Al Hakam - 11 January 2019

Friday Sermon

Al-Haj Muhammad Abdul Hadi Italo Chiussi

14 December 2018 Delivered from Baitul Futuh Mosque

A short introduction of a late servant of Ahmadiyyat

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From the Markaz

100 Years Ago...

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Grants Audience to Lajna Imaillah UK

Demise of Lord Bishop Lefroy Another Chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s History Concludes

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THE WEEKLY

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www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 11 January 2019 | Issue XLIII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

Is the Past Our Future?

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an’s cognisance is yearning to move back towards the peaceful and serene environment of the past, away from the technomania of modern times.

The difficulties of the modern era seem to play with the sentiments and liberty of the masses, as in Congo, a day after the presidential elections on 31 December 2018, there was an internet blackout. Voters were full of doubts

Jimmy Baikovicius | Wiki Commons

regarding the results. The government accused Radio France Internationale (RFI) of adding fuel to the fire and thus turned it off on 2 January 2019.

Somehow, somewhere, people are longing to live in a less complex society than the one carved out of mechanisation, mass expansion and the breakdown of joint family households. The latest illustration of cognition

swaying towards conservatism, away from the modern liberalist ideologies is that of the newly elected president Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, as he is said to be an admirer of Brazil’s military dictatorship of 1964-85 and has a conservative mindset.

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Ben Brooksbank| Wiki Commons

Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa

The Blessings of Walking to the Mosque Hazrat Buraydah ibn al-Hasib, Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Give good tidings to those who walk to the mosques in darkness for having a perfect light on the Day of Judgment.”

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Salat)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words Repentance is an Essential Component of the Oath of Allegiance This is the reality of repentance (which has been mentioned above). But why is repentance an integral part of swearing allegiance to a spiritual guide? The fact of the matter is that man is given to negligence. When an individual takes the oath of allegiance at the hand of one upon whom Allah the Exalted has bestowed this transformed state, the same divine grace and light – that exists in this transformed individual

– begins to emerge in the individual just as a graft changes the properties of a tree. The condition, however, is that one should possess a true relationship with this person as though they were a branch attached to his very being; not a lifeless branch. The greater a person’s affinity with this spiritual leader, the better.

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, p 4)

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 1

Following the same anti-modern wave of humanity, governments of advanced countries are presently promoting climate friendly practices by encouraging builders to construct new structures to zero-carbon standards. The public sector buildings in the European Union are to be constructed to nearly zero-carbon standards from 1 January 2019. Every other structure will follow in January 2021. Governments of eight other countries are being persuaded to present a comparative strategy. Wooden houses are being promoted to counter the problem of carbon emissions as cement manufacturing is responsible for 6% of carbon emissions, while steelmaking accounts for another 8%. We might soon find ourselves living in houses similar to those of our early ancestors.

Looking at the bigger picture, the way minds are being strongly influenced by the thought of moving back in time, there arises a possibility that people might start to ponder more on the need for religion, and, in return, come back from the fantasies of materialism into the domain of peace and ultimately in the merciful arms of God. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, the worldwide head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and the fifth successor of the Promised Messiahas, emphasising the need

for religion in the concluding address of Jalsa Salana UK 2014, stated: “Scientific devices and inventions such as chemical weapons lead to widespread devastation and nothing else. Stretching the figure as much as possible he [Steve Wells, a critic] has reached the figure of 25 million deaths, which he attributes to religion. Did the death toll of just the Second World War alone not cross his mind? It was the scientific machinery, equipment and inventions that resulted in approximately 60 to 70 million deaths, including innocent women and children. Entire cities were reduced to piles of ashes. Was this a religious war?

“Religion does not kill, it only warns and admonishes people that they must establish peace and security – at least this is the teaching of our religion. Its every injunction is laced with sentiments of love and compassion for all mankind.

The Quran has informed us that every prophet brought the same message, which is that cruelty, injustice, oppression and persecution should be eliminated. The prophets admonished people to, instead, adopt love and sympathy for one another, or otherwise face God’s punishment. God says in the Quran that He is slow to punish people and is not hasty in unfurling His wrath. Even when punishment is meted out, it is for the purpose of bringing about reformation.”

Humanity First Kosovo Donates 100 Food Packages to Families in Need Shkelqim Bytyqi Kosovo Correspondent

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n 19 and 20 December, the humanitarian aid action from Humanity First continued its services in the municipality of Pristina.

This foundation distributed food supplies to 100 families in severe economic conditions during the two days. The cooperation of Humanity First, the municipality of Prishtina and the directorate for social welfare, which is directed by Mrs Valbona Osmani, aid was distributed in several locations of Prishtina such as Kodra e Trimave, Qafë, Bregu i Diellit and Hajvali.

On 19 December, aid was distributed to the Kodra e Trimave neighborhood for 60 families. The joy could be seen on the faces of the families as well as their children.

On 20 December, aid was distributed to the neighborhoods of Qafa, Bregu i Diellit and Hajvali. A family living in difficult conditions in Hajvali heartily thanked Humanity First by saying, “May God reward you as you came to our help in these cold

winter and snowy days.”

The food packs included oil, flour, sugar, salt, pasta, rice, soup, tuna and marmalade.

What is worth mentioning is that food products were chosen to be all local, so that alongside helping families in need, the Kosovo business market was also given custom.

The representative of Humanity First in Kosovo thanked the municipality of Prishtina and the volunteers who helped in those bitter days for their cooperation and promised that this assistance would continue and would extend to all Kosovo municipalities in the months to come.

Brunei Jamaat Acquires New Salat Centre Aimi Iman Brunei Correspondent

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runei Jamaat has been able to rent a low-cost home-themed place for holding official programmes and other such activities, as well as storing property of the Jamaat. It has been named JAB Salat Centre.

The newly-acquired place is very close to the houses of Jamaat members. The first time

the place was used by the Jamaat was on 1 December 2018 and it is hoped that with this place, we are able to bring fellow members closer by way of increasing activities and range of Jamaat-related programmes.

Friday prayers are also held as usual, but this Salat centre will give strength to the members of the Brunei Jamaat Insha-Allah.

This Week in History 11-17 January 11 January 1899: The Promised Messiahas was again in Gurdaspur for the hearing of his case with Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi.

On this day, Hazrat Ahmadas was represented by Mr W Browne, Sheikh Fazl Din Sahib, Sheikh Ali Ahmad Sahib and Khwaja Kamaluddin Sahib. Mr Browne admitted that his client had issued some books and pamphlets. At the end of the hearing, a list of 58 defense witnesses was presented to the court on behalf of Huzooras, but the district magistrate wanted to know the purpose for which each witness was to be produced.

Counsels on both sides wanted a postponement at this stage, so the magistrate ordered that the case should be heard at Dhariwal on 27 January.

12 January 1878: The Promised Messiahas had subscribed to the following local papers and read them regularly: Safir of Amritsar; Agni Hotri magazine, Hindu Bandu and Manshur-e-Muhammadi.

Hazrat Ahmadas would sometimes send articles to Manshur-eMuhammadi to be published. On this day, this newspaper published an Urdu poem written by Huzooras from Qadian.

12 January 1889: Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra was born to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and Hazrat Nusrat Jehan Begumra on this day in Qadian, the same year in which the Promised Messiahas established the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Islam by accepting the allegiance of his disciples. This blessed child was destined to be the promised son, mentioned in scriptures.

12 January 1904: The Promised Messiahas started his journey towards Gurdaspur from Qadian for the court hearing of the case with Karam Din. On 15 January, due to his ill health, he had to apply for sick leave from court, and after approval from the concerned authorities, he immediately commenced his journey back for Qadian.

13 January 1892: An Englishman came to Qadian from Madras and accepted Islam at the hands of the

Promised Messiahas. He was the son of a government officer. This was within a year of publication of his book Izala-e-Auham.

15 January 1901: On this day, the Promised Messiahas issued an announcement in which he declared his intention to start a monthly magazine in English to convey the spiritual truth to the English-speaking peoples of the world as revealed to him. Its primary object was stated to be the publishing of his own articles in support of Islam. It was to be edited by Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and Khwaja Kamaluddin Sahib. This magazine is known today as the Review of Religions.

15 January 1903: The Promised Messiah’sas Arabic book (with Persian translation) MawahiburRahman (Bounty of God) came out on this day from Zia-ul-Islam Press, Qadian.

The editor of an Egyptian journal, Al-Liwa, Mustafa Kamil Pasha criticised the action of the Promised Messiahas in directing his followers not to get themselves inoculated against the plague. The paper argued that such a course of action was against the teachings of the Holy Quran, which says: “And cast not yourselves into ruin with your own hands” (Surah al-Baqarah: V. 196). The attack was made out of sheer ignorance without taking into consideration why the Promised Messiahas had urged his followers against the vaccinations and, therefore, such an attack warranted a full-fledged reply from the Promised Messiahas in Arabic.

15 January 1903: The Promised Messiahas started his famous journey towards Jhelum at 3 o’clock on this day from Qadian.

Huzooras travelled to attend a court hearing of a lawsuit by Karam Din, but it gave a blessed and historic opportunity to the countless people, who, otherwise, could not especially travel to see him in Qadian. He reached Lahore through Batala. At the railway stations, throngs of people gathered to welcome him; they asked him questions and enjoyed his company.

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM

From the Markaz

100 Years Ago...

Demise of Lord Bishop Lefroy

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Grants Audience to Lajna Imaillah UK

Another Chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s History Concludes The renowned Lord Bishop George Alfred Lefroy (1854-1919) conveyed an open address on 25 May 1900 and announced that while the Prophet Muhammadsa had left this world and was buried in Medina, the Muslims believed that Jesusas was still alive in paradise. After the discourse, the group of spectators was allowed the chance to talk about the issue.

Shermeen Butt Lajna Imaillah UK

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lhamdolillah, the national amila of Lajna Imaillah UK was privileged to be granted an audience with Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa on Sunday, 6 January 2019 which took place in Mahmood Hall, Fazl Mosque. It was indeed our great blessing that we started the new year with an audience with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih.

The national amila had started preparation for the mulaqat as soon as we received the good news. The preparation involved looking back at work carried out during the previous year and also the plan for the rest of the current Lajna year.

Previous mulaqat notes with Lajna UK amila and amilas of other countries were also consulted in the preparation.

On the day, Huzooraa graced us with his presence at 3:15pm and started the mulaqat with silent prayer.

In the beginning of the mulaqat, Huzooraa very graciously granted a present of the first print copy of Huzoor’s book Domestic Issues and Their Solution to the translator of the book, muavina to sadr Lajna for press and media, Shermeen Butt Sahiba. Huzooraa also most graciously signed the book.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa asked what the agenda of the mulaqat was and Sadr Lajna, Dr Fariha Khan Sahiba, said that the secretaries would submit their introductions.

Huzooraa spoke to all national amila members and gave them guidance relating to their departments. He also enquired from them the yearly plan for their particular department. Each secretary introduced herself and the role she served in and proceeded to give an outline of her respective plan for the current Lajna year.

Huzooraa asked specific questions about the plans of some departments. It was a most invaluable experience for all the amila to have Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa take interest in minute details of our plans and grant us his esteemed guidance.

After the departmental introduction and recounting of the current year’s plans, Huzooraa most graciously answered questions asked by some amila members relating to their respective departments.

Huzooraa concluded the mulaqat at 4:20pm just before Maghrib Salat time.

Each member of Lajna UK national amila felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude having had the honour of the mulaqat and the immense benefits reaped from it. Here are some impressions of Lajna UK national amila of the memorable mulaqat that they were most fortunate to experience.

Mateen Bhatti Sahiba, Secretary Nasirat, said, “It was an incredible, majestic experience. Huzoor’saa amazing presence of mind for the smallest of details to the larger concealed issues was awe-striking. Never to be forgotten!”

Farzana Yousuf Sahiba, Secretary Tabligh, said, “For me, to be in the presence of Khalifatul Masih and to witness Huzoore-Anwar’saa divinely guided perceptions is truly profound.”

Nusrat Safir Sahiba, Secretary Tarbiyat Nau Mubai‘at, said, “Alhamdolilah, by the grace of Allah, the mulaqat with Huzooraa greatly exceeded my expectations. To be able to speak directly to Huzooraa about our respective departments and receive blessed guidance on specific issues was a unique experience for me. To be able to spend so much time in the company of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih was both inspiring and highly motivating. I left Mahmood Hall with greater drive to fulfil my responsibilities to both my Khalifa and to the Nau Mubai‘at.”

Nadia Sohail Sahiba, General Secretary, said, “It was my first mulaqat with Huzooraa as an amila member for Lajna. I felt so privileged to have had this blessed opportunity. Huzooraa gave us invaluable guidance on many administrative matters.

Alhamdolillah.”

Tayyaba Ahmad Sahiba, Naib Sadr, said, “Surely, it is just a miraculous blessing of Allah, the Gracious and Merciful, that the ladies of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat have the most precious opportunity to spend such time with Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa. I felt as if there was a calm and peace in the room throughout the meeting and can truly say that Huzoor’saa presence and his manner of guiding us was completely inspiring.

Alhamdolillah.”

Each national amila member expressed the immense privilege and honour to have been in the mulaqat and hoped and prayed that Allah the Exalted enabled all to try and meet the expectations of our beloved Huzooraa.

A sincere follower and a faithful companion stood up and read a paper written by the Promised Messiahas which he had composed just the previous day and was printed at Qadian that night. The follower had come to Lahore to attend the gathering. An imperative characteristic of that article was that it contained a full answer to every one of the arguments that Lord Bishop would present on the day. The Promised Messiahas comprehensively proved the demise of Jesusas in his article and emphasised that the prophet that continues to live on forever is none other than the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, whose beneficence shall continue till the end of times.

This account has been mentioned in Al Hakam of 14 January 1919 by Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira Sahib as follows:

Al Hakam, 14 January 1919

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t is a mere coincidence that in the previous year, when the first issue of Al Hakam was published, an article was written under the heading of Recollection of Past Events. The first thing that was mentioned in that article discussed the gatherings of Bishop Lefroy in Lahore. At that time, neither was I aware, nor could anybody have predicted that in the coming year, in the very second issue of Al Hakam, I would record the news of the Bishop’s demise, and with that I would revisit the events from the history of the Jamaat related to Lord Bishop Lefroy. The previous year, on its completion, closed this chapter.

Lord Bishop Lefroy, owing to an ailment, resigned from his designated post on 31 December 1918 and in a matter of a few hours, he passed away (on 1 January 1919) in Kolkata. The lord bishop arrived in Hindustan and joined the Cambridge Mission to Delhi in 1879. He came to Lahore in 1899 and served as the Bishop of Lahore till 1913. Then he was appointed as the Lord Bishop of Kolkata.

Lord Bishop Lefroy’s morality, passion to promulgate his religion and fortitude are valuable characteristics for a person who is a missionary.

The accounts of his life hold an interesting place in the history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, therefore I will give a somewhat detailed account of the happenings.

Bishop Lefroy, before he was given the rank of bishop or lord bishop, had a keen interest in having religious debates with Muslims and tried to learn Arabic to the best of his abilities. He used to deliver speeches in Urdu with great command and frequently held debates with the religious scholars in Delhi. Ultimately, he was able to convert Hafiz Ahmad to Christianity, who now goes by the name of Ahmad Masih. However, I will not comment on the circumstances which led him to renounce his religion.

After practicing adequately for his cause in Delhi, he came to Lahore and started a series of lectures and debates. I, the editor of Al Hakam, was a student of Government Model School of Lahore in those days and had a passion to have religious debates with different religious orators and lecturers.

An announcement was carried out regarding the gatherings of Reverend Lefroy in the Rung Mahal Mission School of Lahore.

After his lecture in Lahore, a session of questions and answers was held for the first time in his gatherings. He delivered lectures on the superiority of Jesus Christ and the atonement.

I had a debate with Reverend Lefroy regarding these lectures and this was the first occasion when the Muslims, carrying opposing views [to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat], accepted that the Ilm-e-Kalam (science of discourse) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat was most supreme in countering the arguments of Christianity.

Various people who witnessed this debate are still around. At last, a special debate with Reverend Lefroy was held at the residence of Reverend Grey, which continued for several hours. I told him that I would accompany him wherever he would deliver a lecture on Islam, but he said that he would return to Delhi.

This happened in 1891 when only a year had passed since the claim of the Promised Messiahas. In those days, emotions were high in Lahore and elsewhere, so Reverend Lefroy did not pay a visit to Lahore again for his cause. However, as soon as he was appointed as the bishop of Lahore, he renewed his resolve and started to hold gatherings of a similar kind in 1900.

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib was in Lahore at that time and I, editor Al Hakam, had already come back to Qadian a few years earlier and Al Hakam was being

Continued on page 5

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM

Annual Educational Rally in Germany

Zubair Khalil Khan Majlis Ansarullah Germany

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ajlis Ansarullah Germany organised its 12th Annual Ilmi (Educational) competition under the supervision of talim (education) department, Ansarullah Germany on 16 December 2018 in the premises of Nasir Bagh, Gross-Gerau, a famous Jamaat property in Germany.

The organisational arrangements were made by the national Qaid Talim, Rana Khalil Sahib. Mobarak Ahmad Shahid Sahib, Sadr Majlis Ansarullah Germany, delivered the opening address and started the programme with silent prayers. More than 250 members participated from 10 administrative areas, comprising of above 257 local Ansarullah Majalis spread all over the Germany.

Four areas were selected for competition: recitation of the Holy Quran, Hifz-e-Quran (memorisation of the Quran), nazm and quiz programme out of 250 questions taken from the Promised Messiah’sas book Haqe-

Ahmadi Teams in International Basketball Tournament Umar Akbar Missionary AMJ Belize

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he Ahmadiyya Basketball League Belize participated in the Copa International Basketball Tournament in Chetumal, Mexico. The tournament was held from Friday, 7 December to Sunday, 9 December 2018.

Two teams were selected to represent Belize in the under-18 category (U18) and open category. Apart from Mexico, the tournament had teams from Belize, Colombia and Guatemala. This presents an excellent opportunity to build contacts in different parts of Mexico as well as other countries.

By the Grace of Allah, both teams were very successful throughout the tournament and won the championships in their respective age categories. The open team was very dominant and won all of their games by a good margin to win the championship.

The U18 team had tougher competition but managed to remain undefeated in pool play and gained the number one seed. After a convincing victory against the Chiapas Tornados in the semi-finals, our team narrowly won the championship game against a wellcoached and well-equipped Yucatan Carde-

nales team.

Prior to departing for the tournament, for the first time, we were interviewed by all three major television stations. Upon our return, all three major television stations – Channel 7, Channel 5 and Love TV – as well as two newspapers – The Reporter and Amandala – covered the story.

Channel 7, Belize’s main news channel, aired a detailed report praising the Jamaat for its efforts with at-risk youth. These interviews, as well as scores and updates, were also broadcast on various radio stations. We have also been invited to appear on a few more talk shows to discuss the victory, as well as the upcoming 5th season of the Ahmadiyya Basketball League, InshaAllah.

eqatul Mahdi, Friday Sermons and speeches of Hazrat Amirul Momineen, may Allah be his helper, and general and religious knowledge. Specific portions of the Holy Quran and poems were earmarked for recitation, memorising and poem competition.

Interestingly 123 out of 250 Ansar arriving from all over Germany participated very enthusiastically in all the competitions.

Mujeebullah Mangat Sahib topped the recitation and poem competition while Abbas Ahmad Sahib topped memorising the Holy Quran. The most interesting part was the quiz programme. 10 tables according to administrative areas were beautifully decorated for each team. Each area was permitted to participate with 3 team members. Nayyar Iqbal Sahib conducted the event in a very interesting and nice manner.

Dr Wasim Sahib, assistant to National Sadr Ansarullah judged the competition. The Nasir Bagh area was lucky to bag first position with Baitul Jame and Nord areas following in

MKA Kenya Tarbiyati Class 2018 Tahir Ahmad Kenya Correspondent

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ajlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Kenya successfully completed their national Tarbiyati Class that was held in Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Nairobi Headquarters.

The six-day class began on Monday, 10 December and ended on Sunday, 16 December 2018 and was targeted for both Khuddam and Atfal. Eight out of twelve regions countrywide were represented.

Khuddam were classed into two different classes: basic and advanced classes. Teaching material was from the Mini Qaideen Handbook, a book prepared by MKA Kenya. Topics covered

second and third positions respectively.

Naib Amir and missionary Haider Ali Zafar Sahib and Qaid Tarbiyat Ansarullah Tahir Hussain Bukhari Sahib were honoured to conduct the recitation, memorisation of the Quran and poem competitions. Missionaries Abdul Basit Tariq Sahib, Fateh Ahmad Sahib, Shams-ul-Haq Sahib, Bilal Chatta Sahib and Dr Wasim Sahib performed as Judges for various competitions. After prize distribution, national sadr Majlis Ansarullah thanked all members for their active and enthusiastic participation in the competition.

included: nizam (administrative system), introduction to Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, basic guidelines for qaideen, etimad, Shura, talim, tarbiyat, tajnid, finance, tabligh, Atfal, Tahrik-eJadid and other departments.

A lot of emphasis was put on prayer and in this regard, all prayers were offered on time, including Tahajud. Both auxiliary groups were given oral and written tests to assess their understanding.

The closing and prize-giving session for the event was presided by Amir and Missionary In-charge, Tariq Mahmood Zafar Sahib. In his speech, Amir Sahib repeatedly advised everyone to make good use of social media gadgets to acquire knowledge of Islam Ahmadiyyat. He advised to be constant in writing letters to Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa seeking his prayers and to listen to Huzoor’s Friday Sermon and other MTA programmes. A total of 58 Khuddam and Atfal attended the event.

First AMA Georgia Peace Symposium Mohsin Tahir AMA Georgia

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he Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Georgia (AMAG) held its first National Peace Symposium on Sunday, 25 November 2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The event’s theme was How Does Religion Promote Peace? The event started at 6pm and finished at 9:30pm, with 5 speakers addressing the gathering.

The event was attended by 153 non-Ahmadi guests, 16 Ahmadi guests and 8 local Jamaat Georgia members, bringing the total attendance to 177 participants.

The National Peace Symposium was held to spread the true message of Islam and to bring together people from different faiths and backgrounds to promote peace, love and harmony. This was the first major event held by AMAG in Georgia.

The event was held in the centre of Tbilisi, at Freedom Square, in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel. Guests from 6 different countries (excluding those living in Georgia) and various backgrounds attended.

Speakers from different faiths were invited to talk on the topic of peace. The following people spoke at the event: • Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze from the Christian faith • Rabbi Aviemelekh Rosenblatt from the Jewish faith

• Darpan Prasher from the Hindu faith • Ambassador Jean-Marie Ehouzou, the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United Nations Office at Geneva • Amir Jamaat Germany, Abdullah Wagishauser Sahib, represented the Islamic faith The event started with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by a brief introduction of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and the Peace Symposium.

Bishop Rusudan spoke first, followed by Rabi Aviemelekh, Mr Darpan, Ambassador Ehouzou and the keynote speech was delivered by Amir Sahib Germany. A video on Hazrat Khalifatul Masih’saa efforts for peace was also shown. All the speakers were presented with gifts. The event concluded with dinner.

The event was organised by AMAG, with strong support from Jamaat Germany who brought a team of 10 people that assisted during the event. Ahmadis from Oman, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia and Croatia also attended and assisted during the event.

Alhamdolillah, the feedback from the guests was very positive; they said that they enjoyed the event and many remarked that it was the first time they had attended such an event.

AMAG is grateful for the people who assisted in making the event a success, and foremost for Hazrat Amirul Momineen’saa prayers and guidance.

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM

Al-Haj Muhammad Abdul Hadi Italo Chiussi 1919-1973 In the 14 December 2018 issue of Al Hakam, Abdul Hadi (Italo) Chiussi was mentioned who was formerly an Italian Esperantist and later translated the Quran into the Esperanto language. Below is a short introduction to this individual who was an Ahmadi Muslim.

Tariq Hayat Pakistan

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r Italo Chiussi was born in Trieste, Italy. In a staunch Catholic family, he received his basic education at a senior high school in the multiethnic city of Harburg and acquired his doctorate in mathematical sciences with distinction from the University of Pisa. After his successful teaching career in Trieste, he served in Germany as managing director of Continued from page 3 published. Hazrat Mufti Sahib took part in the initial gatherings of Bishop Lefroy, rendering him speechless.

This incident occurred on 18 May 1900 and then an announcement was made regarding a lecture on the living prophet that was to be delivered on 25 May 1900. The Promised Messiahas penned a speech for the gathering of 25 May 1900 on the topic of the living prophet. It was not a mere speech but in fact, a clear sign of divine revelation, as it was a comprehensive refutation of all those arguments and subjects that were presented

by Bishop Lefroy in his lecture. The audience was awestruck at the sight when Mufti Sahib began reading a pre-published article which contained the refutation of all the arguments presented in the preceding speech. How was it possible to write and publish this response in an instant? Bishop Lefroy was struck with consternation himself.

Hence began a direct contest of Bishop Lefroy and the Promised Messiahas on 25 May 1900. The details of this encounter have been mentioned in the first and second issue of Al Hakam, volume 20, under the heading Recollection of Past Events. If the readers go through those pages again, they will find them quite fascinating and absorbing.

(Translated by Junaid Ahmad Waraich, Pakistan)

Italy’s famous insurance company Generali till his death.

Once, Mr Italo was experiencing some health issues whilst on vacation. One day, during a leisurely walk with his son in front of Nur Mosque of Frankfurt, he casually paid a brief visit of the building. Later, this brief introduction developed into a deep connection, and he began learning the Arabic language and reading the Holy

Quran. Thus, gaps between his visits became shorter, but he would politely dismiss all notions that he was going to be a member of the Jamaat.

In 1967, when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh visited Europe, Mr Italo had the blessed opportunity to meet him. This was a turning point in his life.

He became a sincere and devoted member of the Jamaat and had already started praying five times daily and fasting in the holy month of Ramadan, all done secretly from his family.

He visited Mecca and Medina, went to Qadian and travelled to Jalsa Salana Rabwah in 1970.

His travelogue, containing his spiritual experiences during his visit to the holy city of Mecca was much loved by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh.

Generali issued a detailed eulogy after his death and expressed its condolences to his family, his brothers in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat all over the world and his worldwide Esperanto friends.

Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIIrh went to his grave and prayed there during his 1976 tour.

He knew French, English, German and classical Arabic, and remained a humble student of Islam till his last breath.

Mr Chiussi wanted to serve the word of God, thus he chose to translate it into the Esperanto language. It is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language, created by LL Zamenhof, a Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist, in the late nineteenth century. His goal was to create an easy and flexible language that would serve as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding. His original title for the language was simply the international language.

Mr Chiussi wanted to pay attention to each and every word of the holy book by translating it. He took leave from his office and went in solace, spending many weeks working on the translation in a hotel room, in a small town, fifty miles away from Frankfurt.

His translation of the Holy Quran can be read here: www.alislam.org/quran/Holy-QuranEsperanto.pdf He dispatched copies of the translation to many dignitaries around the world.

Mr Italo Chiussi had very rarely attended conferences. He once delivered a lecture during the 54th Universal Congress in Helsinki, 1969, on Esperanto and Islam. The following year he delivered a speech in Rabwah in the presence of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh. Hazrat Sir Chaudhry Zafarulla Khanra used to say: “Dr Chuissi Sahib was a walking angel on earth and a great sufi.”

Parliament of the World’s Religions Toronto 2018 Imtiaz Ahmed Sra, Missionary, Vaughan, Canada

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he parliament of the world religions is an organisation which was created to “cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities”.

The first Parliament of the World’s Religions (PWR) took place in the city of Chicago in 1893 and was attended by almost 7,000 people. Scholars from different religions presented the teachings of their respective faith. Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb represented Islam in the First PWR. He was an Anglo-American who had accepted Islam by reading the works of the Promised Messiahas and through detailed correspondence with him.

The Promised Messiahas had conveyed the message of Islam to many in Europe and America. His message was printed in the Theosophist, a publication of the Theosophical Society, in September of

1886. Being a member of the society, the message also reached Alexander Russell Webb, a journalist with Missouri Republican Party. Mr Webb had been searching for the truth in religion and began correspondence with the Promised Messiahas.

He accepted Islam and wrote to the Promised Messiahas in 1887, “It occurred to me that I might, through your aid, assist in spreading the truth here.” (Shahna-eHaqq, Ruhani Khazain , Vol. 2, pp. 439443) After accepting Islam, Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb started preaching the message of Islam in the United States and later in India. In the series of lectures he delivered, one of them, Influence of Islam on Social Conditions, was delivered at the first PWR Conference in 1893.

After a break of one hundred years, the PWR resumed in 1993 and was held at its birthplace, Chicago.

Seven PWRs have been held since its inception:

1. 11-16 September 1893 in Chicago, USA with a total attendance of 7,000 Continued on page 6

Alexander Russell Webb

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM Health

Continued from page 5

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

Samar Hafeez Clinical Psychologist and Counsellor, India

To: ​His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community CC: Mr. Lal Khan Malik, National President (Canada) Your Holiness, We are excited to follow up our original invitation to you with an invitation to address our participants at the Anniversary Gala celebrating the 125th Parliament of the World’s Religions, which will take place on the evening of November 5th in Toronto. As the leader of a tradition that was faithfully present at the first-ever Parliament in 1893 — and the leader of a faith committed to inclusion and cooperation, “Love for All and Hatred for None” — we believe that you are the perfect person to help us celebrate our history and our future. ​Your appearance at the Gala would be in addition to a longer session taking place earlier that afternoon at 4:00 pm.

The Gala address would focus on a topic related to the anniversary celebration, such as the impact of the 1893 Parliament on your tradition and growth since then, or the nature of your commitment to interfaith relations.

Although we are still arranging speakers for the Gala, we anticipate yours will be one of only three traditions that will celebrate the anniversary of their presence at the first Parliament. We ask that you limit your remarks at the Gala to 10 minutes. The 4:00pm session would be 45 minutes long and can take the form, topic, and title of your choice. This session would give attendees who are not present at the banquet an opportunity to learn from you.

As we gather attendees from all over the world to celebrate our unique spiritual and religious traditions, we seek to find areas in which we can work with one another—across physical, cultural, and religious borders—to rescue and preserve our common humanity. You have been a champion of peace and interfaith tolerance, even as you strongly, justly and wisely lead the adherents of your faith. We would be honored to learn from you.

Based on the Cape Town Parliament and other Parliaments held in Barcelona, Melbourne, Salt Lake City and Chicago, we expect the event to draw 10,000 people from around the world. They will represent endlessly diverse religious traditions, spiritual paths and ethical convictions. These attendees will be heads of government, religious and spiritual leaders, activists on an array of issues, and key members of local communities. We hope that you will help us propel people of faith and conscience forward and toward a world of peace, justice, and sustainability. We look forward to seeing you in Toronto!

In Peace,

2. 28 August-5 September 1993 in Chicago, USA with a total attendance of 8,000 3. 1-8 December 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa with a total attendance of 7,000 4. 7-13 July 2004 in Barcelona, Spain with a total attendance of 9,000 5. 3-9 December 2009 in Melbourne, Australia with an attendance of 6,500 6. 15-19 October 2015 in Salt Lake City, USA with an attendance of 10,359 7. 1-7 November 2018 in Toronto, Canada with a total attendance of 8,000 This year, by the grace of Allah, the 7th conference of Parliament of the World’s Religions was held in Toronto (see www.parliamentofreligions.org).

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Canada was an early supporter of hosting this event in Toronto.

The steering committee of PWR extended a warm invitation to the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa to speak at the conference as the keynote speaker, stating: “As the leader of a tradition that was faithfully present at the first-ever Parliament in 1893 – and the leader of a faith committed to inclusion and cooperation, ‘Love for All and Hatred for None’ – we believe that you are the perfect person to help us celebrate our history and our future.”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa sent his regrets for not being able to attend and wished success to the conference.

After receiving this response, the PWR invited the Jamaat in Canada

to speak at a separate session of conference. Lal Khan Malik Sahib, Amir Jamaat Canada instructed me as missionary Vaughan Jamaat to speak at this session on the topic of Pathway to Peace, an international campaign being held by the Jamaat.

In this speech, nine fundamentals of peace were presented as explained by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. The session was attended by guests who came from different parts of the world, some from as far as Japan. Hazrat Amirul Momineen’saa book World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace was also introduced during the session. The attendees expressed an appreciation for the Jamaat’s endeavours in trying to achieve world peace.

Since its inception in 1893, this is the first time that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat has participated in a conference organised by PWR. Allah the Exalted granted an opportunity to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Canada to be part of this conference and share the peaceful message of Islam Ahmadiyyat.

Alhamdolillah.

A month after the conclusion of the PWR Toronto, Hon Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Elizabeth Dowdeswell hosted a reception in honour of the Steering Committee of PWR. I had the opportunity to attend this reception and, by the grace of Allah, introduced the Hon Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and its peaceful endeavours of the Jamaat.

“And He it is Who has made the night a covering for you, and Who has made sleep for rest, and has made the day for rising up.” (The Holy Quran, Ch.25: V.48) Sleep is one of those things that should come naturally, and for many it does.

However for some individuals, a restless night is a routine. Our bodies require a tranquil “rest and relaxation” period in order to revitalise themselves. To understand more on why sleep is important, think of your body as a factory carrying out vital functions or tasks and as you drift off to sleep, your body begins its night shift work. An adequate amount of sleep is crucial to mental, emotional and physical health. The widespread practice of “burning the candle at both ends” in industrialised societies (meaning overworking yourself) has created so much sleep deprivation that it has now become the norm.

Improper sleep leads to more than just the feeling of being tired or groggy, it actually interferes with one’s cognitive functions which includes impairments of attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, problem solving and decision making abilities. This places people at risk for automobile and work-related accidents. In children, sleep deprivation can lead to learning disabilities and poor memory.

Recent research has shown that sleep plays a role in “consolidating” memories in the mind; if you don’t get sufficient sleep, you may find it difficult to retreive information learnt from the previous day.

On the other hand, sleep is an integral part of emotional regulation and a lack of it leaves your emotions unstable and in disarray. One often feels grumpy, irritable, angry and impatient after a poor night’s sleep.

Chronic sleep loss can adversely affect life by contributing to the development of health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

In the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, using mice, researchers showed for the first time that the space between brain cells may increase during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out toxins that build up during waking hours.

This evidence showed a good night’s sleep may literally clear the mind.

Understanding the sleep cycle A closer look at sleep shows a good deal of activity occurring throughout the night and understanding what happens during sleep also means understanding the sleep cycle, which consists of two recurring phases: REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement). In ad-

dition to be termed as good quality sleep, these phases are imperative.

NREM sleep typically occupies most of the total sleep each night. There are many health benefits of this such as tissue growth and repair, while energy is restored and essential hormones for growth and development are released.

Most of your dreaming occurs during the REM stage. Dreaming is essential to our minds for processing and consolidating emotions and memories. It is also thought to be vital for learning and developing new skills.

If the REM and NREM cycles are interrupted multiple times throughout the night, either due to snoring, difficulties breathing or waking up frequently through the night, then we miss out on critical body and mind processes.

How much sleep is required The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors, including age.

Infant’s generally need about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours.

For most adults, experts generally recommend at least 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

The amount of sleep a person requires also increases if a person has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a “sleep debt”, and eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid.

It normally takes 10-30 minutes to fall asleep once you climb into bed (this is called sleep latency). If it takes more than this, then your body may be trying to tell you something. The first step here would be to try to improve your sleep hygiene, which brings us to the question, what is sleep hygiene?

While the word “hygiene” conjures up images of brushing teeth, washing hands and grooming hair, but sleep hygiene is different. It is a variety of different practices and behaviours that are necessary to have a good night sleep resulting in full daytime alertness.

Keeping your sleep time “clean” from waking activities will improve your sleep and overall quality of life as well.

Use the following practices to get a good night’s sleep: 1. Make good sleep a priority: Block out 7 hours for a full uninterrupted sleep.

Develop sleep promoting slow bedtime routine; do the same things in the same order to cue your body and mind to slow down and relax 2. Maintain regularity: Set and stick to a bedtime schedule, sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day to set your circadian rhythm or, in other words, your body’s internal or biological clock. This includes weekends and holidays too Continued on page 7

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 6

3. Avoid stimulants: Alcohol, coffee, soft drinks, chocolates and nicotine post sunset should be avoided. These stimulants hamper one’s quality of sleep by decreasing the time spent in deep sleep leading to fragmented sleep and nocturnal restlessness. Try to avoid engaging in tasks that require attention and concentration including studying or any stimulating conversations 4. Keep it cool: Sleep in a slightly cool room as this helps the temperature in the brain to drop and helps you fall asleep quicker. Most importantly, don’t ever go to bed angry as this will not only feed the mind with racing thoughts, but will negatively affect relationships and cause persistent sleep disturbances.

5. Melatonin – the sleep hormone: We need darkness in the evening to allow the release of a hormone called melatonin (the chemical of sleep). This hormone prepares you for sleep and is inhibited by bright light. In this modern era, we are severely deprived of darkness, so try to dim lights down in your home an hour before bed; stay away from LED screens as they emit blue light that actually puts breaks on melatonin production and fools the brain into thinking it’s still daytime 6. Keep your bedroom for sleep only: The room should be a relaxing space, avoid working, studying or eating on the bed 7. Do not stay in bed awake: If you haven’t fallen asleep within 30 minutes of getting into bed or have woken up and finding difficult to fall asleep, the advice is to get up, go to another room and in a dim light try to meditate.

Take in deep belly breaths; don’t use electronics, and definitely no food!

Only when you feel sleepy should you return to bed, and that way your brain can actually re-learn the association between the bed being a place of sleep, rather than a place to stay awake 8. Sleep aiding accessories: Get earplugs, eye masks and sound conditioners. Extraneous noises in the bedroom can disrupt sleep; use whatever you need to create a serene environment. Try to ensure that the noise is consistent like white noise and not variable like a radio or television; the latter can disrupt your sleep rather than help it. There are many sleep trackers in the market to measure your quality of light and deep sleep.

Tracking your sleep can give you vital insights into your overall health and well-being 9. Get a power nap: A short sleep session during the day ideally between 1-3pm, which should last no longer than 30 minutes can help you recharge and improve mood and performance.

Any longer than 30 minutes and you run the risk of developing “sleep inertia” – the unpleasant muzzy feeling that takes a considerable amount of

time to shake off 10. Avoid large meals 2 to 3 hours before bed: Try eating a salad or drinking a protein rich smoothie at night as this keeps your digestive system at ease and helps you fall asleep quicker and keeps acidity and indigestion at bay. Also, avoid consumption of large amounts of water close to bedtime for obvious reasons. Limit yourself to simple healthy and light snacks like nuts or seeds when studying late at night 11. Exercise to promote good quality sleep: Exercising during the day fosters sleep at night. Make physical activity a regular part of your life.

15-20 minutes of aerobic exercise such as brisk walking and cycling can positively affect sleep quality, especially in drastically reducing the time you take to fall asleep. However, exercising too close to bedtime may keep you wired and make it difficult to settle down, so always keep a 3 hour gap between your exercise and sleep time. If you are planning to workout in late evenings, more relaxing exercises like yoga with diaphragmatic breathing can help unwind real quick 12. Stress: If you find you are stressing over all the things you have to do, write them down in a sleep journal.

Your prefrontal cortex is assigned to keep all these things active in your working memory. Writing the racing thoughts down can help alleviate stress to a great extent 13. Try magnesium rich foods like fish or fish oil, almonds, bananas, pumpkin seeds, warm milk, cherries or a glass of cherry juice before bed, mushrooms and dark leafy green vegetables in dinner. Magnesium relaxes muscles and eases anxiety around bedtime 14. Try a herbal route: Have a cup of chamomile tea 30 minutes before bed. Chamomile is regarded as a mild tranquiliser and sleep inducer as it aids in relaxing muscles and nerves and helps you fall asleep quicker A few signs of poor sleep hygiene Frequent sleep disturbances and day time sleepiness are the most telling signs of poor sleep hygiene. In addition, if you are taking too long to fall asleep, you should consider re-evaluating your sleep habits.

It is normal to have an occasional sleepless night, but if you find that it’s becoming a routine, then you should consider seeing a therapist to sort out deeper reasons behind sleepless nights.

You may be having conflicts that you are unaware of, which might be preventing you from sleeping peacefully. The therapist can help you develop a plan to address its causes and thereby help you accomplish a good night’s sleep every night.

Letters to the Editor

Tsunami and Manifestation of Divine Help Harpan Aziz Ahmad Missionary, Indonesia

Having prayed, we immediately went out of the hall and watched the panic; people crying for help, ambulance sirens and vehicles going back and forth honking one another. This created an even more terrifying image of the situation.

Some of us tried to get close to the road to see the condition of the sea with waves being thrown at the stall we visited in the afternoon.

Whether the aftershocks would cause the ocean waves to reach us was what strongly and quickly haunted our thoughts.

We sought to attempt various options like obtaining valid information and finding evacuation routes. Under Allah’s benign protection and care, we were safe that night.

Morning came, but the anxiety still remained.

On the one side, negotiations with bus drivers seemed really long and arduous. There was no chance of evacuating the participants before midday. The roads were blocked off, covered by debris and fallen buildings.

Thinking that the aftershocks were yet to come was their reason for not picking us up from the hotel. Alas, we were isolated and misinformed.

However, the Almighty God was always with us. While hoping for any bus or public transportation to come and take us, He came along with His succour.

At 4:35pm, buses from Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) came in one-byone to our hotel. On whose instructions they came, we did not know yet. We evacuated with three bus units to Pandenglang Resort Police Office. Our journey felt very special with patrol cars guarding us.

What is good in our sight is not always good in His Sight. What is easy in our sight is not always easy without His blessed intervention.

Our God always has His own ways.

On the evening of Saturday, 22 December 2018, as widely reported, a Tsunami swept the Sunda Strait area. It left a huge mark on the area not least because it destroyed houses and hotels, killing many, injuring others with people still missing.

A viral video shows a band performing in the area suddenly being struck by a huge wave and everything being wiped off in just a matter of seconds.

We were part of that scene. On 20 December, along with 200 participants, we travelled to Carita beach to hold a sequence of tarbiyat sessions, named Religious Moral Training Course (KPA) for Atfal, Nasirat, Khuddam and Lajna in Wira Carita Hotel to spend their school holidays.

When the Tsunami struck, we were having a “togetherness” event. This event was deliberately arranged on the last night of the programme and became a farewell night for participants, committees and mentors.

Generally, to make it more impressive, this event is usually set outdoors. However, the plans changed at the last minute and the committee chose the hotel hall for that programme.

It was indeed a blessing of Allah that plans changed to hold the event indoors as we would later realise. We can only imagine what would have happened if the programme had been organised outdoors. Even though our hotel was not affected directly by the Tsunami like other hotels, it certainly brought about an extreme panicked situation due to the chaos that ensued that night.

We were, Alhamdolillah, safe and followed the programme quietly and comfortably, at least until our regional missionary whispered, “Call all missionaries to go out, now!”

With a gesture, we called one (Translated by Hafizurrahman, another and walked out, while asking Indonesia Correspondent) ourselves what had happened.

“The Anak Krakatau mountain has erupted. The sea water levels are rising and some buildings along the coastline have been damaged. Pray that the Almighty God protects us!”

Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM

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Friday Sermon 14 December 2018 Delivered from Baitul Futuh Mosque

Men of Excellence After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:

F

rom the accounts relating to the Companionsra of the Holy Prophetsa, today, I shall speak about Hazrat Mistahra bin Usasah. His name was Auf, and his title was Mistah. His mother was Hazrat Umme Mistah Salma bint Sakhr, who was the daughter of Raitah bint Sakhr, the maternal aunt of Hazrat Abu Bakrra.

(Al-Isabatu Fi Tamyiz Al-Sahaba, Vol. 6, p. 74, Mistah bin Uthathah, Printed in Darul Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 5, p. 150, Mistah bin Uthathah, Dar-ul-Kutb Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003) (Al-Isti’ab, Vol. 4, p. 1472, Mistah bin Uthathah, Dar-ul-Jeel, Beirut, 1992) Hazrat Mistahra bin Usasah migrated to Mecca along with Hazrat Ubaidahra bin Harith and his two brothers, Hazrat Tufailra bin Harith and Hazrat Hussainra bin Harith. Prior to undertaking the journey, it was mutually agreed that they would meet at the valley of Naajeh. However, Hazrat Mistahra bin Usasah remained behind because he was bitten by a snake during the journey. The following day, when those people who had already left, came to know about the incident of the snake bite, they went back and then accompanied him to Medina. While in Medina, they all stayed at the house of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Salama. (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra, Vol. 3, p.

37, Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) The Holy Prophetsa established a bond of brotherhood between Hazrat Mistahra bin Usasah and Hazrat Zaidra bin Muzayyan.

Hazrat Mistahra accompanied the Holy Prophetsa in all the battles, including the Battle of Badr. (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 37, Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Dar-ulKutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) Eight months after the Migration, the Holy Prophetsa sent Hazrat Ubaidahra bin Harith with a cavalry consisting of sixty or, according to one report, eighty horsemen.

The Holy Prophetsa had a white flag made for Hazrat Ubaidahra bin Harith, which was held by Hazrat Mistahra bin Usasah.

The purpose of this expedition was to stop the trade caravan of the Quraish in its tracks. Abu Sufyan was the leader of the caravan of the Quraish. According to some narrations, this caravan was headed

by Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl; the name Miqraz bin Hafs has also been reported. This caravan consisted of 200 people who were transporting trade goods. The party of the Companionsra caught up with the caravan

at the Valley of Raabigh, which was also known as Wudaan. This caravan was not only a trading caravan but was also laden with weapons. Moreover, the profits of the trade by this caravan were to be used to wage a war against Muslims. From the events it is proven that they were fully prepared for this.

Nonetheless, when the parties arrived there, no battle took place between

Mustafaal-Babi, Egypt, 1955) (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 12, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, 1987) This was because their intention was not to initiate a war, rather, it was to stop them and warn them that if they were to make preparations to fight against the Muslims, then the Muslims would also be ready.

During the battle of Khayber, the Holy

them except the exchange of arrows, nor were there any proper lines formed for combat. This incident has previously been mentioned whilst relating the account of another companion. The companion who shot the first arrow from the Muslims was Hazrat Sa‘d bin Abi Waqasra. This was the first arrow to have been shot on behalf of Islam. At that occasion, Hazrat Miqdadra bin Aswad and Hazrat Uyainahra bin Ghazwan (according to Sirat Ibn Hisham and Tarikh al-Tabari it was Utbah bin Ghazwan) broke free from the party of the idolaters and joined the Muslims, as they had already accepted Islam and desired to join the Muslims. This was the second expedition in the history of Islam sent under the leadership of Hazrat Ubaidahra bin Harith. After the exchange of arrows, both parties receded. (This incident has also been mentioned in one of the previous sermons.) The idolaters were in such awe of the Muslims that they assumed that Muslims had a very large army at their disposal to support them. Hence, they went back in fear and the Muslims did not pursue them any further. (Al-Sira Al-Halbiyyah, vol. 3, pp. 215-216, Sirya Ubaidah bin al-Harith, Dar-ul-Kutub AlIlmiyyah, Beirut, 2002) (Sirat ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 592, Sirya Ubaidah bin al-Harith,

Prophetsa gave wheat weighing 50 wasq, [a unit of weight] to Hazrat Mistahra and Ibn Ilyas. (In those days, it was customary to give this from the spoils of war and this is all mentioned in Al-Tabaqat-ul-Kubra). He passed away at the age of 56, in the 34 AH, during the Khilafat of Hazrat Uthmanra.

It is also reported that he was alive even during the Khilafat of Hazrat Alira and that he participated in the Battle of Siffin alongside Hazrat Alira and passed away the same year in 37 AH. (Al-Tabaqaat-ulKubra, Vol. 3, p. 39, Mistah bin Uthathah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) (Al-Isabatu Fi Tamyiz Al-Sahaba, Vol. 6, p.

74, Mistah bin Uthathah, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) Hazrat Mistahra is the same person who was under the care of Hazrat Abu Bakrra, who arranged for his maintenance and expenses. However, when the accusation was made against Hazrat Aishara, Hazrat Mistahra was also amongst those who leveled this allegation. At that time, Hazrat Abu Bakrra pledged an oath that he would no longer take care of him and support him. Upon this, the following verse of the Quran was revealed: ۡ ٰ ۡ ُ ۡ ْ ُ ْ ُ ۡ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َ ۡ ُ ْ ۡ َ ۡ ْ ُ ُ َ ۡ َ َ َ ْ ‫بى َوال َم َس ٰـ ِكي َن‬ ‫ولا يأت ِل أولوا الفض ِل ِمنكم والسع ِة أن يؤتوا أول ِى القر‬ ّٰ ْ َ َ ْ ٰ ُ ۡ َ َ‫الل ِه‌ۖ َول ۡ َي ۡع ُفواْ َول ۡ َي ۡص َف ُحوْا‌ۗ أَلَا تُ ِح ُّبوْ َن أَ ْن يَ ۡغ ِفر‬ ‫والمهـ ِجرِين فِى س ِبي ِل‬ ّٰ َ ۡ ُ َ ُ ّٰ ٌ‫الل ُه َغ ُفوْ ٌ ۬ر َّر ِح ْيم‬ ‫الله لكم‌ۗ و‬

That is, “And let not those who possess wealth and plenty among you swear not to give aught to the kindred and to the needy and to those who have left their homes in the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and pass over the offence. Do you not desire that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.” (Surah al-Nur: V.23) Hence, this verse was revealed and as a result, Hazrat Abu Bakrra once again took up his care and supported him. Furthermore, when God Almighty revealed the verses regarding the exoneration of Hazrat Aishara, those who raised the accusation were also punished. According to some narrations, Hazrat Mistahra was amongst those people who raised the allegation against Hazrat Aishara and was thus instructed to be punished with lashes by the Holy Prophetsa.

(Al-Isabatu Fi Tamyiz Al-Sahaba, Vol. 6, p.

74, Mistah bin Uthathah, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) The incident in regard to this allegation [levelled against Hazrat Aishara] is extremely important for it carries a vital lesson for the Muslims. Hence, it has been mentioned in great detail. Furthermore, God Almighty has also revealed verses in the Holy Quran in relation to this.

Nevertheless, the Promised Messiahas states: “God Almighty has made it an integral part of His own noble attributes to avert prophecies of warning on the basis of repentance, seeking forgiveness, prayer, and charity, so did He teach the same morals to man.”

Whilst relating this incident, the Promised Messiahas has explained the difference between a promise and a warning. The Promised Messiahas further states: “As is evidenced by the Holy Quran and the Hadith that when, out of sheer maliciousness, the hypocrites had perpetrated a calumny against Hazrat Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, some unwary companions also had joined in this narrative. (Their intention was not to create disorder, rather they joined owing to their simple-mindedness.) One of those companions used to get his meal, twice a day, from the home of Hazrat Abu Bakrra. Due to this lapse, Hazrat Abu Bakrra pledged that he would never again feed him as a punishment for this misdeed, whereupon the verse was revealed:

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM ُ ّٰ ۡ َ َ َ ُ َ ّٰ ُ َ ْ َ ۡ ْ ُ ۡ ‫َول َي ۡعفوا َول َي ۡصف ُحوٓا‌ۗ ألَا ت ِح ُّبوْ َن أ ْن يغ ِف َر الل ُه لَك ۡم‌ۗ َوالل ُه غف ٌور ّر ِح ْي ٌم‬ ‘Let them forgive and forbear. Do you not desire that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.’ (Surah al-Nur: V.23) At that, Hazrat Abu Bakr broke his pledge and restored his meals as usual. It is for this reason that it is part of Islamic morality.” Here, the Promised Messiahas has expounded upon a particular issue that should one pledge something by way of Waid, the breaking of that pledge is a component of good morals.

What is Waid? The Promised Messiahas states: “For instance, if someone swears that with regard to his servant, he shall strike him fifty times with a shoe, to forgive him on account of his repentance and earnest supplication is the Islamic custom, so that ‫[ تخلق باخلاق اللہ‬morality mirror the attributes of Allah]. Nevertheless, it is not permissible to break a promise; one will be held accountable for the breach of promise, but not for breaking a pledge of chastisement.”

(Zamima Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Vol. 5, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 21, p. 181) A promise is a pledge, which is made keeping in mind all the negative and positive aspects and it is necessary for one to fulfil it. If one breaks it, they will be held accountable and will also be handed out a punishment for it.

According to a narration in Sahih Bukhari, mentioning the details of the incident of the calumny, Hazrat Aishara narrates the following; since the details of this incident are important, therefore I will also mention these. Hazrat Aishara narrates: “It was a custom of the Holy Prophetsa that when he intended to embark on a journey, he used to draw lots amongst his wives, then he would take along with him the one on whom the lot fell. On one occasion, before a battle, he drew lots in the same manner, and the lot fell on me.”

Hazrat Aishara states that her name emerged from the lot and so she accompanied the Holy Prophetsa.

“This was the time when injunctions on purdah [observing the veil] had already been revealed. Hence, during this journey, I would sit in a palanquin (a covered seat which would be placed on the back of a camel) and wherever a halt was made, it would be placed on the ground.”

She further states: “When the Holy Prophetsa set back after having finished from his expedition, and we approached near the city of Medina, one night, the Holy Prophetsa ordered for the departure. When I heard this announcement, I also began to walk, and went ahead of the army in order to attend to the call of nature, and returned after I had finished. (Since she had to attend the call of nature, therefore she walked away to one side). When I returned to my camel, I touched my chest and found that my necklace made from black sapphire had been lost. I went back in search of it and was delayed a short while. In the meantime, those who had been appointed to lift my litter and place it on the back of the camel arrived, and assuming that I was in the litter, lifted it and placed it on the camel.”

Hazrat Aishara further states: “In that era, women were light in weight

and flesh did not accumulate their bodies in abundance, as they used to eat very little food. The attendants, therefore, did not suspect that I was not already in the litter.”

Hazrat Aishara then says: “Furthermore, at the time, I was still a young girl. Hence, they lifted the litter and also got the camel on its feet and proceeded. In any case, when I returned after finding my necklace, lo and behold, the army had left, and the plain was empty.

I thought to myself that I should remain at my place, because when people would realise that I had been left behind, they would surely return. Therefore, I sat on my spot and was soon overcome by sleep. Now, it so happened that Safwan bin Mu‘attal Sulami Zakwani was a companion whose duty was to stay behind the army (so that fallen items, etc., could be safeguarded).

When he arrived from behind the army and reached my resting place just before dawn, he found me sleeping there alone.

Since he had already seen me prior to the revelation of injunctions relevant to purdah, he recognised me immediately, upon which he became flustered and said, ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.’ Upon him reciting this, I awoke from my sleep. He then brought the camel near to me and sat it down. I then mounted it. He then began to walk, leading the camel by its halter.”

Hazrat Aishara further states: “We finally reached the place where the Muslim army had set up camp at midday and everyone was resting in their camps.

This is the account, due to which those who were to be ruined, ruined themselves.”

In other words, people started to level allegations against Hazrat Aishara and began issuing false statements about her.

Hazrat Aishara further states: “The key proponent who was responsible for spreading this slander was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul.

“After this, we reached Medina, and it so happened that as soon as we arrived, I fell ill, and this illness lasted for one month.

During this time, the forged statements of the slanderers were noised widely, and rumours were spread. However, until then, I had absolutely no notion of this calumny.

However, one thing I did notice that led me to suspect something was not right was that during my period of illness, the Holy Prophetsa did not extend to me the usual affection and kindness that I was accustomed to in illness.

“The allegation was made, rumours spread widely and the Holy Prophetsa also came to learn of this. She says that during her illness, she did not receive the same affection from Holy Prophetsa that she would normally receive.

“When the Holy Prophetsa would visit me, he would only say, ‘Assalamo Alaikum’, and then enquire about my health from my parents. I was completely unaware of this allegation.

“I remained unaware till the point that I had recovered from my illness and was still in a state of weakness, and it was not until Umme Mistah and I went towards the direction of Minasi to attend the call of nature. In those days we used to leave in the night, and this was before the time we had made lavatories close to our homes.”

In those days people would go outside of their homes to attend the call of nature and women would go in the evening when it was nightfall.

Hazrat Aishara further states: “In those days, we followed the traditional customs of the Arabs and would go into the wilderness to attend the call of nature. Umme Mistah bint Abi Ruham and I were both going when all of a sudden she tripped over her outer garment and stumbled. Upon this she said, ‘Woe be to Mistah.’ I said, ‘What an awful thing you have uttered. Do you say something unpleasant about one who had participated in the Battle of Badr?’ Upon this she replied, ‘O innocent young lady, have you not heard the rumours people have spread?’ It was then that I learnt of the allegation which was being propagated about me. I had recovered from my illness and was still in a state of weakness, but upon hearing this, my illness worsened.

“When I returned home, the Holy Prophetsa came to visit me as usual and said, ‘Assalamo Alaikum, How are you feeling now?’ I sought permission from the Holy Prophetsa to go to my parent’s home as I wanted to find out from them about what was being said about me. The Holy Prophetsa granted permission and I went to them and enquired of my mother about what people were saying. My mother said, ‘O Daughter! Do not worry yourself about this. By God, it is common that when a person has a beautiful wife whom he loves and he also has other wives, the other women say something against her.’

I spontaneously said, ‘Holy is Allah! Are people actually saying these things about me?’ Then I began to weep, and my tears would not stop. I did not sleep all night. At dawn, I was still weeping for such a huge allegation had been levelled against me.

“In the morning, the Holy Prophetsa called Alira bin Abi Talib and Usama bin Zaidra to seek their counsel in regard to leaving his wife and severing his relation with her, because there had been quite a delay in revelation being sent down. (As there had been an allegation raised against her, the Holy Prophetsa sought advice on deciding whether he should stay with Hazrat Aishara or not). Owing to the Holy Prophet’ssa love for his wives, Usamara submitted, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Aishara is your wife and by God, we know nothing but goodness with respect to Aishara.’”

Hazrat Aishara states: “However, Alira bin Abi Talib, (who was a little haste in nature) said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Allah the Exalted has not put you in difficulty, and there are plenty of women other than her.’ Hazrat Alira then said, ‘Nonetheless, enquire of the household maid, perhaps she knows something and may be able to tell you the actual truth.’

“Upon this, the Holy Prophetsa called for Barirah and inquired, ‘Have you ever seen anything in Aishara as may be considered suspicious?’ Barirah responded, ‘I swear by that God who has sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything evil about her except that on account of her young age, she is a bit careless. It often happens that she leaves the dough exposed and falls in such a deep sleep that the goats come and consume it.’”

By citing this example, she proved her innocence from any evil, but said her only flaw was that she would be overcome by sleep.

“On the same day, the Holy Prophetsa addressed his Companions and complained about Abdullah bin Ubay bin Salul for he had propagated this allegation. The Holy Prophetsa said, ‘I have been given great grief with respect to my wife. Is there anyone from among you who can take care of such an individual? By God, I know nothing of my wife except piety and goodness.

Moreover, I also consider the man who has been mentioned in this connection to be pious (referring to Hazrat Aisha and the other person who was accused in this incident). He has never come to my home in my absence.’

“Upon hearing this address of the Holy Prophetsa, Sa‘d bin Mu‘az, stood up and submitted, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I shall seek revenge against the individual who has raised such an allegation. If this person is from our tribe, we consider him worthy of death, and shall sever his head at once.

If he is from our brethren (i.e. from the Khazraj tribe), even still, we are prepared to do as you command.’

“Upon this, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, chief of the Khazraj tribe, stood up, and though he was a righteous man, at the time, he was overcome by the honour of his tribe and said, ‘You have spoken a lie. By God! You shall not kill a man from our tribe, nor do you possess the power to do so.’ Thereafter they began to argue with one another.

Upon this, Usaid bin Huzair stood up and addressed Sa‘d bin Ubadah saying, ‘You are a liar, By God! we shall surely kill the one who has made this allegation.’ He even said: ‘In fact you are a hypocrite, for you argue on behalf of the hypocrites.’ This exchange of remarks incensed some from among the Aus and Khazraj, and an altercation almost broke out, to the extent that although no fighting took place, they were close to doing so. But the Holy Prophetsa came down from the pulpit and admonished everyone and diffused the situation. Everyone then fell silent and the Holy Prophetsa also remained silent.”

The narration from Bukhari continues.

It is quite a lengthy narration. Hazrat Aishara further states: “My state was the same as usual, in that my tears would not stop, nor could I sleep. My parents were also with me and I remained as such for two whole nights and one day. I felt as if my liver would burst into pieces and I would die. I was sitting by my parents in this very state, weeping, when a lady from the Ansar sought permission and entered, and began to weep with me in a sympathetic manner. At this, the Messenger of Allahsa arrived in the house of Hazrat Abu Bakrra and sat down next to me. This was the first day that he had sat down with me after the calumny.”

Prior to this, the Holy Prophetsa did not sit next to Hazrat Aishara. He would enquire about her health from far and return or ask through the maid, and when she had returned back home, he would go there and enquire about her. Hazrat Aishara further states: “A month had elapsed, but no divine revelation had been sent down in my case.

10 For a whole month since the allegation, the Holy Prophetsa did not come and sit next to me, but on that day, he did and was waiting for God Almighty to reveal something.”

Hazrat Aishara then states: “The Holy Prophetsa recited the Kalimah [Islamic declaration of faith], then he addressed me saying, ‘O Aishara! I have been informed of such and such thing about you.’” This was the first time the Holy Prophetsa enquired about this matter from Hazrat Aishara. “‘If you are innocent, I trust that God shall affirm your innocence. If, however, you have committed a mistake, you should seek forgiveness from God and bow before Him, because when a person bows before God confessing their sin, Allah accepts their repentance, and shows Mercy to them’ When the Holy Prophetsa had finished his address, I noticed that my tears had dried away completely, and there was absolutely no sign of them. At that time, I looked to my father (Hazrat Abu Bakrra) and asked him to respond on my behalf, but he said, ‘By God! I do not know what to say in response to the Holy Prophetsa.’ (She, of course, wanted him to affirm her innocence.) I then turned to my mother to respond on my behalf, but she also said, ‘By God! I do not know what to say in response to the Holy Prophetsa.’”

Hazrat Aishara states: “At the time, I was a young girl and did not know much of the Quran, but I said, ‘By God, I am aware that certain things which people have rumoured about me have reached you (i.e. that this heinous allegation has been levelled against me) and you have been affected by these statements. In fact, you have considered them to be true.’”

Hazrat Aishara says: “Hence, if I advocate my innocence, and God surely knows I am innocent, you will, however, doubt me since this rumour has been propagated so much, but if I accept myself as being guilty, despite my being innocent and God Almighty also being aware of my innocence, you will believe me.” If she admitted to it then he may have thought that there was truth behind it.

Hazrat Aishara then said: “By God, I find myself in the situation of the father of Josephas, who said, ‘Patience is better for me, and it is Allah Alone Whose help I seek.”’

“This is what Hazrat Jacobas said to the brothers of Hazrat Josephas that it is Allah Alone Whose help I seek against what these people assert.”

Hazrat Aishara further states: “I quoted this verse and then turned to the other side and sat on my bed hoping for God Almighty to reveal my innocence.”

She knew she was innocent and God Almighty would establish her innocence.

“However, by God! I never thought that a revelation would be revealed in my favour.

I knew that God Almighty would declare my innocence, but never thought that a revelation would be sent down. I did not consider myself worthy for a Quranic revelation to be sent down to clear me of the charges, and that God the Exalted would declare my innocence in such a manner, whereby he would send down a revelation in the Holy Quran. I thought that perhaps the Messenger of Allah would

Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM be shown a vision in his sleep wherein He would declare my innocence.”

Hazrat Aishara further states: “However, by God, the Holy Prophetsa had not yet left this sitting, nor had any other person of the household left, when he began to receive a revelation and was overtaken by the arduous state, which he would experience upon the receipt of divine revelation. He would sweat so much that even on a cold day, he would be dripping with sweat. After some time, this state left him. The Holy Prophetsa smiled and looked towards me saying, ‘O Aisha!

Show gratitude to God for He has affirmed your innocence.’ At this, my mother spontaneously said, ‘O Aisha! Get up and go the Messengersa of Allah.’ However, I said that I would not go to him, nor would I be thankful to anyone but God Almighty.

God Almighty had revealed, ‘Verily, those who brought forth the lie was a party from among you.’

“When my innocence had been affirmed by God Almighty through divine revelation, Hazrat Abu Bakrra, who would grant regular support to Mistah bin Usasah due to his kinship, pledged that as Mistah had taken part in slandering Aisha, he would no longer render him this support.

“However, shortly thereafter, the verses of Surah al-Nur were revealed in which God Almighty stated (I have already quoted the verse previously and the translation is as follows): “‘And let not those who possess wealth and plenty among you swear not to give aught to the kindred and to the needy and to those who have left their homes in the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and pass over the offence. Do you not desire that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.’

“Hazrat Abu Bakrra stated, ‘Indeed, by God, I desire for my sins to be covered and that God Almighty forgives me.’ Thus, the allowance Mistah used to receive was reinstated. Moreover, prior to my being absolved, the Holy Prophetsa enquired of Hazrat Zainabra bint Jahash as to her opinion of me after what had happened.

She responded by saying, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I seek to protect my eyes and ears from evil, thus I consider Aisha to be a pious and God-fearing lady.’”

By seeking to protect her eyes and ears meant that she could not utter anything false on account of them and thus she found Aisha to be a pious lady.

Hazrat Aishara further states: “This was despite the fact that from among all the wives of the Holy Prophetsa, Zainab was the only one who competed with me. However, due to her virtue, Allah the Exalted saved her from taking part in this calumny. However, her sister Hamna bint Jahash was siding with those who had spread the rumours and perished alongside them.” (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Shahadat, Bab Ta’dil al-Nisa…, Hadith 2661, Vol. 4, pp. 721-731, Nazarat Isha’at, Rabwah) (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, Bab Hadith al-Ifk, Hadith 4141, Vol. 8, p. 325, Nazarat Isha’at, Rabwah) Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra has narrated this incident of Hazrat Aishara in Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin [The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets] which I

have already mentioned from Bukhari. The additional aspect mentioned therein is that she narrated: “When the Companionَ said: َ ۡ َ ّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫إِنا لِل ِه وإِنا إِلي ِه ر‬ [Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return], I woke and immediately covered my face with my scarf, as the commandment regarding the veil had already been revealed. By God, he did not speak a word to me (he did not say anything) and I did not hear any other words uttered by him apart from these (i.e. َ ‫ – إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِه َوإنَّا إل َ ۡي ِه‬Surely to Allah we belong ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ‫ر‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ and to Him shall we return). Following this, he brought his camel forward, made it kneel down near me and placed his foot on both of its knees so that it did not stand up all of a sudden. Subsequently, I mounted the camel.” (Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, p. 563) In Bukhari it is mentioned that she placed her feet on the hands to mount the camel, however here it states he placed his feet on the knees of the camel so that the camel would not suddenly stand up.

As Hazrat Aishara has mentioned that the revelation of God Almighty in relation to her was of great importance for her.

Hazrat Aishara says: “This revelation was of great significance to me as I was not expecting it.”

In any case, this was a very important incident and there was a grave allegation being raised against a family member of the Holy Prophetsa. Hazrat Aishara held an exalted status and one of the reasons for this was that the Holy Prophetsa had stated about her: “I receive the most revelations in the house of Aisha” and because of the revelation of a specific portion in Surah alNur which contained detailed instructions for the believers regarding their reaction towards those who had falsely accused her.

Hence, there are ten or eleven verses of the Holy Quran which address this matter.

Apart from what I have already stated from the Hadith, now I would like to mention what Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said about the verse which Hazrat Aishara mentioned.

However, firstly, I will share the verse under comment: ُ َّ ً َ ُ ُ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ُ ّ ٌ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ۡ ْ ُ َ َ َّ َّ َۡ ‫وه ش ّرا لكم ‌ۖ بَ ۡل ُهوَ خي ٌر‬ ‫ِإن ال ِذين جٓاءو ِبال ِإف ِك عصبة ِمنكم‌ۚ لا تحسب‬ ُ ‫امر ٕى ِّم ۡن ُہم َّما اك ۡ َت َس َب ِم َن الۡإثۡم‌ۚ َوالَّذ ْى تَوَلَّ ٰى كِبۡ َر ُه ِم ۡن ُہ ۡم لَه‬ ۡ ّ ُ ۡ ُ َّ ِ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ‫لكم‌ۚ ل ِك ِل‬ ٌ ‫َع َذ‬ ٌ ‫اب َع ِظ‬ ‫يم‬ “Verily, those who brought forth the lie are a party from among you. Think it not to be an evil for you; nay, it is good for you. Every one of them shall have his share of what he has earned of the sin; and he among them who took the chief part therein shall have a grievous punishment.” (Surah al-Nur: V.12) This verse is followed by others in which further details have been mentioned.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further writes: “When they arrived in Medina, Abdullah bin Ubay bin Salul and his associates began to spread rumours that God forbid, Hazrat Aishara remained behind intentionally and that she had a relationship with Sufwan.”

This was the companion who had brought her afterwards to Medina on a camel. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further writes: “This rumour was repeated so much

that some Companionsra, out of their misjudgment, started to believe that this was true. One such companion was Hassanra bin Thabit, another one was Mistahra bin Usasah, and a female companion named Hamnahra bint Jahash who was the Holy Prophet’ssa sister-in-law. Hazrat Aishara was shocked for being left behind to the extent that she became ill after returning to Medina. Since she was very young, the fear of being left alone in the wilderness was a factor in her becoming ill. This is what she was going through and at the same time the hypocrites continued to spread rumours, which eventually reached the Holy Prophetsa. Due to her illness, the Holy Prophetsa did not ask Hazrat Aishara about the allegations being raised by the hypocrites. At the same time, the rumours were spreading day by day.

“Hazrat Aishara states, ‘I was astonished to see the Holy Prophetsa when he would return home. His face looked indifferent and he would not speak to me.’ She states, ‘He would seem extremely worried and would ask others about her condition, then leave. She states, ‘I sought his permission one day and left for my parents’ house.’ It was here that the incident took place when she left to attend the call of nature with another woman who was her relative and would also go with her. The lady mentioned the name of her son Mistah and said, ‘May he be ruined.’ Upon hearing this, Hazrat Aishara enquired, ‘Why would you say such a thing?’ The woman responded, ‘Why should I not say such things? Are you not aware of what he has been saying?’”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states: “This woman was looking for an opportunity to mention to Hazrat Aishara the things that were being said and what she was being accused of because she was not aware of this. When Hazrat Aishara heard about it, she became distressed. She returned home and, as it was mentioned before, she had not fully recovered, but knowing what was being said about her increased her illness.”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra continues to narrate the incident: “The Holy Prophetsa called Hazrat Umarra, Hazrat Alira and Usama bin Zaidra for consultation with regard to what to do about this matter. Hazrat Umarra and Usama bin Zaidra both stated, ‘This is a false accusation which has been spread by the hypocrites. There is no truth to it whatsoever.’ However, Hazrat Alira who was slightly haste in his nature stated, ‘Whether it is true or not, what is the need of maintaining relations with a woman who has been accused of such an allegation?’ At the same time, as it has already been mentioned, he also said, ‘You could ask her maid. If there is something, she would know.’ Therefore, the Holy Prophetsa asked Barirah, Hazrat Aisha’sra maid, ‘Are you aware of any flaws in Aisha?’

She responded, ‘Apart from her habit of falling asleep due to her tender age, there are no flaws in her.’ She narrated the same incident which was mentioned before, that is, she falls asleep quickly and falls into deep sleep. After listening to this, the Holy Prophetsa came outside and gathered the companions. Then he said, ‘Who shall guard me from the person who has caused

11

Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM me this pain?’ The Holy Prophetsa was speaking about Abdullah bin Ubay bin Salul who had caused him this pain. Hazrat Sa‘d bin Mu‘az, who was the chief of the Aus tribe, stood up and said, ‘O Messengersa of Allah! We are ready to kill that person if he is amongst us. If he is amongst the Khazraj, even then we are ready to kill him.’”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further states: “Satan is constantly in search of opportunities to cause mischief and he did not let this occasion pass either. The Khazraj tribe was unaware of just how much grief this caused the Holy Prophetsa, so when Sa‘d bin Mu‘az spoke up, other tribes became incensed. Sa‘d bin Ubadah then stood up telling Sa‘d bin Mu‘az, ‘You would never kill one of our people. You do not have the strength to do so.’ During this exchange of words, another companion stood up and said, ‘We will kill him and let’s see who tries to protect him.’”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further writes: “This confrontation did not remain confined to mere words, it escalated to the point where the people of the Aus and Khazraj tribes began drawing their swords from their sheaths and were close to fighting one another. It was only with great difficulty that the Holy Prophetsa was able to calm them down. The Aus tribe said

that they would kill whoever had grieved the Holy Prophetsa, whereas the Khazraj tribe claimed that this was not being said out of their sincerity, as the Aus tribe were well-aware that the person was from among the Khazraj tribe and this is the only reason why they made such a claim.

Nonetheless, it is well-documented that the Holy Prophetsa had love for both these tribes, but Satan had caused mischief and discord between the two of them.”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further writes: “Anyone can easily understand how delicate the situation was at that time.

On one side, the Holy Prophetsa had been afflicted with so much misery, and on the other side, the state of affairs between the Muslims had reached the point where swords were being raised. Hence, it is Satan who causes such disarray, even amongst people of pious nature.”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further relates the same incident as has been related by Hazrat Aishara when she was asked about the event. In reply to which she said: “If I accept [what they assert] I will be lying and if I plead my innocence, the people will not believe me. Hence, at this point, I will only repeat what Jacobas, the father of Josephas said: ّٰ َ ٌ َ ٌ ۡ َ َ ُ ‫الل ُه ال ۡ ُم ۡس َت َع‬ ‫فصبر ج ِميل ۖ و‬ ‫ان‬ That is, ‘So comely patience is good for

me. And it is Allah alone Whose help is to be sought.’ (Surah Yusuf: V.19) Hazrat Aishara then said that she stood up and went over to her bed. Soon after this, the verse (which I recited earlier) was revealed in which it stated, ‘Verily, those who brought forth the lie are a party from among you. Think it not to be an evil for you; nay, it is good for you. Because through this, the punishment of those people who labelled allegations would soon come to light and also you have been bestowed a wise teaching. Indeed, every one of them shall have his share of what he has earned of the sin; and he among them who took the chief part therein shall have a grievous punishment.’

“Nevertheless, after this revelation, the Holy Prophet’s face began to radiate.

Hazrat Aishara says that her mother told her to stand and thank the Holy Prophetsa, but she said that she would only thank God Almighty.” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, pp. 269271) Nonetheless, as has been mentioned earlier, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has also explained this incident in one of his sermons and stated: “Due to labelling allegations against Hazrat Aishara, three people received lashes.

From among them, one was Hassanra bin

Canada Holds Fifth Holy Quran and Science Conference Dr Hameed A Mirza Secretary Talim, AMJ Canada

T

he national department of talim of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Canada organised its 5th Annual Holy Quran and Science Conference on Sunday, 25 November 2018 at Baitul Hamd Mosque in Mississauga.

The Holy Quran and Science Conference highlights novel research carried out on the Holy Quran to discover the treasures buried in the Holy Book of Muslims. The wide range of subjects that were covered included physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, medicine & health sciences, engineering, as well as other areas of research.

The conference proceedings were divided into four sessions. At the end of each session a panel discussion with questions from the audience was arranged.

By the grace of Allah, this year, over 400 people from all walks of life participated in the conference. In addition, 2,500 people benefited from the web-stream of the

conference proceedings. Many non-Ahmadi guests also attended the conference.

There were a total of 22 oral presentations and 4 poster presentations. Presenters came from UK, USA and Canada.

The first session chaired by Professor Dr Sohail Z Husain started at 10:15am with the recitation of the Holy Quran and English translation. The session chair then explained briefly the guidelines for presenters.

This was followed by the opening remarks by Farhan Khokhar Sahib (Naib Amir Jamaat Canada). He stated that Holy Quran draws attention of the believer to the creation of the heavens and the earth as a sign for those who ponder. He further said that it is through the scientific knowledge that people know their Creator and this is a noble journey.

In the first session, the following scholars presented their research: 1. Mr. Mahmood Akbar on Mountains for Food and Water 2. Dr Altaf Qadeer on Human Creativity and the Word of the Creator: Insights From the Holy Quran 3. Ms Maleeha Qazi on Therapeutic Targeting of Tumorigenic EphA2+/ EphA3+ Brain Tumour Initiating Cells With Bi-Specific Antibody in Human Glioblastoma The second session was chaired by respected Dr Zahid Khan Sahib who came from UK. The following scholars presented their research in this session:

1. Suleman Ahmad on Low Risk Lifestyle Behaviors and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis of Prospective Cohort Studies 2. Dr Karim Sharif on The Genomics Education Partnership: Assessing and Improving a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) 3. Dr. Ali Alburaki on Honey 4. Dr. Zia H. Shah on The Human Soul and the Holy Quran 5. Dr Marya Ahmad on Synthetic Biomaterials for Health Applications 6. Mrs Shehla H Mirza on The Holy Quran, Cure for Ailments The third session was chaired by Dr Zia Shah Sahib, Chief Editor of The Muslim Times The following researchers presented in the third session: 1. Dr Sohail Z Husain on Preventing Asparaginase-Associated Pancreatitis Using the Novel Dimension of Metabolomics 2. Zeeshan A Bhatti on Irrigation Advisory Services for Farmers of Pakistan – Science in Service of Mankind 3. Dr Tauseef A Khan on Hormesis: Surely, There is Ease After Hardship 4. Dr Hameed A Mirza on Recent Advances in Trace Element Analysis, Food Safety and Impact on Our Lives 5. Rumsha Baig Sahiba and Sania Ahmad Sahiba on The Effect of Nigella Sativa on Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials 6. Karim Aziz Sahib on Fruits Mentioned in the Holy Quran The fourth session was chaired by Lal Khan

Thabit, who was poet laureate to the Holy Prophetsa, one was Mistahra, who was the uncle of Hazrat Aishara and also the cousin of Hazrat Abu Bakrra. He was so poor that he lived in the house of Hazrat Abu Bakrra. He would eat from there and Hazrat Abu Bakrra would get clothes made for him. The third person was a woman; all three received punishments.” (Khutbaat-eMahmudra, Vol. 18, pp. 279-280) This is also mentioned in Sunan Abi Daud. (Sunan Abi Daud, Kitab-ul-Hudud, Bab Hadd-ul-Qazif, Hadith 4474-4475) According to some narrations they received punishment, whereas others are of the opinion that they did not receive any punishment. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 15, p.

169, Surah Nur, Mu’assisa al-Risala, Beirut, 2006) Nonetheless, irrespective of whether they received punishment or not, God Almighty forgave them. He received the punishment for this in this world, but I as I mentioned earlier, he also participated in later expeditions. He was a Badri companion and therefore, Hazrat Mistahra held a lofty status. God Almighty ensured he had a pious end and preserved his elevated rank. May God Almighty continue to elevate his status.

(Translated by the Review of Religions)

Malik Sahib, National Amir Jamaat Canada and co-chaired by Dr Hameed Mirza, national secretary talim.

The following researchers presented in the third session: 1. Dr Zahid Khan on From the Macro to Micro Evidence of the Existence of God 2. Shahab Khokhar Sahib on Fine Tuning and the Holy Quran 3. Dr Qasim Farah on Sustainable Development in the Quran 4. Dr Ali Alburaki on Beekeeping Research and Training Project 5. Shamaila Bajwa Sahiba on The Effect of Honey Intake on Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis of Controlled Trial 6. Usama Ahmed Malik on ADHD Cures Within Islamic Practices 7. Dr Ijaz Ahmad on Design of Experiment: Using the Fleeting Time Wisely In the closing session, Dr Hameed Mirza, Conference Chair thanked the audience, presenters and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. Dr Mirza stated that it was now time that we pondered on the deeper meaning of the Holy Quran and sought guidance for our research work.

Ahmadi students and researchers should look into developing research projects based on ideas from the Holy Quran and work to show this face of the Holy Quran to the rest of the world.

Then, Mubarak Nazir Sahib addressed attendees and reminded them that only one Dr Abdus Salam is not enough. We should work hard to become like him.

At the end, Malik Lal Khan Sahib, Amir Jamaat Canada said that he felt that justice was not being done to the study of the Holy Quran. Many a time, one reads the Quran and a thought arises in our minds, but true research was the manner in which the presentations had been prepared and delivered.

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Friday 11 January 2019 | AL HAKAM

Book Intro

Title: Ten Proofs for the Existence of God Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra Publishers: Fazle Umar Foundation Ten Proofs for the Existence of God is a new translation published by the Fazle Umar Foundation of an Urdu essay by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, the second head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. The following article is an adapted version of the introduction of this book for the Al Hakam’s Book Intro feature.

The quest to find the truth about the existence of God is one of the most fundamental endeavours of human history and the foundation on which other essential questions about life can be examined. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Do our lives have a purpose? What happens to us after we die?

Ever since this search began, oceans of ink have been written on the subject and no less blood has been spilled in seeking answers to the question of whether God exists. From the primitive belief systems of our early ancestors to the sophisticated religions of the contemporary world by way of the philosophical enquiries of figures like Thomas Aquinas, the pursuit of a supreme, perfect and transcendent being continues to this day.

In seeking answers to this question, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, the second head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, wrote a short essay for the magazine Tashheezul-Azhan that was published in March 1913 under the title Das Dalail Hasti Bari Ta‘ala. It was later reproduced in the first volume of Anwarul-Uloom. Recently, an English translation of this essay has been published by the Fazle Umar Foundation in the form of a book with the title Ten Proofs for the Existence of God. In this book, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra turns to one of atheism's most basic premises – “if God exists, why cannot we see Him?” – to undertake his own exploration of this question.

For this, Huzoorra begins by demonstrating through reason and logic that sight alone is not the ultimate arbiter of truth, rather human beings are able to determine objects, concepts and information by the other five senses and also through such things as intelligence and intuition.

After demonstrating the falsity of this assertion, Huzoor then turns to the verses of the Holy Quran to posit ten arguments in support of the belief in the existence of God. Some of the proofs he offers are similar in nature and content to the established arguments that theists have used for centuries. Others are unique to the Holy Quran.

The first argument he forwards in support of the truth of God’s existence is that all major

religions of the world originate from a belief in the existence of one God and the universality of this belief shows that it could only have been revealed by God Himself. Huzoorra writes: “In truth, all world religions agree on the existence of a being who is the creator of the universe. While there may be difference in doctrines and beliefs because of geographical and circumstantial variances, all faiths universally accept the existence of God even if they diverge on the particulars, such as an understanding of his attributes.”

From this Huzoorra also uses other similar forms of evidence from the Holy Quran, such as the promise of divine support for all messengers and prophets as well as the truth and fulfilment of revelation to show that God exists.

One of the more traditional arguments he forwards is that the intricate complexity of our universe and the idea that something as wellordered, functional and beautiful must be seen as irrefutable evidence of a creator. When positing the fifth proof, he encapsulates this argument in the following terms: “Let us suppose for a moment the earth arbitrarily emerged from matter and humanity has its origins in chance, but even then, when one looks at human creation, it is impossible to conclude that such a perfect genesis could emerge from a random cause.”

In this way, Ten Proofs for the Existence of God is a bold, compelling and thought-provoking book which will cause the reader to turn, once again, to one of life’s most fundamental questions.

The book is available to buy at all Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat bookshops and stalls.

Editor: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Design & Layout: Jalees Ahmad | News: Ata-ul-Haye Nasir | © Al Hakam 2019