The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 14
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI acclaimed as a great scholar of Islam. The first four volumes of his famous book, Baraheen-a-Ahmadiyya were published in 1881-83 in which he offered proofs to support the truth of Islam and its superiority over other religions and some philosophical schools of thought. . Muslim leaders and intellectuals accepted the book with great enthusiasm and proclaimed it to be unique and unparalleled in defence of Islam. Hadhrat Ahmad challenged non Muslim scholars and offered a reward of ten thousand Rupees to any one who could write a book refuting even one fifth of his arguments. No one dared to take up the challenge. . However when he made claim in 1891 of being the Promised. Messiah and Mahdi, a storm of opposition arose and most Muslim religious leaders (ulema) declared him a disbeliever, outside the pale of Islam. History of religions shows that almost all prophets were subjected to ridicule and opposition in the beginning and their followers persecuted. In the Holy Quran it is mentioned that every time a messenger came, his people accused him of being a liar and ridiculed him. Alas! this is the way of the world. . In spite of opposition and persecution, there were those who joined the fold of Hadhrat Ahmad and their number gradually increased, so much so that by the time of his death in 1908 his followers numbered four hundred thousand in India and a few individuals abroad. . A study of the life and personality of Hadhrat Ahmad shows. that three cardinal aspects of his personality were profound deep love of Gracious God and the Holy Prophet Mohammad, peace be on him, and love and sympathy for mankind. Hadhrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad, a son of Hadhrat Ahmad the Promised Messiah, and himself a great scholar, writes about his father: "In short, the Promised Messiah had such an exceptional depth of love for the Holy Prophet that it is not possible to find another instance of the kind. His mind, his heart and his soul were all permeated with this Ishq. -- this great love, so that we saw with our own eyes, heard with our ears, and felt with our physical and inner 14