Life of Ahmad — Page 398
DEBATE WITH ATHIM as 398 Khan and about thirty Christians, including Dr. Henry Martyn Clark. When A thim heard the prophecy he trembled and turned pale with fear. He touched his ears with both hands, put out his tongue and shook his head to declare in the Eastern manner that he did not mean to abuse the Holy Prophet sa. He repeatedly uttered the words. 'I repent, I repent, I did not mean to be disrespectful and I have never called the Prophet by the name of Antichrist. ' During the course of this controversy there occurred another interesting incident which made friends and foes alike admit the superiority of the Promised Messiah as. One day, the Christians, in order to put the Promised Messiah as to shame, brought three men, one of whom was lame, the second was blind and the third dumb, and while the debate was in full swing, presented them to Ahmad as saying that since he had claimed to be the Promised Messiah as , and since the first Messiah (Jesus as ) used to cure the maimed and the blind, therefore his claim to be the Promised Messiah as could be accepted only if he could effect a similar cure. They added that there was no need for him to go far to find such afflicted persons since they were already at hand. The sally took the assembled people by surprise and they wondered how it would be met by the claimant. The Christians felt elated and thought that a stunning blow had been dealt and their opponent had suffered severe discomfiture in a full