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Auto(biography) Section > Autobiographies > How I Became an
Ahmadi by Dr. Basharat Ahmad Sahib
How I Became an
Ahmadi:
by Dr. Basharat Ahmad
Sahib
Translated by Anonymous
Urdu original appeared in: Paigham-e-Sulah, 7th
November, 1933.
English Translation appeared in: The Light, Nov-Dec 1999, pp.
4-10
[This is the
translation of an article by Dr. Basharat Ahmad (d. 1943), a great
scholar of Islam and the Ahmadiyya Movement, prolific writer on
religious subjects and author of the famous Urdu biography of
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad entitled Mujaddid-i
Azam.]
I had been interested in religion from
childhood. Since the earliest, I always had an overwhelming
desire to benefit from the company of religious scholars
(ulama). If a maulvi or preacher happened to be giving
a lecture in our locality, I could not restrain myself from attending
it. My forefathers were Hanafis but while I had an interest in
religion I was also greatly attracted towards investigating religious
questions and concepts.
Joining the Ahl-i-Hadith:
Some of my acquaintances belonged to the
Ahl-i-Hadith. [Footnote: A
school of thought that held the Hadith (reported sayings and actions)
of Prophet Muhammad to be supreme over the teachings of the
traditional schools of jurisprudence.
Editor.] As a result of
my investigations I joined the Ahl-i-Hadith. I could not understand
that since there existed Hadith reports of the Holy Prophet Muhammad,
how one could give preference to the verdict of any jurist. This was
the time when the Ahl-i-Hadith were called ‘Wahhabi’
[Footnote: A puritanical
movement originating in Saudi Arabia, to which the Ahl-i-Hadith were
doctrinally similar in many points.
Editor.] and were assaulted in
mosques and evicted from them. Our family was at that time residing
in the city of Sialkot and we stayed in the Sadar Market. I was,
however, studying in town at the Scotch Mission High School. On
becoming an Ahl-i-Hadith follower, I immediately started clasping my
hands on my chest in prayer and saying ‘Ameen’ audibly when
praying in congregation at the Sadar main Mosque.
[Footnote: These are the
minor ritual differences of the Ahl-i-Hadith and Hanafis in
performing the congregational prayer. Editor.]
The imam of the mosque, the late Maulvi
Mubarik Ali, did not object or say anything as he was a learned man,
but others in the congregation got agitated, there was much noise and
uproar and dire threats were uttered against me. Finally the matter
was reported to the elder of my family, my grandfather. He was quite
annoyed with me. I did not argue with him, but started attending the
Friday congregational prayers at the Ahl-i-Hadith Mosque of the town.
The late Maulvi Abdul Karim used to lead the prayers, and I
had complete freedom to raise my hands and say ‘Ameen’ in
an audible manner.
Argument with Rev. Youngson:
I have said that I used to study in the Scotch
Mission High School. In my class were also the late Maulvi
Qa’im-ud-din and the late Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal, the
same Dr. Iqbal who is the famous poet and philosopher. Reverend
Youngson was our Principal and was a very intelligent Christian
priest. Maulvi Qa’im-ud-din and Dr. Iqbal would debate and argue
with Rev. Youngson during the Gospel study hour, but in the
discussions on the issue of the Messiah being still alive and being
superior to the Prophet Muhammad they could not stand up to the
reverend. On one occasion there was a terrible calamity when the
reverend Youngson quoted the Quranic verse Ya ‘isa, inni
mutawaffi-ka wa rafi‘u-ka ilayya
[Footnote: The Quran,
3:55. This verse was generally understood as meaning: "O Jesus, I
will take you and raise you to Me".
Editor.] as an argument in
favour of the superiority of Jesus Christ. Dr. Iqbal, being ruffled,
responded that this verse was not from the Quran. This was a clear
victory for the reverend: the verse was from the Quran. We
Muslims felt very discomfited. I fretted within myself and sometimes,
may God forgive me, I even felt annoyed with God, that by bodily
raising Jesus to the heavens He had made the Muslims to be humiliated
by the Christians. At last, the daily criticisms of Islam by the
Christian clergymen resulted in my having doubts about the veracity
of Islam and many a time I thought that I should leave Islam.
The Arya Samaj was a new, popular movement. Hindu boys used to boast
about its merits. I frequently thought, why not become an Arya. But
the love of Islam which had been with me since childhood did not
allow this. The scholars of Islam, whom we relied on and had great
respect for, however, provided no satisfactory
explanations.
Perusal of the Book Fath
Islam:
In 1891, during the period when I was restless in
my mind, one day I was lying in bed in our courtyard when my paternal
grandfather handed me a book and said:
"Look at the wonder of the fourteenth
century [Footnote: The
fourteenth century of the Muslim calendar began in 1883.
Editor.] — a man, Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, has claimed to be a likeness of the
Messiah, and has published this book."
I took the book, which was Fath Islam
(Victory of Islam) and started reading it. Immediately the
style of writing captivated me. As I continued reading, I felt
as if the words of the book were directly entering into my heart and
soul, and when I read the arguments and proofs showing that Jesus
had died a natural death, I jumped with joy. I read the whole
book in one sitting and flatly told my grandfather that this man was
truthful. On this he said:
"No, you are yet a child. You have not
seen our religious scholars. I hear they are preparing a universal
proclamation of kufr (heresy) against this man."
But the truth of the book had cast its
influence upon me. I was not willing to give up belief in the natural
death of Jesus. I had received this gem after so much wanting. The
same verse, Ya ‘isa, inni mutawaffi-ka wa rafi‘u-ka
ilayya, [Footnote: Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had shown the meaning of this verse to be: "O
Jesus, I will cause you to die and exalt you in My presence".
Editor.] which had always
troubled me was now beautifully satisfying my heart. The situation
now in the central market of Sialkot was that in each and every
meeting and function where people gathered Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
was under discussion, but he was invariably opposed.
A Dream:
I had a dream, around this period, which in its
nature was quite strange. I saw a very tall minaret, in the top of
which the Holy Prophet Muhammad was present. I was eagerly climbing
the stairs of the minaret to meet the Holy Prophet. On my lips was
the following verse of poetry:
Some say ‘glory to me’,
some say ‘I am the truth’,
Sing your singing, this is a point for reflection.
While reading this verse and climbing the
stairs I woke up. At that time I did not understand the meaning of
this dream. But now I know that being asked to reflect on
‘glory to me’ and ‘I am the truth’ referred
to the concept of burooz (someone coming as the
manifestation of the Holy Prophet), and the presence of the Holy
Prophet indicated the coming of his burooz. The significance
of climbing the minaret was exactly that mentioned in the revelation
of Hazrat Mirza sahib that the "feet of the Muhammadans would be
established firmly on a lofty minaret".
Hazrat Mirza Sahib in Sialkot:
After some days the town was abuzz with the news
that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the claimant of Messiahship was coming to
Sialkot. Recently, we had listened to the lectures of Maulvi
Nur-ud-din of Bhera, Hafiz Abdul Mannan of Wazirabad and Maulana
Nazir Husain of Delhi who had also visited Sialkot. On the arrival of
Hazrat Mirza sahib too, we went to town. He was staying at the house
of the late Hakim Hissam-ud-din. The street to the house was full of
people. As I and a friend squeezed our way through the crowd, I saw
Hazrat Mirza sahib leave one house and enter the next. In that
brief time, when I glanced at his face I saw such a glimpse of
saintliness and light that I could not help feeling that this could
not be the face of an impostor; it was the radiant countenance of a
truthful man.
Hazrat Mirza sahib lead the asr prayers
in Hakim Hissam-ud-din’s mosque, and I along with others prayed
behind him. After the prayers he sat in the doorway of the mosque. A
large number of people were present in the mosque and they asked him
various questions on religious matters. His answers were so
satisfying that one’s faith was renewed. Sitting near me was
Maulvi Abdul Karim, the imam of the Ahl-i-Hadith mosque who had
pledged allegiance to Hazrat Mirza sahib. He said to me: Look, do
you see the light upon Hazrat Mirza sahib’s face? I
confirmed that I did.
In the evening we returned home, but my mind
had been deeply impressed. When we returned the next day, Hazrat
Mirza sahib was giving a commentary on the Sura Fatiha. Today
of course every Ahmadi child knows this particular explanation, but
at that time we were hearing it for the first time. These truths
and fine points of knowledge opened our eyes and the lectures of
other ulama which I had heard now seemed shallow. Dr.
Iqbal was at that time sitting on the roof of the entrance of the
mosque and was full of praise for this exposition of the Quran.
Hazrat Mirza sahib stayed a few days in Sialkot and then went back.
Many people in Sialkot took the pledge, among them Maulvi Mubarik
Ali, the imam of our Sadar Mosque. This caused a great deal of
trouble in the Sadar area.
Speeches of Maulvi Muhammad Husain
Batalvi:
In the meanwhile, Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi
arrived in Sialkot. He was a leading scholar of the Ahl-i-Hadith in
the Punjab and was at the height of his fame for his knowledge and
learning. His mission was to oppose Hazrat Mirza sahib. As I was an
Ahl-i- Hadith follower, I had a special regard for him. I met him at
a dinner in Sadar, and after this there was a lecture by him at
the main mosque in Sadar which was disjointed and not at all
enjoyable. However, he read out some extracts from a copy of
[Hazrat Mirza sahib’s book] Izala Auham, and
by taking the passages out of context and juxtaposing various
passages together he gave a completely wrong impression to the
audience. For instance, he emphasised to us that Mirza sahib had
said that there is a verse in the Quran: "Surely We have revealed it
near Qadian". He also said that Mirza sahib applied to himself
the prophecy mentioned in the verse of the Quran: "I (Jesus) give
good news of a messenger after me whose name is Ahmad", and did not
apply it to the Holy Prophet Muhammad; that Mirza sahib says that the
Quran is full of abusive words and that four hundred prophets lied,
etc. etc. In short, this is the way he incited us against Hazrat
Mirza sahib. Little did we know that such a reputed scholar was
standing in a mosque uttering lies, and by misquoting passages was
slandering Hazrat Mirza sahib. We were led astray by trusting the
mullahs, and thus lost the distinction of being among the
first followers of Hazrat Mirza sahib.
Thus after polluting the atmosphere of Sialkot,
Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi left. With him also went the spiritual
peace I had found. The community of the Ahl-i-Hadith in Sialkot had
become fragmented and the mosque of the Wahhabis almost desolate.
A large portion of the Ahl-i-Hadith had become Ahmadi and had
shifted to Hakim Hissam-ud-din’s Mosque. The few who were left
shifted to an old royal mosque. Maulvi Muhammad Ibrahim of Sialkot,
at that time a young man, was made imam of the mosque. I also went to
say my prayers in that mosque. But his old-style, traditional
khutbas could not attract someone who had heard the khutbas
of Maulvi Abdul Karim. One Friday was more than enough to
disenchant me, and I stopped going there.
I Meet a Sufi:
Around this time God so ordained that I chanced to
meet a Sufi of the Chishtiyya Sabiriyya order. Despite being of the
Ahl-i-Hadith school of thought, I had always been interested in
sufism, and in his company that interest was rekindled. I learnt from
him all the recitals and incantations practised in the Chishtiyya
Sabiriyya order. He once inquired as to my purpose in following these
practices. I replied that I wished to become a saint. He said that I
was the first person who had ever desired to learn this from him.
Generally people used incantations for the purpose of attaining some
worldly advantage. To cut a long story short, the constant recitation
of the word "Allah" resulted in my heart frequently feeling moved and
a state of ecstasy was regularly experienced and the thought of the
name Allah remained in my mind constantly. One day I met an atheist
who raised such objections that I lost my very faith. He said that my
entire experience was just a product of my imagination. I went to my
Sufi guide with those objections. He replied that a Sufi keeps away
from debate or discussion. I said that in this world one cannot avoid
encountering people who hold opposing opinions. What answer, then,
would one give to such objections? He just replied that I should
continue reciting the incantations. My faith had, however, been
shaken, so how could I do the recitations? I tried but my heart was
no longer in it. In those days mesmerism was the latest thing much
talked about. My reading of books on this subject resulted in the
loss of whatever little faith I still had. I was deeply agitated and
the world seemed to be hell for me.
I Read the Book Barahin
Ahmadiyya:
In the army garrison area of Sialkot, Maulvi
Jalal-ud-din used to teach in the army school. He was a very
righteous man and had become an Ahmadi. One day when I went to visit
him he was inside having a wash. Outside on the bed the famous book
by Hazrat Mirza sahib, Barahin Ahmadiyya, was lying open. As I
sat on the bed my glance fell on the open page and I began reading
it. What a writing it was! It was like a soothing balm for my wounded
soul. The arguments for proving that the Quran had been revealed by
God were so powerful and convincing that as I read on and on I felt
as if a veil was being lifted from my eyes and my faith was being
revived. In short, that day I once again felt that I was a Muslim.
I was convinced that, whether I understood the personal claims of
Hazrat Mirza sahib or not, if certainty in the truth of Islam is to
be obtained the only way is through reading his books. This
conviction grew further when in Lahore I heard the famous lecture of
Hazrat Mirza sahib at the occasion of the Conference of Religions,
which was later published as a book entitled The Teachings of
Islam. Maulvi Abdul Karim’s delivery of the lecture had a
magnificent glory of its own. The substance of the lecture was so
lofty and full of the highest truths and deepest knowledge that the
public were listening in a daze of wonder. The Muslims were so
overjoyed that they were jumping up from their seats. As regards
myself, I felt as if the truth and greatness of Islam was entering
every fibre of my body.
Departure to Africa and Employment
There:
On graduating from the Medical College, I went to
East Africa. There I was always in the company of the late Dr. Rahmat
Ali who was a very pious Ahmadi. I had the opportunity and time to
study Hazrat Mirza sahib’s books and my faith in his veracity
went on growing stronger. However, some influence of the ulama
still remained upon me and their declarations of unbelief against
Hazrat Mirza sahib prevented me from becoming an Ahmadi. On returning
from Africa, I was assigned to the Zafarwal District of Sialkot on
plague duty. I read much of the writings of Hazrat Mirza sahib both
in criticism of other religions and about his own claims. The books
A’ina Kamalat Islam and Ayyam-us-Sulh particularly
made a deep impression on me. Around this time, an Ahl-i-Hadith
maulvi became the imam of the mosque at a nearby village. This
resulted in an altercation between the Hanafis and the Ahl-i-Hadith.
The local Police Superintendent was a staunch Hanafi. He arrested the
maulvi along with all his followers and instituted a case
against them for bail. When I heard of this, the Ahl-i-Hadith in me
was aroused. I took up their cause and went as far as the Deputy
Commissioner of Sialkot, and got those poor fellows released. They
were very thankful to me and I started to meet them.
Ahl-i-Hadith Maulvi gets
Annoyed:
When this maulvi realised that I was being
influenced by Ahmadiyyat he gave me the book
Saif-i-Chishtiyya’i by Pir Mahr Ali Shah and another book
which was probably entitled Shams-ul-Badaya. I read these
books, especially the arguments given in favour of the contention
that Jesus was still bodily alive in heaven. On comparison with
the arguments for the natural death of Jesus, the arguments for Jesus
being alive appeared to me to be worthless. I flatly told the
maulvi that the books that he had given me had only served
to increase my belief in the veracity of Hazrat Mirza sahib. The
maulvi was very annoyed with me, and that was the last I saw
of him.
My Investigations Regarding Hazrat Mirza
Sahib:
I was transferred to Shakargarh on plague duty. At
a nearby village of the Pathans, an officer Munawwar Khan had been
suspended for not assisting in the efforts against the plague. As I
got to know him, he requested that I intercede for his reinstatement.
He said:
"Previously whenever we were in
difficulties we would ask the Mirza of Qadian to pray for us, and
then by the grace of God our problem would be solved, but now he
has claimed to be Jesus Christ the son of God. Our ulama
have proclaimed him an unbeliever and therefore we have
stopped going there."
I asked whether he personally knew Mirza sahib.
He replied:
"Yes, I know him from childhood. He is
a very righteous, godly and abstinent man whose prayers are
answered by God. We have experience of his prayers; they work like
an arrow going straight for its target. There is no doubt that he
is a great saint. But you know that it is the saints who stumble.
It appears that at some stage in the spiritual path Mirza sahib,
like Mansur, [Footnote:
Mansur bin Hallaj, the famous mystic who proclaimed ‘ana-l
Haq’ (I am the truth).
Editor.] slipped or went
astray."
I was particularly struck by what he said. I
had the opportunity to frequently go on official duty to various
areas of Gurdaspur District. [Footnote:
The village of Qadian was located in this District.
Editor] I met Shaikh Nur Ahmad,
a chief of Batala, and various other people who were not Ahmadis and
were acquainted with Mirza sahib since childhood. Their replies to my
inquiries regarding Mirza sahib convinced me that he was a
righteous and saintly person. I was already satisfied with
regards to his claims but I was still apprehensive about taking the
pledge (bai‘at), for opposition to Ahmadiyyat knew no
bounds.
Illness of Mumtaz Ahmad:
My son Mumtaz Ahmad was at that time two years
old. I was appointed in Shakargarh, District Gurdaspur, on plague
duty, while my family was residing in Amritsar. Mumtaz Ahmad
contracted typhoid fever so dangerous that his temperature would
not go below 105° Fahrenheit day or night and sometimes rose
even higher, and the signs and symptoms of typhoid fever became fully
apparent. The best doctors of Amritsar were in agreement that the
typhoid was so severe that, if the boy survived, the fever would not
reduce in less than three or four weeks. I had taken one week’s
leave from work. The child was unconscious all the time, lying like a
corpse, and there appeared no hope of survival. On the
11th day of the illness my leave expired. The
boy’s pulse was erratic and there was no change in his fever or
unconscious condition. I was desperately worried and refused to
return to duty. The elders in my family advised me not to take such a
foolish step, as what was destined to happen would happen in any
case, and I should not risk my employment. By coincidence, in those
days Hazrat Mirza sahib’s book Barakat-ud-dua (The
Blessings of Prayer) was in our house and my wife had read it.
She said to me:
You will have to pass through
Gurdaspur on the way back to Shakargarh. On the way is the town of
Batala. From there if you go to Qadian and ask Hazrat Mirza sahib
to pray for the child it is possible that God may answer. Mirza
sahib in his book Barakat-ud-dua has written with great
emphasis:
O you who say that ‘if
prayer is effective then show it’, where are you? Run to
me so that I show you that effect as clear as the
sun.
My First Time in Qadian:
On hearing these words from my wife, I immediately
prepared to depart. As I was unfamiliar with the environs of Qadian,
I requested an Ahmadi friend to accompany me. The train left Amritsar
at 10 p.m. and we reached Batala at midnight. There we hired a horse
cart to take us to Qadian. The road was in an extremely poor state of
repair. After a rough and jerky ride we reached Qadian at two in the
morning. The night was terribly dark and nothing was visible. There
were no sign of lanterns in Qadian. It was the winter season, so the
doors of the houses were closed. There was no sign of any human
being. I thought about what Mirza sahib would be doing at this time?
Would he be sleeping comfortably or be offering the tahajjud
prayer (voluntary night prayer)? Anyway, I felt a desire to know
what he was doing at this time. My Ahmadi friend led the way and I
followed behind. In the darkness we could not make out anything, when
unknowingly, my friend pressed against a door of Hazrat Mirza
sahib’s house and it fell open with a jolt. Hazrat Mirza
sahib was offering the tahajjud prayer. He closed his
prayers with salam just at that time and after inquiring as to
our purpose, he directed us to go upstairs to the Mubarik mosque. On
arriving upstairs we found ourselves in a small mosque. There was
a room adjoining the mosque, named bait-ul-fikr (the
contemplation room). The entire mosque was filled with people
offering the tahajjud prayer with great humbleness and
devotion. In the room we found the late Khwaja Kamal-ud-din
sleeping on a bed. He awoke on our arrival and offered us the bed.
Thinking of the inconvenience to him, I refused, but he said that he
was now going to offer the tahajjud prayers. So I lay down,
and Khwaja sahib performed his ablutions and was soon engrossed in
prayer. But I was terribly embarrassed lying and resting as people
were praying with such humbleness and with overflowing tears that
I was feeling ashamed of myself. But I was very tired so I fell
asleep. At 4 a.m. the call was given for the morning prayers.
Somebody woke me up and offered me water for performing ablutions. I
had just performed my ablutions and offered the individual prayers
(sunnah), when the late Maulvi Abdul Karim arrived. I was
delighted to see him as he used to be imam of our Ahl-i-Hadith Mosque
at Sialkot. He also met me with great warmth, saying: "At last you
have come; yes, God did bring you". After this I mentioned to him
that my son was critically ill and I was requesting prayers for him.
He said:
"Follow the example of the Abraham,
and for you too the call will come from heaven:
‘O fire, be coolness and
peace for Abraham’.
God will change this fire of yours into
coolness and peace."
I was much reassured by his words.
Meeting Hazrat Mirza Sahib:
Just then Hazrat Mirza sahib came out. I felt
as if an embodiment of light was standing in front of me. Maulvi
Abdul Karim took me by the arm and introduced me to Hazrat Mirza
sahib in these words: "Sir, I present before you another righteous
soul". I pray that God makes me truly worthy of these words and that
I meet a good end. Hazrat Mirza sahib shook my hands with great
warmth. As some people had spread the rumour that Mirza sahib
suffered from leprosy and that his hands were covered by rash, I
looked at his hands closely. In my own sinful hands, it appeared to
me as if his hands, bathed in light, were like silver. Maulvi
Abdul Karim only introduced me in the words mentioned above, and in
my opinion there are no better words to introduce somebody to the
Messiah appointed by God. I therefore myself related the details
about me. We then offered the congregational prayers. I was standing
shoulder to shoulder with Hazrat Mirza sahib and Maulvi Abdul Karim
was leading the prayers. Praying behind him was nothing new for me as
I had prayed behind him for long in Sialkot, but I had never before
experienced the grandeur with which he now recited the Quran at
Qadian. His recitation was now so perfectly eloquent, and it
penetrated the heart so much that as I listened to it my heart melted
and yearned. It is my belief this change was due to the blessing
of the Messiah, for I had long heard Maulvi Abdul Karim’s
recitation of the Quran; it had neither possessed such eloquence, nor
this penetrating effect.
Result of the Meeting:
After the prayers Hazrat Mirza sahib went inside.
Khalifa Rashid-ud-din had already asked me whether I would like to
meet Hazrat Mirza sahib in the mosque or privately. I desired to meet
him in private. Shortly thereafter, Hazrat Mirza sahib invited us
inside. We entered a room in which some children were sleeping.
Hazrat Mirza sahib was sitting on a bare, rope-woven bed, not covered
by any soft bedding. On seeing me, he shifted towards the foot of the
bed and invited me to sit towards the (more comfortable) head of
the bed. Out of respect, I refused, but he took my hand and sat
me down near the head. He himself remained at the rough side
and my friend sat between us.
I asked to know of some spiritual devotion for
the purification of the heart. He said:
"Just say the daily prayers with care
and with understanding of the meaning of the words."
I was quite moved by his answer. For, I
had tried various incantations and recitals, but with no good result,
except that my heart had got spiritually weaker and I had lost the
strength to face the world. Furthermore, the way taught by the Holy
Prophet Muhammad to his companions, for the purification of the
heart, was the offering of these very daily prayers. So it was the
method to be found in the Sunna of the Holy Prophet, these
daily prayers, that the Promised Messiah taught for the purification
of one’s heart. From this I realised how firmly he followed the
Sunna [Traditions] of the Holy Prophet, and that he
did not approve of any way that was a later addition in Islam
(bid‘ah). Hazrat Mirza sahib spoke more on the
purification of the heart. And what a speech! It felt as if a
spiritual doctor, diagnosing the real disease, was applying the
treatment. The answers to my weakness of faith and my doubts and
qualms were coming in such a manner that I sometimes felt as if my
heart was open in front of him and he was identifying the maladies in
it and treating them. When he said that a sinful person is like a
criminal whose arrest warrant has been issued, so at every step he is
afraid, and every moment he is anxious that he is about to be
captured, how then can a sinner have the tranquillity of heart which
is granted to those who turn to God — these words caused me to
tremble. I had heard plenty of sermons, but I don’t know what it
was about these simple words that they were so effective as to
penetrate my heart.
Taking the Pledge
(Bai‘at):
In the same connection, Hazrat Mirza sahib said
that one should be ready to depart for the next world just as a long
waiting traveller eagerly awaits a passage home. These words made
such an impression upon me that worldly matters began to seem quite
unimportant. The talk ended on the topic of the natural death of
Jesus which was characteristic of Hazrat Mirza sahib. Hazrat Mirza
sahib had such a great desire to wipe out the false doctrine that
Jesus is alive that most of his talks would eventually turn to this
topic. I was so engrossed in the talk that my boy’s illness had
slipped my mind and indeed I was totally unmindful of any worldly
matter. In the future too, I would feel the same — that is,
after I had taken the pledge of Hazrat Mirza sahib, whenever I went
into his company I would forget the world. I would feel too
embarrassed to ask him to pray about any matter of the world, even
hesitating to request his prayers in the case of illness of a near
and dear one. I would think that to ask such a great man for prayer
for any mundane matter is to devalue his status and worth. Anyhow,
when Hazrat Mirza sahib ended his talk saying, "whatever doubts or
objections arise in your mind, you can write to me or visit here in
person to have them cleared and get satisfaction", the uncertainty of
life loomed before me. I realised that so much of my life had already
passed searching for the truth and I remained deprived of the
blessing of Ahmadiyyat. One cannot rely on life, and I might die in a
state of spiritual ignorance. I said: "Sir, accept my
pledge
of allegiance, for how long will I go
on stumbling like this". He took my pledge and prayed for
me.
The Effect of Hazrat Mirza Sahib’s
Prayer:
When I was about to take my leave, I mentioned my
son’s illness and requested Hazrat Mirza sahib to pray with
special attention. He immediately raised his hands and prayed for a
long time. After he had finished praying he gave me leave to depart.
From there, I went to Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-din, with whom I had old
relations from my days of being a Wahhabi. He also spoke about
prayer briefly. From there I departed straight for Gurdaspur. At the
railway station I met my boss who was an English Doctor. I told him
that my child was very sick and I needed leave. He asked me for the
present to go to Shakargarh, but when he would return from Pathankot
in two days’ time I could get leave for even ten days. I
immediately went to Shakargarh. On the third day I received a letter
that the temperature had subsided and the child was completely well.
As I had already applied for leave, I went to Amritsar and learnt
that, on the morning I had got Hazrat Mirza sahib to pray, the
condition of the child was very critical. By nightfall everyone was
despondent. Twelve days had elapsed since the onset of the fever. But
when the temperature was taken late night it was found to be normal.
The elders of the family, on hearing of this, said that the
thermometer had not been placed properly. However, after taking the
temperature several times and finding it normal, the doctor treating
the child was informed. He was a highly capable doctor. He
said:
"Have you gone out of your minds? This
type of intense typhoid fever never subsides in twelve days, and
suddenly as well! This is all an error of not placing the
thermometer correctly."
He came himself and took the temperature again
and again, and felt the pulse. He was astonished. He said:
"This is some special blessing of God.
I can’t understand it. I have never come across such a case
— a child in such a bad and weak state and then the sudden
appearance of good health. This is a Messianic miracle that a dead
person has been brought to life."
And indeed it was the grace of God and a
miracle of a Messiah. How truly does Hazrat Mirza sahib say (in a
poetic verse about the qualities of the exalted man who is chosen and
sent by God):
"You can wrack your brains a
thousand times and still not solve your problem,
But when you come before him, just one prayer by him is
enough."
The Grace and Favour of God:
By the grace of God, despite intense opposition,
gradually my entire family and almost all my friends and close
relations became Ahmadi. And this is all the favour of
God.
As for myself, whenever I would be sitting in
the company of Hazrat Mirza sahib, and my gaze would be fixed upon
his radiant face, my heart would become filled with thanks to
Almighty Allah for His grace and for my good fortune, that the man
whom so many great saints in Muslim history were yearning to meet but
they passed away, a sinner like me was graced with meeting him and
taking his pledge! This was indeed a great favour of God.
All praise to be Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
!
This page was printed from the 'Official Website of the Ahmadiyya
Anjuman Isha'at-e-Islam Lahore (Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for
the Propagation of Islam)'
located at http://aaiil.org
or http://www.aaiil.org
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Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at-e-Islam Lahore (Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam)
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