Early Writings — Page xi
FOREWORD The Promised Messiahas spent the whole of his life in the defence of Islam, tirelessly conveying its message to the ends of the earth. In order to establish the Unity of God and conclu- sively prove the truthfulness of Islam, he strove courageously in the spiritual field of battle by engaging through written and spo- ken word, and demonstrated through his practical example that he was a true Champion of Allah bearing the qualities of all the Prophets. His written work spanning thousands of pages encom- passes his letters, announcements, essays and books and serves as a shining testimony of his magnificent service to Islam. The Early Writings or Purānī Tahrireiń are a compilation of some essays written by the Promised Messiahas published in vari- ous newspapers in 1879 when the Arya Samaj movement was at its peak. In these eloquent expositions, the Promised Messiahas has written his views on various Hindu doctrines and particularly the beliefs of the Arya Samaj. Hadrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Sahib Irfanita first published these Urdu essays in book form in 1899. It was a custom in those days for the Arya Samaj to raise alle- gations against Islam, the Holy Quran and the Holy Founder of