Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 70
K h i 1 a f a t C e n t e n a r y. . . . :. -. African states, began to be apprehensive that their dream of Christianizing the whole of West Africa was likely to be frustrated in consequence of the advent of Ahmadiyyat in some of the West African countries. Ahmadiyya missions had also been opened in some of the countries of South East Asia and were making good progress, particularly in Indonesia. Active branches had been established as far afield as Palestine, Fiji and Mauritius. An Ahmadiyya centre had been established in Chicago, Illinois, and branches were springing up in some of the mid-western and eastern states of America. . . So far the only notable mission established in Europe was the one in London which had come into being simultaneously with the Second Khilafat. A mission had, at one time, been opened in Paris but was not able to gain a firm foothold in that city, or outside it, and was closed a few years later. The persistence and steadfastness of the missionary assigned to Madrid began slowly to yield fruit and within a few years a small Spanish group of adherents of the Movement emerged in Madrid. A mission was opened in Rome. . . A beginning was made in Poland and later in Hungary and also in Albania, but political developments in those countries blocked further progress. . . . Under the dynamic direction of Khalifatul Masih rr ra missions were established also in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. These missions made such good progress that mosques were built during the Rabwah period of the Second Khilafat in Zurich, Frankfurt, the Hague and Hamburg. All this activity has stemmed from the initiation of the Tahrik-ejadeed by Khalifatul Masih rrr • in 1934. With regard to the activities of the Movement inside Pakistan the Khalifatul Masihra felt the need of strengthening the machinery for propagation in the rural areas. For this purpose he instituted the scheme which was given the name of Waqf-ejadeed (New Dedication). . . The purpose of the scheme was to infuse fresh spirit and vigour into the rural sections of the Community, to urge them to greater and more eager conformity to the moral and spiritual values inculcated by Islam, and to convey the message of the Movement to wider and wider circles, both by precept and by example. . . The activities of its workers achieved a remarkable measure of success among a community of non -Muslims that formed an enclave in the Province of Sindh close to the border of Rajputana. By now [1978] a large section of them have accepted Islam and within a short period most of them have carried out an appreciable cultural, moral and spiritual transformation. . . In 1953, the orthodox Muslim divines made a tremendous effort to incite the masses to wipe out the Movement by violence. While no great harm was done in Karachi, which was still the seat of government, murder, grievous hurt, arson and large- scale destruction of property were let loose against the members of the Movement. Yet again, the grace and mercy of Allah enabled the Community to weather the storm. One day in March 1954 a young man. . . managed to take his stand in the first line of worshippers immediately behind Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih rr r• , while he was leading the afternoon service in the principal mosque at Rabwah. In the middle of the service he suddenly advanced upon Huzurr• from his rear and drove the blade of a long sharp knife into his neck with murderous force. The injury inflicted upon the Khalifatul Masihr• was deep and grievous and had a serious effect on his nervous system. The health of Khalifatul Masih rr r• entered upon a prolonged process of slow but progressive decline and the end came on November 8, 1965. The fulfilment of every aspect of the grand prophecy of the Promised Messiah as set out in the announcement of 20 February 1886, in the person of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih rrr•, furnishes irrefutable proof of the truth of the Promised Messiah as. From whatever point of view it is approached, the impossibility of the prophecy having been the product of the workings of a human mind becomes patent. His outstanding qualities and his astonishing record of high achievement in so many fields of human endeavour, all related to the revival of the faith and the supremacy of Islam over all other religions, marked him out as a great and shining figure in the annals of the Renaissance of Islam in the latter days.