100 Years Ago... On a mission to spread Islam in America amidst separation from home and loved ones

Annual report of the Ahmadiyya Mission in America, 1922

Al Fazl, 25 January 1923

Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib wrote the following report to be read out at the Jalsa Salana [Qadian 1922], but since it could not arrive in time, it is now being conveyed to friends through this newspaper. [Editor, Al Fazl] as-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Brothers!

I thought that I would be in Qadian at this year’s Jalsa [Qadian 1922] and would have the privilege of meeting the companions, but I am not fortunate enough to have the honour of entering the beloved land. I love Qadian, and then I love my wife and children. My friends are very dear to me and the sadness of being separated from them for six years is really heavy on my heart. However, thank God, my journey is not for any personal gain or any carnal pleasure but for the spread of Islam and in obedience to the instructions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra]. The feeling of separation from loved ones is a natural thing that is not in my control. Nevertheless, if Hazrat Imam[ra] orders me to stay longer in this country or instructs me, for instance, to go to South America or Japan, then my heart is as ready to obey this instruction as it is to return to Qadian. In obedience to my True Mentor, [Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra], home and foreign lands are the same for me, and journey and sojourn are no different.

I do not claim to have done anything on this journey [to America] or that I will be able to do more commendable works if

The Holy Prophetsa is reported to have said, while referring to the person who had cut the legs of the she-camel of the Prophet Salihas, “The man who was appointed for doing this job, was a man of honour and power in his nation like Abu Zam‘ah.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Ahadithi l-Anbiya, Hadith 3377)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained, in Tafsir-e-Saghir, that Salih’sas people did not hold any enmity towards the she-camel, nor does the killing of a camel warrant such a punishment. In fact, their hatred was directed at Salihas and his message. The she-camel was mainly used as a mode of transport from one place to another for his tabligh missions. They killed the shecamel so that the spreading of his message

I stay any longer. Not at all; it is Allah the Almighty Who is always doing the work and if anything has been achieved, it is only the result of the prayers of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih and the admirers of Sadiq. All the rewards [from these achievements are] theirs.

Brother Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sahib’s telegram, requesting to send a report for the Jalsa [Salana Qadian 1922], has been received at Al-Masjid [Chicago]. This is the first telegram that has been received at this address and has arrived safely. In a city like Chicago, which is a vast, endless city with a length of 26 miles and breadth of 15 miles, just writing “Al-Masjid Chicago” gets me the telegram. This [short address] reduces the cost and also helps make the mosque known. I did not know there was a need to write a report and now there is very little time left, so I will present a few things briefly:

Ahmadiyya Mosque

Last year, [1922] had been very auspicious in terms of preaching in this country [America].

Firstly, a permanent house and a mosque have been built for the Ahmadiyya Community in the centre of this country. It is located in the heart of Chicago. Its current value, along with its assets, is around 30 thousand rupees. A large sum of this money has already been deposited, some of which has been received from India and the rest has been collected here by the grace of Allah. For this very purpose, we are expecting 500 dollars more from India. Hopefully, friends have already collected this amount. May Allah the Almighty grant them the best of rewards. For the rest of the money, might come to a halt. (Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 201)

Furthering this point, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh explained:

“One thing is very clear and that is the occurrence of the terrifying blast, whether you call it a volcanic eruption or a thunderbolt from the skies or a blast resulting from a geological movement. In short, no matter how you depict that single blast, it did not have the remotest physical connection with the hamstringing of the she-camel. No one can accept that the blast occurred as a direct result of the she-camel having been hamstrung. We conclude, therefore, that whatever natural phenomenon was chosen as a means of destruction of the people of Salihas, it was not a mere coincidence but an extraordinary divine decree. As long as the people of we have already made some arrangements here and some are still in process, insha-Allah

[The] Moslem Sunrise

Secondly, the magazine, [The] Moslem Sunrise, is serving as a great instrument for tabligh [spread of Islam] not only in America but also in Canada, South America and Central America. This magazine is widely circulated by the grace of Allah the Almighty and the people read it with great interest. We receive letters in this respect on a daily basis.

Lectures

Thirdly, I delivered lectures and preached in many cities across the country. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the lectures turned out to be successful in every place. Last year, nearly 200 lectures were delivered.

400 New Converts

Fourthly, the number of new converts is now around 400 and growing by the day. Many of them perform prayers and learn Arabic. Especially in the city of Chicago, about sixty to seventy people join the prayers on Sunday, as it is a holiday.

Branches of the Mission

Fifthly, in addition to Chicago, two branches of the Mission have been opened in the cities of St Louis and Detroit. In each of the two places, the new converts there made arrangements for the lecturers at halls and libraries at their own expense and participated in the work of preaching. Amirs have been appointed in both cities. The Islamic name of one amir is Sheikh Ahmad Deen

Salihas refrained from preventing the shecamel from taking water and tormenting her, God’s wish of restraining the forces of nature from manifesting themselves was fully complied with, but when the she-camel was withdrawn from water and hamstrung, the forces of nature were permitted to unleash themselves and show their might.”

(“Natural Disasters or Divine Punishment?”, The Review of Religions, February 1994)

The punishment that befell Thamud

After the mischievous disbelievers assaulted the she-camel, Salihas said, “Enjoy yourselves in your houses for three days. This is a promise which is not a lie.” (Surah Hud, Ch.11: V.66) The three days were given as a last chance for repentance, however, and the name of the other is Sheikh Abdus Salam. These two friends were formerly Christian priests and are now Muslim missionaries. They work purely out of passion and we do not even give them any financial support.

This is a short report of the work that was done here. I request that my friends remember me in their prayers.

Mufti Muhammad Sadiq. 21 November 1922.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu, published in the 25 January 1923 issue of Al Fazl) they didn’t avail even this. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 3, pp. 1368-1369)

When God’s command arrived, apart from Salihas and those who believed, all perished in an earthquake that seized them in their homes.

With the study of the lives of Prophets, we realise that all those who acted arrogantly and opposed the divine message have been forgotten through the ages; however, prophets of God, it seems, have been immortalised and are now remembered by Muslims who often turn back to the Quran.

Salihas, grieved at his people and their actions, left the city, turning away from them, with a sorrowful heart, and said, “O my people, I did deliver the message of my Lord unto you and offered you sincere counsel, but you love not sincere counsellors.” (Surah al-A‘raf, Ch.7: V.80)