After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated:
Hazrat Sabit bin Khalid Ansari belonged to the tribe of Banu Maalik and came from the clan of Najjar. He participated in the Battles of Badr, Uhud and Yamamah. According to some, he attained martyrdom during the incident at Bi’r-e-Mau’unah.
Hazrat Abdullah Bin Urfatah. He migrated to Abyssinia along with Hazrat Ja’far bin Abi Talib. Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Urfatah participated in the Battle of Badr.
Hazrat Utbah bin Abdullah. His mother’s name was Busrah bint Zaid. He participated in the bai’at that took place at Aqabah as well as the Battles of Badr and Uhud.
Hazrat Qais bin Abi Sa’sa. The father of Hazrat Qais was Amr bin Zaid. However, he was known by the title of Abu Sa’sa’. Hazrat Qais’ mother’s name was Shaibah bint Asim. Hazrat Qais participated in the bai’at that took place at Aqabah along with seventy Ansar. He also had the honour of participating in the Battles of Badr and Uhud. During the Battle of Badr, the Holy Prophet (sa) appointed him as the leader of the Saaqah. Saaqah is the part of the army that remains behind for protection. On one occasion, he said to the Holy Prophet (sa): ‘O Prophet of Allah (sa)! In how many days should I complete the recitation of the entire Qur’an?’ The Holy Prophet (sa) replied, ‘In fifteen nights.’ Hazrat Qais said ‘I find myself capable of doing more than this.’ Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) said ‘You may complete it within the period of two Fridays.’ To this, he said ‘I find myself capable of doing even more than this.’ Following this, he recited the Holy Qur’an in this very manner for a long time. This continued to the extent that when he grew old and had to cover his eyes with a piece of cloth, he began to complete the recitation of the entire Qur’an in fifteen days. At that time, he used to say ‘if only I had complied with the concession of the Holy Prophet (sa).’
Hazrat ‘Ubaida bin Harith. Hazrat Ubaida bin al-Harith, who belonged to Banu Muttalib, was a close relative of the Holy Prophet (sa). He belonged to the tribe of Banu Muttalib. His title was Abu Harith, whereas, according to some, it was Abu Mu’awiyah. The name of his mother was Sukhaila bint Khuza’i. Hazrat Ubaida was ten years older than the Holy Prophet (sa). He was among the first people to accept Islam. He became a Muslim before the Holy Prophet (sa) entered Dar-ul-Arqam [House of Arqam – first designated place, where Muslims could meet and worship in secrecy]. The Holy Prophet (sa) held Hazrat Ubaida in great honour and esteem.
During the Battle of Badr, he fought on behalf of the Muslims in the combat duel against Waleed bin Utbah. Further details of this combat duel have thus been provided in Sunan Abu Dawud: Hazrat Ali (ra) relates: “Utbah bin Rabee’ah, followed by his son and brother came forward and announced, ‘Who is it that will come to face us?’ Thereupon, many of the youth from among the Ansar answered him. Utbah asked ‘Who are you?’ They replied, ‘We are the Ansar’. Utbah then said, ‘We have no dispute with you, we only wish to fight our cousins’. The Holy Prophet (sa) then said, ‘O Hamza rise, o Ali rise and o Ubaidah bin Harith rise and go forth.’” Hazrat Ali (ra) narrates: “As soon as we heard the call of the Holy Prophet (sa) Hazrat Hamza advanced to Utbah, I advanced to Shaybah and there was a skirmish between Ubaidah bin Harith and Waleed which left both severely wounded. Then we turned to Waleed and killed him and took Ubaidah bin Harith away from the battlefield. During the duel Utbah had struck the calf of Hazrat Ubaidah bin Harith and left it completely severed. The Holy Prophet (sa) ordered for him to be removed from the battlefield and after the Battle of Badr had ended he passed away in Safra, a place near Badr, and he was also buried there. At the time of his demise, Hazrat Ubaidah bin Harith was 63 years of age.
After mentioned these Companions, I wish to mention a long-serving life devotee missionary of ours from Indonesia who passed away a few days ago. His name was Suyuti Aziz Ahmad Sahib and he passed away on 19th November. To Allah do we belong and to Him shall we return. Suyuti Sahib was suffering from a severe heart illness and was sent to Rabwah for treatment. There, in the Tahir Heart Institute in Rabwah he underwent major surgery but after a few days his health did not improve and on 19th November he passed away. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters and ten grandchildren. Among them six are part of the Waqf-e-Nau scheme.
Suyuti Aziz Ahmad Sahib was born on 17th August 1944 in Bone, South Sulawesi. He studied in Jamia Rabwah between September 1966 and October 1971. In April 1972 he was appointed as the central missionary of Indonesia. Then in 1985 he received the Shahid degree, during his time serving in the field, having seen his services. In the year 2000 he had the blessed opportunity to perform Hajj.
Between 1972 and 1979 he spent these seven years serving as a missionary in South Sumatra, Lampung, Jambi and Bengkulu. Between 1979 and 1981 he served as a teacher for the Mu’allimeen. In 1981 he was appointed as the missionary in Purwokerto. Then in 1982 he was appointed as the Assistant Director of the Mu’allimeen and Muballigheen classes. Between 1982 and 1992 he served as the Principal of Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia. In that period of time, in 1985 he was awarded the Shahid degree. From 1992 till 2016, he remained as the head of Tabligh for twenty years. Then, from 2016 till his demise he served again as the Principal of Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia. In 1973 he married Afifa Sahiba, daughter of the missionary Abdul Wahid Sahib of Sumatra. She was also the older sister of Maulana Abdul Basit Sahib, Ameer of the Indonesia Jama’at. She bore four of his children – Warda Khalid, Harith Abdul Bari, Sa’adat Ahmad and Aliyah Atiyyatul Aleem. Afifa Sahiba passed away in 2009. Thereafter, Suyuti Sahib married Arina Damayinti Sahiba but they had no children together.
Regarding the spread of Ahmadiyyat in his family, he once gave an interview to MTA in which he said, “The main reason for myself and my family to take the oath of allegiance was that my grandfather instructed us that in the latter days the Imam Mahdi will appear so you must all accept him. To honour this instruction of his my family migrated twice. In 1959 my family moved to Lampung. In 1963 a missionary named Maulana Zaini Dehlan Sahib came to preach in Lampung and we met him. He told us that the Imam Mahdi has appeared. I then asked him for the proofs of his advent to which he gave us a book proving the truthfulness of the Messiah of the latter days and told us to read it. When I read the book I was assured that the Messiah to come was none other than this man and that was the Imam Mahdi Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani (as).” He says, “On 13th February 1963, at the age of 19, I and 40 members of my family took the oath of allegiance through Maulana Zaini Dehlan Sahib.”
Then he further states: “In 1963, Wakeel-ul-Tabshir sahib visited Badung from Rabwah and I was there at the time. The truth became even more clear for me even after attending the programmes of the Jama’at and meeting with its’ Missionaries.” Whilst mentioning about his admission in Jamia, he states: “In 1963, Maulana Abu Bakr Ayub sahib, who was serving as a Missionary of Southern Sumatra, visited us in Lampung for the training of the new converts. After his visit, he reported to Raees-ul-Tabligh, Maualana Syed Shah Muhammad Jilani sahib saying: ‘Some people from the Bogas tribe have taken the Oath of Allegiance in Lampung and we do not have a missionary from amongst these people. Whereas, we have missionaries from amongst the Java and Sunda people.’ He wrote: “I met with three young men there who can be sent to Rabwah for study.” He then says: “I was amongst those three young men. Our names were recommended for admission in Jamia Ahmadiyya, Rabwah and we were instructed to apply for our passports. However, we could not get our passports due to the unstable political climate of Indonesia at the time. Afterwards, in 1966, I applied for a visa with Raees-ul-Tabligh, Maulana Imam Al-Din, at the Embassy of Pakistan and obtained the visa within fifteen minutes.” He continues: “I arrived in Karachi and stayed there for one night and from there I travelled to Rabwah via train. After arriving at the station, I walked to Jamia.” He says: “A lot of Jamia students welcomed me upon my arrival. The environment was new so it was quite difficult to get accustomed to at first, however, I managed to adjust accordingly. I was enrolled into to Jamia after three days. There was one person amongst the teachers whose name was Hazrat Master ‘Ata Muhamamd sahib, who was a companion of the Promised Messiah (as).” He further says: “I had the honour of meeting with several companions of the Promised Messiah (as) during my stay in Rabwah. I would always seek an opportunity to meet with a companion of the Promised Messiah (as) and would press their feet while conversing with them.” While sharing a pleasant experience of an audience with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh), he states: “When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) was elected as the Caliph of the Community, we met with him and embraced him. Huzoor (rh) patted me lovingly on my face and stated: ‘They have come from Indonesia.’ There were other foreign students there. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) continued: ‘All of you have come from afar, you are all my children.’ The spiritual light of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) always remained amongst us and for this reason all of our difficulties became easy. Huzoor (rh) had instructed: ‘You can come to me when facing any difficulty.’” He states: “When I was about to return to Indonesia, I went to meet with Huzoor (rh) before my departure. Huzoor (rh) enquired: ‘Do you need anything?’ I responded: ‘I need some books. I visited the office but was not able to obtain anything.” Huzoor (rh) wrote a note from his pen that read: ‘Give the books to Suyuti’. Soon after, I received a complete set of Ruhani Khazain, which I have in my possession to this day. Before I left, Huzoor (rh) embraced me lovingly and said in my ear: ‘Never be unfaithful to your master. This is my advice to you.’”
He writes about an incident: “In 1992, Shareef Ahmad Baugis, Ameer sahib Indonesia, sent me to the Philippines to ensure success in the International Bai’at that was taking place there and said to me: “This is as per instructions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh).” I said to him: “I am very weak and I do not know even the local language.” He responded: “I have full faith in you.” Then He said, “if these are the instructions then I am ready.” Hence, I left the Jama’at headquarters and at the time in order to get there one had to go through Manila and Zambwakasti. I ate some food and contracted cholera and became very weak. In this condition, I prayed: ‘O Allah! If I die here then there are no Muslims here who would offer my funeral prayers.’” He says: ‘At night I saw in a dream that a nurse wearing a uniform visits me and whilst patting me on my forehead she blows some air on me. At that moment I felt as if my entire body has turned ice cold and this coolness exits my body through my toes. I had completely recovered in the morning when I woke up so I departed for Tawi-Tawi. By the Grace of Allah Almighty one hundred and thirty people took the Oath of Allegiance and joined the Jama’at within three months.”
Abdul Basit sahib, Ameer sahib Indonesia, writes: “I got the opportunity to observe Siyuti ‘Aziz sahib on a very personal level as my brother-in-law and a missionary. He had a very simple personality and his greatest attributes were humility and meekness. He was a living example of patience and forbearance in all affairs. He would always supplicate to God, offer Tahajjud [pre-dawn voluntary] prayers regularly, display immense trust in Allah Almighty and he had a relation of tremendous love and sincerity with the system of Khilafat and the Khulafah of the Jama’at. He would give precedence to Jama’at affairs over his personal matters. He was a successful servant of the Jama’at. Whatever responsibility, duty and office he was entrusted with, he fulfilled that role with immense sincerity and loyalty. It did not matter whether he was performing that duty as a Missionary or a teacher of Jamia or as a principal or as in-charge of propagating the message. He was an excellent model and an example for the life devotees.”
Ma’soom sahib, Vice Principal Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia, states: “Suyuti sahib would teach the translation of the Holy Qur’an to the third, fourth and fifth year classes. He would teach the subject of Kalaam to the Mubashir [Final year] class. In order to teach this class, he had translated the book ‘Irfaan-e-Ilahi’ into the Indonesian language. When he became weak due to illness and was unable to move around, his students would visit him in the office to study. He taught his class on November 8 before leaving for Rabwah. He would always say: ‘Jamia years have been increased to seven years and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih has approved this. So you all should work very hard and fulfill the desires of Huzoor.”
His daughter, Mardiya sahiba, writes: “My father had fully devoted his life. He spent his life serving the Jama’at to the extent that we traveled very little for sightseeing or entertainment. We always considered this to be the lifestyle of a life devotee. He taught his children that a Waqf-e-Zindagi’s time should be spent completely for the sake of the Jama’at.” Then she states: “In terms of training, my respected father did not give a lot of advice rather, he lead by example.” She continues: “He would serve my mother patiently when she became ill and he would also do the house chores himself. He would prepare the morning and evening meals during the days of Ramazan. He never requested anyone to do anything for him. He had the habit of doing his work with his own hands.”
His son Sa’adat Ahmad sahib writes: “He trained us very patiently however, he emphasized a lot about offering prayers. During our childhood, he would instruct us to offer prayers in congregation at the Mosque. If I were not seen in the mosque, then he would look for me and take me to the mosque himself.” He further says: “He always advised us to never miss prayers, offer sunnah prayers with it and always recite the Holy Qur’an.”
His daughter Atiyyatul Aleem states: “My father would always speak the truth. He never uttered a falsehood in front of his children even as a joke. He would never miss Tahajjud prayer and would offer his prayer in congregation at the mosque. Apart from when he was ill, I never saw him offering his obligatory prayers at home.”
His second wife says: “Before leaving for Rabwah, he told me and the children ‘my heirs, my family and household is Khilafat and that my life and death is for the Jamaat.”
He also attended Germany Jalsa this year. He was very eager to attend even though his children advised him against travelling as he was ill, however he said that he wanted to meet the Khalifa. And so he attended the Germany Jalsa and met me there and this was the last time he met me. She also said:“He was an excellent husband and I learnt the importance of obedience from him. He never showed any concern for his own health and well-being when it came to Jama’at work.”
Suyuti Aziz Sahib’s son-in-law, Zaki Sahib, says: “In 2005 when we were alerted about the news of an attack on our headquarters, the Khuddam were instructed to come and protect it. I was also there and at the time Suyuti Sahib was head of Tabligh and I noticed he was never scared. He would go in the middle of the night and meet the Khuddam and give them courage. I saw that he had immense love for Khilafat. He would say that he is a life-devotee and therefore whatever he does is with the approval and instruction of the Khalifa of the time. He suffered a stroke in 2017 and for some time he could not even talk clearly, but despite this he continued studying books and it would always be his desire to go to Jamia and teach the students.”
Ahmad Sahib, Secretary Tarbiyyat, writes: “If he ever received a good piece of advice, he would openly appreciate it with great respect and whenever he faced any difficulty, he would sincerely ask for suggestions.”
Ahmad Noor Sahib, a missionary, says: “He led a very simple life and was very respectable. Despite his old age, he was very active in his Jama’at work as if he were a young man. One advice he gave which I always remember is that never turn away from God, and always ask Him for He never rejects the prayer of His servants.”
He further states: “When I had my interview for the Shahid class [final year of Jamia Ahmadiyya], he advised me in a very emotional manner with tears flowing and whilst trembling that ‘never abandon your Waqf [pledge of life devotion], whoever discards their Waqf is among those who incur great loss.’”
Another person has written that Suyuti Sahib visited Kindari and whilst imparting various advice, he said, “If you have any internal or external issues whilst trying to ensure people adhere to the system of the Jama’at, you should go forth without any fear because you will have the help and support of God Almighty. However, if members of the Jama’at criticise you owing to any of your personal weaknesses then you should assess your condition and bring about an improvement.”
One should never be worried in relation to Jama’at work, they should have complete trust in God Almighty and have pure intentions. However, if one has any personal weaknesses then they should assess their condition.
Khalid Ahmad Khan Sahib, a missionary, writes: “During our time studying in Jamia, Suyuti Sahib was a shining example for us spiritually and morally. He would make great effort in offering the prayers in congregation. He would always arrive on time to the mosque, or at times he would come much earlier and right until his demise, despite his ill health, he continued this habit of greatly striving for his prayers.
Another missionary, Hashim Sahib writes: “I had the honour of being taught the subject of Ilm-ul-Kalam in Jamia from Suyuti Aziz Sahib. It was his habit that during the lecture, he would ask the students questions and he would highly praise and commend the answers from the students. Once, he asked us that that what is the biggest proof for the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (as). We all quoted various verses from the Holy Quran and presented references of the Ahadith. Listening to our answers, he told us that he himself was the biggest proof for its truthfulness i.e. every Ahmadi should consider himself to be the most powerful proof for its truthfulness. He then said that everyone should raise themselves to a standard whereby everyone is a sign of its truthfulness.” This was his style of morally training them in that if they completely followed the teachings of Ahmadiyyat which is the true Islam then they themselves will becomes the biggest sign of its truth. Such was his style of training. He would listen to the sermons very attentively. When he would listen to my sermons he would discuss the various points of the sermon with his students and would make sure they took notes. He would always check to see whether or not the students had understood the message given by the Khalifa and he would advise the students about obedience to Khilafat.
Shamsori Mahmood Sahib, who is a missionary, writes: “Suyuti Sahib was a successful life devotee. On one occasion he advised me by saying, ‘Having dedicated your life, you must ensure that you do not become neglectful. Forsaking your dedication is akin to abandoning the Jamaat, always remember this point.’ He then repeated this statement and I saw that his eyes were red and had tears in them.”
Yusuf Ismael Sahib, who is also a missionary, writes that when he was appointed as a regional missionary, he went to meet him. Since Suyuti Sahib was Raeesul Tabligh, Yusuf Sahib went to see him and asked: “Why have you appointed me as a regional missionary? I have many weaknesses and have little experience. I am not worthy of serving as a regional missionary. There are many others who are better qualified than me, so you should appoint one of them.” To this Suyuti Sahib gave a simple, but honest answer and said: “Who informed you that you have been made regional missionary because you are worthy of the job? You have been entrusted with this task so that you can learn in this capacity and develop a sense of responsibility.” He then said: “We are all weak human beings. However, if we have a strong relationship with God Almighty, then all of our tasks will become easy. Therefore, always bear in mind, whether you are serving as a regional missionary or not, you must always have a strong connection with God Almighty. Only then will you attain success and your tasks will be made easy for you.”
The general manager of MTA, Akhanoor Sahib says: “On one occasion we were faced with a certain difficulty for which I wrote to him for prayers. He did not reply immediately, however, the following day he obtained my phone number from someone. When I met with him the first question he asked was that I had requested him for prayers, did I write to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih for prayers? When I informed him that I had, he became elated and said that this is the way it should be. Even at that time he had tears in his eyes. One can gauge his deep love for Khilafat from his expression.” Similarly, at different occasions whenever the topic of establishing a relationship with Khilafat was mentioned, he would be overcome with emotion. By the grace of Allah, the deceased was a Moosi [part of the institution of Al-Wasiyyat]. He passed away in Rabwah, Pakistan on 23rd November. His body was transported from Pakistan to Indonesia and was buried on 24th November in the centre in the graveyard for Moosian. A large congregation from among the Jamaat attended his funeral. May Allah the Almighty elevate his status and grant him a lofty status in the gardens of paradise. May God bestow patience on all his family members and may He enable his progeny and descendants to follow in his footsteps.