Hazrat Syeda Amatul Hayy Begum Sahibara, daughter of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, was born on 1 August 1901. She was among the blessed few who personally witnessed the Promised Messiahas.
From early childhood, she displayed outstanding intelligence and exceptional spiritual disposition. Her father nurtured her religious education, and even in childhood, she showed a deep connection with the Holy Quran and spiritual practices.
In 1914, she married Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, a union that brought many blessings to the Jamaat. She was blessed with two daughters and a son.
She played a pioneering role in establishing Lajna Imaillah, becoming its first General Secretary and dedicating her life to the religious education and uplift of Ahmadi women.
She passed away in Qadian on 10 December 1924. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra described her as a woman of unmatched devotion and a transformative force in the spiritual education of women in the Jamaat. He continued to remember her in his prayers and credited her with inspiring many initiatives for women. – Editor, Al Hakam
The memory of the late Syeda Amatul Hayy Begum Sahibara, may Allah grant her lofty ranks [in Paradise], revives afresh on every occasion when the question of the education and moral training of the women of the Jamaat comes into view, or when one reflects upon the capacity and competence for preaching Islam Ahmadiyyat among women.
Not long ago, an Ahmadi lady – the wife of Muhammad Hussain Butt Sahib – departed from Qadian for Africa. During her journey, she was granted the opportunity to preach the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat. In doing so, she not only discharged her missionary responsibilities among women with remarkable grace and effectiveness, but also expressed profound gratitude for the influence of the late Syeda Amatul Hayy Sahibara. She acknowledged that even a brief period under her tutelage had enabled her to acquire the capacity to carry out tabligh work. Accordingly, she wrote the following to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra:
“It so happened that during our voyage, seven cases of smallpox emerged on board the ship. As a result, the chief health officer at the port of Mombasa placed all passengers under a 14-day quarantine. During this period, people expressed their frustration with the officer in various ways, though he was in no way at fault.
“We spent these fourteen days on an island near Zanzibar. During this time, I was blessed with an excellent opportunity to preach the message of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him.
“Each day, from morning until two in the afternoon, I engaged in tabligh among the women. In this way, I witnessed with my own eyes the fulfilment of the Promised Messiah’sas revelation: ‘I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth.’
“My female relative and her male travelling companion were deeply impressed, and all the women, in particular, acknowledged the zeal and commitment to tabligh demonstrated by members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat.
“I believe that the full reward of this endeavour belongs to the late Syeda Amatul Hayy Sahibara, who, with great devotion, promoted the education of Islam Ahmadiyyat among women in accordance with the instructions of Huzoorra. May Allah the Almighty continue to increase her reward with each passing day. Amin.”
While we commend the courage and efforts of the wife of Muhammad Hussain Butt Sahib, we also wish to draw the attention of those women of the Jamaat who, in some measure, benefitted from the company of the late Syeda Amatul Hayy Sahibara. They too should strive to partake in the task of preaching Islam Ahmadiyyat, thereby sending reward to their benefactress. For they possess no greater means of bringing joy to her soul than this.
May Allah the Almighty grant our sisters the ability to engage in the propagation of Islam Ahmadiyyat, so that, together with the missionary efforts of the men, their endeavours may help bring about that spiritual revolution for which the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, was commissioned to the world.
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu, published in the 21 May 1925 issue of Al Fazl)