Hazrat Malik Ghulam Faridra MA (1897-1977)
Lecture in Chatham
On 5 June [1925], I delivered a lecture on Islam and the Life of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa in the town of Chatham. This town is located approximately 30 miles from London, situated midway between London and Dover. Chatham is contiguous with two other towns: Rochester and Gillingham. The combined population of this area is estimated to be between 200,000 and 300,000, making it one of the major urban centres in the south of England.
The society that invited me to deliver the lecture comprises members from all three towns, who gather together for such events. The lecture commenced at 6:30 pm in the hall of the Unitarian Church and lasted for approximately an hour and fifteen minutes. The audience listened with great interest and attentiveness. Although I felt that the session had extended quite long, the level of engagement among the attendees remained undiminished.
Following the lecture, the secretary announced that anyone wishing to ask a question was welcome to do so. Despite my repeated encouragements, no one came forward with a question. A few copies of The Review of Religions were sold at the event. I was reimbursed for the return travel fare from London to Chatham.
After the event, the pastor of the church met with me and offered generous praise for the lecture. As I was about to take my leave, the secretary kindly enquired whether there was any wish of mine that they could fulfil. I replied that my only request was to be invited again for another lecture. To this, he responded, “That we shall do ourselves.”
During the lecture, the president of the society took notes diligently and later accompanied me to the station. He expressed several times his conviction that the audience had listened to the lecture with keen interest, adding that he was well-acquainted with the temperament and inclinations of the local community. The secretary also informed me that a brief report of the lecture would be published in the local newspaper.
In short, by the grace of God Almighty, the lecture proved to be a resounding success.
Lecture in Harrow
A few days earlier, I had delivered a lecture in Harrow on the topic How the East and West can Unite. Following the lecture, the president remarked, “Although it is against our standard protocol to offer comments on a lecture during the course of our proceedings, I cannot refrain from saying that the way in which Mr Malik appealed to our sentiments today is something our Western speakers are rarely able to do.”
I delivered the same lecture the previous Sunday at our mission house and this week, I am scheduled to speak at the same venue on The Position of Women in Islam.
Meanwhile, Maulvi Abdul Rahim Sahib Dard[ra] delivered two highly successful lectures in the Netherlands. The titles of his lectures were: Islam – The Only Living Religion and The Prophethood of the Promised Messiahas. Both lectures were conveyed to the audience through the assistance of an interpreter. The first was delivered verbatim and concluded in two hours, while the second was rendered in paraphrased form and lasted one and a half hours.
Representatives from various newspapers came to meet Maulvi Sahib and conducted interviews with him, which were subsequently published in their respective papers. Some newspapers even featured his photograph. In sum, Maulvi Sahib’s visit to the Netherlands was exceptionally successful. Upon his departure, a number of friends came to see him off at the station and bid him farewell with great warmth and affection.
Miss Budd’s zeal for preaching
Our newly converted sister, Miss Budd, is passionately engaged in preaching the message of Islam in the Netherlands. She has also initiated a series of articles in local newspapers. The fourth article in this series, titled The Prophet, was published in the June issue of The Review of Religions. It clearly demonstrates the depth of her interest in religion and the extent of her knowledge concerning its teachings. – Malik Ghulam Farid, 11 June 1925.
Reflections of a Dutch professor
Miss Budd, our new convert Muslim sister in the Netherlands, wrote to a Dutch professor – an Arabist – regarding the meaning of khatm-e-nubuwwat (the Seal of Prophethood). Upon receiving his response, she forwarded it to Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib[ra] in a letter, which reads as follows:
“In my previous letter, I had mentioned that I intended to write to Professor Dr C Snouck Hurgronje. I have now done so and am sending you his response for your interest. He writes:
“‘According to Islamic belief, a nabi is one who receives divine revelation from God. When such a prophet is sent with a message from God to all of humanity – or to a particular and limited group – he is then referred to as a rasul. If the message includes a new set of commandments or laws, then such a prophet is known as a law-bearing prophet. Thus, while every rasul is a nabi, only a few anbiya are rusul.’
“‘In Arabic idiom, the word khatm – “seal” – when applied to a person, can imply the final individual in a series, or a distinguished or chosen one and the most eminent figure within a group. With reference to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, both interpretations have historically existed. However, in more recent times, the former interpretation – namely, that he is the one who closed the series of prophets and messengers – has become more widely accepted.’
Miss Budd’s reasoning
“Upon reading the professor’s response, it becomes evident that the difficulty I was facing regarding the doctrine of khatm-e-nubuwwat has not been fully resolved. The professor stated that khatm may denote the last individual in a sequence, but it also signifies the most excellent or preeminent individual within that sequence. According to his writing, the prevailing view today is that the term implies the cessation of prophethood.
“Nevertheless, after reading and reflecting on all of this, I asked myself: Muslims believe that the Mahdi will be raised in the latter days. But if he is not to receive revelation from God, how could he be considered a divinely appointed and exalted individual? And if he does receive revelation, then he must indeed be a nabi. And since he will be the Mahdi, he will undoubtedly call the entire world towards Islam through a divinely revealed message. In this way, by receiving divine communication, he would also be a rasul.
“It thus appears to me that those who believe the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa was the final prophet in such a sense that even the Mahdi would not be a prophet are certainly mistaken. For if the Mahdi is not a prophet, it would mean that God will not speak to him; and if he is not a messenger, it would mean that he will receive no message from God. This would, in effect, imply that the Mahdi is not truly the Mahdi, but merely a non-prophetic figure bearing the title.
“Therefore, I am convinced that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian, the Promised Mahdi, was indeed a prophet and a messenger. In this case, the meaning of khatm in the Quran cannot rightly be understood as the “termination of all prophethood.” Rather, it must mean “the chief or seal of the prophets”– and this, indeed, is the correct interpretation. For no matter how exalted a prophet I may consider Hazrat Ahmadas of Qadian to be, he nevertheless based his claim entirely on the very Quran that was revealed to Muhammadsa, the leader of all prophets.”
It is hoped that non-Ahmadi Muslims and those who have not yet accepted the Promised Messiahsa may reflect upon and benefit from the insights offered by a European scholar and a European convert to Islam.
Dispatch from missionaries en route to Syria
“We safely arrived in Bombay [now Mumbai] on 30 June [1925] and today, 1 July, at 12:30 pm, we shall be boarding the ship. The sea is currently very turbulent. We earnestly request all members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat to pray for our safe and sound arrival at our intended destination. Assistance through prayer is, indeed, the greatest form of support.
“We also request prayers that Allah the Almighty, through His grace and mercy, may grant us success in the purpose for which we have undertaken this journey. May He enable the fulfilment of all the aspirations and objectives associated with this journey to Syria, as envisioned by our leader, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra].” – Khadim, Jalaluddin, Bombay
Telegram
This telegram was received on 1 July 1925:
“Syed (Zainul Abideen Waliullah Shah Sahib) and Shams (Maulvi Jalaluddin Sahib) have today boarded the ship.”
As the sea is presently experiencing severe turbulence, friends are requested to pray that Allah the Almighty may grant these missionaries safe and healthy passage to their destination.
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu, published in the 7 July 1925 issue of Al Fazl)