أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ

أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ۔ اِیَّا کَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔

اِھْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔

Today is the 20th of February, and this day is known in the Ahmadiyya Community in connection with the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud [the Promised Reformer]. The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had sought a sign from Allah the Exalted to prove the truth of Islam, because the attacks of non-Muslims upon Islam had reached their extreme. Therefore, he (peace be upon him) undertook a period of seclusion and prayer, and Allah the Exalted, as a result of the acceptance of his prayer, informed him of an extraordinary sign. I shall not go into its details at this time. I have delivered several sermons on this subject before. Moreover, every year, gatherings are held in the Jama'at in connection with the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud. At those gatherings too, scholars and speakers speak on this subject. These details continue to come before the Jama'at. This year too, InshaAllah, they will. Gatherings are being held these days. Today, I shall present before you, in the words of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) himself, what he said on various occasions regarding the prophecy. It is not possible to cover all aspects. I shall present a few points and a few references.

In 1944, while describing the background of the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Exactly fifty-eight years ago today, at the start of the fifty-ninth year, on the 20th of February 1886 (this was the Hoshiarpur address), in this city of Hoshiarpur, in the house that is right before my pointing finger (where he was delivering the address; the house was right in front of the field) — it was a house that at that time was called a 'taweelah,' which means it was not the primary place of residence but rather one of the surplus houses of a nobleman where perhaps a guest might occasionally stay, or they had made it into a storage area, or animals were tied there as needed — an obscure person from Qadian, whom even the people of Qadian did not fully know, upon seeing the opposition that people bore against Islam and the Founder of Islam, came to this place to worship his God in seclusion and to seek a sign of His help and support, and for forty days, remaining apart from people, he supplicated before his God. After forty days of prayers, God gave him a sign. That sign was that I will not only fulfill the promises I have made to you and will carry your name to the ends of the earth, but to fulfill this promise with greater glory, I will grant you a son who will be endowed with certain special qualities. He will spread Islam to the ends of the earth. He will explain to people the deep knowledge of the Divine Word. He will be a sign of mercy and grace, and he will be granted both religious and worldly knowledge that is necessary for the propagation of Islam. Likewise, Allah the Exalted will grant him a long life, so much so that he will gain fame to the ends of the earth." (Derived from the Majestic Announcement Regarding the Claim of Musleh-e-Maud. Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 146-147)

Then, at one place, he said that the enemies of the Movement keep raising these objections that when this announcement was published — the full text of the prophecy was not given; the exact words were not read out, only some things were stated. First, he said that when this announcement was published, the enemies launched a series of objections against it. Then, on 22 March 1886, he published another announcement. The objection raised by the enemies was: what credibility can be given to such a prophecy that a boy will be born to me? Are boys not born to people all the time? It is only very rarely that a person has no son at all or has only daughters; otherwise, boys are commonly born to people, and their birth has never been considered a special sign. So even if a boy is born to you, how would that prove that some special sign of God Almighty has been manifested in the world through this means? In response to this objection, he wrote in the announcement of 22 March that this is not merely a prophecy but a magnificent heavenly sign which God the Gracious — exalted is His glory — has manifested in order to demonstrate the truth and greatness of our Holy Prophet, the Compassionate and Merciful, Muhammad Mustafa (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Then in the same announcement, he wrote: 'By the grace and benevolence of God and by the blessings of the Seal of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the Gracious Lord has, in acceptance of the prayers of this humble one, promised to send a blessed soul whose outward and inward blessings will spread across the entire earth.' The point is that even if he had merely foretold the birth of a son, it would still have been a prophecy in itself, because in the world, a portion of people, however small, do exist who have no children at all. Secondly, when he made this announcement, he was over fifty years of age, and thousands upon thousands of people in the world are found for whom the birth of children ceases after the age of fifty. And then there are those who have only daughters. And then there are those whose sons are born but die shortly after birth. All these possibilities existed in this case. So, firstly, foretelling the birth of a son is beyond any human being's power. But, by way of concession, accepting this objection, he says that even if it is granted that merely foretelling the birth of a boy cannot be called a prophecy, the question is: when did I merely foretell the birth of a boy? I did not say that a boy would be born to me; rather, I said that God Almighty, having accepted my prayers, has promised to send a blessed soul whose outward and inward blessings will spread across the entire earth. (Derived from Al-Mau'ud. Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 529-530)

So this was the summary of that revelation — how the blessings of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, all these things, spread. I am not going into its details. Some more will be stated further on.

Then, drawing attention to the fact that some people raise the objection — and even in that era there were such objections — that you are not the Musleh-e-Maud; rather, the Musleh-e-Maud will be born sometime later, three or four hundred years later, or a hundred or two hundred years later. He says: "Some people say that the Musleh-e-Maud will come from some future generation of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), after three or four hundred years, and cannot come in the present era. But none of them fears God enough to look at the words of the prophecy and reflect upon them. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) writes that at this time objections are being raised against Islam that Islam possesses no power to show signs. Thus, Pandit Lekhram was objecting that if Islam is true, then show a sign. Inderman was objecting that if Islam is true, then show a sign. He bows before Allah the Exalted and says: O God! Show such a sign that would convince these seekers of signs of the truth of Islam. So the sign had to be such that it would convince Inderman of Moradabad and others of the truth of Islam. And these objectors tell us that when the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) made this prayer before Allah the Exalted, God informed him that three hundred years from today We will grant you a son who will be a sign of the truth of Islam. Can any person in the world consider this reasonable? This is as if a person is desperately thirsty and goes to someone's door and says: Brother, I am terribly thirsty; for God's sake, give me some water. And the other person replies: Sir, do not worry. I have written a letter to America. By the end of this year, a high-quality essence will arrive from there, and next year I will prepare a sherbet for you. Not even the most deranged person could say such a thing. Not even the most deranged person could attribute such a thing to God and His Messenger.

Pandit Lekhram, Munshi Inderman of Moradabad, and the Hindus of Qadian were saying that the claim regarding Islam that its God has the power to show signs to the world is a false and baseless claim. If there is any reality in this claim, then show us a sign. And the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) bows before Allah the Exalted and says: O God! I pray to You to show me a sign of mercy; grant me a sign of power and nearness. So this sign should have appeared within the nearest possible time when those very people who had demanded it were still alive. And indeed, that is what happened. In 1889, when my birth took place in accordance with the prophecies of Allah the Exalted, those very people who had demanded a sign from the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) were still alive. Then, as I grew, the signs of Allah the Exalted became increasingly manifest." (Derived from "I Am Indeed the Fulfillment of the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 222-223)

Mentioning one of his visions and how it corresponds to the Promised Messiah's (peace be upon him) Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud says: "I shall describe the resemblances that my vision bears with the prophecy of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). (He had seen a vision, as I mentioned. He says:) In the vision, I saw that these words flowed upon my tongue: اَنَا الْمَسِیْحُ الْمَوْعُوْدُ مَثِیْلُہٗ وَخَلِیْفَتُہٗ [I am the Promised Messiah, his like and his successor]. These words flowing upon my tongue was so astonishing to me — (outwardly this could certainly be an astonishing wonder, but even in the dream such was my state) — that I was about to wake up from the shock, wondering what words had come out of my mouth. Later, some friends drew my attention to the fact that the mention of possessing a Messianic spirit is also found in the announcement of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dated 20 February 1886. Although I had read the announcement that day, when I was delivering the sermon, these words of the announcement were not in my mind. After the sermon, probably the next day, Maulvi Syed Sarwar Shah Sahib drew attention to the fact that it is also written in the announcement of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he will come into the world and, through the blessing of his Messianic spirit and the Holy Spirit, will cleanse many of their ailments. In this prophecy too, the word 'Messiah' has been used. Secondly, I saw in the vision that I had idols destroyed. An indication of this is also found in the second part of this prophecy of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) that through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, he will cleanse many of their ailments. He says that the Holy Spirit refers to the spirit of Tawhid [Oneness of God], and the truth is that the real thing is the existence of God Almighty; everything else is merely shadows and reflections. So by the Holy Spirit is meant the spirit of Tawhid, about which it was said that through its blessing, he will cleanse many of their ailments. Thirdly, I also saw in the vision that I was running. As I mentioned in the sermon, in the vision it was not merely that I was walking swiftly but that I was running, and the earth was contracting beneath my feet. In the prophecy of the Promised Son too, the words are that he will grow rapidly. Similarly, in the vision, I saw that I had gone toward some foreign lands and even there I had not finished my work but was intending to go further. As I said: O Abdul Shakoor! Now I shall go further, and when I return from this journey, I shall see that during this time you have established Tawhid, eliminated shirk [polytheism], and firmly planted the teachings of Islam and the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the hearts of the people. In the divine discourse revealed to the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), an indication of this is also found. As it is written: He will gain fame to the ends of the earth. These words also point to his going far and wide and continuing to move forward. Then, in this prophecy, it is mentioned that he will be filled with outward and inward knowledge. This too is indicated in my vision. In the dream, I was saying with great emphasis that I am the one who was given the knowledge of Islam and the knowledge of Arabic and its philosophy from his mother's lap, along with the milk from her breasts. Then it was written that he will be the cause of the manifestation of divine glory. Regarding this too, there is an explanation in the vision. As I described, in the vision, my tongue was taken over and God Almighty began to speak through my tongue. Then the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came and he spoke through my tongue. Then the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came and began to speak through my tongue. This was a wondrous manifestation of divine glory, which was also mentioned in the prophecy. So this too is a resemblance found between the two.

Then it was written that he will be a person of grandeur, greatness, and wealth — and these are the words of the prophecy — and in the vision too, it was shown that there is a nation in which I appoint a person as leader and say to him in the manner of a powerful king addressing his subordinate: O Abdul Shakoor! You will be answerable to me for ensuring that your country embraces Tawhid within the nearest possible time, abandons shirk, acts upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and keeps in view the directives of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). These can only be the words of grandeur and greatness that were placed upon my tongue in the vision.

And regarding what is mentioned in the prophecy that 'We shall infuse our spirit into him' — this was an indication that divine revelation would descend upon him, and this too is mentioned in the vision. Under divine influence, in the vision I understand that I am no longer speaking; rather, words are being placed upon my tongue by way of revelation from God Almighty. So this part points to the fulfillment of those very words of the prophecy: We shall infuse our spirit into him.

Then this part of the vision also confirms these words of the prophecy: in the vision, I understand that every step I am taking is in accordance with some prior revelation. Now I think that what I understand — that the future journey I will undertake will be in accordance with a prior revelation — this indication was toward the very prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud, and it was shown that my life is a blueprint of this prophecy and is under divine control. I now understand that the ambiguity that was maintained in the earlier prophecy about whose prophecy it was — the wisdom in that was so that by drawing attention to the prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud, the mental knowledge I possessed about this prophecy would not interfere with the vision. Such measures are always adopted by Allah the Exalted in visions and revelations and are among the heavenly mysteries. These are the resemblances found between my vision and the prophecy of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him)." (Derived from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 25, pp. 69-71. Friday Sermon, 4 February 1944)

While addressing the Shura of 1936, when a large number of Companions and Tabi'in [followers of Companions] were present, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud said — now this was a reference to something quite some time before 1936, approximately eight years earlier, when he had announced in accordance with the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud that he himself was the Musleh-e-Maud. Eight years earlier, he was saying: "At this time, for our Jama'at, it is not merely a question of Khilafat. There are two other questions as well. One is the question of the proximity to the era of prophethood, and the second is the question of the promised Khilafat. Both of these are such matters that cannot be available to every follower of every Khalifa. I have briefly mentioned this once before, perhaps in a sermon last year. He said that the people who take the bai'at a hundred or two hundred years from now will not be able to have these things. Let alone the common people of that era, even the Khulafa will be dependent on our words, our actions, and our directives for guidance. Setting our case aside, they will be dependent on your words, your actions, and your directives for guidance. (This was being said to the Companions who were present at that time.) He says that they will be Khulafa, but they will say: Zaid said such-and-such in the era of such-and-such Khilafat, and did such-and-such. We too should act upon it. So this is not merely a question of Khilafat and the system but such a question that is a question of religion. Then it is not merely a question of Khilafat but of such a Khilafat that is a promised Khilafat — a Khilafat established through revelation and divine communication. One type of Khilafat is where God Almighty has people elect a Khalifa and then accepts him. But this is not that kind of Khilafat. He said about his own Khilafat that this is not that kind of Khilafat. That is, I am not a Khalifa merely because the day after the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, the members of the Ahmadiyya Community gathered and agreed upon my Khilafat; rather, I am also a Khalifa because even before the Khilafat of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had stated through divine revelation that I would be a Khalifa. So I am not merely a Khalifa but a promised Khalifa. I am not a divinely appointed one, but my voice is the voice of God Almighty because God the Exalted had given news of it through the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). As if, the station of this Khilafat is between the station of divinely appointed prophethood and Khilafat. And this is not an occasion that the Ahmadiyya Community should let slip away and then think it can stand honorably before God Almighty. Just as it is true that prophets do not come every day, it is also true that promised Khulafa do not come every day either. Then, the opportunity to say that such-and-such thing was said by God's prophet twenty-five or thirty years ago in such-and-such way — this too does not come every day. The spirituality and sense of nearness that can be produced in the heart of a person who says, 'Thirty years ago, the divinely appointed and sent one said this,' — how can it be produced in the heart of one who says, 'Two hundred years ago, the Envoy of God said such-and-such,' — because the one speaking two hundred years later cannot confirm it, whereas the one speaking twenty or thirty years later can confirm it." (Derived from Khitabat-e-Shura, Vol. 2, pp. 18-19). And in this regard, he said that the things spoken by the people of this era will be cited and learned from by future Khulafa.

Then, in response to people saying: if you are the Musleh-e-Maud, then why do you not make an announcement — because the announcement was made in 1944 — he said: "People have also tried to get me to claim that I am the Musleh-e-Maud, but I have never felt the need for it. The opponents say that your followers call you the Musleh-e-Maud but you yourself do not make a claim. But I say: what need do I have to make a claim? If I am the Musleh-e-Maud, then my not making a claim cannot alter my position in any way. When my belief is that a prophecy pertaining to a non-commissioned person does not require a claim. He said that my belief is that a prophecy pertaining to a non-commissioned person does not require a claim, and a Mujaddid [reformer] too is non-commissioned, so what need do I have for such a claim? The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made a prophecy about the railway. Is it necessary for the railway to make a claim? The prophecy of the Dajjal [Antichrist] exists, but is it necessary for the Dajjal to make a claim? Yes, a prophecy about a divinely commissioned one does require a claim. As for the non-commissioned, even if he himself does not know that the prophecy has been fulfilled in his person, there is no harm. Of the list of Mujaddideen that was published after being shown to the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) in the Muslim Ummah, how many of them made a claim? I myself heard from the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) that even Aurangzeb appears to me to be the Mujaddid of his era. But did he make any claim? Umar bin Abdul Aziz is called a Mujaddid. Did he make any claim? So for a non-commissioned person, a claim is not necessary. A claim is only necessary in prophecies concerning divinely commissioned persons. For a non-commissioned person, only his work should be examined. If his work is seen to be fulfilled, then what need is there for his claim? In that case, even if he keeps denying it, we would say that he is indeed the fulfillment of that prophecy. Even if Umar bin Abdul Aziz had denied being a Mujaddid, we could still say that he was the Mujaddid of his era because a Mujaddid needs no claim. A claim is only necessary for those Mujaddideen who are divinely commissioned. Yes, a non-commissioned person who, in his era, raises up a declining Islam, repels the attacks of the enemy — even if he himself does not know it — we can say that he is a Mujaddid. (What is the role of a Mujaddid in Islam? It is precisely this: whoever raises up the declining prestige and teachings of Islam and repels the enemy's attacks against Islam is a Mujaddid. He said:) Yes, a commissioned Mujaddid can only be one who makes a claim, as the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) did. So there is no need on my part to claim to be the Musleh-e-Maud, and there is no need to be alarmed by such talk from the opponents. There is no matter of disgrace in this. True honor is that which comes from God Almighty, even if in the eyes of the world a person is considered lowly. If he walks upon the path of God, then he will certainly be honored in His court. And if any person, through falsehood, manages to prove his false claim and through his cleverness gains ascendancy over people, he still cannot attain honor in the court of God Almighty. And whoever does not have honor in the court of God — however outwardly respected he may be considered — he has only lost, not gained. And ultimately, one day he will be humiliated." (Derived from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 21, pp. 59-60)

Then in 1944, when he made the claim and announced that he was the Musleh-e-Maud, he said: "Friends of our Jama'at repeatedly presented these and similar prophecies before me and insisted that I declare myself to be their fulfillment. (As has been mentioned before.) But I always told them that a prophecy itself reveals its fulfillment. If these prophecies pertain to me, then time will itself bear witness that I am the fulfillment of these prophecies, and if they do not pertain to me, then the testimony of time will be against me. In either case, there is no need for me to say anything. If these prophecies are not about me, then why should I become sinful by saying that they are about me? And if they are indeed about me, then what need do I have for haste; time will itself reveal it. In short, as was said in the divine revelation: They said: Is this the one who was to come, or shall we wait for another? The world asked this question so many times, so many times, that a long period passed. And regarding this long period too, information exists in the revelations of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). For example, regarding Hazrat Ya'qub (peace be upon him), the brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (peace be upon him) had said that you will keep talking about Yusuf until you are near death or perish. And this very revelation was received by the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). Similarly, receiving the revelation 'I sense the fragrance of Yusuf' indicated that, under God's will, this matter would be revealed after a long time. I am still firm in the belief that even if I had not been given knowledge from Allah the Exalted until near the time of death that these prophecies pertain to me — indeed, even if I had not been given this knowledge until death, and events themselves had revealed that since these prophecies were fulfilled in my time and through my hand, therefore I am their fulfillment — there would have been no harm in that. The confirmatory occurrence of a vision or revelation is an additional matter, but God Almighty, under His will, has revealed this matter and has also given me knowledge from Himself that the prophecies relating to the Musleh-e-Maud pertain to me. Thus, today, for the first time, I sent for all those prophecies and examined them with the intention of understanding their reality and seeing what God Almighty has stated in them. Because friends of our Jama'at used to attribute these prophecies to me, I always avoided reading them carefully and feared lest some wrong notion take hold. But today, for the first time, I read all those prophecies, and now, after reading them, I can say with certainty and confidence, by the grace of God Almighty, that God Almighty has fulfilled this prophecy through me." (Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 25, pp. 59-61)

So there was a time when he said that he had no need to make any kind of announcement, and then came the time when Allah the Exalted made it clear and manifest to him that he himself was the Musleh-e-Maud and that he should make the announcement. At that point, he gave an open challenge to the objectors and disbelievers. He said: "I declare — and I declare upon oath by God Almighty — that I am indeed the fulfillment of the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud, and Allah the Exalted has made me the subject of those prophecies which the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made regarding an awaited promised one. Whoever thinks that I have resorted to fabrication or have committed falsehood and mendacity in this matter, let him come and enter into a Mubahala [prayer duel] with me regarding this matter, or else let him declare upon a solemn oath before God, inviting divine punishment, that God has told him that I am lying. Then God Almighty will Himself decide, through His heavenly signs, who is the liar and who is the truthful." (Derived from Al-Mau'ud. Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 645)

Now I shall describe some parts of the prophecy. For example, one part of the prophecy states: 'He will be filled with outward knowledge.' Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud explained one aspect of outward knowledge. At one place, he says: "The meaning of this prophecy is that he will not learn outward knowledge [himself]; rather, these sciences will be taught to him by God Almighty. It should be remembered that it is not stated here that he will have great expertise in outward sciences; rather, the words are that he will be filled with outward knowledge. This means that some other power will teach him these outward sciences; his own effort, labor, and struggle will have no part in it. Here, outward knowledge cannot mean mathematics and science and the like, because the words 'will be filled' indicate that he will be taught these sciences by God Almighty, and God Almighty does not teach mathematics, science, geography, and the like; rather, He teaches religion and the Quran. So the meaning of these words of the prophecy — 'he will be filled with outward knowledge' — is that he will be taught religious and Quranic sciences from God Almighty, and God Himself will be his teacher. He said that the manner in which my education took place itself demonstrates that no human hand was involved in my education. Some of my teachers are still alive and some have passed away. In the course of my education, I owe the greatest debt of gratitude to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I." (Derived from 'Al-Mau'ud.' Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 565-566)

Then he says: "Allah the Exalted has, through His angel, granted me knowledge of the Holy Quran and has created within me such a faculty — just as someone finds the key to a treasure, in the same way, I have been given the key to the knowledge of the Holy Quran. There is no scholar in the world who can come before me and I cannot demonstrate to him the superiority of the Holy Quran."

He was delivering a lecture in Lahore. He said: "This is the city of Lahore. The university is here. Several colleges have been established here. Experts of great learning are found here. I say to all of them: let any expert of any branch of knowledge come before me. Let any professor of the world come before me. Let any scientist of the world come before me and try to attack the Holy Quran through their sciences. By the grace of Allah the Exalted, I can give such a response that the world will acknowledge that his objection has been refuted, and I claim that I will answer him from the Word of God and will demonstrate the refutation of his objections through the very verses of the Holy Quran." (Derived from "I Am Indeed the Fulfillment of the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 227)

He had written an essay titled "The Message of Ahmadiyyat" in which he clarified for those asking what Ahmadiyyat is. In this essay, at one place he says: "The author himself has learned several sciences from angels. An angel once taught me the exegesis of Surah Al-Fatihah, and from that time to this, such vast meanings of Surah Al-Fatihah have been opened upon me that they are without limit. And I claim that whatever any person of any religion or denomination can extract from the entirety of their scripture on any subject of spiritual knowledge, I can, by the grace of God Almighty, extract greater material from Surah Al-Fatihah alone. For a long time, I have been issuing this challenge to the world, but to this day, no one has accepted it. The proof of the existence of God Almighty, the proof of the Oneness of God, prophethood and its necessity, the signs of a perfect divine law and its necessity for humankind, prayer, predestination, resurrection, heaven and hell — on all these subjects, Surah Al-Fatihah sheds such light that even hundreds of pages of other books cannot bring as much enlightenment to a person." (Derived from "The Message of Ahmadiyyat." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 20, p. 567)

Then he said that after assuming the office of Khilafat, Allah the Exalted opened Quranic knowledge upon me in such abundance that now, until the Day of Judgment, the Muslim Ummah is bound to read my books and benefit from them. What Islamic issue is there that Allah the Exalted has not opened through me in all its details? The issue of prophethood, the issue of disbelief, the issue of Khilafat, the issue of predestination, the disclosure of essential Quranic matters, Islamic economics, Islamic politics, and Islamic social order — for thirteen hundred years, no comprehensive work existed on these subjects. God granted me the ability to render this service to the faith, and Allah the Exalted opened the Quranic insights on these subjects through me, which today both friends and foes are copying. Let anyone hurl a hundred thousand insults at me, let anyone speak a hundred thousand ill words of me — whoever sets out to spread the teachings of Islam in the world will have to become a gleaner of my harvest. They will have to seek help from me, and they can never be free of my favor, whether they be Paighamis or Misris. Whenever their progeny intend to serve the faith, they will be compelled to read my books and benefit from them. Rather, I can say without any pride that the most material on this subject has been gathered through me and continues to be gathered. So let these people say whatever they wish about me, let them hurl as many insults as they please — if they ever receive Quranic knowledge in their laps, it will be through me, and the world will compel them to say: O foolish ones! Whatever fills your lap has been taken from him. Then on what basis do you oppose him? (Derived from "Khilafat-e-Rashidah." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 15, pp. 587-588)

Then, in one sermon, he said that we had a teacher. The story of the teacher is that he used to attend the lessons of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud but would not attend the lessons of his other colleagues, saying: I do not find insights there. (Derived from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 22, p. 472). In any case, this is the summary.

Then at one place he says: "In 1907, for the very first time, I delivered a public address. It was the occasion of a gathering; many people had assembled. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I was also present. I recited the second Ruku of Surah Luqman and then expounded its exegesis. My own state at that time was that when I stood up, since I had never before delivered a public lecture, and my age at that time was only eighteen years, and then Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I was also present, as were the members of the Anjuman, and many other friends had also come — darkness spread before my eyes. At that moment, I had no idea who was seated before me and who was not. The address continued for half an hour or three-quarters of an hour. When I finished and sat down, I remembered that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih the first stood up and said: Mian! I congratulate you for delivering such an excellent address. I am not saying this to please you. I assure you that I am a great reader and I have read the great commentaries, but even I heard in your address today such meanings of the Holy Quran that are not found in the earlier commentaries; indeed, even I did not know them before. Now, this was purely the grace of Allah the Exalted, because the reality is that at that time, my reading was not extensive, nor had I spent any long period of deep reflection upon the Holy Quran. Yet Allah the Exalted placed upon my tongue at that time such insights as had never been expressed before." (Derived from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 22, pp. 472-473)

'He will be filled with inward knowledge.' Let me tell you about this. Earlier, there was the mention of being filled with outward knowledge. Now, being filled with inward knowledge. He says: "By inward knowledge is meant those special sciences that are exclusive to God Almighty — such as knowledge of the unseen, which He reveals to those servants of His to whom He entrusts a special service in the world, so that their connection with God Almighty becomes manifest and through them He may revive the faith of people. So in this aspect too, Allah the Exalted has bestowed His special favor upon me, and hundreds of dreams and revelations have come to me that contain knowledge of the unseen." He says: "During the lifetime of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) itself, when the question of Khilafat could not even have arisen in anyone's mind, I received from Allah the Exalted this revelation: اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ اتَّبَعُوْکَ فَوْقَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا اِلٰی یَوْمِ الْقَیٰمَۃِ — that is, those who follow you will be dominant over those who oppose you until the Day of Judgment. I related this revelation to the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he wrote it down. This is the same verse that appears in the Holy Quran regarding Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him), but there the words are: وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِیْنَ اتَّبَعُوْکَ فَوْقَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا اِلٰی یَوْمِ الْقَیٰمَۃِ (Aal-e-Imran: 56) — that is, I will make your believers dominant over your deniers until the Day of Judgment. But the revelation I received is: اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ اتَّبَعُوْکَ فَوْقَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا اِلٰی یَوْمِ الْقَیٰمَۃِ — which is more emphatic than the former. That is, I swear by My own Being that I will certainly grant your followers dominance over your deniers until the Day of Judgment. This revelation, as I have mentioned, I related to the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), and he wrote it down. I have been sharing this revelation with friends for a very long time. See then the result — how I was opposed in many ways, yet Allah the Exalted granted me victory. The non-pledgers propagated during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, saying: 'He is just a child for whose sake the Jama'at is being destroyed,' but it proved completely ineffective. At that time, I was so unaware of these matters that one day, at the time of the Fajr prayer, I was pacing in the room of Hazrat Amma Jan, which is right next to the mosque, waiting for the prayer, when I began to hear loud voices from the mosque as if people were quarreling about something. Among them, one voice that I recognized was that of Sheikh Rahmatullah Sahib. I heard him saying with great fervor: One should exercise piety. One should create the fear of God in one's heart. A child is being put forward to destroy the Jama'at. All this mischief is being created for the sake of a child. At that time, I was so unaware of these matters that upon hearing his words, I was greatly surprised as to who this child was about whom these words were being said. So I went out and, I believe, asked Sheikh Yaqub Ali Sahib what that commotion in the mosque was about and what Sheikh Rahmatullah Sahib was saying — that all this mischief is being created for the sake of a child. Who is this child to whom Sheikh Sahib was referring? He laughed and said: That child is you, and who else? So the example of me and them was like the story of a blind man and a sighted man who sat down to eat together. The blind man thought: I cannot see, but he can see everything. Surely, he must be eating more than I. As soon as this thought came, he began eating hurriedly. Then he thought: He must have seen my hurried eating too, and now he must have started eating fast as well, so what should I do? So he started eating with both hands. Then he thought: He must have seen this too and started eating with both hands as well. How can I eat more? Upon this thought, he started eating with one hand and with the other hand began stuffing rice into his lap. Then he thought: He must have seen this too, and he must have started doing the same. Upon this thought, he picked up the entire platter (which was a large dish) and said: Now my share is left; you have already taken your share. And the other man's condition was that he had not eaten a single morsel. He was simply laughing to himself, watching the antics of the blind man, wondering what he was doing. (He says:) This is exactly my situation and theirs. Like that blind man, they keep thinking: Now he must be doing this. Now he must be trying to entice the Jama'at in that way. And I had absolutely no idea what was being plotted against me. I did nothing except place my trust in God Almighty, and I was so unaware of the situation that I thought it was some other child being discussed. Yet despite the fact that these people wielded considerable influence at that time and had a special hold over the Jama'at, Allah the Exalted rendered all their propaganda ineffective and granted me victory and success." (Derived from "Al-Mau'ud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 579-581)

Then, regarding "making three into four," he says: "It is also not correct that the sign of 'the one who makes three into four' does not apply to me. By the grace of God Almighty, I am the one who makes three into four in several ways. First, in this way: before me, Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib, Mirza Fazl Ahmad Sahib, and Bashir the First were born, and I was the fourth. Second, in this way: after me, three more sons of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) were born, and thus I made those three into four — namely, Mirza Mubarak Ahmad, Mirza Sharif Ahmad, and Mirza Bashir Ahmad, and the fourth being myself. Third, I was also proved to be the one who makes three into four in the following way: among the living children of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), only three of us brothers — myself, Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib, and Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib — were included among his spiritual sons in terms of believing in the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib was not included in his spiritual progeny. He had great regard for Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, but despite this regard, he did not become Ahmadi during his time. However, from a vision of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), it was evident that Allah the Exalted had decreed guidance for him. But he did not enter Ahmadiyyat during the time of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) or during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I. When my era came, Allah the Exalted created such circumstances that he entered Ahmadiyyat through me. In this way, Allah the Exalted enabled one son of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) to take the bai'at at my hand under extraordinary circumstances, even though he was my elder brother, and for an elder brother to take the bai'at at the hand of his younger brother is very difficult. Indeed, after taking the bai'at, he himself related that he had held back from taking the bai'at for a long time because if he were to take the bai'at, he would have taken it at the hand of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) or at the hand of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, in whom he had great faith. How could he take the bai'at at the hand of his younger brother? But he said (that is, Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib said): In the end, I said to myself that this cup I must drink. So he took the bai'at at my hand, and in this way, God Almighty made me the one who makes three into four, because previously, in spiritual terms, we were only three brothers in the progeny of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), but then three became four. Then I am also the one who makes three into four in the sense that I was born in the fourth year of the revelation. In 1886, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made this prophecy. (He says:) Then I am also the one who makes three into four in the sense that I was born in the fourth year of the revelation. In 1886, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made this prophecy, and I was born in 1889. 1886 — one, 1887 — two, 1888 — three, and 1889 — four. So in the prophecy of making three into four, the news was also given that my birth would be in the fourth year after the prophecy, and in this way, I would be the one who makes three into four. And so it happened, and my birth occurred accordingly." (Derived from "Al-Mau'ud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 635-637)

'He will be the cause of the manifestation of divine glory.' He says: "The fifth piece of news given was that his advent will be the cause of the manifestation of divine glory. This news was also fulfilled in my time. Upon my assumption of the Khilafat, the First World War occurred, and now the Second World War is underway, through which divine glory is being manifested in the world. Perhaps someone might say that millions and billions of people are alive at this time; if you can present these wars in support of your truth, then in the same way, every living person can present them in their support and say that these wars are a sign of their truth. My answer to this is: if these millions and billions of people who are alive at this time were given the news of these wars, then it can indeed be a sign of a living person. But if they were not given the news of these wars, then the manifestation of divine glory will be attributed to the one who was told the details of these wars." (Derived from Al-Mau'ud. Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 627)

'He will grow rapidly.' (He says:) "When I became Khalifa, there were only fourteen annas' worth of money in our treasury and a debt of eighteen thousand rupees. To such an extent that the first announcement I wrote during my Khilafat, titled 'Who can stop the work of God,' I did not even have any money to have it printed. At that time, our maternal grandfather had some donations which he had collected from people for the mosque. From that fund, he gave two hundred rupees for the printing of this announcement and said that when money starts coming into the treasury, these two hundred rupees will be repaid. So that announcement was published with money borrowed from him. Yet at that time, when the leading members of the Jama'at were against me, when the leaders of the Jama'at were against me, when the Jama'at's treasury was empty, when there were only fourteen annas in it (fourteen annas means there were sixteen annas in one rupee; there was not even a full rupee — in today's terms, about eighty-seven or eighty-eight paisa), and when there was a debt of eighteen thousand upon the Anjuman, when the majority of the Anjuman was against me, when the Secretary of the Anjuman was against me, when the Headmaster of the school was against me — these are my words that I published in that announcement under the will of God: 'God desires that the unity of the Jama'at should come about at my hand, and now no one can stop this design of God. Do they not see that only two paths are open to them? Either they take the bai'at at my hand and desist from creating dissension in the Jama'at, or they follow their base desires and uproot and cast away this pure garden that was watered by pure people with tears of blood. What is done is done, but now there is no doubt that the unity of the Jama'at can only be achieved in one way: that the bai'at be taken at the hand of him whom God has made Khalifa; otherwise, every person who acts against him will be a cause of dissension.' He said: 'Then I wrote that if the entire world accepts me, my Khilafat cannot become greater, and if, God forbid, every single one abandons me, even then no difference can come to my Khilafat. Just as a prophet is a prophet even when alone, so too is a Khalifa a Khalifa even when alone. So blessed is he who accepts the decision of God. The burden that God Almighty has placed upon me is very great, and if His help does not accompany me, I can do nothing. But I have faith in that Holy Being that He will certainly help me.' In short, all manner of opposition arose — political and religious, internal and external — yet God Almighty granted me the ability to lead the Jama'at toward ever greater progress." (Derived from "I Am Indeed the Fulfillment of the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 219-221)

'He will be the means of the deliverance of captives.' This was also one of the prophecies — that he will be the means of the deliverance of captives. Allah the Exalted fulfilled this prophecy through me. First, in this way: that Allah the Exalted, through me, guided those nations to whom Muslims had paid no attention and who were in an extremely degraded and lowly condition. They lived lives akin to captives. There was no education among them, their civilization was not of a high standard, and there were no means for their training — such as the African regions, which the world had cast aside and who were used only for forced labor and servitude. Just now, a representative from West Africa (he was delivering this address at a gathering, at which a representative from West Africa had also spoken; referring to him, he said:) has been presented before you. Some people of that country are educated, but in the interior, a large number of people are found who do not even wear clothes and used to roam about naked. From among such uncivilized people, by the grace of God Almighty, thousands entered Islam through me. Christianity was spreading there in abundance, and even now in some areas Christians are dominant, but under my direction, our missionaries went to those regions and converted thousands from among the polytheists to Islam and pulled thousands from Christianity toward Islam. Its impact on the Christians has been such that in England there is a very large organization of clergymen that holds royal authority and is appointed by the government for the propagation and supervision of Christianity. It appointed a commission for the purpose of reporting on why the progress of Christianity in West Africa had stalled. In the report that this commission presented to its organization, the mention of Ahmadiyyat appears more than a dozen times, and it is written that this community has halted the progress of Christianity. In short, in both West Africa and America, the Black nations are embracing Islam in large numbers. In this way, Allah the Exalted, by granting me the opportunity to preach among these nations, has made me the deliverer of these captives and has granted me the ability to raise the standard of their lives."

Then he said: "From the perspective of the deliverance of captives, the case of Kashmir is also a tremendous proof of the truth of this prophecy, and every person who seriously reflects upon these events cannot help but acknowledge that Allah the Exalted, through me, created the means for the deliverance of the Kashmiris and defeated their enemies." (Derived from "Al-Mau'ud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 614-615)

He says: "This prophecy has two very great and important parts. The first part is that the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was given the news from Allah the Exalted that I will carry your name to the ends of the earth. Now, merely having a son cannot carry one's name to the ends of the earth unless such works are manifested through that person by which one becomes renowned throughout the world. Some great authors exist who remain occupied in writing and composition throughout their lives, and because of this, their name becomes famous. Some do bad deeds and become famous for that reason. People are also familiar with the names of great thieves and robbers. But in any case, their good or bad fame does not reach the entire world; their fame is confined to one region or one part of a country. But the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had given the news that He would carry his name to the ends of the earth. So this prophecy could only be called a magnificent prophecy if his fame occurred under extraordinary circumstances. And indeed, we see that this is exactly what happened. When I was born, about two and a half months later, he took the bai'at from people, and thus the foundation of the Ahmadiyya Movement was established in the world." (Derived from "I Am Indeed the Fulfillment of the Prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 207)

He says: "I established missions in various parts of the world for the propagation of Islam and Ahmadiyyat. When the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away, the Ahmadiyya Community was established only in India and to some extent in Afghanistan; there was no Ahmadiyya mission established anywhere else. But as God Almighty had stated in the prophecy — 'he will gain fame to the ends of the earth' — Allah the Exalted enabled me to establish Ahmadiyya missions in various countries. Thus, at the very beginning of my Khilafat, I established Ahmadiyya missions in England, Ceylon, and Mauritius. Then this process continued and kept expanding. Missions were established in Iran, Russia, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Lagos Nigeria, Gold Coast (Gold Coast is now known as Ghana), Sierra Leone, East Africa, and Europe. Then, apart from England, in Spain, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Albania, Germany, the United States of America, Argentina, China, Japan, Malaya, the Straits Settlements, Sumatra, Java, Surabaya, and Kashgar — by the grace of God Almighty, missions were established. Some of these missionaries are currently imprisoned by the enemy. Some are working. And some missions have been temporarily closed due to the war (that is, the Second World War). In short, there is no nation in the world today that is not aware of the Ahmadiyya Movement. There is no nation in the world that does not feel that Ahmadiyyat is a rising flood heading toward their countries. Governments are feeling its impact; indeed, some governments are even trying to suppress it. (And this is not a matter of that era alone; such things are happening even today.) Thus, when our missionary went to Russia, he was beaten, struck, and imprisoned for a long period. But since it was God's promise that He would spread this movement and through me would give it fame to the ends of the earth, He, by His grace and mercy, caused Ahmadiyyat to reach all these places. Rather, in some places, large communities have been established." (Derived from "Majestic Announcement Regarding the Claim of Musleh-e-Maud." Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, pp. 155-156)

The various parts of the prophecy were fulfilled in him with great splendor and were fulfilled on multiple occasions. They were fulfilled in different places and continued to demonstrate the truth of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). They continued to elevate the glory of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Islam. May Allah the Exalted continue to shower His mercy upon him always, and may He also grant us the ability to fulfill our responsibilities.

After the prayers, I shall also lead one funeral prayer in absentia, which is for the respected Maulana Muhammad Siddiq Sahib Shahid Gurdaspuri, a missionary of the Movement. He was the son of the respected Mian Karam Din Sahib and passed away on 15 February 2015, at the age of 87 years. اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّا اِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ [Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return]. He was blessed with the opportunity to serve the Movement in various capacities across different countries and at the headquarters of the Movement for sixty years. His entire life was filled with service to the faith, continuous striving, invitation toward Allah, and obedience to Khilafat. As long as his health permitted, he remained fully occupied in religious affairs. Some time ago, he suffered a stroke, which left him bedridden. He was born on 31 October 1928 in Lodhi Nangal, Tehsil Batala. His father, Mian Karam Din Sahib, was blessed by Allah the Exalted with the opportunity to take the bai'at at the hand of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I in 1914. After passing his primary education, Maulana Siddiq Sahib came to Qadian in 1940 and enrolled in Madrasah Ahmadiyya. By the grace of Allah the Exalted, he was among the bright students and consistently achieved first or second position. In 1947, after completing Madrasah Ahmadiyya, he enrolled in Jamia Ahmadiyya. In 1949, while still at Jamia Ahmadiyya, he passed the Maulvi Fazil examination. In 1950, he enrolled in the first class of missionaries at Jamia-tul-Mubashshirin and passed the Shahid examination in 1952. Thereafter, for the purpose of calling people to Allah, he traveled for the first time from Rabwah to Sierra Leone, West Africa. On 23 October 1952, he departed from Karachi by ship to London. After a month's stay there, he reached Sierra Leone by ship in December. After four years of discharging the duty of calling people to Allah there, he returned to Pakistan on 19 October 1956. For three years, he performed various duties at the headquarters. In December 1959, he was sent back to Sierra Leone as Amir and Missionary In-Charge. He continued to perform these services until 1962. Then, on 15 January 1966, he arrived in Accra, Ghana, and served as Principal of the Ahmadiyya Missionary Training College in Salt Pond for approximately two years. In July 1968, he was posted to Sierra Leone for the third time and continued to serve as Amir and Missionary In-Charge until 24 May 1972. On 31 July 1973, he went to America. Allah the Exalted granted him the opportunity to serve in America for four years. When he was the Amir in Sierra Leone, the first African tour of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III took place at that time. He was stationed there at the time. He continued to serve in various departments in Pakistan. He was very humble, selfless, unpretentious, hardworking, and a quiet servant. He had a simple disposition. He possessed deep knowledge and a taste for writing. Through his knowledge, experiences, and observations, he continued to benefit the members of the Jama'at through the daily newspaper Al Fazl. His articles adorned the pages of Al Fazl from time to time. When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III toured West Africa, he remarked about some missionaries that they were at the station of Na'im [bliss], and among those he named was Maulana Sahib.

He was married to Amatul Majeed Sahiba, daughter of the respected Khalil Ahmad Sahib of Gol Bazar, who stood by her husband with the spirit of dedication. Allah the Exalted blessed them with five sons and two daughters, all of whom have children. One daughter is married to Maqsood Ahmad Qamar Sahib, a missionary of the Movement, and one of his sons, Saeed Khalid Sahib, is a missionary of the Movement in America. Saeed Khalid Sahib writes that his late revered father was a devoted servant of the Movement, humble, pious, abstemious, and a person of complete trust in God. He says: Since I gained awareness, I have prominently observed two aspects of his character. First, devotion to worship — that is, the fulfillment of the rights of Allah — and second, service to the faith and sincerity and loyalty toward the Movement and the administrative system of the Jama'at. He would always offer his prayers at the mosque under all circumstances. In the final years of his life, due to knee problems, he could not walk or cycle to the mosque, so it was my duty to drive him to Masjid Nusrat Jahan. If I was late due to some engagement, he would become upset, saying my prayer has been wasted. Just as he was regular in obligatory prayers, he also always observed the Tahajjud prayer without fail. Even when he arrived exhausted from travel, he never missed the Tahajjud prayer. They say that they witnessed in his Tahajjud prayers a state of boiling intensity. He was also concerned about the prayers of his children, and if he was ever strict with his children, it was only regarding the observance of congregational prayer. Our missionary Saeed Khalid Sahib writes that when he was posted to America in 2010, since he used to serve his father, he said: I am concerned; I will present my excuse to the Khalifa of the time. His father said: Absolutely not. You are a Waqf-e-Zindagi [life devotee]; go immediately.

Then he says that he had a passionate love for Khilafat. He would strive to act upon every single instruction mentioned in the sermons of the Imam and would urge us to do the same. He was a person of great trust in God. He says: Once, my elder brother came from America and learned that a household need could not be met due to lack of funds. The brother said to their father: Why did you not tell me? He sat his son beside him and said: If I am to ask for money, why should I not ask my God? Therefore, I will not ask you for money. You do whatever service you wish according to your capacity.

One of his sons, who is an engineer in America, says: I studied engineering in Lahore and applied for admission to a university in America. Upon receiving admission, I applied for a student visa, but there were some difficulties. Classes in America were about to start. There was worry. My father was in Africa. I wrote to him asking for prayers, explaining the situation. While I was still in Lahore, one morning I woke up with the thought that I should go to the American consulate. I went there. The American consulate said: You have not even passed the test yet; how have you come here? I explained the whole situation. I told them about the admission, that classes were about to start. I said that if my standard were not up to par, the university would not have given me admission. Upon this, the American consulate told me to sit down, and half an hour later issued the visa. When I returned to Rabwah, a letter from my father had arrived, written ten or twelve days earlier from Africa. In it, he had written: I have prayed to God. God has told me that you have received your visa.

His son-in-law, who is a missionary, writes that he had firm belief in prayer. When he was returning from Sierra Leone and handed over charge to Khalil Ahmad Mubasshir Sahib, Khalil Sahib asked: What should I do in difficult situations, and how should I manage the Jama'at, and how did you manage? He gave only one reply: Whenever difficult circumstances arose, I would close the door — and the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) also said the same: Then it is just me and God. This is the prescription and the remedy for every difficulty.

Majeed Sialkoti Sahib also writes that if the missionaries showed any laxity, he would be very strict with them, but he also cared for them greatly. He also loved them dearly. When traveling, he always bore his own food and drink expenses, even if it meant eating dry peanuts or dried fish. He would not burden the Jama'at with expenses.

Hanif Qamar Sahib, a missionary, says: When I went to Sierra Leone, I used to review the circumstances of former missionaries. We had an African Ahmadi brother there, Pa Salman Matsare Sahib. I used to meet with him regularly. When I asked him about Maulvi Sahib, he said: He was an angel. The assessment of our African brother is certainly very true, and in many qualities, he was indeed angelic. May Allah the Exalted always continue to bestow such Waqfeen-e-Zindagi [life devotees] upon the Jama'at. He was a person of great trust in God and was always content with the pleasure of Allah the Exalted. May Allah the Exalted elevate the station of the deceased and grant him the nearness of His beloved ones. May He always create loyalty toward the Jama'at and Khilafat in his children, and especially grant his son-in-law and son, who are Waqfeen-e-Zindagi, the ability to fulfill their dedication with loyalty in accordance with the wishes of the respected Maulana Sahib.