Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 84
84 AHMADIYY AT representatives presented a copy of the Promised Messiah's book Ayena Kamalat Islam to Sahibzada Abdul Latif, who was deeply impressed by its perusal and conceived great respect and affection for its author. After the Commission had concluded its work Sahibzada Abdul Latif established contact with the Promised Messiah through some of his disciples, whom he sent from time to time to Qadian and who reported back to him and brought back with them the latest books, pamphlets and announce- ments of the Promised Messiah. Among these disciples of Sahibzada Abdul Latif was Maulvi Abdur Rahman who visited Qadian several times as his emissary. In December 1900 the Sahibzada despatched his covenant of Ba'iat to the Promised Messiah, together with some robes through Maulvi Abdur Rahman and some other disciples. At that time in view of the agitation that had been set afoot in the Frontier areas against the British and which was described by the Mullas as Jehad, in consequence of which several British officers had been treacherously murdered, the Promised Messiah issued some pamphlets condemning such activities and set forth the correct ~eachings of Islam on the question ofJehad. Maulvi Abdur Rahman studied the pamphlets and, having fully grasped their import, gave expression to the views set forth in them on his return to Kabul. This was brought to the notice of Amir Abdur Rahman, the then ruler of Afghanis- tan, who was greatly incensed and directed the arrest and incarceration of Maulvi Abdur Rahman. In the middle of 1901 Maulvi Abdur Rahman was strangled to death in his cell at the instance of the Amir. He thus became the first martyr from among the followers of the Promised Messiah. Through his martyrdom a portion of the revelation 'Two goats would be slaughtered', which had been vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah several years earlier, was fulfilled. A few weeks after the assassination of Maulvi Abdur Rahman, on 10 September 1901, Amir Abdur Rahman suf-