Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 2
2 AHMADIYY AT the forces of anarchy in the Punjab. This phase continued during the reigns of Muhammad Shah, Shah Alam and Alamgir II. From the Imperial despatches that. were addressed to him it appears that Mirza Faiz Muhammad had repeatedly warned the authorities at Delhi of the dangers that loomed ahead and appealed for assistance in containing the forces of disorder and rebellion. He was given promises of support but received no concrete aid. He continued his struggle for the maintenance of the Imperial authority in his surrounding area but with declining success. The Punjab was being torn up between rival petty chieftains who defied the Imperial authority with impunity. Mirza Gul Muhammad, who pos- sessed considerable ability, consolidated his authority over a tract of land which comprised eighty-five villages and became in effect a ruler of his small estate. He was a person of great piety and benevolence and was a patron of learning. He held his own against rival chieftains with the help of a small force. He was very open-handed and students and scholars flocked to him in large numbers and were maintained by him. He was, however, fighting a losing battle against the forces of disorder around him and the Imperial authority was being rapidly displaced by the Sikhs, particularly in the central districts of the Punjab. . Mirza Gul Muhammad was succeeded by his son, Mirza Ata Muhammad, who was pressed hard by the Sikhs and lost control of the surrounding villages. His authority was con- fined in the end to Qadian itself which in effect became a besieged fortress. About 1802 the Sikhs ofRamgarh managed to make their way into Qadian through treachery, and Mirza Ata Muhammad and the members of his family were all made prisoners. Everything was looted, mosques and other buildings were pulled down, and one of the mosques was turned into a Sikh temple, and such it remains to this day. The library of the family containing a large number of valuable books and manuscripts was burned down. A number of people were killed but the members of the family were spared and were expelled from Qadian. They moved,