Tariq Magazine (Volume 11, Issue 2) by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Tariq Magazine Volume 11 • Issue 2 • July 2006

The official publication of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Baitul Futuh, 181 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5PT Tel 020 8687 7843 Fax 020 8687 7889

Editorial Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Sadr, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Tariq Ahmad BT Naib Sadr, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and Chief Editor

Contents PART 1: Words of wisdom Verses of the Holy Qur’an and Commentary Hadith (Sayings of the Holy Prophet Writings of the Promised Messiah

3 4 4

)

PART 2: Editorial Message from Sadr Sahib Editorial

5 6

PART 3: News and events From darkness into light Yasir Ahmad–the first Waqfe Nau child to give his life in the way of Allah

7 10

PART 4: Islam Why I believe in Islam Hadhrat Ali Prophet Adam

12 15 23

Centre spread: The Shroud of Turin

Tariq M Chowdhry Mohtamim Isha’at

Kalim Anwer Assistant Editor

Arif Khan Production Manager

Irfan Chaudhry

PART 5: Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam and Hadhrat Isa Similarities between Hadhrat Ahmad What is the prophecy concerning Jesus Christ descending from Heaven? Book review: Jesus in India Contradictions in the popular beliefs about Jesus

26 33 34 36

PART 6: Science and academica The Shroud of Turin and Carbon 14 dating Aloe and Myrrh: modern day analysis of two ancient herbs

37 40

PART 7: Student pages The damaging affects of alcohol

PART 8: Letters and comments Why I became a Musi

PART 9: Urdu section

Design and Typesetting

Cover photographs All correspondence should be forwarded directly to: THE EDITOR, Tariq Magazine Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, Baitul Futuh, 181 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5PT

Tariq Magazine is published by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, the youth organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in Islam. Some of the views expressed by contributors may not be the representative views of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association is a registered charity, UK Charity Reg No. 299081

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part 1  Words of Wisdom Verses of the Holy Qur’an and Commentary And their saying “We did kill the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”; whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it: they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this conjecture into a certainty. On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. The Holy Qur’an, chapter 4, verses 158–159

ne of the objections raised against Jesus by the Jews was his supposed death on the cross, which according to Jewish Law is an accursed death (Deut. 21:23). The words “We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah” are spoken ironically and tauntingly, meaning “We have killed Jesus who posed as the Messiah and a Messenger of God.” Regarding the charge about the alleged death of Jesus by crucifixion, the Qur’an says that the act of crucifixion having not been completed, and Jesus having been taken down alive from the cross, the charge carries no weight. It should, however, be noted that the Qur’an does not deny the mere hanging of Jesus on the Cross; it only denies his death on it. Two different views prevail among the Jews regarding Jesus’ alleged death by crucifixion. Some of them hold that Jesus was first killed and then his dead body was hung on the cross, while others are of the view that he was put to death by being fixed to the Cross. The Qur’an refutes both these views by saying ‘they slew him not, nor crucified him’. Now the question arises, who is the person who was made to appear

‘like one crucified’? Clearly it was Jesus whom the Jews tried to crucify or slay. Nobody else can be meant here, for there is absolutely no reference to any other person in the context. Hence, the theory invented by some commentators that Judas or somebody else was made to appear like Jesus and was then crucified in his place is simply absurd. To what then was Jesus made like? The context provides a clear answer to that question. The Jews did not kill him by crucifixion, but he was made to appear to them like ‘one crucified’ and thus it was that they wrongly took him for dead. It was Jesus who was made to resemble ‘one crucified’. This interpretation is not only in perfect harmony with the context but is clearly borne out by all the relevant facts. The words, ‘On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself ’, constitute a reply to the taunt embodied in the words of the Jews in the preceding verse (i.e. ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’). The verse thus purports to say that he whom the Jews so exultingly claimed to have killed on the Cross was never so killed but was exalted to

God Himself and granted His nearness. There is no reference here whatsoever to the supposed physical ascension of Jesus to the skies. The verse only contains a refutation of the allegation of the Jews that having become accursed by crucifixion, Jesus had become spiritually fallen and degraded and was, as it were, driven away from the presence of God. In refutation of this charge the verse clears him of the insinuated blemish by speaking of his spiritual exultation. It should also be noted that the Qur’an does not say here that Allah raised Jesus towards the skies, but only that He exalted him towards Himself, which clearly signifies not a physical but a spiritual exaltation because no fixed abode can be, or has ever been assigned to God. The Qur’an would not accept the idea of a human being physically taken up into the skies, even if it were the Holy Prophet himself. n Selected extracts cited in The Holy Qur’an with English Translation & Commentary, volume II, pages 582–585.

Volume 11 . Issue 2 | 3

PART 1 | Words of wisdom

Hadith

here is another important statement by the Holy Prophet . During his last illness, the Holy Prophet said to his daughter Hadhrat Fatima , “Gabriel has recited the Qur’an to me every year. This year he recited twice. He also told me that every succeeding prophet has lived half the age of his predecessor. He told me that the son of Mary lived 120 years. Therefore, I may live about 60 years.” According to the New Testament Jesus was about 32 when the event of the cross took place, when Jesus is said to have been ‘ascended’ to heaven. If Jesus did really ascend, his age at the time of the Holy Prophet would be about 600 not 120. The Holy Prophet should then have lived for about 300 years. But we know from history that he lived only 63 years. This important statement by the Holy Prophet proves that Jesus died a natural death in his own good time. To think otherwise is contrary to what the Holy Prophet thought about the matter. How can we be persuaded that Jesus is alive in heaven? How can we deny something which the Holy Prophet has stated so clearly? Extract from Invitation by Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad

‫إنه لم یکن نب ۖي کان بعد ُه نبي إ عاش‬ ‫ و إن عیس‬،‫نصف عمرِ الذي کان قبلە‬ ‫ابن مريم عاش عشرین ومائةً و إني‬ ‫ أراني إ ذاهباً عل رأس الستین‬ The Holy Prophet said: Gebriel informed me that every successive prophet has lived to half the age of his predecessor. And verily Jesus, son of Mary, lived to 120 years. Therefore, I think I may reach the age of sixty. Kanzulummal, volume 11, page 479

The full name of this book of Hadith is ‘Kanz al’Ummal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa’l Af ’al’ which translates as ‘Treasure of the Doers of Good Deeds’ is a well known hadith compilation, collected by the Islamic Scholar Shaikh ‘Ala al-Din ‘Ali al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (d. 975 AH/1568 CE). .

Writings of the Promised Messiah

The Promised Messiah and Mahdi Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908)

Jesus in Search of the Lost Sheep

It was extremely important for Jesus to travel to the Punjab and its neighbouring lands in order to discharge his Prophetic functions. This was because ten tribes of Israel, who have been designated in the Bible as ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’,

had settled there—a fact which no historian can deny. It was, therefore, necessary for Jesus to travel to these lands, seek out the lost sheep and convey God’s message to them. Unless he did that, the purpose he had been sent for would have remained unfulfilled. His mission was to preach to the lost sheep of Israel, if he had died without seeking them, or, having found them, failing to teach them the way to salvation, he would have been like the man who was appointed by a king to go to a certain tribe in the desert and dig a well to provide them water, but he spent three or four years roaming in other places and returned without doing anything to find the people to whom he had been sent. Could it be said of him that he carried out the command of his master? Certainly not. In fact he cared too much for his own comfort to do anything for the people. Masih Hindustan Meiñ, Ruhani Khaza’in, volume 15, pages 93–94

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Jesus in Kashmir

One of the verses of the Holy Qur’an clearly indicates that Jesus and his mother travelled to Kashmir after the incident of crucifixion. It is said:

“We gave Jesus and his mother shelter at a plateau which was an abode of peace and was provided with springs of clear water.” (The Holy Qur’an, sura Al-Mu’minun, chapter 23, verse 51) In this verse God Almighty has drawn an accurate picture of Kashmir. The expression Awa in Arabic is used for providing shelter against calamity of misfortune; and before the crucifixion Jesus and his mother underwent no period of hardship as would require shelter. It is thus established that it was only after the incident of the crucifixion that God Almighty led Jesus and his mother to this plateau. Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, volume 19, page 17

part 2  Editorial Message from Sadr Sahib Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Sahib, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

My dear brothers Khuddam and Atfal,

[achieving] his cherished goals, and raise him up, on the day of Judgment, among those of His servants who are the recipients of His blessings and Mercy. May He be their Guardian in their absence until after their journey

I pray that you are well.

comes to an end. O Allah! O Sublime One and Bestower of bounties, the Ever Merciful and One Who Resolves all

Jalsa Salana UK is fast approaching. This is our 40th Jalsa Salana in the United Kingdom and it will Insh’Allah be held at Hadeeqatul Mahdi—the new site that we have acquired in Alton. It would be worth reminding ourselves of the true purpose of this event. In the words of the Promised Messiah : “The primary purpose of this Convention is to enable every sincere individual to personally experience

problems, do grant all these prayers, and grant us Victory over our opponents with scintillating signs, because You alone have all the prowess and power. Ameen! Aameen!!” (Ishtihar 7 Dec. 1892, Majmoo`ah Ishtiharat Volume I, page 342)

Most of us are now busy in the preparations for Jalsa Salana. We should always bear in mind the true focus of this event and also pray that it is successful in every respect.

religious benefits; they may enhance their knowledge and—due to their being blessed and enabled by Allah, The Exalted—their perception [of Allah] may progress. Among its secondary benefits is that this congregational meeting together will promote mutual introduction among all brothers, and it will strengthen the fraternal ties within this Community…” (Ishtihar 7 Dec. 1892, Majmoo`ah Ishtiharat Volume I, page 340)

We should always bear in mind the true focus of the Jalsa Salana and also pray that it is successful in every respect. And in another section, the Promised Messiah mentions:

This issue of Tariq Magazine focuses on the life of Hadhrat Isa and the similarities between the Promised Messiah and Hadhrat Isa . All of us need to have a much better understanding of events as they surfaced in the days before the attempted crucifixion of Hadhrat Isa and his life after the event. The Promised Messiah has clarified these and many other points in his book “Masih Hindustan Main”. The release of the book “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, though a work of fiction, has again ignited interest in this most central of Christian beliefs. We should avail this opportunity.

“I conclude with the prayer that everyone who travels for [attending] this Convention that is for the sake of Al-

Wasalam,

lah: May Allah, the Exalted, be with him, reward him in abundant measure, have mercy on him, ease up for him his circumstances of hardship and anxiety and eliminate

Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

his anguish and grief. May He grant him freedom from every single hardship and lay open for him the ways of

Volume 11 . Issue 2 | 5

PART 2 | Editorial

Editorial Tariq Ahmad BT Sahib, Naib Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and Chief Editor of Tariq Magazine

hen over 12 months ago bombs struck the heart of our capital, the heinous act of terror resulted in calls for closer integration, the tackling of radicalisation and for all communities to unite against extremism. The result? Well there has been some progress based on the goodness of humanity itself. We have seen communities working together to tackle radical elements which seek to destroy the fabric of what our country represents. Yet in the public sphere debates have ensued over changes to laws and the detention of “suspected” criminals or terror suspects. Last month’s police raid in East London demonstrated that so much more needs to be done in the promotion of understanding and confidence building, to ensure that we do not end up, not only alienating part of population, but demonising people.

The Promised Messiah never let a moment of his life pass where he did not defend Islam and the Holy noble person and Prophet Muhammad’s example. Understandably, it may be argued as to how successful all the initiatives have really been. Have we really managed to strike that crucial balance between public protection and the need to respect the fundamental human rights of our citizens? Yet to solve this “dilema” faced by society, we need to examine both these competing values as two sides of the same coin. The protection of human rights and freedoms can only be achieved by ensuring the protection against crime and its perpetrators that is after all the essence of law. These events on the domestic stage have meant that Islam is under focus amongst the commu-

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nity at large and indeed throughout the world. With conflicts raging in Iraq and Afghanistan, the growing schism between Sunni and Shia Islam being played out on the global stage, together with the tensions in Iran and most recently the escalation of the battles in the Middle East, Islam is now talked about in all social, public and political circles. This “debate” about Islam has been waged in a manner which is tarnishing this faith so noble in principle. Its teaching is misrepresented in some quarters by the very people who claim that they seek to defend the faith… This is coupled with critics who believe that it has become perfectly legitimate to tarnish our noble religion by instilling fear through its radical and erroneous representations. However, what we see unfolding in front of us is not without design. It is therefore essential that wherever and whenever Islam is attacked, either by those who seek to radicalise and manipulate its peaceful message, or by those who feel it is free season to attack all aspects of the faith without basis deploying scaremongering tactics, that we respond through the message of revival and renaissance of Islam which is Ahmadiyyat. The Promised Messiah never let a moment of his life pass where he did not defend Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s noble person and example. Yet his response was in words and writings. He showed that the power of the pen is in essence the means for the true defence of Islam. So let us all ensure that we emulate his example. Let us ensure that Islam with all its manifest beauty—of peace, harmony and humanity—is the message of Islam which prevails. Tariq Ahmad BT Chief Editor, Tariq Magazine

part 3  News and Events From darkness into light Report of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Tabligh Discussion Forum by Sirajul Haq Khan

he evening promised to be one of inspiration and motivation if any of the hundreds of SMS messages beaming around the UK were to be relied upon. Starting with a light Iftaar to break the fast, 250 Khuddam responded to the call of prayer by progressing towards Baitul Futuh Mosque for Maghrib prayer. This was followed by a filling meal. The event was chaired by Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, Mirza

Fakhar Ahmad Sahib. After tilawat, Mubashar Ahmed Sahib, Mohtamim Tabligh, welcomed all the attendees. Imam Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib was the guest of honour. He gave a short but insightful exposé into the various aspects of bringing one from “darkness into light”. This was followed by an interactive discussion, eloquently steered by Rehan Shaheen Sahib. He ably provoked responses from successful da’in il’Allah and recent converts to

Ahmadiyyat. First to speak was Salman Nasser. He, together with his family has been granted numerous ba’its. One of the fruits of his labour, James Young, had also accompanied him on this occasion. Salman shared some insights with the audience. He emphasised: 1. It is most essential to forge a warm relationship with the contact under tabligh. He must become a part of your family. 

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PART 3 | News and events



2. It is not only the information that you present to the contact which is important but also how you present it. The next contributor was Moosa Qureshi. He too had been blessed with many ba’its and was in a position to highlight some subtle skills he employed in order to achieve the honour of enabling people to accept the Imam of this Age, Hadhrat Masih-e-Ma’ud, Imam Mahdi, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . He signified two main points: 1. A da’in il’Allah should attach himself/herself to the person to whom they are preaching, all the while, cognisant of the sensitivities of issues pertaining to families. 2. A da’in il’Allah must remember that Islam and acceptance of Islam is not a formality, but a way of life, and thus it should not merely be treated as a set of facts and evidences, but as a madh-hab (from the Arabic verb ‘dhahaba’, which means “to go”, so ‘madhhab’ is thus “a way to go” in every sense of the word). Brother Muzaffar Mahmood was next up, and having brought tens of people to the True Islam, his advice was closely listened to. He gave specific advice and attributes that one should employ in order to achieve success in bringing people to Islam: 1. Love and sincerity towards those to whom one is attaching himself/herself to is key. 2. Prayers, especially Dua-e-Istikhara. 3. Da’in il’Allah should have a ready awareness of the literature available, and should first have read the book before giving it to a contact in case they ask questions. 4. Da’in il’Allah should identify issues of particular concern to those to whom they are preaching, and should match this interest with relevant literature (e.g. someone interested in current affairs would benefit from “New World Order” and “Islam’s Response to Contemporary Issues”). 5. Too much information is not constructive at the outset. Da’in il’Allah

should give their friends time to think about things and come back to them with questions, but contact must be maintained throughout this period. 6. When someone accepts Ahmadiyyat and enters Islam, they should be treated like new born babies; just as going from a dark room into light takes some time before it is a comfortable experience, similarly, it requires a slow progression to emerge from spiritual darkness and to become fully comfortable with the new spiritual light.

“Brother Ahmad Gamae moved me so much so as to bring shivers to my spine. He pointed to something that very few of us make time for ...”

Here, Rehan Sahib aptly interjected with a key point. He expressed that “the da’in il’Allah should press the right buttons as to what appeals to them”. This seemed to be a constant theme; people are not always interested in religion per se, but there may be other factors which inevitably lead to foundational topics such as Unity and Progression of Humankind. Such topics will ultimately lead to theories of absolute justice and evolution of Mankind, which would, in turn, require agreement on a concept of Theology, Divinity and Prophethood. Next amongst the contributors was brother Farhaaj Malik who had successfully preached the true Islamic ideals to a Jamaican brother who had subsequently accepted Ahmadiyyat. Prior to his contact with Farhaaj, he had been pressured by non-Ahmadi Muslims who gave him an ultimatum to either practice Islam as he was told, or leave it. , with utmost sincerity and Tawakkul-ilAllah (reliance on Allah), he

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started to preach the concept of Islamic teachings as taught to us by Hadhrat Masih-e-Ma’ud . Even after attempts to try to turn the Jamaican brother against the Khadim, the nonAhmadi Muslims failed, and ultimately, the Jamaican brother accepted Ahmadiyyat. Farjaaj had a few main points which he felt should be adhered to by young Ahmadi Muslims who preach: 1. Show an interest in the ‘person’; shed any vested interest or pre-conceived agendas in beating another in an argument or merely trying to convert them. 2. Do not come with a pre-conditioned agenda to convert. Brother Ahmad Gamae moved me so much so as to bring shivers to my spine. He pointed to something that very few of us make time for. His own account was so touching that it compelled me to send blessings and peace on the Sayyid al-Mursaleen, Khatamunl Nabiyyeen, our Noble Master, Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa . Being of Arab descent he stated that the state of Muslims in general had moved him away from practicing Islam. When asked what brought him back to True Islam, he simply replied thus: “I was given a book of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiani

that

he wrote in Arabic and I realised that only the Imam Mahdi could write something so beautiful…only the Imam Mahdi could write like that…”

Further to this moving statement, he commented that having accepted Ahmadiyyat, he had “never before felt so confident about my Islam” Another recent Arab convert, brother Shahadah Meheawi commented that since his acceptance of Hadhrat Imam Mahdi he has noticed a big improvement in the quality of his Ibaadaat (acts of worship). Brother Mashood Ahmad Butt Sahib, another brother who accepted

PART 3 | News and events Ahmadiyyat, previously affiliated with the Tablighi Jama’at and now an experienced and active member of the MKA UK Tabligh team recollected his experiences and the differences he noticed in the approach of Ahmadi Muslims and non-Ahmadi Muslims: 1. When in the Tablighi Jama’at, I was told not to ask questions but just to accept things and that asking questions was not in our remit. 2. When I approached Ahmadi Muslims, they satisfied my thirst for answers, so much so that they told me to seek it myself through prayer and research. Brother Sabahus-Salaam spoke with deep emotion and gave thought provoking advice. Having come from a Christian background and having sacrificed many habits that are the norm in non-Muslim societies, he spoke with authority on the key points that da’in il’Allah should focus on: 1. From the outset I recognised that Islam was true but Muslims were not practicing Islam as it deserved to be practiced. 2. Having been introduced to Islam through the Jama’at President in Scotland, it was “Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam” that helped convince me that Hadhrat Masih-e-Ma’ud was true in his claim and was indeed sent from Allah. 3. It was the President Sahib that really touched me with one statement that lives with me and still resonates so strongly that it still affects me to this day. He said, “The Jama’at can give you a relationship with Allah…”. 4. Every Khadim should read about the Life of our Noble Prophet, Hadhrat , and act Muhammad upon the examples he showed throughout his life; this is not acted upon as much as it should be. 5. We have nothing to fear, and Hadhrat Masih-e-Ma’ud has armed us with all the arguments and proofs we need to make Islam victorious, we should stand on every corner and shout “La ilaha il’Allah…”, and we haven’t done enough thus far, but have all the facilities to do it successfully.

Brother Tommy Kallon explained that he was born into an Ahmadi family whose lineage reached up to a companion of Hadhrat Masih-e-Ma’ud but he went through a passage in his life that could be described as converting to Ahmadiyyat. At this stage he re-initiated his bond with Jama’at Ahmadiyya. He gave specific advice with reference to integration of those who newly enter into Jama’at Ahmadiyya: 1. Those who enter the Jama’at should be integrated slowly, be given some time to themselves, with a point of contact to whom they can go to for assistance.

It was the President Sahib that really touched me with one statement that lives with me and still resonates so strongly that it still affects me to this day. He said, “The Jama’at can give you a relationship with Allah…”.

2. They should be helped in order to assimilate them into the system of the Jama’at (Nizaam), and they should be made aware of the systems of hierarchy in the Jama’at and the various departments. Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Sahib, having listened to all the contributions asserted that the event was so successful and was such a good initiative that it should be made a regular event, but should be allotted more time. He concluded with a request to concentrate on prayers for ourselves, those who have recently accepted Ahmadiyyat and that steps be taken to assess our responsibilities and consequently identify what needs to be done to take the message of Islam to those who are either ignorant of it or just unaware of the verities placed therein. Imam Sahib concluded the event concurring with Sadr Sahib. He also

noted that the attendance was very encouraging, especially as this was the first event of its kind. He further requested that a concise report should be produced specifically addressing: 1. The attitude, approach and initiatives taken by da’in il’Allah 2. Remarks of converts 3. Tips for da’in il’Allah to help with the assimilation and integration of new Ahmadi’s In closing, Imam Sahib stated that one must preach by understanding and identifying the specific needs of the person. Islam was a cure, and for the cure, a malady needs to first be identified. He also asserted that da’in il’Allah should diagnose the needs of the person to whom they are preaching, and give appropriate books. The Holy Qur’an is undoubtedly the best book, but it serves no purpose until the person receiving it is cognisant of its worth, and this will only come about once a person has some basic knowledge of Islam and its teachings. Thus, appropriate books should be given; The Holy Qur’an should not always be given at the outset. Another important point made by Imam Sahib was the necessity of maintaining contact with their brothers after their acceptance of Islam. Further to this, he specifically stated that private sessions should take place for the teaching and training of brothers who accept Islam, in which certain fundamental topics should be addressed. A poignant closing remark sealed the evening, recognising that those who accept Islam, do so at a great cost and leave so much behind. To this effect, Imam Sahib stated that it is absolutely essential that we then give them something to attach onto. Paraphrasing a quote of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV he stated that one should “hold the hands of the converts until they are linked with Allah…”. The event was brought to a close with silent prayers, which was followed by Ishaa prayer. n

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PART 3 | News and events

Yasir Ahmad

by Najeeb Ahmad Faheem (District Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan)

Printed in the Tasheezul Adhan, Rabwah, Pakistan (March 2006)

The first Waqfe Nau child who gave his life in the way of Allah

y dear children, let me tell you a story about a lovely child. This child was not only loved by his mother, father, sister, brother and his neighbors but is also a favorite of Allah. Allah rewarded him with a great prize. Before I tell you about this dear child, lets talk about his home town. The name of that village is Mong. Mong’s history goes back two and half thousand years. Three hundreds years BC there was a fight between Raja Porus and Alexander the Great around this village. A minister of Raja Porus was named Mohga and that village was known by this name and later on with the time it changed into Mong. The population of this village is approximately twenty thousand. It has a boys high school and girls intermediate college. The Ahmadiyya Mosque in this village existed for more than 80 years. On Friday 7th October 2005 which was the first day of Ramadhan, after starting the fast, Ahmadi Muslims were offering their Fajr prayer in Baitul Hamd in Mong. Two mischievous persons started opened firing on the congregation. Consequently 16 Ahmadis were injured and eight sacrificed their life in the way of Allah. Among them there was a 14 yrs old child named Yasir Ahmad. Yasir Ahmad was in the 9th grade at school and by the grace of Allah he was member of the blessed Waqfe Nau scheme. Yasir Ahmad was a very simple natured person. All of his relatives, neighbours and fellow students were very happy with him. He never upset

anybody or hurt anyone. Instead he had a very helpful nature and always looked after his parents. He used to do the majority of indoor and outdoor household chores on his own as his father was old. Every morning fetch the milk from the other end of his village. As he used to help his parents, he similarly used to always help his friends. He used to carry one of his friend’s (who lived nearby) to and from school. He used to love Allah and Ahmadiyyat very deeply. He always used to try and offer his five daily prayers in the mosque and wanted to become a Murabi when he was older. Yasir Ahmad’s elder brother lives in Germany. He insisted many a time to go to Germany with him stating what will you do in Pakistan. Yasir used to reply by saying I am in Waqfe Nau and after doing my metric (equivalent to GCSE’s) I will train to be a Murabi and will serve the faith. Dear children, do you see how much Yasir Ahmad was proud of being Waqfe Nau and how much he wanted to fulfill his responsibilities because there was a great need of Murabis in the Jama’at in order for the true message of faith to spread to all the people of the world. Once Yasir Ahmad became addicted to playing video games and because of that a lot of his time was wasted playing that, which consequently started to affect his education. When his family came to know this, they advised him of the disadvantages of playing these games. Yasir then repented from playing video games and concentrated

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towards his education. When Yasir Ahmad got hit by the bullets during his prayer, he came out in the court yard and told one of his close friends that please save me “I’m in Waqfe Nau”. Yasir Ahmad’s father, Muhammad Aslam Sahib, who was also martyred in this attack, also had the honour of going to prison in the path of Allah (i.e. Aseeraan Rah-e-Maula). Yasir Ahmad’s family had a unique honour of having Hadhrat Khalifatul as a guest twice in Masih IV their home before he became a Khalifa. Just a day before the shooting, Thursday 6th October, Yasir took his elder sister to her house in another village called Wasoo. His brother-in-law, Basharat Ahmad Sahib who was Qaid Wasoo, insisted that Yasir must stay in their house for the night and the next morning he will drop him home. Yasir replied that he cannot stay the night because his father was ill and he had to administer his medicine, and if he didn’t go back his father would also have difficulty in getting the milk the next morning. So Yasir came back to his home the same night. When Huzur narrated the incident he mentioned a child. That child was this 14 years old Yasir Ahmad. In this incident 3 Ansar, 4 Khuddam and 1 Tifl were martyred in the way of Allah. The injured were 5 Ansar, 9 Khuddam and 2 Atfal. Verily we come from Him, verily to Him we return. n

PART 3 | News and events

Think not of those, who have been slain in the cause of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living, in the presence of their Lord, and are granted gifts from Him. —The Holy Qur’an, chapter 3, verse 170—

Those martyred at the shooting in Mong. Clockwise from top left: Yasir Ahmad Sahib, Muhammad Aslam Sahib, Raja Abdul Majeed Sahib, Raja Laher Assab Sahib, Ahmad Waheed Sahib (Naveed), Raja Altaf Mahmood Sahib, Raja Muhammad Ashraf Sahib, Raja Abid Mahmood Sahib.

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part 4  Islam Why I believe in Islam The following is an extract from the writing of Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad the Promised Messiah and Mahdi , founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam.

have been asked to state why I believe in Islam. When I put the question to myself, the reply I received was, for the same reason for which I believe in anything else, that is to say, because it is the truth. A more detailed reply would be that in my view the central doctrine of all religions is the existence of God and Man’s relationship with Him, so that the religion that can succeed in establishing a true relationship between God and Man must be true, and the truth of a faith is surely a sufficient reason for believing in it. Islam claims that the Creator of this universe is a living God and that He reveals Himself to His creatures in this age in the same manner in which He used to reveal Himself in the ages past. This claim can be tested in two ways. God may either manifest His signs direct for a seeker after Him, or the seeker may come to believe in God by studying the life of a person to whom God has revealed Himself. As by the Grace of God, I happen to be one of those people to whom God has on many occasion and in a supernatural way revealed Himself. I stand in need of no further reason for believing in the truth of Islam than that I have experienced the truth in my own person. For the benefit of people who have had no similar experience, however, I proceed to relate the grounds which, in addition to my personal experience, have been the cause of my believing in Islam.

 First of all, I believe in Islam for the reason that it does not compel me to accept all those matters, the sum total of which is called Religion, merely on authority but furnishes convincing arguments in support of its doctrines. The existence of God and the nature of His attributes, angels, prayer and its effects, Divine decrees and their sphere, worship and its need, Divine Law and its benefits, revelation and its importance, resurrection and the life after death, heaven and hell—with regard to every one of these—Islam has given detailed explanations and has established their truth with strong arguments to the satisfaction of the human mind. Islam, therefore, furnishes me not only with faith, but also with the certainty of knowledge which satisfies my intellect and compels it to admit the need of religion.  Secondly, I believe in Islam as it does not base itself upon the experience of people who have passed away, but invites everybody to a personal experience of that which it teaches and guarantees. It claims that every truth can, in some manner or the other, be put to the test in this world, and it thus satisfies my reason.  Thirdly, I believe in Islam as it teaches that there can be no conflict between the word of God and the work of God and thus resolves the supposed conflict between science and religion. It does not ask me to ignore the laws of Nature and to believe in things which are contrary to them. On the contrary,

12 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

—the second successor to

it exhorts me to study the laws of Nature and derive benefit from them. It teaches me that, as revelation comes from God and He also is the Creator of the universe, there can be no conflict between that which He does and that which He says. It invites me, therefore, in order to understand His revelation, to study His work, and in order to realize the significance of His work, to study His word, and thus satisfies my intellectual yearning.  Fourthly, I believe in Islam as it does not seek to crush my natural desires but guides them along right channels. It does not, by altogether crushing my desires, reduce me to a stone; nor does it, by leaving them uncontrolled and unrestrained, reduce me to an animal, but, like an expert irrigation engineer who harnesses uncontrolled waters and makes them run into irrigation channels, thereby bringing prosperity to waste areas, it converts my natural desires by proper control and guidance into high moral qualities. It does not say to me: God has given you a loving heart but forbids you to select a life companion, or that He has endowed you with the sense of taste and the capacity to appreciate good food, but has forbidden you to eat such food. On the contrary, it teaches me to love in a pure and proper way which would ensure through my progeny the perpetuation of all my good resolves. It permits me to use good food, but within proper limits, lest I should eat my fill and my neighbour should go hungry. By thus converting my natural

PART 4 | Islam desires into high moral qualities, it satisfies my humanity.  Fifthly, I believe in Islam for the reason that it has dealt fairly and lovingly not only with me but with the whole world. It teaches me not to discharge my duties towards myself but insists upon my dealing fairly with every other person and thing, and has furnished me with proper guidance for this purpose. For instance, It draws attention to the rights of parents and the duties which children owe to their parents. It admonishes the children to behave obediently and tenderly toward their parents, and has made the latter heirs to that which the former may leave. On the other hand, it enjoins love and affection upon the parents for their children and imposes upon them the duty of bringing up their children well, training them in good qualities and looking after their health, and has also made them heirs to their parents. Similarly, it enjoins the best relationship between husband and wife and requires each to have due consideration for the need and desires of the other and that they should behave affectionately towards each other. This was put beautifully by the Holy when Founder of Islam he said: “A person who mistreats his wife during the day and loves her at night, acts in complete contradiction to the beauty of human nature.” He also said: “The best of you are those who treat their wives best.” Islam has laid special stress upon the education and training of girls. The Holy Prophet has said: “A person who brings his daughter up well and gives her a good training and education, thereby earns paradise.”

Islam has made daughters the heirs of their parents along with the sons. Again, Islam has laid down fair rules for the guidance of the rulers and the ruled. It says to the rulers that the authority vested in them is not their private property but is a trust and that

they should discharge the obligations of that trust to the utmost, like upright and honest people, and should carry on government in consultation with the people. It says to the ruled, the power to choose your rulers has been bestowed upon you as a gift from God and you should, therefore, be careful to invest only such persons with governing authority as fully deserve it, and after vesting this authority in them, you should give them your fullest cooperation and should not rebel against them, for if you do so, you are merely seeking to demolish that which your own hands have built. Islam has also regulated the rights and duties of the employer and employed. It says to the employer: “you must render to the workman his full due even before his perspiration is dry on his body and should not look down upon those who work for you, for they are your brothers whose care has been entrusted to you by God and who are the true supporters of your prosperity. You should, therefore, not be so foolish to seek destroy that which constitutes your own support and the basis of your power”. It says to the workman: “when you are engaged to execute a piece of work for somebody, you should discharge your obligation honestly and with due care and diligence”. Islam says to those who have been endowed with abundance of physical health and strength that they should not behave oppressively towards the weak, nor treat contemptuously those who suffer from some physical defect of blemish; for these ought to excite one’s pity rather than one’s contempt. It says to the wealthy: “you have been charged with the duty of looking after the poor and you must set aside one fortieth of your substance every year so that it may be employed in the relief of poverty and distress and for the advancement of those who lack the means of advancement”. It teaches them not to enhance the disabilities of the poor by lending money to them on interest but to help them with free gifts

and free loans, pointing out that wealth is not given to a man that he may spend his life in luxury and riotous living, but that he should use it for the advancement of the whole of humanity and should thus deserve the best reward here and in the Hereafter. On the other hand, it also teaches to the poor not to look with envy and longing upon that which has been given to other people, as these feelings gradually darken the mind and disable a person from developing such good qualities as he himself has been endowed with. It, therefore, exhorts the poor to devote their attention towards developing such talents as God has bestowed upon them, so that they should progress along beneficent lines. It directs governments to afford facilities for the poorer sections of the community for such advancement and not to permit all wealth and power to be concentrated in a few hands. Islam reminds those whose ancestors had attained dignity and honour as the result of noble efforts that it is their duty to maintain that dignity and that honour with their own noble efforts, and it warns them against looking down upon others who have not been blessed in the same way, as God has made all mankind equal. It reminds them that God, who has bestowed these honours upon them, can bestow greater honours upon others, and that if they misuse the position to which they have been called and transgress against those who have not been similarly endowed, they will be laying the foundations of future transgressions against themselves by those who are now transgressed against. They should, therefore, take no pride in proclaiming their own greatness, but should take pride in helping others to become great, for true greatness belongs only to him who tries to raise his fallen brother to greatness. Islam teaches that no nation should transgress against another nation, nor should one state transgress against another, but that nations and states should cooperate with each other for 

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 the purpose of advancing the interests

of the whole Humanity. It forbids some nations and states and individuals from uniting with each other in order to conspire against other nations and states or individuals. On the other hand, it teaches that nations and states and individuals should covenant with each other to restrain each other from aggression and to cooperate with each other in advancing those that are backward.

In short, I find that Islam provides conditions of peace and comfort for me and for all those who may wish to tread the path prescribed by it, whoever they may be, whatever they may be and wherever they may be, in whatever position I place myself, I find that Islam is equally useful and beneficial for me, for my neighbours, for people whom I do not know and have not even heard of, for men and for women, for the aged and for the young, for the employer

14 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

and the employed, for the rich and for the poor, for great nations and for small, for internationalists and for the nationalists, and that it establishes a sure and certain relationship between me and my Maker. I believe in it and how indeed could I give it up and accept something else in its place. n

PART 4 | Islam

Hadhrat Ali The following article has been taken from An Outline of Early Islamic History by N. Soofi (Tabshir Publication, Rabwah, Pakistan, pp 193–223) cited in Al-Nahl (A Quarterly Publication of Majlis Ansarullah USA, volume 15, number 2).

fter the death of Hadhrat Uthman on 18 Zilhajj, 35th year of the Hijra, Hadhrat Ali was elected Khalifa. Hadhrat Ali was the first among the youth to accept Islam. He was a young boy then¹ and was a member of the Holy Prophet’s family. He was the Holy Prophet’s cousin, son-in-law and constant companion. When the Holy Prophet was forced to leave Mecca, Hadhrat Ali stayed behind. When the Quraish, who had planned to murder the Holy Prophet, found Hadhrat Ali in the Holy Prophet’s bed, they were beside themselves with rage and gave Hadhrat Ali a cruel beating. Hadhrat Ali took a gallant part in the wars of Islam. He was in every battle except Tabuk².

Hadhrat Ali Khalifa

elected

A few days after the death of Hadhrat Uthman , some Companions met Hadhrat Ali . They proposed that there should be a Khalifa. Hadhrat Ali said he would accept anyone they chose. They said there was none worthier than he. He declined. But when people insisted he agreed. In his first address as Khalifa, he said: “God has made the life of a Muslim the most valuable thing. He has enjoined unity and sincerity. A Muslim is one whose hand and tongue cause no harm to another Muslim. Remember the time when you were few and God made you many…”.

A few days later the Companions asked Hadhrat Ali to punish

the murderers of Hadhrat Uthman . Tension among Muslims ran high. They had been deeply hurt. Hadhrat Ali said he knew his duty well. Medina was still in the hands of rebels. Hadhrat Ali pleaded that he was as helpless as Hadhrat Uthman . He wanted time. He promised to punish the guilty as soon as he gained control.

Muawiya resists orders

Hadhrat Ali’s first official act was to appoint new governors. The old governors did not like this one bit. Muawiya, the governor of Syria, was particularly angry. At the same time, Muawiya was asked to pledge loyalty to the new Khalifa. Muawiya ignored the orders of the Khalifa. Suhail bin Hanif, the new governor, was not allowed to enter Syria by Muawia’s troops. There was great grief among the Companions over the murder of Hadhrat Uthman . Muawiya had displayed the deceased Khalifa’s blood-smeared cloak in the city mosque. This added fuel to the fire that burnt in the hearts of Muslims. Hadhrat Ali’s messenger was shown all this. In reply to Hadhrat Ali’s letter, Muawiya sent a blank paper through his own messenger. This messenger that fifty told Hadhrat Ali thousand elders were in tears over Hadhrat Uthman’s death. They wanted to avenge the murder of the old Khalifa. Hadhrat Ali said he had no hand at all in Hadhrat Uthman’s murder. Hadhrat Ali now knew that Muawiya would not submit. It was clear to him that war with Muawiya was the only course. But many leading Companions

were unwilling to fight fellow Muslims.

Hadhrat Ayesha a force

raises

In Mecca, conditions grew worse. Hadhrat Ayesha took up the cause of the late Khalifa. She appealed to the people to punish the rebels. They had, she said, taken away an innocent life. The rebels, she declared, had insulted the holy city in the holy month. Thousands came at her call. Abdullah bin Amir Hazri, governor of Mecca, offered to arm the force. It was a painful sight for the devout. According to historian Tabri, there was so much mourning that they had not seen anything like it before. Muslims were preparing to cut the throats of Muslims. That broke the hearts of many. When this force started many rebels joined it. They knew that was one sure way of escape. They also realized that it gave them a good chance of causing further trouble among Muslims. For peace was not to their advantage. They would be dealt with severely if order were restored. Hadhrat Ayesha proceeded to Basra. With her were Talha and Zobair. They were equally anxious to punish the killers of Hadhrat Uthman . When this army reached the Hawab Springs, dogs began to bark. Hadhrat Ayesha asked if they were at the Hawab Springs, for if they were she must go back. She explained that she had heard the Holy Prophet say, “Be not of those at whom the dogs of Hawab shall bark. “But forty members of the force swore that they were not at the Hawab Springs. When they were near Basra, bin Hanif, the governor, wanted to know what had brought 

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Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas said: the Messenger of Allah

 them there. Hadhrat Ayesha

explained the purpose of her visit. She invited him to join her in restoring order and in punishing the rebels. Bin Hanif refused and resisted. There was a fight. Bin Hanif was defeated but allowed to depart peacefully. Many rebels were captured and slain. Their relations and friends turned against Hadhrat Ayesha . When Hadhrat Ali learned of Hadhrat Ayesha’s march he set forth to Basra. He was determined to avoid bloodshed. There were not many people with him. The citizen’s of Medina were not willing to shed the blood of brother Musmen went lims. Hadhrat Ali’s to Kufa to enlist support. Hadhrat Ali wrote to them, “Our aim is peace. We want that there should again be unity among the people…”. In Kufa too the people were against war. Abu Musa al-Ashari was advising them against this grave step. He said to the citizens of Kufa, “O people, hear me. You should become the root and base of Arabia, so that the

said, “Whoever harms Ali, harms me”

against starting the fight. He then sent Qaqa bin Amar, a pious Companion, to Hadhrat Ayesha , Talha and Zubair. Qaqa asked Hadhrat Ayesha what had brought her there. She said her aim was peace. Talha and Zobair were also invited to the talk. They agreed that they had a similar aim. Then Qaqa asked Talha and Zobair how they proposed to achieve peace. They said that the only way to achieve peace was to punish the murderers of Hadhrat Uthman . Qaqa told them that they had killed the rebels of Basra. The result was that 6,000 Busrites had turned against them. When he further said that these very people gave shelter to rebel Harqus, Talha and Zobair had to keep quiet. Qaqa advised them to agree

“The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, “I am the city of learning and Hadhrat is its gate…” Ali

oppressed may seek your support and may find peace. O People! When trouble arises, it cannot be seen clearly. When it passes, the truth is known only then. We know not when this mischief started. Put your

leadership. to Hadhrat Ali’s When peace was restored, it would be easy to punish the rebels. He pleaded,

swords in your sheaths. Break your spears. O People! In times of trouble, the one who

“You were the key to peace. Be so now

sleeps is better than the one who stands;

too. Put neither yourselves nor us to hard-

and the one who stands is better than the

ship so that both are not ruined.”

one who is in it…”.

But Hasan succeeded in raising ten thousand men.

Peace parleys

When Hadhrat Ali was near Basra, he decided to stop at Zawiah. There he prayed for peace among Muslims and advised his followers

It was not a question of one man, he said; it concerned the whole community. It was agreed to make peace. When Hadhrat Ali learnt this he was very happy. A large party of honest Muslims welcomed the idea. Qaqa told the Muslims that they should go back. He informed them that he would be returning the next day. But those who

16 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

were party to the murder of Hadhrat Uthman should expect nothing from us, nor should they be any longer with us.

Panic among the rebels

This was very unhappy news for the rebels. They were therefore much disturbed. Ibn Saba, Ushtar, Khalid bin Baljam, Shart bin Baljam, Shart bin Abi Aufa and other ringleaders met to consider the course they should take. Ushtar said that the views of Talha and Zobair were known; they were after the blood of Hadhrat Uthman’s killers. But, he added, Hadhrat Ali knew more of the Book and respected it far more; he would therefore never spare them. He advised his party to finish Hadhrat Ali as they had finished Hadhrat Uthman . But others did not agree. Ibn Saba proposed that before Hadhrat Ali , Zobair and Talha could get together, they should start the fight. He said that once the ball was set rolling Hadhrat Ali’s hands would be forced. In the camp of Hadhrat Ayesha were to be found men of a similar type. One Abdul Jabr Ba advised Zobair to send one thousand men to surprise Hadhrat Ali. Zobair answered that he knew better. He hoped that there would be peace. They should therefore wait for that happy event. He said they had been invited to peace. Under the circumstances, whoever takes such a step without good cause shall be answerable to God. A party from Kufa sought Hadhrat Ali’s permission to start the battle. Hadhrat Ali said it was time to put out the fire. The other party, he said, was ready for peace. He hoped that they would all get united without war. He warned his followers

PART 4 | Islam that whoever started the fight today, he would be treated as Allah’s enemy. Many Muslims stood apart. Ahnaf bin Qais was one. He withdrew with 600 men. Hadhrat Ali , Talha and Zubair met at Basra. After some talk, they agreed to make peace.

Fighting flares up

They returned to their places for a restful night. But the rebels had planned differently. Their men were working in both camps. Early in the morning they started the battle. Soon both the armies were fighting. Leaders of both were surprised. Each one perceived the other had betrayed. Hadhrat Ali ordered his troops to stop fighting. Hadhrat Ayesha rushed on camel back to ask her army to do the same. But the battle went on. The rebels had started the fire. They were now fanning the flames. Hadhrat Ali’s gaze fell on Zobair. He called him. Both got so near that their horses stood close. Hadhrat Ali reminded him that once the Holy Prophet had said Zobair would fight Hadhrat Ali without just cause. Zobair said he remembered and left the battlefield. When Talha saw this he too made to go. Zobair was followed by a rebel and slain by him. The rebel Amr bin Jaimoz then hastened to Hadhrat Ali , saying, “I give the news of Zobair’s death…” Hadhrat Ali answered back, “I give you the tidings of Hell. For, I heard the Holy Prophet say that the slayer of Zobair will go to Hell…”. When Talha was seen departing, an enemy shot him down with an arrow. The battle raged around Hadhrat Ayesha’s mount. Hundreds of good Muslims defended it with their lives. Many fell in the field. Hadhrat Ali saw that this bloodshed would not stop so long as Hadhrat Ayesha’s camel was there. He ordered that the mount should be hamstrung. Instantly it went down. Hadhrat Ayesha was removed by

her own brother to safety. The battle ended. Ten thousand Muslims lost their lives. Hadhrat Ali felt deeply grieved. He offered prayers for the deceased. This happened on 20th Jamadius-Sani of the 36th year of the Hijra. Hadhrat Ali next called on Hadhrat Ayesha and arranged for her departure to Medina. He went a long way to see her off. Hasan and Husain accompanied her as far as three stages of her journey. Hadhrat Ayesha and Hadhrat Ali both regretted deeply the painful incident. Hadhrat Ayesha repented her mistake the rest of her life.

Hadhrat Ali’s Muawiya

letter to

According to Hadhrat Ayesha , his nights were spent in prayer and his days in fasting. Hadhrat Ali had great respect for the pious and made the poor his companions.

After conditions were settled in Basra, Hadhrat Ali made Kufa his capital. He had now time to turn his attention to Muawiya. He sent a letter to him: “Those who pledged loyalty to Abu Bakr and Omar have given their hands in my hand. Muhajir and Ansar have the right to choose the Khalifa. After their choice whoever holds back shall be forced. You should follow the example of Muhajirs and Ansars. There is peace and safety in it. Otherwise prepare for war. You have long made the case of the slayers of Hadhrat Uthman

an issue. After swearing

loyalty, put the case before me in proper manner. I will decide it according to the Book of Allah and the Sunna (way) of the Holy Prophet of Allah…”.

Muawiya consulted Amir bin Al-

Aas, one of the shrewdest men of his time. He was found willing to help Muawiya if he were promised Egypt as a gift. Muawyia gave the promise in writing. Amr bin al-Aas then told Muawiya to raise a strong feeling . He against Hadhrat Ali feared that it would not be easy to fight Hadhrat Ali . He advised him therefore to convince Muslims from Syria that Hadhrat Ali had a hand in the murder of Hadhrat Uthman . That could be done through Sharjil bin Samat Kandi. Sharjil commanded great influence. If he could be assured that Hadhrat Uthman had been slain with the help of Hadhrat Ali , the rest would he easy. People would believe him and then they would fight. Sharjil was won over. He was so convinced, that he warned Muawiya against making peace with Hadhrat Ali. If he did, he would be forced out of Syria, threatened the Kandi chief. Next Muawiya told Sharjil that it was necessary to educate public opinion on the point. Sharjil went round the whole country. Soon people were behind Muawiya. The sight of Hadhrat Uthman’s blood-soaked cloak added fuel to fire. The feelings of the Syrians were excited. They swore swift revenge on the new Khalifa.

Muawiya’s letter to Hadhrat Ali The devout Muslims were, however, against further bloodshed. They were working for peace. Abu Muslim Kholani met Muawiya. He pointed out that he was not an equal of Hadhrat Ali . He further said that he had no cause to fight Hadhrat Ali. Muawiya agreed that he could not claim to be Hadhrat Ali’s equal. All that he wanted was that Hadhrat Ali should hand over to him the slayers of Hadhrat Uthman . Abu Muslim Kholani asked him to give him his demand in writing. He undertook to present it to Hadhrat Ali . Muawiya addressed a letter to Hadhrat Ali . 

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PART 4 | Islam

Map showing the expansion of the Muslim Empire. Source: Al-Khulafa Ar-Rashidun by S.A.Khulusi (Ta Ha Publishers)



The letter said, “We understood you claim that you had no hand in Hadhrat Uthman’s murder. If you are right, then hand over his killers to us. We will then swear loyalty to you. If you refuse to do so, then by Allah we will search out the slayers of Hadhrat Uthman

in the sea or in the land

and kill them or give our lives…”.

Abu Muslim presented this letter to Hadhrat Ali in Kufa. He said to Hadhrat Ali , “You are the Khalifa. If you do the duties of Khilafat, by God, we do not prefer anyone else to you, for this position. Hadhrat Uthman

was murdered without

good cause. Pray hand over his murderers to us…”.

Next day Abu Muslim again met Hadhrat Ali in the mosque. A large crowd was shouting there, “We are all the slayers of Hadhrat Uthman …”. When Abu Muslim saw this, he at once knew the real situation. Hadhrat Ali told him that

it was not in his power to catch hold of the murderers of Hadhrat Uthman . He wrote back to Muawiya that he had nothing to do with the crime. He further advised Muawiya to give up this silly attitude. He warned him that if he persisted in making trouble, he would be treated as a rebel.

Hadhrat Ali Syria

marches to

When Hadhrat Ali saw that war could not be avoided, he marched to Syria with an army 60,000 strong. Muawiya was already in the battlefield. He had occupied the waterfront. The Syrians did not allow the troops of Hadhrat Ali anywhere near water. When their hardship increased, Iraqis became very desperwas not in ate. Hadhrat Ali favour of starting the fight, but they could not die of thirst. An attack was made and Syrians were ousted from their positions. Now Syrian troops were without water. Muawiya began to fear the worst. Amr bin al-Aas, however, comforted him, saying Hadhrat Ali

18 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

would certainly let them have water. He was right. Hadhrat Ali let Syrians have as much water as they wanted. The two armies lay there face to face. Even in the battlefield some Muslims were working for peace. And peace seemed very much in sight. Men of both armies freely met each other. After three months, minor clashes took place. There was no large-scale fighting. Again, there was calm on account of Rajab, Shaaban and Ramadhan, the three months of peace. During this interval efforts for peace were renewed. Envoys visited both Hadhrat Ali and Muawiya. But there was no agreement. Finally, Hadhrat Ali warned the Syrians to be prepared for war. He said he had done his best to come to terms. He had invited them to the Book of God but they had not cared.

Bloodied battle at Siffin

Hadhrat Ali at the same time warned his troops against making the first attack. No one was to pursue the fleeing enemy, none was to hurt the wounded, none was to kill or hit

PART 4 | Islam women and none was to enter houses. In the beginning there was limited fighting. Later, a general attack was ordered. The battle lasted long and was bloody. Some 7,000 Muslims were killed. The heart of many pious men bled at the sight. Ashas bin Qais Kandi, a chief of Hadhrat Ali’s army, said to his people that a bloodier battle had not been fought and if another one like it took place Arabs will be ruined and they will lose all respect. Hadhrat Ali was of a different mind. He knew Muawiya was losing and if the battle continued for some time more, victory was theirs.

Muawiya’s ruse succeeded

Muawiya was in panic. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. He consulted Amr bin al-Aas. Amr had already a plan in mind. He advised Muawiya to invite Hadhrat Ali to the Book of Allah. His idea was that if Hadhrat Ali refused, his own army would be split in two. One section would agree to the proposal and the other would not. A division in Hadhrat Ali’s camp would force him to end war. Soon Muawiya’s men raised the Holy Book aloft. There were thousands of them holding the Qur’an and calling Hadhrat Ali to refer the dispute to God’s Book. They said, “O Arabs! for God’s sake save your womenfolk and your children from Persians and Romans. If Syrians are finished who will defend Syria? If Iraqis are finished who will defend Iraq? Come, let us agree to make the Holy Qur’an our judge. The decision of the Holy Book should be binding on both sides…”.

The plan succeeded. Hadhrat Ali protested aloud that it was a ruse. But his men would not listen to him. A large section supported the proposal of Muawiya’s men. They said, “We were fighting the Syrians to make them follow the Holy Book. Now when they invite us to it, how can we reject the proposal?” Muawiya wrote

to Hadhrat Ali asking him to end enmity and make friends. He said that much blood had been shed and that war should be stopped. He repeated the offer to make the Holy Qur’an the judge.

Truce declared

When Hadhrat Ali saw that his men were sold on the idea, he accepted the offer. But he warned his army that they were throwing away foolishly their victory. The war ended. Both parties chose their nominees. Hadhrat Ali nominated Abu Musa Alashari, against his better judgment. Abu Musa was an old Companion, a good soldier, honest and straight and pious. But he was a simple man who could be deceived easily. Hadhrat Ali was not willing to nominate him. But his men would agree to no one else. Muawiya nominated Amr bin al-Aas, a man of great wisdom and experience. He had an astute mind and knew how to get out of a difficult situation. When the two judges sat together, Amr bin al-Aas had had no difficulty in dealing with Alashari. He proposed that both Hadhrat Ali and Muawiya should be declared unfit for the Khilafat. Abu Musa Alashari readily agreed. Amr bin al-Aas showed great respect for the age and piety of Abu Musa and begged of him to announce his decision first and said that he would follow him, being his junior. Abu Musa felt very grateful for this considerate treatment. He announced the agreed decision. He was followed by Amr bin al-Aas. Amr said that he agreed with the dismissal of Hadhrat Ali but had decided in favour of Muawiya. When Abu Musa heard this, he made a big, protest. But the mischief had been done.

Split in Hadhrat Ali’s ranks

The war had ended. The army was in no mood to resume fighting. It was waiting for the decision of the judges. Some of them were against the very idea of making two men judges in a

matter of faith. They believed that only Allah’s decision was valid in these questions and that no man could be the judge. They therefore turned against . They believed Hadhrat Ali he had made a mistake and was unfit to be Khalifa. Yet Hadhrat Ali was totally against the proposal from the very start. He was also against Abu Musa Alashari being made a judge. He had warned them but instead of blaming themselves for the blunder they blamed Hadhrat Ali . Hadhrat Ali could not accept a wrong decision. The judges had to give an agreed decision. One judge had cheated the other. At the same time, the judges had not to decide the question of Khilafat. They had to decide about the causes of the war and how best to remove them peacefully. The issues, which were clear in the field of battle, were lost sight of in the chamber of peace. Hadhrat Ali again prepared for war. His army was, however, divided. One section started back homewards. Hadhrat Ali could not take to the field against Muawiya again. He and his men returned to Iraq.

Iraqi rebels make trouble

On return to Kufa, Hadhrat Ali again raised a big army to fight Muawiya. An 80,000 strong force was ready. But the rebels in Hadhrat Ali’s camp made trouble in many places. When they returned to Iraq they had formed a new party. They chose Abdullah bin Wahb Rasibi as their leader and declared war on Hadhrat Ali . They were known as the Khawarij and were 12,000 in number. They claimed they were good Muslims and that Hadhrat Ali had acted against the Holy Qur’an. They incited men to war against him. They had no mercy for those who differed with them. Hadhrat Ali did his best to persuade them to give up their false ideas but their attitude grew harder. In a letter to them, Hadhrat Ali wrote, 

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PART 4 | Islam



“Those whom we made judges followed their own desires and decided against the Book of Allah. We therefore rejected their decision and are back to the original position, (i.e., the state of war). We are going to fight our and your enemies. May Allah have mercy on you. Join us. We will fight until God makes a decision and He is the best Judge…”.

Khawarij cause havoc

The Khawarij were very bitter. They refused to join Hadhrat Ali. Instead they declared war on him. They were openly against law and order. Wherever they went they called upon people to rise and follow them. Whoever refused was instantly put to death. One old Companion, Abdullah bin Khabbab and his wife were cruelly slain. Their only fault was that they had a good opinion of Hadhrat Ali . The Khawarij also savagely killed some women. When the news reached Kufa, there was great anger among Hadhrat Ali’s men. They requested him to put down the Khawarij rebels before going to battle against Muawiya. Hadhrat Ali agreed as it was very important to have peaceful conditions at home for success at the battlefront abroad. He marched to Nehrvan, the centre of the Khawarij. He sent word to the rebels to hand over the murderers of peaceful and pious citizens. He offered to go back if the demand was accepted. The Khawarij answered back that they all were responsible for the murders and that they had acted justly and would be much pleased to slay him too. Hadhrat Ali gave them still another chance. He sent Abu Ayub Ansari and Qais bin Saad Ansari to persuade the rebels to give up their foolish attitude. But they did not like to make peace. Hadhrat Ali next went himself and reminded them that he was against Muawiya’s proposal. He told them that the Khawarij had themselves given it their warm support. He said they had only to blame themselves. But the rebels were determined to battle

against him. Hadhrat Ali still wanted to avoid bloodshed. He gave an open offer of peace to all. A party of 500 men left the Khawarij. Their leader, Fardah Ashjai, had grave doubts about the good faith of Khawarij. Similarly, another big group deserted them. One thousand walked over to Hadhrat Ali . Only 4,000 men were left with Abdullah bin Wahab Rasibi.

The battle of Nehrwan

Hadhrat Ali watched the situation patiently. He forbade his men to attack. The rebels had no such regard for peace. They made a fierce rush and fought with mad courage. Hadhrat Ali’s forces stood firm. After a bitter battle the Khawarij were defeated. Most of them fell in the battlefield. After putting down the rebels, Hadhrat Ali called upon his troops to march to Syria. There were many among them who were not willing to do so. They were in poor spirit. One of their chiefs, Ashas bin Qais Kandi, said, “We are short of arrows; our swords are gone blunt and our spears are in bad shape. Let us now return to our homes to prepare better for the battle with the enemy…”.

When Hadhrat Ali found his men were half-hearted, he decided to march back to Kufa.

Situation in Egypt

The war with Muawiya had not ended. Egypt was still under Hadhrat Ali . It was being governed wisely by Saad bin Qais. He was an old Companion and very loyal to the Khalifa. Muawiya tried to win him over. He turned down all the offers made by Muawiya. He had treated with great mildness all the sections of the Egyptians. The people of Kharbata had not agreed to the Khilafat of Hadhrat Ali . But they were willing to pay the tax. Saad left them in peace. Muawiya realized that Saad could not be purchased. He tried to cause doubts

20 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

in Hadhrat Ali’s camp about his loyalty. He spread the story that Saad was at heart a friend of Muawiya. That is why it was said he had been so nice to the people of Kharbata. The story was believed and Saad was recalled. Muhammad bin Abu Bakr became the new governor of Egypt. Saad warned him against disturbing the peace of Kharbata. His view was that they were not with Muawiya; that they were paying the tax and that if they were forced to accept Hadhrat Ali as Khalifa, they would become enemies and join Muawiya. But Muhammad bin Abu Bakr was young and hot-headed. He disregarded this sound advice and took armed action against Kharbata. He was defeated. Now agents of Muawiya openly started working against Hadhrat Ali. Muawiya bin Khadij Kandi called for action against the slayers of Hadhrat Uthman . Egypt was in a state of red-hot anger. Hadhrat Ali sent Ushtar to help Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. Before Ushtar could enter Egypt, he was poisoned by an agent of Muawiya at a banquet arranged in his honour. Feeling in Egypt was now very much against Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. Muawiya was not slow to make use of the situation. He sent an army under Amr bin al-Aas. With the help of Muawiya bin Khadij Kandi, Amr put Muhammad bin Abu Bakr to flight. The Kandi chief pursued him. He was captured alive and begged for water before being put to death. Khadij Kandi refused to give him water. He said to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, “May God give me not a drop of water if I give you water. You had stopped water for Hadhrat Uthman

and he was

slain in a state of great thirst. I must kill you. God will give you a drink of boiling water in the next world…”.

Khadij Kandi slew Muhammad bin Abu Bakr and burned his dead body.

Muawiya organises country wide raids

PART 4 | Islam Egypt was now part of Muawiya’s state. Muawiya started raids on other regions held by Hadhrat Ali. Noman bin Bashir was sent with a big force to Ainultamar. Malik bin Kaab, Hadhrat governor, defeated him Ali’s after a big battle. Sufiyan bin Auf raided Ambar and looted whatever he could get hold of. Said bin Qais led a big force against him. Sufiyan retreated to Syria without giving battle. Muawiya sent another army to Taima. Its commander, Abdullah bin Masada Fazari raided Mecca and Medina. Hadhrat Ali sent a force under Musib bin Majid Fazari. Abdullah took refuge in a fort in Taima. Musib set the fort on fire. Abdullah made peace and was al-

“As his constant companion, first cousin and son-in-law, had the Hadhrat Ali good luck to serve the Holy with Prophet devotion and loyalty.”

lowed to return with his men. A 3,000 strong army of Syrians raided Vaqusa valley. After a clash with Hadhrat Ali’s forces at Taqmur, the Syrians marched back home. Abdur Rahman bin Qabas attacked Jazira with a small force. He suffered a heavy defeat and was chased as far as Baalbek. Another battle took place between the forces of Hadhrat Ali and Muawiya in Daumatuljandal. Muawiya’s army was defeated after heavy fighting. Muawiya had an eye on the Hedjaz. He sent a large force under Basar to Medina. Hadhrat Ali’s governor Abu Ayub Ansari, an old Companion, did not want any fighting in Medina. He left peacefully. Basal next marched on Yemen, where he murdered the small children of Obaidullah bin Abbas, grandsons of Abbas, an uncle of the Holy Prophet . Hadhrat Ali sent a force of 4,000 under Jariah. Basar was raiding Najran

at the time. When he learnt that the Khalifa’s army was on the way, he made off quietly.

Peace between Hadhrat Ali and Muawiya

The war between Hadhrat Ali and Muawiya was causing serious loss to the lives, property and honour of Muslims. Hadhrat Ali wanted peace. Muawiya wanted power. But Muawiya realized that war would not bring him into power as long as Hadhrat Ali was there. In the fortieth year of the Hijra, peace was made. Muawiya got Syria, Egypt and other western areas. Hadhrat Ali had under him Arabia, Iraq, Iran and all the eastern regions. Hadhrat Ali had had no peace all this time. He had been constantly engaged in battle with Muawiya. Still he had kept the Eastern frontier secure. In fact, some advance was made in Sistan and also beyond Kabul. A naval attack was made on the Kokan region of South India. There were revolts in many parts of Iran, but they were successfully put down.

Khawarij seek Hadhrat Ali’s downfall

Hadhrat Ali now could spare time and effort to restore peace and order. But his secret enemies were still very active. The Khawarij had been badly beaten. They had no great strength left to prepare for revolt. But they could still do a lot of mischief. Three young men of their camp met together and decided to put an end to three powerful leaders of the Muslim world. Abdul Rahman bin Baljam was to slay Hadhrat Ali , Bark bin Abdullah was to kill Muawiya and Amr bin Baler was to murder Amr bin AlAas. They fixed the date, place and the time for their wicked crime. Bark bin Abdullah attacked Muawiya who was seriously wounded. Amr bin Bakr attacked Amr bin Alas, who escaped. Another man who was leading the prayer in the absence of Amr bin al-Aas, was killed instead.

Abdur Rahman bin Baljam succeeded in slaying Hadhrat Ali in the mosque. The murderer was caught and brought before Hadhrat Ali . He ordered that he should be slain after his (Hadhrat Ali ) death but should not be harmed in the meantime. Hadhrat Ali breathed his last after three days. He was 63 years old at the time of his death. His rule had lasted four years and nine months. The sad event took place on the 20th of Ramadhan of the 40th year of the Hijra. Hadhrat Ali was a man of great parts. He was known and respected for his wisdom, piety, knowledge and judgment. He was held in great esteem by the Holy Prophet . As his constant companion, first cousin and son-in-law, Hadhad the good luck to hrat Ali serve the Holy Prophet with devotion and loyalty. A soldier, a wit, a statesman, a general, a poet and an orator, Hadhrat Ali had all the virtues of a great leader. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, “I am the city of learning and Hadhrat Ali is its gate…”. Hadhrat Ali was the bravest soldier of Islam in the battlefield. But he never took to war until he was forced to do so. The first to sheathe his sword, he was the last to unsheathe it. But once unsheathed, there was nothing but sure death for the enemy. Hadhrat Ali had seen both poverty and plenty. His good wife, the lady Fatima, led a hard life for a long time. Hadhrat Ali could not earn enough for many years to give the family a square meal. But there never was a happier and more contented household. Even when Hadhrat Ali grew rich and could pay as much as 40,000 dirhams as zakat-tax, many a time the family had to go hungry, for, they gave away generously to the needy. Hadhrat Ali was a very great believer in the rule of law. Muawiya once accused him of rebelling against the earlier Khalifas. In very 

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PART 4 | Islam

 touching words, Hadhrat Ali

observed, “I seek the protection of Allah against rebellion…”. He was also unjustly accused of aiding the slayers of Hadhrat Uthman . He said that he was the most innocent of all the Quraish in the matter of Hadhrat Uthman’s murder. In a stiff letter to Muawiya he said that it was Muawiya who could help Hadhrat Uthman but did not when the old Khalifa needed it urgently but came forward only when he was beyond the reach of all human aid. When accused of delay in taking action against the murderers of Hadhrat Uthman , Hadhrat Ali said, “I was as helpless as was Hadhrat Uthman …“.

Hadhrat Ali

, a just man

As a ruler, Hadhrat Ali was strict in dispensing justice and very generous in the treatment of non-Muslim citizens. He kept a stiff watch on his governors and officers. Once a canal that watered the lands of non-Muslims became dry, Hadhrat Ali wrote to the governor to get it repaired. He said, “By my life, I love it more that it should be restored than that the non-Muslim should

leave the land or become poor and helpless or become unable to take part in the progress of the country…”.

To the collectors of taxes, Hadhrat Ali issued a standing order: do not cause trouble to Muslims. Let them not feel that your presence among them is misfortune. Take not of their property more than what is God’s due. To whichever tribe you go, behave with calmness and quiet dignity and tell them, “O servants of Allah, God’s Khalifa has sent us to you to get from your property Allah’s share. Tell us therefore from which of you the zakat (tax) is due...”.

Once he lost his armour. It fell into the hands of a Jew. Hadhrat Ali sued him in the court. When asked if he had any proof, Hadhrat Ali said he had none. The court decided in favour of the Jew. Hadhrat Ali accepted the decision. The Jew was so much moved by this act of justice that he forthwith became a Muslim. Though very tender of heart, Hadhrat Ali had no mercy for the criminal. He kept strict watch on weights, measures and prices. Hadhrat Ali took particular

care of public property. He drew a very small sum from the treasury for his expenses. Once he was shivering in cold and had only an old garment to cover his body. A man suggested to him to draw more from the treasury for himself and his family. Hadhrat Ali answered back, “I would not hurt your rights…”. His faithful servant Qambar could not bear the sight of his master’s distress. One day he put aside some gold and silver. Wanting to give Hadhrat Ali a pleasant surprise; he asked him to have a look. When Hadhrat Ali saw the precious articles, he said to Qambar, “May your mother weep over you. You want to throw my household in such a big fire…”. Then he distributed all the costly things among the needy Muslims. Hadhrat Ali’s life was full of piety and prayer. According to , his nights Hadhrat Ayesha were spent in prayer and his days in fasting. Hadhrat Ali had great respect for the pious. He made the poor his companions. The rich and powerful could expect no undue favour and the weak never despaired of justice from him. n

Footnotes 1. Editor’s Footnote: In Suyuti’s ‘History of the Khalifas who took the right way’, Suyuti states that Hadhrat Ali accepted Islam when he was approximately 10 years of age. 2. Editor’s Footnote: It was on this occasion that the Holy Prophet instructed Hadhrat Ali to deputise in his place in Medina during the Battle of Tabuk. Hadhrat Ali’s initial reaction was one of sadness, as he thought that he would miss out on the blessings of Allah

by not participating in the cause of Islam. The Holy Prophet assured him by saying, “Are you not pleased to be in the same relation to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there is no prophet after me?” The Ulema have used this hadith to back up their stance that there will be no prophet, even a non-law bearing prophet, after the Holy Prophet . However, they should ponder over the first part of the hadith; the fact that two prophets existed at and the same time i.e. Moses

22 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

Aaron . However, this was not necessary during the time of the Holy Prophet , as all excellences were found in him alone and he was able to bear the burden of delivering the Shariah to mankind. Nevertheless, Hadhrat Ali had the honour of deputising in place of the Holy Prophet while he was away from Medina, just as Aaron deputised for Moses when he went to the mountain to receive the commandments from Allah.

PART 4 | Islam

Prophet Adam By Syed Mashhood Ahmad and Sajeela Ahmad

efore we begin our life sketch of the Prophet Adam , it must be made clear that we are referring to the Adam of our generation. There have been many civilizations that existed prior to our own, and in each civilization existed Adam, in some form or other. Muhyi al-Din Ibn Arabi lends support to this view in the form of a dream. In this dream Ibn Arabi saw himself performing a circuit of the Ka’ba when a man claiming to be one of his ancestors appeared before him. Ibn Arabi asked how long it had been since he had died. To which the man replied, more than 40,000 years. On reflection, Ibn Arabi realized that this period was a lot longer than the period which separated us from Adam. The man then asked Ibn Arabi as to which Adam he was referring to. The Adam who was nearest to him, or the Adam of another civilization. In light of the saying of the Holy Prophet that Allah had created no less than 100,000 Adams (Futuhat, volume III, page 607), Ibn Arabi came to the conclusion that his ancestor must have been one of the previous Adams. Hence, when a civilization becomes corrupt and immoral, Allah destroys it and replaces it with another. The leader of each civilization is Adam. It is possible that the race that existed before Adam was not completely annihilated but a small group remained, of which Adam was chosen to be the progenitor of a new civilization. The Qur’an provides evidence in support of this claim when Allah says to the Angels, “I am about to place a vicegerent in the

gerent’ can be used to denote someone who comes after and stands in place of another, a supreme religious head or a sovereign ruler. The Qur’anic verse quoted above refutes the Christian belief and the belief of some Muslims that Adam was the first man on Earth, for in order for Adam to be a vicegerent he needed to rule over a group of people. The next Qur’anic verse with regards to Prophet Adam is “And He taught Adam all the names”. The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 32

Whereas some commentators maintain that Allah taught Adam the names of different objects, in light of the Qur’anic verse: “And to Allah alone belong all perfect attributes. So call on Him by these attributes. And leave alone those who deviate from the right way with respect to His attributes. They shall be requited for what they do.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 7, verse 181

it is clear that Adam was taught the attributes of Allah. Adam must have already been taught a language by Allah, but in order for him to perfect himself morally, Adam needed to know Allah’s attributes. By attaining a sound knowledge of Allah’s attributes, man is able to pray to Allah, and thus achieve nearness to Him.

us in several places in the Holy Qur’an that an Angel’s job is to obey Allah (see chapter 66, verse 7 of the Holy Qur’an for reference on Angels). It is impossible for an Angel to disobey Allah. Thus, Iblis could not have been an Angel. The Holy Qur’an categorically describes Iblis as one of the jinn (secret creation, see chapter 18, verse 51 of the Holy Qur’an for definition of Iblis) whose aim was to take men away from the right path. The term jinn can also be applied to men. It is possible that Iblis was a man. Perhaps he was a chief of one of the tribe’s of Adam who refused to follow Adam because he deemed himself too high. Such a possibility cannot be ruled out as in almost all cases of Prophets, there has always been one major player who was powerful and opposed Prophets (e.g. Abu Jahl opposed the Holy Prophet , Pharaoh opposed Moses, etc.) ‘Iblis’ is used only with reference to Adam as the being who refused to submit. When a being turns men away from the straight path, the term ‘Satan’ is applicable. The following verse in the Holy Qur’an with regards to Hadhrat Adam discusses Allah’s commandment to Adam and his wife to live happily in the garden, but forbids them to approach a particular tree. Whereas the previous verse introduced Iblis, the following introduces Adam’s wife, Eve.

“And remember the time when We said to

“And We said ‘O Adam, dwell thou and

the Angels, ‘Submit to Adam,’ and they all

thy wife in the garden, and eat therefrom

submitted. But Iblis did not. He refused and

plentifully where ever you will, but ap-

deemed himself too big; and he was of the

proach not this tree, least you be of the

disbelievers.”

wrongdoers.’”

The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 35

The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 36

Earth” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 31

According to Lane, the word ‘vice-

This verse introduces Iblis. Who is Iblis? It must first be made clear that Iblis was not an Angel. For Allah tells

The English name ‘Eve’ is derived from the Hebrew, “Hawwa”, which means a living being. The garden which 

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PART 4 | Islam

 Allah gave refuge to Adam and Eve in

has been cited by most researchers as the garden of Eden in Iraq. Allah tells Adam and Eve to eat plentifully from wherever they will. We are able to infer from this that the land in which Adam and Eve were placed was abundant with food and fertile soil. It is possible that Allah had established some form of eco-system for the people so that they may live in comfort. In fact, in Sumerian the word “Eden” meant simply “fertile plain.” (Note: the Sumerians were a prehistoric group who are believed to be the first to introduce writing). Allah enabled Adam and Eve to live as they pleased in the land, but gave them one simple prohibition. Allah made it clear to Adam and Eve not to approach a particular tree. The Arabic term for a tree has multiple meanings. The term could signify the stock or origin of a man, confusion, disagreement and quarreling (due to the intermingling of the branches), and tribe, among other definitions. Thus, the verse could mean that Adam was commanded to keep away from quarreling. At times quarreling and arguing can be unhealthy as it can lead to relationships breaking down or encouraging the opponents to be more aggressive. The verse could also mean that Adam was commanded to keep away from a certain tribe or family as they were enemies of Adam and could do him harm. “But Satan caused them both to slip by means of it and drove them out of the state in which they were.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 37

It is important to note here that it was Satan and not Iblis who caused Adam and Eve to disobey Allah’s commandment. As previously mentioned, Iblis is used in the Qur’an with reference to the being who refused to serve Adam whereas Satan caused Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden tree. The Qur’an provides details as to how Satan caused Adam and Eve to slip. Satan made evil suggestions to them so that

Allah made it clear to Adam and Eve not to approach a particular tree. The Arabic term for a tree has multiple meanings including quarreling and a certain tribe or family.

he might make known to them what was hidden from them of their shame and said, “Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree, lest you become Angels or lest you become

to submit to Adam, it is possible that the individual who led Adam and his spouse to transgress from the straight path was a man. He swore he was a sincere counselor to Adam: And he swore to them, saying,

of the immortals.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 7, verse 21

“Surely I am a sincere counsellor unto you.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 7, verse 22

Being sure in the knowledge that Satan was not the being who refused

24 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

and assured him that there was no

PART 4 | Islam harm to go and associate with this tree/tribe. Such is its nature, at times that Satan can even deceive Prophets, but note that Adam did not actually commit a sin as explained later. “And We said, ‘Go forth hence; some of you are enemies of others and for you there is an abode in the earth and a provision for a time.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 37

In the verse Allah banishes Adam, Eve and their small community from the garden and provides them with an abode, somewhere else in the Earth. Where it says “…some of you are enemies of others…”. This can have two possible meanings. Firstly, that the garden which Allah had placed Adam and Eve in was very peaceful. One can imagine that the small community who resided there lived in harmony. This would explain the significance of Allah telling them that they are now enemies of each other. Secondly, the statement could mean that there is now Satan amongst them, which causes them to be enemies of each other. As a result of Adam and Eve being tempted by Satan to approach the tree, and their failing to resist him, Satan had prevailed and was now permanently amongst their people. This is supported in the Holy Qur’an when Allah tells us that Iblis says, “Then will I surely come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, and Thou wilt not find most of them to be grateful.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 7, verse 18

Allah ends verse 37 of chapter 2 of the Holy Qur’an by declaring that Adam and Eve have a ‘provision for a time’. By making such a declaration to Adam and Eve, Allah is sending out a universal message to all of Mankind that this life is only temporary, and that we must one day return to our Master. So our efforts should always be focused

to the Hereafter, not this life. Moving on to verse 23 of chapter 7, Allah says, “So he caused them to fall into disobedience and deceit”. This is with regards to Satan. It is then written, “And when they tasted of the tree…”. This, of course, is a metaphorical term, meaning, and when they associated with the tree or tribe. “…their shame became manifest to them…”. The shame that is being referred to here is Adam’s weakness. For Adam was now aware that he was able to be deceived by Satan. The Qur’an makes it clear that this shame was only manifest to Adam and Eve, not to the rest of the community. As a result “…they began to stick the leaves of the Garden together over themselves”.

Adam was taught a beautiful prayer by Allah: “They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves and if Thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, we shall surely be of the losers.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 7, verse 24

In light of the previously discussed verse (chapter 2, verse 32) Allah taught Adam all the names (i.e. all of Allah’s attributes). Having learnt the attributes of Allah, Adam was able to call on Him for prayer. Allah ends the following verse from the same chapter with a promise to Adam and his people. “We said. ‘Go forth hence, all of you. And if there comes to you guidance from Me,

“What must be understood is that Adam did not actually commit a sin”

The Arabic term “leaves” has multiple meanings. Lane cites these meanings as foliage, parchment, the young lads of a community, among other definitions. Thus, as opposed to the literal meaning, the verse could mean that Adam and Eve rallied together the young lads from amongst their people and went forth to establish their own community elsewhere. It is usually youngsters who are more open-minded and care-free, as opposed to the elder generation, who are generally set in their ways. Thus, it was the youngsters who were willing to follow Adam in migrating from the garden to a neighboring land. What must be understood is that Adam did not actually commit a sin, the following verse points this fact out: “And verily, We had made a covenant with

then whoso shall follow My guidance, on them shall come no fear nor shall they grieve.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 39

Allah declares that after Adam there shall come guidance from other righteous prophets from among Adam’s progeny who will call people to the truth. Along with this promise, Allah also gives the people glad tidings that those who follow these chosen servants of Allah shall neither be fearful, nor shall they grieve. As well as giving glad tidings to the people of Adam, Allah also warns them. “But they who will disbelieve and treat Our signs as lies, these shall be the inmates of the Fire; herein shall they abide.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 2, verse 40

When a righteous caller unto truth appears in the world, amongst those who accept him, there will also be those who reject him. In this verse Allah warns these rejecters of truth, that for them will be a grievous punishment. n

Adam beforehand, but he forgot, and We found in him no resolve to disobey Us.” The Holy Qur’an, chapter 20, verse 116

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part 5 

Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam

Similarities between Hadhrat Ahmad and Hadhrat Isa Extract from “Narrative of Two Martyrdoms” by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah . These were the ideas that I conveyed to Sahibzada Maulvi Abdul Latif Sahib, the Martyr, and the point that I explained to him at the end was that from the religious point of view, Jesus had the following sixteen distinctive peculiarities: 1. According to the old scriptures, he was a Prophet and a Messiah who had been promised to the Children of Israel. 2. Jesus had appeared at the time when the Jews had lost their independence and political power, although it is not improbable that some of them who had migrated to foreign lands might have succeeded in establishing their principalities, as is believed that they dominated in Afghanistan and Kashmir. A few centuries later, they embraced Islam and became the masters of Afghanistan and Kashmir as history bears testimony to this fact. However, at the birth of Jesus, they had lost their independence in Palestine and were living as subjects of the Romans. There is a great resemblance between the Romans of that time and the British of today. 3. The third resemblance is that Jesus appeared at a time when the Jews were divided into many sects and, owing to their conflicts, great and bitter friction between the different sects, a great enmity existed between the various sects. No heed was paid to the Commands of the Torah. The only thing in which they agreed was the Unity of God. In matters of detail they only agreed to differ bitterly. Each sect was bitterly opposed to the other. No mediator could ever bring them to an agreement nor give a definitive verdict regarding their dogmas; and they were, therefore, anxiously awaiting the arrival of a divinely appointed arbiter who would, through Divine revelation, settle their disputes. They had degenerated greatly and deterioration had taken so deep a root in their beliefs that not even one of these sects could be said to be rightly guided. Their concepts had become such hopeless admixtures of truth and falsehoods that it became impossible to differentiate between right and wrong. This was the main reason why every single sect opposed Jesus tooth and nail. Every sect wished that Jesus would support and confirm only their views and declare them alone to be pious and righteous. Each of them wished that Jesus would condemn the others to be renegades. But no Prophet could

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The Promised Messiah and Mahdi Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

ever commit such a crime of duplicity. 4. Fourthly, that Jesus Son of Mary had not been commanded to fight in the name of religion; and the religion of Moses had lost face in the eyes of the Romans and the Greeks since it had used violence for various excuses as a means of its propagation. This is why till today, their books contain repeated criticism against the religion of Moses that thousands of infants were put to death under his directions and the directions of his successor Joshua. And the wars fought by David and other Prophets further strengthen these criticisms.

PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam Such harsh measures became abhorrent to human nature. Therefore, when these views reached the people of other religions in their extreme, God Almighty decided to send a Prophet who would propagate the faith with peace and non-violence in order to placate them concerning the Torah. That Prophet of Peace was Jesus son of Mary. 5. The fifth point is that the religious leaders of the Jews had become extremely wicked and corrupt when Jesus was called to his ministry. Their deeds did not conform to their exhortations. Their prayers and their fasting reflected hypocrisy. They had grown extremely power-hungry and being Roman subjects they would grovel like worthless worms before their superiors and would go to any length to acquire material gains. They had no scruples about their methods and for personal gains used deceit, misappropriation, giving false evidence and announcing spurious rulings as jurists. Apart from adorning themselves in fine ritual robes and feigning piety, they possessed no vestige of spiritual righteousness. They coveted prestige in the eyes of their Roman superiors and indulged in all sorts of intrigues and had become well versed and ingenious in sycophancy through which they managed to grab some high positions. Some of them even contrived to carve out subservient principalities and ruled over their brethren as petty kings. They hankered after mundane gains and were totally devoid of real honour which can only be acquired through walking the way of God by faithfully following the Commandments of the Torah. Instead, they were immersed in gaining earthly benefits and for this purpose undertook long and hazardous journeys to pay homage to the Emperors of Rome. Many of them were getting pensions and annuities from them, and paraded their loyalty to the Emperor and his representatives. They vied with each other in seeking honour from their overlords—the Romans—and rendered to them all sorts of mean services. The result was that the Roman government

In accordance with prophecy, the lunar eclipse occurred after sunset on the 13th of Ramadhan (March 21, 1894) and the solar eclipse occurred on Friday, the 28th of Ramadhan (April 6, 1894). Both were visible in Qadian. In the following year lunar and solar eclipses again occurred in the month of Ramadhan on the 11th of March and the 26th of March respectively. These eclipses occurred in the West

very often agreed to the demands of the Jews. Pilate knew that the Chief Priest and the Elders had easy access to the Emperor’s court at Rome. It is, therefore, evident that the poor, the innocent and the humble man from Galilee, Jesus son of Mary, was given a short shrift. Jesus was not only ridiculed and spitted at by these wicked people, but was, by the order of the Governor, scourged and ordered to be locked up along with thieves and vagrants, although he was totally innocent. This, the government did, merely to please the Jewish people. As a normal policy, all governments, for the sake of peace, rarely ignore the will of the majority. Therefore, no heed was paid to poor Jesus and he was handed over to the Elders and the High Priests who put him up on the cross. Governments that do not fear God, the Lord and the Master of the heavens and the earth, are always under the curse of God Almighty. Alas! for the governments that do not look towards the Lord of the heavens. In the manner of speaking, both Pilate, the Governor of that land, and his wife believed in him and he was anxious to set him free. But the Elders and the Jewish divines who, for their mundane interests, had access to the Emperor and had already reported against him secretly that Pilate was harbouring a man who was trying to collect an army around him to overthrow the Roman Empire. However, Jesus was a simple and humble man who had nothing to

do with the Emperor or his representative and had no desire after worldly possessions. But he had complete faith in his God. However, the High Priest and the divines, through duplicity and hypocrisy, had acquired a strong foothold into the government. They were not, in their hearts, true friends of the government, but had created an impression of good faith. That was how a true and righteous Prophet of God was dishonoured and humiliated through their machinations. But He Who looks down from Heaven and is the Master of all hearts saw all this and those wicked and vicious people who were not hidden from His eyes. Consequently, Jesus , after being hanged on the cross, was saved from dying because God had accepted his most humble supplications that he had made in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus was convinced that the wretched Jews were after his blood, he went to a garden and being greatly distressed prayed thus: “O my God! remove this cup from me which is not difficult for Thee.” In the Arabic version of the Gospel by Mark (14:36) it is mentioned that he wept so profusely that tears began to run down his face and began to flow over his cheeks and he cried in a most distressing manner. Therefore, because of his righteousness, his prayer was heard and through the sheer grace of God he was taken down from the cross while he was still alive, and being disguised as a gardener he came out of the sepulchre in which he was buried and, as commanded by Continued on page 30 

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Centre spread

The Shrou 4 5 3

This famous cloth, supposedly the burial shroud of Jesus Christ himself, has always caused controversy. At 437cm by 111cm the Shroud of Turin certainly claims to be a very significant and impressive relic. However, since the carbon dating experiments of 1988 its authenticity has been the subject of many debates. On the one hand it could be a medieval fake, on the other it may provide evidence to support the idea that Jesus survived the Crucifixion.

1. Irregular blood flow on the head. Large trickles of blood on the head can be seen on both the front and back. This suggests the man of the shroud suffered injuries in multiple areas of the head. This “crown of thorns” was not a common practise but was used on Jesus to mock him as he claimed to be the King of the Jews. It was more likely to have been a “cap” of thorns rather than a crown as shown by many artists. This is consistent with the injuries seen on the shroud.

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2. Flagrum marks, especially those on the back The upper back regions of the body show it to be peppered with faint dumb-bell-shaped marks corresponding to the double pellets of lead or bone that tipped the Roman scourge weapon the flagrum. Over 90 such wounds can be counted on the body and are clustered in groups of three and always in a regular form. This is the sort of mark that the Roman flagrum would leave. It was a terrible instrument for inflicting pain.

Centre spread

ud of Turin

3. Oval wound on right side. The gospel of John (19:34) reports that a Roman lancea was plunged into Jesus’ side to check that he was dead. The blood spillage on the Shroud matches the elliptical shape of the lancea and suggests a side piercing between the 5th and 6th rib. 4. Severe swelling under the eye. The man of the shroud exhibits a swelling particularly under his eye. This would have occurred from the abuse at the hands of the Romans and could also be caused by falling with the cross attached to his shoulders.

5. Injuries on the wrist Many works of art show the nails of crucifixion going through the palms. However, it has been proved that they would not hold the weight of a body and would rip through the flesh. Dr Pierre Barbet pioneered research into this area and found a space in the wrist called “Destot’s Space” though which a nail can easily pass and is consistent with the injuries seen on the Shroud

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 Continued from page 27 God, he went away to another country where his mother also accompanied him, as is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an: “We gave them refuge on an elevated land of green valleys”. That is to say, We caused him and his mother to take refuge in a country where there were many streams of clear water and a place of safety and comfort for them. The traditions also mention that after the above incident of attempted crucifixion, Jesus son of Mary reached the ripe old age of 120 years when he died and joined his Creator. There in heaven he stays in the company of John (the Baptist) son of Zacharia because both had similar experiences. There is not the least doubt that he was an extremely righteous man and a Prophet of God. But to call him ‘god’ and to worship him as such is a heinous heresy. Hundreds of thousands of people like him have passed away and will come in the future and God is never tired of exalting righteous people in the past or in the future. 6. The sixth characteristic is that Jesus was raised as a prophet when Romans were the masters of the land and ruled over it. 7. The seventh characteristic is that although the Romans, in the beginning, were vigorously opposed to the Christian faith, they were ultimately penetrated by it, and some time later the Roman Emperor also became a Christian. 8. The eighth characteristic is that at the advent of Jesus, whom the Muslims call Isa, there appeared a certain star in the heaven. 9. The ninth characteristic is that when Jesus was put on the cross there was an eclipse. 10. The tenth characteristic is that subsequent to Jesus being tortured on the cross a severe plague broke out. 11. The eleventh characteristic is that it was because of religious prejudice that he was falsely accused of being a traitor to the Roman Empire. 12. The twelfth peculiarity is that

a thief was also hanged on the cross along with him. 13. The thirteenth characteristic is that when he was brought before Pilate as an accused, the latter declared that he did not find him guilty of the accusation.

The first Messiah was not commanded to wage wars for the sake of faith. In the same way, the last Messiah has not been commanded to take up the sword.

14. The fourteenth characteristic is that although having been born without a father, he was not of the descendants of Israel, yet he was the last Prophet of that series and appeared in the fourteenth century after Moses. 15. The fifteenth characteristic is that when Jesus was raised as a Prophet, the then Emperor had introduced many reforms; many inventions beneficial for his subjects emerged: viz. the construction of new roads and rest houses and inns, and new laws introduced for the people, similar to what the British have done now. 16. The sixteenth characteristic was that not being born of a father he resembled Adam in this respect. These are the sixteen features with which Jesus was invested as part of the Mosaic dispensation. When God Almighty terminated the Mosaic dispensation, he instead established the Muhammadan dispensation as had been predicted in the old scriptures. The All-Wise and the All-Knowing God wished that there should be a complete resemblance between these two dispensations, both at the beginning and at the end. He first raised the Holy Prophet , as is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an:

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“We have sent to you a Messenger who is a witness over you, even as We sent a messenger to Pharaoh” (Chapter 73, Verse 16).

Moses had to take up the sword against the disbelievers. In the same way, the Holy Prophet when he was driven out of Mecca and was then pursued to Medina, the Muslims also, in self-defence, took up the sword. Abu Jahl, the arch-enemy of the Holy Prophet and the Muslims, was destroyed before the eyes of the Holy Prophet exactly as Pharaoh, the arch-enemy of Moses, was destroyed before his eyes. There are many more similarities which for the sake of brevity we do not mention. These were the similarities in the corresponding beginnings of the two dispensations. Also it was necessary that there should be a marked resemblance between the last successors of the Muhammadan dispensation and the last successor of the Mosaic dispensation, so that the similarity may be complete and may concur with the Word of God as stated above. Usually this sort of comparison is made for the beginning and at the end of each dispensation while the period in between, being very long, need not be examined minutely. This is because if the beginning and the end resemble like to like, the middle portion may be taken for granted to resemble accordingly. We have already stated that from the religious point of view there are sixteen characteristics in the life of Jesus which must need be found in the last successor of the Islamic dispensation, so that perfect accord may be proved between him and Jesus. 1. The first similarity between the last two successors in the two dispensations is that the advent of both of them had been predicted. In Islam there have been thousands of saints, yet none of them had come as “the Promised One”. But he who came as the “Like-of-Jesus” was, no doubt, the Promised Messiah. Similarly, no other Prophet but Prophet Jesus was the Messiah promised for the Jews.

PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam 2. The second similarity is the loss of independence and political power. There is no doubt that the Muslims in India, like the Jews, prior to the birth of Jesus, had lost their independence on account of their many wicked ways. The British had been firmly established in India before the birth of the last Messiah. 3. The third similarity is that at the time of the advent of the first Messiah, the Jews had become divided into several sects and, therefore, stood in need of an arbiter for them. In the same way the Muslims, at the advent of the last Messiah, are divided into many sects. 4. The fourth point is that the first Messiah was not commanded to wage wars for the sake of faith. In the same way, the last Messiah has not been commanded to take up the sword. How could he be commanded thus when the trend of the age has warned that the sword could never influence anyone’s conscience. That is the reason why civilised people do not take up the sword in support of religion; and all those sects which are looking for the bloodthirsty Mahdi-Messiah are decidedly in the wrong and their views are contrary to what God Almighty desires. If God Almighty had desired so, He would have Himself equipped the Muslims with the necessary means of fighting. They should have been the people to invent new means of warfare and would have superseded other nations in this respect. It would have been for the Muslims to invent new guns and to excel in making new armaments. They would have surpassed others in making war balloons and submarines to attack under water and would have made the world wonder at them. But that is not so. On the other hand, it is the Christian nations that are daily advancing in this field. This proves that it is not the will of God that Islam should spread through fighting. The Christian faith is losing ground daily in the field of reasoning and commonsense and great scholars are renouncing their old beliefs. Even the Emperor of Germany has talked of relinquishing his faith. This proves that

it is God Almighty’s will that the Christian faith be obliterated from the face of the earth. As a rule, signs of what is going to prevail often begin to appear beforehand and God from above has given no indication of conquests for Islam through wars. On the contrary, spiritual signs have begun to appear that the Christian faith has, by itself, begun to wither away and is soon likely to disappear altogether. 5. The fifth point worth considering is that during the ministry of the first Messiah, the Jews had become morally bankrupt: especially those of the priestly class had become exceedingly greedy and corrupt. Jealousy and avarice prevailed over the whole nation and everyone hankered after material gains all the time. In the same way, the people of our time—the time of the Promised Messiah—especially Muslim priests and Mullas have gone mad after worldly pursuits. This is a patent fact which needs no further elucidation. 6. The sixth point of similarity is that Jesus appeared during the reign of a Caesar, a foreign ruler. The Promised Messiah of Islam also shares this characteristic. He also lives under the rule of a foreign emperor who is far superior to the one that ruled during the time of the Messiah of the Jews. We learn from historical accounts that when the Roman Emperor learnt that his Governor, Pontius Pilate, had contrived to save Jesus from the ignoble death on the cross and had let him escape to a foreign country under a disguise, he got wild with rage. This report was sent to him secretly by the High Priest. Consequently, Pilate was thrown into prison by the command of the Emperor and was eventually beheaded. He was thus martyred for the sake of Jesus. It is, therefore, a proof that those who wield political power very often remain unblessed with the reward of true faith. This ignorant Emperor lent his ear to the vile and wicked High Priest who convinced him that the death of Jesus was a political expediency. But so far as I know, times have now changed and our Emperor is in all respects superior to the Roman Emperor who was

indeed an ignorant tyrant. 7. The seventh point in this connection is that the Christian faith eventually succeeded in winning over the Romans. In this respect there is a similarity with my time also, because I find that people in Europe and America are showing considerable interest in my claim and the way of my reasoning. They have, of their own accord, published my claim in hundreds of newspapers with favourable comments which could hardly be expected from the pens of Christians. Some of these have gone so far as to express the view that my claim would be genuine, while some of them have declared that belief in Jesus as God was totally false, some others have said that my claim of being the Promised Messiah is timely and feel that the present time is greatly in my favour. In short, it appears that these people are preparing themselves to accept my claim and Christianity shall, day by day, melt away like snow. 8. Another characteristic of Jesus was that a certain star had appeared at the time of his advent. This characteristic is equally shared by me because the very same star that had appeared in his time has again appeared in my time also. This is what has been verified in the English newspapers from which it could be concluded that the time is now ripe for the second advent of the Promised Messiah. 9. The ninth characteristic of Jesus was the eclipse of the sun that was seen when he was crucified on the cross. I also share this characteristic. When people rejected my claim, God manifested His Sign in my support not only causing the sun to eclipse but also caused the eclipse of the moon. Both these signs occurred during the month of Ramadhan. This did not only happen once but occurred twice as is mentioned in the traditions. These two eclipses are mentioned in the Gospels as well as in the Holy Qur’an. This prediction is also mentioned in Dar Qutni, an authentic book of the Sayings of . the Holy Prophet 10. The tenth characteristic common between us is the occurrence of 

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PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam the epidemic of plague. Because of the persecutions of the Jews, it became rampant in the time of Jesus and for the same reason it has spread in my time as well. 11. The eleventh characteristic common to both of us is that the divines and the elders left no stone unturned in denouncing Jesus as a hard-core renegade for which reason a false case was framed against him and he was taken to the court hoping that he would be condemned there to death. An identical case was also fabricated against me of conspiracy to murder. An effort was also made to prove me a rebel against the Government. This was the case in which Maulvi Abu Saeed Muhammad Hussain of Batala appeared as a witness against me. 12. The twelfth point is that a robber was also hanged on the cross along with Jesus; on the day I was acquitted of the false charge of conspiracy to murder, regarding which I had informed in advance hundreds of men on the basis of revelation, a Christian was also brought before the same magistrate. He was a member of the Salvation Army and had misappropriated some money. He was given three months imprisonment—he was not sentenced to death like the robber who was hanged along the side of Jesus and died. 13. The thirteenth resemblance between Jesus and me is that when Jesus was brought before the Governor and was prosecuted for capital punishment, the Governor declared that he could not see any fault in the accused. Similarly, Captain Douglas, the District Magistrate, on my asking him a question, had replied that he was not accusing me of any guilt. In my opinion, Captain Douglas outshines Pilate in imparting judgment fearlessly and in showing determination and steadfastness. But in the end Pilate showed diffidence and for fear of the High Priest and the Elders, acted in a cowardly manner. But Captain Douglas showed no sign of weakness. When Maulvi Muhammad Hus-

sain demanded a chair for himself in the court, on the strength of the rights granted to him by virtue of certain Government documents, Captain Douglas refused to accede to his request and ordered him curtly to keep his mouth shut. On the other hand, he ordered a chair to be brought in for me. Those who are blessed with honour from above do not hanker after worldly honours. This commendable courtesy by the “Pilate” of our time shall be remembered by all my followers when I am gone. He shall be remembered till the end of the world with love and respect. 14. The fourteenth resemblance was that since Jesus had no father, he was, strictly speaking, not an Israelite. Despite this drawback, he was the last Prophet for the Children of Israel and of the Mosaic dispensation. He

This commendable courtesy by Captain Douglas, the “Pilate” of our time, shall be remembered by all my followers. was born in the fourteenth century after Moses. In the same way I do not belong to the Quraish and have been raised in the fourteenth century of Islam and, like Jesus, I am the Promised Messiah of the Muslims. 15. The fifteenth characteristic is that by the time Jesus appeared great strides had been made in the progress of civilisation. Good roads had begun to be constructed; an efficient defence system had come into being and very many improvements had been made in the organisation and training of the armies. Means of travel were vastly improved and, to ensure the comfort of travellers, rest-houses had become common. Also the judiciary had been reformed. Similarly, there has been much progress and outstanding developments in our time in these fields. For example, a new means of travel, the railways, has been invented, the prediction for which is found in the Holy Qur’an and the

32 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

reader can easily call to mind various other inventions. 16. The sixteenth characteristic of Jesus was that, being born without a father, he was like Adam. Similarly, I have a resemblance of a sort with him: according to what Mohyi Deen ibni ‘Arabi has mentioned about the Final Successor to be of Mongol origin and to be born the second of twins, a girl being born first, I was born exactly the same way on a Friday. It is not known how Ibni Arabi got hold of this Sign, but it has come to pass. These are the sixteen similarities between me and Jesus. They show that the hand of God was working in all this phenomenon. If it had been a man-made project so many similarities between Jesus and me could not have been found. Denying Prophets is an old established response of the unfortunate ones, but the leaders of religion of our time deny me in rather a strange manner. I am the one who came at the appointed time and for whom the eclipses of the sun and the moon in the month of Ramadhan occurred as a Sign as predicted by the earlier Prophets; and I am the one in whose time the plague spread, as was told by the Prophet and the Holy Qur’an; and I am the one in whose time, as predicted in the traditions, the Pilgrimage to Mecca was banned; and I am the one in whose time the same star appeared as had appeared at the time of Jesus son of Mary; and I am the one in whose time railway trains commenced running in this country and the camel became redundant and the time is approaching—nay it is near—when railway trains shall begin to run between Mecca and Medina and camels shall become superfluous and be deemed a relic of the past, although they were being continuously used for the past thirteen hundred years for these auspicious journeys and the prediction contained in Muslim’s Hadith shall be fulfilled which says: “They shall abandon the use of the she-camel which shall cease to ply there (i.e. no one shall use them for riding).” n

PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam

What is the prophecy concerning Jesus Christ descending from Heaven? Answer given by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV in a question and answer session held at The London Mosque on 5th April 1984.

e will descend from the heavens, resting his hands on two angels, and on the east of Damascus on a white minaret. This is the complete story. And that minaret has no staircase. So when he descends on the top of that white minaret that has no staircase, according to this tradition, he will wait until the ulema reach him with a ladder. They erect a ladder, and with the help of this ladder he will come down. Now that shows obviously that either there is a cryptic language in it, the whole language seems to be symbolic, or it is not at all a saying of the Holy , because he Prophet could not have spun fairy tales for his ummah himself. He was the wisest of the wise. How could he speak in such childish terms, if this tradition is to be taken literally? But if it carries a cryptic message and it is to be understood then

the status of this tradition will be raised very high, and this is how we look at it. First of all, let’s look for a white minaret on the east of Damascus. There is none. There was none at the time when the Holy Prophet made this prophecy. So when there is no minaret how can you descend? So the whole thing goes overboard because a minaret without a staircase has to be physically found somewhere on the east of Damascus before we can think of Jesus Christ descending from heaven bodily. So because there is no physical minaret the bodily appearance is not possible. That means he is not speaking of physical things, he is not speaking in material terms. The only explanation from that is that he will come from Allah, he will descend on a white minaret, that means he will speak from a platform of reason and peace. These are the two symbols used in this picture of minaret. Minaret is white and is used for spreading light far and wide. It is the light of wisdom and logic which is spread and he’ll

bring peace because that minaret is of a white colour. These are two symbols. Despite the fact that he will descend from heaven, like all other prophets he will not “descend” to the hearts of the people and the ulema until they make some effort towards him and offer a “ladder” to accept him. That is the message and this is exactly what happened at the time of Prophet Muahmmad . Those who were considered wise in Arabia, like Abul Hikum, he didn’t offer a ladder and Prophet Muhammad did not descend to his house, but a very poor slave belonging to the lowest rung of society, Hadhrat Bilal, presented his ladder and he descended to him and lighted his outside and inside. So this is the meaning of the Holy Prophet’s saying, because it’s a Prophet speaking and not an old wife, who is spinning tales. So every speaker must be given respect according to his status, and his sayings should be understood according to his station. n

www.Khuddam.org.uk Calendar of events Photo gallery Talim syllabus and tests Careers Ijtema section Learn salaat online info@khuddam.org.uk

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PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam

Book review: Jesus in India By Arif Khan

he Holy Prophet prophesised that one of the tasks of Imam Mahdi would be to “break the cross”. In his treatise in urdu entitled “Masih Hindustein Meh” Hadhrat Mirza Ghulah Ahmad, Imam Mahdi and Promised Messiah set out a book to do just that. He gave detailed information about evidence of Hadhrat Isa’s survival from the crucifixion and subsequent journey across Asia and location of his final resting place as Srinagar, Kashmir. The book “Masih Hindustein Meh” paved the way for detailed research in to the idea of Jesus Christ travelling across Asia and dying a natural death in Kashmir. The book was not the first to talk about Hadhrat Isa’s presence in India, but is accepted by scholars to be the first text to pull together the details of Hadhrat Isa’s life in Palsetine and in the East in a consistent and coherent theory. The text is structured methodically in to the following sections: Chapter 1: Evidence from the Gospels Chapter 2: Evidence from the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith Chapter 3: Evidence from Medical Literature Chapter 4: Evidence from Historical Records The text itself was not completed and was in fact published in November 1908 after the Promised Messiah passed away with the first English translation available in 1944. The text demonstrates that the belief that Jesus was placed on the cross, but then taken down alive, is consistent with the Gospels, the Holy Qur’an and the ahadith. The book contains an examination of the events surrounding the Crucifixion, the role Pontius Pilate played in the proceedings and an examination of what was meant by “The Sign of Jonah”. Chapter 3 examines the Marham-i-Isa or Ointement of Jesus, a famous ointment for soothing and healing of wounds, reported to have been applied to Jesus’ post-crucifixion wounds. The Promised Messiah cites numerous medical textbooks referring to this ancient mixture. In Chapter 4 we have analysis of documents from the East, such as the Rauzat-us-Safaa and the Buddhist Laggavatti Suttatta as well as modern day encyclopaedic and scholarly sources such as “The Cyclopedia of India, Eastern and Southern Asia”. The hugely interesting parallels between the Buddhist faith and Jesus’ teaching are explored also with references to a variety of sources and scriptures. As well as these familiar topics there are many others covered in this book that even now many people are not aware of. delves in to the possibiliHadhrat Masih Maud ties regarding connections between Buddhism and Christianity. He discusses and explains his theory regarding influence of Christian teaching, delivered to the East by Hadhrat Isa

34 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

Jesus in India is available at Alislam.org, the official website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community: http://www.alislam.org/library/books/jesus-in-india/

, on the historical records of Buddhism which he explains would have been formed many hundreds of years after the events of Guatama Buddha’s lifetime. Another vital topic that is explored and given as one of the main motivations for Hadhrat Masih Maud writing the book is extremism in the Muslim world. Hadhrat Masih Maud explains in the introduction that the incorrect concept prevalent amongst the Muslims that Imam Mahdi will come to earth and along with the Hadhrat Isa spread Islam through war and bloodshed is totally incorrect. He elaborates also that this wrong concept is leading to a serious moral disease in the hearts of some Muslims: “It is these baseless myths and tales that result in spiritual maladies, like immorality, malice, callousness, and cruelty, which are almost endemic amongst most Islamic sects. Virtues like human sympathy, compassion, affability, love of justice, meekness, modesty, and humility are disappearing by the day, as if they will soon bid a hasty farewell to them. This callousness and this immorality make many a Muslim appear no better than the beasts of the jungle. A Jain or a Buddhist is afraid of and avoids killing even a mosquito or a flea, but, alas! there

PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam are many among us Muslims who, while they kill an innocent man or commit wanton murder, are not afraid of the powerful God, who rates human life higher than that of all the animals. What is this callousness and cruelty and want of sympathy due to? It is due to this—that from their very childhood, stories and anecdotes and wrong views of the doctrine of Jihad are dinned into their ears and inculcated into their hearts, the result being that gradually they become morally dead and cease to feel the heinousness of their hateful actions…”

In a time when sections of the Muslim world are displaying exactly this behaviour Ahmadi Muslims have this text explaining the root causes, and demonstrating just how important it is to correct the distorted view that some Muslims have of Jihad. The underlying reasons and seeds for how so-called Muslim groups and organisations can carry out and justify acts of terror are fully expounded for us by Hadhrat Masih Maud . Since this text there have been numerous other books covering similar material, all of which mention how

indebted their research is to “Masih Hindustein Meh”. The research was ground breaking and has lead to a whole area of study being opened up and providing the solution to the 2,000 year old mystery about what happened to Hadhrat Isa during and after the Crucifixion. “Masih Hindustein Meh” was one of the most important texts Hadhrat Masih Maud put together, and in this book we are all a witness to the fulfilment of the prophecy of the breaking of the cross by Imam Mahdi .n

ABOVE According to oral and written evidence of distinguished people in Srinagar, the occupant of the above tomb is a Prophet, Yus Asaf by name and also called Prince, who came to Kashmir some 1,900 years ago. Yus Asaf in Hebrew means “Jesus, the Gatherer”. LEFT Sign outside the tomb of Jesus in Khanyar Street, Srinagar, Kashmir.

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PART 5 | Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam

Contradictions in the popular beliefs about Jesus Extract from Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza’in, volume 3, pages 121–125

ccording to their old ideas which have taken firm root in their hearts, the Muslims claim that Jesus, son of Mary, will descend from heaven near the eastern minaret of Damascus with his hands resting on the shoulders of two angels. Some of them say that he will descend on the minaret with the help of a ladder which the Muslims will provide for him, and the angels will then depart. He will be well dressed–he will not be naked–and will meet the Mahdi in that condition. His age will be the same as when he ascended to heaven, that is thirty-two or thirty-three years. Passage of years and months will not have affected his age or physique; nor will his hair and nails have grown; they will only become subject to change after his descent. He will not engage in fighting, but the disbelievers will die by the power of his breath alone, which, instead of reviving the dead as it formerly did, will now cause the living to die. Here the clerics contradict themselves and assert that he will wage wars, and the one-eyed Antichrist will die at his hands. The Jews will also be killed by his command. They assert that he will be the same Jesus, son of Mary, who was a Prophet of God and who was bestowed the Gospel through Gabriel, and yet they allege that on his descent upon earth he will have lost his status of Prophethood and will only be a follower of the Holy Prophet and will be bound by the law of the Holy Qur’an, like the Muslims, and will join them in their prayers. Some say that he will be a follower of the great Imam Abu Hanifa, but it is not specified which of the four Sufi orders–Qadri, Chishti, Suharwardi or Naqshbandi–he will identify himself with. In short, they begin with describing him as a Prophet and then reduce him to a degree that no sensible person can ever contemplate. Then, converting his functions from their metaphorical description into physical activities, they allege that he will break crosses and slaughter swine. They do not explain what he will gain by breaking crosses. Even if he broke one or two million crosses, would the Christians, who are devoted to the worship of the cross, not make new ones in place of the broken ones? If the slaughtering of swine is also to be taken literally, will the principal occupation of the Messiah be that of hunting swine with a pack of dogs? If that is so, it will be a great day for Sikhs and some nomadic tribes like the Chamars, Sansis, Gondelas, etc., who are fond of hunting swine. But this activity of his will not in any way benefit the Christians, who are already very skilful in hunting swine. There are up to a thousand shops in London that sell the flesh of swine, and up to twenty-five thousand pigs are daily sent to the outlying areas of the city. The question is: is it worthy of a Prophet who has appeared for the reform of Mankind to waste his

36 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

time hunting pig, a disgusting animal, while even touching the pig is a grave sin according to Torah? A question also arises that–while hunting is a hobby of the idle–if the Messiah is still to be so fond of hunting, is there any dearth of such good animals as deer, caribou, rabbits, etc., that he should soil his hands with the blood of such a foul animal? I have presented here a picture of the character and activities of the Messiah in his second advent, as conceived by the bulk of the Muslims. It is for sensible people to consider how unnatural, contradictory and inconsistent with the high status of Prophethood all this is. It should be remembered that none of this nonsense is mentioned in either of the two great compilations of Ahadith. Imam Bukhari has given no indication that the Messiah who is to come will be the same person as Jesus, son of Mary. On the contrary, he has narrated two actual sayings of the Holy Prophet , which distinguish the Second Messiah from the first. The connotation of one of these Ahadith is that the son of Mary will appear from among you, and it further clarifies that he will be your Imam from within you. One should carefully consider how the Holy Prophet , in order to remove any misunderstanding which may result from the name “son of Mary”, goes on to say: do not take him to be the son of Mary himself, rather: “He will be your Imam from among your own people.”

The other Hadith, which gives the same indication, is that the Holy Prophet described the features of the first and the second Messiah differently. His description of the features of the second Messiah fits me exactly1. Is the clear distinction between the features of the two not enough to prove that the first and the second Messiah are in fact two distinct personalities? n

1 Editor’s footnote: The hadith which the Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is referring to is as follows. Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet said ‘On the night of the Isra I met Moses . He was a slim man with wavy hair and looked like a man from the Shanu’ah tribe. I also met Jesus . He was of medium height and of a red complexion’” (Sahih Bukhari: Kitab alAnbiya) “The Prophet said, ‘Whilst I was asleep, I saw myself making Tawaf around the Ka’bah. I saw a brown-skinned man, with straight hair, being supported by two men, and with water dripping from his head. I said, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘The son of Mary.’’” (Sahih Bukhari: Kitab al-Anbiya)

part 6  Science and academia The Shroud of Turin and Carbon 14 dating By Arif Khan

ver since the carbon dating results were announced the Shroud of Turin world has been divided about the cloth. For the scientists carrying out the tests this was certainly clear evidence that the Shroud was in fact a fake. Ever since the dates were released there has been intense debate. For Ahmadi Muslims the Shroud of Turin is potentially a key piece of evidence to show that Jesus Christ survived the Crucifixion. There have been several scholars and scientists (Holger Kersten, Kurt Berna, Dr Theodor Hirt, and Dr Trevor Davies) who have come to the conclusion that the man wrapped in the Shroud of Turin had survived a Crucifixion. The anatomical accuracy of the blood flows and injuries have astounded researchers and made it even harder for people to believe it a work of a forger.

C14 sample not of the Shroud

On January 20th 2005, Raymond N Rogers had an article published in the chemistry journal “Thermochimica Acta”, Volume 425, Issues 1–2, pages 189–194. The paper was titled “Studies on the radiocarbon sample from the shroud of Turin”. This was the last paper Rogers was able to publish as, having suffered a long illness, he passed away a few months after this paper was published. The paper he published was nothing short of sensational for the Shroud world, and from his abstract it was clear this was a major piece of research:

“The radiocarbon sampling area was uniquely covered with a yellow-brown plant gum containing dye lakes. Prolysis-mass-spectrometry results from the sample area coupled with microscopic and microchemical observations prove that the radiocarbon sample was not part of the original cloth of the Shroud of Turin. The radiocarbon date was thus not valid for determining the age of the shroud.”

This statement is made very boldly and categorically and may seem exaggerated, but on examination of the detailed evidence of Rogers’ paper it becomes clear that he has the required results and observations to support this statement. The implications for this are huge. The single biggest obstacle for the scientific community in taking the Shroud of Turin seriously was the Carbon-14 dating result of 1988. This result has now been declared null and void and scientific evidence for the Shroud’s authenticity is now overwhelming.

Raymond N. Rogers, whos recent findings have renewed the debate on the authenticity of the shroud, photographed at his petrographic microscope in May 2004. Ray passed away on 8th March 2005 at the age of 77 after a long illness.

Rogers’ findings extend further than simply declaring the sample taken for the C14 tests to not be from the actual cloth. In the process of carrying out his chemical analysis, in particular the analysis of the amount of Vanillin lost from the Lignin on the Shroud, he was able to estimate that the Shroud of Turin was most likely between 1,300 and 3,000 years old, much older than the C14 tests suggested. This view that the area sampled for the C14 tests was not part of the original cloth is not a new one. Holger Kersten has offered a similar opinion in his books and Barrie Schwortz, the lead photographer for the Shroud of Turin Research Team (STUPR) setup in 1978, said the following about the C14 sample in a recent TV documentary: “Amazingly when we look at the UV florescence photography of that area; the area where the samples were taken is dramatically different to the rest of the



Shroud of Turin.”

Volume 11 . Issue 2 | 37

PART 6 | Science and academia Schwortz goes on to say: “Now, remember that in 1978 that particular area of the cloth was irrelevant. It was 10 years before the carbon dating so we didn’t focus our attention there. Going back and looking at those UV florescence images today we can see now that there is a dramatic difference in the colour of the Shroud in the area where the Carbon 14 samples were taken, and that indicates a difference in physical makeup or content. So it’s quite obvious just from the UV florescence photography, that there is something anomalous about the area where the Carbon 14 samples were taken from.”

Despite this evidence, as well as evidence from a variety of fields including botany and history suggesting a pre-medieval date for the Shroud, no repeat Carbon dating experiment has ever been carried out on the Shroud.

Extended details of Raymond Rogers’ experiments

The ventral image on the Shroud of Turin, an approximately 14 by 3 foot cloth, as it appears on a photographic negative. It is bloodstained and imprinted with a faint image of a tortured man’s face, hands, and body.

38 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

Rogers was able to carry out his pioneering research due to having access to the following sources of shroud cloth: 1. Sample threads from the piece of cloth cut for the C14 tests. 2. Fourteen yarn segments from a sample of the cloth cut from an adjacent position to the C14 sample, cut by Professor Gilbert Raes (referred to as “Raes” samples). 3. Thirty two samples from the Shroud taken using a special adhesive tape. Access to these three complimentary samples was pivotal in allowing Rogers’ conclusions to be as authoritative as they are. Rogers was part of the initial STURP team and had carried out extensive chemical tests on samples of the shroud between 1979 and 1982. During repairs of the cloth in 1532, after the cloth was rescued from a fire, the Shroud was stitched on to another cloth known to researchers as the “Holland Cloth”. This cloth now provided another source of reference for Rogers’ tests. Rogers’ research paper was based on

PART 6 | Science and academia 3 main areas of experimentation, each of which will be explored below:

1. Kinetic-based Experimentation

Rogers observed that Lignin deposits are to be seen all over the Shroud, and that this Lignin can be tested for the presence of Vanillin. He noticed that the Holland Cloth and other medieval cloths gave a clear positive result for the presence of Vanillin, whereas the fibres from other areas of the Shroud did not give this result. Thus, he states: “This suggested that the rate of loss of Vanillin from the Lignin could offer a method for estimating the age of the shroud.”

in an iron casing and linen has a low thermal conductivity. Rogers also stated that if the Shroud was created in 1260 AD then 37% of the Vanillin would have remained in the cloth. No samples from any part of the shroud itself gave a positive result for any trace of Vanillin.

2. Microscopic Examination and Surface Composition

Following this kinetic analysis of the fibres, Rogers then set about explaining the characteristics of the thread samples from the C14 sample and the Raes threads. All threads from this area gave positive tests for a dye or pigment coating. When the threads were cut open the inner fibres were a much lighter colour. From this Rogers states:

Again, the C14 and Raes sample areas were shown to be very different in composition from the rest of the Shroud. All areas tested of the Shroud showed the presence of cellulose, but the C14 and Raes samples showed instead the presence of a pentosan covering. Thus again a fundamental difference in composition between the C14 sample area and the other areas of the cloth was shown.

Conclusion

As the experiments were varied and very detailed, Rogers’ conclusions are bold and he is very confident in his analysis. He states: “The combined evidence from chemical kinetics, analytical chemistry, cotton content, and prolysis proves that the material

Raymond Rogers found the sample taken for the C14 tests is not from the actual cloth.

“Specifically, the colour and distortion of

from the radio-carbon area of the Shroud

the coating implies repairs were made at

is significantly different from that of the

an unknown time with foreign linen dyed

main cloth.”

to match the older original material”

He goes on further to say:

Building on research by Stanley Kosiewicz, Rogers was able to produce a mathematical model to act as a chemical dating process. Kosiewicz had analysed the rates of Vanillin loss from Lignin at a variety of temperatures for over 2 years, and shown that loss rates of Vanillin was very low. Based upon experimental data and this mathematical model Rogers was able to give the expected results shown in figure 1. Rogers pointed out that the fire of 1532 would not have affected the results much as the cloth would not have absorbed much heat because it was

3. Mass spectrometer based analysis

Glossary of terms

Mass Spectrometry. Technique to work out the constituent parts that make up a substance. Using electromagnetic techniques a graph is produced of the varying amounts of different ions present within a compound. By analysing the different masses of the compounds present it is possible to determine the elements present in the compound.

Vanillin. Crystalline compound found in vanilla beans and some balsam resins; used in perfumes and flavourings. Lignin. Complex polymer, chief noncarbohydrate product of wood. Binds cellulose fibres to harden and strengthen cell walls of plants.

During the original STURP investigation, mass spectrometry was used on samples of the Shroud from a variety of areas including the blood flows, scorched areas, heels and water stains as well as “pure” image areas. The analysis had been done previously to test to see if the Shroud was a painting. The experimental results could now be used to compare the makeup of the Shroud areas and the C14 and Raes sample areas.

“The radiocarbon sample was thus not part of the original cloth and is invalid for determining the age of the Shroud”

Rogers’s work is emphatic on the subject of the C14 tests. It is hoped that now this debate can be put to rest and further tests, in particular a further C14 test, can be carried out. This recent research has again thrown open the question about the Shroud’s authenticity, and it still may be critical in showing, without doubt, that Hazrat Isa was rescued from an accursed death on the cross. n

Figure 1: Expected results based on Rogers’ mathematical model and experimental data. Average storage temperature 25°C 23°C

Years taken to lose 95% of Vanillin in Lignin 1319 1845

20°C

3095

Volume 11 . Issue 2 | 39

PART 6 | Science and academia

Aloe and Myrrh: modern day analysis of two ancient herbs By Arif Khan

loe and Myrrh are mentioned in the Gospel as being present immediately after the body of Hadhrat Isa was tended to by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Their presence has often been explained by Christian scholars as being part of an embalming process, whereas Hadhrat Masih Maud in his treatise, “Masih Hindustein Meh” (Jesus in India) described how they were essential ingredients for an ointment applied to Jesus’ wounds. What role do these herbs play today? Can an exploration of their modern day uses throw light on possible events 2000 years ago? The mention of the herbs appears in the Crucifixion story as it is recorded in the Gospel of John: “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy five pounds. Taking Jesus’s body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial

particular medicinal or healing properties, as its use appears to be post-mortem. “Masih Hindustein Meh” by Hadhrat Masih Maud’s , however, presented what even the ancients had known for a long time. Aloe and Myrrh have excellent healing and antiseptic properties and this famous combination has been well documented over the years.

customs.” Bible NIV, John (19:38–40)

“A piece of evidence of great value with regard to the escape of Jesus from the Cross, which no one can help admitting, is a medi-

Many encyclopaedic sources when talking of Aloe and Myrrh immediately link and associate the herbs with the events of the Crucifixion. Myrrh was also one of the gifts reported to have been presented to the baby Jesus by the three wise men who came to visit him travelling from the East. Thus, references to the properties of the herbs are often inseparably linked to the events narrated in the Gospels rather than a purely objective examination. An example of such association with biblical stories can be seen from the entry in the Wikipedia, one of the most popular online encyclopaedias: “Myrrh is a constituent of perfumes and incense, and was highly prized

cal preparation known as Marham-i-Isa or the ‘Ointment of Jesus’ recorded in hundreds of medical books … eminent physicians of all religions—Christian, Jew, Magian, or Muslim—have all mentioned this preparation in their books, and have stated that it was prepared for Jesus by the disciples”²

If this ointment was really utilising well known properties of Aloe and Myrrh then there should be evidence that such properties were known at the time of the Crucifixion. Surprisingly upon further investigation it becomes clear that knowledge of such properties of Aloes in particular was widespread as far back as 4,000 BC and was well known by the Greeks and Romans.

in ancient times. Myrrh was one of the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus in the story told in the Gospel of Matthew. Myrrh was used as an

“Aristotle was aware that the healing properties of Aloe would be

incense in funerals and cremations, a fact alluded to in the Christmas

invaluable to soldiers wounded in battle and advised his student

Carol ‘We Three Kings’”

Alexander III (“the Great”) to conquer all lands that grew it, especially the island of Socotra off the coast of Eastern Africa ... Pedanius Dio-

As shall be shown shortly these associations have clouded the role of these herbs in their true medicinal context. A similar confusion has been created around the Aloes family of plants. Sources outline how Aloe was thought to have been used during the embalming process of the Egyptians¹. Using this view of Aloe it would be expected to have no

40 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

scorides, a physician in the Roman army, mentioned medicinal Aloes in his encyclopaedic Greek herbal De Materia Medica (Approximately around 75 BC).”³ “The healing benefits of Aloe were recognized in the ancient Indian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman civilizations. It is traditionally used to heal

PART 6 | Science and academia wounds, relieve itching and swelling, and is known for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.” ⁴

Myrrh also is a herb that although often linked to Jesus and his burial was clearly recognised at the time as a healing agent. Aloe is talked about as having properties that help wounds heal and aid the reformation of skin, whereas Myrrh is used more for anti inflammatory and anti bacterial reasons:

for Jews to make such incisions would not be acceptable. Evidence to illustrate this aversion to any incisions can be seen from the passing away of Judah, one of the ancestors of modern day Jews, he is recorded as having stated: “‘I die this day at the age of one hundred and nineteen years before your eyes. None shall bury me in a costly garment, nor shall ye cut my body to embalm it, but ye shall carry me to Hebron.’ Having spoken these

“In the past Myrrh was used by many

words, Judah sank into death” ⁶

cultures for religious ceremonies and as a healing agent. It was mentioned in the Bible as a gift at the birth of Christ. The Egyptians believed in its healing powers: they burned it every day as part of their worshipping rituals. In the Greek culture when soldiers went to battle is was an essential part of their combat gear because of Myrrh’s extremely high antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was used to clean wounds and to prevent infection. It was also used to prevent the spread of gangrene in already infected parts of the body. “⁵

Embalming

Were the herbs not used for embalming the body of Jesus? From the sources seen so far the idea of embalming using Aloe has only surfaced in the Egyptian world. It is thought that pharaohs were buried along with Aloes. Was Jesus being embalmed? To answer this question an examination of Jewish burial customs is needed. Jewish customs have clearly been restricted to washing the body and wrapping it in a clean cloth, there was no embalming. For a body to be embalmed, incisions needed to be made and the internal organs and entrails completely removed. This was understood by the people of the time, and

It seems unlikely that the Aloes present were for embalming. Having Myrrh there also in large quantities was not consistent with this hypothesis. It appears far more likely that the excellent healing properties of these herbs were being utilised in an attempt to heal Jesus’ wounds and allow him to recover from his ordeal.

Modern Day Use

Today there is an increasing amount of usage of Aloes in products. Gillette series shaving foam now contains what the can calls “soothing Aloes”, and a wide range of Aloe-based creams and gels are available mainly for healing of the skin⁷. Perhaps the most definitive answer on the properties of Aloes comes from a book written by medical experts. “Aloes: The Genus Aloe (Medicinal & Aromatic Plants—Industrial Profiles)” edited by Tom Reynolds. This text represents the most detailed study yet into this fascinating herb. Detailed analysis of the herb is presented and an entire part is devoted to exploring “therapeutic activity” and includes chapters on Aloe’s role in wound healing, skin cancer, and the immune system.⁸ Another author, Diane Gage, has

chosen to title her book on the subject “Aloe Vera: Nature’s Soothing Healer” and her text discusses the biological properties of Aloe Vera, explaining its power to heal the human body, and traces the ways the plant has been used throughout history. Further evidence appeared in August 2004 when the BBC News ran a story⁹ explaining that scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, through conducting experiments on animals, were able to demonstrate that juice from Aloe Vera was able to preserve organ function in animals that had lost massive volumes of blood. The article explained how high levels of blood loss can send a body in to shock and how extracts from Aloes were shown to be able to allow animals in the experiments to survive longer with low blood pressure.

Conclusion

Aloe and Myrrh appear to be ideal herbs for treating someone who had suffered an ordeal such as the Cucifixion. Their reported presence at the Crucifixion is strong evidence that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea felt that Jesus could be revived and these herbs were employed to allow the healing of his wounds. The properties of these herbs was understood thousands of years ago and are employed even today in leading pharmaceutical medicines and ointments. Modern day products, such as shaving foam, are a current testament to the truth in the account of Hadhrat Masih Maud writing in regards to these herbs and support his theory of survival from the Hadhrat Isa’s Crucifixion and even describe the treatments used to restore his health. n

Footnotes

1. asktom-naturally.com/naturally/aloenews.html — Egyptians , The Promised Messiah; Masih Hindustein Meh; London Mosque 1978 2. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad 3. www.aloe-spectrum.com/body_aloes.htm — Aristotle’s view on Aloes 4. www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/aloe_vera.html — healing properties well known in the east. 5. mdmd.essortment.com/whatismyrrh_riss.htm — myrrh properties explored 6. www.globusz.com/ebooks/LegJew2/00000056.htm — last testament of Judah 7. Reynolds, Barcroft, Myskia Aloe Vera: Nature’s Silent Healer, ISBN 095450710X, BAAM Publishing Ltd, 2003 8. Reynolds, Tom, Aloes: The Genus Aloe, ISBN 0415306728, Taylor & Francis, 2004 9. news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3929471.stm — BBC News “Aloe vera may treat battle wounds” 2nd August 2004

Volume 11 . Issue 2 | 41

part 7  Student pages The damaging effects of alcohol By Arif Khan

he passing away of alcoholic football legend George Best in the same week as a change in licensing laws coming in to affect, brought alcohol and its effects into the media spotlight. Christmas also is a time when large volumes of alcohol are consumed. As Muslims, we are told to avoid alcohol in the Holy Qur’an. The society around us and the media portray all alcoholic drinks and associated activities as full of fun and enjoyment, but at what cost? Just what is Islam shielding us from? Alcohols are an organic chemical group containing a particular functional group. They are used extensively as solvents, in particular ethanol, and are present in a range of medicines and drugs in small quantities. When people refer to alcohol in an everyday sense they almost always mean ‘ethanol’. Ethanol is a drug known to have a depressing effect that decreases responses to the central nervous system. In drinks this means alcoholic drinks have a mind altering affect on those consuming them. In Western culture alcoholic drinks can be found everywhere from weddings to funerals and they are present at almost all social functions. At what cost does this come? Is alcohol being consumed more now in Britain than the previous decades? Are there any affects of this on the health service? These issues and more will be examined below to expound the wisdom contained in the Holy Qur’an protecting the Ummah from these ills.

Teenage Drinking

Teenagers are consuming twice as much alcohol as they did 15 years ago. Despite it being illegal for children under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol, 50% of children aged between 15 and 16 interviewed for a BBC documentary said they had been drunk in the last month. Even more worryingly, a similar number said that they had first been drunk at the age of 13 or younger. 18 year old Dan Bent is serving a 12 month community rehabilitation order following pleading guilty to taking part in a drunken brawl. Dan is now trying to give up alcohol having been drinking since the age of 13 and consuming around 300 units of alcohol a week, despite the maximum recommended number for adult males being 21 units a week. He has been having black-outs and there is a possibility that he has done long-term damage to his health. He is waiting for the results of a brain scan. Alcohol related violence amongst the youth is a huge problem. It is estimated that 1,000 youngsters a week, aged between 15 and 25, suffer serious facial injuries due to drunken assaults. It also seems apparent that more underage children are buying alcohol using fake ID cards. Police Officer Pete Sinclair who gives courses on spotting fake ID’s comments:

amount of youngsters consuming alcohol on a regular basis. We are talking about serious amounts of alcohol—well over the recognised limits for adults”

Binge Drinking

These statistics show a worrying trend, but it’s not just the youngsters who partake in so called “binge drinking”. Professor Cary Cooper, an expert in Britain’s alcohol culture, is of the opinion that things have got noticeably worse over the last 5 to 10 years. “Over the last five or 10 years, I think we’ve seen a change in people’s consumption of

“Youngsters are prepared to go to any

alcohol. Binge drinking is going on about

lengths to get into a licensed premises and

three days, usually a Thursday, Friday,

obtain alcohol. There has been a definite

Saturday night and going for about seven

increase in the use of these cards and the

hours.”

42 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

PART 7 | Student pages Interestingly, one big factor for this, according to Professor Cooper, is the increasing carefree attitude of the youth and young adults and their “enjoy life while it lasts” approach to such issues. Thus drinking can be seen as one of the social ills present due to a lack of understanding and responsibility, which are seen when a society turns its back on religion. The social cost of this binge drinking is that across the country on weekend nights high streets and town centres are transformed into alcoholic theme parks where violence is common place.

Medical Affects

1 in 100 babies are said to be damaged by alcohol due to their mothers drinking during pregnancy. A group of these illnesses are known as FASD (foetal alcohol spectrum disorder) and are now believed by experts to be caused by having as little as a couple of drinks while pregnant¹. FASD can cause mental retardation, facial deformities, stunted physical and emotional development, behavioural problems, memory and attention deficits, impulsiveness, an inability to reason from cause to effect, a failure to comprehend the concept of time and an inability to tell reality from fantasy. Secondary disabilities develop over time because of problems adapting to the environment. One of the major medical complaints as a result of continual excessive drinking is liver disease. This used to be a disease found in people of old age, but worryingly this trend is changing to affect younger people. In 1992 the average age of diagnosis was 69, but this has now fallen sharply to only 49. Often only when the liver starts to fail do people realise the damage their drinking habits have done. Liver transplants are available, but 70% of those in rehabilitation to give up alcohol

go in to relapse so hospitals are very careful about who to offer the operation to. At the Royal Free Hospital, patients have to have been alcohol free for 6 months and sign a contract not to drink again. One patient, 44 year-old Matt, is currently recovering from an alcoholic problem. “I drank because I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a problem as far as I was concerned. I know now that it was, but I didn’t see it then.”

By the time he accepted he had a problem, it was almost too late. While awaiting treatment he was still drinking and ended up in hospital with liver failure.

As Muslims we owe a very large debt to this Qur’anic injunction banning us from consuming alcohol and thus protecting us from so many of these ills that are only fully being appreciated in the modern age.

Financial Cost

Even those who do not drink are paying for the excessive drinking of others. Heavy drinking in England and Wales is estimated to cost the tax payer around £18bn a year². With figures of alcohol abuse increasing this figure is only set to increase. Hospitals have reported that the number of children admitted because of drinking alcohol has increased 11% since the mid1990s³. Alcohol is estimated to cost the NHS in the UK £3bn per year.

Summary

All of these factors combined show us the huge detrimental affects of alcohol. The social, physical, mental, financial and social impact of alcohol is a great cause of concern for those aware of how widespread the problem is. The World Health Organization has identified alcohol as the third highest risk to health in developed countries behind tobacco and high blood pressure⁴. Perhaps the most worrying footnote to these figures is that whilst numbers of smokers are on the decrease this is not the case, as we have seen, with consumption of alcohol. Alcohol consumption is increasing and its victims are becoming younger. The wisdom of the Qur’anic injunction is now more beautiful than ever. The Holy Qur’an does talk of the “benefit of wine”, and this too has been discovered with recent studies showing that in very limited cases a small amount of alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease in women. The Holy Qur’an goes on to explain that the disadvantages far out weigh the advantages, and we have seen these in detail. Even in the study showing decrease in heart disease, when small amounts of alcohol were consumed an increase risk of cancer was noted as a side effect. As Muslims we owe a very large debt to this Qur’anic injunction banning us from consuming alcohol and thus protecting us from so many of these ills that are only fully being appreciated in the modern age. n Unless otherwise stated, all references taken from five part BBC Series “Britain’s Streets of Booze” .

Footnotes

1. BBC News—13th September 2004, ‘Any Alcohol’ a risk in pregnancy, 2. BBC News—9th September 2005, “Alcohol treatment cost effective” 3. BBC News—1st August 2005, “Hospitals see child drinking rise” 4. Ibid

Volume 11 . Issue 2 | 43

part 8  Letters and comments tariqmagazine@khuddam.org.uk

Why I became a Musi By Rehan Shaheen

y the Grace of Allah Almighty I became a Musi on the 22 March 2005 at the age of 37 years. My Lord has been very kind towards me, He has shown me the way and given me a clarity of thinking which has allowed me to review the purpose of my life. Allah Almighty is my Friend, my Helper and my Guardian. My love for Him breaks the bounds of mere earthly relationships. I present below the reasons why I decided to enter into the blessed institution of Wasiyyat and I hope that in reading this, my fellow Ahmadi Muslim brothers and sisters may be inspired to do what I did.

Time is short

I think that our generation is possibly the luckiest of any that has lived on this planet. I say this because the clock is ticking and there are now less than 200 years to the fulfilment of the Promised Messiah’s prophecy that Ahmadiyyat will encompass the globe. If we cast our minds back to the amazing progress that our Community has made in the last twenty years, you can surely imagine the progress we will make in the next fifty years. We are truly blessed that we have the opportunity to play a part in fundamentally shaping the way the world will look like. Whether we as individuals chose to play our part in the progress of Ahmadiyyat is irrelevant as Ahmadiyyat will move forward and succeed irrespective of our contributions; of this we have been assured by God. But can

you imagine, my dear brothers and sisters, what regrets you might have at the age of seventy when you realise that all of this progress had been achieved without any contribution from you. As you prepare to meet your Maker, do you want to be full of regret or will you seek comfort in the fact that when called upon you were of service to your faith. You can never turn the clock back, so your decision to be involved needs to be made now.

What kind of Ahmadi do you want to be?

The second issue for me really went to the heart of what kind of an Ahmadi Muslim I wanted to be. We have all taken the Bai’t and have entered into the fold of Ahmadiyyat, but how many of us can truly say that we have abided by the conditions of Bai’t? Whilst none of us are perfect, we should in our hearts always endeavour to abide by these conditions. So the question is, are you going to be the kind of inspirational Ahmadi who leads from the front, and is recognisable as an Ahmadi, or are you going to be of those who takes great pleasure in calling themselves Ahmadi Muslims but by their actions they are recognisable as hypocrites? Once the message has clearly come to us and we have accepted Ahmadiyyat, then it is our duty to live and breath the message of Ahmadiyyat and Islam. The most wretched of punishments surely awaits those amongst us who are happy to call ourselves true believers but by our actions we are disbelievers.

44 | Tariq Magazine . July 2006

This life calls for sacrifice. This life is nothing but a test. Do not fail this test my brothers and sisters. We should live for the next life and we should forsake the pleasures of this life, choosing instead to remember Allah, earn his love and serve humanity. This life will pass in the blink of an eye whereas the next life is eternal. So what kind of sacrifice does Allah ask of us? Many generations of Muslims have made the ultimate sacrifice by offering their lives for the sake of their faith and this tradition continues right up to this very day as the recent massacre of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan proves. But cast your mind to the level of sacrifice that the Reformer of the Age, the Promised Messiah has instructed us to engage in. This is the age of financial sacrifice

PART 8 | Letters and comments because it is only through the sacrifices of the members of the Ahmadiyya Community who are alive today that Ahmadiyyat will be spread to all the peoples of the world in years to come. When a Prophet of God has directed us to offer this level of sacrifice through his book “Al Wasiyyat”, then do we really have a choice other than to comply fully with open hearts? You will do well also to remember that Islam is certainly not against trying to provide a level of worldly comfort and enjoyment for yourself and your families provided that you have discharged your spiritual obligations. That is why within Wasiyyat there is a cap at a maximum of a third that can be given to the Jamaat out of your income and estate in order to ensure the welfare in this life of your family. Those that openly sacrifice financially in the way of Allah need never worry about making ends meet. Speak to any Musiaan and ask him to tell you his or her experiences of their life after having become Musi. , Allah has always looked after those people who are closest to Him.

New World Order

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V has said that if a large part of the Ahmadiyya Community were to embrace the institution of Wasiyyat, he would never have to make an appeal for funding for various projects ever again. This would mean that our beloved Khalifa would always have the financial means at his disposal to direct the work and the projects necessary to continue with the propagation of Islam. In the longer term, Wasiyyat is actually the answer to making poverty history on a global scale. If a large proportion of the world were to give 10% of their estate on death for the propagation of Islam and for the service of humanity, then maybe it isn’t wishful thinking to believe that the Institution of Wasiyyat could ensure that no child would ever starve, no widow would ever be displaced and that poverty and suffering would be a thing of the past.

When we have taken the Bait and have sworn even to lay down our lives for our blessed Khalifa, should we then not comply with his wish for us to accept and enter into the Institution of Wasiyyat?

Not Spiritually Good Enough

I’ve heard many Ahmadi Muslim brothers and sisters say upon contemplating Wasiyyat that they do not consider themselves of a sufficiently high enough spiritual rank to discharge

It is easy to think of many reasons and excuses why the time is not right for you to embrace Wasiyyat. My advice to you is to put your faith in Allah Almighty. the obligations that it involves. Well, I have news for you. Wasiyyat does not impose any spiritual obligations over and above those required by the Holy Qur’an and the conditions of Bai’t. The only additional condition that Wasiyyat imposes on you is a financial one which is to contribute a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 33% of your income and of your estate on death to the service of Islam. However, I think it is true to say that those who have become Musi have benefited from a huge spiritual uplift which becomes obvious to other members of the Community. The reason behind this is that by becoming a Musi you are making a statement which says that you have given preference to spirituality over materialism in this life. The world’s biggest religion is not Christianity or Islam, it is the powers of materialism. So in this age, in which money seems to mean everything to so many, for a person to enter into the Institution of Wasiyyat is very significant. Allah Almighty will bring such a person close to him like a mother cuddles her child and Allah will love that person and protect that person from all evil and will help him discharge his spiritual and financial obligations and will safeguard and protect him. So with

the help of Allah Almighty, a Musi is better able to discharge his duties to his Lord and to lead an exemplary life. In a very real way Musis have become real role models for how Ahmadi Muslims should behave and be recognised. Don’t make the mistake of waiting to become spiritually more advanced before becoming a Musi; accepting Wasiyyat is one of the best ways of introducing and retaining a high level of spirituality in your life.

No Excuses Please

Finally, I would like to say that entering the Institution of Wasiyyat is a very significant commitment and it is not something that should ever be entered into lightly. As a minimum, one should read Al-Wasiyyat three times and should then enter into deep prayer and contemplation before becoming a Musi. I do not blame my dear brothers and sisters for being daunted by the prospect of becoming a Musi. It is natural to be slightly worried about the future. However, do not let your worries lead you to making a wrong decision. It is easy to think of many reasons and excuses why the time is not right for you to embrace Wasiyyat. My advice to you is to put your faith in Allah Almighty. Take a look at your right hand my dear brother; that ring that you are wearing reads “Is Allah not sufficient for his Servant?”. When you know the answer to this, then why enter into pointless debates in your mind about this matter or that matter when fundamentally you know the righteousness of an institution ordained by a Prophet of God. Trust your Lord. Your only security rests with Allah and not with the worldly objects that we surround ourselves with. , all praise belongs to Allah. I thank Him that he has guided me and shown me the Light. My life makes sense and has direction. I offer these views to you most humbly and urge you to think upon them and pray. I would dearly like the company of my dear brothers and sisters on this journey of righteousness through this life. n

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