A Present to Kings — Page 2
( 2 ) but an affront to the Power who raised them to their stations. . In the Holy Quran God commands even such a puissant prophet as Moses and his brother Aaron-peace be on them-to approach the wicked king Pharaoh, but He admonishes them to speak to him not harshly or disrespectfully but in kind words. How then is it possible that I should fail to show respect to a ruler who has the honour of being among the servants of my master and heloved, the Holy Prophet-peace and blessings be upon him. If, therefore, I do abandon the current conventionalities, this is not due to any want of respect, but beacuse my Islamic training compels me to avoid such useless conventionalities. . Otherwise I consider it incumbent upon me to show respect even to rulers of alien creeds. . I also consider it necessary to add here a few words by way of self-introduction. I belong to a respectable family of the Punjab and am known as Mirza Basheer-ud-Din. Mahmood Ahmad. My father Mirza Gulam Ahmad, the. Promised Messiah and Mahdi, was divinely appointed for the guidance of the world and was the leader of the Ahmadi community, some of the members of which have their homes in Your Highness's territories. At the present time, God has, out of His sheer grace, appointed me to be the leader of this community and to be their second khalifa. As the community is not quite like the masses at large, it happened that after the death of the Promised Messiah, the person who was, through. God's grace, appointed to be his first khalifa, was my revered. Master, Moulvi Nur-ud-Din Sabib, who was the foremost member of the community in goodness, learning and piety. . After his death God has appointed this humble servant to the charge of the community, and I am not aware to which family. God may choose to transfer this office after me. . After these words of self-introduction, I deem it necessary to state that the idea of the present epistle had its origin in a dream. And since it is among the duties of a believer to give effect to dreams, I thought it proper that the command of. God to convey to Your Highness the message of truth, which. I received in the world of dream, should be given effect to in the