Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 89
Lecture Ludhiana 89 Lecture Ludhiana (Delivered by the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, on 4 November 1905 in the presence of thousands of people) Arguments of Truthfulness First, I express my gratitude to Almighty Allah, who has afforded me the occasion to return to this city to convey the Message. I have come to this city after fourteen years, and I had left this city at a time when I had a few men with me amidst a fury of allegations condemning me as a liar, disbeliever, and dajj a l [deceiver]. In the eyes of the people, I was seen as a man forsaken and forgotten. And these people thought that by being rejected, this Jam a ‘at would disintegrate in just a few days, and the very name and any trace of this Movement would be erased. Hence, exten- sive efforts and schemes were carried out for this purpose, and a massive conspiracy perpetrated against me was the pronounce- ment of a fatwa of kufr [disbelief ]. This fatwa was widely cir- culated throughout India. I make it known with sadness that some maulaw i s from this very city were the first in issuing the fatwa of kufr against me. But, I stand witness, and you stand witness that those who called me k a fir [disbeliever] are no longer present, whereas God Almighty has kept me alive up to the present and has expanded my Jam a ‘at. It is my understanding that the fatwa of kufr against me was reissued and circulated throughout all the major cities of India. The attestations and seals of nearly 200 maulaw i s and sheikhs