Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 85
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 85 fered a severe paralytic stroke which made him bed-ridden and to which he succumbed on 3 October 1901. Towards the end of 1902 Sahibzada Abdul Latif set out from his home, with the permission of Amir Habibullah Khan, with the intention of proceeding on pilgrimage by way of Lahore, accompanied by two of his disciples and another divine. He had also in mind to pay a visit to Qadian so that he could have an opportunity of meeting the Pro- mised Messiah in person. Thus he arrived in Qadian and was received by the Promised Messiah, who recorded the impres- sion that he conceived of him in the following words: I call God Almighty, in Whose hand is my life, to witness that when I met him I found him so completely committed and devoted to my obedience and the confirmation of my claim that it is not possible to conceive more of it in respect of any person. I perceived that he was as full of love for me as a crystal vial filled with perfume. It seemed to me that his heart was as illumined as was his countenance. He had intended to stop at Qadian for only a few days, but his meeting with the Promised Messiah and the members of the Movement at that time present in Qadian affected him so powerfully that he postponed his proceeding on pilgrimage and stayed on in Qadian for several months. As has been mentioned Sahibzada Sahib himself had ex- perience of visions and revelation. He was, therefore, able to appreciate deeply and appraise accurately the spiritual status of the Promised Messiah, and was so much overcome that he could not tear himself away from him. When in the end he asked for permission to return to Afghanistan and was granted it, the Promised Messiah accompanied him for two or three miles on his way. The moment of separation proved deeply affecting for both, and particularly painful for Sahib- zada Abdul Latif. By the time he departed from Qadian he was convinced that on his return home he would have to lay down his life in the cause of truth. He told some of his friends that during the last few days of his stay he had repeatedly