The Green Announcement — Page 4
4 light of Divine revelation. 3 It is true that in my an- nouncement of 20 th February 1886 the above mentioned qualities were attributed to a future child, in general terms and without being very specific, but nowhere did I write that these qualities applied to the particular boy who would be born on 7 th August 1887. In fact, the announce- ment does not even specify the time or date of the child’s birth. It is, therefore, the height of obstinacy and dishon- esty to say that the announcements specified the deceased child as the bearer of these qualities. I have all those an- nouncements in my possession, and I believe most of my readers have them also; if they can read them again they will be able to better judge for themselves. Upon the birth of the boy who is now deceased, I received 3 The announcement of 8 th April 1886, was as follows; "A boy will be born very soon, within the nine-month period of a pregnancy and no longer than that. It has, however, not been made clear to me whether this is the [promised] boy or whether he will be born later within the stipulated nine-year period. " See the announcement of 8 th April 1886, printed at Chashma-e-Fai d Q a dr i Press, Bat a la. The text of the announcement of 7 th August 1887, is as follows: "Readers! I give you the good news that the boy whose birth I had prophesized in the announcement of 8 th April 1886 came into this world on 16 th Zil-Qa‘ad, or 7 th August. " See the announcement of 7 th August 1887, printed at Victoria Press, Lahore. Now, is there even a hint in any of the three announcements—which Lekh Ram of Pesh a war has so eagerly quoted—that the deceased boy would be the Promised Reformer and blessed with a long life? Think and reflect! [Author]