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Qadianis caught in the date trap:
Is it 1901 or 1902?
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When the Qadiani Khalifa Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad started trying
to prove that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had claimed to be a prophet, he
was faced with the great difficulty that Hazrat Mirza had denied
claiming to be a prophet in his writings. To overcome this difficulty,
Mirza Mahmud Ahmad invented the theory that Hazrat Mirza had realized
after a certain date that he was indeed a prophet, and
therefore all his denials of prophethood before that date
must be regarded as having been cancelled and no longer applicable.
In his book Al-Qaul al-fasl, published on 30th January
1915, Mirza Mahmud Ahmad set this date at October
1902, alleging that Hazrat Mirza has changed his claim to prophet
subsequent to the publication of his book Tiryaq al-Qulub which
appeared in October 1902.
So Mirza Mahmud Ahmad writes:
| Translation of relevant portion:
| Image from original Urdu book of the full para on page 24:
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| "It is absolutely
unallowable to use any writing before 1902 as evidence because
the Promised Messiah has given the decision that as regards his
belief about prophethood which he expressed in Tiryaq al-Qulub,
later revelation made him change it."
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However, Mirza Mahmud Ahmad published another book only two months later
in March 1915, entitled Haqiqat an-nubuwwat, in which
he wrote:
| Translation of relevant portion:
| Image from original Urdu book of the full para on page 121:
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| "...the issue of prophethood became
clear to him in 1900 or 1901, and as Ayk Ghalati Ka
Izala was published in 1901, in which he has proclaimed his
prophethood most forcefully, this shows that he made a change
in his belief in 1901. . . . It is proved
that the references dating prior to the year 1901 in which he
has denied being a prophet, are now abrogated and it is an error
to use them as evidence."
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First Mirza Mahmud Ahmad set the date of change of claim as being after
October 1902 because Hazrat Mirza was denying being a prophet in the book
Tiryaq al-Qulub published in October 1902. Then when
Mirza Mahmud Ahmad thought that he could use Ayk Ghalati ka Izala,
published in November 1901, to prove that Hazrat Mirza claimed to be a
prophet, he altered the date of change of claim to "1900 or 1901".
The very fact that Mirza Mahmud Ahmad changed this date is conclusive
proof that it was all his own invention and that Hazrat Mirza never
mentioned any date after which his claim changed from non-prophet to
prophet.
The Qadianis are caught in a trap. To prove that Hazrat Mirza
claimed to be a prophet, they are forced to set a date of change of
his claim from non-prophet to prophet, but whatever date they set they
are in deep trouble:
- If Mirza Mahmud Ahmad's first date is right, that "it
is absolutely unallowable to use any writing before [October] 1902
as evidence", then the Qadianis are entirely wrong in
propagating the booklet Ayk Ghalati Ka Izala to prove that
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed to be a prophet because it was published
in November 1901, almost a year before October 1902.
- If Mirza Mahmud Ahmad's second date is right, that
"the issue of prophethood became clear to him in 1900 or 1901"
then the Qadianis should accept Hazrat Mirza's explanation of his
claim and rank as given by him in Tiryaq al-Qulub because it
was published in October 1902.
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