Basics of Religious Education — Page 251
251 251 251 251 251 B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION a public announcement that he had been divinely appointed as the Promised Messiah and that Jesus Christ who had died as prophet and as a human being will not reappear physically. To make his proclamation, the Promised Messiah as published two small booklets called ‘ Fath-e-Islam ’ and ‘ Taudeeh Maraam ’ in the year 1891. The publication of these two booklets started a campaign of bitter opposi- tion against the Promised Messiah throughout India. This debate took place in Ludhiana between the Promised Messiah as and Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi. In this debate the Promised Messiah as proved that the Holy Qur’an took priority over the Hadith or sayings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, but his opponent Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi took the opposite view. However, he was clearly defeated in his contest with the Promised Messiah as. The actual debate was in fact about the life and death of the Jesus Christ ra , but Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi was not prepared to get to the real topic of this debate and this led to his great humiliation. The Promised Messiah as has recorded the detail of this debate in an important book called Izaala Auhaam. Towards the end of the year 1891, the Promised Messiah as invited all the religious divines and scholars to compete with him, in receiving favours from God in selected matters, because God favoured only that person who is truthful in his claim to be the Reformer of the Age. When various religious scholars realized that they were neither able to com- pete with the Promised Messiah as in the field of religious arguments nor were they able to compete with the Promised Messiah as in receiving divine favours to prove their truth then they secured a decree ( fatwah) of disbelief from two hundred Maulvis, against the Promised Messiah as , which was in fact filled with abusive language. Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi was the leader of this group of Maulvis who produced this decree of disbelief. No decent person would find it pos- sible to read such abusive language as is contained in this document. The Debate of Ludhiana (July 20, 1891) A Divine Invitation and a Decree of Disbelief from the `Ulema 7. 1 7. 1 7. 1 7. 1 7. 1 P P P P P ROMISED ROMISED ROMISED ROMISED ROMISED M M M M M E S S I A H E S S I A H E S S I A H E S S I A H E S S I A H AS AS AS AS AS A N D A N D A N D A N D A N D S S S S S U C C E S S O R S U C C E S S O R S U C C E S S O R S U C C E S S O R S U C C E S S O R S — P — P — P — P — P ROMISED ROMISED ROMISED ROMISED ROMISED M M M M M E S S I A H E S S I A H E S S I A H E S S I A H E S S I A H AS AS AS AS AS