Power of Prayer No.3

In 1953, I was getting ready for my final University exams when Anti Ahmadiyya disturbances broke out. T.I. College was the main target of the miscreants. Every day processions led by Anti Ahmadiyya Maulvis would encircle the College and would even throw stones at us. Naturally there was no time for studies as we were engaged in the defence of the College. After a few weeks Martial Law was imposed and Lahore was put under curfew. Hundreds of the miscreants were arrested and sentenced to imprisonment and many lost their lives. Ahmadis suffered badly and many Ahmadiyya properties were gutted.

Many students were unable to sit for the final Exams in May. There were Supplementary Exams in September. I decided to sit for the Exams in September. This will give me some extra time to revise my course.
I was staying at the hostel. I knew that I was weak in “English literature” as I did not have time to study books. I knew I was going to fail the Exams.

One day a thought crossed my mind. I bought more than a dozen post cards. On each post card I wrote a request to Khalifatul Masih II for special prayers for my forthcoming Exams. Each day I would post one post card to Huzoor. Soon I started receiving replies from Huzoor saying that he would pray for me. Nearer the Exams I received a letter from Huzoor which specifically said that I would pass the Exams. I was surprised to read this as usually in his letters he only said that he would pray for me. In this letter he said that I would definitely pass the Exams.

Three days before the English literature Paper I saw a dream. In the dream I was given a Question Paper and was told that that was the Question Paper of English Literature. I read it and thought (in my dream) that it was very tough. I then woke up and wrote the questions on a piece of paper and slept again. The next morning I saw the paper on which I had written the Questions. I showed these to my room mate but he was not impressed and said that he was 100% sure that those question were not going to be asked.

I had firm faith that my dream was from God and that the Paper shown to me would be the same on the day of my English literature Exams. So I memorised the answers of all the Questions.

On the day when I was sitting for my English Literature Paper I prayed to God for success in the Paper. In the examination hall we took our seats and the Paper was given to us. To my surprise the Paper was exactly the same as I was shown in the dream. I prostrated on the desk in front of me thanking my God for the help. I answered all the questions and came out of the hall ahead of everybody else.
The next day I wrote to Huzoor telling him of my dream. Huzoor was very pleased and wrote back that he had already told me that I was going to pass the Exams.

I returned to my village after the Exams. A month or so later the results were printed in the newspapers. As newspapers were not available in the village I went to Peshawar and was badly shaken and shocked to see that I had failed the Exams.

I returned to my village in a totally confused state of mind. Why was I shown the Paper in my dream? Why did Huzoor write to me that I would pass the exams? These were the questions that I could not answer. I had firm faith in God and in the efficacy of prayers but my mind was perplexed and I was still very confused.

I told my father that I could not succeed in my exams. He said that we should be content with God’s decisions and that there should be no grumbling. I kept quiet but my mind was perplexed. I prayed to God to give me strength and make me to understand His will.

After a few days my father called me and asked me whether I was sure that I had failed the Exams. I told him that I had also received official confirmation from my college regarding my results. He said that whenever he prayed for me he heard a voice that told him, “Bashir Ahmad had passed the Exams.” He said, this had happened many times and each time when he received this verbal revelation his faith had strengthened. I told him that it might mean that I would pass the Exams next year.

After a few days I received a registered letter from my college. I opened the letter. I cannot describe in words how I felt when I read the contents of the letter. The letter said that the University had informed my College that I was declared fail due to a mistake and that I had passed the Exams. With shaking hands and charged with emotions I handed the letter to my father. He immediately prostrated and wept. He then raised his head and with tearful eyes said, “I was told by my beloved Allah all along that Bashir Ahmad had cleared the exams.” I left my father and went to a room in the house where I prostrated and begged my pardon from Allah for doubting His existence.

The next day I took a train to Rabwah. I had Mulaqat with Huzoor and told him about the mistake that the University had made and my father’s verbal revelations. Huzoor told me that he had written to me in clear words that I was going to pass the exams as he had been told by Allah. Why did you have doubts in your mind?

Now there are not one but many miraculous things in this story.

1. My seeing the Question Paper in advance in my dream.
2. Huzoor’s emphatic information that I was going to pass the Exams.
3. My father’s verbal revelation that Bashir Ahmad had already passed the Exams.

Does this not prove beyond any doubt the existence of God and that He not only listens to our prayers but verbally responds to them also? Allah is great.