A series looking at the high standard of morals of the Promised Messiahas, his Khulafa and the hospitality of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community when receiving visitors
Awwab Saad Hayat, Al Hakam
Dr Muhammad Abdul Hadi Italo Chiussi Sahib was born on 13 May 1919, in Trieste, Italy. He was among the fortunate souls who accepted Ahmadiyyat through the German mission of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. In July 1969, he joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat by pledging allegiance to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Hadi Italo Chiussi (1919-1973) was a remarkable individual who moved from a staunch Catholic upbringing in Trieste, Italy, to becoming a devout Ahmadi Muslim. He earned a doctorate in mathematical sciences from the University of Pisa and served as the managing director of a company in Germany. His spiritual journey began with a visit to the Nur Mosque in Frankfurt, leading to his embrace of Ahmadiyyat in 1967 after meeting Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIIrh.
Readers of Al Hakam are already familiar with Dr Abdul Hadi Sahib due to the articles published about him, including the one titled “Al-Haj Muhammad Abdul Hadi Italo Chiussi (1919-1973)”.
Dr Abdul Hadi Sahib’s most significant achievement was translating the Holy Quran into Esperanto. He also authored a book in German, wherein he briefly narrated some aspects of his life, including the unforgettable chapters of his visits to Rabwah and Qadian.
A summary of a chapter from this book was published in Volume 26 of Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat and in the 6 March 1992, issue of the daily Al Fazl, Rabwah. In this chapter, he recounts his visit to Qadian and shares some astonishing spiritual experiences that he encountered during the journey. It is noteworthy that the German book was translated into Urdu by Fazl Ilahi Sahib Anwari, a former Ahmadi missionary in Germany. The book reveals Dr Abdul Hadi Sahib’s deep spirituality, his tasawwuf, his love for God, and his extraordinary observations.
This distinguished scholar and new Muslim Ahmadi had the honour of visiting Qadian in 1970. Following this visit, he attended the Jalsa Salana in Rabwah and then had the honour of performing Umrah and visiting the holy sites in Mecca and Medina.
In the chapter, Dr Abdul Hadi Sahib narrates his journey to Qadian, stating that it is not merely a travel story. He notes that he may, at some point, write about those days in chronological order, but for now, he does not have the focus to do so. However, he is certain that despite his inadequate writing skills, the story of his journey to Qadian, Rabwah, Mecca, and Medina will hold some interest for him. Without any specific chronological or event-based order, he begins writing the account of his journey to let the storm of emotions within him settle a little.
In fact, during this journey, certain events related to himself are of particular importance, and two moments experienced in Qadian are especially worth mentioning.
Dr Chiussi’s journey to Qadian
He writes, “‘Qadian!’ Anyone who has studied the history of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat knows how significant this name is. However, for the outside world, Qadian is a small settlement inhabited by a small community, a sort of island of Darwishes surrounded and suppressed by an environment that, though harmless today, was, not long ago, a scene of hatred, enmity, and violence.”
He then narrates his travel experiences, describing how, after a seemingly peaceful flight from Frankfurt to Karachi, he encountered extraordinary situations on his way to Qadian. Despite meticulously planning every detail of his journey like a mathematician, his arrival in Qadian turned into quite an adventurous mission. This series of surprises began with his flight from Karachi to Lahore, where the flight path was unexpectedly altered for some reason.
The first surprising incident occurred at the Pakistan-India border, where he was supposed to be taken forward by car. However, this arrangement did not materialise due to some misunderstanding.
Eventually, he managed to take a taxi, which was so old that it was literally held together by just a few wires. To make matters worse, the taxi’s tyre punctured three times during the journey. He shares that he is very fond of his Islamic name, ‘Abdul Hadi’, and how Allah guided and assisted him at every step, allowing him to continue his journey despite the difficulties.
When he reached close to Amritsar, during the second puncture of his car, he encountered a Sikh boy who, in exchange for his special Italian watch, gave him his wristwatch. By this time, the condition of his taxi had deteriorated so much that he had to abandon it in Batala. He then continued his journey from Batala to Qadian by bus, under the starry night sky. Later, he somehow reached the Mubarak Mosque in Qadian in a tonga driven by a Hindu intoxicated with alcohol.
He writes that this is the mosque that serves as the heart of the local community (adjoining the house of the Holy Founderas of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat).
The 115-mile journey, which took almost eight hours, had gradually built up an unbearable mental fog throughout the day, like a storm of emotions ready to burst. Immediately upon arrival, after attending to his needs for ablution, he had the honour of praying in the Bait-ud-Dua (a small room attached to the Mubarak Mosque, where the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, peace be on him, used to spend hours in voluntary prayers). The experience he had at that moment was entirely different, unique, and unexpected.
In that small room, the Promised Messiahas spent hours, days, and months in prayer; there was an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. He further states that only God knows how long he stayed in that room because, for quite some time, no one called out to him, nor did anyone enter the room, and during that time, he had lost all sense of time and the material world around him.
However, the realisation that the time he spent there was a precious gift, a loving and sincere offering from the entire community for him, who had come from a distant land, filled him with gratitude.
He later realised, he writes, that this room is almost always occupied by two or three worshippers at a time, who continuously seek spiritual solace and refreshment of their faith through prayer there. When he learnt this, he was very happy to have had the opportunity to worship there alone without any disturbances.
He narrates that during his three-day stay in Qadian, the Bahishti Maqbara became a special attraction for him, and he was repeatedly drawn to this place. This is the graveyard where the Promised Messiahas and many of his Companionsra are buried. He spent many hours continuously there. (Al Fazl, 6 March 1992, p. 3)
After this, this esteemed guest mentioned his emotional prayers at the graves of the Promised Messiahas and his noble Companionsra on 22 December, the day before his departure, and the profound spiritual experiences he had as a result, which shook his entire being.
He further states that, as a fundamental aspect of his life and a duty, he continuously sought the nearness of God. The spiritual experiences he encountered in Qadian have a special significance for those pure souls who wander in search of God’s closeness.
In conclusion, he writes, “I only know that whenever I think of this (spiritual experience), my eyes fill with tears. I begin to feel a sense of peace, comfort, and joy within myself. I know nothing more than this, nor do I desire to know anything beyond this, not in this life, certainly not.” ( Al Fazl, 6 March 1992, p. 7)
Finally, he stated, “Then I realised. Yes, I realised with full certainty that this land of Qadian is the source of immense power and endless strength.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 26, p. 258)