In the September 1909 issue of Tash-heez-ul-Azhan, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra wrote a prayer given in this article, which he had written at the age of 19 during the month of Ramadan in 1908. This has been translated by Al Hakam and is being presented for the benefit of all readers.
Before commencing with the prayer, Huzoorra wrote:
My heart possesses a pain for you, which is rather overwhelming, the knowledge of which, besides God, no one has. I feel compelled to call you to the path that is best for you and the ways of righteousness.
The fervour of these heartfelt sentiments doubled when I was searching for an article for Tash-heez-ul-Azhan on my desk and found a piece of paper which contained a prayer that I had written during the previous Ramadan. By reading this prayer, I felt obliged to share it with friends as there is no way of knowing whose prayer will be granted acceptance and when God’s grace and blessings will descend upon our Jamaat in a unique fashion.
Expressing my heartfelt sentiments, I wish to present that prayer here so that in this way, someone fortunate may be motivated to become engaged in supplications to the Lord for themselves and for Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, which is the actual reason behind me writing this here. The prayer is as follows:
“O my Master, my Omnipotent God, my Beloved, my Guide and my Leader; O Creator of the Heavens and the Earth; O You Who control the winds and tides; O You Who sent thousands of guides and thousands of leaders for the guidance of mankind – from Adam to Jesus; O Great and Exalted One Who appointed the great Prophet; O Gracious One Who created the Messiah from among the servants of the Holy Prophet; O Creator of [spiritual] light and Effacer of [spiritual] darkness, I prostrate before You – yes, only before You does this unworthy servant prostrate and humble himself; please listen to my cry and accept it, for only Your promises have given me the courage to beseech you.
“I was nothing, and You created me; I was non-existent, and You granted me existence. You created the four elements for my subsistence; You created people to enquire about me. When I was incapable of even expressing my wants and needs, You assigned such people to me who worried on my behalf. Then You nurtured me and expanded my provisions. O my Beloved – yes, O You my Beloved – You commanded Adam to be my father and Eve to be my mother. From Your servants, You appointed a servant who is seen with reverence among people so that he may intercede on my behalf and beseech Your mercy for me – a person unworthy.
“I was sinful, yet You concealed my sins; I had flaws, yet You forgave them. You remained with me in every trying and painful time. Whenever I was tried, You helped me, and whenever I began to go astray, You clasped my hand. Despite the trouble I caused, You always overlooked such actions, and despite my drifting away, You came closer to me.
“I had forgotten You, but You remembered me. On occasions when parents, loved ones, relatives and friends were unable to help, You showed Your mighty hand and helped me. When I was sad, you brought me happiness, and when my heart felt anguish, you brought cheer to it. When I cried, you made me laugh. There might be those who writhe in separation from their beloveds, but [my Beloved], You showed me Your countenance Yourself.
“You made promises to me and fulfilled them; never did it happen that You fell short of fulfilling Your promises. I too made promises to You, but I broke them; however, never did you pay any notice. I do not know of anyone more sinful than me and I also do not know of any occasion when You have been more gracious to a sinful person than when You were to me. A more gracious being than You cannot even be imagined. When I submitted myself to You and prostrated with utmost humility, You heard my cry and accepted it. I do not know of any case when You shunned a heartfelt cry of mine.
“So, O God, with utmost humility and utter devotion do I prostrate and bow before You and say: Accept my prayer and reach my cry. O Pure God, my nation is dying; save them from destruction. If they call themselves Ahmadi, then what relationship do I have with them, until and unless their hearts are not cleansed and are not imbued with Your love. [If this is not the case] then what relationship do I have with them?
“O my Lord, bring Your attributes of graciousness and mercifulness into action and purify them. Instil in them a passion and zeal like that of the Companionsra. May they be restless for the sake of Your faith. May their actions speak louder and be purer than their words. May they sacrifice themselves for Your sake and for the sake of the Noble Prophet. May the Messiah’s prayers be fulfilled in their favour; may his pure and true teachings become their way of life.
“O my dear God, save my people from all trials and anguishes; protect them from every form of difficulty. Create among them noble and inspirational people. May they become one nation that You select as Your own and may they become one group which You … select for Yourself. May they be protected from the onslaughts of Satan and may angels continue to descend upon them. Bless this group in the world and in faith! Bless them! Bless them! Amin. And again, amin.
“After this, O Lord of all the worlds, for my brothers, my mother, my sisters, my friends and for those whose names I shall write below, do I pray, and very earnestly and most humbly do I pray that in this world and the next, do You bless us, purify us, cleanse us and select us, make us those who spread guidance and servants of Islam, bless us with good health and good age; may we die in a state of Islam [being a complete Muslim]; may You be happy with us upon our demise; may our lives be free from Your displeasure.
“Then, I would like to pray for the Khalifa of the time that O my Lord, expand his knowledge and wisdom, prosper him in his endeavours and protect him from every anguish and pain. Bless his schemes and keep him on the paths of Islam.”
Below are the names of people who either requested me for prayers at the time, or who show – or showed – immense love to me:
“Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sahib, Syed Waliullah Shah Sahib, Chaudhry Ziauddin Sahib, Abdur Rahman, Ghulam Hussain, Qazi Muhammad Alam Sahib, Abdul Majeed Khan Sahib, Master Muhammad Sharif Sahib, Sheikh Abdur Rahim Sahib, Sheikh Abdur Rahman Sahib, Shadi Khan Sahib, Mian Din Muhammad Sahib, Mirza Yusuf Ali Sahib, Abdur Rahman Kaghani Sahib, Mian Muhammad Yusuf Sahib, Mian Abdul Ghani Sahib, Master Abdul Aziz Sahib, Sheikh Rahmatullah Sahib, Khawaja Kamaluddin Sahib, Dr Yaqub Baig Shaib, Dr Muhammad Hussain Sahib, Syed Sarwar Shah Sahib, Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Sahib, Master Sher Ali Sahib, Maulvi Fazluddin Sahib, Qazi Zahuruddin Akmal Sahib, Khawaja Abdur Rahman Sahib, Mian Mazhar Haq and Akbar Shah Khan Najibabadi, Mian Mazhar Qayum Sahib and Abdur Rahim Sahib.”
The purpose behind me writing this prayer here is so that a fortunate soul may benefit from it and engage in prayers for Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya and the triumph of Islam.
In the end, I would like to draw our friends’ attention to not squander this opportunity. Wail before your Lord at night and offer sadaqah during the day. This is such a beneficial deed that if a group from among you practices it, then God promises triumph in His holy word. Is there any unfortunate one who has no trust in the promises of God?
May God establish unity between us and may we be granted the potential to carry out good deeds and prayers. May the days of darkness disappear and may the luminous light of Islam illuminate the world. Amin, O Lord of all the worlds!
Humbly yours,
Mirza Mahmud Ahmad
(Translated by Al Hakam to English from the Original Urdu in the September 1909 issue of Tash-heez-ul-Azhan)