Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 74
56 Jama’at in the Gambia and greatly admired the Jama’at’s projects for the development and progress of the country and the nation. At the end of the function, when the guests had left and the jama’at members were tidying up, I heard someone sobbing from one side, I went that way to find out who it was. I found Muhamad Joni Dibba crying bitterly like a child. I was greatly distressed and enquired if it was all okay or if he had a bad news. It took him a while to recover his composure. He said: “In our meeting today, many people made lengthy speeches in favour of the jama’at, in which they have heaped all sorts of praises upon the jama’at. The old times came to my mind when these very people used to stone us and used unpleasant epithets like ‘monkeys’ and ‘swine’ for us. However, today by the Grace of Allah they are full of praise for the jama’at of the Promised Messiah as. These tears were tears of gratitude to Allah. Today, during this blessed ceremony, a desire was springing up strongly in my heart. Would that, our early devoted, saintly imam Lamin Janje and others were alive today; how pleased they would have been seeing this scenario. The opponents of Ahmadiyyat used to abuse and beat up those devotees in this very town. Would that those oppressed, deceased and saintly figures were alive today to witness the glory days of Ahmadiyyat; how pleased and happy would they be. O Allah accept the prayers of those oppressed ones in our favours and our prayers for them. Amin! اھانتک أراد من مھنی این ‘I shall humiliate him who designs to humiliate thee’ The days when was stationed as a missionary in the Gambian town of Farafenni, I had a Gambian neighbour named Ahmad. He was an officer in the customs department. As he was my