Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 102
102 AHMADIYY AT answer such gnats and flies? If I were to put my foot on them I would trample them to death. The fact is that I merely give them a chance to flyaway and survive. Thus the issue was squarely joined between Ahmad and Dowie. From that moment Dowie entered upon a progres- sive decline of all his affairs. His health began to deteriorate, his followers began to have doubts and questioned his claims, he began to encounter financial difficulties. In 1905 he suf- fered a severe stroke of paralysis and was directed by his physician to move to a warmer climate. He was taken to Mexico and later to Jamaica. The affairs of Zion wer~ handed over to a nominee of his who soon turned against him. His wife and children deserted him and he was charged with diverse illicit and immoral practices. On 9 March 1907 he died a miserable death. The prophecy of the Promised Mes- siah was truly and completely fulfilled. The Dunville Gazette of 7 June 1907 wrote: 'Ahmad and his adherents may be pardoned for taking some credit for the accuracy with which the prophecy was fulfilled a few months , ago. The Truth-Seeker of15June 1907 wrote: 'The Qadian man predicted that if Dowie accepted the challenge, he would leave the world before his eyes with great sorrow and tor- ment. If Dowie declined, the Mirza said, the end would only be deferred; death awaited him just the same and calamity would soon overtake Zion. That was the grand prophecy: Zion would fall and Dowie would die before Ahmad. ' The Herald of Boston , in its issue of 23 June 1907, observed: 'Dowie died a miserable death with Zion city torn and frayed by internal dissensions. ' Ahmad had often confessed that the keenest distress that oppressed his mind was the deification of Jesus by the Chris- tian Church, and that he was most anxious to discover some means by which this matter might be conclusively settled and mankind might be rid of this enormity. He missed no oppor-