Life of Ahmad — Page 374
MUBAHALA WITH ABDUL H AQ as 374 disciple of Maulaw i Abdullah Ghaznavi, for whom Ahmad as had a great respect and whom he had personally met at Khairdi and again at Amritsar. Ahmad as had reasons to believe that if the Maulaw i had lived longer, he would have become a follower of Ahmad as. Anyhow, the insistence and impertinence of Abdul H aq dragged Ahmad as into Mub a hala. It is significant that during the Mub a hala , Ahmad as never wished any evil to befall Abdul H aq. All he prayed for was that as his oppponents regarded him as an impostor and an infidel, if he was really so, God should curse him in an unprecedented manner. Before the parties invoke the wrath of God upon the impostor and the liar by way of Mub a hala , it is customary for them to make speeches explaining their exact position so that there may be no misunderstanding. The period during which the judgment of God is expected to be known is, as a rule, one year. The effect of Mub a hala is confined to the parties who actually participate in or actively support the Mub a hala. It would be unreasonable to expect any impossible happenings in this connection, nor can trifles be bolstered up as signs of the visitation of the wrath of God. God has His own way of dealing with those who entrust such decisions to Him. God cannot be dictated to. He does what He thinks best. But He does make a sufficient distinction between the righteous and the wicked. This distinction may be strikingly decisive and speedy or it may be a slower process of growth and decay. Much depends upon the