‘God has declared me the Promised Son’: Glimpse into Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s speeches of 1944 in Hoshiarpur, Lahore, Ludhiana, and Delhi

Ata-ul-Haye Nasir, Al Hakam

In 1944, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad^ra, Khalifatul Masih II, announced that he is the Musleh-e-Maud (Promised Reformer), whose glad tiding was given in 1886 by Allah the Almighty to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II^ra delivered speeches at Jalsas in Hoshiarpur, Lahore, Ludhiana, and Delhi, wherein he announced on oath that he is the recipient of this prophecy.

Prior to the Lahore Jalsa, The Civil and Military Gazette announced under the heading “Lahore Meeting”:

“Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmed^[ra], Head of the Ahmadiyya community, will address a public meeting on Sunday, at 2:30 p.m., in the Patiala House grounds, McLeod Road, Lahore.” (The Civil and Military Gazette, 12 March 1944, p. 2)

During the Jalsa in Delhi, the Ahraris and other opponents of Ahmadiyyat made a hue, attacked the Jalsa Gah with stones and hurled abuses. Reporting on this, The Civil and Military Gazette wrote:

“More than a dozen persons were injured, three seriously, as the result of a clash between two sections of Muslims at a public meeting held on Gandhi Grounds last evening. The meeting was organised by the Ahmedia section among the Muslims.

“Disturbances started when Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud^[ra] Qadiani declared that he had come to establish peace and spread Islam which was resented by another section of the Muslims.

“Soon after the trouble had started, a large contingent of police armed with lathis and guns rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

“The police had to make a mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd which had gathered outside the pandal and had started throwing stones at the pandal.

“Mounted police were summoned towards the close of the meeting to control the crowd. About 20 persons were injured as the result of stray assaults, of whom three were removed to hospital in serious conditions.” (The Civil and Military Gazette, 18 April 1944, p. 4)

Jalsa in Hoshiarpur

The Jalsa in Hoshiarpur was held on 20 February 1944. During his speech at this Jalsa, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra said:

“On 20 February 1886, exactly 58 years ago from today, [the prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud was announced] — and it is now entering its 59^th year — in this very city of Hoshiarpur, in a house which is in front of me [pointing at it with his finger from where he was standing]; a house which at that time was known as an outbuilding, meaning it was a temporary place to stay and not an actual dwelling. In fact, it was an additional building of a chief, similar to annexes built occasionally so that guests may stay there who arrive unexpectedly, or which is used as a store or where, if need be, animals could also be kept. An unknown individual from Qadian, whom even the people of Qadian were not fully acquainted with, came here upon witnessing the enmity people harboured towards Islam and the Founder^sa of Islam. He came in order to worship his Lord in seclusion and seek a sign of His help and succour. He spent 40 days in seclusion from others and supplicated before his Lord. After 40 days of supplications, God gave him a sign that ‘I will not only fulfil the promises I made to you and spread your name to the corners of the earth, but in order to fulfil this in an even more splendid manner, I will bless you with a son, who will possess certain qualities. He will spread Islam to the corners of the earth, and explain to the people the verities of the Holy Quran; he will be a sign of mercy and grace and he will be endowed with the religious and secular knowledge that is essential for the propagation of Islam. Moreover, Allah the Almighty will grant him a long life, so much so that his fame will spread to the corners of the earth.’” (Da‘wah Musleh-e-Maud ke Mutalliq Pur Shaukat Ailan, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 140-141)

After this, Huzoor^ra narrated how majestic this prophecy is, considering the circumstances in which it was announced, and stated about its grand fulfilment.

After shedding light about his childhood education, Huzoor^ra narrated about the events which unfolded after the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra. Huzoor^ra continued:

“I am the one who was opposed by the most influential members of the Jamaat, who had control over all the departments of the Jamaat; they had the control of the Madrasa, Langar, [The] Review [of Religions], in fact, they possessed the administration of the Jamaat. They had control over the treasury and occupied various offices as well. In fact, I am the one who was the opponent of his own self as well, since I myself put this suggestion to Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib that he should refrain from rejecting Khilafat, and instead propose someone’s name and I would be the first one to pledge allegiance at his hands. However, despite the fact that I asked Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib to propose someone’s name on whose hands I was ready to take bai‘at, his senses were veiled in such a way that he did not accept my suggestion, since the Will of God was to fulfil those revelations which He had vouchsafed [to the Promised Messiah^as in 1886] and manifest a sign of His Power. Moreover, due to the fact that the Jamaat was insisting on the need for a Khalifa, no one agreed to [the anti-Khilafat stance of] Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and the Jamaat elected me as its Khalifa.” (Ibid., pp. 146-147)

Huzoor^ra boldly claimed that if any philosopher, professor, or even a graduate from England – acquainted with any discipline or specialisation – would raise any objection against the Holy Quran and Islam in front of him, he has the ability to refute their objections:

“There is no discipline of the world about which God has not granted me insight, or any knowledge which is essential for one to live a suitable life and to guide the nation.” (Ibid., p. 149)

Huzoor^ra continued:

“God Almighty granted me strength and I established missions around the world to propagate Islam and Ahmadiyyat. At the time of the Promised Messiah’s^as demise, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya was formally established in only India and, to some extent, in Afghanistan; there was no Ahmadiyya mission elsewhere. However, as God had foretold in the prophecy that ‘His fame will spread to the ends of the earth’, Allah the Almighty enabled me to establish Ahmadiyya missions in various countries. Hence, at the outset of my Khilafat, I established Ahmadiyya missions in England, Ceylon and Mauritius, and then this [initiative of establishing missions] continued to flourish and progress. Thus, by the grace of God, missions were established in Iran, Russia, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Lagos (Nigeria), the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, East Africa, Europe — in addition to England, Spain, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Albania, Germany — United States of America, Argentina, China, Japan, Malaya, Strait Settlements, Sumatra, Java, Surabaya, and Kashgar.” (Ibid.)

Huzoor^ra then narrated a divine vision, which he saw on the night between 5 and 6 January 1944. After this, Huzoor^ra declared:

“Under the divine command, I solemnly announce that God has declared me the Promised Son of the Promised Messiah^as — in accordance with his prophecy — who has to propagate the name of the Promised Messiah^as to the corners of the world. I do not say that I am the only Promised One and that no other Promised One will ever come until the Day of Judgment. […] What I say is that the prophecy that was vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah^as in this very city of Hoshiarpur at the house in front of us – which was announced by him from this city, and about which he stated that he [the Promised Son] will be born within 9 years time – has been fulfilled in my personage, and now there is no one else who could be the recipient of this prophecy.” (Ibid., pp. 155-156)

Addressing the opponents, Huzoor^ra said:

“You should not presume that you could halt the fulfilment of God’s Decree. The Decree of God will surely be fulfilled one day and this Jamaat will spread in the whole world; there is no one who could halt the propagation of this Jamaat.

“I make the Heavens my witness, I make the earth my witness, I make each and every brick of Hoshiarpur my witness, and I declare that this Jamaat will surely spread in the whole world one day. If the hearts of the people are rigid, then the angels themselves will soften their hearts, and they will have no other way than to join the fold of Ahmadiyyat.” (Ibid., pp. 168-169)

Jalsa in Lahore

The Jalsa in Lahore was held on 12 March 1944 at the Patiala House Grounds on McLeod Road.

In the early part of this speech, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra mentioned the prophecy of 1886 and its background.

Further, Huzoor^ra mentioned the events that transpired in 1914, following the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra. For more details on this, see “The fate of those who rejected Khilafat”, www.alhakam.org.

Huzoor^ra continued his address by mentioning the details of how Majlis-i-Ahrar initiated an agitation against Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in the late 1920s. The details of the Ahrar’s anti-Ahmadiyya campaign can be read in our article titled, “Historical analysis of Ahrar’s anti-Ahmadiyya agitation”, published in three parts.

Huzoor^ra also mentioned that various murder attempts had been made against him by the opponents. He had earlier narrated about these attempts during an interview with a correspondent of The Civil and Military Gazette. This interview was published in the form of a lengthy article on 9 February 1935, under the heading “Unrest at Qadian, Khalifa’s Statement on Ahmadya-Ahrar Friction”. For more details, consult the above-mentioned article.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra went on to mention a meeting with the Ahrar leader, Chaudhry Afzal Haq, at the house of Sir Sikander Hayat Khan, in Lahore. During the meeting, Afzal Haq said, “I have made a firm resolve that I will make the utmost effort to crush Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya.” Huzoor^ra stated that Afzal Haq continued to say many harsh words, but he continued to remain silent with a smile. When Afzal Haq had finished saying whatever he wanted to, “I responded, ‘Chaudhry Sahib! It is our claim that our Jamaat has been established by Allah the Almighty. If our claim is false, then there is no need for your efforts at all; God Himself would crush our Jamaat. However, if this Jamaat has been established by God Almighty, then, you have no significance; even if all the kings of the world wish to make a joint effort to crush our Jamaat, they would be unable to crush it, instead, they themselves would be crushed.’” (Mein hi Musleh-e-Maud ki Peshgoi ka Misdaaq hun, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 208)

Mentioning the meeting, Chaudhry Afzal Haq himself states that he addressed Huzoor^ra and said, “With the grace of God, we have also made a resolve that we will try our utmost to efface this Jamaat [Ahmadiyyat].” (Tarikh-e-Ahrar, Maktaba-e-Majlis Ahrar-e-Islam Pakistan, 1968, p. 126)

Janbaz Mirza, the official historian of the Ahrar, has also mentioned this meeting in his book. (Karwan-e-Ahrar, Vol. 1, 1975, Maktabah Tabsarah, Lahore, p. 221)

Summarising the opposition from the opponents and the help and support granted by Allah the Almighty to Ahmadiyyat, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra said:

“The world tried as hard as it could, but in spite of its efforts, God made us grow and granted us progress in a way that was beyond our imagination.” (Mein hi Musleh-e-Maud ki peshgoie ka misdaaq hun, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 209)

Huzoor^ra also mentioned that in 1934, some officials of the British Government in Punjab provided support to the opponents of Ahmadiyyat in their anti-Ahmadiyya agitation, instead of making efforts to resolve the conflict. Huzoor^ra particularly mentioned the then Governor of Punjab, Sir Herbert William Emerson (1881-1962).

For more details, see “Tahrik-e-Jadid: The magnum opus of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud”, www.alhakam.org.

Refuting the notion that the Promised Reformer, who was prophesied in 1886, was to come 3 to 4 centuries later, Huzoor^ra said:

“Some people claim that the birth of the Promised Son will take place in the future progeny of the Promised Messiah^as, perhaps three or four hundred years later – and his advent cannot take place in this day and age. Such people should fear God and focus on the words of the prophecy and ponder over them. The Promised Messiah^as has written that at that time, allegations were being levelled against Islam that it did not possess any power to show any signs. Hence, Pandit Lekh Ram was claiming that if Islam was a true faith, then a sign should be shown. Indarman Muradabadi was raising the same objection that if Islam was a true faith, then demonstrate a sign. Thus, the Promised Messiah^as prostrated before Allah the Almighty and supplicated: ‘O my Lord! Demonstrate a sign that convinces these people of Islam who seek a sign. Show such a sign which would convince people like Indarman Muradabadi about Islam.’

“But despite this, those who object to the prophecy [and say that it was to be fulfilled 3-4 hundred years later], claim that when the Promised Messiah^as offered this prayer, God Almighty responded with the glad tiding that He would grant him a son whose birth would take place three hundred years later as a sign of the truthfulness of Islam. Is there anyone in the world who can consider this to be of any logic? This is, indeed, very irrational. This is equivalent to the example of a thirsty person who knocks on someone’s door for help and says, ‘Brother, I am extremely thirsty. Please grant me some water for the sake of God’ and the person in the house responds, ‘Sir, worry not. I have sent a letter to someone in America and he will send the essence of a sweet drink of high quality by the end of the year, and I will prepare that drink and grant it to you next year.’ Even the most insane person would not attribute such a statement to God and His Messenger.

“Pandit Lekh Ram, Munshi Indarman Muradabadi and the Hindus of Qadian were saying that to claim that the God of Islam has the power to show the world a sign is false and baseless. If there was any truth to this claim, a sign should be shown to them. Hence, the Promised Messiah^as submitted before God Almighty, supplicating, ‘O God, I pray to You that You manifest to me a sign of Your mercy. Grant me a sign of Your might and nearness.’ Hence, this sign must surely have been manifested in the very near future while those who demanded it were still alive. Thus, this is what came to pass. When I was born in 1889, in accordance with the divine prophecy, those who had asked for a sign of the Promised Messiah^as were still alive. Hence, as I grew older, more and more signs of God Almighty continued to be manifested.” (Ibid., pp. 212-213)

Towards the end, Huzoor^ra said:

“Various communities, countries, and governments opposed us; however, God supported us, and the one who has the support of God, cannot be harmed either by governments nor by the empires or kingdoms. Thus, O people of Lahore! I convey to you the message of God. I call you to that Ever Living God Who has created all of you. Do not consider that these are my own words; at this moment, it is not me, but rather, God is speaking through my tongue. Anyone who will raise his voice against Islam in front of me, [God] will lower down their voices; whoever will come forward to compete with me, will be humiliated, defeated, and ruined. However, God will establish a glorious foundation through me, with great majesty, for Islam’s progress and support. I am a human being; I can pass away today or tomorrow, but it can never happen that I fail in the objective for which God has raised me.” (Ibid., p. 233)

An English newspaper, Tribune of Lahore, published a lengthy report about this Jalsa. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 599)

Jalsa in Ludhiana

The Jalsa in Ludhiana was held on 23 March 1944. At the beginning of his speech during this Jalsa, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra said:

“Today, I am present here because 55 years ago, in light of the glad tidings from Allah the Almighty and according to His Command, the Promised Messiah^as, Founder of the Ahmadiyya [Muslim] Jamaat, took Bai‘at. At the time of that Bai‘at, only 40 individuals were there who had accepted him. This was the whole asset that the Promised Messiah^as carried and stood for the victory of Islam. The rest of the world – Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Indians, Iranians, Arabs, Chinese, and British, etc., – in fact, everyone was in his opposition and left no stone unturned to efface him. However, despite these oppositions, he announced to the world after receiving glad tidings from Allah the Almighty:

دنیا میں ایک نذیر آیا پر دنیا نے اُس کو قبول نہ کیا لیکن خدا اسے قبول کرے گا اور بڑے زور آور حملوں سے اُس کی سچائی ظاہر کردے گا۔ 

“[A Warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God shall accept him and demonstrate his truthfulness with mighty assaults.’ (Tadhkirah [English], p. 128)]

“After this declaration, despite severe opposition, Allah the Almighty continued to grant progress to his Jamaat. However, the point on which I wish to speak at this moment is that even before the [First] Bai‘at,” meaning, in 1886, “the Promised Messiah^as […] went to Hoshiarpur to perform supplications, along with three of his Companions^ra. The objective was that Allah the Almighty may manifest a sign for those who demanded that such signs be shown, which could testify to the truthfulness of Islam and make one certain about the fact that God Almighty listens to the prayers and reveals the Unseen to His servants. […]

“The Promised Messiah^as went there to supplicate for 40 days. During this time, he received some revelations from Allah the Almighty. From among those revelations, in the most lengthy and detailed revelation, which has been called a sign of Power, Mercy and Grace, Allah the Almighty informed him that in the near future, He will be granted a boy who will turn three into four and through him great blessings of Allah the Almighty will descend.” (Ahaalian-e-Ludhiana se Khitaab, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 242-243)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra further said:

“By the grace of Allah the Almighty, I have learnt the [true insight of the] Holy Quran from angels, and I can boldly claim that today, in light of the knowledge bestowed upon me by Allah the Almighty, there is no one on the face of the earth who could supersede me in solving the matters related to the Holy Quran.” (Ibid., p. 255)

Huzoor^ra then narrated some of his divine visions. In relation to his divine vision of January 1944, Huzoor^ra said:

“Due to the fact that in this prophecy it was told that the Promised Son will be a sign of Power and Mercy of Allah the Almighty, thus, I deemed it my duty to announce this divine vision to the world. Hence, it was announced in Hoshiarpur on 20 February [1944], the date when the Promised Messiah^as announced this prophecy [in 1886]. This divine vision was read out in Lahore (where I had this divine vision) at a Jalsa on 12 March 1944, and I have come here today to announce it.” (Ibid., p. 266)

Towards the end, Huzoor^ra said:

“Now I wish to tell the people of Ludhiana and all those who have come from outside that this is the call of Heaven, which has been raised by Allah the Almighty and it is not easy to terminate it. This Jamaat consisted of only 40 individuals at the outset, but now, by the grace of God Almighty, our numbers have reached hundreds of thousands. The whole world opposed us but all of the opponents proved unsuccessful and will remain unsuccessful in the future as well. Moreover, no power of the earth could ever halt the progress of Ahmadiyyat.” (Ibid., p. 268)

Jalsa in Delhi

The Jalsa in Delhi was held on 16 April 1944. As mentioned in the beginning, the opponents attacked the Jalsa Gah with stones and hurled abuses. Their aim was to create unrest and consequently terminate the Jalsa, however, the Jalsa continued.

In light of this attack and abuse, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra said:

“These people who are creating disorder and hurling abuse are in fact providing a testimony to my truthfulness as well. Does anyone ever fear falsehood or can falsehood ever succeed? The fact is that people fear the one whom they consider the possessor of real power and that he will become victorious. We are ready to hear whatever they desire to convey to us in a civilised and dignified manner. They stop people from listening to our views, but I tell these maulvis that they should come to us in Qadian, and convey to us their views in a civilised manner. We will not stop people from listening to their views; on the contrary, we will gather them all and provide expenses to these maulvis as well.” (Al Fazl, 6 May 1944, p. 5)

Huzoor^ra further said:

“This hue and disorder will be of no benefit. You people presume that your hearts are anguished for Islam, and according to your thoughts, while considering us the enemies of Islam, you desire to destroy us. One has to die one day for sure; some will die today and others will follow. Thus, come, I propose to you a beneficial and correct method of decision, which will make it clear which group of us two holds true love and true pain for Islam, and it will have a great advantage to the propagation of Islam as well. And that method of decision is that you all make appeals in your respective communities and circles for such youngsters and other individuals to come forward who would dedicate their lives to the propagation of Islam and offer their properties and wealth for the sake of the tabligh of Islam. So that, through this method, the preaching of Islam could be carried out in Arab countries and all other parts of the world. I will demand the same from my small and [financially] weak Jamaat. The result of this will manifest to the world as to who possesses the help and succour of God Almighty, and which party is truly a well-wisher of Islam and holds the true pain for it in their hearts. In response to my recent initiation, which I announced within my Jamaat just recently, by now, 150 highly educated youngsters have dedicated their lives to the service of Islam and properties amounting to 10 million rupees have been dedicated to this cause. Thus, hurling abuse and throwing stones and bricks will not bring out any solution. If you people are truthful, I invite you to the field and by agreeing to this method of decision, prove the truthfulness of your claim.” (Ibid.)