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Biography
of Muhammad Ahmad Sahib:
The Light (March 8,
1981, pp. 7-11)
by Naseer Ahmad
Faruqui
Appeared as: 'Muhammad
Ahmad'
That was the name of the elder son of
the late Maulana Muhammad Ali, author of the world-famous
English
translation and commentary of the Holy
Quran, the book
"Religion
of Islam" and so many
other gems of literature on Islam. Muhammad Ahmad has now
joined his parents in the Other World. The deceased was my
nephew. What the family has lost and suffered by the
premature death of this gem of a man is our personal sorrow,
which we have no right to inflict on the readers of this
journal. But the loss to Islam and Ahmadiyyat deserves to be
mentioned, particularly as I hope and pray that Muhammad
Ahmad's example may inspire others to follow in his
footsteps.
Muhammad Ahmad was by nature shy,
sedate and humble. To others, he was gentle, considerate,
and helpful. I have seldom seen such a well-behaved young
man, so self-effacing and yet so full of sterling qualities
of the head and heart. After an outstanding educational
record, with a double M.A. in English and Arabic, he joined
the Superior Railway Service. He had an unblemished record
of scrupulous honesty, hard work and conscientiousness in
the discharge of his official duties. At his funeral, some
of his superior Railway officers were present. I heard
remarks from them such as "I had never seen an officer
of such integrity and sense of responsibility";
"He was a perfect gentleman"; "He never did anything wrong
or unworthy".
Mujahid-e-Kabir:
He would work late into the
evenings or nights, sometimes for his official duties, but
sometimes also for his other love -- service of Islam and
Ahmadiyyat. In the latter cause, his contribution was
multifarious, but special mention must be made of
"Mujahid-e-Kabeer",
the biography of the late Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali Sahib
-- a saint, founder of the Lahore Ahmadiyyat Jamaat,
and a world-famous author of books on Islam and Ahmadiyyat
which are and will remain immortal. In compiling this
perfect biography of that great man, Muhammad Ahmad must
have done months, nay years, of research and extensive
reading of all the books, journals, letters and other
literature having bearing on the period in which his father
played such an outstanding role in the religious history of
Islam and Ahmadiyyat. The marshalling and arrangement of the
relevant material he thus gathered and put into his book
could not have been bettered.
Service to
Holy Quran:
Muhammad Ahmad's work in the
revision of the seventh edition of the English translation
and commentary of the Holy Quran, now under print, was
equally painstaking. For that revision, the original
spadework done by Dr. Zahid Aziz of Nottingham University,
England, was the most thorough job I have ever seen. But to
collate and give final shape to the suggestions made by Dr.
Zahid Aziz and several others, Muhammad Ahmad spent long
evenings with me after his office hours. He was known for
hard work during office hours too. But he did not seek
relaxation and rest, much as he deserved them. For him
official duties and after that his labour of love in
the service of Islam brooked no relaxation or
rest.
He had also completed a new edition of
the English translation of the Holy Quran (without the
Arabic text) for more extensive propagation of the Holy
Book, being lesser in cost. He had done work, in addition,
on the revision of the book "Religion of Islam", another
world-famous work of his father's. He had collected his
father's
Friday and Eid sermons and
letters to his followers which were published in the
Paigham Sulh, the Urdu weekly of the Lahore Ahmadiyya
Jamaat. It was his intention to edit them before they were
printed. I can say from life-long experience that those
sermons were a great source of spiritual inspiration and
enlightenment to listeners and readers, besides containing a
lot of knowledge and insight into religious matters. The
work of editing and compiling them will be a great service
to Islam and Ahmadiyyat, whoever completes the work
initiated by Muhammad Ahmad.
Foreign
Correspondence:
After office hours,
Muhammad Ahmad would sit late into nights, sometimes
well past midnights, to attend to cases arising out of the
affairs of the foreign branches of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman
Ishaat-i-Islam, particularly the one in the United Kingdom.
His grasp of a particularly complicated and long drawn-out
case was masterly. And he attended to it even during his
final illness.
On my return from the golden jubilee
of the Suriname
(South America) branch of
the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jamaat, I prepared a scheme for better
co-ordination and closer connection between the Central
Anjuman and its foreign branches. Before the Central Anjuman
finally approved the scheme, Muhammad Ahmad happened to see
it. He came to me and volunteered: "I will do this work,
uncle." I replied, "Nobody could do it better than you." But
he fell ill soon afterwards and passed away. What an
irreparable loss!
Supreme
Sacrifice:
Muhammad Ahmad was working in
the cause of Islam even when he was in Railway service. For
that he had to, work after office hours and even on
holidays. But that was not enough. When he was about to
retire from Railway service, he got attractive and lucrative
offers for other employment. His reply was "No, thank you,
but I now want to dedicate my life to the whole-time service
of Islam and Ahmadiyyat." For a man (and his family) who
could live only frugally and with considerable financial
stringency on his basic pay, here was an opportunity to live
more comfortably. But Muhammad Ahmad, already working for
Islam and Ahmadiyyat, was now ripe for still more useful
service to these noble causes. And he did not hesitate to
make the supreme sacrifice of this world for the Hereafter.
He had proved by deed the oral pledge
we all Ahmadis take, as prescribed by the Founder (Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib), that we will place "religion
above the world."
Religious
Observance:
Unless illness or absence from
the place prevented him, Muhammad Ahmad was regular in
attending Friday and Eid congregations, the Jalsa (annual
gathering of the community) or any other meeting, the Holy
Quran Daras lessons) and the meetings of the
Executive Committee of the Anjuman or its General Council
meetings. In the last two-named meetings his contribution
was always sensible, balanced and sometimes brilliant --
reminding us of the times when his late father used to
preside over these meetings with enviable wisdom and sublime
insight.
It was with some difficulty that
Muhammad Ahmad was persuaded to address a Friday
congregation and the annual Jalsa. His sermon and
speech respectively amazed the audience with his knowledge,
ability and perfection of presentation, raising hopes that
one day he would make outstanding contribution to the
intellectual and spiritual leadership of the community.
Alas! That was not to be. And that is the most grievous
aspect of the great loss the community has suffered in his
death.
Filial
Service:
The Holy Prophet said:
"Paradise lies at the feet of your mothers." And I can say
without exaggeration that few sons served their mothers
better than Muhammad Ahmad. When his mother was widowed, and
she lived mostly alone and was ailing most of the time,
Muhammad Ahmad visited her religiously everyday after his
office hours. When I say "everyday" I mean it with no
exaggeration. Rain, hailstorm, severe heat or cold did not
deter him. Even if there were an official meeting, Anjuman's
meeting or Daras (Holy Quran lesson) or other
engagements, he would not miss his daily visit to his mother
even if it were late in the evening. As she was ailing most
of the time, he always checked up whether she was getting
proper medical attention and medicines. He would also attend
to her household chores, which had been left undone. On some
occasions when my wife and I visited her, we found her
sleeping under the effect of a sleeping pill given to her by
her doctor, with Muhammad Ahmad just sitting near her with
nobody to even talk to. His sense of duty to his widowed
mother was so outstanding that nobody could fail to be
impressed, nay be amazed at it. The way he served his
widowed mother over a period of 27 years in spite of so many
other calls on his time, is alone sufficient to entitle him
to paradise, according to the saying of the Holy
Prophet.
Martyrdom:
The Holy Quran
says:
"And think not of those who
are killed in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they are alive
being provided sustenance from their Lord : Rejoicing in
what Allah has given them out of His grace. And they also
rejoice for those who, (being left) behind them, have not
yet joined them, that they have no fear, nor shall they
grieve. They rejoice for Allah's favours (which they
receive) and His grace and that Allah wastes not the
reward of the believers" (3:168-170).
These verses are commonly understood
to apply to martyrs who fall in the field of battle. The
Companions of the Holy Prophet took the same view when he
once asked them as to what a martyr was. "In that case,"
said the Holy Prophet, "the martyrs among my followers will
be very few." Then he went onto explain that a martyr in the
way of Allah was not only the one who falls in the field of
battle fighting in the way of Allah, but also the one who
dies even a natural death working in the way of
Allah.
In the light of the above sublime
explanation of the Holy Prophet's, (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) Muhammad Ahmad was also a martyr. For he
was working in the way of Allah even when he was in
Government service and had dedicated his life wholly to the
service of Islam after his retirement. May his soul rest in
eternal peace and bliss. Ameen.
An
Appeal:
As I said at the
beginning of this article, my object in writing it is to
invite the readers to follow in the footsteps of Muhammad
Ahmad. To that end, may I submit certain guidelines to
them:
(a) If you are already in any
service or business, even then make the service of Islam
and Ahmadiyyat the ultimate object of your life. If you
are sincere in this resolve, Allah will give you an
opportunity to serve Him sooner or later.
(b) Prepare yourself for that great
honour and inner happiness by leading a virtuous
life.
(c) Find time to study the Holy
Quran, and the Hadith and other literature on Islam and
Ahmadiyyat, which is available from the Central Anjuman
of Lahore.
(d) Find time to serve Allah even
before you finally dedicate your life to His service.
Muhammad Ahmad did so, as I have tried to explain
above.
(e) Pray to Allah to enable you to
serve Him. There is no greater honour or joy to be had.
Paradise begins in this very life in such service, within
your heart.
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