First Grain of Sand — Page 144
128 FIRST GRAIN OF SAND In short, seeing the excellent meals they provided during the journey, the comfortable transport, and their kind treatment, I gave thanks to God Almighty and reflected on my previous condi- tion and how Great was God's favour upon me that even in prison He extended so many favours on a lowly person like myself and granted me endless compassion. I always remained focused on God Almighty, as the Promised Messiahas expressed in his poem: وہ زباں لاؤں کہاں سے جس سے ہو یہ کاروبار کس طرح تیرا کروں اے ذوالمنن شکر و سپاس How should I—O Beneficent Lord!—express my gratitude to You? From where might I acquire the tongue through which this [monumental] feat be accomplished? During this long journey from Tashkent to Moscow, I spent my time remaining occupied in the remembrance of God Almighty. At each station, I observed some shops where milk was sold in bottles, and people stood in orderly lines, one behind the other, to buy the milk. Similarly, I also noticed other items being sold. When the train arrived in Moscow, the two officers took me inside a room at the station, where I was required to remain for quite some time. They ordered a car, which the three of us then used to be transferred from the station to the Moscow prison—I sat in the middle, with one guard sitting to each side. On the way, I was able to see the streets of Moscow, including some very beau- tiful parks. Occasionally, I saw on both sides of the road many high rise buildings. The roads were incredibly clean and so open that one part was reserved for cars, another part for a tram, a third part for horse carriages, and a fourth part for pedestrians to walk.