Deliverance from the Cross — Page 121
grief over a pothole depositing their occupants in the heavy dust of the track, with or without serious injury. It took one of these vehicles three hours to perform the journey of eleven miles between Qadian and Batala, where the nearest telegraph office and railway station were situated. Hazrat Ahmad though possessed of an astonishing degree of religious knowledge and high proficiency in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu had little familiarity with English or any other western language. His claim was resented and vehemently repudiated by the representatives and followers of all religions, including Islam. It will thus be appreciated that situated as he was, when he received the revelation that God would convey his message to the ends of the earth, there appeared to worldly eyes little chance of the revelation being fulfilled. Yet, to the bewilderment and chagrin of his opponents, the revelation has found striking and astonishing fulfilment. There are today hundreds of Ahmadiyya Missions scattered all over the globe that are occupied round the clock with conveying the message and teachings of Hazrat Ahmad to the people among whom they carry on their work. Branches of the Movement are now established in almost every part of the earth. The Movement comprises not only large communities in most countries of Asia and Africa but also small communities in several countries of Europe and America. The number of adherents of the Movement now exceeds ten million and is daily on the increase. 121