Fulfilment of a Grand Prophecy - Hazrat Ahmad’s Challenge to John Alexander Dowie — Page 46
48. Fulfillment of a Grand Prophecy. I give him the gold tidings that the Messiah has already appeared. I am the Messiah, and the. Almighty God has shown numerous signs from earth as well as from heaven in my support. My following which already claims 100,000 souls is making rapid progress. "The proof that Dr. Dowie furnishes in support of his extravagant claims is the very height of absurdity. He claims to have healed hundreds of sick men. But why did his healing power fail in the case of his own daughter, where it should have been exercised in the highest degree?". The Indian claimant is harmless sort of a fellow, and he doesn't desire to shed any blood in his duel. . He believes he can settle his dispute with Dowie with no more serious consequences than the death of himself or his rival. "Whether the God of Muhammadan or the God of Dowie is the true God may be settled without the loss of millions of lives, which Dr. Dowie's prediction would involve. " Writes the Punjab man. "That method is that, without threatening the. Muhammadan public in general with destruction, he should choose me as his opponent and pray to God of us two whoever is the liar may perish first. I look upon the Son of Mary as a weak human being, although I recognize him as the prophet of God, while Dr. Dowie taken him for the Lord of the universe. *. Which of us is right is the real point at issue. If. Dr. Dowie is certain of the divinity of the Son of. Mary, h should publish the proposed prayer with the signatures of at least a thousand men affixed to it. . Upon receiving it, I should address the same prayer to Almighty God and publish it with the signatures of the same number of witnesses. "If Dr. Dowie has the courage to accept this challenge, he will open a way for all other Christians to the acceptance of the truth. In making this proposal I have not taken the initiative; but the jealous God has inspired me upon Dr. Dowie's presumptuous prediction that all Muhammadans shall perish. ". Before the Oriental gets through with the prophet of the North shore he tells him a few other interesting little things about the Savior that are not generally known outside of Punjab and the adjacent provinces. "An important discovery regarding Jesus Christ has been made by the followers. Jesus did not die upon the Cross, but was taken down alive and senseless. Subsequently, the Son of Mary recovered, traveled eastward, and lived to a good old age. His tomb is situated in Khanyar Street at Srinagar,. Cashmere. ". Dowie probably will not accept the Indian. Messiah's challenge for some time to come. His prayers are taken for months ahead and he is so busy getting ready for his Christianization of Gothim that he isn't paying any particular attention to Punjabian of any caste, be they . . . in old overcoats and white broaches. . If Mirza Ghulam Ahmad takes into his head to come to this country and board the prophet in his own land office, he will find that Dowie hasn't been waiting at any time fooling with other Messiahs. He will find instead that Dowie has been engineering town-lot booms and directing the program of the collection takers between prayers. He will find a few stores where he can buy a new coat and a decentlooking hat, if he has the money, and he will find a hotel where he may sleep if he does not neglect the. Zion City cash drawer. . But Mirza will not find a warm welcome if he comes. Dowie isn't inviting any rival prophets or. Messiahs. He doesn't want any sideshows, and, what is more, he never would listen to the Easterner's proposition, for Mirza insists upon writing the prayer. . The Zionites fear there is some sort of a hidden trick in this very proposition, and they declare they know the doctor won't have anything to do with the plan. . At any rate, over in Punjab Dowie will be discredited if he does not enter the duel. But there are not many Hindoos in the Dowie flock, so, in the long run, it doesn't make much difference. But the question is not one of what the followers think about it. It is, who is a liar?. Will Dowie fight it out?