English Translation of the prayer recited by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Ra’is of Qadian, on the Occasion of the Diamond Jubilee [of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.]
My friends - The object which has brought you here is to convene a meeting of thanksgiving on the happy occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty’s reign in remembrance of the manifold blessings enjoyed by us during Her Majesty’s time. We offer our heartfelt thanks to God who out of His special kindness has been pleased to place us under this sovereign rule, protecting thereby our life, property and honour from the hands of tyranny and persecution and enabling us to live a life of peace and freedom. We have also to tender our thanks to our gracious Empress, and this we do by our prayers for Her Majesty’s welfare. May God protect our beneficent sovereign from all evils and hardships as Her Majesty’s rule has protected us from the mischief of evil doers. May our blessed ruler be graced with glory and success and be saved at the same time from the evil consequences of believing in the divinity of a man and his worship. My friends do not wonder at this, nor entertain any doubt as to the wonderful powers of the Almighty, because it is quite possible for Him to confer His choicest blessings upon our gracious Queen in this world and the next. Hence a strong and firm belief in the Omnipotence of the Supreme Being who made this spacious firmament on high and spread the earth beneath our feet illuminating them both with the sun and the moon. Let your sincere prayers as to the good of Her Majesty in matters spiritual and temporal, reach His holy throne. And I assure you that prayers that come from hearts sincere earnest and hopeful are sure to be listened to. Let me pray then and you may say Amen:
Almighty God! As Thy Wisdom and Providence has been pleased to put us under the rule of our blessed Empress enabling us to lead lives of peace and prosperity, we pray to Thee that our ruler may in return be saved from all evils and dangers as Thine is the kingdom, glory and power. Believing in Thy unlimited powers we earnestly ask Thee, All-Powerful Lord, to grant us one more prayer that our benefactress the Empress, before leaving this world, may probe her way out of the darkness of man-worship with the light of la-ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. [There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet]. Do Almighty God as we desire, and grant us this humble prayer of ours as Thy will alone governs all minds. Amen!
My Friends! Trust in God and feel not hopeless. Do not even imagine that the minds of worldly potentates and earthly kings are beyond His control. Nay, they are all subservient to His Holy Will. Let therefore your prayers for the welfare of your Empress in this world and the next, come from the bottom of your hearts. If you are loyal subjects, remember Her Majesty in your night and morning prayers. Pay no heed to opposition. Let Your words and deeds be true and free from hypocrisy. Lead lives of virtue and righteousness, and pray for the good of your well-wishers, because no virtue goes unrewarded. I conclude with earnest desire that God may grant our prayer. Amen.
[Dated: 23-6-1897]