250 



THE EE V. H. D. GEISWOLD, M.A., PH.D., ON 



totally different nation. As this world is now coming to an 

 end, therefore in my descent from a tribe other than the 

 Quresh, there is an indication that the end of the world would 

 cut off all claims of the Quresh to khilafat " (Review of 

 Religions, November, 1904, p. 400). (d) As regards moral and 

 religious conditions. The Mirza Sahib draws a rather 

 impressive parallel between the moral and religious needs, 

 which nineteen hundred years ago required the presence of 

 Jesus Christ, and the same needs to-day both in Islam and in 

 Christianity, which, with equal insistence, according to the 

 Mirza Sahib, call for the promised Messiah. Morally, the 

 times are out of joint, " Society is rotten to its very core " 

 (Review of Religions, p. 60). The special sins of Christendom 

 are drunkenness, prostitution and gambling ; and those of 

 Islam are the ghazi spirit, immorality, lack of love, etc. Such 

 evils " call for a reformer." The Mirza Sahib's principle is that 

 Necessity itself is proof (Zarurat-id-hnain, p. 25), i.e., since the 

 true reformer has appeared at Qadian, the very necessity which 

 called for him may be cited as proof of the reality of his 

 claims. Religiously, the condition of things is no better. The 

 fear of God has vanished from before the eyes of men. Islam 

 is cursed with the doctrines of jihad, a bloody Mahdi, and 

 tomb-worship, and besides there is no unity of belief on such 

 important doctrines as the death of Christ and His second 

 coming (vide Zavurat-ul-hndm, pp. 24, 25). And as regards 

 Christianity, it is cursed with false doctrines such as the 

 deification of Jesus Christ and belief in His atoning 

 death. 



Of the Jews in the time of Christ, the Pharisees believed too 

 much, the Sadducees too little, and the whole religious life of 

 the time was marked by formalism in worship and unrighteous- 

 ness of life. So is it to-day in Islam. Muhammadans of the 

 old school, who are under the guidance of the ignorant Mullahs, 

 outstrip Roman Catholics and Buddhists in their reverence for 

 saints and devotion to tomb-worship. In short, they are 

 superstitious and believe too much. On the other hand, 

 Muhammadans of the new school, e.g., the followers of 

 Sir Sayad Ahmad, hold very loose views on the subject of 

 revelation and resurrection. They are rationalistic and believe 

 too little. A divinely appointed Umpire is necessary in order 

 to arbitrate between these various positions and to restore " the 

 golden mean." Such is the mission which the Mirza Sahib 

 claims for himself. He is the Hakam or umpire in religious 

 matters for the present age; (e) As regards mission. The Mirza 



