Repeated Challenges

I believe with certainty that God Almighty will not let me be vanquished by any opponent, because I am from Him and have come by His command to revive the faith.

My Opponents Are Doomed to Fail

God Almighty has singularised me with His lights, which He bestows only on His chosen servants, and which cannot be equalled by others. If you have any doubts, come forth in opposition to me. But you will certainly not be able to do so, because you have tongues but no hearts; you have bodies but no life; your eyes have pupils but no capacity for sight. May God Almighty bestow sight upon you so that you may be able to see.

In this age too, God Almighty manifests great signs in support of Islam, and I say this from my own experience. If all nations of the world should unite against me and a test were made to whom God reveals the unseen, whose prayers does He accept, whom does He help and for whom does He manifest great signs, I affirm, in the name of God, that I would emerge supreme. Is there anyone who will step forth against me for such a trial? God has bestowed thousands of signs upon me to let my opponents know that Islam is indeed the true faith. I seek no honour for myself, but only the honour of that for which I have been sent.

Divine Support for the Righteous

God Almighty has promised in the Holy Qur’an four types of heavenly support for perfect believers and those who are perfectly righteous, on the basis of which they can be recognized.

In respect of these four qualities, the perfect believer will always surpass others. It is not an unchanging rule that a perfect believer will receive glad tidings from God Almighty continuously and all the times, or that every one of his supplications will be granted, or that he will be warned in advance of all great events, or that knowledge of Qur’anic insights will be continuously bestowed upon him, but, at a time of comparison with an opponent, all these four signs overwhelmingly favour the believer. It is possible that a less perfect believer may also, on occasion, be bestowed a small portion of these bounties, but it is the perfect believer alone who is their true heir.

Unless seen in comparison, the perfect station of the believer cannot be clearly understood by every unclean, dull and short-sighted person. Hence, the most clear and easy method for recognizing a perfect believer is by comparison alone. Though all these signs proceed naturally from a perfect believer, yet there are occasional difficulties in the way of their unilateral manifestation. For instance, it often happens that some persons approach a perfect believer and beseech his supplication in respect of matters that have been absolutely decreed against them On account of their frustration, they are not able to witness this sign; rather, they increase in their doubts and are not able to appreciate truly the perfect qualities of the true believer.

A perfect believer occupies a high rank and status in the estimation of God Almighty. Many complicated matters are set right for his sake and in consequence of his earnest prayers. Even some matters which have been decreed, and which appear to be absolute, are changed; nevertheless, a truly absolute decree cannot be modified through the supplications of a perfect believer, even if he should be a Prophet or a Messenger. A perfect believer is clearly distinguishable from others in respect of these four signs, though he cannot be permanently and uniformly successful. Therefore, as it is clear that a true and perfect believer is bestowed a proportionately much larger share of glad tidings, acceptance of prayers, disclosure of the unseen and disclosure of Qur’anic verities, the best way to distinguish between him and others would be to institute a comparison between the claimants on the basis of these four signs which are the criteria to judge who is perfect and who is not….

Now let the whole world bear witness that purely for the sake of Allah and for the manifestation of truth, I accept this challenge with all my heart and soul. The first among those who should want to take up this challenge is Miań Nadhir Hussain of Delhi. He has taught the Holy Qur’an and Hadith for more than half a century, but the example of his learning and practice is that, without any enquiry or study, he proclaimed me a disbeliever and thus incited thousands of ill-natured wild people to revile me. He also let loose Batalvi1 to spew forth the foam of condemnation from his mouth, and to curse me like a wild beast. And he has arrogated to himself the status of the perfect believer, eminent scholar and leader of the entire Muslim world. First and foremost, he is the one I invite to take up this challenge. He is free to bring with him the Batalvi who now claims to have true dreams. I would also let him, if he so wishes, include ‘Abdul Jabbar Sahib, son of a righteous servant of Allah, the late Maulavi ‘Abdullah Sahib, and also Maulavi ‘Abd-ur-Rahman Sahib of Lakhoke, who made public his revelation about me being eternally misguided, and denounced me as an apostate. He can also bring along Maulavi Muhammad Bashir Sahib of Bhopal who is one of his followers. If Miań Nadhir Hussain should evade my challenge, as he has often done earlier, then let these gentlemen, whose names I have mentioned above, come forth to challenge me. Should they fail to do so, then let Maulavi Rashid Ahmad Sahib of Gangoha make a bold move to take up this challenge, as he is the foremost of the orthodox. Anyone else among the well-known Sufis, Pirzadas or hereditary divines who considers me a disbeliever, an impostor, a liar and a hypocrite, as do these others, may also join him.

If all of them should fail to accept this challenge and try to hide behind false excuses, then let it be known that I have fully discharged my obligation of conveying the message of God Almighty to them. I am the Appointed One. I have been given the tiding of victory and that is why I call these gentlemen to come forth in opposition to me. Will anyone come forward?…

These four criteria that I have mentioned are so simple and straightforward that everyone who considers them carefully will acknowledge that there is no clearer and easier spiritual way of deciding the contest between us. I affirm on oath and promise that, if I am defeated in this contest, I shall publicly acknowledge my error, and Miań Nadhir Hussain Sahib or Sheikh Batalvi will have no more need to condemn me as a disbeliever or impostor. In this case, I shall deserve every kind of disgrace and humiliation and I shall acknowledge in an open gathering that God Almighty has not sent me and that all my claims are false. I am, however, certain and clearly perceive that God will not permit such a situation to arise and will never let me perish.

Inviting All to Come and Witness the Signs

There has been a continuous succession of signs with me from the very beginning, and anyone who spends some time in my company, provided he is sincere and steadfast, can see something of them. In future too, God Almighty will not leave this Movement without signs, nor will He withdraw His support from it. Indeed, according to His holy promises, He will continue to manifest His fresh signs at their appropriate times, until he has clearly established the distinction between truth and falsehood. In a revelation He said to me:

A Warner came to the world but the world accepted him not; God will accept him and will establish his truth with powerful assaults.

I can never believe that these great signs will fail to appear, although their occurrence is not within my power. I assure you that I stand on truth. And, O dear people, be certain that, unless a person has the support of the God of heaven, he cannot have the courage to stand firm against the whole world and claim to do what is beyond his power. Can anyone who stands against the whole world with such strength and hearty steadfastness do so on his own? Certainly not. Such a person has the support of the hidden hand of God, and is under the shelter of the Powerful One Who controls heaven and earth and every body and soul.

Then open your eyes and realize that God, Who honours me with His converse, has granted me this strength and steadfastness. It is under His clear direction that I have ventured forth with great courage and steadfastness against those who claim that they are leaders of the world’s religions and enjoy nearness to God, and some of whom claim to be recipients of Divine revelation and have condemned me as a disbeliever who deserves hell. I have come out into the field under Divine direction to challenge them all, so that God Almighty may demonstrate the distinction between the truthful one and the liars, and that His hand may degrade the false to the lowest degree, and that He may help and support the one who is honoured with His grace and beneficence. Brethren! Please observe that the invitation I have extended to Miań Nadhir Hussain and his colleagues is a method of resolving the difference between him and me. If these clerics believe that I am a disbeliever, dajjal, impostor, and one stricken by Satan, as they allege, then why would they hesitate in confronting me? Have they not read in the Holy Qur’an that in a contest Divine help is bestowed on the faithful? Allah the Almighty, says in the Holy Qur’an:

‘O believers, do not be weary of the fight, nor have any apprehension. In the end, victory belongs to you, if you truly are believers.’ It further says:

That is: ‘God will never grant the disbelievers a way to prevail against the believers.’

The Promised Messiah has been described in Hadith as a Nabi’ullah [Prophet of Allah] which means that he will receive revelation from God Almighty. But here Prophethood does not mean complete and perfect Prophethood, for a seal has been set on such Prophethood forever. The Prophethood I speak of is confined to Muhaddathiyyat, which obtains light from the Muhammadi lamp. This is a special bounty which has been bestowed upon this humble one. Although everyone partakes of true dreams and visions to a certain extent, nevertheless, if my opponents are in doubt, they can test my claim that no other Muslims of this age has been bestowed such plentiful share of true dreams, visions, acceptance of prayers and true revelations that they approximate those of the Prophets, as I have been. This is indeed a great criterion to judge, for there is no method other than heavenly support for testing the truth of a claimant.

For a certainty, God Almighty supports one who comes from Him and guides him in an extraordinary way in the fields of contest. Therefore, I affirm with full confidence and perfect faith that if all the Muslims of the world, be they Punjabis, Indians, Arabs, Turks, Persians, Africans or others, and their clerics, sufis, leaders, and righteous ones, and all their men and women who consider me to be an impostor, should wish to see whether the signs of acceptance by God are found in me or in them, and whether heavenly doors are opened for me or for them, and whether the True Beloved by virtue of His special bounties and the bestowal of His special knowledge and spiritual insights is with me or with them, they would soon discover that the special grace and mercy which descends upon human heart are bestowed on me in much larger measure than on their respective leaders.

This should not be taken for an arrogant boast; it is only a declaration of God’s bounty.

“Anyone else in the world6” refers to the people of this age and of the future.

I say with full confidence that no one can match the blessings that God Almighty has manifested for people in consequence of my resolve, attention and supplications, and soon He will manifest many more signs till my opponents will have to accept my claim. I have often said that I have been bestowed two kinds of blessings: those of Jesus (as) and those of Muhammad (sas). I know on the basis of knowledge bestowed on me by God Almighty that the degree of acceptance that can be achieved by my supplications on behalf of the problems of the world cannot be achieved by the supplications of others and the religious and Qur’anic insights, verities, and mysteries which I can set forth at the highest level of composition, cannot be set forth by anyone else.

If the whole world were to combine against me for such a test, I would emerge victorious. If all people were to confront me, I would, by the grace of God Almighty, prevail over them. O Muslims! You have among you commentators of the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith, and those who claim knowledge and understanding of the Holy Qur’an, and boast of their learning and eloquence. There are others who style themselves as mystics of different orders like Chishti, Qadri, Naqshbandi, Suharwardi etc. Arise and bring them to confront me! If I am false in my claim that both these kinds of blessing, those of Jesus (as) and those of Muhammad (sas) are combined in me, and I am not the person in whom they were to be combined and who was to be Dhul-Buruzain [a manifestation of both] I will be defeated in this contest. Otherwise I shall emerge supreme. By the grace of God, I have been bestowed the capacity to exhibit signs of worldly blessings, like Jesus, and to exhibit Muhammadi signs in the shape of setting forth verities, insights, subtle points, and mysteries of the Divine Law. And I have been granted extraordinary eloquence to accomplish these matters. I am certain that, by the grace of God, and by virtue of His design, there is no one on earth today who combines both these capacities in him. It has already been foretold that the one in whom these two capacities are combined would appear in the latter days. One half of his person would reflect Messianic glory and the other half would display the glory of Muhammad (sas). I am that person. Let him who so desires, look at me, and let him who wishes to test me, do so. Blessed is he who does not hold back, and most unfortunate is he who chooses darkness while there is light.

Appeal to Give Up Vilification and Abuse

Purely by way of advice, and for the sake of Allah, I tell the opposing clerics and their soul mates, that abuse and vilification is not the way of decency. If this be your disposition, then so be it. But if you consider me false in my claim, you also have the option to come together in your mosques and pray to God for my ruin, or you can do the same individually. If I am false in my claim, your prayers are bound to be heard. Indeed, you have been praying against me already. But remember, even if you continue to pray thus until your tongues are bruised, and you go on bewailing in your prostrations until your noses are rubbed out, and your tears wipe out your eyelashes, and the weeping reduces your vision, and your brains are so affected that you begin to suffer from epilepsy or melancholia, still your prayers will not be heard; for I have come from God, and anyone who curses me will himself be afflicted with such a curse, though he may not be aware of it. He who enters into a prayer duel with me and supplicates that the one among us who is false may die in the lifetime of the other, will come to the same end which overtook Ghulam Dastgir of Qasur….

No one can die on earth unless his death is decreed in heaven. My soul is inspired with the same truth with which the soul of Abraham (as) was inspired. I have a relationship with God like that of Abraham (as). My secret is known to God alone. My opponents ruin themselves in vain. I am not the plant that can be uprooted by their hands. If their predecessors and their successors, and their living and their dead, were all to come together and pray for my ruin, my God would convert their prayers into curses and would fling them back upon them. Do you not see that hundreds of wise people from among you continue to join my Jama‘at? There is uproar in heaven and God’s angels are pulling pure hearts in our direction. Can man obstruct this Movement that is proceeding in heaven? Try to obstruct it if you think you have the strength. Use all the cunning and deceit that the opponents of the Prophets employed against them in the past, and leave nothing untried. Use your utmost strength. Call down ruin till you arrive at the door of death. Then see what harm you can bring upon us. Heavenly signs are descending like rain, but the unfortunate ones continue to raise objections from afar. What remedy can we provide to the hearts which have been sealed. Lord have mercy on this Ummah, Amin.

Beseeching Allah for a Heavenly Sign and Decree

O my High, Majestic, Powerful, Holy, Everlasting and Self-Subsisting God, Who always helps His righteous servants, Hallowed be Your name unto eternity. Your mighty works can never be obstructed. Your strong hand always manifests wonders. You did raise me at the beginning of the fourteenth century and commanded me:

Arise, because I have chosen you to satisfy the needs of Islam in this age, and to spread Islamic truths throughout the world, and to revive and strengthen the faith.

I have chosen you to call the people. Tell them: I have been sent to all of you and I am the foremost of the believers.

I have sent you so that I may illuminate Islam in the eyes of all people, so that none of the religions that are current upon the earth should be able to match Islam in blessings, insight, excellence of teachings, support of God and wonderful signs of God.

But O my All-Powerful God! You know that most people have not accepted me. They consider me an impostor and call me disbeliever, liar and dajjal. They revile me and torment me with their harsh tongues. It has been said of me that I swallow that which is forbidden, devour the substance of other people, break my promises, usurp people’s rights, revile them, break my covenants, collect wealth for myself and that I am wicked and bloodthirsty.

All this is said about me by people who call themselves Muslims and consider themselves to be virtuous, wise and pious. They believe that whatever they say about me is true. They have seen hundreds of heavenly signs manifested by You and yet they do not believe. They look upon my followers with contempt. Everyone of them who indulges in vilification imagines that he thereby acquires great spiritual merit. O my Powerful Master and God, do guide me, and manifest some sign whereby Your good natured servants may believe firmly that I am accepted of You, and their faith may be strengthened and they may recognize You and fear You and carry out a holy change in themselves according to the directions of this servant of Yours. Do make them set a high example of holiness and piety on the earth so that they may draw every seeker after truth to virtue and thus all the peoples of the earth may witness Your power and Your glory and may know that You are with Your servant and Your glory may shine forth in the world. May the light of Your name flash like the lightning, which illumines in one moment the whole expanse between east and west and shines in the north and south. But, My Beloved Master, if You do not approve of my way, then wipe me out from the face of the earth, so that I may not become a cause of innovation and error.

I do not ask for a quick manifestation, lest I be counted among those who try God, but I pray humbly and with all the respect due to Your Providence, that if I have found favour with You, then sometime within three years, a heavenly sign may be manifested in my support and in accordance with my prayer, which should have no connection with human hands and human designs, just as the rising and setting of the sun has no such connection. Lord, it is true that Your signs can also be manifested at human hands, but at this time I desire my truth to be attested by a sign that should be altogether beyond human power, so that no opponent of mine should be able to describe it as a human conspiracy. O my Lord, nothing is impossible for You. You can do all this if You will. You are mine as I am Yours. I supplicate to You earnestly that if it is true that I am from You and it is You Who has sent me, then do manifest in my support some sign that the public can understand and that is beyond human strength and human planning, so that they may know that I am from You.

O My Powerful God, O Mighty One, Master of all capacities, no hand is equal to Yours, and no jinn or apparition is a partner in Your kingdom. Worldly people have recourse to every form of deceit and devils mislead people with their false suggestions, but no devil has been given the strength to withstand Your signs and Your awe-striking hand, or to manifest such power as is Yours. You are the One beside Whom there is no other God. You are the High, the Great. The light of powerful predictions, which are filled with Divine strength, greatness and terror, does not accompany the inspirations of those who are incited by Satan. It is only through Your strength that all Your Prophets have manifested their miraculous signs challengingly, and have made great prophecies in which their triumph and the helplessness of their opponents was indicated in advance. Your prophecies exhibit the brightness of Your Glory and have the fragrance of Your Godhood, Power, Greatness and Sovereignty. An angel precedes Your Messengers, so that no Satan should stand in their way. I swear by Your Honour and Your Glory that I submit humbly to Your Judgement. If You do not wish to manifest some heavenly sign in my support and in my confirmation within three years, beginning with January, 1900 and ending with December, 1902, and You reject this servant of Yours like those who are wicked, unclean, faithless, liars, dajjals, betrayers of trusts and disorderly in Your estimation, then I call You to witness that I will no longer consider myself truthful and shall deem myself deserving of all the calumnies and charges and accusations that are levelled against me. See that my soul flies towards You in full trust as a bird flies towards its nest. I request a sign of Your Power, but not for my own sake or for my honour, but so that people may know You and adopt Your holy ways and should not deprive themselves of guidance by rejecting the one whom You have sent. I bear witness that You have sent me and have manifested great signs in my support.

O Mighty Lord, Creator of heaven and earth,
O Merciful, Compassionate and Guide;
Who looks into the hearts;
And from Whom nothing is hidden.

If You see that I am wicked and vicious;
If You have determined that I am evil;
Then break this evil one into pieces;
And gladden the hearts of my opponents.
Shower Thy mercy on their hearts;
Grant of Thy grace all their wishes.
Send down a blazing fire on the walls and doors of my dwelling,
Be my enemy and destroy my work.

But if You do count me as one of Your servants;
And my attention is all concentrated on You;
And if You find my heart full of such love for You,
As is entirely unknown to the world;
Then deal with me by way of love;
And make manifest a little of its mystery.

O You Who comes towards every seeker;
And are aware of the yearning of every heart that is aflame with Your love,
For the sake of the relationship that I have with You;
And for the sake of the love that my heart has cultivated for You;
Come forth Yourself to vindicate me;
O You Who are my Refuge and my Shelter and my last Resort.

With that fire which You have lit in my heart;
And with which You have utterly consumed everything beside You;
Light up my countenance with the same fire;
And convert my dark night into bright day.

Evidence in the Form of Divine Blessings

I have set out in these announcements the lights of the power of faith that have been manifested to me in an extraordinary manner in the shape of support from the unseen. They are proofs of the grace and mercy of God Almighty and of nearness to Him and have been bestowed on this humble one by virtue of my strong faith and adherence to the straight path. This spiritual station cannot be claimed by any of my opponents. If anyone contests this statement, let him stand forth and compare the blessings bestowed upon him on account of his following his own religion, with those that have been bestowed on me. But no one has stood up to confront me, nor is it within the power of a frail human being to stand up merely on the basis of his cunning, wicked designs or bigoted obstinacy, against this Movement which God Almighty has established with His own hand.

I affirm truly that if anyone stands up against this Movement to display blessings enjoyed by him, he will be struck down with great humiliation, as this Movement is not of man but is from that Mighty and Powerful Being Whose hand fashioned the heavens and all heavenly bodies and spread out the earth for its dwellers. It is a pity that our clerics and divines are always ready to sit down with paper, pen and inkpot to condemn me as a disbeliever, but do not reflect for a moment whether falsehood can ever inspire such awe and dread that no one dares step forth in answer to such a challenge. Can a false one possess such courage and steadfastness as has been manifested before the whole world in this instance? Let those who doubt the truth of my statements approach the leaders, preachers and teachers of all opponents of Islam and persuade them … to stand against me in a contest regarding spiritual matters, and see whether God Almighty supports me or not.

O Ye who Doubt! Come to the Heavenly Verdict!

O revered ones! O clerics! And O leaders of the people! May God Almighty open your eyes. Do not transgress the limits in your wrath and anger. Study both parts of this book of mine carefully, for therein lies light and guidance. Fear God Almighty and hold back your tongues from denouncing me as a disbeliever. God Almighty knows well that I am a Muslim.

If, even after studying this book, you still continue to harbour doubts, then come and test him who is supported by God. O ye opposing clerics, sufis and religious leaders, who reject me and denounce me as an impostor, I have been assured that if all of you together, or individually, stand against me and wish to compete with me in respect of the heavenly signs that are manifested in support of the friends of the Gracious One, God Almighty will put you to shame and will unmask you, and you will see that He is with me. Is there anyone among you who is prepared to come into the field for such a trial, and to compete with me, after a public announcement, about the close relationship that God has with me? Remember, God helps the righteous. Lay aside your tricks for He is close to me. Will you then fight Him? Can anyone rise in stature merely by jumping arrogantly? Will you rip the truth apart with your sharp tongues? Fear Him Whose wrath is greater than all wraths!

The Holy Qur’an comprises wisdom and insight and has nothing in it that is vain or useless. It explains clearly that which it states and provides for all needs. It has a sign in every aspect of it. Should anyone question this, we are prepared to establish and manifest its miraculous qualities from all aspects.

Let a select group of the learned religious scholars of Nadwah come to Qadian and demand proofs of miracles and definitive arguments based on the Holy Qur’an and Hadith which support my claim. Then, if I fail to furnish full proof according to the practice of the Prophets (peace be upon them), I will allow all my books to be burnt. Only a godly one would go to such lengths. Why would the Nadwah take so much trouble? They care the least about the hereafter, so why should they fear God? Yet each of the clerics of Nadwah should remember that he will not remain in this world forever. Death is beckoning. God observes from heaven that the sport and play with which they occupy themselves, and which they call religion, has nothing to do with faith. They are content with the shell and are unaware of the kernel. This is not the service of Islam but is its enmity. Alas! If they had been blessed with eyesight they would have realized that the world has been guilty of a grave sin in rejecting God’s Messiah; but this realization would only come after death.

The nature of converse with the Divine is that God Almighty bestows the honour of such a dialogue upon one who is wholly devoted to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as He granted to earlier Prophets. In this dialogue, the Kalimullah [the servant who is blessed with converse with God] talks to Him like one man to another. He puts a question to God, Who responds to him; even though such question and answer may extend to fifty or more exchanges. Through such dialogue, God Almighty bestows three types of bounties upon His perfect servant:

Whoever rejects me and claims that he himself is blessed with Divine converse, I call upon him in the name of God to compete with me in respect of all these three criteria. Both of us should write an exegesis on any seven verses of the Holy Qur’an to be agreed upon. My opponent should write on the basis of revelation vouchsafed to him and I shall write on the basis of mine. Each of us should set forth, in advance, some revelations received by him intimating acceptance of prayers and relating to matters beyond human capacity. He should also disclose in advance some hidden matter relating to the future and so should I. Both our statements should be published through posters. Thus truth and falsehood of each party will become evident.

But remember, my opponents will never be able to do this. The hearts of liars have been cursed by God. He will neither disclose to them the light of the Holy Qur’an, nor accept their supplications, nor inform them of such acceptance in advance, nor will He disclose anything of the unseen to them:

Now that I have made this announcement, anyone who neither stands forth against me in the manner set out, nor restrains himself from denouncing me as an impostor, will be under the curse of God, the angels and all the righteous ones. And the only duty of a Messenger is to convey the message.

An Invitation to Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah of Golrah

The readers of this announcement will be aware that, having observed the persistent condemnation and vilification of opposing clerics and custodians of shrines, and having noted their demand for a sign, I had made an announcement that was addressed especially to Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib. The sum and substance of that announcement was that there have so far been many discussions on religious issues from which the opposing Maulavis have derived no benefit, but as they continue to ask for heavenly signs, it is possible that they might derive some benefit from them. It was published because Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib, who claims excellence of sainthood, as well as a high intellectual calibre and, on account of his confidence in his learning, has recently renewed his condemnation of me as a disbeliever, and has published a book in order to provoke the common people against me … And since God Almighty has honoured me with the revelation:

‘The Almighty Allah has taught thee the Holy Qur’an’; I had, therefore, suggested that it would be enough of a sign for testing my truth or falsehood if Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib and I both were to write a commentary in clear and eloquent Arabic on some Chapters of the Holy Qur’an. If he is judged better than me, I shall have no hesitation in acknowledging his superiority. With this in view, my announcement was made entirely in good faith … but he has completely evaded my challenge….

Today, God Almighty has put a plan in my mind which I set forth to conclusively resolve this matter, and I believe that it will fully expose Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib, for the whole world is not blind; there are some who are fair and just. The plan is that today I give the following answer to the constant barrage of announcements, which are being published in favour of Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib. If Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah Sahib is truly exceptional in his knowledge of the Qur’an and Arabic literature, and is well versed in the arts of persuasion and eloquence, I believe he must still be in possession of those qualities since it is not long since he moved to Lahore. I propose here and now to establish the truth by writing a commentary on Surah Al-Fatihah and setting down the verities and truths of this chapter of the Holy Qur’an. As for Hazrat Pir Sahib, he should also base his evidence regarding the Promised Messiah and the bloodthirsty Mahdi on Surah Al-Fatihah. He is at liberty to deduce his conclusive arguments and crucial verities from Surah Al-Fatihah, written in eloquent and brilliant Arabic. The two books should be printed and published within seventy days beginning from the fifteenth of December, 1900. This will allow knowledgeable people to compare and decide for themselves. If three scholars, who possess literary qualities and are proficient in Arabic and have no connection with either of us, state on oath that Pir Sahib’s book is superior to mine, both in composition and in setting forth the verities of the Holy Qur’an, I shall immediately pay five hundred rupees to Pir Sahib…. He will be at liberty to seek help in this enterprise from Maulavi Muhammad Hussain of Batala, Maulavi ‘Abdul Jabbar of Ghazni and Muhammad Hassan of Bhin. He is even free to employ three or four Arab scholars who posses literary qualifications for this purpose. These commentaries should not be less than four juz10 each … If any of us fails to publish such a commentary within the appointed term—between 15 December 1900 and 25 February 1901—he will be considered false in his claim, and no further proof of his falsehood will be necessary. Peace be upon those who follow the guidance.

Knowledge of Arabic and the Holy Qur’an as Signs of Divine Support

‘The Gracious One has taught thee the Qur’an. O Ahmad, grace flows from thy lips.’

From this revelation I understood that God had, as a miraculous sign, bestowed two types of bounties on me with reference to the Holy Qur’an and its language.

(1) One is that I have been instructed, in an extraordinary manner, in the high insights of the Holy Qur’an, in respect of which no one can compete with me. (2) Secondly, I have been bestowed such proficiency in the language of the Holy Qur’an, namely Arabic, that all the opposing divines combined will not be able to compete with me, and they will see that the sweetness, eloquence and mastery of Arabic that characterises my composition cannot be equalled by them, their friends, their teachers or their revered ones. After receiving this revelation, I wrote a commentary on some Surahs and passages of the Holy Qur’an and compiled several books in fluent Arabic, and invited my opponents to compete with me and offered them large sums of money as award in case of their success. The leaders among them, like Miań Nadhir Hussain of Delhi and Abu Sa‘id Muhammad Hussain of Batala, who is the editor of Isha‘at-us-Sunnah, were repeatedly invited that if they claimed to possess some knowledge of the Holy Qur’an or had any proficiency in Arabic or if they considered me false in respect of my claim of being the Promised Messiah, they should put forth matching instances of the verities and insights which I have presented fluently in these books claiming that they are beyond human capacity and constitute the signs of God Almighty. But they failed altogether to take up my challenge. Neither of them set forth a matching instance of the verities and insights which I had described in my commentaries on some of the passages and verses of the Holy Qur’an, nor was any of them able to compose even two lines in Arabic like the books that I had published in eloquent Arabic. Anyone who has read my books Nur-ul-Haq, Karamat-us-Sadiqin, Sirr-ul-Khilafah, Itmam-ul-Hujjah, etc, and the Arabic portions of Anjam-i-Atham and Najm-ul-Huda, will have clearly recognized their high literary standard, both in prose and poetry; and will also have observed how forcefully I have challenged all opposing divines that if they laid claim to some knowledge of the Holy Qur’an and have any degree of proficiency in Arabic, they should produce a match of these books; otherwise, they should acknowledge that this enterprise of mine has been undertaken under Divine direction and should confess that these books of mine are a sign of my truth. Alas, they neither abandoned their opposition nor were able to match my books. In any case, the message of God Almighty was conveyed fully to them and they were proven guilty of having disobeyed a commissioned one of God.

To disabuse the minds of the common people that Miań Muhammad Hussain Batalavi, or other like-minded opposing clerics who share his views and mistakenly believe him to possess a high degree of proficiency in Arabic and in the verities of the Word of God, it has been considered proper to publish this monograph in a final effort to expose the myth of Batalvi and the divines associated with him, concerning their knowledge of Arabic and their comprehension of Divine verities. This booklet comprises four Arabic odes and a commentary on Surah Al-Fatihah. Though these odes have been completed within one week, in a few hours in fact, but for the sake of carrying the matter to the final conclusion, I hereby solemnly promise that if within one month of the publication of this booklet, they publish their matching booklet exhibiting the same high degree of literary merit and comprising the same number of Arabic verses that are comprised in my booklet, along with a commentary of the Surah Al-Fatihah matching mine in every respect, I shall pay them one thousand rupees as reward….

I further promise that, upon publication of the booklet, if their odes and their commentary are found free from grammatical or idiomatic errors and are acknowledged to be superior to my odes and commentary, and, what is more, if they are able to point out any mistakes in my compositions, I shall pay them five rupees for every such mistake. Remember, it is easy to criticize, even an ignorant person can do this much; but it is difficult to establish high merit. In respect of the commentary, it should be remembered that a commentary written by merely copying other commentaries will not be acceptable. It must comprise new verities and insights, provided they are not opposed to the Holy Qur’an and to whatever the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said.

Some opponents of Islam put forward the objection that, although it seems reasonable that the Word of God should be matchless, yet how can the matchlessness of any book be established by plain reasoning. They demand that if the Holy Qur’an is matchless, this quality should be established by some convincing arguments, inasmuch as its high literary excellence can be appreciated only by one whose mother tongue is Arabic, and it does not constitute a proof of matchlessness for others, nor can others benefit from it. The answer is that this objection is raised only by people who have never sincerely tried to ascertain the matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an from someone possessing knowledge of it. Instead, they avoid the light of the Holy Qur’an, lest they should be affected by it. The matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an is so patent and obvious in the estimation of seekers after truth, that it spreads its rays in all directions, like the sun, in the comprehension of which one need encounter no doubt or difficulty. If there is no intervening darkness of bigotry and hostility, that perfect light can be appreciated with even a little attention. It is true that some aspects of the matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an are such as to require some knowledge of Arabic for their comprehension, but it is a mistake resulting from ignorance to imagine that the entire range of the miraculousness of the Qur’an depends upon the knowledge of Arabic, and that all Qur’anic wonders and all the great qualities of this discriminating Book can be appreciated only by the Arabs, and that non-Arabs are barred from them. This is utterly wrong. It is clear to every knowledgeable person, that most of the aspects of the matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an are so simple and easy to understand that no knowledge of Arabic is needed. They are so manifest and clear that minimal intelligence, which should be characteristic of every human being, suffices for their understanding. For instance, one aspect of its matchlessness is that, despite its brevity, to the extent that if it is written out by an average pen it can be comprised within a few pages, it comprehends all religious verities which lay scattered in diverse books and in the scriptures of previous Prophets. Furthermore, it also possesses the distinction that whatever verities a person might discover by diligence, effort and search in religious fields through the exercise of his intelligence and perception, or whatever new verities and insights or proofs and arguments he might set forth by the exercise of his reason, or should offer the subtlest verity which the ancient philosophers may have discovered through great labour for a comparison, or should wish to discover from the Holy Qur’an the remedy for the inner disorders and the spiritual maladies from which most people suffer, he can test the Qur’an in whichever aspect and by whatever method he might desire, and he will find that, in setting forth its truth and wisdom, the Holy Qur’an encompasses everything like a circle and no religious verity is left out by it. Indeed the Holy Qur’an improves and corrects the statements of philosophers that were defective due to their limited knowledge or defective reasoning. Besides, the Holy Qur’an sets out accurately and correctly truths that no philosopher or thinker has set out, and to which no intellect has gained access. It sets out in full all the fine points relating to knowledge of the Divine which were scattered in hundreds of collections and comprised of many lengthy volumes, but were still imperfect and incomplete. It leaves no room for any wise person in future to set forth a new point. Despite all this, the whole script of the Holy Qur’an does not exceed 80 pages of normal handwriting. This is an aspect of matchlessness that a person of average intellect cannot doubt.

Every reasonable person can appreciate that it is not within the power of man or any other creature to set out all religious truth, all insights relating to the subject of divinity, all arguments and proofs in support of true principles resulting from intellectual exercises of all thinkers, ancient and modern, with such completeness in a book of moderate size from which no verity has been left out.

For every person, literate or illiterate, there is a clear and straight way for testing this aspect of the Holy Qur’an. If anyone should be in doubt about the Holy Qur’an comprising all Divine verities, we are prepared to undertake that a seeker after truth, after making a written promise that if he is satisfied he would accept Islam, should set forth a certain number of religious verities out of a Hebrew, Greek, Latin, English, Sanskrit or any other book, or should set forth some subtle points relating to any subjects of divinity out of his own intellect. If he does so, we shall produce for him the same out of the Holy Qur’an.

The truth is that if any cleric of this country should wish to compete with me in respect of Qur’anic insights, and I should write a commentary on a chapter of the Holy Qur’an and he should write a commentary on the same chapter, he would certainly be humbled and would not be able to stand against me. That is why, despite my insistence, the Maulavis do not respond to my challenges. This is a great sign, but only for those who possess faith and a sense of justice.

I desire to demolish the Arabs’ claim to literary excellence and eloquence. Let these journalists, who call themselves masters of the language having written a few lines, come forth, if they dare, to challenge this sign. Their pens will be broken. If they have any power or proficiency, they can take up this challenge individually or collectively. They will then realize the truth, and the lie which the ignorant are wont to repeat, that I get my books written by Arabs on payment of thousands of rupees, will also be exposed. Then it will also become clear as to who is the Arab that can write a book of such high literary standard and full of such verities and insights. The books that these claimants of proficiency in literary qualities write are like a pile of hard and soft, white and black pieces of stones. While my books, which contain analysis of Qur’anic verities and insights, are sweet and delicious. That which is composed with the support of the Holy Spirit and the words that are inspired by it, possess a unique sweetness, splendour and power which others cannot master. This will be a great sign indeed!

Though I have so far published nearly seventeen matchless books in Arabic, against which my opponents have not published even one during the past ten years, it occurred to me today that as those books not only possess high literary merit but also comprise many Qur’anic truths and insights, it is possible that my opponents might make the excuse that they are not conversant with truths and insights, and that if it had been an Arabic poem of high merit like the average type of odes, they would certainly have produced its match. It also occurred to me that if Maulavi Thana’ullah Sahib were invited to compose a book matching my book I‘jaz-ul-Masih, he would be sure to demand proof that the book had been written within seventy days. If he were to claim that I had taken two years in writing this book and that he too should be allowed two years for writing a comparable book, it would be difficult to convince him that I had written my book within seventy days. I, therefore, thought it proper to supplicate to God Almighty that He should enable me to compose, with the help of the Holy Spirit, an ode describing the debates that took place at Mud, so that no one should find it difficult to determine the period during which the ode was composed. My supplication was accepted and I completed the compilation of the ode within five days. If I had not been otherwise engaged, the ode could have been composed in one day, and if no delay had been encountered it could have been published on 9th November, 1902.

This is a great sign, to which Maulavi Thana’ullah Sahib is himself a witness, as the ode itself shows that it was written after the debate to which he was a party. The debate took place on 29th and 30th October 1902, and I started writing the ode on 8th November upon the return of our friends. It was completed on 12th November along with this Urdu writing. As I am certain that this ode is a great sign of Divine support, so that God may put my opponents to shame and silence them, therefore I present this sign to Maulavi Thana’ullah Sahib and his helpers with an offer of a reward of ten thousand rupees. If, within five days, they compose a matching ode together with an Urdu writing of the length of this writing, which is also a sign, I shall immediately pay them ten thousand rupees. In addition, I can allow them one week for printing and two days for its transmission through the mail. Thus if fourteen days after receiving my ode and its accompanying Urdu portion, they publish the same number of verses possessing the same high literary merit, I shall pay them ten thousand rupees as reward. They will be free to seek the help of Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Sahib or any other gentleman.

Another reason why they should make this effort is that in one of my announcements I have predicted that by the end of December 1902, an extraordinary sign would be manifested in my support. Though such a sign has already been manifested in other forms, if Maulavi Thana’ullah and other clerics whom I have addressed, fail to respond to this challenge, this will also be a sign in fulfilment of my prediction. So it is incumbent upon them, if they consider my claim to be the result of my own design, that they should accept my challenge and frustrate this sign. I affirm on oath that if, individually or collectively, they publish within the time prescribed an ode in Arabic supplemented by an Urdu writing corresponding to the ode and the Urdu writing that I have composed, and mail them to me within twelve days, I shall not only pay them ten thousand rupees as an award, but their success will prove my falsehood, and Maulavi Thana’ullah Sahib and his friends will no longer have to invent lies against me, and they will achieve an easy victory. Failing this, they will no longer have any justification for calling me false or denying my signs.

I call heaven and earth to witness that I place my reliance from today onwards on this sign. If my claim is true, and God Almighty knows that it is true, it will not be possible for Maulavi Thana’ullah, or any other Maulavi associated with him, to compose an ode and an Urdu writing like mine within five days, as God Almighty will break their pens and will make their minds dull. Maulavi Thana’ullah cannot claim that I composed this ode in advance, since it is about the debate which was held at Mud. If I had composed it in advance, then they must acknowledge that I possess knowledge of the unseen, which would still constitute a sign. So they have no way of escape now. Today the revelation has been fulfilled in which God said:

The affairs decreed by the All-Powerful God have been manifested;
Those who issued declarations of kufr have been apprehended.

Is it not a Divine sign that the one concerning whom it was said that he was an ignoramus and did not know a single rule of grammar, calls upon all the Maulavis who denounce him as a disbeliever to compete with him in writing a commentary for which he would award them a thousand rupees, and to write a book matching his book Nur-ul-Haq for which he is prepared to deposit five thousand rupees in advance to be awarded to them; and not one of them has the courage to come forward and accept his challenge….

I have called them repeatedly and most emphatically to come forward but they have paid no attention to my invitations. In order to expose Sheikh Sahib’s lack of knowledge of Arabic, I announced in Nur-ul-Haq that if he publishes within three months a book matching it in every respect, he would be awarded three thousand rupees in cash, and would, in this easy manner, prove my revelations to be false. Otherwise, he would not only be defeated but would be accounted as having acknowledged the truth of my revelations. But Sheikh Sahib paid no attention to any of this. Why such indifference? The only reason is that it is beyond his capacity to take up my challenge…. God Almighty designed to humiliate this arrogant one and to show him how He helps His servants. These books, therefore, were written through the capacity bestowed by God and His special help and under His direction. I had fixed the end of June 1894 as the last date for the acceptance of my challenge relating to the matching of Karamat-us-Sadiqin and Nur-ul-Haq, and that date is now past.

If Hazrat Sayyed Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain Sahib or Maulavi Abu Muhammad ‘Abd-ul-Haq Sahib consider that I am mistaken in my view on the question of the death of Jesus, and imagine that my viewpoint goes against the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, it is incumbent upon them that, in order to safeguard the public against being misled by me, they should debate the question with me in this city of Delhi. I propose only three conditions with regard to the holding of the debate.

I promise that if, through this method, it is proved that Jesus son of Mary is still alive, I shall give up my claim of being a recipient of revelation as I realize that no revelation that is opposed to the Holy Qur’an can be true.

In the Name of Allah the Glorious, a Plea to Maulavi Sayyed Nadhir Hussain, for a Debate on the Life or Death of Jesus Son of Mary

Maulavi Sayyed Muhammad Nadhir Hussain Sahib! You and your disciples have raised a clamour that my claim of being the Promised Messiah is against the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, and that I have invented a new religion and a new doctrine which are altogether opposed to the teachings of God and the Holy Prophet (sas) and are obviously false, since, according to you, the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith proclaim that Jesus (peace be upon him) was raised bodily to heaven and will descend on earth some later time, and that the notion that he had died a natural death is opposed to the clear authority of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith. As you have, in your affirmations, described my claim as opposed to the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith, as a consequence of which thousands of Muslims have been deeply agitated against me, it is incumbent upon you to settle with me whether in holding such a view I have departed from the authority of the Qur’an and Hadith, or whether you are guilty of such departure in professing the opposite view….

If, in a meeting held for the purpose, you refute my arguments, which I shall set forth from the Holy Qur’an and from the true Ahadith, and present better arguments from these two sources in support of the doctrine that Jesus son of Mary was raised bodily up to heaven and continues there alive, I shall repent at your hand and burn all my books which deal with this question and which are in my possession. I shall publish my recantation publicly. May the curse of Allah be upon him who conceals in his heart that which is opposed to what he professes with his tongue. But keep in mind that if you are vanquished and fail to cite a conclusive verse or authentic Hadith in support of the doctrine that you profess, you will also have to publicly withdraw from your false belief. Allah loves those who repent.

Dear Sir! I put you under oath in the name of God, the Holy and Glorious, Who created you and has bestowed countless favours upon you, that if you truly believe that the Holy Qur’an contains clear and categorical verses which prove conclusively that Jesus son of Mary is still alive, and that the verses are supported by true Ahadith, on account of which you have been compelled to emphatically deny my claim of being the recipient of Divine revelation, then out of the fear of God in Whose name I call upon you, come forward and debate the question with me I invite you again, dear sir, in the name of Allah the Glorious, to this debate. I will present myself for this purpose wherever you may wish … If you do not come forward and try to evade my challenge by relying upon the mischievous clerics, then remember that you will be humiliated and defamed throughout India and the Punjab and will altogether lose the glory of being called the versatile religious scholar….

I wish to add that if you are not prepared to debate this question with me then, in a meeting, listen to all my arguments in support of the death of Jesus (as) and then proclaim three times on oath in the name of Allah the Glorious, that my arguments are not well-founded and that the true and certain argument is that Jesus son of Mary was raised bodily to heaven and that this indeed is your belief which is supported by clear and conclusive verses of the Holy Qur’an and true Ahadith. Thereupon I shall have recourse to humble and earnest prayer for Divine decree in respect of your daring dishonesty, impertinence and bearing false witness. As God has assured me:

I have also been assured that if you abandon the way of righteousness and commit this impertinence and ignore the verse:

then, within one year, you will be so sorely affected by the consequences of this impertinence that it will be a sign for others. I therefore request you, that if you are not inclined to hold a debate, then at least try to seek a decision in the manner I have suggested so that those who go on calling for a sign may be shown a sign by God Almighty. He has power to do all that He wills. And our last pronouncement is: All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.

I have written to him14 several times that I do not question any of his beliefs, except that I do not believe, as he does, that Jesus (peace be upon him) is still physically alive. I believe, both as a doctrine and as a fact, that Jesus (as) died a natural death, and why should I not believe so, because in His Mighty Book, the Holy Qur’an, my Lord and Master has mentioned him among the dead and there is no mention at all of the extraordinary phenomenon of him being physically alive or of his expected return to earth. The Holy Qur’an concludes merely with the announcement of his death. Therefore if my statement is vain, false and blasphemous, then he should come and debate the matter with me. If he succeeds in establishing the continuation of the physical life of Jesus (peace be on him) from the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith I shall discard my belief and shall burn all my books that deal with this question. I have also suggested that if he is unwilling to debate the question, he should affirm on oath that there is no mention in the Holy Qur’an of the death of Jesus (as) but only of his continuous physical life; or that there exists some true Hadith in which the expression Tawaffi has been differently interpreted in the case of Jesus (as) as connoting his physical life. If within one year God Almighty manifests no clear sign to prove that Maulavi Sahib had taken a false oath, that is to say, if he is not afflicted with some great calamity, I will repent immediately at his hand. Alas, despite my repeated requests, Miań Sahib was prepared neither to debate the question nor to make the required affirmation on oath; nor did he restrain himself from denouncing me as a disbeliever….

It was only for this purpose that I bore all the expense and inconvenience of staying in Delhi for a whole month, and if Miań Sahib had been ready for a debate why should I have evaded it? As the saying goes, truth has nothing to fear. I am still as ready for a debate on the subject of the death of Jesus (as) as I was then. If Miań Sahib would agree to come to Lahore for this purpose, I would defray the expenses of his journey and can even make payment in advance. If he is not willing to attend the debate in person, the debate can be held in writing and he won’t have to take undertake the journey. In short, I am willing to agree to whatever might be convenient to him and I await his reply. But remember my prediction that he will never agree to a debate, and if he does, he will be so humiliated that he will not be able to show his face anywhere.

Let it be understood by all Muslims that it has been established beyond any doubt, according to the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, that Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) died on earth after fulfilling the span of his life in accordance with the verse:

It is further clear on the authority of sixteen verses of the Holy Qur’an, and a number of Ahadith contained in Bukhari, Muslim and other authentic compilations, that those who die are never sent back to dwell in this world, nor is anyone subjected to death twice, nor does the Holy Qur’an lay down any law of inheritance for anyone who might return to earth after death. Yet some of the divines insist that Jesus son of Mary has not died but was raised bodily to heaven, and is alive in his physical body. They dare to suggest that the expression Tawaffi, which has been applied to Jesus (as) in the Holy Qur’an, does not connote death, rather it means taking full possession of both body and soul. But this interpretation is utterly false. In the idiom of the Holy Qur’an, this expression is consistently employed to connote taking possession of the soul and the death of the body. The same idiom is employed in all the Ahadith and sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.)

Ever since the Arabian peninsula has been populated and the Arabic language has come into use, there is not a single ancient or modern instance of the expression Tawaffi being employed taking possession of the body. Whenever this expression has been employed for the description of the action of God Almighty in relation to a human being, it has always connoted death and taking possession of the soul. No lexicon and no Arabic saying contradicts this. There is not the slightest room for any different interpretation. If anyone should cite a single instance from the Holy Qur’an or from the Ahadith or from ancient or modern poetry, or ode, or prose of the Arabs, wherein the expression Tawaffi has been employed when indicating the action of God Almighty concerning a human being, as connoting anything beyond death and taking possession of the soul, that is to say, as connoting the taking possession of the body also, I call God to witness that I shall hand over to such a person one thousand rupees in cash and also acknowledge that he possesses expert knowledge of Hadith and the Holy Qur’an.

A Misguided Assertion of Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf Challenged

In Lahore, Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf Sahib, Dila‘dar of Canals, under the false doctrines of ignorant and misguided clerics, … has stated confidently that if anyone falsely claims to be a Prophet or a Messenger or a commissioned one by God, and thus seeks to mislead people, he can survive such imposture for twenty-three years and even more. What he means to say is that the survival of such an impostor for more than twenty-three years cannot be a proof of his truth. He also stated that he can cite the names of many people who made such false claims and continued to assert for more than twenty-three years that they were recipients of God’s word….

Through this announcement, I demand from Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf Sahib to cite such an instance as promised in his signed document. I know for certain that this principle, which is set out in the Holy Qur’an by GodHimself, can never be contravened….

It is for this reason that I have made this public announcement together with an offer of five hundred rupees as an award for the citation of a single instance to the contrary, and I am prepared to deposit this amount in any government bank in advance. If Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf Sahib and those who think like him, whose names I have mentioned in this announcement, will cite an instance with adequate proof in accordance with the Holy Qur’an, in which a person who falsely claimed to be a Prophet or a Messenger or a commissioned one of God, continued to publish his alleged revelations for more than twenty-three years, I shall pay such a person the sum of five hundred rupees in cash. They will be at liberty to cite such an instance from anywhere in the world within a fortnight of the publication of this announcement.

Submitting the Matter to the Judge of Judges

O Ye revered clerics though the falsity of your notion that that you are the true believers and I am a disbeliever, that you are truthful and I am a liar, that you follow Islam and I go against it, that you are the accepted ones of God and I am rejected by Him, that you are the heirs of Paradise and I am condemned to hell, has been established by the Holy Qur’an in the estimation of those who are given to reflection, and the readers of this book can well understand who is right and who is wrong, yet there is another way whereby distinction can be made between those who are true and those who are false, and between the accepted ones of God and the rejected ones. It has always been the way of God that if an accepted one and a rejected one both beseech God Almighty for heavenly help, He certainly helps the accepted one and makes His acceptance of him manifest in a manner that is beyond human power. Since you claim to be in the right, and some of you like Maulavi Mohy-ud-Din and ‘Abd-ur-Rahman Sahib of Lakhoke and Miań ‘Abd-ul-Haq Sahib of Ghazni have denounced me as a disbeliever and as one condemned to hell, it is incumbent upon you to find out through this heavenly method who is designated as the accepted one in heaven and who is the rejected one. I agree that you should supplicate to the Judge of judges for a period of ten weeks that if you are in the right you should be given a sign of your truth or you should be authorized to make a great prophecy or granted a sign as can proceed only from the righteous. On my side I shall also do the same. God the Beneficent and the Powerful has assured me that, if you accept this challenge, victory will be mine….

Whatever belonged to us, belong now to the Beloved;
Today, we belong to the Beloved, and He belongs to us.
Thanks be to Allah, we found that Priceless Ruby;
It matters not if the nation’s hearts have turned to stone.

If those among Muslims who are called hermits, religious elders and sufis continue to persist in their denial of my claim and do not accept the truth that I am the Promised Messiah, then there is an easy way of settling the issue between us. Let a person who does not accept this claim of mine, and considers himself a recipient of revelation, call me to a meeting at Batala, Amritsar or Lahore, and we should both supplicate the Divine that a grand sign, which is beyond human power and above the manipulation of normal human capacity, may be manifested within the period of one year in support of the one of us who is true in the estimation of God. That sign should be such as to influence people of diverse temperaments through its splendour and power and brilliance, whether by way of prophecy or some miracle resembling the miracles of the Prophets.

Thereafter the one whose extraordinary prophecy is fulfilled or in whose support a grand sign is manifested within the period of one year with such majesty as is not equalled in the case of his opponent, would be accepted as true. For the sake of removing dissension from among the ranks of Muslims the one who is vanquished must give up his opposition to the other, and should pledge spiritual allegiance to him and should fear God Whose wrath is a consuming fire.

It has been revealed to me that, on account of the knowledge granted to me through visions and revelations, I have supremacy over those among the Muslims who claim to be the recipients of revelation. These people should stand up against me. If they are found superior to me in respect of Divine support, heavenly grace and signs, I would submit to being carved up with whatever dagger they might choose. If they dare not compete with me in this manner, then those of them who have denounced me as a disbeliever and whom I am addressing under Divine direction, should publicly state in writing and announce that if they witness any extraordinary sign they would accept my claim without hesitation. I am ready for such a test and my Beneficent God is with me; but I have been directed that, for this purpose, I should challenge only the leaders from among those who denounce me as a disbeliever and that I should enter into a prayer-duel only with them. It should, however, be remembered that they will not stand forth against me as their hearts stand in awe of the truth, and they are well aware of their wrongdoing and transgression.

Challenge to Reach a Conclusive Settlement

It is a wonderful manifestation of the Divine that the more the opposing Maulavis try to reduce our numbers and the more they try to stop people from joining our Movement, the more of them join it, so that we are now well in our thousands. This process goes on daily with increasing speed and God Almighty goes on pulling out good plants from the other side and planting them in our garden. We enjoy Divine support increasingly, on the basis of authority, reason and heavenly testimony. If the opposing clerics still imagine that they are in the right and we are in the wrong, and that God is with them and that we are under the curse and wrath of God, then, besides the fact that we have already furnished them with conclusive proofs, we are willing to provide them with another opportunity of distinguishing between truth and falsehood. If they truly consider themselves in the right and imagine that we are in the wrong, and they desire that the truth may be made manifest and falsehood may disappear, then let them adopt the following method. They should pray:

Lord, if this person, who claims to be the Promised Messiah, is false and a liar and an impostor in Your estimation, and if we are right in our stand and are truthful and are Your accepted servants, then do manifest within one year some extraordinary sign in our support.

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.

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.

A Sincere Appeal to All Muslims of India

To all the Muslims of India, i.e., to all the different sects of Islam which are to be found in India.

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 Moses (as). 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.

Gentlemen! Listen carefully to what I have to say. I state on oath, in the name of Allah the Glorious, that if Hazrat 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.

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, 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 Jesus (as) 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 [prayer-duel] 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.

Challenge to Reach a Conclusive Settlement

… If someone who claims to be the recipient of revelation is not satisfied with any of these signs, he is free to adopt another method. He should, on his side, continue to publish his revelations for a period of one year in two newspapers of his people, and, on my side, I shall publish all that is revealed to me by God Almighty in two newspapers of my Jama‘at. The only condition which is binding on both sides is that each of the revelations published should relate to matters unseen and such as are beyond human power. After one year, the judges will decide whose prophecies have been fulfilled and which side has the larger number of the required type of revelations to its credit. If my opponent is declared supreme in this test, I will be considered false; otherwise it will be incumbent upon my opponents at every step to fear God Almighty, give up denouncing me as false and denying my truth and not to ruin their afterlife by opposing one who has been sent by God.

Holy Qur’an—A Sign of the Living God

I once again remind every seeker after truth that I have been given signs and heavenly testimonies of the truth of Islam of which our blind divines are unaware. I have been sent to establish that Islam alone is the living faith. I have been bestowed such miracles as cannot be matched by the followers of other religions and by my Muslim opponents. I can demonstrate to every opponent that the Holy Qur’an, by virtue of its teachings, philosophy, deep insights and perfect composition is a far greater miracle than that of Moses (as) and is hundreds of times superior to the miracles of Jesus.

I say again and again, loud and clear, that true love for the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), and following them with sincerity, enables a man to perform miracles. Such a perfect man is given knowledge of the unseen and no follower of any other religion can match him in spiritual blessings. I have personal experience of these matters and I see that, except Islam, all religions, their gods, and their followers, are dead, and it is not possible to establish a living relationship with God Almighty except by accepting Islam.

O ye foolish ones! What do you gain by worshipping the dead, and what pleasure do you derive from eating carrion? Come to me and I will tell you where and with whom the Living God is. He is with Islam. In this age, Islam is the Mount Sinai of Moses (as) where God speaks. The God Who used to converse with Prophets and became silent is now revealing His words upon the heart of a Muslim. Does none of you wish to test this and accept the truth if he finds it? What are you holding on to: a corpse wrapped up in a shroud? What more do you possess? A handful of dust? Can that corpse be God? Can it answer you? Come forward. Shame on you if you fail to respond and compare this decomposed corpse with my God.

I tell you that before forty days have passed, He will put you to shame through heavenly signs. Polluted are the hearts that do not approach with true intent and yet go on denying, and unclean are the temperaments that lean towards mischief and not towards the pursuit of truth.

O clerics who oppose me! If you be in doubt, come and stay in my company for a few days. If you do not witness God’s signs, then seize me and treat me as a liar. I have furnished you with full proofs, and until you refute these proofs you have no answer. The signs of God are descending like rain. Is there no one among you who would come to me with a true heart? Not even one?

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.

This is to announce that the author of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya has been commissioned by the All-Powerful One, glory be to Him, to strive for the reform of mankind in perfect humility, meekness and courtesy in the manner of the Israeli Prophet of Nazareth, and to lead those who are unaware of the straight path to the path along which a person attains true salvation and experiences in this very life the qualities of heavenly life, and the lights of acceptance by God and His love. It is for this purpose that the book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya has been compiled….As the compilation of the book will take a long time, it has been decided that—to bring the argument to a conclusion—at this stage a copy of this letter…be despatched to the revered Christian padres of Punjab, India, Britain and other countries which can be reached by the mail, who are considered outstanding and exalted among their respective peoples, and it will also be despatched to leading Brahmus, Aryas, rationalists and respected Maulavis (who deny miracles and for this reason consider the author misguided).

This plan has been adopted not by the author’s own thinking and deliberation, but under the Divine permission. I have been given Divine assurance that the addressees of this letter, who do not turn to the truth after receiving it, will be accountable to God and will be deemed to have been vanquished. This printed letter is sent to you because you are well known among your people, and are held in respect and have a following. It is hoped that, because of your learning and the high esteem in which you are held, you will pay attention, for the sake of God, to the contents of this letter and will strive to seek the truth. If you do not pay attention to this letter the author will be deemed to have discharged his duty, and a full account of the despatch of this letter to you by registered post and your indifference to it will be published in Part V of the book.

The message of this letter, which I am commissioned to convey to you, is that Islam alone is the true faith that is in accord with Divine will, and that the Holy Qur’an is the true Divine Book which alone is safeguarded and must be followed. The truth of Islam and of the Holy Qur’an is supported not only by logical arguments, but also by testimony of heavenly signs and prophecies, which can be witnessed by a seeker after truth who is prepared to spend some time in the company of this humble self, the author of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Should you doubt the truth of Islam or of these heavenly signs, you are invited, as a sincere seeker after truth, to come to Qadian and witness the signs by staying in the company of the author for one year, on the condition, which would be a guarantee of search for the truth, that having witnessed heavenly signs you will announce from Qadian itself your acceptance of Islam or, at least, your testimony of having witnessed these extraordinary signs. If you come with this purpose in mind, you will certainly witness heavenly signs, if God Almighty so wills. This is a Divine promise that is bound to be fulfilled. If you do not come, you will be accountable to God, and after waiting for three months an account of your indifference will be set out in Part V of the book. If you come and stay for a year and witness no heavenly sign, you will be paid compensation at the rate of two hundred rupees a month. If you consider this sum inadequate, we shall agree to pay you such amount as you may consider adequate, as a compensation for your wasted time or as a fine for our not keeping our promise, provided that it is within our means. Anyone who requires compensation must first seek our consent by means of a registered letter beforehand. A person who does not seek compensation will not need such permission. If you cannot come in person, you may appoint, as your representative, someone whose observation you can trust and can accept as your own, to come in your place; but on the condition that, after the confirmation of your representative, you will not delay your acceptance of Islam or your confirmation of the extraordinary signs. You can set down your announcement on a simple sheet of paper, and a few respectable followers of different religions should testify it to. It will be published in a number of Urdu and English newspapers. We are willing to register our liability to pay compensation as set out above with a guarantee of a proportionate amount of our property.

For Followers of Revealed Books Who Deny the Truth of the Holy Qur’an

I, the author of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, announce an award of ten thousand rupees on the following conditions. This announcement is addressed to all the followers of such religions as deny the truth of the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Chosen One (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.) To win the award, a candidate should set forth from the revealed book in which he believes, all the arguments and proofs which we have entered in this book in support of the truth of the Holy Qur’an and the Seal of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), all of which are derived from the Holy Qur’an itself. If he is unable to set out an equal number of arguments and proofs from the revealed book of his religion, he should set out at least one half or one third or one quarter or one fifth of them. Should he be unable to set out anything at all matching our arguments and proofs he should refute our arguments and proofs one by one. Then on the certification of three just minded persons, agreed to by the parties, that the conditions set out above have been fulfilled, I shall, without hesitation, transfer to the successful candidate my property worth ten thousand rupees. It must, however, be made clear that if any of the opponents is unable to set out the required number of arguments and proofs from the revealed book in which he believes, or is unable to offer at least one fifth of the arguments and proofs, as required in the announcement, he would have to declare in writing that he is unable to do so because of the imperfection or unreasonableness of that book. If he sets out the required arguments and proofs from that revealed book numbering one fifth of our arguments and proofs, he would have to set out one half, one third, one quarter or one fifth of each of type of argument that we have set out and not merely one half, one third, one fourth, one fifth of the total number set out by us.

Evidence in the Form of Countless Signs

Up to this day … Friday 22nd September 1893… more than three thousand signs have been manifested through me, which have been witnessed by hundreds of people. Thousands of Hindus, Christians and followers of other religions have witnessed the fulfilment of some of my prophecies....There are about sixteen thousand people in India, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Italy, who include Pundits, Jewish scribes, leaders of Zoroastrians, Christian Ministers, Clerics and Bishops, to whom registered letters have been sent to the effect that Islam alone is the true religion and all other religions have drifted far away from the truth. These letters also contained an offer that if anyone of our opponents doubts my statement, he should come and stay with me for one year and witness the signs of Islam at my hands. If I turned out to be wrong, he would be paid compensation at the rate of two hundred rupees a month. And if I am proven right I would demand nothing from him except that he should become a Muslim. I even offered to deposit the amount of compensation in advance, but no one paid any attention to my offer….

The validity of my statement might be determined by inquiring from some Christian minister whether he has received such a registered letter conveying the message of Islam or not. Letters and announcements containing the message of Islam have also been despatched to the members of British Parliament and Prince of Wales…. as testified by postal receipts I have in my possession.

I have been informed categorically that if any opponent of Islam confronts me, I will be supreme and he will be humiliated. Why then do those who call themselves Muslims and doubt my truth not arrange for some Christian minister to stand up against me. Let them tell some Christian minister or a Hindu pundit that I am an impostor and assure him that no harm will come to him if he confronts me. Then God Almighty will Himself decide between us. If I am proved to be wrong I will transfer all the property that I have inherited to such Christian minister or Hindu Pundit. If he turns out to be false, I will require nothing from him but that he should become a Muslim.

I make this offer in full sincerity and affirm in the name of Allah the Glorious, that I am ready for such a contest. I have issued twelve thousand announcements to this effect but no pundit or minister has come forward in good faith. What greater proof can there be of my truth than that I am always ready for such a contest? If the opposing pundit or minister is not ready to show any sign, he can simply announce through some newspaper that he is ready to witness such a sign and that if such a sign does appear and he is not able to match it, he will immediately accept Islam. I will be more than willing to abide by such a plan. Let someone from among the Muslims step forward with the courage to test, in this manner, the truth of a person whom they denounce as a disbeliever and irreligious person. Then witness the resulting drama.

Manifestation of the Power of the Living God, Honour of the Holy Prophet (sas), and Truth of the Holy Qur’an

One of the powerful qualities of the Holy Qur’an is that its true follower is able to work miracles and manifest extraordinary signs in such large numbers that no one can match him in this respect. I too claim that if all my opponents from east and west come together and compete with me in the matter of signs and miracles, I will, by the grace of God Almighty, and through the power bestowed by Him, be supreme over all of them. This supremacy will not be due to any superior spiritual power of mine, but because God has desired that I should furnish proof of the great power of His Holy Word, the Qur’an, and of the spiritual power and high rank of His Messenger Muhammad, the Chosen One (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.) He has of His grace, and not on account of any merit of mine, enabled me to follow His Glorious Prophet and His Supreme Word and to love them both. I believe in the Word of God, the Holy Qur’an, which is a manifestation of Divine power. God Almighty has bestowed all this upon me in accordance with the promises held out in the Holy Qur’an:

If all nations of the world should unite against me and a test were made to whom God reveals the unseen, whose prayers does He accept, whom does He help and for whom does He manifest great signs, I affirm, in the name of God, that I would emerge supreme. Is there anyone who will step forth against me for such a trial? God has bestowed thousands of signs upon me to let my opponents know that Islam is indeed the true faith. I seek no honour for myself, but only the honour of that for which I have been sent.

A living faith is one through which we can find the Living God, and the Living God is He Who sends revelation to us directly or, at least, enables us to meet a person who is the recipient of direct revelation. I, therefore, convey to the whole world the good news that the God of Islam is such a Living God. Those with whom no one can now converse, and whose signs no one can see, are dead, not gods…. A true religion can never become a mere tale, and Islam is a true religion. I intend to demonstrate the truth of Islam to every person, whether he is a Christian, Arya, Jew or Brahmu. Is there anyone who wants to see the Living God? We do not worship the dead. Our God is Living and helps us with His revelation, His converse and His heavenly signs. If there is a single Christian in the world who is a sincere seeker after truth, let him compare his dead god with our Living God. I affirm truly that forty days would be enough for such a test. If I am found to be false I will accept every punishment. But this test will be through prayer. The person whose God is True will doubtlessly emerge truthful. God will certainly make me supreme in such a contest … I am willing to agree to any reasonable condition for such a test. I stand in the field of contest and proclaim that the God of Islam is the only Living God. The Christians have only a dead god in their hands. Let the person who wishes to test this, come forward and stand up against me.

One method with which I have fulfilled my duty vis-à-vis all opposing religions, is that I have proclaimed publicly that heavenly signs, Divine blessings and God’s powerful works are found only in Islam and that there is no religion which can stand up to Islam in respect of such signs. God Almighty has sent me forward for the purpose of refuting all opponents. I know for certain that there is no one among the Hindus, Christians and Sikhs who can compete with me in respect of heavenly signs and blessings and acceptance of prayers. Obviously, the only living faith would be the one which is supported by heavenly signs and is distinguished by the light that shines upon it, and that faith is none other than Islam. Is there anyone among the Christians, Sikhs or Hindus who can challenge me in this respect? It is enough proof of my truth that no one can stand up to me. Now you can satisfy yourselves in any way you want.

Refutation of the Aryas’ False Doctrines

This book, Surmah Chashm-e-Arya, has been written for the purpose of the debate with Lala Murlidhar Sahib, drawing master, of Hoshiarpur, and it utterly refutes the false doctrines of the Vedas. It has been written with the certainty that no Arya can refute it, as falsehood can never withstand the truth. If any Arya gentleman still considers the principles and doctrines of the Vedas which have been refuted in this book to be true, and believes in the Vedas and their principles as Divine revelation, I call upon him, in the name of Ishwar, to write a refutation of my book and receive five hundred rupees as an award. This award will be made on the certificate of an arbitrator who should be a Christian minister or a Brahmu.

I would even agree if, after the publication of the refutation of my book by such an Arya, Munshi Jiwan Das Sahib, Secretary Arya Samaj, Lahore, who is the most respected gentleman from among the Aryas of our neighbourhood, would attend along with his sons a public meeting of the Muslim, Arya and Christian divines, and affirm on oath that all the criticism raised in my book Surmah Chashm-e-Arya, which he has read carefully and understood, has been totally refuted in the reply of the Arya writer, and that if his affirmation is not made in full sincerity and truth, may he and his sons, who are present with him, be called to account in this very life. If this is done, the writer of the refutation would be awarded five hundred rupees in cash simply on the testimony of the said Munshi Sahib. If the Munshi Sahib does not suffer from any ill effects within one year in consequence of his oath, the Aryas would be entitled to claim that he had made his affirmation sincerely according to his knowledge and understanding.

Announcement for a Forty Day Prayer Vigil

Those who have read my previous announcements will be aware of my announcement that if a respectable Arya gentleman, Christian minister or some other gentleman out of the opponents of Islam were to come and stay with me at Qadian for one year, and did not witness any heavenly sign during that time, I would pay him two thousand four hundred rupees by way of compensation.

I despatched this offer by registered post to all the principal Christian ministers and leading Arya gentlemen, but none of them came to Qadian. In the case of Munshi Inderman Sahib, I sent that amount in cash to Lahore to satisfy him that the money would be available for the award, but he slipped away to Faridkot. One gentleman by the name of Lekh Ram of Peshawar did come to Qadian, and he was repeatedly invited to stay here for one year on payment of his expenses at the rate of twice the salary which he received when he was a government servant at Peshawar; and in the end it was even suggested that if he could not stay at Qadian for a whole year he should at least stay for forty days. He rejected both propositions, and yet made several false allegations in his announcements. In Surmah Chashm-e-Arya, he has again been invited to come and stay at Qadian for forty days. Everyone can read it there.

The the purpose of this announcement is to carry the matter to its limit vis-à-vis Munshi Jiwan Das Sahib who, from among the Aryas, appears to be a most decent and gentle person, and Lala Murlidhar Sahib, drawing master, of Hoshiarpur, who I also believe to be one of the better type of Aryas, and Munshi Inderman Sahib of Muradabad who is, as it were, the joint founder of the Arya Samaj and Mr. ‘Abdullah Atham, formerly Extra Assistant Commissioner from Amritsar who is a decent and gentle minded Christian, the Reverend ‘Imad-ud-Din of Amritsar, and Reverend Thakar Das Sahib, the author of Izhar-e-‘Iswi.

I now reduce the period of one year to forty days on the condition that the gentleman who is willing to take up the challenge should stay with me throughout the period of forty days at Qadian or at any other place where I may be residing. If, during that time, I put forward no extraordinary prophecy, or the prophecy proves to be wrong, or, if it is not proved wrong but the gentleman is able to match it, he will immediately be awarded five hundred rupees. But if such a prophecy is fulfilled, the gentleman making the trial would have to accept Islam … If the gentleman has doubts about the prophecy, or if he thinks it is only a matter of guess work, he may himself make such a prophecy within forty days and prove that it has been fulfilled. If he fails to do so and my prophecy is fulfilled, then he will have to accept Islam. All this will be committed to writing and attested to by both sides.

These gentlemen are granted three months from the date of the publication of this book, i.e., 20th September 1886, within which to respond to this invitation. If no fair response is received from any of them during this time, it will be understood that they have evaded the contest.

For the Careful Attention of Sardar Raj Indar Singh

I have received your pamphlet which you have entitled ‘Remedy for the Obsession of the Qadiani’. Not knowing what to do in answer to your abuse, insult, and all the calumnies you have directed against our lord and master, Muhammad Mustafa, Ahmad Mujtaba (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I commit this matter to the Mighty and Powerful One, Who is protective of the honour of his loved ones. I feel all the more sorry for you in view of the fact that my book Sat Bachan was couched in terms of extreme respect and courtesy, and I had described Baba Nanak in reverent terms, for which you have ill requited me…

You have heaped vile abuse upon the Holy Loved One of God who, for the sake of the honour and glory of God, did not value his own life as more than the life of an insect and endured a thousand deaths in that cause, and you have denigrated him in various ways. I had not imagined that there were such people among the Sikhs. The sun, in your estimation, appears as a thing of no value. O ignorant one, you have slighted the light that illumined the world at a time when it had sunk in darkness, and revived it after it was dead. All Prophethoods were established through him … Hearken! I bear witness that Islam is the bright religion that manifests Divine support all the time. How great is the Messenger from whom we receive light afresh, and how exalted is the Prophet for whose love we perceive the holy spirit dwelling within us. That is how our supplications are accepted and we are able to work wonders. We experience the Living God in this faith. All other faiths are but the worship of the dead.

Where are the worshippers of the dead? Can they speak? Where are the worshippers of creatures? Can they stand up against us? Where are those who claimed mischievously that no prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was ever fulfilled, and that he did not show any sign? They will all be put to shame and will seek to hide themselves but will find no place to hide; for the time has come when the light of the truth of Islam will strike the faces of the disbelievers.

I have seen Baba Nanak Sahib twice in my visions. He acknowledged that he had obtained light from the same source. Vain talk and falsehood are the characteristics of those who swallow carrion; I have stated only that which I have seen. That is why I hold Baba Nanak Sahib in high esteem, as I know that he drank from the same spring from which we drink. God Almighty knows that I speak out of the comprehension which has been bestowed upon me.

If you deny that Baba Sahib was a Muslim and insist that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was—God forbid—a wicked person, I will not attempt to persuade you through reason and logic, but I put forward another method of settlement through Divine intervention…

I propose that you should state on oath, in a public gathering, that Baba Nanak was disgusted with Islam and esteemed the Prophet of Islam an evil man and that in truth he was (God forbid) wicked and vicious and was not a true Prophet. You should then supplicate:

‘If these two statements of mine are false, then do You, O Mighty Kartar, inflict severe punishment on me for this impertinence within one year.’

Once you have made this statement and supplication, we shall deposit five hundred rupees wherever you may desire. If you are true in your affirmation, you will suffer no harm whatsoever within one year and the amount of five hundred rupees will be paid over to you, and I will be disgraced and humiliated. But, on the other hand, if some punishment does come down upon you, all Sikhs will be guided to the truth.

Announcement on the Death of Lekh Ram

I affirm truly and on oath that I bear no enmity towards any people; I only desire to correct them in their beliefs, as far as it is possible for me. If someone insults me, my complaint is addressed to God and not to any court. I am inspired with sympathy for all men. I do not know how and in what words to satisfy Arya gentlemen that recourse to mischief is not my way. I am distressed by the loss of human life but I am also pleased with the fulfilment of a Divine prophecy. I am pleased only because I desire the good of mankind. I would wish them to reflect that it is not possible for a human being, on his own, to predict such an event so clearly years in advance.

My heart is both distressed and pleased at this moment. I am distressed that if Lekh Ram had, at least, restrained himself from vilification, I would have supplicated on his behalf and would have hoped that, even if he had been cut to pieces, he would have survived. Nothing is impossible for the God Whom I know. On the other hand, I am happy that the prophecy has been so clearly fulfilled…

If anyone still entertains doubts and considers me a party to the conspiracy of slaying Lekh Ram, as some Hindu papers have alleged, I have a very effective way of settling the whole matter: Such a person should state on oath in my presence that:

I am certain that this man was party to the conspiracy of murder, or the murder was committed under his direction. If this statement of mine is not true, may You, O Mighty God, afflict me within the period of one year with such terrible torment as should not proceed from human hands nor be suspected of having been brought about by human design.

If thereafter such a person should survive for a whole year without being afflicted, as mentioned in the supplication, I may be deemed guilty and condemned to suffer the punishment of murder. If there is any Arya who is brave enough to try and relieve the whole world of its suspicions, let him adopt this method, which is quite simple and straightforward.

Real Test between Islam and Christianity

Both Christians and Muslims claim that they possess faith and live righteous lives. The question is, which of the two claims is true in the eyes of God, i.e., whose faith is acceptable to God and whose life is truly righteous, and, on the other hand, whose faith is mere satanic illusion and whose claim of righteous life is a blind fantasy. I believe that only that faith is true and acceptable to God which is supported by heavenly testimony and which shows signs of its acceptability to God; and only a life that is marked by heavenly signs can be accepted as righteous. If a mere claim were to be accepted, all people claim that many righteous ones have lived among them in the past and are present among them even today, and they cite examples of their works and miracles, the reality of which is difficult to ascertain. So if the Christians imagine that belief in the atonement of Jesus bestows holy faith and a righteous life, they should come forward and compete with me in the matter of acceptance of prayer and the manifestation of heavenly signs. If their lives are proven to be righteous by the testimony of heavenly signs, I then deserve every punishment and every type of disgrace.

I declare emphatically that, according to spiritual standards, the life of the Christians is utterly vile, and the God of Holiness, Who is the Lord of heaven and earth, is as disgusted with their beliefs as we are disgusted with decomposed carrion. If I am false in this assertion, and do not have the support of God in making it, then let them settle with me in a gentle and courteous manner. I affirm again that the Christians certainly do not enjoy that righteous life which descends from heaven and illumines the hearts. It is true, as I have already stated, that some of them are good by nature, as indeed are some people from other faiths, but such natural decency is not what I am talking about now; because such people are to be found among every people, including the low castes. What I am speaking of here is the heavenly and righteous life which is achieved through God’s loving Word and descends from heaven and is accompanied by heavenly signs. Such life is not to be found among the Christians.

[Siraj-ud-Din ‘Isa’i ke Char Sawaloń ka Jawab, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 12, pp. 342-344]

I have repeatedly invited Christian ministers, not by the sword, but with courteous words, that they should come and settle with me which of the two, Jesus or our Holy Prophet Mustafa (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is alive by virtue of his spiritual blessings and grace. If it were proved that Jesus is the son of God, I would, in the words of the Holy Qur’an, be the first to worship him. O Ye Christian clerics of Europe and America, why do you raise such clamour? You know that I am known to millions of people. Come forward and compete with me. If, within one year, Divine signs and such prophecies as illustrate the Might and Power of God are manifested at your hands, and I am not proven to be your match, I shall acknowledge Jesus, son of Mary, to be God. But if the True God, Whom I know and you do not know, makes me supreme and your religion is proven to be bereft of heavenly signs, it will be incumbent upon you to accept Islam.

I say with full confidence, and God Almighty knows that I am true in my claim, and my truth has been established by experience and a great number of signs, that if Jesus is the living God and is the redeemer of the bearers of his cross, and accepts their prayers (although his own prayer was not accepted), then let a Christian priest or monk come forward and exhibit some extraordinary sign with the help and support of Jesus. I stand in the field of contest and affirm truly that I can behold my God. He is always before me and with me. I proclaim that Jesus has no superiority over me as I represent the light of Muhammad (sas), which always exhibits the signs of life. What more is needed?

An Invitation to All Good People

The manner in which the Christian clergymen have raised varied objections against Islam, have changed their theories about, and have retrieved their earlier statements in great humiliation, is well known to anyone who has made a comprehensive review of the discussions between them and Muslim scholars. Their objections are of three types. One, such as are altogether false and are baseless calumnies; there is nothing to support their authenticity. Two, such as are based upon matters that are authentic, but are not open to objection or criticism; they have been made a target of criticism out of simple-mindedness, lack of reflection, or inner blindness. Three, such objections as are a mixture of that which is true and unobjectionable, and of that which is false and slanderous…. Some Aryas are also in the habit of presenting criticism based on a defective translation of some verse of the Holy Qur’an, or based on some meaningless tale heard from some ignorant or hostile person….

It is in view of such criticism that I hereby make this announcement. All the principles and teachings set out in the Holy Qur’an are replete with wisdom, insight and truth and not the least part of any of them is open to criticism. As the principles and teachings of every religion comprise hundreds of details and a discussion of all of them would take a long time, I would make this suggestion in good faith to those who deny the principles set out in the Holy Qur’an. They should, after careful study, set forth two or three basic objections, derived from the verses of the Holy Qur’an, which in their estimation are objections of the strongest, firmest and the highest grade, and which they believe cannot be refuted or dispelled. Those objections should be treated as the basic test, which would be decisive of all other objections. If the basic objections are totally refuted, smaller objections would automatically fall. If we are unable to reply in a satisfactory manner to those objections, and fail to establish that the principles and teachings which the opposite party upholds in contrast to the principles and teachings that are objected to are, in comparison, of much lower standard and are bereft of truth, then the opposite party will be paid the sum of fifty rupees in respect of each such objection. But if our opponent is proved false and fails to establish that the principles and teachings that he believes in possess all those qualities that are possessed by the principles and teachings of Islam, and which we shall set forth, he will have to become a Muslim. He will first have to agree to this condition on oath. Thereafter we shall publish a pamphlet refuting his objections. He would also be obliged to publish a pamphlet refuting our objections to the principles and teachings in which he believes. After the publication of both these pamphlets, a decision shall be arrived at, either through an umpire or by oath, whichever method is agreed upon. It is, however, necessary that the opposite party should be a well known cleric who is well versed in the scripture of his faith and should be capable of writing a reply based on that scripture, so that our time may not be wasted….

We shall await a response from some Hindu pundit or Christian cleric to this announcement for three months after the 20th September 1886. If no one from among the Aryas or Christians comes forward within that time, their silence will be a proof of their defeat.

A Proposal to Seek Divine Settlement

We have learnt from long experience that, despite failing repeatedly, our opponents have not abandoned their campaign of vilification....They stage foul and painful plays which are derogatory of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and represent him as a person of evil character.

How, then, should this matter be settled? We can of course issue effective refutation, but how can we stop them from offending again? How can we tie up their foul tongues and how can we put a lock upon their reviling mouths? … These heartless Christian ministers have wounded our hearts by hurling millions of vile abuses on our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)….

How then can these contentions, which increase daily, be settled? We have despaired of anything good coming out of debates and discussions. These have only led to an increase in rancour and hatred. In this state of affairs, there is, in my estimation, only one easy way to reach a settlement, if the Christian ministers were to agree to it: It is to seek a decision of these disputes from God Almighty.

I wish to state that I am most eager to seek a Divine settlement of this affair, and I wish most sincerely that these daily contentions may be set at rest in this manner. If God does not render a decision in my favour, I will hand over all my property, moveable and immovable, the value of which is not less than ten thousand rupees, to the Christians. I am prepared to deposit up to three thousand rupees in advance for this purpose. This would be a sufficient penalty for me. I also promise that I shall, in such case, make an announcement bearing my signature that the Christians have been victorious and I have been defeated. This announcement will not be subject to any explicit or implicit condition.

The method of settlement will be as follows: One of the respected Christian ministers, whose names are mentioned below, should declare his willingness to come forward against me at a place to be agreed between us. Both of us should present ourselves on the appointed day at the appointed place along with a number of our followers. We should seek a decision from God Almighty through the prayer that God Almighty may, within one year, afflict one of us, who is a liar and deserving of His wrath, with such torment as, out of His sense of Honour, He has always imposed upon false and disbelieving people, including Pharaoh, Nimrod, the people of Noah and the Jews. The Christian ministers should note that this supplication does not call down a curse upon anyone. Its only purpose is the chastisement of a false person who is not willing to abandon his falsehood. The death of one man is a small price to pay for the revival of the whole world.

Conclusive Arguments for Reverend Whitebrecht

… Miań Fateh Masih, a Christian preacher, had claimed that he too was a recipient of revelation, and could set forth revealed prophecies in advance of their occurrence. Monday, the 21st of May 1888, was the day appointed to test his claim at my residence. Many respectable Muslims and Hindus of standing came to my residence to witness the presentation of prophecies by Miań Fateh Masih, who arrived accompanied by a number of Christians after 10:00 am. But, instead of setting forth his prophecies against me … he only said that he did not claim to be a recipient of revelation and that whatever he had said was merely to counter my claim….

The purpose of this announcement is that if a respectable European Christian should claim to be a recipient of revelation, he will be at liberty to set forth his revealed prophecies in a meeting to be held at Batala, where I intend to remain till the end of Ramadan, provided he has no intention of running away after acknowledging his falsehood, as Fateh Masih did. Reverend Mr. Whitebrecht, who is a respectable European missionary in these parts, is especially invited. If the reverend gentleman would acknowledge in a public meeting that Christians are no longer capable of receiving revelation, I shall not require him to set forth his prophecies against me. In such case, I shall, in a meeting to be called as desired by him, present such revealed prophecies in advance as will not admit of any doubt whatsoever. If I am not able to present any such definite prophecy as may be considered by the average Hindu, Muslim and Christian to be beyond human power, I shall immediately present two hundred rupees in cash to the reverend gentleman as compensation for his trouble. If he so desires, I can deposit this amount with a respectable Hindu. If the revered gentleman should acknowledge that the prophecy presented by me is truly beyond human power, then it would be obligatory on him to stand firm to test the truth or falsehood of the prophecy. He should arrange for the publication of the prophecy in Nur Afshan, which is a Christian religious newspaper, along with his affirmation that he has acknowledged the prophecy to be beyond human power, in all respects; because, if it is proven to be true, it must have proceeded from the spring of Divine acceptance and love, and not from any doubtful source like guess work or speculation. Moreover, if this prophecy is truly fulfilled, he would immediately accept Islam, since a prophecy that proceeds from the spring of Divine love is enough proof of the truth of the religion by following which a person is blessed with Divine love, and obviously, a person blessed with the love of God has certainly achieved salvation. If the prophecy does not prove to be true, the deposited amount of two hundred rupees will be handed over to the reverend gentleman.

Miań Fateh Masih has announced in the 7th June, 1888, issue of Nur Afshan that he is willing to hold a meeting for the purpose of testing the truth of my revelations. He proposes that a paper containing four questions, enclosed in a sealed envelope, should be handed over to someone present in the meeting, and then I should disclose the text of these questions to him. With reference to this announcement, it is necessary to point out, as I have mentioned in my announcement of 24th May 1888, that Miań Fateh Masih, whose nature consists of falsehood upon falsehood, is not worthy of being addressed by me. To address him and to hold a meeting with him is unworthy of a righteous person. But if Reverend Whitebrecht should make this request, which is published on page 7 of Nur Afshan of 7th June 1888, I would readily accept it. We have the support of the Almighty and the All-Knowing God of Whom the Christians are unaware. He knows all my secrets and helps His sincere servants, but does not approve of His name being made a subject of sport and jest. Therefore, let Reverend Whitebrecht hold a public meeting in Batala and state on oath that if I disclose to him, within ten weeks, the contents of a sealed envelope which will be presented by him he will immediately discard the Christian faith and become a Muslim. If he fails to do so, the amount of one thousand rupees, which he shall deposit in advance with a third party to be agreed upon, will be paid over to the Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam, Lahore, as penalty. After this public announcement and its publication in Nur Afshan, if I disclose the contents of the sealed envelope within ten weeks, the reverend gentleman will be under obligation to carry out his promise. Failing to do so, he will lose his deposit of one thousand rupees. On the other hand, if I fail to disclose the contents of the sealed envelope, I will renounce my claim of being the recipient of revelation and will submit to whatever punishment may be imposed upon me.

Lack of Righteousness Among Christians

Is any Christian cleric blessed with the Holy Spirit? I am tired of calling upon Christian clerics of the whole world to come forward, but not one of them has responded. Some Christian clerics published a challenge in Nur Afshan requiring the disclosure of the contents of a sealed envelope which they would present in a meeting, but when this challenge was accepted on condition that, upon such disclosure, the challenger or challengers would accept Islam, they forgot all about it. The Christian clergymen have long put a seal on the possibility of revelation. Now that the seal has been broken and the grace of the Holy Spirit is proven to be descending upon the Muslims, the hollowness of the Christians’ belief has been fully exposed.

In this meeting I suggest an easy method of settlement to Deputy ‘Abdullah Atham Sahib and all the other Christian gentlemen… I shall pray to the Living and Perfect God for a sign and you gentlemen should pray to Jesus. You believe that he is the almighty; if that is so, you will certainly succeed. I announce in the name of Allah that if I fail to manifest a sign against you, I shall willingly submit to any punishment, and equally so if you succeed in manifesting a sign in opposition to me.

How can the Torah and the Gospels stand against the Holy Qur’an? Even if people try to discover and set forth the countless verities, spiritual insights and wisdom comprised in the seven brief verses of Surah Al-Fatihah—in a natural sequence and firm order—from the Book of Moses (as), or from the few pages of the Gospel of Jesus they can never succeed, even if they spend their whole lives trying. If they believe that the Torah or the Gospel is perfect in setting forth Divine verities, insights and spiritualities of the Word of God, I am prepared to award them five hundred rupees in cash. If they consider this amount too little, I am prepared to increase it as much as they may suggest, provided it is within my means. What they have to do is set forth from their voluminous books—which number about seventy—truths and insights of the law and well-arranged pearls and jewels of the unique characteristics of the Divine Word, like those that I shall set forth from Surah Al-Fatihah and shall present to them in print. It will be the duty of Christian priests to present, from the Torah, the Gospel and all their other books, truths, insights and characteristic qualities of the Divine Word, which match the ones I will present from Surah Al-Fatihah. The attributes referred to must be extraordinary wonders that cannot be found in any human composition. If they do so, and if three umpires, chosen from among followers of other religions, certify that the qualities that have been established in the case of Surah Al-Fatihah are also contained in the passages presented by the Christian missionaries, the amount of five hundred rupees, which shall be in deposit to their satisfaction, shall be handed over to them.

Now does any Christian minister have the courage to come forward for such a contest?

[Siraj-ud-Din ‘Isa’i ke Char Sawaloń ka Jawab, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 12, pp. 360-361]

Open Challenge to All Christians

There is nothing in the Gospel that establishes the godhood of Jesus … If his godhood can be established by the words of the Gospel, then the revelations vouchsafed to me connote my godhood to a greater degree than do the revelations of Jesus in his case. If the Christian ministers are not capable of determining this matter by themselves, then let them submit the revelations and words of Jesus set out in the Gospel, which are supposed to establish his godhood, to three umpires who may be mutually agreed upon from among non-Muslims and non-Christians, and if they decide and state on oath that the godhood of Jesus is established more clearly from his reported words, I would hand over one thousand rupees to the Christian ministers as a penalty. The umpires should state on oath, in the name of God Almighty, that they have made the truthful decision, and also state that that if it be otherwise, may God Almighty afflict them, within one year, with such torment as should involve their ruin and disgrace. But I am convinced that the Christian ministers will not agree to this method of settlement.

It is also my claim that my prophecies and signs are stronger than those of Jesus. If any Christian minister can establish that the prophecies and signs of Jesus are stronger than mine, I shall hand over one thousand rupees to him.

Invitation to Christians for Mubahalah

As the religious rancour of the Christians keeps mounting, it has become necessary that, in order to put an end to this daily conflict, they should enter into a Mubahalah [prayer duel] with me on the question of the truth or falsehood of Islam and Christianity. Should the Christians be averse to the use of the word ‘curse’, I will not insist on it, and will propose that both sides should pray in the following words:

‘Lord of the world, Islam teaches that the doctrine of Trinity is altogether false and a satanic device, and that son of Mary was not God but only a human being and a Prophet, and that Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was a true Prophet and Messenger of God, and was the Seal of the Prophets, and that the Holy Qur’an is the Word of God which is free from all error and misguidance. The Christian teaching, on the other hand, is that Jesus, son of Mary, was the true God who created the heaven and earth and through whose blood the world was redeemed, and that God is made of a Trinity: the father, the son and the holy ghost; and that Jesus, a combination of the three, is the perfect God. Almighty God, may You judge between the two parties who are present before You, in the following manner: May the one who professes the wrong doctrine be destroyed in a great torment within one year, because the destruction of a few would provide deliverance for the whole world.’

One of the parties should make this supplication and the other should say Amin; and then the other party should make the same supplication and the first party should say Amin; and both should await God’s Judgement for one year. I promise that I shall deposit two thousand rupees to pay over to Christians who participate in this Mubahalah. This is a necessary method of settlement as we claim that the Living and Mighty God is with us, and the Christians claim that He is with them.

From the result of the Mubahalah the public will learn which party has God’s support. If the Christians do not agree to this method of settlement, they will build for themselves a store of curses in heaven, and people will know that they are false. My invitation is addressed to Dr Clark, Reverend ‘Imad-ud-Din, Hissam-ud-Din (Editor of Kashf-ul-Haqa’iq), Munshi Safdar ‘Ali Bhandarah, Reverend Fateh Masih and to every Christian minister who is an enemy of Islam and may wish to join in. This is a good way of settlement so that the world may be rid of these daily conflicts and the false ones may be humiliated. Peace be on those who follow the guidance.

I state on oath that Allah the Glorious, has clearly conveyed to me through revelation that Jesus (peace be upon him) was a human being like all others, and that he was a true Prophet and Messenger of God and was His chosen one. I have also been told that, through following the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I have been given whatever Jesus (as) was given, and that I am the Promised Messiah, and that I have been furnished with a weapon of light which shall dispel all darkness and will break the cross. It is, therefore, necessary that within one year of the Mubahalah, a sign should be manifested in my support. If no such sign is manifested, it would be established that I am not from God and that I deserve to die. Accepting all this, I call upon Dr. Martin Clark to announce that if, after the Mubahalah, a sign is manifested within one year in support of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and no sign is manifested in his support, he would accept Islam, failing which he should transfer half of his property to me for purpose of propagating Islam and should never again stand in opposition to Islam.

Doctor Sahib should appreciate that I have imposed much harder conditions upon myself than I have proposed for him. For instance, if both of us are able to show a sign, he will be the winner, and if neither of us is able to manifest a sign within the period specified, even then he will be considered the winner. My truth will only be proved if I am able to manifest a sign, within the specified period, which Doctor Sahib is unable to match. If, after the publication of this announcement, he does not publish an announcement as I have intimated above, he will be deemed to have evaded the challenge. I would still be ready for a logical debate with him, provided he publicly acknowledges that he and his people are unable to manifest any sign, as heavenly signs are a characteristic of Islam alone and Christianity is bereft of such blessings.

Prophecy About Atham and Its Fulfilment

The prophecy which was made at Amritsar on 5th June 1893, at the conclusion of the debate with the Christians, was supposed to be fulfilled by 5th September, 1894, at the latest. And it has, according to the design and command of God Almighty, been fulfilled so clearly before the expiry of that date, that a just-minded and sane person cannot help but acknowledge it….

If the Christians rely upon their cunning devices to dispute this, or anyone else has any doubts about it, I am prepared to enter into a Mubahalah to determine whether the Muslims have been victorious, as is the case, or if the victory goes to the Christians, as they unjustly imagine. If they do not desist from falsehood and trickery, the Mubahalah will take place in the following manner. On a day to be agreed upon, both parties will present themselves at the appointed place, and Mr. ‘Abdullah Atham shall make the following affirmation three times:

“During the period of the prophecy I have not for a single moment stood in awe of Islam, and have throughout considered Islam and the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to be in the wrong and still so consider. The idea of their being true has never crossed my mind. I have always believed and still believe that Jesus is the son of God and is God Himself, as is the belief of Protestant Christians. If my affirmation is not true and I have concealed the truth, then, O Mighty Lord, may You afflict me with death within one year.”

We shall say Amin to this supplication. If the supplication is not fulfilled within one year, and Mr. ‘Abdullah Atham is not afflicted within that period in the manner in which the false ones are afflicted, I shall pay him one thousand rupees as penalty.

I do not wish to trouble Mr. ‘Abdullah Atham to come to my place of residence in Amritsar. On his invitation, I shall go to his residence with one thousand rupees … He will have to take no trouble whatever. I will also not require him to make his affirmation standing up or sitting down. He may keep lying on his bed and simply make his required announcement three times.

If some bigoted and senseless people should still entertain doubts, I hereby make this second announcement, offering an award of two thousand rupees. If Mr. Atham affirms on oath three times, in a public meeting, that his heart has not in the least been affected by the greatness of Islam during the period of the prophecy, and he has throughout remained an enemy of Islam, having a firm faith in the sonship and divinity of Jesus and in the doctrine of atonement, I shall immediately pay him two thousand rupees, according to the conditions laid down in my announcement of 9th September, 1894….

If Mr. Atham should still refuse to take the proposed oath, everyone should then note that he has concealed the truth out of his fear of the Christians and that Islam is supreme and victorious….

Our opponents should keep in mind that Mr. Atham will never make the affirmation on oath. Why would he not do it? Because he is a liar. To those who say that he might be afraid that dying within a year is a possibility, we reply: Who will cause him to die? His god Jesus or someone else? This is a contest between two gods; the True God Who is our God, and the false god set up by the Christians. If Mr. Atham believes in the divinity and power of Jesus, and has personal experience of it, he should pray to Jesus to keep him alive during this period. Man is mortal; Mr. Atham is now sixty-four and I am about sixty. We are equally subject to the law of nature. If I were called upon to make an affirmation on oath in order to test the truth, I would affirm not just that I will survive for one year but even ten years; this is because of my certainty that God Almighty will help me in a contest about religion. This is a contest between two gods. Only He, who is the True God, will now be victorious. I affirm that the Might of our God will surely be manifested in this manner, and I shall not die within the appointed period of one year; but if Mr. Atham makes a false affirmation on oath, he will certainly die within that period. The question is: what will befall Mr. Atham’s god, if that god is not able to save him. Will he resign from his function as the redeemer? There is no way of escape for Mr. Atham. He should either stop calling Jesus, ‘God Almighty’ or should make the required affirmation on oath. What is more, if he acknowledges publicly that his Messiah, the son of God, does not have the power to keep him alive for a year but does have the power to keep him alive for four months or even three days, I shall, after his confession to this effect, agree to a period of four months or even three days.

From the servant of the One God, Ahmad, may Allah grant him forgiveness and success, to Mr. ‘Abdullah Atham. I have read your letter, which is on page 10 of the 21 September 1894 issue of Nur Afshan. I regret to say that you have done your best to conceal the truth in this letter. Through revelation, I have obtained from God Almighty certain and definite knowledge, which is as clear as the rising sun, that you were deeply affected by the greatness and truth of Islam during the period appointed in the prophecy, and that is why you were terrified of its fulfilment. I affirm on oath, in the name of Allah the Glorious, that what I am saying is true; this is what I have been told by God Almighty, Who is aware of the perceptions of a human heart and has the knowledge of a man’s most secret thoughts. If this statement of mine is not true, may God cause me to die in your life. This is why I wanted you to make an affirmation on oath, in a public meeting, in the words and manner that I have suggested, so that the matter may be decided between us, and the world may not remain in the dark anymore. If you so desire, I can make an affirmation on oath for a period extending, in my case, to one, two, or even three years, because I know that a truthful person is not destroyed, but only the person whom falsehood has already ruined will be destroyed. If I am called upon to make an affirmation on oath concerning the truth of my revelation, or the truth of Islam, I will not require a penny from you, but if you make the required affirmation on oath, you will be handed bags containing three thousand rupees in advance.

It is incumbent upon Mr. Atham … to satisfy us by the simple and easy means of a statement on oath that he did not stand in awe of my prophecy, rather he was only afraid because he considered me to be a blood thirsty person and imagined that he would become a victim of my sword. He is required to do no more than to make the statement mentioned in my announcements of 9th and 20th September 1894, at which point he will be paid four thousand rupees. It is idle for him to pretend that Christians are forbidden to take an oath. Were Peter and Paul and many righteous Christians of earlier ages unaware of this prohibition, or were they not Christians?…

If Mr. Atham makes the required statement on oath, he will inevitably die within one year, and there are no conditions whatsoever. Even if he fails to make the required statement on oath, God Almighty will not leave unpunished an offender who is trying to deceive the world by concealing the truth.

‘ And they said: No one but Jews and Christians will enter heaven, i.e., achieve salvation. These are only their vain desires. Tell them: Set forth your proof if you are truthful; i.e., show us what kind of salvation you have achieved. Indeed, the truly redeemed is he who hands himself over to Allah, that is, who has devoted his life in the way of Almighty God and spent it in His way and, after devotion, continuously performs good deeds and all kinds of good actions. Such a person will receive his reward from his Lord. These people will have no fear nor shall they grieve, i.e., they will be fully redeemed.’

In these verses, Allah the Glorious has said that the claim of the Jews and Christians that they are redeemed is only a vain desire, and they do not possess the true spirit of life. Real salvation is something which can be experienced in this very life. Such a person is able to devote himself wholly to God Almighty, so that his life and his death and all his actions are entirely for the sake of God. He is wholly lost to his own ego, and God’s will becomes his will. This is not just the desire of his heart; rather, all his faculties, reasoning, and thinking are dedicated to God. It is only then that he truly deserves to be called a Muhsin, i.e., one who carries service and obedience as far as is possible for him. Such a person is truly redeemed, as is said at another place:

‘Proclaim: My prayer and my sacrifices, my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds, Who has no associate. I have been commanded to work to attain that status and I am the foremost of those who submit wholly to Allah.’

Allah the Glorious mentions further signs of such redemption in His Noble Book. Although what has already been mentioned clearly distinguishes those who are truly redeemed, God has, nevertheless, set out the signs of the redeemed. This is because the worldly minded are unable to perceive this inner redemption and closeness to God and the distinction between the redeemed and the unredeemed remains in doubt. The followers of every religion claim to be redeemed. God Almighty has, therefore, appointed signs for the true believers who attain salvation in this very life, whereby they can be distinguished, and no doubt remains. Some of these signs are:

‘Hearken, the friends of Allah shall certainly have no fear, nor shall they grieve. They are the ones who truly believe, i.e., they became subservient to Allah and His Messenger and then became pious. For them are glad tidings from God Almighty in this world and in the hereafter, i.e., God will continue to give them glad tidings through dreams, visions, and Divine discourse. There is no changing the words of God. This is the great triumph which is destined for them, i.e., through such success they will be distinguished from the disbelievers, who are not truly redeemed and who will not be able to stand against them.’ At another place it is said:

That is: ‘The sign of those who say ‘Our Lord is Allah’ and then remain steadfast, is that angels descend upon them, and reassure them: ‘Fear not nor grieve, and rejoice in the Garden that you were promised. We are your friends and caretakers in this life and in the hereafter. Therein you will have all that you desire, and therein you will have all that you ask for. This is an entertainment from the Most Forgiving, the Ever-Merciful.’

Please note that the signs of the redeemed which are set out in these verses include converse with God, acceptance by Him, His guardianship and providence, the enjoyment of heavenly life in this world and God’s help and His support.

The following verse which I recited yesterday, gives the indication that a truly redeemed one always brings forth good fruit and is bestowed heavenly blessings.

‘O Prophet, when My servants inquire from thee concerning Me, tell them I am near.’ This means that when the Muslims enquire what are the bounties in respect of which we are distinguished from others, they should be told that the distinction is that they are close to God and the others are far from Him. ‘I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So they should respond to Me and have firm faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided.’ That is, God responds to those of them who pray to Him and talks to them and accepts their supplications. ‘They should, therefore, carry out His commands and have firm faith in Him so that they may attain righteousness.’

The signs of the redeemed are set at various other places, but it would take too long to rehearse them all. One of them is:

‘O Ye who believe, if you fear God, He will bestow a mark of distinction between you and the others.’

Now I respectfully ask Mr. ‘Abdullah Atham: If the Christian faith prescribes any path to salvation which you consider to be right and true, and by following which you believe salvation can be achieved, then the signs of such salvation and the signs of those who are delivered from the darkness of this world through such salvation, must surely be recorded in the Gospels. Please tell me briefly whether those signs can be found in your own person, or in those whom you consider holy among you, or your leaders, or those among you whom you consider to be of a higher order? If these signs are found in them, kindly furnish proof thereof; and if such signs are not found in them, then please consider the following: If there is no discoverable sign of the truth and correctness of something, is it possible to have confidence and certainty about it? For instance, if a medicine fails to produce the effects which it is supposed to produce, can it be considered genuine and effective? When we look at the path to salvation which you gentlemen have presented and compare it with that of the Holy Qur’an, your path clearly seems to be artificial and unnatural; and it has also been established that no true way of salvation has been taught in your religion. The path which Allah the Glorious has set out in the Holy Qur’an is that when a person dedicates himself and his whole life to the cause of God Almighty, he makes a true sacrifice of his self and becomes worthy of being bestowed new life in return for the death which he has accepted.

If you consider that this way of salvation which is set out in the Holy Qur’an is not true, then you should produce, in the words of Jesus, a well reasoned way of salvation as an alternative; and you should also set out its signs in the blessed words of Jesus so that those present in this meeting may be able to decide upon the issue immediately.… No verity can be proved without its signs. One of the criteria of distinguishing verities is to test them by their signs. We on our side have set out the signs of the way of salvation taught by Islam, supported by my claim that those signs are found in me. Now you are under obligation to do the same on your side. If you fail to prove the truth and perfection of the way of salvation attributed to Jesus, your claim cannot be accepted. On the other hand, whatever the Holy Qur’an has set out, is true and correct; it is not a mere claim, but is supported by proof, which I have set forth. You should not stop at making a mere claim of salvation without any proof. One of you gentlemen should stand up and announce that he has attained salvation according to the teaching of Jesus, and that the signs of salvation and perfect righteousness appointed by Jesus are to be found in him. We would be ready to examine such a claim, for our only purpose is to seek the truth. No one is prepared to accept mere words. I have already submitted to you that I have experience of the salvation that the Holy Qur’an promises, and I am prepared to affirm once more on oath, in the name of Allah Almighty, that I am ready to prove my claim. What I require is to know whether true salvation can be achieved together with its signs in your religion or not. If it can be achieved, then demonstrate it and compare it with the proof that I am ready to offer. If such salvation, together with its signs, is not to be found in your religion, you have only to say so and I will furnish proof of my claim unilaterally.

Mr. Atham will never make the required affirmation on oath. Even if the Christian clerics should continue to urge him to the extreme limit, he will never make the affirmation against me because he knows in his heart that my prophecy concerning him has been fulfilled. It is enough proof of my truth that Mr. Atham will never make the required affirmation on oath in opposition to me, however much the Christians might urge him to do so. If he does make the affirmation, the second aspect of the prophecy will doubtlessly be fulfilled. The word of God can never be averted.

An Easy Mubahalah for the Christians

On 2nd May 1906, I received the announcement of Ahmad Masih, the blind Christian of Delhi, in which he has challenged me to a Mubahalah for the purpose of arriving at a final Judgement between Islam and Christianity. I accepted his challenge in my announcement of 5th May, on condition that the Bishops of Lahore, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay should also join in the Mubahalah. It will not be necessary for them to take the trouble of coming together at one place. The Mubahalah can be held in writing….It has occurred to me today that further facility may be provided to the Christian gentlemen so that they should have no excuse left. I, therefore, announce that I am ready to enter into Mubahalah with Ahmad Masih himself, and all that I require from the four Bishops is that they need not present themselves for the Mubahalah, but should announce over their signatures, in the newspapers Pioneer or The Civil and Military Gazette, that the defeat of Ahmad Masih will be considered the defeat of the four Bishops also. I suggest this because Ahmad Masih is an unknown person, and unless the reverend Bishops appoint him their representative, the result of the Mubahalah cannot produce much effect. After this clarification, I trust that the reverend Bishops would, after full deliberation, agree to this form of the Mubahalah.

Further, if my suggestion does not find favour with all four Bishops, it would be enough if the Bishop of Lahore alone were to make the suggested announcement. Peace be on him who follows the guidance.

Invitation to Her Majesty the Queen of England

It is enough proof of my truth that the signs shown at my hands are beyond human power. If Her Majesty, the Empress of India, Queen of Britain, should be interested, my God has the power to manifest a sign for her which would be indicative of joy and good fortune; provided that after witnessing the sign she would accept my message, and that the effect would be given throughout the country to the mission that I hold on behalf of Jesus. But the sign to be manifested would be according to the design of God and not according to any human design. It will, however, be extraordinary and will be reflective of the majesty of God.

If Her Majesty the Queen should desire to witness a sign as proof of my claim, I am certain that such a sign will be shown within one year and I will pray that she spend this period in health and security. If no sign is manifested and I prove to be false, then I am willing to be hanged in Her Majesty’s capital. All this entreaty is out of my desire that our benign Queen should turn to the God of heaven, of Whom the Christian faith is unaware in this age.

A Test for Disclosing the Unseen

It is a good opportunity for any seeker after truth, be he a Hindu, Jew, Christian, Arya, Brahmu, or any other, to come forward and test the truth of my claim. If he can stand up to me in the matter of the disclosing of the unseen and the acceptance of prayers, I call God to witness that I shall hand over to him all my immovable property, which is valued at around ten thousand rupees. I am ready to furnish any guarantee to this effect to the satisfaction of such a seeker. God is my witness that I shall not default, and will be ready even to suffer death in such a case. Allah Almighty knows that I am sincere in this offer. If anyone entertains any doubt in this respect, he should put forward a better plan, which I shall accept without objection. If I am false it would be better that I were destroyed by means of some severe punishment. If I am true, then I desire to save those who have destroyed themselves.

I call on all Christian clerics, who are respected and distinguished among their own people, in the name of God, to listen to me. Gentlemen, if you have in your hearts even a particle of love for that righteous one whose name is Jesus the Messiah, I call on you to stand up against me. I call you in the name of God, Who caused Jesus to be born of the righteous Mary, Who sent down the Gospel, Who caused Jesus to die a natural death and revived him spiritually and exalted him to heaven and put him in the living company of Abraham (as), Moses (as), Jonah (as) and other Prophets who had been revived spiritually before him, that you should stand up against me. If the truth is on your side and Jesus is truly God, you will be victorious. If he is not God and is a humble and helpless person, and Islam is true, God Almighty will hear me and will manifest at my hands that which is beyond your power.

There was a time when the Christian ministers alleged, out of their bigotry, that there were no prophecies in the Holy Qur’an. Muslim divines tried to answer them, but the truth is that, in the matter of prophecies and extraordinary signs, an effective reply can be given only by one who can himself make a prophecy. This matter cannot be settled by verbal debate. When the false denials of the Christian ministers transgressed the limits, God sent me to furnish proof of the righteousness of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the truth of Islam. Where are the Christian ministers now? Let them stand up to me. I have not come out of time. I have come at a time when the Christians have trampled Islam under their feet. O Ye blind Muslims, who has taught you to oppose the truth? Islam has been ruined; all its limbs have been wounded by external attacks and internal innovations, and twenty three years of the fourteenth century have passed; millions have renounced Islam and have become the enemies of God and His Messenger, but you keep insisting that no one has come from God and only dajjal has appeared. Show me any Christian cleric who now alleges that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made no prophecy. That time has passed. Now the time has come when God desires to make it manifest that His Messenger, Muhammad of Arabia (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who has been reviled, whose name has been dishonoured and who has been declared false by unfortunate Christian ministers in hundreds of thousands of books published in this age, is true and the Chief of the righteous. He has been extensively denied but in the end he has been bestowed the crown of honour. I am one of his servants to whom God speaks and in whose support the gates of the unseen and of heavenly signs have been opened wide. O Ye ignorant ones, you may denounce him as a blasphemer, but what value can your denunciations have in the eyes of one who is occupied with the service of the faith under God’s command, and sees Divine bounties descending upon Him like rain? The same God, Who descended on the heart of the son of Mary, has also descended on my heart, but in greater glory. He was a human being and so am I. The light of the sun falls on a wall but the wall cannot claim to be the Sun. The True Sun can say: Depart from me; and then see whether you have any honour.

God has bestowed upon me strength from Himself so that no Christian cleric can withstand me in debate. God has so impressed the hearts of Christian divines with awe that none of them has any strength left to stand up against me. God has sent me the support of the Holy Spirit and has appointed His angels to keep me company, and no Christian cleric can challenge me. These are the people who used to say that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed no miracles and made no prophecy; and now, despite being challenged, they fail to come forward. This is because God has put it in their hearts that they will experience nothing but defeat when they stand up against me.

I proclaim in the name of God Who has sent me, that if any hard-hearted Christian, Hindu or Arya should deny the bright and clear signs that I have manifested in the past, and should make a simple straightforward announcement in a paper, that on witnessing a sign, whatever it may be, so long as it is beyond human power, he would accept Islam, I am sure that within one year of making such an announcement he will witness a sign. This is because I draw light from that illumined life which was bestowed upon the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) whom I follow. No one can stand up to it. If there is a seeker after truth from among Christians or Hindus or Aryas, let him come forward, and if he believes in the truth of his religion, let him compete with me in the manifestation of heavenly signs. But I tell you beforehand that no one will come forward. They will try to evade my challenge by presenting dishonest and complicated conditions. This is because their religions are dead and they have no one alive from whom they can receive spiritual grace and from whom they can obtain a life shining with signs.

Divine Permission for Mubahalah Against Maulavis

In the early days I had thought that I was not at liberty to challenge Muslims to a Mubahalah, because Mubahalah involves calling down a curse on each other, and it is not permissible to call down a curse on a Muslim; but my opponents from among the Muslims persist in denouncing me as a disbeliever, and, under the Islamic dispensation, he who denounces a true Muslim as a disbeliever himself becomes the subject of such denunciation. I have, therefore, been commanded to challenge to a Mubahalah those who denounce me as disbeliever and possess sons and daughters and are the originators of the denunciations directed at me.

In the beginning I avoided the Mubahalah, because I believed that a curse should not be called down on a Muslim. But now I have been told that he who denounces a Muslim as a disbeliever, and does not desist, even though his opponent faces the Ka‘bah when he prays, professes belief in the Unity of God, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and other Islamic doctrines, such a person is himself excluded from Islam. I have, therefore, been commissioned to enter into a Mubahalah with those who claim to be Muftis and Maulavis and Muhaddathin who have sons and wives and have led the campaign denouncing me as a disbeliever. I have been directed that I should set forth before them, in a public meeting, a detailed explanation of my claim and should refute all the objections and doubts which disturb their minds. If they still do not desist from denouncing me as a disbeliever, I shall call them to a Mubahalah.

I wish to inform all the Maulavis and Muftis who denounce me as a disbeliever because of minor differences or through their own ignorance, that God Almighty has commissioned me and I invite them to a Mubahalah in the following terms. I will first set before you, in a meeting called for the purpose of Mubahalah, the reasons in support of my doctrines derived from the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith. If you still persist in denouncing me as a disbeliever, I shall challenge you to a Mubahalah in the same meeting. My first addressee is Miań Nadhir Hussain of Delhi; should he decline my invitation, my next addressee would be Sheikh Muhammad Hussain of Batala, and should he also decline, all those Maulavis would be my addressees who denounce me as a disbeliever and occupy a leading position among the Muslims. I grant all these gentlemen a period of four months from today, 10th December 1892, within which to enter into a Mubahalah with me under the conditions set out above. If they fail to do so and persist in denouncing me, they will be held responsible before God. I had desired in this book to refute all the false charges which they have levelled against me as the basis for denouncing me as a disbeliever, but, on account of the illness of the scribe and some other reasons, that part has not yet been printed. All the same, I shall read out the contents of the paper in the meeting called for the purpose of Mubahalah, whether or not it has been printed by that time. It is a necessary condition that I should refute whatever has been written against me by those who have denounced me as a disbeliever, and that I should put forward convincing arguments which will leave no room for them to denounce me. If they still continue to do so, the Mubahalah supplication shall be made in the same meeting. The revelation that has been vouchsafed to me in this context is as follows:

‘God Almighty has looked at you with a fragrant look. Some people have said in their hearts: Lord will you establish someone in the earth who will create disturbance therein? And God replied to them: I know that which you know not. They said: His book is replete with disbelief and falsehood. Say to them: Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women and our own selves and your own selves and call down the curse of Allah on the liars.’

O Ye Maulavis and custodians of shrines who oppose me, the contentions between us have exceeded all limits. My Community is much smaller in number than yours, and at the moment does not exceed four or five thousand. Nevertheless, be sure that this tree has been planted by the hand of God Who will not let it be destroyed. He will not be pleased till He carries it to perfection. He will water it and enclose it within a compound and will foster it in a wonderful manner. Have you spared any effort in trying to destroy it? Had it been a human project, it would have been destroyed long ago.

It is He Who commanded me to invite you to a Mubahalah so that the enemy of truth may be ruined and the lover of darkness may fall into the abyss of chastisement. Hitherto I had not wanted to call for Mubahalah, nor did I wish to pray for anyone’s ruin. Mr. ‘Abd-ul-Haq of Ghazni, presently of Amritsar, desired to hold a Mubahalah with me, but I put him off for a long time. At last, on his insistence, a Mubahalah was held, but I made no supplication for his ruin. But now things have come to such a pass that I have been called dajjal, I have been named Satan and I have been accounted a liar and an impostor. My opponents have cursed me in their public announcements and in their meetings I have been mentioned with contempt. Now you seem to be intent upon denouncing me as if you have not the slightest doubt in my being a disbeliever. Everyone of you considers reviling me as an act of great merit. You have declared it the way of Islam to call curses on my head.

In the time of all this bitterness and distress, God was with me; He comforted and consoled me throughout. Can an insect stand up against a whole world? Will a particle set itself against the universe? Can the soul of a liar possess such steadfastness? Can a low impostor possess such power? Be sure, therefore, it is not me you are fighting, but you are fighting God. Can you not distinguish between fragrance and foul smell? Can you not observe the majesty of truth? It would have been much better for you if you had shed tears before God Almighty and had sought guidance from Him concerning me with a trembling heart, and had then followed a certainty and not pursued doubts and delusions.

Now get up and be ready for Mubahalah. You know that my claim is based on the authority of the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith and on Divine revelations vouchsafed to me. You rejected the authority of the Qur’an and the Ahadith and disregarded altogether the Word of God, as if it were no more than a broken reed.

This leaves the second basis of my claim, so I call upon you in the name of the Mighty and Jealous God—and no faithful one can reject a call in His name—to come for a Mubahalah for a Judgement on the basis of the revelation vouchsafed to me.

The procedure will be as follows: After the date and place of the Mubahalah have been agreed upon, I will present myself with a paper on which all the revelations, which I have set out, will be written, and I shall supplicate:

Lord, if these revelations that I hold in my hand are my inventions and You know that I have made them myself, or if they are the result of the incitement of Satan and are not Your Words, may You then cause me to die before the end of one year from this date, or afflict me with such torment as may be worse than death, and do not grant me deliverance until I die, so that my disgrace may be known and people may be delivered from the mischief of my design, as I do not desire that Your creatures should be mislead on my account, and it is better that such an impostor should die. But, O All-Knowing and All-Aware God, if it is in Your knowledge that all these revelations which I hold in my hand are from You and are Your Words, then may You afflict these opponents of mine who are present here, within one year of this date, with a severe torment; afflict some with blindness, some with leprosy, some with paralysis, some with lunacy, and some with epilepsy. Make some of them the victims of snakebite, or the bite of a mad dog; destroy the property of some and afflict some with calamity and some with disgrace.

When I finish my supplication, both parties should say Amin. Everyone of the opposite party who is present for Mubahalah should then supplicate:

O All-Knowing and All-Aware God, we account this person, whose name is Ghulam Ahmad, a liar, an impostor and a disbeliever. If he is truly a liar and an impostor and a disbeliever and a faithless one, and his alleged revelations are not from You but are his own invention, then may You, as a Benefactor of the Muslims, destroy this impostor within a period of one year so that the people may be saved against his mischief. But if he is not an impostor and is from You and all these revelations are Words of Your Mouth, then may You afflict us, who consider him a disbeliever and a liar, within the period of one year, with painful and disgraceful torment by making some of us blind, some leprous, some paralytic, some lunatics, and some by being bitten by a snake or a mad dog. May You afflict with a calamity the wealth and life of some and the honour of others.

At the end of this supplication, everyone should say Amin. If anyone considers me a liar and an impostor, but wishes to avoid the use of the expression ‘disbeliever,’ he will be at liberty to employ only the term ‘liar’ and ‘impostor,’ concerning which he is certain.

After the Mubahalah, if I die within a year or am afflicted with some torment from which I am not expected to be delivered, the people will be secure from my mischief and I shall become accursed forever. I proclaim here and now, that in such case I should be considered a liar and accursed. I will not mind being called dajjal or the accursed or Satan, and will deserve always to be mentioned with a curse and will accept the Divine Judgement without reservation. In this case, anyone who follows me or considers me to be good or truthful will be subject to God’s chastisement. Thus my end would be vile as is the end of all disgraceful liars.

But, if God safeguards me for a year against death or physical calamity, and my opponents are afflicted with Divine wrath and each of them becomes the subject of some misfortune, and my prayer against them is manifested in a shining manner, the world will recognize the truth and this daily conflict will come to an end. I repeat that up to now I have never prayed against anyone who professed to be a Muslim, and have endured everything with patience; but on that day I shall seek the Judgement of God and shall hold to His Holiness and Honour, so that by destroying the party that is in the wrong and is committed to falsehood, He may safeguard Islam against the mischief of the wicked.

I also agree that my prayer should be regarded as having been answered only if each one of those who come into the field for Mubahalah is afflicted, one way or another, within one year. If even a single one of them is spared—out of a total of one or two thousand—I shall consider myself to be false and I shall repent at their hands. If I die within one year, the world will be restored to peace and security by the death of an evil one.

But one of my conditions is that at least ten of those whose names are mentioned below should be present at the time of the Mubahalah. If more of them can be present, so much the better, inasmuch as the affliction of a large number with Divine torment is such a clear sign as no one can doubt.

Bear witness, O earth and O heaven, that the curse of God lies on him who, having received this book, neither comes to Mubahalah nor desists from denouncing me as a disbeliever and defaming me, nor keeps away from the company of those who mock at me. O Ye believers, say Amin to this in the name of God. I have to record that up till now these wicked Maulavis have not paid any heed to this straightforward manner of Judgement, so that if I am a liar, as they imagine, I may be chastised by God Almighty Who is the Judge of judges.

Open Invitation to All Who Seek a Sign

After issuing several invitations to Mubahalah, I have for my part given up making any further attempts in that connection, but everyone who considers me a liar, hypocrite, or an impostor, and rejects my claim of being the Promised Messiah, and regards the revelation vouchsafed to me by God Almighty as my invention, whether he is a Muslim, Hindu, Arya or follower of any other religion, he is at liberty to come forward and publish a written statement of Mubahalah against me. He should announce in some newspapers, taking oath in the name of God Almighty, that he is fully convinced that I, who claim to be Promised Messiah, am an impostor and liar and dajjal, and my supposed revelations, some of which are entered in this book, are not the words of God but are all of my own making. This statement should conclude with the supplication:

O God Almighty, if in Your estimation this person is true and not a liar, impostor, disbeliever and faithless, then may You on account of my rejecting him and slandering him, send down some severe punishment upon me, otherwise may You chastise him, Amin.

This method of seeking a sign is open to everyone. If, after the publication of this prayer in at least three wellknown newspapers, such a person should still escape heavenly punishment, everyone will be free to conclude that I am not from God. No period will be fixed for the manifestation of such a sign. The only requirement will be that something should occur which can be appreciated by everyone.

Ever since God has named me the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, those who call themselves Muslims and call me as a disbeliever, have been greatly agitated against me. I have proved my claim clearly on the basis of the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith, but they deliberately ignored what I said. Then God manifested many heavenly signs in my support but they derived no benefit from these either. Thereafter many of them came forward for Mubahalah and some of them, who claimed to be recipients of revelation, predicted that I shall be destroyed within a specific period during their very lives, but they were themselves destroyed while I lived. Alas, even then the Muslims did not reflect that if all my claims had been of my own making, my opponents would not have been defeated in each and every case. They have been condemned as false by the Holy Qur’an. The Ahadith describing the spiritual ascension of the Holy Prophet (sas) and the Hadith which predicts that the Promised Messiah would be one of the Muslims, proves that they are liars. The results of the Mubahalahs proclaim their falsehood. Then by what authority do they so daringly oppose and reject me, who has been sent by God, and has continued to call them to the truth for nearly twenty-six years? Have they not experienced the warning conveyed in the verse:

Where is Ghulam Dastgir who supplicated for my destruction in his book Faid-e-Rahmani, and prayed for the death of whichever of us was false? Where is Maulavi Charagh Din of Jammu who stood up for Mubahalah against me and predicted my death on the basis of a revelation he was supposed to have received? Where is Faqir Mirza who had a large following and who predicted my death with great enthusiasm. He even announced that God had informed him from His throne that I was an impostor and would die during his own lifetime in the following month of Ramadan. But when Ramadan came, it was he himself who died of the plague. Where is Sa‘d-ullah of Ludhiana who stood up for Mubahalah against me and predicted my death? He died of the plague in my lifetime. Where is Maulavi Mohy-ud-Din of Lakhoke who called me the Pharaoh and predicted my death in his lifetime and published several of his supposed revelations concerning me? He too passed away in my lifetime. Where is the accountant Babu Ilahi Bakhsh of Lahore, the author of ‘Asa-e-Musa, who described himself as Moses and called me Pharaoh and predicted my death by the plague in his own lifetime, and published several other prophecies about my ruin? He too died of plague within my lifetime, thus bearing witness that his book ‘Asa-e-Musa was false and a bundle of impostures. All these people had hoped that I would become an illustration of the verse:

But they themselves illustrated this verse by their ruin. By destroying them God also made me an illustration of the second part of the same verse:

Have not all these events fully established the design of God Almighty? Yet it was necessary for my opponents to have rejected me because of the Divine prediction published 26 years ago in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya:

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.

I am certain that God will not stop His signs till my truth is made manifest to the world.

Today, 15th May 1908, it has occurred to me that there is another method by which a God fearing person may perchance emerge from the dangerous whirlpool of denial. It is as follows: Someone out of my opponents who deems me a disbeliever and a liar should obtain the attention of at least ten reputed clerics, or of at least ten well known leading personalities, and should come out against me in order to carry out a test of our truth or falsehood. We should select two persons who are critically ill and each of them should, by the drawing of lots, be allocated to each of us for prayer. Thereafter, the one whose patient recovers completely or lives longer than the other patient, will be considered true. All this is in the hand of Allah Almighty, and, relying on His promise, I predict that God will either bestow full health on the patient allocated to me or will grant him longer life than the other patient; and this will be the testimony of my truth. If this does not happen, it may be concluded that I am not from God. But it will be necessary that the person who stands up against me, and the ten Maulavis or leading personalities who support him, must announce in three leading papers that, in the case of my triumph, they will accept me and join my Jama‘at. I shall also be bound by similar conditions…. One benefit resulting from such a contest would be that God Almighty would bestow new life upon someone dangerously ill, who has lost all hope of life, and would thus manifest a sign of reviving the dead. Secondly, the contention between us will be judged peacefully and easily. Peace be on him who follows the right path.

Announced by:
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani,
The Promised Messiah. 15 May, 1908.

I have steadfastly endured vilification at the hands of Maulavi Nadhir Hussain Sahib of Delhi and his disciples. Now, in my capacity as a commissioned one of God, I invite him and his followers to God’s Judgement in the confidence that He Himself will decide between us. He is aware of what goes on in the hearts and what transpires in the minds, and does not approve of any hurtful activity or needless bewailing. Truly virtuous is he who fears Him. I am not demeaned by anyone calling me a dog or a disbeliever or dajjal. Man possesses no honour on his own. Honour is bestowed only by the reflection of God’s light. If He is not pleased with me and I am evil in His estimation, then I am worse than a thousand dogs.

If God is not pleased with man;
Then no animal is more to be pitied than him.
If we keep feeding the dog of the mean self;
Then we are worse than dogs of the streets.

O Allah! O Guide of all seekers;
O Ye, Whose love is our life.
Make our end upon complete reconciliation with Your will;
So that our desired relating to both the worlds may be fulfilled.

The world and its people are busy making hue and cry;
But Your seekers are in another world.
There is one, whom You have granted the light of the heart;
And there is another struggling in the mud;
The eye, the ear, and the heart, all receive light from You;
Your are the Fountainhead of guidance and grace.

In short, God, the Mighty and Holy, is my refuge and I commit the whole of my affair to Him. I do not wish to return abuse for abuse, nor do I wish to say anything on my own. It is only He Who has the final say. It is a pity that my opponents have complicated a simple matter. They do not believe that God Almighty has the authority to do what He wills and to appoint whosoever He may please, as His chosen one. Can man fight Him? Does man have the right to ask Him: Why did You do this or why did You not do that?

Fie on these people, for they do not honour that which God and His Messenger have said. Seventeen years of the century have passed, but their reformer is still hiding in some cave. Why are they so miserly towards me? Had God so willed, I would not have come. At times it comes to my mind that I should supplicate Him to relieve me of this office and to appoint someone else in my place. But, at that very instant, it occurs to me that there can be no greater sin than to lack the courage to perform the service that God desires of me. The more I wish to retire, the more God Almighty pulls me forward. There is rarely a night during which I am not confronted with the words: "I am with thee and My heavenly hosts are with thee." The pure of heart will see God after death, but I swear by His countenance that I behold Him here and now. The world does not know me but He Who has sent me knows me. Those who seek my ruin are utterly mistaken and totally unfortunate. I am a tree planted by the Hand of the True Master. He who seeks to cut me down only desires to partake of the fate of Korah, Judas Iscariot and Abu Jahl. My eyes shed tears daily for someone to come forward and seek Judgement concerning me, according to the standard of prophethood, and then see on whose side God is; but coming forward for such a test is not the business of every characterless person. There was one Ghulam Dastgir, one of the disbelieving hosts of the Punjab, who laid down his life in this attempt. It is now impossible for someone like him to come forward.

O Ye people, be sure that I am supported by the Hand that will be faithful to me till the end. If your men and your women, your young and your old, your small and your great, should all come together and supplicate for my ruin until their noses are rubbed out by their repeated prostration and their hands are numbed, even then God will not hear their supplication and will not desist till He has fulfilled His design. If not even a single person remains with me, God’s angels will be with me, and if you conceal the true testimony, stones will well nigh bear testimony in my support. Do not, therefore, wrong your souls. The false and the true have different countenances. God does not leave any matter without judgement. I curse a life of falsehood and imposture, and the failure to serve the Creator for fear of His creatures. It is not possible for me to be lax in performing the service which God Almighty has appointed for me at its appropriate time, though the sun and the earth may join hands to trample me down. What is man but an insect and what is a human being but a lump of flesh? Can you then expect me to disobey the command of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsisting One for the sake of an insect or a lump of flesh? In the end God has always judged between His commissioned ones and their opponents; He will do the same now. There is a season for the coming of God’s commissioned ones and a season for their departure. Be sure, therefore, that I have neither come out of season nor shall I depart out of season. Do not fight God. It is not within your power to destroy me.

Peace Is Best

O Ye Muslim divines who denounce me as a liar and a disbeliever or are in doubt concerning me, it has occurred to me that I should approach you once more for a settlement. This does not mean that I shall compel you to accept my beliefs or modify them in any respect contrary to the comprehension that God has bestowed upon me. What I mean is that we should make a firm agreement that neither side, including our respective supporters, will indulge in any kind of offensive language against the other, nor attack the honour of the other in speech or writing or by way of innuendo. If anyone from one side visits anyone on the other, he should be treated with due courtesy….

If my enterprise is not authorised by God, it will be destroyed; but if it is so authorised, no enemy can destroy it. To go on slighting this Community because its numbers are small is inconsistent with good morals. This is the time when our opposing divines should display their good manners, for when the membership of the Ahmadiyyah Movement grows into millions and people of every standing, including some sovereigns, come into its fold, as God Almighty has promised, all this rancour and hatred will naturally disappear. But the courtesy and politeness that will then be extended to the members of the Movement will not be for the sake of God, and the gentle behaviour of the opposing divines will not be considered as part of good manners. Now is the time to show good manners when the membership of this Movement is no more than a few thousands. For the present there is no better plan for the settlement of these differences. Hereafter, whichever side has the support of God will gradually achieve supremacy. Truth first appears in the shape of a small seed and gradually grows into a big tree, which bears fruits and flowers among which birds which seeks the truth can relax.

Six Signs of Divine Support

I announce once more, for the sake of those who seek the truth, that if they have not even now realized that I am true, they can satisfy themselves again through any of the following six signs which God Almighty has bestowed upon me.

One: Any arrogant person who desires to compete with me in proficiency in Arabic, is at liberty to produce the match of this Arabic writing both in poetry and in prose; and if some Arabic speaking person testifies that his work is equal to mine, I shall be accounted false.

Two: Failing this, my opponents can compete with me in writing an Arabic commentary on any seven verses of the Holy Qur’an which are randomly selected, and if I am not acknowledged as being clearly superior to them, I am to be accounted as false.

Three: One of my well-known opponents should stay with me for a year. During this time, if I fail to manifest some sign which is beyond the power of man, I may be accounted false.

Four: Some of my well-known opponents may announce publicly that if they witness a sign within one year of the date of the announcement, they will repent and acknowledge my truth. If, within that time, no sign is manifested by me which is beyond human power, whether by way of prophecy or otherwise, I shall acknowledge that I am false.

Five: Failing all these, Sheikh Muhammad Hussain of Batala and other well-known opponents of mine should come forward for Mubahalah with me. Thereafter, if even a single one of them escapes the consequences of my supplication in the Mubahalah, I shall acknowledge myself to be false.

I invite every opponent in the name of God Almighty to make a trial by any one of the methods that I have suggested: They should either write and publish a reply to this writing in fluent Arabic within two months, before 10th March 1897; or they should compete with me in writing an Arabic commentary on any seven verses of the Holy Qur’an in my presence; or anyone of them can come and stay with me for one year for the purpose of witnessing a sign, or he can await a sign for one year, after making a unilateral announcement; or he can enter into Mubahalah with me.

Six: If none of these methods appeals to them, they should enter into a truce with me and my Community for a period of seven years on the condition that they will not denounce me as a disbeliever and a liar, will not revile me, will meet everyone of us with courtesy and goodwill, will generally behave towards us like good Muslims in fear of God, and will refrain from every kind of mischief and misconduct. And if during this seven year period, I am not able to perform, with the support of God Almighty, outstanding service in the cause of Islam, for instance, if the destruction of false religions, which has been predicted at the hands of the Promised Messiah, is not manifested through me, and God Almighty does not manifest those signs at my hands which should make Islam supreme and whereby people should begin to accept Islam from every direction, and the false god of Christianity should be destroyed, and the world should enter a new epoch, I will acknowledge myself a liar. I call God Almighty to witness that I shall be bound by this declaration. God Almighty knows that I am not a liar. The period of seven years is not long, and it is not within human power to work such a revolution in such a short time. As I offer to make this agreement sincerely, in the name of God Almighty, and call all of you to make this truce, you should fear God and respond to me. If I am not from God, I am bound to be ruined. Otherwise no one can ruin a commissioned one of God.

Prayer for a Divine Decree

The controversy between my opponents and me has now reached the limit. He Who has sent me will now judge between us. If I am true, heaven will surely bear strong witness for me, which will set people atremble. But if I have offended God by inventing lies against Him over a period of twenty-five years, how can I escape His wrath? In such case, even if all of you should become my friends, I will still be a ruined person because God’s hand would be against me.

O Ye people, keep in mind that I am not a liar but am oppressed, I am not an impostor but a righteous man.

The treatment that my own people have accorded to me is well known and the hostility of other people towards me is natural. All of them have done their utmost to destroy me. They have contrived every project for doing me harm and have carried it to its limit. They have omitted nothing—prayers, declarations of the merit of slaying me, slander and defamation. Then which is the hand that safeguards me? Had I been a liar, God would Himself have furnished the means of my ruin and it would not have been necessary for people to devise methods for my ruin and be frustrated by God. Is it the sign of a liar that the Holy Qur’an should bear witness for him, heavenly signs should be manifested in his support, reason should uphold him, and those who desire his death should themselves die? I do not believe that after the age of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), any opponent of a godly or true person has suffered such clear defeat and disgrace as my enemies have on account of their opposition to me. When they attacked my honour they were themselves disgraced, and when they announced that I was a liar and I would die before them, they ended up dying before me.

How can God, Whose powerful hand supports heaven and earth and all that is between them, be frustrated by the designs of men? The day is near when He will announce His Judgement. It is a sign of the righteous that the end is always in their favour. God descends upon their hearts with His manifestations. How can that structure be demolished in which the true King has His abode? Revile me as much as you like, and devise whatever means of persecution you can think of, and make every plan for my ruin, but remember that God will soon prove that His hand is supreme. A foolish one thinks that he can win with his devices, but God rebukes him: ‘O accursed one, I shall frustrate all thy designs.’ Had God so willed, He would have bestowed sight upon these opposing Maulavis and their followers, and they would have recognized the time and the season of the advent of God’s Messiah; but the prophecies of the Holy Qur’an and of the Hadith were bound to be fulfilled, which had predicted that the Promised Messiah would be persecuted by the Muslim divines who would denounce him as a disbeliever, condemn him to death, slander him and account him as being outside the pale of Islam and a destroyer of the faith.

God Almighty has not yet exhausted His support and His signs, and I declare on oath in His name that He will not desist till my truth is manifested throughout the world. O Ye people who hear my voice, fear God and do not transgress. Had all this been a human project, God would have destroyed me, and not a trace would be left. But you have seen how the help of God Almighty has supported me all along, and numberless signs have been manifested in my support. How many of my enemies have perished as a consequence of holding Mubahalah with me. O servants of God, do reflect, does God Almighty accord such treatment to liars?

1 The reference is to Maulavi Muhammad Hussain of Batala. [Publisher]

2 Aal-e-‘Imran, 3:140 [Publisher]

3 Al-Nisa’, 4:142 [Publisher]

4 This is God’s grace, which He bestows upon whomsoever He wills. [Publisher]

5 Tell them, I have been commissioned and I am the foremost of those who believe. All praise belongs to Allah Who has removed from me all grief and has bestowed upon me that which has not been bestowed upon anyone else in the world. [Publisher]

6 The phrase in quotation marks is the last phrase of the revelation in Arabic quoted above. [Publisher]

7 I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers and Resurrection after death. I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, the One without associate; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Fear Allah and say not: You are not a Muslim. Fear the King to Whom you will be brought back. [Publisher]

8 ‘Verily, he who comes to his Lord a sinner, for him is hell; he shall neither die therein nor live.’—Ta Ha, 20:75, [Publisher]

9 ‘He reveals not His secrets to anyone, except to him who He chooses, namely a messenger of His.’—Al-Jinn, 72:27-28 [Publisher]

10 One Juz comprises 16 pages. [Firozul-Lughat, Published by Feroz Sons, Lahore, p. 458]

11 Nobody will have anything to do with what you have said not;
Until you produce an argument for what you have said. [Publisher]

12 ‘Call on Me, I shall respond to you.’ [Publisher]

13 ‘Follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge.’—Bani Isra’il, 17:37. [Publisher]

14 The reference is to Maulavi Nadhir Hussain of Delhi. [Publisher]

15 ‘Therein shall you live, and therein shall you die.’—Al-A‘raf, 7:26 [Publisher]

16 ‘For them are glad tidings in the present life.’— Yunus,10:65 [Publisher]

17 ‘Whom He has strengthened with inspiration from Himself.’— Al-Mujadalah, 58:23 [Publisher]

18 ‘He will grant you a distinction.’—Al-Anfal, 8:30 [Publisher]

19 Anyone can issue a statement by way of boasting,
But truthful is the one who produces a true sign. [Publisher]

20 Sa‘di, it is impossible that the right path;
Be obtained except in the footsteps of the Mustafa (sas). [Publisher]

21 Al-Baqarah, 2:112-113 [Publisher]

22 Al-An‘am, 6:163-164 [Publisher]

23 Yunus, 10:63-65 [Publisher]

24 Ha Mim Al-Sajdah, 41:31-33 [Publisher]

25 “It brings forth its fruit at all times.”—Ibrahim, 14:26 [Publisher]

26 Al-Baqarah, 2:187 [Publisher]

27 Al-Anfal, 8:30 [Publisher]

28 ‘Some of that which he threatens you with will surely befall you.’— Al-Mu’min, 40:29 [Publisher]

29 ‘If he be a liar, on him will be the sin of his lie.’—Al-Mu’min, 40:29 [Publisher]

30 ‘But if he is truthful, then some of that which he threatens you with will surely befall you.’—Al-Mu’min, 40:29 [Publisher]

Repeated Challenges

My Opponents Are Doomed to Fail

Divine Support for the Righteous

Inviting All to Come and Witness the Signs

Appeal to Give Up Vilification and Abuse

Beseeching Allah for a Heavenly Sign and Decree

Evidence in the Form of Divine Blessings

O Ye who Doubt! Come to the Heavenly Verdict!

An Invitation to Pir Mehr ‘Ali Shah of Golrah

Knowledge of Arabic and the Holy Qur’an as Signs of Divine Support

In the Name of Allah the Glorious, a Plea to Maulavi Sayyed Nadhir Hussain, for a Debate on the Life or Death of Jesus Son of Mary

A Misguided Assertion of Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf Challenged

Submitting the Matter to the Judge of Judges

Challenge to Reach a Conclusive Settlement

A Sincere Appeal to All Muslims of India

Challenge to Reach a Conclusive Settlement

Holy Qur’an—A Sign of the Living God

For Followers of Revealed Books Who Deny the Truth of the Holy Qur’an

Evidence in the Form of Countless Signs

Manifestation of the Power of the Living God, Honour of the Holy Prophet (sas), and Truth of the Holy Qur’an

Refutation of the Aryas’ False Doctrines

Announcement for a Forty Day Prayer Vigil

For the Careful Attention of Sardar Raj Indar Singh

Announcement on the Death of Lekh Ram

Real Test between Islam and Christianity

An Invitation to All Good People

A Proposal to Seek Divine Settlement

Conclusive Arguments for Reverend Whitebrecht

Lack of Righteousness Among Christians

Open Challenge to All Christians

Invitation to Christians for Mubahalah

Prophecy About Atham and Its Fulfilment

An Easy Mubahalah for the Christians

Invitation to Her Majesty the Queen of England

A Test for Disclosing the Unseen

Divine Permission for Mubahalah Against Maulavis

Open Invitation to All Who Seek a Sign

Peace Is Best

Six Signs of Divine Support

Prayer for a Divine Decree