Souvenir on 50th Jalsa Salana USA — Page 58
S01\1E PROMINENT AHMADI MUSLIMS IN USA Mr. H asan F. L. Anderson was the first Ahmadi convert during the time of the Promised Messiah (AS). The Promised Messiah ga\e him the Muslim name of I lasan. He was a scientist and worked at the FiN Scientific Station in Nev. York City. The Urdu translation of a letter from Mr. Hasan Anderson was published in Al-Badr dated September 14, 1905. He askes about the health and welfare of the Promised Messiah (AS). notes the news about the earthquakes, notes with plea- sure that he has been accepted into the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and requests that a certificate be kindly issued, comments favourably on the article which he read in the Review of Religions on Polygamy and Veil, gives his views about the international development relating to Russia and Japan, and co nveys his prayers and sa lam to all Ahmadis. About Mr. Anderson, The Promised Messiah (AS) wrote in Brahin Ahmadiyya Vol. V: "Very recently a very respected English speal. . ing gentleman who lives in USA, whose previous name is F. L. Anden,on. . . and who has been nam ed Ha sa n after his acceptance of Islam, has joined our Community. . . . I le reads my booi. . s which have been translated into English. He ca n read the I lo ly Quran and he can also write in Arabic. Simi larly there arc several others who admire our Community and express their agreement. " Dr. George B aker of Philadelphia wrote about the Promised Messiah (AS): "I totally agree with the vi ews of your Imam. He has presented Islam correctly to the world. just as the Prophet Muhammad (SA) had done. " Mr. Alexander Russell Webb from Hudson Ci t y, New York. accepted Islam through correspondence with the Promised Messiah (AS). He was the ed it or of a daily paper in St. Louis, Missouri. Later. he was the US Ambassador to the Philippines. In his correspondence to the Promised Messiah (AS). he expressed hb dissatisfaction with Christianity and affirmed the truth of the 1 l oly Prophet Muhammad (SA). Mr. Webb visited India. but did not visit the Promised Messiah (AS). nor did he join the Ahmadiyya Community. But he remained an admirer of the Promised Messiah (AS) and wrote a condolence letter upon the Promised Messiah's demise saying that: " I am sure thut he will enjoy the companionship of saints and prophets in heaven. " Dr. Muzaffar A hm ad laid down his life for Ahmadiyyat when an assai lant, who had posed as a visitor, shot him in his home in Canton, Michigan, on ly thr ee days before the Annual Conve ntion in 1983. Dr. Mu1affar was a fearless Da'ee l/lal/ah, a dedicated wo rker of the J amaat. Br. Muhammad Sa dic1 was a very sincere, humble and a devoted se rvant of Ahmadiyyat. ll is hallmark was his true love of Khilafat-c-Ahmadiyya. The mark of prolonged prosLration before the Almighty Allah was distinctly v isible on his forehead. He knew many verses of the I lo ly Quran by heart. He wou ld not miss any opportunity to provide loving advice to the me mb ers of the Community - whatever the occasion - quoting profusely from the H oly Quran. Th e themes of his favorite verses of the H oly Quran were taqwa (the fear of the Almighty Allah) and sacrifice in Hi s cause. His exhortations would reorient any discu~sions towards these two themes. His pleading t ones would charm his li steners and l eave them spe ll bound as l ong as he spoke. B orn in Newark. New Jersey, on 29th October, 1912, Br. Sadiq accepted Islam after reading the books written by Missionary Sufi Mutiur Rahman Bengali during the time of Missionary Ghulam Yasin. He had the opportunit) of visiting both Rabwah and Qadian. " H b voice is music to my cars," said Had/irat Khalifatul Ma~ih IV(ABA). Br. Sadiq died in ewark on the 18 August 1996. Over 350 members attended hisjmw::a (funeral) prayers led by Missionary Daud Hanif. The burial took place in the Ahmadiyya section of the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Totowa, cw Jersey. Br. Bashir Afzal was another one of the early converts. He was a Baptist minister before he became an Ahmadi Muslim. His lo ve for Prophet J esus C hrbt (AS) was repla ced by an eve n greater love for the Promised Messiah (AS), when he learnt that the Seco nd Coming had been fulfilled in the blessed person of the Promised Messiah. This love took him to Qadian and Rabwah in the fifties. Br. Af1al devoted the rest of his life in humble se rvice to Ahmadiyyat. As the presi- dent of the Ahmadiyya Commu nity in New York for thirty years, Br. AfLal worl. . cd very hard in the areas of sp iritual training of the new converts. He also served as the Za 'eem of the North Jersey circle of Maj I is Ansarullah. He passed away on the 18 July 19 93, at the age of ninety. Or. Muzaffar Ahmad Zafr, Naib Amccr, was a dedicated worker and self effacing leader and a first class orator. Dr. Mu1. affar Ahmad Zafr was a noble leader, a tireless worker and a devoted servant of the Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. His robust personality and eloquent speech kept his audiences mesmeri1ed with his effu lgent words inspiring them to work with greater 1eal for spreading hlam and Ahmadinat in America while at the same time he would exhort them to look inwardly with a critical eye. He had a sharp eye for security and was keenly a\\arc of the problems of Americans. Of him the H adlirat Khalifatul Masih (ARA) said: ''He wi1s so active that whene\cr I visited over there (United states) he was always in charge of my security, as far as human efforts were concerned. It appeared he never slept in those days. Whenever I came out he was always there. " He served the Ahamdiyya Community USA in magnificent capacities. He was the National President and then the Naib Ameer for a long time, some times acting as the Amir. He had the good fortune of leading the American delegation to Rabwah and Qadian frequently. Internationally, he represented North America in the International Rai'at and assisted Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV during the International Majils-e-Shura. He died on Friday, 15 November 1996 in his home town of Dayton, Ohio.