The Essence of Islam – Volume I — Page xxxvi
Hadrat Mirza Ghulām Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdī [peace be on him] devoted the whole of his life to the service of Islām. He died at Lahore on 26 May 1908. Till the evening of the previous day he was occupied with the composition of a paper designed to furnish a peaceful modus vivendi between the Muslim and non- Muslim sections of the people of the sub-continent, which he designated Paigham-e-Sulah (A Message of Peace). He wrote and published more than eighty books in Urdū, Arabic and Persian, in which he presented a true exposi- tion of the teachings of Islām, based on the Holy Qur'an and the practice of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] shorn of all the innovations and incrustations that had been grafted upon them during the centuries of decline. He also set forth in his writings and speeches the life-inspiring philosophy that permeates every commandment, direction and prohibition com- prised in the Holy Qur'an, which constitutes the guidance that mankind would need in the epoch that was opened with his advent.