By: Syed Hassan Mohamrnad Kutbi
Former Minister of Hajj/ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Truth Revealed is a book which describes Islam as the inspired truth, guiding mankind to faith, peace and security. Islam is the religion of Abraham from whom all the followers of the three heavenly religions claim to belong.

The conflict between Islam and the Christian missionaries in the Indian subcontinent turned into a fierce fight in which Islam was defended by a faithful man who depended on Allah alone. He was equally true and faithful in his understanding of the other heavenly religions in their true form, as revealed to the Prophets Moses and Jesus Christ, which in essence accord with the teachings and spirit of Islam.

The conflict was of greater importance than the wars with early Arab infidels (the Quraysh and other tribes) and the Crusades, and so was the victory. One side in it was supported by the strength, resources and media of a strong Christian government. The stake was enormous as any set-back would be fatal to them in this most important and strategic area. All the powers of the Christian religion joined to defend their teachings from being blamed for alterations in their scriptures which, if proved, might mean Christians abandoning their religion.

The Christians go on pilgrimage not only to seek forgiveness, but also to gain spiritual blessings to fight against all the other religions, Islam being the foremost. In this particular conflict they had a clear plan to destroy Islam and the Muslims in India before spreading their fight to the rest of the Islamic world, as, having already achieved victory in India, it would then be easier elsewhere.

Islam had already made its strength felt in India by Rajab 70 AH, and India and its people became a great Islamic power, as India had a great civilization and great wealth. It also became a major aim for the ambitious colonial powers to conquer India and the sub-continent. Since the power in India was with Islam they, therefore, mischievously started spreading Christianity. The activities of the Christians started by appointing a bishop for the Christians and changing the Great Mosque of Delhi into a church. Books denouncing the Islamic faith were published to confuse the common Muslims. The old prejudice of Christianity against Muslims even led them to commit murders.

This conduct startled Muslim scholars into defending their faith, without any regard to the sacrifice involved. The Muslims decided to publish books and to increase the religious awareness of the common Muslims so as to counteract the unfair attack on Islam. This program was effective in protecting the image of Islam. A number of books were written, numerous debates were conducted, and a lot of meaningful speeches were delivered in the mosques transmitting Islam as the true religion.

All this brought into the limelight a great man to lead the Muslims engaged in defending Islam. This learned scholar, Shaykh Rahmatullah Kairanvi not only defended Islam, but also exposed Christianity and its teachings by obtaining guidance only from the Qur'an. Being a true Muslim scholar, he had all the courage necessary to sacrifice his life for the sake of Allah, cherishing the saying:

If I am killed for being a Muslim, I do not care on which side my body lies.
It is for the sake of Allah.

Debate with Shaykh Rahmatullah Kairanvi

The great and faithful Shaykh Rahmatullah challenged the head of the Christian Mission of India at that time, the Rev. C-C-P Fonder to an open debate to prove to the Christians that Muslims had been silent merely because they did not feel that an answer had been necessary. However, since the anti-Islamic forces had been making false claims and increasing their efforts against Islam, the time had come for a Muslim scholar to expose the true facts in an open debate.

The Rev. Fonder said, "Let it be here in Agra where the Muslim scholars have been reading the Bible, and reading my books, and other books written by Western scholars in order to prove that the Bible was false as it contains alterations and that my books are also false."

The debate took place in January, 1854, in Akbarabad in the city of Agra. Shaykh Rahmatullah proved that the Bible used at that time and still in use now was not the one given to Jesus (peace be upon him). The Rev. Fonder admitted that there were alterations in the Bible in seven or eight places.

Shaykh Qamar al-Islam, the Imam of the Grand Mosque, asked a journalist Khadim Ali Khan to publish the missionary's admission that there were seven or eight alterations in the Bible, upon which the Rev. Fonder shouted, "Yes, I do admit to this, but this small alteration does not affect the Holy Book of the Heavens!"

Hearing this Shaykh Rahmatullah commented, "If any alteration is proved to have been perpetrated in a particular text, it is considered null and void and invalidated. Since you admit that the Bible has been altered in seven or eight places, how can you claim that it is true and how can you believe in it?"
The first debate ended on this note.

A Second Debate

On the 11th of April 1854, there was a second debate, attended by diplomats and important dignitaries from all walks of life. It also ended in humiliation for the Chief Missionary, who disappeared after a couple of sessions and did not attend the rest of the debate.

Before starting the debate, the Chief Missionary had asserted in front of all those present, "This debate is held at the request of Shaykh Rahmatullah. I have accepted it without any personal benefit to me. I am going to show you the clear proofs that prove the Christian religion to be a true one. You should be aware that the subjects of this debate are: revelation, alterations, the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the mission of Muhammad."

Shaykh Rahmatullah asserted that he would convert to Christianity if he failed to answer the questions of the missionary who also made the commitment to accept Islam if he was defeated.

The result was the admission that the Bible had been altered. The victory, proving Islam to be the true religion caused the brutal aggression on the part of the British government against the Muslims in India in 1857, in which thousands of renowned Muslim scholars were killed. Shaykh Rahmatullah was at the top of the list, but Allah saved him. He escaped to Makka al-Mukarrama, and there he established the Madrasa Saulatia.

Sultan Abdul-Aziz Khan invited Shaykh Rahmatullah to Constantinople, where he held a great celebration for him, and requested him to write a book on the debate. He wrote the book, The Great Debate, which later became known as The Truth Revealed (Izharu'l-Haqq).

Then times changed and scholars in the West themselves started rejecting their altered religion. Some scholars accepted the fact of the Holy Qur'an and became Muslims while others did not accept the truth of the Holy Qur'an and have yet to join the faithful.

A dire need was felt to translate the book of The Great Debate into English so that its message would be read and comprehended. Allah has now made this possible and the book has been translated into English. I pray to Allah to accept it as a sincere work and reward all those who were associated with it.

May Allah make it a cause for the fight guidance of those who read it in the search for truth and a straight path.

Madina al-Munawwara
21 Jumada'th-Thani 1409 AH
28 January 1989 AD

-----------------------------