Shareefa Beevi Saheba (1951-2018)

Shareefa Beevi Esmail Saheba, the respected wife of Mukarram Amir Jamaluddin Saheb of the Kerala South Jamaat, passed away on the early morning of Thursday, the 10^th of May, 2018---23 Shabaan 1439 AH. Innal-Lilaahi wa inna ilayhi raajiuun.

Born in October 1951, Shareefa Saheba was 67 years of age at the time of her death. She was not keeping well for some months now, and the end came while she was sleeping peacefully at home. Indeed the angels came home to call her back to Allah (swt), like the Qur’an attests about the Divine decree regarding the course of all human souls: “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death; and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought” (39:43).

At home, daughter Fauzia Jamal Saheba led the other women of the family in giving a proper bath to the dead body as per Islamic rites. The funeral prayer (Salaat al-Janazah) was performed under the leadership of her husband Mukarram Amir Jamaluddin Saheb of the Kerala South Jamaat after their son Fazil Jamal and family reached home from Delhi in the late afternoon. Remaining members of the family, members of the South Jamaat, close relatives and even other Muslims outside of the Jamaat also joined the Janaza prayers at the historic Noor'ul Islam Masjid, Mathra and soon thereafter, the dead body was buried at the burial space enclave adjacent to the Masjid complex before sunset. May Allah (swt) illumine her tomb, Aameen.  

19 April 2003: A Memoir

19^th April 2003 is an important day in the annals of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya (Qadian). It was on this day that the reigning caliph of the Jamaat, Khalifatul Massih IV Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad [1928-2003], passed away in London, UK. For devout Ahmadis, the day marked the end of an era within the ‘Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya’ system established after the death and departure of Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) [1835-1908] almost a century back in Qadian, India. An important phase in the succession saga of spiritual leadership in the Ahmadiyya community, the Day marks a time of  transition from one caliph to another elected by the assembly of the Ahmadis. Indeed, as is widely known,  the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya went on to elect and appoint yet another caliph in their 'Majlis Shura', in succession to the deceased fourth caliph, the fifth Khalifatul Massih Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad on 23 April 2003, marking continuity of leadership. 

Perhaps less widely-noticed, yet a very vital, parallel development also took shape on that eventful day of 19 April 2003. Far away from London, half way across the world, in the Indian Ocean-bound island state of Mauritius, an Ahmadi who believed in the divine mission of the promised Messiah (as), a man who claimed the authority of divine revelations, began accepting Bai’at at his hands from the Ahmadis, stating that he has been bestowed with spiritual titles, including as Hazrat Amir'ul Mu'mineen of this era. Hence, many Ahmadi followers of the new Divinely-raised Muhyiuddin relate the day with the formal inaugural of a new system of ‘Khilafat’ among the Ahmadis, heralding the advent of a Divine Manifestation among the Ahmadis in this era, Alhamdulillah, Allah-u-Akbar!

Truth about the Whispering Campaign

In the Qur’an, Allah (swa) testifies through innumerable verses that He admits into His mercy whoever He will and place His message wherever He wish. Against this clear verdict and declaration of Allah (twa), the ruling elites invariably act with arrogance, contempt and ridicule at the advent of humble servants of Allah. When one reads the Holy Quran with attention and read the history of ancient prophets, one is drawn to conclude that there has always been an opposition against the men of God. They have been insulted, oppressed, persecuted and slandered. Their enemies hatched many plots to humiliate them and to stop their activities. But all the enemies' plans fail in the end, with the prophets being able to establish the Divine Message against all odds.   This is a formal promise from Allah: “Allah has decreed: Most Surely I will prevail I and My Messengers. Verily Allah is Powerful and Mighty.” (58: 22)

The Qur’an has preserved this recurring theme of history as a template of warning for Muslims against the arrogance of rejection of Divine Reformers. Yet, as it is mostly the case, like the Qur’an says, the true significance of the message being descended on the Divine servant among them eludes most people and they end up being among the group known for hatching plots and whispering calumnies against the Divine servant. They do their worst to extinguish the Light of Allah, through their mouths and by injecting hatred for the Divine servant, on the minds of common people.

Consider the experience of the present Divine Manifestation in Mauritius. Had it not been for the fact that he is a recipient of Divine revelations and has been Divinely-entrusted with a mission of preaching Islam to one and all, the life and experiences of the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius would have been the like of his fellow countrymen, the joys and sorrows of a life lived in the present. But, time and history has other plans for him. Hence, in the last decade and beyond, ever since the advent of revelations, one could see that slanderous insults had been and continues to be, leveled against Hadhrat Sahib (atba). The storm of opposition that had broken out against the Divine Manifestation in Mauritius is truly astounding. At another level, as this Divine servant once noted, “If I had not been insulted, if there were no opposition against me, you could have doubted my claims because Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “Alas for My servants! There comes not a Messenger to them; but they mock at him” (36:31).