Life of Ahmad — Page 103
as HE STAKES HIS ALL FOR ISLAM 103 thoroughly sincere. He spoke the truth and spoke it with courage and conviction. Some Muslims took serious objection to Ahmad’s as attitude and others wrote abusive letters to him because he gave the British government preference over all other governments. Consequently, Ahmad as again emphasised the good government of the British, and urged upon his co-religionists in the name of Islam to be grateful 23 to the British for the peace, security, freedom and prosperity which they enjoyed under it. The A rya Sam a j were in the ascendant in those days and it appeared that their aggressive attitude and vituperations, supported by capitalism, would kill the very sense of decency among men. Christian missionaries, encouraged by the political domination of the British, already claimed that during the previous 50 years the number of Christians in India has increased from 27,000 to 500,000. The impact of the West upon Hinduism during the 19th century had brought forth the Brahmu Sam a j, which declared that the basis of religious faith was supplied by the book of nature, which was wide open for everyone to read. These ideas were becoming very popular among the educated. The Br a h i n-e-Ahmadiyya at once checked 23 In N u rul Quran II , page 2, Ahmad as says: 'This is quite true that we are gratetul to the British government and are its well wishers… but, notwithstanding this, we do not think that it commits no mistake nor do we believe that its laws are based upon philosophical researches. ' How stupid, therefore, of Ahmad’s as enemies to say: 'He burns a votary’s incense at the altar of English imperialism'!