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April
2014 Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at www.virtualmosque.co.uk Editors: Shahid Aziz Mustaq Ali Contents: Page The Call of the Messiah 1 The Evolution of Species and Islam by Shahid Aziz 4 The First Convert at the Woking Muslim Mission 5
ن ْحالرَّ ْ ی م حم ْ ْس م ْ ٰ ِباہللْالرَّ م The Call of the Messiah by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi Spiritual matters in physical form In short, it has been established conclusively from primary evidence that the prophet Jesus (pbuh) is dead. The truth has been demonstrated. In contrasting fashion, the remaining hadith [Traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s)], describing the Messiah’s descent, embody elusive and subtle metaphors and figures of speech belonging to that class [of revelation termed] ‘speaking from behind the curtain’ – َو َما َكانَ ِلبَش ٍَر أَن يُ َكلِّ َمهُ ه ب أَوْ يُرْ ِس َل ٍ َّللاُ إِ هَّل َوحْ يًا أَوْ ِمن َو َرا ِء ِح َجا ْ ً ه ( َرسُوَّل فَيُو ِح َي بِإِذنِ ِه َما يَشَا ُء إِنهُ َع ِل ٌّي َح ِكيمHoly Quran, 42:51) – of which thousands of examples are found in the Word of God, and it behoves not an honest and just man to disregard and deny them. The Holy Prophet’s seeing two false prophets in the form of two bangles was a revelation of this kind; the slaughter of cows, too, was a revelation of this kind; the death of the wife with the longer hands before other wives was also a revelation of this kind; the second coming of the prophet Elias, as indicated in the revelation of the prophet Malachi, descending at a certain place among the cities of the Jews was
again a revelation of this kind; the sight of the epidemic of Medina in the form of a distracted woman was another revelation of this kind; in the same way, the dajjal – which is a group of people who mislead and beguile – was seen in the shape of a particular man, and that, too, is a revelation of this kind. In the revelations of the prophets there are thousands of examples in which spiritual matters had been seen and made visible in physical form, or a whole group or class of people was seen in the shape of one person. For the whole human race, including prophets, the Divine custom is that, in visions and revelations, metaphor often plays a dominant role. For instance, gather together three or four hundred people and listen to their dreams. In them, there will be mostly metaphors and figures of speech. Someone saw a snake; another, a wolf; the third, a dreadful flood; the fourth, a garden; another person saw a fruit, and another, a fire. All these matters will need interpretation. The Traditions tell us that deeds, good as well as bad, are seen in human form in the grave. This, then, is a point of fact that will eliminate discrepancies, resolve and remove contradictions and bring truth and reality to light. Blessed are those who ponder over it!
The Second Coming Now, when it has been decided after a thorough
Hagia Sophia
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2 investigation that Jesus is, in fact, dead, and the erwise, to impose a literal interpretation on the fact of his death has been established from prophecy, as did the Jews, will be to deny the every point of view, and when it is stated in an very prophethood of Jesus. This is because, if authentic hadith that he lived to the good old the second coming of a person had been allowed age of 120 years and remained on this earth for by Divine Law, the objection put forward by the 87 years after the crucifixion event, the question Jews as to why Elias did not come back to this naturally arises: “What, then, is the meaning of world again – as prophesied by the prophet those Traditions implying that Jesus, Son of Malachi – prior the advent of the Messiah, would Mary will descend in the last age?” To this queshave been quite valid and correct. And if the section we have just now given the reply that these ond coming to this world of a person who had Traditions certainly passed away had been cannot be given a literal permitted and allowed interpretation. It is by the Law of God, then clearly stated in the God Most High obviHoly Quran that it is not ously – God forbid – the practice of God held Jesus up to ridiMost High to allow a cule and shame before person to go up to the Jews deliberately, heaven in this material for He did not send body, then come back Elias into the world down again to earth; before him and left the nor has it ever been the door open for different practice of God Most interpretations. The Süleymaniye Mosque (exterior) High to permit a man objection of the Jews, who has departed this world ever to return to it going by the words as they stood, would be afterwards; and ever since the world began up quite reasonable, that is to say: when it had to this day, not a single instance of such a return been laid down as a condition for the appearhas ever been discovered or come to light. On ance of the true Messiah that Elias would first the other hand, an instance is found in earlier descend upon this earth for a second visit, how scriptures to this effect, that the promise of a could it be that the Messiah, Son of Mary made given person’s second coming had been fulfilled his appearance in the absence of Elias? Now, in this way: that someone else came in his since the Jews received the reply from Jesus that power and spirit. Accordingly, the promise that by the second coming of Elias was meant the Elias would come to this earth for a second visit advent of John the Baptist, no reasonable and had been given to the Jews, and it was written in rational person would hesitate to acknowledge scripture that before Jesus’ advent, Elias would that the prophecy of the second coming of Jesus certainly return to this earth, yet the promise would also be fulfilled in the same way, for such has not, to this day, been literally fulfilled, alis the Divine rule that had previously applied, and the Laws of God certainly do not change: َولَ ْن though Jesus, the Messiah who was to came, ًت َِج َد لِ ُسنهۃِ ہَّللاِ تَ ْب ِد ْيا. came to and has also departed from this world. There is, therefore, no doubt that the promise, in The Quranic verdict accordance with Jesus’ interpretation of the In the way of the second coming of Jesus son of prophecy, was fulfilled in a spiritual sense and Mary there is yet another insurmountable barthat John the Baptist [Yahya] came into the rier. It is the verse ِک ْن خَاتَ َم النهبِيِّن َو َرسُوْ ُل ہَّللا ِ َو ہل, i.e., world in the power and spirit of Elias; it was “Muhammad is the Apostle of God and the Last Elias, as it were, who had come. According to of the Prophets”, and also the hadith ْی ب َ ْع ِدی ْ ِ ََّل نَب, this precedent we shall have necessarily to adi.e, “No prophet after me”. How can it be permismit that the promise of the second coming of sible as well as possible that in spite of the fact Jesus might be fulfilled in the same manner as that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the the promise of the second coming of Elias. Oth-
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3 the Great Unseen – which are evidently outside Last of the Prophets, another prophet will appear human control – have been mentioned in the at some stage and prophetic revelation will begin prophecies and then fulfilled? Take, for instance, again? Do not all these factors justify the view that the Holy Prophet’s prophecy, reported by Ya‘la and for the elucidation of this hadith the apparent and Hakam that in the Last Age, i.e., in the time of the literal sense of the words will have to be given anPromised Messiah, people will be stopped from other interpretation? Moreover, there is yet angoing on the pilgrimage. How clearly has this other proof that the Promised Messiah is not the prophecy been fulsame as the first filled at this time! Messiah who has Every kingdom, on passed away and account of the died, which is the plague, has fact of their differstopped intending ent appearances. In pilgrims from goBukhari, which is ing to the holy city the most authentic of Makkah.* Has and reliable book such an event ever next to the Book of occurred before? God, the appearance of Jesus, Son And here is anof Mary is deother prophecy to scribed as of redthe effect that in dish colour, like the the time of the Süleymaniye Mosque (interior) colour of the peoPromised Mahdi ple of Syria and as there will be a doupainted in the pictures, with curly hair, whereas ble eclipse in the month of Ramadan. The moon the appearance of the Promised Messiah who is to will be eclipsed on the first of its appointed nights, come to this ummah is said to be of wheatish coland the sun in the middle of its appointed days. our, with straight hair. Besides this, it has also been What an important prophecy, which was recorded stated that he will be from among this ummah. The in Dar Qutni eleven hundred years ago and pubُ اَ َما َم ُک ْم َم ْن, imamukum actual words in Bukhari are ک ْم lished for the world’s information! And now it has ُ فَاِمہ ُکم ِمن, faminkum, whereas Muslim has کم been most clearly and manifestly fulfilled. imakum minkum, so that both statements show In the same way, it is written in Hadith that in clearly that the coming Messiah will be a man from those days a new type of conveyance will be inamong the followers of the Holy Prophet. Now if it vented. It will run hundreds of miles at a stretch were argued that all these Traditions are arbitrary and people undertaking journeys will ride on it matters of supposition and should, therefore, be day and night, while camels, in those days, will be rejected, and that no one will come, then I would abandoned. What a splendid and superb prophecy say in reply that to hold this view is also unwarrelating to the time of the Promised Messiah! Is it ranted, as these Traditions have achieved such a within the power of man to have fabricated and highly rated chain of transmission that it is unwise forged these prophecies and committed them to and unreasonable to brush them aside; such conwriting hundreds of years ago? tinued repetitions assume the colour of selfLikewise, it is also predicted in Hadith that a evident truths. plague will break out in those days. Now, just open
The signs have come to pass Furthermore, these Traditions contain important prophecies relating to matters of the Great Unseen, which have been fulfilled in our time. If these prophecies had been mere fabrications of the human brain, how could it be possible that matters of
* The Sultan of Turkey has stopped the performance of Hajj this year. The Punjab Government has notified that no ship will go to Makkah during this season; hence, no pilgrimage. The Russian Government has also forbidden going on Hajj this year. (Akhbar-i-Aam, 4th April, 1898.)
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4 your eyes and see that these, in fact, are the very days, and the plague epidemic has been raging and accelerating in a virulent form.
of evolution is unIslamic. Some even go so far as to say that it should be banned, and indeed even in a liberal country like Turkey all sites on the web which refer to evolution have been banned.
It was also foretold in Hadith that a sign In this small note, I would appear in the want to look at two sun in those days, and commentaries on the it is well known to all Holy Quran, one Sunni The Blue Mosque (interior) how perfectly and and the other Shi‘a, to wonderfully the sun has been recently eclipsed, see what they say. The Sunni commentary is by so that people came from Europe and America the highly respected classical commentator to behold this strange sight. Are all these heavImam Ibn Kathir. In his commentary on this enly matters of the Unseen under human converse he asks how is it that the angels knew that trol? the creation proposed by Allah would create Yet another sign was foretold that in those mischief and shed blood on earth. He then andays there would also rise the same star, Zulswers this himself and puts forward four possisanin, that had previously risen in the time of bilities. He states: Jesus the Messiah, and before that, in the time of “Either they learned this by some special the prophet Noah. That star, too, as everyone means, or they would have decided it by looking knows, has appeared in the sky, and the news at Nature – for it is stated that he shall be created has been published widely in the English and from dust – or else from the meaning of the word Urdu papers. Again, a hadith tells of the breaking khalifa they would have understood that he out of a big fire in Java in the time of the Promwould stop injustice and would be one who stops ised Messiah. That fire, too, the fact cannot be (people from) what is unlawful and what is sinful. gainsaid, has actually taken place. Traditions Otherwise, because they had seen the previous refer to an outbreak of plague in Eden. All these creation placed on earth, they extrapolated from things have now been fulfilled. How, then, can their (actions).” (Tafsir of Ibn-i Kathir [Urdu], such Traditions containing so many important vol, 1, p. 105.) matters of the Unseen which have actually come Here it can be seen that the fourth reason to pass in their appointed time be set aside and advanced by Imam ibn-i Kathir for the angels’ rejected as false and spurious? asking Allah is that they had seen a previous creation cause bloodshed and mischief on earth. The Evolution of Species This is nothing but a part of the theory of evoluand Islam tion of species as it is currently understood. Indeed, on page 106, the Imam attributes to Hazby Shahid Aziz rat ibn-i Abbas a statement that the jinn ruled the earth before the creation of mankind. Re“And when your Lord said to the angels, I am gomember, jinn is a word of Arabic and means ing to place a khalifa in the earth, they said: Will something that cannot be seen or known. you place in it such as make mischief in it and shed blood? And we celebrate Your praise and Tafsir-i namuna is a standard Farsi commenextol Your holiness. He said: Surely I know what tary on the Holy Quran which was translated you know not.” (The Holy Quran, 2:30) into Urdu by Maulana Syed Safdar Hussain NaThis verse of the Holy Quran is used to argue that, as Allah has created humankind, the theory
jafi at the recommendation of Iranian scholars for the Shi‘a communities of Pakistan and India.
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5 ing classical sources to show that before Adam was put on earth there had been Adam-like creatures on earth. So two authentic Sunni and Shi‘a scholars state, on the basis of old, classical sources, that some people believe that Adam was not the first creation on earth but that similar creatures had existed on earth before Adam. There is also some discussion in the Shi‘a commentary of what the word khalifa means in the verse quoted above. Literally, it means ‘successor’. This leads to another question: “Whose successor is humankind?” The commentary says: “Some say successor of humans or of others who lived on earth before (Adam)” (p 150). Here again is the possibility mentioned that perhaps human-like creatures inhabited and roamed the earth before human beings as we know them were created and populated it.
In it, in the commentary on the same verse and regarding the question asked by the angels, it is said: “Some say that Allah had told them in summary humankind’s situation. Some consider that the angels themselves understood this from the words ‘in the earth’ for they knew that man shall be created from dust and matter, because its limitation will not be able to satisfy man’s nature which craves for more; so that even if the whole world is given to one person, even then it is possible that he will not be satisfied. If there is not sufficient sense of responsibility then such condition causes mischief and bloodshed. “Other commentators believe that the angels’ prophecy was because mankind was not the first creation on earth. On the contrary, before them there were other creatures who caused dispute, argument and bloodshed. The poor record of the previous creatures led the angels to mistrust Adam.” (Op. cit., vol. 1, pp. 150 –151.) Here, an authentic Shi‘a commentator is us-
I am not arguing in favour of the theory of the evolution of species or against it, for that matter. I am merely pointing out that this is not something new. I am saying that, even if we ignore the scientific context, the possibility of creatures which roamed in the earth and had human-like characteristics was discussed by classical Muslim religious scholars in a religious context to try and understand the Holy Quran and answer some of the questions which were raised by people about creation.
The First Convert at the Woking Muslim Mission: Mrs Violet Ebrahim The first person to accept Islam at the hand of Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din was a Mrs Violet Ebrahim. The following is his report of this conversion as it appeared in the Ahmadiyya newspaper Badr. “Brethren, assalamu alaikum. Time is very short. I have not yet even filed the accompanying article which is about Woking. It is to be published in the paper. It must be read out to Hazrat [Maulana Nur-ud-Din] either in summary or in its entirety.
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6 “Today God made it a very blessed Friday. Among the Englishwomen in my circle of meeting here is a Mrs Ebrahim, a native of Scotland and daughter of a colonel. I continued preaching to her in a slow process in my own way. Today she was present at the Friday khutba. God had put into my mind a fine topic on the special characteristics of the Quran, which made a deep impression on her. In my letter to Hazrat [Maulana Nur-ud-Din] yesterday, which will be received with this letter, I mentioned a European woman who was getting close to Islam. “After the khutba she joined the prayer of her own will and pleasure. Praying in the manner in which we do, she showed herself as a Muslim. Millions of thanks to God for this. All brethren and the Hazrat sahib should pray that she remains steadfast. This should not be considered as a complete fulfilment of the prophecy. God the Most High will, shortly, fulfil that dream of the late Hazrat [Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]. However, by way of a good omen I mention the following strange thing. “This is the first European woman who said Friday prayers behind me. Her dress today, by a happy coincidence, was a khaki satin. Could this not be the first of those white birds whose wings, that is to say dress, the Hazrat [Mirza Ghulam Ahmad] saw as khaki in his vision? The wings of a bird are its dress as they cover its body. Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations! “Kamal-ud-Din.” (Badr, 6 March 1913, p. 5.) “This humble servant has been shown in a vision that the rising of the sun from the West signifies that the Western world which has been
involved of old in the darkness of disbelief and error shall be illuminated with the sun of Truth, and those people shall have the light of Islam. I saw that I was standing on a pulpit in the city of London and explaining the truth of Islam in a well reasoned address in the English language, and after this, I caught a large number of birds that were sitting on small trees and in colour they were white and their size was probably the size of the partridge. So I interpreted this dream as meaning that, though I may not personally go there, yet my writings would spread among these people and many righteous English men would fall a prey to the truth.” (Izala Auham, pp. 515–516.) [The wings being of khaki colour is not in this published version of the vision and must have been a detail known by word of mouth at that time.]
Maulana Nur-ud-Din’s reply In the next issue of Badr, the reply by Maulana Nur-udDin is published as follows: “Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih says: I want to give you good news, and it is such a congratulation that, at least in my view, no one would have given you. And it is that when the Holy Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, was called to his mission the first person to accept Islam on his hand was a woman. On your hand too, in London, it is a woman who is the first to accept Islam. This is tremendous good news. You must prostrate before Allah the Most High, and I do so too. The second happiness and congratulation I convey to you is that the people of England worship the son of a woman, and it is a woman that you have made a Muslim there first of all.”
Later report in the Review of Religions In the Review of Religions of Qadian, the Ahmadiyya monthly edited by Maulana Muhammad Ali till
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7 1914, in the issue for December 1913, there is a report containing a letter by Violet Ebrahim. It is as follows: “ONE MORE CONVERT AND A NOBLE APPEAL “One of the signs of the latter days which were to see the advent of the Promised Messiah was the rising of the sun from the West. This sun was the sun of Islam and we are glad to say that the dawn has already begun to break from the Western horizon. There has begun an awakening to Islam in the West. The gloom which Christian misrepresentation had spread over the West has begun to disappear and people are becoming more and more alive to the truth of Islam. Christianity is also waning and preparing the way for the spread of the Muslim faith. The signs are very hopeful. Our readers have already learnt of the conversion of Lord Headley. There are others, both ladies and gentlemen, who have privately informed our Missionary, Khwaja Kamalud-Din, of their acceptance of Islam and it is hoped that like Lord Headley they will soon publicly announce their conversion. “A lady that has already announced her conversion to Islam writes to Mrs. Khadev Jung: “‘My dear sister Mrs. Khadev Jung. I was greatly pleased at your sending your regards to me in your letter to Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din and I thank you for the same. He told us how interested you were in his monthly paper called the Islamic Review and in the work he was doing: really he deserves all the encouragement we could give him. Last year when Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din had recently arrived in London, my husband met him at some meeting and invited him in company with Mr. Zafar Ali Khan, Editor
of Zamindar, at our house. Since that day he was our frequent visitor and he used to talk about Islam: he used to invite us at his house on every Friday when after praying he used to preach. “‘His logical arguments in favour of Islam and his comparisons of Islam and Christianity were most interesting and convincing. When I was with my parents I used to go to Church with them every Sunday and used to hear the preacher who failed to rouse in me any interest for religion, and I used to take everything for granted — without giving any serious thought. Khwaja Kamalud-Din has studied Christianity and therefore he is better able to make comparisons as to what is said in the Bible on different subjects and how Al-Koran treats the same subject, thereby proving how superior Islam was to Christianity. My eyes were beginning to open in favour of Islam and gradually I found that I was Moslem at heart. My heart went to Islam all the more by my reading every day in newspapers about the butchery and atrocities committed by the Christians of Balkan on the noble Turks whom now I consider my brothers in faith. I openly declared to be Moslem. The Islamic Review has done wonders. It has been my textbook, Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din has a great talent for writing which must be a gift from God. I can never thank him enough for the change he had brought in my soul; we consider him as a member of our family; whenever he comes to London from Woking, he stays with us. “‘He has made another conquest which will have far-reaching consequences in favour of Islam. Lord Headley, an Irish peer and member of the House of Lords, has accepted Islam, so
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8 much so that he has commenced to contribute articles in favour of Islam in the Islamic Review. We have intimate knowledge of Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din’s doings from the time he came to London. He started the Islamic Review at his own expense. He had about nine thousand rupees when he came to London and he spent it all in his work, publishing the Islamic Review and distributing it broadcast. Living in London is also expensive. But now he has no money and he is worried as to how to continue. At present he is circulating only a thousand copies in the Western world whereas at least a hundred thousand copies should be given out. It would be a thousand pities and great shame for us Moslems if his Islamic Review was to stop for lack of financial help. I have been to the Woking mosque with my husband and have prayed there on one Friday. Khwaja sahib lives in the adjoining house belonging to the Mosque, and he is living there very poorly, almost like a hermit. Moslems of India should rise to this occasion and you will please convey my message to my sisters in India for helping him in this great work. This work should grow to gigantic proportions and should spread through the whole world. I shall be pleased to hear from you and I shall also keep on writing to you. With true sisterly love.’ “Mrs. Khadev Jung sends this letter to the Comrade (Delhi) for publication together with a sum of Rs. 250 as her first installment towards the help of Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din. She has made an appeal to the Mussalmans of India to assist the Khwaja in his noble work and we are glad to learn that her appeal has been answered by others. The Comrade proposes to open a Fund in aid of Islamic Review. We heartily thank those ladies and gentlemen who have given a practical proof of their sympathy for the noble work which our Missionary is doing in
Europe and we hope that their example will be followed by others. Ladies and gentlemen desiring to be subscribers to the Islamic Review may send their subscription money to Shaikh Rahmatullah, Proprietor, English Warehouse, The Mall Road, Lahore, or to the Secretary Sadr Anjuman-i-Ahmadiyya, Qadian.” In the next issue of Badr, the reply by Maulana Nur-ud-Din is published as follows: “Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih says: ‘I want to give you good news, and it is such a congratulation that, at least in my view, no one would have given you. And it is that when the Holy Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, was called to his mission the first person to accept Islam on his hand was a woman. On your hand too, in London, it is a woman who is the first to accept Islam. This is tremendous good news. You must prostrate before Allah the Most High, and I do so too. The second happiness and congratulation I convey to you is that the people of England worship the son of a woman, and it is a woman that you have made a Muslim there first of all.’” (Reproduced with minor editing from the Woking Muslim Mission website at http:// www.wokingmuslim.org/)
Niagara Falls (frozen)
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