Why Islam is my choice — Page 140
140 nice West Pakistani individual by the name of Lt. Commander Marghoob ‘ Ā lam, who held a dual rank of Assistant Harbor Master and Port pilot of Chittagong. A good friendship developed between us. His piousness, demeanor, attitude, honesty, knowledge about religions and straight forwardness impressed me. From time to time we discussed spiritual matters. He was affiliated with Lahore section of A ḥ madiyyah Jam ā ‘at. One day during a family tea party at his residence, he introduced me to an A ḥ madiyyah Jam ā ‘at Missionary, Maulav ī Mu ḥ ammad Ya ḥ y ā from Germany. During the discussions, he explained that there was in fact no difference in the beliefs of A ḥ mad ī s and non-A ḥ mad ī s except that A ḥ mad ī s believe that Im ā m Mahd ī and Messiah has come in the person of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) of Qadian to rejuvenate Isl ā m to its previous glory. The Muslims and people of all other religions and faiths have been waiting of a Messiah as mentioned in the Holy Bible, the Holy Qur’ ā n and all other revealed scriptures. He also said that A ḥ mad ī s under the teachings and leadership of their Im ā m lived in well knit society founded by him, known as the A ḥ madiyya Muslim Jam ā ‘at, which have preachers and missionaries spread over almost all the countries of the world. I had now started attending Friday (Jum‘ah) prayers with Marghoob ‘ Ā lam at his house where he was delivering Khutbahs either in English or in Urd ū , unlike the Maulav ī s reciting the same Arabic text from some hundred years old writings like talking parrots. By now we had become good family friends as neighbors living in the same colony. I started taking my wife and children as well for the Jum‘ah prayers, for the first time in life. During a friendly visit to his house, Mr. Marghoob ‘ Ā lam presented me a copy of Holy Qur’ ā n translated by Maulav ī Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī of Lahore and