The Message or A Cry of Anguish — Page 64
64 HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS noble, scholarly and educated people among the Muslims-find- ing the likes of them in the members and supporters of Anjuman is but a waste of time-believe me to be the Promised Messiah whom our Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself has praised. Yet, expressing the view that everyone considers me a mere mullah is the work of those who have noth- ing whatsoever to do with modesty, honesty and truthfulness. But it is hardly surprising, for the righteous, the prophets and the messengers in the past had also been called the same. And what mendacity to claim that Mirza Şāḥib could not count the number of his followers beyond three hundred eighteen. In fact, this number meant only those that came to my mind in pass- ing at the time, not that it was the actual number which was fixed. Rather, in an article of mine that was published I had clearly mentioned that the members of my Community were currently no less than eight thousand. But this was quite some time ago and now I can say with confidence that the number has increased by another two thousand, so that my Community is now ten thousand strong who are spread across Peshawar to Bombay, Calcutta, Karachi, Hyderabad Deccan, Madras, Assam State, Bukhara, Ghazni, Mecca, Medina and the Levant. Every year at least three to four hundred people, by pledging their alle- giance, enter my Community. If someone stays in Qadian for only ten days he will certainly realise how quickly the grace of God Almighty is drawing people towards me. How could the blind and the sightless know what greatness this Community has attained, and how seekers after truth are embodying the verse,