21-27 August

In this third year of Al Hakam, we will present a selection of incidents from the blessed life of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, this time, with some more details

21 August 1887: In a letter sent on this date, the Promised Messiah^as reminded Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra about purchasing and sending cooking oil to Qadian. Huzoor^as also asked him to arrange for a suitable housemaid to care for his newborn son, Bashir (Awwal) the first, as Huzoor^as did not find the local servants of Qadian satisfactory.

21 August 1904: The Promised Messiah^as was in Lahore on this date and delivered a public address after offering Zuhr prayer.

22 August 1885: The Promised Messiah^as expressed his gratitude towards Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra through a letter. Huzoor^as commended his selfless and continuous contributions to smoothly run Huzoor’s^as various religious projects.

22 August 1887: The Promised Messiah^as replied to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra educating him regarding destinies and other attributes of Allah. Hazrat Ahmad^as summed up that God’s dealing with His men is amongst his hidden secrets.

22 August 1894: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a postcard of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra, asking him to remain engaged in prayers for the general public’s faith as the final date for the prophecy regarding Abdullah Atham was fast approaching. Abdullah Atham was in Ferozpur with sound health. This letter records yet another example of Hazrat Ahmad’s^as trust in God and his compassionate approach towards the masses that they may not fall prey to any temptation and lack of faith.

22 August 1894: The Promised Messiah^as informed Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra that 100 rupees were received a day earlier, but as it did not carry any detail with it, Huzoor^as wanted to confirm receipt of this amount in his own writing. Hazrat Ahmad^as also shared with him recent confrontations by his opponents.

22 August 1898: The Promised Messiah^as wrote a letter to his faithful disciple, Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra, informing him that prayers to God for His cause had reached their peak. Hazrat Ahmad^as wrote that he could never imagine that these prayers would go unaccepted.

22 August 1901: During litigation in the famous “wall case”, on this day, under court orders, the cousins of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as tore down the wall blocking the entrance of Masjid Mubarak in Qadian that they had previously erected with their own hands.

23 August 1888: The Promised Messiah^as wrote back to Hazrat Munshi Abdullah Sanauri^ra informing him that news of his well-being had made Hazrat Ahmad^as very happy. Moreover, Huzoor^as sent him some announcements to be circulated and informed him that the health of his son, Bashir Awwal was gradually being restored.

23 August 1891: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Mian Fateh Muhammad^ra, assuring him that he must remain steadfast as Huzoor^as would pray for him. Huzoor^as added a Persian line, which meant that there is not a single problem that has no solution.

23 August 1897: The court of Captain Douglas, after completing its proceedings, declared the Promised Messiah^as not guilty. The judge dismissed the charges of attempted murder as levelled by a prominent Christian missionary, Henry Martyn Clark. Hazrat Ahmad^as was present in court when the verdict was announced.

23 August 1898: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Syed Munshi Mazhar Ali of Allahabad that his stance regarding wahdat-ul-wajood (unity of one being) was not true, as this Sufi emphasised that “there is no true existence except the Ultimate Truth (God).” Hazrat Ahmad^as exposed the fallacy of this philosophy. Huzoor^as also presented arguments in this short letter to prove true human nature.

24 August 1887: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra reminding him to buy and send to Qadian the required quantity of cooking oil as it was not available locally and was needed desperately in Qadian owing to the rising number of guests visiting Qadian after the birth of Bashir Awwal.

24 August 1892: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra about certain issues. Huzoor^as asked him to arrange and dispatch pure and natural musk, citing his ongoing fragile medical conditions and his previous experience with musk bought from the market.

24 August 1899: The Promised Messiah’s^as book, Sitara-e-Qaisariya (Star of the Empress) was published at Zia-ul-Islam Press, Qadian on this day. It was published under the supervision of Hazrat Hakim Fazl Din^ra, proprietor of the press. In the text, we find that the Promised Messiah^as highlighted the worldly and materialistic advancements and bounties prevailing during the reign of Queen Victoria. In this manner, he metaphorically guided the eyes and hearts towards the spiritual and Divine developments surfacing on earth.

On the title page, Huzoor^as said:

“This auspicious booklet cites the blessings of Her Majesty, the Empress, may her prosperity endure, and mentions that in the time of Her Majesty’s tranquil reign and due to the influence of her resplendent star, countless earthly and heavenly blessings have been manifested. Let it be known that in keeping with these reasons, the following booklet has been entitled: Star of the Empress.”

25 August 1887: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra reminding him of some previously asked items that were needed in Qadian and added that he should also arrange some paan (a combination of betel leaf and areca nut, widely consumed in South Asia) worth 2 annas.

25 August 1889: The Promised Messiah^as replied to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra informing him that Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra had reached Jammu safely. Hazrat Ahmad^as guided this fortunate companion, saying that when pure love penetrates one’s heart, it definitely generates a special surge and love for the remembrance of Allah. Hence, until this exceptional bond is not created, some element of lethargy would remain in that person.

25 August 1899: The Promised Messiah^as wrote a letter to Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra addressing various matters like his proposed visit to Qadian, drastic changes in climate pattern, which was causing fears and concerns for farmers in Punjab and the growing number of plague cases in Calcutta. In this letter, Hazrat Ahmad^as shared an interesting story that was creating hype in newspapers during those days, that planet Earth would see its final destruction on 13 November 1899, as a gigantic meteor (sitara) was approaching to hit the earth.

26 August 1892: The Promised Messiah^as wrote back to Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra expressing his deep sorrow as an expulsion notice was served to Hazrat Maulvi Sahib^ra from the administration of Kashmir State, where he had been serving as chief physician for many years. Hazrat Ahmad^as lamented the sorry state of affairs of this valley that ousted its most revered and considerate person. Huzoor^as wrote, “I wonder what will happen now with this state” and at the same time, he strengthened the morale of Hazrat Maulvi Sahib^ra by saying that such hardships and temptations manifest the love God had for this saintly person. In this thorough letter, Hazrat Ahmad^as shared some of his latest revelations and visions too.

26 August 1901: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as said, “I was writing some verses on the subject of righteousness, which included one revealed line of the verse. The verse is:

ہر اِك نیكى كى جڑ یہ اتّقا ہے

اگر یہ جڑ رہى سب كچھ رہا ہے

(The root of every good is righteousness; if this root is preserved, everything will survive.)

The second line of this verse was revealed.”

26 August 1906: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Mian Abul Majeed Khan^ra, who was the official officer for horse carriages in state of Kapurthala. In this letter, Huzoor^as asked him to arrange for a suitable horse for his sons, as Huzoor^as was not satisfied with the horse that was being used during those days. This letter paints Hazrat Ahmad’s^as profound knowledge and aesthetic sense for horses. Moreover, this letter delineates Huzoor’s^as love and care for his son’s safety and health, as Huzoor^as did not deem appropriate that a horse being ridden by his children should have even a minor fault, although Huzoor^as wrote many good qualities of that horse, which was okayed by the East India Company, as it had “EI” branded on its back.

27 August 1892: The Promised Messiah^as congratulated Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra through a postcard on his new posting in Waltoha, District Lahore as deputy inspector. Hazrat Ahmad^as informed him about the printing of his two new Arabic books, Tohfa-e-Baghdad and Karamat-us-Sadiqin. Huzoor^as asked him to send a donation of 20 rupees as he had promised earlier to Sialkot, where these books were being printed.

27 August 1897: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter from Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra regarding some judicial papers and commented on their language. Huzoor^as also instructed him to retrieve and bring with him related material of a certain legal notice.

27 August 1899: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as received a revelation in Urdu:

خدا نے ارادہ کیا ہے کہ تیرا نام بڑھاوے اور آفاق میں تیرے نام کی خوب چمک دکھاوے۔ آسمان سے کئی تخت اُترے مگر سب سے اُونچا تیرا تخت بچھایا گیا۔ دشمنوں سے ملاقات کرتے وقت ملائکہ نے تیری مدد کی۔

“God has determined to foster your name and to make it shine in the universe. Many thrones have descended from heaven, but your throne has been set up the highest of all. The angels helped you at the time of meeting your enemies.”