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Books
Section
> by
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of
Qadian
> Paigham-i
Sulah (Message of
Peace)
> Editor's Note . Editor's
Note: Paigham Sulh, or a "Message of Peace", was written by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in the last two or three days of his life in May 1908, while he was staying at Lahore where he spent the last month of his life. It is an appeal addressed to the Hindus and Muslims of India to rid themselves of the mutual hatred, enmity and bigotry between the two communities by showing respect for each other's religions. Speaking for Islam, Hazrat Mirza declares that Muslims can accept, respect and indeed believe in the Hindu scriptures and their ancient religious sages as having been sent by God, since the Holy Quran teaches that prophets and books from God came among every people on earth. Hindus, he proposes, reciprocate by regarding the Holy Prophet Muhammad as truthful, and by refraining from making vituperative attacks against him. It may be noted that a militant Hindu sect, known as the Arya Samaj, had come into being in the late nineteenth century, and was producing the most scurrilous literature hurling the filthiest abuse against the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The inflammatory writings of this sect posed a threat to peace between the two communities. Hazrat Mirza proposed an agreement by which Hindus and Muslims would not only refrain from attacking one another's religion, but show respect and love towards the venerable founders of each other's faith, and, more than that, harbour feelings of human sympathy and brotherliness towards the other community. Paigham Sulh was being prepared as a public lecture due to be delivered on 31 May 1908. However, as Allah Almighty had decreed, Hazrat Mirza fell ill and passed away on 26 May and returned to his Maker. He had not entirely completed writing the lecture, but the unfinished work covered most of the message he intended to convey. It was therefore decided to proceed with the lecture at a re-arranged date and venue. Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din, a prominent member of the Ahmadiyya Movement and later founder of the Woking Muslim Mission in England, had the lecture printed from the manuscript left by Hazrat Mirza, and delivered the address before an audience of thousands of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims at the University Hall, Lahore, on 21 June 1908. It was also translated into English. The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore has published more than one edition of the English version, the last being at the tragic but opportune time of 1947 when communal hatred between Hindus and Muslims was escalating into bloodshed at an unprecedented scale. In producing the present English edition, I have thoroughly checked the previous translation and revised it extensively. A list of contents and an index have also been added. It may be noted that the four brief footnotes, three being added in this edition, and the sub-headings, some of which are revised from the previous edition, were all added during translation for the facility of the reader, and are not part of the author's original work. Zahid Aziz, Dr. Books
Section
> by
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of
Qadian
> Paigham-i
Sulah (Message of
Peace)
> Editor's Note
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