Remember
the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the
House, praying, ‘Our Lord, accept this from us; for You
are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Our Lord, make us devoted to You; make our descendants into a community devoted to You. Show us how to worship and accept our repentance, for You are the Ever Relenting, the Most Merciful’. (2:128-129)
The
Promised Messiah, Al Imam Al Mahdi, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as)
of Qadian (1835-1908 AD) never had the chance during his lifetime to visit Makkah to offer his obeisance at the holy Ka’baa Sanctuary. Yet, some of his disciples could make that sublime
spiritual journey during his time, and one of them was Pir Munshi
Ahmad Jan. When the Pir Saheb was about
to go on Hajj pilgrimage in the year 1302 AH/ 1902 AD, Hadhrat Massih Mauod (as) gave him
several instructions on fervent prayers to be invoked on his own
behalf while at the Ka’baa Sheriff in Makkah. In this context, when the journey for
Hajj pilgrimage was to take place, the Promised Messiah (as) wrote to Pir Saheb in a
letter:
‘Remember the request of my humble and unworthy being that when by the grace of Allah the Almighty you are granted the honour of visiting the House of Allah, please pray on behalf of this humblest of Allah’s servants with great humility and submission at that praiseworthy and blessed place in the following words:
‘O Most Merciful of all the mercifuls, a servant of yours –humble, unworthy, full of shortcomings, and unskilled—Ghulam Ahmad, who resides in the country of India, prays that:
‘O Most Merciful of all the mercifuls, a servant of yours –humble, unworthy, full of shortcomings, and unskilled—Ghulam Ahmad, who resides in the country of India, prays that:
O Most Merciful, be pleased with me.
Forgive
my faults and sins, as You are Most Forgiving and Merciful.
Grant
me the ability to do what pleases you greatly.
Create
a separation between me and my self as East is separated from the
West.
Let
my life and my death and all my capacities be an offering in Your
way.
Raise
me among those who love You perfectly.
O
Most Merciful, [fulfill] the task for whose propagation You have
raised me, with Your own grace....
Complete
the arguments against the opponents and all those who are unaware of
the beauties of Islam at my hand....
Keep
me and my sincere followers and companions under Your forgiveness,
mercy... and support...
Convey
them all to the house of Your pleasure.
And
grant blessings, salam, and bounties upon your... and his progeny and
Companions. [Accept this supplication, O Lord of all the worlds.]’
It
is incumbent upon you to make this prayer on behalf of this humble
one in the presence of Allah, the Most Merciful, in the House of
Allah without changing or modifying any word.
With
greetings of peace,
The
humble one, Ghulam Ahmad
1302
AH.
(Note:
The dotted spaces indicate that the parts of the letter were
destroyed due to the lapse of time.) [al-Hakam, vol. 37, no. 5,
February 14, 1934, p. 4]
A Divine Revelation
A Divine Revelation
In this context, it is also worth remembering a Divine revelation vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah (as) on the morning of 10 April 1902 concerning the effectiveness and acceptance of those fervent prayers (made on behalf of the Promised Messiah (as) inside the House of Allah through Pir Munshi Ahmad Jan) thanks to the deep love and the great mercy of the Divine. In the aforesaid Persian revelation, Allah (swt) states:
‘My heart is troubled when I recall the supplications of a distressed one in the Sanctuary’.
The Promised Messiah (as) explained this revelation in the following words: ‘In
this revelation, by ‘distressed one’ is meant the supplicant; and
by ‘the Sanctuary’ is meant that which God [My heart has
safeguarded against ruin. The words is troubled] refer to God
Almighty; that is an indication that the supplications are effective
and speedily accepted. This is a Sign of the grace and mercy of
Allah.
Apparently,
[My heart is troubled] may seem to be an unusual phrase, but it is
similar to the phrase used in a hadith of Bukhari that
God has great hesitation in taking possession of the soul of a
believer. The Torah has also employed expressions like ‘remorseful’
[referring to God] which have been misunderstood, because people have
no cognition of this phenomenon.
The words of this revelation are a demonstration of the deep love and the great mercy of the Divine. The word ‘sanctuary’ indicates shelter and protection. [al-Hakam, vol. 6, no. 17, May 10, 1902, p. 6]
The words of this revelation are a demonstration of the deep love and the great mercy of the Divine. The word ‘sanctuary’ indicates shelter and protection. [al-Hakam, vol. 6, no. 17, May 10, 1902, p. 6]