Gag Order

Regarding the lawsuit, under Article 107 Criminal Procedure Code [‘daf`ah 107 zaabtah faujdaaree’], that had been filed against me and Maulvee Aboo Sa`eed Muhammad Husayn Bataalvee, Editor, Isha`at-usSunnah, in the court of Mr. J. M. Douie, Deputy Commissioner, District Gurdaaspoorah; on Friday, February 24, 1899 AD, a decision has been made on this such that the two parties were made to sign declarations with the following content: In future neither party should make a prophecy of vexatious content, such as death, regarding any of his opponents; neither party should refer to anyone as kaafir or dajjaal or muftaree [forger] or kazzaab [liar]; neither party should invite any other for a mubaahilah; [the word] Qaadiyaan should not be written [starting] with the letter ‘kaaf’ and neither should [the word] Bataalah be written with the letter ‘to-ay’[57]; and the parties should use soft [civil] language for each other; abstain from foul language and vile epithets; and each party should impose this guidance, as much as possible, on his friends and followers; and this behavior is not only for among Muslims but should also be [adopted] for Christians. [MAJMOO`AH, v. 3, p. 134]

"Dr. Clark’s case helped to dispel the commonly held belief that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had employed agents to murder his opponents to fulfil his prophecies. [b]He continued to throw challenges of prayer duels to his enemies and prophecised their humiliation and death till he was ordered by the Punjab Government on 24 February 1899 to refrain from publishing any prediction involving the disgrace of any person and representing him as the object of Divine wrath.83 The order was meant to check the heat generated by the religious frenzy and to appease his opponents who were the followers of Muhammad Hussain Batalvi. There was no change in the British policy. It was a stop gap measure."