The Islamic Renaissance: (Part 5 of the chronological account Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II’s(ra) Journey to England)

‘A Message from Heaven’ given to the people of Portsmouth

“Men and women of Portsmouth, I have brought you glad tidings, aye joyful tidings, viz., the message of God that He has not forsaken you, that the gates of His mercy have been opened to you and it is now for you to enter therein… the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) offers you a ready return. He promises you Union with God, not after death, but in this very life” ¹

– Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II^ra 

Commencing his address, titled A Message from Heaven, His Holiness^ra cited the scripture of Matthew 12:31-32, elucidating upon Jesus’^as proclamation that “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men”. He explained the imperative nature of accepting the word of God and interpreted this proclamation as indicating that rejection of the Divine message conveyed through the angel would incur punishment both in the present life and the hereafter. 

His Holiness^ra explained the consequences of rejecting God’s message:

“Similarly if the Word of God contains guidance for mankind, a contravention of it must result in pain, not because God is actuated by spite, but because the offender has chosen to tread on a path which leads to troubles and difficulties. The Word of God is not revealed in order to try mankind, but is meant to guide mankind along the only path which leads to the goal of human existence. In short, a message from Heaven is not a thing which might be ignored with impunity. It is a spiritual law, the contravention of which, like that of a physical law, is attended with penalties and deprives a man of spiritual well-being.” ⁷

He further clarified that, according to the Qur’an, the divine message from heaven was dispatched to various nations at different epochs. He expounded that:

“The name of the prophet who has brought the message of God to mankind in the present age is Ahmad, and those who accept his message and follow his teachings inherit the Grace of God, in the same manner as did those who accepted and followed the previous prophets. I am a follower of this Prophet and am also his second successor, and out of the love for our fellow-beings with which this Prophet has filled our hearts, I have come to deliver his message to you.”⁸

While explaining the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah^as, His Holiness^ra declared:

“Men and women of Portsmouth, I have brought you glad tidings, aye joyful tidings, viz., the message of God that He has not forsaken you, that the gates of His mercy have been opened to you and it is now for you to enter therein…the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) offers you a ready return. He promises you Union with God, not after death, but in this very life.” ⁹

Speaking about the prophecy of the Promised Messiah^as relating to England, he said: 

“Is it not marvellous that 34 years ago, a time when the Promised Messiah was alone in the world, he published a prophecy in one of his books, that his teachings would soon be published in England and that many people would accept them? Today you see a number of his followers proclaiming his truth throughout England, and several persons in this country have already joined his movement.” ¹⁰

He concluded his speech by emphasising that accepting the Promised Messiah^as would require sacrifice and hardships as faith cannot avail without sacrifice, and the pleasure of God is dependent upon forsaking your pleasures and desires for His sake. His conclusion was a powerful call to action: 

“Behold, God has, in accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah, raised the righteous man from the East and has conveyed His will to you through him. May I hope that you will accept him in all sincerity of heart and will be his first standard-bearers in the West? If so, I assure you out of the knowledge that God has vouchsafed to me, that nations shall be blessed through you, and future generations shall bless you, and you shall attain to immortality in God.” ¹¹

After delivering the lecture, His Holiness^ra returned to his hotel where he met with new Muslim converts, including several Ahmadis. These individuals expressed their concerns to His Holiness^ra, noting that they felt neglected, as no one came to visit them, while Christian missions were actively engaged in proselytising. His Holiness^ra reassured them that, until the establishment of the London mission, a missionary would be assigned to visit them regularly.¹² Upon his return to London, His Holiness^ra commented on these individuals:

“These individuals are very devout Ahmadis and have remained steadfast in their faith for five years. Although they have not received any assistance from us, they frequently carry advertisements and tracts on ships and engage in preaching. In this manner, they function as young Ahmadi missionaries. Such dedication is not possible without firm and unwavering faith.” ¹³

His Holiness^ra emphasised that Portsmouth was an excellent location for their work, as agreed by Maulvi Mubarak Ali^rh, who suggested establishing a mosque there instead of in London. His Holiness^ra also praised Abdullah Quilliam, whose approach to reasoning and preaching aligned with his own views. Abdullah Quilliam shared an incident with His Holiness^ra, mentioning that he had worked diligently to spread the message of Islam, but people were initially unresponsive. Consequently, he joined the Temperance Society and gave a lecture against alcohol. He detailed the Prophet Muhammad’s^sa efforts in Arabia, and a listener approached him after the lecture, recognizing the miracle of ridding Arabia of alcohol and asked:

“It was a miracle to rid Arabia of alcohol, which clearly shows divine intervention. Why not consider the Prophet who achieved this as God’s beloved and why don’t we become Muslims ourselves?” ¹⁴

Quilliam revealed to him that he was already Muslim, inspiring the listener to also convert. His Holiness^ra praised Quilliam’s effective preaching method, emphasising that true dedication indeed brings divine assistance.¹⁵

A Sitting with Indian Students

On 15^th September, 1924, His Holiness^ra attended an event organised by Indian students studying in Britain. During the event, Mr. Sehgal, a Hindu student from Lahore, delivered a speech on behalf of all the students. He expressed gratitude to His Holiness^ra for graciously accepting their invitation and articulated the widespread dissatisfaction with contemporary Christianity in the West. Mr. Sehgal noted that even traditionally Orthodox Christian Russia had rejected it in favour of communism. He pointed out that this dissatisfaction also extends to countries like Germany, France, Italy, and England, where people are unknowingly embracing the simplicity and essence of Islamic teachings. He further emphasised that Europe is in search of religious truth, which Christianity fails to provide, and asserted that Islam is the only religion capable of addressing their spiritual queries. Additionally, he requested His Holiness^ra to work towards Indian unity, which he emphasised is a prerequisite for the country’s progress and welfare.¹⁶ 

His Holiness^ra responded in Urdu, with Hazrat Chaudary Zafrullah Khan^ra providing an English translation for those who did not understand. His Holiness expressed appreciation for their comments and sympathies, and he concurred with the points they raised. He elaborated on the universal nature of Islam, emphasising that those who diligently pursue this cause will ultimately achieve their goals. He further noted that if Islam is presented to the Western world in its true form, there is no reason why it would not be accepted. His Holiness^ra stated:

“The truth of Islam is proven through reason and experience, and I firmly believe that if Islam is presented in its true form, it will undoubtedly spread throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and indeed the entire world because it has come for the whole world. There is no other religion that is universal. The Holy Qur’an contains the prophecy of its spread across the world and its dominance over all other religions, as it says: ‘He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions.’ This means that Allah Almighty sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion, with the purpose of making this religion prevail over all others and uniting all religions under one faith. We are certain that this will happen, and it is also an established fact that this is the time for it, and all our efforts are directed towards this goal.” ¹⁷

His Holiness^ra concluded by stressing the importance of sincerity, stating that India cannot truly prosper until Hindus and Muslims achieve genuine unity based on heartfelt sincerity rather than mere lip service. On 20^th September, 1924, His Holiness^ra also hosted a group of Indian students who inquired about loyalty to a non-Muslim government and posed questions related to theology, jurisprudence, and socio-political matters concerning governance in Islam.¹⁸

Protest Meeting at Essex Hall Strand

He then emphasised that the primary purpose of attending this meeting was to dispel the notion that the actions of the Emir of Afghanistan are representative of Islam. Islam, in fact, guarantees complete religious freedom , thus, “no individual has the right to attribute this action to Islam.” ²¹

He stated that the second purpose was to express disapproval of the Emir of Afghanistan’s actions, hoping that this consensus of disapproval might lead to his reform. He explained that as far as their mission is concerned, it cannot be deterred. He mentioned receiving twenty telegrams from individuals volunteering to go to Afghanistan to continue the mission of NImatullah Khan^rh , and that Hazrat Chaudary Zafrullah Khan^ra had also expressed the same desire. He said: “Among our eight hundred thousand people, whether man, woman, or child, each one is prepared to traverse the path that Naeematullah Khan Shaheed chose”. He concluded by stressing that, irrespective of our differing governments and nations, our common humanity mandates and upholds the freedom of conscience for all.²² A resolution was adopted and subsequently submitted to the United Nations, urging a severe condemnation and a strong protest against the inhumane and treacherous actions that contravened its earlier proclamation of religious liberty within its dominions.

On September 19^th, 1924, His Holiness^ra led Jumu’ah prayers at his residence in Putney. During this time, he received the sad news of the passing of a sincere Ahmadi, Adam Ado Yaqub^rh, who served as the president of our executive committee in Nigeria. His Holiness^ra led Janaza prayers in absentia for Adam Ado Yaqub^rh, along with other deceased members of the Jamaat. Later that afternoon, Sir Denison Ross, president of the Wembley Conference, paid a visit to His Holiness^ra. During their meeting, Sir Denison Ross highlighted the considerable interest shown by the press in His Holiness’ visit, with extensive coverage in various publications. He also commended the translation work of the Holy Qur’an carried out by the community, particularly the translation of the first part, and encouraged further translation of subsequent chapters into English. In addition, His Holiness^ra provided insights into George Sale’s translation, noting its reliance on an Italian translation and that Sale had not consulted any other Qur’anic commentary apart from Tafsir Baidawi.²³

Lecture at St Luke Hall, Spiritualist Society Clapham & a Meeting with Colonel Douglas

On the evening of September 19^th, 1924, His Holiness^ra received an invitation to deliver a lecture titled Life After Death at St. Luke Hall, organised by the Spiritualist Society in Clapham. Mr. Habibullah Lovegrove, an English Muslim convert to Islam, introduced His Holiness^ra to the audience. 

After the lecture, the society’s president expressed her gratitude to His Holiness^ra and remarked on the universal belief in the concept of life after death. His Holiness^ra proceeded to spend an additional twenty minutes engaging in conversation with the attendees.²⁴

On the following day, September 20^th, two Nigerians from Lagos, one who was an Ahmadi and the other who was close to joining the Jama’at, came to visit His Holiness^ra. On the 21^st, His Holiness^ra met with Colonel Douglas, who had exonerated the Promised Messiah^as from a false murder case in 1897, declaring Dr. Clark’s accusations as fabricated stories.²⁵ Colonel Douglas expressed with great affection: “you are the son of my friend; I consider your honourable father a friend”. Colonel Douglas then inquired, “Have you come to attend the conference?” His Holiness^ra remarked that the conference was not the ultimate goal; however, it was indeed a catalyst: “I am here with the purpose of studying the prevailing conditions in European countries to propose a permanent scheme for the dissemination of Islam.” ²⁶

His Holiness^ra and Colonel Douglas discussed the situation of Indian politics. Following their meeting, a photograph was taken featuring Colonel Douglas with His Holiness^ra.²⁷

Click here for part 6:
https://history.ahmadiyya.uk/the-islamic-renaissance-part-6-of-the-chronological-account-hazrat-khalifatul-masih-iisra-journey-to-england/

References:

1. The Review of Religions (1924) October, p. 345 ↩︎
2. Bhai, Abdul Rehman Sahib, Safar-e-Europe, Rabwah: Zia Press. pp. 225-226 ↩︎
3.  Ibid, p. 234 ↩︎
4. Ibid, p. 252 ↩︎
5. Ibid, p.253 ↩︎
6. Ibid, pp. 260-261 ↩︎
7. The Review of Religions (1924) October, p. 334 ↩︎
8. Ibid, p. 337 ↩︎
9.  Ibid, p. 345 ↩︎
10.  Ibid, p. 349 ↩︎
11.  Ibid, p. 370 ↩︎
12.  Ibid, pp. 262-263 ↩︎
13.  Ibid, p. 258, p. 263 ↩︎
14.  Bhai, Abdul Rehman Sahib, Safar-e-Europe, Rabwah: Zia Press. p. 280 ↩︎
15. Ibid. ↩︎
16. Fazl-e-Umar Foundation. Anwarul Uloom, Vol. 8. Surrey: Raqeem Press. pp. 488-490 ↩︎
17.  Ibid, p. 491 ↩︎
18. Ibid, pp. 503-518 ↩︎
19.  Ibid, pp. 292-294 ↩︎
20. Bhai, Abdul Rehman Sahib, Safar-e-Europe, Rabwah: Zia Press. p. 291; Fazl-e-Umar Foundation. Anwarul Uloom, Vol. 8. Surrey: Raqeem Press pp. 501-502 ↩︎
21. Ibid. ↩︎
22. Ibid. ↩︎
23.  Al-Fazl (1924) 21 October p. 3 ↩︎
24. Ibid. ↩︎
25.  Ahmad, R. (2022) https://history.ahmadiyya.uk/debates-with-the-christian-clergy/, History of Ahmadiyya UK (website). 16 October ↩︎
26. Al-Fazl (1924) 21 October p.4 ↩︎
27. Al-Fazl (1924) 8 November, p.4 ↩︎