Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 106
106 AHMADIYY AT months he had not changed his attitude towards Islam. The only response that Athim made was that he wrote in the Noor Afshan (a Christian paper) of 10 October that it was not permissible for him to take an oath except in the course of a judicial proceeding, as his religion did not allow him to take an oath on any other occasion. He confessed that he had been afraid of death during the period of fifteen months as he apprehended that Ahmad, or any of his followers, might make an attempt to kill him. Ahmad issued still another leaflet on 27 October in which he emphatically denied that he or any of his followers were in any way concerned to bring about Athim's death and raised the amount of the award that he had offered to Athim to Rs 4,000. He also explained that it was not against the teachings of Christianity to take an oath in the name of God. He further wrote that God would not leave Athim long unpunished even ifhe did not take the oath because he had tried to deceive the world by his silence and refusal to take the oath. The Noor Afshan of I 3 September 1895 published an article in which it pointed out that twelve months had passed and Athim was still alive. In answer to this article Ahmad issued a leaflet in which he explained that no time limit had yet been declared for A thims' s death as he had not yet taken the required oath. In December 1895, a Christian missionary, Fateh Masih, said to a friend of Ahmad that Athim did not come forward to take the oath because Ahmad had only a handful of followers. Ahmad at once issued a leaflet in which he asked Fateh Masih how many people should urge Athim to take the oath. If he wanted a petition signed by one, two, three, or four thousand Muslims, Ahmad would arrange it immedia- tely, provided Athim could be persuaded to take the oath. But nothing came of it. Within less than seven months of the issue of this last leaflet Athim died at Ferozepur, where he was buried. The repeated efforts of Ahmad, and even of some of the colleagues of Athim, to persuade him to take the required oath failed to