This entire reference is taken from Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. 2 through Dr. Basharat Ahmad’s famous biography on MGA, Mujadid-e-Azam or “the greatest reformer”, see page 180-183

“””Your grandfather (Mir Nasir Nawab) and your paternal uncle, Mr. Ghulam Qadir, became acquainted when your grandfather was working on the construction of the canal that passes a few miles

west of Qadian. As luck would have it, I fell ill and your uncle recommended his father, who was a skilled physician of Indian medicine, to Mir sahib for my treatment. Accordingly, I accompanied

your grandfather in a palanquin to Qadian. When we arrived there, your uncle had some company and was sitting with them on the ground floor, and your father (Hazrat Mirza) was reading the Quran by the window of a small room also on the ground floor.

 

Your paternal grandfather (Mirza Ghulam Murtaza) was in the upper story of the house. He examined my pulse, wrote out a prescription, and then chatted for the rest of the time with Mir sahib about his medical studies under the tutelage of Hakim Muhammad Sharif in Delhi. Your paternal grandfather had passed away by the time of my next visit to Qadian. This second visit happened to be on the day of his death anniversary, which was observed in accordance with

old traditions and a considerable quantity of food was sent to our house as well. During this visit, your uncle invited Mir sahib to move from Tatla, where we resided, to his house in Qadian. Tatla, he said, was not a comfortable village to live in and its dwellers were reputed troublemakers. Your uncle said that as he stayed most of the time in Gurdaspur and Ghulam Ahmad (Hazrat Mirza) rarely came inside the house, we would enjoy complete privacy. Mir Nasir Nawab sahib accepted his invitation and we took up residence in Qadian.

 

On his visits to Qadian, your uncle brought betel leaves for us and I would cook some good food and send it to him. Once I prepared some shami kabobs for him, but learned that he had already left for Gurdaspur. Since the kabobs were ready, I decided to send them to his younger brother. The maid who took the kabobs to your father came back and conveyed his sincere thanks. She reported that he ate the kabobs with great relish and did not even touch the food that had come for him from his own house. After that, I sent him some of my home-cooked food every two or three days, which he ate happily. However, when your aunt (the wife of Ghulam Qadir) learnt about the food I was sending your father, she was very upset because she disliked him intensely. As the running of the house was in her hands, she took every opportunity to inconvenience him, but he bore all the provocations with great patience. Although Mir sahib’s contact was mostly with your uncle, he did remark sometimes in the house that the younger brother of Mirza Ghulam Qadir is a very holy and pious person. After some time, we went on leave to Delhi.

 

By then, your mother was an adult and we began to worry about finding a suitable match for her. Mir sahib expressed this concern in a letter to your father and asked him to pray that we receive some marriage proposal for her from some pious person. In reply, your father expressed his own wish to marry her and wrote “As you are aware, I do have a wife and children, but for all practical purposes I am single.” Mir sahib did not even mention this letter to me for fear that I may take offence. During this period, we received several marriage proposals for your mother but I was not fully satisfied with any of them although some were from affluent persons who expressed great desire for this match. Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, a good friend of your maternal grandfather, wrote several letters to him in support of your father’s proposal, in which he emphasized Mirza sahib’s piety and nobility. However, I was not fully satisfied with this proposal either; first, because of the age difference and second, because the people of Delhi looked down upon the Punjabis. One day, Mir sahib suggested that we accept the proposal of an individual from Ludhiana who, he said, was a very nice person and also very desirous of the match. I enquired about his caste etc., but found no inclination in my heart to accept the proposal and turned it down. Mir sahib was annoyed, and remarked: “The girl has turned eighteen. Are you going to keep her unmarried for the rest of her life?” I replied: “Compared to this proposal, Ghulam Ahmad is many times better.” Immediately, he took out a letter from his pocket and put it before me. “Well,” he said, “I have a letter here from Ghulam Ahmad too. We must now make a decision.” I then told him to write to Ghulam Ahmad to convey our acceptance of his proposal, and Mir sahib immediately took pen and ink and wrote the letter. Eight days later, your father

arrived in Delhi. He was accompanied by some Hindu and Muslim friends and one or two servants. Our friends and family were generally very unhappy with our decision to accept the proposal of a person advanced in age and a Punjabi on top of that. Some of them expressed their displeasure by not attending the wedding. However, we had made our decision. The marriage was solemnized and the bride left for her new home. Your father did not bring with him any jewelry or clothes for his bride but gave just two hundred and fifty rupees in cash. This gave our relatives a further opportunity to taunt us. “What kind of a marriage is this,” they said, “without any clothes or jewelry?” Our reply was that Mirza sahib did not have an intimate relationship with his family, that the women of his house were against him, and that he came in such a hurry that there was no time for him to get jewelry and clothes made. In short, our family chided and reproached us on this marriage.”””