Spiritual Life and Death
Speech sent for the AAIIL (UK) Convention, 12 July 2009
by Col. Mahmud Shaukat
The Light (UK), October 2009 Issue (pp. 7–8)
My speech is inspired by a small personal incident, and this incident, I believe, foretold of events in the future. It happened over 50 years ago when the late Syed Assadullah Shah sahib, a very pious Ahmadi and a recipient of ilham (Divine revelation), used to stay with the late Hazrat Ameer Dr Saeed Ahmad Khan. People went to Shah sahib for praying for them. My father also requested him to pray for his sons. The answer to his prayers was:
“Two will also die”.
The record of this ilham and of others is kept in the late Hazrat Ameer’s papers, with dates and signatures. This ilham was not about the physical death, an end which everyone will surely meet, but regarding the spiritual death. Later events confirmed this, when in 1974 Ahmadis were declared non-Muslim by the government of Pakistan. My two brothers (I being the third) gave an advertisement in a leading English newspaper that they, the two of them, were Muslims and not Ahmadis, etc. Mark the words of the ilham:
“the two will die”.
This is no slur on their decision because they did what they sincerely believed. But for me, when I believe in the rightness and genuineness of Hazrat Mirza sahib’s mission, a turning away from Ahmadiyyat would have been a total spiritual death. I am very thankful to God that He saved me from this very ignoble death. Shah sahib’s ilham was fulfilled and God’s decree and command was carried out.
God gives spiritual life to dead people, He then guides them and leads them to a good life. He also makes them guides and beacons of light and torchbearers to others. I will recite to you a verse of the Quran bearing on the subject:
اَوَ مَنۡ کَانَ مَیۡتًا فَاَحۡیَیۡنٰہُ وَ جَعَلۡنَا لَہٗ نُوۡرًا یَّمۡشِیۡ بِہٖ فِی النَّاسِ کَمَنۡ مَّثَلُہٗ فِی الظُّلُمٰتِ لَیۡسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنۡہَا ؕ کَذٰلِکَ زُیِّنَ لِلۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ مَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۲﴾
“Is he who was dead, then We raised him to life and made for him a light by which he walks among the people, like him whose likeness is that of one who is in darkness whence he cannot come forth? Thus their doings are made fair-seeming to the disbelievers.” (The Holy Quran, 6:122)
In this verse God says that He gives life, spiritual life, to people who are dead, and then their lives are transformed and they become beacons of lights to others.
The late Hazrat Ameer, Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan, used to describe one of his experiences when reciting this verse. This happened when he was very ill, in the 1930s. He was in a hospital in Southern India, in a place called Madrapati. He was being taken to the operation theatre when the words of this verse came to him and he started reciting this when he was being wheeled in to the theatre. The words gave him hope and consolation, but the words were prophetic, because after the operation he got a new lease of life and he was completely cured of the then incurable disease of tuberculosis. He served and treated many people, cured their diseases and physical maladies. The government appreciated his good work and honored him with titles and recognition. But the real life for which he was raised and spared was the spiritual life with which he guided people to Islam and Ahmadiyyat, far and wide. This was the spiritual life that he was promised.
The above reference is very faith inspiring, but my purpose in quoting this verse to you is to show that God likes that His servants should lead a good spiritual life. God calls those whose lives are empty and devoid of spirituality as dead. He calls such people at other places in the Quran as blind, deaf, dumb and like animals. This is all described in a metaphoric sense. In this verse God speaks of “raising” people to life. God did not make people dead spiritually, making them dead was not God’s action, but by their own wrongdoing and by not following His guidance. He rather raises the spiritually dead people to life out of His love and compassion for humanity, due to His mercy (Rahmaniyyat), as He says in the Quran
کَتَبَ رَبُّکُمۡ عَلٰی نَفۡسِہِ الرَّحۡمَۃَ ۙ
“Your Lord has ordained mercy on Himself” (The Holy Quran, 6:54).
He, on account of His mercy and compassion, forgives people, overlooks their trespasses and pardons their thanklessness. He, out of His love for humanity, sends prophets, messengers, reformers and saints to guide people to Him and save them from fear, ignorance and superstition, sins and cruelty, and leads them to a life of peace, happiness and contentment. God says in the Quran:
یَدۡعُوۡکُمۡ لِیَغۡفِرَ لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ ذُنُوۡبِکُمۡ وَ یُؤَخِّرَکُمۡ اِلٰۤی اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّی ؕ
“He invites you to forgive you your faults and to respite you till an appointed term” (The Holy Quran, 14:10).
Ahmadiyyat is that spiritual light which He has sent in the present times calling people to Islam and the Quran. Some noble souls accepted the truth and followed the Reformer [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian], while a majority of the people rejected his call and opposed him. His followers were persecuted and ostracized. But Hazrat Mirza sahib was always sure of the success of his mission. He was confident that God’s mission and God’s messengers were never unsuccessful. God says in the Quran:
کَتَبَ اللّٰہُ لَاَغۡلِبَنَّ اَنَا وَ رُسُلِیۡ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ قَوِیٌّ عَزِیۡزٌ ﴿۲۱﴾
“Allah has written down: I shall certainly prevail, I and my messengers. Surely Allah is Strong, Mighty” (The Holy Quran, 58:21).
Hazrat Mirza sahib formed a party whose aim, he said, was to carry the teachings of the Quran and Islam to the four corners of the world. He laid down this aim of his Jamaat [Movement] in accordance with the Divine injunction given in the Quran:
وَلۡتَکُنۡ مِّنۡکُمۡ اُمَّۃٌ یَّدۡعُوۡنَ اِلَی الۡخَیۡرِ وَ یَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَ یَنۡہَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡکَرِ ؕ وَ اُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡمُفۡلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۴﴾
“And from amongst you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. And these are they who are successful” (The Holy Quran, 3:104).
You are that people, the torchbearers who have pledged to carry the light of Islam and the Quran to all, especially to those who have never heard the words of God. You are to take the message of Islam to people in their own languages or in languages most people understand. Sow the seeds of Islam and the Quran in all the lands where these words were never heard before, these words of God will themselves do the work. You are under an obligation, you have to repay a debt. God has been merciful to you and has shown you the way and you have undertaken a compact with the Reformer. Please repay the debt now, when you have time. Help in the propagation of Islam and the Quran. Join in this noble task and don’t let petty obstacles deter and slacken your determination and resolve. If you stay back you will be the losers. God’s mission never remains unaccomplished. May God give you all that force and determination that you need to accomplish God’s work. Please do not be disheartened, as the Quran says:
کَمۡ مِّنۡ فِئَۃٍ قَلِیۡلَۃٍ غَلَبَتۡ فِئَۃً کَثِیۡرَۃًۢ بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ مَعَ الصّٰبِرِیۡنَ ﴿۲۴۹﴾
“How often has a small party vanquished a numerous host by Allah’s permission! And Allah is with the steadfast” (The Holy Quran, 2:249).