In last week’s issue, in This Week in History, under the date of 18 September 1885, it was mentioned that Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan read out a prayer in the field of Arafat written by and at the behest of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas.
Many of our readers wrote to us asking about this prayer and its text. Thus, we deemed it appropriate to present that prayer here along with its English translation.
It should be noted that Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan Sahib (also known as Munshi Ahmad Jan Sahib) was an old acquaintance and dear friend of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas. So pure and sincere was their friendship that after the publication of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, it is said that if Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan was approached by someone with the hope of being his follower, he would reply:
سورج نکل آیا ہے اب تاروں کی ضرورت نہیں۔ جاؤ حضرت صاحب کی بیعت کرو
“Now that the Sun has come out, the stars have no use. Go and pledge your obedience to Hazrat [Mirza] Sahib.”
At the time, however, due to not being divinely authorised to form a following, Huzooras would not accept people’s Bai‘at.
Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan was among the foremost believers in Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’sas truthfulness; yet, he could not formally be part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat as he passed away before the first Bai‘at in 1889, although his children later accepted the Promised Messiahas and are counted among his foremost companions, most notable among whom is Hazrat Pir Manzur Muhammadra.
In the early part of 1885, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas wrote a letter to Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan, wherein he expressed his delight upon Sufi Sahib’s upcoming journey to the holy land of Mecca for the purpose of Hajj. The letter in itself manifests the mutual love between Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan, but in the same letter, Huzooras made a request to Hazrat Sufi Sahib that he read out a prayer upon seeing the Baitullah – Holy Ka‘bah – for the first time. The prayer is as follows:
اے ارحم الراحمین ایک تیرا بندہ عاجز اور ناکارہ پر خطا اور نالائق غلام احمد جو تیری زمین ملک ہند میں ہے اسکی یہ عرض ہے کہ اے ارحم الراحمین تو مجھ سے راضی ہو اور میری خطیات اور گناہوں کو بخش کہ تو غفور و رحیم ہے اور مجھ سے وہ کام کرا جس سے تو بہت ہی راضی ہو جائے مجھ میں اور میرے نفس میں مشرق اور مغرب کی دوری ڈال اور میری زندگی اور میری موت اور میری ہریک قوت اور جو مجھے حاصل ہے اپنی ہی راہ میں کر اور اپنی ہی محبت میں مجھے زندہ رکھ اور اپنی ہی محبت میں مجھے مار اور اپنے ہی کامل متبعین میں مجھے اٹھا۔ اے ارحم الراحمین جس کام کی اشاعت کے لئے تو نے مجھے مامور کیا ہے اور جس خدمت کے لئے تو نے میرے دل میں جوش ڈالا ہے اس کو اپنے ہی فضل سے انجام تک پہنچا اور اس عاجز کے ہاتھ سے حجت اسلام مخالفین پر اور ان سب پر جو اب تک اسلام کی خوبیوں سے بے خبر ہیں پوری کر اور اس عاجز اور اس عاجز کے تمام دوستوں اور مخلصوں اورہم مشربوں کو مغفرت اور مہربانی کی نظر سے اپنے ظل حمایت میں رکھ کر دین و دنیا میں آپ ان کا متکفل اور متولی ہو جا اور سب کو اپنی دارالرضاء میں پہنچا اور اپنے نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم اور اس کی آل اور اصحاب پر زیادہ سے زیادہ درود و سلام و برکات نازل کر۔ آمین یا رب العالمین
“O Most Merciful of those who show mercy, one of your servants – a humble, unskilled, sinful and incompetent [servant], dweller of Your land of India, Ghulam Ahmad – would like to say: O Most Merciful of those who show mercy, be pleased with me and forgive my shortcomings and mistakes, for You are the Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. And enable me to carry out those works as do please you and place between myself and my ego the distance of the east and the west. And lay my life, my death, my every strength and whatever I possess in Your way and keep me alive in Your love and give me death in Your love and raise me among Your most perfect followers. O Most Merciful of those who show mercy, with Your grace, bring the promulgation of the task that You have appointed me for and the service for which You have bestowed within my heart a fervour, to its completion. And through my hand, manifest the truthfulness of Islam to the opponents and to all those who are unaware of Islam’s splendours. And with Your forgiving and favouring hand, provide Your shade of support to this humble one and this humble one’s friends, sincere ones and companions and be their guardian and protector in faith and in the world and enter everyone in Your abode of pleasure. And descend as much durood [salutations], peace and blessings upon Your Prophet – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – his people and his companions, as possible. Amin, O Lord of all the worlds.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol.1, pp. 264-265)