Al Hakam - 14 May 2021

The Holy Land and the unholy media Reporting the IsraeliPalestinian conflict fairly

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Jalsa Dua during Eid-ul-Fitr 1900 in Qadian

The true essence of Eid

100 Years Ago...

Translation of an article

by Hazrat Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari

Tabligh in Medina and spread of Ahmadiyyat by opponent maulvis

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021 | Issue CLXV Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

Celebrating the efforts that lead to a true Eid Unlike many religious festivals celebrated around the world, the Islamic day of Eid is a day that carries many lessons.

We have seen the completion of yet another Ramadan. This day, we celebrate the compromises we made and the changes we brought about in ourselves in the last 30 days; we get together with family members and spend this day showing gratitude to Allah for all the blessings He showers upon us. Not only do we celebrate this on an individual level, but we are expected to share this joyous occasion with the less fortunate by giving in alms.

During Ramadan, we all had our inner demons we were battling with. Some of us can say that they gained a foothold over such weaknesses during the last 30 days, yet many of us recognise this to be an ongoing struggle. Therefore, we must never forget that though we are permitted to celebrate this day with great pomp, we are to appreciate that the inner jihad continues throughout the year and will effectively run into next Ramadan and beyond.

We all can relate to physical fitness and how much we can invest into looking after our physical bodies. To achieve a healthy body, some people will diet for months on end, and to achieve a healthy-looking body, some will perform rigorous exercises and regular visits to the gym. But then to break those habits and resort to a less healthy lifestyle will, in most cases, render all those erstwhile efforts null and void.

Similarly, to achieve the best results of Continued on next page >>

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

Fasting six days of Shawal

َ َ َ َ َ ُّ َ َ ْ َ ّ ٰ َّ ّٰ ُ ‫ قال قال َر ُسول الل ِہ َﺻلى اللہ‬،‫وب‬ ‫عﻦ أ�ِي أي‬ ّ ُ َ َ ْ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ ‫َعل َ ْيه َو َسل َّ َم َم ْﻦ‬ ِ ‫ت‬ ٍ ‫ﺻام رمضان ثم أتبعه � ِ ِس‬ َ َ َْ ّ َ َ َ ‫ ك‬،‫ِم ْﻦ ﺷ ّوال‬ ‫ان ﻛ َﺼ ْو ِم الده ِر‬ ٍ Hazrat Abu Ayyub, Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawal, it is as if he fasted for a lifetime.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Siam, Hadith 1716)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

The “Mother Attributes” of Allah the Almighty In this very same Surah al-Fatihah, the Holy Quran paints a portrait of God as it were, and presents it to the world for them to accept it. As such, four attributes have been presented in sequence which are known as the “Mother Attributes” of God Almighty. Just as Surah al-Fatihah is the “Mother of the Book”, in the same manner, the attributes of Allah Almighty that have been mentioned in this chapter are His mother – or source – attributes. These attributes are Rabb-ul-Alamin (the Lord of all the worlds); Al-Rahman (the Gracious); Al-Rahim (the Merciful); and Maliki Yawm-id-Din (the Master of the Day of Judgement). When a person contemplates over these four attributes, it is as if one can Continued on page 2

Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org

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Ramadan, we must not break the habits we picked up or enhanced even further during Ramadan. To be spiritually “fit”, we must continue these positive habits for the rest of the year and indeed, the rest of our lives, for Allah loves consistency in good deeds.

In last week’s Friday Sermon (7 May

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see the face of God. The grace of God’s providence (rububiyyat) is extensively far-reaching and general in scope, and it refers to the nourishing care by which God brings to a state of completion the whole of His creation in all their individual conditions, and the manner in which He supports their development to higher perfection. Now just reflect on how, when a person contemplates over the providence of Allah the Exalted, their hope becomes boundless. Then, there is God’s graciousness (rahmaniyyat), which means that without any action on the part of an agent, God furnishes the means that are necessary for their existence. For example, the sun, moon, air, water, etc., have been set in motion to sustain our lives without any prayer, request, action or deed on our part. Then, there is God’s mercy (rahimiyyat), which does not allow for our deeds to be wasted. Then, God being the Master of the Day of Judgement (Maliki Yawm-id-Din) demands that He grant us success. For example, if a person prepares assiduously for an exam, but they are short on their examination by a few marks, in worldly systems and institutions, no regard is given to this, and they are failed. However, in the case of God Almighty, His mercy covers a person’s shortcomings and passes them, as it were. Divine mercy possesses a quality of covering shortcomings. The God of the Christians does not overlook faults even slightly, otherwise, what need would remain for the Atonement? Similarly, the god of the Arya Samaj is neither Lord, nor Gracious because he bestows nothing without labour and action. This is to such

2021), Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand, reminded Ahmadi Muslims about these very points, that to discontinue the good deeds we picked up during Ramadan and not excel even further would render our Ramadan experience as a futile exercise.

Huzooraa reminded us that we live in a time where the tide of irreligiousness,

an extent that in accordance with the principles of the Vedas, the commission of sin seems necessary. For example, if an individual desired to give some person a certain quantity of cow’s milk in return for a deed that they had performed – provided that this Hindu concept is deemed valid – reciprocally, it would be necessary for a Brahamo woman somewhere in the world at some point in time to commit adultery, so that in return for this act of transgression and immodesty, she may be transmigrated into the form of a cow, so that the person who is to receive the milk may have it – even if the woman was his wife at some point. Therefore, until such a process exists, no doer of any deed can possibly receive their reward from the treasures of the Vedic god, for the entire enterprise of this god runs on a process of doing and undoing.

However, the God presented by Islam is deserving of all praiseworthy attributes and this is why it is He Who is the True Bestower. He is the Gracious and He confers His grace without any action on the part of an agent. He is the Master of the Day of Judgement, as I have stated, and He grants success. A worldly government can never take it upon themselves that each and every person who has a Bachelor of Arts would definitely be guaranteed employment. However, the government of God Almighty is a perfect administration, and possesses a limitless treasury. There is no shortage in His resources. He grants success to anyone and everyone who acts accordingly. Though He rewards virtue and good deeds, He also covers up the various weaknesses and shortcomings of man. He is Oft-Returning with forgiveness and Forbearing. Allah the

immorality and indecency is so strong that it has perhaps never been so vicious before in the history of humankind. Therefore, an active struggle and determination was required to save ourselves from the strong current of the Dajjal, as well as our children.

Huzooraa reminded parents to play their part in leading by example and paving a positive path for their children so that among a generation of what seems to be mostly atheist and agnostic, there may be a Godly community too.

Many of us will be reading these lines due to decisions made by our ancestors i.e. those fortunate people who made the decision to join the fold of Islam Ahmadiyyat and thereby transforming their fortune and that of their future generations. Appreciating their struggles and sacrifices, Huzooraa said that we must continue to remind ourselves of where we come from, but not to consider the efforts of our forefathers as a means of our salvation. Our efforts alone can ensure our salvation and for this, we must make an effort to follow in their pious footsteps and keep alive their names through our conduct.

At the start of Ramadan, Al Hakam published an article titled “An appeal: Getting rid of one personal weakness in Ramadan” (9 April 2021), which listed personal weaknesses that are commonly

Exalted is privy to thousands of faults in His servants, but He does not reveal them.

A time does come when man becomes bold and continues to increase in his vices, without deriving any benefit from the forbearance of God and His covering up their shortcomings; in fact, he begins to grow stronger in an atheistic vein. It is then that the indignation of God no longer permits for such an audacious person to go unseized and so they are disgraced.

Maulvi Abdullah Ghaznavi was given a revelation in relation to Muhammad Husain that he possessed a certain weakness. Muhammad Husain asked him to disclose it, but he responded by saying that the forbearing nature of Allah Almighty prevented him from doing so.

Then, Maulvi Abdullah Ghaznavi also saw a dream in which Muhammad Husain’s clothes were torn; this dream has now come true.

In short, my only intent was to elaborate that the mercy (rahimiyyat) of God has a distinctive quality which covers up the shortcomings of people, but before one’s weaknesses may be hidden, there needs to be some action. If there is a deficiency or shortfall in one’s actions, Allah the Exalted disguises them by virtue of His mercy. The difference between graciousness (rahmaniyyat) and mercy (rahimiyyat) is that the former has no relation to actions and deeds, whereas in the latter case, actions and deeds have a role to play; though human weakness exists as well. The mercy of God desires to cover man’s shortcomings.

Furthermore, the Master of the Day of Judgement is a being who fulfils the objective at hand. Remember well that these “Mother Attributes” are a spiritual

found among people nowadays. It said that we should resolve to remove at least one personal weakness during the month of Ramadan so as to properly benefit from the blessings associated with this month.

The list included many shortcomings, for example, negligence in offering Salat in congregation, negligence in giving in alms, negligence in tabligh, lying, evil gaze, smoking, treating one’s wife harshly, rebellious behaviour against one’s husband, laziness and wasting one’s time and improperly using one’s authority.

Ramadan is a time for us to introspect and use that to our advantage and make ourselves better people for the year ahead.

While we may not have achieved everything from Ramadan as we may have wanted, we should remain positive that there will be plenty of opportunities in the year ahead to make the best use of our time in this world.

May Allah enable us all to conquer our egos and put others first before ourselves and may we be counted among the servants of God. May Allah fulfil all of Huzoor’s prayers in our favour and grant him a long, healthy and prosperous life.

May this Eid be truly blessed for us all and may we all see the true Eid that is the eternal pleasure of Allah the Almighty.

illustration, which depict God. As soon as one ponders over them, God immediately comes before us and the soul fervently falls into prostration before Him with pleasure.

Hence, this chapter begins from ّٰ ُ ۡ َ ‫( ا��َ ۡمد لِل ِہ‬All praise belongs to Allah), and continues from here in indirect speech.

After the mention of these four attributes, however, immediately thereafter the style of speech changes since these attributes, in a manner of speaking, bring God before us. It was only proper and in accordance with the demands of eloquence that the style of address hereafter changes from indirect speech to direct speech.

Therefore, the completion of this initial portion of the chapter naturally turns our faces towards the addressee and upon this we say:

َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ ‫ِا ّیاک ن ۡع ُب ُد َو ِا ّیاک ن ۡس َت ِعی ُن‬

“Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help.”

One ought to bear in mind that the َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ words ‫ ِا ّیاک ن ۡع ُب ُد َو ِا ّیاک ن ۡس َتعِی ُن‬appear together without anything between them. َ َ َ However, the phrase ‫( ِا ّیاک ن ۡع ُب ُد‬Thee alone do we worship) takes precedence even in the context of time, because it was merely on account of the graciousness of God – and not due to any prayer or request of our own – that God made us humans and blessed us with a multiplicity of faculties and bounties. When these blessings were granted to us, we had not prayed for them; it was only since God had conferred His grace upon us that we received these favours. This is why servitude to God takes precedence.

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 202-205)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

The Holy Land and the unholy media Reporting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict fairly

The ongoing injustices of Israel against the Palestinian people have unveiled a stark bias in reporting and narratives pushed by politicians and media outlets.

As echoed on social media, news outlets and political figures have spoken out on the conflict, but have started off with the opposite end of the story – starting with Palestinian reactions and violence.

There’s no doubt there is violence from Palestinians, which must be condemned, but as Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa pointed out in a Friday Sermon in 2014: “Compared to Israel, the Palestinians have no power or strength. If it is said that Hamas is also perpetrating cruelty, then the Muslim countries should also stop them. However, if you are to compare the two sides, it is as if one side is using sticks to commit cruelty, whilst the other side is utilising an army and missiles to perpetrate its cruelty.” (Friday Sermon, 25 July 2014) Speaking of the Israeli attempts to establish settlements in Sheikh Jarrah and to force Palestinians out of their homes – that sparked the recent violence – Saleh Higazi,

Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said: “The latest violence brings into sharp focus Israel’s sustained campaign to expand illegal Israeli settlements and step-up forced evictions of Palestinian residents – such as those in Sheikh Jarrah – to make way for Israeli settlers. These forced evictions are part of a continuing pattern in Sheikh Jarrah, they flagrantly violate international law and would amount to war crimes.” (www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israelmust-not-be-allowed-continue-its-rampageagainst-palestinians) As a result, Palestinians protested in cities including Jerusalem, but were met with the untamed force of the Israeli army, which stormed into the al-Aqsa mosque – one of the holiest for Muslims – firing rubbercoated steel bullets and throwing stun grenades at worshippers. This aggression took place in the holy month of Ramadan and during the possible days of Lailatul Qadr. The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon rightly tweeted: “Attacking a place of worship at any time

is reprehensible, but attacking a mosque during Ramadan is utterly indefensible.

It is also a violation of international law.

Israel should heed calls to halt the violence immediately.”

In contrast to this background, reporting in the Western media has focused on the rockets fired by Hamas that came later and the “defensive” response by Israel in return.

Most of the public reading these headlines will have no clue of the background and events leading up to Hamas firing rockets – which should be condemned – and will be sucked into the narrative that the Palestinians have been the aggressors.

Often, these headlines will be edited and changed due to public backlash. Even accepting that “Palestinians” are being killed in airstrikes has been difficult for news outlets.

The New York Times, in a leading headline, said, “Gaza Militants Fire Rockets at Jerusalem; Israel Responds With Airstrikes”.

In a now-deleted headline, the New York Post falsely reported, “Airstrikes from Hamas militants kill 20 in Israel, including nine kids.” The deaths actually took place in Gaza, including the innocent children, due to Israeli rockets.

DW News tweeted, “Palestinian health officials in the Gaza strip say 20 people, including nine children, have been killed in fighting with Israel”. The truth is the children were not fighting at all but were killed from bombs dropped by Israel on the Gaza strip.

In a shocking tweet headline, The New York Times reported, “Gaza militants fired rockets and the Israeli police fought with Palestinian protestors in Jerusalem, in a sudden crescendo of violence that put Israel on edge.” This deeply misleading headline completely turned the order of events and Continued on next page >>

Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

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Ramadan may end, its spirit should not

Photo courtesy of MTA International

7 May 2021: Towards the end of his Friday Sermon today, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa drew the attention of all Ahmadis towards strengthening their relationship with Allah by continuing the spirit of Ramadan.

Huzooraa said that today was the last Friday of Ramadan and we should not observe it merely as the last Friday of Ramadan but make it a means to set greater milestones for the future.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said that the good deeds we were able to achieve in Ramadan should continue and also increase after Ramadan, “otherwise passing through Ramadan would be futile for us.”

Huzooraa said, during the last Friday Sermon, he advised everyone to recite durood and istighfar. However, it was not only for Ramadan but for the future too.

Huzooraa said dajjali powers were using ever-new tactics and the false allure and splendour of this world had enchanted most people. Sometimes Ahmadi children fell prey to this too. To counteract this, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that parents should befriend their children, develop a close connection with them and educate them about the existence of God and Islam’s truth. After instilling the full conviction in them, we should attach them so closely to God, that no action or thought of theirs went against the will and teaching of God. In order to safeguard the next generation, “they should have an answer to every worldly view and fitnah. It should not be that they have answers to some and not others and as a result are affected by them”, Huzooraa said.

“However, this cannot happen until we, ourselves, increase in belief and certainty to its highest peak. […] This will be possible when our connection with God Almighty will be strong and our namaz, our worship will be exemplary […]”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said it was essential we understood what the Promised Messiahas expected from us.

Today, immodesty and indecency had entered every home through the television and the internet. Children were watching things without their parents even noticing.

A lot of care and attention was needed, Huzooraa said.

Huzooraa urged the progeny and family of revered Ahmadis who accepted Ahmadiyyat in the beginning or were the first to convert, to pay attention to the sacrifices and level of the belief their predecessors had and to follow in their footsteps. If they did so, then they would be able to protect themselves and their progeny.

Huzooraa said the progeny and family of revered Ahmadis were not guaranteed Allah’s grace due to the goodness of their predecessors. Rather, every individual had the responsibility to increase in faith.

“It is our own actions that will save us.

No one’s familial relations or family can protect them.”

Huzooraa said people prayed a lot for the worldly progress of their children, but they should pray more so for their religious future.

In the last days of Ramadan, we should pray that Allah the Almighty protects our faith and the faith of our generations and increases our spiritual progress after Ramadan. May our worship continue

to increase, may we develop a strong relationship with Allah, may we be saved from the traps of the Dajjal and may Allah bless us with both worldly and religious blessings.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa also spoke about the coronavirus and exhorted all Ahmadis to pray that we were protected from it.

We should pray for all the Ahmadis in the world too who were being persecuted because of Ahmadiyyat. From these prayers and by trying to acquire the love of God, all troubles would be eradicated.

Huzooraa said mere utterances of prayer would be of no benefit unless our salat was offered in the proper manner too.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said we should continue offering salat as we have done in Ramadan, then would we be able to gain the grace and mercy of Allah.

“May Allah the Almighty enable us to pass this Ramadan […] with success and to continue these good deeds after Ramadan too.”

Huzooraa said that the wider we made our circle of prayers and prayed for others, the more grace would we receive from God Almighty. We should pray for every Ahmadi, for their problems to be solved and as a result, brotherhood would develop too.

Huzooraa instructed everyone to pray for the Muslim Ummah and for the whole of humanity to be guided to the right path and be saved from the wrath of Allah the Almighty.

“Our task is to pray, to pray and to continue to pray.”

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put all blame on the Palestinians for the recent violence.

Even interviews appear to be orchestrated to start with Palestinian reactions.

During a BBC Newsnight interview regarding the Hamas situation, Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, responded to Emily Maitlis by saying: “[…] The UK Foreign Secretary is quick to condemn Hamas and never to condemn the Israeli atrocities on a daily basis […]

Always the story begins when Palestinian reaction happens as if it started with Hamas – look at your question, your question is about Hamas, rockets, rockets.”

He further said: “It starts with the Palestinian reaction, with the symptom of the illness. It never visits the illness. The illness is that this state, Israel, the occupying state has been applying draconian measures against our people in every sense […]”

Ned Prince, the spokesman for the United States Department of State did not clearly condemn the death of Palestinian civilians, including children and their right to self-defence, when pushed by reporters.

British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab also focused on the “rockets fired at Jerusalem” in his comment given on Twitter: There have been news outlets that have reported fairly and have even given a voice to the Palestinians who are being forced out of their homes in Sheikh Jarrah; for example, CNN interviewing a Palestinian writer, Mohammed El-Kurd, whose house may get taken from him in Sheikh Jarrah.

Such journalism needs to become the norm The agendas and biases are clear for all to see and are part of the never-ending injustices our world suffers from. Western governments and media outlets are pushing their bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and it only increases resentment.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has said: “However, what in reality is happening today? If anyone commits a wrong or an injustice, then the victim seeks to exact revenge in a way that is completely out of proportion and far greater than the original injustice committed. This is exactly what we are witnessing these days in the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“The major powers have openly expressed their outrage and concern at the situations in Syria, Libya or Egypt; even though it can be argued that they were, in essence, internal matters. Yet they do not seem to be concerned about, or that concerned about, the Palestinian people.

This perceived double standard is causing grievances and malice to increase in the hearts of the people from Muslim countries against the major powers of the world. “[…] Let it be clear that I am not speaking in support or favour of any particular individual country. What I wish to say is that all forms of cruelty, wherever they exist, must be eradicated and stopped, regardless of whether they are perpetrated by the people of Palestine, the people of Israel or the people of any other country.

The cruelties must be stopped because if they are allowed to spread, then the flames of hatred will surely engulf the entire world […]” (European Parliament Address, 4 December 2012)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

Jalsa Dua during Eid-ul-Fitr 1900 in Qadian Awwab Saad Hayat Al Hakam

From Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, we learn that 2 January 1900 was the day of Eid-ul-Fitr in Qadian, India. At the behest of the Promised Messiahas, his Companionsra had come from places like Madras, Kashmir, Shahjahanpur, Jammu, Jhang, Multan, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Shahpur, Sialkot, Gujrat, Lahore, Amritsar, Batala, Gurdaspur etc.

The attendance of the Companionsra exceeded 1,000 and according to some narrations, some revered companions had also come from outside of India.

At 8 am, the Promised Messiahas came to the place where everyone was gathered for Eid-ul-Fitr in a huge field in Qadian that was used for Eid prayers. Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra led the Eid prayer and after the prayer, the Promised Messiahas stood up and delivered an extremely impactful Eid

sermon in which he gave a wonderful and deeply insightful commentary of Surah alNas. As India was under the British government at the time and Muslims and all other faiths enjoyed religious freedom, the Promised Messiahas commended this religious freedom the British government had given. At the time, the British were in conflict with South Africa; therefore, the Promised Messiahas, after praising the British for providing religious freedom, asked the audience to pray for their success.

In fact, after his address, the Promised Messiahas led prayers with all present for the success of the British in the conflict. Due to this, this sermon is often referred to as “Jalsa Dua”.

This speech of the Promised Messiahas lasted for one hour and was delivered in a manner that everyone could understand it.

The language was so simple that according to those who were transcribing the speech, “Even the villagers who spent their lives around cattle, being deeply inspired, exclaimed, ‘His Holiness is saying the truth […]’”

Al Hakam, at the time, reported: “On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Promised Messiahas held a special Jalsa so that prayers could be made for the success of the Transvaal War and to inform Muslims about the rights of the British government and their [Muslims’] responsibilities […]”

During his Eid sermon, while talking about true Oneness of God, the Promised Messiahas said: “Muslims should be immensely grateful

to Allah the Almighty, Who has blessed them with a religion that is free from every kind of corruption, abomination and defect in both theory and practice.”

The speech is full of unique verities and insights and also includes a response to those who raised allegations as to why Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah praised the British government?

In response to the allegation, the Promised Messiahas detailed historical accounts and also referred to the Transvaal War. He said: “Islam establishes the rights of the ruler of the time and those of the benefactor, whereas these mean-spirited people transgress the limits of Allah for their selfish ends. The fact that they readily murder a human being for a piece of bread is strong proof of their meanness, stupidity, and brutality. Our Government is currently at war with a small republic, Transvaal, which is no bigger than the Punjab. It was an act of sheer folly on its part to have engaged in warfare with such a great empire. But now that the fighting has begun, it is incumbent upon every Muslim to pray for the victory of the British.

“As for Transvaal, what concern have we with it? Our duty is to wish well for one who has bestowed countless favours upon us.

When a neighbour has so many rights that a heart bleeds upon hearing his suffering, does it not grieve our hearts upon reading the hardships endured by the loyal soldiers of the British Government?” (Proceedings of the Prayer Meeting [Roedaad Jalsa-e-Dua], pp. 27-28) Throughout the sermon, from different angles and examples, the Promised Messiahas told his followers why it was important to abide by the laws of the land and the British government. He reminded them of the lawlessness and lack of religious freedom before the British and, in this way, showed why he praised the British.

The Al Hakam correspondent reports that after the sermon, the Promised Messiahsa, with great passion and fervour, raised his hands for prayers along with everyone present, who numbered more than a thousand. The prayer lasted for a long time and everyone prayed with great fervour for the success of the British. (Al Hakam, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 3-10, 10 January 1900, taken from Malfuzat, Vol. 2, pp. 9-29, Edition I)

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM behalf of his father. Moreover, it was not a debt; rather, it was a gift. He could have said he was not responsible for it, but he did not deem it appropriate to dismiss what his father had promised to give. (Al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 2, p.

624, Zikr Saeed bin Al-Aas)

Paying off the debt of deceased father Prior to heading out for the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Abdullahra bin Umar said to his son, Jabirra, “I am sure I will be martyred in battle. Pay off my debt after me, and be kind to your six sisters.”

Despite the fact that Hazrat Jabirra had the responsibility to look after a large family after his demise, he deemed it necessary to pay off his father’s debt as soon as possible.

When the produce of the date farm was ready, he paid off his father’s entire debt and also said, “Even though I may not have a single date left to take home for my sisters, I prefer to pay off this debt.” (Sahih al-Bukhari,

The exemplary young Companions:

Kitab al-Sulh, Bab Sulh bainal-Gharma’ wa AshabilMirath)

Selling household items to pay off debt

Leniency towards debtors and paying off others’ debts Rahmatullah Khan Shakir (1901-2000) Former Assistant Editor and Manager of Al Fazl

Leniency and favour towards debtors is a great moral value. Islam emphasises it particularly and the Companionsra would take great care in this regard.

Forgiving the debt of a destitute Muslim Hazrat Abu Qatadahra was a young companion to whom a Muslim owed some money. Whenever he went to demand it from him, for some reason or another, they could not meet each other. The debtor probably himself avoided facing Abu Qatadahra as destitution can sometimes bring embarrassment.

Once, when Abu Qatadahra went to see him, the debtor’s son came out and said that his father was at home. Thus, he called him out and told him that he had learnt that he was home, so he should come out. The debtor had no choice but to come out and was asked the reason to hide from him. He replied that he was very poor and had to provide for his family with limited means of income. This was why he had failed to pay his debt. Due to embarrassment, he could not face him either.

Abu Qatadahra asked him to swear in the name of God if he went through such straitened circumstances. After he replied in the affirmative, tears appeared in his eyes and he wiped off all the debt. (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 5, p. 308)

Hazrat Abul-Yasar Kaab bin Amrra was a young Companion. Somebody from Banu Haram owed him some money, but since he could not pay off the debt, he evaded facing

him.

One day, they encountered each other and the debtor narrated his account of deprivation in such a tragic way that the latter became overcome with emotion. He gave him in writing the receipt of the money and told him to pay off if he could, otherwise he would write it off. (Usdul-Ghabah, Vol. 4, p.

184, Zikr Kaab bin Umar Al-Khazraji)

Readers have read the accounts of affording convenience to the debtor. The second part is related to paying off one’s debt.

Where, on the one hand, the Companionsra afforded convenience to their debtors, they were, on the other, very cautious in regard to paying off their own debts. Some accounts in this regard are as follows.

A person who money is owed to goes missing

Hazrat Abdullahra bin Masud once bought a slave-girl from somebody. Before he paid for her, the seller went missing. Hazrat Abdullahra tried to find him for a whole year but he was not recovered. Once he lost all hope of his recovery, on behalf of the seller, he gave the money owed to him in charity, one or two dirhams at a time. He also vowed to himself that he would pay him the money if he was recovered and the charity would be counted on his own behalf. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab Hukmul-Mafqud fi Ahlihi wa Malihi)

Will for paying of debts It has been discussed about Hazrat Zubairra bin Awam that despite his affluence and riches, at the time of his death, he owed 2.2 million rupees to people. Before setting off for a battle, he said to his family that

what worried him most was his debt. In case he was martyred, he said that first and foremost, all of his debts should be paid from his wealth. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jihad, Bab Barkat-ul-Ghazi wa Malahu)

According to the will of Hazrat Zubairra his son had it announced for four consecutive years on the occasion of Hajj that anybody to whom his father owed any money should receive from him. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-

Jihad, Bab Barkat-ul-Ghazi wa Malahu)

Offering money that was promised to the poor The following account has been discussed under generosity that Hazrat Saeedra bin Aas was so generous that if he found nothing with him to give to the needy, he would write them a bill to receive the money from him later.

Once, somebody followed him on his way back from the mosque. He asked him what he was up to. The latter replied that he saw him returning alone, therefore he accompanied him. Hazrat Saeedra called for a pen and ink and gave him a bill of exchange of 20,000.

By mere chance, he could not cash the bill and Hazrat Saeedra passed away. After his death, he presented the bill to his son, Hazrat Umarra, who accepted it immediately and without any hesitation, paid him the pledged amount.

The people of our age should reflect on this incident. Those who themselves borrow money in this age of ours dawdle in paying off their own debts and cause extreme anxiety to their creditors; very few today pay off debts on behalf of their parents. But this young man paid a large amount on

The Companions were so cautious about paying off their debts that they were ready to sell their household items to be discharged of this responsibility.

Hazrat Ibn Haddadra was a companion who owed a Jew four dirhams. The Jew complained about it to the Holy Prophetsa.

The Holy Prophetsa asked Hazrat Ibn Haddadra thrice to pay off the Jew’s debt.

He replied that he had no money to pay off his debt. At this, the Holy Prophetsa became quiet.

Hazrat Ibn Haddadra thought of something and set off for the market. He took off his head-cloth, applied it as a covering for below the waist and sold it for four dirhams to pay off the Jew. (Al-Isabah, Vol. 4, p. 50, Zikr Abdullah bin Abi Haddad)

The Prophet’ssa example in paying off a creditor The Holy Prophetsa himself was very mindful of paying off debts and consoling the creditor. In fact, the Companionsra learned this trait from the Holy Prophetsa.

The Holy Prophetsa once owed some money to a Jew, Zaid bin Sa‘nah. Once, he visited the Holy Prophetsa and with the demand of the debt, passed some unpleasing remarks. He even said, “You Bani AbdilMuttalib are very bad pay-masters” etc., whereas the due time for the payment of the debt was to end after three days and the Jew demanded the money before the agreed time.

The Companionsra were greatly affronted by his non-sensical talk. Hazrat Umarra exhibited some fierceness towards him, but the Holy Prophetsa forbade him from doing so and said, “He must be paid now and should be granted twenty sa‘ of barley in excess” (one sa‘ is equal to about two kilograms). The Jew was so satisfied with this treatment from the Holy Prophetsa that he embraced Islam. (Mustadrak Imam Hakim, Kitab al-Buyu‘, Bab Amma Hadith Isma‘il bin Ja‘far bin Abi Kathir)

(Translated by Shahid Mahmood Ahmad, Missionary in Ghana, from the original Urdu, Muslim Nau-jawanon kay Sunehri Karnamey)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

Eid: A day of happiness and acceptance of prayer Hazrat Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari was a stalwart of the Jamaat. He was the editor of Al Furqan (among other Arabic journals) and author of the acclaimed Tafhimat-e-Rabbaniyyah. At the age of 27, he was sent as a missionary to the Arab world, conducting tabligh in places such as Palestine, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. He would also serve as a lecturer and the principal of Jamia Ahmadiyya, among many other notable offices of the Jamaat.

This article was published in Al Fazl on 5 December 1937.

Delegation of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya to the National Assembly of Pakistan, 1974. Hazrat Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari is seated on Hazrat Khalifatul Masih's IIIrh left

Hazrat Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari (1904-1977) As the 29th day of fasting approaches its end, Muslims begin to look towards the horizon.

The young and the old set their eyes firmly on the sky in search of the crescent moon. If the moon is not sighted on the 29th day, the same stargazing scene repeats the following evening; everyone eagerly searching for the appearance of the Eid crescent.

There are two Eids in Islam – Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The Eid we are celebrating today is Eid-ul-Fitr. Eid-ul-Fitr signifies the day of celebration upon the completion of the month of Ramadan. Eid is a day of happiness that one wishes to see again and again, as man is naturally inclined towards experiencing joy.

A believer, on the one hand, finds joy in fasting during the month of Ramadan and

on the other hand, he is rejoiced by breaking the fast on the day of Eid. Those who are able to fast during the month of Ramadan by abstaining from food and drink during the day and by spending the nights in worship, fully deserve expressing joy at having been able to obey Allah in that way. That joy is expressed through their actions and their appearance. Their relatives and loved ones also partake of that joy and perhaps most of all the little ones.

This Eid, however, only lasts a day.

This outward expression of happiness is only temporary. It cannot be considered the ultimate reward for fasting. Fasting is much more precious and valuable than that.

Therefore, we conclude that Eid is just an illustration, a small glimpse of the real Eid, which has far-reaching and lasting effects.

Indeed, it is the purpose of man’s life.

Although true believers are saddened by

the departure of Ramadan and the spiritual blessings attached to it, humans are also naturally inclined towards socialising.

Hence, after a spiritual exercise of about 30 days, they need to practically live out the gathered experience. The rest of the 11 months can, therefore, be likened to a farmer taking his produce to the market after harvesting it. Thus, although one may feel sad upon the end of Ramadan, it is also important to enter the next phase by celebrating Eid. The expression of happiness and joy upon successfully completing the first phase (of fasting) is called Eid. Indeed, only those are truly deserving of celebrating Eid, who have also benefitted from the spiritual blessings of Ramadan. The Holy Prophetsa once said:

ْ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ‫إ َذا ك‬ ‫ان ي َ ْو ُم ِعي ِدهِ ْم ي َ ْع ِني ي َ ْو َم ِفط ِرهِ ْم بَاهى بِهِ ْم َملائِك َته‬ ِ

َُ َ ُ َ َ َ َّ َ َ​َ َ َ َ َ ‫ يَا َمل‬:‫ال‬ ‫فق‬ :‫ير َوفى ع َمل ُه؟ قالوا‬ ٍ ‫ائِك ِتي ما َجزاء أ ِج‬ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ْ َّ َ ُ ْ ُ ُ َ َ َ َّ َ ‫ ملائِك ِتي ع ِبي ِدي‬:‫ قال‬.‫ربنا جزاؤه أن يوفى أجره‬ َ َ ُّ ُ َ ُ َ َ َّ ُ ْ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ‫و ِإمائِي قضوا ف ِريض ِتي عليهِم ثم خرجوا يعج‬ ‫ون ِإلى‬ َ َ َ ْ َ ّ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ُّ ‫اع مكاني‬ ِ ‫الدعا ِء و ِعزتِي وجلالِي وك َر ِمي وعل ِوي وارتِف‬ َ ُ ُ َ َ ُ ّْ ُ ‫ار‬ ْ :‫ فَ َي ُقول‬.‫لأجيبنهم‬ ‫جعوا فقد غف ْرت لَك ْم َوبَدلت‬ َُ ً َُْ َ ُ َْ​َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ‫ورا له ْم‬ ‫ فير ِجعون مغف‬:‫ قال‬.‫ات‬ ٍ ‫َس ِّيئاتِك ْم ح َسن‬

“When their day of Eid comes, i.e. the day when they break their fast, God speaks proudly of them to His angels, saying, ‘My angels, what is the reward of a hired servant who has fully accomplished his work?’ They reply, ‘Our Lord, his reward is that he should be paid his wage in full.’

He says, ‘My angels, My male and female servants have fulfilled what I have made obligatory for them, and then have come out raising their voices in supplication. By My might, glory, honour, high dignity, and exalted station, I will certainly answer them.’

Then He says, ‘Return, for I have forgiven you and changed your evil deeds into good deeds.’ He said that they then return having received forgiveness.” (Shu‘ab al-Iman, Imam al-Baihaqi) The true essence of Eid is evident from this hadith. Eid is an excellent occasion for the acceptance of prayers. When even we mortals fulfil the wishes of our children on Eid to the best of our abilities, then would my Lord, the Most Generous, reject the prayers of his sincere servants on that blessed day? Not at all.

Many of us ask our children on Eid, as to what gifts they want. It is natural to humans that they wish to share their happiness with those around them because happiness necessitates coming together and socialising.

And the way to make others happy is to fulfil their wishes as best as possible.

On the day of Eid, Allah the Exalted also says to his servants in his own way, “O my servants, say what you desire! What would make you happy?” If someone does not hear this voice, then they ought to pray for the ability to listen.

Eid is a day of happiness. It is a day for the acceptance of prayers. However, only supplications that are infused with passion, reach God’s throne. Hence, one should not waste the entire day pursuing short-lived pleasures and temporary joy; rather, one should pray for eternal bliss and everlasting happiness.

If someone is unaware as to what eternal bliss and everlasting happiness mean, then they should ponder over the following words of the Promised Messiahas. He states: “Our paradise lies in our God. Our highest delight is in our God for we have seen Him and found every beauty in Him. This wealth is worth procuring though one might have to lay down one’s life to procure it. This ruby is worth purchasing though one may have to lose oneself to acquire it. O ye, who are deprived! Hasten to this fountain as it will satiate you. It is this fountain of life that will save you.” (Noah’s Ark [English], pp.

35) O Most-Forgiving and Sattar God, who conceals the shortcoming of His servants, bless us with Your communion and grant us the true Eid. Amin.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu published in Al Fazl, 5 December 1937)

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

This Week in History 14 - 20 May

14 May 1924: Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra received an invitation from the organisers of the Wembley Conference, London. Huzoorra wrote a detailed letter to the Jamaat for mutual consultation and also elaborated on the background and different aspects of the proposed tour.

Huzoorra wrote that people of many walks of life were scheduled to attend and “in relation to this conference, it is said that even in the next 100 years, it will be difficult for the English people to hold an event of this calibre.”

At the end of this letter, the following note was made: “Note: It seems appropriate, for the time being, that the subject of this letter should be limited to Jamaat members only. Khaksar, Rahim Baksh MA, Afsar Dak.” 14 May 1932: Mirza Muhammad Ashraf Balanvi Sahib completed his tenure as auditor and muhasib of Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya. On his retirement, a farewell dinner was held. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra graced this event with his presence and an address.

Mirza Muhammad Ashraf Sahib joined the office on 1 January 1907. He possessed extraordinary expertise in mathematics. It was Mirza Muhammad Ashraf Sahib who suggested that the Jamaat should establish provident funds. From this money, the Jamaat was able to purchase the magnificent building adjacent to Masjid Aqsa in which some offices were later shifted.

Huzoorra, in his speech, stated that although the Jamaat’s system was currently very limited, a time would come when the progress of the world would rely on this system. And along with spiritual progress, material progress would also be in the Jamaat’s control.

16 May 1924: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra conducted a shura on this day after Asr prayer in Masjid Mubarak, Qadian and discussed with representatives the invitation received from the Wembley Conference.

Al Fazl reported that on 16 May, after the Asr prayer, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra called an Aam Majlis-e-Shura in which every Ahmadi had the opportunity to give his view. At last, voting was held

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra in Zurich with newly converted Ahmadis, 1955

on that matter and the votes in favour of the matter were far more than the votes against it. Huzoorra stated that he would not disclose his view until the viewpoints of the other Jamaat members living outside Qadian.

16 May 1938: On this day, Hussain Bibi Sahibara, the mother of Hazrat Sir Zafrulla Khanra, passed away.

Hazrat Sir Zafrulla Khanra Hazrat Sir Zafrulla Khanra wrote a book, My Mother, in which he narrated events and incidents of his mother’s life. Hazrat Sir Zafrulla Khan’sra mother’s life and high spiritual status mentioned in this very interesting and faith-inspiring book, which can be found at www.alislam.org/book/mymother/ 16 May 1948: Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra wrote a pamphlet under the

title, Al-Kufru Millatun Wahidah, on the establishment of the Jewish state, published in Al Fazl of 21 May 1948 (pp.

3-4). In this thought-provoking account, Huzoorra expressed his cordial desire for unity within the Muslim ummah. This message was so powerful and in need of the call of the time that almost all Arab states widely circulated it on various media platforms. Syrian radio stations aired its summary and many Arabic newspapers published its excerpts, including Al-Yaum, Al-Akhbar, Al-Nasr and Al-Urdan.

17 May 1935: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra was in Hyderabad, Sindh. He led the Jumuah prayer here and later that day, delivered a lecture in a hall.

Huzoorra, whilst delivering a very fluent speech, paused for 1-2 seconds. This pause was felt by all Ahmadis there.

In actuality, some saints of Sindh had made prophecies in regard to the Imam Mahdi. Among the signs of the Imam Mahdi, one was pause or stammer in speech, which was a specific sign of the Promised Messiahas. This sign was fulfilled on this occasion, during Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra speech.

17 May 1946: Two Ahmadi missionaries – Malik Ataur Rahman Sahib and

Malik Ataur Rahman Sahib

Chaudhry Ataullah Sahib

Chaudhry Ataullah Sahib – reached Paris, France to establish a mission there.

They rented a room in a hotel and commenced their preaching activities.

17 May 1975: Hazrat Malik Mahmud Abdullahra passed away on this date.

Hazrat Malik Mahmud Abdullahra was a companion of the Promised Messiahas and was the elder brother of Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rehmanra, then amir of Jamaat Qadian. His body was brought

9

AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

Six fasts of Shawal

to Rabwah, from Qadian, on 18 May. His janazah was led after the Asr prayer in Masjid Mubarak.

18 May 1952: The Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Karachi held its annual convention.

Opponents tried their utmost to incite the gathering, but after failing in their efforts, they resorted to violence and set the Jamaat’s property and building, especially the library, on fire. The next day, the chief commissioner of Karachi shared the details of the attack with the media. Moreover, some newspapers also denounced the actions of the miscreants and foes of the Jamaat.

20 May 1922: An English newspaper, Al Bushra, commenced its publication from Qadian. Chaudhry Ghulam Muhammad Sahib, a teacher of Talim-ul-Islam High School, was its proprietor and manager.

20 May 1950: Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra instructed that in the Jamaat’s literature, the family of the Promised Messiahas should be remembered by the name of “Khandan Hazrat Masih-eMaud [family of the Promised Messiah]” instead of “Khandan-e-Nabuwat [Family of Prophethood]”.

20 May 1953: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra introduced a project for compiling and 19 May 1952: Mahmud Abdullah preserving the history Shaboti Sahib reached Rabwah from Aden to acquire religious education. He of the Jamaat. enrolled in Jamia Ahmadiyya on 25 May. Huzoorra asked for He devoted his life to the cause of Islam 12,000 rupees for the expenses of the in February 1960 and after completion venture and assigned of his studies in Rabwah, returned to Mahasha Fazl Hussain Aden in August 1960 as a missionary.

Sahib on this task.

In those days, it was difficult to get Later, on 25 June, permission for a missionary to come Maulana Dost from Rabwah to Aden and to live there. this task was handed Muhammad Shahid over to Maulana The local Jamaat, in Aden, consulted Sahib Dost Muhammad and sent this young boy to acquire religious education. This boy, on return Shahid Sahib, who remained tirelessly occupied in it till his last days. Huzoorra to Aden, started a magazine, Al-Islam, and occupied himself in introducing the specifically oversaw and guided the department. From the start, Huzoorra Jamaat in academic circles. had instructed that a weekly report needed to be provided. Apart from the 19 May 1955: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra days of Huzoor’sra tour of Europe, these was in Zurich and sent greetings of Eid reports were being presented to him to members of the Jamaat through a regularly. He would look at the reports telegram. and sometimes make some remarks and “Eid Mubarak to all Ahmadis of Pakistan, grant instructions in writing or, at times, India and around the world. I pray verbally. Some instructions would be for the removal of their worries and written by Hazrat Syeda Umm-e-Matin problems and their spiritual progress”.

Sahiba, as per Huzoor’s instructions.

,

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra said that he heard from his mother [Hazrat Nusrat Jehan Begum Sahibara]: “The Promised Messiahas would narrate to us the details of those days in his youth when he found out, or was given the hint, that in order to progress in his field, one must fast. He would tell us, ‘Then, I fasted for six months incessantly and did not let anyone know that I was fasting, whether they were family members or friends. When breakfast would arrive from the house, I would pass it on to a needy person, but I would eat dinner.’”

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra asked his mother if Huzooras would offer nafli [supererogatory] fasts in his later years, to which she said: “Even in his later days, Huzooras would observe nafli fasts, especially the six fasts of Shawal, which he would offer religiously.

If ever he needed to pray for something exceptional, he would fast. However, in the last two or three years of his life, the Promised Messiahas could not fast even in Ramadan, due to weakness and frailty.”

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra added that the Promised Messiahas mentioned in his book Kitab-ul-Bariyyah that he fasted for a period of eight to nine months consecutively.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud'sra greetings of Eid to members of the Jamaat, 1955

(Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. 1, p. 14)

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

Interfaith iftar event in Detroit: A time of national healing through prayer Syed Shamshad Nasir Missionary, USA

Muhammad Ahmad Sahib, Secretary Tabligh Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit, reports that their Jamaat held its annual interfaith iftar, titled “A Time of National Healing through Prayer” on 2 May 2021.

The iftar has been part of the Detroit Jamaat’s annual tradition where interfaith leaders, public officials and friends and neighbours join every year at the Mahmood Mosque with Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit.

Like last year, due to the ongoing pandemic across the US and state-wide restrictions on gatherings, the programme was held virtually.

This year’s interfaith iftar was kicked off by the local president, Maqbool Tahir Sahib, who welcomed the guests and the members.

The formal programme proceedings started with a recitation from the Holy Quran with translation. Then, Maqbool Tahir Sahib gave a brief overview of the evening and its background.

A brief video was played regarding Ramadan. Following the video, Secretary Tabligh, Muhammad Ahmad Sahib gave a brief presentation on the background of Ramadan and fasting.

The event moderator, Secretary Public Affairs, Nasir Bukhari Sahib introduced and invited Rev Eric Williams of the St Philip’s Episcopal Church of Rochester, Michigan.

Rev Eric Williams started off by thanking Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya for inviting him to the interfaith iftar event. He touched on the pandemic and other societal issues of racial inequality, systemic justice problems facing the country and stressed that we need to embrace the diversity of faith as well as racial diversity. He quoted inspiring quotes of a Christian mystic, Thomas Morton and then shared prayers from the scripture.

Following this, Rev Dr Melissa Lynn DeRosia of the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan also thanked the Jamaat for the invitation and the opportunity to be part of the interfaith iftar event. She brought greetings from her congregation and shared a story of two disciples who were the survivors of the trauma of Jesus’ ordeal on the cross.

Rev Melissa prayed that as a nation we are going through the Covid-19 pandemic and many other crises such as climate crisis, racial and gender related violence and prayed that may God bring peace and healing to us all during these difficult times.

Nassy Sankagiri who was representing

the Bharatiya Hindu Temple of Troy, shared a Hindu epic, Maha Bharta, after the great Battle of Maha Bharta that states the people who departed during the battles are lucky ones as they have been taken by God into His lap. Thus, those who departed from us during the pandemic were the lucky ones as they had been taken by God; however, the ones that survived had to suffer the great loss of their loved ones, said Nassy Sankagiri.

He also mentioned the fasting concept in Hinduism. He thanked and congratulated Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya for hosting such a wonderful event.

The Jewish faith was represented

by Edward Chezick who thanked for the opportunity to be part of Jamaat-eAhmadiyya’s network of friends and prayed that may God remove the situation created by the current pandemic.

Edward Chezick represented the Jewish Synagogue of Troy Shir Tikvah and mentioned that he was representing not only the Jewish faith but also the Troy Interfaith Group (TIG) and thanked Jamaate-Ahmadiyya for their long and unwavering support of the interfaith group. He then offered prayers from the Jewish traditions.

At the end, the keynote speaker, Regional Missionary, Shamshad Nasir

Sahib welcomed the interfaith leaders and thanked them for their participation. He spoke about Ramadan and the concept of fasting in Islam.

At the end, Shamshad Sahib requested all to pray for all the front-line workers including doctors, healthcare workers and other workers –that may Allah protect them all in these difficult times. He then led the attendees in silent prayer.

Overall feedback from guests and Jamaat members was positive. Below is some of the feedback received: Rev Eric Williams of the St Philip’s Episcopal Church of Rochester said: “What an honour and privilege it was to be part of the iftar. Thank you for the invitation. I wonder if you might be willing to come to St Philip’s some time to talk about the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Hopefully, we will be resuming our inperson gatherings this Fall.”

Rev Melissa DeRosia of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan said: “[…] Thank you for the invitation and it was great to see all of you again. It was an honour and pleasure to be present alongside many other faith leaders. I am looking forward to the in-person iftar next year.

Ramadan Mubarak.”

Nasy Sankagiri of the Bhartia Temple expressed: “Greetings in Holy Ramadan. I was honoured to speak at the event. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the iftar program. Best regards.”

Sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa on Eid Hazrat Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, never proceeded (for the prayer) on the Day of Eid-ul-Fitr unless he had eaten some dates. Hazrat Anasra bin Malik also narrated that the Holy Prophetsa used to eat an odd number of dates.

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Eidain)

Iftar at Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya’s headquarters in Sierra Leone Abdul Hadi Qurashi Sierra Leone Correspondent

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Sierra Leone arranged an iftar event on 29 April 2021. Amir and Missionary-in-charge Sierra Leone, Saeedur Rahman Sahib welcomed the guests and at sunset, the guests opened the fast. All the Muslim guests offered the Maghrib prayer in the mosque. After the prayer, the guests were served with the dinner.

After the dinner, Amir Sahib introduced the guests.

National General Secretary, Munir Abubakar Yusuf Sahib presented the introduction of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya and conveyed the message of the Promised Messiahas.

In the end, Amir Sahib addressed the guests and said that just two days ago the

government of Sierra Leone has awarded the Jamaat with the highest civilian award – The Commander of the Order of the Rokel, in recognition of the Jamaat’s services in the country.

The event was attended by many dignitaries and government officials. These included the former vice president, serving ministers and deputy ministers, president of the Islamic Forum, and people from the business community as well.

Alhamdulillah, this event proved to be a great medium of conveying the message of the Promised Messiahas to the people of Sierra Leone.

MTA Sierra Leone covered the whole event and the reports and pictures of the event were shared on various social media platforms.

11

AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

100 Years Ago...

Daily diary of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II: Answers to questions received through letters Al Fazl, 12 May 1921

28 April 1921 Journeying without travel expenses A letter of a gentleman was presented [before Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra], who asked for permission to go on a long journey, but the financial condition of his relatives was not very good.

[Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] stated about this that journeying without travel expenses was not right. However, if his intention was that he would perform any kind of work [for raising expenses], then he could go on a journey without travel expenses.

Wasiyyat [will] of the poor A person’s letter was presented to Huzoor[ra] asking that if someone did not have money, how he could do wasiyyat for Bahishti Maqbarah [heavenly graveyard].

In reply, [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] stated (below is a summary): “Wasiyyat is for those people who are not poverty-stricken. It is necessary for the affluent to sacrifice their wealth apart from performing other religious services.

On the other hand, those who are poor should only serve religion and when they die, people should confirm that ‘surely, this person should be buried in the Bahishti Maqbarah because of their righteousness and service to the religion.’ There is no need for monetary wasiyyat for those who do not have wealth. Bahishti Maqbarah is for those who are [good] role models for the future [generations]. It is not heavenly gates or such a place. It is a place based on action.”

Fear while sleeping A man wrote that he was scared at night while sleeping.

[Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] said, “His stomach is upset. He should eat dinner three to four hours before going to bed and should not drink too much water.”

Marriage of a waqif-e-zindagi [life devotee] A young man devoted his life. A letter from his father was presented. In it, he had sought permission for his son’s marriage and also wrote that he did not agree to marry as he was a life devotee.

Huzoor[ra] stated in reply (below is a summary): “The marriage of a missionary cannot take place unless it has been decided as to where he will be posted. Once the decision is made, it will be seen as to what is suitable about his marriage, whether he should get married in the country he is going to or get married here. However, we never support the idea of making monks as the Christians do.”

Istikhara [prayer in which one seeks the best outcome]

Bai‘at of the deaf and dumb A letter of a man was presented that as his son’s wife was deaf and dumb, what should be done about her bai‘at?

[Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] said: “The religion of the deaf and dumb will be considered the religion of the people they live with. The religion of a woman will be considered as is the religion of her husband and the religion of a daughter will be considered as is the religion of her father.

This is the explanation for this matter. As for the question of salvation, this rests with God.”

A letter of a person was presented that he had performed istikhara about the marriage of his daughter and saw in a dream the [following] revelation of the Promised Messiahas in written form: َ ُ ّٰ َٗ َ ۡ َ​َ ‫اف ع ۡبدہ‬ ٍ ‫الی َس اللہ بِک‬ [“Is Allah not Sufficient for His Servant?”]. In reply, [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] stated: “In istikhara, dreams and revelations do not matter but the inclination of the heart should be seen.”

How to let [someone] take an oath against the Promised Messiahas?

1 May 1921

A letter of a person was presented that a mullah of a mosque was ready to take an oath along with his wife and children in opposition to the Promised Messiahas for five rupees.

[Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] said: “After assembling this mullah, his wife and children [in one place], first the claim of the Promised Messiahas and all the supporting arguments which are from the Holy Quran, ahadith and rationale should be narrated. The status of all the prophets should be explained and in their light, [the station] of the Promised Messiahas should be elaborated. All the revelations and signs of the Promised Messiahas should be narrated before them. After [listening] to all of these arguments, signs and miracles, if he is still willing to take [false] oath along with his wife and children, then let him take the oath and give him five rupees.”

Treatment of wasaawis [evil doubts and delusions] A letter of a gentleman was presented in which he wrote that he experienced evil doubts and delusions.

In reply, [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] stated (below is a summary): “You should recite ‘A‘udhu-billah’, ‘Laahaul’ and istighfar.”

[Huzoorra] further said: “This is also an extraordinarily subtle point that I always thought that the power of ‘Laa-haul’ is greater than that of ‘A‘udhubillah’, because the pronoun ‘I’ remains in ‘A‘udhu-billah’, whereas nothing is left in ‘Laa-haul wa la quwwata illa-billah’ except for God’s name.

“However, once I saw in a divine vision that there lived a man in a house whose face I did not see, but another person said that there was an old philosopher living in that house who had lost his mind due to excessive studying of books. In the meantime, I saw a man come out, whose head was shaved and was dressed like a beggar. I thought that

he was Satan. He attacked me and when I recited ‘Laa-haul’, he retreated, but then he attacked me again and when I recited ‘Laahaul’, he went away [...] In the end, I recited ‘A‘udhu-billah’ and he vanished.

“At that time, I understood that either these prayers had a special relation to the situation, i.e. on some occasions, ‘A‘udhubillah’ works and on others, ‘Laa-haul’, or ‘A‘udhu-billahi min al-Shaitan al-rajim’ is more effective.”

Public religious debate When a gentleman asked for permission for a general religious debate, [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] stated in reply (below is a summary): “As far as I understand, a theological debate should be considered problematic, which should only be carried out if there is no other solution.

“When the debater debates in front of common people, prejudice arises in his heart. In the same way, it has been observed that the idea of ​​partisanship arises in the minds of those who come to the gathering of debates. Their focus is not on who is on the right, but on the victory of their maulvi or leader. Hence, these theological debates, which are arranged like stages where performers perform, produce very little results.

“We should only pay heed towards these [theological debates] when there is a fear that the consequences of not debating will outweigh the consequences of the debate, i.e. when people begin to think that we do not want to debate because we do not have the arguments. If such an idea starts to arise in the hearts of the people, then of course a Continued on next page >>

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

� � � ِ ��� � ‫ا�وز �م‬ � ‫�م‬

<< Continued from previous page

religious debate should be held, so that this doubt can be removed from their hearts.

“In my opinion, the benefit of theological debates is not to manifest the truth, but to remove doubts. Instead of [theological debates], it is better to individually carry out tabligh and to enthral [someone] with affection and good morals. In this way, the heart of the other person does not rust and, in fact, it gradually builds up the power in his heart to accept the light.”

‫�� ���د � و�ِ ��م‬ � ‫روزے‬ “Today my people do not recognise my status; the day will come when they will recall my blessed time with tears.”

Fatwa [religious ruling] on mu‘allaqah [a suspended thing] A letter was presented to Huzoor[ra] in which the person asked that if someone did not keep his wife in the house and also did not pay the expenses, would this woman be considered mu‘allaqah?

[Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] said (below is a summary): “A person who does not keep his wife at home and does not give her expenses for a year, in my opinion, his wife is considered divorced after one year. Some of the early jurists [of Islam] have issued a four-year fatwa. However, now we should look into the law; in my view, this divorce happens through a qazi [religious judge]. Nowadays, the government is non-Islamic, so if the law does not allow it, then there are two cases: “1. If the couple is Ahmadi, it is easy to get a divorce through an Ahmadi qazi “2. If the husband is a non-Ahmadi, then separation should be carried out by arbitration through the people of their community or some other people”.

What do we think of Imam Hussainra?

A letter was presented asking about certain matters regarding Imam Hussainra.

[Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] said: “We consider Imam Hussain as Imam Hussain and we never call him only Hussain.

God made him ‘Imam’ and no one can take away this imamate from him. However, he was not an imam because he was the grandson of the Holy Prophetsa, but in fact, as he was a rightful Imam.

“It is obligatory on us to respect him for being the grandson [of the Holy Prophetsa], but a religious status cannot be achieved [through this relationship]. On religious basis, Imam Hussainra had the distinction of being truly obedient and a follower of the footsteps of the Holy Prophetsa. However, if someone, while arguing with a Shiite, when that Shiite is disrespecting other imams of Islam, refutes his statements through the sayings which are considered indisputable by the Shiites, then this is permissible in my view.

“Sometimes it is necessary to respond to them [Shiites] in this way. An exception can be made if the argument they present is not true in their [Shiite] own view, or if to refute an objection, they present the example of such a person who is lower in rank than the person whose status they are defending by answering in the said manner, or provided their disagreement is not really an objection, but in fact a good discourse.”

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 12 May 1921 issue of Al Fazl)

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah, Izala-eAuham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, p. 184)

“Big Virtual Iftar Scotland” First virtual event in the month of Ramadan Arshad Mehmood Khan Scotland

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Scotland held its virtual event on the theme “Big Virtual Iftar” on 3 May 2021.

After hard work by all the committee members, the online event was hosted on Zoom and broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook and Periscope. The event was well attended with 808 views on YouTube, 58 views on Facebook and 35 views on Twitter. Also, before the event, through the Facebook awareness campaign alone, the event reach was to over 43,000 people in Scotland. So overall a total of around 60K or more heard about the Scotland Big Virtual Iftar through social media.

The programme was hosted by Ahmed Owusu-Konadu Sahib, Outreach Secretary, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Glasgow.

He welcomed all guest speakers and said the event would have been held at the mosque but due to the Covid-19 restrictions it was done virtually.

The programme started with the recitation from the Holy Quran with English translation, followed by the welcome address

by Ahmed Owusu-Konadu Sahib, the event committee Chairman. Then an introductory video was played to educate the audience about Islam Ahmadiyyat and its Khilafat.

Moaz Ahmad Sahib presented a slideshow about some of the humanitarian work done by the Scotland region in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife and Dundee inspired by Ramadan.

A virtual mosque tour was shown where a brief history of Baitur Rahman mosque Glasgow, an inside and outside tour, day to day activities including prayers, the current Covid-19 restrictions and special activities during Ramadan were covered.

Rawah Uddin Arif Khan Sahib, Missionary of the Baitur Rahman mosque then shed some thorough insight into the explanation of the Holy Quran and the practices of the Holy Prophetsa concerning taking vaccination during Ramadan while fasting. He encouraged everyone to take the Covid-19 vaccination, if offered an appointment in the month of Ramadan but to abstain from fasting on that particular day and observe the missing fast on other days after the month of Ramadan, as per the Islamic requirement.

The speakers at the event included: • Mansoor Ahmad Clarke, a missionary • Rt Hon Kirsten Oswald, MP East Renfrewshire • Queen Naa Tsotsoo SoyooI Queen Mother of James Town in Accra Ghana • Rt Hon Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central • RT Hon Linda Fabian, MSP, East Kilbride & Deputy Presiding Officer Scottish Parliament A few questions were also taken from the audience around the globe and the panel of missionaries responded. A vote of thanks was given by Daud Ahmad Quraishi Sahib, missionary of Dundee, where he thanked all who attended the event and learnt more about Ramadan and its conditions.

The following dignitaries also attended the programme: • Rt Hon Marion Fellow MP for Motherwell and Wishaw • Hon Clare Adamson MSP Motherwell and Wishaw • Cllr Mark Flynn Dundee city council The event concluded with a silent prayer led by Daud Ahmad Quraishi Sahib.

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AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

Responding The use of quotes: Proving the claim of to the Promised Messiah’s knowledge of

Allegations miraculous and profound Arabic | Part XI Shedding light on the claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas with regard to his knowledge of the Arabic language, this series of articles seeks to answer major allegations raised against the Promised Messiah’sas use of Arabic phrases, his God-given eloquence and his command over the language.

Muhammad Tahir Nadeem Central Arabic Desk

Masih, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, p. 432)

Tawarud [coincidence of ideas or random uniformity of theme in writings of two or more authors] and its need

Someone may say that if a person claims to have absolute proficiency in the Arabic language and has complete command over it, then what is the need of tawarud?

The Promised Messiahas has given the answer to this question as well and explained why tawarud occurs and why is it needed.

The Promised Messiahas said: “The scope of some proverbs is so limited that either certain writers will coincide with some others or they will have to leave that idiom which is used conventionally. Beyond any doubt, a place where a certain word is to be adopted keeping in view the qualities of eloquence, for example, the word ‫ اقتحم‬is to be adopted, and no other word can take its place, then it will definitely be used by all the writers and the same word will come out of everyone’s mouth. Surely, an ignorant fool, who is oblivious to rhetorical methods and unfamiliar with diverse details of root words, will say another word in its stead and will be objectionable in the eyes of the literary writers.

“Likewise, authors get into another coincidental situation that even if 20 people write about a certain subject, who are all scholars and impressive writers, they will rely on the same phrases and arrangement

Plagiarism is when an entire text or a piece of writing is taken with its complete context and published under one’s own name.

However, if a person writes a book or several books consisting of tens of thousands of phrases and his work coincidently contain 10 or even 50 sentences that resemble similar phrases of other books, then it would be utter ignorance to call such a coincidence as plagiarism.

Commenting on this, the Promised Messiahas said: “From some twenty thousand phrases, there were only a few [similar] sentences, some of which were verses of the Holy Quran, and a few were examples from Arabic [literature] and some in their [opponents’] view were tawarud with a phrase from [Abu al-Qasim] Hariri or Hamdani. Alas, they were not at all ashamed to raise this allegation. They did not think that there is no question of objection if these few, i.e. two or four sentences, are taken as coincidences, as is the case in the writings of literary scholars, or if they are considered as a few sentences taken as quotations.” (Nuzul-ul-

What is the need for tawarud?

of words to express certain statements.

These things are openly recognised by the literary writers and no one disagrees with them. Moreover, if someone examines carefully, the same is the case with every language. For instance, if an articulate person gives a speech in Urdu, he presents various examples and interesting phrases at some point. Thereafter, another impressive orator also delivers a very similar [yet very different speech] and no one, except a mad man, thinks that it is plagiarism.” (Nuzul-ul-

Masih, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, p. 433-434) The use of iqtibas [quotation] is an art and not plagiarism Even great writers, quoting from the works of their contemporaries or old authors, add a few of their sentences while writing on a certain subject in their books. It may be that these extracts are used in the old books to refer to another subject, but they are assembled to refer to a new subject in such a way that they become part of that subject and it seems that the said phrases were written for that new book.

Difference between tawarud and iqtibas The difference between tawarud and a quotation is that tawarud is the random use of the same words, phrases or idioms on a particular occasion as another writer did in the past in an identical or an almost similar situation. The reason behind this usage, as stated by the Promised Messiahas, is that the scope of some proverbs is so limited that it is highly likely for certain writers to coincide with some others.

However, iqtibas is to extract some phrases from some old well-known books or quotes from well-known authors and make them part of one’s work while writing on a certain subject.

The use of the technique of iqtibas is not a weak point, but in fact, it shows the writer’s eloquence, wisdom, command of general knowledge and proficiency, and only those object to it who lack knowledge. Explaining this matter, the Promised Messiahas said: “If we consider that these few phrases [which are objected to] were written as a Continued on next page >>

14

Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

quote, then what is there to object? Even Hariri has cited some verses of the Holy Quran in his book [Maqamat al-Hariri].

Likewise, there are some excerpts and verses [of various authors and poets which are quoted] that are exactly the same and without any change and some unaltered phrases of Abul Fazl Badi-ul-Zaman are also present in his book. Hence, should we now express the opinion that the entire work of Maqamat al-Hariri is a mere collection of plagiarism?” (Nuzul-ul-Masih, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, p. 433) The usage of iqtibas is a very difficult matter and no one can do it except for the one who is a proficient writer because the first thing that is necessary for iqtibas is extensive knowledge. In other words, you can quote from the work of a past author when you have read the books of such authors so carefully that you are very familiar with scores of expressions and phrases and when you start writing on a subject, the phrases from the books of the old literature automatically come to you.

This is such expertise that the more a writer quotes in his writings, the more his work will show his extensive knowledge and this will substantiate that he has carried out an in-depth study of various books of different authors and memorised thousands of sentences from those books. He can use the said extracts whenever and however he wants to express new subjects in his writings. That is why some researchers have not differentiated between iqtibas and tanaas [intertextuality], and have declared this type of quotation as tanaas, or a new text. That is, although the words belong to a past writer, since those words are giving a new meaning to express a new subject, this writing is considered a new text.

Beyond any doubt, possessing such an ability is a distinction and an unparalleled skill. The Promised Messiahas said: “The writers acknowledge this fact that out of thousands of phrases, if a few sentences are quotations, then they do not cause any effect on the quality of eloquence.

In fact, this type of usage is also an expertise. […] On the other hand, if an incompetent person is allowed to write something by stealing, even then he will not be able to produce quality writing because the real ability is not present in him. However, a person [the Promised Messiahas], who is capable of writing consistently and without any cessation, it is indeed his miracle that he is able to express scholarly matters, pearls of wisdom and insightful knowledge in coherent, ornate, expressive and eloquent phrases, and there is no question of objection even if 10,000 phrases of someone else’s writing come in his works according to the need of the subject.” (Nuzul-ul-Masih, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, p. 443) Hence, if such a gifted writer quotes even ten thousand phrases as iqtibas, it will be considered as his proficiency. On the other hand, it would have been considered a defect if there was no use of iqtibas in the writings of the Promised Messiahas because he claimed to have been granted extensive knowledge by God Almighty.

(Research conducted by Muhammad Tahir Nadeem Sahib, Arabic Desk UK. Translated by Al Hakam)

100 Years Ago...

Tabligh in Medina and spread of Ahmadiyyat by opponent maulvis Al Fazl, 12 May 1921

Tabligh of Ahmadiyyat in the Arab world Hazrat Maulana Mir Muhammad Saeed Sahib Qadri, Amir Jamaat of Hyderabad, Deccan, after obtaining permission from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], left Bombay [now Mumbai] for Medina on 30 April 1921 on a ship named “Humayun” with the blessed aim of carrying out tabligh of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya.

He intends to carry out tabligh [of Ahmadiyyat] in the Arab world by establishing a long-term centre of tabligh in Medina, insha-Allah.

In this blessed era of the second Khilafat, when Islam is progressing in Europe and America under the guidance of Fazl-e-Umar, the resolute [Khalifatul Masih IIra], it was necessary that the light which illuminated from the holy land of Arabia and enlightened the whole world, should shine again from the illuminated peaks of this land so that the following revelation of the Promised Messiahas may become manifest in the world with full radiance: ]‫[وُچ َدو ِر رسخوی آاغز رکددن‬ ‫املسمں را املسمں ابز رکددن‬ [When the reign of the monarch (Messiah) begins, the Muslims who were Muslims in name only will be reconverted to Islam.]

Before boarding the ship, Hazrat Maulana Sahib instructed me: “Especially Hazrat Khalifatul Masih and family members of the Promised Messiahas, as well as Hazrat Maulvi Sher Ali Sahib, Maulana Syed Sarwar Shah Sahib, Hazrat Syed Abdus Sattar Shah Sahib, Hazrat Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib and all the friends of the Jamaat, should be requested to continuously pray for me – a stranger in a foreign country.

“Under the directions of our Imam and master, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], that ‘we must deliver this light to that place from where we have received it’, I am going to the land of Arabia with this blessed message.

No wonder they will recognise their lost pearl and eagerly collect it.

“However, the problem is that as they [Arabs] were the rightful teachers for the whole world in the first era of Islam, they still consider themselves to be the same.

The remedy for their condition is nothing but prayers. A sick person who feels he is ill may recover quickly, but (apart from a few exceptions), the [spiritually] sick of the Arabian world consider their illness to be health.

“Thus, leaving behind my extended circle of relations, in spite of my old age, weakness, inabilities and helplessness, in this tumultuous time, when the fire of war and conflict is spreading all over Arabia,

putting my trust in Allah, sitting on the threshold of my beloved Holy Prophetsa, I will be engaged in tabligh and praying for all my elders, brothers and the whole Arab country, insha-Allah.”

From time to time, the tabligh report of the country of Arabia will be conveyed to the readers, insha-Allah!

Humbly yours, Syed Basharat Ahmad, Secretary Anjuman Ahmadiyya, Hyderabad […]

A request to righteous ones going for Hajj O you who are going for Hajj! May Allah accept your Hajj and fulfil all your heartfelt desires and wishes. When you reach the city of [your] beloved [the Holy Prophetsa] and stay at the house of prayers [i.e.] Ka‘bah, raise your hands and pray to Allah: “O Almighty God! Through [the blessings of] Muhammadsa, grant our Imam, Hazrat Mahmudra, a very long life and keep him among us with perfect health for our leadership. Accept all of his prayers. May

He soon guide all His enemies for whom guidance is destined.”

Then, invoking in the name of the leader of both the worlds [the Holy Prophetsa], pray that Allah the Almighty may grant full strength to the entire Ahmadiyya Jamaat to perform the services of religion and bestow His special help and consent on them.

Thereafter, pray that [Allah] saves all our missionaries in particular and the whole Jamaat in general from all the evils and calamities of the world and keeps them in His arms of protection. May Allah bless the lives and properties of the missionaries and shower many great blessings on their families and children.

Moreover, convey a very sincere and humble salaam and peace on the chief of all prophets, the Holy Prophetsa from me and my family.”

Much obliged, Fazal Muhammad Khan Ahmadi, Secretary Anjuman Ahmadiyya, Ambala Cantonment

15

AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021 Postal address of Maulvi Abdur Rahim Sahib Nayyar Maulvi Sahib Nayyar has reached his destination, by the grace and mercy of God. Hence, his permanent postal address is given below, so friends should write to him on this very address: Ahmadia Movement, 62. Bamlybare St. Lagos. S. P. Nigeria, West Africa Spread of Ahmadiyyat by opponent maulvis The following letter, which has recently been received by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], is a fresh example of the way in which the opponents and enemies of the Jamaat, the maulvis, are leading the spread of Ahmadiyyat: “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

“Praise and blessings be upon the Holy Prophetsa.

“To Hazrat Khalifatul Masih and Mahdi, may Allah be your helper; Mizaaje-muqaddas [a respectful word to enquire about the state of someone, especially used for saints or religious scholars]? My father has been a member of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat for almost a year. Hence, the announcement of his bai‘at has also been made. I had many doubts, so I held back.

“Recently, a lawsuit regarding our mosque was filed in the court and the wellknown maulvis of non-Ahmadis took a false oath in the court. This made me think that since it is mentioned in the hadith about the time of the appearance of the Imam Mahdi that faith would rise from the earth before his arrival, so those who are our imams [maulvis], when they have no hesitation in taking false oaths, then this means the faith has surely ascended to the skies and the Promised Messiahas was certainly true.

Thus, [I am] sending this request for bai‘at to be presented before you. Please pray for me that Allah the Almighty may bestow religious and worldly blessings [upon me].” […]

Religious passion of Ahmadi women in Amritsar “My wife, by the grace and mercy of God Almighty, began receiving chanda from the [Ahmadi] women for the Isha‘at-eIslam American Fund [donations for the promulgation of Islam in America].

Despite the fact that each of our brothers has doubled their chanda in Amritsar and there is inflation as well and our Jamaat in Amritsar is also less privileged, still, by the grace of God Almighty, our sisters have not ceased in presenting chanda beyond their means. May Allah the Almighty grant them the best of rewards. Amin!

“In two months, the chanda received from women in the American Fund is 25 rupees and 8 annas [a unit of currency formerly used in the subcontinent, equal to 1/16 of a rupee]. Moreover, 15 rupees were received in Zakat and three rupees in sadaqah [charity]. A total of 43 rupees and 8 annas have been received. Members of the Jamaat are requested to pray that [Allah the Almighty may grant these women the strength] to do more religious services.”

Humbly yours, Allah Bakhsh, Wazir-eHind Press, Amritsar.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 12 May 1921 issue of Al Fazl)

Eid on Fridays

“oneweretoreceivetwochapatis[unleavenedflatbreads]covered How generous is our Lord for He has granted us two Eids. If

in clarified butter, why would he refuse one of them? He would naturally accept both, unless there was a particular reason. Thus, the Holy Prophetsa has permitted for one to offer the Zuhr prayer if he cannot attend the Jumuah prayer and others have no right to reproach them. Similarly, as for those who have the opportunity to offer both prayers”, i.e. the Eid prayer and the Jumuah prayer, “others have no right to criticise them and say that they did not avail the leniency available to them. Indeed, there is some leniency, but we find the practical example of the Holy Prophetsa was that he stated that he would offer the Jumuah prayer.

(Khutabat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 2, pp. 208-210, Eid-ul-Adha sermon delivered on 11 February 1938)

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

“

How Huzoor spends Eid

Before Eid prayer, normally I spend some time to prepare my khutba. And after Eid, when I come home, I see my children, my family members and I also call some of my friends, my relatives and say ‘Eid mubarak’, or receive calls from them. And then, normally, I come to my office and start working again.

Then after the Zuhr prayer, I take lunch with my family members and after that, my routinely work starts again, as I spend on normal days. So, there is not much difference apart from this, that on Eid days, I receive ‘Eid mubarak’ calls from different people and also, at the same time, I sit together with my family members for one hour and take my lunch with them.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa, during the virtual class with UK Atfal on 1 May 2021

“The Messiah Has Come – Street Corner Tabligh” campaign by Jamaat Detroit Syed Shamshad Nasir Missionary, USA

Muhammad Ahmad Sahib, Secretary Tabligh Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit, reports that Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit held the “Messiah Has Come – Street Corner Tabligh” campaign on 25 April 2021.

The campaign is part of the nationwide tabligh initiative launched in March 2021 to commemorate the Promised Messiah Day and to spread the message of the true teachings of Islam taught by the Promised Messiahas.

Members of the Jamaat gathered at the Mahmood Mosque and offered Zuhr prayer in congregation. Following the prayer, Secretary Tabligh, Muhammad Ahmad Sahib provided an overview of the campaign and necessary logistics and other details.

The missionary, Shamshad Nasir Sahib gave advice on various matters related to doing tabligh at public places and prayed for the success of the campaign. President Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit, Maqbool Tahir Sahib also gave a few tips to keep in mind while engaging with others.

Following the brief session at the

mosque, members proceeded to the front entrance of the mosque where they were provided with the “Messiah Has Come” posters along with tabligh flyers and other literature of the Jamaat for distribution during the campaign.

Shamshad Nasir Sahib then led the team of volunteers in silent prayer before departing for the campaign.

The campaign was conducted in the downtown area of Rochester Hills. Six groups consisting of an average of three to four people were assigned to six spots where they started displaying the “Messiah Has Come” posters. The teams included Atfal, Khuddam and Ansar as well.

Members spent around two hours in the blessed activity. During the campaign, members engaged with several individuals and answered their questions. Flyers and literature were distributed to interested individuals. Some members of the public who were interested shared their contact details too.

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the campaign went very well and thus the message of the Promised Messiahas was conveyed to many.

17

AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

Coming from every distant track

Charles Francis Sievwright’s meeting with the Promised Messiah – Part I

A series looking at the high standard of morals of the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa when receiving visitors in Qadian

Awwab Saad Hayat Al Hakam

Before accepting Islam, Hazrat Muhammad Abdul Haqq Sahib’s name was Charles Francis Sievwright. He adopted Muhammad Abdul Haqq as his Muslim name after his conversion to Islam.

He was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1862 to a Catholic family. Hazrat Muhammad Abdul Haqq’s grandfather was sent from Scotland as an assistant aboriginal protector to protect Australia’s ancient and indigenous population.

Hazrat Muhammad Abdul Haqq converted to Islam when he was in Australia in 1896. After accepting Islam, he had the opportunity to travel to different Islamic countries. During his travels, he arrived in India and visited Qadian where he met Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi.

His arrival in Qadian is recorded in the third volume of Malfuzat under the title “Answers to the questions of an Australian new Muslim convert”. He was present in Qadian on 22 October 1903 and stayed for two days.

In 1906, while living in New Zealand, he accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat. He later moved to the United States, where he passed away in Los Angeles.

In Tarikh Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Australia (1903-1965), on page 21, Hazrat Muhammad Abdul Haqq’s conversion to Islam and his visit to India, as a representative of the British and Indian Empire League, is mentioned. It is also written that he spent time in the province of North Queensland and wrote a novel that remained unpublished during his lifetime.

Memories of Hazrat Muhammad Abdul Haqq’sra visit to Qadian and his meeting with the Promised Messiahas are

given in The Moslem Sunrise, October 1922: “This meeting with Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian in the year 1903 was a wonderful proof of the truths of Islam […] On the 22nd October 1903, I was at Qadian and received the hospitality of the entire community […] Nothing astonished me more, among all the extraordinary incidents during my missionary travels than the finding of myself in that sacred place and face to face with its Messiah.”

(The Moslem Sunrise, 1922, p. 144) The Badr newspaper reported that a European, along with Hazrat Mian Mirajuddinra, reached Qadian from Lahore in the afternoon. Hazrat Muhammad Abdul Haqq also delivered a lecture in Lahore, after which some Ahmadis told him about Qadian and the Promised Messiahas. He then left for Qadian via Batala, where he was warmly received by the Ahmadis in Qadian. He offered Maghrib prayer in congregation in Qadian. He was in European attire and wore a black Turkish hat.

After the Maghrib prayer, Hazrat Mian Mirajuddinra introduced him to the Promised Messiahas and informed Huzooras that he had come from Australia and that he had converted to Islam seven years ago. He added that from Australia, he went to London and from there, he expressed to the ambassador of Rome his intention to get acquainted with Islam.

The ambassador of Rome advised him to go to Cairo, Egypt; however, later, he was

advised by someone else to make his way to Bombay.

During his voyage to India, he saw a vision in which he was told to make his way to the mountains towards Kabul and Kashmir. Then, from there, he eventually made his way to Lahore where he heard about the Promised Messiahas.

After arriving in Qadian, he was fortunate to also meet and have a conversation with Huzooras. Khawaja Kamaluddin served as the interpreter during this conversation.

Muhammad Abdul Haqq Sahib: Whichever place I have visited, I have been in contact with Muslims who either spoke English and could speak to me in person, or we would express our views through an interpreter. To some extent, I benefitted from the experiences of others, and I was always eager to learn about the experiences and views of Muslims from foreign lands.

One need not be a linguist to have a spiritual connection with another; through a spiritual connection, humans can quickly benefit from each other.

The Promised Messiahas: According to the way of Islam, spirituality is [developed] through praying and tawajjuh [a master’s focused spiritual attention on his disciple].

However, it takes time to benefit from it because the effect is not felt until one’s relationship is strong, and a heartfelt Continued on next page >>

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

connection is established. Praying and tawajjuh is the way to guidance. Nothing can be gained from superficial words.

Muhammad Abdul Haqq Sahib: I am naturally inclined towards spiritual union.

This is what I yearn for and desire to fully experience it. Ever since I entered Qadian, I have felt that my heart is at peace and every person I have met so far [in Qadian] seems as if he were an old acquaintance of mine.

The Promised Messiahas: It is God’s law of nature that every soul requires a body and when its body is ready, the soul is blown into it automatically. It is important for you to gradually become familiar with the verities that God Almighty has revealed unto me.

There are many errors in the beliefs spread among the general Muslims and these errors have come from the association of Christians. However, now, God Almighty desires to show the pure and illuminated face of Islam to the world.

Purification of doctrine is necessary for spiritual progress; the purer the doctrine, the more progress there will be.

Prayer and tawajjuh are needed in this matter because some people are veiled [from the truth] due to negligence and some people are hindered [from the truth] due to prejudice and some because they have no positive connection with the truthful. However, without God’s support, these veils cannot be removed.

Therefore, tawajjuh and prayer are needed to remove these veils. Ever since the practice of the coming of prophets [to the world] has been established, it has been this way that superficial statements avail nought. People always benefit from tawajjuh and prayer. You see, there was a time when the Holy Prophetsa was alone, but people were drawn to true piety.

Although there are now millions of clerics and preachers, since there is no honesty in them, nor spirituality, there is also no [power] to influence others.

The evil inclinations inside a person does not simply vanish from superficial words. That is why the company of the righteous and their attention is required.

To reap the blessings, it is very important for one to be in harmony with their disposition and to understand the true beliefs that God has explained to them.

Once you realise that there are certain differences in the beliefs of ordinary Muslims and us, then your power (to influence) will increase and you will benefit from the spirituality you seek.

Muhammad Abdul Haqq Sahib: I have always been in search of spiritual unity and love with a person and this why wherever I have travelled thus far, I have learned lessons from natural phenomena by way of seeking a good omen. In the same way, today, I see that my coming and the birth of the new moon are linked (the moon of Sha‘ban was sighted on that day). Since the moon grows to fullness and perfection in the initial half of the phases, so too, will I increase [in faith] and reach perfection (provided one remains in Qadian permanently). I never even imagined that

I would be here today on the appearance of the new moon. If I had acted on some of the letters I received from some people in Calcutta, I would have been somewhere else. However, after coming here, I have come to know that those who I had been in search of are here. I had heard about you in Rangoon [modern-day Yangon] and had seen some of your writings, but I did not know of your whereabouts, nor did I expect to be here so soon.

The Promised Messiahas: Hearing this, [my] intuition testifies that you will agree to our terms and, God-willing, will also be able to accept our influence. However, remember, man is successful in attaining grace through two ways: by spending his time in [a prophet’s] company and by continuously listening to his words, and if any doubt arises with regard to the speech or writing [of the prophet] then he should not conceal it. He should rather disclose it candidly, so that [the doubt] may be remedied there and then and so that the needle which is pierced in his heart can be plucked out and he may benefit from his spiritual attention.

One point [to remember] is that he should be patient in the [prophet’s] company and should listen to everything attentively. He should not conceal any doubts, for doubts have a potentially fatal effect, which penetrates deeply and becomes the means of one’s destruction.

Many are ruined by this.

The second thing to remember is that when a new path is paved [by God] in Heaven, then someone is appointed [by God]. And since his purpose is to expose the faults of every sect, all people become his enemies and seek to inflict pain and suffering in every possible way.

So, when one enters this Jamaat, he then also has to endure all these afflictions.

Dangerous attacks by enemies are also made againt him. Every friend and foe becomes an enemy. And the hopes he had in anyone else are shattered. One is made to enter a very difficult path of despair and frustration. All the hopes of respect, honour, prestige and rank one associates with others are shattered at once. This is the old way of the world. It is important to be prepared to tolerate these frustrations and disappointments. A person who possesses a brave heart can face all this; otherwise, it has been observed that people enter this field with enthusiasm, but when all these burdens fall upon them, they then finally bow before the world. Their hearts cannot bear the loss which is afflicted by the world and its people. Therefore, their final fate is worse than their previous condition.

Hence, it is important to bear the taunts and curses of the world. If a person is prepared to enter the Jamaat and bear these disappointments in every way, he will soon find the truth and whatever he must give up in the beginning, Allah will eventually bestow upon him. A seed that is destined to bear fruit and become a big tree must be buried under the soil for the first few days before it can become a tree.

Therefore, patience is necessary to enable one to lower himself so that divine power may then raise him and so that he may then grow. Previously, Mr Webb inclined

The Jamaat should revive the practice of Shawal With regard to the six fasts of Shawal, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra said: “It was the way of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa that he would observe six fasts in the month of Shawal after Eid. It is incumbent on our Jamaat to revive this practice.

“Once, Hazrat [Mirza Ghulam Ahmad] Sahibas made preparations for all of Qadian to observe the six fasts after Eid in a manner that would resemble Ramadan.

In the end, because the Promised Messiahas had reached old age and would remain ill, he could not fast for two or three years.

“Those of you who possess no knowledge should listen and those who are careless should become alert that aside from those who are sick or weak, everyone should observe the six fasts [of Shawal]. If they are unable to observe the six fasts one after the other, they may fast by taking breaks between days.”

(Al Fazl, 8 June 1922, p. 7) towards me in the same manner, but later on, could not remain firm. Now, he acknowledges all these things.

Muhammad Abdul Haqq Sahib: I know Mr Webb through correspondence and I have known him since the time he came to India; I am well acquainted with his experiences. I consider the very

conditions that you have mentioned for entering your Jamaat as the conditions for Islam. Anyone, who becomes a Muslim, must make these conditions his goal. Most Muslims have already informed me of the harm that may befall me from meeting you, yet despite knowing this, I have [still] come here.

(To be continued…)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021

Friday Sermon 16 April 2021 Ramadan: Best compliance practices After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz and Surah al-Faithah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa recited verses 184 to 187 of Surah al-Baqarah, before proceeding with the sermon:

َّ َ ُ َ ُ َ ُ َ ّ ُ ُ ۡ َ َ َ ُ ۡ ُ َ ٰ َ ۡ َّ َ ُّ َ ٰۤ ‫ام ک َما کت َِب َعلی ال ِذیۡ َن ِم ۡن ق ۡبلِک ۡم‬ ‫الصی‬ ِ ‫یایہا ال ِذین امنوا کتِب علیکم‬ َ‫ل َ َع َّل ُک ۡم تَ َّتقُوۡن‬ َ ُ َّ َ ۡ ّ ٌ َّ َ َ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ ً ۡ َّ ۡ ُ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٰ ۡ ُ ۡ َّ ً َّ َ ؕ ‫ام اخ َر‬ ٍ ‫ایاما معدود ٍت ؕ فمن کان ِمنکم مرِیضا او علی سف ٍر فعِدۃ ِمن ای‬ ُ ‫َو َع َلی الَّ ِذیۡ َن یُط ِۡیقُوۡن َ ٗہ فِ ۡدیَ ٌۃ َط َع‬ َ‫ام ِم ۡس ِکی ۡ ٍن ؕ َف َم ۡن تَ َط ّوَ َع َخی ۡ ًرا َف ُہوَ َخی ۡ ٌر لَّ ٗہ ؕ و‬ َ َ ۡ ُ ُ َّ ۡ َ َ َ ‫ا ۡن ت ُصوۡ ُموۡا خی ٌر لک ۡم ِا ۡن کن ُت ۡم ت ۡعل ُموۡ َن‬ َ ٰ ّ ّ ً ُ ُ ٰ ُ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ ُ ۤۡ َ ّ َ َ َ َ ُ ۡ َ ۡ ‫اس َو بَ ِّین ٍت ِّم َن ال ُہ ٰدی َو‬ ِ ‫شہر رمضان ال ِذی ان ِزل فِی ِہ َالق ۡران ہدی ل ِلن‬ َ َ ًۡ َ َ ۡ َ َ ُ ۡ ُ ََۡ​َ ۡ ّ ُ ُ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ​َ َُۡۡ ‫ان َمرِیضا ا ۡو َع ٰلی َسف ٍر‬ ‫ان ۚ فمن ش ِہد ِمنکم الشہر فلیصمہ ؕ و من ک‬ ِ ‫الفرق‬ ُ ۡ ُ َ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ُ ُ ُ ۡ ُ َ َ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ُ ُ ُ ّٰ ُ ۡ ُ َ َ ُ َّ َ ۡ ّ ٌ َّ َ ‫ام اخر ؕ یرِید اللہ ِبکم الیسر و لا یرِید ِبکم العسر ۫ و ل ِتک ِملوا‬ ٍ ‫فعِدۃ ِمن ای‬ ُ ۡ َ ُ َّ ُ ّٰ ّ َ َ َ ۡ ‫الع ِّدۃ َو ل ُِتکبِ ُروا الل َہ َع ٰلی َما َہ ٰدک ۡم َو ل َ َعلک ۡم تشک ُر ۡو َن‬ َ ّ َ ّ ۡ ُ َ َّ َ ۡ َ َ​َ َ ۙ ‫ان‬ ِ ‫َو ِاذا َسالک ِع َبا ِدی َع ِن ۡی ف ِانِ ۡی ق ِریۡ ٌب ؕ ا ِج ۡی ُب َدعوَۃ الد ِاع ِاذا َد َع‬ َ ُ ّ ۡ َ ُ ۡ ‫فل َی ۡس َت ِج ۡی ُبوۡا ل ِۡی َو ل ُی ۡؤ ِمنوۡا ِب ۡی ل َ َعل ُہ ۡم یَ ۡرش ُد ۡو َن‬ The translation of these verses is as follows: “O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.

“The prescribed fasting is for a fixed number of days, but whoso among you is sick or is on a journey shall fast the same number of other days; and for those who are able to fast only with great difficulty is an expiation – the feeding of a poor man. And whoso performs a good work with willing obedience, it is better for him. And fasting is good for you, if you only knew.

“The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was sent down as a guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and discrimination. Therefore, whosoever of you is present at home in this month, let him fast therein. But whoso is sick or is on a journey, shall fast the same number of other days. Allah desires to give you facility and He desires not hardship for you, and that you may complete the number, and that you may exalt Allah for His having guided you and that you may be grateful.

“And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.” (Ch.2: V.184-187) This year, once again, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, we are blessed with the opportunity of passing through the month of Ramadan. We should always remember that simply experiencing and passing through the month of Ramadan is not

enough; or to simply keep the fast by eating sehri in the morning and then eating at the time of iftari in the evening and breaking the fast is not enough to fulfil the actual purpose of fasting. In fact, alongside fasting, Allah the Almighty commands us to bring

about a virtuous change within ourselves.

Allah the Almighty has given various commandments with regard to fasting and has given us the glad tidings that by acting upon these commandments, He will grant us His nearness and accept our prayers.

I have recited a few of the verses which contain these [commandments]. In the verses I have just recited, Allah the Almighty has drawn our attention towards the obligation of fasting. Similarly, He has also stated that if a person is ill or has any other valid reason and is exempt from fasting then they should complete the fasts after [the month of Ramadan]. Or if it is a long-term illness and one cannot complete the fasts later, then they should give fidya [charity]; however, it should also be remembered that even if one can complete the fasts later and one has the financial capacity, then it is better to still give fidya.

Then, along with mentioning the importance of the Holy Quran as well as its revelation, Allah the Almighty has also stated that reciting it and acting upon its teachings is a means of guidance and strengthening our faith, as well as a means of strengthening our relationship with Allah the Almighty and understanding the teachings which He has sent.

Moreover, Allah the Almighty has also given us the glad tiding, “O Prophet, tell My servants that I am near them; I hear their prayers and accept them.” And with regard to Ramadan, the Holy Prophetsa has stated that Allah the Almighty descends to the lowest heaven, meaning he particularly hears the prayers of His servants. However, Allah the Almighty has stated that if we desire for Him to hear our prayers, then we must obey Him and act upon His commandments. Not only in the month of Ramadan, but we must make these virtues a consistent part of our lives and must strengthen our faith.

Thus, there are certain preconditions for the acceptance of prayer, and when we beautify our prayers according to these conditions then we will find that Allah the Almighty grants us His nearness and hears our prayers. At this time, I will present some sayings of the Promised Messiahas regarding prayer, its importance and how we should improve our actions and also in relation to this, I will present some of his sayings regarding the conditions for the acceptance of prayer, its philosophy and its deeper meaning.

Many of us pray superficially and then

20 say that Allah the Almighty did not accept our prayers, as if Allah the Almighty should have accepted whatever we asked for. In other words, they claim that, God forbid, Allah the Almighty is bound to do as they say and they can command Him as they please regardless of their own deeds.

Allah the Almighty has clearly stated that this is not the case; first, we must do as He says and mould our actions according to the teachings of the Holy Quran. When an atmosphere of doing virtuous deeds has been created during the month of Ramadan, and there are various lectures [on the Holy Quran] being given, then we should listen, ponder over them and act upon His guidance and commandment.

We should analyse and see how firm our faith is; for example, does our faith waver when we are faced with some sort of hardship or trial? In any case, this is a matter in which man must take the first step and when one reaches its heights, then it kindles the mercy, kindness and grace of Allah the Almighty. Thus, it is of the utmost importance for us to understand this.

On one occasion, the Promised Messiahas stated: “Prayer is the pride of Islam and this is something which Muslims are very proud of. But remember, prayer is not the mere utterance of words; rather, it is when the heart fills with the fear of God Almighty and the soul of the supplicant flows like water before the divine threshold. It seeks forgiveness for its weaknesses and faults from the All-Powerful and Almighty God. This is a state which, in other words, can be called death. When this state comes about, then it can be certain that the door of acceptance has been opened for the supplicant and they are granted a special ability, grace and steadfastness to keep away from evil and remain firm upon virtue.

Above all others, this means is the greatest.”

(Malfuzat, Vol. 7, p. 263, 1984 edition)

Thus, this is the true manner of prayer; attaining the nearness of Allah the Almighty; having one’s prayers accepted and keeping away from sin.

These days, many people ask how they can know if their sins have been forgiven and that Allah the Almighty is pleased with them. Here, the Promised Messiahas has outlined a basic principle, that if one establishes a true and lasting connection with Allah the Almighty, for which one makes a true effort, then Allah the Almighty bestows such a blessing upon them which grants such a person the steadfastness to be free from sin. Not only is one able to be saved from evil, but they are granted the ability to carry out virtuous deeds on a continuous basis. If this is not the case, then one cannot say that they have attained the nearness of Allah the Almighty.

Therefore, one becomes a true servant only when they begin thinking along these lines and acts accordingly and this is something which we should strive to achieve during this Ramadan. As I stated earlier, I will present some sayings of the Promised Messiahas before you in relation to prayer. With regard to the acceptance of prayer, on one occasion, the Promised Messiahas stated: “The subject of the acceptance of prayer is, in fact, a branch of the subject of prayer.

It is a matter of fact that a person who does not comprehend the basic principle will

Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM encounter difficulty in comprehending a branch and will remain in ignorance.” In order to understand something, one must understand the core principle. If one does not understand the core principle, then no matter how many explanations are presented, the matter cannot be comprehended. “[…] The principle of prayer is that there is a mutually attractive relationship between a pious servant and his Lord”; i.e. an ability to be attracted to it. “To begin with, the grace [rahmaniyyat] of God Almighty draws a servant to itself. Then through his sincerity, the servant approaches close to God Almighty”; if a person strives with a pure and sincere heart, then Allah the Almighty will draw close to man; “and in prayer, that relationship, when it arrives at a certain stage, manifests its wonderful qualities.

When a servant being confronted with a great difficulty leans towards God Almighty with perfect certainty, perfect hope, perfect love, perfect fidelity and perfect resolve, and becoming extremely alert and tearing aside the veils of heedlessness advances far into the fields of the discarding of self ”; what does one then see? “He beholds in front of him the court of the divine and that He has no associate and his soul rests upon the Divine threshold.”

At this point, one can see God Alone and nothing else remains in view. Then nothing in the world holds any meaning except for God. “When one reaches such a stage, then his soul prostrates itself at that threshold and the power of attraction that is invested in him draws the bounty of God Almighty towards itself.” Man has been bestowed with a power of attraction and reaching such a stage they draw the bounties of God Almighty. “Then God, the Glorious, addresses Himself towards fulfilling the purpose of the supplication and casts the effect of prayer on all those preliminary means”; i.e. Allah the Almighty casts His effect on whatever methods or processes are required to fulfil that prayer, “which give rise to the means that are necessary for the achievement of the purpose of the prayer.

For instance, if the prayer is for rain, then on its acceptance, the natural means that are needed for rain are created by the effect of the prayer. And if one utters a curse for famine, then the All-Powerful One creates the contrary means.”

The Promised Messiahas further says: “[…] The source of thousands of miracles that were manifested by the Prophets and the wonders that have been exhibited throughout by the saints was prayer, and it is through the effect of prayer that extraordinary events display the power of the All-Powerful.” (The Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, pp. 192-194)

There are countless prophecies mentioned in the Holy Quran and also we see that many prophecies were fulfilled during the time of the Promised Messiahas and many pious people saw the fulfilment of their true dreams as a result of which one can feel the effects of prayer. All this is only possible when one sincerely inclines towards God Almighty.

Explaining further, the Promised Messiahas then states: “Allah the Exalted states:

َّ َ َ َ​َ َ ‫َوالَّذیْ َن َج‬ ‫اہ ُد ْوا فِ ْینا لَن ْہ ِدیَن ُہ ْم ُس ُبلنا‬ ِ

“Meaning, ‘A person who strives in our cause shall be shown the ways that

lead to Us.’” Allah the Almighty placed the responsibility of striving upon mankind.

“Along with this promise, we have also been taught the prayer:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

[Guide us in the right path.]”

On the one hand, Allah the Almighty promised that if one strives in Gods path, He will surely guide them to the correct path.

At the same time, He taught the prayer:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

“Guide us in the right path.”

“Therefore, man ought to keep this in mind and supplicate fervently in their formal Prayer, and desire to be included among the group who achieved success and insight, lest he departs from this world blind and bereft of insight.

“Thus, Allah Almighty states:

َ َٓ َ ٰ َ َ ‫َم ْن ک‬ ‫ان فِ ْی ٰہ ِذ ٖہ ا ْع ٰمى ف ُہوَ فِی الْاخ َِر ِۃ ا ْع ٰمى‬

“Meaning, ‘whoso is blind in this world shall be blind in the hereafter.’” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 18-19 [English edition, 2018])

In other words, the one who is spiritually blind. The one who is immersed in materialism in this life and has failed to recognise God, nor understands the wisdom behind prayer or the effects it contains and instead, is immersed in materialism, then even in the Hereafter, they will not be able to gain the nearness of God. The Promised Messiahas states that one ought to make preparations for the Hereafter in this very life. He states: “[…] This demonstrates that we must take our ability to see from this very world, so that we may be able to witness the Hereafter.” If one wishes to experience the next life, in which one will gain the nearness of Allah the Almighty, then one must develop the senses in this life in preparation for it. “In order to experience the next life, our senses are to be developed in this very world. Can it be conceived that Allah the Exalted would make a promise and then break it?”

The Promised Messiahas further states: “A blind person is one who is bereft of spiritual insight and pleasure. A person who blindly follows the practices of their family just because they are born into a Muslim household is called a Muslim.” This means that a person follows heedlessly and does not carry out any deeds and is only a Muslim because he is born into a Muslim family.

“Similarly, a person who is born to a Christian family becomes a Christian. This is the very reason that such people give no regard to God, the Messengersa or the Quran. Even the love such people possess for religion is questionable.” The religion of a person who is following blindly is questionable.

“Some remain in the company of those who act insolently towards God and His Messenger. This is wholly due to the fact that such people do not possess a spiritual eye. They are empty of love for religion.

Does a person who is full of love desire anything that is at odds with the liking of their beloved?” If one has love for someone, they are not prepared to listen to anything that is said against their beloved. “Hence, Allah the Almighty teaches that He is prepared to bestow His bounties if a person is prepared to receive them. The offering of this supplication prepares one to receive divine guidance.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, p. 19 [English edition, 2018])

Therefore, during these days, we ought to constantly recite the prayer:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

That is, may Allah the Almighty guide us in the right path and purify our hearts, enable us to a true worshiper [of Allah] and also enable us to fulfil the rights of Allah’s servants, lest we become like the extremists that are witnessed today who are carrying out injustices in the name of God and the Holy Prophetsa. May Allah the Almighty protect everyone from the evil of these people.

Some people say that they have sinned to such an extent that Allah the Almighty will never forgive them. Some people ask the question as well whether a person who has sinned a lot will be forgiven. Then some people thinking that they will not be forgiven, fall deeper into sin. In reality, Satan puts this thought in their hearts and uses these ploys to distance one from God. Such people are then firmly in the grips of Satan.

Explaining the way to escape the clutches of Satan, the Promised Messiahas states: “The thought of having committed a plethora of sins ought not to hold back a sinner from supplication.” One must never stop praying and think that they have committed too many sins.

“Prayer is an antidote. Ultimately, such a one will observe how prayers serve to foster within him an aversion towards vice.”

Prayer is the remedy to safeguard one from sin. When one prays with steadfastness, that person will begin to dislike sin and Satan will run away.

“In the end, those steeped in sin, who despair of the acceptance of prayer and do not seek recourse to repentance, lose faith in the Prophets and their effects.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, p. 4 [English edition, 2018])

Such people move away from religion and consequently by moving away from religion and from the prophets, they become atheists. Thus, even for people who are immersed in sin, Islam shows them a ray of hope. And Allah the Almighty has ordained the month of Ramadan each year to create this atmosphere and to seek repentance from sins. Thus, we ought to derive benefit from this month.

Whilst referring to a revelation vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas: َّ ُ ُ َ ‫ا ِج ْی ُب کل ُد َعائِک‬ [I will accept your every prayer], the Promised Messiahas said: “My Compassionate Master, God Almighty, has promised me clearly: َّ ُ ُ َ ‫ا ِج ْی ُب کل ُد َعائِک‬ “[I will accept your every prayer].

However, I am well aware that the word ‘every’ [kulla] refers to those prayers which, if accepted, cause no harm.” It does not mean that every prayer will be accepted.

‘Kull’, ‘every’, means those prayers which will not cause harm.

“On the contrary, where Allah the Almighty desires improvement and reform, rejecting a prayer is also a form of acceptance. At times, a person is unsuccessful in achieving the result of their prayer. One surmises that God Almighty has rejected their supplication, even though He has actually accepted the person’s entreaty and acceptance is manifested in the form of disapproval. In the specific case at hand, behind the apparent veil, in reality,

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AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021 the real advantage and benefit lies in the supplicant’s prayer being rejected. Since man is short-sighted and lacks foresight, giving importance to outward appearance, it is advisable that when he prays to Allah the Exalted and does not receive a result that seems apparently beneficial to his own preconceived notion, he should not think ill of God and conclude that his prayer has been rejected. God Almighty hears the prayer of every supplicant.

ُ ُ َ ‫ا ْد ُعوْنِ ْٓی ا ْس َت ِج ْب لَک ْم‬

“[Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer]. The mystery and secret is that the greatest good and benefit for the supplicant lies in their prayer being refused.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 101-102 [English edition, 2018])

In other words, it is more beneficial for the supplicant if their prayers are rejected in that particular instance.

Further elaborating on this point, the Promised Messiahas says: “This is the principle of prayer. In the acceptance of prayer, Allah the Exalted is not subject to our thoughts and desires.

One may observe how dear a mother holds her child. She desires that no harm should come to her child. But if a child should cry and insist upon the absurd idea that they be handed a sharp dagger or a bright and glowing piece of coal, would the mother, despite her true love and compassion, ever approve of her child taking hold of a flaming piece of coal and subsequently burning their hand, or cutting their hand on the sharp blade of a dagger? Of course not.

The underlying principle in the acceptance of prayer can be understood in light of this example.”

The Promised Messiahas further states: “I am myself experienced in this regard.

Where a detrimental aspect exists in a certain prayer, it is not accepted in the least.”

It does not mean that all the prayers will be accepted. Allah the Almighty knows best as He is the Knower of the unseen. If there is a detrimental aspect in the prayer, that prayer is not accepted.

“One can easily understand that our knowledge is not definitive and without its faults. There are many things we do with great pleasure, considering them to be blessed, and in our own view, we consider their outcomes to be blessed as well, but ultimately they turn into a grief and affliction that clings to us.”

We see many examples of this today as well, and even in the letters I receive on a daily basis, people pray for something and then try their utmost to forcibly achieve it.

But their results are not encouraging. As a result of this, they harbour grievances against Allah the Almighty saying that they began this work by praying a lot and have also given alms, yet the result was not beneficial for them, or that their prayers were not accepted.

Firstly, it is important to note whether that individual prayed their utmost as has been mentioned; whether they formed a relationship with Allah the Almighty as is required. If the answer is in the negative, then as the Promised Messiahas has stated, it is mere lip service.

If a person has prayed to their utmost capacity and then Allah the Almighty has rejected the request or the results were not positive, then there was some divine wisdom behind this decision and it would be beneficial for that individual. If a person

stresses on a matter and he was wrong to do so, then instead of harbouring grievances against Allah the Almighty, the individual ought to seek forgiveness and accept that it was their own mistake for trying to chase after something that was not agreeable in their favour.

Some people pray and say, “O Allah, even if it is not beneficial for me, still accept this prayer”; this has been the case in certain marriage proposals as well. Allah the Almighty heard that individual’s prayer and he was married where the person desired, but after a short while, it ended in divorce.

Therefore, one should not pray in this manner. Sometimes, in order to teach the person a lesson, Allah the Almighty accepts the prayer of a person which is not in their favour. But when that person sees the outcome, they then seek forgiveness and repent.

Nonetheless, the Promised Messiahas states: “Hence, it cannot be said that all the desires of man are free from harm if fulfilled. Man is but a mixture of faults and errors”; man is susceptible to committing errors; “thus, as one would assume, and as is the case, some of his desires are injurious.

If Allah the Exalted were to accept such desires, this would clearly contravene divine mercy.”

Certain entreaties are harmful to the person, and if Allah the Almighty holds that individual dear to Him, then He does not accept their prayers because it contravenes His Mercy. God does not allow harm to befall His beloved servants The Promised Messiahas states: “It is a matter quite sure and certain that Allah the Exalted accepts the prayers of His servants and confers upon them the honour of acceptance, but not every foolish desire.”

It is not for every person. “Inner emotion blinds a person to what is best in the long run and moves one to pray to their own detriment.” They pray without thinking of the consequences of that prayer.

“However, Allah Almighty, Who desires the best for us in the truest sense and sees the ultimate end of all matters, rejects the prayer which He knows would bring about harm and detriment for the supplicant if it was accepted. This rejection of prayer actually constitutes an acceptance.” This is the law of God for those who are dear to Him. “Hence, those prayers which do not compromise the safety of mankind from calamity and adversity are accepted, and harmful supplications are accepted by God in the form of a rejection.”

The Promised Messiahas further states: “I have received the following revelation countless times” as was mentioned earlier:

ُ ُ َ ‫ا ِج ْی ُب ک َّل ُد َعائِک‬

“[I will accept your every prayer.]

“In other words, this means that any supplication that is, in essence, beneficial and advantageous, will be accepted.” This is how the Promised Messiahas has interpreted the revelation in that the beneficial prayers will be accepted.

“When I reflect over this point, my soul becomes satiated with pleasure and delight.

The first time that I received this revelation, about 25 or 30 years ago, I was immensely delighted that Allah the Almighty would accept those supplications of mine which I would make for my own person or my dear ones. Thereafter, I understood that even the

slightest miserliness must not be exercised by me in this regard, because this is a divine favour and Allah the Exalted has described the righteous in the following words:

ُ ْ َْٰ َ ‫َو ِم ّما َرزقن ُہ ْم یُن ِفقوْ َن‬

“[And they spend out of what We have provided for them.]

“Hence, I follow an established practice for my friends, whether they remind me or not; whether they inform me of a serious matter or not, I regularly pray for their welfare in matters pertaining to their worldly and spiritual affairs.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 102-103 [English edition, 2018])

Whilst explaining the various preconditions for the acceptance of prayer, the Promised Messiahas states: “However, pay heed with an attentive heart that there are certain preconditions for the acceptance of prayer. Some of them relate to the person making the supplication and some relate to the person for whom supplication is made. It is necessary for a person who solicits someone else to pray for them to first fear Allah Almighty themselves.”

This is an extremely important point.

The one who requests another to pray for them should always instil the fear of Allah the Almighty within themselves.

“Such people must remain in awe of God’s Being as He is the Independent and Besought of all.” They should always remember that Allah the Almighty is not dependent upon anyone and to always fear Allah the Almighty.

“They must make peaceful relations and worship of God a practice of life.” These are all important aspects in that they make peaceful relations and worship of God a practice of life. “They must please Allah with righteousness and piety. When this is the case, the gate of the acceptance of prayer is opened to such a one.” When one fulfils all of these preconditions, it is then that the gate of the acceptance of prayer is opened for such a person. “However, if a person displeases God Almighty, ruins his relationship with Him and wars with Him”, i.e. one does not adhere to the injunctions of Allah the Almighty and fails to fulfil the rights of God and His creation, “then his mischief and evil deeds become an obstruction or a mountain that stands in the way of prayer. As a result, the door of acceptance is closed to such a person.”

The door of the acceptance of prayer is closed for such a person; neither will one’s own prayers be accepted, nor will the prayers of the person whom they have requested to pray for them be accepted in their favour.

“Hence, our friends must save our prayers from going in vain and must not allow for their path to be obstructed by any barrier that may be erected as a result of their own unacceptable actions.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, p. 104 [English edition, 2018])

The Promised Messiahas has stated that if one’s actions are not right, then their prayers will not be accepted in their favour.

In fact, those actions will become like an obstruction in the path of acceptance.

Another aspect which is extremely important for the acceptance of prayers is that one ought to be completely firm in their beliefs. This is a fundamental condition and also that one should perform righteous deeds. The mention of performing righteous deeds has been explained earlier as well wherein Allah the Almighty states that one

ought to fulfil His injunctions and respond to His call; for this is fundamental and vital for the acceptance of prayer.

Whilst expounding on this, the Promised Messiahas states: “It is true to say that a person who does not perform appropriate action does not truly pray, but rather tests God. So, before one prays it is necessary to make full use of one’s faculties and this is the meaning of the supplication just mentioned. First, it is incumbent upon a person to analyse their own beliefs and actions. It is the custom of God Almighty to bring about reformation through the use of means.”

If one has the means which are essential to bring about reformation and then strives to achieve that, it is then that one is able to actually bring about a reformation in themselves.

The Promised Messiahas further states: “He creates some sort of means, which become the cause for a person’s reformation.”

If one prays with utmost sincerity of the heart, then Allah the Almighty grants such means which enables one to bring about their reformation. “Those people who say that when there is prayer, means have no use, should reflect. Do such foolish ones not realise that even prayer itself is a subtle means that gives rise to other means?”

Prayer in itself is a form of means which gives rise to other means.

“The clause:

َ َ َ ‫ِا ّیاک ن ْع ُب ُد‬

“[Thee alone do we worship] which precedes the supplication: ْ َ َ ّ ‫ِایَاک ن ْس َتعِی ُن‬ “[Thee alone do we implore for help] expounds this very point.”

In other words, we pray to Allah Alone and then seek His help for the completion of our tasks and this is what is being explained here.

“Therefore, this is the way of Allah that we observe, whereby He creates means” i.e. it is Allah the Almighty Who creates the means. “Observe how God provides water to quench our thirst and grants us food to satisfy our hunger, but He does so through means.” It is not the case that the thirst is quenched without it or water just magically came down immediately or food was instantly provided. In fact, certain means are created through which one is able to acquire water and food. “Therefore, this phenomenon of means functions as I have just described. Means must be created to achieve one’s ends, because God has two names. Allah the Almighty states:

َ ّٰ َ َ ‫ک‬ ‫ان الل ُہ ع ِزیْ ًزا َح ِک ْی ًما‬

“[Allah is Mighty, Wise.] By virtue of His name Aziz (the Mighty), God does whatever is needed and the name Hakeem (the Wise) denotes that His every action is done with wisdom, and done properly and adequately in accordance with the appropriate time and place.

“Just observe how plants and vegetation possess diverse properties. Even a tolah [unit of measurement] or two of turpethum is enough to clear the bowels, so too is the case with scammonia. Allah the Exalted has the power to clear a person’s bowels without the use of any medicine, or to quench one’s thirst without water, but it was necessary for mankind to learn of the wonders of nature.

For the extent to which a person increases in their awareness and knowledge of the

22 wonders of nature, is the degree to which they are increased in their understanding of the attributes of Allah the Almighty; and this enables one to attain the nearness of God. Through medicine and astronomy, we discover thousands of qualities present in nature.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 120-121 [English edition, 2018])

If one ponders from a spiritual perspective, then for a scientist, who believes in one God, all of these various aspects of creation or any discovery they make will be proof of the existence of Allah the Almighty and will become a means of strengthening their faith. However, an atheist will perhaps just describe it as a mere coincidence. The Promised Messiahas states that the reason why Allah the Almighty has revealed the wonders of nature is so that one understands that everything [in life] has a purpose.

The Promised Messiahas further states: “They ought to adopt a way of righteousness because it is righteousness alone that sums up the Shariah. If one were to briefly describe what ‘shariah’

Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM means, it could be said that its essence is righteousness. There are many ranks and levels of righteousness. However, if a seeker faithfully traverses the elementary ranks and levels of piety with steadfastness and sincerity, they ultimately attain the highest grades due to their virtue and desire to seek the truth. Allah the Exalted states:

ّٰ َ َّ ْ َّ ْ ‫ِان َما یَ َتق َّب ُل الل ُہ ِم َن ال ُمت ِقی َن‬

“That is to say, Allah Almighty accepts the prayers of those who are righteous. This is a divine promise and God never fails in His promise. In this context, He states:

ّٰ َّ َ ‫الل َہ لَا یُ ْخ ِل ُف ال ْ ِم ْی َع‬ ‫ِان‬ ‫اد‬

“‘Surely, Allah fails not in His promise.’

Righteousness is a necessary precondition for the acceptance of prayer” and it cannot be separated or discarded or left out. “Now if a person desires acceptance of prayer in their own favour, despite their own negligence and misguidance, would such a one not be foolish and senseless? And so, it is incumbent upon our community that insofar as possible, each and every member

must follow the ways of righteousness so that they can experience the pleasure and delight of the acceptance of prayer, and partake of an increase in faith.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 104-105 [English edition, 2018])

Allah the Almighty states that one should believe in Him and it is then that their faith will continue to strengthen. Then, whilst explaining the various forms of beneficence, the Promised Messiahas states: “One ought to remember that there are two forms of beneficence. Firstly, there is graciousness [rahmaniyyat]; and secondly, mercy [rahimiyyat]. The divine grace of rahmaniyyat is that which was in practice even before our beings came into existence.

For example, before anything else, through the insight of His eternal knowledge, Allah the Almighty created a heaven and earth and other worldly things and heavenly bodies, which would all fulfil some purpose in our lives – and so they do. It is humans that ultimately benefit from all of these creations. When goats and sheep, and other animals are themselves beneficial to man, what benefit do they derive in the real sense?” All of these have been created for the benefit of man, they themselves do not derive any benefit as such.

“Among those things that are physical, just observe how humans consume many exquisite and excellent forms of food. Highquality meat is reserved for humans whereas scraps and bones are thrown to dogs. At a physical level, the pleasures and comforts that humans enjoy are experienced by animals as well, but they are the primary privilege of mankind. Animals do not partake of spiritual pleasure.” Spiritual pleasure is only experienced by humans and animals are not included in that.

“Hence, there are two forms of beneficence. Firstly, that which resulted, since the earliest times, even before our existence, in the creation of the elements and matter, and which are bound to our service.

All of these things were present even before our own existence, human desire or prayer, by virtue of the demands of rahmaniyyat.”

These were all present before us and before our human desire and prayer and this is all due to rahmaniyyat, i.e. the grace of Allah the Almighty.

“The second form of beneficence is divine mercy [rahimiyyat]; that is to say, when we pray, Allah the Exalted bestows. If one contemplates, it becomes evident that the relationship which underpins the law of nature is the exact relationship found to exist in prayer. Some people consider prayer to be a self-invented belief. However, I would also like to elaborate on the relationship that our prayer has with God Almighty.”

The Promised Messiahas explains the relationship man has with prayer, he states: “When a child becomes restless with hunger and screams and wails for milk, a woman’s breast begins to fill with milk. A child has no conception of prayer, but how do the cries of a child bring forth milk?

Everyone is experienced in this regard.

At times, it has been noted that a mother feels no milk in her bosom, but as soon as her child cries, milk begins to flow forth.

Now can our cries before Allah the Exalted bring forth nothing? Indeed, divine favour does flow forth and all our cries are heard, but those who are blind, and consider themselves to be scholars and philosophers are unable to see. If an individual keeps in

mind the relationship that a child has with its mother and reflects over the philosophy of prayer, it becomes very simple and easy to understand. The second form of beneficence teaches us that one form of grace is received by asking for it. If a person continues to supplicate, they shall continue to receive.

Allah the Exalted states:

ُ ُ َ ‫ا ْد ُعوْنِ ْٓی ا ْس َت ِج ْب لَک ْم‬

[Supplicate and I shall accept.]

“This is not as an empty phrase; rather, this is an inherent characteristic of human nature.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 125-126 [English edition, 2018])

Then explaining the significance that to supplicate is human and to respond is divine, the Promised Messiahas states: “To supplicate is human and to respond is divine. A person who does not understand and accept this fact is false. The example of the child which I have just given (which was mentioned earlier) clarifies amply the philosophy of prayer. The beneficence of graciousness [rahmaniyyat] and mercy [rahimiyyat] are not two independent phenomena. Therefore, an individual who abandons one and seeks the other cannot benefit from either. The demands of graciousness are to develop within us the strength to benefit from the grace of God’s mercy.”

It is the grace of Allah the Almighty that He has revealed to us the various paths and granted us the means and grants us the strength for that which we are to receive by supplicating to Him. The grace of Allah the Almighty grants us the means to supplicate and to seek the grace of His mercy.

The Promised Messiahas further states: “One who does not do this is ungrateful for divine favour. The words:

َ َ َ ‫ِا ّیاک ن ْع ُب ُد‬

mean that we worship Allah Alone, whilst always giving due consideration to the apparent ways and means that He has made available to us.”

We worship through those apparent ways and means; the Promised Messiahas then gives the example of the tongue. “Had the tongue, which is the product of our nerves and muscles”; i.e. the tongue is made up of nerves, arteries, saliva, muscles, etc. “not existed, we would not be able to speak.”

If one’s tongue becomes dry, they cannot speak. If it does not have veins or arteries, then it will not be able to produce saliva and will become dry and one will not be able to move their tongue as a result.

The Promised Messiahas further states: “We were granted a tongue, which, for the purpose of prayer, has the ability to articulate the very sentiments of our heart.”

We have been granted a tongue to express the sentiments of the heart and through which we speak.

“If we never make use of our tongues to pray, this is our own misfortune. There are many illnesses, which if contracted by the tongue, can deprive it of its ability to function all at once, to the extent that a person becomes a mute. What a beautiful manifestation of divine mercy it is that we have been bestowed a tongue”. Or perhaps the word “divine grace” is written here in that Allah the Almighty has bestowed us with a tongue out of His divine grace and then He has taught us the proper method of its use and this is also owing to his mercy.

“Similarly, if the form of our ears become

23

AL HAKAM | Friday 14 May 2021 corrupted, we would not be able to hear a thing. So too is the case of the heart. If the state of fear and humility, and the faculties of contemplation and reflection with which man has been vested become corrupted, all these faculties, more or less, become useless.

Just observe those who are mad and see how their faculties become futile. Is it not then incumbent upon us to value these Godgiven favours that we have been granted?

If we abandon the faculties that Allah the Almighty has blessed us with on account of His immense grace, so that they should rot, then we are invariably ungrateful for the favours of God. Hence, remember that if you leave your faculties and strength to hang idly and offer prayer, then such supplications will be of no benefit. For when we have failed to make use of the gift that has already been bestowed to us, how can we be expected to make good and beneficial use of another?”

Through these examples, the Promised Messiahas has clearly explained that one ought to be grateful for His divine favours that He has bestowed upon them and utilise them in their best manner.

Moreover, one ought to pray to Allah the Almighty to be granted the ability to make proper use of these faculties and it is only then that one can truly do justice to his servitude to God. It is only then that one can truly be grateful for the divine favours and it is this very gratitude that enables one to become a recipient of Allah the Almighty’s grace. And then those faculties which are granted through His divine grace then enable one to partake of His divine mercy and one is able to witness the wonders of the acceptance of prayers.

Then, further expounding upon this, the Promised Messiahas states: “Hence, the words:

َ َ َ ‫ِا ّیاک ن ْع ُب ُد‬

“[Thee alone do we worship], proclaim that ‘O Lord of all the worlds! We have not abandoned the gift you have bestowed upon us already as a thing ruined and wasted.’ In the prayer:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

“[Guide us on the right path] we have been taught that man should seek true insight from God Almighty. For if His grace and bounty do not come to our aid, we, as humble human beings, are plunged in such gloom and darkness that we cannot even make recourse to prayer.” It is the grace of Allah the Almighty that leads us to guidance and grants us help; otherwise, man is extremely weak and is trapped in worldly endeavours and in its gloom and darkness. Such a person does not even have the opportunity to pray.

“Hence, until one derives benefit from the grace of God, which reaches them through the bounty of graciousness [rahmaniyyat], and prays, no fruitful result can be attained.” One has to pray to Allah the Almighty in order to come out from the darkness.

“I found, some time ago, that even in British law, in order to secure an agricultural loan, one is required to furnish proof of some assets.” Agricultural loans are taken by farmers. Even here, if one wants to take a loan or a mortgage they have to make some initial payment or give something as a deposit. Thus, one is required to furnish proof of some assets and carry out some

action from before.

“In the same manner, one ought to keep in view the law of nature and ask: have we made good use of that which has already been bestowed upon us? If having been blessed with reason, good sense, eyes and ears, we have not gone astray, and have not pursued ways of foolishness and ignorance, then you shall receive further divine grace through prayer.”

If one has not gone astray after having been granted all these faculties then when they pray, they will be granted further blessings.

“Otherwise there are warning signs of destitution and misfortune.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 126- 128, [English edition, 2018])

If one does not make proper use of these faculties which we have been bestowed with, then prayers cannot be of any benefit, in fact in such an instance, one becomes deprived and unfortunate. Therefore, we ought to pay particular attention to this. The Promised Messiahas then further states: “In short, the acceptance of prayer has parallels in the law of nature and in every era, He manifests living examples. It is for this very reason that God has taught us the prayer:

ْ َ َّ َ ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم۔ ِص َر َاط ال ِذیْ َن ان َع ْم َت َعل ْی ِہ ْم‬ ِ ِ ِ

“[Guide us in the right path – the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings.] This is the will and law of God Almighty, which none can change. In the supplication:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

“[Guide us in the right path], we ask God to perfect and complete our deeds. When one reflects upon these words, it apparently seems that this verse instructs us to employ the use of these words to supplicate so that we may be guided to the right path.

However, prior to this verse, the words:

َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫ِا ّیاک ن ْع ُب ُد َو ِا ّیاک ن ْس َت ِعی ُن‬

“[Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for Help] tell us to benefit from this instruction first. In other words, in order to traverse the stations of ‘the right path’, one must employ their untarnished faculties to seek help from Allah.”

“Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for Help” signifies that if one wants to attain the “the right path” then they have to employ the faculties they have been granted by Allah the Almighty and seek help through them in order to follow “the right path”.

“Thus, regard for apparent means are also necessary and one who forsakes them is ungrateful for God’s blessings.” In order to perform virtuous deeds, one has to pray to Allah the Almighty. “[…] He granted us a tongue for prayer, which can articulate the sentiments and desires of our heart […]

“Similarly, God has instilled within the heart a nature of humility and meekness, and has invested it with the faculties of thought and reflection. Hence, remember that if we forsake these strengths and faculties in prayer, then such a supplication will be neither beneficial, nor effective; for when a person has made no use of the gift already granted to them, what benefit will they derive from another? This is why the words:

َ َ َ ‫ِا ّیاک ن ْع ُب ُد‬

“[Thee alone do we worship] which

precede:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

“[Guide us in the right path] express that we have not left unused, nor wasted away the gifts and faculties already granted to us

by God. Remember! The distinctive quality of graciousness [rahmaniyyat] is that it bestows the ability to benefit from the grace of mercy [rahimiyyat]. In this context, when God Almighty states:

ُ ُ َ ‫ا ْد ُعوْنِ ْٓی ا ْس َت ِج ْب لَک ْم‬

“[Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer], this is not a mere figure of speech; in fact, human dignity calls for it.

“To supplicate is human and to respond is divine. A person who does not accept this is unjust.

“Prayer is a state of such bliss that unfortunately, I am at a loss to find the words with which I can fully describe this joy and pleasure before the world. This can only be understood when one experiences it themselves. In short, among the conditions of prayer, firstly it is incumbent that one performs good deeds and believes. For such a one who prays without first rectifying their beliefs and performing good deeds, puts God to test, as it were. So the fact is that in the prayer:

ْ ّ ‫ا ْہدنَا‬ ‫الص َر َاط ال ُم ْس َت ِق ْی َم‬ ِ ِ ِ

“[Guide us in the right path] the object is to implore God so that He may perfect and complete our actions. Then, with the words:

ْ َ َّ َ ‫ِص َر َاط ال ِذیْ َن ان َع ْم َت َعل ْی ِہ ْم‬

“[The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings] it is made even more clear that we seek guidance to the path of those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings; we implore God to save us from the path of those who have incurred divine displeasure and who, on account of their evil deeds, are the subject of God’s chastisement.

Furthermore, reference to those who have erred indicates that we have been taught to pray so that we may be safeguarded from going astray, for without God’s support, we would wander in misguidance.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 206-207 [English edition, 2018])

Therefore, when one recites the Surah alFaithah, they should ponder over this and pray in this manner.

Then whilst explaining that one should take the apparent means into consideration during prayer, the Promised Messiahas states: “Take heed! The prayer which is referred to in the verse:

ُ ُ َ ‫ا ْد ُعوْنِ ْٓی ا ْس َت ِج ْب لَک ْم‬

“[Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer] is one which requires the spirit that I have just described. If a person’s supplications and humble expressions do not possess a spirit of sincerity, they are nothing more than squawks. Can anyone say that there is no need to make use of means?

This is a misconception. The Shariah does not prohibit the use of means and if you ask, is prayer not also a means? Or, are means not synonymous with prayer? The very search for means is in itself a prayer, and prayer in itself is a magnificent fountain of means! The physical design of humans, i.e. the form of their two hands and two feet, naturally guide and lead us to understand that we have been created to help one another. When this design can be observed in humans themselves, how astonishing and surprising would it be if one finds it difficult

to understand the purport of the following verse:

ْ َّ ْ َ َُ َ​َ ‫اونوْا َعلى البِ ّرِ َوالتق ٰوى‬ ‫تع‬

“[And help one another in righteousness and piety.] Indeed, I proclaim that you even ought to search for means through prayer! In the context of helping your fellow man, I would not expect you to reject my conclusion, when I have pointed out the internal system established by Allah the Almighty which exists in your physical bodies and which serves as a perfect guide in this respect.

“In order to clarify and further expound this fact to mankind, Allah the Exalted has instituted a system of Prophets, peace be upon them, on earth. It was and is within the power of Allah Almighty that if He so wills, He would have left the Prophets with no need to seek any form of assistance in their task. Yet, still there comes a time when they are left with no choice but to announce:

ٓ َْ ّٰ ‫م ْن ان َصارِ ْی ِالَى الل ِہ‬ َ

“[Who are my helpers in the cause of Allah?] Do the Prophets make this call in the form of a beggar who goes from house to house collecting scraps of bread? Not at all!

Even in the words ‘Who are my helpers in the way of Allah,’ there is majesty and grace.

In actual fact, through this announcement, the Prophets desire to teach the people the importance of seeking recourse to apparent means, which is an aspect of prayer.

Otherwise, they have complete and perfect faith and belief in the promises of Allah the Almighty. They know that the following promise of Allah the Exalted is definite and categorical:

ْ ُّ ٰ َ ْ ْ ُ َ ٰ َ ْ َّ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َّ ‫الدن َیا‬ ‫ِانا لننصر رسلنا وال ِذین امنوا فِی الحیو ِۃ‬

“‘Most surely We help Our Messengers and those who believe in the present life.’

And I believe that if God does not move a person’s heart to help another, how could anyone be motivated to do so?” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, pp. 164-166 [English edition, 2018])

Thus, even the prophets require the use of apparent means, but they prostrate before Allah the Almighty and it is Allah the Almighty Himself Who grants them those means by inspiring the hearts of people and thereby grants them excellent helpers, who further their mission.

Explaining the purpose and importance of Salat in relation to prayer, the Promised Messiahas states: “The actual purpose and essence of the Prayer is supplication, and supplication is a phenomenon that accords with the law of nature established by God Almighty. You may commonly observe that when a child weeps and cries and expresses anxiousness, a mother becomes extremely restless as well and gives the child milk. The relationship between divinity [uluhiyyat] and servitude [ubudiyyat] is similar in nature and cannot be understood by everyone. When a person falls at the gate of God Almighty with extreme humility, lowliness and meekness and presents his circumstances before God and requests his needs from Him, the grace that is inherent in divinity surges forth and shows mercy to such a person. The milk of God’s bounty and grace also requires tears.”

(Malfuzat Vol. 2, pp. 67-68 [English edition, 2019])

The Promised Messiahas further states: “Those who suggest that there is no use in crying and weeping before God Almighty are false and incorrect in their view. Such

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Friday 14 May 2021 | AL HAKAM

people do not believe in the Being of Allah the Almighty, and in His attributes of power and control. If they developed true faith, they would never say such a thing.

Whenever anyone has come in the presence of God, and has turned to Him with sincere repentance, Allah the Exalted has showered His grace on such a one. The man who has said the following verse is true indeed: ‫�� � � � ���ر �� � � رکد‬ � �� � ��� ���� ��‫درد� و‬ !�‫اے �ا‬ “‘What sort of a lover is he whose state does not draw in the attention of the beloved; Honourable sir! The pain simply does not exist, for the physician is at hand.’

“God Almighty has always desired that you come to Him with a pure heart. The only condition is for you to make yourselves accord with Him and bring about within yourselves that true transformation that makes a person worthy of being presented before God Almighty.

“God Almighty possesses the most remarkable and wondrous of powers and He possesses boundless grace and blessings.

But develop the eye of love so that you can see them and receive them. If a person possesses true love, God Almighty listens to prayers in abundance and bestows His support.” (Malfuzat Vol. 2, p. 68 [English edition,

Eid-ul-Fitr 1940 – Future of Ahmadiyyat

2019])

The Promised Messiahas further states: In praise of the believers, Allah the Almighty states:

َّ َ ُْ َْ ُ َ َُ ّٰ ‫یَذ� ُر ْو َن الل َہ قِ ٰی ًما ّو ق ُعوْ ًدا ّو َع ٰلی ُجنوْ ِب ِہ ْم َویَ َتفک ُر ْو َن فِ ْی خل ِﻖ‬ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ٰ ٰ َّ ‫ض َر ّبنا َما خلق َت ٰہذا بَا ِط�ًا‬ ِ ‫السمو ِت والار‬

“That is, the believers are those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and [lying] on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth and when the intricacies of the universe are made manifest to them, they say, ‘Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain.’

“In other words, such believers do not just look at the creation of the universe and its intricacies like worldly people and simply ponder as to how it looks, the size of its radius, the nature of its gravitational pull and its relation with the sun, moon and stars; rather, upon learning of the absolute perfection in its creation and discovering the intricacies of the universe, they seek to find its creator and strengthen their faith.”

(Surma Chashma Arya, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 2, pp.

191-192)

In other words, after acquiring knowledge, they prostrate before Allah the Almighty just as I mentioned earlier and they continue to strengthen their faith. This is a notable and distinct quality of a true believer.

These are just some aspects which I have presented from a great treasure which the Promised Messiahas has given to us and shed some light on the importance of prayer, its wisdom, method and its philosophy. If we begin to understand these then we will be able to bring about an extraordinary change within ourselves; develop a special bond with Allah the Almighty and become the recipient of Allah the Almighty’s blessings.

Thus, in this Ramadan, we ought to strive to attain the nearness of Allah the Almighty by fulfilling His commandments and to continue strengthening in our faith.

May we develop a true understanding of the wisdom and philosophy of prayer and

A translation of an Eid sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, the Promised Reformer and Second Successor of the Promised Messiahas, on 2 November 1940. www.alhakam.org/eid-ul-fitr-1940-future-of-ahmadiyyat/

bring about a reformation in our actions.

May we be counted amongst those whose prayers are answered by Allah the Almighty.

May this Ramadan enable us to bring about an extraordinary transformation in our relationship with Allah the Almighty and in our spiritual conditions.

Pray for your fellow brothers as well. I often request prayers for them whether they are living in Pakistan, Algeria or anywhere else in the world and are being made to endure hardships owing to their belief in

Ahmadiyyat.

In Pakistan, there are incidents occurring on a daily basis whereby Ahmadis are made to suffer hardships in some form or another.

Therefore, particularly pray for them.

Similarly, in Algeria they are trying to reopen the cases [against Ahmadis]; may Allah the Almighty also keep them in His protection.

Praying for others enables one’s own prayers to be accepted; therefore, one should always keep this point in mind. In

fact, the angels pray for those who pray for others. Thus, how beneficial a deal it is in that the angels pray for such an individual.

Therefore, one ought to particularly pray for others and not just pray for themselves.

May Allah the Almighty grant us the ability to do this, particularly during this Ramadan.

(Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 7 May 2021, pp. 5-11.

Translation prepared by The Review of Religions.)

Editor: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Design & Layout: Jalees Ahmad | Sub-Editorial: Ataul Fatir Tahir, Aqeel Ahmed Kang | News: Ata-ul-Haye Nasir | © Al Hakam 2021