Kitabul-Bariyyah

The Acquittal

Background

The Christian missionary of Amritsar, Dr. Henry Martyn Clark, brought a charge of conspiracy to murder under Section 107 of IPC against the Promised Messiah(as) on August 1, 1897, in the court of Mr. A. B. Martineau, District Magistrate of Amritsar. Dr. Clark stated that the Promised Messiah(as) had sent a young man, ‘Abdul Hamid, to murder him. ‘Abdul Hamid’s statement was also recorded. The Magistrate immediately issued a warrant of the arrest of the Promised Messiah(as) under Section 114.

The news of the issue of the warrant of arrest spread like a fire and the scribes and the elders looked forward eagerly to seeing the Promised Messiah(as) alight handcuffed from the train at Amritsar railway station. They gathered every day at the station waiting for him. Fain would they if they had the chance, to spite in his face and buffet him and smite him with the palms of their hands, saying: “Prophecy unto us, thou O Promised Messiah, who is he that smote thee?”

But it was not to be that God would let him to be humiliated at the hands of his enemies. The warrant of arrest never reached its destination and was never served on the Promised Messiah(as). On the other hand, the District Magistrate Amritsar later realised his own mistake that he had no jurisdiction outside Amritsar. Therefore, the case was transferred to District Magistrate of Gurdaspur on August 8, 1897.1

The Book

The book contains full details of the proceedings of a criminal case of conpiracy to murder which was originally brought against the Promised Messiah(as) by Dr. Clark, and later, the Christians joined hands with Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi—the inveterate enemy of the Promised Messiah(as). Other enemies of the Promised Messiah(as) also joined hands with the Christians in this case with the specific object that the Promised Messiah(as) should face disgrace and punishment at the hands of the court.

Capt. M. W. Douglas was the District Magistrate of Gurdaspur who heard this case against the Promised Messiah(as). The enquiry against the Promised Messiah(as) began on August 10, 1897. In the preliminary report, Capt. Douglas said on the basis of evidence brought before him that he could not possibly charge the Promised Messiah(as) with any offence.

Dr. Clark said in the course of his statement before the District Magistrate of Gurdaspur that he had no intention of instituting any criminal proceedings against the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement until July 31, 1897.

God informed the Promised Messiah(as) not only of the impending case, but also of its result before Dr. Clark conceived the idea of institution of criminal proceedings against him. God used to reveal to him hidden secrets of the future and he not only communicated these revelations to those of his disciples who happened to be present at Qadian but also published them by means of paper, hand-bills and pamphlets so that their fulfilment might create faith in the hearts of men and they might know that God speaks even now as He used to speak to His prophets in days gone.

In his judgement on the case, Capt. Douglas delivered on August 23, 1897, said that there was no case against the Promised Messiah(as) and there was no option but to discharge him. Capt. Douglas told the Promised Messiah(as) that he was at liberty to prosecute the witness who was brought against him in the case but the Promised Messiah(as) declined to take an advantage of the offer of the Magistrate, declaring that his case was pending before God Almighty and that he would not initiate any proceeding against his enemy in the court of law.

How the whole thing unfolded and turned against the Christian Missionary is now a matter of record. ‘Abdul Hamid, the “hired and tutored witness” of Dr. Clark, on whose testimony the whole case was built up, gave up and revealed the whole conspiracy how he was taken to the mission house, and how he was tempted to give evidence against the Promised Messiah(as). On the crucial day when the chips were down and the Christian and Muslims were jubilant that the Promised Messiah(as) would face a capital punishment, ‘Abdul Hamid, broke down and said that his earlier testimony that he had been sent by the Promised Messiah(as) to murder Dr. Clark was all “a cooked up” affair, and that the Christian Missionary had tutored him to testify before the court, but his inner voice had overcome him and he could not give such a false evidence against the Promised Messiah(as).

There is one point of comparison in this trial, and that of the trial of Jesus Christ, that unlike Pilate, who tried Jesus Christ, Capt. Douglas treated the Promised Messiah(as) with due honour and always offered him a chair in the court. His great sense of justice was further illustrated by the fact that in strict accordance with judicial custom he refused to give a chair to a witness, caring little for pressure brought upon him by missionaries. This witness was none other than Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi—the Caiphas of the later days, who seeing the Promised Messiah(as) seated in a chair, was consumed with a boundless feeling of jealousy and asked for a similar honour for himself, but it was refused. And when he pressed his demand with importunity arguing that he and his father were Kursi Nashin (always honoured and offered chair) and that he was recognized as such by the Lieutenant Governor, the patience of Capt. Douglas was exhausted by these impudent and baseless assertions of this high priest and he had no qualms in dealing with him and administered a sharp rebuke, saying, “Bak bak mat kar, piche hat aur sidha kharha ho ja” (Shut up your nonsense, get back and stand properly).

In this book, the Promised Messiah(as) also dealt at length with the false Christian beliefs and refuted them one by one. The Christian missionary also raised the point that the Promised Messiah(as) had been decrying Jesus Christ in his book and using disrespectful language. On this, the Promised Messiah(as) referred to the Christian writings against the Holy Prophet(sa) which were not only disgraceful but abusive and filthy.

In this book, the Promised Messiah(as) also gave details of his family and also about his own early life. He also made a number of suggestions which could be useful in bringing about a cordial atmosphere for holding religious discussions.

[Note: The book carries a number of supplements: Jalsa Ta‘un (Meeting About Plague); Four-page Memorial to Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab ; Six-page letter to Hussain Kamay—an ambassador; 12-page tract about a person divinely ordained; 18-page letter to Lieutenant Governor about people making allegations against him; 8-page letter to scholars of India.]

Specimen of Writing

I continued this discipline over a period of eight or nine months and despite the extreme meagerness of the nourishment that I took, God Almighty safeguarded me against every kind of disorder. During this period of fasting I experienced many spiritual mysteries. I met several previous prophets and some outstanding Muslim saints who had passed away. On one occasion, in a state of complete wakefulness, I beheld the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who was accompanied by this two grandsons, his daughter, Fatima and his cousin and son-in-law, ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with all of them. This was not any kind of dream but a divine experience in complete wakefulness.

Besides this kind of experience, I beheld columns of spiritual light of different colours, white, green and red, that were so beautiful and impressive beyond description. These columns were aimed at my heart and by observing them my heart experienced an ecstacy, a delight of which has no comparison. I imagined that these columns were an illustration of the mutual love between God and man. One light proceeded from the above. When the two met they assumed the shape of a column. These are spiritual experiences which are not within the ken of worldly people, but there are also those in the world who are bestowed knowledge of such matters …

Another benefit that I derived from this exercise was that I discovered that, on need arising, I could endure starvation for a long period. I also feel that if a stout wrestler were to compete with me in enduring starvation, he would die long before I would need any nourishment. I also feel that till a person’s body is inured to such hardship, he is not capable of experiencing the higher spiritual mysteries. But I would not advise everyone to embark upon such an exercise, nor did I undertake it on my own volition. I adopted it under divine direction that was conveyed to me in a clear vision … 2