Servants of Allah

Maulana Abul- Atta Jalandhri

Servants of Allah is an MTA International series which explores some of the astonishing stories of the pioneer missionaries of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. This series of articles will aim to condense each programme into a short written piece

Introduction

Abul-Atta Sahib was born in the district of Jalandhar, India in 1904. It was the wish of his beloved father, Hadhrat Munshi Mian Imamuddin Sahib, who was a companion of the Promised Messiahas , that his son should be dedicated to the service of the community. This spirit of sacrifice was then further instilled by Maulana Sahib’s father throughout his life, ensuring that Abul Atta Sahib knew exactly what he was destined to do. He completed his Maulvi Fazil degree in 1924 securing the top position in his university, and passed Madrassah Ahmadiyya in 1927 after which he began working as a missionary of the Jamaat.

He is one of the three distinguished individuals to be given the title of “Khalid-e Ahmadiyyat” by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IIra in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Ahmadiyyat.

Allah Ditta to Abul-Atta

Maulana Abul-Atta Sahib’s name “Allah Ditta” was given by his parents. But later he adopted his more common name of Abul Atta. This name then became so famous that most have now completely forgotten the name “Allah Ditta.”

When Maulana Sahib was due to go to the Arab countries, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IIra called him and said that your name is such that it will be looked upon strangely by the people there. It would be better that, as opposed to Allah Ditta, you adopt the name Abul Atta. Maulana Sahib then officially changed his name to Abul Atta with the permission of Huzoor. After this, Huzoor named all his sons as: Ata-ur-Rahman, Ata-ulKareem, Ata-ur Raheem and Ataul-Mujeeb at their birth.

A faith inspiring letter

1918 saw a great epidemic of influenza which also effected the Madrassah Ahmadiyya in Qadian. All effected students were moved into a corner of the boarding hostel in an open room for treatment away from other students. This epidemic was causing the death of many children. All funeral services were led in the courtyard of Madrassah Ahmadiyya as day by day more and more people died. So the principal requested Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IIra to stop taking processions through the courtyard and to do them instead in the graveyard which was done accordingly.

Abul Atta Sahib was so terrified that he wrote a letter to his father asking him to come quickly to Qadian, for he knew not whether he would live or die. In reply, Maulana Sahib’s father asked for leave from his job and also wrote a letter back, reassuring his son that he would come as soon as he received permission to leave, but not to worry for the matter of life or death is with Allah alone. The last sentence in the letter was that “we have done the bait of Hadhrat Masih Maudas and we will be content with whatever comes to us.” Before the receipt of this letter on the fifth day, Maulana Sahib says that he was fully convinced that his father would definitely come, but when he read the letter, he became so disheartened, and upon reading the last line, he burst into tears, and in childishness said “this means that even if I were to die here in this place, my father would still be content!”

Maulana Sahib’s father came after three or so days of Ata Sahib receiving the letter. But that particular sentence had remained in his mind so he asked his father regarding it. He replied: “This is the reality! This is that very faith which we have attained through belief in Hadhrat Masih Maudas.” Maulana Sahib states that at that time due to his immaturity, he did not fully grasp this concept, but later on he realised the value of such unwavering faith.

An assassination attempt

This incident relates to Abul Atta Sahib’s time in Kababir. One day after a meeting, Maulana Sahib was travelling home on foot. While walking through a jungle he heard some people whispering. He looked around but could not see anyone so he continued on his journey. A little while later he heard a gunshot and shortly after, another. Maulana Sahib again looked around but could not see anyone. He continued his journey and reached his destination safely.

A few days later two men came to the members of the Kababir Jamaat and explained what had taken place on that day. The two men were in fact waiting in hiding in order to ambush and assassinate Abul Atta Sahib. They had tested the guns beforehand and they worked flawlessly. When Maulana Sahib was in their range, one of the assailants attempted to fire his gun but to no avail, the second assailant also tried with the same result. When Maulana Sahib had passed, the two men tried firing their guns again, both guns fired without any issue.

This is how Allah the Almighty protects those individuals who are dear to Him.

Communion with Allah

Once Abul Atta Sahib was unwell and he prayed fervently to Allah to reveal to him how long he was going to live. Shortly after this he had a dream in which he saw a big bottle, the bottle was labelled “The Syrup of Life”, underneath was written: “This syrup will be useful for up to 75 years”. Maulana Sahib was delighted to see such a dream in answer to his prayers. In particular, he was happy to see that the bottle stated it would be “useful for up to 75 years”, meaning that he would be doing his job and serving the Jamaat up until his very last breath. Abul Atta Sahib did in fact pass away at the age of 75 years according to the Lunar Calendar.

These were just a few inspirational incidents from the life of Maulana Abul-Atta Jalandhri Sahib. In the next edition we will Insha’Allah cover the story of another great Servant of Allah.