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Friday 4 December 2020 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 1
declaring each other “kafir” and minority sects face constant harassment and violence; bomb blasts targeted at Shias in Afghanistan and the endless murders of Ahmadis in Pakistan unveil the lack of acceptance within Muslim countries. To find even a ray of unity within the ummah is a cumbersome task. It seems “a Muslim brother” is highly subjective. Antipathy towards Islam isn’t within political spheres alone, but attacks on Islamic teachings and the Holy Prophetsa are common place amongst academia too. New Atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris seem to lead this crusade against Islam. As we noted in our last issue, Muslims are now the new scapegoats. Everything aside, the one person all Muslims hold in most reverence, love and respect is Prophet Muhammadsa. The man who was the “mercy for mankind” is vilified, slandered and mocked, often with the support of political leaders. In response, the repetitive, reactionary and emotional retort has been shown by Muslims across the world in protests and boycotts, as we witnessed recently after Macron’s attacks on Islam and his support of caricatures of Prophet Muhammadsa being published and spread. Thankfully, some Muslim leaders did openly condemn Macron’s divisive comments and support of the vile caricatures, such as President Erdogan, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan; however, the forthright condemnation by the actual leaders of Muslim countries themselves
can be counted on one hand – many Muslims were urging their leaders to officially condemn the support of France in publishing the caricatures of Prophet Muhammadsa, but to no avail. Nevertheless, even condemnations from government ministries in Qatar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco and Jordan etc. added to the unity in condemning the cartoons. Imagine, if all 50-plus Muslim countries – in a united voice – openly condemned the vile attacks made against Prophet Muhammadsa and Islam, would any other world leader – like Macron – dare to support, promote and endorse such derogatory caricatures if faced with such a united front of Muslims? The importance of Muslim unity was encapsulated by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, in his Friday Sermon soon after Macron’s anti-Muslim rhetoric: “… it is clear that there is a lack of unity amongst Muslims and this is the very reason why all of this is occurring. Muslim countries are at odds with one another and increasing divisions display to the world that there is discord amongst Muslims. “If the world knew that Muslims are united, that they believe in the same One God and His Messengersa and are ever-ready to present sacrifices for their sake, then the non-Muslim world would never act in this way and never would a newspaper be emboldened to publish caricatures of the Holy Prophetsa.” Emphasising the solution for the ummah, Huzooraa went on to say:
monument and a reminder [to all that follow].” Huzooras added, “It will be an impactful spectacle to see the [members of a] Jamaat who were united during their lifetime also united after their demise. This is very good … It is not an innovation to add inscriptions on gravestones; in fact, this serves as a reminder and every gravestone will serve as a piece of history of the Jamaat.” (Malfuzat, Vol. 4, p. 586) 9 December 1894: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter he received from Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahmanra. Huzooras expressed his gratitude for his financial sacrifice and further wrote, “You have occupied a warm place in my heart. I continuously pray for you in your absence and I also pray for your brothers, Salih Muhammad, Ali Muhammad and Yunus.” (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 2, p. 334) 10 December 1892: The Promised Messiahas issued an open announcement to all clerics and religious authorities, which can be termed as the first call of mubahala (prayer duel). This was chosen as a decisive measure to reach a solution between him and his opponents. (Majmua-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 363) 10 December 1892: The Promised Messiahas wrote a lengthy letter to Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khanra. In this letter, Huzooras narrated the purpose of establishing the Jamaat, Allah’s treatment with the Jamaat and shared details of a few prophecies and eradicated misconceptions with regard to the aforementioned prophecies. After removing some doubts in light of Quranic
“If the Muslim Ummah [nation] desires a permanent solution, then the entire Muslim world must become united. Even now, the president of Turkey responded to the French president and a few other [Muslim] countries responded as well. However, these responses do not bear the same impact as compared to the potential impact of a united response from all Muslims. “It is said that as a result of the response from the president of Turkey and other nations, the French president changed and softened his statement and tried to justify what he really meant. Yet, at the same time, he firmly maintained his stance of being correct in their approach. However, if 54 or 55 Muslim countries were to speak out unanimously, then the French president would not simply make justifications for his statement; instead, he would have been compelled to plead for forgiveness. “In short, all I wish to say is that we must pray for the Muslim nations to at least be able to raise a single, united voice against others; only then will we see true results. We have remained persistent in our mission and will continue to do so, insha-Allah!” (Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, Friday Sermon, 6 November 2020) This back-to-basics approach towards unity while sidelining internal differences and personal interests is what the Muslim world desperately needs. A united Muslim front will effectively extinguish the uncontrollable fire of anti-Muslim rhetoric and malice-filled attacks against our beloved Prophetsa.
verses, Huzooras stated that though this letter was addressed to Nawab Sahibra, however many points had been written for the benefit of removing misconceptions that others may have also. This precious letter is cited in Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam (Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 331-358). (Maktubate-Ahmad, Vol. 2, p. 170) 10 December 1894: On this day, the Promised Messiahas wrote to Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanaurira. Huzooras stated that he was pleased to receive his letter in which he mentioned that Allah the Almighty had saved him from a certain matter. Huzooras, in the letter, prayed that Allah the Almighty granted Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanauri Sahib’s father good health. (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 3, p. 222) 10 December 1894: The Promised Messiahas issued a handbill on this day for the eyes of the British Government, the Empress of India Queen Victoria, the governor general of India, lieutenant governor of Punjab and other concerned influential figures. This was published in Gulzar Muhammadi Press, Lahore and contained the rebuttal of an article titled, A Dangerous Fanatic, published in the Civil and Military Gazette on 24 October 1894. The article was about the Promised Messiahas and was misleading and deceitful. (Majmua-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 595) 10 December 1899: On this date, the Promised Messiahas said: “It is my desire to write a book of teachings which
Apart from unity, productive and educational efforts need to be made to show the world the beautiful teachings of Islam that are reflected in the blessed character of Prophet Muhammadsa. As Huzooraa has continuously pointed out in his sermons, momentary outcries and boycotts will not bring lasting changes. The reaction of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been not only to condemn the defamation of Prophet Muhammadsa in the guise of freedom of speech, but also to actively educate people about the truth of Prophet Muhammadsa. This unified response by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has led to scores of intellectuals, leaders and members of the public, worldwide, to appreciate Islamic teachings and Prophet Muhammadsa. Uniquely, Huzooraa has also hugely emphasised and encouraged Ahmadi Muslims towards invoking durood (salutations and prayers) upon Prophet Muhammadsa as a response to attacks on Prophet Muhammadsa – something wider Muslim leaders and scholars have not paid attention to. Responding to attacks on Prophet Muhammadsa and Islam in a unified, collective and effective manner will enable the Muslim ummah to push back at a world that has demonised them and their beloved Prophetsa. ّٰ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ ّ �َ �ْ اھ ا�� ُ� َّﻢ َﺻ ِﻞ َ�ﻠی ��َ ّﻤ ٍﺪ َو َ�ﻠی ِ آل � َ� ّﻤ ٍﺪ ﻛ َﻤا ﺻ َّﻠ ْﻴﺖ �ﻠی اِﺑْ َﺮ ِ َ ََ َ ّ ٌ ٌ اھ ْ� َ� اِنک َﺣ ِﻤ ْﻴﺪ � ِ� ْﻴﺪ ِ آل اِﺑْ َﺮ ِ و�ﻠی ّٰ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َّ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ ْ �َ �ْ اھ آل َ��ﻤ ٍﺪ ﻛﻤا ﺑ ا�� ُ� َّﻢ ﺑَا ِرك َ�ﻠی ��َ ّﻤ ٍﺪ َو َ�ﻠی ِ ار�ﺖ �ﻠی اِﺑْ َﺮ ِ َ َ ّ َ ّ ٌ ٌ ََ اھ ْ� َ� اِنک َﺣ ِﻤ ْﻴﺪ � ِ� ْﻴﺪ ِ آل اِﺑْ َﺮ ِ و�ﻠی
Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib should then translate. This book will have three sections. The first section will be on our duties to Allah the Exalted; the second section will deal with the rights that we owe to our own souls and the third section will provide an exposition on the rights that we owe to humanity at large.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, p. 105) 10 December 1899: The Promised Messiahas wrote to a sajjada nasheen (a term used within the sufi tradition for a successor or sufi master), Maulvi Sultan Mahmud Sahib, in which he gave a short, yet comprehensive introduction to his Jamaat and the status which Allah the Almighty granted him and his mission. After conveying his message in full, Huzooras stated: “This is a proclamation from me to you. The responsibility for all those individuals who can accept the truth with a slight gesture by you, rests on your shoulders.” (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 1, p. 483) 10 December 1901: The Promised Messiahas was extremely worried for the masses as the plague was claiming lives in many parts of the Indian subcontinent. On this day, out of sheer sympathy, he issued a written announcement in three languages, Arabic, Urdu and Persian, with a supplement in Pashto so that his message could reach as many locals as possible and they could safeguard themselves from this growing pandemic. (Majmua-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 2, pp. 537553)
