Sayyid Al-Shuhada, Hazrat Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif, Shaheed-e-Kabul (ra)

Allah, The Gracious, has named the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as the Akhireen in the Holy Qur’an, meaning ‘the ones who have not yet joined’ and has blessed them with all the noble virtues and Islamic values which were characteristic of Awwaleen, ‘the former people [Companions of Prophet Muhammad (sa)].’ 

If we talk about personal sacrifices, including the utmost sacrifice of one’s life for the sake of the establishment of the unity of Allah, the prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), as well as the truthfulness of the Messiah of the time, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the name that comes to one’s mind is of a prince of his era from the land of Afghanistan and the state of Khost, Hazrat Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif Shaheed (ra), whose religious and worldly status is described by the Promised Messiah (as) himself when he writes: “This revered person was not an ordinary man. He was a man of substance who owned estates and property worth millions in Kabul and also owned considerable property in British territory. He was such a highly esteemed scholar that he was known as the chief of the divines and was known to be the most able in the understanding of the Holy Qur’an, the Traditions, and Islamic Jurisprudence. It was he who officiated at the crowning ceremony of the Amir and when the king died, it was he who led the Amir’s funeral prayer. In short, this revered person was a greatly renowned man in the State of Kabul. He had no equal as regards piety, wisdom, honor, and family status. Besides being called a Maulvi, he was known by the titles of Sahibzada (son of a nobleman) and Akhwandzada (son of a senior officer) and was also a prince in that country. Despite holding such a high status, he was so meek and humble in his deportment as is pertinent only to one who is wholly devoted to God” (1).

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Madi (as), has termed his sacrifice as the biggest and the most notable and exemplary sacrifice aside from the sacrifices of the Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in the 1300 years of Islamic history (2); he has specifically written a special book about this event and has advised his Jama’at (followers/community) to read this book repeatedly and has termed the conduct of Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif (ra) as an Uswa-e-hasana, or the best example (3).

Following in the footsteps of the Promised Messiah (as) all the Khulafa of Ahmadiyyat have particularly highlighted the importance of this great sacrifice by repeatedly narrating this incident in their various addresses to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. The authentic scholars of the Jama’at have written seven books about Hazrat Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif (ra). I have humbly also written two books, one about Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) (Sayyid Al-Shuhada), and the other about the hardships faced by the family of Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) in the aftermath of his martyrdom (Hayat-e-Tayyab) (4).

As mentioned before, aside from his lofty worldly status, Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) also carried the reputation of being a very pious and knowledgeable man. Therefore, when the time came to demarcate the boundary between Afghanistan and (then) British India, the government of Afghanistan nominated Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) and Sardar Shireendil Khan, the Governor of Khost, to represent their side. The British government was represented by Lord Durand and Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan (Durand Line Commission 1894) (5). It was on this occasion that Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif Sahib (ra) received the holy writings of the Promised Messiah (as) in the form of his book Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, The Mirror of Excellences of Islam. According to one narration, he was asked to critique the book and comment about the author of the book. However, after receiving the book, Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) said that he was very busy at the time but would read the book upon returning to his country. Our aunt (the eldest daughter-in-law of Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra)) used to tell us that he did not sleep a wink that entire night and read the book in its entirety. The next morning was a Friday, and he told the people during his Friday sermon that he had not read a book like this in his entire life and that the author of the book, by just writing this book, had done such an extraordinary service to Islam the kind of which had not been done thus far in the 1300 years of Islamic history. And he expounded on the brilliance of this book with such fervor and intensity that his face turned red, and at one point he held his head with his two hands and said: “O’ My God, please make me stop” (6). He was, in fact, in a state of non-existence and obscurity as he had found the priceless jewel that he had been searching for all along.

After the Friday sermon, when Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) came toward his guest houses, he gave the glad tidings to the hundreds of his disciples and devotees (according to the Promised Messiah (as) he had around 50 thousand disciples) that, indeed this author is that holy personality that the Muslims had been awaiting for centuries (7). He arranged for one of his students to go to Qadian for more information and soon afterward obtained permission from the King to go for Hajj. A quarantine was in place for India due to a cholera outbreak, so he could not go to Hajj from Lahore onwards and instead went to Qadian to meet the Promised Messiah (as) (8). When he finally met the Promised Messiah (as) in Qadian, Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) went on to accept him and offered his Bai’at (pledge of allegiance) without asking any questions, in the same manner as Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (ra) when he accepted Islam and pledged his allegiance to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). The Promised Messiah (as) writes:

“In short, God had blessed him with an unshakable faith, and he had accepted me with the same fervor as if he had seen me coming down from heaven with hordes of angels” (9).

The Promised Messiah (as) has detailed the account of this first meeting with Syed Abdul Latif Sahib (ra) as follows:

“I declare this on the oath of Allah, Who is the Master of my life, that I found him to be incomparably sincere and honest in his adherence to me and in accepting my claim. His love and affection could be likened to a clear crystal vial of the most fragrant perfume. Indeed, I found him to be most sincere in his love for me. His heart, like his radiant face, was very pure. The most enviable quality that the deceased sage possessed was that he always gave preference to matters of faith over all worldly affairs. He was, without the least doubt, from amongst those true and righteous persons who, through fear of God, piety, and obedience to Him, endeavor to reach the highest point of rectitude; those who, for acquiring God’s pleasure, would voluntarily and gladly sacrifice their lives, their reputation, their glory, and their possessions as if all these were mere chaff as compared to seeking the pleasure of Allah. His zeal and enthusiasm for the faith were so highly advanced that it would not be an exaggeration if it was likened to a lofty mountain and even this resemblance would fall short of reality” (10).

During his stay in Qadian, he also had the blessed opportunity to travel along with the Promised Messiah (as) to Jhelum in the same vehicle. There was a massive crowd of ten thousand strong that had gathered to witness and listen to the Promised Messiah (as). Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Rasool Rajeyki (ra) has narrated that the Promised Messiah (as) started off his speech in Urdu. But, when he saw Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) sitting there, he switched to Persian. Upon noticing this change, Hazrat Sahibzada Sahib (ra) requested his master to continue his speech in Urdu since he (Sahibzada Sahib) understood Urdu and there were thousands of people eagerly awaiting his speech who understood Urdu only (11). It is amazing to note the amount of love that the Promised Messiah (as) had in his heart for this prince of Afghanistan and a servant of his. 

During his stay in Qadian, Hazrat Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif (ra) repeatedly received the revelation “Sir be deh” (12), meaning, “Offer your head” or, in other words, the revelation about the fact that he would be martyred. 

The Promised Messiah (as) writes about the martyrdom of Hazrat Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif (ra) in these blessed words:

“A hole was mercilessly pierced through his nose, and a string was passed through it, and in this terrible state of torture, he was, through the deriding crowds and the scornful jeers of the onlookers, led to the place of execution. The Amir himself, accompanied by his courtiers, muftis, and divines, rode alongside the crowd witnessing this terrible scene and arrived at the place of execution. A great multitude numbering many thousands, also went along to witness this gruesome execution. At the place of the execution, the condemned prince was made to stand in a hole dug into the ground and was buried up to his waist. The Amir then went to him and said: ‘Even at this stage, if you denounce the person of Qadian who claims to be the Promised Messiah, I shall save you. This is the last chance being offered to you. Take pity on yourself and on your family.’ The Sahibzada replied: ‘God forbid that I should deny the truth. This life is worth little, and none of my kith and kin shall avail me in the least. It is not possible that I should renounce my faith for their sake. I shall die for my faith.’ Hearing this, the divines and the jurists cried out in one voice that he was a ‘Kafir’ [disbeliever in God as per Islam]and should be stoned to death at once” (13).

There is no better way to end this essay than with the blessed words of the Promised Messiah (as): 

“O Abdul Latif, may thousands of blessings be showered on thee, for thou hast, in my own lifetime, manifested unparalleled fidelity to me, and I do not know how my followers will behave when I am no more among them” (14).

References

1. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text
2. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]
3. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]
4. Sahibzada Jamil Latif, Sayyidush-Shuhada, Hayat-e-Tayyb, Printwell Amritsar, India 2014, 2017
5. Sahibzada Jamil Latif, Sayyidush-Shuhada, Pages 81-87, Printwell Amritsar, India, 2017
6. Sahibzada Jamil Latif, Sayyidush-Shuhada, Pages 81-87, Printwell Amritsar, India, 2017. 
7. Sahibzada Jamil Latif, Sayyidush-Shuhada, Pages 81-87, Printwell Amritsar, India, 2017
8. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]
9. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]
10. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]
11. Register Riwayat-e-Sahabah Volume 10 pages 41-45 
12. Sahibzada Jamil Latif, Sayyidush-Shuhada, Page 133-141, Printwell Amritsar, India, 2017
13. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]
14. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Narrative of Two Martyrdoms. Translated By Muhammad Akram Khan Ghauri. Published by The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL. https://www.alislam.org/book/narrative-two-martyrdoms/#online_text [Accessed February 1, 2023]

Last modified: October 2023