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Acceptance of prayers of my father Alhaj Maulvi Muhammad Sharif

By Karim A Sharif (Boston, MA Majlis)

My father Alhaj Maulvi Muhammad Sharif Sahib served as the accountant of Jamia Ahmadiyya Rabwah. He was born in 1922 in the village of Mangat Uncha, Hafizabad. After graduating from high school, he devoted his life for the sake of religion and was educated in Madrassah-e-Ahmadiyya, Qadian. He successfully completed his degree of “Maulvi Faazal” from the University of Punjab in 1942.

My father had the opportunity to perform Hajj in January 1974 along with my grandmother. Unfortunately, both were arrested because of their faith. My father was presented to a bench of Qadhi’s (Muslim Jurists) where he had long debates with opponents.

Given the limited means of communication, his family was unaware of the predicament he was in. This troubled my father a great deal. Thus, he prayed, “O Allah, I have no means to inform beloved Huzur and my family about my condition. Please inform them of our condition.” This prayer of a helpless servant of Allah was heard in a very unexpected way. My aunt (Khala) decided to visit her daughter in Faisalabad unannounced. They visited a family who had returned from Hajj. During conversation, the family informed her about my father and grandmother being in jail.

We informed this incident to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih As-Salis (RA) right away, who comforted us with his prayers. Meanwhile after exhausting their arguments, they threatened my father that he should simply renounce his faith in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad or face the death penalty. My father prayed, “O, Allah! They are threatening me with death. But I do not consider this to be an unaffordable trade. If I am killed in the cause of my faith, I will be a Shaheed (Martyr), and if I return alive, I will return as a Ghazi (Victor in the faith).” My father refused to renounce his faith and replied that should he be killed; his body should be sent back to his homeland. The Qadhi replied, “No, you will be buried here in this hell.”

Both my father and grandmother were put in solitary prison and were not allowed to meet with each other. After more than two months in this predicament, my father and grandmother were unexpectedly exiled from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 13, 1974, via the last ship for the returning pilgrims to Pakistan.

We believe that it was the prayers of my beloved father in the holy land of Mecca, the prayers of so many families and Jamaat members, and above all the valuable prayers of our beloved Imam Hazrat Khalifatul Masih As-Salis (RA) which turned the decree in the favor of my father and brought him back as a Ghazi (the Victor in the faith). Alhamdolillah. My beloved father passed away on March 2, 2001, in New York and is buried in Bahishti Muqbarah, Rabwah.

Opportunity in Adversity

By Ajaz Nasir (Muntazim Tajnid, NY Queens Majlis)

Another name for life is "ups and downs". But those who remain composed, humble, and focused are successful through these ups and downs. I would like to share my personal experience as well as observations of success and positivity during the period of Covid-19. Even though people have remained under stress and anxiety during this period, it has proved to be a blessing in disguise for many people.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I lost my job like many others. But this situation gave me an opportunity to rethink my plans for the future. So, I started studying to get an insurance producer license based on my previous experience. Alhamdolillah I got the license after four months of studying at home during this down time. I have started my own insurance brokerage now.

I know many people in my jamaat and other USA jamaats who achieved their goals in the desperate moments of COVID-19 by pursuing different courses in the field of IT, Real Estate, etc., which enabled them to get good jobs ultimately.

It is relevant to mention here that Jamaat's different virtual programs and webinars played a very pivotal role to motivate and educate us to not lose heart in any kind of adversity especially in this pandemic. Rather, they opened new horizons of thinking as well as evaluating oneself. These programs taught us how to convert "adversity into opportunity" by the grace of Allah.

Send us your stories of brotherhood, Ijtima memories, or any other inspiring experience that we can share with Ansar brothers via this e-newsletter.

Department of Publications Majlis Ansarullah USA

   ♦  Sadr Majlis
   ♦  Editor