Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2017
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer Come to success
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Peace be upon you all, I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah He is alone and has no partner
and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His Servant and Messenger After this I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Gracious, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the right path The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure,
and those who have not gone astray. First of all I would like to mention something regarding this site which the Jama’at has obtained for holding the Friday Prayers and where they say it will also be held next week.
Due to the close proximity of this area to the airport and the coming and going of airplanes, there might be some noise and at times it may be very loud. Despite the noise, I will continuously try to speak loud enough for you to hear me
so that you can understand my words. If the sound [from the airplanes passing] remains at its current level then it is tolerable. They say that the direction of the wind also has a bearing on the sound.
If the wind is blowing towards this direction the sound will be louder and if the wind is in the opposite direction the noise will be less. Anyways, the Friday Prayers could not be held at Baitus Subuh because the space would have been too constricted.
Further they said that they could not obtain any other hall or place [to hire] at a suitable price. However I feel that that a hall could have been located if the arrangements had been made on time.
Our people have a habit of starting work at the very last minute and think wishfully that the work will get done at the end of the day. With the Grace of Allah many tasks are done in the Jama’at often in emergency situations
and the way we are able to complete such tasks is more or less unmatched by anyone else. However this does not mean we should abandon pre-planning altogether. Because of wishful thinking, negligence and failing to give due importance
we still have not obtained permission to hold Friday Prayers or any other programmes in the newly purchased building opposite to Baitus Subuh, Baitul Afiyat. When during my Jalsa visit last year I led the Friday Prayer at Baitus Subuh,
women and people from surrounding areas were asked not to come due to limited space. I said to the Jama’at administration then to quickly acquire permission for use of Baitul Afiyat so that such difficulties could be avoided.
In my view, or at least according to the reports I have been sent, the Jama’at has been making serious efforts to this end since that time. Despite this the council has persistently raised very minor objections. The Jama’at should have taken into consideration before that
it is not as if the council is not working under their administration and would not simply accept their application. As soon the site was purchased, serious work should have started to attain permission or to make any alterations necessary for it to be used.
Had work on this begun immediately, we would not be facing these huge obstacles today. Even though the Jama’at here considered this to be a very large area suitable for the extra rush they anticipated today due to Easter holidays,
and that as a result there would have been constrained capacity even in Baitul Afiyat, yet Baitul Afiyat could still be used for routine Friday Prayers. The building was purchased two or three years ago yet there are still restrictions on using the facility.
The circumstances in the world for Muslims were also healthier at the time the site was bought and it would have been possible to get permissions quickly if work was initiated back then. But now the reservations of others towards Muslims have grown further
and new obstacles are being faced. Perhaps Ameer Sahib and the administration will say that this is not the underlying reason or that this was inevitable. In any case, this is slackness on their part as they habitually delay matters until later,
which is the reason why we face these hurdles today. May Allah the Almighty grant wisdom and sense to the administration, may He save them from indulging in wishful thinking and may He enable them to carry out their duties properly understanding the facts and realities.
Since you have elected your office holders it therefore is your duty to constantly pray for them to carry out their work wisely. Anyways, in just a few minutes we have heard three of four planes fly past overhead.
This is something we will have to get used to. The alternative was that a limited number of people are called for the Friday Prayers and women restricted from attending. In Pakistan and elsewhere where there is opposition to the Ahmadiyya Community
women are restricted from coming for the Friday Prayers. There is no one central place were the Friday Prayers are held, rather they are conducted at numerous places. In Algeria there is a complete ban on us saying the Friday Prayer,
neither can we say it in centres and nor even at home. But there it is restricted due unjust laws or out of fear of opponents, whereas here there is religious freedom and so any restrictions are only due to our slackness
and showing negligence to various matters. Anyways, pray that in upcoming Friday Prayers – and by this I do not mean next week’s Friday Prayer but rather whenever a plan is made to return here, InshaAllah,
then may permission be granted for use of Baitul Afiyat or at least we gain access to a place where everyone can easily and comfortably be accommodated. Even in Baitul Afiyat the issue of limited space will be resolved in the short term only.
InshaAllah the Community will grow further and continues to do so. Thus any site we acquire will gradually become too small. However it is unintelligent and an invalid response to say that
a place has now become too small when it could not be used for several years due to negligence. Anyways, after these few words, for today’s Friday Sermon I had initially selected a different topic. However as I was going to lead the funerals of some deceased
some of their accounts have come to light. I therefore thought that I would say some things about them. They include a martyr, a missionary and a granddaughter of the Promised Messiah (as).
Some of the qualities they possessed are examples of piety for all people for the Community and they are role models for many of us to derive lessons from. So I deemed it appropriate to speak in detail about these deceased individuals rather than mention them briefly.
The various perspectives of their lives brought before me or that I had knowledge of testify that it makes them “of the most beloved” . They are those who fulfil their pledges and intentions and give precedence to the faith
over the world and returned to their Maker in this state. The first of the deceased is our martyred brother, Retired Professor Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Sahib, who was martyred last Friday. He was the son of Sheikh Sultan Ahmad Sahib of Lahore and was 68 years old.
Last Friday he sat in his car to head towards Baitul Tauheed for the Friday Prayers. On the way an opponent of Ahmadiyyat on a motorcycle shot him and he was thus martyred. “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”
According to the reports, on the day of the incident the martyred was travelling in his car to the mosque for the Friday Prayer along with his twelve year old grandson and an Ahmadi friend from Sabsazaar district.
The martyred was driving the car himself and his grandson was seated in the front seat beside him. His friend was sitting at the back. From Sabsazaar they had reached the Multan road at a location where road works were taking place and the traffic had stopped.
As soon as they stopped, an assailant on motorcycle rwearing a helmet approached the side near the driving seat. He placed his pistol on the forehead of the martyred and fired, and then fled.
The bullet went through his forehead and thus he [Sheikh Sultan Sahib] was martyred on the spot. The other two passengers remained safe and they were not targeted. Ahmadiyyat began in his family through the martyrs paternal grandfather,
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Sahib, when the Promised Messiah (as) was in Ludhiana. His family originated from Sangroor, Eastern Punjab, India. After an elder of the area, Pir Meeraan Baksh Sahib accepted Ahmadiyya, he invited the grandfather of the martyred to do the same.
The martyr’s grandfather along with his family joined Ahmadiyyat. The deceased’s grandfather passed away before the country of Pakistan was created. After the creation of Pakistan, his grandmother, Ayesha Sahiba, led the family to migrating from India to Lahore, Pakistan.
After residing in a camp for a while, she moved to Sanat Nagar, Lahore. This is where the martyred was born in 1949. A few years later the family moved to Rabwah. The martyred acquired his early education from Rabwah.
After completing matriculation, he enrolled at Veterinary College, Lahore. His family therefore moved back to Lahore. After acquiring an MSc in Veterinary Science, he worked as a lecturer at Veterinary College where he progressed up to becoming a professor.
The father of the deceased, Sheikh Sultan Sahib, was a sub-inspector in the Punjab police. When the FSF was formed he worked as an inspector. With the Grace of Allah the deceased was a Moosi. He had immense love for Khilafat.
He was regular in offering Tahajjud. He was very hospitable and helped in service to humanity. He always complied with office bearers and was a very pious and sincere individual. He was always at the forefront of serving the Community and possessed a very high moral standard.
He was enthusiastic about calling others towards God. Due to his high moral standard and being very friendly and social, he was always accepted by his students and fellow professors. He would often invite his fellow professors home for dinner
where he would introduce the Ahmadiyya Community very effectively. For this reason he would sometimes get threats however he never cared about such things. In fact he would say this is a trivial matter. From childhood the martyred held great passion to serve the Community.
He was enabled to work in various departments on the Jama’at level and auxiliary level. After settling in Sabsazaar, he served excellently as Sadr and Naib Zaeem-e-Aala. He was appointed this year as Secretary Dawatalillah in Alama Iqbal Town Lahore.
In an excellent fashion he began in this task and formed programs. His wife had ailments in her joints and has been ill for a long time. She happily helped him and last December, his wife passed away.
They did not have any children. They had an adopted son and he has two children, Shahzaib and Shazain who live with him in Lahore. And it was perhaps this son who was with the deceased going for the Friday Prayers.
One of his brothers, Ilyas Sahib lives in Birmingham. He said that he was a very loving brother. He did not take care of him like an elder brother to a younger one,
rather he took care of him like a father. “He played a prominent role in our upbringing. “We learned everything from him including the Prayers and its translation “as well as the Holy Qur’an.” He always took care of his younger brothers.
“He always helped us in our education and guided us. “He would go to our school and meet with our teachers “and would remain constantly worried about us. “He would get us ready to attend functions of the Community with great etiquette and took us along.
“He would prepare us to participate in various academic competitions. “He would take us along to offer prayers in congregation.” If elder brothers took their younger brothers in this manner, as well as parents [taking their children] then attendance at our mosques can increase many times.
Then he says, “he would always take us with him for Jama’at duties. “The martyred saw a dream in the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh).” His brother says that “I suddenly remembered the dream two days afterwards.
“He said that ‘in the dream I see that an announcement is being made in a mosque ‘in the area belonging to non-Ahmadis, that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) has passed away. ” ‘I see there is a knife in the letter box in the house.’ ”
He interpreted this at the time to mean that seeing the knife inferred sacrifices will have to be made by the Community. The announcing of the passing of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) in his dream could mean that
the Community would progress to such a degree during his time that his passing would be specially announced on speakers. In his view the dream was fulfilled through the announcements that were made on MTA and the knife indicated his martyrdom.
This was his interpretation, which appears to be a correct one, that it signified his martyrdom which has come to pass. He writes that “our brother has surpassed us. “He has given the family name great honour
“through obtaining the rank of martyrdom and being the first martyr of our family. “He has left an eternal example behind for us.” May Allah the Almighty elevate his rank. He has five brothers and one sister almost all of whom are abroad.
The second deceased who I will speak about is respected H. Nasir-ul-din Sahib, Missionary in-charge of East Godavari, India, who passed away on 7th April 2017 as a result of drowning in the Godavari River at the age of 42.
“Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.” On the day of the incident, he went to the river with the Amir of Secunderabad and some of the Jama’at members after offering the Fajr prayer in Bangal Puri Jama’at.
He was a good swimmer but went missing while swimming with the other members of the Jama’at. Eventually, with the help of the local fishermen, his body was found on the riverbank after an hour-long search. The deceased’s father, respected A. Shahil Hameed,
was the first Ahmadi in his area of Kavishri Kerala and the Ahmadiyya Jama’at was established through him in that area while his mother, respected Chila Kerobi Sahiba, was also among the pioneer Ahmadis [in that area]. The deceased graduated in 2000 from [Jamia Ahmadiyya] Qadian
and served in various areas of the Telangana and Andhra province as a very successful missionary. He also served in one of the larger Jama’ats in Shinta Konta. He was looking after all the Jama’ats assigned to him by training them with great wisdom.
At the time of his demise, he was serving as the Missionary-in-Charge of East Godavari district. His wife says that they had to live in certain places where there was only a Jama’at centre and therefore he would take his wife and children
and lead the prayer and delivered a Dars [Qur’anic lecture] and he continued this practise right till the day before his demise. Herein lies a great lesson for the missionaries that
even if the members of the Jama’ats are situated at long distances and no one comes for prayer even then the prayers must be offered whether it be by gathering one’s family to form the congregation. His wife further states that when he was appointed in Kamaredi,
the opposition intensified while he was distributing leaflets. He was caught and was severely beaten at the hands of the opponents but he was miraculously saved purely by the grace of Allah the Almighty. His wife states that she told him that the situation was extremely perilous
and there was a lot of opposition in Kerala and therefore he should request for a transfer because the enmity towards him had intensified. However, he replied, alright he will do it if she says so
and perhaps the centre will also arrange for his transfer if he writes to them citing the extreme hostility as a reason but how will they arrange for the transfer of the local Ahmadis? For them the enmity will remain the same.
He also said that leaving out of fear of the enemy is not right therefore they need to fulfil their pledge of Waqf [life devotion]. They had devoted their lives therefore whatever the circumstances they will remain there.
He also said that if he attained martyrdom then what better reward is there, therefore they will remain there. His simplicity was such that his wife states that he never bought any furniture and they had no furniture of their own in the house.
He would always say that they are life-devotees and they will go wherever the Jama’at instructs them to go therefore their furniture and personal items of the house should not become a hindrance when they are transferred elsewhere.
Thus, they should make do and manage with whatever provisions the Jama’at has given them. This is also an example for the Waqifeen-e-Zindagi [life-devotees]. Last year, he was transferred to Amla Porum and there he was so committed to teaching the children Holy Qur’an that
he would travel one kilometre everyday either by foot or cycle and would teach them the Holy Qur’an and then return. This is also an example for the missionaries. His wife further states that he had the quality of being extremely hospitable.
She says that if during the children’s vacations or school holidays, she was in Kerala and a guest came while she was not home, he would never get worried. He would always prepare the food himself and serve the guests.
He also had a great desire to become a martyr as has been mentioned earlier. He used to say that he often saw Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) and his father in his dreams and his father would be signalling to him and calling him.
Thus, he attained martyrdom from this point of view as well that he was away serving his faith and it was during this that he passed away and therefore this is also a form of Shahadat [martyrdom]. He was extremely devout, offered the Tahujjad [pre-dawn voluntary prayer]
and was extremely courageous Mujahid [one who strives] in the field of preaching and many a times the opponents captured him and physically persecuted him. I have also mentioned this incident in which the Maulvis [clerics] grievously beat him
in my speeches during the Jalsa Salana in which I narrate various incidents. He is survived by an elderly mother, wife and two sons. He also has two elder brothers: Sulaiman Sahib, who is the Amir of Paal Ghaat Kerala district and Shams-ul-Din Sahib
who is currently serving in the Malayalam section of Nizarat Nashr-o-Isha’at Qadian. Naveed-ul-Fateh Sahib who is a missionary and had the opportunity to serve alongside the deceased says that Maulana H Nasir-ul-Din Sahib lived in Kerala.
He was serving for approximately 18 years in the Telangana and Andhra province. He further says that they often met one another due to the fact that they were residing in the same area. He would sit with great humility during the meetings and
was ever-ready to offer any kind of service for the progress of the Ahmadiyya Community. He was an extremely loving person and was a scholar who led by the example of his own conduct. He was regular in his Tahajjud prayers
and would carry out his duties daily to educate and train others. He always specified a set time for his office related work. Respecting his elders was a special quality of his as well as showing kindness to children.
He would go out every day and did not fear the opponents as to what they will do. Therefore, he had a vast circle of friends among the non-Ahamdis because he also met them with open-heartedness and was a very amiable person.
He further adds that he never saw a furrow in his brow i.e. he never got angry. He always treated his fellow Mualimeen [local preachers] with kindness and would take care of their needs and he treated everyone with such love that whoever met him
would become captivated by his personality. He was very regular in reading the books of the Promised Messiah (as) and had specially devoted a time for this and this is also an extremely important and vital lesson for every missionary.
He would recite the Holy Qur’an without fail and would write his diary every day. It had always been part of his habit that he would pay great attention to whatever the Khalifa said and would attentively listen to the Friday Sermons.
Moreover, not only did he carefully listen to it but would strive to fully adhere to it and not present any of his own interpretations and explanations. He would try and practically fulfil every word
and this is also something very important for the Waqifeen-e-Zindagi [life devotees] . He had great love for Khilafat and also had unbounding love and affection for the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Promised Messiah (as) and he says that this quality emanated from his character
and this is also something that is important for Waqifeen-e-Zindagis. While in Kamaradi, the opponents once took him to the Bilal Mosque and severely beat him and he endured this beating patiently and remained unnerved.
The missionary further states that he was taken out of there with the help of the police and when he went to visit him in the hospital, he observed that despite being heavily wounded and in bandages, his facial expression portrayed an aura of spiritual delight.
He was extremely delighted and narrated the whole incident himself. He said that the opponents would question that what was the claim of the Promised Messiah (as)? He would reply that he claimed to be a subordinate prophet and hearing this they would beat him even more.
When they had mercilessly beat him then they would again ask that what was a subordinate prophet? He would again reply that it is the prophethood which one attains after being immersed in the love of the Holy Prophet (saw)
and that was the nature of the Promised Messiah’s prophethood. They would beat him again. Nonetheless, he used to relate these incidents with emotions of extreme gratitude whereby he endured physical torment and was thus able to serve the faith in this way also.
The missionary writing this states that when [Nasir-ul-din Sb] was transferred from that area he told him that he is being transferred however he [the missionary] should go to those places where there is opposition and work with great wisdom and this will open many opportunities.
He also told him the nature of the opposition and how he should preach. In other words, he also encouraged and emboldened others who came after him that they should not fear and convey the message of Ahmadiyyat with great courage.
A Mualim, Wazir Sahib, says that he was regular in the Tahujjud prayer, offered his prayers with extreme humility and fervency, recited the Holy Qur’an daily, he was extremely good-natured and exemplary person.
He had a special love for Khilafat and took great care in offering the prayers in congregation. He was extremely hospitable, liked simplicity and refrained from spending extravagantly. He also states that Nasir-ul-Din Sahib loved to read and study. This has been mentioned earlier.
If anyone asked a question, he would reply in an excellent manner. Often when he sat in a programme or gathering and especially when travelling with the Khuddam, he would relate faith-inspiring events. He treated everyone in an extremely good manner
as a result of which everyone liked to spend time with him. He further states that once while distributing leaflets in Kamaradi, the opponents planned to attack him. On the 20th February the Jama’at had organised a commemoration for the fulfilment of the prophecy
regarding Hazrat Muslehe Maud (ra) and he arrived at the prayer centre ahead of time. Meanwhile a group of around hundred non-Ahmadis had assembled to search for him but since he had already arrived at the mosque, therefore they could not meet him on the way.
Instead, the opposing Maulvis decided to stop the local Mualim of the Ahmadiyya Community who was travelling to the prayer centre to attend the Jalsa along with his wife and two children. They said to them that they will not let them go until Nasir-ul-Din Sahib comes forward.
However, when Nasir-ul-Din Sahib was informed of this, he immediately went there and told them that he was Nasir-ul-Din Sahib. Subsequently, the opponents let the Mualim Sahib and his family go but started hitting Nasir-ul-Din Sahib and they all severely beat him.
Eventually, with the help of the police he was saved and they insisted on the same kind of demands that he reject the claim of the Promised Messiah (as) and declare him a liar.
May Allah the Almighty elevate his status and grant patience and steadfastness to his children. The next person is respected Sahibzadi Amatul Wahid Beghum Sahiba, who was the wife of Sahibazada Mirza Khurshid Ahmad Sahib.
She passed away on 10th April 2017 at approximately ten o’clock in the night. She died at the age of 82 – “Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”
She was the youngest daughter of Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib and was also my paternal aunt. She was the paternal granddaughter of the Promised Messiah (as) and she was the maternal granddaughter of Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib.
She has been buried in Bahishti Maqbrah, Rabwah. She twice suffered extremely serious illnesses but endured these illnesses with great patience and courage. Dr Nuri Sahib has written regarding her that she was ill for approximately the last twenty years
and in his view she was an excellent example of piety and virtue. He further states that she endured these illnesses with great patience and strength. She suffered from cancer and at times during the last stages it can spread in the body
and the brain to an extremely dangerous level and the treatment for cancer is also very painful. However, owing to the strength granted to her by Allah the Almighty and patience, she did not let this hinder her normal routine activities
and she fought against this illness with great strength and patience. Dr Sahib writes that she continued her activities cheerfully and without any kind of fear and she was content with the will of Allah the Almighty.
Right up until the last days of her illness, she continued with the household chores and also looked after her husband. Her relationship with her husband was exemplary. Although she was ill herself but when her husband, Sahibzada Mirza Khurshid Ahmad Sahib, underwent angioplasty,
she completely ignored her own illness and helped take care of him. Hospitality was a very prominent attribute of hers. Whenever someone would come, she would serve them well and during the days of the Jalsa and Shura,
many non-family guests would come and she would serve them with great care. After her illness, she came twice to London and met me. She met me for the first time after becoming Khalifa in 2005 in Qadian.
Also, when she came here, she had a very sincere and devoted relationship with Khilafat. Despite being more senior in relation and age, she always met with great humility. Although she was my mother’s sister-in-law,
she was the youngest daughter of Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib and therefore she was almost the same age as my eldest sister. Therefore, my mother always treated her as one of her own children and she too never considered her as her sister-in-law,
in fact I saw that she always showed my mother great respect and held her in great esteem and this was an exemplary relationship. Her Nikah [marriage] ceremony took place on 26th December 1955 and was led by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra).
Alongside this the Nikah ceremony of Sayyid Mir Mahmood Ahmad took place with the daughter of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra), Sahibzadi Amatul Mateen, and also the Nikah of one of the daughters of Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan Sahib was settled with Ijaz-ul-Huq Sahib.
On 26th December [1955], prior to the opening session at the Jalsa Salana [annual convention], Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) said: “Before the inaugural address and opening prayer, I would like to announce some Nikah [marriage] ceremonies.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) then wrote: “It is customary that “the Nikah ceremonies would take place after Jalsa on 29th December, “however, these Nikah ceremonies are significant. “One is of my own daughter, Amatul Mateen,
“which has been settled with Mir Mahmood Ahmad Sahib, son of Mir Ishaac Sahb. “The second one is of Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan Sahibs daughter “and the third is Amatul Waheed, daughter of Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib,
“which has been settled with Mirza Khurshid Ahmad, son of Mirza Aziz Ahmad. Mirza Khurshid Ahmad Sahib is a life devotee.” Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) further wrote: “He is currently studying and will subsequently devote his life.”
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) then recited a few prayers and then stated: “May Allah the Almighty bless all of these marriages. “May Allah the Almighty grant blessings to these marriages in their secular lives
“and may they become a source of strength for the community in the future.” Through the grace of Allah the Almighty she was blessed with six sons, four of whom are devotees of life. Two of them are working as doctors at the Fazl-e-Umar Hospital.
One of them has a PhD doctorate and works in Nazarat-e-Ta’leem, and one is a lawyer who works for the Legal Advisory office in Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya. Her services for Lajna [women’s auxiliary organisation] span over 29 years
in which she served as Trade & Industry Secretray and also as the primary Deputy Sadr [President]. In her capacity as Secretary for Trade & Industry she had a great skill that she would manage to teach people from impoverished backgrounds to work with their hands.
In this way they would earn a living and at the same time the Lajna of Rabwah would be able to earn a substantial income from their expositions. She was extremely obedient to her superior office bearer, irrespective of a difference in age or family ties.
My wife informed me that “when she served as Sadr Lajna in Rabwah for two years, “the deceased worked alongside her in the capacity of Secretary for Trade & Industry, “as well as Deputy President. “She always worked passionately with great humility and obedience.
“Whichever work was assigned to her, she completed it with great fervour and dedication.” Her husband, Mr Mirza Khurshid Ahmad Sahib states: “She did justice to her responsibilities of being the wife of a life devotee. “She never demanded anything from me.
“She ensured a good upbringing for the children and it is the result of her good moral training “that by the grace of Allah, from six sons, four of them have devoted their lives.
“Aside from her own children she also looked after the children of the workers at home, “with great care and attention. “If any of them had not had the opportunity to learn to read the Holy Qur’an, “she would teach the children of the workers alongside her own.
“There is a number of children of a certain age that learnt to recite the Holy Qur’an “and also the translation from her.” He continues to write: “When she was studying in college she saw in a dream that her uncle,
“Mian Abdur Rahman Sahib of Malerkotla, sent her a beautiful pair of golden bangles “by way of an unfamiliar woman and also sent a message saying ‘sixty five and eighty two’. “Whilst handing over the bangles the woman said ‘sixty five and eighty two’.
“The deceased said for clarification purposes ‘sixty five and eighty two’?” The deceased said she understood the meaning of this when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) passed away in 1965 and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) passed away in 1982.
Her son Mr Adeel writes: “During the Jalsa period we would host approximately 100 guests “and she would entertain the guests open heatedly. “When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) migrated [from Pakistan] “she prepared tea and other refreshments for his journey.
“Similarly, under her own supervision she prepared certain dishes that he liked to eat.” She extended the same level of sincerity and devotion to me as she did to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) and she would often send food prepared under her supervision to me.
She was very respectful and courteous. She served her mother as well as her mother in law and father in law with great care and attention. She treated her sister in law just like a younger sister.
She was very regular in her prayers and would consistently recite the Holy Qur’an. She ensured that her children developed a habit of praying and would send them the mosque. After the Fajr [dawn] prayers she would urge her children
to recite the Holy Qur’an and would ensure they did this. She would look after the poor as well as those that worked for her and would ensure their comfort. As I mentioned before, since we lived in the same house she was very informal with me.
Her son writes: “After [being elected to the office of] Khilafat she would say that ” ‘previously I could compel him (i.e. referring to me) to run my errands. ” ‘However, who will now carry out those duties?’ ”
There were some issues pertaining to the land she owned. Nevertheless, I assured her she had never made any demands, and has always acted on the advice I have given contently. One of her Nand’s [husbands’ sister], who is also my sister in law writes:
“My relationship with her was just like the relationship between a mother and a daughter. “After the demise of my mother, she [i.e. the deceased] took great care of us. “For my wedding she organised for all my clothes, jewellery and dowry, herself,
“just as a mother would prepare for her own daughter’s wedding. “After my marriage she sent Eidi [tr adit ionally a gift given on Eid-ul-Fitr] every year, “just as a mother would send her daughter. “In her home, she brought up many girls of less fortunate backgrounds
“and provided means for their secular education as well as ensuring for their moral training. “She also brought up the daughter of one of her workers and at the time of her wedding, “she [i.e. the deceased] sent a message to all her husbands’ sisters that
“if they did not attend this wedding, she would not attend any of their children’s weddings.” This was the level of her intimate relationship that she expressed with those that were underprivileged. Her youngest sister-in-law writes:
“I once asked her at what age did she become regular in offering her Tahajjud prayer. “At first she did not answer and attempted to change the subject, however after I persisted “she said that she had been offering her Tahajjud prayers regularly since she was twelve years old.”
In addition to this, she herself took on the responsibility of paying for the dowry and education of many girls. Similarly she would also secure funding for the girls from the Lajna Dastkari Fund [startup fund]. She organised the Ronaq [pre-marital gathering organised for the bride]
of some girls of poorer backgrounds who, otherwise had no means to arrange this and would provide food from her own home. An incident showing her loyalty to Khilafat is written by the nephew of her husband, Mian Khurshid Ahmad Sahib:
“There was a bottle of honey and I requested for it to be given to me. “She said ‘it has been sent by him’ (indicating that it was me), ” ‘therefore I am unable to give it to you. ” ‘You may take any other bottle.’ ”
She had six daughter in laws and by the Grace of Allah she treated each one of them with the utmost respect and treated like daughters. One of her younger daughter in law’s is the daughter of Doctor Hamidullah who resides here in London.
His wife is also ill and as a result her daughter Atia had to travel. Before leaving the deceased told her to “go and not to worry”, even though she herself was ill herself. She said “go and inquire about your mother’s well-being.
“Leave the children here and I will look after them.” Despite being in immense pain she completed every work with great patience. My sister (youngest of two sisters) writes: “Whenever she would request her workers to carry out any task she would request them with kindness
“and even if occasionally they suffered a loss during one of the expositions, “she would not deal harshly with any of her workers. “She would work patiently and with great forbearance which is one of the reasons why all the Lajna members enjoyed working with her.
“She was flawless when it came to matters of administration. “If any worker was troubled by anything, she would immediately endeavour to ease their pain.” My sister, Amatul Quddoos Sahiba writes: “There are always shortcomings in every person’s deeds,
“however it was engrained in her to form a relationship with the Qur’an and the Ahadith, “almost as if righteousness was part of her disposition. “Whenever she saw something that was contrary to our teachings and traditions, “she would openly oppose it.”
Since she was the youngest she was adored by all from childhood, however she was very humble and always greeted everyone with humility. My older sister, Amatul Rauf Sahiba writes: “After the partition when we used to live with Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib in Model Town,
” in Lahore, he would gather everyone and teach the Qur’an and the Ahadith on a regular basis. “From then on our paternal aunt, Amatul Wahid Sahiba, who has just passed away, “developed a passion for this and taught many children, including her own.
“There was one child who had language difficulties. “She sat with him for hours on end and taught him how to read the Qur’an. “Now, by the grace of Allah that child is older and has no issues of this sort.” My sister further writes:
“She completed her Matriculation examinations, and “then gained her F.A. [Secondary School Certificate] from Rabwah. “She would begin studying after Tahajjud prayers and was always mindful of her prayers.” In a similar manner, many people have mentioned her attributes. Her son writes:
“she would say that ‘the relationship before Khilafat was different. “Now, after [being elected to the institution of] Khilafat “the relationship of a nephew has terminated, and now only the relationship of Khilafat remains”
Even when she would come here she would meet me. Occasionally she would stand up instantly. I would tell her that you are ill, you should take rest and even my wife would say, however she would still stand up immediately.
She had a firm belief in Allah the Almighty. One incident is that one of her younger son was married off before one of the older sons. They had designated one portion of the house for the older brother.
Her husband said that since they do not have any means [to expand] they should give that portion to the younger son. However she said not to do this and “to leave the designated part for the older brother
“[as agreed previously], God Almighty will make arrangements for us.” Coincidentally or perhaps it was the decree of God, one day she was reading the Qur’an and whilst reading a particular verse she told her husband that
“having read this verse, I am convinced that God Almighty will fulfil my requirements.” She had bought some prize bonds and by the Grace of Allah, she won a prize bond of 100,000 rupees and as it was during a period when things were not expensive,
they used the money for their refurbishments. Then her son further writes: “When the news of the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (ra) reached us, “we gathered in the mosque for the prayers. “Our mother was in terrible shock.
“At that time my elder sister in law began to cry audibly, at which my mother said: ‘remain silent! ” ‘The Jama’at is going through a period of great trial “‘ and it is a time where one should be praying, therefore, you should pray.’ ”
He writes: “I was nine years old when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) passed away. “As I was just a child, I laughed at something at which my mother admonished me severly “and said: ‘Remain silent! Are you not aware of the situation of the Jama’at?’
“From an early age she would ensure that we were aware of the importance of the Jama’at. Similarly, she would encourage children to memorise chapters of the Qur’an using various incentives.” One girl who was brought up in her home
– whose husband also works in Private Secretary’s office – writes: “I was in her home since I was four or five. “She taught me and ensured for my moral training as well as organised my wedding.
“After marriage whenever she would need any assistance she would call me over.” She writes: “On one occasion she came to visit me in my home “and saw a sofa that was in a decapitated state. “She enquired where I obtained it from.
“I informed her that it was donated to me by one of my neighbours. “She said to remove it and organised for a new sofa immediately.” This lady further states: “she was always mindful of my sons education
“and even in her final days of her illness, she made jewellery for my son’s wedding “with great meticulousness and care.” Similarly, she had great respect for those related through being fed milk from the same woman.
The son of the woman from whom they were fed milk currently resides in Switzerland, and writes: “When my father would be perturbed by any matter she would always show kindness.” She also has a sister related through being fed milk from the same woman.
The relatives of this sister wrote to me saying that she was very humble and even in her final days she would take care of them. These were all great qualities that she possessed. May Allah the Almighty enable her children to adopt these attributes
and may they always maintain a bond of loyalty with Khilafat. May Allah elevate her status. After the prayers I will lead the funeral prayers in absentia of all of the three deceased that I mentioned earlier. All praise is due to Allah.
We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection; we confide in Him, we trust Him alone and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls and from the bad results of our deeds.
Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him; and whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him onto the right path. And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
O servants of Allah! May Allah be merciful to you. Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other and to do good to others as one does to one ‘s kindred and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves
and evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority. He warns you against being unmindful. You remember Allah; He too will remember you; call Him and He will make a response to your call. And verily divine remembrance is the highest virtue.