Kashful-Ghita’

The Truth Unveiled

Background

Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, after having been foiled in his attempt to mudsling and make fun of the Promised Messiah(as)’s literary merit in Arabic, adopted a new strategy. Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi was desperate in his bid to bring harm to the Promised Messiah(as). All his direct assaults on the Promised Messiah(as) having been exposed by the Promised Messiah(as) through Divine help and by the use of God given power of logic and the knowledge of Arabic, the Maulavi now planned to bring the Promised Messiah(as) into direct collision with the British Government. He started a whispering campaign saying that the beliefs of Ahmadis were not in favour of the British Government. Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi also spread a number of baseless rumours that the Ahmadis were not loyal to the Government. As if this was not enough, the Maulavi applied on December 5, 1898 for an arms licence for a pistol on the plea that his life was in danger on account of the prophecy made by the Promised Messiah(as). The case was fixed for hearing against the Promised Messiah(as) on January 9, 1899.

The Book

The Promised Messiah(as) came to know about the case instituted against him between December 10 and 15, 1898 and this book was published on December 27, 1898, in which he assured the Government and acquainted them with the peaceful principles of his Jama‘at. In this book, he also drew the attention of the authorities to the abuse and vituperation to which he was being subjected by Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and his friends. In the defence statement filed with the District Magistrate of Gurdaspur on January 27, 1899, among other things, he said:

To recapitulate, five charges have been brought against me in this case: (1) that I habitually make prophecies of death or injury to others, (2) that I have disregarded the terms of the notice signed by me in Dr. Clark’s case by publishing a prophecy on November 21, 1898, (3) that I pre-arrange the fulfilment of my prophecies or make secret attempts to fulfil them afterwards, (4) that my writings are harsh and provocative, and (5) that my prophecy of November 21, 1898, is likely to cause a breach of peace.

My reply to them is (1) that no such prophecy was ever been published without the consent of the person about whom it was made and that it is only after much persistence on his part that such a course had been adopted, (2) that the notice in question contains no prohibition against making a prophecy, (3) that this was only a suspicion, not having the slightest evidence in support of it, and that the good conduct of my followers, the high moral tone of my teachings and the absence of any such assertion on the part of those about whom the prophecies were made, are strong proofs to reject such a supposition completely, (4) that my writings are not provocative in the least, and this becomes clear on comparison of the writing of the two parties, and (5) that the prophecy had been made and fulfilled without causing any breach of peace.1

On February 13, 1899, the Promised Messiah(as) filed a defence statement outlining the real facts tracing the history of animosity of Maulavi Sahib against the Promised Messiah(as) and his mission. On basis of this statement, the District Magistrate of Gurdaspur, on February 24, 1899, dropped proceedings against the Promised Messiah(as) and Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi was directed to file a six clause declaration. In section four, Maulavi Sahib pledged that he would abstain from employing in any controversy with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and would not use an abusive epithet or injurious expressions and from publishing any writing or picture which might cause pain to him (the Promised Messiah(as)). The District Magistrate assured the Promised Messiah(as) that he was free to set the law in motion against Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and others for libel and defamation if he liked so. But the Promised Messiah(as) did not do so.