Tariq Magazine (Volume 12, Issue 2) by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Tariq Magazine Volume 12 • Issue 2 • February 2007

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

Tariq M Chowdhry Mohtamim Isha’at

Irfan Chaudhry Design and Typesetting

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

2 3 3

PART 2: Editorial Foreword Editorial

4 5

PART 3: Islam The Ashara–e–Mubasharah [ra_hum] (Part 2) Freedom from Sin

6 12

PART 4: Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam Hadhrat Chaudhry Muhammed Zafarullah Khan

PART 5: News and events Army Weekend National Ijtema 2006 Islamabad Triumph in MKA National Football Tournament Tahir Squash Tournament 2006 Charity Challenge Cheque Presentation Mitcham’s Khuddam Visit Old People’s Home Message from Leukaemia Research Marriage Forum (Northern Regions) Scotland Atfal Tarbiyyati Class 2007

17 21 34 36 37 38 38 39 40

PART 6: Science and academica Professor Abdus Salam KBE FRS

PART 7: Urdu section

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

The Holy Qur’an “The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and for those employed in connections therewith, and for those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and for the freeing of slaves, and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer - an ordinance from Allah. And Allah is All-knowing, Wise.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 9, Verse 60

Commentary

In the previous (chapter 9, verse 59) verse reference was made to the displeasure of the hypocrites, if they were not given a share in the Zakat. The present verse defines the objects for which Zakat is to be spent and these, as the verse explains, are eight in number. The first-mentioned class i.e. (the poor) signifies those broken or perforated with poverty or disease, whereas the second-mentioned class i.e. (the needy signifies those rendered motionless through want of means e.g. the unemployed, or those possessing the ability to work but lacking the means thereof. The words, “those employed in connection therewith”, signify those who are employed in collecting Zakat or in keeping an account thereof or in the performance of any other duty connected therewith. The words, “whose hearts are to be reconciled”, mean those whose hearts are sincerely inclined towards Islam but

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who, owing to their having become disconnected with their former society, stand in need of monetary help. The extends to new converts also. The word, “slaves”, signifies, besides actual slaves, captives and such persons as are called upon to pay blood-money to secure their freedom. The expression, “for those in debt”, means those who are unable to pay their debts or those who have suffered an extraordinary loss in trade, etc. The words, “for the cause of Allah”, imply very good or pious work commanded by God. The term (the wayfarer) includes those stranded on a journey for lack of money; or those who travel in search of knowledge or for promoting social relations. See also 2:178. Commentary from Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad [ra_ ho] “The Holy Qur’an with English translation and commentary”

PART 1 | Words of wisdom

A good word is also sadaqah. Every step taken on one’s way to offer the compulsory prayer (in the mosque) is also sadaqah

Hadith “There is a (compulsory) sadaqah (charity) to be given for every joint of the human body (as a sign of gratitude to Allah) everyday the sun rises. To judge justly between two persons is regarded as sadaqah; and to help a man concerning his riding animal, by helping him to mount it or by lifting his luggage on to it, is also regarded as sadaqah; and

(saying) a good word is also sadaqah; and every step taken on one’s way to offer the compulsory prayer (in the mosque) is also sadaqah; and to remove a harmful thing from the way is also sadaqah.” Reported by: Muslim and Al-Bukhari

Writings of Promised Messiah [as] “My countrymen! A religion which does not inculcate universal compassion is no religion at all. Similarly, a human being without the faculty of compassion is no human at all. Our God has never discriminated between one people and another. This is illustrated by the fact that all the potentials which were granted to the Aryans were also granted to the races inhabiting Arabia, Persia, Syria, China, Japan, Europe and America. The Earth created by God provides a common floor for all people alike and His sun and moon and many stars are a source of radiance to all alike; they also have many other benefits. Likewise, all people benefit from the elements by Him such as water, fire earth and other similar products such as grain, fruit and healing agents etc. These attributes of God teach us the lesson that we too should behave magnanimously and kindly towards our fellow human beings and should not be petty of heart and illiberal.” Source: ‘Paigham-e-Sulah’ – A Message of Peace – 1908 The Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad [as] (1835–1908)

These attributes of God teach us the lesson that we too should behave magnanimously and kindly towards our fellow human beings

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part 2 ❯ Editorial Foreword Mirza Fakhar Ahmad, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

My dear brothers Khuddam and Atfal [salam] First of all I would like to congratulate you all on the completion of our purchase of a guest house on Gressenhall Road which Huzur [atba] has graciously named “Sarai Khidmat”. This purchase is a testimony firstly to the blessings of Allah, and secondly to the dedication and financial sacrifice of Khuddam and Atfal across the country. The guest house will have offices, guest rooms for visiting guests, and an area for Khuddam to visit and congregate. It is your guest house, pray that Allah blesses it in every respect and that is a source of blessing for Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and the Jamaat in the years to come. Our achievements are tied to the blessings we enjoy for adhering to the institution of Khilafat. It is the essence of everything we do, and the guiding light for all our activities. Whereas the remainder of the world, spiritual and otherwise, cries out for leadership, we

have been blessed for nearly a hundred years with the blessings of Khilafat. Our very being is tied into this Nizam, 2008 is the Ahmadiyya Khilafat Centenary when the Jamaat would Insh’Allah have been blessed by a 100 years of Khilafat. It is incumbent upon all of us to firstly thank Allah for this blessing and secondly to pray that Allah continues to shelter us under this institution and that we remain loyal to it in every respect. Every Khadim and Tifl should make every effort to listen to and recite the prayers that Huzur [atba] has guided the Jamaat to recite. These are again printed in this issue. To make it easier, we have also uploaded copies of the prayers, screen savers, and bookmarks to www.khuddam.org.uk to make it easier for everyone to access. May Allah bless all of you, [ameen]. [wasalam] Mirza F Ahmad Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya

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Every Khadim and Tifl should make every effort to listen to and recite the prayers that Huzur [atba] has guided the Jamaat to recite.

PART 2 | Editorial

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

ecently new guidelines issued by the self proclaimed voice of British Muslims, The Muslim Council of Britain on how schools should be run and the education curriculum managed has received wide spread coverage. At a time when the scrutiny of Islam is under the microscopic eye of the media and the public at large, the publication of this document has done little to allay the fears and misconceptions of Islam. The proposal in summary provides in part for the basic exclusion of Muslim children and the further alienation of our faith from the Community at large. How tragic that our faith which has at its very essence the importance of a person’s relationship with others and the need not just for tolerance but of understanding, is being presented in a fashion which does little to promote the faith let alone encourage others towards the manifest and inherent beauty of its message. British society seeks to be inclusive in its nature. No one is claiming it is perfect, but what it has provided has been a strong basis for integration of communities whilst respecting and indeed celebrating the difference of beliefs. Many of us are witness to how this positive and inclusive approach to education has paid dividends. Indeed, there are many from within our own community who attended church schools, yet the experience strengthened our own beliefs, whilst instilling in us an appreciation that other faiths also have at their very basis the same origin of truth. By suggesting, as the MCB does, that pupils should be allowed ‘exclusion rights’ from Religious Education classes, does highlight the very essence of the divisive approach of the MCB. Such classes after all are where children

learn about other faiths and indeed in witnessing acts of collective prayers, or by attending other places of worship, we increase our knowledge of the religious practices of those around us whilst sharing with them our way of worshipping God. Indeed, if you examine the proposals, some of the steps the reports claims are necessary and ground breaking are already happening through good practice and convention the length and breath of Britain. Unfortunately, when religion is used to politicise a faith, negativity prevails and no matter how virtuous the proposal (and yes there are several of note in the report) they all become tarnished by the fact that it is perceived as another example of Islam distancing itself from society as whole. We are the oldest Muslim Community in Britain since our formal establishment in 1914. There are now three and even four generations of Ahmadies who live in this country. Our children attend schools and colleges and complement their formal education with religious education both at home and of course through the activities of the Community. However, our approach is based on inclusiveness and education. We have worked with authorities to nurture a broad and appreciative understanding of Islam without seeking headline grabbing gestures or through alienating ourselves from Society. Our actions and deeds have demonstrated not just a desire, but rather factual evidence of how born, bred and educated Muslims, practice our faith whilst remaining loyal and productive citizens of Britain. A country which we do not only call home, but is our home.

Our actions and deeds have demonstrated not just a desire, but rather factual evidence of how born, bred and educated Muslims, practice our faith whilst remaining loyal and productive citizens of Britain. A country which we do not only call home, but is our home.

Tariq Ahmad BT

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part 3 ❯ Islam The Ashara–e–Mubasharah [ra_hum](Part 2) Siraj Khan

(…continued from Volume 12, Issue 1 of Tariq Magazine)

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas

e are in a narrow valley furthered from other inhabitations by endless desert with little or no vegetation, no rivers and imported livestock. During season, tribes flock here like animals flock to a water-source. There is no government, no religion to guide people except that which promotes free worship of hundreds of idols. There is no source of knowledge except priestcraft amongst the masses and a love for elegant poetry. We are in Makkah, and these are the pre-Islamic Arabs. In Makkah, there is a serious and intelligent young man who comes from a rich and noble family, whom people compare to a lion. He spends much of his time making and repairing bows and arrows and practising archery as if preparing himself for some great encounter. He finds disenfranchisement in the ways of his people and their corrupt beliefs and practices and no satisfaction in their religion. His name is Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas. One morning Abu Bakr meets him and speaks softly to him. He explains that Muhammad ibn Abdullah [saw] the son of his late cousin Aminah bint Wahb had received Revelation and had been commissioned with the religion of guidance and truth. Abu Bakr then took him to Muhammad [saw] in one of the valleys of Makkah. Sa’d was excited and responded readily to the invitation to truth and the religion of One God. Hadhrat Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas [ra_ho] was a nephew of Sayyida Amina [ra_ha], the mother of the Messenger of Allah [saw]. Like many early converts to Islam, Sa’d accepted Islam through Hadhrat Abu Bakr [ra_ho], at the young age of 16 or 17.a However, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas’s [ra_ho] acceptance of Islam was hindered with heavy pressure from his family. His mother, Hamnah bint Sufyan ibn ‘Umayyah (Abu Sufyan’s niece), laid immense pressure upon her son, going on a hunger strike, vowing not to touch any food, nor drink until Sa’d forsook Muhammad [saw]. She further pro-

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voked Sa’d emotionally reminding him that it was a primary duty imposed by all religions to serve and obey one’s parents, putting Sa’d in an emotionally difficult position. Sa’d had the honour of being the reason for the revelation of a verse of the Qur’an (asbaab al-nuzul – lit. the reason for revelation)b when he urged the problem upon The Holy Prophet [saw], who received the following revelation: “And we have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; but if they strive to make thee associate that with Me of which thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto me is your return, and I shall inform you of what you did.” (Al-‘Ankabut, 29:9)

Some commentators however, put this event as the reason for the revelation of the verses: “And we have enjoined on man concerning his parents – his mother bears him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning takes two years – ‘Give thanks to Me and to thy parents. Unto me is the final return. ‘And if they contend with thee to make thee set up equals with Me concerning which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not, but be a kind companion to them in all worldly affairs; and in spiritual matters follow the way of him who turns to Me. Then unto Me will be your return and I shall inform you of what you used to do.’” (Surah Luqman, 31:15-16)

Sa’d enjoyed close proximity to The Holy Prophet [saw]. Before Allah had instructed The Holy Prophet [saw] and the Muslims to preach openly, the companions prayed in the valleys away from the sight of the polytheists. Whilst some of the companions were praying in one of the glens of Makkah, possibly Dar al-Arqamc, a band of polytheists rudely interrupted the Muslims. An altercation soon occurred and on this occasion Sa’d struck a blow

PART 3 | Islam to one of the polytheists with “…the jawbone of a camel and wounded him…this was the first blood to be shed in Islam.”d Similarly, his love for The Holy Prophet [saw] was displayed as recorded in the sahih collections of Imams Bukhari and Muslim. They record that during the early days in Medinah, one evening The Holy Prophet [saw] asked if some of his friends could keep watch so that he could sleep a little. Shortly after he heard the sound of weapons and on inquiring who it was, the reply cam, “Messenger of Allah, I am Sa’d bin Waqqas. I have come to keep watch.”e Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas was in fact a maternal uncle of The Holy Prophet [saw] since he belonged to the Bani Zuhrah, the clan of Sayyidah Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of The Holy Prophet [saw]. For this reason he is sometimes referred to as Sa’d of Zuhrah, to distinguish him from several others whose first name was Sa’d. Over a decade later, when permission was given for the Muslims to fight, Sa’d played a distinguished role in many of the engagements that took place both during the time of The Holy Prophet [saw] and after. He fought at Badr together with his young brother ‘Umayr who requested to be allowed to accompany the Muslim army although he was only in his early teens. Sa’d returned to Medinah to find ‘Umayr amongst the Muslim martyrs who fell in the battle. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas was responsible for yet another first in Islam. Shortly after The Holy Prophet’s [saw] migration to Medina, during an expedition led by ‘Ubayda ibn al-Harith [ra_ho], the caravan of the Muslims encountered some Quraysh. Although no fighting took place there, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas shot an arrow – it was the first arrow to be shot in Islam.f On this incident, it is reported that Sa’d composed the following verses: Has the news reached the apostle of God That I protected my companions with my arrows? By In

them I rough

defended ground

their vanguard and plain.

No archer who shoots an arrow at the enemy Will be counted before me, O apostle of God. ‘Twas because Thy religion is true Thou has brought what is just and truthful. By it the believers are saved And unbelievers recompensed at the last. Stop, thou hast gone astray, so do not slander me. Woe to thee Abu Jahl, lost one of the tribe!g

At the Battle of Uhud, Sa’d was specially chosen for his

specialist archery skills with many others. Sa’d was amongst those who fought vigorously in defence of The Holy Prophet [saw] after some Muslims had deserted their positions contrary to The Holy Prophet’s [saw]. To urge him on, The Holy Prophet [saw] said: “Shoot, Sad...may my mother and father be your ransom.”h Of this occasion, Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said that he had not heard The Holy Prophet [saw] promising such a ransom to anyone except Sa’d. Sa’d is also known as the first companion to have shot an arrow in defence of Islam and in this connection it is claimed that The Holy Prophet once prayed for him: “O Lord, direct his shooting and respond to his prayer.” With regards to poetry of the companions of The Holy Prophet [saw], much of which is recorded but not often mentioned due to the exaggerative nature of poetry, it is important to remember that prior to the revelation of the Qur’an, the Arabs were a people proud of their memory and also of their poetry. Very little was written down, indeed the Qur’an was reluctantly written down and confined to book form after much persuasion to Abu Bakr [ra_ho] who was the caliph at the time, as to put the Qur’an into writing was against the prevailing elitism of committing things to memory. Abu Bakr [ra_ho] only acceded to the requests due to the number of Huffaaz (people who had committed the Qur’an to memory) having died in battles during the first caliphate. The most well-known pieces of literary excellence were known as the ‘mu’allaqaat’, or the ‘seven suspended odes’, which were hung up in the Kaa’ba. Interestingly, there is a strong theory that the seven verses of Surah al-Fatiha were a direct challenge to the ‘seven suspended odes’ which were regarded for their literary and lexicological excellence.i Sa’d was one of the companions of The Holy Prophet [saw] who was blessed with great wealth. Just as he was known for his bravery, so too was he known for his generosity. During the farewell Pilgrimage with The Holy Prophet [saw] Sa’d fell ill. The Holy Prophet came to visit him and this meeting was to become the precedent for the institution of ‘Waqf ’ or ‘Wasiyyah’ in Islam.j After the demise of the Messenger of Allah [saw], Sa’d mainly served as the commander-in-chief of the strong Muslim army which ‘Umar despatched to confront the Persians at Qadisiyyah. Muslims from all over then converged on Madinah from every part of the Muslim domain. ‘Umar then consulted the leading Muslims about the appointment of a commanderin-chief over the mighty army. ‘Umar himself thought of leading the army but ‘Ali suggested that he should remain as he was and should not endanger his life. Sa’d was then chosen as commander and Abdul-Rahman ibn al-Awf, one of the veterans among the Sahabah said, “You have chosen well! Who is there like Sa’d?”

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PART 3 | Islam Umar stood before the great army and bade farewell to them. To the commander-in-chief he said: “O Sa’d! Let not any statement that you are the uncle of the Messenger of God or that you are the companion of the Messenger of God distract you from God. God Almighty does not obliterate evil with evil but he wipes out evil with good. “O Sa’d! There is no connection between God and anyone except obedience to Him. In the sight of God all people whether nobleman or commoner are the same. Allah is their Lord and they are His servants seeking elevation through taqwa and seeking to obtain what is with God through obedience. Consider how the Messenger of God used to act with the Muslims and act accordingly...”

Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah

He was described as the ‘Amin’ or ‘Custodian of Muhammad’s community’. His full name was ‘Aamir ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah but he was commonly known as Abu ‘Ubaydah. Although the scholars differ as to the order in which the early Muslims entered Islam, who the early Muslims were is generally agreed upon. In this sense, Imam Ibn Kathir [ra_ho] includes in his biography of the Messenger of Allah [saw] on the authority of ‘A’isha [ra_ha], that “Abu Bakr went…to ‘Uthman ibn Affan, Talha ibn ‘UbaydAllah, Zubayr ibn al-Awwaam and Sa’d ibn Abu Waqqas, and they all accepted Islam. Next day he brought ‘Uthman b. Ma’zun, Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Abd al-Rahman ibn al-‘Awf, Abu Salama ibn Abd al-Asad and al-Arqam ibn Abu al-Arqam, and they all accepted Islam. God be pleased with them.”k Abu ‘Ubaydah [ra_ho] endured the insults, violence, the pain and the sorrow of the experience of the early Muslims. In every trial and test he remained firm and unwavering in his belief in God and His Prophet [saw]. One of the most difficult experiences he had to go through, however, was at the battle of Badr. Abu ‘Ubaydah was amongst the stalwarts of the Muslim forces, fighting as someone with absolutely no fear of death. The mushrikin were extremely wary of him and avoided any confrontation with him. During Badr, one man in particular relentlessly pursued Abu ‘Ubaydah wherever he turned and Abu ‘Ubaydah tried his best to keep out of his way and avoid an encounter with him. The man confronted Abu ‘Ubaydah, who tried desperately to avoid him. Eventually the man succeeded in blocking his path and stood as a barrier between him and the mushrikin. Face to face with each other, Abu ‘Ubaydah could not contain avoid battle with him any longer. He struck one blow to the man’s head, who then fell to the ground and died instantly. tAs stated earlier, this was one of the most harrowing experiences that Abu ‘Ubaydah had undergone. The man who

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confronted him was none other than Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, the father of Abu ‘Ubaydah! Judging from his demeanour, Abu ‘Ubaydah obviously did not want to confront his father, never mind kill him, because he knew that in such a situation requiring him to choose between God or the polytheistic ways of his people and his father, there would only be one outcome. Although he tried to avoid the scenario, the choice when presented to him was disturbing, but not one in which he hesitated at all. It is concerning this event that the scholars of exegesis of the Qur’an and the Sira have assessed that God revealed the following verses of the Qur’an: “Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers, or their sons or their brethren, or their kindred. These are they in whose hearts Allah has inscribed true faith and whom He has strengthened with inspiration from Himself. And He will make them enter Gardens through which streams flow. Therein will they abide. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah’s party. Hearken ye O People! It is Allah’s party who will be successful.” (Surah al-Mujadilah 58:23)

The response exhibited by Abu ‘Ubaydah at Badr when confronted by his father was not surprising. The Holy Prophet [saw] had moulded him, and indeed most of his most fervent cohorts to a higher benchmark with regards to righteousness and God-consciousness, strength of faith in God, devotion to His religion and a level of concern for the ummah of Muhammad [saw] to which many aspired. At the battle of Uhud, The Holy Prophet [saw] had received many injuries. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal [ra_ho] has recorded in his Musnad, on the authority of ‘A’isha [ra_ha] that Abu Bakr said “…I saw a man fighting hard in front of him in God’s cause. I saw him shout, ‘To the defence!’ I responded ‘(Let it) be Talha!’ having lost track of things.” Abu Bakr then told himself, “I hope he is someone from my own people.” Between Abu Bakr and the polytheists there was a man he did not know. Abu was closer to the Messenger of God [saw] than the unknown man was, but he walked faster than Abu Bakr did. Then he realised him to be Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.l When he and Abu Bakr reached the Messenger of God [saw], his [saw] front teeth had been broken and his blessed face gashed. The Messenger of God [saw] instructed them to attend to Talha who was bleeding profusely, but they disregarded his words. Abu Bakr moved forward to pull the chain-mail from The Holy Prophet’s [saw] helmet that had pierced his cheek,

PART 3 | Islam but Abu ‘Ubaydah interjected asserting, “I insist on my right of you letting me do it.” Reluctant to take the link in his hand for fear of hurting the Messenger of Allah [saw], Abu ‘Ubaydah put his mouth over it and drew out a link, one of his incisors falling with it in the process. Abu Bakr

which they are in disagreement.” This shows the extent to which The Holy Prophet [saw] trusted Abu ‘Ubaydah [ra_ho], and serves as ample commendation of his status amongst the companions. Abu ‘Ubaydah [ra_ho] did not disobey the Khalifa

Shortly after, Abu ‘Ubaydah became victim to the plague. His last advice to his army was to ‘Establish prayer, fast the month of Ramadhan, give charity, perform the Hajj and ‘umrah. Remain united and support one another. Be sincere to your commanders. Don’t let the world destroy you for even if man were to live a thousand years he would still end up with this fate that you see me in.’

then went to follow as Abu ‘Ubaydah did, but Abu ‘Ubaydah repeated his earlier assertion, and another of his incisors dropped out.m At this, Abu Bakr remarked, “Abu ‘Ubaydah is surely the master of tooth extraction!” Having treated the Messenger of Allah [saw], the two went to see to Talha, who had received some 70 wounds, including spear thrusts, arrow wounds and cuts. Ibn Ishaq’s states in his ‘Sirat RasulAllah’ that after the demise of the Messenger of Allah [saw], Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and Abu ‘Ubaydah went to the hall where the Ansar had gathered (Saqifa Banu Sa’idah) in order to elect a leader and successor to The Holy Prophet [saw]. Abu Bakr, after a short rebuttal to the Ansar’s proposal of ‘a leader from you and a leader from us’ took “hold of [‘Umar’s hand] and that of Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah”, saying “I offer you one of these two men: accept which you please.”n This amply shows not only that Abu ‘Ubaydah was a man well-regarded amongst the likes of Abu Bakr al-Siddique, but that stalwarts of Islam like Abu Bakr [ra_ho] regarded Abu ‘Ubaydah [ra_ho] as worthy and capable of the position of ‘Khalifatul RasulAllah’ and Amirul Mu’mineen. This is a great commendation for Abu ‘Ubaydah and it is thus no wonder that he was one of the ten companions who were promised paradise. It is narrated by Muhammad ibn Ja’far [ra_ho] that a Christian delegation came to The Holy Prophet [saw] asking The Holy Prophet [saw] to appoint a trustworthy companion to judge between them on a disagreement amongst them. The Holy Prophet [saw] asked them to retire and return later in the evening at which time ‘Umar, having heard of the situation arrived for Zuhr prayer early, hoping to be the one The Holy Prophet [saw] would appoint as one who is ‘strong and trustworthy’. ‘Umar states that he had raised himself in an attempt to come under the sight of The Holy Prophet [saw] after the prayer, but The Holy Prophet [saw] kept looking around until he lay eyes on Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah [ra_ho]. He summoned Abu ‘Ubaydah [ra_ho] and instructed him to “go with them and judge among them with truth about that

except in one matter. The incident occurred when Abu ‘Ubaydah was in Syria leading the Muslim forces from one victory to another until the whole of Syria was under Muslim control. At this time, a plague hit the land of Syria, the like of which had never been experienced before. On hearing of the plague, ‘Umar [ra_ho] despatched a messenger to Abu ‘Ubaydah with a message recalling that ‘Umar was in urgent need of Abu ‘Ubaydah and related the urgency with which he should return to ‘Umar as soon as he receives this message. Abu ‘Ubaydah had realised the reason as to the urgency of ‘Umar’s [ra_ho] recall, and pre-empted ‘Umar’s [ra_ ho] plans to save Abu ‘Ubaydah [ra_ho] from the affliction of the plague and secure ‘Umar’s successor. However, Abu ‘Ubaydah stated that he was in charge of an army of Muslims and that he had no desire of saving himself of that which afflicted them, not wanting to separate himself from them until God willed. He thus asked release from ‘Umar’s instructions and permission to stay on. Tears filled ‘Umar’s eyes when he read Abu ‘Ubaydah’s response, at which those with him asked, ‘has Abu ‘Ubaydah died, O Amirul Mu’mineen?’ ‘Umar replied in the negative, but stated that death was near to him. Shortly after, Abu ‘Ubaydah became victim to the plague. His last advice to his army was to ‘Establish prayer, fast the month of Ramadhan, give charity, perform the Hajj and ‘umrah. Remain united and support one another. Be sincere to your commanders. Don’t let the world destroy you for even if man were to live a thousand years he would still end up with this fate that you see me in.’ Abu ‘Ubaydah then instructed Mu’adh ibn Jabal and said, “O Mu’adh, perform the prayer with the people.” Mu’adh arose and said: “O people, you are stricken by the death of a man. By God, I don’t know whether I have seen a man who had a more righteous heart, who was further from all evil and who was more sincere to people than he. Ask God to shower His mercy on him and God will be merciful to you.”

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PART 3 | Islam

Sa’id Ibn Zayd

Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl, the father of Sa’id, belonged to the tribe Banu ‘Adyy (ibn Ka’b ibn Lu’ayy) and was a cousin of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, is well known maybe even moreso than his son, Sa’id. A short introduction into this companion’s father is well-deserved. From the beginning Zayd was known as one amongst those who were hanif, i.e. those who did not partake of the polytheistic practices and chose to follow the practices of the monotheistic Jews or the Christians and ultimately strove to follow the faith of Ibrahim [as].o

Sa’id ibn Zayd was totally devoted to the Prophet [saw] and the service of Islam. He witnessed all the major campaigns and encounters in which the Prophet engaged with the exception of Badr.

Zayd exhibited a strong abhorrence of idolatry, so much so that he never partook of the meat of any animal sacrificed for an idol. Likewise, he refrained from taking the meat of any animal that died of itself and from alcoholic drinks.p He was vociferously outspoken against he jahiliyyah (preislamic era, lit. ignorant) custom of killing female babies and often saved them by undertaking their maintenance himself. It is recorded by Ibn Ishaq that Zayd sometimes used to sit in front of the Kaa’ba prior to The Holy Prophet’s [saw] commission and declare, “Here I am before you, really and truly in worship, verity and submission. I turn in submission quoting Abraham, facing the Kaa’bah…O my God, I am submissive to you, fearful, and humble. Whatever painful task you impose, I will perform it. It is faith I desire, not vanity. He who journeys in the heat is not as one who naps in the afternoon.”q Further, his renunciation of idol-worship and his denunciation of the jahiliyyah customs provoked angry response and hostility from others, including his cousin al-Khattab who is said to have instigated Zayd’s wife against him. Because of this enmity and hostility, Zayd left Makkah and undertook journeys in search of the hanafiyyah (those on the religion of Ibrahim [as], who was known as al-hanif) including to Syria. There he met Christian monks and Jewish rabbis but neither of the two religions appealed to him in their prevalent forms, as he is reported to have considered both to have been equally corrupted by polytheistic practices.r However, on this journey one of the monks, in response to his search for knowledge of the religion of Ibrahim [as] told Zayd that a Prophet was to appear with hanafiyyah, i.e., the religion of Ibrahim [as] in Zayd’s own land and that the time of his appearance was imminent. On hearing this Zayd hastened back to Makkah but was killed by some people whilst still in Syria.

10 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

At the death of his father, Sa’id ibn Zayd asked The Holy Prophet [saw], “O Messenger of God, my father was as you have seen and heard; seek forgiveness for him.” The Holy Prophet [saw] replied, “Yes; he will be raised up on Judgment Day as a nation, by himself.”s It is reported that Zayd had once met The Holy Prophet [saw] prior to his journey to Syria. This event is recorded in the sahih of Imam al-Bukhari, who said that once, Zayd happened to meet The Holy Prophet [saw] before his call to prophethood at Baldah (near Makkah), when a meal consisting of meat sacrificed at an altar (i.e., in the name of one of the idols) was offered. The Holy Prophet refused to partake of it and so did Zayd, stating, “I do not eat what you people slaughter on the altars, etc.” This refusal of Zayd was a sequel to The Holy Prophet’s initial refusal to partake of the meal, whereas some commentators (eg. D.S. Margoliouth) assert that The Holy Prophet’s [saw] refusal was initiated by Zayd’s statement. However, this is unreliable as the hadith relied upon in this case, although cited in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, contains narrators in its chain which includes Mas’udi, about whom it is said that he used to generally mix up matters, thus anything cited from him could be used as supporting statements but not as primary evidence.t Also, two other narrators Nufayl ibn Hisham and his father Hisham ibn Sa’id are not quite trustworthy.u Hence this narration in the Musnad is considered ‘weak’ according to scholars of the science of hadith verification.v Sa’id was married to ‘Umar’s sister, Fatima bint Al-Khattab. An altercation ensued between ‘Umar [ra_ho] and Sa’id when ‘Umar, prior to his acceptance of Islam and on the way to kill The Holy Prophet [saw], was intercepted by Nu’aym b. Abdullah who told him to first see to his sister and brother-in-law who had accepted Islam and were being recited the Qur’an by Khabab ibn al-Aratt, as appointed by The Holy Prophet [saw].w ‘Umar assaulted Sa’id, seized and then questioned him as to their acceptance of Islam. Fatima, ‘Umar’s sister and Sa’id’s wife, rose to her husband’s defence at which point ‘Umar struck her and wounded her.x ‘Umar saw the blood on his sister he felt sorry for what he did and demanded to be given the sheets that they were reading as ‘Umar was literate. This event was the impetus for ‘Umar’s acceptance of Islam.y Sa’id ibn Zayd was totally devoted to The Holy Prophet [saw] and the service of Islam. He witnessed all the major campaigns and encounters in which The Holy Prophet engaged with the exception of Badr. Prior to Badr, Sa’id and Talhah were sent by The Holy Prophet as scouts on reconnaissance to the Quraysh caravan returning from Syria. When Talhah and Sa’id returned to Medinah The Holy Prophet [saw] had already set out for Badr with the first Muslim army of just over three hundred men. After the passing away of The Holy Prophet [saw]

PART 3 | Islam Sa’id continued to play a major role for the ummah. He was one of those whom Abu Bakr [ra_ho] consulted on his succession and his name is often linked with such companions as ‘Uthman, Abu ‘Ubaydah and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas in the campaigns that were waged. He was known for his courage and heroism, evidenced by his unrelenting passion for Islam at the Battle of Yarmuk under the command of ‘Umar. Sa’id narrated as follows: “For the Battle of Yarmuk, we were 24,000 or thereabout. Against us, the Byzantines mobilized 120,000 men. They advanced towards us with a heavy and thunderous movement as if mountains were being moved. Bishops and priests strode before them bearing crosses and chanting litanies which were repeated by the soldiers behind them. When the Muslims saw them mobilized thus, they became worried by their vast numbers and something of anxiety and fear entered theft hearts. Thereupon Abu Ubaydah stood before the Muslims and urged them to fight. ‘Worshippers of God…help God and God will help you and make your feet firm. Worshippers of God, be patient and steadfast for indeed patience and steadfastness (sabr) is a salvation from unbelief, a means of attaining the pleasure of God and a defence against ignominy and disgrace.

Endnotes a

M.Z. Khan, ‘Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets’, (1980, Routledge & Kegan Paul) p.27

b See Tafsir Ibn Kathir, comment on 29:9, as cited in M.M. Ali, ‘Sirat al-Nabi and The Orientalists: With special reference to the writings of William Muir, D.S. Margoliouth and W. Montgomery Watt’, (1997, King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an), Vol.1b, p.655 c

M.M. Ali, ‘Sirat al-Nabi and The Orientalists: With special reference to the writings of William Muir, D.S. Margoliouth and W. Montgomery Watt’, (1997, King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an), Vol.1b, p.519

d A. Guillaume, ‘The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah’, (2004, Oxford University Press), p.118 e

M.Z. Khan, ‘Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets’, (1980, Routledge & Kegan Paul) p.91

A. Guillaume, ‘The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah’, Op. Cit., p.281

A. Guillaume, ‘The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah’, Op. Cit., p.283

h M.Z. Khan, ‘Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets’, Op. Cit., p.145 i

Ibn Kathir, Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (trans. of ‘The Life of the Prophet Muhammad’), translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, (2000, Garnet Publishing, Lebanon, ‘The Centre for Muslim Contribution to Civilization’), Vol.1, p.85-86

D.S. Powers, ‘The Will of Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas: A Reassessment’, 58 Studia Islamica (1983) pp. 33-53

k Ibn Kathir, Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (trans. of ‘The Life of the Prophet Muhammad’), Op. Cit., Vol.1, p.318-319 l

Ibn Kathir, Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (trans. of ‘The Life of the Prophet Muhammad’), Op. Cit., Vol.III, p.40-41

Draw out your spears and protect yourselves with your shields. Don’t utter anything among yourselves but the remembrance of God Almighty until I give you the command, if God wills.’

m Ibid.

Thereupon a man emerged from the ranks of the Muslims and said:

o M.M. Ali, ‘Sirat al-Nabi and The Orientalists: With special reference to the writings of William Muir, D.S. Margoliouth and W. Montgomery Watt’, Op. Cit., Vol.1a, p.236

n A. Guillaume, ‘The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah’, Op. Cit., p.686

p Ibid.,

‘I have resolved to die this very hour. Have you a message to send to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace?’

q Ibn Kathir, Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (trans. of ‘The Life of the Prophet Muhammad’), Op. Cit., Vol.I, p.113 r

‘Yes,’ replied Abu Ubaydah, ‘convey salaam to him from me and from the Muslims and say to him: O Messenger of God, we have found true what our Lord has promised us.’

Ibn Kathir, Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (trans. of ‘The Life of the Prophet Muhammad’), Op. Cit., Vol.I, p.113

Al-Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir, Vol.I, p.151, fn.

As soon as I heard the man speak and saw him unsheathe his sword and go out to meet the enemy, I threw myself on the ground and crept on all fours and with my spear I felled the first enemy horseman racing towards us. Then I fell upon the enemy and God removed from my heart all traces of fear. The Muslims engaged the advancing Byzantines and continued fighting until they were blessed with victory.”

It is due to such instances of valour and bravery for the sake of Allah, that Sa’id was ranked by The Holy Prophet [saw] as one of the outstanding members of his generation.

u Ibid. v

Al-Tabarani, Vol.V, p.86

w M.M. Ali, ‘Sirat al-Nabi and The Orientalists: With special reference to the writings of William Muir, D.S. Margoliouth and W. Montgomery Watt’, Op. Cit., Vol.1a, p.3267 x

M.Z. Khan, ‘Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets’, Op. Cit., p.38; M.M. Ali, ‘Sirat al-Nabi and The Orientalists: With special reference to the writings of William Muir, D.S. Margoliouth and W. Montgomery Watt’, Op. Cit., Vol.1b, p.533; Ibn Kathir, Op. Cit., Vol.II, pp.20-21

A. Guillaume, ‘The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah’, Op. Cit., p.156-7

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 11

PART 3 | Islam

Freedom from Sin by Syed Ansar Khan

For, you began to learn it from each other’s tongue and then uttered with your mouths that which you had no knowledge, and you thought it to be a light matter, while in the sight of Allah it was a grievous thing. Al-Nur Ch24.v16

They seek to hide their designs from men but they cannot hide them from Allah; and He is present with them when they plot at night about matters which He does not approve. Allah encompasses what they do. Al-Nisa Ch4.v109

Shun therefore the abomination of idols, and shun all words of untruth.. Al-Hajj Ch22.v31

He utters not a word, but there is by him a guardian angel ready to record it, Qaf Ch50.v19

Nawas ibn Sam’an [ra_ho] relates that Hadhrat Muhammad [saw] said: Virtue is good behaviour, and sin is that which troubles your mind and you are afraid that people should come to know of it. Muslim – ahadith 593 Gardens of the Righteous p125

Abu Bakarah Nufai’ ibn Harith [ra_ ho] relates that Hadhrat Muhammad [saw] said: Shall I tell you what are the major sins? (He repeated this three times). We said: Certainly, Messenger of Allah. He Said: Association of others with Allah; disobedience of parents (he had been leaning on a pillow, suddenly he sat up) and telling a lie or giving false evidence. He repeated this last so many times that we wished he should stop. Muslim & Bokhari – ahadith 338 Gardens of the Righteous p77

lie is a lie and all lies are bad. We know this, the religious and legal system of every social order accepts truth and rejects lying, seeing it as a destructive force. So why do we still lie? To understand we must first understand sin. The Holy Prophet [saw] as narrated above explains that sin is bad, the opposite of good. He further explains that there are many categories of sin. And that there are certain major sins from which many other sins originate. One of these major sins is lying. Regrettably however there is a huge misconception in the world today that lying is ok especially if it benefits someone. At the tender ages of pre-school, children learn that there are different types and sizes of lies. They learn that truth can be swapped with half-truth or a complete lie to gain something. This is because a child quickly learns that to defer blame onto another sees his or her lies rewarded by not being punished. So for children growing to adulthood, telling the truth becomes just a materialistic game of gain and loss. Generally no one person teaches a child to steal or lie, it is something that is taught indirectly through actions imitated from parents, friends and elders. And as such it is they who are ultimately responsible. The problem is that the downward spiralling system of western democracy has succeeded in cementing this warped sense of right and wrong, we are fed the misinformation that certain lies are allowed. And that certain types of lies can be for the common good. Satan has labelled these as ‘little white lies’. Therefore by attaching an inoffensive and ‘clean’ sounding name people have fallen in to the trap of lying to achieve a goal. Lying has a cumulative knock-on effect that is counter-productive to the whole of human society. It leads man

12 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

down a path that eventually leads to mistrust of all and evil by all. One lie leads to another, and just as one leads to another we dig ourselves deeper into the web, loosing sight of where we began. Just take a look at the news today, most if not all of the stories have a link to misinformation, denial and deceit. And just as one lie leads to another, it is ultimately lying that is used to cover nearly all sins from theft of property to the taking of human life. It is our weakness of faith, in the power of truth and thus ultimately the fountainhead of truth, God, that allows Satan to twist our concept of right and wrong. We are time and time again fooled into thinking lying is ok. The quick benefit is all we can see, even though we know we may have to bear dire consequences as a result. Even our peers may look down at us while they themselves may behave hypocritically and are in no better state. Rank is no testimony to righteousness, neither is it confirmation of such, each person should be judged solely on his words and actions corresponding to those words. The Holy Quran tells us to shun all words of untruth in other words lying. Consequently there is no ‘grey area’ or middle ground for a ‘white lie’. It is simply black and not white. A lie is a lie, no matter how big or small. Furthermore according to Allah and His Holy Prophet [saw] it is a major sin. Therefore if it is a major sin, it should be viewed like a virus that will infect other parts of your personality and those around you. If uncontrolled all the good parts of your personality will become sin-infected and this will be passed on to those around you. So you see this gravely affects all our souls. Believing in an afterlife and Judgement Day when all will be called to account for everything said and done makes us realise that all our faculties;

PART 3 | Islam such as our hands and particularly our tongues, will bear witness against ourselves. Our good deeds will be weighed against our bad and Allah will pass Judgment as to whether we are

different to his normal car and went via another 750 mile re-route to Karachi. His normal Khalifah’s car left 3 hours earlier and the government security forces tailed it thinking that the Kha-

Conversely there are many examples in history where truth and faith in truth and God have proved to be an unbelievably powerful force for success.

deserving of paradise or hell. If our soul is sin-infected how will we fair on the spiritual scales of justice? Just imagine, what chance do you have in front of an All Seeing God if you were taken right now? Will the twisted and scarred soul of one who everyday set up false idols (i.e. putting faith in a lie over truth, of which the purest truth is God himself ) have any chance? We are by lying every time stamping another testimony that we put faith in something man made, an idol. The thought should shake us to our very heart. Conversely there are many examples in history where truth and faith in truth and God have proved to be an unbelievably powerful force for success. One such event was when President General Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan tried to silence Ahmadiyyat and its God given Khalifat. With the infamous ordinance 20 printed on Thursday 26th April 1984, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Rabey [rh] was forced to leave the country. However true to form, he decided that he would not leave the country in any false or illegal way, because apart from believing in truth and the power of truth, the very name of Khilafat was at stake and people would forever be able to point and say that the Ahmadi Khalifah was a liar, cheat and had something to hide, and that’s why he left the country. So with full faith in truth and thus the fountainhead of truth Allah, he stepped forward from Rabwah on Monday April 30th for a KLM flight leaving Karachi at 2am. He left in a car

lifah was going to Islamabad. In the other car Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Rabey (Fourth) [rh] made regular stops at motorway services unafraid if anyone recognised him and reported him to the security services. This was contrary to the advice of his security guards. He arrived at Karachi airport on time and handed in his passport, which clearly said “Mirza Tahir Ahmad Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement” for checking. The airport security staff and the security services delayed the flight in an attempt to arrest him, however were forced to rethink their plan as the order for arrest made was for Hadhrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad the third Khalifatul Masih [rh] who had passed away two years previous. And when they requested confirmation from the government they found them closed at 2am. So frustrated in the end they decided it must be an out of date order and allowed Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Rabey [rh] to board the plane and escape imprisonment in Pakistan. This is just one of numerous and life enriching examples how God helps those who put their faith in Him and truth; Alhumdolillah. Now one may argue that it is all too easy to preach to give up lying, but to do so is a very difficult task if a plan of change is not presented. The solution to this problem has been given by Hadhrat Khalifatul-Masih Sani [ra_ho]. This cycle if started at birth culminates in an excellent and righteous human being. Simply, it is the moral training of a child, the responsibility of which

lies with the parents. This is also one of the reasons for Hadhrat KhalifatulMasih Rabey [rh] starting the Waqfe-Nau scheme. Hadhrat Khalifatul-Masih Sani [ra_ho] many times explained about the training of children and adults and it should be understood that all that is applicable to a child is always directly applicable and effective for adults too. If adults were to adopt these principles in their lives children would naturally follow suit. In his book ‘Way of the Seekers’ he enlightens us as follows: He explains: Do not lie to a child nor be arrogant with the child. It will certainly imitate you. It is the parents who teach a child lying. The mother does something in the child’s presence but denies having done it when asked by the father. Thus the child learns to lie. I certainly do not mean that parents are permitted to misbehave in the absence of the child. What I mean is that if they cannot help doing such things, they should try to be circumspect, at least, in the presence of children to safeguard the younger generations from such evils. He goes on to say: Of all moral evils, lying is the worst. A child should be especially guarded against it. Lying has variety of causes, some of them very obtrusive. Given the causes, or some of them, a child is bound to contract this vice as a matter of course. A child is highly imaginative. Whatever it hears, it turns into a kind of reality. To a child every image is real. A child should be helped to realise the difference between fact and fiction. A child can be saved from this habit, if the nature and managing of thinking can be brought home to it. Teach them to admit their mistakes, as a matter of habit. For this the following methods would be found helpful: 1.

Do not try to hide your own mistakes before a child.

Be sympathetic when the child commits a mistake. Let it feel that a mistake is a kind of loss

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 13

PART 3 | Islam it has suffered. Hence so much sympathy. Also let the child feel that a particular mistake has resulted in a loss. 3.

To guard against repetition of a mistake, talk to the child in a manner that brings home to it the trouble its mistake has caused to the parents. They could, for instance, pay for the loss its mistake is supposed to have caused. This will make it realise that the result of damaging things is not good. If you want to reprimand a child, do not do so in front of others but in privacy.

Consequently he went on and other moral training elements that should be implemented in every home are summarised as follows: 1.

A child should be kept neat and tidy and should be properly cleaned after stools. This protects the child from an unclean mind resulting from an unclean body. This is the responsibility of both parents.

A child should be fed at fixed hours. This will breed the habit of self-control and the ability to resist temptation. Regular food habits lead to: punctuality, self control, good health and co-operation, such children will not be selfish and egocentric and will learn frugality; such a child will not suffer from the bad habit of wastefulness and extravagance.

A child should be helped to form the habit of relieving nature at regular hours. This is helpful for health but a greater benefit for limbs to acquire a sense of punctuality. Food should be served according to prescribed amount. Not too much or too less, this teaches contentment and discourages gluttony. The child should be given a variety of foods; meat, vegetables, fruit for dietary habits affect morals and a variety of food is necessary for a variety of morals.

As the child grows it should be asked to do small tasks under the guise of play acting. But it should have time to play also. A balance is necessary.

A child should be allowed to acquire self-confidence as a matter of habit. For instance if it requires an object tell it it will have it at a certain time. Hiding the object is no solution, for it will imitate and hide things breeding the habit of stealing.

Children should not be over-indulged. Too much

14 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

petting or caressing leads to many moral vices such as indecency. 9.

Parents should be capable of self-sacrifice for the benefit of the child. If an ailing child has to abstain from something the parents should also abstain to encourage self-sacrifice.

10. Extreme vigilance is required when a child suffers from chronic illness. Vices such as cowardice, selfishness, peevishness, lack of emotional control etc are the result of illness. Even grown ups become irritable during illness and this should be controlled so bad habits do not develop. 11. Children should not be told tales of horror, it makes them cowards. They should be told of stories of courage to develop bravery. 12. A child should not be allowed to choose his own friends. This should be made by the parents. They should choose well behaved children as positive influences. The child and parents benefit in this arrangement. 13. A child should be assigned responsible jobs suited to its age. This helps create a sense of responsibility. 14. Tell a child it is nice and good. The Holy Prophet [saw] said ‘Do not curse a child for when you curse, Angels add: let it be like that; and like that it becomes’. 15. A child should not be allowed to become stubborn. Its attention should be diverted to something else. Later the cause of stubbornness should be traced and removed. 16. Address a child politely and courteously, for it will copy you. If you address it rudely it will reply rudely. Remember the impressions your behaviour will leave. 17. Safeguard the child from all intoxicants. They damage the nerves of a child. Consequently it becomes a liar. An addict become a blind imitator and ceases to have a will of his own. 18. Stop children playing in privacy. It makes children self-centred, self absorbed and incapable of socialising. 19. Do not let them remain naked. It damages a child’s morality, shame and innocence. 20. A child should be given a little money this will teach three values: charitableness, frugality and helping rela-

PART 3 | Islam tives 21. A child should be given common ownership in some property. For example a toy. It should be told it belongs to all of them, to share and not to damage it. 22. A child should be given constant guidance in matters of etiquette. To learn proper social graces and form is necessary. 23. And due heed should be paid to physical exercise to build stamina, concentration, moral education and progress in the world. Everyone would do well to adopt these points in their own lives, especially those who have children if not for themselves but for their children. Many vices that we suffer in adulthood can be easily corrected by the same methods. If we ourselves actively take steps to reduce our sin-infected conditions, only then can we hope to teach the next generation effectively. Everything good starts at home. This brings us to hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is also a sin-infected condition. A hypocrite is one who feels one thing in his heart but allows his tongue to say quite the opposite. The Holy Quran explains that those believers who will inherit paradise in the hereafter must have the following characteristic: And who are watchful of their trusts and their covenants, Al-Mu’minum Ch50.v19

The Holy Prophet [saw] said: A hypocrite has three characteristics: when he speaks, he tells a lie; when he makes a promise he breaks it; and when entrusted (with something) he violates the trust. Bokhari – Basics of Religious Knowledge Education p108

Hypocrisy is when a person does not put into practise what they say. It is a form of lying and falsehood, And is deceiving people as to who and what you are really thinking and doing. A person who engages in such practise is not

watchful of his trusts and covenants; i.e. words and promises. This is very serious, as this poison infects the conscience of those around the person being hypocritical. Younger generations are especially vulnerable, because they still hold an idealistic view of the world, and as such, if they fall victim may start to doubt everything they hear or see, thus weakening and tearing the very fabric of a moral and just society. This is the poison that is spreading across every Muslim society today. Vigilance and a high level of self awareness is necessary to counteract this force. Friends bear a responsibility to help each other to correct each other’s sin-infected conditions. Once one has achieved any such level of righteousness the only way to maintain the levels achieved and the motivation to continue upon ones moral journey is Zikr-i-Ilahi (Remembrance of Allah). This point cannot be stressed enough, nothing is possible without firm faith and help from God. Hadhrat Masih-e-Maud [as], as always, has summed things up best by saying: ‘What really helps to avoid sin is the manifestation of God. It is conditioned with having the eye that can see the Grandeur of God; another thing required is the certainty in the poison that sin produces. The earth gives darkness, while the heavens remove it and grant a light. The worldly eye is without light till the light dawns from the skies. That is why unless one has the light of the skies which takes the shape of the Signs, no heart can get rid of the darkness and attain to purity which is the result of the avoidance of sin. Thus in order to be safeguarded against sin, one should seek after the light which descends from the skies with the brightness of certainty. It strengthens and purifies the heart of all the dirt and dust. Then, the man really and truly understands what dangerous poison sin is and he shuns it and shuns away from it. Unless a man reaches this stage, he cannot get rid of sins. This is the method I propose.’ So Said the Promised Messiah [as] p117, Malfoozat Vol.iii P5

May Allah help us to understand and overcome our weaknesses, removing our sins and granting us paradise in this world and the next. [ameen]. [insh] next time we will go into other hardened sin-infected conditions and as to how we have been advised to try and remove them.

Bibliography 1. “Way of the Seekers – An exposition of Islamic theory of morals and the way of its translation into daily life” by Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad Khalifatul Masih Sani [ra_ho]. (Jamaat USA) 2. A Man of God by Iain Adamson

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 15

part 4 ❯

Ahmadiyyat, the renaissance of Islam

Hadhrat Chaudhry Muhammed Zafarullah Khan

adhrat Chaudhry Muhammed Zafarullah Khan [ra_ho] was born in Sialkot on 6 February 1893. He was educated at the Government College, Lahore and later at Kings College, London from 1911 to 1914. During this period he was called to the Bar at Lincolns Inn, London. He saw the Promised Messiah [as] for the first time on 3 September 1904, from which day he considered himself to be an Ahmadi Muslim and personally performed ba’it at the hands of the Promised Messiah [as] on 16 September 1907. From August 1916 to 1935 he practiced in Lahore and from 1919 to 1935 he served as the Amir of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat Lahore. In December 1923, he delivered his first lecture at the Annual Convention of the Jama’at on, “The onslaught of the Movement on Christianity and its effects.” Chaudhry Sahib had the honour of being the secretary to Hadhrat Khalifatul Massih II [ra_ho] at the Majlis-e-Shura for seventeen times. In 1944 he dedicated his entire wealth for the cause of Ahmadiyyat and joined in the noble work of translating the Holy Quran into various languages. Chaudhry Sahib was a very obedient and humble person. It is narrated that once his father enquired why he had not gone to school. Upon being asked this he took his school bag and went to school. He returned immediately and upon his return his father inquired why he had returned immediately. Chaudhry Sahib replied by saying that the school was closed. Such was his obedience, which was personified not only in his personal life but worldly life, too.

In 1953 he was involved in a major railway accident at Jhimper, from which he was saved by the grace of Allah, from even the slightest injury. He performed Umra in 1958, where he also met Sultan Abdul Aziz Ibne Saud and stayed in the royal palaces as the Sultan’s personal guest. Furthermore, he returned in 1967 to perform Hajj. Moreover, he played an instrumental part in establishing Pakistan and was appointed its first Foreign Minister in 1947, a post which he held until 1954. He was blessed with worldly success and held many worldly posts, most notably being elected as President of the Seventeeth Session of the General Assembly (UN) in 1962, and being President of the International Court of Justice, The Hague. Furthermore, he championed the cause of the weak, the oppressed, Islam and the Muslim world on a global scale, ensuring that the voice of the Muslim Nations, which had been previously ignored for sometime, would through his brilliant, logical and forceful advocacy be heard throughout the world. In today’s world where man is engrossed in acquiring worldly wealth and status, we as Ahmadis have been given the great honour of propagating the cause of Islam and Ahmadiyyat to bring mankind to communion with its creator. It is only through our faith and our faith alone that we will be able to achieve success in this life and the life after, as is evident from such great personalities as Hadhrat Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan Sahib [ra_ho]. He was a man who always gave

16 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

precedence to his faith over worldly life, obedient to Nizame Jamaat, a man bestowed with worldly success but yet so humble, a man who championed the cause of Islam and Ahmadiyyat, indeed a truly great personality. May Allah grant him a lofty provision in Paradise, amen. On 1 September 1985 he returned to his creator. I leave you with this quote from one of his admirers: “You are ninety today; a record glorious in every respect, fulfilling in all dimensions of life; your equation with God being the most envious. I am sure generations to come would wish to emulate you. …sooner or later your services to the Muslims of the SubContinent, particularly of Pakistan, must stand out in bold and lustrous relief in historical accounts.” Chaudhry Muhammad Zafarullah Khan’s Services to Pakistan and The Muslim World, By M. J. As’ad .

part 5 ❯ News & Events Army Weekend by Waqar Ahmad Ahmedi (Regional Qaid, Midlands)

s part of a drive to engage more with ethnic minority groups, the British Army in the West Midlands invited members of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya to attend a three-day personal development course at the Gamecock Barracks in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. This took place from Friday 3 November to Sunday 5 November. The event had been planned for several weeks and was initiated through the Birmingham West External Affairs Secretary, Tarik Chawdry’s professional links with the armed forces. Following the successful trip by a Jama’at delegation to the Shrewsbury barracks in early May - reported in the June edition of Ahmadiyya Bulletin - a number of discussions were held which

led to Army representatives visiting the Darul Barakaat mosque, Birmingham, on Saturday 23 September for a meeting with Khuddam. Lieutenant Colonel John Moody, Major Edward Cornes and Sergeant Jai Patel of the 143 (West Midlands) Brigade also delivered a PowerPoint presentation giving further information about the weekend. The course had three objectives: 1.

To develop some of the key physical and mental skills required by Army Officers

To meet and experience training under Young Army Officers

To increase understanding in a career as an Army Officer

The event was to include free transport, two nights’ accommodation and Halal meals. As similar courses are held for schools and youth groups, only 1523 year-olds were offered a place. For administrative and health and safety purposes, all interested individuals were required to complete and return consent forms at least a fortnight before. The publicity campaign proved to be successful as more than 35 forms were received from various parts of the UK, including Crawley, Stevenage and Waltham Forest, though most came from the Midlands. The Khuddam, accompanied by Re-

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PART 5 | News & Events

gional Qaid Waqar Ahmad Ahmedi and Walsall Qaid Dr Nadeem Ahmed, were collected from Darul Barakaat by coach and reached the barracks on Friday at 8pm. On arrival they were warmly greeted and welcomed by course leader Major Edward Cornes and his team. After a short welcome speech by the Major, dinner was served. The Khuddam then offered Maghrib and Isha’a, followed by a reading from the writings of the Promised Messiah [as]. Several officers also wanted to watch the prayers and demonstrated the utmost respect. The five daily Salat were to be offered in congregation at appointed times during the whole event. The Khuddam were divided into three teams and given various instructions as well as receiving their combat wear. Disciplinary procedures were also explained and the youngsters shown dormitories for their respective teams.

The following morning, Khuddam rose for Fajr – helped by a wake-up call from shouting officers at 5am! After the prayers a short recitation from the Holy Qur’an was also made. Preparation was then made for breakfast which was served from 7am. This was the first time most Khuddam were getting a taste of Army life. Whilst aiming to make it challenging and informative, the organisers were equally keen to make it enjoyable. This included: 1.

Basic military skills and command tasks

Physical training and sports

Leadership, team building and problem solving tasks

Overnight exercise The various activities ensured

18 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

the youngsters were kept occupied throughout. On Saturday, apart from a break for prayers, Darsul Hadith and lunch, the Khuddam mainly remained outdoors and found their physical and mental faculties stretched to their limits. Preparing to spend the night under a ‘basha’ in the woods and surviving on a 24-hour ration pack was a stark reminder that this weekend was never meant to be for the faint-hearted! Generously, though, the organisers surprised the boys by allowing them back indoors for a well-deserved hot meal and night’s rest. The final day saw two very senior national military figures visit the barracks - Brigadier Chris Murray CBE, Commander of the 143 (West Midlands) Brigade, and Colonel David Allfrey, second in command for Army recruitment. Both Commanders met with Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya representatives, Naib Sadr Dr Aziz Ahmad Hafiz and Waqar Ahmad

PART 5 | News & Events

Ahmedi. They expressed their privilege and delight in hosting a historic event, not least because it was the first time the Army had arranged a Muslim-only training weekend. As such, there was huge media interest with BBC National TV, ITV Central, BBC Radio 4, BBC Asian Network and many other national and regional radio stations and newspapers giving extensive, positive coverage. MTA UK was also present on all three days to record footage of the activities. The organisers had also arranged for Sunday to be a family day. A coach was hired to collect friends, relatives and senior Jama’at members from Darul Barakaat, including Regional Missionary Maulana Tahir Selby and Naib Regional Amir Dr Muhammad Ashraf. The families were able to observe Khuddam battle it out in an exciting inflatable obstacle course competition that included paintballing.

By midday all activities had finished and the course concluded with a memorable presentation session. The Brigadier gave an inspiring talk in which he congratulated and praised the Khuddam for completing the course and presented medals to the winning team. Each of the youngsters also received certificates and an information pack about the Army. The Brigadier was followed by Dr Aziz Hafiz who thanked the Army for organising the weekend as well as explaining the background and work of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya. He also highlighted the Islamic principle of practicing loyalty to one’s country including support for the armed forces. A presentation was made from Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya to the British Army in recognition of the training weekend. The speech was very well-received and greatly impressed the officers who

said the Jama’at’s peaceful message and ethos could be the solution to many world problems. Col Allfrey also stated his desire for a meeting with a Jama’at scholar to explain the Qur’an to him in depth. A traditional Asian lunch was served to all the guests, during which some officers commented on the excellent conduct of the Khuddam during the course as compared to other groups that have visited the barracks. Jama’at representatives and military officials have already discussed plans for holding similar events in future to help Khuddam develop important leadership, communication and personal effectiveness skills that will help them in life. It is hoped we can now build on the very solid foundations laid with the British Army to demonstrate the true face of Islam, [insh]

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 19

National Ijtema 2006

ajlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK held its 34th National Ijtema on the 15th September to the 17th September 2006 at Islamabad, Tilford. The Ijtema represents the end of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya year but also an opportunity for Khuddam and Atfal to get together and enjoy 3 days of Sports, Academic competitions and Exhibitions including the traditional BBQ. We were honoured and privileged to have our beloved Huzur [atba] grace the Ijtema over two

days of the event. Preparation for the Ijtema began in earnest at the start of the year under the stewardship of Tariq Ahmad BT, Naib Sadr and Nazim-e-Ala with meetings being held every 3 weeks. These became more regular nearer the Ijtema with each Naib running separate briefings with their own respective teams. The Ijtema began on Friday with Juma prayers. Rafiq Ahmad Hayat Sahib, Ameer Sahib UK, chaired the opening session. Ameer Sahib

expounded upon progress of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya and how the Atfal during his Sadarat have now become senior office bearers. He emphasised the importance of tarbiyyat of our young Atfal. He also advised on the young students to go into journalism in order to show the world the true picture of Islam. This year, according to the feedback received, preliminary academic competitions were held on Friday alongside the sports events which included

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 21

National Ijtema 2006

football, volleyball and athletics. Quiz competitions also began that very same evening. Majlis-e-Shura began its deliberation at 2am after Sadr Sahibs annual report to Shura. On the second day the academic and sports events for both Atfal and Khuddam were in full swing. There was a special exhibition of falconry. The Khuddam and especially Atfal enjoyed the various feats displayed by the Falcons which included diving nose down from a height of 2000 feet. This year Atfalul Ahmadiyya had a much larger Atfal Gah as well as dinning area. In the Afternoon after Zohr and Asr Prayers, Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib, Imam of the London Mosque and missionary in charge of the UK addressed the Khuddam in the Talqeen-e-Aml

session. The evening saw the traditional BBQ which was attended by Huzur [atba] and Begum Sahiba with over 400 Guests and many Khuddam and Atfal. Huzur [atba] also blessed the Ijtema by staying the night at his residence. The Majlis e Shura continued it deliberations after the BBQ and the first item was the election of Sadr Majlis. This was held under the Chairmanship of Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, Imam London Mosque. The third day saw the culmination of the event. Huzur [atba] conducted the flag hoisting ceremony and then proceeded to watch the football and volleyball finals. In the afternoon Huzur [atba] also saw the hockey (MTA vs Khuddam) and

22 | Tariq Magazine . February 2006

Kabbaddi exhibition matches, with the latter providing its now customary entertainment value. Huzur[atba]  also honoured Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK with a photo session before proceeding to the final session. In his concluding address Huzur highlighted the importance for the youth to steer clear of the negative influences of society and the importance of remaining steadfast. Huzur expounded the importance of the Community and the role of young people in the future of a nation. Huzur also graciously approved the name of Mirza Fakhar Ahmad as Sadr Majlis for (2006-2008) following the elections. The theme for this year’s Ijtema was on ‘Serving Humanity’. Throughout

National Ijtema 2006

the Ijtema various exhibitions charting the services of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya to humanity were on display. Also the National Blood Service were present on the second day and many Khuddam signed up to giving blood. At the end of this Ijtema every Khadim and Tifl was given a gift, a card displaying various verses from the Holy Quran, Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [saw] and saying of the Promised Messiah [as]. There were many departments which made notable contributions. The Secretary, Adil Zafar and his team worked tirelessly in pursuit of the attendance for the event and coordinated letters and meetings over many months. The site team led by Mohtamim Waqare Aml, Farooq Mirza

were exemplary in their dedication in preparing the site, support activities and just as importantly in the windup of the event after the Ijtema. There was a meticulous level of planning and many logistical challenges which the team met with resilience and professionalism. In addition the Ziafat team overseen by Fayyaz Sheikh Sahib provided catering to all Khuddam and Atfal. Mothamim Khidmate Khalq, Qamar Sahib and Regioal Qaid Sahib Muqami, Usman Ahmad and their teams made a sterling effort. Other teams similarly made tremendous contributions in ensuring the smooth running of the Ijtema and ultimately in its successful conclusion. These included the areas of accommodation, hygiene and First Aid

teams (Masroor Ahmad Sahib); VIPs, Transport, Audio Video and exhibition arrangements ( Fahim Anwer Sahib), Tarbiyyat (Dr Aziz Sahib) and programme management (Faez Ahmad sahib). Also Naseer Shams Sahib and his team notably Harris Butt Sahib in coordinating the sports, and of course Mohtamim Atfal Najm Khan Sahib, all made major contributions. The success of an event is measured in part by its participation and this year the attendance at the Ijtema was 3189 of which 2047 were Khuddam, 742 were Atfal and over 400 Guests. This represents a significant increase on previous years. May Allah continue to bless our humble efforts [ameen]

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 23

National Ijtema 2006

Khuddam results

Atfal results

First prize winners

Academics Tilawat Nazm Azhan Prepared Speech Urdu Prepared Speech English Extempore Speech Mastermind Quiz Pegham-e-Risani Essay writing (Title: “Proof that Allah Exists””)

Academics Faizan Rajpoot (Bait-ul-Futuh) Mubarak Ahmad (Sheffield) Qassim Asaffar (Huddersfield) Shahid Kareem (Peterborough) Dr Azhar Siddiq (Walsall) Fareed Ahmad (South West) Ataul Naseer (Jamiah) Baitul-Futuh Muqami Mohammed Tariq Ahmed

Sports Football Volleyball Badminton Table Tennis

Written Paper (Noor) Written Paper (Bashir) Written Paper (Nasir) Written Paper (Tahir) Pagham e Risani (7-11) Pagham e Risani (11-15)

Nomaan Ahmad (Inner Park) Atae Rabbi Hadi (Lower Morden) & Luqman Ahmad (Muqami) Atif Rashid (Islamabad) Qamar Ahmad (Muqami) Vajahat Ahmad (Woking) Waqas Ahmad (Woking) Mobaris Khan (Midlands) Zahid Ahmad (Midlands)

Football (7 – 11) Football (11-15)

Baitul Noor A (Cpt: Yusuf Rehman) East Region

Alm–e–Inami

Region

Qiadat Muqami Middlesex Baitul Futuh

Qiadat First Second Third Most improved

Azan (11-15)

Sports East Region Baitul Noor (Cpt: Ahmad Nal) Mudassar Ahmad (Muqami) Muhammed Imtiaz (North East)

Alm–e–Inami First Second Third

Azan (7 – 11)

First Second Third

Glasgow Mosque Inner Park

Attendance at Ijtema Wimbledon Park (Muqami) Mosque (Muqami) Putney (Muqami) Cardiff (South West)

32 | Tariq Magazine . February 2006

Best qiadat attendance Best region attendance

Glasgow Baitul Futuh

PART 5 | News & Events

Islamabad Triumph in Majlis Khuddamul A

by Tariq C

Tournament Results Champions Runner up Third Place

Islamabad East North West

Golden boot Player of the tournament

Zafir Malik (6 goals) Waqas Ahmad

n Saturday 3rd February 2007, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK held the annual Khuddam National Football Tournament at Frimley Green recreation ground, Camberley. The event was hosted by Islamabad region who began preparation for the event months in advance. Regional Qiad of Islamabad, Adeel Ahmad said he was really pleased with the outcome of the event, especially since the host side demonstrated a resilient performance, skill and a level of fitness that saw them win the competition. The grounds used for this year’s event had 4 full size football pitches which were in good condition for the 47 games that the organisers had planned for the 9 attending regions to play. The quality of football displayed by the regions was very impressive with many teams showing moments of individual brilliance by their players as they weaved through the opposition to score vital goals. Some of the teams displayed a very good level of skill, but were let down by their fitness as the tournament progressed, eventually seeing them go out. This year Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK used 3 external referees to adjudicate the matches which helped to greatly to promote fair play. No yellow or red cards were shown to players at the tournament. As sun light diminished and moonlight assisted, the final game took place between Islamabad and East regions. The game was close, with both sides attempting to stake a claim to the title. But an impressive goal from captain Zafir Malik in the first half saw Islamabad clinch the game 1-0. The closing session took place in a nearby school hall where Naib Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, Tariq Ahmad BT Sahib, handed out the prizes to the winners and delivered a short address reminding Khuddam to always seek to improve their skill and ability and never give up, and to try to be as good as the can be. The event ended with silent prayer.

34 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

PART 5 | News & Events

Ahmadiyya National Football Tournament

Chowdhry

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 35

PART 5 | News & Events

Tahir Squash Tournament 2006 Tournament Results 1st 2nd 3rd

Nadeem Raja Irfan Akram Ehsan Chaudhry

[alhamd]

the Tahir Squash Tournament 2006 was successfully held on 19th November 2006. This year’s event was hosted by the Baitul Futuh Region. Preparation for the event began well in advance with the National Sehat-eJismani team coordinating with the Regional Qaid of Baitul Futuh (Zan Khan Sahib) to form a regional committee to help organise the event. The venue selected was Wimbledon Squash and Racquets Club, where we were able to secure 4 courts. The venue is an extremely prestigious and wellknown squash club in the area. On the day of the event a breakfast of cakes, rolls and various fruit juices was served for the many Khuddam that had promptly arrived. The event was inaugurated at approximately 10:15 and was chaired by Naib Sadr Fayyaz Sheikh Sahib, with introductions and ground rules being delivered by Zan Khan and Saif Ahmedi Sahib. The opening session was well attended with a registered attendance of approximate-

ly 70 Ansar, Khuddam and Atfal. A brief introduction to the rules of squash and a practical demonstration of how to play the game were then delivered by Ahsan Ahmedi and Ehsan Chaudhry. After this the competition began with preliminaries being played, the winners of the preliminaries went forward to the next round and the losers went through to the plate competition. Zohr Salat was offered at 1pm with Fayyaz Sheikh Sahib leading namaz. This was followed by a rolling lunch. Lunch consisted of 3 different types of sandwiches lovingly prepared by the hands of the Khuddam of Baitul-Futuh region; there was chicken and mayonnaise, cheese and salad, and cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches on offer. There were also bananas, apples, chocolate bars and fruit squash available throughout the day. After a brief break the tournaments continued with the later rounds now beginning. Running parallel to this was a new introduction to the Tahir Squash

36 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

Tournament, a training course which was attended and enjoyed by many. This was an excellent opportunity for new-comers to be coached by some of the more advanced players in the Jamaat on how to play this wonderful sport. Also unique to this year’s competition was a separate mini-tournament for Atfal organised by Raashid Khan Sahib. The final match of the tournament began at approximately 4.30 pm, with Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Sahib - Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK present to watch. It was a tense affair between an Ansar guest Nadeem Raja Sahib and Irfan Akram Sahib. Experience and guile eventually overcame the heart and endeavour of Irfan Sahib as the final was won by our respected Ansar guest Nadeem Raja Sahib. The event was enjoyed immensely by all, young and old, and was attended very well. The spirit of Khuddamul Ahmadiyya was always present and there was positive feedback from all.

PART 5 | News & Events

Charity Challenge Cheque Presentation

Charity Great Ormond Street Hospital Humanity First Leukaemia Research Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability Save the Children CHIKS (Children’s Homes in Kerala State) Victim Support – Surrey MacMillan Cancer Support Mayor of Merton’s Charities GRAND TOTAL

he Charity Challenge Cheque Presentation was held on Saturday 20th January 2007 in Baitul Futuh, Morden. The event was presided over by Amir Sahib UK and chief guests included Cllr Geraldine Stanford, the Mayor of Merton, Cllr Elizabeth Howlett, of Wandsworth and GLA member, and Andrew Pelling MP, as well as a number of senior Jamaat, local community, and charity representative guests. Over 500 participants took part in the 13 mile walk and 13 mile run in near ideal weather conditions around Islamabad, Tilford, Surrey in August last year. At the Cheque Presentation ceremony Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Sahib, gave an introduction to the audience on the Jamaat and more specifically on Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK in terms of our good impact on the community around us through our Khidmate Khalq efforts and how we all strive to live up to the vision and expectation of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Ahmad when he set up Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya over 65 years ago. Amir Sahib UK along with the Mayor of Merton then presented the cheques to the various charities. This year we used Just Giving – an online charity donation service - to collect money for the event and so amount raised through this were also mentioned. In total, including the amounts raised on-line an amount of £40,256.11 was raised, Masha’Allah, with late collection still coming into the Charity Event account. The amounts donated were as follows:

Cheque Online 4,700 1,948 8,000 4,700 210 4,700 427 4,700 1,149 500 3,000 4,700 922 500 -

Total 6,648 8,000 4,910 5,127 5,849 500 3,000 5,622 500 40,156

All the charities were in attendance and all spent a few minutes upon receiving the cheques to give their vote of thanks and appreciation to our efforts in raising the money. The Mayor of Merton, Cllr Geraldine Stanford, gave a short address and commented that the expectations of the second Khalifa as relayed by Sadr Sahib in his speech had truly been fulfilled in the Ahmadiyya Youth of today particularly in light of current attitudes towards Islam. She remembered the time when in the late 1990’s when plans for Baitul Futuh’s construction were being put into place and there was a lot of unrest amongst the local community. Now, she said, the Jamaat is a fully integrated part of the community and that Baitul Futuh itself was being used for many local community events. She closed by wishing us all every success for the year ahead. Amir Sahib UK‘s closing address was mainly focusing upon the issue of ignorance and lack of understanding creeping into society about the religions and cultures around us. He highlighted that through any of the main religions a basic code of conduct is put into place and by understanding and serving God one could attain peace. One way to attaining peace and serving God is to serve His creation. Amir Sahib finished by saying that our Jamaat is at the forefront of serving humanity through our constant worldwide humanitarian efforts and that we would continue to excel in our efforts. The formal session ended with silent prayer and this was followed by dinner with all the guests present.

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 37

PART 5 | News & Events

Mitcham’s Khuddam Visit Old People’s Home

t is sad to see that in today’s fast paced life style many non Ahmadis living in the UK have neglected to keep in frequent contact with the elderly. The elderly should never be forgotten in this way as it was them who put so much effort towards the community and service of their country in previous years. With this motivating thought in mind, and seeking Allah’s Allah’s pleasure as their foremost drive, on 23rd and 28th of December 2006 seven Khuddam and 12 Atfal from Mitcham Qiadat visited Beecholm House - old people’s home, and Age Concern Merton, Mitcham, to celebrate the New Year with them. They took with them flowers, cards, hand drawings and fruits. They were warmly welcomed, the elderly were delighted to have visitors. The visit lasted for three hours during which time the Khuddam spoke to their new friends on a whole range of interesting subjects. New friendships were made and further visits are planned, because we should never forget the elderly of OUR community.

38 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

Message from Leukaemia Research

Leukaemia Research would like to thank the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association for their continued support in marshalling the London Bikeathon, Big Bikeathons and Bikeathons Around Britain. 2006 has been a hugely successful year, with over 6300 people taking part nationally who collectively raised an impressive fundraising total of over £457,678!!! Volunteer marshals are crucial to the safe running of the event and really add to the great atmosphere on the day, we simply could not have put on the event without your help. Representatives will be invited to attend the Annual Awards Party hosted by Gary Lineker in October 2007. For more information about the event and our fantastic volunteering opportunities email londonbikeathon@lrf.org. uk or visit www.londonbikeathon.co.uk.

PART 5 | News & Events

Marriage Forum (Northern Regions)

he National Marriage Forum for the Northern Regions (North East, North West, Midlands) was held on Sunday 24 December 2006 at the Manchester Mission House. The event started at 2:00 pm and concluded at 4:00 pm. The format was similar to Question Time – Chairman (Dr Aziz sahib) posing specific questions to a panel with the audience also encouraged to further comment on such questions and also given opportunity to ask questions. The panel consisted of Bilal Atkinson sahib (Regional Amir North East), Waseem Uddin sahib (Regional Waqfe Nau Secretary North West), Habib Akram sahib (Sadr Leicester Jamaat), and Waqar Ahmadi sahib (Regional Qaid North West). No less than 75 Khuddam, along with 3 Ansar (panellists) attended from the North East (51), North West (20) and Midlands (4). More than 25 questions (including audience remarks) were asked, which included:

a) Qualities to look for in a wife Response given: Amongst other things, one particular Hadith of the

Holy Prophet [saw] which states that a person gets married for 4 (main) reasons: Wealth, Standing of family, beauty or piety was related. This was further explained in detail and Khuddam were advised to place more importance on the righteous character of a woman.

b) Procedure for investigating or carrying out certain checks to determine whether a marriage proposal is suitable. Response given: Pray (including istikahara prayer), through family and friends, and through Jamaat (i.e. local Sadr, etc). Advised not to over rely or investigate too much – do what you can and ultimately place your trust in Allah.

c) Qualities of a successful marriage Response: Patience, forbearance, give and take, tolerance, loyalty and kindness, etc but more importantly taqwah and prayers. Acting in accordance with Islamic teachings.

d) Audience Comment

There are more problems with mar-

riages now than compared to our previous generations. One reason is that people have become westernised and moved away from religion. Tolerance levels of our parents was/is greater than ours – nowadays divorce is apparently more acceptable. The event was free-flowing and very discussion orientated – especially due to audience participation. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the discussion could have continued further but was brought to a close with Maghrib and Isha prayers. Audience feedback was generally very positive with comments that the event was “informative”, “discussion orientated” and “engaging”. Suggestions were also made such as holding the event regionally to make it more accessible for Khuddam to attend, which of course have been taken on board by the National Tarbiyyat Department. Overall the event was a success with Khuddam making use of the forum to discuss the concept of marriage in an informal, supportive and relaxed environment. The National Tarbiyyat Department is now looking to follow on from this and hold further similar events.

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 39

PART 5 | News & Events

Scotland Atfal Tarbiyyati Class 2007 By Jalil Bhatti

y the grace of Allah, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Scotland held a 3-day Tarbiyyati class on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 5th- 7th of January 2007 at Bait-Ur-Rahman Mosque. The class started after the Friday Prayer, at 3 pm with the recitation of Holy Quran by Zeeshaan Khalid Sahib. The Opening address was delivered by Murabi Silsila Mohammad Akram Sahib. During the class the Atfal woke up at 6.45 am, winded up their beddings, performed ablution and offered Fajr prayer. After farj Darsul Quran was delivered by Akram Sahib. This spiritual exercise was combined with the physical exercise held by Sarjeel Sajjad (tifil) which lasted for 15min. All Atfal really enjoyed this session. On Saturday mid afternoon, Regional Ameer, Ghafar Abid Sahib addressed all Atfal during which there was an opportunity for Atfal to ask questions. Later Atfal played football, arranged in Glasgow’s famous Kelvin hall where last year’s Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya National Badminton and Table Tennis competition was held. Before bedtime, the Atfal were given 1

hour for homework before retiring for some well-earned rest at 9.30 pm. The Atfal were supervised at night by Qaid Glasgow Khalid Bhatti Sahib, Jamil Ahmad Bhatti Sahib, Pasha Danyaal Sahib, Umeir Sheikh Sahib as well as the Murabi Atfal. On Sunday some Atfal visited York Hill Children’s Hospital and offered gifts to the children under admission at the hospital. At this visit, 3 Khuddam including Qaid Sahib Majlis and 7 Atfal went along. Also during the Tarbiyyati class, the organizers held a waqar-e-aml session. All Atfal behaved very well throughout the class and many Khuddam volunteered to help during the 3 days. The cumulative total over the 3 days was 60 Atfal. Special thanks must be made to Murabi Silsila Mohammad Akram Sahib, Regional Ameer Ghafar Abid Sahib, Regional Qaid Sahib Yusaf Ashraf Sahib, Qaid Glasgow Khalid Bhatti Sahib, Imran Qureshi Sahib, Waheed Malik Sahib, Mobeen Ahmad Sahib and Iftakhar Ameeni Sahib. The Class concluded with silent prayer followed by Maghrib Nimaz.

40 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

part 6 ❯ Science & Academia Professor Abdus Salam KBE FRS By Ahmad Salam

have been asked by the editors of the Tariq Magazine to write a few lines about my father; the late Abdus Salam. It is extremely difficult to write just a couple of pages on such an incredibly gifted man. So I have highlighted just a few of his qualities which I think will be of interest, and I hope inspiration to the readers of Tariq Magazine. Some of the readers may be aware that on November 21 2006, it was ten years since the death of my father; the Muslim world’s first Nobel Laureate and a proud member of our blessed community. Abdus Salam was born in Jhang in the Punjab district of India. He was the eldest son of a devout and humble Ahmadi, Chaudry Muhammad Hussain, a local civil servant and school inspector. Abdus Salam’s birth was revealed in a dream to his father who was told to call his newborn son “Abdus Salam” which means “Servant of Peace”. It was clear from an early age that this baby was, by the Grace of Allah, an exceptionally gifted child. He went to school at the age of six and was admitted into the fourth class, where he stood first in all the exams; he had already memorised the multiplication tables up to forty and was a prodigious reader of books of all subjects which lasted throughout his life. There was no subject he did not at least glance at throughout his life. I recall later in life looking through his bookshelf and seeing as diverse a collection as one could find; subjects such as physics, mathematics, biology, history, biographies, comedy, language books, medicine, Islamic history, Islamic art and culture; there were even books

Professor Abdus Salam KBE FRS (1926—1996)

Volume 12 . Issue 2 | 41

PART 6 | Science and academia such as “Teach yourself Air Navigation” and “Russian Made Simple”! I recall as a child one of the many lessons my father taught me was to read; he always encouraged me read and buy books. There was never a limit on the amount and variety of books I could have provided of course I read them. Much of my father’s inspiration and guidance came from his father, especially in his early formative years. Whilst he learnt the Holy Quran initially from his mother, it was his father who instilled in him a great sense of duty, discipline, humility, hard work and above all else a total belief in the submission to the will of Allah and the teachings of Islam and Ahmadiyyat. These qualities were the best teaching any father could give his son. If you recall my grandfather had been told in his dream that Abdus Salam would be a great achiever and so he knew that he had to help and encourage the young Abdus Salam to reach the highest standards in both his work and his moral character. An example of my grandfather’s influence was when my father came home from school; he would complete his homework and would then sit and prepare the next day’s lesson with the help and guidance of his father. This was a lesson he remembered throughout his life, to work hard and to be always be prepared ahead of time, and not to just do the minimum. My father also taught me the value of this lesson and I in turn try to teach it to my children, though I am not sure they understand and value it yet! My grandfather also excused my father the usual household chores such as milking the cow that his younger brothers had to do so that he had more time to study. There was also another figure who guided and inspired my father and that was the late Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan Sahib. I was only witness to the incredibly deep and affectionate relationship between these two men for a short while but I knew that my father learnt a great deal from this great man. He was a wonderful teacher, mentor

and guide to my father throughout his life. The other great influence on my father was the Holy Quran. He would carry a small mini version of the Holy Book in his jacket pocket and would always read it when he had a free moment. Indeed he admitted his finest work was achieved when he was alone in a room and could listen to one of the many records and tapes he had acquired of the recitation of the Holy Quran by the most melodious and harmonious voices. This would give him great inspiration.

The other great influence on my father was the Holy Quran. He would carry a small mini version of the Holy Book in his jacket pocket and would always read it when he had a free moment. Yet he also appreciated the singular beauty of the human voice in any form, for example later in life he enjoyed occasionally listening to opera and the Three Tenors. He appreciated all forms of beauty; be it literature, art or music. Again as a young man I recall his trying to open my mind to such cultural experiences. I was encouraged to listen to classical music, opera, and to visit art galleries and museums. Allied to this love of the Quran and Islam of course was his total devotion to Ahmadiyyat and the various Khulafa he served under. I know from my various conversations with my father, how highly he valued and treasured their advice and guidance. He would also encourage me to write to the Khalifa just as he had done at an early age to seek their advice and request for prayers. This was extremely important to him throughout his life; at all stages. My father was a simple man who had simple tastes and simple requirements. He was very keen on cleanliness and personal hygiene. This was a matter of self respect and he would always ensure he was well dressed. He did feel the cold badly though and would al-

42 | Tariq Magazine . February 2007

ways keep his head covered; and usually wore an overcoat even in the middle of summer. He would always keep his room hot and did not value cold fresh air! Actually sometimes I would feel hot just looking at him!! He would greatly enjoy my mother’s simple home cooking, be in pulao, roti or daal. He was also a great one for desserts and had a very sweet tooth. Every meal would have to have a dessert; usually fresh fruit. I remember in his bag he would always carry some chocolate biscuits; bars of chocolate, nuts and sometimes some fruit. His reason was this gave him energy to think! As he spent a great deal of time in Italy he developed a taste for Italian food which I and my sons have inherited. He enjoyed Mushroom Pizzas from a small shop near his home in Trieste in Italy. He was man of habit and once he liked a meal he would simply always order it in a restaurant. But whenever he left for his long stints in Italy, my mother would prepare some food, freeze it and pack it into his suitcase. That way he could ensure he was never far from a home-cooked meal! I would finally like to share one story my mother told me about my father. In 1957 he was learning how to drive and left one day to take his driving test. He was gone a very long time and my mother became increasingly worried. Darkness fell and there was still no sign of him. She was most anxious; finally the door open and he walked in. My mother asked what had happened; my father told her that he had failed his driving test and this was the first time he had ever failed anything in his life. The experience was so shocking for him he simply did not know how to handle the situation. Needless to say he passed second time around! I could give you many stories and examples of living with my father but as space is limited I have just jotted down a few ideas which I feel you may find interesting. You will be able to read about his huge contribution to science and third world development in many books and articles, and I hope all of you will want to find out more.