The Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) of Qadian, articulated in his writings a deep sense of anguish, resolute conviction, and firm reliance upon Divine support. In addressing the scholars and notables of the Muslim ummah at the time, he issued earnest warnings couched in powerful and moving language. He (AS) repeatedly warned the Muslim ulema about the danger of resisting the Divine will, stressing that opposing a messenger of God is, in reality, opposing God Himself. He made it clear that no prayers or supplications, no matter how many or how intense, could ever harm one who is truly sent and supported by the Almighty.

The full warning and fiery challenge of Ahmad (AS) to the Ulema is listed below with references:

“The world does not know me, but He knows me Who has sent me. Those who wish my destruction are mistaken and extremely unfortunate. I am the tree which has been planted by the Lord God with His own hands…..

O People! You must understand this for sure that I am accompanied by that Hand which shall remain faithful to me till the end of time. If your men and your women, and your young and your old, and your insignificant ones and your notables: all committed themselves to praying for my destruction—so much so that your noses get withered and wasted away due to your endless prostrations, and your hands become numb, even then God will most certainly not accept your prayers, and He will not relent until His will is done. Even if I do not have a single human being with me, the angels of God will be on my side. And if you withhold your testimony, the stone will well nigh testify for me. Therefore, do not wrong your souls. God leaves nothing unresolved. I consider as accursed a life which is tainted with falsehood and lies, and which, out of the fear of the creatures of God, evades to comply with Divine imperatives. It is certainly impossible for me to show any slackness—even if the Sun moved from one side and the Earth from the other to crush me between them—in carrying out the duty which God Almighty has at the moment entrusted to me, and for which Alone He has sent me. What is man? A mere worm and nothing more than a clot! How then can I, for the sake of this lowly creature, fail to abide by what the Self-Subsistent Being has commanded. Just as God decided between His prophets and those who rejected them, so shall He decide now. There is a time for the prophets to come and a time to depart: do mark it for sure, that I have neither made a seasonless appearance, nor shall my exit be unseasonable. Don’t fight God. It is not for you to destroy me!“

_{[Mahzarnama (The Memorandum), 1974 National Assembly of Pakistan, p. 193-194] [Tohfa Golarviyyah, Ruhani Khizain Vol.17, pp.49-50]}

_{This challenge is also recorded in similar wording in the following reference: [Ruhani Khazain, vol. 17, pg. 400]}

• Hear Maulana Dost Muhammad Shahid (RH) read this challenge passionately in this powerful audio clip: [YouTube | An Excerpt From The Book Tohfa-e-Golraviya (Urdu)]

“In the sheer name of God, I remind my opposing divines and their ilk that abuse and invective is not the way of gentlemen. If in your warped thinking, you insist on this misdemeanour, so be it. If you must take me as an impostor, you have also the option to assemble in your mosques and pray against me individually or in congregation. Were I an impostor, those prayers will certainly be answered. For the matter of that you always pray against me.

But do remember! Even if the profusion of your prayers were to lacerate your tongues, if you rub out your noses in prostration and your eyelids rot on account of tears, your eyelashes fall, your eyesight gets impaired because of excessive crying, and your mind becomes blank to end up in melancholy—even then those prayers shall not be heard, because I am from God…. No one can die on this earth unless his death is ordained in the heaven. My soul is blessed with the same truth which was bestowed on Hadhrat Ibrahim, on whom be peace. I have an Ibrahim-like affinity with God. No one knows my secret but my God. My opponents are fortuitously engaged in self-destruction: I am not the plant which can be uprooted by their hands…. O, God! Do Thou have mercy on this ummah. Amen!“

_{[Mahzarnama (The Memorandum), 1974 National Assembly of Pakistan, p. 193-194] [Arba’een, Ruhani Khizain Vol.17, p.471-472]}

1974: A Nation’s Rejection

Despite the earnest warning of Hazrat Ahmad (as), the leaders of the Muslim ummah chose hostility over reflection. On September 7^th 1974, the National Assembly of Pakistan declared Ahmadis as apostates (Murtad) and outside the fold of Islam. For 50+ years since that day, they have been officially considered Non-Muslims – not by God’s scripture or Hadith, but by a constitutional amendment. This decision shows that it was driven by political motives and pressure from the ulema, who have historically opposed the truthful one and sought to challenge God. Some of the news headlines from that time are listed below:

Path Against God’s Messenger ﷺ and Its Consequences

Excommunicating an entire community that identified as Muslims demonstrated the very arrogance and opposition against which Hazrat Ahmad (as) had warned. In fact, this act directly contradicted the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), who stated that there would be one true heavenly jama‘ah on one side in the latter days, and 72 hell-bound sects on the other (click here to see the Hadith).

Instead of seeking God’s verdict through humble prayer and sincere inquiry, Pakistan’s National Assembly issued a man-made judgment – effectively trying to uproot the tree God Himself had planted. From that day onward, Pakistan has fuelled hatred, discrimination, and brutalities against Ahmadis, thereby inviting the wrath of God by opposing His Messenger – as the country regresses every single day politically, socially, and economically. In opposing the tree planted by the Almighty, they have placed themselves on a path where lasting success and the status of true Muslims remain beyond reach.

May Allah the Almighty guide the Muslim Ummah, especially the Muslims of Pakistan, to recognize and accept the Imam of the Age. Amin.

Begum Shafi Ahmad: Ahmadi Muslim woman who helped create Pakistan

Member of the Muslim League

Appointed as in charge of the local women’s department in 1938

Appointed to Working Committee by Muhammad Ali Jinnah – Worked as a journalist after Pakistan’s creation

More details

Begum Shafi Ahmad was born in 1898 in Meerut. Her grandfather, Khan Bahadur Ghulam Nabi was the Raees-e-Azam (Chief) of Meerut who served as the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister of the State of Bahawalpur. Begum Shafi’s father was Sajjad Nabi Qureshi. 

At the age of 16, she married Hazrat Syed Shafi Ahmad (ra) of Delhi, who had accepted Ahmadiyyat in 1903. He belonged to the family of Hazrat Khawaja Mir Dard (rh), and was the son of a cousin of Hazrat Syeda Nusrat Jehan Begum (ra), wife of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as).

Begum Shafi came to know that her husband was an Ahmadi after her marriage, but she was very much impressed by her husband’s regularity in prayers, recitation of the Holy Quran and high morals. When this came to the notice of her family, they made it clear that the nikah had been abrogated. But after much difficulty, she returned to her husband and said that they would follow their respective beliefs. 

Hazrat Syed Shafi Ahmad (ra) was writing the first Ahmadiyya pocketbook ‘Muhaqqaq’ in those days. He wisely said to his wife, ‘You do recitation [of the Holy Quran], please help me to write the book, and during the recitation, write down the verses about the fate of those who believe in the prophets and those who disbelieve.’ Thus, Begum Shafi’s heart opened and she accepted Ahmadiyyat in 1920. 

When there was a fundraising movement for the Fazl Mosque in London, Begum Shafi Ahmad presented her necklace. 

On 18 April 1927, when Lajna Imaillah was established in Delhi, through Hazrat Syeda Nawab Mubaraka Begum (ra), Begum Shafi Ahmad was appointed as the first Secretary Finance. 

She was a very good speaker as well and had the opportunity to deliver a speech at Women’s Jalsa Salana in 1934. 
Her husband passed away on 31 October 1941, and one day she saw her husband in a dream who was telling her to re-launch the newspaper called Dastkari, which was published from 1913 till the death of her husband. After this dream, in 1943, Begum Shafi Ahmad also entered the field of journalism and launched the weekly Dastkari. 

Many of her editorials not only brought her to fame but also made her a member of many organizing committees in Delhi.

She was also an ardent member of the Muslim League. In 1938, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah appointed her as the in-charge of the local women’s department and later nominated her as a member of the Working Committee. She used to attend press conferences and meetings with full care of her purdah, along with her son. 

On one occasion, Mrs Sarojini Naido hugged her and openly admitted that the burqa (veil) did not really hinder her progress. Begum Shafi Ahmad also attended the Shimla Conference and the inauguration of the Interim Government in 1946 as a correspondent. 

After the partition of the Indian subcontinent, she also played a significant role in the protection of Muslims and Qadian Dar-ul-Aman.

Source: https://www.ahmadipedia.org/content/personality/235/begum-shafi-ahmad

Met Nehru

An Ahmadi lady journalist, Begum Shafi Ahmad, Editor of Dastkari weekly was fully involved in a political movement that emerged into the creation of two states – India and Pakistan. She had equal access to Indian Prime Minister Mr. Nehru and the founder of Pakistan M. A. Jinnah. At a news conference in Delhi called by Quaid e Azam to meet Muslim Journalists, she had the rare honor of sharing the sofa with Quaid e Azam.

During the height of civil disturbances in India in September 1947, she rushed to the residence of Mr. Nehru in New Delhi to convey the message of the Hadhrat Mirza Bashir ud Din Mahmud Ahmad that Qadian was in midst of turmoil. Clad in a green Burqa, she was stopped by the security at Nehru’s residence, who luckily passed through saw her and was immediately allowed. Begum Shafi Ahmad conveyed the message of her master. Whereupon Mr. Nehru said that he was taking every step and assured there was peace in Qadian, when this information was conveyed to Hadhrat Sahib retorted, “If Mr. Nehru calls this as peace, let there be such peace in Delhi”.

The next day Delhi saw one of the worst violence and thousands of Muslims lost their lives.

Begum Shafi left for Pakistan on October 17, 1947, when she found she can no longer operate in Delhi. She came back to Delhi as a member of the Pakistan Journalists delegation sent to India as a part of the Goodwill Mission in 1951.

Indian website describes her

Begum Shafi Ahmad was born in 1898 in Meerut. She was born in an elite family as her grandfather, Khan Bahadur Ghulam Nabi was the Raees-e-Azam (Chief) of Meerut who served as the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister of the State of Bahawalpur. She was 16 when she was married to Hazrat Syed Shafi Ahmed of Delhi. This started her journey as a women leader in various social and national movements in Delhi. Begum was married in a family which was actively involved in journalism. She along with her family was actively involved in the Civil disobedience movement. Her husband was suspected to be a propagandist by the British. He assisted the Delhi administration in Civil Disobedience and was sent to 6 months of rigorous jail. This was also an inspiration for Begum to mark her presence in journalism as she was associated with newspaper ‘Dastkari’. On 18 April 1927, when Lajna Imaillah was established in Delhi, through Hazrat Syeda Nawab Mubaraka Begum (ra), Begum Shafi Ahmad was appointed as the first Secretary Finance. She was a very good speaker as well and had the opportunity to deliver a speech at Women’s Jalsa Salana in 1934. After the death of her husband on 31 October 1941, re-launched the newspaper called Dastkari, which was published from 1913 till the death of her husband. Many of her editorials not only brought her to fame but also made her a member of many organising committees in Delhi. She was also a member of the Muslim League. In 1938, Muhammad Ali Jinnah appointed her as the in-charge of the local women’s department and later nominated her as a member of the Working Committee. On one occasion, Sarojini Naidu hugged her and openly admitted that the burqa (veil) did not really hinder her progress. Begum Shafi Ahmad also attended the Shimla Conference and the inauguration of the Interim Government in 1946 as a correspondent. After the partition of the Indian subcontinent, she also played a significant role in the protection of Muslims.

https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/unsung-heroes-detail.htm?9749

Book on her life

Name

اماں كى عظمتوں كو سلام سوانح بگيم شفيح

Amma ki azmaton ko Salam – Sawaneh Begum Shafi Ahmad

Download here: https://archive.org/details/sawaneh-begum-shafi