Perseverance — Page 40
40 – the story of al-haj Rashid ahmad american PAKISTANI HOSPITALITY I was greeted with traditional Muslim hospitality. Men polished my shoes, made me breakfast, and arranged a meeting in which I addressed the Karachi Ahmadi Community. I then took a train to Lahore, where I was received by hundreds in the Lahore Ahmadi Community. They arranged for me to speak and meet the press. However, I insisted on going directly to Rabwah, where the headquarters and the Khal ī fah were located. In response to their surprise that I desired to leave so suddenly, Hadrat Mirz ā Bash ī r Ahmad ra said, “If the man is so determined to see his master, we should not hold him back. So let him go. ” 10 They then arranged for my immediate departure to Rabwah. Upon arrival at the Rabwah train station, I was greeted by Khal ī fat-ul-Mas īh ath-Th ā n ī ra and the Ahmadi Community 11. 10 Spoken in English. Most of the educated Pakistanis could communicate in simple English. 11 When I asked Rashid how it felt to be in the presence of the Second Khalīfah ra , he said, “How can I describe it? It’s like trying to explain the sweetness of sugar to someone who has never tasted it. The man had an aura about him which made you want to be in his company. It didn’t matter what he was saying or doing – all of your cares and concerns left and you simply felt the contentment of a child in the arms of its mother. ” [Writer]