(All references are from Qadiani books)
To support his claim of being the Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam often engaged in debates with little known Christians. In 1893, Mirza Ghulam challenged Mr. Abdullah Khan Atham, a retired deputy commissioner and a Christian, to a debate to prove the truthfulness of either religion. In his challenge to Mr. Atham, Mirza Ghulam boasted:
"I am ready for this Holy War."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 65)
Mirza Ghulam Qadiani had earlier stated:
"I agree that if the signs of my truthfulness are not shown, I will admit that I am not from God and will give up Islamic faith or will surrender half of my wealth for propagation of Christianity."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 48-49)
"I swear upon God that God told me 'Whatever was given to the Messiah (Jesus) has been given to you and you are the Promised Messiah'."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 49)
The debate between Mirza Ghulam and Mr. Atham commenced on May 22, 1893 and went on till June 5, 1893. Toward the end of the debate, Christians brought one blind, one deaf, and one paralyzed individual to the debate and challenged Mirza Ghulam to cure them as Jesus(pbuh) had done! Naturally, Mirza was not able to cure any of them.
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 291)
Mirza Ghulam Qadiani offered such a weak argument against Mr. Atham and was so badly humiliated that both Muslims and Christians were openly admitting the failure of Mirza to prove the truthfulness of Islam. (Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 9, P. 25) Several Qadianis were even reported to have converted to Christianity, as the result of Mirza Ghulam's loss.
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 9, P. 28, footnote)
Having been so badly defeated, Mirza Ghulam resorted to one of his old tricks. On June 5, 1893, he announced that the night before he has received a Grand Prophecy from Allah(SWT). He said:
"When I humbly entreated and implored God Almighty and prayed to Him to show me the details of the matter, He indicated to me that the liar will die within 15 months (before September 5, 1894), provided he does not return to the truth (Islam); and he who is on the truth and believes in true God, his honor will be restored and when this prophecy is fulfilled some blind man will start seeing, paralyzed start walking, and deaf start hearing. I admit that if this prophecy proves to be False, I am prepared for every punishment. My face should be blackened and I should be hanged. I swear by the Mighty Allah that what I have said will happen. It must happen. It is possible that the earth may be changed for another earth and the sky may be replaced by another sky, but it is not possible for God's word to change -- prepare for me a cross if my falsehood is exposed and curse me more than the Satans and the evil persons are cursed."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 292-293; Jang-i-Maqaddas, P. 188)
We need to keep in mind that Mr. Atham was already sixty six (66) years old, at the time of this prophecy. During the next 10 months, several attempts on Mr. Atham's life were made: someone fired a shot at him, a cobra was found in his house, people tried to break the door to his bedroom, etc. (Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 13, P. 163)
Following all these attempts on his life, Mr. Atham was given continuous police protection and, to throw off the would be assassins, he changed his residence several times. As the promised deadline drew closer, Mirza Ghulam Qadiani and his followers grew more and more anxious. Mirza even resorted to distributing candies among children, asking them to pray for Atham's death (What manner of a prophet was he?)! On August 22, 1894, in a letter to one of his closest associates, Mirza Ghulam stated:
"Respected brother Rustam Ali,
Peace, God's mercy and blessing on you.
Your esteemed letter and card have reached me through the mail. Only a few days are now left for the fulfillment of the grand prophecy. We pray that God might save his servants from confusion and trial. The person in question (Abdullah Atham) is currently in Ferozpur (a city in India) and is still hale and healthy. May Allah save His weak servants from distraction. Amen! Amen! I am fine. Please also ask Moulvi Sahib to join us in our prayer (that Mr. Atham should die).
Salam; Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian."
(Maktubat-e-Ahmadiah, Vol. 5, No. 3, P. 128, by Yaqub Ali of Qadian)
So much for Mr. Atham's attempt to try to live in hiding. Qadianis were keeping track of his whereabouts; fortunately, Mr. Atham was under 24 hour police protection. Bashir Ahmad, a son and a very close supporter of Mirza Ghulam, has recorded the following:
"Miyan Abdullah Sinnuari has reported to me that when only one day was left for the expiration of the prophecy (September 4, 1894), the Promised Messiah (Mirza Ghulam) summoned Miyan Hamdi Ali and I and ordered us to take a particular number of beans and recite on them a particular chapter of the Holy Quran so many times. I have forgotten the verse, but I remember it was a short surah, probably as short as "Al-Fil". We spent the entire night reciting the chapter and, after completing the assignment, we took the beans to His Holiness (Mirza Ghulam). He lead us to the northern part of Qadian and told us: 'I shall soon throw these beans in a deserted well. When I throw these, do not look behind but turn back on your heels and hasten back home.' He did so and we ran back home without looking behind."
(Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. I, P.159/178, by Bashir Ahmad Qadiani)
Yet, nothing happened! Mirza Ghulam had another prophecy:
God has told me that "he (Mr. Atham) will die soon; if not, then the sun on the last day of the 15th month (September 5, 1894) will not set until Atham dies."
(Reported in Al-Hakam Qadiani Newspaper, September 7, 1923)
Yaqub Ali Qadiani in his book titled the Life of the Promised Messiah recounted:
"When the last day of the period appointed for Atham dawned, the faces of the Qadianis were pale white and their hearts were perturbed. Some of us had laid bets with the opponents on the death of Abdullah Atham. A sense of dismay and depression prevailed....
(Sirat-ul-Mehdi, P. 7)
The sun set and nothing, again! Mirza Ghulam gathered people in a mosque and reassured them that nothing was lost. He prophecised that "The sun will not rise and Atham will be dead." He ordered them to pray all night asking for the death of Atham.(Raees-e-Qadian, Vol. 2, P. 172). That night voices were heard from every Qadiani house in town, so that the "cries and wails reached such a pitch that even the opponents felt afraid." (Sirat-ul-Mehdi, P. 7)
Yet, the sun rose and Mr. Atham had not died! Many Qadianis were agitated by these failed prophecies, some even gave up on their faith. Mirza Ghulam, once again, gathered his remaining supporters and gave them a sermon on the meaning of tests and trials. Some accepted his explanation and forgot the failure of the prophecies he had attributed to Allah(SWT). On the other hand, the Christians celebrated the failure of Mirza Ghulam in Amristar (a city in India) and carried Mr. Atham around in a victory march. To them, Mirza Ghulam's loss equated the loss of Islam. (Al-Hukam of Qadian, September 7, 1923, by Rahim Buksh Qadiani)
In a last attempt to save face, Mirza Ghulam and some of his close associates suggested that, since the prophecies had not come to pass, Mr. Atham must have turned his back on Christianity and become a Muslim! (Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 9, P. 2)
Apparently, this self-proclaimed Prophet did not think much of his own followers! Did he expect his followers to forget that Allah(SWT) will not go back on His promise to his prophet? Did he even expect them to forget his own words:
"It is possible that heaven and earth may heavens might be shaken from their place but the promise of God is unshakable."
(Jang-i-Muqaddas, P. 2)
In an announcement published in the newspaper Wadadar on September 15, 1894, Mr Atham declared:
"I invite your attention to the prophecy of Ghulam Ahmad about my death. I inform you that, by the grace of God, I am safe and sound. I have heard Ghulam Ahmad alleging that I have turned my back on Christianity. I proclaim that this is a lie. I was a Christian and I ever remained a Christian and I thank God that He made me a Christian..."
(Wafadar, Lahor, September 15, 1894 - not a Qadiani paper)
Muhammad Ali Khan, the son-in-law of Mirza Ghulam, in a letter to Mirza Ghulam expressed his dismay and concern for the clear loss and failure of all the prophecies:
"Respected Maulana, May God keep you safe!
Peace and Mercy of Allah on you.
Today, is the 7th of September, while the last day of the fulfillment of the grand prophecy was the 5th of September. I shall not repeat the words of the prophecy. I shall, however, mention the words of your revelation -
'Now I promise before God that if my prophecy is proved to be a false one and the liar does not die within the period of fifteen months and is not plunged into Hell, I am prepared for my punishment By God, it will so happen. The earth and the heavens might be shaken from their place but the promise of God is unshakable.'
Was this prophecy fulfilled according to Mirza Sahib's description? No - Never. Abdullah Atham is safe, sound, and alive and is not punished by dead to be flung into Hell. I do not consider any other interpretation is possible for this prophecy than what it clearly meant to be. It, however, sounds very ugly that every prophecy is misunderstood and had to be elaborately interpreted to be rightly understood. At the birth of a child, for instance, it was named Bashir (harbinger of good tidings) for good omen, and when it died, you said the matter was misunderstood. As for the prophecy concerning Atham, it has given birth to the very master piece of distortion and interpretation."
(Aina-e-Haq Numa, P. 100-101, Published by Yaqub Ali Qadiani)
Once more, let's review the failed prophecies which Mirza Ghulam attributed to Allah(SWT), in regard to Mr. Atham:
* Mr. Atham will accept Islam;
* Mirza Ghulam has been given all the capabilities given to Jesus(pbuh);
* Mr. Atham will die by September 5, 1894;
* A blind man will start seeing, a paralyzed person will start walking, and deaf individual will start hearing;
* The sun on the last day of the 15th month (September 5, 1894) will not set until Atham dies;
* The sun will not rise and Atham will be dead.
It is unfortunate that Mirza Ghulam has already died. If he were alive now in an Islamic state (not protected by British forces), Muslims would have done as he suggested. They would have blackened his face and hung him as he had requested.
Do you have any doubt that Mirza Ghulam Qadiani was a grand fabricator?
To support his claim of being the Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam often engaged in debates with little known Christians. In 1893, Mirza Ghulam challenged Mr. Abdullah Khan Atham, a retired deputy commissioner and a Christian, to a debate to prove the truthfulness of either religion. In his challenge to Mr. Atham, Mirza Ghulam boasted:
"I am ready for this Holy War."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 65)
Mirza Ghulam Qadiani had earlier stated:
"I agree that if the signs of my truthfulness are not shown, I will admit that I am not from God and will give up Islamic faith or will surrender half of my wealth for propagation of Christianity."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 48-49)
"I swear upon God that God told me 'Whatever was given to the Messiah (Jesus) has been given to you and you are the Promised Messiah'."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 49)
The debate between Mirza Ghulam and Mr. Atham commenced on May 22, 1893 and went on till June 5, 1893. Toward the end of the debate, Christians brought one blind, one deaf, and one paralyzed individual to the debate and challenged Mirza Ghulam to cure them as Jesus(pbuh) had done! Naturally, Mirza was not able to cure any of them.
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 291)
Mirza Ghulam Qadiani offered such a weak argument against Mr. Atham and was so badly humiliated that both Muslims and Christians were openly admitting the failure of Mirza to prove the truthfulness of Islam. (Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 9, P. 25) Several Qadianis were even reported to have converted to Christianity, as the result of Mirza Ghulam's loss.
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 9, P. 28, footnote)
Having been so badly defeated, Mirza Ghulam resorted to one of his old tricks. On June 5, 1893, he announced that the night before he has received a Grand Prophecy from Allah(SWT). He said:
"When I humbly entreated and implored God Almighty and prayed to Him to show me the details of the matter, He indicated to me that the liar will die within 15 months (before September 5, 1894), provided he does not return to the truth (Islam); and he who is on the truth and believes in true God, his honor will be restored and when this prophecy is fulfilled some blind man will start seeing, paralyzed start walking, and deaf start hearing. I admit that if this prophecy proves to be False, I am prepared for every punishment. My face should be blackened and I should be hanged. I swear by the Mighty Allah that what I have said will happen. It must happen. It is possible that the earth may be changed for another earth and the sky may be replaced by another sky, but it is not possible for God's word to change -- prepare for me a cross if my falsehood is exposed and curse me more than the Satans and the evil persons are cursed."
(Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 6, P. 292-293; Jang-i-Maqaddas, P. 188)
We need to keep in mind that Mr. Atham was already sixty six (66) years old, at the time of this prophecy. During the next 10 months, several attempts on Mr. Atham's life were made: someone fired a shot at him, a cobra was found in his house, people tried to break the door to his bedroom, etc. (Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 13, P. 163)
Following all these attempts on his life, Mr. Atham was given continuous police protection and, to throw off the would be assassins, he changed his residence several times. As the promised deadline drew closer, Mirza Ghulam Qadiani and his followers grew more and more anxious. Mirza even resorted to distributing candies among children, asking them to pray for Atham's death (What manner of a prophet was he?)! On August 22, 1894, in a letter to one of his closest associates, Mirza Ghulam stated:
"Respected brother Rustam Ali,
Peace, God's mercy and blessing on you.
Your esteemed letter and card have reached me through the mail. Only a few days are now left for the fulfillment of the grand prophecy. We pray that God might save his servants from confusion and trial. The person in question (Abdullah Atham) is currently in Ferozpur (a city in India) and is still hale and healthy. May Allah save His weak servants from distraction. Amen! Amen! I am fine. Please also ask Moulvi Sahib to join us in our prayer (that Mr. Atham should die).
Salam; Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian."
(Maktubat-e-Ahmadiah, Vol. 5, No. 3, P. 128, by Yaqub Ali of Qadian)
So much for Mr. Atham's attempt to try to live in hiding. Qadianis were keeping track of his whereabouts; fortunately, Mr. Atham was under 24 hour police protection. Bashir Ahmad, a son and a very close supporter of Mirza Ghulam, has recorded the following:
"Miyan Abdullah Sinnuari has reported to me that when only one day was left for the expiration of the prophecy (September 4, 1894), the Promised Messiah (Mirza Ghulam) summoned Miyan Hamdi Ali and I and ordered us to take a particular number of beans and recite on them a particular chapter of the Holy Quran so many times. I have forgotten the verse, but I remember it was a short surah, probably as short as "Al-Fil". We spent the entire night reciting the chapter and, after completing the assignment, we took the beans to His Holiness (Mirza Ghulam). He lead us to the northern part of Qadian and told us: 'I shall soon throw these beans in a deserted well. When I throw these, do not look behind but turn back on your heels and hasten back home.' He did so and we ran back home without looking behind."
(Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. I, P.159/178, by Bashir Ahmad Qadiani)
Yet, nothing happened! Mirza Ghulam had another prophecy:
God has told me that "he (Mr. Atham) will die soon; if not, then the sun on the last day of the 15th month (September 5, 1894) will not set until Atham dies."
(Reported in Al-Hakam Qadiani Newspaper, September 7, 1923)
Yaqub Ali Qadiani in his book titled the Life of the Promised Messiah recounted:
"When the last day of the period appointed for Atham dawned, the faces of the Qadianis were pale white and their hearts were perturbed. Some of us had laid bets with the opponents on the death of Abdullah Atham. A sense of dismay and depression prevailed....
(Sirat-ul-Mehdi, P. 7)
The sun set and nothing, again! Mirza Ghulam gathered people in a mosque and reassured them that nothing was lost. He prophecised that "The sun will not rise and Atham will be dead." He ordered them to pray all night asking for the death of Atham.(Raees-e-Qadian, Vol. 2, P. 172). That night voices were heard from every Qadiani house in town, so that the "cries and wails reached such a pitch that even the opponents felt afraid." (Sirat-ul-Mehdi, P. 7)
Yet, the sun rose and Mr. Atham had not died! Many Qadianis were agitated by these failed prophecies, some even gave up on their faith. Mirza Ghulam, once again, gathered his remaining supporters and gave them a sermon on the meaning of tests and trials. Some accepted his explanation and forgot the failure of the prophecies he had attributed to Allah(SWT). On the other hand, the Christians celebrated the failure of Mirza Ghulam in Amristar (a city in India) and carried Mr. Atham around in a victory march. To them, Mirza Ghulam's loss equated the loss of Islam. (Al-Hukam of Qadian, September 7, 1923, by Rahim Buksh Qadiani)
In a last attempt to save face, Mirza Ghulam and some of his close associates suggested that, since the prophecies had not come to pass, Mr. Atham must have turned his back on Christianity and become a Muslim! (Roohany Khazaen, Vol. 9, P. 2)
Apparently, this self-proclaimed Prophet did not think much of his own followers! Did he expect his followers to forget that Allah(SWT) will not go back on His promise to his prophet? Did he even expect them to forget his own words:
"It is possible that heaven and earth may heavens might be shaken from their place but the promise of God is unshakable."
(Jang-i-Muqaddas, P. 2)
In an announcement published in the newspaper Wadadar on September 15, 1894, Mr Atham declared:
"I invite your attention to the prophecy of Ghulam Ahmad about my death. I inform you that, by the grace of God, I am safe and sound. I have heard Ghulam Ahmad alleging that I have turned my back on Christianity. I proclaim that this is a lie. I was a Christian and I ever remained a Christian and I thank God that He made me a Christian..."
(Wafadar, Lahor, September 15, 1894 - not a Qadiani paper)
Muhammad Ali Khan, the son-in-law of Mirza Ghulam, in a letter to Mirza Ghulam expressed his dismay and concern for the clear loss and failure of all the prophecies:
"Respected Maulana, May God keep you safe!
Peace and Mercy of Allah on you.
Today, is the 7th of September, while the last day of the fulfillment of the grand prophecy was the 5th of September. I shall not repeat the words of the prophecy. I shall, however, mention the words of your revelation -
'Now I promise before God that if my prophecy is proved to be a false one and the liar does not die within the period of fifteen months and is not plunged into Hell, I am prepared for my punishment By God, it will so happen. The earth and the heavens might be shaken from their place but the promise of God is unshakable.'
Was this prophecy fulfilled according to Mirza Sahib's description? No - Never. Abdullah Atham is safe, sound, and alive and is not punished by dead to be flung into Hell. I do not consider any other interpretation is possible for this prophecy than what it clearly meant to be. It, however, sounds very ugly that every prophecy is misunderstood and had to be elaborately interpreted to be rightly understood. At the birth of a child, for instance, it was named Bashir (harbinger of good tidings) for good omen, and when it died, you said the matter was misunderstood. As for the prophecy concerning Atham, it has given birth to the very master piece of distortion and interpretation."
(Aina-e-Haq Numa, P. 100-101, Published by Yaqub Ali Qadiani)
Once more, let's review the failed prophecies which Mirza Ghulam attributed to Allah(SWT), in regard to Mr. Atham:
* Mr. Atham will accept Islam;
* Mirza Ghulam has been given all the capabilities given to Jesus(pbuh);
* Mr. Atham will die by September 5, 1894;
* A blind man will start seeing, a paralyzed person will start walking, and deaf individual will start hearing;
* The sun on the last day of the 15th month (September 5, 1894) will not set until Atham dies;
* The sun will not rise and Atham will be dead.
It is unfortunate that Mirza Ghulam has already died. If he were alive now in an Islamic state (not protected by British forces), Muslims would have done as he suggested. They would have blackened his face and hung him as he had requested.
Do you have any doubt that Mirza Ghulam Qadiani was a grand fabricator?
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