By: Tamim Abu Daqqa

In late 2013, my mother was on her deathbed in the hospital, her health having sharply declined due to cancer. We called my siblings who were living abroad so they could be by her side, as it was clear that she was in the final hours of her life.

At that time, I was supposed to travel to participate in a live discussion program. I hadn’t canceled my participation, nor had I informed the Khalifa (may Allah be his Helper) about my mother’s critical condition. I decided to travel, placing my trust in Allah.

I told my mother that the time had come for me to leave, but if she didn’t want me to, I would cancel my trip. She said: “Go, and put your trust in Allah.”

I bid her farewell the night before my departure, thinking it would be the last time I’d see her. I said to myself, perhaps Allah has chosen for me not to witness her passing and burial — maybe that would be easier for me. My stance appeared strange to some: my siblings were flying in from abroad while I was flying out!

I remained in contact with my siblings until the very last moment before my flight to check on my mother’s condition. They told me it was worsening — she was slipping in and out of consciousness.

As soon as I landed at Heathrow Airport in London, I began calling to check on her. They said her condition was deteriorating, but she was still alive. I became so occupied with making calls that I forgot my hand luggage — which held the passports — on the airport trolley. I didn’t realize until I arrived at my accommodation. The story of losing the bag and recovering it was in itself another sign — perhaps I’ll share that another time.

When His Holiness (may Allah be his Helper) learned that I had come despite my mother’s condition, he gently reproached me, saying it would’ve been better to stay by her side. I told him I had sought her permission and did not want to abandon the field of service, even in such a critical moment. He had actually intended to send me on a mission to an African country, but upon learning of my mother’s condition, he canceled the plan. I told him I was still ready to go, but he replied: “No need this time. God willing, in the future.”

When I met His Holiness shortly before returning to Jordan, he asked: “How is your mother?”
I said: “Her condition is very serious.” I meant she could die at any moment based on visible signs. Then I suddenly felt I had spoken improperly about Allah’s power, as these causes do not bind Him. So I corrected myself and said: “But if Allah wills to bring her back to life, that’s another matter.”

At that moment, His Holiness looked at me with a gaze I felt was unusual — it carried a sense of divine majesty. We both fell silent briefly, and I felt that Divine Will had just decreed something wondrous. It was a very special moment.

Before leaving London, I called home again and was told my mother was still alive — and that her condition had slightly improved. The plane took off, and I planned to visit her at the hospital the next day after arriving in the middle of the night.

In the morning, I called my siblings before heading to the hospital. They told me the doctors had decided to discharge her — she was on her way home.

I arrived at the house, and moments later the ambulance brought her. I saw she had slightly improved. After she rested, she shared her experience with us, weeping as she spoke.

She said that when her condition worsened in the hospital, she saw — in full consciousness — an angel flying in the room. He stopped at her bedside, and she felt he had come to take her soul. She recited the Shahadah. As soon as she finished, she heard a powerful sound — a multitude of voices, perhaps of all people, calling her name. Then she heard a voice say: “The Messenger of Allah has come!”

She looked — and saw the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had arrived. He gestured with his hand to the angel to stop. Then he held the cuff of her right sleeve — not her hand, may me sacrificed for him — and gently pulled her upward as if helping her rise, saying:

“Your son Tamim has saved you… for he loves Allah and His Messenger!”

The vision faded. Her pain started to ease. Her health began to recover, reaching the state we saw.

She recalled this vision while crying continuously. She began advising my siblings to believe and follow what I follow.

She had pledged allegiance many years ago, and had once seen a dream confirming the truth of the Jamaat. But Allah willed to firmly establish her faith with this sign, and make her a witness to the truth of the Community.

She used to recount this vision to her visitors, which resulted in having more witnesses apart from siblings and close family members. She was fully mentally sound, and even showed some improvement in health — she began eating again and could walk a few steps. My siblings then returned to their work abroad.

Her condition remained stable for about forty days, then began to worsen in the final three days. She passed away peacefully, having delivered this message, leaving the world a believer, confident and content.

There’s no doubt that Allah honoured me with this testimony from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). It’s a divine favour I cannot thank Him enough for. Whenever I recall it, the fountains of divine love overflow in my heart. But in truth, this testimony wasn’t for me — it was a magnificent testimony for the truth of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), whom I have believed in as the Imam Mahdi and Messiah. It was, in reality, a sign of revival of the dead at the hands of the Holy Prophet, in support of the Promised Messiah, and a testimony to the truth of Khilafat on the precepts of Prophethood. That single moment of encounter unlocked the spring of Divine Will for this sign to manifest.

This event cannot be dismissed as illusion or imagination — its effects were immediate and undeniable. The improvement in my mother’s condition and her extended life were, by all logical standards, impossible. But Allah willed to show me — despite my belief — His power to raise the dead, to reassure my heart, and to teach me to avoid even unintentionally thinking that anything could limit His power or that any fate is inevitable. Though my attitude was based on surrender to God’s will and contentment with it, Satan had crept into that thinking — and Allah wished to cast him out, humiliated as was decreed for him.

A number of close ones had learned of this event from me, but I had not wished to speak of it — and still hesitate to — but I share it now as a way of expressing gratitude for Allah’s favour, and to show that we, the Community of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), still receive what the believers used to receive — that we are not deluded in our faith, and that we have found what our Lord promised to be true.

Our opponents, who fall into the lap of Satan day after day, are left in loss and misery, punished by God for their lies and disbelief.

Divine signs and support continue to accompany us by Allah’s grace. These stories are many and varied — witnessed constantly by Ahmadis, their families, and acquaintances. In fact, no Ahmadi home is without such testimonies, and they remain a regular topic of conversation and a source of strength and reassurance by the grace of Allah.