Perseverance — Page 43
Part II – My Life as a Muslim 43 From this I learned the importance of continuously meeting people to convey the message of Ahmadiyyat. The Second Khal ī fah ra had an indescribable magnetic impact on people. I can only explain it as a divinely descended light that radiated from him. In the Jalsa Sal ā na, or Annual Gathering, the Second Khal ī fah ra could speak for hours while audience members would hold still, fearing they could miss some of the pearls of wisdom that flowed forth from his soul to theirs. His intellect was unusually keen and observant. At times of praise, his words gave life, but in times of anger, his words would hit someone as if they were being flogged. I repeatedly witnessed both circumstances. I was placed in a routine where I was to be educated to carry out missionary activities upon my return to the United States. On a daily basis I attended Arabic and religious training courses. MARRIAGE One of my teachers, Master Muhammad Ibrah i m Khal i l, offered me his youngest daughter in marriage, Sara Qudsia, who was 18 years old at the time. Muhammad Khal i l was departing to Sierra Leone for missionary work and wished to see all of his three daughters married before he left. When I informed the Second Khal ī fah ra that I planned on marrying this young woman, he questioned me how I could know her character when the observance of pardah [Urdu: veil ] was so strong in Rabwah. The Second Khal ī fah ra then arranged for his wife to look into the marriage proposal, and they were satisfied with Sara’s background. In my new spiritually charged environment, I was accustomed to routinely getting dreams that I had never had before. I had one