Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 331
331 Messiah as when he was informed by God that he was the Promised Messiah and that Jesus, the first Messiah, had died like all mortals. When this claim was announced, many who had up until then sided with him turned away and only 40 persons pledged alle - giance to him. The Promised Messiah as was now practically fight - ing on all fronts. Those who had hitherto supported him now turned against him. There was the need to publish answers to the objections of the opponents, to make public his claim and the arguments in support of it, and to spread leaflets in all countries to inform them of his claim. All of this entailed huge expenses. God, on the other hand, demonstrated His power by opening the door to still greater expenses. He instructed the Promised Messiah as to establish a guest-house in Qadian and to invite peo - ple to come and visit him to increase their knowledge and remove their doubts or misgivings. The loss of old friends and helpers, the greater need for printing and publishing, and now the building of a guest-house and catering for the guests, all these challenges might well have jeopardised the whole Movement. Hosting a stream of visitors amounted to a huge liability. However, Allah so motivated the hearts of his handful of followers (none of whom could be called rich) that they endured hardships and privations but did not let the interests of faith suffer. In truth, it was not their perseverance that was at work, it was the Hand of God who had promised ‘Is not Allah sufficient unto His servant?’ This was the time when the Ahmadiyya Community faced persecution from all sides. The clerics had issued Fatwas to the effect that it was permissible to kill Ahmadis, dispossess them of their properties, and marry off their women without the formality of a divorce. They said that these acts were not only permissible