al-Munazara al-Taqririyya bayn al-Shaykh Rahmat Allah al-Hindi wa al-Qissis Pfander
- Author died
- 1308 AH
- Editions
- Maṭbaʿat al-Jabalāwī
al-Munazara al-Taqririyya bayn al-Shaykh Rahmat Allah al-Hindi wa al-Qissis Pfander (The Recorded Debate between Shaykh Rahmat Allah al-Hindi and Reverend Pfander) is a historical transcript documenting the public interfaith debate held in 1270 AH (1854 CE) in Akbarabad (Agra), India, between the Muslim scholar Rahmat Allah al-Hindi (d. 1308 AH / 1891 CE) and the German Christian missionary Carl Gottlieb Pfander .
Background and Composition
The debate arose amid escalating polemical activity in British-ruled India, particularly after Pfander circulated his treatise Mizan al-Haqq (The Balance of Truth) . Rahmat Allah, who had authored Izalat al-Awham (Dispelling Illusions) in response, requested a public oral assembly rather than an extended written exchange, as he was preparing to return to Delhi and sought to prevent the digressions common to written correspondence .
The sessions were recorded by al-Sayyid 'Abdullah al-Hindi (al-Akbarabadi), an eyewitness who served as the second translator for the British government in Akbarabad . After Pfander published an account containing omissions and altered statements, al-Sayyid 'Abdullah printed his own transcript in Urdu in Akbarabad in 1270 AH (1854 CE) . To verify its accuracy, he appended a formal registry (madbata) signed by prominent Muslim and British government officials who attended the proceedings . He subsequently published a Persian version in the same city, and the text was later translated into Arabic by Rifa'i al-Khuli al-Katib .
The Debate Proceedings
The debate commenced on Monday morning, 11 Rajab 1270 AH (10 April 1854 CE), in Khan 'Abd al-Masih in Akbarabad before an audience of approximately 500 to 600 people, comprising British administrators, Muslim scholars, Christian clergy, and local residents . Each side was represented by two principal disputants: Rahmat Allah was assisted by Dr. Muhammad Wazir Khan, while Pfander was accompanied by Reverend French, with Reverend William Clean also in attendance .
The parties initially agreed to examine five core subjects: abrogation (naskh), textual corruption of the biblical scriptures (tahrif), the Trinity, the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, and the authenticity of the Quran . Over two days of oral debate, discussion focused exclusively on the first two topics . The oral exchange halted after the discussion of tahrif when Pfander stipulated that Rahmat Allah must first concede the integrity of the Gospels before debating the Trinity, while Rahmat Allah argued that Pfander's admission of textual alterations in several passages and extensive scribal errors precluded accepting the scriptures as uncorrupted .
Structure and Content
Al-Sayyid 'Abdullah structured the book into three primary divisions:
- Part One: The preparatory correspondence exchanged between Rahmat Allah and Pfander establishing the terms and rules of engagement, followed by the verbatim transcript of the oral debate covering abrogation and biblical alterations .
- Part Two: The systematic arguments and proofs prepared to refute the doctrine of the Trinity .
- Part Three: The textual and rational evidences establishing the truth of the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ .
The work concludes with the witness registry (madbata), which includes signed endorsements from the Chief Judge of Akbarabad, Muhammad Asad Allah; the Mufti, Muhammad Riyad al-Din; the chief scribe of the revenue department, Fayd Ahmad; and the British government agent, Muhammad Amjad 'Ali, among other attendees .
Related Works
Another attendee, Wazir al-Din ibn Sharaf al-Din, composed an independent Persian account of the event titled al-Bahth al-Sharif fi Ithbat al-Naskh wa al-Tahrif (The Noble Inquiry into Establishing Abrogation and Alteration), which was published in Delhi in the same year by order of Crown Prince Mirza Fakhr al-Din ibn Bahadur Shah and matched al-Sayyid 'Abdullah's record in content . Rahmat Allah later incorporated the arguments and themes developed during the Akbarabad debate into his major theological work, Izhar al-Haqq (The Manifestation of Truth) .
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