Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 21
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 21 others and some years later he instituted at Qadian a hostel and a kitchen for the entertainment of all those who came to visit him. As a ru1e Mirza Ghulam Ahmad did not seek the company of other men, but he was always eager to visit righteous persons. Maulvi Abdu1lah Sahib of Ghazni, Afghanistan, was an eminent Muslim divine. He was persecuted in his native country by fanatics, and having been declared a disbeliever was expelled from Ghazni. He arrived in the Punjab and settled down in the neighbourhood of Amritsar. Mirza Ghu- lam Ahmad visited him on two occasions and requested him to pray for the welfare of Islam. Maulvi Abdullah Sahib complied with his request and told him later that he had received the revelation: 'Thou art our Master, so grant us succour against those who reject Thee' (2:287). On a later occasion Maulvi Abdu1lah Sahib declared that he had seen in a vision that a heavenly light had descended on Qadian but that his descendants had failed to derive any benefit from it. Towards the end of 1875 Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was advised in a vision by an angelic presence that it would be appropriate if, following the example set by many prophets, he would undertake the observation of a fast for a certain period. In pursuance of this suggestion he arranged to embark upon this discipline secretly, without disclosing his purpose to anyone. He arranged to distribute his food among some poor children whom he had told to come to him at certain appointed times. He took only one meal after sunset; but after two or three weeks of this discipline he began to reduce the quantity of that meal also, so that in the end he partook only of a few ounces of bread in 24 hours. He has described his experience in the following terms: I continued this discipline over a period of eight or nine months and despite the extreme meagreness of the nourishment that I took, God Almighty safeguarded me against every kind of disorder. During this period of fasting I experienced many spiritual mys-