My Mother — Page 65
’s Residence with Me 65 Chaudhri Shamshad Ali Khan dabbled in the occult, and one evening suggested to Mother that she might participate in one of his exercises at communicating with the spirits of the departed. She put him off with the remark that she could not persuade her- self that the spirits of the departed were at the beck and call of everyone who might choose to summon them at his or her pleas- ure. He proceeded with his exercise and after some experimenta- tion invited her to come and communicate with the spirit of her husband, but she said, ‘Please tell him to continue occupied with whatever the mercy of Allah has prescribed for him. That is far more blessed than communicating with me. ’ She was fond of travelling and enjoyed scenes of natural beauty. In the summer of 1928, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih had gone to Kashmir and he and his party were staying in houseboats moored along the Jhelum river. During the High Court vacation we also went to Kashmir and put up in a houseboat which was moored next to the houseboats of Hazrat Sahib’s party. Chaudhri Shah Nawaz was also with us. I had been nominated a member of a committee of the Legislative Council and was called away for its meetings. During my absence, the river was flooded for three days and the level of the water rose dangerously high. One night was passed in extreme anxiety. On my return, Mother told me that she had spent the whole of that night in supplication for the safety of Hazrat Sahib and all members of the party. At one time Sahibzadah Mirza Bashir Ahmad’s boat threatened to slip its moorings and everyone was terrified. Shah Nawaz had gone early to bed and Mother let him sleep through all this without disturb- ing him. From time to time she went to the door of his cabin and