Written by Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ismail, may Allah be eternally pleased with him, this article was published in Al Fazl on 19 March 1939, over 80 years ago. It was originally a speech delivered at an event celebrating the 25 years of the Second Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.
This article refers to the direct progeny of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, and is a good reminder of last week’s Friday Sermon (12 February) by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand, in which he reminded us to strive to become the spiritual progeny of the Promised Messiahas. This Friday Sermon was indeed a glad tiding for anyone who desires and strives to be so.
Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ismailra (1881-1947), Uncle and Father-in-Law of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra
Prophecies
تیرا گھر بركت سے بھرے گا۔ اور مَیں اپنى نعمتیں تجھ پر پُورى كروں گا۔ اور خواتینِ مباركہ سے جن مىں سے تُو بعض كو اس كے بعد پائے گا تیرى نسل بہت ہوگى اور میں تیرى ذریّت كو بہت بڑھاؤں گا اور بركت دوں گا۔۔۔ اور تیرى نسل كثرت سے ملكوں میں پھىل جائے گى۔۔۔ تیرى ذریّت منقطع نہیں ہوگى۔ اور آخرى دنوں تك سرسبز رہے گى۔
“Your house will be filled with blessings and I shall perfect My favours unto you, and you will have a large progeny from blessed women, some of whom you will find hereafter, and I will cause a great increase in your progeny and will bless it … Your progeny will spread greatly in different lands … Your progeny will not be cut off and will flourish till the end of days.” [1886]
A prayer taught through a revelation:
رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِىْ فَرْدًا وَ اَنْتَ خَیْرُ الْوَارِثِیْنَ
[“Lord, do not leave me alone and You are the Best of Inheritors.” (March 1882)] This revelation was vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas at a time when his first wife and son opposed him and he was indeed alone and without any heir.
یَنْقَطِعُ آبَاءُكَ وَ یُبْدَءُ مِنْكَ
“The mention of your forefathers will be cut off after you and a [new] chain of descendants will be counted from you.” [29 July 1903]
This revelation suggests that the chain of descendants would be of pious people. If they too are impious, however, then this prophecy and glad tiding would be rendered completely futile and useless because the Almighty Allah deemed all the other chains [of descendants] as impious and worthless; so [if this is the case] then it would mean that God imposed even more impious and worthless people in their stead.
Growth of his family
Thereafter, Allah the Almighty cut off all older chains, apart from that of the Promised Messiahas and his family and that of the family members who entered his fold. God then began to prosper this line of the family and in a very short period, we witness before us 70 living and breathing individuals from his blood, 37 of whom are men and 33 are women. [This is in 1939.]
Similarly, today – the 25th anniversary [of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II’s khilafat] – there are present 25 biological children of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], that is 13 sons and nine daughters, one paternal grandson, one maternal grandson and one maternal granddaughter.
The second growth through other family members
Aside from the progeny directly descending from the Promised Messiahas and from his own progeny, Huzoor [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] grew his family by bringing those family members to the fold of Ahmadiyyat who were previously neither opposed [to his beliefs], nor were they Ahmadis, through his spiritual and holy influence.
For example, the late Mirza Sultan Ahmad, various relatives from different lines, Tai Sahiba [aunt of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and wife of Mirza Ghulam Qadir Sahib, the elder brother of the Promised Messiahas], Aziz Begum Sahiba (wife of the late Mirza Fazl Ahmad) and many members of the family of Mirza Ahmad Baig of Hoshiarpur.
All these people entered the Ahmadiyya Jamaat during the Second Khilafat. These were the jinn [prominent people, yet hidden from the public eye] who were opponents, nay severe opponents in the time of the Promised Messiahas and would not be convinced. These very jinn have now become subservient [to Khilafat] as did the jinn become subservient to Solomonas in the time of Davidas.
The third growth in the form of Qadian’s progress
Then Huzoor[ra] has achieved a third form of family growth, in the shape of forming and establishing the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Qadian.
The relationship of migrants in Qadian with Huzoor[ra] is not merely spiritual, as it is with Ahmadis living outside of Qadian; rather, it is somewhere between physical and spiritual – Huzoor’s relationship with them is similar to that of an ancestral patriarch.
All the new neighbourhoods and developments that are present here are all a sort of family to Huzoor[ra], whose name is “Ashab al-Suffah”, the foundation for which was laid by the Promised Messiahas.
I have witnessed myself Qadian’s population grow from 1,500 to around 10,000, with seven or eight new neighbourhoods forming in Qadian.
The fourth growth in the form of spiritual family
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya is the spiritual progeny of the Promised Messiahas and his khulafa. The growth of this family has become manifest in the Second Khilafat in two ways: firstly, in the form of growth in numbers, which can be ascertained from the figures of people joining the Jamaat, which frequent the pages of Al Fazl.
The second type of growth of this family is as a result of “Your progeny will spread greatly in different lands.” This growth relates to the establishment of the Jamaat in foreign countries and is separate from the collective growth of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat.
In this regard, jamaats have been established in England, America, Egypt, Palestine, Java, Sumatra, Mauritius, East and West Africa etc. during the Second Khilafat.
The intellectual growth of Huzoor’s family members
One son has acquired a maulvi fazil [degree] and a BA (Hons) from Oxford. Another son is a maulvi fazil BA, while a third is studying to acquire an MBBS. All other children, who are younger, are studying in Madrasa-e-Ahmadiyya. A son-in-law has a BA ICS degree, while a paternal nephew has graduated as a barrister.
Aside from this, from among the girls of his family, some have passed their matriculation exams and are studying in the Diniyat [religious studies] College. Some of them have acquired maulvi fazil degrees, while others are writers, FA passed and some are going to pursue BA degrees.
The intellectual growth of Huzoor’s spiritual progeny and their influence and honour
Under Huzoor’s[ra] supervision, there are probably at least 100 [Ahmadis] who have attained the maulvi fazil degree alongside the many ulema who graduated from Jamia Ahmadiyya and the newly qualified graduates. Many women are also BT degree-holders and doctors. Deputy commissioners, engineers, lawyers, barristers, officials at senior government posts, respectable tradesmen and landowners all belong to Huzoor’s[ra] Jamaat.
Then, there is Sir Zafrulla Khan Sahib who all are familiar with. A dream Huzoor[ra] saw with regard to him is famous, in which Huzoor saw him as his son and affectionately placed his hand on his forehead. In this way, he too is part of Huzoor’s family.
The growing affluence of Huzoor and his family
The land of Rajpura and the 30-mile long piece of land in Sindh are testament to [the prosperity of Huzoorra], as are the many houses, Qasr-e-Khilafat, Bait-ul-Hamd and the houses near Masjid Aqsa.
Their affluence can be assessed from this fact also that the chanda of Huzoor[ra] and his family members exceed all others’, be it Tahrik-e-Jadid or any other scheme for the propagation of faith. Not only affluence, but this shows their spirit of financial sacrifice.
The affluence of Huzoor’s spiritual progeny
Just observe the conditions of houses in Qadian and then, the chanda that was collected in 1914 and now, in 1938. In my view, it has increased around 10-fold since then.
Intellectual growth
The novel and unique subjects Huzoor[ra] addresses in his speeches and writings, and the splendours and hidden pearls of wisdom Huzoor brings forth regarding the Holy Quran, in my estimation, after the Promised Messiahas, they have only been covered by him. And if one reflects, they will come to the conclusion that if all previous Auliya-ullah were alive today, then they would respectfully submit their intellect to Huzoor[ra].
Huzoor’s family’s spiritual and moral growth
If I only begin to expound on the transformation brought about by the Promised Messiahas and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] in their family members, people will be amazed. However, this requires a separate, extensive explanation.
This family is truthful
Now, please note the revelations that prove Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] and his family as being truthful:
1. The Promised Messiahas said a bold prayer for himself and his family members and friends. The words are:
آتش افشاں بردر و دیوار من
In this, the Promised Messiahas prayed to God that if he was a liar and a fabricator, committed to destroying God’s religion, then he and his offspring should be destroyed.
Now, if the Promised Messiah’s offspring were committed to the annihilation of the religion of Islam and Ahmadiyyat, it behoves God to manifest the effects of this prayer, as opposed to granting them progress and prosperity and helping them. This proves that they are all truthful.
2. Similarly, the Promised Messiahas received a revelation:
مَنْ اَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِىْ نَبْتَلِیْہِ بِذُرِّیَّۃٍ فَاسِقَۃٍ مُلْحِدَۃٍ یَمِیْلُوْنَ اِلَى الدُّنْیَا وَ لَا یَعْبُدُوْنَنِىْ شَیْئًا
That is, “He who turns away from the Holy Quran, We shall try him with an evil progeny, who would have a vicious life. They will run after the world and will partake nothing of My worship.” [22 November 1902]
This shows that if – as is claimed by the Paighamis – all the progeny of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] and the Promised Messiahas was misguided, indecent and misguiding others, then the Promised Messiahas himself could not have been pious. The reason for this is that impious, evil and worldly progeny are a punishment for a faithless father.
Thus, if you deem the Promised Messiahas to be pure and pious, then never suggest such a humiliating punishment for him, which God has prescribed for faithless people.
3. The Paighami leaders would say to the Promised Messiahas that he would unjustly spend money and that he should be held accountable. Now they say that the Jamaat’s funds are spent on politics and other unjust affairs, even though God Almighty is recorded as having said to Prophet Solomonas:
ہٰذَا عَطَآؤُنَا فَامۡنُنۡ اَوۡ اَمۡسِكۡ بِغَیْرِ حِسَابٍ
“This is Our gift; so give freely, or withhold – without reckoning.” (Surah Saad, Ch.38: V.40)
This proves that prophets cannot be held accountable and whoever proposes this is entirely unfamiliar with the practice of God and the commandments of the Quran, even if he appears to be a scholar of tafsir or translator of the Holy Quran.
The second thing to bear in mind is that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II has been called Solomon in the Promised Messiah’sas revelations. This is why no allegation can be raised in this regard against Huzoor[ra] and the commandment of “so give freely, or withhold – without reckoning” applies to Huzoor[ra] also.
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in Al Fazl, 19 March 1939)