Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 58
K h i l a f a t C e n t e n a r y, _. > , • ,_ " Hadhrat Hakeem Maulvi Noorudd in, Kha I ifatu I Masi h 1ra -----------------------------Naeem Ahmad How good it would be if every member of the Community were a Nooruddin ; So would it be if every heart were filled with the light of the certainty of faith! Amongst the followers of the Promised Messiah as , one person occupies a unique position, being an indefatigable soldier in the cause of Allah and the most sincere servant of Islam. He was a physician of international repute and an ardent social and educational reformer for the underprivileged Muslims of India. He was an accepted scholar of Islamic theology with a penchant for finding new vignettes in the meanings of the Hol y Qur 'an, and a view to applying them for modern times. He was widely recognized as an educated man , whose opinion w as sought by leaders of civil society. All this ev en before he came in contact with the Imam of the Age! Birth and Education Hadhrat Maulvi Haji Hafiz Hakeem Nooruddin, Khalifatul Masih I ra, was born in 1841 in Bhera , a large town in the Punjab, India. He was the youngest of seven brothers and two sisters. His family traced its origins to Hadhrat Umar ra and for generations past had been well regarded as God-fearing and educated people. His father and older brothers were small business owners. After learning to read Arabic and Persian with tutors at home and at the local mosque, he enrolled in school. Graduating at the head of his class, he became a teacher, and within a year, the headmaster of a primary school. He then embarked upon his lifelong quest for knowledge in all its forms, especially the science of religion and the science of medicine. This epic journey, parts of which he himself dictated and are recorded in many books (these at times resemble metaphysical or mythological tales) , took him to many parts of India and Arabia over the course of several years. There are repeated instances of his absolute faith and trust in Allah and of Allah's gracious interventions for his welfare. He survived several attempts on his life, wa s triumphant in many debates and arguments, and left a lasting impression on all he met. His diagnoses and treatments resulted in extraordinary healing of the sick. His personal library rivaled those of state institutions. At the age of forty-two, he found himself appointed as Ro yal Ph ysician to the Maharaja of Kashmir. News of the Promised Messiah (as) While in Kashmir, a Hindu friend argued 'vi. th Maulvi Nooruddin ra that the stories about revelation from God to the ancients were fine and good , but now that time is past and there is no more communication with the Divine in this da y and age. No one lays a claim to experiencing the power of God firsthand. It was a special favor of Allah to Hakeem Nooruddin that he found out , from a pamphlet being used as a wrapper , about the claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Q?,dian, who claimed to be a recipient of wahi (divine revelation) and to ha ve personally ex perienced the majesty and mercy of Allah. He immediately wrote to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as , and found the answer to his prayers for a muzaqqi (one who purifies), and a religious preceptor who was divinely ordained to bring about the revival of Islam. This was the final turning point in Hakeem Nooruddin 's life. He had come to the end of his quest. He became a disciple of the Promised Messiah as foremost in his service and in financial sacrifice. He wrote books in defense of Islam and in support of the claims of the Promised Messiah as , and was the first to swear allegiance to him on March 23 rd , 1889. When asked what benefit he received by offering bai'at (taking the sacred oath of allegiance) to the Promised Me ssiah as , he answered: "There