Life of Ahmad — Page 83
as AFTER HIS FATHER’S DEATH 83 point, but there was never any bitterness. The stories he told were from Mathnav i Maulana R u m or Tadhkiratul Auliy a ’. In 1877 or 1878, Ahmad as wrote an article against the A rya Sam a j, and in support of the superiority of Islam over other religions. He sent the manuscript in a cover open at the ends to the Vak i l Press at Amritsar at the rate prescribed for newspapers. This was allowed under section 12 of the Post Office Act 14 of 1866. But in this packet he also included a letter addressed to the manager of the press containing instructions about the article. Sending a letter in a packet was against the post office regulations. The punishment, according to the Government of India notification No: 2442, dated December 7th, 1877 section 43, was a fine of Rs. 500 or even imprisonment for six months (section 56 of Act 14 of 1866). The press belonged to Rulya R a m Vak i l, who was a fanatical Christian. Seeing a chance of persecuting Ahmad as through the agency of the law, Ruly a R a m lost no time in setting the law in motion against him. Ahmad as was summoned to Gurdaspur to answer the charge. Ahmad as consulted lawyers and he was advised that the only way of escape was to deny that he had put the letter in the packet. Ahmad as , however, resolutely refused to say anything but the truth. No considerations could, in his view, justify the sacrifice of truth, which ought to be sovereign in all the relations of life. Thereupon, Sh. Ali Ahmad, his lawyer refused to continue to defend him. But