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A Public Meeting of Friends

At the jubilee celebration, for prayers and gratitude for Her Majesty, the Empress of India, may she live long

I relate with great pleasure that many members of my Community travelled long distances to arrive in Qadian on June 19, 1897 to celebrate the jubilee of Her Majesty, the Empress of India, may she live long, and to express their thankfulness on that occasion. They were 225 in number. The local devotees and followers also joined them swelling the gathering greatly. They all engaged in prayer and gratitude on June 20, 1897. Proceedings were carried out nicely in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the announcement by Khan Sahib Muhammad Hayat Khan CSI, Vice President General Committee of Muslims of India. With the grace of the Almighty, the celebration was conducted accordingly: a telegram was sent from us to the Viceroy Governor General of the Indian Empire on June 20, 1897 in Shimla. Then food was continuously distributed among the less affluent and needy from that day to June 22, 1897. Finally, to express our thankfulness a large feast was arranged on June 21, 1897. The less affluent and needy of the town were invited and such elaborate food was prepared as is customarily offered at weddings and was served to all present. On that day more than three hundred people participated in the feast. Illumination was arranged for the night of June 22nd. As soon as darkness set in, lamps were lit in lanes, streets, mosques and homes at every visible place. Less affluent were provided oil from personal funds. As an expression of joy, the general public was included in the feast.

This blessed gathering, for which all members donated voluntarily with great zeal, started on June 20, 1897 and continued through the evening of June 22, 1897 with great fanfare. On the first day, all members of our Community—whose names will be listed later—prayed with great sincerity for the honour and heavenly blessings for the Queen, the imperial family and the British government. All rites were carried out in accordance with the directives received in a timely fashion. Thanks to Almighty God, our Community—which includes respected government employees—prayed with great sincerity, love, complete fidelity, full zeal and delight, and showed gratefulness and contributed towards the feast for the less affluent. A large amount of voluntary contributions was also collected. They thus complied with all the directives of the General Committee so efficiently and delightfully that a better compliance cannot be imagined.

A statement, comprising prayer and gratefulness for Her Majesty, the Empress of India, was read out. Attendees cried out Amin with great enthusiasm. It was stated in six languages so that gratefulness be expressed in all the languages of the Punjab in which Muslims are well-versed. A statement in Urdu comprising gratefulness and prayer was read in the public meeting. Statements were then written in Arabic, Persian, English, Punjabi and Pushto and were read out. In Urdu because it is used in courts and is common in government offices through Imperial decree. In Arabic because it is the language of God, fountainhead of all the languages of the world, and mother of tongues from which all other languages have sprung. Moreover, the last book for the guidance of mankind, the Holy Quran, was revealed in Arabic. In Persian, because it is the legacy of the former Muslim kings who ruled this country for about seven hundred years. In English, as it is the language of Her Majesty, the Queen, the Empress of India, and its respected members, to whom we are grateful for their justice and beneficence. In Punjabi, as it is our mother tongue in which it is imperative to express our gratitude. In Pushto, as it is a link between our mother tongue and the Persian language and represents the glory of our frontier.

On the occasion of this celebration, a book was compiled in gratefulness for the Empress of India and was published with the title of Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah [A Gift for the Queen]. A few copies were very beautifully bound. One copy was sent to the Deputy Commissioner for onward submission to the Empress of India, and another was sent to respected Viceroy Governor General, Indian region. One copy was sent to Nawab Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab. We write below the prayers which were offered in six languages followed by the names of all the friends who travelled to Qadian for this public meeting. In intense hot weather, they bore the hardship cheerfully and many happily slept on the ground for three days, as enough cots could not be provided due to the large attendance. I do not find words to express the sincerity, love and fidelity of heart with which the honoured members of my Community celebrated this rite of joy.

I missed mentioning earlier that during the course of the public meeting, on June 22, 1897, four of our scholars stood up to exhort the general public for the obedience and true fidelity to the Empress of India. First, our brother Maulavi Abdul Karim stood up and spoke on the matter. Then our brother Hadrat Maulavi Hakim Nur-ud-Din Bheravi made a speech. After him, our brother Maulavi Burhan-ud-Din Jhelumi got up and spoke in Punjabi encouraging the general public to obey Her Majesty, the Queen. After him, Maulavi Jamal-ud-Din of Syedwala, District Montgomery, stood up and spoke in Punjabi. He focused on the point that Hazrat Masih [Jesus], peace be on him, for whom uninformed Muslims are still awaiting in a militant role, has in reality passed away. The idea that Muslims at some time, on the coming of the Mahdi and Messiah, will engage in blood-shedding is not true. He admonished the general public to adopt good conduct and righteousness. At this blessed instance, sixty to seventy men repented form all sin and misconduct, crying so much so that the mosque was resounding with their weeping and wailing.

The prayers offered in six languages mentioned are given below.

Writer,

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian
June 23, 1897