Perseverance — Page 18
18 – the story of al-haj Rashid ahmad american criminals, Yas i n’s clothes were simple and aroused my suspicion that this was some kind of set up to channel drug money. My suspicion grew as I misunderstood the peculiar aroma of cooking curry as the preparation of narcotics. I also noticed some Punjabi Pakistanis who inhaled their cigarettes in an unusual fist formation with the cigarette sticking out the other end of the fist – a kind of hand-hookah method I surmised was unique for smoking opium. They would hold their fist to their mouths and inhale the smoke from the cigarette, which would stick out from between their ring finger and pinky at a 45 degree angle. I was determined to get to the bottom of this money- making scam, so I kept coming back at all the times for prayers. I had been involved with the Movement, studying its teachings, for about a year before I had decided to formally join. The book that convinced me was “Ahmadiyyat the True Islam” by Khal ī fat- ul-Mas īh ath-Th ā n ī [Arabic: the Second Caliph of the Messiah], Hadrat [i. e. , H is H oliness] Mirz ā Bash ī r-ud-D ī n Ma h m ū d Ahmad ra. This book showed that Ahmadiyyat was the most truthful expression of Islam. True Islam is a way of life that a man can live to please God. True Islam is an inspiration to embody the ideals of righteousness. It brought the philosophy into a practical reality that eliminated sin. The year I joined was 1947. I frequented The Muslim Sunrise office on a daily basis to respond to letters, and mail out issues to interested Americans.