100 Years Ago… – Islam in Norway and a Hindu friend

0

Al Fazl, 10 May 1920

Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra

Mr Ahmad Krishna BA

I present below a sincere letter of a Hindu young man, which he wrote to be submitted in the court of Khilafat … Hopefully it will be read with interest. Mr Krishna BA, who came from Hindustan with Babu Azizuddin Sahib and Khan Abdur Rahim Khan Sahib on the same ship, regularly read the literature of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and held discussions with missionaries. He states:

“For His Holiness, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad Sahib

“From Krishna,

“May my words bring delight to Huzoor[ra]. I am a believer of the Dishna Advaita religion and a follower of Sri Rangam [Ramanuja] of South India. Since coming to London, I have studied Islamic, especially Ahmadiyya, literature and I have learned from reading the prophecies of Hazrat Ahmad[as] that Hazrat Ahmadas was a man of God and I inform Huzoor[ra] that I am inspired by the teachings of Ahmadiyyat and I now assist the Ahmadiyya Jamaat to the best of my ability. I present my humble self as an offering to God and request Huzoor[ra] to pray for my continued success.

“Humble servant of Huzoor[ra], Krishna”

It is worth mentioning that we call respected Mr Krishna by the name of Ahmad Krishna and he feels happy about it. He not only spends a lot of his time writing my letters, but also presents one pound monthly chanda for the assistance of the Jamaat. May Allah reward him!

Sister Amna Thomson’s letter from Norway

To the east of the North Sea, which was once called the German Sea, is a country called Norway, parallel to the British Isles. In response to a letter, a prominent Muslim Norwegian lady, who has also lived in India and knows English, writes:

“Dear brother, I have received your letter full of gratitude. I thank you for your kindness. I will leave here on 15 March [1920]. I have written an article about Islam in the newspapers of this country, a copy of which I will bring with me. I will translate it and read it out for you. I hope that with the help of God Almighty, we will be able to bring the people of Norway to light and we will make them fully aware of the truth that Islam presents. I am certain that Islam will spread in Norway and other countries of Europe. Once, I will return to India, I will write more [articles] for Norway and we will try to write from England as well. You would dictate and I will keep on writing in Norwegian language.

“Yes, dear brother, I very much hope that truth will take root in Norway. May the blessings of God be upon you for your good works. Assalamo alaikum to all Ahmadi brothers over there. May God accept our prayers.

“I am sincerely yours, Amna Thomson”

Tabligh in Bosnia

Although our esteemed friend Dr Fehmi Berkovich has not yet declared his Ahmadiyyat, he himself says, “Before meeting you, I was a Muslim by birth and name, but I was not a practicing Muslim. Now, Ahmadiyyat seems to me to be the life and hope of Islam.”

This friend, narrating the accounts of the Ahmadiyya mission to a prominent Muslim tradesman from his country, brought him to the missionaries’ residence. The businessman talked for an hour, through Dr Fehmi Berkovich’s, in the form of a series of questions and answers about Islam and Ahmadiyya Jamaat. This helped to impress the message of the Promised Messiahas on the mind of a Bosnian man. We gave him some Arabic literature so that he may go to his country and inform the hodja [scholars], the maulvis on the one hand and liberal youth on the other, about “the hope of Islam.”

I hope that Allah Almighty will soon bring Ahmadiyyat to this country. The government there and its well-wishers are looking for a remedy like Islam Ahmadiyyat.

Lectures

On 12 April 1920, my lecture on “Persian and Sanskrit are sister languages” was held at Société Internationale de Philologie, Sciences et Beaux-Arts. Dr Henry M Leon, MA, PhD, was the president of the gathering. He expressed his desire to publish this lecture in the magazine of the society, [The] Philomath. Last Sunday, Mr Krishna BA spoke on the subject of “Islam teaches compassion for the creation” at that Ahmadiyya Lecture Hall. Present in the audience were Doctor and Madam Leon MA. Dr Sahib entertained the participants with his scholarly speech for half an hour.

The Faith Brothers, Babu Azizuddin Sahib and this humble one are gradually narrowing down the circle of Christian speakers in Hyde Park and are continuously conveying the message of truth.

No posts to display

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here