Fazl-e-Umar — Page 136
Fazle Umar 136 that in perception and vision he had already left men like Maulvi Muhammad Ali and his friends miles behind. One of his greatest passions was the desire to spread the message of Islam and with this a yearning not just to do it alone but to prepare others for this great service. His example was like that of a great leader of a fallen and downtrodden people determined to lift them to the heights of success to safeguard them from withdrawing against enemy attacks and reclaiming lands once lost to hostile forces. He was like that leader who prepares an army to strengthen and establish his nation in the eyes of the world by requesting its youth to join this army and training the new recruits in the art of warfare and arming them with the necessary weapons. Not physical weapons but through the use of arguments based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, logic and reason. As he grew older, his activities became broader and more diverse. In his boyhood, he founded the magazine Tashheezul Azhan and the Anjuman Tashheezul Azhan to prepare the youth for the service of Islam through writing and speaking. His vision was not confined within the borders of India and even in his youth he had a longing to see the flag of Islam waving throughout the whole world. For this reason he split the annual gatherings into English and Urdu. Although these efforts according to his age and according to the situation in Qadian were on a small scale, they still reflect his firm resolve even in his young days. In the time of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] , he began publication of a weekly newspaper, the Al-Fazl, for the education and train- ing of the whole of the Community. It has since been converted to a daily and is now the principal organ of the Community. To breathe life into the Community for the propagation of Islam and to create a sense of fraternity and brotherhood he formed the Anjuman Ansarullah. 94