A person by the name of Swami Sadhu Shugan Chandar had spent three or four years of his life attempting to reform the Ka'isth[1] Hindu caste. In 1892 he came to the conclusion that unless people were gathered together under one roof, his efforts would be in vain. He therefore proposed to convene a religious conference, with the first one taking place in 1892 in Ajmer. In 1896, considering Lahore to be a suitable venue, he began preparations for the second such religious conference. Swami Sahib appointed a committee to oversee the arrangements. Master Durga Parshad was president of the committee, and Lala Dhanpat Roy, BA, LLB, its chief secretary. The dates chosen for the convention were 26-28 December 1896, and the following six people were nominated as its moderators:
Roy Bahadur Babu Partol Chand Sahib, Judge Chief Court, Punjab.
Khan Bahadur Sheikh Khuda Bakhsh Sahib, Judge Small Cause Court, Lahore.
Roy Bahadur Pandit Radha[2] Kishan Sahib Cole, Pleader Chief Court Lahore, former governor of Jammu.
Hadrat Maulawi Hakim Noor-ud-Din Sahib(ra), Royal Physician.
Roy Bhawani Das Sahib, MA, Extra Settlement Officer, Jhelum.
Sardar Jawahar Singh Sahib, Secretary Khalsa Committee, Lahore.[3]
The committee invited the learned representatives of Muslims, Christians and Aryas to set forth the excellences of their respective faiths. The objective of the Conference of Great Religions, to be held at the Lahore Town Hall, was that the excellences and the merits of the true religion be espoused in a gathering of cultured people and that its love be instilled in their hearts and that they become well acquainted with its arguments and proofs. The learned divines of every religion would thus be given the opportunity to convince others of the truth of their respective religions, while the listeners would be able to assess each speech in relation to the others and accept the truth from wherever it was to be found.
Disputes between the followers of different religions had given rise to the desire to seek the true faith. This was the best achieved by bringing together the learned preachers and teachers so that they might, in the context of a few published questions, set forth the beauties of their respective faiths. In such a conference, the true religion from God would definitely become patent.
This was the objective of the conference. Every learned teacher and preacher knew that he was duty-bound to make evident the verities of his faith. The conference was being held so that the truth may become manifest and it was thus a God-given opportunity for them (the learned divines) to fulfil this objective. Such opportunities were not always available to us.
Prevailing upon them further, Swami Sahib wrote:
"If a person sees another suffering from a fatal disease, and he firmly believes that he holds the cure for the disease, and he also claims to have sympathy for the human race, then how is it possible for him to intentionally turn away when called upon to provide a remedy? My heart is filled with the desire to know which religion is the one replete with truth. I have not the words to express my fervour."
Representatives of various religions accepted Swami Sahib's invitation, and the Conference of Great Religions was held during the Christmas holidays of 1896. Each of the speakers was required to address five questions published in advanced by the committee.
The committee also stipulated that, as far as possible, each speaker should confine his answers to the holy book of his religion.
The questions were:
The physical, moral and spiritual states of man.
What is the state of man after death, i.e. the hereafter?
What is the true purpose of man's existence on earth and how can it be achieved?
What are the affects of one's deeds in this life and the afterlife?
What are the sources of divine knowledge?
The conference was held on 26-29 December and was attended by representatives of Sanatan Dharm, Hinduism, Arya Samaj, Free Thinker, Brahmo Samaj, Theosophical Society, Religion of Harmony, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. All representatives addressed the conference, but only one of the lectures provided a true and complete answer to all five questions.
Words cannot describe the atmosphere of the conference when Maulawi Abdul Karim Sialkoti(ra), most eloquently, delivered the lecture. Every person, regardless of religion, could not help but show his appreciation and approbation. There was not one person who was not engrossed and enraptured. The style of delivery was most interesting and appealing. What better proof of the lecture's excellence than the fact that even the opponents were full of praise for it. Despite being a Christian newspaper, the Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, considered this speech to be the only one worthy of mention and it was the only one which it commended highly.
The speech was written by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at. It could not be completed in the two hours allocated for it, so the conference had to be extended for an extra day. The newspaper Punjab Observer filled column after column with applause for it. Paisa Akhbar, Chaudhwiń Sadi, Sadiq-ul-Akhbar, Mukhbir-i-Dakkan and General-o-Gohari Asifi of Calcutta etc. all these newspapers were unanimous in their acclaim. Non-Muslims and non-Indians all declared the essay to be the most superior one of the conference.
The secretary of the conference, Dhanpat Roy, BA, LLB, Pleader Chief Court, Punjab, wrote in his 'Report of the Conference of Great Religions':
"There was an interval of half an hour following the speech of Pandit Gordhan Das Sahib. As the next item on the agenda was a speech presented on behalf of a renowned advocate of Islam, most people did not leave their place. The large Islamia College building began to fill up long before 1.30pm. The gathering numbered between seven and eight thousand people. Educated and knowledgeable people from various religions and nations were present and although plenty of tables, chairs and floor space had been provided, still hundreds of attendees were left with no choice but to stand. The attendees included many dignitaries, Leaders from Punjab, scholars, barristers, lawyers, professors, extra assistants and doctors. In short, different branches of educated society were all present. They stood for four to five hours listening with great patience and with rapt attention and this shows how deeply they cared for this sacred cause. The writer of the paper did not attend in person, but one of his disciples, Maulawi Abdul Karim Sialkoti, was delegated to read it at the conference. The committee had allotted two hours for the essay; however it was not finished in this time. Seeing the avid interest shown by the audience, the moderators willingly agreed to extend the session until the conclusion of the speech. This decision was in exact keeping with the wishes of the participants. Maulawi Abu Yusuf Mubarak Ali agreed to forgo his time so that Mirza Sahib's essay could be concluded. This was widely appreciated by the audience and the moderators. The conference had been due to end at 4.30 pm., but in view of the wishes of the audience it was extended to beyond 5.30 pm. The essay was delivered in four hours and from start to finish it was most interesting and well appreciated."
After receiving prophetic revelation from God, on the 21st of December 1896, a few days before the conference, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement publicly declared that his essay would be the most overpowering one. A translation of his declaration is presented below:
In the conference of Great Religions which will be held in Lahore Town Hall on the 26th, 27th and 28th of December 1896, a paper written by this humble one, dealing with the excellences and miracles of the Holy Quran, will be read out. This paper is not the result of ordinary human effort but is a sign among the signs of God, written with His special support. It sets forth the beauties and truths of the Holy Quran and establishes like the noon-day sun that the Holy Quran is in truth God's own Word and is a book revealed by the Lord of all creation. Everyone who listens to this paper from the beginning to the end, to my treatment of all the five themes prescribed for the conference, will, I am sure, develop a new faith and will perceive a new light shining within himself and will acquire a comprehensive commentary on the Holy Word of God. This paper of mine is free from human weakness, empty boasts and vain assertions.
I have been moved by sympathy for my fellow human beings to make this announcement, so that they should witness the beauty of the Holy Quran and should realise how mistaken are our opponents in that they love darkness and hate light. God, the All-Knowing, has revealed to me that my paper will be declared supreme over all other papers. It is full of the light of truth, wisdom and understanding which will put to shame all other parties, provided they attend the conference and listen to it from beginning to end. They will not be able to match these qualities from their scriptures, whether they are Christians or Aryas or those of Sanatan Dharm or any others, because God Almighty has determined that the glory of His Holy Book shall be manifested on that day. I saw in a vision that out of the unseen a hand was laid on my mansion and by the touch of that hand a shining light emerged from the mansion and spread in all directions. It also illumined my hands. Thereupon someone who was standing by me proclaimed in a loud voice: Allahu Akbar, Kharibat Khaibar (God is Great, Khaibar has fallen). The interpretation is that by my mansion is meant my heart on which the heavenly light of the verities of the Holy Quran is descending, and by Khaibar are meant all the perverted religions which are afflicted with paganism and falsehood, in which man has been raised to occupy the place of God, or in which divine attributes have been cast down from their perfect station. It was thus disclosed to me that the wide publication of this paper would expose the untruth of false religions and the truth of the Quran will spread progressively around the earth till it arrives at its climax. From this vision my mind moved towards the reception of revelation and I received the revelation: "God is with you, and God stands where you stand. This is a metaphor conveying the assurances of Divine support."
I need write no more. I urge everyone to attend the conference in Lahore even at some inconvenience and listen to these verities. If they do so their reason and their faith will derive such benefit as is beyond their expectation. Peace be upon those who follow the guidance.
Ghulam Ahmad
Qadian, 21 December 1896.
It would be appropriate here to present, as a sample, the opinions of a few of the newspapers of the time:
The participants at the conference showed great interest in the lecture of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. His paper was an expert and flawless defence of Islam, a great number of people belonging to all sections of society came from far and wide to hear it. Mirza Sahib was unable to attend in person, so his essay was read out by a most able student of his, Maulawi Abdul Karim Sialkoti. On the 27th of December he spent three hours on the speech and it was very well received by the attentive audience. However, in the three hours he was only able to cover one of the five questions. Maulawi Abdul Karim promised that if given more time, he would continue with the lecture. The organisers and president therefore decided to extend the conference by an extra day. (Gist)[5]
1 February 1897.
By far the best lecture at the conference was the one written by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and read, in a most beautiful manner, by the renowned and eloquent speaker, Maulawi Abdul Karim Sialkoti. The lecture was delivered in a total of six hours; four hours on the 27th of December and two hours on the 29th, and it filled one hundred pages. The audience was captivated, every sentence met with applause. At times the audience requested that sentences be repeated over and over again. We have never before heard such a pleasing lecture. In truth, the representatives of the other religions did not address the questions posed by the conference. Most speakers dealt largely with the fourth question, only briefly passing over the other ones. A majority of the speakers talked much but said little. The exception was Mirza Sahib's paper, which gave a detailed and comprehensive answer to each of the individual questions. The audience listened with great interest and with undivided attention to a lecture which they found to be most superior and outstanding.
We are not followers of Mirza Sahib nor do we have any kind of contact with him. However we cannot be unjust in our commentary. In answering the questions, Mirza Sahib relied solely on the Quran. Every major Islamic principle was beautifully expounded using logical and convincing arguments. To first use logical arguments to prove the existence of God and to then quote the Word of God is a style which we find most charming. Not only did Mirza Sahib expound on the philosophy of Quranic teachings, he also explained the philosophy and philology of the Quranic language. In short, Mirza Sahib's lecture was complete and comprehensive, replete with gems of knowledge, wisdom, truths and mysteries. The philosophy of the Divine was so marvellously expressed that the entire audience was left nonplussed. His lecture was the best attended with the hall being packed from top to bottom.
The entire audience listened attentively. To illustrate the difference between Mirza Sahib's lecture and those of other speakers, it would suffice to say that people flocked to hear his paper while, out of boredom, they deserted the others. Maulawi Muhammad Hussain Batalwi's lecture was poor. It was nothing but the usual banal mullahisms, there was nothing exceptional about it. Many people left during Maulawi Mausuf's second lecture and Maulawi Mamduh was not given even a few minutes extra to complete his speech. (Gist)
24 January 1897.
(The following article was published under the dual title of 'The Conference of Great Religions' and 'The Victory of Islam' ).
Before discussing the conference in general, we would like to point out that (as our readers know) we have in previous editions already argued as to which learned divine presented the most powerful case on behalf of Islam. Keeping a fair and open mind, one of our distinguished correspondents elected Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian as the champion of Islam and another correspondent, in a letter to us, has expressed the same opinion. Maulawi Fakhruddin Sahib Fakhr strongly argues that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian heads the list, followed by Sir Syed Ahmad Sahib of Aligarh. The other names he suggested as possible champions of Islam were: Maulawi Abu Saeed Muhammad Hussain Sahib Batalwi, Haji Syed Muhammad Ali Sahib Kanpuri and Maulawi Ahmad Hussain Sahib 'Azimabadi. It would not be out of place to mention here that one of our correspondents also suggested the name of Maulawi Abdul Haq Sahib Delhwi, author of Tafseer-i-Haqqani. (Gist)
(After publishing an excerpt from Swami Shugan Chandar's invitation to the conference, the newspaper went on to say):
Having read the pamphlets publicising the conference, which of the scholars' sense of pride was awoken to champion the holy religion of Islam? How far did they take up the cause and impress upon others, by way of logical reasoning, the majesty of the Divine?
We have learnt from reliable sources that the organisers of the conference wrote letters of invitation to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib and Sir Syed Ahmad Sahib. Poor health prevented Hadrat Mirza Sahib from attending in person, but he delegated one of his top disciples, Maulawi Abdul Karim Sialkoti, to read his paper at the conference. However Sir Syed did not attend nor did he submit a paper and it was not old-age or other commitments which prevented him from doing so. In fact he considered religious conferences to be unworthy of his attention. In responding to the invitation, (we will publish his response in one of our future editions) he wrote, 'I am not a preacher or a reformer or a Maulawi. This conference is for preachers and reformers.' Maulawi Syed Muhammad Ali Sahib Kanpuri, Maulawi Abdul Haq Sahib Delhwi, and Maulawi Ahmad Hussain Sahib 'Azimabadi did not show much interest in the conference, and not one of the multitude of other learned, religious scholars of our country bothered to prepare any paper for presentation there. Admittedly, one or two people did take up the challenge, only to see their efforts rebound on themselves. As our next report will prove, they either said nothing relevant or they just made a few empty remarks. The proceedings of the conference show that it was only Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian who truly championed the cause of Islam and that he honoured the trust people had put in himself for the representation of Islam. His representation was approved by many sects of Islam from Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Shahpur, Bhera, Khushab, Sialkot, Jammoon, Wazeerabad, Lahore, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ludhiyana, Shimla, Dehli, Ambala, Riasat Patiala, Dera Doon, Ilahabad, Madras, Bombay, Hyderabad Dakkan and Bangalore etc... of India.
It is true to say that if Mirza Sahib's paper had not been presented, the Muslims would have been disgraced in comparison to other religions. Had it not been for the powerful hand of the Almighty, the religion of Islam would not have prevailed. It was because of Mirza Sahib's essay that Islam's glory was established. Friends and opponents alike admitted the superiority of the paper over others. In fact, once it was over even the enemies of Islam were forced to admit that the speech had helped them to understand the teachings of Islam and that Islam had been victorious. Mirza Sahib's selection as champion of Islam is most appropriate; no-one can object to his selection. He has given us reason to feel proud and in this is Islam's glory and greatness.
This was only the second Conference of Great Religions, but the size of the gathering and its high intellectual content far surpassed all other congresses and conferences. Great leaders from all the major cities of India were present and we take pride in saying that the city of Madras was also represented. The conference proved to be so interesting that instead of the advertised three days the organisers had to extend it to four days. The organisers had selected Islamia College as the venue as it was the largest public place in Lahore. But so many people participated that even this huge place proved inadequate. The great success of the conference can be seen from the fact that not only did the leading citizens of the Punjab attend, but the judges of the Chief Court and High Court of Allahabad, the honourable Babu Partol Chand Sahib and Mr. Bannerji, were also present.
[End of the gist of Newspaper Reports]
Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib's paper was published in "The Report of the Conference of great Religions" Lahore and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has published it in book form under the title of 'Islami 'Usul ki Philosophy'. It has been translated into English under the title of 'The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam '. Many editions of the book have been printed and it has been translated into French, Dutch, Spanish, Arabic, German and various other languages. Many philosophers and foreign newspapers have given it favourable reviews and many Western intellectuals have praised it highly. For example:
The Bristol Times and Mirror wrote: 'Surely the man who addresses Europe and America in this manner can be no ordinary being.' (Gist)
Spiritual Journal, Boston wrote: 'This book is good news for the whole human race.' (Gist)
Theosophical Booknotes wrote: 'This book is a most beautiful and endearing picture of Muhammad's religion.' (Gist)
Indian Review wrote: 'This book presents clear thinking and perfect wisdom and the reader is left with no choice but to praise it.' (Gist)
Muslim Review wrote: 'Anyone reading this book is bound to find a great many truths most deep and pleasing to the soul.' (Gist)
The beauty of the paper is that it does not attack any religion, it only explains the beauty and the merits of Islam. All the questions are answered with reference to the Holy Quran in a manner which proves the perfection of Islam and its superiority over all other religions.
Jalal-ud-Din Shams
END NOTES
1. Here "th" at the end is pronounced as "th" in "three". [Back]
2. Here "dh" in the middle is pronounced as "dh" in "dharma". [Back]
3. Report Conference of Great Religions. Page 253, 254 printed by Siddiqi Press, Lahore 1897. [Back]
4. In his announcement Swami Shugan Chandar Sahib has invited the leading divines of Muslims, Christians and Aryas, in the name of God, to set forth the excellences of their respective faiths in the conference proposed by him. We wish to inform Swami Sahib that to do honour to the name of God, as mentioned by him, we are ready to comply with his request and, if God so wills, our paper will be read in the proposed conference. Islam is a faith which directs a true Muslim to demonstrate perfect obedience when he is called upon to do something in the name of God. We shall now see how much regard his brothers, the Aryas and Christian divines, have for the honour of Parmeshwar or for Jesus and whether they are ready to participate in the conference which is to be held in the name of the Glorious Holy One. [Back]
5. Here "dh" in the middle is pronounced as "dh" in "dharma". [Back]