Ahmadiyya Movement — Page viii
one out of every seven persons in today’s world belongs to this religion which guides both thought and deed to a detail not often paralleled in the West. Nor Islam is merely consolidating its position; it is expanding and expanding rapidly. As early as 1773 Goethe wrote a poem in which he compared Muhammad to a stream which moves forward always increasing, carrying brothers with him to the eternal Father. Today Islam is spreading not only in Africa and Southeast Asia but even to some extent in China, England and the United States. Some claim it to be the fastest growing religion in the world. As recently as 1947 a new Muslim State has been born in Pakistan, with a population of 70 millions. In some areas where Islam and Christianity are com- peting for converts, Islam is gaining at a rate of ten to one. ” (Italics are ours). We are confident that as prophesied by the holy founder of the Movement the days are not far off when the strife-torn world of today will find its refuge in Islam. We may add in the end that the booklet besides being an epitome of Islamic teachings discusses the claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghu- lam Ahmad as the Reformer of the present Age and substantiates it with cogent arguments. Mirza Wasim Ahmad Nazir Dawat-o-Tabligh Qadian, (India. )