Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 89
LECTURE LUDHIANA LECTURE LUDHIANA (Delivered by the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, on 4 November 1905 in the presence of thousands of people) Arguments of Truthfulness First, I express my gratitude to Almighty Allah, who has afforded me the occasion to return to this city to convey the Message. I have come to this city after fourteen years, and I had left this city at a time when I had a few men with me amidst a fury of allegations condemning me as a liar, disbeliever, and dajjal [deceiver]. In the eyes of the people, I was seen as a man forsaken and forgotten. And these people thought that by being rejected, this Jamāʻat would disintegrate in just a few days, and the very name and any trace of this Movement would be erased. Hence, exten- sive efforts and schemes were carried out for this purpose, and a massive conspiracy perpetrated against me was the pronounce- ment of a fatwa of kufr [disbelief]. This fatwa was widely cir- culated throughout India. I make it known with sadness that some maulawīs from this very city were the first in issuing the fatwa of kufr against me. But, I stand witness, and you stand witness that those who called me kafir [disbeliever] are no longer present, whereas God Almighty has kept me alive up to the present and has expanded my Jamāʻat. It is my understanding that the fatwa of kufr against me was reissued and circulated throughout all the major cities of India. The attestations and seals of nearly 200 maulawīs and sheikhs 89