophecy about him, which says that he will repent and stop calling him a kafir, has been fulfilled. Shahadatul Qur'an (Testimony of the Holy Qur'an) The full name of the book is Shahadatul Quran ala Nuzulil Masihilmauood
fi Aakhirizzaman, i. e. The witness of the Holy Qur'an about the descending
(appearance) of the Promised Messiah in the latter days. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) received a printed letter written by one Ata Mohammad
wherein he had asked him whether he was the Promised Messiah or the people
should wait for someone else. The writer of the letter believed that Jesus
(as) had died but he did not believe that the reappearance of Jesus (as) meant
that a follower of the Holy Prophet (sa) would claim to be Jesus. He also
said that though this thing was mentioned in the books of Hadith, he did not
think that the books of Hadith could be relied upon. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) dealt with the question from three angles:
At the close of the book, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that if all what he has
said does not satisfy Ata Mohammad, he should declare it to be so and ask
for a sign from God. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has added a note to the book - the note is captioned as 'For the attention of the Government'. In this note he refutes the propaganda against him that he is working against the government and in order to prove his case he quotes a passage from the newspaper Ishaatus Sunna, published by Maulvi Mohammad Hussain. Next, he adds another note about the postponement of the Annual Gathering scheduled to be held on 27th December 1893.
Tohfi-Baghdad (A Present to Baghdad) Sayed Abdur Razzaq Qadir Baghdadi sent a poster and a letter written in Arabic to Hadhrat Ahmad (as), from Hyderabad, Deccan (India). The theme of the poster and the letter was that the claim of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) to be the Promised Messiah was against the Sharia of Islam and that he was liable to be beheaded; he also said that his (Hadhrat Ahmad's) book Al-Tabligh was a contradiction of the Holy Qur'an. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) took the writer of the letter seriously and wrote Tohfai Baghdad explaining what his claim was and giving the proofs of the death of Jesus Christ (as), continuity of revelation in Islam and appearance of Mujaddids. In this book, he tells Sayed Awur Razzaq not to be influenced by the Fatwas issued by the Maulvis, rather he should come and stay with him and find out the truth of what he was saying. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) advises him that if he cannot afford to come to him, he should offer special prayers to God (in the form of Istikhara) for seven days and ask God about the truth of his claim. The book is in Arabic language and was written in July 1893. Hamamatul Bushra (Dove of Good News) An Arab scholar who was a well-to-do person - Mohammad Ibn Ahmad Makki of
Sho'b Aamir- was on a tour of India. He heard of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) and went
to Qadian to see him. There he got himself initiated into the Jamaat. On his return to Mecca he wrote to Hadhrat Ahmad (as) to tell him that he
had talked to the people about the advent of the Promised Messiah (as) and
that he had told them about him and they were happy to hear the news. He also
asked Hadhrat Ahmad (as) to send him his books to be distributed among the
interested people. In answer to this request of Mohammad Ibn Ahmad, Hadhrat
Ahmad (as) wrote Hamamatul Bushra in 1894. In it he explained his claim to
be the Promised Messiah (as) and he dilated on the appearance of Dajjal, the
death of Jesus Christ (as) and appearance of the Messiah. He also mentioned
the objections raised by those who called him kafir and told his addressees
what his stand was. In other words, he presented the arguments for the proof
of the truth of his claim. The book has proved to be very useful in the Arabian
lands for the introduction of the Promised Messiah (as) (It was written by
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) in Arabic.) On the title page Hadhrat Ahmad (as) gives two couplets which say: 'Our
dove flies with the wings of fondness and in its beak are the presents of
peace and it flies to the land of the Prophet who is the beloved of our Lord
and Chief of the Messengers and the best of the creation.' He also says that this book contains the spiritual secrets of the Holy Qur'an. At the very outset he says that he has said it in some of his books that
the inimical attitude towards the godly people becomes a cause of one's deprivation
of faith. He explains how this thing takes place. The letter from Mohammad
bin Ahmad to which this book is a reply is also reproduced.
Itmamul Hujja (Making the Proof Comprehensive and Convincing) Maulvi Rusul Baba of Amritsar published a book to prove that Jesus Christ (as) was not dead rather he was living and in the skies. He also announced that he would give a prize of 1000 rupees to anyone who would prove that Jesus (as) was no more living. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) could not let this opportunity of proving the death of Jesus Christ (as) go unavailed. So he published Itmamul Hujja refuting all the arguments of Maulvi Rusul Baba and in addition to that he very conclusively proved that Jesus was no more. He asks Rusul Baba to deposit 1000 rupees that he had offered as a prize with three persons and send him a note to that effect. He even says that he would not mind if a venomous person like Maulvi Mohammad Hussain is appointed the judge to decide the case between Rusul Baba and himself. Of course while giving judgement he will have to swear by God that he had decided the case with impartiality and that if he had not done so the wrath of God may descend on him. The Itmamul Hujja was sent by registered post to the Chiefs of Amritsar
to Maulvi Mohammad Hussain and to Maulvi Rusul Baba; nobody uttered a word
about the book. Rusul Baba was one of the bitterest enemies of Hadhrat Ahmad (as); he died on 8th December 1902; the cause of his death was bubonic plague.
Karamatus Sadiqeen (The Miracles of the Truthful) Written in the Arabic language. In January 1893, Maulvi Mohammad Hussain published an article in his newspaper Ishaatus Sunna to the effect that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) did not know the Arabic language and that he was also ignorant of the meaning and true interpretation of the Holy Qur'an and therefore did not deserve any heavenly help. He called him a liar and a dajjal. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) had told Maulvi Mohammad Hussain to draw lots and pick a sura of the Holy Qur'an for writing its commentary in the Arabic language and at the end of this commentary there should be 100 couplets in praise of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He had also told him that the Maulvi could call others also to his help - including his teacher, Nazir Hussain. Maulvi Mohammad Hussain said that he was ready to do so but did nothing about it. His silence really meant that he felt he was not capable of doing so. This being the situation, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) wrote Karamatus Sadiqeen. It contains four Euologies (poems written in praise) and a commentary on the Sura Fatiha.
Jang-i-Muqaddas ((The Sacred Battle) The Crusade) Jang-i-Muqaddas was a debate which took place between Hadhrat Ahmad (as),
the representative of the Muslims, and Abdulla Atham, the representative of
the Christians. It started on 22nd May 1893 and continued till 5th June 1893.
The sessions were co-presided over by a Muslim - Ghulam Qadir Fasih- and a
Christian - Rev. Dr. Henry Martin Clarke. The main topic of the debate was the godhead of Jesus Christ (as). On the
side of the Muslims, all the papers were written by Hadhrat Ahmad (as) while
on the side of the Christians, Abdullah Atham did so, except on one day when
he was indisposed and Rev. Dr. Henry Martin Clarke replaced him. Dr. Henry
Martin Clarke himself was replaced as co-president on that day by another
Christian named Ihsanullah. Dr. Henry Martin Clarke was a missionary at Amritsar.
He extended his activities to a nearby place called Jandiyalla. A certain
Muslim, Mian Mohammad Bakhsh, took it upon himself to defend Islam. He taught
some other Muslims also how to defend Islam against the Christian attacks.
Thus started discourses between Christians and the Muslims of Jandiyala. Dr.
Henry Martin Clarke was informed of the situation and he addressed a letter
to Mian Mohammad Bakhsh in the latter's capacity of a representative of the
Muslims. In this letter, Dr. Henry Martin Clarke said that Mian Mohammad Bakhsh
could call upon any of the Muslims to come and debate the issues with them.
Mian Mohammad Bakhsh was not very well versed in theology and he, therefore,
wrote to Hadhrat Ahmad (as) to come to the aid of the Muslims of Jandiyala.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) readily agreed. He wrote a letter direct to Dr. Henry Martin
Clarke. The doctor did not like to face Hadhrat Ahmad (as) and, therefore,
wrote back to say that he had called upon the Muslims of Jandiyala for a debate
and not Hadhrat Ahmad (as). He also tried to avoid a confrontation with Hadhrat
Ahmad (as) by saying that he - Hadhrat Ahmad (as) - was not considered to
be a Muslim and therefore he could not be taken as representative of theirs
(Muslims). In reply to this, Mian Mohammad Bakhsh wrote to the doctor that whatever
the differences there might be, he took Hadhrat Ahmad (as) as a Muslim and,
therefore, he was the one to represent the Muslims on the occasion. The debate, as stated before, took place from 22nd May 1893 to 5th June
1893. It was held at the residence of Rev. Dr. Henry Martin Clarke. All the
papers that were written by both the sides were signed by the co-chairmen
of the occasion. At a certain stage (on 26th May) the Christian representative presented
three persons - a blind, a lame and a dumb - and asked Hadhrat Ahmad (as)
to heal them. The Christians thought this was their trump card, but it proved
to be a boomerang. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) said that he did not have to show any
such miracle, for, he did not believe that that was what Jesus (as) did. Of
course, the Christian representative should perform this miracle, for that
is the sign of the least faith that a Christian is expected to have. Jesus
(as) has said that if you have faith you will remove the evil spirits and
you will heal the sick. As soon as the Christians heard this, they took away
those three persons stealthily. In his last paper (5th June) Hadhrat Ahmad (as) said that God had told him
the previous night - and it was in answer to his fervent prayers - that whoever
of the two sides was deliberately telling untruth and abandoning the true
God and taking a humble human being to be a God, he would fall into the hell
within a period of fifteen months - one month for every day of the debate
- and he would be extremely humiliated - of course he could be saved of this
end, if he turned towards truth. On the other hand, whoever was on the right
and believed in the true God he would be honoured. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) further remarked that when this prophecy would come to pass, the blind would see, the lame would walk and the deaf would hear.
Sirrul Khilafa (The Secret of Caliphate (Khilafat)) In Sirrul Khilafa (in the Arabic language) published in July 1894, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has discussed the difference that exists between the Sunnis and the Shias on the issue of Khilafat after the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him. He has given very convincing proof of the fact that though Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra), Hadhrat Umar (ra), Hadhrat Uthman (ra), and Hadhrat Ali (ra) were, all of them, the rightly guided Khalifas, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra) was the best of them all and he was like a second Adam for Islam. He says that to be very factual, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra) was the fulfilment of the verse of the Holy Qur'an which makes mention of Khalifas. He has taken up the objections that the Shias raise against the first three
Khalifas and has answered them at some length. He calls upon those who differ
with him on this view, for a Prayer Duel, and if the result of this Prayer
goes against him, he says he will admit that he is not a truthful person and
he will also offer a prize of 5000 rupees. None came forward. He also explains
the prophecy about the appearance of Mahdi and proves to his readers his own
claim to be that person. The reason why this book was written in Arabic was to expose the hollowness of the claim of Maulvi Mohammad Hussain and others to be great learned people. They were given twenty-seven days to write a book like this one and were offered a prize of 27 rupees - one rupee per day. Nobody took up the challenge and thus all of them left behind an everlasting proof of their being ignorant and incapable of doing what Hadhrat Ahmad (as) could do with the help of God. In the first chapter, Hadhrat Ahmad (as), deals with Khilafat in general and proves that Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra), Hadhrat Umar (ra) and Hadhrat Uthman (ra), were without any shadow of doubt, rightly guided Khalifas. He vehemently condemns the ideas of the Shias to the effect that the first three Khalifas were usurpers and proves very convincingly that nobody had the right to be Khalifas in their place. He cites the Holy Qur'an (the verse which mentions Layastakh lifannahum) and he also quotes the Hadith to prove his case. In the second chapter he draws the attention of his readers to the advent of Mahdi whom he calls the Adam of the Ummat and the Khatam of the Imams. He tells them to look into the conditions of times and try to realise if the Mahdi should not have appeared to reform the world. He points out that he is the Mahdi who was promised and explains the significance of his being called Jesus Christ (as). The main part of the book is in the Arabic language with an announcement
in Urdu. This announcement refers to the challenge that he had thrown to Maulvi
Mohammad Hussain and others with a handsome prize. At the end of the book Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has addressed a letter to the
learned people and appealed to them that they should not take decisions about
him in haste. He says that he has been called Jesus (as) through revelation and it is
simply not possible that having heard this thing from God he should ignore
it or make a retreat. He further remarks that his opponents neither turn to
the Holy Qur'an nor do they pay heed to the Hadith; they have shifted from
the right path. He also draws the attention of the people to the fact that though all sorts
of plans were made against him, it is he who has been safe and secure while
the opponents have been the sufferers. He points to their mistaken view that
when the Angels descend their places in the heaven are left vacant, for they
come down with their physical bodies. He refutes this view and explains how
the angels work with their influences and impact. He tells them to use the
common sense, for the beauty of Islam is that it is in complete accordance
with our nature. He prays to God for His pleasure which he says can be had by following the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Anwarul Islam (The Light of Islam) During the debate with Abdulla Atham, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) had prophesied
that Atham would fall in the hell within fifteen months, provided he did not
turn towards the truth. Fifteen months passed and Atham was still alive. So,
the Christians made a great hullaballo and took out a procession to celebrate
the victory of Christianity over Islam. This procession was taken out on 6th
December 1894. Their newspaper Noor Afshan wrote: 'Mirza Sahib did not hold
the debate with his being a recipient of the revelation and to be the like
of the Messiah, as an issue. The real point at issue for which he held the
debate was that he should show the religion of Mohammad to be true and the
Qur'an to be the book of Allah and refute the beliefs of Christianity. The
prophecy that he announced towards the end of the debate was to prove the
religion of Mohammad to be true and from God.' Despite the fact that this was the position of the debate, some shameless
Mullahs joined the Christians to be a party to this celebration -- they mocked
at Hadhrat Ahmad (as) and objected to the non-fulfilment of the prophecy.
They even went to the extent of hurling abuses on him. When these Mullas were
going too far, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) paid them in their own coins. He said:
Some nominal Muslims whom we should call semi-Christians are very glad that Abdulla Atham has not died in fifteen months time; they I are so happy that they have not been able to contain themselves. They have issued posters and have, as they are always wont to do, hurled abuses. Due to the personal grudge that they have against me, they have attacked Islam also, for the purpose of my debate was to uphold and support Islam and not to prove my claim to be the Promised Messiah. Whatever they thought of me, a kafir, a Satan, a Dajjal - the issue of the debate was the truth of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and that of the Holy Qur'an. However, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) wrote and published Anwarul Islam on 7th September
1894 and gave a full explanation of the fulfilment of the prophecy. The death
of Atham was conditioned with his non-return to truth. Hadhrat Ahmad (as)
gave many proofs of the fact that Atham was overawed by the prophecy and in
his heart of hearts he had accepted the truth of Islam. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) also published four posters offering prizes (Rs. 1000 in the first poster, Rs. 2000 in the second poster, Rs. 3000 in the third poster and Rs. 4000 in the fourth poster) to Abdulla Atham to swear by God that he was not overawed by the prophecy and he had not turned towards Islam. Atham did not take up the gauntlet and thus proved to the world that the prophecy had been clearly fulfilled.
Nurul Haq (The Light of the Truth) Published in 1894. When the Christians felt that their defeat in the debate that Abdulla Atham had with Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was crushing and it was as if their back was broken one of their so-called missionaries who had left Islam and joined them - Imadud Din - published a book entitled Tauzinul Aqwal. It was most abusive and inflammatory of the highest degree. So much so that the Hindu newspapers - and even a Christian publication - came out openly to say that it was most inflammatory. They went to the extent of saying that if there was an uprising again like that of 1857, it will be caused by the writings of this person. In this book Imadud Din criticised the style of the Holy Qur'an and hurled
abuses on the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It was
full of mean allegations against the Holy person of the Founder of Islam and
had also incited the government against Hadhrat Ahmad (as) by alleging that
he (Hadhrat Ahmad (as)) was working towards the overthrow of the constituted
authority. He remarked that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was creating disorder and causing
disturbance in the land and was no less than a traitor. He also referred to
'Jihad in Islam' and said that 'Whenever he (Hadhrat Ahmad (as)) will find
himself in power he will not hesitate to wage Jihad against the government.' The book Nuqul Haq is a reply to this book of Imadud Din. Hadhrat Ahmad
(as) explains his own belief in Islam and also exposes those who had called
him kafir. He talks of the Maulvis who had gone astray and who were not worried in
the least about the attacks that were being made on Islam. He tells his readers
how, having seen the Muslims gone astray, he has tried to win them back and
how the people in different places have reacted; some joined him and others
started calling him a kafir without knowing what kufr actually meant. He calls
upon the Muslims in the words: 'O ye the Muslims, run towards God. There are
disorders and disturbances all around you and that being the case you should
try to act in a way that may bring you the pleasure of God - O ye people,
you should purify yourself and clean up your breasts. Do not be pleased with
carcass and the fat of the dead and don't let the dogs drag you towards its
flesh. You should die as Muslims - and be not content with anything less than
that.' Then, under the heading of 'Announcement', Hadhrat Ahmad (as) draws the
attention of the Queen to the abusive language of the person who has caused
him great pain. He talks of the writer of the book Tauzinul Aqwal and makes
mention of the way the writer had been abusive and mean. He also refutes the
charge that he is in any way working against the government. He assures her
that he has always been loyal because he considers the government to be just
and sympathetic towards the people of the country. He refers to the religious
freedom and says that everybody who cares for his religion must be grateful
to this kind of government. He says that he has met Jesus Christ (as) in his visions many a time and
has even dined with him and that when Jesus Christ (as) was asked about the
present day Christianity, he was astonished and he disliked it; Jesus (as)
talked of the greatness of God and expressed his own humility. Then he takes up the allegations one by one and refutes them. He also expresses
the hollowness of the Christian doctrine like the godhead and sonship of Christ.
He tells them their 'God' is dead and they are revering old and decayed bones
while they are mocking at him who is living spiritually and who will continue
to live till the end of the days. As for the superiority of the style of the Holy Qur'an which the writer
of the Tauzinul Aqwal had derided at, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that he is a
servant of the Holy Prophet (sa) and what to talk of anyone writing like the
Holy Qur'an he would ask him to compete with his writings. He throws a challenge
to him and to his other colleagues to write a book like Nurul Haq and he also
offers a prize of 5000 rupees. He says the reason why he has written Nurul Haq in the Arabic language is
that it should be a challenge for Imadud Din and other Christians who call
themselves Maulvis and who boast of their knowledge. He gives them a period
of two months to prepare publication containing prose and poetry of the standard
that he had set forth in his book; if they could do so, they would get 5000
rupees. He adds that they will never be able to take up the challenge and if even
after this defeat of theirs they do not stop abusing the Holy Prophet (sa),
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then he offers them a thousand curses
and he asks his readers to join him in giving these curses to Imadud Din and
others. At the end of this book Hadhrat Ahmad (as) prays to God saying: 'O God, am I not from You? How severe has become the campaign of calling me kafir and cursing me. Decide between us and our people with justice and truth and You are the best of those who decide. O God, send down Your help for me from heavens and come to the aid of Your servant in the troubled times, I am weak and as if humiliated and my people have abandoned me and they have accused me. So, You help me in such a way as You did help Your Holy Prophet, may God's choicest blessings be upon him, on the day of Badr - and protect us, O God, You Who are the best of the Protectors. Verily, You are the Lord, the Merciful and You have made it incumbent on Yourself to be merciful. So grant us a portion of that mercy and shower Your help and be kind to us and turn to us and You are the best of those who show mercy.' Within a month after this prayer, the sun and the moon eclipsed as it was
prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him. It was a great sign that took place and it was indeed a great help that
was granted to Hadhrat Ahmad (as), as he had prayed to receive help from the
heavens. When the sun and the moon got eclipsed in complete accordance with the prophecy
of the Holy Prophet (sa), the Maulvis instead of being rightly guided by it
started raising objections, more than ever before. They gave out to the world
that the Hadith which mentioned this prophecy was not authentic and so they
could not rely on it. They also said that this eclipse had not taken place
according to the conditions mentioned in the Hadith. Hadhrat Ahmad (as), in the second part of Nurul Haq, deals with the authenticity
of the Hadith and thrashed the bogus objections of the Maulvis. Both the parts of Nurul Haq were written in Arabic and the year of publication is 1894.
Minanur Rahman (The Bounties of the Gracious God) Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that when he observed that the Ulema of Islam were quite negligent of what was happening around them, and the opponents of Islam were doing all they could to efface Islam from the world, he prayed to God very fervently that His help may come and console him and let him do what is necessary to see Islam supreme. He says that his prayer was heard. One day when he was reading the Holy
Qur'an and thinking over it very deeply, his eyes stopped at a certain verse
'Wa kazalika auhaina ilaika Quranan Arabiyyal-li tunzira ummul Qura wa man
haulaha.' This verse, as if, shone before his eyes extraordinarily and he
felt that it was a treasure of knowledge and of secrets (spiritual). He was
very glad and shouted 'Alhamdo lillah.' Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that it was made clear to him that this verse pointed
towards the excellence of the Arabic language and also to the fact that Arabic
is the mother of all the languages and the Holy Qur'an is the mother of all
the previous scriptures - also that Mecca is the mother of the Lands. It is
this theme that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has expounded and explained in his book
Minanur Rahman. He intended this book to be published in December 1895 but
for one reason or the other it could not be published in his lifetime. It
saw the light of day in 1915.
Zia ul Haq (The Light of the Truth) The theme of this book is the same as that of Anwarul Islam and it was intended to be a part of Minanur Rahman. But due to the publication of some articles in the Noor Afshan (Christian newspaper) in connection with the prophecy about Abdulla Atham, it was not considered expedient to delay it any more. So, Zia ul Haq, which was to be part of Minanur Rahman, was published separately. It was brought out in 1895. In it Hadhrat Ahmad (as) mentions the four posters that he had issued calling upon Abdulla Atham to swear by God that he had not turned towards Islam and says that it is a pity that the Christian Padres have not read them carefully and have therefore continued harping on the prophecy not having been fulfilled. He explains the wording of the prophecy and also the significance that it carries. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) quotes the instances that show that Abdulla Atham was overawed, and in the heart of his hearts he had started believing in the truth of Islam.
Sut-Bachan (The True Word) Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that he wrote this book to refute the charges of
the Aryas levied against Baba Nanak, a very godly person who spoke the truth
and acted the right way. This refutation was meant to urge the Aryas to realise
the true position of Baba Nanak and to follow his footsteps. The other reason why he wrote this book was to show to the people that Baba
Nanak was, in his words and his deeds, a Muslim. He shunned the Vedas and
adopted the Islamic beliefs and the Islamic way of life. In the poetry composed by him (Baba Nanak) he has made it clear that salvation
depends upon believing in the Islamic declaration - La ilaha illallaho Mohammadur
Rasulullah. He got himself initiated at the hands of the Muslim Saints and
he spent time on the graves of the Muslim Walls in prayers to God. He performed
Haj twice and the gown that he has left behind is a pure proof of his being
a Muslim. This gown has Islamic writing on it. Although the Sikhs who claim to be the followers of Baba Nanak did not like
the idea of his being a Muslim, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) proved it from their own
books. In this book he gives a history of this gown and also of Baba Nanak's
stay at different shrines of the Muslim Saints. He also says that he is not
the first person who is saying that Baba Nanak was a Muslim; there have been
other people also who said the same things and to cite an instance he quotes
Hughes Dictionary of Islam. Further, he gives the criterion of the religion which conforms with the
nature of man. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that the freedom in the matters of
religion that the British government has introduced in India is a great blessing
for comparing various religions and finding out where the truth lies. He says
that the opportunity that he has got to spread Islam was not available even
to the kings before that time. He also mentions the printing presses that have been set up to facilitate
the conveyance of message to a much larger number of people. Then Hadhrat Ahmad (as) takes up Arya religion, Christianity and Islam and
gives a detailed account of the teachings of the three dispensations. While talking about Islam, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that its teachings are
in complete accord with the nature of man. He cites the instance of belief
in God and says that if all the scriptures are lost, man would be able to
'see' God in nature, as He is presented by Islam. Having given the detail
of the teachings of these three religions, he leaves it to the readers to
come to the conclusion that Islam is the best - and now the only one acceptable
to God. He also makes mention of the Balm of the Disciples which is well known by
the name of Balm of Jesus. He cites it as a proof of the fact that when Jesus
(as) was taken down from the cross, he was still alive and this balm was applied
to his wounds.
Arya Dharm (The Arya Religion) (Published in 1895 CE)
The Christian missionaries had been opposing Islam and producing filthy literature against the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, since long. The Aryas a Qadian also followed suit and started accusing the Holy Prophet (sa) of various heinous deeds and in order to give more publicity to their unclear views, they began to publish posters. Hadhrat Ahmed (as) very strongly felt that these posters must be answered. Moreover, the Arya leader, Pund Dayanand, was repeatedly and emphatically telling his followers that Nayog should be acted upon by their wives, daughters-in-law and daughters. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) made a thorough research about the Nayog and felt it was necessary to expose this evil fully, more especially becaus the Aryas were laying blame at the door of Islam in connection with divorce and even otherwise.
Nayog means to allow a woman who has not been able to get an issue from her husband to co-habit with some other person and produce children for her husband. There could be nothing more abominable for a husband to tell his wife to have sexual intercourse with some other person to produce children for him. Hadhrat Ahmad(as) exposes this evil, in this book of his and tells the readers how excellent the teachings of Islam are. Before closing the book he issues a notice to the followers of all the religions. Therein he says that it does not behoove any of them to be talking of a religion in such a way that feeling of others should be injured and the matter may have to be brought to the notice of the government, thus creating restlessness for the rulers. He makes a proposal to this effect:
1. Nobody should accuse the scriptures of others of what is to be found in his own scripture too.
2. If some people have published the names of the books which they revere as their scriptures, others should not refer to any other book; the reference should be made only to those books which have been published by those people as their sacred books.
The strangest thing that happened was that this proposal which could stop non-Muslims from abusing the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was vehemently opposed by the Muslim dignitaries.
This proposal was signed by more than four thousands persons; quite a large number of the names of those persons are included in the book. This proposal is dated 23rd September 1895.
Islami Usul Ki Philosophy (The Philosophy of theTeachings of Islam)
It was originally written as an Address for a Conference of Religions which was held at Lahore (now in Pakistan). The conference was organized by a Sawami (Hindu) who called upon the representatives of different faiths to explain the teachings of their respective religions in connection with the following five topics:
1. Physical, moral and spiritual conditions of man.
2. Life after death.
3. The aim of life on this earth and how that aim can be achieved.
4. What is the impact of our actions on the life in this world and on the life hereafter.
5. God-realization and how it can be contained; what are its sources.
The conference was held from 26th December 1895 and this address of Hadhrat Ahmed (as) was read out by Hadhrat Maulvi Abdul Karim, a great companion of Hadhrat Ahmad (as). Since the whole of the address could not be read within the scheduled time, another day had to be added to the conference, so that the address could be completely read there.
After the conference a large number of newspapers expressed their spontaneous admiration for this address and admitted that this was the best of all. That is what God had told Hadhrat Ahmad (as) beforehand and he had issued a poster to that effect.
Since then it has been printed in a book form several times in editions of thousands of each, and one edition of one hundred thousand. It has become almost the best known book in the Ahmadiyya literature.
Noorul Qur'an (I and II) (The Light of the Holy Qur'an)
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) wanted to publish a magazine to be coming out every fourth month. Noorul Qur'an was the name given to that magazine. The first issue was published in June 1895 and was meant to be for June, July and August. The second issue was published for September, October, November and December 1895, January, February, March and April 1896.
The first issue starts with a note about the book Minanur Rahman and gives details of how Arabic is the mother of all the languages.
Then comes an instruction for guidance. This points to the excellence of the Holy Qur'an and calls upon the followers of other religions to prove their own scriptures to be from God.
As for the Holy Qur'an having been revealed by God and the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, being a true prophet, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) cites various arguments with verses of the Holy Qur'an and compares all his points with what the followers of other religions say about their own scriptures and their own prophets. He also takes up the question of salvation and explains the teachings of Islam in this respect, while comparing it with what Christianity teaches-or is said to be teaching-about salvation and forgiveness of sins. He also asserts that Trinity is not mentioned in the Gospels and therefore it could not be rightly called a teaching of true Christianity.
The issue number two of Noorul Qur'an contains a reply to a Christian who had written to Hadhrat Ahmad(as) an abusive letter and had accused the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, of adultery. It is a detailed reply and it shows very clearly how excellent and great the Holy Prophet (sa) was. The objections are taken up one by one and crushing replies are given to the writer of the letter.
In this issue, Hadhrat Ahmad(as) also mentions about his proposal to the government that nobody should accuse any religion of what is a part of his own teaching was rejected by the Muslim Ulema. He has named six or seven of them. The reason why this proposal was brought up by Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was that he found a large number of books and brochures published by the Christians (and others also) against Islam- these books were actually very filthy. Such literature could be checked only if the government accepted the proposal of Hadhrat Ahmed (as) and introduced a law to this effect. He remarked that by opposing his proposal these socalled Muslims had proved themselves to be the enemies of Islam.
Hadhrat Ahmad(as) says that the noble religion of Islam is totally opposed to abusing others but so far as the followers of other religion are concerned they have abused Islam and all that belongs to Islam so much that if those books are kept in a place in the form of a pile, this pile will be no less than a 1000 feet high. The opponents of Islam have not yet put a stop to it. Every month thousands of publications are brought out which are most contemptuous.
Hadhrat Ahmad(as) is highly pained at the attitude of the Maulvis who are quite unmindful of what is going on. He asks if their mothers had been abused as the Holy Prophet (sa) has been abused or if their fathers had been accused as the Holy Prophet (sa) had been accused, could they maintain silence and would they not have been enraged. 'Why then do they not do something about the abuses that are being hurled upon the Holy Prophet(sa)?' he asks.
Then Hadhrat Ahmed (as) takes up another letter from the Christian (to whose first letter this book is a reply) and answers some more allegations. He points out that it is due to the teachings of Christianity that a thing like 'April Fool' (full of lies) has become a part of the life of the Christians. The writer of the letter had said that it was only the Bible that taught what really sin is. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says, how strange that the Bible has nothing to say about the paths of righteousness and it does not guide the people to good deeds that are so very important for the life on this earth and life in the hereafter.
Anjam-i-Atham
Abdulla Atham was the person with whom Hadhrat Ahmed (as) held a debate at the end of which Hadhrat Ahmad(as) had prophesied that he who was making a humble person his God would fall in the hell within fifteen months; Abdulla Atham did not die within this prescribed period. The Christians took it as a victory of their religion. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) immediately clarified the position. Whatever he did on that occasion has been hinted at in the introduction of some other books.
When Atham died on 27th July 1896, Hadhrat Ahmed (as) published the book Anjam-i-Atham. The book actually consists of four booklets, viz: Anjam-i-Atham, Khuda-i-Faisla (God's decision), Da'wat-i-Qaum (Invitation to the nation) and Maktoob-i-Arabi Banam Ulama (A letter in the Arabic language addressed to the Ulema) but all these four books are collectively known as Anjam-iAtham, and to it is also added a supplement.
The first part of the book was written to remind the people of all the prophecies that had been made by Hadhrat Ahmad(as) in connection with Atham. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that on the passing away of Abdulla Atham on 27th July 1896, he likes to remind the public of all the prophecies that he had made foretelling that if Atham did not come forward to say on oath that he was not overawed by the prophecy and had not turned towards Islam, he certainly would not enjoy the rest of his life as he wanted to do. This rejection of the invitation to take oath would carry him away from this world. That is, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says, what has happened.
Then Hadhrat Ahmed (as) also refers to the debate and asks his readers what proofs did Atham give of the Divinity of Jesus Christ (as). Hadhrat Ahmed (as) quotes all the incidents which quite clearly show that Atham lived a life of fear during the fifteen months after the debate. The people might have thought that the death of Atham brought the matter to an end. It was not so.
In this book Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that if any of the Christians doubtswhat he says about the fear of Atham, he himself may come and swear on behalf of Atham and see what happens. He prophesies that such a person will not have another full year of his life; he will die before that.
The second part of the book is entitled 'God's Decision'. There is a drawing of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost and Hadhrat Ahmad(as) says that this is a Committee of Gods of the Christians.
The reason why he had to write this part of the book, as Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says, was that since the Christians did not pay heed to what they were being told and they continued making mention of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in a filthy language, it was now appropriate that a decision should be sought after from God Himself Who knows where the truth lies. He says that he is most anxious for such a decision and if the decision given by God is not in his favour he will forgo his property which was worth not less than 10,000 rupees, and he will also sign a declaration that Christianity has become victorious while he has been defeated. It was a prayer duel (Mubahila) that Hadhrat Ahmed (as) wanted. The third part of the book is Da'wati Qaum (Invitation to the nation). This invitation is also for a prayer duel, it is for the Maulvis who called him kafir, Kazzab, Dajjal and the one who would be thrown into the hell.
Hadhrat Ahmadi (as) says that since the campaign for calling him kafir is getting severer every day and it is not only the Ulema but the Faqirs and the Sajjada Nashin have also joined the procession, he feels it is necessary that God should be asked to give His decision. He claims to be the recipient of revelations and having been commissioned by God to reform the world, this, he says, is the basic of the prayer duel. He quotes some of his revelations and tells his readers that they can easily realise that he (Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has been commissioned by God, that is what the revelations say.
He gives the names of a large number of Muslim Ulema and asserts that none of those who would confront him in the prayer duel would live more than a year. He stresses the point that even if one of them survives the scheduled period, he will declare himself a liar.
This prayer duel could never be held, for none of those Ulema accepted the invitation.
The next part of the book is a letter in Arabic addressed to the Ulema and dignitaries of India and other Islamic countries. Hadhrat Ahmad(as) says that he is addressing this letter to the people who have been graced by God with His bounties and whom He has granted knowledge and understanding. The letter is in Arabic with translation in Persian, following it line by line. He says that it is in order to extend his message to a large number of people that he has written it in the language of the Muslims. He starts his message by telling the addressees that he has been raised as a Mujaddid to revive the religion of Islam in full accord with the prophecy of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that a Mujaddid would be raised at the head of every century.
He further quotes some of the revelations that God vouchsafed him and makes mention of His bounties so richly granted to him. After this, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) talks of the death of Jesus Christ (as) and cites the proof of the death, making it clear that that being the case it simply was not possible that he should have to come back in person.
He invites the people to come and stay with him and assures them that the light of his truth will shine on them and they will definitely see heavenly signs.
In this letter he also refers to the religious upsetting that the Christians were causing and tells them that this is the most appropriate time when the help of God should have come, to secure Islam against the attacks of the opponents.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) also tells his addressees of the glad tidings that he had been receiving about the birth of his sons and how those prophecies had been fulfilled. He does so with a special reference to the illustrious son who was born in fulfillment of the great prophecy he received at Hoshiarpur.
Next to this letter, Hadhrat Ahmed (as) has notified that a false propaganda is being made against him that he is an enemy of the government. He refutes this propaganda with cogent proofs and asks the government to take note of it. This is followed by the supplement of Anjam-i-Atham. This book became the cause of the fulfillment of another prophecy of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and that prophecy was to the effect that the Promised Mahdi would have a book with him with the names of three hundred and thirteen Companions of his. It was in this book that he published three hundred and thirteen names of his Companions.
He closes his book with the words: 'O, the Maulvis of my opposite camp. If you are in doubt come and stay with me for a few days. I have tried all I could to explain the truth. Now, unless you can prove what I have said to be untrue, you have nothing to say. The signs of God are raining like a heavy downpour. Is there none among you who should come to me with a true (sincere) heart-not even one of you? A Warner came to the world but the world accepted him not. However, God will accept him and make his truth known through severe attacks.’ 'Peace be on those who follow the truth.' 27th January 1897.
Siraj-i-Munir (The Bright Lamp)
(Published in 1897)
Siraj-i-Munir contains the details of the fulfillment of thirty-seven prophecies which Hadhrat Ahmad(as) had made on the basis of the revelations that he had been receiving. The prophecies about Lekhram and Abdulla Atham are particularly mentioned in great details. At the end of the book Hadhrat Ahmed (as) had included the correspondence that he had with a godly person Ghulam Farid of Chachran Sharif. In his letters to Hadhrat Ahmed (as) Ghulam Farid has shown great respect for him.
As an introduction to the prophecies that are mentioned in this book, Hadhrat Ahmad(as) calls upon the people to ponder over the matter and decide themselves whether the support that he has received from God is ever given to the liars. He warns them to safeguard themselves against falling into the category of the people who fight against God and ruin themselves.
He emphatically tells his readers that there can be no prophet after the Holy Prophet (sa) except the one whom God calls a Prophet as a 'shadow' of the Holy Prophet (sa) He asks them what proof have they to support their view that he is a kafir?
He tells them that he has not talked contemptuously of any prophet and he has not gone against any established belief of Islam. Why should then he be called a kafir?
On the last page of the title of the book, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has published an announcement to the effect that if any Christian could prove that Jesus Christ (as) showed signs of the kind that he (Hadhrat Ahmed (as) had shown-he wouldl give him 1000 rupees.
Istifta (Published in May 1897)
After the death of Lekhram in full accordance with the prophecy of Hadhrat Ahmed (as) the Aryas raised a hue and cry and made a lot of propaganda to the effect that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) had a hand in the murder of Lekhram. Hadhrat Ahmed (as) said that he would like to excuse them, for they did not know anything about the revelation from God and His prophecies with their fulfillment. The prophecy had been actually made not less than seventeen years before the assassination of Lekhram. It has been fulfilled very clearly leaving no room for any doubts. He wanted the people to testify that the prophecy had actually been fulfilled. For this purpose, he published the book called Istifta. At the end of the book, he published a form to be filled by the people with their particulars. In Istifta he gives the details of the prophecy about Lekhram and asks his readers to ponder over the matter well.
He remarks that according to the Holy Qur'an and the Bible, the criterion of the truth of a prophet lies in the fulfillment of his prophecies and with this criterion they should judge him. He says that as long ago as the publication of Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya, he had been foretold that he would have to confront three trials. Those trials were:
1. The case of Abdulla Atham.
2. The mischief caused by Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, the like of which is not known in the history of the Ulema.
3. The mischief of the Aryas, and this is mostly connected with the activities of Lekhram and his death at the hand of an unknown person.
At the end of the book, Hadhrat Ahmad(as) says that he intends to get all three things translated into English for circulation in Europe; for they (the Europeans) have more courage to help the truth.
(In Arabic-Published in 1897)
Hujjatullah (The Convincing Proof From God)
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) refers to some of his books that he had written in the Arabic language and talks of their high standard. But despite the fact that they were of a very high standard, he says, the Sheikh of Batala (Maulvi Mohammad Hussain) had tried all he could to make the people refrain from those books. How he could justify himself in keeping the people away from these books, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says, is that he should prove himself to be so scholarly a person that he should be able to distinguish between the writings of different people.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) suggests a method. He says that he would mix up his writings with the writings of an Arabic scholar and then he would ask Maulvi Muhammad Hussain to separate the two. He also offers a prize of 50 rupees if the Maulvi did the needful.
Then he writes prose and poetry and throws a challenge to Maulvi Abdul Haq Ghaznavi and his colleague to present a writing of the same standard.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) started writing (the said prose and poetry) on 17th March 1897 and he gave them the same period as he himself was to take. (Published in 1897)
Tohfai Qaisariyya (A Present to the Queen)
To start with, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that this letter of congratulation is from the person who has come to the world to deliver the people from the innovations which have crept into religion, just as Jesus Christ (as) did; it is from the person who wishes to establish truth through peace and kindness and to teach the people how to love their Creator and how to worship Him, also how to be obedient and loyal to Her Majesty the Queen.
This letter in the form of a book was presented to the Queen through her officials on the occasion of her Diamond jubilee. In the book, Hadhrat Ahmed (as) puts forward his claim and tells her that one of the proofs of the truth of a claimant is that he is accepted by a large number of people.
Hadhrat Ahmad(as) also explains what Islamic Jihad really means and how it is different from what people generally think it to be.
He explains the position of Jesus Christ (as) and tells her that it is most improper to call Jesus (as) an accursed person. He preaches Islam to her in a way that it is an invitation to her to join this noble faith.
A meeting was held and a prayer was offered for the Queen -this prayer is published in Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Arabic, English.
Sirajud Din Isai Ke Char Savalon Ka Jawab
(Four Questions of Sirajud Din, a Christian, Answered)
Professor Sirajud Din was first a Muslim, then he became a Christian. After some time he went to Qadian, stayed with Hadhrat Ahmad(as) and became a Muslim again. But when he went back from Qadian (to Lahore) he again became a Christian and sent four questions and published them in a book form, for the benefit of the people in general.
The questions were as follows:
1. According to the Christian doctrine, the Christ came to the world to love mankind and sacrifice his life for them. Could it be said that the Founder of Islam also came for the fulfillment of these two purposes, or could something else be denoted better than the words Love and Sacrifice?
2. If Islam aims at calling the people towards the Unity of God, how is it that the followers of Islam had to wage war against the Jews in the early days, whereas it is well known that the scriptures of the Jews do not teach anything other than the Unity of God. Why is it necessary for the Jews and all others who believe in monotheism to become Muslims?
3. Which are the verses of the Holy Qur'an which deal with love between man and God, more especially those which refer to the love of God for mankind?
4. Jesus Christ(as) said about himself: 'Come to me, you who are tired and depressed, so that I may give you comfort and I am the light and I am the way. I am the life and I am the truth.' Did the Founder of Islam say this kind of words or did he say anything like that?
Hadhrat Ahmed (as) has thrown a flood of light on these questions and he has explained at length that far better things are to be found in Islam. It is a masterpiece of criticism on the doctrines of Christianity. At the end of the book Hadhrat
Ahmad(as) invites the Christians to show signs, as he had done; they should also prove that God speaks to them and hears their prayers. He tells them point blank that they cannot do that, for these thing are now possible only through Islam-no other door is open. This proves, he says, that the Holy Qur'an is the Word of God and the promises that the Holy Qur'an has made are the promises from God.
Najmul Huda (The Star of Guidance)
This book was written just in one day. Its day of publication is 20th November 1898.
It was intended to be in four languages, viz: Arabic, Urdu, Persian and English. Originally the book was written in Arabic and its translation in Urdu was also done by Hadhrat Ahmad(as) himself. The Persian translation was done by some other people. Before it could be translated into the English language, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) felt that it should be sent to the press. Thus it was printed without the English translation. The English translation was published some years after Hadhrat Ahmad (as) had passed away.
The reason why this book was written, as given by Hadhrat Ahmed (as) himself, is that he wanted to give convincing proofs of the truth of his claim to those who did not believe in him; he has also shown sympathy for the Muslims who are negligent and careless, for he felt that it was in their interest that they should believe in him.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) dilates on the significance of the names 'Mohammad' and Ahmed and he describes most beautifully the excellence of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, thus proving to his readers that the Holy Prophet(sa) was the best of all the prophets. He has also given cogent proofs of his having been commissioned to undo the evil of the Dajjal. His revelations, he says, are replete with the news of the unseen (what is going to happen in future) and has been getting revelation since long.
As for the signs supporting his claim, he cites the eclipse of the sun and the moon. The death of Lekhram he mentions as a proof of the truth of the prophecies that are vouchsafed to him by God.
Zararatul Imam (The Need for the Imam)
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) starts this book with a reference to a Hadith which says that he who does not recognise the Imam of his age dies the death of an ignorant person. This Hadith, he says, is quite enough for a Godfearing person to make him search for the Imam of his age.
Further he says that by the word Imam here is not meant every person who has a dream or a vision or a revelation. Imam is very much different from that and it is that difference due to which his name is written on the heavens as the Imam of his age. The qualities that are very essential to be found in the Imam of the age are:
1. He should have a powerful character. Since the Imams have to confront vagabonds and people of low character they must have very high morals which will not let them be enraged or lose temper.
2. He should have the power (capability) of Imamat. That means that he should be very anxious to move forward on the path of righteousness, love of God, Godrealisation and other traits of that kind.
3. He should have great knowledge. Since Imamat requires that the person concerned should be anxious to make progress on the lines of righteousness he should subdue all his powers for this purpose and get himself busy with the prayer that God may increase his knowledge
4. He should be a man of determination. He should not know tiresomeness nor should he ever be despaired; he should also never become slack in his efforts.
5. He should always turn to God and seek His help. Whatever the odds that may come his way, he should always rely on God and ask for His help and be sure that His help would come.
6. He should be such that God vouchsafes his visions and revelations. It is mostly through revelation that the Imam gets spiritual knowledge from God.
Having described these things as the requirements for the Imam of the age, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that he is the Imam of this age, and he fulfils all the conditions quoted above. The book includes a letter written by Maulvi Abdul Karim to a friend of his. Also a note about the Income Tax and a new sign of God.
Ayyamus Sulh (The Days of Peace) Before starting the book Hadhrat Ahmed (as) has published a notification for the general public. It says that though this book answers the attacks of the Christians in some of its pages, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has been very careful to address the readers in gentle words, and that despite the fact that the Christian publication Ummahatul Momineen has greatly incited the feelings of the people. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that in view of the fact that the enemies of Islam have abused the Holy Prophet (sa), it is the right of the Muslims to pay them in their own coins, yet he has shunned harsh words. He further says that one of the purposes for which he has been commissioned is that he should believe Jesust (as) to be a true Prophet of God, he therefore simply cannot utter any words that might be derogatory to his status .
The book starts with an important statement about Hadhrat Ahmad's (as) poster dated 6th February 1898 in which he had explained his stand about the epidemic of bubonic plague. He says that some people have misunderstood him. They say that there is a contradiction in saying that such and such medicines should be used to cure the plague and also that this disease breaks out because of the misdeeds of the people.
In this connection he describes the relationship between the prayer and the means that are adopted to get rid of the disease.
Hadhrat Ahmad(as) explains why the prayer (or supplication) has been made obligatory for the Muslims. He gives the following reasons:
1. So that man may always look towards God and thus his belief in the oneness of God may continue strengthening and he may always have the certainty that God alone is the Giver.
2. So that his faith in the acceptance of prayer is strengthened.
3. So that if the prayer is accepted from a different angle his knowledge of the secrets of God and also faith in His wisdom may increase.
4. So that if the acceptance of the prayer is assured through a vision or a revelation, the fulfillment of that revelation may increase him in God-realisation and that may add to his love of God and thus getting away from the sins he may attain to real salvation.
Next he defines Faith by saying that to accept a truth while it has not become altogether conspicuous, and his heart is still fighting against doubts and suspicions, is real faith. He who believes in a truth at such a time and he is anxious to be known as a truthful and love of truth in the eyes of God. God is always pleased with such a person and He, out of His pleasure, opens the doors of spiritual bliss for him.
As for ascertaining the truth of a claimant, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says there are four things that can help and give the required satisfaction:
1. The verses of the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith referring to the signs of the appearance of the claimant and also indicating the time of his advent.
2. The intellectual proofs which are conclusive and cannot be set aside nor can they be avoided.
3. The heavenly succour that is vouchsafed to him by God, including the acceptance of his prayers.
4. The witnesses of the godly people who through visions or revelations come to know of the truth of the claimant, even when the claimant is not there.
Hadhrat Ahmed (as) also reminds his readers that his claim is based on the death of Jesus (as) Christ, for if he is still alive and coming back, how can anyone's claim to be the Promised Messiah be true? He exhorts the people to take care of their faith, lest in a hurry or carelessness they become the losers, and tells them that God had fought with his enemies five times. It was like a wrestling, he says, and the enemies were defeated. These five instances are:
1. That of Atham.
2. Of Lekhram.
3. Religious conference where his address was considered to be the best.
4. The court case instituted by Dr Clarke, and
5. The case of Mirza Ahmad Baig of Hoshiarpur.
In connection with the bubonic plague that was raging in Bombay and some other places, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) says that he has seen |