31 July – 6 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

31 July 1885: On this date, the Promised Messiah^as wrote yet another letter to the bitter foe of Islam, Pandit Lekhram. The compiler of the Promised Messiah’s^as letters, Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani^ra could not trace the copy of this letter; therefore, he produced its text from a book of Lekhram that cited it. The wording shows that the Promised Messiah^as did his utmost to make a decisive debate possible in order to shed light on basic, core issues that needed to be cleared between the two rival parties.

31 July 1891: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra. In it, Huzoor^as thanked him for sending a gift of musk. Hazrat Ahmad^as shared the details of a recent debate that took place with Maulvi Muhammad Hussain of Batala and stated that the force and intensity of his arguments enraged Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Sahib so much that if Huzoor^as was not prompt in departing the place on the final day, the Maulvi could have attacked his companions and began rioting.

31 July 1897: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra expressing his thanks on receiving 100 rupees, which was much needed at that moment. Huzoor^as also informed him about the planned expansion project of Masjid Mubarak, expounding on the significant importance of this place of worship as it had been mentioned in many revelations.

1 August 1883: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Mir Abbas Ali Sahib of Ludhiana guiding him on multiple topics. Hazrat Ahmad^as described his acquaintance with Hindu literature and updated him regarding new arrivals. Besides other issues, Huzoor’s sorrow for the seekers of worldly wealth is also obvious from this correspondence as Hazrat Ahmad^as cited Islamic teachings about those who belittle religious matters with their deeds and thoughts.

1 August 1890: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra and expressed his thoughts on the receipt of letters after relatively long gaps.

1 August 1899: On this date, after the Maghrib prayer, a Hindu ascetic (sadhu) from a well-known class of people came to visit the Promised Messiah^as and had a discussion on various topics like cognisance of the Divine, meditation and its benefits, the God of Islam, the wisdom in God being hidden, the rank of those who enjoy nearness in the court of God and that asceticism does not lead to perfect knowledge of the Divine. The editor of Al Hakam prepared a summary of this discussion. After the detailed and healthy discussion, the Hindu ascetic left and food was served to him. The Promised Messiah^as concluded, “This is why Islam has not prescribed asceticism, for asceticism does not lead to perfect knowledge of the Divine.”

2 August 1885: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra advising him to recite Durood after Maghrib and Isha prayers as much as possible (between 700 and 1,100 times daily being optimal) in the following traditional wording:

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلٰی آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلٰی إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلٰی آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلٰی آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلٰی إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلٰی آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

“Bless, O Allah, Muhammad and the people of Muhammad, as You blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham. You are indeed the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. Prosper, O Allah, Muhammad and the people of Muhammad, as You prospered Abraham and the people of Abraham. You are indeed the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.”

Huzoor^as further said that if one remains punctual and steadfast in invoking blessings on the Holy Prophet^sa through Durood, they would find their heart illuminated and enhanced and feel an unwavering attachment to the religion of Islam. Furthermore, this would ignite an ardent passion for the Prophet^sa of Islam that would increase the chances of seeing his holy person in dreams.

2 August 1888: The Promised Messiah^as informed Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra about the fragile health condition of his son, Bashir Awwal (the first Bashir). Huzoor^as said that he was extremely occupied in attending to this poorly child and so, he could not take time out to complete Munshi Sahib’s^ra request.

2 August 1894: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Ali^ra asking him to buy 40 kilograms of cooking oil and dispatch it to Qadian through railway cargo as the shortage of standardised cooking oil in Qadian was causing concerns for Huzoor^as. In the postscript of this letter, Huzoor^as added that the price of the cooking oil would be reimbursed. Such supplies were regularly required to maintain the hospitality of guests in Qadian.

3 August 1899: The Promised Messiah^as wrote to Hazrat Mian Shadi Khan^ra that he deemed it pertinent for him to come to Qadian for some days as this companion’s mother and sons were eager to see him.

3 August 1907: The Promised Messiah^as replied to Hazrat Seith Ismail Adam^ra of Bombay and stated that he had earlier sent a reply to his letter, which might have missed its destination. Therefore, he said that he would pray for him as he had prayed for him earlier. Hazrat Ahmad^as informed this devout follower that the money order had not reached him yet, but it may be delivered in the coming days.

4 August 1893: An Arab religious scholar, Muhammad bin Ahmad from Mecca, on this date, wrote a letter to the Promised Messiah^as. This learned man visited India and made a stop-over in Qadian. After accepting the claims and beliefs of the Promised Messiah^as, he enjoyed his blessed company for some time. Finally, he returned to his native country and wrote the abovementioned letter from Mecca after performing Hajj. While replying to his letter, the Promised Messiah^as penned a detailed letter, which was later printed in the shape of a book, Hamama-tul-Bushra. Chronologically, Muhammad bin Ahmad wrote to Hazrat Ahmad^as on 20 Muharram 1311 AH from Mecca, asking him to send to Mecca some of his books, which Ali Ta‘I – a friend of the writer of the letter – desired to distribute throughout the country. Huzoor^as, therefore, wrote this book and explained his mission in its entirety to the people of Mecca. It was completed at the end of Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1311 AH and printed in Rajab 1311 AH (a total of 112 pages according to the first edition) at the press of Ghulam Qadir Fasih.

5 August 1887: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra. In it, Huzoor^as emphasised that the rebuttal of Pandit Lekhram’s compilation must be concise and compelling and the whole project needed his prompt attention so that these allegations may not cause innocent people go astray. Hazrat Ahmad^as shared that there had been no cessation in rain in Qadian and its outskirts for some days, which caused delays in purchasing and shifting printing paper to Qadian. Huzoor^as also advised him on personal marital issues. This thorough letter also mentions one youngster who converted to Islam from Hinduism and that Hazrat Ahmad^as prayed for him also. This boy was Sheikh Abdullah Sahib, who braved many conspiracies in the Kashmir State owing to the prayers of the Promised Messiah^as and patronage of Hazrat Hakim Sahib^ra and who later became a prominent lawyer, educationalist and women’s social reformer in the Indian subcontinent. He was a co-founder of the Women’s College at Aligarh and Aligarh Muslim University. He was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 1964.

5 August 1898: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra. In it, Huzoor^as described the exceptionally exalted standards of his prayers before God and shared five verses from a Persian poem of his.

5 August 1905: The Promised Messiah^as directed his devout disciple, Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra, while replying to his letter, that although it was the monsoon season, he may commence his journey towards Qadian as there was hardly any rainfall in Qadian and its surrounding area at the the point of writing the letter.

6 August 1898: The Promised Messiah^as replied to a letter of Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan^ra, in which Hazrat Nawab Sahib^ra shared good news of his recovery from smallpox. Hazrat Ahmad^as wrote that illnesses and other sufferings of his followers made him extremely worried and consumed a lot of his time and attention, hence he would pray fervently for their prompt relief. In this letter, Hazrat Ahmad^as introduced a subtle and much needed trait, which is not cared for usually, while visiting or attending the sick. Huzoor^as wrote that there had been some patients of smallpox in the locality of Qadian, who had succumbed to the disease, but Huzoor^as concealed this news from Hazrat Nawab Sahib^ra as he was battling the disease himself.

Moreover, Huzoor^as unveiled an idea for a separate graveyard for his followers. Huzoor^as added that the idea of a special cemetery derived from the history of Islam and that the Sharia wholly backed and valued this. Since it could be a means of the forgiveness of others – because the company of the righteous never lets vulnerable ones to remain deprived – he provided the example of the special burial ground in the holy city of Medina. Interestingly, this is years before the establishment of Bahishti Maqbarah.