An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam — Page 310
310 Background Muhammad Rash i d Ra da , a well known pupil of Muft i Muhammad ‘Abdul Shaikhul Isl a m, was the editor of the Egyptian journal, al-Man a r. Muhammad Rash i d Ra da was a repository of knowledge, an acknowledged scholar on hadith and Fiqah , and his observations on the teachings of Islam were regarded as authentic and authoritative. (Even King Ibn Sa‘ u d acknowledged him to be his Imam and mentor. ) Muhammad Rash i d Ra da , in his capacity as editor of the al-Man a r, received a copy of I‘j a zul-Mas ih. While the editors of two other Egyptian journals, al-Man az ir and al-Hil a l , complimented the Promised Messiah as on the literary merit of the book, Muhammad Rash i d Ra da criticized the Promised Messiah as ’s book in his journal and said: “If this man had not claimed to be the Messiah and had he not interpolated in s u rah al-F a ti h ah, then his commentary would have been extremely popular. His knowledge of religion is undoubtedly deep. ” Only his followers had placed him in deception. Muhammad Rash i d Ra da also alleged that some of the constructions he used were against the Arabic syntax and usage, and about the challenge of the Promised Messiah as whether anyone could produce a book like it in 70 days, Ra da said that many scholars could write a book like it in seven days. This issue of al-Man a r somehow reached the hands of the Mullahs and was splashed in the Rawalpindi magazine, Chaudhw i n S ad i. On its publication, the whole group of the Mullas raised a fresh storm against the Promised Messiah as decrying him in all possible manners, the Promised Messiah as then had to write this book. (See Introduction to the book, by Hadrat Jal a l-ud-D i n Shams ra ) The Book According to Hadrat Jal a l-ud-D i n Shams ra the Promised Messiah as disgusted with the persisted hostile attitude of ulema in India directed his attention to the ulema in Arab countries specially in Syria and