Remembering our beloved Imam

PROMISED MESSIAH DAY

As you very well know, the 23^rd day of March commemorates for all Ahmadi Muslims worldwide an exceptional day in the history of mankind when a devout and highly spiritual soul, i.e. the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) took from his companions the oath of allegiance. This major event happened in the year 1889 after the Promised Messiah (as) had received repeated revelations from Allah to do so.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (as) thus founded Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and went on throughout his life on earth to devote his time and energy to calling people to Allah and to share with them all the blessed revelations he used to received from Allah.

THE FAMILY BACKGROUND OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH (AS)

The Promised Messiah (as) Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) belonged to the well-known Persian clan by the name of Barlas. In the year 1530 A.D., one of his ancestors, Mirza Hadi Baig migrated from his hometown Samarkand (in the province of Khurasan in the present day Uzbekistan) to India, along with two hundred of his companions that included his relatives and staff. He was a noble man and a scholar and a saintly figure. India was then under the rule of the Mogul emperor Babar.

Mirza Hadi Baig was granted a large extent of land by the emperor and he thus selected an unpopulated area thereof, some seventy miles northeast of Lahore, to settled down with his clan. He founded the town which he named Islampur and became its overall Chief and Qazi (Islamic Magistrate). With the passage of time, the name Islampur went through a series of changes and came to be called Islampur Qadi, and then Qadi, and finally it became known as Qadian, it's  present day appellation.

'Al Ahzab', Verses 42-49: A Commentary

O you who believe, remember Allah with much remembrance, And exalt Him morning and afternoon. It is He who confers blessing upon you, and His angels (also) that He may bring you out from darknesses into the light. And ever is He, to the believers, Merciful. Their greeting the Day they meet Him will be, "Peace." And He has prepared for them a noble reward. O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a Witness and a Bringer of good tidings and a Warner. And one who invites to Allah, by His permission, and an illuminating Lamp. And give good tidings to the believers that they will have from Allah great bounty. And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites; Disregard their noxious talk and rely upon Allah. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs. (Al-Ahzab 33: 42-49).

The Prophet as “Shahidan”: Witness for the people

Just before these Quranic verses, there is the mention of Khatam-an-Nabiyyin and these verses are verily linked with the subject of Khatam-an-Nabiyyin. As the Holy Prophet (pbuh) came for the entire universe, thus, he is a Witness for one and all. And this has been proved in the other verses of the Quran also, that Muhammad (pbuh) is a Witness for all the other prophets. Therefore, “Shahidan” means that 'We have sent you as a witness for all people, be it from the past, the present and the future also. You are a witness over all the past prophets and also the prophets who shall come in the future also. You are also a Warner for all of them', which means that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was to be a witness for the people who came before him and those who would come after him. Now, how can the Holy Prophet (pbuh) become a witness for the people whom he had not directly encountered/ met? This verily means that he (pbuh) shall become like a measure to test/ try the faith and deeds of the others.

It is the testimonial of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) which shall determine if the deed is good or not. He shall also act as a measure to test the works of the other prophets, be them past prophets and those of the future also. And now you can see how this verse is linked with the verse which mentions 'Khâtim'. Khâtim means someone who attests and he makes that particular attestation through a testimonial. If it is a good testimonial, then, through a seal, this becomes all the more a great proof that the attestation is grand and viable. Therefore, Khâtim means a measure which can deliver this testimonial for all past people, and those of the present and future also.

It is verily the example of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) which is used as a means to judge the stages and stations and actions of the past, present and future prophets. Through the words and instructions of the prophets, all these are used as measurements to determine if those prophets are deserving of forgiveness or punishment.

Poem: 'Divine Love'

Divine Love builds up faith,

Even when you are lost and frightened

 it gives you the necessary strength to pursue your goal,

It cures the hardened heart and brightens it with patience,

It brings the essence of unity to a state of devotion,

Divine Love gives true pursuers of truth the true essence of belonging,

It rejects the very stamina of hatred

and pierced the heart with the beauty of forgiveness,

The love devine the treasure of the heart,

When it puts forward its very life as sweet sacrifice

in the path of its Lord and Master,

Nothing is as compared to this true devotion,

Not when the heavens has brought forward this secret as the secret of destiny,

Those who want to achieve this precious station have sacrificed their all for this very cause,

The Lord knows no hatred; He knows only Love,

His Divine Love is in every one of you,

Cherish the gift of the heart which He has made sacred,

Love is devotion; devotion to your Lord;

devotion to your family and devotion to all the people living on the land of the Lord,