The Advent of the Fifteenth Century after Hijra — Page 3
and a half centuries earlier would have been conclusive proof of the truth of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him. But it did not stand alone. It had another splendid and glorious aspect. . Its occurrence was to serve as a warning that the Mahdi had appeared and that those who were awaiting his advent should seek him, accept him and obey him so that they might thus participate in the glorious revival of Islam which God had decreed would be achieved through that devoted servant of the Holy. Prophet, peace be upon him, the Mahdi, and his followers. If despite this manifestation it was found that the Mahdi had not appeared, the truth of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, would have been questioned by the opponents of Islam and the. Holy Prophet. But if it was found that before this manifestation a devoted servant of the the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, who had led a pure and blameless life in accord with the teachings of Islam, and who was a constant recipient of divine revelation, had, under divine command, proclaimed that he was the Mahdi, the manifestation would be hailed as a conclusive and glorious confirmation of the truth of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, of such a claimant and of Islam. . Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (India), who was born on 20th February, 1835, and died on 26th May, 1908, began to receive divine revelation around 1876, and continued to receive it with greater and greater frequency throughout the rest of his life. Between 1878-82 he wrote his epoch-making book Braheen. Ahmadiyyah in which he demonstrated completely the superiority of Islam over other faiths in such a manner that he was unanimously acclaimed by the leading contemporary Muslim divines of India as the greatest champion of Islam. . For instance, Maulvi Muhammad Husain of Batala, leader of the Ahli Hadees sect, published in his journal Ishaatus Sunnah (Vol. VII, Nos 6-11) a detailed review of the book, in the opening part of which he observed: 'The author of Braheen Ahmadiyyah, according to the testimony of friends and foes, regulates his life according to the law of Islam and is a pious and truthful person. In our opinion, keeping in mind the age and its circumstances, this is a book the equal of which has not been published in Islam to this day, whatever may happen hereafter. . The author has proved himself so steadfast in the service of Islam in every respect, that few such instances are to be found among the 3