Leaving the motherland
So it begins, for the first time, the Khalifatul Masih leaves the Indian subcontinent. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and his entourage reached Bombay on the evening of 14 July 1924, their ship, SS Africa, would sail at 8:30 am the next morning.(The Civil and Military Gazette of 11 July 1924)
The Civil and Military Gazette reported on this historic moment and, a few days later, published the passenger list for the Ship on 21 July 1924. The list of passengers on board the SS Africa mentioned Huzoorra as “Mr. M. B. Mahmud Ahmed”.
“The head of the Ahmadiyya community of Qadian, with a staff consisting of ten persons, left Qadian on the 12th instant” and “sailed from Bombay on the morning of the 15th.” Moreover, “His Holiness has sent from the ship a message to his followers and exhorts them to live up to the teachings of Islam and to serve the cause of Islam to the best of their power.” (The Civil and Military Gazette, 18 July 1924, p. 9)
The entourage
The entourage that accompanied Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra on this journey included Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Sharif Ahmadra, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra, Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira, Hazrat Bhai Abdur Rahman Qadianira, Hazrat Chaudhary Fateh Muhammad Sayalra, Hazrat Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan Goharra, Hazrat Hafiz Roshan Alira, Hazrat Dr Hashmatullah Khanra, Hazrat Mian Raham Din, Hazrat Chaudhary Muhammad Sharif, and Sheikh Abdur Rahman Sahib Misri.
The ship
The Titanic is arguably the most famous ship to have sailed, but its significance goes beyond its size. Originally named SS Titanic, it was a Screw Steamer, symbolising a revolution in travel with the widespread use of steamships. Turning to our focus, SS Africa and SS Pilsna were pivotal in specific routes. These two ships were part of the“Lloyd Triestino and Marittima Italiana”, a fortnightly mail and passenger service between Bombay and Italy. The Lloyd Triestino company was originally founded in 1833 as an insurance organisation and given the name of “Lloyd Austriaco”.
Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira narrates that during the journey, he inquired from an officer of the ship about the details of the SS Africa. The officer provided him with various details of the ship. Those details correspond with the official records of Lloyd Triestino. At that time, there were a total of 73 passengers on board. (Al Fazl, 12 August 1924, p. 6)
A heartfelt departure
Before departing from Bombay, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra sent a heartfelt message to the members of the Jamaat in a telegram.
“His Holiness has sent from the ship a message to his followers and exhorts them to live up to the teachings of Islam and to serve the cause of Islam to the best of their power.” (The Civil and Military Gazette, 18 July 1924, p. 9)
Hazrat Bhai Abdur Rehman Qadianira, in his diary, wrote about this incident in great detail.
When the ship blew the whistle to indicate its sailing, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra led everyone in a prolonged silent prayer. The prayer extended to the point that the time for the ship’s departure arrived. The porters wanted to lift the ship ramp; however, the captain stopped them by saying, “moment, moment!”
As the ship began to set sail and passed near another deck, the members of the Jamaat, who had come to see off the entourage, ran towards that deck and once again said, “Assalamu alaikum”. Huzoorra responded with great love and compassion. This was followed by the slogans of “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is great). While the ship started to pick up speed and leave the port, Huzoorra once again raised his hands for prayer, and instructed the entourage to once again pray for the members. The prayer continued for a long time until the members who were at the port disappeared from sight.
Hazrat Bhai Abdur Rehman Qadianira states that while parting from the members, as the ship adjusted to depart, “Huzoorra demonstrated an exceptional display of love and kindness. He would swiftly move towards whichever part of the ship was closest to the members: one moment on one side, the next on the opposite side, then in the middle, and back again. In essence, Huzoorra moved around all sides of the ship, akin to a mother attending to her departing child.” In fact, “this scene at Bombay’s seaport was a unique incident that serves as proof of Huzoor’sra heartfelt love, kindness, and compassion for his followers, even exceeding that of a mother. Despite the rain pouring down and soaking his clothes, he remained focused on them until they disappeared from his sight.”The ship left the port at 8:45 am, and Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra was staying in Number 12 First Class Cabin. (Safar-e-Europe, pp. 11-13 and 121)
Remarkable scene on board SS Africa
While boarding the SS Africa from Bombay, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra captured the attention of all passengers, including the ship’s doctor, Ezzelino Magli. Dr Magli documented Huzoor’sra journey extensively, starting from his embarkation. Known for founding The Society of the Achaeans in 1920, a group for war veterans and intellectuals promoting cheerfulness, Dr. Magli tried, unsuccessfully, to invite Huzoorra to join this society. The doctor narrated his encounter, along with some photographs, in an Italian magazine later that year. This gripping tale and interesting interview have been recently recovered by the Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in Aden
On 19 July 1924, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra sent a telegram to Qadian from the ship, stating, “Weather improving, God willing, reaching Aden Tuesday.—Khalifatul Masih.”
Later, on 22 July 1924, while the ship was approaching Aden, Huzoorra wrote a letter addressed to the Ahmadis back in Qadian.
“The ship reached Aden on the morning of the 23rd and from there, His Holiness[ra] sent another detailed cable to Qadian, informing the community of his welfare and giving instructions concerning certain important matters in connection with the community.” (The Review of Religions, Vol. 23, August 1924, p. 297)
When the ship reached Aden port, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra alighted from the ship, embarked on a motor car and proceeded towards Aden city, where he visited the market as well. (Al Fazl, 30 August 1924, p. 7)
(Prepared by Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre)