The Essence of Islam – Volume I — Page xxiii
Introduction xxiii at Gurdāspūr, at a distance of approximately eighteen miles from Qādiān. . From his childhood, Mirza Ghulām Aḥmad exhibited a religious bent, which became increasingly marked with the passage of the years. As he grew up, he began to devote more and more time to religious exercises and the study of religion, more particularly of the Holy Qur'ān. . His father arranged for his tuition at home and he never went to school. When he grew up, his father became anxious to divert his attention to secular pursuits, which might prove of benefit to him in later life, but without much success. Out of a feeling of filial obedience and respect for his father, Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad would undertake and carry out such particular missions, pertaining to his father's attempts to recover a portion of the patrimony, which his father assigned to him. However, he did this with reluctance, as his heart was not engaged in worldly affairs, which had no appeal for him. . At one time, his father procured his appointment to a minor administrative post at Siālkot, which he also took up out of a spirit of obedience to his father, and which he readily resigned as soon as his father's attitude permitted him to do so. . He described his situation at his father's death in the following words:. I was 34 or 35 years of age when my father died. In a dream, I had been warned that his death was approaching. I was then in Lahore and hastened to Qādiān. He was suffering from dysentery but I had no apprehension whatsoever that he would die the following day. In fact, there had been some change for the better in his condition and he appeared quite steadfast. The following day, we were all with him at noon when he kindly suggested that I