Fazl-e-Umar — Page 44
Fazle Umar 44 at once opened his eyes and shouted, ‘I can see!’ However, he lost most of the sight in his left eye due to the intensity of this ailment and its immutable presence. He was unable to read with this eye and could recognise only a familiar face at a distance of four feet. Only his right eye functioned but even that developed infection and became so severe that it kept him awake night after night. The Promised Messiah [as] had instructed his teachers to let him study on his own volition without any compulsion because his fragile health would not tolerate the burden. The Promised Messiah [as] kept reminding him to study the translation of the Holy Qur’an along with Bukhari from Hadhrat Maulvi Nooruddin sahib [ra]. He also advised him to study some medicine, as this was the family pursuit. Master Fakir Ullah sahib was his mathematics teacher. He used the blackboard to write and explain the sums to the children. Hadhrat Sahibzada Sahib thought it was useless to sit in this class, as he was unable to see the board and his sight tired quickly from staring. He attended the class as and when he felt like it. Once Master Fakir Ullah sahib complained to the Promised Messiah [as] about his poor attendance. Hadhrat Sahibzada Sahib hid in fright but the Promised Messiah’s [as] reaction was very calm. He thanked the teacher for showing such deep concern for his son. He was very pleased to hear that Mian sahib managed to attend school sometimes because in his mind, he was completely unfit for study. Then the Promised Messiah [as] remarked with a laugh, that he did not expect him to run a grocery store for which he would need arithmetic. It did not matter whether he could or could not do mathematics. What mathematics did the Holy Prophet Muhammad [saw] or his companions learn? It was good if he went to school but he was not to be forced. Hadhrat Musleh Mau’ood [ra] states that upon hearing this he took full advan- tage of the situation and almost stopped attending school; he was only seen in class once or twice a month. Hence, this was how he received his education. However, there