Fathe Islam

Victory of Islam

Background

The Christian designs to spread Christianity all over India were not a secret. The Lieutenant Governor, Charles Aitchison, while laying the foundation stone of a Church in Batala on November 21, 1883, said: “Christianity is spreading in India four or five times of the rate of growth in population and there were more than a million Christians at this time.” Robert Clark in his book, The Missions, on page 245 says: “The missionary movement in India wanted to convert the Punjab as a base for spreading Christianity in Central Asia.”

Another Governor of the Punjab, Sir Robert Montgomery, sanctioned funds for the construction of fifteen churches at government expense.

The Cambridge Short History of India published by the Cambridge University, on pages 715 and 716, says: “That God has given the dominion of India to Britain so that the whole of India could be converted into a Christian land.”

In short, there was an all-out effort to convert the Indians, specially the Muslims to Christianity. It was against this background that the Promised Messiah(as) took up the task of frustrating the designs of Christian missionaries by demolishing the false beliefs of Christianity specially the belief that Jesus was the son of God and was sitting alive in heaven.

The Book

In this book, the Promised Messiah(as) established, beyond any shadow of doubt, that Jesus was not crucified and that he died a natural death. And he declared that the advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi had taken place in his person. The Promised Messiah(as) declared further that he had been commissioned by God in the name of Jesus so that he could demolish the false beliefs of Christianity. Therefore, he had come to break the Cross and kill the swine.

He also discussed the five ways in which he was striving to achieve this purpose: (1) publication of books, (2) the issuance of leaflets, (3) giving interviews, (4) correspondence, and (5) accepting bai‘at.

He needed funds to carry on his work, therefore, he appealed to Muslims for help. He had devoted friends like Hazrat Maulavi Hakim Nur-ud-Din, each of whom was prepared, he said, to bear the entire cost of publication of the books, but this he could not allow this. He wanted the whole community to cooperate and share with him the expenses so that they might all be blessed.

At the end of this book, he announced that he would welcome all kinds of questions, and objections against Islam, the Holy Quran, the Holy Prophet(sa) and his own self, and that, if they wrote to him, he would answer them.

Specimen of Writing

In addition to the natural resemblance which this humble one possesses to other great ones which is set out in detail in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, I have a special resemblance to Jesus, on account of which I have been sent with his name so that I should demolish the doctrine of the Cross. I have been sent to break the Cross and to slaughter the swine. I have descended from heaven with angels on my right and left whom God, Who is ever with me, will cause to enter, and indeed is already causing to enter, into every eager heart for the achievement of my purpose. Even if I were to remain silent and my pen were to refrain from writing, the angels that have descended with me would not stop their function. They have been furnished with powerful maces with which to break the Cross and to demolish the temple of the worship of creatures.1

Review

Maulavi Ashraf ‘Ali Thanvi, a well-known commentator of the Holy Quran, in the preface to the commentary, says:

Then Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani appeared on the scene and told the Christian missionaries that the Jesus whom you say was crucified, died a natural death, and the second coming of the Jesus, which you await, has taken place in his person (Mirza Ghulam Ahmad). Maulavi Ashraf ‘Ali Thanvi says that the arguments of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad cornered the Christian missionaries so much that it was difficult for them to get themselves out of the squeeze put on them by “Mirza”.2