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(Surah al-Anbiya’, Part 17)

Hasty Response of the Detractors of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya2

Many Christian missionaries and Hindu gentlemen have claimed, somewhat rashly, that they will write rebuttals to this book. The derogatory language they have used in their announcements—which have been published in the newspapers Safir-e-Hind and Nur Afshan, and the magazine Viddya Prakashak—is more in keeping with the style and manner of the uncivilized, and serves only to betray the depravity and corruption of their own nature. They seem to labour under the illusion that their threats and indecent remarks will cause me fright. They are unaware that I know them too well and the mendacity and sordidness of their thinking is no secret to me. Hence, I do not fear them and they cannot intimidate me at all.

The lowly moth, when its death is near,
Attacks the burning flame with great pride and temerity.

I only ask them to show restraint until some parts of the book are published. Thereafter, they need not hold back and are at full liberty to criticize as much as they please. There is a common proverb, ‘The truth has nothing to fear,’ and in this instance, truth is surely on my side. No [Christian] missionary or [Hindu] pundit can succeed against me, nor can they harm me with their non-sensical and vacuous boasts. Rather, their arrogant posturing only exposes their dishonesty and ill-intent. Hitherto, they have not even perused the contents of this book and are ignorant of its arguments, nor do they comprehend the standard of research on which it is based. And yet they are audacious enough to claim that they will counter the proofs and arguments contained therein. So much for their honesty and integrity. Gentlemen! How can you claim to be able to reject my arguments when you have not even studied them? It is blind prejudice, surely, that drives you to denounce my arguments as invalid and easily refutable. For you have neither ascertained whether the arguments and proofs I have advanced are authentic or spurious, nor whether they are based on solid premises or upon mere fallacies. If you have already decided to reject my arguments without enquiring into their merit, what is there to guarantee that your nafs-e-ammarah [ego] will not tempt you into deceit, hypocrisy, knavery and dishonesty so that you can boast that you have successfully responded to the challenge.

Had your intentions been just and sincere, you would have vowed that if my arguments turned out to be true you would cheerfully accept them; otherwise you would write a rebuttal to reveal the truth. You would thus have been considered fair in the eyes of the just and held as men of conscience. Alas, how can those who readily seek to commit injustices against God be considered equitable and fair? Some of them deny that the Lord is the Creator, some of them consider the One God to be three, some among them believe that God once dwelled in Nazareth, while others place him in Ayodhya.

In short, I invite you all in the name of God, to come and take up my challenge without any reservation or delay. Argue like Plato, become the incarnation of Bacon, borrow from Aristotelian reasoning and dialectic, clasp your hands before your false gods and beseech them for help. Then will you witness whether it is my God who prevails or your false deities. And until such a time that you write a response to my book, it will be shameful and indecent of you to continue to attack Islam in public, or to preach in Hindu Temples that the Vedas alone are the work of the Almighty and true source of knowledge, and that all other Prophets are imposters and liars.

Friends! Will you not free yourselves from the clutches of your egos?
Will you not purify yourselves?

Will you not cleanse yourselves of the filth of falsehood?
Will you not accept the truth?

How long will you remain immersed in obduracy and prejudice?
Will you not tread the path of truth?

How can you deny that which is established to be true?
How can you continue your apologetics without rhyme or reason?

Tell me truly, if you fail to respond adequately,
How will you show your face in public?