Journey to Lahore
Hazrat Mirza’s wife had been ailing for some time, and she expressed a desire to visit Lahore for a change of scene. When Hazrat Mirza supplicated to God for guidance in arriving at a decision regarding the proposed visit by performing the istikhara prayer, he received a revelation at 4 A.M. on April 26, 1908, which was in the form of a line from a Persian verse: “Remain vigilant, and do not become unmindful of the intrigues of this world.”
This revelation created some apprehension, but because it contained no prohibition and was only in the nature of a warning, and because Hazrat Mirza’s wife was really keen to go, Hazrat Mirza departed from Qadian for Lahore on April 27, 1908.
Upon reaching Lahore, Hazrat Mirza received the second line of the Persian verse as revelation: “Do not depend on thistransitory life.” This revelation indicated that the time of his demise was impending. Who could have known when Hazrat Mirza was leaving for Lahore that he would not be returning to Qadian again, and his revelation Dagh-e-Hijrat (Sorrow of migration) was aboutto be fulfilled in this way?1
Stay in Lahore
Hazrat Mirza stayed in the house of Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din in Ahmadiyya Buildings, Lahore. On reaching Lahore, a decision was made to stay longer than originally anticipated, therefore Maulvi Nur-ud-Din, Maulvi Muhammad Ahsan Amrohi, and other members of the Organization joined Hazrat Mirza in Lahore. The newspaper Badar was also temporarily shifted to Lahore, so as to report the latest news regarding the Organization to the members.
After some days, Hazrat Mirza’s wife visited the residence of Dr. Syed Muhammad Husain Shah, and liked this house more than her present lodg- ing. Partly because of this, and partly because of Dr. Syed Muhammad Husain Shah’s insistence that his house was more suitable from the health point of view, Hazrat Mirza and family shifted to Dr. Syed Muhammad Husain Shah’s residence.
Hospitality
Guests arrived in Lahore in large numbers and in addition to the house of Dr. Syed Muhammad Husain Shah, they were lodged at the residences of Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din and other members living in the vicinity. Initially, the Ahmadiyya Organization’s Lahore branchbore the boarding expenses of the guests. But the roster of incoming guests kept growing, and it could bear this financial burden no longer. So a cafeteria was opened in the Ahmadiyya Buildings where visitors could purchase wholesome food at low prices.
Friday Prayers
There was an open ground in those days at the current site of the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Ahmadiyya Buildings. A marquee was put up at this site, and the ground was covered by durries for holding the Friday congrega- tional prayer. Who could have known at thattime that the place where God’s chosen Promised Messiah and Mahdi (rightly-guided one) was performing his Friday prayers would become the site of the Ahmadiyya Mosque, and have the honor of being the Center of a worldwide Movement for the prop- agation of Islam. In truth, the foundation of this mosque was laid by Hazrat Mirza in the form of his prayers that he performed at the site.
Visits by truth-seekers
There was a constant stream of visitors in search of the truth who kept coming and going throughout each day. They would ask questions and receive replies that were full of knowledge and wisdom.
Meeting with Barrister Mian Fazal-e-Husain
At 10 A.M. on May 15, 1908, two barristers-at-law came to meet Hazrat Mirza. One of them was Mian Fazal-e-Husain, who was later knighted and became Sir Mian Fazal-e-Husain. Mian Fazal-e-Husain asked Hazrat Mirza several questions to which Hazrat Mirzagave exquisite answers. The answers were published in the newspaper Badar and are available to the interested reader. A few excerpts from the answers are given below:
Damage caused by sectarianism
Hazrat Mirza stated:
Dissensions are growing in the Islamic sects each day. These dissen- sions are extremely deleterious for Islam. Allah has stated: “…and dispute not one with another, lest you get weak-hearted and your power depart…” (8:46). Ever since dissensions have arisen in Islam, it has continuously been declining.
For this reason, God founded this Organization so that people may shed sectarianism and join this Organization which is completely unencumbered by absurd quarrels, and is treading on the straight path shown by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
We do not call anyone an unbeliever who recites the Kalimah
Then the respected guest, Barrister Mian Fazal-e-Husain, remarked that if all non-Ahmadis are called kafirs (disbelievers), then nothing would be left in Islam. In response to this assertion, Hazrat Mirza replied:
We do not call anyone who recites the kalimah (the Muslim declaration of faith in the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad) to be outside the pale of Islam, unless he calls us as kafirs (unbelievers) and thereby becomes a kafir (unbeliever) himself.
You may perhaps be unaware that when I claimed to be God-appointed, Muhammad Husain of Batala and Maulvi Abu Saeed prepared a decree with great zeal in which it was written that this person is an unbeliever, a Dajjal (Antichrist) and has gone astray; funeral prayer should not be held for him (if he dies); anyone who greets them (members of the AhmadiyyaOrganization) with assalam alaikum (peace be on you), or shakes hands with them, or calls them a Muslim is also an unbeliever.
Now listen! It is an issue on which there is unanimity that anyone who calls a believer a kafir is a kafir himself. How can wenegate this issue? You tell us, what is the way out for us, in these circumstances. We did not take the initiative in passing a decree upon them. They are now called unbelievers only as a consequence of their branding us as unbelievers. A person requested to have a prayer duel with me. I replied that a prayer duel is not permissible between two Muslims. He wrote in his reply: “I consider you an abject unbeliever.”
Mian Fazal-e-Husain queried: “Let them call you unbelievers. What is the harm if you do not respond by calling them unbelievers?” Hazrat Mirza replied, “Those who do not call us unbelievers, we absolutely do not call them unbelievers.” Dr. Syed Muhammad Husain Shah relates that he was also present at that meeting. He recalls that Mian Fazal-e-Husain had also asked: “If a Muslim is walking down a street and you have no idea whether he calls you a Muslim or not, would you consider him a Muslim or a kafir?” Hazrat Mirza replied: “Muslim.”
Explanation of his claim
On May 19, 1908, Hazrat Mirza responded as follows to a question:
I have not made any claim of being a messenger in the sense in which the religious clerics use this term to mislead people. My claim has always been that of being a recipient of revelation, a warner, and a fol- lower of the Shariah (law) of the Holy Prophet; there is nothing new today. This revelation is twenty-four years old: “A stalwart of God in the mantle of the prophets.”
Meeting with Professor Clement Wragge
Professor Clement Wragge was a famous traveler, astronomer and lecturer. Although a British citizen, he had worked for theAustralian government for a long time as a faculty in the Department of Astronomy. He was on a lecture tour in Lahore where he was lecturing on astronomy and other branches of science. Mufti Muhammad Sadiq had a conversation with the Professor and found out that he was not a blind follower of Christianity, but was open-minded and impartial.
When he learned about the claims of Hazrat Mirza, he said: “I have traveled the whole world and I am in search of just such a man,” and expressed his great desire to meet HazratMirza.
Accordingly, Professor Wragge and his wife came to Ahmadiyya Buildings to meet with Hazrat Mirza during the latter’s stay in Lahore. Maulvi Muhammad Ali served as the interpreter. He asked Hazrat Mirza some questions that even today trouble the minds ofscientists about religion. His questions covered diverse topics like: God is not the God of any one nation; how old is the earth? When did man come into existence? Is human- ity progressing or declining? Is Darwin’s theory correct or false? The effect of heavenly bodies; the reality of sin and the reason for its existence; salvation through Christ; life after death; meeting with spirits, etc.
Hazrat Mirza gave highly sensible and refined answers to these and similar questions so that Professor Wragge and his wife were thoroughly enthralled, as was the intelligentsia present at that meeting.
Professor Wragge implored for another chance to meet Hazrat Mirza, and his request was granted. So the following Monday, theProfessor and his wife, along with their little son, came again to meet Hazrat Mirza around 3 P.M. This time, Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din served as the interpreter. The conversation on this day focused on God and His attributes, love of God, the reason for distress and sorrow in the world. So the Professor kept asking questions, and Hazrat Mirza continued to reply with exquisite answers.
At the end of the meeting, the Professor and his wife rose and thanked Hazrat Mirza, and said that his answers were very comprehensive and that they were complete- ly satisfied. This conversation was published in the newspaper Badar and isavailable for the interested reader.
Professor Wragge often used a visual aid during lectures to project pic- tures relevant to the subject. Included in his visual library were pictures of the crucifixion of Jesus and also pictures pertaining to Darwin’s theory. After meeting with Hazrat Mirza, Professor Wragge’s ideas underwent a considerable change. Previously when he showed the pictures of Jesus’ crucifixion, he would say that the Messiah had mercy on the people of the world, and was crucified for them so that they may be saved.
After the meeting with Hazrat Mirza, he changed this to: “The Christians believe that he atoned with his crucifixion, and this can only be a source of satisfaction forthem. True praise and glorification is only for the One God Who is the Greatest.” When he showed slides pertaining to Darwin’s theory, he would say: “It is not neces- sary that this theory is correct; this was merely Darwin’s point of view. It is not necessary to agree with it.”
Quran Dars (Quran explanation classes)
In an open ground of the Ahmadiyya Buildings where the Ahmadiyya Mosque now stands, Maulana Nur-ud-Din started giving Quran Dars every evening. The Dars series was started with the first chapter of the Quran.
Conduct of the opponents
Ever since Hazrat Mirza had arrived in Lahore, the opposing clerics had set up their camp on the grounds of Islamia College Lahore, across from the Ahmadiyya Buildings. Every evening, they would gather there to malign and disparage Hazrat Mirza with their incendiary speeches.
This group of clerics included Asghar Ali Roohi (Professor, Islamia College Lahore), Maulvi Ghulamullah Qasuri and Pir Jamaat Ali Shah. These clerics were so enthusiastic in their blind opposition to Hazrat Mirza that in abusing Hazrat Mirza, they would not hesitate at times to be disrespectful of the Quran as well.
In short, an atmosphere of hooliganism and complete disregard forcivility prevailed in the clerics’ camp across the street. In contrast, Maulana Nur-ud-Din’s Quran explanation classes were held with great civility and seriousness, and were replete with gems of knowledge andenlightenment. In fact, Maulana Nur-ud-Din would never even allude to the opponents in even the most indirect way.
Acceptance of pledges
Despite such bitter opposition in the city of Lahore, people in large numbers took their pledges at the hands of Hazrat Mirza — the barriers set up by opponents could not stop the work of God.
Preaching to the gentry and dignitaries of Lahore
Hazrat Mirza wanted his message to be heard by the gentry and digni- taries of Lahore. So Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din invited the Muslim gentry and dignitaries of the city to a luncheon on May 17, 1908, and introduced all of them to Hazrat Mirza. The venue of the luncheon was the residence of Dr. Syed Muhammad Husain Shah, where a marquee had been set up in the courtyard for the guests.
People were so looking forward to meeting Hazrat Mirza that they began arriving earlier than the scheduled time for lunch. The guests were desirous of hearing Hazrat Mirza, so he began addressing them at 11 A.M. It was no ordinary speech; it was like a majestic ocean of knowledge and wisdom — a cloud of faith and enlightenment that wasraining down in mer- ciful grace. It was the last message that was delivered at Ahmadiyya Buildings to the respected intelligentsia of Lahore.
Around 12 noon, Hazrat Mirza inquired from his audience if they wanted him to conclude his speech so that they could proceedfor lunch. The guests unanimously requested him to con tinue; they argued that lunch was something they ate every day, but what theyneeded most was spiritual nourishment.
The speech finally concluded at 1 P.M. and lunch was served thereafter. The full text of the speechwas published and is available in the newspaper Badar. It is truly worthy of a read. Some excerpts from the speech are reproducedbelow. Elucidating upon the ways to achieve nearness to God, he commented:
There are only two ways to seek God’s pleasure and nearness to Him. First, (spiritual) development takes place by acting on the tenets of faith. Now there are inconveniences in carrying out the tenets of faith, but man puts himself through these inconveniences.
But these are inconveniences that are within the control of man and which he can avoid. Second, there areafflictions from God. If a whip is handed over to someone and he is directed to flog himself, he will try to avoid it as far as it lies in his power because the natural inclination of man is to avoid suffering. So by avoiding the inconveniences that are within the control of man, he is unable to reach the desired goal. But when afflic- tions from God strike a person and he is patient, then they become a source of his (spiritual) development.
Allah, the Most High, says: “And We shall certainly try you with something offear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits” (2:155). Consider the man who plants a field and toils for six months tillthe field turns green with luxuriant vegetation; then a hailstorm destroys everything, leaving him facing hunger and poverty.Allah says to convey glad tidings from Him to those who say “we belong to Allah”; that is, to those who are stead- fast in accepting whatever is the wish of Allah. Saying “we belong to Allah” is a hallmark of the Muslims only. Why would the Aryassay it? They do not regard everything as being from God.
So the problems are of two kinds: One kind comprises the carrying out ofinjunctions; there is room in these for making excuses. If a person does not have faith, he can evade fasting, prayer, zakat and Haj. In order to bridge this short- coming, heavenly afflictions take place so that whatever could not be fulfilled by human hands may be accomplished by Divine help. The Aryas assert that afflictions are punishments for misdeeds in some past incarnation — we assert that these are for future progress. Otherwise having to perform acts of worship will also be a punishment.
Hazrat Mirza sheds light on his claims
Further along in the speech, Hazrat Mirza shed light on his claims:
Our God is alive today, just as He was before. If there is anyone who prefers a dead religion and a dead god, then so be it. If he does not regard the prophecies of Prophet Muhammad as true, so be it. But what kind of a Muslim would that person be?
When God has chosen the Muslim nation for Himself and has promised to lead it to the desired goal, then is it appropriate and worthy of His greatness to abandon the nation in the middle of its journey? For instance, if a person promises to take you to the city of Calcutta, and then reneges upon his promise, then such a conduct would be considered reprehensible.
Before God, man is like a blind person; it is only through His guidance that He will take him to his desired goal. And He will keep sending guides till theDay of Resurrection. It is for this reason that the words la-yus-takh- lay-funna-hum (He will surely make them successors(24:55)) occur in the Quran; the use of this phrase proves the raising of the Holy Prophet’s spiritual successors (khalifas) till the Day of Resurrection. I too have come in accordance with the promise made in this verse. Hence, I am called the “Promised.” I am also the Messiah, but not through rebirth. Rather, the fact is that Allah, the Most High, knew that the Muslim nation would become like the Christians and Jews in the last era, and their faith would become very superficial.
For this reason, God taught the prayer: “Not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who go astray” (1:7). Hence the name of the Reformer should also appropriately be the Messiah. This is all there is to it.
But these people oppose me vehemently and say: Why does he call the Messiah dead? There is a sense of sadness when someone’s dog or a pet cat dies but should there not be mourning when religion dies? Is it true that everything of religious import has already transpired in the past, and that nothing remains for the future?
What can I say to the charge that I claim to be a prophet, or that I am thinking about estab- lishing a new qiblah or that I am contriving a new shariah (Islamic jurisprudence), but to respond to these calumnies by saying: “May the curse of Allah be upon the liars.” My claim is only this: Because faith is a living entity, a Reformer (mujaddid), who has communion with God, is born at the beginning of each century to deal with the mischief of the time.
When God communicates abundantly with a person, and extensively manifests events relating to the future to him, then this is prophethood, but it is not real prophethood…I would now like to con- clude my speech, and would only like to say that God has sent me for reviving the religion so that I may renew the faith with new signs. If God had not sent me, then this religion too would have been reduced to fables like other religions.
Know this for a fact that the person who is sent by God will not get annihilated.… It saddens me to think how could I possibly have wronged these people (the opposing clerics) — is it because I assert that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the only Living Prophet, and that the blessings of his prophethood will continue till the Day of Resurrection? Please ask these brothers of yours as to what sin have I committed that they feel compelled to exercisesuch severity towards me. The vile language they use to abuse me is even worse than wretched street language.
Remember that people are like sheep — when the flock of humanity is without a shepherd, the flock is in danger. So the need for a Reformer is necessary to clarify complex issues and to establish the superiority of Islam over other religions.
There was a time when the Christian missionaries used to assert openly that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not manifest any miracle.
Now these same priests are not willing to confront me although I am stating loudly andclearly: Come! A slave of that same Prophet is ready to show you a miracle. It follows from the promise: “Surely We have revealedthe Reminder, and surely We are its Guardian,” (15:9) that God should have made such an arrangement because the condition of Islam is disheartening, both internally and externally. If there is a plant in a person’s house, he waters it; so would God just leave unattended the sapling planted by His beloved (Holy Prophet)? Remember that Islam will progress by the same method that it did in the past. Mere logicalarguments are of no use for its progress…
Letter to the editor of the newspaper Akhbar-e-Aam
Hazrat Mirza had clearly explained his claim in the aforementioned speech. In refuting the charge that he claimed to be a prophet, he had said that when God converses with and addresses a Reformer abundantly, then in the sense of the dictionary meaning of the word nabi (i.e., one who brings news) or in the metaphorical sense, that person can be called a prophet.
But this is not real prophethood of the kind that is called prophethood in Islamic terminology. So Hazrat Mirza said: Calling me a claimant of prophethood is a malicious accusation.
Some people, who were not familiar with Hazrat Mirza’s clarifications and elucidations that he had been making all along, mistakenly thought that Hazrat Mirza was previously a claimant of prophethood, but had now given up that claim before the gentry and dignitaries of Lahore. This was a totally incorrect interpretation. Hazrat Mirza had consistently adhered to the same claim from the beginning. His belief today was the same as it had always been for the last twenty-four years. In his words quoted earlier as well:
My claim has always been that of being a recipient of revelation, a warner, and a follower of the Shariah (law) of the Holy Prophet; there is nothing new today. This revelation is twenty-four years old: “A stalwart of God in the mantle of the prophets.”
The Hindu editor of the newspaper Akhbar-e-Aam made the same mis- take and published a news item that Hazrat Mirza hadrelinquished his claim to prophethood at the luncheon speech. It so happened that Akhbar-e-Aam was the only newspaper that HazratMirza used to buy and read regularly.
On reading this incorrect report, Hazrat Mirza wrote a letter to the editor on May 23, 1908, in which he contradicted the news item, and stated that his claim had always stayed the same, and he stood by it even to that very day. He thenwent on to explain the meaning of prophethood exactly in the same way as he always had:
In this era, I am the only one who has been granted abundant com- munication from God, and given abundant news of the Unseen. People ordinarily see dreams, and some even receive revelations along with news of the Unseen, though such news isimperfect. But those revelations are extremely small in number, and the news of the Unseen is also very limited, dubious, unclear and polluted by human desires.
Under such circumstances, the enlightened intellect demands that the one whose revelationsand knowledge of the Unseen are free from such turbidity and degradation should be dif- ferentiated from ordinary individuals. Instead, he should be called by a special name so that he is distinguished from others.
For this reason, God has named me a prophet in order to grant me a status of distinction. And this has been given to me as an award of honor to differentiate between them and me. In this sense, I am a prophet and also a follower of Prophet Muhammad (ummati) so that the prophecy of our leader and master to the effect that the Messiah to come will be both a prophet and his follower can be fulfilled. Otherwise, how can Jesus, about whose second coming people har- bor false hopes and desires, become a follower ofProphet Muhammad? Will Jesus descend from the heavens and become a Muslim anew? And at that time, will our Prophet Muhammad not remain the Seal of the prophets?
This letter was published in Akhbar-e-Aam on May 26, 1908.
Paigham-e-Sulh (Message of Peace)
Hazrat Mirza had intended to make a public speech on Sunday, May 31, 1908 on the grounds of the Ahmadiyya Buildings in which he wanted to extend a message of peace to the Hindus. He wanted to tell them about the way in which the two major nations of India — the Hindus and Muslims — could coexist harmoniously. In preparation for this speech, Hazrat Mirza started writing his lecture that was published posthumously under the title, Paigham-e-Sulh (Message of Peace). Further details of this lecture are pro-vided in a later chapter.
Hindu women wish to see Hazrat Mirza
On the afternoon of May 23, 1908, some Sanatan Dharam Hindu women came to Hazrat Mirza’s residence and said: “We have come to see the Maharaj.” When Hazrat Mirza was informed, he gave them permission to come in. Since Hazrat Mirza was busy writing his lecture Paigham-e- Sulh, after a little while he told them that the assembly was concluded. But the women requested a didactic discourse.
Moved by their sincerity and insistence, he delivered a sermon on the Unity of God and exhorted them to abstain from worshipping idols or taking other deities besides God. Upon further questions from them, he said that they should hold fast toGod’s path and to keep praying to God, no matter how long it took for the acceptance of prayers. It is a great mistake and transgression to deviate from this path.
After listening to the discourse, the Hindu women said: We have come from a great distance and would like to fan your honor (a Hindu custom that shows reverence). Please also teach us how to pray to God. In response, Hazrat Mirza taught them both the prayer and the manner of praying. After this, they finally departed. The poor women were very decent and sincere.
Hazrat Mirza’s speech on May 25, 1908
On May 25, 1908, at Zuhr time, a man from the Frontier Province came and began speaking in a very brazen manner. In response, Hazrat Mirza delivered a discourse and said, “The existence of God is identified by the signs of God. This is why saints are sent into this world. Maulana Rumi has written in his Musnavi: ‘Saints are like the Prophets of their time’ and Muhiyy-ud-Din ibnArabi has also written similarly. Hazrat Mujaddid Sirhindi has also expressed the same belief. So will you declare all of them as unbelievers?…”
The man from the Frontier then questioned: What was the deficiency left in religion that you have come to complete? HazratMirza replied:
There is no deficiency in the Islamic regulations — prayer, fasting, hajj, zakat, qiblah, and kalimah are the same.
But with the passage of time, negligence creeps into the practice and observance of these regulations; many people become unmindful of the Unity of God. So Allah raises a man who reestablishes people upon the practice of these regulations. Indolence creeps in over a span of a hundred years. Close to a hundred thousand Muslims have apostatized and even so you con- sider that someone was not needed? People are abandoning the Quran, and have no interest in the Tradition of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. They have declared their customs to be their faith, and you still consider that someone was not needed?
Hazrat Mirza kept responding to the questions of the man from the Frontier for a long time and spoke at length on the issuesraised. In the end, he said: “I have done my work that I had to do. To benefit or not to benefit is up to the people.”
Hazrat Mirza’s final speech
After the Asr (late afternoon) prayer on May 25, 1908, Hazrat Mirza delivered an exquisite speech on the death of Jesus in response to someone’s question. This was his final speech. The last sentences of this speech were:
You should let Jesus die, for therein lies the life of Islam. Similarly, let the Muslim Jesus come instead of the Israelite Jesus, fortherein lies the greatness of Islam. I speak the truth when I say that if the system of revelation and communion does not exist inIslam then Islam is dead.”
Evening outing
It was summertime, and Hazrat Mirza and his wife would usually go for an excursion in a phaeton or a closed cabin carriage in the evenings. He went for such an outing on May 25, 1908 as well, but there were signs of sad- ness upon his countenance. Someone remarked: “Sir! You look sad today.”
He replied: “Yes, my condition right now is like that of a mother who is about to part from her child who is too young to take care of itself.”
This was a clear indication of his imminent demise. The child that this spiritual mother wasabout to leave was the Ahmadiyya Organization.
Revelations regarding demise
The fact was that Hazrat Mirza had received clear revelations about his demise and he had recorded them in his will. Thus onerevelation had stated: “Your destined end is nigh. Very few days are left. On that day, sadness shall envelope all.” There were several other similar revelations as well that have been given in Chapter 53: The Will. On the basis of these revelations, Hazrat Mirza had written his will, and announced therein:
As God, of Power and Glory, has informed me by repeated revelations that the time of my death is near, and His revelation in this connection has been so frequent as to shake my being to the very core and to make this life quite indifferent to me…
In fact during those last days, Hazrat Mirza kept mentioning his imme- diate departure from this world in private letters to his disciples in order to prepare them for this great tragedy.
I also received a letter during those days written by Hazrat Mirza in his own hand in which he had written: “My time of demise is now very near.” He had emphasized the pursuit of righteousness and had prayed for this humble person. It was quite clear from the letter that he was about to depart and that this was a farewell letter in which he was giv-ing his last counsel.
Hazrat Mirza had also received the following revelation on March 2, 1907, in which the actual addressee was his wife: “It is exacting, but accept this test from God.” In this way, Hazrat Mirza also prepared his wife for this trial from God.
Despite all these happenings, Hazrat Mirza’s disciples were simply unwilling to accept that he would depart from them so soon. For some time, Hazrat Mirza had again started receiving revelations about his death in rapid succession. On December 19, 1907, it was revealed: “An event on the twenty seventh (pertaining to me) — ‘And Allah is Best and ever Abiding’ (20:73).” The sentence, “And Allah is Best and ever Abiding” showed that some event would take place pertaining to Hazrat Mirza on the twenty- seventh which would besynonymous with death and destruction. It will then be seen that Allah is the only Being that is everlasting and everyone else must perish regardless of how great they are.
So it was on May 27, that Hazrat Mirza’s bier reached Qadian and he was interred in the Bahishti Maqbara (Heavenly Graveyard).
On December 20, 1907, Hazrat Mirza received the revelation: “The time has arrived,” indicating that the time of death had come.
Then on March 14, 1908 it was revealed: “Ajabtum an tamutu. His body has been brought wrapped in a shroud.” Then on the same day it was revealed: “You are one whose soul soared towards Me.” On April 16, 1908 it was revealed: “House of mourning,” and the revelation was accompanied by a vision in which Hazrat Mirza saw that a funeral had come.
It so happened that Hazrat Mirza’s body was placed in a casket for the journey to Qadian, but in Batala his shrouded body was taken out of the casket, placed on a charpai and car- ried to Qadian on the shoulders of his disciples. In this way, the vision and revelation were fulfilled that a funeral had come and “His body has been brought wrapped in a shroud.”
When departing from Qadian on April 26, 1908, for Lahore, Hazrat Mirza had the following revelation: “Remain vigilant, and do not become unmindful of the intrigues of this world.” Then, upon reaching Lahore, he had received the following revelation: “Do not depend on this transitory life.” Subsequent to this on May 9, 1908, he had the following revelation: “The departure; then the departure; Allah shall bear all burdens.”
Then, six days prior to his demise, came the following revelation: “The departure; then the departure; death is near.” Consequently, Hazrat Mirza was fully prepared to depart, and was casting a farewell glance at everything. He was not worried for his wife and children; if he was worried, it was for his Organization.
Such is the splendor of the kindness and mercy of spiritual people and the appointees of Allah that they are completely divorced from worldly and physical connections, but their spiritual relationships are so strong that just as a mother worries about her children, these people worry about the members of their Organization.
They are like a spiritual mother and the Organization’s members are like their spiritual children. They keep worrying about them and are ever covetous about their welfare.
Footnotes
- Hazrat Mirza’s demise in the Ahmadiyya Buildings, Lahore and the return of his body to Qadian was an indication by God that the site for the exaltation ofthe Promised Messiah’s soul before God is Ahmadiyya Buildings, Lahore, whereas the site of his soulless body is Qadian.
The Great Reformer 