Al Fazl, 4 July 1921
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih reached Srinagar safely
On 29 June [1921], a telegram was sent by Syed Mahmudullah Shah Sahib BA, which showed that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] safely reached Srinagar, alhamdulillah!
Journey from Qadian to Rawalpindi
On 25 June [1921], [Huzoorra] left Qadian and reached Batala in good health. As it was cloudy throughout the way, we were saved from the heat. A wind storm struck in Batala, but we boarded [the train] through it. The entire Jamaat was present at the Amritsar station. A reserved train [carriage] was already present at the station. Huzoor[ra] got on board. The window [glass] fell on Hazrat Ummul Momineen’s[ra] hand and two of her fingers were crushed. It caused her a lot of pain.
We reached Lahore at around 10 pm and it rained heavily over here. Most of the friends were present at the station. While it was raining, the dinner arranged by Mistri Musa Sahib was served in the vehicles.
On the way to Rawalpindi from Lahore, Ahmadi friends kept coming to visit Huzoor[ra] at many places about which they had been informed earlier and because of this, Huzoor[ra] could not sleep almost all night.
On 26 June [1921], [Huzoorra] reached Rawalpindi at 11 am and was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the friends of the Jamaat there. They provided motors and horse-drawn carriages and helped the entire caravan to reach the resthouse.
At the station of [Rawalpindi], a Muslim ticket collector irritated us and our friends in every possible way, but God protected us from his evil intentions.
In Rawalpindi, Huzoor[ra] stayed at the house of Babu Nooruddin Sahib, secretary of [Rawalpindi] Jamaat. Some friends also came from Kailpur, Kohat, Nowshera etc. to visit [Huzoorra]. Huzoor’s[ra] health is very good by the grace of Allah the Almighty.
Departure from Rawalpindi
On 27 June [1921], Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] left Rawalpindi for Srinagar at 10 am in lorries. On the way, Sheikh Fazal Ahmad Sahib and Master Abdul Rahman Sahib Khaki came from Murree to welcome Huzoor[ra].
After meeting [Huzoorra], the two sped up the motor and went back to arrange food. Huzoor[ra] reached Murree along with the caravan at around 3pm. There, a close friend of our above mentioned associates, Sheikh Abdul Ghani Sahib (estate agent), who is ham-zulf [sister in law’s husband] of Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed Sahib Ahmadi of Gujranwala, arranged a very sumptuous repast at his house. May Allah the Almighty grant Sheikh Sahib the best of rewards. Members of the Murree Jamaat also gave us provisions for the dinner.
Another thing worth mentioning here is that a respectable Englishman’s wife, through our brother Sheikh Ala Bakhsh Sahib, presented five rupees and said, “I am aware of the accounts of the Promised Messiahas. I sincerely believe in him. As he [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] is his Khalifa, [I believe] he is like him.”
Huzoor[ra] left Murree at 4:30pm and stayed overnight at the dak bungalow in Kohala. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih’s health is good by the grace of God.
Departure from Kohala
From Kohala, which is an English territory and is located on the border of the state of Kashmir, we left at 5:30am and travelled 132 miles to reach Srinagar at 7:30pm. Khalifa Nuruddin Sahib Jamuni, his son Abdur Rahim Sahib and Khawaja Abdur Rahman Sahib, were present there to welcome us.
All the belongings etc. were kept at the boathouse and we also spent the night in it. Now, we intend to move to another house. Huzoor’s[ra] health is good by the grace of God Almighty and all the fellow travellers are also well.
Humbly yours, (Dr) Hashmatullah, 29 June 1921
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 4 July 1921 issue of Al Fazl)