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Friday 6 November 2020 | AL HAKAM

Who is in crisis? Islam or France’s rule of law

Asif Arif Lawyer, France

France is facing a difficult time. The rise in Covid-19 cases, the impossibility to open more beds for ventilator services, curfews and then the lockdown imposed to the entire French population has raised substantial scrutiny of the French government.

France’s population is currently also experiencing huge economic problems due to heavy taxes and the detrimental pause of commerce and businesses caused by the pandemic. In this backdrop of difficulty and national suffering, the only political way to gain the support of the general population in favour of the government is to devise a strategy of distraction.

This strategy consists of finding a “common interior enemy” in order to unite the population against this “common enemy”.

The law on separatism

Even before the barbaric terrorist attack against Prof Samuel Patty, French President, Emmanuel Macron invited multiple members of his government and the mainstream media to attend a meeting where he announced that the government would enact a law on separatism. The idea of the legislation was to reinforce universalism (suspending all particularities of people – faith, sexual orientation, race – within the framework of the French nation) and penalising any attempt for any group to separate from the “French society”.

This law invited a lot of negative comments on the basis of human rights. The law on separatism is giving large leverage to the government to pronounce the suspension of any association or group (even though freedom of association is considered as a constitutional right). The government is also trying to make publicfunded schools a mandatory passage for any student, prohibiting any homeschooling or private religious schools etc.

A plethora of lawyers were wondering what the concept of separatism means. When the French government is clearly referring to Muslims or to Muslim organisations in a law (that was meant to end “separatism”) wouldn’t this be extremely contradictory as it is singling out one demographic. Wouldn’t this be a form of separatism in itself? Why isn’t the plea of far-right groups in France who are trying to destroy national cohesion by demanding Muslims to leave Europe, being labelled as a form of separatism? You cannot fight against separatism by creating separatism.

Further, the general public in France is suffering great economic turmoil, like

much of Europe. They are fed up with these questions and debates about religion and would rather have their problems resolved. However, the government chooses to ignore the real problems that French nationals face and instead, shelter under scapegoating Muslims by highlighting and raising issues of separatism etc.

When Samuel Patty’s attack happened, the media geared all discussions towards attacks that were being made on freedom of speech. As Mr Patty was a teacher and had to explain – as set by the national syllabus of public schools – what the Charlie Hebdo cartoons were, the mainstream media and Emmanuel Macron said that the terrorist attack was an attack against French values and freedom of speech.

When that statement came out, everybody forgot that Mr Patty respected the sensibilities of Muslims by telling them to look away or go out of the classroom while he was explaining the concept of the cartoons.

The presumption of culpability

This terrorist attack opened a boulevard for the government to act. The government started a crackdown on different Muslim associations, started arresting a lot of individuals that were directly related with the terrorist attack, but unfortunately also arrested many individuals that had no links with terrorism whatsoever. Everyone asked how the government even issued such investigations and arrests against Muslims who didn’t have any link to terrorism and neither were suspects. In response, the interior minister said that the government was just “passing them a message”. This, surely, is against basic human rights and seeks to separate and stigmatise Muslims further, in France. It makes all Muslims culprits and removes the assurance that the government is out to protect them – something any democratic and just government should guarantee.

This goes to show how the government isn’t out to get just the “extremists”, but sees all Muslims with suspicion. Will this add to the peace of the country? Aren’t such actions and rhetoric “separating” French society?

The boycott and change in narrative by the French government

All these elements, coupled with Emmanuel Macron’s call for displaying the cartoons of the Holy Prophetsa everywhere, triggered the attention of the Muslim world. In response, many Muslims and Muslim countries began boycotting French products. In the beginning of the boycotts, Macron didn’t care about his statements about free speech and the need to publish the cartoons further. But when other Muslim countries began extending this boycott, he changed his narrative and began leaning, ever so slightly, towards showing that he cared for sentiments.

Of course, economic worry was the cause of the change. His foreign affairs minister immediately sent a message of peace to the Muslim world and the French President, himself, responded to questions of Al Jazeera, following the intensity of boycotts.

Interestingly the slight change in narrative was due to economy related reasons; the underlying cause of restlessness in French society today. Also, before Macron replied to Al Jazeera, the very same media outlet was considered as an “Islamist media” in France, not worthy of any respect. Did Macron’s reply to Al Jazeera make him an indirect promoter of Islamism? These types of rhetorical questions are often used against Muslims in France.

During the past week, students (8- to 17-year-olds) were told to rise in order to pay respect to Mr Samuel Patty and to promote free speech. A few young students said that they didn’t want to rise because of the nature of the cartoons, which they saw as offensive. Those students (8, 9 and 10 years old) have been declared to the local prosecutor. What a strange way

of honouring free speech; students face criminal threats if they disagree with something!

Secularism as a new state religion

Secularism in France is defi ned as the progressive distance that the general population has towards religion (which can be a form of socio-atheism). “Laïcité” tends to promote the neutrality of the state towards any citizen and the aim of this ideology is to treat everybody equally and not to consider any privilege, even for religion. Laïcité desires religion to be separated from the rule of law, but still ensures the free practice of religion.

If the principle is good in its essence, it has been deviated by some extremist atheists who impulse in the public debate the ideology that atheism is secularism.

According to that deviated ideology, the state shall not only recognise any religion but also combat any religion that will not match the republican laws and regulations. Th erefore, any religion that does not recognise same-sex marriage shall be considered as an enemy of the republic. Any religion that prohibits shaking hands with women shall be considered as enemy of the republic. Th at does not leave much freedom of religion in France! And this is certainly not what secularism actually promotes.

Th is ideological movement has intensifi ed its propaganda since the terrorist attack of 2015. Th e French general population was found to be keen on the topic. Th is anti-religious movement, by enforcing that secularism equals atheism, is leading the French general opinion in misunderstandings and misconceptions. Unfortunately, they don’t understand that religion is necessary for the peace of society. Th ey also, ironically, don’t realise that the right to practice a faith is a constitutional right.

We can only pray and try to educate people to move away from this destructive and polarising ideology, but the repetition of terrorist attacks is giving them the proper ground to fl ourish and prosper in the next couple of years.

Sentiments of Jamia Indonesia students regarding virtual meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V

Hafi zurrahman Indonesia Correspondent

Mochammad Sutrisna Sahib, an English and hadith teacher in Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia reports that on 31 October 2020, students of Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia had the blessed opportunity to have a virtual mulaqat with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa . 106 Jamia students, 10 recent graduates alongside their teachers and staff assembled at Bait-ul-Afi at building located in the offi ce complex of Lajna Imaillah Indonesia.

Th e students of Jamia are very grateful to Huzooraa for this blessed opportunity and

believe that it is an extraordinary grace of Allah the Almighty given to them.

Below are their common impressions of the mulaqat: 1. For the students, having a direct contact with Huzooraa is something which increases their level of faith and their love to Islam Ahmadiyyat 2. Th ey really wish to have another opportunity to meet Huzooraa in the future, as they still have many questions they wish to ask 3. Many students said that they were very astonished by Huzoor’saa sense of humour 4. Th ose students who had the opportunity to recite tilawat, nazm and who asked questions felt that they were blessed by

Allah the Almighty in performing their tasks 5. For most students, this blessed occasion has also given them new spirits to focus on learning the Urdu language 6. Some Mumahidah and Ula students faced some diffi culty in fully understanding what Huzooraa said in his answers and guidance. Although they eventually understood it, they were able to understand Huzoor’saa spiritual language which touched their hearts deeply

An enlightening audience

Jamia UK graduates in the blessed company of Huzoor

Asif M Basit UK

Coronavirus came and turned the world upside down. The whole world has been gripped by uncertainty and fear like never before.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat has been blessed in that no work has halted due to this pandemic and everything is functioning almost as it was before. In fact, some tasks are being carried out even better. This is something that requires some detail. But today, I shall discuss one such aspect only.

Every year, graduates of Jamia Ahmadiyya UK visit Pakistan, Africa and Spain. Through these tours, they are introduced to the administrative setup of the Jamaat and the field of one-to-one tabligh.

This year’s graduates had only just sat their exams, when coronavirus took the

world by storm and as a result, the rest of the academic year for Jamia Ahmadiyya was drastically disturbed due to nationwide restrictions and precautionary measures. While the junior students returned to their homes, the senior classes stayed in Jamia and were assigned various duties. One such duty was the security of Islamabad, and with time, this duty was eventually assigned to this year’s graduates only.

As a precautionary measure, the graduates have been staying in Islamabad, where the temporary abode of all these students has been the Masroor Hall.

In a series of fortunate events, this is the first privilege that this graduating class enjoyed. But Allah has blessed this class even more.

When their duties commenced, other classes of Jamia UK would offer duties too. As the summer holidays approached, the other classes went home for the holidays, while the graduates (who shall henceforth be referred to as Shahideen) were assigned various responsibilities in Islamabad; duties at the main gate, security surveillance from various posts of Islamabad, reception at the entrance etc. was all assigned to them.

What I have described above is only the first few months of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK. At the time, Huzooraa would only allow representatives of departments to speak to him over the telephone for daftari mulaqats (official audiences). After those first few months, I received a telephone call from the private secretariat that Huzooraa, on my letter requesting time for a mulaqat, had written:

“After a coronavirus test, [the mulaqat shall be] in the office.”

Elated that with God’s grace, Huzooraa had offered not only his time, but a chance to see him after many months, I immediately contacted Abdul Quddus Arif Sahib, Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK, requesting him to arrange for my coronavirus test. After making arrangements, he asked that I see Azhar Ahmad at the front gate of Islamabad.

When I went for my test, Azhar described his good fortune. He said:

“Huzooraa has instructed that all Shahideen should, in turns, offer duties in various departments of Islamabad in a Waqf-e-Arzi style. Two students attend one department and after two weeks, they attend another department, while another two students replace them. In this manner, students are being given the chance to offer their services and gain experience within different departments.”

In my first or second mulaqat after this, Huzooraa instructed that I should get tested for coronavirus every two weeks. Thus, I was able to meet Azhar more often.

Each time, I would ask him how he found his duties and every time, he would respond with something inspirational. His narrations of Huzoor’saa love and affection in those moments truly inspired me.

One day, he told me that Huzooraa was holding sittings with them twice a week in the form of classes and that Huzooraa was giving them a guided reading of the Promised Messiah’sas book HaqiqatulWahi in every class.

I have observed Huzooraa instructing Ahmadis to study Haqiqatul-Wahi on many occasions; sometimes the instruction has been directly to me and on other occasions, it has been to my son, to a class of Jamia Ahmadiyya or to a Waqf-e-Nau class. But for anyone to study this book under the direct supervision of Huzooraa is indeed a privilege.

During a mulaqat, whilst speaking of these classes, I said, “The Shahideen are very fortunate and take pride in the fact that they are personally being taught by Huzoor and that Huzoor takes a keen interest in their other needs: what they are having for food, when they eat, their health, the standard of accommodation etc. They especially talk highly of the classes they have with Huzooraa, which is indicative of their good fortune.”

While mentioning their privilege, I desired it for myself also, but the only thing that hindered me was that I was aware of how, during the first class and ever since then, no one else has been allowed to partake in the class and only the Shahideen sat in Huzoor’saa presence.

However, Huzooraa very lovingly accepted my desire and granted permission to sit in the next class. How spectacular and fortunate those moments are when the blessed writings of the Promised Messiahas are explained by his own Khalifa!

The mulaqat I have described above was on a Saturday morning. The class was scheduled for the coming Monday and Tuesday in the evening. The entire weekend and Monday morning were too long a waiting period. Eventually, the time came for the class on Monday evening. To witness what would be extremely blessed moments, I reached the Mubarak Mosque in Islamabad.

All students had taken their seats facing the mihrab while adhering to social distancing measures. After a few moments, Huzooraa entered the mosque and the class commenced. That day, pages 430 to 500 were to be studied. Huzooraa called a student’s name and instructed him to present a summary of the subjects mentioned on page 430. Huzooraa listened to his summary carefully and where something important was missed, Huzooraa either mentioned it or asked the student to consult the book so that it would get mentioned.

That day, the part of HaqiqatulWahi that was being covered was the tatimma (conclusion). In this part, the Promised Messiahas has cited further proofs that support his truthfulness, especially those events that occurred as a result of prophecies.

The Promised Messiahas said that Allah the Almighty had vouchsafed to him regarding Saadullah Ludhianvi: رتبالاوھ کئناش نا

“Surely, it is your enemy who is without issue.” But when he died as a result of the prophecy, the editor of the Ahl-i-Hadith newspaper, Maulvi Sanaullah Amritsari, wrote that he could not be termed “abtar” as he had a son at the time of his death and even at the time of writing, the son was alive.

The Promised Messiahas presented a linguistic study of the word “abtar” and proved that it did not necessarily mean that he could not have a son. Saadullah Ludhianvi, in fact, attempted to have his son married out of fear of the prophecy and so that he could prove the prophecy to be false. But the marriage was annulled right at the last moment and the son remained unmarried for a long time after his death.

The student had just finished this portion, when Huzooraa said:

“Surah al-Kauthar was revealed when Abu Jahl and his associates would mock the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as he did not have any male offspring. The enemy, however, had sons. Ikrimah was Abu Jahl’s son; however, he would later accept Islam. Thus, his son accepted Islam and the father thus became ‘abtar’.

“It is mentioned in a hadith that after Ikrimah accepted Islam, some people would remark, in jest, about his being Abu Jahl’s son. The Holy Prophetsa disliked this and stopped anyone that did this. So, look; when Abu Jahl’s son accepted Islam, the progeny of Abu Jahl ceased to exist and he became ‘abtar’.”

After that, Huzooraa called another student’s name and asked him to carry on reading. As he was about to start reading, Huzooraa enquired:

“Did you deliver the dars this morning?”

When he answered in the affirmative, Huzooraa added:

“You delivered the dars in just three minutes. You should deliver the dars calmly and without any rush. It should at least be seven minutes long.”

At one point, the Promised Messiahas mentioned that Saadullah Ludhianvi prophesied that the Ahmadiyya Jamaat would soon perish and no one would enter its fold. Regarding this, the Promised Messiahas said that on the contrary, “People are flocking to this movement.”

With respect to this, Huzooraa remarked: اہو ںجہا عجور اک ہو ی�د با

“Now you observe the direction people flock to”, and added, “Complete the couplet; what is the next part?”

Shahzad Ahmad replied: اہو ںا�دقا � صاخو ِجعمر کا

“This Qadian became a special place of gathering.”

The subject-matter continued and the Promised Messiahas said, “I have been told by God Almighty that people shall come to me from far and wide and in such large numbers that the paths they tread on will wear away. Allah the Almighty also said, ‘Seeing the throngs of people, you should not tire, nor should you treat them discourteously.’”

The Promised Messiahas cited his revelation here also: سانلا نممئست الو ہللا قلخل رعصتالو

“It is incumbent upon you not to be arrogant towards them and you should not become tired of receiving them in large numbers.” When this revelation was mentioned, Huzooraa said:

“A companion of the Promised Messiahas mentioned this in a very simple style in Punjabi: ،ںنا ں�کھ� ںتو کہ ےا ا�مافر ںنو دعومو ح�سم نے لیٰتعا للہا ںنا کا تو تے

I really like this simple expression.”

Whilst reading, a point came where the Promised Messiahas expressed that many signs had been shown in his favour, but those who still ceased to accept were indeed unfortunate.

Huzooraa added: � جتحا کی زعجاا تکثر کو لد فصا

“A pure heart does not require a lot of miracles” and asked the students to complete the couplet. A student answered and Huzooraa too completed the couplet: رگادکر فخو ہے م لد گر ہے فیکا ںنشا کا

“Even one sign suffices, should one have the fear of God.”

Where long explanations could be summarised into one couplet of the Promised Messiahas, Huzooraa would not only cite the couplet but also indicate the importance of memorising the Promised Messiah’sas poetry.

At one point, the Promised Messiahas spoke about the increasing number of visitors and the consequent expenditures of hospitality, as well as funds for other works like publications and correspondence.

When this portion was read out, Huzooraa said that the figure at that time equated to such and such number of rupees, which was £45,000 today, and this could be calculated through such and such equation. Everyone looked on quietly in astonishment, when Huzooraa said, “A murabbi should be able to calculate quickly.”

As the students would read on, Huzooraa would say, for example, “Now, you read from page 436 onwards” and so and so should read from page 452. I glanced upwards to notice that Huzooraa did not have the book in front of him, or

at least I didn’t notice one. However, what I did observe was Huzoor’s profound love for the Promised Messiah’sas writings and especially for Haqiqatul-Wahi. Huzooraa was fully aware of every subject-matter mentioned therein.

Huzooraa then said, “You must have reached page number 465. Let us pause here and we will carry on, insha-Allah, tomorrow.”

After this, the students asked questions and Huzooraa answered them.

A question was asked, “It is mentioned in a hadith that when a believer suffers pain, their sins are removed. Is this just physical pain or is it any sort of pain?”

Huzooraa replied:

“No matter what type it is, pain is pain. But for this to be applicable, one must be a true believer. It should not be that a person verbally declares their belief and considers it sufficient. Here, a Muslim means a true Muslim and believer. The person who does not even offer their Namaz, uses foul language with people and hurts people cannot consider that every pain suffered by themselves will remove sins.

“What should also be borne in mind is how God Almighty treats a true believer once they have been through a suffering. The highest rank of believers is that of prophets. The pain they suffer draws them closer to Allah and their triumph; it becomes a means of spreading their message and its acceptance.

“True followers of prophets also experience the love of God, in this world also. He creates means for His love to become known to man. The believer that endures pain in His way – whether physical or otherwise – experiences Allah’s expression of love to replace the pain.”

Another student asked:

“Huzooraa has guided us regarding protests related to movements such as Black Lives Matter, that rather than rioting in the streets, the authorities should be contacted. However, if the authorities themselves are not acting with justice, then what should be done?”

Huzooraa replied:

“I do not only talk about Black Lives

Matter. I say, ‘Innocent Lives Matter’ and I am in favour of the supremacy of justice. In these two points lies the solution to such problems. When both are put in practice, there will remain no need for protests. When justice is the goal, problems will get solved automatically. As far as protests are concerned, if they are done peacefully, then there is no harm.

“When those assigned the responsibility of upholding justice are themselves just, only then can justice prevail and the peace of a society endure. In such circumstances, there will be no need for such protests.

“And then, the question remains, who brings into power the people who are supposed to maintain justice? The public. The public have a clear instruction of God: اھلھا یلا تنمالااودؤت

“That is, ‘You should nominate those who you deem most fitting for the role.’ Nowadays, members of the public vote for the party they support. They do not look at the person representing the party, whether they are deserving of the role or not. Neither is the voter acting with justice, nor is the person being given authority as a result of the votes acting justly.

“As far as movements such as Black Lives Matter are concerned, every life is valuable. Every life should be protected. Where this is not observed, one should voice their concern against it.”

Another question was, “Atheists or irreligious people tend not to listen to our tabligh. What should we do to tackle this issue?”

Huzooraa replied:

“You cannot forcibly explain the truth to those who are unwilling to listen. As far as faith is concerned, Allah has said that the responsibility of instilling faith in people is with Him. You can only ask such people to consider issues with logic.

“I sent Richard Dawkins, the author of The God Delusion, a lot of literature to study. I sent him The Five Volume Commentary, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV’srh book, Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, and said that after studying these, then we would see [to his arguments]. Initially, he never responded. When I wrote to him a second time, he replied that he did not want to read it. Many atheists don’t even want to talk. So let them do what they are doing and you carry on with your work.

“At the very outset, Satan said to Allah that he would misguide His people. Allah never stopped him; rather, He said that he could carry on and that his followers would fill the hellfire. Satan has always existed. The prayers of seeking repentance [istighfar] and: میقتسملا طارصلا اندھا are for eternity. This battle will always continue.

“You should not waste your potential on such people and continue tabligh generally. Sprinkle a little here and there; just as wheat seeds are thrown in large quantities but only a few of them actually germinate. Remember: جآ مکا ارہما ہے ا�د زاوآ فطر ہر

“‘Our task is to call out in every direction.’” (Huzooraa then asked the students to complete the couplet.) رکا منجاا گا ئےآ ہو ہے � تفطر کی جس

“‘Whoever is fortunate will eventually come to you.’ You can also offer challenges of prayer, in which you agree to pray for something to determine the truth; however, for this, you should strengthen your bond with God.

“Saintly figures of the Jamaat, for instance Maulana Ghulam Rasul Rajeki Sahibra, forged a close connection with Allah and used that relationship to establish faith in others during tabligh encounters. He once wrote that whilst visiting a village, the residents said to him, ‘You claim to have accepted the Promised Messiah and the Messiah could revive the dead. Although your Promised Messiah is not alive anymore, but we have a person who is very ill and close to dying. If, in your faith in the Promised Messiah, you can save him from the shackles of death, then we shall accept your Messiah.’

“Rajeki Sahibra said that at that point, he began to pray and as he started, he went into a very emotional state. As he prayed, the ailing person’s health began to restore and signs of the illness began to diminish. Upon this, the villagers said that they would now accept him.

“Hayat-e-Qudsi [Rajeki Sahib’sra autobiography] is not just for reading and relishing. By studying it, you should realise that if one so desires, and with effort of course, one can establish a strong bond with Allah the Almighty.”

With this, Monday 19 October’s class came to a close.

The following evening, on Tuesday 20 October, I attended the class once again.

As soon as Huzooraa arrived, he said to a student, “Start reading from where we left off yesterday.” Thus, every student took turns in reading from page 465 onwards.

During this class, wherever the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was mentioned by the Promised Messiahas, Huzooraa would ask, “Have you understood?” And if anything required clarification, he would provide it.

For example, when the Promised Messiahas said that there were prophecies foretelling the advent of the Holy Prophetsa, but even then people refused to accept him, Huzooraa explained:

“It should be remembered that if prophecies were as clear and unambiguous as ‘one plus one equals two’, then there would be no question of belief and disbelief. The Promised Messiahas said regarding himself that prophecies contain clues within them so that people search for them, pray and then believe.”

Whilst reading further on, where the abrogation of Jihad with the sword in the present day has been explained, Huzooraa recited the second verse of a couplet this time: لقتا روا جنگ با ہے ماحر یل کے �د

“Warfare and bloodshed have now been forbidden in the name of religion” and asked the class to recite the first line and complete the couplet. When a student answered correctly, Huzooraa quoted the verses himself: لا� ستوود ےا کا دجہا ود ڑچھو با لقتا روا جنگ با ہے ماحر یل کے �د گا ئےجا کو ئیالڑ جو بھی کے سن حکم � گا ئےٹھاا �م�ہز سخت سے ںوفرکا ہو

“Friends, shun the thought of Jihad, for warfare and bloodshed have now been forbidden in the name of religion. He who sets out for combat after hearing this instruction shall suffer defeat at the hands of disbelievers.”

Later on, where compulsion in matters of religion was being discussed, Huzooraa explained:

“This should also be understood carefully; what it means by, ‘There is no compulsion in religion.’ Some Ahmadis write to me and ask, ‘If there is no compulsion in religion, then why are we told to offer Namaz, observe purdah and pay chanda?’ I always write back explaining that ‘no compulsion in religion’ means that there is no compulsion in accepting Islam or there is no compulsion in joining the Jamaat. But when you have accepted it as true and have included yourself of your own accord, then you must live your lives according to its teachings.’

“If you look at worldly examples, there is no compulsion to join clubs, companies

or any organisation. People usually are able to join of their own accord. However, when they have joined, they must abide by the rules and regulations of the organisation or company.

“So those who have joined the fold of Ahmadiyyat have willingly accepted the Hakam and Adal [judge and arbiter] of the age. Now, they must abide by the teachings laid out by the Hakam and Adal.

“Those who feel that they cannot live their lives in compliance to the teachings are free to leave whenever they so choose. If this is the case, then they should openly declare that they do not have the capacity to abide by such teachings and leave. Neither do we include people in the Jamaat by force, nor will be forcibly restrain anybody.

“At times, relatives of those who have left the Jamaat write to me and ask whether they can invite the person who has left the Jamaat to a family wedding. I give them permission and say, ‘If you wish to invite them, you may, but you should interact with them only to the extent that it does not negatively impact your faith.’ Such people should have a sense of passion for their faith; this is paramount.

“So you should be aware of these matters. If someone asks you such a question, you should be able to respond.”

The students carried on reading and reached a place where the Promised Messiahas used the word “kirm” in Urdu. Huzooraa asked the students whether they knew what this meant, before explaining:

“Non-Ahmadis object to a description the Promised Messiahas once used for himself, ‘Kirm-e-khaki’ i.e. ‘Worm of the Earth’. They also cite the words, ‘Bashar ki jay-e-nafrat’ [a target of hate for man] and ‘Insanon ki aar’ [who people hate] and say, ‘How can such a one be the Promised Messiah, who considers himself to be so low?’ However, these are words that were used by the Promised Messiahas for himself in his humility. Those with foul minds later began using profanities against him.

“I am explaining this because you will have to hear such allegations. You should be able to deal with them.”

At one stage, the Promised Messiahas said with regard to the enemy: ل لگا روز تک ںخنونا to which Huzooraa asked the students what this meant. A student answered by saying that it meant, “To use everything in one’s power.” Thereafter, Huzooraa explained:

“Yes. I asked this as you should be familiar with Urdu proverbs and idioms and not take this to be literal.

“Recently, the English translation of a book was sent to me. While translating, ‘mushkilat kafoor ho gayin’, [problems got solved] but not acquainted with this proverb, the translator wrote, ‘Problems became camphor’. So you should be aware of proverbs.”

When the allocated pages for that day had been completed, Huzooraa permitted the students to ask questions.

A student asked, “Atheists allege that religion makes a person idle and inactive and turns them into terrorists. What should we say to this?” Huzooraa replied:

“You should first present your own example and say, ‘I follow a religion. I am neither idle, nor a terrorist.’

“This is a hollow allegation, which seeks only to defame Islam. Their only intention is to say such things that eventually fall upon the religion of Islam.

“You should say to such people that there are around 1.5 billion Muslims, of which perhaps a few thousand are practically terrorists and if not thousands, then, at most, a few hundred thousand, who support such terrorists. Nonetheless, it is a tall claim to make about all Muslims.

“The terrorists who associate themselves with Islam do not have any religious motivation, but politically charged ambitions. To gain worldly power, they have resorted to terrorism.

“And how can Islam – a religion that commands one to carry out thorough research before reaching any decision or conclusion – render anyone idle? The Quran emphatically asks believers to ponder and investigate.

A religion that emphasises justice to the extent that it commands a person to give testimony against their loved ones or even themselves to uphold justice cannot leave anyone idle.

Richard Dawkins has himself accepted, albeit in an accusatory manner, that religious people tend to commit crimes a lot less than others; however, they do so not out of virtue but the fear of God. Thus, he declares it a crime to abstain from crime. Either talk about terrorists, or those who refrain from committing crimes; make one claim though.

“A short while ago, a report was released, which said that religious people tend to offer more towards charity; Muslims were at the top, followed by Christians, while atheists were at the very bottom.

“Allah the Almighty does not want us to be idle; He commands for us to strive; to strive during the day for worldly pursuits and at night, for religious ones. بصناف تغرف اذاف

“‘So when you are free, strive hard’ (Surah al-Inshirah, Ch.94: V.8). That is, a person should engage in pursuits of livelihood and endeavour to be at one with God in other, free moments. Allah the Almighty has clearly stated here that once a person completes their daily business, they should engage in remembering Allah through the night. So Islam in no way encourages idleness.

“By practicing this very principle of the Holy Quran were Muslim scientists and inventors possible. All important things were invented by Muslims. I explained this in my address at UNESCO. If Muslims do not practice their own teachings, then this is their own misfortune. Otherwise, Islamic teachings neither render a person idle, nor do they produce terrorists.”

The discussion later turned to poetry and Huzooraa turned to Suhaib Ahmad and asked, “Recite any verses you know off by heart.”

Thus, Suhaib Ahmad recited a couple of verses from the Promised Messiah’sas poem “Tujhey hamd-o-sanaa zeiba hei piyarey …”

Another question asked was, “We often read about the state of the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiahas when they would receive divine revelations. What is Huzoor’s experience in this regard?”

Huzooraa explained:

“You must first remember that there is a clear distinction between the rank of a prophet and that of a khalifa. No khalifa of the Promised Messiahas possessed all his qualities. According to the need of the time, Allah the Almighty bestows certain characteristics of the Promised Messiahas to the khalifa of that time.

“A prophet is assigned with a very comprehensive agenda. Allah provides guidance to the khalifa of the time according to the need of that time.

“The divine revelations received by prophets are unique. It is not necessary that a khalifa experiences the same condition. Divine revelation has its own status. The status of the Holy Prophet’ssa revelation was supreme. Allah the Almighty bestows guidance through dreams and visions also. That is also a version of divine discourse.

“The condition of the Holy Prophetsa whilst receiving revelations of the Holy Quran was different. Those sayings that have been preserved as hadith-e-qudsi were inspired into the heart and they were received and described in a different way.

“Allah the Almighty guides the khulafa also, through dreams etc. During Namaz, He intuitively instils in my heart a thought that such and such approach is a good solution for a certain matter. Any thought that occurs to me during Namaz, I deem it to be from Allah the Almighty.

“At times, I will find myself reciting a verse of the Quran; this has happened to me many times, even before Khilafat.

“The status of Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra was distinct. He himself clarified this by saying, ‘I am not merely a khalifa, but a prophesied khalifa … Thus, the status of my Khilafat is above Khilafat and below prophethood.’ You will have observed that no other khalifa saw more dreams and visions than he did.

“Any thought in the interest of the Jamaat, which occurs with great might and force and is impressed on the heart is also from God Almighty.

“Anyone can experience true dreams, but that is different. If an amir or an officebearer sees a dream, it does not mean that it bears a universal message for the Jamaat. That which is instilled in the heart of the Khalifa by God is alone in the best interest of the Jamaat. Those who have a strong bond with Allah also see true dreams and divine indications. However, the thought that occurs to a khalifa about the interest of the Jamaat, is directly from God.”

With that, the class came to an end.

As an observer, I was able to witness Huzoor’s love and affection first hand during those classes.

I have shared with the readers what I saw and felt, for such information is the property of the Jamaat.

We can all benefit from the guidance provided in these classes, especially those young men who are preparing themselves to serve the Jamaat as missionaries or who are currently serving as missionaries or those who are affiliated with the department of teaching.

At one stage during the class, Huzooraa asked a student a question, to which the student gave his answer in a very quiet and suppressed voice.

Huzooraa responded:

“You should answer with full conviction and speak confidently.”

Where Huzooraa felt that a student did not fully comprehend a subject, he would very lovingly explain it all over again. If Huzooraa felt that a student hadn’t prepared himself well, in a very affectionate manner, he would be advised to be better prepared next time.

A normal teacher tends to get irritated when faced with such a scenario, but not a gesture of annoyance was witnessed on Huzoor’s countenance. Huzooraa spoke to them with immense love. Huzooraa explained to the students that they were about to become missionaries and reminded them of their responsibilities.

Huzooraa knows all the students by name and addressed them all by name. This is not something that was exclusively witnessed in the class.

One day, during a mulaqat, whilst speaking of this class, Huzooraa mentioned each student by name and their country of origin.

When the allocated pages of Haqiqatul-Wahi were completed on Tuesday, addressing a particular student, Huzooraa enquired, “You wanted to say something yesterday. What was it?”

So, if a student wanted to ask a question but was unable to, even that was present in Huzoor’s mind. The student was thus able to ask his question the following day.

Perhaps owing to their upbringing in Europe, whenever something was mentioned that was specific to South Asia, Huzooraa would explain it so that they could fully comprehend the subject. For instance, when the term “bahaar” (spring) was used, Huzooraa outlined the specific period that is referred to in Pakistan and India as bahaar.

I had the opportunity to exchange views with these Shahideen and see them in their class environment for one and a half years. I call God as my Witness when I say that in these blessed classes with Huzooraa, I found them all to be transformed individuals. The students who I knew, were not there. Every student had undergone a positive transformation. There was an astonishingly positive change in their style of reading, their summarising skills and even the type of questions they asked.

Articles end by drawing conclusions; however, I need not present any such conclusion. I only pray that Allah the Almighty may enable each and every one of us to reap the blessings associated with this divinely selected individual, for, as I have just observed, one glance of his can transform lives.