Postponement of the Jalsa of 27 December 1893 CE

I have to write with regret that I was confronted by such circumstances that made me inclined to postpone the Jalsa [convention] this time. And since some people will wonder as to what has caused this Jalsa to be deferred, some reasons are written hereunder in brief.

First—the desire and true purpose of the Jalsa was that the members of our Community, through repeated meetings [with me], should somehow achieve such a change in themselves that their hearts become fully inclined towards the hereafter, and the fear of God should develop within them; and that they should become for others an example of piety, righteousness, virtue, forbearance, tenderness of heart, mutual love, and brotherhood; and they should develop in themselves humility, hospitality, and integrity, and embrace with zeal the carrying out of religious campaigns. But such an effect was not observed after the first Jalsa. Rather, even during the days of the Jalsa there were certain complaints that some people were rude and misbehaved with others for their own comfort; in other words, the gathering put them in a trial. Moreover, I find that after the Jalsa, no noteworthy, positive, and righteous change has been observed in some members of this Community.

I have experienced this because many people have off and on stayed with me ever since the Jalsa; that is, some arrive while others leave. At times, the number of guests reaches the hundreds, and at others, there are fewer guests. But sometimes, in this gathering, due to the lack of accommodation and other required facilities for the stay of guests, exchanges of harsh words—out of selfishness and strained relations—are heard among some guests, just like those travelling by the rail quarrel with one another due to a lack of room. And if some poor fellow comes running, carrying his bag with him, while the train is about to pull out, [those sitting in the train] close the door and push him away, saying, ‘There is no room for you’—while room can be made for him, but they demonstrate hard-heartedness. Despite having bought the ticket, the poor fellow runs about here and there carrying his bag with him, but no one takes pity on him. At last, railway employees forcibly have room made for him. Similarly, this Jalsa, too, seems to be a cause of corrupting certain moral qualities. Hence, holding this Jalsa does not seem expedient unless all the required facilities for the stay of guests are made available and unless God, through His special grace, generates tenderness, sympathy, and a spirit of serving others and bearing hardships in the hearts of our Community members.

It is my heartfelt wish that the new converts should travel to see me only for the sake of God, keep company with me, and return having brought about a change in themselves, for there is no telling when one is going to die. There are benefits for the converts in seeing me. But he alone actually sees me who seeks faith with patience and seeks just faith alone. Hence, the arrival of such pure-intentioned people is always blessed and [these blessings are] not dependent on any particular Jalsa. Rather, they can speak with me at other times of their own convenience. This Jalsa is indeed not like other worldly fairs that must regularly be held even if there is no need. Holding this Jalsa is conditional upon right intention and beneficent results. There is no benefit in holding it without achieving these goals, and every effort in this regard would be pointless. It would be a futile exercise unless experience established and testified that this Jalsa has achieved some particular religious objectives and unless it is demonstrated that it has influenced the morals and conduct of people in certain positive ways. Otherwise, holding this Jalsa despite knowing that it does not bear good results is tantamount to sin, deviation from the right path, and an abominable innovation. I do not at all wish to gather together my followers like the pirs of the present day only to show off worldly majesty. The ultimate cause towards which I strive is the reformation of people. Yet, if an arrangement or plan does not result in reformation, but leads only to mischief, then from among all people, I am its bitterest enemy.

My brother-in-faith, Respected Hazrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din, may Allah keep him safe, has time and again told me that most members of our Community have not yet attained any distinct capability in goodness, modesty, piety, righteousness, and mutual love for the sake of God. I fully agree with the opinion of Respected Maulawi Sahib. I have learnt that some members, despite having entered the Community, and taking bai‘at [the oath of allegiance] with my humble self, and repenting earnestly, are still so hard-hearted that they treat the poor from among the Community like wolves and do not greet them with salutation of as-salamu ‘alaik [peace be on you] in good spirit, out of conceit, much less behave courteously and sympathetically towards them. Some of them I see to be so mean and self-centred that they start quarrelling over petty issues out of selfishness, and engage in scuffles and attack each other over minor issues. At times, matters become so bad as to reach the point that they start abusing each other and they develop rancour in their hearts. They argue selfishly over petty issues like eating and drinking. Of course, there are certainly more than 200 pious and upright people in our Community as well, whom God has blessed and who weep when admonished and give preference to the hereafter, and exhortation affects their hearts in wonderful ways. But for now I am speaking only about those with perverted hearts and I exclaim, wondering: O God, what is happening and who are these people around me? Why are their hearts ever inclined towards selfish desires and why does one brother cause trouble for another and seeks to assert superiority over him? I say most truly that a person’s faith can certainly not be sound until one prefers the comfort of his brother over that of his own as far as possible.

If a brother of mine sleeps on the floor in front of me, despite being weak and ill, whereas I, being hale and healthy, take possession of the bed so that he may not sit on it, then how pitiable is my condition. And how sorrowful would be my condition if I were not to get up and give the bed to him by way of love and compassion, preferring the floor for myself. If my brother were to be ill and suffering from some pain, then how pitiable would my condition be if in such a situation I would be sleeping comfortably and would not try my best to bring him relief and comfort. And if some brother-in-faith of mine speaks harshly to me out of haughtiness, how pitiful would it be if I, too, wilfully and knowingly, respond to him harshly. I should, on the contrary, patiently bear what he says and earnestly supplicate for him in my daily prayers, crying and weeping, for he is my brother and is spiritually ill. If my brother is naive, or not very learned, or makes a mistake out of naivety, I should not ridicule him or hastily frown at him in anger, or tell others of his shortcomings out of ill intention. All these are ways to destruction and no one can become a true believer unless he is tender-hearted and until he considers himself to be the most lowly in comparison with all others and unless all his haughtiness is far removed. Being a servant of the people is a mark of those destined to lead. And speaking to the poor in a kind manner while bowing humbly is the characteristic of those accepted by God. And responding to mischief with beneficence is the sign of good fortune. And suppressing anger and tolerating harsh words are acts of extreme courage.

But I observe that these qualities are not found in some of the members of my Community. Rather, some are so ill-mannered that if a brother is stubbornly sitting on his bed, the latter seeks to forcibly remove him from it, and if the former refuses to be moved, the latter turns the bed upside down and throws him to the ground.1 Then the former, too, does not hold back and starts hurling filthy abuse at him, giving full vent to his rage. Such is the state of affairs that I observe in this gathering. At this, my heart aches and burns and this wish spontaneously develops in my heart that it would be better if I were to live among the savage beasts instead of among these sons of Adam. So with what hope for joy should I gather together people for the Jalsa? This is not some show from among the other worldly spectacles. Till now, I know that I am all alone except for a small group of friends numbering slightly more than 200, upon whom there is a special Grace of God. The foremost among them is my bosom friend and beloved companion, Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud-Din, and a few other friends who I know love me only for the sake of Allah Almighty, and look reverentially upon my sayings and exhortations, and strive for the hereafter. Hence, God willing, they are with me in both worlds and I am with them. But how can I consider those to be with me whose hearts are not with me; who do not recognize Him whom I have recognized and do not instil His Majesty in their hearts, and do not think that He watches them while they indulge in ridicule and depravity, and never realize that they are consuming a poison which will certainly result in their death—in fact, they are such as do not wish at all to give up the ways of Satan. Remember well that the one who does not wish to tread upon my path is not of me, and is false in his claim. He does not want to embrace my faith; rather, he prefers his own creed. He is as far from me as the west is from the east. He mistakenly considers me to be with him. I have repeatedly exhorted you to purify your eyes; and make them see spiritually, too, just as they can see physically. The faculty to see physically is found in animals as well, but man can be described as sighted only when he possesses spiritual sight, that is, when he inclines towards virtue after having acquired the ability to distinguish between virtue and sin. Hence, you should seek for your eyes not only the sight which animals also possess, but also true sight. Cast out from your hearts worldly idols because the world is opposed to faith. Soon you shall die and see that only those attain salvation who were free of, and disgusted by worldly pursuits and had pure hearts. I have become tired saying these things again and again, that if these are the state of your affairs, then what exactly is the difference between you and the others? But these hearts are so constituted that they pay no heed and I do not expect these eyes to gain sight except if God so wills. I am indeed disgusted with such people both in this world and in the hereafter.

If I had been alone in some jungle it would have been better than the company of such people who do not see the grandeur of the commandments of God Almighty and do not tremble before His majesty and honour. If a person just verbally declares that he is a Muslim without possessing real virtue—or if a hungry one were simply to utter the word ‘bread’ with his tongue—of what use would that be? By these methods, neither would the first attain salvation nor the second fill his stomach. Does God Almighty not see the hearts? Does the profound sight of the All-Knowing and All-Wise not reach the deepest recesses of man’s constitution?

Hence, O foolish ones, understand well! And O heedless ones, consider carefully that without true purity—of faith and of morals and of deeds—there can be no freedom in any way. And one who, despite remaining impure in every way still considers himself a Muslim, does not deceive God Almighty, but deceives only himself. And what do I have to do with those who do not wholeheartedly endeavour to follow religious injunctions, and do not earnestly place their necks under the holy yoke of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and do not adopt righteousness, and do not yearn to renounce evil habits in disgust, nor discard the company of those who ridicule, nor discard impure thoughts, nor inculcate in themselves humanity, civility, patience, and tenderness? On the contrary, they ill treat the poor, push away the helpless, walk arrogantly in the streets, sit haughtily on chairs and consider themselves to be great, while in fact no one is great except the one who considers himself lowly.

Blessed are those who consider themselves most humble and lowly, speak modestly, respect the poor and needy, and treat the helpless with honour, and never ridicule them out of mischief and arrogance. They remember their Gracious Lord and walk with humility on the earth. So I say repeatedly that such are the people for whom salvation has been made ready. One who is not free from the hell of mischief, arrogance, self-conceit, haughtiness, worship of the world, greed, and depravity in this very world will most certainly not be free from them in the hereafter. What should I do and from whence should I produce such words that should affect the hearts of this group of people. O my God! Bestow upon me such words and reveal to me such discourses that should illuminate these hearts with light and remove their poison with their remedial qualities! My entire being throbs with this deep longing that at some point that day should come when I will see in my Community many such people who have in fact forsaken falsehood and have made a sincere pledge with their Lord that they will safeguard themselves against every kind of evil, and will absolutely distance themselves from arrogance, which is the root of all mischief, and will remain fearful of their Lord. But, as of yet, apart from a few select people, I do not see such countenances. Yes, they offer their five daily prayers, but they do not know what prayer is. Unless the heart bows down in prostration, it is vain to expect that physical prostration will avail them anything. Just as the blood and meat of sacrificed animals do not reach God, but only righteousness does, similarly, physical bowing and prostration amount to nothing unless the heart, too, bows, prostrates, and performs qiyam [standing position in prayer]. The qiyam of the heart is to be established upon the divine injunctions, and the bowing connotes bowing towards Him, and prostration means forsaking one’s self for His sake. A hundred pities, nay, a thousand pities that I do not at all see any effect of these things in them. Nevertheless, I supplicate—and I shall go on supplicating as long as I live—and my prayer indeed is that God Almighty may purify the hearts of this Community of mine, may He turn their hearts to Himself by extending the hand of His mercy, and remove all mischief and rancour from their hearts, and bestow upon them true, mutual love. I firmly believe that this prayer will certainly be accepted at some time and God will not let my prayers go to waste. And yes, I also pray that if someone from among my Community is, in God’s knowledge and will, eternally wicked, and is not destined ever to attain true purity and righteousness, then O God Almighty, alienate him from me also, as he has turned away from You, and bring in his place someone else who is tender-hearted and whose soul earnestly seeks You. My condition at present is that I fear the one who takes the bai‘at with me just as one fears a lion, because I do not want that one should be related to me despite remaining a worm of the earth. Hence, the above-stated reason is one of the causes for the postponement of the Jalsa.

Secondly, as of now, our arrangements [for accommodation and food] are extremely inadequate and there are only a few sincere and devoted helpers. Moreover, the publication of many books has not yet materialized due to a lack of sincere ones. In such circumstances, neither my sincere friends nor I have the means to organize such a grand Jalsa that is attended by hundreds of guests, both noble and ordinary, who stay for days. Also, the poor guests coming from far-off regions have to be provided with traveling expenditures as happened in the last Jalsa. Additionally, proper provision of food along with attendant amenities, such as beds, for hundreds of people, and building enough accommodations for their stay that lasts for days is not possible as yet. It is obvious that thousands of rupees are required to finance all these arrangements. It would be a great sin if these arrangements were made by taking out a loan. This would mean disregarding the day-to-day indispensable religious needs, and burdening oneself unnecessarily by taking loans for such expenditures as no one even remembers afterwards. Even though the convention has not been held this year, the guests have still been coming in droves. Since last year, the number of daily guests has exceeded thirty or forty, and at times even 100, most of whom are poor and needy, from far-off regions who also have to be provided with traveling expenditures when they depart; this is a daily practice.

Respected Maulawi Hakim Nur-ud-Din has been devotedly supervising this matter. Many a time he gave, from his own pocket, travelling stipends to those coming from remote places. Some were even given about thirty or forty rupees each; giving two to four rupees is routine. In addition to these expenditures and his previous financial support, he has recently spent about 300 to 400 rupees on various needs of the guests out of personal magnanimity and graciousness. Moreover, he has committed to bearing most of the expenses for the publication of the books, because books are continually being published—though due to certain essential expenditures, our own printing press has yet to be set up. Nevertheless, Respected Maulawi Sahib is engaged devotedly, heart and soul, in these services. Some other friends, too, are serving as per their capacity and means. But for how long can so many expenditures be borne within a rather meagre income? Hence, for these reasons, I consider it appropriate to postpone the Jalsa this year. Let us see how God Almighty unfolds His Will in the future. For His Will overrides the decisions of weak mortals. I do not know what is about to transpire, whether the divine Will is in line with what I have written, or whether there is some other decree of providence of which I am not yet aware. [I entrust my matter to Allah and in Him do I put my trust. He is our Master, He is an Excellent Master and an Excellent Helper.]

The humble one,
Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian