An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam — Page 297
297 of Arabic language and invite them to Lahore to assist him in this venture. The Promised Messiah as pointed out this was to be done within 70 days and not a day beyond. Three well known Arabic scholars be invited to adjudge and pass judgement on the command, eloquence and fluency of both these writings and if P i r sahib’s entry is adjudged better, then he would give Rs. 500 in prize money and he would burn all books and take an oath of allegiance at his hand and if things happen otherwise and he could not write the commentary in 70 days then he was not interested, it would only expose how a P i r could speak such a vicious lie. The Book I‘j a zul-Mas ih is an elegant commentary in Arabic spread over 200 pages on the first chapter of the Holy Quran. It was posted to P i r Mehar ‘Al i Sh a h on February 23, 1901. This book - the product of a unilateral challenge - is a work of high literary merit, and it is a standing reproach upon the so-called learned divines whose entire scholarship was confined to declaring the Promised Messiah as an infidel and bereft of the knowledge of the Holy Quran. It would be wrong to suppose that they were utterly ignorant of the Arabic language, for they had been writing leaflets and delivering lectures and speeches against the Promised Messiah as and concocted all sorts of plans against him. They left no stone unturned in persecuting him and tried their utmost to destroy him. The only possible explanation for their silence was the fact that they were stricken dumb by God, Who wanted to give the Promised Messiah as a decisive victory over the forces of evil. And it was very appropriately named as I‘j a zul-Mas ih , for what could be a greater miracle of the Promised Messiah as than the graveyard silence gripping the Mull a hs of India. It was a unique honour conferred upon him by God in fulfilment of His promise through a revelation on September 14, 1899, that the pens of all his opponents would stand paralysed and they themselves be the witnesses