The Light - January 2013

January 2013

January

2013 Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at www.virtualmosque.co.uk

Editors: Shahid Aziz Mustaq Ali

Contents:

Page

Call of the Messiah Peace, Not Pacifism, by Shahid Aziz The Position of Woman, by Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali How Islam Sees Non-Muslims by Hazrat Khawaja Kamal-ud-Din

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‫ن‬ ‫ْحالرَّ ْ ی م‬ ‫حم‬ ْ ‫ْس م‬ ْ ٰ ‫ِباہللْالرَّ م‬ Call of the Messiah (Continued from the previous issue)

Two persons Just as a distinction has been made, in the Books of God, between a good man and a bad man, and different stations have been earmarked for them, in the same way, there is, in the Law of Nature, a distinction between persons of two types, of whom one, believing the Most High God to be the Source of all grace and power, craves His help through prayer, while the other, relying on his own plan and power only, rails at and ridicules prayer and lives Godlessly in a proud and conceited way. The man who, at the time of trouble

and affliction, prays to the Most High God and seeks His help, receives from Him peace of mind and true prosperity, provided he works up his prayer to the perfect degree; and even though he may not acquire the actual object prayed for, he will, even in that case, get from the Most High God another kind of satisfaction and contentment of the mind, and will never meet with disappointment and failure; besides success, his faith gains strength, and his belief, too, gets ahead and grows. But the man who turns not his face towards God in prayer lives and dies a blind man.

An objection In this speech of ours there is, to a good extent, a reply to those ignorant ones who, on account of their faulty observation, raise the objection that many persons are seen who, in spite of the fact that they are absorbed completely in prayer, fail to achieve their objects and die in disappointment and despair, whereas another man, on the other hand, who believes neither in God nor in prayer, gains success and achieves great victories. The real purpose of prayer, as I have just now indicated, is to obtain satisfaction of the mind and true happiness and prosperity; and it is not correct that our true prosperity and happiness can be had only through what we seek by means of prayer; rather, the Most High God, Who knows wherein lies our real prosperity confers the same upon us after perfect prayer. It is not possible that a man who prays with the

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2 full truth of his soul should really remain unsuccessful and unfortunate. But the true happiness and prosperity which can be had neither through gold and wealth, nor sovereignty and rule, nor sound health, is in the hand of the Most High God, Who can bestow it in whatsoever manner He may like; it is, of course, granted after perfect prayers. If the Most High God should so will, a sincere and truthful man, after his prayer and supplication, may get, even in the midst of his misery and affliction, such pleasure and comfort of the mind as even an emperor cannot have and enjoy on the imperial throne of his power and glory. And this is what has been called the real achievement of one’s object, which is at last granted to the persons who pray, and the end of their misfortune and affliction comes with a state of tranquillity of the mind and happiness.

But if we could not achieve solace and contentment of the mind, our success too, in that case, would be but a painful thing for us. So, this satisfaction and real happiness of the soul cannot be achieved by plan and device, but only by means of prayer and supplication; yet people who have not their eyes on the ultimate result make the outward achievement or failure the basis of their decision. And the truth of the matter is that only such persons have a happy ending as are fearful of the Most High God, and keep themselves engaged in prayer; and it is only these who get the great wealth of the achievement of their object by means of real and blessed peace of mind and prosperity.

Sacrilegious thought It is a great injustice and profanity to deny the good and grace which comes only through the

channel of prayer, and look with contempt upon the sublime teaching of the pure and sinless prophets of God who had set their excellent example in practical form even during their lifetime. Is it not a fact that, by the curse and malediction of those Holy Men, the insolent and insurgent people who had stood up to oppose them had always been smitten with death and disgrace?

Just look at the curse uttered by Prophet Noah, the effect whereof caused even the high hills to be submerged in water, and instantaneously wiped hundreds of millions of people from off the surface of this earth. Also reflect upon the malediction of Prophet Moses, which swallowed up and exterminated Pharaoh and all his army. Again, ponder over the power and effect of Jesus’s imprecation which caused the Roman Government to annihilate the Jews. And give thought to the Holy Prophet’s malediction, which sealed the doom of his wicked opponents.

Spiritual law Is it not, then, a sound and satisfactory argument that it is an ancient spiritual law of God that a humble prayer stirs up and arouses the attention of the Most High God, and obtains satisfaction and solace of the soul, and real peace and prosperity? If, in seeking an object we be not in error, that very object is achieved; but if we, like the mistaken child who cries out to his mother and asks from her a beautiful-looking viper or a red-hot charcoal, should be in the wrong in our prayer and demand, the Most High God, then, confers upon us what is really good and useful; and in both the cases adds to and

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increases our faith; for, by means of prayer, we get, beforehand, knowledge from the Most High God; and our belief grows to such a high degree that, as it were, we see and behold our God with our own eyes.

Peace, Not Pacifism

by Shahid Aziz (Note: the following is the text of a speech delivered at the international symposium organised by the Suriname Islamic Association in Paramaribo, Suriname from November 15 to 18, 2012. ) The struggle to establish peace on this earth started when Cain killed Abel.1 It has eluded mankind since then, and while searching for peace, millions have perished in pointless wars. In the very ancient times we had mighty civilisations which clashed, one destroying the other to try and establish peace.

One example of such struggles was the Mahabharata in India.

But if we look closely at these attempts to establish peace we find that, in fact, these wars were fought to establish the superiority of one tribe or people over another, and peace was to be established by one annihilating the other and not by establishing some higher moral value system.

We find that later on the same philosophy was developed in the Old Testament, where the nation favoured by God was allowed by Him to treat others with unlimited savagery. It says: “However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.”2 Why should God’s favourites mas1: Genesis 4:8.

2: Deuteronomy 20:16.

sacre others with Divine approval? The reason given is “Otherwise they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshipping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.”3 There were a number of reasons for God’s not just condoning but ordering such slaughter. One reason for this genocide is that it is necessary to keep Israel’s religion pure. Another is that Israel was the instrument of God’s justice and it was the Lord’s sword.4 In the past, God executed His justice without human involvement, for example at Sodom, but now He authorised humans to execute His Will.

While the Law commanded the love of God5 and of neighbour6, such commands did not automatically exclude capital punishment or going to war. The assumption in the Law was that Israel would go to war and that they could fight wars in God’s name, though, in Leviticus 19 we find many laws that required Israelites to treat each other equitably.

Those who lacked social influence and power were to be defended.

The justice system was to be impartial.

Although the Law says “Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord. Do not hate your brother in your heart…. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord”7, yet that neighbour was to be a fellow Israelite – he was the one like a brother, and not a foreigner!

There was a natural reaction to this teaching.

Buddha in India and others in China were shocked by massacres taking place in the name of religion 3: Deuteronomy 20:18.

5: Deuteronomy 6:5.

7: Leviticus 19:16b–18.

4: Leviticus 18:24ff.

6: Leviticus 19:18.

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4 and establishing peace and harmony on this earth. They said all killing is wrong and we should leave all punishment to Allah. In Palestine, amongst the Israelites, the main proponent of this theory was the Holy Prophet Jesus, as reported in the New Testament. The most famous example of such thinking is Luke 6:29 which says: “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” The words are fine, but we do not have any example of a human who was able to follow these instructions. Even if Jesus had been able to set an example of following this advice, which he did not, our answer would be that it may be possible for the son of God to do so but we humans cannot!

This struggle has continued down to our times. Humanity has been running from one extreme to the other. An example of the teaching of the Old Testament was put into practice when the treaty of Versailles was signed at the end of the First World War, by which the Allied Powers tried to emasculate Germany and those who supported her.

This attempt to destroy the German people and to annihilate their country did not succeed. Indeed, it led to great bitterness, hatred and an even more terrible war.

An example of trying to put the proposition of ‘turning the other cheek’ was then tried. On September 30, 1938 the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to the UK from Munich, and upon landing described the treaty signed in Munich with Hitler as “peace for our time”. It is now remembered for its irony, because a year later Europe was plunged into a terrible war. This war ended with the terrifying

spectacle showing that humanity had now the capability of destroying itself. Robert Oppenheimer, the leader of the American team which successfully tested the first atom bomb, quoted the Bhaghavad Gita on hearing of the success of the test, “Now, I am become Death, the Destroyer of the Worlds.” This meant that man now emulated the Devil, the destroyer, rather than emulating God the Creator.

This shows that peace is not the same thing as pacifism. ‘To turn the other cheek’, to give in to a tyrant, to acquiesce in the face of brutality is not to earn peace but to abdicate one’s duty to fellow man and to Allah. Pacifism leads to greater violence and more destruction.

The Old Testament tells people to slaughter everyone – man, woman and child, when they overcome their enemies. The New Testament goes to the other extreme and tells people to turn the other cheek.

Neither leads to durable peace. When Islam says it is the religion of peace, what it says is that it abhors violence, but at the same time it abhors injustice and cruelty even more.

The examples given above show that there can be no peace without justice and honour, and that is what Islam teaches. Islam is the Religion of Peace because it tells us to treat everyone with respect and with honour, because that is what leads to lasting peace. The Holy Quran says “persecution is graver than slaughter”.8 As we saw above, persecution of the Germans by the British, French and Americans despite opposition from such wise people as John Maynard Keynes, led to greater violence and destruction.

Islam does not say “Do not fight.” But it lays down conditions under which you can fight: 8: The Holy Quran 2:217.

9: The Holy Quran 22:39.

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5 “Permission (to fight) is given to those on whom war is made, because they are oppressed. And surely Allah is Able to assist them.”9 This verse tells us that we should not turn the other cheek but that the oppressed are allowed to fight back.

In other places the Holy Quran is more explicit.

It says: “Those who are driven from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is Allah. And if Allah did not repel some people by others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, in which Allah’s name is much remembered, would have been pulled down. And surely Allah will help him who helps Him. Surely Allah is Strong, Mighty.” 10 This verse does two things. It defines who are the oppressed and who should fight to secure respect for them and their rights. It mentions not just mosques, but also cloisters, churches and synagogues with mosques, thus Pull together in the same direction and nothing is impossible.

and intentions read well on paper but they do not solve problems. They do not give people their rights. So, Islam goes further; it makes it a duty of a Muslim to protect all such places of worship, those who worship there and their right to do so.

Allah repelled the oppressors by raising a people who will protect them and these people – the protectors – are Muslims. For Islam recognises that lasting peace cannot be established until such time as people are free to believe, to practice and to preach what they believe to be correct. We have examples from history to show that Muslims of early ages understood this and acted upon it. In Spain, one sect of Christians was persecuting another. So, the persecuted went to North Africa and asked Muslims to help, and the reason they gave for approaching Muslims was that they have heard that everyone is free to practice and preach their religion under Muslim rule.

Islam is a religion of peace but not of pacifism. Peace is not achieved by giving in to dictators and tyrants. I have already quoted the Holy Quran saying: “persecution is graver than slaughter”. This is proven by history. The examples I gave earlier show that if you give in to tyrants to save a few lives, in the long run you will end up causing the deaths of millions, even tens of millions. The summary of these ideas is given in the Quranic verse which says that Muslims are ummati-wusta, or a people who in every situation follow the middle road and do not resort to extremes, and that is what establishes peace and harmony on this earth.

The Position of Woman making a universal declaration that every man has the right to believe in whatever he considers to be the correct religion. Any other proposition is against logic. Does a Hindu or a Christian or Jew say that he believes in his religion because it is the wrong religion? In his eyes I am just as wrong as he is in my estimation.

But the Holy Quran does not stop with making this universal declaration. Pious words 10: The Holy Quran 22:40.

by Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali First Amir of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam

Spiritually, woman raised to the position of man No other religious book and no other reformer has done even a small fraction of what the Holy Quran or the Prophet Muhammad has done to raise the position of woman. Read the Quran and you find good and righteous women being given

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6 the same position as good and righteous men.

Both sexes are spoken of in the same terms. The highest favour which God has bestowed upon man is the gift of Divine revelation, and we find women, to whom Divine revelation came, spoken of along with men: “And We revealed to Moses’ mother, saying: Suckle him; then when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear, nor grieve; surely We shall bring him back to you and make him a messenger (of Ours).” (28:7) “And when the angels said: O Mary, surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the world.” (3:42) Further, where the Holy Quran speaks of the great prophets of God, saying, “And mention Abraham in the Book” (19:41), “And mention Moses in the Book” (19:51), and so on, it speaks of a woman in exactly the same terms: “And mention Mary in the Book” (19:16). No other religious book has given such a high spiritual position to woman.

The Quran makes no difference between man and woman in the bestowal of reward for the good he or she does: “And whoever does good deeds, whether male or female, and is a believer – these will enter the Garden, and they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least.” (4:124) “Whoever does good, whether male or fe male, and is a believer, We shall certainly make him live a good life, and We shall cer tainly give them their re ward for the best of what they did.” (16:97) Also, 33:35, speaking of good women alongside of good men, enumerates every good quality as being possessed by women exactly as it is possessed by men, and ends with the words: “Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a mighty reward”. With God, therefore, according

to the Quran, there is no difference between men and women, and morally and spiritually they can rise to the same eminence.

Woman is the equal of man in rights of property On the material side, too, we find no difference, except what nature requires for its own ends. A woman can earn, inherit and own property and dispose of it just as a man can, and the Holy Quran is explicit on all these points: “For men is the benefit of what they earn. And for women is the benefit of what they earn.” (4:32) “For men is a share of what the parents and the near relatives leave, and for women a share of what the parents and the near relatives leave.” (4:7) Woman, in Arabia, had no rights of property; in fact, she herself was part of the inheritance, and was taken possession of along with other property.

She had no right to the property of her deceased husband or father. The Quran took her from this low position and raised her to a position of perfect freedom as regards her property rights and her right to inheritance, a position which, among other nations, she has only partly attained, and that after centuries of hard struggle.

Polygamy It is, however, asserted that polygamy and the seclusion of women, as enjoined in the Holy Quran, have done more harm to woman than the benefit conferred on her by bestowal of property rights.

The fact is that a great misunderstanding exists on these two points.

Monogamy is the rule in Islam and polygamy only an exception, allowed subject to certain conditions. The following two verses are the only authority for the sanction of polygamy, and let us see how far they carry us: “And if you fear that you cannot do justice to orphans, marry such women as seem good to you, two, or three, or four; but if you fear that you will not do justice, then marry only one or what your right hands possess. This is more proper that you

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7 may not do injustice….” (4:3) “And they ask you (O Prophet) a decision about women. Say: Allah makes known to you His decision concerning them; and what is recited to you in the Book is concerning widowed women, whom you do not give what is appointed for them, while you are not inclined to marry them….” (4:127) Now the first of these verses allows polygamy on the express condition that “you cannot do justice to orphans”, and what is meant is made clear by the second verse, which contains a clear reference to the first verse in the words, “what is recited to you in the Book is concerning widowed women”. The Arabs were guilty of a double injustice to widows: they did not give them and their children a share in the inheritance of their husbands, nor were they inclined to marry widows who had children, because the responsibility for the maintenance of the children would in that case devolve upon them.

The Quran remedied both these evils; it gave a share of inheritance to the widow with a share also for the orphans, and it commended the taking of such widows in marriage, and allowed polygamy expressly for this purpose. It should, therefore, be clearly understood that monogamy is the rule in Islam and polygamy is allowed only as a remedial measure, for the sake of widows and orphans.

This permission was given at a time when the wars, which were forced on the Muslims, had decimated the men, so that many widows and orphans were left for whom it was necessary to provide. A provision was made in the form of polygamy, so that the widow should find a home and protector and the orphans should have paternal care and affection. Nature will have its course, and allowing illicit sexual relations is the inevitable alternative to a limited polygamy.

Seclusion As regards the seclusion of women, the Quran

never prohibited women from going out of their houses for their needs. In the time of the Prophet, women went regularly to mosques and said their prayers along with men, standing in a separate row. They also joined their husbands in the labour of the field; they even went with the army to the field of battle and looked after the wounded, removing them from the field if necessary, and helped fighting men in many other ways. They could even fight the enemy in an emergency. No occupation was prohibited to them, and they could do any work they chose.

The only restrictions on their liberty are contained in the following verses: “Say to the believing men that they lower their gaze and restrain their sexual passions.

That is purer for them. Surely Allah is Aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they lower their gaze and restrain their sexual passions and do not display their adornment except what appears of it. And they should wear their head-coverings over their bosoms.” (24:30–31) Now the real restriction contained in these verses is that both men and women should, when they meet each other, cast down their looks, but there is an additional restriction in the case of women that they should not display their adornment with the exception of “what appears of it”. The exception has been explained as meaning “what is customary and natural to uncover”.

That women went to mosques with their faces uncovered is a fact recognized by all, and there is also a saying of the Holy Prophet that, when a woman reaches the age of puberty, she should cover her body except the face and the hands. The majority of the commentators are also of opinion that the exception relates to the face and the hands. Hence, while a display of beauty is forbidden, the restriction does not interfere with the necessary activities of woman.

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8 She can do any work that she likes to earn her livelihood, for the Holy Quran says plainly, as already quoted, that women shall have the benefit of what they earn. A limited seclusion and a limited polygamy do not, therefore, interfere with the necessary activities of woman; they are both meant for her protection and as preventives against loose sexual relations, which ultimately undermine society.

How Islam Sees Non-Muslims

by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din The very first words in the Quran, the Book of Islam, inculcate the most generous views which a Muslim must entertain towards other religions. Many religions, while claiming Divine revelation for their origin, denied that privilege to the others. This view created contempt and hatred between nations, and caused disintegration among the various members of God’s family, resulting in wars and fighting, which devastated everything noble and high in humanity.

Islam uprooted this very idea; it taught that every nation has been blessed with a Teacher from God. The Divine origin of every religion was admitted. “All praise and glory is due to Allah, Who is Creator, Sustainer and Nourisher of (all the races of) mankind”, are the opening words of the Quran.

Is not physical sustenance open to every man, white or black; why not, then, spiritual? If the various components of Nature have been created to meet equally the physical needs of all the nations of the world, nourishment of soul is equally needed. And therefore God declared in the Quran that all the Prophets of various nations of the world came from God, and brought light from one Divine source.

Nay, Islam did not assume and claim a new position for itself as a religion. It came to complete that old religion, which was gradually revealed to the blessed race of the Prophets from Adam to Jesus. As the Quran says in this respect: “Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which has been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them and to Him (Allah) do we submit.”

This verse not only makes a Muslim a follower of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but infuses in him a spirit of allegiance and reverence to Moses, Jesus, and all other Prophets of the world. The Quran is his sacred book no doubt, but the sacred scriptures of other nations are also his common property with them. (From Islam to East and West.)

Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore (UK) The first Islamic Mission in the UK, established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission Dar-us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, UK, HA0 4JQ Centre: 020 8903 2689 President: 020 8529 0898 Secretary: 01753 575313 E-mail: aaiiLahore@gmail.com Websites: www.aaiil.org/uk | www.ahmadiyya.org | www.virtualmosque.co.uk Donations: www.virtualmosque.co.uk/donations