Al Hakam - 17 July 2020

Where stars descend Chapter 3 (Spiritual strength)

Cannabis and psychosis Examining the link

Responding to Allegations

Miraj and Isra

Surah al-Haaqah, 23 years and the Promised Messiahas

Physical or spiritual journeys?

Part I Page 4

A

Page 11

Page 8

Page 14

THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 17 July 2020 | Issue CXXII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

U-turns and misdirection A need for apt leadership Throughout the outbreak of the devastating coronavirus, we have witnessed multitudes of twists and turns by officials, “the science” and governments, the latest being the sudden U-turn by some governments and leaders now accepting the importance of wearing masks in public spaces.

When the pandemic started, there was a split over whether masks were even effective against the novel virus. However, the predominant view being pushed out to the public in many countries was that wearing masks wasn’t important.

“Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization now recommend cloth masks for the general public, but earlier in the pandemic, both organizations recommended just the opposite”, reported the University of California.

As a side note, it is now clear that the new god of “science” so many have accepted as a guiding light in these times has failed, yet again.

Science is important, of course, but Continued on page 3

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

Ramadan and DhulHijja Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The two months of Eid i.e.

Ramadan and Dhul-Hijja, do not decrease (in superiority).”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Saum)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

Safeguard the dignity and honour of the Community An individual who exhibits a change in their morals, so that their neighbour may see how they were before and what they have become, manifests a miracle, as it were. This has a deep and lasting impression upon one’s neighbour. People raise objections against our community and allege that they can see no improvement in those who have joined us and allege that our followers indulge in falsehood and do not restrain their temper and rage. Are such people not embarrassed that others flock to the community considering it to be exemplary? An obedient son becomes a source of honour for his father. Likewise, a person who swears an oath of allegiance to a divinely appointed one is also like a son. This is why the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Continued on page 3

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

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This Week in History 17 - 23 July In this third year of Al Hakam, we will present a selection of incidents from the blessed life of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, this time, with some more details

17 July 1885: The Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas dispatched a decisive letter for Pandit Lekhram on this date. Lekhram was born in Chakwal, District Jhelum. He joined the police force in 1876 and established the Arya Samaj at Peshawar in 1881. Later on, he resigned from this post and went to Lahore in 1884. He was appointed as editor of the Arya Gazette in Firozpur. In this letter, Hazrat Ahmad invited prominent representatives of different faiths to come and stay in Qadian for at least one year and witness heavenly signs in favour of Islam, as a result of Hazrat Ahmad’sas prayers.

Huzooras added one term for Pandit Sahib in response to his demand of depositing 2,400 rupees and Huzooras gave fine details of it.

17 July 1898: The Promised Messiahas informed Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahmanra in a letter that he had received 100 rupees sent by him. From this letter, Huzoor’sas tenacious attitude towards prayers becomes evident, alongside his cordial care for his devout followers.

17 July 1901: The Promised Messiahas arrived back in Qadian after attending a court hearing of the Wall Case in Gurdaspur, where he was summoned as a defence witness. Hazrat Ahmadas had his statement recorded, which explained not only the background of this case, but his mission, his prophecies and the opposition he had faced from all fronts. After the court session, Hazrat Ahmadas was happy to have had the opportunity of vindicating his prophecies in court and thus, a large number of people who had gathered in the court became his witnesses.

There were government officials, such as Ganga Ram, Mirza Zafrullah Khan and Muhammad Abdul Shakur present in the court. They were all struck by the wonderful force, conviction and authority with which Hazrat Ahmadas spoke before the court. He was summoned as a witness, but everyone felt that he behaved and spoke there as the supreme judge.

17 July 1902: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahmanra expounding on the philosophy of grief in this world.

18 July 1891: The Promised Messiah responded to a letter of Hazrat Mian Sheikh Fath-e-Muhammadra, which reached Huzooras in Ludhiana. Hazrat Ahmadas expressed his concerns upon the news of Fath-e-Muhammad’s illness and said that he had prayed for him. as

18 July 1900: The Promised Messiahas wrote

a letter to Hazrat Mian Shadi Khanra lauding his financial sacrifice and termed it a sacrifice akin to the sacrifices of the Holy Prophet’ssa Companionsra.

18 July 1904: The Promised Messiahas was in Gurdaspur, where he was approached by a person, Mehar Nabi Bakhsh Sahib, also known as Abdul Aziz Nambardar of Batala. This individual was of the notion that he should write a commentary of the Holy Quran to help guide people and he requested for the help of the Promised Messiahas. Hazrat Ahmadas rightfully guided him and out of his graciousness, shepherded him to the right and logical approach after eliminating some of his false perceptions.

19 July 1887: The Promised Messiahas rendered thanks through a short letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira, upon receipt of mangos. Huzooras said that the gift reminded him of another pressing task that needed to be accomplished very soon.

20 July 1888: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira and informed him that Huzoor’s son, Bashir Ahmad had remained critically ill, so he could not respond to letters in the meanwhile. In response to a query of Munshi Sahibra, Hazrat Ahmadas expressed his unawareness of a certain book written by Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra.

20 July 1891: The Promised Messiah’sas written debate with Maulvi Muhammad Hussain of Batala commenced on this day in Ludhiana. It continued for the next 10 days. It was later published in book form under the title, Al Haq: Mubahisa Ludhiana, from Sialkot. It was through Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkoti’sra efforts that it saw publication through his magazine Al Haq Sialkot.

20 July 1892: The Promised Messiahas responded to a letter of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira and informed him that Huzooras had prayed for the success of a Ghulam Mustafa. Furthermore, Huzooras wrote that his new book was being printed.

20 July 1900: On this date, the Promised Messiahas issued an announcement in which he invited Meher Ali Shah to a contest. On page 81 of Shams-ul-Hidayah, Meher Ali Shah had insinuated that Hazrat Ahmadas did not know the Quran, so Huzooras suggested that a meeting be held in Lahore and 40 verses of the Quran should be selected by casting lots. Hazrat Ahmadas and

Meher Ali Shah should then pray that God enable the truthful among the two to write in fluent Arabic a commentary of the verses in that very meeting with the help of Allah. The commentary should be no less than the agreed page count.

The parties should have no book with them, nor should there be any assistant. Seven hours should be given for this purpose. The parties should then sign the papers, which would be read out to three learned men selected by Meher Ali Shah. They should neither be followers of Ahmadas, nor of Meher Ali Shah. These three men should then give their decision under oath as to which of the papers was superior in language as well as in commentary.

Hazrat Ahmadas added that he was prepared to entrust the decision to his enemies like Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, Maulvi Abdul Jabbar Ghaznavi and Professor Maulvi Abdullah.

This announcement was signed by some 20 men as witnesses. In a supplement to this announcement, issued on the same date, Hazrat Ahmadas invited mullahs also to prevent them from complaining afterwards that Meher Ali Shah was not their representative or that he was not fully competent for the contest.

The invitation was, therefore, developed as follows: Meher Ali Shah should publicise his acceptance with an announcement within a month so that the mullahs of the country are able to join the contest, for which suitable arrangements should be made in Lahore by Meher Ali Shah or, if he was unable to do so, Huzooras would take on the responsibility.

The contest should finish in one day and Pir Meher Ali Shah seven hours be allowed for the writing of a paper of 40 pages. Each of those who enter the contest must write their paper sitting alone, without help. Hazrat Ahmadas would hand over a signed copy to Meher Ali Shah, from whom other copies might be obtained, but all of them should hand over signed copies of their papers to Hazrat Ahmadas Continued on next page >>

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Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 1

thinking that it will always be exclusively correct and rightly guided is the issue here.

The fact is that the “science” has not been clear throughout and misjudgements have been made. That being said, it is commendable that scientists have pushed through and established basic facts for the governments to follow.

Despite the science catching up and proving that masks are an effective measure to stop the spread of the virus, governments and leaders ignored the facts – or used them for their own political purposes. Though many countries across the world enforced wearing masks in public spaces and dished out fines to those who refused to, some of the top leaders of the world paid no heed. This, undoubtably, has led to more deaths and suffering.

Only recently, after continuous debate, has the United Kingdom “mandated that people wear masks inside shops and supermarkets in England, putting an end to months of equivocation on the matter.” (nytimes.com, 14 July 2020) Scientists have been clear that the delay of introducing masks, despite the urge from experts, has led to thousands of deaths that could otherwise have been prevented.

The story is very similar in the USA, where new cases continue to rise rapidly and the president has only recently been spotted wearing a mask in public.

Some countries are to be commended, who made the masks mandatory in public spaces very early on and thus prevented suffering on a mass scale. Venezuela, Vietnam, China, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia, Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, Cuba, Ecuador, Austria, Morocco, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sierra Leone and many other nations kept politics – or whatever else kept others from what is now known to be a means of prevention – aside and focused on the safety of the nation.

Voices are now calling out to political

leaders and governments around the world to realise their real duties and become leading examples in helping to curb the virus, setting politics aside.

The coronavirus response has unequivocally unveiled deep problems within our society. The welfare of humanity and spending all our energy in stopping further deaths and suffering should be at the top of the list. Where countries like New Zealand must be commended, other leaders have really let their public down.

This has unquestionably served as a lesson for the wider public. With elections coming this year for many countries, people are now, more than ever, having to rethink their choices.

Islam says to cast our votes with “justice”; to overlook our own wants and vote for the person most deserving.

The future of Covid-19 is still uncertain.

A recent study by King’s College London found sharp drops in patients’ antibody levels three months after infection. “‘People are producing a reasonable antibody response to the virus, but it’s waning over a short period of time and depending on how high your peak is, that determines how long the antibodies are staying around,’ said Dr Katie Doores, lead author on the study at King’s College London.” (theguardian.co.uk, 12 July 2020) What was earlier declared by some medical professionals as a minimal threat, scientists and researchers are now warning of winter coronavirus peaks. The Academy of Medical Science has issued a recent warning to the UK that a second wave is imminent in winter and could be worse than the first, therefore appropriate measures and preparations must be made.

With such threats lingering on, it is time for world leaders to focus on the welfare of humanity and ignore any vested interests. The protection of human life is what all leaders are being urged to bear in mind.

Whether we like it or not, we are in this together and, as has now become clear, this novel virus does not discriminate.

<< Continued from previous page

Continued from page 1

be upon him, are known as the Mothers of the Believers. In other words, the Holy Prophetsa is a father to the Muslim community at large. A biological father brings a child into the world, becoming a cause for worldly life, but a spiritual father takes their child, as it were, into heaven and returns them to the original source from which they sprang (i.e.

God). Would you view in a positive light the son who dishonours his father? What if a son were to visit prostitutes, indulge in gambling, consume alcohol, and commit other immoral actions which disgrace his father? I know that there can be no one who would approve of such actions. But nonetheless, when the undutiful son acts in this manner, the voice of the people cannot be silenced.

The people will speak with reference to the father and say that the son of so-and-so indulges in such and such wrongdoing. Hence, the undutiful son himself becomes a means of disgrace for his father. Similarly, when an individual joins a religious community and does not remain mindful of its dignity and honour and acts against its teachings, he is worthy of blame in the sight of God. For such a one does not only ruin themselves, but deprives others from the path of blessing and guidance due to their own immoral example. Therefore, insofar as is within your power, seek the assistance of God and endeavour to eliminate your weaknesses with all your strength and resolve. Wherever you fall weak, raise your hands in prayer with sincerity and faith. For hands that are raised with a spirit of humility and meekness as a result of sincerity and faith are never returned empty. I can say from experience that thousands of my prayers have been accepted and continue to be accepted even now.

It is an invariable fact that if an individual does not possess within

Jesus, also known as the Apostle’s Ointment).

before he handed over his copy to Meher Ali Shah. The paper must be written in Arabic. After the reading of papers, the three adjudicators appointed by Meher Ali Shah would give their award under oath. If Meher Ali Shah did not have the courage to enter the contest, then the other mullahs could do so, but their number must be 40 and not less in any case. If, however, Meher Ali Shah or the mullahs failed to come forward by 22 August 1900, it would be understood that God had forsaken them all and that the silence of his enemies was a heavenly sign in favour of Ahmadas. The names of 86 prominent mullahs were appended to the announcement and the rest were all invited in general.

22 July 1891: The Promised Messiahas updated Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra, in reply to his letter, regarding the ongoing written debate with Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi. Huzooraa lamented the clumsy approach of this entrant, yet Huzooras was confident that this exercise would bring positive outcomes, as earlier, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain succumbed to the pressure of influential people of Ludhiana and had to engage in this debate. This letter also adds that news of Hazrat Hakim Sahib’sra illness worried the Promised Messiahas. Huzooras expressed his love and prayed fervently for Hazrat Hakim Sahibra.

21 July 1898: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter to Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khanra and dispatched Marham-e-Isa (the Ointment of

23 July 1892: The Promised Messiahas wrote to Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanaurira that he was sending him a copy of his book, Nishan-e-

their hearts the fervour of sympathy for mankind, then they are miserly. If I see a path that leads to goodness and benefit, it is my responsibility to loudly proclaim it to the people, irrespective of whether anyone follows � � it or not. ��� ��� � �� ‫� �د‬ � � ‫�د � �ے‬ “Whether anyone listens or not, I shall continue to speak.”

If even a single soul emerges with life, then this is sufficient. I loudly proclaim that it does not behove me to give you this counsel out of a desire for spiritual reward. Not at all! On the contrary, my soul is imbued with an extreme fervour and pain. Though I do not know why I possess this fervour, there cannot be even an iota of doubt regarding the fact that I cannot stop myself from feeling this way. Therefore, all of you ought to consider my advice to be the words bequeathed by a man who you may not be fortunate enough to hear in the future; thus adhere so perfectly to my counsel that you become examples for others. You must teach those who are far from us through your own actions and words. If there is no need for action in the manner that I have explained, then tell me why anyone should come here?

I do not want a hidden change in you; I require a noticeable transformation, so that our opponents are overcome with shame; and so that the hearts of the people are illuminated instantly, they lose hope in our opponents and realise that they are in a state of misguidance.

Even the most wicked people repented at the hand of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. How so?

It was the magnificent transformation that took place in the companions of the Holy Prophetsa and their model, which was worthy of emulating, and which moved the evil to feel contrition.

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 143 - 144)

Asmani and informed him that his book, Dafi‘ul-Wasawis (Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam) was being printed, which would become available in the coming months. Hazrat Ahmadas expressed his longing to see him and asked him to visit Qadian.

23 July 1898: The plague was claiming lives in most parts of the Indian subcontinent. This was a matchless heavenly sign shown in favour of the Promised Messiahas. But out of sheer love and compassion for humankind, he announced on this day that everyone should repent to God and that a precautionary medicine had been prepared for plague patients. It was named “Tiryaq-iIlahi” (Divine cure) as the main ingredients of this medicine were inspired to Huzooras by God Almighty. This indigenous medicine cost 2,500 rupees. Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra bore a major part and donated around 2,000 rupees.

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

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Where stars descend Chapter 3 (Spiritual strength) Part I Asif M Basit

Within the last few years, a descendant of an admirer and descendants of opponents of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas have been discovered. With Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa permission, I was researching on certain topics relating to those individuals and was able to discover their whereabouts.

It was a sign of the acceptance of Huzoor’s prayers that I had the good fortune of tracing their footsteps and subsequently meeting them.

These individuals were the maternal grandson of Colonel Douglas, the maternal grand-daughter of John Hugh-Smyth Piggott and the greatgrandson of Henry Martyn Clark. They were all fortunate enough to have met Huzooraa in private audiences.

A miracle of the Fifth Khilafat Whenever people applauded the research that went into these finds, having read the articles about them, I always made sure to tell them that in truth, it was no effort on my part. It was only a result of Huzoor’s p r a y e r , attention and love.

I wish to extend this further by writing this article today and tell everyone – so that it can be preserved in the history of the Jamaat – that it was only and only due to the quwwat-e-qudsiya (spiritual strength) of Huzooraa that it was possible. It was something destined for the era of Khilafat-e-Khamisa.

Accordingly, it is necessary to mention some facts about how this all occurred so that just as I was overawed by the happenings that took place, the readers too can share my astonishment.

Backdrop When talking about these discoveries, I talk of the time when we were discussing

the prophecy made by the Promised Messiahas pertaining to Rev Piggott on our programme Rah-e-Huda on MTA International. It was in those days that some opponents of the Promised Messiahas had taken it upon themselves to ridicule Huzooras as regards that prophecy.

Opponents’ arguments regarding the Piggott prophecy According to them, the Promised Messiahas had said that if Rev Piggott was false, then he would die during Huzoor’sas lifetime, but if the Promised Messiahas was false, God forbid, then he would die during the lifetime of Piggott. To falsify the prophecy, the basis of their argument was that the Promised Messiahas passed away in 1908, whereas Piggott remained alive till 1927.

I felt agitated when pondering over this allegation. So, one day, I presented the matter to Huzooraa and requested permission to conduct an extensive research. Huzooraa openheartedly gave permission.

Research on Piggott In this regard, I studied the Jamaat’s literature on the topic and began searching for newspaper cuttings of that time covering this issue. It was to my surprise that things began unfolding themselves.

I began to realise that this would become a long story, hence I sought Huzoor’s permission to write an article on this issue.

I visited the place where Piggott had organised a colony and met the people who had researched on it. I collated all the information that I could get my hands on, for example, his death certificate, his children’s birth certificates, his marriage certificate, the allegations that were raised against him, the moments when he was humiliated, his nervous breakdowns and the resulting collapse of his colony.

To acquire all this information required effort, time and funding. It was impossible for me to obtain these three by myself, but, needless to say, I received them only through Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa.

The research took roughly a year to complete. There came times during that year when entire days were spent rummaging through old newspapers in local libraries and having to withstand the stale smell of timeworn newspapers. Even when nothing was found, I would still inform and update Huzooraa.

Constant encouragement It must be acknowledged here that whenever Huzooraa heard of my dismay at running into a dead-end during my research and told me, “Keep looking, you will definitely find something”, within only a few days of saying that, I would begin to see the fruits of the apparent “waste of time” and I would find myself looking for further clues. One clue would lead to another and it would uncover many avenues for the research.

It would also be incorrect not to mention that whenever I presented newly acquired documents to Huzooraa with excitement and passion, Huzooraa would listen to it as if he knew that that was to happen. It was as if Huzooraa knew that all I needed to do in my time of dismay was to dig a little deeper in order to strike gold.

And after moments like those, I always did strike gold.

John Hugh Smyth Piggott’s granddaughter Among those worn and torn papers were documents pertaining to the sale of Piggott’s church, situated in North London, and his inheritance. From those papers, friendship with one of his grand-daughters became possible. This was in 2011 and the information I possessed dated back 20 years ago.

According to the documents, she resided in a house in Bradford. I presented this information to Huzooraa and requested permission to travel to Bradford. However, I also mentioned that the information dated back 20-odd years ago and I did not know whether she still resided there or not.

Huzooraa replied, “When you go, you will find her!”

As soon as I left Huzoor’s office, I set out for Bradford, which is a four-hour drive from South-London. When I got there, it was dark and I deemed it inappropriate to knock on someone’s door at that hour.

Thus, I spent the night in Bradford.

Bad-news in disguise The next day was a Sunday and I reached the house in the morning. In these countries, it is not customary to knock on people’s doors on Sundays, and that too in the morning. Regardless, I knocked on the door.

A middle-aged man wearing a dressing gown opened the door. I would have expected him to be inconvenienced at this event in any case, but the sight of a

Pakistani Muslim startled him slightly. He must have been thinking what intentions I had in store for him.

With a broad smile on my face, I attempted to relieve him of his apparent concern and informed him that I was in search of a certain lady who used to live there. With the most minimal choice of words, he replied in the negative and began closing the door, when I mustered up courage to ask further, “When did you occupy this house?”

In British culture, personal questions like this, especially to strangers, are considered bad manners. But what could I do? I was desperately in search of Piggott’s grand-daughter and in this quest, this man seemed to be the only ray of hope.

In answer to my question, the gentleman rolled his eyes, but at the same time, seemed to be occupied in thought.

As is customary, he gave a brief answer.

He said that he had bought the house from a lady approximately 15 years ago.

He followed on by saying, “Now, don’t ask where she lives now!” I told him that that was actually my next question. He told me that all he remembered was that she was tired of Bradford and was looking to settle down in Sheffield.

I thanked him a lot, apologised for the inconvenience and with a bit of disappointment, went and sat in my car.

It wouldn’t have been possible for me to go to Sheffield and advertise about a lady who I was searching for. Who would I ask?

Who would know? People here remain unacquainted with the names of their neighbours living in their vicinity for years.

But I remembered what Huzooraa had told me and only due to that was I able to bring myself together and plan ahead. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to live with being the reason for disrupting the fulfilment of Huzoor’s words.

Allah the Almighty very graciously accepts our desires as prayers, provided they have the element of good in them. The desire to find this lady was not exclusively mine. I shared it with God’s beloved and chosen one.

Thereupon, a thought came to mind; to call the telephone directory and have them give me all the names matching the one I was searching for. I googled the British Telecommunications website and searched for directories.

As I began this endeavour, I found that my dismay only increased as opposed to

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Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM beliefs were nothing more than rubbish.

She then told me that she possessed old documents belonging to her grandfather.

“Would you like to have a look at them?”

What more could I have wanted! I was in access to information I probably didn’t even dream of.

vanishing. Hundreds of names matched the name I was searching for. How many people would I be able to disturb on a Sunday morning?

The current trend of telemarketing has made it all the more difficult for strangers like me to make calls, because no one seems to want to get past the first few remarks.

Even if I managed to get hold of the name I was searching for, I became dubious about whether she would even agree to talk to me and share information.

Nonetheless, I started making calls; the first, then the second and then the third.

The discourtesy I experienced shattered my confidence even more. But that single sentence of my beloved was dearer to me than my ego. I thought that I would give the first 10 numbers a try, then commence with the others when I returned to London and hear what words they had to share with me.

A ray of hope I dialled the fourth number and an aged and graceful voice responded. I asked her whether she was Ann Buckley. Albeit reluctantly, she replied that she was and asked who I was. I introduced myself and said that I belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

I asked her whether her grandfather’s name was Rev Piggott. The answer I received caused shivers to run down my spine. I got out of the car and stood up. She told me that she was at home and gave her address. “Come over if you can. I’m still at home.”

The journey from Bradford to Sheffield is approximately a one-hour drive. I was thankful that Hafiz Ijaz Ahmad Tahir Sahib accompanied me and drove the car.

Otherwise if I had driven, the law of the land would not have taken too kindly to me. Allah reward him the best reward for driving us there safely.

Ann very lovingly welcomed us to her abode. She repeatedly asked how we had found her. What could I tell her? It wasn’t me that had found her, but God Almighty upheld the dignity of words uttered by His beloved.

Although the joy of meeting Ann was inexplicable, but when she shared her views on her grandfather’s beliefs, I became ecstatic and praised Allah. She said, “It’s nothing more than rubbish.” God Almighty had destroyed Piggott’s movement and community, but kept his grand-daughter alive so that she could declare in the era of the Fifth Khilafat that her grandfather’s

Striking gold She kept all her archives in a separate room.

She left me alone and told me to take my time. “If you would like any tea or coffee just let me know.”

I opened the lid of the first box. At the very top was the announcement by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi! It had been published in English and sent to Rev Piggott and many English newspapers. You can imagine how my expression changed after that!

I went running to her with the announcement. I told her that it was this prophecy that I was researching. She said that she had read the announcement and wanted to know what the result was. I briefly explained to her the matter and she was astonished to learn that her grandfather’s claims had reached a remote place in India and caused so much concern, even there. She said that although she had no religious inclinations, she was amazed to learn that her grandfather had left behind no following despite belonging to the well-known city of London, yet the Promised Messiahas has a following spread throughout the globe despite being from a remote town in India.

“No one remembers my grandfather today. In fact, if I have ever heard someone talk about him, then it is from you and you’re researching on him.”

I informed her that the Khilafat of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas is leading the community at present and she expressed her desire to meet Huzooraa. The details of that mulaqat have been given in a separate article, but I should mention here that the impact her mulaqat with Huzooraa had on her is in its own right a sign of the Jamaat’s truthfulness.

Whilst flicking through Piggott’s documents, having been through all of them and then on our journey back to London, Huzoor’s words repeatedly echoed in my mind: “When you go, you will find her!”

What effort was made on my part?

You can read the entire incident again and you will note that on my part, there was nothing. Dialling four telephone numbers and speaking to people requires no effort at all. It does not entail a heavy amount of research.

The actual thing to remember here is what we have all heard since childhood that when the Khalifa of the time or a prophet utters something, angels descend in order to fulfil their each and every word.

Alhamdolillah that God Almighty enabled that to come to fruition!

Debate with Henry Martyn Clark and Abdullah Atham Similarly, in 2012 when we were discussing the prophecies of the Promised Messiahas on Rah-e-Huda, a caller asked the question: “During the debate known as Jange-Muqaddas, the Promised Messiahas

declared a prophecy pertaining to the opponent Abdullah Atham. He said that Atham would die within 15 months of this prophecy, however he did not die during this period. How do you explain this?”

Our scholars provided a very satisfactory answer. However, I wanted to find out what the Christian clergy’s reaction was, what the status was of the debate at that time and whether people knew about it or not. I took that desire with me to Huzooraa and he, once again, very lovingly granted permission to research on it.

Huzooraa enquired, “What is it that you wish to find?”

I only just began describing what I was in search for when Huzoor said, “Allah fazl karey! Dhoondo gey to mil jay ga.” (Allah make it successful. When you start your search, you will find it.)

I desired to tell Huzooraa a lot more.

I even began to describe the clues I was looking for, when Huzooraa said, “Aur?” (What else?) and I moved onto the next item.

My desire was to tell Huzooraa about the debate with Atham so that Huzooraa could be informed of all the aspects I had in my mind. But the words uttered by Huzooraa had become a prayer and angels were already in action to fulfil each and every word. I knew for certain then that this too would be accomplished.

The research phase The following few months were spent in search of material. During the research, I got to learn directly from Huzooraa that my waqf (life devotion) should not be compromised in focusing on a single task.

One day, Huzooraa explained to me, “A waqif-e-zindagi [life-devotee] should be able to multitask.”

Accordingly, I carried out my day to day duties alongside the research. To accomplish the task, many journeys and other purchases needed to be made.

After retirement, Rev Henry Martyn Clark returned from India to Edinburgh, Scotland. I travelled to Scotland several times and each time, Huzooraa openheartedly granted leave and approved any funds that were required.

Once more, I was able to witness how, if any avenue becomes apparent to prove the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas, Huzooraa openheartedly gives us strength, inspiration and any amount of monetary funds that are required.

Both Henry Martyn Clark and Abdullah Atham belonged to the Church Mission Society (CMS). Their headquarters at that time was in Oxford. There, I was given access to reports Henry Martyn Clark had sent to the headquarters.

Henry Martyn Clark’s statements regarding Hazrat Ahmadas Among those, I found a statement, albeit full of rage, regarding the Promised Messiahas in which he had written that he had never had to face such arguments as were presented by Mirza Sahib, peace be upon him. He also said that when the debate first took shape, no scholar from the Muslim side was willing to take up the challenge, until Mirza Sahibas of Qadian took it upon himself. He further added that although all Muslims considered him

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

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Ann Buckley, John Hugh Smyth Piggott’s granddaughter, meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa

outside the pale of Islam, none of those who declared this edict had the courage to take on the challenge.

Most of the Church Mission Society’s records have been stored in the Cadbury Research Library (Birmingham University). There, I found files filled with letters of clergymen of that time, which I had to go through.

After writing for prayers to Huzooraa, I would head out to the library and it

was there that I found a letter written by Henry Martyn Clark to his father Robert Clark. Among other things, he had written regarding the 15-month period and that it was almost over. He wrote that Abdullah Atham was residing in Firozpur in utter despair. Alongside that, he wrote about his meeting with Atham and how he was recovering from his anxiety and would later be brought back to Amritsar so that they could celebrate the passing of 15

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months. Henry Martyn Clark said that he was to write the speech to be delivered by Atham at the celebration.

Among all those letters and papers was that one letter in which Henry Martyn Clark clearly mentioned the state of Abdullah Atham as well as his repentance after the prophecy made by the Promised Messiahas. That too was kept for the blessed era of Fifth Khilafat! Copies of that letter were made and a copy was presented to Huzooraa.

It is intriguing that whenever something like this has been discovered and I have presented to Huzooraa with sheer excitement, I have always noticed Huzooraa to be as calm, dignified and wise as ever, which proves that the ordinary human and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih are on two different wavelengths.

When we are so ecstatic that we are near to losing our senses, Huzooraa brings us back to our senses. When we think that we have unearthed the secrets of the universe, we notice Huzoor’s vision set on something far beyond that, as if to say that there is a lot more beyond this.

But one should not think that Huzooraa does not give encouragement. One sentence said by Huzoor, for example, “Kamal kar diya! Ye kahan sey nikala?”

(Excellent! Where did you find this?) is heavier in meaning than the research itself. Huzoor’s methods of encouragement

are such that no single word can describe them. We should suffice with “absolutely beautiful” for now.

Man is full of flaws, but our master and guide, Huzooraa, is endowed with divine insight, wisdom and farsightedness.

Something always occurs, which gives us a hint of certainty that Huzooraa has not forgotten about us and if he has not forgotten about us, then surely, we will be in his prayers. This alone is sufficient to keep us going on the right track. Anything connected to anyone or anything else is false hope.

Finding the great-grandson of Henry Martyn Clark Later on, I came across Henry Martyn Clark’s grave and death certificate. From there, I was able to track down his final place of residence, property deeds and inheritance papers. Thus, with the sheer grace of Allah, I was able to reach the greatgrandson of Henry Martyn Clark.

A loving, gentle and sincere human, that gentleman resided in Blackpool, England.

When we approached him, we were able to see many documents belonging to Martyn Clark, among which were documents related to Jang-e-Muqaddas. (The details of this have been published in The Review of Religions.)

(To be continued...)

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Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

Hygiene masks and 30 stations for hand sanitisation donated by HF in Kosovo BesmirYvejsi Secretary Ishaat, Jamaat Kosovo

Humanity First and Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo are closely monitoring the situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic in Kosovo, as well as the increase in new cases of the virus (in the last week alone, about 1,000 new cases having been added). The most affected city in Kosovo is estimated to be its capital, Prishtina.

Humanity First and Jamaat Kosovo in cooperation with the municipality of Prishtina, on 8 July 2020, installed 30 stations for disinfection of hands and provided hygienic masks. Some of them are static and some are located on the wall.

The donation comes as a help to follow decisions of the ministry of health and the recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo because it is important to put masks and sanitise hands if people frequent urban buses or visit other places.

The places and neighborhoods of the municipality of Prishtina where they have been installed are at the social housing of Hajvali, Center for Social Work in Bregu i Diellit, food bank at Aktash, Center for Social Work in Qafa, food bank in Tophane, Center for Social Work in Kodra e Trimave, social housing of Fusha e Pajtimit, the most frequented bus shelters where urban buses are expected and at a train station.

Officials from the municipality of

Prishtina have thanked and expressed their gratitude for this donation. Mrs Medina Braha, Directress of the Directorate for Public Services, Protection and Rescue, among other things, said: “As the Municipality of Prishtina, we thank Humanity First organisation for donating masks and sanitisers in the 15 bus shelters in Prishtina. This has been done on purpose to increase security for passengers who frequent public transport in Prishtina, but also to raise awareness with our citizens at this time of pandemic”.

Mr Dren Kukaj, Director of the Directorate for Social Welfare, emphasising that this is not the first time that the Humanity First donated and helped the municipality of Prishtina, said: “I would like to express my thanksgiving on behalf of the municipality of Prishtina for the Humanity First organization, which is not the first time they are helping us. Today, we are in an extremely important project for public health in the city of Prishtina. Thanks to this project, many citizens will have the opportunity to disinfect their hands in different parts of the city and be equipped with masks in different parts of the city. So once again, thank you very much”.

Mr Premtim N. Fazliu, Coordinator for Projects at the Directorate for Social Welfare, on the occasion of the successful completion of this project, said: “We are located in the food bank here in the Aktash neighbourhood. Throughout the

day, in cooperation with Humanity First, we have set up stations for disinfection of hands and equipment with hygienic masks for citizens and various beneficiaries of the social scheme in Prishtina. This is due to the disturbing spread of the Covid-19 pandemic especially in the municipality of Prishtina. Thus, we have continued with social housing, veterans houses, the most frequented various bus shelters of urban

buses, here in the food bank in two centres and in the Center for Social Work in three units”.

This project also received media coverage. 10 newspapers and official persons have published news about this donation on their websites and social networks. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, over 1.4 million people have followed this donation.

Loyalty to country sermon delivered on US Independence Day Syed Shamshad Nasir Missionary, USA

Muhammad Ahmad Sahib of Detroit reports that the Regional Missionary, Shamshad Nasir Sahib delivered a dars (sermon) on 4 July 2020 – Independence Day of USA – on the topic of loyalty to one’s country.

Independence Day in the United States of America is a special day where everyone – young and old – celebrates it with a lot of fireworks during the day and especially in the evening. There are official arrangements made for large scale fireworks across the cities and towns of the United States of America.

Shamshad Nasir Sahib started his dars with offering his prayers that this day (4 July) be blessed for all US citizens and then conveyed his congratulations for Independence Day Celebrations.

Shamshad Nasir Sahib then discussed what Islam teaches us in these situations of celebratory events.

“How can we celebrate ‘4 July’?

Fireworks, holiday, parties, dance and other such activities are all vain activities. The Holy Quran says that believers must shun vanity”, said Shamshad Nasir Sahib.

We as Ahmadi Muslims celebrate it by thanking Allah the Almighty. The blessings of Independence Day should reflect more

gratitude and thankfulness in our behaviour.

As per the Islamic teachings and the clear guidance of the Holy Quran, we need to be thankful to Allah about providing freedom of religious practices in this country. All types of freedoms are provided here, which, if we use per Allah’s commandments, will become a means of true blessings for us.

We should pray for the people of the USA that Allah may guide them on the right path and grant them wisdom to run the affairs of the country properly. We should advise the administration on their responsibilities. We should write them letters just like the Holy Prophetsa, the Promised Messiahas and Khulafa have done. We should invite them to the religion of Islam. We should also write

in the press and media that there should be equal rights for all the people.

The Holy Prophetsa has said that there will be seven types of people who will have shelter of Allah on the day of judgment. Imam-e-Adl – a just ruler – is one of these.

We should always show love for this country. Our country needs our services. Whether it is to serve in the military or serve as a volunteer. We should be ready. We should help the poor. We should pray that Allah may remove this pandemic from this country and the whole world. May Allah protect us and protect this country of ours. Amin.

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

8

Responding to Allegations

Surah al-Haaqah, 23 years and the Promised as Messiah َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ​َ َُ ْ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َ​َ ‫ين ۔ ث ّم لَقط ْعنا‬ ِ ‫يل ُ۔ لأخذَنا ِمن ْه ِبال َي ِم‬ ِ ‫ولو تقول عل ْينا ْبعضَ الأ َقا ِو‬ ّ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ‫ِمن ُه الوَ ِتين ۔ فما ِمنكم ِم ْن أح ٍد عنه حاجز‬ ‫ين‬ ِ​ِ “And if he had falsely attributed even a trivial statement to Us, we would surely have seized him by the right hand, and then surely, We would have severed his jugular vein, and none of you could shield him from us.” (Surah al-Haaqah, Ch.69: V.45-48) Referring to the above verses of the Holy Quran, the opponents of the Promised Messiah and Mahdias allege that the words, “We would have severed his jugular vein” should be applied metaphorically to the claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and there is no condition attached that these words should be taken literally.

They assert that the supposed contradictory statements of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s founder about takfir [declaration of disbelief], his “false” prophecy about Abdul Hakim and opposing views of his Second Khalifa regarding the issue of his prophethood, were the metaphoric “cutting of the jugular vein”.

From the time of Prophet Adamas to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and from his era to this age, not one forger was given respite after falsely claiming that he had been commissioned by God Almighty and after publishing his own words as divine revelations. On the basis of this historically proven fact, the Promised Messiahas often quoted the aforementioned verses of Surah al-Haaqah as a proof of his truthfulness.

Soon after the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa claimed to be a divinely appointed prophet, many among the people of the Quraish refused to accept him and considered the revelation of God as his own forged words. Thus, Allah the Almighty instructed the Holy Prophetsa to present the following argument before them: َ ‫يل ّمن َّر ّب ال ْ َعالَم‬ ٌ َ ‫ين‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ‫تنز‬ “[The Holy Quran] is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.” (Surah al-Haaqah,

Ch.69: V.44) However, the disbelievers were not satisfied. Hence, God Almighty further said, “And if he had falsely [attributed] even a trivial statement to Us, We would surely have seized him by the right hand, and then surely We would have severed his jugular vein, and none of you could shield him [from Us]. And verily, it is a reminder for the righteous.” (Ch.69: V.45-49) The time period between the revelation of these verses of Surah al-Haaqah and the time of his whole prophethood period has been presented as a proof of the Holy Prophet’ssa truth by God Almighty because if he had fabricated lies against Allah, he would not have been given respite to spread his message in the name of God. It is important to know when these verses were revealed to the Holy Prophetsa; to know the time period, which is considered to be enough for a claimant of prophethood to establish his truthfulness.

Regarding the revelation of the said verses, Hazrat Umarra said: “These verses had been revealed before my accepting Islam. Once, the thought crossed my mind that the Holy Prophetsa would go to the Ka‘bah at night to worship, so I should go and kill him. Thus, I went there and hid in the dark. After some time had elapsed, the Prophetsa arrived and began offering Tahajud. At first, I intended to immediately attack him, but then I thought to listen to what he was saying.

Upon hearing, I found that he was reciting these very verses of Surah al-Haaqah.

These verses had such an impact on me that they kept me from attacking him.”

(Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Umar bin alKhattabra) This narration indicates that these verses of Surah Al-Haaqah had been revealed by the sixth year of the divine appointment of the Holy Prophetsa because Hazrat Umarra accepted him in 6 Nabawi.

Moreover, the above incident shows that it was the time when the open opposition of the Holy Prophetsa had just begun and had

not reached extremity as he was reciting the verses of the Holy Quran in the Ka‘bah without any explicit hindrance.

Fierce opposition against the Holy Prophetsa started when he began to convey the message of Allah publically and that happened after the first three years of the Holy Prophet’ssa prophethood, because prior to that time, he used to call the people of Mecca to Islam secretly. Thus, these facts signify that the said verses were revealed roughly between four to six years after the Holy Prophetsa was commissioned as a prophet and the prior four- to six-year period that had elapsed was presented as proof of his truthfulness as a prophet and his claim of being the recipient of divine revelation.

The Holy Prophetsa claimed prophethood at the age of 40 and passed away at 63. Allah the Almighty blessed the Prophetsa with 23 years of life to propagate his claim and promulgate his message.

The Promised Messiahas presented the same argument in support of his claim, saying that if God had granted him ample time to spread his message across the globe as He had bestowed upon the Holy Prophetsa, then how could his claim be false?

As soon as opponents realise that the Promised Messiah’sas explanation of the said verses seems rational and establishes his truth, they come up with another excuse that the argument mentioned in these verses of the Holy Quran is particularly for the personage of the Holy Prophetsa and not for every other person who presents such a claim.

The Promised Messiahas rebutted this unreasonable interpretation by giving the example of a shopkeeper. The Promised Messiahas stated: “It is absolutely clear that Allah Almighty has not presented the verse ْ‫لَو‬ َ َ َ​َ ‫[ تق ّوَ َل َعل ْينا‬if he had falsely attributed even a trivial statement] as an unwise statement which does not establish any concrete proof [of the Holy Prophet’s truth]. Surely,

Allah is free from all kinds of irrational endeavours. Hence, the situation in which that Wise [God] has presented this verse … and reasoned in such a way, it has to be believed that if a person falsely claims to be a messenger and a divinely commissioned prophet, he will never get to live [after his claim] equal to the time of the Holy Prophet’ssa prophethood.

“Otherwise, this argument [of God] will not be justified and no other way of understanding this [reasoning] would ever be established because … if [any other] fabricator gets respite of 23 years, it would clearly indicate that every liar can get such a respite. Then, [the question is] َ َ َ​َ how will the truth of ‫[ لَوْ تق ّوَ َل َعل ْينا‬if he had falsely attributed even a trivial statement] be manifested upon the people? And what are the arguments for believing that if the Holy Prophetsa had lied, he would have been killed within 23 years? ...

“It could be understood with the help of an example. For instance, a shopkeeper says, ‘If I cheat in my dealings of my shop or sell defective products or lie or weigh products less than they actually weigh, then the moment I would do so, lightening would strike me. Thus, you [customers] should remain satisfied with me and should not bear any doubts that I will ever sell faulty goods or weigh deceptively or lie, rather you should buy goods from my shop with eyes closed and should not examine anything.’ Should people be satisfied with this nonsensical statement and consider this absurd statement of his as an argument for his truthfulness?

Certainly not. By God, such a statement can never be a proof of this person’s honesty. In fact, it is a way to deceive God’s people and to make them oblivious.

“On the other hand, this could be considered a [reasonable] argument in two cases: The first scenario could be that on a few occasions, it had happened in front of the people that the said person was struck by lightning the moment he had lied about his goods or weighed deceptively or

9

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM committed some other kind of dishonesty and was left half dead. Moreover, that the lying or cheating or under-weighing had happened continuously and he was struck by lightning many times over, until the hearts of the people were convinced that the person was certainly struck by lightning at the time of deception. In that case, this statement would definitely be used as an argument because many people witnessed the fact that he lied and was struck by lightning.

“The second situation could be that it so happens to the common people that a person who is a shopkeeper lies about his consumer products or weighs less or commits some kind of dishonesty or sells faulty goods and gets struck by lightning.

“Thus, keeping this example in mind, every honest person is compelled to say َ َ َ​َ that the statement of ‫ لَوْ تق ّوَ َل َعل ْينا‬from the All-Knowing and Wise God will serve as a conclusive proof only when one of the two conditions is present in it: “The first is that God forbid, the Holy Prophetsa had told a lie in the past and God had given him a severe punishment and the people being the personal witnesses were aware of the fact that he would be punished if he would forge a lie against God, as he was punished on a given occasion previously. However, this type of reasoning could not be carried out regarding the pure personage of the Holy Prophetsa and even to think so in relation to the Holy Prophetsa is kufr [disbelief].

“The second argument could be that being a general rule of God Almighty, whoever fabricates a lie against Him, he should not be given any long respite and killed immediately. Hence, this reasoning seems correct in this situation. Otherwise, َ َ َ​َ the phrase ‫ لَوْ تق ّوَ َل َعل ْينا‬would be mere deception in the eyes of an objector and God forbid, it would fall in the category of a futile discourse of a shopkeeper [who urges his customers to buy his good giving baseless arguments of lightning strikes].

“The conscience of those who respect the word of God can never َ​َ accept that the statement of God ‫لَوْ تق ّوَ َل‬ َ َ ‫ َعل ْينا‬is so meaningless that there is no proof for it. It is clear that conveyance of this unsubstantiated statement by God Almighty to those opponents who neither believed in the prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa, nor considered the Holy Quran as the word of Allah was simply irrational and no less than childish consolation.

“Moreover, how and why would the disbelievers and the opponents be satisfied with it? Rather, it would be just a claim for them, devoid of evidence. How absurd is it to say that if I commit such and such sin, I would be killed, even though millions of other people in the world commit the same sin every day and are not killed?

What an abominable excuse it is that God does not do anything to other sinners and heretics and this punishment is especially for me …

“Hence, considering the wise words of God Almighty that have been revealed in the world for the completion of conclusive arguments in such a vain way is to mock and deride the holy word of God. The Holy Quran repeatedly proclaims that

Hazrat Ibn Abbasra narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said: “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijja).”

Then some companions of the Prophetsa asked, “Not even Jihad?”

He replied, “Not even Jihad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah's sake) and does not return with any of those things.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Eidain)

God Almighty does not spare one who fabricates a lie against Allah. He punishes such a one in this very life and destroys him; Allah the Exalted refers to it in the verse: َۡ َ ‫َو َق ۡد َخ‬ ‫اب َم ِن اف� ٰ�ى‬ “That is, ‘He who fabricates a lie shall perish.’ [Surah Ta Ha, Ch.20: V.62] “At another place it is said: َۡ َ َ َۡ ٰ َّ َ َ َ ّٰ َ ‫َو َم ۡن اﻇل ُم ِم ّم ِن اف� ٰ�ى َعلﻰ الل ِه ك ِذ ًبا ا ۡو كذ َب ِبا ٰي ِت ٖه‬ ‘Who is guilty of greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against God or gives the lie to His signs?’ [Surah al-An‘am, Ch.6: V.22] “It is thus clear that those who repudiated the word of God on the occasion of the advent of God’s Prophets were not spared by God and were destroyed by diverse types of torments.

Observe the end of the people of Noah and of Ad and Thamud and the people of Lot and of Pharaoh and the Meccan enemies of the Holy Prophetsa.

“Thus, when those who rejected the truth were chastised in this world, how can such a one escape who fabricates a lie against Allah and who is mentioned in the first place in the verse just cited? Would God treat the righteous and the false alike and is there no punishment in this life

from God Almighty for impostors? ُ َ َ ُ ‫َما لَك ۡم � ك ۡي َﻒ ت ۡحك ُموۡ َن‬ [‘What is the matter with you? How judge ye!’] (Surah al-Qalam, Ch.68: V.37)] “At another place, God Almighty has said: ُ َ َّ ُ ُ ُ ً َ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ ‫َو ِا ۡن ّيك �ا ِذ ًبا ف َعل ۡي ِه ك ٰ ِذبُ ٗه � َو ِا ۡن ّيك َﺻا ِدقا ّي ِص ۡبك َ ۡم بَ ۡعض ال ِذ ۡى � ِع ُد� ۡم‬ ّ َّ ٌ‫الل َه لَا يَ ۡهد ۡى َم ۡن ُهوَ ُم ۡ�ر ٌف َك ّذاب‬ ‫� ِان‬ ِ ِ “‘If this prophet is an impostor, he will perish because of his imposture, but if he is truthful, then it is a must that you too will taste some punishment, because the transgressors, whether they are guilty of imposture or rejection, shall receive no help from Allah.’ [Surah al-Mumin, Ch.40: V.29] “What could be more explicit than the fact that in the Holy Quran, God Almighty warns again and again that an impostor is bound to perish in this very world. On the other hand, the very first proof for God’s true prophets and appointed ones is that they pass away after completing their work and they are given enough time for the promulgation of faith, and the longest timespan in this short life of man is 23 years, because mostly, prophethood begins at 40 years of age, and if another 23 years are granted, it is the prime time of life.

“It is for this reason that I say again

and again that the time period of the Holy Prophet’ssa prophethood is a very accurate measure for the truthful and it is not possible for anyone to be untruthful and forge a lie against God and still be granted a respite of 23 years, i.e. relative to the duration of the Holy Prophet’sss prophethood; such a one will surely be annihilated.” (Arba‘in, No. 4, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 17, pp. 430-434) God Almighty states: َْ َ َ َ ّٰ ْ َ ‫َو َم ْن ّيل َع ِن الل ُه فل ْن ت ِج َد ل َ ُه ن ِصي ً�ا‬ “He whom Allah curses, thou shalt not find for him a helper.” (Surah al-Nisa, Ch.110: V.53) Talking about true prophets in the Holy Quran, Almighty the Allah says: ُّ َ َ ْ ْ ُ َ َ ْ َّ َ َ َ ُ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َّ ُ ُ‫الدن ْ َيا َويَوْ َم �َق‬ ُ ‫وم الْأَ ْﺷ َه‬ ‫اد‬ ‫ِإنا لننصر رﺳلنا وال ِذين آمنوا فِي الحيا ِة‬ “Most surely We help Our Messengers and those who believe, both in the present life and on the day when the witnesses will stand forth.”(Surah al-Mumin, Ch.40: V.52) The above verses indicate that a person who has not been made a prophet

by God and fabricates false revelations of prophethood and attributes them to Allah, incurs God’s wrath against himself Continued on page 10

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

10 Continued from page 9

and instead of being a partaker of God’s pleasure and forgiveness, comes under God’s curse. Consequently, he does not gain acceptance in the world but fails miserably. His support and following is not found. On the contrary, God Almighty helps true prophets in this very world.

Despite all the opposition of people, Allah gives them respite to preach their claim.

Their ideas spread and as a result of divine help, people gradually start accepting them.

Of all the prophets, the greatest prophet, Hazrat Muhammadsa was bestowed with the utmost succour. As Allah Almighty says: ّٰ ْ ْ َ ْ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َ ْ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ ّٰ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ ً َ‫الل ِه أَ ْفو‬ ‫ِإذا جاء نصر الل ِه والفتح ۔ ورأيت الناس يدخلون فِي ِدي ِن‬ ‫اجا‬ “When the help of Allah comes, and the victory, and thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troops.” (Surah al-Nasr, Ch.110: V.2-3) If the opponents want to genuinely refute the Promised Messiah’sas claim, it is necessary for them to first prove through a verse or hadith that the one who fabricates falsehood against God Almighty and is a false claimant of prophethood, is given ample respite from Allah, relative to the Promised Messiahas, who was granted a long life to spread his claim, which, in view of the opponents, was false.

Secondly, the opponents should prove with the help of a verse or hadith that God Almighty can help a false claimant of prophethood and that people in this world, during his life and even after his death, accept his views and join his fold.

However, they do not produce any such evidence and by not doing so, they declare by their actions that what is written in the Holy Quran and ahadith about false claimants of prophethood was not present in the Promised Messiahas and what is written in them about true prophets of God was certainly present in him.

Rather than acknowledging the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas, they continue to deny and this is an established habit of the adversaries of the prophets, as Allah the Almighty states: َّ َ َ َ ٰ َ َ​َ ُ​ُ َ ْ َ ‫ال ال ِذيْ َن ِم ْن ق ْب ِل ِه ْم ِّمث َل قوْل ِ​ِه ْم ۘ تشابَ َه ْت قلوبُ ُه ْم‬ ‫كذل ِك ق‬ “Likewise said those before them similar to their saying.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.119) As far as the objections regarding the statements of the Promised Messiahas, prophecy about Abdul Hakim and the opinion of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra on the issue of his prophethood are concerned, we have already addressed these allegations in previous articles of Responding to Allegations. [See: “Absolute faith of the companions in the Promised Messiahas and his prophethood” and “The age of the Promised Messiah – Part II”] Thus, it is irrational to suggest that the verses of the Holy Quran mentioned at the outset should be implied metaphorically in the case of the Promised Messiahas or any other claimant of prophethood. The word of God Almighty, the Holy Quran, the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa and historical evidence are absolutely against the view of the opponents.

153 Canada Day Celebrations rd

Syed Mukarram Nazeer Canada Correspondent

Canada Day celebrates the anniversary of the Canadian confederation, which took place on 1 July 1867. On this day, three colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick united into a single Dominion named Canada, within the British Empire.

Originally named Dominion Day, the day was renamed Canada Day in 1982.

The day is celebrated with a patriotic zeal across Canada.

Celebratory ceremonies are held all day long, with live performances, stalls, activities for children and food for all. Fireworks in the evening bring the day to an end. The largest event of such kind is held in Ottawa (the capital city of Canada) where the governor general of Canada and prime minister address the attendees.

Nadeem Mahmood Sahib reports that Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Canada has been celebrating this event across the country for many years, especially in cities where the Jamaat has a mosque.

These events are held, keeping in line with the commandment of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “Love of one’s homeland is part of faith.”

These events are open to the public and are attended by government officials, neighbours and members of the Jamaat. A complimentary barbecue lunch is usually served. Jamaat Calgary has the distinction of serving free barbecue to the highest number of attendees in a single Canada Day event, totalling 10,000.

In Bait-ul-Islam Mosque, Toronto, the Canada Day celebration programme is the largest of its kind in the city of Vaughan. In addition to a barbecue, there are kid’s rides, vendor stalls and many more festivities.

This year, due to Covid-19, all Canada Day events were held virtually. Local dignitaries, including councillors, mayors, MPPs (member provincial parliament), MPs (member federal parliament), provincial ministers, federal ministers, head of police, attended and delivered their messages. Blood donation drives by Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Canada were especially appreciated.

Canada Day events were held in the jamaats of Vaughan, Calgary, Brampton, Toronto, Hamilton, Saskatoon and Ottawa.

All events were broadcasted on

YouTube, enabling local Jamaat members to attend virtually. Below are highlights of some of the events held at major Canadian cities: The city of Brampton is located some 30 km west of Bait-ul-Islam Mosque, Toronto. Both local chapters of Brampton celebrated Canada Day at a joint virtual event. The event started with the recitation and translation of the Holy Quran and recital of the Canadian national anthem by children in English and French. Children presented video greetings.

Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Canada, Lal Khan Malik Sahib addressed the virtual event and welcomed all those present.

He explained the importance of love for one’s country for all Muslims. Guests and dignitaries shared their thoughts.

The city of Calgary is at some 3,300 km west of Bait-ul-Islam Mosque, Toronto.

This year, Canada Day was a virtual event, with a live blood donation clinic. 87 donors showed up, of which 58 were from Jamaat. A total of 74 units were donated.

Hamilton is about 90 km south-west of Bait-ul-Islam Mosque, Toronto. The Jamaat held a car rally, which started at the Ahmadiyya Mosque and ended at city hall.

In Ottawa, which is almost 500 km north-east of Bait-ul-Islam Mosque, the Jamaat distributed sweets to kids in the local community through a drive-thru arrangement.

May Allah the Almighty enable us to continue to be loyal to our country and become model citizens. Amin.

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Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

Cannabis and psychosis Examining the link

Mussawar Ahmad AMRA UK

Over the years, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association (AMRA) UK has conducted what have come to be known as “Research Cafés”. These are small events, typically attended by a handful of researchers, to focus on a topic presented by an expert in the field.

The aim of Research Cafés is to bring Ahmadi researchers together and discuss scientific topics, both from secular and religious perspectives, providing a safe platform for reflection, discussion and debate.

In 2017, Dr Musa Sami Sahib was the host of one such Research Café at the Nasir Mosque in Gillingham on a cold and wet January morning. At the time, Musa Sahib was in the early phases of his PhD research, although already exploring the link between cannabis and psychosis. The event was attended by about 12 people and all left wondering where Musa Sahib’s research would go.

Fast forward to 20 June 2020 and we were in the privileged position of finding out what Musa Sahib had learned in his research. The event was held virtually (a first for AMRA’s Research Café) and attended by nearly 20 people, both men and women.

Musa Sahib presented what was, by all accounts, a fascinating talk guiding the listeners through what is both an incredibly complex, yet tremendously fascinating topic.

He started by describing the key challenges that psychiatrists face around the certainty of diagnosis of psychotic disorders. He then delved deeper, explaining the different types of disorders and the impact that they have on patients that come to see him.

Having given the audience an overview of the field of psychiatry, Musa Sahib moved on to talk about cannabis, its history, its uses and the chemical compounds that interact with the receptors in our brains. He also described the plethora of experiences that users of cannabis described, classifying them into three categories: desired, undesirable and physical.

There was then the crux of the talk, where the association between cannabis

and psychosis was discussed and elaborated upon. Importantly, it was emphasised that the link between cannabis and psychosis should be made with due consideration for which psychosis outcome is being associated. These were classified as: 1. Symptom: Expressing traits of a psychotic disorder, but not actually having that disorder, e.g. a runny nose may be a symptom of a cold, but it does not always mean that when you have a runny nose, you have a cold 2. Risk of psychotic disorder: Transitioning from having symptoms of a disorder (where traits may be periodically expressed) to a more permanent and diagnosed disorder 3. Relapse of psychosis: For one that has suffered and subsequently recovered from a psychotic disorder, the association between using cannabis and relapsing into that psychotic disorder It was also identified, as part of Musa Sahib’s research, that there were important differences between patients with psychosis that did and did not use cannabis e.g. those that did not use cannabis, but did have a psychotic disorder were able to better track objects with their eyes. This led to the conclusion that there was a neurobiological distinction between the two groups, although whether these differences were a consequence of or preceded cannabis use remains an unanswered question.

Following the first part of the talk, attendees had an opportunity to ask questions which ranged from discussions on the science through to the legal and wider social implications of the research.

We then moved onto the Islamic implications of the research and linking the topic with relevant verses in the Holy Quran on the topic such as Surah al-Baqarah (chapter 2), verse 220 where the word “khamr” is translated to wine. However, the root word also has definitions around concealment and coverings, highlighting how the word has been chosen to extend to those intoxicants that cover one’s senses.

In the same verse, the Holy Quran goes on to concede that there are some advantages of such substances, but that their harm outweighs them.

This then fuelled the debate around medical marijuana and the distinction between the good it could do and how the system was being abused.

AMRA will be holding its next Research Café on 8 August 2020, where Dr Ahmad Mannan Sahib will be talking about his research on the use of bacteria as factories for manufacturing chemicals. You can sign up at https://amracafecells.eventbrite.co.uk/ If you would like to participate or indeed, if you are a researcher who wants to use Research Café as a means to disseminate your research, please reach out to research@ khuddam.co.uk

Humanity First Brazil’s activities amid Covid-19

Wasim Ahmad Zafar National President, Jamaat Brazil

Coronavirus is spreading very fast across the world, especially in Brazil, where the number of cases is increasing rapidly.

Moreover, the mayor of Petropolis advised citizens to wear masks whenever they leave their houses.

During this challenging time, Humanity First Brazil set up a 5-day camp in Petropolis to help its fellow citizens. Wasim Ahmad Zafar Sahib, President and Missionar y-in-C harge Brazil started this camp with prayer.

Humanity First team members (men, women and children) stood for hours distributing face masks and providing hand sanitisers. Some bottles of sanitisers were also distributed to the

needy. Thousands of people benefited from sanitisers and masks. They expressed their gratitude and expressed their happiness, saying that this was a true manifestation of the moto, “Love for all, hatred for none.”

Humanity first team members served people of this city with great zeal and loyalty and worked for hours to serve humanity.

The city mayor and health secretary thanked Nadeem Ahmad Tahir Sahib, President Humanity First Brazil, for this effort.

A councillor admitted that Jamaat-eAhmadiyya is always seen at the front line to serve humanity. Two local newspapers reported the services rendered by Humanity First Brazil.

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the programme was very successful and Jamaate-Ahmadiyya Brazil is planning to continue it. May Allah the Almighty reward all team members for their efforts. Amin.

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

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100 Years Ago...

Professor of Aligarh College pledges allegiance to Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya Al Fazl, 15 July 1920

Al Hakam, 14 July 1920 Police action As mentioned in the previous report, police officers visited Kanjrur last month and investigated the Ahmadiyya petition.

Police officers admonished those mischiefmakers, whose names were handed over to authorities, to refrain from oppressing and mocking Ahmadis. Now, by the grace of God, we will have some peace. Praise be to Allah who made this all possible!

First Ahmadiyya Madrasa in Malabar Kodaly Jamaat has opened a madrasa on 21 June [1920] with the efforts of Maulana Maulvi Abdul Rahim Sahib of Bihar. This is the first madrasa in Malabar. Thus, we extend our congratulations to Hazrat Maulvi Sahib and Kodaly Jamaat.

Non-Ahmadis will also be admitted. If Hindus want to learn Urdu, our noteworthy brother, Ahmad Sahib (a teacher) will gladly teach them. Admission in this madrasa is free. May God grant strength to this Jamaat to take this madrasa to a higher level.

Bai‘at of Commander-in-Chief of Nabha State Mr Khan Muhammad Ausaf Ali Khan, CIS, Commander-in-Chief of Nabha State, is a distinguished and educated member of the Afghan family of Malerkotla and holds an eminent post in the Nabha State.

Only by the grace and support of Allah the Almighty, he has entered the fold of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat by taking Bai‘at at the hand of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra]. May Allah grant him perseverance and make him a source of guidance for other people.

Amin!

An intelligent and efficient professor of Aligarh College requests Bai‘at Qazi Muhammad Shafiq Sahib Farooqi Ahmadi MA, Professor of Economics at MAO College Aligarh wrote to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra]: “Each day, the prophecy: ّٰ ْ َ ْ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َ ْ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ ّٰ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ ً‫الل ِه أَ ْفوَاجا‬ ‫إِذا جاء نصر الل ِه والفتح ۔ ورأيت الناس يدخلون فِي ِدي ِن‬ [‘When the help of Allah comes, and the victory, and thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troops’ (Surah al-Nasr, Ch.110: V.2-3)], is fulfilled with much clarity.

“Today, the pledge of allegiance of a seeker of truth is being sent to Huzoorra.

He had been wandering in the deserts of despair for a long time and was caught in the clutches of atheism. However today, by the grace and mercy of God, he is entering the realm of Ahmadiyyat to be irrigated by the real fountain of Islam.

“His name is Sharif Fayyaz Bahadur Khan Sahib. He received his education at Muir Central College, Allahabad.

This year, he passed MSc examination in zoology from the same college. As he was one of the brightest students, he was accepted as a professor in the college faculty after passing the exam. Presently, he is doing honorary professorship at MAO College of Aligarh. He belongs to a very high and noble family. There is a true longing for Islam in his heart. Hopefully, he will prove to be a very useful follower of Islam.

First Ahmadiyya Madrasa in Malabar

Sad news Two or three houses of married Ahmadis are present in Kanjrur. One of the Ahmadis who has been evicted is a young man named Abdullah. Opponents have

“Along with this letter, Professor Sahib’s letter of Bai‘at is also being sent to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] and Huzoor is requested to pray for the resoluteness of his faith and the spiritual and religious progress of this new Ahmadi.

“Professor Sahib has promised to write a series of articles on ‘Why I became an Ahmadi’.

“Professor Sahib’s letter is as follows: “‘I have carefully studied the conditions of Bai‘at and understood them well. I will always try to abide by them with the grace of God. I believe in Hazrat Mirza Sahib as the Promised Messiah and consider all his claims to be true. “‘I hope you will accept my allegiance and pray for my perseverance.’

“Yours obediently, Fayyaz Bahadur Khan.”

Arrival of a missionary Maulvi Hafiz Abu Ubaidullah Ghulam Rasul Sahib of Wazirabad has returned to [Qadian] Darul Aman after carrying out tabligh in the region of Sharakpur, i.e.

Shah Miskeen etc.

long sought to remarry his wife with a non-Ahmadi regardless of the fact that she is not divorced. Now it has been reported that the girl was married to a non-Ahmadi on the night of the 1st or 2nd of this month.

Regarding this, Hazrat Maulvi Sahib wrote to the local secretary: “Today, on 2 July 1920, a non-Ahmadi has married an Ahmadi’s wife in Kanjrur on his own. This is an atrocity that has never happened to an oppressed person before in the British Empire.”

Secretary Ibrahim Kunji Sahib has sent the following telegram to Qadian about this incident: “Nazir Umoor Ama Ahmadia, Qadian.

Non Ahmadies Kanjrur remarried one Ahmadies’ wife without divorce. Heinous crime never heard before. What [to] do?”

A telegram was also sent to Rangoon on the 5th. On the same day, Monday, the Qadianis received the following answer: “Sir, [file a complaint in] court under penal code chapter twenty. Consult local lawyer for details. Hazrat praying.”

(Umoor Ama) Ahmadi brothers have put their heads together over this issue.

Humbly yours, Din Hamid, Kannur, Malabar. 7 July 1920

Report on Islam’s tabligh in America Al Hakam, 14 July 1920 31 new Muslims Praise and glory be to the Pure God that thanks to His beloved Syedna Muhammad Mustafa [chosen one], peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, this humble one succeeded in a few days soon after entering America, regardless of the great difficulties and obstacles put [my way] by the fanatical Christians. Thus far, 29 new gentlemen and ladies have entered the true religion through my tabligh. Their names along with new Islamic names are as follows: 1 & 2. Dr George Baker and Mr Ahmad Anderson. These two gentlemen had been in correspondence with me for a long time and have been Muslims for quite some time. They are sincere Muslims. Thus, I think it is important that their names be at the top of this list. [These two are old

converts] 3. The first of the new Muslims after them include, Mr Popovich (Islamic name Nur).

He is a respected tradesman. He converted to Islam on the ship.

4, 5, 6 & 7. Anite family: Mrs Wright, Miss Nelly, Miss Beatrice and Miss Ruth.

[I first met this respectable family in Gloucester City and carried out tabligh.]

This was followed by frequent meetings in Philadelphia. They were given the Islamic names, Khadija, Aisha, Fatima and Zainab, respectively.

8. Miss Elizabeth Thomson (Sadiqa) 9. Miss Bessie Rogers (Hameedah) 10. Miss Jenny, Islamic name Jannat 11. Mr Louis C Telford, resident of British

13

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM Guiana, Islamic name Mamoon 12. Mr Andrew Mac Gliemie of Jamaica (Khalid) 13. Mr David Thomas of Jamaica, a worker on the ship (Salim) 14. Mr Lloyd Henry, resident of Orange River (Hameed) 15. Mr Joseph Kane, native of Poland, residing in Philadelphia (Yusuf) 16. Mr Godla Cohen, native of Poland, residing in Philadelphia (Yaqoob)

and distributed 5,000 of them. It cost 40 dollars and the mail charges are apart from it. There are many things required for tabligh. Below are some of them: 1. Publication of a few short tracts [is required], which will include the qualities of Islam, the description of the noble attributes of the Holy Prophetsa, the miracles of the Prophet, the blessings of the Holy Quran, the proof of the truth of Islam from Torah and Gospel and the refutation of allegations against Islam, etc.

It will cost 100 dollars per tract.

2. A good quality typewriter, 100 dollars.

17. Mr AC Tsalo of [...] (Ahsan)

3. Chairs for the lecture hall, 100 dollars

18. Mr Antonio Klise Rico (Hassan)

4. Mats for prayers, 50 dollars

19. Mr Lao Roman Anco (Hussein)

5. A competent clerk, for one hour a day, 50 dollars a month

20. Mr John O’Neill of Orton, State of New Jersey, Islamic name Yahya 21. Mr AG Rockford of Boston, tobacco trader. The study of the book, Teachings of Islam is the source of this young man’s conversion to Islam. Islamic name Hamid 22. Mr Victor Gear, native of France, residing in America (Hameed) 23. Mr Albert Kramer (Mahmud) 24. Mr Matthew Fizishtman (Kareem) 25. Mr Alexander Bern Barton, native of Poland, currently employed in Philadelphia (Haleem) 26. Mr K Russo, resident of Spain (Saeed) 27. Mr Florencio Klages, resident of Lisbon (Fazl) 28. Mr Paul Wicknell, resident of Buenos Aires (Karam) 29. Mr Leo Yardy Orlando, resident of Rome (Ahmad) 30. Mr Caser Mario (Momin) 31. Mr Selley (Amin) The work of tabligh in this country must be done in many different ways but a significant amount of money is required for it. I got a couple of pages printed

6. 50 dollars a year for telephone. In this country, people do not make use of correspondence as much as they do the telephone. Certain other things are also required. Allah the Almighty will deliver all goods by His grace …

In addition to the new Muslims mentioned in the report, six Muslims have joined the Ahmadiyya Jamaat.

Their names include, Abdul Aziz Sahib and Muhammad Shafi Sahib, resident of Calcutta, Ali Sher Khan Sahib, resident of Ghazipur. All of them are employed in a factory here. Mr James Sadiq is a young Tatar who has been living in this country for six years. He became a believer after listening to the accounts of Hazrat Ahmadas Nabiyullah [Prophet of God].

He is sincerely assisting us in our work.

Mr Muhammad Jan Affandi is employed in the army. Mr Ahmad bin Ali is an Arab tradesman. Members of the Jamaat are requested to pray as some people are trying to attack and defame this humble one because they are envious of my tabligh achievements. ً ْ َ ّٰ ‫َوالل ُه ﺧ� ٌ� َﺣا ِﻓﻈا‬

Muhammad Jamal Niger Correspondent

Majlis Ansarullah Niger conducted the first refresher course of its kind for members of the national amila and regional zaeems.

The purpose of this refresher course was to equip them towards understanding and propagating the alluring teachings of Islam and to strengthen the organisational structure administratively in accordance with the vision of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

The ceremony of the refresher course formally took place on the evening of 16 June 2020, after Isha prayer. The inaugural session was presided by Amir Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Niger, Asad Majeeb Sahib.

The session commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, after which the pledge of Majlis Ansarullah was read out. Afterwards, Amir Jamaat Niger addressed the participants, highlighting the importance and usefulness of the organisational structure and drawing attention to make full use of the next two days of the refresher course.

Therefore, the refresher course continued until 18 June, during which on the first day, Vice President Majlis Ansarullah Niger, Amir Irshad Sahib enlightened participants thoroughly with arguments from the Holy Quran and Hadith regarding disputed issues.

In the evening session, Amir Sahib Jamaat Niger spoke about the topic of

the need for Imam and described the importance of Khilafat.

The refresher course provided a special training regarding fundamental beliefs, which are the bedrock of Jamaat-eAhmadiyya.

On the second day, some passages from the Constitution of Majlis Ansarullah were read out regarding the responsibilities of the working committee of Majlis Ansarullah.

The concluding session of this refresher course was held on the same day after Isha prayer, in which Amir Jamaat Niger drew the attention of all the members to make Majlis Ansarullah active to its full potential and fulfill their responsibilities.

Later on, Amir Sahib concluded this refresher course with the silent prayer.

This refresher course was attended by eight members of the national working committee of Majlis Ansarullah Niger and seven regional zaeems, alhamdulillah.

May Allah the Almighty bless the organisers and participants of this event.

Amin.

[And Allah is the best Protector] Muhammad Sadiq. 4 June 1920

A candid admission The Review of Religions (English), July 1920 Rev. Albert Barnes in his notes on the Gospels writes regarding dreams, “This was a common way of making known the will of God to the ancient prophets and people of God … In what way it was ascertained that these dreams were from God cannot now be told. It is sufficient for us to know that in this way many of the prophecies were communicated; and to remark that now there is no evidence

Refresher course of Majlis Ansarullah Niger

that we are to put reliance on our dreams.

Dreams are wild irregular movements of the mind, when it is unshackled by reason, and it is mere superstition to suppose that God now makes known His Will in this way.”

The above shows the utter helplessness of the exponent of Christianity to satisfy modern-day critics. The uniformity of God’s providence is a fact established by

experience. To say that formerly God spoke to men in dreams but that now all such belief is mere superstition is strange logic.

Has there been such a strange change in the constitution of the human mentality?

If so, we expect our Christian doctors to present us with the new comparative psychology.

The fact is that ignorance in this case has led to a denial. Dreams, prophetic dreams are in fact still matters within the range of human experience. It must be so in order to enable men to believe in what has been told of the ancient prophets. For belief can come only from understanding and we cannot possibly understand things which are altogether outside our experience.

If Christian doctors and other fairminded inquirers will just for a little while free their minds from prejudice and consult the more eminent Islamic divines, they will be surprised to find how much they have to say regarding the different kinds and classes of dreams, and their distinguishing features. Specially in the writings of the latest of Islamic reformers, the Promised Messiah[as], is to be found a whole philosophy on the subject of dreams, visions, prophecies and secondsights.

May we not hope that the prospect of opening up a new department of scientific knowledge will attract some of the Western minds to this study?

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

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Were the Miraj and Isra physical or spiritual journeys?

Part I “Say, ‘Holy is my Lord! I am not but a man [sent as a] Messenger.’” (Surah Bani Isra‘il, Ch.17: V.94) Jalees Ahmad London

After the demise of the Holy Prophetsa, the beauties of Islam continued to spread and people from various religions were entering the fold of Islam in their thousands. With so many from different religious backgrounds accepting Islam, similar to the case of past religions, many beliefs and notions contrary to the real teachings, influenced by other doctrines, managed to rear their ugly head into the Muslim belief.

Today, a common misconception that non-Ahmadi Muslims have concocted is the issue of the life and death of Jesusas, son of Mary. Many Muslims believe that the Messiah of the latter days, who was prophesied by the Holy Prophetsa, is none other than Jesusas, who, as they assert, is still alive and will “soon” descend from the heavens.

One argument non-Ahmadi Muslims present to support this false notion is the incident of the Miraj and Isra. They say that the journey the Holy Prophetsa undertook to the heavens was a physical journey. Thus, they allude to the belief that just as God was able to physically raise the Holy Prophetsa towards Himself, so too is the case with Jesusas and therefore, according to them, the matter of Jesus’ physical ascension should not be difficult to accept.

In this article, we will debunk the notion of “physical ascension” and show, through the Quran, ahadith and logical proofs, how the Miraj and Isra were in fact two spiritual journeys and not physical.

It should be clear that the condition Muslims are in today was prophesied by the Holy Prophetsa himself. It is reported that the Holy Prophetsa said that a time would come upon the Muslim Ummah where they would resemble the Jews.

Thus, just as the Jews did not accept Jesusas as the Messiah and said that Elijah would physically descend, so too is the condition of the Muslims today, who have rejected Hazrat Ahmadas and say that Jesusas will physically descend.

Before moving on, it is necessary to

briefly mention the incident of both the Miraj and Isra.

Let it be clear that the Miraj and Isra are two different incidents that occurred during the time of the Holy Prophetsa.

The Miraj was the spiritual journey where the Holy Prophetsa was shown the heavens, met with previous prophets and was eventually presented before the royal court of Allah. The Isra is the name of the spiritual journey where the Holy Prophetsa was taken from Mecca to Jerusalem. As we progress, further references will be provided from ahadith with regard to both incidents.

Beginning with the Holy Quran, let us see what the Perfect Book has said about physical ascension.

It is mentioned in Surah Bani Isra‘il that the disbelievers of Mecca expressed their readiness to accept Islam, but first demanded certain signs to be fulfilled.

They said to the Holy Prophetsa that they would not believe until he ascended to the sky and brought down a book for them to read.

Upon this, God revealed to the Holy Prophetsa: “Say, ‘Holy is my Lord! I am not but a man sent as a messenger.’” (Surah Bani Isra‘il, Ch.17: V.94) This very emphatically establishes that it is not God’s practice for a man to physically ascend to the heavens and come back to earth. The important point to note here is that God is pointing towards this practice of His. God openly states in the Quran that He never goes in contradiction of His own practice: َ َ​َ َ ّٰ َّ َ َ ّٰ َّ ‫فل ۡن ت ِج َد ل ُِسن ِت الل ِہ ت ۡب ِدیۡلًا ۚ۬ َو ل َ ۡن ت ِج َد ل ُِسن ِت الل ِہ ت ۡح ِویۡلًا‬ “But you will never find any change in the way of Allah; nor will you ever find any alteration in the way of Allah.” (Surah Fatir, Ch.35: V.44) Thus, since it is a common practice that man lives his limited days on earth and only returns to God upon his demise, hence it would be wrong and against God’s practice to say and believe that a physical body can be raised to God. As regards the Miraj, the Holy Quran, in Surah al-Najm, clearly states:

َ ُْ َ َ ‫َما كذ َب الف َؤ ُاد َما َرأ ٰى‬ “The heart of the prophet lied not regarding what he saw” (Ch.53: V.12) From this, it is clearly understood that it was a heartfelt vision, not a bodily or physical ascension. For if it were the physical body and physical eyes of the Prophetsa that witnessed this journey then what was the need of the Holy Quran to mention “al-fu‘ad”. Thus, as the Quran mentions the word “al-fu‘ad”, it clearly alludes to the fact that this was a heartfelt journey i.e., spiritual.

Let us now look at the different ahadith pertaining to the incident of the Miraj and

see if it gives further evidence for it being a spiritual journey. In one narration of Sahih al-Bukhari (Kitab Bad‘-ul-Khalq), it is mentioned that this vision was shown to the Holy Prophetsa between a state of sleep and wakefulness (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3207). In another narration of Bukhari (Kitab al-Tawhid), towards the end of the full hadith regarding the Miraj, it is stated: ُ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َْ ‫ام‬ ِ ‫قال واست ْيقظ وه َو فِي َم ْس ِج ِد الح َر‬ Meaning that the Holy Prophetsa then woke up while he was in the Sacred Mosque (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7517).

This clearly indicates that it was a dream

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Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM like vision experienced by the Holy Prophetsa.

In the very same hadith, it is stated: ْ َ ُ َ َْ ‫ام‬ ِ ‫وه َو نائِ ٌم فِي ال َم ْس ِج ِد الح َر‬ “… while he was sleeping in the Sacred Mosque…”

This means that this journey took place whilst the Holy Prophetsa was asleep in the Sacred Mosque.

And again, it is stated: ُ َْ ُ َ​َ​َ َ ُ ُ ْ َ ُ َ​َ َ ‫ام قل ُبه‬ ‫وتنام عينه ولا ين‬ “… his eyes were asleep but his heart was not asleep…”

In a hadith recorded by Bukhari (Book of Prophetic Commentary on the Quran [Hadith 4855]), it is mentioned that Hazrat Aishara was once asked if the Holy Prophetsa ever saw God with his physical eyes: َُ َُ ٌ َ ُ َ ْ َ ‫يَا أ ّم َتاه هل َرأى محَ ّمد صلى الله عليه وسلم َربّه‬ Upon this, Hazrat Aishara replied: َ َ َّ َ ْ َ َ َ ُْ َ ‫لقد قف شع ِري ِمم ّا قلت‬ “What you have said makes my hair stand on end!”

Hazrat Aishara went on to say: “Know that if somebody tells you one of the following three things, he is a liar: Whoever tells you that Muhammadsa saw his Lord, is a liar…”

Then, Hazrat Aishara recited the following verses: “Eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware.” (Surah al-An‘am, Ch.6: V.104) “And it is not for a man that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a veil or by sending a messenger to reveal by His Command what He pleases. Surely, He is High, Wise.”

(Surah al-Shura, Ch.42: V.52) She further said: “And whoever tells you that the Prophet knows what is going to happen tomorrow, is a liar.”

She then recited: “And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow.” (Surah Luqman, Ch.31: V.35) She added: “And whoever tells you that he concealed (some of Allah’s orders), is a liar.”

Then, lastly, she recited: “O Messenger!

Convey to thy people what has been revealed to thee from thy Lord…” (Surah al-Maidah, Ch.5: V.68) Thus, with this substantial evidence, how can anyone state and believe that the Miraj was a physical journey? What greater evidence could be presented than the Holy Quran and ahadith?

Even Hazrat Aisha, about whom the Holy Prophetsa said to learn half the religion from, has testified that physical ascension in the night of Miraj did not happen, rather that it was a spiritual journey experienced by the Prophetsa.

However, if someone is still not convinced, then such a person will have to answer the following questions: In the hadith of the Miraj, it is stated that: “A golden tray full of wisdom and belief was brought to me…” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3207) If this was a physical journey, then one will be forced to accept that wisdom and

belief are in fact tangible objects that can be carried on a tray and presented. This obviously goes against logic.

Reading on further, the hadith states that the chest of the Holy Prophetsa was cut open and his heart was washed and cleansed with Zamzam water. How obvious can it be that this was not a physical phenomenon, for such actions would then beg more questions, for example, how is it possible? And more importantly, what was the need for it?

Can we be compelled to believe that the Holy Prophet’ssa heart and chest needed to be cleansed, whereas the rest of the Muslim Ummah did not undergo such an incident. Is that to say that they possessed such clean and pure hearts that it was only necessary for the Holy Prophet’ssa heart to be cleansed? Such a belief and notion is not acceptable.

The hadith goes on to say that the Holy Prophetsa then proceeded to enter heaven where he met with previous Prophetsas.

Now, it is important to note what the Quran and hadith say about heaven.

In Surah al-Hijr (Ch.15:49), the Holy Quran clearly states: َ ‫يها ن َ َص ٌب َو َما ُهم ّم ْن َها ب ُم ْخ َرج‬ َ ِ‫لَا يَ َم ُّس ُه ْم ف‬ ‫ين‬ ِ ِ ِ “Fatigue shall not touch them there, nor shall they ever be ejected therefrom” Thus, if the Quran states that upon entering heaven, nobody will be removed, then how can our non-Ahmadi brothers claim that the Holy Prophetsa was once in heaven and then removed.

Again, in a hadith, narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairara, it is clearly mentioned that the Holy Prophetsa stated: “Allah said, ‘I have prepared for My righteous servants (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid) Here, it is clearly stated, “no eye has ever seen, nor any ear has ever heard”.

I ask my non-Ahmadi Muslim brothers and sisters, was the Holy Prophetsa, God forbid, lying upon making this statement?

Thus, it will be against logic and against the noble words of the Holy Prophet to believe that he went to heaven with his physical body.

Now, if such an incident is to be taken literally, more things will require deeper explanation, which only leads to further false ideas and notions being carved. It is as if the non-Ahmadis are continuously carving a sculpture to fit their own narrative. Such actions resemble what the Jews were accused of doing when they chose certain passages from their scriptures and disregarded the rest.

The main reason why our non-Ahmadi brothers and sisters are adamant that the Miraj was a physical ascension is because they know that once they accept its reality, their claim of Jesusas still being alive in heaven will be rendered null and void and the carved sculpture of their self made narrative will collapse.

(In the second part, we will delve into the reality of the journey of Isra and see what the Quran and ahadith have said about it.)

Covid-19 and Friday prayers in Canada Syed Mukarram Nazeer Canada Correspondent

Like rest of the world, Covid-19 has resulted in strict precautionary measures across Canada. A ban on public gatherings resulted in all mosques and Salat centres in Canada being closed.

Recently the restrictions have eased, and now mosques are slowly opening. Friday prayers are now being offered in mosques.

However, all is not back to normal.

Mubarak Mosque in Brampton is home to the two local chapters. To facilitate the large number of Ahmadis who could potentially attend Friday prayers, some strict restrictions were placed. The purpose of these was to ensure the safety of all people coming in for prayers.

All 16 divisions of the two local chapters were assigned a Friday when members of each division could attend. Women, children, the elderly, sick and members who had recently travelled outside of Canada were not permitted to come. Furthermore, attendance was limited to one male person per family. Each attendee was instructed to wear a mask and bring their own prayer mat.

Upon arrival at the mosque, the body temperature was taken of each person.

The person was asked questions pertaining to their health, recent travels and being in contact with any potentially sick people.

Next, they were given hand sanitisers and their names, member codes and local jamaat name were recorded. Thus, all attendees could be contacted in case at a later time, one of the attendees became sick.

In the prayer hall, markings were made on the floor at a distance of 2 m (6 ft) from each other. Alternate rows were left empty.

Each person laid down their prayer mat at the assigned place and offered his prayers on his mat. The podium had a plexiglass shield placed in front of it. Masks were not required of the person on the podium.

After the prayers, all made a line to get out of the prayer hall, keeping the social distancing precaution. Under normal conditions, the Mubarak Mosque has the capacity to accommodate up to 800 people.

Only 78 people offered their Friday prayer due to Covid-19 restrictions.

May Allah the Almighty forgive our sins and relieve the world from Covid-19. Amin.

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

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Friday Sermon 19 June 2020 Men of Excellence After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:

In the previous sermon, I spoke about Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf. Some of his accounts were left to be narrated, which I will narrate today.

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf had a long-standing friendship with Umayyah bin Khalaf. There is a detailed narration about this in Sahih Bukhari in which Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf narrates that he wrote a letter to Umayyah bin Khalaf stating: “Umayyah would look after my property in Mecca and I would look after his in Medina. When I wrote my name as ‘Abdur Rahman’, Umayyah said, ‘I do not know any Abdur Rahman. Tell me and write down for me your name by which you went during the jahiliyyah, [i.e. the period of ignorance prior to the advent of Islam].’ So, I wrote my name as Abd Amr. When he came to participate in the Battle of Badr, I went up the hill to protect him once all the people had gone to sleep, but somehow Bilalra saw him. Hence, Hazrat Bilalra went to a gathering of the Ansar and standing among them, said, ‘Umayyah bin Khalaf is nearby; if he escapes, then my life will be in danger.’ So, a group of people who were with Hazrat Bilalra went out to follow us (i.e. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra and Umayyah bin Khalaf because Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf went out to protect him and to offer him refuge).”

The narrator further states: “Being afraid that they would catch us, I left Umayyah’s son behind so that they would first engage in fighting with him and we would be able to advance

further ahead (i.e. those Muslims who were pursuing them would become busy with fighting the son and they themselves would gain some lead over them and he would take Umayyah to a safe place).

Subsequently, they killed him, (i.e. they killed his son) and they did not let my plan succeed and carried on following us. Umayyah was of a heavy build, so he was unable to escape quickly. Eventually, when they approached us, I told him to sit down. So, he sat down and I laid myself on him to protect him but they killed him by piercing him with their swords underneath me and one of them also injured my foot with his sword.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Wakalah, Bab Idhaa

Wakala al-Muslimu Harbiyyan fi Dar alHarb, Hadith 2301) Further details of this incident are recorded in Tarikh al-Tabari as follows: Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf narrates: “Umayyah bin Khalaf was my friend in Mecca. I used to go by the name Abd Amr at the time. While still in Mecca, I accepted Islam and I was given the name Abdur Rahman. After that, whenever he used to meet me, he would say, ‘O Abd Amr! Do you disregard the name given to you by your father?’ I used to say, ‘Yes’, upon which he would say, ‘I do not recognise any Rahman. It would be better if you proposed a different name and so, I

will address you by that name because you do not respond to your old name. I will not address you by the name of something I am not aware of.’”

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf further narrates: “Whenever he used to call me by the name Abd Amr, I would not respond. I said, ‘O Abu Ali! You choose whatever you wish in this regard, but I will not respond to this old name.’ Umayyah bin Khalaf then said, ‘Well, in that case, Abd Ilaah would be a better name for you.’ I said, ‘Fine!’ Hence, whenever we used to meet after that, he would address me by the name Abd Ilaah. I would respond to him and talk to him and this continued like this until the day of the Battle of Badr arrived and I passed by Umayyah, who was standing and holding his son, Ali bin Umayyah’s hand. I was holding a few chin armours, which I had acquired, and I was walking with them. Upon seeing me, he called out to me saying, ‘O Abd Amr!’ However, I did not respond to him. Following this, he said ‘O Abd Ilaah!’ Upon this I replied and enquired what he wanted. He responded, ‘Am I not better than these chain armours you are carrying?’ I said that if this is the case then come with me. I threw away the chain armours in order to give him refuge and grabbed hold of his and his son, Ali’s hand. Upon this, he said ‘I have never seen a day such as this one.’”

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf further relates:

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Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM “I took both of them and set off, whilst walking in between father and son, holding them by the hand. Umayyah asked me, ‘O Abd Ilaah! Who is it among you that has the feather of an ostrich marked on his chest?’ I replied that it was Hamza bin Abdil-Muttalib. Umayyah said, ‘He is responsible for our state’” i.e. this terrible state that they were in was due to him.

Nevertheless, he further relates: “I was walking along with him when Bilalra saw me with them. Umayyah was the one who used to torture Hazrat Bilalra in Mecca so that he would leave Islam. He used to take him to the rocky part of Mecca and once they had become extremely hot under the intense heat of the sun, he would make him lay on his back on the burning surface. He would then order for a large rock, which would be placed upon his chest. Following this, he would say that he would continue to be punished until he left the religion of Muhammadsa. However, despite this torture, Bilalra continued to say, ‘Ahad, Ahad’”, that is, “He is One, He is One.” “Therefore, when he saw him, that is when Hazrat Bilalra saw Umayyah, he started saying that Umayyah bin Khalaf was the chief of the disbelievers and that I would not survive if he was spared.’”

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf narrated: “I said to him ‘O Bilal! Both of them are my prisoners.’ Upon this, Bilalra once again repeated that he would not survive if Umayyah was spared. I again said to Hazrat Bilalra, ‘O Ibn Sauda! Do you not hear [what I am saying]?’ Upon this, Bilalra once again said, ‘I will not survive if he is spared.’ Following this, Hazrat Bilalra said the following words in an extremely loud voice: ‘O Ansar! This is Umayyah bin Khalaf, the chief of the disbelievers. I shall be destroyed if he is spared.’”

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf further relates: “Following this call of his, people surrounded us from all sides and trapped us and I began to protect Umayyah.

One individual struck his son with the sword and he fell to the ground. At that moment, Umayyah screamed in such a loud manner that I had never heard the like thereof before. I told him to run but he was unable to do so. [I said] ‘By Allah! I am unable to assist you in any manner.’ In the meantime, the attackers struck both of them with their swords to such an extent that they killed them both.”

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf used to say, “May Allah the Exalted have mercy on Bilalra because not only did I lose my chain armours, but he also forcefully took my prisoners from me.” (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 35, Dhikr Waqi’ah Badr al-Kubra, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1987) Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf also took part in the Battle of Uhud. When the Muslims lost their positions on the day of the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf remained steadfast beside the Holy Prophetsa. (Al-Tabaqaatul-Kubra li ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 95, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, 1990)

On the day of the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf sustained 21 wounds. His foot was wounded to such an extent that he began to walk with a limp and also lost two of his front teeth. (Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 476, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut) Hazrat Ibn Umarra relates that during Sha‘ban [eighth month of the Islamic calendar] in 6 AH, the Holy Prophetsa sent a delegation consisting of 700 men towards Dumat-ul-Jandal under the leadership of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf. The Holy Prophetsa wrapped a black turban around Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf ’s head with his blessed hands and placed the loose cloth at the end of the turban between his shoulders.

Following this, the Holy Prophetsa said, “O Abu Muhammad! I am receiving news of danger from Dumat-ul-Jandal. An army is gathering there in order to attack Medina.

Set off into this direction, striving in the cause of Allah. Seven hundred mujahideen [people who strive in the cause of God] will accompany you. Once you reach Dumat-ul-Jandal, you should first present the message of Islam to their chief and their tribe of Kalb. However, in case a battle breaks out, you should be mindful of not being deceitful and dishonest with anyone, or breaking your oath. Do not kill children or women and purify the world from those rebelling against God.” Thus, war was permitted only with these particular conditions. Hence, when Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf reached Dumah, he invited them towards Islam for three days, however they continued to reject his message. Following this, Asbagh bin Amr Kalbi, who was their chief and a Christian, accepted Islam. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf wrote to the Holy Prophetsa, informing him of the entire event. The Holy Prophetsa stated that he should marry the daughter of this chief, Tumazir. And so, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf married her and then returned with her to Medina. Tumazir was later known by the name Umm-e-Abu Salma.

(Roshan Sitarey az Ghulam Bari Saif Sahib, Vol. 2, p. 106) (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 96, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut) (Asharah Mubasharah, Bashir Sajid, p.

875, Al-Badr Publications, Lahore) Umar bin Abd-il-Aziz relates that in 14 AH, on the occasion of the Battle of Jisr, when Hazrat Umarra was informed of the martyrdom of Hazrat Abu Ubaidra bin Masud. (I have previously mentioned the Battle of Jisr where an elephant of the Persian forces trampled over him.)

Nevertheless, when Hazrat Umarra was informed of this and became aware of the fact that the people of Persia had chosen their king from among the family of Chosroes, he invited the Muhajireen and the Ansar for Jihad. Hazrat Umarra departed from Medina and stayed in Sirar. This was the name of a mountain in Medina, located at a distance of three miles from Medina on the way to Iraq.

Nevertheless, he stayed there and sent ahead Hazrat Talhara bin Ubaidullah towards A‘was. Hazrat Umarra appointed

Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf as the commander of the right flank of the army and Zubairra bin Awam as the leader of the left flank of the army and appointed Hazrat Alira as his representative in Medina. Hazrat Umarra took suggestions from the Muslims and all of them gave their suggestions to go to Persia. When the army departed, Hazrat Umarra did not consult anyone until they reached Sirar.

When he reached Sirar, it was then that he consulted them. When Hazrat Talhara returned, he also held the same opinion as the others. Hazrat Talhara was not present at first, but when he returned, he agreed to head forward. However, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf was among those people who suggested to Hazrat Umarra to not advance forward and stating the reason for this, he said: “Before this day, I had never expressed to sacrifice my parents for anyone but the Holy Prophetsa and I will never do so in the future. However, today, I say to you that may my parents be sacrificed for you; leave the final decision regarding this matter in my hands.” Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf said this to Hazrat Umarra, who was the Khalifa at that time. He stated, “You should stay at Sirar and send forth a large army. From the beginning until this moment, you have already observed what Allah the Exalted has decreed in relation to your army. If your army was to suffer defeat, it would not be the same if you were defeated.” Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf then stated the reason for this and said, ‘If you were to be killed in the beginning, or were defeated, I am fearful that the Muslims will neither be able to exalt Allah again, nor give the testimony of ‫لا اله الا الله‬ [there is no God but Allah].” Whilst these discussions were taking place, Hazrat Umarra was searching for an individual, who could be sent as the commander of the army. During this time, Hazrat Umarra received a letter from Hazrat Saadra, who was appointed to oversee the revenue from the alms collection [Sadaqah] in Najd at that time. After listening to Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Umarra then asked who should be entrusted with this responsibility. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf stated, ‘You have already found the individual.’ Hazrat Umar asked who he was. Hazrat Abdur Rahman replied, ‘It is the lion of the land, Saad bin Malik’, that is, he was a very brave person and an excellent commander. He should be made commander and sent forth. The other individuals also supported this opinion.

This is also a reference from Tarikh alTabari. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 3, pp.

381-382, Bab dhikr amr al-Qadisiyyah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1987) (Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, p. 287, Sanah 13, Dhikr Waqi’ah Qass al-Natif, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003) (Farhang Sirat, p. 172, Zawwar Academy Publications, Karachi, 2003) The Holy Prophetsa gave accommodation in Medina to a number of tribes and companions. He provided the tribe of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf a place to dwell in a land beside the Mosque of the Prophet, which was

clustered with date trees. Furthermore, he granted Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf and Hazrat Umarra some land. Later, Hazrat Zubairra then purchased this land from the family of Hazrat Umarra, namely from his children. The Holy Prophetsa even vouchsafed to Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf that when the Muslims conquer Syria, he would have such and such portion of land. Thus, when the Muslims were victorious in Syria during the Khilafat of Hazrat Umarra, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf was given those lands promised to him and that area which was promised to him was known as Salil. (Roshan Sitarey az Ghulam Bari Saif Sahib, Vol. 2, pp. 105106) Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf also had the honour of leading the prayer with the Holy Prophetsa in the congregation.

Hazrat Mughirahra relates, “I participated alongside the Holy Prophetsa in the Battle of Tabuk.” He says, “The Holy Prophetsa had gone to answer the call of nature prior to the Fajr prayer, so I carried the leather bag which contained water for him. When the Holy Prophetsa returned and came close to where I was standing” as he was stood at some distance, “I began pouring the water onto his hands, so he washed both his hands three times and then washed his blessed face. Thereafter, he tried to take his arms out from his outer garment, but the sleeves were too tight, so he placed his hands inside the garment to uncover his arms and washed them up to his elbows. He then cleaned [his feet] by wiping over his leather socks. He then set forth, and I too walked with him until we found the people had ushered Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf forward and he was leading them in prayer. The Holy Prophetsa had reached during the second of the two rak‘aat [units of prayer], i.e. one rak‘at had already passed by that time and the second rak‘at of the Fajr prayer was being offered when he joined the lines of prayer in congregation. When Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf concluded the prayer with salam [salutation of peace], the Holy Prophetsa stood up to complete his prayer, which caused the Muslims to be anxious and they began increasing in performing the tasbih [glorification of God]. When the Holy Prophetsa had completed his prayer, he turned to the people and said, ‘What you did was right’, or ‘You did well.’”

In other words, the Holy Prophetsa expressed his delight over the fact that they began the prayer on time, by saying that they did well).

Hazrat Mughirahra further relates, “When the Holy Prophetsa and I reached there, I desired to make Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf step back but the Holy Prophetsa instructed me not to and to therefore allow him to lead the prayer.

After the prayer the Holy Prophetsa stated, ‘Indeed, every prophet in his lifetime has the opportunity to pray behind a pious person from among his followers.’” (Sahih Muslim, Kitabus Salat, Bab Taqdeem alJama‘ah man Yusalli bihim idha Ta‘akhara al-Imam, Hadith 274) (Al-Tabaqaatul-Kubra li ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 96, min

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

18 Bani Zuhrah bin Kilab, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut) This was another great honour he was given by the Holy Prophetsa, that is to say that not only did the Holy Prophetsa commend him for leading the prayer, but he also said that the fact he prayed behind Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf was testimony that he was a pious man.

In another account it is mentioned that Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf would offer lengthy prayers (voluntary prayers), before the Zuhr prayers and when he would hear the call to prayer, he would immediately make his way for the congregational prayer. (Roshan Sitarey az Ghulam Bari Saif Sahib, Vol. 2, p. 107) Another narrator says that he witnessed Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf performing circuits around the Ka‘bah whilst supplicating to God to save him from the miserliness of the self. (Roshan Sitarey az Ghulam Bari Saif Sahib, Vol. 2, p. 110) Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra relates, “The year Hazrat Umarra was elected Khalifa, he appointed Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf as the amir for the Hajj.” (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 379380, Dhikr Ibtidaa amr al-Qadisiyyah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1987) Abu Salama bin Abdir Rahman narrates that Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf once went to the Holy Prophetsa in complaint about the lice infestation, and pleaded, “O Messengersa of Allah, permit me to wear silk clothing.” (The traditional cotton clothing for some reason had a lot of lice at the time, perhaps after it had spread from his hair. It was not going away and so he requested permission to wear silk clothing to protect against this.) So the Holy Prophetsa granted him permission to wear it. After the demise of the Holy Prophetsa and Hazrat Abu Bakrra, when Hazrat Umarra was elected Khalifa, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf came to Hazrat Umarra along with his son Abu Salama. Abu Salama was wearing an upper garment made of silk, and so Hazrat Umarra asked, “What is this you are wearing?” Hazrat Umarra then placed his hand near the collar area of Abu Salama and tore the shirt. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf then asked Hazrat Umarra, “Are you not aware that the Holy Prophetsa granted me permission?”, to which Hazrat Umarra replied, “The Holy Prophetsa only granted you permission to do so because you complained to him about the lice infestation, and this permission was not extended to anyone else.” (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 96, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Darul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) Saad bin Ibrahim relates that Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf would often wear a cloth, or once wore a cloth which was worth 400-500 dirhams. (AlTabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p.

97, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) In other words, he experienced such a time as well when he would wear extremely expensive clothes. Just observe the grace of Allah, that in spite of having

no possessions at the time of migration, he was then able to wear the most expensive of clothes and God Almighty blessed him with many properties.

During the final illness of Hazrat Abu Bakrra, he appointed Hazrat Umarra as the Khalifa. When he had made this intention, he called Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf and asked for his opinion about Hazrat Umarra. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf answered, “O Khalifa of the Messengersa, he is held in high esteem in the eyes of other people as well, but he can be rather strict in his temperament.” Hazrat Abu Bakrra then said, “The reason why he possessed this is that he would see me being lenient and so he would be strict to keep things balanced.” Hazrat Abu Bakrra continued, “When he is given this responsibility, he shall abandon many of his practices such as this and you shall not witness the same strictness in him.” Hazrat Abu Bakrra then said, “O Abu Muhammad, I have observed him closely that whenever I would express my displeasure at someone in a certain matter, Hazrat Umarra would counsel me to show leniency to them, and whenever I would show leniency to someone, he would advise me to be strict.” Hazrat Abu Bakrra then said, “O Abu Muhammad, do not mention what I have told you to anyone else.” Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf agreed to this. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 3, Dhikr Istikhlafah Umar bin Khattab, p.

352, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1987) After the conquest of Mecca, the Holy Prophetsa sent some delegations to various locations. Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed was sent to the Banu Jazima. During the period of jahiliyyah [era of ignorance prior to the advent of the Holy Prophetsa], the Banu Jazima had killed Auf, the father of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf and also Fakih bin Mughira, who was the paternal uncle of Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed. During this visit, out of error, Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed killed one of the men from that tribe. When the Holy Prophetsa learnt of this news, he expressed his displeasure. The Holy Prophetsa paid the blood-money and also compensated for everything that Hazrat Khalidra had taken from him. When Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf found out about this act of Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed, he said to him” i.e. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf said to Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed, “‘Did you kill him because they had killed your paternal uncle?’ Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed replied in a rather stern tone, ‘They also killed your father!’ Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed further stated, ‘You wish to prolong those days’”, i.e. Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed claimed that since Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf had accepted Islam in the very early days, therefore he considered this a great honour and wished to take advantage of this honour. “Hazrat Khalidra bin Waleed said this in a tone of anger and displeasure, and so this news also reached the Holy Prophetsa. When the Holy Prophetsa heard this, he stated, ‘Leave my Companions alone. I swear by Him in Whose hands lies my life that even if anyone amongst you was to spend gold

[in the way of God Almighty] equivalent to the size of the mountain of Uhud, it will still be less than their smallest of sacrifices of these individuals.’” In other words, such was the lofty rank of those early companions, whose sacrifices are incomparable. (Roshan Sitarey az Ghulam Bari Saif Sahib, Vol. 2, pp. 108-109) (Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 479, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut) Regarding Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, the Holy Prophetsa once stated, “He is the chief even amongst the leaders of the Muslims.” The Holy Prophetsa also stated, “Abdur Rahmanra is the amin [trustworthy and faithful] one in the heavens and on the earth.” (Al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 2, p. 846, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Jeel, Beirut) On one occasion, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf became so severely ill that he lost consciousness and his wife let out a cry in that moment. In other words, such was the severity of his illness that she let out a cry due to her anguish. However, when Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf recovered and his health improved a little, he stated that when he became unconscious, he saw in a vision that two men came to him and stated, “Let us take you before God, the Most Supreme, and obtain a verdict regarding you.” However, a third individual then met them and said, “Do not take him away, for he was blessed with good fortune even from the time he was in the womb of his mother.” This was a vision Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf saw in relation to himself. (Al-Isabah Fi Tamyeez al-Sahabah, Vol. 4, p. 291, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) Naufal bin Iyaas Hudhali narrates: “Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf would sit in our gatherings and was a most excellent companion. One day, he took us to his home. After bathing, he brought us a plate of food which consisted of bread and meat, and then he began to weep. We asked him ‘O Abu Muhammad! Why do you weep?’ He replied, ‘The Holy Prophetsa departed this world in a state whereby he and his family were not even able to satisfy themselves with bread made of barely’” i.e. they did not even have enough bread made of barely to eat; “‘I do not think that our delay has benefitted us.’” In other words, he was not sure whether the fact that living for a long period of time was better for them or whether it was a trial or a test. (Al-Isabah Fi Tamyeez al-Sahabah, Vol. 4, p. 291, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) Such were the sentiments of the Companionsra and their fear of God and the love they had for the Holy Prophetsa and his family. These sentiments were not limited only to the Holy Prophetsa and his family, but the companions had love for each other as well.

This mutual love can be witnessed through an incident related to Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf. One evening, food was brought before Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf. Different kinds of dishes were presented before him from which he took a morsel to eat. Just as he placed the morsel of food in his mouth, a state of great anguish and fervency came

over him. He left the food saying, “Mus‘abra bin Umair was martyred in Uhud and he was better than I. He was buried in his own cloak” i.e. they did not have a cloth with which to bury him, “therefore they buried him using the cloak he was wearing. The condition of even that cloth was that if they would cover his legs, his head would become uncovered, and if his head would be covered, then his legs would become uncovered.” Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Aufra then stated, “Hamzara was martyred and he was better than I. We have been bestowed wealth and affluence. I fear lest we have been bestowed the reward for our deeds in this life.” After this he began to weep and left his food. Such was the fear of God they had within themselves. (Roshan Sitarey az Ghulam Bari Saif Sahib, Vol. 2, pp. 111-112) Hazrat Umm-e-Salamahra – the mother of the believers – narrates that Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf came to her and said, “O mother! I fear that I may be ruined due to affluence, as I am the wealthiest among the Quraish.” She replied, “O my son! Spend out of your wealth (i.e. spend in the way of Allah the Almighty and one can be saved from destruction) as I have heard the Holy Prophetsa say, ‘From among my companions, there will be some who I will not meet again after I depart.’”

In other words, some of them will not reach that rank and status. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf then left and on the way, he met with Hazrat Umarra and informed him of what he had heard [from Hazrat Umm-e-Salamahra]. Hazrat Umarra then went to Hazrat Umm-e-Salamahra and said, “I implore you, in the name of Allah the Almighty to inform me if I am among those who you said would not be able to meet the Holy Prophetsa? Hazrat Umm-e-Salamahra said to Hazrat Umarra, “No, you are not among those people.

However, from now on, I am unable to say with certainty who will be able to meet with the Holy Prophetsa.” (Al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 2, pp. 848-849, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Dar-ul-Jeel, Beirut) However, it should be made clear that as was mentioned before, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf was among the Asharah Mubasharah, i.e. those ten individuals who were given tidings of paradise by the Holy Prophetsa. However, despite this, they were so fearful of Allah the Almighty that they would always remain anxious regarding this, and after hearing the words of Hazrat Umm-e-Salamahra, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf immediately increased the amount of charity he would offer.

It is narrated by Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbasra that when Hazrat Umarra left for Syria, he stopped at Saragh. Saragh is the name of an inhabited area near the valley of Tabuk, which is situated near the borders of Hijaz and Syria and was at a distance of 13 days of travel from Medina. In other words, to reach there from Medina, it would take 13 days of continuous travel by modes of transport that was used in those days.

When Hazrat Umarra reached this area, he met the commander of the armies,

19

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM Hazrat Abu Ubaidahra bin Al-Jarah and his fellow companions. This incident took place in 18 AH, during the Khilafat of Hazrat Umarra after the conquest of Syria. They informed Hazrat Umarra that there was an outbreak of a plague in Syria.

Hazrat Ibn Abbasra narrates that Hazrat Umarra asked for the early Muhajireen to come and take their suggestions. Hazrat Umarra consulted with them, however there was a difference of opinions amongst the Muhajireen.

Some of them were of the opinion that they should continue on with their journey and not turn back, whilst the others suggested that the noble Companions of the Holy Prophetsa were present in the army and therefore, it was not appropriate for them to be taken into an area where there was a plague and it was better to return.

Hazrat Umarra then told the Muhajireen to leave and invited the Ansar to present their suggestions. Just like the Muhajireen, the Ansar also had a difference of opinions, in other words, some suggested to return and others were of the opinion to continue going ahead.

Hazrat Umarra then invited the elders of the Quraish, who had accepted Islam at the occasion of the conquest of Mecca and came to Medina. All of them unanimously expressed their opinion of taking everyone back and that there was no need to enter an area where there was an outbreak of the plague. Accepting their suggestion, Hazrat Umarra announced to return.

Hazrat Abu Ubaidahra bin Al-Jarah then asked that was it possible for one to escapee from what God has decreed.

Were they returning out of fear of the plague because this was God’s decree and one cannot escape from that. Replying to Hazrat Abu Ubaidahra, Hazrat Umarra stated, “O Abu Ubaidahra! I wish it was someone else who would have uttered what you have said. Indeed, we are moving away from one decree of God to another.”

Explaining what destiny is , Hazrat Umarra further stated and gave the following example: “Say you have some camels and you reach a valley which has two sides; one is a lush green area full of vegetation, while the other is a dry and barren land. Now, would it not be in accordance to the decree of God if you were to take your camels to graze in the area with lots of vegetation, and on the other hand, it will also be according to the decree of God if you decided to take them to the dry and barren land. Thus, the decree of God has presented you with two options”, i.e. a lush green area and the other a dry and barren land except for a few bushes or very little grass. “You cannot say that the vegetation has grown due its own decree and the dry and barren land is owing to the decree of God. In fact, both are due to the decree of God and you must now decide which option you take and it is obvious that you will take the option of the land which has vegetation.”

The narrator of this tradition states that when Hazrat Umarra had said all of this, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf came, who was not present before owing to some

other work he was engaged in. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf submitted, “Since you are asking for suggestions, I have the answer to this issue. I once heard the Holy Prophetsa say that if one learns about the outbreak of a disease in a certain area, they should not travel there.

And if the disease has emerged in an area which one resides in, then they shouldn’t leave the area in order to escape from it.”

Thus, one should not travel to an area where there is the outbreak of disease and if one lives in area where the disease has developed, then they should not leave from there, so that the disease does not spread further to other people.

We are also observing this currently as well that those countries which implemented the lockdown in time were able to contain the disease to a large degree. However, those who failed to do so and showed negligence, the disease continues to spread. In any case, the Holy Prophetsa taught this fundamental principle to his companions right from the beginning.

Upon hearing this [i.e. from Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf], Hazrat Umarra praised Allah the Almighty and returned from there. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tibb, Bab Ma Yudhkaru fi al-Ta‘un, Hadith 5729) Hazrat Miswar bin Makhrama relates that when Hazrat Umarra was in good health and would be requested to appoint a Khalifa after him, he would always refuse to do so. However, one day, Hazrat Umarra came to the pulpit and mentioned a few things and then said, “If I pass away, then I entrust your affairs to six individuals, whom the Holy Prophetsa was pleased with at the time of his demise.

They are: Hazrat Ali bin Abu Talibra and bearing similarity to him, Hazrat Zubairra bin Awam; Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf and bearing similarity to him,Hazrat Uthmanra bin Affan; Hazrat Talhahra bin Ubaidullah and bearing similarity to him, Hazrat Sa’dra bin Malik. Hearken for I instruct you to adopt Taqwa and justice

whilst carrying out your decisions.”

Abu Jafar relates that Hazrat Umarra bin Khattab told the members of the Electoral Committee, “Consult with one another and if your decision is equally split then consult again and if there are four votes to two, then go with the majority.”

Zaid bin Aslam relates from his father that Hazrat Umarra stated that if there was a split in the votes, i.e. three on each side, then choose and show obedience to the one who Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf voted for.

Abdur Rahman bin Saeed states that when Hazrat Umarra sustained an injury, he instructed that [after his demise] Hazrat Suhaibra would be Imam-ul-Salat, i.e. he would lead them in prayer and Hazrat Umarra repeated this three times.

Hazrat Umarra then stated that [after his demise] they would consult with one another to appoint the next Khalifa and entrusted this matter to six individuals.

He also stated that anyone who disobeys their decision and opposes them, should be killed. Thus, these six individuals were entrusted with appointing the next Khalifa and during this time, Hazrat Suhaibra was to lead the congregational prayers.

Hazrat Anasra bin Malik narrates shortly before his demise, Hazrat Umarra sent a message to Hazrat Abu Talhara stating, “O Abu Talha, take 50 men from among your tribe of the Ansar and go to those six men who are part of the electoral committee and remain there for three days until they appoint someone from amongst themselves as the Khalifa. O Allah, You are my guardian over them.”

Ishaq bin Abdullah relates that Hazrat Abu Talhara stood beside the grave of Hazrat Umarra for a while along with his men and then remained with the members of the electoral committee.

When members of the committee decided to entrust the responsibility of electing their leader with Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Abu Talhara along with his men stood guard at the house of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf for three days

until people took the Bai‘at of Hazrat Uthmanra.

Hazrat Salma bin Abi Salmara relates from his father that the first person to take the Bai‘at at the hands of Hazrat Uthmanra was Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf and after that it was Hazrat Alira.

Umar bin Umairah, the freed slave of Hazrat Umarra relates from his grandfather that the first person to take the Bai‘at of Hazrat Uthmanra was Hazrat Alira and after that everyone else took the Bai‘at.

(Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Saad, Vol. 3, pp. 44-46, Dhikr al-Shura wa maa kana min Amrihim, Dhikr Bai’ah Uthman, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) According to a narration of Bukhari, it is stated that when Hazrat Umarra stood to lead the prayer and had just started it by saying “Allahu Akbar”, someone attacked him and in his state of injury, Hazrat Umarra held the hand of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, who was standing close to him and directed him to lead the prayer. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf lead the prayer but kept it short.

(Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Fada‘il Ashab AnNabisa, Bab Qissatul Bai‘ah wal-Ittifaq alaa Uthman bin Affan, Hadith 3700) Mentioning the role of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf during the election of Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra states (in the earlier two narrations, except for one detail, all the other details that have been mentioned are the same): “When Hazrat Umarra was injured and realised that his demise was imminent, he nominated six persons and advised them to elect the Khalifa from among themselves. They included Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Alira Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Saadra bin Abi Waqas, Hazrat Zubairra and Hazrat Talhara.

In addition to them, he included Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra as an advisor, but did not declare him entitled to Khilafat. He also admonished that these people should give their verdict within three days, and Hazrat Suhaibra should lead the prayer during that period of time.

Friday 17 July 2020 | AL HAKAM

20 “He appointed Hazrat Miqdadra bin Al-Aswad to oversee the consultation and election process and directed him to gather the Electoral College at one place and to guard them with his sword.”

In the earlier narrations, it was stated that Hazrat Talhara was instructed to stand guard but after consulting various sources, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has concluded that according to him, it was Hazrat Miqdadra bin Al-Aswad who was instructed to stand guard until the Khalifa was elected.

“Hazrat Umarra then stated that the people should take the Bai‘at of the person who is elected by the majority of votes, and if any one declines to do so, then he should be killed. If there be three votes on each side, then Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra would recommend

who the Khalifa should be. If members of the Electoral College do not agree to the decision of Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra, then the person favoured by Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf should be appointed as Khalifa.

“These five companions discussed this matter (as Hazrat Talhara was not in Medina at that time).”

According to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, Hazrat Talhara was not in Medina at the time, hence there were five companions.

“However, they could not come to any conclusion. After a lengthy discussion, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf asked if anyone wanted to withdraw their name, but all of them remained quiet. On this, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf withdrew his name, then Hazrat Uthmanra withdrew his name and then two others did the

same. Hazrat Alira remained quiet, however he then took a pledge from Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf that he (i.e. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra) would be completely impartial, and they all entrusted the responsibility of making the decision to Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf. For three days, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf visited every house in Medina to obtain the opinion of every man and woman in regard to who they thought should be elected as Khalifa. All of them expressed their agreement to the Khilafat of Hazrat Uthmanra. Thus, he gave his verdict in favour of Hazrat Uthmanra and he became the Khalifa.”

(Khilafat-e-Rashidah, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 15, pp. 484-485) There is another narration in reference to this, however it is quite lengthy,

therefore I will separately mention it later, if needed, whilst continuing to relate the accounts of Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, insha-Allah. Or it is possible this lengthy narration may be mentioned with reference to Hazrat Uthman’sra Khilafat or in relation to the accounts of Hazrat Umar’sra life. However, apart from this narration, there are a few more accounts in relation to Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf ’s life, piety and character which I will insha-Allah narrate in the future sermon.

(Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 10 July 2020, pp. 5-9. Translated by The Review of Religions.)

Why did the Promised as Messiah not perform Hajj?

Opponents question why Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, did not perform Hajj.

Despite being fully aware and well acquainted with the conditions that make the Hajj obligatory upon a Muslim, the opponents obstinately level objections and indiscriminately abandon the very commandments and instructions laid down by Allah the Almighty.

To read the full article, visit www.alhakam.org/why-did-the-promised-messiah-not-perform-hajj/

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