The Essence of Islam – Volume IV — Page 10
10 Essence of Islam-IV to the then current syllabus and as far as God Al- mighty so willed. My father was an expert physician and under him I studied some books on medicine. Early Services to Father and Family By this time I had become so fond of reading that I gave little attention to anything else. My father re- peatedly admonished me to cut down on my study of books for he was afraid that too much devotion to them might affect my health and he was also anxious that laying aside books I should begin to take an in- terest in his affairs and should share his responsibilities. And this is what happened. He was at that time engaged in litigation in the British Courts for the recovery of some of our ancestral villages and finally succeeded in employing me in that pursuit. For a long time I remained so occupied. I have always re- gretted that a good deal of my precious time was wasted in this useless pursuit. My father also commit- ted the management of our landed property to me. But as I was by nature and disposition averse to such oc- cupations, my father would sometimes be annoyed with me. He was most kind and affectionate towards me but he desired that I should become a man of the world like my contemporaries, but this was something I was much averse to. On one occasion, the Commissioner was coming to Qādiān and my father asked me repeatedly that I should go out two or three kose to welcome him. 7 7 Approximately 3 to 5 miles. [Publisher]