Hudhur said a tradition of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) relates that he said: mention

the good qualities of your deceased and do not m ention their shortcomings. Hudhur explained that each person has both merits and shortcomings. After death a person is cut off from this world, thus there is no need to mention his or her shortcomings, indeed his or her good qualities should be mentioned. For one thi s inspires others to do good, secondly one is motivated to pray for the soul of the deceased. As said before, good and bad qualities are found in every person. Human nature is at times inclined to good and at other times it is prone to weak ness. Yet, the merits and piety of some people is so dazzling that it conceals t heir human failings. Those people are most fortunate whose good qualities and vi rtues are acknowledged by everyone who knows them. According to Hadith, Paradise becomes Wajib (necessary) in such a situation. Hudhur said today he would speak about one such person about whom everyone has v ery high opinion. A person who was not a Pakistani or an Indian Ahmadi, neither was he from a family of a companion of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) n or was he a born Ahmadi. From his childhood to mature age, he did not grow up un der the auspices of the Jamaat or Khilafat. He took the Baiat of the Promised Mess iah (on whom be peace) a few years ago but left many long-term Ahmadis behind. H e was our brother, respected Ravil Bukharaev sahib, who was Russian and passed a way on 24 Janaury. Inna lillahe wa inna illahe rajioon. [Surely, to Allah we belo ng and to Him shall we return 2:157] Ravil sahib was a grain from among the handful of sand of early Russian Ahmadis. Yet, due to his scholarship and spiritual knowledge, sincerity and selflessness , exceptional connection with Khilafat, humility and zeal to take the message of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to others, he was like a bright star th at showed the way to many. When, InshaAllah, in fulfilment of a revelation of th e Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) the world will witness Ahmadiyyat spread i n Russia like grains of sand, Ravil sahib will be remembered. Ravil sahib served Ahmadiyyat immensely even before becoming an Ahmadi. He came to work at the BBC here in the UK for their Russian programmes. Once he finished working there, he dedicated himself. It appears as if night and day he was ferv ent not to lose a single moment to serve Ahmadiyyat. On the day he passed away h e was filled with similar enthusiasm and was preparing for a MTA meeting when a call came that he was not well and could not attend the meeting. He suffered fro m a massive heart attack and passed away. He was 61 years old. He is survived by his widow and did not have any children. Ravil sahib was first introduced to Ahmadiyyat in 1990 when he came to London fo r some work regarding the Tartar nation. He met with Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) and as a result of this came into Ahmadiyyat. He wrote in one place: Although I am a Muslim by birth, because of the atheistic soc iety up until 1889 my knowledge of Islam was negligible. Our mother tongue Tarta r was completely banned in the society in which I was brought up. It was removed from the academic syllabus but an Islamic influence remained in the Tartars. Be they party workers or school teachers, they always said Bismillah before doing anything. The Tartar culture is a thousand years old and has always had an Islam ic influence. The force of atheism during the time of my parents lessened somewh at while I was growing up. I cannot say that I was a secret Muslim who was on th e lookout to find opportunity to offer Salat at the mosque. It was not like this at all. I was a young student and whatever came to mind in line with the societ y, I followed that. He further wrote: In 1989 situation improved and among other f reedoms religious freedom was granted. However, in order to reach true faith spi ritual knowledge cannot be gained by mere reasoning. The blessing of faith is gr anted by God Himself. I was confused. Intellectually I had understood that it wa s Islam and Islam alone which gives the best teaching but my soul was completely

vacant. The only thing that saved me from these doubts and misgivings were a fe w people who I met in London whom I consider to be true and real Muslims and the y are the Community which is considered heretic in the Islamic world, that is Ah madiyya Muslim Community. He also wrote: The teaching of the Ahmadiyya Community i s that one cannot attain the love of God until one also loves creation of God. T his immediately told me that this indeed was my destination. Here, I found every thing together; that is, my education, knowledge, reason and my thirst for proof s based on reasoning, search of true religion and spiritual experiences. I found all this in one place. Hudhur said in his Jalsa address of 1993 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) said that with the grace of Allah the Exalted connections wer e being renewed in Hungry in his time and the first fruit of this was Illahi sah ib who came to Britain from Hungary. Ravil sahib was very renowned in intellectu al circles and knew Illahi sahib because of this, who frequently brought him to mosque and Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) noticed tha t his condition changed, he took Baiat, went to Hungary and did Tabligh which pro ved very fruitful and Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) had high hopes for future based on this. Hudhur said it is not easy for these nations to accept Islam. They remained unde r the influence of atheism for seventy years, yet they did not break connections with Islam. They did not know any details about Islam so they remained outside of Islam in practical terms. Bringing them back to Islam is a demanding task and for this prayers should be made. The whole Community should pray that may God s how miraculous signs which will help them come to Islam. Hudhur said as earlier mentioned Ravil sahib was not an Ahmadi by birth but it s eemed that he had always been an Ahmadi. He was an ambassador of Ahmadiyyat in t he true sense. He took the message of Ahmadiyyat wherever he went and in instanc es where he felt there could be adverse reaction, he expressed his message with wisdom and made the introduction gradual. He understood which literature was sui table for distribution in which gathering. His was known to many intellectuals a nd academics. He himself was an author, a poet, translator and a Dai lillah (summ oner to Allah). He was widely known and liked. It was through him that the messa ge of Ahmadiyyat reached Russia and the neighbouring states in a way that it cou ld not have reached through missionaries or had it reached, it would have taken longer. Ravil sahib participated in the academic gatherings of Moscow and in one way or the other mentioned the Jamaat there. He would arrange it with other Ahma dis to bring books to the events and distributed them. From the time Russian Desk was established in London, Ravil sahib worked tireles sly for it and with great sincerity. When his missionary colleagues said they we re tired and took a little rest, Ravil sahib said they were exhausted too quickl y. He dubbed the Friday sermon in Russian for MTA and would ask his associates m ost eagerly on Saturdays if they had finished the translation of the sermon. At times, he would ask them on Friday evening how long it would take them to finish the translation. Until such time that he finished dubbing for the sermon, he re mained anxious. During Jalsa his services and his fervour was exemplary. He tran slated in Russian at the Jalsa and also played the role of host to the guests fr om former Soviet states. He met them most warmly and informed the Jalsa administ ration how to best look after them. He said that year upon year of work did not avail as much benefit as bringing guests to one Jalsa and arranging for them to meet Khalifa of the time. He translated many books of the Jamaat which proved extremely beneficial. His fin est service was help with the Quranic translation in Russian. Khalid sahib of th e Russian Desk writes that Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) started work on Russian translation of the Quran in 1997 which was completed in 2004. Ravil sahib reviewed it along with others. He spent night and day enga

ged in this task and completed it in three months. As translation of the Holy Qu ran demands utmost care and diligence, he carried out the task with exhaustive de tail and cross checked each word to find the most appropriate Russian word for i t. At times checking a single Ayah (verse) took several hours. Hudhur said three editions of the Russian translation of the Quran have been published and this is a Sadqa Jaria (continual alms) which will remind us of Ravil sahib. As Ravil sahib was a scholar, a journalist and a poet, he received various award s and honours for his services to the arts, for his books etc. He was a member o f many societies. The editor-in-chief of the BBC Russian Service where he worked for a long while has paid him a great tribute, caling him a sincere Muslim and a scholar of religion. He said Ravil sahib was a well-spoken person whose knowle dge extended in diverse directions. In his book [the title of which can be translated as] Road to God Knows Where, Rav il sahib writes that he was visiting London and the lady of the house where he w as staying attended a phone call and at the end of her conversation, she told to the person she was speaking with that she had a Russian guest staying at her pl ace. Ravil sahib writes that mentioning this was not in line with the English wa y of doing things, so he considers it a miracle that it was mentioned. As a resu lt of this he was invited to an Ahmadi mosque the next day. He says he went beca use he wanted to go. A car came to fetch him and the first thing that struck him was the motto of Love for all hatred for none. He says he was always interested i n Islam, so he made time to do translation work that he was requested to do. He says when he met Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) he fe lt his world veiw was the same as his. He says that the material he translated w as so clear and meaningful that his coming into the fold of Ahmadiyyat was not b y chance. He was provided accommodation in Islamabad, Tilford where he enjoyed t he open, pleasant surroundings. He translated four books and while he found the assertions of the Community tremendous, the most endearing assertion that he cam e across was that Islam will spread in the entire world in the near future. Ravil sahib writes that Ahmadiyya Muslim Community claims that it will bring a r evolutionary spiritual change in this age. It claims that its founder is the Mes siah (on whom be peace) who came for the entire world. It claims that it will sp read the Unity/Oneness of God in the entire world. It thus challenges the powers of the world and all religions in the spiritual realm. Ravil sahib relates a dr eam in his book in which he saw that he is offering Salat in congregation in a m osque in Qadian in a state of nakedness but is not concerned about this. He rela ted this dream to Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) who told him that when a person is spiritually reborn and starts his journey towards the One God he must accept to abandon his previous attire and appear in front o f God in an improvised and naked state. He says that this dream proved to him th at all his doubts were gone and he also realised that spiritual re-birth on its own was not important, but one also had to purify oneself of all previous sins, from which only God could purify one, in order to start a new life. Hudhur expla ined that he wrote this book as a Tabligh tool for Russian readers. The Jamaat books that Ravil sahib translated on his own are: Invitation to Ahmadi yyat, Murder in the Name of Allah, Stories from Early Islam, Muslim Festivals, H oly Muslims, Islams Answers to Contemporary Issues, Prophets Kindness to Children and various childrens books. The books that he reviewed and checked are: Philosop hy of the Teachings of Islam, Jesus in India, Our Teaching, Introduction to the Teachings of the Holy Quran, Islam ka Iqtisadi Nizam, Woman in Islam and Life of Muhammad. Hudhur said he also translated Hudhurs Peace Conference addresses and o ther addresses which he felt were very important for the Russian readers. Howeve r, Hudhur said his most significant contribution was services in the translation of the Holy Quran. Hudhur said various web sites of the BBC have paid tribute to Ravil sahib. Last

evening BBC Russian presented a 30 minute programme about him which also mention ed Dr. Abdus Salam as an Ahmadi Muslim. Other media has also covered his passing away and tributes have been paid to him. A Ukraine website has posted an interv iew with Ravil sahib in which he has openly talked about his connection with Ahm adiyyat and has cited Ahmadiyyat as true Islam. He writes that when he had had t he opportunity to learn English for his translation work and he was cut off from general life, he started receiving invitations to work and he was also invited to Islamic Conferences in Russia. In answer to a question whether he had a teach er, he answered that after his parents, the Khulafa of Ahmadiyya Community were his teachers and he wished he had found these teachers earlier. Hudhur said although Ravil sahib had many good qualities, some of them were dist inguished. He was most humble and had a fervent love for and a strong spiritual connection with Khilafat and nothing compared to this devotion. Khalid sahib of Russian Desk reminisces that in a recent meeting with Hudhur, Ravil sahib sought permission from Hudhur to write an introductory book in Russian in which matter s/objections which are frequently raised on web sites would be answered. Hudhur approved this and advised that brief articles should be prepared in answer to ea ch objection and sent to web sites, to which Ravil sahib said, yes of course Hudh ur. Khalid sahib writes that soon after the meeting Ravil sahib said to him that he had been thinking for days how to make a start on this and Hudhur had made hi s task easy and he now had a clear mental picture of how to proceed. He said thi s was with the blessings of Khilafat and said he was going to make a start on th e same day. Hudhur said in addition there was a plan to create a web site in Russian. Hudhur had asked Ravil sahib to prepare a preliminary report into how this would be ex ecuted, who would upload it etc. Ravil sahib got in touch with Nasim Rehmatullah sahib and Malik Samar Imtiaz from Germany and work had started when he met his Maker. Hudhur said as soon as he had heard that a Russian web site was to be cre ated, Ravil sahib started work on it. Khalid sahib of the Russian Desk writes that one of his qualities was that he ne ver wasted time and wanted to finish each task quickly, as if he had little time . Hudhur said he had personally noted this. Khalid sahib writes that he worked s o hard that one had to ask Ravil sahib to take a break from work and his answer would be, are you tired? I am not. He was always concerned about progress of Ahmad iyyat in Russia and the neighbouring states. Hudhur said our Moscow mission hous e is situated in flats and Ravil sahib was keen to acquire a large building for this purpose. Hudhur said if he came to Hudhur with a plan and Hudhur did not ap prove of it due to too much expenditure or any other reason, he accepted with co nviction. He did not lose hope but would come up with alternative suggestions. H is eagerness was to spread the message of Ahmadiyyat in Russia as soon as possib le. Our missionary Hafiz Saeed sahib writes that although Ravil sahib became an Ahma di just over twenty years ago but his connection with Khilafat and his insight i nto the office of Khilafat was such that it seemed he had been an Ahmadis for ge nerations. Many of his traits were a lesson for Ahmadis. He used to say that if the Khalifa of the time has given a clear instruction about something, he consid ered it discourteous and sinful to further opine about the matter. Once Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih gave him an instruction, he would not say anything on that matt er anymore. This is an excellent example for many old-term Ahmadis as well as ne w Ahmadis in terms of understanding the status of Khilafat. An elder Ahmadi Russian writes in his letter of condolence that Ravil sahib kept great thoughts and considered service to Islam his faith and this is why he cho se Ahmadiyya Islam. Our muallim (tutor/teacher) from Kazakhstan writes that he wa s introduced to Ravil sahib through his books. Reading his books one felt that h e was extremely eager to take the message to Russian speaking people. He dubbed

Hudhurs Friday sermon in Russian language in a most affecting voice so that peopl e could hear the message of the Imam of the day. Rustam sahib, sadr of Moscow writes in his letter of condolence that Ravil sahib was a scholarly person and he used his scholarship most generously to benefit o thers. After accepting Ahmadiyyat he had completely devoted himself to servitude of God, service of Jamaat and people through his glorious qualities, like humili ty, gentleness, affection, sincerity, always seeking from God alone, always tryi ng to help others. Our missionary Basharat sahib writes that he remembers when the Friday sermon Ru ssian translation broadcast started. After the first such broadcast everyone pre sent was tearful and hugged each other congratulating each other. This translati on was recorded in Ravil sahibs voice. After this a series of Russian translation of the sermon started and Ravil sahib had the honour of taking the discourses o f the holy Khalifa of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to Russian speakin g brothers and sisters. He had joined at a late stage but in the shelter of Khil afat, he surpassed us. Hudhur prayed that may God treat him with His loving grace and may God grant man y excellent helpers like him. Hudhur said his funeral Prayer will follow regular Salat service. Hudhur also announced the passing away of Sahibzada Dawood Ahmad sahib who was m artyred in Pakistan on 23 January. He was the maternal great grandson of Sahibza da Abdul Latif shaheed. His family had joined the Lahore Ahmadis, but Dawood sah ib took his Baiat eight years ago. Hudhur said time and again Ahmadis are being martyred in Pakistan, but are these martyrdoms overwhelming our resolve? After the Lahore martyrdoms our enemies mi ght have thought they were going to vanquish us but Hudhur received letters from Ahmadis in Pakistan stating that their resolve was high and they demonstrated t his with their actions. Recently they martyred an Ahmadi lady in Pakistan. When our mission house was attacked, ladies joined men in defending it and one lady l ost her life in this. Ahmadi men, women and children are not afraid of sacrifice . Hudhur said may God accept the martyrdom of Dawood sahib. His martyrdom is a l ink of that strengthening of faith which his maternal great grandfather once dem onstrated. Sahibazada Lateef saheeds soul will be delighted that his bloodline ha s fulfilled its obligation one hundred years later. Hudhur asked for prayers for Pakistani Ahmadis that may God keep them safe from all evil. Hudhur also announced funeral Prayers in absentia to be held for Mirza Naseer Ah mad sahib and Rabia Begum sahiba.