The Martyr - Hazrat Sahibzada Abdul Latif — Page 7
Part I—Introduction 7 hometown. During this journey, some of his students also accom- panied him. Near the town of Attak, Shahzada Sahib ra conversed with an individual regarding the Promised Messiah as. It appeared that this individual had already accepted the Promised Messiah as because he was glowing with joy. Shahzada Sahib ra gifted him with a horse from his caravan. Upon reaching Lahore, Shahzada Sahib ra learned that because of the spread of the plague and a few other hindrances, it would be difficult to perform the Hajj. Instead of remaining in Lahore, he decided to visit the Promised Messiah as in Qadian. From Lahore, Shahzada Sahib ra went to Batala and from there he completed the rest of the journey by foot to Qadian. He first met with Hazrat Maulana Hafiz Nooruddin Sahib ra (who later became the first Caliph). After Zuhur prayers, he met the Promised Messiah as. Shahzada Sahib ra had already given his bai’at 1 via a letter, but upon seeing the Promised Messiah as he again per- formed bai’at at his hands. The Promised Messiah as describes this first meeting with Shahzada Sahib ra in the following words: By God in whose hands is my life, I found him to be so deeply lost in my obedience and affirmation of my claim that it is impossible for a human being to exceed his devotion. 1. Bai‘at is a means of pledging allegiance to an individual. This is an old tradition in Islam dating back to the Prophet Muhammad sa. See 48:19 of the Quran where bai‘at is discussed. [Publisher]