Fulfilment of a Grand Prophecy - Hazrat Ahmad’s Challenge to John Alexander Dowie — Page 49
Fulfillment of a Grand Prophecy. THE COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER, New York, Monday, October 26, 1903 "Dowie Challenged". Indian Messiah Dares Him to Prove His Claims. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of the Punjab Announces himself the Genuine. Redeemer - Piggot Also an Imposter - Dowie Not Yet Heard From and benefit by them. . Dowie has a rival. From faraway India comes a printed circular from Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who writes from Qadian, in the Punjab, in which he claims to the only genuine. . . Messiah now before the public. Ahmad's words are not marked by shrinking modesty, and he appears to look with quite pardonable disfavor upon the claims of Dr. Dowie and Piggot. the English pretender in the messiah-ship. He has issued a challenge to Elijah. III to make good his pretensions but as far Zion City's own and commercial messiah has failed in reply. . In support of his claims to divinity, the Indian. Messiah declares that when the lord saw how badly things were being managed on earth, he raised him in the land of the Punjab, for His works are wonderful. . I am the true Messiah who was to come in the last ages, thus has Almighty God has spoken to me," he announces: "I do not claim to be the Promised Messiah simply by my own assertion, but Almighty God, Who made the earth and the heaven has borne witness on the truth of my claim. The evidence of God has been manifested in hundreds of heavenly signs shown in my support. I say it truly that Almighty God has poured. His Grace upon me in far greater abundance than upon the messiah who has gone before me. In the looking glass of my person the face of God is revealed to a far greater extent than in the Jesus' person. If these are my own assertions and there is no other authority for them,. I am a liar, but if Almighty God bears witness to my truth, no one can give lie to me. Thousands of times I should say times without number - has He borne witness to the truth of my claim. . A sign of the evidence of God in my favor will appear on the death of Mr. Piggot, the arrogant pretender of Divinity, who shall be brought to destruction within my lifetime. Another sin will appear on Dr. Dowie's acceptance of my challenge. If the pretender of Elijahship shows his willingness by any direct or indirect means to enter the lists against me, he shall leave the world before my eyes with great sorrow and torment. These two signs are particularly for. Europe and America: ah! That they ponder over them 51. It should be borne in mind that Dr. Dowie has not given any reply to my challenge sent to him September last, nor has he even so much as mentioned it in his paper. For as an answer to that challenge, I will wait further for a period of seven months from this day, the 23rd of August 1903. If he accepts the challenge within the period and fulfills all its conditions as published by me previously and makes an announcement to that effect in his paper, the world would soon see the end of this contest. I am about 70 years of age, while Dr. . Dowie is about fifty-five, and, therefore, compared with me, he is a young man still. But since the matter is not to be settled by age, I do not care for this great disparity in years. The whole matter rests in the hand of Him. Who is the Lord of heaven and earth and Judge over all judges, and He will decide it in favor of the true claimant. "But if Dr. Dowie cannot even now gather courage to appear in the contest against me, let both continents bear witness that I shall be entitled to claim the same victory as in the case his death in my lifetime if he accepts the challenge. The pretensions of Dr. Dowie will thus be falsified and proved to be an imposture. . Though he may try as hard as he can to fly from the death which awaits him, yet his flight from such a calamity will certainly overtake his Zion, for he must contest will be nothing less than death to him, and take consequences of either the acceptance of the challenge or its refusal. "In view of the fact that Ahmad appears to have. Dr. Dowie in a corner, it may be possible that the latter will prefer to stay there rather than come out in the open and leave the world with great sorrow and torment. 57. Full information regarding the Indian Messiah (copyrighted), the arguments and signs which support his claims, his moral teachings, the truth and knowledge he brought, and the path he teaches for seeking union with God will be furnished by the "Review of. Religions" published monthly at Qadian, for the trifling sum of 6 shillings strictly in advance. ' 55