The Message or A Cry of Anguish — Page 4
4 HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS his opponent, none of his research on the Arabic language will be considered authentic. But if, on the other hand, one who engages in a debate, is recognised as a renowned scholar of a language by his opponents and if his disputant is an ignorant Christian, then this alone will convince the judges that the aforementioned Muslim is reliable when it comes to explaining the meaning of a word or phrase since he has far greater knowledge of the language than his Christian interlocutor. Consequently, his discourse will naturally exert an influence on the hearts and the biased oppo- nents will be left speechless. Remember that in the course of these debates, whether writ- ten or verbal, if they revolve around scriptural references, then it is a frequent occurrence that certain expressions or root words are discussed at length. In fact, these kinds of debates are essen- tial, because through them the truth is revealed, the veil is lifted and scholarly testimonies are produced. In addition, what makes this condition necessary is the fact that every debater assesses the extent of his opponent's scholarship and in this way tries to under- mine his credibility before the eyes of the public. Often one who undertakes a rebuttal has to write regarding the book by his oppo- nent the linguistic stature of the author. In short, a Muslim who steps forward to fend off Christian attacks must remember that the chief and essential weapon that should always be in his arsenal is the knowledge of the Arabic language. SECOND CONDITION-One who undertakes to write a rebut- tal in order to fend off the attacks of the opponents, his religious insight must not be limited to the traditional knowledge of cer- tain works of Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence and commentaries of