Intro
Maulana J.D. Shams was from a small village called Sekhwan (“n” is silent), which is a few miles away from Qadian. His father’s name was Khwaja Imam-ud-Din Wyne Sekhwani, and his grandfather’s name was Khwaja Muhammad Siddique.
In 1896, Mian Khair-ud-Din (famous list of 313 companions in 1896, see Dard, page 845) comes from a family of brothers who were early converts to Ahmadiyya from Sekhwan. Sekhwan was a village just 1/2 northwest of Qadian. His 2 brothers were Imam-ud-Din Sekhwani (see Dard, page 845) and Jamal-ud-Din Sekhwani (see Dard, page 845). However, their father, Muhammad Siddiq Sekhwani (See Dard, page 856) was not an Ahmadi in 1896 but seems to have joined later and is mentioned as a donor for the proposed Minaret-ul-Masih (the minaret of the Messiah) in 1901. Their mother Sharf Bibi and their father Muhammad Siddiq Sekhwani also accepted Ahmadiyyat as well as their sister Amir Bibi (more commonly known as Mai Kako). The latter remained in household service of MGA and his family. They were ethnically Kashmiri and that’s why they have the fore-title Khwaja and the surtitle Wyne (“n” is silent) around their names, but they lived in Punjab, India (See also Where did Jesus die?).
In 1897, the entire family was mentioned as “wool weavers” and as having donated 1 rupee each. Their names are listed as attendees at the public meeting to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee in Qadian, District Gurdaspur, with MGA. With contribution or without, and the names of the absentees who contributed. From June 20, 1897 to June 22, 1897 (see “A Gift for the Queen” aka “Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah” see pages 59-69). Also in 1897, the entire family was mentioned as donor’s for the guest house and well at Qadian (see “Siraj-e-Munir”, pages 156-157).
In 1901, per Ahmadiyya sources, Jalal-ud-Din Shams was born in Qadian.
In 1917-1918, he was attending the Ahmadiyya school at Qadian. Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri was the Principal at the Talim ul Islam High School. He accompanied Hafiz Roshan ‘Ali to Lahore to attend a convention. At that time the Ahmadis of Lahore prayed at the house of Mian Chiragh Din outside the Delhi Gate. One day after the maghrib prayer [evening prayer], the late Hadrat Hafiz Sahib recited a few couplets of this Qasidah in a very melodious voice. When he recited this couplet it touched my heart so deeply that the love for my village disappeared. Following this event I rarely visited my village and eventually stopped completely. Later on, my late father left the village and moved to Qadian as his place of residence.
In 1924, Shams is made an Imam by the Khalifa and sent to Syria(See the Forward)(This forward says 1925, however, it was late 1924. He was sent with another Ahmadi cleric by the name of Maulvi Syed Zainul Abedeen Wali Ullah Shah, his exodus from Syria is unknown. Maulvi Abu’l-‘Ata Jalandhari was sent to Jerusalem in this era also, his exodus is also unknown. Conflicting dates on his arrival in Syria, the ROR of 1931 tells us that he arrived in Damascus, Syria in July of 1925. However, Mirza Tahir Ahmad claims that it was late in 1924 (See From Rabwah to Tel Aviv (1976).
In 1925, two missionaries were sent to Syria, Jalal ud Din Shams and Sayyid Zayn al’Abidin Waliullah Shah. The ROR of 1931 tells us that he arrived in Damascus, Syria in July of 1925. However, Mirza Tahir Ahmad claims that it was late in 1924 (See “From Rabwah to Tel Aviv (1976)). The October edition of the ROR tell us that the 2 ahmadi missionaries had arrived.
In 1926, he is living in Syria (See Ahmadiyya sources).
Continue reading “Who is Jalal-ud-Din Shams? 1901-1966” →