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Part 1
The First Twenty-Five Years
From birth to May 1899
During the period of Moghul rule, a Hindu by the name of Hari Chand,
who belonged to the Janjua Rajput community, migrated from Jhelum
district and, arriving in the well-populated and fertile area of
Doaba Bast Jalandhar, he settled in Kharla Kingra, a place two miles
from Jalandhar city. As most of the population in that area were
Muslims, Hari Chand too embraced Islam. In Kharla Kingra and surrounding
places most of the inhabitants belonged to the Ara‘een ethnic community,
so the descendants of Hari Chand also began to be counted amongst
the Ara‘een people. Hari Chand was the progenitor of the family
whose tree is given in the official records of Jalandhar District
for 1860 as shown below:
Doaba Bast Jalandhar and in particular Jalandhar District was very
densely populated, and the farmers due to their small holdings were
finding it difficult to make a living. Being industrious and hardworking,
whenever they saw better economic opportunities elsewhere they did
not allow love of the homeland to hold them back. So in the 19th century
many of them emigrated to foreign lands. Facing the same dilemma and
being mindful of good cultivation prospects, a man of this family
by the name of Mian Muhkam-ud-Din and his brother Mian Qutb-ud-Din
migrated from Kharla Kingra to the village of Murar in the state of
Kapurthala. At the time the chief minister of Kapurthala was a Muslim
who wanted to settle Muslims in the state. So he offered large tracts
of agricultural land to Muslims and called hardworking farmers from
the adjacent Jalandhar area to populate untilled lands.
Around 1860 Mian Muhkam-ud-Din moved to Murar, and Maharaja Nihal
Singh of Kapurthala bestowed upon him all the lands of the village.
To populate that vast area, Mian Muhkam-ud-Din brought his relatives
and some other people of the neighbouring village to settle there.
Such was his generosity that he gave them equal shares in the lands
that he received.
At that time, his only son Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din was about 30 to 35 years
of age and well known in the area for his good morals, honesty and
integrity. He was made headman of the village by the state government.
Being just and fair-minded he was often asked to mediate in major
disputes in the state, and the authorities used to appoint him to
arbitrate in old, long-standing cases. His decisions were accepted
because they were based on justice. Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din had not only
committed the Holy Quran to memory, but he was also highly learned
in Persian. So great was his love for the Holy Quran that he used
to recite it during his daily activities. He had a mosque built next
to his house where he led the prayers and children from the village
were taught the Holy Quran.
Birth and early education
Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din had six sons and a daughter, as follows in order:
- Khair-ud-Din
- Amir-ud-Din
- Aziz Bakhsh
- Nabi Bakhsh
- Muhammad Ali
- Imam Begum
- Ahmad Ali.
Muhammad Ali was the fifth son in order of birth and was born in
December 1874.
There was no school in Murar, so for the purpose of elementary education
Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din sent Maulvi Aziz Bakhsh, at the age of six or seven,
to the Anglo-Vernacular school in the nearby town of Diyalpur. Muhammad
Ali, who was only three and a half years old at that time, started
to accompany his brother to school out of his own interest. The school
teacher, Rahmat-ullah, was very impressed by the enthusiasm of such
a young child who was walking two miles with his brother to come to
school. Being the younger one, the teacher used to call him lovingly
as “assistant sahib” and would teach him with the same affection.
When the annual examination came, Muhammad Ali passed it too along
with his older brother. After that both of them continued to study
together for five years of primary education in the same class in
this school.
In 1883, Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din sent both the brothers to Randhir High
School, Kapurthala. At that time Maulana Muhammad Ali was nearly nine.
Their father arranged for them to stay in Kapurthala in a room in
the house of Nathoo Mal the Patwari (village registrar). For
cooking their food, in the beginning he appointed a man by the name
of Badr-ud-Din (whose younger brother Baba Nur-ud-Din was later on
in Maulana Muhammad Ali’s service for a long time). Later on, Maulvi
Aziz Bakhsh mostly used to cook himself. He loved his younger brother
very much and took care of all his needs.
Every Saturday evening Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din would ride on his horse
the twenty miles from Murar to Kapurthala and fetch his children home
on horseback; he would take them back similarly on Sunday evening.
All along the way he would recite the Holy Quran and pray for the
moral and material welfare of the children. As a result of his piety
and devoutness, frequent recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers,
Almighty God not only made all his children righteous and servants
of the faith but chose one of them, Muhammad Ali, specially to serve
Islam.
In the Kapurthala school both the brothers were noted for their good
character and ability. They said the five daily prayers in the mosque
regularly and carried on their studies quietly. In school sports,
Maulana Muhammad Ali was interested in cricket and played it sometimes,
but abstained from too much frivolous activity. In 1890 both brothers
passed their matriculation examination. At school their good character
and conduct was exemplary and their teachers had very high regard
for them.
Education and employment in Lahore
After his sons had passed matriculation Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din decided
to send them for higher education. Despite his limited financial means
he had them admitted in Government College Lahore, one of the best
institutions not only in the Punjab but the whole of India. Consequently
they took up residence in Lahore, where they spent their student days
leading a very simple, frugal life, mostly cooking their own meals.
In 1892 both brothers passed the F.A. examination. For this examination
Maulana Muhammad Ali took Arabic as an optional subject, but as he
was very good in mathematics he chose mathematics for his B.A. and
passed this examination in 1894, standing first in the University.
Once when he needed a reference from one of his professors, the professor
wrote only this: “Muhammad Ali is the best mathematician of our college”.In
1894, after passing his B.A. examination, Maulvi Aziz Bakhsh got admission
in the Central (Teacher) Training College, Lahore, where he passed
his Senior Anglo-Vernacular examination and in 1897 he entered government
service. However, Maulana Muhammad Ali, after passing B.A., continued
his education in Government College Lahore, studying English for his
M.A. At the same time he took a job in Islamia College Lahore as professor
of mathematics. He taught mathematics in Islamia College for three
years. In 1896 he passed his M.A. in English, being one of only five
students who passed the examination out of a class of twenty-three.
After passing his B.A. when Maulana Muhammad Ali started teaching
he was only nineteen. Chaudhry Muhammad Ismail (a retired Extra Assistant
Commissioner) who himself was a student in Islamia College at that
time said that most of Muhammad Ali’s students were older than their
teacher, and that his ability, good character and righteousness were
so well established that the best compliment for any other student
was that he was another Muhammad Ali. Many students of that era, who
later on in life became famous and renowned in the fields of politics,
law or business in the Punjab, could vouch for that. Chaudhry Sir
Shahab-ud-Din, who was later Speaker of the Punjab Assembly for a
long time, lived in the same house with Maulana Muhammad Ali. Khwaja
Kamal-ud-Din also taught in Islamia College in those days and it was
here that the two of them first met.
During his college days Maulana Muhammad Ali did not take part in
any extra-curricular literary activities. He never wrote an article
nor did he take part in debates or speeches. In sport he played soccer.
In 1896 after passing his M.A., while continuing to teach in Islamia
College, he got admission in LL.B. (law) classes. In the three University
examinations in law he secured second, first and third positions.
In 1897 he left employment in Islamia College and took a job in Oriental
College, Lahore, which in those days was outside Taxali Gate, and
worked there as a professor of mathematics till May 1899.
Meeting Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian
From the time when the two brothers were studying in Kapurthala
they had heard the name of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. In 1890,
after passing the entrance examination in Kapurthala, when they
got admission in Government College Lahore, they came to learn about
the claim of Hazrat Mirza sahib through their former fellow student
Munshi Abdul Aziz, known as Bhai Jan (brother), who gave
them a copy of Izala Auham. After reading this book they
became convinced of the truth of the Promised Messiah. Then in January
1892 when Hazrat Mirza sahib came to Lahore both brothers went to
see him. Maulvi Aziz Bakhsh describes the occasion as follows:
“We arrived in the field of debate.*
There was a huge crowd and in the middle of it the Maulvis (religious
leaders) were sitting with piles of books. By chance I looked
towards the people who were standing in the veranda on one side
and caught sight of a man whose face was radiant with inner light
and his appearance dignified. He was wearing a long robe, and
standing with his eyes cast down. It appeared as if he was a saint
absorbed in contemplation whose sight was not towards this world.
Immediately the thought came to my mind that if he was Mirza sahib
who has claimed to be the Promised Messiah then he is really true
because this cannot be the face of an imposter. I asked one of
the people standing near me to tell me which one was Mirza sahib.
He and his friends pointed towards the man with the radiant face.
At that moment I felt such exhilaration in my heart that I cannot
describe it.” (Paigham Sulh, 7 November 1933)
[*Footnote: This debate
was with Maulvi Abdul Hakim of Kalanur. During this stay of Hazrat
Mirza sahib in Lahore, Mirza Yaqub Baig who was a medical student
at the time and his younger brother Mirza Ayub Baig took the bai‘at.]
In May 1893 when the two brothers were still doing their B.A.
in Government College, a major debate took place between Hazrat
Mirza sahib and Christians in Amritsar. The leader of the Christian
side was Deputy Abdullah Atham. Full details of the debate are given
in Hazrat Mirza sahib’s book Jang Muqaddas. Reports of this
debate were issued daily and the brothers would get them by post
to read. Then from 1894 till 1897 when Maulana Muhammad Ali was
still a professor in Islamia College Lahore, Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
was also teaching there and they used to discuss about Hazrat Mirza
sahib and his claim. The Khwaja was already an Ahmadi. Maulana Muhammad
Ali also wrote some articles in newspapers in support of Hazrat
Mirza sahib; these were his first writings. However, he still had
not taken the pledge (bai‘at). At last in 1897 he went with
Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din to Qadian for the first time and took the pledge
of Hazrat Mirza sahib.
Maulana Muhammad Ali has himself described in detail his acceptance
of Ahmadiyyat as follows:
“I first came to know about the Promised Messiah from my dear friend
and fellow student Munshi Abdul Aziz of Dehli. My elder brother
and I were studying in Randhir College, Karputhala, and this dear
friend was also studying there, whom we used to call Bhai Jan
(brother) out of affection.
“In 1890, after passing the entrance examination, both of us brothers
joined Government College, Lahore, and it was here that we learnt
about the Promised Messiah’s claim. During the summer break of 1891
when we came home, we went to Karputhala to see Bhai Jan and he
gave us the book Izala Auham that had been published recently.
On the way back we met a former teacher of ours, the late Maulvi
Rahmat-ullah, who, seeing the book in our hands, showed much disapproval,
saying that one can became kafir (unbeliever) by reading
it. We explained that there was no harm in reading it and if we
found in it anything against Islam we would not accept it.
“As soon as we got home, both of us and our father, the late Hafiz
Fateh-ud-Din, read the book and we all agreed that whatever was
written in it, was true: Jesus was dead and Hazrat Mirza sahib was
right in his claim.
“Our late father had not only committed the Holy Quran to memory
but had also mastered other Islamic books. So religious matters
were always under discussion in our family. It was due to our father’s
influence that from an early age we became so zealous about prayers
that during our school days in Kapurthala we said the five prayers
regularly in congregation in the mosque.
“Our village Murar was not very far from Qadian, perhaps twenty
miles, and Hazrat Mirza sahib was well known in these areas as a
most holy man. People knew that in Qadian there was a very saintly
man whose prayers were accepted by God and who was without equal
in piety, worship and religious knowledge. My father knew all that,
and it was the renown of the good name of Hazrat Mirza sahib that
was the first reason in attracting us to accept him.
“Today the many people who are indifferent towards Ahmadiyyat are
perhaps under the impression that before accepting it you have to
engage in many complicated discussions and study many intricate
religious issues, but the three of us at least never needed to go
through that. The first deciding point for us was his righteous
and blameless life. The Holy Quran itself has offered the same proof
to establish the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s truth: “I have lived among
you a lifetime before this. Do you not then understand?” (10:16).
When Allah wants to appoint someone to a high position, that is
how the ground is prepared: first the hearts are captured by his
saintliness, high moral character, truthfulness and service of humanity.
“The scholastic matters were not difficult either. Our father was
well versed in religion, and though we two brothers were only students
it was not difficult to understand the simple fact that the Holy
Quran proves the death of Jesus. This belief is the foundation stone
of accepting Ahmadiyyat. Even an illiterate person who is willing
to accept the verdict of the Holy Quran can understand it without
difficulty.
“The second stage of accepting Ahmadiyyat is the issue of the descent
of Jesus. Even for this you do not need much knowledge. Everyone
knows that the advent of the Messiah among the Muslim people was
foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and there are the most reliable
Hadith reports speaking of this.
“If the foundation stone has been laid and you have accepted Jesus’
death then the next step is also very easy. Who is this Messiah
that had been mentioned in the Hadith reports? After admitting the
death of Jesus, one of two views must be accepted: either that the
Promised Messiah must be a mujaddid (Reformer) of this Umma
or that all those Hadith reports are untrue. The second view cannot
be accepted by any Muslim who has reverence for the Holy Prophet’s
Hadith because in that case the entire mass of Hadith reports will
have to be rejected. So there is no choice but to accept the first
view, that a mujaddid of this Umma will fulfil the
prophecies of the descent of the Messiah.
“In resolving this issue some other points also come to mind. All
Muslims agree that the Holy Prophet Muhammad was the Last Prophet.
The Quran makes it clear that there will not be any prophet after
him. A prophet can only come if there remains some work of prophethood
to accomplish. If the doctrine of the finality of prophethood is
true then no prophet can now come. It makes no difference whether
he was raised to prophethood before the Holy Prophet or after him.
After the Holy Prophet Muhammad the coming of any prophet in the
world is prohibited, and after him only mujaddids are needed.
“The other point is that authentic Hadith reports give different
physical descriptions of what Jesus and the coming Messiah look
like. If the same Jesus was the coming Messiah, how could the physical
appearance be different?
“The third question is that if it is true that Jesus has died and
it is also true that the Promised Messiah must be a mujaddid
of this Umma, then is Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian
that Messiah or do we wait for someone else? This step was also
very clear because his claim to be mujaddid had been widely
established. There was no one who could doubt his truthfulness and
righteousness. A man who had never made a fabrication about a human
being, could not make a fabrication about God, let alone that a
mujaddid could do such a thing. Moreover, he was the man
to whom such a great truth was disclosed, to whom Allah told the
secret which had not been made known to other people for such a
long time, and whom Allah had informed of the real meaning of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad’s prophecies. Who could be more deserving
of fulfilling these prophecies than him? The truth is that when
the time comes for the fulfilment of a prophecy it is only then
that people are informed about its real meaning.
“I have mentioned these broad, basic points that helped my father,
my brother and I to take our decision. These points were so clear
that after studying Izala Auham all three of us reached the
same decision simultaneously and were convinced of the truthfulness
of the Promised Messiah’s claim. However, none of us at that time
entered into the pledge of Hazrat Mirza sahib. When in 1892 the
Promised Messiah came to Lahore where he had a debate with Maulvi
Abdul Hakim — which ended in his announcement that he was not claiming
to be a prophet and that he used the word ‘prophet’ only in its
linguistic sense as meaning muhaddas, and that even after
this explanation if the Muslim brethren object to the use of this
word then they may consider it deleted and replaced by the word
muhaddas — it was on this occasion that we two brothers had
a chance to see the Promised Messiah and our belief in his truth
increased even further.
“After passing my B.A. examination in 1894, when I was studying
for my Master of Arts, and Maulvi Aziz Bakhsh had gone to the teacher
training college, I became a professor of mathematics in Islamia
College and it was then that I met my dear friend Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
who was also doing his M.A. and was a professor at Islamia College.
The Khwaja sahib had already taken the pledge, though I had not.
Yet there was such affinity in our ideas that we soon became very
close. In those days I used to write newspaper articles in favour
of Hazrat Mirza sahib.
“About two years or so after I had befriended Khwaja sahib, he asked
me to accompany him to Qadian and meet Hazrat Mirza sahib. So in
March 1897 I went to Qadian with him (some other friends were also
with us). Our stay of only a few days unfolded a new spiritual world
before our eyes. Although the writings of Hazrat Mirza sahib showed
his fervour and passion for the advancement of Islam, but what we
discovered in his company was that he had absolutely no other interest
or occupation, day or night. After the fajr prayer he would
sit and talk about the propagation of Islam. A little later when
he would go for a walk, all the way the topic would be the same.
On his return, while sitting and eating with his friends the same
thing would be under discussion; and similarly when he would sit
in the mosque after the maghrib prayer till the isha prayer.
The discussions would be about how no other religion can stand against
the truth of Islam, how Islam can be propagated in the West, the
need to meet the challenge of the Arya Samaj in India, how to create
a connection with God, how to derive enjoyment from prayers, and
the necessity to make the Holy Quran our guide. In short, this was
the only pastime, which is not found in any worldly gatherings.
I stayed there for seven or eight days, and in the end through Khwaja
sahib I myself expressed the desire to take the pledge of this holy
man and entered into his bai‘at.
“After taking the pledge I informed my elder brother Maulvi Aziz
Bakhsh and my late father. Both of them immediately took the pledge.
Later on, all my other brothers and various other relatives followed,
so that today by the grace of Allah there is a very large group
of these relations all of whom are helping the cause of the faith
according to their means.” (Paigham Sulh, 7 November 1933)
Letter from father on Muhammad Alis baiat
When Maulana Muhammad Ali informed his elder brother Maulvi Aziz
Bakhsh that he had taken the pledge, the latter wrote to their father
expressing his desire also to take the pledge. Hafiz Fateh-ud-Din
replied as follows in a letter dated 2 April 1897:
Praise be to Allah that you have asked for my permission
regarding taking the pledge of Mirza sahib the Promised Messiah.
When I first heard about his claim, at the time of the census of
1891, I had little belief. Afterwards when I read books written
by Hazrat sahib I turned away from the earlier belief. Since 1892
I have believed that in this age a special righteous man accepted
by God, the Promised Messiah, is undoubtedly preaching the truth
of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and supporting the religion of God,
and the claim of the Hazrat sahib is all correct and true. I have
no doubt about his claim. Due to laxity I could not come to his
presence, but I have taken the pledge truly in my heart. I am very
pleased to learn that Maulvi Muhammad Ali has taken the pledge.
I permit you also to do the same, and am happy at such a felicitous
act. I too will come in a few days to the company of the Hazrat
sahib to have the privilege of meeting him. Till I come to his presence
I will remain anxious because there is no surety of life. I am there
in my heart, as Allah knows best.
Stay in Lahore after joining the Ahmadiyya Movement
After taking the pledge in 1897, Maulana Muhammad Ali stayed in
Lahore for a further two years. This was the time when he was a
professor in Oriental College and also taking his law examination.
During that period the Promised Messiah used to send him some of
his writings and submissions etc. to be translated into English.
He used to go to Qadian almost every weekend and in other vacations,
and used to spend all the summer vacations there. In those days
it was not easy to travel to Qadian because there was no train service
to it. Batala station was at a distance of twelve miles and there
was an unpaved track from there to Qadian. Sometimes a horse-cart
could be hired along that road but at other times you had to walk
all the way. He himself once described the journey to Qadian in
the following words:
“During our student life we often travelled to Qadian.
The train from Lahore used to arrive at Batala at midnight and there
would be no horse-cart or carriage to take us to Qadian. So we would
set out on foot and after arriving in Qadian spend the night on
the floor of the mosque and wake up for the fajr prayer.
We used to go there just for one day, so much was our zeal and our
longing to meet Hazrat Mirza sahib. We would go there on Saturday
night and leave Sunday evening.”
Correspondence with Hazrat Mirza sahib and arrangements for legal
practice
Maulana Muhammad Ali passed his final law examination in 1899,
and gave up his employment intending to set up a legal practice.
At that stage he had been accepted as a candidate for the E.A.C.
(Extra Assistant Commissioner) competitive examination and had a
strong chance of qualifying. At that time this was the highest competitive
examination that Indians could enter.
In these two years, from 1897 to 1899, Maulana Muhammad Ali and Hazrat
Mirza sahib corresponded frequently. A large number of letters from
Hazrat Mirza sahib are preserved in the papers of Maulana Muhammad
Ali. Some of these are reproduced below by way of illustration. These
letters are in connection with matters such as getting his writings
translated into English, preparing his defence in some court cases,
and various other topics. During that period Hazrat Mirza sahib sent
many submissions to the government of India as well as the state government
of the Punjab on topics such as reforming the ways in which religious
debates and discussions were conducted so as to prevent offending
any community’s feelings, Muslims to be given time from work to attend
Friday prayers, and facts about his own movement and its beliefs.
In addition to translating these into English, Maulana Muhammad Ali
also translated the defence statements for Hazrat Mirza sahib in court
cases brought by his opponents, such as the cases involving Maulvi
Muhammad Husain Batalvi and the income tax case.
Letter 1
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, M.A., Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
I received your kind letter. I am praying for you whole heartedly
all the time. May Allah the forgiving, the merciful, make
you successful. It is hoped that, trusting in Allah, you will
write the answers after careful consideration. You should
also pray much. May Allah be gracious to you. Amen,
again amen. I have not received any letter from Doctor
sahib. It is still awaited.
Humbly, Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian, 5 December 1898. |
Letter 2
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
Looking at the hard work and amount of effort you are putting
in purely in the way of Allah, the prayer comes out of my
heart that may Allah give you good reward in this world and
the hereafter. Amen.
At the moment I am sending you sixteen pages of the book.
More will follow as they are printed. What you have asked
is very appropriate. You may reduce or expand the biography
as you like. I leave that entirely up to you.
Humbly, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, 3 January 1899. |
Letter 3
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
The defence paper that is to be printed today is being sent
to you through brother Maulvi Sher Ali sahib. It is my firm
opinion, which I consider absolutely essential, that you should
translate it very carefully and get it printed as you translate
it. For the costs a sum of money has been sent now. If the
expenses exceed this then you may get them from Babu Taj-ud-Din.
You must remember that in this defence in English it must
be stated very clearly that the prophecy published in the
announcement about the Mubahila, dated 21 November
1898, has come true, and references should be given
to the announcements. If I have missed out any points in this
paper, you should complete them. In the end I pray that Allah
may grant you to pass, and reward you for these services.
Amen, again amen.
Humbly, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, 18 January 1899. |
Letter 4
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
Congratulations on your success in the examination. In the
days just before the result was announced I was very anxious
and thinking about this. Praise be to Allah, that you passed
it. In the defence that is to be published, if there is scope
by the time you receive this letter then please mention at
a suitable place the proceedings which took place at the meeting
about the plague.
Humbly, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, 8 February 1899. |
Letter 5
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
Today, on 8 February 1899, your letter was received. The labour
that you have undertaken out of sincere zeal, may Allah bestow
upon you goodly reward for it. Amen, again Amen.
Humbly, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, 8 February 1899. |
Letter 6
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
I have received your kind letter and hope that, after spending
a few days in your village, you will, according to your promise,
come here for eight days. I have started to write the book
which you are going to translate, and brother Shaikh Rahmat-ullah
is ready to go to London so that it can be published in Europe.
It would be best if you could arrange to come at the earliest
possible convenient time so that you could say Eid
prayers here. Many other friends are also expected. Wa-salam.
Humbly, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, 29 March 1899. |
Letter 7
My dear brother Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib, Assalamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu!
Your kind letter was received. I am very happy to know that
Allah in His perfect wisdom has provided you an opportunity
to stay in Qadian. It appears that Allah Almighty intends
to shower much of His blessing and mercy upon you by this
opportunity. I think it would be better if you spend the entire
summer till October here in Qadian and devote yourself to
religious work with youthful vigour. During this time you
can learn the Holy Quran from Maulvi (Nur-ud-Din) sahib.
Then in October, which is the onset of winter, you will have
the choice of starting your own career. This period will inshallah
act as an elixir for you in the completion of religious
tasks. I hold an extremely good opinion about you and believe
that during this time you will make great progress. It has
long been my intention to divide my community into two groups:
one group consisting of those who are partly for this world
and partly for religion, and are not able to withstand great
trials, nor can they render any important services to religion;
and the other group consisting of those who enter through
this door with full sincerity and faithfulness and in reality
sell themselves in this path. I wish that God would include
you in the latter group. After 15 May 1899 you should come
prepared for this long stay. I am sure God will reward you
for this. During this period if you intend to take any other
examination,* the solitude
here will provide ample time to prepare. Anyhow I can see
it will be a great blessing, but you must be determined to
stay in Qadian in any case till October. Everything is fine.
Wa-salam.
Humbly, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, 8 May 1899. |
*Footnote: His
name had been accepted for the E.A.C. competitive examination.
The last letter above was received by Maulana Muhammad Ali at the
time when he was about to give up his job at Oriental College and
had decided to set up his legal practice. Accordingly, for this purpose
he had already rented a house, bought books and furniture and hired
a clerk. Before starting this legal practice he had expressed his
wish to stay for some time with Hazrat Mirza sahib in Qadian, and
intended to leave Lahore around 15 May 1899.
On this date the first phase of his life, consisting of twenty
five years, comes to an end.
(Note: Images of the original letters by Hazrat Mirza sahib,
translated above, are reproduced in Mujahid-i Kabir, along
with their text in printed form.)
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