Odyssey of Sacrifice — Page 35
! 37 that this scheme is not only for three years but it is to be a permanent and grand scheme through which the message of the Promised Messiah (as) would reach the corners of the earth, even then not a single person backed away rather they kept o n moving forward in sacrifices. This was the case for elders; this was the case of the rich; middle class people who were not directly involved in the work of the community were the same way; poor were the same way. Every sector of the entire community ste pped forward in unison to make sacrifice. And today the analysis of the figures cannot tell us which segment of the community sacrificed more than the others. The wealthy took long strides according to their capacities. They pledged huge amounts with high spirits [not with mere words] and then fulfilled these pledges with the grace of God. Similarly, the poor partook in this scheme according to their capacities – nay, much more than their capacities. ” “ Such was the condition of zeal and passion that wheneve r Hadrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) would announce the beginning of the new fiscal year of Tehrike Jadid that among the first to pledge for the New Year were two friends. The First was Muhammad Ramz ā n Sahib, who was a clerk, and the other was Muhammad Boota Sahib, a horse - carriage driver. As long as these two were alive they never remained behind [in being the first to send their pledges]. They used to pledge according to the strength God had giv en them and they were also among the first to pay their pledges. And they were always among the first who used to wait in front of the office of the Private Secretary (in those days people used to go to Private Secretary’s office [for their pledges]). The condition of laborers was such that a laborer from Sialkot who used to earn two rupees daily pledged 30 rupees in donation. Another man, who