The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Blog

Mr Jinnah meets Maulana Muhammad Ali, by Mumtaz Ahmad Faruqui

Mr Mumtaz Ahmad Faruqui (older brother of Mr N.A. Faruqui) recounted the following incidents in Paigham Sulh, 18 October 1978, which I translate below.

Some time before the founding of Pakistan, probably in 1946, Quaid-i Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited Lahore on one of his tours. I was in Lahore in those days. Two memorable events took place at that time, which have remained in my mind till today.

1. A meeting of the Muslim League was held in Lahore. A resolution was presented, probably by Maulvi Zafar Ali Khan, to the effect that "Qadianis", i.e. the Ahmadiyya community, should be declared as non-Muslim on account of some of its beliefs and expelled from membership of the Muslim League. Quaid-i Azam, who was presiding over the meeting, firmly rejected this resolution. He gave as the main reason that a person who recites the Kalima and calls himself a Muslim, and supports our aims, cannot be expelled by us.

2. Taking advantage of this visit, Maulana Muhammad Ali, who was Head of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore, and lived in Muslim Town Lahore, expressed the wish to meet the Quaid-i Azam. The Quaid-i Azam gladly agreed to this, and it was arranged that he would call at Maulana Muhammad Ali's residence in Muslim Town and partake of afternoon tea. The Maulana arranged for tea for about a dozen persons who were members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama'at, and somehow I joined this group. Maulvi Yaqub Khan, former editor of 'The Light', was also there. The Quaid-i Azam arrived promptly on time and we all welcomed him and took him to the meeting room.

The Maulana, greeting Quaid-i Azam, lauded his services to the nation and briefly shed light on the propagation work of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama'at. He then presented Quaid-i Azam with a gift of his writings and other publications of the Movement. Quaid-i Azam smiled and thanked him. He picked up the English translation of the Quran which was on top and said:

"There is a copy of this in my library, and I study it regularly."

Then he stood up and said that he was familiar with the work of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama'at, and he regularly receives 'The Light', the English weekly, which he reads with special attention. Then he said:

"When I put forward my view for the first time that 'Western style democracy is not suitable for India', it caused an outcry all over the country and there was a storm of criticism. It went to the extent that Lord Wavell, Viceroy of India, sent me a message in Simla saying that he too was puzzled by my view, and asking me to clarify. In those days, I received 'The Light' paper from Lahore which contained an editorial with a cogent and clear discussion on this topic, supporting the validity of this view. I liked it very much and I merely sent Lord Wavell that paper to read. A few days later Lord Wavell returned that paper to me with a note saying that he now understood my point."

This praise by the Quaid-i Azam was a monumental tribute he paid to the work of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama'at. The late Maulvi Yaqub Khan, editor of 'The Light', was enormously proud of this. The Quaid-i Azam held this favourable opinion about the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama'at till his dying day.