Being the son of a Prophet is never an easy role but to combine that with being The Promised Son, requires strength and character beyond imagination. Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) was no ordinary man. From an early age, his love for God, the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Holy Qur’an was so deep that he even researched whether his father’s claim of being the Promised Messiah (as) was true, threatening to cut ties with his father if they were false. The amount of honesty and firm belief he had in his faith was astonishing, that he would seek to find out the truth at any cost even at such a young age. His accomplishments are well known, so why not take a look at some of his more light-hearted moments?
Growing up, Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) was very inquisitive. “Once at the dinner table, Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) enquired with his younger brother Hazrat Sahibzada Mian Bashir Ahmad(ra), over an assignment topic ‘to compare and contrast the importance of knowledge and wealth’. He said “Bashir! Which of the two are more valuable, knowledge or wealth?” To this, the Promised Messiah (as) himself replied, “repent Mahmood! Repent! Neither knowledge nor wealth is good unless there is the Mercy of God.” This firm notion developed the true and powerful understanding of the significance of Allah Almighty in their hearts.”
The Promised Messiah (as) would often tell his children true stories that contained vital moral lessons. Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) used to listen to these stories and laugh as a child. For instance, the story of Aladdin and his magical lamp. As a child, Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) used to think that the lamp was real before realising it didn’t exist. However, he soon realised that there is such a phenomenon as the Lamp. That lamp is our own hard work and determination. “Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said some people do wish to do something at times but it does not come to pass. This is because their wish is half-hearted and is devoid of the requisites needed to make it happen. It is a mere wish, a thought. This is especially so as regards offering Salat. Many people say they wish to offer Salat regularly but do not. When we do not use all our capacities and do not seek God’s help things do not happen. It cannot be that someone really wants to do something and is not able to do it.”
Even in later life, especially during his Khilafat, he never forgot to make time for his family. Sahibzada Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad (Son of Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) ) states “Despite the extraordinary busy life, Huzoor would find time to spend with his own children and children of his close family. I remember that during winter months, after Isha prayers, he would collect children in a room and narrate stories to them. The stories were not from any book. Actually, he made them up as he spoke. These stories had some lessons which were woven in. The session ended with mothers or servants carrying some children who had dozed off and were fast asleep.”
Despite having poor health in his early childhood, Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) never let him stop achieving success in extreme and varied activities. Huzoor (ra) was extremely active and enjoyed various activities. “In his lighter moments, Huzoor would sometime go hunting and compete against his colleagues and family members in cooking food and once I remember he competed against a large number of Jamaat members in swimming in a canal (which was at a distance of three miles from Qadian), from one bridge to another. The test was not to let your feet touch the ground and anyone who touched the ground deliberately or accidentally had to raise his hand and go out of the race. When he reached the other bridge he was left with only a handful of men with him. We followed this race along the canal bank. Huzoor at that time wore a home-spun long short which was long enough to cover his knees.” (Sahibzada Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad)
Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) was blessed with such levels of knowledge that even people outside the jama’at could not deny his extraordinary intelligence. Chaudhry Haq expressed his opinion on Hazrat Musleh Ma’ood (ra) by saying “The amount of money being spent by Qadiani Jama’at and the incredible brain which is working behind this movement, is enough to destroy even the strongest kingdoms in seconds.” (Newspaper “Mujahid”, 10 August 1935) “Mian Sultan Ahmad Wajoodi, member Provincial Congress Committee, is also very interesting. He writes, “Mirza Mahmood Ahmad has immense power to work. He is a man of extraordinary personality. He delivers speeches for hours without interruption. His speeches are fluent and full of knowledge. He is the author of voluminous books. After meeting with him one gets deeply impressed with his lofty conduct. He has got great talent of administration. At the age 50, he has got vigor of a young man. He is a great patron of Urdu language.” (Al-Hakam, Jubilee Number, December 1939, p. 36)”
Even upon his demise Sidq-e-Jadid, Lucknow wrote a condolence note stating “May Allah reward the Imam Jama’at Ahmadiyya’s effort towards world-wide publication of The Holy Qur’an and its wisdom and for the propagation of Islam in all the corners of the Earth and in lieu of this let us overlook all other matters. The learned manner in which he has interpreted in detail, the truth and wisdom of the Holy Qur’an was real unique.” [Sidq-e-Jadid Lucknow, Vol. 51, Nov. 18th, 1965]
Another article published by the editor of The Light, titled A Great Nation-Builder wrote:
“The death of Mirza Basheer-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad, Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, rang the curtain down on a most eventful career, packed with a multitude of far-reaching enterprises. A man of versatile genius and dynamic personality, there was hardly any sphere of contemporary thought and life during the past century, from religious scholarship to missionary organisation, even political leadership, on which the deceased did not leave a deep imprint. A whole network of Islamic missions and mosques scattered over the world, the deep penetration of Islamic preaching in Africa, transplanting the long-entrenched Christian Missions, is a standing monument to the imaginative planning, organisational capacity and unflagging drive of the deceased. There has hardly been a leader of men in recent times who commanded such deep devotion from his followers, not only when alive, but also after death, when sixty thousand people rushed from all parts of the country to pay their last homage to their departed leader. In the story of the Ahmadiyya Movement, the Mirza Sahib’s name will go down as a Great Nation Builder, who built up a well-knit community in the face of heavy odds, making it a force to be counted with. We offer the bereaved family our deep condolences in their great loss.”
Refrences:
https://www.alislam.org/maryam/Maryam-Jan-Mar-2017-EN.pdf
https://www.alislam.org/library/articles/pearls-memory-remembrance-hazrat-musleh-maud/
https://www.alislam.org/library/articles/hazrat-musleh-mauood-khalifatul-masih-ii-eyes-non-ahmadis/
https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2016-02-12.html
https://www.alislam.org/library/articles/hazrat-mirza-bashiruddin-mahmud-ahmad/
http://paama.org.uk/achievements-of-hadhrat-musleh-maud/
https://www.ahmadiyyagallery.org/Personalities/Hazrat-Mirza-BashirudDin-Mahmood-Ahmad1/Hazrat-Mirza-Bashir-ud-Din-Mahmood-Ahmad/
https://www.alislam.org/urdu/book/انوارالعلوم/?j=3
https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/fazal-mosque-london
http://www.reviewofreligions.org/6651/londons-first-mosque-a-study-in-history-and-mystery-part-1-of-2/
