10-16 July

In this third year of Al Hakam, we will present a selection of incidents from the blessed life of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, this time, with some more details

10 July 1885: A very unique heavenly sign was shown to the Promised Messiah^as on this day. Those familiar with the history of the spiritual world find many likes of it, but secular minds and hearts find it hard to believe. An eyewitness, Hazrat Maulvi Abdullah Sanauri^ra, says the following:

“It was the month of Ramadan and the 27^th day, which happened to be a Friday. I had the honour of being in Huzoor’s^as blessed presence. After offering the Fajr prayer, the Promised Messiah^as, as was his routine, retired into the chamber (the small room to the east of Masjid Mubarak) and lay down on a charpoy. Sitting near him, this humble one began massaging his feet as usual. The Promised Messiah^as was lying on his side and his forearm covered his face. While massaging, suddenly I perceived a slight trembling in his body, whereupon he removed his forearm from his face and looked at me. His eyes were wet and were possibly running with tears. He covered up his face again and continued in that posture. When I looked at his ankle, I noticed a red drop which was round and had not spread out. I put the tip of my forefinger on the drop, which spread out and coloured my finger also. Then I observed a few wet red spots on his shirt which made me wonder. I got up and examined the whole chamber, but did not find a red stain anywhere else. I was very puzzled. I asked, ‘Huzoor, where did these red drops fall from?’ At first, Huzoor^as did not answer, but on my persisting, he related the whole incident. He expounded to me in detail the matter of beholding God Almighty and the external materialisation of elements observed in visions. He drew upon the experiences of Hazrat Muhyuddin Ibn-e-Arabi^rh to make me fully comprehend how pious individuals are vouchsafed the experience of the personification of Divine attributes of Beauty and Majesty.”

Huzoor^as went on to explain that he had seen in a vision that he was in the court of God Almighty and that whilst signing a document, Allah flicked His pen, which caused red ink drops to fall in the Promised Messiah’s^as direction. The full details of this can be read under this date in Tadhkirah.

10 July 1896: The Promised Messiah^as informed Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanuari^ra in writing that he had sent a letter to Master Qadir Bakhsh Sahib regarding a certain matter of Mian Abdullah Sahib^ra. In this brief letter, Huzoor^as also prayed that Allah would strengthen him in all fields.

10 July 1906: The Promised Messiah^as sent a reply to a letter of Hazrat Abdul Majeed Khan^ra expressing his sorrow on a certain loss. Due to paper decay, especially in one line, it is not clear who Abdul Majeed Sahib had lost. Nonetheless, Hazrat Ahmad^as prayed that he may be granted strength in this difficult time. Huzoor^as guided him that this mundane life is always subjected to tragedies and misfortunes, thus one should always remain loyal to God.

10 July 1906: The Promised Messiah^as conveyed to Hazrat Syed Nasir Shah^ra that his letter had been received days back, but owing to constant ill health, Huzoor^as could not respond to it. Huzoor^as assured him that he had been praying for him as much as he could.

11 July 1883: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Mir Abbas Ali Sahib of Ludhiana, who had earlier shared a letter of a certain Muslim person in favour of the Vedic teachings. Huzoor^as criticised this person’s approach and lamented the mindset of certain Muslims who forsook the Holy Quran for worldly benefits. This letter depicts Huzoor’s^as incredible modesty and at the same time, his in-depth comprehension of Vedic texts, its commentaries, history of the Mughal era and religious tendencies of its different leaders.

11 July 1887: The Promised Messiah^as informed Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra through a letter that he had received a box of mangos that Hazrat Munshi Sahib^ra had sent. After duly expressing his thanks, Hazrat Ahmad^as cautioned him about a mistake committed during packaging of the consignment and explained the right method in this regard to him. Huzoor^as also added that God willing, he would pray for Mr Sundar Das.

11 July 1887: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra and notified him that he had received half of a 500 rupee note sent by him. In those times, as a security precaution, notes were cut in half. One set was sent by post. On confirmation of receipt, the other half was despatched by post. In this letter, Hazrat Ahmad^as also updated him about the ongoing weather condition in Qadian and shared his gratitude towards Allah after noticing the sudden change in hot and humid conditions.

12 July 1888: The Promised Messiah^as wrote a letter to Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra seeking medical advice for his exceedingly feeble son, Bashir Ahmad. Hazrat Ahmad^as shared his medical history, the symptoms he was experiencing and persistent conditions owing to multiple deficiencies.

12 July 1889: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanauri^ra as he was facing some perturbing issues. Hazrat Ahmad^as prayed for the prompt alleviation of his causes of concern and reminded him to remain in contact as things started to improve.

14 July 1894: The Promised Messiah^as wrote his book, Sirr-ul-Khilafah (The Reality of Khilafat) to express authentic views on the centuries old differences between Sunnis and Shias, which often had resulted in running battles between Sunni and Shia sects on the issue of Khilafat. This book is in ornate, beautiful and high-flown Arabic; this very style was in itself a challenge to contemporary Sunni and Shia clergymen who questioned his command on the Arabic language. This book became necessary on account of tensions existing between these two sects. The Promised Messiah^as, using cogent arguments, settled the issue of Khilafat in a very fine manner. With this book, the Promised Messiah^as attached a leaflet. He writes, “I can say about these books that God Himself helped me to write them. I cannot call them divine revelations, but I can say with a great deal of emphasis that it was special divine assistance that caused my hand to write these books.”

15 July 1890: The Promised Messiah^as updated Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra about the prevailing intensity of his opposition by Muslim clerics. Hazrat Ahmad^as was worried about their petty misconceptions and shared his plan to personally meet them and try to eliminate their fallacies. In this letter, Huzoor^as also mentioned that he had come to know about the novel treatment of tuberculosis as claimed by a doctor in London. Huzoor^as was curious as to whether it was true and applicable.

15 July 1890: The Promised Messiah^as assured Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra through a letter that he had been praying wholeheartedly for his wellbeing, thus he should not lose hope and remain submissive to the will of God. Huzoor^as also satisfied him that God would unfold the best outcome for him, insha-Allah.

15 July 1898: The Promised Messiah^as sent a letter to Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra through registered post so that this devout and generous companion could find comfort from the deluge of worries and anxieties he had been braving for so long. Hazrat Ahmad^as had been praying for his miraculous relief from certain business challenges.

15 July 1901: The Promised Messiah^as went to Gurdaspur courts for legal proceedings of the Wall Case. On this day, Hazrat Ahmad^as was summoned as a defence witness. Huzoor^as left Qadian in a palanquin at about 7am on 15 July 1901. Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin^ra, Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani^ra and other friends got into yakkas (horse-pulled carts) to go to Gurdaspur via Batala, while Hazrat Ahmad^as travelled direct and reached there at about 3pm. As requested by Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, the party stayed at the house of his father-in-law, Munshi Nabi Bakhsh Sahib. Khawaja Kamaluddin Sahib came from Peshawar in the evening.

16 July 1892: The Promised Messiah^as confirmed through a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra that he had received an amount of 20 Rupees and expressed his appreciation on this contribution. Huzoor^as also updated him about his Arabic book being printed in Sialkot, which would be available in the coming weeks. Hazrat Ahmad^as specified that writing in Arabic would provide two main advantages: firstly, it would enhance the knowledge and understanding of the Arab world about the Jamaat and so, they would not remain deprived from the divine fountain of wisdom and insight of the Promised Messiah^as; secondly, this publication in Arabic would fracture the vanity and haughtiness of Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and others such clerics who, every now and then, falsely bragged over their command of the Arabic language.