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A Submission of Felicitations

This submission of felicitations is from the person who has appeared in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, to rid the world of diverse innovations in faith. His purpose is to establish truth in the world with peace and tenderness, teach people the way of true love and obeisance to their Creator, and make them understand the ways to render true obedience to their ruler, Her Majesty the Queen, whose subjects they are. He is also to instruct mankind in true mutual sympathy and to remove selfish malice and passions among them, and establish pure harmony—unadulterated by hypocrisy—among the good natured servants of God. This writing is a gift of gratefulness, which is presented as felicitations to Her Majesty the Empress of India and Ruler of England and India (May her honour and title endure) at the gathering commemorating the sixtieth jubilee.

Felicitations! Felicitations!! Felicitations!!!

Thanks to God who showed us this day of great joy that we witnessed the sixtieth jubilee of our honoured Queen, the Empress of India and England. Who can imagine the amount of joy this day has brought? Congratulations filled with joy and gratefulness from us to our benevolent and benignant Empress. May God keep her joyful forever!

We pray to God—who has created this earth and raised the heavens, and has put the radiant sun and the moon in our service—that may He keep our honoured ruler, the Empress of India, safe for a long time. She is bearing different nations of her subjects in her lap of kindness, and millions of people are living in peace because of her single person. May it be so that, at the ceremonies of the jubilee (with its ecstasy, millions of hearts from British India and England are fluttering in the excitement of joy like the flowers which, excited by the cool and comforting morning breeze, flutter their wings like birds), heaven should also felicitate her with its sun and moon and all its stars just as the earth is jumping to felicitate with all its strength! May God’s grace enable our great and benevolent Empress to become as popular among the angels in heaven as she is in the hearts of all the old and young Indian and English subjects. May the Almighty, who has bestowed upon her an abundance of worldly blessings, also bestow upon her a plenitude of heavenly blessings. The Merciful, who has given her joy in this world, may He arrange for her joyful provisions in the next world too. Considering that millions, in fact countless, good deeds have been performed by such a blessed person, it would not be surprising should the providence of God cause the ultimate good to emanate from her—namely, that England may be cleared of the worship of a human being with mercy and peace, and that the souls of angels cry out, ‘O true monotheist, felicitations to you from the heavens just as from the earth!’

This beseecher—who has come in the name of Jesus the Messiah—honours the person of Her Majesty, the Empress of India, and her reign; just as the Chief of this world and the next, Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, honoured the time of Nausherwan the Just. Though, keeping her favours in view, everyone is obliged to congratulate Her Majesty with sincere prayers and present a gift of gratitude to the Honoured Empress of India and England, I realize that I am more obliged than everyone else, as Allah chose for me to take refuge in the peaceful government of Her Majesty, the Queen, to carry out my heavenly activities. God raised me at such a time and in such a land where the reign of Her Majesty has the effect of a steel castle for the protection of human life and honour. It is my obligation more than anyone else to be grateful for the environment of peace in which I have lived in this land and have spread the truth. Though I have written many books in Urdu, Arabic and Persian in which I have mentioned the favours of Her Majesty on the Muslims of British India, and have spread these books in the Muslim world, encouraging every Muslim to show true obedience and fidelity, yet it was necessary for me to present the details of this activity to Her Majesty. To achieve this purpose, I have gathered the courage to fulfil the desire of my heart today on the occasion of the blessed jubilee of Her Majesty, the Empress of India, which is a source of great thankfulness and joy for the loyal subjects.

To introduce myself, I deem it necessary to state that, from among the subjects of Her Majesty, I am a member of an honoured family of the Punjab. I am known as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. My father was Mirza Ghulam Murtaza, his father was Mirza Ata Muhammad, and his father was Mirza Gul Muhammad. The latter was a ruler in an earlier period in time. As will be described later, God took me in His service, and as He has been conversing with His people since ancient times, He honoured me, too, with His converse and communication. He established me upon utmost pristine principles which are beneficial to humanity. One of the principles upon which I have been established is the following: God has informed me that of the religions which have spread and are firmly established in the world through Prophets, holding sway over a part of the world and achieving survival and long life, none was false in its origin. Nor was any of those Prophets false, because it is the eternal practice of God that a false prophet who lies against God—who is not from God, but dares to forge things from himself—never prospers. God destroys such an audacious person who says that He is from God while God knows full well that he is not from Him. All his machinations are shattered, all of his followers are disbanded, and his future is worse than his past because he told a lie against God and brazenly maligned God. God does not give him the honour that is given to the righteous, and neither does He grant him the acceptance and stability, which is reserved for the true prophets.

The question may arise that if this is the case then why did those religions spread in the world in whose books creatures— such as humans, stones, angels, sun, moon, stars, fire, water or air, etc.—have been accepted as deities? The answer is that such religions are either from people who did not claim to be prophets and recipients of divine revelation and communication, but were inclined towards creature-worship through the falsity of their own thinking and understanding; or, there were some religions whose foundation was in fact laid by a true prophet of God but their true teachings were forgotten with the passage of time. The followers of the latter turned to creature-worship by taking some similes or parables literally. The fact is that those prophets did not teach such a religion. It is not the fault of those prophets, as they brought a wholesome and pure teaching; rather, the ignorant followers assigned perverted meaning to their statements. Such ignorant people did not claim that God’s word descended on them or that they were prophets. Rather, they misunderstood and misinterpreted the prophetic word. Though such mistakes and deviations are a sin and are hateful to God, yet He does not stop their proliferation as He stops the work of a liar who lies against God. No government, whether heavenly or earthly, gives respite to a liar who fabricates a law and claims that it is authenticated by the government. A government would never allow someone to pose as a government employee and exercise authority and make people believe that he is a government official when not only is he not an officer, he is not even a lowly employee.

Therefore, this law is part of the eternal practice of Almighty God that He does not grant respite to a false prophet. Such a person is soon seized and suffers his punishment. In view of this, we shall honour and accept as true all those who claimed to be prophets at any time, and their claim was established and their religion became widespread and flourished over a long period. If we should discover mistakes in the scriptures of their religions or should observe the misconduct of their followers, we should not attribute these faults and shortcomings to the founders of these religions, inasmuch as the perversion of scriptures is possible and it is possible that mistakes of interpretation might find their way into the commentaries. But it is not at all possible that a person should fabricate lies against God and claim to be a prophet and then put forward his own compositions as the word of God falsely, and yet God should grant him respite like the righteous and allow him wide acceptance worthy of the truthful.

Therefore, this principle is an ultimate truth and endless blessing, and withal lays the foundation for conciliation, in that we affirm the truthfulness of all prophets whose religion has been well-established, has survived for a long time period and has had millions enter its fold. This is a very blessed principle. If all the world were to adhere to this fundamental principle, thousands of disorders and blasphemies, which disturb the peace among general public, would be eradicated. It is apparent that people who consider the adherents of a religion to be following a person who, in their view, is a liar and fabricator, lay the foundation of many tribulations. They certainly commit the crimes of defamation and speak of the prophets with extremely disrespectful words, going as far as employing abusive language, and disrupt harmony and peace among the general public; notwithstanding that their estimation is wrong and they are transgressors in the eyes of God with regard to their disrespectful views. God, who is Merciful and Beneficent, does not like that a liar should prosper unfairly and then put people in doubt by establishing his own religion. Nor does He allow that, in the eyes of the world, a person be raised to the level of true prophets while he is a fabricator and a liar.

Therefore, this principle lays down the foundation of love, peace and harmony, and supports moral values, in that we consider all those prophets true who appeared in the world—whether in India, or Persia or China or any other country. God instilled their respect and grandeur in the hearts of millions and made firm the roots of their religion, which remained established for centuries. This is the principle that the Quran teaches us. In light of this principle, we honour all religious founders who fall under this description whether they are the founders of the religion of the Hindus, or the religion of the Persians, or the religion of the Chinese, or the religion of the Jews or the religion of the Christians. Unfortunately, our adversaries cannot treat us this way, and they do not bear in mind the pristine and unalterable law of God that He does not give that blessing and honour to a false prophet that He bestows upon the true one. The religion of a false prophet does not take root and does not last long as does the religion of a truthful prophet. Therefore, people subscribing to this kind of belief—who defame the prophets of other nations by declaring them false—are always enemies of peace and harmony, because there is no greater mischief than abusing the elders of other nations. Sometimes a person would rather die than hear disparaging words for his elders. If we have an objection over the teaching of a religion, we should not attack the honour of the prophet of that religion or mention him in an unseemly manner. Rather, we should object only on the current practices of that nation. We should be certain that the prophet whom God Almighty has graced with the honour of acceptance by millions, and whose acceptance has continued for centuries, is thus firmly proven to be from Allah. If he were not the beloved of God, he would not have achieved so much respect. It is not the practice of God to grant honour to a fabricator, to spread his religion among millions, and to safeguard the fabricated religion for a long time.

Therefore, a religion which spreads in the world, takes root, and finds honour and long life, cannot at all be false in its origin. Therefore, if anything in that teaching is found objectionable, it can either be because the teachings of that prophet have been altered, or because a mistake has been made in the explanation of his teachings. It is also possible that we may not be justified in our objections. It may be observed that some priests raise objections about certain tenets in the Holy Quran, even though they believe them to be true and as the teachings of God according to the Torah. Therefore, such objections are due to one’s own mistake or due to haste.

In summary, welfare of humanity, peace, harmony, righteousness, and fear of God call for adhering to the principle that we do not declare such prophets as false concerning whose truth the opinion of millions of people for centuries has been established, and they have been supported by God since time immemorial. I am confident that a seeker of truth, whether Asian or European, will cherish this principle, and will profoundly regret that he did not believe in it all along.

I place this principle before Her Majesty, the Queen, the Empress of India and England because only this principle can spread peace in the world. This is our principle. Islam is proud to be unique in subscribing to this beautiful and handsome principle. Is it befitting that we malign the sages to whom God has subjugated a world and kings have been bowing to them for centuries? Is it befitting that we be distrustful of God, thinking that He wants to deceive people by giving the status of the truthful to the liars, making them the sages of millions, giving their religions long lives and showing heavenly signs in their favour? If God Himself were to deceive us then how could we differentiate right from wrong?

This is an important tenet: a false prophet should not achieve the grandeur, acceptance and greatness as that of a truthful one. Prosperity should not result from the plans of liars as it does from the activities of a truthful one. That is why the first sign of the truthful is that perpetual support is with the truthful, and God plants his religion in the hearts of millions, and grants it long life. Therefore, keeping in view the day of our passing away and the day of recompense, we should not malign such a great sage; rather, we should garner true respect and true love for a prophet who carries such signs. This is the first principle which God has taught us. Through this we have become inheritors of a great moral code.

The second principle I have been established upon is the reformation of the wrong notion of jihad which has gained popularity among some ignorant Muslims. God the Almighty has made me understand that the ways taken as jihad these days are completely against the teachings of the Quran. No doubt, there was an order to take arms in the Holy Quran. It was more reasonable than the wars of Moses, and more acceptable than the wars of Joshua, son of Nun. It was based solely on the ground that those who unjustly raised their sword to slaughter Muslims and spilled blood unjustly and committed extreme cruelties, should also be dispatched by the sword, albeit, this punishment did not carry the severity of the wars of Moses. Rather, the punishment was waived if an Arab sought protection by accepting Islam or if a non-Arab did the same by paying jizyah. This procedure complied with the laws of nature. The punishments of God, which descend on the world in the form of calamities, are for sure deferred through charity, alms-giving, prayer, repentance, lowliness and humility. In the same way, when the fire of an epidemic flares greatly, all nations of the world naturally engage in prayer, repentance, seeking forgiveness and charitable giving. A natural movement takes place to turn to God, showing that it is a natural phenomenon for the human conscience to turn to God Almighty in the times of calamities. Repentance and prayer at times of calamities have proven beneficial for man, that is, a calamity is deferred through repentance and seeking forgiveness, just as the punishment of the nation of Prophet Yunus [Jonah] was deferred. In the same way, the punishment of Israelites was deferred several times through the prayers of Hazrat Moosa [Moses]. There were disbelievers who had severely persecuted Islam and Muslims, so much so that women and children were killed. God subjected them to the punishment of the sword, but then gave them reprieve due to their seeking forgiveness, repentance, and acceptance of truth. It was the same eternal way of God which has been observed throughout history.

In short, this was the root of the Islamic jihad during the time of our Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that the wrath of God flared against the transgressors. But it is not jihad to plan to revolt while living under the equitable rule of a just government, such as the empire of our honoured queen Her Majesty the Empress of India; rather, it is a thinking replete with incivility and ignorance. To act maliciously towards a government which allows civic freedom, and firmly establishes peace, and under which religious rites can be fully carried out, is a criminal act rather than jihad. That is the reason why God did not appreciate the actions of the people who joined the mutiny in 1857. They faced diverse misfortunes, because they stood up against their beneficial and auspicious government. Thus, God the Almighty has established me on the principle that a beneficent government, as the British government is, be sincerely obeyed and be truly appreciated. I and my Community abide by this principle. Therefore, to assure compliance, I have written numerous books in Arabic, Persian and Urdu where I have written in detail that the Muslims of British India live comfortably under this government as they have the power to propagate their religion freely and carry out their religious obligations without hindrance. As such, how defiant and rebellious it is to entertain in our heart any thought of jihad with regard to this blessed and peace-giving government. These books were published at the expense of thousands of rupees and published in Islamic countries. I know that thousands of Muslims have been affected by these books. In particular, the people having religious affiliation with me have become truly sincere well-wishers of this government. I can claim that its parallel cannot be found among other Muslims. It is a faithful army whose life is replete with the support for the British government overtly as well as covertly.

I have also highlighted the point in my books that the objective that the ignorant mullahs want to achieve through the sword is achievable under the British government by a true religion in other ways—that is, a person can affirm his faith and refute another religion with full freedom. In my view, there is great beneficence in the Muslims having full freedom, within the limits of law, to express their religious views. Being able to attain their objective in this manner, they will do away with the militant habits which are found in some due to misunderstanding the Book of Allah. The reason for this is that, as the use of one intoxicant relieves from the use of another; similarly, when an objective can be attained one way, the other way of achieving it automatically becomes dormant.

For the same purposes, I take it as my duty to take advantage of the freedom granted by the British rule concerning religious discussions, and call upon the Islamic zealots to stop their unwarranted thoughts and inclinations. Muslim masses were waiting for a militant messiah, and were also waiting for a militant mahdi. These beliefs are so dangerous that a fabricator and liar can drown a world in blood by claiming to be the promised Mahdi, because Muslims have a tendency to this day to be ready to join any mendicant inviting to jihad. They probably cannot have such fidelity even to a king. Allah desired that such wrong thoughts be erased, and so by giving me the titles of the Promised Messiah and the Promised Mahdi, He clarified to me that waiting for a militant Mahdi or a militant Messiah is a totally wrong notion. Rather, God desires to spread the truth in the world through heavenly signs. Therefore, my principle is that the kingdoms of the world belong to the worldly kings, we do not have anything to do with their empires or wealth. The heavenly kingdom is ours. But it is necessary to also convey the message to the kings with goodly intent and true sympathy. As for this British government, since we can live peacefully under this government, it is our duty to go further and pray for its present and its future.

Alas, ever since I conveyed to the Indian Muslims that no militant mahdi or militant messiah is to appear in the world, and that instead a person was to come in peace and I am that person, the ignorant mullahs have turned against me. They consider me an infidel and outside the faith. It is surprising that these people relish the bloodshed of humans even though it is not the teaching of the Quran. Moreover, all Muslims do not hold such thoughts; it is the dishonesty of the Christian priests that they have unjustly attributed the idea of perpetual jihad to the Holy Quran. By doing so, they deceive some ignorant people and arouse their base passions. It is under divine commandment—not due to my own thoughts or volition—that I occupy myself in praying for this government under whose shadow of security I am passing my days in peace. I am grateful for its favours, and take its pleasure as my pleasure. I convey to it honestly what has been conveyed to me. Therefore, on the occasion of this jubilee—remembering the continuous favours of Your Majesty, which concern our lives, wealth and honour—I present a gift of gratefulness, and that gift is the prayers which arise from the heart and every grain of the body for the safety and honour of Your Majesty.

O Empress and the Honoured Queen! Our hearts bow before the Almighty praying for Your Majesty, and our souls prostrate before the One God for your honour and safety. O Honoured Empress of India! We congratulate you from our heart and soul on the occasion of the jubilee celebration, and pray to God that He may reward you abundantly for your beneficence that has reached us through your benign government and through your peace-loving administrators. We consider your being a great blessing from God for this land, and we regret that we cannot find words to adequately express our gratitude. May every prayer that a truly grateful one can offer for you, be accepted from us for you. May God grant you comfort with the fulfilment of your objectives. May He greatly bless your days, health and well-being. May He continue to augment your honour and glory. May He show your progeny the days of honour like yours and continue to bless them with victory and triumph. We greatly thank the Merciful and Munificent God who showed us this delightful day, and who provided us security under such a beneficent, generous, just, and intelligent queen. Under her blessed rule, she has provided us the opportunity to attain all the good of the world and of faith, so that we may carry out acts of true beneficence towards ourselves, our nation and our fellow beings, and may tread upon the path of progress freely—the path that not only saves us from the undesirable acts of the world but also enables us to attain the everlasting good of the hereafter.

When we consider all the goodness, and the means to achieve goodness, that we have gained during the reign of this Empress of India—as well as all these doors of welfare and beneficence that have opened to us during the auspicious period of her sovereignty—it provides us with strong evidence that the Empress of India harbours exceedingly good intentions for the progress of the public. It is an accepted matter that the intention of the ruler has a great effect on the internal condition, morals and behaviour of the public. Or, it can be said that when a sovereign governs over a part of land with good intentions and justice, it is the practice of God Almighty that the citizens of that land become attentive to good values and virtuous morals; and a trait of sincerity towards God and His creatures develops among them. Every eye can observe clearly that a great revolution is taking place towards good values and noble morals in British India. People with wild passions are transforming towards angelic dispositions, and the new generation has more affinity to sincerity than to hypocrisy. People’s capabilities are becoming more amenable to accept the truth. A great change has occurred in the intelligence, understanding and perception of people. Most people are adopting a simpler and selfless mode of life. It appears to me that this period of rule is a harbinger of a light which is to descend from heaven to enlighten hearts. Thousands of hearts are excited in anticipation of righteousness as though they are stepping forward to welcome the heavenly guest who is the light of truth. The tinges of a positive revolution are visible in all aspects of human abilities, and the condition of hearts is becoming like a fertile land ready to bring out its greenery. Your Majesty would be justified to be proud that God wants to initiate a spiritual advancement from this land of British India. Signs of such spiritual changes are visible in this land as though God wants to pull a multitude out of lowly life. Most people are naturally inclining towards attaining a righteous life. Many souls are in search of wholesome teachings and pristine morals, and God’s mercy is offering hope that they will attain their wishes.

Most people are as yet too weak to affirm the truth freely. Rather, they cannot understand truth, and the colour of prejudice is present to some extent in their writings and speeches. But it can be observed that the ability to discern truth has improved among the just people as they are now able to see the truth shine through multiple curtains.

It needs to be appreciated that a majority of people have set out in search of a heavenly light. In their eagerness to do so, some have even fallen in error and are assigning the status of the true worthy-of-worship to those unworthy of that status. Yet, there is no doubt that a movement has taken shape. The quality of discovering the reality, truth and the root of matters—and not stopping at superficial thoughts—is developing as the desirable trait. This attitude augments our hopes for the future. There is no doubt that this also results from the attitude of the ruler of the time. There is little doubt that with its entry into India, this government has ushered in an era of spiritual fervour and search for truth. No doubt it appears to be the result of the beneficence residing in the heart of our Queen, Her Majesty, concerning the public of British India.

Notwithstanding the great appreciation that I have for the benefits which have affected the physical aspects of Indian Muslims due to the attention of Her Majesty, a great portion of the beneficence of the Empress of India is that during her reign many uncivilized conditions of India are being reformed, and every person has gained a large opportunity for spiritual advancement. We see clearly that an age of true and pure reformation is drawing near and hearts continue to become attentive towards the recognition of truth. Every seeker of truth has found courage to march forward in religious matters as a result of an exchange of ideas. The True and the Only God, who was hidden from the eyes of many, seems to have determined to show His manifestations. The thought also crosses my mind that the carelessness and affluence of this land was a big hurdle in its spiritual progress and every one possessing wealth and affluence had inclined towards living well in comfort beyond moderation. If India had persisted in this condition, the present-day inhabitants of this country might have been worse than savages. Fortunately, due to the good strategy of the British government, resources of affluence and indolence have been brought under control, so that people may turn towards acquiring skills and knowledge, thereby opening the door of spiritual advancement, and reducing their inclinations towards the base passions. All these changes have taken place during the auspicious rule of Her Majesty, the Queen of India. I know quite well that misfortune and dependence are also a prescription for the promotion of human traits, provided that they remain within limits and last for a short time. Our land was in dire need of this prescription. I have personal experience in this matter. We have benefitted from this prescription much and we have acquired many spiritual jewels through it. I am from a family of the Punjab that had enjoyed the status of state-rulers during the time of the Mughal kings. Our ancestors possessed many farming villages along with the rights of sovereignty. Shortly before the rise of the Sikhs, when the ability of the Mughal kings to govern had weakened, and fiefdoms of independent states had emerged, my great grandfather, Mirza Gul Muhammad, was also a local ruler and was a sovereign in every aspect. After the Sikhs gained dominance, only eighty villages were left in his possession. Soon the zero of the number eighty also disappeared and perhaps only seven or eight villages were left. During the British rule, he was gradually left empty handed. Thus during the early time of this government, he was known to possess only five villages. My father, Mirza Ghulam Murtaza, had a chair in the court of the governor. He was such a well-wisher of the English government and brave of heart that during the 1857 uprising he supported this government beyond his means by providing fifty horses from his own resources and fifty warriors. In short, the days of our authority continued to decline and we were rendered to the condition of a minor landlord. Seemingly, this is a matter of distress as to what we used to be and what we ended up as, but when I think about it, I feel thankful to God that He saved us from many of the trials which are a sure consequence of affluence which we are seeing in this country with our own eyes. I do not want to cite specific examples of the rich and affluent which support my view. It is not befitting to present in support of my view the examples of the indolent, slothful, idle, negligent of world and faith, immersed in rich and affluent luxury, because I do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I just want to point out here that if the authority of our ancestors had not been disturbed, we might have been immersed in the same kind of gross negligence, darkness, and base inclinations. God Almighty made the British Empire a great blessing for us, in that we were freed from hundreds of chains of this world and its mortal binds. God saved us from all the trials and tests which appear in the state of sovereignty, rule, authority and affluence; thereby destroying spiritual values. This is a grace of God that He did not want to destroy us with misfortunes and calamities that are related to a fall from authority. Rather, ridding us of insignificant sovereignty and authority in land, He bestowed on us the kingdom of heaven which is beyond the reach of the enemy. There are neither any dangers of perpetual wars and bloodshed, nor chances of machinations of enviers and misers. As He raised me in the likeness of Jesus Christ, and put the essence of Jesus in me due to the sameness in nature, it was necessary that there be a sameness with respect to a lost authority. With the loss of state, this parallel also came to be fulfilled through the will of God. Jesus was of the progeny of David, and none of the villages from the possessions of David, the king and prophet of God, were left in the possession of Jesus except for the title of prince.

I cannot exaggerate and say that I do not have a place to lay my head; but I am grateful that after all the troubles and rigours, which need not be mentioned in detail here, God Almighty took me in His lap mercifully as He had taken that blessed person whose name was Ibrahim [Prophet Abraham]. He pulled my heart towards Him, and disclosed those matters to me which cannot be disclosed to anyone unless he enters this blessed group whom the world does not recognize because they are far removed from the world and the world is far removed from them. He disclosed to me that He is the Peerless, Unchanging, All-Powerful and Boundless God, none is like Him, and He blessed me with His communication. He directly taught me His way and informed me of all the mistakes that have entered into the beliefs of the people due to the passage of time.

He has also informed me that Jesus, the Messiah, is truly one of the very beloved and pious servants of God and is one of those who are the chosen people of God whom God purifies with His own Hand and keeps them under the shadow of His light. He is not God as has been conjectured, but has close relations with God and is among the perfect ones of which there are only a few.

Of the wonders which God has bestowed upon me, one is that I have met Jesus the Messiah several times in a state of perfect wakefulness which is called a vision. I have talked to him and have ascertained from him the nature of his real claim and teachings. A major point, which is worthy of attention, is that Jesus the Messiah is so disgusted with the doctrines of Atonement, Trinity, and Sonship, as if these are the great impostures that have been fashioned against him. This evidence of vision is not without support. I believe firmly that if a sincere seeker after truth would come and stay with me for a period and would wish to meet Hazrat Masih [the Messiah] in a vision, he would be able to do so through the blessings of my supplications and attention. He can also talk to him and receive his affirmation of what I have stated, for I am the person in whom the soul of Jesus, the Messiah, resides by way of reflection. This is a gift which is worthy of presentation to the august presence of Her Majesty, the Empress of England and India.

People of the world will not understand this matter because they lack faith in heavenly mysteries but the ones who have experienced [those mysteries] will certainly find this truth.

There are additional heavenly signs supporting my truth that are appearing through me, and the people of this country are witnessing them. My utmost desire is to transfer the certainty with which I have been blessed to the hearts of others. My desire is agitating me as how to inform Her Majesty, the Empress of India, concerning these signs. I am standing as the true ambassador from Hazrat Jesus, the Messiah. I know that what is being taught these days about Christianity is not the true teaching of Hazrat Jesus, the Messiah. I am certain that if Jesus had come in the world again, he could not even recognize these teachings.

Another great tragedy worth mentioning is that the Jews had, by their mischief and faithlessness, tried to apply the most negative application of the word ‘curse’ with regard to the eternally beloved, eternal sweetheart, eternally accepted of God, whose name is Jesus. But the Christians have also joined, to some extent, in this calumny. It has been supposed that the heart of Jesus, the Messiah, earned the application of ‘curse’ for three days. My body trembles with this thought and every particle of my being becomes restless. How can the word ‘curse of God’ be imagined to apply to the pure heart of the Messiah even for a second!!! Woe! A thousand woes, that such a belief be harboured for a beloved of God like Jesus, the Messiah, that his heart deserved the implication of the meaning of curse at any time.

I present this humble submission, not from a religious basis, but to protect the honour of a perfect human. From Jesus as his ambassador, I submit to the Empress of India that which I heard in a state of vision from his tongue. I, therefore, hope that Your Majesty will correct this wrong notion. This grave error was committed at a time when people did not ponder over the meaning of curse. But now it is the call of decency that this mistake be corrected very soon and the honour of this elite beloved of God and His chosen one be restored. In Arabic as well as in Hebrew, the word ‘curse’ indicates moving away from God and leaving Him. Someone is called accursed when he abandons God and becomes faithless—when he becomes the enemy of God and God becomes his enemy. That is why according to lexicon, accursed is the name of Satan, that is, the one who abandons God and is disobedient to Him. How is it possible that we propose for such a beloved of God that, God forbid, at any time, even for a second, his heart in reality abandoned God and became disobedient and rebellious to Him? How out of place is it that, to create a fictional basis for our own salvation, we put a mark of disobedience on such a beloved of God and believe that at a certain time he rebelled against and digressed from God. It is better that one should accept hell for himself than to become an enemy of the pristine honour and selfless life of such a chosen one.

Muslims claim to love Jesus, the Messiah, as much as Christians do, and his person is a common property of Christians and Muslims but I have the greatest right [to claim that love] because my nature is immersed in Jesus and his in me. Heavenly signs are appearing in support of this claim. Everyone has been invited to satisfy himself through signs about this claim if he desires to. I have gathered courage to write this much because of the true love and true respect I have for Jesus, the Messiah, in my heart—along with the statements which I heard from the tongue of Jesus, the Messiah, and the message he gave me. All these matters have moved me to become an ambassador from Jesus to the court of Your Majesty. I submit humbly that—as Your Majesty has been made protector of the lives, property and honour of millions of people, and has even issued laws for the comfort of animals and birds—how wonderful it would be that Your Majesty’s attention should also turn to the hidden disrespect which is meted out to Jesus, the Messiah. How great would it be if Your Majesty, would research the word ‘curse’ through the lexicons of the world in general, and Arabic and Hebrew in particular, and take the experts’ testimony of all the lexicons to ascertain that someone is called accursed only on the condition that his heart has moved away from the recognition, love and nearness of God; and rather, the enmity of God, instead of His love, has been created in his heart. That is the reason that in the Arabic lexicon accursed is the name of Satan. How can this ignoble name, that has become a part of Satan, be attributed to a pure heart? The Messiah has cleared himself from this in my vision. Common sense also dictates that the status of the Messiah is above and beyond such an allegation. The implication of curse always relates to the heart, and this is a clear matter that we cannot name a near one and a beloved of God to be cursed or accursed in any sense of the word. This is the message of Jesus, the Messiah, which I am delivering. It is enough proof of my truth that the signs shown at my hands are beyond human power. If Your Majesty, the Empress of India, Queen of Britain, should be interested, my God has the power to manifest a sign for Your Majesty which would be indicative of joy and good fortune; provided that after witnessing the sign Your Majesty would accept my message, and that 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 Grandeur of God.2

Your Majesty! Please reflect with your bright cognizance, if there can be any greater disrespect in the world than to name someone renegade from God and the enemy of God, which is the implication of a curse. Therefore, how grave an insult it is that the one [Jesus] whom the angels proclaim as ‘loved one of God’, and who emanated from the light of God, be termed as the one distanced from God and regarded as the enemy of God!! Woe that this disrespect of Jesus is embraced by 400 million people during this age! O Honoured Queen! Do this favour to Jesus, the Messiah, and God will bless you even more. I pray that may God the Almighty inspire our beneficent Queen’s heart to carry out this task. Under the influence of the Jews, during the time of Jesus, Pilate unjustly let a criminal inmate go, but not Jesus even though he was innocent. But, O Honoured Queen of India, we humbly submit before you that, on the occasion of the joy of the 60th jubilee, make an effort to exonerate Jesus. I dare to submit to you—with the purest of intentions filled with the fear of God and truth—to clear Jesus the Messiah, with courageous resolve, of this stigma placed upon his honour. No doubt, making a submission before emperors without prior permission is putting one’s life on the line but at this time I accept every danger for the sake of the honour of Jesus, the Messiah, and having been called to serve as his ambassador, I stand before our just ruler. O Honoured Queen! May innumerable blessings be on you. May God relieve you of all the worries which are in your heart. Accept this representation however possible. This has been the way to resolve all religious issues from time immemorial, that when two parties differ, they first try to decide on the basis of the record available in the scriptures. When a decision cannot be reached on the basis of written evidence, they turn to reason and try to decide with rational arguments. Then, when an issue cannot be resolved with reason, they seek a heavenly decision and take the heavenly signs as the arbitrator. O Honoured Queen, all three of these sources point to the innocence of Jesus, the Messiah. From written traditions it is so, as all scriptures indicate that the heart of Jesus was humble, merciful, God-loving and was with God all the time. Why, then, is it proposed that at any time his heart, God forbid, had deviated from God, and became His denier and enemy, as the meaning of accursed implies. From a common sense point of view also, it does not follow that one who is a prophet and a chosen one of God—and filled with His love and whose nature is saturated with light—would, God forbid, be filled with the darkness of disbelief and disobedience; that is, darkness, which in other words is called curse. Furthermore, God is now giving us the news through heavenly signs that what the Quran has related about the Messiah—that he was safeguarded from the curse and his heart was not accursed even for a second—is the truth. Those signs have appeared through this humble one and are pouring like rain. Therefore, O our protector Queen, may God bless you with immeasurable bounties, decide this issue through your legendary just character.

I also dare to make another submission. It is evident from the historical records that when the third of the Roman Caesars ascended the throne, and had firmly established his authority, he thought of organizing a debate among the two well-known sects among the Christians, one who believed in the Oneness of God and the other that considered Jesus as god. The debate took place in the presence of the Caesar of Rome in good decorum and arrangement. Hundreds of chairs were laid to seat honoured observers and members of the government according to their status to listen to the debate. The debate of the priests from both sides lasted for forty days in the court of the king. The Roman Caesar listened to the arguments from both sides and pondered over them. In the end, the sect considering Jesus, the Messiah, to be only a messenger of God and a prophet prevailed. The other sect faced such defeat that the Caesar disclosed in the gathering that he was drawn towards the sect believing in the Oneness of God due to their argument and not of his own consideration. Before leaving the gathering, he adopted the belief of Oneness of God and became one of those mentioned also in the Holy Quran, and stopped using the phrase ‘son’ with reference to God.

Thereafter, the next three Caesars who ascended the throne also believed in the Oneness of God. This shows that such conferences were a tradition of the Christian kings of the past and led to great changes. Pondering over such events, it is the earnest desire of my heart that our Empress of India may also hold such a conference presided from the throne. It would be a memorable spiritual event. This conference should be of a broader scope than that held by the Caesar of Rome as our Honoured Empress has a higher status than the Roman Emperor. An additional reason for this request is that since the people of this country have come to know of the Conference of Religions in America, naturally hearts are excited that Your Majesty should also arrange such a conference in London so that, due to this event, groups of loyal subjects in this country and their leaders and scholars may meet Your Majesty at the capital; and so that Your Majesty’s eyes may also fall on the thousands of loyal subjects of British India, and respected citizens of India be seen in the streets and boulevards of London for a few weeks. It will be necessary that every participant present his faith’s excellences and not malign others. If such a conference takes place, it will be a legendary spiritual event from our Honoured Queen; and England, which has been fed with Islamic matters incorrectly, will be introduced to the true face of Islam. In this way, the people of England will be apprised of the true philosophy of every religion. It is not a satisfactory state of affairs that the information about the religions of India reaches England through priests, because the books of the priests which mention other religions are like a polluted drain of water containing much refuse and waste. The priests do not want to elicit the truth, rather they want to hide it. There is such an adulteration of prejudice in their writings that it is difficult, indeed impossible, that the real truth about religions should reach England. If they had good intentions, they would not have raised such objections on the Quran as can also be raised against the Torah of Moses. If they had fear of God, they would not have relied upon such books, which, in the view of Muslims, are unauthentic and devoid of definitive truths. Therefore, justice dictates that even if the whole of Europe were to be considered angelic, the priests would be an exception. The reason that the Christians of Europe look at Islam with hatred and dislike is that these same priests have been giving the lessons of hate by presenting unauthentic incidents. I do accept that the behaviour of some ignorant Muslims is not worthy and they have habits borne of ignorance, as some ferocious Muslims apply the term jihad to cruel bloodshed and they do not know that public’s rising against a just ruler is mutiny and not jihad. Severance of covenant, committing evil instead of good, and murder of the innocent, whoever commits such acts should be called an offender and not a hero.

These thoughts have been produced through the perverted interpretations of the priests. There is no sign of them in the Book of God. The Word of God declares the punishment of sword for the ones who raise the sword and does not teach mutiny against the ones who establish peace, benefit the public, and give every people the rights of freedom. It is dishonesty to malign the Word of God. Therefore, it is highly desirable that for the good of humanity a conference of religions be held by the Empress of India to disseminate the reality of religions.

This also is worthy of submission that according to the teachings of Islam, there are only two aspects of Islamic faith. Or, we can say that this teaching consists of two main purposes. First, to recognize the One God as He in reality exists. To love Him and to put oneself in His true obedience as is the requirement of obedience and love. The second purpose is to engage all capabilities in the service and well-wishing of his people and to treat gratefully and beneficially everyone—from a king down to an ordinary person—who has done us any favour. That is why a true Muslim, who in reality is aware of his faith, always has a demeanour of sincerity and obedience towards the government under whose shadow of security he lives peacefully. The difference in religion does not hinder him from its true obedience and compliance. But the priests have completely misunderstood this matter and have surmised that Islam teaches its followers to have ill-will, enmity and a blood-thirsty attitude towards other nations. We can accept that the practical condition of some Muslims is not good and as some people of other religions commit unworthy acts by involving themselves in wrong thoughts, such people are also found among Muslims. But as I pointed out, this is not a fault of the teaching of God. Rather, it is because of the faulty attitude of those who do not ponder over the Word of God and are under the influence of their passions. In particular, the matter of jihad, which was conditional upon specific circumstances, has been misunderstood by the unwise and the ignorant so much so that they have moved far away from the Islamic teachings. Islam does not teach us at all that, being the subjects of a ruler of a foreign nation and foreign religion, and living under him in peace from every enemy, we entertain thoughts of malice and mutiny in our hearts. Rather it teaches us that if we do not thank the king under whom we live in peace then we have not even thanked God. The teaching of Islam is full of wisdom. It teaches us that a real good deed is that which fits the circumstances. God does not like mercy which does not accompany justice, and does not like justice if it does not result in assuring mercy. There is no doubt that the Quran has considered the fine points ignored by the Gospels. The teaching of the Gospel is that being slapped on one cheek, the other be presented3 but the Quran says:4

In other words, the principle of justice is that the one who is injured has a right only to impart an equivalent injury. But if one forgives, provided that his forgiving is not out of place and brings about reformation, such a person will be rewarded by God. Similarly, the Gospel says, do not look at someone with desire5 but the Quran says, do not look at the forbidden neither with desire nor without6 because there is no better way to attain the purity of the heart.

The Quran is filled with similar deep wisdom and surpasses the Gospels in teaching true piety. In particular, the lamp that enables the vision of the true and unchanging God is borne only by the Quran. If it had not come in the world then only God knows how much the number of people who worship other created beings would have sky-rocketed. Therefore, it is a matter of gratefulness that the Oneness of God which had disappeared from the earth has been established again.

Then there is a second matter for gratefulness. God always provides firm arguments for His existence. Just as He manifested Himself to all the Prophets, and from times immemorial, illumined the world whenever He found it in the darkness, He has not deprived the present age from His Grace. Finding that the world had moved away from heavenly light, He determined to brighten the face of the earth with a new light of understanding, and to manifest fresh signs to illumine it.

So He sent me.

And, I am grateful to Him that He granted me a shelter under such a government that I am carrying out my work of advice and guidance freely under the shadow of its kindness. Though it is incumbent on everyone of the public to be grateful to this government, I think it behooves me more than everyone else to be grateful because my sublime objectives are being accomplished under the rule of the Empress of India. Certainly, these objectives could not be accomplished under another government even if it were an Islamic government.

I do not wish to take any more of the Your Majesty’s time, and so I close this submission with the following prayer.

O Powerful and Merciful Lord, keep our Honoured Queen pleased as we are pleased under the shade of her kindness. Be good to her as we are spending our lives under her beneficences, and inspire her to graciously attend to these submissions as only You have that power. Amin, Amin again.

Submitted by the humble one,

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Qadian, District Gurdaspur
The Punjab