Religious Practices

تَرٰىهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا یَّبْتَغُوْنَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانًا ؗ سِیْمَاهُمْ فِیْ وُجُوْهِهِمْ مِّنْ اَثَرِ السُّجُوْدِ ؕ 

Thou seest them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking Allah’s grace and pleasure. (Holy Quran—48:29)

Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s acts of worship were marked by a distinctive humility and deep devotion. He devoted his entire life to the obedience of Allah the Most High and regarded that as the very purpose of his existence. He was aware of the realities that Allah is self-sufficient and independent—He has no need of human worship. Yet human acts of worship are essential for a person’s own individual and collective survival, and it is through worship that a person can become deserving of Allah’s favor and help. When a person applies his faculties and resources—alongside formal, physical worship—to keeping truth and righteousness alive, then in reality that is the person who truly fulfills the right of worship and performs righteous deeds.

Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s life was spent in the kind of worship and righteous deeds that befit a believing and God-fearing person. Allah the Most High granted him the ability and means to perform all the obligatory acts of worship. He was honored with the good fortune of performing hajj to the House of Allah twice. Allah also provided him with the resources for paying zakat and giving in the way of Allah. Even into old age, He granted him the strength and opportunity to observe the fasts of the blessed month of Ramadan. From childhood until his final days, he was blessed with steadfastness in offering the obligatory prayers as well as voluntary prayers. Allah also granted him the opportunity to serve and spread the truth, and bestowed upon his performance of prayer a manner and dignity befitting the friends of Allah.

Performance of Prayers

Putting into words the spiritual quality of Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s prayer is not an easy task. Yet, suffice it to say that whenever anyone had the chance to witness him engaged in praying, they could not help but be moved: Unaware of the world and all that it contains, he would stand before his Creator and Master with hands folded in humble reverence, as though fully conscious that the One in whose presence he stood was truly there, and that His merciful gaze was upon him. In his standing, bowing, and prostration, the manners and etiquette of servitude to God were clearly evident. When he offered prayer in solitude, it was with such deep humility that priceless pearls of tears would flow as an offering of gratitude and devotion, and his soul would be continually refreshed by the shower of boundless grace and favors bestowed by his Lord and Master.

Congregational Prayers

Doctor Saeed Ahmad preferred offering prayers in congregation and liked to pray in the mosque. However, there were also occasions when a mosque was not accessible; in such situations, he would offer congregational prayer at home with his family. If even one other person was present in the house, the prayer would be performed in the congregation. In this way, his sons and daughters would also receive the reward of praying in congregation, and it would provide an opportunity for the children’s moral and religious training as well. He would even offer prayer behind his own young sons and grandsons, encouraging them by praying under their leadership.

The Leading of Congregational Prayers 

Doctor Saeed Ahmad was blessed with the honor of leading the congregational prayer at a young age, and with time he became ever more accomplished in it. He was a melodious reciter of the Quran. Therefore, during the days of the Annual Convention, or on other occasions when he happened to be in Lahore, the first Ameer, Maulana Muhammad Ali, and the second Ameer, Maulana Sadr-ud-Din, would instruct him to lead the prayer—and in this way many elders offered their prayers behind him.

In the Fajr prayer, he would recite at length in each of the two rakahs—recitation that would soften hearts and bring tears to the eyes of those listening. Those who prayed behind him would wish that they might have as much opportunity as possible to benefit from his recitation. Occasionally, when due to frailty he would shorten the prayer somewhat, friends would ask—almost disappointedly—why he had made the prayer brief.

On Fridays, in the Fajr prayer—following the practice of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—he would recite Surah As-Sajdah in the first rakah and Surah Ad-Dahr (Al-Insan) in the second. In the Eid prayers, he would recite Surah Al-A‘la in the first rakah and Surah Al-Ghashiyah in the second.

Especially during the month of Ramadan and the days of the Annual Convention, and generally at other times as well, after the second bowing posture of the Fajr prayer—while standing in the qawmah position—he would recite aloud supplications from the Quran and the prescribed Sunnah supplications. After each supplication, the followers would say ameen. This created a special spiritual atmosphere, and it felt as though every prayer was reaching directly to the Exalted Throne, and that the angels’ ameen was joining the ameen of the servants of Allah. He would also encourage saying ameen aloud after the recitation of Surah Fatihah.

In reciting Quranic verses and surahs during prayer, he kept in mind proper, measured, correct recitation and the Quranic order, reciting earlier verses in the first rakah. If the recitation included verses that contain the command for a prostration of recitation (sajdah), he would prostrate at that point, then stand again and complete the remaining recitation. Likewise, in verses where the glorification of Allah is enjoined, he would pause after their recitation and the congregants would pronounce the words of tasbīḥ aloud—saying:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیْ اَلْاَعْلیٰ یا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیْ اَلْعَظِیْمِ

Glory be to my Lord, the Most High; glory be to my Lord, the Great.

After the prayer was completed, he would turn to face the congregants and sit, engaging quietly in the prescribed remembrances after prayer. After a brief pause he would stand, but he would not hurry to leave the mosque. In this way, the friends and members of the Ahmadiyya Movement would have an opportunity for a short meeting and to exchange greetings and inquire about one another’s well-being.

The Tahajjud Prayers

Allah the Most High granted Doctor Saeed Ahmad the ability to perform the tahajjud prayer and steadfastly maintain it over the span of his whole life. There was a distinct quality of earnest supplication in this private prayer of his. In truth, such pleading and humility are attained only when one stands before one’s Master in the half-darkness, hidden from the eyes of creation; the anguish of the late-night hours stirs a deep restlessness within the soul, and the prayers that come to one’s lips in that state seem assured of acceptance: Most of his supplications in tahajjud—while many others slumbered and thus without anyone else ever being aware of it—were for the members of the Ahmadiyya Movement and also for the rest of Allah’s creation.

While traveling, he would perform the shortened prayers, yet he would still offer the tahajjud prayer regularly and without fail. He believed that a traveler’s supplication is granted acceptance; therefore, there was no reduction in his prayers and supplications.

Even in old age, he did not give up the tahajjud prayer. He would wake up about an hour to an hour and a half before dawn. After performing ablution, he would take something light—one or two biscuits, a few sips of milk, or perhaps a banana—so that he would not feel weakness during prayer. Then he would offer tahajjud. If, due to illness and frailty, he could not stand, he would perform the voluntary prayers while seated, or lying on his bed on a clean white sheet. And he would offer the Fajr prayer in congregation (via the loudspeaker).

Remembrance of God

Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s entire life and every action reflected his adherence to the Quranic command: Remember Me; I will remember you. The remembrance of Allah—both in the heart and on the tongue—devotion to the Divine Being, and the propagation of the truth were among his regular daily practices. When a servant praises and glorifies Allah the Most High, He in turn does not leave His servant alone—neither in times of hardship nor in times of ease and comfort. His heart remained occupied with prayer and sending blessings, and words of praise and glorification continued to flow from his lips, for example through the following words which were especially beloved to him:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیْ اَلْاَعْلیٰ یا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیْ اَلْعَظِیْمِ

Glory be to my Lord, the Most High; glory be to my Lord, the Great.

Surah Fatihah, Durūd Ibrāhīmī, Quranic surahs, and istighfar (beseeching Allah for forgiveness and protection) were constantly on his tongue. If he found someone overcome by anger, he would instruct them to perform ablution and recite istighfar seventy or a hundred times. He would say that the water of ablution cools the fire of anger, and that istighfar serves to make amends for the outward expression of rage and wrath. He also used to say that “seventy” or “a hundred” is not about completing a numerical count; these are “complete numbers,” meaning that the intention is to repeat these words many times.

He kept a small set of prayer beads with him. He did not keep it for display; rather, he kept it because it helped him in being mindful of the remembrance of Allah. One of its names is dhikr (remembrance)—and during remembrance, the rosary helps keep one’s attention focused.

Beseeching Allah

From beginning to end, the prayer is itself a supplication, and it is that state of servitude through which nearness to Allah is attained. That is why prayer is called the believer’s mi‘rāj (spiritual ascension). Supplication is the expression of the yearning that arises in a believer’s heart to attain closeness to his Lord. And a prayer with the yearning to seek nearness to Allah is a supplication that Allah the Most High never rejects. The Holy Quran itself mentions such a supplication:

I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.

Allah is the Supreme Ruler of all rulers, and has the authority to accept or reject any supplication. Yet those believers who are counted among the near ones of Allah—His chosen and devoted servants—He hears their prayers, and they, too, receive a response from Him. However, for a prayer to be accepted, effort and action are required.

Whenever the quality of Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s supplications is mentioned, hundreds of servants of God would testify that in his collective prayers—those offered openly in view of people and together with friends of the Ahmadiyya Movement—there was a distinctive spirit of earnest pleading, clearly evident in his tender, emotion-filled voice. Those participating in the prayer would also be moved by it, and would join the supplication with the same softness of heart and humility. With this in mind, it is not difficult to imagine what the state of his private, silent supplication must have been—offered in seclusion, hidden from the eyes of God’s servants.

He would offer supplications in the various postures of prayer, and—except in prostration and in the bowing posture—he would generally make his requests in the words of selected Quranic supplications and prescribed prayers. He also prayed in Urdu and in his native Hindko language. Observing the proper etiquette of supplication, he would at times raise his hands to pray; in such prayers he would recite Surah Fatihah, then include Durūd Ibrāhīmī, and thereafter present his petition.

Friends, women, children, and elders—whenever any of them requested prayers from him, he would certainly pray for them. He did so with the conviction that Allah is the Sovereign and All-Powerful, having full authority to accept or reject supplications, and that through prayer He can Himself determine the ways by which a person may emerge from difficulties and hardships.

When seeing someone off on a journey—or when he himself was setting out—he would gather with everyone, raise his hands, and offer a supplication. And when he went to offer condolences, he would, in accordance with the local custom of his region, raise his hands alongside the bereaved family and pray for the deceased’s forgiveness.

In his personal supplications, first priority was given to the honor and advancement of the Ahmadiyya Movement, and to the concerns and problems of the Muslim world. After that, he would present his requests before the Divine Court for his family, children, friends, and other needs.

Because of his righteousness, piety, and devotion to worship, everyone believed that Allah the Most High would accept his prayers, and after requesting his supplication they would feel a sense of reassurance. Yet he never personally claimed that his prayers would certainly be accepted. He would also advise those who asked him to pray to place their trust in Allah and to strive and act in order to find a way out of their difficulties.

Beseeching Allah In Congregational Prayers

Collective supplication carries a special power and effect. When many people, at the same time, present the same plea before their Creator and Master, Allah the Most High manifests His response by granting that prayer—and He can make even what appears impossible become possible.

At the Annual Convention in Lahore, Doctor Saeed Ahmad would deliver the closing supplication with profound humility and earnest insistence. When the participants’ collective cry of ameen joined in, hearts would melt, and such a spiritual atmosphere would arise that the tears flowing from eyes seemed to wash away the impurities of hearts. The attendees would then return to their homes carrying with them a pure and uplifting effect.

There are hundreds of examples of the acceptance of collective supplication, but here it will be sufficient to mention just one incident connected to his personal life:

I (Safia Saeed, the biographer) was about six years old when I became afflicted with a severe kidney disease. No treatment was proving effective, and then a day came when my chances of surviving the illness began to appear almost nonexistent. My mother was sobbing in anguish when Doctor Saeed Ahmad, my father, entered the room and told us that he was leaving for Mansehra to attend a convention. Hearing this, my mother could not help blurting out, “Leaving her like this?” In reply he said, “I am leaving her in Allah’s care. There [at the convention in Mansehra], all the friends and elders are gathered. Everyone will pray together. Collective supplication has a special effect.” Reassuring everyone at home, he added, “Within an hour, the Civil Surgeon is coming from Abbottabad. Abdullah will wait for him at the dak [postal] bungalow and bring him here with him. Perhaps he may be able to recommend some treatment.”

In Mansehra, the servants of God had raised their hands and were weeping and imploring for the recovery of Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s ailing daughter; and here in Dadar, Dr. Gupta, with the help of surgical instruments, was busy draining the fluid that had accumulated in my abdomen. Through this procedure my breathing became steady, and signs of life began to appear on my face.

After dinner that night, he had a conversation with the doctor about my condition. He recommended penicillin injections as treatment—something that was newly discovered in those days and very scarce. Dr. Gupta had come to the Dadar Sanatorium because he wanted to use its clean operating room, in accordance with the Sanatorium’s hygiene standards, to perform surgery on the wife of the British Assistant Commissioner of Hazara. This conversation happened to be overheard by the British couple. The lady immediately said, “If there is any extra penicillin from what has been ordered for me, then give it for this child’s treatment.” Accordingly, the treatment began right away. Orders were then sent to various cities, and the medicine continued to arrive regularly; and after three months of treatment, Allah the Most High granted me complete recovery. Doctor Saeed Ahmad used to describe this recovery as a miracle of the power and acceptance of collective supplication—and indeed, it truly was a miracle. Allah has granted me life up to this day with excellent health.

اَلْحَمْدُلِلہِ ،۔۔ ثُمَّ اَلْحَمْدُلِلہِ۔

Praise be to Allah; again, praise be to Allah.

Love of the Holy Quran

Doctor Saeed Ahmad had a special bond with the Holy Quran. He was always eager to memorize the Quran, and to gain knowledge and understanding of its sciences and to benefit from its spiritual insights. His father, Maulvi Muhammad Yahya, was himself a hafiz (memorizer) of the Quran and had complete mastery of the religious sciences. Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s devotion was inherited from his father. The seed of that passion sown in his early years continued to flourish with age, and it would be no exaggeration to say that this sacred scripture was the central focus of his life.

When Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s son Abdul Karim Saeed was a student at the King Edward Medical College in Lahore (Pakistan), he came to know that an Egyptian student had recordings of a famous reciter’s Quranic recitation on tape and wanted to sell them along with the tape recorder at cost. He was familiar with his father’s love for the Quran and felt that he would certainly like it. He immediately informed him, and without hesitation, he gave permission to acquire them. In those days such recordings were neither common nor inexpensive, but his readiness to obtain them was a result of his deep love for the Quran. For a long time thereafter, he would listen to that recitation daily.

Many written accounts testify to his captivating and deeply moving recitation of the Quran. However, the writing of Abdul Ghafoor Saqib is such a clear testimony to the beauty of his recitation that nothing more needs to be added. An excerpt from Abdul Ghafoor Saqib’s writing follows:

A formative, era-making personality—Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s passionate love for the Quran was the nourishment of his soul. And God had also endowed him with a lahn-e-Dāwūdī (a Davidic, melodious voice). Here I recall those days when the Movement’s Annual Convention used to be held in the mosque of the Ahmadiyya Buildings. On one occasion during the Annual Convention—presided over by Shaikh Mian Muhammad (a mill owner), with several senior members of the Ahmadiyya Movement seated on the stage—the presiding gentleman asked Doctor Saeed Ahmad to recite. His recitation was perhaps only two or three minutes long, but what a recitation it was. Complete silence fell over the gathering, and everyone present seemed overcome by a state of spiritual ecstasy. When the recitation ended, Shaikh Mian Muhammad came to the microphone and said that while the doctor was reciting, it felt to him as though the Holy Quran were, at that very moment, descending from the heavens.

Recitation and Memorization of the Holy Quran

What follows is an excerpt from a writing of Doctor Saeed Ahmad:

In childhood, I had memorized the well-known short surahs that are commonly recited in the five daily prayers. As I grew older, a desire arose to memorize the Holy Quran. I did not memorize it by formally studying under a hafiz or qari; rather, at various turning points in life I increasingly came to feel, on my own, the importance and need for memorizing the Quran. In this way, the process of memorizing the Quran continued.

During my stay in Qadian, my classmate and close friend Hafiz Azizullah Shah was in my class. He used to recite the Quran in a melodious voice, and it stirred the same desire in me. In those days, I often heard people discussing the themes mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf in the Quran, and I frequently heard accounts of the greatness and importance of this blessed surah. So, with my friend’s help, I memorized it little by little. This journey of memorizing the Quran began when I was in the eighth grade.

While I was still in the tenth grade, I went to my village during the school holidays. We had a mosque there where my father used to lead the prayers. Once it so happened that, due to an unavoidable engagement, my father did not come to the mosque for the Asr prayer, so the elders placed me at the prayer niche and said, “You lead the prayer.” It was the first day that I—a young boy—was leading the elders in prayer. I led the prayer.

When the time for Maghrib arrived, people came to the mosque. An elderly man named Malik Amirullah, recounting what had happened at Asr, said, “He led us in the Asr prayer very well today.” My father heard this and was very pleased, and said, “Then he should lead the evening prayer as well.” So they insisted and put me forward. After that, they gave the instruction that as long as I was home for the holidays, I should lead the prayers.

Thus, from the age of fourteen, the responsibility of leading the prayers fell upon me. To fulfill this duty, I was further motivated to memorize more of the Quran. I memorized a few more surahs and began reciting them in the prayers.

I remember that when I turned sixteen, my father took a pledge from me that I would be regular in offering the prayers and would not abandon them. From that day to this day, I have tried, as far as possible, to fulfill the promise and covenant I made with him—and I do not recall ever having missed a prayer, except as Allah may have willed.

After completing my MBBS [equivalent to the MD degree in the United States], I entered the Health Department of the North-West Frontier Province, and my first posting was at Edgerton Hospital, Peshawar. For accommodation, I rented an upstairs room in the city. On the way there was a shop where a hafiz used to teach children the Quran. I saw him every day as I came and went. Many times the thought occurred to me that I should learn the Quran by heart with him. It was my youth; I wore a coat and trousers. One day I could not hold myself back, and I told him what was in my heart. Hearing me, the hafiz expressed happiness and said, “In the name of Allah! What better good deed could there be than this?” And from that very day and that very moment, the routine began.

He started having me memorize from the last part. It became my habit that on my way to the hospital I would take my lesson from him, and throughout the route—coming and going—I would keep memorizing, and then recite it back to him. The hafiz was very pleased with me—also because, after all, how often does an English-educated young man in a coat and trousers get involved in the “tangle” of memorizing the Quran? So he taught me with great attention, affection, and kindness. In this manner, I memorized the final partthoroughly with him.

My posting was transferred to Nathia Gali [a hill station and mountain resort town located in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.] In the summer, the central offices would shift to Nathia Gali, and during those same months the office of the Inspector General of Health for the North-West Frontier Province was also moved there. He was an Englishman, and his personal assistant was Muhammad Hasan Khan—who later received the title of Khan Bahadur. He became my friend and began spending time with me regularly.

Nathia Gali—often called the “Queen of the Hills”—is part of the Galiyat region of Murree, and is nearly the highest point in the Murree Hills. It is a healthful resort, with a cool and pleasant climate. In that enchanting atmosphere, I found the opportunity to memorize those passages of the Holy Quran that speak of the creation of the universe and its beauty and artistry. In memorizing the Quranic words, it was as though the entire surroundings there were helping me.

For official duties, I also had to travel from there to Abbottabad. I used to make the journey to and fro on horseback. Along the way there was a dak [postal] bungalow, and I would spend the night there. I greatly enjoyed these trips. In those days, means of travel were not as easy or comfortable as they are now. Roads had not yet been built—there were only footpaths, winding up and down. Riding my horse amid the natural scenery all around, I would often recite the Holy Quran as I went. During these routines, Allah the Most High helped and supported me, and granted me such opportunities that my motivation and eagerness to memorize the Quran continued to grow.

Later, I also had the opportunity to act upon the [following] Quranic injunction:

فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ 

So travel through the earth.

And by the grace of Allah—through His enabling and His kindness—such opportunities have continued to come to me again and again. I had the chance to see much of the world. During these journeys too, I felt moved to recall passages of the Quran. For example, at times while traveling I encountered various kinds of difficulties and hardships, and the Quranic narratives relevant to the situation naturally became the focus of my attention. Likewise, whenever human feelings such as joy and delight, or sorrow and grief, and all the states related to individuals and nations would from time to time take hold of me, I would keep remembering those Quranic passages that relate to the surrounding circumstances and conditions.

Then, during my period of employment at the Dadar Sanatorium, I also found another soul-nourishing setting for memorizing and reciting the Quran. It is an extremely beautiful and health-giving hill station. Natural charm, an innate attractiveness, and the enchanting beauty of its scenery are among the distinctive features of that place. I spent about 25 years of my life in that lovely environment, and in the fragrant, musk-scented air—morning and evening—I continued the practice of reciting and memorizing the Quran.

I have a complete record of my recitation of the Quran, preserved in the form of cassette tapes. Allah the Most High knows our intentions and aims far better and more fully than we ourselves do. In making these arrangements, my personal desire or effort has absolutely no part. These cassette tapes are with my relatives and close family members, and with some friends from the Ahmadiyya Movement.

As I have said earlier, I am not a graduate of any recognized institution, nor am I strictly bound by the formal rules of recitation and tajwīd and the like. Despite these shortcomings, at times—because of some hidden inner pain—my recitation of the Quran takes on a kind of measured, rhythmic tartīl, which affects my heart, and some listeners too are moved by that state. At such a moment, these verses of [the world renowned poet] Ghalib come to mind:

A lament is not bound to the flute.

There is no fixed tune to weeping.

Background to the Recording

Let us now turn to another excerpt from the writing of Doctor Saeed Ahmad

However, the background to the recording of my recitation of the Holy Quran is this: when I went to England in 1976, my son Abdul Karim Saeed, known as Pasha, was a doctor at a hospital in Dartford, Kent [England] in those days. I stayed with him for two months. At that time, he was memorizing the Holy Quran on his own. For verifying the accuracy of his memorization and for listening to a full Quranic revision, he seemingly had no source of help or facility available. He expressed the wish that I should record the recitation of the entire Holy Quran for him. So this recording work began there, and then this series continued for quite some time in places such as Abbottabad and Lahore, until—by the grace of Allah—it was completed.

Some of my other relatives and friends, seeing this, also took an interest in those cassette tapes and expressed a desire to obtain them. One of my close friends, Brigadier Chaudhry Abdul Latif, insisted even more strongly that additional cassettes be prepared so that other people could benefit from them as well. Similar requests had already been made earlier by some people living abroad.

Accordingly, for this purpose it became necessary to redo the work of correcting and refining the recordings from the beginning. The cooperation of friends made this difficult task much easier for me, and in the end such a copy was produced that was considered, as far as possible, free from mistakes. At least two memorizers and reciters helped us in this good undertaking, and then, for the final time, a highly skilled hafiz of the Quran listened to all the cassettes from start to finish and confirmed their correctness. In this way the work reached completion. Afterwards, these sets were produced through the well-known recording company Shalimar.

Regarding the aforementioned recording of the Quranic recitation—despite such great care and hard work—there was still room for further improvement. Even during the days of his severe illness, Brigadier Nasir Ahmad Saeed worked on this recording with tremendous diligence and dedication, striving to add further beauty to it, and he re-recorded it anew. In the initial recording, at certain places some words of the Quranic recitation had, for some reason, been omitted; he recorded those missing words in his own voice.This recording has now been produced on compact disc (CD) instead of cassette, and it is also available on the Ahmadiyya Movement website. Allah soon called Nasir [Ahmad Saeed] back to Himself. Even so, Allah enabled him, in his short life, to accomplish great work. May Allah be pleased with him and grant him an elevated station in paradise. Ameen