The essay entitled The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam was written in Urdu by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi(as) at the invitation of Swami Shugan Chandar Sahib under whose auspicious the conference of Great Religions was held in Lahore Town Hall from 26th to 29th December 1896. The scholars of Muslims, Christians, Arya Samaj and other religions were invited to represent their religions at the conference of Great Religion. They were required to write on the following five topics on the basis of their Holy Books.
1. The physical, moral and spiritual states of man
2. What is the state of man after death?
3. The object of man's life and the means of its attainment,
4. The operation of the practical ordinances of the Law in this life and the next
5. Sources of Divine knowledge.
Allah revealed to the Promised Messiah(as) that his essay will be declared supreme over all other essays. And so it was. For instance the Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, wrote that Hadrat Ahmad's essay was the only one worth mentioning and the only one paper which was commended highly. The essay has been published in several languages in different countries.
It is the best and most comprehensive introduction to Islam within the scope of the above five questions. The book was translated into English by Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan Sahib.
