HAKEEM NOOR-UD-DEEN (Khalifatul Masih I) ——— The Way of the Righteous —— By: SYED HASANAT AHMAD Islam International Publications Limited Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen (Khalifatul Masih I) –The Way of the Righteous– by: Syed Hasanat Ahmad © Islam International Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. First Published in UK in 2003 by: Islam International Publications Ltd. "Islamabad" Sheephatch Lane Tilford, Surrey, GU1O 2AQ UNITED KINGDOM Printed in U.K. by British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is also available ISBN: 1 85372 743 1 "For days and nights together, I very humbly supplicated and prayed to my beloved God: O Lord, I am all alone, who will be my helper and associate? Grant me one! When I raised my hands in moving supplication, the whole heaven was full of my wailing and my prayers. Then God, in His infinite mercy, granted my prayers and conferred upon me His choicest blessings, and He, from His majesty, gave me a pious, sincere and obedient friend and his name, like his nooraani qualities, was Noor-ud- Deen." [Translation from the Arabic portion of Aa’eena-i-Kamaalaat-i-Islam, pp. 581-586 by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas] "As soon as I got the handbill of Braaheen-i-Ahmadiyya (in 1885) of Hadhrat Mirza Sahib, I immediately left for Qadian... "It was after Asr Prayer, I approached Masjid Mubarak. As soon as I saw his face, I was overjoyed, and felt happy and grateful to have found the perfect man that I was seeking all my life... "At the end of the first meeting, I offered my hand for Bai‘at. Hadhrat Mirza Sahib said, he was not yet Divinely commissioned to accept Bai‘at; then I made Mirza Sahib promise me that I would be the person whose Bai‘at would be accepted first...." [Hadhrat Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen in Al-Hakam, April 22, 1908] CONTENTS Foreword xiii Preface xv CHAPTER ONE Bhera - Birth Place and Family Account 1 Historical Importance of Bhera 1 Family Account 1 Family Tree 2 Sons 3 Daughters 4 Father 6 List of Brothers and Sisters 8 CHAPTER TWO Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen 9 Birth 9 Childhood and Primary Education 9 Admission in School 9 Other Activities 10 Outdoor Activities 10 Visit to Lahore 11 Titles 11 CHAPTER THREE In Quest of Knowledge 13 Sojourn in Lucknow - Encounter with a Scholar 14 Visit to Bhopal 18 Maulana Sahib Seeks Advice 21 v CHAPTER FOUR Pilgrimage to Mecca 23 Arrival in Mecca 24 Teaching of Hadith 25 Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen’s Opinion About Shah Abdul Ghani 29 Shah Abdul Ghani and Forty Ahadith 30 Return to Mecca 30 Second Hajj 31 Return Home 31 Return to Bhera 33 First Encounter 33 Conspiracy to Kill Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen 38 Plan to Assassinate Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen 38 First Marriage 39 CHAPTER FIVE Medical Clinic in Bhera 43 Maulana Sahib Builds a House 44 Second Visit to Bhopal 47 An Extraordinary Incident 47 History of Ibn-i-Khaladun 48 Cure of Paralysis 49 Hakeem Sahib's Vision of Holy Prophetsa 50 CHAPTER SIX Royal Physician of the State of Jammu 53 Chief Physician 54 Messiah of Hopeless Patients 55 Hakeem Sahib's Service to Religion 57 Efforts to spread the Holy Qur’an and Its Teaching in the State 59 Hakeem Sahib’s Selection for Writing Commentary on the Torah 60 Hakeem Sahib’s Perception and Intelligence 61 vi Another Vision About the Holy Prophetsa 62 Hakeem Sahib’s Fondness for Arabic Literature 63 Proposal for Formation of Anjuman Isha‘at-i-Islam 64 Committing of the Holy Qur’an to Memory 64 Formation of Anjuman Himaayat-i-Islam 65 CHAPTER SEVEN Introduction to Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian 67 Correspondence with Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas 70 Second Visit to Qadian 70 All India Muhammadan Educational Conference 72 Hakeem Sahib Falls Sick 72 Second Marriage 73 CHAPTER EIGHT Bai‘at of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and Stay at Qadian 75 Important Events After Bai‘at 76 First Annual Conference of Jama‘at-i-Ahmadiyya 78 Journey to Lahore 78 Hakeem Sahib's Financial Sacrifices 79 Departure from Service in Jammu State 79 Return to Bhera and Removal from Service 81 Loan of Rs. 195,000 83 Permanent Residence in Qadian 84 CHAPTER NINE Hakeem Sahib and Qadian 87 Correspondence with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan 88 Debate with Abdullah Aatham 89 Another Offer from the State of Jammu 89 vii Principles of Translation of the Holy Qur'an 90 Meeting with Hadhrat Khawaja Ghulam Farid 91 Journey to Malir Kotla 93 Honour of Presiding the Conference of All Religions 95 CHAPTER TEN Hakeem Sahib and Public Engagements 97 Clash with an Old Friend 97 Birth of a Son 101 Urdu Translation of the Holy Qur'an 102 Second Paper Al-Badr 102 Journey to Kapurthala 102 Journey to Lahore 103 Journey to Sialkot 103 Appointment as Trustee of Anjuman-i-Kaar Pardaaz Masaaleh-i-Qabristaan 104 Setting Up of Central Anjuman-i-Ahmadiyya 104 Jalsa of Aarya Samaaj 105 Formation of Majma-ul-Akhwaan 105 Guiding Principles for Understanding of the Holy Qur'an 106 Fateful Journey to Lahore 108 CHAPTER ELEVEN Hakeem Sahib's Election As First Caliph 111 First Address as Caliph 113 Burial 115 Testimony 115 Institution of Khilaafat and Its Importance 116 Some Outstanding Features 117 Setting Up of Baitul Maal (Treasury) 118 First Public Library 118 Hindu-Muslim Unity 119 Care of the Needy 119 Houses for the Poor 120 viii Daily Routine of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira 120 Tablighi Activities (Propagation of Islam) 122 Teaching of the Holy Qur'an 122 Promotion of Urdu 123 English Translation of the Holy Qur'an 124 Debates of Rampur and Mansouri 125 Lecture on Islam 125 Allama Iqbal Poses Questions 126 Construction of Important Buildings in Qadian 128 Expansion of Masjid Aqsa 129 Launching of Newspapers 129 Days of Disaster 130 Setting Up of Anjuman-i-Ansarullah 130 CHAPTER TWELVE Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira Sends Teams of Scholars to Spread the Message of Islam 131 Delegation to Examine Educational Institutions 134 Setting Up of First Mission in UK 136 Mischief by Some Members of Anjuman-i- Ahmadiyya 137 Supremacy of Khilaafat Established 137 Illness of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira 139 Warm Tributes Paid All Over India 142 CHAPTER THIRTEEN His Teachers, Students and Books 145 Teachers 145 Students 146 Books of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira 151 Fasl-ul-Khitaab on Surah Faatihah 152 Fasl-ul-Khitaab on Ahle Kitaab 153 Tasdeeq-i-Braaheen-i-Ahmadiyya 153 Falsehood of the Divinity of Jesus 154 False Theory of Reincarnation 155 Dars-i-Qur'an 155 ix Tafseer Surah Al-Jumu‘ah 156 Noor-ud-Deen 156 Radd-i-Naskh-i- Qur'an 157 First Primer of Theology 157 Book on Arabic Syntax 157 Translation of First Chapter of the Holy Qur'an 157 Wafaat Masih Mau‘ood 157 Khutabaat-i-Noor 158 MirqaatulYaqeen 158 Kalaam-i-Amir 158 Mujarrabaat Noor-ud-Deen 158 Bayaadh-i-Noor-ud-Deen 158 Tafseer-i-Ahmadi 159 Spiritual Wealth 159 CHAPTER FOURTEEN Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira and His Four Loves 161 The Love for God 162 Some Quotes of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira 163 The Love for Muhammadsa 166 The Love for the Holy Qur'an 168 The Love for Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas 172 CHAPTER FIFTEEN Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira - The Man 179 Total Trust in Allah 179 Affability and Kindness 181 Empathy 181 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira's Modesty, Simplicity and Humbleness 183 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira's Intellectualism 184 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira's Personal Library 186 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira's Stature as Hakeem 187 CHAPTER SIXTEEN x Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira as Seen by His Master and Others 191 Others on Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen 194 Interviews with His Contemporaries 199 CONCLUSION 203 Glossary of Islamic Terminology 207 Selected Bibliography 211 The Author 213 xi Foreword I am happy that a project started at the behest of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IVrta has reached its completion. No book can fully capture the spiritual and many faceted personality of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. The Promised Messiahas who knew him best described his personality as follows in his Arabic book, Hamaamatul Bushra, (page 6): Among my many pious friends, there is one far-sighted, gifted with vast knowledge, soft spoken, polite, steadfast in faith, God-fearing, trusting, a savant, pious, scholar, devout, saintly spiritual, towering Muhaddith (scholar of Hadith), outstanding Hakeem, Haaji-ul-Haramain, Haafiz-i- Qur’an, an offspring of Farooq. His name is Maulavi Noor-ud-Deen Bhervi. In sincerity, devotion, dedication, loyalty and love, he is formost among my followers. The famous Persian couplet that appeared in another book, Nishaan-i-Aasmaani (page 47) appropriately epitomized the excellences of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira: How fortunate would it be if everyone of the Community (Ummat) were Noor-ud-Deen! To know the depth of the feelings of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, the commentary of Surah Al-Jumu‘ah by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, explains why he settled in Qadian: The brief reply is, I found such an unprecedented wealth here, that no thief and no robber can steal it. I found that for which people for the last thirteen hundred years xiii Foreword have been yearning. Why should I abandon a place of unlimited wealth and wander around in this material world? I truly say if I am given one lakh (one hundred thousand) rupees or even a crore (ten million), even then I will not leave Qadian except in compliance of the wishes of my Imam.