Perseverance — Page 175
PART III – My Return to the United States 175 MY RETURN TO PAKISTAN I returned to Rabwah approximately twelve years after I arrived to the United States. It was 1966. The purpose of my trip was to reunite with my family. I went to the Rabwah guest house because I did not know what to expect. When my wife had come to know that I was in the guest house, she sent my children, Mur i d, N as irah and Ma h m u d to visit me. They told me that their mother was questioning why I was staying in the guest house when I should be with my family and children in their residence. I immediately went with them to their home. Upon my arrival we had sweets and were enjoying a jovial time together. When her uncle who was a doctor arrived, he asked me, “Mr. Rashid, what are you doing here?” I replied, “I am enjoying the company of my family. ” He said, “I can see that, but you do not have a chaperone. ” My reply was, “Why would a man need a chaperone when he is with his wife and children?” He said, “But you are divorced so you have to leave. ” I told him that I was not divorced and I was not going anywhere. Then we both took a physically combative stance in confrontation with each other. My wife then stepped in and asked me to leave peacefully until the matter was settled. The next day I met with the Third Khal ī fah rta , Hadrat Mirz a N as ir Ahmad (the Second Khal ī fah had passed away in 1965, may Allah be pleased with him and his abundant services to Islam and humanity at large). He asked me how I was enjoying my reunion with my family. I narrated the incident to him. He said, “If he [i. e. ,