An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam — Page 296
296 Background It is a remarkable and gigantic work in Arabic by the Promised Messiah as which was prompted by devious tricks of P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h. In his challenge issued on July 20, 1900, the Promised Messiah as wanted to put at rest various insinuations against him about his lack of knowledge of Arabic language. He invited all so-called scholars and ulema ’ specially P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h to demonstrate their eloquence and fluency of Arabic by participating in a seven-hour live contest of writing a commentary in high flown Arabic on 40 verses on a s u rah selected through drawing a lot at a public meeting in Lahore where all should gather including the Promised Messiah as. This was an open challenge to all and none dared to pick up this challenge. Then one day without notifying or accepting the challenge as put forward, P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h arrived in Lahore, and imposing condition on this contest, he tried to mislead his own followers that he was in Lahore and the man who held out the challenge is not there. Not only that he and his followers trumpeted their self-styled victory and heaped abuses on the Promised Messiah as for running away from the field. The Promised Messiah as was compelled to put the record straight and issued another flyer dated December 15, 1900, which is included in Arba ‘ i n No. 4 to expose the shallow knowledge of Arabic of P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h. The Promised Messiah as listed a very simple method, he invited P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h to write in Arabic on which as he claimed had complete command by adducing arguments to refute his divine claim and write a commentary on s u rah F a t ih ah in eloquent and fluent Arabic. The Promised Messiah as on his part promised to write a commentary on s u rah F a t ih ah in Arabic language. Further the Promised Messiah as gave permission to P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h to invoke and enlist the help of any or all leading Arab scholars even professors