An Urgent Appeal by the Author

How can I express my gratitude to the Lord of the worlds, who first made it possible for my humble self to write this book by His help, grace and divine support, and then brought it to the attention of Muslim leaders, elders, noblemen and other brothers-in-faith, and invested them with the desire that it should be printed, published and promoted. I must express my gratitude to all those who helped me and whose generosity kept my religious objectives and efforts from going in vain. Indeed, I am so obliged to them for their help that I have no words with which to thank them. When I observe how so many of them have done their utmost to help this noble cause and some of them have promised to make even more contributions, it further deepens my feelings of gratitude towards them.

At the end of this statement, I have recorded the worthy names of all the generous and dedicated people who have helped this cause by purchasing copies of the book or contributing towards its publication. I will continue to acknowledge such contributions until the whole book has been printed, so that, as long as it continues to be a source of benefit for the world, anyone who profits from it and spends a pleasant time reading it may pray for me and all who have helped me.

Here I deem it necessary to make special mention of the fact that, thus far, the greatest contribution towards the promotion of this worthy cause has been made by Hazrat Khalifa Syed Muhammad Hassan Khan Bahadur, Dastur-e-Mu‘azzam [Prime Minister and Member Council of Regency] of the State of Patiala. This gentleman, out of his immense generosity and love for the Faith, has contributed 325 rupees for the purchase of this book—250 rupees of which are from his own pocket and seventy-five rupees have been contributed by his friends through his good offices. In his kind letter, His Excellency, the Prime Minister, a man of noble qualities, has promised to make further contributions until the book is complete and also to introduce it to other likely buyers. Likewise, Hazrat Fakhrud-Dawlah, Nawwab Mirza Muhammad Alauddin Ahmad Khan Bahadur, Ruler of the State of Loharu, has sent forty rupees, twenty of which are a donation. He has also promised further help and support in the future.

The keen interest shown by Nawwab Shah Jahan Begam, Member of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India (CI), Knight Grand Commander in the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (GCSI), Ruler of Bhopal—may her prosperity endure—also deserves my profound gratitude. She, in keeping with her noble qualities of kindness and compassion towards humankind, has also pledged to buy copies of the book. I very much hope that this esteemed lady shall give her undivided attention to this noble cause, which is meant to reveal the truthfulness and majesty of Hazrat Khatamul-Anbiya’ [the Seal of the Prophets], may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to make the proofs of the divine origin of Islam as clear as the day, and to be a source of immeasurable benefit for mankind.

Here I must also appeal to other [Muslim] noblemen and elders, who are as yet unaware of this book, that if they can assist with its publication, even to a minor extent, they will be of great help in facilitating the process of its publication and making the book generally available—which is my earnest and heartfelt desire.

Worthy elders! Beacons of Islam! You are surely aware that in this age the propagation of the proofs of the divine origin of Islam has acquired a crucial importance, and teaching our children and families the arguments in support of Islam has become such an obligation and obvious necessity that it cannot be overstressed. No one can be ignorant of the extent to which beliefs have been corrupted and distorted in this age and how people have become dishonest and perverse in their thinking. Diverse types of deviant thoughts are gaining ground, evil winds are blowing and fumes of vice and false beliefs have enveloped the world. Everyone who is aware of these tempestuous winds, capable of uprooting the greatest of trees, will realize that this book has not been written without an urgent necessity.

False beliefs and corrupt ideas find expression in different forms at different times. To refute them, God, by His grace, causes books to be written that vigorously counter such criticisms in the light of His Word, reduce the critics to silence, and completely incriminate them by means of irrefutable arguments. It is in this manner that the tree of Islam stands evergreen, fresh and verdant.

Honourable elders of Islam! From your own knowledge and experience, you cannot be unaware of the ills of the present age, the details of which are a painful story indeed. Nor can you be unaware of all the forms of corruption that have taken root in people’s hearts or how they are being led astray by evil suggestions, temptations and misguidance. And it is all because people are unaware of the arguments for the divine origin of Islam. The few who are educated have acquired their knowledge from schools or institutions that impart no religious knowledge. Thus the crucial part of their lives, in which they can employ their faculties of thought, reflection and meditation to the best advantage, is lost in pursuit of other arts and sciences, leaving them completely ignorant of religious principles.

If such people are not informed sooner rather than later of the arguments in support of the divine origin of Islam, they either end up as materialistic worldly creatures, caring the least for the Faith, or as atheists and apostates. This is not something hypothetical, for I myself have seen that the scions of noble families have been baptized and have taken to the churches, solely because of their ignorance of the teachings of Islam. Had not God, in His infinite grace, helped Islam, and had He not protected the True Faith through the forceful discourses and writings of Muslim scholars, people would have even forgotten in which country our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was born. This is especially so in these tumultuous times when perversity and corruption are rife. If Muslim scholars—who are valiantly and vigorously debating with every disbeliever and atheist—were to give up this service to Islam, all the important traditions of Islam would soon disappear; instead of the traditional salutation [Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahe wa barakatuhu], one would only hear ‘goodbye’ and ‘good morning.’ Thus, to be engaged with zeal and sincerity in the propagation of the divine origin of Islam is an act of mercy towards one’s own children and progeny, for no one is immune to the toxic winds that blow during an epidemic.

Some people may harbour doubts about this book and ask, ‘Are the books that are already written on religious subjects not sufficient to refute and silence the critics? Why do we need another book?’ Let it be clear that this book is unlike any other in its effectiveness. All those books have been written in the context of a particular faith and their arguments are confined to refuting the specific beliefs of that faith. No matter how great or scholarly those books may be, they serve only the people to whom they have been addressed. This book, on the other hand, proves the divine origin of Islam and the superiority of the teachings of Islam over all faiths and establishes the authenticity of the Holy Quran through a comprehensive enquiry. It is obvious that truths that unfold in such a manner can never be revealed through focussed arguments. When debating with the people of a particular faith, one does not need to provide in-depth and solid arguments regarding beliefs that they already hold; instead, one relies primarily on accusatory answers and rarely resorts to logic and reason. By their very nature, such debates do not necessitate philosophical probing, let alone exhaustive reasoning. Only a fraction of rational arguments is employed in such debates. For instance, if we debate someone who already believes in the existence of God and in His revelation and creative power, it would not be necessary to provide him rational arguments for the existence of the Creator, need for revelation, and the creative powers of Almighty Allah. It would, in fact, be absurd to start a debate about something that is not even contested. However, when one confronts a variety of doctrines, beliefs, doubts and apologies, one cannot afford to leave anything out.

Likewise, arguments written in refutation of a particular faith will not, in general, be applicable to another. For instance, when we quote prophecies from the Holy Bible in support of the truthfulness of the Prophethood of Hazrat Khatam-e-Anbiya’ [the Seal of the Prophets], may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, we may be able to convince the Christians and the Jews, but a Hindu or a Zoroastrian or a philosopher or a Brahmu Samajist would not accept evidence based on a book in which he does not believe. He would respond that since he does not believe in those books, any argument based on them is not acceptable to him. The same will be the answer of the Christians to anything worthwhile that we might present to them from the Vedas.

This is why a book was urgently required to demonstrate, through rational arguments, the authenticity and divine origin of Islam in a manner that convinces all the other faiths. And alhamdolillah [all praise belongs to God] that this book, which meets all these objectives, has been so prepared.

The second distinction of this book is that it contains a most effective method for refuting the baseless objections of Islam’s opponents and completing our argument against them; that is to say, it includes a challenge that offers a reward of 10,000 rupees to opponents, so that they may not be left with any excuses. It places upon them a heavy burden, which they will not be able to shed till doomsday—a burden that will embitter their self-contradictory lives in such a way that only they will know.

In short, this is a very vital and important book. It will be of immense benefit to the seekers after truth, for it makes the divine origin of Islam as evident as the sun and reveals the grandeur and glory of the Holy Scripture, on which depends Islam’s honour, supremacy, and truthfulness.

List of gentlemen who, on account of their love for the Faith, helped in the publication of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya or obliged by buying copies of the book: