An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam — Page 6
6 challenging job to find Muslim readers on the one hand, and representatives of other religions who could read the book, on the other hand. Addresses were collected and circulars and leaflets were produced in English also. There was no one at Qadian who could do the translation. For this purpose, a special messenger had to be sent to Amritsar or Lahore to contact somebody who knew English. Hadrat Ahmad as completed his manuscript in May 1879, which was around two thousand five hundred pages, but when he took up the printing, he decided to undertake the publication of a portion only of the original manuscript. As soon as the fourth part was printed in 1884, Hadrat Ahmad as sent the preliminary notice of the book with a letter under registered cover to well-known Christians and also to Brahm u Sam a jists, A ryah Sam a jists, Naturalists, Ruling Princes, P i rs and divines. This letter was to the effect that the author had been commissioned by God to regenerate mankind through meekness and humility, which characterised the way of Jesus Christ. For this purpose, he had written and published a book, reference to which would be found in the circular: Islam is the only perfect religion, and the Holy Quran is the actual Word of God. The truth, it was urged, could be tested by anyone who was prepared to come to Qadian and to stay with the author for one year as a seeker after truth. The expenses of staying of the seeker of truth would be borne by Hadrat Ahmad as. The Book The first part is confined to describing the numerous beauties and excellences of Islam followed by announcements that if similar excellences were found in any other faith, even half of them or one-fourth, or even one-fifth of the excellences that had been mentioned about Islam, he would give a prize of ten thousand rupees (which was equal to the value of his entire property). He then went a step further and said that if a challenger could not produce the excellences and beauties from his own faith, he was