Al Hakam - 24 December 2021

From the Markaz Khuddam living in Singapore have a virtual mulaqat with Huzoor

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Conspiracies against the Jamaat

Introduction to chapters of the Holy Quran

A study in historical patterns

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Blessings of Khilafat Defending faith online, Syed Taalay Ahmed Shaheed Page 20

THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 | Issue CXCVII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396

Ahmadi Muslims ought to be dignified and respectful in their speech Finland waqifeen and waqifaat-e-nau meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Waqifeen-e-nau and waqifaat-e-nau in Finland were blessed with the opportunity to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, in a virtual mulaqat on 18 December 2021.

The formal proceedings of the meeting started with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Muhammad Shahzad Anwar Sahib; the Urdu translation was presented

by Jaree Ullah Janbah Sahib.

Usharib Hamdoon Sahib read out a hadith. Once he had finished, Huzooraa asked where he originally came from in Pakistan, to which he said he was from Lahore. Huzooraa asked how long he had been in Finland and what he did. Usharib Sahib said he came about 10 years ago and was studying in year seven.

An extract from the writings of the Promised Messiahas was then read out by Faiza Munir Sahiba. A nazm, written by the Promised Messiahas, was read by Duriya Munawira Sahiba.

A video was shown to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa by the Waqf-e-Nau department in Finland that highlighted past ijtemas and activities of Waqf-e-Nau Finland. After watching the video, Huzooraa remarked, “Masha-Allah”.

Secretary Waqf-e-Nau Finland then sought Huzoor’s permission for the waqifeen-e-nau to ask questions.

Safir Ahmad Qureshi, a young waqif-enau, asked how we could know Allah was pleased with us. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa replied:

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

Islam is based upon five pillars َّ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ّٰ ُ ‫ع ِن ابْ ِن ع َ� َ� قال قال َر ُﺳ ْول الل ِه َﺻلى‬ َّ َ ّٰ ‫الل ُه َعل ْی ِہ َو َﺳل َم‬ َ ََُ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َُ ْ ْ َ ُ ‫ادة أ ْن لا‬ ‫ﺲ ﺷہ‬ ٍ ‫ب ِ�� ال ِ�ﺳلام على خم‬ ٰ ُ ْ ُ َ ً َّ َ ُ َّ َ َ ُ ّ ٰ َّ َ َ ُ َ‫اللّ ِه َوإق‬ ‫ام‬ ‫ِإلہ ِإلا الله وأن محمدا رﺳول‬ ِ َ ُ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ‫ا��کَاة َو َﺻ ْو ُم َر َم َﻀ‬ ‫ان‬ ‫الﺼلا ِة و ِإیت‬ ِ ّ ‫اء‬ ُ ْ ّ ‫ت‬ ِ ‫َو َح� ال َﺒ ْی‬ Hazrat Ibn Umarra relates that the Holy Prophetsa said: “Islam is based upon five pillars: the testimony of ‘La ilaha illa-Allah’ [There is none worthy of worship escept Allah] and ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’, the establishment of Salat, giving Zakat, fasting [in the month of] Ramadan and performing Hajj.”

(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Iman an Rasulullahsa, Hadith 2609)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words Photo courtesy of Solid-Engineering

“If you follow what Allah has instructed, then Allah will remain pleased. […] And if you don’t listen to what Allah says; rather, you follow what Satan says, then Allah will be displeased.”

Huzooraa told the young Safir that good works included things like offering Salat, reading the Holy Quran, respecting elders, showing good morals, not fighting, working hard in studies, acquiring religious knowledge etc. – if one carried out such deeds, then Allah would be pleased. If someone did not do such good deeds, then it meant they were following what Satan was saying, and in return, Allah would be

displeased with them.

Hearing Huzoor’s answer, with a smile, Safir said “Jazakallah Huzoor”, to which Huzooraa lovingly smiled back and told him to take a seat.

Another young waqif-e-nau, Syed Muneeb Ahmad asked a question in which he quoted the Holy Quran, where Allah said He was “the Lord of all the worlds [alameen]”. Muneeb asked Huzooraa what other “alameen” existed.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said different “alameen” existed on earth too – for example, Finland and the United Continued on next page >>

Why does modern philosophy give rise to irreligiousness?

“The Promised Messiahas posed the question, ‘Why does present-day philosophy incline the dispositions of people towards irreligiousness?’

Master Ghulam Muhammad Sahib of Sialkot said, ‘In actuality, those natures which are already disposed to irreligiousness are the ones that Continued on page 2

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

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<< Continued from previous page Continued from page 1

are influenced by this philosophy. Often, there are many renowned priests who are inclined to philosophy yet they adhere firmly to their faith.’

“The Promised Messiahas said, ‘After reflecting on these matters, sadly, one’s mind is diverted to another issue. On the one hand, these reverends teach philosophy and logic in schools and colleges, yet on the other hand, they believe the Messiah to be the son of God and in fact God himself; they subscribe to doctrines such as the trinity, etc. One cannot fathom how such beliefs can be reconciled with philosophy. Western logic is based on induction. Then by what sort of inductive reasoning is it established that Christ is the son of God? What string of argumentation would they formulate? They would probably assert that individuals who possess the following characteristics are either God or sons of God, and since these attributes were present in the Messiah, he too was God or the son of God. However, such reasoning in this context is absolutely impossible, as this would necessitate plurality. Whenever I reflect over this

issue, my astonishment only increases. I do not understand how these people fail to realise this fact.

“The pure principles of Islam are not ones which fail to prove themselves any less than perfect when judged against the yardstick of philosophy and inductive reasoning. In fact, I have contemplated many a time that it is stated about the َُۡ ٰ Holy Quran: ‫فِ ۡی ﻛِت ٍﺐ ّمکنوۡ ٍن‬, i.e. this wellpreserved book is hidden in the heaven and earth. All people do not have it within them to recite this book; however, the Holy Quran is a reflection of that book which is hidden in the heaven and earth.

The Quran has shown a manifestation of that God to which the heaven and earth bear witness. But on what testimony and evidence has this self-crafted, fabricated and dead God of 1900 years been deified?

Hence, it is an excellence of Islam alone and a means of pride for the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he brought such a religion which has existed since time immemorial and whose teaching is evidently present in even the pages of the heaven and earth, as it were.’”

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 270-271)

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

Kingdom were two countries – or “alameen” – on earth.

“There are lots of countries like this in this world. Then, there are different planets in this universe – there is the Sun, the Moon, stars, Mars, Jupiter – celestial bodies are created by Allah and by His command, they are orbiting the universe.

“In the same way, there are scores of universes, many millions more universes which we have not even been able to reach and we don’t know about them – but we do know there are other [universes]. The Lord of them all is Allah.

“But even if we look at our world – the Earth and the Moon, stars, etc. – we can understand how big it is. We believe Earth is huge; however, if you look at the map of the universe, then it’s just a spec, like the point of a needle and one cannot see where our Earth is […]

“Therefore the creation of Allah is vast, there are lots of worlds, planets, stars etc. and their Creator is Allah the Almighty and He sustains them properly. If there was even the slightest disturbance in how they functioned; for example, if there is the slightest change in the speed of the Sun, Moon or Earth’s rotations, they would crash into each other and that would be the destruction of humanity where everything would end. Therefore, Allah sustains all of this and this is what is meant by ‘I am the Lord’; ‘I have created everything and I am its Sustainer’.”

Abdul Shafe, a young waqif-e-nau asked whether it was permissible to give sweets to other children who went around knocking on doors and asking for them during Halloween. Huzooraa said: “Yes, you can give them sweets; however, don’t ruin your own faces and create scarylooking appearances and go out asking for sweets yourselves. If someone comes to your house asking [for sweets], give it to them.

Someone who comes asking [to be given something] should not be turned away empty-handed.

“Give them [sweets]; otherwise, they will use abusive language towards you. That is why it is better to keep some sweets and chocolates at home and when they arrive, put them in their bags and boxes. There is no harm in this.”

Arifeen Ahmad Sahib, a young waqife-nau said to Huzooraa that at times, during Jamaat events, when the youngsters addressed the elders as “aunty” or “uncle”, some elders took offence. Arifeen asked Huzooraa how the youngsters could address the elders without them taking offence.

Hearing the question, Huzooraa said: “Say to them, ‘We called you “aunty” or “uncle” out of respect. If you don’t like respect, then we are to show respect in any case, tell us yourself how we are to address you respectfully. Should we say “baji”, “apa” – what should we say? Or should we say “sahiba”, “Ghulam Muhammad Sahib”, “Firdaus Sahib”, “Imtiaz Sahib”, or “Munawira Sahiba”, “Faiza Sahiba”, “Munira Sahiba”? How should we address you?’”

Huzooraa continued: “So ask them, only they can tell you, what can I say? If you call them ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’ as they are elders, then you say it in respect don’t you, it’s good what you say, right? If they are offended, then ask them

what can be said to make it better.”

Ayaz Ahmad asked what advice Huzooraa would give to those waqifeen-e-nau who left their studies and got busy at work or did not tell the Jamaat about their situation and continued to live their lives.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said that in principle, parents who included their children in the Waqf-e-Nau scheme should tell them from a young age that when they reach the age of 15, they are to inform the Jamaat themselves to renew their bond and tell the Jamaat about their studies and plans etc. Then, once they complete their education in university at the age of 2123, they are to inform the Jamaat about the completion of their studies and its details and ask the Jamaat what they should do next.

“In principle, this is a promise which is a bond that the parents made with the Jamaat regarding their child. It is an oath and needs to be honoured […] after that, the children are to fulfil it. And if the children do not wish to work – they don’t want to serve the Jamaat through waqf – they should clearly write that ‘our parents put us in waqf; however, our situation is such that we do not wish this.”

Huzooraa said that in principle and keeping in mind honesty, a waqif-e-nau, after completing their studies, should inform the markaz about their situation and ask if the markaz would permit them to pursue work or required other services within the Jamaat. Huzooraa said, “To most people, the markaz permits them to continue working.”

In reference to the waqifeen-e-nau who left their studies, Huzooraa said: “And those who leave studies, they are uneducated. They should leave waqf themselves and inform [the markaz] that ‘we have not studied anything, tell us what to do’. We need educated people in Waqf-eNau, not uneducated ones.”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa emphasised that members of Waqf-e-Nau should be told that honesty was in renewing their bond when they reached the age of 15 and to renew it once again at the age of 21, and then to then stand by it.

Waleed Ahmad asked Huzooraa if he thought a cure to cancer would ever be found as a lot of research was being carried out to find a cure.

Huzooraa said nothing was cured one hundred percent of the time; for example, malaria, fevers and typhoid had not always been cured. Allah the Almighty gave humans intellect and understanding and He instructed humanity to use treatments for ailments as it was through Allah that we were given the understanding and intellect to find cures, medicine and treatments through research. As such, today, there were “promising results” for cures to some cancers that were working, Huzooraa said, while there was ongoing research on other treatments for cancers.

“Allah continues to give humans knowledge and understanding and they continue doing research. And the door to research is open and will never close. Some different illnesses and cancers surface – now Covid is a new illness that has emerged; who knew four years ago that this virus would emerge. Even two, three years ago, they did not know. There was research conducted against this [virus] and after a year, treatment began emerging. First, the

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vaccine came out and now they say they have made some tablets too from which they can treat it. Thus, this research will continue.”

Huzooraa said research continued as long as Allah allowed it.

At this point, Huzooraa commented, “Are the boys going to continue asking questions, or will the girls ask questions too?”

Farhan Ahmad spoke next. He said that in today’s day and age, some people had taken up bodybuilding and exercise – while also taking supplements – to look good physically rather than to improve their health. Farhan asked Huzooraa if this was permissible.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “If someone wants to look good, then how can I stop them? If they do this, there’s a double benefit; health improves and the body gets fitness too - both things are achieved. As long as the intention is pure, that ‘we are going to improve our health, and we will improve our health so we can fulfil our dues owed to Allah the Almighty.’”

Huzooraa said Ahmadis should improve their health with the intention of serving the Jamaat, fulfilling the rights of worship and the rights of other people.

“Along with improving health, through exercise, the body will look good automatically. Therefore, the intention should be pure – Islam says that your intention should be pure.”

Giving an example of having the right intention, Huzooraa said the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, once asked someone why they had a window in their room. The person replied that it was there for light to enter. To this, the Holy Prophetsa said that if the person’s intention for the window was to hear the azan, then he would have been rewarded for that intention and received daylight anyway.

Regarding those who wished to get fit and healthy, Huzooraa said: “The intention should be pure. Apart from this, we cannot stop someone [and say] ‘Why do you wish to make your body smart?’ Let them do it. What difference does it make to you? If you want to do it, then do it with the intention that ‘my health improves, and with health, I can fulfil the rights of Allah and the rights of His creation. And, as a result, my body will look good anyway.”

Farhan Ahmad Tahir Sahib said some waqifeen-e-nau who came to Western countries and had temporary visas or work visas had to work. Farhan Sahib asked Huzooraa how such waqifeen could serve the Jamaat as they were required to work due to their visa status. Huzooraa said: “Those who work, don’t work for 24 hours. They have some time spare, right?

They get the weekend – in these countries, there are two days off.”

Huzooraa said that if such waqifeen-enau worked overtime on weekends just to earn money, there was no benefit – they should give “at least one day to the Jamaat”.

Huzooraa highlighted that the Ahmadis who came to Western countries – whether for studies or on asylum – had done so because “there was no freedom of religion” in Pakistan. Therefore, Huzooraa said: “So the faith in whose name you came here, fulfil its rights too. Out of the seven days in a week, at least give one day to it.

This is the requirement of honesty and good morals.”

Sabiullah Janbah Sahib said that some people said they would “always say things how they are”, whether others liked it or not. Such people would also say extremely hurtful things to the faces of others in the name of saying things how they are.

Sabiullah Sahib asked Huzooraa if this was the correct manner to act.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that “to say things how they are” was no great quality.

Giving the example of an ignorant man who would object to the clothes of Hazrat Umarra, Huzooraa said that such a person wasn’t remembered as a “great companion”; rather, the person who did this was remembered as ignorant and imprudent. It was Hazrat Umar’s great forbearance that he tolerated such actions.

Huzooraa also gave the example of the person who strangled the Holy Prophetsa by wrapping a cloth around his neck – his actions were not intelligent in the slightest. However, the Holy Prophetsa showed forbearance “because it was an act of ignorance and one should tolerate what ignorant people say and do”, Huzooraa said.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that as far as such ignorant people were concerned: “They don’t even have the intellect to speak in a dignified manner – to speak to a respectable person with due regard, responding to them with respect and trying to understand what they are saying.”

Huzooraa said if someone was trying to advise and guide another, they should do so with pure intentions and when it would actually have a positive effect, as opposed to causing a reaction in the other person.

Huzooraa said some elders scolded, criticised and told youngsters off in public which had negative effects on those youth.

At times, if such an attitude was shown by an office-bearer then the person being singled out would sometimes even cease coming to the mosque. Huzooraa said an attitude where someone publicly and openly criticised and told others off etc. was “ignorance”.

Generally, people explained matters to their children in private – apart from some who told their children off in public too – however, when it came to other children, they publicly told them off. Huzooraa said

one should explain matters to others like they would to their children.

Huzooraa said elders should show respect to youngsters when trying to advise them, and when youngsters wanted to address elders they should show the due respect that elder deserves, “not that they, like the ignorant, utter mere nonsense and whatever comes to mind, and do not even listen to the other.”

“This is why I say, the Holy Prophetsa said that good morals are extremely necessary. […] One should meet others with respect and should speak with good manners, not to utter – like the ignorant – whatever comes to one’s mind.”

The Lajna waqifaat-e-nau then asked questions.

A young waqifa-e-nau, Manha Ahmad asked what storybooks Huzooraa would read as a child. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said he read various magazines, including Bachon ki Dunya – a magazine with good short stories in Urdu – and other Jamaat magazines like Tasheez-ul-Azhan and Atfal magazines.

Huzooraa said when he was young, there were a lot of stories about kings and princes in literature, which he also read.

Nida-ur-Rahman introduced herself and said she was the granddaughter of Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Sahib. Hearing this, Huzooraa said, “Is that so? You have grown!”

Nida-ur-Rahman said that as Muslim girls, the culture of their friends at school in Finland was vastly different. She asked Huzooraa as to what extent Ahmadi Muslim girls could befriend girls at their schools.

Huzooraa said: “In school, you are all in one uniform – so with regard to clothing, everyone is almost the same.

“Apart from this, they have no interest in religion. So you should tell them, ‘I am Continued on next page >>

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an Ahmadi Muslim’ [and tell them] what Ahmadi Muslims are. Meet everyone with good manners, befriend them, have good morals and, as a result, they will ask more about you. And if they desire to meet you at your home, they can do so. You are not to go to other people’s houses, or stay overnight there. There should be no overnight stay in someone’s house, neither for boys nor girls.

However, if they invite you after, then go for one or two hours, but be careful there, that you have to show good morals, you have to always show the morals of an Ahmadi.

“If, while you are there, Namaz time arrives, then say, ‘my Namaz time has arrived, tell me the place where I can offer my prayer’. This will have a good effect on them.”

Huzooraa said children should talk about positive and good things like education with their friends.

“Everyone has their own culture; however, in this manner, we will increase our relations, draw them closer and will show them our good morals. As a result, they will get closer and ponder over Ahmadiyyat, speak about it and in this way, avenues for tabligh will open up.”

Huzooraa said some Ahmadi children began doing tabligh in this way from a young age to their friends. And at times, boys or girls at the age of 15-16 would become Ahmadi Muslims due to listening to their Ahmadi friends.

A waqifa-e-nau said that while preaching Islam to others, people in Finland would, at times, say, “Go and tell these things to Muslim countries. We live in peace here”. To

this, Huzooraa said: “What they say is true. Say to them, ‘What you say is completely true and this is what we should do. However, the difficulty is that when we speak about peace, [say] we are Ahmadis and have accepted that person who was to come and spread peace, according to the prophecies of the Holy Prophetsa, and these people [Muslim countries] oppose us too, that is why as far as our efforts are concerned, we tell this to them [Muslim countries] too. However, we are only speaking to you so that if you have any doubts about Islam in your mind – that Islam is not a peaceful religion – they are removed. We are not saying this to convince you to accept Islam. To accept Islam – to change one’s religion – is a matter related to each person’s own heart.’”

Huzooraa said: “If you have good morals, they will automatically come closer to you.”

Huzooraa said such people should be told that they were informed about true Islamic teachings so that any misconceptions about Islam being a religion of violence etc. were removed. They were not being preached to so that they certainly convert to Islam. Such an idea of conversion to Islam should never be forced on others.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said that through discussions, friendship and observing the good examples of Ahmadis, those people who Allah wanted would get closer to Islam Ahmadiyyat themselves.

Nothing should be forced. And if someone said that “Islam is a peaceful religion, therefore, accept it”, the other non-Muslims would reply by saying, “Go and take care of

yourselves first, why are you preaching to me”.

Ayesha Mehmood Sahiba asked what physical activities young waqifaat-e-nau should participate in that would not hinder their religious development and their passion to serve Islam.

Huzooraa said children should not be lectured on complex things about religion.

They should be attracted to something and according to their interests, such activities should be held for them in which, through play, children are taught aspects like the importance of telling the truth. Another way was that if they were told stories, the stories should portray the importance of truth and that the truthful gain success and Allah’s love, etc.

Huzooraa said small children’s books should be published as children enjoyed reading stories. MTA programmes for children should also be shown to them. In this way, the children would stay close to the Jamaat and when they got older, they would begin to focus on religious matters more so.

Sidra Shaukat Sahiba asked whether it was enough for a waqifa-e-nau to serve as an office-bearer or were they to formally serve the Jamaat as a waqf.

Huzooraa said if a Lajna member presented themselves in the capacity of a waqf and served the Jamaat as a formal employee, then such Lajna members should also serve in Lajna Imaillah in their free time. On the other hand, if a Lajna member was not employed by the Jamaat formally, they should, as a Lajna member, give as much time as they could to Lajna Imaillah.

“This is their waqf, this is their service”,

Huzooraa said Durdana Tooba Sahiba said that whenever she spoke about the existence and need for God with her friends at college, they would say they were comfortable in their lives, lived in a peaceful country and had everything they needed and so asked what they would gain from accepting and following God. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “Say to them, ‘This world will finish, humans will leave this place. The concept of Islam is that there is another life after this.

If we accept Allah and fulfil His rights, He will be pleased and we will be rewarded after death as well.

“This world is temporary. There’s an everlasting world after this. Therefore if you believe in Allah, then Allah grants reward in the everlasting world that is to come after death.’”

Huzooraa said such people should be told that Allah the Almighty, in this very world, also showed special favours to those who believed in Him, fulfilled His rights and worshipped Him. The Hereafter needed to be emphasised in such discussions.

Talking about modern-day comforts and immorality, Huzooraa said that people did have material comforts in the West; however, many ills and immorality had developed within society too. Even atheists have accepted that the moral progress of civilisation and basic morals are rooted in religion and brought about by prophets.

These prophets said they came from Allah, therefore if they told the truth about one thing and created a moral revolution in the world, it meant the rest of what they said was true too. So, for this reason, we should accept Allah and worship Him as well, Huzooraa noted.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said this was the purpose of the Promised Messiahas – to take humanity back to God, establish good morals that had been lost, uphold each other’s rights and create love and harmony in the world. Following such teachings would bring reward in this world and the hereafter.

“This is why we believe in God”, Huzooraa said.

The final question was by Sara Sadaf Umair Sahiba who said her father attended university with Huzooraa. Sara Sahiba asked Huzooraa if he could narrate any incident from his university days. Huzooraa said she had probably heard incidents from her father and they should suffice. Huzooraa continued: “When the 1974 [anti-Ahmadiyya] riots took place, they burnt our belongings. They threw out the belongings from our room and burnt them outside. When we went, they did not allow us to come to university and they grabbed hold of one or two of our [Ahmadi] students and beat them. As a result, one term of our university was wasted due to this. These cruelties would take place.

“Apart from that, we lived together – Ahmadis boys – and it was a very good atmosphere. We would offer Namaz together and we lived together as friends.

“You can listen to the rest of the incidents from your father, he will narrate them to you.”

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

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100 News from Ahmadiyya foreign Years missions (USA, Mauritius and East Ago...

and West Africa)

The Review of Religions [Urdu], December 1921

From left to right: Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra, Hazrat Hafiz Sufi Ghulam Muhammadra

America Our esteemed Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib, whom the people of America call Dr Sadiq, is engaged in preaching the message of truth [in America]. In the newspapers there, his academic achievements, his mission and his physical appearance, are mentioned in beautiful words. Consequently, when the venerable Mufti Sahib reached Toledo during his tabligh tour, the Toledo News [correct: Toledo Times] wrote a very sublime article about him in its 12 July [1921] issue.

In that [article], after mentioning [some of] his academic degrees that span over a couple of lines, the rest of the [academic

degrees] have not been written as the entry of all the titles may cause unpleasantness.

It is stated about his clothes that his green turban never gets separated from him and that it is something through which he could be recognised everywhere. The small size of his hands is very surprising to them.

The magazine [The Moslem Sunrise], being published by him, is doing great work there.

Its third issue has been released which also has a picture of the Promised Messiahas.

West Africa Nayyar Sahib, i.e. Maulvi Abdur Rahim

Sahib, missionary to West Africa is also on a [tabligh] tour. The land of hundreds of miles has been blessed with his feet. Sometimes, he is seen travelling by car and sometimes on foot. On some occasions, the car is seen carrying him and somewhere the car itself is stuck in the mud, which is pulled out by villagers and sometimes by government officials or Ahmadi friends. Wherever the honourable Nayyar goes, people advance towards him like ardent admirers, treat him with love and highly regard him. At one place during that visit, 80 non-Muslims converted to Islam.

It seems that Christianity has such a stronghold among the Muslims in that area that the Muslims there unknowingly wear the cross around their necks as jewellery and adornment. When the honourable Nayyar witnessed this and found the cross around the necks of men and women, the student of the breaker of the cross pointed it out to them to remove such a polytheistic symbol, which they obeyed. The people of Nigeria are not verbal Ahmadis but in fact, they are also beginning to understand the needs of religion and for that, they have started to present regular chanda [monetary donations].

Mauritius Maulana Hafiz Ghulam Muhammad Sahib BA, missionary of Islam to Mauritius, holds gatherings for preaching in which not only does he deliver sermons, but also the learned people of that place give lectures.

Surprisingly, where the clergy in other foreign countries have joined us against the divinity of Jesus, a voice has also been raised from Mauritius during a gathering for preaching in the month of October. In that [gathering], the subject of tawhid [unity of God] was being discussed, where a priest stood up and said, “I also do not have faith in trinity and in fact believe in the Oneness of God, and I would have expressed some more views if Christian friends were here.”

East Africa The members of Nairobi Jamaat held a jalsa for preaching in Nairobi on 23 October [1921]. Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahib of Mombasa, Maulvi Abdul Hayy Sahib Bhagalpuri and Malik Ahmad Hussain Sahib delivered speeches in that gathering. The topics of the speeches were Islam, Khatamun-Nabiyyin [Seal of all the Prophets], truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas and the death of Jesus.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original in The Review of Religions [Urdu], December 1921)

2nd National Virtual Talim Rally of Majlis Ansarullah Canada Khalid Mahmood Sharma Additional Qaid Talim, Majlis Ansarullah Canada

On 12 December 2021, Majlis Ansarullah Canada held its 2nd National Virtual Talimi Rally.

This year, the annual national Ijtema of Majlis Ansarullah Canada could not be held due to the pandemic. Therefore, as per the guidance of Sadr Majlis Ansarullah Canada, the Talim department held academic competitions virtually across Canada, at local and regional levels.

Due to the virtual nature of the event and considering potential challenges that some ansar may face for not being techsavvy, a virtual practice run was organised a day before the main event. The key objective of the practice session was to ascertain that all the participants were aware of the flow of the programme, knew their virtual rooms and met the technical requirements to connect and present without any issues.

The practice session served the purpose, the main event went smooth and both the participants and audience had a great experience.

The rally began with the opening ceremony at 11 am Eastern Time with the recitation from the Holy Quran with Urdu and English translations.

Abdul Hameed Warraich Sahib, Sadr Majlis Ansarullah Canada, then inaugurated the event. In his opening speech, Sadr Sahib presented various quotations of the Promised Messiahas in regard to the purpose for his advent.

The opening session was moderated by Nasir Mahmood Sahib, Naib Sadr Majlis Ansarullah Canada.

Academic competitions followed the opening session. Winners of the competitions at the regional levels competed for national positions.

In the interest of time and for the convenience of participants, these competitions were organised in four virtual

rooms. Each virtual room was supervised by a dedicated moderator and IT support team member.

While only the moderators, judges and participants could enter these virtual rooms, the audience was provided with a live streaming link on YouTube.

Ansar from across Canada were able to watch the proceeding of the virtual rally using this link. There were approximately 1,400 viewers on YouTube and 4000 clicks for the rally.

All the competitions started and finished in time.

The chief guest of the concluding ceremony was Chaudhary Hadi Ali Sahib, missionary and Naib Amir Jamaate-Ahmadiyya Canada. The ceremony commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran with English and Urdu translations, followed by a poem in Urdu from Durr-e-Sameen, with English translation.

After this, the results of the competitions

were announced. Nasir Mahmood Sahib, Naib Sadr Majlis Ansarullah Canada and moderator of the concluding ceremony announced the results.

Khalid Mahmood Sharma Sahib, Additional Qaid Talim Majlis Ansarullah Canada presented the report of this virtual rally.

The concluding speech was delivered

by Chaudhary Hadi Ali Sahib, Naib Amir Jamaat Canada. He called on the Ansar brothers to inculcate the habit among themselves to read the books of the Promised Messiahas and mentioned the importance of reading books of the Promised Messiahas.

After the concluding speech, all participants, including the online viewers, repeated the Ansar pledge.

Finally, Naib Amir Sahib led the silent prayer and thus brought the second National Virtual Talim Rally to an end.

We request all readers of Al Hakam to pray for all the organisers who worked hard for making this event a success.

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

6

Conspiracies against the Jamaat A study in historical patterns

Asif M Basit

‫ی‬ ‫رش�روں رپ ڑپے ان ےک رشارے‬ ‫ہن ان ےس رک ےکس دصقم امہرے‬ “The sparks of mischief fell back upon the wicked; Our objectives could not be interrupted by them.”

Background In the 1920s, many magnificent qualities of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra came to light before the world.

At the outset of that decade, a plot of land was purchased to build a mosque in London. Then, in 1924, Huzoorra undertook a very successful tour of London, during which the foundation stone of the Fazl Mosque was also laid. Eventually, in 1926, God Almighty bestowed the honour of building that first mosque of London upon Khalifatul Masih IIra. In the same decade, the missionaries of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community started preaching in England, America and African countries and the message of Islam started spreading all over the world through these preachers of Huzoorra.

These achievements were self-evident for the entire world to see.

Around the same time, when the Holy Prophetsa was attacked in the most wicked manner, Huzoorra and his Jamaat were at the forefront of defending the honour of the Holy Prophetsa. The members of Huzoor’sra Jamaat were the first to have the honour of being incarcerated in this regard when Syed Dilawar Shah Bukhari, the Ahmadi editor of The Muslim Outlook and another Ahmadi were sentenced to imprisonment for taking up the pen against the perpetrators of blasphemy and those who issued unfair judgements. Thus, the flag of the honour of the Holy Prophetsa was also raised by Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in the most difficult circumstances.

When the issue of Turkey was presented

before the world as the biggest issue of the Muslim world, the proposals of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra were published in the form of a book under the title Mu‘ahidahe-Turkiyyah aur Musalmanon ka Aainda Rawaiyyah (The Turkish Treaty and the Future Moves of the Muslims). It was wellreceived by the responsive section of the Muslim world.

In 1923, when the Hindus started converting Muslims through the Shuddhi Movement, the most excellent services were rendered by the Ahmadiyya Jamaat under the guidance of Khalifatul Masih IIra. In the Arab world, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was able to establish missions in Palestine, Syria and Egypt.

This was a time when Hindu-Muslim conflicts became the biggest political issue in India. The British wanted to give selfgovernance to the Indian people, but the

Hindu-Muslim conflicts on political issues ran so deep that no form of self-governance seemed viable.

Under such circumstances, the suggestions of Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra would come to light as based on the most suitable strategy and guidance towards practical steps. This was acknowledged by the perceptive section of Indian society and the British-Indian government.

In 1917/18, when Edwin Montagu, Secretary of State for India, visited India, suggestions were made from various Indian political circles for India’s independence.

On his return to England, he described the address of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra that was presented to him, as the most thoroughly thought over and well-drafted proposal.

Thus, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra emerged as the most important Muslim leader on the horizon of the Islamic world.

Under such circumstances, it was natural for the opponents to develop feelings of jealousy. Hence, in order to quench the fire of this envy and jealousy, they made an attempt not only to slander the character of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra by making vile and wicked accusations, but also tried to defame him in the eyes of the government by filing a false case of attempted murder against him.

The 1927 conspiracy A family living in Qadian, known as the family of “Mistris” (masons), started concocting false and fabricated accusations against Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra. In fact, all these schemes constituted a

very nefarious and impious conspiracy to defame Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

The main character of this seditious campaign, Fazal Karim Mistri, started a newspaper called Mubahala in which he carried on an uninterrupted tirade of the vilest allegations against the character of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra mentioned this fitna and said: “During the past few days, based on the product of their own imagination, they [the Mistris] gave rise to the idea among themselves that a certain attempt was being made against them. These people committed some unwarranted actions due to the reasons above – also mentioned in their newspaper (Mubahala). One of them was angry that he did not get married to the woman he desired. Then, his own son-inlaw got married to the same woman. Those who become depraved, also become bent upon avenging their hatred in an immoral manner. That is why he started saying things that constituted allegations and false accusations. When I heard about it, I called the father and the son and said to them, ‘I hear you people are saying such and such things. My religious position aside, but you know that my family is the sole owner of this town. I would have considered your intention as well-meaning, if you [were also prepared to] go to some village and make an allegation against one of the landlords who owns even 10 acres of land let alone against the sole owner of that village.

“However, you would not even dare to go to a small hamlet and accuse a sweeper but here you use dirty and vile language against us. There is an acknowledgement in your own actions that since I would not avenge your actions, that is why you are daring to carry them out. Otherwise, either you say that there is no other person in this village who can be accused of the same things, or, if you admit that such an accusation can be made against someone, why do you not dare make it?

7

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 “Thus, what you are saying against me is not because of your truthfulness but because of my decency. You know that if you said something about someone else, they would be ready to deal with it in every way possible. However, there is no such threat from me to you. This way of yours is an acknowledgement of my decency and an expression of your depravity.”

The purpose of these evildoers was to make a wicked attempt to slander Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. They also had the backing of the ghair-mubai‘een – commonly known as Lahori (Paighami) Ahmadis (which will be mentioned later).

This attempt by Huzoorra to admonish them was also misconstrued by them.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra himself stated: “On that occasion, they told me that, ‘What is being said about us is wrong and people are lying.’ Then one of them narrated his dream, saying, ‘I have been told to request you for prayers.’ However, I found out that they later went to people and said, ‘He tried to reassure us, but we were not reassured.’ Now, they have gone to the courts and have claimed, ‘We were told to desist or else he would straighten us out.’” (Taqrir Dilpazir, delivered at Jalsa Salana, 27 December 1927) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further said in the same address: “This is the conspiracy that has arisen recently. However, God Almighty foretells me when a conspiracy is being hatched. I had seen a vision about this one many years ago and I had narrated that vision to many people […]

“The gist of what I saw is that as I was passing through a valley in Simla, where there were various kinds of jinns who sought to draw my attention to what they were saying in a provocative manner. At that time, I was told not to pay attention to them and to continue by saying: �‫�ا ےک � اور ر� ےک اس‬ “‘By the grace and mercy of God.’” Earlier, on 22 November 1927, an announcement was published by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in Al Fazl regarding this very conspiracy, in which Huzoorra said: “The Jamaat must have come to know, through the note which was published

by Al Fazl a few days ago, that some people, who were apparently part of the Jamaat but in reality had no connection with it due to their hypocrisy, have revolted against me and the nizam-e-Jamaat […]

“Now, I leave their case to Allah the Exalted for He is the Best of Judges. He will certainly protect the Jamaat with His mighty signs.”

This is how it transpired and Allah the Exalted protected Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra and the entire Ahmadiyya Jamaat from it. Neither were their false allegations substantiated, nor did they succeed in trying [Huzoorra] for attempted murder.

Not only this, but the actual reality of the seditionists who were stirring up this agitation, with the backing of the opposing maulvis, non-Muslim opponents and Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, the amir of the ghair-mubai‘een, was exposed.

Master Faqirullah Sahib, who was the auditor of the group of the ghairmubai‘een and also the imam of the mosque

A copy of the address presented to ES Montagu, Secretary of State for India 1917-22

at Ahmadiyya Building [Lahore], stated: “All the members of the management committee of the Anjuman are aware that Maulvi Sahib, with his special approval, continued to help the owners of Mubahala with cash and by printing their pamphlets and distributing them to other cities with the help of a special employee of the Anjuman […].” (Risala Furqan, Qadian, July 1944) Similarly, the general secretary of the group of the ghair-mubai‘een wrote in an open letter to Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib: “You have always provided moral and

financial support for publicising the allegations against Khalifa Sahib of Qadian.” (Furqan, Qadian, May 1942).

The newspaper Faruq published copies of the letters of Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib in their 7 June 1931 issue and wrote: “The newspaper Mubahala continued to sell hundreds of copies in their offices. Packages of Mubahala were being prepared up to two o’clock into the morning. If there is any doubt, one can check the ledger concerning Mubahala in the accounts of the book depot at the Paigham Building.”

Thus, this conspiracy which arose against the caliph, chosen

by God Almighty, not only vanished in thin air but it was also revealed how anti-Jamaat elements have always taken every opportunity to try to harm the Jamaat whenever and wherever they see even a small opportunity.

Background to the 1937 conspiracy Now we come to the 1930s. This decade was also a decade leading Jamaat-eAhmadiyya to new heights of success and achievement.

At the beginning of this decade, when all efforts to raise the voice for the rights of Kashmiri Muslims seemed to be failing, Muslim leaders formed the All India Kashmir Committee and unanimously elected Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra as its president.

As soon as the charge of this committee was handed over to Hazrat Musleh-e-

Maudra, a new wave of awareness and awakening regarding the rights of Kashmiri Muslims spread across India. Kashmir Day started to be celebrated all over India with the participation of people belonging to every Islamic school of thought. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra himself offered the most generous financial help. Upon the encouragement of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, Muslims all over India began funding the Kashmir movement. The efforts of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra proved unparalleled even at the level of negotiations and dialogue with the authorities.

Upon seeing the situation, Majlis-eAhrar-e-Islam realised that Jamaat-eAhmadiyya was a force against which they would never be able to achieve their nefarious goals in a dignified manner.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, seeing that the issue was becoming a political arena rather than a struggle for rights, resigned from the chairmanship of the Kashmir Committee.

Renowned historian, Dr Ayesha Jalal, in her book Self and Sovereignty, gives a very detailed analysis of this situation and writes that after the stepping down of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, the committee even failed to call a single meeting of their working body, let alone make any tangible efforts.

However, the fire of the Ahrar’s jealousy had ignited to such an extent that it was not going to cool down. They did whatever they could to hurt and defame the Jamaat. At first, a commotion was created in Qadian and under the guise of a gathering, they continued to spout abuse and carry out acts of violence. They would chant slogans threatening to reduce Qadian down to rubble.

In response to this abuse, rioting and threats, Allah the Exalted revealed the idea of Tahrik-e-Jadid upon the pure heart of Continued on next page >>

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

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Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and Jamaat-eAhmadiyya entered a new era of progress.

Let alone Qadian being reduced to rubble, the unity of God Almighty and the pure teachings of the Holy Prophetsa started to spread from Qadian to the corners of the earth. Under Tahrik-e-Jadid, missions were established in different continents of the world, mosques were built and missionaries spread all over the world to perform the sacred duty of propagating Islam.

In view of this situation, the opponents and adversaries continued to burn in the fire of jealousy and, as usual, resorted to vile attacks.

The 1937 conspiracy The year 1937 is very important in the history of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. This was the first time that the hypocrites, apostates, ghair-mubai‘een and opponents joined hands in attacking the Ahmadiyya Jamaat.

For this purpose, they always relied on someone who seemed to be very close to the Jamaat, but whose faith had faltered.

On this occasion, they chose Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri Sahib. Misri Sahib joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in 1905 after pledging allegiance at the blessed hand of the Promised Messiahas.

When the fitna of the ghairmubai‘een arose in 1914, he swore allegiance to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

For the following two decades, he not only considered Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra the rightful caliph, but also delivered speeches in favour of this view. He also handed in written testimonies of this belief.

Due to the frustration of some personal ambitions, he developed differences with Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and, in 1935, it suddenly occurred to him that Huzoorra was “not the rightful caliph”. On this, he wrote a booklet entitled, Kiya Tamam Khalifey Khuda hi Banata Hey? (Does God Make All the Caliphs?)

In it, he expressed his new beliefs, saying, “After the death of prophets and saintly figures, only the first caliph is a divine choice. The rest of the elected caliphs are not the subjects of the Ayate-Istikhlaf [the verse of the Holy Quran that states caliphs to be divinely chosen].

The disputed Khilafat here is not the first Khalifa but the present second Khalifa.

Therefore, he cannot be the subject of the Ayat-e-Istikhlaf and his election can also not be attributed to Allah the Exalted.”

It is clear from this statement that he had reneged from his allegiance to the Khilafat of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra when his personal desires were not fulfilled. Not only that, but he was laying the groundwork for a conspiracy (fitna) in the Community.

The ghair-mubai‘een, opponents and hypocrites seemed to be ready to use this altercation of his for their own personal gains.

In June 1937, Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri started raising all sorts of false allegations against Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra and wrote three letters to him on 10, 14 and 23 June 1937. In the first letter, he maligned the character of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. In the second

and third, he demanded from Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra to resign from Khilafat on the ground that his character was not such, God forbid, that he could be called Khalifatul Masih.

In the third letter, he wrote, “I want to have you removed from the office and arrange the election of a new caliph because I want to separate from you but not from the Jamaat.”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra wrote a reply to him on 24 June 1937, some excerpts of which are given below: “I received three letters from you. The subject matter of the first letter was so filthy and full of vituperation that it would have been completely absurd to assume after [reading] it that you were still within the bai‘at and a member of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat […]

“I received your third letter saying that if you were not satisfied within 24 hours, then you would leave the Jamaat. Hence, I am writing this, after having performed the istikharah prayer, that your separation from the Jamaat is meaningless. Ever since that bile was generated from within your heart which you have reproduced in your letters, you have been excluded from the Jamaat in the sight of God Almighty […]

“You have issued numerous threats to me. I shall not at all honour those with a reply. I rest my case with God. If I am his chosen Khalifa, if the revelations that have been vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas about me and the scores of dreams that have been seen by others are true, then God Almighty shall thwart you despite your claims of influence.”

This letter of Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra was published in the Al Fazl of 26 June 1937. The following day, on 27 June, Misri Sahib formed a separate Jamaat called “Majlis-e-Ahmadiyya” and started creating, putting up and publicising posters and pamphlets based on the accusations against Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and demands for his removal.

Opportunism of the opponents Opponents took full advantage of this situation. The Zamindar newspaper gave

a headline, “A new Amirul Momineen elected in Qadian. Khalifa Bashir ordered to secede from the throne of the kingdom.”

Under this headline, the news story stated that Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri was declared as the “new Amirul Momineen”.

It was also written that the names of those who wanted to join Majlis-e-Ahmadiyya would be kept secret. (The Zamindar, 29 July 1937) The ghair-mubai‘een were already eager. They diligently published this news of Zamindar newspaper in the 30 July issue of their magazine, Paigham-e-Sulh.

Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib launched a severe attack on the character of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in his magazine, Paigham-e-Sulh. He termed the mischief of Misri Sahib as a “great achievement” and wrote that “Sheikh Sahib really deserves congratulations in this regard.” Also, “Those who break the idols of saint-worship deserve our sympathy.”

(Paigham-e-Sulh, 9 August 1937) Misri Sahib’s intrigues were so wellreceived by the opponents and ghairmubai‘een that he published another booklet, titled Jamaat sey Khitab (An Address to the Community), in which he wrote: “The day will come, and it shall certainly come, insha-Allah, when the Jamaat, while proclaiming ‫‘[ جاء الحق وزھق الباطل‬Truth has come and falsehood has vanished away’], will have been established upon the truth which the Islamic Shariah has elucidated about the position of the caliphs and the rights and entitlements of them and the ummah. You are not deserving of being the Khalifa. It is to reveal this truth that Allah the Exalted has, by His grace and mercy alone, given me the strength to stand up.

“The step I have taken is for the sake of God alone upon observing great corruption within the Jamaat, which has led many to atheism and is to mislead many more.

I have taken this step upon feeling the need to act on this issue; or rather, upon having considered it essential. My voice will be heard tomorrow, if not today; if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow.”

He further wrote:

“Friends, rise up! Take off the veil of fear and start investigating by employing a believer’s courage.”

In his fury, Misri Sahib even knocked on the door of government courts and, in addition to other charges against Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, he even filed cases against him of aiding and abetting murder.

The cases were first dismissed from the District Magistrate’s Court and then from the Sessions Judge’s Court.

Although he did not succeed in these cases, he was well-supported by Maulvi Muhammad Ali during all these stages.

On 26 August 1937, Maulvi Sahib wrote in a letter to his disciple and lawyer, Hafiz Muhammad Hassan Cheema Sahib: “You would know more or less the situation of Qadian. Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri is fighting a case regarding his bail […] He is currently being represented by Sharif Hussain, an Ahrari lawyer. It would be very appropriate for our Jamaat to help him on this occasion […] Helping the oppressed in these situations is a pious deed […] Wassalam, Muhammad Ali”.

It is clear from this letter that all the opposing forces against Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra and the Jamaat were united in their mischief against Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.

Enlightening response of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra Under such circumstances, Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra was bestowed with great courage and a high resolve by the God Who had elevated him to the position of Khilafat.

In view of these circumstances, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, in his Friday sermons from June to November 1937, stated the real facts in order to clear up any misunderstandings.

In his Friday Sermon of 12 November 1937, he stated: “They tell me that if the accusations they make against me are false, then I should take an oath invoking God’s wrath upon myself if I was lying. However, I said this against the Mistris, and I repeat it now again: I believe that the demand for oaths etc. in such matters, for which certain Continued on next page >>

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AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 << Continued from previous page

limits have been set by Allah, and certain methods of testimony have been taught, is not appropriate; rather, taking an oath upon such a demand invalidates the wisdom for which God has given this command […]

“However, the sceptic, who is given to doubts, may think that I had adopted this kind of belief to avoid taking an oath.

Therefore, at least for the consolation of the person who knows that no one can escape the grip of Allah by taking a false oath, I say: I swear by the Almighty God, taking false oaths in Whose name is the work of the accursed and making false oaths in Whose name makes one the subject of His curse, that I firmly believe that the Holy Quran gives the same teaching in this regard that I have elucidated. May Allah’s curse descend upon me if I am a liar in this matter.

“Then, another issue being raised by Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri is whether a Khalifa can be deposed. They demand from me that I should resign from Khilafat, or that the Jamaat should remove me from this office.

“In response to this claim, I swear by the Almighty God, in Whose name taking false oaths is the work of the accursed, that I believe that despite being a weak person, it was God Almighty who made me the Khalifa. I also swear by Him that He told me in a vision about 22 or 23 years ago that ‘you will face such difficulties that, at times, you will have the thought in your heart that, if somehow possible, this burden [of Khilafat] be removed from you. However, you will not be able to remove this burden and you will have to carry out this task at all costs.’ May the curse of Allah descend upon me if I have lied in this statement.

“Then, under Allah Almighty’s warning ۡ ٰ ۡ َ َ ّٰ َ َ ۡ َ َ of ��‫‘( لعنت الل ِہ علی الک ِذ ِب‬accursed be the liars’), I say as informed by God Almighty, that I am the Khalifa established by Him. And my dismissal is not permissible at all. If calamities befall me, as the prophecies of the Promised Messiahas show that some darkness is destined for me, and they cause the entire Jamaat to turn away from me, then I am sure that Allah will not let me perish until he creates a mighty Community [to stand] by me again […]

“I do not put my trust in humans; I trust in my God. That God Who, when even the thought of my Khilafat did not exist, informed me:

َّ َ ۤ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َّ ۡ ‫ِا ّن ال ِذیۡ َن ات َب ُعوۡك فوۡق ال ِذیۡ َن ﻛ� ُر ۡوا ِالٰی یَوۡ ِم ال ِق ٰی َم ِۃ‬

“‘Verily, I shall place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection.’

“Thus, this is not just a matter of today, but whoever pledges to offer me his allegiance, he will prevail over my deniers until the Day of Resurrection. This is God’s prophecy that has been fulfilled and will continue to be fulfilled […]

“Even now, when this mischief has arisen, I did not rush; rather, I prayed to Allah the Exalted who informed me that He would remove my hardships and would, in a matter of days, destroy my enemies.”

(Al Fazl, 20 November 1937) In the same sermon, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra said about their propaganda: “Have I ever announced that people should not read the announcements

“

Thus, by the grace of Allah, I am content.

Every one of you who is a true believer shall see; rather, most of you shall still be alive to see all these tribulations blown away like dust and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, established on a strong rock, with the help of the glory of Allah the Exalted and His beauty.

(Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, Khalifatul Masih II)

they have been displaying on walls? On the contrary, once, when they put up an announcement on a board, I got a letter from perhaps Maulvi Abul Ata that people had gathered to read it and after reading it, they were filled with rage and anger, which

posed the danger of mischief. He wrote that it was advisable to stop people from reading such messages through an announcement.

“However, I replied that I do not approve of such a prohibition because it would mean that I stop people from researching.

I am not against argumentation and the correct method of conveying a message. I myself have always been a seeker of truth and this is the food of my soul.

“If they can conquer me with arguments, then they may do so by all means. I shall have no issue with it. My objection is that these people undertake illegal actions which are not permissible in any religion.

And since they are committing such acts in violation of civility and decency and Islamic commandments, it is necessary for us to prevent the friends of our Jamaat from engaging in such relations as can lead to mischief […]

“Otherwise, if there is no mischief in someone’s actions and they separate from us and join another group, then we never forbid people from speaking to them. Among the ghair-mubai‘een today, there are many people who were in our Jamaat before, but then they joined them.

However, we did not announce regarding them that no one should talk to them […]

“Sheikh Abdur Rahman Sahib Misri has admitted in his letter that he had been conducting a secret investigation against me for two years and used to talk to people about it. If he had come to me on the day when he developed a doubt about me, and had something against me, and had said, ‘I have developed this doubt about you in my heart’, then I would have tried my best to satisfy him and to remove his doubts.

Hence, there are several such instances where some people came to me, presented their doubts before me and sincerely tried to have those doubts cleared and I did not get angry with them; rather, I listened to them calmly and tried to explain matters to them in a peaceful manner […]

“If, on the very first day, when he heard something about me, he had come to me and said, ‘I have heard something like this’ and that I should explain it to him, I would have tried to explain to him in every way possible. Although it is God’s job to comfort him, not mine, I would have tried to satisfy him with all my ability. However, he chose a path contrary to piety and then, every step he took, he took it against piety […]

“God Almighty did not make me a tyrant. He has given me a sympathetic heart, which has been and is always melting with the sorrows of the entire world; a loving heart which has sympathy for the entire world; a heart whose greatest desire is that, in addition to the love of Allah the Exalted, my progeny and I should live our lives in the service of His creation. It may be that the intensity of this reduces due to being compelled or due to mistakes, but there is no reduction in his resolve and intention in this regard.”

At the end of the sermon, Huzoorra said: “I then say to Sheikh Sahib with sincerity and goodwill that I have sworn in whatever way it was possible for me by God Almighty, and I advise him to repent and ask forgiveness from God Almighty for his sins. I listened to his words and was patient to the extent that other people cannot even imagine. Nevertheless, let him rest assured and be certain, and if he is not certain, time will convince him, and if he Continued on next page >>

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

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does not believe in this world, then after death he will be convinced that he has done to me the worst injustice that anyone can do to anyone in the world. He has used tactics that Islam and the Holy Quran do not allow.

“By the grace of God Almighty, I have never deliberately wronged another person to this day. If a case comes to me of a person with whom I am displeased, then my way is that I always pray, ‘O God! This is the time of my trial, so keep Your grace with me, lest I fail and lest any resentment of my heart affects this decision and I decide in an unjust manner’ […]

“I appeal to God Almighty: O God! If you have established me upon the Office of Khilafat, but you have restrained my hands and my tongue, then pray come down from Heaven and respond to these atrocities, not for my sake, but for Your sake; not for me, but for Your Community.”

He then said: “Thus, by the grace of Allah, I am content. Every one of you who is a true believer shall see; rather, most of you shall still be alive to see all these tribulations blown away like dust and the Ahmadiyya Jamaat being established like a mighty rock, with the help of the glory of Allah the Exalted and His beauty.”

Fate of the seditionists and their supporters These words of Huzoorra came true like a prophecy. Sheikh Abdur Rahman Misri went to Lahore and joined the group of the ghair-mubai‘een. Upon arrival, he started publishing advertisements to the following effect: “To this day, I had been deceived into believing that the Messiah was the Promised Prophet. However, now my belief is that he was a muhaddith and not a prophet of Allah.”

Thus, one of his own claims was proved wrong. He wanted to remove the Khalifa and bring in a new caliph. Once the Promised Messiahas did not remain a prophet in their eyes, then what was the question of a Khalifa? Thus, the humiliation caused by this ideological defeat became instructive.

Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, who had embraced Misri Sahib and his conspiracy with open arms, himself later became the target of Misri Sahib’s intrigues. Why would a person who had not been faithful to God’s chosen Khalifa, be loyal to an association [anjuman] or its president?

Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib sent a circular to his group regarding the fitnas that arose against him during his final days. This circular was written on 5 July 1951. It reads: “Ever since I recovered from the last illness, these two elders and Sheikh Misri have been using all their strength for propaganda against me and have started creating a fitna in the [Lahori] Jamaat by turning every molehill into a mountain.

Not only are they taking full advantage of my illness, but they are also exacerbating my illness by forcing me to write about these issues.

“An axe has been struck at the root of the structure of the [Lahori] Jamaat and

the flag of rebellion has been raised against the leader of the [Lahori] Jamaat [amir-eJamaat].”

Subsequently, during the last days of his life, a piece of writing by the maulana was published under the title, Hazrat Amir Marhoom ke Dukhon ki Dastan, (The Tale of the Sorrows of the Late Hazrat Amir).

The same conspiracies were mentioned in that too.

He passed away in October 1951, almost two months after writing this “story of sorrows”.

The fate of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, who had fanned this conspiracy abundantly, is well-known to all. In his final days, when he was completely helpless and there was nobody to care for him, if anyone asked after his health and arranged for treatment and care, it was none other than Hazrat

Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra.

Conclusion Upon observing such fitnas rise and then blown away like dust, one is reminded of the following couplet of the Holy Messiahas:

‫�ی امگں تم رک ہک �ی بس دبامگین ےہ اعمف‬ ‫رقض ےہ واسپ ےلم اگ ھجت وک �ی اسرا اُداھر‬

“Do not think that all this distrust will be forgiven; This is a debt that will be paid back to you in full.”

Let us conclude with the abovementioned reply by Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra to these apparently great tribulations: “Thus, by the grace of Allah, I am content. Every one of you who is a true believer shall see; rather, most of you shall

still be alive to see all these tribulations blown away like dust and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, established on a strong rock, with the help of the glory of Allah the Exalted and His beauty.”

This reply by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra is so universal that it was not only a means of increasing the faith of the believers in those days but also today. Many such tribulations came and went. God Almighty showed His support for His appointed Khalifa and his Jamaat and annihilated the conspiracies of the enemies. This has happened in every age; it is the same today and it will be the same in every era in the future, insha-Allah.

(Translated from Urdu by Aqeel Kang from the original, published in Al Fazl International under www.alfazl.com/2021/12/19/38765/)

New Ahmadi mosque in Port Loko, Sierra Leone Abdul Hadi Qurashi Sierra Leone Correspondent

On 5 December 2021, Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Sierra Leone inaugurated a new mosque in the Port Loko region.

The foundation of the mosque was laid By Safeer Ahmad Sahib, regional missionary of Port Loko, on 26 November 2018 – Safeer Sahib also supervised the construction work of the mosque.

Approximately 350 people can offer prayer inside the new mosque.

The opening ceremony started at 11 am with the recitation from the Holy Quran with Temne translation. The programme was chaired by Saeed ur Rahman Sahib, Amir and Missionary-in-charge Sierra Leone.

Nooruddin Sesay Sahib presented the introduction of the guests. This was followed by an address by Amir Sahib Jamaat Sierra Leone.

After the address, Amir Sahib cut the ribbon and formally opened the mosque and led everyone in silent prayer.

After the Zuhr prayer, the guests were served lunch.

This programme was attended by approximately 450 people including a regent Chief of Bekeloko Chiefdom, Mr F S Kanu, Strategic Advisor for Social Mobilisation and Food Security of Covid-19 Response and former Minister Hon Dr Alhaji Alpha Sahid Kanu, Member of Parliament Hon, Abdul Karim Kamara, Paramount Chief of Buya Romende Chiefdom, Mr Alhaji Gibril, Assistant District Officer, Mr Abdulai Koroma, Officer National Security, Mr Ali Momoh, Chief Imam Port Loko City Central Mosque, Mr Hassan Sankoh, 10 non-Ahmadi Muslim Imams and representatives of many Jamaats of the region.

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AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

From the Markaz

Fear Allah and do everything, for if you fear Allah, you will not go astray Khuddam living in Singapore meet Huzoor in virtual mulaqat

19 Ahmadi khuddam living in Singapore had the honour of meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa in a virtual mulaqat on 19 December 2021.

As the live stream started, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa conveyed his salaam and asked Sadr Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Singapore, Rafiq Sahib, if all khuddam seated were Singaporean. Sadr Sahib replied that all were Singaporean except for two members, who were from abroad – England and Germany.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa invited Hibatullah Sahib to recite a portion from the Holy Quran followed by its English translation, after which Zulfiqar Sahib presented a hadith of the Holy Prophetsa.

Kanza Sahib then read out an extract of the Promised Messiahas.

Following this, Ayyaz Sahib recited a nazm. After hearing his voice, Huzooraa said, “Jazakallah! You have recited the nazm very well.” In response, Ayyaz Sahib said, “Jazakallah”. Huzooraa then added, “I was not aware that you can recite [poems] this

well.”

Thereafter, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa turned to Sadr Sahib and asked what was next on the agenda, to which the sadr replied that some members had a few questions they wished to ask. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa graciously accepted this request.

The first questioner, Faiz Sahib, proceeded to the microphone to ask his question. He said that he always prayed that Huzooraa was in good health and then asked Huzooraa what advice he had for young khuddam in Singapore in terms of faith and spirituality.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “Once, somebody asked the Promised Messiahas, ‘Could you please give me some advice in one sentence.’ He replied, ‘Fear Allah and do everything.’ If you have the fear of Allah, then you will not go astray, you cannot do bad things, you will always obey His commandments and you will always discharge your rights towards Allah Almighty and the rights you owe to your fellow beings. So, if you have fear of Allah,

then you can do all the good deeds and always remember that Allah is watching over us, wherever we are.”

Aamir Sahib, prior to asking his question, said to Huzooraa, “I hope you are well and happy.” Hearing this, Huzooraa smiled and replied, “If you are happy, I am happy.”

He said that during a mulaqat with Canadian khuddam, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa referred to those who did not get vaccinated as ignorant. Aamir Sahib said that when he heard Huzoor’saa message, he immediately went to get vaccinated. He asked why Huzooraa said that those who did not get vaccinated were ignorant.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “The thing is that there is a hadith of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that ‘whatever you like for yourself, you should like for others.’

So, because I got vaccinated, I asked other people that ‘it is more beneficial for you to have the vaccine than not to have it, right?’ This is why I asked [members to get vaccinated]. [...] Those who are not

getting vaccinated think they are doing this according to their own wish, and it is not something which is wrong; but, in my view, if you don’t take the vaccine, you are not only exposing yourself to this disease, but are also a source of spreading the disease to others. So, this is why, for the sake of others, we should get ourselves vaccinated with this Covid vaccine.

“And as far as my knowledge is concerned, I discussed it with so many scientists and doctors, and most of them are of the view – although there are some of them who are against it, and they say that there is nothing beneficial in having the vaccine – but most of them say, and they prove it, that the results are quite promising.

We cannot say that 100% of the people will be cured and will be saved from the disease, no. But quite a good percentage of them [those vaccinated] have better results; even if they had this disease, it was not that fatal.

So, this is why, in my view, it is better that Ahmadis should take this vaccine; but even Continued on next page >>

12 << Continued from previous page

I cannot force you.

Next, Hibatullah Sahib stated that with the Covid-19 restrictions, his mother and himself were working from home and had office meetings at different times of the day.

In this circumstance, he asked if he should give precedence to praying on time or praying in congregation.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa replied: “If that be the case, for women it is not necessary to offer their prayers in congregation. So, here [in such a situation], because of these Covid restrictions, you don’t have any other choice but to offer your prayers individually; and whenever you get the chance, you can offer your prayer in congregation.”

Atta Sahib stated that his wife was in the midst of opening an eco-friendly sustainable business. He asked what advice Huzooraa had for her or for any other Jamaat members who were thinking of exploring the possibility of setting up their own business.

Huzooraa, whilst giving advice, said: “Masha-Allah, if she is setting up her own eco-friendly and sustainable business, then it is good.” Huzooraa asked what type of things she would do in this business, to which Atta Sahib replied that she was planning to sell organic clothing for children. Huzooraa asked where she would acquire organic yarn from, to which he replied that he was not sure. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “If you are using some synthetic fibre, then it is not organic. If you are using cotton, that can be organic, but how can you be sure it is organic cotton [and] no insecticide, inorganic fertiliser, synthetic fertiliser, or spray has been used on the cotton crop?

Nowadays, no farmer can afford to grow their cotton without using this type of chemical on their crops. So, if she gets it, it will be very expensive, and if it is very expensive, then it will not be affordable for the people.”

Huzooraa further offered guidance and said, “She should also try to find out and see the complete feasibility of it, whether this business will be profitable or not, feasible or not.”

Salman Sahib asked how a Muslim could free their heart of hate.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa answered: “We are the followers of the Prophet who is the last [law-bearing] of the prophets and whose heart was free of all such types of evil and bad things and hatred. Even the Promised Messiah, upon whom be peace, has come in this age as a subordinate prophet of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And he said, ‘I have come in this age to bring mankind closer to their Creator, and secondly, to make them realise their duties towards their fellow beings.’ So, he says that you cannot discharge these duties until and unless our hearts are pure, and there should not be any enmity, animosity, jealousy in our hearts. If that be the case, [that our hearts are pure] then we can discharge our duties towards each other [...]

“This target, we cannot achieve on our own. We have to seek Allah’s help for this; and for that, you pray to Allah the Almighty, in your five-time daily prayers, that Allah the Almighty purifies your heart, and removes all the hatred from your heart for

“

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

We are the followers of the Prophet who is the last [Law-bearing] of the prophets and whose heart was free of all such types of evil and bad things and hatred. Even the Promised Messiah, upon whom be peace, has come in this age as a subordinate prophet of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And he said, ‘I have come in this age to bring mankind closer to their Creator; and secondly, to make them realise their duties towards their fellow beings.’

any person. [...] This is why the Promised Messiah, upon whom be peace, says that ‘try to achieve this habit of forgiveness’ and there should not be any hatred in your heart for any person. We [should] say istighfar َ ّ ٰ َّ َ َ ُ َ َ for it; always say istighfar, ‫لا َح ْول َولا ق ّوة ِإلا بِالل ِه‬ and then pray in your five daily prayers that Allah the Almighty removes all types of evil things and hatred from your heart for any other person.”

Luthfiansyah Sahib asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa if, to be a good Muslim, it was sufficient to offer Salat and offer financial sacrifice.

Huzooraa said: “This is not the only thing; yes, of course, you should have a firm belief in Allah the Almighty, and then you [should] offer your five daily prayers. A good Muslim should follow all the commandments given in the Holy Quran, all the dos and don’ts given in the Holy Quran, follow them; then, you will be a good Muslim. And chanda is also one of those things [...] [We must] pay chanda for spreading the message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat [...] for literature, for MTA, and other things. And that is an obligatory chanda for a person prescribed by and fixed by even the Promised Messiah, upon whom be peace.

“So, it is obligatory that you sacrifice some percentage of your income for that purpose. But apart from that, there are some other chandas, there are some other sacrifices, there are some other goods, some charities, that you give some amount for some charities, for poor people, for needy people, for hungry people. You see, a true Muslim should realise all their duties they owe – as I have already said – to their Creator and to their fellow beings. If you are doing that, then you are a good Muslim.”

Huzooraa further said, with regard to discharging one’s duties towards fellow human beings and the Creator, “Take this

fatwa from your own heart.”

Following this, Yasser Sahib stated that the fatwa against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat was still present online by the Muslim authority of Singapore’s website.

He asked Huzooraa what the best course of action should be on this matter.

“You can tell your fellow friends that we [Ahmadis] are true Muslims because we believe in the one and Omnipotent God, we believe in the finality of the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; he is the final [lawbearing] of the prophets, he is the last of the prophets, we believe in Khatm-e-Nabuwwat […] but our definition is different [namely] that according to the prophecy of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, a person was to come in the Latter Days. And we believe that that person has come in the person of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, who is the Promised Messiah and the Promised Mahdi. He is a subordinate prophet to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him”.

Huzooraa added that it was foretold by the Holy Prophetsa that a subordinate prophet from among the followers of the Holy Prophetsa – Muslims – could come and it was prophesied that he would come.

“So, we believe that that person has come and his status is of the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, and he has been named a prophet by the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in one of his traditions, one of his ahadith, four times. So, it [the coming of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas] does not break the seal of the prophets because he is a true follower of the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings Allah be upon him. So those who are your close friends, you can tell them that this fatwa is totally wrong and they [those who issued this fatwa against Ahmadis] do not understand our belief;

they do not argue with us and they are misconstruing our interpretation, or even they are misconstruing the hadith of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.”

Huzooraa said that if Hazrat Jesusas was to come physically, then even in that case – as some Muslims interpreted it – his physical appearance would break the belief of the Holy Prophet being the Seal of the Prophets as he, Prophet Jesusas, was a prophet and that status could not be taken away from him. But the way we interpreted “Seal of the Prophets”, Huzooraa said, was the correct interpretation because Hazrat Jesus’ name was used as a metaphor in the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “It is not that Jesusas himself will come, but a person will come on the footsteps of Jesusas who will be the follower of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and will be given the status of prophethood as a subordinate prophet of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. So, in this way, in your discussion with your friends, you can remove this doubt from the minds of the people.”

Huzooraa further added, “As far as fatwas are concerned, they are always there.

Non-Ahmadis are always speaking against us and they are doing it [issuing fatwas] everywhere. So, we cannot fight with them.

The only thing is that we [should] behave like Muslims [and] we [should] show our example. Each and every one of our actions should be according to the teaching of Islam and then, when people see that we are behaving like Muslims, they themselves will know that these fatwas are all wrong.”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then conveyed his salaam to all the khuddam and the meeting came to a close.

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

Opinion

New Year’s Day 2022: No time to celebrate

Atif Rashid UK “Verily, with Allah alone is the knowledge of the Hour. And He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die.

Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

(Surah Luqman, Ch.31: V.35) Various cultures, nations and people act in different ways at the turn of the New Year.

We’re used to seeing grand fireworks displays across the world with parties, drinking and raucous merrymaking on the last night of the year. This continues to persist, albeit scaled down because of the pandemic.

What does the world celebrate on 31 December?

Is it that we made it through another year? Is it to say goodbye to it? Or is it just another excuse to go out and have a “good time”?

The Islamic New Year is on the first day of Muharram – the first month in the lunar Islamic calendar. Muslims will welcome the Islamic New Year 1444 with the sighting of the new moon at the end of July 2022.

The tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura and commemorates Hazrat Noahas leaving the ark and Allah saving Hazrat Mosesas from the Egyptians.

Muharram is also known as the month of remembrance and it is believed to be the most sacred month. Muslims are not allowed to fight during Muharram and make a special effort to fast, pray or ponder over their deeds. Many Muslims engage in prayer or take extra time to read the Quran during this month.

This is in contrast to secular traditions of partying, drinking and merrymaking with seemingly no purpose. Muslims are reminded to always be wary of what they’re sending forth for the future. What we do today has a direct impact on what happens to us in the future.

“O ye who believe! fear Allah; and let [every] soul look to what it sends forth for the morrow. And fear Allah; verily Allah is Well-Aware of what you do.” (Surah alHashr, Ch.59: V.19) Since we don’t know what the future holds or what the New Year will bring, believers prepare for it with hope, prayer and resolutions. The purpose of Islam is to help one reform oneself and create a positive and observable change in life. This can’t happen without firm resolutions so New Year’s resolutions are one “secular” tradition

we find in Islam also.

Most people break their New Year’s resolution within the first month, however.

This is why the Holy Quran offers guidance and hope for those difficult periods when breaking a habit or permanently adopting a virtue becomes difficult. The Holy Quran records the advice of Hazrat Luqmanas that he gave to his son: “‘O my dear son! observe Prayer, and enjoin good, and forbid evil, and endure patiently whatever may befall thee. Surely this is of those matters which require firm resolve.” (Surah Luqman, Ch.31: V.18)

and practised what he preached. This is the reason he was so successful in bringing others from degeneration to vast avenues of progress.

The Promised Messiahas advised: “So first and foremost, mould your own hearts. If you desire to touch the hearts of others, then develop the power to do so by practising what you preach. Without practice, the force of words and human influence can be of no benefit. There are hundreds of thousands of people who make hollow statements. Many so-called Muslim clerics and scholars stand on pulpits and

Keeping to a resolution requires the belief that it will lead to a good end ultimately. This is why Allah reminds us that “If you believe and be righteous, you shall have a great reward.” (Surah Al-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.180) When a person believes their actions will really produce the intended effects, only then do they have the determination and resolve to see their goal to the end. This is why belief has been made an essential prerequisite for achieving any objective, otherwise one would hardly have the conviction needed for achieving great tasks.

So when Allah promises a great reward, it’s dependent on belief and constant effort towards the goal.

While making resolutions is commendable, keeping them is another matter. The Holy Prophetsa said, “Allah loves deeds which are done regularly, be they only a few.” (Sahih al-Bukhari) The Quran teaches that mere pledge making is meaningless unless carried out in full. After all, God isn’t concerned with our words as much as our practical actions. The Holy Prophetsa preached what he practised

preach to others, declaring themselves to be representatives of the Holy Prophetsa and the heirs of the Prophets. They exhort people to refrain from arrogance and safeguard themselves from evil deeds, but one can gauge the quality of their own actions and behaviour by the degree to which their words have an influence on you.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. I, p. 65) He also instructed: “Take heed of my words and remember well that a person’s speech can never influence others if it does not spring from a sincere heart and if it is bereft of the power of action. This is a significant proof in favour of the truthfulness of our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The success and influence that he commanded over the hearts is unparalleled in the history of the children of Adamas.

All of this was achieved because there was perfect harmony between the words and actions of the Holy Prophetsa.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. I, p. 66) In this regard, the Khulafa have given guidance and set beautiful examples for us on how best to start the New Year.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa reminds us to consider what efforts we’ve made to achieve the purpose of our lives in the previous year and what pledges we have made for the next one.

During his Friday Sermon on 1 January 2010, Huzooraa said: “Today, God has given us an opportunity to adorn the very first day of the year with prayers. Pray for yourself, for your family, for Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam.

Pray for the environment, for society and your country. A true believer prays for the country of which one is a citizen. These are the obligations that Ahmadis are entrusted with. Now, the permanence of the world, of mankind is with the prayers of an Ahmadi and it leads to Paradise. However, if we are not treading these paths ourselves, how can we show the way to the world?” (www.alislam.org/ friday-sermon/2010-01-01. html) During another sermon, Huzooraa said: “We need to self-reflect how much we fulfilled our pledges last year and if there were any deficiencies how can we make good this year.

The Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, said: ‘Only that person joins our Jamaat who makes our teaching his modus operandi and puts it in practice according to his strength and endeavour.’” (www.alislam.org/fridaysermon/2015-01-02.html) Once, in his youth, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh happened to be at a London train station on New Year’s Eve. When it was time for the New Year, he took a newspaper and placed it on the floor and performed some nawafil (voluntary prayers). After finishing, he saw an Englishman in tears watching him. He asked him what the matter was and the Englishman replied, “The whole world is getting drunk and you are the only one that remembers God at this time”.

The UK, with its Christian roots, is familiar with the value of prayer but has lost conviction in its efficacy. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh said Ahmadi youth should never care if people laughed at them; instead, we should always try to do the right thing as we are only answerable to God. At the turn of 2022, there is more uncertainty than ever about the future of the world. New Year’s celebrations have been scaled down and lockdowns loom amid the new Covid variant. If there was ever a time to start the New Year with prayer and prostration rather than parties and pretensions, it is now.

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

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This Week in History 24 - 30 December Huzoorra said that it was generally considered that a person who did not swear allegiance in the time of his father, nor in the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira (a person who was loved by the Promised Messiahas) it could not be expected for such a person to swear allegiance to his younger brother at any time, but how Mighty and Great was Allah who said to the Promised Messiahas, long ago:

24 December 1945: Hazrat Haji Mian Muhammad Musara of Lahore, a companion of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, passed away. He performed bai‘at in 1902. He was born in 1872. Once, the Promised Messiahas visited his place of business in Lahore when he was touring the city with family members.

Hazrat Mian Musa Sahibra was also instrumental when the railway track was being installed in Hazrat Haji Mian Qadian. (TarikhMuhammad Musara e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 9, p. 543) 24 December 1947: The authorities allotted Ratan Bagh in Lahore to Jamaat members after the partition.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra instructed for all the belongings that were found in Ratan Bagh to be counted and safely stored. On this date, the owners came back seeking the possessions they had lost during the partition.

Huzoorra safely returned each item to them.

Some people were not in favour of returning such goods as Muslims were arriving in the newly formed Pakistan completely empty-handed. Others were of the view that Muslims should utilise the money, ornaments and goods they stumbled upon; however, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra decided that the goods should be returned to Gobind Sahai, grandson of Diwan Bahadr Diwan, who came to get his and his family’s personal belongings.

Touched by Huzoor’sra act, Gobind Sahai wrote:

“We shall leave no trace of anything the allusion to which might reflect adversely upon your honour.” (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 5, p. 237) 25 December 1944: Hazrat Munshi Muhammad Hussainra passed away. This fortunate companion of the Promised Messiahas had the honour of scribing fresh revelations of the Promised Messiahas. Additionally, he had the opportunity to serve as a scribe for Al Hakam, Badr and Al Fazl for a long period. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 9, p. 222) 26 December 1931: The Muslim League convened its annual session in Delhi, which was presided over

by Hazrat Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khanra. He raised the issue of Muslim rights in India during the course of his presidential keynote address.

Hazrat Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khanra and Muhammad Ali Jinnah

personally. I am really very much pleased by the treatment which this community has shown me.

“Sd: Gobind Sahai Diwan “Dated: 24-12-1947” (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 10, p. 18) 25 December 1930: Sahibzada Mirza Sultan Ahmad, the eldest son of the Promised Messiahas, took bai‘at at the hand of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

Though he did not perform bai‘at during the life of the Promised Messiahas, he would passionately defend the Promised Messiahas.

“Gobind Sahai, grandson of Diwan Bahadr Diwan, have [sic] found the true spirit of honesty in the Qadian Community. The head of his [sic] Community is at present staying at our banglow [sic] Rattan Bagh Lahore. He has given me all the household things, specialy [sic] some ornaments which were Sahibzada Mirza Sultan left by our family members.

Ahmad Almost two years Some the of money which was before his formal lying in our almari [wardrobe] allegiance, in October 1928, he was also given to me by Mirza Bashir ud published this statement in Al Fazl: Din head of the Ahmadiyya Community

“I believe in all the claims of Hazrat Mirza Sahib and I am certain that he was true in his claim, was righteous and was commissioned by God Almighty. I am an Ahmadi by heart.”

In December 1930, Sahibzada Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib was bedridden in his final illness. During this time, Huzoorra said the words of allegiance in a low voice and then a silent prayer was held.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, while mentioning the allegiance of Sahibzada Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib, said that one of the main objections raised by opponents regarding the Promised Messiahas was that his relatives, especially his son, Sahibzada Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib, rejected him.

Huzoorra said that he prayed with great fervour to God Almighty for him, not because opponents raised allegations, but because he was the son of the Promised Messiahas and thus, the allegation fell directly on Hazrat Ahmadas.

Muslim scholars belonging to Majlise-Ahrar and Congress tried to spoil this important meeting and did their best to discredit Hazrat Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khanra just because he was an Ahmadi. Meanwhile, the Muslim press highly acknowledged the salient points he mentioned in his keynote address and appreciated it immensely. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 5, p. 307) 26 December 1961: On this date, Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmadra, son of Hazrat Ahmadas, passed away. He was born on 24 May 1895.

He is the paternal grandfather of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, Khalifatul Masih V.

Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmadra For further

details, see www.ahmadipedia.org/content/ personality/167 27 December 1941: Hazrat Chaudhry Mahboob Alam Baqapurira, companion

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AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

MKA USA holds Waqf-e-Nau Medical Conference

of the Promised Messiah , passed away. He pledged allegiance to Hazrat Ahmadas in 1906. He was the younger brother of the famous orator and missionary, Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim Sahib Baqapuri. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 279) as

Talha Saifi Mohtamim Ishaat, MKA USA

27 December 1947: Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, GovernorGeneral of Pakistan, appointed Hazrat Chaudhry Sir Zafrulla Khanra as the first foreign minister of the newly formed country. And he held this important position until 24 October 1954.

On 27 November 2021, Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya USA held a virtual Waqf-e-Nau Medical Conference, in collaboration with Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association USA and the National Waqf-e-Nau Department, USA. The purpose of the event was for waqifeen in the medical field, from different stages of training, to come and share their experiences so far and how they are preparing themselves for careers as waqifeen-e-nau doctors.

The event provided necessary and practical financial insights to waqifeen.

While the event was geared towards waqifeen-e-nau who are already in medical school, residency, or, have completed their training, younger waqifeen, families and Jamaat members interested in waqf-e-arzi were also welcome.

27 December 1960: The chief justice of India was given Ahmadiyya literature when he visited Tarapur in Palghar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Maulvi Abdur Rahman Fani Sahib, a local missionary of the Jamaat, presented an address on behalf of the Jamaat. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 21, p. 9) 28 December 1928: An All Party’s Convention was proposed and held to discuss the Nehru Report. Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra represented the Jamaat, as he was serving as the nazir (director) of external affairs. On behalf of the Muslim League, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had brought a delegation of 22 eminent Muslim League representatives. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol, 5, p. 78) 28 December 1928: Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Australia convened its jalsa, which was the first-ever Jamaat gathering in the eastern part of the world.

Hazrat Sufi Muhammad Hassan Musa Khanra, the pioneering Ahmadi of Australia, narrated the claims of the Promised Messiahas.

By the grace Hazrat Sufi Muhammad of Allah, Hassan Musa Khanra this proved to have a very great impact on all those present.

(Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 5, p. 100) 28 December 1956: Hazrat Sardar Sher Bahadur Qaisaranira passed away. He was a companion of the Promised Messiahas and was particularly prayerful. Hazrat Sardar Sahibra was born around 1876 and held Shiite views before accepting Ahmadiyyat.

He was a member of the Qaisarani chief family. He first became a subedar (a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army) in the army and then retired after being promoted to

the rank of risaldar (a military rank).

(Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 19, p. 321) 29 December 1909: Upon the instructions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, a series of lectures was arranged in Lahore, commencing on this date, for the next four days.

Christians had started a series of lectures in a college in Lahore, in response to which a series of Islamic lectures was started on the instruction of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. Aside from other speakers, Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra delivered a lecture on the subject of salvation. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 3, p. 299) 29 December 1944: In response to the unpleasant behaviour and foul language used by opponents of the Jamaat during the course of Jalsa Salana, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra instructed Jamaat members to recite the following prayer during Isha in its final rak‘ah:

ُ َ ُ َُ َ ُ ُ َ ُ َ ْ َ َّ َ ُ َّ �ْ ِ�‫ ونﻌ ْوذ بِﻚ ِم ْن � ُر ْو ِر‬،�ْ ِ�‫ا��� ّم إنا ��ﻌلﻚ � ِ ْ� �ح ْو ِر‬ “O Allah, we take You as a shield against whatever is in their [the enemy’s] heart. We seek protection against every evil of theirs and its dangerous effects.”

This practice continued for 40 days into the new year. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 9, p. 212) 30 December 1921: Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra, while delivering the Friday Sermon in Masjid Noor, said that sha‘airullah (signs of Allah) should always be honoured and respected.

Huzoorra said: “Allah the Exalted has designated some Signs. Their honour and respect is of utmost importance. This is so because mischief and evil always arise from [seemingly] trivial matters and progress slowly. Therefore, until the very means of its formation are closed, it cannot be stopped.” (Friday Sermon, 30 December 1921)

The event highlighted several speakers.

Among them, a resident psychiatrist shared his experiences about his search for answers to important questions he asked himself about this waqf over the years. A financial adviser educated the attendees on various loan repayment programmes, short-term investment strategies and tips on responsible spending.

The highlight of the event was a presentation by Mirza Nayyar Ahmad Sahib, who is the first waqif-e-nau doctor from the USA to be posted to a Jamaat hospital.

Nayyar Sahib provided invaluable insight about steps one should take to prepare for posting at a Jamaat hospital.

The three talks were followed by a 25-minute-long question and answer session.

This was followed by a brief presentation

by Dr Mubashir Mumtaz Sahib, Naib Sadr Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association USA on the various opportunities for waqfe-arzi and employment at Fazl-e-Omar Hospital Rabwah and Tahir Heart Institute.

Concluding remarks were given by Hafiz Samiullah Chaudhary Sahib, National Secretary Waqf-e-Nau, USA. 101 individuals registered for the event.

There were 107 unique logins to the event, with the highest number of attendees at any given time numbering 95. A survey of registrants revealed that 65 of them were waqifeen-e-nau.

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Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

Introduction to chapters of the Holy Quran

Surah al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta Ha, al-Anbiya, al-Hajj and al-Mu‘minun The English translation of the introduction to chapters of the Holy Quran as given by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh is being presented for the benefit of our readers. Insha-Allah, in the coming issues, we will endeavour to publish the introduction to all chapters of the Holy Quran:

Chapter 18: Surah al-Kahf This is a Meccan surah and including “Bismillah …”, it consists of 111 verses. It was revealed in the fourth or fifth year of the Holy Prophet’ssa prophethood.

Surah al-Kahf starts with the very subject of Surah Bani-Isra‘il wherein, with majesty, it has been elaborated that Hazrat Jesusas was a human being. In very plain terms, it has been announced that they had no knowledge whatsoever as to how Hazrat Jesusas was born, nor did they know that Allah the Almighty was absolutely free of the reproductive system. They forged a big lie against Allah. Their claim had no worth at all.

Thereafter are mentioned early Christians that how they, in order to protect the unity of God, migrated from the face of the earth into caves. Before the discussion of the people of the kahf [the catacombs], in the initial verses of the surah, it was stated that the worldly bounties provided to mankind were meant as a trial for them. But a time was going to come when such bounties would be confiscated from them, and would be given to those who, for the sake of Allah, preferred to live in caves instead of in adornment of worldly pleasures.

Next is mentioned the similitude of two such jannahs, i.e. orchards, on account of which one person prided over the other that he had been bestowed upon all such bounties as compared to the other who was emptyhanded. But a warning was also issued along with it that when the calamities of the wrath of God would descend on their progress, they would destroy them completely. The very subject matter of “saeedan juruza” has been repeated in other words.

In this very surah, the journey of Hazrat Mosesas accompanied by Hazrat Jesusas has been mentioned wherein they were shown the last limits of their people. And that stage was pointed out where the fish of spiritual sustenance went back into the sea. This refers to that era of Christianity before the advent of Islam where they had become bereft of spirituality.

Next, the Holy Prophetsa has been depicted in the similitude of a holy man who is commonly known as Hazrat Khizar.

It was stated that the verities which would be bestowed on him were beyond the reach of Mosesas and the patience required to reach its essence was not granted to Mosesas.

the deification of so-called saints has been discussed towards the close of the surah in the following terms:

َ ‫اَ َف َح ِس َﺐ الَّ ِذیۡ َن َﻛ َ� ُر ۡۤوا اَ ۡن ّیَ َّت ِﺨ ُذ ۡوا ِع َبا ِد ۡی ِم ۡن ُد ۡونِ ۡۤی اَ ۡول َِی‬ ؕ ‫ﺂء‬

“Do those who disbelieve in the Holy Prophetsa think that they can take the servants of God as protectors instead of Him?” The Holy Prophetsa was given a very clear understanding that this surah had a connection with the Dajjal (Antichrist).

Therefore, he directed that he who recited the first 10 and last 10 verses of the surah would be protected against the trials of the Dajjal. Despite the fact that he himself was a human being, he was made to utter the announcement that he was a human, yet free from any kind of idolatry. “If you, too, seek to attain divine communion, then you will have to free yourself of all kinds of idolatry.”

Here, the prophecy of the continuation of divine revelation has been made as well in that Allah the Almighty would also communicate with those holy men who would protect themselves against idolatry.

Thus, the excellence the Holy Prophetsa was bestowed over Mosesas was that he was made privy to divine verities.

Thereafter is mentioned Dhul-Qarnain, which again refers to the Holy Prophetsa that he would get sovereignty over two ages – one, over earlier ones, and second, over latter ones. The details of the journey of Dhul-Qarnain discussed here indicate many things that cannot be elaborated at this point. But one thing is for sure, that the ummah (followers) of the Holy Prophetsa would spread to the West as well, where the

sun can be seen setting in the murky waters of the false belief of the people of the West.

As for the East, his journey would be to that territory beyond which there is no barrier between the sun and the earth.

It has been conclusively proven at the end of this surah that the account of Christianity’s rise and fall has been mentioned here. The rise was due to early unitarians, whereas the fall took place when a divine belief went into decline and ended up deifying hundreds; rather, thousands of holy men. Thus, practically in this age

Chapter 19: Surah Maryam This is a Meccan surah and including “Bismillah …”, it consists of 99 verses. Its revelation time is before the emigration to Abyssinia, in the fourth or fifth year of the call to prophethood.

This surah discusses the fatherless birth of Hazrat Jesusas and states that this birth was such a miracle which the world at that time failed to understand.

It is important to mention that in this age, the Christian researchers themselves have proven conclusively that a virgin can bear a child without the agency of a man.

Earlier, it was believed that only a baby girl could be born, but latest research has proven that a baby boy can also be born.

As for the miraculous birth, generally a child is born with the father and mother’s consummation, but sometimes it can take place at an age when apparently birth is impossible. The same thing happened in the case of Hazrat Zachariahas. He desired to have a child, but he had so advanced in age that with white hair on his head, it was as if he was all aflame with hoariness and the wife was not only old but she was barren as well.

Thus, this was an example of miraculous birth that despite both [of these apparent barriers] he was bestowed upon Hazrat

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 Yahyaas [John]. He had developed the desire to have a child having pondered over the circumstances of Hazrat Maryamas who was to show the miracle of the fatherless birth of Hazrat Jesusas.

Next, the details wherein Hazrat Maryamas left Palestine and settled somewhere towards its east are discussed.

There, she kept herself busy, day in and day out, in the remembrance of Allah; at that very place, she was given the glad tidings of a son by a personified angel.

After the birth, once Hazrat Maryamas reached Palestine along with Hazrat Jesusas, the Jews made terrible commotion that God forbid the child was illegitimate. At this, God Almighty directed Hazrat Maryamas to keep a fast of silence and that this son (who at that time was yet in the cradle i.e., two or three years old) himself would reply to them. Hazrat Jesusas spoke so philosophically before the Jewish scholars which an illegitimate child could never even think of. This talk also included the prophecy of his becoming a prophet in the future. He also prophesied that Allah the Almighty would protect him from their schemes of murdering him.

Thus, he said:

ُّ َ َّ َ ُ ُۡ ُ َ ‫الس ٰل ُم َعل َّی یَوۡ َم ُول ِۡدت َو یَوۡ َم ا ُموۡت َو یَوۡ َم اب َعث َح ًّیا‬ ‫و‬

“And peace was on me the day I was born, and my death will be a natural death, and [peace will be on me] the day I shall be raised up to life [again].”

A very similar verse to it is found about Hazrat Yahyaas as well. It said:

َ ُ ُ ‫َس ٰل ٌم َعل ۡی ِہ یَوۡ َم ُول َِد َو یَوۡ َم یَ ُموۡت َو یَوۡ َم یُ ۡب َعث َح ًّیا‬

“And peace was on him the day he was born, and the day he will die, and [peace will be on him] the day he will be raised up to life [again].” From this verse, I infer that Hazrat Yahyaas as well was not killed.

Thereafter, talking about Hazrat Abrahamas, his miraculous offspring was also discussed when he fathered Hazrat Ishmaelas and Hazrat Isaacas in advanced age, and after him Hazrat Jacobas was born among his descendants.

Next is the mention of some other prophets where various ways of spiritual descendants have been discussed. And the similitude of ascension of Hazrat Jesusas has been cited with the citing of ascension of Hazrat Idrisas (Enoch). All of these were those pious men of God whose generations failed to keep themselves righteous; they neglected Prayer and followed their evil desires. Thus, they are warned that they must face the consequences of their wickedness.

The divine attribute of rahmaniyyat has been discussed repeatedly in this surah. Rahman means, the one who is immeasurably kind and who bestows on without being asked. The subject matter of this surah exactly matches this attribute.

At the end of the surah, ascribing a son to the Gracious God has been declared a hideous sin as a result of which the heavens and earth might well-nigh burst. It means that these very people would be involved in extremely terrible warfare, which would be so horrible as if the heavens had burst unto them.

In comparison to this, those people are mentioned in the final verses of the surah who are righteous and do good deeds. The Gracious God would engender mutual love in their hearts, and not the mutual malice and enmity, discussed earlier.

Chapter 20: Surah Ta Ha This is a Meccan surah and including “Bismillah …”, it consists of 136 verses.

This surah starts with the abbreviated letters of “Ta Ha”, and no other surah has been started with these letters before. Ta Ha means, “O Holy Prophet and a Perfect Guide”.

The news of the horrible wars, discussed in the preceding surah, must have been distressing for the Holy Prophetsa. Therefore, Allah the Almighty comforted him by emphatically telling him, “Do not worry at all because of it. It is a “tanzil” [revelation] from He Who created the heavens and earth. He is the Gracious God Who is settled on the Throne.”

Since all prophethoods are conferred as a result of divine graciousness, and like preceding surahs the current surah as well continues the subject-matter of graciousness, therefore the account of Hazrat Mosesas has been given once again as to how Allah the Almighty, on account of His graciousness, chose him to be a messenger of His. All the favours bestowed on Hazrat Mosesas were done as a result of graciousness.

In this very surah, the account of the magicians’ prostration has also been given as a threat of extremely dangerous punishments from Pharaoh to them. Those who have witnessed the manifestations of the Gracious God cannot be daunted by such threats. Thus, despite all types of threats, their belief in Hazrat Mosesas was upheld firmly.

Next, addressing the Holy Prophetsa, Allah the Almighty says, “They ask you concerning the mountains.” The fact is that the Holy Prophetsa was never asked concerning the mountains. But the idolatrous people definitely asked as to how he would succeed against the superpowers, who stood like mountains. On the one hand was the mountain of the power of Khosrow [the Persians], whereas on the other stood the mountain of the power of Caesar [the Romans]. The reply that was taught was that very big and arrogant nations of the world, even if they were as huge as mountains, would not believe unless their arrogance was shattered; and unless they became like desert sand which was absolutely even, with no depression or elevation. Only in such a case would they follow a prophet, in whose [teaching there] was no crookedness.

Verse 109 also repeats the attribute of graciousness, and the succeeding verse 110, too, discusses the manifestation of divine graciousness, amid whose majesty and awe all voices will be hushed. Even if they all talked, that would be no more than a subdued murmur.

Thereafter, the account of Hazrat Adamas recurs, as his birth too fell under the category of the manifestation of graciousness. And the first time the four aspects of his Shariah have been mentioned at this point, i.e. whoever accepts the ministry of Hazrat Adamas would be guaranteed that they would not hunger, nor would they be naked, nor would be thirsty, nor would they be exposed to the sun.

Thereafter, once again, the Holy Prophetsa has been admonished to bear with patience the persecution from the opponents and to glorify his Lord with His praise before the rising of the sun and before its setting and in the hours of the night and at both ends of the day. All the daily prayers of the day and

17

night have been mentioned in this noble verse.

At the close of the surah, it is said to say, “Each one is waiting (as to what would be the result of this endeavour), and wait you, therefore, and you will soon know who are the people of the right path and who follow [true] guidance.”

Chapter 21: Surah al-Anbiya This is a Meccan surah and it was revealed in the fourth or fifth year of the call of prophethood. Including “Bismillah …”, it consists of 113 verses.

Following the reckoning of people mentioned at the end of the preceding surah and that it would become manifest to the people that it was he who was on the right path, in the beginning of the current surah, it has been stated that that time of reckoning had arrived, but most people were unmindful of it.

Next, it is stated in this surah, “We sent none as Messengers before you but men, and they were not given bodies that lived without food.” Here, implicatively, the divinity of Hazrat Jesusas has been refuted, as he had been taking food throughout his life.

Immediately after this is stated that ignorant people had taken gods from the earth, and a wonderful argument is presented on this that the existence of two gods was impossible. Had it been possible, both the heavens and earth would have gone to ruin. Every god would have taken their creation and set themselves aside, and the universe would have been hampered and ruined to such an extent that it could never have been repaired. However, wherever one may look, one will not find any sign of disunion in it. That is why it was said, “We have revealed, ‘There is none worthy of worship except the One God’ to all those prophets as well that were sent before this.”

Verse 27 mentions their false claim that Allah the Almighty had taken a son. But whenever a hypothetical son is deified, it fails to stop there and many more are added to this hypothesis. Therefore, immediately

thereafter it is said that there were many more holy men of God like Hazrat Jesusas who had been considered partners of Allah.

Immediately thereafter is mentioned a verse that unveils such secrets of the universe as were beyond the imagination of man at that age. It said, “The entire universe was a tightly closed-up mass, like a ball, out of which nothing could come out. Then We opened it out and the entire universe popped up, and with water, every living thing was created.”

Thereafter, the cycle of water associated with firm mountains (“rawasi”) is mentioned. It is also mentioned as to how the heavens protected the earth and its inhabitants. Next is mentioned the perpetual circulation of the heavens and earth and all heavenly bodies; and as the heavens and earth are not ever-lasting, it was pointed out that man too was not going to live forever.

“And O Prophet! None of the people that lived before you have lived eternally.”

Thereafter are mentioned all the prophets that came before the Holy Prophetsa as to how Allah the Almighty delivered the munificence of His graciousness to them.

This part of the chapter also discusses the inviolable subject that once the dwellers of a town are destroyed, they never come back to it again; so much so that even in the time of Gog and Magog, when seemingly the scientists would claim to revive the dead, it would not be possible.

Further ahead in the surah, the mention of the rolling up of the heavens is found, and it is also said that it would not be done for eternity; rather, from the very universe, which would once go into non-existence, a new universe would be created. Allah the Almighty has the power to repeat this process.

In the last ruku of the surah, Allah the Almighty declares the Holy Prophetsa a manifestation of the Gracious God for the entire world, and states, “We have sent you, too, as a mercy for the whole world.”

In the final verse of the surah, the Holy Continued on next page >>

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Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

Prophetsa prays to his Lord to judge between him and the disbelievers with the truth. As he is the representative of the Gracious, he warns the entire world that the Gracious God would not abandon this servant of His who is a manifestation of His graciousness for the whole world.

Next comes Surah al-Hajj, which is a perfect proof of the fact that the Holy Prophetsa was sent for the entire world as Rahmatun-lil-Alamin [a mercy for all peoples], and Baitullah [the Hose of Allah] is the only place where mankind assemble from all around the world to perform the Hajj.

Chapter 22: Surah al-Hajj This is a Medinite surah and including “Bismillah …”, it consists of 79 verses. All human beings have been warned of the earthquake of the Hour in the first verse of the surah.

The Messenger that came had invited all human beings to come under the protection of the Gracious God. As a result of the rejection of the invitation, the warning of such terrible wars is being given as if the entire earth would be destroyed. It would be such terrible destruction that mothers would forget to take care of their suckling children, and every pregnant woman would miscarry, “and you shall see men as they were drunken, while they will not be drunken”.

Because of the severe chastisement from Allah, they would lose their senses.

One may ask about the Judgment Day as to how all human beings would be revived once they were all dead. It is said that Allah, Who created man from dust, and passed man through various stages in the womb of the mother, would revive him.

Next, it is said that there were those among people who worshipped Allah as if they were on the verge of a pit. As long as good befell them, they were content with it; and when there befell them a trial, they would fall into it upside down. Such people were in a state of loss in this world as well as the Hereafter.

Next, briefly are discussed the followers of all the religions that Allah would judge between them on the Day of Resurrection.

Thereafter, Allah the Almighty commands emphatically not to hinder those from the Sacred Mosque who come for the Hajj [pilgrimage] of the House of Allah.

Immediately thereafter is mentioned the House of Allah [the Ka‘bah] and the directive given to Hazrat Abrahamas to always keep it clean for those who performed the Hajj and performed circuits. The directive given to Hazrat Abrahamas was not confined to his person only; but this directive was for his followers as well as the followers of the Holy Prophetsa until the Day of Judgment.

Next, the Holy Prophetsa has been commanded to give an open invitation to all mankind to come to the Sacred Mosque for Hajj. Next is discussed the sacrifices etc. that they too, like the Sacred House, are included in the sacred signs of Allah [sha‘airullah]. Desecration of those signs would be tantamount to desecrating the Sacred House. But the animals that were sacrificed for the sake of the Sacred House would be acceptable only when they were offered with taqwa. “Their flesh reaches not Allah the Almighty, nor does their blood;

but only the righteousness of the person offering the sacrifice reaches Allah.”

Next, in detail, light has been shed on the subject of jihad by the sword and it is said that permission to take up arms in defence was given to those against whom war was made by their opponents, and they had been driven out from their houses only because they said, “Our Lord is Allah”. The wonderful subject was also raised that if defensive measures had not been allowed, then there was no guarantee of the security of the mosques of Muslims; rather, the synagogues and churches and cloisters etc.

al-Shu‘ara, V.222-223) it has very clearly been explained that Satan is not allowed to come anywhere near the Prophets. He descends on lying sinners and this statement does not in any way apply to the Prophets.

In the last ruku of the surah, it is stated that those so-called partners whom they called upon besides Allah were not even capable to recover anything from the mouth of a fly if it licked anything. In reality, the moment anything enters the mouth of a fly, as a result of its saliva and chemical changes in its belly, it does not remain in its original state anymore.

would also be destroyed.

Next, referring to the destruction of the disbelieving peoples of the past Prophets, it is pointed out that if man was to visit the land and, with open eyes, tried to find the buried traces of the destroyed people, surely they would become aware of the wicked end of those peoples. These days, archaeologists are working on this, and they have succeeded in discovering buried traces of a number of past peoples.

Thereafter, it is said in verse 53 that in case any desire of the heart is combined with the desire of the prophet, then Allah the Almighty removes that [personal] desire through the divine revelation. The satan referred to at this point does not stand for the accursed Satan, but it refers to the satan running with the flow of blood in man. And the Holy Prophetsa said:

Striving in the cause of Allah has been admonished in the final verse of the surah, which has already been explained. It was also stated that Hazrat Abrahamas, the Holy Prophetsa and their followers have been named Muslims by Allah. He knows best as to who completely submits before Him. Finally, the announcement has been repeated that “this Messenger”, i.e.

Muhammadsa, “is a universal Messenger”.

َ َ َ َ َ َ ّٰ َ ‫َول َ ِک ّن الل َہ ا َعان ِن ْی َعل ْی ِہ فا ْسل َم‬

(Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Bani Hashim) that is, “Allah the Almighty helped me against him and he has become a Muslim.”

Thus, this verse in no way means that Satan, in reality, inspires the hearts of Prophets because, at another place (Surah

Chapter 23: Surah al-Mu‘minun This is one of the last surahs revealed in Mecca. Including “Bismillah …”, it consists of 129 verses.

The subject discussed at the end of the preceding surah was that true success was due to observing the Prayer and Zakat, and in holding fast to Allah the Almighty. Thus, the great success referred to there has been detailed in the initial verses of Surah AlMu‘minun that the successful believers were those who observed not only the Prayers and paid Zakat, but possessed numerous other characteristics as well. They include both types of merits i.e. the things they abstain from and the good deeds they perform.

Next, it is said that though water for life descends from the sky and the system of its

repeated descent from the sky is available, but for any particular reason, if Allah desires to teach human beings a lesson, He has the power to make the water vanish.

This may be done in two ways: Firstly, Allah the Almighty can bring a change in the system of water recurrently descending from high clouds, as happened in the beginning of the creation when earthly water continuously evaporated and rose into the sky. And when it rained, because of the hot atmosphere in between, it ascended upwards again.

The second case which we generally observe is when water goes deep down in the soil and disappears from the depths of very deep wells as well.

After the subject of water, the ships that navigate in water are mentioned. The ship of Hazrat Noahas is also mentioned in this connection, pointing out that ships are capable of navigating on the top surface of water only when allowed by God. Ships can successfully sail even in very terrible storms and sometimes suffer shipwrecks in minor storms.

When nations show ingratitude towards the heavenly water that descends on them spiritually, then, like the material water, Allah deprives them of the spiritual one a well, so much so that they fail to benefit from the incessant appearance of prophets and remain adamant on the denial of all the Prophets that come among them one after the other like incessant rain.

Next, the mountainous areas where springs of water gush forth and provide security and peace of mind are mentioned.

Allah the Almighty transported Hazrat Jesusas and his mother in this very valley sheltering them against their opponents.

Circumstances and traces show that it is none other than the valley of Kashmir.

Thereafter, in verse 79, it is pointed out that the first thing bestowed in evolutionary stages is the ability to hear, then to see and finally the heart which possesses deep insight, and they are able to understand all types of spiritual subjects.

Next, some verses are mentioned whose subject matters are similar to those which have already been elaborated.

Then comes a verse that presents a new subject. On the Day of Resurrection, when human beings will be asked as to how long they tarried in the earth, in reply, they would say “probably a day, or part of a day”. Allah would reply that “in fact, you tarried there even for a shorter period of time”. This refers to the duration of time between death and resurrection. The world will look to be so far as passed instantly. And this is something which comes in human experience in daily life in that very distant stars, whose mass is much bigger than the whole of our solar system, look to be like very, very small specs.

The final verse of the surah consists of a supplication which was taught to the Holy Prophetsa in the following terms, addressing the Lord: “O my Lord! forgive and have mercy, and Thou art the Best of those who show mercy.”

(Translated from the original introduction of chapters as presented in the Urdu translation of the Holy Quran by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masihrh. Translated by Shahid Mahmood Ahmad, missionary in Ghana)

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

Opinion

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Acts of kindness to start the New Year

Tahira Sharif Hounslow, UK

As another year draws to a close, people turn their attention to the New Year. For most, this involves a celebratory gathering, staying up past midnight and seeing the New Year in with a drink and surrounded by people you are acquainted with. Firework displays are done across the globe, each nation trying to outdo the other. Often people muse over New Year’s resolutions – healthy eating, going to the gym, perhaps.

My question is, does this New Year gathering impact your behaviour in June?

Or even February? Research conducted in 2020 by Strava – an activity tracking app – found 40% of people who made resolutions had given up by “quitters day’” which is roughly two weeks into the new year. Most resolutions don’t last past January!

The idea of a “new year” is to forget the previous year and start afresh, any wrongdoings or mistakes swept under the rug, forgotten and never to be talked about again. Sometimes, people see New Year’s celebrations as a bit of a “free pass”, perhaps engaging in activities they normally wouldn’t, such as inappropriate behaviour, or illicit activities under the guise of “It’s New Years, it doesn’t count”, an excuse to indulge before putting a “final stop”.

Does this behaviour really stop, or is it another excuse? Do these illicit activities really cease, or do they resurface? As we have seen in the media, these harmful activities and behaviours are damaging, even months later. News reports on 1 January often shows images of broken and

vandalised city centres, with drunken and drug-fuelled behaviour likely at the root. The high number of hospital admissions, police arrests and needless lawless behaviour, are all wasting precious resources needed for real emergencies. When all is revealed, the excuse of “It was New Year’s” seems a little weak.

As Ahmadi Muslims, our purpose in life has been made very clear; to worship

Allah, to do good works to others and the world around us and to try to improve ourselves. As the year draws to a close, we are encouraged to reflect on our behaviour for the past year – did I prioritise my prayers over worldly things? Did I give as much to charity as I could have? Did I improve my religious knowledge?

We recognise where we have improved, and thank Allah for giving us the wisdom

Fazl-e-Umar Qaideen Conference 2021, MKA USA Talha Saifi Mohtamim Ishaat, MKA USA

On 20 November 2021, Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya USA held their 2021 National Fazl-e-Umar Qaideen Conference in Bait-ur-Rehman Mosque, Silver Spring, Maryland.

The event commenced at 10 am with the recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the Khuddam pledge led by Sadr Majlis, Dr Madeel Abdullah Sahib. Sadr Majlis then delivered a welcome address to all qaideen present. In his address, Dr Madeel Abdullah Sahib highlighted the responsibilities each qaid bears, and what it means to be a leader.

The address was followed by an introductory segment, where all qaideen and national amila present introduced

themselves by name, majlis and interesting facts about themselves.

The ceremony concluded with a video from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa address to the qaideen forum of MKA UK, 2019.

Following the opening ceremony, session one began. The session was highlighted by three presentations, “Leading by Example”

by Qaid Silicon Valley, Qasid Sadiq Sahib, “How to Review and Update Tajnid” by Mohtamim Tajnid, Syed Saad Sahib and “Breaking the Alam-e-Inami Code” by Mohtamim Ishaat, Talha Saifi Sahib.

These presentations provided new qaideen with an introduction to what the expectations were for them and how to carry out the fundamental tasks of a qaid.

At around 1 pm, Zuhr and Asr prayers were offered, followed by lunch.

After lunch, session two built on the concepts of session one. Presentations in session two included a qaid’s role in Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya, how to submit reports efficiently and other relevant topics.

Presentations were designed with a higher element of content to build on the concepts introduced in session one.

Maghrib and Isha prayer were offered at 7 pm, followed by dinner. At 7:50 pm, session three commenced with a question and answer session, presented by Naib Amir Jamaat USA, Dr Faheem Younus Qureshi Sahib.

Qaideen were presented with the opportunity to ask a wide array of questions, with a particular focus on Naib Amir Sahib’s experience as Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya USA.

to do this. We identify our weaknesses, and pray to Allah for forgiveness and help to be better. Either way, we thank Allah and pray for strength, support and guidance.

We are encouraged to end the year with acts of kindness – examples include giving season’s greetings to the neighbours, donating to the homeless, setting up a garden to be more eco-friendly, spending more on charity and even New Year’s litter picking.

Actions speak louder than words, and these acts of kindness fill us with positivity and hope, and a resolve to do them more often.

Ahmadi Muslims are advised to get up at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and offer extra prayers. We pray for ourselves, we pray for our loved ones (past and present), for our communities and for the future of our world. We pray for a better year, filled with goodness, the best of health and blessings for us all. We read the Holy Quran, reminding us of our duties, and give sadaqa – or money to charity – to start the year with a sense of sacrifice for the greater good.

I do enjoy the fireworks, but the prayers and small acts of kindness have a bigger impact on my life. Why not try ending and starting the year with a charitable, reflective activity? Its positive effect would be felt by those around you, as well as deep in your own soul. Who knows, you may even inspire others to do the same. “‘Those who believe and do good works – happiness shall be theirs, and an excellent place of return.’” (Surah al-Ra‘d, Ch.13: V.30) Happy New Year to all! May your year be filled with happiness, good health and fortune.

The questions ended at 9:10 pm at which point Sadr Majlis presented Naib Amir Sahib a gift on behalf of the majlis.

This was followed by a presentation on the importance of Wasiyyat. Many qaideen felt immensly encouraged to sign up for Wasiyyat.

The proceedings on 21 November 2021 started at 9 am with departmental question and answer sessions.

This was followed by a presentation on the member safety committee report.

The highlight of the session was a presentation on how to identify and react to potential threats, led by Sergeant Curt Sloane of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C. Sergeant Sloan used demonstrations and police bodycam footage to effectively convey what to do in situations of potential threats, followed by taking questions from members present.

The session was concluded with an address from Naib Sadr MKA USA, Intisar Malhi Sahib on the key takeaways of the conference. This was then followed by Zuhr and Asr prayers at 1 pm.

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Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

Blessings of Khilafat Defending faith online, Syed Taalay Ahmed Shaheed Amtushakoor Tayyaba Ahmed (Umm-eTaalay) UK

ُۡ َّ َ َ َُ​َ ُ َ ّٰ َ ُۡۡ َ ‫َو اذک ُر ۡوا ن ِۡع َمۃ الل ِہ َعل َّۡیک ۡم َو ٰ ِم ۡیثاق ُہ ٰال ِذ ۡی َو ۢاثقک ۡم ِب ٖہۤ ۙ ِاذ قل ُت ۡم َس ِم ۡعنا َو‬ َ َ ُ َ ّ ّ َ َ ُ ّ ُ ّ ‫ات‬ ِ ‫اط ۡعنا ۫ َو اتقوا الل َہ ؕ ِان الل َہ َع ِل ۡی ٌم ِبذ‬ ِ‫الصد ۡور‬ “And remember Allah’s favour upon you and the covenant which He made with you, when you said, ‘We hear and we obey.’

And obey Allah. Surely, Allah knows well what is in the minds. (Surah al-Maidah, Ch.5: V.8) I began this year by writing a series of articles on the amazing blessings of Khilafat on my parents, the late Dr Hameed A Khan and Sajida Mubashira Sahiba (Al Hakam, 5 March 2021, issue CLV, p. 12).

It is indeed unexpected that less than a year later, I am writing about my eldest son, who has joined those who have gone before us at a young age. I consider it the will of God Almighty that I end the year writing about the blessings of Khilafat on our son, Syed Taalay Ahmed Shaheed, who was martyred on 24 August 2021 whilst making an historical MTA documentary about the Nusrat Jehan Scheme in Ghana.

Taalay began his master’s degree in journalism in September 2012, a few months after his marriage to Saleha Satwat Sahiba, daughter of Mirza Ghulam Qadir Shaheed and Amatul Nasir Nusrat Sahiba. A year earlier, he had been guided by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, to read the FiveVolume Commentary of the Holy Quran whilst spending a gap year (during his undergraduate degree), volunteering for The Review of Religions magazine. Here, he had the good fortune of working under the kind supervision of Syed Amer Safir Sahib, Editor of The Review of Religions, whom he saw as a mentor and friend.

The Review of Religions archives tagging team It was at this time that, alhamdulillah, I had the honour of working as Taalay’s assistant and team leader for ladies in a team that was formed for the specific purpose of tagging, i.e. cross-referencing the topics from the archives of The Review of Religions. Amer Safir Sahib had advised that I should focus on enlisting waqifaate-nau from the Northeast region of the UK (where I lived), who thus could also be given the somewhat rare opportunity (in 2012) to serve the cause of Islam Ahmadiyyat online (and from a distance to the centre of the Jamaat in London).

Thus, armed with a team of some waqifaat-e-nau and others, we began working. Taalay supervised my work (the ladies’ team) and had a small team of men working alongside him too. He divided

the magazine archives between us, set us timeframes and patiently taught us how to cross reference the topics. He himself identified and organised the topic list and made a great effort to categorise the subjects in a clear, detailed, informative and interesting way. The work took several years and was, alhamdulillah, very successful. I am sure it was a great source of increasing the religious knowledge, skills and blessings for all those involved.

Another blessing that we were bestowed whilst Taalay was volunteering with The Review of Religions team was that he and part of our team also had the honour of transcribing the English translation of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa Friday Sermons on a temporary basis. This involved dividing the English translation of the sermon between us into minutes and seconds and then carefully transcribing each word so that subtitles could be created to appear on the Friday Sermon recordings. It was an essential requirement to listen to each sentence repeatedly to ensure it was recorded in written format correctly and thus also meant each transcriber listened with great concentration to Huzoor’saa words.

Repeatedly listening to an allocated part of the sermon immensely increased the realisation that merely listening to the Friday Sermon once did not do it nearly enough justice. The team worked in this way for over a year, after which it was allocated to a team of missionaries.

Defence against anti-Ahmadiyya blogging It was around that time that an antiAhmadiyya group set up an anonymous blog to propagate some false allegations against the Jamaat. The campaign, unsurprisingly, used the cowardly tactic of propping up a young woman on the frontline as the spokesperson.

Taalay, however, having monitored the situation and gauged its weaknesses, decided to come up with a powerful strategy. He set up a parallel blog with a team consisting of myself and another female family member amongst others, which answered the allegations made by the frontwoman with strong reasoning and arguments.

A sword and shield – Upholding the honour of women Although Taalay used the tactic of anonymity against our adversaries, he did not use their tactic of hiding behind a woman’s skirt! Whenever he posted or wrote, he did not resort to falsehood or pretending to be a woman or girl. Similarly, I used a female pseudonym. By the grace

Photos courtesy of friends and family of Syed Taalay Ahmed

and mercy of Allah alone, Taalay acted as a sword by refuting allegations with sharp, truthful and reasoned answers. At the same time, according to the traditional decency of Ahmadi gentlemen, graciously shielded us on any occasion when he felt that I or any other team member had not been spoken to in an appropriate manner on the blog. He was 22 years old at the time.

Additionally, Taalay used his wit and side-splitting humour to parody the antiAhmadiyya blog leaving us many times in stitches! This tactic was amazingly successful and within a short time, the woman’s blog no longer cast any kind of influence, except perhaps on a handful of the very weak-minded. Another sign of success was that the people behind the blog could no longer stand their humiliation and death threats ensued.

When it comes to the history of all true religions, unfortunately, the greater the opposition’s desperation, the greater the depths of depravity. The reality is that

such attempts at harming the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah, peace be on him – the ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – can never be successful in the long term as such actions are against Allah’s will.

Journalism begins As part of Taalay’s master’s in journalism, he began a very successful project setting up a news website that covered news relating to religions, called NewReligion. Again, the team from the previous blog joined him alongside a range of new writers – some Christian in faith, some belonging to other belief systems. The website was a very productive project, informative, neutral and allowing people from different faiths, backgrounds, countries and ages to join together. It gave Taalay the opportunity to report on news and events relating to Islam and also on Jamaat events, a skill he was to go on to fully develop when he was later appointed as part of the MTA News team. He also used Twitter as a tool

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 to promote the articles produced and to make links with other similar websites and organisations.

Beginning as a waqif-e-zindagi Taalay, aged 23 years, began his service as a life-devotee in September 2013 and was appointed by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa in the International Press and Media department under Abid Khan Sahib. Of course, this waqf period of his life has been described as the time he became “a shining diamond”, one aspect of which was as a courageous, scholarly and eloquent online defender of faith.

By the grace of Allah, Taalay lived a short distance from Masjid Fazl and was able to pray behind Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa and meet him whenever possible, both in official meetings and as part of Huzoor’saa family meetings for the extended family. He also continued to attend Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa Waqf-e-Nau classes regularly. These were blessings he cherished and, alhamdulillah, was very grateful for.

His official work in the Press and Media Office included online work and some social media management. He began writing articles, including a four-part article on God, on the Press Ahmadiyya website complete with embedded links to Rational Religion videos that further illustrated explanations. He covered questions such as the Islamic concept of God, proofs of the existence of God, six common arguments posited against the existence of God and the question of suffering.

Taalay captured current and historical viewpoints: the theory by the 17th-century French mathematician, Blaise Pascal; the

atheistic viewpoint of actor, comedian and writer, Stephen Fry; the theory of evolution and the omnipotence paradox, whilst pertinently using evidence from research from a range of authors such as poet laureate Lord Tennyson, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh and Hazrat Alira. His arguments were built on the foundation of the Holy Quran and ahadith.

Reading Taalay’s online jihad of the pen, a plain and simple fact shines through: Taalay was a humble devotee of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya, his knowledge and understanding of faith was through a deep study of Ahmadiyya literature, and this was apparent when he wrote about the attributes of God. A small extract from one of his articles is as followed: “Having thus formed an outline of God, we may ask what role Allah plays in our lives. Those who subscribe to the theory of deism acknowledge the existence and arrangement of the natural world points to a divine creator. However, they reject the concept of a personal God who answers prayers and interacts or intervenes in the affairs of His creation. The Quran dismisses this theory: “‘When My servants ask thee about Me, say: “I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.”’

(Ch.2: V.187) […]

“Indeed, the example of a loving mother is apt as the Quran repeatedly emphasises how Allah loves His people.

In the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, we are told that Allah goes so far as to say: ‘When My servant draws close to Me by the span of a palm, I draw

This photo was taken by Syed Taalay Ahmed Shaheed of a work space he had set up for himself in Mahmood Hall, Fazl Mosque, where he could get some work done during the Covid outbreak

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Syed Taalay Ahmed working in the MTA News office

close to him by the cubit and when he draws close to Me by the cubit, I draw close to him by the space (covered) by two arm spans, and when he comes to me walking, I go in a hurry towards him.’ (Muslim) “Again we read: ‘My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing voluntary prayer till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks.” (Bukhari) “Islamic teachings clearly illustrate a personal God, but does He remain so in our modern age? The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, writes: “‘Our God is that God who is alive even now as He was alive before. He speaks even now as He used to speak before. And even now He hears as He used to hear earlier. It is a false notion that in these times He does hear but does not speak. But He hears and speaks, too. All His Attributes are eternal and everlasting. None of His Attributes is in abeyance, nor will it ever be.’ (The Will, pp. 12-13)” (The God Article Part 1, Syed Taalay Ahmed, courtesy of Press and Media Office) Reaching out on Reddit I am sure I speak for thousands of parents who have realised as their waqif-e-nau children grow up that the love, guidance and prayers of Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa has had an immense impact on not just their waqif-e-nau child, but also set a standard for their whole family.

Taalay attended Waqf-e-Nau and Atfal activities just as other children do. He learned his syllabus, attended ijtemas and participated, often very successfully, in academic and sports competitions.

As we lived in Hartlepool, at times he would attend the national Waqf-e-Nau Ijtema as part of a local jamaat group.

On one occasion, the feedback after his attendance was:“We have never seen Taalay so happy as at the National Ijtema.”

It was his nature, by the grace of Allah, to enjoy any opportunity that increased his knowledge and understanding of matters pertaining to his faith.

Once Taalay was working as a lifedevotee, there were aspects of his online defence of Islam Ahmadiyyat that I was not even aware of. He worked quietly and without any wish for public acknowledgement. However, it became apparent after his martyrdom that Allah wished to reveal some of his good actions, perhaps to benefit and inspire others (insha-Allah).

A few days after his martyrdom, a family member received a beautiful message from a US khadim who had worked with Taalay: “6 years ago I got a DM from Taalay bhai while I was a moderator for the Ahmadiyya subreddit. Taalay bhai wanted us to get organised and do our best to defend Ahmadiyyat on Reddit.

“Back then there was a(n) anti-Ahmadi subreddit that called us apostates and even had Zia-Ul-Haq’s image as their banner.

That group openly endorsed violence against Ahmadis. Thankfully we eventually got that subreddit shut down.

“Taalay bhai posted amazing content constantly. He defended Ahmadiyyat against false allegations, posted content that helped guide people to Ahmadiyyat, and helped strengthen slumbering souls (myself included).

“I always enjoyed reading his posts and comments ... I really wanted to go to England and finally meet the guy that helped strengthen my faith. Insha-Allah we’ll meet him in the hereafter.”

This Reddit site contains a glimpse of Taalay’s efforts to defend Islam Ahmadiyyat using online media, alhamdulillah, and I hope and pray that many other Ahmadis will be inspired to increase their knowledge so that they too are fully capable of refuting false allegations, insha-Allah.

Taalay was only 25/26 years old when he began working on this site and he used a very youth-friendly approach whilst doing so. I hope to, insha-Allah, relate some of these arguments in the next article.

Encyclopaedic knowledge – WikiAhmadiyya In around 2015, whilst working in the Press and Media department, Taalay undertook Continued on next page >>

22

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

another fascinating online project, by the grace of Allah. This was to produce an encyclopedia on Islam Ahmadiyyat, aptly named wikiahmadiyya (www. wikiahmadiyya.org). The website hosts 113 articles, prepared by Taalay and checked by a missionary colleague of his. It covers a wide range of subject areas on Islam Ahmadiyyat and other world religions.

Importantly, it also covers answers to allegations against Islam Ahmadiyyat.

For those sisters and brothers that would like to access this wonderful demonstration of the results of the blessings of Khilafat on a humble devotee of Khilafat, it is currently available online (it is sometimes easier to access by googling WikiAhmadiyya.org and then clicking the link). The website was accompanied by Twitter, YouTube and Google accounts with supporting materials.

Moving on to MTA From 2016, Syed Taalay Ahmed was appointed in the MTA News department.

It was from here that he continued his work producing content, some of it as online resources available for people to access. This work, of course, was more visual, using the tool of the camera. Many Ahmadis will have seen his documentaries and the programmes he produced and, insha-Allah, will continue to do so.

There are many aspects to Syed Taalay Ahmed’s life that perhaps could be mentioned: sports accomplishments and interests; wide-ranging study of literature; interest in TV and film (partially for the purpose of his work); a keen commentator on current affairs and politics; a wonderful son, neighbour, family man, and in due course, I am sure these will also be remembered, insha-Allah.

By the grace of Allah, however, like hundreds of thousands (if not more) Ahmadi brothers and sisters around the world, Taalay’s most fervent desire was to serve as a humble devotee of Khilafat.

“He fulfilled the pledge he made with me and did justice to it.” (Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa, Friday Sermon, 3 September 2021) #HumbleDevoteeOfKhilafat (To be continued...)

Removing misconceptions: Inter-religious event at Noor Mosque, Belize Maham Warraich Belize Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belize had the opportunity to hold an event on the Religious Founders Day at the newly constructed Noor Mosque. This programme was the first of its kind to be held in the new mosque.

For this event, honourable speakers were invited from six different religions to engage the audience in a friendly discussion about their respective beliefs. Each speaker was encouraged to share the origins of their faith, specifically the founder, and use this platform, not only to create awareness, but also to dispel any misconceptions that are often tied to their beliefs.

The perspectives present at the event included members from Rastafarianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Luccumi, Mormonism and Islam. Through this initiative, members from the community of Belize were given the opportunity to enlighten one another with the truth behind their religious teachings.

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belize made an extensive effort to abide by all of the restrictions posed by Covid-19. The mosque was set up in a way to minimise close contact between all attendees.

The programme began with the recitation from the Holy Quran followed by a welcome address presented by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Belize.

Following this, each speaker addressed and spoke on the foundational aspects behind their beliefs.

For the benefit of the attendees, a question and answer session was arranged so that the audience could inquire directly about a certain topic.

This event highlighted the essence of what Islam really is; to bring people together from different walks of life and remember our Creator. Throughout the programme, it was evident that those in attendance developed a sense of acceptance of one

another, remembering that every religion stems from divine light and centres on attaining a righteous purpose in this life.

An inter-religious event like this being held at the mosque also helps alter the

perspective of the public on Islam and mosques in general. Instead of being a space that is meant only for Muslims, it is a communal setting that welcomes people from the entire community of Belize.

Kenyan Khuddam and Atfal participate in educational Jamaat classes in the North Coast region, Kenya Tahir Ahmad Machengo Kenya Correspondent

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya North Coast Region, Kenya had the opportunity to organise tarbiyat classes in five of their majalis.

These classes could not be held jointly at the headquarters due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.

These separate tarbiyat classes were held from 10 October to 5 December 2021.

The five majalis included Kajuaje, Mombasa, Nzovuni, Mariakani and Mwakijembe. A total of 72 Khuddam, 64 Atfal and 20 Ansar attended these tarbiyat classes.

The speeches delivered during the classes included topics such as the foundation

and objectives of Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya and Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya, the financial system of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, major differences between Ahmadi and non-Ahmadi Muslims, the importance of learning and teaching the Holy Quran and importance of salat.

Regional Missionary-in-charge, Sheikh Basharat Tahir Sahib, in his addresses urged

all Atfal and Khuddam to learn and practice what they were taught during the classes in their daily lives. He encouraged them to focus on five daily prayers and try to pray in congregation. He also informed them of their responsibilities as members of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya and Majlis Atfalul-Ahmadiyya, and to honour their pledge.

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

Coming from every distant track

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Theodore Leighton Pennell, English Protestant missionary and doctor, visits Qadian: Part II A series looking at the high standard of morals of the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa when receiving visitors in Qadian

Tahmeed Ahmad Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC)

In the previous part of this series, I quoted Dr TL Pennell from his book, Among the Wild Tribes of the Afghan Frontier. Let us now have a look at what Al Hakam (Urdu) had to say about his visit to Qadian.

A full report on his visit and stay can be found in Al Hakam divided into two parts with the headline “An English Missionary in Qadian”. The first part can be found in the 10 January 1904 edition and the second in the next edition, dated 17 January 1904. In the Al Hakam articles, Dr Pennell is being referred to as “Doctor Sahib”. The first editor of Al Hakam, Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira writes: “On the morning of 4 January 1904, a plain brown bearded sufi/faqir [mystic] with blue eyes, in ochre-coloured clothing, wearing a turban of the same colour, thick native shoes on his bare feet, spectacles on his eyes, riding a bicycle, with a companion who was riding another bicycle and wore similar clothing, landed in Qadian. He said, ‘I have come to meet Mirza Sahib’. People brought him to the Madrasa Talim-ul-Islam where the headmaster of the madrasa, Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib, after finding out from his appearance and accent that he was an Englishman dressed in traditional clothing, immediately prepared a resting place for him out of hospitality and enquired about the situation. It turned out that this was Dr Pennell who was an Englishman and a missionary doctor for the Church of England. He has been working in Bannu for eleven years and can speak and understand Pashto and Urdu and has now departed from Bannu in the guise of a beggar with the intention of meeting Muslims and Hindu elders, whilst also preaching on the way. He says that he intends to reach Calcutta in a period of four months and has come here by bicycle, intending on making the next journey by bicycle as well. Doctor Sahib’s companion was a young boy whom Doctor Sahib called his adopted son and portrayed him to be a Muslim. However, he was a spitting image of Doctor Sahib in all matters.

“The editor and other friends who met with Doctor Sahib had all insisted that when Doctor Sahib had ventured out to see the elders of different religions in different places, there was no other place more deserving of prolonging his stay [than Qadian], since here lives such a great and glorious person, community and religious

Theodore Leighton Pennell

sect that has currently no equal in terms of claim and its apparent results. However, Doctor Sahib had already decided that he would not stay for more than a day at any one place and could not cancel his plan due to the Promised Messiahas not feeling well.

“Thus, Doctor Sahib left the next morning without meeting the Promised Messiahas. Nevertheless, in this short period, Doctor Sahib was able to witness much from the members of this blessed community.

Therefore, we will now briefly present a few words from Hazrat Maulana Maulvi Nuruddin Sahib’s lecture that Doctor Sahib listened to and a dialogue he had with Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib.

“Whilst listening, Doctor Sahib would silently nod his head in agreement, saying, ‘Yes, yes’, but we will also present any questions or comments Doctor Sahib might have made during the conversation.”

Al Hakam has given a detailed report on the lecture given by Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddinra which Dr Pennell attended. I will only briefly mention the part that later becomes a topic of discussion between Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra and Dr Pennell.

Editor of Al Hakam, Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira continued: “A student read out a hadith that instructed to read a portion of the Holy Quran during every rak‘at [unit]. Hazrat Maulana said that this was done so that the Holy Quran would be preserved with its original statement and text. Furthermore, since then, the Holy Quran has been preserved by memorisation and there can

be no doubt as to the authenticity of the Holy Quran, unlike the Torah and the Gospels that have been buried under many doubts and suspicions. According to most Christian researchers, a large portion of it is fake and not written by the people to whom it is attributed and the Gospels in their original languages are completely lost to the world.

“During this lesson, students read out several times mentions of different locations where various chapters of the Holy Quran had been revealed to the Holy Prophetsa.

Hazrat Maulana said that it is clear from this that the arrangement of verses and chapters of the Holy Quran has been preserved since the time of the Holy Prophetsa and it is absolutely wrong to say that someone, later on, arranged the order of verses and chapters etc.”

The discussion that ensued between Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra and Dr Pennell was mainly in regard to the prophecy made by the Promised Messiahas pertaining to John Hugh Smyth Pigott and John Alexander Dowie. They later speak on the authenticity of the Gospels too, only to come back to the prophecy at hand.

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “Faith is a great wealth and a great blessing. All the righteous prophets, saints and their sincere friends and followers that have come to this world were victorious because of the power of faith, leaving a lasting impact on the world. It was faith that dried up the sea for Moses, it was faith that cooled the fire for Abraham, it was faith and only faith that saved Christ from the cursed death of the cross. Faith is the thing about which Christ tells his disciples in the Gospel, ‘If you have faith equal to the grain of a mustard seed, then if you tell a mountain to get up from here and go somewhere, it will do so’. Whenever this faith disappears from the world and people become discouraged and uncertain, Allah the Almighty sends a person in this world to restore this lost faith by showing miracles and through the strength of his own faith […]

“At present, in the countries of Europe and America, the dishonesty and disrespect for the word of God, the denial of miracles, supernatural events and the disrespect of the prophets are taking place. All of this is the result of the fact that there is no one among the Christians in these countries who possesses the same level of faith that Christ himself mentioned; if you have faith equal to a grain of mustard seed, you can lift a mountain from one place to another.

That is, even the most difficult and tedious of tasks will become easier for you.

“So, we read in the books, magazines, newspapers and in the personal letters that are coming to us from Europe and America, we read every day that the scholars and learned of these countries consider the Bible to be false, wrong, a lie, mythical and absurd. These words are not only limited to those countries alone but also in India last year in Calcutta and this year in Lahore, some priests have said these very things in their lectures. Doctor Sahib, you must have heard of them.”

Dr Pennell: “I myself was present at this lecture in Lahore.”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “Then, at a place where all the clergy were present and the Bible was being attacked so severely, did anyone respond?”

Dr Pennell: “Yes, some objected.”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “The Civil [and Military Gazette] newspaper published that lecture, but no mention of the objections of that time were made. Why?” Dr Pennell: “The Civil newspaper did not publish the objections at the time, but later published the objections Father Norman had made.”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “Answers to his objections were also printed by the Civil newspaper but, they later refused to publish further objections made on the answer given, which shows that maybe the viewpoint of the Civil newspaper is similar to that of other eminent and scholarly Christians.”

Dr Pennell: “Maybe so.”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “The priest who gave this lecture in a crowded meeting full of clergy and said that the Bible is often full of unreliable and false narrations. Also, that the miracles it contains are questionable stories. Who is this gentleman and what does he do?”

Dr Pennell: “The lecturer is Father Peep Worth. He is the religious head of this large church in Lahore which was built for the sake of the British railway employees.”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “Good.

When this is the religion of the religious heads, then what would be the condition of their poor followers? However, when European scholars do not believe the Bible to be true, then their religion should not be called Christianity.”

Dr Pennell: “To me, these people have become atheists.”

Continued on next page >>

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Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “Then, instead of coming here, why don’t you spread your mission to Europe and America in order to correct them?”

Dr Pennell: “Missionaries are also working over there, but it is written that disbelief will spread a lot in the Latter Days.

These researchers are completely denying miracles. What do you think about them?”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “Just as I was saying before. First of all, from the very beginning, the Holy Quran has been protected by God Almighty in such a way, through memorisation, that from the time of the Holy Prophetsa till today, the Holy Quran has been preserved by hundreds of thousands of huffaz who have memorised the Holy Quran in every age. They keep reciting it to each other and in prayers, leaving no possibility for any mistakes. So, no one can ever object that any part of the Holy Quran is wrong, fake, unreal or that it has been distorted as it has been said about the Gospels. It seems to be absolutely true because for once, the original Gospels are nowhere to be found and the translation is the thought of the translator, whatever he made of it was published and his own thought has been spread throughout the world, not the original word. Then there are thousands of doubts as to who wrote these words and who did not and how reliable the writers were etc.”

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra spoke at great length regarding prophecies and the acceptance of prayer. He gave examples of various prophets leading up to the Promised Messiahas and how God had aided them in the face of enemies and against all odds. He said: “Similarly, we have Barahin-eAhmadiyya which was published about 22 years ago, containing a revelation of Hazrat Mirza Sahib which was published even before that: ‘People will come to you from far and wide’, and another revelation published quite some time ago is, ‘You will have four sons’. At that time, there was no sign of these things. No one came from outside and even the people of Qadian themselves were less familiar with Hazrat Mirza Sahib. Today, after 25 or 30 years, those words are being fulfilled as clear as day in the face of fierce opposition of the opponents. Is this the work of man?

“If all the people of the world were to engage in the same desperate effort to prevent the fulfilment of these revelations, as some have been doing and are still doing, they would all be helplessly defeated [in their purpose] and this miracle is being displayed and will continue as clear as day.

“Furthermore, many Christians, Arya and non-religious opponents grouped together, wanting to charge Hazrat Mirza Sahib with attempted murder and filed a big case. A boy also testified and his testimony was given against Hazrat Aqdas Mirza Sahib before two magistrates. There was no hope of survival, but the Promised Messiahas had been informed of this incident and its acquittal in advance, something we had all heard [beforehand] and then exactly that happened. God touched the heart of the Magistrate Mr Douglas, He set him on the path of justice and righteousness and Hazrat Sahib survived and all became his opponents. So was this not a great miracle?

Like this, there are many other events which we are witnessing day and night in the company of Hazrat Aqdas and everyone living here can see them.

“Apart from the miracles that appeared at the hands of these [chosen] people and that also becomes a means of guidance for others, we have the miracle of the acceptance of prayers; Allah the Almighty hears and accepts the prayers of His chosen ones. Hence, we find many examples of this in the life of prophets and saints. For example, when a great calamity befell Jesus Christ and his enemies crucified him (i.e., intended to kill him with a cursed death), Jesus wept all night and bowed before Allah and prayed that may this disaster be averted and at the same time, said, ‘That is not for my sake but for Your will’. Thus, Allah heard his prayer and saved him from this cursed death (as is clear from the letter of Hebrews that his prayers were accepted due to his piety).”

Dr Pennell: “Why should it be said that despite being a prophet, he [Jesus] was afraid of death even though Maulvi Abdul Latif was not afraid of death despite not being a prophet?”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “It is true that prophets do not fear death, nor do their companions fear such misery. However, the death of a prophet in such a manner disintegrates their whole mission, the truth falls victim to doubt, the work remains incomplete and their life becomes a cause of error for humanity instead of guidance.

(Also, according to the Torah, to die on the cross is a curse, and death on the cross, according to Jewish law, is to be considered a liar and sinful one, not a righteous person.

It was, therefore, important to seek refuge in the presence of Allah the Almighty from such a death. Editor [Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira]) and the martyrdom of Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Latif Sahib was a great blessing and became a great service to this community. Hence, at this time delivering the announcements of Hazrat Aqdas and preaching of religion can be archived to all over the world, through postage, etc. But Afghanistan is an area where no book, announcement or sermon can be sent and it was the intention of Allah the Almighty that this country should also be preached the message of His prophet, the news of his coming and the research done on the death of Jesus Christ. For this reason, through His perfect wisdom, He published an announcement of blood in this country, which will soon be known to the whole world, but even now there is a prophet among us in this world, to whom God Almighty has promised through divine revelation that he will be around 80 years of age. Although the opponents were able to martyr Maulvi Abdul Latif because of a greater means, no one will be able to martyr this prophet whom Allah the Almighty has made a promise to.

“It must be understood that Allah the Almighty saved Christ from death on the cross, he was then taken down from the cross in a state of unconsciousness and placed in a cave-like grave. Furthermore, it is a medical phenomenon that the heat of the earth becomes very useful for the human body in gaining consciousness in certain cases. Remember that Christ’s short stay on the cross is a great testimony to the fact that God saved him from crucifixion.

We have read the sayings of Josephus, the

great Jewish historian, that when some of the criminals who had been hanged for three days on the crosses of that time were taken down, they were still alive and well [and] given some treatment. So, it would not be a surprise for Christ to come down alive after a few hours on the cross – but it would be a surprise if he died in such a short time – and then when he recovered, he stayed there for a few days and left for the East. He came to Kashmir which was then inhabited

by Jews, and spent the rest of his life there.

Thus, the history of his tomb testifies that it is the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth.”

Dr Pennell: “But the disciples testify that he went to heaven.”

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra: “You should think that if, in this day and age, the government orders the execution of someone and he, somehow, manages to escape, will his friends announce it to the people, that he has escaped the execution?

Not at all. Rather, they would keep the matter a secret so that their friend would not be caught again and hanged. There was no point in revealing the secret to someone, endangering the life of Jesus Christ again and perishing with him.

“The disciples thought it best for Christ to go to a distant land, they went with him to the foot of a mountain to bid him farewell and when he had said ‘goodbye’ to them, he went up the mountain as they were left looking at it from below. As you know, clouds descend on the mountains. Thus, he hid in a cloud and, the disciples metaphorically described the event as falling into a cloud and ascending to heaven. This is something they had to do.

“Let me now turn to my original topic that Allah the Almighty hears the prayers of

His chosen ones. He heard Christ’s prayer.

Hence, the acceptance of prayer is a miracle and sign for the people. That is why the Promised Messiahas has called the false claimant of this time, Pigott and Dowie, for a contest on the acceptance of prayer. He who is truthful, is from God. It is necessary that God, by His grace and favour, listens to his prayers and humiliates those who oppose him. The challenge of Pigott and Dowie is a big sign for Europe and America, this sign is being fulfilled and will be fulfilled, whether or not Pigott and Dowie respond to this announcement.”

Now that our readers have had the opportunity to read both the viewpoint of Dr Pennell and the Jamaat, one can get a complete picture of the doctor’s visit to Qadian, another manifestation of the prophecy, “People will come to you from every distant track”.

For Dr Pennell, it was unfortunate that he could not meet the Promised Messiahas; however, the high morals and characteristics of the companions were highlighted during this incident – no doubt, these morals were a result of the blessed presence and nearness of the Promised Messiahas. His teachings, guidance and moral example transformed the people around him, a fact the doctor was witness to.

Today, the same teachings and guidance live on in the form of his writings and his successors, namely the blessed institution of Khilafat.

We also ought to set a similar example as the Companionsra of the Promised Messiahas and display his teachings to the world through our own beings, a task that should be fulfilled by every Ahmadi Muslim.

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

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100 Daily diary of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II: Sikh Years family converts to Islam, origin of Gurmukhi, Ago...

Gandhi and Malviya, and difference between prophets of God and worldly leaders Al Fazl, 22 December 1921

spared of all these dangers [if they follow me].’ However, there is no moderate leader among the Muslims. Those Muslims who are government employees cannot claim leadership and the rest are extremists. Thus, just as Muslims were blamed for the mutiny of 1857, the same will happen here.”

Due to the large number of articles related to Jalsa [Salana Qadian] and the lengthy, yet very important and necessary sermons of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], the diary could not be published at regular intervals.

In order to keep that series regular, it was considered appropriate to give below the next [daily] diary [of Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra] that, in sequence, comes after the previously published diary. (Editor, Al Fazl,1921)

20 November 1921 Gandhi Ji’s repentance Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said “Mr Gandhi has declared his mistake that India is also not capable of civil disobedience and for this he has come up with a punishment that his associates should fast week after week. For Muslims, this type of fasting is against the shariah [divine law].

If they keep [such fasts], they will commit an act against the shariah and as far as the Hindus are concerned, their fast is not to eat bread and they can use everything else.

There is no harm in that for them.”

18 November 1921 A Sikh converts to Islam A Sikh by the name of Muhammad Yusuf Sahib, who recently converted to Islam and writes articles in Payam [newspaper] met Huzoor[ra]. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih asked him when he converted to Islam. He said that he [accepted Islam] seven years ago and that his whole family had also converted to Islam.

Origin of Gurmukhi Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf Sahib, editor Nur [Akhbar], was also present. Whilst talking about Sikhs, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “The Gurmukhi language should be studied as to when it originated and when its harakat [vowel points] etc. were invented.”

Sheikh Sahib (editor Nur [Akhbar]), submitted that the Sikhs credited its initiation to Guru Angad. Huzoor[ra] said: “This is a one-sided statement. The people of every religion claim their religious language to be ancient, just as the Hindus claim about Sanskrit. However, we have to see what history decides after investigation and cross-examination. According to this principle, the statement of the Sikhs gives us the last estimation about their religious language, but we also have to look at the statements of impartial non-religious researchers to see what they have to say about the said language. If it is known through research that the harakat were invented after the origination of the [Gurmukhi’s] script, then many beneficial matters can come to light in support of Islam that are related to Sikhs.”

19 November 1921 Violence by non-cooperators in Bombay Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said: “When the Prince of Wales arrived in Bombay [now Mumbai], a riot occurred.

Several policemen were killed and a few rioters also face the consequences.”

Huzoor[ra] said: “Non-violence is an excuse. Otherwise, the revolutionaries in every country preach against violence in the first place in order to

Khilafat Centenary 3: Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih | 187 had threatened to II stopTARIQ eating, Hazrat escape the clutches of the government, butSpecial Edition—Part eventually, every revolutionary movement Khalifatul Masih[ra] said: ends with violence.”

“It is completely against the shariah [divine law] of Islam to commit suicide.”

Another difference between prophets and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: [worldly] leaders “Foreign women had gone on a hunger On the mention of the leader of the non- strike but the doctors there treated them. cooperation movement, especially Mr The said women would not open their Gandhi, who has repeatedly said that he mouths but the doctor put a rubber tube in would get Swaraj at the end of December, their noses and delivered sufficient milk to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: their stomachs.”

“There is a lot of difference between the Mr Gandhi and Malviya share the same prophets of God and these people [worldly goal leaders]. They present their claim after being blessed with knowledge from God Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] said: ّ ٰ َ َ َّ ْ َ َّ ُ and at the same time they say, ‫ِإل� أن �ﺸﺂء الله‬ “The current situation is indicating [‘Unless Allah wills’]. On the other hand, that Muslims are going to get into trouble. how is it that the said people, who have no I consider Mr Gandhi and Pandit Malviya light [divine guidance] from God, fearlessly to be one and the same. Both are striving make claims [about something] the outcome for the same goal, but their methods are different. If Mr Gandhi succeeds, then well of which they do not know.” and good, but if not and there is chaos and Treatment of hunger strike in Europe destruction, then Malviya will say, ‘I am the On the mention of the fact that Dr Kitchlew leader of the Hindus and the Hindus will be

If the entire world shifts to charkha [spinning wheel], then the production of khaddar will increase On the mention of khaddar, Huzoor[ra] said: “Now [khaddar] is being made even in foreign countries. The collapse of Manchester etc. is not possible with the [stoppage of] charkha [spinning wheel] of India alone because it cannot even meet the demands over here. However, if the whole world leaves the machines and relies on the spinning wheel, then it is possible that India will progress, as there are two ways of advancing: “1. Either a person himself gets ahead of others “2. Or grabs others and pushes them back.

“If one neither wants to go ahead, nor push others back, then advancement is impossible. If the entire world shifts to the spinning wheel, then India can surpass the rest of the world; otherwise, it is not possible.”

Consuming kidney can be useful Regarding the kidneys, Huzoor[ra] said: “Recently, new medical research has been conducted. It states that the consumption of kidney is useful because for those germs that go inside the human body by air, the kidney serves as a cleaner. Scientists have a saying that a person who does not eat kidney at all will die and those who eat too much of it will also die.”

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 22 December 1921 issue of Al Fazl)

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Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya’s role in Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch

A group of young Ahmadis from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, Qadian

Ata-ul-Haye Nasir Al Hakam

There are around 50 Muslim countries in the world, and Indonesia is the largest Muslim country with a population of around 270 million, comprising of around 17,500 islands.

In 1923, four youngsters from Sumatra – Maulvi Abu Bakr Ayub Sahib, Maulvi Ahmad Nuruddin Sahib, Maulvi Zaini Dahlan Sahib and Haji Mahmud Sahib – came to India for religious education. In August 1923, Allah’s decree drew them to Qadian after their visit to Calcutta, Lucknow and Lahore.

These youngsters met with Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and requested for their religious education and training to be arranged. Huzoorra accepted the request and arranged for their education. While studying, the truthfulness of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised

Messiahas developed in their hearts and they accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat.

After swearing allegiance in Qadian, the youngsters wrote preaching letters to their relatives in Indonesia, thus paving the way for preaching of Ahmadiyyat in Indonesia.

On Huzoor’s return from his tour of Europe in 1924, several receptions were held in his honour. The Indonesian youngsters also arranged a tea party on 29 November 1924, in which they presented an Arabic address, and Huzoorra also delivered an Arabic address in response.

(Al Fazl, 4 December 1924, p. 2) During this event, the Indonesian students spoke to Huzoorra in regard to preaching the message of Ahmadiyyat in Indonesia.

Thus, Huzoorra sent Hazrat Maulvi Rahmat Alira to Indonesia to establish the Ahmadiyya mission there. He departed for Indonesia on 17 August 1925 and in September, reached Tapak Tuan, a small

town in Sumatra.

He established the first jamaat (chapter) in Indonesia within a few months, with eight people performing bai‘at, and the first Ahmadiyya mosque built in 1937.

Since the beginning, Jamaat-eAhmadiyya had to face severe opposition in Indonesia, despite the fact that Indonesian Ahmadis have a long history of serving the country with great passion.

Ahmadis had also played a great role in Indonesia’s independence movement as well.

Indonesia had been under the Dutch rule since the 17th century until 1942, when the Japanese invaded during World War II. On 15 August 1945, when Japan surrendered to the allied forces, Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the Japanese expeditionary forces in Southeast Asia, promised to Dr AR Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta – Indonesian

nationalist leaders – for an immediate transfer of sovereignty.

On 17 August 1945, Dr Sukarno proclaimed Indonesian independence and announced the establishment of a new government. The Dutch did not recognise the establishment of this government. They attempted to regain their control over Indonesia, which erupted a huge conflict. Thus, a new phase of Indonesia’s struggle for its sovereignty began. (www.britannica.com/place/ Indonesia/Toward-independenc) At the time of this announcement, Maulana Muhammad Sadiq Sahib who was serving as an Ahmadi missionary in Sumatra, wrote to Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra for his guidance on some matters related to the ongoing happenings.

The missionary stated that though the Indonesians had announced their independence and established the

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 government, the allied forces did not recognise their government. He asked whether or not, in view of Islamic teachings, obedience to such a government was obligatory on the public, or whether it was a rebellious government.

Huzoorra said that only such a government could be valid which got the support from the country’s majority, and if the majority of the country formed an independent government, then it would not be called rebellious as per the shariah.

Huzoorra added that in his view, the Western governments would not allow a completely sovereign government, thus a compromise would be more beneficial.

The second question was whether the Indonesian Ahmadis could partake in the freedom movement.

Huzoorra replied that if the Indonesian government held the majority’s support, then it was a valid government, and thus, as per the shariah, Ahmadis should follow the government’s plans.

The third question was that in case the Dutch invaded the country and Indonesians tried to retaliate, what should the Ahmadis do.

Huzoorra stated that the best option would be to get as many rights as possible and make a conciliation. In case the government held the majority’s support, then the Ahmadis should support it, but as the Dutch would have the support from the Western powers, it would be unwise for the Indonesians to not reconcile with them. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 9, pp.

588-589) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra wanted the Indonesians to get their due rights by way of conciliation, which would have eventually resulted in their sovereignty, instead of acting too aggressively.

On 16 August 1946, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra called the attention of the Muslim world to support the freedom movement of Indonesia.

Huzoorra stated that there were around 70 million Muslims in Indonesia, who belonged to one nation, spoke a common language and had a desire for unity as well.

He said: “The Indonesian Muslims have shown a great example of their unity, while striving for their independence, and such an example is not even found in the Arab countries […] The Indonesian islands have displayed such great excellence from which the other Islamic world has been deprived. They have a united voice […]

During the last few months, the Dutch tried their utmost to create differences among them, but did not succeed.

Regretfully, other Islamic countries do not sense the beauty of unity […]

“Singapore is the key to the Asian countries, and that too cannot remain separate from the [Indonesian] islands because it is a part of these [islands] with respect to race and language. And if Singapore is in the grip of a nation, then other countries would feel compelled to make peace with it.” (Al Fazl, 27 August 1946, p. 3) Huzoorra continued: “If these islands become independent, they could serve as a huge source for

27

Maulvi Abu Bakr Ayub, Abu Bakr Bugendo Maharajo, Ratopoti Dumang and Hazrat Maulvi Rahmat Ali with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, Qadian

spreading the Islamic teachings and Islam’s majesty. But regretfully, other Islamic countries have raised very minimal voices in favour of these islands, and shown very little sympathy for them. This is an area where the Muslims are in the majority […]

The Muslims should exert every possible effort for the help of this area, and demand from the Dutch their independence […]

“A dire need of the time is that the Muslims should raise their voice in favour of their [Indonesian] brothers, in their newspapers, magazines and gatherings, and demand for their independence. If they are not helped and supported now, then I fear the Dutch will completely suppress the voice [of the Indonesians].”

(Ibid) Huzoorra stressed that the political future of the Asian Muslims was linked with the future of the Muslims of Java and Sumatra because no other country had Muslims united in such great numbers compared to Indonesia. Moreover, these islands could prove very beneficial for making good relations with other countries through seaways.

Huzoorra continued: “Our missionaries who are [present] in different countries should raise their voice [for Indonesia’s independence] and write articles in different magazines and newspapers in favour of Indonesia.

It is the duty of our own newspapers and magazines to raise this voice time and time again as much as possible, so that all those Muslims start supporting Indonesia’s independence, who learn about this through our newspapers and magazines […]

“Our missionaries are present in five European countries. Our missionaries are present in North and South America. If members of the Jamaat understand their duty, I think that they would definitely succeed in this cause with the grace of

God Almighty. Such articles should be published regularly in our newspapers and magazines, that state that the people of Java and Sumatra have the right to get independence. “[Indonesia] is a developed country

with respect to education and industry, and a smaller nation like the Dutch has no right to rule such a big nation with such a huge population. The very first benefit Continued on next page >>

Indonesia’s first President, Dr AR Sukarno meeting Ahmadiyya missionaries in Indonesia, Syed Shah Muhammad Sahib and Hafiz Qudratullah Sahib

28

Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

of the presence of a foreign government should be that it should protect the [ruled] country, but the Dutch government is not capable of protecting Indonesia from foreign attacks.” (Ibid, p. 4) Huzoorra further stated that such articles should be published in newspapers and magazines in which the Dutch should be told: “If they do not give independence to Indonesia, then there is a danger that communism will spread there, which will be dangerous for all other governments as well […] Your act of giving independence to Java and Sumatra, will not weaken you; rather, it will be a source of strength […] If you give them independence with love and peace, it will instil the emotions of love for you in their hearts. But if you oppress them, it will create a severe grudge against you in their hearts once they get independence from you.” (Ibid, p. 5) Huzoorra continued: “We have no interest in political matters, instead we are concerned with religious preaching. But we will exert every possible effort whenever the future of Islam is concerned […] and according to the requirements, we will continue to expand our efforts […] If the reason behind our special sympathy for the Arab [world] is that we have learned Islam from the Arabs, then the reason behind our special sympathy for the Indonesians is that after India, this area is at the forefront in accepting Ahmadiyyat. Thus, it is our duty to exert every possible effort for this country’s independence.” (Ibid) Then, during his Friday Sermon on 30 August 1946, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra stated: “The circumstances faced by the Muslims nowadays are very bleak. The identity of the Muslims in places such as India, Palestine, Egypt, Indonesia is in severe danger […] The Dutch government is leaving no stone unturned to enslave the Muslims in Indonesia […] So, all members [of the Jamaat] should especially pray these days. The other [non-Ahmadi] Muslims should also be urged to start praying, as there is no other remedy for

the Muslims. Until the Muslims step aside from worldliness and the pursuit of luxury and unite for offering all types of sacrifices […] success is impossible.” (Al Fazl, 10 September 1946, p. 2) During his Friday Sermon on 18 October 1946, Huzoorra stated: “Initially, Japan had occupied Sumatra and Java, then the sovereign Indonesian government was established. Then, the English tried to bring the Dutch there [again], and now a republican government is established there. There had been many trials for our Jamaat as well, and during the time of Japanese occupation, Ahmadis had been treated harshly […] When they had strongly revealed their intentions against Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, suddenly Allah the Almighty dissolved their government, and a republican government was established in Indonesia […]

“During the time of the republican government and even before that, when the people were only striving for the protection of their individual rights, our Jamaat supported the republican movement, and exerted efforts to capacity for the country’s independence. For this reason, when the republican government was established after the Japanese withdrawal, the overall treatment with our Jamaat was good.” (Al Fazl, 13 November 1946, p. 1) During his Friday Sermon on 10 September 1948, while describing the problems faced by the Muslim world, Huzoorra stated that the only solution to eradicate those problems was Muslim unity. (Al Fazl, 28 September 1948, p. 4) Through the Linggadjati Agreement of 15 November 1946 – signed on 25 March 1947 – the Dutch agreed to transfer sovereignty to Indonesia in due course. In July 1947, the Dutch, in an attempt to settle matters by force, initiated police action against the republic, and again in December 1948. Finally, the Dutch agreed in August 1949 to transfer sovereignty to Indonesia in December 1949. (www.britannica.com/place/ Indonesia/Toward-independence) During his Friday Sermon on 11 February 2011, while mentioning the Jamaat’s services for the independence of Indonesia, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa

Maulvi Abu Bakr Ayub Sahib

stated: “Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra raised a strong voice from the Indian subcontinent in favour of the Indonesian independence movement, and urged other Muslims to strongly support the Indonesian independence movement. This was stated

by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra in his Friday Sermon on 16 August 1946. Following this guidance, Ahmadi missions around the world, in addition to Qadian’s central press, were called on to raise their voices in support of the Indonesian independence movement. Eventually, Indonesia gained independence […]

“The Ahmadi missionaries and other [Indonesian] Ahmadis took part in the freedom movement under the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, and the Ahmadi missionaries and members of the [Indonesian] Jamaat worked along with the Republican government.

“Syed Shah Muhammad Sahib went to Yogyakarta and met with Dr Sukarno and requested him that he wished to serve the country by joining the freedom movement. He was also a missionary. In addition to some other works, President Sukarno gave him the task of broadcasting news in Urdu on the radio. In addition, Maulvi Abdul Wahid Sahib and Malik Aziz Ahmad Khan Sahib also worked on

Radin Muhyiddin Sahib

the radio for about two or three months.

“Syed Shah Muhammad Sahib enthusiastically joined this movement.

His enthusiasm was so great that a former interior minister [of Indonesia] said, ‘We recognise Syed Shah Muhammad Sahib as a member of our own nation.’ […] In recognition of the role played by Syed Shah Muhammad Sahib during the independence movement of Indonesia and the services rendered by him, Indonesia granted him a certificate of acknowledgement on 3 August 1957 […]

“During the independence movement in 1946, some Ahmadi members sacrificed their lives and were martyred. One of them was Radin Muhyiddin Sahib, president of Jamaat Indonesia, who was also the secretary of the Committee for Indonesia.

He was busy preparing for the celebration of the first independence day of Indonesia, when he was abducted by the Dutch forces, and martyred later.” (Khutbat-e-Masroor, Vol. 9, pp. 67-68) Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya played a great role in Indonesia’s independence, and the Indonesian Ahmadis continue to serve their country, despite facing severe opposition from their countrymen.

(Left) Baitul Anwar Mosque, Indonesia. (Right) Nasr Mosque, Indonesia

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021

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Friday Sermon 26 November 2021 Men of Excellence: Hazrat Umarra ibn al-Khattab After reciting the tashahud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated: People with knowledge, especially those who were well versed in the Holy Quran, were greatly esteemed in the eyes of Hazrat Umarra, whether they were youths, children or adults. There is a narration in Bukhari where Hazrat Ibn Abbasra relates: “Uyaina bin Hisn bin Huzayfa came to Medina and stayed with his nephew, Hur bin Qais, who was among those individuals who had the opportunity to sit close to Hazrat Umarra. The Qaris of the Quran, young and old alike, would sit near to Hazrat Umarra during his gatherings and they would also give various suggestions to him in relation to the Holy Quran. Uyaina said to his nephew, ‘O my nephew! You are honourable in the eyes of this chief. Therefore, seek permission for me to meet him.’ Hur bin Qais said, ‘I will seek permission for you to see him.’”

Hazrat Ibn Abbasra further narrates: “Hence, Hur sought permission for Uyaina and Hazrat Umarra granted him permission. When Uyaina approached him, he said, ‘O son of Khattab! What is the matter here? By God! You neither give us an abundance of wealth, nor do you make a fair decision with regard to the wealth between us.’ Hearing this, Hazrat Umarra became angry, so much so that he was just about to say something to him, when Hur said to Hazrat Umarra, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! Allah the Almighty has said to His Messengersa:

ْ َْ ْ ْ ْ ْ ْ ُ ْ �َ �‫ﺧ ِذ ال َعﻔوَ َوأ ُم ْﺮ ِبال ُع ْﺮ ِف َوأ� ِرض َع ِن ال َﺠا ِھ ِل‬

“‘“Take to forgiveness, and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.”

[7:200] This Uyaina is also from among the ignorant.’ By Allah! When Hur recited this verse before him, Hazrat Umarra immediately stopped and did not say anything. Hazrat Umarra would refrain [from doing anything] after hearing the Book of Allah!” (Sahih alBukhari, Kitab-ul-Tafsir, Surah al-A‘raf, Hadith 4642)

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira narrates an incident in relation to the court of Hazrat Umarra in the following manner. He says: “A chief came to the gathering of Hazrat Umarra and he was appalled seeing a 10-year-old child sitting there and thought what did boys have to do in such an esteemed gathering. Coincidentally, Hazrat Umarra became upset owing to something that the chief did. He called for a jallad [a person who was assigned to flog others with a whip] but that very same boy exclaimed:

َ َْ ْ َْ ‫َوال�ا ِﻇ ِم� َ� الﻐ ْیﻆ‬

“[and those who suppress anger (Ch.3: V.135)]

person who handed him the milk, ‘Where is this from?’ He replied by saying that he went to a spring and mentioned the name of the spring, where people were giving water to the Zakat camels. They milked the camels and brought some for him and he put it in a water bowl.’ Hazrat Umarra put his hand in his mouth and vomited the milk out saying that it belonged to Zakat and that he would not drink it.” (Al-Muwatta, Imam Malik, Kitab-ulZakat, Hadith 31, Ahya-ul-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1985)

Bara bin Ma‘rur’s son narrates, “Hazrat Umarra once came out of his home then stood at the pulpit. At the time, he was unwell and was prescribed some honey for his illness. There was a pot of honey in the treasury. Hazrat Umarra said to the people, ‘If you permit me, I shall take this, otherwise, it is not permissible for me.’ The people permitted him to do so.” (Al-Tabaqat

al-Kubra Li Ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 147, Dar-ul-Ahaya alTurath Al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)

“And then recited [the verse]:

ْ َْ ْ ْ �َ �‫َو ا� ِرض َع ِن ال َﺠا ِھ ِل‬

“[and turn away from the ignorant.

(Ch.7: V.200)] “The boy then said: ْ َْ َ َ ٰ ��ِ‫اہل‬ ِ �‫ہذا ِمن ال‬ “[He is also from among the ignorant.]

The complexion of Hazrat Umar’sra face changed and he remained silent. At that time, his brother”, i.e. the brother of the boy who said this, “said, ‘You see, that very same boy, whom you considered inferior, has saved you.’” (Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 2, p. 122) There is a narration with regard to how Hazrat Umarra would ensure the moral upbringing of children. Yusuf bin Yaqub said, “Ibn Shihab said to me, my brother and my cousin when we were still young children, ‘You should not consider yourself inferior based on the fact that you are children. The reason for this is that whenever Hazrat Umarra encountered a certain issue, he would gather the children and seek their suggestions as well and he did this with the aim of sharpening their minds.’” (Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 165, Egypt, Al-Azhar)

During the Battle of Uhud, when the

situation changed and the Muslims suffered great losses, at that time, Abu Sufyan called out three times – this incident is in relation to Hazrat Umarra’s sense of honour – “Is Muhammad among you?” The Holy Prophetsa instructed the companions not to reply. Abu Sufyan then called out three times and asked, “Is the son of Abu Quhafah among you?” He then asked three times, “Is Ibn al-Khattab among you?” Thereafter, he returned to his men and stated, “All of these people have been slain.” Upon hearing this, Hazrat Umarra was unable to restrain himself and stated, “O enemy of Allah! By God, you have spoken a lie! Those whom you have named are all alive and there is a great share of misfortune destined for you.”

Abu Sufyan replied, “Consider this day to be a recompense for Badr. And battle is like a pail, at times, it rises and at times it falls.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad, Hadith 3039)

Then, in relation to how particular Hazrat Umarra was about safeguarding the wealth of the treasury, there is a narration of Zaid bin Aslam who says, “Hazrat Umarra bin al-Khattab drank milk, which he enjoyed.” Someone gave him a glass of milk, so he drank it and enjoyed it. “He asked the

In relation to the extent of his concern for protecting the wealth in the treasury, there is an incident that has been mentioned previously and I shall present it briefly now.

One afternoon, during the scorching heat, Hazrat Umarra was leading the camels to the grazing grounds that had been left behind in order to prevent them from getting lost. When Hazrat Uthmanra happened to witness this, he said, “Let us see to this task and you should come and sit in the shade.”

Hazrat Umarra replied, “You all sit in the shade, this is my responsibility and so I shall do it myself.” (Usdul Ghaba Fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahaba, Vol. 3, p. 667, Umar bin al-Khattab, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 2003)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has described this incident in the following manner: “In accordance with the promise of Allah the Almighty, the Muslims were granted riches, wealth, honour and status, yet they did not become neglectful of Islam.”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra is explaining that even if one has a lot of wealth, they must not become neglectful of their faith, the teachings of Islam and their duties.

He then states: “Hazrat Uthmanra relates, ‘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 […] a few moments later, that man arrived closer to my quarters and I realised that it was Hazrat Umarra. Upon seeing him, I

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Friday 24 December 2021 | AL HAKAM

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.’”

Hazrat Musleh Maudra then writes: “Allah the Almighty states:

ُْ َ َ ‫َعلی الْا َرآئِ ِک یَنظ ُر ْو َن‬

That is, they would be sat on thrones, yet their duty would be to constantly remain watchful. The bounties and comforts of this world would not make them idle. They would not be heedless seated on the couches; rather they would, at all times, be alert and attentive. They would tend to the rights of the people and would continue to fulfil their official duties in an excellent manner.” (Tafsire-Kabir, Vol. 8, pp. 314-315)

Once, Hazrat Umarra was delivering a sermon and said, “O people, if anyone from among you finds any fault in me, he should rectify it.” A man stood up and said, “If we find any crookedness in you, we will rectify it with our swords.” Hazrat Umarra said, “I am thankful to Allah that he has created such a man in this nation who would rectify Umar’s crookedness with his sword.” (Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 106, Dar-ul-Ma‘rifah Beirut)

As he was delivering his sermon, Hazrat Umarra said, “Enjoin me to do good and stop me from evil and help me by advising me.”

(Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi, p. 107, Dar-ul-Ma‘rifah Beirut) On another occasion, Hazrat Umarra said, “The person I like most is he who points out my shortcomings.” (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-

There is a narration with regard to equality; Saeed bin Musayyib relates that a Jew and a Muslim came to Hazrat Umarra with their dispute. Hazrat Umarra thought that the Jew was in the right, and passed the verdict in his favour. The Jew then said, “By God, you have made the correct decision.”

Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 222, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)

(Al-Muwatta, Imam Malik, Kitab-ul-Aqziya, narration no. 1425, Dar-ul-Fikr, 2002)

One day, a person came to Hazrat Umarra and began saying in front of a crowd, “O Umar, fear Allah.” Upon hearing this, some people became very angry and wished to silence him. Hazrat Umarra said to him, “There is no good in you if you do not explain the fault you see, and there is no good in us if we do not listen to it.” (Sirat Umar

Hazrat Anasra narrates that a person from Egypt came to Hazrat Umarra and said, “O Leader of the Faithful! I seek refuge with you from injustice.” Hazrat Umarra said, “You have chosen an excellent place of refuge.” The man said, “I had a race with the son of Amr bin al-Aas in which I overtook him. Upon this, he lashed me saying, ‘I am the son of an esteemed person, how dare you overtake me?’” Upon hearing this, Hazrat Umarra wrote a letter to Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas and summoned him along with his son. When Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas arrived, Hazrat Umarra asked for the Egyptian man and told him to take the whip and lash the son of Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas. Thus, the Egyptian man began lashing Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas’ son, while Hazrat Umarra was saying “Strike the son of the esteemed person”.

Hazrat Anasra further relates, “We were all pleased to see that he was hitting him, but he continued hitting him so much, that we wished he would stop. Then, Hazrat Umarra told the Egyptian man to strike Amrra bin al-Aas on the head. The Egyptian man said, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! His son hit me and I have taken retribution.’ Upon this, Hazrat Umarra said to Hazrat Amr bin al-Aas, ‘Since when have you started to enslave the people, whereas they were born free?’ Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas submitted, “O Leader of the Faithful! I had no knowledge of this incident, nor did this Egyptian man come to me.’” (Kanzul Ummal, Kitab-ul-Fazail, Vol. 6, narration no. 36005, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)

Once, Hazrat Umarra came in the possession of some wealth and he began distributing it among the people. People were crowded around, and Hazrat Saadra bin Abi Waqas began cutting in front of the people moving forward and reached Hazrat Umarra. Hazrat Umarra struck him with his whip and said, “You did not fear Allah’s authority on earth, and you cleaved through the crowd of people to reach the front. Thus, I thought I should inform you that Allah’s authority does not fear you either.” (Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 97, Darul-Ma’rifah Beirut)

There is a narration regarding the high degree of Hazrat Umar’sra forbearance.

There is a saying of Hazrat Umarra which is, “I am afraid of committing a mistake, and not being shown the error of my way because people fear me.” (Sirat Umar bin al-

Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 107, Dar-ulMa‘rifah Beirut)

bin al-Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 107, Darul-Ma‘rifah Beirut)

Hazrat Umarra explained to him that he should not make a general statement; rather, he should be specific.

One day, Hazrat Umarra stood to deliver a sermon to the people. He had only said, “O people, listen and obey” when a man interjected and said, “O Umar, we will not listen, nor will we obey.” Hazrat Umarra politely asked him, “O servant of Allah, why is this so?” He replied, “Because people were only able to make a shirt from the fabric that was distributed to everyone from the treasury, and were unable to make a full suit. You must also have received the same amount of fabric; how then do you have a full suit?” Hazrat Umarra told the man to stay where he was and summoned his son Abdullah. Abdullah said that he had given his share of fabric to his father so that his suit may be complete. People were satisfied upon hearing this and that man said, “O Leader of the Faithful, now I will listen and obey.”

(Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 107, Dar-ul-Ma‘rifah Beirut) There used to be ignorant people like this, but one would never hear such words uttered by the eminent companions who had been trained by the Holy Prophetsa.

People like this [aforementioned person] were those who became Muslim later on, or were impolite, uneducated and ignorant.

The preeminent companions never acted in this way; rather, they always showed complete obedience.

How did Hazrat Umarra implement the religious freedom afforded by Islam? After the conquest of Alexandria, its ruler sent a message to Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas saying, “Among the other Arab nations, I used to pay tax to more contemptable nations than you”, i.e. the Persians and Byzantines. “If you wish, then I am prepared to pay you a tax as well, on the condition that you free the prisoners of war from my area.”

Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas wrote a letter addressed to the Caliph, explaining the situation. Hazrat Umarra replied, “Suggest to the ruler of Alexandria that he should pay the tax, but the prisoners of war who are in your”, i.e. the Muslim’s “custody should be given the choice of either accepting Islam or to remain on the faith of their people.

Those who become Muslim will join the Muslims and will have the same rights and responsibilities as other Muslims. However, those who remain on their faith, will be subject to the same tax as others of their faith.” Hence Amrra bin al-Aas gathered all the prisoners and read to them the instructions received from the Caliph. Many of the prisoners became Muslims. (Tarikh alTabari, Vol. 2, pp. 512-513, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2012)

There is an incident which illustrates how careful Hazrat Umarra was when it came to religious freedom. Once, an elderly Christian lady went to Hazrat Umarra due to some need. Hazrat Umarra advised her, “Become a Muslim and you will be safe.

Allah sent Muhammadsa with the truth.”

She replied, “I am an old woman and death is drawing near.” He fulfilled her need; however, he feared that what he did would be likened to taking advantage of her need and forcing her to become Muslim. Thus, he sought repentance from Allah the Almighty for this and said, “O Allah, I only showed her the right path, I did not force her.” Thus, he was very careful in this regard. (Sirat Umar binaAl-Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 101, Darul-Ma‘rifah Beirut)

Then, there is another incident. Hazrat Umarra had a Christian slave whose name was Ashaq. He says, “I was Hazrat Umar’sra slave. He said to me, ‘Become a Muslim, so that I may seek your help in certain matters pertaining to the Muslims, as it is not appropriate for me to seek help from non-Muslims in matters that pertain to Muslims.’” The slave says, “However, I refused. Hazrat Umarra said:

ّ َ ْ َ ‫الدیْ ِن‬ ِ ‫لآ ِاک َراہ فِی‬

“That is, there is no compulsion in the religion of Islam [Ch.2: V.257]. When Hazrat Umarra was about to pass away, he freed me and said, ‘Go wherever you please.’” (Syyedna Umar bin al-Khattab Shakhsiyyat Aur Kaarname, Dr Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Urdu translation, p.184, AlFurqan, Muzaffar Ghar, Pakistan)

There is an incident regarding how Hazrat Umarra showed compassion and kindness to animals. Ahnaf bin Qais narrates: “We came as a delegation and gave Hazrat Umarra good news of a great victory.

Hazrat Umarra asked where we were staying, to which I replied that we were staying at such and such place. Hazrat Umarra started walking with me. We reached the place where the camels for our transportation were tied. After examining every single camel, Hazrat Umarra said, ‘You have no fear of Allah with regards to your mounts.

Do you not know that they have a right over you! Why did you not leave them free so they could graze freely on the grass?’” (Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 171, Dar-ul-Ma‘rifah Beirut)

Hazrat Umarra once saw a camel which was greatly fatigued and showed signs of illness. Salim bin Abdillah narrates that Hazrat Umarra bin al-Khattab placed his hand on the camel’s back next to an injury mark and said to himself, “I fear lest Allah

the Almighty questions me regarding you.”

(Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 217, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut)

Aslam narrates that on one occasion, Hazrat Umarra said, “I feel like eating fresh fish.” Yarfa, the name of one of Hazrat Umar’sra slaves, took his mount and rode four miles in both directions and bought a good quality fish. He then turned to the mount and washed it. In the meantime, Hazrat Umarra came and said to come with him. He saw the mount and then said, “You forgot to wipe the sweat underneath the ears. You put an animal through pain in order to fulfil Umar’s desire. By Allah! Umar will not even taste this fish.” (Kanzul Ummal, Kitab-ul-Fazail, Vol. 6, p. 287, narration no. 35966, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)

One afternoon, a delegation came from Iraq to see Hazrat Umarra in the summer months. Ahnaf bin Qais was also present in this delegation. Hazrat Umarra was wearing a turban and was applying pitch etc. on the camels for Zakat. Hazrat Umarra stated, “O Ahnaf! Take off your [outer] clothes and come and assist the Leader of the Faithful with this camel. It is a camel for Zakat.

Orphans, widows and the poor have a right over it.” (Kanzul Ummal, Vol. 3, p. 303, Kitab alKhilafah wa al-Imarah, Hadith 14303, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)

With regard to a reply given by Hazrat Umarra to a Jew, there is a narration by Tariq. He narrated from Hazrat Umar bin al-Khattab, “A Jewish man came to Hazrat Umarra and said, ‘O Leader of the Faithful!

There is a verse in your Book which you recite, if it was revealed to us’”, i.e. revealed to the Jews, “‘we would declare that day as a day of celebration.’ Hazrat Umarra asked which verse was it. The man replied:

ُ ُ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ ْ ْ َ َْ ‫ال َیوْ َم اک َمل ُت لَک ْم ِدیْنک ْم َو ات َم ْم ُت َعل ْیک ْم نِ ْع َم ِت ْی َو َر ِض ْی ُت لَک ُم‬ ً َ َْ ْ ‫ام ِدیْنا‬ ‫الاِسل‬

“‘This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion [Ch.5: V.4]’. Hazrat Umarra replied, ‘I can recall that day and the place where this verse was revealed to the Holy Prophetsa.

It was a Friday, and the Holy Prophetsa was standing in Arafat.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ulIman, Hadith 45)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states: “A Jew once said to Hazrat Umarra, ‘There is a verse in the Quran, if it was revealed in our scripture, we would decree that day as a day of celebration.’ Hazrat Umarra asked which verse it was. He replied:

ُ َ ُ ْ ْ َ َْ ‫ال َیوْ َم اک َمل ُت لَک ْم ِدیْنک ْم‬

“Hazrat Umarra replied, ‘That day was a double celebration for us, i.e. the day the verse was revealed it was a Friday and also the Day of Arafah.’” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 4, p.6) Some esteemed personalities have written about Hazrat Umarra. Ash‘ath narrates, “I heard Imam Sha‘bi say, ‘When there is a difference of opinion amongst the people over a matter, check what Hazrat Umarra decided about that matter, because Hazrat Umarra never took a step without seeking counsel.’” (Hulyatul Auliya, Vol. 4, pp. 304305, Narration no. 5841, Maktabatul Iman, 2007)

Imam Sha‘bi says, “I heard Hazrat Qubaisah bin Jabir say, ‘I remained with Hazrat Umarra bin al-Khattab. I have not seen a person who read the Book of Allah more than him, or who understood faith or one who taught and lectured better than him.’” (Tarikh Dimashaq al-Kabir Li Ibn Asakir, Vol.

AL HAKAM | Friday 24 December 2021 11, part. 21, p. 128, Dar-ul-Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 2001)

Hazrat Hasan Basrirh states, “When you wish to illuminate your gatherings, then remember [the life of] Hazrat Umarra abundantly.” (Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab, Ibn al-

Jawzi, p. 217, Egypt, Al-Azhar)

Mujahid narrates, “We would say to one another that in the time of Hazrat Umarra, undoubtedly, Satans were bound in chains [as it were]. When he was martyred, Satans began roaming around the land freely.” (Sirat

Umar bin al-Khattab, Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 217, Egypt, AlAzhar)

With regard to Hazrat Umarra, it is written that he had a fondness for poetry.

Although he did not compose any himself, he enjoyed listening to poetry. Hazrat Abdullahra bin Abbas narrates: “Once I set off with Hazrat Umarra on a journey. One evening, we were walking, when I went near to him, he hit the front of his pack-saddle with his whip and recited the following couplet: ُ َ َ ُ ْ ّٰ ‫ت الل ِہ یُق َتل‬ ِ ‫کذبْت ْم َوب َ ْی‬ ُ َ ُ َ ُ َ ُ ْ َ ُ َّ َ َ ُ َ ْ َ ‫اضل‬ ِ ‫أحمد ولما نطا ِعن دونہ ونن‬ َ ُ َ ُ ٰ ُ ‫َون ْسلِ ُمہ َح ّتى ن َص ّر َع َح ْول ُہ‬ َ َ َ َ َْ​َ ْ ‫ونذہل ع ْن أبْ َنائِ َنا َوالحَلائِ ِل‬ “‘You lie, I swear by the House of Allah’”, i.e. the Ka‘bah, “‘Ahmadsa cannot be martyred; as long as we stand guard and show the might of our spears and swords.

We will not leave his side until we are martyred fighting in his presence, and forget all about our sons, our wives and families.” َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫و َما ح َملت ِم ْن ناق ٍۃ ف ْوق َر ْحلِ َہا‬ َ ُ ً َ ٰ َْ َ َ َ ‫أب َ ّر و أوفى ذ ِّمۃ ِم ْن محَ ّم ِد‬ “‘No camel ever placed on its back a person greater in piety and one who fulfils their promise more than Muhammadsa.’”

(Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 577, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, 2012)

Dr Ali Muhammad Salabi, who is a historian, has written a book, Umar bin alKhattab: His Life and Times, in which he writes about Hazrat Umar’sra love for poetry.

He writes: “Amongst the al-Khulafa al-Rashidun, the one who presented examples by means of a couplet the most was Hazrat Umarra.

About him, some people have even written that there was hardly a decision he made and did not recite a couplet regarding it. It is written that Hazrat Umarra once wore a set of clothing and went outside. People began to look at him closely. Upon this, Hazrat Umarra gave them an example by way of the following couplet: ٗ ُ ُ َ ُْ َ َ ‫ل ْم تغ ِن ع ْن ہ ْرم ٍز ی َ ْو ًما خ َزائِ ُنہ‬ َُ َ َ ٌ َ ْ َ​َ َ َْ ُُْْ َ ‫اد فمَا خلد ْوا‬ ‫والخلد قد حاولت ع‬ َُ َ َ ْ َ َ َّ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ ْ ‫أین الملوک ال ِتی کانت نوا ِفلھا‬ ُ َ َ َْ ّ ُ ْ ‫ک ٌب ی َ ِفد‬ ِ ‫ِمن ک ِل أو ٍب إل ْیہا َرا‬ “‘Even the treasures of Hormizd did not save him from death, and the people of ‘Ad tried to live forever. Where are those kings, whose springs and waterholes would quench the thirst of the caravans coming from far and wide?’” (Syyedna Umar bin al-Khattab Shakhsiyyat Aur Kaarname, Dr Ali Muhammad AlSallabi, Urdu translation, p. 33, Al-Furqan, Muzaffar Ghar, Pakistan)

Ali Muhammad Salabi further writes: “Hazrat Umarra only liked those couplets which highlighted the beauty of the Islamic teachings; those that would capture the essence of Islam and those whose

meanings were not against the teachings or values of Islam. Hazrat Umarra would encourage the Muslims to memorise and learn exquisite couplets and would say that they contained gems which people searched for. Furthermore, it granted wisdom to the wise and guided people to adopt a noble character.

“With regard to the excellence of poverty, Hazrat Umarra also stated it was the key to unlock the heart and a way to promote positive emotions in a person.

Regarding the excellence and benefits of poetry, he would say that the best pastime of a person was for them to compose a few verses, which they could recite when needed; through it they could charm a noble and generous person and even attract the heart of a wretched one. He also had a passion to memorise poems from the poets of the ancient times, i.e. poets of the jahiliyya era [era of ignorance before the advent of Islam] because it had a deep connection with understanding and comprehending the Book of Allah. He would say, ‘Memorise your diwan [collection of poems], and you will save yourself from going astray.’ The people asked, ‘What is our diwan?’ Hazrat Umarra said, ‘Poems from the jahiliyyah period. They contain the commentary and meanings of your book’”, i.e. the Holy Quran. “This saying of Hazrat Umarra is affirmed from the saying of his student and commentator of the Holy Quran, Abdullah bin Abbas, whereby he stated, ‘If you read the Quran and are unable to understand it, then search for its meaning among Arabic couplets, because poetry is the Diwan of the Arabs.’” (Syyedna Umar bin al-Khattab Shakhsiyyat Aur Kaarname, Dr Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Urdu translation, p.336, Al-Furqan, Muzaffar Ghar, Pakistan)

Whilst mentioning Hazrat Umar’sra fondness of poetry, the famous biographer of the subcontinent, Allama Shibli Nomani writes in his book Al-Farooq: “Although Hazrat Umarra is not famous for being associated with poetry, and it is true that he would rarely compose poems, he had such an exquisite taste in poetry that this aspect cannot be left out of his biography. He had memorised countless couplets of a famous Arab poet and held his own opinion about the works of other poets.

Scholars of literature accept that in his time, there was nobody who would recite poetry more than him. Jahiz writes in his book, Al-Bayan wa Al-Tabyin, that in his time, Hazrat Umarra had the most knowledge and understanding of poetry. Hazrat Umar’sra love for poetry was such that if he heard a good couplet, he would enjoy it and keep on reciting it again and again. Although owing to his responsibilities as the Khalifa, he did not have the time to delve deeply into this pastime, because of his innate love for poetry, he had memorised hundreds and thousands of couplets. The scholars of literature say that his memory for recalling poetry was such that whenever he gave a verdict on a matter, he would always recite a couplet. He would only like those couplets which exhibited traits of self-control, freedom, nobility, honour or teaching a lesson. For this reason, he issued a mandate to the commanders of the army and governors of provinces to urge people to memorise poetry.

“To Hazrat Abu Musa Ash‘arira, he wrote, ‘Urge the people to memorise couplets because they personify lofty morals; show the correct opinions and guide to the path

31 of justice.’ The wording of the command he sent to all the provinces is as follows, ‘Teach your children swimming, horse riding as well as proverbs and good poetry’, i.e. to instil within them a passion for learning.

“It is worth noting that Hazrat Umarra eradicated many wrongful customs associated with poetry. At the time, it was a custom in all of Arabia that poets would mention noble women by name in their poems and openly express their love for them. Hazrat Umarra eradicated this custom and ordered a severe punishment for those guilty of this offence. Similarly, he declared lampooning in verse to be a crime and imprisoned Hautaya, who was famous for this.” (Al-Farooq, Shibli Nomani, pp. 330-333, Maktabatul Harmain, Lahore, 1431 AH)

Allama Shibli Nomani further writes: “In those days, the most renowned poet was Mutammam bin Numairah, whose brother was accidentally killed by Hazrat Khalidra during the Khilafat of Hazrat Abu Bakrra. This incident affected him so deeply that he would often cry and recite elegies about him. When he went to see Hazrat Umarra, he requested permission to recite an elegy and recited a few couplets. Hazrat Umarra said, ‘If I was able to recite an elegy, I would recite it for my brother Zaid.’ He said, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! If my brother was killed in the manner your brother was killed’”, i.e. if he was martyred, “‘I would never lament over his death.’ Hazrat Umarra would always recall that nobody was able to offer their condolences to him in the manner Mutammam did.” (Al-Farooq, Shibli Nomani, p.

345, Maktabatul Harmain, Lahore, 1431 AH)

With regard to Hazrat Umar’s virtues and attributes, the Promised Messiahas says: “Some prophecies are such that are manifested only once and they exhibit their majesty gradually, or they are fulfilled in the person of someone else. Such is the case with the prophecy of our Holy Prophetsa in which he said that he was bestowed with the keys of the treasures belonging to the Caesar and Chosroes. But it is evident that the Holy Prophetsa passed away before this prophecy was fulfilled; he neither saw the treasures of Chosroes or Caeser, nor the keys to them.

However, since it was decreed, those keys were granted to Hazrat Umarra because Hazrat Umarra in essence was a spiritual manifestation of the Holy Prophetsa. That is why in the spiritual realm the hand of Umarra has been declared to be the hand of the Holy Prophetsa.” (Ayam-us-Suluh, Ruhani ra

Khazain, Vol. 14, p. 265)

The Promised Messiahas further states: “It is vital to believe that Siddiq-e-Akbarra [Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra], Hazrat Farooqe-Umarra [Hazrat Umar Farooqra], Hazrat Dhul-Nurainra”, i.e. Hazrat Uthmanra, “and Hazrat Ali Murtazara were all the custodians of the faith. For Islam, Abu Bakrra was the second coming of Adam; similarly, if Hazrat Umar Farooqra and Hazrat Uthmanra did not show sincerity in the trust bestowed upon them, then it would be impossible for us to consider even one verse of the Quran to be from Allah the Almighty.” (Maktubaat-eAhmad, Vol. 2, p. 151, Letter no. 2 addressed to Hazrat Khansahib Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib, Rabwah)

The Promised Messiahas then states: “I have been granted in-depth knowledge from my Lord regarding Khilafat. And just like any scholar, I have also been able to delve into the depth of the matter and my Lord has revealed to me that Siddiq [Hazrat

Abu Bakrra], Farooq [Hazrat Umarra] and Uthmanra, may Allah be pleased with them all, were pious believers, who were among the chosen ones of Allah the Almighty and were favoured with the special bounties of the Gracious God. Furthermore, many of the wise have borne witness to their virtues.

They left their lands for the pleasure of the Honourable and Glorious God, they entered the furnace of every battle, and they cared not for the scorching midday heat of every summer, nor the cold of the night of every winter; rather, they marched forward upon the paths of their faith like youthful men, inclining neither to their own people, nor to others and they bade farewell to everything, all for the sake of the Lord of all the Worlds.

Their actions were imbued with a sweet fragrance and their deeds with an aroma.

“All of this points to the gardens of their rank and the orchards of their good deeds. Likewise, the aromatic breezes of their zephyr [soft, sweet-smelling wind] reveal their intricate qualities and their light becomes manifest to us with all its radiance.

Thus, you ought to ascertain their illustrious rank from the aroma of their fragrance and do not show haste and follow those who think ill. And do not rely on just certain narrations because they are filled with poison and exaggerations and they cannot be trusted. Many of those narrations are like a powerful and destructive wind and like the lightning which deceives one into thinking there is going to be rain. Thus, fear Allah and do not follow such narrations.”

(Sirrul Khilafah, Urdu translation, pp. 25-26)

The Promised Messiahas then states: “By God, Allah the Almighty enabled the Sheikhain i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra and also Dhul-Nurain [Hazrat Uthmanra] to be like the doors to Islam and they were at the forefront of every army of the Holy Prophetsa who was the best of the creation. Thus, one who denies their lofty honour and discredits the clear and irrefutable arguments in their favour and does not show respect to them; rather it dishonours them and vilifies and speaks ill of them, then I fear that he may meet a terrible end and will become completely devoid of faith. And those who caused them grief and cursed them and levelled allegations against them, consequently their hearts became hardened and they incurred the wrath of the Gracious God. I have countlessly observed and have openly expressed this as well that to hold malice and enmity against these noble men is one of the main factors that severs man’s bond with God, Who is the Bestower of blessings. Whoever bears enmity against them becomes completely deprived of mercy and benevolence and the doors of divine cognisance and wisdom are never opened for them and they are left to partake in the desires and pleasures of the world and they are thrown into the abyss of carnal desires and He casts them away from His divine threshold and they remain deprived. They”, i.e. the Rightly Guided Caliphs, “also faced hardships just like the prophets, and curses were hurled at them, just as they were hurled towards the Messengers. This shows that they were the heirs of the prophets and their reward on the Day of Judgement will be the same as the leaders of [past] nations and countries.

This is because when a believer is unjustly cursed and labelled a disbeliever, and is unduly mocked and ridiculed, he becomes

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like the prophets and akin to the chosen people of Allah. Then such an individual is recompensed just as the prophets are recompensed, and they are rewarded just like the Messengers. These people attained a lofty status through their servitude to the Best of All Prophetssa, and Allah the Mighty and Exalted praised them. He made them an esteemed group of people, and through His own spirit, Allah helped them just as He helps all of His chosen people. In reality, the light of their truth and the effects of their piety were brilliantly apparent, and it became clear that they were truthful and that Allah was pleased with them, and they were pleased with Him, and He granted them that which had never been granted to anyone in the heavens and earth.” (Sirrul Khilafah, Urdu translation, pp. 28-30)

Then, whilst refuting an aspect of Shia beliefs, the Promised Messiahas says: “Those Shias who believe that Abu Bakr Siddiqra and Umar Farooqra usurped the rights of Ali Murtazara and Fatima al-Zahrara and were cruel to them have abandoned justice, adopted cruelty and followed the path of the transgressors. Surely, these people were such that abandoned their beloved homeland, friends and wealth for the sake of their Prophet, and they endured hardships at the hands of the disbelievers and were expelled from their homes by mischief mongers, but they remained patient like good and virtuous people.

“Then, they were later made Caliphs, but they did not fill their homes with riches, nor were their sons and daughter’s heirs to gold and silver. Instead, they gave whatever they received to the treasury. They did not make their sons their successors, just as worldly and misguided people do. They lived this life in poverty and destitution rather than being inclined towards worldly comforts like other leaders.

“Can it even be considered that such people would be capable of stealing the wealth of others, or were inclined towards usurping rights, looting or destruction? Was this the impact of having remained in the blessed company of the Chief of this world, the Holy Prophetsa? On the contrary, Allah the Almighty, the Lord of All the Worlds has praised them.

“The reality is that Allah purified their souls and cleansed their hearts. He

“

enlightened their beings and made them an example for future pious people. We cannot find any weakness or superficial thought which would lead to any indication of deviation in their intentions or point towards any sort of evil in them, unless, someone is intent on attributing injustice and cruelty to them.

“By God, they were just people. Even if they were given a valley full of unlawful wealth, they would not so much as spit on it, nor would they turn towards it like greedy people, no matter if the gold was as high as mountains or enough to fill the earth seven times over. If they came across lawful wealth, they would surely spend it in the way of the All-Powerful God and religious endeavours. Thus, how can we even fathom that they would upset Fatima al-Zahrara over a few trees and cause harm to the dear child of the Holy Prophetsa like the mischievous ones; rather, they were noble and righteous in their intentions and were firmly established upon the truth, and Allah showered His mercy upon them, and Allah knows the righteous full-well.” (Sirrul Khilafah, Urdu translation, pp. 37-39)

The Promised Messiahas further states: “The truth is that Abu Bakr Siddiqra and Umar Farooqra were both from among the eminent companions. They both never showed any weakness in fulfilling the rights they owed. Righteousness was their way of life and establishing justice was their objective. They would carefully ponder over the matters and delve deep into its intricacies. Fulfilling worldly desires was never their objective. They devoted themselves in obedience to Allah. I have never seen anyone partake of such immense blessings and support the religion of the Holy Prophetsa than the Sheikhain, i.e. Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. In their subservience to the spiritual Sun for the whole of mankind, [i.e.

Muhammad] peace be upon him, they were even more swift than the moon. They were wholly devoted in their love for him and in order to establish the truth, they happily endured every hardship. For the sake of the Holy Prophetsa, like whom there is no other, they willingly and gladly endured every humiliation.

“At the time of battle against the army of disbelievers, they stood courageously like

lions to the point that Islam triumphed and the enemy ranks suffered defeat. Shirk was abolished and totally eradicated and the spiritual sun of the nation and faith began to illuminate forth. They both rendered such exemplary service to their faith and afforded the Muslims with such excellence and favours that their final resting place was in the company of the most excellent of Prophetssa. This was owing to the grace of Allah the Almighty, from Whom no righteous person is hidden and indeed all grace belongs to Allah and He grants it to whomsoever He pleases.

“One who develops a bond with God Almighty with utmost devotion is never made to face ruin, even if the entire world were to oppose him. Those who seek to establish a bond with Allah never experience hardship or loss and Allah does not abandon His truthful servants. Allah is the Greatest!

How great was the sincerity and devotion of these two men” i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra.

“Both were buried in such a blessed grave that if Mosesas and Jesusas were alive today, they would express their earnest desire to be buried there. However, such a rank is never bestowed owing to one’s heartfelt longing or desire; rather, this is an eternal mercy bestowed from the Lord of Honour. And this mercy is only granted to those who are granted His Divine favours from the very beginning. These are the people who at the very end are shrouded in the cloth of divine grace.” (Sirrul Khilafah, Urdu translation, pp. 77-79) The Promised Messiahas then states: “Whatever became of Islam after the Holy Prophetsa was due to the three companions. Whatever Hazrat Umarra accomplished – which was a great deal – it cannot overshadow what Siddiq Akbar [Hazrat Abu Bakrra]ra accomplished, for it was Siddiq Akbarra who laid the path to success and who dispelled a great dissension. The trials that Hazrat Abu Bakrra had to face in his time were never faced by Hazrat Umarra. Hence, [Abu Bakr] Siddiqra cleared the path, upon which Hazrat Umarra then opened the doors to further success.”

(Malfuzat, Vol. 6, pp. 414-415)

Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahibra then writes in one place in relation to the state of the Promised Messiah’sas heart and his love and respect for the Holy Prophetsa and the

two companions, Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra: “On one occasion, a friend who was truly absorbed in love for the Promised Messiahas, submitted to him, ‘Why should we not consider you to be greater in status than the Shaikhain’”, i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakrra and Hazrat Umarra “‘and closer in rank to the Noble Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?’ Goodness gracious!

On hearing this, His Holiness became pale and inexplicable anxiety and restlessness overtook him from head to toe. I swear in the name of God, who is most Honourable and Holy, that this particular instance increased my faith in the Promised Messiahas even more. The Promised Messiahas delivered an all-encompassing address continuously for six hours. When he began speaking, I looked at my watch, and when he finished, I looked at my watch again. He spoke for six hours. Not a minute less. To speak on a subject for so long, without rest, was an extraordinary occurrence. In his entire discourse, the Promised Messiahas spoke of the virtues and qualities of the Noble Messenger, may the choicest blessings and salutations be upon him, and about his own servitude and subservience to him. He also spoke of the excellences of the honourable Shakhain, may peace be on both of them.

The Promised Messiahas said, ‘It is sufficient for me that I am an admirer of these men and the dust beneath their feet. The partial superiority which God Almighty has conferred upon them can never be attained by anyone until the Day of Resurrection.

When will Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ever be born again on earth so that one may receive the opportunity to render such service as the honourable Shakhain, peace be on both of them.” (Malfuzat Vol. 1, p. 326) The accounts from the life of Hazrat Umarra have come to an end with regard to these sermons. Insha-Allah, and if Allah permits me, I shall begin narrating accounts from the life of Hazrat Abu Bakrra in the future [sermon].

(Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 17 December 2021, pp. 5-9.

Translated by The Review of Religions.)

The purpose of religion is that people should recognise the True God Who created

the world, love Him so much that every other love should grow cold in their hearts, be kind and compassionate towards His creatures, and strive to attain the utmost purity.

This purpose is being neglected in this age and most people are practically following some form of atheism. They do not seem to be aware of the existence of God, and it is this lack of awareness that causes sin to be committed with more and more audacity.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian, the Promised Messiah & Mahdi, in Lecture Lahore

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