The Memories of Abdul
       Wahab Adam

This humble one has had the honor of working with Abdul Wahab bin Adam, Amir Jama’at Ghana, in 1975–1976 as the principal of Ahmadiyya Secondary School at Salaga in Ghana. Wahab Sahib possessed exemplary qualities. He was a sympathetic and a popular Amir who showed love, equality, and benevolence to all of us. Everyone used to think that he had a personal relationship with Amir Sahib.

As the Holy prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him) has advised us to remember those who have passed away and describe their good qualities so that we too emulate those qualities, I will describe some of the beautiful memories of respected Amir sahib which are still very fresh in my mind, even after forty years.

Belief in the Acceptance of Prayers and Dominance of Islam and Ahmadiyyat

Amir Sahib had a strong belief in the acceptance of prayers. I had the extra responsibility for constructing and supervising the new Ahmadiyya secondary school building, in addition to teaching and administration. Once I described my worry about a school matter. He immediately replied, “Mubarik Sahib, don’t worry; we will spread the praying mat.” This comment described his firm belief in prayers and became a source of comfort and strength in faith for me.

Whenever I had a chance to spend time in his company, I always felt his strong belief in the spread of Islam and Ahmadiyyat as if it will spread within a few days.

Respect and Encouragement for Colleagues

My eldest son was born in Ghana and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (may Allah shower His mercy on him) proposed the name of Ata-ul-Wahab. Upon hearing the name of my son, Amir Sahib commented that he liked the name of my son very much. When I inquired the reason, he said, “Huzur has taken the name of both the Amirs of Ghana.” He was referring to ex-Amir (Ata Ullah Kalim) and the present Amir (Wahab Adam). I had not thought that he would find this coincidence to show his love and respect for his colleague and predecessor.

During the construction of the Salaga School building, I realized that the asbestos sheets of a roof had cracked and had to be replaced. I was worried that Amir Sahib may be upset about this loss. But to my surprise, he replied, with so much love and affection, “Mubarik Sahib, don’t worry. Salaga is the city of storms, and I thought that whole roof of the building has blown away.” This was our beloved Amir who knew how to win the hearts and make people to work with love. He immediately sent money for repairs and helped us complete the construction.

We had an annual function for prize distribution and parent’s day at the school. Wahab Sahib traveled a long distance from Accra to Salaga to attend the function as the chief guest and gave a very moving speech about Islam, Ahmadiyyat, and its services to the community. He praised the Almighty for blessing our efforts in constructing the school building and expressed his gratitude to the devotee teachers who had been serving the Jama’at.

Spiritual Attachment to Urdu Language

During an Urdu conference at Talimul Islam College, Rabwah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III gave us a slogan, “Urdu is not only our national but also a religious language.” Amir Sahib truly considered Urdu as his religious language and always communicated and spoke with us in Urdu. Once, I had the chance to attend the annual gathering in Wah, a city in North Ghana. I was very impressed when I saw that Amir Sahab read number of quotations from the Promised Messiah’s (may peace be on him) book and then directly translated it into the local language. This experience was so impressive that I still remember its sweetness.

Love and Sense of Comfort for the Devotees of the Jama’at

Amir Sahib used to show a lot of love for Jama’at’s devotees and cared for their comfort. I had a personal kerosene fridge for our domestic use. When it was time for me to go back to Pakistan, Amir Sahib wrote a letter to me saying, “Do not sell your fridge. Salaga is a hot place. Leave this for your replacement coming from Pakistan so that brother will not suffer.” I did not know who was coming in my place. It happened to be Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, now Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah be his helper).

Love and Gratitude for Fellow Ahmadis

During my stay at Salaga, Wahab Sahib’s uncle Mr. Botting, was a government welfare officer. When he passed away, Wahab Sahib was still in London as Na’ib Imam of Fazl Mosque. On his arrival in Ghana, he thanked me saying, “Mubarik Sahib, thank you very much for taking care of my maternal uncle.”

He used to speak highly of Chaudhry Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan. Wahab Sahib narrated that when he was Na’ib Imam in London, Chaudry Sahib offered him if he want to send some gifts to his wife as Chaudhry Sahib was visiting Ghana. Wahab Sahib had a concern that Chaudhry Sahib worked more than the devotees of the Jama’at. Once, when Wahab Sahib was wearing a necktie, he told me that this was a gift from Dr. Abdus Salam.

The departed soul had many virtues. He has left with us numerous loving memories. May Allah have mercy on his soul and enable us to emulate his examples. Amin.