Al Hakam - 25 February 2022

From the Markaz

From the Markaz

Lajna Germany meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V

UK Khuddam meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih for guidance before embarking on a tabligh tour of Argentina

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Against all odds: How decisions of the Khalifa are destined to be blessed

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NATO, Russia and Ukraine: Rising tensions and a word of warning from Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 | Issue CCVI Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396

Courageously defend Islam: Nasirat Germany meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih On 19 February 2022, members of Nasiratul-Ahmadiyya Germany, aged 10 to 12 (mi‘yar-e-dom), met Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa in a virtual mulaqat.

As the live stream started, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa conveyed his salaam and called Attiya tul Wakeel Bilal to recite a portion from the Holy Quran. After the recitation, she presented the German translation. Huzooraa called upon Javeria Naeem to read the Urdu translation. Then Fariha Chaudhry recited a poem of the Promised Messiahas.

Thereafter, the nasirat had the opportunity to ask Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa questions about various religious matters and other day-to-day issues.

The first questioner asked Huzooraa if Jamaat books would be made available in Braille for the visually impaired. Answering, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa replied in the affirmative and said, that as time passed and the Jamaat made further progress, a time would come where “these shall be made available, insha-Allah Ta‘ala.”

Inbisat asked Huzooraa how she could explain to her class fellows that her wearing of hijab was her personal choice and not something forced upon her. She said that she had tried to explain that she wore the hijab as an act of personal choice; however, they would reply by saying that she was lying.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that if one kept a cheerful disposition whilst wearing the hijab, then people would automatically know that what this girl was wearing was by personal choice. However, Huzooraa said, if she remained depressed whilst wearing the hijab, then people would say that she was lying and that she was forced to wear it. Huzooraa added that in America a girl had said to him that some people

believed by wearing the hijab women were being oppressed and were under pressure.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said that he had replied to her by saying that if one remained depressed or gave the impression that they were unhappy, people would tend to think like this, but, “if you remain happy, then nobody would have such an opinion.”

Huzooraa explained that she should tell her friends, “What is in my heart, I have told you. The rest is up to you whether you desire to believe it or not. I am an Ahmadi Muslim and I believe that we should not have a duplicitous policy. We must act according to what our religion teaches.

Allah the Almighty tells us that as girls grow older, they should start wearing hijab, cover themselves, maintain a certain barrier so that they can avoid the ills of this world, the evil of Satan and his confrontations. This is why I do this [i.e. wear the hijab].”

Huzooraa explained that if they did not desire to believe what she was telling them then there was no need to engage in a debate

over it. “You should not have any complexes; you should not feel inferior, thinking that ‘girls would tease us.’”

Upon being asked how one could attain hikmat (wisdom), Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “Hikmat means intellect. Use your intellect! Intellect also increases by acquiring knowledge. Gain knowledge, and when you gain knowledge, you will have the ability to understand more. And when the ability to understand something is developed, then the ability to respond to [a question] with wisdom is also developed. Hikmat is to respond wisely according to circumstances.

If someone is asking you a question and if you answer it harshly, that is in a harsh tone, and the person gets angry and starts fighting with you then that is not hikmat [by you].

However, if you answer gently and with love and understanding, then that is hikmat.”

Huzooraa explained that if, for example, one was to harshly tell someone to adopt Continued next page >>

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

A Prayer of the Holy Prophetsa

َ َ َُ ْ ّ ٰ َّ ّٰ ُ َ َ � ‫ال ﻗَل َّ َما‬ ‫ان َر ُسﻮل الل ِہ صلی الل ُہ‬ ‫ابﻦ ﻋ�� ﻗ‬ َ ّ َ َ ُ ْ ْ ْ ُ ‫َعل َ ْي ِھ َو َسل َم ﻳ َ ُﻘ‬ ‫ﺲ َﺣ ّﺘی ﻳَدﻋ َﻮ‬ ٍ َ ‫ﻮم ِﻣﻦ �� ِل‬ َْ َ ُ ٰ ْ ‫ات لأ�حَابِ ِھ‬ ِ ‫بِﻬﺆلا ِء ا��لِ َم‬ ّٰ ْ َ ُ َ ْ َ َ ‫’’ا�� ُ� َّم اﻗ ِﺴ ْم ل َنا ِﻣ ْﻦ خﺸ َي ِﺘﻚ َﻣا �حُﻮل‬ ْ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ‫اصيﻚ َو ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻃاﻋ ِﺘﻚ َﻣا‬ ِ ‫ب َ ْيننا وبَ� َ� َﻣع‬ ُ َ ُّ َُ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َّ َ ‫�� َﻣا ت َﻬ ِّﻮ ُن بِ ٖھ‬ ِ ‫تﺒ ِلﻐنا بِ ِھ ﺟنﺘﻚ و ِﻣﻦ الي ِﻘ‬ ْ ُّ َ َْ َ ْ ّ َ ‫َعل َ ْي َنا ُﻣ ِص‬ ‫اﻋ َنا‬ ِ ‫يﺒ‬ ِ ��‫ات الدن َيا َو َﻣ ِﺘعنا بِﺄ‬ ْ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ ْ َ َ �ُ �‫اﺟ َع‬ ‫وأبصا ِرنا وﻗﻮتِنا ﻣا أﺣييﺘنا و‬ ْ َ َ ْ ‫ال ْ َﻮار َث � َّنا َو‬ ٰ ‫اﺟ َع ْﻞ ﺛَﺄ َرنَا َع‬ ِ ِ ‫لی َﻣ ْﻦ ﻇل َم َنا‬ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ‫لی َﻣﻦ عادانا َولا ت� َعﻞ ُﻣ ِص‬ ٰ ‫َوانْ ُ� ْ�نَا ع‬ ‫يﺒﺘ َنا‬ َ​َ َ َ ْ َ ْ ُّ َ​َ َ ‫ِﻳن َنا َولا ت ْ� َع ِﻞ الدن َيا أﻛ� َ� ﻫ ِّم َنا َولا َﻣ ْﺒلﻎ‬ ِ ‫�ِ� د‬ َ ْ ّ ْ َ َ ُ ‘‘‫ِعل ِم َنا َولا � َﺴلِﻂ َعل ْي َنا َﻣ ْﻦ لا ﻳ َ ْر َﺣ ُم َنا‬ Hazrat Ibn Umarra relates that “Rarely would the Messengersa of Allah stand from a sitting until he supplicated with the following words for his Companions: ‘O Allah, apportion for us, fear of You, that shall become a barrier between us and disobedience of You. Grant us such obedience which enables us to enter Heaven. Bestow upon us such certainty of belief which eases the afflictions of this world. Enable us to benefit from our eyes, ears and other faculties as long as You keep us alive.

Grant us heirs from these faculties.

Wreak vengeance on the person who transgresses against us. Help us against the enemies and do not put us to the test in our belief. Do not make this world our greatest concern, nor the limit of our knowledge. And do not impose such people upon us who are not merciful to us.’”

(Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Da‘waat ‘an Rasulillahsa, Hadith 3502)

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

A favour of the Messenger of Allah upon the Messiah sa

“Now, reflect and do tell me, can man learn about the path that leads to God’s Unity by means of the Gospels we have at present? It is indeed astonishing. Do the Prophets of God Almighty come to establish God’s Oneness or to have people believe in their own divinity?

Therefore, the present-day Gospels have not only lost the way that leads to the Unity of God, but have also destroyed all traces of the prophethood and messengership of Jesus, peace be upon him. God or son of God aside, the Gospels have reduced Jesusas to a

rank that is even below the Prophets, and have, God forbid, turned him into a man of very immoral standing. However, the holy personage of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appeared and revived his true teaching; in fact, the Holy Prophetsa was a healer even for the Messiah himself, whom he brought back from the dead, and upon whom he bestowed a life with which the chosen servants of God and His Prophets are blessed.”

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 2, pp. 2-3)

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

purdah otherwise God would be angry and punish them in hell, then such a person would respond in a negative way and say “Who are you to say such a thing? My matter lies with Allah”. However, if the same thing was taught and explained in a loving manner, and that purdah was a commandment of Allah, then this would be, Huzooraa said, equal to explaining a matter with hikmat.

Nirmal Virk asked Huzooraa if it was compulsory to wear a coat if one was already wearing appropriate loose clothing and a scarf. Huzooraa asked, “Did people wear coats during the time of the Holy Prophetsa? There were no coats. Even in the time of the Promised Messiah, upon whom be peace, people used to cover themselves with chadors. This is what Allah has said in the Holy Quran; cover yourself [with] headscarves in such a way that your head is covered, the sides of your face are covered, and your chest is covered.”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa explained that even if one was wearing appropriate long clothing, and wore a coat that was tight, then this was not the right kind of purdah.

Huzooraa explained that if one was to wear a coat then it should be loose. Huzooraa gave the example of the loose robes of the Arabs.

Sofia Kawal Ahmad asked Huzooraa how one could overcome hardships and strengthen one’s faith. Huzooraa answered that to strengthen one’s faith, one must know and believe that there was an AllPowerful God. “When one realises that Allah Almighty exists, then [naturally] it is also necessary to realise that the Prophets, whom Allah Almighty sends for mankind’s reformation, are true [in their claim].”

Huzooraa said that if one did not offer prayers and did not weep before Allah to seek strength for their faith, then their faith could be ruined. Huzooraa added that if one did not recite the Holy Quran and did not act upon the commandments contained in it which strengthen their faith, then their faith could also decline. Huzooraa further said that if one was to read the literature of the Promised Messiahas, their knowledge and faith would increase.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih aa quoted the verse

َ َ ‫ َوالَّذیۡ َن َج‬and said: ‫اﻫ ُﺪ ۡوا فِ ۡینا‬ ِ

“‘[…] as for those who strive in Our path—We will surely guide them in Our ways.’ Jihad means to strive for one’s faith.

Striving means that you should pray to Allah Almighty, try to increase your knowledge, and try to understand Allah’s commandments [mentioned in] the Holy Quran.”

Shafia Khan asked Huzooraa how one could attain the closeness of Allah.

Answering this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “In order to attain nearness to Allah, Allah says, ‘Worship Me, come near Me, offer prayers, offer the five daily prayers’, and in five prayers weep and pray that Allah may grant you His nearness. Then Allah shall grant His nearness. When Allah hears your prayers, He will hear your words, and when you pray to Allah, your heart will be at peace, and you will realise that you have attained the nearness of Allah. And when the nearness of Allah is attained, then Allah Himself puts it in the heart that ‘you should be nearer to him to whom you have pledged allegiance to. You must obey him, and follow what he teaches.’ […]”

Upon being asked which poem Huzooraa enjoyed listening to and often listened to, Huzooraa said, “I hardly ever listen to poems, [however] I like every poem that is well recited […]”

Huzooraa then said that the poems composed by the Promised Messiahas were very good. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa further mentioned Kalam-e-Mahmud, Durr-e-‘Adan, and said that there were many other poets whose poems were good.

Huzooraa then asked the questioner, Maria Mehmood, what poems she liked to listen to. She replied that she enjoyed listening to poems and mentioned the poems Khalifa ke hum hain and Khalifa dil hamara hai.

Huzooraa replied, “Read the poems from Durr-e-Samin and Kalam-e-Mahmud. This shall increase your faith […]”

Alluding to the poems she mentioned, Huzooraa said that such poems create temporary enthusiasm but, to increase one’s faith, one should read the words composed by the Imam of the age and his Khulafa.

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Next, Anmal Roi said that in countries such as Japan, Korea, and China, people greeted each other by bowing. She asked Huzooraa whether it would be permissible to bow before them when greeting.

Answering, Huzooraa said that bowing upon greeting each other was a tradition and practice in those countries. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said that in Asian countries such as Pakistan also, people said salaam by placing their hand over their chest and bowing slightly. This was not shirk, Huzooraa said.

He added that this was their practice of greeting and it was not considered an act of worship. “They do not bow down thinking that the person before them is God,” Huzooraa explained. Rather, it was a form of courtesy. Huzooraa then said that one َ must َ ّ ُ َ ْ ْ َ َّ always remember the hadith ‫ات‬ ِ ‫الن ّي‬ ِ ِ‫ِإنما الأعمال ب‬ that deeds are judged by motives.

Elize Awan asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa what should be done if something wrong was being taught in school regarding Islam. Answering, Huzooraa said that one should tell the teacher that what had been stated about Islam was incorrect. He said that one could volunteer to explain the true teachings of Islam and explain what the true teachings of Islam were. “Children should have the courage to tell their teachers to ‘give us a chance to tell you about Islam.’”

Huzooraa said that that was often appreciated by the teachers. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa added, “When an objection is raised against Islam, a believer should stand [and defend Islam].”

Maria Langah asked if God still rewarded a person who recited the Holy Quran but was unable to recite it with its correct pronunciation. Responding, Huzooraa said that a person should try to recite the Holy Quran in the best manner possible and continue to learn its correct pronunciation.

Huzooraa added, “Allah rewards one based

on their intention, as I just said. However, one should make an effort to continue to improve.”

Sania Anas asked Huzooraa when he would come to Germany. Answering, Huzooraa said, “When the prevailing circumstances have improved.”

Fozia Mubarik asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa about the Lahori Jamaat and why they separated from the Jamaat-eAhmadiyya. Answering, Huzooraa said that during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira there were some who used to say that Khilafat should be under the Anjuman and officeholders of the Anjuman desired to run it. Huzooraa said that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira did not agree with this and said that the establishment of Khilafat was the Islamic way. Huzooraa said that at the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, however, some of the office-bearers and people such as Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib started saying that there should be no Khilafat.

Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra replied to this mischief by saying that there should be Khilafat. Huzooraa said, “[…] Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra said that ‘there should be Khilafat no matter what. If you suspect that I would become the Khalifa, then know that I have no desire to be a Khalifa. We would even accept one of you as the Khalifa. However, [the institution of] Khilafat must be established. […]’”

Huzooraa further explained that Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra said that a Khalifa should be elected, whether it be Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib or anyone else. Upon this, those who opposed Khilafat did not agree and refused to believe in Khilafat.

Huzooraa said that it was Allah Almighty’s promise that Khilafat would be established after the Promised Messiahas, as alluded to by him in his book, The Will.

“However, these people were not ready to accept Khilafat. So, they separated and went to Lahore, where they formed their own Jamaat, and took with them the funds and treasury of the Jamaat. Many great scholars also went with them. However, as Allah the Exalted was to protect Khilafat, this is why this [Lahori] Jamaat, after some time, slowly began to disappear and has now almost finished. However, the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, which remained attached to Khilafat and was associated with it, is growing and shall continue to spread and has now reached 212 countries of the world. […]”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa stated that the Lahori Jamaat also had a mosque in Berlin, Germany. He said that when he visited Berlin, he also visited this mosque.

Huzooraa added, “At that time there was a boy from America [there in their mosque] who said, ‘I am the imam here and I have come here temporarily.” Huzooraa said that the young boy did not have any formal religious education.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said that it was due to the blessings of Khilafat that the Jamaat was spreading throughout the world.

Regarding the Lahori Jamaat, Huzooraa said, “They denied Khilafat, and so they are no more; and they have suffered the loss [of denying Khilafat].”

Amtul Wakeel Bhatti asked Huzooraa why we looked right and left whilst saying salaam at the end of salat. Responding to this, Huzooraa said, “First and foremost, we are to act according to how the Holy Prophetsa has taught us.” Secondly, Huzooraa said that after praying and saying salaam to our right and left was a means and desire of spreading salaam (peace) around us.

Tuba Malhi asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa that if Allah was One, then why had He referred to Himself as “We” in some places in the Holy Quran. Huzooraa explained that where Allah desired to emphasise on

His power and majesty, He has used “We”.

Huzooraa said, “It was just an expression of language. It is not that Allah is One in some places and two in another. Allah is One.” Huzooraa expounded that sometimes even kings would proclaim “This is our decree”.

This meant, Huzooraa said, that the king was saying and proclaiming something whilst also demonstrating his strength.

Hibah Nasir said that when we heard the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, we prayed for peace and blessings to be sent upon him by Allah the Exalted. She asked whether one should not also say something similar when hearing or saying the name of Allah Almighty. Huzooraa said that Allah Almighty had instructed us in the Holy Quran to send durood upon the Holy Prophetsa. Huzooraa quoted the following verse:

َّ َ ُّ َّ ُ َ َ ُ ّٰ َ ‫ِا ّن الل َہ َو َم ٰٓل ِئک َت ٗہ یُ َصلوۡ َن َعلی الن ِب ِ ّی ؕ ٰۤیا ّی َہا ال ِذیۡ َن ٰا َمنوۡا‬ َ ُّ َ ّ ‫َصلوۡا َعل ۡی ِہ َو َس ِل ُموۡا ت ۡس ِل ۡی ًما‬

“Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe, you too should invoke blessings on him and salute him with the salutation of peace.” (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.57) Huzooraa then said: “It is the command of Allah to proclaim ّ َ ّٰ ّ ‫صلی اللہ َعلیھ وسلم‬. And the Holy Prophet

Muhammadsa said that ‘if you send blessings on me and pray, then your prayers will also be accepted because Allah has said so.”

Huzooraa said that Allah had stated that He even Himself sent blessings upon the Holy Prophetsa. Huzooraa said that when one said Allah’s name, they should do so respectfully; and added that there were more blessings in saying Allah Ta’ala than in just saying Allah. Huzooraa narrated that when he was young, there was house in Continued on next page >>

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Rabwah and on the wall of this house, it was written, “There are great blessings in saying ‘Allah Ta’ala’.”

Attiya tul Malik Muhammad asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa how one could be safeguarded from the negative use of mobile phones. Huzooraa asked her if she was aware of the negatives and positives of using a mobile phone; to which she replied in the affirmative and said that the negative usage was the continuous playing of games.

Huzooraa said that when one was aware of the negative usage of something then such a person was safeguarded. Those who were unaware of the negative usage of something should be told that such and such thing was bad as it could be harmful and so and so was good as it could benefit a person, Huzoorsa said.

Huzooraa said that if one knew the negatives and positives of a matter, then one should “Develop willpower, instil strength in yourself and make a firm decision that I should not do anything bad,” otherwise the negative usage of it could cause one to forget to offer their prayers and to recite the Holy Quran. Extensive usage of mobile phones could also cause damage to one’s eyes, Huzooraa said.

Attiya tul Wakeel Bilal stated that in a hadith one reads that when the Holy Prophetsa would receive a revelation, he would begin to sweat despite cold weather.

She asked why such a condition came about and further asked if this was the same condition of the Promised Messiahas upon receiving revelation.

Huzooraa stated that prophets of Allah feared Allah the most and when a revelation was sent, “the burden of revelation is so great that one who has true comprehension of God’s Being, his heart starts to tremble, and out of all people, prophets [are most conscious of God’s Being].” Huzooraa explained that the Promised Messiahas also experienced something similar upon receiving revelations.

Alisha Malik asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa what the meaning was of the revelation of the Promised Messiahas:

‫وفحمظ روھک‬،‫آامسن ےس ُدودھ اُرتا ےہ‬

“Milk has descended from heaven, guard it.”

[Tadhkirah [English], p. 816] Huzooraa stated that the “milk” meant the true teaching of Islam, which was a means of developing a relationship with God and His Messengersa. Thus, Huzooraa said, we ought to hold fast to it, “guard it”, believe in it, place it in our hearts, and act upon the guidance given by the Promised Messiahas, who was given this “milk” in this era through the agency and due to the blessings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.

Huzooraa said that the Promised Messiahas “has said, that he is the Hakam ‘Adal of the current age and that we should accept his decisions and decrees. Thus, we ought to accept them without criticising or debating them [...]”

Huzooraa then asked National Secretary Nasirat about the number of nasirat in Germany. She replied that there were 3352 nasirat in Germany. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then conveyed his salaam to everyone and the mulaqat came to a close.

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

UK Khuddam meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih for guidance before embarking on a tabligh tour of Argentina

Hibatul Mohsin Abid Mohtamim Tabligh

On 19 February 2022, all the members of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK who are taking part in the tabligh tour of Argentina gathered in Islamabad, UK. A request for a send-off congregational du‘a from outside the office was submitted to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa a few weeks ago which beloved Huzooraa accepted.

However, instead of praying outside, Huzooraa allowed us to have a mulaqat in his office and despite Huzoor’s busy schedule, he graced us with the opportunity to sit in his presence and listen to golden words of wisdom that would enable us to complete our mission successfully.

As we were entering Huzoor’s office, he asked Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK, Abdul Quddus Arif Sahib, if he was also going to Argentina to which he said he was not.

After an introduction to all the members going on the trip, Sadr Sahib informed Huzooraa that Usman Ahmed Sahib, Naib Sadr MKA UK would be the amir-e-qafla – leader for the group – during the trip. I gave a briefing about the trip and that we will be travelling to Ushuaia, the southern most city of the world. Huzooraa said he knew about the trip as he has been receiving regular updates and reports.

Huzooraa asked who could speak Spanish.

I informed Huzooraa no one could. I also said that we tried learning some Spanish phrases but they did not stick in our minds and that we would have Marwan Sarwar Gill Sahib, an Argentinian missionary to help us.

Then Huzooraa pointed to the hoodies and said we should at least know what was written on them. Huzooraa read what was written on them [Musulmanes Por La Paz] and asked how it was pronounced and what it meant.

I said it translated to “Muslims for Peace”.

Huzooraa said we could get something recorded [in Spanish] and play it when giving a leaflet so that the message could be conveyed to people. Huzooraa then said that our job was to convey the message of Islam but it was up to the individuals to believe or not to believe.

Then, Huzooraa said that, along with du‘a, hard work was also needed. We are meant to work hard and with virtuous intentions.

“You are going for [tabligh] work. You can do sightseeing later,” Huzooraa said.

Then beloved Huzooraa, while smiling, very lovingly asked “Mujh se kiya chahte ho?” (What do you need from me?).

I requested Huzooraa to provide us with guidance for this trip.

Huzooraa reminded us to give emphasis to prayer, nawafil (voluntary prayers), and remembrance of Allah (zikr-e-ilahi).

Sadr sahib then requested Huzooraa to lead us in silent prayer. Huzooraa led us in a silent prayer for a very long time.

After finishing the silent prayer, Huzooraa quoted a couplet of the Promised Messiahas:

‫ين‬ ‫د�ا ےہ امہرا اکم آج‬ ‫رہ رطف آواز‬ ‫ن‬ ‫سج یک رطفت ی‬ ‫� ےہ وہ ٓاےئ اگ ااجنم اکر‬

After this, Huzooraa very lovingly reminded us again of the instructions and guidance he provided earlier. Huzooraa reemphasised the importance of prayer and

especially nawafil (voluntary prayers).

Before a group photo, Sadr sahib informed Huzooraa that Asef Hadi Sahib from MTA International had safely reached Argentina. Asef Sahib has been sent on this trip by Huzooraa to create an MTA documentary of this trip. Them all the members had the blessed opportunity to have a photograph with beloved Huzooraa.

We then left the room silently but being full of emotions and enthusiasm after having listened to such inspirational words from our Khalifa, alhamdulillah.

After Zuhr and Asr prayers, everyone arrived at Aiwan-e-Mahmood where transportation to Heathrow Airport was arranged.

After check-in and security checks we boarded a flight to Madrid, Spain, and then boarded a connecting flight to Buenos Aires.

On 20 February 2022, at 8:15 (GMT-3), we arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

After some rest and lunch, the team members went to the newly acquired mission house, offered Zuhr and Asr prayers, and then attended the Jalsa Yaume-Musleh-e-Maudra along with the local Jamaat members. The local Jamaat members introduced themselves and narrated their stories of how they converted to Islam Ahmadiyyat, which were very emotional.

We were hosted at one of the biggest radio stations of Argentina, Radio Continental, where the director himself welcomed us, hosted us, had photos taken with us and spent 30-40 minutes with us.

We discussed Islam Ahmadiyyat, shared Huzoor’s message and told him about the aim of our tour.

5

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022

From the Markaz

Hold onto Allah’s hand alone, success will follow: Lajna Germany meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V

On 20 February 2022, members of Lajna Imaillah Germany were blessed to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa through a virtual meeting and ask the questions they had.

At the opening of the meeting, Huzooraa enquired how many Lajna members were present. Sadr Lajna reported there were 254.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then called Fareeha Islam Sahiba to recite a portion of the Holy Quran followed by its German translation. The Urdu translation was given

by Muntaha Sami Sahiba. Next, Sharmin Sahiba recited an Urdu poem written by the Promised Messiahas.

When Sharmin Sahiba finished reciting the poem, Huzooraa asked if she knew the meaning of the Urdu couplets. Huzooraa then explained the meaning of one line of the poem to Sharmin Sahiba, which read:

� ‫اُ� � �� � ڈ��و �ؤ بس �وں‬

“Only hold Allah the Almighty’s hand.

Kamand means ‘support’ – discard all other supports [other than Allah]. Burn them.

Dismiss them. End [using] all ropes, all supports, all anchors. Then only hold onto one hand – and that is Allah the Almighty’s hand; if you hold that you will be successful.”

The Lajna then had the opportunity to ask questions to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa.

The first question was by Afsha Baloch Sahiba who asked if the charity of a person who gave a lot of alms but was weak in offering their five daily prayers, would be accepted.

Huzooraa said: “Namaz [Salat] is also a compulsory religious duty. Allah has said to uphold it, namaz is compulsory […] So one should offer it. At times weaknesses do develop – one sometimes offers it late, but namaz should never be abandoned. One should not be a ‫ – تارک الصلاة‬one who discards namaz.

“Concerning charity and giving alms, Allah says mankind has two rights [to fulfil] – Allah’s right and the rights of man. Allah’s right is that He is worshipped and the right of man is that people are treated well. And if you do good to people then Allah accepts it – why wouldn’t He? Allah accepts charity and alms and will give you its reward.

“But, along with this [giving charity], if you are also fulfilling the rights of Allah, fulfilling the rights of your worship, then your rewards will multiply many times more.

“Apart from this, Allah certainly does accept charity and alms and He has commanded to give charity. Allah also says those people’s namaz is not accepted and will be thrown back on their face who do not take care of orphans and the poor – their namaz isn’t accepted either. Thus, Allah has joined the two together. “[…] Sometimes Allah enables one to do further good deeds as a result of their charity and alms being accepted. There is an incident that the Promised Messiahas has also written about.”

There was a fire worshipper. One day, it was raining heavily and so, out of sympathy he went onto the roof to throw seeds for the birds to eat as the ground was full of water.

Seeing him, a Muslim man questioned what he was doing and said his deeds had no reward as he was a fire worshipper and did not worship Allah. In response, the man said that the reward was down to Allah to give and he was just feeding the birds and

was worried about them so that they didn’t die.

What happened next was that very Muslim once went to the Ka‘bah and was performing tawaf when he saw the man who was the fire worshipper. The Muslim man asked the other man what he was doing there. The man responded by saying that the deed of worrying for the birds and giving them something to eat resulted in Allah rewarding him and thus enabling him to accept Islam and perform the tawaf. This man, previously a fire worshipper, told the other Muslim that he had told him he would get no reward; however, Allah rewarded him with Islam for feeding and worrying for the birds.

Huzooraa said charity and alms were not just for humans, but Allah was pleased by being charitable to animals too. Therefore, good deeds are certainly rewarded.

Fizza Ahmad Sahiba asked what one should do when, at times, they are asked to

uphold traditions and customs in society that go against Islamic teachings.

Huzooraa said: “If there are any traditions and customs that lead to shirk [associating partners with Allah], then one should stay away from such customs. If there is no shirk involved and nothing is being raised to the level of Allah’s sanctity, His being Holy and His status, then there is no harm if small and minor customs and traditions are adopted. You are not doing it yourself are you – if you are taking part due to friendship, then it’s fine you observed it, there’s no harm.

“However, remember that any tradition or custom involving any aspect of shirk, we should stay clear of.”

Sobia Jamil Sahiba asked if it was permissible to question and criticise Islam and its teachings.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa pointed out Continued on next page >>

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

6 << Continued from previous page

plenty of people criticised Islamic teachings.

However, if a Muslim had questions about certain aspects of Islam then they should be addressed.

Huzooraa said: “Questions that you have, you should try to resolve them. Allah has instructed [us to offer] the five daily prayers – a question raised in one’s mind is why these five prayers are assigned? So, find its answer. Why is there fasting? Find its answer. Now scientists are saying fasting is very beneficial and the namaz regulates and disciplines a person.

And then there is the question about the existence of God and lots of other questions too; there is the question about the Islamic hijab. The answer to every question should be sought.”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said that in his previous Friday Sermon (18 February 2022) he referenced Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra who said that when he was 11 he had questions about the proofs for the existence of God, the proof for the Holy Prophet’s truth, the proof for the Promised Messiah’s truth and the truth of Islam. Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra said he began pondering over these questions at that age and when he had firm conviction and confirmed the existence of God, he understood the Holy Prophet’s and the Promised Messiah’s truth too.

Huzooraa continued: “Questions do arise in a person’s mind, in an educated mind.” However, just raising questions and allegations for the sake of it and then going silent was wrong. One should research and find the answers, “Like Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said, ‘I researched and explored and said I will not get up from here until I do not acquire the answers.’ So that exploration and research should be there too. If you do not find the answers that very day, ponder again the next day, ask people, read the literature – now there’s lots of literature available in Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, at that time [of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra] there was not this much available. […]”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said answers to questions should be sought and due research needed to take place to find the answers. Questions did arise, Huzooraa said, however, one should not just raise them for the sake of it – their answers should be researched by that very person too.

Hala Rehman Shah asked what one could do – other than praying – to help another who was following the wrong path in life.

Huzooraa advised: “If it is within your control to lead them to the right path, then hold their hand and do so. If it is not within your control – and if you hold their hand they will fight with you – then you can only pray for them.

“The Holy Prophetsa has said ‘Help those who are following the wrong path and stop them from zulm [transgression]’, how? by telling them with your tongue that ‘You are doing something wrong, the real teaching is this, which, if you follow you will gain Allah’s pleasure and will be guided on the right path.’

“If they are a Muslim, tell them what Islamic teachings and true morals are. If they are Christian, tell them what the Bible teaches, if they are Jewish tell them about the Torah’s teachings. Or if they are others, then tell them about the basic morals in the

“Namaz [Salat] is also a compulsory religious duty. Allah has said to uphold it, namaz is compulsory […] So one should offer it. At times weaknesses do develop – one sometimes offers it late, but namaz should never be abandoned. ّ ‫ – تارک‬one One should not be a ‫الصلاة‬ who discards namaz. world. […] For example, a thief is seen as bad everywhere.

“First stop them with your hand, then with your tongue, then pray for them. This is what the Holy Prophetsa instructed us – if you have the strength then stop their transgression with your hand if they are transgressing. Otherwise, stop them with your tongue, tell them ‘You are transgressing and are doing something wrong. Stop. And if you don’t have the strength to do this either, then you can pray for them’. This is what the Holy Prophetsa said.”

Amtul Shafi Choudhry Sahiba asked why a child would be born disabled and stay disabled their whole life.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “There are two laws of Allah the Almighty. One is the law of nature. When a child is born with a disease or they have some abnormalities, sometimes it is due to the weaknesses passed on by the parents.

That’s why, quite often, when children who are ill in this way are taken to the doctors, they say ‘You have a genetic problem.’ […]

The law of nature works in such a situation, Allah does not want the child to be born ill.

However, due to the law of nature, it is born [ill].

“Yes, if you pray to Allah the Almighty that He removes the illness or at least makes it easier [for the child] then at times Allah makes their life easier even with their illness present. Sometimes, if He wants to give them long life, other conveniences are created for them and if not, Allah reduces their lifespan.

“Therefore, the law of shariah – the law of prayer – is working alongside this. But the law of nature is also being implemented and the law of nature is what science tells you about the reasons [for the illness]. Allah

says ‘Yes, these are the reasons’.

“Allah had no enmity for someone that He made the child disabled. Yes, there are some weaknesses and some mistakes done by the parents […] which then affect the child. The law of nature is working in such a situation, and whether you believe in God or not, that law of nature will express itself and this is what scientists believe too.”

Amatul Mateen Sahiba asked if Allah was angered with those who only worshipped him when in difficulty.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “Allah says that your worship is your religious duty. Not that when a difficulty arises, you run to Allah and begin to prostrate and cry and say ‘O Allah forgive me, I will not do it again.’ You make the promise and retract from it and do it again when the situation gets better.”

Huzooraa referenced the Holy Quran in which Allah says that when people get stuck in a storm at sea they begin to implore Him and promise not to forget Him if they are saved from the storm. But when they reach safety and dry land, they return to their wicked ways. It is then that Allah can punish them.

Allah has said to fulfil the promises we make to Him, otherwise, if we do not He can punish us at any time.

Huzooraa said: “It is Allah’s choice to punish or forgive […] This is Allah’s choice, it is His work. He is Qadir [The Omnipotent] and does what He wants to.”

It is not right to go against the oaths made to Allah and we should always remain loyal to Him. If someone kept going against their promises to Allah then this was not a good attribute, Huzooraa said.

The element of punishment was Allah’s

choice, He can punish in the next world too if He wanted.

Amtul Sabooh Sahiba came to the mic to ask Huzooraa a question. When she said asalamo alaikum and seeing her, Huzooraa said her name, Amtul Sabooh Sahiba was overcome with emotion. With great love, care and a beautiful smile Huzooraa said, “Your question is ‘How can one control their emotions?’ Wait for a little, pray, read: ّٰ ّٰ ‫سبحان اللہ وبحمدہ سبحان اللہ العظیم‬ “And then ask your question.”

Huzooraa continued to console Amtul Sabooh Sahiba while she asked her question, which was how one could develop humility within themselves.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “First, in your five daily prayers pray to Allah the Almighty that Allah does not allow arrogance to develop in you because Allah does not like it. That’s why one should always pray that Allah keeps us safe from arrogance.

“Then, when you see people, meet them with good morals, convey salaam to everyone and speak with everyone with a smile.”

Alisha Asjad Sahiba said that if nothing happened without the will of Allah, why were Ahmadi Muslims persecuted.

Huzooraa asked Alisha Sahiba who the most beloved prophet was for Allah.

Alisha Sahiba said it was the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. Huzooraa said the Holy Prophetsa – despite being the most beloved to Allah – still faced 13 years of persecution in Mecca. And after migrating to Medina he faced many more difficulties and after the Victory of Mecca people continued to attack Muslims and the hypocrites would raise their heads too.

Huzooraa said difficulties and persecution

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 were experienced by the Muslims during the era of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen as well.

“Therefore, Allah in the Holy Quran writes that ‘I try people and see how strong your faith is’. Despite being persecuted and harmed, if you still don’t forget Allah and don’t fear people, rather only have the fear of Allah in your heart, then Allah rewards you.”

Huzooraa said Allah gives reward for being patient in this world and the next. He also said to the Lajna members present that if their parents left Pakistan due to suffering persecution and experienced loss while migrating then Allah gave them much more here.

“A prime minister once said ‘I will put a beggar’s bowl in the hands of Ahmadis, they will beg for money holding a bowl […] I will put them in this condition’. What was the result of this ‘condition’? Allah the Almighty destroyed him – his own general hanged him. And Ahmadis – in whose hands he was going to put a beggar’s bowl – are spread across the world today and by Allah’s grace the Jamaat is progressing and we are building mosques, building missions and are preaching everywhere. And individually, Ahmadis are experiencing better conditions.

“So, Allah gives trials to see how much faith you have. He punishes the cruel for their cruelty and at the same time tries you too and observes. And He gives reward in this world and the next.

“This happened with every prophet: all prophets were persecuted, their communities were persecuted. But, in the end, Allah saves them and gives them success.”

Dania Amar Sahiba asked what books of the Promised Messiahas she should read.

Huzooraa asked her if she was doing her Abitur to which Dania Sahiba replied in the affirmative. Huzooraa continued: “This means you are good at studies.

First, read Noah’s Ark and The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam – you will understand what Islamic teachings are, what wisdom is behind Islamic teachings, the wisdom behind Allah’s commandments, the conditions of humans in this world and after death. You will learn all of this. […]

“In the same vein, to learn more teachings of the Promised Messiahas and for a connection with Khilafat read The Will too. Read The Will, Noah’s Ark and as you are doing your Abitur and you seem like a bright girl, read The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam as well.”

Hearing Huzoor’s answer to her, Dania Sahiba was overcome with emotion and thanked Huzooraa.

Iqra Asjad Sahiba told Huzooraa that some years ago her school teacher referenced Surah Sad, verse 53 saying that the Quran only mentioned men would be given “chaste women, restraining their looks” and that there was no mention of women being given rewards in heaven. The teacher concluded from this that women are not given equal rights in Islam. Iqra Asjad Sahiba asked Huzooraa what response could be given.

As he started his question, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa began opening a copy of the Holy Quran and wore his glasses while saying this element was mentioned in the Holy Quran in various places. He continued: “The point is, those women [mentioned

in the verse] will be Muslims too right? How is there no mention [of women]? It is written there will be “chaste women, restraining their looks, companions of equal age” – who will be ‘chaste’? They won’t be angels, it will be women.

“At another place in the Holy Quran, Allah has said men and women who do good deeds will all go to heaven. […]

“Take these verses out and show them there are verses where Allah has given the commandment that all such people will go to heaven. On lots of occasions, Allah has said women will go to heaven. How can she say this? You should take these references out, and show them” Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said many verses promised women heaven and rewards so focusing on one verse of the Quran was not fair.

By this time Huzooraa had opened the reference of Surah Sad (verse 53) and then explained the meaning: “Here women are being spoken about, right? […] Those husbands who have pious wives, will receive those very wives to serve them and the pious wives who have pious husbands will get their husbands. That is why Allah has given women’s rights in the very place where He mentioned men will get pious partners – in the same place He mentioned that women will get pious partners […]

“So, Allah says pious women will get pious men too […] Allah will establish partners like this. And a wife and husband who are both pious, they will be together anyway in heaven – there’s no question of women there. The women who are unmarried and are pious, Allah will give them pious men” and vice versa.

“And they will be from those very Muslims. Nowhere has Allah written that women will go to hell.”

Attia Muskan Ahmed Sahiba asked why the sunnah of salat are not declared as fardh (compulsory) and if one were not to offer them would it be a sin?

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said the sunnah of salat in normal conditions hold the status of being fardh (compulsory) however in certain circumstances they were forgiven, for example when one was travelling, or during wars etc. And when prayers were combined the sunnah were also forgiven. About Fajr sunnah, Huzooraa said they were not forgiven and were compulsory and therefore must always be offered according to the Holy Prophetsa.

Hadiqa Faroz Sahiba asked what Lajna members could do about the caricatures against the Holy Prophetsa that have been published in school textbooks.

Huzooraa said she should tell people that if everyone were to start attacking religious founders or prophets then peace and harmony could not be maintained in society or even in school. Huzooraa said he had spoken on this issue in various lectures and Feroz Sahiba could read those lectures that have been published in German too.

Continuing on the topic, Huzooraa said: “Tell them peace cannot be established in the world in this way. If we want to uphold peace in the world, we need to respect the sentiments of one another. If someone verbally abuses another’s parents a quarrel will break out, right? So, the Holy Prophetsa should be more beloved than our parents.

That’s why say to them ‘I cannot be happy

7 with you in this way, we will begin to fight in this way. Therefore, if we want peace and live in love and harmony, we need to live in respect.”

Huzooraa said to tell them that we, as Muslims respected all prophets including Mosesas and Jesusas. Therefore it was society’s duty to respect the sentiments of Muslims as well, otherwise, it will cause unrest in the world.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa then referred to the previous question about women in heaven. Huzooraa read out the translation of verse 36 of Surah al-Ahzab to show how men and women were given equal rights in terms of reward and blessings in heaven.

The verse reads: “Surely, men who submit themselves [to God] and women who submit themselves [to Him], and believing men and believing women, and obedient men and obedient women, and truthful men and truthful women, and men steadfast [in their faith] and steadfast women, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their chastity and women who guard their chastity, and men who remember Allah much and women who remember [Him]— Allah has prepared for [all of] them forgiveness and a great reward.”

Speaking to Iqra Sahiba who asked the question, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said these verses should be presented to those who said women were not given equal rights and rewards in heaven compared to men and there were many other verses of the Quran that could be given to prove this. Huzooraa asked Iqra Sahiba if she was satisfied with the answer to which she said she was.

Madiha Zaheer Tabasum Sahiba asked how she could improve her Islamic hijab in the Western environment and the age of social media.

Huzooraa asked Madiha Sahiba if she had any complex while wearing her headscarf and loose coat. To this Madiha, Sahiba said she did not. Huzooraa said, “You don’t, right? As you don’t have a complex, go out in this way and tell people that it is your tradition and a commandment of your religion as well that you hide your beauty.”

In this way, perverted minds will not get the wrong message. Huzooraa said there were all types of people in society including many good people. However, Islam says that even a little danger should be avoided as this could grow. Huzooraa told Madiha Sahiba to openly tell people what Islamic teachings were regarding the Islamic hijab and that it was her religious duty to observe purdah.

Huzooraa guided Madiha Sahiba to tell people: “No one is being harmed. I am the one wearing the clothes, the scarf, the hijab. Why would someone else have a problem with this?’ So, you should have this confidence – and openly, with confidence tell this to people. There is no need to be scared or fearful because it is through this way that we will spread and teach the true teachings of Islam to the world. And good-natured and moral people like this aspect [and say] ‘Yes, you people follow and act on the true teachings of Islam’.”

Huzooraa stressed Ahmadi Muslim women should develop confidence in themselves and pray Allah makes them a

true Muslim.

Commenting on how to improve the Islamic hijab, Huzooraa said the Promised Messiahas had instructed the hijab should at least cover the forehead and the chin. In this way, the eyes and mouth would not be covered leaving room for easy breathing, etc.

On a lighter note, Huzooraa said the current circumstances meant everyone was observing something close to the Islamic hijab by wearing masks due to Covid-19 – therefore there should be no complex or problem at all with covering one’s face and mouth as it has become a habit, Huzooraa said with a smile. “So, if you go to the shops for a little while, cover a little more, what difference is there.” But if not, then women could cover their forehead around to their chin leaving the central area of the face uncovered but this was only for when there was no makeup applied.

Regarding anti-Muslim laws against Muslim women wearing the hijab in Europe, Huzooraa said Ahmadi women should write articles and publish them in newspapers giving arguments that would be convincing.

For example, if people covered themselves – including their face – and wrapped up in the winter months to protect themselves from the cold, then what issue was there if Muslim women covered themselves. Huzooraa said if enough Ahmadi Muslim women wrote these articles, slowly, they would convince the world.

Talking about social media, Huzooraa told Madiha Sahiba to write in support of the hijab on social media too.

Asfa Atta-ul-Quddus Sahiba asked what areas needed to be focused on when trying to create a balance between religious and worldly life.

Huzooraa said: “Always remember we are to fulfil the rights of Allah and namaz is to be offered on time. “[…] Once someone asked the Promised Messiahas that ‘What things should I do and what should I avoid. What things are permissible religiously and what is not.’ The Promised Messiahas said: ‘Fear Allah and do everything’ “Whatever you are about to do, think whether Allah has instructed that action or would He get angry with it.”

In terms of studies, Huzooraa said students should focus on their studies, and after completing them and getting married, on taking care of the home was essential.

“You are to create a balance by serving faith and along with this while at home gain religious knowledge, focus on prayers, recite the Quran, try learning the meaning of the Holy Quran, try to acquire religious knowledge so that the girls who get married they can correctly raise their children and purify the atmosphere of their home. And if someone’s a student, then like I said fulfil the rights of being a student first and complete your studies. In general worldly affairs, I have said to pay attention to fearing Allah […] and see whether Allah will be happy with an action or not.”

At this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said the time had ended and he conveyed his salaam to all the Lajna members.

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Answers to Everyday Issues Part XXIX

Arab naming culture, reacting to an opponent’s death, rada‘ah, Conquest of Constantinople Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues – which Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa has given on various occasions in his written correspondence and during MTA programmes – is being officially published below for everyone’s benefit.

Arab naming culture [...] Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa [in Urdu] that the Holy Prophetsa had asked Hazrat Fatimara about Hazrat Alira ‘Where is the son of your chacha [paternal uncle]?’ Similarly, the Holy Prophetsa had used the word chacha for Hazrat Abbasra and Hazrat Abu Talib. Moreover, Hazrat Alira had used the word chachi [wife of the paternal uncle] for Hazrat Khadijara. The person then requested Huzooraa for an explanation for the usage of this word. Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 13 December 2020, gave the following reply to this question: “Every society has some customs and idioms for everyday use, which can only be understood by keeping the context of that society before us. Hence, in some families, according to the family’s customs or idioms, the father’s relationship with a person is also used to refer to the children. Since Hazrat Alira was the son of the Holy Prophet’ssa paternal uncle, according to the prevalent social custom, the Holy Prophetsa asked his daughter, ‘Where is your uncle’s son?’

Moreover, in Arabia, it was a common practice to use the phrase َ َ ‫ ﻳَا ابْ َﻦ ﻋ ِّم‬or �ّ ِ�‫ﻳَا ابْ َﻦ أ‬ i.e. ‘O the son of my uncle’ or ‘O the son of my brother’ etc. and this practice exists to this day. Hence, an older person may use the phrase � ِ�‫ﻳَا ابْ َﻦ ا‬ meaning ‘O the son of my brother’ to address a younger person and similarly a wife may use the words َ ‫ﻳَا ابْ َﻦ ﻋ ِّم‬ meaning ‘O the son of my uncle’ instead of calling her husband by his name.

As far as Hazrat Ali’sra use of the word chachi [paternal uncle’s wife] for Hazrat Khadijara is concerned, in Arabic the word ‘amati is used for both phuphi [paternal aunt] and chachi [paternal uncle’s wife].

It seems that you may have read the word

‘amati somewhere and translated it [into Urdu] as chachi whereas the translation of this word would be phuphi with reference to Hazrat Khadijara and Hazrat Alira because Hazrat Khadijara and Hazrat Abu Talibra share a common patrilineal ancestor in Qusay bin Kilab in the fifth generation before them. Therefore, Hazrat Khadijara is the paternal aunt of Hazrat Alira in terms of

the relationship.”

Reacting to an opponent’s death Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa that some people had reacted to the death of his cousin in an inappropriate manner, which had deeply hurt him. He also asked Huzooraa whether the Holy Quran forbade us from

praying for a relative who died while opposing Islam. Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in a letter dated 13 December 2020, provided the following guidance on this issue: “If any Ahmadi has shown any inappropriate behaviour upon the death of your cousin then surely they have acted in a wrong way. After the death of a human being, their case rests with God alone who

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 can deal with them however He desires. No one else has the right to form a judgement about them. The Promised Messiahas, explaining this, says: ‘Every person has a separate account with God. Thus, everyone should examine and reform his actions. The death of others should serve as a lesson for you lest you stumble instead of causing you to spend that time in laughter and mockery and thereby becoming more oblivious to God Almighty.’

(Malfuzat, Vol. 3, p. 217)

As you have referenced Abid Khan Sahib’s diary in your letter, so, you would have already read my answer that we cannot call it any kind of divine sign because neither was there any ongoing [prayer] duel between your cousin and Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, nor had he challenged the Community so as to consider it a duel.

Islam does not teach hatred towards any human being but expresses dislike towards certain actions. Therefore, in the Holy Quran, Hazrat Lutas, while addressing his opponents, said, ‘Certainly I hate your practice.’ (Surah ash-Shu‘ara, Ch.26, V.169) Similarly, Allah has commanded the believers that when they hear the Signs of Allah being mocked at, not to sit with the mocking people as long as they are engaged in such mockery. (Surah an-Nisa, Ch.4: V.141) In other words, we have been instructed not to hate people but rather to express disgust about their actions.

Thus, the teaching of Islam is complete and beautiful in every respect. Islam does not teach to rejoice in the death of even the most hostile enemy. Rather, a true believer is saddened even by such a person’s death because he wishes he had been guided. Pandit Lekhram was an enemy of Islam and the most belligerent foe of Ahmadiyyat. He had slandered the most sacred being of our Master and Guide, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, the Chosen One. When he was killed in accordance to divine prophecies, the Promised Messiahas expressed his sympathy with the people of his nation over his death and said: ‘We are saddened by the loss of a human’s life but also pleased by the fulfilment of a prophecy of God. Why are we pleased?

Only for the good of nations: Would that they contemplated and understood that it is not man’s work to prophecy many years in advance with this high level of accuracy and clarity. Our heart is in a strange state at the moment; there is pain as well as happiness.

There is pain because had Lekhram turned [to God]; if not much then had he only desisted cursing, then I swear by Allah the Exalted that I would have prayed for him and I hoped that even if he had been cut to pieces, he would still have come to life.’ (Siraje-Munir, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 12, p. 28)

As far as praying for a person who dies while opposing Islam is concerned, Islam only forbids praying for forgiveness for a mushrik who is openly hostile to God Almighty. It does not forbid praying for anyone else. (Surah at-Taubah, Ch.9: V.114)”

Rada‘ah A lady wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa that thirty years ago, she had breastfed [rada‘ah] her younger brother along with her own son. Now, the marriage of her elder brother’s son had been proposed to her daughter. She asked whether this marriage could go ahead.

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Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in a letter dated 14 December 2020, provided the following guidance on this issue: “Regarding rada‘ah, the Holy Prophetsa states that if relationships, which are forbidden on account of nasab [descent], are established through rada‘ah, then their prohibition also becomes binding. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-shahadaat) However, the condition is that the child should have suckled to satisfaction at least five times during his nursing years. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab ar-rida‘)

Along with this, it is important to keep in mind that the prohibition established through rada‘ah applies only to the suckling and its offspring. This rada‘ah has no effect on the other siblings of the baby who was breastfed. Hence, in view of this, there is nothing wrong with your daughter marrying the son of your brother who did not drink your milk.

May Allah bless this marriage for both the families, may He continue to grant you the delight of your eyes from your children, and may He always bless you with His bounties. Amin.”

Conquest of Constantinople Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa and asked whether a hadith, according to which the first [Muslim] soldier to enter Constantinople would go to Paradise, was authentic. Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 14 December 2020, gave the following reply to this question: “Allah the Exalted sent the Holy Prophetsa to the world with the teaching of peace and love. However, when the opponents of Islam went to extremes in their opposition, Allah the Exalted allowed the Muslims to wage jihad in defence (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.40), whereby the Muslims boldly countered those with the help and support of Allah the Exalted who had attacked them.

Moreover, they also conquered areas and countries with the permission of Allah in which conspiracies were being hatched to annihilate the peaceful community of the Muslims and where other tribes and areas were being incited against the Muslims.

Upon being informed by Allah the Exalted, the Holy Prophetsa made numerous prophecies of successful victories of the Muslims in their wars against oppression and barbarism. One of those prophecies was that the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Those of my ummah who will go out to fight against the City (of the Christian government) of Caesar (from among the two great powers of the time i.e. Caesar and Khosrow) will enter Paradise.’ (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-jihadi wa s-siyar)

Similarly, in another place, the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘What a wonderful leader will be the leader of the army that will conquer Constantinople, and what a wonderful army will that army be!’ (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal,

Hadith 18189)

The prophecy mentioned in these two ahadith was fulfilled in all its glory in due time like the other divine prophecies given to the Holy Prophetsa by Allah the Exalted.”

(Compiled by Zaheer Ahmad Khan, Head of Records Dept, Private Secretariat, London.

Translated by Al Hakam)

“

It is my firm belief and conviction, that if we hold aloft the lantern of spiritual light entrusted to us by the Promised Messiahas, we will find

that the help of Allah the Almighty will be with us every step of the way, insha-Allah.

(Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, Concluding session of the national Lajna UK Ijtema 2021)

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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“I was filled with emotions”: Nasirat feel blessed and fortunate upon meeting Huzoor Hamda Soosn Chaudhry Sadr Lajna Imaillah Germany

On 19 February 2022, 251 members of Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya Germany, aged 10 to 12, were granted the blessed opportunity of a virtual mulaqat with Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa. Sadr Lajna Imaillah Germany and National Secretary Nasirat-ulAhmadiyya were also present at this blessed occasion.

Different Lajna teams warmly welcomed the Nasirat in Bait-us-Subuh Mosque.

The nasirat were happy and excited. They had to go through some checkpoints, like health and safety, registration and amanat (bag storage). Due to the circumstances, only nasirat who showed their vaccine certification and provided a negative Covid test were allowed to come. Once all the formalities were completed, nasirat were allowed to make their way to the hall where the virtual mulaqat would be held. Upon entering the hall, all nasirat received a samecoloured headscarf, a notebook and a pen.

Whilst waiting, nasirat were offered breakfast, hot and cold drinks and snacks.

The mulaqat began at 1:15 pm.

Nasirat’s hearts and eyes were filled with love and joy; for some it was still unbelievable but all of them were extremely thankful and happy to see their beloved Huzooraa.

The impressions of the participants are as follows: Jasmin Khokhar Sahiba, Secretary Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya, said: “By the grace of Allah the Almighty,

Nasirat of mi‘yar-e-dom (Age 10-12) had the great blessing of this virtual mulaqat, alhamdulillah. The nasirat were radiating joy and anticipation before the mulaqat and gratitude afterwards. Huzoor’saa words of wisdom and love will forever be in our minds and hearts, insha-Allah. Beloved Huzooraa answered every question with such detail that nasirat could easily understand them and increase their knowledge. May Allah bless our beloved Khalifa and may all nasirat take the true benefit of this blessed opportunity and draw from it the strength and confidence to give precedence to their religion over the world. Amin.”

Yusra Naem Sahiba commented: “It was like a dream come true, I was really looking forward to be a part of the mulaqat with beloved Huzooraa.”

Alizah Khokhar Sahiba from Hamburg region said: “I am so excited to be here. I have never been in Bait-us-Sabuh before. So, I was extremely excited. I asked my parents the whole time ‘are we there yet?’”

Manal Ahmad Sahiba, from Neuhof, commented: “This was the first time I got to see Huzooraa.”

Basma Sajeek Sahiba, from Mahdiabad (Nahe) said: “We have been talking a lot about having a mulaqat with beloved Huzooraa during our nasirat classes. Girls of mi‘yar-e-awwal were blessed to have a mulaqat already. I was just waiting for the day that the mulaqat for mi‘yar-e-dom would be announced.”

Adila Nawaz Sahiba, from Freiburg,

commented: “As I saw Huzooraa, I felt so blessed and fortunate. It was after such a long time that I was filled with emotions, I cannot even describe it. But I still feel fortunate to be here.”

Urwa Jathur Sahiba, from Grünberg said: “It was really beautiful to listen to all the questions being asked. I pray that the other members of my majlis, who couldn’t come, will have this opportunity too, insha-Allah. I pray they can experience the same feelings as I experienced, when I saw Huzooraa live.”

Sabahat Atif Sahiba, from Mörfelden Walldorf region, commented: “Before the mulaqat began, I was extremely nervous and anxious. As soon as the mulaqat began, it was really fun. I hope all nasirat get the chance to experience such a blessed moment, insha-Allah.”

Haleema Anaya Ahmad Sahiba, from Nauheim, said: “Being able to attend this mulaqat, means a lot to me. Even though I have injured my foot, I was still able to be here.

This injury will always be a positive memory for me now.”

Anaisha Ahmad Sahiba, from Maintal, commented: “I was fully excited to be here, and it was amazing that I got to see Huzooraa again, and to hear him.”

Afia Asim Sahiba, from Friedrichsdorf, said: “I feel really good to be here. I have actually learnt a lot; before this, I didn’t know any of these things. I didn’t have the

courage to ask a question because it was my first ever mulaqat, but insha-Allah, next time I will try to ask a question.”

Kanta Seher Sahiba, from Wiesbaden North, commented: “Three words I would use to describe my feelings are: nervous, peaceful and thankful.

Those who are in Pakistan and don’t have this opportunity I pray they are able to come here, and also have a mulaqat.”

Noreen Ahmad Sahiba, from Mörfelden South, commented: “I felt so fortunate to be in a mulaqat with Huzooraa. […] This mulaqat was a wonderful learning experience, even when you don’t have any questions, the things other nasirat ask are also very insightful. It helps to be in such events to increase your knowledge.”

Attia tul Waqil Bilal, from Bad Vilbel, commented: “I had the wonderful opportunity to recite tilawat during this mulaqat. It was an amazing and beautiful feeling to be able to recite something in front of beloved Huzooraa.”

Sejal Fatima Irfan Sahiba, from Mülheim an der Ruhr, commented: “I feel good right now. At first, I was nervous. It was my first-ever mulaqat. So, I am really happy. I learnt new things that I didn know before, for example about the Lahori Jamaat. I didn’t even know such a group existed.”

Inaya Ahmad Sahiba, from Karben, commented: “I learnt so much. I felt like I was having a conversation with Huzooraa.”

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022

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I have realised Huzoor’s high expectations from us: Lajna Germany reflects on mulaqat Hamda Soosn Chaudhry Sadr Lajna Imaillah Germany

On 20 February 2022, the new members of Lajna Imaillah Germany had the wonderful opportunity to have a virtual mulaqat with Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa.

The Lajna members who were born between 1 October 2005 and 31 December 2006, were able to register themselves online for this virtual mulaqat. A total of 254 Lajna members were able to attend this mulaqat.

Sadr Lajna Imaillah Germany and National General Secretary of Lajna Imaillah were also present at this blessed occasion.

At 8:30 am the Lajna members started to arrive. All Lajna members, the ones for duty and the ones attending the mulaqat had to comply with the health and safety regulations. Upon passing that, the Lajna members registered themselves for the mulaqat, received their name tags and stored their valuables at the amanat (bag storage). For most of the attendees, this was the first gathering as Lajna members.

After passing all the checkpoints successfully, Lajna members were sitting in the mulaqat hall and waiting patiently for their beloved Huzooraa. Lajna members were gifted with a pen and diary, that they could keep as a souvenir.

At 13:25 pm, Huzooraa appeared on the screen, and the meeting commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran.

We are grateful to Allah the Almighty, that we were blessed to have this opportunity.

We would also like to express our deep sense of gratitude to beloved Huzooraa for giving us his precious time, Jazak-Allah.

The glow in the eyes of the girls was indescribable as they waited with joy for Huzoor-e-Aqdasaa and became very emotional after the mulaqat. May Allah the Almighty strengthen this love for Khilafat in their hearts and keep it alive forever. Amin.

Some mothers have called me after the mulaqat and reported how they see their girls have changed and that the mulaqat had a positive emotional effect on their daughters, alhamdulillah.

Following is some feedback from the participants: Lubna Bilal Kahlon Sahiba, General Secretary, said: “Mulaqat with Huzooraa always has a magical effect and, after a long time, could not control my emotions and get the courage to look at the screen. Alhamdulillah summa alhamdulillah, how blessed I am to be the part of this blessed event and how lovingly Huzooraa heard questions and explained every answer. After the mulaqat, I felt as happy as when you find something very precious or you feel comforted, like it brought peace to my inner self.”

Dania Ahmad Sahiba, from Eppelheim,

said: “I was looking forward to listening to the questions, and learning the answers.”

Shamama Mishal Ahmad Sahiba, from Jesteburg, commented: “My excitement level was incredibly high and I couldn’t wait for the mulaqat to begin. This was a huge opportunity to finally have a mulaqat with Huzooraa. It was online, but it was still a connection. It is great that we are having these mulaqats even during the pandemic.”

Batoor Shabir Sahiba, from Osnabrück, said: “I felt fortunate to see Huzooraa after such a long time.”

Amatul Mukeed Sahiba, from Wiesbaden West, said: “I felt great after the mulaqat, it was a beautiful feeling. Whilst we were waiting in silence for Huzooraa, it was a beautiful feeling, as the time was coming closer to finally see Huzooraa my happiness was increasing. Three words I would use to describe my feelings are: overwhelmed, indescribably blessed and beyond belief.”

Ayesha Naveed Sahiba, from Marburg, commented: “The mulaqat was beautiful, it was a beautiful feeling to see Huzooraa. I am taking a lot back with me, for example, the tips Huzooraa gave us on how we should feel strong to be Ahmadis, I feel lucky, proud and overwhelmed. I would like to say to Nasirat who did not have the opportunity to have a virtual mulaqat with beloved Huzooraa that they should all pray a lot and write letters to Huzooraa so that they can have this opportunity too.”

Jazeba Tariq Sahiba commented: “I feel extremely blessed that I have been able to see Huzooraa after such a long time. I think I am so blessed that I have been given this opportunity, and I would like to say to nasirat of Pakistan that I will be praying for them, insha-Allah, one day they will also be blessed with this opportunity.”

Aiza Suleman Sahiba, from Paderborn, said: “It was unbelievable and so informative.

I have made a mental list of all the things I need to improve in my daily life.”

Amna Ghafar Sahiba, from Hanau, commented: “I was looking forward to seeing Huzooraa. It was beautiful how Huzooraa communicated with us, he was in such a relaxed mood. I would describe my feelings as: delighted, serene and stunned.”

Maira Ahmad Sahiba, from HessenSüd-Ost region, said: “I feel so overwhelmed after the mulaqat.

I made lots of notes, I have realised what high expectations Huzooraa has of us. May Allah the Almighty enable us to live up to Huzoor’saa expectations, amin.”

Sajila Munawar Sahiba, from Rüdesheim, commented: “Now I feel relived, I was super anxious before the meeting. Huzooraa had such a relaxed mood, so all my anxiety flew out the window. I am already waiting for the next mulaqat, I hope we get this opportunity again.”

Fareeha Islam Sahiba, from Maintal, said: “It was such a moving experience to be able to recite tilawat in front of beloved

Huzooraa. The minute Huzooraa said my name, it was a beautiful feeling, I was overwhelmed. I can’t thank Allah enough for this opportunity.”

Fizza Ahmad Sahiba, from Eppelheim, said: “I was the second one who was able to ask Huzooraa a question. My voice was a bit quite and shaky, I just got so nervous suddenly. I am extremely happy from the answer, I did think it would be something like that, so Huzooraa confirmed my thoughts. I mean at this age you start to criticise a lot of different things, and you don’t agree with many things. So, I came up with my question, I really wanted to know to what extent you can mix your culture with your religion. Huzooraa very clearly stated that shirk should be eliminated, no matter what the culture is.”

Samreen Malik Sahiba, from Maintal, said: “I wasn’t able to ask my question, I am of course sad, but I am thankful. I mean I got to see Huzooraa and be part of the mulaqat.

I do still want to ask my question, so I will write a letter to Huzooraa as soon as I get home. This question has been in my mind for a long time, I hope Huzooraa will answer my question via post. Insha-Allah.”

Sofia Ahmad Sahiba, from Mainz, commented: “Seeing Huzooraa was amazing, I learnt a lot. What Huzooraa said about purdah, and guiding your friends on the right path was extremely personal for me. I will try to follow Huzoor’saa advice guiding my friends, insha-Allah.”

Mahnoor Amin Sahiba, from Friedberg West, said: “This was my second mulaqat of my life, it was a special moment for me. I learnt so much. Wearing the headscarf comes with many responsibilities, Huzooraa reminded us of those.”

Ghazala Nasir Sahiba, from Osnabrück, commented: “As soon as we said salaam to Huzooraa, I was overwhelmed, I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. I was overjoyed and my emotions were so high, this was my first mulaqat ever. I migrated from Pakistan to Germany five years ago. I never had the chance to have mulaqat with Huzooraa, then the pandemic happened. I am speechless that I am finally here. I would like to say to the girls in Pakistan that they should write lots and lots of letters to Huzooraa.”

Noorudissa Rana Sahiba, from Goddelau South, said: “I feel extremely fortunate. I learned a lot, especially that you should never miss a prayer. From today onwards, I will do my best to offer every salat.”

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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This Week in History 25 February - 3 March 25 February 1921: A Sikh religious leader from Kartarpur district Jalandhar, India visited Qadian and enjoyed the blessed audience of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

25 February 1957: Lt Col Montagu William Douglas passed away at the age of 93. He presided over the court hearing in a case against the Promised Messiahas; acquitting the Promised Messiahas and declaring the accusation made by Dr Henry Martyn Clarke against the Promised Messiahas as fabricated. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 18, p. 438)

A group photo taken in England. Hazrat Jalaluddin Shamsra , Hazrat Abdur Rahim Dardra, and Hazrat Maulvi Sher Alira can be seen seated above

seek further and better treatment in Europe. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 16, p. 455)

Lt Col Montagu William Douglas with Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Shamsra

26 February 1936: Hazrat Maulvi Sher Alira set out for England with the aim to translate the Holy Quran into English. He stayed there for three and a half years and returned to Qadian on 9 November 1938. Despite his old age, he made this long journey only to complete the English translation of the Holy Quran. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 7, p. 301) 26 February 1955: The suffering of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra that had resulted from a knife attack, on this day, intensified and became critical after Maghrib prayer. The new complications to his health forced doctors to strongly advise Huzoorra to

27 February 1914: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira received a revelation upon which he decided to move out of the city to the open air. This was also the advice of the doctors. Following upon advice of physicians, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira moved to the house of Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khanra which was named “Kothi Darus-Salam” and was in the suburbs of Qadian. It was thought that fresh air from the countryside would help in his recovery. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 470) 27 February 1943: The respected wife of Maulana Muhammad Sharif Sahib, the Jamaat’s missionary appointed in Palestine, passed away and was buried there. She is thought to be the first-ever Ahmadi Muslim lady who passed away in a foreign land. It is reported that Maulana Muhammad Sharif Sahib did not let this tragedy hinder his duties as a missionary.

She used to teach three classes for girls in Kababir. And she used to render help towards the preparation and distribution of the Al-Bushra newspaper

along with her husband. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 470) 28 February 1927: Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra attended one of the sessions of the Legislative Council of Punjab on this date. Huzoorra attended the meeting as a visitor. Later in the day, members of the Intercollegiate Association met with Huzoorra and said their lectures took place at a time when Friday prayers were offered.

Huzoorra replied by saying that it was permissible for one to offer the Friday prayers any time after sunrise till Asr time and advised them to offer the Friday prayer before the college lectures began. (Al Fazl, 8 March 1927, p. 2) 28 February 1971: On this date, the second Ahmadiyya hospital in Ghana opened in Asokore. The opening ceremony was attended by 4,000 people and the first doctor for the hospital was Dr Syed Ghulam Mujtaba Sahib. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 27, p. 8) 1 March 1927: Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra graced the convocation organised in Islamiyya College, Lahore, Pakistan. The governor of Punjab also

attended.

On this day, Maulvi Syed Mumtaz Ali Sahib, the manager of Akhbar Tehzeebe-Niswan also met with Huzoorra. On the same day, a famous Christian debater, Abdul Haq Sahib’s brother swore allegiance to Huzoorra.

After addressing the students at the Ahmadiyya Hostel in the evening, Huzoorra was invited for dinner at Chaudhry Shahabuddin’s house. (Al Fazl, 8 March 1927, p. 2) 1 March 1972: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh announced the establishment of Majlis-e-Sehat to organise sports and physical exercise for the people of Rabwah., Pakistan Huzoor (rh) desired that every resident of Rabwah exercised daily. (Tairkh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 28, p. 30) 2 March 1927: Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra delivered a keynote address in Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, Pakistan about the reality of communal tensions and their solution. History tells us that this lecture had a very powerful impact throughout India. The speech was wellreceived in the Hindu and Muslim press.

(Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 576)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022

2 March 1960: The famous journalist and writer, Deewan Singh Maftoon visited Rabwah, Pakistan. His fame developed as a result of his editorials in Riyasat Dehli. The next day he had the privilege of meeting with Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. He also met with elders of the Jamaat and visited Fazl-eUmar hospital, the Al Fazl office, Jamia Ahmadiyya and Talim-ul-Islam High School. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 20, p. 605) 3 March 1924: Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmadra laid the foundation stone of Talim-ul-Islam Middle High School in Kathgarh, India – approximately 60 km from Qadian.

In accordance with the instructions of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmadra reached here on 2 March. On 4 March, he returned to Qadian.

In one of his speeches to the men and women gathered from the surrounding Ahmadi villages, he said that education was necessary because without it the Jamaat Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmadra could not work to spread Islam. (Al Fazl, 18 March 1924, pp. 1-2) 3 March 1927: In Lahore, Pakistan Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a two-hour and 30-minute speech on the subject of religion and science, at Habibia Hall. The meeting was presided over by the famous Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p.

577) 3 March 1953: In Chiandam, Indonesia the following Ahmadis were martyred: Soma Sahib, 37, who was also the Sadr Jamaat, Uson Sahib, 21, Jumli Sahib, 21, Sarman Sahib, 26, Idot Sahiba and Uniah Sahiba.

All these Ahmadis were forced out of their homes by the extremists of Tenara Islam, an extremist party in West Java, and shot dead. (Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, Friday Sermon, 7 May 1999)

“It can only help to put people at ease with Islam”: Australia Jamaat holds True Islam exhibition in Brisbane Square Library Foad Munir Qaid Majlis Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

A first of its kind “True Islam Exhibition” was held in Brisbane Square Library in Queensland, Australia on 8 January 2022.

This one-day exhibition was the result of almost three months of work which included planning, finding the right venue for the exhibition, and getting all the content printed and ready in time. A team was formed, which was led by Mohammad Atae Rabbi Sahib, a missionary.

After finding a few central venues close to the city centre, Brisbane Square Library was chosen for the exhibition as it is located conveniently in the city centre and is a thoroughfare for people visiting the nearby shopping centres.

The library itself is quite new and has great facilities and gets busy over the weekends. The community room for the exhibition is on the ground floor of the library and all visitors to the library go past this room to access other facilities within the library.

Booking a room was quite tricky at first as the library liaison insisted their policies did not allow such content to be displayed.

However, after a few more discussions clarifying the goal of the exhibition and that no promotion was needed by the library, by the grace of Allah, we were successful in getting permission to set up our exhibition.

Once the date was set, Jamaat Queensland had a target to get everything prepared in time. “The True Islam Exhibition” which had 13 banners, was printed on pull-up banners 2m high and 1m wide. Each banner addressed one topic, some of these were: • Islam’s message of peace is universal

• Oneness of God • Equality of women • Equality of all races and nationalities • People should have fundamental freedoms • Our Jihad is of mercy and compassion Nine copies of the Holy Quran in multiple translations were selected based on the popular languages of Brisbane residents and were showcased on stands. Moreover, two books, The Philosophy of the teachings of Islam and The Great Western Revival were also put on display along with posters for each book introducing them to the public.

The event was promoted on Facebook and Instagram through multiple accounts of the community. Queensland has had enormous success in eliminating Covid-19 from society since the pandemic began and people’s lifestyle here hadn’t been affected much, however, due to the recent relaxations in restrictions, a new Covid-19 wave started which caused a lot of people to stop their

usual day-to-day activities.

This caused the attendance for the exhibition to be low and the library which is usually full and bustling with people on the weekends was almost empty. A total of seven guests still came to see the exhibition and the interactions with them were positive, detailed and productive.

Positive feedback was received from everyone in attendance about how educational the event had been for them and one guest, Peter, remarked: “When you are presenting this sort of information openly and in a welcoming way, it can only help to put people at ease with Islam.”

So, whilst the turnout was low, the quality of interactions was high and inshaAllah, by starting promotion early and with the public getting more used to living with Covid-19, we will have more success in the future.

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Against all odds: How decisions of the Khalifa are destined to be blessed Romaan Basit Final-Year Student, Jamia Ahmadiyya UK

Obedience to the Khalifa of the time is essential in Islam. Upon entering the pledge of allegiance (bai‘at), one willingly accepts to obey the Khalifa in all his decisions.

Since the Khalifa is divinely guided, the decisions he makes are also directly inspired

by Allah the Almighty – the infinite source of wisdom (Al-Hakeem). At times, however, this wisdom may not be understood by laymen at the first instance. This is why we believers are expected to “hear and obey”.

This said, there are some people who, whilst remaining in the bai‘at, tend to criticise and critique decisions made by the Khalifa of the time.

So, where do we draw the line? Yes, Allah the Almighty has given us the freedom of conscience and expression, and Islam teaches us to think and ponder for ourselves.

However, does this mean that if our own opinion differs from that of the Khalifa, we should call him out and question the decision? Can we really criticise a decision with our limited insight and intellect?

History has proven time and again that the decisions of not only Khulafa, but also Prophets, have been challenged in all ages; at times, even by their own people.

Despite this, the sheer wisdom behind these decisions has always become manifest later on, proving such decisions to be ideal in the given circumstances and in the events that follow.

This article intends to take a look at such instances, beginning with a few examples from Islamic history, and then the period of the Ahmadiyya Khilafat.

The Treaty of Hudaibiyyah The Treaty of Hudaibiyyah was a great turning point in the history of Islam.

Through it, peace was finally established after years of warfare and Islam flourished more than ever. This said, many companions questioned the decision of the Holy Prophetsa initially as they could not see the wisdom behind it.

In the 6th year after migration (Hijra), the Holy Prophetsa had a dream where he saw himself and his Companionsra performing the tawaf of the Ka‘bah. He led his Companions to Mecca to fulfil this dream but were denied entry by the Meccans. This gave rise to a situation that needed to be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.

Although they did not allow the Muslims to enter and perform the tawaf that very year, negotiations led to an agreement between both parties as to how Muslims

could gain access to the Ka‘bah. This agreement is what came to be known as the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah.

Every article of this treaty was drafted in a way that it appeared to be more in favour of the Meccans and virtually against the Muslims. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra rightly suggests that “in almost every stipulation, the Holy Prophet forfeited his term and accepted the demand of the Quraish.” (The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets, Vol. 3, p. 141) For instance, the Muslims were not allowed to have “Bismillahir-RahmanirRahim” (In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful) inscribed at the opening of the treaty, nor were they allowed to refer to the Holy Prophetsa as the Prophet of Allah, but only as Muhammad bin Abdullah. The

Meccans made the Muslims change both to humiliate them. On top of this, they denied them entry to perform the tawaf until the following year. Other conditions were also drafted in a way where Muslims were given next to no advantage.

Despite all this, the Holy Prophetsa accepted every article of this treaty. The Companionsra found it very hard to digest the tone of the treaty. Their feelings and the subsequent reaction have been described by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra as such: “The companions were in a state of extreme shock, due to what seemed to be an apparently humiliating agreement […] their hearts had fainted in grief due to this apparent failure […] the feeling of grief and apparent disgrace had paralysed them.”

(Ibid, Vol. 3, p. 143) In fact, Hazrat Umarra even confronted the Holy Prophetsa, saying: “Are you not the truthful messenger of Allah?”, “Are we not upon the truth and our enemy upon falsehood?”, “Why then should we bear this humiliation in the matter of our true religion?”

Upon seeing this state of Hazrat Umarra, the Holy Prophetsa responded: “Look hither Umar! I am the Messenger of God. I understand the will of God and I cannot act against it and it is He who shall be my helper.”

In his love for the honour of Islam, Hazrat Umarra then went to Hazrat Abu Bakrra and asked the same, to which Hazrat Abu Bakrra replied: “O Umar, control yourself. Do not

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AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 this as follows: “Sending the army of Usamara proved to be beneficial for the Muslims because the people of Arabia had begun to say that if the Muslims were weak and frail, they would never send this army on the expedition.

Thus, through this, many of the disbelievers became alert and refrained from carrying out their plans against the Muslims.

“It was the firm resolve and tremendous courage of the Khalifa that he sent this army, despite several internal and external dangers as well as certain allegations.

“Then through the triumph and success, God Almighty taught the Muslims their first lesson that after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa, all blessings lie in the obedience to Khilafat.” (ibid)

Hazrat Umarra and the replacement of Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid

allow for your grip to loosen from the rope of Allah’s Messenger. By God, this man in whose hand we have given our own is, without a doubt, truthful.” (Ibid, Vol. 3, p.

140) History attests to the fact that this treaty proved to be extremely beneficial for the cause of Islam. At the time, the world was unaware of this; however, the Holy Prophetsa had received this special wisdom from Allah the Almighty. As a result, warfare was ceased, Islam spread rapidly and the Muslims finally attained victory over the oppressors.

Two things must be clarified here: 1. This demonstration of patience and perseverance by the Holy Prophetsa brought about immense prosperity for Islam.

2. Hazrat Umarra regretted all his life for having questioned the Holy Prophetsa, although he had done so only out of his love for the Holy Prophetsa and Islam. He would always mention that he gave alms and asked Allah’s forgiveness all his life so he could be forgiven for questioning the Holy Prophet.

Hazrat Abu Bakrra and the expedition of Usama bin Zaid At the very onset of his Khilafat, Hazrat Abu Bakrra was faced with a crucial decision to make: The Holy Prophetsa, in the last days of his life, had prepared an army to take on the Romans in Syria, with Hazrat Usama bin Zaidra as commander.

After the demise of the Holy Prophetsa, a wave of apostasy had swept the horizon and brought with it many challenges. In the face of this emerging situation, many companions were of the opinion that it may not be wise to send out this army. Hence, they advised Hazrat Abu Bakrra against doing so.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned this incident in the following words: “Prominent companions had suggested to Hazrat Abu Bakrra that due to the severity of the situation, he should delay sending off the army of Hazrat Usamara and that they should be sent some time later.

“Hazrat Abu Bakr refused, stating that even if beasts dragged his body around, he would still send this army in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Prophet […] Even if there remained with him not a single resident [of Medina], he would still carry out this decision.” (Al Hakam, 26 July 2019, Friday Sermon delivered on 28 June 2019, www.alhakam.org/hazrat-zaid-binharithah-r-a/) History has it that some Companions insisted but failed to persuade Hazrat Abu Bakrra. He remained resolute in materialising an expedition that had been decided by the Holy Prophetsa himself.

The expedition did go ahead as decided

by Hazrat Abu Bakrra and the results proved to be extremely beneficial for the Muslims against all odds.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned

During the Khilafat of Hazrat Umarra, another similar incident took place. Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid had converted to Islam during the life of the Holy Prophetsa, and was renowned for being a remarkable warrior – the Holy Prophetsa would call him “saifullah” (the sword of Allah). He served as a commander of the Muslim army in the era of Hazrat Abu Bakrra and was undoubtedly very successful.

Despite his success, various reasons led to Hazrat Umarra removing him as the army general during his Khilafat, replacing him with Hazrat Abu Ubaidahra. This decision came as a shock for the companions, including Hazrat Abu Ubaidahra himself.

Unable to grasp the wisdom, he showed reluctance in taking charge from such a great commander.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has explained this incident: “The instruction of the Khalifa of the time […] was that Hazrat Abu Ubaidah should take charge. However, Hazrat Abu Ubaidah initially did not take the charge from Hazrat Khalidbin Walid thinking that he was already commanding in an excellent manner.” (Al Hakam, 21 June 2019, Friday Sermon delivered on 24 May 2019, www.alhakam.org/khilafat-andobedience/) Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid told him: “You must immediately take the charge from me because that is the instruction of the Khalifa of the time. I will serve under you with full obedience as you require of me without complaining or any thought of an ill will”. (Ibid) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa further explained: “This is the standard of obedience required of a believer, and it should not be the case that if a decision is made against an individual’s wishes, they begin to object to it.” (Ibid) This shows that even if a decision does not seem to make sense to us initially, or seems to go against our own wishes – it is never befitting to object as obedience remains paramount.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira and the question of Madrasa Ahmadiyya Coming now to Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya, similar situations have happened in the past where a decision of the Khalifa remained

beyond the understanding of some, but the wisdom behind it eventually became manifest.

At the onset of the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, he encountered a situation quite similar to that of Hazrat Abu Bakrra.

It had been the desire of the Promised Messiahas that an educational institute be established to prepare missionaries for the Jamaat. Although an informal setup had been in place since 1905, the Promised Messiahas had intended to establish a formal institute for this important task.

When Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra succeeded him as Khalifa, he decided that a grand madrasa (educational institute) be built in line with what the Promised Messiahas had planned. It was a project that was to incur heavy costs – purchase of land, building and all other paraphernalia.

Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and his like-minded friends from the Anjuman (administrative council) had already been rallying that the funds of the Anjuman were not being utilised carefully. They had earlier criticised none else but the Promised Messiahas, in his lifetime, for spending unnecessarily on the guests that came to visit him.

Now when it came to the question of Madrasa Ahmadiyya, they started a campaign to condemn such a large expense for this purpose.

Having come to know this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira addressed the Jamaat and made it very clear that “if such a thought arises in anyone’s mind that these are very heavy expenses which the Jamaat will not be able to bear, then it is nothing other than a sign of weakness.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol .3, p. 215) Despite this clear instruction of Huzoorra, the Sadr Anjuman held a meeting in Lahore without informing him and decided against this idea. This secret meeting was held on 15 November 1908, where it was decided that the Madrasa was an unnecessary expense.

Those present in this meeting included Khwaja Kamaluddin Sahib, Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, Dr Mirza Yaqub Baig Sahib and Syed Muhammad Hussain Shah Sahib – all of whom were to later oppose Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya and break away from Continued on next page >>

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

16 << Continued from previous page

the mainstream Jamaat.

Deeming this meeting to be a success, they decided to present this idea to the rest of the Jamaat to turn the public opinion against the decision of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. A meeting was held in Masjid Mubarak on 26 December 1908 in which they announced the Sadr Anjuman’s decision.

When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira came to know of this meeting, he went in to find Khwaja Kamaluddin Sahib giving a passionate speech, inciting the public against the Madrasa: “Our Jamaat is intelligent enough to know that funds should not be wasted.

There is absolutely no need to spend this much on a religious Madrasa […] hence [it] should be shut down, and the youth be sent to colleges for secular education.” (Ibid, Vol. 3, p. 229) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira immediately addressed those in attendance and reminded them of how Hazrat Abu Bakrra had faced a similar situation. He also reminded them how Hazrat Abu Bakrra had remained resolute and had met with success despite the initial opposition of many.

Having alluded to this incident of great historical importance, he reminded the Sadr Anjuman that they ought to be careful in their decisions and also to ponder over how future will remember them.

Huzoorra reminded them that this Madrasa was founded by the Promised Messiahas who wanted to see it flourish into a full-fledged institute. Not letting this happen would be similar to objecting to Hazrat Usamara and his army being sent on the expedition. (Ibid, Vol. 3, p. 230) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira remained determined. The Madrasa was established and later developed into Jamia Ahmadiyya – the institute that was to produce thousands of missionaries for the propagation of Islam throughout the world and continues to do so to this day.

Now that Jamia Ahmadiyya is a global institution, it is self-evident that the decision of a Khalifa is always the best and always bears the fruits that a layman may not be able to imagine.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and the question of Khilafat as succession Upon the demise of the Promised Messiahas, a group opposed the institution of Khilafat and believed that it should not continue.

Instead, they thought that Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya (the chief administrative council) should be in control of the affairs.

They had not yet made their stance public and continued to conspire in secrecy throughout the period of the First Khilafat.

When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira passed away, this anti-Khilafat group openly became active and started a vile propaganda against the system of Khilafat. They openly called Ahmadis to revolt against Khilafat and opt for the Anjuman to be the successor of the Promised Messiah.

As Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra had always remained in favour of Khilafat, he tried to convince Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and Khwaja Kamaluddin Sahib – the spearheads of the

anti-Khilafat movement – to understand that Khilafat was what the Promised Messiah saw as the future of the Jamaat’s leadership.

Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra was accused of being sure that he would be chosen Khalifa and that this was his main motive of him being so much in favour of Khilafat.

To this, he replied: “I do not wish to be the Khalifa. I only favour Khilafat because it is the only way forward. Choose whosoever you like as the Khalifa and I will be the first to pledge allegiance at his hand.” (For further details, read The Truth About the Split) However, the majority of the Jamaat understood Khilafat as the only solution and elected Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra as Khalifatul Masih II. From then on, they continued openly opposing Khilafat and set up their own group. They detached themselves from the Jamaat and moved to Lahore, hence commonly known as the Lahoris.

It is important to note that prominent and influential scholars of the Jamaat at the time – the likes of Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and Khwaja Kamaluddin Sahib – insisted that Khilafat should no longer continue; however, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra did not waver from his stance, either before being elected or even after taking the office as Khalifatul Masih.

Huzoorra explained these events in his own words: “A rift arose within the Jamaat. A group of people – who were regarded as the administrative setup of the Jamaat, who occupied Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya, who were responsible for the treasury, under whose influence were the influential figures

of the Jamaat – began to say that there was no need for Khilafat.

“Eloquent speakers like Khawaja Kamaluddin Sahib, famous writers like Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and famous businessmen like Sheikh Rahmatullah Sahib […] all gathered on one side and said that people wished to destroy the Jamaat by making a child a Khalifa.” (Mein hi Muslehe-Maud ki Peshgoi ka Misdaaq Hoon, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 17, p. 204) “The humble section of the Jamaat pledged allegiance to me and the so-called ‘prominent figures’ were separated from the Jamaat. One of them was Dr Mirza Yaqub Baig Sahib.

“As he left, he pointed to our buildings and said, ‘We are leaving because the Jamaat has not treated us well, but you will see that in ten years’ time, these places will be occupied by Christians and all these properties will be taken from the hands of Ahmadis.’” (Ibid, p. 206) These words of Dr Mirza Yaqub Baig Sahib could not be further from the truth.

We witness today how the Ahmadiyya Jamaat has, instead, spread to the corners of the earth under the magnificent leadership of Khilafat.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra emphatically stated: “Even if the whole world accepts me, the status of my Khilafat will not be affected, and if everyone abandons me (God forbid), even then there will be no impact on my Khilafat. Just as a prophet remains a prophet when he is alone, so is the khalifa a khalifa even if he is left alone. Therefore, blessed is he who accepts God’s decree.” (Ibid, p. 209210) The progress of our Jamaat under Khilafat is clear for everyone to witness. The

wisdom behind this divine institution was not recognised by the Lahoris at the time; however, this wisdom became manifest in due time. Not only did the Lahoris live to witness the success of Khilafat, we too are witnessing this.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and his 1924 tour of London In 1924, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra was invited to attend the Conference of Living Religions of the Empire in London. He was to read a paper on the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and its reformist outlook.

As this was to be the first overseas trip, Huzoorra called for a meeting to discuss whether he should undertake the journey or whether someone else ought to be sent as his representative. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra and Hazrat Abdur Rahim Dardra suggested that this was a splendid opportunity to spread the message of Islam overseas, and that Huzoorra himself should be a part of the convoy. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 423) Most of the people present agreed to this; however, there was a group who deemed it better for Huzoorra not to travel and remain in Qadian instead. They had a myriad of reasons, among which was that it was premature for a Khalifa to undertake such a long journey to a distant land where the Jamaat was not established.

Huzoorra sought counsel from 112 local chapters of Jamaat India. While around a hundred were of the opinion that Huzoorra should himself travel to Europe, the rest deemed it not feasible in the given circumstances. (Daura-e-Europe, Anwar-ulUlum, V.8, p. 379) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra stated that he

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AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 himself saw the financial situation of the Jamaat as unfavourable for such a costly travel. His health was another discouraging factor, as was the fact that two of his wives were due to give birth soon. But despite these unfavourable factors, he was guided

by Allah the Almighty that he should travel and attend the conference. (Ibid, p. 380) This incident is unique in the sense that Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra expressed his own thought to be with those who had advised that he should not travel to London for the purpose of attending a conference. He said: “I am not in favour of honouring the invitation to attend the conference and I agree with those who advise against taking up this journey”. (Ibid, p. 382) However, he went on to explain why he had decided to embark upon this journey: “One of the reasons why I deem it essential to travel is the Promised Messiah’s dream where he saw himself in London; hence, his successor should fulfil it.

“The other reason is that since the mission of our Jamaat is to propagate Islam throughout the world, it is essential the we devise a plan to materialise it […]

“Thus, it is absolutely necessary for the Khalifa of the time to travel to the West, acquaint himself with the culture, hold discussions with the people there and then come up with a plan for the propagation of Islam.” (Ibid, pp. 386-387) As he made the decision to travel – against all odds – he also stated: “We should pray that God Almighty, through this decision to travel to the conference, shows His choicest blessings in other ways also.” (Ibid, p. 385) The difficult decision that Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had taken turned out to be full of blessings, just as he had asked of Allah the Almighty in the above prayer.

From the moment of his arrival in London, the press followed his every footstep and worked as a vehicle for the message of Ahmadiyyat to reach all over the United Kingdom. For a period of two months – the duration of his stay – there was hardly a day that newspapers did not carry news about the lectures that he would deliver to various societies of London and elsewhere in the country.

Then, right at the end of his stay in London, he laid the foundation stone of the Fazl Mosque – London’s first mosque – which was to serve (and continues to do so today) as the hub of Islamic activity for many decades to follow.

The mosque itself attracted such a great deal of media attention that it enabled the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat to reach not only the Englishmen but to inhabitants of other parts of the West as well.

Conclusion The above examples, albeit only a handful, are strong proofs of the fact that Allah the Almighty guides the Khalifa of the time and blesses every decision he makes.

As Ahmadis, we should place our trust in Allah the Almighty and also in the fact that He alone appoints the Khalifa. One way to place this trust in Allah is to obey every single word that we hear from the Khalifa with the firm belief that it can only result in good for us and the entire Muslim ummah.

100 Years Ago...

It is a Sign for the truth of the Promised Messiah: A request to support Al Hakam Al Fazl, 23 February 1922

Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira (1875-1957)

My God knows very well the longing and passion in my heart for the continuation and perpetuation of Al Hakam. The Ahmadiyya Jamaat is not unaware of the fact that in the last days of his life, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira left the responsibility of publication and continuation of Al Hakam in the hands of the next Khalifa. He [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra], in the early days of his Khilafat, continued to run it despite the heavy responsibilities of Khilafat.

Eventually, he was compelled to hand it over to a committee, but unfortunately, the committee was not able to run it.

Then, I kept running it [Al Hakam] to the best of my abilities. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] acknowledged my efforts with respect and regard and expressed happiness in the annual gathering of the Jamaat. I have been out of the markaz [Qadian] under Divine providence for some time. I was eagerly desirous of publishing Al Hakam on regular basis, but I was not able to do so despite spending a reasonable amount of money.

In my absence, I could have trusted dear Sheikh Mahmood Ahmad Sahib that if he worked hard, he would have been a good editor. However, I devoted his life after birth to the service of the Jamaat myself, and after acquiring education and reaching the age of maturity, he personally renewed the promise I had made [at his birth]. Now, soon under the instructions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih he will leave for Egypt at his own expense for tabligh [preaching]. (May Allah make him successful in every way, amin).

My state is such that despite my determination, I cannot edit the [Al Hakam] newspaper from a distance of 1500 miles from the markaz. On the other hand, the state of the support of members of the Jamaat (with some exceptions) is such that the dues for the last two years of Al Hakam have not been received. Frequent reminders are needed to draw attention towards the instructions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih regarding monetary assistance [for Al Hakam]. In these circumstances, it seems very difficult to keep the newspaper going.

For me, it is no less than death that I stop publishing Al Hakam.

Thus, as long as I am out of the markaz under Divine will, or as long as a capable editor is not available and members of the Jamaat show some manifest support, I am compelled to publish Al Hakam on monthly basis and I am making this announcement with great spiritual distress.

[The Al Hakam newspaper] was first published twice a week, then it became weekly, and now I am going to publish it monthly. The first issue [of Al Hakam] under this new arrangement will be published on 14 March 1922. There will be no reduction in price. I think that by now, this secret has been openly revealed that by the grace of God, I have never made Al Hakam a source of profit. However, the blessings that showered upon me, as a result, are beyond the comprehension of others.

I want to keep Al Hakam alive believing it is a significant souvenir of the blessed era of the Promised Messiahas, a preserver of the true Signs of the Jamaat and in fact, a sign itself. Consequently, the readers should not worry much and just help enable it to be published every month with great glory and splendour.

It is too early to say what this new structure will be like. A series of VPs [value

payable post] has been issued in the name of the friends who are responsible for the previous dues.

For the friends who have not yet subscribed to Al Hakam, the new issue will be sent to them with the assurance that they are not at all reluctant to be a buyer of Al Hakam. Thence, the second issue will be sent with the demand of its price. All correspondence regarding administrative matters will be carried out through the office of Al Hakam, Qadian, Darul Aman, as usual.

I am sure the Jamaat will not neglect its responsibility regarding the establishment of Al Hakam.

This humble, Yaqub Ali Turab Ahmadi Irfani, [the then] Editor of Al Hakam, Qadian, Darul Aman.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 23 February 1922 issue of Al Fazl)

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Cherished memories of my father, Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari – Part II The popularity of Al Furqan

Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Missionary-in-Charge UK

Arab Ahmadis reminisce about Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Kababir (Palestine) held their Jalsa Salana in April 2000. I participated in that Jalsa as a delegate from the Markaz as per directive by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVra. I was accompanied by my wife. During my two-week stay there, I had the opportunity to meet the Jamaat members there and hear from them about my respected father.

Given my relationship with him, the members met me with such love and affection that I used to be overwhelmed with emotions. Allah Almighty had instilled such love of my father in the hearts of Ahmadis there, that they reminisced about his time and again. One day, all those who had seen my father and had spent some time with him gathered for a meeting at my request.

They all came eagerly and a memorable meeting replete with love, affection and sentiments of attachment took place. All of them narrated their old memories and inspiring anecdotes.

A video of this inspiring meeting was prepared, alhamdulillah. A historical group photograph of all the sincere and devoted friends was also taken. I had heard about the faith and sincerity of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat of Palestine and their love for my father many times but greatly enjoyed witnessing it personally and listening to sentiments of love and various narratives and my heart was filled with praise of, and gratitude to, Allah. It is difficult to describe the feelings in words. Even today, when I recall the visit, tears well up in my eyes. May Allah reward all the devotees abundantly, amin!

One Ahmadi friend told me: “I used to work with the maulana in the printing press. The maulana used to write articles for the Arabic magazine himself, then he composed those articles himself and printed them on the hand-operated printing press with the help of some members. He used to operate the machine himself as well.”

Another Ahmadi friend mentioned that he used to play football with him and he used to frequently manage to dispossess him of the ball. Some of them narrated their memories of travels with him. Some of them narrated details of his debates with the opponents and his preaching conversations. Some mentioned the coffee he prepared himself and then served them with it. In short, these wonderful narrations expressed with love and affection revived the memories of my father and everyone’s heart was filled with prayers for him.

I also learnt that adjoining the old mosque there used to be a small room where my father stayed for some time. That old mosque has since been replaced with a

Seated (from left): Ataur Rahman Tahir Sahib, Hazrat Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari Sahib, Ataul Karim Shahid Sahib. Standing (from left) Ataur Rahim Hamid Sahib, Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib | Photo courtesy of Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib

magnificent and beautiful new mosque.

Later my father moved to another house close to the mosque. That too has been replaced by a new house.

One day, Muhammad Sharif Odeh Sahib, Amir Kababir Jamaat, took me and my wife to show us the spring, situated in the foothills near the mosque. My father used to go there to have a bath in the cold water. He told us that in the fields nearby, the maulana used to practice delivering speeches in Arabic during his early days. He used to buy the latest Arabic newspaper, go there all alone and, standing in the fields, read out the news loudly and thus practised delivering speeches. One day an Ahmadi was passing nearby, and he heard the loud voice of the maulana. That’s how we found out the secret and came to know how hard he used to work, day and night, to propagate Islam and the methods he adopted to increase his skill and ability.

One day Mr Abdullah Asad Odeh took me along to meet his long-standing and elderly acquaintance, who was a well-known scholarly person and leader of a local Islamic organisation. He had had contact with the Jamaat and would come to our mosque at times. He had been informed of our visit and in keeping with Arabic tradition, he came out of his house to welcome us. He received us with a sincere, affectionate, and passionate embrace and led us into the house most respectfully.

He seated us centrally and engaged himself with hospitality straightaway. Other family members were willing to help but he would go in himself and bring food items one by one and serve with love. This was

my first experience of something like this.

His affectionate words and respectful style reflected his cordial love. He expressed his pleasure repeatedly and insisted that we had more of the food. Once we got over the initial formalities of hospitality, we started conversing. Mr Abdullah talked about some Jamaat affairs and the venerable old man mentioned a few things. During the conversation, I asked him, “Since when have you been acquainted with the Jamaat?” His reply greatly surprised Mr Abdullah and me. He said: “I have known the Ahmadiyya Jamaat since I have been to their mosque several times. I met Sayyed Maulana Abu‘al Ata, who was the Jamaat missionary here and was a great scholar.”

Hearing that we were greatly surprised, and happy as well.

When Mr Abdullah told him that I was the son of the maulana his reaction was worth seeing. He got up and embraced me most affectionately. Thinking of my respected father then, I could barely control my emotions. How great is divine grace that his sweet memories and his sacrifices are still alive! Tributes are being paid to him even today.

Musa bin Abdul Qadir of Haifa Jamaat once mentioned to me in London that as a result of the debates by my father, the fame of his knowledge was established in the whole of Palestine to such an extent that the scholars opposed to Ahmadiyyat used to change their route when they saw him coming and thereby acknowledged his scholarly superiority.

Al Furqan ranks high in the history of the Jamaat’s journalism for its popularity and importance. It may be because of the renowned personality of my father, but the real reason for its popularity was its scholarly standard. That is why not only was it one of the popular monthlys in the Jamaat but was also well-reputed and popular among nonAhmadi academic and religious circles. I write down my personal experience for the benefit of the readers.

In 1967 or 1968 I had the good fortune of offering myself for waqf-e-arzi (temporary dedication). I spent that period in Murree, Pakistan with respected Syed Mir Mahmood Ahmad Nasir Sahib and Malik Farooq Ahmad Khokhar Sahib. One day we thought of visiting the centre of Pir Mohrra Sharif. We managed to find our way to the place. The centre was situated in the foothills near Murree. We reached there after a fairly long journey. The staff there welcomed us cordially. We expressed our desire to spend some time with the Pir Sahib, if possible. Within a few minutes, all three of us were ushered into Pir Sahib’s drawing-room. He was seated on a carpet.

He was a middle-aged, handsome, welleducated and broad-minded person. We chatted in a very friendly atmosphere.

We introduced ourselves and he was very pleased and told us that he had known Ahmadiyyat quite well. Saying that he lifted a corner of the carpet and there he had the latest issues of Al Fazl and Al Furqan. He said that he received both regularly and read them eagerly. He added that he kept these publications under the carpet so that others could not see them!

A conversation with an antiAhmadiyya Muslim editor I vividly remember an interesting meeting of my father with an anti-Ahmadiyya man, Shorish Kashmiri, editor of the weekly, Chitan Lahore. I was with my father on that occasion. We were in Lahore to purchase paper for Al Furqan. We arrived at the shop of Malik Abdul-Latif Satkohi who had been my father’s pupil. As usual, he received us warmly and entertained us with tea. During the conversation, he suddenly said: “Maulana! I will bring you face to face with Shorish Kashmiri with whom you have exchanged thoughts frequently.”

We saw Shorish Kashmiri wearing a robe and pyjamas, bare-headed walking along very athletically. By chance, he was also coming to the shop of Malik Sahib.

We got introduced to one another. After the preliminary talk, my father brought up the issue which had been a hot topic in the columns of the weekly Chitan those days. The editor of Chitan had stirred up a mischievous campaign against the Jamaat by insinuating that the Ahmadiyya Jamaat had a new Kalima and he “supported”

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AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 this with a doctored picture of the Kalima written on the façade of an Ahmadiyya mosque in a Nigerian town that appeared in Africa Speaks. He doctored the word “Muhammad” to “Ahmad” in the Kalima written on the mosque and published it prominently on the front page with the caption “Lo! The hunter has fallen into his own trap”.

A well-reasoned and comprehensive rebuttal to that allegation, in addition to the original picture, had been published in Al Furqan. Referring to that answer, my father asked him: “Now tell the truth, Shorish Sahib, do you still believe that Ahmadis have a new Kalima?”

At this Shorish Kashmiri laughed out aloud in his typical style and said: “Leave it Maulana! After all, we too have to sell our magazine!” He further added: “These remarks are off the record. If you publish it in your magazine, I will deny it immediately.”

Dishonesty, falsehood and that obstinacy surprised us all. Once a person is engaged in lies and slander there is no limit to how far they can go; we witnessed a pitiable exhibition of that. And it clarified the meaning of the Quranic verse:

made life miserable. If I raised the carpet a bit to breathe easy, the bees came in and if I lowered it, I breathed in the dusty air.

Anyway, after a few tough minutes, I heard someone calling my name to find out where I was. I shook the carpet to indicate my location. Some Khuddam came along, rolled me in a blanket, and holding my hand, took me to Qadian Dar-ul-Aman. I had been bitten by a couple of bees but was comparatively better off; some others were in bad shape. My respected father was also helped by a friend to reach Qadian safely.

The incident made that Eid an unforgettable one!

Laudable qualities Humility and gratitude were the hallmarks of my father’s life. I heard him expressing his shortcomings and humility many times in the privacy of his home. He always remembered the circumstances of his early life and periods of financial straits. He used to be in tears talking about those days and thanked Allah Almighty in ways that made me overwhelmed with emotions. His condition was a living epitome of the words of the Promised Messiah as:

‫ رھگ ےس وت ھچک ہن الےئ‬،‫بس ھچک رتی اطع ےہ‬

ّ َ ُ ُ َّ َ ُ َ ۡ ُ َ ‫َوت ۡج َعلوۡ َن رِزقک ۡم انک ۡم تک ِذبُوۡ َن‬

“And do you make the denial thereof your livelihood?” (Surah al-Waqi‘ah, Ch.56: V.83) May our religious leaders fear Allah and avoid making falsehood their livelihood!

Fulfilment of an earnest desire Every righteous father wants to see, with his own eyes, his children rendering service to religion. My father too had that desire and always prayed for it. Although after completing my education, I spent most of my time out of Pakistan, I am pleased to say that during my father’s lifetime, many such occasions delighted him to no end and he prayed for me.

When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh visited the UK in 1973, my father was also in London on short leave. I was invited to address a meeting of local police officers.

At my request, my father also accompanied me. The organisers welcomed us warmly and both of us were seated on the stage. I introduced Islam during my speech and answered questions by the attendees.

Some participants asked my father about his dress, particularly the turban. My father answered in Urdu, and I translated it into English. In short, it was all very interesting. I remember vividly that my father was extremely pleased listening to me speaking in English and propagating Islam and he said that in so many words.

Expressing his gratitude to Allah, he prayed for me affectionately. I have mentioned this incident very hesitantly, only to illustrate my father’s desire concerning his children and that Allah Almighty graciously fulfilled his intense desire and thereby comforted his heart and soul in his earthly life.

Alhamdulillah. May he continue to receive good news about all his children in the hereafter as well.

His students’ fraternity My father’s students, rather students of his students, are spread throughout the world engaged in religious service. Most of them,

whenever they met my father, proudly mentioned that they were his students. On such occasions, my father used to say: “According to my principle, my student is he who confesses to being one himself ’.

In the family setting, he talked about his competent and righteous students most affectionately, expressed his pleasure over their success and prayed for them.

He never wished for any of his students to serve him, rather he was pleased to serve them and honour them. By Allah’s grace, he was blessed with a vast circle of blessed and obedient students and this loving relationship continued throughout his life.

Even after his demise, the love and respect with which his students meet indicate that the memory of my father is still alive in the hearts of his students. Some of them have tears in their eyes and are overwhelmed with emotions when talking about him.

That was the result of the love and affection that he had for all his students. I remember that because of his failing health, when he went to Kotli (Azad Kashmir) for recuperation, the late Maulana Muhammad Din Sahib served him, day and night, with such love and devotion that my father’s heart was filled with immense love for him, and he prayed for him from the core of his heart. May Allah reward him abundantly!

Love for the dervishes of Qadian My father had heartfelt love for the dervishes of Qadian. I accompanied my father to Qadian many times and I observed often that he helped them financially as much as he could, secretly. He did that discretely so that it fulfilled the need of the needy brothers without hurting their self-respect.

Moreover, he adopted different styles of respecting, comforting and encouraging the dervish brothers. He met each one of them with love and prayed for them. He used to invite the dervishes visiting Rabwah to his house and held feasts for them.

I remember one particular incident, apparently trivial, but which demonstrates

the hearty feelings of my father. Some dervishes had come to Rabwah, probably for Jalsa Salana. As usual, my father invited them to the house for dinner. The dinner was prepared at home as usual. However, on this occasion, he specially arranged to get yoghurt from the market, not in a small quantity but a whole lot of a full “kunda” – a large flat earthen platter used by milk sellers to set yoghurt in. Everyone was surprised at such a large quantity.

My father explained that on returning from the office the day before, he saw a dervish standing by a shop, buying and fondly eating the yoghurt.

“I thought that they like it very much.

Therefore, I got the full ‘kunda’ to let them eat their fill”, he expressed.

A memorable Eid at Qadian I will always remember one Eid celebrated at Qadian. I was 12 or 13 years old and had accompanied my father to Qadian. Eid took place during that period; it was solemnised in the garden of the Bahishti Maqbarah. It so happened that at the very start of the Eid prayer, someone accidentally prodded the honeycomb on the trees there.

That led to the honeybees flying around and biting everyone. My father was the Imam.

Raising the hands repeatedly for takbirat during the prayer further infuriated the bees into attacking more vehemently. Given the sensitivity of the situation, my father shortened the prayer by reciting Surah alKauthar in one rak‘at and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second and limited his sermon to two to three minutes with his face covered by the end of his turban. By then the assault by the bees had gained momentum.

As soon as the Eid prayer was over, some people ran, over the Dhab bridge, straight to Qadian and some in other directions. Yet there were others, including myself, who rushed under the prayer carpets to protect themselves from the bees. Not caring for the new clothes, I ventured under the carpet, however, the heat and dust thereunder

“It is all Thy bounty; we did not bring anything from home.”

He loved his mother intensely. He used to pray for her and said that his mother was prayers personified for him.

A salient feature of my respected father’s life was his effort to participate in funeral prayers, regardless of whose Janazah it was.

He expressed his condolence to the relatives and counselled them for forbearance and accompanied them for burial if he could, especially when the number of participants was small. The motive was to console the relatives.

Cheerfulness and humour My father was a very cheerful person.

Cheerfulness and a sense of humour were salient features of his disposition. However, he made sure that his funny remarks did not hurt anyone’s feelings. It was the same within the family circle. He used to tell jokes and was fond of listening to jokes. I remember that once I happened to get a book of good jokes. It became a routine that after lunch, I used to read out some jokes from it. My father and the rest of the family used to enjoy that very much. I do not remember the title of the book, but as a joke, we called it “chooran” – a powder made of medicines for promoting digestion.

During early days in Rabwah, there were only a few taangas – horse-driven coaches.

My respected father usually hired a taanga owned by Chaudhry Muhammad Boota Sahib of Darul-Yaman, Rabwah; he too was readily available to render the service happily as and when required. My father used to pay him a bit more than the prevailing rates.

Whenever my father was invited to a dinner party, he urged the hosts to feed the coach driver. He also paid him a little extra during Eid days and other celebrations. He used to talk to them in a jocular mood as well.

Once travelling in his coach in Rabwah, he noticed plants being planted on the roadside. Pointing to them, my father said to Muhammad Boota: “Mr Boota, your name is multiplying” Continued on next page >>

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

20 << Continued from previous page

– a pun on his name Boota which means a plant. Mr Boota and all others enjoyed the pun.

Adulteration of various products, such as adding water to milk, is a common malpractice in our country. An old lady from a nearby village used to supply us milk. We suspected that she was guilty of that at times, (may Allah forgive her). One day my father pointed this out to the lady in a lighter vein. We were sitting in our courtyard wherein we had a water pump.

Addressing the lady my father said: “Look, we have a water pump in our house, if need be, we can add water ourselves!”

Diligence for ablution

BEGIN YOUR AHMADIPEDIA EXPERIENCE NOW

Allah Almighty, with His grace, had blessed my late father with supreme qualities. One of these was his habit of performing ablution before going for dars – a religious lecture – or a speech or address to a gathering of any type.

He was very particular about it and used to advise performing ablution before any speech. It helps purify thoughts by the grace of Allah and attracts divine help. Moreover, I noticed that generally, he tried to be in a state of ablution and whenever it needed refreshing, he attended to that at his earliest convenience. That reflected the state of his mind and heart.

He also had an aesthetic sense; his dress was simple but clean. He was very particular about physical cleanliness as well.

“Elixir of life” – A dream about his age Once my father told me that, in a dream, he was shown a bottle containing a red drink, labelled as “elixir of life” in bold letters and with a note below in rather small letters, that this drink will remain useful for 75 years. I remember vividly that my father added, “I am particularly delighted with the word ‘useful’ because with that Allah Almighty has given me the glad tiding that my life will be useful right till its end and not a life of incapacity. Allah will enable me to serve till the last breath.”

Alhamdulillah, this dream was fulfilled in every respect. He lived for 75 years according to the lunar calendar and Allah Almighty enabled him to render services abundantly in the cause of Islam and he met his Lord treading on the path of service.

“Khalid-e-Ahmadiyyat” – An unforgettable memory I remember vividly the day when Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra awarded him the title of “Khalid-e-Ahmadiyyat” during his speech in Jalsa Salana of 1956. After the Jalsa, I met my father at home. I congratulated him.

My dear father was so overwhelmed with emotions that he struggled to utter a word.

He was humility and gratitude personified.

He would start to say something but was overwhelmed with emotions. It was such a scene that, even after 60 years, writing these words brings tears to my eyes. It is simply unforgettable and indescribable. May Allah Almighty continue to raise my respected father’s ranks forever and evermore, Amin!

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21

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022

100 A dangerous journey through the Years wilderness of Africa and the idols of Ago... idolators Al Fazl, 23 February 1922 Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra (1883-1948)

An idol Before I mention one of my greatest trials, I think it is appropriate to talk about an interesting event.

There is a temple of an idol on the way to Adukrom. A crescent-shaped structure has been created by cutting the trees in the forest. The piles of bottles there and pieces of colourful cloths were pointing towards amusement in the wilderness and attracting the traveller [Hazrat Abdur Rahim Nayyarra].

Immersed in his thoughts and walking with his head down, when the traveller saw that scene, the following conversation immediately took place: Nayyar: Ishaq! What is this?

Interpreter: Syedi [my master]! This is a place of an idol.

Nayyar: What is the name of this idol?

Interpreter: Huzoor! It is called Abu Bandaji.

According to the beliefs of the disbelievers, they become happy with alcohol and live behind curtains. When needed, the worshipers cut a piece of the curtain and take it with them, and request for the fulfilment of their desire.

Nayyar: Does this idol have any apparent shape?

Interpreter: Nayyar Sahib! This is the Gupta Maharaj.

Nayyar: Then what is this, (pointing to the pocket of the curtain), and what is its purpose?

Interpreter: Master! This is a pocket. The idol worshiper puts an offering in it.

Nayyar: Alright! So, what is the name of this Maharaj?

Interpreter: (After inquiring from other men). His name is Abu Bandaji.

Nayyar: What does this mean?

Interpreter: The thing that is so powerful that it can even break iron.

I do not remember any idol of India in the name of this Maharaj. Probably, the idol of Banda Maharaj is present somewhere [in India], and it is also possible that Prakash or Arya Gazette may shed some light on it in the columns [of their periodicals].

and He, Who helps in trouble, granted determination and courage to my heart. All of a sudden, exhausted, tired and weak, I decided to walk the remaining nine and a half miles. Leaving the motor on the road, I mustered up my courage and moved forward while reciting the following couplet: �

A dangerous journey through the wilderness of Africa

[“In Your love, I have taken the mountain of sorrow over my head (and now, I don’t care) no matter what happens.”]

A motor was waiting for me three miles from Cape Coast Castle and around 14 miles from Saltpond. The 6-mile trek and [the energy consumed by] the sermon now seemed to affect the weak Nayyar. I was tired and wanted to rest. I happily sat in the motor with the interpreter and called the driver to “Go on.” As I was thirsty, I broke a coconut and drank its water and ate a piece of sugarcane. I thought that after all the days of discomfort, soon after, in only half an hour we would insha-Allah reach Saltpond and rest, but the divine decree had destined for us the greatest trial in Africa on that day.

The motor was going uphill when suddenly the engine stopped. The driver and the servant tried their best but they could not repair it. Unfortunately, they did not carry a light. They thought that 14 miles is not a long distance and they would be back soon.

There was no oil in the motor lamps and even if there was some, there was nothing to ignite the fire. The night was dark, the road was covered on both sides with dense forest and high hills. The clouds were looming overhead. That hardship greatly perturbed us. We got out of the motor and started pushing it. Clothes were ruined and hands got dirty.

After trying for an hour, it all worsened.

We asked a passerby for help but he did not respond. We then asked him if there was a village nearby, he replied in the negative.

At that time, there was no option but to pray. I implored before Allah the Almighty

A difficult path and our destination

‫� ي‬ � � � � ‫� ي��ے �ہ � � � ي�ا‬

A part of the path was so dark that it was even difficult to see a distance equal to my hand. Muhammad Ishaq was in front of me and the servants of the motor were behind me carrying the belongings on their heads.

A series of thoughts came to mind and the memory of the beloved stirred emotions in the heart and compelled the tongue and I began to uncontrollably � speak in that state:

‫ن‬ ‫را� را� ي�ار ي‬ ‫�اں ي��ں ي��ے � د ي�اں ��ں‬ � � ‫� � � ڈراوے �رات ا� ي��ے � � ہن آوے‬ ‫� ���ي�اں � ��ں‬

[“Ranjha (beloved)! Ranjha! My friend, I am desirous of meeting you, The lightning flashes and the clap of thunder scares us, The night is dark and we cannot see anything, Our screams have come out now.”]

With these words, tears from the eyes and the drizzle from the sky created a strange atmosphere. The series of thoughts was not completely over when Muhammad Ishaq said that it was very dark and the road was dangerous so it was appropriate to walk along the seashore. [He said that] it was the time of the low tide; the water had receded and there would be some light because of the open air on one side.

Following that advice, we went along the shore. Considering the pain as a comfort in the way of Allah the Almighty, I walked about five miles by the dark sea. At night,

a fire was sometimes seen flashing, going off, running and jumping on the sea.

Everywhere, such scenes are considered to be ghosts or demons by ignorant people.

The poor driver and servant were afraid to move forward. On the other hand, Muhammad Ishaq was less fearful than the idolaters but he too was afraid. It was impossible to immediately get rid of the delusion of ghosts, demons and satans from the heart. Therefore, I helped all of them to recite the mantra of ‫[ لا ﺣﻮل ولا ﻗﻮة إلا باللہ‬There is no might or power save with Allah], and I myself went ahead.

In that time, the ghosts ran away. I thought that everything was all right then, but now a cluster of trees came and then came a sound of an animal from behind.

The poor fellows were frightened again.

Then, I moved all of them from the back to the front, and looking at the fortified walls of the former Dutch fort in a large village three miles from Saltpond and tearing through the bright forces of the fireflies, we reached the main road again. It was wide and less dark. Thus, the journey of 15 to 16 miles on foot finally ended on that day.

How did this journey end? What was the condition of the body? What was in the heart? How did I implore Allah the Almighty? And with what pain I read this verse of Hazrat Maulvi Rajeki Sahib’s[ra] poem:

� ‫�ن �� �وے �ڈے د�ں �ں و�ے‬

[May there be someone who might share our sorrows?]

And with what thoughts did I arrive at the house, where no one in the house was there to take care of the weary traveler?

These are all questions and the readers will automatically determine their answers from their hearts. I will just say:

� ‫دی �� ا� یک‬، ‫�ن دی‬ ‫� وت �ي ےہ � � ادا ہن �ا‬

[“I gave my life, for it was granted by Him [God], But the truth is that I failed to repay its due in full.”]

ْ ُ ّ َ َْ َ ّ ّ ْ َّ َ َ َّ ‫الس ِم ْیﻊ ال َع ِل ْیم‬ ‫ربنا تﻘبل ِمنا ِانك انﺖ‬

[“Our Lord, accept this from us, for Thou art surely the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing.”]

Ahmadiyya conference in Saltpond As at the Accrafol Conference, which took place on 15 August [1921], some important issues could not be decided, and all the time thereafter was spent on a [tabligh] tour, and the needs of a large Nigerian Jamaat demanded that I return to Lagos as soon as possible, so I want to return to Nigeria soon after cancelling the Sierra Leone and Liberia programme. Consequently, it has been considered appropriate to hold a public jalsa in Saltpond where the leaders of this jamaat may discuss the future work together. Moreover, they should be informed about the important commandments as well. This public jalsa or conference has been scheduled to be held on Friday, 25 November [1921]. Typed notifications have been sent. We hope that the jalsa will be successful, insha-Allah.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu on 23 February 1922 issue of Al Fazl)

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

22

Islam today

1. Does Islam permit men to hit their wives?

As should be widely known, the main basis for the rules and regulations of Islamic law is the Holy Quran.

The Holy Quran says:

ۤ ُ ُ ّ ً َ َۡ ۡ ُ ُ َۡ ۡ ّ ۡ َُ َ َ َ ۡ َۤ ٰ ٰۡ َ ‫اجا ل َِت ۡسکنوۡا ِال َ ۡی َہا‬ ‫و ِمن ای ِت ٖہ ان ﺧلﻖ لکم ِمن ا�ف ِسکم ازو‬ ً َ ۡ َ َّ ً َّ َ َّ ۡ ُ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ َ ‫وجعل بینکم مودة ورحمة‬

“And of His Signs is that He has created mates for you from among yourselves that you may find peace of mind in them, and He has put love and tenderness between you.” (Surah ar-Rum, Ch.30: V.22) So, the divinely intended hallmarks of a good marriage are peace of mind, love and tenderness.

Since the verses of the Holy Quran are intentionally pregnant with various meanings, when it comes to their direct translation into practical actions, some of the verses could be applied to everyday life in various ways. Therefore, the Sunnah, i.e. the Prophet’ssa way of acting, which is the second pillar of Islamic law, sheds further light on them. Hence, the Holy Quran says: ُ َُ ۡ َ ۡ ُ َ ّ ‫َو َما ۤ ٰا ٰت ُک ُم‬ ‫الرَ ُسوۡ ُل فﺨذ ۡو ُه َو َما ن ٰہک ۡم َعن ُہ فان َت ُہوۡا‬ “And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from it.” (Surah al-Hashr, Ch. 59: V. 8) And: ُ َ َ َۡ​َ ٌ َ ٌ ُ ّٰ � ‫لﻘﺪ‬ ‫ان لَک ۡم فِ ۡی َر ُسوۡ ِل الل ِہ ا ۡسوَة َح َسنة‬ “Verily, you have in the Prophet of Allah an excellent model” (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.22) It is narrated in a hadith: َّ ْ َ َ ْ ُ ْ َّ ُ َ ُ ُْ َُ ُ​ُ َ ‫ول الل ِہ‬ ِ ‫عن قتادة قلﺖ لعاﺋﺸة یا أم المؤ ِمنِين أن ِب ِئی�ِ� ع ْن ﺧل ِﻖ رس‬ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ ْ ُ َ ْ ُ ْ ُ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ ُ َّ َّ َ ‫آن قل ُﺖ بَلی قال َ ْﺖ ف ِﺈ ّن ﺧل َﻖ‬ ‫صلی اللہ علی ِہ وسلم قالﺖ ألسﺖ تقرأ القر‬ ّ َّ َ َّ ّ َ َ‫ان ال ْ ُق ْرآن‬ َ َ � ‫اللَ ُہ َع َل ْی ِہ َو َس َّل َم‬ ‫ن ِ� ِ� الل ِہ صلی‬ rh Hazrat Qatadah reported, “I said to Hazrat Aishara, ‘O mother of the believers, tell me about the innate disposition of the Messenger of Allahsa.’ Hazrat Aishara replied, ‘Have you not read the Quran?’ I said, ‘Of course I have.’ Hazrat Aishara said, ‘Verily, the innate disposition of the Prophetsa of Allah was the Quran.’” (Sahih Muslim, The Book of Prayers – Travellers, Hadith 746a)

Does Islam permit men take pride in saying that no political agendas wh Khulafa did have a very So, it becomes clear that the Holy Prophetsa was the Holy Quran personified and lived out; he was the standard against which every Muslim must measure themselves; the optimum they must seek to achieve; the state they must strive for.

What, then, was the Prophet’ssa demeanour with regard to the question discussed here? ُّ َ ً َ َّ َ َّ َّ َّ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ‫ول الل ِہ َ َصلی الل ُہ َعل ْی ِہ َو َسل َم ﺷ ْیﺌا قﻂ‬ ‫عن عاﰱِﺸة قالﺖ ما ��ب رس‬ َّ ْ ‫ب َیﺪ ِه َولَا‬ َ �� ‫امرَأَ ًة َولَا َﺧا ِد ًما إلَّا أ ْن یُ َجا ِﻫ َﺪ‬ ‫یل الل ِہ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫س‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ra Hazrat Aisha reported that the Messengersa of Allah never struck anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, but only, in the case when he had been fighting in the cause of Allah. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fazail, Hadith 2328a) The role model of all Muslims never struck any woman in his entire life, whereas he himself would have had many times more potential situations to do so since he had, by divine permission, a multitude of wives than were allowed to others. َّ َ ُ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ ّ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ُ ّ َ ْ َ ‫ول الل ِہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم‬ ‫ معا ِویة الﻘﺸيرِ ِي قال أتیﺖ رس‬،ِ‫عن ج ِﺪه‬ َّ َّ ُ ُ ْ َ َ ُ ُ ْ َ َّ َّ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ ُ ْ ُ َ َ َ ‫قال فﻘلﺖ ما تﻘول �ِ� نِساﰱِنا قال أﻃعِموﻫن ِمما تﺄ�لون وا�سوﻫن ِمما‬ َ ُ ُ ّ َ ُ َ َ َّ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ْ َ ‫وﻫ ّن‬ ‫تکتسون ولا ت� ِ�بوﻫن ولا تﻘ ِبح‬ Mu‘awiyah al-Qushayrira reports that he once went to the Messengersa of Allah and asked him, “What do you command about our wives?” He replied, “Give them the same food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab an-Nikah, Hadith 2144) Allah’s Messengersa was also extremely perplexed by the fact – which seemed paradoxical and dissonant to him – that a husband could first beat up his wife and then at some point afterwards also embrace her, i.e. sleep with her. He said: ُ ُ َّ َ ُ َْ َ َ​َ ْ ُ​ُ ُ َ َ ُ َْ َ ‫ ﺛ ّم ل َ َعل ُہ ي َعا�ِﻘ َہا‬،‫امرَأت ُہ � ْ� َب الف ْح ِل‬ ‫ِبم ي� ِ�ب أحﺪ�م‬ “How does anyone of you strike his wife as he strikes the stallion camel and then embraces (sleeps with) her?” (Sahih alBukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith 6042)

Meaning of the word daraba Translating the word daraba, used in Surah al-Nisa, Ch.4: V.35, as hitting, beating or

striking does not do justice in the least to the actual meaning of the word and, for that matter, to its range of meanings. Below are listed only two ahadith to make it clear that the action indicated by the word daraba can simply mean a light touch. َّ ّٰ َ ‫َع ْن َجریر ـ رﺿی اللہ عنہ ـ َق‬ ‫ال َما َح َج َب�ِ� الن ِ� ّ�ُ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم‬ ٍ ِ َ ْ َ ّ ُ َ َ َ َُ ْ َ َ َ َ َّ ‫ َولا َرآ�ِ� ِإلا ت َب ّس َم �ِ� َو ْج ِ�� َولَﻘ ْﺪ ﺷکوْت ِإل َ ْی ِہ ِإ�ِ� لا أﺛ ُب ُﺖ‬،‫ُمنذ أ ْسل ْم ُﺖ‬ ْ ْ َ ُ ْ ّ َ َّ ُ َّ َ َ َ ْ َ َ​َ َْ َ ‫اج َعل ُہ َﻫا ِد ًیا‬ ‫َعلی الﺨ ْی ِل ف� َ� َب ِب َی ِﺪ ِه �ِ� صﺪرِي وقال اللہم ﺛ ِبتہ و‬ ً ‫َم ْہ ِﺪ ّیا‬ Hazrat Jarirra relates, “Allah’s Messengersa did not screen himself from me since my embracing Islam, and whenever he saw me, he would receive me with a smile. Once I told him that I could not sit firm on horses.

He struck me on the chest with his hand and said, ‘O Allah! Make him firm and make him a guiding and a rightly-guided man.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Seer, Hadith 3035) َ َ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ ُ َ َ ُ ْ ُ َ َ ّ َ َ ْ َ ‫ال ف� َ� َب ِب َی ِﺪ ِه َعلی‬ ‫ قال قلﺖ یا رسول الل ِہ ألا تستع ِمل�ِ� ق‬،‫عن أ�ِ� ذ ٍر‬ ٌ‫ام ِة � ِْ�ى‬ ٌ ‫ال یَا أَبَا َذ ّر إنَّ َك َﺿع‬ َ ‫ِیﻒ َوإنَّ َہا أَ َمان َ ٌة َوإنَّ َہا یَوْ َم الْﻘ َِی‬ َ ‫َم ْن ِک�� ﺛُ َّم َق‬ ِ ِ ٍِ ِ َ‫َونَﺪ‬ َ‫ام ٌة إ ّلاَ َم ْن أَ َﺧ َذ َﻫا ب َح ّﻘ َِہا َوأَ َّدى الَّذي َع َل ْی ِہ فِیہا‬ َ ِ ِ ِ It has been narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abu Dharrra who asked the Prophetsa, “Messenger of Allah, will you not appoint me to a public office?” He struck my shoulder with his hand and said, ‘Abu Dharr, thou art weak and authority is a trust, and on the Day of Judgment it is a cause of humiliation and repentance except for one who fulfils its obligations and (properly) discharges the duties attendant thereon.’” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Imaarah, Hadith 1825)

Restriction, not permission What has been labelled as permission in the question is, in fact, not permission, but a restriction, even a prohibition, namely, the prohibition of beating one’s wife on impulse.

As modern-day statistics and surveys sufficiently prove (when man is supposedly so much more advanced in his development than he used to be), domestic violence is still a universal problem, far beyond any boundaries of region, religion, ethnicity

and culture.

A man in his right mind would never strike his wife, let alone consider beforehand that the Quran has given him permission to do so. If anything, such a man would restrain himself because of what is written in the Holy Quran and not strike.

This verse primarily offers a solution for such men who do not control themselves, who have a problem of violence. Let us take a closer look at how the verse is structured.

It says:

ۡ َ ٰ َ ۡ ُ َ ۡ َ ُ ّٰ َ َّ َ َ َ ِ ّ ‫ال َق ّٰو ُموۡ َن َع َلی‬ ُ ‫اَ ّلر َج‬ ‫ﺾ‬ ِ ٍ ‫النسَٓا ِء ِبما فض ٰل اللہ �عضہم ع ۡل َی �ع‬ ّ ٰ ّٰ ‫َّوب َما ۤاَ�ۡ َفﻘُوۡا ِم ۡن اَ ۡموَال ِہ ۡم ؕ ف‬ ‫الص ِل ٰح ُﺖ ق ِن ٰت ٌﺖ ٰح ِفﻈ ٌﺖ ل ِلغ ۡی ِﺐ ِب َما‬ ِ ُ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ِ َ َ ّٰ ّٰ َ ‫َح ِفﻆ الل ُہ ؕ َوال ِت ۡی تﺨافوۡ َن نﺸوۡز ُﻫ َّن ف ِعﻈوۡ ُﻫ َّن َو ۡاﻫ ُجرُ ۡو ُﻫ َّن فِی‬ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ​َ َ ۡ َ ۡ ؕ ‫اج ِﻊ َوا� ِ�بُوۡ ُﻫ َّن � ف ِا ۡن اﻃ ۡعنک ۡم ف�َا ت ۡبغوۡا َعل ۡی ِہ َّن َس ِب ۡی�ًا‬ ‫ال َمض‬ ِ ّٰ َّ ۡ َ َ َ � ‫الل َہ‬ ‫ان َع ِل ًّیا ﻛ ِبي ًرا‬ ‫ِان‬

“Men are guardians over women because Allah has made some of them excel others, and because men spend (on) them of their wealth. So virtuous women are obedient, and guard the secrets (of their husbands) with Allah’s protection.

And (as for) those on whose part you fear disobedience, admonish them and keep away from them in their beds and chastise them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Surely, Allah is High and Great.” (Surah an-Nisa, Ch.4: V.35) The Holy Prophetsa himself paraphrased and contextualised this verse in his own words. He said: َ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ ْ َ ْ ُ َ ْ ٌ َ َ َّ ُ َ َّ َ ً ْ َ َ ّ ْ ‫أَلاَ َو‬ ‫ون ِمن ُہ ّن‬ ‫اس َتوْ ُصوا ِبالنِسا ِء ﺧيرا ف ِﺈنما ﻫن عوان ِعنﺪ�م لیﺲ تملِک‬ ْ َ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ ّ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َّ َ َ َ ْ َ ً ْ َ ‫وﻫ ّن‬ ‫ﺷیﺌا غير ذل ِك ِإلا أن یﺄتِين ِ�فا ِحﺸ ٍة مب ِین ٍة ف ِﺈن فعلن فاﻫجر‬ َ​َْ َّ ْ َ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ْ ُ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ ّ َ ُ َ ْ َ ً ْ َ َّ ُ ُ ْ َ ‫اج ِﻊ وا� ِ�بوﻫن ��با غير مبرِ ٍح ف ِﺈن أﻃعنکم ف�ا تبغوا علی ِہن‬ ِ ‫�ِ� المض‬ ً ‫َس ِبی�ا‬ “Surely, I enjoin you to treat women well, for they are in your authority. You do not have any right to treat them otherwise, unless they commit a clear obscenity. If they do so, you may forsake their beds and then strike them without violence, but if they obey you then you ought not to do so.”

(Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Kitab ar-Rida‘, Hadith 1163) The purpose here, thus, is to discourage domestic violence. The husband is not

23

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022

to hit their wives? Why do we t Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya has hen the Holy Prophet and his strong one? allowed to treat his wife other than well, no matter what his wife does. Even if she commits an obvious obscenity, even then the husband is not allowed to strike her.

Rather, he should only admonish her.

If the wife then continues to engage in obvious obscenities, even then the husband is not allowed to strike his wife, but he is to separate his sleeping place.

These two measures serve as a safeguarding measure for the woman and offer her chance to reflect. They are a true deterrent to any possible unpleasantries and offer a wife to either mend her ways if she is knowingly transgressing or to safely exit the marriage using legal options afforded to her by the sharia.

2. Why do we take pride in saying that Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya has no political agendas when the Holy Prophet and his Khulafa did have a very strong one?

This is a leading question, and what is suggested in the question must first be questioned. The Ahmadiyya Khilafat does have political goals that it pursues.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra said at one point: “Therefore, it is our duty to establish the Islamic teachings in the world, to settle people’s disputes according to the Shariah, and to sanction offences in non-penal matters according to the Islamic sentence, unless the government restrains us and says, ‘We do not allow you in these matters to govern them according to your own dictates.’ Apart from this, it is necessary to enact even the smallest Islamic order and establish every possible structure of Islamic rule in the world. But we cannot and will not interfere in those parts which the government holds in their hands. If the enemy calls our efforts and struggle ‘establishing our own rule’, we do not care.

We even say that we want to establish an Islamic rule in the world, but it is a spiritual rule, and we have never concealed that we want to establish an Islamic rule in the world; rather we openly say that God

willing, we will eventually establish an Islamic rule in the world. What we deny is that we will establish an Islamic rule by the force of the sword and by sedition; rather we will establish an Islamic rule by conquering the hearts. Can anyone imagine that if it were in my power today to convert all the people of England to Islam, to convert the ministers there to Islam and to convert the members of parliament to Islam and to establish an Islamic government there, I would refuse to avail the opportunity? I would not hesitate for a minute and try to convert these people to Islam immediately and establish an Islamic government in England, but as this is not within my power, I cannot do it. Otherwise, I do not deny that I have this idea in my heart and of course it is my heart’s desire that our kings become Muslims, that the ministers also become Muslims, that the members of parliament also become Muslims and that all the people of Britain also become Muslims.”

(Friday Sermon, 13 March 1936) A fundamental conceptual misunderstanding that must be clarified before moving on is the translation and transfer of the premise of the separation of church and state, which originated in Christianity, to Islam as the separation of faith and politics.

Islam is not a religion in the Christian sense of the term, but a holistic concept of life. The Arabic term iman, which is sometimes translated as faith or belief due to the limitations of language, is far removed from the Christian concept, for the components of iman are tripartite: 1. Confirmation by the heart (tasdiq bilqalb) 2. Pronouncement by the tongue (qaul bil-lisan) 3. Practical or through action (‘amal bi-ljawarih).

Furthermore, the Messengersa of Allah has commanded to rectify ills with one’s own hands and has called the mere considering of an ill as evil in the heart as the lowest level of faith. In addition, it is impossible to assume that the Khalifa – the divinely supported supreme religious authority

of the world – would merely display that lowest level of faith. The Messengersa of Allah said: َ َْ َ َّ َْ َْ ُْ َ ‫َم ْن َرأى ِمنک ْم ُمن� ً�ا فل ُیغ ِي ْر ُه ِب َی ِﺪ ِه ف ِﺈ ْن ل َ ْم یَ ْس َتﻄِﻊ ف ِبل َِسانِ ِہ ف ِﺈ ْن ل َ ْم‬ َ �ْ‫یَ ْس َتﻄ ِْﻊ َفبﻘَ ْلب ِہ َو َذل َِك أَ ْﺿ َع ُﻒ ال‬ ‫ان‬ ِ ‫یم‬ ِ ِ ِ “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he is unable to do so, then with his tongue. If he is unable to do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest level of faith.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Imaan, Hadith 49a) Accordingly, the political is part of the everyday life of every Muslim and every Islamic institution.

What needs to be understood, however, is that the mandate of the Khalifa depends on the mandate of the divinely appointed one (ma’mur) whose successor he is. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra clarifies this in the following words: “If God grants kingdom to His Prophet, his Khalifah will also be entitled to it and God will surely vouchsafe the kingdom upon him. But if the Prophet happens to be without a kingdom, from where will it come for his Khalifah? Because God had granted both the worldly and spiritual kingdoms to the Holy Prophetsa, his Khulafa’ too were granted both of these bounties. But now, as God has not vouchsafed a worldly kingdom upon the Promised Messiahas, with whom should his Khalifah fight to have one?”

(Blessings of Khilafat, p. 12) He also was once asked, if sovereignty was necessary for a Khalifa. He answered: “The meaning of Khilafat is: 1) kingdom and 2) successorship; and whichever domain a person is the Khalifa of, he will work within that, as per the origin [that his authority originates from]. The purpose of appointing the Holy Prophetsa was also spiritual reformation. In the sense of the Arabic language, it is also correct to call a king a Khalifa. Every single sovereign is also a Khalifa but the Muslims have particularised it.” (Al Fazl, 28 November 1921, p. 5) Here something quite essential has been established, namely that the Messengersa of Allah and his Khulafa primarily had the mandate of spiritual reform, and that

material and political rule was altogether secondary in nature. This is also the reason why many prophets and their successors were not granted temporal rule. This is also recognised by the great historian of world renown, Ibn Khaldunrh (d. 808/1406). He writes: ً ‫ ﺛم التبسﺖ‬،‫فﻘﺪ تبين أن الﺨ�افة قﺪ وجﺪت بﺪون الملك أولا‬ ‫ ﺛم ا�فرد الملك‬،‫معانیہما واﺧتلﻄﺖ‬ “It is thus clear that the caliphate at first existed without territorial authority. Then, the characteristic traits of the caliphate became muddled and confused. Finally, territorial authority came to exist alone.”

(Al-Muqaddima of Ibn Khaldun, trans.

Franz Rosenthal) When it comes to the welfare of Muslims, it is the divinely conferred duty of the Khalifa to be concerned about it and to interfere in such matters as far as possible, because the spiritual welfare of Muslims is not possible to achieve without also taking care of their physical welfare.

Thus, for example, we see that the Khulafa have always been politically active, also in an institutional but non-governmental way, throughout their lives.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, for instance, was elected president of the All India Kashmir Committee, which was specifically based on concerns and interests of Muslims in Kashmir.

Also, under the leadership of the current supreme head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, all political and legal options and contingencies were reviewed in order to restrict the insult and defamation of our beloved Holy Prophetsa in the countries of the world. Moreover, it is a well-known fact that politicians of all stripes frequently appear in person before Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa and take moral guidance from him in political affairs.

Thus, we can observe that the Khulafa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat do interfere in politics where necessary and possible for the welfare of all Muslims and for humanity at large. What is ruled out, however, is that the Khulafa-e-Ahmadiyyat do not aspire to holding political posts or offices and to become directly involved in politics.

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

24

Visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil to preach Ahmadiyyat

Hafiz Ihtsham Ahmad Moman Missionary, Brazil

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world by area and the sixth by population.

The country’s biggest city is Sao Paulo with a population of over 12 million.

By the grace of Allah, there are Jamaat members present in this city. With the guidance of Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa,

I visited the city for one week to conduct tarbiyati and tablighi activities, visited the houses of Ahmadi Muslim members and offered congregational prayers and Jumuah prayer with them.

With the help of members of the Jamaat, pamphlets were distributed and banners about Islam and the Promised Messiahas were placed at the city’s popular locations.

People’s attention was drawn by a big

MKA USA hold camp on how to preach Islam Talha Saifi, Mohtamim Ishaat MKA USA

Mahmood Kauser Sahib reports that the tabligh department of Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya USA set in motion this year’s “Da‘wat Ilallah Camp”.

For this year’s camp, we had 200 Khuddam registered who joined virtually.

The average number of users was 90.

Topics discussed during the camp were: • Good without God – How to tackle Atheism?

• Messaging: what should we say?

• How to harness self-confidence, identity, motivation and passion • Don’t just spread the message, but be the message During the conclusion of this year’s camp, we had a special ceremony for the “Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra Lifetime Commitment Award” which was awarded to Akbar Tshaka Ahmadi Sahib, a pioneer Ahmadi Muslim who resides in Harlem, New York.

During the first Segment – Good without God – How to Tackle Atheism? – Rizwan Khan Sahib delivered a presentation in which some statistics regarding the USA and their belief in God were highlighted.

After sharing these statistics with all participants and a short discussion on the topic, the following questions were then

discussed: • Why people don’t have faith in God? • Why are people leaving organised religion?

The next question that was posed to all Khuddam for their impressions and thoughts was, “Can you be good without God?” Some Khuddam were able to answer the question and have an interactive discussion back and forth with the presenter. After several Khuddam answered this question on their own, the presenter answered the question based on Islamic viewpoints.

During the second segment, Tariq Malik Sahib (North American Coordinator of The Review of Religions) delivered a presentation on “Tabligh, self-confidence, identity, motivation and passion”. He went over topics such as “Ethics of tabligh” and “How Khuddam can gain confidence in doing tabligh”.

A question he posed to the Khuddam was, “Can you remember the last time you were afraid of something [...] but you did it anyway?”

Some of the Khuddam gave their input on this question, relating some incidents of their life where they were not committed to doing certain things, but did them anyway and were able to push through their fears.

Next, Tariq Malik Sahib shared six tips and tricks with the Khuddam to improve their confidence skills.

banner which had the Promised Messiah’s picture and read “The Messiah has come”.

People asked a variety of questions about the Promised Messiahas and about Islam Ahmadiyyat.

Moreover, meetings were held with different people to tell them about Islam Ahmadiyyat. I also visited the Buddhist Temple and met with the secretary.

Furthermore, I visited a non- Ahmadi mosque in the city and met its Imam. And together with the Imam, we distributed food in the city to the homeless people.

Similarly, some local people who attend the Quran classes I hold met me and bought some Jamaat literature. A lecture was also held to which local guests were invited. In this lecture, I spoke about the advent of the Promised Messiahas.

By the grace of Allah, a Brazilian woman who also attends the Islam and Quran classes was blessed to enter the fold of Ahmadiyyat by performing bai‘at.

May Allah the Almighty bless the Jamaat with the positive fruits of this visit and may the Jamaat continue to grow and succeed at each step. Amin.

At the very end of the lecture, some clips of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh were shared in which he talked about relying on prayer and how we should attract people to ourselves first and then draw them to the message of Allah.

After this, Abdullah Dibba Sahib, a missionary, gave a presentation on “Messaging – What should we say?”

He gave an interactive presentation on how to interact with people. Moreover, some excerpts from the sermons of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh were read and questions were asked based on those excerpts.

During the third segment, Ali Murtaza Sahib (former National Tabligh Secretary) spoke on “Don’t just spread the message, but be the Message”.

Each year, Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya USA presents a pioneer member of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya USA, the “Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Lifetime Commitment Award”. This award is given to recognise pioneer Ahmadis, those who played a big role in the establishment of the Jamaat here in the USA through their efforts of tabligh and personal relations.

Akbar Tshaka Ahmadi Sahib was the recipient of this year’s award.

Ousman Mbowe Sahib, Naib Sadr MKA USA, introduced Akbar Tshaka Ahmadi Sahib.

A series of questions were asked to Akbar Sahib regarding his early time as an Ahmadi here in America.

In the end, Akbar Ahmadi Sahib led silent prayer and the event concluded. The total duration of the camp was 2 hours and 15 min.

100 Years Ago...

Daily d Superb stops d

20 December 1921 [Status of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkoti Sahibra and Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra in the eyes of the Promised Messiahas] Maulana Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib[ra] presented a letter of the Promised Messiahas to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] from the file of Al Hakam newspaper that Huzooras wrote to the late Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahibra.

In it, Hazrat Jariullah [the champion of Allah, Ahmadas] had written: “I have been granted two men. One is Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin Sahib and the other is Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib, and no third person [with their respective qualities] has ever been born.”

Regarding this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “Once there was a discussion among the women of the house. Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib’s wife said that Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib was dearer to the Promised Messiahas and our mother [Hazrat Ummul Momineenra] would say that Hazrat Maulvi Sahib [Khalifatul Masih Irh] [was dearer to the Promised Messiahas]. That matter was presented before the Promised Messiahas and he said smilingly, ‘As is narrated in a hadith, both of them are practically on my left and right.’ Hazrat Maulvi Sahib used to stay on his right side and Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim on his left side.”

21 December 1921 [The superb memory of Pir Sirajul Haq Sahibra] Tazkirat-ul-Mahdi Part II, authored by Hazrat Pir Siraj-ul-Haq Sahib[ra], which is a very fine and beneficial treatise, and which contains the accounts and sayings of Hazrat Hujjatullah [Proof of God, Ahmadas], was presented to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih.

Examining it, Huzoor[ra] said: “It [having good memory] is also an innate ability. Pir Sahib has a natural gift of committing events to memory. He remembers [the details] to such an extent that it seems as if he even remembers the actual words.”

23 December 1921

[“Tabligh stops disputes”] It was reported to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih that there was a dispute in a particular jamaat, so such and such missionary

25

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022

diary of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra: memory of Pir Sirajul Haq Sahibra, tabligh disputes and lessons from nikah Al Fazl, 20 & 23 February 1922

engaged those people in tabligh [preaching].

Now, they have started working diligently.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “Tabligh stops disputes,َ as it is mentioned ُۡ ُّ in the Holy Quran: ‫‘[ ل َ َعلک ۡم تفل ُِحوۡ َن‬That you may prosper’]. There is underlying wisdom in the differences between religions and it exists so that the powers of goodness may combine.”

24 December 1921 Nikah Sermon

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih first sat on a chair in the mihrab [niche in the mosque that indicates the qibla and the Imam stands in it to lead the prayers] of Masjid Mubarak, and then stood up and recited [the Arabic wording of] the nikah sermon. Thereafter, Huzoor[ra] said: “We observe in the world that human nature derives a special kind of pleasure from meeting each other. That pleasure can be in whichever form, but it does exist.

When a friend meets another friend, he enjoys it. When two brothers meet each other, they enjoy it. When the parents meet their child and the child meets them, they enjoy it. Hence, all human beings get a sort of pleasure when they meet each other, even if they do not feel it. Its proof is that if a person is going alone in a forest and he suddenly finds another person there, no matter how outlandish he is and unfamiliar with his language, he will still be happy. If an Indian, who does not know Pashto, and a Pathan, who is unfamiliar with Urdu, suddenly meet in a jungle, they will certainly be happy.

“In other words, a person [generally] enjoys meeting another human being.

Though the said happiness is hidden, it is still present in abundance. For example, the delight we get from the nose, eyes and ears is hidden and a person does not cherish it.

However, when one’s eyes are lost, hearing and sense of smell are lost, and then that person regains the said senses, it surely gives a lot of happiness, comfort and pleasure. If the eye is diseased and the doctor covers it with a bandage and advises not to open it, even then the person removes it to a degree and tries to peak through the bandage. The said practise may result in the complete loss of sight, but still, if a person sees light at that time, he gets a lot of happiness and delight.

“When one cannot hear through their hears and they get relieved after pichkari [inserting liquid through a syringe] or the completion of the course of the disease, it results in great happiness for him. If the sense of smell is lost and regained after some time, then even if one smells a foul odour, it gives rise to happiness. Thus, some comforts are not known, but one realises them when they are assumed to be lost and then found again.

“Moreover, the point that happiness comes from meeting each other guides us to the fact that when there is comfort and tranquillity in meeting a human being, then how much more pleasure, serenity and comfort will there be in meeting and union with God, and the nikah also comes under the same spirit.

“I did not say it needlessly that small

things are the guide for great things, but I will explain it with the help of an example.

There shouldn’t be any hesitation in [shedding light on the matter of] religion.

We also have children in our sermons.

We can neither stop them nor let them be deprived of this knowledge, so I will explain how small things guide towards great things and how the meeting of man and woman leads to the relationship with God. “One of the purposes of the creation of mankind is that they grow their progeny.

God is concerned with the survival of the human race. What did God do in this regard? This is a great goal. Now we take a look at how this great purpose has been achieved by small means.

“A child is born and, in their body, they have the ability to reproduce. The survival of mankind depends on individual survival, and so the first step is for the child to survive on its own. The question is who teaches the baby to suck milk. They cannot speak, cannot express their thoughts and desires, but nature has placed the power of sensuality in their palate and tongue in particular.

When the baby takes the mother’s breast in their mouth and presses it, they enjoy it and with it, the milk goes into their stomach and that results in their survival. It is as if God has placed their life and survival in the said pleasure.

“Then, when the days of adulthood arrive after their childhood, who gives them the knowledge of private matters? Apart from some wicked ones, the divine power of nature and God’s law teaches everyone.

To understand how this works, we should ponder over the fact that this power and pleasure has been placed by nature near the organs used to urinate, etc. A person washes away the filth and, in this way, they eventually become aware of the pleasure and feel it. They then know that the said place carries the organ which has been given to them for the survival of the human race.

This is a very subtle and long discussion but I have briefly explained how attention is drawn from small things towards great ones.

“Behold! How [God] placed a small pleasure and employed it for the survival of the human race. In the same way, the pleasure of a relationship also serves the purpose of whom we belong to.

“A person feels they should belong to God and if they meet Him, then just as the human race survives through the union of man and woman, human beings are blessed with eternal, everlasting and uninterrupted life when they meet God Almighty. There is nikah to draw attention towards this matter and we should always keep the said purpose in mind.

“Generally, as the pleasure becomes the centere of attention in a relationship, human beings sometimes forget its real purpose which is the relationship with God, and only mere pleasure persists.”

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 20 and 23 February 1922 issue of Al Fazl)

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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NATO, Russia and Ukraine: Rising tensions and a word of warning from Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Ata-ul-Haye Nasir Al Hakam

Since November 2021, tensions are rising between Russia and the West over the issue of Ukraine, and all the diplomatic options are proving to be ineffective.

During a virtual meeting on 13 February 2022, the Ahmadiyya Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa had said: “It is said that if Ukraine and Russia go to war then there is the danger of this evolving into a world war and resultantly nuclear weapons can be used.

“I have been warning of this for a long time, that governments should come to their senses. Nevertheless, from what it seems Russia says ‘We have no intention [to go to war]’ – America and Europe are adamant about going to war. And the current situation is that neither Europe nor Russians want to leave Ukraine. So, let’s see what happens.”(Al Hakam, 18 February 2022, Issue 205, p. 4)

Addressing all Ahmadis, Huzooraa said: “It is your duty to pray. Continue to pray that Allah the Almighty safeguards you

from a world war. […]

“It is prayer alone that can save you.”

(Ibid) Russia was continuously building up its forces around the Ukrainian border, and the West was expressing its concern over this issue.

On 15 February 2022, Russia had announced a “partial” withdrawal of troops from the Ukrainian border after the completion of military exercises, although officials in the US and Europe said they had seen no evidence to support the claim.

The NATO leaders are accusing Russia of preparing to fabricate a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine by creating a false-flag operation.

Since 16 February 2022, tensions are rising in eastern Ukraine after Russianbacked separatists launched an intense artillery barrage across the line of control with Ukrainian forces, shelling a nursery school and injuring three people. (The Guardian, 17 February 2022, “Shelling by Russian-backed separatists raises tensions in east Ukraine”) “Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine

announced a mass ‘evacuation’ of civilians to Russia on Friday [18 February], shortly before a car bomb exploded – raising fears a critical moment has been reached in Kremlin ‘false flag operations’ that could be used to justify military action. The selfproclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) packed civilians onto buses as warning sirens blared.” (Independent, 18 February 2022, “Pro-Russia rebels ‘evacuate’ Ukrainians as Donetsk bombing fuels ‘false flag’ claims”) On 19 February 2022, while speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary-general said that international “peace cannot be taken for granted” and warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will only get more NATO” on his borders amid aggression against Ukraine. He further said: “NATO is a defensive Alliance. We are not threatening Russia or anyone else.

But we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies.” (NATO website, accessed 19 February 2022, www.nato.int/cps/en/ natohq/opinions_192204.htm)

On the same day, Ukraine’s joint

forces command reported intense shelling from Russian-backed separatists against Ukrainian civilians.

On the other side, Russia successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable ballistic and hypersonic missiles as part of the annual strategic Grom exercises. Rob Lee, a Russian military expert and fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute said that the timing of these exercises was significant, and it seemed to be a signal to NATO not to interfere if Russia invades Ukraine. (The Guardian website, accessed 19 February 2022, www. theguardian.com/world/live/2022/feb/19/russiaukraine-news-crisis-latest-putin-biden-kyiv-russianinvasion?filterKeyEvents=true)

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said that Russia was targeting a humanitarian convoy from the office of the United Nations commissioner for refugees, as it returned from the separatist-controlled territory, and the attack represented a “gross violation” of ceasefires agreements. (Ibid) Russia and Belarus announced an extension of military drills near Ukrainian borders. Upon this, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba said: “It’s time to act. I am officially saying that there are all the grounds to implement at least a part of sanctions prepared against Russia, now.” (Reuters, 20 February 2022, “Ukraine

says it’s time to implement some sanctions against Russia”)

On 20 February, the US embassy in Russia issued a security alert which read: “According to media sources, there have been threats of attacks against shopping centers, railway and metro stations, and other public gathering places in major urban areas, including Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as in areas of heightened tension along the Russian border with Ukraine.”

(https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-missionrussia-february-20-2022/)

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova questioned if the United States had passed on the information about possible attacks to Russia. “And if not, how is one to understand all of this?” (Reuters, 20 February 2022, “U.S. embassy tells Americans: have an evacuation plan from Russia”) UK prime minister, Boris Johnson said that evidence suggests Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945.”

He told the BBC’s Sophie Raworth in an interview, “All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun.” (BBC, 20

February 2022, “Ukraine: Russia plans biggest war in Europe since 1945 – Boris Johnson”)

The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing food prices to fluctuate, and risks pushing families across the Middle

27

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 East and North Africa into severe hunger.

Russia is the largest exporter of wheat in the world, while Ukraine has significantly climbed the ranks in grain exports over the last decade. Families who already face skyrocketing food prices could see the cost of staple items climb even higher if supply chains are disrupted, experts have warned.

New Ahmadiyya mosque in Natitingou, Benin

(The Telegraph, 20 February 2022, “Russian invasion risks pushing families across Middle East and North Africa into severe hunger”)

Abeer Etefa, the spokesperson for the World Food Programme, said: “We’ve had volatility in the market even in the past few days, because of worries of potential conflict. The price of grains has started to fluctuate.”

He added: “Food prices are already at a high. We’re worried that people in the Middle East and Africa could become even more vulnerable if supplies are disrupted.” (Ibid) European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen disclosed some details of the sanctions Moscow would face if it invaded Ukraine, saying Russia would be cut off from international financial markets and denied access to major export goods. She added that sanctions would be imposed on “all goods we make that Russia urgently needs to modernise and diversify its economy, where we are globally dominant and they have no replacement.” (Reuters, 20 February 2022, “Russia

could lose financial markets access, advanced goods if it invades Ukraine – EU chief ”)

CNN reported that the new satellite imagery, collected by Maxar on 20 February, showed intensified activity among Russian units close to Ukraine’s northeastern border, with units that were in garrisons appearing to take up field positions. (CNN

website, accessed 21 February 2022, https://t.co/ MLr2GbCeLP)

The French president, Emmanuel Macron had invited Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden to attend a summit aimed at deescalating the Ukraine crisis, and the leaders agreed in principle, Macron’s office had announced, amid further US warnings that war is imminent. The Élysée Palace put out a statement on Sunday evening following last-minute diplomatic efforts by the French president to try to dissuade Russia from invading Ukraine. (The Guardian, 21 February

2022, “Macron paves way for potential Putin-Biden summit on Ukraine crisis”)

“Presidents Biden and Putin have each accepted the principle of such a summit,” the statement said. “Its content will be prepared

by Secretary of State Blinken and Minister [Sergei] Lavrov during their meeting on Thursday 24 February. It can only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine.” (Ibid) On 21 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a video address to the nation, following the initiative of the country’s lower house of parliament and security council to recognise two Russianbacked breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities. He said: “I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago – to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic.”

He added: “Those who seized power and keep power in Kyiv, we demand they stop the hostilities immediately. Otherwise, all the

Mirza Farhan Ahmad Baig Benin Correspondent

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Benin had the opportunity to construct a mosque in Anandana, Natitingou region, which was inaugurated on 11 February 2022, by Mian Qamar Ahmad Sahib, Amir Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Benin.

Anandana village is located at a distance of about 55 km from the regional centre in Natitingou.

The foundation of this mosque was laid on 21 November 2021, by my humble self as

responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodbath will be on the conscience of the regime that is ruling in Kiev”, and “If Ukraine was to join NATO it would serve as a direct threat to the security of Russia.”

He further said: “I want to say clearly and directly that in the current situation, when our proposals for an equal dialogue on fundamental issues have actually remained unanswered by the United States and NATO, when the level of threats to our country is increasing significantly, Russia has every right to take retaliatory measures to ensure its own security. That is exactly what we will do.”

(Reuters, 21 February 2022, “Extracts from Putin’s speech on Ukraine”) In response, the NATO SecretaryGeneral, Jens Stoltenberg said: “I condemn Russia’s decision to extend recognition to the self-proclaimed ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ and ‘Luhansk People’s Republic.’”

He added: “This further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.” (BBC website, accessed 21 February 2022, www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/worldeurope-60454795)

Financial Times reported: “Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian troops into Ukraine on a ‘peacekeeping mission’ after recognising two Moscowbacked breakaway territories.

“Putin’s decrees, published by the

the regional missionary.

This mosque has the facility of MTA and calligraphic work has also been done inside the mosque, which includes the Kalima and the attributes of Allah the Almighty.

During the construction of the mosque, members of the local jamaat, and the neighbouring jamaats participated in waqar-e-amal with great passion.

The mosque was inaugurated on 11 February 2022 by amir sahib Benin. The ceremony commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by qaseedah and naat.

After this, the village chief congratulated the Jamaat on the construction of the mosque and termed this mosque to be a prelude to the spread of Islam in the village.

Some other dignitaries also congratulated the Jamaat for the mosque and appreciated the Jamaat’s services for humanity.

This was followed by speeches from Ibrahim Hamza Sahib and Muzaffar Ahmad Zafar Sahib.

Amir sahib formally inaugurated the mosque and led the Jumuah prayer. The ceremony was attended by more than 200 people.

Kremlin in the early hours of Tuesday morning, ordered the armed forces to enter the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.

“The decree says the troops are to remain in the territory until both separatist states sign treaties about ‘friendship, co-operation, and mutual aid.’” (Financial Times website, accessed

website, accessed 22 February 2022, https://news.sky. com/story/ukraine-live-updates-russia-recognisesdonetsk-and-luhansk-sanctions-invasion-12541713)

21 February 2022, www.ft.com/content/d0b9bab89445-4e16-b370-fda85fd5f431)

As a reaction, Western countries are imposing sanctions on Russia. UK prime minister, Boris Johnson announced sanctions against five Russian banks and three Russian individuals. Moreover, Germany announced that it would suspend certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. (BBC website,

accessed 22 February 2022, www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ world-europe-60454795)

The Russian foreign ministry said that Russia is not planning to send troops to eastern Ukraine “for now” but will do so in case of a “threat”. The Deputy Foreign Minister told the AFP news agency that the treaties include the provision of “military aid” but added that “speculation” on troop deployments should be avoided. “For now, no one is planning to send anything anywhere. If there is a threat, then we will provide assistance in accordance with the ratified treaties.” (Ibid) Vladimir Putin, during an address, asserted that the Minsk Protocol, an agreement which sought to end war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, “no longer exists”. For this reason, Mr Putin said, he has no commitments to adhere to. (Sky News

US president Joe Biden, speaking to reporters at the White House, said that the United States would impose sanctions against two large Russian financial institutions and Russian sovereign debt.

Sanctions were imposed against Russian elites and their family members as well, administration officials said. Biden also said, “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” (Reuters, 22 February 2022, “Biden puts sanctions on Russian banks and elites as he says Ukraine invasion has begun”) World leaders need to realise that this is one of the most decisive moments in modern history. In fact, it is the make or break moment for not only the contemporary world but also for future generations.

The world powers must reconsider their plans, and try their utmost to avoid those paths, which could lead the world towards complete devastation.

They must learn some lessons from the past, and stay firm on their recent pledge, where five of the world’s most powerful nations – the US, Russia, China, the UK and France – had agreed that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”.

If they fail to remain loyal to this pledge, the world could face huge devastation, about which Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, Khalifatul Masih V has been warning the world for the past two decades.

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Friday Sermon 28 January 2022 Men of Excellence: Hazrat Abu Bakrra After reciting the tashahhud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: Accounts from the life of Hazrat Abu Bakrra were being related and I will continue to narrate them today as well.

With regards to the Battle of Hamra alAsad, it is written that the Holy Prophetsa returned from the [Battle of] Uhud on a Saturday. On Sunday, at the time of Fajr, Hazrat Bilalra gave the call for prayer and sat down, waiting for the Holy Prophetsa to come out. In the meantime, Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr bin Auf Muzani came looking for the Holy Prophetsa. When the Holy Prophetsa came out, Abdullah stood up and informed him that he was returning from his family, while he was in Malal, the Quraish had set up a camp there. Malal is the name of a place on the way to Mecca, located at a distance of 28 miles from Medina.

Furthermore, he said that he heard Abu Sufyan and his companions saying, “You all achieved nothing! You caused them harm (i.e. you harmed the Muslims) and you caused them pain, but then you left them and did not annihilate them.” The disbelievers responded, “There are still numerous prominent individuals among them (i.e. from among the Muslims), who will gather against you. Hence, let us return and destroy those individuals who are left behind.” Safwan bin Umayyah was sitting among the disbelievers and he stopped them from doing this and said, “Oh my people!

You should refrain from doing this as they have already fought you and I fear that those who were previously unable to join the battle will now join them in order to fight you. You should return as victory is yours and I fear that if you return [to confront them], you will suffer defeat.”

Upon this, the Holy Prophetsa called for Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra and informed them of what this companion, Muzani had told him. In reply, both of them submitted, “O Messengersa of Allah!

Let us advance towards the enemy so that they will not be able to attack our children!”

When the Holy Prophetsa had completed the morning prayer, he gathered the people and said to Hazrat Bilalra to announce, “The Messnegersa of Allah is commanding you to advance towards the enemy and only those individuals should set out with us, who had joined us in battle the previous day (that is, only those who were present in the Battle of

Uhud).”

The Holy Prophetsa asked for his flag, which had been tied up since the previous day and had not been opened again. The Holy Prophetsa handed this flag to Hazrat Alira. It is also recorded that the flag was given to Hazrat Abu Bakrra. (Mustafa ‘Abd al-

Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], pp. 308-309) (Yaqut Ibn ‘Abd Allah alHamawi, Mu‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 5 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-’Arabi], p. 225)

Nevertheless, when this convoy of Muslims reached Hamra al-Asad, which

is located at a distance of eight miles from Medina, the idolaters became fearful and. abandoning the idea of going to Medina. they instead headed towards Mecca.

(Muhammad al-Salabi, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiqra aur Karname [Pakistan: Maktabat al-Furqan], p. 113)

The battle of Banu Nazir took place in

29

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 4 AH. The Holy Prophetsa, accompanied by a small party of companions, went to the people of Banu Nazir. There are different narrations explaining why the Holy Prophetsa went to them. According to one narration, the Holy Prophetsa went to them to collect the blood money of two people who had been killed by the tribe of Banu Amir. Approximately 10 companions accompanied the Holy Prophetsa, including Hazrat Abu Bakrra, Hazrat Umarra and Hazrat Alira.

When the Holy Prophetsa arrived there and asked for the amount to be paid, the Jews said, “Yes, O Abu al-Qasim, first you should eat and then we will address the matter you have brought.”

At the time, the Holy Prophetsa was sitting against a wall. The Jews began to plot and conspire with one another, saying, “We will never get a better opportunity for killing this man [i.e. the Holy Prophetsa].

Who among us will climb to the top of this house and drop a heavy stone on him, so that we may get rid of him.” Upon this, Amr bin Jahash, a chieftain of the Jews, agreed to the plan and said, “I am ready for this task.” Following this, Salam bin Mishkam, who was another Jewish Chieftain, opposed the idea and said, “Under no circumstances should you carry out this act. By God, he (the Holy Prophetsa) will surely be informed of what you are plotting. This is an act of treason because we have made a treaty with them.”

When the man who was to drop the stone on the Holy Prophetsa reached the top [of the building], the Holy Prophetsa was divinely informed about this plot.

Allah the Almighty informed him of what the Jews were planning to do. Right away, leaving his companions where they were seated, the Holy Prophetsa stood up and proceeded to depart, as though he had another engagement. Thereafter, he returned to Medina swiftly. After arriving in Medina, the Holy Prophetsa sent Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamahra to Banu Nazir with a message stating, “Leave my city (i.e.

Medina). You will not be permitted to live in my city. The plot you devised was an act of treason.”

The Holy Prophetsa gave the Jews a period of 10 days, but they refused and said they would never leave their homeland.

On receiving this reply, the Muslims prepared for battle. When all the Muslims had gathered, the Holy Prophetsa departed to face Banu Nazir. The flag for this battle was held by Hazrat Alira. The Holy Prophetsa besieged their forts, and no one came for their aid. Then the Holy Prophetsa mobilised his forces against Banu Nazir, and in the evening, he returned to his home with 10 companions.

According to one narration, during that time, the Holy Prophetsa assigned the command of the Muslim army to Hazrat Alira, while according to another narration, this honour was given to Hazrat Abu Bakrra.

On one end, the Holy Prophetsa carried out a strict siege, and on the other, Allah the Almighty caused the awe of the Muslims to settle in the hearts of the Jews. Finally, they requested the Holy Prophetsa to spare their lives and exile them with permission to take as much of their belongings as they could load onto their camels except for their weapons. The Holy Prophetsa accepted their request.

According to one narration, Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra went to the Holy Prophetsa saying, “O Messengersa of Allah! Allah will make His religion prevail and grant honour to His Prophetsa. We have made a promise to the people and we desire not to break it, otherwise, they (i.e. the disbelievers) shall see it as a sign of cowardice.

According to one narration, the Holy Prophetsa lay siege for 15 days, while some narrations differ in the number of days of this siege. (‘Ali bin Burhan al-Din alHalabi, Al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, Bab Ghazwah Banu Nazir [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2002], pp. 357-361) With the permission of the Ansar, the Holy Prophetsa distributed all the spoils of war acquired in the battle of Banu Nazir amongst the Muhajirin. Upon this, Hazrat Abu Bakrra addressed the Ansar and said, “O company of Ansar, may Allah grant you the best reward.”

(Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa alRashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], p. 325)

An incident that took place in 4 AH. is the Battle of Badr al-Mau‘id. The cause of this expedition is that when Abu Sufyan bin al-Harb was departing from the Battle of Uhud he said out loud, “Next year we shall face one another again at Badr al-Safra and we shall fight there.” The Holy Prophetsa

instructed Hazrat Umarra to reply, “yes indeed, God-Willing.” They all then parted thereafter. When the Quraish returned, they informed their people of this agreement.

Badr is a famous well between Mecca and Medina and situated between the valley of Safra and Jar. Badr is situated 150 km southwest of Medina. In the era of ignorance, a large festival used to take place on 1 Dhu al-Qa‘dah and lasted for eight days.

As the appointed time drew nearer, Abu Sufyan became less and less content to set out against the Holy Prophetsa and was fearful. He desired not to come up against the Holy Prophetsa at this appointed time.

Abu Sufyan was making it seem as though he was preparing a great army to attack the Muslims and also so that this news would reach the people of Medina. Through means of this, he wanted this news to spread among the Arabs in order to strike fear into the Muslims. (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], p.

337) (Shawqi Abu Khalil, Atlas Sirat Nabawisa [Darul Islam, 1424AH], p. 216)

According to one narration, Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra went to the Holy Prophetsa saying, “O Messengersa of Allah! Allah will make His religion prevail and grant honour to His Prophetsa. We have made a promise to the people and we desire not to break it, otherwise, they (i.e. the disbelievers) shall see it as a sign of cowardice. You must go ahead according to the agreement, for by God, there is good in this.” Hearing these sentiments, the Holy Prophetsa became overjoyed. When the Holy Prophetsa received this news regarding the army being assembled by Abu Sufyan, he appointed Hazrat Abdullahra bin Rawahah as the Amir of Medina in his absence.

According to another narration he appointed Abdullah bin Abdillah bin Ubayy bin Sulool as the amir, and gave his flag to Hazrat Alira as he set off with his companions towards Badr. Alongside him were 1,500 Muslims. One the way, the Muslims took

30 part in some trade at the festival that was taking place and made quite some profit from their business. After remaining there for eight days they returned to Medina.

(Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar alKutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], p. 337) (Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 2, Bab Ghazwah Rasulullahsa Badr alMau‘id [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2017], p. 46)

The Muslims engaged in trade in that festival with the thought in mind that if the battle was to take place then so be it, but if it did not, then they could at least do some business there and the Muslims benefited from this a great deal.

It is then written that during the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan challenged the Muslims to meet the following year. Further details of this have been recorded by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra. He writes: “After the battle of Uhud, whilst returning from the battlefield, Abu Sufyan challenged the Muslims to both parties meeting again the following year at Badr, and the Holy Prophetsa announced his acceptance of this challenge. Hence, the following year, in 4 AH at the end of the month of Shawwal, the Holy Prophetsa set out from Medina with a force of 1,500 Companions and appointed Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Ubayy as the Amir in his absence. On the other hand, Abu Sufyan bin al-Harb also set out from Mecca with an army of the Quraish, consisting of 2,000 men. However, despite the victory at Uhud, and a force this large, his heart was fearful and even though he was bent upon the destruction of Islam, he wished not to confront the Muslims until he could gather a larger force. As such, he was still in Mecca, when he dispatched a man by the name of Nuaim, who belonged to a neutral tribe, towards Medina and emphatically instructed him that in any way possible, he should intimidate and threaten the Muslims, and craft fabricated stories to hold them back from setting out for war.

“Hence, this individual came to Medina and crafting false stories of the preparation, strength, zeal and fury of the Quraish, created a state of unrest in Medina. This was carried out to such an extent that various people of weaker dispositions began to harbour fear in taking part in the battle.

“However, the Holy Prophetsa encouraged the Muslims to go forth and in his address, he stated, ‘We have already accepted the challenge of the Quraish and we have promised to set out on this occasion, therefore, we cannot turn back. Even if I am required to go alone, I shall go and stand firm in the face of the enemy.’

“As a result, the fear of the people was dispelled and they became prepared to set out in the company of the Holy Prophetsa with great zeal and sincerity. In any case, the Holy Prophetsa set out from Medina with 1,500 Companions and on the opposing end, Abu Sufyan set out from Mecca with his 2,000 men. However, the power of God was such that the Muslims reached Badr according to their promise, but the army of the Quraish came out to some distance and then retreated to Mecca.

“According to the accounts, it is stated that when Abu Sufyan learnt of the failure of Nuaim, he became fearful in his heart and after having travelled some distance, he retreated with his army admonishing them, ‘This year the famine is very severe, and people are facing financial difficulty.

Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM Therefore, it is not wise to fight at this time. We shall attack Medina with greater preparation when a time of affluence is at hand.’

“The Muslim army stayed at Badr for eight days, and since a festival would take place there every year in the beginning of Dhu Al-Qa‘dah (which has been mentioned previously), during the festival, many Companions engaged in trade and were able to generate significant profits. As a matter of fact, in this eight-day business venture, they were able to multiply their initial capital two-fold. When the festival came to an end, and the army of the Quraish did not arrive, the Holy Prophetsa departed from Badr and returned to Medina. The Quraish returned to Mecca and began to prepare for an attack upon Medina. This ghazwah is known as the ghazwah of Badr al-Mau‘id.” (Sirat KhatamunNabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, pp. 529-530)

Ghazwah Banu Mustaliq was a battle that took place in Shaban 5 AH. Regarding this battle it is stated that another name for ghazwah Banu Mustaliq is ghazwah Muraysi. (Al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi

[Beirut, Lebanon: ‘Alam al-Kutub, 2013], p. 341)

The Banu Mustaliq were a sub-branch of the Khuza‘ah tribe. This tribe lived near a well-named Muraysi. They lived at a distance of one day’s travel from Furu and Furu is approximately 96 miles from Medina. (Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 2, Bab

Ghazwah Rasulullahsa al-Marisi [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 48) (Al-Munjad Arabic Lexicon, under the Arabic root ‫)برد‬

According to Allamah Ibn Ishaaq, ghazwah Banu Mustaliq took place in 6 AH, whereas according to Musa bin Uqbah it took place in 4 AH. Waqidi states that this ghazwah took place in Shaban 5 AH. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra has written that the battle took place in 5 AH. Nonetheless, when the Holy Prophetsa learnt that the Banu Mustaliq were planning to launch an attack on the Muslims, the Holy Prophetsa marched towards them in Shaban, 5 AH with 700 companions. The Holy Prophetsa gave the flag of the Muhajirin to Hazrat Abu Bakrra. According to another narration, the Holy Prophetsa gave the flag of the Muhajirin to the Hazrat Ammar bin Yasserra and the flag of the Ansar to Hazrat Sa‘dra bin Ubadah. (Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, Vol. 4, Ch. 7, Ghazwah Nabi al-Mustaliq, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2001] pp.

169-170)

The details regarding the incident of Ifk [the great calumny] are as follows. On the return from ghazwah Banu Mustaliq, the hypocrites levelled a false allegation against Hazrat Aishara, daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakrra. This incident is known in history as the incident of Ifk [calumny]. There is a narration of Hazrat Aishara in Sahih alBukhari; although I have mentioned this in relation to another companion, (Friday Sermon 14 December 2018) however, it is necessary to mention it in connection with Hazrat Abu Bakrra, and so I will mention it again.

The narration from Hazrat Aishara is as follows: “It was a custom of the Holy Prophetsa that when he intended to embark on a journey, he used to draw lots amongst his wives (this is mentioned in the narration of Hazrat Aishara), then he would take along with him the one whose name was drawn.

On one occasion, before a ghazwah, he drew lots in the same manner, (Hazrat Aisha says)

and my name was drawn. Thus, the Holy Prophetsa took me along. This was the time when injunctions on Purdah had already been revealed.

“Hence, I would sit in a litter, and it would be placed on the back of a camel and later on, it would be placed on the ground. When the Holy Prophetsa set back after having finished from one of the expeditions, and we approached the city of Medina, one night, the Holy Prophetsa ordered a departure.

When I heard this announcement, I left to one side, away from the army. When I had attended the call of nature, and returned to my camel, I touched my neck and found that my Azfar [Yemenite beaded] necklace had been lost.”

Nonetheless, Hazrat Aishara says: “I went back in search of my necklace and was delayed a short while. In the meantime, those who had been appointed to lift my carriage and place it on the back of the camel arrived, and assuming that I was in the litter, lifted it and placed it on the camel.”

Hazrat Aishahra further relates: “The attendants thought that I was in the litter because, in that era, women were light and slender, as they used to eat little food.

The attendants, therefore, did not suspect that the litter was unusually lighter when they lifted it. In addition to this, at the time, I was still a young girl. They went ahead with the camel.

“I found my necklace, but the army had left. When I returned to the camp, I did not find anybody there. I then went to the place where I used to stay, but I thought to myself that I should remain at my place, because when people realise that I had been left behind, they would surely return. I sat on my spot and was soon overcome by sleep.

Safwan bin Mu‘attal Sulami Dhakwani was behind the army. When he reached the place where I was in the morning, he saw the figure of a sleeping person and came towards me.

He had seen me before the order of veiling was prescribed, I woke up when he recited: َّ ‫ِإنا لِل ِہ‬ [Surely, to Allah we belong…]

“He brought forward his camel and made it kneel close to me. He turned the foot of the camel and I mounted upon it.

Safwan began leading the camel until we finally reached the Muslim army at noon, while the army were resting. After this, those who were destined to be ruined, ruined themselves. The key proponent who was responsible for spreading this slander was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Sulul.

“We reached Medina, and [as soon as we arrived,] I fell ill, and this illness lasted for one month, wherein people continued their slander. During my illness, the only thing that worried me was that I was not receiving the same kindness from Allah’s Messengersa as I used to receive whenever I got sick.

Allah’s Messengersa would only come in, greet me and ask, ‘How are you?’

“Up until this point, I had absolutely no idea of this calumny; my illness rendered me very weak and frail. One day, Umm Mistah and I went to Manasi’, which was a place to answer the call of nature and we did not go out except at night. This was a time before we had lavatories near our homes.” (In those days, people did not have bathrooms in the home).

“Our state was like that of the old Arabs, who would go out to the jungle etc. to attend

the call of nature. So I and Umm Mistah, daughter of Abu Ruhm, went out. We were walking when she stumbled over her shawl and on that she said, ‘Let Mistah be ruined!’

I said, ‘What an evil thing you have said! Do you vilify a man who took part in the Battle of Badr?’ On that she said, ‘O innocent and naïve girl! Have you not heard what people have been saying?’ Then she told me the slander of the purported by the people.

This aggravated my ailment, and when I reached my home, Allah’s Messengersa came to me, and after greeting me, asked, ‘How are you?’ I said, ‘Will you allow me to go to my parents?’” (Hazrat Aishara asked if she could go home to her parents). “As I wanted to confirm this news through them, (i.e. through her parents). Allah’s Messengersa gave me permission to go to my parents.

I asked my mother, ‘O mother! What are the people talking about?’ She said, ‘O my daughter! Do not worry, for scarcely is there a charming woman who is loved by her husband and whose husband has other wives besides herself that they (i.e. women) would find faults with her.’

“I said, َ َ‫ُس ۡبح‬ ‫ان الل ِھ‬ [Holy is Allah] “‘Are the people really talking in this way?’”

Hazrat Aishara further states: “I kept on weeping that night till dawn, I could neither stop weeping, nor could I sleep.”

As no revelation had been received in this regard, the next morning, the Holy Prophetsa called Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talibra and Hazrat Usamah bin Zaid to seek their counsel about separating from his wife. As for Usamah, he said of what he knew about her, i.e. based on the relationship of the Holy Prophetsa with Hazrat Aishara and that he knew she was pious and virtuous. Hazrat Usamahra submitted, “O Messengersa of Allah! She is your wife and by God, we know nothing but good with respect to Aishara.”

As for Ali bin Abi Talibra, he submitted, “O Messengersa of Allah! Allah the Exalted has not put you in difficulty, and there are plenty of women other than Aishara. Nonetheless, inquire of the household maid, perhaps she knows something and may be able to tell you the actual truth.”

Upon this, the Holy Prophetsa called for Barirah and inquired, “O Barirah! Have you ever seen anything in Aishara as may be considered suspicious?” Barirah responded, “No, I swear by that God Who has sent you with the truth, I have never seen any fault in her, except that on account of her young age, it often happens that she leaves the dough exposed and falls asleep, while the goats come and consume it.”

On the same day, the Holy Prophetsa delivered an address in the mosque and expressed grief with regards to Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, and said: “O you Muslims! Who will relieve me from that man who has hurt me with his evil statement about my family? By Allah, I know nothing except good about my family; and they have blamed a man about whom I know nothing but good and he never entered my home except with me.”

Upon hearing this address of the Holy Prophetsa, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh stood up and submitted, “O Messengersa of Allah! I shall put an end to this. If this person is from the Aus tribe, we shall sever his head at once.

AL HAKAM | Friday 25 February 2022 If he is from our brethren (i.e., from the Khazraj tribe), even still, we are prepared to do as you command.

Upon this, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, chief of the Khazraj tribe stood up, and though he was a righteous man, at the time, he was overcome by the indignation of his tribe and said, “You have spoken a lie. By God! You shall not kill him (i.e. both tribes became incensed) nor do you possess the power to do so.”

Upon this, Usaid bin Hudair, stood up and said: “It is you who has lied: By God,

by God, we shall surely kill him. You are a hypocrite, for you argue on behalf of the hypocrites.”

This exchange of remarks incensed some from among the Aus and Khazraj, and an altercation almost broke out, but the Holy Prophetsa, who was still standing on the pulpit, descended and diffused the situation until they fell silent and so did he.”

Hazrat Aishara relates: “The entire day I kept on weeping and my tears never ceased.” By this time, Hazrat Aishahra was aware of the situation, but she says despite what was going on, she would continue to cry the whole day.

She further says: “My tears would not stop, nor could I sleep. My parents came to me. I remained as such for two whole nights and one day and I felt as if my liver would burst into pieces.

During this time, both my parents were with me, and I was sat crying when a woman from the Ansar sought permission to enter, and I granted her permission. She came and sat down and began to weep with me. After this, the Messengersa of Allah arrived and sat down. This was the first day that he had sat down with me since the calumny. A month had elapsed but no divine revelation had been sent down in my case.”

Hazrat Aishara further states: “The Holy Prophetsa recited the Kalimah, then said: ‘O Aisha! I have been informed such and such thing about you. If you are innocent, I trust that God shall affirm your innocence. If, however, you have committed a mistake, you should seek forgiveness from God and bow before him, because when a person bows before God confessing his sin, Allah accepts his repentance, and shows Mercy to him.’

“When the Holy Prophetsa had finished his address, I stopped crying, and all my tears had dried away. At that time, I looked to my father (Hazrat Abu Bakrra), and asked him to respond on my behalf, but he said, ‘By God! I do not know what to say in response to the Messengersa of Allah.’ I then asked my mother to respond to the Holy Prophetsa on my behalf and she also stated, ‘By God! I do not know what to say in response to the Messengersa of Allah.’”

Hazrat Aishara states: “At the time, I was a young girl and did not know much of the Quran, I said, ‘By God, I am aware that you have heard certain rumours which people have spread about, and you have been affected by these statements and consider them to be true.

Hence, if I advocate my innocence – and Allah knows indeed that I am innocent – you shall doubt me, but if I accept myself as being guilty, despite Allah knowing that I am innocent, you shall believe me. By God, I find myself in the situation of the father of Josephas, who said: ُ َ ّٰ َ ٌ ۡ َ ٌ ۡ َ َ ُ ‫الل ُہ ال ۡ ُم ۡس َت َع‬ ‫فصبر ج ِمیل و‬ ‫ان َع ٰلی َما ت ِصفوۡ َن‬ «That is to say, ‘patience is better for

31

me, and it is Allah alone Whose help I seek against what these people assert.’ Upon saying this, I turned to the other side of my bed and at the time I had firm conviction that Allah the Exalted would quickly manifest my innocence. However, I did not imagine that a [Quranic] revelation would be sent down to clear me of the charges. I did not consider myself to be worthy enough to be mentioned in the Quran.

“I thought that perhaps the Messengersa of Allah would be shown a vision in his sleep

by Allah the Exalted. However, by God, the Holy Prophetsa had not yet left this sitting, nor had any other person of the household left, when he was overtaken by the intense state which he would experience at the time of receiving divine revelation. Though it was a cold day, drops of perspiration began to fall from his countenance, and after sometime he came out of this state. The Holy Prophetsa smiled and the first thing he said to me was, ‘O Aisha! Glorify Allah, for He has affirmed your innocence.’ At this, my mother spontaneously said, ‘O Aisha! Get up and go to the Messengersa of Allah!’ At the time, I said, ‘By God, I will not go to the Holy Prophetsa and will express my gratitude to Allah alone.’

“It was then that the following verse was revealed:

ُۡ ٌ ۡ ُ ‫ين َج‬ َ ‫ِا َّن الَّ ِذ‬ ‫ٓاء ۡو ِبالۡاِف ِك ُع ۡص َبة ِّمنك ۡم‬

“‘Verily, those who brought forth the lie are a party from among you […]’.[ Surah anNur, Ch.24: V.12] “When my innocence had been affirmed, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra (the father of Hazrat Aishahra), who would grant regular support to Mistah bin Uthathah due to his [Mistah’s] poverty and kinship, vowed: ‘By God! I shall never give anything to Mistah owing to his slander against Aisha!’

“However, shortly thereafter, Allah the Almighty revealed:

ُ ۡ ُ ُ ُ َ َّ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ ُ ُ َ ۡ َ َ َ ‫الس َع ِة ا ۡن ّي ۡؤتوۡ ا اول ِى الق ۡر ٰبى‬ ‫ولا يات ِل اولوا الفض ِل ِمنكم و‬ ّٰ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ ٰ ُ ۡ َ َ ۡ ٰ َ ۡ َ ۡ‫الل ِه ۖ َول ۡ َي ۡع ُفوۡا َول ۡ َي ۡص َف ُحوا‬ ‫والمس ِكين والمه ِجرِين فِى س ِبي ِل‬ ّٰ َ ۡ ُ َ ُ ّٰ َ ۡ َّ ۡ َ َ ۡ ُّ ُ َ َ ٌ‫الل ُه َغ ُفوۡ ٌر َّر ِح ۡيم‬ ‫الا ت ِحبون ان يغ ِفر الله لهم و‬

“‘And let not those who possess wealth and plenty among you swear not to give aught to the kindred and to the needy and to those who have left their homes in the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and pass over the offence. Do you not desire that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.’

“Upon this, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra stated, ‘Indeed! By God, I certainly would like to be granted the forgiveness of Allah.’

And so, Hazrat Abu Bakrra reinstated Mistah’s allowance.”

Hazrat Aishahra relates: “The Holy Prophetsa would inquire of Hazrat Zainab bint Jahashra as to her opinion of me.”

The Holy Prophetsa stated, “O Zainab!

What is your opinion of Aisha?” Upon this, Hazrat Zainabra responded, “O Messengersa of Allah! I wish to safeguard my ears and eyes; by God, I have seen nothing but good in Aisha.”

Hazrat Aishara states, “This was the same Zainab who would compete with me. However, due to her virtue, Allah the Exalted saved her from taking part in this calumny.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Shahadat, Bab Ta ‘dil al-Nisa Ba‘dihunna Ba‘dan, hadith 2661)

This is a detailed narration of Sahih alBukhari.

The Promised Messiahas state:

“[…] Just as God Almighty has made it an integral part of His own noble attributes to avert prophecies of warning on the basis of repentance, seeking forgiveness, prayer, and charity, so did He teach the same morals to man as is evidenced by the Holy Quran and the hadith. When—out of sheer maliciousness—the hypocrites had perpetrated a calumny against Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, some unwary Companions also had joined in this narrative. One of those Companions used to get his meal, twice a day, from the home of Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Due to this lapse, Hazrat Abu Bakr pledged that he would never again feed him as a punishment for this misdeed, whereupon the verse was revealed:

ُ َ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ُ َ ّٰ ّٰ ۡ َّ َ ‫َول َي ۡعفوۡا َول َي ۡصف ُحوۡا الَا ت ِح ُّب َوۡ َن ا ۡن يغ ِف َر الل ُه ل َ ُه ۡم َوالل ُه غفوۡ ٌر‬ ّ ‫ر ِح ۡي ٌم‬

[Surah an-Nur, Ch.24: V.23] “At that Hazrat Abu Bakr broke his pledge and restored his meals as usual.”

The Promised Messiahas further writes: “It is for this reason that it is part of Islamic morality that should one pledge something by way of punishment, the breaking of that pledge is a component of good morals. For instance, if someone swears that with regard to his servant, he shall strike him fifty times with a shoe, to forgive him on account of his repentance and earnest supplication is the Islamic custom, to fulfil the command of: َ ْ َ ُّ َ َ ّٰ ‫اق الل ِه‬ ِ ‫تخلق بِاخل‬ [morality mirror the attributes of Allah] “Nevertheless, it is not permissible to break a promise; one will be held accountable for the breach of promise, but not for breaking a pledge of chastisement.”

(Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Vol. 5 Epilogue, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 21, p. 181)

This is a separate subject matter regarding the difference between a promise and a pledge of chastisement and this has been explained previously as well.

Then there are accounts relating to the Battle of Ahzab which took place in 5 AH. This was the third major battle between the Quraish of Mecca and the Muslims and is also known as the Battle of Khandaq [Ditch].

This took place in the month of Shawwal in 5 AH. Since the Quraish and the Jews from Khaibar and various other tribes had all come together in order to attack Medina, therefore this battle is known as the Battle of Ahzab [confederates] in the Holy Quran.

When the Holy Prophetsa exiled the Jewish tribe of Banu Nazir, they went towards Khaibar. A few men from among their elders and well-respected people went to Mecca.

They gathered the Quraish and incited them to fight against the Holy Prophetsa.

They formed a pact with the Quraish and they all agreed upon fighting against the Holy Prophetsa and they also fixed a date for this. These men from the Banu Nazir left the Quraish and then went to the tribes of Ghatfan and Sulaim and entered into a similar pact with them and then departed from there. The Quraish made preparations and also gathered various other tribes as well as those Arabs who were their confederates, totalling 4,000. Abu Sufyan bin al-Harb was their commander.

Along the way, various other tribes also joined with them and the total number of people in the army was 10,000. The Holy Prophetsa was informed of their departure from Mecca and so he gathered his companions. The Holy Prophetsa informed

them of the enemy’s plan and sought counsel from them. Hazrat Salman, the Persian, presented the suggestion of digging a ditch, which was liked by all the Muslims.

In the time of the Holy Prophetsa, the north of Medina was an open plain, whilst all other sides had houses and orchards through which the enemy could not get through. And so, it was decided to dig a ditch towards the north of Medina in order to protect the city. The Holy Prophetsa along with 3,000 Muslims started to dig the ditch.

The Holy Prophetsa was digging the ditch alongside the other Muslims so that his participation would raise their spirits and courage. The entire ditch was dug in six days. This ditch was approximately 6,000 yards or 3.5 miles long. (Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat alKubra, Vol. 2, Bab Ghazwah Rasulullahsa al-Khanqad…

[Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2017], pp.

50-51) (Shawqi Abu Khalil, Atlas Sirat Nabawisa [Darul Islam, 1424AH], p. 278)

Hazrat Abu Bakrra remained alongside the Holy Prophetsa. Whilst digging the ditch, Hazrat Abu Bakrra would carry the sand in his clothes and he worked alongside the other companions in digging the ditch so that this task could be quickly completed within the period of time designated for this. (Ali Muhammad al-Salabi, Al-Khalifah al-Awwal

Abu Bakr Siddique, Fi al-Khandaq wa Bani Quraizah [Beirut, Lebanaon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], pp. 65-66)

No Muslim remained behind in helping to dig the ditch. When Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra could not find any baskets to carry the sand, they would place it in their clothes. They both remained together at all times. (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa alRashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], p. 365)

The Holy Prophetsa worked extremely hard during the digging of the ditch.

Sometimes he would be digging with a pickaxe or he would gather the sand with a shovel or then carry the baskets of sand. One day the Holy Prophetsa became extremely tired and sat down and rested his left side against a rock. During this time, the Holy Prophetsa fell asleep and Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra stood near the Holy Prophetsa and would stop people from walking past him, lest they wake him up. (Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-‘Ibad, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], p. 367)

When the 10,000 strong army of the Quriash and their allies surrounded Medina, Hazrat Abu Bakrra was commanding one faction of the Muslim army. Later, in the area where Hazrat Abu Bakrra was commanding the army, a mosque was built and was called Masjid Siddiq. (Al-Haaj Hakim Ghulam Nabi, Sayyiduna Siddique Akbar [Lahore, Pakistan: RR Printers, 2010], p. 41)

I will continue narrating these incidents in the future [sermons], God-willing.

At this time, I wish to speak about some deceased members. The first is of respected Mubaraka Begum Sahiba, who was the wife of Mukhtar Ahmad Gondal Sahib. She passed away on 11 January at the age of 93,

َ ‫إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِه َوإنَّٓا إل َ ۡي ِه ٰرج ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

[Verily, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return] She was the daughter-in-law of Chaudhary Ghulam Muhammad Gondal Sahibra, a companion of the Promised Messiahas. She served the Jamaat with great passion; she also served as the Sadr Lajna for

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Friday 25 February 2022 | AL HAKAM

her village, Chak 99 South. She was regular in offering prayers and keeping fasts, she was virtuous, tended to the poor and was very sincere.

Throughout her life, she taught the Holy Quran to both children and adults.

She was a musia. She is survived by five sons and three daughters. One of her sons is Iftikhar Ahmad Gondal Sahib, serving as a missionary in Sierra Leone, and Fawad Ahmad, who is also a missionary is her grandson. Aside from this, she has various other grandchildren who are missionaries or life-devotees. May Allah the Almighty bestow His forgiveness and mercy upon her and accept her prayers in favour of her progeny.

The next mention is of Mir Abdul Waheed Sahib, who passed away in the night between 12 and 13 January [2022],

َ ‫إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِہ َوإنَّٓا إل َ ۡی ِہ ٰرج ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

[Verily, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return] He was 58 years old. Ahmadiyyat was established in his family through his great paternal grandfather, Mir Ahmad Din Sahib, who accepted Ahmadiyyat during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira in 1911. He was the only Ahmadi in his family. Similarly, from his maternal side, Ahmadiyyat was introduced through his maternal grandfather, Hazrat Sheikh Allah Bakhsh Sahibra of Bannu. Abdul Waheed Sahib’s paternal grandfather was Abdul Karim Sahib. He had a passion for Tabligh

[propagation], which is why his grandfather was commonly known in Peshawar by the name Maulvi Abdul Karim. He would carry out extensive research and had made his own library. In 1974 when a delegation went before the Assembly under the leadership of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh, certain rare books that were needed were found in his library. This has been mentioned by his brother-in-law.

On 9 September 2020, Abdul Waheed Sahibs family was falsely charged under the Blasphemy Law, Section 295c, as a result of which clerics and other people surrounded their home. However, the police were able to remove him and his family from that situation and took them to Rawalpindi. A few days later, their home in Rawalpindi was raided at night and the police arrested his son Abdul Majeed Sahib. Allah the Almighty bestowed Mir Abdul Waheed Sahib with two sons and a daughter. One of his sons Abdul Majeed Sahib, who I just mentioned, is still a prisoner in the way of Allah and was in jail when his father passed away and could not attend the funeral. May Allah the Almighty grant the deceased His forgiveness and mercy and grant his family patience. His son who is imprisoned is around 20 years old; may Allah the Almighty create the means for his swift release.

The third mention is of respected Syed Waqar Ahmad Sahib from the USA, who passed away on 17 January [2022] at the age of 58 due to a heart attack,

َ ‫إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِہ َوإنَّٓا إل َ ۡی ِہ ٰرج ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

[Verily, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return] Waqar Ahmad Khan’s wife is the greatgranddaughter of Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra (i.e. his maternal grandson’s daughter) and is the daughter of Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib’sra paternal granddaughter. In this way, she is part of the family of the Promised Messiahas. She married into the family of [Syed Waqar] Shah Sahib. Waqar Shah Sahib’s paternal grandfather, Syed Dr Zuhoor Shah Sahib, had the opportunity to become a life devotee after his retirement and served as a missionary for a few years in Fiji during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh. Later, he had the opportunity to serve in Rabwah as well. This family has a strong bond of loyalty with the Jamaat and Khilafat.

Waqar Shah Sahib’s wife, Shazia Khan says, “Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh encouraged me to pray with regards to the marriage proposal. After praying, when I agreed to the marriage, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh approved of the match.” In other words, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh arranged for this marriage.

She writes, “In 33 years of marriage, Waqar Sahib guided me along with him in every step. He tended to every one of my needs and desires. He was an exemplary father; he never did anything for himself and was a simple person. He had no desires of his own, and even if he did, he sacrificed them for his family’s sake.”

She further says, “The most beautiful day

for me was when he proudly said to someone that when he goes to the mosque, he repeats his oath and that there was nothing more important to him than fulfilling this oath.

He could sacrifice everything for this oath.”

These were not mere claims, in fact, I myself have seen and know, that even when faced with an extremely difficult trial, he safeguarded this oath of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters and continued to fulfil it, irrespective of any family ties. He never wavered in his obedience of Khilafat.

She says, “even if he did not understand something, he would still remain obedient, and say that it is our duty to be obedient. His disposition was filled with gratitude, and he would always advise me to do the same.

He never showed negligence in offering financial sacrifices.”

His son, Syed Adil Ahmad, who is now a missionary after graduating from Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada and obtaining his Shahid degree, says, “By the grace of Allah the Almighty, my father was a simple, and sincere person. He was less concerned about himself, and would always fulfil the needs of all his children and our mother. He would never get anything nice for himself, in fact, we would often have to remind him to spend on himself as well. He had great respect for missionaries and the Nizam-e-Jamaat.”

His father-in-law, Mahmud Ahmad Khan Sahib, who is the maternal grandson of Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra and the paternal grandson of Hazrat Nawab Mubaraka Begum Sahibra, writes, “Waqar (i.e. his son-in-law) possessed high morals and was very hospitable.” He says, “I never saw a frown on his face no matter how many guests came to visit him or even in times of difficulty.” He says, “I remember in the beginning, he would often scold his son Adil because of his carelessness, but when Adil devoted his life, Waqar’s conduct towards him changed completely, and he developed a very close bond of respect and honour with his son.”

Munir Ahmad Sahib, the former Amir of the Jamaat in Abu Dhabi writes, “Waqar Sahib lived in Abu Dhabi along with his family while he worked here, during which time I developed close family ties with him.

He was a banker by profession; simplicity and sociability were his salient qualities. He was strongly attached to the community and its Nizam. He possessed profound love and obedience for Khilafat.”

He further says, “Until he moved to USA, he would happily offer his home for any needs of the Jamaat, and so it would be used for the Friday prayers and other gatherings. He also served as the internal auditor of the Jamaat.”

Similarly, Syed Hashim Akbar writes, “I had the opportunity of working with him, and always found him to be sociable and eager to help others.”

May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness and mercy; may He enable his children to be virtuous, and accept his prayers in their favour.

After the Friday prayers, I will offer their funeral prayers, insha-Allah.

(Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 18 February 2022, pp. 5-10.

Translated 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 2022