Life of Ahmad — Page 259
as THE PHARISEE OF BATALA 259 happened at Lahore. A report of it was published in a supplement to the Punjab Gazette dated April 25th, 1891. Muhammad Husain was extremely mortified at what had happened. His boast was, as he himself says in his journal, that it was his review of the Br a h i n-e- Ahmadiyya published in his journal No. 7, Vol. 7 that had made Ahmad as a possible Wal i (saint) and Mulham (a recipient of God’s word). But for his journal the people would have given him no attention. It was, he thought, only the Ish a ‘atus Sunnah that had established Ahmad as as a saint in the hearts of the people. And now at the very first opportunity a disciple of Ahmad as comes to Lahore and in a few hours the very pick of his friends and supporters are so deeply influenced by him that Muhammad Husain’s own presence and show of erudition prove absolutely vain. He feels that he is losing ground among his own sympathisers. This realisation was naturally painful and almost made him crazy. At 11 a. m. on April 15th, he sent the following telegram to Ahmad as at Ludhiana: 'Your disciple N u r-ud-D i n ra began debate and ran away. Send him back or come yourself, otherwise it will be considered as your defeat. ' This telegram reached Ahmad as late at night. So he wrote a reply from Iqbal Ganj, Ludhiana, on the 16th and to save time a special messenger was sent to deliver it. Muhammad Husain received it on the 17th.