Who Wrote the Tracts?
Truth About the Split
This tract, like the first, was published anonymously, but there were certain points about them both which clearly indicated their source:
Firstly, these tracts had been published from Lahore, which was at that time the headquarters of the party of Maulawi Muhammad Ali. By calling it their headquarters I do not mean that at that time Lahore was openly set up as a rival to Qadian. What I mean is that the majority of the members, who shared the views of Maulawi Muhammad Ali lived in that city, and their organ, the Paigham-e-Sulh, was published from that place. Practically, therefore, if not openly, Lahore was already the headquarters of the party. Of course, after the death of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) , Lahore began openly to be mentioned as such.
Secondly, the tracts reached most places packed in printed covers belonging to the office of the Paighame-Sulh. The fact was sufficient to prove that they had been dispatched from the office of that paper, or at least that the people connected with that paper had a hand in the distribution of the tracts.
Thirdly, the writer of the tracts asked his readers to communicate with him on the subject-matter of the tracts, but at the same time failed to furnish any- address. The question naturally arises as to how, in the absence of an address, were the people to communicate with the author? It is therefore probable that the author had at first put down his name and address, but had subsequently considered it prudent to suppress the information. But, since the sentence asking people to correspond with the author had not been deleted from the body of the tract, it is probable that the idea of suppressing his name and address occurred to the author after the tract had been handed to the press. It was perhaps the fear of delay, which was inevitable if parts of the text had to be altered, and also perhaps the risk of spoiling the language, which induced the author to leave the text intact. In some copies of the tracts, a close examination showed that some words had been rubbed off with the finger from the end of the text. In some other copies, again, there had been left unerased the word "through the medium of newspaper", while the rest of the note had been rubbed off. These words clearly indicate that replies were invited through the medium of some newspaper. And, although the paper might not necessarily be the Paigham-e-Sulh, the words showed so much for certain that the people who had issued the tract were persons in close touch with the newspaper. And the fact also is well-known that for considerations which fellow professionals have for one another those belonging to different newspapers are willing to render small services of this kind to one another.
Fourthly, in these tracts the ideas expressed were the same as those which were entertained by Maulawi Muhammad Ali and his party. Only the language employed with reference to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) was less respectful than was generally used by them in their public conversations, and with regard to this, I can name more than twenty persons who are witnesses to the fact that in their private conversations some prominent members of Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s party used to employ the very terms with reference to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) which had, been used in these tracts.
It was only after the death of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) that it became customary with them to praise Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) . While he lived, these people in their private correspondence used to refer to him in very derogatory terms. In illustration of this, I shall here quote a few passages from letters, which two leading members of the party had written to the late Sayyid Hamid Shah Sahib during the lifetime of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) . The first letter was written by Sayyid Muhammad Husain, the treasurer of the Central Anjuman of the Lahore party. He wrote to Sayyid Hamid Shah Sahib:
"1-10-09. Respected brother Shah Sahib:... Your favour to hand, and all its news... The news of the distressing occurances at Qadian has perhaps already been communicated to you by Shaikh Sahib. The garden which our holy Master had watered with the blood of his heart had scarcely begun to grow when it is in danger of being destroyed by autumnal winds, Maulawi Sahib (i.e. Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) ) is so obstinately blind in his affections that he can hardly listen to anybody. He has turned his back upon Al- Wasiyyat (Promised Messiah’s (as) Will). He disregards the words of the Messenger of God, and keeps in view only his personal prestige and authority. The Movement may come to grief, but the words which fall from his mouth must be fulfilled. The Movement founded by our holy Master and which will and is certain to grow is, through the obstinacy of some men in danger of such a serious set-back that it will take a long time to recover. The wiser members of the Community are all occupied with their private concerns. With the death of Mirza Sahib, they have banished from their memories all recollections of his many benefits, his greatness and his will, and saint- worship, for the eradication of which the Movement was founded by God is being introduced again. The condition of the Movement is now best described in the couplet:
"Friendless has become the faith of Ahmad, not a friend or dear one by:
With every one taken up with his own affairs, the faith of Ahmad (sa) has none to care.
There is nobody who will venture to ask: Well, brother, has Al-Wasiyyat any importance or not? It was written under Divine inspiration. Was it meant to be thrown away? If one would venture to ask such a question, one is met with the threat of apostasy. God have mercy. The heart is disconsolate. News from Qadian is that the Maulawi says that in about ten days a bomb will explode which will ruin and crush the Movement. God have mercy. Is there no limit to pride and vainglory? While there is so much of preaching about trusting one another there is no end to mistrust. Should the Movement come to ruin for the sake of a shia? God have mercy. O God! we have sinned. Thou alone canst save us by Thy mercy and grace. Take us under Thy special protection and save us from these trials. What more should I write. The worst is happening. It is time that some special Divine favour should appear and save this Movement founded by Himself from the impending disaster. Amen! Salams to all brothers, and request for prayer.
(Sd.) Sayyid Muhammad Husain."
The other letter was written by Mirza Ya‘qub Baig, the General Secretary of this same Anjuman of the Lahore party. It ran as follows:
"Respected brother... At present we are in great anxiety over difficulties which have arisen in Qadian. The Khalifa’s vacillation has exceeded all bounds. He is going shortly to publish a notice from which serious troubles are to be feared... If anybody exhibits the least difference of view with the Khalifa, it sends him into great rage... The circumstances were all fully explained to him but his fury failed to quell, and he is firmly resolved to publish a notice... I ask you what more is there for us to do. His object is to do away with the Anjuman, and to see that there is not the least opposition to his opinions. But this is not the intention of Al-Wasiyyat. It lays down that after the Promised Messiah (as) all should work by mutual consultation. Shaikh Sahib and Shah Sahib send salutations. They agree with what I have said above.
Fifthly, the clearest and the most convincing proof of the fact that these people were responsible for the publication of these tracts is afforded by the fact that as soon as the tracts were published, Sayyid Inamullah Shah, the manager of the Paigham-e-Sulh, and Babu Manzur Ilahi, the moving spirit of its organisation, published a letter in the Paigham-e-Sulh of 16th November. In this letter, while refuting the alleged charge brought against them by the Anjuman Ansarullah, that they were the authors of the tracts, they observed that there was no doubt that the contents of the tracts which had come to their notice, were for the most part, and so far as they knew, quite true although the tracts also contained matters which were outside their knowledge and regarding which they were not, therefore, in a position to give any opinion. The letter proceeded to observe that if in spite of the fact that the writers entertained the most implicit faith in every word of the Promised Messiah (as), the Lahore section of the Ansarullah continued to misrepresent them for the only fault that on certain minor points they held views at variance with those of the Ansarullah, or endorsed sentiments expressed in the two tracts, then it would lie at the door of the Lahore Ansarullah themselves if in refuting their attacks, the writers should fail to observe an exact balance of language.
These five considerations show that the tracts were published by Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s friends and partisans. Their publication makes two facts quite clear. First that in a controversy with this party, it is useless to expect them to observe any moral, civil or religious law. For, it will be observed that in the publication of the tracts there was, in the first place, a transgression of the civil law of this country, inasmuch as the name of the press where the tracts were printed, was not printed on the tracts. There was also a violation of the law of propriety, because in these tracts some very foul charges had been brought against Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) and myself and my relatives by a person or persons who chose to remain anonymous. There was, therefore, no possibility of ascertaining the truth about the charges, because, so long as the accuser did not furnish any proofs in support of his statements, there was no means at all of refuting those statements. There was also an infringement of the religious law of Islam as the writer or writers had raised their voice against, and had charged with un-godly conduct and immorality one to whom they had sworn the oath of Bai‘at, and inasmuch as they had chosen to publish, without a shadow of proof or cause, matters, which according to the law of Islam, they were prohibited even from speaking about.
The second fact which the publication of the tracts made clear was that the party had arrived at a final decision that, come what might, they would not abandon their effort to attain their end even though it might lead to a split in the Community, and further that even during the lifetime of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) , they had begun preparations for a split in the Community.
I do not say that these tracts were written by Maulawi Muhammad Ali himself. But there is little doubt that they were the work of one or another of his friends and coadjutors. Nor were they the work of any single individual. They were the work of a group of men, because to publish a series of tracts and to distribute them widely could not be the work of one man. The preparation, the expense, and the distribution of the tracts required cooperation, and could not be accomplished without assistance. All these facts make it clear that there had been a secret party of Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s friends and associates, and it was they who were responsible for the tracts.