THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. pow J yom) a Vem ela ay HE pha g Fass The Mahdi, IV. Fulfilment of the Prophecy, II. 5.. The signs fulfilled in the life and person of Ahmad. A conclusive proof of the truth of Ahmad’s claims to the oflice of the Mahdi is to’be found in the fact that all the signs that were to be fulfilled in the person and the life-time of tho, ‘Mahdi wore fulfilled in his holy person and in his day. Some of them may be briefly noted here.-— (a). Naeem quotes the following tradition: “There shall uppear in the East before the appearance of the Mahdi a star with a bright tail? This star is also called Zus-sinnain in the traditions. It appeared in the yoar 1882 in the life-time of the Mahdi before he announced his claim to Mahdiism. It had a long and brilliant tail like the taii of a peacock and used to appear east in the heavens a little before sunrise. The pheno- menon must be still fresh in the minds of those who saw it (0). Another sign of the advent of the Mahdi was the appearance of fire in the East. Husain bin Ali is reported to have said “When you see a sign in tho heavens, a groat fire from tho East, know that the blessod days have come, that will bo'a sign of the advent of the Mahdi.” Again Muhammad son of Bagir reports: “When yousee fire in tho East for threo338, ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS» (September OB or soven days, thon know that Islam is about to be aided by God.” This fire was seen in the Eastern horizon owing to the violent volcanic eruptions in the island of Java in ths year 1883 which even the author of the Jqtirab-us-Sdak connects with the fire spoken of in the tradition, as he .ays : “The fire of Java is a specimen of this fire. It appeared in 1800 AHL” (page 67). Tt was in the year 1888 that Ahmad first invited the people to enter into his baia’t. Thus these signs were immediately followed by the advent of the Mehdi as the traditions foretold. (cj. Another sign which alone was sufficient to establish the truth of the Mahdi’s claims was the occurrence of the solar and the lunar eclipse in the month of Ramazan on dates prescribed in tho traditions. Dar Qutni gives the following tradition: “The Holy Prophet said: ‘There aro two signs for our Mahdi which never occurred before, viz. that the moon shall be eclipsed on the first of the (eclipse) nights ofthe month of Ramazan and the sun shall suffer an eclipse. en the middle of the (eclipse) days of the same month’” This prophecy -was literally fulfilled in the Ramazan of 1811 of the Hejira or 1804 A.D. Tho moon was eclipsed on the 13th (1st eclipse night) and the sun on the 28th (the middle of the eclipse days) of the same-month (Ramazan). ‘Thus an undeniable proof was given of the truth of Ahmad’s claim. Before this occurrence Ahmad had publicly announced his claims and God bore testimony to the truth of his claim by showing in the heavens a sign that was fixed 1800 years before. Its fulfilment not only proved the truth of the Mahdi but it was also a proof of the truth of the prophet who predicted the event 18 centuries before its occurz ence. The solar and lunar eclipses were repeated next year in the month of Ramazan in other parts of the globe and thus the prophecy which said that the eclipses would take place twico in the month of Ramazan in the days of the Mahdi was fulfilled.‘THE MARDI. 339 ane — (Vor this prophecy, sce the Hujaj-ul-Karamah, page 344). The objection has been raised in certain quarters that the lunar and the solar eclipse ought to have taken place on the Ist night and the middle day of Ramazan respectively. The objectors seom to be ignorant of tho fact that under the existing state of things such a thing is an utter impossibility. The present system of the universe must be upset and tho world must sce its end before the eclipses should change their times. As long as the moon shall continue to move round the earth and the earth continue to rotate round the sun in the way in which they do now and as they have been doing ever since the present system of universe was created, the sun and the moon must continue to be eclipsed only on any one of the fixed dates and not on any other day. The futility of this objection may be made clear in another way. If the {unar eclipse was to take place on the first night, who could ever know that an eclipse had taken place at all? The new moon is afready too small a thing to be easily visible; how could then an eclipsed new’ moon be visible to the human eye and how could it serve as a sign for the Promised Mahdi? Besides, if the Holy Prophet had meant the new moon, he ought to have used the word hilal (the erescent), not qamar, the latter term being generally given to the moon after it has passed the crescent stage. The fulfilment of the prophecy explains what the Prophet meant. The lunar eclipse took place on the first of the eclipse- nights and the solar eclipse on tHe middle of tho eclipse- days; this clearly shows that it was the first eclipse-night and the middle eclipse-day, and not the ordinary first night and the middle day of the month, thats the Holy Prophet meant. The incidence of the lunar and the solar eclipse on the first eclipse-night and the middle eclipse-day respectively serves as an explanation of the words of the Holy Prophet. ‘There being three nights for the Tunar eclipse and340 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September eo three deys for the solar eclipse, the eclipses might take place jn nine different ways. ‘That they occurred only in that way which was in consonance with the words of the Holy Prophet ‘and not in any of the remaining eight ways which were not conformable to the words of the prophecy clearly points to the fact that it was tho cclipse-nights and eclipse-days that the Holy Prophet referred to. ‘That the Holy Prophet referred to the first of the eclipse- nights and the middle of the eclipse-days, and not to the first night and the middle day, of the sacred month is also appatent from other considerations. Maulvi Hafiz Muhammad of Lakhoke (district Lahore), a well-known Punjabi theological writer of the Punjab, speaking of the Mahdi, writes in a Punjabi poem of his, known as the Ahwal-ul-Akhirat:— le ed oH oe WES GI wt wt)! Zh yed yy SIUM Ged y eye les oi) ie, “(In the time of the Mahdi) the moon shall bo eclipsed on the thirteenth and tho sun on the twenty-seventh in the month of Ramazan, so says a tradition”? Though one of the two dates, viz. the date of the solar eclipse given by this Punjabi writer, docs not correspond with the date which this Punjabi writer alludee proves that in the tradition under discussion the Holy Prophet referred to the first eclipse-night and the middle eclipse-day, for in the tradition referred to in the Punjabi couplet, it is not the first night and the middle day of the holy month that are spoken of as the dates for the occurrence of the eclipses. Thus we can say with certainty that by the first night tha Holy Prophet meant the first of the eclipso-nights and by the middle day he meant the middle sof the eclipse-days. That the tradition quoted by Maulvi Mu-1908.) THE MAHDI. 341 es ere cee hammad gives the 27th and not the 28th of Ramazan, i.e, the middle of the cclipse-days, matters little. It may be: put down as a slight error easily committable by a narrator. The event as it occurred shows that the middle of the eclipse-days was the true date and the 27th was an error. Yot this slight ‘orror in the tradition detracts nothing from its value as an evidence of the fact that the lunar and the solar eclipses were not to take place on tho Ist and the 15th of Ramazan respectively, as some ignorant Mullahs contend. The tradition which is quoted by Maulvi Muhammad of Lakhoke is also given by another Punjabi writer, Maulvi Muhammad Ramazan, and both these writers wrote their works before the appearance of the Promised Mahdi. hat the two eclipses that occurred in the Ramazan of 1311 A.H. were really a fulfilment of the prophecy of the Holy Prophet is also evidenced by the prophecy of an Indian saint in Persian verse, It runs as follows— DOP 15S y Lda o Sant ok E yey O52 WIGS y LS Jl 95 er dee dj] ie. “In the year of the He denoted by the numorical value of tho word (,% U (which is 1811) there will be a junction of two, which will be a sign of the Mahdi and the Dajjal.” Evi- dently the saint was referring to the two eclipses that took place in one and the same month in the year 1811 A. H. Thus this prophecy also which,came out to be truc is an evidenco of the fect that the two eclipses of the month of Ramazan, that were witnessed in the year 1811 of the Hejira were a fulfilment of the prophecy of the Holy Prophet and tus constituted a sign of the Mahdi. (d.) Certain important events in the life of the Mahdi are clearly foretold in the traditions. Naeem narrates the following tradition: dane JF gs GT yl leah) yo 0 tie co 0. Us342 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS: (September Leds ume ST eds)! PED sy yt o Ue wd Uy bad Ja } Bob gle VF yal Jy gy Lat) ) Koby Jim I) ine WA crier shall cry from the heavens, ‘verily truth is with the side of the followers of Muhammad.’ And a crier ‘shall ery from the earth, ‘Verily truth is with tho followers of Jesus? The cry from below shall be the cry of the Devil, while the cry from above shall be the word of God which shall prevail.” The same author narrates another tradition on the authority of Ali — “When a crier shall cry from tho ‘heavens, ‘ verily truth js with the followers of Muhammad,’ then the people shall talk of the Mahdi and shall drink the draughts of his Jove and they shall talk of nothing but of him.” If we read both the traditions together, we sce that they both speak of the same event and both refer to the Mahdi. The event referred to is some dispute etween the Muhemmadans and the Christians in the days of the Mahdi, on which there was to be diversity of opinion, the truth being on the side of the followers of Muhammad. Those who are acquainted with tho history and life of Ahmad shall ‘at once see in the foregoing traditions a clear reference to the controversy which took place between the Muhammadans and the Christians at Amritsar, the former being represented py the late Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and the latter by a learned Christian named Abdullah Atham. The controversy was fol- lowed by the announcement of a prophecy by Ahmad relating to Abdullah Atham. Ahmad announced the death of Atham within 15 months, unless the latter turned to truth, in which caso the punishment was to be averted. Atham, owing to his long acquaintance with Ahmad, was well aware of the sanctity of tho latter, and the words of thé prophecy hod a weight with him. A change was witnessed in Atham there in that very meeting. When Ahmad told him that the punishment mentioned in. the prophecy :was to overtake him pecause he called -tho Holy Prophet -Anti-Christ,he humbly laid his fingers on his cars like a true repentant. Ilis, subsequent1908.) ‘THE MAHDI. 343, i nN life also presented a marked contrast to his previous life. The zealous preacher was never heard again preaching the Gospel of Christ. He who wrote volumes in opposition to Jslam and in support of Christ never penned a line after ho Jeft the hall where the prophecy was announced to him. He passod his days in grief and mourning as the Christians them- selves testify. His case was just like that of the people of Jonah, who averted the wrath of God by the fear they exhibited of divine prnishment and by their repentance. The wrath of God never overtakes a man trembling with fear; that isa divine law and it was necessary that it should have operated in the case of Atham as it operated in the case of the people of Jonah. This law is recognised by all religions, and it is to profit by this law that the followers of all religions give alms and do other deeds of penitence. They know and believe that the wrath of God is averted by true repentance, for God is not a relentless and inexorable tyrant but a merciful and compassion- ate Master. In short, Atham escaped the punishment by ex- hibiting grea: fear and by bringing about a complete change in his life, and it was clearly stated in the prophecy that the punishment was to overtake him only if he porsisted in his former course. When the 15 months expired, the masses that were ignorant of the Divine law, which is not only ‘expressly stated in the Quran and in the Bible, but is universally ‘acknowledged, made a great noise that the prophecy had failed. Ahmad called upom Atham to state on oath whether he had” not been trembling with fear, being struck with the awe of the prophecy, and thus benefitted by the condition expressly given in the prophecy. He even offered hima great reward if he stated on oath that the prophecy had produced no change in his conduct and life. Ahmad said that he had escaped punish- ment by erying and weeping before God and if he swore that ho had not done so, he must dic in a year. Atham was then in a fine fix. The fear of his community, on the one hand,Sdt ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIO! September Ea ee prevented him from plainly stating ‘that, being struck with awe by the prophecy, ho had been crying bitterly during the 15 months fixed in the prediction and that Ahmad was right when hho said that he had escaped death by crying and weeping ; and the experience of Ahmad’s first prophecy, on the other hand, did not allow him to make bold to state on oath that the pro- phocy had made no change in his life, and consequently he ‘observed a discreet silence. The change brought about in him by the prophecy was so marked that ho totally abandoned the causo of Christianity and the zealous missionary who had devoted’ his whole life to tho propagation of the Gospel of Christ and to the refutation of Islam never uttered or wrote even a single word in support of Christiany or in opposition to Islam even after the expiry of the period of the prophecy. Thus though the prophecy did not bring death to his person, it brought a death on his missionary activities. He was no longer the earnest ovangelist that he was before the pronouncement of the prophecy. It was necessary that his death as a supporter of Christianity and opponent of Islam, which. was evidently brought about by the prophecy, and his weeping and crying should have delayed the descent of the wrath of God on him. God is merciful and kind and His wrath docs not descond on one that trembles with fear. This is plainly taught in tho Quran and we mect with instances of this kind in tho Bible. What was it that averted the destruction of tho people of Jonah? Wad‘not the prophet Jonah predicted to thom-.their destruction in 40 days? The punishment was averted because the people turned to God. Should we then call prophet Joaah a false prophet ? No, he was a true prophet, but God, being merciful and kind, would not punish His people when He saw them repenting. That’ was the eternal law of God and the law ought to have operated despite tho prophecy of Jonah. The same law operated in the case of Atham. But thofo was a difference between tho prediction of Jonah andthe prophecy of Ahmad. In the prophecy uttered by Jonah, nothing was said as to the possibility of the punishment being averted by repentance, but in the Word of God that came to ‘Ahmad, it was plainly said that there was a chance for Atham to escape the punishment if he turned to God. It must be remembered that this condition always accompanies warnings that predict punishment. 'Tho punishment is liable to bo averted even if the fact is not stated in the prediction. This isin consonance with tho merciful nature of God and if tho fact that the punishment is liable to be averted is not plainly expressed in tho prophecy, it must be always understood. But in tho case of Ahmad’s prophecy, it was plainly stated and tho attontion of the public was drawn beforehand to ‘this eternal and unchangeable law of God. ‘This law is plainly stated in the Quran. On one occasion Cod says, why is it that the people don’t avail themselves of the merey of God, like the people of Jonah, and escape punishment by turning to God. Again, God siy's, tho punishment of Cod cannot descend on a town as Jong as the prophot is in their midst and as long as they repent. Then it is stated how the Egyptians repeatedly od divine visitation by showing signs of repentance and by requesting Moses to pray for them. When they had thus escaped the wrath of God many times, without even accopting Moses, he was at last compelled to pray to God that He might harden their hearts so that they might not agaiz come to him, begging him to pray for the removal of the pun- ishment and thus that punishment descends only when people become completely stonc-hearted and that as long as there “is some softness in their heart and they do exhibit some fear of God, the punish- ment does not descend ,oven if it is predicted. I am sorry to say that the believer from among the Egyptians who had concealed his faith and who could not restrain himself from speaking out when Pharaoh and his people began to contemplate oid punishment every time. This shows346 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (eptember Moses’ murder, understood this law better than'the modern Muhammadans and Christians, for hetold the Egyptians that there was no need to kill Moses, for, if he was an impostor, his falschood alone would suffice to annihilate him, the’ Divine law with respect to impostors being that they are soon “brought to naught and they are not allowed to prosperilike the true prophets so that there may be a distinction between ‘the true vnd the false. But, continued the believer, if Moses was a tru prophet, some of his warnings of punishment’ must turn out to be true. Now how can we explain tho word some that occurs in the Quran? Why is it not said that the predictions of punishment must one and all turn out to be true? The reference here is to the Divine law that God, being kind and merciful, does not always carry out His threats and that some- tines His wrath is softened, especially in the case of those’ who show fear and turn to God. I say, why should have, then, God destroyed Atham who completely transformed himself after, he had heard the Word of God that was uttered, by the mouth of His messenger, Ahmad, God is not hard-hearted like some stern masters. His mercy required that He should have spared the trembling, fearing Atham who at once forsook all his former paths and sought shelter in the remotest recesses of his house. There would have been a ground for objection, if God, in spite of His promise given in the prophecy itself and despite His unchangeable law according to which He spared the people of Jonah and which He exhorts the people in His word to profit by, had consumed Atham with His wrath; but there is 20 ground for objection if He spared Atham having witnessed his sorrow and grief All religions teach that the wrath of God may be averted and it is for this reason’ ‘that the leading of a holy life and the giving of alms and praying to God are prescribed by every religion a3 means by whick one may escape divine visitations, a prescription which is believed1908.) THE MAHD! 347 eee jn and acted upon everywhore in the world. I now ask if God does avert a punishment which He has willed, when Ho sees men turning to Him, why should He not avert a punish- ment which He has predicted when He sees the intended victim trembling with fear and when He finds that the man has brought about a complete change in his life and conduct and his soul is wrung with grief and sorrow, especially when such an amnesty is promised in tho prediction in case he turns to God. Thus the case was quite clear, but the people made so groat a noise at the expiry of the term of tho prophecy that no body listened to the voice of Ahmad in the tumult. Then Ahmad issued a notice to the effect that though Atham had, according to the unalterable Divine Jaw and in consonance with the condition given in the prophecy itself, escaped death, yet he was guilty of an unpardonable crime in that he concealed. the trath by observing a persistent silence, and, therefore, God’s wrath was again put in motion and it would soon con- sume him for his second crime, and not many months had passed after the publication of this last prophecy before Atham, who had been practically dead as far as the outside world was concerned, was removed from the face of the earth, and thus the punishment that had been delayed by his grief and sorrow at last overtook him because he committed the crime of concealing the truth and did not bear testimony before the world to his sufferings which had delayed the coming of his death. Th is to this incident that the tradition quoted above refers. There was a dispute as to which of the two parties was in the right, Ahmad, or his opponents, the Christians. That lear fulfilmont of what was said in the tradition. as the tradition said, one saying that the truth was with the side of the followers of Muhammad, the other saying that the truth was with the side of the followers of Jesus. But the Holy Prophet said, the latter was the ery was a cl 'Yhere wore two cries,948 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September of the dovil, and the former, the Word of God, that is, the truth was really with the sido of the followers of Muhammad. The Glear fulfilment of this prophecy was, then, a manifest sign of the truth of Ahmad, may peace and tho blessings of God be on him. (Similarly another equally great evont of the life of Ahmad was clearly predicted by the Holy Prophet. Naeem, quotes the following tradition: Lae y gph 53 & py BIST eA) yey GA IST aby) gral 1g) grew bao Shy uw W) ole Jing Ue glBe a3 03 Gi wD oo Ur Guat Ps © yal | plaow 19 Gast, SE ye pot lish idly y SB) Hid be Mey Ja pie © yo 451) 605 JI) ginr Lae y se J pay cel pe Wed Wy ie, “When there isa ey ia the month of Ramazan, listen to it and obey it. And in the latter part of the day, there shall be acry of the cursed one, the Satan, that such and such a one has been killed unjustly. ‘Phat shall be a trial for people and they will doubi and wonder, but when you have heard the first cry in Ramazan, don’t doubt that it is a ery of Gabriel, its sign being that he shall ery in the name of the Mahdi.” his prophecy was clearly fulfilled in the events relating to the murder of Lekh Ram, tho Arya leader, which took placo on 5th March, 1997, in the city of Lahore about 6 pm. ‘This Arya leader was a great opponent of Islam. ‘The abuse of Islam and its founder, the Holy Prophet, formed the chief business of his life. Tho fame of the great champion of Islam, Mriza Ghulam Ahmad, dvew him to Qadian to discuss with him certain $ questions. Ahmad claimed to be an inspired messenger and the discussion naturally turned on the question of revelution and the acceptance of prayer. As a true disciple of Daya Nand, ho rojected both revelation and acceptance of prayer, and demanded proof of the same from Ahmad. He allowed.1908.) THE MAHDI. 849 Ahmad to pray to God concerning him and to publish any thing that might be revealed to him by God pertaining him, fhmad said he was willing to do this, provided Lekh Ram agreed to accept the fulfilment of his prophecy and the accept- ance of his prayer as a proof of tho fact that Islam was a true and living religion, the followers of which still received Divine yevelation as tho elect of God did in days gono by, and that Hinduism which rejected both revelation and acceptance of prayer was a dead religion. Lekh Ram readily agreed to accept this as a proof of the truth of Islam and signed an agreement to that effect. ‘The failure of the prophecy which was to be revealed to Ahmad after his prayer to God was, on the other hand, according to the agreement to he a proof of the truth of Hinduism and the falsehood of Islam, and the agree- ment was signed by both the parties. ‘Then Ahmad turned to Clod praying that He might tohim some event about Lekh Ram, the fulfilment of whi ght serve asa sign of tho truth of Islam and the falschood of Hinduism. His prayer was aecoplod and it was revealed to him that an end would be put to Lckh Ram within si that the day of the fulfilment of the prophecy was to be next to the day of ‘Id. Even the sanner of his death was clearly indicated in the prophecy. In the month of Ramazan Ahmad saw an angel s0 terrible in appearance that his looks inspired the beholder with fear and he asked Ahmad ina dreadful tone where Tekh Ram was, ag if he was seeking him in order to murder him. Ahmad pub- lished this vision of his in his pamphlet entitled the Barakat-ud- Dua. Lekh Ram, howover, believed Ahmad to be an impostor and treated his prophecy as a fabrication and himself published it in his works and by, way of joke published a simiiar pro- phecy concerning Ahmad saying that he would die in threo years. Instead of showing any fear, he became still bolder and more violent in his attacks on Islam and the Holy Prophet. I may horo draw the reader’s attention to an important350 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGION! (September difference as to the manner in which the prophecies relating to Atham and Lokh Ram were received. Atham, ‘being well- versed in the Bible and being a believer in the Hebrew pro- phets, knew that God did speak to his elect and that tho prophecies uttered by his chosen messengers were net merely a hollow sound, but were the majestic word of God and might consume their victim as, burning firo consumes chatl, unless ho allayed the wrath of God with repentance and sorrow- ing. He had had a long acquaintance with Ahmad and was well aware of his sacred character. He had had also a closer acquaintance with him by entering the lists against him and by holding an argument with him for 15 days. During this fortnight of the controversy he had had an occasion to study the character of his adversary and was impressed by his sanctity and earnestness. Therefore, he did not take the prophetic word of his adversary lightly. He saw that his rival was not mocking with him but he read in his face the serious- ness of a man who was speaking under the influence of Divino inspiration. He was struck with the majesty of the prophetic utterance there and then, so that he turned pale and laid his fingers on his ears in that vory meeting before tho assembled crowd. He showed by his subsequent life also that the prophecy of Ahmad had not fallen on deaf ears. Before the,prophecy was announced, he was an active missionary and an acknowledged champion of Christianity, as the reader can see from his many productions and also from his having been chosen by the Chris- tians of India to meet so formidable a rival as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. But mark the effect of ‘the prophecy. He ceased to be a champion of Christianity from the very day when he left the platform of the controversy. The man, who only a day before was fighting with a formidable adversary on behalf of Christianity, now assumed a silence which he nevor broke to tho moment of his death. This shows that the soldier of the Militant Church had, during the contest, received such a blow1908.) THE MAUDi- 351 faces) Se Ree fiom his adversary as totally disabled him for any more work jn the field. The blow was no other than the prophecy. It completely changed him. This sudden silence which ho assumed immediately after the controversy can only be attri- ‘buted to the awe with which the prophecy inspired him. Ho passed the remaining days of his life like one mad with. grief, so deeply was he struck with terror. Thus the punishment was justly delayed in his case, but as he concealed the trath, death soca overtook him in accordance with Ahmad’s second prophecy. But this was not the case with Lekh Ram. This follower of tho Veda could not believe that God spoke to His righteous servants or that He heard the prayers of His chosen ones. Unlike Atham, ho believed all the Hebrew prophets to be so many impostors. Ie had no faith in prophecies like Atham. No he treated the prophecy of Ahmad as a joke. Besides, the example of Atham had emboldened him, and he was not awaro of the anguish which had wrang the very soul of-Atham and which, according to the unalterable law of God, had delayed the coming of the promised punishment. This son of Arya Varta was ignorant of these divine laws. Far from turning to God like Atham, he became even more violent und more impudent in his attacks on the Holy Prophet and the Promised Mahdi. So in his case the other law was to be enforced, the law which deals with the transgressors and the impudent. Before the term of the prophecy had come to an end, the loose-tongued reviler of the Holy Prophet was visited with Divine vengeance. In the city of Lahore, on 5th March, when the way was drawing to its closo and whon the streets of the city wore flowing with their full complement of mon, Lekh Ram was'stabbed in his own house situated in a crowded strect of the metropolis of the Punjab, when his wife and mother were closo by him—stabbed by whom, nono can tell, for thé person who dealt the fatal blow35g ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September nn ln enc wag not discovered. The day happened to be next to the ‘Id-ul-Fitr of the Muslims, as the prophecy indicated. Murder, though it have no tongue, yet speaketh, is a well-known saying, but it did not speak in the caso of Lekh Ram, though he had a tongue, for he continued to live perfectly conscious for about eight lows after he received the bloody knife in his belly. He died in the Mayo Hospital, Lahore, in the early hours of the next day. Ho continued crying: ‘O, my ill luck, 03 my ill luck,’ but did not name the man or woman from whom he received the death-wound. The cry was then raised thav the Arya leader ‘was unjustly murdered;’ many were seized and dragged to the courts, but all were acquitted. Those were trying times and ‘ people wondered’ at this strange incident, but the Pro- mised Mahdi told them that there was nothing to be~ wondered at, and he reminded them of the Angel of terror that had come to him in a vision in the month of Ramazan and asked where Lekh. Ram was. ‘Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Ahmad and thus was also fulfilled the prophecy of the Holy Prophet which said that in the days of the Mahdi a crier would cry towards the close of the day that such and such 2 iman had been inur- dered unjustly and the people would wonder and that would bo a trying time; but that would be the cry of the Iblis, for the murder had taken place in fulfilment of the word of an angel that had come to the Mahdi in the month of Ramazan. Thus wo see that another great event of the life of the the Mahdi sas predicted by the Holy Prophet, which came to pass exactly as it was foretold, thus affording an undeniable proof of the trath of Ahmad. It should be noted that, as the Holy Prophet had predicted, it was towards'the close of the day that the Iblis raised his ery for it was when thieday was drawing to its end when the Arya missionary received the fatal blade. (f) Another important event of the life of the Mahdi was also predicted by the Holy Prophet. He said that in his day,1908.) ‘THE MAHDI. 353 a holy soul with a brother of his would bo murderod.. This will excite the wrath of God and a crier shall cry from the heavens, ‘such and such aman is your Amir’ and that man shall be the Mahdi. (Vide Iqtirab-us-Saah, page 102, and the Tlujaj-ul-Karamak, pago 350). This prophecy was fulfilled in tho murder of two disciples of Ahmad at Kabul by Amir Abdur Rahman and the prosent Amir respectively for their accepting Ahmad as tho Promised Mahdi and openly rejecting the doc- trines of Jehad and a Ghazi Mahdi. Such beliefs could not be tolerated in Afghanistan, the land of jehad and Ghaziiem. Tho result was that the Mullas of Kabul declared both of them to bo heretics that deserved to be murdered and both were put to death with utmost cruelty. One of these two martyrs was a renowned Mullah of Afghanistan who enjoyed a reputation for sanctity of character which was shared by few in the land. 50,000 Afghans revered him as their spiritual leader and aro still proud to call themselves his disciples. This Mullah was “wnamed Sahibzada Abdul Latif and was among the distinguished membors of the Kabul Durbar. He was not only a Pir, with 50,000 Azghans as his devoted followers, but was also possessed of a great estate in the province of Khost in Afghanistan. But the chief reason for which he commanded the esteem, not only of tho masses, but also of the king on’the throne, lay in his vast loarning and the unparalleled sanctity of his life. Ho was a man of great moral courage and feared neither the Amir nor the people in declaring what he believed to be the truth. Ho happened. to seo. somo of the writings of Ahmad and was so overpowered with the light of truth that ho met with in the writings that he could not rest at his home in “Afghanistan but came to Qadian to see Ahmad. \Séme of his followers, learning from their master that the Mahdi was at Qadian, had already come here to see Ahmad. Among thom was Abdur Rahman who on his roturn to Kabul was assasinated by the late Amir Abdur Rahman for the reasons stated above. But the example354 THEE REVLEAY OP RELIGIONS. (September of bis disciple could not detor Maulvi Abdul Latif from leaving his homo in tho fastnosses of Afghanistan to pay a visit to ‘Ahmad in whom he had recognised the long-promised Mahdi. He knew that to come down to Qadian or to express a faith in ‘Ahmad was certain death, but he was too m:ch lost in the love of tho Mahdi to care for death. He knew that the Mahdi was at Qadian, he had read his writings and was convinced of his truth (even conviction does not fully express the degres of his faith in Ahmad), and he obeyed the commandment of the Holy Prophet who said ‘ when you hear that the Mahdi has made his appearance, go to see him even if you have to seramble over mountains of snow and ice’ He came to Qadian with a fow of his followers ; and saw the man, a desire to sce whom had drawn him to Qadian-from his distant home in the land ofthe Pathans, A look at Ahmad afforded him a bliss as great as the enjoyments of paradise, and a word from the lips of the Mahdi was sweeter to"him than the sweetest honey. He stayed here for about three months. Abmad asked him to take, up his abodo permanently at Qadian and n-t to go back to Afghanistan where he was sure to meet with death ; but he roplied ‘To part with you is unore than T can bear, ‘Dut there js a duty which calls me back to Kabul. T know that certai death awaits me there, but death has no terror for me. Being ason of Afghanistan, I must carry this news to my native Jand; and it shall be with my own blood that I will deliver this message to my countty. I know, my county demands my blood, and I will willingly shed st in order to deliver this megs- age to my countx7men, for blood is the oaly means by which I can carry these glifl tidings to my brethrea in Afghanistan. ‘Chis kind of death will be a pleasure to me rather than a pai I must part with you, and you will soon hear that Ihave been murdered at Kabul.” With theso words the bravo son of the mountains of Aighanistan departed from Qadian, and tho. first thing he did on reaching his home was thot ho weote a Tetter1908.) THE MAHDI. 355 to the court at Kabul informing the Amir of his visit to Qadian and inviting him to accept Ahmad as the Promised Mahdi and to renounce the idea ofa Ghazi Mahdi whose sole means to propagate Islam was to be jehad—a doctrine which was an insult to Islam and a disgrace to its followers. Tho result was exactly what was expected. He was at once summoned to Kabul where he was put in prison. Tho Multis and Mullas gave their verdict that he was a heretic who deserved to be stoned to death before the eyes of the whole city. Tho Amir who had hitherto held him in high esteem promised him deliverance and restoration to his former dignity and honour ifhe only apparently recanted his belief before the people, holding privately any opinion he liked, but Maulvi Abdul Latif was too noble to make such a mock confession, and he replied like a true hero, ‘I will not barter my faith for my life.” So he was stoned to death before the whole city of Kabul, the Amir being himself among thoso who cast stones at him. Abdul Latif nobly laid down his life for his faith and his murder was immedia‘*ly followed by a severe outbreak of cholera in the city which in a few days swept off thousands of the inhabi- tants. What further punishment tho murder of the holy man and that of his disciple, Abdur Rahman, by the late Amir, may bring down on Kabul is known to God alone. Thus, as the tradition said, a holy soul witha brother of his was murdered at Kabul and the fulfilment of this prophecy of the Holy Prophet served as a sign of the truth of Ahmad. It should also be remembered that the murder of these disciples was also predicted by Ahmad about a quarter of a contury before the occurrence in his work the Barahin‘i-Ahmadiyya, which contained the following revelation of God: y ly di GU which means that two sheep shall be” slaughtered. ‘Thus the death of these two martyrs served as a double sign of the truth of Ahmad, inasmuch as their death not only fulfilled the prophecy of the Holy Prophet but also the. Word of God revealed356 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September to Ahmad about 25 years before these occurrences. The heroic way in which both theso martyrs laid down their lives for the sako of their faith constitutes an additional evidence of the truth of Ahmad, for it reveals the strong faith with which Ahmad had inspired them. Peace to the asaes of these two heroic martyrs! (g.) Besides the cries referred to above, mention is made in the traditions of other cries before and after the appearanco of the Mahdi. . The following are somo of the traditions ;— 1. A crier shall ery from the heavens in the namo of the Mahdi, and all thoso that aro in the East and all thoso that aro in the West shall hear it. (Hujaj-ul-Karamah page 345, and Iqtirab-us-Saah, page 67.) 2, Abu Nuaim and Khatecb narrato the following tradition :— * Thero shall be an angel on the head of the Mahdi and he shall cry, ‘ This is the caliph of God, tho Mahdi; 6 listen to him and cboy him.” 3. Abu Nuaim quotes another tradition to the following. ‘effect -— « Tho cloud shall over-shadow him (the Mahdi) and a crier from the cloud shall cry, “Chis is the Mahdi, the caliph of .God, obey him? And a hand shall como out of the cloud and shall point to the Mahdi.” All these cries only mean that God shall bear testimony to tho truth of the, Mahdi by. his: revelation. God did, send His Word. to.the Mahdi, promising him His aid‘and foretelling great events of the future, the fulfilment ‘of which ‘proved ‘the truth of Abmad and thus'the’ Word of God when fulfilled served:1908.) ‘THN MAHDI. 337 as a heavenly testimony in favour of Ahmad. Ahmad published mighty prophecies which bore witness to his truth by their fulfilment, Al in the East and all in tho West heard theso heavenly cries, for his revelations were published in all parts of tho world. God had already provided means for the convey- ing of the mossago of Ahmad to the ends of tho globe, a privilego which was only vouchsafed to the Promised Mahdi. Ho was weak and alono but God assisted him and gave him a large party. of Islam, frustrating all the designs of his numerous adversaries, and this was tho hand of God that is referred to jn the traditions as appearing in the heavens and pointing, to tho Mahdi. ‘There was also a cry bofore the appearance of Ahmad. The timo bofore his appearanco was marked by a general expocta- tation of the Mahdi and many being inspired by God prophesiod the near approach of the Mahdi. This I havo already detailed under tho ‘Time of the Mahdi’s appearance” (is) There is also evidence in tho traditions to show that tho Mahdi would appear under a peaceful government. For it is said that in his day groat peace shall reign in the country, so much so, that the goat and tho lion shall drink together at the same fountain. Hakim roports a tradition which says g Yel) gi lY) y* G, icy even the cattlo, sheep and goais shall be safe from the wild, beasts in the days of the Mahdi. This romarkable protection of the weak against the strong is only one of the numerous blessings of the British Government. Compare this reign with the former Feigns, ¢.g., with that of the Sikhs of the Punjab, or compare it with all other governments which aro in the hands of others than the children of tho Queon of Islands, and you will be impressed with tho fact that the present government is a unique heavenly blossing which is without its parallel in the history of the world,358 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September eee ee ree eae and the peace which we enjoy under its benign: rule we: never, enjoyed before. (i) “The earth shall throw out its loads.” (U6 9) ils (gos 513 )) seo Hakim. The prophecy was fulfilled by the discovory of numérous mines in all parts of the world. “Loads of coal, gold, iron and-other metals that were embedded in the earth have beon unearthed in theso days and what the Holy Prophet said has been fulGlled in a vory remarkable way (j) Another sign which had to mark the advent of the Mahdi was the prevalence of apostasy among the Muhammad- ans, A tradition says, ‘Before his appearance there are dangers of the worst type. Evening shall find a man to be a believer, but the morning shall see him an apostate.” Rummage the pages of Islamic history and you will not find any period in which tho children of Muhammadans apostatised from Islam with such frequency as they have done in this age. This age alone has witnessed the fulfilment of this prophecy and thous- ands of Muhammadans have embraced Christianity. Was not this, then, the time for the appearance of the Mahdi ? (k) The froquent occurrence of earthquakes formed another sign of the advent of the Mahdi(vide Hujaj-ul-Kara- mah, pago 345, Iqtirab-as-Saah, page 67, Hadeos-ul-Ghashiya, page 349). Tho author of the Hujaj-ulKaramah says: alas} 5} g 5717 B51) O ew Je GBR) J 59} & SWS, ie., “one of the signs of the Mahdi is the frequency of earthquakes and the abundance of differences in all parts of the world, (page 345). Is not this grand prophecy clearly fulfilled in this ago? Has not this.globe been afflicted with an epidemic of earthquakes such as hrd nover afflicted it before within historic times? Is not this single sign sufficiont to prove the truth of Ahmad ? (1) Another sign which had to bear testimony to the truth1908.) ‘THE MANDI 359 __ EEE of the Mahdi was the outbreak of the plague, (vide Hadees-ul- Ghashiya, page 349). The tradition which the author of the Madeos-ul-Ghashiya quotes runs thus :— “The Mahdi must appear when there is a great danger for the people, when plague makes its appearance, and when there are earthquakes and other disasters,” (page 349}. India is particularly named as a place which will be laid waste by the epidemic, The author of the Hujaj-ul-Karamah says on page 462 81 ) G5 pet Sie (@ 54 Gi j2y) ties India shall be laid waste with a disease consisting of a boil or a gland. Tho author of the Iqtirab-us-Saah gives ‘speady death” as the sign of the latter daysin which the Mahdi had to make his appearance (page 50). ‘Death shall work havo,’ says the same writer on page 31. ‘This sign has been clearly fulfilled and agreeably to the prediction of the Holy Prophet, the plague made its appear- ance in India to testify to the truth of the claimant to Mahdiism. Who brought about all these signs? I ask the opponents of Ahmad. He proclaimed himself as the Mahdi and God boro witness to his truth by bringing to pass earthquakes, and epidemics and other signs, which He had foretold centuries pefore through His Holy Prophet, Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him. (m.) Famine was to form another sign of the advent of the Mahdi (vide the Hadees-ul-Ghashiya, page 349). ‘That this sign is also clearly fulfilled ao body can deny.. It isa: romarkable fact that most of these signs have beon particularly witnessed in India, the land of the Mahdi’s appearance. It is in India that both plague and famine have been raging for many years. Another remarkable fact about these signs is that earthquakes, famines; pestilences are also among the signs of the Promised Messiah as they are the signs of the Mahdi, thus pointing to the identity of the two. . Another fact worth’360 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September remembering in connection with earthquakes and pestilence is that they were foretold by Ahmad himself and their” occurr- once is not only in accordance with the prophecy of the Holy Prophet but also in accordance with the prophecies of Ahmad himself, thus serving as a double proof of Abmad’s truth. (n.) Pilgrimage to Mecca shall bo obstructed (vide Iqtivab-us-Saah, page 28). ‘This prophecy was also fulfilled in tho time of the Mahdi owing to tho outbreak of plague in India. ‘Tho Government of India was obliged to issuo orders by which great restrictions were imposed on tho Indian pilgrims to the Holy City. Only particular ports were open to pilgrims and the Muslims from infected areas were not free to proceed to Mecca. Every intending pilgrim was put under quarantine, This was done to prevent the spread of plague in other countries, and thus was fulfilled tho word of the Holy Prophet which said that in the latter days a check was to be put on pilgrim- ago to the Kataba, and thus one more sign was added to tho numerous signs which bore witness to the truth of Ahmad’s claims. (o.) The inhabited places shall be laid waste while un- inhabited places shall become inhabited (vide Iqtirab-us-Saah, page 89). This sign also saw a remarkable fulfilment in the day and in the land of the Mahdi. Many villages of tho Punjab were laid in ruins by the plague while numerous new ones grew up in those parts.of the Punjab which were formerly vast jungles and which were brought under cultivation. (p.) Another siga of the latter days which were to be blessed with the appearance of the Mahdi was the predomi- nance of pen, Abmad and Hakim relate a saying of the Holy Prophet in which among other signs aro mentioned the spread of commerce so much so that the wife shall assist her husband in trado, disregard of kinship, the frequent practice of bearing1908.) ‘THE MAHDI. 361 ————— false witness and holding back the truth and the predominance of pen. I need not tell the reader that each of the above signs is clearly fulfilled and this age has seen a predominance of pon such as no age had seen before. How powerful and far- reaching was the cpiritual vision of our Holy Prophot which enabled him to depict such distant events in such vivid colours! ‘What gems of prophecy lie hidden in works of tradition! No prophet ever made so many and so clear prophecies, concern- ing such long distances of time, as ox Holy Prophet did, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him. A Muslim while preaching the truth of his Holy’ Prophet need not refer his audience to past miracles, as Chvistians, Hindus and tho followers of other religions are compelled. to do while inviting the people to accept their several religions leaders. Every age witnesses fresh signs and the fulfilment of new prophecies of the Holy Prophet. This has been the case in the past, this is case now and this shall be the case to the day of judgment; nay even on the day of judgment and in the life to come, we shall see the fulfilment of the words of the Holy Prophet, and our faith in him shall always be on the increase. As this age was an important age in the history of the world, for it was to be honoured with the advent of the Mahdi, therefore, we find that a very large number of his prophecies relate to the present age. The present age is sketched in the traditions with a wonderful minuteness and detail, but I am afraid my treatment of the subject has already become rather too lengthy, and I must pass over many of the signs of the present times that wo find related in the traditions, These cannot be the fabrication of man for none but a true prophet could utter then. I will mention only a few more that have a direct bearing cn the Promised Mahdi and will bring this part of the subject to a close. (g.) “ When the Mahdi shall fight to revivo tho sunnat and362 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS, (September destroy every kind of innovation, the Mullas of the day shall say, “This man undermines our faith,’ and shail rise up against him and shall declare him to be an infidel, but their efforts ehall be of no avail ofving to tho power of his sword.” (Hujaj-ul-Karamah, page 363.) This sign was also distinctly Zulfilled, for when ‘Ahmad laid claim to Mahdiism and pointed out the errors that the lind Mullas had introduced into the holy faith of Islam, reject- ing the popular form of jehud as advocated by the Muham- ma‘lan clergy and condemning the Ghazi Mahdi as preached by the fanatic Mullas, the Maulvis of all upper India rose °up in a body against him, declaring him an infidel and Anti-Christ who had subverted tho Islamic faith and exhausting their whole vocabulary in abusing and reviling him. They even declared him a heretic who deserved to bo murdered and excited the ignorant masses against him, but the foar of the English Government and the droad of the British’ sword pre- vented thom from executing their wicked designs. They told him that if bo quitted the British Raj and went to live under* any Muslim monarcit, oven if it were at Mecca ur Medina, ho would not live a single day. Many thanks are due to God who brought the British Government from the other ond of the world so that its just laws might protect His messenger from the intrigues of his opponents. Really every protection is from God, for even under the British rule, many rafllans manage to execute their fiendish designs on their victims. So it was really God who protected the Mahdi, but it is through some means that God fulfils His purposes, and the British Government was the means through which He protected His holy messenger, thus enabling him to carry on his work peacefully, freo from all snxiety and beyond tho reach of the ruffian foe. In the words quoted above from Siddiq Hasan Khanthe sword is said to be tho Mahdi’s but that is evidently a mistake of the narrator. If the Mahdi had appeared with a sword in his hand, killing every one that opposed him, these chicken-hoarted1908.) THE MABDt 368 Mullas would never have ventured to call him an infidel and declare him to bo deserving of death. In that’ case, far from opposing him’and thus risking their lives, they would have spared no pains to fawn themselves into his favour in order to share his plunders. How could these poor Mullas, who have not the courage oven to admonish a man of some wealth and who on the other hand flatter him and try to seck his favour, have opposed the Mahdi if he had appeared with sword in one hand to kill all that withstood him, and with treasures of woalth in his other hand to deal them out among the Muham- madans of whom the priests deserved the lion’s sharo-+ The very fact that the Mahdi was to be declared an infidel -and a heretic deserving of death shows that he was not to appear in the garb in which the Muhammadan priests expected he would appear. If he had appeared in accordance with their expevtations, they would have accepted him as the true Mahdi and not declared him an heretic deserving to be murdered. ‘The true Mahdi ought to have appeared in a manner which should Wave frustrated all their hopes and disappointed them completely. And so it took place. ‘The reason of the rage of the exasperated Mullas lies in the fact that their hopes of plunder and their desires to see the infidels put to the sword havo not been realised. (r.) Another sign of the Promised Mahdi was that the people would flock to him as bees flock to their queen (vide Nseom bin Hammad). This prophecy of the Holy Prophet was also clearly fulfilled in Ahmad. People flocked to ‘him fi very distant places, and he had aly crowd of visitors. Whatis stil more remarka s with him a lange he, tiv iis days of solitude, when he was not well kuows even.tie the people of his own village owing t6 his retiring hal tho.Word of God saying, that a time would come when “peoplo , received864 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September _ would come to him from distant places so that they might well nigh tire him, but that he should receive them kindly without being vexed at their visits, and that he would receive the assistance of God and his fame would spread j everywhere. Was not this a grand prophecy? How could a solitary yesident of an obscure village prophesy that people would come to him from remote places and that God would assist’,him and publish his fame everywhere ? This was not the word,of man, put the Word of God, and this revelation of his hv published in his first work, the Barahin-i-Ahmadiyya which was written about thirty years ago when he was quite an unknown man and when no one but God Himself could tell what great future lay before him. From that very work it appears that he had no idea then that he was the Promised Messiah of the latter days, for in that work he subscribes to the generally prevailing dectrine that Jesus had ascended into the heavens alive and would come to the world in person, agreeably to the promiso given by the Holy Prophet. ‘Tho error of this belief was revealed to him later when he was informed by God that Jesus was dead like all other prophets, and that the Promised Messiah of tho last days was no other than he himself. In short, in those remote days, neither he, unaided by revelation, nor any body else could predict sueh a srreat future for him. It was evidently the word of God which gave those glad tidings to hhim in those days of uueliness. Could any other man of the. village, in that distant past, predict sucha glorious career fot him? Certainly not. And ifno other man covld predict it, how could he inimself do so, unless it were God who revealed these things to him. So we cannot help the conclusion that it was the Word of God which came to. him in those days of Joneliness. giving him the glad tidings of a great and glorious forway that layin store for him. Thus not only the prophecy $i the Holy Prophet, but also the Word: of God that came to Ahmad1908.) ‘THE MARDI. 365 himself was fulflled, and this’ sign again seived as a double proof of Ahmad’s truth. (@) Tho Mahdi’s ministry, according to the more authen- tic traditions, was to last for forty years. From his work, the- Barahin-i-Ahmadiyya, we learn that God spoke to him so far back as the year 1868 or 1869 of the Christian era, saying ‘ I will bless thee so abundantly that monarchs shall seek blessings from thy clothes.” From nearly the same date he figures as a champion of Islam, for between the years 1870-1880 he used to contribute articles to newspapers in defence of Islam. These contributions were followed by his first great work, the Barahin- i-Ahmadiyya. Thus his work in the field of Islam extends over nearly four decades, thus fulfilling the prophecy which said that the Mahdi would work for forty years. (t.) Even tho personal appearance of our beloved master corresponded to the description given in the traditions. I have already quoted a tradition which represented the Mahdi to be whcat coloured and so was our Ahmad. Again, “an open forehead, a high noso, modest cyes, an open space between the two bowshaped brows, thick beard, a slight heaviness in tho voice, and moderate stature ” were to be his distinctive physical features according to the traditions, and every one who saw Ahmad will testify that this is an exact description of the claimant to Mahdiism, may peace and the blessings of God -be upon him. After I have carried the reader along with ‘me so ‘far, I would now ask him to pause and reflect. Ahmad made his appearance at a timo wheh the advent of the Mahdi was being looked for with cager eyes. All had’ declared, the Mahdi is nigh at hand, he is‘even at’the doors. The beginning of the fourteerith century of Hejira was pitched ipon as the latest time of his appearance, Not only learned’ theologiaas but‘even inspired men had openly declared that the Mahdi must appeat366 ‘DHE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September now or never. Tho signs that had to precedo his advent- were declared to have been all fulflled. Inspired men even gavo tho place and the date of his appearance, and some gavo even his name. The Icarned longed to live long enough to see the Dlossed features of the Mahdi, and the dying enjoined upon their children to convey their respects to the Mahdi when ho made his appearance. Ahmad appeared in a village named in the traditions of tho Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet said he would appear at a village named Kada or Kadia, and Ahmad appeared at Kédi, Again he appeared in a land to the cast of Arabia, as the Holy Prophet had said. Ho was the righteous man from the east whose advent was promised by Isiah. He appeared in a land which was the scene of a great religious war, where tho Mahdi ought to have made his appearance as a champion of Tslam, as one who had to represent Islam in the great contest of religions. He appeared where his presonce was urgently needed. Again, Abmad did not come alone, ho camo with all his signs. In the very land where he appeared, the promised star made its appearance in the heaven. The promised fire illumi- nated the eastern horizon. High up in the heavens, both tho luminaries suffered an eclipse ia the holy month of Ramazan on the dates prescribed to bear silent witness to the truth of tho claimant on the earth. Tho earth was shaken with mighty carthquakes and beautiful cities were laid in ruins so that what was uttered by the prophets of yoro might be fulfilled. ‘Tho earth shook that those who lived on it might be roused from their slumber and know tho prophet that had mado his appearance on the earth, A virulént.plague broke out in the very. land where-Ahmad was horn,so that it might fulfil. the word~ which God had revealed to the:Holy Prophet of Arabia and to tho1908.) ‘THE MANDI. 367 nn prophets that had gone before him, and lastly that it might fulfil the word which God had revealed to Ahmad himself. ‘Thora was apostatising among the Muhammadans such as was nover witnessed before. A crier cried in the city of Lahoro whon the day was drawing to its close, as the Holy Prophet had predicted, that such and such a roan was murdered unjustly; that was a trying time for the Muhammadans, particularly for Abmad and his followers, for their houses were searched, and suspicion was laid on them and there were arrests which resulted in acquittal. The people wondered, but their wonder was over when they were reminded that the murder had taken place jn fulfilment of the cry of an angel that had come to tho Mahdi in Ramazan asking where Lekh Ram was-- There was also a dispute between the followers of Muhammad, may poace and tie blessings of God be on him, and the follow- crs of Jesus. Tho representatives of the evil one cried that truth lay on the side of'the Christiars, but tho word of God, that came to the Mahdi through angels, said the truth was on tho side of the followers of Muhammad. This took place so that the world might witness the fulfilment of another sign of tho Mahdi. Inced not go on enumorating these signs. I have already given some of them and they suffice to prove that the Mahdi came with his signs. Now contrast this claimant with tho pretenders that passed before him. They put forward their claims, but God showed no sign in their favour. The end of all was a total failure. Somé recanted their claims, some diod in prisons, some were put to the sword, and “some were visited with divine punishmout. Eack, of them met tho fate of a true impostor. ‘They were annihilated and with them {vas annihilated their work, if they had commenced any.’ The fate of theso impostors makes the truth of Ahmad shino with greator lustre. He came and lived like tru prophets. Wlion “ho put forward his claim, there ‘aroso a'storm of opposition against him. The Muhammadans were expecting a warlike368 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September eee Mahdi, and they could not accept an almost nameless resident ofan obscure village as the Promised Mahdi. They expected a Fatimite, and they could not accept a non-Fatimite. They looked to Mecca as the place of his appearance, and they could not listen toa voice which came from any other place. So the rago of the Muhammadans knew no bounds when they heard a humble man from among themselves claiming not only to be tho Mahdi, but also the Promised Mossiah, thus comoining in himself what the Muhaimadans had beer helioving to be two differont personalities. So his claims startled tho Muhammadans. Every thing turned out to be against their expectations. ‘Thus Ahmad hada very difficult task before him; he had to face difficulties which no human effort could surmount. There was no one to sympathise with him. He stood alone while all around him raged a violent storm of opposition. He met with an opposition which no other claimant had met with. What was the secret of this difference? The secret is not far to seek. Though other claim- ants did not come with signs, yet they had one ching,with which they were able to enlist the sympathies of some, if not ‘all, the Muhammadans. They generally came with a sword and invited the Muhammadans to join them in a jehad against tho infidels. Some openly joined them, others wished them every success, or at least did not dislike them. It was for this reason that a letter from a general of the Soudaneso Mahdi found its way into a work which ‘hough purporting to be written py Siddiq Hasan Khan’s son, is believed to havo been written py that eminent theolggian himself. The. letter was not only published but even was favourably commented on. That was ‘because the-Soudanese Mahdi came with a sword and invited the Muhammadans to join in a general jehad against the infidels.” When the letter referred to above was published in India, the writer of the work in which it was published added ‘thd remask that no doubt that was tho business of the PromisedMahdi. Why was it that the Maulvies of India published Jatioae of heresy against Ahmad and almost boiled with rage, hut published no fatwa against the pseudo-Mahdi of Soudan? Tho reason was that the Mahdi of Kadidn did not invite them to ajekad, but on the other hand prohibited them from it and condemned the doctrines of a Ghazi Mahdi and a religious jehad. In short, Ahmad was exactly the opposite of what the Muhammadans oxpected. They saw none of their hopes realized. inthim. Qn the other hand, they found all their long cherished theories upset. In every thing Ahmad went against them. So the Muhammadans not only denounced him as an infidel, an Anti-Christ, a heretic, but,like the mushriks 0’ Mecca, did all they could to destroy him. Under these circumstances no one could predict succoss for Ahmad. With nothing in his hand that might be acceptable to the Muhammadans, with all his doctrines subverting every belief that was long cherished by the Muslims, and with a terrible cyclone of opposition encir- cling him on all sides, Ahmad, in the eyes of the beholder, was doome? to certain failure. And a failure he would have een, if he had becn an impostor. But he was not such. The first proof of his not being an impostor was that he challenged all the spurious but favourite doctrines of the Muhammadans. Had he been an impostor, his first concern ought to have been to try to seek favour with the Muhammadan masses and their priests by advocating their favourite theories. But instead of doing so, he set to work to demetish every thing that the hands of the Muslim clergy had been busy in constructing since the days of the Holy Prophet and to erect quite a new. puilding in its place, single-handed and amidst the showers of stones hurled at his head by the infuriated Mullah¢ from all sides» Ho witha strong hand romoved every thing’ spurious that had found its way into Islam, replacing it by the true teachings of the Holy Prophet. So the very fact'that instead of trying to win the favowr of tho Mullas by accepting their inno-370 ‘Tie REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September a vations, he rebuked them like a true prophet, little caring for their furious opposition. That showed that he did not count on human aid but that God was his sole support. Again, the Muhammadans were not the only people that were his bitter enemies, but his plain speaking had alienated tho sympathies of every other people. The Christians found in him a formidable adversary. He emphatically denied all those peculi- arities which other Muhammadans attributed to Jesus. Unlike his co-religionists, he declared Jesus to be dead like all: other prophets. The beliefs held by other Muhammadans_ with respect to Jesus were most flattering to the Christians, for they admitted many peculiarities in Jesns which wero not shared by any other prophet, not even by the Holy Prophet. He rejected all these peculiarities, bringing Jesus down to the level of ordinary prophets and himself claimed to be the Messiah of the last days. Besides, he subjected Christianity to a criticism. to which it was nover subjected before. This made the Chris- tians his bitter encmics, and their feclings towards him may be judged from the fact that some of them even wied.fo get rid of him by concocting a case of abetment of murder against him. The death of Lekh Ram in accordance with the prophecy of Ahmad and the latter's unsparing exposure of some of the ‘Arya Samajic doctrines exasperated the Arya Samaj, while his claim to be the Promised Krishna of the latter days caused the yest of the Hindus to turn against him. ‘The feelings of the Sikhs could be anything but friendly to him when we consider the fact that he proved their Guru to be a follower of the Holy Prophet, with arguments which they could not deny. In short, his love of truth and his exposure of error wherever he found it alienated the sympathies of every people and he was literally alone, without a friend and without an ally. Under theso ciicamstances, when his doctrines were unwelcome even to his1908.) ‘THE MAHDI. 81 ey own co-religionists and when a sea of opposition was surging all around him, failure would certainly have been his lot, if he had been an impostor. Can the reader think that a liar could prosper under the circumstances described above? But the olforts of Ahmad were crowned with a unique success. From those very Muslims whom he had startled with his new doc- tuines and whose priests spared no pains in bringing about his yuin and in exciting the masses against him, he won over to his side 400,000 men from all ranks of society, from the most highly educated and enlightened to the most illiterate peasant. ‘Thoso became his devoted followers and were so lost in his love that the cruelest persecution could not sever them from their master. Apart from those who openly entered his fold, he converted to his views many other Muhammadans who though not accepting his claims, relinquished many of their old views and adopted instead the pure doctrines preached by the Mahdi. This success of his under the most unfavourable cir- cumstances was indeed miraculous. What was the secret of this success? Though he did not come with forces as the Muhartimadans expected, yet he came with a host of heavenly signs, mighty prophecios and irresistable arguments; and these conquered the hearts of men. This conquest of hearts could only be brought about by a true prophet. To be continued.372 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September Life of Muhammad, the Four- der of Islam. * The short biography of tho great Prophet of Arabia which has just been issued in Urdu by Mr. Prakash Deva of the Lahore Brahmo Samaj is, notwithstanding its brevity, aunique work is somo respects. Of ‘all the biographies of the Holy Prophet written by non-Muslims, Mr, Prakash Deva’s work is one which can be read from beginning to end by a Muslim without having the occasion to complain that religious prejudice has carried the writer away from facts. In historical accuracy this booklet may unhesitatingly be placed above many erudite and larger works. The life of a great man can never be instructive unless it is written ina broad and sympathetic spirit, and though this spirit is displayed to some extent in many of the apologetic works of Christian writers on Islam, yet we think Mr. Prakash Deva excels them all in this respect. Wo heartily récommend this book to the Urdu-knowing public and especially to our Hindu countrymen who in spite of being our next door neigh- bours are wonderfully ignorant of the history of Islam. * Swanih Umri. Hacrat Muhammad Sahib, Bani-i-lslam, by Deva can be had from the Brahma Dharm Parchay Office, for 5 annas,1908.) AN IMPORTANT MANIFESTO. 373 An Important Manifesto by The head of the Ahmadiyya Community. Obey God and obey the Apostle and those in authority amongst you. (Alquran, IV +62.) I take this opportunity to draw the attention of the whole Ahmadiyya community to an important point in the teachings of the holy founder of the Ahmadiyya movement. Loyalty and faithfulness to Government was made a matter of such essential importance in the teachings promulgated by its late leader that there is hardly a writing of his in which stress is not laid upon this point. He not only gave general exhortations to his follow- ers to remain loyal citizens and faithful subjects, reiterating the blessings of the British rule, and reminding them of the Quranic injunction which says: “Is aught but goodness the reward of goodness,” but he further purified their hearts of all ideas of mischief and disturbance against this Government by impressizg upon them the erroncousness of the two doctrines, one relating to Jehad and the other relating to the advent of a Ghazi Mahdi, i.c., a Mahdi who should make Jehad the means of spreading the faith of Islam, doctrines which lend support to each other. In the unrest which was brought about last year by certain agitation-mongers, the founder of this movement jssued an important exhortation, strongly advocating loyalty and faithfulness to the Government and enjoining upon his followers to sever all connections with all those* who preached scdition and disloyalty and to exert their influence for tho suppression of disaffection. In this exhortatior which was jssued on the 7th May 1907, he wrote the following important words to which T again wish to draw the attention of all true Ahmadis :— “AsIsee that in these days ignorant and mischievous persons, mostly from among the Hindus and somo also from37 EE among the Muhammadans, are making an agitation against the Government which savours of sedition, and I fear that thece disturbances may at some time assume the form of open acts of insurrection, I deom it necessary at this juncture to emphati- ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September cally enjoin all my followers who are scattered all over the Punjab and India, and whose number has now reached hund- reds of thousands, that they should keep in mind the teachings which, orally as well as in writing, I have been impressing upon them for nearly twenty-six years.’ The essence of these teachings is that they should faithfully obey the British Govern- mont, for this Government is our.great benefactor .. ae Bear in mind then and remember well that no one who hides in his heart any seditious idea against this Government can be called my follower. I consider it a great villainy that we should not be grateful to a Government which is the means of saving us from our cruel perseeutors and under whose benign protection this movement is making a rapid progress.” With such clear and forcible injunctions to guide you, my friends, there was no need that I should have issued any further directions, but unfortunately political circumstances in this country have taken such a turn that I think it necessary to draw your attention to‘the exhortations of our.late leader. The danger which he had foreseen has begun to manifest itself and in Bengal it appears in the rise of an Anarchist movement which aims to carry out its evil designs by the manufacture and throwing of bombs. But the Government has been in- formed in time of their anarchic designs and many men havo een arrested. Personally I view these mischievous designs with the greatest horror and condemn such doings as the blackest deeds of which any human being can be guilty, and I peliove that the same view is held by every member of this community whose leader pronounced in clear words that any ‘ono who was guilty of hiding in his heart any seditious idea against this Government could not ‘be called his follower. I,1908.) AN IMPORTANT MANIFESTO. 875 therefore, once again enjoin in the most emphatic words all members of the Ahmadiyya community in general, and such members as live in the province of Bengal in particular, that they should shun the company of all such mischievous and seditious people and sever their connections even with those persons whose ideas savour of sedition in the least, and so far as it lies in their power, thoy should bring the entertainers of all evil designs against the Government to the notice of the authorities. There is another point I wish to mention in this connection" There are newspapers in India which are either openly preach- ing sedition or inciting the public against the Government and its high officials. I enjoin upon my followers not to subscribe to or in any way support. such papers, and not to show any sympathy for the seditious writers who are being punished for their seditious writings, for expression of sympathy with them is nothing but wishing evil for the peace of the country. I know that there are people who think that the offence of preac!.iug sedition aguinst the Government is not a heinous crime, but such people are clearly in error and, no doubt, pro- mote the spread of seditious ideas« ‘Io excite disaffection against the Government and to spread seditious ideas is not only an attempt against the Gevernment established by law in the country, but is really a step directed against the peace and freedom of the country itself. Such people are the enemies of their country, though they might pose to be its well-wishers. Bear in mind also that Islam condemns all kinds of secret societies, as the Holy Quran says! yy Want) ) ya us gat) bei) & Verily secret societies are satanical.”? And again it says: “O ye who believe! when you hold private converse together, converse not with wickedness and hate and disobedience towards the Apostle, but let your privato converse be with justice and the fear of God,” (Iviii: 10,11). ‘These are plain injunctions,376 ‘THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS. (September i a contained in the Holy Quran which prohibit the Muslims from joining secret societies such as those which have been discovered as carrying on the manufacture of bombs in secret, and everyone who calls himself a Muhammadan should act upon. the words of the Holy Book. Bear in mind also that our Holy Prophet, who is truly our mas- ter and lord and every one of whose words and directions we are ‘bound to obey and follow, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, has, in the different phases of his life which were led under different governments, given us an example as to how to lead our lives under a non-Muslim Government. Nay, the Holy Prophet and his companions had even to lead their lives in a lawless city like Mecca for thirteen years and it is wonder- ful how peacefully they lived even under such circumstances. ‘When he saw that the persecutions of the enemy wore becoming unbearable and the tortures which were inflicted upon his companions were more than man could bear he advised them to fly to a country which was ruled by a Christian monarch. There was no doubt a hint in this that his followers would at any future time have to live under a Christian Government, and the manner in which the companions passed their lives under the Christian king of Abyssinia serves as an example tous as to how we should live under our present rulers. In the conduct of the companions we have guiding rules for our own conduct under the British Government in India. Bear in mind also that the holy founder of this movement has clearly taught us the principles we should follow in nearly eighty writings which he has left for our guidarce and in giving these teachings he was not actuated by any motive other than truth and sincerity. So do not depart from the teachings of the founder of this movement and the ways pointed out by the Holy Prophet and his coin- panions and follow the guidance of the Holy Quran. Qavian: Ist September; 1908.) NUR-UD-DIN.