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Responding to Allegations Did the Promised Messiah ever claim that Allah taught him 40,000 Arabic words in a single night?

The opponents of the Promised Messiah as allege that neither did the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat mention anywhere that he was taught 40,000 root words of Arabic in one night by God the Almighty, nor did his companions, who witnessed this miracle, narrate this.

This is an utterly baseless allegation, which has only been raised out of envy. If the opponents had removed the covers of prejudice from their eyes, they could have easily discovered after little research that not only did the Promised Messiah as mention the said miracle in his sayings and writings, but his companions also highlighted it on countless occasions. The Promised Messiah as states: کمالی فی اللسان العربی، مع قلۃ جہدی وقصور طلبی، ّ إن ر علی الناس علمی ؤادبی، فہل ِ ظہ ُ ربی، لی من واضحۃ ٌ آیۃ ُ مت ِ ّ ل ُ لک ع ٰ ض فی جموع المخالفین؟ وإنی مع ذ ِ عار ُ م ن ِ م کاملۃ ً بسطۃ ُ عطیت ُ ۃ، ؤا ّ اللغات العربی من ا ً ٔاربعین ٔالف ۃ ّ فی العلوم الٔادبیۃ، مع اعتلالی فی ٔاکثر الٔاوقات وقل الفترات، وھذا فضل ربی.

“My proficiency in Arabic, despite a lack of effort and research, is a sign from God Almighty, so that my intellect and literary prowess becomes manifest to people. Thus, can anyone from among the opponents object to it? Moreover, I have been taught 40,000 words of the Arabic language. Despite the fact that I am sick most of the time and I enjoy very few days of health, I have been given vast and complete knowledge in the literary sciences and this has happened only through the blessings of my God.” (Anjam-e-Atham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 11, p. 234)

At another place, the Promised Messiah as wrote:

“I have been given the sign of eloquence and mastery in Arabic as a reflection of the Quranic miracle of eloquence and no one can challenge me in this.” (The Need for the Imam, p. 42 [English translation of Zarurat-ul-Imam])

Consequently, the Promised Messiah as wrote about 20 books in Arabic, which are masterpieces of prose and poetry. No one, either in the life of the Promised Messiah as or after his death, had the audacity to come up with better Arabic rhetoric. In this way, Allah the Almighty substantiated the claim of the Promised Messiah as about the said miracle and silenced his opponents.

The Promised Messiah as was taught Arabic by God Almighty despite being a non-Arab. Thereafter, he repeatedly challenged his opponents to hold a contest of Arabic writing so that they could witness the miracle of God with their own eyes. Moreover, he frequently expressed in his gatherings about the time period in which he was blessed with the Arabic knowledge and taught 40,000 words by God Almighty.

An article of one of his close companions, Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib ra Sialkoti, was published in Al Hakam on 3 March 1901. In it, he writes:

“The motivation for writing in Arabic came from me. God Almighty inspired my soul in the first place that this heavenly blessing should also be presented to the Arabs in Arabic vessels. Upon this stimulation, he [the Promised Messiah as ] first wrote the [Arabic book], Al-Tabligh, which is part of Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam. Only my heart fully knows the situation, which I observed from his reservation and expression of wonder that came upon him at my request. He said with sheer innocence and unpretentious simplicity and straightforwardness, ‘It is a very good idea, but this work is very delicate. It is beyond my power and ability.’ Then after some thought, he said, ‘Alright, I will first prepare a draft in Urdu, then you (this humble one), me and Maulvi Sahib (Maulvi Nuruddin Sahib) will work together and translate it into Arabic.’ He was fully motivated at that time. During the night, the Omnipotent All-Wise God, Exalted be His name, sent a revelation about it and told him to write in Arabic and also assured him that he had been blessed with the mastery of a vast part of the Arabic language and that the Ruh-ePak [Gabriel] would cause to flow Arabic words on his tongue and pen when he started to write.” (Al Hakam, 3 March 1901, p. 4)

The Promised Messiah as did not deny the above fact in the remaining years of his lifetime and continued to announce that he was given the miracle of Arabic by Allah.

Likewise, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad ra , the son of the Promised Messiah as , who became his second Khalifa, wrote an article entitled, Mann Ansari Ilallah, which was published in the May 1911 issue of the monthly magazine, Tashheez-ul-Azhan, Qadian.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud ra said:

“The Promised Messiah as used to say that he was taught the root words of several thousand Arabic words in one night.” (Tashheez-ul-Azhan, May 1911, p. 165)

This article was later published in the first volume of Anwar-ul-Ulum and this statement is present on its page 335.

The Promised Messiah as passed away on 26 May 1908. Thousands of his Companions ra were alive when the above mentioned article was published in May 1911, but none of them disagreed with it. Certainly, they were already aware of that miracle and would have also heard it directly from the Promised Messiah as or from other companions.

On the occasion of the Jalsa Salana Qadian 1921, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II ra delivered a speech, Hasti Bari Ta‘ala (The existence of the Almighty God) and said:

“The opponents called him [the Promised Messiah as ] ignorant and said that he did not know a word of Arabic. However, he replied to them, ‘I know where the treasure of knowledge lies and I will bring knowledge from there.’ Thus, he invoked God the Almighty’s attribute of Al-Aleem [All-Knowing] and he was granted matchless knowledge. He used to say, ‘Once, 40,000 origins of words [of Arabic] were inspired to me by God Almighty in one minute.’” (Anwar-ulUlum, Vol. 6, p. 435)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud ra wrote a book, Dawat-ul-Amir in the year 1922, which was published in 1924. He mentioned the allegation of the opponents in it that the Promised Messiah as was not acquainted with Arabic and said:

“When this objection was widely circulated and the opponent maulvis started raising it on various occasions, Allah the Almighty taught [the Promised Messiah as ] 40,000 origins of Arabic words in one night and gave him this miracle that he should write books in Arabic and promised him that he would be given such an eloquence that people would not be able to compete with him.” (Anwar-ulUlum, Vol. 7, p. 502)

The first volume of Tafsir-e-Kabir, comprising the commentary of Surah al-Baqarah, was published in 1948. In it, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih ra states:

“A fresh example of direct teaching of God Almighty is also found in this age and that is the [example of] the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, who did not acquire education in any regular madrasa. When he started writing books in Arabic by the command of God Almighty, he was once taught 40,000 words of Arabic in one night.” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 1, p. 319)

A commentary on Surah al-Muminun, was published in the sixth volume of Tafsir-e-Kabir on December 1957, wherein Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud ra wrote:

“The Promised Messiah as has said, ‘I was taught 40,000 origins of Arabic words in one night by Allah the Almighty.’” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 142)

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The first statement of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II ra highlighting the time in which the Promised Messiah as was divinely taught Arabic was published in 1911; the second statement was published in 1921; the third in 1924; the fourth in 1948 and the fifth statement in 1957. The age of these statements was close to the time of the Promised Messiah as and thousands of his companions were alive. A single rejection of this statement by the companions would have been enough to prove the objection of the opponents, but zero denial shows that each companion of the Promised Messiah as agreed to it and believed in the said miracle.

Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad ra states:

“Mian Ghulam Nabi Sahib Sethi related to me that he was in Qadian once and the Promised Messiah as was writing Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam. Hazrat Sahib as consulted with the Jamaat [members] as to how tabligh be carried out to scholars and gaddi nasheens [successors of a saint, or pir]. Different opinions were exchanged. The Promised Messiah as said, ‘There should be a book in Arabic for such people but the problem is that I do not have proficiency in Arabic as compared to them. However, I will write an article in Urdu and we will then translate it into Arabic by combined effort.’ Thus, the Promised Messiah as went inside his house. Then, the Promised Messiah as came out with a draft he had written in Arabic. Maulvi Nuruddin Sahib and Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib were surprised to see it. Consequently, Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib said, ‘I have studied a lot of Arabic literature, but I have never seen such an excellent piece in Arabic [writing].’ The Promised Messiah as said, ‘I prayed to God Almighty about it. Hence, 40,000 origins of Arabic words have been taught to me by God.’” (Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. 1, Part II, p. 315)

Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib ra wrote a book, Silsila Ahmadiyya (1939), in which he writes:

“God sent him [the Promised Messiah as ] to serve Islam and blessed him with the knowledge of the Holy Quran. At the same time, He gave him a command in Arabic in a miraculous way. As a result, he first invited the scholars to face him and compete in Arabic writing. Soon after that, he also announced that he had been taught 40,000 origins of words of Arabic in one night by God, and that God had granted him such perfect command over Arabic that no other person could compete with him, whether he was a Hindu, Egyptian or Syrian.” (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 1, p. 55)

A great number of Companions of the Promised Messiah as were present at the time when the aforesaid narrations and statements were published. Neither they, nor any other member of the Jamaat in that era raised any question against them.

Thus, in the presence of the above mentioned testimonies, the opponents should gather some courage and accept the truth, rather than levelling false accusations against the Promised Messiah as .

100 Years Ago... “I shall humiliate him who seeks to humiliate you”: Ahmadiyya victory in Ceylon

All praise belongs to Allah that with His grace, a trying time for us has finally ended and we have witnessed a great victory of Ahmadiyyat.

Both my brothers and Muhammad Sharif were acquitted of all the charges that were filed against them out of religious bigotry. Our opponents, who had hoped that the judge would sentence them to at least five years in prison and who had gathered in court with great enthusiasm, returned with great regret after the verdict was announced. Consequently, Allah the Almighty established the truth of the following revelation of Hazrat Ahmad َ ك َ ت َ ان َ ه ِ ا َ اد َ ر َ ا ْ ن َ ّ م ٌ ن ْ ي ِ ه ُ م ْ ي ّ ِ ن ِ ا as :

“I shall humiliate him who seeks to humiliate you.”

As you are well aware, we are being put to test in every way and enduring hardships upon hardships. Ever since Ahmadiyyat was established in this small Island, we have been facing trouble after trouble, but owing to the blessings of Allah the Almighty, we are not worried at all, even if we experience much greater difficulties. By the grace of God the Almighty, we are ready to face them at all times.

The reason for this [resoluteness] is that we witness fresh signs of the truthfulness of Hazrat Ahmad as every single day.

Before I give you a brief account of the proceedings, it will be intersting for you to note that the opponents have now started to change their attitude because of our great victory. Most of the time, they are seen discussing this miraculous victory we have had over them by the grace of God.

As we were going through this divine trial, some prejudiced, ill-informed and unfaithful people, deceived by the provocative words of some fanatical and irrational mullahs, tried their best to uproot Ahmadiyyat from the island of Lanka. They wanted to block all avenues of progress for this Jamaat of a handful of people. In order to achieve this goal, they took the services of [two well-known] lawyers, Mr MBA Ka (advocate) and Mr Sam Kadarga, and contrived all possible

Al Fazl, 28 September 1920

schemes against us. However, all praise be to Allah Who saved us by means of His flawless and excellent plan, and He is the best of planners.

Now, I will tell you briefly as to how the case was heard by Justice Felix Dias in the Supreme Court.

First day

The three persons accused were escorted to the court on Thursday, 29 July [1920], at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Mr Stanley Obeyesekere CC along with his assistants, Mr MBA and Mr Sam Kadarga, appeared as plaintiffs. Defendants were represented by Mr C Brooke Elliott and HG Garron.

The first gentleman, [Mr Brooke] is an Englishman. The court was filled with highly interested audience. Mr Stanley Obeyesekere opened the session with a 20-minute introductory speech. The first witness then appeared from Mr Stanley’s side. Mr Brooke Elliott’s turn came after an hour and the proceedings were adjourned for the second day.

Second day

At 11am the next day, Mr Brooke Elliott began his first day’s proceedings and asked very logical and wise questions to all the witnesses who appeared one after the other. He even proved to the judge that their testimonies were completely fabricated and fictitious. As it became clear to the judge that their testimonies were unsubstantial and false, the honourable judge did not consider it necessary to let them present any more of their witness. Mr Elliott then stood up and addressed [the jury], which was assembled to deliberate fully on this matter and give a decision. Its members were Europeans, two Singair and two Tamil linguists.

He completed his speech after an hour or so. It was a great speech and everyone listened to him very keenly and attentively. Thereafter, he presented my father before the judge and asked Mr Safudeen, “Is he, Mr Lye, the father of the first two accused?” He replied in the affirmative. He then asked Safudeen, “Has this old man, (referring to my father), served as the head clerk of Justice Walter Pereira and Mr Arthur Railway?” He admitted that he had. At that moment, the honourable judge scolded him and said, “Don’t you know how to acknowledge the services of a person with such a social position?” Mr Brooke Elliott also expressed that the other accused was the secretary of Anjuman Ahmadiyya Ceylon and the editor of the newspaper, The Message. Moreover, he is from the promulgators of the progressive Jamaat of Islam. The erudite speaker also explained the cause of all that trouble and mentioned the hostility of the people [against the Ahmadis]. The judge then handed over the papers to [the jury] for the decision. The honourable members returned to their seats after 40 minutes with the following unanimous decision:

“All the three accused are not guilty of murder. However, the first and the second [accused] have inflicted a slight blow to Safudeen during an instant reaction.”

Thereafter, Mr Brooke Elliott said to the judge that the defendants were unfairly jailed for three months and requested that they should [only] be made to pay some fine for the minor injury they caused to Safudeen. Hence, the judge acquitted the third accused and imposed a fine of 25 rupees each on the first two as a penalty for the slight beating, which was immediately paid. Finally, they were released after three months of suffering which they had to endure for the sake of Islam.

A great number of relatives, friends and well-wishers congratulated them on their release. After a while, they went to the Anjuman’s office with members of the Jamaat. There, they exalted the glory of God and offered supererogatory prayers to express gratitude. People continued to visit us for seven days in a row and we received many congratulatory letters and telegrams. In short, the final outcome was thanks to God Almighty …

I am also very grateful to the markaz of the Jamaat [Qadian] and its members, for they helped us in every way during this difficult time.