Anecdotes from Ghulam-Ahmad's life

Misappropriating his father's pension

View Urdu Transliteration

"Bayan kiya mujh se hazrat walida sahiba ne ke ek dafa apni jawani ke zamana mein hazrat Masih Maud alaihis-salam tumharay dada ki pension wasool karne gaye to peechay peechay Mirza Imam-ud-Din bhi chala gaya. Jab aap ne pension wasool kar li to woh aap ko phusla kar aur dhoka de kar bajaye Qadian lanay ke bahar le gaya. Aur idhar udhar phirata raha. Phir jab us ne sara rupiya ura kar khatam kar diya to aap ko chhor kar kahin aur chala gaya. Hazrat Masih Maud is sharam se wapas ghar nahi aye aur chunke tumharay dada ka mansha rehta tha ke aap kahin mulazim ho jayain is liye aap Sialkot shehar mein deputy commissioner ki kacheri mein qaleel tankhwah par mulazim ho gaye aur kuch arsa tak wahan mulazmat par rahay. Phir jab tumhari dadi beemar huin to tumharay dada ne aadmi bheja ke mulazmat chhor kar aa jao, jis par Hazrat sahib fauran rawana ho gaye. Amritsar pohanch kar Qadian aanay ke wastay yakka kiraya par liya. Is mauqa par Qadian se ek aur aadmi bhi aap ke lenay ke liye Amritsar pohanch gaya. Us aadmi ne kaha yakka jaldi chalao kyunke un ki halat bohat nazuk thi. Phir thori dair ke baad kehnay laga bohat hi nazuk halat thi jaldi karo kahin faut na ho gayi hon. Walida sahiba bayan karti theen ke Hazrat sahib farmatay thay ke main usi waqt samajh gaya ke darasal walida faut ho chuki hain kyunke agar woh zinda hotain to woh shakhs aisay alfaz na bolta. Chunanche Qadian pohanchay to pata laga ke waqai woh faut ho chuki theen. Walida sahiba bayan karti hain ke Hazrat sahib farmatay thay ke hamein chhor kar phir Mirza Imam-ud-Din idhar udhar phirta raha. Aakhir is ne chaye ke ek qafila par daka mara aur pakra gaya magar muqaddama mein riha ho gaya. Hazrat sahib farmatay thay ke maloom hota hai Allah Ta'ala ne hamari waja se hi isay qaid se bacha liya warna khwah woh khud kaisa hi aadmi tha hamaray mukhalif yahi kehtay ke un ka ek chacha zad bhai jail khana mein reh chuka hai. Khaksar arz karta hai ke Hazrat Masih Maud alaihis-salam ki Sialkot ki mulazmat 1864 ta 1868 iswi ka waqia hai."

Translation:
"The respected mother related to me that once, during his youth, when the Promised Messiah went to collect your grandfather's pension, Mirza Imam-ud-Din also followed behind him. When he had collected the pension, he (Imam-ud-Din) coaxed and deceived him, and instead of bringing him to Qadian, took him elsewhere. And he kept making him wander here and there. Then, when he had squandered and exhausted all the money, he left him and went somewhere else. The Promised Messiah did not return home out of this shame, and since it was your grandfather's desire that he should be employed somewhere, he took up employment in the Deputy Commissioner's court in Sialkot city at a meager salary and remained employed there for some time. Then, when your grandmother fell ill, your grandfather sent a man [with a message] to leave the employment and come back, upon which Hazrat Sahib departed immediately. Upon reaching Amritsar, he hired a yakka (horse carriage) to come to Qadian. At this juncture, another man from Qadian had also reached Amritsar to fetch him. That man said, 'Drive the carriage fast, because her condition was very critical.' Then, after a short while, he started saying, 'Her condition was extremely critical, hurry up, lest she has passed away.' The respected mother used to relate that Hazrat Sahib used to say, 'I understood right at that moment that in reality, my mother had already passed away, because if she were alive, that person would not have uttered such words.' Consequently, when he reached Qadian, he found out that she had indeed passed away. The respected mother relates that Hazrat Sahib used to say that after leaving us, Mirza Imam-ud-Din kept wandering hither and thither. Ultimately, he committed a robbery on a caravan of tea and was caught, but he was acquitted in the case. Hazrat Sahib used to say, 'It seems Allah the Almighty saved him from imprisonment because of us; otherwise, no matter what kind of man he was himself, our opponents would say that a paternal cousin of theirs has been in jail.' This humble one submits that the employment of the Promised Messiah in Sialkot is an event from 1864 to 1868 AD."

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 1, pp. 38-39, Narration 49)

He was born in 1839. This pension event took place when he was around 25 years old, married, and also a father himself.

Ghulam Ahmad and clothing

Changing clothes once a week:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Tabdeel-e-Libas...Aik dafa Sheikh Rahmatullah sahib ne kisi ke akhrajat ka zikr kartay huay Hazrat Masih Maud alaihis-salato was-salam ki khidmat mein arz kiya ke unhain chahiye rozana aik dhoya hua kurta pyjama badal liya karain. Is se zyada apnay akhrajat ko na barhayain. Hazrat sahib ne is par farmaya ke hum to hafta mein aik baar kapray badaltay hain."

Translation:
"Changing Clothes...Once while discussing someone's expenses, Sheikh Rahmatullah Sahib submitted before the Promised Messiah that the person should change into a freshly washed kurta and pyjama daily, and should not increase his expenses beyond this. Upon this, Hazrat Sahib remarked, 'We change our clothes once a week.'"

— (Zikr-e-Habib, p. 25)

Wearing a gharara:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Aakhri ayaam mein Huzoor hamesha aisay pyjamay pehna kartay thay jo neechay se tang oopar se khulay gaao dum tarz ke aur sharai kehlatay hain. Lekin shuru mein 1890-95 iswi mein main ne Huzoor ko baaz dafa ghararah pehnay huay bhi dekha hai."

Translation:
"In his later days, Huzoor always used to wear such pyjamas that were tight from the bottom and loose from the top, in a cow-tail style, which are referred to as sharai. However, in the beginning, around the years 1890-95, I have also sometimes seen Huzoor wearing a gharara."

— (Zikr-e-Habib, p. 31)

Ghulam Ahmad and footwear

Wearing footwear on the wrong foot:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Aik dafa koi shakhs aap ke liye gurgabi lay aaya. Aap ne pehan li magar us ke ultay seedhay paon ka aap ko pata nahi lagta tha. Kai dafa ulti pehan letay thay aur phir takleef hoti thi. Baaz dafa aap ka ulta paon par jata to tang ho kar farmatay in ki koi cheez bhi achi nahi hai. Valda sahiba ne farmaya ke main ne aap ki sahoolat ke waastay ultay seedhay paon ki shanakht ke liye nishaan laga diye thay magar bawajood is ke aap ulta seedha pehan letay thay is liye aap ne isay utar diya."

Translation:
"Once, someone brought a gurgabi (a type of slip-on shoe) for him. He wore them, but he could not distinguish between the left and right shoe. Many times he would put them on the wrong feet and experience discomfort. Sometimes, when his foot went into the wrong shoe, he would get irritated and say, 'None of their things are good.' The respected mother stated, 'For his convenience, I had placed marks to identify the left and right shoes, but despite this, he would still wear them incorrectly', which is why he took them off [stopped wearing them]."

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 1, p. 60, Narration 83)

Walking a mile without a shoe:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Aaj se sath saal peshtar aam taur par shurafa ke larkay baaz bari bari riyasaton mein apnay thaath ke sath chalay jatay aur wahan baray baray uhday hasil kar letay. Janab Mirza Ghulam Murtaza sahib marhoom riyasat Kashmir mein ek muazzaz uhda par reh chukay thay is liye un ke ek bradar zada ki tehreek par Mirza sahib aur Syed Muhammad Ali Shah sahib talash-e-rozgar ke khayal se Qadian se chalay gaye. Kalanaur ke qareeb ek nalay se guzartay huay Mirza sahib ki jooti ka ek paon nikal gaya. Magar woh apnay rang mein aisay mustaghraq aur maho thay ke unhain maloom bhi nahi hua. Jab tak wahan se bohat door ja kar yaad nahi karaya gaya. Aakhir Jammu pohanchay wahan aap ka kaam bajuz Quran shareef ki tilawat aur namaz ki pabandi ke aur kuch na tha wahan in umoor mein munhamik rehtay. Chand roz ke baad ek rishta daar wahan pohancha aur sab ko wapas lay aaya."

Translation:
"Sixty years prior to today, the sons of nobility would generally travel to certain large princely states in grand style and secure high-ranking positions there. Since the late respected Mirza Ghulam Murtaza Sahib had held an honourable post in the state of Kashmir, upon the urging of one of his nephews, Mirza Sahib and Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Sahib departed from Qadian with the intention of seeking employment. While crossing a stream near Kalanaur, one of Mirza Sahib's shoes slipped off. However, he was so deeply absorbed and engrossed in his own state that he did not even realise it. It was not until he had gone quite far from there that he was reminded of it. Ultimately, they arrived in Jammu; there, his routine consisted of nothing besides the recitation of the Holy Quran and the observance of prayers, and he remained entirely occupied in these pursuits. A few days later, a relative arrived there and brought everyone back."

— (Hayat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 1, p. 89)

More shoe troubles:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Jin dinon aap baaz doosray ashkhaas ki tehreek par Jammu ki taraf tashreef le gaye hain, rastay mein jootay ke gum honay ka waqia to pehlay bayan ho chuka hai. In dinon ek martaba aap ka joota ajeeb tarz se gum hua jo ek lateefa se kam nahi. Aur darasal aap ke istighraq ilallah ki ek misaal hai. Sardi ka mausam tha aap ne chamray ke mozay pehnay huay thay jin ko is mulk mein magrail ki jarabein kehtay hain. Woh bajaye khud jooti hi ki tarah goya hoti hain. Raat ko sonay lagay to paon se joota nikala. Ek joota to nikal gaya aur doosra paon hi mein raha. Aur is jootay samait hi thora bohat hissa raat ka jo sotay thay soye rahay. Uthay to jootay ki talash hui. Idhar udhar dekha pata nahi chalta. Ek paas maujood hai. Aur yeh khayal hi nahi aata ke paon mein reh gaya hoga. Khadim ne kaha ke shayad kutta le gaya hoga. Aur is khayal par woh idhar udhar dekhnay bhaalnay laga. Thori dair ke baad ittifaqan jo paon par hath laga to maloom hua ke oho! woh to paon hi mein phansa hua hai aur hum khayal kartay rahay ke sirf jarab hi hai. Khair khadim ko aawaz di. Joota mil gaya. Paon hi mein reh gaya tha."

Translation:
"During the days when you traveled towards Jammu at the urging of some other individuals, the incident of the shoe getting lost on the way has already been narrated. During those days, once your shoe got lost in a strange manner, which is no less than an amusing anecdote. And in reality, it is an example of your deep absorption in Allah. It was the winter season; he was wearing leather socks, which in this country are called magrail socks. They are, in themselves, almost like shoes. When he went to sleep at night, he took the shoe off his foot. One shoe came off, but the other remained on the foot. And he slept for the small portion of the night that he usually slept, with that shoe still on. When he woke up, a search for the shoe began. He looked here and there, but no clue could be found. One is present nearby. And the thought did not even occur that it might have remained on the foot. The servant said that perhaps a dog might have taken it away. And upon this thought, he began to search and look around. After a short while, when the hand accidentally touched the foot, it was discovered that, oh! it is stuck right on the foot, and he kept thinking it was only the sock. Anyway, he called out to the servant. The shoe was found. It had remained on the foot."

— (Hayat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 2, p. 304)

Treatment of others

Pouring hot water on maid's hands:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Meray ghar se yani walida aziz Muzaffar Ahmad ne mujh se bayan kiya ke Hazrat Masih Maud alaihis-salam umooman garam pani se taharat farmaya kartay thay aur thanday pani ko istemal na kartay thay. Ek din aap ne kisi khadima se farmaya ke aap ke liye pakhana mein lota rakh de. Us ne ghalti se taiz garam pani ka lota rakh diya. Jab Hazrat Masih Maud alaihis-salam farigh ho kar bahar tashreef laye to daryaft farmaya ke lota kis ne rakha tha. Jab bataya gaya ke falan khadima ne rakha tha to aap ne usay bulwaya aur usay apna hath aagay karne ko kaha. Aur phir us ke hath par aap ne is lotay ka bacha hua pani baha diya ta ke usay ehsas ho ke yeh pani itna garam hai ke taharat mein istemal nahi ho sakta. Is ke siwa aap ne usay kuch nahi kaha."

Translation:
"My household, meaning the mother of dear Muzaffar Ahmad, related to me that the Promised Messiah generally used warm water for taharat (cleansing) and did not use cold water. One day, he told a maidservant to place a lota (water vessel) in the washroom for him. By mistake, she placed a lota of very hot water. When the Promised Messiah finished and came out, he inquired who had placed the lota. When he was told that a certain maidservant had placed it, he called her and asked her to hold out her hand. He then poured the remaining water from that lota onto her hand so she would realize that the water was too hot to be used for taharat. He did not say anything else to her besides this."

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 3, p. 758, Narration 847)

Ghulam Ahmad and chickens

A treatment for fever:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Hazrat valda sahiba yani Umm-ul-Momineen ataalallahu baqa'aha ne mujh se bayan kiya ke ek dafa Mirza Nizam-ud-Din sahib ko sakht bukhar hua jis ka dimagh par bhi asar tha. Us waqt koi aur tabeeb yahan nahi tha. Mirza Nizam-ud-Din sahib ke azeezon ne Hazrat sahib ko ittila di aap fauran wahan tashreef le gaye aur munasib ilaaj kiya. Ilaaj yeh tha ke aap ne murgha zibah kara ke sar par bandha. Jis se faida ho gaya. Us waqt bahami sakht mukhalifat thi."

Translation:
"The respected mother, meaning the Mother of the Believers (may Allah prolong her life), related to me that once Mirza Nizam-ud-Din Sahib contracted a severe fever which also affected his brain. At that time, there was no other physician present. Mirza Nizam-ud-Din Sahib's relatives informed Hazrat Sahib, and he immediately went there and administered appropriate treatment. The treatment was that he had a rooster slaughtered and tied it to his head. This proved beneficial. At that time, there was severe mutual opposition [between them]."

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 3, p. 522, Narration 511)

Injury whilst trying to slaughter a chicken:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Dr. Mir Muhammad Ismail sahib ne mujh se bayan kiya ke ek dafa ghar mein ek murghi ke choozay ke zibah karne ki zaroorat paish aayi. Aur is waqt ghar mein koi aur is kaam ko karne wala na tha is liye Hazrat sahib is choozay ko hath mein le kar khud zibah karne lagay magar bajaye choozay ki gardan par chhuri phernay ke ghalti se apni ungli kaat daali. Jis se bohat khoon beh gaya. Aur aap tauba tauba kartay huay choozay ko chhor kar uth kharay huay. Phir woh chooza kisi aur ne zibah kiya. Khaksar arz karta hai ke Hazrat sahib ki aadat thi ke jab koi chot waghaira achanak lagti thi to jaldi jaldi tauba tauba ke alfaz munh se farmanay lag jatay thay. Darasal jab insan ko koi takleef pohanchti hai to woh umooman kisi qanoon shikni ka nateeja hoti hai. Khwah woh qanoon shariat ho ya qanoon nature yani qanoon qaza o qadr ya koi aur qanoon, pas ek saheeh ul fitrat aadmi ka yahi kaam hona chahiye ke woh har qisam ki takleef ke waqt tauba ki taraf rujoo karay. Aur yahi mafhoom inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon kehnay ka hai jis ki Quran shareef taleem deta hai. Hazrat Masih Maud alaihis-salam ne chunkay kabhi janwar waghaira zibah na kiye thay. Is liye bajaye choozay ki gardan ke apni ungli par chhuri pher li. Aur yeh nateeja tha is baat ka ke aap qanoon-e-zibah ke amli pehloo se waqif na thay. Wallahu A'lam. Peer Siraj-ul-Haq sahib Numani ne bazariya tehreer khaksar se bayan kiya. Ke:- Hazrat Aqdas Masih Maud alaihis-salam Asar ki namaz ke waqt Masjid Mubarak mein tashreef laye. Baen hath ki ungli par patti pani mein bheegi hui bandhi hui thi. Us waqt Maulvi Abdul Kareem sahib Sialkoti ne Hazrat Aqdas se poocha. Ke Huzoor ne yeh patti kaisay bandhi hai? Tab Hazrat Aqdas alaihis-salam ne hans kar farmaya ke ek chooza zibah karna tha. Hamari ungli par chhuri phir gayi. Maulvi sahib marhoom bhi hansay aur arz kiya ke aap ne aisa kaam kyun kiya. Hazrat ne farmaya. Ke is waqt aur koi na tha."

Translation:
"Dr. Mir Muhammad Ismail Sahib, related to me that once there was a need to slaughter a chick in the house. At that time, there was no one else in the house to do this task, so Hazrat Sahib took the chick in his hand and began to slaughter it himself. However, instead of running the knife across the chick's neck, he mistakenly cut his own finger, causing a lot of blood to flow. Repeating 'Tauba, Tauba' (seeking forgiveness), he left the chick and stood up. Later, someone else slaughtered that chick. This humble one submits that it was Hazrat Sahib's habit that whenever he suddenly received an injury or the like, he would quickly start uttering the words 'Tauba, Tauba'. In reality, when a person experiences any pain, it is generally the result of breaking a law, whether that law is of Shariah or the law of nature, meaning the law of divine decree or any other law; therefore, the proper action of a person with a sound nature should be to turn towards repentance at the time of any kind of pain. And this is also the meaning of saying 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon' (Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return), which the Holy Quran teaches. Since the Promised Messiah had never slaughtered animals etc., instead of the chick's neck, he ran the knife over his own finger. And this was the result of the fact that he was not familiar with the practical aspects of the law of slaughtering. And Allah knows best. Peer Sirajul Haq Sahib Numani related to this humble one in writing that: His Holiness, the Promised Messiah came to Masjid Mubarak at the time of Asr prayer. A bandage soaked in water was tied around a finger of his left hand. At that time, Maulvi Abdul Kareem Sahib Sialkoti asked His Holiness, 'Huzoor, how did you get this bandage tied?' Then His Holiness laughed and said that a chick had to be slaughtered, and the knife ran across my finger. The late Maulvi Sahib also laughed and submitted, 'Why did you do such a task?' Hazrat replied, 'Because there was no one else present at the time.'"

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 2, pp. 285-286, Narration 307)

Ghulam Ahmad and food

Choking on salt:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Bayan kiya mujh se walida sahiba ne ke ek dafa Hazrat sahib sunatay thay ke jab main bacha hota tha to ek dafa baaz bachon ne mujhe kaha ke jao ghar se meetha lao, main ghar mein aya aur baghair kisi se poochay ke ek bartan mein se safaid boora apni jaibon mein bhar kar bahar le gaya aur raastay mein ek muthi bhar kar munh mein daal li. Bas phir kya tha mera dum rukh gaya aur bari takleef hui kyunke maloom hua ke jisay main ne safaid boora samajh kar jaibon mein bhara tha woh boora na tha balke pisa hua namak tha."

Translation:
"The respected mother related to me that Hazrat Sahib once recounted that when he was a child, some children once told him, 'Go and bring something sweet from the house.' He came into the house and, without asking anyone, filled his pockets with white powdered sugar (boora) from a vessel and took it outside. On the way, he took a handful and put it in his mouth. Then what happened was that his breath stopped, and he experienced great discomfort, because it turned out that what he had thought was white sugar and filled his pockets with was not sugar, but finely ground salt."

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 1, p. 225, Narration 244)

Eating ashes:

View Urdu Transliteration

"Bayan kiya mujh se walida sahiba ne ke baaz burhi auraton ne mujh se bayan kiya ke ek dafa bachpan mein Hazrat Sahib ne apni walida se roti ke sath kuch khanay ko manga. Unhon ne koi cheez shayad gur bataya ke yeh le lo. Hazrat ne kaha nahi, yeh main nahi leta. Unhon ne koi aur cheez batai. Hazrat Sahib ne is par bhi wohi jawab diya. Woh us waqt kisi baat par chiri hui baithi theen. Sakhti se kehnay lageen ke jao phir raakh se roti kha lo. Hazrat Sahib roti par raakh daal kar baith gaye aur ghar mein ek lateefa ho gaya. Yeh Hazrat Sahib ka bilkul bachpan ka waqia hai. Khaksar arz karta hai ke walida sahiba ne yeh waqia suna kar kaha ke jis waqt is aurat ne mujhe yeh baat sunai thi us waqt Hazrat Sahib bhi paas thay. Magar aap khamosh rahay."

Translation:
"The respected mother related to me that some old women told her that once, during his childhood, Hazrat Sahib asked his mother for something to eat with his bread (roti). She suggested an item, perhaps jaggery (gur), saying, 'Take this.' Hazrat replied, 'No, I will not take this.' She then suggested something else. Hazrat Sahib gave the exact same reply to that as well. At that time, she was sitting there irritated over something. She harshly said, 'Go then, eat the bread with ashes!' Hazrat Sahib put ashes on the bread and sat down, and this became an amusing anecdote in the house. This is an incident from Hazrat Sahib's very early childhood. This humble one submits that after narrating this incident, the respected mother said that when that woman recounted this story to me, Hazrat Sahib was also present nearby, but he remained silent."

— (Seeratul Mahdi, Vol. 1, pp. 225-226, Narration 245)