Al Hakam - 1 July 2022

Tafsir-e-Kabir: The magnum opus of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud

The Simla Conference, 1945 Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s guidance prior to the conference and response to its failure

100 Years Ago...

Did Ahmadiyyat compromise Islam?

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A

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Answers to Everyday Issues Part 35

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022 | Issue CCXXIV Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396

Don’t let failure pull you down – work hard and pray to Allah Australian Khuddam blessed with fourth virtual meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V

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

Righteous deeds in the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah

َ َ َ َ ّٰ ُ َّ َ ْ َ �ِ ��‫اس قال قال َر ُﺳ ْول ا‬ ٍ ‫ع ِﻦ اب ِﻦ عﺒ‬ ُ ْ َّ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ ُ ّ ٰ َّ ‫ام ال َﻌ َمل‬ ٍ ‫ﺻﻠﻰ ا��� �ﻠي ِﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ ﻣا ِﻣﻦ أﻳ‬ َّ َ َ ْ ّ ٰ َ ُّ َ َ َ ُ َّ ‫ام‬ ِ ‫الﺼال ِ� ِفيها أﺣب ِإلﻰ ا�� ِ� ِﻣﻦ ﻫ ِﺬ ِه الأﻳ‬ Hazrat Ibn Abbasra narrates: “The Holy Prophetsa said, ‘There are no days during which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days’, i.e. the [first] 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Siyam, Hadith 1727)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

Breaking the Cross – An achievement of the Promised Messiahas

Khuddam in Sydney, Australia gathered for their virtual mulaqat with Huzooraa |

On 26 June 2022, Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya Australia was blessed to have their fourth consecutive virtual mulaqat with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. This meeting included 250 khuddam from Sydney (the headquarters of Jamaat-e-

Ahmadiyya Australia), as reported by Sadr MKA Australia, Waqas Ahmad Sahib. This was also the second time khuddam from Sydney were meeting Huzooraa through a virtual mulaqat.

Before the formal session started

Photo courtesy of MTA Australia Studios

Huzooraa asked about the Covid-19 protocols and the number of khuddam present. After a recitation from the Holy Quran, an Urdu poem, a hadith and an extract from Continued on next page >>

When this book of mine [Jesus in India] is published, those who raise repeated allegations and ask what has been achieved by my advent will also have their answer. When I hear these sorts of objections, I am astonished.

Are things achieved by some magic spell? Do tell me; after all, Noah, peace be upon him, preached his ministry for nine hundred and fifty years, so in the view of such people, what did he achieve? These people will see – and surely God Almighty will show them manifestly – what I have done. Alas!

If only these people would reflect over the current state of affairs. Sixteen years from the present century have elapsed and darkness has reached the extreme; so has no one appeared as a Reformer? Such people do not act Continued on page 2

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with even a shred of justice. In raising allegations against me, they ultimately object against God. For in their view, I have come and done nothing and God has sent no one who would. In fact, if the needs of the present time are put to one side for a moment, according to these unwise people, a person to misguide them has come, yet despite this, the real Mahdi has not appeared and was not sent by God. The fourteenth century was supposed to be blessed, but what blessing did it bring when with it an Antichrist has appeared! Siddiq Hasan and AbdulHayy, who were claimants, died at the head of the century; otherwise, perhaps these two could have consoled these people. However, God has demonstrated through His grace that this work was not for them to do, but for someone else.

Whenever a reformer (mujaddid) appears, they do so in view of the need of that time, not to teach people about issues relating to how they should clean themselves after answering the call of nature or ablution. Does God, Who is Wise and Sagacious, not see that the deadly wind of naturalism and philosophy has swept through the land and that thousands of people have perished? The Christians, who worship the cross, have torn hundreds and thousands of souls away from God.

Therefore, at the present time, was a Reformer not needed who would “break the cross” and demonstrate through argumentation and conclusive facts that the religion of the cross is devoid of the light of truth; and that man cannot be the inheritor of salvation through belief in a wooden crucifix? Every other day, the Christians go on publishing and distributing leaflets, 50,000 and even 100,000 in number. Like a swarm of locusts, women, children, young and old are engaged in the work of attacking Islam in any way possible. At this time, the onslaught waged against Islam knows no bounds. On the one hand, God has promised:

َّ ُ ‫ِانا ل َ ٗه ل َ ٰﺤ ِفﻈوۡ َن‬

“Most surely We will be its Guardian.”

On the other hand, our foolish critics are so “wise” that they claim no one has appeared in Islam with the light of divine insight so as to safeguard the Faith; in fact, an Antichrist has appeared instead.

Alas! What a pity! Nay, a thousand pities!

This was the perfect time for God to manifest the shining hand of His support and succour. I say, in any case, He has done so. God will manifest His lustre.

He will shame my opponents and show them what has been achieved at the hand of the one who has come.

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 2, pp. 19-20)

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

the writings of the Promised Messiahas, a video report about Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya Sydney was played.

Before the floor was opened for the khuddam to ask their questions, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa referred to a question that was asked in the virtual mulaqat with khuddam from Australia the previous week about the banking system and the permissibility of attaining commission as a loan broker. Huzooraa said many Ahmadi brokers had written to him and said if brokerages were not permissible, they would end their businesses. Huzooraa said this showed their high level of sincerity.

Concerning the permissibility of acquiring commission (as a loan broker), Huzooraa said: “With regard to getting a commission, as you are not directly involved in taking interest, etc., it is permissible; you are getting the commission. […] The Promised Messiahas has permitted this, for example, money exchanges – the extra commission they take – were labelled as permissible by the Promised Messiahas; it is not interest.”

In the same way, any business in which one was not directly involved with interest was permissible.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa explained that modern-day financial and banking systems had been distorted and required fresh Islamic ijtihad.

“For example, a job in a bank – if you begin splitting hairs in this way – then a job at the bank cannot be permitted either.

“Then, the whole modern-day industry and businesses follow an economic system that is all based on interest.” If one was to avoid modern-day business and industry altogether, “then you wouldn’t even be able to wear clothes and would need to cover yourself with leaves”, Huzooraa said.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa explained that the Promised Messiahas had made it clear that the modern-day system had been totally distorted and many elements had been absorbed into the interest-based financial system – therefore one could not avoid it altogether and ultimately new Islamic ijtihad was required.

Huzooraa narrated that once, someone asked the Promised Messiahas if the job they had, which was to check if alcohol sellers had an official licence to sell, was permissible.

The Promised Messiahas said the person was just carrying out his job, not selling the alcohol himself – his task was just to check the license and therefore it was permissible.

The Promised Messiahas said to him that if he could get a job better than this, in which there was no involvement at all, it would be better.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa narrated another incident: “In fact, someone asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] that ‘I work for a person who has a business of giving interest – he gives loans based on interest – and I keep records of the interest etc. Is this permissible?’ Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] said ‘That’s okay, you are doing a job. It is permissible for you.’”

Concluding the issue, Huzooraa said: “The question about brokerage and commission agents – it is permissible. If you are taking interest from someone, that is impermissible.

“This isn’t just happening in Australia, it

is taking place all around the world. So you are allowed to be a commission agent as you are taking a price for your service.”

With regard to those brokers who take advantage of people who require a loan but do not acquire it directly, Huzooraa said: “At times, there are some who are helpless and in need of a loan and the lending agencies, who provide the loans, do not give it. The broker gets them the loan and – seeing that they are in need, if his fee is 100 rupees, or £100 or $100 – he instead takes $500 or $1,000. One should not take advantage in such a way. Yes, to help, the fees you have already set, keep those. It should not be that on seeing someone who is in need you begin to charge them extra.

“Apart from this, the profession of brokers is permissible.”

The khuddam then had a chance to ask Huzooraa any questions they had.

Omer Farooq Sahib from Mount Druitt asked if Allah would create universes after the end of this one and whether other universes existed.

Huzooraa replied by saying: “Yes, there are quite a number of universes; in fact, there are millions of universes. Even the Promised Messiahas has written that there are quite a number of universes and we don’t know – we don’t have access to those universes as yet. But there are quite a number of universes and galaxies.”

Syed Atta ul Hayye Sharifi Sahib asked Huzooraa how one could face failure and escape despair.

Huzooraa answered the question by quoting a couplet of Hazrat Nawab Mubaraka Begumra, daughter of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas: �

� � ‫��� �س و � زدہ �� اس � �ا‬ � � � �� � � � � ‫� �ا‬ � ِ � ������ � � �

“‘Who else could be more disappointed and disheartened; than one who has no grip on the grip of Allah’s sword.’

“Keep Allah the Almighty’s sword in your hand. You must know with certainty that Allah exists, that Allah listens to prayers, and that the situation Allah is taking you through could be a small and temporary trial or test which you must go through. And after passing this test, Allah the Almighty will then bestow success. A person should be praying to Allah, all the while believing that Allah listens to prayers.

“It is a natural phenomenon that a person develops feelings of despair – there is a psychological effect too. But in such a condition, getting desperate to such an extent that you give up all hope and sit at home or lock yourself in a room and get depressed, is wrong. At such a time, one must pull themselves together and use their willpower and pray before Allah the Almighty.

“And if the depression reaches a critical level, then one should go to the doctor and seek medical treatment. This condition would be classified as an illness. Then one should treat it as an illness and take medicine so that one can escape depression.

“Otherwise, bow before Allah, pray to Him, remember Him and try to come out of such a phase.

“Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

ُ​ُۡ ۡ َ ّٰ ۡ َ ‫الَا ِب ِذ� ِ� الل ِه تﻄ َم ِ� ُّﻦ القلوۡ ُب‬

“That remember Allah constantly; in

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turn, your hearts will find comfort. For this, one must show fortitude, use willpower and face the truth as it is – face it courageously.

“There is no other solution to this; the only remedy is willpower, prayer, effort and hard work towards whatever endeavour there is a lapse in.

“It’s normal that a person doesn’t see success in a particular goal, but it could be that they see success in another. Sometimes they don’t see success for a long period and they go through a trial. But then again, without God, there is no other way either” Huzooraa gave the example of an ascetic who would sit and announce, “Allah, I don’t like your world”. Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin, Khalifatul Masih Ira would listen to this call every day whenever he passed him. One day, he went past that man and didn’t hear him repeat those words.

Surprised, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira asked the ascetic why he went silent. He replied that he had received his answer from God, which was, “Okay, then leave and go to a world which you like.”

With a smile, Huzooraa emphasised that this world was the one which we had to live in and endure, therefore one should brave trying times in a corageous manner and show fortitude.

Abdal Chughtai Sahib from Plumpton said that some people achieved great success with little effort while others exerted a lot of effort but still struggled. He asked Huzooraa how one could know if failure was due to a lack of effort or destiny.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said we could not tell how much effort others carried out – all we knew was what effort we carried out personally. Huzooraa recognised that some people did have special talents, qualities and aptitudes; however, “normal people are average and they take time to learn something or to complete their assignments. […] Normal people, as I have said, take time and the majority of them are normal, average persons.”

Talking about effort and hard work, Huzooraa said: “Instead of seeing what the other man has done, you should make your proper effort. In every achievement, you will have

to work hard. If you are working hard, you will achieve your goal and Allah the Almighty will also help you.

“And at the same time, being a Muslim, being a strong and staunch Muslim, being an Ahmadi, when you work hard you [must] also pray to Allah the Almighty that Allah helps you to complete this assignment, this goal and make it easy for you. In this way, Allah will also help you and you will achieve your target in less time or with less effort, or in a better way.”

Naveed Ahmad Sahib from Penrith said most of the khuddam in Australia had grown up in Australia or had migrated from the Indian subcontinent. He said that at times, there was a cultural gap in carrying out tasks between those khuddam who had grown up in Australia and those who had migrated from the subcontinent. Naveed Sahib asked Huzooraa how one could tackle this situation.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said: “Those who have grown up [in Australia] have a different mindset – their environment was different where they were brought up. But there are quite a number of khuddam in recent years who have migrated from Pakistan or some other countries.

There are some migrants from Fiji also, so they have almost the same culture as those who are brought up here in Australia. The only difference is between Pakistani and other non-Pakistanis who were brought up here in Australia or any other Western country.

“You see, this is why I have always been saying that your parents should at least try to train their children from the very childhood. Tell them who they are, what the importance of religion is and why they are Ahmadi Muslims; why they should offer five daily prayers; why we should read the Holy Quran and find out the commandments given in the Holy Quran; why we should practice those commandments and injunctions.

“So, in this way, the children will know that what are our duties, who we are, why we should follow [Islam Ahmadiyyat].

Then, if they are brought up even in this culture, in this society, then they will be

able to differentiate between good and bad.

They will know that these are the bad things, these are the bad morals which the modern societies and culture allow – or the Western culture allows – but Islam prohibits.

“There are certain things; for instance, Islam says to the men that you should always lower your gaze, you should not openly see the women, you should not try to enjoy something which is bad morally. And at the same time, Islam says to the girls that they should also lower their gaze and cover their faces so that their beauty cannot be freely seen by their opposite sex. […]

“We shall have to teach them from the very childhood – this is the duty of the parents and this is the duty of Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya and Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya – tell them, ‘these are the good things, these are the bad things, these are the things which Allah the Almighty does not like, these are the things which have been taught to us which we should refrain from.

“It needs some hard work. Not only Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya but parents should also be involved in it and they should be educated by Ansarullah, Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya and Lajna, that how can they train their children in their houses, in their homes.

“It’s quite a difficult task, but you will have to face this challenge – you will have to work hard. […]

“From the very childhood, we have to infuse this into the minds of the children that we shall have to follow the teaching of Islam and we shall have to learn the morals which have been taught by Allah the Almighty and Islamic teaching.”

Raza Mohamad Sahib from Blacktown asked, “We know that Khulafa are chosen

by Allah; how can we prove this to nonAhmadis when they say our Khalifa is chosen by humans?”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “Allah the Almighty uses human beings [as instruments] and Allah puts it in the hearts of the people. There are quite a number of members of the electoral college who elect the Khalifa that they didn’t know – even in my election, I was not known to everybody, I think not more than five per

cent of people had the knowledge about me – and even there were some Arabs, and some foreigners, some Africans, they say suddenly something happened that Allah put in their hearts that you should try to raise your hand in favour of this person.

“Although human beings or the people choose the person, it is Allah the Almighty who puts it in their heart and there are quite a good number of narrations and expressions of different people – those who have expressed how did they feel during the election and what happened. […]

“Increase your knowledge first, then you can satisfy your non-Ahmadi friends or even your own fellow khuddam members.

There are quite a number of khuddam who are also not very much clear about it – they have some doubts in their minds – so you will have to remove their doubts. The first thing [to do is] read, and then remove their doubts.”

Referring to the early history of Islam and how the Khulafa were elected, Huzooraa said: “Sometimes Allah the Almighty Himself appoints somebody as prophets, sometimes it is through some people. And that is what we see in the history of Islam. Who chose Hazrat Abu Bakrra? There was a conflict between Ansar and Muhajirin – those who wanted to choose their Khalifa from their own tribes, from their own nation.

Ansar were saying that ‘we shall choose our Khalifa from among Ansar’ – Muhajirin were saying ‘no, we shall choose our Khalifa from amongst Muhajirin’. Then Hazrat Umarra spoke, Hazrat Abu Bakrra spoke on this issue and later on they amicably came to the conclusion that ‘okay, we shall do the bai‘at of Hazrat Abu Bakr’.

“The same thing happened during the election of Hazrat Umarra – and this is in Islamic history and that is being followed here in our system.”

Huzooraa emphasised, “We have not adopted a new system, we are following the same old system. If it is for non-Ahmadi Muslims, you can tell them Hazrat Abu Bakrra, Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Alira, Hazrat Umarra were chosen Khulafa; they were all Continued on next page >>

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

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chosen by human beings. In the same way, the Khulafa of Ahmadiyyat are chosen.”

Huzooraa said that if one was to explain this concept to non-Muslims, for example, Christians, then they could be told about the experiences of those who were part of the electoral college and how Allah guided their hearts. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “This is how Allah Almighty’s decree works. This is the decree of Allah and He puts [it] in the hearts of people.”

Tasleem Ahmad Fateh Sahib from Parramatta said that the Holy Prophetsa was fond of using perfume and asked Huzooraa if he had a favourite perfume.

Huzooraa smiled and said: “[The Holy Prophetsa] was fond of using perfume, yes. He said, ‘I like the good smell and perfume’, yes. And I also like perfumes and there are quite a number of perfumes which are my favourite – especially oud, I like […] There are some Arab perfumes and some Western perfumes, so whichever has a good smell, I like it.”

Huzooraa then lovingly asked Tasleem Sahib which perfume he liked, to which Tasleem Sahib said he used whatever his wife bought for him and was available.

Ammar Ahmad Tahir Sahib from Penrith asked if one could turn down a new responsibility given to them in the Jamaat as they already had another and thought they would not be able to do justice to the new one.

Huzooraa said one could express that they already had a responsibility in the Jamaat and might not be able to do justice to the new one. However, if one had a responsibility in Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya but was elected as an office-bearer or given another responsibility in the Jamaat, then the Jamaat would be given preference.

Huzooraa said if one could continue both it was all well and good; however, the first preference would always be the Jamaat responsibility and the second an auxiliary responsibility.

Umair Shams Sahib from Campbelltown said there was a growing trend amongst some Ahmadis with children who decorated their homes during Ramadan and made Eid count-down calendars for their, etc. They

would then post this on social media. Umair Sahib asked Huzooraa about the matter.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “The Holy Prophetsa said َ ّ ُ َ ْ َ َ َّ ‫ات‬ ِ ‫الن ّي‬ ِ ِ‫ِإنما الأعمال ب‬ “Your every work and deed depends on your intention. What is the intention behind it? If they are decorating their homes during Ramadan to let their children understand the importance of Ramadan, then there’s no harm in it. If they have made the calendar and their countdown of Ramadan’s fasting days […] just to tell them that now ‘this is the first, second, third, fourth fast etc. and after 29 or 30 days we shall celebrate Eid which is very important’ […] Children will ask ‘what is the importance of Eid’ and you can tell them what the Holy Prophetsa said, that we should attend the Eid prayer […] they should even go to the mosque and listen to the Eid sermons – they can sit outside the mosque even. […]

“When they are counting down, you can tell them what is fasting – why there are 30 fasts in Islam and what is a fast? […]

“So, if this is the intention, that you introduce about Ramadan and about Eid, then there is no harm in it. If it is just to copy that ‘because Christians are doing it, we should also do it’, and you do not tell them about the history of fasting and the importance of fasting and the importance of Eid, then it is wrong.

“There’s a subtle difference; you yourself have to find out. You cannot just say that ‘this person has done this thing because of bad intention’ – if the person says ‘my intention was good’ then we have no right to say ‘no, you are wrong, I know that your intention was not good’. You are not God. Allah knows better. Don’t be rigid.”

Nayyar Ahmed Sahib from Blacktown said the coronavirus pandemic arrived so that people would draw closer to their true Creator. He also asked if a greater trial for humanity would come if reformation had not occurred after the coronavirus.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa asked, “Have you received some dream or divine revelation that the coronavirus pandemic emerged so that people got closer to their true Creator? I didn’t know about this.”

Nayyar Sahib said that he had not.

Huzoorra continued:

“Yes, when any illness that arrives, any pandemic that spreads, any hardship that manifests, those who bow before Allah the Almighty realise that these things have arrived and they should get closer to Allah, get closer to their Creator and bow before Him, and pray to be protected from these worries, hardships and pain. This is in general.

“In the same way, [the coronavirus pandemic] arrived and this was a pandemic that spread across the world. Those who were righteous, had a pure nature and had a religious bent, turned towards Allah the Almighty. Those who were not, did not turn to Him. “Some who did not pay attention to God before, turned to Him as well, even in Western, non-Muslim countries.”

Huzooraa said a lot of people just took the pandemic to be a normal illness and that it came and would pass. They thought it to be like the flu and didn’t care if they died or not. Huzooraa asked how such people could reform themselves?

Huzooraa said natural disasters like bush fires, earthquakes and floods continued to come but still people did not pay attention to Allah – it did not matter if it was Covid-19 or anything else. Those who did not pay attention to Allah cared not if it was Covid-19 or another disaster, they didn’t fear Allah.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said one should carry out istighfar on the arrival of every disaster and seek Allah’s refuge and said Ahmadis should take advantage of such

times and carry out more tabligh.

“When such conditions arrive, it is our duty to tell them that this all happened because we are drawing further away from Allah the Almighty.”

Arun Ahmad Aggarwal Sahib from Parramatta asked Huzooraa about the current situation in India around certain blasphemous statements and how Muslims should respond.

Huzooraa asked Arun Sahib if he was originally from India, to which he replied in the affirmative. Huzooraa explained that Muslims should respond and react to such situations in a way that was useful and not counterproductive.

Huzooraa said Ahmadis were responding by writing in newspapers and educating people about the reality of Islam, the Holy Prophetsa and Hazrat Aishara.

“On social media and in newspapers and other platforms, we are doing our best to explain to the people and also to remove the doubts of the non-Muslims and quite a number of non-Muslims agree with our point of view, our stance and they accept it.”

Huzooraa stressed Muslims should not clash and riot as it would ultimately only harm them.

At the end of the mulaqat, Sadr Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia, Waqas Ahmad Sahib thanked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa for granting MKA Australia four consecutive virtual mulaqats and expressed how the khuddam in Australia benefitted both spiritually and intellectually.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa ended by saying, “Allah the Almighty bless you all” and conveyed his salaam, after which the meeting came to a close.

At the start of the meeting the following khuddam had the opportunity to present before Huzooraa: • Ihtesham Ahmad Sahib recited a portion from the Holy Quran and Rizwan Sharif Sahib presented its English translation • Abdal Ahmad Sahib recited an Urdu poem written by the Promised Messiahas • Sahil Ahmad Malik Sahib presented a hadith of the Holy Prophetsa in Arabic and the English translation was read out by Asad Ali Malik Sahib • An Urdu extract from the writings of the Promised Messiahas was then read out by Aneeq Ahmad Sahib and its English was presented by Khakan Ahmad Sahib (Report prepared by Al Hakam)

Photos courtesy of MTA Australia Studios

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Answers to Hadith: ‘Love for one’s country Everyday Issues is part of faith’, punishment of Part XXXV

Sodom and Gomorrah, tattoos Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues – which Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul

Masih Vaa has given on various occasions in his written correspondence and during MTA programmes – is being officially published below for everyone’s benefit.

Authenticity of a hadith: ‘Love for one’s country is part of faith’ Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa that some non-Ahmadi scholars argued that the phrase: َ �‫ُﺣ ُّب ال ْ َو َﻃﻦ ِﻣ َﻦ ال‬ ‫ان‬ ِ ‫ﻳم‬ ِ ِ [“Love for one’s country is part of faith”], which is attributed to the Holy Prophetsa, was in fact not uttered by him and they asked for a reference. They further wrote, “I tried to find a reference but was unable to find any. What should I say to non-Ahmadi scholars?”

In a letter dated 14 April 2021, Huzooraa provided the following reply to the question: “This hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa has been narrated in various books. For example Allamah Mulla Ali al-Qari has recorded it in his book AlMawdu‘aat al-Kabir, Hafiz Shams al-Din Abi al-Khair Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Sakhawi has mentioned it in his book Al-Maqasid al-Hasanah fi Bayani Kathirin min al-Ahadith al-Mushtahirah ala alAlsinah, and Allamah Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti has included it in his book Al-Durar alMuntathirah fi al-Ahadith al-Mushtahirah.

“Some of the classical scholars have rejected this hadith of the Holy Prophetsa on futile grounds and through peculiar arguments, instead attributing it to some of the Islamic predecessors [salaf]. However, all of this critique and reasoning by those scholars is invalid in light of the other ahadith and in view of the teachings laid out in the Holy Quran. Therefore, one cannot deny that this hadith is the saying of the Holy Prophetsa merely on the basis of the views of these scholars.

“They argue that there was no connection between one’s love for their country and one’s love for their faith since disbelievers and hypocrites also loved their country despite not having even an ounce of faith. They ask, how could one’s love for one’s country be a part of faith?

“This argument of the classical scholars is not acceptable because there are several ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa in the authentic books of hadith, the subject matter of which is equally applicable to Muslims as well as disbelievers and hypocrites just like the subject matter of the aforementioned hadith. In Sahih Bukhari, for instance, the following hadith has been recorded: “Hazrat Anasra bin Malik narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said:

َ َ ُ َ ُ ُ َ ْ ُ ُ ْ َ ‫ل� ﻳُﺆ ِﻣ ُﻦ أ َﺣﺪ� ْﻢ َﺣ ّتﻰ � ِ� ّب لِأ ِﺧي ِﻪ َﻣا � ِ� ّب ل َِنﻔ ِس ِﻪ‬ “‘None of you can be a (true) believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.’ (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman) “Similarly, Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra narrates: َ ّ ٰ َّ َ َ َ َّ َ​َ ّٰ َ َْْ ‫أ ّن َر ُﺳول ا�� ِ� َﺻﻠﻰ ا�� ُ� َ�ﻠ ْي ِﻪ َو َﺳﻠ َﻢ � ّ� َ�ﻠﻰ َر ُج ٍل ِﻣ ْﻦ الأن َﺼا ِر‬ َّ ْ ُ َ​َ ُ َ ّ ٰ َّ َ َ​َ ّٰ ُ ُ ‫َوﻫ َو ﻳ َ ِﻌﻆ أﺧاه �ِ� ا��َ َيا ِء فﻘال َر ُﺳ ْول ا�� ِ� َﺻﻠﻰ ا�� ُ� َ�ﻠ ْي ِﻪ َو َﺳﻠ َﻢ‬ ْ َّ َ ُ ْ َ َ ‫ا��َ َي‬ َ �ْ‫اء ِﻣ ْﻦ ال‬ ‫دعﻪ ف ِﺈن‬ ‫ان‬ ِ ‫ﻳم‬ ِ “‘Once, Allah’s Messengersa passed by an Ansari man who was admonishing his brother [against] modesty [haya]. Upon that, Allah’s Messengersa said, ‘Leave him […] for haya is a part of faith.’’

“Now the question arises whether liking for one’s brother what one likes for himself or adopting the attribute of haya is only for believers and disbelievers or hypocrites cannot acquire these morals? That is, if a disbeliever or a hypocrite likes for his brother what he likes for himself, or if a disbeliever or a hypocrite inculcates haya, can it be said on this basis that because these morals are also adopted by disbelievers and hypocrites, hence these ahadith cannot, God-forbid, be the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa?

“Moreover, in the Holy Quran and the ahadith there is great emphasis on the fulfilment of covenants and it has been considered a good attribute. Now, if a disbeliever or hypocrite fulfils his pledge or covenant, will we be right in saying that the act of fulfilling one’s covenant was not a Quranic command or the saying of the Holy Prophetsa, considering that even disbelievers or hypocrites abide by it?

“Therefore, we shall certainly not accept that this hadith with the most insightful and wise words of: َ �‫ُﺣ ُّب ال ْ َو َﻃﻦ ِﻣ َﻦ ال‬ ‫ان‬ ِ ‫ﻳم‬ ِ ِ was not the saying of the Holy Prophetsa merely on this premise of the classical scholars. These are certainly the blessed words uttered by the Holy Prophetsa which are recorded in the abovementioned books.

I have listed below the full references from these books for your knowledge: 1. Al-Maqasid al-Hasanah fi Bayani Kathirin min al-Ahadith al-Mushtahirah ‘ala l-Alsinah (Kitab al-Iman) by the critic and historian al-Imam al-Hafiz Shams alDin Abi al-Khair Muhammad ibn Abd alRahman al-Sakhawi (d. 902 AH) 2. Al-Durar al-Muntathirah fi al-Ahadith al-Mushtahirah (the letter ha, part 1, p. 9) by ‘Allamah Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti [d. 911 AH] 3. Al-Mawdu‘aat al-Kabir (Urdu Bazar

Karachi: Quran Mahal, pp. 193 to 197) by Mulla Ali al-Qari [d. 1014 AH]”

Nature of the punishment of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa and asked whether Muslims believed that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities of Lot’s people, were burned down as a punishment for their sins of adultery and homosexuality, etc. He asked whether this was supported by the Holy Quran.

In his letter, dated 26 April 2021, Huzooraa replied as follows: “The Holy Quran does not say anywhere that Hazrat Lot’sas people were burned; rather, this is a biblical statement. Hence,

wrath.’ (Deuteronomy 29:23, KJV 1611) “Thus, according to the Bible, those people were burned and turned into sulphur and salt. On the other hand, according to the statement of the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted punished them for their transgressions, including harassing prophets in various ways, abusing them verbally, rejecting them, threatening to expel them from their lands, looking at the prophets’ companions with disdain, robbing wayfarers, mistreating neighbours and guests extremely badly, harassing vulnerable people and committing fornication and homosexuality etc. As a punishment for these sins, they were destroyed by an earthquake in such a way that their settlements were turned upside down and

Mount Sodom, Dead Sea Outlook, Israel

the Bible states: “‘Then the LORD rained upon Sodome & upon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire, from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plaine, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.’ (Genesis 19:24-27, KJV 1611) “Similarly, it states: “‘And that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt, and burning, that it is not sowen, nor beareth, nor any grasse groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodome, and Gomorah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his

gravel rained down upon them. Thus, Allah says in Surah Al-Hijr:

َ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َ َْ ُ َْ َ َ َ َ ��ِ ‫ال إِ ّن َھ ُﺆلَا ِء ض ْي‬ ‫وجاء أھل الم ِدین ِﺔ یﺴتﺒ ِ��ون۔ ق‬ ََْ َ​َ َ َ َْ َْ​َ​َ ُ َ ُ ْ ُ َ ّٰ ُ َّ َ ‫ون۔ قالوا أولم ننہک ﻋ ِﻦ‬ ِ ‫ف�ا �فﻀ ُﺤ‬ ِ ��‫ون۔ َوا�قوا الل َه َولا ت‬ َّ َ َ ‫ال َھ ُﺆلَا ِء بَ َنا�� إ ْن ُک ْن ُت ْم َفاﻋ ِل‬ َ ‫ال ْ َعالَم‬ َ ‫��۔ َق‬ ‫��۔ ل َ َع ْمرُك ِإن ُہ ْم‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ ُ ُ َ ْ َّ ُ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ ‫��۔ ف َﺠ َعلنا‬ ‫ل ِ�� ﺳ�� ِت ِہم �عمہون۔ فﺄخذتہم الﺼيﺤﺔ م� ِ� ِق‬ ّ ْ ًَ َ ْ َْ​َ َ ْ َ َْ​َ َ​َ َ َ َ َ ‫يل۔‬ ٍ ‫ﻋال ِيہا ﺳافِلہا وأم�رنا ﻋلي ِہم ِﺣﺠارة ِمﻦ ِﺳ ِﺠ‬

“‘And the people of the city came [to Lot] rejoicing [thinking that they now had a good opportunity to seize him]. [Upon this] Continued on next page >>

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

6 << Continued from previous page

he said [to them], ‘These are my guests, so put me not to shame [by threatening them]; ‘And fear Allah and disgrace me not.’ They said, ‘Did we not forbid thee [to entertain] all sorts of people?’ He said, ‘These are my daughters [among you, who are guarantee enough] if you must do [something against me].’ [O Our prophet!] By thy life, these [enemies of yours too] in their [mad] intoxication are wandering in distraction [like them] — Then the [promised] punishment seized them [the people of Lot] at sunrise. We turned [their town] upside down, and We rained upon them stones of clay.’ (Surah al-Hijr, Ch.15: V.68-75) “Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained the wisdom behind the punishment and elaborated on the rain of pebbles mentioned in this verse as follows: “‘Because the people of Lotas abandoned high morals and replaced them with lowly morals; in a similar manner, God turned the highest parts of the city into the lowest and [in a manner of speaking] said to them, ‘Go forth thence, live in the lowest part!’

Some people wonder how stones rained upon them. The answer to this is that a severe earthquake may sometimes cause parts of the land to rise and then fall. That is also what happened then. The ground, which was rocky, rose and then dropped down causing them to be crushed under the rocks. It may also mean that the walls of their houses fell down upon them since it is said that they used to build their houses out of stones. Stones that are mixed with mud are also called sijjil. This term accurately describes walls that are made of rocks and mud.’ (Tafsir-e-Kabir [Urdu], Vol. IV, p. 99) “While explaining the rain of stones in another place, Huzoorra says: “It was actually a shower of rocks, which was the result of a terrible earthquake. That is, the surface of the earth was overturned and the soil went up hundreds of feet and then fell down and it was as if soil and rocks rained down upon them. (Tafsir-e-Kabir [Urdu], Vol. VII, p. 408) “Then Allah says in Surah Al-Shu‘ara:

ُ ‫ال ل َ ُہ ْم أَ ُخ‬ َ ‫َک َّذبَ ْﺖ َقوْ ُم لُوط ال ْ ُم ْر َﺳ ِل‬ َ ُ‫وھ ْم ل ُ ٌوط أَلَا تَ َّتق‬ َ ‫�� ۔إ ْذ َق‬ ‫ون ۔‬ ٍ ِ َ ّٰ ُ َّ َ ٌ َ ٌ ُ َ ْ ُ َ ْ ّ ُ‫الل َه َوأَ ِﻃ ْيع‬ ْ‫ون۔ َو َما أَ ْﺳﺄل ُ ُک ْم َﻋ َلي ِه‬ ‫إ�� لکم رﺳول أ ِم��۔ فا�قوا‬ ُّ َ ُ ْ َ َ ِ َ َ َ ْ ّ َ َ َ َّ َ ْ َ ْ ْ َ ْ ِ ِ َ‫الذ�ْ َ�ان‬ ‫ِمﻦ أج ٍر ِإن أجرِي ِإلا ﻋلی ر ِب العال ِم��۔ أتﺄتون‬ ْ‫ِم َﻦ ال ْ َعالَم� ْ َ�۔ َوتَ َذ ُر ْو َن َما َخ َل َق ل َ ُک ْم َر ّبُ ُک ْم ِم ْﻦ أَ ْز َواج ُکم‬ ِ ِ َّ َ ْ ُ َ َ ُ ُ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ ٌ ْ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ْ َ ‫بل أنتم قوم ﻋادون۔ قالوا ل ِ�ﻦ لم تنت ِه یا لوط لتکونﻦ‬ َ َ ْ َْ َ ْ ُ َ َ ّ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ ُْ َ ْ�ِ�‫۔ر ّب ن َ ّﺠ‬ ِ ِ َ ��ِ ‫َ ِمﻦ الم�� ِج��۔ قال ِإ�ِ� ل ِعم ِلک َم ِمﻦَ القال‬ ً ّ َ ْ َ ْ ُ َ ْ َ ُ َ ْ َّ َ َ َ ْ ُ َ ْ َ َّ ْ ْ َ �ِ� ‫۔إلا َﻋ ُﺠوزا‬ ِ ��‫وأھ ِ�� ِمما �عملون۔فنﺠيناه وأھله أجم ِع‬ َ‫ال ْ َﻐابریْ َﻦ۔ثُ َّم َد َّم ْرنَا الْ�َ َ��یْ َﻦ۔ َوأَ ْم َ� ْرنَا َﻋ َل ْيہ ْم َم َ� ًرا َف َﺴاء‬ ِ ِ ِ​ِ َ‫َم َ� ُر ال ْ ُم ْن َذرِیْﻦ۔‬

“‘The people of Lot rejected the Messengers. When their brother Lot said to them, ‘Will you not become righteous?

‘Surely, I am unto you a Messenger, faithful to [my] trust. So fear Allah, and obey me.

‘And I ask of you no reward for it. My reward is only with the Lord of the worlds. ‘Do you, of all peoples, approach males, ‘And leave your wives whom your Lord has created for you? Nay, [not only do you commit this act, but the truth is that] you are a people who transgress [against the dictates of human nature in every way].’ They said, ‘If thou desist not, O Lot, thou wilt surely be [one] of the banished ones.’ He said, ‘Certainly I hate your practice. ‘My Lord, save me and my family from what they do.’ So We saved

him and his family, all [of them], Save an old woman among those who stayed behind.

Then [after having saved Lot] We destroyed the others. And We rained upon them a rain [of stones]; and evil was the rain for those who were warned [by God but did not desist.]’ (Surah al-Shu‘ara, Ch.26: V.161174) “Moreover, Surah al-A‘raf, Surah alTaubah, Surah Hud, Surah al-Naml, Surah al-Ankabut, Surah Qaf and Surah al-Qamar also mention the sins of this nation and the divine punishment that befell them.

“Therefore, a study of all these Quranic verses proves that this nation was destroyed by an earthquake and a storm of mud and stones as a punishment for their sins. They were not burned by fire.”

Tattoos Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa that water did not reach the skin of the part of the body that had been tattooed. He then asked for guidance regarding the validity of wudu or ghusl of someone who had a tattoo on their body.

Huzooraa, in his letter dated 16 May 2021, provided the following guidance on this issue: “Firstly, it is not permissible to tattoo someone or to get a tattoo anyway. This prohibition has also been mentioned in ahadith, where it states that Allah the Exalted had cursed those women who, for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes, practised tattooing, and those who got themselves tattooed … who altered Allah’s creation.

(Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Libas) “When the Holy Prophetsa was commissioned as a prophet, on the one hand, the poison of various kinds of polytheism had spread everywhere in the world and especially in the Arabian Peninsula, and on the other hand, different kinds of misguided attitudes had also gripped humanity in their claws. Men and women were involved in various kinds of polytheistic rituals and social evils. They included polytheistic practices such as having the image of a goddess, idol or animal tattooed on the body, face, or arms to seek blessings or it was done for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes to then promote social misconduct and obscenity.

“It is not forbidden for a person to adopt any legitimate methods for their own beauty while remaining within the permissible limits. The attainment of beauty about which the Holy Prophetsa warned of God’s curse means something else and the wisdom behind the prohibition of some of those

means appears to be that there is a fear that this kind of action may lead to an inclination towards shirk, which is the gravest of sins; or if these things are carried out in order to beguile the opposite sex in an impermissible manner, then all those means would also be considered unlawful and actionable.

“As far as getting a tattoo is concerned, whether it is a man or a woman, the only purpose behind it is to show it off or to beguile the opposite sex in an impermissible manner. That is why people usually get tattoos on body parts that they may then expose and exhibit to the public. However, if a person gets a tattoo on a body part which is commanded to be veiled [satr], then first of all, at the time of having that tattoo, the individual violates the commandment of purdah and commits obscenity which is against the teachings of Islam. Moreover, one idea behind getting tattoos on the veiled parts of the body is that they may be exposed in front of the opposite sex while committing evil deeds. All of these methods are prohibited because they contradict Islamic teachings.

“Furthermore, tattoos have also been linked to a host of physical and health issues. For instance, the sweat glands under the skin are badly affected in the areas of the body that have tattoos, that is having a tattoo reduces the sweating in the concerned parts of the body, which is harmful to one’s health.

Similarly, since tattoos become permanent features on the skin, sometimes as the body grows or shrinks, so does the shape of the tattoo, which makes the tattoo look ugly instead of ‘beautiful’. Then such individuals begin to think of them as a plague that they cannot get rid of. Thus, for these reasons alone, it is futile and absurd to get a tattoo.

“Therefore, it is not permissible for a believing man or a believing woman to get a tattoo on their body. However, if a person has had a tattoo on their body before becoming an Ahmadi and now Allah the Exalted has given them the ability to accept Ahmadiyyat by showing them the true path of Islam, then this actَ would fall under the َ ‫ إل ّا َما َق ْد َﺳ َل‬i.e ‘except what has category of ‫ﻒ‬ ِ already passed’. [Surah al-Nisa, Ch.4: V.23] “Moreover, such a tattoo from prior to accepting Islam would not affect the validity of one’s wudu or ghusl. Just as a woman’s applying nail polish does not affect her wudu and her wudu is valid even though she has applied nail polish, in the same manner, such a person’s wudu and ghusl with tattoos would be valid.”

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

Translated by Al Hakam)

1 July 1 July 2008: During his tour of Canada, some members of the Canadian parliament had the opportunity to meet with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa, including Jim Karygiannis (then MP for Scarborough—Agincourt) and Maurizio Bevilacqua (then MP for Vaughan).

On this day, Huzooraa graced the ceremonies of Canada Day and inaugurated the offices of Lajna Imaillah and AMJ Canada. He visited the Ahmadiyya Abode of Peace and members of the Jamaat had the opportunity to meet Huzooraa. (Al Fazl International, 12 September 2008)

2 July

2 July 2008: While in Peace Village, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa graced around 3,200 members of the Jamaat with group mulaqats. On the same day, Huzooraa departed for Calgary from Toronto in the afternoon.

3 July

3 July 2009: Advising Englishspeaking Ahmadis, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa called their attention towards reading Essence of Islam (a collection of writings, speeches, announcements and discourses of the Promised Messiahas). Huzooraa stated that every Ahmadi household ought to have these books, which have been translated into English. He also advised Englishspeaking Ahmadis to study the Promised Messiah’sas books, learn the arguments and then convince opponents with those arguments.

While advising Urdu-speaking Ahmadis, Huzooraa said that they ought to have the complete set of the Promised Messiah’s books in their homes.

4 July

4 July 2003: During his Friday Sermon, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said: “There is good news about MTA

7

AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022

This Week in History which I wish to convey to you, that by the grace of Allah the Almighty, previously the telecast of MTA in Pakistan, the subcontinent and most Asian countries was on Asia Sat 2, whose setting is quite difficult and it has very few channels on it. Now, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, our telecast has begun on Asia Sat 3 for the last 10 to 12 days. Since this satellite has various important Urdu, Bangla and English channels on it, whenever someone tunes their TV, MTA will also be tuned in. For a long time, Fiji was deprived of the nur [divine light] of MTA; now, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, through this new satellite, clear signals are also received in the Taveuni Island, which is a corner of the earth, and also in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well, alhamdulillah.”

4 July 2008: During his Friday Sermon, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa, while mentioning the inauguration of the Baitun Nur Mosque in Calgary, said: “Alhamdulillah, Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Canada was able to build another mosque. Although the mosque had been inaugurated with regular prayers, the formal inauguration is taking place through this Friday Sermon. The need for a mosque in Calgary had been felt for a long time, but every act of Allah the Almighty has wisdom behind it.

If the mosque had been built a few years ago, perhaps such a big and beautiful mosque might not have been built.”

1-7 July

4 July 2014: During his first Friday Sermon of Ramadan [2014], delivered from the Baitul Futuh Mosque, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa advised the Muslim world to adopt taqwa (righteousness).

Huzooraa said that it was a source of great regret that the majority of Muslim leaders and religious clerics did not uphold the moral standards required by Islam. Instead, they were consumed by political motives and a desire for power.

Huzooraa said there was no benefit of fasting if it was not accompanied by taqwa.

Huzooraa delivering the concluding address at the 2013 Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK Ijtema

Huzooraa also condemned the socalled Muslim leaders and clerics who were calling on Muslim youths to fight in wars and misleading them entirely by claiming that they were doing their religious duty of jihad.

5 July

5 July 2008: Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa graced the inaugural reception of the Baitun Nur Mosque in Canada, Calgary. The event was attended by the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other dignitaries. The event was attended by more than 3,000 people. Huzooraa delivered the keynote address.

It is interesting to note that before this reception, a flag hoisting ceremony was also held; Huzooraa hoisted Liwa-e-Ahmadiyyat, the Canadian prime minister hoisted the national flag of Canada and Deputy

The then Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper receiving a gift from Huzooraa, Calgary, Canada, 2008

Mayor Ron Stevens hoisted the flag of Alberta province. It was the first occasion on the American continent that a country’s prime minister had the privilege to hoist the national flag while Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa hoisted Liwa-e-Ahmadiyyat. The flag hoisting ceremony was covered by the country’s media as well. (Al Fazl International, 19 and 26 September 2008)

6 July

Baitun Nur Mosque Calgary, Canada

6 July 2008: This was the last day of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa 2008 tour of Canada. On this day, around 1,800 members of the Jamaat had the opportunity to meet Huzooraa in group mulaqats. After this, the amilas of the auxiliary organisations and those who voluntarily offered services towards the construction of the Baitun Nur Mosque in Calgary had pictures taken with Huzooraa.

On this day, Huzooraa departed for

London. (Al Fazl International, 26 September 2008, p. 13)

7 July

7 July 2013: The three-day national ijtema of Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya UK concluded on this day, with a faith-inspiring address delivered by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. The event was held at Islamabad, UK with the aim of increasing the moral standards of participants and promoting a spirit of peace, brotherhood and unity.

The highlight of the event was the keynote address delivered by Huzooraa in which he said that the youth of a nation were integral to the future of society.

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

8

Tafsir-e-Kabir: The magnum opus of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud Ahmad Kamal Student, Jamia Ahmadiyya International Ghana

Tafsir-e-Kabir is a glowing gem among the hundreds of books, thousands of sermons, speeches, lectures and other intellectual delights given to the Muslim world by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra – the Musleh-e-Maud.

This commentary of the Holy Quran is a masterpiece forged through years of literary and intellective labour.

Notwithstanding the fact that Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had the duty of leading a global community for the better part of half a century, he still managed to dedicate his time, God-given insight and intellectual prowess to submitting such a detailed commentary of the Holy Quran, which would meet the demands of the age.

This commentary was written in a refreshing new style, as Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra would show the network of the Quranic chapters and verses as he connected them to discoveries of the 20th century.

This show of relevancy tended to instantly impress the heart of the reader with the grandeur of the Holy Quran.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, explaining some special characteristics of the commentary, said: “In my opinion, the excellence of these notes [referring to Tafsir-e-Kabir] is that Allah the Almighty, by His grace upon me, has revealed a lot concerning the needs of the present time. As the needs of every age are different, the Holy Quran holds the knowledge concerning every age which are unlocked per the demands of the age.”

(Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 3, p. 155) The name Tafsir-e-Kabir was selected by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra based on a dream he saw: “I saw in a dream today that I was given a robe from the unseen which had been crafted with gold on it. A thief ran away with the robe and then a man chased him and retrieved the robe. The robe then became a book called Tafsir-e-Kabir and it was found out that the thief had run away, intending to destroy this tafsir.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 132) Interpreting the dream, Huzoorra said: “The thief stands for satan. Satan wants our malfuzat [discourses] to disappear from the people’s eyes. But this will not happen and Tafsir-e-Kabir which was shown as a robe means that it will be a source of honour and adornment for us. God knows best.”

(Ibid) In this commentary of the Quran, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra frequently referred to the works of orientalists such as William Muir, William Montgomery Watt, Arnold, Reverend Vere, JM Rodwell, and Theodor Nöldeke and exposed the folly of claims against the Quran and the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa that they had made.

The content of Tafsir-e-Kabir Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra demonstrated deep wisdom and consonance in the order of all the verses and chapters. He highlighted the connection each chapter has with the one before it. Almost like a puzzle, Huzoorra connected various themes throughout the Quran which revealed a subtle design.

All this gave a new perspective in the field of commentary and even in comparative religion by drawing a comparison between the teaching of the Holy Quran and the teachings of divine books of other faiths and in every such instance, proving the superiority of the Holy Quran.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa – during his Friday Sermon on 21 February 2020 – while outlining the distinction of this commentary, stated: “This commentary is of such a remarkable standard that if one were to even reflect on one aspect of that commentary, they will have no choice but to accept that if a righteous person was to simply present only that particular part of the Holy Quran with those explanatory notes, then in the eyes of the world, this achievement alone of his would be sufficient enough for him to be considered as one of the most pious and righteous individuals.” (Al Hakam, 20 March 2020, Issue 105, pp. 26-27) Each verse is explained separately in two

sections. The first section gives different translations of the words in the verse according to major Arabic lexicons such as Taj-ul-Uroos, al-Munjid, Abu al-Baqa, Aqrab al-mawārid fī fusah al-arabīyah wal-shawārid, al-Mufradat fi Gharib alQuran, Lisan al-Arab, al-Qamoos, along with practical uses of the word in the Arab world. The second section then deals with the commentary.

The principle of the commentary was that one part of the Holy Quran interprets other parts. When one has to understand a verse, it is necessary to consider the other verses under the same topic. In this way, the true meaning would become clear.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra also reflects on the instructions of the Holy Prophetsa to understand the meaning of the verses.

Then, Huzoorra looks at the verses in the light of the instructions and commentary of the Promised Messiahas as well as the commentaries provided by other scholars, before summarising the true import of a verse.

With historical analysis and rational arguments, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra proved the narrations in the Holy Quran were not mere stories but revelations, whose authenticity had been proven with the passage of time and advancement in science and research. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra

presented this living miracle of the Holy Quran to the world.

In this commentary, he also defended the character of the Holy Prophetsa and cleared up the many complications caused by some Muslim theologians who had inserted weaker narrations and traditions into their commentaries, such traditions which were from fabricated and questionable sources.

How the commentary was formulated This commentary came into existence through the extreme hard work of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and his God-given insight into the Holy Quran. Hazrat Syeda Umm Matinra gives a brief glimpse of the life of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra during those days: “In the days when the commentary was being written, there was no thought of rest, nor sleep, nor of food; just a determination to finish the work. He would sit down to write after Isha prayers at night, and many times [he continued to write till] the morning azan was called.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 127) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, with regard to his consistent hard work in preparation for the commentary, said: “I have been seriously ill for some days, and the task of translating and commentating the Holy Quran has been

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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022 a very heavy burden with few days left for Jalsa. However, still, the writing of around one hundred pages or a 400-column article is pending, and nowadays most of the days are spent working up to 3 to 4 and sometimes till 5 o’clock in [the early hours of the] night. That is why I feel such physical weakness and cannot bear such a load for long. Since there are only a few days left for Jalsa, I want the members [of the Jamaat] to pray that may Allah the Almighty help me complete this task.” (Sawaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 3, p. 157) Alongside Huzoorra was a very dedicated team working on the manuscript of Huzoor’s commentary. Their work also carried them late into the night, Maulvi Abdur Rahman Anwar Sahib recalls: “When the first copy of the commentary of Surah Yunus was completed at around four o’clock at night, as per the instructions of Huzoor [Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra] that it be presented to him immediately when it was ready, his door was knocked on to show him the completed manuscript.

Huzoorra immediately came out and was elated to see the prepared volume.” (Tarikhe-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 137) During the partition of the Indian subcontinent, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra took precautions concerning these manuscripts.

At the time, the Jamaat had purchased a small plane and once, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra called the pilot, Syed Muhammad Ahmad Sahib, and asked, “How old are you, Muhammad Ahmad?” After hearing his reply, Huzoorra said: “A person can understand things at such an age. The trunk containing the notes of Tafsir-e-Kabir is placed right there. This is the basis of the Holy Quran’s interpretation for the next 1,000 years. Take this trunk from Qadian to Lahore by plane and there, tell Sheikh Bashir Ahmad Sahib to deposit it in a bank.” (Al Hakam, 14 February 2020, Vol. 100, p. 9) On another occasion, Hazrat Muslehe-Maudra said the following about the significance of this commentary: “It was the duty of every Ahmadi father to buy a copy of Tafsir-e-Kabir for his children. I, myself asked every daughter and son of mine whether they had bought the tafsir or not and was not satisfied until they had all bought it. I was the first to buy it myself and did not like to keep a [free] copy as the author because I didn’t think I had any right to it. Since the knowledge, time and ability were given to me by God, what right do I have over it? I thought it was right that I bought it just as other people would buy it.” (Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol. 3, p. 161) Even though Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra was unable to complete the commentary of the entire Quran, it still has enough content to keep one in constant awe of the Holy Quran.

In the end, I would like to quote a message of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra to the readers of Tafsir-e-Kabir: “O readers! I tell you, the Holy Quran is for reading, teaching and for acting upon. So if you find any merit in these notes, read and spread them, act on them, and encourage others to act on them. This is the only way to revive Islam.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 136)

Hajj, a physical manifestation for all the fervent lovers of God “In the world of love, the human spirit always circles around its lover and gives a kiss towards its threshold. Likewise, the Holy Ka‘bah is a physical manifestation for all the fervent lovers [of God]. Allah states that this is His house and the Black Stone [Hajr-e-Aswad] is the stone of His threshold. He gave this order so that a person could practically express their ardent love.

Hence, pilgrims physically walk around it [the Ka‘bah] at the occasion of Hajj, in a way that they are intensely in love with Allah. They put aside their beauty, shave their head, and walk around the Ka‘bah. They kiss the Black Stone with the thought that it is the stone of the threshold of Allah.”

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 101)

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

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The Simla Conference, 1945: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s guidance prior to the conference and response to its failure Ata-ul-Haye Nasir Al Hakam

On 14 June 1945, the Viceroy of India, Lord Wavell presented a scheme – the Wavell Plan – for India’s political future in which the formation of a new Executive Council was proposed.

In order to discuss this plan with the Indian leaders, Lord Wavell called a conference in Simla, known as the Simla Conference, which continued from 25 June to 14 July 1945.

Just three days before this conference – during his Friday Sermon on 22 June 1945 – Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra had advised the Indian leaders to accept this proposal of the British government, which would ultimately lead India to its freedom. He said: “It would therefore be a most unfortunate and dark day for India if her sons deliberately turn their backs upon such a proposal. I, for once, find it impossible to comprehend how Indian leaders, many of whom are men of calibre and deep vision, can fail to perceive that if they have every hope and confidence in their ability to win freedom, notwithstanding the fact that the entire power now lies in the hands of the Britisher, they should have no reasonable ground for misgivings after 90% of the power is transferred to them. [...]

“There can be no possible shadow of doubt that whatever rights we do get, no matter whether they are large or small, it is emphatically in our interest to grasp them firmly and turn them to our advantage. By doing so we shall be bringing the day of India’s Independence nearer. I am firmly of [the] opinion that we should gladly accept this proposal. We should do so not for the sake of doing a good turn to Great Britain, but for the good of our own souls, and for the good of the coming generations of our children. [...]

“No amount of empty words, no amount of pious exhortations, no amount of fiery political speeches can set in motion this surge of the soul on a country wide scale. To awaken a real hunger for freedom, we must give the masses some fore-taste of the joys of freedom – which we can do most effectively only by firmly grasping the power, now being put into our hands.” (The Review of Religions, Vol. 44, pp. 107-110, July 1945) The original Urdu of this sermon was

published in Al Fazl on 23 June 1945, whereas its original Urdu and English translation was given to various leaders in Simla, where they had convened for the conference. The leaders who were given the sermon’s Urdu and English text included Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, MK Gandhi, Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan, Mr Hussain Imam, Mian Iftikharuddin, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, BG Kher, Ravishankar Shukla, Sri Krishan Sinha, etc.

(Al Fazl, 27 and 28 June 1945) This sermon had so much impact that even a staunch opponent of the Jamaat, Maulvi Sanaullah Amritsari wrote: “The passion to free 400 million Indians from slavery – which is evident from this speech of Khalifa Ji [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra] – cannot be found even in the speech of Gandhi Ji.” (Ahl-e-Hadith of Amritsar, 6 July 1945, p. 4) In regard to the purpose of the Simla Conference, Dr Ayesha Jalal states: “On 25 June the Viceroy opened the Simla Conference. Its aims, as he explained, were quite modest: it did not intend to settle matters but rather to pave the way for a settlement.” (The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan, Sang-e-Meel Publication, p. 129) Unfortunately, the Indian leaders could not agree on this proposal, and thus this conference failed to give any positive results.

While speaking to the final session of the conference, Lord Wavell said: “I wish to make it clear that the responsibility for the failure is mine. The main idea underlying the conference was mine. If it had succeeded its success would have been attributed to me, and I cannot place the blame for its failure on any of the parties. [...] I propose to take a little time to consider in what way I can best help India after the failure of the Conference. [...]

Do not any of you be discouraged by the setback. We shall overcome our difficulties in the end. The future greatness of India is not in doubt.” (The Manchester Guardian, 16 July 1945, p. 6) On 8 August 1945, the Secretary of State for India, Lord Pethick-Lawrence circulated a note dated 15 July 1945 from the Viceroy of India Lord Wavell, in which he provided an account of this conference. He stated: “The statement in Parliament and my broadcast on the 14th June were well received on the whole. It was soon clear that most educated Indians were in favour of the proposals being accepted. [...]

“Gandhi, stimulated, I think, by Patel, complained that we had for the first time distinguished between ‘Caste’ and other Hindus. He hinted at what was to be the main argument of the Congress at the conference – that the Congress is a national and not a communal party. He thought the proposals were far from clear about India’s

independence. [...]

“The immediate cause of the failure of the conference was Jinnah’s intransigence about Muslim representation and Muslim safeguards. [...] Their fear that the Congress, by parading its national character and using Muslim dummies, will permeate the entire administration of any united India, is real and cannot be dismissed as an obsession of Jinnah and his immediate entourage.

“The failure of any political move narrows the field for future negotiations. [...] Gandhi’s final comment to me at the interview when I told him of the failure was that His Majesty’s Government would have to decide sooner or later whether to come down on the side of Hindu or Muslim, of Congress or League, since they could never reconcile them. A discouraging comment but true under present leadership.”

(PETHICK-LAWRENCE, Frederick William. The Simla Conference: Memorandum by the Secretary of State for India. C.P. (45) 97. [online]. London: Great Britain. Cabinet Office. 08-08-1945.

Accessed 19 June 2022. Available at https:// www.cvce.eu/s/lq) “Although the Simla Conference failed, it opened a new chapter in the political history of India.” (Partition of India: Legend and Reality, by HM Seervai, Emmenem Publications, Bombay, 1990, p. 35) While commenting on the failure of this conference – during his Friday Sermon on 20 July 1945 – Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra said: “During the recent days, Indian political leaders convened in Simla and dispersed after being unsuccessful [to make any settlement]. As far as the disagreement is concerned [...] it can be understood that they were unable to reconcile with their rivals, just for maintaining the pitch of their fundamentals, though it was a matter of concern that they disseminated without any success.

“It was unfortunate for India that while freedom was at its doorstep, its major leaders did not unite due to their trivial disagreements, and India continued to remain enslaved. But the moral conduct demonstrated after the Sulh Conference [Simla Conference] was even more painful than this failure.” (Al Fazl, 30 July 1945, p. 1) Huzoorra went on to mention the disrespectful behaviour shown by the Hindu and Muslim press towards the leaders of both communities and the targetting of

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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022 Jinnah and Gandhi specifically.

Huzoorra said: “After the usage of such [disrespectful] means, I do not think that we can hope for any mutual agreement [between these communities]. From these acts, it is visible that their hearts desire to continue the disagreement. Otherwise, they were supposed to feel regret and guilt after this failure to such an extent that everyone should have noticed that India is eager to get freedom. But, instead of feeling regret, pain and remorse upon this failure and aiming for the real objective, they are disputing petty things and maligning each other. [...]

“In such a situation, we can only pray to Allah the Almighty that may He remove this trouble from our country. The biggest problem is moral corruption and the second problem is that people do not offer those sacrifices which are required to achieve great objectives.

“As far as I have pondered, both sides have been presenting contradictory points during this dispute, meaning that the Congress – considering its fundamental principles – should not have said those things which they expressed [during the Simla Conference], and some of the points presented by the Muslim League on that occasion, were also against the principles.

Similarly, the prime minister of Punjab also should not have presented the claim that he expressed there.

“This disagreement depicts that the true desire for freedom has not yet inculcated [in their hearts], or everyone thinks that ‘I can achieve my objectives even by neglecting my rival’s demands, and thus, I do not need to step forward to reconcile.’ [...]

“As far as I could understand from the speeches of [different] leaders, they also feel there are some dangers in the future, but still they are not ready to give even an inch to their neighbouring community, and are ready to let the whole country remain in the hands of foreign nations.

“Therefore, I advise members of the Jamaat to pray fervently during these delicate times. As far as politics are concerned, we have no interest in politics, but the coming

events will not only impact politics but religion as well. Therefore, our only interest in these political matters which have no direct relationship with us is because they will consequently impact religion.

“Thus, our Jamaat should especially pray during these days and ask Allah the Almighty with humbleness that: ‘O God, it is out of our power to face the coming dangers because they are in relation to politics and we do not interfere in politics [...] and those who have a relation with these matters have become so rigid hearted that they are sacrificing great objectives for some petty issues. O Allah, either reform their hearts or bring some other leaders who move this country towards peace and conciliation.’ [...]

“At first, we should pray that may Allah the Almighty enable those who have served the country to an extent [in the past], to create an atmosphere of conciliation and peace instead of depriving the country of freedom, for some trivial issues. But if their hearts cannot be reformed, then the country’s freedom is the foremost matter [...] and thus we should pray to Allah the Almighty to bring in front such leaders who [...] strive to create peace and conciliation within the country.” (Ibid, pp. 1-2) During his Friday Sermon on 21 October 1945, Huzoorra said: “The policy of myself and Jamaat-eAhmadiyya has always been that there should be a mutual conciliation between the Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and all other communities, which could instil a spirit of love, harmony and cooperation within the country. But sadly, we have been unsuccessful in this regard until now.

“Simla Conference was a rare opportunity, but it has been lost, and some individuals – by prioritizing their personal enmities and objectives – raised such questions which have caused a delay of several years in the country’s freedom.

“As far as I have pondered, the main question is about the disagreement between the Muslims and Hindus. It does not mean that the interests of other communities can be neglected, rather I mean to say that the issues of other communities could easily be

‘STOPWW3’ campaign at EU Parliament by Ahmadis in Belgium Mohammad Arsalan Belgium Correspondent

In accordance with the teachings of Islam, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya always strives for establishing peace and harmony in society all around the world.

The world is currently facing endless conflicts, therefore the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat – under the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa – organises events to highlight the need and ways to establish lasting peace.

On 24 February 2022, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa issued a press release in which he called the attention of world leaders to play their role in the establishment of world peace, and granted valuable guidance on how to achieve world peace.

After this press release, Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Belgium held a meeting to draft a plan to organise an event for highlighting the dire need to establish peace and harmony in society. The meeting was chaired by Dr Idrees Ahmed Sahib, Amir Jamaat Belgium and also attended by the Missionary-incharge, Hafiz Essan Secundar Sahib and Secretary External Affairs, Sharif Ahmad settled once this [Hindu-Muslim] conflict is solved.

“The most crucial question is about the conciliation between the Muslims and Hindus, and this issue is older than the issue of Pakistan or a United India. In fact, the real problems are those which have turned the attention of the Muslims towards [the claim of] Pakistan. [...]

“An opportunity arose in Simla when the Muslim League and the Congress – representing the sentiments of the Muslims and Hindus respectively – had gathered at

News cuttings covering the failure of the Simla Conference 1945

Sahib.

On 24 May 2022, a delegation of the Jamaat – including the missionary-incharge and secretary of external affairs – had a meeting with the local Belgium authorities where they informed them in detail about the proposed programme.

On 7 June 2022, written permission was requested from the authorities to hold this campaign in front of the EU Parliament on the day of the EU Summit 2022. The permission was received on 22 June.

The next day, a peaceful gathering was held in front of the EU Parliament with STOPWW3 banners and the distribution of leaflets by more than 60 members of the Jamaat, including Amir Sahib Jamaat Belgium, missionary-in-charge Belgium and local missionaries.

Some media interviews were also given explaining the purpose of this gathering and campaign. The missionaries had some discussions as well with people who stopped and showed interest in the campaign.

The programme was held successfully and concluded with lunch provided by the national ziafat team.

one place, but alas, that gathering has led to an ever greater rift.” (Al Fazl, 22 October 1945, p. 1) It is evident from Huzoor’sra words that he desired the political unrest to be settled and leaders needed to sacrifice their trivial matters for a bigger cause – the independence of India.

At the end, I will present a comment

by Major Wyatt in regard to the deadlock between Indian leaders and the Government, which he made in the British parliament on 20 August 1945, that showed the need for conciliation was felt in the government circles as well: “A nation ruled by another nation is a nation with a cancer in its soul. It can think of nothing but its independence, and it will not cooperate wholeheartedly with the Government of the country that rules it, however beneficent the measures of that Government may be. [...] “[This] deadlock cannot be allowed to go on. If it is continued, and if in six months from now it is unresolved, I am quite certain there will be greater trouble in India than at any time since the Mutiny.

“Indians, like the people of this country, are looking with great hope to this new Labour Government, and as an earnest of good faith, there are a number of things that could be done straight away, simple administrative things. We could arrange to hold elections immediately, so that we could find out the true state of the contesting parties in India.” (https://hansard. parliament.uk/commons/1945-08-20/ debates/466aaa80-fc19-40c0-8cef0515f9378d5b/OrdersOfTheDay)

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

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100 Years Ago...

Did Ahmadiyyat compromise Islam?

On the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha (14 August 1921), Maulvi Mubarak Ali Sahib BA delivered a sermon in London that was published in the October 1921 issue of The Review of Religions. This entire sermon was transcribed and reproduced in the 15 October 2021 issue of Al Hakam (p. 15) under the “100 Years Ago…” section, titled “Eid-ul-Adha sermon (1921) by Maulvi Mubarik Ali Sahib in London”.

The Moslem World, an Anglo-American journal on Islam, at that time published some extracts of the above-mentioned sermon in its issue of April 1922 under the title “A Sermon on Sacrifice” and suggested that “the New Islam”, i.e. Ahmadiyyat, had somehow compromised Islam. The aforesaid article is as follows:

“A Sermon on Sacrifice “(Given at the Moslem Festival in London) “The following are extracts from a sermon delivered at the Annual Moslem Festival held on the 14th August [1921] in London. After the customary prayers in the open air, Maulvi Mubarik Ali, BA, spoke in English: “‘Ladies and Gentlemen — We are celebrating today in this fatherland of free nations the greatest of the Islamic festivals, Idul-Azha. It is on this occasion that the great pilgrimage to Mecca is performed. Muslims

from the four corners of the world assemble in the Holy City of Mecca as brethren, each clothed in a simple white robe, and bow down their heads in the service of their Great Maker and the festivity being similarly celebrated in the other parts of the Islamic world at the same time, manifests the fundamental unity of the brotherhood of Islam – a brotherhood which wipes out all distinctions of rank, race and colour, and is not to be found in other religions of the world. “‘This festival has a touching history well-known to the followers of the three great Semitic religions i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Briefly stated the Muslim version is this: Abraham, the father of the prophets, saw in a vision that under the command of his Lord he was to sacrifice his son Ishmael. He told Ishmael this dream and asked him what he thought of it. Ishmael who was ever ready to give everything for the sake of God, replied, “Father, do what you are commanded to do and you will find me obedient.” This dream was fulfilled and the sacrifice of Ishmael accomplished when Abraham left his wife Hagar and her son Ishmael in a solitary, dry, and sultry piece of land between the two hills of Safa and Marwa near which stands today the Holy City of Mecca. “‘The story runs that when the little

provisions and water left with them by Abraham were exhausted, Ishmael, the little child, began to cry for water. His mother ran first to the one hill and then to the other for water but found no trace of it. It is said that she ran seven times between the two hills. When she at last returned to the child in despair, she found him stamping on the ground with his little feet, and a spring of clear water gushing forth from underneath them. “‘Tradition thus declares the origin of the famous well of Zemzem near the Kaaba, the Holy Temple of Mecca. In course of time this solitary place became a pilgrimage of the children of Ishmael, a centre of trade and a flourishing city.’

“Interpreting this Moslem legend, the speaker distinguished between sacrifice in the Jewish faith, among Christians and according to Islam as follows: “‘The Islamic idea of sacrifice, i.e., the sacrifice of the lower for the higher, is a grand truth implanted in the nature of man, and we find it illustrated in everyday life, and in every sphere of human activity.

So this sacrifice can be easily distinguished from other kinds of sacrifice to appease an offended deity or to make an atonement for sins. A deity which is offended without a just cause and demands a sacrifice to grant immunity from punishment is not worthy of adoration; and as regards the doctrine of

atonement even if we grant that this doctrine could avail humanity anything it would be more in keeping with natural experience that the lower should be sacrificed for the higher, and not the higher for the lower as is taught in some other religious systems.

Thus, the Islamic idea of sacrifice is quite natural and consciously or unconsciously individuals and nations recognise it.’ “‘I have already said that the principle of sacrifice is the central idea in Islam.

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, not only preached it but practiced it throughout his life, and fired his followers with it. The early Moslems were embodiments of this spirit, and so they became “a nation of heroes” as an English writer justly says. Here I have used the word “hero” in the highest sense of the word. Because they were such heroes that they became the foremost people in the world in such a short space of time as has no parallel in the history of the world, and remained the foremost people for hundreds of years as long as they were true to this principle. They fell from their high pedestal not because they followed Islam but because they neglected it.’

“The rest of the sermon dealt with reasons for the present decline of Islam. The only hope is the Ahmadiyah sect.

“The closing sentences of the sermon show to what length of compromise the New Islam goes in its efforts at propagandism: “‘What is wanted is divine rain from heaven – i.e., new revelation, in order that the dryness of heart may be removed by the fresh water of faith. In different ages God sent Abraham, Jesus, Krishna and Buddha for the regeneration of faith. The religious idea found expression through them and in a latter age found its highest expression through Muhammad, peace be on him.

The modern world is dying for a saviour, but a saviour has come who has confirmed the truth of Islam and the truth of all the prophets of all the nations. The seed of Islam re-sown by him has already grown into a tree, has spread over the land of Hindustan and has sent out branches to other parts of the world. This mission is one of its branches. Will England sacrifice her pride and prejudice, see and understand, and rise to the height of the occasion? Her children, in an earlier age made great sacrifice for truth. Will they be wanting now?’” (The Moslem World, April 1922, pp. 198-200) A plain and simple answer to the allegation of “compromise” made in the above article is that Ahmadiyyat has never compromised Islam since its foundation and never will till the end of times. The Review of Religions in its issue of June, July & August 1922 also responded to the aforesaid article and wrote:

“Compromise “Under the heading of ‘Current Topics’, The Moslem World [journal] for April [1922] gives a few extracts from the ‘Sermon on Sacrifice’ published in our issue [of The Review of Religions] of the last October [1921]. As a missionary journal it was but natural that it should have some outlet for the […] spirit that rages fiercely in the heart of a Christian Missionary. The closing sentences of the said sermon in its opinion ‘show to what length the spirit of compromise is permeating the New Islam in its effort at propagandism.’

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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022 reformer was raised in the last days is not only a Quranic and Islamic teaching but it is a belief shared by almost all the religions of the world. Is it then a compromise to say that the expected and promised reformer, the Prophet of the latter days, appeared in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[as] of Qadian? What compromise can such a claim and a belief in such a claim imply we are at a loss to make out.

“Very probably the reverend gentleman unable to explain the compromised nature of Christianity cleared his own conscience by transferring the charge to Islam to give one more illustration of the way how atonement works in this world. Fortunately for Islam there has been no Paul to give it a tone of compromise.

“The un-compromising nature of Islam may be judged from the following verses taken from chapter Pen [Surah al-Qalam]

the underlying spirit of which has ever been bedrock of Islamic principles: ‘They (the unbelievers) desire thee to relent towards them that they relent towards thee, (i.e., a spirit of mutual compromise in matters of faith). But yield not to the man of oaths, a despicable person, defamer, going about with slander, hinderer of the good, transgressor, criminal, harsh – besides this, impure by birth, though a man of riches and blessed with sons.’ [Surah al-Qalam, Ch.68: V.10-16] “Stronger words of condemnation could hardly be found elsewhere. Islam and compromise, especially in matters of faith, are inconceivable. Therefore we ask our contemporary to enlighten us on the point whether Islam or Christianity has been the religion of compromise.” (The Review of Religions, June, July & August 1922, pp. 284286)

Ahmadiyya Basketball League Belize reaches 7th season, helping 600 youth country-wide

Maham Warraich Belize

“We do not know what it means by the ‘New Islam’. If the editor is referring to the Ahmadiyya movement, we beg to assure him that our creed and our beliefs, our practices and our professions are in strict accordance with the Islam that was given more than 1300 years ago through Holy Prophet[sa] of Arabia. Very probably our opening up centres of Moslem propagation in Christian countries has earned for us the new designation.

“Nevertheless, we deem it expedient to quote in full the closing sentences of the same sermon from the extract published in The Moslem World to show what compromise has really been affected. They are: “‘What is wanted is divine rain from heaven – i.e., new revelation, in order that the dryness of heart may be removed by the fresh water of faith. In different ages God sent Abraham, Jesus, Krishna and Buddha for the regeneration of faith. The religious idea found expression through them and in a latter age found its highest expression through Muhammad, peace be on him.

The modern world is dying for a saviour, but a saviour has come who has confirmed the truth of Islam and the truth of all the prophets of all the nations. The seed of Islam

re-sown by him has already grown into a tree, has spread over the land of Hindustan and has sent out branches to other parts of the world. This mission is one of its branches. Will England sacrifice her pride and prejudice, see and understand, and rise to the height of the occasion? Her children, in an earlier age made great sacrifice for truth. Will they be wanting now?’

“We fail to see here the spirit of compromise which is attributed to us but which has indeed been the distinguishing feature of Christianity all down the last 1700 years completely transforming the original and simple monotheistic creed of Jesus into the pagan beliefs of trinitarianism, incarnation and atonement.

That the revelation is likened to the rain water which descends at the time of drought is a purely Quranic teaching, and that Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc., have been the spiritual regenerators who were divinely called to reform the spiritually dead people is also a Quranic teaching, that such has ever been the divine way is also a purely Quranic teaching, and that this spirit of reformation and regeneration found its highest expression in Muhammad[sa] is also a pure Quranic teaching and that a great

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belize is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to complete a successful 7th season of the Ahmadiyya Basketball League. This league began with the goal to help the youth occupy their time productively and provide a platform to showcase their talents.

In a matter of just seven years, a league which had humble beginnings is now a league which caters to 49 teams and a total of 600 youngsters, thus making the Ahmadiyya Basketball League the biggest basketball league in the country.

This league provides ways to not only showcase the talent of the youth on the court but also off the court. It also serves for creating jobs and teaching new skills which promote professional development.

Many dignitaries and ministers of Belize regularly attend and support the teams.

Mayor Orange Walk Town said: “People are not seeing the picture of what Ahmadiyya is doing. You are taking young kids out of the dark hole and putting them in the light, giving them a chance to shine where they would never have shined and allowing them to show their talent. That is what Ahmadiyya is doing.”

Amir Sahib Canada, said: “Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Belize is doing wonderful work by serving the community they are in and they are giving the youth something good to do and are taking them away from other negative activities.”

To promote good work within the community of Belize, the Ahmadiyya

Basketball League made it a requirement for every team to complete community service.

This encouraged a lot of the youth to step out of their comfort zones and help those who are less fortunate. Many teams came up with innovative and creative ideas to complete this task.

This season featured many new additions, mainly a new programme that was launched by the name of ‘BZ got game’; a show highlighting the youth of Belize to the corners of Belize.

As teams come from far and wide with very limited resources, at times it becomes difficult to arrange modes of transportation for them. To attend the Ahmadiyya Basketball League teams raise funds through local sponsorships, dollar drives and community support programmes to ensure arrival on game day.

With a team coming from San Pedro, we now also have a team which flies in regularly for their games. Throughout the duration of the league, games are also played in different venues across different districts so that local teams can raise funds along with allowing teams to play in front of their home crowds.

Through the midst of the season, the Ahmadiyya Basketball League held an All-Star weekend, which brought out the best talent of Belize. This was highlighted through a skills challenge, a three-point competition, and a dunking competition followed by the main event of the divisional All-Star games. In this manner, all of the top talented youth were able to showcase their talent.

The season came to a close with the all-division final games which brought out many members of the community, including Deputy Prime Minister, Cordel Hyde, Jacob Leslie, President of the Basketball Federation in Belize, the President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Naveed Mangla Sahib and commissioner of the ABL who distributed the prizes and awarded all of the champions.

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

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100 Years Ago...

Daily diary of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II: Objections of disbelievers in the Holy Quran, Lailatul-Qadr and interpretation of dreams Al Fazl, 12 & 19 June 1922

23 May 1922 […] Objections of opponents in the books of the Promised Messiah Maulvi Muhammad Ismail Sahib, (who delivers dars [religious sermon] daily of the books of the Promised Messiahas after the Fajr prayer), asked Huzoor[ra], “There are books of the Promised Messiahas that are not his regular writings but are debates. For example, the Promised Messiah’s debates with Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, Maulvi Bashir, Abdullah Atham, etc. Should only the Promised Messiah’s part of those debates be presented before the audience or should the papers of opponents be read out as well?”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra] said: “The papers of opponents should also be read out, because without them, how would the listeners understand the answers of the Promised Messiahas?”

Objections of opponents in the Holy Quran Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “When we take a look at the Holy Quran, we observe how clearly the objections of the kuffar [disbelievers] are mentioned in it.

Their objections have been cited at several places [of the Holy Quran] beginning with the words, ‫‘[ قالوا‬They said’]. For example, the Holy Quran says:

َّ َۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ ۤۡ ُ َ َ َۡۡ ‫ض َء ِانا ل َ ِف ۡی خل ٍق َج ِدیۡ ٍد ۚ بَ ۡل ُھ ۡم‬ ِ ‫وقالوا ء ِاذا ضللنا فِی الار‬ ٰ ٔ َ‫ب ِلق‬ ‫ٓای َر ِّب ِہ ۡم ک ِف ُر ۡو َن‬ ِ ِ

[‘And they say, “What! when we are lost in the earth, shall we then become a new creation?” Nay, but they are disbelievers in the meeting of their Lord.’]

“This is such a big objection that even the scientists have not been able to raise a bigger objection to this day. The disbelievers say that when they would die and their particles would mix in the dust, then how would they be created again. They say that their particles would then disperse from one place to another.

“Though the Holy Quran has mentioned the above objection of the disbelievers in a few words, it has presented it in a very clear manner. At the same time, the Holy Quran has followed it with a very strong and precise answer as well. [Allah the Almighty] says:

َّ ُ ُ ُ َُ ُ ّ ۡ ُ َ َ ُ ّٰ ‫ق ۡل یَ َتوَفک ۡم ّملک ال َموۡ ِت ال ِذ ۡی ُو ِک َل ِبک ۡم ث ّم ِالٰی َر ِّبک ۡم ت ۡر َج ُعوۡ َن‬

[‘Say, “The angel of death that has been put in charge of you will cause you to die; then to your Lord will you be brought back.”’] “[God says] that, ‘Tell the disbelievers that it is not a difficult thing to create them again. The real thing is the soul that feels

the punishment and we have appointed an angel to bring out the soul. Thus, when the soul is safe with us, the particles of the body no matter where they are will not be needed and the disbelievers will be recreated.’ It is a precise yet a very remarkable discussion.”

25 May 1922

Misunderstandings about LailatulQadr [the night of destiny] On the mention that on the night of Lailatul-Qadr, when the special hour of the acceptance of prayers comes, people fall asleep, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “Like many other misunderstandings, this misconception has also become popular among the Muslims, because if it is true, it means that God gives you something with one hand and takes it away with the other.”

Wisdom behind Lailatul-Qadr Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “God Almighty has blessed us with Lailatul-Qadr that is a wonderful thing. God Almighty always hears and accepts prayers, and at that time [i.e. at the hour of LailatulQadr], He does not get any unusual power to accept prayers that did not exist before.

Then, why did Allah the Almighty set a

special time for the acceptance of prayers?

He presented this opportunity so that those who are lazy in praying and bowing before Allah the Almighty may also turn to prayers thinking that since more prayers are accepted on this occasion and this is a special occasion to pray, they may pray as well. Those who do not even take advantage of this opportunity and do not engage in prayers, there is no doubt that they are away from religion. Like dough, etc., is used to catch the fish [as bait], God Almighty has provided such opportunities to attract His servants.”

Al Fazl, 19 June 1922 18 May 1922 The delight of working during fasts These days, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra] is writing an important book. On the mention of this book, Huzoor[ra] said: “It is a great delight to work during fasting. The time spent on eating and drinking is saved during fasts and it is utilised in working. If it is not Ramadan, I get frequently informed to have a meal, or that it was getting cold.”

The spring of Dalhousie Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [IIra] said: “In Dalhousie, we saw a small spring.

There are mountains around it, and the trees on the mountains go down to a field in a sequence. In the middle of this field is that natural spring which is very deep. There is also a small floating island in it. It is famous about the depth of this spring that a Hindu hermit sat by its side for 12 years and kept weaving rope and putting it into the water with a stone at the end of it but could not find its depth. Finally, he said, “You [the spring] are Parameshwar [deity].” He then jumped into it and died.

“It is also famous that the protector of the aforementioned island is a snake and so it is dangerous to go there. There is also a temple on it and a lot of gambling happens there. We wanted to go and see that island.

The people stopped us and scared us a lot, but their Parameshwar or snake deity could not have any effect on a Muslim.

“Firstly, Dr Hashmatullah Sahib went there. He tied a rope to the island’s reed and pulled it to the edge of the spring. A boat was built for us by binding planks of wood, and slowly we all reached the island. Azan was called [at different spots] of the island to stop the spread of the polytheistic views that

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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022 were popular about it. There was no snake, nor did we have any trouble going there by the grace of God. Its name is ‘Khajiar’.

The associates said that its real name was ‘Khazra’ that later changed to ‘Khajiar’.”

[This site can still be visited today.][...]

20 May 1922 Interpretation of dreams Commenting on the interpretation of dreams, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “The way in which the dreams have been disgraced in the present age has never happened before. Sometimes, there is a clear incident [in a dream], but they still ask about its interpretation. For example, if I tell them [about their dream] that God will shower His blessings, they still ask me its interpretation. Some of them are confused dreams. There are some dreams that we cannot distinguish between them and true dreams. Some people’s dreams are irritatingly long which are just the result of indigestion, but they ask about their interpretations. Dreams that are true and from Allah are short and if they are long then they are recurrent. Some dreams that are asked to be interpreted are such that, ‘I flew to a certain place, sat in the boat there, then I grabbed a horse, and so on’, i.e. they are scattered thoughts. Instead of deciding for themselves, such people want us to tell them that those dreams are the result of overeating.”

“Some dreams do not require interpretation. Their interpretation is to act according to them. People keep asking about their interpretation. For example, I receive letters from many non-Ahmadis that they met Hazrat Mirza Sahib[as] in a dream and they took my bai‘at. They ask me about its interpretation. If an Ahmadi is asked about the interpretation of the aforesaid dream, they will certainly say, ‘Take bai‘at.’ However, if that incident requires an interpretation in their view, then instead of asking Ahmadis for its interpretation, they should ask a non-Ahmadi for the interpretation of that dream. If any Ahmadi would be asked to interpret it, he will say that they should act in accordance to the instruction [of the dream].”

Knowledge of [dream] interpretations Sheikh Abdur Rahman Sahib Misri enquired about the rules of the interpretation [of dreams]. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “This is a knowledge related to the heart [i.e. spiritual]. If given an opportunity

by Allah the Almighty, I intend to write a book on the interpretation of dreams. Old books about the interpretation of dreams need a lot of refinement. Someone wrote a dream to me. I do not remember his complete dream at the time, but he had mentioned about a link [of a chain]. I wrote to him that one of his close relatives would fall ill. He wrote back that his wife got ill.

Apparently, there is nothing certain [about a dream], but something is revealed from the above [God]. Presently, with dreams, it seems that murakkabat [a collection of elements] are more involved than mufradat [single elements]. Nowadays, the dreams carry a lot of aspects. In such cases, the interpreter has to draw different conclusions from different elements of the dream. The

Promised Messiahas and Hazrat Khalifa I used to say that, ‘This knowledge [of dream interpretation] has changed greatly.’”

Speaking Arabic in dreams Meanwhile, a person said that he saw [in a dream] that he was speaking in Arabic.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “This means you can preach. Arabic means that the things you will say to the people, they will understand.”

Continuing the previous discussion, Huzoor[ra] said: “Something else appears [in the dream] to what is actually going to happen. For example, if someone is going to be informed about the stages of his progress, he is shown the opposite, like he is being hanged or being put on a cross. Being put on the cross means that the sufferings one endured and what came to mind about them, those suffering would befall him as he progressed by those envious of him. However, it may be that the crucifixion means his destruction, but there will be some aspects of the dream that will lead to that outcome.”

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 12 and 19 June 1922 issue of Al Fazl)

MKA Nairobi holds event celebrating the life of the Holy Prophet Tahir Ahmad Machengo Kenya Correspondent

On 19 June 2022, Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya Nairobi, Kenya organised a ‘Seeratun Nabi Jalsa’, to commemorate the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.

The event commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran, a qaseedah written by the Promised Messiahas in praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and the Khuddam pledge.

The opening address was delivered by the regional missionary, Sheikh Adnan Hashmi Sahib.

Thereafter, two speeches were delivered.

The first speech was delivered by Hassan Were Sahib on the Holy Prophet’s kind treatment of his enemies and the second speech was delivered by a muallim, Asman Makokha Sahib, on the topic of “Justice and fair dealing of the Holy Prophetsa”.

In his closing remarks, Sheikh Adnan Hashmi Sahib reminded everyone that the purpose of initiating Jalsa Seeratun Nabi

by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra was to remove misconstrued beliefs and notions about Islam and the Holy Foundersa of Islam.

The jalsa concluded with silent prayer, and in total, 20 khuddam and atfal attended the event.

Canadian Muslims unite with First Nation Peoples during National Indigenous Month celebrations Syed Mukarram Nazeer Canada Correspondent In Canada, the month of June commemorates National Indigenous History Month.

During this month, Canadians take time to recognise the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across Canada.

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Canada celebrates this month regularly and uses it to further strengthen its friendly relations with indigenous communities.

Jamaat Saskatoon organised National Indigenous History Month celebrations at Baitur Rahmat Mosque on 15 June 2022, reported Indigenous Desk Coordinator Jamaat Saskatoon, Rashid Ahmed Sahib.

On the event day, the weather forecast called for rain all day. Local police called and informed us that they were unable to put a tipi; a type of shelter, shaped like a cone and traditionally made from wooden

poles and coverings sewn from the hides of bison. A letter was written to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa requesting prayers for the success of the event. In addition, all volunteers were asked to pray for the success of the event. By Allah’s grace, within a few minutes of requesting prayers, the rain stopped and didn’t resume for the whole event.

The event started with a silent prayer led by the local missionary, Saad Hayat Bajwa Sahib. This was followed by a flag hoisting ceremony.

More than 270 First Nation community members participated in the event. Many drove 7 to 8 hours. Some of the prominent leaders who attended the event were: 1. Charlie Clark, Mayor of Saskatoon 2. Troy Cooper, Police Chief of Saskatoon 3. Barry Wilcox, Saskatchewan Human Rights Commissioner 4. Savana Walkingbear, Councillor First

Nation Reserve 5. Chief Felix Thomas, First Nation Reserve 6. Kurt Delorme, Saskatoon Fire Department 7. Ali Sadat, President Ismaili Community 8. Bijan Khosravi, President Iranian Community 9. Senos Robert, President South Sudanese Community 10. Ali Abu Bakar, Executive Director Saskatoon Open Door Society 11. Elder Florence, First Nation Community 12. Elder Evelyn Linklater, First Nation Community In addition, many First Nation school principals, as well as executive members from Saskatoon First Nation offices also attended.

Many First Nation community members were emotional to see Muslim and indigenous communities together organising this event at a mosque. They appreciated the efforts of interfaith dialogues and initiatives and requested such events be organised in future to keep the spirit of brotherhood alive.

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Why was the Holy Quran divided into 30 parts?

Someone asked Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa as to the divine wisdom behind the division of the Holy Quran into 30 parts.

In his letter dated 10 January 2021, Huzooraa gave the following answer to this question: “Allah the Exalted revealed the Holy Quran in the form of verses and surahs and the Holy Prophetsa established their present order also according to the guidance vouchsafed to him by God Almighty. As far as the matter of dividing the Holy Quran into stages [manazil], parts and ruku‘aat is concerned, later people did that at different times for the convenience of reading. That is why there is no such division found in the older manuscripts of the Holy Quran.

Messengersa! I am capable of doing more than this’, whereupon he said, ‘Recite it in twenty days.’ He replied, ‘I am capable of doing even more than this’, whereupon he said, ‘Recite it in ten days.’ He replied, ‘I am capable of doing even more than this,’ whereupon he said, ‘Then, recite it in at least a week and do not overburden yourself beyond this for your wife also has a right upon you, your visitor has a right upon you and your body has a right upon you.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-siyam)

based on any specific themes or topics but merely the volume of the Holy Quran.

“Regarding the division of the Holy Quran into ruku‘aat, it is said that this work took place during the time of Hajjaj bin Yusuf and according to some traditions this division was done by Hazrat Uthmanra. Moreover, [it is said] this division of ruku‘aat was done to facilitate the recitation of various portions of the Holy Quran in the rak‘aat of prayers [salat].

“In any case, it is an established fact that “Some believe that, in the light of this division of the Holy Quran is not sa this instruction of the Holy Prophet , from Allah the Exalted nor was it done by people later divided the Holy Quran into the Holy Prophetsa; rather, it is from later thirty parts and seven manazil for their times. That is why there is a difference in convenience so that it may be convenient the division of some parts in the copies of for the one who wishes to complete a the Holy Quran published in the various reading of the Holy Quran in at most a parts of the Arab and non-Arab world.

“It is mentioned in the ahadith that month or the one who wishes to do so in However, there is no room for even a there were some Companionsra who only at least seven days. shadow of a doubt that this division does used to keep themselves engaged in not make any difference in understanding supererogatory acts of worship instead of “Some are of the view that the Holy fulfilling their domestic responsibilities. Quran was divided into manazil and parts the Holy Quran nor does it affect its in the Middle Ages for the convenience authenticity and truthfulness.”

Upon being informed about them, the of students and Holy Prophetsa admonished them. One teachers, teaching of his instructions also included the the Holy Quran requirement of a minimum number of days to complete one reading of the Holy to children. And this division is not Quran.

“Hence, it is recorded about Hazrat Abdullahra bin Amr bin al-Aas that the Holy Prophetsa told him to finish one reading of the Holy Quran in at least a month. He replied, ‘O Allah’s

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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022

Friday Sermon 3 June 2022 Men of Excellence: Hazrat Abu Bakrra After reciting the tashahud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:

Accounts from the life of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra were being narrated; in particular, the battles fought immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa against the hypocrites and the opponents [of Islam]. In relation to this, the battle fought by Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid against Musailimah Kazzab had been mentioned, as well as the bravery of the flag bearers among the various contingents of the Muslim army.

As was mentioned previously, the flag of the Ansar was in the hands of Hazrat Thabitra bin Qais and the flag of the Muhajirin was in the hands of Hazrat Zaidra bin Khattab. Hazrat Zaidra bin Khattab said to the people, “O People! Remain resolute!

Attack the enemy and march forward.”

Following this, he said, “By Allah! I will not speak until Allah defeats them, or until I meet Allah [i.e. pass away] and present my case before Him.” Hazrat Zaidra bin Khattab was also martyred. (Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, Vol. 3, Ch. 6 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2001] p. 320)

With regard to Hazrat Zaidra bin Khattab, it is said that he was the stepbrother of Hazrat Umarra bin Khattab. He was among the early people who accepted Islam. He participated in the Battle of Badr, as well as the battles thereafter. After the Holy Prophetsa migrated to Medina, he established a bond of brotherhood between Hazrat Zaidra and Ma‘anra bin Adi Ansari and both of them were martyred during the Battle of Yamamah.

When Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid organised the army during the Battle of Yamamah, he appointed Hazrat Zaidra bin Khattab as the leader of one of its contingents and he also held the flag of the Muhajirin during this battle. He continued to advance with the flag in his hand and fought with utmost courage until he was martyred and the flag fell to the ground. Salim, the freed slave of Abu Huzayfara, then picked up the flag.

During this battle, Zaidra killed Rajjaal bin Unfuwah, who was a close associate of

Musailimah and a courageous horseman.

The person who martyred Zaidra was called Maryam Hanafi. He later became a Muslim and on one occasion, when Hazrat Umarra told him that he had martyred his brother, he said, “O Amir-ul-Mumineen [leader of the faithful]! Allah the Almighty honoured Zaidra through my hands and He did not allow me to be disgraced by his hands. In other words, he embraced the status of martyrdom. However, if I had been killed at his hands on that occasion, then I would have died in disgrace. Moreover, I now have been granted the opportunity to accept Islam.”

The son of Hazrat Umarra bin Khattab, Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra also participated in the Battle of Yamamah.

When he returned to Medina, Hazrat Umarra said to him, saddened by his brother’s martyrdom, “Since your uncle, Zaid, has been martyred, why did you return and why did you not hide your face from me?” When the news of Zaid’sra death reached Hazrat Umarra, he said, “Zaid had surpassed me in two virtuous deeds.” This has already been mentioned previously that [Hazrat Umarra said that] he accepted Islam before him and was martyred before him.

When Hazrat Khalidra killed Malik bin Nuwairah, his brother, Mutammim bin Nuwairah recited various couplets on the death of his brother, Malik. He loved his brother dearly and he would often weep and recite couplets upon his demise. When he met Hazrat Umarra on one occasion, he

recited some couplets regarding the demise of his brother. Upon this, Hazrat Umarra said, “If I knew how to compose couplets, I would have also recited some couplets on the demise of my brother, Zaid, just as you have done.”

Upon this, Mutammim said, “If my brother had died in the same way that your brother died (in other words, he attained the status of martyrdom), I would never have grieved over my brother’s death.” Hazrat Umarra replied, “No one has ever expressed their condolence over my brother’s demise in the same beautiful manner as you have.”

Hazrat Umarra used to say that whenever the gentle breeze would blow, it would refresh the memory of his brother. (Muhammad alSalabi, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiqra Shakhsiyyat aur

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

18 Karname [Pakistan: Maktabat al-Furqan], pp. 362363) (Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1987], p. 280) (Al-Iktifa bima Tadmanuh min Maghazi Rasul Allah wa al-Thalathah al-Khulafa, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1420 AH])

In any case, the battle was being mentioned. Musailimah Kazzab was still firm in his opposition and was the central figure for the disbelievers in their battle.

Upon assessing the situation, Hazrat Khalidra felt that the fighting would only end when Musailimah was killed, because if anyone from among Banu Hanifah was killed, it would have no effect on any of them (i.e. the comrades of Musailimah). Hazrat Khalidra therefore went ahead by himself calling them out one after the other for a one-on-one battle and raising his slogan.

The Muslim slogan was “Ya Muhammada”.

Thus, whoever came forward to battle was killed by Hazrat Khalidra and the Muslims then fought with great zeal. Hazrat Khalidra called out Musailimah for a battle, which he accepted. Hazrat Khalidra then gave Musailimah some options according to his wish [for the purposes of the duel] Hazrat Khalidra then launched his attack, but he fled and his comrades also fled. Hazrat Khalidra proclaimed to the people, “Remain vigilant and do not show any negligence.

Go forth and do not let any of them get away.” Following this, the Muslims charged upon them. (Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Dhikr Musailimah wa Ahl al-Yamamah, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2003], p. 221)

The utmost patience and resilience displayed by the companions in this battle is unparalleled and they continued to charge towards the enemy until Allah the Almighty granted them victory over them, and the disbelievers fled. The Muslims pursued them and continued to kill them, smiting their necks with their swords, until they forced them to take shelter in a garden. Muhakkim bin Tufail, a chief of the Banu Hanifah, said to the people as he was running, “O people, enter this garden.” It was a very vast garden which was surrounded by walls. Muhakkim bin Tufail began to confront the Muslims who were in pursuit of the Banu Hanifah.

This garden was close to the battlefield and it belonged to Musailimah. This garden was known as “Hadiqat al-Rahman”, just like Musailimah was known as “Rahman al-Yamamah”. However, as a result of a large number of enemies being killed in this garden, it then also became known as “Hadiqat al-Maut”, i.e. the Garden of Death.

Musailimah also entered this garden along with his men.

Hazrat Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakrra saw that Muhakkim, one of the chiefs of the Banu Hanifah, was delivering an address, so he shot an arrow at him and killed him. The Banu Hanifah shut the gates of the garden and so the Muslims surrounded the garden from all four directions. They were searching for a way to somehow enter the garden; however, this garden was like a fortress and in spite of their search, the Muslims were unable to find any way in. Eventually Hazrat Bara bin Malikra – brother of Hazrat Anas bin Malikra, who had participated alongside the Holy Prophetsa in the battles of Uhud and the Ditch, and who was very courageous – said, “O Muslims, there is only one way. You must lift me and throw me over into the garden. I shall enter and open the gate.” However, the Muslims could

not bear for a highly esteemed companion to give up his life in the midst of thousands of enemies, so they refused to do so. Hazrat Bara bin Malikra began insisting and said, “By Allah, you must throw me over the wall into the garden.” In the end, left with no choice the Muslims helped him climb over the wall of the garden. Having climbed on the wall, Hazrat Bara bin Maliksa saw the large number of enemies there and paused for a moment. But then, whilst reciting the name of Allah, he jumped towards the gate of the garden, and whilst fighting and slaying the opponents on his way, he headed towards the gate.

Eventually, he succeeded in reaching the gate and opened it. The Muslims were lying in wait for the gate to be opened. As soon as the gate opened, they entered and began killing the enemy. The Banu Hanifah tried to run away, but they were unable to exit the garden. The result was that thousands of men were killed by the Muslims.

According to one narration, it was not only Bara bin Malikra; rather, a few other Muslims also jumped over the wall and made their way to the gate. (Muhammad Husain

As the Muslims battled against the apostates, they managed to reach Musailimah Kazzab. In order to protect himself, he was standing in an opening in the wall. He resembled an ash-coloured camel who wanted to climb the wall and had lost its senses due to rage. Wahshi bin Harbra, who had martyred Hazrat Hamzahra in the Battle of Uhud, made his way towards Musailimah. He held the same spear he used to martyr Hazrat Hamzahra and threw it towards Musailimah. It struck him and went straight through him. Subsequently Abu Dujanah Simaak bin Kharshah quickly went towards him and struck him with his sword, leaving him lifeless on the ground. A woman from inside the fort cried out, “The most handsome leader has been killed by a slave of dark complexion.” (Ibn Kathir, Al-

when the people returned [to Mecca], I also returned with them and remained in Mecca.

When the Holy Prophetsa conquered Mecca and Islam spread in Mecca, I migrated to Ta’if. People sent emissaries to the Holy Prophetsa, and they said to me also that the Holy Prophetsa does not turn away the emissaries.” Wahshi further states, “So, I also joined these emissaries, and went to see the Holy Prophetsa. As soon as the Holy Prophetsa saw me, he asked, ‘Are you Wahshi?’ I responded in the affirmative. The Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Sit down and tell me the details of how you killed Hamzah.’ And so I informed him of all the details.

“When I had finished narrating the details, the Holy Prophetsa asked, ‘Is it possible for you to not come in front of me?’”

Wahshira says, “Upon this, I left from there. When the Holy Prophetsa passed away and Musailimah Kazzab started a rebellion, I said to myself that I would certainly head out towards Musailimah and kill him, so that through this I could atone for my killing of Hazrat Hamzahra.”

Nonetheless, Wahshira says that he set out for the battle and the events transpired which he narrates as follows: “I saw a man standing in the cleft of the wall. This man’s complexion resembled that of a wheat-coloured camel and his hair was unkempt and untidy. I attacked him with my spear striking him in his chest in a way that it traversed his body between the shoulders.”

He further relates: “Someone then from among the Ansar leapt towards and struck his head with his sword.”

The narrator, Suleman bin Yassar heard from Hazrat Abudullah bin Umarra that when Musailimah was killed, a young girl, who was stood at the top of the roof, said, “Amir-ul-Mumineen (i.e. Musailimah) has been killed by a black slave.”

This is a narration from Bukhari.

Wahshira narrates: “Allah knows best as to who out of the two of us killed Musailimah (i.e. between the Ansari companion and Hazrat Wahshira).

However, if it was me then I had killed the most excellent person after the Holy Prophetsa, i.e. Hazrat Hamzah and I was also the one who killed the most wretched person [i.e. Musailimah].” (Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah

Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, Vol. 3, Ch. 6 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2001] p. 321) (Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar alKutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2001], 528.)

al-Nabawiyyah, Tahrid Hind wa al-Niswah ma‘aha [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2001], p. 528) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, Bab Qatl Hamzah ibn al-Muttalib, Hadith 4072)

Haikal, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra, pp. 200-201) (Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, Vol. 3, Ch. 6 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2001] p. 321) (Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, Vol. 7 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Hajr, 1998] p. 256) (Yaqut Ibn Abd Allah al-Hamawi, Mu‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah], p. 268) (Ali Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahabah, Vol. 1 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2014], pp. 363364)

With regard to who killed Musailimah and banished him to Hell, Baladhuri states: “The Banu Aamir say that one of their tribesman, Khiddash bin Bashir, killed him.”

According to one narration, Abdullah bin Zaid from the Khazraj branch of the Ansar tribe killed him. Some [narrations] state that Abu Dujanah killed him. Muawiyyah bin Sufyan said that he killed Musailimah.

According to some narrations, there is a possibility that all of them had a hand in his killing. Some books, which include AlTabari, state that Musailimah was jointly killed by one Ansari [companion] and Wahshi. (Al-Siddiq, Professor Ali Muhammad Hasan

Siddiqi, pp. 102-103.)

Wahshi bin Harbra has narrated the account of killing Musailimah in his own words as follows: “After martyring Hazrat Hamzahra,

With regard to the tradition of Sahih Bukhari wherein it is mentioned that the Holy Prophetsa asked Wahshira if it was possible that he not come before him, Hazrat Syed Zain-ul-Abideen Waliullah Shah Sahibra has written that the transformation that took place in Wahshira reflects his sincerity. It was his desire to somehow atone for his mistake, and in the fierce Battle of Yamamah, he was able to fulfil this desire of his and thereby succeed. Shah Sahib further writes that these words of the Holy Prophetsa: َّ َ َُ َ ُ َ َ ‫فَ َه ْل ت‬ ‫ست ِط ْيع أ ْن تغ ِّي َب َو ْج َهك ع ِن ْي‬ That is, “Is it possible for you to not come before me?” are words that reflect the Holy Prophet’ssa lofty morals. The Holy Prophetsa expressed his wish in that if it was possible, he should not come before him. This was not said in a strong or harsh manner; rather,

as a request and in a tone of humility. From these words, one can ascertain the love and respect the Holy Prophetsa had for Hazrat Hamzahra. A person who only wants to seek retribution could have comforted his heart by exacting revenge, but the Holy Prophetsa pardoned him and only desired that he not come before him lest his heart is pained by being reminded of how Hazrat Hamzahra was brutally martyred. (Sahih al-Bukhari – Translated by Zain al-Abidin Sahib, Vol. 8, pp. 198-199)

The details of the Battle of Yamamah have been mentioned in another place as well and the bravery and courage of the Muslims has also been mentioned as follows: Both armies engaged in a fierce battle and many people from each side were either killed or injured. Malik bin Aus was the first amongst the Muslims to be martyred [in this battle] and many of the Huffaz of the Quran amongst the Muslims were martyred.

The Muslim army and Musailimah’s army clashed in a fierce battle and entered into one another’s rows. Whenever the Muslims would retreat, the enemy would press ahead in order to reach Muja‘a. Salim, the freed slave of Abu Huzayfara, dug a pit up to the middle of calves and he was holding the flag of the Muhajirin. Thabitra also dug a similar pit for himself. They both attached their respective flags with them and everyone else dispersed in all directions. In other words, they dug a pit and then stood in it and attached their flags to themselves. Salimra and Thabitra remained steadfast with their flags until Salimra and Abu Huzayfara were both martyred. Hazrat Abu Huzayfa’sra head was lying at the feet of Salimra and Salim’sra head was lying at the feet of Hazrat Abu Huzayfara. When Salim was martyred, for a short while, his flag remained there and no one picked it up and then Yazid bin Qaisra, who was a companion that took part in the Battle of Badr, came forward and took hold of the flag and he was also martyred. Then, Hakam bin Saeed bin Aas took hold of the flag and spent the entire day fighting whilst protecting the flag and he too was martyred.

Wahshira states that an extremely fierce battle ensued and on three occasions the Muslims lost ground, but then on the fourth occasion they returned and attacked once again and remained resolute even in the face of the attacks from the swords.

He further states that swords of the Muslims and the Banu Hanifah clashed against one another and he could see sparks coming from them and a sound the like of a bell could be heard from them. Allah the Almighty granted His help to the Muslims and the Banu Hanifah were ultimately defeated and Allah killed Musailimah.

Wahshira states that he used his sword to great effect that day and his sword was covered in blood right down to its handle.

Hazrat Ibn Umarra states that he saw Hazrat Ammar bin Yasirra climbing a mountain and he was shouting, “O Muslims! Are you running from Paradise?

I am Ammar bin Yasir, come towards me!”

The narrator states that he saw his ear had been cut and was dangling.

Abu Khaithimah Najjari states, “When the Muslims became scattered on the occasion of the Battle of Yamamah, I went to one side and I could see Hazrat Abu Dujanara.”

His actual name was Simaak bin Kharshah and he was known by the title of Abu Dujanah. He is the famous companion,

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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 July 2022 who took part in all the battles alongside the Holy Prophetsa. Also, on the occasion of the Battle of Uhud, the Holy Prophetsa took hold of a sword and stated, “Who shall do justice to this sword?” and it was Abu Dujanahra who stated, “I will do justice to it.” Subsequently, the Holy Prophetsa granted him the sword. In other narrations it is reported that he submitted, “How can one do justice to this sword?” Upon this, the Holy Prophetsa stated, “Do not kill a fellow Muslim, nor run away from a disbeliever.”

As was his practice, Hazrat Abu Dujanahra tied a red strip of cloth around his head and then proudly walked and stood in the centre of the army rows. Upon this, the Holy Prophetsa stated, “Although God is displeased with one who walks in such a manner; however, there is no harm if done on such occasions.” He then battled with great bravery and killed many disbelievers and endured many wounds whilst protecting the Holy Prophetsa; however, he did not run from the battlefield.

In any case, the Battle of Yamamah was being mentioned – the aforementioned incident was during the life of the Holy Prophetsa – during the Battle of Yamamah, it is mentioned that a group from among the Banu Hanifah attacked Abu Dujanahra.

Abu Dujanahra was fighting with his sword in front of him, to his right and to his left.

He then struck a person and felled him to the ground. He was not saying anything at the time and eventually that group retreated and returned and the Muslims were able to get closer to him. The Banu Hanifah suffered defeat and fled towards the garden and the Muslims went after them and left them with no choice but to take refuge in the garden.

When the Banu Hanifah closed the gates of the garden, Hazrat Abu Dujanahra asked to be put onto a shield and then be thrown over so that he could enter and open the gates of the garden. And so, the Muslims did just that and he entered inside the garden and he was saying, “You running away from us cannot save you.” He intensely fought against them and eventually they opened the gates. The narrator states that when they entered the garden, he had been martyred.

According to another narration, Bara bin Malikra was the one who was thrown into the garden and the earlier narration regarding Bara bin Malikra seems to be more correct.

(Al-Iktifa bima Tadmanuh min Maghazi Rasul Allah wa al-Thalathah al-Khulafa, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1420 AH], pp. 121-126) (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Fada’il al-Sahabah, bab Fada’il Abi Dujanah, Hadith 6353) (Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 4, p.

339, Hadith 10792, Mu’assisat al-Risalah, Beirut, 1985)

There are some further details to this incident which I will, insha-Allah, narrate in the future.

At present, I would like to request prayers for Pakistan, pray especially for Ahmadis [living there]. The general situation in Pakistan is slowly deteriorating; in such circumstances they usually turn their attention towards Ahmadis.

Enmity and hostility [against Ahmadis] is increasing. They have not even stopped desecrating old graves. These people are extremely immoral and evil-natured. May Allah the Almighty hold them accountable.

Pray also for the Ahmadis living in Algeria, they are also facing difficulties; also pray for the Ahmadis in Afghanistan. May Allah the Almighty bestow His grace and blessings upon everyone.

I will mention some deceased members and will also lead their funeral prayers [in absentia] after the Friday prayer.

The first mention is of respected Naseem Mahdi Sahib, who was a missionary of the Jamaat. He was the son of respected Maulana Ahmad Khan Naseem Sahib. He recently passed away at the age of 69.

َ ۡ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫إِنا لِل ِه وإِنٓا إِلي ِه ر‬

[“Surely, to Allah we belong to Him shall we return.”]

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, he was also a musi. He had married twice; his first wife passed away and he is survived by his second wife and also two sons and a daughter from the first wife and two sons and a daughter from the second wife. He graduated from Jamia Ahmadiyya Rabwah in 1976 and had the opportunity to serve in Islah-o-Irshad Muqami department.

In 1983, he was sent as a missionary to Switzerland and he also had the opportunity to serve there. In 1984, he was appointed as naib wakil-ul-tabshir and for a few months he also served as acting wakil-ul-tabshir. In December 1984, he came here to London and had the opportunity to serve as private secretary. After a few months here, he was then appointed to Canada in 1985. From 1985 to 2008, he had the opportunity to serve as a missionary and later as missionary in-charge and the amir of the Jamaat in Canada. From 2009 to 2016, he had the opportunity to serve as missionary in-charge in USA. Thereafter, he fell ill and he was appointed again to Switzerland; however, he wrote that the doctors had advised him that owing to his health he could not take on any heavy work and so he requested leave for an indefinite period. And so, I wrote to him that based on the condition of his health and the advice of the doctors he should take care of his health and once he had recovered then he should inform and, insha-Allah, his services would be utilised again; however, his condition continued to deteriorate.

As I mentioned, he went to Canada in 1985 and in 1986, 24 acres of land was purchased for the Baitul Islam mission house which was then developed into a residential area as well. Many Ahmadis settled in Canada during his time there during which he helped them a great deal and many are extremely grateful for his kindness. He had the systems of chanda and tajnid computerised. Two large mosques in Toronto and Calgary were built and [prayer] centres were established in various other jamaats. I believe that perhaps the Vancouver mosque was also built during his time. In any case, two large mosques were certainly built [during his time there]. In 2003, during his tenure, Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada was established by the grace of Allah the Almighty. Similarly, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of the MTA North America Station. May Allah the Almighty accept all of his services.

His wife, Amatul Naseer Sahiba writes: “In the 26 years of our marriage, I found Naseem Mahdi Sahib to be supportive in every time of grief and pain. He was a very loving and respectful husband, a kind father and a devoted brother. He cared a great deal for humanity and was subservient and obedient to Khilafat. He had complete faith in Allah the Almighty and was a pious individual.”

His wife further writes, “He selflessly

served many people and met everyone in a loving manner. He could never bear to hear anything said against the Jamaat, nor would anyone have the courage to say such things in his presence. He was also extremely hospitable. He would always pay special attention towards reciting Durood Sharif [prayer for invoking blessings upon the Holy Prophetsa].” She says, “When we went for Umrah I asked him what he had prayed for. He responded by saying that he had only recited Durood Sharif.”

His daughter, Sadia Mahdi Sahiba says: “My father was very devoted to prayer.”

She says, “Whenever I asked him for prayers, he would advise me to recite Durood Sharif.

In any matter which I asked him for prayers he would always draw my attention towards reciting Durood Sharif. One day, I asked him why he advised reciting Durood Sharif for every matter. He responded by saying that I should recite Durood Sharif and explained that Durood Sharif was the greatest prayer.

If this prayer was accepted, then all other prayers would be accepted as well.”

Then, Ismat Sharif Sahiba says: “Mahdi Sahib was my brother-in-law. I have witnessed him closely for 22 years; he was extremely kind and caring and would meet everyone with great love. He had a deep-rooted connection with the Khalifa of the time.”

His sister says: “When he was serving as a missionary in Switzerland, a Swiss woman who had accepted Ahmadiyyat came to Rabwah on the occasion of Jalsa Salana. She came to our home in Rabwah, saying that she wished to meet Naseem Mahdi Sahib’s mother, as she wished to meet the mother of a son who was so intelligent and who, in such a short amount of time, obtained mastery over so many languages; who remains engaged in tabligh without any apprehension and was able to speak fluently on any topic.”

His daughter-in-law says: “He always taught us about the importance of Durood Sharif and using it to support our prayers. Once, he explained that he was standing in a line at the airport when he realised that his passport had expired. He immediately began reciting Durood Sharif and remained standing in the line. The person standing at the counter did not even check his passport and let him through.”

His son-in-law writes: “When I got married, he treated me with great love and kindness. He would make tea for me himself; after the Fajr prayer he would sit with me and would relate a verse or an incident from the Holy Quran and would then explain its commentary. This was the subtle way in which he would train us.”

His daughter Nawal Mahdi Sahiba says: “I always observed that he would pay great attention to Holy Quran and that he was an ardent lover of the Holy Quran.

He would also enjoin us to intently study the Holy Quran and try to understand its meanings as a result of which we would be able to see the manifestations of Allah the Almighty’s power and we would begin to enjoy reading the Holy Quran.”

She says, “He regularly offered Tahajjud [pre-dawn voluntary prayers]; he would spend extended time standing, bowing and prostrating in prayer and would offer his prayers with great fervour and passion.

He would deliver dars on the Holy Quran

during the blessed month of Ramadan and he would prepare these lessons with great effort (many others have written about this as well). He would explain the meanings of difficult words in the Holy Quran and would present other similar words which would help people easily understand.”

Lal Khan Sahib, the Amir Jamaat Canada says: “Since 1987, I worked with the former amir and missionary-in-charge of Canada for a long time. Allah the Almighty bestowed upon him many qualities which he employed in service of the Jamaat. Allah the Almighty enabled him to establish and maintain friendships and to use these connections for the benefit of the Jamaat. Through personal relationships with officials from various departments of Canada, he introduced to them the message of the Jamaat.”

Masha-Allah, he truly possessed this brilliant quality and he was able to build strong connections and others honoured this relationship as well. As such, upon his demise, many non-Ahmadis offered their condolences.

Lal Khan Sahib further writes: “Allah the Almighty enabled him to carry out the responsibility of helping and guiding people and the families arriving from Pakistan and other countries.” He then says, “His relationship with members of the majlis-e-amila was that of friends.” He says, “I was able to serve under his leadership for about 20 years, during which time he never made me feel that I was his subordinate due to him being the amir. Instead, he treated me like a friend.”

Dr Aslam Daud Sahib says: “In 2009, Naseem Mahdi Sahib was awarded the Order of Ontario medal, which is the province’s highest award which can be given to any citizen. It recognises excellence and outstanding service in any field.” He says, “When he was appointed to USA, I met him once at Jalsa Salana. It was then that he advised me saying that I was now in a position where I should serve people as much as I possibly could.

Whenever a Jamaat member comes to me, I should help them and should never turn them away. I should do whatever I can for them. He also said sometimes people do not speak in a becoming manner, but even still I should silently try to help them.” He says, “I always saw him helping those in need and he would do so in a very discrete manner so that those in need never felt any sort of embarrassment.”

Shakoor Sahib, who is a missionary, says: “Among the many pieces of advice he imparted to me, one of them that has stuck with me is that during my early years in Jamia when I was in the third year, I went to the mosque for Asr prayer while wearing slippers. He told me that life-devotees should leave the home prepared for any circumstance, so that if they receive any instruction, they can set out for its fulfilment right away. You should not have to say that first you need to return home in order to get ready. One should always remain mentally and physically prepared.”

Farasat Umar Sahib, a missionary in USA says: “During my interview for Jamia, Mahdi Sahib asked me that if I were to be sent to Africa as a missionary and I faced opposition from the local people, who would I contact first; my mother or Khalifatul Masih?”

Friday 1 July 2022 | AL HAKAM

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and children, and enable them to keep his virtues alive. Just as he spent his life with loyalty, may his progeny also live their lives with loyalty.

Next, I will mention Muhammad Ahmad Sharim of Rabwah. This child passed away at the age of 16.

َ ۡ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫إِنا لِل ِه وإِنٓا إِلي ِه ر‬

[“Surely, to Allah we belong to Him shall we return.”]

He was ever devoted to Khilafat, always smiling and beloved to all. He actively contributed to various financial schemes and regularly participated in Jamaat and auxiliary events. By the grace of Allah, he was a musi. Even at this young age, he had joined the Wasiyyat scheme. He is survived by his parents and two sisters. May Allah the Almighty grant them patience and fortitude.

The third mention is of respected Salimah Qamar Sahiba, wife of Late Rashid Ahmad Sahib. She passed away on 16 May.

َ ۡ َ َّ َ ّٰ َّ ‫اج ُعوْ َن‬ ِ ‫إِنا لِل ِه وإِنٓا إِلي ِه ر‬

He says, “After giving it some thought, I responded by saying Khalifatul Masih.

Upon this, Mahdi Sahib said that he would recommend my admission just based upon this response, as this was the correct answer.”

Col Dildar Sahib, the Secretary of the Mission House says: “A salient aspect of Naseem Mahdi Sahib was his obedience to the Khulafa. Among his achievements is the establishment of Peace Village. The way this came to fruition is that at the time the Jalsa Salana used to be held in the field adjacent to the Baitul Islam Mosque.

“In those days, the owner of the neighbouring agricultural land would complain every year on the occasion of Jalsa that she was disturbed by the noise created by Jalsa and she could not withstand the smell of food produced by the Langar. Nonetheless, after some time, when the government implemented new zoning laws for that agricultural land to become a residential area, Naseem Mahdi Sahib became worried that up until then, it was only one landowner that was causing them trouble. Now, there would be many landowners and the matter would become even more difficult because many people would occupy the new homes.

For this reason, on the occasion of Eid, he proposed a scheme to the members of the community that all the new homes should be bought by Ahmadis. Thus, the members of the community answered this call and by the grace of Allah, the community of Peace Village was established as a result.”

Zeeshan Goraya Sahib, a missionary, writes that many youth received moral training from Naseem Mahdi Sahib and owing to that moral training, those youths are now missionaries in different countries of the world who are serving the community.

Because of his moral training, they nurture a spirit of love and obedience to Khilafat

within themselves.

Similarly, Asif Khan Sahib, the secretary of external affairs in Canada writes, “I was 13 years old when I came to Vaughan. At that time, there were about a few dozen Ahmadi houses in and around the mission house. I had little knowledge about the community at the time, and he treated me like a son and became my teacher. He would play basketball, all the while imparting teachings of the Jamaat to us. When I matured, he assigned me to contact different politicians.”

Even today [Asif Khan Sahib], continues to do great work in this field. He writes, “I received all my training from him.”

Mirza Maghfoor Ahmad Sahib, the National President of the Jamaat in USA writes: “In 2016, Naseem Mahdi Sahib had the opportunity of serving in USA as the Missionary In-charge and National President. He rendered great services in USA. He went on many tours and very effectively initiated efforts for propagating Islam in various cities. Meanwhile, he also got the opportunity to spread Islam Ahmadiyyat in the USA through the media and various campaigns. In light of guidance that he received from Markaz [Headquarters] to establish a branch of the Jamaat in Mexico, he had the opportunity to establish a mission house in Mexico.”

Waseem Syed Sahib, the secretary for Tabligh in USA writes: “He always tried to establish a bond of love and affection with everyone and took the first initiative to do so. He knew how to motivate everyone to serve Islam. After coming to USA, he effectively availed the various programmes being held on 11 September to spread the teachings of Islam.

He also launched the ‘Muslim for Life’ and ‘Muhammadsa, Messenger of Peace’ initiatives. There were lectures delivered on

these topics in 56 universities across USA. The book Life of Muhammadsa was given as a gift in great quantities to those who attended these lectures. He also started the ‘Muslim for Loyalty’ campaign. He delivered lectures in various universities, held meetings with local government departments and raised awareness about the teachings of Islam.”

During his Jalsa Salana speech, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh once mentioned the efforts of Naseem Mahdi Sahib whilst highlighting the efforts of the Jamaat in Switzerland with regard to the scheme of producing introductory folders.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh said: “There are three tribes that live in the mountainous regions, who care for livestock in the mountains of Switzerland. All three tribes speak a different language. One of the tribes is 28,000 in number and the others are less than that.” Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh further states, “Coincidentally, a folder was published for the tribe whose population was 28,000. Naseem Mahdi Sahib, may Allah the Almighty reward him, consulted with me, after which he was able to distribute 8,000 folders to everyone’s home. He distributed these in all the homes in that region, and as a result, there was a great uproar. Two newspapers wrote very critically against this.” (Sabil al-Rashad, Vol. 2, pp. 426-427) “Upon this, I stated that an excellent prayer had been offered in his favour, due to the fact that hundreds and thousands of folders were distributed.” (Khitabat Nasirrh, Vol. 2, pp. 543-544) Nevertheless, this was a short report presented by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh during Jalsa. May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness and mercy, elevate his station and grant him a place in paradise among his loved ones. May Allah the Almighty grant patience to his wife

[“Surely, to Allah we belong to Him shall we return.”]

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, she was a musiah. Ahmadiyyat entered their family through Hazrat Maulvi Waziruddin Sahibra of Makirian, who was the maternal grandfather of her father, Chaudhary Muhammad Siddique. Hazrat Maulvi Waziruddin Sahibra was a companion of the Promised Messiahas and a headmaster in Kangra. Her father, Chaudhary Muhammad Siddique Sahib, who was a maulvi fazil, was an esteemed elder of the Jamaat. For a long time, he had the opportunity to serve as the head of the Khilafat Library. He also had the opportunity to serve as sadr umumi in Rabwah for a very long time. Salimah Qamar Sahiba’s father was also honoured to, in light of guidance from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, set up a tent and be among the first people to spend a night in Rabwah when it was being settled.

The deceased received her early education in Rabwah, and then got a degree in MA in Arabic from Talim-ulIslam College. For a long time, she had the opportunity to serve in various departments.

From 1972 to 1982, she had the opportunity of serving locally in Lajna Imaillah as the general secretary. From 1982 to 1987, she served as the librarian in Amatul Hayy Library. From 1987 to 2018 – for a period of 31 years – she served as the editor for the magazine Misbah, during which time she managed Misbah in an excellent manner, despite the difficult circumstances. She was very pious, fervent in her supplications and had a simple personality. She was regular in offering Tahajjud prayers, as well as other voluntary prayers such as chasht and ishraq.

She was deeply and sincerely devoted to Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. Every aspect of her life highlighted her prayers. She was a very pious woman. She treated everyone with love and affection and never became upset with anyone.

May Allah the Almighty grant the deceased forgiveness and mercy, and elevate her station. May He enable her progeny to keep her virtues alive.

(Official Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 24 June 2022, pp. 5-9. Translated by The Review of Religions.)

Editor: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Design & Layout: Jalees Ahmad | Sub-Editorial: Ataul Fatir Tahir, Aqeel Ahmed Kang | News: Ata-ul-Haye Nasir | © Al Hakam 2022