Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya

rdf:langString Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya

rdf:langString Al-Barāhīn al-Ahmadīyyah 'alā Haqīqatu KitābAllāh al-Qur'ān wa'n-Nabūwwatu al-Muhammadīyyah (Ahmadiyya Arguments in Support of the Book of Allah - the Qur'an, and the Prophethood of Muhammad) is a five-part book written by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. The first two parts were published in 1880 CE, the third volume was published in 1882, the fourth volume in 1884 and the fifth volume in 1905. In writing the book, Ghulam Ahmad sought to rejuvenate Islam by arguing for the validity of its principles and vindicating its teachings in response to Christian and Hindu polemics against Islam as well as atheistic philosophies. In this context, a significant portion of the subject matter of the book is dedicated to the defence of Islam as a whole against the criticism of Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam that was raised in the 18th and 19th centuries predominantly by Christian missionaries and Hindu revivalists. Along with the publication of the book, Ghulam Ahmad issued a poster advertising a reward of 10,000 rupees (the total value of his property in 1879) for anyone who could rebut his arguments in favor of the divine nature of the Quran and the authenticity of Muhammad's claim to prophethood; or could present at the very least one-fifth of the 'excellences' as presented in the Barāhīn in favour of Islam, in favour of their own religion, scripture and founder(s). The work was initially intended to be a fifty-volume series in the defence of Islam, however, Ghulam Ahmad's claim to be divinely appointed as the expected Mahdi and Messiah during the course of its writing and following the publication of volume four marked a major turning point in his life. The series thus ended with the fifth volume. The Barāhīn proved to be a useful source for the defence of Islamic doctrine and was critically acclaimed by many Indian Muslim scholars at the time, earning Ghulam Ahmad recognition as an expert in formulating arguments against Christians and Hindus among the intellectual circles of the Punjab. However, other aspects of the work proved highly controversial within the Muslim community itself because of the author's messianic claims and his claim to be a recipient of revelation.