25 September – 1 October

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

25 September 1893: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra assuring him that his post was being delivered from Qadian without any delays, but perhaps some other factors were delaying their prompt delivery. Huzoor^as also updated him regarding the publishing of new books; two in Arabic and one in Urdu. This letter’s envelope read: “Towards Montgomery at Sadar Kachehri; To my respected brother, Munshi Rustam Ali, Court Inspector Police.” This was the post where Hazrat Munshi Sahib^ra was transferred after the immense prayers of his beloved master, the Promised Messiah^as.

In those days, Montgomery District was an administrative district of the former Punjab Province of British India, in what is now Pakistan. Named after Sir Robert Montgomery, it laid in the tract between the Sutlej and the Ravi rivers. The administrative headquarters was the town of Montgomery, present-day Sahiwal. In 1978, the name of Montgomery District was changed to Sahiwal District.

26 September 1887: The Promised Messiah^as was concerned about the deteriorating and feeble health of his daughter, Ismat, who was not accepting some other intake options. On this date, he wrote a letter to one of his close friends, Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra, who lived in a nearby city, asking him to send a packet of soft English biscuits, which was worth one rupee and two annas. In those days, Qadian was a small village and didn’t have many basic food items, but Huzoor^as always went out of his way to cater for his guests and companions.

26 September 1887: The Promised Messiah^as sent another letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra, reminding and updating him of multiple tasks, which Munshi Sahib was earlier assigned with. This letter also sheds light on another extreme reality the Promised Messiah^as was facing in that time, as Huzoor^as shared with Munshi Sahib^ra that the new maid he had requested for his children must be extremely wise, pious and cautious because local Hindus and even some mischievous Muslim elements were planning to poison his son.

26 September 1887: The Promised Messiah^as sent a short note to Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanauri^ra that the deadline for the request he had made earlier was fast approaching and this loyal and reliable friend ought to be in the company of Hazrat Ahmad^as in the coming few days. Huzoor^as directed him to reach Qadian, provided there was no inconvenience. Otherwise, Huzoor^as said, he should promptly inform him about his situation and decision.

26 September 1888: In a letter, the Promised Messiah^as congratulated Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra on his promotion to the post of court inspector in the police. Hazrat Ahmad^as asked him about some announcements that were sent Huzoor^as, whose acknowledgement was still pending by Munshi Sahib^ra.

26 September 1894: The Promised Messiah^as received a letter from Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra, which expressed his perturbing state of mind regarding the outcome of Huzoor’s^as prophecy about Abdullah Atham. On this date, Hazrat Ahmad^as replied to his letter and informed him that his new book, addressing the issue in details, titled Anwar-ul-Islam, would be out from the press in the coming three to four days and it would suffice his uncertainty and would soothe his feelings hopefully. Huzoor^as also advised him to visit Qadian and to stay in his company for at least a week. While concluding his reply, the Promised Messiah^as informed him about the exceeding number of guests in Qadian, which naturally delayed the correspondence operations.

26 September 1899: The Promised Messiah^as sent a letter of confirmation to Hazrat Seith Haji Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra on this date that 100 rupees had been received. Hazrat Ahmad^as shared that owing to the scarcity of rainfall, drought and famine seemed imminent. Huzoor^as also wrote that the expenditures of the Langar were increasing day by day; for example, every month, flour worth 200 rupees was being bought and Huzoor^as estimated that in the current month, it would exceed to 500 rupees. Huzoor^as added that the limited availability and soaring prices of dried firewood logs were also a cause of concern. Hazrat Ahmad^as drew a painful scenario regarding the limited resources against the momentous projects to be achieved and concluded that sometimes, these frequent disturbances consume his precious time, so much so that sometimes, he cannot find enough time to pray for these matters. Huzoor^as stated he was planning to issue an announcement for his Jamaat members so that they could donate in the cause of Allah and wanted to mention the name of Seith Sahib^ra as an example.

27 September 1896: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as wrote a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra, saying he was rather unwell. He also said that a water-well was being constructed there for guests. Huzoor^as carried on that a well was most needed, but there were not enough funds. Huzoor^as had asked others for chanda, but it did not prove adequate to accomplish the task. In this backdrop, Huzoor^as asked Munshi Sahib^ra if he could send chanda in advance as it would be very helpful in completing the well. Hazrat Ahmad^as penned the final line of this letter by saying that owing to excessive weakness, he could not write more.

28 September 1887: The Promised Messiah^as received a bitter and furious reply from Maulvi Muhammad Hussain of Batala. On the same date, Huzoor^as dispatched yet another detailed reply to dispel his baseless misconceptions and pacify his seething condition as he had earlier remained a staunch proponent and advocate of Huzoor’s^as selfless services for the cause of Islam and Muslims. Hazrat Ahmad’s^as modesty and compassion for the masses can easily be seen in this letter. (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 1, p. 307)

28 September 1891: The Promised Messiah^as sent a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra asking him to re-investigate, with more precise information, about the nikah of Mirza Ahmad Baig’s daughter, as people in Qadian could not verify this news which was earlier shared by Munshi Sahib^ra. The Promised Messiah^as also asked him to share what a Sultan Ahmad had said regarding a certain matter to Munshi Sahib^ra, who was most probably his eldest son, i.e. Hazrat Mirza Sultan Ahmad.

28 September 1902: The Promised Messiah^as, whilst writing to Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra, praised Allah as some signs of improvements in certain business matters of Seith Sahib^ra were conveyed through a letter. Hazrat Ahmad^as assured him that he would constantly pray for him. Huzoor^as also wrote that some musk had been received too, which was sent by Seith Dal Ji. Hazrat Ahmad^as commented on the qualities of musk and guided Seith Allah Rakha Sahib^ra to convey Huzoor’s^as thanks to Seith Dal Ji, as Huzoor^as was told that he was out of Madras in those days and hence, Huzoor^as could not express his appreciation directly.

28 September 1905: The Promised Messiah^as received two guests; one from Turkey while the other was Jewish. He was asked some questions in Arabic and he gave their answers in Arabic too. The Editor of Al Hakam, Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani^ra produced this valued conversation in his newspaper in Urdu. During this detailed discussion, Hazrat Ahmad^as removed many misunderstandings and guided them towards the right path.

29 September 1891: The Promised Messiah^as reached Delhi and wrote a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra on this date, that hopefully, for the next one month, his address would be in a two-story residence of Nawab Loharo, situated in Ballimaran Bazar. Huzoor^as instructed him to pay a visit there too. Huzoor^as repeatedly requested Munshi Sahib^ra to arrange for some suitable job for Sheikh Abdul Haq of Karachi, who was a devout follower of Huzoor^as.

30 September 1889: The Promised Messiah^as debunked the false and vicious theory of Maulvi Imamuddin of Punjab, who affixed to his name the title of Fateh-e-Kitab-e-Mubeen (Explainer of the Open Book). Huzoor^as replied to his letter on this date. This man was a judge by profession and of the view that the Holy Quran was not complete until it was coupled with a copy of the Bible. Hazrat Ahmad^as took notice of this ruinous and baleful idea and admonished this person in a most wise way. The editor of Al Hakam and compiler of Huzoor’s^as letters recorded the text of the two replies sent to Maulvi Imamuddin.

30 September 1895: The Promised Messiah^as undertook a journey towards Dera Baba Nanak. The sole purpose of this was to personally see the famous cloak of Hazrat Baba Nanak^rh. It was a Monday and this 10-member entourage completed this approximately 50-mile journey via yakkas [horse-pulled carriages]. Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ismail^ra sat next to the Promised Messiah^as on this journey.

1 October 1889: The Promised Messiah^as reminded Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra of a certain urgent and important task, while writing a letter to him. After expressing his perturbation owing to the delay in reply, Hazrat Ahmad^as asked him to arrange for a chaste, young and suitable wife from the area where he was posted then, for Huzoor’s^as personal servant, Peeran Dita, who happened to be a person with very limited resources to get married on his own. Such was the love and care of the Promised Messiah^as for even workers in his house.