Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 171
171 people would have come forward; but when they needed to prove their love for God and show signs thereof, they were unable to do so. Love of God is another matter, these people do not even have a superficial connection with God, how then could they present any proof of it? The Promised Messiah as extended this challenge to the Hindus, Christians, Jews, and people of other religions, but nobody took it up. In different ways and on various occasions he tried to arouse their sense of honour so that they would accept the challenge, but to no avail. He invited the Bishop of Lahore to compete with him in the acceptance of prayer. He said that it was promised in the New Testament that if one has faith even as little as a mustard seed, one will be able to move mountains, and that our books also contain the promise of help for the believers and acceptance of their prayers, therefore, let the Bishop come forward and let us find out whose prayers are heard more, whether of those who lead their lives according to Islam or those who follow the Christian teachings. This challenge was offered repeatedly but the Bishop remained silent. Indeed, his silence was so strange that even some British newspapers criticised him and asked why people who drew fat salaries and made loud claims fail to come forward when they are challenged. Neither Christians nor anyone else tried to convince the Bishop to come forward, and so he kept avoiding it with one excuse or another. The Promised Messiah as kept throwing such challenges at the opponents of Islam but no one dared accept them. This criterion, again, is such that it will have a deep impact on every man of rea - son and understanding. As people continue to realize the ineffec - tiveness of their own religions and the efficacy of Islam, the truth