Why Islam is my choice — Page 48
48 my fate to All ā h. The owners were shocked to see my resignation. They tried very hard to talk me out of that ‘foolishness’ but I insisted that my decision was final. Finally, before letting me go, the senior owner invited me to a dinner where he offered that if I changed my mind at any time, I would be welcome back. I kept up with the owners for some time but as life became more involved in other ways, I lost contact with them. I came to Qadian. I had completely lost love for money and seemed to have no desire for any worldly gains any more. I had decided to settle down in Qadian and modestly live out the rest of my life in the service of Isl ā m. Ḥ a ḍ rat Mirz ā Bash ī r-ud-D ī n Ma ḥ m ū d A ḥ mad, Second Successor to the Promised Messiah, may All ā h be pleased with him, however, advised me that I must look for a dignified work and that my attitude may be attributed to laziness which Isl ā m was opposed to. He very affectionately advised that I should try the army. World War II was at its peak. Japan was making a lot of gains in South East Asia. Japanese troops had advanced as far as Burma. On the appeals of the Indian political leaders, people were joining the Armed Forces in hordes. I was easily selected in the Army. During my stay in Qadian I had met a number of the companions of Ḥ a ḍ rat Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad, the Promised Messiah, may peace be on him, who were all nothing but angels, dressed in men’s clothing. One of them, Ḥ a ḍ rat Maul ā n ā ‘Abdul-Lateef Bahawalpur ī , may All ā h be pleased with him, arranged my marriage with the daughter of Ḥ a ḍ rat Maul ā n ā ‘A ṭ a Mu ḥ ammad Ṣāḥ ib, may All ā h be pleased with him, and thus I got married before leaving for my tenure of duty in the army. After a short training period in Calcutta, my unit was flown to Burma, near Rangoon. My unit stayed there till the end of War. During the War, I had decided that on my