Al Fazl, 2 October 1922
3 September 1922
Bai‘at
[The following friends took bai‘at at the hand of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra]:
1. Mian Sultanan Sahib, alias Bhanan, of Barwal, District Gurdaspur
2. Mian Muhammad Shafi‘ Sahib Athwal of District Gurdaspur
5 September 1922
God’s attribute of “Kun fa-Yakoon” [Be! And it begins to be]
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra said:
“I had written a note about a book about the attributes of God Almighty. It was written in it that if there arises a question about the saying that man becomes a manifestation of the attributes of Allah the Almighty, then what is the example of the manifestation of God’s attribute ‘Kun fa-Yakoon’ [Be! And it begins to be]?
“I had written the answer there [in the note] that when a person progresses and reaches the point where they no longer possess any desire and the will of God becomes their will, then God makes them say ‘Kun’ and it is considered ‘Kun’ by God Himself.”
Huzoor[ra] said:
“The Promised Messiahas has also shed light on this subject in one of his books that one of the stations granted to a person [by God Almighty] includes [the status] where they say, ‘Kun fa-Yakoon’ [Be! And it begins to be].”
Expenses of missionaries
On the mention of tabligh [preaching], a young graduate who has dedicated his life to the service of religion, asked [Huzoorra], “When will our missionaries become self-supporting?”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra said:
“This question should not be directed to me, but you should ask it to yourself. The work can be carried out at any place [in the world], but there are two things that should be present. One should have ‘true faith’ or an ‘ideal’. The students are young and they do not possess the required state of faith. Moreover, we are a new Jamaat, so they do not have all the traditions in front of them. When a student gets the idea that they can earn something, their ambition to serve the religion is shaken.”
Huzoor[ra] said:
“There should not only be verbal claims of sacrifice, but one should present themselves repeatedly and I should feel that each one is willing to make the sacrifice.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said about him [who had asked the question], “If I ask him to leave his business, he will immediately abandon it and come here [to Qadian]. Moreover, he will never even think about it again.”
Religious education after higher education
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra then said:
“If a person is willing to do religious studies for at least two more years after doing an MBBS or an MA, we would prefer that they first do an MA or an MBBS. However, we will immediately take work from those who cannot acquire education after doing an MBBS or an MA, because it has been observed that when young students are capable of doing something else, their previous ambitions subside. Their state however should be such that whenever they are called for religious service, they should come immediately and not care about their exams being two or more months away.”
Being prepared to offer sacrifices for the faith
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra said:
“It is not our intention that the people stop working and start relying on others. We only say that everyone should work hard and excel in their areas of expertise. However, they should not be absorbed in these works to such an extent that when they are called for religion, they hesitate to leave their work. Rather, they should be in such a state that when they are called, they come immediately and are happy about it.”
Sacrifice sharpens mind
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra said:
“Behold, Hazrat Abu Bakrra used to sacrifice wealth on every occasion and would present thousands of rupees, but he never thought that he was going into loss. The fact is that the mind is sharpened by sacrifice. Hence, Hazrat Abu Bakrra knew that wealth does not decrease by sacrificing in the way of God and it is the best way of spending money. We thus observe that Allah the Almighty blessed his wealth to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine.”
A capable man is highly regarded
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said:
“The people do not hesitate to spend on whom they are dependant. However, they find it difficult to spend on those who depend on them. For example, there is Sanaullah, the people think of him as someone who is doing their work, so they give him money. On the other hand, spending on a mullah is considered bad for them. Sanaullah has achieved perfection in opposing us. Thus, our youth should also achieve perfection and avoid asking. Then, they will be honoured on their own.”
What should be the approach of our young missionaries?
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra said:
“When our young missionaries go out, even though we always consider asceticism as bad and against Islam, once they go out in the state of a dervish and deliver lectures in English, they can turn the world upside down.”
Modesty in dressing
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra said:
“I visit Lahore, etc., in this simple dress. The people from every class meet me. My clothes are a lot better. Hazrat Maulvi Sahibra did not think about it at all. Once, when I had the book of Sahih Bukhari in my hand, the Promised Messiahas asked me what it was. I said, ‘I am going to Maulvi Sahib and this is Bukhari.’ The Promised Messiahas said to me, ‘Enquire from Maulvi Sahib, is there any hadith in Bukhari about wearing good clothes on Friday?’ I went to him and said the same. During the time of his Khilafat, he used to look after his clothes to some extent.”
6 September 1922
Hindu-Muslim unity
On the mention of riots in India, Huzoor[ra] said:
“Relations that are called Hindu-Muslim unity have become apparent. We are not at all against the notion that there should be harmony [among the Hindus and the Muslims]. However, until the hearts are purified, how is it possible to achieve it, and such ‘peace’ without sincerity and the purity of the hearts will certainly be dangerous.”
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu, published in the 2 October 1922 issue of Al Fazl)