Life of Ahmad — Page 529
as PT. LEKHR A M’S DEATH 529 The houses of other Muslims were also searched and no stone was left unturned by the Hindus and by the police to discover some connection between Ahmad as and the murder, but not even the remotest trace of any connection could be found and the investigation had to be dropped. Ahmad’s as prophecies ragarding A thim and Pt. Lekhr a m bring to one’s mind two events which had happened in the time of the Holy Prophet sa. A thim’s case reminds one of Heraclius, the Roman Emperor, addressing whom the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa had written: 'Accept Islam and thou shalt be saved. ' The Emperor was at the time (A. H. 7. A. D. 928) in Jerusalem, which he had conquered from the Persians. When the letter reached Heraclius, Abu Sufy a n happened to be in the neighbourhood. The Emperor sent for him and made enquiries from him about Muhammad sa. Abu Sufy a n could not invent any falsehood against the Holy Prophet sa as his emissary was also present on the occasion. After hearing Abu Sufy a n, Heraclius gave a polite but evasive reply 'If what thou sayest is true', he said to Abu Sufy a n, 'then he will conquer this land. ' Like A thim he did not openly accept Islam but avoided a direct answer. His kingdom would have been safe if he had openly accepted Islam; but as, like A thim, he tried to conceal the truth, therefore, in a few short years Jerusalem was wrested from his hands and he lost the fair provinces which he had, with so much toil, recovered from the Persians.