Al Hakam - 20 December 2019

Responding to Allegations The Bible and the origin of languages

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Hazrat Khalifatul Masih visits Jamia Ahmadiyya UK

A lesson from the ring of the Holy Prophetsa

Jamia UK is blessed with sitting in the company of their Imam

From a dars of Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaqra

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Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa A look at the services and life of a noble servant of Islam

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 20 December 2019 | Issue XCII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

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

Forgiveness Hazrat Muaz bin Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The height of excellence is that you should strengthen the ties of relationship with the one who severs them and be generous to the one who is miserly to you and be forgiving to the one who abuses you.”

(Musnad Ahmad)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words The moral miracles of the Holy Prophetsa

A challenge set for Ahmadi researchers: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih addresses members of AMRA TMuslim Research Association (AMRA)

he very first International Ahmadiyya

conference was held in Islamabad, Tilford on Saturday, 14 December.

The day saw a plethora of speakers from across the world, including university professors, missionaries, scientists, economists, doctors and researchers, who delivered their academic findings and research. The conference was well attended.

Some of the topics included the following: – From morning to night: How plants

behave – Gratitude: Islam and science – Conflict or concordance – New advancements in breast conserving surgery for breast cancer – Islam, Ahmadiyyat and scientific research: The perspective of an Ahmadi woman – The promise of economic research – Government inaction: Corruption and conflict in the mining industry – The shaping of an Ahmadi Muslim

scientist The final session started with the arrival of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, at approximately 8:30pm, after the Isha prayer.

Noorudin Jahangeer Sahib was called to the stage for tilawat, who recited Surah al-Anbiya, verses 31-32 of the Holy Quran.

Anas Rana Sahib then presented the English translation.

Sadr Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK, Continued on page 2

Now it is my desire to say a few more words and then conclude this address. I briefly return, for some time, to my discourse in the way of miracles. The first category of miracles are those of an academic nature, such as the splitting of the moon, etc., and the second are of those which relate to divine verities and insights. The third category of miracles, is that which relates to morality.

Moral miracles possess great influence.

Philosophers cannot fully be satisfied by verities and insights, but exemplary morals have a deep and penetrating impact on them. One of the miracles of the Holy Prophet, the Chief of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the way of moral miracles is that once the Prophet of Islam lay asleep under a tree when suddenly he was awoken by a hue and cry. Upon waking he noticed a Bedouin of the desert standing above him, sword in hand, who said: “O Muhammad! Tell me, who now can save you from my hands?”

“Allah,” replied the Prophet of Islam, with the complete satisfaction and true repose that he was blessed with. This response of the Holy Prophetsa was not superficial as others would say. The name “Allah,” which Continued on page 6

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

This Week in History 20 - 26 December A selection of brief incidents from the first and second era of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya

20 December 1927: An assassination attempt was made in Damascus on the Jamaat’s missionary, Jalaluddin Shams Sahib.

20 December 1940: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra completed writing a volume of Tafsir-e-Kabir, consisting of chapters from Surah Yunus to Surah al-Kahf. Its first copy was presented to Huzoorra. Initially, 3,000 copies were printed.

20 December 1947: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a fourth lecture about the future of Pakistan. Under the presidency of Mian Fazl Hussain. During the session, Huzoorra spoke of the future and the possible strength of Pakistan’s army.

20 December 1951: Hazrat Malik Barkat Alira from Gujrat passed away. He was a companion of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, who took the pledge of allegiance in 1897.

20 December 1951: The newspaper, Badr had been out of publication since 1913. On this date, the historic paper was relaunched from Qadian and Maulvi Barkaat Ahmad Rajeki Sahib was appointed as editor. By March 1952, Badr began its publication on a regular basis.

21 December 1929: A political debate was held at India’s National Congress in Lahore. On this important occasion, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra drafted a letter in English addressing the participants. The letter was entitled, An Appeal to Hindu Leaders. This letter was published and widely circulated.

21 December 1944: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra directed the Jamaat to thoroughly study the upcoming communist movement and find counter arguments to it.

21 December 1948: An Ahmadi, Abdul Razzaq Sahib, was martyred in Kashmir.

22 December 1936: King Edward VIII, King of the British Empire announced his abdication. On this date, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said that this abdication was a manifestation of the prophecy about the spread and decline of Christianity.

22 December 1938: Hazrat Hakim Ahmad Dinra passed away. This companion of the Promised Messiahas was from Shahdara, Lahore and was a medical practitioner.

22 December 1956: A telephone exchange was set up in Rabwah and started operating the following year.

23 December 1926: Swami Shraddhanand was assassinated on this date. He was an Arya Samaj missionary who propagated the teachings of Dayandanda Saraswati and played a key role in the Sangathan and Shuddhi movements in the 1920s.

24 December 1939: Abdul Karim Sahib from Hyderabad Deccan passed away. He was a living sign of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas, as after being bitten by a dog during childhood and contracting rabies, he was sent to the Pasteur Institute in Kasauli for treatment. After having treatment for a few days, Abdul Karim returned to Qadian. A few days later, he began exhibiting the usual symptoms of rabies, which included agitation and hydrophobia (fear of water). Observing his condition, the Promised Messiahas was deeply distressed and in anguish. He thus began to pray ardently for

him. A special telegram was sent to the doctors at the Pasteur Institute in Kasauli explaining Abdul Karim Sahib’s symptoms and asking for instructions regarding the treatment. Soon after, Abdul Karim’s friends received a telegram response; “Nothing can be done for Abdul Karim.” However, due to the prayers of the Promised Messiahas, Abdul Karim went on to live a long life, despite the telegram from the doctors.

24 December 1945: Hazrat Haji Mian Muhammad Musara of Lahore passed away. He performed Bai‘at in 1902.

Once, the Promised Messiahas visited his place of business in Lahore when the Promised Messiahas was touring the city with family members. Hazrat Mian Musa Sahibra also worked very hard when the railway track was being installed in Qadian.

24 December 1947: The authorities allotted Ratan Bagh in Lahore to Jamaat members after the partition. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra instructed for all the belongings (that belonged to Hindus), which were found in Ratan Bagh, to be counted and safely stored. On this date, the owners came back seeking the possessions they had lost during the partition. Huzoorra safely returned every single item to them.

25 December 1906: Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra delivered his first ever public speech in front of the Jalsa Salana gathering. The speech was later published and entitled Chashma-e-Tauhid (Fountain of Unity).

25 December 1910: The Jamaat held its Jalsa Salana, which was attended by 2,500 people. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, may Allah be pleased with him, delivered three speeches.

25 December 1915: Jalsa Salana was held in Qadian and attended by more than 4,000 people. Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra delivered four speeches.

25 December 1917: Jalsa Salana commenced and was graced by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra who delivered three speeches. His speeches were later compiled in book form, entitled Haqiqatul-Roya.

25 December 1922: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra established the women auxiliary organisation, Lajna Imaillah. The aim of Lajna Imaillah was to enhance the pace of providing education and training to Ahmadi women. Its first president was Hazrat Amma Janra, the noble wife of the Promised Messiahas. The second president was Hazrat Umm-e-Nasir, wife of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and the mother of Khalifatul Masih IIIrh. The first secretary of Lajna Imaillah was Hazrat Syeda Amtul Hayy Begum, daughter of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira and wife of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra.

25 December 1930: Hazrat Mirza Sultan Ahmad, the eldest son of the Promised Messiahas, took Bai‘at at the hand of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. Though he did not perform Bai‘at during the life of the Promised Messiahas, he would passionately defend the Promised Messiahas.

Continued from page 1

Abdul Quddus Arif Sahib presented a brief summary report of the AMRA conference.

This was the 10-year anniversary of AMRA and the first ever international conference. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa approved AMRA with the aim to “advance national and social scientific learning” with the view of serving God and His creation.

Nine countries were represented at the conference, including Canada, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Ghana, Nigeria and Malta. A number of research talks were given, including three by Lajna members. Speakers included international speakers as well.

AMRA has over 60 researchers who continue to contribute to scientific and academic papers, by the grace of Allah.

The total attendance of the event was 255, including 19 international guests.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then addressed the gathering.

After Tashahud and Ta‘awuz, Huzooraa recited Surah Al-e-Imran, verses 191-192, followed by their English translation.

Huzooraa said that the Holy Quran mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth and instructs mankind to reflect upon it.

“He has encouraged us to use our brains” and reflect upon the earth to find new findings. Huzooraa said that man has been given the ability “to think and comprehend” and to decipher between right and wrong.

The Holy Quran has encouraged scientific research and the pursuit of knowledge. Huzooraa referred to the Promised Messiahas who said that when one reflects upon the creation of the heavens and the earth, enlightenment occurs and the belief upon Allah is strengthened.

Huzooraa went on to say that a righteous person and true believer continuously strives and struggles to observe and understand nature and the world around us. When they see this perfection, they are “inevitably” drawn to their Creator and the purpose of their creation.

Huzooraa explained that when an intelligent person reflects upon the universe, earth, night and day, they behold the majesty of God and seek His grace. This is to “understand and unlock the mysteries of the universe”.

In order to gain these blessings, “they remember Him” whilst “standing, sitting and lying on their sides”. Huzooraa said that when such believers pray to Allah for guidance, He grants them clarity of thought. Such people are bestowed the belief that this universe could never have come about by chance.

Such people bow down before their Creator and pray that they are saved from His wrath.

The Promised Messiahas has stated that the continued study of physics, astronomy and the sciences should always lead a righteous person towards God Almighty. The more they learn, the more they “appreciate the beauty of Allah”. Once a believer gains such insight, they not only guide others with the latest scientific research, but also are granted the ability to prove the existence of God. This is the symbol of a true believer.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa stressed that “all Ahmadi researchers and academics” should always seek the guidance and help from Allah the Almighty “before, during

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

From the Markaz

Online daily edition of Al Fazl, London launched OSermon, Huzoor announced the launch

n 13 December, during the Friday aa

of the daily Al Fazl, London (online edition).

Al Fazl has now reached 106 years of publication. Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, with the permission of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, started the daily Al Fazl on 18 June 1913.

After the establishment of Pakistan, it was published in Lahore, and thereafter, it started publishing from Rabwah.

The online edition of Al Fazl, London has a website and an android app.

After the Friday Sermon, Huzooraa launched the website of the daily Al Fazl, London online edition.

A lot of information can be found on the website, such as ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa, various extracts of the Promised Messiahas and the Friday Sermons along with their summary. Similarly, articles from different writers and poetry also.

Readers can visit the new website at alfazlonline.org

and after” their works. They should pray that they are given the understanding to prove the existence of Allah. In this manner, “at every junction”, Allah will be their guiding light.

Others use their intellect for the sake of material progress, but the research of a believer not only leads to scientific progress and the development of technology, but also serves to offer the truth of the existence of God Almighty.

Ahmadi Muslim researchers, especially those who pursue the sciences, should not only research, but try and find proofs of the existence of God. This was how Dr Abdus Salam Sahib carried out his work and was able to prove the existence of God. Scientists and researchers must always “safeguard their faith” and the rights of Allah the Almighty. They must search for additional evidence proving the existence of God.

Huzooraa said that there should always be a “clear distinction” between Ahmadi researchers as compared to other researchers.

The love and majesty of Allah the Almighty must always be ingrained “in your hearts”.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then shared the incident of Professor Clement Lindley Wragge’s meeting with the The Promised Promised Messiahas.

Messiahas confirmed to the professor that there was no contradiction between science and religion. No matter how much science progresses, it would never disprove the words of the Holy Quran, the Promised Messiahas said.

The Holy Quran does not shy away from science in the slightest, in fact it instructs believers to explore and investigate and further better their human intellect.

However, the Holy Quran has also warned humans in interfering with the laws of nature.

Huzooraa spoke about the boundaries of ethics within science, especially in terms of genetic engineering and cloning. The results of such works would surely be “catastrophic” and responsible for creating a “living hell on earth”.

Scientists and researchers must only pursue that which is within the confines of the Holy Quran. Huzooraa spoke of the great Muslim scientists, academics and philosophers of the Middle Ages who brought about a “remarkable revolution” in the world. They realised their God given talents and faculties while also the existence of Allah. These Muslim scientists are still respected today.

An article on the contribution of Muslim scientists published in The National Geographic (published in 2016) was discussed in depth by Huzooraa. Another article principally on the same topic, was mentioned by Huzooraa that was published

by The New York Times.

Though the Muslims contributed in remarkable manners in the Middle Ages, today, the situation is that Muslim nations are severely lacking in intellectual knowledge.

They no longer have the drive or motivation to pursue such science and learning.

Huzooraa referred to an article that encapsulated why the Arab world has turned away from science. In the article, the author referred to the great contribution the Arab world once offered, such as algebra. However, the article goes on to note that now, the situation is dire. The author noted that there have only been two Muslim scientists who won the Nobel Prize.

Huzooraa detailed different aspects of the article that showed that Muslim nations have now completely declined in academia and contributions to science and research.

Huzooraa said that it is a “challenge” for Ahmadi researchers to revive the honour of Islam in this regard.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that in the past 13-14 years, he had instructed Ahmadi students to reach the very pinnacles of their works. However, Huzooraa noted that hardly any Ahmadi has reached the level he desired or expected.

Huzooraa said that the audience must all consider it “your mission to pursue excellence”. “You must leave here”, Huzooraa said, to follow the footsteps of people like Dr Abdus Salam.

Contact with one another, especially those working in similar areas of research, is vital. Huzooraa explained that mutual help would assist in progress. However, the majesty of God should be at the forefront.

Hazrat Khalitfatul Masihaa prayed for the researchers and the dawn of a new intellectual Islamic world.

Huzooraa then led the congregation in silent prayer, which was then followed by dinner.

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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25 December 1935: Jalsa Salana Qadian commenced and the attendance reached 21,278.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered three keynote addresses.

25 December 1937: Before the start of Jalsa Salana Qadian, a commemoration event was held in the evening in memory of the Promised Messiahas.

25 December 1938: Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Qadian convened its first ever annual Ijtema in Masjid Noor, Qadian. The Ijtema was graced by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra who also delivered a speech.

25 December 1942: Jalsa Salana commenced in Qadian, which was attended by 23,670 men and women. On the final day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered an address covering various topics, including the connection between the institution of Wasiyyat and Tahrik-e-Jadid.

25 December 1944: Majlis Ansarullah convened its first ever annual Ijtema in Masjid Aqsa, Qadian.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra graciously addressed the opening session.

25 December 1944: Hazrat Munshi Muhammad Hussainra passed away. This fortunate companion had the honour of writing fresh revelations of the Promised Messiahas.

25 December 1946: Another part of Tafsir-eKabir, from Surah al-Shams to Surah al-Zilzal, was published.

25 December 1948: Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Lahore convened a two-day Jalsa, which, due to the presence of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, turned out to be the central Jalsa. Huzoorra graciously delivered two speeches. On this date, some distinguished guests visited the Jalsa and one guest, Al-Sheikh Abdullah Ghausia expressed his sentiments in Arabic after witnessing this unique gathering. This speaker was the personal representative of the Grand Mufti of Palestine. Syed Salim al-Hasni also attended, along with Al-Syed Abdul Hameed Bik, the Palestinian ambassador to Afghanistan.

25 December 1953: The Jamaat in Indonesia held its fifth annual conference in Bogor, a city south of Jakarta on the Java Island. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra sent a special message for the occasion.

26 December 1914: The first ever Jalsa Salana during the blessed era of the second Khalifa of Islam Ahmadiyyat commenced with an attendance of 3,500 men and 400 women. Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra delivered four speeches, three of them about the blessings of Khilafat.

26 December 1916: Jalsa Salana commenced in Qadian. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered three speeches about the remembrance of Allah. On 29 December, Huzoorra addressed the ladies’ side. The total attendance was recorded as 5,000.

26 December 1919: Jalsa Salana started and Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra spoke on the topic of destiny. 7,000 people attended the Jalsa.

26 December 1920: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a speech about angels during Jalsa Salana Qadian.

26 December 1921: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra elaborated upon the existence of God during Jalsa Salana Qadian. On 29 December, Huzoorra blessed the ladies’ Jalsa Gah and delivered a speech. The total Jalsa attendance was recorded as 7,192.

26 December 1922: Jalsa Salana commenced and Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra spoke on salvation. For the first time, Lajna organised and convened their own session. On 27 December Huzoorra attended the ladies’ session and prior to his speech, took Bai‘at.

26 December 1924: Jalsa Salana commenced, this time held at the Talim-ul-Islam High School grounds, instead of Masjid Noor. The attendance doubled as compared to the previous year and saw 15,000 people attending. Perhaps owing to the successful tour of Europe, a large number of Jamaat members came to Qadian to see their beloved Imam. On 27 December, Huzoorra spoke about the history and beliefs of the Bahai faith.

On 28 December, Huzoorra detailed the true Islamic view on apostasy. The same morning, Huzooras also spoke at the ladies’ Jalsa Gah. 26 December 1925: Jalsa Salana was held on 27 and 28 December. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered speeches that would later be published as Minhajul-Talibeen (The Way of the Seekers). During the Jalsa, over 600 men and women accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat.

26 December 1926: For the first time, large posters were prepared and put up promoting Jalsa Salana. Moreover, for the first time, a department was set up to welcome and bring guests of Jalsa Salana from Batala to Qadian in vehicles. On this date, an event was held at night that included speeches in 47 different languages. During the Jalsa, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra elaborated upon the topic of prophethood. Around 200 ladies entered the Jamaat. Lajna also set up an exhibition. Over 12,000 people attended the Jalsa.

26 December 1927: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a speech about the remarkable works of the Promised Messiahas during Jalsa Salana. For the first time, special security arrangements were made for Huzoorra. Over 13,000 people attended the Jalsa and approximately 500 people took Bai‘at.

26 December 1928: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra spoke on the blessings of the Holy Quran during Jalsa Salana. Over 700 people took Bai‘at and the overall attendance was 17,000.

26 December 1931: The Muslim League convened its annual session in Delhi, which was presided over

by Hazrat Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafarulla Khanra.

He raised the issue of Muslim rights in India during the course of his presidential keynote address.

26 December 1932: Over 20,000 people attended Jalsa Salana Qadian.

26 December 1933: The Ahmadiyya mosque in Bhadrak, a city in the eastern state of Odisha was inaugurated.

26 December 1933: Jalsa Salana coincided with

the holy month of Ramadan. Around 400 people took Bai‘at during Jalsa.

26 December 1936: Jalsa Salana commenced, where for the first time, the loudspeaker was used.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra commenced a series of lectures about the blessings of the Quran.

26 December 1937: For the first time, all the speeches of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra were heard live by the ladies via the loud speakers at Jalsa Salana.

In the evening of this date, the Ahmadiyya Youth Fellowship convened its session.

26 December 1938: Jalsa Salana started, in which Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra began a series of lectures that would be later published as Sair-e-Ruhani (Spiritual Journey). 32,479 people attended this Jalsa.

26 December 1941: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a five hour speech in front of 30,000 people. During this Jalsa, Huzoorra also made an appeal for purchasing and storing wheat for the destitute inhabitants of Qadian as droughts had been forecast.

26 December 1944: On 28 December, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a four hour speech about the advent of the Promised Reformer. Opponents of the Jamaat came to the Jalsa area and displayed misconduct by hurling foul language using loud speakers. On the other hand, Huzooraa emphasised that Jamaat members must maintain calm and patience.

26 December 1946: Tahrik-e-Jadid’s department of industries arranged an exhibition during Jalsa Salana. Around 40,000 people attended this Jalsa.

26 December 1947: The first ever Jalsa Salana after the partition commenced at Masjid Aqsa, Qadian. The attendance saw 315 people, including 62 people of other faiths. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra sent a special message for this occasion.

26 December 1948: Jalsa Salana Qadian commenced, which was attended by 1,400 people.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, Hazrat Amma Janra and Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra sent their heartfelt messages for the occasion. Hazrat Nawab Mubaraka Begum Sahibara, daughter of the Promised Messiahas, composed her well-known poem, “How fortunate you are, who are dwelling in the city of the Promised Messiahas”. A delegation travelled to Qadian from Pakistan to attend the Jalsa.

26 December 1949: Jalsa Salana Qadian commenced and on the same date, Jalsa Salana Early Jalsa Salana Qadian

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra delivering a speech during Jalsa Salana Rabwah

“We are doing this for Allah”: Charity in Queretaro, Mexico Amen Aqeel Haider, Mexico Correspondent

Mexico had the opportunity to Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya serve less priveledged citizens of Queretaro, Mexico.

The onset of December brought cold winds and

Rabwah started. 30,000 people gathered in the barren land of Rabwah, where a miracle happened when water became abundantly available for the Jalsa guests. Tents were set up to accommodate the guests.

26 December 1951: Jalsa Salana Qadian took place for three days. A delegation from Pakistan also attended. The attendance on the men’s side totalled 1,100, half of whom were non-Ahmadis. On 29 December, the ladies held a separate session, which totaled to 100 women.

26 December 1951: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered three speeches during Jalsa Salana Rabwah. It was the first time that the speeches of Huzoorra were recorded. Syed Abdul Rahman Sahib from America carried out the recordings.

26 December 1952: The fourth three-day annual conference of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Indonesia took place in Tasikmalaya, West Java. Hazrat Muslehe-Maud’sra message was also read out during the Jalsa.

26 December 1952: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra sent a message to Jalsa Salana Qadian. This was the first Jalsa, after the partition, in which the Liwa-eAhmadiyyat was raised throughout the Jalsa. It was also the first Jalsa in which Sadr Anjuman’s own loudspeaker was used.

26 December 1952: Jalsa Salana Rabwah took place, with an attendance of 50,000. On the last day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a speech entitled Ta‘alluq Billah (A connection with Allah).

26 December 1953: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra message was read out during Jalsa Salana Qadian,

by Chaudhry Muhammad Asadullah Khan Sahib, Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Lahore.

26 December 1953: Jalsa Salana Pakistan was held in Rabwah. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered three speeches.

26 December 1954: A delegation of 155 Ahmadis travelled from Pakistan to take part in Jalsa Salana Qadian.

26 December 1954: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra

delivered three addresses during Jalsa Salana Pakistan. His last speech was about the world of spirituality. It was during this Jalsa that Maulvi Azizur Rahman Mangla Sahib did Bai‘at. He went on to establish many Jamaats across Sargodha and Jhang, Pakistan.

26 December 1955: A delegation of 120 people came from Pakistan to Jalsa Salana Qadian. At the same time, Jalsa Salana Rabwah saw an attendance of 50,000.

26 December 1957: Jalsa Salana Rabwah saw a staggering attendance of 70,000 people. On 27 December, the details of Waqf-e-Jadid were read out and on the final day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra continued his speech entitled Sair-e-Ruhani, which he had been talking on for the last few years.

26 December 1958: For the first time, an exhibition was set up during Jalsa Salana Rabwah.

A record number of attendees was also witnessed with over 100,000 people.

26 December 1960: Jalsa Salana Pakistan included speeches in 50 languages. This was organised by Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, 26 December 1961: Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Sharif Ahmadra passed away. He was the son of the Promised Messiahas and the grandfather of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. Those present at Jalsa Salana joined in his funeral prayer.

26 December 1961: During Jalsa Salana Pakistan, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra was appointed to read out the speeches of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. The ladies listened to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra speech that was recorded during Jalsa Salana 1960. The attendance was 85,000.

26 December 1963: Jalsa Salana Rabwah had an attendance of 100,000. Due to poor health, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra could not attend and his opening and closing speeches were read out by Jalaluddin Shams Sahib.

temperatures dropping as low as 6 degrees Celcius.

Therefore, many people on the streets who live off of what they make during the day are constantly struggling as they start the day on an empty stomach in the chilly morning.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran, “They ask thee what they shall spend. Say: ‘Whatever of good and abundant wealth you spend should be for parents and near relatives and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer. And whatever good you do, surely Allah knows it well.’ “ (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.216) Therefore, on the morning of Sunday, 6 December, Lajna and Khuddam gathered at the Mission House in Querétaro at 7am and we set out to fulfill the commandment of our Lord.

Everyone who came to serve brought along something to give; bread, cake, coffee, utensils to serve with, warm clothing, shoes and a lot of enthusiasm.

We set out for the streets at 8am and on our walk, we found men, women and children, who were either homeless, city workers who clean the streets day and night, families travelling from far off villages looking to sell their artisans, young and old men looking for a day job, old ladies set out in the corners selling handcrafted items and many more.

The reality of life in Mexico is that even though, for that one Sunday morning, by the grace of Allah, these people were given a bite to eat and something hot to drink, but the majority of their mornings start off on an empty stomach. As we were distributing these items, many passers-by observed and appreciated what we were doing. May Allah continue this chain of service.

Insha-Allah With this initiative, not only were the rights of the needy fulfilled, but it was a great source of tabligh as well. Many asked where we came from and why we were doing this. The response was simple; “We are from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and we are doing this for the pleasure of God Almighty.”

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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Responding to Allegations

Continued from page 1 is the personal name of God Almighty and which is that compendium of all perfect attributes, came forth from the mouth of the Messenger with such heart-felt emotion that it touched the heart of the Bedouin. It is said that this is the Greatest Name (ism-e-azam) of God and it possesses tremendous blessings.

But as for one who does not even remember Allah, what benefit can such a one derive from this name? Hence, the word “Allah” was uttered by the Holy Prophetsa in such a way that the Bedouin was struck by awe and his hand began to tremble. His sword fell to the ground.

The Holy Prophetsa then took hold of the same sword and said: “Now you tell me, who can save you from my hands?”

Who could this weak-hearted desertnomad of the desert name? Ultimately, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, exhibited his sublime virtues and said: “Go, I release you. Learn of clemency and bravery from me.” This miracle of morality had such an influence on this man that he became a Muslim.

It is narrated in books of history that once a man came to Abul-Hasan Kharqani. On his return, the man confronted a lion to which he said: “For the sake of Allah clear my way.” The lion attacked.

But then the man said: ‘Leave me for the sake of Abul-Hasan’, and the lion left him. This event disturbed the person in question spiritually, and he turned back from his journey. Upon returning, he narrated this mystery to Abul-Hasan who said: “This is not a difficult matter.

You were not actually acquainted with Allah’s name. The true majesty and awe of Allah was not present in your heart.

But as for me, you knew me well and in your heart you held me in high regard.”

Hence, there are many a great blessing and merit in Allah’s name, provided that one gives it a place in the heart and seeks to learn its deeper essence.

Similarly, among the miracles of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the way of morality, there is another that on one occasion, the Prophetsa had at his disposal a large number of sheep. One person is reported to have said that never in his life had he seen anyone possess such abundant wealth. The Holy Prophetsa gave the entire flock to that person upon which the man immediately said: “Without doubt, you are a true Prophet, for such generosity cannot be exhibited by anyone else.”

Hence, the exemplary morals of the Holy Prophetsa were such that the Quran makes the following statement: ُ ُ َ َ َّ ‫َو ِانک ل َ َعلى خل ٍﻖ َعظيم‬ “And thou dost surely possess high moral excellences.”

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 96-97)

The Bible and the origin of languages “After the flood of Noah, God Almighty had desired that humanity should quickly multiply by the process of procreation.

Divine providence in its absolute power had left them to enjoy, for a length of time, good health and peace. As a result of it, they multiplied and prospered and made extraordinary progress.

“Thereupon, some of the communities, not finding enough room in their own countries, moved towards Sinaar [Shinar], the land of Babel and reaching there, populated that city, increasing in numbers, such that no parallel of it could be found in any age. Then, they dispersed to other cities and thus became the cause of the

differentiation of so many languages of the world.” (Arabic: Mother of all Languages, pp. 15-16 [English Translation of Minanur-Rahman]) Referring to the above extract, opponents of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian assert that if we suppose that the birth of Noahas took place a thousand years after Adamas, then the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat is suggesting that the flood of Noahas occurred 2,000 years after Adamas, i.e. 4,000 years from today.

Opponents consider this idea, which they have themselves assumed from the excerpt, to be irrational because it indicates

that the inhabitants of today’s world are the progeny of Noahas and of the few who survived along with him, and that 4,000 years ago, there was no other civilisation except for the handful of people who escaped the catastrophe.

In order to comprehend the actual meaning of the aforementioned extract, we ought to know its background and context.

The Promised Messiahas substantiated that the Arabic language is the source of all languages and other languages are its derivations which resulted from different influences and varying circumstances.

According to him, Arabic is the mother

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM of all languages and it is also the divine language which was taught by God Almighty to mankind. Moreover, it is for this reason that the Holy Quran was revealed in Arabic for all nations of the world. The Promised Messiahas has laid down these details in his book Minan-urRahman [The Blessings of the Gracious God].

Language experts and scholars of various nations hold different views in this regard. Some consider Sanskrit to be the first language, while others consider Persian or Hebrew to be the mother of all languages.

One of the arguments presented in book Minan-ur-Rahman, in order to convince the Jews and Christians of Europe that Arabic is the mother of all languages, is chapter 11, verse 1 from the book of Genesis, which clearly indicates that there was only one language in the world. The same chapter further states: “As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there ... So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

That is why it was called Babel – because there, the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:2-9) It is stated in chapter 9 of Genesis: “The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.” (Genesis 9:8-9) According to the Bible, only Noahas, his wife, three sons and their wives were aboard the ark and only they were saved from the catastrophe, while the remainder of mankind was annihilated. Hence, the progenies of Noah’sas three sons populated the whole of the earth. The Promised Messiahas presented this statement of the Bible before the Jews, Christians and the European nations as a general argument, as he stated: “Christians and Jews have no option but to admit that Arabic is the mother of languages, for it is established by the clear authority of the Torah that in the beginning there was one language; then, God Almighty cast differences into them at Babel, vide; Torah Genesis, chapter 11.

All agree that the city of Babel was located in the region where Karbala is located today. Then the conclusion derivable from the statement in the Torah is no other than that Arabic is the mother of all languages. British and Muslim scholars agree that after the destruction of Babel, the suburbs of which sprawled over 200 miles in length, which, in point of population, was equal to the population of five cities like the city of London, which had also wonderful and elaborately laid out gardens, and through which flowed the river Euphrates, was located in Iraq in the Arabian Peninsula, with its debris were built the cities of Basra, Kufa, Halla, Baghdad and Midian. All these cities are situated near its boundaries. This, therefore, proves that Babel was located in the Arabian Peninsula.” (Arabic: Mother of all Languages, pp. 13-14)

Hadith in Commentary

A lesson from the ring of the Holy Prophetsa Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaqra

After the Holy Prophet’ssa ring was mentioned in a hadith, Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaqra said the following: The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had his name engraved onto a ring (which he would use to stamp letters) in the following order [from top to bottom]: “Allah, Rasul, Muhammad”. This indicated that Allah is the Greatest and has the highest rank. Then, under “Allah”, “Rasul” [Prophet] pointed towards the rank of the Holy Prophetsa in the capacity as a prophet. And finally, [“Muhammad”] referred to the Holy Prophet’ssa personal capacity and as a servant [of Allah].

From this, we can gather that when certain names are to be written together, it is vital one takes into consideration status and rank when writing them. The Holy Prophetsa could easily have engraved his ring in the following order: Muhammad, Rasool, Allah. But he chose not to, which meant that he took into consideration status and rank, thus writing “Allah” at the top.

(Originally published in Al Fazl on 13 January 1940 [page 3] in the form of notes taken by Mahmood Ahmad Khalil Sahib from the lectures on hadith by Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaqra, brother-in-law of the Promised Messiahas)

Citing the first verse of chapter 11 of Genesis, which mentions that the entire world had only one language, the Promised Messiahas states: “It ought to be clear that ‘the whole earth’ cannot mean the soil only of Babel, which is known by the name of Sinaar [Shinar], for this verse relates to the stories set out earlier in chapter 10. Therefore, the verse aforesaid means that all the nations inhabiting this world had one and the same language, up till the time a group of them reached Babel. After they had reached Babel, God Almighty made their languages different from one another.

Differences were cast into the languages by the inhabitants of Babel having been pushed out into different countries, as is borne out by the eighth verse of this same chapter, which is, ‘God dispersed them from there over the whole earth’.

“Evidently, these people, having been dispersed from Babel, migrated to different countries ... It becomes clear that the meaning of these verses is that before the event of Babel, the world had only one language, which is the agreed creed of the Jews and the Christians. Whoever doubts this statement is very much mistaken. This creed is one of the clear authorities of the Torah, which is deemed to be agreed to by the people of the book from ancient times.

“However, it has to be admitted that when, according to verse 1 of chapter 11 of Genesis, the language of the whole world was one, it would be absurd to suppose that all mankind, having migrated from their respective lands, came to stay in

Babel. There appears to be no reason for why they had left their countries. The truth, however, appears to be that as after the flood of Noah, God Almighty desired that humanity should quickly multiply by the process of procreation.

Divine providence in its absolute power had left them to enjoy, for a length of time, good health and peace. As a result of it, they multiplied and prospered and made extraordinary progress. Thereupon, some of the communities, not finding enough room in their own countries, moved towards Sinaar [Shinar], the land of Babel and reaching there, populated that city, increasing in numbers, such that no parallel of it could be found in any age. Then, they dispersed to other cities and thus became the cause of the differentiation of so many languages of the world.” (Arabic: Mother of all Languages, pp. 14-16) Muslim opponents should express delight for this Divine disclosure upon the Promised Messiahas and consequently, admit to the truth and honour of the Imam and Mahdi of the age. On the contrary, they misquote the statements of the Promised Messiahas and raise objections by drawing absolutely wrong meanings from them.

Pondering over the extract under discussion, we can easily find out that there is no mention of the earth being deprived of all mankind some 4,000 years ago. Moreover, the Promised Messiahas can never express such an idea because it contradicts with the details laid down in the Holy Quran, as Allah Almighty states:

َ ‫وحا إل َ ٰى َقوْم ِه َف َلب َث فِ ْيه ْم أَل ْ َف َس َن ٍة إلَّا َخ ْمس‬ ً ‫ين َع‬ ً ُ ‫َولَقَ ْد أَ ْر َس ْل َنا ن‬ ‫اما‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ َ ُ َ ّ ُ​ُ َ َ َ ُ ‫وف‬ َ ‫ان َو ُه ْم َظال ُِم‬ ‫ون‬ ‫فأخذهم الط‬ “And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he dwelt among them a thousand years save fifty years. Then the deluge overtook them, while they were wrongdoers.” (Surah al-Ankabut, Ch.29: V.15) The above verse clearly expresses that only the transgressors from the people of Noahas were punished by the catastrophe and not all the civilisations of the world.

As previously explained, referring to the sacred book of Jews and Christians, the Promised Messiahas put forward that even the Bible attests to the fact that there was only one language in the world after the deluge of Noahas. That language, according to the Promised Messiahas, is Arabic, the mother of all languages and the divine language, in which the final book, the Holy Quran, was revealed.

The Bible verifies the viewpoint of the Promised Messiahas on various occasions, as it stated in the book of Genesis: “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:23) “So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.’”

Continued on page 9

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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Jalsa Salana Kenya 2019 community and as the most successful of all Islamic denominations around the world.

Thereafter, Amir Sahib delivered his opening address.

In his address he read out the message that Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa had sent to Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kenya. Huzooraa said that he was very pleased that Jamaat Kenya was holding Jalsa Salana. He prayed that Allah may bless our Jalsa and that we may all excel in goodness.

Huzooraa reminded us all that we were gathered for spiritual guidance, reiterating that many are Muslims by name, but do not practice the true teachings of Islam and

that they are dominated by materialism and worldly gains. He said that we should strive to fulfill our Ba‘iat to the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas.

Session two was presided by Naib Amir, Sameer Sheikh Sahib. After tilawat and a Swahili poem, a speech by Sheikh Rashid Oduma Sahib was delivered. It touched upon the fulfillment of prophecies about the Promised Messiah and Mahdi of the latter days as believed by leading world religions, including Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Another speech was delivered

by Sheikh Nasir Mahmood Tahir about examples of financial sacrifices in the way of Allah as practiced by the Holy Prophetsa his rightly guided Khulafara, as well as the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa.

Another speech was delivered by Sheikh Ramadhan Juma Sahib about the spiritual revolution that manifested when the Holy Prophetsa was sent. Another speech by Maulana Sheikh Abdullah Hussein Juma was delivered. The topic was about our responsibilities as Ahmadi Muslims. He explained that for us to understand our roles and responsibilities, it is incumbent upon us to read the book, Conditions of Bai‘at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, compiled from sermons delivered by our Imamaa.

On Sunday, sessions began at 9am, with tilawat followed by a Swahili nazm.

The first speech was delivered by Sheikh Qassim Muchere Sahib about the blessed character of the Holy Prophetsa, in which he referred to the Holy Quran that reiterates the Prophet’ssa morals.

Another speech by Mwalim Nasir Hadji

Sahib was about the truth of Promised Messiahas. He said that all people recognised the Promised Messiahas as trustworthy, truthful, honest and with good character.

Another speech by Sheikh Rashid Obatt Sahib was about the importance of obedience to Nizam-e-Jamaat. He recalled a hadith where Hazrat Anasra is reported to have said that the Holy Prophetsa said to hear and obey even if a slave, whose head is like a raisin is appointed to rule over you.

A speech about the contributions of technology and social media towards the spread of Islam followed and was delivered

by Sheikh Abdul Basit Sahib.

The closing session of Jalsa Salana Kenya began with tilawat, followed by a nazm. A speech about blessings of financial sacrifice was delivered by Sheikh Malik Basharat Sahib, who said that if we spend in the way of Allah, then we will be among the ones whom Allah promised to protect when He gave glad tidings to the Promised Messiahas, that He would protect everyone who was in his house.

A concluding speech was delivered by Amir Sahib, who recited a verse from Holy Quran, “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.

And remember the favour of Allah upon you when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together”. Amir Sahib said that an imam becomes a shield to his followers, and as Jamaat members, the Khalifa is our shield because he loves us and prays for us.

The Jalsa concluded with silent prayer.

A total of 899 people attended, including 545 men and 354 women.

Uniting the faithful in Asuncion, Paraguay

to the weather.

We wrote a letter to our beloved Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, requesting prayers for the event.

Soon after, the rain miraculously stopped, and Alhamdolillah, the event was attended by more than 50 people. Once again, we witnessed the power of prayers of our beloved Khalifa and the blessings of Khilafat.

Mathias Gonzalez, an attendee of the event, said: “When we see the title ‘Inter-religious dialogue’, what comes to mind is a chaotic and prejudiced environment, however the one that we found here is quite the opposite.

It is constructive and provides all kinds of

knowledge.”

The representative of the Jewish tradition, Federico Surijon said: “In this type of event, our differences enrich us and our commonalities unite us. All religious traditions have the same message, which is the message of unity and peace.”

The event was very well received by the locals and had a total attendance of 52 people.

The Review of Religions in Spanish was promoted and many attendees purchased a copy of the latest edition. Two major newspapers came to cover the event.

Tahir Ahmad Machengo Kenya Correspondent

amaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kenya successfully JDecember. held their 54 Jalsa Salana from 7 to 8 The theme of this year’s Jalsa was th

“Spending in the way of Allah”.

The opening flag hoisting was conducted led by Amir and Missionary-in-Charge Kenya, Tariq Mahmood Sahib. The chief guest of the first day was Hon Chirau Ali Mwakwere, who also addressed the Jalsa.

He touched upon the Jamaat’s contribution towards welfare of people and society. He said that he knew the Jamaat as a worldwide

Mishaal Baten Paraguay Correspondent

Paraguay held its JThamaat-e-Ahmadiyya third Annual Interfaith dialogue on ursday, 12 December 2019.

Speakers were invited from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, as well as a local indigenous spirituality. The theme of this event was, “Prophets: Sent from God.” Each speaker spoke about the founder of their

respective religion.

Islam was represented by Missionary Abdun Nur Baten Sahib, who presented a speech on our beloved master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, particularly his religious tolerance and love for humanity. People were very surprised and impressed by what they heard and many were interested to learn more about Islam and to visit the mosque.

Paraguay is a country with torrential, subtropical weather. When it rains here the whole country shuts down as the roads often flood and it is very dangerous to be in the streets. When it started to rain during the afternoon of the event, we were worried that people would not attend the event due

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

Jamia Ahmadiyya UK blessed with the arrival of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V n 15 December 2019, students of Jamia Ahmadiyya UK were fortunate O to have a sitting with Hazrat Khalifatul

Masih V, may Allah be his Helper.

The session started with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by a nazm.

The theme of the sitting was “The Battle of Badr” and various speeches and presentations were delivered on this subject.

After the speeches, Huzooraa asked the students whether any other numbers, aside from 313, were mentioned or recorded with regard to the number of companions at the Battle of Badr.

Upon this, a student answered that along with 313, the number 310 has also been mentioned. Huzooraa added that in other narrations, the numbers 320 and 322 have also been mentioned. Huzooraa also said that he had mentioned this in one of his previous Friday Sermons.

One student asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa about the incident of the treaty of Medina and what today’s world could learn from it. In response, Huzooraa explained how the world could learn and take care of religious sentiments, show justice and how to live together peacefully in a society.

Another student mentioned World War I and the poppies that are worn to remember the soldiers and the two-minute silence on Remembrance Day. The student further said that battles have also been fought by Muslims, such as the Battle of Badr. The student asked what the wisdom was of not allocating a day to remember the Companionsra who fought in the battles.

Huzooraa stated that the vital thing is to act upon Islamic teachings. The Promised Messiahas received the revelation, “Forget

Continued from page 7

(Genesis 6:13) “So make yourself an ark of cypress ... and you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” (Genesis 6:14-18) After the deluge of Noahas came to an end, it is stated in the Bible: “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’” (Genesis 9:1) The Bible further states: “These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.” (Genesis 9:19)

not the account of Badr”. The Promised Messiahas had said that war had no value and the actual aspect to remember is to show justice, as mentioned in the Quran.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa stated that the permission for war was only given because the disbelievers of Mecca were against religion and had they not fought, then no church, synagogue, temple or mosque would have remained. Huzooraa added that wearing a poppy for a day or two will not avail anyone, if, for the rest

of the year, people continue to usurp the rights of others.

Whilst talking about the responsibilities of Ahmadi Muslims when Islam Ahmadiyya spreads in the West, Huzooraa stated that our teaching should be “La Tathriba alaikum-ul-yaum” (No blame shall lie on you this day) as stated in the Holy Quran.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa further said that we must be the ones who remain just, otherwise the slogans we raise of

“Love for all, hatred for none” will prove futile. If we retaliate in the same manner as others, then we will be no different.

Huzooraa further said, alluding to the verse mentioned, that Hazrat Yusufas said this to his brothers and the Holy Prophetsa said this at the fall of Mecca. Thus, we should act upon the teachings and practice of the Holy Prophetsa.

The sitting concluded with class and group pictures with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa.

Discussing the verses of the Bible cited above, the Promised Messiahas stated those lines that are questioned by the opponents.

By doing so, he drew the attention of the followers of the Bible who consider it to be a holy book and supported his argument that Arabic is the mother of all languages.

On the other hand, it should be borne in mind that the Promised Messiahas was not of the opinion that all mankind is the progeny of one Adam and this fact refutes all the objections raised by the opponents.

Hence, in response to a question, the Promised Messiahas stated: “We do not follow the Bible in holding that the world began with the birth of this Adam six or seven thousand years ago,

and that before this, there was nothing and God was as if idle [or without work], nor do we claim that all mankind who are now present in different parts of the earth are the progeny of the same last [known] Adam. [On the contrary,] we hold that mankind existed even before this Adam, as is indicated by the words of the Holy Quran [when] God Almighty said: ً َ َ َْْ ٌ َ ّ ‫ض خ ِليفة‬ ِ ‫إِنِي جا ِعل فِي الأر‬

Adam or some other Adam [who existed before him].

“There is a saying of Hazrat Muhiyuddin ibn Arabi which responds to the situation of your question. He states, ‘I went to perform Hajj. A person met me there. I thought he was the Adam.

So, I asked him, “Are you the Adam?” He replied, “Which Adam do you ask about?

Thousands of Adams have gone by.”’”

(Malfuzat, Vol. 10, pp. 432-433).

[‘I am about to place a Khalifa in the earth’]. Khalifa means a successor, and this clearly explains that man existed even before Adam. Hence we cannot say whether the natives of America or Australia etc. are the progeny of this last

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa Part I Malik Saif-ur-Rahman Sahib, the author of the article given below, was a highly educated and established scholar of Islam, having studied and taught at famous Islamic institutes prior to accepting Islam Ahmadiyyat.

He devoted his life to the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Islam and served in many capacities.

In 1947, he was appointed as Mufti-e-Silsila and later, also served as the principal of Jamia Ahmadiyya Rabwah for ten years.

He is famous for his services to the Jamaat and notable works such as the compilation of HadiqatusSalihin and authoring Tarikh Afkar-e-Islami, which includes the article presented below

youth and said, “This was given to me by your father, which he was not able to take back before his death.” This incident has been recorded in history books.

When he passed away, he had about 50,000 investments from different people, which were returned after his demise.

Nonetheless, Imam Abu Hanifarh was very affluent and never experienced any financial problems.

Aerial view of Kufa | Malik Saif-ur-Rahman

azrat Imam Abu Hanifa’s full name was Numan bin Thabit bin Zuta, also H known as Abu Hanifa. rh

(There are disputes as to why he was known as Abu Hanifa. One narration suggests that as he lived a life of moderation and refrained from going to extremes, he was called Abu Hanifa. Some are of the view that as “hanifa” meant inkpot in Iraq and due to his services to fiqh, inkpots always surrounded him by his students, that is why he was known as Abu Hanifa.)

He was born in 80 AH in Kufa and when he was around 70 years of age, he passed away in Baghdad in the year 150 AH. His family belonged to an illustrious and religiously influential lineage of Kabul (Afghanistan), which consisted of Zoroastrian priests of Kabul.

After the conquest of Kabul, Imam Abu Hanifa’s grandfather, Zuta settled with his family in Kufa or came there after being captured. He accepted Islam and made friendship with Banu Teem bin Tha‘libah.

It is said that Zuta had immense reverence for Hazrat Alira. He once made a drink called faluda, which the people of Kabul were experts in, and offered it to Hazrat Alira. He had a son named Thabit and requested Hazrat Alira to pray for his successful life and blessed offspring.

Imam Abu Hanifarh was tall, had a broad and friendly face, fair and wheat brown complexion, full beard, pleasant appearance and was overall a clean, holy person. He was always considered to be a content and patient person, full of wisdom and knowledge.

His grandfather, Zuta, came to Kufa and started a business of garments and

Wiki Commons

excelled in it. This business eventually was bequeathed to Imam Abu Hanifarh. He too possessed a great deal of expertise in this trade as he would partake in it along with his father, Thabit, from a very young age.

Later, when this burden was placed on his shoulders, not only did he take care of the business, considering it his duty, but also gave it new heights.

A famous type of garment at the time was khaz and this very popular to customers. Khaz was made by combining silk and cotton. He installed weaving looms that could make this cloth and began trade with this cloth as a partnership.

He established agencies in various cities, where he would send the product and earned profit. Due to his professionalism, other people would also invest in his business.

Once, he sent 170,000 dirhams to a

Imam Abu Hanifa’s knowledge As has been mentioned above, from a very young age, he had developed a relationship with his familial profession and could not give due attention to the sciences prevalent at the time.

Once, when he was about 15 years old, whilst walking in a bazaar, he had the chance to meet the famous muhaddith [scholar of hadith] Hazrat Imam Sha‘birh.

During the course of the conversation, Hazrat Imam Sha‘birh gauged that the child was intelligent and promising.

Upon observing this, he advised Abu Hanifarh that he should focus on acquiring knowledge.

Imam Sha‘bi’srh advice had an impact on him and consequently, due to a natural inclination, he started looking at various educational institutes in Kufa.

Initially, he had an interest in the subject of kalam [argumentation on the basis of Islamic scholastic theology], due to which he visited Basra, the capital of kalam at the time. However, having studied the subject for some time, he realised that deliberation and absorption in the subject could make a person quarrelsome and argumentative. After observing it as a science whose arguments were completely useless, inconsequential and negative for a person’s outward demeanour, he shunned it. However, the thirst for knowledge that had now been ignited did not permit him to sit idly.

He assessed various institutes of fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence] as this science too was popular at the time. The sermons of Hazrat Hamaadrh bin Abi Sulaiman appealed to him. Hamaadrh was a scholar of hadith traditions and narrators and was a famous scholar and jurist of his time

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM in Kufa. Thus, Abu Hanifarh formed an attachment with his madrasah [institute] and embarked on a journey of studying fiqh.

The relationship between student and teacher became a fountain of knowledge and their bond strengthened into a loving friendship.

Hazrat Hamaadrh was a student of Imam Ibrahim al-Nakhai and al-Nakhai, through Alqama [ibn Qays], had the honour of indirectly studying from Hazrat Abdullahra bin Masud. Hazrat Ibn Masudra was sent by Hazrat Umarra to Kufa to acquire knowledge of Islam. Imam Ibrahim al-Nakhai also derived benefit from Hazrat Alira.

In this manner, Imam Abu Hanifa’srh acquisition of knowledge was linked with such a prestigious ijtihad [hermeneutics] promoting madrasah that was an authority in the fields of traditions, narrators, nass [sources of ruling] and tafaqquh [grasping the meaning and gaining insight].

Imam Abu Hanifarh spent around 18 years seeking knowledge. Alongside that, he oversaw matters related to his business.

Due to having such business partners who were professional and conscientious, his business remained afloat and he did not allow his studies to affect his business in any way.

Imam Abu Hanifarh as a teacher After acquiring knowledge, he began teaching. At the time, mosques would serve as schools also. Therefore, he too preferred the mosque as his place to teach and used part of the central mosque of Kufa to teach, which gradually excelled to such a level that it was counted among the foremost schools of the time.

His weekly schedule, in terms of division of duties, consisted of the following: • Saturdays were dedicated to house-related work and overseeing his properties. On this day, he did not give any attention to his business, nor did he occupy himself with his teaching responsibilities • Every Friday, aside from worshipping Allah, he would offer a feast for his friends and prominent students and would spend the day meeting and conversing with them • On other days, he would attend to his teaching obligations and businessrelated affairs. During these working days, he would divide his day into three parts: In the first part, after saying his prayers, he would perform house chores; after midday, he would go to the bazaar and oversee his business, where he would give instructions to workers and inspect the profit and loss of the business; in the afternoon, he would eat, rest and following the Asr prayer at the mosque, start teaching His madrasah was no ordinary one.

He would have students of various aptitudes; some were specialists in linguistics, while others were experts in hadith, history, tafaqquh, qiyas [deductive analogy] and sociology. In this manner, his madrasah was a hub for people of different specialities.

Students had permission to ask any

question and partake in discussions.

Every statement, even if it was the statement of a lecturer, would be scrutinised. Eventually, after much deliberation, when issues were solved, they would be noted down and a ruling would be made, sealing the discussion.

Discourses like this would run into the night and the only recesses would be for Salat Alongside his intellectual growth, Imam Abu Hanifarh was an extremely generous and philanthropic saint.

Alongside his affluency, he was also openhanded in giving in the way of Allah.

He would spend a great deal of money on his students and always took their welfare upon himself.

Imam Abu Yusuf ’srh father was an extremely destitute and impoverished labourer. He once said to his son, “Instead of attending Abu Hanifa’s classes, you should work so that we can have some money to run the house.” Therefore, upon his father’s persistence, he withdrew himself from the lessons and began work as a tailor.

When Imam Abu Hanifarh came to learn of this, he called Abu Yusufrh and enquired from him about his circumstances. He then assigned a reasonable allowance for him and from then on, always looked after him.

For other students too, he adopted the same means. It was his desire for intelligent students to not waste their intellect due to poverty and not to deprive themselves of the wealth of knowledge. The students at Imam Abu Hanifa’srh madrasah would later be positioned at extraordinary ranks and served as shining stars in their respective fields.

In this manner, the Almighty Allah had bestowed Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh with knowledge and wealth and the best of both the religious and secular worlds.

He was never closefisted in spreading his knowledge and sharing his wealth.

A business partner, Hafs, was very intelligent. He worked with Imam Abu Hanifarh for around 30 years. Once, he said: “I have spent time with many scholars, fiqh experts, judges, pious people and tradesmen, but never have I seen a saint full of qualities as was Imam Abu Hanifarh.

He possessed all the qualities and attributes that people possessed separately.”

Imam Abu Hanifarh and governance Imam Abu Hanifarh witnessed both the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Around 52 years of his life were spent under the Umayyad rule, while 18 years were spent under the Abbasids. He saw the period of Umayyad influence and eventually its dissolution too.

He disliked the method of governance used by both dynasties. He was beyond any desires as such, however he desired for the pious members of the Holy Prophet’ssa progeny to come into power. Despite this desire, he never resorted to rebellion and never attempted to topple the government.

He was of the view that one should help a government in their good works.

He was always a well-wisher for others and tried to advise them for their betterment. He would say that rebellion was a form of disorder and that the blood shed in this act was even worse than the individual cases of wrongdoings of those in authority. Therefore, he would always discourage rebellion as a means of seeing

improvement.

The Umayyads tried to gain his support and did their utmost in getting him to work in their favour, however he never accepted any official position.

In the time of the Abbasids, he was pressured into accepting the title of a jurist under their government, however he never accepted the request. The government would ask for the cooperation of scholars at the time as the masses, following the example of scholars, would become obedient. Yet it was not the policy of the government for such scholars to play any role in governance as this would be akin to sympathising with the wrongdoings of the government, and religious scholars would abstain from giving such an impression and were never prepared to take up a role in governance.

Once, the Abbasid Khalifa, Abu Jafar Mansur said to Imam Abu Hanifarh, “Why do you not accept a post in the judiciary?”

He replied, “I do not consider myself worthy of this post.” Mansur, somewhat furiously, said, “You are lying! You are completely fit for this role.” Imam Abu Hanifarh very respectfully responded, “The matter has been settled by Amirul Momineen. If I am lying, as Amirul Momineen suggests, then a liar is not fit to be a qazi [judge].”

Upon hearing this prompt reply, Mansur was left dumbfounded and was unable to say anything else.

At another occasion, Abu Jafar said angrily, “Neither do you accept any post in my government, nor do you accept any gifts I send for you. This shows that you are opposed to this government!” Imam Abu Continued on page 12

Abu Hanifa Mosque, Baghdad, where Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh is buried

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

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100 Years Ago...

Continued from page 11

Hanifa replied: “That is not the case. I cannot bear the responsibility of the judiciary. The gifts sent from Amirul Momineen are not sent from his personal money, but from the treasury, for which I am not worthy as I am neither a soldier, nor do I belong to the offspring of a soldier, nor am I needy.

Only these people deserve money from the treasury. When I am not worthy of this money, then how can I accept these gifts?”

Upon this, Mansur responded, “You can take this money and distribute it between the poor.” He replied, “Amirul Momineen’s wealth is far greater than this humble one’s. You are far more qualified to ascertain who is needy and who is rich.

Thus, your distribution would be much better suited.”

He tolerated many difficult circumstances, suffered the cruelty of caliphs and leaders, endured lashings, spent many long periods imprisoned, departed Kufa and settled in Mecca, yet he never accepted any official governmental post, nor did he accept any gifts.

At one instance, he explained the reason behind not accepting any post himself. The governor of Kufa under the Umayyad rule, Ibn Hubayra once asked him to accept a position in the judiciary so that he may be an authority of the government. If he declined, he said that no ruling made by him would be deemed credible. To this, Imam Abu Hanifarh replied: ْ َ َ ْ َ​َ َْ ُ َ ُ ُ ُ ‫ہ َو ی ُ ِریْد ِم ِّن ْی ا ْن یّک ُت َب َد َم َر ٰ ُج ٍل یَض ِر ُب ع ُنقہ َواختِ ُم انا‬ ً َ​َ َ َ ْ ُ ُ َْ َ ّ َ​َ َ ْ َ َ ٰ َ ‫اب فوالل ِہ لا ادخل ِفی ذال ِک ابدا‬ ِ ‫علی ذال ِک ال‬ ِ ‫کت‬ rh

meaning that Ibn Hubayra’s purpose was to demand the murder of a person and then have Imam Abu Hanifarh legitimise it, however this would never happen.

Concerning the persistence of Abu Jafar Mansur, he said: ّ ‫لا یصلح للقضاء الا رجل یکون لہ نفس یحکم بہا علیک و‬ ُ َ ْ ْ ‫علی ولدک و ق ّوادک و لی َست تلک النفس لی‬ “A judge should be so courageous as to call a ruling against you, your children or the chiefs of an army without any hesitation, however I am not such.”

The reality is that Imam Abu Hanifarh wanted to dedicate his time for the study and spread of knowledge and practice.

Other imams of fiqh were also of the thought that instead of accepting any official governmental position, they should try to teach knowledge and practice to those who had accepted government posts so that they may serve the public in a much better way. It was for this reason that those who studied from such imams of fiqh later accepted high official positions and through their knowledge and justice, served their countrymen and through their guidance, attained eternal fame.

Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh once gathered his students, among whom were well renowned students who numbered 40.

Whilst speaking to them, he said, “I have performed your intellectual and practical tarbiyat [edification] in a manner that has enabled you to take on responsibilities and contain the powerful government. Now you can walk steadily and firmly on the principles of integrity.”

Ahmadiyya Jamaat’s address to Sir E Maclagan The Review of Religions (English), December 1919 n Wednesday afternoon (December O 17) a deputation of the Ahmadiyya community presented an address of

welcome to His Honour the LieutenantGovernor at Government House, Lahore.

Sir Edward Maclagan was accompanied by the Additional Secretary to Government (Shaikh Asghar Ali, CBE), and his Private Secretary (Lieutenant-Colonel E C Bayley, C I E). The deputation represented all interests of the Ahmadiyya Community.

The address was read by Chaudhry Zafar Ullah Khan, Barrister-at-Law, and presented by Sardar Imam Bakhsh Khan, Tummandar, Dera Ghazi Khan. After His Honour had replied, Maulvi Sher Ali presented to His Honour some books of the sect, which were accepted with thanks. The following was the address: “We, the representatives of the Ahmadiyya community, beg to approach Your Honour on behalf of our Holy Leader and our Community to offer to Your Honour and Lady Maclagan a most cordial and loyal welcome to the Punjab.

“This is the first occasion on which the members of the Ahmadiya Community are presenting an address to the Head

of the Province and therefore, we are all the more glad, to avail ourselves of the occasion to personally express to Your Honour the deep feelings of loyalty which animate the heart of every member of the Community. We assure Your Honour that in according this welcome we are actuated by more than a sense of duty.

We feel the same pleasure which one feels at the coming of an esteemed and valued friend; for Your Honour come, as the representative of His Imperial Majesty the King-Emperor, towards whom an active love and obedience was repeatedly and emphatically enjoined upon us by the Holy Founder of the Movement.

“While according to Your Honour a cordial welcome, we realise the responsibility which this greeting involves. A sincere welcome to a visitor implies sympathy with the object of his visit. Our welcome, therefore, necessarily signifies that we undertake and bind ourselves to meet any call for cooperation or service which Your Honour might think fit to make in, the discharge of the duties of your exalted office.

“Sir, as to future difficulties and

coming events nobody can make a prediction save God and we do not know what turn events will take during Your Honour’s tenure of office; but trusting in God’s Grace, we assure Your Honour that Your Honour will on all occasions find the Ahmadiyya Community to be the most loyal and faithful subjects of His Imperial Majesty, for such loyalty is one of the conditions of initiation into our Movement. The Holy Founder of the Movement repeatedly exhorted his followers to remain steadfast in their loyalty to the Government. Out of some 80 books written by him there is hardly any which does not contain an exhortation to this effect. Faithful to the teachings of their master, his first successor in his time and his second successor, the present Head of the Ahmadiyya Community, have ever kept this injunction prominently in view in all their instructions to their follower.

We, therefore, make bold to assure Your Honour that Your Honour’s Government can at all times place the fullest reliance upon the loyal and active co-operation of the Ahmadiyya Community and we have no doubt that with God’s help the

In this manner, Allah the Almighty blessed his efforts and fulfilled his desires.

His students attained high ranks and proved to be worthy of those ranks – history bears testimony to their achievements.

Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa’srh approach to fiqh was that he would primarily focus on the Holy Quran, seeking guidance from it. If full clarity was not provided by the Quran, he would then focus his attention on the established Sunnah [practice of the Holy Prophetsa]. If there was no clear explanation in the Sunnah, then he would pursue the practice of the majority of the Companionsra. If the matter in question could not be solved from their collective example, then he would select such sayings of the Companionsra that would be the closest in meaning and interpretation to the Holy Quran and established Sunnah.

Thereafter, he would pursue other sources of knowledge, for example qiyas, istihsan [make a ruling different from that on which similar cases have been decided on the basis of precedent] and urf [custom] etc. from which he could make a ruling.

Whilst studying and compiling fiqh, he bore in mind the aforementioned principles and encouraged his students to do the same.

He would always say that he had

proven matters from the aforementioned sources and that if anyone could prove and interpret it in a more suitable manner, then he would accept their deduction and would not be adamant to have his ruling accepted.

If ever he rejected a tradition or it was ignored, it was either because the tradition was not authentic enough in his view or he knew of a stronger one or that such a tradition did not come to his knowledge.

Traditions were collated much later on and gradually, they suffered changes, as has been discussed previously in the chapter concerning Sunnah and Hadith [in the book Tarikh Afkar-e-Islami].

During his time, due to various reasons, the tendency to fabricate ahadith had increased and for this reason, he felt compelled to take extra care when extracting traditions.

Whilst working on his fiqh, Imam Abu Hanifarh acquired another novel approach, which was that he thought up all possible social questions of the time and answered them in light of the Holy Quran, ahadith and the principles of deduction, thereby compiling them as questions and answers to assist other scholars. In this manner, through his guidance and with the efforts of his students, a treasure trove of

fiqh concerning possible questions and scenarios was compiled.

This manner of compilation was not liked by other scholars and imams; his approach was challenged and sternly criticised. Their view was that when an incident is learnt of and one is practically faced with it, only then should it be solved and answered. To raise hypothetical questions or suggest potential scenarios and then seek answers for them was, in their view, a bid‘at [innovation in the teachings of Islam] and a means of causing harm. However, Imam Abu Hanifarh would say to this that this was all done with the purest intentions, for the promulgation of knowledge and to polish the human intellect.

After him, almost all of his students utilised this method for their extraordinary works in fiqh. Sahnun’s Al-Mudawwana – a Maliki fiqh book containing 36,000 solutions to matters, Al-Mukhtasar alKabir li-ibn Abdil Hakam, Ibn Qudamah’s Al-Mughni and Al-Muhalla by Ibn Hazm are perfect examples of this and treasure troves of Islamic jurisprudence.

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in Tarikh Afkar-e-Islami

by Malik Saif-ur-Rahman Sahib)

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM Community will ever prove themselves deserving of such confidence.

“Sir, we are indeed weak both numerically and economically, and in these respects we stand no comparison with other communities of the Province.

But Your Honour will find us ever ready to do what a sincere and grateful heart is capable of doing, and God helping, Your Honour will find our Community next to none in their efforts to combat external and internal disorder, and to further the peace and prosperity of the Province. We hope that whenever there is an occasion for service Your Honour will, like your worthy predecessor, be pleased to afford our Community an opportunity of discharging the responsibilities which attach to them as citizens and as loyal subjects of the King Emperor.

“We have already stated that we are weak both in respect of numbers and worldly possessions; we also beg leave to add that having joined a Movement which is yet new, being, not more than 30 years old, the people from whom we came naturally regard us with feelings of bitter resentment; that with the exception of the learned and liberal few. The people generally entertain many erroneous views with regard to us; that like every new Movement in its inception, ours is for the time being the object of popular hatred and resentment and that many a place our poorer brethren are being subjected to bitter persecution, a fact to which Your Honour’s worthy predecessor bore testimony in one of his letters to the Head of our Community which admitted that the tenets and aims of the Community have not unfrequently been misrepresented in the past.

A purely religious movement “Sir, these misunderstandings are not confined to the people alone, for sometimes even the authorities labour under them. We, therefore, beg leave to assure Your Honour that our Movement, is a purely religious Movement and that our Community concerns itself with politics only when their duty to preserve the peace so demands or when they are able by such means to do some humble service to the Government or to their fellow countrymen.

“In conformity with the principles laid down by the Holy Founder, the Movement is not only thoroughly loyal to the British Government but even in matters of internal politics it follows methods which are eminently peaceful, disapproving many even of those methods which are held by others to be constitutional and legal. Our Movement, for instance, disapproves of the hartal [strikes] and other political agitations from religious considerations. We beg to submit that the Community has already given practical proof of its attitude under the most trying circumstance; and at considerable loss to itself.

“Sir, although this is only an address of welcome, yet as things are moving rapidly and we do not know whether we shall soon have another opportunity

of expressing our views before Your Honour, we beg leave to avail ourselves of this opportunity to express a hope that in carrying out the reforms which are now under consideration, due regard will be paid to the interests of our Community.

In view of the hostile attitude of the masses towards our Community and of the fact that our members are scattered through all the districts of the Punjab we cannot hope, for some time to come, to represent our interests in the enlarged Councils through the ordinary electorates. We, therefore, hope that the Punjab Government while exercising the powers which have been reserved to it to remedy such deficiencies will always keep in view the interests of the Ahmadiyya Community.

The British victory “Our address happening to come so immediately after the celebration of the Victory which Great Britain has achieved over Germany, we cannot help referring herein to that memorable event. We are thankful to God for granting victory to Great Britain over such a formidable enemy. It is a victory achieved for civilisation and humanity. We pray that it may lead to highly beneficial results and that the British Government may stand firm on principles of rectitude and justice in the days of peace just as it stood as their champion during the trying days of the War. “We are thankful to God that in the critical days when the British Government was hemmed in on all sides by its enemies and subsequently when as a sequel to the War there were troubles both in the country and on the frontier, He enabled us to serve the Government to an extent which was out of all proportion to our power and resources. And for the future, having regard to the rapid and steady progress which the Movement is making, not only in the Punjab and other parts of India, but also in England, Egypt, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Russian Turkestan, Persia, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, etc., etc., and trusting in the promises which the Lord of Heaven and Earth made to the Holy Founder of the Movement, we hope to be able to render even greater and yet greater services to the British Government in its efforts to promote the cause of peace and civilization.

The Turkish question “The address already presented to Your Honour by other sections of the Musalman Community draws Your Honour’s attention to two things, viz., the problem of the future of Turkey and the question of Mahomedan education.

“With regard to the latter question we beg leave to say that we are in full accord with the views expressed in the address. As regards the settlement of the Turkish question we hold a view different from that expressed in the address and this difference we feel it necessary to make clear. We are at one in the request that while dealing with the Turks consideration should be paid to the

Tabligh at Slovenia’s largest book fair

Talha Ahmad Missionary Slovenia

he Slovenian book fair is a trade T fair that takes places every year at the Congress Centre in the capital city,

Ljubljana.

The Slovenian Book Fair is the most established and biggest literature event in Slovenia, attracting around 100 publishing houses and thousands of visitors every year.

This year, the 35th Slovenian book fair took place from Tuesday, 26 November to Sunday, 1 December.

The book fair allowed various publishers to showcase and demonstrate their products to a wide range of visitors from all over the country. There were various exhibitions, lectures, debates,

feelings of the Mussalman world, but we wish to point out that religiously speaking we do not admit owing any allegiance to the Sultan. We hold that only a, successor of the Promised Messiah is entitled to be the Spiritual Head of the Mussalmans, and as for our temporal Sovereign we recognise only the Power under whose rule we live.

“Thus our Khalifa is the Second Successor of the Promised Messiah and our Sultan is His Imperial Majesty King George V. Our sympathy with the Turks is based on the fact that they share with us the name of Islam and the fall of their Empire will be a blow to the visible power and prestige of Islam.

“In the end we beg to repeat our sincere

presentations of new books and shows for children.

This year Jamaat-eAhmadiyya Slovenia was represented at the book as Islam International Publications.

Islam International Publications offers a wide range of books for all ages.

This year’s book fair served as a perfect platform for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Slovenia to spread the true message of Islam.

Due to the presence of a large number of people, the preparation for the exhibition stall was done with great enthusiasm.

Several posters and brochures were displayed to educate and inform visitors about Islam.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has already been participating in this book fair since 2015, which has led a lot of visitors anxiously waiting for our exhibition stall and to have a discussion about Islam. These discussions turned out to be very fruitful as a lot of visitors openly expressed their changed and positive views about Islam.

Eventually, the 6-day event came to an end on Sunday and with the grace of Allah proved, yet again, to be a blessed and successful event.

welcome to Your Honour and Lady Maclagan on behalf of our Holy Leader and the Ahmadiyya Community, and beg to assure Your Honour that you will ever find our Community ready and eager to serve the Government and the country.

They will ever cheerfully respond to any call that may come from Your Honour or Your Honour’s Government.

“We conclude our address with the prayer that Allah may vouchsafe to you power to discharge the arduous and important duties of your exalted office and that in all things He may enable you to tread the path of justice and rectitude and that His grace may ever attend you as your constant guide and helper. Amen.”

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

14

100 Years Ago...

Greeting the king of Iran in London Al Fazl, 18 December 1919 Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Rahim Nayyarra

leaflet that had the title “Call to truth”.

His majesty Shah [King] of Iran It is in the hands of Allah that He In the current week, London was engaged may bless these people with the strength in the hospitality of their distinguished to research the truth and accept Islam. guest, King of Iran, Ahmad Ali Shah Qajar.

During the distribution of literature, The Most Excellent Majesty, Emperor of a lady emerged from the crowd and India and King of the United Kingdom arranged for the hospitality of his turned towards us by saying, “Assalamo honourable guest in every possible way. Aliakum,” in order to catch the attention There was not the subtlest of negligence of the people. The Christian men and in the respect and honour that could have women were astonished to witness the discourse of East been afforded to the and West in this glory of the head of a gathering. Our green sovereign nation. turbans, along with On the invitation the Western dress of respected Asfahani, of the English lady Secretary of the practically conveyed Muslim League, this a message before humble one and the English people Chaudhry Fateh who had gathered Muhammad Sahib on the arrival of the were part of the King of Iran. Miss delegation that was Beard twinkled, like present at Buckingham a Najma [star], by Palace on behalf of the the light of Islam, Muslims of India to meaning that the lady welcome His Majesty, who was talking to us the King and to was our sister, “Najma express the love from Beard.” the Indian Muslims.

This delegation also Ahmad Ali Shah Qajar | Wiki Commons A Muslim from had the honour of Bosnia an audience with His Imperial Majesty, A gentleman stepped out of the crowd the King under the leadership of Right and met us at Victoria Station. During the Honourable Mr Ameer Ali. Introducing conversation, it became known that he was this humble one before the Kisra of Iran, a resident of Bosnia and was a Muslim. the Right Honourable Mr Ameer Ali These days, he is here on the directions of said, “Maulvi Abdul Rahim is a scholar of the Serbian government to learn English.

Islam.”

His name is Dr Fehmi Berkovich. Dr Iran’s past and present situation, and Fehmi visited our house with us. The the idea of ​​future work in this country, attributes of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat are came to me while holding the hands of the influencing his heart. He expresses that King. The sketch of the coming shudder the Muslims of Bosnia are ignorant and in the court of Kisra was created before neglectful towards education. my eyes. In these circumstances, upon The Serbian government has given shaking the hands of Kisra, I said, “God them freedom to practice their religion bless you.” Then I prayed for him in my and the representation of Muslims in the heart that may Allah Almighty illumine ministry of religious affairs is officially his soul with the light of the teachings of granted and established. A central mosque the Promised Messiahas and on one hand, is located in Belgrade. God willing, it grant worldly prestige to Iran through is hoped that through this educated the friendship of King George and on the doctor, Allah Almighty will spread the other hand, bless its king with the strength message of the Promised Messiahas to the of tying the bond of brotherhood with land of Serbia, Bosnia and Albania. We the Sultan of Faith who has appeared in have explained to the said doctor that Qadian and enrich him with the wealth of the revival of Islam is only possible with religion. this fountain of life which was given to the world by Allah Almighty in this age Distribution of literature This week, on the arrival of the king of through the teachings of the Promised Iran, a great number of English ladies Messiahas. and gentlemen were gathered at the A series of meetings Victoria Station. Taking advantage of Below is the list of some noteworthy the opportunity, Hazrat Mufti Sahib and persons who were conveyed the message I distributed a lot of literature. Men and of Islam in the current week through women keenly requested and acquired the meeting:

Maulvi Fateh Muhammad Sahib Sayal met a respected Englishman who was a scholarly orientalist and had the honour of being titled. [Maulvi Sahib] fulfilled his obligation of conveying the message of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and the intellectual orientalist said, “I have been studying the Review [of Religions] for twelve years” and expressed the following about Ahmadiyyat: “I like this movement. This is the only hope of Islam.”

Chaudhry Sahib also met two theosophist ladies and after hearing the message of Hazrat Ahmadas, they said, “It is just possible that your prophet is the expected teacher.”

Apart from them, in the week under discussion, a French atheist, a lady who expects the Messiah to arrive soon and an old theosophist woman visited our house of missionaries in order to find the truth and returned after gaining spiritual nourishment.

Departure of Qazi Sahib After his four years of service, receiving the honourable praise of “noble gentleman”

and “chaste missionary of Islam,” Maulvi Qazi Abdullah Sahib BA, BT boarded from Paddington railway station and went to Liverpool on 31 October. The very same day, he embarked a ship called the “City of Karachi” and set off for India.

I congratulate the members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat for the services of this remarkable servant of the Messiahas and for acting upon the instructions of his master, Khalifatul Masih and for his courage of following the commands of Khilafat, notwithstanding extreme hardships. For the time being, I state: “Congratulations to the people of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat! The person whom you sent by sacrificing your wealth and who stayed here on your expenses, extraordinarily respected the faith and trust that you had in him and sowed the seed of Ahmadiyyat in this land under the showering of bombs from the skies and in the midst of countless satanic traps.”

I will write a detailed review on the works of Qazi Sahib in another letter, Insha-Allah!

Your feedback is important to us info@alhakam.org

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

Friday Sermon Men of Excellence 22 November 2019 After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:

continuation of the accounts of the Iwillnlivesmention of the Badri companions, today I Hazrat Miqdad bin Aswad,

commandment of Allah the Almighty: ُ ‫ا ْد ُعوْ ُه ْم لِ�بَاﰱِ ِه ْم‬

ra

whose original name is Miqdadra bin Amr. Hazrat Miqdad’sra father’s name was Amr bin Tha‘labah, who belonged to the tribe of Bani Bahra. However, Hazrat Miqdadra was named with reference to Aswad bin Yaghooth because he adopted him when he was a child. Hence, he was more commonly known by the name of Miqdadra bin Aswad. (Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Zuhd, Bab Ma Ja‘a Fi Karahiyati al-Midhati Wal Maddahin, Hadith 2393) (Ibn Hisham, p. 151, Bab Dhikr Hijratil Oola Ilaa Ard al-Habshati, Dar Ibn Hazam, 2009) Hazrat Miqdadra’s father, Amr bin Tha‘labah, belonged to the tribe of Bahraa which is one of the tribes of Khuza‘ah in Yemen. During the Jahiliyya period [era prior to the advent of Islam], Amr, i.e. the father of Hazrat Miqdadra, killed someone due to which he fled to Hadhr-e-Maut which is a coastal area, east of Aden, in Yemen. There he became a confederate of the Kindah tribe due to which he was called Kindi. Amr later married a woman from that area from whom Hazrat Miqdadra was born. When Miqdadra grew older he had an altercation with Abu Shimr bin Hajr Kindi during which he cut off Shimr’s leg with his sword and then fled to Mecca and became a confederate of Aswad bin Abd Yaghooth. Miqdadra then sent a letter to inform his father upon which he also returned to Mecca.

Aswad had adopted Miqdadra, hence, he started to be referred to as Miqdadra bin Aswad and was commonly known by this name. However, when the following verse was revealed: ُ ‫ا ْد ُعوْ ُه ْم لِ�بَاﰱِ ِه ْم‬

“Call them (the adopted children) by the names of their fathers.” [33:6] Thereafter, he began to be called

Miqdadra bin Amr. However, he was more renowned by the name of Miqdadra bin Aswad. In any case, this is the

That is, even if they are adopted children, they ought to be called by the names of their actual fathers for the true lineage is considered to be from the father. Hazrat Miqdad’sra title was Abu Ma‘bad but in addition this, Abu Aswad, Abu Umar and Abu Saeed are also reported as his titles.

Once, Hazrat Miqdadra and Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf were sitting together and Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra asked why he was not married yet. Hazrat Miqdadra replied, “Since you are asking me, why don’t you marry your daughter with me?” Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra became angry at that comment and rebuked him. Hazrat Miqdadra complained about this incident to the Holy Prophetsa, upon which the Holy Prophetsa stated that he would arrange for his marriage.

After that, the Holy Prophetsa married Dhuba‘ah, the daughter of his uncle, Hazrat Zubair bin Abdul Muttalibra to Hazrat Miqdadra. (Sharh Zurqani, Vol. 5, p. 213, Darul Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1996) (Mu‘jamul Buldan, Vol. 2, p. 311 Darul Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut) (Ibn Hisham, p. 151, Bab Dhikr Hijratil Oola Ilaa Ard al-Habshati, Dar Ibn Hazam, 2009) (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 85, Miqdad bin Amr, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996) (AlIsabah Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahabah, Vol. 6, p.

160, Al-Miqdad bin al-Aswad, Dar-ulKutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005) Hazrat Dhuba‘ahra was the daughter of Hazrat Zubairra and Aatiqah bint Wahab. The Holy Prophetsa married her to Hazrat Miqdadra and they had two children named Kareemah and Abdullah.

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

16 Abdullah was martyred during the Battle of Jamal whilst fighting from Hazrat Aishah’sra side. The Holy Prophetsa once granted Dhuba‘ahra 40 wasq dates from Khayber. (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 8, Fi al-Nisaa Dhikr Banaat Umumah Rasulillah, p. 38, Darul Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 1990) This amounts to 250 mann which is around 6,000 kilograms. (Lughaat-ulHadith, Vol. 4, p. 487, ‘wasq’, Vol. 2, p. 648, ‘Saa‘’, Vol. 2, p. 648, Saa‘) One of Hazrat Miqdad’sra son was Ma‘bad. (Al-Isabah Fi Tamyeez AlSahabah, Vol. 6, p. 207, Ma‘bad bin Miqdad, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005) Hazrat Miqdad’sra daughter, Kareemah, whilst describing his appearance, states that he was tall, of wheat complexion, had a large stomach and had voluminous hair on his head. He used to dye his beard with mehndi which looked extremely beautiful. His beard was neither too long not too short. He had black eyes and thin, long eyebrows. (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 87, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Lebanon, 1996) The account of Hazrat Miqdad’sra acceptance of Islam is as follows: Hazrat Abdullah bin Masudra narrates that Hazrat Miqdadra was among the first seven companionsra, who professed belief in Islam in Mecca. (Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 5, p. 243, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2008) I have previously already mentioned the details of this account in relation to Hazrat Ammar bin Yasirra. With regard to Hazrat Miqdad’sra migration towards Medina, it is stated that Hazrat Miqdadra was among the Muslims, who migrated towards Abyssinia, however a short while later, he returned to Mecca. When the Holy Prophetsa migrated towards Medina, Hazrat Miqdadra was not able to join in the migration. Hence, he remained in Mecca until the Holy Prophetsa dispatched an army under the leadership of Hazrat Ubaidara bin Harith. Hazrat Miqdadra and Hazrat Utbahra bin Ghazwan joined the army under the command of Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl with the intention of joining the Muslims whenever they would find an opportunity to do so. (Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 5, p. 242, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2008) I have previously mentioned the details of this incident. However, I will briefly mention the details which Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra has recorded in Seerat Khatam-un-Nabiyyeen [The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophetssa].

It is as follows: “Upon his return from the Ghazwah of Waddan, in the month of Rabi‘ulAwwal, the Holy Prophetsa dispatched a company of the Muhajirin, comprising of 60 men mounted on camels, in the leadership of a close relative, Ubaidah bin Al-Harith Muttalibira. The objective of this campaign was also to forestall the attacks of the Quraish of Mecca.

“As such, when Ubaidah bin AlHarithra and his companions covered some ground and arrived close to Thaniyyatul-

Murrah, they suddenly noticed that 200 armed young men had set up camp in the command of Ikramah bin Abu Jahl.

The two parties encountered one another and a few arrows were exchanged in a confrontation. However, this group of idolaters then stood down from further conflict due to the fear that the Muslims probably had hidden reinforcements at their disposal and consequently, the Muslims did not pursue them. Albeit, two individuals from the army of the idolaters named Miqdadra bin Amr and Utbah bin Ghazwanra fled from the command of Ikramah bin Abi Jahl and joined the Muslims.

“It is written that they set out with the Quraish for this very purpose, so that they could find an opportunity to join the Muslims. The reason being, that they were Muslims at heart, but could not migrate out of fear of the Quraish due to their weakness. Moreover, it is possible that this very occurrence caused them to lose heart and they decided to step back considering this to be an evil omen.

“History has not recorded whether this army of the Quraish, which was definitely not a trade caravan and regarding which Ibni Ishaq has used the words Jamun Azeem (i.e., a grand army), set out in this direction with a specific objective. However, it is definite that their intentions were not favourable.

“It was due to the Grace of God that upon finding the Muslims vigilant and upon witnessing some of their own men joining the Muslims, they lost courage and retreated. Moreover, a practical benefit which the Companions derived from this campaign was that two Muslim souls were delivered from the tyranny of the Quraish.” (Seerat Khatam-unNabiyyeen, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, pp. 328-329) At the time of the migration towards Medina, Hazrat Miqdadra stayed at the home of Hazrat Kulthumra bin Hidam.

The Holy Prophetsa formed a bond of brotherhood between Hazrat Miqdadra and Hazrat Jabbarra bin Sakhr. The Holy Prophetsa granted Hazrat Miqdadra a place to stay in the area belonging to the Banu Hudaila tribe, which is a branch of the Ansar tribe of Khazraj. Hazrat Ubayra bin Kaab invited him to stay in this area.

(Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 86, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Lebanon, 1996) The incident that is found in the Ahadith in relation to three companions, who would set aside some goat’s milk for the Holy Prophetsa, but one night, one of them ended up drinking it all, is in fact in regard to Hazrat Miqdadra.

Hazrat Miqdadra relates: “Two companions of mine and I migrated to Medina and our ears and eyes were severely affected due to the difficulties we had to endure. We went to the companions of the Holy Prophetsa in order to stay with one of them, however no one took us in. Hence, we went to the Holy Prophetsa and he took us to his home. The Holy Prophetsa had three goats in his house and permitted us that we

could obtain their milk for all of us.”

He further states, “We obtained the milk from the goats and each one of us would drink his share and we would also keep a portion aside for the Holy Prophetsa.” He further narrates, “The Holy Prophetsa would come at night and say Assalamu Alaikum [Islamic greeting of peace] in such a low tone, so that it would not disturb anyone who was asleep, but one who was awake would still be able to hear.” He states, “Following this, the Holy Prophetsa would go to the mosque and pray and after that he would take his share of milk and drink it. One evening, Satan approached me after I had already had my share of milk. (That is, an evil thought entered his heart). Satan stated that the Holy Prophetsa visits the Ansar and they present him with gifts therefore he is not in need of this small amount of drink which had been kept as his share.”

He says, “Following this, I drank the portion of milk I had kept aside for the Holy Prophetsa. Once it had entered my stomach, (the Arabs have their unique manner of expression) I realised that there was no possibility of obtaining it again.”

He says, “Satan made me feel ashamed and said that ‘may misfortune befall you.

What have you done? You have taken the share of Muhammad[sa]. When he comes and does not find it, he will pray against you and you will be destroyed and your life in this world as well as the hereafter will be ruined.’”

What was it that made Hazrat Miqdadra entertain such a thought?

In fact, it was Satan who placed in the heart of Hazrat Miqdadra that the Holy Prophetsa would now pray against him, whereas the Holy Prophetsa is Rahmatun lil Aalameen (a mercy for mankind) so why would he have prayed against him over such a trivial matter? Hence, this thought itself was a mere Satanic thought to suggest that the Holy Prophetsa would pray against him. Hazrat Miqdadra then says: “The thought came to my mind that the Holy Prophetsa would pray against me and I would perish and I would be in ruin in this life and the next. I had a sheet of cloth to cover over me but if I covered my feet with it, my head would remain uncovered, and if I covered my head with it, my feet would remain uncovered and I could not sleep. The other two companions had fallen asleep and hadn’t acted as I had, (i.e. drank the milk). The Holy Prophetsa then arrived and said Assalamu Alaikum, as was his habit. He then entered the mosque and offered his Nawafil (voluntary) prayers. Thereafter, he came towards his drink (i.e. the glass of his which contained milk) and opened its lid but found nothing inside it. The Holy Prophetsa raised his head towards the sky and I was observing this as I lay awake, and I thought to myself that he would now pray against me and I would perish. However, he recited the following: َ ْ َ ّٰ َ َْ َ َ ‫ َوأ ْس ِق َم ْن أ ْسقانِ ْی‬،‫الل ُہ َّم أط ِع ْم َم ْن أط َع َم ِن ْی‬ i.e. ‘O Allah, feed the one who gives me food, and grant drink to one who

provides me a drink.’”

Hazrat Miqdadra says, “When I heard this I took my cloth and wrapped it tight over myself. Since I was fully awake, I then went out with a knife where the goats were stood and went towards the healthiest looking one, so that I could slaughter it for the Holy Prophetsa. When I got close to them, I realised that its udders were full of milk, rather all of the goats’ udders were full of milk. I then brought a utensil from the house of the Holy Prophetsa – and they would never have expected that it would be filled to the top with milk. I then milked the goats to the point where the froth had reached the brim and the bowl was completely filled. I then went to the Holy Prophetsa and he asked, ‘Did you all drink your portion of milk tonight?’

I replied, ‘Do not ask this question, O Messengersa of Allah and please take this milk.’ The Holy Prophetsa then drank some of the milk and handed it back to me. I then said, ‘O Messengersa of Allah, have more.’ The Holy Prophetsa then drank some more and again handed it to me. When I felt that the Holy Prophetsa was full and had drank the milk to his fill, I sensed that I had also become a recipient of the prayer of the Holy Prophetsa (i.e. the Holy Prophetsa had prayed to God to feed whoever feeds him and to give drink to one who gives him something to drink).

Thus, I had received the blessings of the prayer of the Holy Prophetsa and had also some of the milk to drink, and so I began to laugh uncontrollably to the point where I fell to the ground in laughter. The Holy Prophetsa then said, ‘O Miqdadra, is this some kind of light-hearted mischief of yours? (When the Holy Prophetsa saw him laughing in this manner, he said it seemed to him as if he had done something in a light-hearted manner.) I replied, ‘O Messengersa of Allah, this is what happened and this is what I did as a result’, (i.e. he then related the entire incident). The Holy Prophetsa then said, ‘This is a mercy from God Almighty; why did you not inform me of this earlier so that we could wake our two companions to also drink and to partake of this mercy?’ I replied, ‘By He Who has sent you with the truth, after you received this mercy and I partook of it alongside you, I no longer worried as to who else would receive this, I only worried for myself as I was the one who committed this error.’”

(Sahih Muslim, Kitabul Ashribah, Bab Ikram al-Daif Wa Fadli Eetharihi, Hadith 2055) Hazrat Miqdadra participated in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq and all other battles alongside the Holy Prophetsa.

Hazrat Miqdadra is mentioned as one of the archers of the Holy Prophetsa. (AlTabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 86, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Lebanon, 1996) Hazrat Abdullahra bin Masud states, “During the Battle of Badr, I witnessed a particular moment in which Hazrat Miqdadra bin Aswad said something and if I was the one who had said this, the blessings of it would be even dearer to me than all the pious deeds I have carried

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

Quran exhibition in Brussels Mohammad Arsalan Belgium Correspondent

he Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said “The best among T you are those who learn the Quran

and teach it”. Following this teaching, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belgium had the opportunity to hold a Quran exhibition in Brussels from 6 to 8 December 2019.

It was one of the many tasks of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, which was foretold by the Holy Prophetsa, that he would reestablish the true teachings of the Holy Quran that would be forgotten by the Muslim Ummah in the latter days.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat around the world strives to act upon this teaching.

Thus, the main purpose of this exhibition was to enlighten people about

out. It so happened that Hazrat Miqdadra went to the Holy Prophetsa as he was praying against the disbelievers, and said, ‘O Messengersa of Allah, we shall not utter what the people of Mosesas said to him, that is: َ ُ َ ُ َ ٰ َ َ َ َ َ ُّ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ ‫ک ّنا نقاتِل ع ْن ی َ ِم ْی ِنک‬ ِ ‫فاذھب انت و ربک فقاتِلا۔ ول‬ َ َ َْ َ َ َ ْ َ ‫َوع ْن ِش َمال ِک َوبَی َن یَدیْک َوخلفک‬ That is, ‘Go thou and thy Lord and fight. Certainly not! Rather, we shall fight on your right and on your left and in front of you and behind you.’ I saw that the blessed countenance of the Holy Prophetsa began to glow with joy and he was really pleased with what Hazrat Miqdadra had said.” (Sahih Bukhari, Kitabul Maghazi, Qaul Allahi Ta‘ala – Idh Tastaghithun bi Rabbikum…, Hadith 3952) Some of the details of this account have been mention in Seerat Khatam-ulNabiyeen [The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophetssa] with reference to the Battle of Badr. It states, “When the Holy Prophetsa learnt about the plans of the enemy, he proceeded towards Badr, in order to determine what their intentions were and if it was to attack, then to defend against them. The Holy Prophetsa stopped at a place near Rauha and It was from this very place that the Holy Prophetsa sent two companions named Basees and Adiyy towards Badr, in order to gather intelligence with respect to enemy movements; and instructed that they return swiftly with intelligence.

“Proceeding forth from Rauha, when the companions reached Zafran, passing through one side of the Valley of Safra, which is only one manzil short of Badr, news was received that a powerful army of the Quraish was advancing from Mecca.

The Holy Prophetsa gathered all of the companionsra and informed them of this news. Then he sought their council as to what should be done. Some companionsra submitted, ‘O Messengersa of Allah!

Taking into consideration our apparent means, it seems more appropriate to not

the true teachings of the Holy Quran. A range of displays in French and Dutch, with the verses of the Holy Quran, were showcased along with a variety of translations of the Holy Quran done by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat around the world.

The exhibition was organised under the national department of publications managed by Missionary, Muhammad Mazhar Sahib, along with the help of the sadr and qaid of Jamaat Brussels-East.

The French speaking missionaries were also present to help with the French speaking guests.

Many guests visited the exhibition, and all of them appreciated the effort and expressed that they had learnt a great deal about Islam.

confront the caravan, because we have not yet fully prepared ourselves to fight the army.’”

They wanted to determine the intentions of the caravan because if they were coming to battle then they were not ready to face them yet. However, the Holy Prophetsa did not approve of this suggestion.

When the Holy Prophetsa left from Medina, many of the companions had no idea that this could even result in battle.

In fact, all they knew was that there was a caravan approaching and they had set out to determine its intentions and if this caravan sought to attack against them then they would fight back as it would only be a small caravan. Hence, when the companions left Medina, none of them thought that they were leaving to engage in a full battle with an army. In any case, when the Holy Prophetsa asked them about their opinion, some of them stated that since they cannot fight against the army therefore it was better not to engage in battle with army.

“However, the Holy Prophetsa did not approve of this suggestion. On the other hand, when the most eminent from among the Companions heard this suggestion, they would stand up and deliver passionate addresses and submitted that, ‘Our lives and our wealth belong to God. We offer ourselves to serve on any front.’ As such, Miqdadra bin Aswad, who was also known as Miqdadra bin Amr said: ‘O Messengersa of Allah! We are not like the disciples of Mosesas so that we should tell you, ‘Go thou and thy Lord and fight, and here we sit’, rather we affirm that you may go wherever you wish, we are with you, and shall fight to your right, and to your left, and in front of you and behind you.’

When the Holy Prophetsa heard this address, his blessed countenance began to glow with joy. Yet, despite this, the Holy Prophetsa waited for a comment from

the Ansar, and desired that they should also say something. This was because the Holy Prophetsa thought that the Ansar perhaps believed that according to the Bai‘at at Aqabah, their obligation was to stand up in defence only, in the case that Medina was attacked. Hence, despite such passionate addresses, the Holy Prophetsa would continue to seek counsel as to what should be done. Sa‘d bin Muadhra, chieftain of the Aus, understood this desire of the Holy Prophetsa and submitted on behalf of the Ansar: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Perhaps it is our counsel that you seek. By God! when we have believed in you as being truthful, and have placed our hands in your hand, then go forth wherever you desire, we are with you. We swear by that Being, Who has sent you with the truth, that if you order us to dive into the sea, we shall dive into it, and not a single one of us shall hold back. God-willing, you shall find us steadfast in battle and shall witness from us that which shall be the delight of your eyes.’

When the Holy Prophetsa heard this address, he was over overjoyed and said: ْ َ َّ ْ ّٰ َ َ َ ْ َ ّٰ َ َ ‫ِسی ُر ْوا َوابْ ِش ُر ْوا فَا َ ِّن الل َہ قد َوعدنِ ْی ا ِْحدی الطائِف َتی ِن َوالل ِہ‬ َْ ٰ ُ ُ َْ ْ ّ َ َ ْ َ ‫لکانِی انظر اِلی مصا ِر ِع القو ِم‬ ‘Go forth then in the name of Allah, because Allah has promised me that He shall definitely grant us victory over one of these two parties (i.e., the army and the caravan). I swear by God that at this very time I am witnessing the places where the enemy men shall fall after being slain.’”

(Seerat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, pp. 354-355) In another narration regarding the Battle of Badr it is stated that Hazrat Miqdadra was the first person who fought whilst on horseback and the name of his horse was Sabhah. In one narration it is stated that during the Battle of Badr, the Muslims had two horses. Hazrat Alira relates, “During the Battle of Badr we had two horses; one belonged to Hazrat

Zubairra bin Awam and the second belonged to Hazrat Miqdadra bin Aswad.

According to Ibn-e-Hisham, in the Battle of Badr, the Muslims had three horses; one belonged to Hazrat Marsadra bin Abu Marsad, whose name was Sabal, one belonged to Hazrat Miqdadra bin Aswad and it was called Ba‘zajah and one belonged to Hazrat Zubairra bin A’wam, whose name was Ya‘soob. (Al-Tabaqaatul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 86, Dar-eIhyaa Al-Turath, Beirut, Lebanon, 1996) (Dalail-ul-Nabuwwat Li Al-Behqi, Vol. 3, p. 39, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2002) (Al-Sirat al-Nabawiyyah li Ibn Hisham, p. 452, Dar-ul-Kutub alIlmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2001) Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra has analysed various historical sources and written in Sirat Khataman-Nabiyyin that during the Battle of Badr, the Muslims only had two horses. In some books, as mentioned previously, it is recorded that the Muslims had three horses and there are others which state there were five horses.

(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, p. 353) (Sharh Zurqani Alaa al-Mawahib al-Deeniyyah, Vol. 2, p. 260, Darul Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1996) (Al-Sirat al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, p. 205, Bab Dhikr Maghaziyah, Dar-ulKutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2002) Nonetheless, whether there were two, three or five horses, it is a proven fact that there was no comparison between the arms owned by the Muslims when compared to that of the disbelievers.

When compared with the equipment owned by the disbelievers, it could be said that the Muslims were unarmed in contrast. However, despite all of this, when they stood up against their enemy, the Muhajireen and the Ansar fulfilled the pledge they had made with the Holy Prophetsa.

Hazrat Miqdadra bin Amr Kindi was a confederate of the Banu Zuhra tribe and he participated in the Battle of Badr alongside the Holy Prophetsa. On one

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM

18 occasion, he asked the Holy Prophetsa, “O Messengersa of Allah! If I come up against one of the disbelievers and a fight ensues between us in which he manages to cut one of my hands, but then that disbeliever runs away and seeks shelter behind a tree saying that he accepts Islam for the sake of God, should I kill him then?” The Holy Prophetsa replied, “You must not kill him.”

Hazrat Miqdadra said, “O Messengersa of Allah! Even if he has cut off one of my hands and then claimed to be a Muslim?”

The Holy Prophetsa replied, “You must not kill him, for if you do, he would attain that rank which you were given prior to the time you killed him” i.e. the disbeliever who was killed would be granted the rank the Muslim enjoyed after professing belief and the Muslim would in turn be given the rank of the disbeliever prior to him reciting the Kalima [declaration of faith].

(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Maghazi, Hadith no. 4019) Thus, the Holy Prophetsa was presented with a hypothetical scenario in which a disbeliever cuts the hand of a Muslim, then seeks shelter behind a tree and recites the Kalimah [Islamic declaration of faith], saying that he accepts Islam for the sake of God, and asked if one should still go after him. To this the Holy Propehtsa replied in the negative and said that if he still killed him, then the disbeliever would become a believer and the believer – despite professing belief [in Islam and the Holy Prophetsa] would be in the place

of that disbeliever.

This is the status of a person who recites the Kalima and this right has been established by the Holy Prophetsa.

In contrast, ponder over the actions of the so-called scholars and Islamic Governments. If only they would analyse their own conditions and see in light of this hadith, whether they are believers or disbelievers?

The camels belonging to the Holy Prophetsa were being grazed outside of Medina by a shepherd and his wife, who were of the Banu Ghaffar tribe. Uyainah bin Hissan from the Banu Fuzarah tribe, along with some men on horseback from the Banu Ghatfan tribe attacked the shepherd. They killed the shepherd and took his wife and the camels with them.

Hazrat Salamahra bin Akwa was the first to learn about them and the slave of Hazrat Talha bin Ubaidallah also went behind them on horseback. They reached Thaniyatul Wida‘a, which is the name of a valley. There are varying opinions regarding this valley; some are of the opinion that it is an area outside of Medina, and this is where the people would go to bid farewell to those travelling towards Mecca. According to another narration, this was an area outside of Medina in the direction of Syria and on the return from the Battle of Tabuk, the people of Medina came to receive the Holy Prophetsa here. Similarly, [it is said that] the Holy Prophetsa accompanied some armies up

to this point before sending them off to their expedition.

Nonetheless, when Salamahra bin Akwa arrived there, he saw Uyainah and his fellow accomplices. He climbed a hillock near Medina called Sil‘ah and raised the slogan, “Ya Sabahah”, which was a call for help. Then Hazrat Salamahra let a burst of arrows and gave chase after them. He managed to divert the direction they were heading. Upon hearing the call of Hazrat Salamahra, the Holy Prophetsa made an announcement to leave and confront the enemy immediately. The cavalry responded to the call of the Holy Prophetsa and the first from among them was Hazrat Miqdadra. (Sharh Zurqani Alaa al-Mawahib al-Deeniyyah, Vol. 2, pp. 166-169, Darul Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1996) (Al-Sirat al-Nabawiyyah li Ibn Hisham, pt. 3-4, pp. 174-175, Darul-Kitab al-Arabi, Beirut, 2008) (AlTabaqaat-ul-Kubra, Vol. 2, p. 63, Dar-ulKutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) When the Holy Prophetsa planned for the conquest of Mecca, he decided to keep the entire plan a secret. Even though the Companionsra were making all the preparations to depart, however, it was not common knowledge that the intended direction was Mecca. During this time, a Badri Companion, Hazrat Hatimra bin Balta‘, out of his simplicity and innocence, secretly wrote a letter which outlined the plan and gave it to a woman who was from Mecca. The woman

took the letter, but the Holy Prophetsa received news of this and sent Hazrat Alira along with a few companionsra, one of whom was Hazrat Miqdadra, to go after the woman and retrieve the letter.

Hazrat Alira narrates, “The Holy Prophetsa sent Zubairra, Miqdadra and I, and said, ‘Go to Raudhatu Khaakh. There will be a woman travelling on a camel and will have a letter which you must retrieve.’

Hence, we travelled swiftly on horseback and reached the woman. We asked her to hand over the letter, however, she replied that she did not have any letter. We then said that she would have to produce the letter, otherwise we would have to remove her clothes [to search for it]. She then removed the letter from the ties within her hair, which we took back to the Holy Prophetsa. The [aforementioned] companion had written this letter to the disbelievers out of his simplicity.

Since the entire plan was kept a secret, this would have disclosed all the plans.

Nonetheless, God Almighty informed the Holy Prophetsa about the letter, which was then retrieved. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Fazail-ul-Sahaba, Hadith no. 2494) Musa bin Yaqoob narrates from his paternal aunt, who in turn narrated from her mother that the Holy Prophetsa would give Hazrat Miqdadra 15 wasq of barley from the produce of Khayber on a yearly basis – this is equal to approximately 56.25 mann [ancient unit of measure] annually – and we sold this through Muawiyya

The Promised Messiah’sas loyalty to friends Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira said that on the subject of sympathy and loyalty, the Promised Messiahas would often say: “If I was to ever find out about any of my friends that they have fallen drunk in the street, then without any embarrassment or hesitation, I would pick them up and bring them to my home, and when they start to gain consciousness, I would leave them alone to save them being embarrassed in front of me.”

The Promised Messiahas would say, “Loyalty is an exceptional gem.”

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra alluded to this by saying: “We should, as far as possible, select good friends for and brotherly advice should especially be adopted. Momineen ourselves. However, when a friendship has been established [believers] have been created to wash away the flaws of with someone, then it is essential to uphold that relationship. others…”

It is incorrect to sever ties with a person only because they (Sirat-ul-Mahdi, Vol. 1, pp. 381-382) displayed a weakness in their actions or because they have developed a weakness. In such circumstances, sympathy, love

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Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM bin Abi Sufyan for 100,000 dirhams. (AlTabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p.

86, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1996) This was an annual income. Perhaps this amount was a few years of produce, or it was regular produce that was sold because 56 mann alone could not be of that value.

Hazrat Miqdadra also participated in the Battle of Yarmuk and in this battle, he was the Qari [reciter of the Quran].

After the Battle of Badr, the Holy Prophetsa established the practice that during the battle, Surah al-Anfal ought to be recited. Even after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa, this practice was upheld.

(Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 4, p. 59, Dar-ulFikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 2002) During one expedition, the Holy Prophetsa appointed Hazrat Miqdadra as the leader of the army for that expedition.

When he returned, the Holy Prophetsa asked, “O Abu Ma‘badra! How was your experience as leader of the army?” He replied, “O Messengersa of Allah! When I departed, I began to feel as if everyone was a servant of mine.” The Holy Prophetsa replied, “O Abu Ma‘bad! This indeed is the case, except for the one whom Allah the Almighty safeguards from the evils of this position.” Miqdadra stated, “There is no doubt in this. I swear by the One Who sent you as a Prophet, I do not even wish to be appointed leader over two people.”

(Al-Asaaba Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 6, pp. 207-208, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2005) He stated that this was an experience in which he felt as if everyone became his servant, therefore he had come to the conclusion that he would not even wish to be appointed a leader over two people.

This was the level of righteousness, in that if he was appointed to an office, it could develop a sense of arrogance within him, therefore he did not even wish to be appointed as a leader over two men.

Thus, everyone from among us who is appointed as an office-bearer should be mindful of this. Firstly, one should never desire [to be given an office], but then when one is appointed in a position of authority, they ought to pray to God Almighty to safeguard them from the evils of their position, that may God never allow arrogance to develop within them and they should always seek the blessings of God. Hazrat Miqdadra was with Hazrat Ubaidahra bin Jarrah during the siege of Homs. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 4, p. 185, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 2002) Hazrat Miqdadra also participated in the conquest of Egypt. (Al-Isaba Fi Ma‘rifat Al-Sahaba, Vol. 4, p. 43, Dar-ulKutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2002) In 20 AH, when the leader of the Muslim Army, Hazrat Amrra bin Aas requested the Khalifa for reinforcements, Hazrat Umarra dispatched an army of 10,000 soldiers and four officers, one of whom was Hazrat Miqdadra – to help the Muslim army. Hazrat Umarra wrote to them saying, “Each one of these officers is

equal to 1,000 men of the enemy.” In fact, as soon as the reinforcements arrived, the battle shifted in favour of the Muslims and in a short space of time, the land that once belonged to the Pharaoh’s, began to proclaim the Oneness of God. (Sair Al-Sahaba, Vol. 2, p. 286, Dar-ul-Isha’at, Karachi, 2004) Jubair bin Nufair relates, “Hazrat Miqdadra bin Aswad once came to see us regarding a matter. We said to him, ‘May Allah grant you peace and a healthy life.

Please do sit with us until we have finished attending to the matter you requested of us.’ He said, ‘I am astonished at the condition of the people. I have just passed by a people who are desiring to be put through a trial. They thought that God Almighty would put them into trial in the same manner in which He tried the Holy Prophetsa and his companionsra.’ Hazrat Miqdadra further said, ‘I have heard the Holy Prophetsa say that fortunate is the one who is safeguarded from all discord. The Holy Prophetra repeated this three times and then said that if one experiences hardship, then they ought to show patience.’” (Al-Mu‘jam Al-Kabir Li Al-Tabarani, Vol. 20, pp. 252-253, Dar Ihyaa Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut) Thus, one should not pray for any hardship or to be put in a trial. However, if they experience any hardship then they ought to demonstrate patience and remain steadfast as opposed to showing cowardice.

Hazrat Miqdadra was of a heavy stature but would still take part in Jihad.

Once Hazrat Miqdadra was sitting next to a goldsmith’s jewellery chest and appeared to be even larger than the chest.

Someone once said to him that God Almighty had granted him exemption from participating in the Jihad as he was of an extremely heavy build – as mentioned earlier that his daughter also stated that he had a very large stomach – however, Hazrat Miqdadra replied that the following command in Surah Bahus (which is another name for Surah alTaubah as it mentions the hypocrites and exposes their secret ploys) has made it obligatory upon him, which is: ْ َ َ ً َ ‫ِان ِف ُر ْوا ِخفافا ّوثِقالًا‬ Meaning, “Go forth, light and heavy.”[9:41] (Ihkaam-ul-Quran Li Ibn Arabi, Vol. 2, p. 444, Dar-ul-Kutub AlIlmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2003) (AlTabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p.

87, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1996) has Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained the term khifafan [light] and thiqalan [heavy] and stated that in this verse, the Muslims have been instructed to go forth for Jihad in the way of God Almighty and not allow any hindrance to come in their way. The terms, khifafan [light] and thiqalan [heavy] have multiple meanings; it could mean whether one is old or young, alone or in a group, on foot or on a mount, armed or unarmed or whether or not one possesses adequate provisions. (Durus Hazrat Musleh-e-

Maudra, Register 36, p. 1,006) In light of the multiple connotations of the words, Hazrat Miqdadra interpreted this verse in terms of being light or heavy in build and thus fulfilled his desire of participating in the Jihad.

Hazrat Miqdadra had a very large stomach and a Christian slave of his once stated that he would make an incision into his abdominal area and remove all the fat (they also had a procedure in those days to remove the fat just as it is done nowadays as well). In any case, he cut his stomach and removed the fat and then re-stitched his stomach back together.

However, this procedure resulted in Hazrat Miqdad’sra demise. He perhaps contracted an infection and could not recover. Upon this, the slave ran away.

(Al-Isabah Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahabah, Vol. 6, p. 161, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005) However, according to another narration from Abu Faid, Hazrat ْ Miqdadra passed away owing to ‫ُد ْھ ُن ال ِخ ْر َو ْع‬ i.e. due to drinking castor oil. Karima, the daughter of Hazrat Miqdadra stated that Hazrat Miqdadra passed away in Juruf, which is situated three miles from Medina and people carried his body on their shoulders and brought it back to Medina. Hazrat Uthmanra led his funeral prayer and he was then buried in Jannatul-Baqi. Hazrat Miqdadra passed away in 33 AH at the age of approximately 70. (AlTabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p.

87, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996) Ibn Buraida relates from his father that the Holy Prophetsa stated that God Almighty commanded him to love four people and that He also loves these four individuals. The Holy Prophetsa was asked about who these four individuals were, and he replied that it was Alira, which he repeated three times, and then stated that the names of Abu Zurra, Salmanra and Miqdadra. This narration is from Ibn Majah and there are varying narrations found regarding this, however this particular narration mentions the aforementioned names. (Sunan Ibn Majah, Muqaddamah al-Muallif, Bab Fadl Salman Wa Abi Dhar wa al-Miqdad, Hadith no. 149) Hazrat Alira narrates that the Holy Prophetsa stated that every prophet has been granted seven noble companions.

The narrator states that perhaps the word used was guardians instead of companions. However, the Holy Prophetsa stated that he was granted 14 such individuals. He states that they asked who these individuals were and the Holy Prophetsa stated that it was Hazrat Alira, his two sons Hassanra and Hussainra, Jaffarra, Hamzara, Abu Bkarra, Umarra, Musab bin Umairra, Bilalra, Salmanra, Ammarra, Miqdadra, Hudhaifahra, Abu Dhurra and Abdullah bin Masudra. This narration is from Sunan Tirmidhi.

(Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Bab Anna Hasan Wal Hussain Sayyidaa Shabaab Ahlil Jannah, Hadith no. 3785) One of the verses of Surah Al-Anam

in the Holy Quran is as follows: َّ ْ َ َْ َ ْ ‫َولَا تط ُر ِد ال ِذیْ َن یَ ْد ُعوْ َن َر ّب ُہ ْم ِبالغ َدا ِۃ َوال َع ِش ِ ّی یُرِیْ ُد ْو َن َو ْج َہ ٗہ َما‬ َْ ْ ّ ْ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ ْ ّ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ ‫علیک ِمن ِحس ِاب ِہم ِمن شی ٍء وما ِمن ِح َس ِابک علی ِہم ِمن شی ٍء‬ ُ َ ْ َ ْ ّ ‫ف َتط ُر َد ُہ ْم ف َتکوْ َن ِم َن الظال ِ ِمی َن‬ “And drive not away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His countenance. Thou art not at all accountable for them nor are they at all accountable for thee, that thou shouldst drive them away and be of the unjust.”

[Ch.6: V.53] This narration is also recorded in Ibn Majah and Hazrat Sa‘dra states that this verse was revealed regarding six individuals, one of them was him (i.e.

Hazrat Sa‘dra himself), Ibn Masudra, Suhaibra, Ammarra, Miqdadra and Bilalra.

Hazrat Sa‘dra states that the reason for this was that the Quraish said to the Holy Prophetsa that they could not allow themselves to be subordinate to these individuals, therefore he should drive them away. The narrator further states that God Almighty revealed to the Holy Prophetsa what He desired for him, which was: َّ ْ َ َْ َ ْ ‫َولَا تط ُر ِد ال ِذیْ َن یَ ْد ُعوْ َن َر ّب ُھ ْم ِبالغ َدا ِۃ َوال َع ِش ِ ّی یُرِیْ ُد ْو َن َو ْج َھ ٗہ‬

“And drive not away those who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His countenance.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Zuhd, Bab Majalis alFuqaraa, Hadith no. 4128) In any case, whatever the context was behind the revelation of this verse, this was the response that the Holy Prophetsa gave to them. According to a narration, Hazrat Miqdadra was the first companion who took part in battle on horseback in the way of God Almighty. (Al-Isabah Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahabah, Vol. 6, p. 160, Darul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005) This has briefly been mentioned before as well.

Once, Hazrat Miqdadra went towards Baqi, which was a graveyard, to answer the call of nature and entered a wilderness.

In those days, they would tend to the call of nature after 2-3 days as they had very little food available and their stool would be like the small droppings of a camel.

Whilst sitting, Hazrat Miqdadra noticed a mouse. The mouse took out a dinar from a small hole and then went back into the hole and took out another dinar and continued to take out the dinar until there were 17 dinar. Thereafter, he took out a piece of red cloth. Hazrat Miqdadra states that he pulled the piece of cloth and found another dinar, and thus there were now 18 dinar in total. He took these coins and went to the Holy Prophetsa and related the entire incident and submitted, “O Prophetsa of Allah!

Please accept this as Sadaqah [charity].”

The Holy Prophetsa replied, “This is not Sadaqah; you can keep it and God Almighty shall grant blessings to this wealth for you.” The Holy Prophetsa then stated that perhaps he had put his hand into the hole, however Hazrat Miqdadra submitted, “By God, Who has granted you honour by bestowing the truth upon you, I did not put my hand inside the

20 hole, in fact God Almighty provided this for me just as I mentioned.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Laqtah, Bab Inqitaa’ Maa Akhraja al-Juradh, Hadith 2508) Jubair bin Nufair relates that they were once sat in a gathering along with Hazrat Miqdadra and someone walked by and said, “How blessed are those eyes, which have beheld the Holy Prophetsa.

By God, it is an ardent desire of my heart that we also be granted the opportunity to witness what you did.” He was referring to the Companionsra and wished that he also was able to witness what they did. Upon hearing this, Hazrat Miqdadra became angry.

The narrator states that with great astonishment, he said to Hazrat Miqdadra that the individual had spoken with good intention. Hazrat Miqdadra turned to him and said, “What exactly is it from that era which has instilled this desire in this individual that he too be part of it which God Almighty had kept him away from.”

He then further states, “Who knows that if he were granted the opportunity to be in that era, what his condition would have been! By God, there were also those who

Friday 20 December 2019 | AL HAKAM witnessed the era of the Holy Prophetsa and yet were cast into hell by God Almighty because they failed to accept the truthfulness of the Holy Prophetsa.

Thus, who knows what would have been the condition of this individual because had he not accepted the truth, he would have been thrown into the hell-fire.” He then further states, “Why do you not praise Allah the Almighty for He granted you life in an age where you recognise your Lord Alone and do not commit any Shirk; you affirm your belief in the Holy Prophetsa and accept the truthfulness of the Shariah [religious law] he has brought and God Almighty has saved you from trial through others.”

The people of that era had to endure great trials, however God Almighty had saved them from such trials and thus they ought to be grateful to God Almighty. Then he stated, “By God, the Holy Prophetsa was sent by God Almighty during the era of ignorance and during the era of Fatrat-e-Wahi, which was one of the most difficult periods after the period of any other prophet.” Fatrah refers to the prolonged period between one prophet

and the next in which the revelation that is specifically granted to a prophet is not revealed. And so, he stated that in this period where there was no revelation and the Holy Prophet’s advent had not taken place was a very prolonged period and Shirk had become widespread. He stated, “This was a very difficult period; people would worship idols and would not grant superiority to anything else above them.

The Holy Prophetsa then came with a clear sign which distinguished between truth and falsehood. Likewise, it drew distinctions between even a father and son, that is, one would consider their father, son or brother as a disbeliever, until God Almighty did not open their hearts to accept the truth. Such a person would remain anxious over their loved ones, for they would know that unless they did not accept the truth, they will enter hell. (i.e. those who accepted Islam would then be concerned about their relatives because they knew that if they did not accept and instead opposed the truth then they will be cast to hell.) It was for this reason that God Almighty stated: ُ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ُ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ َ ْ ُ ْ ُ َ َ ْ َّ َ ‫اجنا َوذ ّرِ ّیا ِتنا � ّرۃ أ ْعي ٍن‬ ِ ‫وال ِذین �قولون ربنا هﺐ لنا ِمن أزو‬

‘And those who say, ‘Our Lord, grant us of our wives and children the delight of our eyes…’” [Ch.25: V.75] (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 7, p. 890, hadith Miqdad bin al-Aswad, Hadith 24311, Alamul Kutub, Beirut, 1998) Thus, one should always offer this prayer so that the future progenies also remain firm on faith and be thankful to Allah the Almighty for the blessings He has granted them.

Hazrat Anasra relates that the Holy Prophetsa once heard someone reciting the Holy Quran aloud and stated, “This individual has the fear of Allah within him”. This individual was in fact Hazrat Miqdadra bin Amr. (Al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 4, p.

44, Dar-ul-Kutub-al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2002) May God Almighty also grant us the true understanding of Islam and enable us to do true justice of being among the Ummah of the Holy Prophetsa and instil the fear of God Almighty within us.

(Original Urdu published in Al Fazl International, 13 December 2019, pp. 5-9.

Translated by The Review of Religions.)

A Hidden Truth In this book, the Promised

Messiahas, with compelling

testimony, presents the true and accurate biographical

findings on the life of Jesusas.

He presents historical

evidence that the Messiahas of Nazareth survived the

crucifixion and travelled to

Kashmir, India, where he lived to the age of 120.

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