The Message or A Cry of Anguish — Page xi
FOREWORD The Message or A Cry of Anguish is the English rendering of al-Balāgh, a book written by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, peace be upon him, in 1898. It was first published under the auspices of Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul-Masīḥ II, may Allah be pleased with him, in 1922. The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, wrote this book upon the publication of a highly provocative and abusive treatise named Ummahātul-Mu'minin which was an malignant attack upon the noble character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his family. The Message outlines the feeble response by some Muslims, including the Anjuman-e-Himāyat-e-Islām Lahore, who sent a memorial to the British Government, requesting for the ban of this treatise. The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, high- lighted that this so-called act of defence undermined the posi- tion of Islam and would prove detrimental for future Muslim generations.