A Verdict Required — Page 5
You should not conceal your testimony, and he who does conceal is surely wicked-minded; and God is perfectly aware of what you do. —(Sūrah al-Baqarah, R. 38 [verse 141]) Sir, I beg to enclose herewith a copy of the pamphlet named Istiftā. ¹ The motive which has led me to write it is, that the Aryas entertain quite a false notion that Lekh Ram was murdered at my instigation. I am inclined to excuse them for this, as they are entirely ignorant of the supernatural origin of prophecies, and according to their belief, inspira- tion and revelation from God belonged only to the hoary antiquity; now they have become extinct—in other words, the Divine influence is not eternal, but a thing of the past. Therefore, they cannot reconcile the prophetic phenomena with the present age. However, a study of the pamphlet, it is hoped, will not only clear me of any participation-direct or indirect-in Lekh Ram's murder, but will also be useful to those who deny the existence of prophetic revelation in this age, and who consider the power of telling future events inconsistent with the laws of Nature. At any rate, this pam- phlet will probably be interesting and instructive to those who sincerely seek a reply to the questions: (1) “Is there a God at all?” (2) “If so, does He reveal future events to His ✩ Istifta' is an Arabic word and means to consult a learned man for an opinion. Original English letter's transcript that was published in May 1897, along with minor edits by the Publisher