Asif M Basit, London, UK
For the last few years, the series of Friday sermons by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa has been taking our imagination to the lands of Arabia. Many people share how during these sermons, they felt themselves in the proximity of the Holy Prophetsa, finding themselves walking among those deserts, mountains, and valleys.
These sermons not only introduce us to the earliest and critical period of Islamic history but also create a sense of being close to the Holy Prophetsa.
When one has heard these sermons and then been fortunate enough to be physically present in the land of Hijaz, the combination is uniquely magical.
In a blessed moment, I observed that when the mention of Mecca, Medina, and the areas between them came up in an audience with Hazrat Sahibaa, he listened with immense love, attention, and engagement. He would even share details unknown to the narrator. And this explanation by Hazrat Sahibaa was in such a vivid manner that it seemed that just as these sermons transport us listeners to another world, Hazrat Sahibaa, while delivering these sermons, deeply feels the sanctity of the blessed lands of Mecca, Medina, and their environs.
When Mount Uhud was mentioned, the details Hazrat Sahibaa shared were astonishing. It was as if he could see the army of Mecca’s disbelievers approaching from behind the mountain, and as if the archers positioned on Mount Rumah were all set out before his eyes. On the mention of Mount Uhud being vast and imposing and Mount Rumah being small and modest in stature, serving as the station for the archers, Hazrat Sahibaa remarked:
“The enemy’s army was advancing towards Medina from the other side of Uhud. This was also a strategy of the Holy Prophetsa that when this army emerged from the heights of Uhud, its attack would be repelled from this low-lying area. The Holy Prophetsa himself was in the nearby area, from where he could assess the operations and continue guiding in combat tactics.”
As other locations were mentioned, Hazrat Sahibaa would describe their conditions too, with love and detail. And then he began discussing Mount Uhud and Mount Rumah:
“Mountains remain in their original state. Yes, the layers of soil on them erode over time, and if people pass through them, they can reduce or even disappear, with new rocky surfaces emerging from below.”
With this statement, it seemed Hazrat Sahib’saa imagination travelled from the mountains of Hijaz to the hills of his birthplace, Rabwah. That Rabwah, which is a miracle manifested by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra; the Rabwah, which was once a barren, desolate, and entirely infertile land. Where only miles over miles of uncultivable soil and rocky hills could be seen, people were surprised when the Jamaat migrated from the bustling Qadian to temporarily settle in Lahore, and then suddenly, a centre of Ahmadiyyat on this barren wasteland. This was a question, the answer to which Allah had placed only in the heart of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, whom Allah had titled Ul al-‘Azm – a resolute reformer.
And then time witnessed what Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had said:
یہ عشق و وفا کے کھیت کبھی، خوں سینچے بغیر نہ پنپیں گے
“These fields of love and loyalty would not flourish without being watered by sweat and blood.”
Rabwah was nurtured by his prayers, and today it has flourished into a lush green township. Where there was not even water fit for drinking, there now exists every modern facility and amenity.
So from Mount Uhud, Hazrat Sahib’saa blessed imagination was now in this miraculous settlement, which he had seen being inhabited and populated with his own eyes. Hazrat Sahibaa was born in 1950, and thus Rabwah went through its childhood, youth, and current age alongside him. And thus, Hazrat Sahibaa witnessed the miracle of Rabwah unfolding at every stage. Before ascending to the position of Khalifatul Masih, he had already played a key role as the supervisor of the Taz’in Rabwah Committee in transforming this city into a verdant garden.
He said:
“When we were young, there was a hill and a ravine from the Gol Bazaar to Bab-ul-Abwab. We would pass through this ravine on our way to school.
“Afzal Brothers’ shop existed, but only with an open field in front. The municipal committee office was not there, nor was the Bilal Mosque or any other buildings or shops. When coming from Dar-ul-Sadr, from our house, the shortest route to T.I. School was through this hill and ravine.
“We would descend from the ravine, cross the railway line, and go to school. When we got bicycles, since it was a shortcut, we would dismount, pass through the ravine, then mount our bicycles to ride to school or college.
“Where the Sadr Umumi (local anjuman) of Rabwah’s office is now, there used to be a market during the Jalsa days where large stalls with fried fish, pakoras and other food items would be set up under big canopies.
“When Dar-ul-Ulum and Dar-ul-Nasr were not yet fully populated—in fact, Dar-ul-Ulum was almost uninhabited—the area from TI College to where the Degree College is, was mostly a vast, open field.
“Then when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh was the principal of TI College, he had basketball courts built in the grounds that lay in front of the college. National-level tournaments of basketball were held there. Rabwah also had its own teams that would participate. Some non-Ahmadi brothers and their cousins had formed a team that they called the Brothers’ Team. It was a very good team. This team, just like all basketball players, was very dear to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh.
“When a tournament was held and the TI College team won, a day’s holiday would be given in the college in celebration.
“Around the railway crossing, where a huge number of shops now stand, there were none of them back then. Going from Afzal Brothers towards the railway crossing, there stood only a simple canteen belonging to a Kashmiri gentleman, a teahouse made of mudbricks where people passing through the market would stop and have tea.
“In those days, there was only dust to be seen everywhere. The routes extensively used by pedestrians had turned into beaten paths. Then roads were laid out with chunky stones and rocks on what were supposed to be roads according to the initially drawn plans. “When roads were laid, people would use them instead of shortcut routes. Some trees were also planted. Otherwise, it was just dust. Now Rabwah has become so green that those bygone days seem a mere dream and beyond imagination.
“My father had a Volkswagen Microbus. When he would go to his factory in the Factory Area (a neighbourhood in Rabwah) via the Dar-ul-Sadr Janubi route, despite driving slowly and carefully, it would raise clouds of dust. Once, a gentleman wrote a letter to my father saying that while Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has said the soil of Rabwah is blessed, this doesn’t mean you should fill our houses with billows of it. Father became even more careful after that.
“I clearly remember Dar-ul-Ulum and Dar-ul-Nasr taking shape from nothing. In fact, many houses, even in Dar-ul-Sadr, where our home was, I saw being constructed. We would play in the fields that were there instead, even in the dug-up foundations of many houses.”
After this, upon Hazrat Sahib’saa instruction, I began presenting the matters that I wanted guidance on. One matter concerned historical documents that had recently come into the Ahmadiyya Archive’s possession. Among these was a letter from Hazrat Sahib’saa mother, Hazrat Nasira Begum Sahiba.
I was narrating its contents when he said: “My mother’s handwriting was very mature and good. Show me; I’ll tell you if this is written in her own handwriting or dictated to someone.”
When I presented the letter, he read all its contents himself and said: “Yes! This is written in her own hand. See, her writing was very good.”
Alhamdulillah, with this sentence, we were once again in Rabwah (and somewhat in Qadian) as Hazrat Sahibaa was now mentioning the promotion of women’s education by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.
When Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, on his way to England in 1924, wrote a letter to Qadian’s administration that Allah had placed in his heart that women would play a crucial role in bringing about Islam’s supremacy in the West. Therefore, he instructed them to immediately arrange a European tutor-governess for his two wives and his daughter Nasira Begum, consulting with Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khanra. This arrangement was made and continued for some time, and then from time to time.
He said: “Among Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra daughters, my mother obtained education up to college level, when, at that time, even a secondary school certificate was considered a big achievement. In fact, she had even obtained a Maulvi degree from Punjab University. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra paid special attention to her education, as did her mother, Hazrat Umm-e-Nasirra.
“Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had even hired an English governess for her education. This lady used to teach Hazrat Chhoti Apa (Syeda Maryam Siddiqa, the wife of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra) and my mother. She first taught at Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan’sra place, then taught my mother for some time.
“My mother would tell us that her writing was not very good initially. Then her mother, Hazrat Umm-e-Nasirra, made her practice through extensive writing exercises. She would give her an Urdu newspaper and tell her to write certain sections in the same beautiful handwriting as in the newspaper. Mother would say that through this exercise and practice, her handwriting improved a great deal.
“Mother’s Arabic was also very good. I also tried to learn Arabic from her for some time. But this didn’t continue for long. During my last visit to America, a khadim asked me what subject I was good at. I told him I was not a very good student.”
I said: “Huzoor! You are Tilmiz al-Rahman – a direct student of Allah the Ever-Merciful. Allah has taught you so much about everything, and to this divinely granted knowledge, the entire Community bears witness.”
My humble master did not respond directly. After a pause, he said: “It is Allah’s grace. Whenever the Community needs to be guided in a particular direction, Allah places that subject in my heart. Now this series that began with the Badr companions has moved towards the ghazwat (the battles). The life of the Holy Prophet comes as part of such sermons. It is essential to keep this important part of Islamic history alive. So Allah Himself directs attention towards topics and subjects and also makes arrangements for me to disseminate them.”
The audience ended and I left, carefully holding the delicate pearls of Hazrat Sahib’s beautiful memories; also holding in my heart the desire, I also had a desire to request someone to send me some photographs of this hill that Hazrat Sahib had mentioned. By then, the evening had fallen in Rabwah, but the friend I requested sent these photographs first thing in the morning—from the Gol Bazaar angle (where Hazrat Sahibaa would climb uphill) and also from the T.I. School/College side where he would descend.
The hills of Rabwah are part of the Kirana hill range. It is said that when Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and southern Punjab, he crossed Rabwah’s hills, advancing towards Kashmir.
Blessed are those hills located in Rabwah’s land. And blessed are we who know at least two victorious generals who crossed these hills: One with the goal of acquiring the worldly paradise of Kashmir, and the other seeking the way to the heavenly paradise.
اللّٰهُمَّ أَيِّدْ إِمَامَنَا بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ
(O Allah, support our Imam with the Holy Spirit.)