Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 247
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 247 ~heir zeal and eagerness enabled them to dispense cheerfully with all that they had been accustomed to and to be content with whatever became available from day to day. The Arya Samaj had organized a boycott of the Muslim Malkanas, many of whom were hard put to it to gather and bring in the harvest. The Ahmadiyya volunteers were thus called upon to undertake the unfamiliar tasks of cultivators and hus- bandmen to which they had hitherto been complete strangers. Yet they set to with eagerness, and though their performance was often awkward, the tasks were done. The whole campaign while it lasted assumed and maintained the character of the exercise of the highest moral and spiritual values. While the outward emphasis was on hard labour, the inward emphasis was on eagerness in winning the pleasure of God. In contrast, the effort mounted by non-Ahmadi Muslims was half-hearted, sporadic, hesitant and lacking in willing- ness in the face of discomfort. It became apparent soon, and was freely acknowledged, that the campaign organized and set in motion by the Khalifatul Masih was alone proving effective against the activities of the Arya Samaj which were well supported with men and money. The leaders of the Arya Samaj began to perceive within a matter of weeks that their plan had miscarried, and was not only unlikely to achieve its object but that they would soon begin to lose ground. Therefore, they proclaimed that they were anxious to avoid friction between the Muslims and the Hindus and were willing to meet Muslim leaders to discuss the cessation of all activities and the winding up of the situation. The Muslim leaders with whom they got in touch were inclined to agree to their suggestion, but it was felt that. any understanding that might be reached in the absence of the representatives of the Ahmadiyya Community would be purely academic and would not affect the situation in the field where all the effort on the Muslim side was being put forth by Ahmadi volunteers. A request was, therefore, sub- mitted to the ,Khalifatul Masih to send his representative to