أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ

أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ۔ اِیَّا کَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔

اِھْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔

When Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates incidents from the life of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), he derives those conclusions from them with great subtlety. By pointing toward the true paths of faith, a believer recognizes the true reality of God Almighty and religion and is enabled to attain its understanding. Once, while delivering a commentary on Ayat-ul-Kursi in a speech, explaining this portionلَہٗ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِی الْاَرْضِ۔ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِیْ یَشْفَعُ عِنْدَہٗ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِہٖ (Al-Baqarah: 256) "To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission?" he says that God Almighty says: Now tell me, when you have such a Master that everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him alone, how can you make anyone else your master in opposition to Him? People say that we do not worship anyone other than God and do not worship other than Allah. However, we offer votive offerings to them and ask them for our desires, because they are near to God Almighty and they will intercede for us before God Almighty. He says that God Almighty says: "No one can intercede without Our permission. In this age, who was to be a greater human being than the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him)? But once when the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) prayed for the son of Nawab Sahib (Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib), Abdul Rahim Khan, when he was ill, he received the revelation that this one will not survive. The thought came to him that Nawab Sahib is leaving everything behind and coming to Qadian. If his son dies, he may face a trial. Therefore, he submitted before God Almighty: 'O God! I intercede for the health of this boy.' Upon this, he received the revelation: مَنْ ذَا الَّذِیْ یَشْفَعُ عِنْدَہٗ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِہٖ "Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission?" Who are you to intercede without My permission? See how great a human being the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) was. For thirteen hundred years, the world had been awaiting him, yet even when he intercedes, Allah the Almighty says: Who are you to intercede without permission? Hazrat Sahib (the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him) says that when I received this revelation, I fell down and my body began to tremble. I was close to losing my life. But when this state occurred, Allah the Almighty said: 'Very well, We grant permission for intercession. Intercede.' So he interceded, and Abdul Rahim Khan recovered." He became healthy.

This was the grace of God Almighty, but this prayer was accepted. Permission for intercession was granted. But when Allah the Almighty says to a person like the Promised Messiah, 'Who are you to intercede?'—then what is the status of others who go around thinking themselves great that they can intercede for anyone? From the Ahadith, we learn that when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is granted permission, then he will intercede. So how foolish is that person who says that someone else will intercede for me! (Derived from Barakaat-e-Khilafat, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Volume 2, Page 241)

This false notion has also planted the evil of grave-worship in the people of our countries, in our society. They have become engulfed in it and commit shirk, worshipping pirs. So every Ahmadi should remember this fact that Allah the Almighty has said the same to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as well—that when permission is granted, only then will there be intercession. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid, Baab Kalam Rabb Azza wa Jall Yaum al-Qiyamah ma'al Anbiya wa Ghairahum, Hadith 7510)

Then, regarding how Allah the Almighty used to show the wonders of His power to the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), Hazrat Musleh Maud gives an example and says: "Once he had a complaint of cough. In caring for Mubarak Ahmad (who was his youngest son), he would stay awake entire nights. Hazrat Musleh Maud says that in those days, I used to sleep around twelve o'clock and would wake up early. But when I would go to sleep, I would see Hazrat Sahib (the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him) awake, and when I would wake up, I would still see him awake. Due to this exertion, he developed a cough. His health began to deteriorate." (Derived from Taqdeer-e-Ilahi, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Volume 4, Page 579)

Hazrat Musleh Maud says that the service of giving him medicine etc. was entrusted to me, and naturally whoever is given a task considers it his right to have a say in it. I too, considering it my right as a compounder, would give some input into his eating and drinking. Thus, by way of advice, I would also submit that he should not eat this or that. The prescriptions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (may Allah be pleased with him) were also prepared and used, and English medicines too, but the cough kept increasing. This was the incident of 1907, and Abdul Hakeem, the apostate, having read about the trouble of his cough, had written that Mirza Sahib will die suffering from tuberculosis. Therefore, we also had some concern that he should not get even a false excuse for rejoicing. But the trouble of his cough was very severe, and sometimes such a long fit would come that it seemed the breath would stop. In such a state, a friend came from outside and brought some fruit as a gift. Hazrat Musleh Maud says: I presented them before Hazrat. He looked at them and said: Tell him (the friend) JazakAllah, and then picked up something from them which was probably a banana. Hazrat Musleh Maud says: Since I used to give medicine etc., therefore, or perhaps to teach me a lesson, the Promised Messiah asked: How is this in cough? I said: It is not good. But he smiled and began to peel and eat it. I submitted again that the cough is very severe and this thing is not good to eat. He smiled again and continued eating. In my ignorance, I insisted again that it should not be eaten. Upon this, he smiled again and said: I have just received the revelation that "the cough has been removed." Thus, the cough went away at that very moment. Although at that time neither was any medicine used nor any precaution taken; rather, he was careless; and the cough still went away. Although before this, treatment had been going on for a month and the cough had not gone away. So this is divine intervention. He says that indeed, illnesses occur from carelessness, and health comes from treatment, but when Allah the Almighty wills, He intervenes. And the weapon of prayer has been taught to man by Allah the Almighty for this reason—that he goes before God Almighty and says: I do not want freedom. I am fed up with my circumstances. Please be kind and intervene in my affairs. And Allah the Almighty also sees that this servant has become trusting and wants Me to intervene in his affairs, so He does, and then shows a sample of His power. (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 23, Pages 274-275)

After the example of this incident, Hazrat Musleh Maud gave an example that refreshes faith and relates to Lekhram—that the incident of Lekhram can also be presented as an example of this matter: that when God Almighty wills, illness can occur despite all the means of health. (Now, in the case of Lekhram) God Almighty had said (the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, had received the revelation) that his death would occur on the second day of Eid and within six years. Now, in six years, arranging special protection for two or three days is not a difficult matter, and it was within his power to arrange special protection during those days. But despite this, God Almighty fulfilled the prophecy of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), although the apparent circumstances were against it. His death was destined for March 6th. On March 1st, Lekhram was ordered by the Sabha to reach Multan. (This was their committee.) There, until March 4th, he gave four lectures. Then the Sabha sent him a telegram to go to Sukkur, but due to the plague there, the Arya Samajists of Multan stopped him from going. Then Pandit Lekhram prepared to go to Muzaffargarh, but it is not known why he suddenly returned straight to Lahore and arrived here on the afternoon of March 6th." If he had not returned that very day, this prophecy would not have been fulfilled. But despite the opportunity arising for him to stay away, he still reached Lahore and was also killed at the appointed time. This is an example of the fact that despite all means of health and protection, a person can be destroyed. So Allah the Almighty intervenes in man's affairs, and when He wills and in whatever way He wills, He shows His power. (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 23, Page 273)

Mention has also been made of Sahibzada Mirza Mubarak Ahmad Sahib, due to whose care the health of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself was greatly affected, and he also loved this son of his. Mentioning this, Hazrat Musleh Maud narrates an incident as follows: "We had a younger brother whose name was Mubarak Ahmad. His grave is in Bahishti Maqbara, to the east of the mausoleum of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) loved him very much. I remember that when we were small, we developed a passion for keeping chickens. (This expression of love—how far the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, had it and how he used to care for them. They say we had a passion for keeping chickens.) I kept some chickens. The late Mir Ishaq Sahib kept some too. Mian Bashir Ahmad Sahib kept some. And according to the passion of childhood, early in the morning we would go, open the coops of the chickens, count the eggs, and then boastfully compete with each other that my hen has laid this many eggs and mine this many. Mubarak Ahmad would also join in our passion. By chance, one day he became ill. A lady from Sialkot used to look after him, whose nickname was Dadi. We too called her Dadi, and everyone else did too. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I would get very annoyed at calling her Dadi, but there was no other means of identification except this word. So he (Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I) would call her Jag Dadi instead of Dadi. When Mubarak Ahmad, deceased, became ill, Dadi said that he has become ill because he goes a lot after the chickens. (He stays there constantly and it is a dirty place.) When the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) heard this, he said to Hazrat Amma Jan: Have the chickens counted (that is, count how many chickens there are) and give these children their price, and have the chickens slaughtered and eaten. So the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) loved Mubarak Ahmad very much." (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 3, Pages 581-582)

But this same son whom he cared for so much, whom he loved so much, pampered—when he passed away, Hazrat Musleh Maud has drawn a picture of the circumstances at that time at various places: what was the state of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) then? He says: "The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) loved our younger brother Mubarak Ahmad very much. When he became ill, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) treated him with so much effort and so much attention that some people thought that if Mubarak Ahmad died, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) would be severely grieved. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I was a man of great courage and bravery. On the day Mubarak Ahmad passed away, after leading the morning prayer, he came to see Mubarak Ahmad. At that time, the service of giving medicine to Mubarak Ahmad and looking after him etc. was entrusted to me. I myself, after the prayer, brought Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I with me. I was there, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I was there, Dr. Mirza Yaqub Baig Sahib was there, and perhaps Dr. Khalifa Rashid-ud-Din Sahib was also there. When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I came to see Mubarak Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said: The condition seems good. The child has fallen asleep. But in reality, it was the final moment. Hazrat Musleh Maud says: When I brought Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, at that time Mubarak Ahmad's head was toward the north and feet toward the south. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I stood on the left side and placed his hand on the pulse, but he did not feel the pulse. Upon this, he said to the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him): Hazoor, bring musk. And he himself placed his hand near the elbow and began to feel the pulse, thinking perhaps the pulse could be felt there. But even there the pulse was not felt, so he again addressed the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and said: Hazoor, quickly bring the musk. And he himself moved his hand near the armpit and began to feel the pulse, and when even there the pulse was not felt, he said anxiously: Hazoor, bring the musk quickly. During this time, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was searching for the key from a bunch of keys to open the lock of the trunk. When Hazrat Maulvi Sahib said anxiously for the last time that 'Hazoor, bring the musk quickly,' and thinking that the death of Mubarak Ahmad would cause severe grief to the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), despite being very courageous, his (Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I's) legs trembled, and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I could not remain standing and sat down on the ground. His thought was that perhaps the pulse was still running near the heart and strength could be restored with musk, but from his voice, it was apparent that this hope was faint. When the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) sensed the trembling in his voice, he understood that it was Mubarak Ahmad's final moment, and he stopped opening the trunk and said: Maulvi Sahib, perhaps the boy has passed away. Why have you become so anxious? This was a trust from Allah the Almighty which He had given us. Now He has taken His trust back, so what complaint can we have about it? Then he said: Perhaps you think that since I served him so much, I will be more grieved. Serving was my duty which I have fulfilled, and now that he has passed away, we are fully pleased with the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. Thus, at that very moment, he sat down and began writing letters to friends." (Al-Fazl, March 14, 1944, Page 4, Volume 32, Number 61) (At one place, Hazrat Musleh Maud said that right there where the medicines were lying, postcards were also lying. Instead of taking out medicine, he took out cards from there, took out a pen, and began writing letters to close friends) that Mubarak Ahmad has passed away. (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 5, Page 232)

It was a trust from Allah the Almighty which He has taken from us. So the real work of a believer is that on one hand, as far as possible, he serves others and considers this service a source of reward for himself, but on the other hand, when the will of Allah the Almighty is fulfilled, he does not show any kind of anxiety. He understands that I have received the reward of service. But those who lament and wail bear the tribulation of this world separately and the tribulation of the Hereafter separately. And who can be more unfortunate than one who bears double tribulation—bearing the tribulation of this world and also bearing the tribulation of the next world? (Derived from Al-Fazl, March 14, 1944, Page 4, Volume 32, Number 61)

Then, at one place, addressing the people of Qadian about this same matter, Hazrat Musleh Maud says: "The people living here must have seen what concern the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) had for treatment during the illness of Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib and Mubarak Ahmad. Onlookers would feel as if he considered the progress of his Movement dependent upon their lives. In those days, there was no talk other than how the treatment should be done and what treatment should be given. But what happened at the time of their deaths? Just this: that all at once, his condition changed so much that one was astonished. On one hand, there was so much fervor that from morning till evening (both when the time of Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib came and when that of my dear Mubarak Ahmad or Sahibzada Mubarak Ahmad came), there was only talk of their treatment. Or, on the other hand, he is delivering a speech laughingly and with a very cheerful face that Allah the Almighty had informed beforehand about their deaths." (Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 5, Page 231)

Then he has also mentioned this incident at one place as follows: After the death of Mubarak Ahmad, "when he came out of the house (there were people outside, so he went outside), upon sitting, the speech he gave, he said: This is a trial from Allah the Almighty and our Jamaat should not grieve over such trials. Then he said: Regarding Mubarak Ahmad, at such and such time I had received a revelation that he would be taken away at a young age. So this is a cause for joy that the sign of God Almighty has been fulfilled."

Hazrat Musleh Maud says: "So if our own brother, son, or any other close relative dies and there is a prophecy of God Almighty about his death, then along with sorrow, we will also have joy at the fulfillment of this prophecy. Joy does not mean that we consider them outsiders. We consider them our own, but we consider God Almighty even more our own than them, and it is impossible for us to conceal any sign of God Almighty. So it is our duty to manifest both our qualities to the world. On one hand, we should spread this magnificent sign of God Almighty's wrath in the world and tell people that it has appeared for the truth of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), and on the other hand, we should help the afflicted and the injured. (The point is that those who die in various calamities are also our own. Some of them are dying due to certain signs of wrath which the Promised Messiah had prophesied. So we should tell others: one reason is this. Then he said that this has appeared for the truth of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, and on the other hand, help the afflicted and the injured. Now it is not that we should be happy only at this—that these people have died as a sign—but those who are wounded, those who are afflicted, those who are disaster-stricken, those who have been caused suffering due to the occurrence of this sign—we should help them too) so that the world may understand that while we do not care for any tribulation or reproach in spreading a sign after God Almighty manifests it, no one is a greater well-wisher of them than us. (And for this reason, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, Jamaat Ahmadiyya helps these afflicted people everywhere.) If we manifest both these qualities of ours, then at that time both powers of God will also be manifested for us—that power too which descends from heaven and that power too which manifests from the earth." (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 16, Pages 338-339, Friday Sermon delivered June 7, 1935)

So these incidents highlight different aspects of the life of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). Service to the child, concern for his treatment, concern for his close companion, attention to his treatment, then also expression of joy upon the fulfillment of signs, but when the decree of Allah the Almighty prevailed, then such expression as if nothing had happened, and exhorting the friends of the Jamaat to pay attention to God Almighty and to make full effort to achieve the higher objectives—that the real purpose is to please God Almighty and to attain His pleasure, and where on one hand there is satisfaction at the fulfillment of the news He has given, there on the other hand, wherever humanity needs service, one must serve with full force and full attention.

Regarding the intelligence and acumen of Sahibzada Mubarak Ahmad Sahib, Hazrat Musleh Maud says: "I explain through the example of feeling and insensitivity. Those who saw Hazrat Sahib know how much Hazrat Sahib loved Mubarak Ahmad. There were several reasons for this love. First, he was weak and remained somewhat ill. Therefore, he paid special attention to him, and it is natural that one develops love for the one to whom special attention is given. Secondly, although he was younger than us and his age was also very young, he was very intelligent and brilliant. His age was seven years, and even at that age, he would compose poetry, and generally the meter of his poetry was correct. An example of his intelligence and memory is that when Hazrat Sahib wrote that long poem whose refrain is 'Yahi Hai' (This is it), he told all of us to find rhymes. He (that is, Sahibzada Mubarak Ahmad) told more rhymes than all of us, among which were many excellent rhymes." (Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 1, Pages 77-78, Friday Sermon delivered June 18, 1920)

Then Hazrat Musleh Maud narrates an incident that relates to the fact that one should also render physical service to creation so that the expression of Allah the Almighty's attribute of being Rabb al-Alameen (Lord of all the worlds) may occur. He says: "I can never forget one scene. I was small at that time, sixteen or seventeen years old, when our younger sister, who was a few months old, passed away, and she was taken for burial to the same cemetery about which the Ahrar say that Ahmadis cannot be buried there. After the funeral prayer, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) took the body in his own hands. At that time, the late Mirza Ismail Baig Sahib, who used to run a milk shop here, came forward and said: Hazoor! Give me the body. I will carry it. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) turned and looked at him and said: 'This is my daughter.' That is, in view of her being a daughter, this is the only physical service that can be rendered to her as a final service—that I myself carry her."

Hazrat Musleh Maud draws this conclusion from it: "If you want to become a manifestation of Rabb al-Alameen, then it is also necessary for you to render physical services to creation. If you give all your properties in the service of religion, if you spend all your income for the propagation of Islam, then you will become a manifestation of ownership (you will become a manifestation of proprietorship), but you will not become a manifestation of Rabb al-Alameen, because to become a manifestation of Rabb al-Alameen, it is necessary that you work with your own hands and remain committed to serving the poor." (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 18, Pages 579-580, Friday Sermon delivered November 26, 1937)

So this is a beautiful explanation: that to become a manifestation of Rabb al-Alameen, one should try to serve not only one's own people but also others with one's own hands. If one reflects, there are very far-reaching results of this that bind the nation together firmly. And if every part of society acts upon this, then by serving each other, a pleasant society is formed.

Then, describing an incident of the trust of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), the acceptance of prayer, and his complete certainty in his own truth, Hazrat Musleh Maud said: "In the time of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), once a case arose between the Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis of Kapurthala regarding a mosque there. The judge who had this case began to adopt a hostile attitude. Upon this, the Jamaat of Kapurthala, in anxiety, wrote to the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for prayers. In response, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) wrote to them: If I am true, you will get the mosque. But on the other hand, the judge continued his hostility as before, and finally he wrote the judgment against the Ahmadis. But the next day, when he was preparing to go to the court to deliver the judgment, he said to his servant: Put on my boots. The servant put on one boot, and while he was putting on the other, a gurgling sound came. He looked up and the judge had suffered heart failure. After his death, another judge was appointed, and he changed the previous judgment and gave the judgment in favor of our Jamaat, which proved to be a great sign for the friends, and their faith reached the heavens. In short, this is the Sunnah of Allah the Almighty that He continuously gives news of the unseen through His prophets, and upon their fulfillment, the faith of believers advances even more. It was the result of these news of the unseen that those who believed in Hazrat Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), their hearts became so strong that while other people weep upon seeing death, when any of the Companions got the opportunity to give his life in the way of God Almighty, he would jump with joy and say: فُزْتُ وَرَبِّ الْکَعْبَۃِ (By the Lord of the Ka'bah! I have succeeded)." (Derived from Tafseer Kabeer, Volume 7, Pages 27-28)

While describing an incident of a vision of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) being fulfilled within a few minutes, Hazrat Musleh Maud says that sometimes in a waking state, a scene is shown, but it does not require interpretation; rather, like the breaking of dawn, it manifests in the same form in which Allah the Almighty shows the scene to the person. Thus, we find examples of this in the visions of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Once, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw in a visionary state that Mubarak Ahmad has fallen near a mat and has been severely injured. Not even three minutes had passed since this vision when Mubarak Ahmad, who was standing near the mat, slipped, was severely injured, and his clothes were filled with blood. (Derived from Tafseer Kabeer, Volume 10, Page 447)

Then, while drawing a picture of the early condition of Qadian and then mentioning the progress of Qadian and the progress of the Jamaat, he says: "There was a time when no one was with the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Then the time came when thousands of people were with him, and now they have reached hundreds of thousands. Then at one time, no one in Punjab believed in him either, and now Ahmadis have spread not only in India but in all the continents of the world. If it is true that the world does not accept, then where did so many people come from?" If the world does not accept us, the Jamaat Ahmadiyya, the Promised Messiah, then where did so many people come from? And now, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, entire countries are becoming Ahmadi or Ahmadiyyat is spreading there. He says: "Just look here. Good people are sitting before me at this time. How many of them believed in him in the early days of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him)? I think that in this gathering, there would be very few people who have seen the face of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). Most are those who have seen his photograph. Then there are some who saw his face but did not get the opportunity to sit in his company, and very few are those—probably not more than dozens—who heard his words and got the opportunity to benefit from his company. But where did these people ultimately come from?" (Hazrat Musleh Maud says:) "My birth and Bai'at run from almost the same time. (They run side by side.) And when I gained some consciousness, several years had already passed on Tabligh. But I remember from the time of my consciousness that when the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would go out for a walk, only Hafiz Hamid Ali Sahib would be with him. (That is, there would only be two people.) Once, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) happened to come for a walk in this direction (he is pointing toward an area of Qadian—that he came for a walk in this direction). Since I was a small child at that time, I insisted that I would also go for a walk. In those days, there used to be tamarisk bushes here. (There were bushes in the area he was pointing to.) And this entire area where now the Ta'lim-ul-Islam High School, Boarding, and Mosque etc. are was a jungle, and there was nothing except tamarisk in it. The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came for a walk in this direction and, at my insistence, took me along too. But after walking a short distance, I started making noise that I was tired. Upon this, sometimes the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) would pick me up and sometimes Hafiz Hamid Ali Sahib, and I remember this scene to this day. So that was such a time that although the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had his claim, very few people believed in him, and those who came to Qadian were very few. But today (this was said by Hazrat Musleh Maud in 1937) is the time that we have to repeatedly announce that before migrating to Qadian, people should seek permission, and if anyone migrates here without permission, they can be compelled to return." (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 18, Pages 659-660, Friday Sermon delivered December 24, 1937)

So these incidents certainly increase faith and certainty. May God Almighty continue to increase us all in faith and certainty, and may we all become useful members of the Jamaat.

After the prayer, I will also lead a funeral prayer in absentia for respected Naseem Mahmood Sahiba, wife of Syed Mahmood Ahmad Shah Sahib of Karachi. On April 27, 2015, she passed away in Karachi due to cancer at the age of 58. إِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَإِنَّا إِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُونَ. The deceased's father accepted the Jamaat after personal study following an incident during the turbulent period of 1953. Opposition also opens great doors. The incident was as follows: Malik Muhammad Rafiq Sahib was employed in the Pakistan Air Force. He departed from Lahore for Karachi, and at Raiwind, a group of mullahs boarded the train. This was during the 1953 era when the first riot against Ahmadis occurred in Pakistan. A group of mullahs boarded the train from Raiwind saying, "We are going for Jihad," and what is Jihad? That we will wipe out Qadianiyyat from this country. They say that when the ticket checker came, no ticket was found with any mullah except Malik Muhammad Rafiq Sahib and his officer companion. He thought (they were traveling without tickets) that if these mullahs were truthful and their Jihad were genuine, they would not be causing loss to the national treasury by traveling without tickets. Nowadays, they cause even more loss. In any case, after this incident, when he reached Karachi for his job, he asked the officer in charge whether there was any Qadiani in their unit. Upon learning, he had a conversation with an Ahmadi, obtained information, and finally took Bai'at and joined Ahmadiyyat. So this is how her father accepted Ahmadiyyat in this way, and Ahmadiyyat came into their family.

The deceased had been associated with the teaching profession in Karachi from 1987 until now. Allah the Almighty blessed the deceased with full opportunity for Jamaat services from 1997 until death. From 1997 to 2005 for eight years, then from 2007 to 2013 for six years, she was blessed twice with serving as local President of Lajna. Then she was appointed as supervisor of Qiyadats. She was a member of the Amila of District Karachi and, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, continued to receive opportunities for service. The deceased was also a Musia. Among her survivors, besides her husband, Syed Mahmood Ahmad Shah Sahib, two sons and two daughters are in mourning. Both her sons are missionaries: Hafiz Syed Shahid Ahmad Sahib, who is in Nigeria, and the second son, Hafiz Syed Mashhud Ahmad Sahib, who is blessed with serving at Jamia Ahmadiyya UK. He could not even go to his mother's funeral.

This same Hafiz Syed Mashhud Ahmad Sahib writes that my parents were blessed with having both their sons memorize the Holy Quran and offering them in the way of God. They made both of them Huffaz, then got them admitted to Jamia. My respected mother gave precedence to religion over the world in every matter and instilled in our minds from childhood that we have to serve only the Jamaat. He says: I remember that from a young age, along with teaching us the prayers from Masnoon Duas at night while sleeping, it was her routine to pray for us. In particular, the verses of the poetic prayer written by the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) for his children—"Mere Maula Meri Ek Dua Hai" (My Lord, I have one prayer)—she would recite with melody and extreme anguish. Also, she would always say that your elder brother has to become a missionary and you have to go from Karachi to Rabwah to memorize the Holy Quran. Later, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, both brothers memorized the Holy Quran, then dedicated their lives and obtained education at Jamia, and are serving as missionaries. He says: During our stay at Madrasa-tul-Hifz, our mother would travel from Karachi to Rabwah almost every month, and in that era, the railway system was also very dilapidated and uncomfortable. She would meet us and herself listen to our memorized portion. After washing our clothes, ironing them, and serving for one day, the next day she would return to Karachi (because she was associated with the teaching profession) and go to her school to fulfill her teaching responsibilities. A few days ago, he went there. At that time, she was ill. He could not go to the funeral, but he did go to meet her once during her illness. He says: When I went there, she said to me: I always pray to Allah the Almighty: O my Lord, do not make me a trial for my life-devotee sons. A prominent aspect of her character was that she used to help greatly in solving the marriage problems and match-making issues of her own and others' daughters; she had great concern for this. And by the grace of Allah the Almighty, the relationship of sincere sympathy she had with the Jamaat and the members of the Jamaat was also unique and magnificent. May Allah the Almighty elevate the ranks of the deceased and grant her children the ability to continue her virtues and make them heirs of her prayers.