Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful .......... The HOPE Bulletin ……….. Health, Ongoing Projects, Education A tribute in memory of the late Malik Saeed Ahmad Sahib, Auliya Allah (Friend of Allah) (Died in 2012 at 105 years) INTRODUCTION Akbar Ibn Abdullah, Editor It gives us immense pleasure to render tribute to the last of the Mujahids of the century that touched the hands of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib and received his blessings when, as a child, he was placed on Hazrat Sahib’s lap and he sucked Hazrat Sahib’s thumb. I had the distinct honour and pleasure of meeting the late Malik Sahib during all of my last three visits to the Central Mosque in Lahore. Prior to these visits Hazrat Ameer, Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed Pasha Sahib, arranged a phone conversation with Malik Sahib, who blessed me for the yeomen service I am doing for the worldwide Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. Almost everyone I spoke to who knew him bore testimony that the late Malik Sahib, the last of the most senior stalwarts of the Jama‘at , with his piety and steadfast meditation had earned the favours and blessings of Almighty Allah to become one of the Auliyas (Friends) of Allah and was amongst the saintly groups, a recipient of divine dreams. It is reported that while Hazrat Ameer was deciding upon whether to stay in his prestigious teaching position in the Government Hospital in Abbotabad or accept the position of Ameership in Lahore, Malik Sahib saw a dream in which Hazrat Ameer Sahib was the Ameer of the Jama‘at. May Allah have mercy on the departed soul of Malik Saeed Sahib and grant him a peaceful resting place in the highest pedestal of Jannate-Firdouse. Aameen. We also pray that Allah ( swt ), in His bountiful mercy and graceful blessings, may descend His solace and bounties on the surviving families of the Marhoom and the Jama‘at and help them to bear the burden of this irreparable personal loss with patience, courage and perseverance. Aameen . The members of The HOPE Bulletin Team are proud to salute and honour such a noble saint and staunch soldier of Islam and Ahmadiyyat by publishing this special tribute supplement in his remembrance. May Allah be pleased with him. Aameen . Special thanks to Central Anjuman for the biography and photographs of the Marhoom , and Dr. Jawad Ahmad of the UK for the photographs which were taken at the Central Mosque. According to the Holy Qur’an, death does not bring the life of man to an end; it only opens the door to a higher form of life. Just as from dust is evolved the man, from the deeds which he does is evolved the higher man. As from the small life-germ grows up the man and he does not lose his individuality for all the changes which he undergoes, so from this man is made the higher man, his attributes being changed and he being made to grow into what he cannot conceive at present. Connection between the two lives The life after death, according to the Holy Qur’an, opens out a wide vista of progress before man, a new world of advancement before which the progress of this life sinks into insignificance: “And certainly the Hereafter is much superior in respect of degrees and much superior in respect of excellence” (17:21). The connection between the two lives, the life on this earth and the life after death, is established in the clearest words. Heaven and hell are not places of enjoyment and torture to be met with only after death; they are realities even here. The Hereafter is not a mystery beyond the grave; it begins in this very life. For the good, the heavenly life, and for the wicked, a life in hell, begins even here: “And for him who fears to stand before his Lord are two Gardens” (55:46). “O soul that art at rest, return to thy Lord, well-pleased with Him, well-pleasing Him: so enter among My servants and enter into My paradise” (89:27-30). [Maulana Muhammad Ali, Introduction to the Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran.] 2 IN MEMORIAM Contributed by Central Anjuman, Lahore, Pakistan Brief life history and spiritual experiences of a saintly person The late Malik Saeed Ahmad Sahib Malik Saeed Ahmad’s family hailed from Ludhiana, India. His grandfather, Muhammad Hassan, was a well-known hakim in the area, and was a close associate and friend of Maulana Muhammad Hussain Batalwi, a well-known Ahl-i Hadith scholar in the late 18th century. Whenever Maulana Batalwi visited Ludhiana, he would stay at Muhammad Hassan’s house. Ahmadis are aware of the fact that Maulana Muhammad Hussain Batalwi was a classmate of Hazrat Mirza Sahib during his student life and showed great respect to him and was so respectful towards Hazrat Mirza Sahib that at times he would even straighten his shoes so that he could put them on easily. Maulana Batalwi would talk highly about Mirza Sahib’s righteousness and spiritual excellence. Being an Ahl-i Hadith, Muhammad Hassan was also among those who were waiting for the Reformer (Mujaddid ) of the 14 th century Hijrah . Maulana Batalwi often advised Muhammad Hassan to take the pledge at the hands of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad if Hazrat Mirza ever claimed to be the Reformer ( Mujaddid ) of the 14 th century Hijrah . Consequently, Muhammad Hassan went to Hazrat Mirza Sahib and requested him to take his pledge but Hazrat Sahib told him that Allah had not yet allowed him to take pledge. As a result this, Mr. Hassan asked of Hazrat Mirza Sahib that if Allah chose him to be the Reformer of the century and allowed him to take pledge, then he should please let him know and he would like to be among the first who would take his pledge. Thus when Hazrat Mirza Sahib was in Ludhiana and was allowed by Allah to take pledge, he sent a message to Muhammad Hassan. However, Muhammad Hassan was away in the village Jassian. Arrangements were then made to convey the message to him in Jassian. Unfortunately, when the message was conveyed to Muhammad Hassan he was so sick that he could not travel, but even in that condition he managed to undertake the journey by travelling in a bullock-cart and reached Ludhiana and got the blessed pledge. Thus, his name was included among the first 313 persons who took the pledge. Offering of salutations to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to attain a spiritual status after undergoing intense meditation and inner struggle is no doubt an uphill task, but to accept the message and to remain firm is harder. In 1891, Allah Almighty told Hazrat Mirza Sahib that the Messiah of Nazareth had died and the prophecy about the second coming of the Messiah was, in fact, to be fulfilled in the person of someone to be raised from among the Muslim Ummah as the Reformer of the 14 th century Hijrah . As he had been appointed as the Reformer of the 14 th century, he was that Promised Messiah and the mission which was to be fulfilled by the coming Messiah shall be performed by him. At this, Maulana Batalwi got annoyed and asked Hazrat Mirza Sahib why he had not consulted him before making his claim. Hazrat Mirza Sahib replied that it is Allah’s command and so consultation with a human being is out of question. Maulana Batalwi then said: “I have exalted Ghulam Ahmad and would debase him now.” A verdict of kufr or declaring him to be out of the pale of Islam was thus signed by religious leaders across India and some Arab countries. As Muhammad Hassan was a close friend of Maulana Batalwi, he asked him to renounce Hazrat Mirza Sahib because of his claim of being the 3 Promised Messiah, which by doing he had made an unbeliever ( kafir ). But Muhammad Hassan Sahib, by the grace of Allah, stood firm by his pledge and declined Maulana Batalwi’s demand. In the biography of Muhammad Hassan published in Yaad-i Raftgaan , two inspiring incidents regarding Hazrat Mirza Sahib’s spiritual excellence have been mentioned. Firstly, Munshee Arora was a dedicated Ahmadi and came to Hazrat Mirza Sahib and wept bitterly. When Hazrat Sahib asked the reason he replied that an Ahmadi mosque in Kapurthala, India had been occupied by force by non-Ahmadi Muslims who had stopped Ahmadis from offering payers in it. A petition had been filed in the court and an Arya Hindu, who had a personal grudge against Ahmadis, was the judge for the case. As the case was in the last stage and there seemed to be no hope for winning the case, a request for prayer was made to Hazrat Mirza Sahib. After making du‘a , Hazrat Mirza Sahib predicted that, “ Insha Allah , with the help of Allah Almighty, Ahmadis would win case.” Munshi Arora Sahib and Muhammad Hassan Sahib went straight to the court where the judgment was shortly to be announced. When these two gentlemen told members of the Jama‘at about the prediction of Hazrat Mirza Sahib, they all shouted “Allah-o-Akbar! ” Upon hearing this loud takbir , the judge sent his reader to find out the reason for this cry. The reader came back and told the judge that the spiritual leader of the Ahmadis had predicted that judgment would be in their favour. The judge replied that he had written a decision against the Ahmadis and would announce it the day after next.