A Sincere Appeal to All Muslims of India — Essence of Islam Vol. 3
Introduction
In this discourse from Essence of Islam (Volume 3), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, expounds upon A Sincere Appeal to All Muslims of India, presenting profound spiritual insights and scriptural verities.
Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 3)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 13: Repeated Challenges
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: Challenge to Reach a Conclusive Settlement | Next: Challenge to Those Who Claim Divine Revelation »
On my side I shall supplicate: Lord, if You know that I am from You and am truly the Promised Messiah, then do You manifest another sign by way of prophecy in my support within one year. Thereafter if a sign is manifested in their support and nothing is manifested in my support I will be considered a liar. But if something is manifested in my support and something of the same type is manifested in their support, in that event also I shall be accounted false. But if within one year a clear sign is manifested in my support and none is manifested in their support, I shall be deemed true.
[Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, vol. 2, p. 411]
The condition will be that if the opposing party is found to be true according to the explanation set out above, I shall give up my claims and shall burn all those books of mine in which my claims and revelations are set out, for if God should prove me false I cannot regard those books as pure and holy….If God does not desire to bestow honour on me let there be a curse on me if I act contrary to that which I have just stated. But if, in accord with the explanations set out above, God proves me true, then Muhammad Hussain of Batala, ‘Abd-ul-Haq and ‘Abdul Jabbar of Ghazni, and Rashid Ahmad of Gangoha should repent at my hands, confirm the truth of my claims, and join my Jama‘at so that this discussion may be put to an end. Internal feuds have ruined the Muslims. This will be a simple and straightforward verdict of God which will not leave any room for either side to prevaricate.
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 3, p. 382]
To all the Muslims of India, i.e., to all the different sects Repeated Challenges 383 of Islam which are to be found in India.
[Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, vol. 1, pp. 436-438]
Brethren in faith and followers of the Seal of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him!) Although I have already addressed many writings to the clerics and sufis, and have conveyed my message to them fully, it has occurred to me that I should make a general announcement to convey my message clearly to you so that I may discharge my responsibility fully in this respect. Brethren, I wish to convey to you that I indeed am the Promised Reformer, whose advent was to take place at the beginning of the fourteenth century and about whom a large number of righteous people, who were recipients of Divine revelations, had foretold that he would be the Promised Messiah… Should you be in doubt in this respect, I would suggest to you an easy way of settling this matter: Every one of you should ask his spiritual guide to stand forth in opposition to me in the matter of the manifestation of signs of righteousness. Be sure, in such a case that spiritual guide would be humiliated even more than Bal‘am was humiliated when he stood against Mosesas. If he does not wish to stand forth in opposition and seeks the truth, God Almighty will, at his request and on his coming to me, manifest some sign for him provided that, in that case, he is ready to join my Jama‘at. If, after the publication of this announcement, your spiritual preceptors and religious leaders and jurist do not desist from speaking ill of me and denouncing me as a disbeliever, and do not accept my truth and continue to evade such confrontation as I have suggested, then take note that I call God Almighty to witness that they will be humiliated by Him.
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 3, p. 382]
Gentlemen! Listen carefully to what I have to say. I state on oath, in the name of Allah the Glorious, that if Hadrat Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Sahib would address himself to God Almighty for forty days in opposition to me, and would manifest such heavenly signs or such realities of the unseen as I might manifest, I would agree that he may slay me with the weapon of his choice and mulct me in such sum as he might determine. A Warner came to the world and the world did not accept him; but God will accept him and will establish his truth with powerful assaults.
[Al-Haq, Mubahatha Ludhiana, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 4, p. 124]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 3, p. 383]
I announce in the name of Him in whose hand lies my life, that if you people clear your minds and wish to see another Divine sign, then the All-Powerful God, without being subject to your demand, has the power to manifest a sign out of His own will and authority. I am certain that if you repent sincerely, and demand a sign from me and promise God that if some extraordinary sign, which is beyond human power, is manifested, you will discard all ill-will and rancour, and, seeking only the pleasure of God, will make the pledge of allegiance to me, surely God Almighty will manifest some sign, for He is Merciful and Beneficent. But I do not have the choice to appoint two or three days for the manifestation of a sign or to follow your desires. It is at the choice of God Almighty to appoint whatever date pleases Him…. For the adoption of this method it will be necessary that at least forty leading Maulavis like Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Sahib of Batala, Maulavi Nadhir Hussain Sahib of Delhi, Maulavi ‘Abdul Jabbar Sahib of Ghazni, now of Amritsar, Maulavi Rashid Ahmad Sahib of Ghangoha, Repeated Challenges 385 and Maulavi Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib of Golrah should publish an agreement in a newspaper attested by fifty respectable Muslims that if a sign, which is truly extraordinary, is manifested, they will give up their opposition out of the fear of God the Glorious, and will make the pledge of allegiance to me. Should this method be unacceptable…there is another simpler and easier method….It is that, purely out of fear of God Almighty and out of mercy for the Muslims, you should call a meeting in Batala, Amritsar or Lahore. This meeting should be attended, as far as may be possible, by a large number of respected divines and men of the world. I shall also attend with a number of my followers. Then all of them should supplicate thus: Lord, if You know that this person is an impostor and is not from You, and is neither the Promised Messiah nor the Mahdi, then may You remove this cause of dissension from among the Muslims and safeguard Islam and the Muslims against his mischief, as You did safeguard the Muslims against the mischief of Musailama Kadhdhab and Aswad ‘Ansi by removing them from the world, but if he is from You and our minds and intellects are at fault, then may You Powerful One bestow understanding upon us so that we may not be ruined, and make manifest such matters and signs in his support that we should be satisfied that he is from You. When this supplication is made, my followers and I will say Amin aloud. After that, I shall pray, holding in my hand all those revelations that I have set out….I will pray as follows: Lord, if these revelations, which are mentioned in this pamphlet that I hold in my hand, and on the basis of which I consider myself the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, and hold Jesusas to be dead, are not Your words, and if, in Your estimation, I am a liar and impostor and dajjal who is the cause of dissension among the Muslims, and if I am under Your wrath, I supplicate You earnestly that within one year from this date You cross out my name from among the living and ruin all my enterprises and wipe out my every sign from the earth. But if I am from You and these revelations which I hold in my hand are from You and I am a recipient of Your grace, then O Mighty Benefactor, cause my Jama‘at to grow in an extraordinary manner in the coming year and bestow extraordinary blessings upon us, and bless my life and send down Your heavenly support. When this supplication is finished, all opponents should say Amin. It would be proper that everyone should come to this meeting for the purpose of prayer with pure and serene hearts and not in a spirit of victory or defeat. This prayer should not be considered a Mubahalah [prayerduel] because its benefit or harm is limited to me alone….The prayer should be offered with concentration and great earnestness. Sincere prayer finds acceptance with God. If all my enterprise is not in the cause of God and is an imposture and a show, the prayers of representative Muslims will soon be heard. But if my Movement is heavenly and has been initiated by God Himself, my supplication will be accepted. O you men of honour! Respond to this request of mine. There is no need for a large gathering, it would be enough if forty representative divines were to take part in the prayer. But they should not be less than forty, for this number has a blessed connection with the acceptance of prayer.
[Arba‘in, No. II Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 17, pp. 374-378]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 3, p. 384]
Repeated Challenges 387
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 3]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 3, p. 386]
Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 3)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 13: Repeated Challenges
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: Challenge to Reach a Conclusive Settlement | Next: Challenge to Those Who Claim Divine Revelation »