كتاب منهج دراسة الأديان بين الشيخ رحمت الله الهندي والقس فندر
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from such prejudices, estimating its value primarily in terms of its actual content. This need is as obvious today as it was then.
For me Waqicat-i cImadiyya serves as another living commentary upon the following parable of Jesus:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Holy Injil, Matthew 13: 45, 46.)
To God alone be the glory!
Ernest Hahn
Vaniyambadi, India
May, 1978
The Life of
The Rev. Mawlawi Dr. Imad ud-Din Lahiz
The writer became a Christian on April 29, 1866 simply for the sake of attaining salvation. But many people, among them my elders, friends, acquaintances and others, have expressed various ideas of their own about me. There are those who say that Imad ud-Din is merely a fictitious person, a doubt shared by some persons in Peshawar. Others say that I became a Christian for worldly gain. Some orthodox Muslims cannot believe that I have really become a Christian, an opinion expressed by people in Qaroli and elsewhere. Thus, I have deemed it necessary to relate my full story in such a way that all who know me may know that the subject of this account is truly I.
As far as I can ascertain, it is clear that my ancestors resided in the city of Hansi. One of the twelve saints in the city was Shaykh Jamal ud-Din, whose son was Jalal ud-Din, whose son was Shaykh Fath Muhammad, whose son was Mawlana Muhammad Sardar, whose son was Mawlawi Muhammad Fazil, whose son was Mawlawi Muhammad Siraj ud-Din, my father and father of my brothers and sisters. From my elders I have heard that my ancestors held somewhat distinguished positions during the reign of Shah Jehan. During the period of the Marathas also their possessions remained undisturbed. But with the coming of the new administration at the time of my grandfather, all his properties were confiscated, due to his negligence, by the British government. Our family had to depend on teaching for its livelihood.
People consider us to be from Panipat, since my grandfather, Muhammad Fazil, shifted his residence form Hansi to Panipat after he had lost his property. People of noble lineage dwell in Panipat. For generations the Muslims of Panipat have been zealous for the faith of Islam and well-versed in the Law. From olden times the town could claim Muslims who excelled in spiritual leadership and Islamic
