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Tariq Magazine Volume 15 • Issue 3 • June 2010
The official publication of: Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya (UK) Baitul Futuh, 181 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5HF Tel: 020 8687 7843 Fax: 020 8687 7889 Email: info@khuddam.org.uk Registered Charity Number: 1135657 Editorial Tommy Kallon Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Aziz Ahmad Hafiz Naib Sadr, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and Chief Editor Muzaffar Bhatti Mohtamim Ishaat Farooq Aftab Assistant Editor Design & Typesetting Irfan Chaudhry Tariq M Chowdhry Proofing Waqar Ahmedi Safeer Ahmed Tanweer Dar Mirza Rehan Akram Hannan Bhatti Nasar Bhunnoo
Contents 1 Words of Wisdom The Holy Qur’an Hadith Writings of the Promised Messiah [as]
2 2 2
2 Editorial Message from Sadr Majlis Editorial
3 4
3 Islam Ahmadiyyat Patience and prayers on great sacrifices of the Lahore martyrs The Philosophy of Punishment in Islam The Palestinian Question Enter…Rabi’ al-‘Awwal 1431
5 9 14 20
4 Articles Introduction of Islam to the British Army’s London Recruitment Management Team The Birth of Modern Day Christianity MKA UK Research Association Conference Address Tahajjud & I’tekaf - their importance for spiritual progress Why is it important for me to pray? Islamic Position on Burkas
24 28 31 35 37 38
5 News & Events Terrorist attacks on Ahmadi Mosques in Pakistan Statement of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] Resolution of Majlis-e-Amila, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya United Kingdom National Badminton Tournament Baitul Futuh Blood Drive Session 2 (March 2010)
39 40 41 42 44
6 Career Focus Archaeology
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7 Books of the Promised Messiah [as] Sabz Ishtihar (Green Poster) Tohfi-Baghdad (A Present to Baghdad)
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All correspondence should be forwarded directly to: The Editor, Tariq Magazine Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya (UK), Baitul Futuh, 181 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5HF Tariq Magazine is published by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya (UK), the youth organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK 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 UK.
Tariq Magazine June 2010
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1 Words of Wisdom The Holy Qur’an “Say, ‘If you love Allah, follow me: then will Allah love you and forgive you your faults. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.’ ” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 32.)
Hadith
The Holy Prophet [saw] said, “Verily, Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory’s sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shadow when there is no other shadow but the shadow of Mine.’’ (Bukhari)
Writings of the Promised Messiah [as]
“The essence of love is to have sincerity for something and to be drawn irresistibly towards it. Just as the real characteristics of an object are only truly perceived when it reaches perfection, the same is the case with love, in that its qualities are openly revealed when it is extreme and reaches perfection... When a person falls in love with someone and his love is total, it becomes his food and his drink, as it were. Indeed he takes on the complexion of the character and lifestyle of the beloved. The greater the love, the more a person is involuntarily drawn towards the qualities of the loved one, so much so, that he becomes his very reflection” Nur-ul-Qur’an Part 2, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 9, pp. 429-436. 2
Tariq Magazine June 2010
2 Editorial
Message from Sadr Majlis
Tommy Kallon Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK
My dear brothers Khuddam and Atfal,
[salam]
As you will be aware, on Friday 28th May 2010, scores of Ahmadi Muslims were brutally murdered in Baitul Nur Mosque, Model Town and Darul Zikr Mosque, Gharishaw, Lahore, Pakistan, with many more injured. This is the gravest act of murder in our history and is a time of profound sadness. As we struggle to come to terms with the dreadful events of that day, stories are beginning to emerge of the bravery and courage shown by our Khuddam brothers in Pakistan. We hear of unarmed Khuddam wrestling with suicide bombers and managing to stop them from detonating their deadly explosives; we hear of Khuddam laying down their lives one after the other as they, again unarmed, tried to prevent gunmen from entering the mosque. Devoted lovers of the Promised Messiah [as], now fallen in his name. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV [rh] had launched the Syedna Bilal Fund for the dependents of the Martyrs and prisoners of conscience. While inviting members to contribute to this fund, Huzur [rh] stressed that it was strictly on a voluntary basis stating it was not a tehrik as such or sadaqah. Perhaps one way of showing our solidarity with our fallen brothers is by contributing to this noble fund by way of a donation. And having witnessed our Khuddam brothers making the ultimate sacrifice, we must now seek to emulate their spirit. The enemies of Ahmadiyyat are emboldened and the responsibilities that have now befallen us are manifold and multifarious. Now more than ever, we must live out our Khuddam pledge and personify the spirit and action required by it. Now more than ever, we must stand tall and leave no stone unturned in our service and sacrifice. Now more than ever, our supplications must be filled with fervour and sincerity. History is a witness to the fact that the truest are also the most persecuted. It has also shown that the most powerful empires who sought to oppress were eventually humbled. And when every opportunity to avail themselves of Allah’s mercy was repeatedly spurned, the wrath of the Almighty in every case, eventually descended, extinguishing the dark forces that sought to challenge His sovereignty. The same will be true of those who have sought to murder innocent Ahmadi Muslims at a time when their heads were bowed in supplication to Allah. No earthly power, military machine or Trojan horse can cause a detraction from the path Allah has set and anyone who seeks to challenge His might shall be defeated. But if Jama’at Ahmadiyya is to seize the day we must make this a time for supplications, a time for service, a time for sacrifice. With resolute courage and determination, with resignation and patience, with steadfastness and endurance, and with undisturbed and serene humility, we must continue to fly high the standard of Ahmadiyyat and to propagate the peaceful and universal message of Ahmadiyyat. This much we owe to our fallen brothers; this much we owe to our Jama’at; this much we owe to our Beloved Khalifa [atba]. Let this be the signature of every member of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and let us never be found wanting in our sacred duty to Ahmadiyyat and Khilafat. May Allah so ordain and bless us all profoundly. [ameen]
[wasalam] Yours humbly, Tommy Kallon. Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK
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Editorial
Editorial Friday 28th May 2010 was one of those days which can be described as a watershed in the history of the Jama’at. It was a day which resulted in the largest single loss of life in the one hundred and twenty one years of the Jama’at. For the benefit of our readership we have delayed going to press and included the Summary of the Friday Sermon of 4th June 2010 delivered by our beloved Imam Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba], which served as source of great comfort for our members. Moments like this often serve as turning points in the history of any community. Despite the great sadness at the loss of our dear ones this event will I hope be a wakeup call for all Khuddam here in the United Kingdom as we reaffirm our allegiance to the divine cause of the Promised Messiah [as] and his Imam Hadhrat Ameerul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V [atba]. Let us, each and everyone, reassess our own selves. Let us re–evaluate our relationship with God Almighty and our commitment to this noble cause. Let us stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers in persecuted lands and show the level of dedication and commitment which they have shown and continue to show. The Daily Al Fazl on 2nd June 2010 gave a description of the work carried out by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Pakistan. The writer described the scenes in Rabwah during the four days of the burials of our Martyrs. He wrote how scores of people buried the martyrs and as they walked away they would hear the sirens of an ambulance bringing another funeral to the grave yard and they would stop in their tracks and return back to bury and pray for the next group of martyrs and this is how matters proceeded throughout the day for four whole days.
Dr Aziz Ahmad Hafiz Naib Sadr, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and Chief Editor
“Let us stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers in persecuted lands and show the level of dedication and commitment which they have shown and continue to show.”
The Al Fazl goes onto say that the task of digging the graves began after Asr prayers on the Friday. Three hundred Khuddam from Rabwah vied with one another in this Waqar–e–Aml and by midnight had dug around a hundred graves. These graves were then further prepared throughout the night. Whoever found a pickaxe or shovel in his hands continuously began digging despite the ground being very hard. These Khuddam showed no signs of tiring.
As the bodies approached Rabwah they were escorted by a team of Khuddam outriders to the Office of Majlis Ansarullah. The Atfal were also no less dedicated. A team of young Atfal in shifts of fifty worked tirelessly distributing water to all workers as well as mourner’s in the scorching temperatures which were forty degrees plus. We pray that Allah Almighty blesses the efforts of our Khuddam in Pakistan and that we here in the United Kingdom are able to rise to challenges that lay ahead for us.
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Patience and prayers on great sacrifices of the Lahore martyrs
Summary of Friday Sermon delivered by Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad [atba], the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on 4th June 2010. Alislam Team takes full responsibility for any errors or miscommunication in this Synopsis of the Friday Sermon. vHuzur [atba] recited verses 31–33 of Surah Ha Mim Al Sajdah, the translation reads: “As for those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah,’ and then remain steadfast, the angels descend on them, saying: ‘Fear ye not, nor grieve; and rejoice in the Garden that you were promised. “We are your friends in this life and in the Hereafter. Therein you will have all that your souls will desire, and therein you will have all that you will ask for “An entertainment from Forgiving, the Merciful.”
the
Most
The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 41, Verses 31–33 Explaining Huzur [atba] said each week he receives thousands of letters asking for prayers regarding illnesses, prayers for dear ones, letters including Huzur [atba] in the joy of marriages, letters asking prayers regarding anxiety over finding matrimonial matches, prayers for blessings in employment, businesses or problems relating to them, prayers for success in examinations, in short many other subjects. However, last week Huzur [atba] received thousands more letters than is usual and the subject of all of them revolved around the great sacrifices of the Shaheeds (martyrs) of Lahore. There was expression of grief and pain and anger, but the anger transformed in the very next sentence in patience and prayers. Every one forgot their own problems. These letters came from Pakistan, the Middle East, India, Australia and from Europe, America and Africa. These were not just the emotions of Ahmadis of Pakistani descent. Rather, person of every ethnicity who has been enabled to come into the bai’at of the Promised Messiah [as]
has been expressing anguish as if it were their close, blood relations who had been victims of the cruelty. As for those whose close relations were martyred, they have been consoling Huzur [atba] in their letters on the martyrdom of their sons, fathers, brothers and husbands. It is a great account of patience and steadfastness. Huzur [atba] personally telephoned the families of all the martyrs to pay his condolences. Huzur [atba] said he should be informed if any family has been missed. In each family that Huzur [atba] rang, he found children, wives, mother and fathers submitting to the will of God. Huzur [atba] said letters can conceal emotions but he clearly heard their resolute voices on the telephone expressing in light of the Quranic injunction: “…Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 157). Huzur [atba] said they said what they said in full awareness and with complete perception of attaining God’s pleasure that they submitted to the will of God. One or two sacrifices were nothing for them, they were prepared to spill the last
drops of their blood for the community of the Promised Messiah [as] because today it is their blood alone which will demonstrate the status of the Holy Prophet as Khatumun Nabiyeen and the chief of all Prophets [saw]. They are those who will revive the model of the earlier-ones, they keep the great example of the Companions [ra_hum] in view. Huzur [atba] said having read all these letters he feels unable to express his own emotions. However they have further strengthen his belief that most certainly God granted these beloved people to the Promised Messiah [as] in order to accomplish his high objectives. These are the great people who are patient and steadfast, whose departed ones also demonstrated models of steadfastness as they met their God and thus verified the Quranic statement of: “And say not of those who are killed in the cause of Allah that they are dead; nay, they are living; only you perceive not.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 155 Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat They demonstrated to the world that while they have attained the pleasure of God they have also become a source that shall flourish faith. Every single drop of their spilt blood will bear great fruits. Angels will have embraced them and they would not have felt anything as they gave their lives; how the bullet hit them or the shrapnel from the grenade struck them. These embodiments of steadfastness who offered their lives for faith lay injured in their blood for hours and recited Durud. If any one of them uttered a sound out of pain, the other injured said to him, “be patient, people give their lives without any cause, you are going to sacrifice yourself for a great cause.” And then, the one who uttered the sound recited Durud till he breathed his last and thus assured that he was fulfilling his promise made to the Promised Messiah [as]. Huzur [atba] said he has seen a most heartbreaking video recorded by an injured person which is most moving. God indeed took sacrifices of these people but His angels showered tranquillity on them and they waited patiently for hours without groaning and instead prayed. A 19 year old was hit by several bullets but he waited patiently for hours in one position and prayed. If the police had arrived on time many precious lives would have been saved but where the entire system is full of disorder what else can be expected? One young man caught the terrorist’s grenade wanting to throw it back, but the grenade detonated. He thus gave his life and saved many. An elderly person also offered his life as he ran towards the assailant thus taking all the bullets on his body. Huzur [atba] said the IG of the police is boasting that the police captured two terrorists. This is what happens when the entire system, from top to bottom, reeks of untruth. Indeed, the two terrorists who were held were held by our own. One was held by a young man who is slim of build but was full of faith. He held the terrorist with one hand on his neck and the other preventing him to detonate his suicide belt. Huzur [atba] said the terrorists were men in their late teens early twenties of deprived backgrounds. Due to poverty these people are taken in childhood by criminals who brainwash them, give him false hopes of Paradise and make them carry out suicide attacks whereas such death incurs God’s displeasure. We
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never see the ring–leaders of terrorists, we never seen them sacrificing their own children. It is the children of the deprived who lose their lives. Huzur [atba] said while the descent of angels is apparent on the injured God has also placed it on those who lost their loved ones. It is due to their faith in the Imam of the age. God commanded the angels to console them as they are engaged in prayers. Huzur [atba] said he saw the same outlook in every home and was amazed at the calibre of people God has given to the Promised Messiah [as], each one appears a personification of “…I only complain of my sorrow and my grief to Allah…” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 12, Verse 87) and this indeed is the glory of a believer. God has reminded believers to be patient: “And seek help with patience and Prayer…” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 46). A servant of the Gracious God will only submit to God rather than raise a clamour, take out rallies and take the law in his own hands. He shifts his emotions to patience and prayers and that is when he is worthy of glad–tiding. God has foretold us that: “And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives, and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 156 Huzur [atba] said the verses recited at the beginning cite people such as the martyrs and those who live their lives to seek the pleasure of God. Angels console people such as these. Life and property of believers as well as honour is attacked and at times it appears as if the doors of God’s help have closed from all directions. When believers exercise patience and steadfastness in such trials they garner God’s grace and come in His refuge. Door to success are opened for them and God demonstrates wonders for them. Thus, steadfastness is the condition. Blessed are the Ahmadis of Lahore who have displayed steadfastness, those who have departed as well as those who are left behind. God is True to His promises, He will fulfil all His promises. Currently the tranquillity of hearts is a sign of the fulfilment of His promises. The Promised Messiah [as] said angels descend on those who say our Lord is Allah and who are steadfast. God is their
Friend in this world and in the Hereafter. Most excellent steadfastness is when one is engulfed in misfortunes from all directions and there is no assurance. When, as a trial, Allah even does not show consolation through dreams etc. If one does not display cowardice and there is no lessening in steadfastness and dedication and one does not rely on anyone for support, rather is firm and resolute by oneself and does not flinch at God’s decree and does not show any impatience or restlessness until the trial is over. This is the steadfastness through which one finds God and the fragrance of which can still be smelt from the dust of the Prophets, the truthful and the martyrs. Huzur [atba] said today the dust of our martyrs too gives off this fragrance and it is making us fragrant and is telling us not to let go of the patience that we have held on to. God is True to His promises, our resolve should not waver due to the length of the trial and no word of ingratitude should be uttered. Huzur [atba] said many have seen good dreams of the Lahore martyrs in Paradise being awarded medals. Our sorrow and our grief is only expressed to God and there should be no lessening in that. Addressing the Ahmadis of Lahore Huzur [atba] said they are those about whom the Promised Messiah [as] had a revelation: “There are our pure members in Lahore” Tadhkirah, page 482 Huzur [atba] said this is their honour and they should try and uphold it as there is immense glad–tiding in this connection. Fortunate are you, Huzur [atba] said, that the Promised Messiah [as] has given a glad tiding about your city. Huzur [atba] said in his view the enemy did not carry out these attacks only to incur loss of life. They wished to create fear. In their assumption they wanted to alienate the weak Ahmadis and create restlessness among the youth. They did not know that these are the sons of mothers in whose milk runs the pledge to sacrifice one’s life, property, time and children. Who themselves possessed the fervour to honour loyalty. The enemy had assumed Ahmadis will not be able to bear this huge loss and will take out violent rallies which would give the government the
Islam Ahmadiyyat chance to impose its will on them. And by exaggerating any such reaction to the rest of the world Ahmadis could be disgraced. What they did not know was that Ahmadis are those who seek God’s help with patience and Prayer and who come in His refuge, who gather under the banner of Khilafat and will therefore never react in such a manner.
the wish to take bai’at. Thus their brutality has resulted in blessings for us.
Huzur [atba] said when such a reaction was not forthcoming and the outside world raised concerns and the media too exposed these people, then late in the night, they too thought of issuing statements of sympathy. Huzur [atba] said it is astonishing that they still do not realise what sort of people Ahmadis are. Even a history of 120 years has not opened their eyes that these people rise and sit on the voice of one Imam. They are the followers of the Promised Messiah [as] who came to establish the teaching of his master the Holy Prophet [saw]; teaching that had brutes transform into righteous men. Now that we have left the state of brute–like existence and aspire to be godly people, how could we take out rallies and react in a violent way? We said “Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return” and left our matter with God and we await His decree. You keep your brutality and your violence that you perpetrated in the name of God on God’s beloved people and with which you appear to take the masses back to the brutality of 1,500 years ago. Some say there is no need for a reformer, the Shariah of the Holy Qur’an is sufficient. Are these acts in line with the Shariah then?
One worshipper at the funeral Prayer said, “I have received one more blessing, I am now a father of a martyr. My resolve and courage is high.” One Ahmadi was informed that his brother had been martyred he should go to such and such hospital. His reply was, “the one who has departed has gone. I will
Huzur [atba] said he had thought that he would relate some incidents but some of them are so heartbreaking that Huzur [atba] feared he would be overcome with emotion. However, Huzur [atba] related a few.
as a result many Ahmadis ran to safety. When it was all over and they came out, they saw many martyrs lay on the staircase. One Ahmadi who was visiting from Japan went to funeral Prayers. He says that these funeral Prayers evoked memory of the time of the Holy Prophet [saw]. Such were the models of steadfastness that it is difficult to put them in words. He met an elderly person and asked him how did he know the martyr? His reply was, “he was my son”. The narrator says his heart sank but the father of the martyr said, “Alhamdolillah, it was God’s will”. There were resolute faces all around. A lady has related that her young children had gone for Friday Prayers, God saved them. When the incident was shown on the TV the lady’s neighbouring women flocked to her house assuming she would be wailing. However, she told them our matter is with God. She told them she was not concerned about her children; everyone [in the mosque] was her relative. If her children were martyred they would gain nearness to God, if they survived they would be Ghazi (one who has been in a conflict for Islam). One mother lost her only son, her other children are daughters, she is exhibiting extreme patience and steadfastness. An Ahmadi from Syria was visiting and was in the mosque and got injured. He relates that he has never quite seen anything like this ever before. There was no panic, no chaos, no fear. Everyone was doing their duties, obeying instructions even when firing was going on.
“There are our pure members in Lahore”
Huzur [atba] said, “You are unsuccessfully trying to bring the name of my master, benefactor of mankind, the Holy Prophet [saw] in disrepute.” Huzur [atba] said on the Day of Judgement the Kalima (declaration of Islamic faith) will seize every single one of them and hurl them to their bad ending. Our task is to be patient; not only are the others amazed at our steadfastness rather they are inclined towards Ahmadiyyat and have expressed
Tadhkirah, page 482
stay here, Ahmadi brothers may need my blood donation.” One mother said, “I have placed my young son from my lap onto God’s lap, he was God’s trust”. Shahid sahib, our martyred missionary of Model Town who was delivering the Friday sermon at the time of the attack, continued to recite Durud and prayers and also said ‘Allaho Akbar’ aloud. He had mentioned earlier Ahmadi martyrdoms at Fajr on the day. About 200 Ahmadis took shelter under the staircase outside. One terrorist came to the edge of the courtyard. Had he come outside, the 200 Ahmadis would not have remained. A 65 year old Ahmadi ran towards him and took his bullets on his chest. The terrorist was delayed in coming out and
Huzur [atba] said these are those people, those mothers who the Promised Messiah [as] has created in his community and who have established great models of sacrifices. They are not only concerned about their own children, their hearts pain for the entire Jama’at. Huzur [atba] said, “O Ahmadi mothers, never allow these virtuous, pure emotions to die. As long as they remain, no enemy can harm even an iota of the Jama’at.” Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat Moving the coffins of the martyrs in ambulances one young man remarked that the last coffin was his father’s. Rather than leave with the coffin in the ambulance, he went back to his duty in the mosque. Huzur [atba] said these are the great people of the Promised Messiah [as] who only show their emotions to God. Huzur [atba] said there were scores of other incidents which will be all collated and written down at a later time. Every one says while the terrorists were in the mosque there was no sense of panic. As long as they were alive, the murrabi sahib, the office holders gave out instructions and they were followed. Even afterwards everyone remained organised. One elderly person stayed in prostration posture. Huzur [atba] said these are illustrations of true faith. Huzur [atba] said he has been receiving many letters with reference to verse 24 of Surah Al Ahzab: “Among the believers are men who have been true to the covenant they made with Allah. There are some of them who have fulfilled their vow, and some who still wait, and they have not changed their condition in the least” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 33, Verse 24 And these people are giving Huzur [atba] assurance of their own pledge and allegiance. The enemy thought he would weaken us, will break our strength. He assumed urban Ahmadis probably did not have faith. He did not know the Promised Messiah [as] has infused the energy of faith in his community. Doubtless they are involved in worldly matters but they are not their objectives, when they are called for faith, they are always forthcoming. Rather than brutality, they are the champions of humanity. Huzur [atba] said after all Ahmadis also belong to the same nation/ethnicity, however, after accepting the Promised Messiah [as] these people sacrifice their lives for religion in the manner instructed by God.
Huzur [atba] said may God reward the Pakistani press for their just coverage of the incidents and may He always enable them to say the truth and not go back to the old ways. Huzur [atba] said many countries have sent messages of condolences; here some MPs have also expressed sympathy. May God reward them all. What is more, even the Khatm–e–Nabuwat appear to have said this was a bad deed. Huzur [atba] remarked, if this is so, what about those hate–filled posters and banners? Those which are displayed under the name plates of High Court judges? Who has plastered them? It is they alone who incite the foolish. Now that they see the course of the world has changed so they have joined in. The real reason for this atrocity is the rancour and spite that the so–called mullah exhibits against us. The Chief Justice of Pakistan takes notice of every small matter by going to press. Did he not ever think of taking notice of this huge atrocity, the banners, the posters? Should he not take action against these mullahs who incite to hatred? Is his standard of justice limited to his choice? Our sorrow and grief is to God alone, we do not expect anything from him. Huzur [atba] said he was only pointing out his standards. Indeed after every trial our perception of sacrifice for God and attainment of His pleasure increases. People can neither harm us nor can they give us anything. Huzur [atba] said indeed there is a lot of terrorism in Pakistan but when perpetrated against the Ahmadis, it has the protection of law. The perpetrators of Mong [an atrocity committed in an Ahmadi mosque a few years ago] are roaming the street free. Ahmadis do not expect anything from these people. Allah is our Lord and He alone is our Helper. He will continue to help us. We do not expect any good from them in future, therefore Ahmadis need to stay alert. We should recite the prayers: “O Allah, we make You a shield against the enemy and we seek Your protection against their evil designs.” And “O’ Lord, everything is subservient to You. O’ Lord protect us, help us and have mercy on
us.” Huzur [atba] said say many other prayers, pray for them to get their just rewards. Huzur [atba] said we now have one more martyr as a Dr. Imran sahib, who was injured in the incident has passed away. Huzur [atba] said Ahmadis played a pivotal role in the creation of Pakistan more than those who are today posing as the care–takers of the country. Pray a lot for the country, that it is saved from their evil and the evil of those who create disorder, may He keep each Ahmadi safe from all evil. Someone wrote to Huzur [atba] that the enemy has rolled our diamonds in dust. Huzur [atba] said this is incorrect. The enemy has tried but God gathered these diamonds and embraced them. Every single one of these diamonds has further strengthened the diamonds left behind and they are decorated on the horizon of Islam, Ahmadiyyat and they have created a new constellation and each of these stars is a guiding light for us. None of our enemies can ever be successful. May God elevate the station of these martyrs and continue to grant us steadfastness. Huzur [atba] said he would mention the martyrs another time. He announced leading their funeral Prayer after Jummah. Following these atrocities an Ahmadi was martyred in Narowal district Pakistan while he slept in his house. His son was injured in the attack, may God grant him healing and elevate the station of the deceased, who leaves behind a widow, three daughters and three sons. The murderer belonged to the Tahafuz e Khatm e Nabuwat group and confessed that he had carried out the act in light of the statement of a mullah following the Lahore incidents. Huzur [atba] prayed that may God keep each Ahmadi safe from every evil. Huzur [atba] said pray profusely; also pray for the injured that may God grant them perfect healing.
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Islam Ahmadiyyat
The Philosophy of Punishment in Islam Speech by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Ayaz OBE at Jalsa Salana UK, July 2009 The world today presents a horrific scenario of crime, violence, killing and a determined attempt to destroy the very pillars of social order which sustain peace, tolerance, harmony and human dignity. The lives of millions around the world have been ruined and they are going through an unbearable syndrome of traumatic suffering and ruthless devastation. The evil deployment of modern technology has given rise to a global institution of a criminal order which is the most critical challenge of the world today. The world is dearly searching for ways to combat, control and check the raging storm of crime, and that makes it all the more pertinent to present this subject, the Philosophy of Punishments in Islam. The translation of the verse of the Holy Qur’an which I have just recited is: “...These are the limits set by Allah, so approach them not. Thus does Allah make His commandments clear to men so that they may become secure against evil.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 188. According to Muslim perception, Islam is not only a religion but also a civilization and social order based upon revealed principles. Islam stands out distinctly among the religions of the world in that its punishment and retribution laws are applied under exclusive rules and regulations, dealing with matters related to obligations to Allah and obligations to human kind. Under no circumstances has Man the right to punish anyone for noncompliance with the obligations to Allah. So as a result of this distinction, Islam totally liberated Man’s obligations to worship from human intervention and interference. God Almighty considers to be His right to punish as He so wishes the offenders who associate something with Him, apostasy, blasphemy, opposing Him and His Messenger, maligning Him and His Messenger and obstructing His Messenger in his prayer and in his mission. Because of the severity and
Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Ayaz OBE addressing Jalsa Salana 2009
perfidy of these offences, God Almighty does not transfer the right of dispensing justice to such offenders to anyone - not even to His most beloved of Prophets. Instead, He tells the Holy Prophet [saw], “forgive them and turn away from them”. It is because God Almighty considers the offences to be so grave that no punishment in this world can do justice to the severity of the offences. God Almighty has prepared an abasing punishment for such people in the Hereafter as God Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an: “Then on the Day of Resurrection, He will humiliate them…So enter the gates of Hell to abide therein. Evil, indeed is the abode of the arrogant.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 16, Verses 28 and 30. Before I embark upon the philosophy of punishments in Islam within the domain of human intervention, it may be useful to briefly state the contemporary thought on this subject. Theories of punishment can be divided into two general philosophies: utilitarian and retributive. The utilitarian
theory of punishment seeks to punish offenders to discourage, or “deter”, future wrongdoing. The retributive theory seeks to punish offenders because they deserve to be punished. Under the deterrent philosophy, punishment should prevent other people from committing criminal acts. The punishment serves as an example to the rest of the society, and it puts others on notice that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated and will be punished. The other major rationale for punishment is denunciation. Under the denunciation theory, punishment should be an expression of societal condemnation. For our guidance, Allah Almighty has revealed in the Holy Quran a complete code of life - a law to govern all dimensions of human life. This in Islam is known as “Sharia”. For the sources of “Sharia”, we then have the Holy Qur’an, which is the very word of God. Supplementary to it, we have Hadith, which are traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam [saw] - the records of his actions and his sayings, from which we must derive help in arriving at legal decisions. If, in the unlikely event, there Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat is nothing either in the Holy Quran or in the Hadith to answer the particular question before us, we have to follow the dictates of reason in accordance with certain definitive principles. Explaining this, the Promised Messiah [as] says: “In the Holy Qur’an the directives about civil, criminal and revenue matters fall into two categories. One category of those directives is aimed at detailing punishment for specific crimes. The second category is of directives which lay down procedures to be followed in time of court trial for other offences, so that the offence and punishment fit each other in the best possible manner. In such directives, rigid punishment is not mentioned for a specific offence. The Holy Qur’an lays down guiding rules according to which later interpreters of law are to carry out administration of law whenever new situations arise and for that, the Holy Qur’an provides a guiding principle: ‘And the recompense of an injury is an injury the like thereof ’ (Chapter 42, Verse 41).” Kitabul Bariyya, page 87. With an understanding of the nature and source of Islamic law, we should know the definition of crimes and their categories under Islamic law. The Holy Qur’an provides specific punishments for only four offences, that is, adultery, slandering, murder and theft. These offences appear to have been selected to indicate that life, family institution, property, honour and social order have to be protected. Hadhrat Abu Hurrairah [ra] narrates that the Holy Prophet [saw] said, three things of a Muslim are unlawful for another Muslim: his blood, his honour and his wealth. The Muslim legislators and jurists have defined crime as going against or beyond the commands and prohibitions laid down in the Holy Qur’an. In other words, crossing the ‘Hadd’ which is Arabic for the limits or the bounds fixed by God. All such crimes, since they are violations of the rules made by God Almighty, are considered crimes against religion. A cursory glance is enough to realise the horrific, extensive and extremely profound impact these crimes have upon society and as a result of not taking appropriate measures to check and prevent them, society is ruined and destroyed. In fact, these are the four
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crimes which have dominated society and are responsible for most of the suffering and misery that is witnessed in the world today. In Islamic law, offences are divided into two major groups: Firstly, crimes for which ‘Hadd’ punishments ordained by God are given. Secondly, other crimes such as homicide, assault and damage to property etcetera, punishments for which include retaliation, expiation and disciplinary action. However, Islam also provides guidelines on how to determine criminal liability. For example, all acts are judged by their motives and intentions (Bukhari). The Holy Qur’an uses the word ‘kasab’ for commission of crime, which implies a deliberate effort. If there is no intention to violate or exceed the limits then there is no criminal liability and the act is pardonable. Any act carried out in ignorance and without adequate knowledge deserves pardon. God Almighty says in The Holy Qur’an: “Verily, Allah accepts the repentance of only those who do evil in ignorance and then repent soon after. These are they to whom Allah turns with mercy; and Allah is AllKnowing, Wise.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 4, Verse 18. Hadhrat Ayesha [ra_ha] narrates that the Holy Prophet [saw] said: “Try as far as possible to save a Muslim from punishment. If there can be a way to save him, then think of settling the matter. For the Imam to make a mistake in forgiving and acquitting is better than making a mistake in giving punishment.” Tirmidhi Abwab Al-Hudood. God Almighty has also stated that nobody shall be punished for the act of another and punishments laid out in Islam are proportionate to the crime. In the Holy Qur’an, God says: “Whoso does a good deed shall have ten times as much; but he who does an evil deed, shall have only a like reward; and they shall not be wronged.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 6, Verse 161.
Hadhrat Ibn Abbas [ra] narrates that the Holy Prophet [saw] said: Stop the enforcement of ‘hudood’ (limits) because of doubts. That is, do not make haste in issuing a ‘Hadd’ punishment to anyone. Rather, if there is a possibility of doubt, make it a base for pardon. That makes it abundantly clear that punishments in Islam are not for revenge, but reformation, and must not exceed the extent of the offence. To prevent crime, Islam aims at eliminating the conditions that produce it. It seeks to remove the very root–cause of all crime by working a complete moral reformation in man. It blocks all approaches to crime. The phrase used in the Holy Qur’an is, do not go near the evil; do not go near the limits of Allah. Thus Islam’s highest priority is building and sustaining a virtuous society with excellent morals, and that indeed is the philosophy of punishments in Islam. Chastity as moral virtue holds a very high place in the code of Islamic laws that govern relations between sexes. Islam views with extreme disapprobation the slightest breach of these laws. It is Islam’s very great sensitiveness about chastity that is reflected in the punishment prescribed for adultery or fornication. God Almighty says in The Holy Qur’an: “And go not nigh unto adultery; surely, it is a manifest indecency and evil way.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17, Verse 33. The unimaginable suffering and malignancy that arises out of the disorder and tumult from the act of adultery makes a long catalogue. The unrestrained and wrong means of reproduction causes immense trauma and unrest with both social and psychological disarray, which is not generally the case as a result of other crimes. Today, in the world, the ruin of families on a large scale, the weakening of family connections, and the growing lack of loyalty and trust in relationships; the growing pandemic of divorces and the sense of being rejected; moreover the spread of horrific venereal diseases such as AIDS, can be blamed on this one offence of adultery. Islam regards adultery as one of the most heinous of all social crimes and looks upon chastity of a man or a woman as one of his or her most precious possessions. For the establishment of the kingdom of God, Islam strongly condemns this
Islam Ahmadiyyat most deadly of all social crimes which if not checked and suppressed, can bring about total disintegration and destruction of society. The Holy Qur’an seeks to close all those avenues through which this evil can find its way among a people and severely punishes the act of adultery and condemns the guilty parties as social pariahs. As far as the nature of punishment is concerned the Holy Qur’an says: “The adulteress and the adulterer (or the fornicatoress and the fornicator), flog each one of them with a hundred stripes.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 24, Verse 3. Flogging and not stoning to death is therefore the punishment prescribed by Islam for adultery or fornication. Nowhere in the Holy Qur’an has stoning to death been laid down as punishment of adultery and for that matter for any other crime, however serious. The misconception seems to be due to a few cases recorded in the Hadith when married persons guilty of adultery were stoned to death by the order of the Holy Prophet [saw]. One of these few cases was that of a Jew and a Jewess who were stoned to death in accordance with the Mosaic law (Bukhari).
is however, another matter that it is not adhered to. In the light of this explanation, we witness an interesting scenario in this age, where the Jewish and Christian States, against their religious teachings, do not stone the adulterers to death, but some Muslim States in contrast to the teaching of the Holy Qur’an, impose the punishment of stoning to death for adultery. There is another outstanding difference between the punishments imposed by Islam and by other religions. It is that the harsher the punishment imposed by Islam, in the same tone, it imposes vigorous preventive measures to be taken to save people from committing that offence and at the same time very strict rules for the conviction
and regulations in the world. Hadhrat Ayesha [ra_ha] narrates that the Holy Prophet [saw] said: The witness of a man or a woman who is guilty of breach of trust is invalid and also that of the man and the woman who have received ‘Hadd’ punishment and also the one who is malicious and who has been a false witness on record and the one who is dependent upon those for whom he is standing as a witness and a person who could be alleged to be a relative or an heir of the one he is giving witness for. Tirmidhi Kital Ashahadat. What a wonderful teaching for safeguarding the honour of the innocent and protecting the integrity and purity of the society in stark contradiction to the socalled Islamic States where witnesses and justice are a commercial commodity. The other social evil, second to adultery in heinousness, which eats into the vitals of human society, is the slandering of innocent people. Islam also views with extreme disfavour this social evil which has become so common in the so-called civilized modern society, and severely punishes the accusers. God Almighty says:
Stop the enforcement of ‘ hudood’ (limits) because of doubts. That is, do not make haste in issuing a ‘Hadd’ punishment to anyone. Rather, if there is a possibility of doubt, make it a base for pardon.
It was invariably the Holy Prophet’s [saw] practice that he abided by the law of the Torah in deciding cases until a new Commandment was revealed to him. It is mentioned in St. John Chapter 8, V:4–5 of the Bible and I quote: “...they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned”. The misconception has persisted among certain schools of Muslim religious thought that flogging is punishment for unmarried persons only and that punishments for married adulterer and adulteress is stoning to death. In principle and sensibly in accordance with this directive, Jesus [as] must be followed faithfully to this day. It
of an offender so that no innocent is convicted. In the case of adultery, the strict condition of four witnesses who actually watched the act is to ensure that there is absolutely not an iota of doubt in the allegation. Moreover, the integrity and the credibility of the witnesses is of utmost importance, not only that the witnesses have a track record of being truthful but they should have a reputation of being civilized and respectable. All these measures are to guarantee that no one innocent of crime is victimized. Not only that, the Islamic laws pertaining to witnesses are so tough that there is no example of it in any other witness rules
“And those who calumniate chaste women but bring not four witnesses - flog them with eighty stripes and never admit their evidence thereafter, and it is they that are transgressors.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 24, Verse 5. Here, the Holy Qur’an mentions three forms of punishment in an ascending order which are to be meted out to a slanderer. Firstly, the physical punishment of scourging. Then, disgrace of being branded as a perjurer and a liar which invalidates his or her evidence, and the spiritual stigma of being adjudged as a transgressor. In case the accuser cannot produce the necessary evidence in support of his charge, the charge would be considered Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat as false and the accuser would render himself liable to the prescribed punishment. Whatever the facts of the case, the woman with whom adultery is alleged to have been committed will be held innocent as long as the required evidence is not produced. The law, in fact, is intended to suppress with a strong hand the offence of slandering and scandal-mongering. The commandment contained in the Holy Qur’an covers both men and women without any distinction. The third offence set out in the Holy Qur’an is murder. Allah says; “O ye who believe, equitable retaliation in the matter of the slain is prescribed for you. The free man for the free man, and the slave for the slave and the female for the female. But if one is granted any remission by one’s brother, then pursuing the matter for the realisation of the blood money shall be done with fairness and the murderer shall pay him the blood money in a handsome manner. This is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy and whoso transgresses thereafter, for him there shall be a grievous punishment.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2,Verse 179.
to take the law into their own hands and inflict the punishment on the guilty person themselves. So Islam simultaneously retains the punishment of death for murder but in some cases without depriving anyone of their right an exceptional form of punishment has also been created. This exceptional form is also based on profound wisdom; it is possible that the heirs of the murdered victim may be entirely dependent upon the person murdered for their subsistence. In such a situation capital punishment cannot fulfil a practical basic need of the family’s welfare. Thus, for making provision of claiming ransom in lieu of capital punishment, Islam offers a practical choice to the grieved family. Basically, Islam structures a society which is founded on the spirit of true fraternity where the blood of a Muslim is unlawful upon another Muslim. What a beautiful teaching imbued with the love of Allah and humanity condoning purity of heart and mind and emphasising the fact that in Islam punishment is a forceful positive power of rectification and reformation for the sustenance of a pure God loving society.
The verse makes no distinction between different classes of persons in connection with the law of retaliation. The punishment applies to all offenders who might be guilty of murder, no matter of what rank or station in life or of what religion. Any person, irrespective of his cast or creed and irrespective of his station, must be put to death for the murder of any other person unless pardoned by the relatives of the victim and unless the pardon has the sanction of the authorities.
The fourth offence that is mentioned is stealing. The punishment prescribed for theft may again to some appear to be too severe. However, as I just mentioned, punishment if it is to be deterrent and effect change, has to be exemplary. God Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
This verse comprises a very important principle of civil law, that is, equality of man and necessity of awarding proportionate punishment to all offenders without distinction. Unless an offender is forgiven by the relatives of his victim under circumstances that are expected to lead to improvement and betterment of conditions, punishment for the slain as prescribed is obligatory. The authorities responsible for law and order are bound to punish the offender according to the requirements of law, having no right to pardon him of their own accord. On the other hand, the heirs of the murdered person are not entitled
The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 5, Verse 39.
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“And as for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands in retribution of their offence as an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Mighty, Wise.”
It is better to be severe to one and save a thousand than to be indulgent to all and ruin many. He certainly is a good surgeon who does not hesitate to amputate a rotten limb to save the whole body. However, to understand the philosophy of this punishment, it would be helpful to comprehend the background of the society which Islam envisages to establish. A knowledge of the financial guarantee which an Islamic economic system provides to every citizen of the country is also necessary.
As far as the structure of society is concerned, Islam builds it on simple living, truth, righteousness and abstinence from absurdities of life and senseless customs. Islam establishes a society which is pure of such frolics and has the least causes which could be held responsible to tempt someone to steal. These are the aspects of the society which irrespective of religion or belief are to be observed by every subject of an Islamic State. As far as Muslims are concerned, there is emphasis on worship and purity of heart and sight, and the moral teaching provides details regarding obligations to humans. In the light of all that, if the residents of a country are truly Muslims, the thought of stealing should be unimaginable. However, it is sad that in the real situation, such a scenario is difficult to present. The Muslim States have sadly become the hubs and breeding grounds of evil crime, fraud and falsehood, leave alone theft and robbery. In these circumstances, there can be no better punishment than the one imposed by Islam, that is, the punishment of cutting the hands. Such a punishment becomes a warning indicator and a deterrent for others. Moreover, this punishment has a very powerful effective force for the prevention of stealing. In the early history of Islam, there were extreme, rare cases of cutting the hands because the punishment prescribed was deterrent and was put in force; consequently, there were hardly any thieves. But when one was caught, he was dealt with scrupulously and the punishment enforced rigidly. The Holy Prophet [saw] strictly forbade allowance of any concession or favour in the matter of ‘Hadd’ punishments without any distinction. We are told in a Hadith, narrated by Hadhrat Ayesha [ra_ha], that a woman from a noble family once committed theft. The Quraish were very embarrassed and disturbed by the incident. They sent Osama bin Zaid to the Holy Prophet [saw] to seek forgiveness for the woman. Huzur [saw] was deeply offended and said, “How dare you intercede in the matter of limits fixed by Allah?” Huzur [saw] stood up and addressed:
Islam Ahmadiyyat “People before you were destroyed because when a prominent and influential person committed theft he was not apprehended and when an ordinary person committed theft he was given the severest punishment! By God, if the daughter of Muhammad [saw] committed theft, I shall cut her hands and not allow any concession at all!” Muslim Kitab Al-Hudood Ba’ab Qata Assariq. For the punishment of cutting the hands of a thief, Islam has also laid down limits on conditions such as that the stolen goods should not be edible on which the sustenance of life depends or pilfering or lifting. For such offences some other form of befitting punishment is meted out. The philosophy of punishments in Islam indicates that Islam provides punishment only as a last resort and the purpose behind is reform brought about through a blending of human values and justice tempered with mercy. Encouraging forgiveness where it is likely to reform and improve things, providing severe punishment where there is clear disregard and exceeding the limit of law. The Promised Messiah [as] says: “Again there is apprehension that justice and mercy cannot both coexist in the entity of God because justice demands punishment while mercy calls for forgiveness. This is a trap in which the short sighted Christians are caught because of lack of judgement. They do not realise that God’s justice is a kind of mercy! It is entirely for the good of human beings. For instance, if God Almighty issues an order about a murderer from the point of view of His justice that such a criminal should die, it does not benefit God in any way. He issues such an order so that mankind should not put an end to itself by killing one another. So it is God’s mercy towards mankind. God has promulgated such ‘human rights’ for social peace to prevail and that one group of humans must not oppress another group and create turmoil in the world. So all the rights and punishments which are there
concerning property, life and reputation are in fact mercy towards mankind.” Kitabul Bariyya, page 73. It would be proper to conclude this presentation drawing attention that the four crimes which the Holy Qur’an has chosen and imposed ‘Hadd’ - that is limits - on them are the ones which at present are the cause of unremitting and consuming anxiety for humanity. Today, it is only the pristine pure Islam represented by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which offers the solution to all human anxieties. The Islamic system of punishments has the power to uproot crime and create an amazing atmosphere of peace and security. The attempt to introduce the Islamic penal code in a Muslim or non-Muslim society which is ignorant of Islamic values, restrictions and prohibitions, would be like attempting to grow strawberries in the desert. Even in a country or society which is predominantly Muslim, introducing the Islamic penal code successfully would not be possible until that society has not within reason immersed in the spirit of Islamic values and morals. For example, if in an Islamic State falsehood is rampant, as unfortunately is the case today, and in reality most of the witnesses are liars, if the punishments of cutting hands for stealing and the punishment of a hundred stripes for adultery is imposed, it would be probable that the hands of many innocents will be cut and by giving false witness cause many pious souls to receive the beating of a hundred stripes. Loyal and faithful following of the Holy Prophet [saw] is possible only on the condition that first with vigorous effort and sacrifices, such a society should be established which truly deserves to be called an Islamic society, then of course the Islamic penal code would be an integral part of that society. That is the society which was founded and established and irrigated and nurtured by the Messenger of this age, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah [as].
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community today presents to the world a pristine pure model of Islam and it is moving on rapidly to encompass the entire world and that day is not far when the whole world will be enshrined by the blessings of Islam and a society will be established which will be governed by the rule of Allah’s Law to ensure peace, purity, security, justice equity and prosperity for humanity with the extermination of criminal behaviour and enforce measures to preserve the sanctity and dignity of human life. Expressing these aspirations regarding the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Promised Messiah [as] said: “I pray continuously that all my followers may fear God Almighty and be steadfast in their prayers and prostrate themselves humbly before God with tears in their eyes in the middle of their nights and neglect not their duty to God, because God intends to make this Community a model for others, those who strive to reach the highest rung of the ladder of piety and purity and those who have truly given priority to faith over their worldly pursuits.” Tadhkiratush Shahadatein Edition, pages 73-74.
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English
That is the mission of the Messenger of this age and that is the mission of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Here today, this gathering presents the cosmos of that Islamic society where the Islamic punishments can effectively accomplish their purpose to lead humanity to reformation and righteousness. That is the challenge for Ahmadis all over the world today, to strive on to bring entire humanity into the sanctuary of Khilafate-Ahmadiyya to secure it against evil and malice and save it from the punishments in this world and the Hereafter, and lead humanity to follow the order of the Holy Qur’an and its divine package to prosper in peace and purity for the love of Allah. May Allah enable us to do so. And our last words are: all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
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The Palestinian Question
A speech by Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan to the UN General Assembly on 28th November 1947 Sir Mohammed ZAFRULLAH KHAN [ra] (Pakistan) : It is with satisfaction that one notes, Mr. President, that you are anxious to secure, at least so far as this question is concerned, an undisturbed and uninfluenced discussion. Whether the vote is going to be equally free and uninfluenced is no longer a matter for satisfaction. But I shall not dwell on that. Those who have no access to what is going on behind the scenes have known enough from the Press to have fear in their hearts not only on this question — because this is one individual question — but that the deliberations on crucial questions of this great body, on which the hopes of the world for the future are centred, will not be left free. This is a solemn moment, solemn in the history of the world, in the history of this great — let us hope, at least — great Organisation. The United Nations is today on trial. The world is watching and will see how it acquits itself — again, perhaps, not so much from the point of view of whether partition is approved or not approved, but from the point of view of whether any room is to be left for the exercise of honest judgment and conscience in decisions taken upon important questions. We are often apt to read history backwards, which, I submit, is a very wrong method of reading history. History, in order to be properly appreciated, has to be read forwards. One must put oneself behind the events which one desires to evaluate, and then judge and appraise them. With your indulgence, Mr. President, let me invite the representatives to read history in that manner for a few moments, at least that part of history which concerns the General Assembly. Thirty-two years ago — not to go too far back — the Western Allies were in the midst of a mortal struggle with the Central European Powers. Turkey had just entered the war on the side of Germany. The fate of the Allied cause trembled in the balance. The Arabs, who alone could help to redress the balance in the Middle East, the vital region, were invited to repudiate their allegiance to Turkey and to throw in their lot with the Allies. In return for what? In return for the pledged word of the United Kingdom, subsequently confirmed by France, that at the end of the struggle, the Arabs in their own lands would be free. They agreed and did their part. How have the pledges given to them been fulfilled? We have often been reminded that these pledges have been fulfilled to the extent of nine-tenths, and that such fulfilment ought to be sufficient. Is that the standard we wish to see established and adhered to in international, national, and even private affairs? We have fulfilled these pledges to the extent of nine-tenths and, therefore, that ought to be sufficient. If that is so, pause and consider whether faith will ever again be placed in pledges, particularly in the pledges of the Western Powers. Remember,
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Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan [ra] with his friends at the Hague
nations of the West, that you may need friends tomorrow, that you may need allies in the Middle East. I beg of you not to ruin and blast your credit in those lands. It has been said that there is some doubt whether Palestine was included in the pledges given to the Arabs. Throughout all these long discussions in committee and in sub-committee, back again in committee, and then in the General Assembly, no one has sought to argue that Palestine was not included in those pledges or was excluded from those pledges. Nevertheless, it was suggested that if there were any doubt concerning that question, it should be referred to the International Court of Justice, whose advisory opinion should be requested so that the question might be settled, once and for all, one way or the other, inasmuch as so far no independent and impartial tribunal had been invited to express an opinion on that question. That suggestion was not adopted. What is the conclusion? That those who entertain any doubt concerning the matter are convinced what the reply of the International Court of Justice would be. It
was
stated, particularly
by
the
representative
of
Islam Ahmadiyyat Czechoslovakia, that these pledges were only promises, that they were not international agreements; the meaning was that a promise need not be fulfilled whereas an international agreement is binding. However, before an international agreement emerges, particularly in the midst of an emergency like a World War, we have to place faith in promises. If no faith need be placed in promises, we shall never be able to get promises or pledges accepted. It is then said: but the Balfour Declaration is also a pledge. True, it is also a pledge, but there is this point: either it can stand with and be consistent with the prior pledges or it is not consistent with the prior pledges. If it is not consistent with the prior pledges, then since the prior pledges occupy the field, there is no more field to be occupied by an inconsistent pledge; or else it is consistent with the prior pledges. In other words, the Balfour Declaration meant the establishment of a Jewish national home in a free and independent Palestine. Both these pledges can stand together let them stand together and let both be fulfilled. As far as the Mandatory Power is concerned, one pledge has been fulfilled: the Jewish national home has been established. The independence of Palestine as a whole should now be established. Again, it has been argued: no, the Balfour Declaration meant something more than this. Very good. If there is a question of the legality, of the scope of the Declaration, refer it to the International Court of Justice. Sub-Committee 2 made that proposal also. It has been rejected. Much emphasis has also been placed on the humanitarian aspect of this question, an aspect which is not denied. But from the humanitarian point of view, it is not only a question of Jewish refugees and displaced persons. Any person who is persecuted or discriminated against or unjustly or unfairly used has the right to appropriate redress. That is not denied. What has Palestine done? What is its contribution toward the solution of the humanitarian question as it affects Jewish refugees and displaced persons? Since the end of the First World War, Palestine has taken over four hundred thousand Jewish immigrants. Since the start of the Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany, Palestine has taken almost three hundred thousand Jewish refugees. This does not include illegal immigrants who could not be counted. One has observed that those who talk of humanitarian principles, and can afford to do most, have done the least at their own expense to alleviate this problem. But they are ready — indeed, they are anxious — to be most generous at the expense of the Arab. There have been few periods in history when members of the Jewish race have not been persecuted in one part or another of Europe. When English kings and barons indulged in the pastime of extracting the teeth of Jewish merchants and bankers as a gentle means of persuading them to cooperate in bolstering their feudal economy — a sort of medieval oneway lead-lease — Arab Spain provided a shelter, a refuge and a haven for the Jews. Today it is said: only the poor persecuted European Jew is without a home. True. And it is further said: why, then, let
Arab Palestine provide him, as Arab Spain did, not only with a shelter, a refuge, but also with a State so that he shall rule over the Arab. How generous! How humanitarian! The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, as we know, in recommendation VI1, one of the unanimous recommendations, urged that the General Assembly take up this question of refugees and displaced persons immediately, apart from the problem of Palestine, in order to afford relief to the persecuted Jew so that there should be an alleviation of this humanitarian problem and an alleviation of the Palestinian problem. What has this great and august body done in that respect? SubCommittee 2 made a recommendation and drew up a draft resolution on that basis (resolution II, document A/AC.14/ 32). First, let those Jewish refugees and displaced persons who can be repatriated to their own countries be repatriated; secondly, those who cannot be repatriated should be allotted to Member States in accordance with their then-capacity to receive such refugees; and, thirdly, a committee should be set up to determine quotas for that purpose. The resolution is put forward for consideration. Shall they be repatriated to their own countries? Australia says no; Canada says no; the United States says no. This was very encouraging from one point of view. Let these people, after their terrible experiences, even if they are willing to go back, not be asked to go back to their own countries. In this way, one would be sure that the second proposal would be adopted and that we should all give shelter to these people. Shall they be distributed among the Member States according to the capacity of the latter to receive them? Australia, an over-populated small country with congested areas, says no, no, no; Canada, equally congested and over-populated, says no; the United States, a great humanitarian country, a small area, with small resources, says no. That is their contribution to the humanitarian principle. But they state: let them go into Palestine, where there are vast areas, a large economy and no trouble; they can easily be taken in there. That is the contribution made by this august body to the settlement of the humanitarian principle involved. What is the position today, apart from these other considerations? As soon as the Mandate is laid down, this is the situation that arises. I invite attention to paragraph 4 of Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, under which the Mandate was granted. I quote: “Certain communities formerly belonging to the Turkish Empire have reached a stage of development where their existence as independent nations can be provisionally recognised, subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a mandatory until such time as they are able to stand alone.” That is the paragraph that refers to Palestine. The Mandatory Power says that it will .lay down the Mandate. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine says that the Mandate should be laid down. Everybody is agreed that in some shape or other Palestine should be independent. That stage of rendering administrative advice and assistance having been concluded, the legal position, is that Palestine, Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat whose provisional independence has been recognised juridically, will be from that date independent. That is the problem with which the United Nations has to deal. How is Palestine to be independent? What sort of independence? What is the solution that we are invited to endorse and to attempt to carry through? In effect, the proposal before the United Nations General Assembly says that we shall decide — not the people of Palestine, with no provision for self-determination, no provision for the consent of the governed — what type of independence Palestine shall have. We shall call Palestine independent and sovereign, but Palestine shall belong to us and shall be, not the apple of our many and in different-direction-looking eyes, but shall become the apple of discord between East and West, lest, perchance, the unity which our name so wistfully proclaims may have a chance to establish itself. We shall first cut the body of Palestine into three parts of a Jewish State and three parts of an Arab State. We shall then have the Jaffa enclave; and Palestine’s heart, Jerusalem, shall forever be an international city. That is the beginning of the shape Palestine shall have. Having cut Palestine up in that manner, we shall then put its bleeding body upon a cross forever. This is not going to be temporary; this is permanent. Palestine shall never belong to its people; it shall always be stretched upon the cross. What authority has the United Nations to do this? What legal authority, what juridical authority has it to do this, to make an independent State forever subject to United Nations administration? The representative of the United States said that the problem is without precedent meaning obviously that it was not visualised and therefore is not provided for in our Charter. But he feels that if thirty-eight States accept the partition scheme, that would almost amount to law in- and of-itself. What is the significance of that observation made by the representative of the United States to the Committee and then to the Press? Is that not a confession that the scheme lacks legal, juridical and constitutional authority, and that you are called upon not only to accept the scheme as a scheme, but by your vote also to supply the juridical authority that it lacks? In other words, you are in effect invited to amend the Charter by your vote, and to write into it a new and a most controversial chapter. Will you take the responsibility? Where in the Charter is there the authority to do what you are invited to do? Has the General Assembly the authority to do it? Has the Security Council the authority to do it? Are both combined authorised to do it? What are you invited to do? You are invited first to set
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up a commission to exercise sovereign authority over two independent States. You are invited to set up these States and exercise authority over them during the transitional period — all the functions of government; legislative, executive and administrative. To whom is the permanent sovereignty of these two States to belong? To the people of these two States? By no means. The permanent sovereignty is to be in the hands of a joint economic board. Is that board to be a link between the two States in the sense that nobody else will be concerned? Again, no. That board will be a council of nine, in effect, ruling Palestine: three members from the Arab State, three from the Jewish State, and three from the United Nations. In every case, they will be managing customs, currency, railways, international airways, the development of water resources and water power, the development of agriculture and so on. Without contribution, neither State, it is admitted, will be viable; that is, neither State will be able to render either its administrative services or its social services, or to make any progress whatsoever, or to provide for its defence. Who will in effect be the sovereign? The sovereign is the Joint Economic Board. The Joint Economic Board is constituted of three Arabs, three Jews and three United Nations representatives. The United Nations will permanently exercise sovereignty in Palestine. Where is the authority for doing that? Moreover, so far as Jerusalem is concerned, an international city is to be created to be internationally administered — again, forever. There was a provision in the report of sub-Committee 1 that after ten years this system might be revised; that if two-thirds of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were to express a view, one way or another, that view shall also be given consideration. But that provision has been wiped out by amendments. It was stated that we must make Jerusalem an international city forever, to be administered by a governor to be appointed by the United Nations. Is there any pretence even there that it is going to be an independent city? No. Where is die authority for it? So far as the General Assembly is concerned, it is stated in Articles 11 and 14 of the Charter. Article 11 states that the General Assembly may discuss and make recommendations. Article 14 states that the General Assembly may take steps for the peaceful adjustment of disputes — obviously, between Member States. Where is the authority to do what the General Assembly is invited to do here? So far as the Security Council is concerned, Articles 34, 39 and 41 of the Charter were referred to. Moreover, as the result of what is called the Danish amendment, (document ref: A/AC.14/43 Rev.l) Articles 39 and 41 have now been incorporated in the final resolution. But do they apply?
Islam Ahmadiyyat The preamble of the resolution contained in document A/516, states, in effect, that if the situation so demands, the Security Council, by taking measures under Articles 39 and 41, of the Charter, shall authorise the United Nations Commission to do what the Commission has been asked to do in this scheme. I utterly fail to grasp the meaning of the statement to the effect that, taking measures, under Articles 39 and 41, shall authorise the United Nations Commission to do what the Commission has been authorised to do. Where do Articles 39 and 41 come in? Articles 39 and 41 apply as between Member States. But the problem is this. In the first place, where is the authority for the United Nations to rule sovereign States? In the second place, the Members of the Assembly are aware that the Arabs of Palestine will not cooperate in setting up the Arab State. I am not talking of bloodshed; I am not talking of violence. They will not cooperate. How is the General Assembly, then, going to set up the Arab State? How is it going to set up the administrative services in the Arab State? How is it going to provide for the Arab State’s defence? How is it going to provide for all the numerous functions that a working government has to carry out? Where has the General Assembly provided the authority for that? Those questions have been put repeatedly, but they have not been dealt with. All that has received attention is, the problem of how are they to be dealt with if the surrounding Arab States should create trouble.
that this question ought to be referred to the International Court of Justice. Does the Charter authorise the doing of what is here proposed? This matter was put to a vote in the Ad Hoc Committee, and reference to the International Court was rejected by twenty votes in favour to twenty-one against. Only twenty-one members were even nominally satisfied, or professed to be satisfied, that somehow, somewhere, there must be authority to do what we proposed to do. Only twenty-one. Moreover, a large majority of these members voted as they did, not because they were really satisfied on the legal question, but because they were anxious that some scheme or other for Palestine should be adopted before the General Assembly adjourns. Even that is to be brushed aside. Let us come to practical problems. What will be the situation with regard to the viability of the two States? Take the Arab State. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine itself admitted that the Arab State by itself would not be viable and, therefore, provided for the joint economic board. I invited the attention of the Ad Hoc Committee to the pronouncement of that eminent, highly intellectual and highly respected Jew, Dr. Judah Magnes, the President of the Hebrew University, for whom I personally have the greatest admiration and respect, and who has stated, “Your economic union without political union is a flop from the beginning and will never work. What a hope,” he says, “that economic unity could be brought about without political unity!” If the Arabs will not cooperate, as they will not, even the Jewish State will not be viable. It will be under a great and continual strain, financial as well as economic, and extending also to the field of personnel. How are you going to make it viable? Again, who is going to provide, and continue to provide the finances?
Our vote today, if it does not endorse partition, does not rule out other solutions. Our vote, if it endorses partition, bars all peaceful solution. Let him who will shoulder that responsibility. My appeal to you is: do not shut out that possibility. The United Nations should seek and strive to unite That is not the problem and bring together rather than to about which I am worried. I am hoping—as a matter divide and put asunder. of fact, I am convinced—that the Arab States, being Members of this Organisation, will not do nor attempt to do anything which would be contrary to the obligations we have undertaken under the Charter as Members of this Organisation. But how is the General Assembly going to set up the Arab State if the people say: “no, we are not cooperating”? Where are you going to get the services? Who is going in to keep order? These problems were put, but where have they been provided for?
If force becomes necessary for the purpose of setting up the Arab State, where is it going to come from? Who is going to contribute to it? Who is going to provide it? From where will the administration come? From where will the finances come? This will be a continuing situation which may become a festering sore in the international body. Forces and finances may be required in ever-increasing volume, as the experience of the Mandatory Power confirms. Why is the United Kingdom, today, sick of the Mandate over Palestine? The question was raised of the legal or juridical authority of the United Nations to do all these things, and it was submitted
Let us come to the question of the fairness of the solution, since everybody has professed the belief that this is a fair solution which will work if the Arab States cooperate and if the people of Palestine, Jews as well as Arabs, also cooperate. Let us examine the three considerations on the basis of which it is urged that the solution is fair. The first contention is this. There are 1,300,000 Arabs in Palestine and 650,000 Jews—with room wanted for more— and the problem has become insoluble. It is said: therefore, let us divide because it would be unjust and unfair that thirty-three percent of the population— which is the Jewish population of Palestine to-day—should occupy a minority status in a unitary State. Let us have a fair solution, the Arabs to have their State and the Jews to have theirs. Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat The boundaries were drawn accordingly. The Arab State will be an Arab State in the sense that there will be only 10,000 Jews in it and almost 1,000,000 Arabs. Very well, but what of the Jewish State? In the Jewish State there will be 498,000 Jews and 435,000 Arabs. Have you solved the problem? Jews are not to live as a minority under the Arabs, but the Arabs are to live as a minority under the Jews. If one of these is not fair then neither is the other; and if one is not a solution, the other is not.
to the Gulf of Aqaba, which was strategically important for its purposes. Is that area strategically important to the Jewish State? That cannot be the case. So far as access to the sea is concerned, the Jewish State will be on the Mediterranean itself. Why go through this desert to the Gulf of Aqaba? To whom is it strategically important? This area is to be retained in the Jewish State for some other purpose, because no reason has been disclosed for including it in the Jewish State.
Let us now consider the boundaries for a moment. How about the area? Jews constitute 33 percent of the population and Arabs 67 percent, but 60 percent of the area of Palestine is to go to the Jewish State. Moreover, what is the character of the area, excluding for the moment the desert waste to which I shall refer later? Of the cultivable area of Palestine the plains, by and large, go to the Jewish State, the hills to the Arabs. There was a document circulated to members of the Committees by the United Kingdom representative showing that, of the irrigated, cultivable areas, 84 percent would be in the Jewish State and 16 percent in the Arab State. A very fair division for one-third of the population to receive 84 percent while two-thirds receive 16 percent.
Consider the situation in regard to industry. Practically the whole of Jewish industry is within the Jewish State. After I had pointed this out in the Committee, one representative said: “Oh, objection is being taken to having Jewish industry within the Jewish State! But that is where it ought to be.” Of course, that is where it ought to be. I have not said that it should not be there. I said that it was perfectly correct perfectly just, perfectly fair. As against that, however, what about Arab industry? Forty percent of Arab industry is in the Jewish State. Is that fair?
The United Nations Special Committee itself has observed that the largest export from Palestine is citrus produce, and that it is owned almost half and half by Arab and Jew, and that the citrus area will be almost entirely in the Jewish State. How fair is that? Palestine produces only 50 percent of the cereals it requires, and the rest has to be imported. Eighty percent of the cereal-producing area is in the Jewish State, and only 20 percent in the Arab State. Moreover, there is the question of scope for development. Look at the map. Where is there scope for development in the Arab State? We were told by one representative: Oh, in the hills you can grow a lot of olives. Admittedly, you can increase the production of olives in the hills; but on the average olives take twenty-five years to come to full yield. What about ordinary agriculture? In the Negeb, as was pointed out in the Committee, there are two million dunams of land cultivated by Arab Bedouins whenever the scanty rainfall there permits. Ninety-nine percent of that area is being allotted to the Jewish State. In that area, 15 percent of the land is owned by private owners. Of the 15 percent, 14 percent is owned by Arabs and one percent is owned by Jews. The whole of it is to go into the Jewish State. There is an Arab population of one hundred and some odd thousand, and a Jewish population of only two thousand. The whole of it is to go into the Jewish State. Take the area farther south. It is admitted on all sides that that extreme triangle is uncultivated waste, burning desert. I understand, although my information may not be correct, that the representative of the United States in Sub-Committee 1 raised the question of why it was proposed to allot this area to the Jewish State. No reason has been given. However, there is a reason if one looks at the map: it takes the Jewish State down to the Gulf of Aqaba and gives it access to the Red Sea. At one time— in connection with its recently proposed scheme which was not accepted—the Mandatory Power was anxious to retain that area. However, the Mandatory Power said, frankly, that its reason was that possession of that area would provide access
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It will be said, and it has been said, that a great concession has been made to the Arabs in regard to Jaffa. What is the concession? The predominantly Arab city of Jaffa has been cut out as an enclave to be included in the Arab State. Why as an enclave? The map included in the minority report of the Special Committee 1 shows that, through Arab areas, it could be connected with the southern portion of the Arab State. The map included in the Majority Report 2 shows that, through predominantly Arab areas, it could be part of the Arab State toward the coast. Why is it to be an enclave? The lands between Jaffa and the Arab State to the east and to the south are predominantly Arab. Why should Jaffa be an enclave? An amendment was proposed in regard to the boundaries. It was suggested that, if there must be partition, at least fair boundaries should be drawn. The amendment proposed that proper boundaries should be recommended by a commission composed of three boundary experts to be appointed by the Security Council; and that they should ensure that inside the Arab State there should not be more Jewish-owned land than would constitute ten percent of the privately-owned land in that State, and that in the Jewish State there should not be a greater area of Arab-owned land than would constitute ten percent of the privately-owned land in that State. That would have been quite fair, but the proposal obtained almost no support outside the Arab States. We now come to the question of whether the plan is workable, in general. As I have said, the representative of the United States has expressed the hope that, given the support of the surrounding Arab States and of the people of Palestine, the scheme might work. The surrounding Arab States will certainly not support the experiment; all that can be expected of them is that, as States, they will do nothing which is contrary to their obligations under the Charter. But the Arabs of Palestine have declared that they are not going to cooperate. And the members of the Assembly must remember that this plan is not an experiment. It is not like the experiment regarding the Interim Committee which was set up for a year. If that fails, it can be scrapped and the General Assembly can then adopt another scheme. On the contrary, this plan is proposed as a permanent solution.
Islam Ahmadiyyat If it fails, the United Nations has failed. It is a permanent system, and it pledges the credit, the honour, and indeed the very existence of the United Nations. Therefore, we had better give heed at this stage to what we are going to lend ourselves to. Is the General Assembly prepared to make the gamble? Let us pause and consider before we launch the United Nations upon a course which commits it to carrying through a scheme which lacks moral justification, is beyond the legal and juridical authority of the United Nations, and is impossible of achievement. In making this futile, this fatal attempt, you set at nought the wishes of sixty-six percent of the people of Palestine. You destroy the faith and trust of all the surrounding and neighbouring States in the fairness and impartiality of the United Nations, particularly having regard to what has been happening during the last three or four days—all the manoeuvres, even with regard to the meetings of the General Assembly, that great and honourable nations are descending to. In the hearts of the populations of all the countries from the North African Atlantic Coast to the steppes of Central Asia, you sow doubt and mistrust of the designs and motives of the Western Powers. You take the gravest risk of impairing, beyond the possibility of repair, any chance of real cooperation between East and West, by thus forcibly driving what in effect amounts to a Western wedge into the heart of the Middle East. How has the United Nations discharged its responsibility with reference to this very difficult, very live and very human problem? There were two proposals, and they have been described as extreme proposals. One was for a unitary State and the other for partition. Two Sub-Committees were set up. One supported the unitary scheme with the responsibility of drafting a proposal on that basis; and the other was composed of Members in favour of partition, with the responsibility of drafting a proposal on that basis. Has the United Nations made any effort to bring the Arab and the Jew together, to find a middle way which might provide a solution on which both peoples might combine to work— the only solution that could have any possible chance of being successfully worked out? There was the minority report. There were other suggestions— and there can be other suggestions, if statesmanship is not entirely bankrupt—which could have been committed to the consideration of a third body. A large number of delegations did not support either the unitary idea or the partition idea. Why was their talent not utilised to find some solution, some middle way? Sub-Committee 2, when it began to work, found itself composed of Members who had taken one view. The representative of Colombia, who in the meantime had been elected the Chairman of the Sub-Committee, felt very uncomfortable because of the situation. He suggested that we approach the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question and request him to nominate to SubCommittee 2 certain States other than Colombia who were not committed to the idea of a unitary State, who could take the middle view, and who could try to bring about a solution
that might be acceptable. This was submitted to the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee and he was informed that two of the Arab States were willing, indeed were anxious, to step down from the Sub-Committee so that it might be reconstituted on that basis. But that suggestion was rejected; the Chairman did not see his way clear to accede to the request. The only attempt that was made in that direction was rejected. Now we are told: you must accept either partition or nothing. But is that so? Is that the only choice? How much genuine support has the scheme of partition received? In the Ad Hoc Committee, it received the support of twenty-five delegations. Some of these twenty-five delegations said they supported the partition plan with a heavy heart; others said they supported it with reluctance. Why? Because there is nothing else. This shows that the General Assembly as a whole is, at least, not happy to commit itself to this so-called solution. It is said that if partition is not accepted, there will be no room left for a solution. On the contrary, if partition is accepted the fatal step will have been taken. The Arabs and the Jews will have been set by the ears and never again will there be a chance of bringing them together. Far too many unfinished vendettas will then bar the way. If you delay and do not take the fatal step, you still leave open to the Arabs and the Jews the chance of a conciliatory solution through which they combine and work. It is not that if you do not take a final decision today, your jurisdiction to decide anything is barred. It means that ‘neither of these two solutions is acceptable and that something else must be found. The responsibility remains with you. Do not throw away that chance. Do not close a door that may not be opened again. The United Nations must find a solution which is not only just and fair, but which has the best chance for success as regards the largest number of Jews and Arabs in Palestine. Our vote today, if it does not endorse partition, does not rule out other solutions. Our vote, if it endorses partition, bars all peaceful solution. Let him who will shoulder that responsibility. My appeal to you is: do not shut out that possibility. The United Nations should seek and strive to unite and bring together rather than to divide and put asunder. The representative of the United States made reference to the prayer and the wish that I expressed at the end of my statement to the Ad Hoc Committee. I again utter it humbly, sincerely, and earnestly: May He who controls all hearts and knows their innermost thoughts and designs, who alone can appraise the true value and foresees the consequences of all human action, in His Grace and Mercy so guide our judgment that what we decide here today shall promote and foster the peace, prosperity and welfare of all His creatures, Jews, Arabs, and Gentiles alike, and shall redound to His Glory forever. Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan [ra] continued his remarks in Arabic. (Translated from Arabic): Our last cry is: All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the Universes.
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Enter…Rabi’ al-‘Awwal 1431 We all know that January is the first month of the year – this may be true for the Christians and for all who follow the Gregorian calendar. Muslims, on the other hand, recognize and use the Gregorian calendar dated from the year, according to some Christians, of the birth of Sayyiduna ‘Isa [as], but do not recognize its validity for any purpose. Muslims and others who follow their own calendars use it to avoid any confusion and to remain somewhat ‘convenient’. It is highly important that Muslims do not forget altogether that we have our very own and very distinct Islamic Calendar based on the lunar cycle – as opposed to the Gregorian calendar which is based on the Solar calendar. There are many reasons why we should not forget the importance of the Islamic Calendar. For example, many of the faraa-id (obligations) are tied to the Islamic months—if we do not track the months, therefore, we will not complete these obligations. And our practice of Islam will be under threat.
ahadith. It is narrated by Hadhrat Ibn ‘Umar [ra] in which the Holy Prophet [saw], speaking of Ramadhan, gestured with his blessed hands and said: “The month(s) are like this, like this, like this, showing both of his blessed hands with fingers extended, thrice [signifying 10 fingers, three times], so fast upon seeing it [the new moon] and break the fast upon seeing it [the new moon] and if it is obscured from you then estimate it as thirty [days]”. Sahih al-Muslim, Book of Fasting, Chapter 2 – Hadith No. 2551.
calendar and its observance, is the fact that Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] had highlighted the importance of the Islamic calendar and its observance with specific reference to the Sirah (life and history) of the Holy Prophet [saw] and established a calendar during his lifetime whose purpose was to highlight to Muslims, and particularly Ahmadis, that we are not bound by the Christian Calendar, and that rather our Calendar is the lunar calendar which starts from the Hijrah of the blessed Messenger [saw] – that is, from the date of his migration from Makkah to Madinah.
Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting, Chapter 11, Hadith No. 1941.
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] thus established the ‘Hijri-Shamsi Taqwim’ which can be loosely translated as the ‘concordance of the solar/hijri calendar’. Although ‘concordance’ can be misleading – by this, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] wanted to establish a parallel calendar which should be used instead of the solar/ pagan calendar to highlight the importance and familiarity, for Muslims, of the events of the life of the Holy Prophet [saw] but in relation to the months that they use daily – and that these months should also correlate in their minds with the Islamic months in which these events took place. The reason I say pagan is that the months of the year as we know them in the Gregorian calendar were based on the names of pagan deities {1} – Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] was so averse to the concept of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and was ever aware of the concept of Tauheed and its spreading amongst the masses that he was averse even to a calendar that is named on pagan deities – such was his love for Tauheed and his constant effort to establish the Tauheed of Allah on the earth.
In addition to the above obligations which would be made redundant without an appreciation of the Islamic
He thus established and replaced each of the names of the months of the Gregorian calendar and renamed them
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] was so averse to the concept of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and was ever aware of the concept of Tauheed and its spreading amongst the masses that he was averse even to a calendar that Another example of the importance of the Islamic is named on pagan deities months comes in the form of the 5th and sanctimonious month of Dhul-Hajj, which all Muslims recognize as the month in which Muslims perform the holy pilgrimage to the House of Allah. Hajj cannot be performed in any other month. Similarly, the obligation of the fasts of Ramadhan are tied with sighting the waxing crescent of the moon of the month of Sha’ban and the new crescent of the month of Ramadhan. If we miss either, then our Ramadhan will be incomplete. It should be noted here, for general knowledge, that as the Islamic calendar is based on the cycle of the moon, there are only ever 29 or 30 days in the Islamic month, as is also proven from the
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Similarly, in another hadith, our beloved Prophet [saw] stated: “The month(s) are twenty-nine nights, so do not fast until you have seen them [ie., for the previous month of Sha’ban], but if it [the moon by which you measure the number of nights] is obscured from you, then complete it to thirty.”
Islam Ahmadiyyat
The calendar scales (round the outside edge) on an Islamic astrolabe in the Whipple Collection.
using terms synonymous with the key events that took place in the blessed life of the Holy Prophet [saw].
and many of our opponents, as well as some Ahmadis question as to why we do not revere this day in the same way.
For instance the treaty of Hudaibiya, known as Sulh alHudaibiya (lit. Peace of Hudaibiya) took place in the 5th year of the Holy Prophet [saw]’s migration from Makkah to Madinah. This treaty took place in the month of January. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] suggested that the name of January be replaced by the word Sulh, meaning Peace. It is useful for a student of the Sirah (biography) of the Holy Prophet [saw] to be aware of this. It is a well known fact that most of the months of the Gregorian calendar are named after Italian gods, from Italian mythology and pagan religion.
In response to this accusation and question Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] gave a sermon highlighting the salient points surrounding this discussion and delivered the edicts of the Promised Messiah [as] on this issue – and stated that “…it is in fact Ahmadis who truly recognize the significance of this day…”. Therefore those who, even amongst Ahmadis, state that the celebration of this day is an innovation should heed this point as well as those below.
If Muslims were to adopt this proposal of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] , then it would also be a way of doing away with the vestiges of pagan idolatry, which permeate all aspects of Western society and which are also finding their way into modern day so-called “enlightened” and “moderate” Muslim society who are looking at more and more ways to do away with the traditions and practices of the early Muslims, and making way for innovations, and worse still, idolatrous practices into the pure religion. After this short introduction to the Islamic and Hijri-Shamsi Taqwim, I will explain a bit about this month – the blessed month we have just entered of Rabi’ al-Awwal – Rabi’ the first. It is important that Khuddam and Atfal are aware of the blessings that accompany this month and the specific blessings that one can possibly gain from a full recognition of its accompanying spiritual grace. It is agreed upon by most people that the 12th day of Rabi’ a-Awwal was the day of the birth of the Holy Prophet [saw]. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] commented in his Friday Sermon of 13th March 2009 that many non-Ahmadi Muslims celebrate this day with great jubilation and felicity,
I would also like to point out here that generally, amongst all Muslims, one finds those that consider the celebration of this day to be an innovation and thus disliked, an innovation which has benefits, or outright forbidden. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] gave a very reasoned and accurate account of the historical foundation of its celebration and started by saying that: “The people [muslims] of the first 3 centuries/generations of Islam, which are eulogized as the best centuries, were people who exhibited the highest standard of love for the Holy Prophet [saw] and were those who had the best knowledge of the Sunnah and were ever mindful that the Shari’ah and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet should be followed, [yet]…we find no mention of the ‘Eid Milaad al-Nabi in the historical accounts from a companion (sahaabi), or follower of the companions (taaba’i).” Having laid the historical foundation of the celebration of this day, Huzur [atba] stated that this day was initially started by those who concentrated on an outward (baatini) expression of the religion and the way in which they initiated this practice was as an innovation (bid’at). These people often followed a separatist interpretation of Islamic practice which concentrated on an outward expression of the faith as opposed to taking both the outward aspects of the deen along with Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islam Ahmadiyyat the inward and spiritual aspects of the deen. elaborated further that:
Huzur then
“There is one group amongst the Muslims who do not celebrate this day at all – and they deem the ‘Eid Milad al-Nabi an innovation [bid’at] – this second group has gone to such extremes in this practice of theirs that they have transgressed all bounds. Nevertheless, we will assess what the Imam of this time, whom Allah ta’ala has appointed and sent as the Hakam [ Judge] and ‘Adl [the Arbiter], has stated in regards to this matter.” In accordance with what Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] stated in his Friday Sermon of the 13th March 2009, I shall only relate here the decisions, opinions and instructions of the Promised Messiah [as] in relation to this blessed celebration. It has been narrated in the discourses of the Promised Messiah [as], known as the Malfoozaat, that someone had asked him about commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet [saw], upon which he stated: “The remembrance of our beloved [Prophet – [saw]] is highly commendable {2} – in fact it is proven by the hadith that mercy descends with the remembrance of the Prophets and the saints [auliyaa’] – and Allah has Himself admonished the remembrance of the Prophets – but if this is accompanied by such innovations which involve anything that cause a breach of Tauheed [unity of Allah] then that thing is impermissible. Eulogize Allah as He should be eulogized and eulogize the Prophet [saw] as he should be eulogized. The clerics of today employ more innovations [in their sermons] and these innovations are contrary to the Will of Allah…the commemoration of the advent, birth and demise of our Holy Prophet [saw] is deserving of rewards – I am not one who would create my own Shari’ah or Holy book {3}. Some clerics exaggerate this and say that to celebrate the Mawlud/Mawlid is haram – if it is haram then who will you follow? Because whosoever’s remembrance you increase, it is with that person that your love develops and increases.” {4} Regarding the above-mentioned point of some clerics referring to the Mawlid as ‘haram’ (forbidden), the Promised Messiah [as] is reported to have stated: “To refer to the commemoration of our Holy Prophet [saw] as ‘haram’ is sheer ignorance – especially as the true following of our Holy Prophet [saw] is the essential means and way of becoming a beloved of Allah, the High – and the passion and drive for following the Prophet [saw] emanates from the remembrance [of the Prophet [saw]]. One who loves someone, performs much remembrance of that person.” {5} The Promised Messiah [as] then goes on to discuss the innovations that are found in some Mawlid gatherings, and then declares the true purposes, objectives and results that should be achieved through such commemorations: “Standing at the time of the Mawlud is impermissible – these blind ones are wholly unaware of the presence of the soul [ruh] of our Holy Prophet [saw] rather in such gatherings one finds various types of innovations and people of ill-repute – so how would his [saw] soul appear in such places – and where
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is it written that his [saw] soul would appear? “And follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge.” (Bani Israel, 17:37). Both extremes should be borne in mind – and reconciled – until the Wahabbi does not fathom the greatness of our Holy Prophet [saw] he, too, is far from Allah. They, too, have ruined the religion [of Islam]. Whenever any Prophet or Saint is commemorated, they cry out, ‘What superiority do they have over us?’ They have decided that they do not wish to benefit from the miracles of the Prophets. The other sect has adopted the ways of Shirk [taking others as equal to Allah], so much so that they prostrated at graves and thus ruined their faith. I do not say that you should worship the Prophets – rather think and understand [about them]: Allah sends the rain – we have no control over this – but we see that rain is always followed by agricultural flourishing and plentitude of healthy crop. In this way, the Prophets function like rain.” It should be noted here that related to the above excerpts from Malfoozaat, the paper Al-Hakam includes an additional clarification: “However, in speaking of such commemorations, sometimes innovations are introduced, and it is these that are haram…you should remember that the real objective of Islam is Tauheed. In Mawlud gatherings these days it is observed that many innovations are introduced, which has meant that an action which is permissible and deserving of mercy, is ruined. The remembrance of our Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, brings mercy, but impermissible actions and innovations are contrary to the Will of Allah. It is not within my remit that we should lay down the foundations of a new law (Shari’ah) and this is what is happening today: every person tries to interpret the Shari’ah in line with their own opinions – thereby making their own Shari’ah.” {7} Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] states that according to his opinion, the remembrance of our Holy Prophet [saw] is not, as the Wahhabis claim, haram – but it is appropriate to encourage following [of the Prophet [saw]] – some people introduce innovations that lead to ‘Shirk’ and it is these that are forbidden. And Huzur [atba] further mentions that a person once asked a similar question to the Promised Messiah [as], who responded in a letter stating that in his opinion as long as there are no innovations, and there is a gathering, in which there are speeches, and mention of the Sirah (life and history) of our Holy Prophet [saw], and poems and hymns are sung in praise of our Holy Prophet [saw] in a pleasant manner, then such gatherings are commendable and should take place. Concluding one section of this sermon, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] stated: “In any case, in summary, to hold a gathering or a function of remembrance on the day of the Mawlud (birth of the Prophet [saw]) is not forbidden, on the condition that there are absolutely no innovations performed. The life and history of our Holy Prophet [saw] should be told – and this type of programmes should not only be held on one day throughout the year. When you intend to propagate the life and history of the beloved [saw] then various gatherings can be held throughout the whole year – and they should be thus held – and this has been the way of the Ahmadiyya jama’at.
Islam Ahmadiyyat This is why it is not performed on one specific day, but even if a certain day is specified and gatherings are held on that day and the life and history of our Holy Prophet [saw] is spoken about - in fact there is always the mention of the Sirah (of the Prophet [saw] – if this is practiced in every country, and even throughout the world, then there is nothing wrong in this – but there should never be any innovations. Such thoughts should not be entertained to the effect that as we have obtained many blessings from this gathering, thus there is no need for any further good actions – as some people think – so there should be neither underestimation, nor over-exaggeration.” Huzur [atba] then completed the sermon by narrating certain aspects of the blessed life of our Noble Prophet [saw]. So the remembrance of the Prophets of Allah is absolutely permissible according to the Promised Messiah [as], provided there is no element which breaches the foundational notion of Tauheed – of the absolute and unequivocal unity of Allah – and if there is such a thing that threatens to do this then that certain thing is the impermissible element – and would of course contaminate the sanctity of the celebration – but the celebration of the Prophets and the saints do not thereby become impermissible. Rather, such celebrations should remain free of anything that causes any ambiguity as to the Tauheed and Unity of Allah. The Promised Messiah [as] further states: “Know that weed and pearls come from the same river – the rock and diamond also come from the same mountain, but each has its relative worth…” {8} This seems to be a simplified translation of a well-known couplet in Arabic in praise of the Holy Prophet [saw]:
in this simile – although we are all rocks, he is of the quality of a diamond whereas all others are mere rocks in comparison – which, when polished and cut through the process of following the Holy Prophet [saw] and being purified by his sunnah, can achieve a shine and cut so pure that turns those rocks into jewels. Rabi’ al-Awwal (Rabi’ the first) is the month in which the blessed liege-lord of the two worlds (this world and the Hereafter), our leader, and beloved, the Final law-bearing Prophet and the Saviour of all mankind was brought into this world and was sent to mankind by the Gracious God as a Mercy for mankind.
Footnotes {1} See generally, David Ewing Duncan , ‘Calendar: Humanity’s Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year’, (New York: Avon, 1998); and William Matthew O’Neil, ‘Time and the Calendars’, Sydney University Press, 1975; and http://design.caltech.edu/Misc/ month_names.html; and http://www.crowl.org/Lawrence/ time/months.html. {2} Malfoozaat, Vol.3 (New 5–volume edition), p.159, Footnote No.2, states: “With this, love [of the Prophet [saw]] increases and results in renewed passion and drive in obedience to following him [saw]”. {3} Malfoozaat, Volume 3 (new 5–volume edition), p.159. {4} Ibid., p.159–160. {5} Ibid., p.160, footnote 2 {6} Ibid., p.160. {7} Ibid., p.160, footnote 1 {8} Ibid., p.160.
“Muhammad is a man, unlike other men. Verily, he is a diamond, amongst rocks” This comparison – between jewels or gems, and rocks – is something which is often used to describe the status of the Noble Prophet [saw] as compared to other human beings. Undoubtedly, the Holy Prophet [saw] is a human being – as stated in the Holy Qur’an – but to equate him to other human beings is to denigrate his [saw] blessed and pure status. Similarly, to elevate his status to something divine is equally as denigrating – as it is a gross misunderstanding of his [saw] blessed status vis-à-vis Allah. Some from amongst this latter group claim that the Noble Prophet [saw] is above other humans and that he is therefore quasi-divine – or they give him attributes which are only for Allah whereas, conversely, others denigrate his status so as to make him just like other human beings. This is what I believe the Promised Messiah [as] is clarifying in this excerpt – that our Noble Prophet [saw] is a diamond amongst rocks – and we are the rocks Tariq Magazine June 2010
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4 Articles
Introduction of Islam to the British Army’s London Recruitment Management Team Address by Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, Imam of the London Mosque and Missionary Incharge UK, on 16 November 2009 in Holborn, London Following recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Very respected audience, this afternoon it is really a great pleasure for me to stand before all of you and to share with you a very brief common and basic introduction of the religion of Islam and after that there will be time for questions and answers. I hope you will be able to ask any question in your mind and I will also be able to give you some reply to that. Well the first thing regarding the introduction of Islam I would like to say is the word Islam which is the proper name of the religion. This is an Arabic word and it has got two meanings: one is peace; and second is total submission. Both these meanings are not that different. They can be put together by saying that real and eternal lasting peace can be obtained through total submission to the Will and Command of God. If we follow the teachings of Islam it ensures to us that the result is going to be peace and nothing but peace. Second point is that Islam should not be taken as a religion of the past. It is a religion for all times to come and for all people. It is a global message. It addresses the whole of mankind. Islamic scripture is the Holy Qur’an and the founder of Islam is the Holy Prophet [saw] of Islam. When we talk about the scripture generally people have the feeling that this is a sacred book for the Muslims and not for others. My feeling is that this is not correct. The Holy Qur’an itself says . Frequently I will be quoting from the Holy Qur’an and I will be explaining that as well for you. The Holy Qur’an itself claims – that it is “guidance for the whole of mankind”. So the message of the Holy Qur’an is for everyone, whether they are Christians or Jewish people or Buddhists or Hindus or followers of any other religion or may not be following any religion at all. The third point is that Islam as I told you the meaning of this one is a message of peace. Unfortunately in the world today this is very frequently and very easily equated with the religion of bloodshed and terror. This is absolutely wrong. It is no way correct or no way near the truth. It is purely and entirely a message of peace for all the people. Peace begins with one’s own self and from the family and from
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Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, Imam London Mosque and Missionary Incharge UK
your neighbourhood and from your city and going from the country and going globally. So the message is a message of peace – this is the bottom line in the introduction of Islam. The question arises what is the simplest definition of a Muslim. A Muslim means that person who believes in Islam. Islam is the name of the religion; those who follow that are called Muslims. So what is the definition, the simplest definition of a Muslim follower of Islam. I go back to the statement of the founder of Islam, the Holy Prophet of Islam [saw]. He has mentioned and I quote “That a true Muslim, a Muslim in the true sense is that from whose tongue and from whose hand other people do not apprehend danger at all”. So it is quite obvious that a person who is speaking in such a way which does not create ill will, hatred or enmity against anyone; behaves in such a way that does not create disorder or bloodshed, violence, hatred enmity, all these things, that is a person who is according to the definition a real Muslim. There comes a question which is asked very quickly here that what about those terrorists who say that we are Muslims. According to the definition of Islam given by the holy founder
Articles
The Army attend the National Ijtema 2009 of Majis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK
[saw] they practically on their basis of their doings cannot be included in the definition of a Muslim because they are the people who shed the blood of other people, innocent people, indulge in indiscriminate killing. Those people who indulge in violence, terrorism, bloodshed by virtue of this definition of Islam as a Muslim these people cannot be counted. One of my common phrases which I have been repeating maybe for hundreds of times maybe thousands of time so far in the length and breadth of this country wherever I have to speak there I always say that a true Muslim cannot be terrorist at all and if there is somebody who is indulging in terrorist activities then by virtue of that doing that person cannot be called a Muslim. These are two things - Islam and Terrorism - they cannot be put together. They cannot go together. It is like putting fire and water together; putting light and darkness together – they cannot go together. Similarly if a person is a Muslim he cannot and should not be a terrorist at all. And if there is a terrorist he is simply violating the teachings of his own religion. So that is how this subject has to be taken. Another important point in the introduction of Islam is that Islam recognises wherever a person lives one should always be abiding by the law of the country. This is very essential. Attachment to the law of the country, complete obedience to the rulers and complying with the commandments of the state that is a basic principle which Islam enjoins upon all its followers. I quote here, there is a verse in the Holy Qur’an which says “You obey Allah”, your Creator, Master; and “obey the Prophet” [saw] who is your spiritual guide, who has brought this message to you and has explained the meaning of the Holy Qur’an the verbal revelation of God Almighty so God Almighty who has given you the law and the Prophet
[saw] who has explained the law for you, you obey to both of them. And besides that the third point mentioned clearly in the Holy Qur’an is that those people who are in the position of authority. So it is not only referring to the King or a Ruler or a Prime Minister or whatever. It says anybody who is in any position of authority established by the law of the country in which you decide to live. Now it is the choice of the people to live in a certain country or not. For example if a person does not like the laws of Britain he is not compelled to come over here. He may leave the country if he does not like the laws of the country. As long as they decide to live in this country then whatever is the law passed by the normal procedure of the country they have to abide by that. So this is a very clear instruction and very prominent and goes along with the spirit of peace. Islam requires that everybody should be obedient and fully cooperative in the laws of the country. They are not supposed ever to break any law, maybe small or big they have to be very peaceful citizens of the country where they chose to live. And the next point is that Islam on top of that [advocates] just not simply following the rules and regulations of the country you live in, it says that the love of the country is actually a part of your faith. Perhaps this type of teaching we never come across in other religions or other cultures but Islam is very specific about that and there is a saying of the Holy Founder of Islam which says and I quote “That the love of the Country where you live that is a part of your faith”. So it means one has to not only comply with the rules, Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Articles regulations and laws of the country, one should have the love of that country. When the love is there then it may require at certain time certain sacrifices, certain hardships may be required. People have to pass through that one. So the love of the country that generates the respect for that country and total obedience to the law of the country and also encourages the people to go for certain sacrifices even if they have to go through certain hardships. So that is the concept of Islam, that wherever Muslims remain, wherever they live as they are benefiting from the society in which they live, they are benefiting from the facilities provided by the State so they have to be completely obedient and submissive and loving and that love of the country is described as part of their faith. One last point before I conclude my brief introduction as I promised is that Islam also requires if there are certain plans for you. I mean addressing the Muslims of course first. Although as I said the message of Islam is for everyone but it wants the Muslims to be a role model for the rest of the citizens, they should present a good example. They should not be indulging in any violence or breaking of the law or violation of the commands of rules and regulations. They should be very instructive, positive and peaceful member of the society in which they live. So Islam requires if there is any good initiative taken by the people and the Muslim community as a whole, individually or collectively if they are called upon to come forward to co-operate in matters which are good, which are beneficial for the members of the society them Muslims are enjoined that you always go forward and co-operate in such matters. No restriction is there, no distinction or discrimination has
been mentioned. Who is going to call upon him. Maybe the follower of another religion, maybe a person with a different complexion, with a different nationality, with a different culture, with a different background. Whosoever he maybe but if they are calling upon something good which you genuinely believe that this is a right way then you have to go and co-operate for that and if you are called upon to indulge in some activity which is subversive or which is dangerous or which is harmful for society, individually or collectively, or which is against the interest of the Nation then Islam says very openly you don’t have to co-operate in that. And there is a verse of the Holy Qur’an which I would like to quote “That whenever you are called upon to co-operate in matters of virtue and matters of righteousness you always come forward by way of your co-operation and full participation in that one” and “whenever you are called upon to commit a sin or to go for a rebellion or something which is dangerous against the interest of the society then you don’t have to cooperate with that one”. So this is like a golden principle which Muslims are required to follow, that living in a different country wherever they happen to be they may come across various initiatives from various peoples from various societies from various backgrounds. Some may be good, some may be bad. So they are required to co-operate in everything good. And not to co-operate and be part of anything which is bad. So this is a very simple, brief introduction I have been able to try to squeeze it into a few minutes because I thought ample time should be left for your questions to be answered. Thank you very much for listening.
London’s Community Liaison Officer: Steve Mack Class 2 Warrant Officer Steve Mack is London’s Community Liaison Officer for the British Army. He has served for over twenty years in various jobs in the logistic role. He is trained to set up lots of different activities and workshops for Schools, Colleges and Community Groups, as well as advising on careers for officers and soldiers within the Army. He often organises various team building activities which can be delivered at an Army base or venue of choice. Workshops can either include one or five day insight programmes where people can join in with team activities, army displays and careers fairs. Steve is currently working with Khuddam from Muqami Region, and is now holding a number of workshops with them before they venture to an on-site programme at an Army base later this year. The following includes some information regarding what the Army does, what it is looking for and what to expect when you join up. For more than 300 years the British Army has proved itself to be one of the most professional and highly regarded military organisations in the world. The reason for this is simple: the quality of its people is second to none. From the youngest
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Steve Mack, Army Liason Offficer for London
Articles Private to the most seasoned Colonel, every member of the Army upholds a set of standards, which are vital to the ongoing courage, honesty and integrity of the Armed Forces. The British Army is an equal opportunities employer committed to ensuring a working environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and unlawful discrimination, where each individual is respected and encouraged to realise their full potential. The promotion of Equality and Diversity in the British Army is a key ingredient in the generation of operational effectiveness. It balances the rights of the individual with the needs of the Army. It values the inherent qualities in every individual, respects their differences and enables them to make the selfless commitment that the Army demands, irrespective of race, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation and religious belief. If you are thinking about a career in the Army, you might be concerned that you will be unable to practise your religious observances, or that your culture will not be acceptable. The Army encourages people from all faiths to practise their religious observances. Whenever practicable you will be allowed to observe religious festivals and holidays. If your religion requires you to say prayers at a certain time, you will be allowed to do so, provided this does not jeopardise operational effectiveness. Fasting is also generally allowed, but there may be some operational circumstances when high physical demands make fasting hazardous. Every reasonable effort is made for personnel to have contact with their religious leaders. Wherever practicable we endeavour to arrange transport to places of worship. Areas for worship are made available on military establishments. The Ministry of Defence has set up a network of religious leaders who act as advisers on religious requirements. This enables commanding officers to obtain trusted advice about specific religious issues. Also, new posts are being established for Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist chaplains to support serving members of these faiths. The Army is fully committed to providing a working environment free from discrimination and harassment. Racial or sexual discrimination, harassment or bullying is not tolerated. Being a soldier is not easy. We are asked to do things not asked of other people. We have to be aggressive and strong in battle, yet behave properly and show self-control all the time. To enable us to do this the Army has 6 Values it requires us to live by.
Selfless Commitment The Army is about teamwork - none of us work on our own,
we always work in a team. Teams can only be effective if we all play our part in full, putting the team and the mission before our own needs, trusting each other totally - even with our lives if necessary.
Courage All soldiers need courage, both physical and moral. Physical courage is about controlling fear, rather than having no fear. Training and discipline helps us do our duty regardless of the dangers and discomforts. Moral courage is about doing the right thing, not looking the other way when we know or see something is wrong, even if it is not a popular thing to do or say.
Discipline All teams need discipline. In our line of work it is vital, ensuring that orders are carried out and everyone is confident that they will not be let down by their team mates. Self-discipline is the best form of discipline. It depends on high personal standards that earn soldiers the trust and respect of their team mates. It gives us the courage to make the difficult choices that we face in our career.
Integrity Integrity means being honest, not lying, cheating or stealing. If we lack integrity our team mates cannot trust what we say or do; they cannot rely on us and the team suffers.
Loyalty Loyalty is about looking after and helping those around us. Putting the needs of our team mates before our own, even when the going gets tough.
Respect For Others Soldiers come in all shapes and sizes and all deserve to be treated fairly. There is no place for any form of harassment or discrimination in an Army that claims to ‘Be The Best’. Discrimination damages teams. It excludes members and does not give them the chance to contribute. The Army recognises the importance of humour, but humour must be inclusive. Humour that insults, ridicules or intimidates people is destructive and damages the team. Respect for others is part of the trust between a soldier and his team mates. We judge people on their abilities, not their race, religion or sex. Respect for others, including civilians, detainees and captured enemy forces, means treating people decently.
For further information please contact Steve Mack on clo.londonsouth@recruitinggroup.mod.uk
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Articles
The Birth of Modern Day Christianity The belief amidst modern day Christians is that Jesus [as] had died on the cross as atonement for their sins and then ascended to heaven. Now, as Ahmadi Muslims we do believe in Jesus [as] as a Prophet of God so it would be logical to assume that we also follow this belief. However, we as Ahmadi Muslims do not follow this belief. We believe that Jesus [as] survived his crucifixion on the cross and followed his true mission of going in search of the lost tribes of Israel. So believing in this, the question arises: how did the belief arise that Jesus [as] died on the cross and ascended to heaven? This article shall begin with an introduction to the Bible and how it was compiled and modified over the years. The Bible consists of the Torah which has been labelled the Old Testament, as well as writings added later which make up the New Testament. Over time the Bible and beliefs of the Christians have evolved. This was noticeable as early as 150 AD when these changes had led to the existence of hundreds of contradictive texts. In the fourth century, in an attempt to re-establish the Roman Empire with a uniform religion to support it, Constantine the Great (the first Roman Emperor to accept Christianity) felt that a decision should be made regarding which books should form the basis of Christianity. At the time there existed two opposing bubbles of Christian thought both existing within Alexandria; the first led by Arius felt Jesus [as] was a supreme human. The second bubble led by Athanasius believed in Jesus [as] as both man and God. This conflict of thought forced Constantine the Great to form the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, with the decree that only one camp of thought should emerge from the council. The council agreed that Jesus [as] was both man and God and thus two bubbles formed one. This decision was followed by an urgent need for a common scripture to guide the people and their new belief. Six years after the events of Nicaea, Constantine the Great commissioned Bishop Eusebius to create an official Christian Bible, Eusebius built a Bible based on a list of books he believed were “acceptable”, “highly likely” and “questionable”. This list of books was reduced to 18 books and unlike previous scholars he believed the Jewish writings should also be included. These Jewish writings were then lumped together into what is now known as the Old Testament. Forty years after this, a final list of 27 New Testament books were collected. This final list also saw the exclusion of many popular books as they were written too late or were too orthodox. Now that we know how the Bible has been manipulated over the years and how this may have contributed to the beliefs of modern Christians, it is important to understand how the belief of Jesus [as] dying on the cross came about. When Jesus [as] left on the road to Galilee in search of the lost tribes of Israel to fulfil his mission, his disciples continued to preach his true message but faced heavy persecution from the Jews, with some disciples even being martyred.
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It is found that following the persecution of the disciples they modified their methods of replying to the Jews. When the Jews would question and oppose the disciples about Jesus [as] they would reply that Jesus [as] had risen from the dead after the crucifixion. They would also add that he had ascended to heaven. Reading this, it would be assumed that the disciples had betrayed Jesus [as] and spread a false message. However, if we take a closer look into this era it can be found that the term heaven was in those days also used to refer to any high raised place and in terms of Jesus [as] it referred to a “safe place”, where he was in search of the lost tribes of Israel. Therefore, it can be seen that any misinterpretation of the replies of the disciples may have laid the foundation stone of the belief in Jesus [as] being raised to heaven. However, even with this information in hand it is still found that the father of modern Christianity is not Jesus [as] or even any of his disciples, but it was a self-proclaimed apostle by the name of Saul, known to the modern day Christians as Saint Paul. Saint Paul had never met Jesus [as] nor did he ever hear him speak. He had also accepted Christianity after the crucifixion and supposed death of Jesus [as]. However, he still claimed that Jesus [as] had come to him in a vision and appointed him as one of his apostles, but if we take a close look at these visions mentioned in Chapters 9, 22 and 26 of the Acts we come across many contradictions between different
Articles In light of this information the question arises, where did Saint Paul come from and how did he gain such a big part in modern day Christianity? Saint Paul embraced Christianity in Damascus and began to preach in synagogues straight away. Three years after his conversion he paid his first visit to Jerusalem to join the disciples. He told the disciples of his vision but they rejected him at first. They subsequently accepted him after he proved his sincerity to them by preaching in Jerusalem in the name of Jesus [as]. Before we explain where Saint Paul went wrong we should look at why Jesus [as] was sent as a prophet. Jesus [as] was sent to the Jews, his mission was not to preach to the Gentiles (non-Jews). He had strictly told his disciples not to preach to the Gentiles in Matthew 15:24,26: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. Now that we know the mission of Jesus [as], any teaching of Jesus [as] should have been preached to the Jews and only to them. However, Saint Paul became annoyed at the opposition of the Jews and was mentally affected by the death of Stephen (the first disciple to be martyred). Hence he went against the instructions of Jesus [as] and his disciples, saying: “I am clean; from henceforth will I go unto the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6).
accounts of the same vision. A few of these contradictions are explained below: In Chapter 9 verses 3-6 we read “That a light from heaven shone round about him and he fell to earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul,.... and meanwhile those who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no man”. Whereas in Chapter 22 verse 9 he says “And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me”. These both give opposite accounts. Another comparison where such contradictions are clearly visible is in Chapter 22 where he states that upon his asking what he should do, Jesus [as] replied, “Arise and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.” When he reached Damascus one Ananias came to him and told him what he should do. However in Chapter 26, he mentions nothing about this and says that Jesus [as] himself told him of all things which he should have to do. These contradictions compel us to take the view that the vision upon which Saint Paul based his claim to be an apostle leads us to doubt its reliability.
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Saint Paul therefore told the disciples that he had been instructed by Jesus [as] himself to preach to the gentiles. Here another question arises. Previously it was mentioned that Saint Paul had never met Jesus [as] himself nor heard him speak and he had only accepted Christianity after Jesus’ [as] crucifixion. So why would Jesus [as] send this message to Saint Paul rather than his disciples who had been with him through his hardships. This again questions the truth of Saint Paul’s actions. However, the result of such an action was foretold by Jesus [as]: “Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6) Going against the teachings of Jesus [as] Saint Paul began preaching his message to the pagan Roman Empire and their attitude compelled Paul to modify the principles taught by Jesus [as]. He presented Jesus [as] to them in a way in which they already worshipped their gods. What follows are examples of Roman pagan gods whose stories are very similar to the Jesus [as] which Saint Paul presented to the Gentiles (as mentioned in ‘Where did Jesus die?’ by J.D. Shams). These should be read carefully and the similarities taken into consideration: 1. Adonis was a God whose death was celebrated in western Asia and Greek lands. In some lands his resurrection was celebrated the next day. Sir James Frazer – Adonis, Attis, Osiris, Ed 2, pp. 183-184. 2. At the festival of Cybele, a priest played the part of the God Attis and was hanged on a tree and slain. In the holy Grove at Upsale men and animals were sacrificed by hanging on trees. Human victims dedicated to Odin were sacrificed by hanging on a tree or gallows and then stabbed or wounded with a spear. 3. Arthur Weigall in his book Paganism in Christianity Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Articles and discovered it empty as the God having risen on the third day from the dead, on the 25th the resurrection was celebrated, and the initiates were baptised with blood whereby their sins were washed away. 6. The idea of a god atoning to himself for the sins of Mankind by his own sacrifice was widespread; for example the God Adonis was killed by a boar, but the boar was an incarnation of himself, and thus god was both executioner and victim. If these pagan beliefs are compared to the version of the crucified Jesus that Paul preached to the Gentiles, it is nothing but a copy of the former and a highly distorted and dishonourable version of Christianity. The disciples of Jesus [as] preaching Ebionite Christianity (the original judo-Christians, known as poor Christians) opposed Pauline Christianity as far as they could, but as time passed, his easy religion became a conquering one in the Roman Empire. The pagan beliefs and ceremonies were enacted, and the worship of Attis was merged into that of Jesus [as]. And it was, as I mentioned earlier, at the “Council of Nicaea” in the year 325 AD, three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus [as], that the church recognised him as a God.
writes: One of the earliest seats of Christianity was Antiocxh, but in that city there was celebrated each year the death and resurrection of the God Tammuz. The place at Bethlehem selected by the early Christians as the scene of the birth of Jesus [as] was none other than an early shrine of this pagan god! A fact which shows that Tammuz or Adonis ultimately became confused in men’s minds with Jesus [as]. This God was believed to have suffered a cruel death, to have descended to hell or Hades, to have risen again and to have ascended to Heaven. An effigy of his body was prepared for burial and the next day his resurrection was celebrated with the words “The Lord has Risen” probably being said. The supposed descent to hell of Jesus [as] looks to have been borrowed from the story of Tammuz. 4. The Spartan God or divine hero Hyacinth was killed with an accidental blow. His three day festival was held in spring or summer, the first day he was mourned as dead, the second day his resurrection was celebrated, and the third day his ascension to heaven was commemorated. 5. Attis was known as the Good Shepherd, son of Cybele also known as the virgin Nana, who conceived him without union with a mortal man, just like the story of virgin Mary. He mutilated himself and bled to death at the foot of a sacred pine tree. In Rome the festival of his death and resurrection was celebrated from March 22nd to 25th, an effigy was tied to the base of a tree, buried in the tomb and on March 24th the High Priest himself impersonating Attis drew blood of a human sacrifice thus, as it were, sacrificing himself. On the night of the 24th the priests went to the tomb and found it illuminated
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Pauline Christianity, therefore, dominated over the Ebionites whose rules were strict and went hand in hand with those of the Jews and thus were not appealing to the Gentiles. The teachings of Saint Paul converted a beloved Prophet of God into a God himself, when Jesus [as] was actually sent to establish the Oneness of God. At this point Christianity as we know it today was born.
References “Banned From The Bible” by Zia H Shah, based on a documentary by History Channel titled “Banned from the Bible” and “Banned from the Bible II” “Jesus in India” by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (The Promised Messiah [as]) “Christianity: A Journey from Facts to Fiction” by Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad [rh] “Where did Jesus Die?” by J. D. Shams
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MKA UK Research Association Conference Address
Address by Tommy Kallon, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, on 8th February 2010
I believe, without doubt, that it is by partaking of Divine knowledge passed on to us by the Holy Prophet [saw] and the Promised Messiah [as] that we can establish in practice what the poet Ezra Pound once said, “Genius… is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one.” RIGHT: Ezra Pound in 1913. Photograph by Alvin Langdon Coburn, first published in Coburn’s More Men of Mark (New York: Knopf, 1922)
Most Worthy Chairman, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Research Association, Respected Naib Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Switzerland, distinguished scholars, my dear brothers Khuddam,
[salam]
Although I am delighted to have been invited to this first Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Research Association Conference and I am honoured to deliver this concluding address, I must confess I am slightly overawed to be speaking in front of so many academics and intellectuals while I do not consider myself competent enough, scholastically, to pitch an address at such bright and learned minds. Perhaps I can begin by congratulating Mohtamim Amoor-e-Tuluba, Mansoor Ahmad Sahib, and especially Dr Tauseef Khan Sahib, Chairman of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Research Association, and his team on the successful conclusion of its first ever Annual Research Conference. That you had participation from outside the UK is a measure of your enterprise and industry. It gives me great pleasure to welcome
Rashid Waraich Sahib, Naib Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Switzerland, to the UK and to this Research Conference. It is truly wonderful to see this hall filled with so many colourful academic posters each of which provides meaningful insights into intriguing areas of research. I pray that herein lie the colours of progress; where many Ahmadi Muslim brains come together not only to display their academic prowess but to apply it to achieve progress in service to their Creator. Progress comes in many forms. It is the desire to recognise and extract the genius from within us that necessitates the seizure of a problem and the application of a uniqueness of thought and approach; a focus on outcomes that discards prejudices and preconceptions, and challenges, with relish and gusto, accepted interpretations and common understandings. I believe, without doubt, that it is by partaking of Divine knowledge passed on to us by the Holy Prophet [saw] and the Promised Messiah [as] that we can establish in practice what the poet Ezra Pound once said, “Genius…is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one.”
Common amongst all geniuses is free thought. It is that thinking, that search for knowledge and its intrinsic connection with Islam that I want to speak to you about today. The natural intelligence that underlies genius is one of the most profound of human faculties and probably our most important. Deriving from the Arabic word aql, its Islamic significance stems from the essential obligation of every Muslim to see and understand truth. Some of those truths require thought; some are self-evident. Take, for instance, the concept of Unity of Allah. Rooted in the pre-eminent and paramount undertaking that every Muslim makes, that there is none worthy of worship save Allah, our intellect induces a recognition of the Unity of Allah as the dominant force behind all things good. This universal truth, selfevident to every Muslim scientist, dispels the so-called contradiction between Islam and science. Many thinkers, admittedly outside of this conference and outside of our Jama’at, would ask how the alleged dichotomy of science and religion can in Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Members of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Research Association with Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK
any way be resolved so let me attempt to deal with that. Whereas the scientific society may suggest that, for instance, Fourier’s Law of Heat Conduction, or Bernoulli’s Law of Fluid Dynamics are human theories that determine the conduction of heat, or the pressure and flow speed of liquid respectively, a Muslim scientist’s intellectual recognition of the existence of Allah, itself a self-evident truth, obviates this fallacy. A Muslim scientist is able to apply these scientific laws, whether they be Fourier’s Law, Bernoulli’s Law or indeed Newton’s Law of Motion, not as a determinant dreamed up by secular scientists, but rather the evidence that these laws represent some of the many wonderful manifestations of Allah’s Will. And Allah has made such Will clear, rewarding man with scientific understanding in the Holy Qur’an itself. There is not enough time today to discuss these in detail but let me present before you a couple of examples.
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The Holy Qur’an says: “And we made of water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” (Ch.21:V.31). The relationship between water and all living organisms is readily understood. Science has now determined beyond doubt that, in line with this Qur’anic declaration, living organisms indeed are largely constituted from water. The Holy Qur’an also notes in the same verse: “Do not the disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were a closed up mass then we opened them out?” (Ch.21:V.31). Science has now demonstrated that the universe was developed from indistinct mass. We now know that the fundamental particles in the universe and those found in earthly matter are of identical constitution. Whilst my examples are few, they are cogent and decisive. They demonstrate that Islam is entirely consistent with science because science, at its root, is in fact the study of Allah’s work.
For centuries Muslims pushed the outer envelopes of accepted thought, introducing the world to concepts that would underpin the development of science beyond boundaries thought humanly possible at the time. Islam’s rapid spread during the time of the Holy Prophet [saw] and under the leadership of the Rightly-guided Khulafa precipitated what is commonly referred to as the Golden Age of Islam – a period which ushered in immense contributions to philosophy, science, engineering and governance. An expansion of Muslim dominance spanning the Middle East, and stretching as far as Europe and North Africa brought the widespread implementation of modern science by some of the most outstanding scholars that the world has known. The development of modern medicine, astronomy, mathematics, the refinement of algebra and trigonometry and the physical use of optics were legacies from an Islamic era. Muslim scientists brought both knowledge and application into inventions that remain central to
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Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK addresses the MKA UK Research Association.
modern life today. Everything from simple tools such a scissors to complex water powered pumping machines and standardised weighing scales are all contributions from Muslim science. Indeed their legacy lives on, not only in machines but words too. Many words today retain their Arabic origins: “algebra”, “algorithm”, “zenith”, “alchemy” to name but a few. With this in mind, it is heartening to know that this quest for truth and scientific knowledge has been fostered by the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Research Association. In fulfillment of the purpose for which I established it under the Amoor-e-Tuluba department within Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, with the blessed approval of Hadhrat Ameerul Mumineen, Khalifatul Masih V [atba], the Research Association appears to have taken strident steps in satisfying its search for knowledge. A case in point is a more than one hundred thread long email exchange among its membership that included
Sadr Majlis reviewing the conference exhibition
an exegesis on the Holy Qur’an discussing the application of Qur’anic injunction through numerology and the meaning of Muqatta’at using Abjad values. Muqatta’at, as you know, is the combination of Arabic letters at the start of certain chapters of the Holy Qur’an, for example, Alif Laam Meem. This study of the Holy Qur’an is central to scientific research. Indeed the development of life, both in human and others forms, is specifically addressed by the Holy Qur’an. Revealing the possibility of more advanced creation with sensory perceptions beyond the five human senses that we currently know and understand, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV [rh] challenged those who presented the proposition that evolution might have been blind and inadvertent. In his book, Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, with both wisdom and prescience, he expounded the understanding of the Almighty Creator as set out in the Holy Qur’an. Among other jewel-esque contributions, through his inspiring study of the Holy Qur’an,
he demonstrated how it predicts the ultimate transformation of mankind into a different entity. Discussing Chapter 14, verse 20 of the Holy Qur’an which states “Do you not see that Allah created the heavens and the earth with Truth. If He so pleases, He can do away with you, and bring a new creation”, Huzur [rh] said: “The verse under discussion does not speak of replacing man with others like him. It clearly mentions the bringing into being of a new creation ‘khalq’ and speaks of the whole of mankind to be changed into a different entity… Quite distinct from the subject of life after death, the Holy Qur’an also speaks of a different form here on earth which will supersede humans… Thus, the Qur’an raises the possibility of more advanced forms of creation developing, with superior faculties or even new senses in addition to our five.” Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, pp.487-488 His avant-garde engagement with the complex issue of evolution looks beyond historic analysis of origin, looking more Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Articles to the future in an approach that seeks to address conduits of scientific thought often considered difficult to evaluate. It is studies like these that form the starting point of greater understanding; it is studies like these that constitute higher learning, the dissemination of which should be pioneered by this Research Association. Last September’s challenging and thought provoking discussion on the atheistic tradition as propounded by Richard Dawkins seems also to have been a catalyst for thought, encouraging the Research Association to identify ways and means of countering atheistic arguments. With this in mind, thought should also be given to the erroneously supposed paradox between the concept of Divine predetermination and that of human free will. Although the Holy Qur’an beautifully deals with this point when it says “whatever good comes to thee is from Allah and whatever of evil befalls thee is from thyself ” (Ch.4:V.80) this common and infectious argument among atheists levelled at all Abrahamic monotheistic religions is suggestive of false and derisory notions about Allah that are worthy of serious and intellectual challenge. These and other challenges should not be a source of nervousness or apprehension. As mentioned before, for hundreds of years after the Holy Prophet [saw], challenge was the staple diet of Muslim scientists. Supported by injunctions in the Holy Qur’an to seek knowledge, the Holy Prophet [saw] once said: “He who issued forth in search of knowledge is busy in the cause of Allah till he returns from his quest.” (Tirmidhi). It was the gravitational pull of Khilafat that precipitated the rapid progress of Islam during its Golden Era. Once Khilafat ended, the dominance of Islam also began to ebb. Today, we see a renaissance of Islam in
the form of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at. This is no mere axiom. Under the Divinely-inspired leadership of Khilafat, that gravitational pull is restored and the Golden Era of Islam is once more within sight. Here lies before you an attainable goal in which Khuddam and Atfal in the UK, who stand in the epicentre of the physical presence of Khilafat, can strive for. And so, whilst it is my prayer that Allah blesses the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Research Association for its efforts so far, these are not yet achievements that warrant respite. This is a time to march forward, to reinstate that Golden Age of Islam, to once again establish a dominance of Muslim intellectual contributions to society. During his opening address at the first Jalsa Salana of the Khilafat Centenary year in Ghana, Huzur Aqdas [atba] said: “Excel others in hard work. Excel others in education. That should be the hallmark of an Ahmadi. Allah told the Promised Messiah [as] that the people of your Jama’at will progress in knowledge. Therefore, I advise the youth: Immerse yourself in studies to the exclusion of everything else. Advance so much in every field of education that your minimum target is a Nobel Prize.” (Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V, Opening Address, Jalsa Salana 2008, Ghana) The Nobel Foundation in their biography of Professor Abdus Salam, the first Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize in Science, said of him: “Abdus Salam is known to be a devout Muslim, whose religion does not occupy a separate compartment of his life; it is inseparable from his work and family life. He once wrote: “The Holy Qur’an enjoins us to reflect on the verities of Allah’s created laws of nature; however, that our generation has been privileged to glimpse a part of His design is a bounty and a grace for which I render thanks with a humble heart”.”
(http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/ physics/laureates/1979/salam-bio.html) It is that dedication and contribution to Islam and society that should be the benchmark which this Research Association aims to emulate. It is those Nobel Prize winners that will be the measure of your success. To bring about unity among man under the canopy of Allah’s mercy was the challenge set for us by the Promised Messiah [as], the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Raised to illumine those whose hearts and minds had become darkened, to re-elevate Islam to its proper station, he sought to instill in all those who choose to avail it, the true understanding of Islam. That task transcends his lifetime and it is now for us to propagate that message and to engage in intellectual dialogue and discussion with both determination and resolve. With that, ignorance and indifference must become the first casualties of our intellectual struggle, a struggle in which each of us plays an active and pivotal part. Let me close with this. Frederic Nietzsche once remarked, “A man of genius is unbearable, unless he possesses at least two things besides: gratitude and purity.” I admonish you to be grateful to Allah for whoso is grateful is grateful for the good of his own soul. May we serve His great cause with a purity of mind and spirit that ultimately elevates our spiritual station to ever loftier dimensions. Ameen. The session concluded with silent prayer.
Majlis Khuddamul Ahmaadiyya UK Research Association www.khuddam.org.uk/departments/amoor-e-tuluba/mka-uk-research-association/
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Tahajjud & I’tekaf - their importance for spiritual progress By Mujeebur Rahman from Keighley Jamaat
I had wanted to perform I’tekaf for many years and was finally afforded the opportunity by Allah Almighty, [alhamd]. I’tekaf becomes a regular practice for many despite it being an intense ten days. For many worshippers, I’tekaf is not the starting point for such spiritual exercise. The seed for such worship is the Tahajjud prayer on top of the five daily prayers. It is a reasonable question to ask why one would want to ‘lock’ oneself away in solitude, as Allah is not confined to any space or time.
The Development of the Ego–Self When a child is born its mind is like a clean slate (tabula rasa) on which nothing has yet been written. As children, we usually cannot dictate the choices our parents make. As we grow up, it is the choices made by our parents and others around us that, increasingly and progressively, differentiate us from our fellows; in this process, a ‘personality’ or ego emerges and we begin to take on responsibility for our actions. A few of us undergo great pain and effort to distinguish ourselves from the common herd. We increasingly develop a sense of right and wrong, of good and evil. Selfish–ness, me–ness, I–ness. These words tell us that the self is different to everything else; that the rest of our fellow creatures are similar but they are “other”. To be a separate self is to be alone, isolated, vulnerable. An analogy may help. Imagine a potter moulding a vase from clay on his turning wheel. At the beginning of the process, he has a shapeless lump of clay. During the creative act he fashions a recognisable image by giving it form. When it has form, it has identity, it has ‘self ’ and when it has ‘self ’ it can be destroyed. The anonymous lump that began the process cannot be harmed because it has no permanent feature to give it an identity tag. The perfected image at the end is vulnerable, separate, selfish and mortal. This ego–self (Nafs-e-Ammara, the self that incites to evil) is a house of limitations, a prison for consciousness and
enlightenment. One is reminded here of Plato’s Myth of the Cave. He saw us human beings as imprisoned in our own bodies, with only other such prisoners for company, and all of us unable to discern the real selves of one another, or our own real selves. Our direct experience is not of reality, but what is in our minds. Most of the information we receive from the environment is the common property of the human race. How do these universals become constricted into ego, narrowing our focus and distorting reality? The answer is that information is neutral; it is the impartial ground stuff of experience, anonymous clay containing only potential images. It is what we do with it, how we react to the common inputs, what we mould the clay into, that builds our prison. The ego–self then is a product of choices. Physicists believe that they are on the verge of discovering one law that will explain everything. They may be disappointed to learn that this is not the ‘final face of God’. As Rumi said, ‘Thou thinkest thyself enthroned, but art outside the door’. The stage we are at represents the limit of the resolving power of the tool we have been using. Imagine a primitive lens trying to observe teeming life in a drop of pond water using a badly ground piece of glass with low resolving power. Dimly at the limit of his vision, he can just see strange and wonderful creatures but their shapes – their natures – are beyond his reach. He is totally unaware of the richness that lies at the higher levels of magnification; to him this hidden micro–world quite literally does not exist. The problem is not the sight but the seer, not the job but the instrument. We are prevented from seeing more deeply into the nature of things, not by the construction of the world but by the construction of ourselves. We have inherited minds from ancestors who roamed around in small groups on the savannas of East Africa. The brain system we recruited had the primary aim of reacting quickly to immediate danger. The self–preserving feedback cycles or survival instincts were seated in the brain. They remain to this day ready at any time to override the feeble objections of mere
Nirvana
Yoga teaching uses a simile of wind blowing across the surface of the water to describe the relationship between self and reality. While the wind blows, the water’s surface is fragmented, shifting, the ‘reality’ it reflects continuously disrupted into half-truths and confusing images. However, when the wind stops, the surface of the water, like that of the mirror, becomes still and perfect, reflecting the wholesome Majesty of God beheld in motionless serenity. Hence, the origin of the much misunderstood word Nirvana (nir = beyond vana = wind). Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Articles reason. Since we are seldom threatened in our everyday lives by wild cats and such-like dangers, the ‘fight or flight’ response is now sensitised to, and primed by, low-grade triggers and a set of illusions.
The Nature of the Ego-Self As Plato rightly suggested, our direct experience is not of reality, but what is in our minds. Our ego is a mental construction, a fabrication. It is something we create inside our heads. As such it lacks the physical reality of a stone or a coin. The ego-self is a symbolic point of internal reference created in the mind, by the mind to organise the input of experience built up by choices made by the individual over time, thereby allowing the body to function in a purposeful way. Once a strong sense of ego-self has developed during the later years of childhood and teens, the new and mostly unimportant day-to-day experiences of life usually serve to reinforce or at worse only slightly modify the current status quo structure of the egoself. We cling fanatically to our sense of identity, or me-ness, because it has become our lens of life, our window to the world. It is the nature of the ego to reinforce its own self-image by always wanting more of those things which strengthen its definition. To put it another way, what we dread is change: change that profoundly alters the ego, reshaping and remaking it.
Evolution acts on differences between individuals. Success is measured in terms of achievement based on competition between ego-conscious individuals. What this process selects for, at the rudimentary level, is greed, survival at all costs, a massive emphasis on goods which reflect enlarged ego structures, wealth, power, indifference to others – in short, selfishness. This goal-orientated psychology of ambition compels us to promote our own self-image at the expense of others. Fittingly, ours has been called the ‘me-generation’.
The Solution Growth in consciousness, moral progress, or enlightenment can only be achieved if the ego-self dies. This is the deeper meaning of death: to lose one’s own identity and become the mirror of divine attributes. In this sense, death is not the end, but the doorway to the New World. Verily, getting up at night for prayer is the most potent means of subduing the self and most effective in respect of words of prayer.
Prayer at night helps one to develop effective speech and an infinite capacity for hard work.
The ego-self is a house of limitations, a darkling mirror that has been so fractured and shattered (as a result of choices) that it correctly reflects only tiny ‘chips’ of reality and prevents us from seeing more than a few images at one time. Each ‘choice’ chips a different refractive face, like the face of a crystal, in the mirror of consciousness. Millions of chips splinter the mirror so badly that incoming light is deflected, reflected in different directions; split into varying colours. The ‘reality image’ we see in the mind’s mirror is thus increasingly distorted.
Yoga teaching uses a simile of wind blowing across the surface of the water to describe the relationship between self and reality. While the wind blows, the water’s surface is fragmented, shifting, the ‘reality’ it reflects continuously disrupted into half-truths and confusing images. However, when the wind stops, the surface of the water, like that of the mirror, becomes still and perfect, reflecting the wholesome Majesty of God beheld in motionless serenity. Hence, the origin of the much misunderstood word Nirvana (nir = beyond vana = wind).
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The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 73, Verse 7
Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra] writes in his commentary of the Holy Qur’an that all holy men, and all those who take the spiritual journey, allude to this fact that nothing is more effective for one’s spiritual development than prayers at night. In the stillness and solitude of night, one is illumined with a special heavenly light which he imparts to others. Prayer at night helps one to develop effective speech and an infinite capacity for hard work. Having acquired control over one’s mind and tongue, one comes to exercise control over others. Religious practices, such as I’tekaf helps one to develop this further; or enables the weak to make prayer at night a regular feature of everyday worship. One must not be afraid to try something new to add dimension to one’s worship. There is plenty of advice and guidance at hand at our centres from those more familiar to the practice. My own belief is that our Gracious Lord never forsakes any individual who sets out in search of Him with a sincere heart. A loving father helps his struggling son to lift an object that is too heavy for the child. The father complements his son on his strength and ability. I believe all our achievements have a similar relationship with Allah. It is only by the sheer Grace of Allah that we are able to achieve anything. Reference: The Death of Forever by Darryl Reanney quoted extensively throughout this article.
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Why is it important for me to pray? By Rabeel Saboor
Allah has said in the Holy Qur’an that the purpose of human existence is Ibadah: “And I have not created the jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 51, Verse 57 Of the five pillars of Islam the second one is Salaat (Prayer) and in the teachings of Islam prayer has been given a lot of importance by teaching it from as young as 7 years. Prayer is compulsory for every Muslim man and woman. Muslims who do not pray are sinners. In a saying by Holy Prophet [saw] he says “After your death the first question asked will be about your prayers”. Our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad [saw] has said, “Without prayer the building of Islam will not stand.” What is prayer? Prayer is to become closer to God and you forget about your surroundings and ask for anything that you want. To gain the love of Allah, prayer is a car that makes it quicker for a human to gain the love of Allah. Prayer is the perfect way to remember Allah and remembering Allah gives humans an opportunity to reflect on themselves. A person who prays with full truth experiences a pure difference within himself. Prayer helps humans to stay away from sin and it makes us punctual. This also helps you be more prepared for your worldly activities. Prayer also makes us closer to each other as we meet at the mosque. If you were struggling with your school work you would ask Allah for help in your prayers. Supplicating during your prayers means to put yourself in a different state. If you do that then you will see a difference in your own work. Prayer is what makes you successful. So for a true Muslim all his actions should be made better and more beautiful through prayer. Through prayers your love for Allah increases: this can make you attain nearness to Him. This is the reason for our existence: to serve Allah
and become His so that Allah can be ours as well. For this reason prayer is important to me and through this I will be able to find Allah. Tariq Magazine June 2010
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Islamic Position on Burkas By Farooq Aftab (published on 09 February 2010 in the Halifax Courier) I write in relation to the recent debate on the banning of the burka in France. While I do not agree a ban is the way forward, I do agree that a better understanding of the Islamic position on this issue needs to be addressed. People need to understand the Islamic injunctions and philosophy governing society, which will enable people to appreciate and better understand (though not agree with) the position taken by Islam on segregation and the issue of the veil. In short, Islam seeks to promote a society in which values such as honesty, trust, loyalty, justice, respect, freedom, and equality form the backbone of society. Too many commentators these days appear to be giving the perception that they represent the Muslim masses and are experts on this issue when, in fact, they are not – all they are doing is perpetuating false stereotypes, which only serves to alienate rather than enhance mutual understanding. The truth of the matter is that there is a rise in Islamophobia; whether this is direct or hidden behind the veil of liberalism, it now is becoming apparent that this is acceptable even among some political quarters. Muslims are privileged to live in Britain, which does not interfere in an individual’s personal matter and allows one to practise their religion freely – a right that is not even enjoyed in some so-called Muslim states. This is exactly what a secular and democratic state should do. To go down the path of France would create unrest and disorder in society. Some would argue that such rights are not granted to non-Muslims in Muslim countries but two wrongs do not make a right and doesn’t the West have superior levels of human rights, equality and tolerance? If the West is to continue to uphold these values and laws, it will need to stop pandering to the extremist right wing agenda of promoting discrimination and Islamophobia. Any ban may also run the risk of legal challenge, as it may contravene both Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and (in France) France’s Declaration of The Rights of Man and of the Citizen on which the French Constitution is based. These ensure freedom to practise religion and hold religious beliefs. Whether we agree with it or not Muslim women should be entitled to wear the burka/niqab or other form of head covering. For many this is a requirement of their faith. To suggest or give a perception that the majority of Muslim women are forced to do this and that Islam advocates inequality between the sexes is absolutely absurd and lacks understanding of the Islamic faith.
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There is nothing to fear from Islam, which is completely synonymous and exists in harmony within a secular society. The key is tolerance and engagement which will enable us to have a better understanding of each other to remove any misconceptions, stereotypes and prejudices. Just as those opposed to the ban are entitled to voice their opinion so must Muslim women be able to practice their faith freely without interference and meddling from the state. Swords can win territories but not hearts. Force can bend heads but not minds. As human beings we are free to do what we want and have always done so.
5 News & Events Terrorist attacks on Ahmadi Mosques in Pakistan PRESS RELEASE — 28th May 2010
Earlier today two mosques belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in Lahore were attacked by terrorists. The mosques were the Baitul Nur Mosque in Model Town and the Darul Zikr Mosque in Gharishaw. Although it is not yet clear what the exact numbers are, it is being reported that dozens of Ahmadis have been killed, many more injured. Ahmadi witnesses are saying that the mosque is covered in blood. The attacks are the culmination of years of un–policed persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, which is a minority sect in Pakistan. In 1974 legislation was passed that declared Ahmadis to be ‘non-Muslim’ and in 1984 further legislation was passed in which the practice of the faith was outlawed. At regular intervals since then Ahmadis have been attacked but today’s attack is the most cruel and barbaric. All Ahmadis, who are based in 195 countries, are peace loving and tolerant people and yet they are continually targeted by extremist factions.
During his Friday Sermon at 1pm today the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat condemned the terrorist attacks. His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad [atba] said: “Today two our mosques in Lahore were attacked by extremists. At the moment we do not have full details of what has happened. It is clear though that a number of our Ahmadis have been killed and many others have been injured. These people had merely come to the mosque to offer their Friday prayers and yet became victims of a heinous terrorist attack. May God grant patience to the bereaved and elevate the status of those who have been martyred.” Further details will be issued by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat at regular intervals.
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News & Events
Statement of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba] Published on May 28 2010
In response to the terrorist attacks that took place at two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore earlier today, His Holiness, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad has issued the following statement: “The terrorist attacks that occurred today at two of our mosques in Lahore were completely barbaric and alien to all forms of humanity. These attacks took place in mosques which are places of worship and at the time of the Friday prayers which all Muslims know is a holy and sacred time. No true Muslims could ever countenance such attacks, such cruelty and such barbaric behaviour. No form of terrorism has any place in Islam and thus those who were behind these attacks may justify their acts in its name, but let it be clear they are Muslim only in name and never in deed. The situation in Pakistan is extremely grave. For decades Ahmadi Muslims have not been able to live in peace, in fact they live their lives in constant danger. In 1974 Ahmadi Muslims were declared ‘non-Muslim’ by the Government of Pakistan and then ten years later the infamous Ordinance XX was adopted which criminalised all forms of Ahmadi worship and the practice of its faith. These laws effectively legitimised the exclusion and persecution of our Jamaat in Pakistan. Ever since, extremists have taken advantage and targeted Ahmadis. Despite this cruelty Ahmadis have remained loyal citizens of Pakistan and have never shown any form of civil disobedience. At this time we do not know the full extent of what has happened. However it is clear that dozens of Ahmadis have been killed and many others have been injured. I pray that Allah may grant patience to all those who have been left bereaved and grant an elevated status in Paradise to those who have been martyred. May God restore to health those who have been injured. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is a peace loving true Muslim Jamaat. Thus there will be no improper reaction from any Ahmadi. Our salvation lies in our supplications to God Almighty and we believe that He has, and always will, help us. No terrorist and no government can ever stop the progress of our Jamaat because it is a Divine organisation. May Allah protect all good natured people from the evil acts of those opposed to peace.” 40
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News & Events
Resolution of Majlis-e-Amila, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya United Kingdom 29 May 2010
In the 120 year history of Jama’at Ahmadiyya, our Community has been called upon to make great sacrifices. Under the guiding hand of Khilafat and with a unique steadfastness, born out of our unshakeable faith in Allah, the Almighty, the Jama’at has never been found wanting. The barbaric and senseless killing of Ahmadi Muslims in Lahore on Friday, 28th May 2010, represents one of the gravest incidences of brutality ever faced by the Jama’at. As loved ones come to terms with their losses and others await the outcome of injuries, many of which are grave, we repeat the prayer of Hadhrat Ameerul Mumimeen [atba] in his Friday Sermon of the same day “May we ever increase in our faith and belief and may this trial never become a cause of weakness for us.” Though our hearts may have sunk low with sorrow, our prayer shall remain that even as the souls of our beloved martyrs have today soared towards the heavens so might our faith, [insh]. We, the members of the Majlis–e–Amila, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya United Kingdom HEREBY, by means of this resolution: 1. Offer our most sincere condolences to the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Jama’at and the loved ones of those whose lives were taken in the cause of Ahmadiyyat on Friday, 28th May 2010. 2. Pray that Allah may continually raise the status of all martyrs of Ahmadiyyat; 3. Offer humble supplications for the lives of those Ahmadi Muslims who were injured in the attacks that Allah may grant them all a swift recovery and long life; and 4. Renew our pledge of allegiance to Khilafat–e–Ahmadiyya, resolve to offer any sacrifice required of us by Khalifa–e– Waqt and re–affirm our ardent desire to ever remain true “Servants” of Ahmadiyyat, .
[ameen]
This resolution is unanimously passed on 29 May 2010.
_______________________ Signed by Sadr Majlis for, and on behalf of, Majlis-e-Amila, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK
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News & Events
National Badminton Tournament
After the success of Midlands football team in both last year’s National Football Tournament and Ijtema 2009, Sadr Majlis, Tommy Kallon Sahib decided to award the Midlands region the honour of hosting one of MKA’s flagship events, the National Badminton Tournament. The original date of the event was fixed for the 31st January 2010. However, due to the bad weather conditions that hit the country this past winter, it was rescheduled for 28th February 2010. This year, the Sehat-e-Jismani team wanted to emphasize a higher level of professionalism in all sports events moving forward. Therefore planning began in early December and for the first time ever in any sports event, online registration for the event was established to allow all those wishing to participate to pre-register prior to the day. This would allow the organisers to plan more effectively for the Tournament. This is a theme that will be more evident in all future events and something all Khuddam should keep a keen eye on. Previous Tournaments have seen the inclusion of Table Tennis in the programme, however this year we decided to have a just the Badminton tournament to increase the number of participants and emphasize the quality of the event further. By the grace of Allah, working closely with the Midlands region, we managed to achieve an increase of players from 64 in 2009 to just shy of 90 for 2010 (a 37% increase on 2009). However, the real achievement was the level and quality of the play compared to previous years. The day began with an opening session chaired by Naib Sadr, Fahim Anwer Sahib, who reminded all the attendees of the spirit of competition, brotherhood and fairness in all the upcoming games. The format consisted of a Doubles and Singles competition. The initial stages consisted of group rounds with four competitors per group, with the top two qualifying for the last sixteen of the competition: the knockout stages. Games quickly got under way and it was clearly evident that the Khuddam this year were taking the title of National Badminton Champion very seriously. Even some members of the Sehat-e-Jismani team could not resist the chance to compete. The matches were fair but fiercely contested. The semi-finals were of such a high calibre that it could have been mistaken for a final in previous years.
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Sadr Majlis awards 1st Prize to the winner of the Singles Tournament.
Sadr Majlis graciously agreed to attend the tournament despite his very busy schedule, and also knowing personally that Football is his favourite sport he looked as though he really enjoyed the Finals and commented on the high quality of the players. The Final of the Doubles competition consisted of an Ansar contingent of Gohar Maqsood Sahib and Kashif Mahmood Sahib from Baitul Fatuh against Muhamad Ahmad Dhar Sahib and Zeeshan Nasir Sahib from Baitun Noor. It was a cagey affair that ended with Gohar Sahib and Kashif Sahib lifting the doubles title. The final of the Singles was a repeat of the final in Manchester in 2009: Basharat Ahmad Sahib from Baitun Noor and Basit Tallah Sahib from East. Last year’s winner was Basharat Sahib. Sadr Majlis wished both Khuddam good luck and, prior to starting the game with silent prayer, asked Tallah Sahib in an amusing manner: ”Are you planning on avenging your loss from last year?” Everyone present was eager to find out. The game was a very tight affair and serve was being won and lost at an alarming rate; the Khuddam were very equally matched. As the game began to open up with each player at the top of his game, Tallah Sahib won the opening game on a knife-edge. The second game was about to begin in this final of a best-of-three. The Khuddam sitting watching looked astonished at the quality of what they were witnessing however, the real drama was about
News & Events
Sehat-e-Jismani team with Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK outside Braunstone Leisure Centre in Leicester, Midlands
Action from the doubles Semi Final
Targetting concentration before a satisfying “smash”!
to unfold. After an early battle for serve, Basharat Sahib broke down in pain. On came team physio Firaz Sethi Sahib, and the diagnosis was a severe cramp and a possible muscle pull. The match was awarded to Tallah Sahib as Basharat Sahib could not continue. Maybe it was Sadr Majlis’s words that came to pass? Or maybe it was Tallah Sahib’s time? In either case, the victory was well deserved.
Qaid, Bilal Bhatti Sahib, has a wonderful region and I pray they go from strength to strength. I have to also mention the President of Leicester, Habib Akram Sahib and Qaid Sahib Leicester for their hard work and constant liaison with the Sehat-e-Jismani team. They made their job look very easy.
The final session saw the prize ceremony and an address from Sadr Majlis that you have never heard at any sporting event before. From the origins of Badminton, to the role of sports and physical development in Islam, everyone present knew they were listening to something special.
Most of all, a huge thank you to all those Khuddam who took the journey to Leicester and made the day such a success, May Allah bless you immensely. All those Khuddam that didn’t make it for this event, please do come along to our future tournaments. I challenge you to become the best! Farooq Mirza, Mohtamim Sehat-e-Jismani
By the grace of Allah, the event was a huge success and in no small part down to the efforts of Midlands region. Regional Tariq Magazine June 2010
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News & Events
Baitul Futuh Blood Drive Session 2 (March 2010) Report by Shiraz Sethi, Mohtamim Khidmat–e–Khalq, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK
A young Khadim from Baitul Futuh donates blood
On Tuesday 2 March 2010, a blood donation session was held at Baitul Futuh. The session itself was held in the Tahir Hall. This was the first time that the session was being held inside the mosque complex. Previously, a mobile unit had visited the complex, the last time being approximately five years ago. This session was organised by the Khidmat-e-Khalq Department, which is now liaising with the National Blood Service (NBS) throughout the United Kingdom. This particular session was organised by the South West Branch of the NBS, and was open to the Baitul Futuh Region and the Baitun Noor Region. Following on from the success of the Fazl Mosque session, and after discussions with the local NBS representatives, it was decided a session would be held at Baitul Futuh. However, it was decided, given the size of the Baitul Futuh complex, a much bigger session would be held – a session approximately twice the size compared to the one held at Fazl Mosque. A venue assessment was carried out by the management team of the NBS who were also given a tour of the Baitul Futuh complex. It was decided that a nine bed session would be held,
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which meant that 125 people could be bled. The largest session that normally can be held is a 12 bed session bleeding 150 people, but given this was the first time the session was being held, it was felt that a nine bed session would be appropriate. On this occasion, the NBS relaxed their administration and procedural requirements to the extent that MKA UK were given the responsibility to deal with the pre-registration and registration of donors. This was significant, as it allowed MKA UK to have greater control of the event and giving greater flexibility. The NBS provided promotional material in the form of posters and banners, and ensured that all the local people in Morden were made aware of the session through the local newspaper. From a Majlis point of view, this session was primarily targeted towards members of the Baitul Futuh Region and the Baitun Noor Region. Both Regional Qaideen were responsible for administering and organising the session. One of the concerns the NBS had from the Fazl Mosque session was that people just turned up to the session without
News & Events making appointments which delayed matters, meaning less people were bled and ultimately people had to be turned away. At the Fazl Mosque session approximately between 80 – 100 people had to be turned away. The NBS wanted to avoid this situation. As most of our donors were first time donors, which was a good thing but at the same time it was noted that there would be an inevitable delay as there are certain formalities to be completed for first time donors. To get around this, the NBS pushed MKA UK to get people to make appointments which would ensure the session ran more smoothly and more people were bled. As a result of the hard work of the Regional Qaideen, approximately 100 members of the Jamaat were registered, which was a tremendous effort and significant improvement. The session timings were 2:00pm to 4:30pm and 5:30pm to 7:45pm. Again, this session was open to the general public and the NBS had a regular group of donors from Morden who were also invited. The first hour, i.e. 2:00pm to 3:00pm, was initially to be held for Lajna only, but as none of them had made an appointment, it was decided a couple of weeks before the session to open this hour to everyone. On the day of the session, the NBS arrived at around 12:00pm and set up their equipment in the Tahir Hall. Lunch was served to them before the opening session, during which an introduction to the Jamaat was given and various queries answered. A tour of the mosque was also given. The first hour of the session was very quiet with only a few people bled. This caused quite a lot of anxiety and concern to the NBS, which resulted in their session manager attending the event. Alhamdulillah, before the end of the first session, approximately 45 people were bled which was a significant improvement.
people and had not attended the Fazl Mosque session, did not believe this would be possible. However, the Nurse in charge of the session, who had also been to the Fazl Mosque session and had witnessed approximately 100 people being turned away, just smiled and said “I think you’ll be surprised”. [alhamd], this proved to be true. 104 people were bled in total, and to the credit of the NBS, they stayed on after 7:45 pm until the final person was bled at 9:30pm. The staff of the NBS were completely exhausted by the end of the session, but nevertheless pleased that over 100 people had been bled. They left Baitul Futuh just before 10:00pm. Another highlight of this session was that a quite a number of people from the local community of Morden also attended. Approximately 20 people were from outside the Jamaat. Also, as the 50th Community Liaison Meeting was being held at Baitul Futuh on the same day, the local MP and the local councillors also paid a visit, meeting members at the session. The session was covered by the local press from the Wimbledon Guardian, as well as MTA. The NBS also sent their Corporate Spokesman, Mr. Zeeshan Asghar, who was interviewed by MTA. All in all, the session was a success, although there is always room for improvement and hopefully subsequent sessions will be much better. From a medical point of view, there were no major issues, but three people fainted. Two from outside the Jamaat and 1 Khaddim but all were well looked after and recovered before departing from Baitul Futuh. In total, 104 individuals were bled with approximately 60 being new donors. Two further dates this year have been given to Baitul Futuh to hold sessions which will hopefully mean it will become a permanent venue for the NBS for blood donation sessions. The next session will be held on 7 June.
However, the target for the whole session was 125 people, with a minimum of 100 to be bled, to make the session worthwhile. The evening session was going to be the busiest, with all appointments pre-booked. However, there was much work to be done to achieve the desired result. By 6:45pm, 56 people had been bled, meaning that we needed 44 people to bleed 100 in just under one hour, which seemed a tall order. Just to give an idea, approximately 25 people are bled in an hour and MKA UK were being asked to approximately double this. By the Grace of Allah, both Regional Qaideen worked frantically to get more Khuddam to come to the session. The NBS were very supportive and after many extensions gave 7:30 pm as a cut off time after which no donors would be accepted. This was a generous offer as the session was officially to conclude at 7:45pm. One of the lady representatives of the NBS, who was registering
Khuddam blood donation news on the Internet.
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6 Career Focus
Archaeology
Rizwan Safir, BSc Archaeology Student (University of Reading); Faculty Leader, Social Sciences (Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Research UK Association)
What is Archaeology? Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. Essentially, it is a quest to find and understand humanity in its entirety. From primates to pyramids and from Rome to reformation, archaeology encompasses every aspect of human life since its existence on earth. A combination of geology, anthropology, chemistry, history and so much more; it requires an understanding of a wide range of subjects.
Why study Archaeology?
in the Qur’an have been discovered through excavations carried out South of the Arabian Peninsula. Furthermore, archaeological evidence has helped in understanding the path Prophet Jesus [as] took on his journey to Kashmir. What has yet to be located, however, is the original remains of Prophet Noah’s [as] ark. Khalifatul Masih IV [rh] in his sermon of 13th May 1983 does not rule out the possibility of the Ark being unearthed. According to evidence from the Qur’an (11:43–44) and historical references, it is believed the resting place of the ark was somewhere between Mount Ararat and Mount Judi in South Eastern Turkey. How fitting it would be if a Muslim, an Ahmadi Muslim for that matter, was responsible for such a discovery.
Archaeology holds a certain uniqueness in comparison to other fields. It is one of the very few subjects that involve an amalgamation of hands on physical skills with knowledge and theory. The life of an archaeologist is equally spent outdoors as it is indoors, travelling and living on a site of particular interest. Hence, archaeology is an attraction for those who enjoy travelling and bracing the outdoors, but wish to do so with a purpose. Additionally, archaeology is limitless in terms of satisfying individual interest. As its scope encompasses the entire human race, an archaeologist can specialise or study further into any aspect of humanity he so wishes, in any region or period of the world.
Archaeology as a Science
Archaeology and Islam
Find out more
The Holy Qur’an speaks of the emergence of archaeology in Surah Al-Infitar
There are countless books, articles, journals as well as television programmes and movies (Indiana Jones springs to mind!) that discuss archaeology in greater detail. The key thing to note, however, is the importance of this field. Perhaps this is summarised best by the prominent British anthropologist and Egyptologist Margaret Murray,
“And when the graves are laid open” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 82, Verse 5. It is clear Allah has deliberately allowed evidence to materialise from archaeological excavations which in turn reinforce many of the events mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. The destruction of civilisations and settlements such as that of Ad and Thamud (Qur’anic verses: 9:20, 11:69, 11:96 14:10, 25:39) as mentioned
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Although archaeology is largely a mixture of humanities and science, it is increasingly tilting towards the latter. Over the past 50 or so years, the emergence of specialised areas within the subject such as bimolecular archaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, environmental archaeology and taphonomy to name but a few, have led to a heavy reliance on the understanding and utilisation of the sciences. As it continues to grow, no doubt the requirement for scientists in archaeology will equally grow.
“The trend of all knowledge at the present is to specialize, but archaeology has in it all the qualities that call for the wide view of the human race, of its growth from the savage to the civilized, which is seen in all stages of social and religious development.”
King Tutankhamen of Egypt. The field of Archaeology has allowed us to learn the deep the rich history of previous civilisations. Tariq Magazine June 2010
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7 Books of the Promised Messiah [as] In every issue of Tariq, we reproduce introductions to some of the Books of the Promised Messiah [as]. In this issue these are taken from the book by Naseem Saifi Sahib entitled “Introducing the books of the Promised Messiah.” In this issue we will look at Sabz Ishtihar (Green Poster) and Tohfi Baghdad (A present to Baghdad).
Sabz Ishtihar (Green Poster) Sabz Ishtihar is the title by which it came to be known because it was printed on a green paper, otherwise the title of the poster is Haqqani Taqreer bar waqia-wafat Bashir (i.e. A speech full of truth delivered on the death of Bashir). Bashir the first, was born on 7th August 1887 CE, and he died on 4th November 1888. Hadhrat Ahmad, peace be on him, published posters on 20th February 1886, 8th April 1886 and 17th August 1887. The posters had made mention of the birth of a son who was to have very special qualities. When Bashir the first died, there was a great hue and cry from the opponents saying that the prophecy of Hadhrat Ahmad [as] about an illustrious son had been proved false, for the child about whom he thought was illustrious was no more. Hadhrat Ahmad [as], in this address (published in the form of a poster which came to be known as the Green Poster) draws the attention of the opponents to the fact that the posters really made mention of two boys. One of them was to come to the world and go away quickly as a guest does. The other was to live a fairly long life and was to be the fulfilment of that prophecy. At the end of this poster (issued on the first day of December 1888), Hadhrat Ahmad [as] has added a note headed as ‘Tabligh’ (the conveyance of a message) and has invited the people to take Baiat at his hand. He expressly states that he has been commanded by God that all those who are seekers after truth should be told to take Baiat (get themselves initiated) for the acquisition of faith, piety and the love of God: they should do so to get rid of a dirty, lazy rebellious kind of life. Hadhrat Ahmad [as] invites the people to join him and he assures them that he would be sympathetic towards them and would try to lessen their burdens; he further says that God will help them through his prayers, the condition being that they should be ready, heart and soul, to act according to the divine guidance.
Tohfi-Baghdad (A Present to Baghdad) Sayed Abdur Razzaq Qadir Baghdadi sent a poster and a letter written in Arabic to Hadhrat Ahmad [as], from Hyderabad, Deccan (India). The theme of the poster and the letter was that the claim of Hadhrat Ahmad [as] to be the Promised Messiah was against the Sharia of Islam and that he was liable to be beheaded; he also said that his (Hadhrat Ahmad’s) book Al-Tabligh was a contradiction of the Holy Qur’an.
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Naseem Safi Sahib, author of “Introducing the books of the Promised Messiah [as]”
Hadhrat Ahmad [as] took the writer of the letter seriously and wrote Tohfai Baghdad explaining what his claim was and giving the proofs of the death of Jesus Christ [as], continuity of revelation in Islam and appearance of Mujaddids. In this book, he tells Sayed Awur Razzaq not to be influenced by the Fatwas issued by the Maulvis, rather he should come and stay with him and find out the truth of what he was saying. Hadhrat Ahmad [as] advises him that if he cannot afford to come to him, he should offer special prayers to God (in the form of Istikhara) for seven days and ask God about the truth of his claim. The book is in Arabic language and was written in July 1893.
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Charity Challenge 2010. Full report next issue.