Maulana Abdul
      Wahab Adam

...Rawaana Hotay Hain Abb (Let's go now)

Faheem Younus Qureshi, Sadr Majlis

Who did not know respected Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam, the late Amir and Missionary In charge of Jama‘at Ahmadiyya, Ghana? He passed away at the age of 76 on June 22, 2014, Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji‘un.

But as they say, “if you really want to measure the character of a man, see him under stress.” Today, I am reminded of three stressful times, at four year intervals, when I had the honor to be in the company of Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam.

I first met Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam on a dreary day in December 2006 when hundreds of devoted Ahmadi Muslims had gathered in Chicago at the martyrdom of Muhaimim Karim, who was married to his daughter. You could not find a dry eye. In an extremely difficult time, Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam solemnly reminded us of a simple Qur’anic injunction, “And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives, and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient.” (The Holy Qur’an, 2 [Al-Baqarah]:156) That’s it. No sobbing. No what ifs. A single man lifted the faith of thousands with his belief in Allah.

My second encounter with Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam was in February 2010 when he delivered a Friday Sermon at Masjid Baitur Rahman and narrated how honey bee received revelation and how if we remain committed to Khilafat, every Ahmadi Muslim could establish a similar connection with God. During those days, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya hosted Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam for a diplomatic dinner where the Ghanaian Ambassador to the United States was also invited. During the dinner, Maulana Abdul Wahab Adam played the role of an excellent host for the Ambassador and yet remained a thankful guest of the Majlis. An average person would be sweating bullets at such a juggle but he was all smiles.

But Allah had saved the best for the last. Five months ago when I went to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih in January 2014, I was told by my hosts “You will be sharing the guest house with Amir Sahib of Ghana.” “What a bonus,” I said to myself. During our 48 hour long companionship and multiple encounters, however, it became obvious that Amir Sahib’s health had deteriorated. But that did not stop him from telling stories of his years in Jami‘ah Rabwah, his partnerships with non-Ahmadi Muslims in Ghana, his successes by remaining attached to Khilafat. On January 3rd, we were supposed to ride together to offer Jumu‘ah Prayer behind Hazrat Khalifatul Masih. He took a long time to get ready but then walked out of his room beaming with energy, wearing his traditional African garb. I will never forget that this was a man, under immense physical stress, who then said with a royal smile, “Chalain, namaz kay liyay rawaana hotay hain abb” (Let us go for Prayer now.) At Baitul Futuh Mosque, after the Prayer, people stopped him, waved at him, shook his hand, shouted Salams from a distance, and flocked around him.

Today, in Abdul Wahab Adam, a 76-year-old spiritual university passed away. But thousands of the students of that university are marching behind a living Khilafat, like honey bees, carrying the mission forward.