Al-Haq Mubahathah Dehli

The Delhi Debate

Background

The Promised Messiah(as) after his debate at Ludhiana, decided to visit Delhi—supposed to be the centre of Islamic learning. He issued a leaflet in Delhi on October 2, 1891, and invited Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain—the master and mentor of Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi—to discuss in writing the subject whether Jesus was alive or dead. He issued another leaflet on October 7, 1891, repeating the same invitation and stating that he was prepared to hold the debate even at the residence of Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain. At this pressing challenge, the Mullahs of Delhi resorted to a trick. Without consulting or informing the Promised Messiah(as), they announced a date for the debate and as the Promised Messiah(as) was not informed about the date, hundreds of angry people rushed to the place, where the Promised Messiah(as) was staying, on the specified date and the Promised Messiah(as) was surprised to see the mob, which was trying to break into the house where the Promised Messiah(as) and his family were staying.

On October 17, 1891, the Promised Messiah(as) issued another leaflet exposing the trick of the Mullahs and challenging Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain to a decisive debate offering such terms which provided him no escape route. Ultimately, he was compelled to take notice of it.1

The debate which was held with Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain on October 20, 1891, in the Jami‘ Masjid, Delhi, where more than five thousand people gathered. There was a European Superintendent of Police with a Police contingent. The Promised Messiah(as) went to the mosque with 12 of his disciples. The crowd was so hostile and many had stones in their pockets and some were armed with sticks and knives. When the Promised Messiah(as) invited Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain to begin the debate, Nadhir Hussain, instead of speaking on the subject, declared that the Promised Messiah(as) did not believe in miracles, the Mi‘raj and angels and, therefore, he was an infidel and no discussion was possible unless he answered the charges first. The Promised Messiah(as) then gave in writing the following: “In the name of God, the Beneficent and the Merciful. Be it known, that the only matter which is under dispute is the belief that Jesus is still alive in the flesh and sitting in the heaven. I do not believe in it. There is nothing in the Quran or in the authentic hadith to support this belief. On the contrary, the Quran and the hadith clearly indicate that Jesus died like other human beings, I hereby undertake to withdraw any claim to Messiahship if Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain can prove otherwise from the authentic scriptures. I shall not only renounce my claim but will also burn and destroy all books on the subject. The other accusation regarding my disbelief in Lailatul-Qadr, miracles, the Mi‘raj and Khatm-e-Nubuwwat are all entirely false and unfounded. My beliefs are exactly the same as those held by the orthodox Sunni community. The objections raised against my books Taudih-e-Maram and Izalah-e-Auham are all wrong and mistaken. Now, I affirm the following in front of all those present here in this house of God: I believe that Muhammad(sa), was the Khataman-Nabiyyin. To believe otherwise is to go outside the pale of Islam. I also believe in angels, miracles and Lailatul-Qadr. I also declare that I shall shortly write a book to remove all such misunderstandings.

The above writing which was read out, did not satisfy Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain who was bent upon causing mischief. Therefore, the European Superintendent of Police dispersed the meeting and made arrangements for the safe exit of the Promised Messiah(as) from the mosque.

“Seeing that learned mullahs like Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and Maulavi Muhammad Nadhir Hussain were afraid of the Promised Messiah(as) and actuated by a certain amount of jealousy and rivalry, a mullah of Bhopal, Maulavi Muhammad Bashir, boldly accepted Hazrat Ahmad’s invitation to the people of Delhi to have a discussion with him on the subject of the death of Jesus.”2

The Promised Messiah(as) wrote to Maulavi Muhammad Bashir on October 15, 1891, intimating his acceptance of the proposal to hold a written debate with him on the question of the death of Jesus. He then wrote three letters to Maulavi Muhammad Bashir dated October 21, 22 and 23, 1891, and the following points were further laid down: (1) the debate should begin after the Friday prayer at Hazrat Ahmad’s house, (2) Maulavi Muhammad Bashir would write the first paper, (3) Maulavi Muhammad Bashir would bring only one man with him, (4) Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and Maulavi ‘Abdul Majid would not be allowed to take part in it; and (5) not more than five papers would be exchanged. It should be noted that it was not agreed that the papers would be written in the meeting.

The debate started on October 23, 1891, on Friday. Maulavi Muhammad Bashir quoted in his paper five verses of the Quran to show that Jesus was still alive in the flesh. Later, however, he himself admitted that there was really only one verse on which he based his contention. The Promised Messiah(as) was not fond of displaying his learning, so he refuted the argument and demolished even the last plank by offering an interpretation of the verse in question and in as brief a space as possible, after which Maulavi Muhammad Bashir repeated the same argument over and over again.

Anyhow, the Promised Messiah(as) terminated the debate (probably on October 28, 1891) after an exchange of three papers instead of five as originally arranged.

The debates with both the Maulavis revealed that neither of them could quote any authentic hadith or verse from the Holy Quran to support their misguided contention that Jesus was alive in Heaven.3

Specimen of Writing

The soul is not something in space. The nature of its relationships cannot be determined. After death the soul has a relationship with the grave which is revealed to those who possess the faculty of seeing vision. They can see the dwellers of the graves sitting in their graves and can hold converse with them. This is established by true Ahadith. A well known hadith mentions Salat in a grave, it is also mentioned in the Ahadith that the dead can hear the sound of footsteps and respond to the greeting of peace. They also have a relationship with heaven. There are different degrees of their heavenly exaltation. Some arrives at the first heaven, others reach the second or the third heaven, but all righteous souls are exalted as is mentioned in true Ahadith and is also indicated by the verse: For those who reject Our signs and turn away from them in disdain, the gates of heaven will not be opened (7:41); but the nature of their relationship to heaven or to the graves cannot be determined.4

Important Note

New pages (pp. 483-507) have been added in the computerized edition of the Ruhani Khaza’in.

This book carries a series of letters Muraslat No. 1, on page 221 onward that passed between Maulavi Muhammad Bashir and Maulavi Syed Muhammad Ahsan.

Then on pages 483-507, under the heading of Muraslat No. 2, the letters passed between Munshi Bubah Shah, Munshi Muhammad Ishaq and the same devoted follower Maulavi Syed Muhammad Ahsan. They exchanged two letters.

Maulavi Syed Muhammad Ahsan in his letter dated September 12, 1891, responding to the letter dated August 30 of Munshi Bubah Shah, discussed at length the points raised by him, specially the one in which Munshi Bubah Shah accused the Promised Messiah(as) of arrogating to himself the status of Ibnullah and ranking himself with Jesus Christ the son of God.

Maulavi Syed Muhammad Ahsan advised him to read Taudih-e-Maram, the book of the Promised Messiah(as) written on this subject carefully. He also refuted the allegation of the Munshi Sahib that the Promised Messiah(as) tried to equate himself with the Holy Prophet(sa).

In a 15 page reply, Maulavi Syed Muhammad Ahsan said:

How long should I write a commentary about the differences that exist (in matter of faith). If any writing of Hazrat Mujaddid is in apparent contradiction with principles of Fiqah or hadith, and despite this contradiction, how it can be established that he was in error. He bases all his contention and assertions in the light of the Book of Allah, which is superior to all these sources.

If anyone one has intellectual power to content with him, then he should foil his assertion in the light of Holy Quran, if not possible then through the hadith, and if that is not possible then prove it wrong through logic. Scholars of Islam have all been invited (by him) and see how many of them come in the field (to accept the challenge).5