The occupation of the Promised Messiah
On the front page of Badr, 19 September 1912, there is an article by the editor Mufti Muhammad Sadiq (later a prominent missionary of the Qadiani Jama`at) entitled: What was the occupation of the Promised Messiah?
He writes:
On 18th January 1905 when I was headmaster in Qadian I wrote a note to the Promised Messiah which is reproduced below along with his reply. It is hoped it will be of interest to readers.
The Note
To the holy Hazrat, our leader and our Mahdi, the Promised Messiah.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu
The name of Mian Mahmud Ahmad will today be sent forward for the examinations. The form that has to be filled has a space asking, What is the occupation of the boy’s father? I have written in it the word nubuwwat [prophethood].
… [Rest of note omitted in this translation as it is about some medical advice, see image for full text]…
Your most humble servant, Muhammad Sadiq,
18th January 1905
The reply
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu
Nubuwwat is not an occupation. Please write that he is the leader and Imam of the Ahmadiyya sect which numbers about 300,000. The occupation is the reform of the people.
Ghulam Ahmad.
So in that form I wrote in English as follows the occupation of the Hazrat:
National Reformation and Leadership of Ahmadiyya Sect (300,000 members)
See image from Badr below (click to enlarge to full size).
From Tahir Ijaz:
It would appear that Mufti sahib regarded Hazrat Sahib as an actual prophet, otherwise it would be somewhat unusual to write ‘nabuwwat’ on some formal document or application.
Of course it is wrong to put ‘prophet’ or ‘mujaddid’ or ‘muhuddus’ in an application form since these are spiritual titles. in the secular domain, leader of a religious community makes most sense as an occupation designation.
From Zahid Aziz:
One wonders why Mufti Muhammad Sadiq should publish this incident at all, and give it prominence on the front page of his own newspaper. It can, of course, mean that in the legal sense, whether in secular law or the Muslim law of any Islamic country, he cannot be designated as prophet.
In the spiritual sense you can be called anything by God. You can even see a vision in which you have become God and are creating a new world, as Hazrat Mirza sahib and earlier spiritual leaders of Islam have mentioned. But none of this can be recognised in any law, secular or Islamic. It is only faith enhancing.