Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 177
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 177 from first to last have appeared in Asia and the excellences of sainthood have also been bestowed on the people of Asia. It would now appear that God Almighty desires to look upon the people of the West with mercy [Izala Auham, p. 516]. Though the Promised Messiah was not fully conversant with English he received many revelations in English, which was an indication that Islam was now about to be propagated in English-speaking countries. One of these revelations was: 'I will give you a large party of Islam'; which also indicated that God Almighty would establish large Muslim communi- ties in the West. In the late 1880s he addressed letters to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, Mr W. E. Gladstone and Prince Bismarck, inviting them to the study of the principles and teachings of Islam and its acceptance, as mentioned at page 102 of Izala Auham. In 1897 he submitted a well-reasoned brochure to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her diamond jubilee, which he named Tohfah Qaisariyyah, and followed it up with another communication which he designated the Star of India. In both these brochures he expounded the teachings of Islam and invited the Queen-Empress to accept Islam. On 15 January 1901 he announced the publication of a monthly journal bearing the title of Review of Religions, which was very ably edited for several years by Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, M. A. This journal was welcomed and appreciated both in Britain and in the United States of America. For instance, The Crescent of Liverpool wrote in 1903: This issue of the Review of Religions is full of interesting articles. It contains a very learned refutation of the objections that the ignor- ant Christians are in the habit of raising against the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace be on him. We have not so far come across anything so well written on this subject as this article. Mr Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb, the first Ameri- can Muslim, wrote: I am sure this journal will prove a powerful instrument for direct-