Al Hakam - 6 December 2019

Huzoor addresses Ahmadiyya Medical Association UK

Surrey councillors and dignitaries meet Huzoor

Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh: A reflection

The annual meeting of AMMA UK took place in Islamabad, Tilford on 30 November

On 24 November, councillors and dignitaries had the opportunity to meet with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih

A look at our responsibilities in the midst of materialism

Prophet Noah’sas age and the prediction of the Promised Messiahas

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Responding to allegations

THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 6 December 2019 | Issue XC Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

London Bridge calls to bridge the gulf

Wiki Commons

nother abhorrent incident of murder in A London. Another murderer found to be Muslim. Strange events surrounding the

whole situation and the general public is left to draw conclusions.

Should the probation system reconsider its practices or should the election campaigners use the situation to tag another appendix to their manifestos is not our concern here. What is of our concern is how to circumnavigate the name of Islam out of the storm that it has been plunged into.

A solution to this was given a hundred years ago. It remains as valid today as it ever was, thanks to the stagnant states of mind that refuse to change.

The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, presented the solution to protecting the name of Islam that is associated to violence by guiding both the Western powers and the Muslim global community. While asking the Muslims to refrain from violence in the name of Islam, he urged Western powers not to toy with the sensitivities of Muslims. Yet the tenet of Jihad remained to be a favourite playground for both – it still is.

Now, almost a century later, the successor of the Promised Messiahas has analysed the situation in the modern context and prescribed remedies accordingly – the basic advice remains the same for both.

The leitmotif of the modern situation may

have remained the same, but the problem has taken a much more complex form and the possible solutions, subsequently, have become far more complicated.

The Western media machinery – powered by the powers – has continued to play with the Muslim emotion by branding their religion as nothing but a game of blood and sword. The Muslim world generally has reacted in exactly the way that was desired by such propaganda. What the Western powers did not realise was that the reaction of the Muslims would not necessarily remain in the Muslim world. It was destined to spill over the brim of what is known as the Muslim world and flow eventually to the West. This is what has happened.

This spill-over of what the West calls “Islamist terrorism” has brought with it a band of multidimensional crises. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand, has addressed each and every crisis and advised world leaders – Muslim and Western both – on how to tackle them.

What troubles the youth that they turn into reactionaries, who see not other ways but to use weapons and kill innocent people? Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has gone into the psyche of such troubled youth and, alongside many other problems, has seen frustration to be lying at the root of it. He is of the opinion that when the youth do not find the right channel to exert their energies, they will, inevitably turn to destructive tactics.

Continued on page 2

Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa Spending in the way of Allah Khuraim bin Fatik, Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Whoever spends something in the cause of Allah is rewarded seven hundred times over.”

(Tirmidhi)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words The state of the present age and the need for a reformer In the same way, in this present era, religious capacities have died away, and sin and impiety have taken their place. The mutual interaction of people on the one hand and their worship on the other – everything has become corrupted. If this affliction was all that plagued the people, there was no harm or danger. But in addition to all these things, the greatest calamity, regarding which I am compelled to speak time and again, and which every heart possessing sympathy for Islam has already felt or can feel, is the poisonous effect of today’s natural medicine, astronomy and flawed philosophy, which is attacking Islam and Muslims. The scholars pay no attention to this because they can barely find time from their wars with one another, waging internal conflicts, and declaring one another disbelievers. If the ascetics sat in seclusion and did so much as to pray, even that could bring about positive effects, but they are engrossed in debates on the worship of saints and the permissibility of the Sufi practice of sama, etc. A few traditions, which are not to be found in the Quran and Sunnah, have taken the place of true Sufism. Therefore, from every direction Islam is victim to the arrows of the foolish and the ignorant. In this age, those necessary conditions, which undoubtedly call for the advent of a reformer, have reached their pinnacle. Everyone believes Continued on page 2

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 1

Immigration of people from war-torn areas in the East to countries in the West has brought with it both good and bad consequences. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has advised Western countries that while it is not at all a good idea to shun all immigrants as terrorists, it is also imperative that any person being offered refuge should be thoroughly vetted and screened before they are allowed in.

The bias and prejudices attached to freedom of expression are bringing more trouble and less peace. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has said – exactly in line with what the Promised Messiahas taught the world – to not hurt anyone’s religious sentiment in the name of freedom and the trajectory of religion-related violence will certainly drop to a level where things can be kept under control.

Is Islam a religion of terror? Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has categorically made it clear on many occasions that it most certainly is not. Anyone associating themselves to Islam and then committing acts of violence is either unaware of Islam or is deliberately trying to tarnish it. In either case, Islam is not to be blamed.

How does the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat see such terror attacks where a socalled Muslim kills an innocent person?

Well, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, on behalf of himself and his Jamaat, clearly and fervently condemns any such attack that leads to any kind of disturbance in the peace of society, let alone killing an innocent citizen.

After the recent London Bridge attack and other such heinous incidents, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’s message is always very clear: Killing of an individual means killing the whole of humanity.

To know more about his response on such acts, read his statements on www. pressahmadiyya.com

Continued from page 1 in their own individual religious tradition.

Deducing from all these factors and circumstances, the age of Islam seemed to be at its end. When doctors and physicians find that the body of a patient struck by cholera is as cold as ice or is afflicted by a state of delirium, they slip away, declaring the person to be incurable. Upon witnessing a grim state of affairs, even the most skilled physician expresses disappointment and dismay. There is no doubt that in the present age Islam had reached a hopeless state.

However, if this faith had been the result of human thought or the fruit of mortal efforts, in these times of misfortune and tribulation, on being struck from all fronts and its internal state having fallen frail due to discord within the fold, at the very least, it could not have endured; especially when its adversaries were and are exerting their best efforts to destroy it. Not a year goes by that a new means to attack Islam is not contrived. If a new invention or machine is designed, the newly discovered principles to produce that respective invention are then used to fuel attacks against Islam.

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 94-95)

This Week in History 6 - 12 December Selection of brief incidents from the blessed eras of first and second Khilafat 6 December 1939: Mr Mankovi Astro passed away at the age of 70. He established the Jamaat in Eastern Java.

This devout and active member granted his land to the Jamaat, where a local mosque was constructed.

6 December 1946: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra called for Ahmadi doctors to provide aid for the victims of the Bihar Riots. Upon this call, a delegation comprising of two doctors was sent to the badly affected areas of the conflict.

6 December 1954: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra inaugurated the newly constructed building of Talim-ul-Islam College Rabwah.

chairmanship of Sir John Simon), Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra penned a book, Musalmano kay liye imtihan ka Waqt (A test for the Muslims). Huzoorra, in the book, raised some serious question about the whole political episode and the commission. Some people in India were outraged and insulted that the Simon Commission, which was to determine the future of India, did not include a single Indian member.

8 December 1948: Hazrat Qazi Azizuddinra of Faizullah Chak passed away. He was a companion of the Promised Messiahas.

8 December 1960: Maulana Muhammad Ismail Munir Sahib arrived at the shores of Mauritus to spread the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat.

6 December 1960: King Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia was presented with a copy of the Holy Quran by Jamaat representatives.

9 December 1944: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra addressed young members of the Jamaat belonging to the North 6 December 1963: Hazrat Syeda Aziza Begum passed Western Frontier region of the subcontinent and urged away. She was the noble wife of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra them to devote their lives in serving religion. and commonly known as Umm-e-Waseem. She was the daughter of Hazrat Seith Abu Bakr Yousaf Jamal Sahib a 9 December 1949: The Jamaat in Indonesia held its first devout and affluent merchant from Jeddah. ever three-day Jalsa Salana in Jakarta.

7 December 1917: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra exhorted the young members of the Jamaat to come forward and devote their lives for the cause of Islam. Upon this call, 63 earnest young men stepped forward rendering their services for this cause.

7 December 1931: Hazrat Mullah Muhammad Meerura passed away.

7 December 1947: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a second lecture at a full session in Lahore on the topic of Pakistan’s future. The chairman was Sir Malik Feroz Khan Noon Sahib. During this discourse, Huzoorra discussed the future of the newly formed Pakistan with regard to agriculture, livestock and minerals etc. Huzoorra also advised how to develop and improve the areas under discussion.

7 December 1948: Manzoor Ahmad Ojalvi Sahib was martyred in Kashmir.

7 December 1948: The construction of temporary buildings in Rabwah was initiated. Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra laid the foundation stone of one such building consisting of seven large rooms on this date.

7 December 1955: Hazrat Maulana Abdur Rahim Dardra passed away after rendering great services for the Jamaat and nation alike. He was a missionary, writer, political activist for the Pakistan Movement and also served as the Imam of the historic Fazl Mosque in London.

7 December 1957: Hazrat Seith Ismail Adamra from Bombay passed away. He accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat in 1896 and was a companion of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him.

8 December 1927: Upon the announcement of the proposed arrival of the Simon Commission to India (a group of seven British Members of Parliament under the

9 December 1955: The Mubarak Mosque, the first purpose-built mosque in the Netherlands was opened

by Hazrat Sir Muhammad Zafarulla Khanra on this date.

This mosque, with three minarets and a capacity of 500 worshippers, was designed by Frits Beck and was completed with funds collected from Lajna Imaillah. On 3 June 2006, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the Mubarak Mosque to commemorate the building’s 50th anniversary. The first missionary in the Netherlands was Hafiz Qudratullah Sahib who arrived in 1947.

9 December 1957: Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Tahir Ahmad’s wedding reception was arranged on this date.

On 11 December, another gathering was held as his Walima.

10 December 1924: Hazrat Syeda Amtul Hayy Begumra passed away. This noble lady was the daughter of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, may Allah be pleased with him, and was also the beloved wife of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

10 December 1935: Hazrat Imamuddinra passed away, who was a companion of the Promised Messiahas.

10 December 1938: Hazrat Pir Shamsuddinra passed away at the age of 100. He was a companion of the Promised Messiahas.

10 December 1947: Upon the instructions of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, Talim-ul-Islam College commenced functioning in Lahore and new admissions were also announced.

10 December 1949: Hazrat Munshi Muhammad Ismailra of Sialkot passed away. He accepted the message of the Promised Messiahas in 1900.

10 December 1949: Jamia-tul-Mubashireen was established in Rabwah to train young imams within the Jamaat.

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

10 December 1953: Hazrat Hakim Muhammad Abdul Samadra of Delhi passed away. He joined Islam Ahmadiyyat in 1905.

10 December 1956: A delegation of Jamaat members presented Jamaat literature to the first premier of the People’s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, while he was touring India.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V addresses Ahmadiyya Medical Association UK

11 December 1936: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra instructed members of the Jamaat to fervently pray and seek forgiveness from God Almighty. Huzoorra guided Ahmadis to repent thoroughly during his discourse on this day, 25 Ramadan.

11 December 1936: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra invited Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, of the Paighamis, for a debate about the prophethood of the Promised Messiahas. Maulvi Sahib avoided the chance to settle the dispute.

11 December 1953: The young Dr Abdus Salam was offered to become a lecturer at Cambridge University, England. He accepted the offer and is counted among the earliest people from Pakistan to teach at this esteemed position.

He began as a professor of mathematics in 1954. On this date, he arrived at Cambridge University to start his new career.

12 December 1911: On this date, in order to appease Bengali sentiments, Bengal was reunited

by Lord Hardinge. This was in response to the Swadeshi movement’s riots in protest against the policy and the growing belief among Hindus that east Bengal would have its own courts and policies. Years prior to this development, the Promised Messiahas vouchsafed and publicised this in a prophecy.

12 December 1942: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra shared a dream in which he was shown the future land of migration from Qadian.

Huzoorra declared that one day, the Jamaat might have to leave Qadian and settle permanently in a new Markaz, which would be surrounded by hills.

12 December 1948: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a lecture about the status of Islam in the contemporary world and its future. This event was arranged in Maynard Hall, Law College, Lahore by the Ahmadiyya Intercollegiate Association. The session was presided by Justice Sheikh Abdur Rahman, who would go on to become the chief justice of Pakistan.

T

he annual meeting of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association UK (AMMA UK) took place on Saturday, 30 November in Islamabad, Tilford.

The event saw various presentations, talks and discussions throughout the day by members of the medical association covering topics such as embryology in the Holy Quran, the effects of fasting in patients of chronic kidney disease and how to get rid of diabetes.

The highlight of the meeting was the address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. After Isha prayer, at approximately 8:30pm, Huzooraa attended the closing session of the meeting.

With the arrival of Huzooraa, a portion of the Holy Quran was read out – verse 287 of Surah al-Baqarah – followed by its English translation. Next, the President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association, Dr Syed Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib, presented the annual report in which he highlighted the various humanitarian works the association had carried out.

The annual report highlighted that medical professionals from AMMA UK had partaken in projects across the world, including countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Malaysia, the Gambia and Pakistan.

Medical equipment and supplies were also provided for Fazl-e-Umar Hospital in Rabwah, Pakistan. The female members of AMMA UK had also contributed a great deal throughout the year in various projects, including training and guiding students.

The report further highlighted that throughout the year, members of AMMA UK had been taking time to serve at Jamaat ijtemas, sporting events and Jalsa Salanas. Surgical training was also provided

by AMMA UK doctors at Fazl-e-Umar Hospital in Pakistan.

Following the annual report, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa presented awards to Lajna members of AMMA UK. Thereafter, Huzooraa addressed the congregation.

After Tahshahud and Ta‘awuz, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa highlighted the various contributions members of AMMA had made. Huzooraa referred to the training Ahmadi doctors provided to the gynaecology department in Fazl-e-Umar Hospital, the medical equipment sent by the association and the works the association had been carrying out throughout the world.

Referring to a hospital construction project in Ivory Coast, originally started by AMMA UK, Huzooraa said that the project was handed over to Humanity First as AMMA UK did not have the funds to see it through. However, Huzooraa emphasised that members of the association should continue to support the project of building the hospital in Ivory Coast by continuing their financial contributions.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then spoke of a target he had set AMMA UK previously, “To encourage Waqf-e-Nau to enter medicine”, to further “guide and help them” through career guidance and to “impress upon them” on fulfilling their pledge in dedicating their lives. Huzooraa said, “Sadly, very little progress has been made in this regard” and as a result, there is a shortage of doctors in Ahmadiyya Muslim hospitals.

Huzooraa pointed out that it is essential that members of AMMA UK sacrifice a “significant period of time” to serve humanity. Huzooraa said that “a few days or a couple of days a year is not enough”, rather “sustained periods” are required.

By the grace of Allah, many Ahmadi doctors are serving and sacrificing their time, especially Ahmadi doctors from the

USA, Huzooraa noted. Referring to a doctor from America, Huzooraa said that he had done waqf for three years to serve in the Jamaat hospital in Rabwah. Commending his sacrifice, Huzooraa said, “I really appreciate his spirit of sacrifice”.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa stressed the need for medical professionals in the field of gynaecology and paediatrics to serve in Jamaat hospitals. There is a need for Waqfe-Nau to enter these fields.

“A spirit to serve” is needed by members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association. Instead of focusing on the riches of the world, Ahmadi doctors should serve for the betterment of humanity and alleviating their suffering. They should present themselves to the Jamaat and serve in this spirit.

Huzooraa reiterated that all Ahmadi medical professionals in the UK and the world should “sacrifice as much time as possible” and “must utilise their skill and knowledge” for serving humanity.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa ended with excerpts of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, regarding service to humanity.

The Promised Messiahas said that “sincerity towards others and love for humanity is part of faith”. However, this service must be without any expectation or reward.

Huzooraa said that the words of the Promised Messiahas he had read out should be the “guiding light” for members and they should be etched into their “hearts and minds”.

Huzooraa reminded the members that they should be thankful to Allah for being granted the knowledge and skill, and to “utilise these skills to alleviate the suffering of mankind”.

The congregation was then led in silent prayer by Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa.

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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Surrey councillors and dignitaries meet with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa

O

n 24 November 2019, a delegation of councillors and dignitaries had the opportunity to meet and sit with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper.

The group was formed of councillors from Surrey county council, the mayor of

Waverley, Lord Lieutenant for Surrey Mr Michael More-Molyneux and the High Sheriff of Surrey Bridget Biddell. The new Markaz, Islamabad is also situated in the Waverley borough.

During their meeting with Huzooraa,

Preaching in Jesus-Maria, facing danger and special guidance from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih

Marwan Ahmad Gill, Missionary Argentina

e were invited as the first Islamic W community to participate in the book fair hold in Jesus-Maria from 6 to 11

November.

Jesus Maria is a small city located in the province of Cordoba and around 750 kilometres from my residence (Buenos Aires). Jesus-Maria holds historical importance in Argentina as it was one of

the first places were the Jesuits arrived in the beginning of the 17th century to establish and propagate the Christian faith in Argentina.

It was a historical opportunity for us to introduce Islam and the second advent of Jesusas in the very same place which is named after the first Jesusas and once served Christianity as a door to enter and establish itself in Argentina.

On this journey, I was accompanied by my wife, my one-year-old son and two Argentinian converts, both of whom have

the members praised the new Markaz of Islamabad and in particular, the new mosque, Masjid Mubarak. Many questions were also posed by the group to Huzooraa. One such question was about the humanitarian works of the Jamaat across

Africa, to which Huzooraa responded by detailing the projects of building schools, hospitals, model villages, clean water and sanitation.

accepted Ahmadiyyat within the last six months.

On the morning of 6 November, we left Buenos Aires via car and after a long nine hours, we finally arrived in Jesus Maria.

Unfortunately we were not received in Jesus-Maria as we expected!

It was already getting dark when we were about to arrive in Jesus-Maria. Just before taking the exit to Jesus-Maria, an attempt by unknown people was made to rob us. Stones were hurled from the side of the motorway at our car and the front window was damaged. Their intention was to damage the car so that we would stop and make it easier for them to rob us.

This is a common method to rob people on the motorways. By the grace of Allah and due to the prayers of our beloved Huzooraa, nothing serious happened and we managed to continue the journey safely.

When I reported this incident to the Markaz, I was astonished at how Huzooraa, despite his busy schedule, not only prayed for us, but found time to reply immediately.

I would like to take this opportunity to share the comments of Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa, which will be a useful guidance for other missionaries and Jamaat members.

Huzooraa guided me in this regard with the following two instructions: Travel during day light and always offer Sadaqa before travelling.

By the grace of Allah, besides this small incident, the journey to Jesus-Maria was very successful. A local radio channel and a local television channel covered our

participation in the bookfair. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to donate the Holy Quran to the local library. It was a very interesting stay in Jesus-Maria as it was, for the majority of the local people, the very first time ever to see and speak personally to a Muslim. My wife was anyhow very easy to identify due to her veil and we, the men, were wearing t-shirts saying, “I am Muslim – do you have any questions?” to make it easier for people to get into conversations with us about Islam.

We were able to remove many misconceptions about Islam, sometimes without even saying anything. For example, one day, I was with my wife and child in the city centre and I was looking after our son so that my wife could walk around and purchase things easily. After a while, a man came to me and said that he was observing us and was surprised because he had a completely different image about Muslims.

He used to think that Islam deprived women of freedom and that Muslim men would oppress their wives, but he observed the exact opposite of his prejudices. So he thanked us for having visited his city and having enabled him to change his erroneous concepts about Islam.

Due to the great interest of people towards Islam during the bookfair, the organisers have invited us again in January for another visit.

May Allah open and enlighten the hearts of Argentinians with the beauty of Islam Ahmadiyyat. Amin.

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

Responding to Allegations

Prophet Noah’s age and the prediction of the Promised Messiahas “In the same way, in the earlier parts of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, God Almighty has also called me Nuhas [Noah] and said with regard to me: َّ َ َ ُ ْ ُ ُ َّ َُ َ ‫َولا �خا ِﻃ ْب ِ�� �ِ� ال ِﺬیْ َن ﻇل ُم ْوا � ِإﻧ�� ّﻣ� َ�ﻗ ْو َن‬

“Meaning, ‘… and do not say anything to me by way of intercession for those who have transgressed. I shall cause them to drown.’

“At the time of Noahas, God gave almost a thousand years of respite to the transgressors, and now, too, a thousand years have passed if we put aside the three centuries of Khairul-Qurun [the best of centuries in Islam]. So, according to this reckoning, this age now approaches the time similar to the one at which Noah’s people were destroyed in. God also commanded me: َّ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ْ َ ّٰ ّٰ ‫و‬ ‫اﺻن ِﻊ الﻔﻠﻚ ِبﺄ ْع ُینِنا۔ ِإ ّن ال ِﺬيْ َ َﻦ يُ َبا�ِ ُعوﻧﻚ ِإﻧ َما يُ َبا�ِ ُعوْ َن الل َہ يَ ُﺪ الل ِہ‬ ِْ ‫َفوْ َق أي‬ ‫يﻬ ْم‬ ‫ﺪ‬ ِ “Meaning, ‘Build an ark before My eyes and according to My command. Those who enter into Bai‘at [the pledge of allegiance] with you, enter into a covenant with Allah. It is the hand of God that is upon their hands.’

This Bai‘at is the ‘ark’ that will save the

lives and the faith of the people.” (Barahine-Ahmadiyya Part V, p. 140 [English Translation]) Highlighting the above extract, the opponents raise an allegation against the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian that his statement about Noah’sas age being a thousand years is against the concept of his own Jamaat, who believes that Noahas lived a normal human life and the figure of 950 years refers to the age of his Ummah who believed in his prophethood.

Pondering over the excerpt of the Promised Messiahas, we can easily realise that he is explaining those divine revelations in which Allah the Almighty declared him Noahas. Moreover, God Almighty prophesied to the Promised Messiahas to build an ark with His commandment and foretold him that the wrongdoers would be annihilated in his time.

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ُ ْ َّ ُ ّ َ َ ‫الن‬ ‫اس ﺑِ َما یَ� ِ�ﻓ ْو َن‬ ‫ﺣ ِدﺛوا‬ “A person should speak in way which is known to the people” (Sahih al-Bukhari,

Kitab al-Ilm). Hence, the religious scholars interpret this hadith as follows: ُ ُ َْ ٰ ُ َّ �ْ ِ�ِ‫� ِل ُم ْو� ْ� َ�لﻰ ﻗد ِر عﻘ ْول‬ “Speak to the people according to their level of understanding.” (Umdatul Qari, Sharah Sahih al-Bukhari) As people used to believe through the verse of the Holy Quran that the natural age of Noahas was 950 years, therefore the Promised Messiahas presented the same widely held belief and endeavoured to make them understand that in accordance with the belief of the people, the wrongdoers were given respite for a thousand years in the time of Noahas and then they were punished.

Likewise, in his age, putting aside the three centuries of Khairul-Qurun, a thousand years had passed, so he predicted that a torment would befall the transgressors in the same vein.

Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran: َ ‫وﺣا إل َ ٰﻰ َقوْﻣ ِﻪ َف َﻠب َﺚ فِیﻬ ْم أَل ْ َﻒ َﺳ َن ٍﺔ إلَّا َﺧ ْمﺴ‬ ً ‫�� َع‬ ً ُ َ ْ َ َْ ْ َ َ​َ ‫اﻣا‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ‫ولﻘﺪ أرﺳﻠنا ﻧ‬ ِ

“And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he dwelt among them a thousand years save fifty years.” (Surah al-

Jamaica Jamaat celebrates life of the Holy Prophet Tariq Azeem Jamaica Correspondent

n 17 November, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya O Jamaica celebrated the life of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah

be upon him. The event was attended by Ahmadi Muslims from across the island, while several non-Ahmadi guests also participated.

Misbah Anmol Tariq Sahiba reports that the Jalsa started with the recitation of the Holy Quran, which was presented by local missionary, Ghulam Ahmad Sahib. This was followed by a reading of a hadith on the importance of sending Durood (blessings) upon the Holy Prophetsa. The first speech of the Jalsa was delivered by Imam Ahmad Ibrahim Forson Sahib on “The Promised Messiah’sas love for the Holy Prophetsa”.

After the first speech, local missionary Abdullah Malcolm Sahib presented an excerpt from the writings of the Promised Messiahas. The excerpt explained the elevated station of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa in comparison to other prophets.

The final speech of the Jalsa was delivered

by Imam Tariq Azeem Sahib, President and Missionary-in-Charge Jamaica. He spoke

on the topic of “Muhammadsa: The great exemplar”. While referring to the book of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, may Allah be pleased with him, on this very subject, the speaker narrated many faith-inspiring incidents from the life of Holy Prophetsa.

Towards the conclusion of the

programme, one Christian lady accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat.

The readers of Al Hakam are requested to pray for Jamaica Jamaat, in particular for the new converts.

Ankabut, Ch.29: V.15) The above verse indicates that Noahas remained in his nation for 950 years. There can be two possible rational interpretations of this verse: 1. Noahas lived in his nation for 950 years with his material body 2. The teachings, shariah [divine law] and influence of Noahas remained in the world for 950 years as though he spiritually lived in his nation for 950 years At the time of the interpretation of this verse, it should be researched as to which of the above explanation is worthy of acceptance. Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran: ُّ َُّ َْْ ‫َو َﻣ ْﻦ � َع ِّم ْﺮ ُه ﻧن ِك ْﺴ ُﻪ �ِ� الﺨﻠ ِﻖ‬ “And him whom We grant long life We revert him to a weak condition of creation.”

(Surah Ya Sin, Ch.36: V.69) ُ َ َ َ َّ ّٰ ُ ُ َُ ً ُ َُ ‫الل ُہ ال ِﺬ ْي ﺧﻠﻘك ْم ِّﻣ ْﻦ ﺿ ْع ٍﻒ ﺛ ّم َج َع َل ِﻣ ْﻦ �َ ْع ِﺪ ﺿ ْع ٍﻒ ق ّوَة ﺛ ّم َج َع َل ِﻣ ْﻦ‬ َ ُ َ ً ْ ً َ ْ ْ ُ ُ ُ ‫�َ ْع ِﺪ ُق ّوَ ٍة ُﺿ ْعﻔا َوﺷ ْی َبﺔ � يَﺨﻠﻖ َﻣا يَﺸ‬ ُ‫اء � َوﻫوَ ال َعﻠ ِْی ُم الﻘ ِﺪيْﺮ‬ “It is Allah Who created you in a state of weakness, and after weakness gave you strength; then, after strength, caused weakness and old age. He creates what He pleases. He is the All-knowing, the All Powerful.” (Surah al-Rum, Ch.30: V.55) َّ َ َ َ ْ َ َ ُ َ ُْ َ ُْ ‫َو ِﻣنكم ّﻣ ْﻦ يُ َتوَف ٰﻰ َو ِﻣنكم ّﻣ ْﻦ يُﺮَ ّد إِلَﻰ أ ْرذ ِل ال ُع ُمﺮِ ل ِك ْیلَا � ْعﻠ َم ِﻣﻦ �َ ْع ِﺪ‬ ًْ َ ْ ‫ِعﻠ ٍم ﺷیﺌا‬ “And there are some of you who are caused to die prematurely, and there are others among you who are driven to the worst part of life with the result that they know nothing after having had knowledge.”

(Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.6) The above verses of the Holy Quran points to a very significant law of nature that the organs and powers of a person are subject to decay and deterioration as their age progresses, and there comes a time when they forget everything. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophetsa used to pray for being saved from reaching extreme old age in the following manner: ُ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ُ ْ َ ُ ْ ُ ِ‫أعوذ ِبﻚ أن أرد ِإلﻰ أرذ ِل العمﺮ‬ “I seek refuge in You [Allah] from being subject to [senile] extreme old age.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jihad wal-Siyar) The natural effects of extreme old age impact even the prophets of Allah the Almighty. If we believe that the natural age of Noahas was 950 years, then we have to accept that he forgot all his knowledge when he reached his senile age and he became so weak that he was unable to perform tabligh or the assigned tasks of tarbiyat, which is against his honour and rank of prophethood.

Therefore, the law of nature indicates that verse 15 of Surah al-Ankabut does not refer to the material age of Noahas, but rather signifies his spiritual age, i.e. the life of his shariah was 950 years. Hence, there is no contradiction in the statements of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat’s founder and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra because the Promised Messiahas presented a long held belief to explain a matter before the general public while Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in Tafsir-eKabir [Urdu exegesis of the Holy Quran] stated the interpretation of the verse under discussion.

Opponents raise another objection referring to the same extract mentioned at the outset that based on the prediction of Ahmadiyya Jamaat’s founder, every person

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

6 Continued from page 5

should have been killed in 1300 AH which is the year 1883 according to the Gregorian calendar, but on the contrary, Hazrat Mirza Sahibas died while the diseases and epidemics were overcome and nothing caused the entire mankind to perish as happened in the time of Noahas.

Everyone can realise by simply reading the statement of the Promised Messiahas with honesty of heart that he did not predict the death of every person by means of epidemics and wars by 1300 AH, i.e. by 1883. The excerpt only discusses the fact that similar to the annihilation of transgressors in the age of Noahas, the wrongdoers present in the time of the Promised Messiahas will be wiped out by the torment of plague.

The figures of death and destruction caused by the outbreak of plague in the time of the Promised Messiahas published by an arch-enemy of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, Maulvi Sanaullah of Amritsar in his newspaper Ahl-e-Hadith, has already been discussed in a previous article of Responding to Allegations under the heading Prophecies of the Promised Messiahas – Part XII. According to the record, around 34,436 people were killed in one week and 29,154 individuals perished in the following week.

So, the annihilation of transgressors that occurred by the torment of plague can very well be estimated through the number of deaths caused in merely two weeks.

The allegation also seems absurd by the fact that the book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V was written by the Promised Messiahas in the year 1905, so it is irrational to deduce that the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat was predicting the death of every human being by the year 1883.

Moreover, on the very next page, following the statement under discussion, the Promised Messiahas wrote: “In these same previous parts of Barahin-e- Ahmadiyya, Allah the Exalted addressed me at one place and said, ‘I shall bless you so much that kings shall seek blessings from your garments.’” (Barahin-eAhmadiyya Part V, p. 141) The Promised Messiahas could never have predicted the death of every living soul by the year 1883 because kings would have also been dead before the fulfilment of the above prophecy, rendering it an impossible claim.

Furthermore, a few pages prior to the extract under consideration, the Promised Messiahas stated: “As has been said clearly in this revelation, recorded in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya: ّ َ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ ّ ‫يَا ِع ْی َﺴﻰ ِإ�ِ� ُﻣ َتوَفِ َ ْیﻚ َو َرافِ ُعﻚ ِإ� ّ�َ َو ُﻣﻄ ِّﻬﺮُك ِﻣ َﻦ ال ِﺬيْ َﻦ ﻛف ُر ْوا َو َجا ِع ُل‬ َ َ ّ َ َ ّ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫الَّ ِﺬيْ َﻦ اﺗ َب ُعوْك فوْق ال ِﺬيْ َﻦ ﻛف ُر ْوا إلﻰ يَوْ ِم الﻘ َِی‬ ‫اﻣ ِﺔ‬ ِ “Meaning, ‘O Isa, I will cause you to die, and exalt you towards Me, and demonstrate your innocence, and I will cause your followers to prevail over your deniers till the Day of Judgment.’ In this divine revelation, ‘Isa means myself, and by the followers are meant the members of my Jamaat.’”

(Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, p. 119) The above statement vividly predicts that not only would the followers of the Promised Messiahas remain till the Day of Judgment, but in fact, his opponents would also survive. So, it is unreasonable for a sensible person to present a contradictory

Fajr behind Huzoor in Islamabad

Allah be his Helper, and taking blessings from his presence.

To benefit from this great and most valuable opportunity, Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya UK organises several initiatives for Atfal and Khuddam to gain the nearness of Khilafat.

Currently, it is running a “Fajr behind Huzooraa” initiative, where two regions

from across the country travel to offer Fajr prayer behind Huzooraa on weekends.

For distant regions, an opportunity to spend most of the day in Islamabad and to offer Zuhr, Asr and Maghrib Salat behind Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa is also being organised.

On the first weekend of the Khuddam year so far, nearly 300 Atfal and Khuddam travelled to Islamabad to pray Fajr. The Khuddam and Atfal then write letters to Huzooraa and take part in an initiative that entails physical exercises focused on improving awareness of physical fitness. This is then followed by a cooked

breakfast.

Kaleem Ahmad who attended the initiative said, “It was such a pleasure coming to offer Fajr behind beloved Huzooraa. It was a great opportunity.”

Shahzeb Nagi said, “Attending the Fajr prayer has made me realise the importance of Namaz and the importance of writing to Huzooraa and making the most of Khilafat that is so close to us!”

Muqami Region also carries out street clean-ups around Islamabad to give back to the environment and the local community.

predication in the coming pages of the same book.

On the other hand, the assertion of the opponents that the diseases and epidemics were overcome through the advancement of medicine, rendering the prediction of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat’s founder to be false, is historically incorrect. We have mentioned in a previous article of Responding to Allegations under the heading Prophecies of the Promised Messiahas – Part XVI that dreadful epidemics in this age of huge scientific development still continue to exist across the globe.

Referring to the same extract mentioned at the outset, opponents point out that Ahmadis residing in certain areas suffer from cancer in relatively higher numbers than others. They assert that had the prayers of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat’s founder been effective, their impact would have been witnessed in those areas.

There is not the slightest indication in the statement of the Promised Messiahas under discussion which shows that those who would take his Bai‘at would not pass away by cancer. The diseases or epidemics that occur as a punishment by God Almighty fall in the category of a torment and every other disease cannot be considered a torment of God Almighty. Mosesas had a stammer and Jobas had a skin disease. Even the Holy Prophetsa said: “No sorrow, nor sadness, nor distress, nor grief, nor hurt, nor melancholy befalls a Muslim but Allah expiates some of their

sins because of it, even though it were the prick they receive from a thorn.” (Sahih alBukhari, Kitab al-Marda) It could have been a valid objection if the Promised Messiahas had predicted as a result of a prayer before God Almighty that none of his followers would suffer from cancer or pass away from it.

On the other hand, the Promised Messiahas predicted that by the grace of God Almighty, he would triumph over his opponents in a prayer duel. He announced: “Today, on 15 May 1908, a thought crossed my mind that there lies another means to decide [the truth]. A God-fearing person might gain some benefit from it and may come out from the perilous vortex of renunciation. The said way of deciding [the truth] is that a person from the opponents who denies me and is an extreme opponent and believes me to be an infidel and a great liar should be nominated on behalf of ten well-known maulvi sahibs or ten famous respectables and compete with me in such a manner that we both attest to our truth or falsehood on two severely ill persons, i.e. in such a way that we take two persons suffering from dreadful diseases of different kinds and divide them in order to pray for them by drawing lots. Thereafter, the participant whose subject heals completely or his life is prolonged as compared to the other individual participant will be considered truthful. All of this is in the power of Allah Almighty and I, having full trust in the promise of Allah Almighty, predict this in

advance that the diseased person who will be allotted to me, God would either grant him complete health or bless him with a long life as compared to the other. This fact would be the proof of my truth. If this does not happen, then you may bear witness that I am not from God Almighty. However, there will be a condition attached to it that the opposing participant who stands against me, he himself and ten other maulvis or ten respectables who share the same beliefs as his, should publish that in case of my victory, they shall accept me and enter my Jamaat, and this confirmation must be published in three famous newspapers.

Likewise, the same conditions will apply on me has well…. The benefit of such a duel will be that God Almighty will save a dreadfully diseased person who has become hopeless from their life and He will show a sign by means of raising the dead. On the other hand, the matter will be decided with great comfort and ease in this manner.”

(Chashma-e-Marifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 4) Hence, the Promised Messiahas challenged his opponents to a prayer duel, but having witnessed countless signs of fulfillment of prayers at the hands of God’s Messiah, nobody dared accept it.

Farhad Ahmad Mohtamim Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya UK

ajlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK has the honour of being physically M close to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh: A reflection Ataul Fatir Tahir Al Hakam

lack Friday and Cyber Monday B saw online retail, shopping centres and billboards flooded with adverts of

consumerism that aimed to cling onto the ever-growing acquisitiveness of modernday society.

Pope Francis, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, warned of the “virus” of consumerism “that corrodes faith” and which will “shine everywhere this month” leading up to Christmas.

For believers, the world around us is increasingly antagonistic towards the ultimate goal of pleasing God and serving humanity properly. At times, we need to question whether our ship is sailing towards a harbour or drifting aimlessly into an abyss – are we ready to sacrifice our faith over the spectacle the world has to offer?

Since the very inception of Islam Ahmadiyyat, a constant and recurring theme by the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, and that of his Khulafa has been to give precedence to faith whenever the hindering extravagance of materialism comes knocking at our door and diverts us away from the objectives Allah has set.

An interesting story to reflect upon regarding this topic was related by Hazrat

Khalifatul Masih Vaa during a Friday Sermon on 17 October 2014, who narrated it from a sermon by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. The incident was a story of sacrifice between Queen Elizabeth I and the influential statesman, Sir Walter Raleigh.

Queen Elizabeth I acceded to throne in 1558 and reigned over England for 45 years. She was a famous queen and it was during her reign that England gained power and prominence. The Queen was famously known to have well-dressed, elegant and joyful courtiers around her, and anyone who did not wear expensive and luxurious clothes was not allowed in her court. That is why it is said that youngsters who were very well dressed and of jubilant temperament would surround the Queen.

Once, she was going somewhere on foot with her close acquaintances when they reached a muddy spot that was a minor hindrance in their path. Present with the Queen was also Sir Walter Raleigh, who was very close and faithful to the Queen.

Raleigh was known to be a man of class and would dress very well. When he saw the mud that stood in the way of the Queen, he immediately took off the valuable and expensive cloak he was wearing and lay it down on the mud, even though the spot was

MKA UK’s Mercy4Mankind charity cheque presentation dinner Zeeshan Kahlon Missionary, MKA UK

ajlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK’s M Mercy4Mankind charity cheque presentation dinner was held on Friday, 29

November 2019 at Aiwan-e-Masroor Hall, Islamabad, UK. The event was attended by approximately 80 external guests, including the mayors of Farnham and Waverley, the head teacher of the All Saints Church of

of insignificance.

Huzooraa narrated that the Queen was astonished and asked with great surprise as to why Raleigh had placed such a valuable cloak above the muddy spot. Sir Walter Raleigh responded by saying that “it is better for Raleigh’s coat to be spoiled than the Queen’s shoes to get dirty”.

From that time onwards, he was shown special favour at court and was granted great trusts. Later, during the reign of King James I, he was charged with treason and later executed although he had made many expeditions to North America during the reign of King James I. Huzooraa explained that the moral of this story is that despite being a man of elegance and fashion, Walter Raleigh forfeited his own looks and fashion for the Queen.

Thus, if a worldly person can sacrifice his valuable coat and give up his flair as he did, Huzooraa said, “We should ponder over how much we need to do for the advancement and propagation of Islam, to strengthen and maintain it and to attain the pleasure of our Creator. Is our objective not even as dear to us as Raleigh’s love for the Queen’s pleasure?”

Despite his service, Sir Walter Raleigh’s end was painful. “But when one seeks God’s

England Infants School in Tilford and 17 other charity representatives. The total attendance saw more than 200 guests.

The Mercy4Mankind campaign raised over £1.1 million for various charities and close partners. Cheques were presented to British charities during this event, which was followed by dinner.

Some of the events that Mercy4Mankind organised to raise money included two Charity Challenge Runs for the Northern and Southern Regions and Football4Peace, which was coordinated with UNICEF. Manpower was provided to the Race4Life Challenge for Cancer Research UK.

Sir Walter Raleigh

\ Wiki Commons

pleasure, one becomes the recipient of divine blessings and also has an excellent ending. We should always remember that it is not enough to simply have incredible great objectives, until one also has the same level of sacrifice and passion. God’s pleasure can be attained when the world does not precede our faith, rather, our faith precedes the world.”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa explained that God has not forbidden us to earn a living in the world. It is indeed warrantable to wear elegant, valuable clothes, and eat fine foods, however all this would be unwarrantable if it became a hindrance in the advancement of Islam.

It is certainly not forbidden to wear fine clothes, however restraint is enjoined to not absorb oneself so much in fashion and trends that one loses their sense of religious tasks. Owing to their fineness, one’s clothes should not become an impediment in the service of faith. Rather than pay attention to Salat, one should not be worried about getting their clothes creased or ruined.

Islam teaches not to be negligent about religious work and in this way, one can pay the dues of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters.

Huzooraa quoted the Promised Messiahas in this regard: “Look, there are two types of people: firstly, those who accept Islam and then become engrossed in worldly business and trade and Satan overcomes them. I do not mean here that trade is forbidden.

The Companionsra were also traders, but they gave precedence to faith over worldly matters. When they accepted Islam, they attained true knowledge which filled their hearts with conviction about Islam. This is the reason why they did not falter in any field in facing Satan’s attacks. Nothing stopped them from expressing the truth.

“Those who become slaves of the world become adherents of the world and Satan overcomes and vanquishes such people.

The other type of people are those who are concerned about the advancement of faith. This is the group which is referred to as ‘Hizbullah’ [the party of Allah].

They triumph over Satan and his hosts.”

(Malfuzat, Vol.3, pp.193-194) This sermon of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa – 17 October 2014 – is a stark reminder of our responsibilities and a point of reflection for all Muslims living in the current climate of materialism and atheism.

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

8

Means of attaining nearness to Allah Part II

insisted again, and I gave the same answer.

When I realised that she was not going to refrain, I performed ablution and started praying on the prayer mat that lay nearby. I prolonged the prayer so much that it lasted till the morning. Later, I offered my Fajr prayer and then fell asleep on the prayer mat. I dreamt that my face was lit like the full moon and an angel told me that all that was because of my striving and fear of Allah and because I had spent the night with piety.” (Hayat-e-Qudsi, Part II, p. 38) This anecdote is worth remembering as it comprises of an advice that leads to God’s nearness.

Instagram/_suhaib_a

Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Missionary-in-Charge UK

Treating God’s creation kindly It is stated in a hadith: ّٰ ُ ‫الخلق ِع َیال اللہ‬ “All created beings are the children of Allah.” Allah likes those who treat His creation, including birds and animals in addition to human beings, kindly.

It is narrated in a hadith that an Israelite prostitute saw a thirsty dog circling around a well. The woman went down the well, filled her shoe with water and gave it to the thirsty dog to drink. Allah forgave all her sins for this good deed.

As far as sympathy with human beings is concerned, treating everyone kindly without any discrimination is a virtue that confers love and nearness to Allah on the person. A noble hadith states: “On the day of Judgement, Allah will say to some of His servants, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me water to drink, I was sick and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will ask, ‘Our Lord, when were

You hungry and we fed You, or thirsty and we gave You water to drink? When did we see You unclothed and we clothed You? When were You sick and we went to visit You?’ Then Allah will reply, ‘Some of My servants in the world were hungry and thirsty and unclothed and sick; whatever you did for one of My servants, it was as if you did it for Me.’” Thus, sympathising with the creation of Allah and treating them kindly is a good deed that confers love and nearness of Allah on the person. (Ta‘alluq Billah, Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 23, pp. 153-154) Striving continuously for God’s nearness The journey to Allah is not a matter of a day or two, rather it is a continuous struggle from beginning to end. Trust in God, proper use of Allah’s bestowals, the Jihad of propagating Islam, devoting one’s life in the way of Allah, keeping company among the righteous, spending in the way of Allah, thanking Allah for His favours, sacrificing time, being humble and acting on all the Islamic teachings are all integral parts of this continuous Jihad.

Attaining Allah’s nearness by persevering with all these and following that course should be a life-long modus operandi of a believer.

An example of piety Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Rasul Rajekira was one of those who were blessed with Allah’s nearness by following the Promised Messiahas. His whole life is punctuated with inspiring anecdotes. I narrate one incident that shows how those who attained God’s nearness spent their lives with piety and chastity.

Hazrat Maulvi Sahibra states: “Once, I happened to spend a night at a sincere Ahmadi’s house. By chance, he had to go out for an important task. Before leaving, he gave appropriate instructions to his household members concerning hospitality to me. After he had left, his wife, who was young and beautiful, called me from behind the door that she wanted to come in to give me a massage and sought my permission to enter. I replied that it was sinful for a lady to touch a stranger, therefore I told her to stay in her room and not to come near me. The lady

Another incident of guarding one’s chastity Righteousness and guarding one’s chastity, even under the most difficult circumstances, is a hallmark of divines.

Here is another exemplary incident.

A devout Ahmadi, Abdul Aziz Deen Sahib of London owned a second-hand furniture store. He was a tall, handsome young man. He stated that once, a lady came to his store, purchased some furniture, gave her address for home delivery and promised to pay at home upon delivery. The following day, when he delivered the furniture to that address, a beautiful young girl came out. She said that her mother was not at home, however, she had given her the money to pay for the furniture. She asked him to put the furniture in the basement, which he complied with.

“Having done that”, he goes on to state, “I sat down on a chair waiting for the payment. A few minutes later, the same young girl re-appeared completely unclothed. That was extremely disturbing for me. I sought Allah’s forgiveness and resolved to flee from the premises at once.

Greatly perplexed, forgetting all about the payment, I ran so fast that I knocked my head against the door, and sustained a deep wound that started bleeding. I did not stop till I was out of that house. I went straight to my store and thanked Allah that He had saved me from a great ordeal merely by His Grace.”

It is stated that the scar of that wound on his forehead was visible for many years and it kept reminding him of the episode of Hazrat Josephas for a long time.

This episode is a beacon of light and guidance for the youth, even today, especially for those living in the Western

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM world.

Anecdotes about saintly persons who attained Allah’s nearness We see many Companionsra of the Promised Messiahas who were blessed with Allah’s nearness, with whom Allah conversed and whom He helped and guided at every step. I present a few more examples of such divines to increase our faith and to inspire people to seek Allah’s nearness.

Once, some companions of the Promised Messiahas had gathered at Masjid Aqsa, Qadian. Hazrat Sahibzada Abdul Latif Shaheedra was also there.

He got up from his place and went out for something. In the meantime, Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddinra walked in and sat down on the space vacated by Hazrat Sahibzada Sahibra. When the later returned, he said somewhat angrily, “Maulvi Sahib, don’t you know that you should not occupy the space of another person?” Hazrat Maulvi Sahibra was about to get up when Sahibzada Sahibra said, “No, you keep sitting. I have just received a revelation, ‘You should not altercate with those who are the beloved of Allah.’” (Al Hakam, 28 October 1909) Hazrat Munshi Zafar Ahmadra of Kapurthala states: “While I was staying in Ludhiana after performing the Bai‘at, a sufi-type person posed some questions to the Promised Messiahas and then added, ‘Can you help me see the Holy Prophetsa?’ The Promised Messiahas answered, ‘That is conditional on suitability.’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘Or one who is blessed with Allah’s grace.’”

Munshi Sahib states that he saw the Holy Prophetsa in a dream that very night.

(Ashab-e-Ahmad, Vol. 4, p. 140) Once, Hazrat Mir Nasir Nawabra visited Hazrat Maulana Nuruddinra to seek his donation for Dar-ul-Zu‘afa (care home) or Nur Hospital. He replied that he did not have anything with him at that time. Hazrat Mir Sahibra insisted. Then Hazrat Maulana Nuruddinra lifted a sheet, got a coin from there, gave it to him and said, “It has been touched by Nuruddin only.” Meaning it had been granted by Allah instantly, not by any man. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 3, p. 556) Hazrat Maulvi Fazal Dinra relates: “One day, Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Rasul Rajekira was buying fruit at a fruit shop as I accompanied him. I desired at that time for him to buy some grapes.

He bought several types of fruit, but not grapes and walked away. After a short distance, he suddenly returned to the fruit shop and bought grapes. On his way home, he said to me, ‘If you wanted grapes, you could have told me yourself. Why did you convey the message through Allah?’” (Al Fazl, January 1995) Hold fast to the rope of Allah for attaining His nearness The Most Gracious God has blessed the worldwide Ahmadiyya Jamaat with a spiritual favour not granted to any other community and that is rightly guided Khilafat established by God Himself. In this age, Allah has appointed Hazrat Mirza

Masroor Ahmadaa as Amirul Momineen and Khalifatul Masih V with the spiritual diadem of this worldwide Khilafat. ‫ا� اعمَل لج راہ ےہ دوھپ ی‬ ‫م ےب اسابئں‬ ‫ی‬ ‫ہ‬ ‫ی‬ ‫رکش ےہ ومٰیل! � �ی اس�ی ٔ رتمح الم‬ “A multitude of people are getting sunburnt without a canopy; Praise be to God for we have this shade of mercy.”

The Ahmadiyya Khilafat is a spiritual canopy. The blessed personage of the Khalifa is a worldwide spiritual magnet.

The sphere of his spiritual attraction and grace has extended to millions of Ahmadis in 213 countries of the world and this is increasing day by day.

In compliance with ُ َ​َ ّٰ ۡ ‫َو‬ ‫اع َت ِص ُموۡا ِب َح ۡب ِل الل ِہ َج ِم ۡی ًعا َو لَا تف َّر قوْا‬ “And hold fast, all together, by the rope of Allah and be not divided” (Surah Al-eImran, Ch.3: V.104), Ahmadis all over the world are presenting a unique example of global unity under the blessed institution of the Ahmadiyya Khilafat.

By the grace of Allah, Imam Jamaate-Ahmadiyya, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa has the status of being the holiest person in the world. He has been granted the miraculous sign of acceptance of prayers. He is showered with divine support and victories all the time. The sphere of these global victories is ever increasing. Thousands of eyewitnesses of acceptance of his prayers are present today.

I say it loud and clear that the Imamaa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is the real manifestation of “hablullah” (rope of Allah) in this age. Establishing a spiritual bond with him, who is God’s most beloved and holiest person today, is a definite means of God’s nearness. Attachment to the Khalifa today amounts to holding the “hablullah”. The Ahmadiyya Khilafat is the “hablullah” that helps man meet God. Thus, we are fortunate that Allah has granted us this medium, which is a living means of His nearness.

Conclusion After presenting a few drops from the vast ocean of Allah’s nearness and a few examples of this, I wish to conclude with the blessed words of the Promised Messiahas wherein he has addressed the evergreen branches of his tree – all of us – with an invigorating message that is worth listening to carefully and remembering always. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas says: “How unfortunate is the man who, even now, is unaware that there is a God Who has power over all things. Our paradise lies in our God. Our highest delight is in our God for we have seen Him and found every beauty in Him. This wealth is worth procuring though one might have to lay down one’s life to procure it. This ruby is worth purchasing though one may have to lose oneself to acquire it. O ye who are deprived! Hasten to this fountain as it will satiate you. It is this fountain of life that will save you. What am I to do? How shall I impress the hearts with this good news?

What sort of a drum am I to beat in the streets in order to make the announcement that this is your God, so that people might hear? What remedy shall I apply to the ears of the people so that they should listen?”

(Noah’s Ark, p. 35) He added: “Adopt each and every path of righteousness, for who knows from which of these paths you will be accepted? Rejoice and be happy that the field of achieving nearness to God is vacant. Every nation is in love with the world, and to what pleases God the world pays no attention. Now is the time for those who wish to enter this door that they, mustering all their strength, show their mettle and win the much-coveted prize from God”. (The Will, p. 11) May Allah grant us the ability and good fortune to achieve this. Amin.

Kasarani Khuddam and Atfal Ijtema 2019

Tahir Ahmad Machengo Kenya Correspondent

FNovember 2019, Khuddam and Atfal of

rom Friday, 22 November to Sunday, 24

Kasarani Jamaat in Kenya successfully held a joint Ijtema.

The first event of the Ijtema saw all members listen to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa live Friday Sermon. Throughout Friday, other activities were also held, including amila meetings.

On Saturday, after Tahajud, Fajr and Darsul-Quran, members were served breakfast.

The formal session started with recitation of Holy Quran by Farhan Bentley followed by nazm by Kasarani Jamaat Atfal. The first speech was delivered by Qaid Khuddam Kasarani Barrak Were Sahib was about the purpose of Allah creating humanity. He quoted a verse from the Holy Quran which highlighted that men and jinn were created solely to worship Allah the Almighty without associating partners with Him. This was followed by a speech about the Holy Prophet’ssa mission and Khilafat, delivered

by Sadr Jamaat Kasarani Mr Sheban Wabuti

Sahib. The last speech was about the reasons for the advent of the Promised Messiahas that was delivered by Mualim Muhammad Ali Sahib. The session ended at Zuhr.

Next, the sports and academic competitions’ session were conducted. After Maghrib and Isha prayers, all Khuddam and Atfal had an open forum for questions and answers.

On Sunday, members performed Tahajud and Fajr and listened to Dars-ul-Quran.

Thereafter, sports competitions were held.

At around 11am, the closing session was conducted by Amir Jamaat Kenya, Tariq Mahmood Zafar Sahib. He urged Kasarani Khuddam and the amila to continue arranging similar programs for Tarbiyat purposes. He advised members that whenever the Jamaat organises such religious programmes like Ijtemas and Jalsas, everyone should always heed the call and arrange themselves to attend, for this is the way to enhance their spiritual wellbeing.

Religious tolerance on Thanksgiving Muhammad Zafrullah, Missionary, Chicago, USA

On Saturday, 23 November, members of the Chicago Jamaat demonstrated great qualities of true worship, which is to fulfil the rights of Allah and mankind. Members followed the true teachings of Islam by breaking bread with people of all faiths on the occasion of Thanksgiving.

With over 150 in attendance at the Baitul Jamey Mosque located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, men, women and children of our community welcomed guests representing different faiths. These included people from Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Catholicism, Sikhism, and Islam. Additionally, guests representing both democratic and republican political interests, along with guests from the law enforcement and homeland security were in presence. In essence, all the people of greater Chicago are our neighbours and it is our religious obligation to treat them with love, kindness and generosity.

Guests expressed gratitude to each other and to the members of our community for creating a platform of openness and welcoming them to speak on the “Spirit of Thanksgiving” as practiced in their faith. They expressed that by having this dialogue, we can dispel hatred in the world and exercise religious tolerance.

In his many addresses, including this year’s Peace Symposium in London, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his Helper, shared references from the Holy Quran and from the life of the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on how to be compassionate towards one another.

In this address, Hazrat Amirul Momineen statedaa: “Faith demands us to try and urge people, in all parts of the world, whether rich or poor, whether powerful or oppressed, whether religious or irreligious, towards peace and justice.

Hence, we will continue to play our role in making mankind realise its duty towards respecting and honoring basic human values”.

During a reception in South Virginia in November 2018, Huzooraa also stated: “The fact that you are joining us at this Islamic religious event, even though most of you are not Muslims, reflects your open-mindedness and it is because of your tolerant nature that you are able to successfully absorb and integrate new communities into the local society.”

Hence, Islam’s teachings unite mankind and foster a spirit of mutual love and respect between all people, irrespective of racial, religious or social backgrounds. It is a religion that breaks down barriers and encourages peaceful and tolerant dialogue.

We are grateful that God Almighty gave us the opportunity to bridge the gap, and we pray God enables us all to play our respective roles in bringing an end to the conflicts that have plagued the world and to eradicate all forms of injustice and intolerance.

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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100 Years Ago...

Then, he stated: “My friends, know that I used to live a quiet life here and I did not have any opportunity to deliver a lecture, but it is an act of God that the thought of sending me to a foreign country was produced in the heart of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II [may Allah be pleased with him]. The moment he informed me about my appointment for this task, I was astonished and fear overtook me, that what would an unskilled and incompetent person like me do over there?

Thereafter, I began to pray before God, “O Lord, You know that I am unqualified and do not possess any capability within me, so please, help me.” When I prayed like this repeatedly, I received a divine inspiration: ُ َ َ ّٰ ُ ْ ‫ِإ ْن يَن ُص ْرك ُم الل ُه فلَا غال َِب لَك ْم‬ “‘Nothing shall overcome you if you stand to serve the religion of Allah.’ Hence, I witnessed the outcome of this glad tiding when I reached that country and had discussions with prominent persons of Christianity and their bishops were also invited to demonstrate the truth of their religious doctrines, but by the grace of God, no one was able to face me.

“It shows that once God Almighty desires for someone to perform any work, then no matter how incompetent that person may be, He grants enough ability to them that the expertise of the world become insignificant before them. So, whatever I have done, only God is worthy of praise for it, the One Who takes work from the unskilled.

“Brothers, you must be aware of the fact that I suffered from a severe illness in London, which still has an impact on me.

Apart from that, I experienced travel fatigue, which I experienced for a whole 30 days.

Moreover, I am suffering from influenza and sore throat. Therefore, I will not be able to speak for too long and I will briefly narrate some incidents before the audience.

“I left here at the end of 1915, during the war. There were difficulties in boarding from Bombay [now Mumbai]. So, I went through the route of Colombo. Although the Germans had not announced that the ship which we would embark upon would be drowned by them, nevertheless their

submarines were scattered in the area.

Therefore, the ship moved along the way in a zig-zag pattern. All the lights were turned off at night so that the enemy may not launch a surprise attack. Every person had a lifebelt that remained with them during sleeping hours as well. After around two weeks of travel, the ship reached Marseilles and there, we were informed about the rule of war.

“During those days, Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sahib was residing 12 miles from London as his eyes used to hurt, so I had to live there as well. We were staying at a house. At that time, our tabligh was of private nature. Four months after reaching there, I delivered a lecture in Brane, which proved to be very successful, by the grace of God. Some days later, Chaudhry Sahib returned and I was left all alone. I shifted to another house, but the land lady of that house turned out to be full of prejudice. The loss which I suffered while living there was that whoever would come to meet me, she would say to them, ‘He is an antichrist.’ I explained to her, ‘We are not the antichrist.

The antichrists are those who possess the attributes of the antichrist.’

“Thereafter, I considered it appropriate to make my headquarters in London.

Hence, I moved to a house on Russel Street, near the British Museum. Mr Koreo also lived there, who became a Muslim through the efforts of Chaudhry Sahib. He is an intellectual person. His work is to provide the translation of English newspapers to Italy and to translate the periodicals of Italy for the English newspapers. I started working with him. In this way, I established a markaz over there. I fixed [a board] on the house having “Ahmadiyya Movement” written on it in bold letters. Seeing it, a lot of people used to visit us.

“Representatives of various newspapers used to come as well. Some of them used to publish the same details as informed by us. Certain others stooped to mockery, but their mockery was also beneficial for us.

My duty was to perform tabligh through correspondence and educate and carry out the tarbiyat of those people who had already

become Muslims.

“A great way for a missionary to be noticed over there is to keep away from their traditional clothing. In fact, he should wear a unique dress because if he wears the same clothes as theirs, then they have no reason to notice them. I used to wear a turban over there. During the lectures and meetings, I used to wear it. However, when I would visit a shop to purchase something, I used to wear a cap because if someone visits a shop wearing a turban, they think that the person is a Raja or Maharaja who is strongly following his tradition and has not been influenced by their way of dressing etc. in any way.

“It was a constant concern that owing to this misconception, they may charge more for less expensive things. Hence, it was my practice to wear a cap while shopping and a turban on other occasions. I used to send regular reports to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih comprising of all the works that were performed there. However, the conditions changed when Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib arrived in 1917. The work began on a large scale. By the blessings of God, we started achieving success by the day and our reports began to publish in newspapers of Hindustan on a regular basis.

“Presently, we happen to have a house of our own there. Outside the house, ‘AlMasjid’ is written in bold letters which is followed by the words: َ ّٰ َ ّ َّ ‫الدیْ َن ِع ْند الل ِہ ال ِا ْسلام‬ ِ ‫اِن‬ and written beneath is: ُ ُ ُ َ ً َ ُ َ َ ُ ْ َ ّ ٰ َّ ٰ َّ َ ُ ْ َ ‫اش َھد ا ْن لا اِل َہ اِلا الل ُہ َو اش َھد ا ّن محَ ّمدا ع ْبدہ َو َر ُس ْول ُہ‬ “This also is a means of attracting people’s attention. A lot of people come to meet us. Some of them are reformed and some come closer, while certain others return in the same vein as they had come. When I was here, I used to think how it would be possible that, when we have the truth and we present it with strong evidence, that the people will be able to deny it! However, when I reached there, I realised that Allah reforms those whom He pleases.

“Currently, Master Abdul Rahim [Nayyar] Sahib and Chaudhry [Fateh Muhammad Siyal] Sahib have reached there and work is being carried out, which is a blessing of God. Now, there is a need of enormously strong funds. The markaz has been established and there is a pressing priority of expanding the work. It is the objective of Hazrat Khaliftul Masih that a large number of people go there who can afford to live on their own and they should stay in contact with the Markaz. We are hopeful that God Almighty will produce great results.

taking part in waqar-e-amal and khidmat-ekhalq programmes.

On the instruction of Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Bangladesh, Muhammad Zahed Ali Sahib, a total of 86 local Majalis arranged congregational Tahajud prayer on 1 November to celebrate the new Khuddam year. A total of 1,787 people attended the Tahajud prayers, which included 724 Khuddam, 316 Atfal alongside Ansar and Lajna members, who totalled 747. After the Tahajud and Fajr prayer, 66 Majalis arranged waqar-e-amal.

Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Tarua took the initiative to provide free lunch to 250 destitute people at Bhairab Railway

Station.

The local chairman and joint secretary were present during the food distribution programme and they highly commended Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya for their humanitarian work.

This news was covered by various local television, print and online media, who promoted the humanitarian work of the Ahmadiyya youth.

A total of 14 goats were slaughtered for

charity from different local majalis and a total of 430 trees were planted all over the country. In this manner, the Khuddam year was initiated very positively.

A glimpse of the Ahmadiyya London Mission: Summary of Qazi Abdullah Sahib’s address Al Fazl, 4 December 1919

lthough detailed accounts of the A Ahmadiyya London Mission have been published in newspapers of the Jamaat and

various other periodicals of the country, verbal narrations possess a unique aroma.

It is wished from the associates who return to Dar-ul-Aman [Qadian] from foreign countries after performing their tabligh responsibilities that they narrate their experiences and incidents before the audience.

One of the great benefits of this practice is that a passion and enthusiasm is instilled in the participants to serve religion after listening to these accounts.

For the same reason, respected Qazi Sahib was requested to narrate his experiences before the members of the Jamaat. Hence, a written announcement was published by Nazir Talif-o-Ishaat [Central publications and propagations directorate] on 30 November that respected Qazi Sahib will share his experiences and accounts of the Ahmadiyya London Mission at 3pm in Masjid Aqsa.

When members of the Jamaat gathered at the said time, Qazi Sahib stood up and recited Surah al-Fatihah after Tashahud.

Prayers, cleaning and service: Bangladesh Khuddam celebrate a new year Muhammad Golam Rabbi Mohtamim Tajneed, MKA Bangladesh

ajlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya M Bangladesh celebrated the beginning of its new Khuddam year by observing congregational Tahajud prayer on 1 November, giving charity, planting trees and

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

Wives of the Holy Prophetsa

Hazrat Zainab bint Jahshra “I have not seen a more pious lady than Zainabra. She was very righteous and truthful. She was very kind towards relatives and she would give a great amount of charity and alms and worked tirelessly for goodness and to attain divine nearness.”

(Hazrat Aishara) Awais Rabanni Missionary of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat

Born: c. 590 Father’s name: Jahsh bin Irbab Mother’s name: Umaima bint Abdil Mutalib Title: Ummul Hakeem Demise: 641 AD Background Hazrat Zainab bint Jahsh was the daughter of the paternal aunt of the Holy Prophetsa, Umaima bint Abdil Mutalib. Her father, Jahshra bin Irbab was an immigrant and revered in Mecca. She was one of the first to migrate to Medina alongside her brother, Hazrat Abdullahra bin Jahsh. ra

Circumstances of her marriages To the Prophet of Islamsa, integrity and purity of heart were the true merits of nobility in Islam. In accordance with this belief, he proposed to marry his freed slave and adopted son Hazrat Zaidra bin Haris to Hazrat Zainabra. At first, she was reluctant on account of their diverse nature and higher status of her family; however, upon realising the strong desire the Prophet of Allahsa had for this union, she ultimately agreed.

Although she tried her utmost for this marriage to work, it was just not meant to be. The differences eventually strained their relationship and Hazrat Zaidra approached the Holy Prophetsa to seek divorce. The Prophetsa exhorted him to refrain from divorcing his wife and fear God. (Sahih alBukhari, Hadith 7420) By divine revelation, the Holy Prophetsa knew that Hazrat Zaidra would eventually divorce Hazrat Zainabra and she would be married to him. Because of this reason, he wanted to remain unrelated to this matter and insisted Hazrat Zaidra to prolong his marriage for as long as possible. Also, he feared that his marriage to the divorcee of his foster son would raise allegations from his contemporaries as the society viewed the adopted son as one’s own. This has been addressed in the Holy Quran in the following words:

“And you did conceal in your heart what Allah was going to bring to light, and you were afraid of the people, whereas Allah has better right that you should fear Him” (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.38) Ultimately, the differences grew unbearable and Hazrat Zaidra divorced her.

In accordance with divine revelation, the Messengersa of Allah married her after the period of her iddah (a short time period in which a woman is not allowed to marry after a divorce or if her husband dies) had passed.

An aspect of her personality ought to be mentioned here, which highlights her inner piety and virtue. When she was approached with the proposal to marry the Holy Prophetsa, she replied: “I will not act upon anything until I solicit the will of God.” She then stood up and prayed and the verses pertaining to her marriage were revealed. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1428) Her brother, Abu Ahmad ibn Jahsh served as her rightful guardian and married her to the Prophetsa with her dowry set at 400 dirhams. It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Anasra that he had never attended such a lavish wedding feast as hers. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1428) Hazrat Anasra narrates that Hazrat Zainabra used to take great pleasure in the fact that her marriage to the Prophetsa was decreed from the “seven heavens.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7420) Through this marriage, the Holy Prophetsa also demonstrated to the Muslims that foster sons are not as real sons and the injunctions applied to biological sons cannot be enforced upon the former; thus eradicating the ignorant custom which had rooted itself in Arabian society.

A misconception Various historians and orientalists have distorted this narration which contradicts the pious nature of both the Prophetsa and Hazrat Zainabra. To summarise, it adds that once, the Holy Prophetsa visited Hazrat Zainabra while Hazrat Zaidra was away. The door to her house was open and she stood in a hurry without a shawl at the arrival of the Prophetsa. Although the Messengersa

of Allah refused to enter, God-forbid, he was captivated by her beauty and returned humming the following words: “Holy is Allah, Who is the Possessor of all Greatness, Holy is Allah, Who turns the hearts of people however He so wills.”

When Hazrat Zaidra returned and was made aware of this encounter by his wife, he offered to divorce her so that the Prophetsa could marry her. Despite the fact that the Prophetsa of Allah instructed him not to do so and fear God, he did it anyway.

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra refuted all these allegations in his book, The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets. To begin with, it is a fabricated tale, from start to end, which does not find its basis from the perspective of both riwayat and dirayat (the internal and external means to establish the veracity of ahadith). Secondly, it is primarily narrated by Waqdi and Allama bin Amir who are both viewed by scholars as unreliable and weak. Thirdly, Muslim women did not observe the hijab before the marriage of Hazrat Zainabra. In fact, it was at her walima with the Prophetsa that the verses regarding purdah were revealed. Moreover, to presume that the Prophetsa was immediately mesmerised by her beauty was absurd. Surely, he would have seen his close relative and cousin prior to this and her looks were known to him. Lastly, if she had invited him to her house, she must have been wearing enough clothing to be able to present herself before the Prophetsa of Allah.

Hence, in the words of Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, it is said: “Irrespective of the angle from which this tale is analysed, it proves to be absolutely false and forged, which possesses no truth whatsoever … It is for this very reason that research scholars have categorically declared this tale to be fabricated and false.” (The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets ,Vol.2, pp. 417-418) Purdah Before the injunctions related to purdah were revealed, the house of the Holy Prophetsa was open to the Companionsra of the Prophetsa for visits and to discuss important issues. At the wedding of Hazrat

Zainabra, an incident occurred which became the keystone in the revelation pertaining to purdah. It coincided with the nature of the Holy Prophetsa, who abhorred wasting precious time and taught us to respect personal space and privacy.

The incident is reported by Hazrat Anasra in Sahih Muslim: “The Holy Prophetsa invited people to the wedding feast after the day had well risen. After a period of time, whereas some of the people left, others remained seated; the Prophetsa stood up and walked on and I followed him until he reached the door of the apartment of Aisha. He then thought that they (those who had been sitting there after meal) had gone away. So, he and I returned, but they were still sitting at their places. At this, we came back to the apartment of Aisha. When we returned, we saw that those people had stood up to leave; the Messengersa of Allah hung a curtain between me and him (at the door of the apartment of Hazrat Zainabra, where he had to stay), and Allah revealed the verse pertaining to the veil.”

Piety and generosity Hazrat Zainabra passed away in the caliphate of Hazrat Umarra. She would give away charity and alms to such an extent that she donated all her stipends (estimated to be 12,000 dirhams), which Hazrat Umarra had allocated for the wives of the Holy Prophetsa during his tenure.

She was very particular about her prayers and fasts. Hazrat Aishara is reported to have said about her: “I have not seen a more pious lady than Zainabra. She was very righteous and truthful. She was very kind towards relatives and she would give a great amount of charity and alms and worked tirelessly for goodness and to attain divine nearness.”

(The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets, Vol. 2, p.15) The Wivesra of the Holy Prophetsa would compete among themselves to excel higher in spirituality and to attain affection of their noble husband. Normally, this might incite some women to slander the other, but this was not the case with the wives of the Prophetsa. Hazrat Zainabra was an extremely devout and pious person.

Once, Hazrat Aishara lost her necklace and stayed behind from the convoy to search for it. She was later escorted back by one of the companions of the Holy Prophetsa. They remained quiet throughout the trip. However, the hypocrites of Medina saw it as an opportunity to defame her and accused her of being disloyal to the Holy Prophetsa. At this, when the Holy Prophetsa enquired from Hazrat Zainabra of the opinion she held about Hazrat Aishara, she replied: “O Allah’s Apostle! I refrain from claiming falsely that I have heard or seen anything. By Allah, I know nothing except good (about Aisha).”

Hazrat Aishara narrates that from among the wives of the Prophetsa, Zainab was her peer [in beauty and in the love she received from the Prophetas and that she could have maligned her] but Allah saved her from that evil because of her piety.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4141)

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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Friday Sermon Financial Sacrifice: New year of Tahrik-e-Jadid 8 November 2019 After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa recited verse 273 of Surah al-Baqarah, chapter 2, and then stated:

hold dear is to your own benefit. Allah the Exalted states: ُ َُْ َ ْ َ ُ ُْ ‫َو َﻣا ﺗن ِﻔﻘوْا ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺧ� ٍ� فلِ��ﻔ ِﺴك ْم‬

T

he translation is as follows: “It is not thy responsibility to make them follow the right path; but Allah guides whomsoever He pleases. And whatever of wealth you spend, it is for yourselves, while you spend not but to seek the favour of Allah. And whatever of wealth you spend, it shall be paid back to you in full and you shall not be wronged.”

As it is evident, Allah the Exalted has explained in this verse that to guide, bring someone to the right path, or to guide someone on the path that leads to the right direction or the correct destination depends on the grace and blessings of Allah the Exalted. Similarly, keeping someone steadfast on that path and guidance, eventually conveying that individual to the ultimate objective, while safeguarding them from going astray to enable them to achieve a good end also depend on the grace and blessings of Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted has taken the responsibility for this Himself.

We may guide someone towards the path of righteousness, but it is not within our power to place them on that path and ensure they remain steadfast upon it.

Thus, Allah the Exalted has taken this responsibility upon Himself.

An individual, who strives to move towards Allah the Exalted, who makes an effort to walk on that path and also supplicates for it, eventually reaches the ultimate goal, through the grace and blessings of Allah the Exalted. Thus, it is incumbent that, after treading on the path of guidance, we continue to make efforts to remain firm on it in accordance with the ways taught by Allah the Exalted.

We should continue to pray to God the Almighty for His grace and blessings to remain steadfast on that guidance so that

“Whatever of wealth you spend, it is for yourselves.” [Surah al-Baqarah, Ch2: V.273] Whatever is given in the way of Allah the Exalted, He does not withhold returns manifold. When a farmer plants seeds in a field, an ignorant person may say, “What has he done! He has wasted all the seeds.”

However, a wise person knows that these seeds that have been thrown onto the field can yield thousands or even millions of crops, unless that that crop is destroyed by a natural disaster and does not therefore give any yield. Thus, the pure wealth that is spent in the cause of Allah the Exalted with virtuous intentions, can yield thousands of folds in return and indeed it does.

Ahmadis write their experiences to me in which they express how they made sacrifices in the cause of Allah the Exalted and how Allah the Exalted gave them back manifold. Some are also weaker in faith or may have just recently joined the Community. They experience the extent of the truthfulness of how Allah the Exalted rewards back manifold. Consequently, Allah the Exalted blesses them in order to strengthen their faith. However, the majority of people understand this verse of Allah the Exalted that ّٰ َ ‫َو َﻣا ﺗُ ْن ِﻔﻘُوْ َن إلَّا ْاب ِت َﻐ‬ ‫اء َو ْج ِﻪ اللہ‬ ِ

we attain a prosperous end and so that our weakness may never lead us astray from our path to Allah the Exalted.

Another aspect that Allah the Exalted has mentioned in this verse is that whatever you spend from the wealth you

“... you spend not but to seek the favour of Allah.”

When they spend for religious needs, they do so in order to seek the favour of Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted has characterised true believers as this, that they spend in the cause of Allah the

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Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM Exalted in order to seek His blessings.

Furthermore, Allah the Exalted is certainly aware of the state of such people, who spend in order to acquire the pleasure of Allah the Exalted. Moreover, such people, who spend in order to acquire the pleasure of Allah the Exalted, are also able to witness the blessings of Allah the Exalted as to how He accepts their sacrifices and rewards them in return, and this further strengthens them in their faith.

Hence, Allah the Exalted states, “I do not remain indebted to anyone. If you spend out of your pure wealth to seek My favour and for the sake of My faith and upon My command, then I will also provide for you in return.” The condition is that the wealth should be pure. Hence, people living in the developed countries should be particularly mindful that they should earn a pure and wholesome livelihood. They should not deceive government institutions in order to earn more; where they earn income through employment, yet also receive benefits from the government through false statements, such people acquire unlawful money from the government, they do not pay taxes, which are the due right of the government and an obligation upon every citizen and they also deprive other people of their rights. Furthermore, they also become a hindrance regarding this very amount, which can be spent on other means for the progress of the country.

Most significantly, they lie through these false statements. All of these matters are wrong and are sinful and will distance a person from acquiring pure wealth.

Then, in relation to pure wealth, there is the wealth which is acquired in an incorrect manner through other means.

Earning wealth through livelihoods which Allah the Almighty has forbidden is also not considered pure wealth. Nevertheless, Allah the Almighty states that he does not merely accept the sacrifice of pure wealth that is made in order to seek His favour, but: ُ َ ‫يُوَ ّف إِل َ ْیک ْم‬ he repays it in full through various means. Allah the Almighty never wrongs anyone. It is man himself who commits various misdeeds and wrongs and harms by disobeying the commandments of Allah the Almighty. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, there are thousands, nay hundreds of thousands of Ahmadis, who have become the recipient of Allah the Almighty’s favours and have experienced this promise of God for themselves and have a true understanding of it.

I shall narrate a few accounts in this regard.

We have been witnessing and reading about these accounts of sacrifice since the time of the Promised Messiahas and are able to witness them even today. The sacrifices of Ahmadis, even in the most difficult of circumstances, in order to attain the pleasure of God Almighty are not simply stories of the past. In today’s sermon, I will announce the start of the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid and will also relate some incidents in this regard.

A missionary from Sierra Leone writes

that there is a new convert, Kumara Sahib, who lives in the region of Lunsar. When he was informed about Tahrik-e-Jadid and the blessings of Chanda [financial sacrifice], he paid his regular Chanda as well as his contribution towards Tahrike-Jadid. He was not very well-off and the little amount of money that was left over was enough for him to buy rice for the month. However, he also contributed this towards Tahrik-e-Jadid.

The missionary says that only a few days later, this individual came again and said, “I paid the Chanda for Tahrik-e-Jadid and the very next day, my company said that they had transferred me to another department where the salary was twofold, as well as other benefits.” Hence, Allah grants blessings to one who contributes towards Chanda.

He further says, “Allah the Almighty showed me a glimpse of the blessings which I heard were attached to Chanda.”

He then said that from now on, he would pay the Chanda for Tahrik-e-Jadid along with regular monthly Chanda.

The missionary in the region of Port Loko relates an incident. Observe how Allah the Almighty blesses those who offer sacrifices, despite their impoverished circumstances which then leads to further increasing their faith. He says that there is a village by the name of Sanda Mablonotor.

An Ahmadi, Muhammad Sahib, lives there and he was unable to fulfil the promise he had pledged for Tahrik-e-Jadid. When the end of the year approached, he said that he did not have anything save a few cups of rice. (He had a little bit of rice, perhaps a kilogram or a kilogram and a half.) He sold the rice and completed his promise.

He says that the following day, a distant relative of his sent him a sack of rice along with some money as a gift. He states that his faith increased greatly as a result of this because he had merely given a few cups of rice in the cause of Allah and in return, He provided him with a hundred kilograms as well as some money.

The missionary of Guinea Bissau narrates an account which again highlights the standard of sacrifice offered by those with straitened circumstances and how Allah the Almighty, in return, revives their faith.

When Diallo Sahib, who is a member of the Jamaat in Kabodo, was informed of the importance of the Chanda for Tahrike-Jadid, he immediately put his hand in his pocket and contributed an amount of one thousand CFA francs and said that that he was heading to the market with this money in order to buy some food items for his children. However, having paid the Chanda, he returned home. He did not have any money at home and since he was a fisherman, he took his fishing equipment and went fishing in order to provide some food for his children. He says that he threw his net in order to catch some fish and within an hour, Allah the Almighty filled his net with 73 kilograms of fish. Furthermore, the other fishermen, who were with him, also saw this and said that he was extremely fortunate to have caught such a large amount within an hour, as they are unable to catch such an

amount in the entire night. He informed them that this was owing to the blessing of the Chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid, which he had paid just an hour before wherein he had paid everything he had. Following this, he returned to the mission house as he had acquired a large sum of money and hence paid even more towards Chanda.

Although they are poor, but they display great generosity. When Allah the Almighty blesses them, they do not become miserly, but instead, they continue to make sacrifices so that Allah the Almighty may grant them more blessings.

Amir Sahib of Congo writes: “A mualim from the Jamaat in the Bandundu region encouraged members of the Jamaat to participate in Tahrike-Jadid.” I had instructed all Jamaats to try and increase participation and this message was conveyed to everyone. “At the time, the people of the village did not have any funds to make monetary contributions as they were relatively poor. The locals of this Jamaat were from a small village. They cut wood from the jungle and made coal from it and packed it in sacks. Since they had no customers in their village they set off on a journey on the river.” There are many rivers in the Congo, hence people travel through the river. “They completed the difficult journey and took everything to a new city and sold it all. The amount they collected from selling the wood was 96,000 francs and they decided as a Jamaat to contribute the entire amount towards Tahrik-eJadid.”

Hence, Allah the Almighty has granted the Promised Messiahas such exceptional followers, regarding whom he had stated in his lifetime, “I am astonished at how much sacrifices these people make.”

(Zameema Anjam-e-Atham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 11, p. 313 [footnote]) In the early years, when Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra initiated the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid, he shared examples of how the poor members of the Jamaat offered sacrifices. For example, if someone only had eggs, they would present it and if some had some small amount of money, they would sacrifice that. Even today, we observe how people spend in the way of Allah for His sake and to attain His pleasure.

A missionary from Guinea Bissau writes: “There is a 50-year-old Ahmadi lady who resides in a very remote area called Cabucare. She is quite poor and has no source of income. Some time ago, the members in that area were encouraged to participate in Tahrik-e-Jadid. She made a pledge saying, ‘I do not have anything except for a small chicken. I will raise it, then sell it and contribute whatever is received from it towards Tahrik-e-Jadid.’

After some time, there was an epidemic among the chickens in that area, and her chicken also fell ill. Her relatives advised her to slaughter her chicken before it died. However, she refused to do this and prayed, ‘O Allah! I have nothing in my possession other than this chicken. I implore Your help. Please save it.’ She said

that when she woke up the next day, the chicken had fully recovered. She kept it for another 20 days and then gave it to the mualim as part of her contribution.”

People claim that they cannot witness any signs [in support of the Promised Messiahas]. If one’s relation with Allah Almighty is true and one’s intention is sincere, then God Almighty will show them signs. It is these small signs that become a source of increasing people in their faith.

Another example of God Almighty’s favour is as follows: A mualim from the Mara region in Tanzania, writes: “There is a faithful young Ahmadi youth whose name is Rashid Hussain Sahib and he owns a small food store. He fulfilled his entire contribution for Tahrike-Jadid according to his promise. At the end of the year, the mualim encouraged everyone to contribute to Tahrik-e-Jadid more if they could. Rashid Hussain Sahib was exempt from this as he was already struggling financially at the time and was not hopeful that the items leftover in his store would sell soon. In any case, he states that he only had 3,000 shillings with him at the time which he donated. The same evening, he returned to the mualim and told him, ‘Something extraordinary has occurred today. I had nothing other than the amount which I donated, and I was not hopeful regarding the sale of the remaining items in my store. I was anxious that people would not purchase these items. However, Allah the Almighty blessed me because of offering Chanda and helped me in an extraordinary manner. In the afternoon, a customer came and purchased all the items which I thought were difficult to sell. I collected 23,000 shillings in that single transaction.

All of this was due to the blessings of offering Chanda and Allah the Almighty blessed my income.’”

Ajana Sahib, a new convert from a city called Bangui, Central Africa, mentions an incident in which one can witness how Allah the Almighty bestows His favours to strengthen people’s faith. He states: “I had accepted Ahmadiyyat eight months earlier and there was a tremendous change in me during this time. I would listen to Friday Sermons and watched MTA regularly. One day, I heard the following words in the Friday Sermon: ‘Those who spend in the way of Allah are not poor, and Allah blesses their wealth’. The missionary was also encouraging members to participate in Tahrik-e-Jadid in those days. I only had 500 francs, which is a very small amount, but nevertheless, I offered this as Chanda.

Thereafter, however, I became worried as to what I would eat at night. I later recalled the words of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih [may Allah be his Helper] that Allah returns [the sacrifice] manifold. I had already donated 500 francs.”

At the time, he was a new convert and was still in the early stages of his faith and had not acquired full conviction in his faith. However, his intentions were pure and he further states: “I remained in the mission house for another 3-4 hours with the hope of how

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

14 God Almighty would show His sign.

During this time, a relative telephoned me and said, ‘I have some diamonds that I would like to sell in your city, but I do not know anyone there. I would like for you to assist me in this regard.’”

He further says, “I took him to a diamond merchant where they buy and sell diamonds. After selling the diamonds, my relative” – or perhaps it was his friend – “gave me 27,000 francs as a present. In addition to this, the person who bought the diamonds also gave me 10,000 francs as a gift.” He states, “It was that day I realised that I had donated 500 francs, but Allah the Almighty blessed me with 37,000 francs in return within a space of a few hours. This incident strengthened me in my faith.”

A lady from the UK writes in regard to the treatment afforded to her by God Almighty, which in turn further increased her in her faith: “I had already paid my contribution for Tahrik-e-Jadid, however I received a message from our local president that they required more funds in order to achieve their target. At the time, I thought that I could not possibly contribute anymore because whatever money I had left was to be spent somewhere else. Nevertheless, I eventually decided to donate whatever money I had towards the Chanda [of Tahrik-e-Jadid]. The next day, I checked my bank account and noticed that I had unexpectedly been paid money into my account from my work, and it was four times the amount I had contributed towards the Chanda.”

Such examples are not only found in Africa, but here in Europe as well; such examples are witnessed of how God Almighty blesses those who offer sacrifices with pure intentions.

Amir Sahib Burkina Faso writes: “There is a gentleman in Kolo, Sawado Sahib, who contributes 100 CFA francs every month towards Tahrik-e-Jadid.

Once, someone gifted him three goats and he donated one of them towards Tahrik-eJadid and kept the other two for himself.

God Almighty blessed the goats so much that he now owns many animals and instead of 100 CFA francs, he now gives 1000 CFA francs towards Tahrik-e-Jadid every month.”

Another example of offering sacrifice with such sincerity and devotion is from Benin. The missionary of the Lokossa region writes: “A flood had swept through most of the areas in the Lokossa region and all the roads leading into the area had been blocked as a result. Some of the Jamaats were contactable via phone, but since the area is situated along the border, therefore it was difficult to get through to most of the Jamaats. The local missionary suggested that they could request the police to use their motorboat and thereby reach their members in the affected areas and enquire about their wellbeing. We spoke to the police and they agreed on the condition that we fill the boat with petrol. Thus, we reached there and met the local president.

“Upon meeting him, he began to cry.

We knew that he had suffered a great loss

owing to the floods; his land had been destroyed and even one of his rooms of his house had collapsed, therefore I consoled him that God Almighty would grant His blessings and he would be able to recover the loss. Upon this he said, ‘I am not crying over my loss, in fact prior to the flooding, I had collected my Chanda and was waiting for the mualim so that I could give it to him. However, due to the flooding, all of the roads were blocked and I was greatly concerned. I prayed to God Almighty to bring about some means as there was no way to reach the Markaz [local headquarters] and there were only a few days left. Thus, when you came to visit us and enquire about us” – they did not go to collect the Chanda, rather to enquire about their wellbeing – “I was overcome with emotion as to how quickly God Almighty accepted my prayer and I was able to fulfil this obligation of mine.’”

He was not concerned in the least about his personal loss, rather he was concerned about fulfilling his pledge he had made for the sake of Allah the Almighty and to offer his sacrifice in order to acquire the nearness of God Almighty. Hence, he wished to offer his contribution on time.

Ibrahim Sahib, the Inspector for Tahrik-e-Jadid collection in Karnataka, India, writes (this is another example of the treatment afforded by God Almighty): “A Khadim from the city of Gulbarga was employed by a company in Bangalore on a salary of 20,000 rupees per month.

According to the rate prescribed by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra which constitutes as an exemplary sacrifice, he was also encouraged to offer 50% of one month’s salary towards Tahrik-e-Jadid [Khutubate-Mahmud, Vol. 28, p.173, Friday Sermon, 9 May 1947]. Despite the difficulty in his personal circumstances at home, he pledged to contribute 10,000 rupees. His relatives advised him against promising half of his month’s income as he would find it difficult to pay since he had only recently been employed. However, he said that Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has stated that until one does not endeavour their utmost, the angels of God Almighty do not grant power and strength [Khutubate-Mahmud, Vol. 32, p.136, Friday Sermon, 7 September 1951], hence he insisted that he would pay this amount. Only a few days had passed that he received a job offer from another company and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, his current monthly salary is approximately 127,000 rupees. He said that this was all owing to the blessings of Chanda.”

The inspector for Tahrik-e-Jadid in Kerala, India, writes: “One of our very sincere Ahmadi members makes an outstanding contribution towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. He owns a furniture business and during the tour of Wakil-ul-Mal, he showed him his factories but informed him that recently, he had been experiencing some difficult circumstances in his business and even requested him to especially pray whilst in the factory. Despite this, he promised to give 1.5 million rupees, however during the course of the year, he was only able to pay 200,000 rupees. There was little time

left and he was extremely concerned and anxious as to how this amount would be paid.” He also wrote to me as well that there were only a few days left and sought prayers that God Almighty may enable him to fulfil his pledge. “He states that only a few hours had passed when he received a large amount of money in his account, as a result of which he was not only able to fulfil his pledge, but also contributed more than his pledge and through this money, he was also able to fulfil his needs in relation to his business.”

The mualim of Natitingou region in Benin writes: “A member from the Katampoti Jamaat was requested [for Tahrik-e-Jadid Chanda] and he immediately contributed 3,000 CFA francs.” The mualim says, “I was quite astounded at this and enquired how he gave such a large amount because previously, despite urging him, he would never give more than 500 CFA francs.

He replied, ‘I was very negligent in my contribution towards Chanda, however I noticed this would consequently lead to an increase in my worries and stresses and the produce from my land was also poor. Hence, the last time I gave Chanda, I did so with the intention that I would experience for myself the blessings of Chanda. Thus, I personally witnessed that God Almighty indeed grants help from such unknown means and fulfils one’s needs and He also blessed my yield.

So now that I have experienced this for myself, therefore before you even asked, I had increased my Chanda six-fold.”

The president of the Vaughan Jamaat in Canada narrates an account of a young member. He states: “In October, we were working to collect the pledges people had made for Tahrik-e-Jadid. He advised the children at home as well and they gave more than the amount they had pledged out of their pocket money. One of his daughters who had just completed her course in engineering had some money which she contributed towards the Chanda. Prior to this, she gave many job interviews but was unsuccessful. The very next day, after giving her Chanda, she had an interview and came back from it extremely happy. She said that there was a hidden power that was supporting her throughout the interview. The company which interviewed her had interviewed many other candidates as well and said that they would announce their selection at the end of the year. She said that the interview went well but would only find out about the outcome at the end of the year. However, only two days after having given the interview, she received a call that she had been selected and she would begin work in February 2020. The next day, she received another call to say that the other candidates who were selected would begin work in February, but she could start from November of this year.”

This incident strengthened this young girl’s faith and she witnessed the blessings of God Almighty.

In every country, God Almighty is revealing incidents where He grants blessings to those who offer sacrifices.

The missionary in Moscow writes: “One of the members, Zair Sahib – who is from the city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan and for a long time has been travelling to Moscow for work – comes to Moscow for work and after earning some money, he then returns to Uzbekistan.

His wife was initially hesitant to perform the Bai‘at, but upon further research and seeking prayers, she had the opportunity to do the Bai‘at. A short while ago, they were both informed about contributing towards Tahrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid and he told me that these days, he was driving a taxi in Uzbekistan and his wife worked as a seamstress.

“They both have a rule that they divide their total income into three parts.

One is for their children, the other is for their household requirements and the third is sacrificed in the way of Allah the Almighty. In this way, they both live peacefully and contently and their family life is filled with prosperity. Zair Sahib stated that since they started to contribute towards Chanda, God Almighty had granted them His special blessings and also blessed their income so much that they had never experienced it previously.”

The missionary-in-charge of Russia writes: “Ruslan Sahib works as a chef in Moscow. He recently took out a large loan to build a house and for a while was working double shifts in order to pay off the loan. One day he called me and said that he would like to immediately pay his Chanda. Upon enquiring the reason, he said, ‘A substantial amount of my wages from my previous employment was withheld by my employer.’” He also wrote for prayers as well, “‘and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, this sum of money was returned to me. Following this I had an intense desire to pay my Chanda as quickly as possible.’ Thereafter, he sent a large amount according to his circumstances to the missionary.”

A young lady from Germany writes: “I was two months pregnant” – she has given birth now and the child is two years old – “and at the time, I prayed intensely and pledged to pay 100 euros towards Tahrik-e-Jadid every month.

As a result, Allah the Almighty enabled me to pass through the remaining seven months without any issues and removed all complications. Allah the Almighty granted me with a son and even now, I am honouring my pledge of contributing every month towards Tahrik-e-Jadid.”

Even in this part of the world, which is heavily immersed in materialism and people are moving away from God, God Almighty is bestowing His blessings upon the Ahmadis whereby not only does He grant proof of His existence, but also established the reality and truthfulness of the Jamaat.

A missionary in Latvia writes: “One member, Wahiduf Sahib – who is Latvian but originally from Bukhara – Uzbekistan, had the opportunity to accept Ahmadiyyat a few years ago. By the grace of Allah, he is increasing in his loyalty and sincerity. After witnessing his kind treatment, his wife also performed the

15

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM Bai‘at last year.” He continues by saying, “He informed me about paying Chanda over the phone. Wahiduf Sahib said, ‘I work for six months in Uzbekistan and for the other six months I work in Russia.

This year, I bought a flat in Bukhara, for which I had to sell my car.’ He further says, ‘When I went to Russia for work, I thought to myself that I ought to enter into a deal with God Almighty. Hence, I began giving Chanda with the intention that God Almighty would grant blessings through the Chanda and enable me to buy a car. Having given Chanda, God Almighty bestowed so much blessings in my work that aside from my household needs, I had enough money left over to buy a car. Thus, when I returned to Bukhara, I bought a car, which was better than the one I previously owned and had to sell in order to purchase a flat.’

He then says, ‘This was only due to the blessings of giving Chanda, otherwise it was impossible for me to save enough money.’” The missionary then says that since he had performed the Bai‘at recently, it greatly increased him in his faith.

A missionary in Guinea Bissau writes: “There is a member of the community who, despite being an Ahmadi by birth and advising him on several occasions, never participated in Tahrik-e-Jadid. He started a business in making blocks and at the time had made blocks out of 40 bags of cement. At night, it rained and damaged the blocks he had made and he incurred a complete loss.” He then says, “I slept in a state of great distress and saw in a dream that my late father came to me and said, ‘Have you offered all of your Chandas?

After saying this, he left.’”

Idrees Sahib then says, “As soon as I woke up, I went straight to the mission house and said to the missionary that since he advised about giving Tahrike-Jadid, I would like to pay towards this scheme, but I only had 2,000 francs with me.” After giving the Chanda, God Almighty enabled him to recover the loss he suffered, and he secured a contract worth 800,000 francs. Through this, he managed to pay off his debts and also entered into the Al-Wasiyyat scheme; all this increased him in his faith.

A member from Mayotte Island, Ali Muhammad Sahib did not always have employment. He says: “Ever since I have given my Tahrike-Jadid Chanda, I have had no problem in finding work. As soon as I finish from one employment, I find work immediately and I have been in employment ever since I have paid my Chanda.” This is a new Jamaat that has been established for only a few years, but it is a Jamaat that is increasing in their loyalty and sincerity.

Amir [national president] Sahib of Indonesia writes: “Waryono Sahib, an Ahmadi member of Pagentan Jamaat lives alone as his wife has passed away.” It is astounding to see the means that they adopt in order to pay their Chanda. These members are very loyal and sincere. Amir Sahib says, “Waryono Sahib was a poor man and a farmer by profession. His children are all married and his wife has passed away.

On many occasions, he would go with the missionary for tabligh [preaching the message] and tarbiyat [moral training] endeavours. He has a small plot of land and farmers generally earn an income after a few months – perhaps three or four months later – however, he was regular in his Chanda and would pay every month.

On one occasion, the missionary asked: “Your crops give yield after three or four months, yet you are regular in paying your Chanda.” Waryono Sahib replied, “I have devised a method in order to pay Chanda regularly in that I have separated a small portion of my land on which I have planted banana trees. The technique I have used is that after a certain time of planting the first tree, I plant the next one, then after a while, I plant the next tree.

In this way, the banana trees give yield all year round, as a result of which I sell the produce every month and give all the earnings towards Chanda.”

Amir Sahib Indonesia writes: “A new convert from Pasir Pangaraian Jamaat recently pledged allegiance to the Jamaat and despite severe opposition from his wife, he remained steadfast. When the new year for Tahrik-e-Jadid began, the missionary went to him in order for him to partake in this monetary sacrifice.

The new convert pledged to give 500,000 Indonesian rupees.” Although the value of the Indonesian rupee is significantly less, nevertheless this was a large amount.

“This was a substantial amount for him; he was an honorary teacher and had a low income. The missionary asked him again whether he would be able to pay it as he had pledged such a large amount, in case he was put into difficulty owing to it. He replied with great conviction, ‘This is my pledge.’ Thus, in Ramadan, he was asked to pay his promised amount and he paid it in full. One day, one of his relatives gave him an envelope containing money as a gift. Without opening the envelope, he immediately went to the Sadr Jamaat [president of the local chapter] and gave him the envelope, saying that whatever amount was enclosed, he would like to offer towards his Tahrik-e-Jadid promise.

When the Sadr Jamaat opened the envelope, he found that there was exactly 500,000 Indonesian rupees, which was the full amount of his promise.

Children learning the importance of sincerity and sacrifice is another transformation witnessed among the followers of the Promised Messiahas, which he instilled within us. A missionary from Ghana writes: “A short while ago, I delivered a sermon to a Jamaat regarding financial sacrifice, especially Tahrik-e-Jadid. I emphasised the fact that we ought to encourage children to partake and give Chanda with their own hands to inculcate a habit of making financial sacrifices.

On the following week, after the Friday prayers, a Tifl aged approximately nine or ten years old brought some money for me and presented it for Tahrik-e-Jadid. Upon enquiry, he told me that he had asked his parents for money to give towards Tahrike-Jadid Chanda, however due to some reasons, he was not given the money or

Lecture on Islam at Mexico City university Amen Aqeel Haider Mexico Correspondent

n opportunity was provided to give A a lecture about Islam and dismiss many doubts or misunderstandings within

the youth of Mexico at the Universidad Interamericana para el Desarrollo (UNID).

This event was organised by the university and the students and professors alike were extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn about Islam from a Muslim as opposed to the usual news outlets or textbooks. Catholic Christianity is the dominant religion in Mexico, representing 81% of the population. Therefore, for all the students, it was their first time meeting a Muslim and hearing about the religion of Islam from a Muslim.

The lecture was delivered by Imam Noman Rana, Missionary Mexico City

his parents did not have the money. He said, “I took a job working at a shop and I am giving what I earn for Chanda.”

Then there is another incident from Sierra Leone; a local mualim, Basheero Sahib, writes: “I advised members of the Serabu Jamaat about giving Tahrik-e-Jadid chanda. This time, a child who was approximately nine or ten years old came carrying a pile of firewood on his head.” He said to the mualim, “Buy the firewood from me and whatever amount is received for it, put that towards my Chanda for Tahrik-e-Jadid.” The mualim bought the firewood from him and gave him a receipt. Later he even returned the firewood to him saying that his Chanda had been received.

May Allah the Almighty greatly bless the wealth of all these people and increase them in their faith. This sort of sacrifice in which one has to work or go to the jungle to collect wood and then sell it, is a concept which the children here are unable to relate to, as the conditions here are better.

Undoubtedly there are excellent examples of sacrifice here as well; there are some children who gave their entire pocket money or that they were saving

Jamaat and National President of Jamaate-Ahmadiyya Mexico. Sadr Lajna Imaillah Mexico, Tallat Noman Sahiba, also attended this lecture as a co-speaker and gave a detailed discourse about the rights of women in Islam and how women play an integral role within society.

The focuses of the lecture were based on the fundamental basics of Islam such as the five pillars of Islam, six articles of faith, the meaning of Jihad and Salat and the system of marriage in Islam. An introduction to Islam Ahmadiyyat was also presented and Jamaat literature was distributed among the students.

In the final moments of the lecture, some students recorded a video interview with the Jamaat missionary to share among other youth of Mexico as well as on social media platforms.

money to buy something, but instead they gave away that amount.

Nonetheless, we find examples of sincerity and loyalty everywhere, each sacrificing according to their own situations. May Allah the Almighty continue to increase them in their sincerity and loyalty.

I will now mention some details of the sacrifice God Almighty enabled the followers of the Promised Messiahas to present and the manner in which they have offered these sacrifices shows that it would not have been possible without the support and succour of God Almighty.

Only Allah the Almighty has the power to change one’s heart and instil this spirit within a person, young and old, irrespective of where Ahmadis reside in the world. Anyone who possesses intellect would understand that this alone is proof of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas. Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, I will now present some details.

By the grace of Allah, on 31 October, the 85th year of Tahrik-e-Jadid came to a close and the 86th year has begun. In this [previous] year, £13.6 million was offered in way of the Tahrik-e-Jadid scheme and by the grace of Allah, this amount is an increase of £802,000 from the previous year.

16 This year, the currency of Pakistan has devalued significantly owing to the political and economic problems. They are in a difficult situation; may God Almighty have mercy on them. You all ought to pray for Pakistan; may Allah the Almighty bless the Ahmadis in Pakistan.

Subsequently, they were unable to retain their usual position and thus, overall, Germany stood first, Pakistan stood second, UK was third.

Previously I would remove Pakistan from the list as they always took first position and would mention details about the countries aside from Pakistan, therefore, despite the fact that Paksitan was second, I will now mention details about the first ten countries. Outside of Pakistan, Germany was first, after Pakistan the UK was second, then USA, Canada, India, then a country in the Middle East, Indonesia, Australia, Ghana, then another country belonging to the Middle East.

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, despite the dire [economic] situation in Pakistan – in fact, the economic situation of the entire world has worsened – the collection in terms of local currency has increased.

The positions of the first three countries in terms of this is that a country in the Middle East stood first, India second – this is in terms of the percentage increase in their currency – then Canada, Germany, UK, Ghana, Pakistan, Indonesia, USA and Australia.

In terms of contribution per person, the first three countries are as follows: Switzerland is first, followed by the USA,

Friday 6 December 2019 | AL HAKAM Singapore, the UK is fourth, Sweden is fifth and then the remaining positions.

In terms of overall contribution, the outstanding Jamaats from Africa are: Ghana is first, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Gambia, Benin.

A lot of attention in previous years has been drawn towards increasing the number of participants than the amount that is required to be collected; the Jamaats were given targets of how many members that ought to participate. By the grace of Allah, the number of participants this year is over 1,827,000, and 112,000 people participated in the scheme for the first time.

From the countries of Africa that had significant increase in members who contributed are: Niger, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Guinea Conakry.

Among the large Jamaats, in terms of increasing their total contributors are: Bangladesh, Canada, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Germany, UK, USA and Australia.

According to the central records, by the grace of God Almighty, the accounts of those belonging to Daftar Awwal are a total of 5,927. 36 of those are still alive and pay the Chanda themselves, and as for those that have passed away, their heirs and sincere members of the Jamaat are continuing them.

Germany stood first; the first ten Jamaats [from within Germany] are: Rödermark, Neuss, Pinneberg, MahdiAbad, Nieda, Osnarbruck, Kiel, Flörsheim,

Weingarten and Köln.

The first ten local Jamaats in Germany are: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Gross-Gerau, Mörfelden, Dietzenbach, Wiesbaden, Riedstadt, Darmstadt, Mannheim and Russelheim.

In Pakistan, with respect to total contribution to the Tahrik-e-Jadid scheme, the standings are: Lahore is first, Rabwah second, third is Karachi. The ten districts with the most contribution is: Islamabad is first, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Qasur, Toba Tek Singh and Mirpur Azad Kashmir.

The outstanding Jamaats in terms of their total contribution are: Defence Lahore, Amarat Township Lahore, Amarat Cantt Rawalpindi, Amarat City of Rawalpindi, Multan, Amarat Azizabad Karachi, Amarat Delhi Gate Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Bahawalnagar.

The five small Jamaats of Pakistan are: Wah Cantt, Sabundasti, Khokhar Gharbi, Chak Nau Paniyara and Chawinda.

The first five regions in the UK are: Baitul Futuh Region, Masjid Fazl, Midlands, Baitul Ehsan and Islamabad.

In terms of overall contribution, the ten large Jamaats of the UK are: Masjid Fazl, Worcester Park, Islamabad, Aldershot, Putney, New Malden, Gillingham, Birmingham West, Glasgow and Scunthorpe.

In terms of smaller Jamaats: Swansea is first, Spen Valley, Keighley, North Wales and Northampton.

In terms of total contribution among the USA Jamaats: Silver Spring, Los

Angeles, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Central Virginia, Detroit, Chicago, Oshkosh, Houston, Georgia, and South Virginia.

The total contribution from local amarats in Canada is as follows: Vaughn is first, Calgary, Peace Village, Vancouver, Mississauga and Saskatoon.

The five small Jamaats are: Edmonton West is first, Durham, Bradford, Hamilton and Ottawa West.

The ten Jamaats in India for their total contribution are: Karulai, Qadian, Pathapiriyam, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Pengari, Bangalore, Calicut, Calcutta and Yad Gir. The ten provinces of India are: Kerala, Carnatic, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Jammu Kashmir, Odissa, Punjab, Bengal, Delhi and Utter Pradesh.

The economic and political situation of Kashmir is very dire, but the Jamaats there have sacrificed a lot.

The first ten Jamaats in Australia for total contribution are as follows: Castle Hill, Melbourne Berwick, Melbourne Long Warren, ACT Canberra, Marsden Park, Adelaide South, Penrith, Mount Druitt, Parramatta, Adelaide West May Allah the Almighty greatly bless the wealth and progeny of all those who offered sacrifice.

(Original Urdu published in Al Fazl International. Translated by The Review of Religions)

The Advent of the Promised Messiah An address delivered by the Promised Messiahas, in

which he speaks about the purpose of his advent and the true essence of being an Ahmadi Muslim

https://www.alislam.org/library/books/The-Advent-of-The-Promised-Messiah.pdf

Editor: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Design & Layout: Jalees Ahmad | News: Ata-ul-Haye Nasir | © Al Hakam 2019