Life of Ahmad — Page 723
as A SERMON REVEALED 723 By 8 a. m. , the interior and the compound were filled with the faithful. Ahmad as reached the mosque at about 8:30 a. m. The prayers, led by Maulaw i Abdul Kar i m ra , were finished in about three quarters of an hour. Ahmad as then took his stand in the middle arch of the mosque to address the gathering. In the beginning he spoke in Urdu and emphasised the fact that Islamic teachings were far superior to others. Islam was the only living religion and the others were dead and lifeless. Then he impressed upon the audience the two-fold object of his mission (a) to establish the Unity of God in the hearts of men (b) to create a spirit of fellow feeling, love and goodwill among men. After this he started to speak in Arabic. Maulaw i N u r-ud-D i n ra and Maulaw i Abdul Kar i m ra were asked to sit near and note down the speech. The Editor Al- H akam , was also taking notes. I was a little boy then, my father had brought me with him from Ludhiana; and I remember that I was helping in the mending of pencils which were kept ready for the recorders of that marvellous speech. It was a wonderful experience indeed. The people sat round Ahmad as in rapt attention. They could not all follow what he said in Arabic, but every one was conscious of a striking change in the countenance of Ahmad as. There was a flow of eloquence, a Divine cadence and a depth of meaning which one could almost read from his holy and radiant face. He seemed to be in the grip, as it were, of the Supreme Being; and his half closed eyes, with a flow and halo of Divine light, which shed