The Two Great Martyrs
Another important prophecy of the Promised Messiahas is the prophecy of the two martyrs. Allah Revealed to Ahmadas :
“Two goats will be slaughtered; everyone who lives here will meet this end”
The word Shatan here, which refers to goats refers to two men here, for their loyalty to their king. It states that two loyal people would be martyred and that destruction would follow after they are martyred. The words of the prophecy make it clear that it refers to a country where there is no peace, the mrdered people are followers of the prophet, the murderers were suppose to be unjunst and wrong, and the result of this murder would ruin the country where it takes place.
This prophecy began to be fulfilled after twenty years when the books of Ahmadas reached Afghanistan. A saint and scholar, Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif Shahid read the books of Ahmadas and agreed that he ws a true claimant. He decided to send one of his devoted followers to go and take the oath of allegiance. His name was Maulvi Abdur rahman, and he travelled to Qadian and accepted Ahmadiyyat himself, and on behalf of his leader Sahibzada Abdul Latif. When he returned to Afghanistan he decided to go to Kabul first. When he eached Kabul, many people turned the ruler against him. The Amir decided to sign a fatwa of death in regards to him, and Maulvi Abdur Rahman was put to death in a horrible manner. He was stangled to death and one of the two faithful goats was hence martyred. Around one or two years later, Sahibzada Abdul Latif left Afghanistan and wanted to perform Hajj. He had already accepted Ahmadiyyat but wanted to visit Qadian to meet Ahmadas. When he returned to Khost, he decided to send out letters to several countries and the ones who received the letters and many others decided to get the Amir Habib Ullah Khan to also go against Sahibzada Abdul Latif. The Mullahs also went against him and they all decided to stone the companion of the Messiah. The only way they would let him go was if he was to renounce his claims but he replied by saying that he had found the true Islam, and that why should he do so and become a kafir? He was a true belieer and did not want to give up his faith for his life. They decided to kill him and he was also a martyr. The prophecy was therefore fulfilled. After one month of the stoning, Kabul was struck with cholera and so many people died that there was fear in the hearts of every resident of Kabul.
Some people raise the allegation that the revelation states “all who live on the earth will meet with destruction” but not all of Afghanistan died. the word kul in reality in Arabic can also mean some which we see from the Qur’an. Allah States:
“Then eat of every kind of Fruit” (Surah Nahl, Verse 70)
The bee does not alight on every fruit and here only refers to some. The cholera which had appeared struck terror into the hearts of all people and many met their death.
Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra states:
” A second difficulty which may be raised about the prophecy is that the prophetic description is Tuzbahan, i.e. slaughtered. But this description does not apply to the two martyrs. One was strangled to death, the other was stoned. The revelational description, therefore, does not apply to the deaths. This difficulty arises from lack of thought or insight. The Arabic root Zibah (slaughtering) means two things: ‘being; slaughtered’, and ‘being put to an end, the method of doing so being left undetermined. In the Holy Quran, we have many examples of this use of the word Zibah. In the narrative of Moses, we are told that the Egyptians ‘slew your sons and spared your women’ (2:50). The word used is from the root Zibah which, strictly, should mean that the only method of killing the males adopted by the Egyptians was that of slaughtering, or cutting the throat. This is not true. It is known from history that the Egyptians employed many different methods of killing the Israelite males. First, the midwives had orders to kill the male children born in Israelite homes. When the midwives hesitated, the Egyptian Pharaoh ordered them to be thrown into the river (Exodus 1:22, Acts 7:19, Talmud). Moreover, the Arabic Lexicon Taj-ul-Urus (vol. 1, p. 141) says that at least one meaning of Zibah is ‘to destroy’. It is wrong, therefore, to say that the word Zibahcan only mean ‘to be slaughtered’ (as the word can be used for other forms of killing), and wrong to find fault with the prophecy by saying that the Sahibzada was stoned and not slaughtered.” (Invitation to Ahmadiyyat, Prophecy no.1)
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas stated:
” Be it clear that what happened in Kabul after the martyrdom of Maulavi Sahibzada ‘Abdul Latif was also a Divine sign in my favour. Since the murder of this innocent martyr was intended to humiliate me, Divine wrath drew the sword of His fury at Kabul. A severe cholera broke out in the city after the murder of this innocent martyr, and most of those who had taken part in the conspiracy of murder fell victim to it. The house of the Amir of Kabul itself suffered fatalities and became a scene of mourning. Thousands of people who were rejoicing over this murder also fell prey to death. The cholera epidemic struck with such ferocity as was never witnessed in Kabul before. Thus, the Revelation, was fulfilled in this case also.
And:
” The martyrdom of Sahibzada Maulavi ‘Abdul Latif is also a sign of my truth, for ever since God created the world it has never happened that a person should knowingly sacrifice his life for the sake of an impostor, and a charlatan, and a liar, or put his wife through the misery of becoming a widow, or be willing to make his children orphans, or offer himself to be stoned to death. True, there are hundreds of people who are killed unjustly, but when I proclaim the martyrdom of Sahibzada Maulavi ‘Abdul Latif Sahib to be a grand sign, I do not do so because he was killed unjustly and was martyred, rather I proclaim it because at the time of his martyrdom he demonstrated such steadfastness that one can conceive of no greater miracle. On three different occasions, the Amir counselled him in a conciliatory manner, that if he would only renounce the oath of allegiance to the man from Qadian who claimed to be the Promised Messiah, he would be freed, nay he would be honoured more than before; and if he did not, he would be stoned to death. But every time he replied, ‘I am a man of learning and have experienced the world. I have entered into his Bai‘at by way of enlightened conviction. I know him better than the whole world.’ He was kept in prison for many days and tortured. He was tied from head to foot with a heavy chain. And he was made to understand time and again that if he renounced his Bai‘at he would be greatly honoured, for he had had a long-standing relationship with the State of Kabul, and possessed privileges in the state due to his services. But he kept saying, ‘I am not insane. I have found the truth.
I am absolutely convinced that the Messiah who was to come is none other than the one at whose hands I have pledged Bai‘at.’ They then despaired of him, pierced his nose, put a rope through it, and led him in chains to an open ground to be stoned to death. Just before stoning him to death, the Amir once again advised him, “There still is time for you to revoke the Bai‘at and turn back.” “This shall never be,” he replied. “My end is near. I would never prefer the life of this world over my faith.” It is reported that after witnessing such perseverance on his part, hundreds of people were awestruck and declared, “How unshakable is his faith! We have never seen anything like it.” And there were many who said, ‘If the man, to whom he pledged allegiance of Bai‘at had not been. sent from God, Sahibzada ‘Abdul Latif would never have shown such perseverance.’ Thereafter this innocent man was stoned to death but he did not let out so much as a cry.” (Haqiqat-ul-Wahi, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 22, Pages 359-360)