Early Life
Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra)was born in 1841 in the village of Bhera, Punjab, which is now part of Pakistan. His family was very learned in the Holy Qur’an and had great love for this special book from the last 11 generations, who committed it to memory. This love was passed on to Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin (ra), who during the course of one month was able to memorise 16 paras (parts) by heart.
Did you know that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih’s 1st (ra) family tree can be traced back to Hazrat Umar (ra) the second Khalifa of the Holy Prophet (sa)!
At the age of 25, Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin’s (ra) quest for knowledge took him to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah where he stayed for four years. During his stay there, he was able to perform hajj (pilgrimage) and complete his studies of the Holy Qur’an and ahadith.
Faith inspiring incident:
During his stay in Madinah, Khalifatul Masih 1st (ra) had no food to eat at night. As he has going to Masjid Nabwi to offer prayers, a policeman approached him and told him that his officer would like to meet him. The officer had with him some Indian sweets that had been prepared with the help of a friend and he wanted to share them with someone from India. In this way, Allah provided for His faithful servant Khalifatul Masih 1st (ra).
On his return to India, Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin(ra) was welcomed as a learned scholar of Islam and a renowned physician. People from all over India came to Bhera to be treated by the famous physician Maulvi Nooruddin. When the Maharajah of Kashmir heard of this, he appointed him as his royal physician at the age of 35. However he was forced to quit his post as royal physician after an internal power struggle after the death of the Maharajah. During his 16-year stay, he was able to teach the Holy Qur’an to two of the sons of the Maharajah as well as anyone else who he encountered.
Upon returning to Bhera, Huzoor (ra) began constructing a hospital that offered treatment in natural medicine. Aged 52, Khalifatul Masih 1st (ra) visited Lahore to purchase building materials for the hospital and thought to make a day trip to Qadian so he could meet this person who had claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. Allah’s plan was such that Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin(ra) never returned to Bhera from Qadian, deciding to take permanent residence on the request of the Promised Messiah (as) himself. This was after having recognised the truth of the Promised Messiah’s (as) claim.
The Promised Messiah (as) wrote a beautiful testimony about Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin’s (ra):
“How nice it would be if everyone from my followers were Nooruddin. This is possible only when one’s heart is illuminated by the light of truth and firm belief.”
When the Promised Messiah (as) initiated Bai’at on 23rdMarch 1889, Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) was the first person who swore allegiance to him. During his stay in Qadian in the company of the Promised Messiah (as), he also established a clinic where he gave free treatment to the poor. He gave daily lessons in the Holy Qur’an to the children of the Promised Messiah (as) and to all audiences, men, women, young and old.
Faith inspiring incident:
In 1905 the Promised Messiah (as) went to Delhi where his father-in-law was seriously ill. He sent word to Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) to come immediately. Such love and obedience, Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) had for the Promised Messiah (as), that he left his clinic for the train station without checking to see if he had money for the train ticket. He said to a friend: “I deem it a sin to delay a single moment. This is a call from my Master. I put my trust in God to take care of my necessities.” While waiting at the railway station, one of his patients requested that Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) treat his wife who was ill. Having treated his wife, the man paid him enough money to pay for his train ticket to Delhi, he also gave him some extra money as a gift.
Period of Khilafat
On May 26th 1908, the devastating news of the Promised Messiah’s (as) demise in Lahore reached Qadian. The next day, Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) was unanimously elected as the first Khalifa to succeed the Promised Messiah (as) by 1200 members, thus initiating the institution of Khilafat.
Soon after the election of Khalifatul Masih 1st (ra) , Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya, who were an administrative body of the Jama’at, found the Khalifa a threat to their own authority and began asserting that it was in fact the Anjuman that was the successor to the Promised Messiah (as). They wanted the Khalifa’s role to be restricted to ceremonial duties such as leading the prayers and initiating newcomers into the community while the Anjuman would be the main decision making body.
Divisions in the community were growing and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih 1st (ra) knew he had to take action. Addressing a grand audience in Masjid Mubarak, he delivered a powerful speech where he emphasised the authority of the Khalifa and explained the position of the Anjuman Ahmadiyya, in that they were subordinate to the Khalifa. This majestic and fearless speech put the Anjuman in its place and they dared not question the authority of Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) again.
Notable Achievements
- In 1906, it was decided that the first Madrassa-e-Ahmadiyya be established for the training of missionaries of the community. A curriculum was drafted, and staff were appointed to produce excellent missionaries from the community.
- In May 1908, Baitul Maal (the Treasury) was established.
- With increasing Ahmadi population in Qadian, it was decided that a new neighbourhood by the name of Darul Uloom be added to Qadian. Many buildings were erected such as the Noor Mosque, Talim-ul-Islam High School and an extension to the Aqsa mosque.
- In June 1913 the Al-Fazl newspaper was published for the first time. This was a weekly publication and its name was suggested by Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra) himself.
- Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sial was the first missionary sent to London in 1914.
- On Friday 13th March 1914, after a period of ailing health, Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin (ra)passed away.
References
https://www.alislam.org/articles/hazrat-maulana-nooruddin-khalifatul-masih-i/
https://www.alislam.org/articles/hazrat-hakeem-maulana-nooruddin/
https://www.alislam.org/book/brief-history-ahmadiyya-muslim/milestones-of-his-caliphate/
Sheikh Abdul Hadi, Basics of Religious Education Third Edition (Revised) (1997) pgs231-2
