Guardian Angels Are Watching You

Listening to and acting upon the sermons of our Khulafa has such a deep and profound effect that many times it is beyond our imagination and is incomprehensible to us. One incident that happened in my life about three years ago bears testimony to the fact that all of Khalifatul Masih’s injunctions, when followed, produce amazing results. In light of the sermons of all the Khulafa whom I have had the blessing to listen to, I made a decision in my life which I can never forget—both the decision and the results that ensued. Here is a true story of my life:

Following my retirement as an English Language teacher in the California school system, I joined an important American institution to teach Urdu. I received a warm welcome from everyone in the department which comprised of all non-Ahmadi teachers. At that point, no one knew that I was and Ahmadi, however, they were soon to find out.

Around four months into the job, on one blessed day, I was handed a written dialogue to be used in the instruction, which contained the English and Urdu translations of Kalima Tayyaba. By and large, it was fine; however, the translation had one very obvious mistake—it contained the words “Last Prophet.” I reported the error to one of my supervisors who happened to be a Christian, originally from Pakistan. Furthermore, I expressed my refusal to teach the incorrect translation and requested its correction. Needless to say that following that incident pretty much everyone found out that I was an Ahmadi. It also sparked a storm of anti-Ahmadi sentiment aimed at me. It was then that I made a pledge with Almighty Allah that I would pursue the matter until the correction was made—even if it meant putting my job at stake.

From what I knew, the entire faculty—perhaps with the exception of one individual who had interacted with Ahmadis before—were against my stance. My other supervisor—an American Christian who belonged to the same church as the Pakistani Christian—was also under the influence of the Pakistani. As a result, the American Christian supervisor decided to go against me as well and both supervisors started collaborating to get me terminated from my position. The individual who was neutral warned me about their actions and advised me that I take some action myself. I filed a grievance report with the office of the Dean of Faculty and then escalated it to the Provost—the highest authority at the institution. As a result, an Assistant Dean visited the department where I taught and accused me of propagating religion. I defended my stance vehemently. At the end of the discussion, the Assistant Dean promised to have the translation of the Kalima corrected. A few days later, I was handed over a termination letter indicating that my services would be terminated in seven days and that my last day on the job would be Friday.

Meanwhile, I was shown in a dream that I was in a factory room where three wasps were attacking me. In my hands I held a clipboard (امتحانی گتہ) which I swung at them, whereby one of them fell to the ground—half dead—and the other two flew away.

After receiving the news about my termination, I complained to the Provost one last time in hopes that he would understand my wrongful termination. Yet, after a lengthy discussion, he let me go. Being steadfast and thankful to Almighty Allah, I asked my wife—who stood by me during this very painful period of my life—to pack our bags to move back to our original residence. The Thursday prior to my last day working there, I received a call from the Provost who asked me to meet with the head of a sister institution. I complied. A few days later I received a call from the sister institution and was informed that I was still employed at my position and should report to duty. The caller also apologized for the miscommunication.

It is interesting to note that later on, the Pakistani Christian Supervisor was suspended on serious charges, my team leader resigned from his position, and the Dean of Faculty was fired. After I had resumed my duties at the institution, one of the higher officials remarked, “Guardian Angels are watching you.”

I end my story with the words, “Glory be to Almighty Allah.”