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Volume 39 - No. 01-02
Jan- February 2010

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THE ADDRESS ON HEARING THE NEWS OF DEATH OF HADHRAT KHALĪFATUL MASĪH IRA 9

“When the tragic news reached Masjid Aqsā where the service, which had been led by Sahibzādā Mirzā Bashīr-ud-Dīn Mahmūd Ahmadra, had just been concluded, everyone converged on the residence of Nawāb Muhammad ‘Alī Khānra to have a last look of the beloved features of one every moment of whose life had been devoted to the promotion of their spiritual and material welfare. Thereafter a large gathering participated in the afternoon Prayer service in Masjid Nūr, the mosque closest to the residence of Nawāb Muhammad ‘Alī Khānra. After the service Sahibzādā Mīrzā Bashīr-ud-Dīn Mahmūd Ahmadra addressed them as follows:
“According to the Divine will Hadhrat Khalīfatul Masīhra has passed away. May Allāh bestow His mercy and blessings upon him abundantly, raise him to the highest ranks and join him to the company of the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiah(as) to whom he was utterly devoted and whose love saturated his being. Amen. A heavy responsibility now lies upon the members of the Ahmadīyya Movement. The whole community faces a trial. He who passes this test shall win the approval and love of God, while he who fails this test shall not be accounted virtuous in His estimation. We must prepare fully for passing this test. Keep well in mind that the most excellent design becomes a source of danger if the motive inspiring it is not pure. The Salāt is an excellent form of worship, and yet it is said: Woe unto those who perform the Salāt but are unmindful of it and perform it only to be seen of people (107:5-7).
Thus the Salāt which is inspired by an improper motive ceases to be a means of achieving purity and nearness to God and becomes a curse. We are directed to seek divine protection against Satan before reciting the Holy Qur’ān, and every chapter of it opens with the name of Allāh which is a way of seeking divine help. That also is an indication that before entering upon so excellent an enterprise as recitation of the Holy Qur’ān one must seek divine protection against satanic doubts and suspicions, and seek divine help for being bestowed the capacity and strength for carrying the enterprise through. Many people win divine mercy and blessing through a verse of the Holy Qur’ān, and the same verse becomes the source of ruin for many. Therefore, seeking divine protection and divine help are prescribed. In short, however excellent a design might be, unless it is inspired by sincerity and a pure motive, there is apprehension of its driving one away from God. We cannot discharge the tremendous responsibility that has been imposed upon us on this occasion without being bestowed grace and capacity by God. I, therefore, advise you to spend all available time in humble supplication: Lord, do Thou guide us along the true path so that we may be safeguarded against ruin and may draw closer to Thee. This is a heavy responsibility which we cannot discharge without divine help. Concentrate on the prayer: Guide us along the straight path (1:6).
We do not know what might transpire tomorrow or the day after. It is all hidden in the womb of the future and unless we are guided and helped by the Knower of the unseen we run the risk of ruin. Therefore, supplicate, plead for forgiveness and being shielded against error, seek guidance and call down blessings on the Holy Prophetsa. Make agonized pleas: Lord, help us to pass this test by Thy grace. Thy Messiah(as) After reciting the Shahādā he said, came and many denied him and stumbled and fell on that stone and ruined themselves; but Thou didst guide us of Thy mercy. On his death we faced a trial and again Thou didst guide us. Now we face a trial once more. Do Thou bestow Thy grace upon us again and guide us, and send down Thy blessings on all our affairs, and let not our enemies rejoice over our discomfiture, and select a holy one from among us for Thy service. Amen. Let everyone occupy himself with supplication all the time. Get up during the night and supplicate. God resolves all difficulties through His grace. Put your trust in God. All His promises are true. The promises He made to the Promised Messiah(as) have been fulfilled and continue to be fulfilled. A human being may make a false promise, but God’s promises are true and He is faithful to His promises. Have faith in His promises and have trust in Him and depend upon Him. I shall now pray and you should join me in my supplications and thereafter continue your prayers.” He raised his hands in silent supplication and so did all who were present in the mosque. Everyone was deeply moved and soon the mosque became a house of weeping. The supplication continued for some time and by the time it ended every heartfelt comforted. Sāhibzādā Sāhibra urged that everyone who was able to do so should observe a fast the next day.” (Hadhrat Maulwī Nūr-ud-Dīnra—Khalīfatul Masīh 1 by Ch. Muhammad Zafrullah Khānra pages 297-300)

THE FIRST ADDRESS OF HADHRAT KHALĪFATUL MASĪH-IIRA

“Listen! Friends! It is my belief and firm conviction that Allāh the Almighty is Our Lord: He is One and has no partner. My Dear Ones! It is my belief that no one can now come who can abrogate a single iota from the shari`a (law) brought by Our Holy Master (Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafāsa). My Dear Ones! That beloved master of mine is the leader of all Prophets; his status holds such glory that by adopting absolute bondage, absolute obedience and perfect loyalty to him, a person can reach the status of closeness to Allāh. It is true that only the Holy Prophetsa enjoys such glorious stature that being enslaved to him can raise a person to an exalted status. This is my belief and I make this statement with perfect conviction. Furthermore, it is my belief that the Holy Qur’ān is that beloved book that was revealed to the Holy Prophetsa and it is the most perfect book (Khātam-ul-Kutub) and the complete Law (Khātam-ul-Sharā’i‘). Further I state my absolute conviction that the Promised Messiah(as) was the same appointed one about whom the prophecy is recorded in Sahīh Muslim. He is the same Imam whose advent was foretold in Sahī Bukhari. Again I stress that nothing out of the Shari`a of Muhammadsa can ever be abrogated. Follow in the footsteps of the companions of the Holy Prophetsa (Allāh be pleased with them) as they were exemplary in prayers and training. After the demise of the Holy Prophetsa the second consensus which took place was the establishment of the rightly-guided Khilafāt. Observe closely and study the history of Islam. You will find that the progress the Muslims attained during the time of the rightlyguided Caliphs began to decline when the Khilafāt turned merely into state rule, so much so that you can see for yourselves today the state of Islam and that of the followers of Islam. After thirteen hundred years, in accord with the promises given by the Holy Prophetsa, Allāh the Almighty sent the Promised Messiah(as) by way of a prophet. May Allāh the Almighty grant a very high status amongst his chosen servants to Hadhrat Khalīfatul Masīh Ira and shower countless blessings and mercy on his soul. Just as his heart and soul brimmed with the love of the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiah(as), may Allāh grant him closeness to them in heaven as well. He was the first Khalīfa (successor) of this Movement and we had all taken Bai‘at at his hand. As long as this Movement continues, faith will continue to prosper physically and spiritually. Right now you have all cried out loud that I should undertake this burden, and through your Bai‘at you have expressed it, therefore, I deemed it fitting to reiterate my faith before you. I tell you honestly that my heart is fearful and I find myself weak. A saying of the Holy Prophetsa states that you must not ask your slave to do something beyond him. Now that you have enslaved me do not ask of me things which I cannot do. I know that I am weak and sinful. How can I claim that I will guide the world and spread the truth and [show] the right path? We are few in numbers whereas the opponents of faith are vast in numbers; but by the Grace and Mercy of Our Lord our hope is never-ending. You have placed this burden on my shoulders, so hear me! Help me discharge this responsibility. What that help requires is to seek His Grace and Guidance. In seeking the pleasure of God Almighty, obey me. I am a human being and a weak human. If I have any shortcomings then overlook them. If you make mistakes then I make a pledge in the name of Allāh the Almighty that I will overlook and forgive your mistakes. My and your collective effort has to be focused upon achieving the aims of this community in its practical form. Strengthen the bond that you have created with me with your loyalty. Together we will, by the Grace of God, overlook our minor faults. You will have to be obedient to me in all things good (Amr-bil-Ma‘arūf). If, God forbid, I were to say that God is not One, I swear to you in the name of the One true God Who is the holder of life of each one of us, Who is One and has no partner, about Whom the Holy Qur’ān tells us that there is nothing like Him, then do not believe me. Do not believe me if, God forbid, I were to point out any defect of prophet-hood. I ask you, in the name of God, not to believe me if I tell you of any defect in the Holy Qur’ān. If I say anything against the teaching the Promised Messiah(as) has given us after revelation from Allāh the Almighty then do not believe me. But I say, and say it again, do not be disobedient to me when I ask you to follow me in all things good. If you submit and work with obedience and strengthen this pledge you have made then remember that Allāh the Almighty will help us and our collective prayers will succeed. I believe firmly that I will be helped… The mission which the Promised Messiah(as) has established has been entrusted to me at its appointed time. Hence, pray, strengthen your relationships; and try to visit Qādiān repeatedly. I heard the Promised Messiah(as) say, and I heard him say it often that I fear the one who does not visit Qādiān frequently is at risk of having some flaw in his faith. Our first task is to spread Islam and make concerted efforts so that the Mercy and Blessings of Allāh the Almighty will rain down upon us. I say to you again and again and yet again that now that you have undertaken the Bai’at and established a bond with me, display loyalty in this relationship, and remember me in your prayers. I will certainly remember you in my prayers. Of course I have been praying for you. There has been no submission I ever made to Allāh the Almighty where I did not pray for the Ahmadī people. Listen again: Never do anything that is done by those disloyal to Allāh the Almighty. Our prayers should be that we live and die as Muslims.” (Al-Fazl, 21 March 1914) Sawaneh Fazl-e-Umar, Vol I, Pg. 339-342) 11

SUMMARY OF ADDRESS OF ADHRAT KHALĪFATUL MASĪH-IIRA ANNOUNCING CLAIM OF MUSLEH MAU‘ŪD

Say ye: ‘We believe in Allāh and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob and his children, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to all other Prophets from their Lord. We make no difference between any of them; and to Him we submit ourselves.’ (Qur’ān 2:137) Then he said: As you have heard, exactly 58 years ago on February 20th, in 1886 in Hushiarpur in the house which is in front of my finger, an Unknown person from Qādiān, India, spent 40 days, in a religious solitary retreat, in special prayers to God Almighty. God heard his earnest prayers and gave him a grand Sign. The Sign was that I will not only fulfill my promises to you and spread your name and message to the corners of the earth, but I will also bestow a righteous son to you, who will have several resemblances with you in this grand scheme of affairs. The Founder of the Ahmadyya Muslim Community had made this announcement, from this town of Hushiarpūr, before he had founded the community. Qādiān is a small village and even today it is barely one third of Hushiarpūr. Today, Hushiarpūr’s population is about 40,000 and that of Qādiān is about fourteen or fifteen thousand. When he had made this announcement the population of Qādiān was hardly 1800 and he had no secular renown, what so ever. Any honest person cannot deny the truth of this prophecy. He is forced to believe that this prophecy was from God, it is beyond the power of man to make such a claim or prophecy. Firstly, who can say as to how long he is going to live. If, someone, can guarantee his life he has no way of knowing that he is going to have a son. How would he ensure that he will have that son within nine years? Then how can he ensure that the son will have a long enough life. Even if these odds are met, how is he to know or ensure that he will be successful enough that there will be his successors? Even if this improbable condition is satisfied how someone could know that his son indeed will one day become his successor. Even if such a son becomes a successor what magic would he have to ensure that his fame will spread to the corners of the earth and he will be amazingly successful in spreading the message of Islam? There are so many cumulative aspects in this prophecy that it is beyond the power of man to fake such a thing. Additionally, I will describe that this prophecy is not a single prophecy but a multitude of prophecies and it is beyond the capacity of any human to make it up artificially. To reiterate, who can say that I will have a son and that I will have it within 9 years, he will stay alive and his fame will spread to the corners of the world. He will be a Sign of grace and beneficence. Nations will be blessed through him. He will be the means of procuring the release of those held in bondage. Eminence of Islam will be demonstrated through him. All these details are individually a testimony that this prophecy was from God. However, this is not the sum total of the details, the fact is that many more prophecies were included in this Prophecy and now I will go ahead and tabulate 58 details in the prophecy. Firstly, the person will be a sign of manifestation of Divine Majesty; he will be kept alive so that the prophecy of Allāh is fulfilled. Secondly, he will be a Sign of mercy of God, with his advent Ahmadīyyat will progress and Islam will be vindicated from the accusations of the enemies of Islam. Thirdly, he will be a Sign of nearness to God, bestowed on the Promised Messiah(as). That is some people from within the Jamā`at will try to minimize his status and try to divide the Jamā`at. He will defend the Jamā`at from these attacks and will reveal the true and genuine status of the Promised Messiah(as) to the world. Fourthly, he will be a Sign of grace that is the progress of Ahmadiyyat that is true Islam will be linked with him. Fifthly, he will be a Sign of beneficence that is the objectives of Islam will be satisfied through him. Sixthly, he will be a key of success. Seventhly, he will be a key of victory. Eighthly, he will be a man of great fame. Ninthly, he will be a man of great achievements. Tenthly, he will be a man of riches. Eleventh, he will cure the sick by his messianic qualities. Twelfth, he has been invested with the Holy Spirit. Thirteenth, he is the word of God. Fourteenth, Allāh’s Mercy and Honor have equipped him with the word of majesty. Fifteenth is that he will be very intelligent. Sixteenth is that he will be very wise. Seventeenth is that he will be meek of heart. Eighteenth is that he will be filled with secular knowledge. Nineteenth is that he will be filled with spiritual knowledge. Twentieth is that he will convert three into four. Twenty first is that he will have a special connection with the blessed Monday. Twenty second is that he will be a pleasing son. Twenty third is that he will be a high ranking noble. Twenty fourth is that he will be the manifestation of the First (Allāh). Twenty fifth is that he will be the manifestation of the Last (Allāh). Twenty sixth is that he will be the manifestation of the True (Allāh). Twenty seventh is that he will be the manifestation of the High (Allāh). Twenty eighth is that he will be as if Allāh has descended from the heaven. Twenty ninth is that his advent will be blessed. Thirtieth is that his advent will be source of manifestation of Divine Majesty. Thirty first is that he will be light. Thirty second that is he will be a light anointed by God with the perfume of His pleasure. Thirty third is that Allāh will pour His spirit into him that is he will receive revelations from God. Thirty fourth is that he will be sheltered under the shadow of God. Thirty fifth is that he will grow rapidly in stature. Thirty sixth is that he will be the means of procuring the release of those held in bondage. Thirty seventh is that his fame will spread to the ends of the earth. Thirty eighth is that nations will be blessed through him. Thirty ninth is that he will then be raised to his spiritual station in the heaven. Fortieth is that he will come late. Forty first is that he will come from a distance. Forty third is that his secular achievements will spread throughout the world. Forty fourth is that his spiritual blessings will spread throughout the world. Forty fifth is that like the prophet Yūsuf, his brothers will oppose him, like I showed that the national political leaders opposed me. Forty sixth is that he will have several wives. So far I have had six wives, two wives are deceased and four are alive and well. Forty seventh is that in his time there will be great wars. So, the world-war I was during my Khilāfat and so is the world-war II. Forty eighth is that whichever Government he will join, Allāh will give him revelation of victory of that Government. Forty ninth is that he will be Mahmūd. Fiftieth is that he will be insightful. Fifty first is that he will be full of determination. Fifty second is that he will be the second Khalīfa like Hadhrat Umarra. Fifty third is that in his charisma he will be similar to the Promised Messiah(as). Fifty fourth is that in his generosity he will be similar to the Promised Messiah(as). Fifty fifth is that he will be the word of the Almighty. Fifty sixth is that he will be word of God. Fifty seventh is that he will be the helper of religion. Fifty eighth is that he will be the victor for his religion. Now, these are the 58 prophecies that are mentioned in the revelations. I will do a detailed discussion on each of these in a magazine and show which one of these have been already fulfilled and which are yet to be fulfilled. But a cursory review of this long list can show you the grandeur and accuracy with which the God’s revelations have been fulfilled. When I became Khalīfa people used to say that a child has become the leader of the Jamā`at, now this Jamā`at is bound to be destroyed. But, the world is witnessing that the same Jamā`at that was trusted to a child, today is several fold bigger than what it was. Not only that for a person who was considered to be ignorant, God taught him by Himself. So, Allāh has bestowed on me so much knowledge pertaining to Islam that even my worst opponents are forced to yield that a better understanding of Islam cannot be put forward.” Further meetings on the same subject of the Promised Reformer were held in Lahore on 12 March 1944, Ludhiana on 23 March 1944 and Delhi on 16 April 1944. No one who really knew Hadhrat Khalīfa-tul-Masīh II, or studied his life carefully would have been in doubt that he indeed was the Musleh Mau‘ūd whose advent had been prophesied by the Promised Messiah(as). The fulfillment of this prophecy provides us with a mighty sign in favour of the truth of the Promised Messiah(as) and his claim. The prophecy of Musleh Mau‘ūd is remembered each year all over the world in specially convened meetings.