Al Hakam - 6 August 2021 by Alhakam

Huzoor inaugurates Jalsa Salana UK 2021 duties

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Jalsa Salana and its importance for the Jamaat

Jalsa Salana: 11 objectives, benefits and blessings

Hazrat Mufti Sahib’s report of one year’s missionary work in the US, published by The Moslem Sunrise in 1921

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021 | Issue CLXXVII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396

Jalsa Salana: The blessing of congregation

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

When a person remembers Allah

َ ّ ٰ َّ َّ َ َ ُ َ َ ‫ ع ِن‬،‫ع ْن أ�ِي ه َريْ َرة‬ ‫الن ِب ِّي َﺻلى الل ُه َعل ْي ِه‬ َ َ َ ُ ُ َّ َ َ ّ ٰ َ َ َ َّ ‫َو َسل َم قال ِإ ّن الل َه ع ّز َو َجل يَقول أنا َمع‬ ََ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ ْ َ َ ‫ع ْب ِد ْي ِإذا ه َو ذ� َرن ِ ْي َو�حَ َّر�ت � ِ ْي شف َتاه‬ Hazrat Abu Hurairara narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said, “Allah says: ‘I am with My servant when he remembers Me and his lips move saying My Name.’” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith 3792)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

An instruction to visit the centre (markaz)

At long last, with Allah’s grace, today, Jalsa Salana UK has officially commenced with Huzoor’s Friday Sermon. Those who are first to read these lines will likely be those tuning into the live broadcast

of Jalsa Salana on MTA. Some among the first readers of these lines will have just offered the Jumuah prayer behind Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand – something all

Ahmadis have eagerly yearned for. Nevertheless, wherever you may be in the world, you are seeing before you, on your screens, such blessings that were Continued on next page >>

People place their hand in my hand and repeat the words that they will give precedence to religion over worldly affairs, but when they leave from here, they forget this promise. What benefit can such people derive if they do not come here to visit. The world has seized them. If they truly gave precedence to their faith over the world, they would take time out to come here. The Promised Messiahas states: Two days ago, I received the following revelation: ْ َ ُّ ُ ْ ُ ْ َ َ ْ َ ُ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫س بِ َما‬ ِ ‫يوم تاتِيك الغ‬ ٍ ‫اشية َيوم ت��و كل نف‬ َْ ّ ُ ْ َْ َ َْ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ‫س بِما كسبت‬ ٍ ‫كسبت يوم ن� ِزی كل نف‬ This means: “A terrifying time that will overwhelm the people and surround them from all four fronts is approaching. At that time, each Continued on page 3

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

“This gathering will be devoted to the exposition of such truths and spiritual insights as are necessary for the promotion of faith, certainty and spiritual understanding, and there will be special prayers and attention for the participants.” (The Promised Messiahas, The Heavenly Decree) << Continued from previous page

missed for far too long: brothers and sisters gathering on an open plain in their love and dedication to God and humanity; passionate Ahmadis, young and old, offering their time and energy for the sake of a divinely inspired event, and ardent devotees displaying their devotion for a man who sacrifices every fibre of his being for them and for the world at large. As the world begins to open up amidst the high and low waves of the pandemic, there are signs of life appearing after all. Traces of last year’s chaos still continue to linger on in the world, but as Jalsa Salana UK successfully begins, the worldwide Jamaat members look on eagerly, awaiting their turn to not only host the beloved guests of the Promised Messiahas at Jalsa Salana, but to host Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa in their respective countries. As readers of Al Hakam will know, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa made it very clear to the organisers of Jalsa Salana UK this year that anyone who was doubtful or sceptical about the possibility of holding

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and every person will receive deliverance on account of their actions. At that time, every individual shall be recompensed in accordance with their actions.” After quoting these revelations, the Promised Messiahas emphatically urged the community: Prepare yourselves. Be humble in your formal Prayers, inculcate the habit of Tahajud and weep in your supplications during Tahajud. For God Almighty does

Jalsa this year should step aside. The reality is that Jalsa, alongside enabling the organisers to retain their competence in hosting this auspicious event, is a great means for everyone to reconnect. Jalsa Salana is a ray of hope for people – albeit a limited number for now – to socialise and meet up in brotherhood and sisterhood. However, with the recurring lockdowns in recent months, there have been byproducts, which have affected a large portion of the world’s population, most notable among which is “reopening anxiety”. Some people have naturally become so used to the concept of being at home, staying at home, working from home, homeshopping and attending Zoom calls etc. that now, when some parts of the world appear to be reopening, it is a daunting concept for them to meet other humans again. In a report published by the American Psychological Association (March 2021) it was found that almost half of America’s population felt “uneasy about adjusting to in-person interaction” after the numerous strict lockdowns. (Anna Russell, The New not waste those who beseech him and follow the ways of righteousness. Our blessed Imam, on whom be peace, advises us time and again: May the community become righteous and inculcate the habit of humility and meekness in their formal Prayers. One day, he stated with immense pain: Reform yourselves and adopt righteousness, lest you become a hindrance in my path. (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 221-222)

Yorker, “The Age of Reopening Anxiety”, www.newyorker.com/culture/dept-ofreturns/the-age-of-reopening-anxiety) A recent study by Anxiety UK revealed that “the proportion of people looking forward to resuming normal life and those who would rather stay home was virtually the same: 36%”. (Eliza Mackintosh, CNN World, https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/06/ europe/uk-lockdown-reopening-anxiety-gbrintl/index.html) Islam emphasises the blessings of communal gatherings in its various requirements of Muslims; for example, the preference of worshipping Allah in congregation as opposed to alone, neighbourhoods getting together for Friday Prayers, towns convening for Eid prayers and the mass international gathering of Hajj where Muslims display their individual and collective devotion to Allah. This naturally encourages Muslims to get acquainted with others and promotes a healthy sense of community. The objective of Jalsa Salana holds this aim too – it is a time where Ahmadi brothers

and sisters from various parts of the world connect and grow in unity. Although the UK Jalsa this year will only include a limited number of Ahmadis, it is still a great way to break down many barriers we were forced to put up, in a bid to strengthen our ties of love and kinship. While we all welcome Jalsa Salana UK 2021 with open arms and wholeheartedly glue ourselves to our screens, or passionately take part in this blessed event physically, let us remind ourselves that Jalsa Salana, and indeed other similar events hosted by the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, are indeed a blessing and a great way for us to overcome any anxiety by standing shoulder-to-shoulder (figuratively speaking for the time being, of course) with our fellow men and women who bore similar hardships for the last yearand-a-half. May Allah bless this Jalsa in every respect and for everyone watching – whether physically present in Hadeeqatul Mahdi, or watching on MTA – and may it be the precursor of many positive things to come. Amin.

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

Huzoor inaugurates Jalsa Salana UK 2021 duties Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa inaugurates the Jalsa Salana UK 2021 duties and addresses the volunteers

Hadeeqatul Mahdi, Alton, 5 August 2021: Today, just after 2:30 pm, Huzooraa arrived in the Jalsa Gah, where the fortunate volunteers had the honour of offering Zuhr and Asr prayers behind their Imamaa after a very long period of Covidrelated restrictions, which had deprived most of them of this blessed opportunity.

َّ َ ۡ َ َ ۤ َ َ ًَ َ َ ٌۢ َ ُ َ ‫الن‬ ‫اس َر ۡح َمۃ ف ِر ُحوۡا ِب َہا ؕ َو ِا ۡن ت ِص ۡب ُہ ۡم َس ِّیئۃ ِب َما ق ّد َم ۡت‬ ‫و ِاذا اذقنا‬ َ‫اَیۡدیۡہ ۡم ِا َذا ُہ ۡم یَ ۡق َن ُطوۡن‬ ِ ِ ٰ َ َ ٰ ۡ َّ ُ ۡ َ َ ُ َ َّ ۡ َ َ ۡ ّ ُ ُ ۡ َ َ ّٰ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ ٰ ‫او لم یروا ان اللہ یبسط الرِزق ل ِمن یشآء و یق ِدر ؕ ِان فِی ذل ِک لای ٍت‬ ُ ُ َّ ‫ل ِقوۡ ٍم ّی ۡؤ ِمنوۡ َن‬ َّ ّ ۡ َ َ ٰ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ۡ ۡ َ ٗ َّ َ ٰ ۡ ُ ۡ َ ٰ َ ‫‌الس ِب ۡی ِل ؕ ذل ِک خی ٌر ل ِل ِذیۡ َن‬ ‫فا ِت ذاالقربی حقہ و ال ِمس ِکین و ابن‬ ّٰ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ُ َ‫الل ِہ ۫ َو اُولٰٓئ َک ُہ ُم ال ۡ ُم ۡف ِل ُحوۡن‬ ‫یرِیدون وجہ‬ ِ

Huzooraa inspecting the roti plant

After a break, at around 5:30 pm Huzooraa arrived back at the Jalsa site and took a brief tour of the various sites, including the langar khana, roti plant and the Lajna scanning area before proceeding to the main Jalsa Gah at 6 pm to address the volunteers. The session started with the recitation of the Holy Quran followed by its translation:

“And when We make mankind taste of mercy, they rejoice therein; but if an evil befall them because of that which their own hands have sent on, behold! they are in despair. Have they not seen that Allah enlarges the provision to whomsoever He pleases, and straitens it to whomsoever He pleases? In that truly are Signs for a people

Huzooraa addressing the Jalsa duty holders

who believe. So give to the kinsman his due, and to the needy, and to the wayfarer. That is best for those who seek the favour of Allah, and it is they who will prosper.” (Surah alRum, Ch.30: V. 37-39) Huzooraa came to the podium and conveyed the greetings of assalamo alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu to everyone. After reciting tashahhud and ta‘awuz, Huzooraa delivered an address, a summary of which is as follows: Last year, we were unable to hold the Jalsa Salana due to the Covid pandemic. This year, although the situation may be almost the same or it may have slightly improved, but some Covid-related restrictions are still in place. These restrictions fluctuate from sometimes being relaxed to later being tightened again. Anyhow, it was decided that, albeit at a smaller scale, Jalsa will be held, so that people may be able to attend the Jalsa to quench their spiritual thirst and to benefit from it in various ways and so that the workers, who are passionate about serving the guests of the Promised Messiahas, may also attain the pleasure of Allah the Exalted by fulfilling their duties. It was also the desire of the workers that they be given this opportunity. However, it seemed at times that the administration of the Jalsa was not convinced that the Jalsa would actually take place. That is why they would sometimes become slightly slack with regards to the arrangements. However, I told them that, whether the Jalsa is small or a fullscale convention, it will definitely take

place, insha-Allah, so that the tarbiyat and training of the workers may continue to take place. As a principle, what should have happened is that the workers should have been called upon throughout the year and given regular training. In Rabwah, Jalsa has not been held for decades due to the restrictions placed by the government. However, they continue to train the workers in one way or the other. Anyway, if there is a long period of time where all Jamaat activities are completely put on hold, then it can lead to slackness and people start to forget. By the grace of Allah the Exalted, the workers here are now well-trained. Forgetting their training within a year’s time would be out of the question. However, this year, some of the workers may experience some difficulties due to some of the restrictions. Others will not face huge difficulties due to the reduced number of attendees. The hygiene department may not face any significant difficulties on account of the reduced attendance. However, the weather has become such that it will not lead to a reduction in their workload. So, cleanliness will definitely have to be looked after properly, especially the cleanliness of the washrooms and the toilets. Likewise, there is the traffic department. They too may not have to bear a huge burden on account of the reduced attendance, but here, I would like to add again, that due to the weather and the lack of some of the usual facilities, they may face some degree of harsh attitude by some of the people and will have to bear that with patience. Then, there are the food arrangements. Discipline will have to be maintained in a new way. Social distancing rules will have to be adhered to. Food will have to be served in a way that people take the food while maintaining a safe distance. Previously, people would stand very close together to take the food and would eat it while being gathered together in groups. However, now a safe distance will have to be maintained and those on duty will have to ensure this with love and compassion so that none of the guests feels aggrieved. As for other departments such as the roti plant or cooking etc., by the grace of Allah, our workers are now trained to the extent that they can manage the Jalsa, be it small or have a large attendance of hundreds of thousands of people. Allah the Exalted has granted you the opportunity to serve the Jalsa guests over the next few days, to fill the gap in the training that had been created in the previous year and to renew and further strengthen your skills. Thus, you should fulfil your duties while being grateful to Allah the Exalted. There is no further need to say much. May Allah the Exalted grant all of you the ability to execute the assigned tasks in the best possible manner. Moreover, that matter towards which I always draw your attention, which is the most important and crucial matter, is that you should pay special attention to prayers during these days. Pay full attention to offering your prayers on time. May Allah the Exalted grant you the opportunity and ability to serve in the best possible manner. In the end, Huzooraa led everyone in silent prayer before proceeding to inspect the MTA compound. At around 7:00 pm Huzooraa returned to his residence.residence.

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

This Week in History 6 - 12 August 6 August 1955: Hazrat Amma Ji, Sughra Begum Sahibara, passed away. She was the wife of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra was in London during this time. When Huzoorra was informed about her demise, he sent his condolences via telegram, in which he stated:

e-Jadid. It was his routine to write a letter to Khalifa of the time once a week. He was foretold by Allah the Almighty that he would live up to 75 or 85 years. 8 August 1934: Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad’srh walima reception was arranged in Qadian. In his Friday Sermon of 10 August, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra elaborated on the topic of Islamic etiquettes and further mentioned some administrative difﬁculties that occurred on the day of the walima. He said that as the population of Qadian was estimated at 8,000, it was by no means an easy feat to cater for such a large number of people.

“I was very saddened by the news of Amma Ji’s demise. Send my condolences to the whole family. May God Almighty elevate her soul. She should be buried next to Saliha Begum’s [wife of the late Mir Muhammad Ishaq Sahib] grave. [Signed] Mirza Mahmud Ahmad.” Her year of birth is estimated to be 1874. She was the daughter of Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan. She got married to Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra in March 1889. 10 December 1924) Hazrat Sughra Begum Sahibara was among the first women to be given the honour of pledging allegiance to the Promised Messiahas. She joined the system of Wasiyyat during the lifetime of Hazrat Ahmadas. Hazrat Sughra Begum Sahibara paid great emphasis on the educational progress of Ahmadi women in Qadian. In this regard, her articles and speeches, which were published in the Jamaat’s newspaper and magazines, are a testimony to this fact. In 1923, when Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra launched the scheme for the Berlin Mosque, she donated 100 rupees, which Huzoorra mentioned in one of his articles. She was amongst the blessed women who had the opportunity to prepare the cloth for the Liwa-eAhmadiyyat in 1939. Hazrat Amma Jira migrated to Pakistan, from Qadian, on 25 August 1947, along with other women of Qadian. At first, she settled in Lahore and later moved to Rabwah. She was blessed with the following children: 1. Mian Abdul Haye Sahib (15 February 1899 - 11 November 1915) 2. Amatul Haye Begum Sahiba, wife of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra (1 August 1901 -

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh with the mayor of New Jersey, 1976

3. Mian Abdul Qayyum Sahib (22 September 1903 - 12 August 1905) 4. Mian Abdus Salam Umar Sahib (25 December 1905 - 25 March 1956) 5. Mian Abdul Wahab Umar Sahib (8 February 1908 - 20 June 1979) 6. Mian Abdul Manan Umar Sahib (19 April 1910 - 2006)

given the new Islamic name of Saif-ulIslam Mahmud.

8 August 1976: On this date, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh travelled from Washington DC to Toronto. Around 400 people gathered to welcome Huzoorrh. This was the ﬁrst time the Khalifatul Masih visited Canada. 9 August 1978: On this date, Rasheeda Begum Sahiba was martyred in Sangla Hill.

She accepted Ahmadiyyat in 1976 along with her 6 August 1976: On this day, Hazrat husband, and until her last rh Khalifatul Masih III inaugurated the breath, fulfilled her pledge Jalsa Salana of the United States of of allegiance with great America. Prior to the inauguration, sincerity and loyalty. the mayor of New Jersey welcomed Every day, non-Ahmadis rh Huzoor . would come to her home rh During his inaugural address, Huzoor in groups and hold debates with her. shed light on the status of Khilafat7 August 1969: Hazrat Malik Nabi She was regular in her daily prayers and e-Ahmadiyya, advised the members Muhammadra resident of Miani, a town in Tahajud as well, even before accepting to always hold fast to the rope of Bhera, India, passed away. Ahmadiyyat, but after accepting the Khilafat, to always show complete Promised Messiahas, she excelled in her obedience to Khilafat and to strive to He was born in 1885 and pledged level of worship. She also experienced spread the message of the Holy Prophet allegiance to Hazrat Ahmadas in 1901 true dreams as well. She would care for sa as Muhammad . through a letter. He met Hazrat Ahmad rh During the concluding address, Huzoor in 1903 for the first time. Hazrat Hakim the poor and would show great respect presented a plan for the tarbiyat of Maulvi Nuruddinra had great love for him to everyone. Rasheeda Begum Sahiba would actively participate in Jamaat the future generation and drew the and would often say that he belonged related programmes and was regular attention of American Ahmadis towards to his homeland, Miani in Bhera. For a in offering financial sacrifice as well. their role in saving mankind from long time, he served as the president, She would always preach passionately destruction. secretary mal (finance) and zaeem among women. Ansarullah of Ghoghiyat Miani Jamaat. ra 7 August 1956: The Ahmadiyya mission Hazrat Malik Nabi Muhammad was She was brutally murdered by a young in Sweden saw its first convert. He was among the 5,000 Mujahideen of Tahrikboy who had no guardian. When this

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

of Urdu.” In this sermon, Huzoorrh further stated that the ﬁre of destruction was burning in the world, therefore Ahmadis should seek refuge under the cool shade of the Holy Prophetsa and safeguard themselves from this ﬁre. Huzoorrh stated that hundreds, thousands and even millions of Ahmadi members had a personal relationship with the living God. Huzoorrh talked about how God Almighty thwarts the plans of false claimants of prophethood, how the teaching of any religion other than Islam had not been safe from human interference and that the era of Islamic domination was also associated with the Third World War. After the sermon, Huzoorrh offered the Friday prayers. Hundreds of people came from far and wide to listen to the words of the Khalifa and to visit him. Some foreign non-Ahmadi friends also participated in the Friday prayers and the sermon. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh delivering a sermon in the Fazl Mosque, London

young boy was only nine months of age, Rasheeda Begum Sahiba decided to raise him herself. As the young boy grew older, opponents of the Jamaat incited

him to murder the woman who took care of him for such a long time. 10 August 1924: Hazrat Musleh-e-

Maudra departed from Damascus after blessing this historic capital city for many days. Huzoorra took the route of Beirut to reach Haifa. From Haifa, Huzoor’sra entourage headed towards Acre so they could acquire ﬁrsthand knowledge of this place, which is considered the holiest city and headquarters of the Baha‘i faith. When Huzoorra reached a place called Bahja in search of the centre of the Baha‘is, he met a man named Mirza Muhammad Ali, who was the younger sibling of Mirza Abbas Ali Sahib. It turned out that this was an anonymous place. When asked about the number of Baha‘is, it was said that the exact number could not be ascertained. They said that some lived in Iran, some in the United States, and some in other countries. Huzoorra further remained there for another two hours to see if more information could be sought from another person. 11 August 1967: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh delivered the Friday Sermon and offered prayers at the Fazl Mosque, London in the afternoon. According to a summary compiled by Laiq Ahmad Tahir Sahib, at the beginning of the sermon, Huzoorrh said: “Present today are some members of our Jamaat from America who only understand English. Therefore, I intend to give today’s sermon in English instead

12 August 1905: Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin’sra son, Abdul Qayum, passed away in infancy. Abdul Qayum had been suffering from measles for approximately a month. Huzoorra held the body of his son in his arms for a while and his eyes welled up with tears. Huzoorra kissed the boy’s forehead, following the sacred example of the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Abdul Qayum was born on 22 September 1903. The Promised Messiahas also attended the funeral prayer, and Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra led the funeral prayer. After the demise of Abdul Qayum, many letters of condolences, from members of the Jamaat, were received by Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra. Thus, Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra wrote an open letter to his friends in Al Hakam and Badr in which he said that the letters of condolences had an increasing effect of love for his friends; however, Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra said, “There is a huge burden which is increasing day by day, so I request you, instead of writing such letters to me, to collect these expenses and put them towards religious work. This is my heart’s desire […].” 12 August 1980: On this date, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh offered Eid-ul-Fitr at the Fazl Mosque, London. 3,000 Ahmadis from different cities of the UK and other European countries attended.

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

“An additional beneﬁt of these gatherings will be that each year new entrants to the Jamaat shall, by being present on the ﬁxed dates, get to know their brethren

Attend and Salana, even if Hazrat Musleh

who had joined earlier. And these meetings will lead to progressive strengthening of the bond of mutual love and affection.” (The Promised Messiahas, The Heavenly Decree)

Below are some excerpts from a Friday Sermon of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], which he delivered 20 years ago from today [November 1957]: “The Promised Messiahas initiated a gathering under the command of Allah the Almighty, through His inspiration and revelation. This [annual] gathering takes place on 26, 27 and 28 December. Regarding this gathering, the Promised Messiahas had expressed his wish that all friends of the Jamaat who were able to reach here [Qadian] in the said days should gather on this occasion and join in participating in zikr [remembrance] of Allah the Almighty, which is done here in these days. “Thus, those who can come should remember that they have this special responsibility on behalf of the whole Jamaat, which is their primary duty to fulfil. “Moreover, as the entire Jamaat cannot participate on this occasion, in order to keep alive the spirit of Ahmadiyyat in the men, women and children of all regions, those who can attend should come to Jalsa Salana even if they have to let go of scores of other works, so that their presence can make up for the loss of those who cannot come [as they will convey the pearls of wisdom to those who could not participate]. “There are many people in the world who become slothful when progress starts and think that now there are enough [members of] the Jamaat. “I would like to tell such people that if anyone, for whom it is possible to reach Qadian on the occasion of Jalsa

Salana, shows negligence in coming here, it will have an inevitable effect on their neighbours and children. I have observed that friends who come to Qadian for Jalsa Salana once a year and bring their families with them, Ahmadiyyat persists in their progenies, and even though these children are not yet familiar with the teaching of Ahmadiyyat, they keep insisting to their parents, ‘Please take us [to participate] in the Jalsa.’ In this way, Ahmadiyyat begins to take root in their hearts at an early age and when they grow up, they are able to present a wonderful example of Ahmadiyyat. “Then, Jalsa Salana also has a great impact on a child’s mind. A child is always affected by out-of-the-ordinary things and people. Hence, when children come to Jalsa Salana, they not only witness a religious demonstration, but their desire for things and environments is satisfied – this gathering becomes an intriguing and memorable sight for them. “Thus, those fathers who come to Jalsa also inspire their children to come here. On the other hand, sometimes their child’s insistence motivates them to bring the children to Jalsa. Thereafter, the second step happens which I have just mentioned [that Ahmadiyyat takes root in the hearts of children]. “Hence, keeping back from coming to Qadian in these days due to any excuse or reason that can be removed or which can be resolved, is not only disobedience to a command but also cruelty to one’s children. “Thus, our Jamaat should have the said goal before them and not only should they themselves come to Jalsa Salana, but they should also bring their neighbours and dear ones with them. “However, at the same time, they should keep in mind that carelessness in these days makes one’s heart even harder. Allah the Almighty wants His holy places to be respected and every person who does not respect these places deserves to be reprimanded. Just as it is a blessing to attend Jalsa Salana in Qadian, so too is it coming here. To waste one’s time instead of spending it by listening to wise words, rusts one’s heart. “Thus, friends should commit to themselves before they come to Jalsa that, ‘We are not just going to perform a ritual;

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

reap the blessings of Jalsa f your work is compromised: h-e-Maud’s advice about Jalsa Al Fazl, 28 November 1957

rather, we will remember God there. We will remember Him when we sit in the gathering and we will also remember Him when we are separated.’ “Congregational zikr is always carried out in a gathering. When a person listens to words, they pay heed to the advice and their heart is inclined towards the remembrance of Allah the Almighty. However, individual zikr is carried out on

an individual basis. “There are certain people in the world who can keep their concentration on zikr when they themselves perform it and then there are those who, when they listen to zikr from others, engage in it and if they do not listen to it [on a regular basis], they eventually abandon it. Therefore, both congregational and individual zikr are necessary for the reformation of mankind

and Allah the Almighty has combined both of them in Salat. “Hence, both types of prayers should be performed in Jalsa Salana as well. That is, as long as friends are in the Jalsa Gah, they should listen to the lectures, get acquainted with the teaching of Ahmadiyyat and gain knowledge of the Holy Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa, and when the Jalsa is over, they

should offer Salat, seek prayers and meet those [righteous] people whose meeting will result in the strengthening of their faith. However, neither should they waste their time, nor let it go to waste in sport and pastime.” (Translated by Al Hakam from the original in the 28 November 1957 issue of Al Fazl)

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

100 Years Ago...

Daily diary of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II: From Ganderbal back to Srinagar Al Fazl, 8 August 1921

Dear Editor Sahib Al Fazl, assalamo alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! All praise belongs to Allah that the stay in Ganderbal for a few days, especially the daily bath in the Indus River at this place, has brought significant improvement to the health of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra]. A pandit mentioned that the snowy mountain was very close and one could easily see it and return in one day’s time. So on 24 [July 1921], Huzoor[ra] and some of his companions rode on horses and went for an excursion to the mountain. However, after travelling 8-10 miles, we came to know that the snow [mountain] was still at a distance of three to four days. Thus, Huzoor[ra] returned there and then. As soon as he reached home, Huzoor[ra] experienced [some health issues]. This was a result of some defect in the food and also due to fast riding. However, by the grace of God Almighty, Huzoor[ra] got better the next morning. Maulvi Syed Muhammad Sarwar Shah Sahib’s elder brother, Syed Muhammad Sadiq Sahib, and Mian Muhammad Hussain Sahib, son of Mistri Muhammad Musa Sahib, came to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra]. Master Ghulam Hussain Sahib came from Gilgit to meet him. Moreover, three friends from Bandipura came to visit Huzoor[ra]. Two of them were Ahmadis and the third friend took bai‘at at the hand of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra]. His name is Ghulam Muhammad Butt. It rained heavily on 28 [July 1921] and the sky cleared up at around Asr prayer.

Huzoor[ra] then went for a walk of three to four miles. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] returned to Srinagar on 29 [July 1921]. Srinagar is about 20 to 22 miles away by the river. Therefore, the houseboat could not reach in one day. We camped at night about eight miles from Srinagar and reached the residence at eleven o’clock on 30 [July 1921]. Nowadays, Srinagar is not a good place in terms of climate. When Huzoor[ra] reached the city, he suffered from mild fever and experienced weakness. The climate of Ganderbal suited Huzoor[ra] very much, so he intended to stay permanently in Ganderbal. However, some associates said that there were many other healthy places in Kashmir that were far better than [Ganderbal] in terms of climate and natural beauty. Thus, after staying in Srinagar for two to four days, Huzoor[ra] will visit Asnoor. Maulana Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib delivers a dars [religious sermon] of the Holy Quran every day. Hazrat UmmulMomineen, all the family members, and other travelling companions are well. All the mail intended for Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] should be sent to the postal address of Srinagar. The postmen deliver it themselves. Humbly yours, Syed Mahmudullah Shah, Srinagar. 30 July 1921. (Translated by Al Hakam from the original in the 8 August 1921 issue of Al Fazl)

Khilafat Centenary Special Edition—Part 3: Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II

TARIQ | 187

First Jalsa attended by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh after his migration from Pakistan The 19th Jalsa Salana of the UK Jamaat, held in 1984, was a great moment in history. It was the first Jalsa attended by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh after his migration from Pakistan. It was for two days – 25 and 26 August – a few months after Huzoor’srh arrival. There was a humble attendance and it was held in Mahmood Hall at the Fazl Mosque, while the final session took place at Tolworth Recreation Centre, London. Huzoorrh delivered a speech on the final day, highlighting the importance of tabligh. From this point on, Jalsa Salana UK was to function as the markazi (central) Jalsa and Khilafat would steer this ship towards continuous progress.

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

Jalsa Salana and its importance for the Jamaat Sahibzada Mirza Khalil Ahmad (1924-1975)

‫آؤ تول� � ی ہ ی‬ ‫� � ِر دخا �ؤ ےگ‬ �� ‫ول ہ��ی� �ر � اک � یا� � ےن‬ “Come, O people, for it is here you that will find the light of God; Now we have told you the path of finding satisfaction.” Jalsa Salana serves as an important and beautiful memory that originates from the time of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him. The foundation of this Jalsa was placed by the Promised Messiahas himself in 1891, when only 75 Companions participated. In 1892, Jalsa Salana was officially established, in which 327 people attended. From the objectives of this Jalsa – apart from the Jamaat’s education, preaching and organisation – another reason was for all those members of the Jamaat who were spread out across different areas to gather every year in their markaz, Qadian, and to meet and become acquainted with one another and as a result, refresh their faith. It was also for all Jamaat members to always keep in mind the unity of the Jamaat and the importance of national unity. Thus, following the commands of God Almighty, the Promised Messiahas announced this scheme – that members gather every year in Qadian for a Jalsa in which Islamic teachings and concepts would be taught and Quranic truths and their deeper meanings would be conveyed. This is because the human mind has been created in such a way that until a person is not constantly reminded of and taught something, it cannot be remembered in the long term. For this reason, the Jalsa was to be held every year. People started attending the Jalsa Salana in huge numbers and crowds increased year by year. In 1907 – one year before the demise of the Promised Messiahas – the Jalsa was attended by approximately 700 people; a number that is now seen on just the main stage or its surrounding areas in Jalsas held in these days [1940]. Seeing this number and while announcing the success of his mission, the Promised Messiahas said, “Maybe next year, it will be difficult for me to even go out on a walk [during Jalsa]”. In one way, these words of the Promised Messiahas became a prophecy; in other words, in 1908, Huzooras passed away.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] However, even after the demise of Huzooras, the number of Jalsa attendees continued to increase every year. From 1,000, it turned to 2,000. From 2,000, it

became 3,000 and from 3,000 to 4,000 – until in 1939, when 42,000 people attended Jalsa Salana. The world witnessed itself the prophecy of the Promised Messiahas being fulfilled, which he foretold when only three or four people would follow him, that: َ ْ َ َ ُّ ‫يَاتِ ْيك ِم ْن ك ِل ف ٍ ّ� ع ِم ْي ٍق‬ [His help will come to you from every distant track.] And: ُْ َ َ ُّ ‫يَات ْو َن ِم ْن ك ِل ف ٍ ّ� ع ِم ْي ٍق‬ [People will come to help you from every distant track.] (Tadhkirah [English], pp. 497-498) Then God told him: ْ‫َوب َ ّشرالَّذيْ َن ٰا َمن ُ ْوا اَ َّن لَهُ ْم قَ َد َم ِﺻ ْدق ِع ْن َد َربّهِ ْم۔ َو اتْ ُل َعل َ ْيهِم‬ ِ ِِ ٍ ِ ٰ ْ َ ّْ َ ُ َ َ َ ّ َ ْ َ َْ َ‫اللّه َولَاﺗ َ ْس َﺌ ْم ِمن‬ ُْ ِ ‫َما او ِح َى اِليك ِمن ربِك۔ ولا تص ِعر ِلخل ِق‬ َ َ ْ ْ َّ َ ّ ُّ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ّ ُّ ُ َ َ ‫اس۔ ا�حاب الصف ِة و ما ادراک ما ا�حاب‬ ‫الصف ِة ت َری‬ ِ ‫الن‬ ُ ُ َ َ ّ َ ُ َ ّ ْ َ َ ّ َ َ ‫اع ُي َنه ْم ت ِف ْيﺾ ِم َن الد ْم ِع۔ ي ُ َصل ْو َن َعل ْيك۔ َربّ َنا اِن َنا س ِم ْع َنا‬ ٰ َ ْ ْ ً ‫ِی ل ِلايْ َمان َو َداع ًيا اِلى اللّه َو� َر‬ ْ َُ ً َ ُ ‫اجا ُم ِني ًرا۔‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ‫منادِيا يناد‬ ُْ ْ َ ‫املوا‬ Meaning: “[…] And give glad tidings to those who have believed that they have the station of righteousness before your Lord. Recite to them the revelation that has been sent to you from your Lord. Remember that a time is coming when people will come to you in large numbers. It is incumbent upon you not to be arrogant towards them and you must not get tired of receiving them in large numbers. There will be people who will migrate from their homes to dwell in your quarters. They are the Ashab al-Suﬀah in the eyes of Allah.

“Do you realise how magnificent in status the Ashab al-Suffah will be? They will be very strong of faith. You will see their eyes shedding tears; they will call down blessings on you. They will supplicate: ‘Our Lord we have heard a Caller, calling people to the faith [and a Summoner to Allah] and a refulgent lamp. So we have believed.’” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part 3, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 1, pp. 267–268; Translation taken from Tadhkirah [English, 2009 edition], pp. 64-65) In the above revelations of the Promised Messiahas, regarding the Ashab al-Suffah, Huzooras once wrote: “God loves the Ashab al-Suffah among the Jamaat. The one who does not leave everything and comes to live here, or, at the very least, does not desire to do this – I fear for their condition. They remained deficient in establishing a relationship that purifies. “And this is a grand prophecy; it shows the greatness of those who God knew about – that they would leave their houses, areas and countries and to be in my proximity and would come and live in Qadian.” At another place, the Promised Messiahas stated: “God said to me: َ َ َ ‫َو َو ّ ِس ْع َمکانك‬ “That is, ‘And enlarge your house.’ This prophecy says clearly that the day is coming when the number of visitors will multiply so much that it would be difficult for me to meet everyone. I was admonished not to express any annoyance or to feel tired of meeting the people. “Holy is Allah, how grand is this

prophecy which was conveyed to me 17 years ago when only two or three people came to visit me, and that also infrequently. What a wonderful proof this is of God’s knowledge of that which is hidden.” (Siraje-Munir, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 12, p. 73; Translation taken from Tadhkirah [English, 2009 edition], p. 66) Reading these words, every Ahmadi can gauge the importance of coming to Qadian and especially the grandeur of attending Jalsa Salana. However, how many are there amongst us who listen but never act? They desire to come but cannot turn this desire into action. They understand the importance and greatness, but due to not having a deep passion, this importance and greatness has no effect on them. One can truly understand the greatness of such an event when there is sincerity and love in their heart – they should have nothing but pure and absolute love. Therefore, develop love for this divine scheme and believe that coming to Jalsa is compulsory. Become the one who fulfils the prophecy made by God that: َ ْ َ َ ُ ‫يَاتِ ْيك ِم ْن ك ِل ف ٍ ّ� ع ِم ْي ٍق‬ [His help will come to you from every distant track.] ُْ َ َ ُّ ‫يَات ْو َن ِم ْن ك ِل ف ٍ ّ� ع ِم ْي ٍق‬ [People will come to help you from every distant track.] Humbly yours, Mirza Khalil Ahmad (Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in Al Fazl, 17 December 1940)

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

Jalsa site ready for inspection: Updates and behind-the-scenes preparation

Published on Wednesday, 4 August at www. alhakam.org: Even though there were restrictions from the government here in the UK months ago on gatherings, Hazrat Amirul Momineen, may Allah be his Helper, clearly instructed the Jalsa Committee that Jalsa Salana UK would take place, insha-Allah, subject to changes in government laws. These instructions not only motivated us and gave us clear direction, but we have also

witnessed how far-sighted Huzoor’s wisdom is. Last year Khuddam and even the Jalsa organisers lost out on the vital experience of preparing for Jalsa Salana. If halted for too long, this can have adverse effects on our training. Nevertheless, Huzoor’s instruction to prepare for Jalsa Salana UK enabled everyone to get back into preparations. This year it rained quite heavily leading up to Jalsa Salana; however, the

rain only added to the training process and enabled everyone to prepare even in difficult circumstances. At every step of the preparations for Jalsa Salana UK, we have witnessed the blessings and prayers of Khilafat being manifested. Everyone is motivated despite the rain and focused on providing the best Jalsa experience. In fact, we have seen that the forecast has been something else, but due to the blessings of Khilafat, it often changes for the better.

Insha-Allah, the Jamaat’s yearning to see their beloved Khalifa in person will be fulfilled during Jalsa Salana UK, at least for those who are attending. Most of the Jalsa Salana site is ready and tomorrow [Thursday, 5 August], Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa will be inspecting the site and all the departments. The East Hampshire County Council has conducted all inspections of their requirements of the Jalsa Salana Site and is very pleased and content with everything. In fact, by the grace of Allah, they have said they do not have any need to inspect the site during the Jalsa days because they are very satisfied with the setup and requirements. It is important to note that Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa has urged strict safety protocols for Covid-19. For this, random on-site tests will also be done and if someone proves positive for Covid, they will be required to return home immediately for the safety of everyone. As there is no accommodation, all guests are requested to vacate Hadeeqatul Mahdi by 10:30 pm so that the khidmat-ekhalq department can prepare the Jalsa site for the next day. Food will be served before Maghrib prayer as a packed dinner. All car passes have been given to the various Jalsa departments – these passes include five categories of passes according to different needs. As rain is forecast, we have planned extra parking in the Country Market close to Hadeeqatul Mahdi if parking is not possible in Hadeeqatul Mahdi. If need be, from the Country Market, guests will be taken in shuttle coaches to the Jalsa Site. Stone and gravel are being used throughout the site – due to rainfall, tracks have been difficult to traverse. Worker badges have also been distributed to all departments. Even those who have duties have been issued with invitations to attend Jalsa Salana and the inspection. The stores are now fully stocked including PPE for Covid-19 use. Tracks, toilets and cabins, etc. are all ready to go and the over-flow of the Jalsa Salana is also ready. We request continuous prayers for the success of Jalsa Salana UK. (Report prepared on 4 August after speaking to Zaheer Khan Sahib, a missionary and naib afsar Jalsa Salana UK who supervises the Jalsa Salana UK office and reporting department)

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

Coming from every distant track

Ghulam Akbar of Batala, father of Agha Babar, visits the Promised Messiah A series looking at the high standard of morals of the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa when receiving visitors in Qadian

Awwab Saad Hayat Al Hakam

Agha Babar, a prominent Urdu writer and journalist, was born on 31 March 1919. Agha Babar’s real name was Sajjad Hussain and he was born in Batala, Gurdaspur district. He was a graduate of the Government College Lahore and Punjab University. Initially, he worked as a dialogue writer in films. After the establishment of Pakistan, he became the editor of Mujahid and Hilal magazines of ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations). After retirement, he moved to the United States where he spent the rest of his life. Agha Babar is one of the most prominent Urdu fiction writers. He also started writing his autobiography, but it remained incomplete due to his demise. Agha Babar was the brother of the renowned intellectual, Ashiq Hussain Batalvi (1903-1989) and Ijaz Hussain Batalvi (1924-2004). Agha Babar died in New York on 25 September 1998 and was buried there. Agha Babar used to write a regular column, in the well-known and widely circulated Urdu Magazine, Nuqoosh, entitled “Khadokhal” (literally meaning, “features”). His regular and ongoing article, Khadokhal, was read with great interest. This magazine, Nuqoosh, was issued by the world-famous personality of printing, Muhammad Tufail. In the 138th issue of Nuqoosh, the editor of that time, Javed Tufail, had published an episode of Khadokhal written by Agha Babar on page 202. In it, Agha Babar mentioned his parent’s childhood, education, school friends, etc. Whilst mentioning his father’s interests and hobbies, he wrote with reference to Batala city: “There was a street adjacent to a large and spacious building which was called ‘Supertin Street’. There, lived a superintendent in the deputy commissioner’s office. Due to the rise of the British [government], being the superintendent of the British deputy commissioner’s office was a great and valued job. The word ‘superintendent’ was difficult to pronounce and could not be uttered by the common man. Even the ‘tin’ in ‘Supertin’ could not be easily pronounced. Therefore, its name was changed from ‘Supertin’ to ‘Superna’. The superintendent’s name was Babu Aziz Din. He had taken his pension;

and due to some fatal eye disease, he had lost his sight. He was one of the elders of the neighbourhood. News reached him that Ghulam Akbar [the father of Agha Babar] had fainted while trying to hypnotise his mother. He [Babu Aziz Din] called the young boy [Ghulam Akbar] and spoke with him. He [Babu Aziz Din] came to know that the boy possessed an adventurous nature. “[Babu Aziz Din, who had lost his sight, told the young boy, Ghulam Akbar, to read a book and] he listened to him whilst he read the book. Then he told him to read The Divan of Hafiz [a collection of poems written by the Iranian poet, Xawje Shamsod-Din Mohammad Hafiz-e-Shirazi, known by his pen name Hafiz]. He then told him how people use divination from Hafiz’s book of poetical pieces. The adventurous boy [Ghulam Akbar] said, ‘Foretell my future.’ Babu Aziz Din began to foretell his fortune, and said, ‘Turn the page and read the seventh stanza:

‫ن‬ ‫�ن � �ےئ � وبد‬ ِ � �� ‫رب ز‬ ‫اس� �ہ �� اں وخا� وبد‬ “‘[Wherever your footprints will be, the people of sight will prostrate.]’ “Aziz Din said, ‘[The guess about] your destiny seems to be good. Your fate shall be good.’ “A sigh of satisfaction was released by the orphan youth [Ghulam Akbar]. Babu Aziz Din said, ‘Look, my closet is full of books. It would be nice if you could come for an hour [daily], pick up a book and read it and I will listen. We will both benefit from this, your reading will increase and, as I can’t read a book, [in this way] I will hear it from you.’ “My [Agha Babar’s] father was very impressed by Aziz Din’s words of love and compassion and started visiting him for an hour a day. “In those days, the books of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani were being printed and widely circulated and people were reading [his books] with great interest [and wanted to know] who this person

was and what he said. [People wanted to know more about his claims which Hazrat Ahmadas made, such as] ‘I am the Promised Messiah’, ‘I am the servant of Ahmad’, ‘I am Ahmad’, ‘[The attributes] of Gautam and Krishna run in my blood’, ‘[The qualities] of Joseph and Moses are in my right and left pockets’, ‘There is an ocean of [divine] light inside me’, ‘A light is rising [from the] inside of my body’, ‘The sun [of divine light] is dawning through me’ and ‘The galaxy of stars leans over me and greets me’. “How strange those days were when the [rule of the] political department of the British government was at its peak and no legal notice was filed [against Hazrat Ahmadas]. The things he wrote about were not political; they were about faith and religion. Why should the British interfere in this? As long as law and order was preserved, all was fine [in the eyes of the British government]. Continued on next page >>

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

12 and meaningful hints for the interpretation of dreams. “[As familiarity grew] Ghulam Akbar started calling Babu Aziz Din, ‘Chachaji’. Chacha-ji used to say many times, while listening to the book, ‘Ghulam Akbar! Ghulam Ahmad is a wonderful man; his words are magnificent and his style of literature is unique. I wonder what kind of a man he is; one should go and meet him.’ “One day, my father [Ghulam Akbar] went to Qadian, which was eight or nine miles from Batala. [Qadian] was a small village, just like small villages are in which some houses made of mud are [situated] here and there. << Continued from previous page [Due to the houses made of mud] dust “One day, Babu Aziz Din asked my father particles were visible in the air. This was to take a book of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad around the middle of the 1800s when there from the bookshelf and start reading tohim) him. (peace be upon was not a single concrete house and a village He read it for an hour or two. The next day, had only mud and clay homes. he started reading from where he left off. He “After much searching, the house [of finished [the book] within four to five days. Hazrat Ahmadas] was found. He knocked Then, one day, he started reading Barahin-eon the door. A man, who seemed to be [a Ahmadiyya. “He [Ghulam Akbar] was young and well-educated] writer, opened the door and of pure nature. His intelligence was in saw a young boy, in his teens, standing at the prime of youth. He was very curious. the threshold. His [Ghulam Akbar’s] face Many questions arose in his mind [whilst was fresh with signs of adolescence and reading Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya]. In a few curiosity. There was an innocent shimmer life. days, he finished reading the first volume in his eyes for acquiring knowledge of as Th e hermit of Qadian [Hazrat Ahmad ] was of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Then, he [Babu Aziz Din] asked him to take out and read surprised to see the stranger [and thus asked another book [of Hazrat Ahmadas] from the him], ‘Where have you come from?’ “My father mentioned his name [and bookshelf, which was about the importance said], ‘I have come from Batala. I have had of the dreams, the significance of glad tidings

the chance to read some of your books; rather, I read your books to a gentleman who is visually impaired. [Since then] my desire to meet you grew. Thus, I came. “‘You look tired.’ “‘Yes, I am.’ “Mirza Sahib picked up a clay bowl lying upside down on the mouth of a mossy pot in the corner of the room and poured cold water in it and gave it to my father. My father sat down on a piece of cloth that was laid out on the floor in the room. In the other corner of the room was a small piece of carpet and a pillow to lean on. Next to it was a box with some books placed on it and a small table used by writers on which was an inkstand. Mirza Sahib sat next to the small table and, whilst resting on a pillow, began conversing. “‘Who is the person you read my books to?’ “My father replied, ‘I have read [to the visually impaired person] so-and-so book and now I am reading so-and-so book.’ “‘Are you able to understand [my books]?’ “‘There are many things that even Chacha-ji [Babu Aziz Din] doesn’t understand.’ “At this, Mirza smiled [and asked], ‘Would you like some sharbat?’ “He got up, added sugar in the same pot and mix it with a reed pen, and asked, ‘What does your father do?’ “My father replied, ‘He has passed away. I have a sister and my widowed mother takes care of us.’ “‘You seem to be a wise young man. You should come and visit every so often.’ “[After going back to Batala] when my father told Chacha-ji about his meeting with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Aziz Din was surprised and repeatedly and excitedly asked what had happened [during the meeting], ‘You have done a great job, Ghulam Akbar. You went to Qadian. You are a great young man. So, what did Mirza Ghulam Ahmad say?’

The ﬁrst question and answer session in Jalsa In 1996, the entire proceedings of Jalsa Salana on MTA were broadcast along with simultaneous translations in 8 languages. The recordings were made available online on alislam.org. For the first time, a question and answer session was held on the first day of Jalsa, exclusively for foreign guests.

“My father replied that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said to him, ‘You should come and visit every so often.’ [Aziz Din asked] ‘Did he pour the sherbet for you himself, the author of the books?’ [With excitement, he said] ‘This is great! You have done a great job.’ “After two months, Ghulam Akbar Sahib knocked on his door again. Mirza Sahib opened the door. He was more compassionate than before. He asked about his health and how he was doing. He said, ‘Ghulam Akbar, I am writing a new book. Do people read my books with interest?’ “My father replied, ‘Yes, of course. Chacha-ji is immersed in your books.’ “He [Hazrat Ahmadas] smiled and said, ‘Read this book from the first page.’ “My father had read half the page when he said, ‘Excellent! Shall I give you something special to eat?’ There was a basket hanging from the ceiling on a rope. He got up and took something out of it and said, ‘Someone sent this as a gift from Amritsar. It’s called a biscuit. How is it?’ My father said it was good. “[Hazrat Ahmadas] said, ‘Englishmen eat this. It is very delicious.’ “He then said, ‘Son, what do you intend to do [in life]? Will you look for a job, or something else?’ “My father replied, ‘I am not sure. I don’t have a father. How will I even search for a job? If I am to ask around, then who do I ask? There is no one in my family who I could ask [for help].’ “Mirza Sahib patted my father’s shoulder and said, ‘If you want, you can come here and stay with me. I am always in need of young, intelligent people like yourself. I will make something out of you.’ “My father noticed the lack of convenience and comfort in the room and looked at the basket hanging from the ceiling on a rope and thought to himself, ‘If I leave the nest of my home and come here, then what will I be able to accomplish?’ He then asked, ‘What will you be able to make out of me?’ “[Hazrat Ahmadas said] ‘Son, Ghulam Akbar, situations change.’ “My father replied, ‘I disagree. I will find a job, earn some money and give it to my widowed mother.’ Mirza Sahib placed some pamphlets in between his [Ghulam Akbar] arms and said, ‘Take this for Chacha-ji, read this to him.’ “[Ghulam Akbar made his way back to Batala and once again, narrated his meeting to Babu Aziz Din.] Chacha-ji, whilst listening [to Ghulam Akbar], asked, ‘Ghulam Akbar, how was his appearance? Was his hair brittle? Was it long, or adhering to the fashion trend of the time? What did his beard look like? Was it long? Did he wear a turban or a topi?’ “My father replied, ‘His hair was not brittle, nor long, nor adhering to Western trends. He was wearing a slightly tight topi and his beard was long.” Agha Babar’s column continued on page 204 of Nuqoosh No. 138. It is not possible to corroborate all the details mentioned in this incident with available sources on the history of Ahmadiyyat. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the Promised Messiahas, his selflessness, his intellectual prowess, his compassion for God’s creation and his high degree of hospitality for everyone becomes evident.

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

First Jalsa to be broadcast live In 1992, the first Jalsa Salana was broadcast live to several countries, with more than 50,000 viewers. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh mentioned how this was a fulfilment of the Promised Messiah’sas revelation, “I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth.” Huzoorrh expressed how Allah had blessed the Jamaat in miraculous ways – on 7 January 1938, the first loudspeaker was installed in Masjid Aqsa, Qadian and it was a huge development within the Jamaat. However, MTA was now broadcasting the Khalifa’s video and audio live to the whole world.

Launch of Ahmadiyya Cycling Club Ireland

Atta-ur-Rahman Khalid Missionary, Dublin, Ireland

One of the greatest threats faced by modern man is global warming. Countries are rallying to bring in measures and policies to slow down the very visible impact of climate change. The threat is real and everyone is feeling the effects of the extreme weather events increasing in intensity and frequency. Just last week a mass of cold air hit southern Brazil which brought snow to several cities leaving Brazilians shocked as some of them experienced snow for the very first time in their life. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, has called on Ahmadis to play their role in helping the environment. In a virtual mulaqat with the National Amila of Majlis Ansarullah Australia, Huzooraa said: “Encourage the members of Ansarullah to use bicycles. At least on short distances they should use bicycles instead of using cars and motorbikes or something else. So, Majlis Ansarullah should also play its role to clean the environment by using bicycles.” Such wise guidance from our beloved Khalifa! If everyone was to make small changes in their lives like cycling to the local supermarket to buy groceries instead of driving, this could play a huge role in our

collective effort to tackle climate change. Cycling is something that the Khulafa of Ahmadiyyat have encouraged as it is also a great way to keep fit and healthy. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh said: “In order to maintain good health, cycling is very beneficial. I desire for a campaign to be run in the Jamaat for them to cycle as much as possible. This exercise is very beneficial [...] If one cycles slowly then to cycle a 100 miles in one day is not hard at all [...] If a 100,000 Ahmadis cycle a 100 miles then in one day they will have cycled 10 million miles [...]” (Report Majlis-e-Mushawarat, 1973, pp. 34-35) In line with this desire of the Khulafa, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Ireland organised a “Fun Cycle” on 31 July 2021 to promote cycling as a way of keeping healthy and fit. The event was held in the scenic Phoenix Park, which is one of Dublin’s most famous and oldest landmarks and one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. A group of cyclists left the Dublin Mission House, Baitul Ahad, in the morning and cycled to Phoenix Park where they were joined by other cyclists. Those who did not have a bike were able to hire a bike within the park. The event was keenly attended by Khuddam, Atfal and Ansar and marks the inception of the Ahmadiyya Cycling Club Ireland. Despite the weather forecast of showers, spirits were not dampened and there was a great turnout. At 12:15 pm after a short briefing and silent prayer, which was led by Dr Muhammad Anwar Malik Sahib, the fun cycle began. All cyclists were divided into two groups based on their level with an easier short flat route (10 km) mainly for Atfal and a longer hillier route (16 km) for other cyclists. Cyclists were able to take in the beautiful views and landscapes.

The event concluded with lunch followed by Zuhr and Asr prayers. 24 cyclists participated in the event. This is the first programme in a series of cycles being

organised leading up to a 200 km charity cycle from Dublin to Maryam Mosque in Galway in September 2021.

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

Famous Muslim scholar, Shaikh al-Albani, responds to allegations against Ahmadi Muslims Raziullah Noman Canada

Sadly, there are many false allegations which the Muslim scholars spread about Islam Ahmadiyyat. Without any academic honesty, they continue to misquote our literature and attempt to misguide the general public. Some go to the extent of saying that we do not believe in the five pillars of Islam, nor the six articles of faith. In this article, I will let one of their most famous Sunni muhadith, Shaikh al-Albani answer these allegations. Shaikh Muhammad Nasiruddin alAlbani was a famous Albanian Islamic scholar and a watchmaker by profession. He is a famous Salafi hadith scholar who worked on grading ahadith throughout his life. He is recognised as the most accredited non-Ahmadi scholar for ahadith in our era and is the main scholar used for grading the ahadith by the Salafi Muslims. Even those who are not from the Salafi sect use his works when it comes to grading the ahadith. He knew many Ahmadi Muslims, especially in Damascus, and would often have discussions with them. Our beloved Imam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa mentioned an incident of the respected late Nadir al-Husni Sahib from Syria, with Shaikh al-Albani. Speaking about the late Nadir al-Husni Sahib, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa – quoting Nasir al-Husni Sahib’s nephew – said: “He had a very close bond with Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahibra. The deceased translated a book of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahibra into Arabic. He had a strong connection with the Jamaat. He would not tolerate any inappropriate comments towards the Promised Messiahas or the Khulafa. “On one occasion, he went with his two brothers to offer condolences for a non-Ahmadi. A prominent Syrian scholar, Shaikh al-Albani was also present there accompanied by many of his students, who were aware that Nadir al-Husni Sahib and his brothers were Ahmadi. They began to discuss the points of contention between Ahmadis and other clerics. When one of them began to use profane language about the Promised Messiahas, my uncle, the late Nadir al-Husni, became enraged; he stood up and said: ‘If any one of you has the courage, they should enter into a debate with me’, even though there was only three of them [Ahmadis], whereas Shaikh al-Albani

Sahib was accompanied by more than 15 people. No one from among them had the courage to enter into a debate with him. On the contrary, they began to quarrel and tried to attack the three of them. However, other people who had come to offer their condolences intervened and stopped them.” (Friday Sermon, 28 December 2018) Through the words of Shaikh al-Albani, we will see the false allegations of the antiAhmadi scholars answered. The audios of all of these answers are also available. This is not to say that al-Albani has always spoken the truth about the Jamaat. However, he has corrected many misconceptions the Muslim scholars spread about us. Allegation 1: The name “Ghulam Ahmad” is shirk Some of the non-Ahmadi Muslims raise the allegation that the name “Ghulam Ahmad” [the slave of Ahmad, i.e. the Holy Prophetsa] is shirk, because we can only call ourselves the slaves of Allah. Shaikh al-Albani states: ‫ فـغلام أحمد … أسلوب باللغة الهندية تفسيره خادم‬ ‫لا‬ ‫ وإنما هو خادم أحمد؛ والمقصود‬،‫ فهو ليس أحمد‬،‫أحمد‬

‫بأحمد هو نبينا عليه الصلاة والسلام؛ والأعاجم لهم مثل‬

‫هذه النسبات افتخارا بانتسابهم للرسول عليه السلام‬ “No. ‘Ghulam Ahmad’ […] is a way of naming in the Hindi language and the meaning is the servant of Ahmad. He is not Ahmad; rather, he is the servant of Ahmad. And the purpose of Ahmad here is our Prophetsa; and the non-Arabs have such genealogies showing that they are proud of their affiliation with the Messengersa.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 198) Allegation 2: The book of Ahmadi Muslims is different from the Holy Quran One allegation raised by the opponents of Islam Ahmadiyyat is that our book is other than the Quran. The Salafi scholars often say that we have a book called “Kitab-ulMubeen”, something we Ahmadi Muslims have never heard of! Responding to this, Shaikh al-Albani said: ‫هل (الأحمدية) ينكرون القرآن وينكرون السورة؟ لا‬ “Do the Ahmadiyya reject the Quran or any of the surahs? No!” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lil-Shaikh, Episode no. 91) Allegation 3: Ahmadi Muslims reject the articles of faith and the Kalima One allegation presented by non-Ahmadi Muslims is that Ahmadi Muslims reject

Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani

the articles of faith and the pillars of Islam. Shaikh al-Albani states: ‫هل تظنون أن الطائفة القاديانية هم لا يقولون لا إله إلا الله‬ ُ ‫محمدا رسول الله لا يصلون لا يصومون لا يحجون؟ لا! هم معنا‬

‫في هذا كله‬ “Do you think that the group alQadiyaniyya do not say, ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’; they don’t pray; they don’t fast and don’t perform the pilgrimage? No! They are with us on all of this.” (Silsilatul Huda walNur, Episode no. 742) ‫طائفة القاديانية يؤمنون بما نؤمن نحن به من الأركان‬ ّٰ ‫ أولها شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا‬،‫الإسلامية الخمسة‬ ّٰ ‫رسول الله‬ “The group al-Qadiyaniyya believe in what we believe from the five pillars of Islam and the first of them is to bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 486) Allegation 4: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib[as] was not knowledgeable and had no knowledge of Arabic

Some ignorant Muslims of today raise the allegation that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was not knowledgeable. They say he did not know the Quran, ahadith or the Shariah. Responding to why Muslims accepted Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and rejected false claimants of the Imam Mahdi, Shaikh al-Albani explained: ‫تعرف المهدي اللذی اسمه ميرزا أحمد القادياني تبع الهند‬

‫ لكن هؤلاء (أدعياء‬،‫هذا رجل عارف … بالعلم تماما‬

‫المهدوية) مساكين جهال ما بعرفوا شيء من الشريعة‬

‫ولا بعرفوا قراءة قرآن ما بعرفوا لغة ولا بعرفوا شيء‬ “You know the Mahdi whose name was Mirza Ahmad al-Qadiani, who is followed in India. That man was knowledgeable […] With complete knowledge. However, the other claimants were poor and ignorant and they did not know anything of the Shariah or the qira‘ah of the Quran. They did not know the language [Arabic], nor did they know anything else.” (Silsilatul Huda walNur, Episode no. 028) Allegation 5: Ahmadi Muslims do not believe in the finality of prophethood (khatm-e-nabuwat) Another allegation against Ahmadi Muslims is that they reject the finality of prophethood. Shaikh al-Albani explains that Ahmadi Muslims believe in Prophet Muhammadsa as the Seal of Prophets, but give a different interpretation. Shaikh alAlbani states: ‫هم لا ينكرون أنه خاتم النبيين‬ “They [Ahmadi Muslims] do not reject that he [Prophet Muhammadsa] was the Seal of Prophets.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 198) ّٰ ‫هل أنكروا قوله تعالى ولكن رسول الله وخاتم النبيين؟ لا‬ ّٰ ‫ لأنه أي مسلم إذا أنكر آية من القرآن كفر بالله ورسوله‬. “Do they reject the statement of Allah, ‘Rather, he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of all Prophets’? No. Because any Muslim who rejects a verse of the Quran, rejects Allah and His messenger.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 486) He said: ‫ آمنوا معنا بالآية ولكن‬،‫(الأحمدية) ما أنكروا الآية‬

‫تأولوها‬ “Ahmadiyya do not reject the verses. They believe in the verses like us but they interpret them.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 486) At another occasion he said: ّٰ َ ََ ‫ك ْن َر ُسول الل ِه‬ ِ ‫ول‬:‫لم يكفر هؤلاء القاديانيون بقوله تعالى‬ َّ َ َ َ َ َ ‫النب ّي‬ ،‫۔ بل آمنوا بالآية كما نؤمن‬40 :‫ين ۔ الأحزاب‬ ِ ِ ‫وخاتم‬ ‫كذلك لم ينكروا قول النبي ﷺ ما جاء في الصحيحين عن‬

‫النبي ﷺ‬ “The al-Qadiyaniyyah do not reject the statement of the Allah, ‘Rather he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of all Prophets’ (Surah al-Ahzab, verse 40); rather, they believe in the verses as we believe. Just like this, they do not deny the statement of the Holy Prophetsa which comes in the authentic narrations.” (Mu‘assisah al-Albani fi al-Aqidah, Vol. 1, p. 257) Allegation 6: Ahmadi Muslims perform Hajj in Qadian A widespread allegation against the Jamaat is that we perform Hajj in Qadian. Shaikh al-Albani taught his followers: … ‫القاديانية … هؤلاء مسلمون يصلون الصلوات‬ ّ ‫الخمسة‬ ‫ويحجون إلى بيت الله الحرام‬ “The Qadianiyyah […] they are Muslims, they pray the five daily prayers and perform Hajj in Baitullah al-Haram.” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lil-Shaikh, Episode no. 91) Continued on next page >>

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021 << Continued from previous page

Allegation 7: Ahmadi Muslims reject some verses of the Holy Quran ‫هؤلاء القاديانيون لا تظنوا أنهم ينكرون شيﺌا من أركان‬

‫ هم يؤمنون معنا في‬،‫ لا‬،‫الإيمان أو شيﺌا من أركان الإسلام‬ ّ ّ ‫يصلون ويصومون‬ ‫ويحجون وأسماؤهم‬ ‫ فهم‬،‫كل هذه الأركان‬

‫أسماء إسلامية تماما‬ “They are the Qadianis. Do not think that they reject anything from the pillars of faith or anything from the pillars of Islam. No! They believe in everything from these pillars like we believe. They pray, they fast, they perform Hajj and they name themselves with Islamic names.” (Silsilatul Huda walNur, Episode no. 705) Allegation 8: Ahmadis are not a part of the 73 sects of Islam Some raise the allegation that Ahmadi Muslims are not among the 73 sects of Islam. Shaikh al-Albani said: ‫بل هؤلاء (القاديانية) هم من الفرق ال�ي جاء الإشارة إليها‬ ‫في قوله عليه الصلاة والسلام (وستف�رق أم�ي على ﺛلاث‬

)‫وسبعين فرقة كلها في النار إلا واحدة‬ “Nay, they (al-Qadiyaniyyah) are from the sects which are pointed to in the statement of the Holy Prophetsa that ‘my ummah will split into 73 sects and all of them will be in the fire except one.’” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 705) Allegation 9: Ahmadi Muslims reject some of the Quran Some anti-Ahmadis claim that Ahmadi Muslims reject some verses of the Quran and only believe in some of the Quran. Shaikh al-Albani raised the allegation that we believe in the words of the Quran but not the actual meaning, an allegation every sect raises against the other. However, he was

Opinion

forced to accept that we believe in all of the Quran. Shaikh al-Albani said: ...‫القاديانية … يؤمنون بکل الكتاب‬ “The Qadianis […] they believe in the entire book [the Holy Quran] […]” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 705) He also said: ‫هل (الأحمدية) ينكرون القرآن وينكرون السورة؟ لا‬ “Do they [Ahmadiyya] reject the Quran and reject the Surahs? No. Do the Ahmadiyya reject the Quran or any of the Surahs? No!” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lilShaikh, Episode no. 91) Shaikh al-Albani has many different answers regarding Ahmadis. On one occasion he accepted that we are Muslims and also said that Muslims cannot do takfir of Ahmadis because one should judge by the apparent, and that Ahmadi Muslims recite the Kalima. He said: ّ ‫هؤلاء مسلمون يصلون الصلوات الخمس‬ ‫ويحجون إلى بيت‬ ‫الله الحرام‬ “They are Muslims, they pray the five daily prayers and perform Hajj to Baitullah al-Haram” ” (Ashriatatun Mutafariqa lilShaikh, Episode no. 91) He also said: ً ّٰ ّٰ ‫ محمدا رسول الله؛‬،‫ �ﺸهدون بلا إله إلا ٰالله‬،‫ نحن لنا ﻇاهرهم‬، ‫لا‬ ّ ‫أما حسابهم عند الله‬ “No [we cannot do their takfir]. It is upon us to judge by their appearance, and they testify that there is no worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. As for their end, that is with Allah.” (Silsilatul Huda wal-Nur, Episode no. 206) Ustadh Faris Ali Abd al-Wahid compiled many of these references in the Arabic language. I have personally heard all of these audios myself as well and they are available online.

First Jalsa in Islamabad The year 1985 marked the first-ever Jalsa held at Islamabad. It was a new chapter in the history of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. Khuddam and Ansar flocked to Islamabad to prepare it for Jalsa Salana. It became the largest gathering than any previous year in the history of the UK Jamaat, with over 7,000 attendees. The Jalsa Salana instantly bore an international capacity as guests from 48 countries attended. The beautiful Islamabad would now serve as the Jalsa Salana UK site for the next 18 years.

How I believed in the existence of God as an Ahmadi teenager

Mansoor Mirza Peace Village, Canada

Growing up in an extremely devout Ahmadi family, we simply adopted our parents’ beliefs without question. It’s not that our parents didn’t encourage us to be curious, but being an Ahmadi Muslim just made sense. We accepted the teachings as they came. If we had questions, our elders had answers. I personally don’t recall having many questions though. Whatever was taught to me, I simply accepted – perhaps in a form of obedience. However, as I got into my early teenage years, and unbeknownst to myself, I gradually stopped walking that same footpath of spirituality that I once would have travelled blindfolded. Praying was simply a mere set of motions. Attending Jamaat functions was no different. What better would a young teenager, who hasn’t understood their faith, know? By the age of 16, I felt a void inside myself, a black hole. Eventually, my thoughts led me to question the existence of

God. I expressed this to my parents shortly thereafter, but instead of admonishing me, they told me to pray to Allah the Almighty. Not at any time, though, but to pray specifically in sajdah (prostration) and ask for guidance. I did this daily for some days or weeks during the witr prayer. I repeatedly would ask God that “God, if You exist, please show me a sign.” In the beginning, I received no answer or feeling, but my persistence would not allow me to give up so easily, so I continued my routine. I used to take a ride on the public transit home with my elder brother during my high school years and there was never a day where the bus was not packed to maximum capacity. On one of those days, I was able to find a seat with my brother. A few stops later, a well-dressed elderly gentleman got on the bus. As there were no vacant seats, he stood in a small crowd directly across from where I sat. He began to speak to the other passengers, but they all ignored him as if he was not mentally fit. Some time later, he looked directly at me while I had my headphones on and

asked me my name. My heart told me that I should not ignore him like the others did as it would not sit well with my moral compass. I told him my name. He responded by saying it was a beautiful name. “Where are you from?” I asked. Then he asked me if I was a Muslim and I confirmed. He asked me about my studies and interests and then finally he hit me with a haymaker that would change my life forever. He said, “God exists. You may not believe it, but He exists. And I’m here to tell you that He exists [...]”. I do not recall the remainder of the conversation, but I was shaken to my core! I did not know this man, but in my heart of hearts, I knew that this could only be the means of the Almighty delivering His answer to my prayers. There is no stronger feeling I could have felt than that of God hearing and answering His supplicant’s prayer that day. To this day, I have not experienced greater satisfaction or peace of mind. Reflecting on this situation years later helped lead me back to a path of repentance.

God had infinite ways to answer such a bold prayer from such a weak individual but due to His sheer grace and mercy, I am forever indebted to my Lord.

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

Jalsa Salana: 11 objectives, benefits and blessings This article was written by Syed Ahmad Ali Shah Sahib of Sialkot, who was a missionary of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and served in various regions of Pakistan. He was well versed in the field of comparative religions and the Jamaat’s teachings. He authored dozens of books and many of his articles were published in newspapers and magazines.

Syed Ahmad Ali Shah Sialkoti (1911-2003) In 1882, at a time when he was all alone and unknown to the world, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdias, published the following revelation in his book Barahin-eAhmadiyya: ّ ّ ّ ‫کل‬ ّ ‫کل‬ ‫ یاتون من‬.‫فـج عمیق‬ ‫یاتیک من‬ ... ‫فـج عمیق‬ ّ ‫ینصرک رجال نوحي الیھم من‬ ‫السماء‬ “Help will come to you by every distant track. People will come to you so that the track will become deep due to excessive travel. So many people will come to you that the track on which they travel will become deep […] Such people will help you whom We shall inspire from Ourself.” [Tadhkirah (English, 2009 edition), pp. 62-63] God Almighty further revealed to him: ٰ ّ ّ ‫اﻟﻠّﻪ ﻭﻻ ﺗﺴﺄﻡ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫اﻟﻨﺎﺱ‬ ‫ﻭﻻ ﺗﺼﻌﺮ ﻟﺨﻠﻖ‬ “It is incumbent upon you not to be arrogant towards them and you must not get tired of receiving them in large numbers.” [Tadhkirah (English, 2009 edition), p. 64] Then, the following revelation was vouchsafed: ّ ‫و‬ ‫وسع مکانک‬

“And enlarge your house.” [Tadhkirah (English), p. 65] Furthermore, prior to his making the claim of being the Imam Mahdi, Huzooras published the following revelation in his announcement [ishtihar] of 20 February 1886, after being informed of it by God Almighty: ‫ت‬ ‫ن‬ ‫د�ا نعطقنم وہ اجےئ ّزعت ےک‬ ‫اس روز کت وج ی‬ ‫دخا ی�رے انم وک ت‬ ‫د�ا ےک انکروں کت اچنہپت دے‬ ‫اسھت اقمئ رےھک اگ تاور ی�ری دوعت وک ی‬ ‫اگ ۔۔۔ وہ ولگ وج ی�ری ذتّل یک رکف ی‬ ‫م ےگل خوہےئ ہ ی� اور ی�رے‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ہ‬ ‫ی‬ ‫�ال م ی� وہ وخد‬ ‫اناکم رےنہ اک درےپ اور ی�رے انوبد رکےن ےک ی‬ ‫رم� ےگ ی ن‬ ‫ر� ےگ اور اناکیم اور انرمادی ی‬ ‫اناکم ہ ی‬ ‫م ی‬ ‫ل دخا ےھجت‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ی‬ ‫�بکلّی اک ی‬ ‫حموں اک رگوہ‬ ّ ‫ماب رکے اگ ۔۔۔ م ی�رے اخصل اور دیل ب‬ ‫ی‬ ‫یھب ڑباھؤں اگ اور ان ےک وفنس و اومال م ربتک دوں اگ اور‬ ‫ان ی‬ ‫م رثکت وشخبں اگ‬ “God will maintain your name with honour till the day when the world comes to an end and will convey your message to the ends of the earth […] Those who seek to humiliate you, and are determined to cause you to fail and wish to ruin you will themselves be frustrated and will die in failure and frustration. But God will grant you complete success and will grant you all that you desire […] I will cause an increase of your true and sincere friends and shall bless their lives and their properties and

they will grow in number.” [Tadhkirah (English), pp. 181] Thus, alhamdulillah [all praise is due to Allah], that we are seeing the fulfilment of all these prophecies before our eyes. Among them is also the prophecy that is always fulfilled with all its glory and splendour at the occasion of Jalsa Salana. Upon seeing the large gathering of people, one’s understanding, spiritual insight, faith and certainty are immensely increased. The Promised Messiahas, after making his claim of being the Imam Mahdi, laid the foundation of the Jalsa Salana. What are some of the objectives, benefits and blessings of that Jalsa Salana? They are outlined below: 1. Benefitting from the company of the Imam The Promised Messiahas states: “The purpose of pledging allegiance is to dampen the worldly ardour so that the heart is engulfed in the love of the Bountiful God and of the Holy Prophetsa […] In order to achieve this, it is necessary to stay in my company and to spend a portion of one’s life in this cause […] It is essential to meet me now and then. Bai‘at is devoid of

all blessings and is a mere formality if one does not care to meet me.” (The Heavenly Decree, p. 73) He further states: “The purpose of the Jalsa was that the members of our Jamaat may somehow undergo a transformation by repeatedly meeting one another and that their hearts may be completely drawn towards the Hereafter and filled with the fear of God; they may become an example for others in righteousness, virtue, fear of God, goodness, soft-heartedness, mutual love and brotherhood; they may develop humility, humbleness and virtue and that they may instil a passion for religious endeavours.” (Shahadat-ul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 6, p. 394) He further states: “Those who have pledged allegiance should only travel and come here for the sake of Allah. They should stay in my company and undergo some positive changes before they depart.” (Ibid) 2. Listening to the spiritually insightful discourse and verities The Promised Messiahas states: “This gathering will be devoted to the

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021 exposition of such truths and spiritual insight as are necessary for the promotion of faith and certainty and spiritual understanding.” (The Heavenly Decree, p. 74) In other words, participation in Jalsa Salana serves the development of theoretical knowledge as well as spiritual insight. 3. Benefitting from a special prayer of the Promised Messiahas Those who sincerely participate in Jalsa Salana partake of the blessings of following exclusive supplication of the Promised Messiahas: “I conclude with the prayer that everyone who travels to [attend] this Jalsa for the sake of Allah, may God Almighty be with them, reward them in abundant measure, have mercy on them, ease up for them their circumstances of hardship and anxiety and eliminate their anguish and grief. May He grant them freedom from every single hardship and lay open for them the ways of [achieving] their cherished goals, and raise them up, on the Day of Judgment, among those of His servants who are the recipients of His blessings and Mercy. May He be their Guardian in their absence until after their journey comes to an end. “O Allah! O the Glorious One and Bestower of bounties, the Ever Merciful and One Who Resolves all problems, do grant all these prayers.” (Ishtihar 7 December 1892 [Urdu], Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 342) Now, is there any Ahmadi who would not wish to partake of the blessings of this prayer? However, the only way to do that is by travelling for and attending the Jalsa Salana with sincerity. 4. Increasing knowledge One objective of participating in the Jalsa Salana, as described by the Promised Messiahas is as follows: “[…] so that every sincere person may have the opportunity to directly gain religious benefits and their knowledge may expand and their spiritual insight may develop by the grace and blessings of God Almighty.” (Ishtihar 7 December 1892 [Urdu], Majmu‘a-e-Ishtiharat Vol. 1, p. 340) Those who listen to the speeches at Jalsa Salana know full well how much they increase their knowledge, spiritual insight and faith. However, those who do not participate in the Jalsa are deprived of these blessings and faith-inspiring experiences. 5. Meeting and getting to know brothers The number of the members of the Ahmadiyya Community continues to grow steadily in accordance with the prophecies. Hundreds of non-Muslims convert to Islam and accept Ahmadiyyat. Jalsa Salana is a great means for them to develop mutual friendly relations. Thousands of people are such that they are unable to meet others despite having the desire to do so. However, Jalsa Salana gives them the opportunity to meet each other. Moreover, one’s faith increases by seeing the new brothers from Africa, America, Indonesia, China and

A new Langar Kitchen in Hadeeqatul Mahdi In 2006, a new, fully equipped Langar Kitchen was built at Hadeeqatul Mahdi. The first roti plant in Hadeeqatul Mahdi was installed. It was purchased from Lebanon and produced thousands of rotis (flat breads) every day. Germany etc. The Promised Messiahas mentioned this great objective and important purpose in the following words: “An additional benefit of these gatherings will be that each year new entrants to the Jama‘at shall, by being present on the fixed dates, get to know their brethren who had joined earlier. And these meetings will lead to a progressive strengthening of the bond of mutual love and affection.” (The Heavenly Decree, p. 74) He further states: “Among its secondary benefits is that this congregational meeting together will promote mutual introduction among all brothers, and it will strengthen the fraternal ties within this Community.” (Ishtihar 7 December 1892 [Urdu], Majmu‘a-eIshtiharat Volume 1, p. 340) He further states: “Supplications shall be made at the threshold of the Glorious God that He may unite all these brothers in spirit and banish all estrangement, dryness and differences from amongst them.” (The Heavenly Decree,

p. 74) It is evident from these magnificent statements of Huzooras that certainly, the meeting of the members of the jamaats from outside the markaz equally serves to foster brotherhood, love and fraternal ties and it is also a means of removing any resentment or estrangement. 6. Congregational prayer for absolution for the deceased Another benefit of participating in the Jalsa Salana has been described in the following words by the Promised Messiahas: “Prayers for absolution will be offered for brothers who will have passed away in the interim.” (The Heavenly Decree, p. 74) It is obvious how greatly it would increase the status of those who have passed away and those buried in the Heavenly Graveyard [Bahishti Maqbarah] when thousands of sincere participants of Jalsa Salana will pray for them.

7. Mutual consultation regarding the propagation of Islam Another objective of participating in the Jalsa has been described by the Promised Messiahas as follows: “It is also necessary to put forward sound policies for the religious benefit of Europe and America in this Jalsa because it has not become a proven fact that the fortunate among the people of Europe and America are getting ready to accept Islam.” (Ishtihar 7 December 1892 [Urdu], Majmu‘a-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, pp. 340-341) Thus, if a fine proposal or suggestion comes to the mind of any of the participants of Jalsa Salana, he should certainly convey it to the relevant officers. Moreover, whenever a meeting is called by a nazarat for this important purpose, its invitees should ensure their participation in it. 8. Increasing faith by seeing the large gathering of people Continued on next page >>

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

Continued on next page >>

It is evident from the Holy Quran that observing the manifestation of Allah’s Signs also increases the faith of the believers as it is clear from the following verse: َّ َ َ َ ۡ َ ُ َ ً ‫فا ّما ال ِذیۡ َن ٰا َمنوۡا ف َ� َادت ُہ ۡم ِایۡ َمانا ّو ُہ ۡم یَ ۡس َت ۡب ِ� ُر ۡو َن‬ But, as to those who believe, it increases their faith and they rejoice. (Surah alTaubah, Ch.9: V.124) Jalsa Salana is a means of achieving this objective in the most excellent manner because the boarding and the lodging of the thousands of people who come to the markaz in accordance with the prophecies, is undertaken free of cost. This is something for which we do not find any example anywhere else. The Promised Messiahas has drawn a picture of the time before and after the fulfilment of these prophecies in the following words: “I was poor, helpless, unknown, and unskilled; No one knew where Qadian was. “People did not look towards this direction at all; No one knew even of my existence. “But now you see how the world has turned this way; This very Qadian has become the rendezvous of the elect.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part 5, pp. 31-32) 9. Spending in the way of Allah Those who participate in the Jalsa Salana, not only reap the rewards for their physical sacrifices but also for the jihad of the financial sacrifices because: • they bear the travel expenses themselves • they bear the expenses of their families as well

• they try and bring non-Ahmadi friends to Jalsa Salana and even bear the travel expenses of some of them. Some members who are unable to travel and are excused, take part in this jihad by bearing the travel expenses of others and thus, by sending them to Jalsa Salana. Moreover, participants are blessed with the acceptance of their prayers which they offer while bearing the hardships of travelling. In short, participants of Jalsa Salana take part in the jihad of financial sacrifices in various ways. The Promised Messiahas describes it as follows: “Such a grand arrangement of the Jalsa where hundreds of dignitaries as well as ordinary people may come and stay for several days and, like it was the case during the previous Jalsa, some distant poor travellers be provided with travel expenses by us, and proper hospitality be provided to hundreds of people over the course of several days and other necessities such as bedding etc. be provided for hundreds of people, and a sufficient number of rooms be built for their lodging […]!” (Shahadatul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 6, p. 399) Moreover, Huzooras admonishes the participants of Jalsa Salana by saying: “They should disregard minor inconveniences in the cause of Allah and His Messengersa. Allah yields reward to the sincere persons at every step of their way, and no labour and hardship, undertaken in His way, ever goes to waste.” (Ishtihar 7 December 1892 [Urdu], Majmu‘a-eIshtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 341) In short, participating in Jalsa Salana

and bearing its expenses is a means of attaining the pleasure of Allah. 10. An exercise in serving mankind and bearing hardships Jalsa Salana serves as an exercise in bearing the hardships of travelling. It also provides an opportunity to have our prayers accepted and to serve and make sacrifices for others. This is so because sometimes it is possible, during travelling, to have a shortage of space or some inconvenience of accommodation or of not having meals on time. Bearing such hardships and preferring the comfort of others at the cost of our own can be crucial for strengthening the states of our hearts and souls, as the Promised Messiahas states: “Man’s faith can never be right unless he puts his brother’s comfort before his own as much as possible […] Being a servant of the nation is a sign of becoming one who one day will be served. Talking softly and humbly to the poor is a sign of being accepted by God. Responding to evil with good is a sign of being fortunate. Suppressing anger and swallowing bitter words is a sign of the highest form of bravery.” (Shahadat-ul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 6, pp. 395-396) 11. Fulfilling the Word of God The teaching of Islam makes it clear that trying to fulfil the Word of God also yields reward. Hence, the Holy Prophet’ssa travelling from Medina to Mecca along with hundreds of companions in order to perform an Umrah was for the purpose

of fulfilling a vision that he was shown in this regard. Hazrat Umar’sra making Hazrat Suraqahra wear gold bangles also served to fulfil a vision that was shown to the Holy Prophetsa. Thus, if we attend Jalsa Salana with this intention and desire that we may be able to play our part in fulfilling the prophecies related to people travelling to the markaz, it would serve as the cherry on top. In short, the Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community bears countless benefits and blessings and it has numerous other important objectives and purposes. I have only presented 11 by way of an example. Otherwise, the Promised Messiahas has said: “This spiritual convention will have many other spiritual benefits which will become manifest from time to time.” (The Heavenly Decree, p. 74) He further states: “It is incumbent that such people should definitely participate in this Jalsa, which bears many blessed objectives, who are able to afford the travel expenses. They should also bring their required bedding etc. with them.” (Ishtihar 7 December 1892 [Urdu], Majmu‘a-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 341) We pray that Allah the Exalted may grant us the blessings of Jalsa Salana and an opportunity to offer individual and congregational prayers. May God accept our prayers. Amin. (Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu article published in the Daily Al Fazl Rabwah, Jalsa Salana Number, 1962)

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

100 Years Ago...

Ahmadiyyat in Mauritius: Correspondent of Al Fazl talks to an Ahmadi from Mauritius Al Fazl, 1 August 1921

On 24 July [1921], Elahi Bakhsh Sahib Bhunno Ahmadi, a respected landlord from Mauritius, arrived in Dar-ul-Aman [Qadian]. The next day, a correspondent of Al Fazl met him and enquired about some details, which are listed below: A long time ago, the family of Elahi Bakhsh Sahib Bhunno [family name] left India and settled in Mauritius. They own a large plot of land there. He alone owns 500 bighas [one bigha roughly equals to 1/5th of an acre] of land in which sugarcane is cultivated. His son, Ghulam Hussain Sahib Bhunno, who has been living in India for four years, passed the entrance exam in Qadian and this year passed the FSc exam from Islamia College, Lahore. Now, he is going abroad for medical studies. Elahi Bakhsh Sahib is around 45 years old and signs of wisdom and piety are visible on his face. He is of good height and can express his thoughts in the Urdu language. The Al Fazl correspondent asked him how he came to Qadian. In response, he said: “I left home with the intention of performing Hajj of the ‘Baitullah’ [House of Allah – the Holy Ka‘bah], but I reached Bombay [now Mumbai] when the last ship to Jeddah had left. Therefore, with much regret, I had to postpone my plan of Hajj this year. “Then, I thought it appropriate to come to the land of Qadian as coming here was also a good deed. Anyway, after Hajj, my intention was to visit Qadian.” Question: How many Ahmadis are there in Mauritius? Answer: I cannot tell the exact figure, but there are about 500 or more women, men, children and the elderly. Question: How much chanda does that Jamaat contribute? Answer: I cannot estimate the exact amount of chanda because I have never calculated it. However, I can say this much, that all the expenses there are borne by the Jamaat [members] themselves. Thousands of rupees were spent by the Mauritius Jamaat in the court case of the mosque. Question: Is there any particular predicament in the tabligh of Ahmadiyyat over there. Pray tell if there is any?

Answer: There is no predicament as far as the government is concerned. Due to some insurrection on the part of the common mullahs, the people had grown in opposition. Owing to this, they used to avoid meeting Ahmadis, but now this hatred and opposition is waning. Due to the illness of Sufi (Ghulam Muhammad) Sahib, tabligh has slowed down a bit. Question: What kind of suffering do Ahmadis have to endure from their opponents? Answer: In the early days [of the Jamaat], the opponents also used to beat Ahmadis, but for some time now, they have lost their vigour. Ahmadis are firmly established in two places: Rose Hill and Saint Pierre. Although their numbers are smaller than those of their opponents, still they are sufficient, and since most of the Ahmadis are generally prosperous with the grace of God, they are beyond the

reach of their opponents and in fact, have an influence on them. Question: How have Ahmadis treated their opponents from the beginning up till now in comparison to this mistreatment by their opponents? Answer: Ahmadis have always treated non-Ahmadis in the best possible way. A notable example is the days of influenza, when people were dying in large numbers. At that time, Ahmadis did their best to help non-Ahmadis there in providing for their treatment, medicine, shrouds and burials. Question: How is the Jamaat there in terms of sincerity and love for Ahmadiyyat? Answer: The Mauritius Jamaat, by the grace of God, is exceptional in their sincerity with their faith and Ahmadiyyat. When they were attacked by their opponents, they endured it with great

patience and perseverance. Then, in the court case of the mosque, the Ahmadis there presented money in abundance. All this was because they have full faith in Ahmadiyyat. Otherwise, it was not possible for a person to sacrifice themselves for such a belief without having absolute faith in it. They are so firm and steadfast in their faith, by the grace of God, that they are not at all ready to deviate from their belief and they will not care to sacrifice their lives for this. Question: When did the last person join the Jamaat while you were there [in Mauritius]? Answer: I know about [converts of] Saint Pierre. It has probably been two or three months, i.e. since the decision on the mosque case, when four people have joined the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. Question: (After presenting Ahl-eHadith newspaper of 3 June 1921) You may not have heard the name of this newspaper. It is the newspaper of Maulvi Sanaullah Amritsari, the archenemy of the Jamaat. A letter has been published in it on behalf of a person named Muhammad Hussain who is probably a buyer of the Ahl-e-Hadith newspaper, by an anonymous person who says that he is a well-wisher of Islam. I would like to hear your response on it, particularly about certain information that has been presented in it. This person states: “Mirzais [Ahmadis] missionaries have been coming here [to Mauritius] for the last six years and around 40 or 50 people have converted to Qadianism [Ahmadiyyat].” Is this figure of Ahmadis correct? Answer: I have already told you that there are at least 500 Ahmadis there. This person who says the total number of Ahmadis is 40 or 50 is absolutely wrong. By the grace of God, the number of Ahmadis in our own family alone amounts to this figure. (Elahi Bakhsh Sahib has two male siblings as well and they both have many more children, all of whom are Ahmadis.) Question: The correspondent of Ahl-eHadith has written that the Ahmadis, like their master, had declared their success Continued on next page >>

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

Foundation of new Ahmadiyya Clinic in Kano, Nigeria

Controller Immigration and officers from various departments. The programme started with a recitation from the Holy Quran, after which Amir Sahib Nigeria delivered the inaugural address. The honourable emir of Kano then delivered a speech in which he praised the services of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. Later, other guests also expressed their good wishes for the Jamaat in their short speeches. The Emir of Kano then laid the foundation stone of the hospital. On this occasion, Dr Mudassar Ahmed Sahib, Medical Director of the Ahmadiyya Hospital, gave a short briefing on this project to the guests. At the end, Amir Sahib Nigeria led the silent prayer, and refreshments were served to the guests.

Raja Ather Qudoos Missionary, Kano, Nigeria

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Nigeria was able to lay the foundation stone of a new Ahmadiyya Clinic on 25 July 2021. The ceremony took place on Zaria Road, Kano, where a clinic and an Ahmadiyya mosque will be built, insha-Allah. This clinic will be the second medical centre of the Jamaat in Kano. The << Continued from previous page

in the mosque case as a sign of their truthfulness. What do you say about this? Is he true in his claim? Did the Ahmadis declare their success in the mosque trial as the standard for the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas? Answer: This is completely wrong. The Ahmadis have never laid down any condition to their opponents in this regard. Question: Thirdly, the correspondent of Ahl-e-Hadith has written, “Now they [Ahmadis] are strictly forbidden to enter any mosque. [These people] cannot deliver sermons or preach. The whole Mirzai ummah is dead and an absolute silence has overtaken them.” What is the reality behind this? Answer: You can never silence a liar. This is also totally erroneous because the government has recognised the right of Ahmadis to offer prayers in every mosque and there is no restriction for them. However, it was not allowed to offer congregational prayers in other mosques just to curb the mischief of non-Ahmadis. By the blessings of God, our tabligh continues in every place. Question: The last thing Ahl-e-Hadith’s correspondent wrote is, “Around 12 Mirzais [Ahmadis] repented from false beliefs after the imam’s sermon.” Is this true? Answer: (Upon hearing this, Elahi Bakhsh Sahib got impassioned and said in a slightly louder voice than usual): Is it possible that around 12 Ahmadis felt inspired by such an imam to leave Ahmadiyyat who carried out the nikah of a married woman, while she was still married to another man? If the correspondent, with whom we are not acquainted, is truthful, he should produce the names and addresses of those 12 persons who, inspired by the sermon of the imam, have repented from Ahmadiyyat at his hands. Due to the said actions of the imam, such misfortune has struck him that many people, having the same belief and faith like his, do not offer prayers behind him, let alone an Ahmadi getting influenced by his sermon and renounce his faith at his hands. (Translated by Al Hakam from the original in the 1 August 1921 issue of Al Fazl)

Ahmadiyya Hospital in Kano city has been serving humanity for more than 59 years. On the occasion of this ceremony, a great example of the acceptance of prayer of Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa was also witnessed. There were heavy rains throughout the week followed by mudslides which could have disrupted the programme. According to the Meteorological Department, bad weather was forecasted for the next two days as well. But by the grace of Allah the

Almighty and Huzoor’s prayers, it did not rain miraculously and the sky remained clear till the end of the programme. Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Nigeria, Alhaj Abdul Aziz Sahib, and acting Missionary-in-charge, Abdul Wasi Abid Sahib also attended this programme. The special guest was His Royal Highness, Emir of Kano. Other dignitaries included the Health Commissioner, Permanent Secretary Health, Assistant

Ahmadis in Germany, with Humanity First, continue work on the ground to aid ﬂood victims

Zubair Khalil Khan Humanity First Germany

After the recent floods in Germany, a wave of willingness to help the victims has set in. Rescue workers – from organisations and volunteer citizens – are also providing vital services to directly support those affected by the floods. One of these aiding communities is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat through its humanitarian organisation, Humanity First. Within a couple of days of the heavy rainfall, members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat set off in various directions to help people as well to cook and distribute food to those without access. Now, for more than two weeks, Ahmadi volunteers have been helping and cooking for people affected by the floods. Ahmadiyya Mosques and centres in Frankfurt, Wittlich, Cologne, Aachen, Koblens, Neuwied and Islerlon remained as central hubs for flood relief efforts.

With the help of the Ahmadiyya youth organisation, Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya, almost 500 members are in the field to help the victims. Up until 30 July 2021, help services have been provided in 41 areas of affected regions. One of the kitchens, administered by Humanity First, located in Bonner Strasse in the city of Meckenheim near Bonn, attracted the media and dignitaries of the city. This kitchen is established in the courtyard of a house that belongs to an Ahmadi and was underwater during the initial days of the flood. Mr Hans Dieter Wirtz, First Administrator of the City of Meckenheim, visited it to see for himself and to express his heartfelt thanks to the volunteers. “What is done here is extraordinary. Without any personal connection to the flood victims, these people put all their energy into helping their fellow human beings. That is just great.”, said Hans Dieter Wirtz, enthusiastic about the work on site.

The regional newspaper, Blick in its issue of 29 July 2021 reported about the field kitchen in Meckenheim: “Here, a few cooks operate the gas stoves, while other helping hands fill the meals and make them ready for shipment, between 1,000 and 1,500 meals a day. Affected Meckenheim residents who come directly to the farm are also served. In order to cope with this workload, the volunteers travel from the Frankfurt region in the early hours of the morning and do not leave Meckenheim again until late in the afternoon, when even the last pot has been washed. They receive invaluable support from the citizens of Meckenheim, who have contributed equipment such as tables and chairs, or are involved in serving the food. ‘A big thank you to all of you,’ said Hans Dieter Wirtz, extending the warmest greetings of Mayor Holger Jung to the entire team.” Ahmadiyya Missionaries were also at the forefront to help the flood victims in Germany. Erfstadt is a town located about 20 km southwest of Cologne in the RheinErft-District in the state of North Rhein Westphalia, Germany. The name of the town derives from the river which flows through it, the Erft. During the recent floods, due to the torrential rains, the river banks could not sustain the water pressure and the town was badly damaged due to flooding. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat along with Humanity First Germany reached almost 41 cities and towns that were affected due to flooding. Ahmadi missionaries also travelled to the disaster area of the town Erfstadt to lend a helping hand. A group of 25 missionaries reached the town on 29 July 2021, and spent the whole day clearing the dirt and residue from streets, basements and first floors of private houses. They also participated in the preparation, packing and distribution of food to those in need.

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

100 Years Ago...

Brief report of one year’s Moslem missionary work in America The Moslem Sunrise, July 1921

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra (1872-1957)

It being the very first attempt to approach the Americans with the mission of Islam, I had to pass through all the difficulties that always confront a beginner of a work. I had no precedent before me to guide me and therefore, much of my time has been spent in making experiences as regards the selection for my headquarters and the ways of approaching Americans. I cannot claim to have done any great work, but I do hope, in the grace of Allah, that in clearing the way for the future missionaries of Islam I have done some pioneer work and sown the seed of truth throughout the land which will grow up in time and show in big, tall, strong trees to feed and shelter thousands, and send out healthy vibration to millions. The first difficulty I had to encounter was with the immigration officers, who ordered me to return on the same steamer on which I had come, merely because I was a missionary of the Moslem faith, and on my refusal to return and asking permission to appeal to higher authorities in Washington I was placed in the detention house for about seven weeks. Those were the days of great trial, but I count them as the days of blessings, because I found the opportunity of offering prayers to God and meditation and planning the scheme for future work. Moreover, I began my work of preaching quietly among others detained like myself. The first of those who agreed with me there and joined our faith was Brother Hamid (Mr RJ Rochford), who was not allowed to land and was sent back with others. This good brother is now in England and keeps in touch with me by correspondence. He is my first convert to Islam after landing here. He is figuring to come over to Canada, and he is zealous. I hope he will do great work in time to bring others to the blessed fold of Islam. The names of others who accepted Islam in the detention house are as follows: Mr Louis C Tillford of British Guiana (Mamoon) Mr Andrew Mek Gilme of Jamaica (Khalid) Mr David Thomas of Jamaica (Saleem) Mr Lloyd Henry of Orange River (Hameed)

Mr Joseph Kane of Poland (Yoosaf) Mr Guedla Kohen of Russia (Yaqoob) Mr Aetsesu diz Gare tor Mesderstia of Azores (Hossain) Mr SC Tessalo of Azores (Ahsan) Mr Antonia Gilcerco (Hassan) Mr Ethen Bodden of Honduras (Saeed) Mr Albert Kranmer of Belgium (Mahmood) Mr Matthew Feizhitman of Germany (Kareem) Mr Alex Beinband of Poland (Haleem) Mr K Rossan of Spain (Saeed) Mr Florence Clagas of Lisbon (Fazl)

Mr Paul Virgne of Bones Aeyres (Karm) Mr Guaror Vicator of France (Hameed) Mr Mario Cowarher (Momin) Mr Selle (Ameen) I had been giving the message of Islam and the Ahmadia movement even to the passengers on the steamer Haverford, out of which, I had secured converts during the days of the voyage in the Atlantic Ocean. Out of those, some were Moslems who joined our order and the rest were nonMoslems. Their names are as follows: Mr Popovitch of Bosnia (Noor) Mr John O’Neill (Yahya)

Mr Wa Hsiang (Chinese) Mr Chang Wen Chut (Chinese) Mr Mu Wen Shu (Chinese) Mr Wang Han Chen (Chinese) Mr Ahmad bin Ali of Syria Names of other converts to Islam in different states of the country who joined our faith during the year of report through correspondence or after meeting me personally: Mrs SW Sobolewski, the first American lady who accepted Islam after I started lecturing in New York. She was named Fatima Mustafa to fulfill the dream I had seen over in England before starting for America about my reaching this land and lecturing and converting a lady and naming her as such. She is making good progress in learning prayers in Arabic and studying our books. Mr Robert Bednell of Greenwich (Abdullah) Miss Elizabeth Barton, a learned lady (Zeineb) Mr Louis W Lawyer of Connecticut Mr Ralph Totten (Basheer), son of Madam Saddiqatun Nisa Mr Harold Johnson of New York State Mr John Ammo of Illinois (Ahmad) Mr SAK Oroung of New York (Abdullah) Mr W A Pence of Canada Mr Lewis Holt of Chicago (Fateh Din) Mr Andrew Jacob of Chicago (Muhammad Yaqoob) Miss Green of Pennsylvania (Fareeda) Mr PJ Tallman of Missoura Mr Isidore Lenine of Ohio (Omar) Mr Alice Russell of Chicago (Ghulam Rasul) Mr Joseph Livington Mott of Louisiana State (Shaikh Abdullah Din Muhammad) Mrs Calorina Bush (Hameeda) Mrs Virginia Olivas (Haleema) Mr Mike Abraham of Indiana (Hajrah) Mrs Loudicia Joseph of Michigan (Zareefa) Miss Loucille Fraser of Michigan (Fatima) Miss Frances Joseph of Michigan (Feeroza) Mr Kaser Maroo (Momin) Continued on next page >>

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

Mr Seeley (Ameen) Mr Lee Hutchinson (Muhammad Ali) Mr Moses Johnson (Moosa) I must add here the name of my dear brother Mir Ahmad FL Andersen, the first Ahmadi Moslem of this country. The following Moslem gentlemen and ladies in this country joined the blessed Ahmadia movement: Mr Islam Zenel Chato of Pennsylvania Mr Ilajud Din Nuri Sodick of Russia Mr Kemal El Quadari of Indiana Mr SM Eusoof ben HG Akbar of Tel Honduras Madam Siddiqatun Nisa Rahatullah (Ella May Garber), an American lady in Islam for last 10 years has been working for Islam in several places and now intends to do the Ahmadia Islamic work in New York. Mr Yaseen Osman of Milwaukee Mr Muhammed Jad, a Turk in the United States Army Mr Abraham Holasi in Pennsylvania Mr Othman Karroub Mr Subhee Hareeri Mr ALA Mustafa Mr Hussain Haage of Michigan Mr Muhammed Moshaikh of Detroit Mr Azeerud Din of Assam

Mr Ali Sher khan (Indian) Mr Abdul Azeez (Indian) Mr Muhammed Shafi (Indian) Mr Ghulam Ahmad of Punjab, now merchant in Chicago Mr L Roman of Bengal, now a merchant in Chicago Mr Reched Sweydam of Sioux Falls Mr Shaikh Ahmad El Haage of Sioux Falls Mr Ali Muhammed of Sioux Falls Mr Ahmad Es-safa of Sioux Falls Mr Zaidana Hossain of Sioux Falls Mr Kasim Muhammed Sioux Falls Mr Hussain Hassan of Sioux Falls Mr Abdur Rahman of Indiana Mr Ali of Kurdistan Names of some of the converts have not been given as their present circumstances do not allow them to get their names published. Lectures During the past 12 months, I have delivered about 50 public lectures in the cities of New York, Chicago, Detroit, Dowagiac, Michigan City, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, etc. All of these lectures were previously announced in the daily papers. Subjects of some of the lectures were as follows: 1. Universal spirit of Islam 2. Beauties of Moslem religion

The ﬁrst international bai‘at The 28th Jalsa Salana UK, which was held in 1993, was monumental as the first International bai‘at took place. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people from across the world participated in this bai‘at. Huzoorrh wore the blessed green coat of the Promised Messiahas and recited the bai‘at wording in Urdu, which was then translated simultaneously in various languages. The International Bai‘at, from this date onwards, became one of the greatest highlights of Jalsa Salana UK and has taken place every year with an everincreasing participation.

3. Prophets and prophecies 4. Why are the teachers made prophets 5. The master Prophet Muhammad[sa] 6. Real mission of Jesus Christ 7. The Prophet Ahmad[as] 8. Zoroaster of Persia 9. Buddha 10. Krishna 11. Confucius 12. Some accepted prayers 13. Protection of Muslim religion 14. Dreams and their interpretation 15. The object of man’s life and how it can be attained 16. Arabic, the mother tongue of all languages 17. Islam 18. Jesus the Christ 19. Arabic and Hebrew languages compared 20. Existence of God 21. El-Quran, the Holy Book 22. Unity of God 23. No religious wars 24. Continuance of revelation 25. Live and let live 26. Serve God and humanity 27. Keep your faith above the world 28. Be broad-minded

29. Practical and practicable religion 30. Jesus Christ’s tomb in India 31. Cross or Christ 32. No exclusive son Of God 33. Jesus did not die the accursed death on cross 34. How are prayers accepted? Madam Rahatullah (Mrs Garbar) in addition to helping me in the mission work delivered some lectures in our meetings on Islam and Ahmadia movement. The subjects of some of her lectures were as follows: 1. She who is tried 2. The power of truth 3. The strong will conquer 4. Smoke Heavy correspondence During past fifteen months the number of mails received is about 4000 and dispatched about 15000. Thanks are due to the Brothers James Sodick, Yusuf Khan, Shaikh Abdullah JL Mott and Sister Rahathullah, who have been helping me in the correspondence work. (To be continued) (Transcribed by Al Hakam from the original in The Moslem Sunrise, July 1921)

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021

Friday Sermon 9 July 2021 Men of Excellence: Hazrat Umarra ibn al-Khattab After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:

Accounts from the life of Hazrat Umarra were being narrated. With regard to the establishment of the department for qaza [arbitration], it is mentioned in a narration that Hazrat Umarra formally established a department for qaza. Courts were established in all the provinces and the qazis [judges] were also appointed. Furthermore, Hazrat Umarra legislated various injunctions related to the system of qaza. (Al-Faruq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 195 to 198, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

Qazis were appointed from amongst those who held expertise in the field of fiqh [jurisprudence]. However, Hazrat Umarra would not consider this to be enough; in fact, he would also assess their knowledge and would set a substantial amount for their salaries, lest they issued a wrong decision. Hazrat Umarra would appoint the qazis from among the affluent and honourable people so that they would not become overawed by anyone when issuing their verdicts. Hazrat Umarra would always instruct to uphold

equality and justice in the courts. On one occasion, Hazrat Umarra had a disagreement with Hazrat Ubayra bin Kaab over something. Subsequently, Hazrat Ubayra took his case to the court of Hazrat Zaidra bin Thabit. Zaidra invited Hazrat Umarra and Ubayra and showed great respect to Hazrat Umarra, but upon this, Hazrat Umarra stated, “This is the first injustice you have committed.” And after saying this, he went and sat next to Ubayra. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 199 to 200, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

In other words, he stated that they were both present in the capacity of two equal parties in a case and therefore should be considered as such and be given a seat next to each other and it should not be the case that he be shown respect [in a preferential manner]. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has related this incident and states: “Once, the Second Khalifara had a disagreement with Ubayra bin Kaab over something. The matter was presented before

24 a judge and he called Hazrat Umarra. Since he was the Khalifa of the time, he gave his seat as a mark of respect. Hazrat Umarra, however, went and sat next to the opposing party in the case and said to the judge, ‘This is the first injustice you have committed because at this moment in time, there should be no distinction drawn between me and the other party.’” (Ahmadiyyat Yani Haqiqi

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

Hazrat Umarra also established the department of ifta [issuing edicts]. In order to make people aware of the laws of the Shariah, he established the department of ifta. Hazrat Umarra appointed a few companions for this and stated that no one should seek a fatwa [edict] from anyone other than them. Among those who were permitted to give the fatwa were Hazrat Alira, Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Muazra bin Jabal, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Ubayra bin Kaab, Hazrat Zaidra bin Thabit, Hazrat Abu Hurrairahra and Hazrat Abu Dardara. Apart from them, if anyone else issued a fatwa, they would be prohibited by Hazrat Umarra. Every so often, Hazrat Umarra would also assess the knowledge of these various muftis. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani,

of prisons as such. Criminals would also receive severe punishments. Hazrat Umarra also established the treasury. Prior to the era of Hazrat Umarra, whatever wealth was received would be immediately distributed. During the time of Hazrat Abu Bakrra, a house was purchased and dedicated for the treasury. However, this remained closed as whatever wealth was received would immediately be distributed. In the 15th year after Hijra, an amount of 500,000 was received from Bahrain and upon this, Hazrat Umarra consulted the companions as to what should be done with it. One suggestion was that in the royal courts in Syria, they had a treasury. Hazrat Umarra liked this suggestion and laid the foundation for a treasury in Medina. Hazrat Abdullahra bin Arqam was appointed as the supervisor of the treasury. Later on, treasuries were established outside of Medina as well as in the headquarters of all the other provinces. Hazrat Umarra would construct buildings within a limited budget; however, he would build extremely strong and magnificent buildings for the treasuries. Later on, Hazrat Umarra also appointed security guards for the treasuries. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 203-

p. 202, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

205, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

Islam, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 8, p. 300)

In relation to this, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra states: “One of the departments was in relation to issuing religious edicts. After the Holy Prophetsa, during the era of the Khulafa, there was a rule that not everyone was authorised to issue religious edicts. Hazrat Umarra took great caution in this regard, so much so that a companion, who was perhaps Abdullahra bin Mas‘ud, who was a religious scholar and an esteemed individual, once informed the people of a matter and this was also brought to the attention of Hazrat Umarra. When Hazrat Umarra came to know of this, he immediately questioned him that, “Are you the amir [leader], or has the amir appointed you to issue an edict as you please. The fact of the matter is that if everyone is authorised to issue edicts, it can cause many problems and it can become a source of great trial for the public. The reason for this is that at times, there are two different edicts regarding the same matter and both are correct.” In other words, the edicts are given according to the circumstances and if one delves into the details of the matter, then there is some flexibility and thereby depending on the situation, there will be a different edict given. “However, this becomes difficult to understand for the general public as to how both edicts can be deemed correct and as such, they fall into trial.’” (Khitab Jalsa Salana 17

March 1919, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 4, p. 404)

Similarly, Hazrat Umarra also established a police department. In order to uphold the peace in the land, a police department was established by Hazrat Umarra. This department was given authority over accountability, maintaining peace and security and overseeing matters related to the marketplace etc. That is, to oversee whether or not people were correctly adhering to the guidelines and also to help people receive their due rights if they were being usurped and to oversee other official matters until they reached the judge. The department was given authority to oversee matters related to the safety and peace [of society] and matters related to the marketplace etc. Hazrat Umarra also established formal prisons. Prior to this, there was no concept

In other words, a formal system of security was established for this. Hazrat Umarra would personally safeguard the money of the treasury. An incident is recorded in history that a freed slave of Hazrat Uthmanra bin Affan relates that it was extremely hot one day and he was accompanying Hazrat Uthmanra and they were with his cattle at a place called Aliyah. Aliyah is a valley at a distance of four to eight miles from Medina and in the direction of Najd. Hazrat Uthmanra saw a man walking and was taking two young camels along with him. Upon seeing this, Hazrat Uthmanra asked, “What is the matter with that person? If he stayed in Medina and departed after the weather had cooled, it would have been better for him.” When that man approached near, the assistant of Hazrat Uthmanra relates: “Hazrat Uthmanra said to me, ‘Find out as to who this is!’ I replied by saying, ‘It is a man draped in a cloak who is pulling two young camels.’ When the man drew nearer, Hazrat Uthmanra again asked, ‘Who is this person?’ I saw and realised that it is was Hazrat Umarra bin Al-Khattab. I submitted, ‘It is Amirul Momineen [the Leader of the Faithful].’ Hazrat Uthmanra stood up and peered out from the door when a searing gust of hot air caused him to withdraw his head, but he quickly turned in the direction of Hazrat Umarra and submitted, ‘What has compelled you to leave your home at this hour?’ Hazrat Umarra explained, ‘These two camels were left behind from among the camels for sadaqah [alms], and all other camels had been shepherded away. I wanted to take them to the pastures for fear that they may get lost and thus Allah would hold me accountable for them.’ Hazrat Uthmanra stated, ‘O Amirul Momineen, please come under the shade and have a drink of water, we are present here to serve you.” In other words, they would arrange for them to be sent. “Hazrat Umarra replied, ‘Return and rest and be seated in your shade.’” The freed slave of Hazrat Uthmanra continues to narrate, “I submitted, ‘We have that which is adequate for you also.’ Hazrat

Umarra replied to this and said, ‘Return to your shade.’ Following this, he departed. Hazrat Uthmanra then stated: ‘Whosoever desires to observe Al-Qawiyy and AlAmeen’”, that is, the strong and trustworthy, “‘then he should look to this man.’” In another narration, it is recorded that Umar bin Nafi narrates from Abu Bakr Isa, “I accompanied Hazrat Umarra bin AlKhattab, Hazrat Uthmanra bin Affan and Hazrat Alira bin Abi Talib when charity was being collected. Hazrat Uthmanra was sat under a shade while Hazrat Alira stood near him and repeated all the things Hazrat Umarra was stating. Hazrat Umarra, undeterred by the severe heat of day, stood in the sun with two black cloaks, one used as a lower garment and the other as a head covering, while inspecting and noting down the age and colour of the camels that had been donated for charity. Hazrat Alira then said to Hazrat Uthmanra, ‘Have you heard of this saying of the daughter of Shu‘aib in Allah’s book:

ْ َ ْ ُ َ ْ َ ْ ْ َ َ ْ َ َّ ‫اِن خیر م ِن‬ ‫اس َتا َج ْرت الق ِو ّی الا ِمی ُن‬

“That is, ‘The best man you can hire is the one who is strong and trustworthy’? Then, Hazrat Alira indicated toward Hazrat Umarra and said, ‘He is very strong and a trustworthy man.’” (Usdul Ghaba Fi Marifat AlSahaba, Vol. 3, p. 667, Dar-ul-Fikr Beirut Lebanon, 2003) (Umdahtul Qari Sharah Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 16, p. 279, Dar-e-Ihya Al-Turath Alarabi, Beirut)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra narrates an incident related to this regarding Hazrat Umarra: “Hazrat Uthmanra recounts, ‘I was once seated in my quarters and the heat was so severe that it was difficult to even muster the strength to open the door. In the meantime, one of my assistants told me that there was a man walking outside in the scorching heat. I moved the curtains to find a man whose face was burnt by the intense heat. I replied saying that he must be a traveller, but just a few moments later, that man arrived closer to my quarters and I realised that it was Hazrat Umarra. Upon seeing him, I became concerned and went outside and asked, ‘Where are you going at this time in this intense heat?’ Hazrat Umarra said, “A camel from the treasury has been lost and I am out searching for it.”’” (Tafsir-e-Kabir Vol. 8, pp. 314315)

This is the incident of a camel that was lost, and it was mentioned once before as well. Hazrat Umarra was once distributing wealth from the treasury when his daughter came and took a dirham. Hazrat Umarra stood to retrieve it from her which caused his cloak to dangle from one shoulder. Upon seeing this, the girl raced home crying and put the dirham in her mouth. Hazrat Umarra used his finger to remove the dirham from her mouth and returned it to the treasury and said, “O people, Umar and his family, whether closely related or distantly, have the same rights as any Muslim does and nothing more.” There is also another narration; Hazrat Abu Musara once donated a broom to the treasury and received a dirham. A young child of Hazrat Umarra passed by and Abu Musara gave that dirham to the child. Hazrat Umarra saw the dirham in the child’s hand and asked about it, and the child informed him that he received it from Abu Musara. After learning that the dirham had come from the treasury, Hazrat Umarra said,

“O Abu Musara, did you not find anyone amongst the dwellers of Medina more in need than the household of Umar? Did you desire that none should be left out from the ummah of Muhammadsa but that they should seek recompense from us for this wrong?” He then returned the dirham to the treasury. (Izaalatul-Khulafa An Khilafat AlKhualafa, translated by Istiaq Ahmad Sahib, Vol. 3, p. 286, Qadeemi Kutub Khana Araam Baagh Karachi)

In terms of general advancements, it is recorded that Hazrat Umarra did many things for the betterment and progression of the general public. For improvements in agriculture and sourcing water, he arranged for canals to be dug, of which some instances are as follows. Abu Musa Canal was a nine-mile-long canal which brought water from the Tigris River to Basra; Ma‘qal canal was also dug from the Tigris; Amirul Momineen canal was dug under the orders of Hazrat Umarra to join the Nile to the Red Sea. During the famine in 18 AH, Hazrat Umarra wrote to Hazrat Amrra bin Al-Aas to send aid. There was a delay in the aid reaching [Medina] due to the great distance [from Egypt]. Hazrat Umarra sent for Amrra and said to him that if the Nile was dug up to the sea, Arabia would never suffer from a famine again. When Amrra returned – as he was the governor – he dug a canal from Fustat up to the Red Sea, through which ships could reach the port of Jeddah close to Medina. This canal was 29 miles long and was prepared within six months. Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas intended to connect the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. He intended to dig a canal from Farma, where the distance between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was only 70 miles and connect the two rivers. Farma was a coastal city of Egypt. However, Hazrat Umarra was worried that the pilgrims would be looted by the Greeks and did not approve of it. If Amrra bin al-Aas was granted permission, the Suez Canal, which was built later, would have been created by the Arabs. Various buildings [were built]. Hazrat Umarra built various buildings for the ease of the people; these included mosques, courts, military cantonments, barracks, offices for the infrastructure of the country, roads, bridges, guest houses, watch posts, inns etc. Hazrat Umarra constructed springs and inns at every manzil [a distance of one day’s journey] between Mecca and Medina; he created watch posts as well. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 206- 211, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

That is, he ensured security arrangements and also ensured that there were places of rest such as hotels and inns etc. Regarding the development of cities, it is stated that during the Khilafat of Hazrat Umarra, many new cities were inhabited. Whilst populating these cities, Hazrat Umarra kept the security and economic advantages in mind. The locations of these cities demonstrated Hazrat Umar’sra command and meticulous planning in the art of war, principles of politics and development. These cities were beneficial in both times of war and peace. Hazrat Umarra would ensure that cities were constructed in those Arab lands, which bordered non-Arab lands in order to prevent a sudden attack. The location of these cities was such that was suited to the Arabs. One side of these cities would be from among the Arab lands and served as pasture grounds

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021 and the other side would be next to such non-Arab lands that consisted of lush green vegetation, where fruits, grain and other things were grown, i.e. lands that were used for agriculture. When constructing cities, Hazrat Umarra would ensure that a river or sea did not flow in the middle of it. Hazrat Umarra founded the cities of Basra, Kufa and Fustat. Hazrat Umarra established these cities on strong and correct foundations. He ensured the roads and pathways were spacious and wide and were exceptionally organised. This outlook demonstrated that Hazrat Umarra was an expert in this field and innovative in this regard. (Sirat Amir-ul-Momineen, Salabi, pp. 214-217, 221, Dar-ul-Marifah, Beirut, 2007)

Similarly, Hazrat Umarra established a system for the army. Hazrat Umarra organised the structure for the military. He ensured for registries to be made according to their ranks and also fixed their salaries. Hazrat Umarra divided the army into two parts: one part that would regularly partake in battle and the second part consisted of volunteers who would be called upon in time of need. Hazrat Umarra was mindful of the training of the army and issued strict orders that in occupied territories, army personnel would not be involved in trade or agriculture. The army serving in the occupied territories were not to involve themselves in any trade or agriculture business, because if they did there was a danger that they would lose their military prowess. These days, we see that in Muslim countries as well, army personnel are involved in trade and businesses. In fact, regarding one country, it is said that previously, when obtaining commission, officers would focus their attention on their relevant field of expertise, but now as soon as an officer receives their commission, they check where a new development or a defence colony is being made where they can secure an allotment for themselves. And for this reason, their military prowess is diminishing. Furthermore, it is mentioned that when launching a campaign against those countries which had hotter and colder weathers, the climate would be taken into account, so that the army remained healthy and active and their health was not adversely affected. Hazrat Umarra issued strict orders for every person in the army to know swimming, horse-riding, how to use a bow and arrow and to be able to walk barefoot. After every four months, the soldiers were permitted to return home to their families and were given leave. In order to make them strong and tough, he ordered that the army personnel not use stirrups when mounting their horse; instead, they had to jump onto the horse. They were ordered to abstain from wearing soft clothes, avoid the sun and not to shower in hammams, as this would incline them towards ease and comforts. In springtime, Hazrat Umarra would order the army to be sent to lush green areas. The atmosphere and climate would be taken into account when building the army barracks as this was important that the army be sent to lush green areas so that they would remain in good health owing to the clean climate. Hazrat Umarra would be mindful of the environment and climate around them. He constructed military cantonments in every province. A military

base was established in all the main areas such as Medina, Kufa, Basra, Mosul, Fustat, Damascus, Homs, Jordan and Palestine and there would always be an army on duty there. Every four months, the soldiers would be granted leave. At all times, these military bases contained 4,000 horses which were looked after. The legs of the horses were branded with the words: ٌ ْ ّٰ ‫َجیش ِف ْی َس ِب ْی ِل اللہ‬ “Army in the way of Allah.” During the Khilafat of Hazrat Umarra, the Islamic army developed new implements of war in order to aid their progress. These included implements to break down fortresses such as catapults and dabbabah. Dabbabah was a weapon used to break down and destroy forts. People would be seated inside it and it would be used to make holes in the walls of the fort in order to make them collapse. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 216- 218, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004) (Sirat Al-Sahaba, Vol. 1, pp. 126-127, Muin-ul-Din Nadvi, Dar-ul-Isha‘at Karachi, Pakistan, 2004) (Lisan-ul-Arab, under “D-b-b”)

Under the Islamic government, nonMuslims were granted senior positions. It was not the case that only Muslims were given key posts; in fact, non-Muslims and non-Arabs also held key positions. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states: “During the time of the caliphs of the Holy Prophetsa, despite the fact that various nations [under Islamic rule] were not all living peacefully, they were still granted their rights. “Allama Shibli, states, ‘Hazrat Umarra expanded the structure of the military in a way that there was no distinction between any nationality nor was there religious bias. The part of the army which consisted of volunteers had thousands of majusis’”, i.e. those who did not worship God, but instead worshipped the fire or the sun, “‘and were given the same salaries as the Muslims.’ There were majusis in the administration of the army as well. Similarly, he writes, ‘Greek and Romans were part of the army and 500 were present at the time of the conquest of Egypt.’” Today, in Pakistan, they say that Ahmadis should be removed from the army as it is a sensitive position, whereas if one studies history, Ahmadi army officers have offered the most sacrifices for Pakistan. Nonetheless, these are their own schemes. “With regard to Hazrat Umarra, it is stated that when Amrra bin al-Aas developed the city of Fustat, he divided it up in quarters. This [fair] treatment was also extended to the Jews and during the conquest of Egypt, 1,000 Jews were present in the Islamic army. Similarly, it is proven from history that people belonging to other nations were appointed as officers in the army. People belonging to other nations were even appointed as officers in times of war. In the time of Hazrat Umarra, the Iranians were appointed as officers in the army and their names are mentioned in history. Allama Shibli has mentioned the names of six officers: Siyah, Khusraw, Shehryar, Sheerviyah, Shahrviyah and Afrodeen. These officers would be paid from the official treasury and their names were on the payroll. After the four Khulafa [Rashideen], it is mentioned in history that in the time of Hazrat Mu‘awiyahra, a Christian by the name of Ibn Asaal was the finance minister.” The reference which I have just read

about “Afrodeen” was stated by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in Tafsir-e-Kabir, wherein he cited a reference of Allama Shibli’s book, Al-Farooq and the same name is written in that as well. However, in Arabic books, the name is written as “Afrodheen”, with [the letter] “Dhal” as opposed to [the letter] “Dal”. (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 534) (Tarikh Al-Tabari,

was walking by at the time and admonished the trader because owing to this act of his the other traders were suffering loss. Thus, Islam has prohibited one from selling products at an extremely high price and also from significantly reducing the prices, so that neither the traders are faced with loss and nor the members of the public.” (Tafsir-e-

Vol. 2, p. 504, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah Beirut, 1987)

Kabir, Vol. 10, p. 307)

Nonetheless, there is a minor difference of “Dhal” and “Dal”, but as people begin disputes over such matters, for this reason, I have given this explanation. Similarly, market control and price control was implemented; Islam prohibited dropping prices through unlawful means and this was enforced by Hazrat Umarra. With regard to the prohibition of dropping the prices, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra states: “Islam does not permit that prices be forced down by unlawful means. Forcing down prices is also an unlawful way of earning money because owing to this, powerful traders would force the smaller traders to sell their commodities at a lower price and would succeed in making them bankrupt. “In the time of Hazrat Umarra, while inspecting the market, he came across a trader from outside of Medina who was selling dried grapes at such low prices that local producers and traders could not compete with. Hazrat Umarra ordered the man to remove his produce from the market or to sell it at the price other traders were selling in Medina.” The traders of Medina were not asking for an excessive price; it was a reasonable price in line with their expenditure. “Hazrat Umarra ordered for him to sell it for the same price. When asked for the reasons for this order, Hazrat Umarra replied that without such an order the local merchants would have suffered a loss even though they were not charging an undue price. “It is true that some companions questioned the validity of this order in view of the saying of the Holy Prophetsa that market prices should not be interfered with. However, their objection was not correct, since the prohibition against state intervention in market prices issued by the Holy Prophetsa pertained to interference in the principles of supply and demand. The government should avoid undue interference, as it is harmful.” The market supply and demand adjusts itself. “It would provide no benefit to consumers while inflicting serious losses upon traders”, if this was not permitted, “but assigning prices is permitted.” (Islam Ka Iqtasadi Nizam, Anwar-ulUlum, Vol. 18, p. 53)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has explained this in detail in another place as follows: “Among the rights of the citizens is that the trade and dealings should not be adversely impacted. We find that Islam has not overlooked this right and therefore has prohibited one from increasing the market price and selling at a higher price. Similarly, it has also prohibited one from significantly reducing the prices in order to cause loss to others and making their businesses fail. It is wrong to bring the prices down in order to see off the competition. “Once, a trader was selling grapes in Medina at such a price which other traders could not afford to sell at. Hazrat Umarra

In relation to organising the education system, it is mentioned that Hazrat Umarra greatly improved the education system. He established schools in all the countries [under Muslim rule] wherein the Holy Quran, hadith and fiqh were taught. The companions, who were great scholars were appointed as teachers and overseeing the moral training and a salary was also fixed for those who were appointed as teachers.

(Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, p. 233, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

With regard to how the Hijri calendar was established, there is a narration of Sahih Bukhari, which states that Hazrat Sahlra bin Saad reported that the companions did not start the calendar from the time of the advent of the Holy Prophetsa and nor from his demise, in fact, they started it from when the Holy Prophetsa arrived in Medina, i.e. after his migration. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, p.

233, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

A commentator of Bukhari, Allama Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani states that according to Imam Suhaili, “The companions decided to start the calendar from the migration [of the Holy Prophetsa] based on the following words of Allah the Almighty:

ْ َّ َ ُ ََ ‫ل َ َم ْس ِج ٌد ا ّ ِس َس َعلی التق ٰوی ِم ْن ا ّو ِل یَوْ ٍم‬

“‘A mosque which was founded upon piety from the very first day […]’. (Ch.9: V.108) “Thus, the meaning of ‘from the very first day’ would be the day the Holy Prophetsa and his companions arrived in Medina; however, Allah has the best of knowledge.” There are various narrations with regard to why there was a need to start the Hijri calendar. Hazrat Abu Musara wrote to Hazrat Umarra and stated that they would receive letters from him, but it did not have any date on them. Upon this, Hazrat Umarra gathered the people to seek consultation on this. Allama Ibn Hajar states that in Bukhari, under the Book of Etiquettes, Hakim has related from Maimoon bin Mehran that once, a cheque was presented to Hazrat Umarra which was only valid until Sha‘ban. Upon this, Hazrat Umarra stated, “Which Sha‘ban does this refer to? The one that has passed, or the one that we are currently passing through, or the one to come?” Following this, Hazrat Umarra stated that they should form a calendar which everyone could remember. Ibn Sirin relates that once, a person came from Yemen and mentioned that he had observed that in Yemen, they had something which they referred to as a calendar and they wrote down the particular year and the month. Upon this, Hazrat Umarra stated that this was an excellent method and they should write it down like that as well. There are various narrations in regard to who started the Hijri calendar. According to one of the narrations, it was the Holy Prophetsa who instructed to note down the dates and this began from the month of Rabi‘ al-Awal. Hakim has written in his book, Al-Aqlil that it has been narrated by Ibn Shihab Zuhri:

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM (Justujoo-e-Madinah, p. 310, Abdul Hamid Qadri, Oriental Publications Pakistan)

ُ َ َّ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ َّ َّ َّ َ ‫التا ِريْ ِ� فك ِت َﺐ ِفى َربِ ْي ِع‬ ِ‫ان الن ِبى لما ق ِدم الم ِدين ْة َا َ�ر ب‬ ‫الا ّو ِل‬ That is, “When the Holy Prophetsa arrived in Medina, he instructed for the dates to be written down and this began from the month of Rabi‘ al-Awal.” Allama Ibn Hajar states that this narration is “mu‘dal”, which means that it has two or more narrators missing one after the other in its chain of narrators. According to another narration, a calendar began to be formally written down after the Holy Prophetsa migrated to Medina. However, the more commonly known narration is contrary to these aforementioned narrations and states that the Hijri calendar started from the time of Hazrat Umarra. The author of Subul Al-Huda Wa AlRishad Fi Sirat Khair Al-Abad, Muhammad bin Yusuf Salehi states that Ibn Salaa states that he read in the book, Al-Shuroot by Abu Tahir Ma‘mish that the Holy Prophetsa instructed for the dates to be written down because when the Holy Prophetsa intended to send letters to the Christians in Najran, he instructed Hazratْ Alira to write: َْ ‫س ِّم َن ال ِه ْج َر ِة‬ ٍ ‫ِلخم‬ That is, “Five years after the Hijrah.” Thus, in light of this, it was the Holy Prophetsa, who was the first to write down the dates and Hazrat Umarra followed this practise of the Holy Prophetsa. According to another narration, it was Hazrat Ya‘la bin Umaiyyah, who was from Yemen, who started the practice of writing down the dates. Imam Ahmad has narrated this but the chain of narrators is broken between Amr and Ya‘la. According to the third narration, which is more commonly known, the Hijri calendar began in the era of Hazrat Umar’sra Khilafat. There are further details mentioned in relation to why the Hijri calendar began from the year of migration. When Hazrat Umarra sought consultation with regard to forming a yearly calendar,

one of the suggestions was that it should start from the year of the Holy Prophet’ssa birth. Another suggestion was that it should start from the year he was commissioned as a prophet. And the third suggestion was that it should start from the year in which the Holy Prophetsa passed away. The fourth suggestion was that it should start from the year in which the Holy Prophetsa migrated [to Medina]. It was ultimately decided to start from the year of migration because there was a difference of opinion in regard to the exact year in which the Holy Prophetsa was born and the year he was commissioned as a prophet. The reason why they did not start it from the year in which the Holy Prophetsa passed away was because this had an element of grief and sorrow for the Muslims due to the Holy Prophet’ssa demise. Hence, the companions all agreed to start from the year of migration. The companions started the year from the month of Muharram instead of Rabi‘ al-Awal because the Holy Prophetsa had decided to migrate in the month of Muharram. The Second Bai‘at at Aqabah had taken place in the month of Dhul-Hijjah and this was what eventually led to the migration. Thus, the first lunar month which appeared after the Second Bai‘at at Aqabah and the Holy Prophetsa having decided to migrate was Muharram and therefore, it was deemed appropriate to begin the year with Muharram. Allama Ibn Hajar states that to start the Islamic calendar from the month of Muharram was the strongest argument in his view. (Fathul Bari, Ibn Hajar, pp. 314-315, Hadith 3934, Dar-ul-Riyan Al-Turath, Cairo, 1986) (Subul AlHuda Wa Al-Rishad, Vol. 12, pp. 36-37, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah Beirut, 1993)

There are various opinions in relation to when the Holy Prophetsa arrived in Madinah. The Holy Prophetsa would stop at different locations on the way and arrived close to Medina in 12 Rabi‘ al-Awal in 14 Nabwi/20 September 622 CE. According to some historians, the Holy Prophetsa arrived in 8 Rabi‘ al-Awal and there are some who

state that the Holy Prophetsa left in the month of Safar and arrived in Rabi‘ al-Awal. The Holy Prophetsa left Mecca on the first of Rabi‘ al-Awal and arrived in Medina on 12 Rabi‘ al-Awal. (Sirat Khatam Al-Nabiyeen, p. 23) (Sharah Al-Zarqani, Vol. 2, p. 102, Dar-ul-Kutub AlIlmiyyah, Beirut 2012) (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, p. 248, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

There are also various narrations in regard to when the Hijri calendar was established. According to some, it was in 16 AH, but we also find mention of 17 AH, 18 AH and 21 AH as well. (Fathul Bari, Ibn Hajar, Vol. 7, p. 315, Hadith 3934, Dar-ul-Riyan Al-Turath, Cairo, 1986) (Al-Kaafi Fi Al-Tarikh, Ibn Athir, Vol. 1, p. 13, Dar-ul-Kitab al-Arabi, Beirut, 2012) (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, p. 248, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 2004)

In any case, most of the people agree that the calendar was established during the era of Hazrat Umarra. According to most historians, Abdul Malik bin Marwan introduced the first Islamic coin. Some of the historians of Madinah have stated that the first Islamic coins were introduced in the era of Hazrat Umarra. They would have the words, “All praise belongs to Allah” inscribed on them and others had “Muhammadsa the Messenger of Allah” and “There is none worthy of worship except Allah, Who is One” inscribed on them, but they did not completely discard the coins used from the era of the Persian rulers. According to a research, the first Islamic coins were introduced in 17 AH in Damascus during the era of Hazrat Umarra, but they would contain the image of the Byzantine kings and Latin inscription on them. According to another narration, it was in 28 AH during the era of Hazrat Uthmanra that a purely Islamic coin was used. Initially, in the Persian lands, their original coins were used and they would have the image of the Persian kings on them, but the words, “In the name of Allah”, would be inscribed on them in Kufic script. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, p. 250, Idaara Islamiyaat, Karachi, 2004)

With regard to the projects started by Hazrat Umarra which are known as “Awwaliyat-e-Farooqi”, Allama Shibli Naumani writes in his book, Al-Farooq that all the various projects that were started for the first time by Hazrat Umarra have been all been listed by the historians and are known as “Awwaliyat” i.e. they were initiated by Hazrat Umarra. They are as follows: 1. Hazrat Umarra established the bait-ul-mal [the treasury] 2. He established courts and appointed judges 3. He established the system of recording the dates and years which continues even till today 4. He initiated the use of the title of “amirul-mu‘mineen” [leader of the faithful] for the Khalifa of the time 5. He established an official department for the army 6. He fixed salaries for the volunteers 7. He established an official department for the treasury 8. He established a system of measuring and surveying the lands 9. He conducted a census 10. He started the work of digging canals 11. He inhabited the various cities such as Kufa, Basra, Jazira, Fustat, Mosul, etc. 12. He divided the conquered lands into various provinces 13. He established the system of Ushoor, a tax at the rate of 1/10. Ushoor was initiated by Hazrat Umarra and it came about when the Muslims would travel to non-Muslim lands for trade and they would be charged tax at the rate of 1/10 which was the rate that was set there. Hazrat Abu Musa Asharira informed Hazrat Umarra of this and Hazrat Umarra instructed that those traders who would come to the Muslim lands should also be charged tax at the rate of 1/10 14. A tax was fixed on whatever was procured from the rivers and tax collectors were appointed 15. He gave permission for those traders who belonged to a country with whom the Muslims did not have any treaty to enter the Muslim lands and engage in trade 16. He established a system of prisons 17. He initiated the punishment of “durrah” [a form of cane] 18. He established the practise of doing rounds at night and assessing the conditions and circumstances of the public 19. He established the system of policing 20. He established various army barracks 21. He distinguished between the Aseel and Mujanis breed of horses, which was not previously done in the Arab land 22. He started a system of reporting 23. He built rest-houses for those travelling from Mecca to Medina 24. He established allowances for the orphans 25. He built guest houses in various cities 26. He established a rule that an Arab cannot be made a slave even if he is a disbeliever 27. He established allowances for those Christians and Jews who were facing improvised circumstances 28. He established offices 29. He assigned salaries to the teachers in schools 30. He insisted that Hazrat Abu Bakrra

AL HAKAM | Friday 6 August 2021 should start to compile the various manuscripts of the Holy Quran in its correct order [as taught by the Holy Prophetsa] and Hazrat Umarra completed this task under his own supervision 31. He established the rule of qiyas [the deduction of legal prescriptions from the Quran or sunnah by analogical reasoning.] 32. He established the system of “Aul” which is to include certain people into the share of inheritance 33. He established the Tarawih prayer to be performed in congregation 34. He considered giving three divorces at once as talaq bain [complete separation]; however, he did this as a punishment for those who engaged in this practice [of issuing three divorces at once] 35. He instituted 80 lashes for indulgence in alcohol 36. He prescribed the Zakat on horses used for trade 37. He instated Zakat upon the Christians of Banu Tha‘lab instead of Jizya 38. He initiated the system of devoted service 39. He brought everyone to a consensus regarding the number of takbir [Allah is the greatest] recited during the funeral prayer. Generally, the prescribed way is saying three takbir, or four if one counts the first, until the last before saying salaam [ending the prayer]. The same is done today 40. He outlined guidance in relation to delivering lectures or discourse in mosques. With his permission, Tamim Dari delivered the discourse in accordance with this and this was the first lecture of its kind in Islam 41. Salaries were prescribed for imams and muazzins [callers to prayer] 42. He arranged for there to be light in the mosques at night 43. He ordained a punishment for publicly ridiculing others through writing and literature 44. He prohibited the mention of women’s names in romantic poems, which was an ancient custom in Arabia Allama Shibli writes that aside from these, there are many other things that were initiated by Hazrat Umarra, but he has not mentioned them as the list would become too long. (Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 401 - 403, 212, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 1991)

Accounts of Hazrat Umarra will continue to be mentioned in the future sermons, insha-Allah. At this time, I wish to mention some deceased members, and after the Friday prayer, I will also lead their funeral prayers. The first mention is of respected Suripto Hadi Siswoyo Sahib of Indonesia who passed away last month at the age of 79.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] He performed bai‘at at the age of 21 and he remained extremely steadfast. He is survived by his wife and eight children. One of his sons is serving as a missionary. The deceased served as the president of the [local] jamaat on several occasions. He also served as a qazi [judge] in the dar-ulqaza [board of arbitration] of Indonesia. He had a keen interest in tabligh; and would actively carry out tabligh. No matter the circumstances, his passion for tabligh never subsided. His son, Arwan Habibullah, who is a missionary, says:

“On several occasions, it so happened that he would leave his motorcycle at someone’s home and would travel many kilometres by foot for the purpose of tabligh and he would have to cross rivers and rocks in order to reach other villages, thus making the journeys very difficult. “My father was a hardworking man. When my father worked as a teacher, he requested the school’s principal to be allotted four days for teaching” – whatever classes there were for school should be completed in four days – “and that he be given leave on the rest of the days so that he could have more time for tabligh. Upon finishing from school on Thursday, he would go straight for tabligh and would return home on Sunday evening, or sometimes even on Monday morning.” Basharat Ahmad Sahib, who is a missionary, writes: “10 local jamaats of the Jamaat in the Wonosobo region of Central Java were established through him. No matter the circumstances, he made sure to offer Tahajud [pre-dawn voluntary prayer]. He met people of all backgrounds with great respect and kindness. Once, he said, ‘I wish to continue the work of tabligh until my final days. This is the key to my happiness and health.’” Ahmad Hidayat Sahib, who is a missionary says: “The deceased was a very courageous preacher. He never felt afraid when he received threats from opponents, and would firmly stand up to them.” May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness, bestow His mercy upon him and elevate his station. The next mention is of Chaudhary Bashir Ahmad Bhatti Sahib, son of Allah Dad Sahib Ghoro from the district of Nankana Sahib. He passed away last month at the age of 95.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] His son is Muhammad Afzal Bhatti Sahib, who is a missionary in Tanzania. He says: “He was a born Ahmadi. He was regular in prayers and fasting. He was equitable and honest. He had profound love for Ahmadiyyat and Khilafat. He began attending the Jalsa Salanas in Qadian from a young age. In his village, people greatly feared those who would be involved in the practise of charms and amulets [to ward off evil]” as this is quite common in our countries, “and so he would tell them, ‘There is no reason to fear such people. They cannot cause you any harm against the will of Allah the Almighty.’ However, the people from the village would respond to him saying, ‘You are an Ahmadi and you don’t believe in these things, which is why they cannot harm you, but we fear them.’ “In 1953, when disorders began, the opponents of Ahmadiyyat held riots in our area in which they planned to burn the homes of Ahmadis. Some people went to the neighbouring village where high ranking members of his family resided, who had great influence but were non-Ahmadis, and asked them to advise their relatives who lived in that village where Ahmadis resided to leave, as they intended to set fire there the next day. Alternatively, they should renounce Ahmadiyyat, otherwise the outcome would not be good for them.

And so, his relatives tried to advise him, and said that he should temporarily renounce Ahmadiyyat and could re-enter his faith after the riot had left. “Upon this, he said, ‘Don’t worry. We have accepted Ahmadiyyat after great thought and consideration. We will not be harmed in any way. We can be sacrificed for the sake of Ahmadiyyat, but we cannot even think to step back from our faith even for a minute.’ Subsequently, he told them that if they were unable to do anything, then that was fine, for their trust was in Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty arranged for it to be such that the riot stopped some distance away and scattered as they did not have the courage to proceed to their village.” He is survived by two daughters and five sons. One of his sons, Afzal Bhatti Sahib, is a missionary of the Jamaat serving in Tanzania. Due to being in the field of duty, he was unable to partake in the funeral and burial. May Allah the Almighty elevate the station of the deceased and enable his progeny to carry on his virtuous qualities; may He grant patience and forbearance to the deceased’s son who could not be there. The next mention is of Hameedullah Khadim Malhi Sahib, son of Chaudhary Allah Rakha Malhi Sahib, from Darul Nasr Gharbi, Rabwah. He passed away at the age of 82.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] He was the grandson of Chaudhary Allah Bakhsh Bulhar Sahibra, a companion of the Promised Messiahas, and was the father of Nasrullah Malhi Sahib Shaheed, a missionary of the Jamaat. The deceased was regular in prayers and fasting, simple, honourable, caring for the poor and a sincere and loyal Ahmadi. During his employment, he stood firm in the face of opposition and countered it with great bravery. One of his sons is a lifedevotee in Rabwah and works at the Tahir Heart Institute. May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness and bestow His mercy. The next mention is of Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib of Peshawar who was the son of Shareefullah Khan Sahib. He passed away according to the decree of Allah at the age of 89.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] By the grace of Allah, he had devoted 1/8 of his wealth as a musi. He is survived by three daughters and seven sons. One of his daughters is Salima Sahiba, wife of Burhan Sahib who resides here in Islamabad. She writes that their family were initially nonAhmadi. Then, in 1954, he [Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib] performed bai‘at at the hand of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and remained attached to the Jamaat and to Khilafat throughout his life. Her father displayed honour for his faith and a deep bond with the Jamaat. Her father performed bai‘at in 1954, prior to which he was a non-Ahmadi. Afterwards, he had the opportunity of serving the Jamaat. He was the district qaid for Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya, as well as the secretary wasaya, secretary talim-ul-Quran and served in various other posts.

He intently studied the books of the Promised Messiahas. He had profound love for the Holy Quran and she always saw him reciting the Holy Quran. He had also memorised a significant portion of the Holy Quran. He was devoted to worship, virtuous, hospitable, an honest and straightforward man. He constantly recited durood sharif. He would also help others financially. One of his non-Ahmadi relatives said to him that if he left Ahmadiyyat, he would be ready to completely sacrifice himself for him. She says that her father responded to him by saying, “What need do I have for your sacrifice when I myself have already been sacrificed. Now listen to me; accept the Promised Messiahas. He who was to come has arrived, so reform yourselves [by accepting him].” In any case, that relative did not pay heed and eventually, all of his relatives left him, yet day by day, the deceased continued to increase in his connection with the Jamaat. May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness, bestow His mercy and elevate his station. The next mention is of Sahibzada Mahdi Latif Sahib of Maryland, USA who passed away at the age of 87.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] Sahibzada Mahdi Latif Sahib was the grandson of Hazrat Sahibzada Abdul Latif Shaheed Sahibra and son of the late Sahibzada Muhammad Tayyab Latif Sahib. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the late Sahibzada Mahdi Latif Sahib was a musi. He had extensively studied the books of the Promised Messiahas. He was regular in offering the five daily prayers as well as the Tahajjud prayers. He had great love for Khilafat; he was very humble and of simple nature. He had a passion for tabligh and would always advise others to preach as well. May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness, bestow His mercy and elevate his station. The next mention is of Faizan Ahmad Sameer, son of Shahzad Akbar Sahib; Shahzad Akbar Sahib is a worker of the private secretariat in Rabwah. Faizan, who was his son, passed away due to Covid-19 at the age of 16.

َ ْ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫ِانا لِل ِہ و ِانا ِالی ِہ ر‬

[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.] He was a very intelligent, quiet, honourable child. He was part of the Waqf-e-Nau scheme. He focused on his studies and would not involve himself in unnecessary activities; in fact, he did not even participate that much in sports. He was extremely well-behaved. Aside from school, he would spend most of his time at home. May Allah the Almighty grant patience to the parents of the deceased. His maternal grandfather, Khawaja Abdul Shakoor Sahib, has also served the Jamaat for a long time. May Allah grant the deceased His forgiveness and elevate his station. (Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 27 July to 12 August 2021 [Jalsa Salana Number] pp. 5-10. Translated by The Review of Religions)

Friday 6 August 2021 | AL HAKAM

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