Fazl-e-Umar — Page 301
Fazle Umar 301 He advised the Community about what to do in the event of a tragedy occurring in Qadian. They were to buy an extremely cheap piece of land in Sheikhupura or Sialkot near the railway station and create a village to serve as the headquarters. The village should have simple buildings unlike the more elaborate constructions of Qadian. Educational institutions like the school and college, the Madrassa Ahmadiyya and Jamia Ahmadiyya ought to be established as a matter of urgency. He advised that the emphasis should always be on religious education and its practice and efforts should be made to create as many eminent scholars as possible. Hadhrat Musleh Mau’ood [ra] sent out inspectors to review the educational needs of the Community. He instructed that every Ahmadi boy ought to be in educa- tion and those who are not, their parents must be compelled to educate them. The Community would help in the cost of books or payment of fees. Bearing in mind the difficulties and perils of studying in a non-Islamic envi- ronment, he established a college equipped with every kind of facility. Here they could learn in an environment free from the moral poisons of the outside world. He instructed that money be collected within each village to provide scholarships to any outstanding boys and girls. He warned the Community that the absence of knowledge leads to the death of a people. The primary reason for the decline and downfall of the Muslims was their inability to replace their dead scholars with fresh blood. When Abu Bakr [ra] passed away, a second Abu Bakr was not born to take his place. Hence, he wanted to create many scholars within the Community so that when one died a second and a third were ready to take the place of the first.