Hazrat Maulana Noor-ud-deen (ra) and the establishment of the Ahmadiyya UK Mission

Hazrat Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen^ra (1841-1914) was born in Bhera in Shahpur, Punjab. His venerable genealogy is traced back to Hazrat Umar^ra, the second successor (khalifa) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa. His familial legacy was marked by a profound commitment to the Holy Qur’an, with his father, Hafiz Ghulam Rasul, and several forefathers having memorised the entire Qur’an.

He was an experienced physician and Islamic scholar noted for his knowledge of the Qu’ran. While in Jammu he came across the writings of the Promised Messiah^as and decided to visit him  in Qadian. As soon as he saw the Promised Messiah^as he was convinced that he had  found what he needed. He would be the first to pledge allegiance to the Promised Messiah^as in 1889^[1]. In turn the Promised Messiah^as wrote about him:

How fortunate would it be if everyone of the Community were Noor-ud-Deen (light of guidance).
If every heart is full of truth, then the goal is achieved^[2]

After the death of the Promised Messiah^as, his companions unanimously decided to elect him as a Khalifa (successor). The Khilafat of Hazrat Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, Khalifatul Masih I^ra lasted for a period of six years from 1908 to his demise in 1914.

After his appointment one of the first works of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra was to inaugurate an Ahmadiyya seminary Madrasa Ahmadiyya in remembrance of the Promised Messiah^as whose wish was to establish an institute where missionaries and scholars for the propagation of Islam can be produced^[3]. 

After the Promised Messiah^as had initiated the propagation of Islam to the West, Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen^as continued this mission with great zeal by dispatching missionaries out of India and the first of these was to Woking, England.

The story of the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking started with Jewish born educator and polymath Gottlieb Leitner who built it to accompany the Oriental Institute in 1889. After his death non-Muslims would completely govern the fate of the Mosque. At one-point Leitner’s son looked to sell it^[4]. Responsibility for its future fell to Leitner’s children. Unfortunately, with the closure of the Oriental Institute after Leitner’s passing, access to the mosque became restricted, requiring a permit for visitation. This restriction was met with disapproval from the Muslim community, as it hindered the mosque’s original purpose of worship and promoting Islam^[5].

Non-Muslims governed the fate of the Shah Jahan Mosque for years. Leitner’s children sought to sell the mosque but legal proceedings resulted in its placement under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State of India’s office. Three trustees, Sir Abbas Ali Baig, Professor T.W. Arnold and Syed Ameer Ali, who were already members of the London Mosque Fund, were appointed to oversee its affairs^[6].

The London Mosque Fund as mentioned earlier in the section on the Historical Overview of Islam in Britain was a separate body that had been established in November 1910 through the efforts of Ameer Ali and other influential Muslims to build a mosque in London^[7]. However it would take a significant amount of time for the London Mosque Fund to make the mosque functional^[8].

Indeed it would be Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra who would revitalise the Woking Mosque. In life and in death Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen^ra was key in the story of the Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking. He did it without ever stepping foot in England. He would be fundamental in so many ways. He asked Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din who was a lawyer and had come to England to resolve a legal case to investigate the defunct Shah Jahan Mosque. This prompted Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din and Hazrat Zafrullah Khan^ra, a student of Law in London to visit the Mosque in January 1913^[9]. Subsequently, Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din’s further efforts facilitated his assumption of managerial responsibilities for the mosque and his appointment as its Imam^[10]. Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen^ra gave directions to both for their careers and for the propagation of Islam^[11].

(Hazrat Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, Khalifatul Masih I^ra , instructs Khawaja Kamaludeen
to enquire about the Woking Mosque)

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra provided constant guidance through correspondence over the period of two years to re-establish a congregation and an Islamic presence in England.

The legacy of Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen^ra would still figure in Woking even after he passed away. At that point there was no English translation of the Qur’an that was widely available produced by a Muslim in the early 20^th Century that was available in England or America.  It was the crying need of the time to connect the Western world with the Islam. It was his explanatory notes and exposition that would form the basis of the first mass produced English translation of the Holy Qur’an in 1917 that would be published from the Shah Jahan Mosque^[12].

Maulana Muhammad Ali who was appointed by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra to translate the Holy Qur’an into English would write the following:

And lastly, the greatest religious leader of the present time, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, has inspired me with all that is best in this work. I have drunk deep at the fountain of knowledge which this great Reformer — Mujaddid of the present century and founder of the Ahmadiyyah Movement — has made to flow. There is one more person whose name I must mention in this connection, the late Maulawi Hakim Nur al-Din, who in his last long illness patiently went through much the greater part of the explanatory notes and made many valuable suggestions. To him, indeed, the Muslim world owes a deep debt of gratitude as the leader of the new turn given to the exposition of the Holy Qur’an. He has done his work and passed away silently, but it is a fact that he spent the whole of his life in studying the Holy Qur’an, and must be ranked with the greatest expositors of the Holy Book^[13]

Whilst British Muslims had been unable to organise themselves into a sustainable community, Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Din^ra saw a ready-made place of worship for Ahmadi Muslims to commence their mission. In a matter of a few months Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din wrote back to the Khalifa^ra having taken charge of the Mosque and established regular congregational prayers concluding this is all due to the grace of God and your prayers sir^[14].

After the Shah Jahan Mosque was re-opened there was an increased demand for Khawaja’s services. He even had to decrease his own workload at one point for his own health. The difficulty is that I am alone he would write^[15]. He would repeat his request^[16]: if even one person comes over (from India) to free me from the work of the magazine, I can spend the whole year giving lectures. He would echo his concerns again: my isolation is not only distressing but it also hampers the work^[17].

The First Ahmadi Muslim Missionary to England

Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra

(Islam has come to England to stay and it will flourish and take firm root in this land, in spite of the overwhelming efforts which are being made all over the world to suppress it )^[18]

At this time Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen^ra appealed for members to step forward and volunteer to dedicate their life for the propagation of Islam in England. Aged 26 Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra was dispatched to Woking becoming the first official Ahmadi Muslim missionary to England^[19]. Arriving in England the new environment was unsettling. His eyes were affected. The meals were not to his taste and the neighbourhood not to his liking^[20].

Nonetheless he worked under Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din in a committed manner and was ready to do as was instructed^[21]. Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra was utterly devoted and dedicated^[22].. Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra commenced his duties as a missionary in 1913 serving the UK mission until 1916. After a brief pause he resumed his commitment from 1919 to May 1921. He became the first Muslim missionary in this country sent purely with the purpose of preaching Islam to the English masses. As an Ahmadi missionary: he lived in the mosque, wrote articles, led the Islamic worship and delivered talks. What put Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal’s^ra stamp on the Shah Jahan was the engagement with the Christian clergy, it shook them. One local reporter noted in 1914 that Hazrat Chaudhury Fateh Muhammad Sayal’s^ra lecture from beginning to end was an attempt to summarise in as lucidly as possible a manner the actual teachings of Islam^[23].

At another time he was to commence a series of lectures, the first entitled the Mutual Relation Between Islam and Christianity. It rained all day but in spite of that the room was packed. One commentator wrote think for a moment what this signified. Empty churches are the rule rather than the exception^[24].

An ideologue who was unrelenting in his attacks of Islam was Reverend Weitbrecht who was a Christian missionary who served in Batala, which was near Qadian so he was familiar with the Promised Messiah^as. He writes: having been personally acquainted with the founder of the sect to which they belong, and having followed its course in India for a generation, I know fairly well what their teaching is^[25]. While delivering the address Islam in India in Surrey, Weitbrecht acknowledged that Islam was no longer just a theory but was knocking at their very doors^[26]. He would go on to attack Islam by alleging that the punishment for apostasy is death, and criticised the religion for its practices of slavery and polygamy. Weitbrecht asserted that Muslims were adopting Christian ideals and introducing Christian principles into their faith^[27]. Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra refuted Weitbrecht’s calumnious charges and false allegations. Quoting Qur’anic verses Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra disproved the claims of compulsion in Islam and addressed allegations regarding slavery. Slavery had been made practically impossible after the institutional laws of Islam were revealed he said^[28]. The robust activity at Woking for the propagation of Islam by Hazrat Fateh Muhammad Sayal^ra is reflected in Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din’s April 1914 report: the lectures at Woking are proving very successful. Reporters from local papers also come. Our opponents are apprehensive, and are continuing the series of rival lectures^[29]. Even the Christian clergy were astonished by the turnout to the Shah Jahan Mosque ^[30]

^[1] Khan, Zafrullah (2006) Hadrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din (2^nd edition) Surrey: Islam International Publications. p. 70-85

^[2] Ahmad, Mirza Ghulam. Nishaan-i-Aasmani in Ruhani Khaza’in Vol. 4. p. 411

^[3] Shahid, Maulana Dost (2007). Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat Vol. 3 Qadian: Nazarat-Nashro Ishaat p. 278

^[4]‘ ‘Oriental Institute’ (1901) Surrey Times and County Express. Nov 29, p. 7

^[5]  Geaves, Ron. Islam and Britain (2017). London: Bloomsbury. p.  77

^[6] Indenture of the Woking Mosque. Available from: https://www.wokingmuslim.org/history/indenture.pdf (Accessed on 30/05/24).

^[7] Royal Historical Society Camden Fifth Series (2011) INTRODUCTION. Volume 38 , July , pp. 1 – 80. Available from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/royal-historical-society-camden-fifth-series/article/introduction/98A2885338F9A231BD1C951D63F32C16 (Accessed on 30/05/2024)

^[8] ‘The London Mosque Fund’ (2011) Camden Fifth Series, 38, pp. 81–288

^[9] Badr (1913) 27 February, pp. 6-7

^[10] ‘The London Mosque Fund’ (2011) Camden Fifth Series, 38, pp. 81–288

^[11] Badr (1912)31 October; Khan, M.Z. (2014) Tehdise Nemat (Recollection of Divine Favours). Translated from Urdu by Kunwar Idris. Qadian: Zafar & Sons.  p. 26

^[12] Ali, Maulvi Muhammad (1917) The Holy Qur’an: Containing the Arabic Text with English Translation and Commentary. Woking: The Islamic Review Office, Oriental Road, Surrey, England; Malik Samina (2011) ‘In Memory of Maulana Muhammad Ali’. Basharaat-E-Ahmadiyya. pp. 4; Ali, Maulana Muhammad (1935) The Holy Qur’an Containing the Arabic Text With English

^[13] Ali, Maulana Muhammad. The Holy Qur’an Containing the Arabic Text With English Translation and Commentary (Third Edition) (1935) Ahmadiyya Anjuman -i-Ishaat -Islam. Lahore, Punjab, India pp. v- viii

^[14] Badr (1913) 4–11 September 1913, p.3

^[15] ‘Another Lady(1913) Badr, 17 April, pp. 1–2

^[16] Al-Badr (1913) 5 June, p. 5

^[17] Al-Badr (1913) 19 June, p. 3

^[18] Sayal, F.M(1914) ‘Christian and Islamic Ideals’. Surrey Herald, 19 June, p. 3

^[19] Shahid, Maulana Dost (2007). Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat Vol. 3 Qadian: Nazarat-Nashro Ishaat p. 457-459; Al-Fazl (1916) 4-8 April; Al-Fazl, (1956) 25 December, p. 5; Al-Fazl (1957) 1 Jan

^[20] Khan, M.Z. (2014) Tehdise Nemat (Recollection of Divine Favours) Translated from Urdu by Kunwar Idris. Qadian: Zafar & Sons. pp. 96-100

^[21] Al Hakam (2021) ‘100 Years Ago… – The Ahmadiyya and Woking missions: A glance at the results of their efforts,’ Al Hakam, 13 November

^[22]  Khan, M.Z. (2014) Tehdise Nemat (Recollection of Divine Favours). Translated from Urdu by Kunwar Idris. Qadian: Zafar & Sons. pp. 280 – 285

^[23] Lloyd, A. ‘The Mutual Relation Between Islam and Christianity (1914) Islamic Review and Muslim India. February, pp. 54-56

^[24] Ibid

^[25] The Woking News and Mail (1914) 27 March, p. 6

^[26] Surrey Advertiser, 11 March 1914, p. 3

^[27] The Woking News and Mail (1914) 13 March, p. 8

^[28] ‘The Recent Missionary Meeting. Christianity and Islam’ (1914) A Reply. Woking News & Mail. 20 March, p. 5

^[29] Paigham Sulh (1914) 23 April, p. 1

^[30] Paigham Sulh (1914) 14 April, p. 2-3