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Auto(biography) Section > Biographies > The Biography of Hazrat
Ameer (Head) Maulana Sadr-ud-Din Sahib
Hazrat Maulana Sadr-ud-Din of
Blessed Memory:
by the Late Ameer
(Head) K.B. Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan Sahib S.K.
(The Light, Vol. 61, No. 23 and 24, 8th and 24th Dec 1981, p.
47-50)
"Every one on it passes away – And there endures forever the person of thy Lord, the Lord of glory and honour" (The Qur'an, 55 : 26-27).
Hazrat Maulana Sadr-ud-Din, the Amir [Head] of the Ahmadiyya community of the Lahore Section, and a companion of the Founder of the Movement [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian] passed away on the night between the 14th and 15th November 1981. "For God we are and to Him do we return." His loss is irreparable. He had been serving the cause of the propagation of Islam for a very long time in as much as he was one of the founders of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at-i-Islam, Lahore and a member of the first General Council constituted on the 3rd of May 1914.
As Head Master of Taleem-ul-Islam
High School, Qadian:
I had the opportunity to see him from
close quarters during 1913-14, when I was a student of the
Taleem-ul-Islam High School Qadian, of which he was the Head Master.
He left deep and permanent impressions of his attractive personality
on my mind. It is no exaggeration to say that under his guidance the
Taleem-ul-Islam High School was being run in many respects better
than the English Medium Public Schools of that time, and even the
modern ones. His discipline was exemplary and yet as far as I am
aware he never treated a student harshly. In fact, everybody thought
that he had a special fatherly interest in him. He loved his students
and joined even the little children in their sports with the result
that the academic and extra-curricular activities of the School were
of a very high order. In addition, he gave special attention to the
moral and religious training of the staff and students alike. All
the five prayers were said regularly in Masjid-i-Noor attached to
the School. The students attended even the
Dars-i-Qur'an [religious talk on the Holy
Quran] by Hazrat Maulana Noor-ud-Din after the 'Asr prayer. The
personality of the late Maulana Sadr-ud-Din contributed to the
establishment of the fame of the School far and wide. Even the
late Sir Muhammad Iqbal sent his son Aftab Ahmad (who was my class
fellow) to the Qadian School rather than to any other public
school.
The Maulana's training left an unforgettable mark on the field of play. The circle Tournament in which many schools took part was once held in Amritsar. The Hockey final was played between the Taleem-ul-Islam High School Qadian and the Khalsa High School Amritsar. Our team won the match. When the referee blew the final whistle, all of our players, wherever they were on the playground, prostrated themselves before Allah in thanks giving. This left a deep impression on the spectators. The tradition set at Qadian has been kept alive by our National Hockey Team in Final matches of International level.
Recitation of the Holy
Quran:
We all know that the late Maulana
recited the Holy Quran in a very melodious manner. Whether it was
during Dars or during a speech or during prayers, and whether
it was a long recitation or a short one, it produced a special effect
on the audience. At Qadian the students insisted that he should lead
the 'Isha' prayer. Sometimes, he obliged. In this respect his
contribution to the children's upbringing has been unique.
He dressed well, talked well, was humorous, hospitable and endowed with manly beauty as well. Yet by God's Grace he set an example of high moral character when he went to England and Germany as a missionary of Islam. Allah has bestowed His special blessings on the missionaries of this Anjuman that they have left marks of chastity and purity right in the heart of the immoralities of the Western civilisation. The Maulana had a high sense of aesthetics, amply manifested in the Berlin Mosque, and the get up of the German Translation of the Holy Quran.
Indomitable
Courage:
The late Maulana was quite capable of
displaying boldness where necessary. I remember the Anjuman entrusted
the Maulana to take possession of the lands at Okara from
those occupying it illegally. It was due to his bold efforts that the
Anjuman succeeded in taking possession of the lands with the help of
the Deputy Commissioner concerned. He displayed even greater
courage during 1953, when he was in his seventies at which age
personal courage and valour usually fade away. There were
disturbances all over. and it was feared Ahmadiyya Buildings would be
attacked. He was advised by friends to move to some place of safety.
His reply was, "We shall not die. We shall live here. Where else
can we go? Life and death are in Allah's hands." God saved him
and indeed the entire Ahmadiyya Buildings and its residents
miraculously. This happened again during 1974. He had such
firm faith in his stand that he did not leave his
residence.
An Eloquent
Speaker:
He was an eloquent orator especially
when his subject was the life of the Holy Prophet on whom be peace
and blessings of Allah. His exposition of the Prophet's life had an
enchanting effect on the audience. Even Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali
of Blessed memory once remarked that God had granted Maulana
Sadr-ud-Din special talent to speak on the Prophet's life. He also
delivered Dars at the Ahmadiyya Buildings during the Annual
Gatherings, with visible effect on the audience.
Once he came to the Dadar Sanatorium, of which I was the Superintendent. We arranged a function in his honour. This was attended by the Sanatorium Staff, a large number of patients and others. He spoke on the existence of God. The audience were much impressed and used to talk about it later as well.
Outstanding Services to the Cause of
Islam:
He rendered outstanding services to the
cause of the propagation of Islam. When Hazrat Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
returned home after serving the Woking Mission, Hazrat Maulana
Sadr-ud-Din was sent in his place. He carried on the missionary work
very ably, and returned in January 1917. In April 1917 the Anjuman
established the Muslim High School Lahore which also catered
for Senior Cambridge classes. In view of the good work done at
Qadian, the Maulana was considered the fittest person to be appointed
as its Principal. Under his guidance this School and College earned
such good reputation that many children of the noble families joined
it instead of going to the Chiefs' College. For example the late
Nawab Gurmani ex-Governor of Punjab, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, ex-Finance
Minister, Syed Maratab Ali Shah and his children all studied at this
institution. Mr. Cross, famous Inspector of Schools who paid a
surprise visit to the School was so much impressed by the discipline
and high academic standard of the School that he remarked, "I came
to surprise the School but I find myself surprised." An
ex-student of this School, Mr. Ashiq Hussain Batalvi who became a
literary man, an author and Secretary of the Punjab Muslim League and
who is not an Ahmadi writes, "The school-day impressions received in
the Ahmadiyya atmosphere cannot be effaced from the mind. We lived in
the (Muslim) Hostel. Early in the morning there was
Dars-i-Quran by the late Akbar Shah Khan Sahib Najeebabadi.
The School started with a short discourse on Hadith by Maulana
Sadr-ud-Din. In the afternoons we went to the Ahmadiyya Buildings
which was the venue of Dars-i-Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Sahib on whom be Blessings of Allah – How can this impression be
effaced?" (Paigham-i-Sulh, June 6, 1962).
Muslim Mission and the Mosque at
Berlin:
In 1919 Hazrat Maulana Sadr-ud-Din
again joined the Woking Mission, England. He proceeded to
Berlin for the propagation of Islam when the Anjuman decided
to open a mission there in 1922. He worked there for four years and
started a magazine Moslemische Reveu in the German
language. The articles published in this magazine were of such a
high order that many learned German scholars embraced Islam.
During his stay in Germany he constructed the Berlin Mosque
which is a rare specimen of architecture and an ornament of West
Berlin. It also portrays his own aesthetic sense. Propagation of
Islam by a single person in an alien land is not an easy job. There
were obstacles and difficulties but he faced them single-handedly.
This could not have been possible except by a strong faith in the
Almighty. In 1928, the Anjuman decided to have the Holy Qur'an
translated in the German language. This great service to the
cause of Islam was also arranged by him. The translation was
published in 1940.
On his return from Germany he rendered valuable service to the Anjuman in various capacities. For a long time he was its Vice President. Then in 1951 on the death of Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali, on whom be Blessings of Allah, he was elected Amir [Head] which position he retained till his death. During this period he constructed Masih-i-Mau'ud Hall and Ahmadiyya Market Nos. 1 and 2, which considerably enhanced the Anjuman's income. These buildings also are unforgettable monuments of his industry and determination.
His death has taken him away from us, but his services will always be remembered by the Jama'at. May Almighty Allah grant him His nearness in Jannat-ul-Firdous (Heaven). Ameen.
This page was printed from the 'Official Website of the Ahmadiyya
Anjuman Isha'at-e-Islam Lahore (Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for
the Propagation of Islam)'
located at http://aaiil.org
or http://www.aaiil.org