MANAGEMENT BOARD

Mr Munir-ud-din Shams (Chairman)

Mr Mansoor Shah (Secretary)
Mr Naseer Ahmad Qamar
Mr Mubarak Ahmad Zafar
Mr Mirza Fakhar Ahmad
Mr. Abdul Baqi Arshad
CHIEF EDITOR AND MANAGER
Mansoor Ahmed Shah
CONTENTS Jan 2008, Vol.103, No.01
KHILAFAT CENTENARY SPECIAL
EDITION NO.4
THE LIFE OF
HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(ra)
(compiled by Bockarie Tommy Kallon, UK)

EDITORIAL BOARD INTRODUCTION

Basit Ahmad An introduction to this special edition dedicated
Bockarie Tommy Kallon.
Fareed Ahmad to Hadhrat (Hakim) Maulawi Nur-ud-Din Sahib(ra),
Fazal Ahmad Khalifatul Masih I, the First Successor to lead
Fauzia Bajwa
Mansoor Saqi the Ahmadiyya community following the
Mahmood Hanif demise of the Promised Messiah(as). ................... 3
Mansoora Hyder-Hanif
Navida Shahid
Sarah Waseem CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
Saleem Ahmad Malik
Tanveer Khokhar The early years of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra). 8

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS BEFORE KHILAFAT

Amatul Hadi Ahmad A look at the life of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra)
Farina Qureshi prior to assuming the mantle of Khilafat ............ 12
PROOFREADERS
Abdul Ghany Jahangeer Khan KHILAFAT
Shaukia Mir
The salient features of the life and achievements
DESIGN AND LAYOUT of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) ........................ 36
Tanveer Khokhar

DISTRIBUTION
Muhammad Hanif
PUBLISHER
Al Shirkatul Islamiyyah
All correspondence should be
forwarded to the editor at:
The Review of Religions
The London Mosque
16 Gressenhall Road
London, SW18 5QL
United Kingdom
Email:
reviewofreligions@gmail.com
© Islamic Publications, 2008
ISSN No: 0034-6721
Views expressed in this publication are not
necessarily the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community
IMPACT
The impact of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I’s(ra)
Khilafat on the Ahmadiyya Community and
Islam in general................................................... 59
COVER: (photo courtesy of Makhzan-e-Tasaweer)
The Noor Mosque in Qadian, India. The foundation stone
of this mosque was laid on 5th March 1910 by Hadhrat
Khalifatul Masih I(ra) and the inauguration took place on
23rd April 1910. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) said: “The
Foundation of this mosque is sheerly based on righteous-
ness, and the mosque which is based on Taqwa is a strong
mosque”. (Excerpt from the address of Hadhrat
Khalifatul Masih I(ra) on April 23, 1910, History of
Ahmadiyyat, Vol.4, pg.330).
 Hadhrat (Hakim) Maulawi Nur-ud-Din Sahib(ra)
(1841 – 1914)
Makhzan-e-Tasaweer©2007

2 The Review of Religions – January 2008 KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra):
INTRODUCTION
Since the creation of man, the
advent of a prophet has always
been a manifestation of Divine
mercy and a source of many
blessings. On the demise of the
prophet, there is a second
manifestation of Divine mercy
and bounty in the form of the
institution of Khilafat. The
institution of Khilafat is a unique
Divinely-established religio-
political system. Khilafat is the
office and realm of the Khalifa or
successor to the prophet elected
as the supreme leader of the
community of believers. He
commands the highest moral
position of his time and in him is
vested absolute authority in all
affairs religious.
After the Holy Prophet(saw),
through Divine grace, the Islamic
empire was united under the
leadership of the Khulafa-ar-
Rashideen – Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra)
followed by Hadhrat ‘Umar(ra),
Hadhrat ‘Uthman(ra) and Hadhrat
‘Ali(ra). The period of the
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
Khulafa-ar-Rashideen represents
a golden era in the history of
Islam and manifold blessings
emanated from their Khilafat as
has been presented in recent
editions of this magazine.
However, due to internal disputes
which culminated in the
martyrdom of Hadhrat ‘Ali(ra), the
fourth and final Khalifa of this
period, that brilliant beacon of
guidance and unity, that glorious
fountain of blessings and mercies
was lost to Muslims. Muslims
discarded the robe of Khilafat
and with it all its countless
blessings. The system of
monarchy, devoid of all spiritual
glory, was instituted in the place
of Khilafat with various
dynasties arising over many
centuries. Civil wars and
internecine feuds greatly
weakened the Muslims. Nations
that in the past trembled and
bowed before them now
confronted them with insolence
and invariably succeeded in
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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): INTRODUCTION

humiliating the Muslims. Islamic Khilafat is a spiritual dominion

influence and world dominion of Allah Almighty and its
began to diminish until the time establishment is never brought
came when other religions, about by any political or pseudo-
though based on false doctrines, religious movement. Whenever
began to dominate the true Khilafat is established by Divine
religion of Islam. design, it has been through a
prophet of Allah. History
The re-establishment of Khilafat furnishes not a single instance
amongst the Muslims has to date where Khilafat was established
been one of the greatest without the advent of a prophet
challenges facing the Muslims. preceding it. The Khilafat
Present-day Islam is torn with promised in the Holy Qur’an
internal strife and external (Ch.24:V.56) is in the footsteps
intrigues and is in dire need of a of a prophet. The Holy
leader, a man of integrity who Prophet(saw) is reported to have
would take charge of the said:
institution of Khilafat and under
Divine guidance lead the Muslim “Prophethood shall remain
nation. Various movements to among you as long as Allah
establish Khilafat amongst shall will. He will bring about
mainstream Muslims have arisen its end and follow it with
in the past and recently in our Khilafat on the precept of
time as well. It is a sad but prophethood for as long as He
historical fact that all have met shall will and then bring
with failure. This is because they about its end. A tyrannical
are devoid of any Divine monarchy will then follow
guidance and are based solely on and will remain as long as
human endeavour with self- Allah shall will and then
indulgence and personal desire come to an end. There will
for power at the heart of their follow thereafter monarchical
foundation and objective. despotism to last as long as
Allah shall will and come to

4 The Review of Religions – January 2008 KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): INTRODUCTION
an end upon His decree.
There will then emerge
Khilafat on the precept of
Prophethood.”1
From this prophecy of the Holy
Prophet(saw) it is clear that the
Khilafat which would come into
being after him would consist of
two eras – one would follow
immediately after his death and
between that and the other would
intervene a period of sup-
pressive, oppressive and cruel
regimes. On the demise of the
Holy Prophet(saw), that blessed
institution of Khilafat was
established as prophesied. It was
to be re-established only with the
advent of the Promised
Messiah and Holy Founder of
(as)
the Ahmadiyya Movement in
Islam.
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as)
of Qadian, was a faithful servant
of Allah and a devoted follower
of the Holy Prophet(saw). He
claimed that he had been
appointed by Almighty Allah as
the voice articulate of this age;
that he is the Messiah foretold in
the Traditions of the Holy
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
Prophet(saw) and the Mahdi
promised in his Sayings. He
claimed that the prophecies
contained in all the different
religious books about the advent
of a Divine Messenger in the
latter days have also been
fulfilled in his person; that God
had raised him for the advocacy
and promulgation of Islam in our
time; that God had granted him
insight into the Holy Qur’an and
revealed to him its innermost
meaning and truth.
By his work, his message and his
example, the Promised
Messiah (as) glorified the Holy
Prophet (saw) and demonstrated the
superiority of Islam over other
religions so that the Holy
Prophet(saw) could be accepted as
the Seal of the Prophets by all the
peoples of the world. At a time
when fanaticism, obscurantism
and bigotry had become the
hallmark of Muslim thinking, he
displayed before the wondering
eyes of seekers after truth, a vast
and seemingly limitless treasury
of knowledge, philosophy and
wisdom from the Holy Qur’an.
The moral and spiritual values
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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): INTRODUCTION
inculcated by the Holy Qur’an
and illustrated to their perfection
by the Holy Prophet(saw) were
revived by him, so that men of
their age could profit not only
from his precept but also from
his example.
Before his demise, he had
prophesied in categorical terms
that the institution of Khilafat
would be re-established among
his Community. Intimating that
his end was nigh, he addressed
his followers in the following
words:
“So dear friends! It has
always been the way of
Allah to show two
manifestations of His Power.
He thereby demolishes two
false joys of the opponents.
It is impossible that He
should now change this long
established Divine practice.
Grieve not therefore at what
I am telling you. Nor should
you be heartbroken as you
are destined to witness the
second manifestation of His
Power. And this second
6 The Review of Religions – January 2008
manifestation will be better
for you as it is everlasting
and will remain unbroken
until the Day of Judgement.
And this second mani-
festation cannot occur until
after I am gone. But once I
have departed Allah will
bring about for you the
second manifestation of His
Power and it will remain
with you forever.”2
On his demise, obituaries from
open-minded Muslims and non-
Muslims alike paid rich tribute to
his messianic qualities, purity
and righteousness. A champion
of Islam had departed from the
scene and his death was an
irreparable loss. His unthinking
opponents, however, rejoiced in
his death hoping that what they
considered a grave heresy would
now die a natural death and be
relegated to history. For the
members of the Ahmadiyya
Movement, notwithstanding
numerous prophecies warning of
his fast-approaching end, the
impact of his demise was filled
with grief.
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): INTRODUCTION

At that critical hour, his most Qur’an by heart], an offspring

devoted follower – an eminent
divine, a reputed physician, a
discerning mystic and an erudite
commentator on the Holy Qur’an
– was unanimously elected to the
office of Khalifatul Masih. By
the grace of Allah, in that
capacity, he navigated the ship of
Ahmadiyyat to safe waters fully
safeguarding it from disinte-
gration. His name, Nur-ud-Din,
that is, the Brilliance of Faith,
was synonymous to his brilliant
services in the name of faith.
of Farooq [Hadhrat ‘Umar(ra)].
His name is Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din Bhervi. In sincerity,
devotion, dedication, loyalty
and love, he is foremost
among my followers.”3
The rest of this edition looks at
the life of Hadhrat Haji Hakim
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din, Khalifatul
Masih I(ra) – his childhood, his
pre-Khilafat days, his Khilafat
and the impact of his Khilafat.

The Promised Messiah(as) who

knew him best singled him out References
for a glowing tribute in the 1. Musnad Ahmad, by Ahmad
following words: bin Hanbal.
2. The Will, by Hadhrat Mirza
“Among my many pious Ghulam Ahmad(as), p.7.
friends, there is one far- 3. Hamaamatul Bushra, by
sighted, gifted with vast Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam
knowledge, soft-spoken, Ahmad(as), p.6.
polite, steadfast in faith, God-
fearing, trusting, a savant, Bibliography
pious, scholar, devout, saintly • Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
spiritual, towering Muhaddith, Din(ra) Khalifatul Masih I,
outstanding Hakim, Haji-ul- Second Edition, by
Haramain [Pilgrim to the two Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra)
sacred Mosques], Hafiz-ul-
Qur’an [could recite the Holy

KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4 The Review of Religions – January 2008 7

 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra):
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
Born in 1841 in the ancient town
of Bhera, Shahpur district,
Punjab, Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) was the youngest of
nine children. His father, Hafiz
Ghulam Rasul and Noor Bakht,
his mother, were both great
lovers of the Holy Qur’an and set
their children excellent examples
of piety and rectitude. His father
and at least ten of his immediate
male ancestors had committed
the entire text of the Holy Qur’an
to memory. He was affluent and
spent large amounts in procuring
the Holy Qur’an from South
India and distributed them free.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din
was the 34th in direct male lineal
descent from Hadhrat ‘Umar(ra),
the second successor to the Holy
Prophet Muhammad(saw). He was
thus a Qureshi, Hashimi Farooqi.
In addition to his paternal
heritage, his maternal heritage
reached a high degree of nobility.
She was an A’waan believed by
historians to be the descendants
8 The Review of Religions – January 2008
of Hadhrat ‘Ali(ra). Thus Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) was an
A’waan as well as a Farooqi.
His mother instructed children in
the neighbourhood in the
translation of the Holy Qur’an in
Punjabi and in elementary
studies of Islam. She was
similarly his first teacher. He
often related in later life that he
had heard the Qur’an recited by
his mother while he was in her
womb and had imbibed the love
of the Qur’an with his mother’s
milk.
His father was very affectionate
(ra) towards his children and cared
immensely for their intellectual
nourishment. He thus paid a lot
of attention towards the
educational needs of his children.
At school, Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) was a model pupil.
A formidable intellect, a
remarkable memory and a
cultured family background all
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
combined to positively influence
and refine his early education.
Like all promising and deserving
pupils, he enjoyed plenty of
spare time with his teachers. He
held his teachers in great esteem
and never failed to honour the
huge debt of gratitude he owed
them. As Allah willed, Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) attained
to great eminence in his life but
he would always mention every
one of his teachers with great
veneration and deep gratitude.
As a child, he was always averse
to obscene language and in his
company his playmates were
duly cognisant of this.
Swimming was a favourite
hobby and he often went
swimming in the Jhelum River,
even in winter days. He was also
fond of riding.
From his earliest childhood,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
developed a love for knowledge
and learning, and began to
collect books. He writes in his
autobiography:
“I had a fascination for the
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
collection of books. When I
was a child I used to collect
books of fine and beautiful
covers. When I entered an age
of understanding, I used to
select books with a great deal
of care.”1
Punjabi was his mother tongue
but once he heard Urdu being
spoken, he became enamoured
with it and duly learnt it. Once
fluent in Urdu he became eager
to read books in Urdu. He came
across Urdu books written by the
members of the family of the
celebrated Shah Wali Ullah of
Delhi and benefited immensely
from a study of these books.
His eldest brother, Maulawi
Sultan Ahmad, was an erudite
scholar and took keen interest in
his upbringing. He owned a
printing press in Lahore and
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
visited Lahore frequently on
account of this. It was in Lahore
that his eldest brother arranged
for him to study Persian at the
hands of a famous Persian
teacher, Munshi Muhammad
Qasim Kashmiri, through whose
The Review of Religions – January 2008 9
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
excellent tutelage Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) acquired
a reasonable proficiency in that
language. Also in Lahore he had
the opportunity of taking
calligraphy lessons from an
expert calligraphist, Mirza Imam
Wardi. As both teachers were
from the Shia school of thought,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
was able to gain an exposure to
basic Shia beliefs, doctrines and
practices.
On his return to Bhera, he
pursued his study of Persian at
the hands of Haji Miyan
Sharfuddin. His eldest brother,
Maulawi Sultan Ahmad, also
started him on a regular course of
Arabic and thus young Nur-ud-
Din learnt Arabic at his hands.
By the prime of his youth,
therefore, Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) was proficient in
Punjabi, Urdu, Persian and
Arabic.
He had learnt from his mother
the reading of the Holy Qur’an
and at sixteen, he obtained an
Urdu translation of five principal
chapters of the Holy Qur’an.
10 The Review of Religions – January 2008
Around this time also he received
from Bombay two copies of
Urdu commentaries on portions
of the Holy Qur’an namely,
Taqwiyyatul Iman and
Mashariqul Anwar. He promptly
began a diligent study of the
Holy Book by way of these
translations and two books of
commentary. Thus was laid the
foundation of his immense
devotion to the Holy Qur’an
which became a dominant
passion of his life and which was
to sharpen his faculty of spiritual
discrimination. Soon, he also
began to have experience of true
dreams, which further contri-
buted towards the development
of his spiritual perceptions.
At seventeen, he began his study
for the diploma in education at
the Normal School in
Rawalpindi. He did so well in his
studies with the aid of very
willing private tutors that at the
end of the four-year course, he
had acquired a mastery of a wide
range of subjects. He went on to
do so well in his diploma
examination that though he was
merely twenty-one years old, he
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
was appointed headmaster of a
school in neighbouring Pind
Dadan Khan, an office he held
for four years.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din’s(ra) resignation from the
position of Headmaster at Pind
Dadan Khan came in dramatic
fashion. The Inspector of
Schools had arrived to conduct
an inspection at a time when
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din
was having a meal to which he
promptly invited the Inspector.
Presuming it to be a bribe, the
Inspector declined the invitation.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
took exception to this and he
withdrew to sit apart as the
Inspector examined the students
to which the Inspector remarked
that Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din’s(ra) attitude was perhaps
explained by the fact that he held
a distinguished diploma of
education. Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din’s response to this
was to send for the Diploma and
tear it into pieces in front of the
Inspector declaring that he did
not regard a few inches of square
paper as God. This drew remorse
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
from the Inspector who blamed
himself for the whole episode
and regretted having occasioned
the loss of Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din’s(ra) diploma.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra),
however, was to remark later that
the tearing up of the diploma was
a turning pointing in his life and
opened up vistas of Divine
bounties unto him.
References
1. Mirqaatul Yaqeen fi Hayat-e-
Nur-ud-Din, by Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ur-Din(ra), p.200
Bibliography
• Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) Khalifatul Masih I,
Second Edition, by
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra).
• Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, The
Way of the Righteous, by Syed
Hasanat Ahmad.
The Review of Religions – January 2008 11
 Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra):
BEFORE KHILAFAT
In Quest of Knowledge
In the prime of his youth,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
embarked upon the pursuit of
knowledge and for this purpose
set out on foot for Rampur, a
centre for religious education. He
did so in the company of two
other seekers after knowledge. As
they knew no one in Rampur, they
took shelter in a mosque on their
arrival. A few days later, they met
Hafiz ‘Abdul Haq who, learning
of their mission, agreed to provide
for them all they required in terms
of shelter, sustenance and studies.
In such carefree circumstances,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
made rapid progress with his
studies.
While at Rampur, once a debate
arose among a large company of
students. Maulawi Ghulam Nabi,
a revered personality and an
eminent grammarian, was chosen
to umpire the debate. He was so
impressed with Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din’s(ra) exposition that he
12 The Review of Religions – January 2008
referred to him as Maulawi. Thus
did Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) acquire the title of Maulawi
(minister of religion).
There was a pious personality in
Rampur by the name of Shah
‘Abdur Razzaq with whom
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
had developed closeness and
whom he visited frequently. He
visited once after an unusually
long interval. When Shah ‘Abdur
Razzaq queried Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) as to what had kept
him away, the latter replied that he
had been pre-occupied with his
studies though he was honest
enough to admit he had also been
a little forgetful. Shah ‘Abdur
Razzaq then asked Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) whether
he had ever noticed a butcher
while carving rubbing his knives
together to sharpen them as they
are blunted by animal fat. Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) replied in
the affirmative but added that he
did not follow the drift of his
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
analogy to which Shah Abdur
Razzaq added, “absence makes
both of us a little forgetful, and a
meeting sharpens us both.”
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
often remarked that he had
derived great benefit from this
wise counsel of Shah Abdur
Razzaq. The company of the
righteous stimulates spiritual
alertness.
He stayed in Rampur for three
years and after recovering from a
serious illness, his eagerness to
study medicine was revived. He
had expressed the same eagerness
when he was merely twelve years
old and was successfully treated
from an illness by the famous
Hakim Ghulam Dastgir of Said
Mitha. At the time, he was
persuaded by his eldest brother,
Maulawi Sultan Ahmad, to pursue
a course in Persian instead, which
he did. Four years later, on a visit
to Lahore, he started the study of
medicine but his stay in Lahore
was cut short.
Now, however, he was much
resolved to study medicine and he
set out for Lucknow to meet
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
Hakim Ali Hussein who he had
come to learn was the most
celebrated physician in the
country at the time. The road was
unmetalled so that by the time he
arrived in Lucknow he was
covered in dust and looked
scruffy. Nevertheless, he
immediately enquired as to the
residence of Hakim ‘Ali Hussein
and made his way there.
Arriving at the residence of
Hakim ‘Ali Hussein, he marched
unceremoniously into the
building just as he was. Beyond
the entrance in a large room, he
beheld an angelic personage,
white-bearded, beautifully clad,
cushioned on either side and
surrounded, in a reverential
attitude, by some respectful
looking persons. The scene struck
the weary traveller as a revelation.
Nevertheless, unfazed, he
deposited his baggage in a corner
and advanced boldly towards the
central figure who he rightly
surmised was Hakim ‘Ali
Hussein. Arriving in front of the
revered personage, he greeted
him in a resounding voice with:
Assalamu ‘Alaikum (Peace be
The Review of Religions – January 2008 13
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
unto you!), and extended his hand
for a handshake. Hakim ‘Ali
Hussein returned his greeting and
shook his hand. Then Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) seated
himself respectfully opposite the
worthy Hakim. The company
were outraged by the whole
proceeding and one of them, a
leading personality, took it upon
himself to ask of Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din, somewhat
sarcastically: “Sir, which civilised
region do you hail from?”
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
responded: “This lack of
ceremony and my bold greeting
are the result of the teaching of the
unlettered one of a barren valley,
who had at one time been
occupied with grazing goats and
may my father and mother be his
sacrifice.” His words struck the
company like lightning and
Hakim ‘Ali Hussein was
overcome with emotion. He
turned to the questioner and said:
“You have been a courtier of the
Royal Courts; have you ever been
so confounded before?”
Hakim ‘Ali Hussein then
enquired from Hadhrat Maulawi
14 The Review of Religions – January 2008
Nur-ud-Din(ra) what the purpose of
his visit was and he replied that he
had come to learn medicine from
him. Hakim Ali Hussein was
reluctant in accepting Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) as his
student. He was getting too old to
be a teacher, he argued. He
proposed the name of another
physician who would happily and
capably instruct Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) in medicine.
However, when he discovered
how determined Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din was in his
(ra)
resolve to study medicine from
him alone, he surrendered and
offered his tutelage. He enquired
of Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) how much proficiency in
medicine he was seeking. His
response was he aimed at being
the equal of the greatest ever
physician who lived. This brought
a smile to the Hakim who
observed: “You will reach
somewhere. Had you aimed any
lower, I would have been
disappointed.”
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din’s(ra) training under Hakim Ali
Hussein, supplemented by his
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
own diligence and keen intellect,
progressed apace. His mentor
constantly tested him and always
found him well above the mark,
so that he soon began to respect
his judgement. He stayed with
Hakim ‘Ali Hussein for a couple
of years and after receiving from
him his formal testimonial, he
asked leave of him in order to
resume his study of Arabic and
the Traditions of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad(saw).
With this objective, he headed for
Bhopal. Along the way, Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) had the
first chance to practise his
medicine curing a neighbouring
village Headman’s son of cholera.
The headman, by way of
gratitude, entertained him and
also arranged for his
transportation to Bhopal. He was
to receive numerous other favours
for his skilful treatment of his
patients later in life.
In Bhopal, the weary traveller
found his way to a large mosque
where he happened to meet
Munshi Jamaluddeen, the Chief
Minister of State. Munshi
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Jamaluddeen was a man of great
generosity who took a lot of
interest in the welfare of the blind.
He had settled a quarter of the
town for their accommodation
and met their needs at his own
expense. Upon learning that
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
had arrived in search of
knowledge, he took him as his
guest and gave him free access to
his library. He also appointed
Maulawi ‘Abdul Qayyum as his
teacher who instructed him in the
Sahih Bukhari and Hidayah.
Munshi Jamaluddeen himself
gave regular lessons on the Holy
Qur’an. During one session,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
posed a question regarding the
hypocrites about a subtle
discrimination made between the
Qur’anic verse that was under
exposition (Ch.2:V.77) and
another verse of the Holy Qur’an
(Ch.2:V.15). In the verse under
exposition, the Holy Qur’an
says, “when they (the hypocrites)
meet one another” whereas in the
other verse it says, “when they
(the hypocrites) are alone with
their ringleaders”. Hadhrat
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) wanted to
know why in one verse they are
referred merely as fellows but in
the other they are described as
satanic ringleaders. When Munshi
Jamaluddeen failed to provide an
explanation, Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) suggested the
reason. He explained that there
were two categories of hypocrites
in Madinah – one from among the
Jews and the other from among
the idolaters. The Jews being
from among the ‘People of the
Book’ were referred to as fellows
in the verse under exposition
whilst the idolaters were casti-
gated as satans in the other verse.
So impressed was Munshi
Jamaluddeen with this eluci-
dation that he rose from his seat
and asked Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) to occupy it and
continue the lesson adding that
from now on Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) should conduct the
lessons to which he would attend
himself to profit from his
erudition.
In addition to his studies in
Bhopal, Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) also had the occasional
16 The Review of Religions – January 2008
opportunity to practise medicine.
It is thus that he once came to treat
the son of a wealthy man who,
being cured completely by the
first dose prescribed by Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra), was so
grateful that he presented Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) with
several rich dresses and a large
sum in cash. As he had no use for
rich dresses he arranged for them
to be sold so that now he had a
considerable amount of money
and believed the Hajj had become
obligatory upon him. With this he
decided to go on pilgrimage to the
Hijaz.
Pilgrimage to Makkah
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
took affectionate leave of Munshi
Jamaluddeen and Maulawi
‘Abdul Qayyum, his teacher in
Bhopal, and travelled to Bombay
from where he joined a ship for
Jeddah and from Jeddah he
travelled to Makkah on a camel.
He had heard that any prayer
made at the first sighting of the
Holy Ka’abah is always granted.
In keeping with tradition,
therefore, when he first beheld the
Holy Ka’abah on approaching
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Makkah, he supplicated:
“Lord, I am ever in need of
Thy succour. I beseech Thee,
therefore, that whenever I
supplicate Thee, of Thy
mercy, grant my suppli-
cation.”1
He was to recount later:
“I believe in God and in His
great mercy Who accepted my
prayer. Whenever I came
across atheists, non-believers
and philosophers in debate, I
always triumphed over them
on account of the acceptance
of the prayer that I made on
the first sighting of the House
of God.”2
While in Makkah, Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) availed
himself of the opportunity to
further his studies of Traditions
with three renowned scholars. He
read Abu Daud, Ibn Majah and
Nasa’i with Sheikh Muhammad
Khazraj, Muslim with Syed
Hussain and Muatta’ with
Maulawi Rahmatullah. He later
met an erudite divine Hadhrat
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Shah ‘Abdul Ghani Mujaddidi of
Madinah whose learning and
liberal thinking won the admira-
tion of Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din. He submitted to Hadhrat
Shah Sahib that he would wish to
go to Madinah and study under
him. The latter readily agreed.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
was to benefit greatly from him
time in Madinah. Hadhrat Shah
‘Abdul Ghani Mujaddidi
happened to be the 27th carrier in
an unbroken chain of narrators of
forty Traditions of the Holy
Prophet which had been orally
passed down through the ages.
He narrated these to Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) so that he
had the honour of becoming the
28th carrier of these forty
Traditions. He subsequently
passed them on, together with the
names of the whole chain of
narrators, to, among others,
Hafiz Raushan ‘Ali(ra) and Mir
Muhammad Ishaq(ra).
Hadhrat Shah ‘Abdul Ghani
Mujaddidi, though a man of very
few words, was very far-sighted
and percipient. He instructed him
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
in Bukhari, Tirmidhi and
Mathnawi of Maulana Rum. On
his advice, Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) concentrated on
the following verses of the Holy
Qur’an:
...We are closer to man than
his jugular vein.
(Ch.50:V.17)
...He is with you wheresoever
you may be...
(Ch.57:V.5)
Consequently, Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) had the honour of
beholding the Holy Prophet(saw)
frequently in his dreams.
Renowned Physician
On his return from the Hijaz,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
returned to Bhera, got married to
Fatimah Bibi, daughter of Sheikh
Mukarram Qureshi ‘Usmani, and
set up a medical practice. His skill
and competence were imme-
diately recognised. His simple,
inexpensive methods won him
applause, procured him respect
and, of course, aroused pro-
fessional jealousy. He attracted
18 The Review of Religions – January 2008
patients of all sorts – rich and
poor, old and young, men and
women – all received his full
attention, special care and earnest
prayers. Never did he
discriminate between any of them
and throughout his life never did
he charge a fee for his services,
accepting happily whatever his
patients wanted to give him. To
the poor and needy of his patients,
he regularly provided financial
assistance. His ministrations were
totally eclipsed by an impeccable
trust in Allah as the source of all
beneficence, power and might.
Little wonder, therefore, that he
was able to successfully treat
unusual, near-impossible cases,
which in turn boosted his practice.
After practising in Bhera for a
while, Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) beheld the Holy
Prophet in a dream who asked
(saw)
him: “Would you like to see
Kashmir?” “Indeed, Messenger
of Allah”, he replied and they
both set out for Kashmir. This
was an indication that he would
leave Bhera for Kashmir.
It so happened that Dewan Kirpa
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Ram, Prime Minister of the State
of Jammu and Kashmir, was
passing through Pind Dedan
Khan, came to know of the high
reputation of Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) and mentioned it to
His Highness, the Maharaja of
Kashmir, Randir Singh. It was
thus that Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) was appointed Deputy
Physician to the Maharaja and
shortly after, at the age of thirty-
six, he was appointed Chief
Physician when Hakeem Fida
Muhammad Khan, the former
Chief Physician, retired. In this
capacity he was also in charge of
all hospitals in the State. He held
the office of Chief Physician for
fifteen years during which time his
relationship with the Maharaja
became quite intimate and he
received numerous favours from
him.
As with everyone who came into
contact with him, the Maharaja
was deeply impressed not only
with the talent of Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) as a
physician but also with his sterling
moral and spiritual qualities. One
evening the Maharaja suffered
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from an attack of an ailment and
urgently summoned Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din. Presently,
the wife of a sweeper came
running to him and in great
agitation besought him to go
examine her husband who was in
agony. His humanity would not
permit him to ignore the
sufferings of a humble and
resourceless sweeper. He
therefore told the Maharaja’s
emissary to go ahead and inform
the Maharaja that he would be on
his way shortly. The emissary
took exception to what he
considered giving preference to a
sweeper over the Maharaja and no
doubt relayed this to the His
Highness on his return.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
diagnosed the sweeper as
suffering from severe congestion
of the bowels and administered an
enema which brought instant
relief. The sweeper was deeply
grateful and with utmost humility
he said, “May Allah bless you
abundantly and also he who made
you available to us here.” He said
this benediction so earnestly that
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
was convinced the Maharaja
would be relieved of whatever
ailment he had.
This is exactly what came to pass.
Arriving at the Maharaja’s
residence, Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) found that the Maharaja
was indeed relieved of the ailment
and was no longer in need of his
ministrations. The Maharaja
asked what had delayed him and
he proceeded to give an account
of what happened adding that he
was convinced that it was the
fervent prayers of the sweeper
that caused the Maharaja’s trouble
to be removed. Profoundly
impressed, the Maharaja com-
mended his action as worthy of a
true physician and bestowed upon
him two heavy gold bangles.
Before departing Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) called the
emissary and gave him one of the
bangles. In utter amazement, the
emissary asked what had
prompted the enormous gesture.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
explained that had the emissary
not complained against him to the
Maharaja, he would not have
presented him with the two
20 The Review of Religions – January 2008
bangles and therefore the
emissary was entitled to a share of
it.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din’s(ra)
activities were not however,
confined to medicine. He was on
a substantial salary from the State
and he regularly received
numerous valuable gifts of
diverse forms so that he was on a
very large income, all of which he
devoted to the promotion of good
causes including the welfare of
students, widows, orphans and the
needy. So far as he himself was
concerned, he attached no value
to money, wealth or property. He
had an impeccable trust in
Almighty Allah and on numerous
occasions, his needs were fulfilled
in an extraordinary manner
beyond his conception, in accord
with the divine assurance set out
in the Holy Qur’an:
...And he who fears Allah—
He will make for him a way
out, And will provide for him
from where he expects not.
and he who puts his trust in
Allah – He is sufficient for
him...(Ch.65:Vs.3-4)
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din
Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul
Masih II(ra) states:
‘Hadhrat Hakim Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din Sahib(ra) the First
Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya
community was posted as a
royal physician to the
Maharaja of Kashmir for a
long time. Once, the
Maharaja of Kashmir said to
him that if nothing else, at
least worship Kali Ma (black
goddess) because she is very
severe. Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih I responded,
“Maharaja, this goddess can
say nothing to us.” After
thinking for a while, the
Maharaja himself admitted,
“Yes, Maulawi Sahib, I have
understood what you say. I
cannot punish one who does
not live under my rule.
Likewise, as you do not
accept the rule of the Kali Ma
and consider yourself beyond
her jurisdiction, she cannot
cause you any harm.’
Tafsir Kabeer (Urdu): Surah
Al-Kafirun Ch.109 pp. 437-
438 (Ruhani Khaza’in set)
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He remained a most devoted
servant of Islam and took
advantage of every opportunity
to clear up misunderstandings
about Islam. He had the privilege
of giving lessons on the Holy
Qur’an to the Maharaja and his
personal attendants. His love for
the Holy Qur’an, nourished from
earliest childhood, had reached
the loftiest dimensions. On a
month-long journey to attend a
royal wedding he memorised half
of the Holy Qur’an, a project he
continued to pursue piecemeal
until he had committed the entire
text to memory. By so doing,
Maulawi, Hakeem, Haji Nur-ud-
Din(ra) also became a Hafiz.
Furthermore, by this accom-
plishment, he followed in the
footsteps of his father and at least
ten of his immediate male
ancestors who had also com-
mitted the Holy Qur’an to
memory.
Search for a Spiritual
Preceptor
By this time Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) had for long been
looking for a spiritual preceptor.
In his pursuit, he had travelled far
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
and wide and had studied under a
number of eminent and learned
divines. But these divines
worshipped in solitude and were
not engaged in promulgating the
true message of Islam to the
world. Among ordinary
Muslims, emphasis was laid on
trivial points of ceremonial
rituals without any zeal to foster
high moral qualities and promote
spiritual values. Islam was under
attack from Christians, Aryas,
atheists and philosophers yet no
one came to the defence of Islam.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
was well versed in the Holy
Qur’an and the Traditions of the
Holy Prophet of Islam(saw). He was
acutely aware of the promise
made by God in the Holy Qur’an
that he would make the believers
successors in the earth. He was
also conscious of the prophecy
made by the Holy Prophet(saw) that
Allah would raise at the head of
every century someone who
would rejuvenate Islam. In that
state he was looking towards the
heavens for some light. He came
to know of Hadhrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian
22 The Review of Religions – January 2008
through one of his announce-
ments and felt a strong urge to
visit him. He relates himself:
“Ever since I have become
aware of the evils in which my
contemporaries are involved
and have observed the
changes that have occurred in
religion and among religious
people, I have been eager and
have been praying that God,
the Exalted, may lead me to a
person who would revive the
faith of Islam, and should
subject its enemies and the
wicked to spiritual bombard-
ment…
“The Holy Prophet(saw) was
most truthful and most
trustworthy. He said that Allah
would raise among his people
at the beginning of every
century one who would revive
the faith. Thus I was among
those who awaited this mercy
of His; and for this purpose I
travelled to the place of the
manifestation of the lights of
truth and certainty, the Sacred
House of Allah. I went
through forests and crossed
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
deserts looking for him among
the godly…
“I did not find any of the
divines occupied with
expounding the true message
of Islam to Christians, Aryas,
Brahmos, atheists, philoso-
phers, agnostics and other
opponents of Islam...
“In this situation I received
intimation of the advent of the
most exalted personage, the
great learned divine, the
Reformer of the century, the
Mahdi and Messiah(as) of the
age, author of Barahin-e-
Ahmadiyyah. I hastened to
him to see for myself, and I
realised at once that he was the
Promised Arbiter, and it was
he who had been appointed by
Allah, the Exalted, for the
revival of the faith. I
immediately responded to the
call of Allah, and fell into
prostration in gratitude for this
great bounty.”3
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
was forty-three years old at the
time and throughout the rest of his
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
life, he remained wholly devoted
to the Promised Messiah(as). He
kept touch while away from
Qadian, sought guidance in
whatever he did and whatever
was asked of him he complied
with forthrightly. It was upon the
Promised Messiah’s(as) request
that he wrote his book Fasl-ul-
Khitab, a four volume compi-
lation in refutation of Christian
allegations against Islam, even
though at the time he had little
knowledge of the type of
criticisms made by Christian
apologists against Islam and had
to make time for research, study
and writing, his busy schedule
notwithstanding. He also financed
the publication of this book from
his own resources.
Pandit Lekh Ram, an Arya
Samajist opponent of the
Promised Messiah(as), wrote a
book in attempted refutation of
the Promised Messiah’s(as)
Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. As the
Promised Messiah(as) was
preoccupied with the writing of
his book Siraj-e-Munir, he
requested Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) to write a response to
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Pandit Lekh Ram’s book. The
words of the Promised Messiah(as)
in his written commission show
how much he valued Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra):
“I do not exaggerate, nor am I
moved by a desire to praise
you, when I say that God has
impressed it on my mind that
there is no one else whom He
has filled with so much
eagerness to serve the faith
and to help me. I, therefore,
ask you to take the trouble to
read this book from beginning
to end and prepare a list of all
the objections raised by the
author against Islam, and
reflect upon the most
reasonable answer to each
objection.”4
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
responded to and executed this
commission in an excellent
manner by the compilation of his
book Tasdiq Barahin-e-
Ahmadiyyah.
The Promised Messiah(as) was full
of praise for Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) and always
24 The Review of Religions – January 2008
received him with great
deference. When he fell ill, the
Promised Messiah(as) travelled all
the way to Jammu to see him. He
later gave expression to his high
esteem of Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) in the following terms:
“Ever since I have been
commissioned by Allah, the
Exalted, and have been
revived by the Ever-Living,
the Self-Subsisting One, I
have been eager to meet
distinguished helpers of the
faith, with an eagerness
greater than that of a thirsty
one for water. I supplicated
day and night: ‘Lord, I am
alone and helpless, who will
be my helper and my
assistant?’ When my hands
rose repeatedly in suppli-
cation, and the atmosphere
became charged with my
prayer, Allah, the Exalted,
heard my entreaty and the
mercy of the Lord of the
worlds was roused in my
behalf and He bestowed upon
me a sincere and faithful
friend who is the very eye of
my helpers and is the essence
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
of those who are my faithful
friends in the cause of the
faith. His name, like his
shining qualities, is Nur-ud-
Din(ra) (light of the faith). His
birthplace is Bhera, and by
descent he is Quraishi,
Hashimi, and thus one of the
chieftains of Islam. He is of
gentle birth. My joy at
meeting him was such as if a
severed limb of mine had been
restored to me. My heart was
filled with such delight as was
experienced by the Holy
Prophet(saw) on meeting
Hadhrat ‘Umar . When he
(ra)
came to me and met me, and I
looked at him, I perceived that
he was a sign out of the signs
of my Lord; and I realised that
he was the result of my
constant supplications, and my
intuition informed me that he
was one of the chosen servants
of Allah. I observe that
wisdom flows from his lips,
and heavenly light descends
upon him. When he addresses
himself to the exposition of
the Book of Allah, he reveals
the sources of mysteries, and
causes the springs of subtleties
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to gush forth, and uncovers
wonderful treasures of wis-
dom that had hitherto been
covered up. He investigates
the minutest particles of
erudition, and delving into the
roots of verities exposes
shining lights. The wise
stretch forth their necks in
token of affirmation of the
miraculous effectiveness of
his discourses. He demon-
strates the truth like a polished
lump of gold, and uproots the
objections of the opponents.
“All praise is due to Allah, the
Exalted, Who bestowed this
friend upon me at a time when
I was in great need of him. I
pray to Allah that He may
bless his age, his health and
his dignity. God is my witness
that I perceive unusual
grandeur in his words, and
esteem him as one of the
foremost in resolving the
mysteries of the Holy Qur’an,
and in penetrating into its
meaning and import. I
conceive of him as two high
mountains, one of erudition
and the other of wisdom,
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
facing each other, and I do not
know which of them
surpasses the other. He is one
of the gardens of the sublime
faith. Lord, send down on
him blessings from heaven,
and safeguard him against the
mischief of his enemies, and
be with him wheresoever he
might be and have mercy on
him here and hereafter, O
Most Merciful One, Amen.”
“I render humble thanks to
Allah, the Exalted, that He has
bestowed upon me such an
excellent faithful friend who is
righteous and possesses
learning of the highest degree.
He is far-sighted and keenly
discerning. He strives in the
cause of Allah, and has
outstripped his contem-
poraries in his devoted love of
Him. He is in such complete
accord with me as the pulse is
in accord with the breath.”5
Foremost Disciple
On the 23rd of March 1889, under
Divine guidance the Promised
Messiah(as) undertook the
initiation of his disciples, having
26 The Review of Religions – January 2008
announced a little earlier the
establishment of the Ahmadiyya
Movement in Islam. Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) had the
singular honour of being the first
invited to take the pledge. He had
offered to swear allegiance to the
Promised Messiah(as) upon their
very first meeting but the
Promised Messiah(as) had told him
he had no authority from Allah to
bind people to himself through
such a covenant and could take no
such step without Divine
instructions. Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) had then requested
if and when he should receive
such a direction, he should give
him the chance of being the first
to take the pledge. The Promised
Messiah(as) had given his word
which he duly kept.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
had learnt somewhat of palace
intrigues during his service to the
Maharaja and had scrupulously
steered clear of them. However,
when in 1892 the Maharaja died
and was succeeded by Partab
Singh, as Allah wills, a
conspiracy in the council of the
state had him dismissed as Chief
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 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Physician to the Maharaja. The
Promised Messiah(as) asked him to
migrate to Qadian and not to
consider Bhera his home
anymore. The thought never even
occurred to him for the rest of his
life, he relates. Even when, upon
the Promised Messiah’s(as)
direction, he visited Bhera to treat
a leading citizen, he did so,
prescribed for him and left
without visiting family or friends.
Such was Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra)! Little wonder then that
the Promised Messiah(as) singled
him out for a glowing tribute:
“How excellent it would be if
every member of the
Community were to become a
Nur-ud-Din. So would it be if
every heart were filled with
the light of the certainty of
faith.”6
In Qadian, he dedicated his life to
the service of the Community and
looking after the poor and
indigent. He opened a clinic
where he saw patients daily and
demonstrated yet again that in
diagnosis he was matchless. His
striking improvisations fully
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
justified themselves. He was also
occupied in teaching the Holy
Qur’an, the Traditions and Arabic
and adopted a very pragmatic
approach. Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-
ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad,
Khalifatul Masih II who had the
(ra)
privilege of learning the Qur’an
and Bukhari Tradition from
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ur-Din(ra)
during this time was to recount
later:
“On one or two occasions I
also asked a question and
received an answer. On the
third occasion when I asked a
question, he said: ‘You are a
servant of God, and so am I.
You are a follower of
Muhammad(saw), the Messenger
of Allah and so am I. The
defense of Islam is not only my
function, it is yours also. You
should reflect and find the
answers. Do not ask me.’
Thereafter I put him no more
questions. I consider that was
the most valuable lesson he
taught me.”7
Most of the time in Qadian,
though, Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ur-
The Review of Religions – January 2008 27
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Din(ra) busied himself with the
service of the Promised
Messiah , correcting the proofs
(as)
of his books and hunting up old
and rare books required for
reference by the Promised
Messiah(as).
Every moment of his life was true
illustration of the pledge he had
made. He excelled in his love,
loyalty and devotion to the
Promised Messiah(as) to the extent
that no matter what he was
occupied with, the moment he
learnt that the Promised
Messiah(as) was accessible, he
would stop in the middle of a
sentence or halfway through his
meal, stand up and winding his
turban and dragging his shoes,
proceed to wait on him.
Once, while visiting Delhi, the
Promised Messiah(as) requested
that a telegraphic message be sent
to Qadian calling for Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) to join
him in Delhi. The person who
worded the message wrote:
“Come immediately. Ghulam
Ahmad.” Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
received this message when he
28 The Review of Religions – January 2008
was in his clinic. He literally
obeyed the instruction “imme-
diately” and proceeded at once to
the local horse carriage stand for
the nearest railway station at
Batala. He did not go to his house
to change, collect any necessities
or even say goodbye to his family.
The next morning he presented
himself before his master in
Delhi.
On another occasion, he was
requested to go to Batala to treat
an ailing lady. The Promised
Messiah(as) granted him per-
mission to go but expressed his
desire for him to return that same
night. By the time he had
completed his mission it was very
dark and had started raining so
profusely that there was water
everywhere with deep pools and
puddles all over the unseen track
from Batala to Qadian. His hosts
tried and tried in vain to persuade
him to postpone his departure
until the next day. He insisted that
he would leave immediately and
travel to Qadian even if he had to
walk all the way. In fact that is
exactly what he did. Covering
part of the way on horse cart, most
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
of it he waded through pools of
water on foot, wounding his feet
on submerged bushes of thorns,
brushing along the hedges in the
dark, undeterred by the dangers
from robbers and ruffians, he
reached Qadian just in time for
the dawn prayers. After the
service, the Promised Messiah(as)
enquired: ‘Did Maulawi Sahib
come back last night?’, and before
anybody could speak, he stepped
forward and submitted: ‘Yes
Huzur, I am here,’ and did not
utter a word about his difficult
journey.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
grew into an eminent divine full
of wisdom, knowledge and
learning. His library, which he
had transferred to Qadian from
Bhera, consisted of many rare
books and manuscripts he had
acquired for considerable sums.
He had read the whole of
Shakespeare in Arabic. His
discourses on the Holy Qur’an,
possessed of esoteric and exoteric
lore, held his audiences spell-
bound. As a result of his
expositions, many of the doubtful
re-affirmed their faith in Islam
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
and many a disbeliever repented
their disbelief. He was an
exceptional writer and his books
received much accolade. In spite
of repeated requests, however,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
refused to publish a commentary
on the Holy Qur’an. His
reasoning: “The Holy Qur’an is
the Word of Allah; as Allah is
Infinite, so is His Word.
Therefore, we cannot confine its
interpretation to certain defined
conceptions.”
A new arrival to Qadian who
arrived at the time of the
afternoon prayers at the Aqsa
Mosque joined the other wor-
shippers after the prayer service
as they gathered around a
personage of venerable appear-
ance who then proceeded to recite
and expound upon a few verses of
the Holy Qur’an. The newcomer
was deeply moved and enquired
whether the personage was the
Promised Messiah(as). When told it
was in fact Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra), he was lost in wonder:
‘If this paragon was only a
disciple, how exalted must be his
preceptor!’
The Review of Religions – January 2008 29
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
Maulawi Hasan ‘Ali(ra) of
Bhagalpur in Bihar recorded his
impressions of an exegesis on the
Holy Qur’an presented by
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
at an Islamic conference at a time
when the former had not yet
become a member of the
Ahmadiyya Community:
“I am unable to express in
words how deeply I was
affected by his discourse.
When he finished, I stood up
and said: ‘I am proud that my
eyes have beheld so great a
divine and commentator, and
the Muslims should be proud
that there is among them such
a learned personality.’”8
He later asked Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) what he had gained
from swearing allegiance to
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of
Qadian. He answered: ‘I had tried
to get rid of a sin and had not
succeeded. After I swore
allegiance to Hadhrat Mirza
Sahib(as), not only did I get rid of
it, it became repugnant to me.’
Maulawi Hasan ‘Ali(ra) was deeply
impressed with this and subse-
30 The Review of Religions – January 2008
quently remarked that had
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
mentioned miracles and pro-
phecies of the Promised
Messiah(as) he would not have
given them much importance.
Consequently Maulawi Hasan
‘Ali(ra) was to visit Qadian and
having spent time in the company
of the Promised Messiah(as) swore
allegiance to him.
When the Promised Messiah(as)
made his claim to be Divinely
commissioned as the reformer
and voice articulate of the age, a
storm of opposition was roused
against him. Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) stood firm as a rock
in his support and exerted himself
to the utmost in championing his
cause. One objection raised
against the Promised Messiah(as)
was that he had only succeeded in
misguiding some Muslims into
believing in him but had not
succeeded in converting non-
Muslims into Islam. The
Promised Messiah(as), upon
hearing this, directed Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) to prepare
a list of non-Muslims who had
embraced Islam at his hands. In
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT MAULAWI NUR-UD-DINRA): BEFORE KHILAFAT
carrying out this instruction,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
wrote down his name as the first
name on the list. When someone
in his surprise queried this, he
answered: ‘I had the honour of
learning Islam only through the
Promised Messiah(as).’
The Promised Messiah(as) was
keen to see Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) re-marry. Although he had
been married before, he had lost
all his sons while still in their
infancy. The Promised Messiah(as)
supplicated for guidance and
made enquiries about a suitable
match. Following these, he
recommended Sughra Begum(ra),
daughter of the saintly Sufi
Ahmad Jan of Ludhiana. By the
grace of Allah, the match proved
to be blissful and the couple were
blessed with four sons and a
daughter, Amatul Hayy, who
upon attaining maturity married
the Promised Son of the Promised
Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-
ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad,
Khalifatul Masih II .(ra)
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
References
1. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra),
p.30.
2. Mirqaatul Yaqeen fi Hayat-e-Nur-
ud-Din, by Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ur-Din(ra), p.111.
3. Karamatus Sadiqin, Ruhani
Khaza’in, vol.7, pp.149-151.
4. Mirqaatul Yaqeen fi Hayat-e-Nur
pp.139.
5. A’inah’-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani
Khaza’in, vol.5, pp.581-582.
6. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra),
p.101.
7. Al-Fadl, October 12, 1960.
8. Risala Ta’idi Haq by Maulawi
Hasan ‘Ali Bhagalpuri p.64.
Bibliography
• Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra).
• Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, The Way of
the Righteous, by Syed Hasanat
Ahmad.
• Ahmadiyyat: The Renaissance of
Islam, by Muhammad Zafrulla
Khan(ra).
The Review of Religions – January 2008 31
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(ra)

Some companions with Promised Messiah(as). Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra )is
seated first from the left.

A historical group photo of the Promised Messiah(as) and some of his disciples
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra ) is seated on the left of the Promised Messiah(as).

32 The Review of Religions – January 2008 KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(ra)

Hadhrat (Hakim) Maulawi Nur-ud-Din Sahib(ra) – Khalifatul Masih I with his

son, Mian Abdul Hai.
Makhzan-e-Tasaweer©2007

KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4 The Review of Religions – January 2008 33

 34
The Review of Religions – January 2008
HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(ra)

The Promised Messiah(as) with some of his disciples. Hadhrat Khaliftaul Masih I(ra) is seated on the row of chairs third
from left to right.
1. Sh. Abdur Rahim. Mufti Fazal Rehman, Sh. Yakuh Ali, H. Mohd Hussain, H.Fazal Din, M. Miraj-ud-Din Omer, M.
Mohd Ali, M.A. Syed Abdullah Arab, M. Karm Ali.
2. Pir Manzoor Mohd, M. Abdul Karim, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra), The Promised Messiah(as) with Mirza Sharif
Ahmad, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II(ra), Hadhrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad, M.A. Mufti Muhammad Sadiq.

KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

3. M Sher Ali, B.A. Malik Sher Mohd, B.A., H. Kutub-ud-Din, Pir Siraj-ul-Haq Nomani
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(ra)

Specimen pages from Haqaiq Al-Furqan from his famous commentary on the Holy Qur’an.

KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4 The Review of Religions – January 2008 35

 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra):
KHILAFAT
Demise of the Promised
Messiah(as)
By the end of 1905, the Promised
Messiah(as) began to receive
revelations warning him that his
end was imminent. He published
his Al-Wasiyyat (Testament)
giving the Community the glad
tidings that after him they would
witness the Second
Manifestation of God as had
happened on the demise of the
Holy Prophet(saw) when Hadhrat
Abu Bakr(ra) had been raised to
the office of Khilafat and, by the
grace of Allah, through Hadhrat
Abu Bakr(ra) Islam had safely
weathered the fierce storm that
had overtaken it so suddenly. The
Promised Messiah(as) had set up
the Sadr Anjuman Association
(Central Ahmadiyya Association)
charged with the administration
of the affairs of the Movement
and appointed Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) as its President.
Very briefly, the institution of Al-
Wasiyyat required its participants
to contribute one-tenth of their
36 The Review of Religions – January 2008
estate to the community and a
spiritual reformation by each
participant.
Towards the end of April, 1908,
the Promised Messiah(as)
embarked upon a journey to
Lahore to seek medical advice
for his ailing wife. Before
departing, he asked his eldest
daughter Nawab Mubarakah
Begum(ra) to pray for advice
about a matter he was
contemplating without disclosing
to her what the matter was. She
complied with his instructions.
The next day she told her father
that in a dream she had seen
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
sitting in a room with a book in
his hand. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) looked up and said to
her: “This book contains the
revelations given to Hadhrat
Ahmad concerning me. I am Abu
Bakr.” The Promised Messiah
warned her not to mention
anything to her mother. This was
a clear indication that as Abu
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
Bakr(as) was the First Successor to
the Holy Prophet(saw), so would
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
be the First Successor to Hadhrat
Ahmad(as).
During his stay in Lahore the
Promised Messiah(as) began to
write a brochure, the purport of
which was to bring about a better
understanding between Muslims
and Hindus and thus enable both
parties to live together in peace
and amity devoid of all bitterness
and rancour. This compilation,
which he concluded on 25 May
and entitled A Message of Peace,
proved to be his last book. He
had been suffering from attacks
of dysentery while in Lahore and
on the night of 25 May he had an
attack of the same complaint,
which rendered him very weak.
Despite the best efforts of
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ur-Din(ra)
and other doctors, Syed
Muhammad Husain Shah(ra) and
Dr Mirza Yaqub Beg(ra), the
weakness of their august patient
increased progressively.
At dawn on 26 May, he
performed his symbolic ablution
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
(Tayammum) and said his prayers
while lying in bed. Thereafter, he
began to lose consciousness and
when, at intervals, he regained
consciousness he was heard to
repeat: ‘Allah, my beloved
Allah.’ By 9:00 am his breathing
became laboured and at 10:30 he
took a couple of long breaths and
his soul departed from his body.
To Allah we belong and to Him
shall we return.
Election as Khalifatul Masih
A death certificate confirming
that he did not die of a contagion
which might have prevented the
transfer of his body was obtained
from the British authorities. The
sacred body of the Promised
Messiah(as) was transported to
Qadian that same evening.
Despite repeated warnings of his
approaching end in Divine
revelations vouchsafed to him,
the impact of his death on his
followers was shattering and in
their grief, they fell prostrate at
the threshold of God in heartfelt
supplications for His guidance.
Senior members of the
Movement, including members
The Review of Religions – January 2008 37

of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya,
gathered together
unanimously agreed that Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) should be
requested to undertake the heavy
responsibility of leading the
Community as Khalifatul Masih.
He was the most learned and most
righteous of all, they said, and just
the exemplar they needed. His
orders would be binding upon
them as were the dictates of
Hadhrat Ahmad(as). This request
was conveyed to Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) in a
document which bore the
signatures of the leading
personalities of the Community
and was couched in the following
terms:
“In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Ever Merciful. We
praise Him and call down His
blessings on His Noble
Messenger(saw). All praise is
due to Allah, Lord of the
worlds, and blessings and
peace be upon the Khatamun
Nabiyyin, Muhammad(saw), the
chosen one, and upon the
Promised Messiah(as), the
Khatamul Auliya’. According
38 The Review of Religions – January 2008
HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
to the command of the
and Promised Messiah(as) set out in
Al-Wasiyyat (Testamentary
Direction), we Ahmadis,
whose signatures are append-
ed below, are sincerely
convinced that all present and
future members of the
Ahmadiyya Community
should take the pledge of
spiritual allegiance, in the
name of Ahmad(as), to the First
Emigrant Hadhrat Haji Hakim
Nur-ud-Din, who is the most
learned and most virtuous of
us all and is the most devoted
and oldest friend of Hadhrat
Imam(as) who held him up as
an excellent example, as he
said:
‘How good would it be if
every member of the
community were a Nur-ud-
Din; so would it be if every
heart were filled with the light
of the certainty of faith.’
“Hadhrat Maulawi Sahib’s
orders will be as binding upon
us, as were the orders of the
Holy Hadhrat, the Promised
Messiah and Mahdi(as).”i
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
received the request in silence
and intimated that he would give
his response after supplicating
God for guidance. Accordingly,
he washed and stood in prayers.
After prayers, they all proceeded
to the Garden of Ahmad(as) where
his followers had converged
from all directions. In
accordance with the wishes of all
present, the written request of the
senior members to Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) asking
him to take the lead was read out
by Dr Mufti Muhammad
Sadiq(ra). Then Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) made the
following response:
“I bear witness that there is
none worthy of worship save
Allah and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His Servant
and Messenger.
And let there be among you a
body of men who should
invite to goodness, and enjoin
equity and forbid evil. And it
is they who shall prosper.
(Ch.3: V.105)
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
Having elaborated that not all
promises are fulfilled in the
lifetime of a Prophet, he added:
“Look at my past life. I have
never coveted leadership. I
know myself well, and my
Lord knows me even better. I
desire nothing of the world.
All I desire is that my Master
may be pleased with me. For
this I pray, and for this do I
reside and will continue to
reside in Qadian. I have for
some time reflected on what
shall be our situation after
Hadhrat Sahib(as). That is why
I have striven that Mian
Mahmud’s education may be
pushed forward.
“There are three likely
persons among the close
relatives of Hadhrat Sahib(as).
There is Mian Mahmud
Ahmad, who is both my
brother and my son. I have a
special relationship with him.
Then Mir Nasir Nawab, being
Hadhrat Sahib’s(as) father-in-
law, is entitled to his respect
and our respect. The third one
is his son-in-law, Nawab
The Review of Religions – January 2008 39
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

Muhammad Ali Khan. Of the united. To achieve this,

devoted servants of the faith pledge your allegiance to any
there is Sayyid Muhammad of the revered personages I
Ahsan, who possesses have named; I shall also do so
outstanding ability. He is a along with you. I am feeble,
descendant of the Holy remiain unwell and my
Prophet(saw). He has performed temperament is not suited to
such meritorious service to the task, which is heavy and
the faith as puts a person like not easy to perform.
me to shame. In his old age he
has written several books in “Hadhrat Sahib(as) performed
support of Hadhrat Sahib(as) four functions: (a) The
and thus rendered a unique discharge of his personal
service. Then there is obligations as a servant of
Maulawi Muhammad ‘Ali God. (b) Looking after his
who serves in ways that I family, (c) Hospitality, (d)
cannot even conceive. All Propagation of Islam, which
these are available in Qadian. was his real purpose. Of these
Among outsiders there are he has carried (a) with him.
Sayyid Hamid Shah, As he served here, so will he
Maulawi Ghulam Hasan serve in the hereafter. Of this
Khan and several others. you may consider yourselves
relieved. Of the remaining
“This is a heavy, a perilous three, the propagation of
responsibility, which can be Islam is most important and
carried only by a very difficult. Besides
commissioned one of God, atheism, Islam is beset with
who has wonderful promises internal dissensions and
of divine support which differences. God has
sustain him against back- appointed our community for
breaking burdens. At this the removal of these
time it is necessary that men dissensions and differences.
and women should become You may consider this easy,

40 The Review of Religions – January 2008 KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
but for him who may have to
carry this burden, it is most
difficult. I promise you
solemnly that if you choose
any one of those I have
named, I shall pledge my
allegiance to him along with
you.
“But if you insist on pledging
your allegiance to me then
note carefully that this pledge
means total commitment. On
one occasion Hadhrat Sahib(as)
indicated to me indirectly to
think no more of my home.
From that moment all my
honour and all my thinking
became centred on him, and I
never thought of home. Thus
pledging allegiance is a
solemn and grave matter. He
who takes the pledge
subordinates all his freedom
and the flights of his fancy to
the will of another; that is
why Allah, the Exalted, has
named man His servant. It is
difficult for an individual to
discharge the personal
responsibilities entailed by
this servitude, [so] how and to
what degree can he assume
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
and discharge such res-
ponsibilities on behalf of
another? Having regard to the
diversity of temperaments, a
high resolve is needed to
bring about accord. I always
wondered at the works of
Hadhrat Sahib(as). He enjoyed
indifferent health and yet
carried such a heavy burden
comprising diverse types of
activities. But he enjoyed
continuous Divine support,
and I, almost of his age, find
myself empty. It is Divine
bounty that had made us all
brethren. Nothing can be
achieved without His grace.
“I wish to draw your attention
to a great event in the history
of Islam. In the time of Abu
Bakr(ra) the whole of Arabia,
with the exception of
Makkah, Madinah and one or
two other places, was carried
away in a revolt. The
Makkans also hovered over
the edge, but he rallied them
with the admonition: ‘You
were the last to believe, why
do you wish to be the first to
renege?’ His daughter
The Review of Religions – January 2008 41
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

‘A’ishah(ra) said: ‘If the parallel activity today would

mountain that has fallen upon be to concentrate on putting it
my father had fallen upon into practice. Then Hadhrat
anyone else, he would have Abu Bakr(ra) organised the
been crushed.’ Twenty collection of Zakat. That is a
thousand able-bodied men grand project which calls for
were available in Madinah, a high degree of obedience;
but as the Holy Prophet(saw) and there are several other
had intended to send an army duties and obligations which
to the north, Abu Bakr(ra) have to be discharged. Now
despatched them accordingly. whatever may be your
In that stark situation God individual inclinations you
Almighty manifested His will have to carry out my
power and demonstrated the orders. If this is acceptable to
fulfilment of His promise: He you I shall undertake this
will surely establish for them responsibility willingly or
their religion which He has unwillingly.
chosen for them
(Ch.24:V.56). We are today “The ten conditions of the
faced with a similar situation. pledge laid down by the
I desire that before the burial Promised Messiah(as) shall
of the body of the Promised continue in force. I shall
Messiah(as) accord may be include among them and
established between us. would emphasise the teaching
of the Holy Qur’an, the
“After the death of the Holy collection of Zakat, the
Prophet(saw) his companions training of preachers and such
had, under the direction of other projects with which
Abu Bakr(ra), to carry into Allah may be pleased to
effect several great projects, inspire me. Religious
of which the greatest was the instruction and the courses of
compilation of the Holy study in the theological
Qur’an in book form. A seminary will require my

42 The Review of Religions – January 2008 KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

approval. I undertake this issued a public statement to all

responsibility solely for the Ahmadis the terms of which
sake of Allah, Who has were as follows:
ordained: Let there be from
among you a body of persons “Before the funeral prayer for
who should enjoin good and the Promised Messiah(as) all
forbid evil (Ch.3:V.105). members of the community
who were present in Qadian
“Remember, all good and whose number was
proceeds from accord. A twelve hundred, accepted
leaderless people is dead.”2 Hadhrat Haji Hakim Nur-ud-
Din, may Allah keep him, as
His speech was received with his Successor and Khalifa,
acclamation and all members according to the directions set
surged forward to take the pledge out in Al-Wasiyyat and in
at his hands. They had been conformity with the recom-
occupied with tearful suppli- mendation of the members of
cations for guidance and were the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya
much relieved that in the person then in Qadian and the
of Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud- relatives of the Promised
Din(ra), they once more had a Messiah(as), and with the
spiritual preceptor. permission of Hadhrat
Ummul Mu’minin; and took
When all present had taken the the pledge of allegiance to
pledge, Khalifatul Masih(ra) led him. Of the members of the
the funeral prayers of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya
Promised Messiah(as) and his there were present Maulawi
sacred remains were interred that Sayyid Muhammad Ahsan,
evening. To Allah we belong and Sahibzada Mirza Bashir-ud-
to Him do we return. Din Mahmud Ahmad, Nawab
Muhammad Ali Khan,
The following day, the Secretary Shaikh Rahmatullah,
of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya Maulawi Muhammad Ali, Dr.

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

Mirza Ya‘qub Baig, Dr that within a short span of time,

Sayyid Muhammad Husain the Community was once again
Shah and Dr. Khalifa Rashid- united at the hand of one Imam.
ud-din.
Opposition
“Though death was sudden Although, by Allah’s grace, the
and notice was short, a large unity and solidarity of the
number of respected friends Community was secured, soon
arrived from Ambala, rifts began to appear. The first
Jullundhur, Kapurthala, test came only after six days in
Amritsar, Lahore, the form of a challenge to the
Gujranwala, Wazirabad, very institution of Khilafat, by a
Sialkot, Jammu, Gujrat, number of prominent individuals
Batala, Gurdaspur and other in the Community, notably,
places, and unanimously Maulawi Mohammad ‘Ali who
accepted Hadhrat Qiblah was later to become the leader of
Hakimul Ummah, may Allah the dissident Lahori group,
keep him, and joined in the Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din and
funeral prayer for the Sheikh Yakub ‘Ali. Even though
Promised Messiah(as). This they had unequivocally pledged
intimation is addressed to all their allegiance to Hadhrat
members of the Movement Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) as
that on its receipt they should Khalifatul Masih, now they began
immediately take the pledge to have second thoughts and tried
of allegiance to Hadhrat to redefine the role and status of
Hakimul Ummah, Khalifatul Khilafat. The Khalifa, they said,
Masih wal Mahdi, in person was purely a symbolic spiritual
or by letter.”3 preceptor, entitled to honour in
that capacity. His authority was
Upon receipt of this statement, confined to leading the prayer
members from all quarters services and pronouncing
eagerly pledged their allegiance marriages. Knowing that they
to Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih(ra) so were in the majority in the Sadr

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

Anjuman Ahmadiyya, they started Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra)

giving currency to the notion that continually expatiated (explained
the Sadr Anjuman Association in discourses and writing) on the
was the real successor to the status of Khilafat and the nature
Promised Messiah(as) as far as the and quality of obedience due to
regulation and administration of the Khalifa. ‘Hearken! My
the affairs of the Community were prayers reach the Throne, and my
concerned and Hadhrat Maulawi Lord fulfils my designs even
Nur-ud-Din(ra), as President of the before I supplicate Him’, he said.
Sadr Anjuman Association was ‘To contend with me is to
entitled to full obedience in that contend with God. So desist and
capacity alone. This challenge to repent.’ It was for God rather
the authority of the Khalifa was than man to appoint a Khalifa, he
thus to continue, overtly and pointed out, and God Almighty
covertly, throughout the Khilafat had made Khalifa whom He
of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra). willed after the Promised
Messiah(as). He was not
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) dependent upon any of them, he
repeatedly castigated them in continued. God had told him that
various sermons and speeches for if any one of them deserted
their impertinence. Religion did Ahmadiyyat, then He would
not need a parliament, he replace him with a whole group
responded. Religion needs of people.
leaders guided by God. To
remove any doubts from the That he enjoyed the
minds of the members of the unconditional loyalty and
Community as to the real source devotion of the illustrious family
of authority, the Khalifa resigned members of the Promised
as President of the Sadr Anjuman Messiah(as) was another
Association and appointed manifestation of the Divine
Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddeen authorship of his Khilafat and he
Mahmud Ahmad(ra) as President. pointed this out to the
dissentients:

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
“All the members of Hadhrat
Mirza Sahib’s(as) family obey
me as ‘Ali(ra), Fatimah(ra) and
‘Abbas(ra) obeyed Abu Bakr(ra)
– even more so. Every one of
them is so devoted to me that
I cannot conceive any of them
entertaining a wrong notion
about me.”4
To safeguard the members of the
Community against aspiring to
any office, especially to the
office of Khilafat, he remarked
during the course of an address to
all presidents and office bearers
of the various branches:
“My own attitude is that if, on
the death of the Promised
Messiah(as), his infant
daughter Amatul Hafiz had
been chosen to succeed him, I
would have been the first to
swear allegiance to her and
would have obeyed her as I
had obeyed her father, in the
certainty that God’s promises
would be fulfilled at her
hands also.”5
But the efforts of the dissenters
continued unabated. Hadhrat
46 The Review of Religions – January 2008
Khalifatul Masih I(ra) was verging
on seventy. They were
apprehensive that on his death
the succession might go to
Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddeen
Mahmud Ahmad(ra) who scarcely
yet twenty years of age was to
them a mere stripling. He had,
however, given proof very early
on of a very keen intellect, a very
just appreciation of spiritual
values and a highly developed
faculty of expression both in
speech and in writing. His
obedience and dedication to the
Khalifatul Masih(ra) were
exemplary and he subordinated
all his activities to the approval
of the Khalifatul Masih(ra). He
was inspired by a great zeal in
support of the noble ideals and
principles of the Community. For
all these reasons, the members of
the Community at large had deep
reverence and affection for
Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddeen
Mahmud Ahmad(ra) and the
Khalifa himself made no secret
of the high esteem in which he
held him. Whenever the Khalifa
could not attend the prayer
service he appointed the
Sahibzada to do so.
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
When Maulawi Muhammad ‘Ali
prevailed upon Hafiz Raushan
‘Ali(ra) to enquire from the
Khalifa why, in the presence of
older and more learned divines,
he had directed that the young
Sahibzada should lead the Prayer
services, Hafiz Raushan ‘Ali(ra)
made the enquiry without
mentioning who had inspired it.
In response, Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih I(ra) said:
“The Holy Qur’an says:
Verily, the most honourable
among you in the estimation
of Allah is he who is the most
righteous among you
(Ch.49:V.14). Name from
among the whole community
one as righteous as Mian
Mahmud Ahmad(ra). Then
shall I appoint Maulawi
Muhammad ‘Ali to lead the
Prayer services and deliver
the sermon?”6
Achievements
The primary purpose of the
Promised Messiah(as) was to
establish the supremacy of Islam
through the true exposition of
Islamic values and their
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
illustration in practice. When he
assumed the mantle of Khilafat
this became the pre-occupation
of Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra). The greater part of his
time was devoted to the
exposition of the vast treasury of
spiritual verities comprehended
in the Holy Qur’an and
illustrated in their perfection by
the example of the Holy
Prophet(saw). In other words,
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
proved himself a worthy
Successor of the Promised
Messiah(as).
Madrassah Ahmadiyya
His first task was to take up
projects that were pending or
were contemplated at the time of
the demise of the Promised
Messiah(as). The Promised
Messiah(as) had established the
Madrassah Ahmadiyya, a theolo-
gical seminary, but for a lack of
funds this had not yet taken off
the ground. Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih I(ra) took the necessary
steps to establish the seminary on
a firm footing. This seminary
which had as its purpose
religious instruction at a high
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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
level and preparing and training
scholars and divines who could
be entrusted with the sacred task
of carrying the message of the
Movement and propagating its
tenets and ideals far and wide has
today evolved into the Jami’a
Ahmadiyya whose graduates are
doing just that in different parts of
the world.
Baitul Maal
In response to the growing
financial requirements of the
Community, Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih I(ra) set up the Baitul Maal
or Treasury charged with the
responsibility of collecting all
funds and donations. This was
following the precepts of Hadhrat
Umar(ra) the Second Successor to
the Holy Prophet(saw) who had
similarly established a Baitul
Maal when the need for it arose.
Nur-ud-Din Memorial Hospital
Another project concluded
during the period of the first
Khilafat was the establishment of
a hospital that was named Nur-
ud-Din Memorial Hospital.
Another of the beneficent pro-
jects was the construction of a
48 The Review of Religions – January 2008
number of quarters for the
indigent. For all these
humanitarian projects, Hadhrat
Khalifatul Masih I(ra) made
generous personal donations.
Talimul Islam High School
Though not completed in his
lifetime, the foundation stone of
a new building for Talim-ul-
Islam High School, which
consisted of a school, hostel and
mosque, was laid in the tenure of
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) and
completed in the era of the
second Khilafat.
Expansion of Masjid Aqsa
In view of the expansion of the
Community, during the period of
the first Khilafat Masjid Aqsa
was further extended. Hadhrat
Khalifatul Masih I(ra) himself
took part in the expansion work
which prompted many others to
join in. By so doing, the work
was completed in time for the
coming Jalsa Salana (Annual
Convention).
Al-Fazl
Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddeen
Mahmud Ahmad(ra) sought per-
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
mission from Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih to start a weekly
newspaper. Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih granted his approval and
suggested the name should be
Al-Fazl and appointed the
Sahibzada himself as its Editor.
Thus was to start a very popular
newspaper that has throughout
maintained a very high standard
and was to become the official
daily organ of the Movement.
Anjuman Ansarullah
In pursuance of a dream,
Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddeen
Mahmud Ahmad(ra), with the
approval of Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih I(ra), established the
Anjuman Ansarullah with the
instructions that the members
should keep themselves occupied
with propagating the message of
Islam and undertake, on a large
scale, the study and teaching of
the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith.
First mission to England
Allah had revealed to the
Promised Messiah(as): “I shall
carry thy message to the corners
of the earth.” The fulfilment of
this grand prophecy began to
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
take place during the Khilafat of
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra)
when he sent Chaudhry Fateh
Muhammad Syal to England to
lay the foundations of the very
first foreign mission outside of
India in the UK.
Farewell Admonition
At a time when no Ahmadi
owned a riding horse in Qadian,
the Promised Messiah(as) had
seen, in a dream that Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) had
fallen from a horse. Towards the
end of 1910, Hadhrat Mirza Nur-
ud-Din(ra) fell while riding a pony.
He received many injuries one of
which, on his right temple, was
quite serious and became a sore.
He reacted with great equanimity
and tranquillity. More than
anything else, he was pleased to
see the prophecy of the Promised
Messiah(as) fulfilled. The com-
missioned one of God, that is, the
Promised Messiah(as) has been
justified, he declared.
His period of convalescence
lasted six months during which
time he kept himself fully
occupied with the demands of his
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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

exalted office and set a very high the Community and how much
example of devotion to duty. The he desired unity and accord
love that the members of the amongst them can again be
Community expressed for him ascertained from a statement he
during this period can be made during the course of his
garnered from a message he speech at the Annual Convention
published just eleven days after in December of that year:
his accident:
“Owing to my illness I am not
“The trial through which I am able to go into prostration
passing has been the occasion during Salat, yet, for your
of the manifestation of sake, I have prayed long and
numerous aspects of Divine earnestly for you while in
compassion, mercy and prostration. Therefore, in
grace. Allah, the Exalted, has acknowledgement of your
disclosed to me the devotion obligation to me, give up all
of the hearts of many whom I discord and dissension.”8
should love. There are some
concerning whom I was not From the moment he gained
aware how much love they some strength right till he
have for me and for their breathed his last, he repeatedly
fellow members of the admonished the Community on
community. The way in the cultivation of mutual love,
which they have served me affection, unity and accord and at
day and night during my the same time urged them to
illness is an indication of the discard all discord, dissension,
degree of their devotion, hostility and contentions. In the
whereby Allah has words of the Holy Qur’an, he
manifested their qualities. It emphasised persistently and
is proof of God’s care for this recurrently: And hold fast, all
humble one….”7 together by the rope of Allah, and
be not divided (Ch.3:V.104). He
His own love for the members of knew his end was approaching.

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
His primary concern was the dire
consequences of differences and
division on his death. ‘May it be
that when I depart from this
world my eyes and my heart
should be in comfort on your
account,’ he said in earnest.
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra)
emphasised accord and unity
among the members of the
Community so much so that it is
truly surprising that all his
warnings of the dire
consequences of division and
dissension had no more than a
temporary, if at all any, effect
upon the hardcore dissentients.
However, by the grace of Allah,
the bulk of the Community, being
duly forewarned, were
safeguarded against the mischief
of this intransigent minority.
At the start of 1914, the health of
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih(ra) began
to deteriorate. On February 2, he
gave the following direction:
“Remember, no provision
shall be made for my
children out of any charitable
fund, or alms, or Zakat, or
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
out of funds for the uplift of
orphans or the indigent. God
will make some provision for
them. Anyone who writes my
biography should mention
this direction of mine and
should restrain any
contravention of it. I have no
money. All my debts have
been paid off. I do not owe
anyone anything. No one
should claim anything from
my children.”9
By this time he had become
weaker and his voice was low.
He was advised by his physician
to move in with Nawab
Muhammad ‘Ali Khan who was
only too eager to host him. The
house was situated in a garden at
some distance out of town.
Before the Friday service of
March 13, 1914, he sent for his
eldest son, Mian ‘Abdul Hayy. ‘I
believe in Hadhrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad(as) as the
Promised Messiah and as a
chosen one of God. I loved him
so much that I held his children
dearer than you’, he told him. ‘I
commit you to God Almighty. I
am sure he will not let you perish.
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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
I admonish you to read the book
of God, teach it and act in
accordance with it.’ The end came
shortly afterwards. At the time for
prayers, everyone proceeded to
the Aqsa Mosque. He was alone
but for a few attendants. He
performed symbolic ablution and
offered his prayers. No sooner had
he finished than his breathing
became heavy. A few minutes
later his soul departed from his
body. To Allah we belong and to
Him do we return.
He died six years after the death
of the Promised Messiah(as) so
that, being six years younger than
the Promised Messiah(as), his age
was the same as the age of the
Promised Messiah(as) at the time of
his death. The same had been the
case with Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra),
the First Successor to the Holy
Prophet(saw) who was a couple of
years younger than the Holy
Prophet(saw). Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra)
had passed away two years after
the death of the Holy Prophet(saw)
when he had reached the age at
which the Holy Prophet(saw) passed
away.
52 The Review of Religions – January 2008
Aftermath
Naturally, the illness of Hadhrat
Khalifatul Masih(ra) had given rise
to speculation as to what would
happen on his demise. When the
sad news became known,
Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddeen
Mahmud Ahmad(ra) addressed the
Community after a prayer service
of the heavy responsibility that
now lay on their shoulders and
requested them to pray fervently
for Divine guidance.
Maulawi Muhammad ‘Ali sought
to delay the election of a
successor for four or five months
so as to give his group time to
mount a campaign. However,
when leading members were
consulted, it was agreed that a
successor should be elected
before the burial of Hadhrat
Khalifatul Masih(ra) took place. By
the afternoon of the next day,
thousands of members from
Qadian and beyond gathered in
the Nur Mosque. After the prayer
service, Nawab Mohammad ‘Ali
Khan(ra) read out the will of
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih(ra)
which had been committed to his
custody:
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
“In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Ever Merciful. We
praise Him and call down His
blessings on His noble
Messenger. This humble one,
in full possession of his
senses, affirms: There is no
god except Allah;
Muhammad (saw) is the
Messenger of Allah. My
children are small and I have
no money. Allah will
safeguard them. They should
not be provided for from any
fund for orphans or the poor.
A benevolent loan may be
advanced, to be repaid by
such of my sons as are able.
My books and my property
should be constituted into a
trust for the benefit of my
children. My successor
should be one who is
righteous, popular, erudite
and of good conduct. He
should overlook the short-
comings of and exercise
forbearance towards the old
and new friends of Hadhrat
Sahib(as). I was a well-wisher
of everyone; so should he be.
The lessons of the Holy
Qur’an and Hadith should be
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
continued. Wassalam. Nur-
ud-Din. March 4, 1914.”10
Nawab Mohammad ‘Ali Khan(ra)
then added, ‘I have discharged the
trust of Hadhrat Khalifatul
Masih(ra), it is now for you to act
accordingly.’ This was greeted
from every direction with shouts
of ‘Hadhrat Mian Sahib, Hadhrat
Mian Sahib’. The few dissidents
tried to speak but the crowd
would not entertain them. They
withdrew from the gathering in
disappointment. And then the
silence! The Promised Son of the
Promised Messiah(as), Sahibzada
Mirza Bashiruddeen Mahmud
Ahmad, merely twenty-five
years of age had been elected as
Khalifatul Masih II by the
universal will of the members of
the Community who had
assembled but, as everyone
rushed towards him, he sat
motionless as if deep in
meditation. Finally, he looked up
and espying Maulawi Sayyid
Muhammad Sarwar Shah(ra)
among the horde, said to him,
“Maulawi Sahib, this heavy
responsibility has fallen on me
suddenly and unexpectedly. I
The Review of Religions – January 2008 53
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

cannot recall the terms of the Paradise among His choicest

pledge. Will you kindly instruct servants.
me.” Thus was the pledge of
allegiance conducted. Hadhrat Tributes
Khalifatul Masih II(ra) spoke the Eulogistic tributes came from all
words of the pledge as instructed sections of the press. The
by Maulawi Sayyid Muhammad Zamindar wrote:
Sarwar Shah(ra) and the assembly
repeated after Hadhrat Khalifatul “Among today’s telegraphic
Masih II(ra). news the Muslims, parti-
cularly the Ahmadis, will be
Once again, the Community had grieved to read of the death on
weathered the tempest that had March 13, after an illness
overtaken it and were once again extending over some weeks,
reunited in spiritual fellowship. of Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud-
Hearts were comforted and souls Din Sahib, who was an erudite
felt at rest. Hadhrat Khalifatul divine and a learned scholar.
Masih II(ra) then led the funeral To Allah we belong and to
prayers of Hadhrat Khalifatul Him shall we return.
Masih I(ra). There was a huge
concourse of people, which “Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud-
included non-Ahmadi Muslims Din(ra) was known among his
and non-Muslims as well as followers as Khalifatul Masih
Ahmadis who had gathered to pay and was the Successor of the
their last respects to one who, late Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as).
throughout his life, upheld the His death will be a severe
moral and the spiritual above the shock for the Ahmadis, which
material and the physical. His shall affect them for a very
sacred remains were buried next long time.
to the grave of the Promised
Messiah(as). May Allah be pleased “Even apart from doctrinal
to immerse him in His Mercy and differences, the personality
grant him a most exalted station in and talents of Maulana

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

Hakim Nur-ud-Din were of was very good-hearted and

such a high order that all benevolent. He possessed a
Muslims would be grieved by keen sense of humour. He was
his death. It is said that it tall, handsome, fair-com-
takes a century for a man of plexioned, and wore a thick
outstanding genius to appear. beard. He supervised the state
Maulana Hakim Nur-ud-Din schools and hospitals dili-
was, by virtue of the vastness gently and honestly. He
of his erudition and enjoyed a large salary, the
scholarship, a man of such greater part of which he
genius. We mourn today the generously devoted to the
loss of an eminent divine. We maintenance and upkeep of
have sincere sympathy for deserving students.
our Ahmadi friends who have Throughout his life he
been sore afflicted by this provided for hundreds of poor
grievous calamity. We pray students…
that the Most Merciful One
may be pleased to receive “Thus Hakeem Nur-ud-Din
Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud- was a living example of true
Din(ra) into His mercy and to benevolence. He had two
bestow steadfastness upon his great passions, promotion of
followers and the members of the welfare of indigent
his family.”11 students and the collection of
rare books. All his large
The editor of the Curzon Gazette income was devoted to these
wrote: two purposes. He was very
humble and courteous. He
“We had not only known the performed all his duties
late Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud- righteously. Those who
Din(ra) personally, we were on worked under him were well-
very intimate terms with him pleased with him and never
in Jammu for several years. had any grievance. He was an
We met every evening. He erudite divine and a great

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

scholar; he possessed great verities and insights of the

proficiency in Arabic. During Holy Qur’an to the
his leisure hours he gave Ahmadiyya Community in
lessons in Bukhari and the latter part of his life was
Muslim. He had a profound exemplary. He was also an
understanding of the faith.”12 expert physician. He wrote
several books about Islam
The Municipal Gazette wrote: based on extensive research
and inquiry and forcefully
“We announce with great refuted the critics of Islam.
grief and sorrow the death in His death is not only a great
Qadian at 2 p.m. on 13 shock for the Ahmadiyya
March, after an illness Community, it is not any less
extending over several weeks, distressing for the general
of Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud- body of Muslims. May Allah,
Din Sahib, the Khalifa of the the Exalted, receive him into
Ahmadiyya Community. To His mercy and bestow
Allah we belong and to Him steadfastness upon his
shall we return. survivors.” 13

“As is well-known, the The Tabeeb of Delhi wrote:

deceased, on account of his
matchless learning, piety and “We announce with great
righteousness, was sorrow that a famous and
undoubtedly a holy and outstanding physician of
praiseworthy Khalifa for the India, Maulawi Haji Hakim
Ahmadiyya Community, but Nur-ud-Din Sahib, who was
for the Muslims of India also an outstanding divine
generally also he was a great and was a pious of righteous
scholar and a learned divine. personality, and the revered
His love for the Holy Qur’an leader of the Ahmadiyya
was unmatched. The way in Community, died last Friday,
which he expounded the after having suffered for some

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 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT
time from the ills that are
inseparable from old age. To
Allah we belong and to Him
shall be our return. The
Hakim Sahib of blessed
memory set a high example
of compassion for all the
creatures of Allah without
distinction of Ahmadi or non-
Ahmadi, Muslim or non-
Muslim…
“His greatest service to the
cause of Islam and humanity
was the courageous and
valiant defence, justification
and exposition of the
institution of Khilafat which
was vital for the spiritual
survival and progress, not
only of Islam and the
Muslims, but of the whole of
humanity. His love for the
Holy Qur’an was proverbial,
his devotion to the Holy
Prophet(saw) was exemplary
and his obedience to the
Promised Messiah was
perfect and matchless. May
Allah reward him richly and
without measure for his
devoted service. Amen.”14
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad,
who was subsequently to become
President of the All-India
Congress, and Minister of
Education in the Indian
Government, wrote in Al-
Balagh, under the caption,
Farewell Nur-ud-Din:
“I regret that I am the last in
expressing my condolences
over the departure of the head
of the Ahmadiyyah
Movement, and the expert
diagnostician of the eternal
verities, Hakim Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din. A
personality that combined a
vast expanse of erudition with
a treasury of the practical
manifestations of the piety
and righteousness is no
longer present among us.
Erudition in all that pertained
to the faith and a deep
understanding of verities,
tempered by a wide scholar-
ship that comprehended every
type of literature from divine
scriptures to masterpieces of
fiction, had raised Nur-ud-
Din’s mind to a level whence
it was able to contemplate
The Review of Religions – January 2008 57
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): KHILAFAT

and penetrate the mystery of 8. Badr January 12, 1911.

human emotions… Though I 9. Al-Fazl February 11, 1914.
10. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
do not find myself in Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
agreement with some of the by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra),
concepts of the Ahmadiyyah p.293.
Community, yet I contem- 11. Ibid, p.309.
12. Ibid, p.310
plate in wonderment the 13. Ahmadiyyat: The Renaissance of
spiritual blaze whose flame Islam, by Muhammad Zafrulla
had melted my frozen Khan(ra) , p.221
emotions into shedding tears 14. Ibid, p.222
15. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
of love. The honoured Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
personality of Nur-ud-Din is by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan.
now hidden from our physical
eyes, but its footprints Bibliography
continue clearly discernible
• Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
on the format of the universe Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
and serve as our guide to the by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra).
mansion of steadfastness. • Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, The Way of
May divine grace and mercy the Righteous, by Syed Hasanat
shed the perfume of amber on Ahmad.
his dust.”15

References
1. Badr June 2, 1908.
2. Ibid.
3. Al-Hakm May 28, 1908, Al-Badr
June 2, 1908.
4. Badr July 11, 1912.
5. Badr January 12, 1911.
6. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
Khalifatul Masih I, Second Edition,
by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra),
p.232.
7. Damima Badr December 1, 1910.

58 The Review of Religions – January 2008 KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra):
IMPACT
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din’s(ra) place in the history of
Islam, Ahmadiyyat and of
mankind is firmly established.
Khilafat had been lost to the
Muslim Ummah for fourteen
centuries. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) was the medium
through which Allah Almighty
re-introduced Khilafat on earth.
Naturally the impact his Khilafat
made was deeply and
inextricably linked to his grand
personality. Foremost among
what Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) stands out for is his all-
consuming love for the Holy
Qur’an. It was his vade mecum
(Latin: “Go with me” meaning a
book of reference a person
carries with him) and he often
remarked that if God had asked
him what he wanted most he
would beg for the Holy Qur’an.
He was wont to say:
“The Quran is my sustenance
and is the source of my soul’s
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
refreshment. I read it a
number of times a day, but
my soul never has its fill. It is
healing, it is mercy, it is light,
it is guidance.”1
As he possessed an all-
consuming love for the Holy
Qur’an, so did he strive to infuse
into the members of the Jama’at
that love for the Holy Qur’an.
His scholarship of it was deep
and profound and he never
missed an opportunity to
expound upon the inexhaustible
treasures of wisdom comprised
in it. During the last ten days of
Ramadhan, he would retreat into
the mosque and, despite his
physical infirmity and indifferent
health, he would occupy himself
from morning to evening, barring
the times for the five prayer
services, in expositions of the
Holy Qur’an and responding to
questions on subtleties. In this
way, he covered one-tenth of the
text daily. As a physical exercise
alone, having regard to the
The Review of Religions – January 2008 59
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): IMPACT
amplitude of the Holy Qur’an,
his age, health and the strain of
fasting, it was a tour de force and
it fully illustrates his whole-
hearted devotion to the Holy
Word of Allah.
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra)
is also distinguished by his
unshakeable trust in Allah the
Almighty. He had a living faith in
Allah the Almighty and relied
totally on Him for all his needs.
God also treated him in unique
ways miraculously providing for
all his needs, at times even before
he supplicated. By his precept
and by his example did he instil
into his followers the same spirit
of Tawakkul (trust in Allah).
Even before he became Khalifa
his prayers always met with
extraordinary fulfilment. As
Khalifatul Masih, this became
even more manifest and though
Allah had taken the Promised
Messiah(as) into His loving care
and his followers were left with a
huge void in their lives,
nevertheless their hearts took
comfort from the fact that they
had, as their spiritual leader, one
60 The Review of Religions – January 2008
who possessed a special
relationship with Allah the
Almighty and whose prayers
were readily answered. His
companions recall the numerous
occasions where, when all
seemed lost, they turned to the
Khalifa and his prayers were
answered. Members of the
Community from all over wrote
directly to him requesting his
special prayers. He would read
each and every letter and then
supplicate in accordance with the
purport of the request.
Next was care for the poor, needy
and marginalized. The depth and
comprehensiveness of his love
for, and sympathy towards,
fellow beings and his service to
humanity is beyond the pale of
expression. He pined for the
promotion of the welfare of
others and kept himself informed
all the time of the welfare of
everyone in the Community.
Everyone he spoke to felt singled
out for his love and affection. He
had the same sentiments for
everyone without distinction of
cast, colour or creed. Among his
companions, he was
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): IMPACT
unceremonious and inconspi-
cuous apart from his awe-
inspiring and majestic
countenance.
As Khalifatul Masih, his role was
variegated and multifaceted. In
spite of health concerns, he
would carry out his manifold
functions with a benign
displaying enviable devotion of
duty. He would diagnose and
prescribe for each patient, meet
visitors, advise and counsel, give
directives to office bearers,
dictate responses in refutation of
the critics of Islam and deliberate
projects for proselytisation of
Islam. Then there were daily
lessons on the Holy Qur’an,
Ahadith, Islamic Thought and
Jurisprudence. Thus he set a very
high example of devotion to
duty.
But his most important
distinction was his instru-
mentality in safeguarding and
fortifying the Institution of
Khilafat. This is the single most
important event of that epoch and
it is one aspect of his Khilafat
and great service to Islam,
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
Ahmadiyyat and humanity that
needs to be accentuated,
reiterated and re-emphasised so
that posterity is left in no doubt
as to the significance and
magnitude of this achievement.
The Promised Messiah(as) had
sowed the seeds for the final and
universal triumph of Islam. On
his demise, the Community was
threatened with disintegration.
There was at that time four sons
of the Promised Messiah(ra), his
son-in-law and his respected
father-in-law. Yet the whole
Community including the afore-
mentioned swore allegiance to
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra).
Although there was not a single
dissenting voice at the time of his
election, yet he was soon to face
persistent opposition from
prominent members of the
Community who got carried
away by their academic
qualifications and positions of
honour. The firmness and far-
sightedness of Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra), his courageous
and valiant defence of the
institution of Khilafat and the
upholding of its dignity and
The Review of Religions – January 2008 61
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): IMPACT
authority in the circumstances in
which he was confronted, openly
and in secret, was a monumental
accomplishment.
Where those in opposition to him
placed their reliance on cunning
plans and devices, Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra) placed
his complete trust in Allah.
Where they placed their reliance
on their own capacities and
qualifications, Hadhrat Maulawi
Nur-ud-Din(ra) placed his entire
reliance on the grace and mercy
of Allah. Where they sought
support in the perpetuity of a
legal entity and its corporate
constitution, he backed the
never-ending powers of God
Almighty and His unchangeable
Law.
He knew he was justified in
Divine estimation; he knew
Khilafat was a spiritual realm
which had been promised Divine
support in clear and emphatic
terms in the Holy Qur’an
(Ch.24:V.56); he knew the
triumph of Islam was to be
accomplished under the auspices
of divinely guided Khulafa and
62 The Review of Religions – January 2008
not by any Anjuman. The
passage of one hundred years of
the Ahmadiyya Khilafat – replete
with countless blessings and
phenomenal achievements – has
demonstrated in the eyes of man
also that Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra) was justified in his
stand. The extraordinary success
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community under four subse-
quent Khulafa as compared with
the infinitesimal impact made by
its dissident Lahori counterpart
has also vindicated Hadhrat
Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra).
Had Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) succumbed to the
dissentients, the Community
founded by the Promised
Messiah(as) would have been
plunged into turmoil and the
centenary of Khilafat we
commemorate this year would
have remained but a distant
illusion. However, the Divine
promise of the victory of Islam
would not remain unfulfilled.
The seed planted by the
Promised Messiah(as) was to grow
and flourish beyond the wildest
imaginations of his enemies
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
 HADHRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH I(RA): IMPACT
under the fostering care of
Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din(ra).
When confronted, he neither
shirked nor evaded the question
of status and authority of the
Khalifa, nor did he yield a single
inch of ground under overt and
covert challenges and threats
from those who fancied
themselves. He stood firm as
waves of dissent ricocheted off
him and retired haplessly.
Nothing and no one would affect
either his high resolve or the
urbanity of his disposition. In a
loud and unambiguous voice he
proclaimed:
“I declare it with all the
emphasis at my command
and call God to witness I shall
not discard the robe with
which He has invested me.”2
This was Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-
ud-Din(ra)! In the role Divine
wisdom imposed upon him, he
acquitted himself with the
highest credit. Humankind would
forever remain deeply indebted
and beholden to him for this
unique service to Islam and
Ahmadiyyat and being the
KHILAFAT: Special Edition 4
instrument for the fulfilment of
Allah’s promise contained in
Ch.24:V.56. May Allah, the
Fountainhead of Limitless Grace
and Plenitude of Mercy, shower
His choicest blessings upon this
valiant champion of Islam.
References
1. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) Khalifatul Masih I,
Second Edition, by
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra),
p.104.
2. Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) Khalifatul Masih I,
Second Edition, by
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan ,(ra)
p.180.
Bibliography
• Hadhrat Maulawi Nur-ud-
Din(ra) Khalifatul Masih I,
Second Edition, by
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan(ra).
• Ahmadiyyat: The Renaissance
of Islam, by Muhammad
Zafrulla Khan(ra).
The Review of Religions – January 2008 63
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