Al Fazl, 20 & 23 February 1922
20 December 1921
[Status of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkoti Sahibra and Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra in the eyes of the Promised Messiahas]
Maulana Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib[ra] presented a letter of the Promised Messiahas to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] from the file of Al Hakam newspaper that Huzooras wrote to the late Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahibra.
In it, Hazrat Jariullah [the champion of Allah, Ahmadas] had written:
“I have been granted two men. One is Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin Sahib and the other is Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib, and no third person [with their respective qualities] has ever been born.”
Regarding this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said:
“Once there was a discussion among the women of the house. Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib’s wife said that Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib was dearer to the Promised Messiahas and our mother [Hazrat Ummul Momineenra] would say that Hazrat Maulvi Sahib [Khalifatul Masih Irh] [was dearer to the Promised Messiahas]. That matter was presented before the Promised Messiahas and he said smilingly, ‘As is narrated in a hadith, both of them are practically on my left and right.’ Hazrat Maulvi Sahib used to stay on his right side and Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim on his left side.”
21 December 1921
[The superb memory of Pir Sirajul Haq Sahibra]
Tazkirat-ul-Mahdi Part II,authored by Hazrat Pir Siraj-ul-Haq Sahib[ra], which is a very fine and beneficial treatise, and which contains the accounts and sayings of Hazrat Hujjatullah [Proof of God, Ahmadas], was presented to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih. Examining it, Huzoor[ra] said:
“It [having good memory] is also an innate ability. Pir Sahib has a natural gift of committing events to memory. He remembers [the details] to such an extent that it seems as if he even remembers the actual words.”
23 December 1921
[“Tabligh stops disputes”]
It was reported to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih that there was a dispute in a particular jamaat, so such and such missionary engaged those people in tabligh [preaching]. Now, they have started working diligently. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said:
“Tabligh stops disputes, as it is mentioned in the Holy Quran: لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُوۡنَ [‘That you may prosper’]. There is underlying wisdom in the differences between religions and it exists so that the powers of goodness may combine.”
24 December 1921
Nikah Sermon
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih first sat on a chair in the mihrab [niche in the mosque that indicates the qibla and the Imam stands in it to lead the prayers] of Masjid Mubarak, and then stood up and recited [the Arabic wording of] the nikah sermon. Thereafter, Huzoor[ra] said:
“We observe in the world that human nature derives a special kind of pleasure from meeting each other. That pleasure can be in whichever form, but it does exist. When a friend meets another friend, he enjoys it. When two brothers meet each other, they enjoy it. When the parents meet their child and the child meets them, they enjoy it. Hence, all human beings get a sort of pleasure when they meet each other, even if they do not feel it. Its proof is that if a person is going alone in a forest and he suddenly finds another person there, no matter how outlandish he is and unfamiliar with his language, he will still be happy. If an Indian, who does not know Pashto, and a Pathan, who is unfamiliar with Urdu, suddenly meet in a jungle, they will certainly be happy.
“In other words, a person [generally] enjoys meeting another human being. Though the said happiness is hidden, it is still present in abundance. For example, the delight we get from the nose, eyes and ears is hidden and a person does not cherish it. However, when one’s eyes are lost, hearing and sense of smell are lost, and then that person regains the said senses, it surely gives a lot of happiness, comfort and pleasure. If the eye is diseased and the doctor covers it with a bandage and advises not to open it, even then the person removes it to a degree and tries to peak through the bandage. The said practise may result in the complete loss of sight, but still, if a person sees light at that time, he gets a lot of happiness and delight.
“When one cannot hear through their hears and they get relieved after pichkari [inserting liquid through a syringe] or the completion of the course of the disease, it results in great happiness for him. If the sense of smell is lost and regained after some time, then even if one smells a foul odour, it gives rise to happiness. Thus, some comforts are not known, but one realises them when they are assumed to be lost and then found again.
“Moreover, the point that happiness comes from meeting each other guides us to the fact that when there is comfort and tranquillity in meeting a human being, then how much more pleasure, serenity and comfort will there be in meeting and union with God, and the nikah also comes under the same spirit.
“I did not say it needlessly that small things are the guide for great things, but I will explain it with the help of an example. There shouldn’t be any hesitation in [shedding light on the matter of] religion. We also have children in our sermons. We can neither stop them nor let them be deprived of this knowledge, so I will explain how small things guide towards great things and how the meeting of man and woman leads to the relationship with God.
“One of the purposes of the creation of mankind is that they grow their progeny. God is concerned with the survival of the human race. What did God do in this regard? This is a great goal. Now we take a look at how this great purpose has been achieved by small means.
“A child is born and, in their body, they have the ability to reproduce. The survival of mankind depends on individual survival, and so the first step is for the child to survive on its own. The question is who teaches the baby to suck milk. They cannot speak, cannot express their thoughts and desires, but nature has placed the power of sensuality in their palate and tongue in particular. When the baby takes the mother’s breast in their mouth and presses it, they enjoy it and with it, the milk goes into their stomach and that results in their survival. It is as if God has placed their life and survival in the said pleasure.
“Then, when the days of adulthood arrive after their childhood, who gives them the knowledge of private matters? Apart from some wicked ones, the divine power of nature and God’s law teaches everyone. To understand how this works, we should ponder over the fact that this power and pleasure has been placed by nature near the organs used to urinate, etc. A person washes away the filth and, in this way, they eventually become aware of the pleasure and feel it. They then know that the said place carries the organ which has been given to them for the survival of the human race. This is a very subtle and long discussion but I have briefly explained how attention is drawn from small things towards great ones.
“Behold! How [God] placed a small pleasure and employed it for the survival of the human race. In the same way, the pleasure of a relationship also serves the purpose of whom we belong to.
“A person feels they should belong to God and if they meet Him, then just as the human race survives through the union of man and woman, human beings are blessed with eternal, everlasting and uninterrupted life when they meet God Almighty. There is nikah to draw attention towards this matter and we should always keep the said purpose in mind.
“Generally, as the pleasure becomes the centere of attention in a relationship, human beings sometimes forget its real purpose which is the relationship with God, and only mere pleasure persists.”
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 20 and 23 February 1922 issue of Al Fazl)