Life of Ahmad — Page 134
MARRIAGE as 134 Ahmad as did not have much money for his marriage, so he had to borrow from his friends. Munshi Abdul H aq ra , an accountant in Lahore, lent him Rs. 500 (Ahmad as later offered to repay this sum but Munshi Abdul H aq requested him to accept it as a contribution towards the publication of his book, Sir a j-e-Mun i r ) and Hakim Muhammad Sharif of Kalanaur contributed Rs. 200 or Rs. 300. Half of the Mehr fixed is paid in cash to the bride. According to the custom of the country, Ahmad as should have taken with him a good many expensive clothes and ornaments, but he did not take much. All he had for various expenses at Delhi was Rs. 250 in cash. Therefore the relatives of M i r Sahib poured forth further taunts at the marriage; but he took no notice of them. The relatives of Ahmad as were also not on very good terms with him and therefore no fuss appears to have been made on the occasion at Qadian. There was only one person who cared for Ahmad as , and that was Char a gh Bibi, the first mother-in-law of Ahmad as. She liked Ahmad’s as wife, Nu s rat Jah a n ra. The rest of the family called her 'Dill i w a l i ' out of derision and contempt. The young bride from Delhi must have felt herself a complete stranger at Qadian. Separated from her parents, living in a small village situated in an out of the way corner of the country, she must have experienced strange feelings. The ancient and big city of Delhi had been seven times the seat of the Imperial government before its occupation by the British. The