Al Hakam - 22 March 2019 by Alhakam

Dhul-Qarnain A remarkable prophecy fulﬁlled in a remarkable fashion

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Tracing the footsteps of history

Remarkable works of the Promised Messiahas

The progenies of individuals in Jamaat’s history reconnect with Jamaat

A look at the tasks achieved by the Promised Messiahas

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The white minaret History and signiﬁcance of Minarat-ul-Masih in Qadian

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 22 March 2019 | Issue LIII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

Ahmadiyya Jamaat sees th its 130 year 23 March is celebrated globally by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat as “The Promised Messiahas Day”. This day marks the anniversary of the foundation of the Jamaat by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, peace and blessings of Allah be on him. Tomorrow, on 23 March 2019, it will have been 130 years since the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat was formally founded. Alhamdolillah! For a Jamaat that was founded in an unknown hamlet of the Punjab, having lived 130 years is no less than a miracle. Every prophet of Allah has faced opposition and every jamaat of every prophet has always been told by their opponents that it would soon perish and vanish into thin air. The same was the case with this Jamaat at the time of its inception. Opponents made bold claims like: The message of the founder of this Jamaat will not even go beyond the outskirts of Qadian; this Jamaat will perish at the demise of its

founder; no one will even remember that this Jamaat ever existed. What we have seen is that the names of such claimants have, contrarily, vanished into thin air, and the name of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian and the name of the Jamaat founded by him live on throughout the world with great respect. The Jamaat has become a symbol of peace, harmony and love – the very essence of Islam. Every passing day brings numerous proofs of the support and favours bestowed upon the Jamaat by Allah the Almighty. The undeterred, resilient perseverance of the Jamaat’s leadership – Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya Islamiyah – has held up the flag of the great message sent to this world by Allah the Almighty through Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the founder of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Muslimah. May Allah enable us to witness more and more favours of Allah on the Jamaat and may those who have not yet done so accept this blessed message.

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM Editorial

The Weekly Al Hakam, London One year on

t seems like yesterday when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand, graciously granted approval of starting an English weekly newspaper from the Markaz. Actually, it has been a whole year. Being able to successfully publish a weekly newspaper online every Friday, we – the Al Hakam team – praise and thank Allah for His blessings that we have witnessed all along. All our efforts would have never seen fruition had it not been for the guidance, prayers and support that Al Hakam has had from our beloved Imam, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. Every single issue during the last year was blessed with his attention and guidance. At the very onset, the instruction that came coupled with the approval was: “You will have to make do with the handful of people already working in the Archive [and Research] Department.” At the time, Huzooraa referred to his Friday Sermon that he had delivered a few weeks earlier, where he had mentioned Hassan Muhammad Arif Khan Sahib. Huzooraa explained how, having moved to Canada, Hassan Khan Sahib would singlehandedly prepare the monthly Ahmadiyya Gazette – collating material, editing it, handwriting it and then printing it for circulation. Since Huzooraa had mentioned Hassan Khan Sahib with great love in his Friday Sermon, we took it as an honour to be working on the same lines that had received an affectionate mention by Huzooraa. The biggest reward we received from Allah the Almighty for wilfully and happily aligning our vision with Huzoor’s instruction was the biggest reward that one can imagine: Huzoor’s constant guidance and support in every matter to do with Al Hakam. Al Hakam was blessed with the opportunity to publish the full text of Huzoor’s Friday Sermon every week; a feature that was non-existent before. We thank the Al Fazl team for providing the full Urdu text and the Review of Religions’ team for translating it and providing it every week. Covering Hazrat Amirul Momineen’s tours brought great pleasure and satisfaction. By constantly striving to acquire updates and making them available to our readers, we felt connected with Huzooraa even when he was thousands of miles away; a greater satisfaction being that our readers felt the same. But the greatest of all pleasures and satisfaction would come after the tour. We would present to Huzooraa the issues published while he was away, and he would say, “I have already been through them.” The fact that our efforts got Huzoor’s attention, even for a few moments, while he was so occupied with a hectic routine on his tour, made us feel that we had been given a reward far greater than what our Continued on page 3

This Week in History 22-28 March 22 March 1897: The Promised Messiah wrote a detailed announcement which bore principle guidelines for the loyalty of citizens towards their government. This piece can be seen as an efficient outreach effort. as

23 March 1889: The Promised Messiahas accepted the first Bai‘at in Ludhiana, at the house of Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan in Muhalla Jadid on 20 Rajab, 1306 AH. The building in which the foundation of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat was laid was a small, unpretentious one. Hazrat Ahmadas sat in a corner of the room, Hazrat Sheikh Hamid Alira was posted at the door and the Companionsra were called in as Huzooras desired. Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddinra was called in first. Then were called Hazrat Mir Abbas Alira, Hazrat Mian Muhammad Husain Moradabadira and Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanaurira. One or two more were thus called in as named by Huzooras, after which Hazrat Sheikh Hamid Alira was told to admit them one by one. At the beginning, the Bai‘at was taken of each person in private, but afterwards people entered the Bai‘at even in groups. The ceremony was very simple. Huzooras sat on the covered floor, stretched out his right hand and held the right hand of the disciple who repeated after Huzooras. The words of the Bai‘at were as follows: “I repent today, at the hand of Ahmad, of all the sins and bad habits to which I was addicted, and most truthfully and solemnly do I promise that, to the last day of my life, I shall eschew, to the best of my ability, all manner of sin. I will hold my faith above all worldly considerations. I shall try as far as I can to observe the ten conditions of Bai‘at laid down in the leaflet dated 12 January 1889. I seek forgiveness of God for my past sins.” These words were repeated in Urdu; and after this, the following words were repeated in Arabic: َ َُ َ َْ ُّ ّ ٰ َّ ٰ َّ َ ُ ْ َ ّٰ ْ َ ّٰ ْ َ ّٰ ْ َ ‫ ا ْس َتغفِ ُرالل َہ َربِّ ْی ِم ْن ک ِل ذن ٍب ّو ات ْو ُب اِل ْیہِ۔ اش َھد ا ْن لا اِل َہ اِلا الل ُہ‬، ‫ ا ْس َتغفِ ُرالل َہ َربِّ ْی‬، ‫ا ْس َتغفِ ُرالل َہ َربِّ ْی‬ َ َ َ ََُ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ ّ ْ َ ُ ُ ُ ً َ ُ ْ َ ُ ّ ّ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ َ ‫ واشھد ان مح ّمدا ع ْبدہ و َر ُس ْولہ۔ َ ُر ِب اِنِی َظل ْمت نف ِس ْی واعت َرفت بِذن ِب ْی فاغفِ ْرل ِْی‬،‫َو ْحدہ لا ش ِریْک لہ‬ َ ْ َ ّ َ ْ ُ ّ ُ ْ َ َ ُ َّ َ ْ ْ ُ ُ ‫ذنوبِی فاِنہ لا یغفِر الذنوب اِلا انت۔‬ “I seek pardon from Allah, my Lord; I seek pardon from Allah, my Lord; I seek pardon from Allah, my Lord, for all my sins,

and turn to Him. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah; He is One and has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O my Lord, I have wronged my soul and I confess all my sins. Pray forgive me my sins as there is none other who can forgive.” The Promised Messiahas then lifted up both his hands in prayer. The disciple also did the same. When the prayer was finished, the ceremony was completed. 25 March 1895: A solar eclipse occurred in the Western world. This eclipse was not visible from Qadian, but when the eclipse occurred, the date in Qadian was 28 Ramadan 1312 AH. 25 March 1898: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter to Hazrat Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahmanra, which shows that Huzooras was experiencing ill health in those days. Moreover, on 28 March, in another letter, Hazrat Ahmadas mentioned the same condition of his health persisting. 26 March 1891: The Promised Messiahas challenged the scholars of the age to have a written debate. 28 March 1884: The Promised Messiahas had a close relationship with Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan. It is reported that the righteous people of Huzoor’sas era had already requested him to accept Bai‘at (spiritual allegiance) before 1889. Hazrat Sufi Sahib was one of those who requested this. The Promised Messiahas sent him a letter and added that after he had written the letter, the following Persian couplet of an eminent personage came to him as a revelation: ‫ن‬ ‫� ش‬ ‫بع‬ ‫رہزگ ی‬ ‫�رد آہکن دشل زدنہ دش �ق‬ ‫تبث اتس رب رج�ی دہ اعمل دوام ام‬ “Never dies the one whose heart has come alive with love. Our permanence is inscribed on the pages of the universe.”

Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan’s home in Ludhiana. Also known al Dar-ul-Bai‘at

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

From the Markaz

Canada Atfal Trip to Markaz Ataul Fattir Tahir Al Hakam Correspondent

ajlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya Canada M visited the Markaz last week, visiting various Jamaat sites including Masjid

Fazl, Baitul Futuh, Islamabad and Jamia Ahmadiyya UK. The highlight of their tour was a mulaqat with Huzooraa in which they had the opportunity to ask Huzooraa various questions. During the mulaqat, Huzooraa caringly asked the Atfal about their experience so far and what Jamaat sites they had visited. In particular, Huzooraa enquired whether they had prayed at the grave of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh in Islamabad and seen Jamia Ahmadiyya UK. After a brief introduction to Atfal, Huzooraa welcomed questions. The opening question of the mulaqat was concerning the jurisprudence of reciting Surah al-Fatihah behind an imam. Huzooraa emphasised that the imam should be strictly followed during congregational prayers, even if the imam had finished Surah al-Fatihah and performed ruku‘ (bowing position), those following should stop their recitation and bow. A Tifl asked Huzooraa whether earthquakes and tsunamis occurred exclusively for the wrongdoings of mankind.

Continued from page 2

humble efforts deserved. We thank our correspondents in the fortunate countries that had the honour to host Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa during the year, for their continued support in providing updates regardless of time differences and other issues that could easily hinder communication. We would also like to thank the Central Press and Media Office which made it easier for us to acquire updates on Huzoor’s tours. Talking of correspondents, we should proclaim another blessing of Allah the Almighty. It was mentioned to Huzooraa that we wished to establish a strong network of correspondents so that news from all foreign missions could be included as soon

Huzooraa responded by saying: “They [natural disasters] occur as a natural phenomenon as well, however the Promised Messiahas said that Allah the

Almighty had established natural disasters as a sign for his age. If you look over the history of tsunamis and earthquakes, you will notice the total amount of earthquakes

and tsunamis taken place over the last 1000 years are far fewer than the amount of the last 100 years. This is proof of what the Promised Messiahas said being true; they are Continued on page 27

as possible and not months after they had happened. Huzooraa graciously granted permission and we were able to, with the support of amirs of foreign Jamaats, to have representation in almost every part of the world. Our correspondents – based all around the world – deserve a huge thanks from us for always being there to report on the Jamaat’s activities, thus making Al Hakam a newspaper in the true sense of the term. Part of the vision behind the launch of Al Hakam was to bring to life the rich history of the Jamaat for our Englishspeaking audience – being in Urdu meant being unavailable as such. Selections from the vast range of literature produced in Urdu language

by Jamaat’s scholars over the last 130 years were translated into English and included in the 52 issues that punctuated, on a weekly basis, the whole of last year. Particularly enjoyed by our readers were diaries of early Ahmadi missionaries to the West, most saying that it was awe-inspiring to know what challenges our early missionaries faced during the days when Muslim missions in Western countries was an alien concept for the West (and also for the rest). “100 Years Ago…” aims at bringing out material in English that was originally published exactly a century ago in the Jamaat’s newspapers and magazines. This series has received great commendation and appreciation by our readers. With this series, we were able to include images of archived documents from the Jamaat’s history, thanks to the collection at the Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre, London. A series that our English-speaking audience enjoyed by being connected to the legacy that stretches across our 130-yearold history is “This Week in History”. This regular column proved that brevity does not always compromise interest, it can rather work as a catalyst. Giving a flavour of how the dates of a certain week were important in the Jamaat’s history, this series has been immensely successful and is much awaited each week. All these features put together are outweighed by one single feature of Al Hakam. This great feature and great blessing are the interviews with Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa on various matters,

exclusively and graciously granted to Al Hakam by our beloved Imamaa. Monitoring analytics of the issues that carried Huzoor’s exclusive interviews were faith-inspiring for all of us at Al Hakam. The trajectory of readership would spike to phenomenal levels on the day and on the days following such blessed issues. We would see this spike stretching beyond any precedent levels and three- to four-digit numbers in the “active-user” field of the analytics for the span of such days. The comments we received on these interviews of Huzooraa and the great zeal with which readers share the blessed words is a unique angle of love between Khalifa and Jamaat, and we were fortunate to have witnessed this. Readers’ feedback has been paramount in giving direction to our humble efforts. We conclude with inviting your feedback and the reassurance that it is always welcome. Our upgraded website now provides the option to leave your comments for individual articles or columns. If our editorial teams find your comments to be useful for other readers, we will, InshaAllah, publish them under the respective article. Our upgraded website and app come with the option to share anything you like through popular social media platforms. We thank you as our readers for your support all along and hope to have the same in the future, along with your prayers of course! Jazakumullahu Ahsanal Jaza!

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

4 Responding to Allegations

Naskh in the Holy Quran The Promised Messiah’sas stance on the abrogation of Quranic verses Part I has recently come to light that certain Iviewtopponents of the Jamaat are of the that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , as

the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi believed in the concept of naskh (abrogation) of verses of the Holy Quran as did early Muslim scholars, but after his demise, the Jamaat declared naskh as improper and against the grandeur of the Quran. To such people it should be made clear that in order to do so, they should firstly produce the text where such words have ever been used by the Promised Messiahas. Non-Ahmadi scholars believe that there are some verses in the Holy Quran that conflict with other verses. Upon seeing contradictions and their inability to reconcile the meanings of verses, such scholars suggest that the verse that was revealed to the Holy Prophetsa earlier should be considered abrogated and the one revealed to him later should be considered its replacement. Scholars use the following verse to support their belief: ْ َْ ْ ْ َ َْ ْ ُ َ ‫َما نن َسخ ِم ْن ٓایَ ٍة ا ْو نن ِس َہا نا ِت ِبخی ٍر ِّمن َہا‬ ْ َ ‫ا ْو ِمثل َِہا‬ “Whatever sign We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than that or the like thereof.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.107) Non-Ahmadi scholars suggest that the word “ayah” [sign] here means verse of the Quran. In other words, God says here, according to non-Ahmadi scholars, that when a verse of the Quran is abrogated, a better verse is brought forth. No such scholar ever suggests which of two apparently conflicting verses should be considered abrogated and which should be regarded as the replacement. No such scholar ever brings forward a Hadith in which the Holy Prophetsa talked about the abrogation of a particular verse and that nobody should act upon it. All such beliefs are merely views and opinions. Any verse not understood by a Muslim scholar was considered abrogated and whoever understood that particular verse declared it unabrogated. It is for this reason that scholars are not unanimous on the amount of abrogated verses and accordingly, the total abrogated verses range from 5 to 1,100. The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas proved from two verses that the verses

of the Holy Quran cannot conflict with one another. Now, whoever is against contradictions in the Holy Quran cannot possibly believe in naskh – abrogation in the Quran. The concepts of contradictions in the Quran and abrogation therein are both intertwined. The very first criterion, as mentioned by the Promised Messiahas, for interpreting meanings of the Holy Quran was: “So, when we interpret a verse of the Holy Quran in a certain way, we should try to find out whether or not there are other testimonies present in the Holy Quran which

support this interpretation. If there are no other testimonies, and the interpretation is found to be clearly opposed to some other verses, then we should conclude that this interpretation is false, for there is no possibility of contradiction in the Holy Quran.” (Blessings of Prayer, p. 28) In this extract Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas has clearly shunned the notion of conflict among Quranic verses and in doing so, his belief in the abrogation of verses becomes an improbability. َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ّٰ َ ‫الل ُہ ن ّز َل ا ْح َس َن ال َح ِدیْ ِث کِ َت ًابا ّم َتش ِاب ًہا‬ “Allah has sent down the best Message [in the form] of a Book, [whose verses are] mutually supporting.” (Surah al-Zumar, Ch.39: V.24) Regarding the above verse, Hazrat Ahmadas says in his book, Al-Haq Mubahisa Ludhiana (The Ludhiana Debate): ‫یعنی ذالک الکتاب کتاب متشابہ یشبہ بعضہ بعضا لیس‬ ‫فیہ تناقض و لا اختلاف مثنی فیہ کل ذکر لیکون بعض‬

‫الذکر تفسیر البعضہ‬ “This book’s verses and subjects are mutually supporting and similar. There is no contradiction or conflict in it. Every guidance and advice has been presented repeatedly, the purpose of which is that one verse may explain another.” (Al-Haq Mubahisa Ludhiana, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 4, pp. 37-38) Here, the Promised Messiahas explicitly says that by calling it “kitaban-mutashabihan” (a book with mutually supporting verses and subjects), God Almighty declares that

“there is no contradiction or conflict in it” and that the verses all support one another rather than conflict. At another place, Hazrat Ahmadas explains the aforementioned verse in the following words: “The special feature of this book is that it is mutashabih, that is, its teachings do not conflict with one another, nor do they contradict God’s law of nature; the teachings of this book are perfectly apt for man according to the excellences required for his nature and physical state.” (KaramatusSadiqin, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 7, p. 57) If there is no contradiction in the Holy Quran, according to Hazrat Ahmadas, then there can be no abrogation in the Quran. If verses of the Quran have been abrogated, it is necessary for verses to contradict in meaning. Hazrat Ahmadas says in one of his writings: “The Quran is pure of any contradiction

and conflict. God Almighty says in the Holy Quran, ‘Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much disagreement’ (Surah al-Nisa, Ch.4: V.83). Through this, God Almighty shows that conflicts cannot be found in the Quran for it is the Book of God and its status is far exalted than that. When it is proven that the Book of God [the Holy Quran] is pure from any conflict, then it becomes incumbent on us to not choose a method in its tafsir [interpretation] that proves conflicts and contradictions.” Through these two verses, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi proved that there can be no conflict between verses of the Quran without going against these verses. Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, Khalifatul Masih II, Musleh-e-Maud, says: “The Promised Messiahas came and told us that the Quran must be followed to the letter – from beginning to end; from the ‘b’ of bismillah to the ‘s’ of ‘al-nas’. The Holy Quran is a standing instruction for us all and it must be followed till the Day of Judgement. I vividly remember Huzooras saying, ‘If someone believes that there is a chance that certain verses of the Quran have been abrogated, then what need is there for such a person to reflect and ponder over the meanings of the Holy Quran and try to act upon them? Such a one would say, “If there are such verses in here that are abrogated, then why waste my time by trying to fathom them? It is possible that the verse I reflect on may eventually turn out to be abrogated.” But whoever says that the entirety of its text is pure from abrogation and every iota must be obeyed, they will try to understand it and in this manner the Quran will become a means of enhancing his awareness.’” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 97) In light of the above-mentioned stance of the Promised Messiahas, the Ahmadiyya Jamaat rejected the notion of naskh (abrogation) in the Quran. During Hazrat Ahmad’sas life, the Review of Religions (Urdu), which was published under his supervision, published a series of articles against the concept of naskh in 1907. (Research by a panel of scholars at the Research Cell, Rabwah)

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

The white minaret Minarat-ul-Masih, Qadian oretelling the advent of F the Promised Reformer of the latter days, the

Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammadsa prophesied: َ َ ْ َ َ َْ َ ْ ُ ْ ََ ‫ار ِۃ ال َب ْیضا ِء ش ْر ِق َّی‬ ‫فین ِزل ِعند المن‬ َ ْ ‫د َِمشق‬ “He (the Promised Reformer) will descend near the white minaret, East of Damascus.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan wa Ashrat as-Sa‘ah) Specialists of Hadith identify that this Hadith related to the second coming of Jesus Christas falls in the category of mukashifat (divine visions). Scholars of religious knowledge, being aware of the allegorical and metaphorical nature of these divine visions, recognise the fact that

Minarat-ul-Masih, Qadian. 1939

they are manifested in a rather unique and surprising manner. Therefore, the Promised Messiahas, an embodiment of Jesusas son of Maryas, envisioned in the year 1894: َ ‫یُسافر المسیح الموعود او خلیفة من‬ ‫خلفائہ الی ارض دمشق‬ “The Promised Messiah, or one of his successors shall journey to Damascus.” (Hamamatul Bushra, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 7, p. 225) Accordingly, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra visited Damascus during his tour of Europe in 1924 and happened to take up accommodation towards the east of the white minaret. Yet again, for the second time while traveling to Europe, this time by air, he descended in Damascus. Hence, the prophecy of the Hadith was fulfilled.

Studying history to find the date of construction of the actual minaret in Qadian, we discover that in 1900, the Promised Messiahas appealed for the construction of a white minaret in Masjid Aqsa, which is situated exactly at the east of Damascus. Moreover, he expressed that the construction of this minaret was deeply associated with the revival of Islam. On one occasion, the Promised Messiahas drew a sketch of the minaret on a piece of paper with his own blessed hand, proclaiming that Allah the Almighty had commanded him to build this type of minaret. There lies a particular passion and desire in the ummah of Muhammadsa to witness the practical fulfillment of the prophecies of the Holy Prophetsa.

A study of Islamic history reveals that Muslims, spending thousands of dinar, built a minaret in the city of Damascus, Syria but it underwent various calamities. At present, a minaret stands within the Umayyad Mosque while another minaret exists on the eastern gate of the ancient city of Damascus. Recounting an interesting experience regarding Minarat-ul-Masih (the Minaret of the Messiah), Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra says: “During my stay in Damascus in 1924, I asked the opinion of Maulvi Abdul Qadir Sahib al-Maghrabi, a well-known religious scholar in that locality, as to where that minaret was upon which Prophet Jesusas would descend. He replied that it Continued on page 21

Old image of Muhalla Dar-ul-Anwar, Qadian from Minarat-ul-Masih

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Dhul-Qarnain

urah al-Kahf, the eighteenth chapter of the Holy Quran, narrates at length an account of Dhul-Qarnain – the one with two centuries. The account commences from verse 86 and continues from that point onwards. We all know quite well that the Holy Quran is not simply a book of history that merely records historical events to establish its authenticity. The stories mentioned in the Holy Quran have in them a plethora of prophecies relating to future events. The tale of Dhul-Qarnain also belongs

the veracity of the message and its logic by including it in one of his own books. In early 1901, the Promised Messiahas penned his book Ijaz-ul-Masih and subsequent to this masterpiece, included a monograph by Hazrat Pir Siraj-ul-Haq Numanira. His short research article bore the title, Another Prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa Fulfilled. He wrote: “The Holy Prophetsa declared that Allah the Almighty would surely raise a person for this ummah at the beginning of each century, who would revive its faith for it. This great Hadith possesses a virtually unbroken chain

“The Holy Prophetsa declared that Allah the Almighty would surely raise a person for this ummah at the beginning of each century, who would revive its faith for it. This great Hadith possesses a virtually unbroken chain of narrators and has reached a consensus of opinion. to the same category. It not only accounts the military exploits of a great and noble conqueror who lived in the past, but also contains prophetic reference to another great historical personage, a world reformer, who was to appear at some point in the future – the time that we are fortunate to be living in. The appearance of this reformer, who has been named “The Promised Messiah and Mahdi”, has been repeatedly mentioned in Muslim Scriptures (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sunan Ibn-e-Maja and other books of Hadith). Thus, the story of Dhul-Qarnain holds both a historical and spiritual significance and hence, warrants particular focus in research. Lexicons inform us that Dhul-Qarnain is an Arabic word that refers to an individual who finds two different centuries. The Holy Prophetsa prophesied: َ ّ ُ ْ َ ٰ َ َّ ُ ْ َ ُ َ ْ َ َ ّ ٰ َّ ّ ُ َ ‫س ک ِل ِمائ ِۃ َس َن ٍۃ ّم ْن یجَ ِد ُد‬ ِ ‫اِن اللہ یبعث ِلھ ِذ ِہ الام َِۃ َعلی رٔا‬ ‫لھا دِیْ َن َھا‬ “Verily, Allah will appoint for this ummah, at the head of every century, one who will revive its religion for it.” (Sunan Abi Daud, Kitab-ul-Malahim, Hadith 4291) Almost every Muslim school of thought recognises the prophecy to be foretelling a series of reformers within the Ummah for Muslims, each century, after the advent of the Holy Prophetsa. However, a devout companion of the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Pir Siraj-ulHaq Numanira, saw this in a novel way. Interestingly, the Promised Messiahas acknowledged this new angle and endorsed

of narrators and has reached a consensus of opinion. “Whatever interpretation commentators of the Holy Quran, muhaddithin or sufis make of it, the meaning, which Allah Almighty has taught me, is that this Hadith is in reality concerning the Promised Messiahas. This is because former and future reformers are all but a reflection and we, in short, believe that reformers have appeared at the beginning of each century, in one form or another. “However, we cannot explicitly say with certainty who the reformers were in all of the centuries that have elapsed. This is due to the fact that the Holy Prophetsa did not list the names of reformers. But as for the Promised Messiahas, we can say – supported with certain, concrete arguments and with conviction – that the reformer prophesied by the Holy Prophetsa to fight in his way and cause is the Promised Messiahas; the Hadith states: ‘How can such a nation be destroyed where I am at its beginning, the Promised Messiah at its end and Faij-e-A‘waj [1,000 years of spiritual and moral degradation] in between’. “A sign of his advent that he foretold was that he would be raised in an age when different centuries would meet. Hence, when we look at the matter in depth, we find that that particular age is this very age in which the greatest reformer was sent, and he met the beginning of all calendars; 1318 Hijri, 1901 AD, 1307 Fasli and 1957 Bikrami. Moreover, he was present in the seventh millennium – the mother of centuries. Thus, the prophecy, ‘at the beginning of

each century’ has been fulfilled through the combination of these calendars. “Furthermore, the Hadith of the lunar and solar eclipse and the verse of the Holy Quran, ‘and among others from among them who have not yet joined them’ [Surah al-Jumu‘ah, Ch.62: V.4] attest to its truth. Thus, that promised and awaited reformer is Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadianias.” A study of the great works of the Promised Messiahas reveals that he presented this unique and subtle sign to prove the truthfulness of his Master, Prophet Muhammadsa, and as truthfulness of his own claims as well. For example, in the final pages of his book Tadhkiratush-Shahadatain, he termed himself Dhul-Qarnain. Furthermore, reiterating the matter under the commentary of verse 84 of Surah al-Kahf, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas adds: “God Almighty has also named me

Dhul-Qarnain … It is evident that DhulQarnain has to be a person who witnesses two centuries. And, it is a marvelous matter about me that when you look at all the calendars in use, you will find that I have lived in two centuries according to the calendars of all people … just as I have lived in two centuries of the Islamic calendar, I have also lived in two centuries of the Christian calendar, as well as the Hindi calendar whose year begins with Bikaramajit. I have, as far as was possible for me, studied all the ancient calendars of the East and West, and I have not found a single nation of whose calendar I have not seen two centuries. It is recorded in some Ahadith that the Messiah to come would be known by the fact that he would be Dhul-Qarnain.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, pp. 146-147) However, objecting to the final line of the extract, opponents of the Promised Messiahas demand that sayings of the Holy Prophetsa

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

“God Almighty has also named me Dhul-Qarnain … It is evident that Dhul-Qarnain has to be a person who witnesses two centuries. And, it is a marvelous matter about me that when you look at all the calendars in use, you will find that I have lived in two centuries according to the calendars of all people … just as I have lived in two centuries of the Islamic calendar, I have also lived in two centuries of the Christian calendar, as well as the Hindi calendar whose year begins with Bikaramajit. I have, as far as was possible for me, studied all the ancient calendars of the East and West, and I have not found a single nation of whose calendar I have not seen two centuries. It is recorded in some Ahadith that the Messiah to come would be known by the fact that he would be Dhul-Qarnain.” (Barahin-eAhmadiyya Part V, pp. 146-147) regarding Dhul-Qarnain be brought forth. They, in reality, are mistakenly fixated on the word “Dhul-Qarnain” and ignore the narration which has been cited above and recorded in Abu Daud. Those who sincerely seek the truth should know that the book, Kamaluddin wa Tamamun-Ne‘mah wa Ikmaluddin wa Etmamun- Ne‘mah, written by the great Shia scholar, Muhammad bin Ali bin Babiwayh al-Qummi also contains mention of the word Dhul-Qarnain whilst discussing the advent of the Imam Mahdi. Returning to the primary topic at hand, whilst delivering a speech on 27 December 1901 at Jalsa Salana, the Promised Messiahas said with reference to Dhul-Qarnain: “Even Mufti Sahib [Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra] has shown 16 or 17 calendars in which I have lived in.” (Malfuzat, Vol. 2, p. 140) In early February 1904, Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra wrote a rebuttal to the book, Tarak-e- Islam. His work, synonymous with his name, was titled, Nuruddin. On page 251, a painstaking research is included in it, which lists 32 calendars and the turn of their centuries. The agreed date of birth of the Promised Messiahas at the time of writing this book was 1839. The research by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, proving the year of birth to be 1835, came later, making no difference to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I’sra point. A study of the history of the world shows that the number of calendars that have been used worldwide are around 80, whereas today, only a few are in frequent use, such as the Gregorian, Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic and Persian calendars. The calendars in use are generally solar or lunar and sometimes run on both principles. Of course, the research regarding calendars as cited here was carried out in a small village with limited resources, a century ago. Now that we live in a world where research has become far easier, we invite those Ahmadi researchers with particular interest in the study of calendars – or Horology – to carry out detailed research on this topic and write to us with their findings. We believe that any such study will enhance our belief in the fact that the Promised Messiahas was indeed DhulQarnain – the great reformer at the turn of many centuries.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Approximate age of the Promised Messiahas 1 8 9 13 14 16 23 27 29 31 34 36 40 43 45 46 48 49 51 53 53 55 56 59 61 63 69 51 53 54 4 61

Year 1840 1847 1848 1852 1853 1855 1862 1866 1868 1870 1873 1875 1879 1882 1884 1885 1887 1888 1890 1892 1892 1894 1895 1898 1900 1902 1908 1890 1892 1893 1843 1900

Name of calendar and year Jewish/Hebrew. 5600 Roman/(Republican Calendar). 4600 Bikrami/Vikram Samvat. 1900 Antiochian. 1900 Nabonassar. 2600 Julian Calendar. 1900 Spanish. 1900 Maccabees. 1800 Metonic cycle. 2300 1900 .‫تانشک‬ �‫ک‬ 1900 .‫ا � یسی‬ Assyrian. 2000 Jerusalem. 1800 Hijri/Islamic. 1300 Diocletian Era. 1600 Abrahamic. 3900 Julian Period. 6600 Macedonian. 2200 Sidonian. 2000 ‫ین‬ 5900 .�‫ڈنم‬ Constantinople. 4700 Fazli San. 1300 Ascending. 1600 Alexandrian/Coptic. 4700 Gregorian. 1900 ‫�ی وانین ی ن‬ 7500 .�‫ڈنم‬ Antiochene Religious. 4700 Fasli Ilahi. 1300 Fasli/Harvest. 1300 Bengali/Bangla. 1300 Brosta. 1900 Arya (Kalpa/Sristi era). 1960853000

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Exclusive Click here for original Urdu

An ardent lover of the Promised Messiahas

Asif M Basit London

Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa

few days ago, Hazrat Khalifatul A graciously granted me Masih permission to meet him for an official aa

audience. On the subject of the rank and status of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, I said: “Huzoor, you once instructed all departments and Jamaats that we should not be reluctant in talking about the Promised Messiahas as a prophet of God…” Huzooraa replied: “Yes, the Promised Messiahas was a prophet. Allah declared him so, the Holy Prophetsa declared him so, thus we should openly and proudly express this point. Alongside this, it should be clarified that the Promised Messiahas himself explained that his prophethood was not mustaqil – he did not bring any new Shariah – rather it was zilli and buruzi [as a reflection and subordinate] prophethood, which he attained through complete obedience and absolute devotion to Prophet Muhammadsa.” After a slight pause, Huzooraa carried on: “The Promised Messiahas was informed through divine revelation, ‘A warner came into the world, but the world accepted him not.’ Thereafter, God promised him that his truthfulness would be proved to the world by means of mighty onslaughts. So if the world is not made aware of his status, then how can it turn towards God?”

I replied, “Huzoor, the modern-day man doesn’t want to have anything to do with religion…” Huzooraa added: “This is what needs to be explained to such people, that Allah sent a warner in this era just as He did in previous eras. If they accept him, then they will be saved; if not, then they will be heading towards catastrophe. The world now stands at the brink of disaster, so now, it becomes all the more imperative to convey this message. The fact is that there is no other choice other than to accept the Promised Messiahas – this is the only means of salvation.” With these words, my brain was diverted to many other instructions that Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa had given in the past. One such instruction was with regard to MTA programmes, when Huzooraa said that we should always bear in mind that the primary purpose of MTA shows should be the propagation of Islamic teachings. Huzooraa also explained that the Promised Messiah’sas teachings were in fact the true teachings of Islam, thus no matter what the nature of the programme was, the main goal should be to highlight Islamic teachings. We get to see many aspects of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih’saa love for the Promised Messiahas. Whenever, Huzooraa has given any tabarruk [relic] of the Promised Messiahas to the Ahmadiyya Archive and

Research Centre for preservation and restoration, Huzooraa always follows up the instruction with a question: “Where will you store it?” When Huzooraa is informed about the storage location, he then guides us to document details of where it came from so that it may be recorded in history. W h e n handwritten notes and letters of the Promised Messiahas are to be preserved, and the request for their conser vation is submitted to he Huzooraa, carefully listens to the request and gives further guidance. When discussing costs, Huzooraa openly grants budgets for this purpose and creates all forms of ease.

Once, I had the good fortune of discovering a very rare and precious writing of the Promised Messiahas in

Among the handwritten notes of the Promised Messiahas stored at the Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre, the revelation [Arabic] “Surely, I am with you, O Masroor” was found written in Hazrat Ahmad’sas handwriting

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

“The Promised Messiahas was informed through divine revelation, ‘A warner came into the world, but the world accepted him not.’ Thereafter, God promised him that his truthfulness would be proved to the world by means of mighty onslaughts. So if the world is not made aware of his status, then how can it turn towards God?”

the British Library. This was the English rendering of Sitara-e-Qaisara that had been translated under the Promised Messiah’sas auspices and sent by him to leading figures in the British Government at the time. I was over the moon to have discovered it. I telephoned the private secretary and asked that my request be presented to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa to meet him the very same day. Huzooraa graciously approved for me to meet him during the slot for evening mulaqats. I entered Huzoor’saa office and showed him copies of the pages. I also informed Huzooraa that my request to show the copy during the live show, Rah-e-Huda, on MTA was being processed. To show them once cost a certain amount, but I said that I was in discussions with them to see whether they would make an exception as we were a charity organisation. Huzoor replied: “This isn’t a substantially large amount of money. For such a precious document

I realised that there was great wisdom in that moment. What we usually considered to be the fulfilment of this prophecy was outshined by something far greater. From the Far East to the far west, i.e. the western parts of USA, newspapers covered the fulfilment of this prophecy. From the time when Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas foretold Dowie’s end until Dowie’s death, many newspapers of the world took a keen interest in the updates of this prophecy, but when it was actually fulfilled, the attention increased manifold. By means of this prophecy, the Promised Messiahas and his Jamaat were given coverage throughout the world, and God’s promise, that “I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the Earth” was practically fulfilled. In later years, these words would be fulfilled in new ways and they continue to be fulfilled today.

qaseedas of the Promised Messiahas – from the shelf to his left, flicked through the pages and flicked through them in a way that only after a turning a few pages did he find what he was searching for. Huzooraa read out the couplet and explained the deeper meaning to this humble servant. Similarly, the Ruhani Khazain set to his left, with Post-It Notes scattered in each book, shows the extent to which it has been studied. I once informed Huzooraa that somebody had called in to Rah-eHuda and said that Jalsa Salana was an innovation in Islam. Huzoor asked, “What answer did you give?” I replied with the answer that we gave. Huzooraa said, “The Promised Messiahas gave the answer to every such question. There is no such allegation that he did not answer.” With that, Huzooraa turned to his set of Majmu‘a Ishtiharat (compilation of announcements by the Promised

Whenever, Huzooraa has given any tabarruk [relic] of the Promised Messiahas to the Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre for preservation and restoration, Huzooraa always follows up the instruction with a question: “Where will you store it?” When Huzooraa is informed about the storage location, he then guides us to document details of where it came from so that it may be recorded in history. of the Promised Messiahas, how far will you get in haggling? Give them the required amount, show it [on MTA] and preserve it.” Once, Huzooraa enquired, “Have you compiled all the newspaper cuttings related to the [John Alexander] Dowie prophecy coming true.” I replied, “Some have been compiled, but more will be added.” The next few days were spent in searching for the cuttings. It should be mentioned that when Huzooraa said this during the mulaqat, at the time, there was no context of Dowie. But the more newspapers became available, the more

From Tokyo to Vancouver, the manner in which the successor of the Promised Messiahas today has conveyed the message of Ahmadiyyat is unique in its own right. Huzoor’saa love for the Promised Messiahas becomes manifest in so many different ways. Once, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa mentioned a couplet from the Promised Messiah’sas qaseeda [Arabic poem] and enquired about something regarding it. It was a moment that reflected my ignorance and so I replied that I did not know. Huzooraa then picked out Qasaid-ulAhmadiyya – a book containing all the

The Ruhani Khazain set to his left, with Post-It Notes scattered in each book, shows the extent to which it has been studied.

Messiahas) and pulled a volume out. Huzooraa read out an answer that the Promised Messiahas had given in response to the allegation the gentleman raised on Rah-e-Huda. Huzooraa read out roughly 3-4 pages worth of the Promised Messiah’sas own words. The fluency with which he read aloud not only reflected his fast-pace but also suggested the many times he has studied such books. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa, on one occasion, said to me, “I have devised my own method of searching for extracts and references of the Promised Messiah’sas writings.” With that, Huzooraa showed me his copies of The Essence of Islam, the original Urdu of The Essence of Islam – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadianias Apni Tehriron Ki Ru Sey – and Ruhani Khazain and how he benefits from the Promised Messiah’sas writings. These were but a few examples of how I have seen Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa

turn to the writings of the Promised Messiahas to solve every challenge. There are many more examples, but we witness the greatest in the form of his sermons, addresses and discussions. Huzooraa selects precious gems from a limitless and deep treasure and places them before us. Before I conclude, one more incident needs to be mentioned. This dates back to when the handwritten notes and letters of the Promised Messiahas were being preserved. I received a message from the private secretariat in the late afternoon that Huzooraa had called me. Later, when I reached the office, Huzooraa graciously gave handwritten notes of the Promised Messiahas that had been preserved through lamination. Huzooraa said, “That day, you said that there were now better means of preservation than lamination. So take these and preserve them in a better way.” As I left the office, the realisation of what had happened kicked in. Huzooraa had, in his possession, preserved handwritten documents of the Promised Messiahas, but with the intention that there were now better ways of preservation, Huzooraa immediately instructed for them to be preserved. We were not able to experience the time of the Promised Messiahas. This is indeed something that saddens us. But this yearning should not let us forget that we are able to experience the time of his Khilafat. At present, we witness the blessed era of his fifth Khilafat. We have amongst us Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa who has the most love for the Promised Messiahas. The safeguarding of relics is a metaphor of the painstaking efforts of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa to protect the message of the Promised Messiahas, the true Islam. During the fifth Khilafat, the noble sayings of the Promised Messiahas are being preserved through print, electronic and social media in such a way, the example of which has never before been witnessed. May Allah increase our love and devotion to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa for this is the only way of increasing our love and devotion to the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas. ُ ُ ْ ْ ُ َ َ َ ْ ّ َ َّ ُ ّ ٰ َ ‫س‬ ِ ‫اللہم ایِد اِمامنا بِرو ِح القد‬

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Remarkable works of the as Promised Messiah

The tasks achieved by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiahas, as explained by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, are as follows (all these are explained in detail in the Remarkable Works of the Promised Messiahas): 1. Prove the existence of God 2. Form a Jamaat

3. Remove all forms of Shirk

4. Explain true nature of divine revelation 5. Describe works of angels

6. Debunk false notions about works of prophets 7. Explain divine miracles

8. Restore the splendour of Islamic Shariah 9. Reform concepts of worship and prayer

10. Rebut contradictions in Islamic Jurisprudence 11. Re-establish rights of women

12. Reformation of human actions

13. Provide means for progress of Islam

14. Explain ways of attaining social peace

15. Present reasonable explanation of life after death

bserving the need of reminding and O enlightening humanity regarding the significant works of the Promised Messiah , as

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra delivered an awe-inspiring lecture at Jalsa Salana Qadian on 28 December 1927, later published in the form of a book by the title Hazrat Masih-eMaud Ke Karnamey (Remarkable Works of the Promised Messiahas). Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra stated that the subject of this discourse was so closely associated with the Jamaat that it could be considered a question of life and death. Moreover, he emphasised the need of focusing on the works of the Promised Messiahas so that the world could realise the truth and start believing in the Promised Reformer. An outline of the incredible works highlighted in this book is given below. The primary work of the Promised Messiahas - that is carried out by every prophet of God Almighty – was that he proved the existence of a Living God and manifested every attribute of God by signs and miracles. At the time of his advent, God was hidden from the eyes of the world. The Promised Messiahas unveiled God Almighty to the world through His attributes

and showed signs bestowed upon him by God Himself. For instance, he received a revelation which states: “A warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God shall manifest His favour and demonstrate his truth with powerful assaults.” These prophetic words were revealed to him before he was divinely commissioned and assigned the task of reforming those who had gone astray in the latter days. Nobody at that time would have imagined the grandeur of the fulfillment of this prophecy. There were, in fact, five prophecies within this divine revelation. Firstly, it was prophesied that the Promised Messiahas would live and claim that he was appointed by God Almighty; secondly, that the world would reject his claim; thirdly, that the world would not show ordinary opposition, but in fact it would carry out all kinds of assaults; fourthly, that God Almighty would Himself turn down every attack executed against him and lastly, that the truth of the Promised Messiahas would be established. Against all odds, every word of this divine revelation was fulfilled. The second work which was performed by the Promised Messiahas was that he

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM created a flourishing Jamaat. One can assess the magnitude of incredible works of his Jamaat by just comparing its resources with its achievements. Even those newspapers which were not associated with the Jamaat used to write that Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya was the only Jamaat which was working (for humanity). Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya spread the message of Islam in Russia, France, Holland, Australia and England. The services rendered by the Jamaat when the Muslims of Malkana were being converted into Hindus by the efforts of whole Hindu community are worth recalling. The conversion movement came to a dead stop and the Ahmadiyya Jamaat proved victorious. Thirdly, the Promised Messiahas removed all those misconceptions that had become rampant among mankind with regard to the attributes of God Almighty. Apart from the followers of other religions, the beliefs of Muslims were full of misunderstandings about God. Many were indulged in idolatry, deification and some were of the view that God was the primary cause of this world, but after that, everything carries on automatically, denying His attribute of creation. Certain people believed that the world came into existence by itself and God is only responsible for connecting the dots. Several individuals believed that God’s attribute of mercy had been suspended and His omnipotence was misinterpreted as well. There were those who believed that everything is in fact God in itself. The Promised Messiahas presented the solution to all these delusional concepts by pointing out that God is‫لیس کمثلہ شیء‬, explaining that it is beyond the bounds of possibility to perceive God Almighty by equating Him with His creation. We can only understand His Supreme Being by His own attributes. God Almighty still speaks to His chosen ones as He did in the past. He still hears their prayers as He used to hear them in old times. He manifests Himself through His signs as He did previously. Hence, the Promised Messiahas through divine help gave satisfactory explanations to remove all those misunderstandings that had become part of the society. Fourthly, the Promised Messiahas revealed the true nature of divine revelation. There were several serious misconceptions which prevailed at his time, one of which was that revelation was either heavenly or satanic, and that the only person worthy of receiving divine revelation is a prophet of God. Additionally, some were of the view that revelation was simply an inspiration of the mind and that God could not speak in words, ultimately believing in the cessation of revelation. The Promised Messiahas explained that there are primarily two kinds of revelations: true revelation and false revelations. True revelation is received by prophets, saints, mystics and momineen, whereas false revelations include satanic predictions and dreams that carry personal interests, which are experienced out of inner desires and at times through lunatic inspirations. The Promised Messiahas highlighted the fact (through his personal experience) that divine revelation is conveyed in words, rendering it free from any doubt of uncertainty and personal inspiration. God

Almighty is not dependent on material tongue to express His message, as He has created the whole universe without material hands, so He can speak without material means. Furthermore, the Promised Messiahas eradicated the misunderstandings regarding the final word of God, the Holy Quran which was the purest of all divine revelations. He expounded that the Holy Quran bears all the necessary teachings suitable for mankind of every age and time. Presenting unique and comprehendible interpretations of those verses of the Holy Quran which were once declared null and void, the Promised Messiahas restored the glory and grandeur of the Holy Quran. Thus, eliminating all doubts regarding the nature of revelation, the Promised Messiahas removed all hurdles between man and God. Fifthly, the Promised Messiahas erased those wrong perceptions that had taken root in the minds of the people regarding the divine beings known as angels. The term angel was given to the faculties of man by certain schools of thought, considering them as illusive beings. Other misconceptions were that angels perform different tasks, practically moving from place to place, and that they can also sin. Some even considered their existence worthless. The Promised Messiahas clarified that the presence of angels is vital for mankind as they are responsible for generating virtuous ideas, and essential for the development of physical and mental abilities. Moreover, Huzooras elucidated the fact that angels perform their tasks through divine influence and that angels are responsible for the smooth running of the universe. The sixth task performed by the Promised Messiahas was that he removed those misunderstandings which were widespread regarding the prophets of God Almighty. People used to attribute certain immoral deeds to the prophets, like lying and stealing. What’s more is that they started finding faults in the character of the Holy Prophetsa. Many believed that it was impossible for a prophet to make any kind of mistake

in the interpretation of a divine revelation, while some held the belief of prophetic intercession to the degree that all their sins would be pardoned by means of it. There were huge misconceptions about the Jesusas. His birth was considered unique in the sense that he was above all other prophets and in fact, the son of God. His

Messiahas was that he eradicated those generally acknowledged false beliefs regarding the miracles of God Almighty. At the time, some were of the view that miracles could not happen. The Promised Messiahas clarified that miracles could be accepted if they were present in the Holy Books provided they

Hazrat Ahmadas revealed to the world the truth about Jesusas

miracles were exaggerated, and his teachings were considered absolute and complete. The Promised Messiahas restored the status of all prophets by removing general misconceptions, expressing that prophethood was awarded to those who had purified their souls through divine light and that prophets were appointed to reform humanity, thus their character was of the highest quality. He stated that intercession would be carried under the command of God Almighty and only those would be preferred who made extreme efforts to save themselves from sin. Hazrat Ahmadas explained that the birth of Jesusas was pure and his mother was chaste. Moreover, Huzooras elucidated the fact that he was a prophet like other messengers of God Almighty and not a son of God, thereby presenting the vivid picture of the prophets of God. The seventh work of the Promised

are not against the laws of nature. He explained that there must be a purpose to show miracles and, to some extent, there should remain some ambiguity. Hence, the Promised Messiahas removed all sorts of confusions regarding the miracles of God. Eighthly, the Promised Messiahas restored the splendour and glory of the Islamic Shariah (Divine Law). Several groups, at the time of the Promised Messiahas and even today, consider Shariah as a burden and believe that Jesus Christas descended to relieve mankind from the shackles of Shariah. Saints had stopped practicing Shariah as they felt no need for it when they had already attained nearness to God Almighty. There were disputes among people whether every act of the Holy Prophetsa was Shariah or if only the word of God was Continued on page 12

The Promised Messiahas emphasised the importance of worship and prayer

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

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www.alhakam.org Continued from page 11

Shariah, neglecting the sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa altogether. The Promised Messiahas presented it as a blessing from God Almighty and an essential source for the continuous elevation of man’s spiritual status. He clarified that Shariah can be fully understood through the practice and traditions of the Holy Prophetsa and every messenger enlightens mankind with the word of God. The ninth work of the Promised Messiahas was that he reformed the concepts of worship and prayers. Many people considered worship related only to the soul and inferred that the body had nothing to do with it. Some stopped praying during Salat, while others were satisfied with ordinary acts of worship. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas expounded that prayer and worship deeply affect both the soul and the body. Huzooras

emphasised on praying during Salat because in this state a person is closest to God Almighty. The tenth work achieved by the Promised Messiahas was to rebut those contradictions that had, with the passage of time, become part of Islamic Jurisprudence. Huzooras introduced decisive principles and stated that the foundation of Shariah was on the following: a. The Holy Quran b. Sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa c. Those Ahadith which are not against the Holy Quran, Sunnah and reason d. Thorough knowledge of Islamic Law e. Exceptions of nature and circumstances The prominent work of the Promised Messiahas in this respect was that he placed Sunnah and Hadith separately. Also, he made room for exceptions of nature and

circumstances which are in most cases the root of certain conflicts. The eleventh work of the Promised Messiahas was that he established the rights of women that had been confiscated before his advent. He stressed on the rights of inheritance and education for women. He showed kindness and compassion with respect to the obligation of purda because women of that time were forced to cover each and every part of their body, leaving them in extreme discomfort and difficulty. He made the consent of women compulsory in the condition of legitimate marriage once again and emphasised on giving every right due to them on every level. The Promised Messiahas reinstated the position of women in the society, which had been taken away from them regardless of the beautiful teachings of Islam. The twelfth work of the Promised Messiahas was the reformation of human actions, vital for salvation and deliverance from sin. Hazrat Ahmadas clarified through the blessed teachings of the Holy Quran that man by nature is good and virtuous, thereby rejecting the claims of Christianity that original sin was inherited in every human. Huzooras denied the concept of reincarnation, explaining that salvation is attainable within this world, and that God Almighty, through the instinct of love and fear, assisted mankind to save themselves from sin, eventually attaining the life of eternal happiness. Thus, the Promised Messiahas laid down golden principles, taking into account the teachings of Islam to help reform man’s soul and spirit. The thirteenth work of the Promised Messiahas was that he provided the ways and means for the progress of Islam and Muslims. He restarted the propagation and promulgation of Islam which had for a long time come to a halt. He presented a true and vivid picture of Jihad and reminded people about the Jihad of wealth, pen and time.

The Promised Messiahas gave birth to modern ‘Ilm al-Kalam (discipline which studies the doctrines of Islam and defends them). Along with the establishment of many new theories, Huzooras proved that Arabic is the mother of all languages. The fourteenth work performed by the Promised Messiahas was the establishment of social peace. Hazrat Ahmadas presented certain strategies that he felt were vital for the restoration of peace in the world. He emphasised that the followers of one religion should not abuse the holy and sacred entities or persons of other religions and considered intolerance the root of all conflict and disorder. Moreover, he stressed on presenting the good teachings of one’s own religion rather than criticising others. The Promised Messiahas laid emphasis on achieving progress through peaceful cooperation with the government of the country, not through rebellious and factitious behaviour. The fifteenth work of the Promised Messiahas was that he presented a reasonable explanation of the life after death and the day of reckoning which could conceivably be offered to satisfy mankind. He explained that the ultimate objective of man is not salvation, but eternal success. He expounded that the material body of this world would stay here and decay, while the spirit or the soul would be resurrected. The soul would be given a new spiritual body that would be capable of experiencing extreme spiritual joys and spiritual pains. Thus, the Promised Messiahas portrayed a satisfactory image of the hereafter and the Day of Judgment. The above-mentioned works of the Promised Messiahas are akin to a droplet in the ocean; what he did for the betterment of mankind and revival of Islam is limitless and inexhaustible, and to this day is becoming manifest.

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

A Prophecy Fulfilled Tsar – Agony and Distress Part II Waseema Uppal Australia

Political turmoil for the Tsar Nicholas II had absolute power over his country and its subjects – politically, legally and spiritually. The Tsar’s power was regarded as sacred, universal and complete. He believed in the concept of autocracy as the foundation stone of Russian society and upheld their divine and incontestable right to rule. But this model of governing proved to be unfit in a rapidly changing and modernising society. A chain of events occurred in the social, economic and political structure of Russia that led to the tragic, yet brutal, end of the Romanovs. Socialist organisations were gaining momentum from the end of the 19th century and many public figures, government officials and members of the royal family were murdered. In 1881, Tsar Alexander II was killed by a suicide bomber. The Church of the Savior on Blood is the spot where this attack happened in Saint Petersburg. In January 1905, trouble in Russia had greatly upset the Tsar when 120,000 socialists, mainly workers, marched in the streets to hand over a petition to him. The soldiers fired at them and nearly 100 people died and several hundred were wounded. The activities of the revolutionists created chaos and unrest in the country and the Tsar was greatly disturbed to read about strikes in schools and factories, murder of policemen and soldiers, riots, disorder and mutiny. He wrote to his mother: “We are in the midst of a revolution with an administrative apparatus entirely disorganized and in this lies the main danger”. (Marvin Lyons, Nicholas II, The Last Tsar [1974]) Under these circumstances, the Tsar realised that the country was at the verge of a cataclysmic revolution because he had no option but to take a number of steps towards constitutional liberal direction. The emperor and autocrat of Russia was forced to sign the establishment of the Imperial Duma (an elected assembly) which could not function properly because the First World War developed badly for Russia. There was no reason for Russia to involve in the war, but leaders, diplomats and 19th century alliances created a climate of large scale conflict. Brutal end of the Tsar and his family On 30 July 1914, Nicholas II of Russia took control of the army and ordered a general mobilisation of the army, which was not fully prepared. There were heavy losses. In the Battle of Tannenberg, the entire Russian army was annihilated. The Tsar lost loyal officers who could have protected the dynasty when combined forces of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire counter attacked. Although the Tsar was the commander of the army, he was a weak and incompetent leader. Historians speculate that some of

his decisions led to military defeats and deaths of millions of people. Blood flowed unendingly, the ranks became thinner and thinner and the number of graves multiplied. Defeat at the front caused disorder at home. There were shortages of food and fuel. People suffered and starved. In December 1916, the Tsar was cut off from public opinion. He was at the front while control of the capital was left with his wife Alexandra. The influence of Rasputin and Alexandra’s German background deteriorated the situation. People were very angry with Nicholas why he failed to remove Rasputin whose influence was destructive. Alexandra was even accused of harbouring treacherous sympathies towards Germany. Rasputin was murdered by a group of nobles. On 2 March 1917, Nicholas II chose to abdicate and named his cousin Grand Duke Michael as the next Emperor of all the Russians. He issued a statement: “In the days of a great struggle against a foreign enemy who has been endeavouring for three years to enslave our country, it pleased God to send Russia a further painful trial … In these decisive days in the life of Russia, we thought it our duty of conscience to facilitate our people the closest union possible and a consolidation of all national forces for speedy victory. In agreement with the Imperial Duma (electoral body) we have thought it well to renounce the throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power. As we do not wish to part from our beloved son, we transmit the succession to our brother Grand Duke Michael … We call on our faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfil their sacred duty to the fatherland … May the Lord God help Russia.” This statement was suppressed by the provincial government. The diary displayed in the Science Museum, London shows,

“All around are treachery, cowardice and deceit”. (Diary of Nicholas II on the day of abdication, 2 March 1917) Captivity, imprisonment and coldblooded murder Nicholas desperately wanted to go into exile in the United Kingdom following his abdication, but the Labour Party and the Liberals raised objections. Even France declined to offer asylum to the Tsar family. On 22 March 1917, the Romanov family and their loyal servants were imprisoned in Alexander palace before they were moved to Tobolsk where they stayed in captivity between August 1917 and April 1918. They were shifted to many other places such as Mose, Omsk, Tiumen, Perm and Chelyabinsk. In April 1918, Nicholas, Alexandra and Maria were moved to Yekaterinburg. Alexei was too ill to accompany his parents and stayed with 3 other sisters at Tobolsk until May 1918. They were then imprisoned in Ipatiev House – “The House of Special Purpose”. The Bolsheviks had taken power in October 1917 and the Romanov’s destiny was to be decided. If alive, the Tsar would be a threat to the new power of the Soviets, speculated the leaders of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks) who split apart from the Menshevik faction of the Second Party Congress in 1903. The Marxist leader Lenin (in 1917) joined the Bolshevik Party to overthrow the Provincial Government. Thus, this Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 became the political power of Russia in December 1917 and planned a complete end to the Russian monarchy. 16 July 1918 saw the Tsar family under Bolshevik custody at the Ipatiev House. On 25 July 1918, the House was empty

when anti-Bolshevik forces recaptured the city. Where were the Romanovs? Who killed them? Where were their bodies taken? Were all of them murdered? The questions remained unanswered and speculations prevailed. After Ekaterinburg was recaptured from Bolsheviks, an official enquiry into the disappearance of Romanovs was launched by Ural Provincial Government. Evidence was collected at the house and burial site and photos were taken by many investigators until Nikolai Sokolov (1882-1924) was given the task to complete the final report. The Soviet leadership confirmed the murder in 1926. The investigation took a century, but the report of Sokolov was the only reliable document until the fall of Soviet Union in 1991. Nikolai Sokolov wrote The Murder of the Tsar Family that was published in 1925, one year after his death. The details of the execution of the Tsar family (the Romanovs) could well have remained in shadow forever had it not been for the investigation work carried out by Sokolov whose papers later formed the basis for a further probe by the Russian and British authorities after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991. He wrote that the murder of the Tsar family took place on 17 July 1918 in the Ipatiev House where the family was kept since 30 April. All those close to the family were also killed, notably Eugene Botkin, Anna Deimdora, Alexei Trupp and Ivan Kharitonov. They were shot, bayoneted and clubbed under the instructions of Lenin and orders of Ural Regional Soviet Union. The Tsar family lived in the basement from 30 April in very poor conditions and under psychological pressure and humiliating circumstances. After the brutal killings, their belongings were looted. Pyotor Voykor was to dispose of the dead bodies that were taken to the village of Ganina Yama where there was an abandoned mine. They took 750 litres of gasoline and 180 kilograms of acid (sulfuric acid) to dispose of 65 bodies so that “the world would not know what we did with them” said Pytor who was made ambassador to Poland in 1924, and was assassinated by a Russian in 1924. It is said that two others who were directly involved in the murder of the family were attacked and killed by peasants in the immediate months after the gruesome massacre. In July 1991, the bodies of five family members were discovered (Tsar, Tsarina and three daughters). After forensic examination and DNA identification, the remains were laid to rest in Saint Catherine Chapel of Peter and Paul Cathedral Saint Petersburg. The remaining two bodies of Tsarevich Alexei and one of his sister were discovered in 2007. In 2010, the Russian court ordered to re-open an investigation into the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Continued on page 16

Books of the Pro 1877: The Promised Messiahas commences his great endeavors with the pen. His essays continue to be published in various national newspapers under his own name. For instance, his essay was included in the 25 December 1877 edition of Bangalore’s newspaper, Manshur Muhammadi. In that same year, he wrote an essay for the newspaper of Raliaram, upon which a court case was filed in relation to postal regulations.

1884: Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV

1878: An essay competition occurred with the Arya Samaj regarding the notion of the eternity of the soul. Kharak Singh travelling to Qadian and participated in the debate. This information was published at a later period in the form of a book by the name, Purani Tahrirein (Early Writings) in 1899. Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira published the book again in 1925.

1891: Al-Haq Mubahisa Ludhiana (The Truth of the Ludhiana Debate)

1880: Parts one and two of Barahin-eAhmadiyya (Arguments in Support of the Holy Quran and the Prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa) were published by Safir-e-Hind Press, Amritsar. 1882: Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part III

20 September 1886: Surma Chashm-e-Arya May 1887: Shahna-e-Haq 1888: Sabz Ishtihar (The Green Announcement) 1891: Fath-e-Islam (Victory of Islam) 1891: Taudih-e-Maram (Elucidation of Objectives) 1891: Izala-e-Auham (The Removal of Misconceptions)

1891: Al-Haq Mubahisa Delhi (The Truth of the Delhi Debate) January 1892: Asmani Faisalah (The Heavenly Decree) June 1892: Nishan-e-Asmani (The Heavenly Sign) the second name of which is Shahadatul Mulhimeen (Testimony of the Recipients of Revelation) 1889: Eik Isai Kai Tin Sawal Aur Un Kai Jawab (Three Questions by a Christian and Their Answers) 1892: Ainae-Kamalate-Islam (The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam). The Arabic portion was

written in 1893. April 1893: Barakat-u-Dua (The Blessings of Prayer) May 1893: Hujjat-ul-Islam (A Conclusive Argument in Favour of Islam) May 1893: Sachai Ka Izhar (The Truth Revealed) 1893: Jang-e-Muqaddas (The Holy War) 1893: Karamatus-Sadiqeen (The Miracles of the Truthful) 1893: Tohfa-e-Baghdad (Gift to Baghdad) 1893: Shahadat-ul-Quran (Testimony of the Holy Quran) February 1894: Hamamatul Bushra (The Harbinger of Good News) February 1894: Nurul Haq Hissa Awal (The Light of Truth Part I) 1894: Nurul Haq Hissa Dom (The Light of the Truth Part II) June 1894: Itmamul Hujja (The Final Argument) July 1894: Sirr-ul-Khilafah (The Reality of Khilafat) 1895: Anwarul Islam (The Light of Islam) 1895: Minanur-Rahman (The Blessings

of the Gracious God). This book was published in June 1915. 1895: Dhia-ul-Haq (The Torch of Truth) 1895: Nur-ul-Quran Number I (The Light of the Holy Quran Number I) 1895: Nur-ul-Quran Number II (The Light of the Holy Quran Number II) 1895: Mi‘yar-ul-Madhahib (The Criterion for Religions) 1895: Arya Dharam (The Arya Faith) 1895: Satt Bachan (The True Word) 1896: Islami Usul ki Philosophy (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam) 1896: Anjam-eAtham (The Death of Atham) 1897: Siraje-Munir (The Shining Lamp) 1897: Istifta (An Enquiry) 1897: Hujjatullah (God’s Final Argument) 1897: Tohfa-e-Qaisariya (A Gift for the Queen) 1897: Mahmud Ki Amin (Mahmud’s Amin) 1897: Sirajudeen Isai ke Char Sawalau ka Jawab (Answers

omised Messiah

to the Four Questions by Siraj-ud-Din, a Christianity) 1898: Kitabul Bariya (The Acquital) May 1898: Albalagh (The Message). The second name of which is Faryade-Dard (Cry of Anguish). The complete book was published in 1922 whereas the Persian and English translation of its Arabic portion was published in 1898. 1897: Zarurat-ul-Imam (The Need for the Imam) 20 November 1898: Najmul Huda (The Guiding Star) 30 November 1898: Raz-eHaqiqat (A Hidden Truth) 27 December 1898: Kashful Ghitaa (The Truth Unveiled) January 1899: Ayamus-Sulh (The Age of Peace) 21 February 1899: Haqiqatul Mahdi (The True Nature of the Mahdi) April 1899: Masih Hindustan Mein (Jesus in India). This was published in 1908. 22 April 1899: Sitarae-Qaisara (Star of the Empress) 1899: Taryaq-ul-Qulub (Panacea of the Souls). This book was published in 1902. 1900: Tohfa-e-Ghaznaviya (A Gift for Ghaznavi). The book was published in 1902.

1900: Roedad-e-Jalsa-e- Du‘a (The Proceedings of a Prayer Meeting) 1900: Khutba-e-Ilhamiya (The Revealed Sermon). The book was published in 1902. 1900: Lujjatun-Nur (An Ocean of Light). The book was published in 1910. 1900: Government Angrezi Aur Jihad (The British Government and Jihad) 1900: Tohfa-e-Gaularviya (A Gift for Golarvi) 1900: Arbain (li-ItmamulHujjati ‘alal-Mukhalifin) (The Forty [Divine Arguments Against All Opponents]) February 1901: Ijazul Masih (Miracles of the Messiah) 5 November 1901: Eik Ghalati Ka Izalah (A Misconception Removed) April 1902: Dafiul Bala Wa Mi‘yaro Ahlil-Istifa (Defence Against the Plague and Criterion for the Elect of God) 12 June 1902: Al-Huda Wat-Tabsirtu Li-Man Yara (Guidance for Perceiving Minds) 1902: Nuzulul Masih (The Second Coming of the Messiah). This was published in 25 August 1909. January 1902: Gunah se Nijat Kiyunkar Mil Sakti Hei (How to Be Free From Sin)

May 1902: Ismat-e-Anbiya Sialkot (The Sinlessness of Prophets) November 1905: Lecture October 1902: Kashti-e-Nuh Ludhiana (Noah’s December 1905: AlArk). Wasiyyat Hamari (The Will) Talim (Our Teaching) March 1906: has been Chashmapublished e-Masihi separately (Fountain of though a Christianity) part of the March 1906: book. TajalliyatOctober 1902: Tuhfatune-Ilahiyah (Divine Nadwah (A Gift for AlManifestations). This book Nadwah) was published in 1922. November 1902: Ijaz-eAhmadi (The Miracle of Ahmad)

January 1907: Qadian ke Arya Aur Hum (The Aryas of Qadian and Us)

1902: Review Mubahsa Batalvi wa Chakrhalvi (A Review of the Debate Between Batalvi and Chakrhalvi)

December 1905: Ahmadi aur Ghair Ahmadi me kia Farq he? (The Advent of the Promised Messiah)

January 1903: Mawahib-uRahman (Bounty of God) 1903: Nasim-e-Dawat (An Invitation) 1903: Sanatan Dharam (The Sanatan Faith) 1903: TadhkiratushShahadatain (The Narrative of the Two Martyrdoms) December 1903: Siratul Abdal (Qualities of the Saints) September 1904: Lecture Lahore November 1904: Lecture

1905: Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V 1906: HaqiqatulWahi (The Philosophy of Revelation) 1906: Chashmae-Maarifat (The Fountain of Knowledge) 1908: Paigham-e-Sulh (A Message of Peace)

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 13

President Boris Yeltsin described the killings as one of the most shameful pages in Russian history, reported the Associated Press on 18 July 1998. What happened to the Tsar and his family was a great tragedy, however what Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas had prophesised was nothing short of miraculous and prophetic in accuracy. Hazrat Ahmadas predicted the agony and miserable plight of the Tsar during the time of great tribulation and catastrophe. This fulfilment confirmed the truth of the Promised Messiahas. Here is part of the poem that bears the prophecy pertaining to the Tsar given in his book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part 5: ‫ئ‬ ‫ي� ب ي‬ ‫� اِك ززلہل ےس تخس شبنج هك يا� ےگ‬ ‫كا رجش اور ي‬ ‫كا رشب اور ي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ك احبر‬ ‫كا رجح اور ي ا‬

“All of a sudden, with a severe earthquake, all will be shaken up – Be they humans, tree, mountains, or seas.” ‫م �ي ي‬ ‫اِك �جه�پك ي‬ ‫زم وہ اجےئ یگ ز�ي ر و زرب‬ ‫ان ي‬ ‫� ٓاب رود ابر‬ ‫لاں وخں یك � چل�يں یگ جي‬ “In the twinkling of an eye, the earth will be turned upside down; Streams of blood shall flow like the flowing of a channel.” ‫ئ‬ ‫وہش اُڑ ي‬ ‫اج� ےگ ااسنں ےك رپدنوں ےك وحاس‬ ‫ب� يول ےگ ومغنں وك اےنپ بس وبكرت اور زہار‬ “Men and animals will go out of their minds; All pigeons and nightingales will forget their songs.” � ‫رہ اسمرف رپ وه استع تخس ےہ اور وه هگڑی‬ ‫ب يخ‬ ‫راه وك ب� يول ےگ وہ رك تسم و �ود راوہار‬ “That hour will bear heavily upon every traveller, and those who are on a journey will lose their way in a fit of forgetfulness.” ‫ئ‬ ‫لحمضم وہ ي‬ ‫اج� ےگ اس وخف ےس بس نج و اسن‬ � ‫ب‬ ‫احل زار‬ ِ ‫زار � وہ اگ وت وہاگ اس هگڑی اب‬ “Men, high and low, will be consumed with fear; And the Tsar himself will, at that hour, be in a pitiable state.” About the “severe earthquake” mentioned in the first couplet, the Promised Messiahas explains in a footnote: “I still cannot say with certainty if it will, in fact, be an earthquake. It may not be an ordinary earthquake but some other dire calamity evoking the spectacle of Doomsday, the like of which would not have been witnessed by this age, and which would bring about great destruction of life and property. However, if no such extraordinary Sign appears and people do not openly reform themselves, then I shall prove to be a liar.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, p. 217) We do confirm with absolute justice and honesty that whatever the Promised Messiahas prophesised was a fact and a testament to his truth.

Tracing the Footsteps of History Awho lived in the time of the Promised

s Ahmadi Muslims, we envy those

Messiahas and got the opportunity to see him and to listen to his blessed words directly. Such individuals are undoubtedly stalwarts of the Jamaat’s history. But there were others who came in contact with the Promised Messiahas in his very eventful lifetime and, although they never accepted his message, are also of great historical importance. John Hugh Smyth-Pigott claimed to be God and was warned by the Promised Messiahas through a published tract sent not only to Pigott but to newspapers and journals John Hugh-Smyth Pigott in the West; the latter publicised it enthusiastically. Then there was a Dr Henry Martyn Clark – a Christian missionary doctor – who held a debate with the Promised Messiahas, lost it, and later accused the Promised Messiahas of a murderous attempt. Captain (later Colonel) Montagu Dr Henry Martyn Clark William Douglas presided over this court hearing and acquitted the Promised Messiahas, declaring the accusations made by Dr Clark as fabricated stories. The Promised Messiahas had revelations about all three. For John Hugh-Smyth Pigott, the Promised Messiahas was told that he would not repent and would have a very disastrous end. In Dr Clark’s lawsuit, the Promised Messiahas was informed by Allah that the case would be dismissed by Captain Douglas – the just district magistrate of Gurdaspur. All three lived to witness the prosperity of the movement that was founded in the unknown village of Qadian by the then unknown Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas. All three witnessed the truthfulness of his claims through the fulfilment of the prophecies he had publicised about them. Out of curiosity, I set out to search for the progeny of these three persons. The search was a very challenging one and would not have seen success had it not been for the guidance and blessing of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. It was destined for the progeny to be found in the blessed era of the Khilafat of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, and, by the grace of Allah, it happened so. Pigott had been the most intriguing figure for me. Our opponents always brought the prophecy about him up when they saw that they had lost the logical plot in a debate. The first warning sent out to Pigott by the Promised Messiahas stated that claims of divinity did not befit a human being and that Pigott should refrain from such claims or see destruction in the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas. Cutting the long story short, it was later revealed to the Promised Messiahas that Pigott would not repent or refrain and would see a chaotic end. Since Pigott (d 1927) outlived the Promised Messiahas (d 1908), our opponents have always used this to try and prove that this

prophecy was not fulfilled. What is ignored is the revelation that the Promised Messiahas received about him not repenting and seeing a drastic end. How it all unfolded can be read at www.reviewofreligions. org/5593/rev-john-hugh-smyth-pigott-hisclaim-prophecy-and-end So it was for the curiosity to know how and where this false claimant of divinity ended up that I decided to go out and search for the answer. All the information collected can be read in the article mentioned above, but what I must mention here is the long and winding path that led to his progeny. Having read many books and theses on the Agapemone – the cult of Pigott – I contacted the authors. One of the authors had been in touch with the family and was kind enough to provide me an address where one of Pigott’s granddaughters had lived when the author was working on his PhD thesis; some 15, 16 years ago. With very little hope, I decided to set out for the address in Bradford. Before leaving, I mentioned to Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa that I would be making my way to Bradford for the said purpose, but with very little hope. On this, Huzooraa replied, “Search properly and you will find her”. With this “good luck charm”, I headed off to the address on a Saturday afternoon. Having arrived in Bradford quite late at night, I thought it was best to visit the address the following morning. You can imagine the type of response one gets on knocking at someone’s door on a Sunday morning – especially in England; that is exactly what I got. The gentleman was a bit surprised with my query and told me that it had been more than a decade that they bought the house from the woman and that he had no idea where she might be living now. I was very disappointed. But as I turned back to my car, he opened his door again and said, “She said she was going to move to [naming the place near Bradford].” He said this at almost the same time as Huzoor’saa words were echoing in my ears. I was to realise, only a few minutes later that that was all I needed. I got hold of a telephone directory of the town and started calling every single person that had the same surname as hers. I must have sounded like a desperate telemarketing salesman because many just put the phone down on me. Going through the unending list of that surname, I finally dialed a number where a very kind lady picked up the phone. I asked if she was Ann Buckley and, to my luck, she confirmed that she was. She sounded surprised and shocked at the fact that someone had traced her and called her to ask about her grandfather, but she was kind enough to invite me over. In about an hour’s time, I was at her cosy flat sipping a cup of tea she had served. But she knew that more than the tea and biscuits I was interested in what she had to offer about her grandfather. As she went down memory lane, recalling the peculiar atmosphere of the Agapemone – the walled colony of Pigott and his followers in Spaxton – she said that she had nothing

to do with the beliefs of Pigott. She also confirmed that there was not a single person left who belonged to Pigott’s community. She was partially aware of the correspondence that had taken place between the Promised Messiahas and her grandfather – who had claimed the same title for himself – but wanted to know more from me. You can imagine how proud I must have felt in saying that “my” Promised Messiah’s community had now spread all over the world with millions of followers. She had archived a great deal of material related to Pigott: photographs, letters, clothes, books and other items. What involved me the most was the official seal of John Hugh SmythPigott. What had once been the pride of a flamboyant “messiah” now laid buried under files of yellowing paper and piles of brown archive boxes. Ms Buckley later visited London and had an audience with Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa. She enjoyed the company of Huzooraa and had a lot of nice things to say about the great man she had just met. Her visit, and the Lebanese food that we had for dinner that evening, was to turn into a very cordial friendship. She later visited Jalsa Salana in 2012, addressed the audience and mentioned the good feelings she had about the Ahmadiyya Community. Albeit occasionally, I visited her on many occasions and so did she, whenever she was in London. In 2016, she decided to donate the whole archive – and the only remains – of Pigott to the Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre. What a coincidence it is that the day my colleague, Qaasid Muin Ahmad, and I collected the archive collection from her was 23 March 2016. On the blessed occasion of Promised Messiah Day 2016, anything that was left of Pigott was handed over to the Khalifa of the Promised Messiahas. Praise be to Allah! Finding Jolyn Martyn Clark was relatively easier. It took a lot of time and effort to find a name from the progeny of Dr Henry Martyn Clark, but tracking him down was not as difficult, thanks to his blog which he keeps alive with great enthusiastic activity. Jolyn was more surprised to listen to the background of my search than Ms Buckley; he had no idea of the whole controversy. He laid before me the items belonging to Dr Henry Martyn Clark on his coffee table. One of the items was a vote of thanks, calligraphically written and framed, presented to Dr Clark upon his retirement and his return to Edinburgh. Jolyn had never known what language it was and what it meant. I read it out to him and

A plaque from Piggot's belongings written in Latin. The translation of this text, recorded at the back of the pendulum, reads: “I am a man. Nothing akin to humanity do I consider alien to me.”

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM to his and my surprise, it had mention of the great debate that had taken place between Dr Clark and the Promised Messiahas in Amritsar. This first encounter too turned into a warm and cordial friendship. He visited London and had audience with Huzooraa. I was fortunate to be in the room where the two great-grandsons met; one of the Promised Messiahas and the other of his great opponent. But this great-grandson of an opponent had nothing but love, admiration and adoration for the great-grandson and Khalifa of the Promised Messiahas. Having known of the great debate, he proclaimed that he could not say who the winner of the debate was, but it was clear from the success and prosperity of the Jamaat who had actually been triumphant. He said that it was awe-inspiring to witness that his own great-grandfather was, if at all, only remembered by the community of the person that he had once opposed. I have occasionally expressed my desire to preserve the archive material that he holds, but never very openly. I know he holds it too dear. Colonel (more commonly known as Captain in the Jamaat) Douglas’ footsteps were the hardest to trace. I managed to find the address where he lived the last days of his life; I managed to get to the place, but nothing at all to point towards his children. I mentioned to Huzooraa in a mulaqat that I was at a dead end. Huzooraa replied, “Perhaps you’re not searching in the right direction!” I must confess here that this was one of the incidents that was to teach me that no word of Khalifatul Masih should ever be taken casually. When Huzooraa said this, I thought to myself where I could have gone wrong. All along I had been quite confident that I was searching in the right direction; I still was. The only faint hope I had was the one last place to visit where Elizabeth – Douglas’ daughter – had taught at a school. As I drove on the motorway, a buried away memory flashed in my mind. It occurred to me that Mir Mahmud Ahmad Nasir Sahib had once mentioned that he was in London when Colonel Douglas passed away. They had attended his funeral and met his daughter and son-in-law. I dialed his number straight away and asked if he remembered anything about the couple. He said that he did not remember anything, only that they were planning to travel to South Africa after the funeral. From thereon started a long journey of going through South African records that later turned my direction to Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) records. As a fulfilment of the words of Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa, the boomerang had gone to the land of Africa before landing back in the Pimlico area of London where Douglas’ grandson, Christopher, was then residing in a flat. Although it is sometimes seen as bad manners to turn up out of the blue at someone’s doorstep and knock, but I managed to find only his residential address. My passion to meet the grandson of the great man who had acquitted my beloved master in a fabricated lawsuit made it easier for me to be “ill-mannered” in that moment. So I knocked, but got no reply. I knocked a second time and no reply again. The third knock was going to be my last attempt as we have been taught and we have also been taught to not feel bad if the one on the other side does not respond. For the very first time in my life, I felt how difficult it can sometimes be to follow this teaching. Having knocked for the third time and waited for a few minutes, I turned around in disappointment when I heard the latch

Christopher Douglas-Pulleyne (grandson of Colonel M W Douglas) meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa

Jolyn Martyn Clark meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa

rattle. From the little opening of the door, all I could see was an eye and a bit of grey-hair. “Who is it?” The softly spoken words helped me recover from disappointment. I began narrating the story. He paused me and asked if he could see me in a couple of hours and listen to the whole story then. That evening, we sat in a café opposite his house in Pimlico and went through a centuryold story when his grandfather had acquitted the Promised Messiahas and how the Promised Messiahas had appreciated the justice of Douglas. He was glad to know that the Jamaat,

in line with the Promised Messiahas, referred to his grandfather as Pontius Pilate of the Messiah of this age. It was hard for him to believe that a community had kept alive the name of his grandfather, and that too with great reverence. When he came to know that the successor of the Promised Messiahas now lived in London, he couldn’t wait to see him. An audience was requested which Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa very graciously granted. There we were: Christopher and I, waiting to see Huzooraa in a fine spring afternoon.

The awe and joy of having met Huzooraa was evident from not only his face but from every word he uttered. Later, the flat that he lived in had to be put up for sale and Christopher had to move out of London, but he remains a very good friend and maintains contact. His text messages often have the words: “Could you please request His Holiness to pray for my health”. How Huzooraa has given him love and care is a very faith-inspiring story that ought to be told at a more suitable time. (AB)

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Final days of as the Promised Messiah There were certain health issues of Hazrat Amma Janra (Nusrat Jehan Begum Sahiba, wife of the Promised Messiahas) that required medical attention. The Promised Messiahas had been planning to travel to Lahore for this purpose, but the plans always got postponed. Hazrat Bhai Abdur Rehman Qadianira, a close companion of the Promised Messiahas, was of the opinion that this postponement might have happened because Huzooras had been receiving revelations that indicated towards his demise happening soon. Hence, he might have thought it was better to remain in Qadian for that moment. However, after the Fajr prayer on 27 April 1908, the Promised Messiahas, along with his family and a delegation of his companions, decided to travel to Lahore. Preparations started immediately; bags were packed and horse-carriages arranged. Accompanying Hazrat Ahmadas and his immediate family were Muhammad Ahsan Amrohi Sahib, Hazrat Maulana Nuruddin Sahibra and some house maids and servants. Huzooras called Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra later to join him in Lahore. Hazrat Bhai Abdur Rahman Qadianira was among the many that had walked along Huzoor’sas carriages to the outskirts of Qadian to bid farewell, but he was instructed to join the convoy at the last minute, so he did. Presented below are his recollections of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’sas stay in Lahore, which happened to be Huzoor’sas final days in this world. The following words are a summary of his recollections:

aving arrived at Batala, Huzooras stayed at a roadside inn, Sarai Mai Ichra Devi, near the railway station. It took some time for the seats to be reserved and the entourage spent the next day and the day after in this inn at Batala. However, on the third day, Huzoor’sas delegation departed for Lahore by the morning train and arrived at Lahore in the afternoon. Huzooras decided to stay at Khawaja Kamaluddin Sahib’s house on Killianwali Road, adjacent to Islamia College Lahore. Bhai Ji narrates that Huzooras later moved to Dr Syed Hussain Shah Sahib’s house, which was opposite Khawaja Sahib’s house, and a makeshift wooden bridge was prepared to join the rooftops of the two houses. Congregational prayers would be offered on the rooftop of Khawaja Sahib’s house. The news of Huzoor’sas arrival and stay in Lahore had spread to all parts of the city and people from all ranks of society would visit Huzooras frequently. Huzoor’s schedule was extremely hectic as he would not refuse to

meet anyone who came to see him. The opponents of the Jamaat could not bear this attraction of the public towards the Promised Messiahas, so they set up a station opposite Huzoor’sas residence and started distracting people. These mullahs would hurl abuse and shout vulgarity all day, but the Promised Messiahas told his companions to stay quiet and not respond in any way. Those coming visit the Promised Messiahas, which included scholars, thinkers, scientists and members of the public, continued to visit him and remained undeterred by the abusive tactics of the opponents. The lists of visitors on a daily basis were quite long and to cater for his guests, the Promised Messiahas had to temporarily set up a langar (free food facilities) in Lahore. One of these visitors was Shahzada Muhammad Ibrahim of Kabul – a member of the royal family of Kabul and a chief. He had great reverence for the Promised Messiahas and listened to Huzoor’sas words with great regard. He suggested that a formal session be held where the Promised Messiahas may

address the audience and get his message across to a larger number of people. The suggestion was taken on board and the dignitaries of Lahore were invited to have dinner with and listen to the teachings of the Promised Messiahas. The date was set for 17 May, but Huzooras suffered an attack of dysentery the night before and it appeared that he might not be able to attend the event. The following morning, however, he received a revelation from Allah saying, “I am standing with my messenger”. This revelation gave the Promised Messiahas the strength to attend the event and address the audience for around two and a half hours. In his address, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas made it clear

This table and the clock (right) were used by the Promised Messiahas in the days before his demise. They were in the same room where the Promised Messiah passed away in Lahore. Huzooras used the table for writing his last work, Paigham-e-Sulh.

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Grave of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi

that he had, for many decades, been receiving revelations from Allah the Almighty and that he had been appointed by Allah to rid the world of its miserable state. Huzooras made it clear that it was in this context that he claimed the title of prophethood. Apart from this speech, the Promised Messiahas delivered many other speeches during his stay in Lahore and in the last few days of his life. One such speech was the one that carried the famous notion: “Let Jesus die for the life of Islam depends on it.” No moment of these days went vacant. The Promised Messiahas was fully occupied in propagating the message of the true Islam; through writings, through word of mouth and through meetings that he held with various people during that stay. Clement Lindley Wragge – the famous meteorologist – met Huzooras during these last days of Huzoor’sas life and asked questions on a variety of topics. The answers he got led him to accepting Islam Ahmadiyyat later. It was during these days that the Promised Messiahas penned his very last work titled Paigham-e-Sulh (A Message of Peace). Hazrat Ahmadas had just finished this great work on the evening before his demise (25 May 1908). Having finished writing Paigham-e-Sulh and handing it

over to the scribe, the Promised Messiahas went out for an evening stroll in the fresh air. The horse carriage was, as usual, ready and waiting. Huzooras asked Bhai Ji to tell the syce that Huzooras only had money enough for an hour’s ride, so he should take the carriage around to be back in time. The Promised Messiahas had no life-threatening illness, but felt fatigued with the hectic routine of constantly speaking and writing. As he arrived back from the stroll, he fell ill with dysentery. He felt very weak and frail to a point that it became more and more difficult for him to speak. During the night, his weakness worsened. All he would communicate during the night and the early hours of the following morning was his desire to say his Salat, as did his holy master, Hazrat Muhammadsa in his final hours. In the morning of 26 May 1908, at around 10 o’clock, his blessed and content soul left his physical body and departed back to Allah the Almighty – the Creator of all the worlds. ّٰ ‫انا للہ و انا الیہ راجعون‬. Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we all return.

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

The world of journalism and the launch of Al Hakam Below is the editorial written by Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani, may Allah be pleased with him, in the very first issue of Al Hakam on 8 October 1897. The state of the press and media in India at that time is key in understanding the journalistic climate at the time of the launch of Al Hakam. It is surprising to see that although media has developed dramatically over the last century, the debates remain quite similar, and so do the challenges. The ethos behind the launch of Al Hakam today remains the same and will, Insha-Allah, remain so. Al Hakam, 8 October 1897

Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira

Dear readers, Al Hakam, declaring “On Allah We Trust”, comes to the stage of journalism to fulfil its duty. But before it starts to play its part, it is better that certain matters are explained as an introduction. The history of the newspaper, or journalism, cannot be put down in a few bullet points on a couple of pages. So it was deemed necessary that only important points be brought to everyone’s attention here. In this age of awareness and progress, the need to discuss newspaper and its philosophy is quite valid because the need for newspapers had turned the five essentials

of life to seven. The condition of nations that claim, quite rightly, to be the fountainhead of civilisation and progress has proved that print media is the one thing that can change the fate of a nation and its peoples, as long as it is handled appropriately. Pondering over the nature and design of the human mind, we know that the factor of distinction between man and animals is intellect, which lacks in the latter. This is why animals are unable to exchange ideas which is the root cause of progression. Of the two means of communication i.e. meaningful words and written expression, the latter unveils the secret behind the creation of man and creates in him the spark of excellence, which, at a certain stage, can take him to criticise even the words of angels, or what we know as revelation. The history of India – in the times of Lord Macaulay and Charles Metcalfe – has it that intellectuals would debate on two main issues: freedom of press and censorship in Western ideas. Debates went on between the two groups. Those in favour based their argument on the fact that there was no other way to strengthen the rule of the Empire because Western education would remove prejudice and stubbornness from the hearts of religious leaders, resulting in

their people accepting the rule of a nation that is alien to them in custom, culture, religion and civilisation. Those against were of the opinion that Western education, combined with freedom of press, would ignite in the Indian peoples a desire for freedom resulting in them knowing their rights and demanding self-rule. Anyway, after a great deal of argumentation, Sir Charles Metcalfe and his accomplices, who were in favour, proved victorious. How their victory was celebrated and how Metcalfe was given votes of thanks, we ought not to go into detail. In short, Western education was formally introduced and Indian press felt the breeze of freedom. The native press, however, was unfortunately accused by some AngloIndians to intend rebellion against the government. That resulted in a particular circle, with the support of some Europeans, turning against the vernacular press. The dispute remained unresolved for many years. Then came the time of Lord Lytton, but the attitude of the press, the need of time and a bit of his own bias all turned against the freedom of press and the freedom was no more. This brought about displeasure, but then started the rule of Lord Ripon as viceroy, which is known for a number of blessings that it brought. That honest and just ruler returned the lost freedom to the vernacular press and the press benefitted from it and continues to do so. The climate again seems to be turning in an unfavourable direction with the question of freedom again being discussed, but to be honest, the press is also to be blamed for giving way to such thoughts. If the press used this freedom fairly, the government would not have had to intervene. The press calls for trouble but it is good that it is now becoming cautious and is fixing itself. We have had to briefly describe historical facts about the freedom of press, which has kept us from coming to the point of introducing Al Hakam. Undoubtedly, journalism is a noble and respectable profession. As mentioned above, journalists go so far as criticising the messages brought by angels. This leaves

them with great responsibility that cannot be fulfilled by an ordinary mind, rather it asks for a mind that is naturally gifted. The current state of journalism in India does not need my remarks to describe it, but if appropriate, we will write articles to discuss the factors leading to its current state. For now, we only need to introduce Al Hakam. Since divine knowledge and divine law are the fountainhead of true civilisation and reform, Al Hakam has taken upon itself the heavy burden of spreading truth and peace in the world through these. The method that is closest to human nature, as suggested by sound reasoning and experience, is Islam. Therefore Al Hakam will be a true servant of Islam. The Merciful God Himself has, by His tradition and promise, appointed Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, peace be upon him, as the manifestation of the hidden and living treasures of Islam in this time of spiritual famine; the propagation of his mission will be the primary objective of Al Hakam. I would never have launched Al Hakam especially in the given dire state of the native press. It is beyond my understanding how a very powerful inspiration led me to launch it. Our opponents are raising such allegations against us that have the potential to leave other Muslims and the government in doubt about us; to reply to such allegations, there is no better way than Al Hakam. The policy of Al Hakam will always remain versatile, so we pledge friendship with all circles and take upon us the task of promoting peace and harmony and eliminating the very root of prejudice, stubbornness, intolerance and treachery... Finally, we hope that our readers will take Al Hakam to be their representative and encourage us through their valuable suggestions. We have committed to be at peace with everyone as our very mission is nothing but peace and harmony. We hope that Al Hakam will never disappoint our readers.

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Continued from page 5

was the minaret of the Umayyad Mosque, while another Maulvi Sahib said that the minaret present in the neighborhood of Christians would be that minaret, and yet one Maulvi Sahib said that Jesusas would himself build that minaret.” Breaking through the myths of history, we uncover that another concept was also present in the ummah of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, according to which the white minaret being physically present in the city of Damascus was not mandatory, and instead, the only requirement for its existence was towards the eastern side of Damascus. (Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, Sharah Ibn-e-Majah) Revisiting Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya’s history of the year 1900, we find a few devoted companions belonging to remote areas and in underprivileged circumstances contributing to various treasuries responsible for the propagation and promulgation of Islam, irrespective of their poor financial condition. In those circumstances, it seemed beyond the bounds of possibility to raise money for building the minaret. Spite all the difficult conditions, the Promised Messiahas received divine inspiration and published a detailed announcement for the devoted members of the Jamaat on 28 May 1900: “In accordance with a Hadith of the Holy Prophetsa, the construction of a tall minaret has been suggested which shall also serve as a place to call for prayers. A bright light with a large clock will be fixed on it. Moreover, the minaret will serve as a symbolic representation of the prophecy regarding the Messiah of Muhammadsa ‫لیظھرہ علی الدین‬ ‫“[ کلہ‬He will make (Islam) prevail over every

other religion”], signaling that the truth of Islam would reach the same heights as would the glory of the minaret. Similar to the elevated voice which overwhelms all and sundry, the religion of Islam will be victorious over all other religions. The light and the clock of the minaret will highlight that along with the expansion of worldly discoveries, the days of divine light have descended and the world should realise the demands of the age.” After the publication of this announcement, Muslim clerics and opponents of the Jamaat criticised that spending money on the construction of a minaret and fixing a huge clock upon it would be an act of squandering. Consequently, the Promised Messiahas published another announcement on 1 July 1900, stating: “I am amazed at the sight of these insulting individuals who are still hailed as Muslims. Beware that the purpose of building this minaret is to fulfill the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa … and it is indeed a virtue to fix a large clock on the minaret as a source of assistance and reminder of time for the worshipers. As a matter of fact, these Maulvis are not desirous of fulfilling the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa … It was the will of God Almighty that a minaret be erected in Qadian because without a doubt, it is the place where the Promised Messiah would have descended … Any individual who contributes to this cause will be our close companion in the eyes of God … Hence, it is destined that the real advent of the Messiah, which would inspire the hearts, carrying light and certainty, shall manifest after the completion of the minaret.” One can sense the financial condition of

the Jamaat from an incident when Hazrat Mir Hisamuddin Sialkotira, sitting in Masjid Mubarak, estimated the total cost of the minaret to be ten thousand rupees. The Promised Messiahas told him repeatedly to devise a plan to lower the expenses. Eventually, the Promised Messiahas divided the amount of ten thousand rupees on a hundred parts and published a list of 101 devoted servants, appealing that those who contributed to the cause would have their names engraved on the minaret. Several companions, who were seemingly not able to offer much, responded to the cause selling their household goods. The Promised Messiah’s noble wife, Hazrat Nusrat Jehan Begumra promised to contribute one thousand rupees and to sell her house in Delhi to donate more. Primary arrangements, designs and the selection for the place of construction was finalised towards the end of 1901, but owing to the outbreak of plague, there began a shortage of artisans and labourers in the country. On Friday, 13 March 1903, on the day of laying of the foundation of the minaret, the Promised Messiahas held a brick in his hand and prayed for a significantly long period. Huzooras then instructed to place the brick on the western side of the foundation. Hazrat Mir Nasir Nawabra was the supervisor of the construction work. The base of the minaret was erected after pouring concrete deep into its foundation. The local Hindu populace, out of mischief, complained to the authorities that the minaret would expose their houses to the views of strangers. The tehsildar (executive magistrate of the administrative division) and district magistrate reached Qadian for

inspection and interviewed the locals. On the basis of received testimonies, the deputy commissioner of Gurdaspur dismissed the case. Despite all the efforts, appeals and monetary sacrifices, the construction came to a halt due to a shortage of expenses. Someone asked the Promised Messiahas, “When will the minaret be completed?” Huzooras replied, “If we end up finishing all the work ourselves, then what source will there be of attaining reward for those who are to come after us.” The construction work of the minaret could not be resumed throughout the era of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. However, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra resumed the construction of the minaret by placing a brick on the incomplete structure on 27 November 1914. Qazi Abdur Rahim Sahib was appointed as the supervisor. Marble of the finest quality was transported from Ajmer Sharif. Reaching the height of 105 feet, the construction of Minarat-ul-Masih completed on December 1915. The total number of stairs of the minaret are 92 and there is a total of 211 names of companions which are engraved on it. This minaret has experienced more than a century of opposition and hostility to date, but its light continues to shine across the globe. This elevated minaret is announcing with all its glory and magnificence: ‫زند� ی د‬ ‫رس‬ ‫رخبام ہک وتقِ وت ی‬ ‫واپےئ دمحم ی�اں رب انم ِر دنلب رت مکحم ااتفد‬ “Tread joyfully that your time has arrived, and the feet of the Muslims have been planted firmly on a high tower.” (Tadhkirah [English rendering], p.368)

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Comparison of religions in the works of the Promised Messiahas Part I Hafiz Ijaz Ahmad Tahir Lecturer, Jamia Ahmadiyya UK

e are passing through precarious times in which mankind is moving speedily away from religion, and atheistic ideologies are becoming the norm. Even if there are some that adhere to a faith, practically they do not adhere to its true teachings. Even though their forefathers were either Christians, Hindus or Muslims, yet they have forgotten their true beliefs. What has driven them away from religion? What tool can be used to change the course of our society in which religion is seen to be the only means of salvation? The Promised Messiahas in his writings has stated that all previous divine scriptures, and all founders of faiths were from God Almighty. Hindus, Jews and Christians all were divinely guided at their appointed times, so what changed their course? Man has a natural instinct to find his Creator and is attracted to an Omnipotent Being. If religion does not serve the purpose of bringing man closer to his Creator, then surely there would be a need for its replacement. Just as history changes, similarly religions also began to divert from their original teachings towards the supernatural and fictitious tales. Such religions most surely could not serve the purpose of uniting man with his Lord. Therefore, to understand and recognise a true religion, the Promised Messiahas presented various criteria. If one is to ponder over these, man not only finds the true religion, but in fact he is able to have communion with God, which is the essence of religion and the purpose of its revealed book. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah not only addressed followers of religion, but he also spoke out to atheists stating that philosophy, science and study of the universe can lead one to recognise a creator, yet it cannot grant certainty that there is a God. This journey from recognising the need of a Creator to attaining the certainty that there is a God can only be through a living religion i.e. a religion that gives evidence of a living God. The only living religion that provides such evidence of a living God is Islam. The defects within all religions was part of destiny, hence the demand for a perfect and universal religion and revealed scripture that fulfilled the needs of humanity till the Day of Judgement was needed, and it is our claim that this is to be found in Islam and the Holy Quran. The Promised Messiahas was a champion in the field of comparative studies of religions. Allah the Almighty conferred upon him the title of “Sultan-ul-Qalam”. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas stated: “Allah the Almighty has named this humble one ‘Sultan-ul-Qalam’ [King of the Pen] and has called my pen the Zulfiqar [name of sword] of Alira.” (Tadhkirah, p. 333) He further stated:

‫ب ض‬ ‫�ی دِ ی‬ ‫اتدنبہ‬ ‫�ا ہک اب او ن‬ �‫�ب� ی‬ ‫ابز اب ذوااقفلر یم م‬ [I see his hand shining like the white hand of Moses; And in his hand I see the Zulfiqar.] “In respect of incontrovertible arguments, his adroit hand flashes like a sword. Then I see him with the Zulfiqar. There was a time when Hazrat Alira held the Zulfiqar in his hand; but Allah, the Exalted, will bestow Zulfiqar upon that Imam in such a manner that his luminous hand will accomplish that which in the past had been accomplished by Zulfiqar. Thus, his hand will be as if it was the Zulfiqar of Alira that has reappeared. This is an indication that the said Imam will be Sultan-ul-Qalam and his pen will serve as Zulfiqar. This prediction is an exact translation of a revelation vouchsafed to me, which was published ten years ago in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. It reads: ‘Kitab-ul-Wali Zulfiqar-e-Ali’, which means that the book of this saint is the Zulfiqar of Alira. Here the reference is to myself, and, on account of this, in many a vision I have been called ghazi [God’s warrior] and there are allusions to this in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and in other places.” (Nishan-e-Asmani, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 4, p. 399) This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter and everyone can bear witness to the fact that Hazrat Ahmadas was the King of the Pen. He authored over ninety books in the defence of Islam and revived Islam to its pure and original teachings. These spiritual treasures are read by people daily and continue to bring people to Islam today. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas came to the world in a time when he had to challenge and face adherents of all faiths and also those who had no faith. He particularly answered many erroneous beliefs from Hindus, Christians and Muslims, whilst presenting and proving the true realities of their religions. The Promised Messiahas said in his Urdu lecture, later compiled as a book and translated into many languages, The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam: “I shall today set forth the merits of Islam. Before I proceed to do so I deem it proper to announce that I have made it obligatory upon myself that whatever I state will be based upon the Holy Quran which is the word of God Almighty. I consider it essential that everyone who follows a book, believing it to be revealed, should base his exposition upon that book and should not so extend the scope of his advocacy of his faith as if he is compiling a new book … It is incumbent upon me not to state anything which is not comprehended in the Quran and to set forth everything on the basis of its verses and in accord with their meaning and that which might be inferred from them, so that those attending the conference should encounter no difficulty in carrying out a comparison between the teaching of different religions. As all those who

believe in a revealed book will also confine themselves to statements comprised in their respective revealed books”. (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, pp. 1-2) The Promised Messiah focusing on this rule mentioned that there should be a clear claim from a revealed book to establish the matter of discussion. In fact, one should not only present such a claim but also provide arguments through their revealed book as well. If the book does not clearly make a claim, then its followers cannot support the ideology through arguments. While mentioning this point, the Promised Messiahas says in one of his books: “…To establish the truth of any religion – that is to say, to prove the fact that that religion is from God – it is necessary that it must possess two types of supremacies. “First: That such a religion should be so comprehensive, perfect, complete, and free from defect in its doctrines, teachings, and commandments, that reason should fail to propose anything better; and no defect or deficiency be seen in it. And, in this

perfection, it should triumph over all other religions; that is to say, no other religion should be its equal in these excellences. This is the claim that the Holy Quran itself has put forward: ً َ َ ْ ْ ُ ُ َ ُ ْ َ َ ْ َ ْ ْ ُ ْ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ ََ ْ ُ َ ْ ْ ُ َ ُ ْ َْ َ َ ْ َ َْ ‫ام ِدیْنا‬ ‫الیوم اکملت لکم ِدینکم واتممت علیکم نِعمتِی و رضِ یت لکم الاِسل‬ Meaning that, today I have perfected My religion for you and have completed My favour upon you, and I have chosen Islam to be your faith [Surah al-Maidah, Ch.5: V.4]; that is to say, you should be established upon that reality which is contained in the word ‘Islam’, an explanation of which has been given by God Almighty Himself with reference to the word ‘Islam’. “In this verse it is stated clearly that only the Holy Quran has conferred the perfect teaching and in the time of the Holy Quran alone could the perfect teaching have been bestowed. Thus, this claim of perfect teaching that the Holy Quran has made was its unique right; apart from it no other heavenly book has made such a claim. Continued on page 27

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

Friday Sermon 22 February 2019 Delivered from Baitul Futuh Mosque

Musleh-e-Maud: The prophecy and its fulfillment After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:

hese days Yaum-e-Musleh-e-Maud [Musleh-e-Maud Day] is being commemorated in the Jamaat, i.e. regarding the fulfilment of the prophecy in which God Almighty gave glad tidings to the Promised Messiahas of a promised son. God Almighty said regarding this son that He would be one who possessed special qualities, a true servant to his faith, would attain a long life and would continue the mission of the

Promised Messiahas. This prophecy was made on 20 February 1886 and is an extraordinary sign for the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas and that God Almighty’s support was with him. Thus, within the time period stated in the prophecy, this son was born on 12 January 1889 and was named Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, to whom God Almighty bestowed the mantle of Khilafat after the

demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. I shall present some accounts from the life of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and how this prophecy was truly fulfilled in his person. However, before doing so I shall present the words of the Promised Messiahas with regard to the significance and truthfulness of this prophecy. This prophecy was not just the birth of a son, rather it was to foretell the birth of an extraordinary son who would

“One should carefully deliberate that this is not simply a prophecy, but a magnificent heavenly sign which the Benevolent God manifested to prove the truthfulness and grandeur of our compassionate and merciful Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.”

lay the foundations to a spiritual revolution in the world. As I have mentioned, I shall present the Promised Messiah’sas response to his critics and this can truly be understood if one reads it in his own words. The Promised Messiahas states: “One should carefully deliberate that this is not simply a prophecy, but a magnificent heavenly sign which the Benevolent God manifested to prove the truthfulness and grandeur of our compassionate and merciful Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And the truth is that this sign is a hundred times more grand, lofty, complete, superior and perfect than the sign of bringing the dead back to life, because reviving one from the dead is that one prays and asks for the soul to be brought back; such reviving of the dead has been attributed to the Messiah and some other prophets in the Bible, regarding

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

“In relation to my education, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira conferred the greatest favour upon me. Since he was a physician and also aware of the fact that owing to my poor health, I was unable to look at a textbook for too long, therefore, his method of teaching was that he would seat me beside him and say, ‘Mian! I will read and you continue to listen.’” which the critics greatly object to. “Aside from these rational and textual arguments, the fact is that the corpse would only be revived and stay alive for a few minutes, and would once again depart from this world, and leaving its loved ones to mourn once again – a soul whose return to the world profited neither the world, nor granted the soul itself any peace, nor any delight to its loved ones. Thus, if a soul did in fact return to this world through the prayer of the Messiah, then in reality, its returning and staying in the world are one and the same. And if, for the sake of argument, the soul returned and remained in the body even for some years, even then, what benefit could the imperfect soul of a morally corrupt or materialistic person grant the world, who is no different to fellow men?” Regarding the prophecy of Musleh-eMaud, the Promised Messiahas explains that if it were true that prophets of the past revived the dead; it was only temporary, and furthermore, the ones being brought back were ordinary people. However, the Promised Messiahas further says: “Through the grace and beneficence of God Almighty, and by virtue of the blessings of the Seal of the Prophetssa, the Benevolent God accepted this humble one’s prayer and promised to send such a holy spirit, whose outer and inner blessings would be manifested throughout the world. “Hence, even though this sign is seemingly equal to granting life to the dead, however, upon further reflection, it is evident that this sign is in fact hundreds of times greater than bringing the dead back to life. Through prayer, the soul of the dead is brought back, and in the case of this prophecy, a new soul has been acquired through the supplication of prayer.” The Promised Messiahas states that the prayer made for a son was in fact a prayer for the birth of a new soul. “However, there is an enormous difference between those souls and this one. Those who merely pose as Muslims, but in fact have abandoned the faith, do not rejoice at witnessing the miracles of the Holy Prophetsa being fulfilled. Rather, they are deeply grieved as to why such an event transpired.” (Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, pp. 114-115) The Promised Messiahas mentioned this in Tabligh-e-Risalat. The Promised Messiahas stated that he did not supplicate to be granted an ordinary soul. Rather he prayed for a sign, as a result of which

God Almighty gave glad tidings of a son who possessed numerous qualities. The tidings of such a glorious son were given, “who would attain a long life, be extremely intelligent and bright and possess grandeur, majesty and wealth. Nations would obtain blessings from him. He would be filled with secular and spiritual knowledge. He would be endowed with an extremely profound

extra help and for this tutors would teach him Urdu and English at home. Hazrat Pir Manzur Muhammad Sahibra taught him Urdu for some time. The tutors that were appointed to teach him at home included Pir Manzur Muhammad Sahibra, who taught him Urdu for some time. Following this, Maulvi Sher Ali Sahibra taught him English. In the biography Swaneh Fazle Umar, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IVrh has penned an interesting account in relation to the condition and nature of this education, which is befitting to hear in the words of Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Mahmud Ahmad Sahib himself. In his own words, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra writes about the condition of his education: “In relation to my education, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira conferred the greatest favour upon me. Since he was a physician and also aware of the fact that owing to my poor health, I was unable to look at a textbook for too long, therefore, his method of teaching was that he would seat me beside him and say, ‘Mian! I will read and you continue to listen.’ The reason for this

to my wishes. I should study as much as I can and that I should not be forced to study because my health did not permit me to bear the burden of education. “The Promised Messiahas would constantly advise me to simply study the translation of the Holy Quran and Bukhari from Hazrat Maulvi Sahib (that is, from Hazrat Maulana Nuruddin, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira). In addition to this, the Promised Messiahas also said that I should study medicine, as this was an ancestral practise.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further states: “Master Faqeerullah Sahib … was our mathematics teacher in school. He used to solve questions on the board in order to explain them to the students. However, I was unable to see it due to my weak eyesight. The reason for this was that my eyesight did not function well enough to see the board. Aside from this, I was unable to look at the board for too long as my eyes became tired. Due to this, I used to consider it useless to sit in the class. If I ever wished to leave, I did so and at times I did not. “Once, Master Faqeerullah Sahib made

“The Promised Messiahas smiled and said, ‘We are not teaching him mathematics in the hope of him opening a local shop. It makes no difference whether he learns mathematics or not.’ He then said ‘What level of mathematics did the Holy Prophetsa and his Companions study? It is good if he attends school, but if he does not, he should not be forced.’” understanding of the Word of God, i.e. the Holy Quran. Furthermore, he would utilise this God-given understanding and would serve the Holy Quran in such a magnificent manner that he would enlighten the world about the true status of the Word of God. He will be the means of procuring the release of those held in bondage; He will be Aalam-e-Kabab, meaning such universal catastrophes would occur during his lifetime that it will torment the entire world. His fame will spread to the ends of the earth.” (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol 1, pp. 53-54) We are a witness to the universal catastrophes, such as the ones mentioned in the prophecy which occurred during the era of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in the form of the two world wars as well as other calamities. Then, as far as the spreading of his fame is concerned, his fame spread to the corners of the earth by establishing new missions, doing tabligh [preaching the true message of Islam] and by spreading the message of Islam to various other countries of the world during his lifetime. As a matter of fact, in relation to this prophecy, we see that this is continuing even today. As I mentioned, I will now briefly speak about the life and character of Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra. As far as his education is concerned, after completing his first reading of the Holy Quran, he enrolled in an official school and had the opportunity to acquire secular education, but despite this he still required

was that in my childhood, a severe form of trachoma formed in my eyes (which is an ailment of the eye) and I suffered from pain in my eyes for a consecutive period of three to four years. Due to the effects of trachomatous concretions, I had such severe pain in my eyes, the doctor said that I would eventually lose my eyesight. Upon this, the Promised Messiahas started to particularly pray for my health and also began to observe fasts.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further states: “At this moment, I do not recall how many fasts he observed. In any case, he observed three or seven fasts. When he was about to break his last fast and placed something in his mouth in order to open the fast, I suddenly opened my eyes and exclaimed that I am able to see. “However, the result of this illness and its repeated outbreaks was that the sight in one of my eyes weakened significantly. Hence, I am unable to see properly through my left eye. I am able to see ahead of me, but I am unable to read a book. If a person who I know is sitting two or four feet away, I am able to recognise him. However, if an unacquainted person is sat there, I am unable to see his face. Only my right eye is fully functional. However, trachomatous concretions formed in this eye as well and its severity was such that I would spend many nights awake due to it. “The Promised Messiahas told my teachers that I was to be educated according

a complaint about me to the Promised Messiahas, saying, ‘He remains absent from school and only comes occasionally.’” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra writes, “I recall when Master Sahib made this complaint to the Promised Messiahas, I became scared and hid myself, not knowing how upset the Promised Messiahas would be. However, when the Promised Messiahas heard this, he said to Master Sahib, ‘It is very kind of you that you show concern for him, however I am very pleased to learn that he occasionally attends because according to me, his health is not good enough for him to study at all.’ Following this, the Promised Messiahas smiled and said, ‘We are not teaching him mathematics in the hope of him opening a local shop. It makes no difference whether he learns mathematics or not.’ He then said ‘What level of mathematics did the Holy Prophetsa and his Companions study? It is good if he attends school, but if he does not, he should not be forced.’ “When Master Sahib heard this, he returned. I started to take even more advantage of this leniency and stopped attending school altogether. I would go to school once or twice a month. Hence, I was educated in this manner, but at the same time I had some constraints. Apart from suffering from the ailments of the eyes, I also had complications with my liver and for this I had to drink water extracted from mung beans [a form of lentils] or saag [green leafy vegetable] for six months at a time. On

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM top of this, I had an enlarged spleen and red iodide of mercury was used to massage it. This was used for massaging my neck also as I suffered from tonsillitis. Hence, I had trachomatous concretions, problems with my liver and an enlarged spleen. In addition to this, I used to get a fever which would last for six months. My elders would advise against putting too much pressure on me to study and allowed me to study as much as I wanted. One can ascertain my educational competence based on all of these factors.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further says: “Once my maternal grandfather, Hazrat Mir Nasir Nawab Sahibra tested my level of Urdu. My handwriting is untidy even now, but in those days, it was so bad that one could not even read what I had written. Mir Sahib attempted to decipher what I had written, but he was not able to do so.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further says: “The majority of my children have better handwriting. Similarities of my handwriting can be found in my daughter, Amatul Rashid’s handwriting. I had set a reward of one rupee if anyone, including Amatul Rashid herself, could read out what she had written. The condition of my handwriting was exactly the same and I was at times unable to read my own handwriting. When Mir Sahib examined my paper, he became irritated and said: ‘This writing is all scrambled and illegible.’ (Mir Sahib was quick-tempered). He became furious and took his complaint to the Promised Messiahas and incidentally I was also at home. We were already scared of Mir Sahib’s temperament (Mir Sahib was quick-tempered), and so, when Mir Sahib went to the Promised Messiahas and I became even more worried as to what would happen next. Mir Sahib came and said: ‘You do not pay any attention towards Mahmud’s education. I tested him on his Urdu. Please have a look at his paper. His handwriting is so bad that no one can read it.’ He continued in this impassioned state and said to the Promised Messiahas: ‘You do not address this matter at all and this boy is wasting his time.’ Observing Mir Sahib’s

and wrote a few sentences. He gave me the sheet of paper and instructed me to copy it. This was the simple test conducted by the Promised Messiahas. I copied this writing very carefully with full concentration. First of all, the sentences were not long, and secondly, I only had to copy it, which was very straightforward because the original was in front of me. I copied it slowly and very meticulously wrote down the Urdu alphabets ‘Alif ’ and ‘Baa’. When the Promised Messiahas saw this, he stated: ‘I was perturbed by Mir Sahib’s comments, but his handwriting resembles mine.’ Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira was already in my favour and stated: ‘Huzoor! Mir Sahib became impassioned for no reason. His handwriting is very neat.’ Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira would always tell me: ‘Mian! Your health is not well enough that you can study yourself. Visit me and I will teach you in a way that you only need to listen.’ Hence, he laid great stress on this and taught me the Holy Qur’an first and then Sahih Bukhari. He did not teach me the Quran at a slow pace; rather, he used to recite the Holy Quran followed by its translation and would elaborate on anything that he felt was necessary to further explain. Otherwise, he would teach at a quick pace. He taught me the entire Quran in three months after which there was a gap in the lessons. After the demise of the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira said to me: ‘Mian! Let me finish teaching Bukhari to you.’ This is because I had previously informed him what the Promised Messiahas had stated during his lifetime which was to learn the Holy Quran and Bukhari from Maulvi Sahib. Therefore, I had started learning the Quran and Bukhari from Hazrat Maulvi Sahibra during the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas, although there were some gaps in between. Similarly, under the instructions of the Promised Messiahas, I began learning medicine from him. Mir Ishaq Sahib and I started learning medicine on the same day.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further says: “There was a joke about Mir Sahib

sit with him and would sometimes teach me half a part or one full part of the Quran. He would explain the commentary of certain verses as well. Similarly, he finished teaching me Sahih Bukhari in two or three months. During one Ramadan, he delivered lectures covering the entire Holy Quran throughout the month, which I was able to attend as well. I also had the opportunity to study a few Arabic magazines from him. This was the condition of my education. During those days when I was finishing this course, Allah the Almighty showed me

“If it is appropriate to say that one’s spirit can pass on to another, then I would say that in that moment, the spirit of the Promised Messiahas descended upon Huzoorra and was proclaiming, ‘This is my beloved son who has been bestowed to me as a sign of mercy – regarding whom it was said that he would resemble me in beauty and benevolence.’” a dream” – which was about his intellectual progress. (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 1, pp. 104-105) Thus, from this we can understand the manner in which he was educated. However, his speeches, addresses, writings and exegesis of the Holy Quran are testimony to the fact that he was undoubtedly taught by God Almighty Himself. Indeed, this is a great sign and proof of the truthfulness of this prophecy. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered his first public speech during the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas at the Jalsa Salana [Annual Convention] of 1906. One can begin to understand the effect and impression this academic and scholarly speech had on the listeners through the words of a prominent

“I recall that once, when Mian Mahmud was approximately 10 years old, he was standing for prayer in the Aqsa Mosque next to the Promised Messiahas. When he went into prostration, he began weeping profusely. From an early age he possessed an exceptional bond of love for God and His Messengers.” fervency on the matter, the Promised Messiahas stated: ‘Call Hazrat Maulvi Sahib.’” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further writes: “Whenever facing a difficult situation, the Promised Messiahas would summon for Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira had immense love for me. He came and, as was his habit, he stood to one side with his head lowered in respect. The Promised Messiahas stated: ‘Maulvi Sahib, I have called you here because Mir Sahib says that it is impossible to read Mahmud’s handwriting. I would like a test to be prepared for him.’ After saying this, the Promised Messiahas picked up his pen

which became well known in our house that on the second day (when both of us had only completed one lesson), Mir Ishaq Sahib said to his mother: ‘Mother! Please wake me up early tomorrow morning so I can go to the clinic early. Maulvi Sahib arrives a little later in the day, therefore I can go there before his arrival and write prescriptions for the patients.’ This was despite the fact that he had only been studying medicine for one day. “In short, I learned medicine and commentary of the Holy Quran from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. He finished teaching me the commentary of the Holy Qur’an in two months. He would make me

makes evident the grand status and beauty of the moral training he received under the guidance of the Promised Messiahas. (He spoke on matters of spiritual excellences in an extraordinary manner.” (Al Hakam, 10 January 1907) (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol 1, pp. 121-122) The religious activities [in which Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra participated], his passion, intellectual and spiritual development proved that he indeed is the fulfilment of the prophetic words ‘He would quickly grow’. Furthermore, the Promised Messiahas

companion of the Promised Messiahas – Hazrat Qazi Muhammad Zahuruddin Akmal Sahib – who was a poet and had great command over language; he stated: “Mahmud, the brightest star and crown jewel of prophethood – may God the Benevolent protect him – stood up to deliver an address on the topic of shirk [associating partners with God]. I paid particular attention to his speech. How am I to express it in words? It was an ocean of eloquence, flowing with great force. Undoubtedly, to have such sound thoughts at such a young age is no less than a miracle. In my opinion, this also is a sign of the Promised Messiah’sas truthfulness. This

himself perceived this passion in him for religion. In one instance, he stated, “Mian Mahmud has so much passion to serve his faith that at times I offer special supplications for him”. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 26) These are the words of the Promised Messiahas. He certainly made this prayer for God Almighty to make him the very son whose glad tidings were given for God Almighty to shower His blessings so that all the glad tidings be fulfilled in his favour. With regard to the time after the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, in the biography written by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Sahibrh, he writes in one place by stating: “During the beginning of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I’sra Khilafat, Hazrat Sahibzada [Mirza Mahmud Ahmadra] was 19 years of age, and when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira passed away, he was entering his 26th year. I shall present some examples of the manner in which he would deliver discourses and pen his writings in his youth. “He had developed the maturity of an experienced thinker in his thoughts and ideas. His words were entwined with profound effect, allurement and sincerity. His speech was completely free from artificiality and his writings were untainted by any kind of pretention. He had a natural fluency in his speech and his writings were like a flowing river of simplicity. He was filled with the knowledge of the Holy Quran and its cognizance to such an extent, that they would irrigate his heart and mind simultaneously. He was 19 years of age at the demise of the Promised Messiahas and regarding the first ever speech he delivered, Hazrat Maulvi Sher Ali Sahibra, a scholarly intellectual, states, ‘Another incident I wish to relate on this subject is the first speech of Huzoorra. The first address of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra was during the first Jalsa Salana after the demise of the

26 Promised Messiahas. This Jalsa was hosted in the courtyard of Madrasa Ahmadiyya and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira sat to the right side of Huzoorra on the stage. The stage was positioned facing north.’ “Maulvi Sher Ali Sahib writes: “There are two noteworthy points regarding this speech – the first point of note is that Huzoor’sra voice, delivery, tone and style of oration were very similar to that of the Promised Messiahas in that it reminded the audience of the Promised Messiahas, who had only passed away a short while earlier. There were many amongst the audience who were brought to tears as a result of the voice of the Promised Messiahas that they were hearing from the lips of his promised son, just as one can hear the voice of an unseen person through a gramophone. Owing to this, people could be seen crying and I too was amongst those who wept. “If it is appropriate to say that one’s spirit can pass on to another, then I would say that in that moment, the spirit of the Promised Messiahas descended upon Huzoorra and was proclaiming, ‘This is my beloved son who has been bestowed to me as a sign of mercy – regarding whom it was said that he would resemble me in beauty and benevolence.’ “The second point worth mentioning with regard to this speech is that when it concluded, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira – who had spent his entire life studying the Holy Quran and for whom it was a nourishment of the soul – said, ‘Mian has explained many verses in a manner which are very much new to me.’” Maulvi Sher Ali Sahibra then writes that this was the first speech of Huzurra which he delivered before the Jamaat. In this speech, he discussed the intricacies of the Holy Quran, i.e. after the demise of the Promised Messiahas, he explained such points of wisdom, regarding which, even those well-versed in the Holy Quran such as Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira acknowledged that these meanings were new to him. Who could have imparted all this knowledge to this young man? Who could have taught him this wisdom and understanding at such a young age? It is the One Who stated with regard to Prophet Josephasۤ : َ َ َٰ ْ َ ْ ٰ َ َ َُ َ َ َ ْ ۡ ‫َول َ ّما بَلغ اش ّد ٗہ ٰات ۡین ُہ ُحك ًما ّو ِعل ًما ؕ َوکذل ِک ن ْج ِزی ال ُم ْح ِسنِی َن‬ “And when he reached his age of full strength and attained maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge; and thus do We reward those who do good.” Maulvi Sahibra says, “Huzoorra did not merely discuss ordinary matters of wisdom, rather he highlighted unique and novel insights into the Holy Quran. God Almighty states regarding the Holy Quran: َ َ ْ َّ ۤ ُ َّ ‫لا یَ َم ّس ٗہ ِالا ال ُمط ّہرُ ۡو َن‬ “The translation of this is, ‘None shall touch this [Quran] except those who are purified.’ Hence, to emerge from the solitude of childhood and convey such unique and subtle points of the Holy Quran before an audience is clear evidence to the fact that he spent his childhood under the special upbringing of God Almighty and became part of ‘those who are purified’ even in his childhood.” (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 1, pp. 217-219) A non-Ahmadi journalist has also presented his impressions with regard to his character. It is written that in March 1913, a

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM non-Ahmadi journalist, Muhammad Aslam Sahib, travelled from Amritsar to Qadian and stayed for a few days before departing. After studying the Jamaat closely, he gave a detailed report regarding Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad Sahibra saying: “I was extremely delighted to have met Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad Sahib. Sahibzada Sahib was an extremely courteous and simple person. Alongside his politeness, he is extremely knowledgeable and possesses great understanding. “Apart from other subjects, a conversation took place between Sahibzada Mirza Mahmud and I about the future of India. In this conversation, the view he set forth based on the history of international relations was laden with vision and reflection.” This incident is from before his Khilafat in 1913, during the era of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. He further writes: “Out of love, Sahibzada Mirza Mahmud expressed his sincere desire that I should stay in Qadian for at least one week, but owing to one reason or another, I was unable to fulfil his request. However, I am extremely grateful to him for his benevolence and kindness. His purity, righteousness, profound thinking and modesty shall forever remain entrenched in my memory.” Regarding the standard of his prayers even as a child, one of his childhood teachers, Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahibra, expressed the following: “Because this humble one had pledged allegiance to the Promised Messiahas at the end of 1890, I was constantly in and out of Qadian. I have been watching Hazrat Ulul ‘Azm [The Determined One] Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad since his childhood. His aptitude and disposition was always inclined towards modesty, nobility, truth and religion. Even in younger years, he had a fascination with the religious activities of the Promised Messiahas. He would often go to the Jaami‘ [Central] Mosque with the Promised Messiahas and listen to the sermon.” He further says: “I recall that once, when Mian Mahmud was approximately 10 years old, he was standing for prayer in the Aqsa Mosque next to the Promised Messiahas. When he went into prostration, he began weeping profusely. From an early age he possessed an exceptional bond of love for God and His Messengers.” Then, there is another incident which illustrates the fervent state of his prayers and his habit of remaining in prostration for long periods. When elders would see this, it would evoke great wonder in them. In particular, as there was no apparent difficulty or worry that could cause it, when the people would witness the fervent and tearful state of his supplications, they would be astonished. They would wonder, after all, what could have befallen this child that causes him to secretly wake up in the night, weep profusely and saturate his prayer mat with his innocent tears? Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Sahibrh writes in his biography of Hazrat Musleh-eMaud that the same wonder and amazement

arose in the heart of Sheikh Ghulam Ahmad Sahib as well, a new convert who had accepted Islam at the hand of the Promised Messiahas. He increased in his sincerity and faith so rapidly that he is counted amongst those pure and saintly individuals blessed with divine visions and revelation. He used to recall: “Once I resolved that I would spend the entire night alone in the mosque, and in seclusion I would ask of my Lord all that I desired. When I arrived in the mosque, I saw that someone was already busy in prostration, and was weeping with such anguish that I was unable to focus on my own prayer. The prayer of that individual had such a powerful effect on me that I began praying, ‘O my Lord, whatever this person is imploring of you, do Thou grant it to him.’ “I stood for so long that I became tired from standing, waiting for the person to arise from his prostration. I do not know how long he had been there before my arrival, but when he lifted his head, I saw that it was Mian Mahmud Ahmad Sahib. I greeted him with Salam, shook his hand and asked him, ‘Mian, whatever did you ask from God today?’ “He replied, ‘I have only asked of God that He should revive Islam before my very eyes.’ After saying this, he proceeded back inside. “At such a young age, the deep desire he possessed to see the day of Islam’s victory did indeed bear fruit, as God adorned him with the mantle of Khilafat in his youth.” (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 1, pp. 151) Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Mahmud Ahmad Sahib has mentioned a prayer of his which is published in Tasheezul Azhaan in the year 1909. He wrote an article wherein he mentions the blessings of Ramadan. After this he writes: “I was looking for an article of Tasheezul Azhaan. In the process of searching my desk, I came across a paper containing a prayer that I had offered in the previous Ramadan.” Mian Mahmud goes on to say: “Upon reading this prayer, my heart was suddenly moved to encourage the members of the Jamaat to also supplicate using these words. After all, no one knows whose prayer may be accepted or when God’s grace may descend with a special majesty upon our Jamaat. I publish herein the words of that prayer to express the anguish of my own heart, so that perhaps the heart of some pure natured individual might move towards supplicating to his Lord for his own self and for the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. This indeed is my true purpose for stating this. The words of that prayer are as follows: “O my Master, my Powerful God, my Beloved Friend, my Guide! O Creator and Originator of the Heavens and the Earth! O Controller and Regulator of water and air! O You Who – from the time of Adam to the time of Jesus – sent hundreds of thousands of spiritual guides and countless callers to faith for the guidance of the world! I supplicate You, O Exalted and Great God, Who raised a Messenger as magnificent and majestic as the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa; I implore that Gracious God Who raised a spiritual guide like the Promised Messiahas from among the servants of the Holy Prophetsa! “O Creator of all Light and Expeller of

all darkness! “At Your threshold – Indeed! Only at Your threshold does this unworthy servant express total humility, so do Thou hear my plea and accept my prayer, because it is Your promises, after all, which have granted me strength to even have the courage to submit something before You! “I was nothing and You created me. I did not exist and You brought me into existence. You created the four elements for my development, and created mankind for my wellbeing. When I could not even give expression to my needs, you appointed such people who were naturally concerned for my well-being. Then you allowed me to progress and increased my provisions. “O my Beloved! My most Beloved! You appointed Adam as my father and Eve as my mother, and from among Your servants chose one whom You looked upon with honour, so that he would seek intercession and mercy for the unaware, those of little understanding and ignorant persons like me. “I was a sinner and You concealed my sins; I was a wrongdoer and You forgave me. In each and every instance of pain and sorrow You stood by me. Whenever a tribulation befell me, You came to my aide, and wherever I could have gone astray, You held onto me and did not let me go. “You overlooked my errors and despite my becoming distant, You only drew nearer to me. Even when I became neglectful of You, You never once forgot me. On occasions where even parents and relatives and family and friends and sympathisers prove utterly helpless, You manifested the hand of Your Divine power for me. “When I feel sad, You lift my spirits; when I become disheartened You grant me joy. When I cry, You make me smile. There may be some who weep in the agony of being separated from You, but You Yourself revealed Your countenance to me. You vouchsafed promises to me and then fulfilled them. You have never failed to discharge Your promise. I also made promises to You, but broke them, yet You overlooked them. I do not find another soul more sinful than myself, yet I do not find another sinful person, whom You have bestowed more of Your Grace upon. I cannot even imagine any other being more benevolent than You.” He further says whilst addressing God Almighty, “I cannot even imagine a person more benevolent than You. Whenever I fall at Your threshold and lament and cry, You always hear my call and accept it. I have never witnessed that You have rejected any prayer that I supplicated in a state of helplessness. O my Lord! With the utmost fervency and heartfelt anguish, I fall at Your threshold and I supplicate to You, begging of You to hear my prayer. My Lord! Holy art Thou! My people are heading towards ruin, save them from this destruction. If they call themselves Ahmadis, how can they ever forge a connection with me until their hearts and inner selves become pure? Until they become immersed in Your love, what connection do I have with them? Thus, O my Lord! Manifest Your attributes of Rahmaniyyah [graciousness] and Rahimiyyah [mercy] and purify them. Instil within them the passion and spirit of the Companionsra so they become anxious

Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM to serve the faith, and their words and actions become refined and pure. [O Lord] May they sacrifice themselves for Your sake and remain devoted to the Holy Prophetsa. May the prayers of Your Promised Messiah be accepted in their favour and may his pure and true teachings become embedded in their hearts. O my Lord! Save my people from all trials and grief; safeguard them from all kinds of calamities that may befall them and ensure that great, noble people are born among them. May they become a nation that You are pleased with and become a community that You have chosen for Yourself. May they be free from the clutches of Satan and may the angels continuously descend upon them. Bless this community, both in their worldly endeavours and in their faith. Amin, O Lord of all the worlds. Amin.” (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 1; pp. 309-312) As I mentioned earlier, this prayer was from 1909. At that time – during the Khilafat of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira – he was only 20 years of age. Even then, his heart possessed a profound sympathy and anguish to serve his faith and his people. May God Almighty shower His endless Mercy on his soul for he spent day and night in spreading the religion of the Holy Prophetsa and the mission of his Ardent Devotee – the Promised Messiah and Mahdias – and having fulfilled his pledge, he returned to his Lord. May God Almighty enable us to understand and recite this heartfelt prayer of his, and may we fulfil the rights of being an Ahmadi. May God Almighty enable us to do so. (Translated by The Review of Religions) (Al Fazl International, 15-21 March 2019, pp. 5-9)

Continued from page 3

signs of his coming.” Further, Huzooraa said “…These occur due to wrongdoings; it is why the Promised Messiahas had warned that if people do not repent then they will keep on facing these types of natural hazards.” One youngster consulted Huzooraa for career advice, upon which Huzooraa asked about his interests and aspirations. The Tifl responded by stating that he had an interest in computing and desired to serve in MTA International. Huzooraa guided him by saying: “You can choose any subject related to computers which can be useful for MTA – media, graphics, cameras and other related subjects.” A young member of the group asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa whether he was “friends” with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh. The response by Huzooraa was instant: “He was my Khalifa. I cannot be his friend; I was his humble servant.” A student raised the question regarding whether the Jamaat would ever need a physicists, to which Huzooraa explained: “The purpose of the Jamaat is to serve the people of the world. As a physicist, at least you can serve humanity; whoever serves humanity is good for the Jamaat. If you are a physicist for the sake of the betterment of the world, then we need you. Dr Abdus Salam was also one; he was a big asset to the Jamaat.”

“As is manifestly clear to all observers, both the Torah and the Gospel refrain from making this claim. The Torah contains a statement of God Almighty that ‘I will raise a Prophet from among your brethren and will put My Word in his mouth, and whosoever will not hearken unto his Word I will require it of him.’ [Deutronomy, 18:18-19].” (Barahine-Ahmadiyya Part V, p. 3) Taking the Gospels on this account, the Promised Messiahas says, “Similarly, the Gospel has nowhere

claimed that its teaching is perfect and comprehensive. On the contrary, it has clearly and openly admitted that ‘there were yet many more things worthy of being said, but you cannot bear them; however, when the Paraclete comes, he shall disclose all things.’ [John, 16:12-13]” (Barahin-eAhmadiyya Part V, p. 4) Thus, Mosesas confessed the incompleteness of the Torah and drew attention to the teachings of the prophet who was to come. In the same way, Jesusas admitted the incompleteness of his teaching and said that the time had not yet come for the perfect teaching to be disclosed, but that

when the Paraclete arrived, he would set forth the perfect teaching. In contrast the Holy Quran does not, like the Torah and the Gospel, leave the matter for another book to complete but announces the perfection of its teaching in the words. Thus, this merit which the Promised Messiahas set forth presenting any argument in favour of any religion put scholars and preachers in great difficulty to face the Promised Messiahas, and wherever they dared to take up this challenge, they were defeated.

then Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa affectionately smiled to the young Tifl and said “You can be Dr Salam as well.” A question regarding the Markaz of Khilafat was raised by a Tifl, who asked, “Why did Khilafat move to London and not Canada?” Huzooraa explained the reasons by saying: “The reason is that London, in many ways, serves as the hub of the world. There is easy access to other countries and people can easily travel here as well. The reason Khilafat moved here initially was because the Jamaat was well established here at the time ... There is an easy approach here, you can easily travel here – people from Pakistan can, as well as India, Africa, the Far East and Malaysia etc.” Huzooraa also pointed out the many Jamaat properties and centres that have strengthened the Jamaat system in the United Kingdom The topic of the Hereafter was raised by another member of the Canadian group who asked, “On the Day of Judgement, when punishments are finished, what will happen after?” Huzooraa replied: “The punishment starts from the very day the person dies. The final decision for the punishment will be taken at the time of Judgement, then, a time will come people will complete their time for punishment and all will be taken to Heaven … This does not mean that you should not do good deeds.

You should try to do good as much as you can, so that from the very first day you go to heaven, instead of passing through a severe punishment that you cannot tolerate.” One Tifl enquired about Huzoor’saa feelings when he was imprisoned in Pakistan due to false blasphemy charges. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa expressed his feelings at the time by saying: “I did not feel anything, I thought that I would stay there for a long period of time, but Allah the Almighty made a plan in such a way that I was freed after 10-11 days. There was no fear in my mind; I was not embarrassed; I was not scared. I cannot say that I was passing through a hard period, enduring hardships – no, I didn’t feel that. I did not do anything wrong. I was imprisoned for the sake of Allah, so I should happily face that.” Huzooraa further said: “I was determined that I would remain there for even twenty years” Throughout the mulaqat, Huzooraa kept the discussion light-hearted and engaged very lovingly with the young group of Atfal, whilst also giving detailed answers. One such answer was on a question related to free will. A Tifl asked, “Why did Allah give man the [free] will to do good or bad?” “We are not [merely] animals. Human beings are the only animals who have been given wisdom and brains to use. Allah has told us the good and bad things. Those who

follow his commandments and do good deeds will be rewarded in the Hereafter and they will create peace and harmony in this world. This is the option given to you because you are the perfect animal in the sense that you have been given wisdom and a brain to utilise all your capabilities.” Another question raised was regarding life beyond earth and Islam’s perspective on extra-terrestrial life. Huzooraa explained by saying: “…There are many universes; we believe in that. The Promised Messiahas has also written on this. He has said that there are millions of other universes and there are quite a number of planets where there must be life.” Towards the conclusion of the mulaqat, a youngster asked Huzooraa about playing computer games, to which Huzooraa guided by stating: “Yes, you can play, as long as you are not addicted and you are not spending money whilst playing the game. You can play games, but make sure you are not addicted and do not spend more than thirty minutes.” Huzooraa further elaborated and said, “If you want to play some game, play football. Outdoor games are better than indoor games. If it is not polluting your mind and not making you like Daesh, then you can play” In the end, Huzooraa wished the Atfal an enjoyable trip and graced the group with an opportunity for a group picture.

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Friday 22 March 2019 | AL HAKAM

The Promised Messiah’sas Department for Correspondence

Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira Al Hakam, 21 February 1934

Thistory of the correspondence department oday, I want to tell my friends about the

of the Promised Messiahas so that they can realise how particular Huzooras was in replying to his followers. Before he had made any claims and was working on Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Huzooras would reply to letters himself. He would use a reed pen and locally manufactured ink and would write on a thin French paper. Such letters, with the detailed spiritual and theological contents therein, turn out to be a piece of literature in their own capacity. This was the case for a long time until Munshi Abdullah Sanori Sahibra and Sahibzada Sirajul-Haq Naumani Sahibra started to visit Huzooras who would write replies on his behalf. As this work of correspondence expanded and Huzooras, by divine commandment, made his claims public, letters started to pour in in much greater number. Even then, the Promised Messiahas would personally reply to some dear ones (a practice that he maintained till the last breath of his life or theirs), albeit a single line or two. When Huzooras posted books or other literature to some of his followers, he would wrap the parcels, write the address and place the postal stamps himself, with great love and care, before sending them off via registered mail. I intend here to only touch upon this briefly, without going into detail. After his claims were made public, the Promised Messiahas became very busy and the number of letters only increased; replying to them personally became no longer possible for him. It was then that Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra, Hakim Fazl Din Sahib and, occasionally, Mirza Khuda Bakhsh Sahib, started to help in writing replies. When Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahibra migrated and settled in Qadian, this duty was permanently assigned to him, with Pir Iftikhar Ahmad Sahib as his assistant. He [Pir Iftikhar Sahib] would reply to letters requesting prayers or Bai‘at and other letters of general nature himself as a set format. Replies to letters of special or specific nature would be written by Hazrat Maulana Abdul Karimra. A great feature of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim’sra time in this service (which ceased with his demise) was that he would issue a weekly circular with the latest revelations, excerpts from various talks of the Promised Messiahas and other enlightening and faith inspiring incidents. These circulars were sometimes addressed to Hazrat Munshi Taj Dinra with the instruction to read it out to the local Jamaat and then send it off to Sialkot. Some would be addressed to Hazrat Mir Hamid Shah Sahib with a similar instruction to forward them.

Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahibra had, owing to his great intellect, sensed that the only way to develop a personal connection with the Promised Messiahas was to regularly write to him. Maulvi Sahibra sowed the seed of desire in the Jamaat’s heart to write frequently to the Promised Messiahas. As he came across many letters requesting prayers, Maulvi Sahibra would also give tips on appropriate ways to request Huzoor’sas prayers. Extending this practice further, Maulvi Sahibra would write such information for Al Hakam every week. After the demise of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira, this duty was passed on to Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq. Mufti Sahib had occasionally helped with this duty in the past, but it was after the demise of Maulvi Sahibra that Mufti Sahibra was assigned this duty. He served in this capacity until the demise of the Promised Messiahas. It was the practice of the Promised Messiahas that … he would read all the letters himself. Before the envelopes were opened, the whole bundle of the mail would be brought to the Promised Messiahas, who would place it before himself and pray to Allah generally to fulfil the desires of all those who had written to request prayers in various matters. I cannot say what the exact words were, but they would be similar in meaning. The Promised Messiahas mentioned on many occasions that when letters arrived, he prayed for all those who had written him. He would then open each letter, read it and pray according to the writer’s request. Having read all letters, he would hand them to the scribes when he came for the Zuhr prayer. On days when the correspondence came after Zuhr, he would bring them out at Asr. The letters would be in Huzoor’sas pocket, tied in Huzoor’s handkerchief during Salat and so he would pray for them during Salat. The correspondence department would then prepare a list of all those who had requested prayers through these letters, hence another opportunity for Huzooras to pray for them in his special moments of supplication. Replies were then written stating that Huzooras had prayed for them. In the replies that Huzooras wrote himself, he would always use a respectful salutation for the addressee, whatever their social status, like Akhwim (my brother), Hibbi Fillah (my brother in Islam) or Mukarrami (respected). It was not his practice to address anyone with their name only. Huzooras would always

use an honorific prefix and address them in second person plural [seen as more respectful in Urdu]. Such examples can be seen in the few volumes of the Promised letters Messiah’sas that I have published and others that are being published in Al Hakam. As gratitude for Allah’s bounties, I would like to say that the blessing of publishing this hidden treasure of letters has been bestowed upon me. Praise be to Allah! Concluding this essay, I request that if anyone has, in their possession, any letters of the Promised Messiahas, they may send it to myself – the original or a copy – so that I may publish it and both of us can earn a reward from Allah.

(The Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre is currently working on collating and preserving original handwritten documents of the Promised Messiahas. Readers in possession of any handwritten material of the Promised Messiahas may get in touch with us at info@ahmadiyyaarc.org) Editor: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Design & Layout: Jalees Ahmad | News: Ata-ul-Haye Nasir | © Al Hakam 2019