Hazrat Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rh), Khalifatul Masih III – An Overview of His Life

Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rh) was born on the night of 15th November, 1909, the eldest son of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), Musleh Ma’ud, Khalifatul Masih II, and was the grandson of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (as). Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad’s (rh) mother was Hazrat Seyyida Umme Nasir (ra) and he grew up under the direct tender care of Hazrat Ummul Momineen (ra).

Educated in Qadian during his early life, his class-fellows bear warm memories about his sharpness, intelligence and the breadth of his comprehension. By 17th April, 1922, this grandson of the Promised Messiah (as) had, under the directions of his revered father, committed to memory from beginning to end all 114 chapters of the Holy Quran, thus becoming a Hafiz at the very early age of only 13. This fact was faithfully acknowledged in one of the writings of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) who placed great emphasis on the acqui­sition of religious education. In pursuance of that goal, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rh) had been enrolled at the Madressa Ahmadiyya, Qadian from where he qualified as Maulvi Fazal (theological and oriental studies at the level of High Proficiency) in July 1929. After this, he went through formal English education and by 1934 he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Government College, Lahore. 

On 5th August, 1934, his marriage took place with Hazrat Sayyidah Mansoora Begum Sahiba (ra), a grand-daughter of the Promised Messiah (as) and the eldest daughter of Hazrat Nawab Mubaraka Begum Sahiba (ra) and Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan (ra) of Malerkotta. She was about two younger than Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad (ra). On 6th September, 1934, a month after marriage, he proceeded for postgraduate studies to England where he remained till November 1938. 

Here in England, he obtained his Honours (Oxon) degree of the University of Oxford at Balliol College, Oxford, one of the oldest institutions of that place and later became Master of Arts of the University of Oxford. He impressed his college professors as a very well-behaved and deep-thinking student. During his sub­ sequent visit to this country he called at one of these professors’ residences and was warmly welcomed by him. He told other mem­bers of the community that he had seen signs of leadership in this young student and was certain that he would be a leader amongst his people one day. Little did he realise how right he was. His stay at Oxford was not only reserved for secular pursuits. He founded, edited and published a journal called Al-Islam. He kept regularly in touch with his parents and kept them informed about his educational progress. Indeed, his sound educational background equipped him with the qualities of an excellent educator, a title he most certainly merits as we shall observe through the ensuing pages. Indeed, no man before has done so much for Muslim education as Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (ra), a statement I make with full conviction, having been through this vocation personally, and deeply aware of the contributions made by others. 

On 9th November, 1938, he returned to the town of his birth, Qadian (India). At first, he was appointed a professor at the Jamia Ahmadiyya, the missionary training college of the Ahmadiyya Movement. In 1939, he took over as the Principal of this college and during the six years of his association with this institute, he came to know many of the missionaries who were trained there and who became the pioneering missionaries in many of the countries sub­ sequently. Later, from May 1944 to November 1965, he fulfilled the functions for 21 years as Principal of the Talim-ul-Islam College, more popularly known as T.I. College, first at Qadian, then at Rabwah. Here, thousands of students filtered through to become the educated elite amongst the Muslim community. His students 

‘During the lifetime of the Promised Messiah, the Talimul Islam High School had been raised to an Intermediate College, but in consequence of a set of new regulations of the University of Punjab, compliance with which was then beyond the resources of the community, the college classes had to be closed in 1905. The need for a college had, however, progressively become more insistent and eventually the Talimul Islam College was restarted on 4th June, 1944, but this time the college was not restricted to the Intermediate level but as a full-fledged Degree College. The college continued at Qadian for 3 years and then, on partition of the country, had to be transferred to Lahore (housed in the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College buildings) pending the construction of the necessary buildings for its accommodation at Rabwah. Thus though the college encountered a series of vicissitudes during the first decade of its existence, yet under the wise and devoted guidance of its Principal and the constant supervision of Khalifatul Masih II, it marched forward from success to success and established a high and enviable record of academic and athletic achievement. Admission to the college was not limited to youngsters of the Ahmadiyya Movement: its doors were open to all those students who were qualified for admission. Since the move to Rabwah, the proportion of non-Ahmadi students on its rolls continued to rise progressively till almost half the students were drawn from non-Ahmadi homes, which was a tribute to the standards maintained by the college and to its universal popularity. In course of time the college started post­ graduate classes in higher physics and became the only institution in the Province, apart from the Punjab University itself, which provided instructions in higher physics at the Master’s level. The college had a brilliant record in that respect. Since the start of these classes, almost all the candidates it has sent up for the Masters of Science Degree in Physics have passed the examination in the First Division and some of them have established distinguished records. 

Remember him as a tough disciplinarian, gracious, generous and benign at times and a source of encouragement and inspiration at others. A master of Arabic, theology, arts, science, etc., he commanded sincere respect amongst the college professors and the students who went through the class-rooms, corridors and playing fields of the college year after year. For a number of years, he also served as a member of the governing body of the Punjab University in which capacity he rendered valuable service to the cause of higher education in the province. 

Apart from this vocation, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rh) served as Sadr of the Central Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya between February 1939 to October 1949, and, between October 1949 to November 1954, while Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) was the Sadr, he served as the Naib Sadr of the Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Association. 

On 16th November, 1947, following the partition of India and Pakistan, he moved along with other family members from Qadian to Pakistan to settle in Rabwah, the Ahmadiyya Community’s new headquarters (from 1948). From June 1948 to June 1950, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rh), serving as a member of the committee of the Furqan Battalion, achieved a number of significant successes. This battalion was composed of young Ahmadis dedicated to the security of Kashmir performing numerous acts of courage, chivalry with an eager spirit of service and sacrifice. 

In 1953 when the Ahrar movement unleashed a plot of civil unrest and riots in bitter opposition to the Ahmadiyya Movement, like Prophet Joseph (as), he had to endure the agony and hardship of imprisonment. On 28th May, 1953, his release was obtained. 

In 1954, he was elected as Sadr Majlis Ansarullah and, under him, this organ of the Community was revitalised. In May 1955, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) appointed him as Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya of Pakistan and up to his election as Khalifatul Masih, he remained at that post fulfilling numerous roles connected there­ with and ensuring the progress of Ahmadiyyat till God Almighty rewarded him with the ultimate assignment. 

The Election of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III – The beacon of Divine Light 

At the sad passing away of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra), though the hearts of Ahmadis were left aggrieved, their eyes filled with tears at what appeared to be this irreplaceable loss, under the rules for the election of Khilafat which had been approved by him, it was incumbent that within 24 hours since the time of death the Electoral College (known as the Majlis-i-Intikhab-i-Khilafat) should meet and elect the next Khalifa so that the community should unite at one hand and once again reap the benefits which accrue from the con­tinuation of Khilafat. (The necessity for Khilafat have already been highlighted in the extracts reproduced from the Holy Quran, and the writings of the Promised Messiah and a separate article deals with its blessings.) 

The method of election of a Khalifa has been left open for believers to decide. Khilafat in the early days of Islam as decided by the believers was to be conducted by the Companions of the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and those well-versed in the teachings of the Holy Quran. Had Khilafat continued after the life-time of the Companions, they would certainly have given consideration to devising other relevant electors. It is possible to have different rules regarding elections at different times. The rules followed by the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam at present require an Electoral College. 

Readers may like to know the composition of this Electoral College. Whereas in the past, the community lived in close proximity to each other, it was convenient for the Majlis Shura to come together for this ad-hoc one-off purpose. Formal rules were approved by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II in 1956/57. Under these rules the following are its life-term members unless they betray their pledge of loyalty to Khilafat: surviving sons of the Promised Messiah (as); heads of departments at the headquarters (Nazireen); the President of the Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya and all its secretaries; the Principal of the Talimul Islam College, T.I. High School; President of the Theological Seminary; President of Ansarulla, Khuddamul Ahmadiyya and representative of Lajna Imaillah; Companions of the Promised Messiah (as) or their eldest sons; missionaries-in-charge (Rais-ul-Tabligh) or missionaries (who have dedicated their lives and have had no adverse comment against their conduct or character) who have spent more than one year in a foreign country or as Rais in Pakistan; Presidents (Am’ra) of Ahmadiyya communities in Pakistan; the deceased Khalifa’s private secretary, etc. The board is made up of some one hundred and fifty to three hundred members who are invited by ticket to arrive at a prescribed place (lately, the Mubarak Mosque, Rabwah) at a fixed time after which the doors are locked shut. After prayers, and once all gathered have taken a solemn pledge of loyalty to the institution of Khilafat, the chairman of the board announces the meeting to be in session and invites nominations. Each name proposed is seconded. Once all names have been received, and once there are no further nominees, the election for each candidate begins in the order they were nominated. It is important to remember that there is no canvassing for votes, no pre-election publicity campaigns by con­tenders and no coercion is applied directly or indirectly. The elec­tion is valid as long as members of the College are present: absent members cannot influence the election. Votes are cast by a show of hands. No one may abstain, no one has the power of veto. There are no secret ballots. No papers to bum. No black smoke shooting up chimneys. The whole process takes place under the democracy Islam advocates. The votes are properly counted by the private secretary and agreed to the numbers present. Election is by the rule one man one vote and first past the post. As long as the electors fear God Almighty and harbour no ulterior motive, it is God Almighty who causes a change of heart in the electors, using them as an agency for God’s designs in electing by a majority decision the man most capable of discharging the functions of Khilafat and perpetu­ating the ensuing blessings. 

This is precisely what happened. An overwhelming majority cast their votes for Hazrat Sahibzada Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rh) sahib to elect him as Khalifatul Masih. The chairman of the electoral board, Sahibzada Mirza Aziz Ahmad Sahib, Nazir Ala, made the announcement. No sooner had he announced, the hearts which had hitherto been aggrieved were comforted and consoled by the angels of God Almighty. They at once clasped the hand of Hazrat Sahibzada Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad Sahib (rh), vying with each other to be the first to offer their covenant of bai’at to him. (Bai’at literally means to sell oneself and to pledge unstinted loyalty to another.) There was no dissension, no difference at the outcome. ALHAMDOLILLAH sang the hearts. Before accepting bai’at, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh), who at that time was sitting in the back rows of the mosque, was invited to come up to the Mihrab, and having arrived there, under the constitution of the Electoral College, he made repeat the following pledge: 

Knowing that God Almighty is here present, I affirm my belief in Khilafat-i-Ahmadiyya and I consider those who oppose Khilafat-i-Ahmadiyya in falsehood. I shall try my utmost to perpetuate Khilafat-i-Ahmadiyya till the Day of Judgment and shall continue to make every effort in spreading the message of Islam unto the ends of the world. I shall take care of the rights of every rich and poor Ahmadi and in pursuance for the knowledge of the Holy Quran and Hadith amongst the men and ladies of the Jama’at, I shall personally and collectively always be restless.

Then Huzur made the following address: 

This pledge, with sincerity of heart having called God Almighty to witness, believing that He is the Knower of the Unknown and believing that he who acts fraudulently is doomed, I have repeated in front of you people. I shall continue to work for the propagation of Islam to the best of my abilities and shall deal with kindness and well-being for each one of you. Because you have entrusted a heavy responsibility on me, I expect that you too will assist me with your prayers and consultation so that the Lord Almighty may derive such works from an insignificant and humble person like myself which are vital for the propa­gation of Ahmadiyyat, broadcasting the message of Islam and establishing the Oneness of God and that out of His kindness He sheds Divine light on my heart and teaches me that which man cannot perceive. 

I lack the words to express my weaknesses. That is why you can help me with your prayers. As far as possible, I shall make every effort for your well-being. There can be differences amongst us as brethren but such differences should not be the cause of dispute or disunity within the Jama’at. 

This process had commenced after the Isha prayers and ended at 10.30 that evening. Outside the mosque, thousands of Ahmadis went through a nail-biting suspense eagerly awaiting the news when the covenant of bai’at may be taken. Finally, the doors of the mosque were flung open and the mosque filled beyond capacity while the believers queued up to offer their covenant of bai’at in person at the hands of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III. Many of them had perceived this choice in the dreams they had had. For them, it was affirmation of the existence of God Who had once again blessed the community with the second manifestation of His blessings. Others were not prone to questioning what God Almighty had appointed over them. One by one, they performed this bai’at. After this, they all joined in a silent prayers and departed for their homes. By telephone, cables, etc., news of the election reached other Ahmadis, many of them miles away from Pakistan, and immediate­ ly thereafter, they sent in through their Jama’ats their written pledge of loyalty to Khilafat which Huzur received and personally accepted by signing millions of letters of acceptance. He often recalled that while he was doing this, he instructed his secretaries to repeat the ‘durood’ and send their blessings to the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, thereby combining an apparently monotonous task with an act of worship. 

A brief resume of some of the events to 1978 and achievements of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh)

From the beginning of his Khilafat he had given proof of great zeal and drive in the pursuit of the objectives of the Movement. One of the very first projects that he initiated was the setting up of the Fazl-i-Umar Foundation in memory of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra), the purpose of which was to push forward all the designs in which the late Khalifatul Masih II (ra) had taken particular interest. It was made clear that the Foundation would not take over or intervene in the exercise of any function that had been allotted to any of the existing institutions or departments of the Movement, though it could be called upon to render aid or assistance in carrying out any project which the department concerned was unable to put through for lack of adequate personnel or resources. An appeal was made to the Community to provide two and a half million rupees as the capital of the proposed Foundation, the income of which would be utilised by the Foundation for the achievement of its purposes. The Community responded readily to the appeal and provided over two million rupees in cash contributions to serve as the capital of the Foundation. This was a gratifying indication that the spirit of devo­tion and sacrifice that had inspired the Community under Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) had not only survived the shattering shock of his death, but had in effect been stimulated by the consciousness that a heavier burden of responsibility now rested on the shoulders of every member of the Movement. 

As soon as the Foundation was set up it began to occupy itself with the study and formulation of such projects as were designed to forward the purposes for which the Foundation had been set up. For instance, it initiated a project for the purpose of stimulating the intellectual capacities of those members of the Movement who were interested in scholastic pursuits. It announced that it would make five awards every year of the value of one thousand rupees to each scholar who would prepare and submit to the Foundation a thesis on any of the diverse intellectual topics specified by the Foundation, which in the estimation of the Foundation gave proof of high intellectual endeavour. 

With the development of Rabwah as the Headquarters of the Movement, the need of an adequate library to which the intellectual sections of the Community could have free access had been felt. But the Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya had not been able to make financial provision for the housing of such a library and providing the necessary cognate facilities. The Foundation came forward with the offer that it would undertake the construction of the building and other facili­ ties pertaining to the library on some suitable site to be provided by the Anjuman. The offer of the Foundation was accepted, the build­ ing was erected and on completion was handed over to the Sadar Anjuman.

As a result of the opening of the new Missions of the Movement and the proliferation of its branches across the globe, the number of members of the Movement in foreign countries visiting Rabwah in all seasons of the year, but more particularly on the occasion of the Annual Conference in the last week in December, has grown every year. The Tahrik Jadeed had built a modest guest house simul­ taneously with the construction of its offices which was maintained in good condition, but the accommodation provided therein was limited and soon became inadequate for the demands made upon it. Thus, the need was felt of a much larger hostel for foreign visitors which should be fitted with all the facilities to which they were accustomed at home. Again, the Foundation came forward with the offer to construct such a hostel on the scale and to the specifications that would meet the need that had arisen. Its offer was accepted by the Tahrik Jadeed and the project went forward. The demand for hostel accommodation of various types had continued to grow and a number of smaller hostels had been constructed at the instance of institutions of the Movement other than the Fazli Umar Foundation. 

The Foundation has published the first volume of the addresses delivered by Khalifatul Masih II (ra). Other volumes will follow in due course. An authoritative biography of him has been taken in hand, of which the first of three volumes has been published. 

In those early days a beginning had been made of the advance of Islam in East Africa. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) had announced during his last illness: ‘God Almighty has promised me that half a million Christians would accept Islam in Africa’; and had added: ‘Education will spread in West Africa.’* 

Following his 1967 official tour of Europe, in April and May 1970 Khalifatul Masih III (rh) visited Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Gambia and Sierra Leone, in that order, to check up on the activities of the Missions of the Movement in those countries and to make an appraisal of the opportunities of further progress. At the end of his visit to those countries of West Africa he arrived in London and, in an address to the Community in a meeting in which all the branches of the Movement in Britain were represented, gave a brief account of the impressions he had gathered in the West African countries that he had visited, and stressed the great need of pressing forward in West Africa. He announced a scheme that he had conceived under Divine direction, of expanding the activities of the Movement in West Africa through the establishment of a sub­stantial number of schools and hospitals which were the great need of the people of West Africa. He mentioned that the programme that he had in mind for the next three years would require an outlay of one hundred thousand pounds sterling and called upon the Community to furnish a substantial portion of that amount as early as possible so that there should be no delay in launching the pro­ gramme. The Community in Britain responded with promises of fifty-one thousand pounds, of which eleven thousand pounds were contributed within ten days. The total amount pledged by the Community for the Nusrat Jehan Scheme, as the programme was named, far exceeded the hundred thousand pounds which was the original target. But this was only the financial requirement. Teachers, physicians and surgeons were needed for the schools and hospitals that were to be set up in West Africa. The response of the Community in that respect also proved quite adequate. 

On another occasion he said in the same context: ‘The great day of the supremacy of Islam has dawned. No power on earth can frustrate it. Islam and Ahmadiyyat are bound to triumph. I assure you that your future is most glorious.’ 

On 26th June, 1970, for the Leap Forward Scheme, he called upon Ahmadi doctors and teachers to volunteer their services for work in West Africa, and indicated that in case he found that the number of volunteers did not correspond to the need, he would select the teachers and doctors who would be required to proceed to West Africa under his directions. He announced that he had promised the African countries that he had visited to establish a minimum of twenty-five health centres and seventy to eighty schools in those countries. 

A cluster of problems had to be resolved and pushed out of the way, before the scheme could begin to operate. But these were overcome fairly rapidly under the dynamic directions of the Khalifatul Masih III (rh) and in consequence of his continuous humble supplications to the Divine. The details in each case furnished an astonishing record of beneficent achievement in the face of formi­dable difficulties. The success achieved by all the institutions that were set up in pursuance of the scheme was most gratifying. The efforts of the devoted physicians and surgeons to bring relief and healing to the suffering people within the range of their activities were often blessed with a degree of fulfilment that was almost miraculous. By the end of 1972 sixteen new hospitals and thirteen new secondary schools had been opened and were in full operation. The success of the medical centres was so remarkable that in many instances they became self-multiplying. In deserving cases relief was administered free, and yet the income from several of the centres not only enabled the need of suitable buildings and necessary equipment to be met but the surplus helped to establish new health centres in areas where their need was most urgent. In this manner the scheme has so multiplied itself since its initiation in 1970 that by now the financial outlay alone has far exceeded a quarter of a million pounds at a modest estimate. The schools also are doing very good work and are being steadily multiplied. Fortunately, the governments of the countries concerned have been most co­ operative, helpful and appreciative of the service that the Move­ment has so eagerly and enthusiastically rendered and is rendering to their people as a practical expression of the bonds of brotherhood that operate to hold the whole of humanity together. 

Altogether the success achieved by the Nusrat Jehan Scheme has been most encouraging and gratifying and the Movement is now accepted in the countries concerned as an extremely beneficent dispensation. At several places the institutions established by the Movement have had to operate in beneficent competition with Christian missionary institutions. In every one of those cases the institutions of the Movement, starting years later than their rivals and working initially under a complexity of handicaps, soon over­ took their rivals and have by now left them far behind in several instances. It is beginning to be realised in Christian missionary circles that Islam and not Christianity would ultimately prevail in West Africa. The Nusrat Jehan Scheme limited originally to three years has by now become permanent, and it is expected that its activities will soon begin to be expanded into the neighbouring countries of West Africa. 

Ahmadiyya Centenary Fund 

The Movement was formally initiated in March 1889 and will complete its first century in March 1989. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) had directed that the centenary of the Movement should be cele­brated with great eclat. In view of this direction Khalifatul Masih III (rh) decided to make an announcement concerning the celebration of the centenary of the Movement in the Annual Conference of 1973, in which he enumerated a number of projects which he had in mind in connection with the centenary. These projects include, among others, the building of mosques in different parts of the world; the publication of the translations of the Holy Quran in French, English, Russian, Italian, Spanish and other languages; publication of the philosophy of the teachings of the Quran in suitable brochures in one hundred languages; opening new Missions of the Movement in countries where no Mission is at present established; the setting up of a large printing press at the Headquarters of the Movement; the establishment of a broadcasting station in some country of West Africa where permission for such a station might be forthcoming. It is contemplated that some form of celebration would be launched as a token in March 1989 to be continued during the rest of the year to its culmination in the Annual Conference of that year. The Khalifatul Masih called upon the Community to pledge the amount of twenty- five million rupees to finance the projects and the celebration of the centenary. He suggested that as sixteen years intervened between his announcement and the culmination of the celebrations at the end of 1989, every contributor to the Centenary Fund should pay up one-sixteenth of the amount of his contribution every year. As by the grace of God the Community is expanding daily, and a certain proportion of its youth joins the ranks of workers in gainful employ­ment every year, it is expected that the target of financial contribu­tions aimed at when the announcement was first made would be more than doubled by the end of 1989. 

Mosques 

In the meantime, some of the projects included in the centenary programme have already been put in hand and are being proceeded with. One of them was completed in August 1976. This is a beautiful mosque built on an eminence in the city of Gothenburg which serves as a beacon of spiritual light for miles around. The opening ceremony was performed by Khalifatul Masih III (rh) and attracted a large con­ course of people from all over Europe. There is a large Community of Ahmadi Muslims in Gothenburg, the membership of which was enlarged by several people joining the Movement on the occasion of the opening of the mosque. (Another was the mosque at Pedrobad near Cordoba, Spain, which was scheduled for opening on 10th September, 1982. Similarly, the Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Associ­ ation collected funds in 1980/81 for the construction of a mosque each in Italy and in a Latin American state. Ed.) 

Rabwah Incident 

The bigoted section of orthodox Muslim divines in Pakistan was much perturbed by the announcement of the Khalifatul Masih concerning the centenary celebrations which he made in December 1973. Time after time the plans that they had devised for the purpose of arresting the progress of the Movement had been frus­trated, by the grace and mercy of God, and from each trial the Movement had emerged in greater strength and reinvigorated in spirit. Rather than learn a lesson from their repeated experiences their bitterness and hostility towards the Movement had continued to mount and the announcement of the centenary celebrations put them in a mood of desperation. In the middle of 1974 they devised a plan which was aimed at provoking anger and rancour against the Ahmadiyya Community which unfortunately succeeded only too well in its immediate purpose. An incident was staged at the Rabwah railway station, which was so managed that a party of students who belonged to an organisation bitterly hostile to the Movement suc­eeded in provoking a number of Ahmadis, who happened to be present at the railway station when the train carrying the students arrived, into a conflict in which slight injuries were inflicted on some of the students in the party. At the next stop of the train preparations had already been made to receive the students as heroes who had suffered grievous injuries in the cause of Islam at the hands of the members of the Movement. Fiery speeches were made and the incident was painted in lurid colours. The utterly false and mislead­ing accounts of the incident were further embroidered in the press next morning, with the addition of such false, fictitious and horrify­ing details as that the students had been cruelly maimed, that some of them had their tongues cut out and that others had their genitals cut off. This sent a wave of horror throughout the province and all sorts of premeditated atrocities were let loose against the members of the Movement. In the inquiry subsequently conducted by a Judge of the Lahore High Court into the incident, it was established by the medical evidence produced that all the injuries alleged to have been received by some of the students were simple bruises and scars and not a single one of them was grievous. 

For reasons undisclosed the report of the inquiry has not been published so far. This lends colour to the speculation that the administration does not come out too well in the report. Be that as it may, it is a fact that in the widespread disorders that followed upon the Rabwah incident, as it came to be known, a number of Ahmadis were killed, maimed and injured, and there was large-scale looting and destruction of properties of Ahmadis. In not a single instance did the police or the civil authorities intervene to extend their protection to the victims of violence, no investigation was made into any of the numerous outrages committed against the persons and properties of the Ahmadis, no one was arrested or tried in respect of any of them, and no compensation was awarded to any Ahmadi for the loss inflicted upon him. There were several instances in which the police openly and actively encouraged the unruly and disorderly elements to do their worst. 

The Community again set an example of perfect steadfastness under extreme suffering and complete confidence in God. The bereaved and the afflicted managed to make their way to the Head­ quarters of the Movement, where the Khalifatul Masih applied the healing balm of compassion and love to their lacerated souls and sent them back comforted and consoled. They came with grief stricken, gloomy faces and went back smiling and cheerful. 

Certain measures of relief and rehabilitation had to be under­ taken by the Community, and by the grace of God these proved most fruitful. Within a short time were witnessed numerous striking instances in which those who had suffered heavy, and in some cases crippling, losses were not only able to re-establish themselves but achieved a degree of prosperity higher than that which they had enjoyed before the disturbances. Boycotts of the Community were organised in several places which imposed great hardship upon the members of the Movement who were affected by them, especially women, children and old people. On the whole, however, the Community at large emerged from the trial stronger, more united and in greater vigour than had been the case before the trouble started. This was something that puzzled the opponents of the Movement and which they were not able to comprehend. They felt that a greater effort on their part was called for in order to coerce the members of the Movement into submissions. They began to agitate that the Movement should, by legislative action, be declared outside the pale of Islam. They prevailed upon the Prime Minister to make a declaration that appropriate action would be taken in the National Assembly to achieve that end. At the start of the session of the Assembly a resolution sponsored by the government was moved, the purport of which was to declare that the members of the Ahmadiyya Movement were not Muslims for the purpose of the law and the constitution. During the debates on the resolution the Khalifatul Masih was invited to make an exposition of the beliefs and teachings of the Movement before a committee composed of the total membership of the National Assembly. He was examined at great length by the Attorney General on the minutest details of the beliefs, doctrines and teachings of the Movement. The whole proceeding boomeranged upon the sponsors and promoters of the resolution and served to make them appear inconsistent and ridicu­lous even in their own eyes. Nevertheless, the Assembly was dragooned into adopting the resolution with the requisite majority and it was sent up to the Senate for its approval, which was accorded within a few hours. Despite repeated requests the proceedings of the Committee of the National Assembly have not yet been made public, which is sure proof that the opponents of the Movement did not emerge with any credit from the proceedings, though through their large numbers and by outrageous abuse of the process of legislation they achieved their immediate objective. Nobody appears, however, to be certain what exactly is the import of the resolution. Attempts have been made to manipulate the resolution for the purpose of depriving the members of the Movement of the benefit of the fundamental right embedded in the constitution guaranteeing to every citizen freedom to profess and practise his religion and to establish and maintain his religious institutions. Such attempts as have been made the subject of judicial determination have only backfired against their proponents.

But as has always been the case in the history of the Movement, this is only one side of the picture. The whole chain of events, beginning with the Rabwah incident, stimulated a surprising degree of interest in the Movement in the minds of the serious section of the people of Pakistan, so much so that within a few weeks of the adoption of the resolution of 7th September by the National Assembly, all the material for propaganda at the Headquarters of the Movement was exhausted by a very brisk demand for it. Seekers after truth began to arrive at the Headquarters daily in large numbers to look at everything themselves, and to ascertain by direct personal inquiries the differences that separated the Movement from the bulk of the Muslims and to determine where did the truth reside. This type of curiosity was most welcome to the workers of the Movement and they strove to satisfy it completely objectively with most beneficent results. But the factor that proved most effec­tive in this context was the personality of the Khalifatul Masih, his urbane temperament, his winning smile, the love that shone forth from his eyes and his uniform courtesy extended to everyone with­ out discrimination. In a large majority of cases the visitors decided to join the Movement while they were still at Rabwah, and the rest followed suit within a few days of their return home. As final decision to keep out of the Movement was extremely rare. The enthusiasm and eagerness of the new entrants into the Movement has been most remarkable; their conformity to the teachings of Islam as interpreted by the Movement has been exemplary. Under this impulse membership of the Movement has risen steadily at a rate much in excess of that which had come to be regarded as normal, and a large number of new branches have been established. The hostility of the bigoted Muslim divines towards the Movement has by no means been assuaged, though the eruption of violence against the members of the Movement has subsided to an extent. 

Thus, the Movement has every reason to be beholden to its extreme opponents for serving as a stimulant arousing healthy curiosity about the Movement. 

Such was the crisis of 1974. These crises have so far recurred with surprising regularity in the history of the Movement at intervals of approximately twenty years: 1914,1934,1953-54 and 1974. 

LOVE FOR ALL-HATRED FOR NONE 

‘God has also told me that He shall bestow a son unto me who will be a Nasir (Helper) of the faith and devoted to the service of Islam.’ (Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II, Tahrikhe Ahmadiyyat, Vol. IV, p.320) 

The foregoing pages of this special edition would have con­vinced everyone that this disciplinarian possessed a firm but gentle disposition which was characterised by shyness and modesty, not timid but filled with humility. When the occasion so demanded, he did not fail to provide dashing leadership. 

He had been called to his exalted office at a mature age in the face of the most poignant tragedy of his revered father’s death and, by the grace and mercy of God Almighty, had proved himself an inexhaustible source of comfort and consolation to all members of the Movement, not only at that critical juncture in the fortunes of the Community but through the series of crises with which the Movement had been faced from time to time during his Khilafat. 

Before Khilafat, he had addressed the Annual Gathering of the Community and was acknowledged as a mediocre speaker. That remark perhaps does great injustice to him. In the living presence of his father, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) , the master of oratory and debate, even the very best could have been considered well below average. Nonetheless, those who knew Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) often pay tribute to the metamorphic revolution which changed him overnight to a polished speaker. He could certainly hold captive audiences spell-bound with his deep insight of virtually all subjects with a special ability to disarm press reporters who tried to fox him into saying something he never meant to say. His charming smile alone did more damage to their mischief than a thousand words could, yet he derided none of them. 

He had envisaged a plan whereby each hotel room would contain a copy of the Holy Quran. In this way, he not only intended indirectly to vie with the Gideon Society but to broadcast the message of the Holy Quran that had lived with him throughout his life. 

He was equally a keen naturalist. He could look at trees and ask whether anyone had wondered why an apparently green leaf fell to the ground before a withered one did. On bees and the subject of honey, he could have left experts miles behind. He made famous among the Community things like vitamin compounds, royal jelly, ginseng, fruit juice, soya beans, etc., and dreaded the thought that the West was breeding a generation fed on prepared fast foods, straight from the freezer, while good-styled home-baked fresh foods were being ignored. 

Among his other pastimes were photography: he possessed a keen balance of sharpness and exposure; and ambling, outings, hunting, horse-riding and breeding and cycling. There is an all­ Pakistan basketball annual championship held in his name. He pursued these hobbies without in any way affecting the onerous responsibilities of Khilafat to which office he was absolutely dedi­cated. Each day’s mailbag brought hundreds of letters from all over the world, some conveying grief, happiness, or request for advice, or supplications. On top of this he kept himself abreast with world events and reports from departmental heads and Jama’ats. His remedy for this was to ask for more letters from everyone, particu­larly the younger members and children for whom he had a very soft spot in his heart. He opened all his letters personally, read each one of them and wrote his reply on it for his secretaries to write out formally and later sign each of those replies having read it in full. His day began early in the morning while everyone was asleep and continued till late at night. That was the routine he had got accustomed to in his life. 

He had been deeply impressed by the Chinese revolution where political change was not made at the cost of culture or religion. He was nonetheless very critical of communism in its failure to define human needs; he gave this a much broader and detailed definition under the economic system of Islam. Although he was aware of the political changes that went around, he steered clear of direct involvement in it other than making comment on it. Perhaps his greatest passion was the promotion of peace. He rarely missed the opportunity of drawing the attention of the world to the vanity of nuclear arms race in which the two opposing camps stood poised not only to threaten world peace but make few efforts to arrest the malaise that had set in human thinking through an ungodly attitude. His numerous press conferences bore this forewarning in no un­ certain terms. 

He came at a time when the Christian world was attributing all sorts of conclusions to the inquest held on Jesus’s crucifixion. He addressed the International Conference on the Deliverance of Jesus held in London’s Royal Commonwealth Institute in June 1978 (see back cover) and challenged them to hold further meaningful dis­cussions with Islam to which their response has to date been rather disappointing. At the same time, the Muslim world stood at the cross-roads with one section rapidly losing its identity in its pursuit of western standards and another section urging a resurgence with militant overtones. He dismissed those who had sought standards other than the lofty example set by the Holy Prophet of Islam, on whom be peace. Other leaders were responsible and accountable to their own people and commanded little universal appeal. The image of Islam had been tarnished with non-Islamic acts or wild state­ments. He thus put an end, once for all, to such misunderstandings. He argued that Islam granted absolute freedom of choice in matters of faith and conscience and there was no earthly penalty prescribed for apostacy. He championed the cause of equal status for women while insisting that Muslim women observe the purdah system. He quoted a verse and traditions which indicate that stoning to death for adultery is not an Islamic punishment. He showed that under Islam, all diplomats enjoyed immunity from acts of violence or terror. 

The West had never heard such words from a Muslim leader. He was a great roving ambassador for Islam and for Pakistan, in whose national interest, in spite of the atrocities committed against him and his Community, he worked tirelessly without any thoughts of material reward. Above all, he coined the phrase by which Islam of the latter days was to be known: love FOR all-hatred for NONE. Upholding a copy of the Holy Quran, he said: ‘That is my message to the world.’ For far too long, Islam had lived under the shadow of militancy and ‘holy war’. That was not the message with which the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, won the hearts of millions-not through war, but peace; not through hatred, but love. Here was a man who laid the foundation stone for the future progress of Islam. By whatever standards we may care to judge a man, there was none better than him during his Khilafat. 

Perhaps the event that had the most profound effect on his ageing life, to which he seldom drew attention, was the callous manner in which the Punjab Government, one after the other, forfeited two separate translations of the Holy Quran. He had learnt that book by heart at a very early age. He had lived by it. He had taught his Community to teach it to all children of the Jama’at. He had spread its message to the far comers of the world. A storm of protest followed this arbitrary decision, but alas in Pakistan, on deaf ears. The world beyond recognised who was right. The for­feiture of God’s Word was an unbearable loss to him in particular.

His Khilafat ended at 00.45 in Islamabad on 8th June, 1982. On 31st May, he had suffered a severe heart attack. Doctors from Britain and America joined the team of doctors in Islamabad. Medicine was rushed through to him with great speed. He began to show signs of improvement. It seemed that the cure had begun to work as the critical stage passed. In fact, one of his last acts for the UK Jama’at was to express gratitude for their efforts and well­ wishes which had begun to pour in. Only a short while ago, he had remarried following the demise of his only spouse, Hazrat Nawab Mansoora Begum Sahiba (ra), a remarriage which was meant to connect the link with the lady members of the Community. Suddenly, a few minutes past midnight, he suffered another heart attack and then the light was gone. His wife summoned Mirza Anas Ahmad and others through him but by then it was too late. He had gone to meet his Maker, the Being he loved, not only personally, but had im­pelled others to love Him.

اِنّا لِلّهِ وَاِنّا اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُون

(Transcribed and edited by History of Ahmadiyyah UK  from the original English published in The Muslim Herald, July 1982.)