In continuation of last weeks subject of accounts of Tabligh as carried out by th e companions of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace)

Hudhur Aqdas related a f ew incidents. Hudhur said the objective of relating these incidents, as Hudhur h as explained before, firstly is that prayer is made for the elders. They accepte d the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) which has brought us among those recei ve blessings in this age. May God continue to elevate their stations. Without th em many of us would have been deprived of this God-sent blessing. Secondly their piety, courage of belief, sense of honour for religion and enthusiasm to serve faith may inspire their descendants as well as those who may not be their bloodrelations but have spiritual ties with them and that they all may take this ferv our to their next generation. Hudhur Aqdas said many write to him or tell him when they meet Hudhur about thei r relationship with any elder that Hudhur may mention in his addresses. However, Hudhur said the due of these relationships will be honoured only when people wa lk in the footsteps of these elders. Hadhrat Mian Jamal uddin sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relates that a Maulwi Nawab uddin used to go from town to town in his assumption to sort out/f ix Mirzai people. Mian Jamal uddin sahib came to know that he was visiting one of nearby villages and as he was the only Ahmadi in the area, they sent for him. T he Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had stopped his followers from getting in to undue religious arguments in those days. Mian Jamal uddin sahib sent a messag e that he was not interested in a debate, the other party should present their q uestions and he would give the answers. The travelling maulwi ended up in Mian s ahibs village along with three men. They got in touch with the village esquire wh o was a Hindu and asked him to arrange a debate with the Mirzai. Mian sahib receiv ed the message, he prayed most humbly for Gods help and went to see the maulwi. M any people, both Hindu and Muslim had gathered. Mian sahib opened the conversati on and asked the maulwi what was his reason for travelling around. He answered h e did so because of the dissent among the Ummah. Mian sahib asked him how many c ertificates etc. had he attained and the maulwi said he had many but could not s how them because he had left them behind. He said his real objective was to deba te with people that (God forbid) Mirza was a Kafir (disbeliever) and was turning o thers into Kafirs. The maulwi said his creed was Hanafi and he believed in the O neness of God and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) as t rue and believed on the basis of 20 Quranic verses that Hadhrat Isa (on whom be peace) was alive on the fourth heaven and whoever rejected this, the maulwi beli eved him to be a Kafir. He said his knowledge was certified. When Mian sahib was asked about his creed he said he believed in Oneness of God, and the Holy Proph et (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) as the Seal of all the Prophets and by virtue of Quran and Ahadith believed that Hadhrat Isa (on whom be peace) had pas sed away and that he truthfully accepted the Messiah who had come and considered anyone who did not believe him not to be on truth. He added that he did not hav e any certificates to show for his knowledge and that he was self-taught and had kept the company of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). He said if anyone could prove from the Quran and authentic Ahadith that Hadhrat Isa (on whom be pea ce) was alive on the fourth heaven, he would repent. The maulwi asked him to put this affidavit in writing and sign it. After Mian sahib duly wrote and signed t his the maulwi tried to engage in other matters, like how much knowledge of the Quran Mian sahib had and his belief about the Khulafa e Rashideen etc. He would n ot be drawn to the matter under discussion until the Hindu village esquire asked him to present the Quranic verses which proved that Hadhrat Isa (on whom be pea ce) was alive in heaven. The maulwi asked for a copy of the Quran and when a copy was brought to him he started making excuses saying it was Mirzas Quran and he did not accept it. He was assured that it was not. Eventually he took the Quran, look ed who was the publisher and asked who (God forbid) the writer was? Mian sahib a sked him did he not consider it Gods Word to say something like that. The maulwi said he had made a mistake, but then asked who had compiled it. Mian sahib asked the maulwi to have some sense and look for the verse. The maulwi took twenty mi

nutes looking through the Quran but did not find anything. Mian sahib asked him t hat he had said that he could produce twenty Quranic verses to corroborate his c reed at the very least he should present one verse. The maulwi said he could not find it and added that he would read the verse from memory. He read the Quranic verse: When Allah said, O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and wil l exalt thee to Myself (3:56) and translated it as: When Allah said O Jesus, I am ab out to raise your spirit along with your entire body to the heaven. Mian sahib re marked that the verse should be found in the Quran and the discussion should be c arried out with the [original] words in full view. The maulwi again took the Qura n and looked through it for ten minutes but could not find what he was looking f or. People started laughing at him saying what sort of Quranic knowledge he had that he could not find a renowned verse. Saying this people dispersed. Hadhrat Munshi Qazi Mehboob Alam sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relat es that he was employed by a Hakim who opposed the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). One day in his antagonism he used the derogatory word dayus (an ignoble ma n/ a cuckold) for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). Munshi sahib did a lo t of Istighfar that night regretting having talked to the man in the first place . That night he saw in a dream that he is in the presence of the Promised Messia h (on whom be peace) who asked him where the person who had called him dayus was. Munshi sahib looked out and saw the Hakim walking towards them and he told the P romised Messiah (on whom be peace) that he was approaching them. The Promised Me ssiah (on whom be peace) said that he should be told that he would not meet him because he was a dayus. A few weeks after this the daughter of that man ran off wi th someone and the pair were found by an authoritative person. In explanation, t he man told the authorities that the woman was his wife while the woman said tha t the man was her servant. As their statements differed the police became suspic ious and the pair was presented before the deputy commissioner. The woman said h er father was a dayus who did not arrange her marriage and that she was on her way to be with an aristocratic person with the help of the man [who accompanied her ]. The deputy commissioner advised the girl to go back to her family but she ref used saying her father would kill her. However, the deputy commissioner arranged for her to be returned to her family and told her father that he was a dayus for not taking care of his daughter and arranging her marriage. The daughter was ret urned to him after a bail payment of Rupees 5000 was made. The Hakims notoriety a s dayus spread in the city. After a short time his daughter became Christian. Hadhrat Ameer Khan sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relates that when h e heard that an acquaintance had joined the Lahore Ahmadiyya group he went to se e him and made him aware of the realities regarding the group. His acquaintance was affected by what he heard and returned to Qadian. He relates that when anoth er person whom he had done Tabligh to bring in the fold of Ahmadiyyat joined the Lahore group he exchanged letters with him which made him give up the group as well. Hadhrat Maulwi Muhammad Abdullah sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relat es that he once went to see the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and was intr oduced by one of his companions as one who had had many debates but God had alwa ys made him triumphant. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that yes, t ruth is always triumphant. He relates that on hearing this from the blessed mout h of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) he was assured that he would stay f irm on truth and God would make him triumphant. He relates that this came to pas s. Hadhrat Chaudhry Muhammad Ali sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relates that his father went to attend Jalsa at Sialkot and on his return he started doi ng Tabligh. His Tabligh bore fruits and multitudes started taking Baiat. Hadhrat Shaikh Abdur Rasheed sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relates t hat a mualwi he knew recited the Quran in a very melodious voice and his sermons

were well attended by women. The maulwi started opposing the Promised Messiah (o n whom be peace) using rude language. Shaikh sahib discussed matters with him. M eanwhile Shaikh sahibs parents clashed with him, especially his mother. The paren ts said they would disown him and he had to stay away from home for months. His father said to his mother that previously Shaikh sahib slept his time away but n ow he was regular at Salat and offered Tahajjud on what grounds could he disown him? Yet, in view of worldliness the father used to say to him to give up Mirzaiy yat. In this regard he had a few discussions with the aforementioned maulwi. Once the maulwi issued a poster rejecting the concept of a bloody Mahdi. This poster r eached the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). He prepared an Istifta (an inqui ry) and had it sent to religious scholars for a Fatwa (religious edict). Some re fused to give a Fatwa. The Dr. sahib who took the Istifta around recounted to th e Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that previously he used to take grapes and other fruits to maulwis and get the Fatwa of his liking from them. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) would partially cover his face with part of his turb an and smile at this anecdote. Hudhur remarked that this practice of receiving gi fts by the maulwis continues to this day, only their rates have gone up somewhat! Hadhrat Shaikh Ismael sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relates that one day after Asr Salat people sat in the company of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in Masjid Mubarak when someone said that a maulwi had visited their vi llage and having gathered people, started enthusing them by quoting the Hadith La Nabi Baadi (There is no Prophet after me). He said while the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had said there was no Prophet after him, Mirz a sahib of Qadian said that he was a Prophet, how could they accept him as a Pro phet? The man said he stood up and asked the maulwi how would he interpret the s aying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) where he had said that there would be no mosque after his mosque (Masjid Nabawi). He then exp lained that he would interpret La Nabi Baadi Hadith just as the maulwi would interp ret the Hadith regarding the mosque. He also said that a Prophet who would cance l the Shariah as brought by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) could not be called a Prophet because his Shariah was the final Shariah. T he maulwi looked astonished at this and started hurling abuse. The person replie d by saying that he would not respond to his abuse. The Promised Messiah (on who m be peace) was very pleased to hear this. Hudhur Aqdas said today people are tu rned against us by citing this idea that now no Prophet can come and these peopl e consider Mirza sahib a Prophet. Mian Sharafat Ahamd sahib relates the account of his father Hadhrat Maulwi Jalal uddin (may Allah be pleased with him): He says that his father was extremely en thusiastic about Tabligh even in old age and would surpass the efforts of younge r people. In one of his Friday sermons of 1934 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) called his fathers passing away as martyrdom and ackno wledged that he worked more than young people. He added that he had seen three p eople who worked obsessively at Tabligh and these were; Firstly the late Hafiz Ro shin Ali sahib, secondly this Maulwi sahib and thirdly Maulwi Ghulam Rasool Raji ki sahib. These three work day and night at Tabligh. Sharafat sahib writes that his father used to relate a dream as regards his Tabl igh work in which he saw that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) came to th eir house and asked for a pen. Later in Qadian, he went to see the Promised Mess iah (on whom be peace) and took along a length of hand-woven white cotton fabric and two [pen] holders as a gift and recounted this dream to the Promised Messia h (on whom be peace) and requested an interpretation. The Promised Messiah (on w hom be peace) told him that he had fulfilled his dream; it signified that he wou ld do Tabligh through his writings as well as verbally. Maulwi Jalal uddin sahib started fervent Tabligh from then onwards and his efforts bore fruit. His broth ers took Baiat, one of whom was a renowned scholar of his area. When people heard this they were utterly dismayed. Meanwhile the Tabligh efforts of Maulwi sahib created many a sincere Jamaat.

Mian Sharafat sahib relates that his father Maulwi Jalal uddin sahib did a lot o f Tabligh during the Malkana episode in 1924. He would do Tabligh to the ordinar y people and also forged connections with the notable people of the area and the authorities. Those people were amazed to see a seventy/eighty year old man in r agged clothes working day and night for people to become Muslim and they had a g ood view of him. Many people of the area came into Ahmadiyyat due to the efforts of Maulwi Jalal uddin sahib. Hadhrat Hafiz Ghulam Rasool Wazirabadi sahib (may Allah be pleased with him): He relates that once the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that he had made the high school so that people sought education there and then went out in the world for Tabligh. But he regretted that after seeking education at the school p eople became busy in their businesses and his objective was not realised. He ask ed if there was anyone who would give him their son only to seek religious educa tion. Hafiz sahib relates that his son late Maulwi Obaidullah was with him at th e time whom he entrusted to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) who took his hand in his blessed hand and asked someone to take the boy to Mufti Muhammad Sa diq sahib who was the headmaster of the school at the time. The boy studied at t he school and became a scholar. Hadhrat Khalifatul Maish II (may Allah be please d with him) sent him to Mauritius as a missionary where he served for almost sev en years. God so willed that he passed away. Hadhrat Khalifatul Maish II (may Al lah be pleased with him) sent Hafiz sahib to bring his widow and children back. After two years his widow also passed away and at the time of writing both the c hildren were under the care of Hafiz sahib. The daughter had been married and th e son was a student at Madrassa Ahmadiyya. Hafiz sahib wrote that it was his wis h that after his education the son also did Tabligh like his late father. Hudhur said with the grace of God his son also served in Mauritius for a long time. Mian Sharafat Ahamd sahib further writes about his father Hadhrat Maulwi Jalal u ddin (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was going somewhere to lead Friday Prayers. On the way he bought a meagre amount of chickpeas to satiate hunger and started his travel. Soon afterward he suffered from heat stroke caused by hot w ind; he fainted and fell down on the road. A passer-by reported at the police st ation that the Qadiani maulwi sahib was lying on the road with heat stroke. A poli ce man who was his follower came running. He could not find any carriage so he s lowly managed to bring Maulwi sahib into town on foot. By this time hot wind was blowing with more severity, Maulwi sahib could not cope and laid on a terrace. People coaxed him to carry on but he said he had reached where he wanted to be. He was given medicine but to no avail. People said they would send a telegram to his son but he said no, his son was young and would be perturbed. And he passed away. His funeral Prayer and burial was arranged by non-Ahmadis. A couple of da ys later Ahmadis came to know about this and they informed Mian sahib and Hadhra t Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) who mentioned him in his F riday sermon and led his funeral Prayer in absentia. Hudhur Aqdas prayed that may God continue to elevate the stations of these elder s and may He keep their spirit alive. Next Hudhur read a few extracts of the Pro mised Messiah (on whom be peace). I consider those maulwis erroneous who are against modern sciences. In fact they do so to hide their own fault and weakness. They have it embedded in their heads that researching modern sciences turns one against Islam and leads astray. They have declared that intellect and science is completely contrary to Islam. As th ey do not have the capacity to critique flaws of philosophy, in order to hide th is failing of theirs, they concoct that it is not warrantable to study modern sc iences. Their soul trembles at the name of philosophy and prostrates before new researches. However, they have not been given that true philosophy which is generated from D

ivine revelation with which the Holy Quran is replete. That is only given to thos e and those alone who devote themselves to Allah the Exalted with extreme humili ty and morality. Whose hearts and minds are rid of the stench of arrogant though ts, who confess their weaknesses while acknowledging sincere devotion to God. Thus, it is required that today modern science is acquired for the purpose of se rvice to faith and to communicate the Word of God, and is acquired with great en deavour. However, it has also been in my experience and I mention this as a caut ion that those people who got involved in these sciences single-mindedly and wer e so obsessed and engrossed that they did not keep the company of spiritual peop le. They did not possess any Divine light of their own accord. Such people usual ly stumbled and became distant from Islam. Rather than making the sciences secon dary to Islam, they tried in vain to make Islam secondary to the sciences and in their assumption became providers of religious and national services. However, remember that only that person can serve religion who has heavenly light inside him. (Malfuzat, Vol. I pp. 68 69) The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also said: My discourse is for those of you who have developed a connection with me and due to this connection have become my limbs; so that you may put my discourse in pra ctice. And utilise reasoning and the Word of God so that the light of true knowl edge and belief is generated inside you and you become a source of bringing othe rs from darkness to light. Since these days objections are based on issues relat ing to nature, medicine and astronomy, it is essential to be aware of the intrin sic value and mode of these sciences. So that, we have a clear understanding of the objection before we respond to it. (Malfuzat, Vol. I p. 68) Hudhur Aqdas said the Promised Messiahs (on whom be peace) reference to his follo wers as his limbs is a great honour and puts a huge responsibility on us to foll ow the true teachings of Islam. He also said: Listen to what I say and remember it well that if what one says is not from the s incerity of heart and does not have practical scope, it cannot be effective. The great truthfulness of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is e vident from the success and winning of hearts that he received a measure of, and which is matchless in the history of mankind. All this came to pass because his words and deeds conformed perfectly. (Malfuzat, Vol. I pp. 67 68) Hudhur Aqdas said it is our duty to follow the blessed model of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and this can come about with conformit y in word and deed. May God make us fulfil the wishes of the Promised Messiah (o n whom be peace) and may we propagate religion and fulfil the due of being his li mbs, may there never be a contradiction in our word and deed. Next Hudhur Aqdas announced the sad passing away of the Sultan of Agadez, Niger on 21 February and said that he would lead his funeral Prayer in absentia. Al Ha aj Umer Ibrahim, Sultan of Agadez came into Ahmadiyyat in 2002. He was the bigge st sultan in Niger and was a member of the honorary cabinet of the president. He had been the Sultan of Agadez since 1960 was very well respected in Niger. He h ad made great efforts towards establishing peace in Agadez. The Sultan had atten ded the Benin Jalsa in 2002 and before returning to Niger he, along with his 12strong entourage, accepted Ahmadiyyat. He came to attend the UK Jalsa in 2003 an d had his first meeting with Hudhur Aqdas. Our missionary-in-charge in Niger wri tes that he found the Sultan a very hospitable and warm person who always asked after the Jamaat and Khalifatul Masih. Hudhur Aqdas said the Sultan came to Benin and met Hudhur Aqdas during Hudhurs trip of 2004. The Sultan had travelled over two thousand kilo metres in the desert for three days and nights. He was very pl

eased to meet Hudhur Aqdas. Hudhur said there is great sincerity in the Ahmadis of Niger and in spite of being a Sultan, he had a lot of humility. May God eleva te his station.