Life of Ahmad — Page 430
PROPHECY ABOUT A THIM as 430 was not a question of personal injury that he showed charity and meekness. It was a question of the honour of Christianity. The faith itself was at stake. If Ahmad as were exposed in court, Christendom would have won a decisive victory over Islam and hundreds of people would have been converted. But A thim never went to court, nor did he come forward to swear that he had not turned towards truth. The N u r Afsh a Ĕ , dated September 13th, 1895, published an article in which it was said that 12 months had passed and A thim was still alive. So Ahmad as issued a leaflet in which he explained that he had yet fixed no time for A thim’s death. Twelve months were the limit if he had taken the oath. In December 1895, a Christian missionary, Fate h Mas ih , said to a friend of Ahmad as that A thim did not come forward for the oath because Ahmad as had only a handful of followers. Ahmad as at once issued a leaflet in which he asked the missionary how many people should ask A thim to take the oath. If he wanted a petition signed by one, two, three or four thousand Muslims, Ahmad as would arrange it immediately, provided A thim agreed to take the oath. But nobody came forward.