Perseverance — Page 36
36 – the story of al-haj Rashid ahmad american Shams ra suggested the name Rabwah as is mentioned in the Holy Qur’ ā n: And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign, and gave them refuge on an elevated land [i. e. , rabwah ] having meadows and springs of running water (23:51) and And the case of those who spend their wealth to seek the pleasure of Allah and to strengthen their souls is like the case of a garden on elevated ground [i. e. , rabwah ]. Heavy rain falls on it so that it brings forth its fruit twofold. And if heavy rain does not fall on it, then light rain suffices. And Allah sees what you do (2:266). The actual land of Rabwah was dry, barren and dismissed as a wasteland without water. However, in harmony with the Qur’ ā nic verses above, this barren land would be blessed not only with material fruits and foliage, but with spiritual fruits sown by the prayers of the Promised Messiah as and his successors ra. In this way both Qur’ ā nic verses literally came to fruition by the Grace of Allah. The name Rabwah was approved by the Second Khal ī fah ra and the city was inaugurated on September 20, 1948. Under the capable leadership of the Khal ī fah ra , Rabwah prospered quickly and learning and public institutions were established. Rabwah was the city I was destined for and I would study at the institution called J a mi‘a Ahmadiyyah [i. e. , the Ahmadi school for religious training]. The J a mi‘ah was established to train men