Al Fazl, 20 March 1922
Knuckle cracking
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] said:
“The practice of cracking knuckles causes damage and affects mental strength. It is very common in our country, so much so that some people even get nervous if they don’t crack their fingers. However, if I am even massaging my hands, I take full care that I may not pop my fingers.”
Hafiz Jamal Ahmad Sahib asked if cracking other joints like that of back, etc., could also cause damage.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said:
“The fact of the matter is that any unnatural movement causes harm, because one small movement utilises millions of particles in the human body.”
Mesmerism
Addressing Shahzada Abdul Majeed Sahib, Huzoor[ra] said, “You must have learned mesmerism.” Shahzada Sahib replied in the affirmative. Huzoor[ra] said, “The source of the power of attraction is mostly in the hands.” Shahzada Sahib said, “In fact, most of it is found in the fingertips.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said:
“It is for this reason that the people who aimlessly move their hands lose a lot of their mental strength.”
A friend said that pehalwani [a kind of wrestling] would also be harmful then. Huzoor[ra] said, “If there is such a movement that the brain properly senses it, then it is evenly distributed throughout the whole body and it causes no harm. However, people who get into the habit of moving their hands or feet in vain are at a disadvantage. That is why it is said that mesmerism should be learned from a teacher because if the movement of the hands becomes too much, it begins to affect the power of the mind.”
The comprehensiveness of the Holy Quran
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said:
“When Christians went to Iceland, which is a cold country, they began to tell people that Hell would be composed of sulphur, fire and darkness. The people of Iceland started dancing and jumping when they heard this news and said that it would be great. Now, Christians there say that it would be very cold in Hell.
“The Holy Quran on the other hand has given a comprehensive statement in this regard [as it also mentions the punishment of extreme cold in Hell]. The sermoniser [of Islam] will himself understand what is appropriate to say in a particular place [of the world].”
Need for a mujaddid [reformer]
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra] said:
“There is a need for a mujaddid [reformer] in every age because they elucidate what is necessary to be explained in that age. This thing is found in the sufis [saints]. For example, if you look at the books of Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi, it is clear that he discussed issues according to the need of our time.
“All the exegetists and scholars with regard to the verse, اَلۡقَي الشَّيۡطٰنُ فِيۡۤ اُمۡنِيَّتِهٖ [“Satan put obstacles in the way of what he (Prophet) sought after” (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.53)], have gone so far as to say that a certain incident must have happened. (That is, [the scholars have referred to] the hadith of القاء [that God forbid, Satan put words in the mouth] of the Holy Prophetsa when he was reciting the Holy Quran.) However, Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi states, ‘After all, [the exegetists and scholars] should realise who they are talking about. The said verse simply means that when a prophet desires to do something [good], Satan tries to prevent the prophet from fulfilling that desire of his, but God fulfills the desire of the prophet by removing the obstacles of the satan.’”
Differences between the books of scholars and sufis
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra] said:
“If the commentaries of the so-called scholars [of the time] are observed according to the present requirements, then most of them would be deemed null and void and only a few pages will be accepted. On the other hand, if we look at the books of sufis, all of them will be considered useful. In light of the current needs, only a few lines would have to be removed [from them] and those too would only need a change in their writing style.
“Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani in his book, Futuh Al-Ghaib, emphasised a lot on the issue of taqdir [divine decree].”
21 January 1922
The manuscript of the treatise, A Present to His Royal Highness
Today, there were many external friends who offered Fajr prayer in Masjid Mubarak. Since Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] was to read out the manuscript of his treatise, A Present [to His Royal Highness], the Prince of Wales, many friends also offered prayer on the upper floor [of the mosque]. After the prayer, all friends gathered inside the mosque and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said, “Please expand the sitting circle and those friends who wish to present a proposal may come forward.”
The following friends were then asked to come forward:
Maulvi Syed Sarwar Shah Sahib, Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib, Maulvi Sher Ali Sahib, Mian Bashir Ahmad Sahib, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Sahib (Misri), Maulvi Muhammad Ismail Sahib, Mir Muhammad Ishaq Sahib, Maulvi Fazluddin Sahib, Qazi Akmal Sahib, (but Qazi Akmal Sahib was unable to attend due to illness), and Qazi Amir Hussain Sahib.
After this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said:
“Those who preach abroad should also come forward because they understand their nature. On this, Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sahib and Qazi Abdullah Sahib came forward in that circle.”
Before reading out the manuscript, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra] said:
“I thought that it would be a short treatise, but it has gone on to be 80 pages long.”
When all the friends got together, Huzoor[ra] started reading the manuscript.
Name of the gift
When [Huzoorra] completed the reading of the treatise, there was a question about its name. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said:
“I think it should be named Tuhfatul Muluk, Part II. The first part of Tuhfatul Muluk was for the Muslim rulers and this part is for the Christians.
“To present this gift, a beautiful and precious casket of silver should be prepared and the total number of those who contributed to its publishing should also be written on it in silver.
“This gift should be sent to the newspapers abroad and our missionaries should meet with the lords etc. over there and present this gift to them as well.
“Previously, there was no short book of this kind for Europe. On the last day [of the completion of this treatise], I wrote late into the night, and did not even eat. I have heard that one writes well on an empty stomach.” Huzoor[ra] smilingly said: “It is said that a hungry lion fights well.”
“In fact, this treatise was written in two to three days. Six pages were written after the Jalsa [Salana Qadian]. Now, I have completed writing it in two to three days. On one of the days, tragedy struck and I had a severe headache. The signs of fever began to appear and I put down my pen. I thought that I would not be able to write the treatise. I put my head on a pillow and then offered prayer while sitting; then I saw a few lines were empty [on the page I was writing on]. I said to myself, ‘Let’s fill these lines somehow.’ When I started writing, the subject of the treatise opened upon me and the headache disappeared. At first, I couldn’t understand where that subject would lead to. Now, it seems that my mind was turned to what has been written and drawn towards it.”
In this treatise, where the types of miracles of the Promised Messiahas are mentioned, regarding them Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said:
“The people of our Jamaat should pay attention to them. If they ponder over the different kinds of miracles of the Promised Messiahas, they will see millions of miracles.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said:
“A revelation of the Promised Messiahas has come to my knowledge, [that is], ‘After 25 February.’ This revelation is probably related to this gift and thus fulfilled.”
23 January 1922
After the Fajr prayers, Sheikh Fazlur Rahman Sahib was to leave for Nigeria for tabligh [preaching]. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih wrote instructions on his notebook with his blessed pen and gave some verbal guidelines as well. Thereafter, Huzoor[ra] prayed for a long time by first taking his [Sheikh Fazlur Rahman Sahib’s] hand in his hand and then raising his own hands.
Advice to a missionary
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] gave the following advice verbally:
1. Try to learn the language of the country [you are going to] because without it you cannot carry out tabligh [preaching].
2. Treat the people you preach to with great love and affection, and organise them under a proper administration. For example, different people should be appointed to look after them. Arrangements should also be made for offering prayers on regular basis.
3. The [African] nations show great respect to their chiefs, so when dealing with them, nothing should be said that they feel bad about. Moreover, when you advise them, do it separately, so that they do not feel humiliated. However, try to separately convince both the groups involved that their religious leader will be the one who has been appointed by us.
4. Due to lack of education, they cannot understand the subtle details right now. For example, if [they are told that] the rewards in Paradise would be such that the prayers would take the form of fruits, [they would not be able to understand it]. Thus, it will be enough to tell them that Hell is a place where man goes because of disobedience to Allah and where there is severe torment. On the other hand, Paradise is a place where man who obeys the commands of Allah and His Messenger is rewarded with great solace and comforts. However, this does not mean that they should not be given proper education at all, but that they should be gradually imparted knowledge after they understand the primary matters.
5. One should never sit idle. We should always be active and do some exercise, such as walking at least. It has a lot to do with the soul. The prophets never remain idle.
6. When doing your work, never think that people will do your tasks. Don’t look at anyone else [that they will do your work]. However, if another person does something with the intention that he will be rewarded for doing that good deed, then you should also consider his intentions.
7. Be very careful regarding your morals. Improve your morals as much as possible. When dealing with the authorities, you should show proper respect and also inform them about the reality of your teachings. They have some matters in their hands, so one should not tease them on trivial matters.
8. Then, this idea nowadays is particularly present among the people you will be preaching to that the world despises and hates them, so treat them with love and don’t let them feel [despised]. Moreover, make them realise that the reason the world hates them is because of its unfaithfulness. Therefore, they should not hate the said nations, but only consider their religion to be insignificant. These days, there is so much passion in them [Africans] that they want to take control of the whole world and inhabit it with their people. The said zeal reminds me of a hadith which says that an African will attack Mecca, so it may well mean that [they would occupy the whole world].
9. Always observe austerity in your actions, dress, food and drink. The habit of being grateful [to God] is developed in man through simplicity and after showing gratefulness, you get great blessings. A person who is not accustomed to frugality, even if he is granted huge bounties, will still say that it was his right to get more of them. Therefore, true gratitude never comes from the heart of the one who is not austere.
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 20 March 1922 issue of Al Fazl)