Tadhkirah — Page viii
VIII hostile to Islam. After deep and prolonged reflection over this painful situation he was moved to undertake a vindication of Islam from every point of view. This took the shape of his epoch-making production entitled the Braheen Ahmadiyya, the publication of the very first part of which endeared him to the hearts of all sincere Muslims as an outstanding champion of Islam. By that time he had become a recipient of revelation. The successive parts of Braheen Ahmadiyya set forth many of his dreams and visions and the verbal revelations received by him. It became obvious to the readers of Braheen Ahmadiyya that he was destined to be a great force in Islam. In 1889 he laid the foundations of the Ahmadiyyah Movement and sent forth a call for the righteous to enter into a covenant of spiritual allegiance to him as a Reformer within the body spiritual of Islam. His call was responded to by several people who covenanted to be his helpers and to obey him in all matters of moral and spiritual import. His call also aroused a certain degree of opposition among the Muslims which in the course of time took on the character of bitter hostility in which certain sections of the non- Muslims also joined. Under divine direction Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed to be the Messiah and the Mahdi whose advent had been foretold by the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be on him). The gravamen of the charge made against him by the Muslim divines was that he claimed to be a prophet contrary to the directive contained in the Holy Quran to the effect: Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and Seal of the Prophets (Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen). Allah has full knowledge of all things (33:41).