ZIKR-E-HABIB: FORGIVENESS AND FOR-

BEARANCE

Speech by Dr. Mirza Maghfoor Ahmad and Transcribed by: Hammad Malik

Originally published in October - November 2010 Ahmadiyya Gazette USA

Hadhrat Masih Mau'oodas, the Promised Messiah said that prophethood is divided into
two parts - one is marked by difficulties and hardship and the other is marked by victory
and triumph. There is a divine wisdom behind this arrangement so that prophets may
manifest excellence of their morals in both phases of prophethood. On another occasion
he said, "Prophets are very courageous and brave people who face immeasurable chal-
lenges and suffering in carrying out their mission. Nobody else, however strong or
brave, can endure such hardships." The same is true of the Promised Messiah who
submitted completely and absolutely to his beloved master Hadhrat Muhammad saw in
all aspects of character and morals. Hazoor manifested forbearance for the ignorant
and the arrogant and forgiveness for his enemies, even under extreme adversity. He
called on us to adhere to the same high morals that he himself practiced. The Promised
Messiah stated in one of his speeches, "What have our opponents done to us? They
have spared no effort to harm us and hurt us but we are still ready to forgive all of their
transgressions; so you, who associate with me, remember that you must sympathize
with everybody regardless of one's religion and be kind irrespective of one's ethnicity
and creed."

In the early days of the Promised Messiah, the majority of the population of Qadian
consisted of Hindus and Sikhs. Two of these Hindus, Lala Malawamal and Lala
Sharampat, are well known in the history of Ahmadiyyat. Both of these gentlemen wit-
nessed the fulfillment of many of the Promised Messiah's prophecies, a few of which
directly related to them. Many of these revelations were from well before the time when
Hazoor founded the Jarna'at and started taking Bai'at. In spite of the fact that these gen-
tlemen witnessed the glaring truth concerning the future foretold by the Promised Mes-
siah, they rarely missed an opportunity to oppose him. When the Minaratul Masih was
being built, the Hindus from Qadian complained to the deputy commissioner that the in-
terior space of their homes would be exposed to anyone who stood at the top of the
minaret and thus compromise the privacy within their homes. And in view of that, they
claimed the construction should be immediately stopped. The deputy commissioner
came to Qadian and inquired from the Promised Messiah about this objection. Hazoor
explained the reason for the construction of the minaret. He then turned to Hindus who
had accompanied the deputy commissioner and said, "Ask Lala Badamal who is sitting
here whether there was ever a time when they needed any help and I refrained from
providing it to them and also ask them that whenever they had an opportunity to harm
me, did they not avail it?" Hadhrat Hafiz Roshan Alira sahib stated that Lala Badamal
was visibly ashamed and did not have the courage to look towards Hazoor, much less
respond to his comments.

Pundit Lekhram, a religious scholar who was a staunch enemy of Islam and the Holy
Prophet Muhammad, arrived in Qadian and was aided and supported by the Hindus of
Qadian in his effort to abuse the Promised Messiah. They fed him all kinds of lies about
Hazoor which made him more abusive and disrespectful towards the Promised Messiah
and the Holy Prophet Muhammd, may peace be on him. Eventually, Pundit Lekhram
was killed in response to the prayers and prophecy of Hadhrat Masih Mau'ood, the
Promised Messiah. Hindus and Arya Samaj, including Lala Shrampat, accused the
Promised Messiah of masterminding the murder of Pundit Lekhram and wanted the
government to prosecute Hazoor. And yet, while on one hand Lala Shrampat laid slan-
der upon Promised Messiah's name, on the other hand he asked for help from the
Promised Messiah at the same time. During this whole episode, Lala Shrampat became
sick and he came to Hazoor for medicine. Hazoor gave him the medicine and asked him
if he truly considered him the enemy responsible for the murder of Lekhram. If so, Ha-
zoor asked, did he then think it was appropriate to take his medicine? Lala Shrampat
replied, "We trust you. Please give us the medicine."

The same Lala Shrampat, fell seriously ill on another occasion due to an infection in his
abdomen and believed he was going to die. When Hadhrat Masih Mau'ood found out
about his illness, he visited his home located in a dark and narrow alley. He appointed
his own personal doctor, Muhammad Abdullah, to treat Lala Shrampat - he was the only
doctor in Qadian at the time. Hazoor visited him daily. During his illness, Lala Shrampat
would request Hazoor "Hadhrat Jee, pray for me!" Hazoor comforted him and prayed for
him till he recovered. This is the character of a man so great that his heart overflowed
with genuine goodwill for even the worst of his enemies.

In 1882, the Promised Messiah received this revelation:

"Ya Ahmadu, faazatir rahmatu alaa shafataika"

Mercy flows from thy lips, O Ahmad!

The Promised Messiah's whole life is a testimony of this divine statement. After the
death of Lekhram, three of the Arya Hindus in Qadian started a newspaper which was
devoted to attacking the Promised Messiah and the Jama'at with the most abusive, filthy
and slanderous language. The Promised Messiah wrote a booklet entitled "Qadian kay
Arya aur hum" (The Aryas of Qadian and us) and asked them to refrain from their mali-
cious statements but they continued in their venomous behavior. During this time, the
plague epidemic began to spread in Qadian. The Promised Messiah declared that the
members of his Jama'at would not be infected with the plague after being revealed by
Allah that "I shall safeguard all those who dwell in this house." When the manager of
this Arya newspaper heard the Promised Messiah's pronouncement, he mocked it and
claimed that he would also be saved from the plague. A few days later, he and his friend
contracted the disease and died. The editor of the paper, who also contracted the dis-
ease but was still alive, called an Ahmadi hakeem (herbal doctor), a Maulvi Abaidullah,
and requested treatment. Maulvi Sahib asked the Promised Messiah what to do. Hazoor
said, "You must treat him because human compassion requires it but I will tell you that
he will not survive." The man died the next day despite the treatment.

Hadhrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad commented on this incident saying "It shows a remarkable
expression of concern by the Promised Messiah for his sworn enemy by asking his fol-
lower to treat Mr. Samraj." But it also indicates his unshakable belief in the divine word.
He was certain in his belief that those Hindus who had ridiculed and taunted his proph-
ecy would not escape.

Hadhrat Masih Mau'ood wrote in his book Arba'een, "I would like to say explicitly to all
Muslims, Christians and Hindus that I do not consider anybody my enemy in this world. I
love mankind more than a caring mother loves her children. I am only the enemy of
those false beliefs which belie the truth. Compassion for human beings is my obligation;
repudiation of falsehood, idolatry, oppression and every kind of misdeed, injustice and
immorality is my creed." He repeatedly expressed his love and sympathy for all humans
as part of his faith and purpose of his advent. Even those who devoted their lives to
prosecute him shared his grace. The Promised Messiah said, "I am thankful that I have
prayed for every single one of my enemies at least two or three times."

And what did the Promised Messiah receive in return? His opponents whether Muslims,
Christians or Hindus were relentless in their efforts to stop him and destroy him, by
whatever means possible. Dr. Martin Clark, a Christian missionary, filed a suit in court in
1897 charging the Promised Messiah with conspiracy to murder him. He produced a
Muslim youth, Abdul Hameed, who stated under oath that Hazoor had instructed him to
assassinate Mr. Clark. Initially, an arrest warrant was issued for the Promised Messiah,
but later he was issued a notice to appear in the court. After a few days of judicial pro-
ceeding, it was evident that there was a discrepancy in the testimony of the star wit-
ness. Eventually, Mr. Abdul Hameed admitted that he was coerced by some of the
Christian missionaries to take a false oath and admitted that Mirza Sahib never asked
him to kill Dr. Clark. Captain Douglas, the magistrate hearing the case, honorably dis-
charged Hazoor after concluding that charges against him were false and baseless. Af-
ter his verdict, he turned to Promised Messiah and stated that if he desired to prosecute
Dr. Clark for false charges, the district magistrate would allow him to do so. Hazoor re-
plied that he had no desire to prosecute Dr. Clark before an earthly court; his complaint
was pending before the Highest Judge. On a footnote, Dr. Clark died two years later.
The Promised Messiah forgave the enemy who wanted him shackled and thrown into a
prison cell; the courtroom was packed with maulvis, Christian missionaries and Hindu
pundits, all gleeful and anticipating that Promised Messiah would receive the severest
punishment. Maulvi Muhammad Husain, an arch-opponent of the Promised Messiah,
was one of the prosecution witnesses in this case. He travelled all over India to collect
edicts from foremost Muslim religious leaders declaring Hazoor an infidel and a kafir. He
regularly used the most defamatory and abusive and incendiary language in his publica-
tions against Promised Messiah. Maulvi Fazal Din was the attorney representing Ha-
zoor, he was not an Ahmadi. He sought the Promised Messiah's permission to ask
Maulvi Muhammad Hussain questions regarding his parentage to damage the character
of the witness and weaken the prosecution's case. Hazoor forbade him from asking
such personal questions and said, "God forbids unseemly speech." Maulvi Fazal Din
recalled years later, "Here I was, defending him in a case of conspiracy to murder and
he forbids my questioning, lest it brings shame upon a witness who hated him!"

Hadhrat Masih Mau’ood received a revelation in 1883,

"wa ma arsalnaaka ilIa rahmatallil alameen"

I have sent thee as a mercy for all people.

This is, of course, also a verse of the Holy Quran in Sura Anbiyya, addressing the Holy
Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him. There were many occasions when this vir-
tue was manifested by the Promised Messiah (as) for all kinds of people - friends and
foes. He writes in Tadhkiratu Shahadatain, in the Arabic part, about his opponents, "I
prayed so often for them in the darkness of blessed nights that may they be shown
mercy." He also prayed for his enemies in these words, "O Allah, do not punish those
who express enmity towards me; they do not see and do not recognize me. O Allah,
have mercy on them and may they join the guided ones."

Mirza Imam Deen and Mirza Nizam Deen were the Promised Messiah's cousins; they
also shared ancestral properties with Hazoor. Both brothers, especially Mirza Imam
Deen, held deep animosity and ill will towards the Promised Messiah and the Jama'at
and missed no opportunity to cause trouble. On one occasion, they built a wall to block
the street to Masjid Mubarak, shutting off the direct access to the mosque for the
prayer-goers. Hadhrat Yaqub Ali Irfani, author of Seerat Masih Mau’ood writes:
"Those  days  were  very  difficult  for  Ahmadis.  We  had  to  walk  a  long  distance  to  reach  the  mosque.  
Whenever  it  rained,  the  streets  would  become  muddy  and  slippery.  Many  of  the  elderly  and  weak  and  
many  of  the  blind  members  of  the  Jama'at  would  fall  and  their  clothes  would  get  soiled  just  for  going  to  
the  prayers.  On  top  of  that,  these  men  restricted  the  water  supply  to  the  Ahmadis.  The  Promised  Mes-­‐
siah  was  extremely  anguished  over  this  maFer  and  sent  a  few  of  his  companions  to  Mirza  Imam  Deen  
and  his  brother  to  persuade  them  to  stop  this  hosJlity.  In  return,  they  received  an  abusive  and  threaten-­‐
ing  response.  The  Jama'at  approached  the  appropriate  government  authoriJes  to  stop  this  persecuJon  
but  was  turned  down."

Eventually, the Promised Messiah decided to file a complaint in the court. The judge de-
cided against the offending party and ordered the wall to be demolished. The judge also
ordered the brothers to pay for all the expenses incurred and offer compensation for this
illegal act. Hazoor did not approve of the financial part of the decision but unbeknownst
to him, the attorney issued a formal notice to Mirza Nizam Deen to pay all of his court
sanctioned obligations. Upon receiving this notice, Mirza Nizam Deen wrote a letter to
Hazoor. He said that his financial resources were meager and he would not be able to
pay by lump sum. He admitted that he was obligated and would pay in installments but
asked if Hazoor would have mercy upon him and forgive him his payments. He also
admitted to have wronged Hazoor and admitted that he and his brother had caused Ja-
ma'at trouble in the past.

Hazoor was upset upon receiving the letter and inquired why he was not contacted be-
fore the notice had been sent to Mirza Nizam Deen.

He said, "We must not be involved in litigations like worldly people. If he had done this
to hurt us, we must not retort. God has not sent me for this purpose."

He wrote a letter to Mirza Nizam Deen sympathizing with him concerning the whole
matter, forgiving him and his financial obligations. He dispatched a person to immedi-
ately deliver this letter, as he was away from Qadian and wished to resolve the matter
as quickly as possible. Halhrat Yaqub Ali writes,

"This is just one example of forbearance and forgiveness of his enemies by the Prom-
ised Messiah, which should be a lesson to his followers."

Hadhrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad writes, "This is the same Mirza Nizam Deen who brought
many false and malicious suits of litigation against Hadhrat Masih Mau'ood and his fol-
lowers. His behavior with some poor Ahmadis was so vile that a decent person cannot
even mention it. And yet, at one point when Mirza Nizam Deen fell ill and almost be-
came delirious, the Promised Messiah went to visit him and prescribed treatment."

Our beloved Messiah, our most forgiving Mahdi, arrived at the door of a sworn enemy to
treat hatred with compassion and to fight hostility with generosity. It was the Promised
Messiah's greatest desire that his followers set the highest moral standards and this
wish is aptly illustrated by a narration in Seeratul Mahdi. Once, two companions of the
Promised Messiah, Hadhrat Mir Nasir Nawab Sahib and Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib
had a disagreement. Mir Sahib reported the matter to Hazoor and Maulvi Sahib, finding
out that he had been reported, came to Hazoor to clarify the matter. The Promised Mes-
siah said, "Yes, Mir Sahib told me something but I was so preoccupied with an issue
that I swear that I do not remember what he said or did not say." The Promised Mes-
siah went on to say:

"Lately,  a  thought  has  completely  taken  over  me  and  I  have  become  oblivious  of  other  maFers.  Whether  
I  am  outside  in  the  company  or  at  home,  I  am  now  overwhelmed  with  this  one  thought  which  is  conJnu-­‐
ing  to  build  in  my  mind.  And  that  concern  is  that  the  real  reason  for  my  coming  is  to  establish  a  Jama'at  
of  true  believers  with  real  connecJon  with  God  and  complete  faith  in  Him,  who  pracJce  the  Islamic  
teachings  and  follow  the  character  of  the  Prophet,  walk  on  the  path  towards  righteousness  and  guid-­‐
ance  and  set  an  example  of  the  highest  moral  conduct  so  that  through  such  a  Jama'at,  the  world  learns  
guidance  and  the  will  of  God  is  achieved.  If  our  purpose  is  not  realized  but  we  defeat  our  enemies  
through  reasoning  and  arguments,  then  our  victory  is  no  victory.  For  if  the  real  reason  for  our  advent  is  
not  fulfilled,  then  all  of  our  work  will  have  gone  to  waste.  I  see  signs  of  victory  as  a  result  of  reasoning  
and  arguments  and  even  our  enemies  are  now  sensing  their  weakness  but  there  is  sJll  a  real  lack  of  
awareness  concerning  the  true  purpose  of  our  advent.  There  is  a  great  need  of  aFenJon  within  our  Ja-­‐
ma'at;  thus,  this  is  the  thought  that  eats  at  me  these  days  and  it  is  of  such  great  magnitude  that  it  does  
not  leave  me  even  for  one  moment."  [Seeratul  Mahdi]

This overwhelming concern which erased all other thoughts from the Promised Mes-
siah's mind is the same concern which should consume his followers as well. Our Mas-
ter expects us to guide the world not through merely logic and reasoning but through the
way we carry ourselves and the way we sacrifice our lives for God. We are being asked
to shoulder an awesome responsibility The Promised Messiah lived a life conforming to
the highest moral standards set by Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa. The Promised Mes-
siah has exhorted and challenged us to bring about the real change within ourselves to
set ourselves apart from the rest of the world.

A few weeks ago, scores of Ahmadis laid down their lives in two mosques in Pakistan
for the sake of their faith. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen him, extol-
ling their qualities, has reminded us of our obligation to Allah and His Messiah. The best
tribute that I can offer to those martyrs who spilled their blood that fateful day is to bring
upon a profound change within myself. Sacrificing my lowly desires and reviving the
highest morals within me and I cannot think of a better retribution for those enemies
than conforming to the life of the Promised Messiah. So the Zikr of my beloved is not
mere lip service but the love for my Master entwines with every fiber of my very being!

The speech ended with a short Arabic prayer.