v v-e 
 
 A 
 
 BEING 
 
 THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
 
 OF 
 
 The Rev. IMAD-UD-DIN, D.D., 
 
 Of the Church Missionary Society's Mission at Amritsar, North India, 
 And Honorary Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Lahore. 
 
 Translated from the Hindustani by the Rev. R. CLARK, M.A., 
 C.M.S., Amritsar, 
 
 New Edition. With Appendix and Notes, 
 
 bonbon: : 
 
 CHURCH MISSIONARY HOUSE, SALISBURY SQUARE. 
 
 18S5. 
 
 PJilCF. ONE PENNY. 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE REV. IMAD-UD-DIN, D.D. 
 
 [Imad-ud-din was formerly an eminent Mohammedan Moulvift, and after- 
 wards a fakir. He was baptised April 29th, 1866 ; confirmed by Bishop Milman, 
 of Calcutta, December 3rd, 1S6S; ordained by the same Bishop, Deacon, 
 December 6th, 186S ; and Priest, December 18th, 1872. He was Examining 
 Chaplain to Bishop Milman for Urdu candidates, and holds the same office now 
 under the Bishop of Lahore. A notice of his literary works is appended to the 
 Autobiography. In 1884 the degree of D.D. was conferred on him by the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury. The following Autobiography was written in 
 
 AY the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ dwell on the 
 
 1VJ - whole world ! The writer of this little Pamphlet 
 became a Christian on the 29th of April, 1866, with the 
 single object of obtaining salvation. But many people, 
 both amongst my elders, and also amongst my relatives 
 and friends, as well as my disciples and pupils, have 
 received wrong impressions about me. Some say that 
 Imad-ud-din is only a fictitious name, and not the name 
 of any real person. So people imagine in Peshawar. 
 Others say that I have become a Christian from a desire 
 to improve my worldly position. Again, some staunch 
 Mohammedans do not even believe in the fact of my 
 having become a Christian at all. So people imagine in 
 Karuli and other places. I have therefore thought it ' 
 desirable to write this full and reliable account of myself, 
 
 1866.] 
 
4 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 that everyone acquainted with the circumstances may 
 know that a real person is spoken of. 
 
 As regards my family relations, my ancestors were 
 inhabitants of the city of Hansi, in which city there were 
 twelve religious chiefs, whose beautiful tombs, built by 
 the kings, exist to this day. The name of one of these 
 religious chiefs was Jelal-ud-din ; whose son was Shiekh 
 Fateh Mohammed ; whose son was Moulvie Mohammed 
 Sirdar ; whose son was Moulvie Mohammed Fiizil ; 
 whose son was Moulvie Mohammed Siraj-ud-din, my 
 father ; whose children are my brothers and sisters and 
 myself. 
 
 In the time of Shah Jahan my ancestors were in fairly 
 prosperous circumstances, and had ample revenues and 
 estates. Their lands and possessions remained in our 
 family during the time of the Mahrattas ; but in 
 the days of my grandfather, when the Englioh Govern- 
 ment came into the country, my grandfather mistook his 
 own interests, and our property was all confiscated, and 
 we then directed our attention to study and to giving 
 instruction. 
 
 We are commonly known as belonging to Paniput, 
 because my grandfather, Mohammed Fazil, after the loss 
 of his property, removed from Hansi to Paniput. This 
 city is a place where the descendants of several eminent 
 families have settled, and where many zealous and 
 exceedingly strict observers of the law of Mohammed 
 have lived from olden times. In every age it has had 
 its learned and eloquent Mohammedan teachers, who 
 have had their large libraries of Arabic and Persian 
 works. 
 
 The special reason of my grandfather's settling in 
 Paniput was that the Afghan, Ghulara Mohammed Khan, 
 a man of considerable eminence, whose family, in every 
 
Native Clergyman in India. 
 
 5 
 
 generation, has always held a high command in the 
 country from the times of the kings, was a great chief in 
 that city, who admitted my grandfather into his society, 
 and showed him great respect and regard on account 
 of his learning, and rendered him assistance in every 
 way. 
 
 My grandfather thus spent the remainder of his life in 
 Paniput with Ghulam Mohammed Khan, honoured and 
 esteemed, in the observance of the rights of Moham- 
 medanism. After his death, my father, Moulvie 
 Sin'ij-ud-din, still continued to live at Paniput, and has 
 remained there all his life in the practice of similar 
 devotion. The descendants of Ghulam Mohammed 
 Khan likewise have shown him every respect and honour 
 that was his due as their religious teacher ; and now, too, 
 the present Afghan chief, Abdullah Khan, the grandson 
 and successor of Ghulam Mohammed Khan, although 
 his circumstances have not improved, still always shows 
 my father the same esteem as before. 
 
 My father is now of a great age ; but yet he has made 
 no change whatever in his religious observances. He is 
 ever occupied, as before, in acts of worship by day and 
 in vigils at night, and notwithstanding that age has 
 dimmed his faculties, I have written to tell him of the 
 messages of our Lord, and of the good news of His 
 salvation. If he embraces it, well ; but if not, it is still 
 placed in his power to do so. 
 
 His difficulties are very great, because Mohammedan 
 learned men have been entangled by the grossest 
 ignorance. Believing that they have been taught the 
 substance of all the law and the prophets by Mohammed, 
 they have not, for generations, read the Old and New 
 Testaments ; and they are always hearing the dictum of 
 Mohammed repeated in their ears, that the Scriptures 
 
6 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 have been altered and annulled. Nor do they hold any 
 intercourse with Christians in order to find out their real 
 state. They have thus been deceived from generation to 
 generation ; and because they think that Christians are 
 altogether bad, they will not listen to them in any way. 
 However, in this part of the country their bigotry and 
 ignorance have lately been somewhat lessened. 1 
 
 My family circumstances are the following : — I was 
 one of four brothers. One of these brothers, 
 Muayan-ud-din, died in 1865. My eldest brother is 
 Moulvie Karim-ud-din, the present head of our family, 
 who, by God's favour, is a man of considerable learning, 
 and without bigotry ; and is one of the chief writers of 
 the day in North India. He is the deputy Inspector of 
 Schools in the Lahore circle, and many of his works in 
 the Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages are now in 
 circulation. His religion is that of Islam ; but still he is, 
 to a certain extent, inquiring after truth. 2 
 
 My next brother is Moonshee Khair-ud-din, who was 
 formerly engaged in educational work in Ludiana and 
 Hushiyarpur. He now lives with my father in Paniput. 
 He also is an intelligent and learned man, and without 
 bigotry. If only he would be mindful of his latter end, 
 and make preparations for it, he can now erter into the 
 way of truth ; but, alas ! there is no religious guide near 
 him to extricate him from his misapprehensions. All 
 around him are deceivers, preachers of crooked stories, 
 
 1 Note by the Translator.— This aged Moulvie, said to be 100 
 years old, and who remembers some of the events of the North 
 Indian history of the last century, was baptized at Umritsur on 
 1st January, 1868. 
 
 - He is now the only one of his family who remains unbaptized. 
 It was thought at one time that he would have been the first in 
 his family boldly to acknowledge Christ. 
 
Native Clergyman in India. 
 
 7 
 
 who are not in possession of true religion. May the 
 Lord be their guide. 3 
 
 I am the youngest brother, and my name is Imad ud-din. 
 When I was fifteen years old I left my friends and 
 relatives for my education, and went to Agra, where my 
 brother, Moulvie Karim-ud-din, was the head master in 
 the Urdu language. I remained there a long time under 
 him to receive instruction ; and as my only object in 
 learning was, in some way or other, to find my Lord, as 
 soon as I had leisure from the study of science, I began 
 to wait on fakirs and pious and learned men, to discover 
 the advantages of religion. I frequented the mosques 
 and the houses set apart for religious purposes, and the 
 homes of the Moulvies, and carried on my studies in 
 Mohammedan law, the commentaries of the Koran, and 
 the traditional sayings of Mohammed; and also in 
 manners, logic, and philosophy. Even when I was a 
 student, and knew nothing of the Christian religion, I had 
 some doubts in my mind respecting Mohammedanism, 
 in consequence of intercourse I had had with some 
 Christians ; but the taunting curses of the Moulvies and 
 Mohammedans so confounded me, that I quickly drew 
 back from all such thoughts. Even my friend, Moulvie 
 Safdar Ali, Deputy Inspector of Schools in Jubblepore, 
 who was then my class-fellow in the Agra (Government) 
 College, and a most bigoted Mohammedan, although I 
 can testify to his conscientious principles, and consistent 
 practical conversation and attainments, deeply regretted 
 the existence of my doubts, as soon as he discovered 
 them. He told me at once that I was going astray from 
 the right path, and that the Christians had led me astray, 
 
 3 He was baptised, together with his wife and his father, in 
 Umritsur, on January ist, 186S. 
 
8 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 although I had not even read their books on Moham- 
 medanism ; and he bid me put away all such thoughts 
 from my mind, and carefully and attentively read the 
 Mohammedan works, and thus find out what is true. 4 
 Moulvie Safdar Ali then took me with him to Moulvie 
 Abd ul Halim, one of the retinue of the Nawab of 
 Banda, who was a very learned man, and a Mohammedan 
 preacher. I was at that time reading Hamdullah's work. 
 I stated to him my objections, and although he was 
 unable to answer them, he repeated several verses from 
 the Koran, and showed so much temper that we both 
 were soon weary of him, and got up and went away. 
 From that day I gave up all idea of disputation and 
 controversy, and began to take great pains in acquiring 
 knowledge. Without troubling myself with any other 
 concerns, I read steadily night and day, and continued 
 doing so for eight or ten years ; and as I read under the 
 conviction that all knowledge was a means of acquainting 
 myself with the Lord, I believed that whatever time was 
 spent in its pursuit was really given to the worship of 
 God. 
 
 In short, when the necessary attainments in the outward 
 knowledge of religion had been acquired, and I had 
 become brimful of Mohammedan bigotry from it, I 
 became entangled in another snare which the learned 
 Mohammedans have placed in the path of the seeker 
 after truth, by which he can hardly fail to be greatly 
 deceived, and may even spend his whole life in vain. 
 The Mohammedans always at first, and for a long period 
 
 4 This Moulvie, Safdar Ali, was baptized in Jubblepore in 
 iS65, and is the author of a most valuable work, the Niyaz nama, 
 which was published shortly after his conversion, and which 
 forcibly points out to his fellow-countrymen the truth and 
 importance of Christianity, and the errors of Mohammedanism. 
 
Native Clergy 'man in India. 
 
 9 
 
 of time, set forth before enquirers after truth the outward 
 rites of their law, and their bodily exercises, and 
 unprofitable stories, and the affinities of words used in 
 their controversies. They then tie him by the leg with a 
 rope of deceit, in order to make him sit down and rest 
 contented, by telling him that what he has already learnt 
 consists merely of the outward ordinances of Moham- 
 medanism, and the science of their common-place book ; 
 but that if he wishes to prosecute his studies, and 
 investigate the realities of religion, and thus attain to the 
 true knowledge of God, he must go to the fakirs and the 
 Mohammedan saints, and remain in attendance on them 
 for many years, because they possess the secret science of 
 leligion, which has been handed down by succession, 
 from heart to heart, amongst the fakirs, from the time of. 
 Mohammed, and which secret science is the fruit of life 
 The person who entangled me in this calamity, and 
 thus deceived me, was Doctor Wuzeer Khan, who had 
 come to Agra as sub-assistant surgeon. He was a most 
 bigoted Mohammedan, and thought himself to be amongst 
 the number of the saints. This secret science of religion 
 is called mysticism ; and learned Mohammedans have 
 written and stored up large libraries of books about it, 
 which they have compiled from the Koran and from the 
 Traditions, and from their own ideas as well, and also 
 from the Vedants of the Hindoos, and from the customs 
 of the Romans and Christians, and Jews and the Magi, 
 and from the religious ceremonies of monks and devotees. 
 It altogether has to do with the soul, and had its origin 
 in the spiritual aspirations of the Mohammedans of 
 bygone days, who were really seekers after the truth, and 
 who, when the cravings of their souls could find no 
 satisfaction in any of the mere Mohammedan doctrines, 
 and their mental anxieties could find no rest in any way, 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 were in the habit of collecting together all kinds of 
 mystical ideas, with the view of giving comfort to their 
 minds. If only, when they were in such a frame, the 
 Old and New Testaments had been placed in their 
 hands, and they had become acquainted with the 
 writings of the Prophets and Apostles, they would have 
 found out the true knowledge of God, and would never 
 have remained Mohammedans. But Mohammed from 
 the very first devised a plan for cases of this kind. He 
 forbade his followers to read either the Old or the New 
 Testament; and when once the Caliph Omar kept 
 reading the pages of the Old Testament in his presence 
 he became very angry, and asked them whether the 
 Koran alone was not sufficient for them. This practice 
 of not reading the Bible prevails amongst Mohammedans 
 even to the present day ; and if ever they see this holy 
 book in the hands of any Mohammedan they call him 
 accursed. And Mohammed, according to his views, did 
 well in forbidding it ; for he knew well that any one who 
 ever read this holy Word of God would never approve of 
 his Koran. 
 
 As soon as I was entangled in this subtle science I 
 began to practice speaking little, eating little, living apart 
 from men, afflicting my body, and keeping awake at 
 nights. I used to spend whole nights in reading the 
 Koran. I put in practice the Qa^ida Ghousia, the 
 Chahal KM, and the Hisb ul bahar, and constantly 
 performed the Maragiba Majahida, and the special 
 repetitions of the Koran, and all the various special 
 penances and devotions that were enjoined. I used to 
 shut my eyes ard sit in retirement, seeking by thinking 
 on the name of God to write it on my heart. I constantly 
 sat on the graves of holy men, in hopes that, by contem- 
 plation, I might receive some revelation from the tombs. 
 
Native Clergyman in India. it 
 
 I went and sat in the assemblies of the elders, and hoped 
 to receive grace by gazing with great faith on the faces of 
 Sufies. I used to go even to the dreamy and intoxicated 
 fanatics, in the hope of thus obtaining union with God. 
 And I did all this, besides performing my prayers five 
 times a day, and also the prayer in the night, and that in 
 the very early morning and at dawn ; and always was I 
 repeating the salutation of Mohammed, and the confession 
 of faith. In short, whatever afflictions or pain it is in 
 the power of man to endure, I submitted to them all, and 
 suffered them to the last degree ; but nothing became 
 manifest to me after all, except that it was all deceit. 
 
 Whilst all this was going on, Doctor Wuzeer Khan and 
 Moulvie Mohammed Mazhar, and other leading 
 Mohammedans, appointed me to preach the Koran and 
 the Traditions in the large royal mosque at Agra, with 
 the view of opposing the Rev. Dr. Pfander. I remained 
 there preaching and expounding the Commentaries and 
 Traditions, &c, for three years ; but the following verse 
 from the Koran was all the time piercing my heart like a 
 thorn : " Every mortal necessarily must once go to hell : 
 it is obligatory on God to send all men necessarily once 
 to hell ; and afterwards He may pardon whom He will." 
 Learned Mohammedans have always been greatly 
 perplexed about the meaning of this verse. They have 
 interpreted it in many different ways ; and they cannot 
 find in any verse in the whole Koran any better hope 
 than this respecting mediation with God. When I 
 thought about it, I was always greatly confounded. Some, 
 indeed, say that Mohammed will himself be the mediator 
 with God on behalf of his followers, and that the object 
 of the Mohammedan religion is to set this forth ; but the 
 Mohammedans have no proofs to give for any such 
 pretensions, for it is nowhere written in the Koran that 
 
12 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 Mohammed is their mediator. The very learned 
 Jelal-uddin Siutu has indeed written a book on the 
 subject, in which he has given proofs of this assertion 
 from the Traditions. I received some little comfort in 
 reading his book, but I did not then know that it was 
 taken only from the Traditions, on which the reliance 
 that may be placed is just in proportion to their worth. 
 Some again say that Mohammed can in no way mediate 
 on behalf of man with God, and they give good proofs 
 of their assertion from the Koran itself; but the Sunis 
 do not accept them, although the Wahabis believe them. 
 Many other ideas respecting mediation are brought 
 forward in the pages of Mohammedan authors, but by 
 reading them men's minds become only the more perplexed. 
 
 In the midst of thoughts like these my only comfort 
 was in engaging in more constant acts of worship. I 
 retired into my private chamber, and with many tears I 
 prayed for the pardon of my sins. I often went and 
 spent half the night in silence at the tomb of Shah Abul 
 Ala. I used to take my petitions with joy to the shrine 
 of Calender Bo Ali, and to the threshold of the saint 
 Nizam-ud-din, and often to the graves of the elders. I 
 sought for union with God from travellers and fakirs, 
 and even from the insane people of the city, according to 
 the tenets of the Soofie mystics. The thought of utterly 
 renouncing the world then came into my mind with so 
 much power, that I left every body, and went out into 
 the jungles, and became a fakir, putting on clothes 
 covered with red ochre, and wandered here and there, 
 from city to city, and from village to village, step by step, 
 alone, for about 2,000 cos (2,500 miles) without plan or 
 baggage. Faith in the Mohammedan religion will never, 
 indeed, allow true sincerity to be produced in the nature 
 of man ; yet I was then, although with many worldly 
 
Native Clergyman in India. 
 
 n 
 
 motives, in search only of God. In this state I entered 
 the city of Kanili, where a stream called Cholida flows 
 beneath a mountain, and there I stayed to perform the 
 Hisb ul bahar. I had a book with me on the doctrines 
 of mysticism and the practice of devotion, which I had 
 received from my religious guide, and held more dear 
 even than the Koran. In my journeys I slept with it at 
 my side at nights, and took comfort in clasping it to my 
 heart whenever my mind was perplexed. My religious 
 guide had forbidden me to show this book, or to speak 
 of its secrets to any one, for it contained the sum of 
 everlasting happiness ; and so this priceless book is even 
 now lying useless on a shelf in my house. I took up the 
 book, and sat down on the bank of the stream, to perform 
 the ceremonies as they were enjoined, according to the 
 following rules : — The celebrant must first perform his 
 ablutions on the banks of the flowing stream, and, wearing 
 an unsewn dress, must sit in a particular manner on one 
 knee for twelve, days, and repeat the prayer called 
 Jugopar thirty times every day with a loud voice. He 
 must not eat any food with salt, or anything at all, 
 except some barley bread of flour, lawfully earned, which 
 he has made with his own hands, and baked with wood 
 that he has brought himself from the jungles. During 
 the day he must fast entirely, after performing his 
 ablutions in the river before daylight ; and he must 
 remain barefooted, wearing no shoes ;nor must he touch 
 any man, nor, except at an appointed time, even speak 
 to any one. The object of it all is that he may meet 
 with God, and from the longing desire to attain to this, 
 I underwent all this pain. In addition to the above, I 
 wrote the name of God on piper during this time 125,000 
 times, performing a certain portion every day ; and I cut 
 out each word separately with scissors, and wrapped them 
 
M 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 up each in a little ball of flour, and fed the fishes of the 
 river with them, in the way the book prescribed. My 
 days were spent in this manner ; and during half the 
 night I slept, and the remaining half I sat up, and wrote 
 the name of God mentally on my heart, and saw Him 
 with the eye of thought. When all this toil was over, 
 and I went thence, I had no strength left in my body ; 
 my face was wan and pale, and I could not even hold 
 up myself against the wind. The treasurer, Taj 
 Mohammed, and Fazl Rasul Khan, the minister of the 
 Rajah of Karuli, took much care of me, and became my 
 disciples. Many people of the city, too, came to me, and 
 became my disciples, and gave me much money, and 
 reverenced me greatly. As long as I remained there I 
 preached the Koran constantly in the streets, and houses, 
 and mosques, and many people repented of their sins, 
 and regarded me as one of the saints of God, and came 
 and touched my knees with their hands. But still my 
 soul found no rest; and in consequence of the experience 
 I had had, I only felt daily in my mind a growing 
 abhorrence of the law of Mohammed. When I arrived 
 at my home, after traversing 200 cos more, the readings 
 of the Koran and my religious performances had become 
 altogether distasteful to me ; and during the next eight 
 or ten years, the examples of the Mohammedan elders, 
 and their holy men, and moulvies, and fakirs, whom I 
 used to meet, and my knowledge of their moral character, 
 and of the thoughts that dwelt in their hearts, and their 
 bigotry, and frauds and deceits, and their ignorance, 
 which I used to observe, altogether combined to convince 
 my mind that there was no true religion in the world at 
 all. I had got into the same state of mind that many 
 learned Mohammedans have been in under similar 
 circumstances. I once had thought that Moham- 
 
Native Clergyman in India. 
 
 medanism was the best of all religions on earth, because 
 Moulvie Rahmut Ullah and others had, in their 
 presumptuous belief, proved Christianity to be false, and 
 also because I had been present at the great controversy 
 which the Mohammedan learned men had held with 
 Dr. Pfander in Agra. I had read the Istifsar, the Azulut 
 ul Waham, and the Ijaz Isawi, 5 which the Mohammedans 
 had written to confute Christianity. I had therefore 
 believed Christianity to be untrue ; and always, even in 
 my sermons, I had pointed out what I believed were its 
 errors to my disciples ; so much so, that when one day I 
 was preaching in the great mosque in Agra, and Dr. 
 Henderson and another English gentleman, who were 
 Government Inspectors of Schools in the Meerut and 
 Bahar circles, had come to the mosque with Moulvie 
 Kareemuddeen to hear the preaching, and I was just 
 then speaking to the Mohammedans about the Christian 
 religion, my bigotry was so great, that even the presence 
 of the rulers of the country did not restrain me. In 
 short, I was a vehement opponent of the Christian 
 
 6 The Ijaz Isawi, published in 1853, appears to be one of the 
 chief weapons used by the Mohammedans of North India against 
 Christianity. It professes to be written from acknowledged 
 Christian sources, and parades, at its commencement, a list of 
 no less than 216 Christian authors, of all countries, and churches, 
 and sects, from Clements and Ignatius down to Scott and Paley; 
 and boasts that it has proved, from references to Luther, Calvin, 
 Cranmer, and Zwingle, as well as to Pearson, Patrick, Home, 
 and Milner, that both the Old and New Testaments, as they now 
 are, are full of defects. Its authors, Moulvie Rahmut Ullah 
 and Doctor Wuzeer Khan, were the champions of Moham- 
 medanism against Christianity in the celebrated Agra controversy 
 with Dr. Pfander and Mr. French ; and true to their creed, they 
 were amongst the first to take up more material weapons against 
 the same Christianity during the mutiny of 1857, when they were 
 proved guilty of offences, for which one of them at least could 
 
i6 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 
 religion; but experience had now also shown me something 
 of the state of the Mohammedans. I therefore became 
 convinced in my own mind that all religions were but 
 vain fables ; and that it was better for me to live in ease 
 and comfort myself, to act honestly towards every body, 
 and to be satisfied with believing in the unity of God. 
 For six years my mind remained afflicted with these 
 foolish thoughts; and, taking hold of some of the leading 
 principles that were the results of my past experience, 
 I reasoned on them in such a way that I put my trust in 
 them. 
 
 When I came to Lahore, and the people saw that I 
 was not living in conformity with the law of Mohammed, 
 the leaders of the religion began to censure me ; for 
 although, in a certain manner, I still believed that 
 Mohammedanism was true, I no longer thought myself 
 to be bound by its requirements. But at times, when I 
 thought of my death, when I must leave this world, and 
 thought of the judgment-day of the Lord, I found myself 
 standing alone, powerless, helpless, and needy, in the 
 
 not be pardoned by the Queen's amnesty. The one of them is 
 now in Mecca, and the other a proclaimed outlaw in Constanti- 
 nople ; where, four months ago (in order to counteract the 
 effects of the Turkish edition of Dr. Pfander's Mizan-al-Haqq), 
 he published another garbled and untrue statement of the Agra 
 controversy, which, according to his own account, was ' 'translated 
 into Turkish by the learned Iskander Ebn Mohammed, ol 
 Cashmere, and is accepted, and agreed to, and approved of, by 
 the Council of Instruction, the Grand Council {i e., by the 
 whole Turkish Government), as well as by the Ulemah and the 
 learned generally." It is a remarkable fact, that of the other 
 moulwies who took part in the above-named Agra controversy, 
 no less than three have already embraced Christianity, two of 
 the three being acknowledged by all to be very learned men, 
 namely, Moulvie Safdar Ali, of Jubblepore, and the late convert, 
 Moulvie Imad-ud-din. — Extract from the Uwitsur Report for 1866. 
 
Naliyt Clergyman in India. 
 
 midst of fear and danger. So great agitation used to 
 come over my soul, that my face remained always pale, 
 and in my l-estlessness I often went to my chamber and 
 wept bitterly. I was so perplexed, that at times I used 
 to tell the doctor? that it was some disease that made my 
 mind restless against its will, and that, perhaps, I might 
 some day even kill myself. Tears were my only relief, 
 but they used to give me different kinds of medicine that 
 did me no good at all, and this again only angered me. 
 
 From the time of my coming to Lahore I have been 
 employed under Mr. Mackintosh, the head master of the 
 Lahore Normal School, a learned and very religious man. 
 I here heard of the conversion to Christianity of Moulvie 
 Safdar Ali at Jubbulpore, which greatly amazed me. For 
 some days I wandered about speaking harshly of him, 
 and many evil thoughts respecting him came into my 
 mind ; but gradually I remembered that Moulvie Safdar 
 Ali was a true and just man, and I began to ask myself 
 how he could have acted in such a foolish manner as to 
 leave the Mohammedan religion. J then thought that I 
 ought to begin to dispute with him by letter about it, and 
 I determined that I would do so fairly and without 
 bigotry. With this object I procured the Old and New 
 Testaments, and also got together copies of the Jstifsar, 
 and the Ijaz Isvvai, and the Izalut ul wahfim, and other 
 controversial books ; and I asked Mr. Mackintosh kindly 
 to read the English New Testament with me, and explain 
 it so that I might investigate its truth. He undertook to 
 do this gladly. When I had read as far as the seventh 
 chapter of St. Matthew, doubts fixed themselves upon my 
 mind respecting the truth of Mohammedanism. I became 
 so agitated that I spent whole days, and often also whole 
 nights, in reading and considering the books ; and I 
 began to speak about them, both with Missionaries and 
 
1 8 Autobiography of a 
 
 Mohammedans. Within a year I had investigated the 
 whole matter, chiefly at nights ; and I discovered that 
 the religion of Mohammed is not of God, and that the 
 Mohammedans have been deceived, and are lying in 
 error ; and that salvation is assuredly to be found in the 
 Christian religion. As soon as this had become evident 
 to me, I made everything known to my Mohammedan 
 friends and followers. Some of them became angry ; 
 but some of them listened in my private chamber to the 
 proofs I gave them. I told them they ought either to 
 give me satisfactory answers to these proofs, or else to 
 become Christians with me. They said quite plainly 
 that they knew that the religion of Mohammed was not 
 true ; but asked what they could do, when they were 
 afraid of the opposition of the world, and of the reproaches 
 and curses of ignorant men. In their hearts they said 
 they certainly believed Christ to be true, and that 
 Mohammed could not be the mediator of the men of his 
 religion, but they were unwilling, they said, to lose the 
 esteem of the world. They then urged me not to make 
 my faith public, but to call myself outwardly a Moham- 
 medan, and yet in my heart to believe in Christ. Others 
 told me that Christ's religion was both right and reason- 
 able, but that they could not comprehend the Trinity, 
 and how Christ is the Son of God, and that on this 
 account they would not embrace it. Others said they 
 did not approve of the habits of some Christians, and 
 that therefore they would not join themselves to them. 
 
 The extent of their faith became thus evident to me 
 by their own confessions. I committed them all to God, 
 for, besides praying for them, I knew not any thing else 
 I could do to them ; and I went myself to Umritsur, and 
 received baptism from the Rev. R. Clark, of the Church 
 of England ; and the chief reason why I went to be 
 
Native Clergyman in India. 
 
 19 
 
 baptized by him was, that he was the first Missionary 
 who had sent me the message of the Lord by letter to 
 Lahore, and I therefore thought it right to be baptized by 
 him ; and, besides this, I thought much of his devotedness 
 and zeal. I then wrote the book called the Tahqiq id 
 Imdn (the " Investigation of the True Faith ") for those 
 Moulvies who are living without any anxiety in conse- 
 quence of their faith in Mohammedanism ; and I am now 
 preparing another work, 6 of which there is the greatest 
 need, and I ask for God's help in it. If, according to my 
 desire, God should help me to complete it, I hope to 
 make manifest the glory of the Lord by it, and that it 
 may prove very useful. 
 
 I have received great advantages in religious matters 
 from the Rev. W. C. Forman 7 and the Rev. Isura Das 
 Moitra. 8 Having associated myself with them in Lahore, 
 I attend their church with much benefit. I have been 
 very greatly helped also by the Rev. John Newton, 9 who 
 
 6 The reply to the Ijaz Isawi. 
 
 7 Missionary, and 3 Native Minister of the American Board 
 of Missions in Lahore, whose church Imad-ud-din attended after 
 his baptism, as there was then no Mission of the Church 
 Missionary Society in Lahore. He was then (in 1S66) a 
 master in the Government Normal School in Lahore, and 
 remained there until he removed to Umritsur to prepare for 
 holy orders in the Church of England, to which he belonged, 
 after having declined an offer of an important and lucrative 
 position under the English Government, in order that he might 
 devote his life to the spread of Christian truth among his fellow- 
 countrymen. 
 
 0 Missionary of the American Board of Missions. Mr. Newton 
 is the senior Missionary in the Punjab, whose devoted piety and 
 labours, and great experience and attainments, have won for him 
 the confidence and esteem and love of all who know him, amongst 
 
20 
 
 Autohiography of a 
 
 has been the means of solving many of my religious 
 difficulties. Since my entrance into the grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ I have had great peace in my soul. 
 The agitation of mind and restlessness of which I have 
 spoken have entirely left me. Even my health is 
 improved, for my mind is never perplexed now. By 
 reading the Word of God I have found enjoyment in 
 life. The fear of death and of the grave, that before 
 was a disease, has been much alleviated. I rejoice 
 greatly in my Lord, and my soul is always making 
 progress in His grace. The Lord gives peace to my 
 soul. My friends and acquaintances, and my disciples 
 and followers, and others, have all become my enemies. 
 At all times and in all manners they all try to afflict me; 
 but having found comfort in the Lord. I think nothing of 
 this, for, in proportion as I am dishonoured and afflicted, 
 He gives me peace and comfort and joy. Amongst my 
 relatives, only my brother, Moulvie Karim-ud-din, and 
 Moonshee Khair-ud-din, and my relative, Mohammed 
 Hosein, and my father, still write to me, and show me 
 any affection. With these exceptions all my relatives 
 and friends are turned away from me. I therefore pray 
 for them May God give them grace, and open the eyes 
 of their minds, that they also may be partakers of the 
 everlasting salvation of the Lord, through the grace of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ ! Amen. 
 
 both Europeans and Natives. It was through him that the 
 Church Missionary Society was invited to commence Missionary 
 work in the Punjab in 1851, and he afterwards cordially 
 welcomed Mr. French and Mr. Knott, of the Church Missionary 
 Society, to his own station, Lahore, to establish their College for 
 Native Pastors and Evangelists there in 1869. 
 
Native Clergyman in Jndia. 
 
 21 
 
 NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR, 1869. 
 
 The writer of the foregoing, and his brother, Moonshee 
 Khair-ud-din, supported their aged father, Moulvie Suraj- 
 ud-din, to the communion rails,vvhere they were confirmed, 
 together wich forty-seven other Native candidates, in 
 Umritsur, by the Bishop of Calcutta, on December 3rd 
 [1868]. On December 6th he was ordained by the Bishop 
 as a deacon of the Church of England. He has already 
 published the following Hindustani works: (1) The 
 Tahqlq-ul-Jmdn, or "An Investigation into the True 
 Faith," in 1866, being a comparison between the Christian 
 and Mohammedan religions ; (2) The Waqidt I madly a, 
 or the "Autobiography of Imad-ud-din," in 1866, of 
 which the foregoing is a translation ; (3) the lttajdqi 
 Mubdhlsa or a " Discussion by the Way," being an 
 account of a public discussion held with Mohammedan 
 Moulvies in 1867 ; (4) the Haqlql Arfan, or "The True 
 Knowledge of God," in i868,consisting of twelve numbers 
 of a monthly series of Tracts on various Christian subjects ; 
 and (5) the Hiddyal-ul-Musulman, or " A Guide for 
 Mohammedans," in 1866, being a detailed reply to the 
 well-known Mohammedan work, the Jjdz Isaivi (referred 
 to in p. 17 above, and in note p. 15), which seems to be 
 the armoury from which the Mohammedans of North 
 India daily forge their chief controversial weapons against 
 Christianity. This reply, of some 460 closely-written 
 pages, has been lately published, and it is believed to be 
 a decisive one, exposing the unfair reasonings and mis- 
 statements of the writers of the Jjdz Isawi, and pointing 
 out that the arguments brought forward in that book, 
 
22 Autobiography of a Native Clergyman in India. 
 
 when rightly expressed, and carried to their logical 
 conclusions, are, in many cases, only additional proofs of 
 the truth of the religion of Christ. 
 
 The above history, practically rebutting as it does the 
 mistaken assertions and wrong inferences of misinformed 
 and often worldly men respecting the progress of the 
 Gospel in heathen lands, ought to lead many to glorify 
 God for His grace, and for the power of His Spirit and 
 Word. The prayers of the readers of this Pamphlet are 
 specially asked, on behalf of this Native Clergyman, that 
 he may be a faithful and humble minister of Jesus Christ, 
 and may be the means of leading many of his countrymen 
 to find deliverance in Christ from ignorance and sin. 
 
 Edwin Sears & Co., Printers, i, Johnson's Court, Fleet Streei, K.C 
 
List of Theological and other Works written by the 
 Rev. Imad-ud-din, of Umritsur, up to 15th January, 1884. 
 
 Tahqy ul I'Man (Inquiryof Faith). 1866. On the Evidences of Christianity, and 
 the Refutation of Mohammedanism, written with the view of a reply to Izalat 
 ul Auhfim by Maulvi Ahmad Ullah. 
 
 Mukhtasar TawArikhi HindustAn (A brief History of India); 1866. This 
 book contains the substance of Indian History, and is a secular work. 
 
 WAqiAt 1 Imadiya (Autobiography of Imad-ud-din, by himself). 1866. Contains 
 a brief history of his life before he embraced Christianity, and dwells on the 
 comforts he received from Christianity since he embraced it. This has passec 
 through two editions, and has been translated into English. 
 
 IIidAyat ul Muslium (A Guide to Mohammedans). 1867. This has been twice 
 printed, and the 2nd edition has been revised and improved. The fir.t half of this 
 work is a reply to Ij5z-i-Iswi by Maulvi Rahmat Ullah, now in Mecca; and 
 the second half is an endeavour to show the utterly false foundations on which 
 the Mohammedan religion rests. 
 
 IltifaqI MuBAHISA (Account of a verbal Controversy). 1867. This book contains 
 an account of religious discussions held between him and the Mohammedan 
 Maulvis of Umritsur. 
 
 Haqiqi IrfAn (The True Knowledge of God). 1869. Contains twelve Essays, 
 in which Christ and Christ's religion are unfolded ; and it is a guide for inquirers 
 after truth. 
 
 AsAr I QiyAmat (Signs of the Day of Resurrection). 1870. This pamphlet contains 
 the Biblical view of the second advent of our Saviour, the doctrine of the 
 resurrection, and the future judgment. 
 
 TawAri'kh-i-Mahommedi (History of Mohammed). 1870. The History of 
 Mohammed, as taken from original Arabic Mohammedan books, showing what 
 sort of person Mohammed was; written for the information of the Mohammedai i 
 themselves. 
 
 Tafsir 1 MukAshafat i Yuhanna (Commentary on the Book of Revelation). 
 This is a summary of Ellicott's Commentary on Revelation — but needs revision. 
 
 TalIm-i-Muhamadi (The Doctrines of Muhamedanism). 1870. This book contains 
 a comparison of the doctrines of Mohammedanism and the Doctrines of the 
 Bible. 
 
 Nagma 1 Tamburi (The Sound of the Drum). 1871. Contains all the letters 
 written to him by the Maulvi Syad Mohammed Mujtahid (the Mohammedan 
 Bishop) of Lucknow, on the subject of religion, with his replies to him. 
 
 Mau Ana (Who am I?). 1874. A comment on the question of ourSaviour, " Whom 
 do men say that I the Son of man am V 
 
 Qissa f. NathAmel (The Story of Nathaniel). 1874. An account of the conve»- 
 sion of Nathaniel. 
 
 TafsIr Ingil 1 Mati, RusOl (Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew). 1875. 
 This commentary is written by the joint effort of the Rev. R. Clark and 
 himself. 
 
 Anjam I Mubahisa (Controversial Results). 1875. This pamphlet shows what have 
 been the results of religious discussions held between Mohammedans and 
 Christians from the earliest times down to the present day. 
 
 Panijrah Lecture (Fifteen Lectures). 1875. A course of Lectures on Christianity. 
 They have passed through two editions, and have a good sale. 
 
 TaqliAt ut TaliqAt (The Connection of Connections). 1877. A reply to 
 objections raised by Maulvi Chiraghali Sahib, a high officer of H.H. the Nizam, 
 Hyderabad in the Deccan, on the history of Mohammed written by him. as 
 shown in No. 8. 
 
 Tafsir i Aamal (Commentary on the Acts). 1879. This Commentary is written 
 
 by the joint effort of the Rev. R. Clark and himself. 
 TauqId ul KhiyAlAt (Rectification of Men's Thoughts). 1882. Fout 
 
 pamphlets in reply to works in defertce of Islam, by the Honourable Syad 
 
 Ahmed Khan Sahib Bahadur, K.C.S.I., and Member of the Legislative Council 
 
 of the Government of India. 
 KitAb-i-Alkindi (Al-Kindi). 1883. A translation of the writings of Al-Kindi from 
 
 Arabic into Urdu. Not yet published. 
 
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