Re: Paak Seerat Hadhrat Masih e Maood (A.S)
*Book - Ludhiana Debate *
Ludhiana Debate took place between Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, and Maulvi Abu Saeed Muhammad Hussain for twelve days starting from 20th July 1891.
On reading Fat-hi-Islam, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain wrote to Hadhrat Ahmad (as) that according to what he had written in the book it seemed that he had claimed to be the like of the Messiah who was to come according to the Holy Qur'an and the Sayings of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. If it was so, he should confirm it; the answer, he said, should be in a clear form of 'yes' or 'no'.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) wrote back to say that the answer was 'yes'. Maulvi Muhammad Hussain again wrote to Hadhrat Ahmad (as) to say that he was mistaken in this claim and that he should make a retreat.
Later on, having read Tauzi-hi-Maram, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain again wrote to say that he was strengthened in his view that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was very wrong to claim to be the like of Messiah who was to appear in the latter days.
The correspondence continued and as a result of it a debate took place between the two of them. Since the debate took place at Ludhiana, it is generally known by the name of Ludiana Debate. The subject to be discussed was the death of Jesus Christ (as). Maulvi Muhammad Hussain wanted the position of Hadith to be clarified before taking up the real subject of the debate and he harped on this clarification for all the twelve days till the debate ended without the topic of the death of Jesus Christ (as) being discussed.
Hadhrat Ahmad (as) gave clear and full-length answers to his questions about the position of Hadith but the Maulvi repeated his demand every time; he said that a clear cut reply had not been given. The stand of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) was that only such Hadith as tallied with the Holy Qur'an could be accepted. He remarked that the surest thing that the Muslims had with them was the Holy Qur'an. The Hadith could explain the Holy Qur'an but could not go against it. Maulvi Muhammad Hussain insisted on putting the Hadith at the same level as the Holy Qur'an is and asserted that whatever we find in the Hadith must be believed in and acted upon in the same way as we do to whatever we find in the Holy Qur'an.
At the end of the debate, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) drew the attention of the people by swearing in the name of Allah, the Almighty, that now the way out was that Maulvi Muhammad Hussain should pray for forty days - as he also would do - and show some heavenly sign. If he could do that, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) remarked, he would not mind being butchered with any weapon the Maulvi liked, and he would pay any fine that he would be asked to pay. Hadhrat Ahmad (as) further said, 'A Warner came to the world but the world accepted him not'. However, God will accept him and prove his truth with mighty onslaughts.
This brought the debate to an end.