Why Islam is my choice — Page 49
49 return, I would start a modest business of my own, and despite an offer of a commission in the anny, I preferred to do what I thought I could do best. I moved to Quetta where I had known a lot of friends. I started a small business with the help of some A ḥ mad ī friends. My wife and son of a few months also had moved to Quetta. The business had started to pick up and I was pleased with my life. A year or so later, in August of 1947, the partition of India took place, creating Pakistan as an independent country. Two provinces, namely, Punjab and Bengal were literally divided in half. Qadian became part of the East Punjab in India. The partition, unfortunately resulted in the Hindu-Muslim sectarian clashes. A large number of people were killed. Despite efforts to control the massacre, there seemed no end in sight. Muslims thus started migrating to Pakistan and the Hindus to India. Many people were killed while traveling to the borders. Sensing the danger, Ḥ a ḍ rat Mirz ā Bash ī r-ud-D ī n Ma ḥ m ū d A ḥ mad, Second Successor to the Promised Messiah made an appeal for A ḥ mad ī volunteers to be sent to Qadian for the protection of sacred places and innocent civilians and other Muslims who had gathered in Qadian. As soon as his call reached me, I decided to close my business, leave my family in the hands of All ā h and proceed to Qadian. A detailed account of this whole episode has been published in Al-Furq ā n, Rabwah, and the Tar ī kh-i-A ḥ madiyyat (The History of A ḥ madiyyat by Maul ā n ā Dost Mu ḥ ammad Sh ā hid Ṣāḥ ib. ) During this expedition, my left leg was severely wounded by two machine gun bullets. All preparations for the amputation of my leg had been made in the military hospital. At this time, my master, Ḥ a ḍ rat Mirz ā Bash ī r-ud- D ī n Ma ḥ m ū d A ḥ mad, Second Successor to the Promised Messiah, may All ā h be pleased with him, showed very special concern for me. His prayers and personal attention kept the surgeon from amputating my leg. The doctor later on told me that it was only a miracle that I was even alive, as, he said, I