Read this carefully as it contains Good News for you.
1
O elders of Islam, may God Almighty inspire your hearts with greater good intentions than the rest of the people, and may He, in this time of crisis, make you true servants of His beloved faith. It is only for the sake of Allah that I hereby inform you of the important fact that at the turn of this fourteenth century God Almighty has appointed me from Himself for the revival and support of the true faith of Islam, so that in this tumultuous age I should proclaim the excellences of the Holy Quran and the greatness of the Holy Prophet(sa), and — with the help of the light, blessings, miracles and Divine knowledge that have been bestowed upon me — I should respond to all the enemies who are attacking Islam. This mission has been ongoing for the last ten years, but all the means that are needed for the propagation of Islam require substantial financial support. I, therefore, deem it necessary to convey this message to you. Listen, O men of eminence, listen! the difficulty we are faced with in the path of Allah and His Messenger(sa) is that great financial resources are needed for the propagation of our publications among millions of people. The situation obtaining now is, firstly, that no funds are available for the accomplishment of all these monumental tasks. Even if a book does get published with the support and determination of some zealous servants of the faith,2 no more than a few copies get sold due to the prevailing apathy and indifference. Most copies of the books remain stored away in boxes for years or have to be distributed free. All this is badly hurting the cause of the propagation of the faith. Though God Almighty is multiplying this Jama‘at day by day, there is, so far, none amongst us who is affluent enough to take upon himself a substantial part of the service of Islam. Since I have been commissioned by God Almighty for the revival of the faith, and He has given me the glad tidings that He shall bring prominent men and even kings into my Jama‘at, and He has said to me, ‘I shall bestow upon you blessing after blessing, until kings shall seek blessings from thy garments’; it, therefore, occurred to me today that I should invite those who own wealth and resources to join me in the furtherance of my cause.
Since the task of helping the faith is a momentous one, and man is susceptible to doubts and misgivings, and one cannot have the resolve for giving such substantial assistance unless he has recognized the truth, I, therefore, announce it publicly to all rich and affluent gentlemen that if they have any hesitation in offering assistance without prior verification, let them write to me about some of their plans, ventures and difficulties so that I may pray for them. But, at the same time, they must also inform me how much financial assistance they will be willing to offer me in the cause of Islam once their desired objective has been fulfilled, and whether they have made a firm resolve in their hearts that they will offer this assistance without fail. When I receive such a letter from anyone,3 I will pray for him, and I am certain that, unless it is a matter of Taqdir-e-Mubram [irrevocable destiny], God will hear my supplications and will inform me of it through revelation. Do not despair if your aims are hard to achieve, for God has power to do everything, provided His eternal Will is not opposed to it. In the event that many people send such requests, I shall only respond to those whose success in their endeavours will be foretold to me by God Almighty. These will also serve as signs for the disbelievers and such signs may become so numerous as to flow like a river.
Finally, I urge and admonish every Muslim to wake up for the sake of Islam. Islam is facing severe tribulations. Come to its assistance for it is in adversity. This is the purpose for which I have come. God Almighty has granted me the knowledge of the Holy Quran and disclosed to me the verities and subtle points of His Book, and He has granted me miracles. Come to me so that you too may partake of this bounty. I swear by Him in Whose hand lies my life that I have been sent by God Almighty. Was it not necessary that at the turn of such a century, which is replete with great trials and tribulations, and whose evils are self-evident, a Reformer should have appeared with a manifest claim? You shall soon recognize me through my work. The ignorance of religious scholars has always been a hindrance to everyone who has come from God. And it was only through their accomplishments that men of God were finally recognized. A bitter tree cannot bring sweet fruit, and God does not grant other people the blessings which He bestows upon His chosen ones.
O ye people, Islam has become very weak, the enemy has laid siege from all sides, and the objections against it have risen to more than three thousand. At such a juncture, you need to prove your faith by showing sympathy for Islam, you will then be counted amongst the men of God. 4
Translation of Persian verses:
The Faith of Ahmad(sa) has been forsaken,
None has its interest at heart;
Everyone is engrossed in his own affairs,
None cares for the Faith of Ahmad(sa).
Thousands have been drowned
By the flood of misguidance;
Woe to him,
Who is not alerted even now.
O masters of wealth!
Why such indifference?
Are you totally given to slumber,
Or has the fortune of the Faith gone to sleep?
O ye Muslims! for God’s sake,
Take a look at the plight of the Faith;
The calamities that I see
Hardly need to be mentioned.
O valiant ones, rise!
The garment of the Faith has caught Fire;
It does not behove the faithful
To stand and watch from afar.
Day and night, and every moment,
My heart is in agony at the plight of the Faith;
None knows of my anguish but He —
The Knower of all hidden things.
Only He can understand
The grief that I suffer;
I drink of this poisonous cup
But have no power to speak.
Everyone takes care
Of his near and loved ones,
Alas! is there no one
To stand up for the helpless Faith!
I see the blood of the Faith flow
Like [the blood] of the martyrs of Karbala;
And I am amazed at these people,
Who have no love for the beloved [Faith]!
When I see them spending freely
On their own pleasures;
I wonder why such generosity is not shown
In the cause of the Faith.
O ye, who are able and resolved
To help the Faith!
I urge you to be generous;
No matter if your contributions are great or small.
Look! how the Faith,
Which has no peer under the canopy of heaven,
Is rolling in dust
Due to the injustices of ignoble people.
At the time of this adversity and tribulation,
There is only one remedy available to us helpless ones:
To supplicate in the morning
And shed tears of anguish before dawn.
O God! grant not joy
To the heart full of darkness,
Which has no sympathy
For the Faith of Ahmad(sa).
O my brother,
Few are the days of rejoicing and merrymaking;
These blissful gardens and enchanted orchards
Will not last forever.
[Publishers]
The Writer:
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian,
District Gurdaspur, Punjab.