Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 316
316 AHMADIYY AT tion of every quarter of the town was based on a mosque at the centre of the quarter. Therefore, in addition to the two central mosques, sixteen mosques were needed,'one for every quarter. But the Town Planner pretended that he did not see the necessity of providing a mosque in every quarter. He could not bring himself to appreciate that the Movement was a religious Movement, and that the proper and regular per- formance of the five daily services was incumbent upon all adult members of the Movement, and that for the proper discharge of that obligation a mosque in every quarter was indispensible. Besides, a mosque, according to Islamic tradi- tion, is the centre of all religious, social and cultural activities of the residents of a quarter, but the Town Planner was bent upon depriving the Community of this facility. His insistence on the provision of a site or sites for a cinema and a theatre was equally absurd. The members of the Move- ment were not permitted to visit cinemas and theatres, and, therefore, it was beyond comprehension what purpose would be served by providing sites for a cinema or a theatre. Eventually the matter was taken to the Minister concerned and it did not take him more than five minutes to overrule the objections of the Town Planner. . This is only an instance illustrating the crass stupidity of official red-tape which often clogs the progress of beneficent projects and undertakings. As soon as official formalities had been complied with, temporary accommodation was erected at Rabwah to enable the Khalifatul Masih, his immediate entourage and the offices of the principal institutions of the Movement to establish themselves at Rabwah. There were few facilities and ameni-. ties available at that time at Rabwah and life there, particu- larly in the trying heat of the summer, was most uncomfor- table and stark. But the enthusiasm and eagerness of the Khalifatul Masih and his own shining example, in the face of all the hardships to which life at Rabwah was subject, served to inspire everyone to put forth his best in every situation. In due course, better accommodation was provided for all the institutions of the Movement, a plentiful supply of sweet