“I firmly believe that Allah the Almighty was protecting Huzoor that day in 1974” Reminiscing the precarious days of 1974 and times spent with Huzooraa before Khilafat Page 4 - 6
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Canada Atfal Ijtema
1953-1974: The brewing of insanity in the name of Islam
100 Years Ago... Questions answered by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra
32nd Atfal Ijtema takes place on 18 August 2019 at new location, Aiwan-e-Tahir
7 September 1974 was a day celebrated by the clerics and the right-wing politicians of Pakistan as a victory of “Islam” against Ahmadiyyat
Al Fazl, 6 September 1919 Page 3
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THE WEEKLY
www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 6 September 2019 | Issue LXXVII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673
Paradise lost or paradise found? Success story of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat 45 years on
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akistan had only just celebrated the silver jubilee of its formation that its rulers decided to give in to extremist clerics. The dawn of the year 1974 brought with it the darkness that was to prevail the skies of the very young state of Pakistan for many decades to follow. A democratic government felt its throne shaking vigorously by the pushing and pulling of bigoted extreme-right wing political powers. The so-called democratic leader decided to join hands with these pressure groups with the aim of saving his political power. ZA Bhutto, the then prime minister of Pakistan, finally accepted the demand of the extremist circles to declare the Ahmadiyya Jamaat non-Muslim. These circles had been trying their best to achieve this goal since the formation of Pakistan in 1947; finally, their demands saw acceptance, ironically, at the hands of a leader with a secular outlook. We know that the Ahmadiyya Jamaat was constitutionally declared a non-Muslim minority on 7 September 1974. We all know that Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIIrh, presented the Ahmadiyya case before the Pakistani parliament which fell on deaf ears and the parliament decided to go ahead with a decision that they were carrying in their pocket even before the hearings of the committee had started. Today, 45 years on, we look back to see what the special committee (consisting of the whole house of the Pakistani parliament) sought to determine and what they actually determined. The primary objective of the fullhouse special committee was set out as,
Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
Religion is very easy Hazrat Abu Huraira, Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Religion is very easy. Whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the afternoons and during the last hours of the nights.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Iman)
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words
The proper time for religious education and training
Parliament House, Islamabad
“To determine the position of a person who does not believe in the finality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.” The objectives went on to detail how the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat should constitutionally be declared non-Muslim. The parliament, endorsing the demands, established a special committee and made it obligatory for the then head of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat to appear before the committee to prove why they deserved to constitutionally remain Muslims. In several sessions, the parliament heard the arguments of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and finally declared that they did not deserve to be classed a Muslim by definition. What definition of Muslim? Whose definition of Muslim? No one cared to make that clear. Actually, no one could
dare to make that clear! How could they? During the days of those hearings in the assembly, all members would have breaks for Salat. No two members were ready to say Salat behind the other as all belonged to seperate denominations and sects of Islam. There were Barelvis, Deobandis, Ahl-e-Hadith and Shiites in the committee and none thought the other to be “Muslim enough” to lead the congregational prayer. Thus, small groups said their own congregational prayers. This was sufficient to prove that everyone had their own definition of Islam. Hence, when declaring Ahmadis non-Muslim, no one had any touchstone to present. This wasn’t a new situation. When the anti-Ahmadiyya agitation of 1953 turned violent and looting and damaging crossed limits, the judicial committee headed by
Another point to bear in mind is that the most appropriate and advisable time for the acquisition of religious education is during the period of childhood. How much can one achieve if they begin to learn the basics of Arabic grammar in old age? Retentive faculties are sharp in childhood. The memory is never as firm in the later stages of one’s life. I remember vividly certain things from my childhood even now, but have forgotten many instances from fifteen years ago. The reason for this is because the imprints of learning in the early stages of life become so finely impressed and deep rooted, due to this being the age in which the faculties are developing, that they can never be erased. However, this is an extensive discussion. In short, in the practice of education, it ought to be considered and especially remembered that religious education should begin from the very beginning. I have always had a desire and this is the case even now; may Allah fulfil this wish. Observe how your neighbouring nations, such as the Aryas, have given importance to education. They have accumulated hundreds of thousands of rupees, if not more, to construct a magnificent building for a college and its necessities. If the Muslims do not take a keen interest in the education of their children, then they should take heed that a time will come when even their children will be lost to them. (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp 68 - 69)