AN EXTRA-ORDINARY AND EXCLUSIVE TESTIMONY
This is a an old story that took place before many of us even took birth, way back in 1938, which is 73 years ago. At Khanpur Railway Station, in India, Lala Kalyan Das came to know, that, Hazrat Mirza Mehmood Ahmad, the Second Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was traveling in the same Mail Train, in which Lalaji was also traveling in a first class compartment. Lalaji was a Hindu land lord of Multan. He wanted to meet the Caliph. He had to put forward before the Caliph a complaint regarding a dispute that had arisen between him and an Ahmadi Muslim. He went to the second class compartment in which the Caliph was sitting. .He had never seen the Caliph before.
When he saw the Caliph, suddenly he forgot about the complaint and was mesmerized. He was really astounded. He could not believe his own eyes. He returned to his compartment without talking. He reflected deep into the memoirs engraved in his memory. He was satisfied. What I have seen is true, he persuaded his heart. Again he did same thing at Dera Nawab railway station. And again he returned to his compartment without speaking a single word to the Caliph. AM I SEEING THE SAME SAINT? He thought for a while, why should not I check once more for re-confirmation? He tried again at Sama Sattah railway station. Again he was completely overcome with emotion and lost! This time Lalaji made up his mind and firmed his heart. At Bahawalpur railway station Lalaji met Umar Ali Khokhar, traveling with the Caliph. Lalaji knew Umar Ali Khokhar and was familiar with him. When Lalaji was introduced to the Caliph, he started crying like a baby and became speechless.
Then after he was consoled and encouraged to speak by the Caliph, Lalaji narrated that he had met the Caliph once before also. How come? He narrated that, he had traveled as a devout pilgrim to many Muslim pilgrimages in Iraq four years ago. He visited Karbala Mualla, Najaf Ashraf, Kufa, Kazimeen and Baghdad. And at every shrines he prayed with great devotion and experienced and felt immense spiritual pleasures. He had seen a LIGHT at Kazimeen and wept for hours. Then he went to see Hazrat Salman Farsi’s tomb at Takht-e-Qaisarah, some twenty miles from Baghdad. He prayed there for long hours with great devotion. He felt INNER PEACE. He felt ENLIGHTENED. He closed his eyes and concentrated in prayers and asked “Oh! My lord! I want to meet Your pious servant.” He saw a KASHF [a vision that a man can see while he is still awake]. He met Hazrat Salman Farsi! What a lightening beauty, a saint and rays of light emitting from his figure! Lalaji was felt fully enlightened and overjoyed with spiritual pleasure, that he said, never in his whole life again he had a such an ecstatic experience. But, now it was once again in his life that he was meeting the same person, same lightening beauty of Salman Farsi, in the train. It was very much the same person he had seen in his vision four years earlier in Takht-e-Qaisarah, in Iraq. It was the Ahmadiyya Caliph!
Lalaji went on telling the details of his most extraordinary experience. After the VISION at Salman Farsi’s shrine, he mostly remained silent due to the burden of immense spiritual pleasure. He returned to Baghdad. One of his Muslim friends [who had come from Basrah, who was accompanying him asked Lalaji the reason of his silence. At that time they were walking over a bridge that led to the Hotel in Baghdad, where they were staying. Lalaji described the incidence of Takht-e-Qaisarah and asked his friend from Basrah, if he had also seen that VISION? He said “No.” While describing the incidence of meeting SALAMAN FARSI, Lalaji was walking with his head downwards as gratitude and submission to his Lord. After he finished the narration of meeting with the beautiful spiritual saint, he looked up. He could again not believe his eyes! He saw the same saint coming from opposite direction, on the bridge accompanied with four men. They were all walking towards Lalaji. He shouted, “Look there, Salman Farsi is coming towards us!” But again his friend failed to see the VISION! But the friend was not blessed enough to experience the spiritual vision. He missed it again.
Lalaji went on saying. He had traveled long and wide in those four years after the incident of TAKHT-E-QAISARAH. He traveled to Iran. He went to various parts of the then India. He traveled to many other shrines of Muslim Saints. He met thousands of people. But, he never could find a figure resembling Salman Farsi, until today. This was the reason that Lalaji, when he first met the Ahmadi Caliph, he became overwhelmed and dumbfounded!
It was the reason that, at each railway station he was coming to the Caliph’s compartment and again returning to his seat. Was he getting MESMERIZED? He was confused, now satisfied, again confused, again satisfied, on and on. At last he fully realized that it was for real and he was not dreaming and was not mesmerized. And what a coincidence, on the bridge near the Hotel in Baghdad, he had seen the spiritual saint accompanied with four persons and the Caliph was also traveling with four Ahmadis in the train!
Lala Kalyan Das went on saying, he was a land lord, he had met many important people in his life, he never cried out of fear in front of any human being. It was the Caliph’s spiritual power and charisma that had overwhelmed him and made him cry like a baby, as he was overwhelmed with the resemblance with the visions he had of Salman Farsi four years ago in Iraq. Praise be to Allah!
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, History, India, Interesting Facts, Iraq, ISLAM, Miracle/s, Spirituality
JAZAKUMULLAH VERY MUCH
Brother Khalid Hussain has made quite a splash with his first post in the Muslim Times, it is the most viewed today!
Did he accepted Ahmadiyyat after this incident?
Very interesting.
It would be pertinent to find out what did Lala Kalyan Das do later………..did he become a Muslim/Ahmady ?
I think i am mesmerized after reading this article, Jazakallah. This really makes the Eman stronger.
Jazak’Allah to all for liking the post…as that was my first post, so in a hurry I forgot to describe something about the post card (inserted photo)…in fact, when this story was published way back in 1938 in the Ahmadiyya Urdu weekly, Alfazal from Qadian, a young Ahmadi Janab Haroon Rashid Saheb of Bhadrakh, Orissa, India, took it to a Non-Ahmadi English Professor of Bhadrakh College and asked him to read about the confession of a HINDU regarding the TRUTH of THE AHMADIYYA KHALIFA. Haroon Saheb was the Urdu/Persian teacher of the local Government High School and used to go to the Professr’s house to teach Urdu to his children. He had just then accepted Ahmadiyaat. After reading the article of Alfazal, the Non-Ahmadi Professor said that this was an Ahmadiya trick of decieving people. They had published a fake article in their Paper. Haroon Saheb then to convince the Professor about the truth of the story, wrote a letter to Lala Kalyan Das and sent that in the address provided in the Paper to cross-check it’s reliability. He wrote as if he were himself a Non-Ahmadi and wrote everything in front of that Professor.
He wrote in the letter that he had seen a story attributed to him to be confessing about the truth of Ahmadiyaa Khalifa, which may help in misguiding muslims. Did he visit the shrine of Salman Farsi as claimed in the article of Alfazal and where is the tomb of Salman Farsi situated ? Why he is lying and deceiving ?
Many days passed after posting the letter but no reply was received. Haroon Rashid Saheb became restless as the Propfessor used to tease him. Ahmadiyaas are great decievers , he claimed. After some months, Haroon Saheb received the reply and was overjoyed and took it to the Professor which read as below [In Roman Urdu]:
Bismilla hir Rahman nir Raheem
Az- Multan
6-10-38.
Mukarram bandah Janab Haroon Rashid Saheb,
Assalam Alaikum,
card aap ka mila. Zawaab mein der is liye hui ki mein 12 September ko yahan se pahar par gaya tha.aur 4 October ko waapas yahan aaya hun. Aap ka khat mere bangla par para raha. Ab arz ye hai ki beshak mere khutut Alfazal mein chhapte rahe hain. woh thhik hain. aur waqeaat par mabni hain. mein beshak Salman Farsi ki mazaar par gaya tha. Aur woh mazaar Baghdad se bees mil ke faslah par hai. Aur Takht [Taaq] Qaisrah mein waqe’ hai.mujhe galat bayani dene ki zorurat hi kya thi. Jo kuchh dekha wo arz kiya gaya tha.
kaare khidmat laeqa se sarfaraz farmawen.
bandah
Kalyan das.
The amazing spiritual story can also be found in the book “BASHARATE RAHMANIYYA”, page 293-296.
And regarding the question… what happened to Lala Kalyan Das? Whether he accepted Ahmadiyyat or not? I am not sure about what happened afterwards, as I tried to trace some history, but failed to find the details. Anyhow, It is an amazing testimony of a non-Muslim. Jazak’Allah.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful and inspiring incident in the life of Mr. Lala Kalyan Das. This truly reinforces our beliefs. It is utterly amazing as to how Almighty God supports his true and pious servants!
Jazak’Allah for appreciation…yes this spectacular incident shows how God fulfills His promise to Promised Messish….YANSURUKA RIJALUN NUHYI ILAIHIM MINA’S’SAMAAE….
JAZAK ALLAH for sharing such nice and heart touching spiritual incident..MAY ALLAH BLESS U..Ameen
Jazakallah.
I could not find the book BASHARATE RAHMANIYYA on Al-islam.
Janab Muzaffar Pasha saheb. Jazak’Allah for your comment. Yes, you can not find some very old books in Al-islam library.’BASHARATE RAHMANIYYA’ is a very old book containing testimonies and many spiritual incidents of Divine witnesses establishing the Truth of Hazrat Massih Moud (as) and Khulafa of Ahmadiyyat. To the best of my knowledge,I know that,this book is no more reprinted and may be preserved with those few Ahmadis, who are much interested in culturing jama’ati historical books.Alhamdulillah,I have one with me. For your convenience, Insha’Allah I shall share a post with photos of scanned pages from that book, where this specific incident of Lala Kalyan Das has been mentioned. Jazak’Allah.
Amazing.Great proof of the truth of Ahmadiyyat and Hadrat Masih Moud (as). Jazakallah for sharing.
In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious Ever Merciful
Jazakomullah. Again it shows, that although, we have to do our utmost to preach, as commanded by Allah, however, it is upon Allah to guide whomsoever He likes, otherwise people do not get benefits from miracles even.
Zarif Ahmad
Received the testimony at the right time. I am writing an article on Musleh Maood. Jazakallah.