Life of Ahmad — Page 563
as GROWTH OF THE MOVEMENT 563 1897, Ahmad as declared his intention to open and establish a Middle School at Qadian to meet the educational requirements of the growing community. A leaflet was issued appealing for funds, and very soon a school was established. It was housed in a Kacha building where stands now the Madrasa Ahmadiyya. Ahmad as had felt the need of starting a newspaper in April 1895, but it appears that satisfactory arrangements could not be made at that time. In view of the intensive and insidious propaganda carried on incessantly by his enemies the need of a paper, however, became most imperative. Muhammad Husain and Dr. Clark had done their utmost by dragging Ahmad as into court with a view to humiliating him and bringing about his ruin. They had also brought on record the utterly false and mischievous allegation against him that he caused ill feeling and hatred among the people by the use of strong language. They had also tried to poison the Government against him. The District Magistrate had openly warned him and advised him not to use strong language. He had no opportunity of refuting these charges. The only way left, therefore, of approaching the Government and the public was to start a paper; and it was the great good fortune of Shaikh Ya‘q u b Ali ra (a devoted disciple of Ahmad as , who later became known as ‘Irf a n i ) that he seized the opportunity and started a weekly paper from Amritsar. In view of the ancient prophecy that the Promised