Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 150
Khilafat Centenary Khalifatul Masih ru. He had no time for anything else of his own and remained ever alert and ready to be of service to Huzur ra. How deeply he had absorbed the teachings of Ahmadiyyat is evident from a press conference over which he presided following the first ]alsa Salana of Hadhrat Khalifatul M asih IV 1 a in the UK, following the infamous Ordinance XX of Dictator General Zia in April 1984. At this press conference, a Pakistani journalist asked him, "Now that your fellow members in Pakistan have been declared non-Muslims and placed under disabilities and penalties described by an eminent Western author Friedman as 'the daily life of an Ahmadi having been turned by the Ordinance into crime', would you ask your Congressman and Senators to stop US aid to Pakistan?" A ticklish question. ' But his answer was, "No. ' Because it would hurt the people of Pakistan and we will never do any such thing. Our quarrel is with the administration which has done something which is against Islam, against fundamental human rights, against religious freedom and also against the Constitution of Pakistan. " A beautiful and stunning reply. " Brother Muzaffar Ahmad Zafr was a great orator and spoke with intense emotion and conviction. Tears would roll down his cheeks and in a choked voice he would narrate an incident or story from the life of the Holy Prophet saw or the Promised Messiah 35 and his successors. In brief, we lost a stalwart of Islam and a devoted servant of Ahmadiyyat. Indeed we lost a most valuable member of our Jama' at- a fearless and devoted soldier of Islam and Ahmadiyyat. He was not a proclaimed and formal devotee, yet all his life he worked with the same devotion and commitment as any Waqfe- Zindagi (life devotee of religion): We bow to the will of Allah in all humility and prayers that his soul may rest in eternal peace; may Allah wrap him in His infinite mercy and love and give solace to his immediate family and to the larger extended family of Ahmadiyyat, Ameen. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IVrta in his Friday sermon of November 22, 1996, paid warm tribute to Br. Muzaffar Ahmad Zafr and graciously described his deep devotion to Ahmadiyyat and Khilafat. He said: Now I want to relate to you another fond remembrance. He was our very devoted and very dear American brother. He was also a Ph. D. He was Brother Muzaffar Ahmad Zafr, the Na'ib Amir of USA. He was a very active worker and very humble. Inspite of having a Ph. D. , he never wrote "Doctor" with his name. He was the Director of Project CURE in Dayton, Ohio. He had been known to me for a long time since he began to attend ]alsa Salana and then the relationship kept on getting deeper. He had a very bright mind and many good qualities. He understood the problems of Americans more than most people. I always benefitted through having conversations with him. He was so active that whenever I visited over there, (the US) he was always in charge of my security, as far as human efforts are concerned. It appeared he never slept in those days. Whenever I came out of my office, or my residence, he was always there. He was a very fast driver. I tried to tell him to get some rest sometimes, otherwise I might get hurt. He would promise a little to take care, but many a time when he was left behind to attend to many things, I would say that we should wait for him. "The food will have no taste without him as he is far behind". This was hardly spoken when suddenly he would be standing inf ront of me. He moved like the wind in driving but was never caught speeding. He must have been praying while driving so the Law of God would supersede the worldly laws and protect him. By the grace of God, he never had an accident. He passed away after a short illness. I found out later that he had cancer of the liver. It seems he endured it, but did not mention it purposely and never mentioned the early signs to anyone. It became apparent when it was in an advanced stage. His passing away has been deeply pain/ ul to me. But this grief is a part of human life. "There will remain only the person of our Lord, Master of Glory and Honor. " (55:28). This is the message which becomes the support all the time. May Allah grant the shadow of His mercy on him and grant him an exalted station in paradise, Ameen He was a very sincere and faithful member. He was granted opportunities to serve the Jama' at in a magnificent manner. He was keenly devoted to the Promised Messiah as. His death leaves behind a feeling of vacancy, but we are reconciled to the will of Allah, in whatever way it is manifested.