Tariq Magazine (Volume 15, Issue 6)

Tariq Magazine Volume 15 • Issue 6 • October 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 Umar Bashir Ali Ahmad

Contents 1 Words of Wisdom The Holy Qur’an Hadith Writings of the Promised Messiah [as]

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2 Editorial Message from Sadr Majlis Editorial

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3 Islam Ahmadiyyat The Essence of Prayer and Faith Sin–infected Conditions Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] on Hadhrat Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] Biography of some of the Martyrs of 28 May 2010

6 8 10 12

4 News & Events Charity Challenge Cheque Presentation Evening National Ijtema 2010 Lahore Attacks and Messages of Condolence from various Charities

19 21 25

5 Articles A Red Page from Recent History An Account of the Lahore Attacks by Sohaeb Malik of Lahore, Pakistan Dangers of Engaging in Un–Islamic Relationships The Philosophy Behind the Migration undertaken by Godly Communities

27 29 30 33

6 Career Focus Banking

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7 Books of the Promised Messiah [as] Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya

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Proofing Waqar Ahmedi Safeer Ahmed Tanweer Dar Mirza Rehan Akram Hannan Bhatti All correspondence should be forwarded directly to: The Editor, Tariq Magazine Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, Baitul Futuh, 181 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5PT Tariq Magazine is published by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya (UK), the youth organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association 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 October 2010

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1 Words of Wisdom The Holy Qur’an

‘‘And he who is patient and forgives - that surely is a matter of strong determination.’’

The Holy Qur’an Ch. 42: V. 44

Hadith O Allah, bless Muhammad and his people, as You did bless Ibraham and his people – You are indeed the Praiseworthy, the Exalted.

O Allah, prosper Muhammad and his people, as You did prosper Ibraham and his people – You are indeed the Praiseworthy, the Exalted.

Hadhrat Suhaib ibn Sinan [ra] relates that the Holy Prophet [saw] said: “Wondrous is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything, and it is so for him alone. If he experiences something agreeable, he is grateful to God and that is good for him; and if he experiences adversity, he is steadfast and that is good for him’’.

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Words of Wisdom

Writings of the Promised Messiah [as]

Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad [as] The Promised Messiah

Hadhrat Sayed Abdul Latif [ra] (pictured) and Sheikh ‘Abdur Rahman [ra] were the first two martyrs of Ahmadiyyat. They were killed in Afghanistan for accepting the message of the Promised Messiah [as].

Ponder with faith and fairness that if a Jama‘at were based entirely on deceit, falsehood and trickery, could its members demonstrate such steadfastness and valour that they should not forsake this path, accept being trampled under stones and—not worrying about their wives and children—offer their lives despite the repeated promises of release on condition of renouncing bai‘at? Sheikh ‘Abdur-Rahman [ra] was slaughtered in Kabul in the same manner. He made no protest nor begged for release by renouncing bai‘at.

Haqiqat-ul-Wahi, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 22, pp. 360–361

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2  Editorial

Message from Sadr Majlis [salam]

May the Lord of mankind open unto you the gates of His mercy and may He so ordain that you are always accompanied by the supplication of His angels.

This Khuddam year has been a tumultuous one. It has been marked by both successes and tremendous trials in particular following the increasingly frequent martyrdom of our Ahmadi brothers in Pakistan. The simultaneous attacks on two of our mosques in Lahore earlier this year showed that the campaign of intimidation and violence has become increasingly determined. Whilst we cannot easily escape the sombre mood created by such atrocities, we can and we must perfect our prayers, improve in righteousness and demonstrate to the world the true Islam. In particular, it is imperative that we manifest in practice the remarkable and abundant examples of patience and trust in Allah that have been demonstrated by the Holy Prophet [saw] and the Promised Messiah [as].

The production of this magazine is part of the service of Allah. In it we disseminate information and knowledge to improve our relationship with Allah and to increase the brotherly love we have for each other. With that in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ishaat and Tariq Magazine editorial team for their continued efforts in producing this magazine. Almost a year ago, in the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya National Majlis-e-Amila Mulaqat with Huzur Aqdas [atba], Huzur [atba] directed that we produce six editions during the course of the year. Alhamdulillah, this issue marks the sixth edition in one Khuddam year and we have also sought to distribute this to every Khuddam household. A great deal of hard work has been invested by many Khuddam volunteers in producing this magazine. I request prayers for all those who have been involved in its production and distribution. May Allah reward them for their dedication and determination in delivering on the instructions of Huzur Aqdas [atba].

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to you all for your support and obedience during my two year tenure as Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK. I feel that we have been as one. Whilst we originate from different parts of the world, we are amalgamated by our singular belief in the Unity of Allah and the truth of His message. These have been the roots of our bond and they are unshakeable. Whilst I will soon leave Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya and join Majlis Ansarullah our connection as brothers remains firm, and, Insha’Allah, so will it remain.

May Allah bless Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK with unlimited success in the service of Ahmadiyyat and guide each Khadim and Tifl along the corridors perfect righteousness. May you all stand as the most stalwart practitioners and guardians of the integrity, kindness, honesty, decency and righteousness that characterises a true Ahmadi Muslim. Ameen.

Wassalam.

[wasalam]

Yours humbly, Tommy Kallon.

Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

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Tariq Magazine October 2010

Tommy Kallon Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

The production of this magazine is part of the service of Allah.

In it we disseminate information and knowledge to improve our relationship with Allah and to increase the brotherly love we have for each other.

Editorial

Editorial As we go to print, we approach the end of another busy Khuddam year following a very successful Ijtema. This year has been a milestone in many respects especially for Tariq Magazine as for the first time in its history six issues have been published in one year, fulfilling the desire of our beloved Khalifah. All praise belongs to Allah Who has blessed our endeavours.

The year end naturally fills us with excitement but at the same time it serves as an important reminder to look back and re-assess our progress.

It should be a time when we look back and review our efforts. Have we ended the year a better Majlis than when we started? Have we ended the year a more spiritual Majlis than when we started?

It is questions such as these that we should each as individuals be asking ourselves.

As world events move ahead at a rapid pace and the challenges facing us as Ahmadi Muslims also rise the year end serves as an opportunity to reflect over our activities and actions.

As a dynamic youth movement we have much to be proud of as our activities increase year on year, as our charitable fundraising efforts reach new heights and as our events reach a new level of professionalism.

There is much that can be measured and is measured throughout the year. However there are many aspects of progress that cannot necessarily be measured but are nonetheless crucial to the progress of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya. These aspects relate to the overall quality of each of us as a body of young men ready to serve our fellow man and our community. They relate to our moral fibre, our etiquettes, our spiritual connection with our Maker and the sense of how society around us benefits from our existence.

All our activities play a part in moulding each of us to be that “ideal Khaddim�, be it football, be it leafleting, be it the charity challenge, be it an Ijtema or a national hike. These activities give us an opportunity to fine tune our characters and develop ourselves over the course of the year.

Let us end the year grateful to Allah Almighty for the progress we have made but also mindful of the lofty spiritual ideals we need to aspire to, ideals that may not necessarily be measurable but are measured and recorded by our Almighty Creator.

Dr Aziz Ahmad Hafiz Naib Sadr, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and Chief Editor

This year has been a milestone in many respects especially for Tariq Magazine as for the first time in its history six issues have been published in one year, fulfilling the desire of our beloved Khalifah.

Tariq Magazine October 2010

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3 Islam Ahmadiyyat The Essence of Prayer and Faith

An extract from Lecture Sialkot. pp.29–35, by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi [as]

O ye people who were taught to practise forbearance and righteousness, how could you be so mistrustful and impetuous? There is no sign which God has not shown to you, and there is no argument which He has not produced, and still you do not believe! You have defied Divine commands with great temerity. To whom should I compare the deceitful people of this age? They are like the sly fellow who keeps his eyes shut in broad daylight and cries, ‘Where is the sun?’

O you, who deceive yourself, open your eyes first, only then you will behold the sun. It is very easy to dub a Messenger of God as a kafir, but it is a lot more difficult to follow him in the subtle paths of faith. To declare a Messenger of God as Dajjal is quite easy, but to enter the narrow gate of his teachings is an arduous task indeed. Those who say that they do not care for the Promised Messiah, in fact, do not care for their own faith, sal-

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vation, and purity. If they had any sense of justice and were to analyse their own inner condition, they would realise that, without the renewed certainty of faith which descends from heaven through the Messengers and Prophets of God, their prayers are but a ritual and their fasting mere starvation. The fact is that no one can attain true deliverance from sin, nor can one truly love God or fear Him, as He deserves to be feared, until one attains true knowledge and strength through God’s own grace and mercy. It is evident that true knowledge is the basis of all fear and love and it is only after one has gained knowledge and recognition of a thing that love, desire, fear or aversion for that particular thing takes root in one’s heart. It is of course true that one cannot attain true knowledge until God grants it, and it cannot benefit anyone except through God’s Grace.

This knowledge then opens the door of

seeking and recognising the truth. It is only through repeated acts of Divine grace that this door remains open and is not shut thereafter. Spiritual knowledge, in short, can only be attained through Divine Grace, and through it alone can it survive. Divine Grace purifies and illuminates knowledge, removes the intervening veils and cleanses the Nafs-eAmmarah of all its impurities. It bestows strength and life upon the soul and releases the baser self from the prison of sin and purges it of its evil passions. Also, this Grace salvages one from the flood of carnal passions and a kind of transformation takes place in man and he develops a natural aversion for sin. Thereafter, the very first urge felt by the soul, through God’s Grace, is called du‘a (supplication).

Do not think that we already pray everyday, and that the Salaat we offer is also prayer; for the prayer which follows true knowledge and is born of Divine Grace

Islam Ahmadiyyat is of an altogether different colour and complexion. Such prayer is a thing that consumes, it is a fire that melts, it is a magnetic force that draws Divine Mercy, it is a death but ultimately gives life, it is a raging flood but finally turns into a boat.

Through it every wrong is redressed and every poison finally becomes an antidote.

Blessed are the prisoners who never tire of supplication, for they shall one day be freed. Blessed are the blind who are not listless in their prayers, for they shall one day see. Blessed are those lying in graves who supplicate to God for help and succour, for one day they shall be taken out of their graves. Blessed are you who never tire of supplication, your soul melts in prayer, your eyes shed tears, and a fire kindles in your breast which takes you to dark closets and wildernesses so that you may taste solitude and drives you to restlessness and near madness, for you shall finally receive Divine bounties. The God to Whom I invite is very Gracious, Merciful, Modest, True, and Faithful.

He bestows His Mercy on the humble ones. You too should be faithful and pray with all sincerity and faith so that He may bestow His Mercy on you. Dissociate yourselves from the commotion of the world and do not give religious complexion to your egoistic disputes. Accept defeat for the sake of God so that you may become heirs to great victories. God will show miracles to those who supplicate and those who ask will be blessed with extraordinary grace. Prayer comes from God and to Him it returns. Through prayer God becomes as close to you as your very life.

These are what are known as miracles.

In short, prayer is the elixir which turns a handful of dust into pure gold. It is water which washes away inner impurities. With such prayer the spirit melts and flows like water to fall prostrate on the threshold of the Holy One. It stands in the presence of God, bows down and prostrates before Him. The Salaat taught

by Islam is only its reflection. The standing of the spirit signifies that it shows readiness to suffer every hardship and to obey every command for the sake of God. The bowing down of the spirit before God means that, by renouncing all other love

tween body and spirit, the spirit may move towards the Holy One and engage in spiritual standing and prostrating.

Since man has to strive for progress, such prayer too is a kind of striving. It is quite obvious that when two objects are linked together and we pick up one of them, the other also moves. But mere physical standing, bowing and prostrating is of no use, unless an effort is made so that the spirit may also partake of these movements of Qiyam, Ruku‘ and Sajdah. This partaking depends upon true knowledge which in turn depends upon Divine Grace. Ever since God has created man He has made it His wont that, out of His sheer Grace, He blesses with His Holy Spirit whomsoever He pleases. Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, He infuses His love into such a person, grants him truth and perseverance, strengthens his knowledge with various signs and removes his weaknesses until he is practically ready to lay down his very life in His path. He establishes such an unbreakable relationship with the Eternal Being, as no calamity can destroy and no sword can sever, for this love is neither based on temporary motives, nor associated with the desire for paradise or fear of hell, nor has it anything to do with worldly comfort or, for that matter, with wealth and riches. Rather, it is a relationship which is known only to God. What is even more strange, the captive of such love cannot grasp the real nature of this relationship, nor can he understand its whys and wherefores because it is a timeless relationship. It is not based on spiritual knowledge and understanding, for that only comes afterwards to illumine the relationship. It is like fire, which is inherent in a stone, but the sparks only appear when it is rubbed. Such a person, on the one hand, possesses personal love for God Almighty, and, on the other, he has an overwhelming sympathy and desire for the reform of mankind. For this reason, not only does he enjoy a relationship with the Divine that constantly draws him to God, but he also has a relationship with humankind that attracts their eager souls towards him. It is like the Sun which pulls the strata of the Earth towards itself and is itself pulled in some other direction.

The God to Whom I invite is very Gracious, Merciful, Modest, True, and Faithful. He bestows His Mercy on the humble ones. You too should be faithful and pray with all sincerity and faith so that He may bestow His Mercy on you. Dissociate yourselves from the commotion of the world and do not give religious complexion to your egoistic disputes.

The first blessing of prayer is that it brings about a holy change in a person, as a consequence of which God also brings about a transformation in His attributes. His attributes are indeed immutable, but for such a transformed person He shows a different manifestation of which the world knows nothing.

It would seem as if He had become another God, whereas, in fact, there is no other God. The truth is that it is a new manifestation of His which portrays Him in an altogether different light. It is then that God, in honour of this special manifestation, does for the transformed one what He does not do for others.

and relationships, it has turned to God and belongs to Him alone. Its prostration is that it falls on the threshold of God and, forsaking all personal thoughts, loses the very identity of its existence. This is the prayer which helps to establish communion with God, and this is the prayer that Islamic Shariah has depicted in the prescribed daily Salaat so that physical prayer may inspire spiritual prayer. God Almighty has fashioned man in such a way that the spirit influences the body and the body in turn influences the spirit. When the spirit is melancholy, the eyes shed tears; and when the spirit is glad, the face glows with happiness and one even feels like laughing. Similarly, whenever the body is afflicted with pain or distress the spirit also partakes of the suffering. When a cool breeze enlivens the body the spirit feels it too. Thus, the object of worship is that, through mutual relationship be-

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Islam Ahmadiyyat

Sin–infected Conditions

English translation of an excerpt from Way of the Seekers by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] (Continued from Tariq Magazine Volume 15 issue 5) To combat sin it is necessary to be able to identify sin-infected conditions. I would, therefore, give an account of such conditions so that their identification should become easy. Among them are the following: • A person looks upon sin with horror but now and then finds himself inclined towards it.

• He still hates sin but is unable always to resist the temptation and falls for sin.

• He does not hate sin but no more does he relish a life of sin. The result is that he commits a sinful action occasionally, without really liking or disliking sin.

• He relishes sin but not without shame. If he sins, he sins in secret. If he refrains from sin, he does so because of past habit or because of social custom.

• At this stage, he sinks much lower.

Past habit and social custom cease to be adequate restraints. He is now ready to indulge in and enjoy a sinful life.

• At this stage, he is not only sinful and evil, but also encourages others to be evil and sinful like him.

• At this last and lowest stage, he becomes a profile of Satan, propagation of evil becomes his daily concern.

In comparison with sin-infected conditions, we have the following good conditions listed below in an ascending order: • To do good for the sake of reward.

• To choose good as a commandment of God. • To do good for the sake of good and to consider virtue to be its own reward.

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• To do good as a natural habit.

• To enjoy doing good.

• To propagate good in the world.

• To become an embodiment of good and to treat its dissemination as one’s single unalloyed aim in life like the angels. There are higher grades of goodness like prophethood; but they are a gift of God and cannot be attained by mere effort.

I have explained above that human actions may be good both morally and spiritually. When human actions pertain to other human beings, they are called moral. When they pertain to God, they are called spiritual. This means that from the practical point of view, they are subject to the same practices and rules, the same exercises and the same general principles.

Moral and spiritual ailments, therefore, can be classed and treated together. I do not feel the necessity of elaborating this treatment any further. Others have already done this, including Sufis. So I would not like to add to whatever little I have said on the subject. The practical side of sin, however, remains important.

This has to be studied in the light of the teachings of Islam.

The Islamic treatment of sin is unique – it is part of its perfect teaching. Islam does not start treating sin after it has been committed. It turns more to prevention than cure. It raises the question: What can be done to prevent sin? There is no doubt that this is the rational approach, which contains the key to the treatment of sin. When a piece of cloth has become dirty, it needs more effort to clean it. It is best to see that we do not let it become dirty. This indeed is the main difference between Islamic and other teachings.

Unlike other religions, Islam does not merely tell us what to do after a person has become sin-infected, it also tells us what is to be done when sin has not yet appeared and what may be done to prevent it appearing.

It is to be regretted that despite the fact

the Holy Qur’an has invited our attention to this subject and many Muslim saints have done the same, Muslims as a people have not given as much attention to this aspect as they should have. They have ignored the important fact that the foundations of sin are laid long before a person becomes an adult. Sin is not a sudden phenomenon. When a person suddenly takes to a life of sin, it is usually forgotten that it is not a sudden change from good to evil. It is not now that the adult has become bad. The seeds of badness were sown long ago. Only, the seed that was sown when he was a child has sprouted forth and becomes a tree. If the potential of sin was not there, where did sin come from when the erstwhile child attained puberty? Seeds of sin are indeed sown long before puberty.

Muslim scholars have also pointed this out. The fact of the matter is that the seed of sin is sown soon after birth and sometimes even before birth.

When doctors of religion start worrying about the bad morals of an adult, the adult is already in the firm grip of Satan.

I am not so pessimistic as to think that when a man becomes an adult, he has already acquired every possible evil that he can. What I mean is that the inclination and the power to do evil have taken root. I have already said that the basic dispositions of matter out of which morals are born are limited. If these dispositions somehow go wrong in childhood, outwardly the child would seem to be sinless and harmless, but in reality he would have acquired all the power and all the means to commit sinful actions.

Now ponder a little. Where does sin come from? Does it come from parents?

No, certainly not. But we know that sometimes certain dispositions run in the family from generation to generation. The same habits, the same dispositions, the same skills keep emerging. You cannot make a people courageous overnight whose courage has been dead over many generations. When such people go to the battlefield they are certain to let you down. In any case, they will fail to show

Islam Ahmadiyyat the degree and quality of courage which a seasoned force of fighting experience extending over many generations is able to do. True, there are remedies for defects and deviations, but hereditary traits acquired through generations of habit and training are hard to correct.

Similarly, sin is also rooted in greed, aggression, fear, love and excess of desire.

Now ponder a little. These desires and inclinations are planted in childhood.

The child is a great learner. He begins to learn as soon as he is born. His first acquisitions seem harmless enough.

Sometimes he shows streaks which could become sins later on. But the parents ignore them saying he is but a child. They forget that it is in childhood that the seed is sown and impressions become deep. A person who begins to steal as an adult could have been saved from this nefarious practice if he had been checked and taught self-control when he was a child. He need not have become a thief as an adult. Similarly, a person goes to the battlefield as a soldier, but on facing the enemy, he recoils and runs away. How cowardly, exclaim the people around him. But the fault is not his. As a child he had been told tales of cowardice. It is these tales which have made him afraid at the sight of the enemy.

The same is the case with aggression and pugnacity. Parental control is lax and these emotions are allowed an unbridled play. The result is that when the child grows up, he becomes the quarrelling type who would fight on the slightest pretext.

Sin is invariably rooted in lack of willpower. Lack of will-power is not a natural defect. It has its causes. How is it that a person continues throughout life making and breaking resolutions? He keeps doing this because of lack of willpower. Remember, it is in childhood and in childhood alone that this emotional sickness takes hold. Nobody notices it at the time, but a habit is being built then which it will not be easy to break later on; otherwise, there is no reason why an understanding adult should wish to give up something and not be able to do it.

It means he has been trained badly as a child. Otherwise it should be quite enough to tell him that such and such a thing is good and ought to be chosen and pursued and such and such a thing is bad and is not worthy of pursuit. On just

being told, one should be able to choose the right course.

How can the young child be protected from this early sickness? The first thing is to keep pure the thoughts and emotions which sway the parents, for parental thoughts and emotions also play their part in shaping the character of the child even at the pre-natal stage. The door to evil thoughts must be closed particularly while we are preparing to receive the child. What can we do except, as far as possible, to keep our thoughts always pure and clean? If you desire to do your unborn children any good, then your own thoughts must also be pure. Islam has a recipe for situations like this. This recipe is that when husband and wife consort together, they should supplicate: “Shield us, O Allah, against Satan, and keep Satan away from whatever Thou mightest bestow upon us.”

This supplication is not a magic incantation, nor is it a charm. It is not necessary either that its Arabic version must be employed. The substance of the prayer is that we say to God: O Allah, sin is a filthy thing, save us from it; and also safeguard our children against it.

This prayer and this thought will act as a wall between the unborn child and the influences of Satan. The Holy Prophet [saw] has assured that the child born after this prayer will be free from Satanic influences.

Many people say that they have used this prayer but the result has not been as expected. Let me tell them that addressing the prayer like a magic formula or a charm is not enough. I am quite sure that many who complain use the prayer only as a charm. Secondly, this prayer does not cover all the subsequent delinquencies of which man is capable.

Many learn evil habits after birth. Only the inheritable delinquencies are covered by this prayer.

After acquiring the disposition to sin at the parental stage, a child begins to develop sinful dispositions in his early childhood. Islam has expounded this great truth and has laid down that the training of the child should begin not only at birth, but long before birth. I almost think that the Holy Prophet [saw] would have gone even further back. He would have laid down that the training of the child should begin while

the child is still in his mother’s womb.

But not many people would have been prepared to undertake the care of the unborn child during this delicate period.

Therefore, the Holy Prophet [saw] laid down that the training should begin at birth. The first thing is to recite the Adhan (Call to prayer) in the child’s ear at its birth. Nobody should think that this is just a piece of magic incantation.

Both the words and the meaning of Adhan find their way to the mind of the child. Moreover, it is a reminder to the parents that they are responsible for the life of the newly born. The training of that life is now their responsibility.

It begins from its birth. Besides the Adhan, the Holy Prophet [saw] has laid down that children should be taught good manners from their childhood. He is reported to have given the following advice to Hadhrat Imam Hassan [ra], his own grandchild, when he was having his meal. The Holy Prophet [saw] said to him: “Eat with your right hand and from that which is in front of you.”

Hadhrat Imam Hassan [ra] was only about two and a half years at the time. In our country, if a child begins to manipulate the whole dish and starts taking big mouthfuls, not minding the clean clothes of whosoever sits on either side, the parents only enjoy the scene and say nothing to the child. At the most they administer a mild rebuke or two. Their aim is not really to teach the child or to prevent him or her from wrongdoing. The casual rebuke is not seriously meant. There is another episode from the life of the Holy Prophet [saw]. A basket of dates had arrived to be distributed among the poor.

Imam Hassan [ra] was very young at the time. He picked up a date and put it in his mouth. As soon as the Holy Prophet [saw] noticed this, he put his finger in the child’s mouth and pulled out the date. What he meant was that a Prophet [saw]’s grandchild was not to eat what belonged to others, that he was supposed to make his own living when he grew up and not be a burden on others.

In short, childhood training is very important. What he becomes as a child, he will become as an adult. No wonder the Holy Prophet [saw] has said: “Every child is born true to nature. It is his parents who make of him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian.”

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Islam Ahmadiyyat

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] on Hadhrat Ibn ‘Arabi [rh]

A compendium of the writings of Hadhrat al–Haaj Hafiz Hakeem Maulana Nuruddin, Khalifatul Masih I [ra] on the Great Sufi saint Hadhrat Ibn ‘Arabi [rh]. Compiled by Rehan Qayoom.

Hadhrat Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] states in Al-Futuhat al-Makkiya in the chapter on Traditions concerning the world that: ‘Once I was circuiting the Ka’ba. I found some others circuiting it. Their features seemed to suggest that they were some spiritual party. So I asked the first among them ‘Who are you?’ And he said ‘We are of your ancient ancestors’ so I said ‘How long ago was your time and age?’ And he said ‘Merely 40,000 years’ and I said ‘But this period is much more than what separates us from Adam.’

‘Then he said ‘Of which Adam are you speaking, the one nearest to you or another?’

And I recollected the narration of a Tradition of the Prophet of Allah [saw] that before Allah created the Adam that we know he created a hundred thousand Adams.’

The Sheikh states he met Prophet Enoch [as] in a state of vision and questioned him regarding the authenticity of that vision ‘And Enoch said ‘ You report truthfully and your vision is true and true is that which you observed in it.’ When the angels…–God–remonstrated as a result of their wrong apprehension as is mentioned in the verse ‘Wilt Thou appoint therein such as will cause disorder in it’ then God the Evolver said ‘I know what you know not.’1 (Tasdiq ‘Braheen e Ahmadiyya.’ 1890) Hadhrat Maulana Dost Muhammad Shahid — Historian of Ahmadiyyat — writes as the third of heavenly proofs in support of the Caliphate of Hadhrat al– Haaj Hafiz Hakeem Maulana Nuruddin [ra], Khalifatul Masih I that: Hadhrat Muhiyudeen Ibn al-Arabi [rh] (1164 – 1240) predicted that a special minister of the Promised One would be a Hafiz of the Qur’an. He writes thus ‘All his viziers will be non–Arabs, none from among them will be an Arab. But they will speak in Arabic. One of them will be

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a Hafiz of the Qur’an. He will not be of their kind. For he will never have disobeyed God. He will be the special minister of this Promised One and the best of those who carry his trust.’ (Al-Futuhat al-Makkiya iii, 365).2 Hadhrat Maulana Nooruddin [ra] recalls (in a Persian letter documented in Isharat-i-Faridi) that in 1896, he was visited by the Sufi saint and famous mystic poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid whilst he had been summoned to Bahawalpur by Sadeq Mohammad Khan IV, Nawab of Bahawalpur in order to treat him. The Saint enquired from Hadhrat Maulana Nooruddin [ra] what the basis of the understanding between him and Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad [as] of Qadian was. Hadhrat Maulana Nooruddin [ra] replied that he had not taken the oath of initiation at his hand as a result of seeing some miracles but rather because he had found 3 distinctive features in him. In the course of describing these features he stated that: ‘Our knowledge of The Holy Qur’an and the knowledge of its excellences that we acquired were mainly through the old mystics and Sufis like The Great Master Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] but the flow of excellences and beauties of The Holy Qur’an, the secret and the hidden meaning of the verses that come forth from the lips of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad [as], is not seen or heard ever before.’3 In his book Nooruddin which was published in 1904 he wrote that Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] was one of a long list of those Muslims about whom I call Allah Almighty to witness and believe with a true heart upon the testimony of sight that doubtless these persons were those of whom it was said ‘And We made from among them leaders, who guided by Our command, whilst being steadfast and had firm faith in Our Signs.’4 And their prayers of ‘and make each of us a leader of the righteous’ were certainly

fulfilled.5 So very unfortunate are those who deny the leaders of men. And are ignorant of the secret of ‘I will make thee a Leader of men.’6 The state of their actions would testify against them if their natures were refined. We have read the intemerate books of all of them with great diligence and we have reached the conclusion with utmost certainty on the basis of experience that all of these people were from those chosen by Almighty God to guide.

Then Hadhrat Sheikh Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] writes in Al–Futuhat al–Makkiya (volume 3 page 621 chapter 398): ‘To compose verse for anyone besides Allah comes under ‘And that on which is invoked the name of one other than Allah’ because one’s intentions have an effect in what is intended and Allah Almighty says that ‘And they were not commanded but to serve Allah being sincere to Him in obedience.’7 In the course of his discourse on the opening chapter of The Holy Qur’an, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] observed: The Praise is the text of the book.8 Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] writes that he has understood new meanings from The Holy Praise each time he has read it although I cannot make such a claim but I have perceived it carefully and it is my belief that the entire Qur’an is contained within The Holy Praise. The praise is the text and The Holy Qur’an is its commentary.9 On another occasion he stated whilst commenting upon the Qur’anic verse O ye who believe fight such of the disbelievers who are adjacent to you and let them find you unrelenting; and know that Allah is with those who are mindful of Him.10 ‘Such of the disbelievers who are adjacent to you’ Sheikh Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] writes: that the nearest disbeliever is our ego which disobeys Allah manifoldly. Thus the battle with that ought to be foremost.11

Islam Ahmadiyyat On 14 January 1910, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] delivered a Friday Sermon on the subject of mysticism upon the request of a friend. He spoke of Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] and said that although some scholars have disputed him he himself considered him good, as one who narrated the favours of God.12 Whilst commenting upon the verse of The Holy Qur’an ‘Then on the Day of Resurrection will you be raised up.’13 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] observed: Those that die will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection. Sheikh Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] writes in Al-Futuhat al-Makkiya – Qiyyamah [Day of Resurrection] is from the word Qiyyam [Rise Up]. That is to say that the Day of Resurrection is that on which one rises up from this world.14 Regarding the incident of Ibn Sayyad, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] mentions Hadhrat Ibn ‘Arabi [rh]’s observation, his own practice and defends the action of the Holy Prophet [saw]:15

Al Mursalat in The Holy Qur’an in the course of which he observed (whilst speaking of the verse ‘So when the stars are obscured’):19 Sheikh Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] writes that there was a Sufi. He was a Hafiz and would recite The Holy Qur’an taking great care to read it. Placing his finger upon each letter.

And reciting it in such a loud voice so that the other person could hear him. Somebody asked him that you know The Holy Qur’an well ‘Then why do you study it with such solicitude?’ He replied that ‘My heart wishes that my tongue, ears, eyes, hands all serve the book of God.20

Endnotes 1. And when your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am about to appoint a vicegerent in the Earth.’ They said ‘Wilt Thou place therein such as will cause disorder in it and shed blood? – While we glorify Thee with Thy praise and extol Thy holiness.’

He answered ‘I know what you know not.’ (The Holy Qur’an Ch.2:V.31).

Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] has written a personal humorous take on this, he says that Ibn Sayyad would not even have guessed as much as the ‘Cloud.’ But that the Holy Prophet [saw] had gone there of his own accord.

I have derived benefit from this story and never go to a debate of my own free will or be the first to initiate. Thus it is my routine that when something goes for my neck then I pray to Allah. And I always succeed with the Grace of God. And I cannot recall any such occasion when I had to admit defeat in a debate. It is a different case for those that are chosen. They are even commanded by Allah sometimes to throw Challenges. But if one comprehends properly they are never really the ones to start.16

2. Shahid, Hadhrat Maulana Dost Muhammad. Tarikh e Ahmadiyyat iii.

(Nazarat Nashr o Ishaat, Qadian 2007) pp.582, 583.

In commenting upon the verse of The Holy Qur’an which speaks about the rewards in Paradise that Allah promises ‘For people of the right’ Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] observed:17 Hadhrat Ibn ‘Arabi [rh] has written.

The abodes of the Prophets peace be upon them in Paradise will be of silver and those of the saints of gold. Because whiteness is a confluence of all colours.18 On 13 December 1912, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I [ra] delivered a Friday Sermon on some verses from Sura

death and that of which a wild animal has eaten except that which you have properly slaughtered; and that which has been slaughtered at an altar. And forbidden is also that you seek to know your lot by divining arrows. That is an act of disobedience. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of harming your religion.

So fear them not, but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.

But whoso is forced by hunger without being wilfully inclined to sin, then surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. (The Holy Qur’an, Ch.5:V.4).

And they were not commanded but to serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience, and being upright, and to observe Prayer, and pay the Zakat. And that is the religion of the people of the right path (The Holy Qur’an, Ch.98:V.6).

8. This alludes to the opening chapter of The Holy Qur’an beginning: In the name of Allah the Gracious the Merciful. All praise is to Allah the Lord of the worlds.’

(The Holy Qur’an, Ch.1:Vs.1–2).

9. Haqaiqul Furqan i. p.8 10. The Holy Qur’an, Ch.9:V.123.

3. Farid, Khwaja Ghulam. Isharat-i-Farid. Translated by Christopher Shackle.

Teachings of Khawaja Farid. (Bazm-iSaqafat Multan, 1978).

11. Haqaiqul Furqan ii. p.320.

4. The Holy Qur’an, Ch.32:V.25.

13. The Holy Qur’an, Ch.23:V.17.

5. And those who say ‘Our Lord grant us of our spouses and children the delight of our eyes and make each of us a leader of the righteous.’ (The Holy Qur’an.

Ch.25:V.75).

14. Haqaiqul Furqan iii. p.174.

6 And when his Lord tried Abraham with certain commands which he fulfilled. He said ‘I will make thee a Leader of men.’ He asked ‘And from among my offspring?’ He said ‘My covenant does not embrace the transgressors.’ (The Holy Qur’an, Ch.2:V.125).

16. Haqaiqul Furqan iii. p.568.

7 Forbidden to you is flesh of an animal which dies of itself, and blood and the flesh of swine; and that on which is invoked the name of one other than Allah and that which has been strangled and that beaten to death and that killed by a fall and that which has been gored to

20. Khutbat e Noor. (Nazarat Nashr o Ishaat, Qadian 2003). p.553.

12. Khutbat e Noor. (Nazarat Nashr o Ishaat, Qadian 2003). p.453.

15. Muslim, Abul Husayn ibn al–Hajjaj Qushayri al–Nishapuri. Sahih Muslim.

Book 41: p.17.

17. The Holy Qur’an, Ch.56:V.39.

18. Haqaiqul Furqan iv. p.44, 45.

19. The Holy Qur’an. Ch.77:V.9

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Islam Ahmadiyyat

Biography of some of the Martyrs of 28 May 2010 Summary of Friday Sermon delivered June 11th, 2010

Huzur [atba] began the sermon by saying that he will continue to narrate the biographies of the martyrs of the Lahore attacks.

1. Abdur Rasheed Malik Sahib, son of Abdul Hameed Malik Sahib, belonged to the city of Lalamusa. His grandfather (paternal), Maulvi Meher Deen Sahib [ra] was amongst the 313 companions of the Promised Messiah [as]. At the time of martyrdom, he was 64 years of age, was a Moosi and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He was an active member of Majlis Ansarullah (Secretary Wasaya and Secretary Ta’leemul-Quran). He usually attended Jumu’ah at Karak house, and it was after a long time that he went to Dar-ul-Zikr on this particular day. He told his wife before leaving for Friday prayer that Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra] had said that once in a while, one should offer Jum’uah prayer in the larger mosque.

He was sitting in the main hall on the chairs; he called home and said that he had incurred a bullet wound in his leg. His wife said that while he was on the phone, she could hear the firing in the background. He had borrowed the phone from someone, and the contact subsequently ended. His wife (who is an active Lajna member and has demonstrated patience at this difficult time) says that he was a doting father. They have three daughters, and he never complained about not having a

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son. He gave his full attention to the daughters and provided them with religious and secular education. He also fostered a Nau-Mubaeen girl (who had accepted Ahmadiyyat as a result of his Tabligh efforts) who used to work in their household.

He also made arrangements for her marriage. He was a simple man, loving and caring, prayerful at all times, obedient to the system of Jama’at and a righteous soul. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen.

2. Mohammad Rasheed Hashmi Sahib, son of Munir Shah Hashmi Sahib. He was the great grandson of a companion of the Promised Messiah [as] and his father was a general postmaster in Abbotabad. His house was burnt down during the riots of 1974 by the opponents. He was an employee of Radio Pakistan in Peshawar and was a newscaster, along with writing a column in “Nawa-e-Waqt”. He was 78 years of age at the time of martyrdom, was a Moosi and was martyred in Dar-ulZikr. He was an active member of Majlis Ansarullah (he was the Sadr of his Halqa for 16 years). He incurred three bullet wounds. He was a loving man, who loved the Jama’at and had a passion for service, and encouraged his wife and children to serve the Jama’at as well. On Friday morning, he called the Sadr of another Halqa to inform him that he had some money that was entrusted to him and belonged to the Jama’at, which

Islam Ahmadiyyat he would return at the Jumu’ah prayer. This money was found in his pocket after he was martyred, and the currency notes had been pierced by the bullets as well. He was a very punctual and disciplined man. He had the desire to open a Salaat centre in Lahore, but the design for the centre would not get approved.

He took it upon himself to prepare the design all through the night, and got it approved. The non-Ahmadis had great respect for him too and came to give their condolences at his martyrdom. He was a brave and courageous man. His Halqa was doing very well under his leadership. Ata-ul-Qadir Tahir Sahib has written in a letter about him that he was a very friendly and hospitable man. He would always participate in the recitation of the Qur’an and poems. He had difficulty walking due to some weakness, but he was always ready to serve the Jama’at in any capacity. He possessed an immense love for Khilafat and would participate in every scheme with great zeal. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen.

3. Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib, son of late Maulana Ibrahim Qadian Derwish. His father-in-law, Mian Ilam Deen [ra] was a companion of the Promised Messiah [as] and his father had the honour of being a teacher to the sons of Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra]. He was the Imam of his Halqa and was the Finance Secretary for a long time (Dharampura). He was 73 years of age at the time of his martyrdom and he was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He would offer Salaat in Dar-ul-Zikr on a regular basis, and on this day also he left for Jumu’ah prayer.

His son went to the Model Town Mosque, Bait-ul-Noor. At 6.00pm, it was found out that Muzaffar Sahib had been martyred. He was found in the morgue and had incurred five bullet wounds. Eye-witnesses say that when he was wounded, he remained busy reciting Darood Shareef, and encouraged others to recite Darood Shareef and Istighfar as well. His wife says that he was in the habit of offering Tahajjud prayer since his childhood and never missed it, and encouraged his children to do the same. He would recite the Qur’an in a loud voice; in fact, he would recite the Qur’an after every Salaat. He would make arrangements to fast after every few days. He would request everyone to pray that Allah granted him a righteous end. He would fulfil his responsibilities and he would never tell a lie; neither could tolerate it. Allah Almighty accepted his prayer and granted him the unparalleled status of a martyr.

His sister who lives in Qadian (wife of Nazir Sahib) says the he had a friendly relationship with his son-in-law and was very kind to his sisters. His eldest daughter, who lives in Rabwah, says that during his two visits to her house, the recording of the Khilafat pledge was being broadcasted on MTA, and he stood up and recited the pledge in a loud voice both times as if there was no one else in the room. He also had the opportunity to perform Hajj in 1980. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen.

4. Mian Mubashar Ahmad Sahib, son of Mian Barkat Ali Sahib who performed bai’at in 1928. He is from the family of Mian Nooruddin Sahib (Companion of the Promised Messiah [as]). He was a resident of Kharian, district Gujrat and moved to Lahore in 2008. He was a distributor for Coca Cola, but his business met with a grave fate in the riots of 1974, when his business was looted. During this situation, he was driving towards Wazirabad from Rabwah after delivering mail for the Jama’at, when he was met with rioters in Chiniot who attacked his car and tried to hurt him. His driver, however,

drove away. Again, his car was attacked in Gujranwala, and finally he reached home after midnight. The situation in those days was very unfavourable for Ahmadis, and those who made trips for Jama’at work made great sacrifices; and he was always ready to make sacrifices in the way of the Jama’at. He started his business in 1998 again and started distribution for Coca Cola. Some people came to him and said that you are famous for your honesty, as he would never sell any imitation merchandise. These people suggested that if he included two imitation bottles in the crate, he would increase his profits and become a millionaire. Of course, he did not pay heed to their advice and never gave into such greed. He would, however, be very hospitable to those who would offer him such fraudulent counsel, and would tell them that he did not need any such corrupt advice. He was Ameer Jama’at for 6 years (Tahseel Wazirabad).

His son, Qamar Ahmad, is a Missionary in Benin. He was 65 years of age at the time of martyrdom, and he was a Moosi, who was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He remained on the floor during the attacks, and was injured when a grenade was blasted near him, which wounded him in the neck and caused severe bleeding. He phoned his nephew and told him that he was injured and had incurred five or six bullet wounds. He was an extremely soft-hearted and prayerful man, who looked after his subordinates. He would pray for anyone who was in distress.

His wife of 39 years says that he never spoke unpleasantly with her and never scolded the children. If the wife ever complained, he would say that she should pray for herself, as he does for himself. He would not tolerate backbiting in the house and would stop someone if they had started it. His landlady in Gujranwala, who is not an Ahmadi, said that it was her fortune that such a righteous person as Mubashar Sahib was her tenant, and she prayed that her children would become like him.

He was active in Tabligh. He would often say that ‘I am an unworthy person; I pray to Allah that he may grant me success by conferring upon me the passing marks of 33%.’ Huzur [atba] adds that God Almighty accepted his prayers in the best way and granted him 100% marks by bestowing him the status of a martyr.

5. Fida Hussain Sahib, son of Bahadur Khan Sahib. He was from Kharian, District Gujrat, and was born there. His parents passed away within a month of each other’s demise, when he was only 4 years old. He was a cousin of Mian Mubashar Ahmad Sahib (mentioned above), and lived in the guardianship of this household because he was orphaned at an early age. He was never married. At the time of martyrdom, he was 69 years of age and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. Usually, he would sit outside in the courtyard due to his mild handicap, but on the day of the attacks, he sat on the chair inside the main hall; he incurred 35 bullet wounds when the terrorists started shooting, and was martyred on the spot. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen.

6. Khawar Ayub Sahib, son of Mohammad Ayub Khan Sahib.

This family was originally from Gilgit, but Khawar Ayub Sahib was born in Bhera, District Sargodha, and after completing year 10, he moved to Lahore in 1978, where he found employment in WAPDA. Currently he was working as accounts and budget officer. He performed bai’at in 1984. He was 50 years of age at the time of martyrdom, was a Moosi and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He was Secretary Waqf-e-Nau and Mohasib.

He would often offer Jumu’ah prayer in Dar-ul-Zikr. On the Tariq Magazine October 2010

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Islam Ahmadiyyat day of the attacks, he was sitting in the main hall and incurred two bullet wounds, one near the heart, and the other in the knee. He called home at around 2:15pm saying that the terrorists had attacked the mosque and requested for prayers. Later, his wife tried to establish contact and he repeated his request for prayers, but afterwards, he was martyred. His wife says that he was a true gentleman and made arrangements for offering prayer in congregation. He had great organisational skills, paid special attention to the upbringing of children, had a passion for service to humanity and was loyal and sincere to Khilafat.

Ilyas Khan Sahib writes that, in 1984 when he was employed

by WAPDA, he moved to Lahore, from Bhera to his household in Rehmanpura. He was not an Ahmadi at that time; however, the house evidently had an Ahmadi atmosphere. He became part of the household and frequently made the same criticism against Ahmadis that are parroted by the mullahs, so much so that we would encourage him to ask more questions, as this was his habit. Once, Barkatullah Sahib, a missionary, had organised a question and answer session, which was attended by Khawar Sahib, and Barkatullah Sahib specifically asked him to pose any questions, to which he said he had no more questions, and performed bai’at some time later. His relatives at the time kept insisting that he should give it some more thought, but he was firm in his position and said that if they continued to oppose his decision, he would write to Khalifatul Masih and complain that his relatives were becoming an impediment in his way of performing bai’at. After becoming an Ahmadi, he made great spiritual progress in the way of attaining righteousness.

7. Mohammad Shaikh Younus Sahib, son of Shaikh Jamil Ahmad Sahib. Although he was born in India, he migrated to Rabwah in 1955, from where he passed his matriculation exams. His father performed bai’at during the Khilafat of Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra] and was among the Dervishes.

He was an active member of Sadr Anjuman and was retired in 2007, when he moved to Lahore to live with his son, and was serving as Secretary Islaah-o-Irshaad and Tabligh. At the time of martyrdom, he was 63 years of age, was a Moosi and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. He would go to the mosque ahead of Jumu’ah time, and on that day, he reached the mosque at 11:00am and sat in the first row. His son was in the other hall. He was among the first ones to be wounded and incurred bullet wounds in the chest and the head, and then received fatal wounds in the ribs from the grenade blast. Shaikh Sahib saw in a dream a vision of Rabwah, a beautiful pavement decorated with carpets, where the Khulafa were seated on large chairs, and the Promised Messiah [as] was seated on the largest one. And he said that he himself was seated nearby. He was absolutely devoted to Khilafat, offered five daily prayers, and despite being a heart patient, went to the mosque to offer prayer, irrespective of the weather. His eyes would tear up when he would pay gratitude to Allah for the blessings He showered upon him, and had great faith in God. He was regular in offering Tahajjud, and with the minimal wages he had, he would try to help others in any way possible. He led a simple life, and participated in essay writing competitions, which bore him prominent positions. He was involved in dawat ilallah. His wife says that they were active in a small village for about 6 years, where they held Qur’an classes. When they were met with opposition, they had to stop this. However, their efforts bore fruit.

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8. Masood Ahmad Bhatti Sahib, son of Ahmad Deen Bhatti.

His forefathers were from a town in District Kusoor. His paternal grandfather performed bai’at in 1911-12. The family moved to Lahore in 1975, and he worked with his father as a contractor. He received his education up to the matriculation.

He was a brave and courageous member of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya. Two of his brothers were also involved in the business with him, and one brother is the President of a Halqa in Lahore. At the time of martyrdom, he was 33 years of age, and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He was offering the Sunnah prayers before Jumu’ah when the attacks began and the terrorists began firing. He took off his vest and bandaged his neighbouring companion, who was wounded, and comforted him. Displaying great courage, he then tackled one of the assailants and was able to immobilise him, but the other terrorist fired at him and martyred him.

9. Haji Muhammad Akram Virk Sahib, son of Chaudhry Allah Ditta Virk Sahib. His forefathers were from district Shaikhupura and had performed bai’at during the lifetime of the Promised Messiah [as]. Later on, the family moved to Alipur, district Kusoor, where he was born and received his education up to matriculation. In the 1950s, the family moved to Lahore. He retired from his employment in 1996. He served the Jamaa’t in various capacities throughout his life. At the time of martyrdom, he was 74 years of age and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr, where he was sitting in the fourth row and was martyred by the firing of the assailants. His father had presented their ancestral home to the Jama’at, which is being utilised as a Murabbi’s residence these days. He was a hardworking man, despite his age he would help the other members of the household and the children, and was an honest person.

10. Mian Laeeq Ahmad Sahib, son of Mian Shafiq Ahmad Sahib. His forefathers were from Ambala, where he was born and at the time of partition, the family moved to Lahore, from where he received his education. At the time of martyrdom, he was 66 years of age, and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He was serving as secretary Ishaat in the Canal Park Halqa. He was sitting in the third row in the chairs in the main hall, when he was critically wounded by the firing. He was being taken to the hospital, but was martyred en route in the ambulance. He had bled profusely as no one was being attended to for up to three hours. He was a simple man of few words; he never hurt anyone, would offer Tahajjud prayer, and was friendly with his children at home. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen.

11. Mirza Shabal Munir Sahib, son of Mohammad Munir Sahib. His great-grandfather Ahmad Deen sahib [ra] was a companion of the Promised Messiah [as] and his father owned a business (sound systems). At the time of martyrdom, he was 19 years of age and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He had completed his BCom degree and was pursuing his BBA, and was a very active member of Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya. He was sitting with his younger brother, Shahzad Munir in the main hall near the mihrab after offering Sunnah prayer when firing began near the mihrab first. At this time, he left the main hall, but returned shortly and sat near the door, where his brother also joined him. He called home and spoke to his friends also. In the mean time, a terrorist entered from the minaret, and started firing which resulted in the martyrdom of many worshippers. He was bleeding profusely, and did not

Islam Ahmadiyyat respond when his brother tried to talk to him. His brother tried to bandage his wounds, but could not do it due to severity of wounds. He breathed his last after half an hour. His brother says that he displayed great courage, and did not say a word despite the pain he was in; in fact, it seemed as if he was happy that his brother was saved. One of his friends writes that he was highly devoted. At one occasion, he was approached at 11:30 at night for some Jama’at work and he left right away to offer his services. He would also offer his car for Jama’at use whenever he had it. He was a simple man. Another friend writes that after his martyrdom, he saw Shabal in his dream, and on asking where he was, he responded ‘I am here and I am very happy where I am’. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen. The martyrdom of such young men reminds the youth to stay true to their pledge, by sacrificing their own life and urging the others to never shy away from their pledge.

12. Malik Maqsood Sahib, son of S.A Mahmood Sahib. His paternal grandfather was from Batala and his maternal grandfather was a companion of the Promised Messiah [as] and was from Bhopal. His grandfathers (paternal and maternal) and his mother were companions of the Promised Messiah [as]. He was born in Bhopal and raised in Qadian, where he received his education from TI College. His family moved to Lahore eventually. At the time of martyrdom, he was 80 years of age, was a Moosi and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr.

He was serving as Secretary Ta’leem-ul-Quran and auditor in his Halqa. His grandson says that he was sitting in the main hall in the second row. At the instruction of Murabbi Sahib, he exited to the courtyard, but when his grandson saw him, he was lying on the floor with his fingers in the ears, and showed no movement, and had probably already been martyred, as he had incurred many bullet wounds. He was regular in the five daily prayers and would offer Tahajjud prayer too, would pay his chandajaat on time, would study the Jama’at books, would watch MTA and listen to Huzur [atba]’s sermons and addresses. He was an expert in accounts. Once, when he was still very young in Qadian, there was a competition amongst the friends to see who would reach the mosque first for the Morning Prayer. In order to win the competition, he left for the mosque at 2:30am. His son, Tabassum Maqsood Sahib, who is a lawyer, is doing waqf in Rabwah these days.

13. Chaudhry Mohammad Ahmad Sahib, son of Dr. Noor Ahmad. His paternal grandfather and father performed bai’at in 1921-22, and the family belonged to Faisalabad. His father worked with Dr. Mir Mohammad Ismail Sahib [ra] as a junior doctor. He received his primary education from Faisalabad up to matriculation, and then joined the Air Force, where he received training for two years and was then employed there.

He participated in the 1965 and 1970 wars. During 1965, when a bomb loader stopped working, he urged others to carry the bombs on their shoulder and did the same for the purpose of loading. Despite such services, the so-called patriots today feel that Ahmadis are not loyal to the country. These are the men who offered many sacrifices for the sake of their country. He also went on several trips abroad for training. He was retired in 1971, but served as the head of the bomb squad till 1985. At the time of martyrdom, he was 85 years of age, was a Moosi and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. He would often offer his Jumu’ah prayer there, and would prepare his clothes

for the Jumu’ah on Thursday evenings. He would leave for Jumu’ah by noon. On the day of the attacks, a young man saw him bleeding in the second or third row, when he called the young boy towards him and asked him to tie a cloth around his abdomen, where he had incurred bullet wounds. He also instructed the young man to offer water to the other wounded men. He also offered some advice to other men on how to save themselves as he was an expert in the field. He also received a bullet wound in his neck. He was taken to the Jinnah Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds and attained martyrdom at 8:00pm in the evening. One of his relatives dreamt a couple of days before the event that Lahore was under attack. Huzur (abta) added that many people had such dreams in Pakistan and abroad, pointing to these events. He did not hold malice towards anyone and was in good health. He was regular in offering Salaat and recitation of the Qur’an. He loved his children. He was a good sportsman (kabaddi and football). He was highly devoted to Khilafat. His daughter writes that according to an eyewitness, her father was sitting on the chairs and was listening to the sermon which had just started, when the firing started. He remained seated, as if trying to gauge the situation.

When the terrorist approached and fired in his direction, he was wounded. When the terrorist turned around to reload his gun, despite his wounds, he tackled the terrorist at his neck and disabled him. Another man came to his help, and then other Khuddam came to help. He had incurred a few bullet wounds in the meanwhile and was bleeding profusely, but despite these wounds, he gave instructions on how to diffuse the bomb and tied the hands and legs of the terrorist. He was a brave man who bore his wounds with great courage and attained the status of martyrdom.

14. Ilyas Aslam Quraishi Sahib, son of Master Shafi Aslam Sahib. His family belonged to Qadian and then moved to Gujranwala. His father was a missionary who served the Jama’at well. His brother Mohammad Aslam Sahib was among the Derwish of Qadian. He was employed with a bank, from where he retired at the post of Assistant Vice President. At the time of martyrdom, he was 76 years of age, was a Moosi and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. He was the Sadr of Johar Town Halqa. He was seated in the first row in the second hall.

When the terrorists began firing, he tried to keep the door of the second hall closed with the help of other worshippers, but incurred heavy wounds during the firing through the door.

He was martyred around 4:00pm in the afternoon. He was a simple and righteous man, who was always thankful for his blessings. He was a prayerful man and served the Jama’at with great zeal. He was an affectionate father, regular in prayers and Tahajjud, always smiling and very friendly. He would never complain if someone approached him for Jama’at work, even if he was sleeping at the time. He always gave counsel to always remain loyal to the Jama’at and Khilafat.

15. Tahir Mahmood Ahmad Sahib, son of late Saeed Ahmad Sahib. The family belonged to Muzaffargarh. His father performed bai’at in 1953 and moved to Lahore in 1993. After completing his matriculation, he was employed in the private sector, and went to Malaysia for training (he was slightly mentally impeded). At the time of martyrdom, he was 53 years of age, and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. He went to see the Sadr of his Halqa before Jumu’ah, who took him along to Masjid Bait-ul-Noor; normally he went to the other Salaat centre Tariq Magazine October 2010

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Islam Ahmadiyyat for Jumu’ah or occasionally attended Jumu’ah at Dar-ul-Zikr.

This was his first Jumu’ah at Bait-ul-Noor. He received 2 bullets in the chest and 1 in the forehead. He was a brave man and devoted to the Jama’at. He used to say that he was not afraid of bullets, and knew he would be martyred. He was wellrenowned in the neighbourhood and would be the first to say salaam to everyone on the street.

16. Syed Irshaad Ali Sahib, son of Syed Samiullah Shah Sahib (who served as principal of Jamia Ahmadiyya also). His paternal grandfather Khaslat Ali Shah Sahib and his maternal grandfather Mir Hamid Shah Sahib were both companions of the Promised Messiah [as] and were among his special friends. The ancestral home in Sialkot was where the Promised Messiah [as] used to stay during his visits to Sialkot.

This ancestral home was donated to the Jama’at. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he appeared for some exams, after which he was employed as Assistant Director in the Labour Department, from where he retired as Deputy Director.

He was serving as Secretary Finance in Model Town. At the time of martyrdom, he was 80 years of age, was a Moosi and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. Before leaving for Jumu’ah, he was resting with his hand on his chest, saying that he felt like resting on that day. Then he got up and prepared to leave for Jumu’ah, saying that he was leaving and he repeated saying that he was indeed leaving. He was sitting in the courtyard of the mosque on the chairs, and when the firing started, he was martyred. He received three bullet wounds. In a recent experience, he heard the words “inni rafe’oka wa mutawaffeeka”. Huzur [atba] says that perhaps the person narrating this incident recorded the words incorrectly and the words should actually read “inni mutawaffeeka wa rafe’oka”. Anyways, he was not able to understand the words. About 15-20 days before the incident, he also heard in another experience: “We receive you with open arms with red carpets”. In another vision, he saw that a chariot stopped in front of his house, and he hears that Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad [ra] has arrived. His relatives said that he was worried that he was not able to serve the Jama’at like his forefathers. He was a jovial man who had a passion for serving others and would look after his relatives in particular.

17. Noor-ul-Ameen Sahib, son of Nazeer Waseem Sahib. He was born in Rawalpindi, and completed his matriculation there, and joined the Navy. His paternal grandfather was a companion of the Promised Messiah [as] and his maternal grandfather served as Ameer Jama’at Hyderabad and was martyred.

He was an active member of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya and for a long time, was in charge of monitoring the closedcircuit system installed in the mosque. He also went to live in Karachi for some time. At the time of martyrdom, he was 39 years of age, and was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He called home during the attacks and said: ‘I can leave this place if I want to, but I was assigned duty at this spot’. He was sitting behind the dish antenna where a grenade was detonated, due to which he was martyred. His wife says that he possessed many a great virtues, and would pay specific attention to the upbringing of the children, especially the Waqf-e-Nau children. When he spoke to his wife on the phone, she asked him to leave the place but he said that he could not leave the many people who were in the same situation as him behind. He participated with great zeal in Jama’at work.

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18. Chaudhry Mohammad Maalik Sahib, son of Fateh Mohammad Sahib. He was a resident of Ghakkar Mandi from where he moved to Gujranwala, and then to Lahore. His father passed away before his birth. When he was finishing his matriculation exam, his mother gave her gold bracelet to him and said that he should continue his education. He did complete his bachelor’s degree. He was 93 years of age at the time of martyrdom, was a Moosi, and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor.

His relatives say that since he had attained old age, he would forget things, and consequently, he had missed about 7 or 8 Friday prayer, but on this particular day, he insisted that he would go for Jumu’ah prayer despite having stopped. He was among the first ones to be martyred on that day sitting in the front row of the chairs. He never hurt anyone and had a great passion for reading and studying the books of the Promised Messiah [as] and would encourage his relatives to do the same. His son, Daud Ahmad Sahib, narrates that when he completed his education (MA Economics), his father offered him to work for him, saying: ‘I will pay you the same wages that you expect at your employment. I will hire you to read the books of the Promised Messiah [as].’ He raised the children with a deep sense of consciousness towards offering Salaat, and would wake them up at the time of adhan, and would offer Salaat in congregation. He never raised a hand on the children for their moral upbringing; instead he would pray for them and would say that this is compassion. He would cry in his Tahajjud prayer and pray for his children. In 1974, when the family lived in Satellite Town Gujranwala, many Ahmadis congregated in their home for safety. He took great care of everyone during this difficult time. He was an extremely honest man, and could not tolerate anything but the truth. He initiated everyone in the family into the system of Wasiyyat.

19. Shaikh Sajid Ahmad Sahib, son of Shaikh Ameen Ahmad Sahib. His family belonged to Bhera. He received his bachelor’s degree from Lahore, and was employed with MCB in Rawalpindi. After he was retired in 2003, he moved to Lahore to be with his children. He was a very responsible member of Majlis Ansarullah and was working as secretary Ta’leem-ulQur’an. At the time of martyrdom, he was 59 years of age, was a Moosi (his application had been approved) and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. Habitually, he would leave for Jumu’ah early and offer his Salaat with great reverence. He sat in the back hall of the mosque on that day. About fifteen minutes after the firing began, he called his son Shahzad Naeem to ask him if he was well. He said that he was fine. He then secured the doors with the help of other companions and stood in front of the doors to keep them closed (the locks on the door were defective), and this helped many others to reach safety. The terrorists, however, kept firing and the grenade that detonated caused his martyrdom. He was concerned about the marriage and the employment of his son, and on Friday, he had arranged for an interview for his son. He then asked him how the interview had gone [the son did secure the job afterwards]. He was very conscientious of the rights of his wife and children, and his family relatives as well as his in-laws. He had a soft temperament, was very obedient to the system of the Jama’at and was deeply devoted to Khilafat. A non-Ahmadi acquaintance in the neighbourhood had a dream about him after his martyrdom, in which he heard him saying: ‘I don’t know how I got here, but I am very happy where I am, I am satisfied’.

Islam Ahmadiyyat 20. Syed Laeeq Ahmad Sahib, son of Syed Mohiyuddin Ahmad, who was from Bihar (India) and a student at Aligarh University where he met an Ahmadi student who told him about the death of Jesus Christ [as] and the advent of the Promised Messiah [as] which enraged him so much that he smashed the Ahmadi student’s head, for which he was later embarrassed. When he approached a Maulvi by the name of Sanaullah Amritsari regarding these issues, he sent a few books containing nothing but slander and foul language, which encouraged him to study more about Ahmadiyyat and he performed bai’at after further research. Huzur [atba] added that Maulvis today follow the same tradition, but instead of sending literature, they come on TV to spread their nonsense slander. Syed Laeeq Sahib was a born Ahmadi. After passing his matriculation exams, he went for further studies and did his MA in English from Putna University. He migrated to Lahore in 1969 and joined MCB, from where he retired some years later. He was 72 years of age at the time of martyrdom, and was a Moosi. When he entered the mosque, he offered his Sunnah prayers, and was sitting behind the Murabbi Sahib, when terrorist started firing. He was fatally wounded and was martyred.

He had a soft nature and a reserved personality. He had a deep love for the Jama’at but was not very vocal about it. However, if someone talked against the Jama’at or Khilafat, he would not tolerate it. On the contrary, he would converse with those who would talk in favour of Jama’at. His children are all highly educated and employed in their fields. He was very regular in offering Jumu’ah prayer. Once, when his wife was sick and was hospitalised, he left her there and went to the mosque for Jumu’ah prayer, not worrying about whether he would see her again or not, but did not miss his Friday Prayer.

21. Mohammad Ashraf Bullar Sahib son of Mohammad Abdullah Sahib. His forefathers were from district Lahore, who were involved in agriculture, but later moved to Raiwind where they started making bricks. It was his paternal grandfather, Choudhry Sikandar Ahmad Sahib, who performed bai’at. In 2004, he went for Umrah. He always encouraged his brothers to work for Jama’at. He was 47 years of age at the time of martyrdom, and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. He was the sole provider for his household. He was regular in offering Friday Prayer. On the fateful day, he was sitting in the back hall and at the time of the attacks, he helped close the door by pressing his back to the doors to prevent the terrorist from entering the smaller hall. The terrorist then started firing through the doors, which wounded him fatally and he was martyred instantaneously. He was a decent and respectable man. He had a passion for propagating Islam (Dawat ilallah), and many non-Ahmadi friends participated in the Funeral Prayer. And on 30th May, the maulvis announced in the newspaper Nawa-e-Waqt and Express News (TV channel) also broadcasted this notice that the nikah of all those non-Ahmadis who participated in the Funeral Prayer has been abrogated. Huzur [atba] added that the maulvis have even made declarations on the abrogation of nikah of those non-Ahmadis who conveyed their condolences (offering Funeral Prayers is a far cry). After performing the Umrah, he had become very regular in offering Tahajjud prayer. He would also recite the Holy Qur’an regularly and would encourage his family members to do the same.

He would tell his children to recite the Qur’an daily, even if it was only one line, but also read the translation because there is really no use without understanding what you have read.

22. Mubarak Ahmad Tahir Sahib son of Abdul Majeed Sahib. Although Mubarak Sahib himself was from Lahore, his paternal grandmother was from Qadian. His father performed bai’at during the Khilafat of Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra].

He started working in the National Bank as a typist, but continued to further himself in his education, by earning a Bachelor’s degree, and then a Master’s degree. He also took many training courses within the Bank, and was promoted to the position of Vice President and was soon due to be promoted to the position of Senior President. He also received the award of Best Employee of the Bank. He was the son-in-law of late Maulana Dost Mohammad Shahid, historian of Jama’at-eAhmadiyya. He was 57 years of age at the time of his martyrdom and was a Moosi. He was serving in the capacity of various Jama’at offices at the time of his martyrdom. On the fateful day, he was accompanied by both his sons as they came to the Masjid Bait-ul-Noor to offer Jumu’ah prayer. He stayed in the back hall whereas both sons sat in the front hall. When the terrorists started their firing, Murabbi Sahib requested everyone to start praying, and he did exactly that. During silent prayer, he incurred a bullet wound, piercing through his chest very close to the heart and he was martyred. He was a very sympathetic man. He would get along better with his subordinates as compared to his peers. He had made arrangements for a Salaat centre at his own house by constructing a designated area for it in the house. He had a great love for the Jama’at. He would encourage his children to participate in Jama’at work, and he would have no issues with them if they would return home even at 3:00am in the night/morning after performing their Jama’at duties. But for other work, their curfew was to return home by Isha. One of the great qualities he possessed was his generosity and he would donate large amounts for humanitarian causes. He had great respect for the missionaries of Jama’at-e-Ahmadiyya, and was very hospitable towards them.

He was very social and friendly. Whenever possible, he would try to offer his own house to be used as a Salaat centre.

23. Anees Ahmad Sahib, son of Munir Ahmad Sahib. The family belonged to district Faisalabad, but moved to Lahore later. After completing his matriculation exams, he worked in the computer hardware field in his Gulberg office. At the time of martyrdom, he was 35 years of age, he was a Moosi and he was martyred in Dar-ul-Zikr. He usually attended Jumu’ah prayer in Model Town, but he was running an errand on that specific day and ended up going to Dar-ul-Zikr for Jumu’ah.

He was sitting next to his father near the mihrab when firing began. When his father told him to lie down, he said: ‘I will go and help the others while you lie down’. He was thus martyred by the spray of bullets being fired in his direction. He loved his wife and children and respected his elders and in-laws. He had a passion for serving others. He helped a friend by donating blood and when he asked for a loan for his treatment, about five thousand rupees, he gave him the money as qarz-e-hasana.

He would encourage his son to participate in the Qur’an class, and would participate in Jama’at work with great zeal. His younger brother Munawar Ahmad Sahib was also martyred on this day.

24. Munawar Ahmad Sahib, son of Munir Ahmad Sahib. The family belonged to district Faisalabad, and he was Ahmadi by birth but for a period of time, he was inclined towards the Shi’a faith system, as he was raised by his maternal grandmother Tariq Magazine October 2010

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Islam Ahmadiyyat who was a Shi’a. He had a dream in which he saw Hadhrat Imam Hussain [ra] and Hadhrat Ali [ra] who testified to the truth of the Promised Messiah [as], and he performed bai’at again. He had a pious character and thus Allah Almighty guided him. He was very knowledgeable about Ahmadiyyat and had a zeal for propagation of Islam Ahmadiyyat, and Masha’Allah many bai’ats were performed due to his services.

He had such a great passion for dawat ilallah that he would render maulvis speechless. At the time of martyrdom, he was 30 years of age, he was a Moosi and he was martyred in Darul-Zikr. He was serving Jama’at as an office-bearer at the time.

On the fateful day, he was sitting inside the mosque when the attacks began. He quickly crawled outside to close the main gates to prevent terrorists from entering the main hall. He also maintained contact on the phone with his relatives. He made an announcement to all worshippers that if anyone was carrying any kind of weapon, they should let him know. Huzur [atba] added that the worshippers had gathered to offer Jumu’ah prayer, hence did not carry any weapons. The police at this time was quick in retorting at this time as to why Ahmadis did not make arrangements for their own security. Huzur [atba] says that perhaps non-Ahmadis carry weapon to a mosque, Ahmadis do not. The police should just give up and declare that everyone should be responsible for their own security. Anyhow, when firing began inside, and people started getting wounded, he succeeded in serving them with water. He was looking for an opportunity to tackle the assailants, and as soon as he saw such an opportunity, he seized one of them who then blew himself up, which caused his martyrdom. He had learnt early on that his brother had also been martyred, but despite that, he continued to help others. For a long time now, hate-inciting posters were being pasted outside his home by young children, who are made pawns for such work. He would explain to the children that they should not participate in such work, and they would agree, but again the children were being brainwashed and they continued to do so out of pressure.

A Jama’at member has written regarding a dream Munawar Sahib had seen about a month and a half ago, in which his deceased mother was saying to him that ‘I have prepared a room for you here and I will send for you’. Hafiz Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib writes that Munawar Sahib had told his relatives beforehand that he would be martyred. In fact, when he got married last year, he told his newlywed wife on the first day that he would be martyred, so do not mourn afterwards.

25. Saeed Ahmad Sahib, son of Sufi Munir Ahmad Sahib (whose Funeral Prayer Huzur [atba] was going to offer in abstentia after Jumu’ah Prayer). His paternal grandfather was a companion of the Promised Messiah [as]. His family was re-settled in Lahore. He was 37 years of age at the time of his martyrdom and was martyred in Bait-ul-Noor. On the fateful day, he went to the mosque straight from work, and the terrorist had already started firing inside the mosque. Two terrorists who had arrived at the mosque on their motorcycle had abandoned it in front of the main gates, which exploded a few minutes later. He was standing nearby, and his body suffered burns due to the explosion. He was in the hospital for 8 days but could not recover, and thus was martyred on 5th June.

One day before the incident, he called his sister in the village to request her to offer some food in sadqa. On Friday, he kissed his children and left for Jumu’ah. His wife has shown several of his personal diaries in which he writes about his desire to attain

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the status of martyrdom and prays to Allah Almighty for this grand blessing. God Almighty indeed accepted this humble man’s prayer. The diaries also reveal his attendance at Jumu’ah prayer, his chanda donations, summaries of Friday sermons, and prayers for the residents of Takht Hazari (his hometown), where Ahmadis had been martyred some years ago. He was very conscientious of the rights of his parents and relatives.

He would give sadqa to the poor on a regular basis. He had a designated box, in which he would set aside money on a regular basis, and then on his visit to the village, he would offer the amount collected to the needy. He was a loving man, who looked after his parents, his siblings, his wife and children. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, Ameen.

Huzur [atba] added a prayer for all the martyrs: May Allah Almighty provide for them a lofty station in Paradise, Ameen. All of them possessed a variety of virtues and qualities. May Allah Almighty accept their prayers in favour of their loved ones and grant patience and steadfastness to the relatives and family members they have left behind, Ameen.

Huzur [atba] would also offer the Funeral Prayer in abstentia of another Waqf-e-Zindagi, Dr. Mohammad Arif Sahib (Dervish Qadian), son of Mohammad Sadiq Sahib (Dervish Qadian), who passed away on 13th June, at the age of 93. He served the Jama’at for 30 years to the best of his abilities in several offices. Among the many offices he served (the long list of which Huzur [atba] mentioned in the sermon), he was also Afsar Jalsa Salana. When Huzur [atba] went to Qadian in 2005, he was serving as Afsar Jalsa Salana and fulfilling his duties in a beautiful manner. He had a Masters in English and had a PhD from Guru Nanak University. He was a devoted and loyal man, who offered Tahajjud regularly, and had a great love and devotion to Khilafat. He experienced true dreams and visions. He had foretold his wife that his end time was nearing. His kidneys and lungs were infected, he was treated with dialysis, and kidneys were working, but he could not recover fully to complete health, but he passed a difficult and long time of illness with great patience and fortitude. Huzur [atba] said he always saw him with a smile on his face.

In 1991, Huzur [atba] himself performed duties at Jalsa Salana Qadian with him as a volunteer. Huzur [atba] says that his love and devotion to Khilafat was visible in his eyes. He worked with full cooperation during Jalsa Salana without expressing any anger with other volunteers, even if they were at fault. May Allah Almighty elevate his station in Paradise, [ameen].

News & Events

4 News & Events Charity Challenge Cheque Presentation Evening

By Shiraz Sethi, Mohtamim Khidmat-e-Khalq, Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Having successfully completed the 10k Charity Challenge in May of this year, the Charity Cheque Presentation Evening took place during this year’s National Ijtema on the evening of Saturday 25 September 2010 at Islamabad.

This year being the 25th anniversary of the Charity Challenge, it was decided that we invite all senior members from the respective organisations to attend the event and receive the allocated funds raised on behalf of the charity. To this effect, a lot of hard work and effort went into ensuring that directors from the charities were in attendance.

Our respective guests began to arrive from 5.30pm at which point they were welcomed by a member of the Khidmat-eKhalq team and directed to the VIP marquee. Here they were introduced to their respective host for the evening and were able to have a brief chat with their respective tour guides and handed an introductory pack about the community and the work that we do. At approximately 6.15pm, once all of the charities had arrived, the tours of the site began and each charity was shown the internal and external exhibitions, the main Ijtema marquee for both Khuddam and Atfal, the dining area, the accommodation area, the kitchen area, the various stalls and in particular Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV [rh] grave, which received particular attention.

The charities were then all brought back to the VIP marquee where they were served with refreshments before being asked to make their way over to the main Ijtema marquee for the Cheque Presentation Evening at around 7.30pm.

Respected Amir Jama’at UK, Mr. Rafiq Ahmad Hayat Sahib chaired the session. The session commenced with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Tahir Khalid Sahib. This was followed by an introductory speech by Sadr Majlis, respected Tommy Kallon Sahib who gave an overview of the work the

youth association had undergone over the course of the year and announced that the association had raised record sums this year surpassing last years figure of £112,800 to attain a figure of £170,000 this year. In addition to this, Sadr Sahib announced the funds raised from the two disaster appeals – Haiti Earthquake and Pakistan Flood Appeal which in total raised a sum of £114,082. Overall this meant that the total funds raised by the association over the course of the year exceeded £284,000.

After this brief discourse, the respective cheques were presented to each of the charities in the amounts shown below, with a brief overview presented to all by way of the key initiatives, which the association was involved in with each of the respective charities.

The charity representatives once receiving the cheque also addressed the audience and thanked them for their hard work and endeavours and explained where the money would be utilised.

2010

2009

Barnardo’s

Charity

£12,000

£11,000

Great Ormond Street Hospital

£22,000

£15,000

Humanity First

£44,700

£26,800

Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research

£16,000

£11,000

Macmillan Cancer Support

£15,000

£11,000

NSPCC

£15,000

£11,000

Royal British Legion Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability Royal National Institute for Blind People Save the Children Local Supported Charity Humanity First (Haiti Earthquake) Humanity First (Pakistan Floods) Total

£8,000

-

£12,000

£11,000

£8,000

-

£16,000

£15,000

£1,000

£,1,000

£65,260 £48,822 £283,782

Tariq Magazine October 2010

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£111,800

News & Events The event closed with silent prayer led by respected Amir Sahib after which, all charity representatives were directed into the Central BBQ area where they were provided with delicious food despite being housed in quite cold climates.

Many of the charities have expressed their gratitude and appreciation in respect of the hospitality, which they received during the evening and extracts of these have been provided herewith.

Hi Shiraz

Dear Shiraz

It’s not often that I have experienced such wonderful hospitality as we were shown on Saturday…and receive a wonderful donation on top of that! A very positive tone was when I was so kindly met in the car park area by the President himself, Tommy Kallon! Then, throughout the evening, Mahmood outdid himself in making sure we were well taken care of. We know it is not easy raising funds as you have done, and we send warmest thanks for all the hard work you and the team have done.

We are grateful that you have chosen us, thank you. I personally look forward to continued collaboration.

My wife and I did indeed enjoy the event and we learnt a great deal more about AMYA and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK. The exhibition was fascinating and the passion and commitment of your members was self–evident.

I have fed this back to my Regional Director, Stephen Richards, who has expressed an interest in attending next year’s event, which will of course be in Macmillan centenary year.

Many thanks again.

David Crosby General Manager, Central & South West England

Best wishes Wanda S. Hamilton Group Director of Fundraising

Dear Shiraz, I thought it was a marvellous occasion and one that I will remember for a long time. In particular, you ensured that I received the warmest of welcomes at every turn, and Farooq was a most attentive and engaging host, explaining the history and objectives of your organisation with great enthusiasm and clarity. He was an excellent ambassador for the Association. I found the sense of community and service that prevailed, uplifting and inspiring in equal measure. The fact that MKA has made such remarkable progress in increasing its charitable fundraising reflects the selflessness and sheer hard work of its members, and also demonstrates the altruism and dedication of all concerned.

In terms of feedback, I thought the arrangements were first class, people could not have been more helpful and I particularly welcomed the chance to say thank you to the assembled members for the most generous donation. Next time though, I will prepare – as forewarned in your invitation – for British barb-cue weather! I too look forward, as I wrote in my letter to Tommy Kallon today, to our links going from strength to strength, and I hope that more of your members (and indeed you) will be able to join in some of our charitable events next year.

I do hope the rest of the weekend went well. Thank you again, and – as I realise how much effort goes into such a successful event - may I also offer my congratulations to you as the Director of Charities and Social Welfare for your sterling work.

With best regards Angus Somerville Chief Executive | Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability 20

Tariq Magazine October 2010

News & Events

National Ijtema 2010

Nazim-e-Ala MKA Ijtema 2010: Mirza Nasir Inam Ahmad Sahib Secretary MKA Ijtema 2010: Usman Ahmad Khan Sahib Introduction

Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya held its 38th National Ijtema in the United Kingdom at Islamabad in Tilford, Surrey on 24th, 25th and 26th of September 2010. Khuddam came together from all over the UK to enjoy three days of sports and academic competitions, the now traditional barbecue and some exhibitions.

Like previous years the exhibitors included Humanity First, the Metropolitan Police, the Army, Ishaat as well as regional and individual exhibitions and a CV clinic to help Khuddam.

Theme of Ijtema

Since the subject of Huzur [atba]’s address at last year’s Ijtema was ‘Obedience’, therefore this was selected as this year’s Ijtema theme.

Jumu’ah Khutbah h

This year the Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya Ijtema was graciously inaugurated by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih [atba] as part of his Jumu’ah Khutbahh. Huzur [atba] spoke about the sacrifices made by Khuddam all over the world and especially in Pakistan. Huzur [atba] stated during the Khutbah “You should enhance the standards of your taqwa and worship of God and should keep the sacrifice of those brothers in view who, while strengthening their faith, are keeping the banner of Ahmadiyyat aloft and giving every sacrifice to fulfil their pledge with loyalty. Thus, standards of worship and taqwa should be enhanced and full participation should be employed to take the message of Ahmadiyyat everywhere.”

A message was sent out late on Thursday night to all Khuddam and Atfal informing them of the change in the programme as per Huzur [atba]’s instructions, with all members directed to attend the Jumu’ah at Baitul Futuh, rather than arriving at Islamabad directly.

Ijtema Programme Starts

At 5:00 pm the first session was held with an address by Amir Jama’at UK, Rafiq Hayat Sahib on the subject of attacks by the opponents of the Jama’at Tariq Magazine October 2010

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News & Events

and how Khuddam need to step forward in the defence of the Jama’at.

This was followed by the start of the academic and sports competitions which included football, Paigham Risani and Adhan.

Maghrib and Ishaa Prayers were followed by a Question and Answer session with Imam Sahib, Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib.

The day concluded with meetings of Majlis Ansar Sultanul Qalam and MKA Research Association.

By the Grace of God Almighty, a most successful Majlis Ansar Sultanul Qalam Conference was held on Friday evening from 10pm to 11.45pm in the Ijtema Gah. The attendance was nearly double the previous year with 78 Khuddam attending.

The topic chosen for discussion proved to be extremely relevant to the instructions of Huzur [atba] earlier that day during the Friday Sermon. The topic selected was “Responding to Anti-Ahmadi Allegations Regarding Khatamun Nabiyyeen.”

Respected Maulana Naseem Bajwa Sahib honoured the gathering with his presence and knowledge. The conference opened

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with a brief introduction by National Co-ordinator Ali Khan, highlighting the instructions of Huzur [atba] earlier that day, emphasising the role Majlis Ansar Sultanul Qalam had to play and outlining the objectives of the evening.

A five-part video series on ‘Khatamun Nabiyyeen’ was then played that was developed by the Majlis Ansar Sultanul Qalam team with the Midlands Region, followed by an open and interactive session to constructively critique the videos and discuss how more videos could be researched & produced.

Feedback was recorded and will be implemented before this five-part series is launched to the public.

The attendees then discussed how to respond to the main allegations faced on the topic of Khatamun Nabiyyeen, looking at the issue from 3 angles i.e. the correct meaning & interpretation of the word ‘Khatim’, Qur’anic References/Hadith and the death of Jesus [as]. Maualana Naseem Bajwa Sahib was requested to provide clarifications and answer questions.

The conference closed with Mualana Naseem Bajwa Sahib reading a brief extract of the writings of Promised Messiah [as] on this subject and silent prayer.

News & Events

At the end of the conference, several Khuddam registered their interest in getting involved with responding to anti-Ahmadi allegations on websites as instructed by Huzur [atba], and being able to help Majlis Ansar Sultanul Qalam research and produce more videos responding to allegations.

Saturday

The second day of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya National Ijtema started with Tahajjud prayer led by Maulana Hafiz Ijaz Tahir Sahib and Fajr Prayer which was led by Tahir Hani Sahib followed by Dars-ul-Malfoozat which was read by Ata-Ur-Rehman Khalid Sahib.

Academic Competitions

The programme of Khuddam Academic competitions started at 9 am on Saturday with the Quiz Competition. The Tilawat and Nazm competitions were also com-

pleted in the afternoon.

The afternoon session commenced after lunch with Zuhr and Asr Prayers led by Maulana Hafiz Ijaz Tahir Sahib.

Sports Competition

Sports events commenced at 9.00am with the following events: • Football • Volleyball • Weightlifting For the first time at the Ijtema Khuddam had the opportunity to participate in a cricket competition. This was well received by all.

Address by Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya and Atfalul Ahmadiyya UK

Zuhr and Asr prayers. Sadr Majlis spoke of the sacrifices that had been made by Khuddam especially in Pakistan and how Khuddam and Atfal should inculcate the spirit of sacrifice. After this session, Sadr Majlis proceeded to the Atfal Gah and addressed the Atfal and encouraged them to resist the negative influences of society that take people away from the way of Allah.

Weather conditions

The weather seemed like it would pose some difficult challenges especially since heavy rainfall took place on Thursday afternoon. It was extremely cold on Friday evening and the rain came and went throughout the Ijtema, at times heavily. However, the programmes were not adversely affected as a result and all planned activities were able to take place.

Sadr Majlis addressed the Majlis after Tariq Magazine October 2010

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News & Events

Huzur [atba] Graces Ijtema with His Presence

BBQ

At 7:15pm Maghrib and Ishaa prayers were led by Huzur [atba].

Barbeque arrangements began at 20:00 at the Regional sites on Saturday evening.

The central barbeque was hosted in the central BBQ area and was attended by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih [atba] and the National Amila along with various other guests including members of Lajna Imaillah. Over 400 guests were invited to the Central BBQ area.

Charity Cheque Presentation

Sunday

Huzur [atba] arrived in Islamabad on Saturday afternoon. Soon after arrival Huzur [atba] proceeded for the flag hoisting session after which a tour of the exhibition marquee took place.

The Charity Cheque Presentation commenced after Maghrib and Ishaa prayers in the Ijtema Gah. Various representatives of the numerous charities supported in the Charity Challenge 2010 were present and by the pure Grace of Allah, in total ÂŁ170,000 was distributed which is a record beating achievement for Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK.

Question & Answer with Majlis Atfalul Ahmadiyya UK

Whilst the Charity Cheque presentation was taking place, Majlis Atfal ul Ahmadiyya UK were given an opportunity to pose questions to Imam Sahib, Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib.

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The final day of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya National Ijtema started with Tahajud prayer. Huzur [atba] led the Fajr Prayer followed by Darsul Hadith which was read by Mansoor Malik Sahib.

Sunday morning was again a continuation of Academics and Sports events, which included speech, extempore speech, the Cricket, Football and volleyball finals.

On Sunday afternoon Huzur [atba] honoured Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK with a photo session and graced us with his presence and watched the climbing, tug of war and Kabaddi exhibition matches.

Concluding Session

Prior to the concluding address, Sadr Majlis, Tommy Kallon, presented the Ijtema Report, following which Huzur [atba] presented the prizes and then delivered the closing address.

During Huzur’s [atba] address, Huzur Aqdas [atba] spoke about the sacrifices of the youths of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Pakistan and also gave examples of the high moral standards of the Companions of the Holy Prophet [saw].

Attendance

The attendance at the Ijtema was 4036 of which 2350 were Khuddam, 1091 were Atfal, 120 were Pre-Atfal and 475 were Guests.

News & Events

Lahore Attacks and Messages of Condolence from various Charities Shiraz,

Dear Shiraz,

Further to your email on Sunday, I wanted to offer my sincerest sympathy and condolences to all Ahmadi’s and especially the families of all those martyred at Prayers on Friday. I hope and pray too for a speedy recovery for all those injured in the attack. Please be assured of our prayers and good wishes for all Ahmadi’s - especially those feeling the pain of loss - at this time. I know that one of our Directors will be writing shortly to Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad but wanted to extend my personal sympathy and condolences at this time.

I just wanted to write to you to say that all here at the fundraising team at Great Ormond Street are thinking of everyone at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association after the terrible events in Pakistan last week.

Best Regards

Yours sincerely,

Paul Morgan Regional Fundraising Manager - Berkshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands

Matt Matt Forrest | Head of Community Fundraising

We are of course tremendously grateful for the support we receive from your organization and are shocked to see such events occur.

Please pass on our sincere condolences and best wishes.

Dear Mr Kallon, I wanted to extend my sincere condolences to you and the whole Ahmadiyya Community for the senseless and horrific attacks that your community have experienced recently in Pakistan. I was truly shocked and incredibly saddened by the news.

I just wanted you to know that you are all in my thoughts.

It is real honour to work so closely with your community under the expert care and guidance of Shiraz Sethi and personally I am always genuinely incredibly moved by the warmth, kindness, compassion and truly altruistic nature of every single Ahmadiyya Muslim I have ever had the privilege to meet.

Thinking of you all at this difficult time.

Kindest regards and best wishes Katherine Katherine Potter | Community Fundraising Manager - Surrey

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Shiraz

Dear Shiraz

We are all horrified to learn of this - please know our thoughts are very much with you and all your colleagues. We will do what we can.

My husband and I were absolutely horrified when we learnt about the bloodbath that had occurred at two of your mosques in Lahore last Friday. It is in comprehendible that anyone would wish to harm fellow human beings, especially in this manner on a holy day at a place of worship. So many lives have been destroyed in this terrible act, not only those who died or who were injured, but the lives of their families and loved ones too.

On a personal note - and I do hope you don’t think this inappropriate (bearing in mind I’m a Christian) but I have prayed for all those involved at my church this evening.

With my best wishes Teresa Teresa Greener | Head of Fundraising

Our thoughts and prayers are with your community, in particular those in Pakistan and those who live in the UK that have relatives in there that may have been involved. John and I have a deep respect for AMYA, all that you do and stand for.

Kind thoughts and wishes.

Eileen Eileen Haffenden | Fundraising Manager – South East

Morning Shiraz

Dear Shiraz

This really is shocking news. I am sure your community will pull together and come out even stronger. My thoughts are with you.

We were devastated to hear the terrible news from Lahore on Friday and send our sympathy to all of you for your loss.

Adam Adam Gallacher | Fundraising & Event Coordinator - London

You have done so much to help others in this world, it is hard to imagine how anyone could commit such an act of violence against you.

I will send letters of condolence as you suggest, but you are all very much in our thoughts at this very sad time and if there is anything we can do to help you, please do get in touch.

With our sympathy, Cathy Cathy Gilman | Chief Executive

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5 Articles A Red Page from Recent History

By Lutf-ur-rehman, Kingston, London

The true believers of God have always through history faced antagonism, dissidence and hardship but they endure with fortitude and forbearance in tribulation and demonstrate the real way of true worshippers. There is no doubt that all such hardships bring pain and suffering, but going through them with élan and courage always brings a new ray of light and life to the believers and becomes a procurance for the revival of their faith.

Sermon at 1:30pm. In about 10 minutes we heard gunfire from outside the mosque. There was worry on everyone’s face but Murabbi Sahib admonished everyone with full composure: “Everybody should stay calm, the sermon will continue” And he restarted the sermon. Gunfire was again heard at the mosque gate followed by a blast, two men sitting near the entrance door of the main hall closed the door from inside but then we heard the door knock by some elderly Jama’at members who were sitting outside on chairs and wanted to come inside the hall and the door was opened again for them. By that time the severity of the incident was not known to anybody inside the mosque and then soon came the first horrible sight of the whole, long, tragic incident. A terrorist with an AK47 Kalashnikov came running towards the main hall door whilst continuously firing bullets on the people standing outside and on the door.

The men standing at the door tried to close the door again but the gunman was able to push his gun between the closing door panels. He was standing outside the door as two people were continuously trying to push the door but the muzzle of his gun was between the panels and he was showering bullets inside the Hall. It was such a tragic scene to see innocent people getting shot.

I am an eye witness to the barbaric, brutal, ruthless and tragic incident of 28th May in Lahore.

I am also an eye witness to the courage, bravery, tranquillity, Great were those serenity and calm shown by the who shed their lives for the sacred cause of Jama’at Ahmadiyya.

Ahmadis who were victims Surely, To Allah we belong and of this attack to Him shall we return A similar kind of tragic and blood ridden red page was recently added in the history of Jama’at Ahmadiyya caused by outrageously inhumane, atrocious and heinous attacks on two Ahmadiyya mosques in Lahore, Pakistan.

86 innocent Ahmadis were martyred and over 150 Ahmadis were seriously injured in these attacks.

(Ch.2:V.47)

I am an eye witness to the barbaric, brutal, ruthless and tragic incident of 28th May in Lahore. I am also an eye witness to the courage, bravery, tranquillity, serenity and calm shown by the Ahmadis who were victims of this attack inside the mosque.

The morning of Friday 28th May 2010 began just as normal as any other day for me except for the fact this was my last day in Lahore because I was travelling to the UK the next day.

I went to Bait-ul-Noor Mosque Model Town a little earlier than usual arriving at 12:45 pm. Whilst sitting in the third row of the main hall, next to a pillar, I was thinking that this may be my last Jumu’ah prayer in this mosque as a member of the Lahore Jama’at as I was shifting permanently to the UK in two days time, unaware of the eternal recognition destined for this mosque in the history of Ahmadiyyat.

Murabbi Mehmood Ahmed Shad Sahib started the Friday

I noticed Murabbi Sahib, as he was in the line of fire and bullets were hitting all around him and the people sitting in the front rows, but he remained standing upright in his position and without any fear or trembling in his voice he was asking all the members to stay calm and recite Darood Shareef.

Everyone in the mosque was sitting in their place and some went close to the walls on Murabbi Sahib’s instructions. I was sitting in the same place when I witnessed the most astounding scene of my life - how all the members were behaving at that moment. There were bullets showering all around us and now bullets were coming also from the side windows of the hall.

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Articles Many people were injured and fell down but there was no wild screaming or panic or anyone running around. Nobody tried to run away from the hall even though there were doors on the other side of the hall close to the boundary wall. The only voices audible around were of gunfire or of different Qur’anic prayers, Darood Shareef and Kalima-e-Tayyaba: “There is none worthy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah” It was such an indescribable moment, the first thought which came to my mind was that today maybe we will all die and return to our Creator. But will anybody be left alive to tell the rest of the world how calmly, courageously and serenely all the unarmed and innocent Ahmadis inside the mosque faced that barbaric act of viciousness? And later Allah saved me along with many others to be a living witness to all that occurred. This was a feeling that I can never forget for the rest of my life and I believe no one else who happened to witness that moment in the mosque, would ever forget this.

The firing was continuing from outside the hall when I called the police emergency number from my mobile but unsurprisingly I got a very reluctant and lame answer from them and I was convinced that nothing at all will be done from their side. Then I called my elder brother Amin-ur-Rehman Sahib Murabbi-e-Silsila in Rabwah and explained to him the situation. By that time the attackers started throwing hand grenades inside the mosque from the broken windows. Firing was still going on and many people were injured and a few Ahmadis had passed away by that time. Murabbi Sahib was still in his position, counselling Jamaat members

with prayers and Darood Shareef till a grenade detonated near him resulting in his martyrdom.

Under heavy gunfire and grenade attacks someone from the main hall shouted to ask if there is any doctor or paramedic present to help the injured? Once again, showing great courage a few doctors and paramedics who were in the basement and were relatively in a safer place rushed to the main hall risking their own lives to help their brothers. Allah is the only one to reward such great people who put their own lives in danger just to save others.

Later the attackers blasted the second door of the main hall and one gunman burst inside. He had the gun in his hand along with many hand grenades and was wearing a suicide jacket. He started shooting people one by one in front where mainly elderly people were sitting.

And then there was the most courageous and sacrificial act from an elderly Ahmadi who rushed towards the attacker to seize him knowing that the gunman will shoot him but maybe he thought with this he can save others’ lives. His brave act did not go in vain as when the gunman became busy in shooting this elderly Ahmadi, another young Ahmadi grasped the terrorist from his waist and threw him down. One person snatched his gun and another person held the attacker’s hand as he was trying to blast his suicide jacket. He was pinned down by innocent, peace loving and unarmed but courageous and spirited Ahmadis.

His jacket was then removed and he was held down and later he was handed over to the police.

The second attacker was outside the main hall and was injured by our Khuddam on security duty and he was also held alive

and was handed over to the police who were still waiting outside the mosque and entered inside only when the attackers were seized and the firing stopped.

The injured were rushed to the hospitals

by Ambulances and survivors who had their own transport. The scene at the hospitals also displayed the lofty values and spirit of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at as it looked as though the whole of the Lahore Jama’at had turned up to help their brothers, even though many had their family members and friends martyred and injured in the incident. The way everyone took care of each other was not something to forget. It seemed like the people who were injured themselves were not in that much pain but rather it was the others who were there to help.

May Allah grant them all His blessings.

We pray to Allah to grant health and wellbeing to all the injured and may Allah provide succour to the families of the bereaved and may He elevate the status of martyrs in heaven, Ameen.

This act of brutality has not at all shaken any Ahmadi from his belief but has given him a new strength to face anything that comes in the path of the faith. Every Ahmadi wherever he is in the world is grieved but not shaken and is a true picture of Huzur (atba)’s saying.

In the words of the Promised Messiah [as] “All those who shall persevere unto the last, though distress descends on them….. they shall triumph in the end and doors of blessings shall be opened to them” (Al Wasiyyat p.10)

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Articles

An Account of the Lahore Attacks by Sohaeb Malik of Lahore, Pakistan I along with my father reached Dar-ul-Zikr Mosque at about 1:20pm on 28th May 2010. After doing ablution we entered the main prayer hall at about 1:25pm. As soon as Murabbi Sahib started the Friday Sermon we heard a burst of automatic weapon fire.

Everyone in the prayer hall was initially stunned but calm prevailed after a few seconds. Once again the same firing was heard and was continuous. Amir Jama’at Lahore, late Munir Ahmad Shaikh Sahib, advised everyone to lie down and recite Qur’anic verses. In the meanwhile hand grenade blasts were also heard. At this moment everyone became convinced that the Mosque was under terrorist attack.

After about one hour a blast was heard near the room and someone tried to open the door but in vain. It was getting hot and suffocating inside the rooms, I luckily found cold water bottles in the kitchen and brought them for the people with me. Everyone showed discipline and only took one or two sips and passed the water on to the others. Meanwhile my father was being informed through friends on his cell phone about the progress of the police operation which started very late as reported by the different news channels. One man among us once peeped outside the window and told us that he saw dead bodies lying all around and there was no sign of the police.

At about 4:15pm we observed through the windows a few police men running along the outside boundary wall.

My father asked them to give all of us a protective shield so that we all could run out of the room all the way to the main exit of the mosque as the firing was still continuing on the roof of the mosque.

After consultation we opened the door. The moment I got out of the room I was stunned by the horrifying view of blood pools and dead bodies laying everywhere and a few bodies were piled up on each other in the stairs corridor. Smashed glass had covered most of the floor which created some cuts under our feet as we were all bare foot.

Everyone From the sound of the gunfire I tried to guess how far away showed discipline the terrorists were when eventually one of the Mosque’s volunteer and only took one or two guards ran inside and shouted that the terrorists are sips and passed the water on to coming inside and at the same time he tried to close the the others. Meanwhile my father interior iron gates to the main hall.

I and my father was being informed through were still lying in the main hall when friends on his cell phone about I heard a big blast at the door where the Imam leads the prayer. the progress of the police That was the time when I grabbed the hand of my father and ran outside of the operation… hall towards the main veranda along with other people but many still remained in the main hall.

We took shelter for one or two minutes under the stairs which links the main hall from outside to the first floor, Then we rushed towards the room of Murabbi Sahib located at the eastern side of the mosque about 25 yards behind the main hall across the veranda. We were in total approximately 80 to 90 people. After taking refuge in the room, continuous firing and bomb blasts could be heard from different parts of the mosque and sometimes near to that room also. Initially all people were a little scared. I took the initiative of motivating the people and asked them to relax and keep silent, I also advised everyone to lie down and keep away from the doors and windows. I along with other youngsters tried to secure the room by placing furniture items in front of the doors and windows. Everyone was praying in his own way.

We would have to run approximately 200 yards to get out of the mosque under continuous firing. When my father and myself were out of the mosque on the main road, we saw a large number of police contingents standing and this made me wonder why they weren’t entering the mosque to start the rescue operation on a full scale? Indeed, after 3 hours since the attack started we only saw 3 to 4 police men inside.

Also, all the media channel mobile vans were present at the spot. Hundreds of local people were standing at the far side as spectators to what was happening.

Even today, when I think of the handling by the police of the situation it really irks my mind. Apart from that, after the incident my father continues to receive threatening phone calls from the heartless enemies of Ahmadiyyat. May Allah keep all Ahmadis in Pakistan in His Special Protection.

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Articles

Dangers of Engaging in Un–Islamic Relationships

By Yousef Walker, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Kuwait

Introduction

on the road to the perpetual hereafter and that by being so short sighted they place their good standing in the eyes of Almighty Allah in jeopardy.

The Qur’an states: “ Your wives are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them.”

(Ch.2:V.188) In his Five Volume Commentary on the Holy Qur’an, Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad [ra] explains that this sentence: “… very beautifully describes the object of marriage … that the object of marriage is not the gratification of carnal passions. The real object is the comfort, protection and embellishment of the parties … Thus in a very few words, the Quran has described the true relationship that should exist between husband and wife, a description which has hardly a parallel in any other scripture.”

More and more today, we see young members of the Jama’at: (1) entering into relationships with the opposite sex prior to marriage; and (2) in some cases seeking to somehow make the relationship “halal” by marrying their partner. Further, where in such marriages one of the parties is not an Ahmadi, very often, he or she becomes an Ahmadi just prior to the marriage; and whereas only Almighty Allah knows the truth of each Bai’at, it is not such a far stretch to assume that, in some of these cases, Bai’ats occur primarily to continue such relationships without Jama’at sanction, rather than for the sake of Almighty Allah.

Where this is the case, such persons have a deluded view as to the proper object of marriage; and, whereas, they may believe such marriages may protect them from Jama’at sanction, they should realise that this world is merely the first stepping stone

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Thus, the purpose of this article is to warn against the real dangers of pursuing intimate unmarried relationships; the futility of trying to correct such relationship by seeking to make them “halal” via marriage; and what steps we should take in order to keep ourselves out of temptations way when it comes to relationships which are deemed haram in Islam. I would also like to mention that this article is aimed as much at parents as it is at our unmarried youth.

The Dangers & Solutions We have to start by asking what lies at the root of such behaviour? It is my humble opinion that in the vast majority of cases it must be the lack of love, respect, training and discipline provided to children by parents. If a parent does not show a child true love and care, if a parent does not respect the rights and legitimate wants and needs of a child as they are growing up, if a parent does not care enough to teach their children the difference between right and wrong and say no to a child where it is in their best interests to do so. Indeed, in the context of this article, if a parent does not teach their child what constitutes a halal relationship and what constitutes a haram relationship, then how can we ever expect our children to respect the teachings of Islam - including continuous obedience to parents - if the relative control a parent has over their children diminishes as children grow through puberty and into adulthood.

Articles Love and respect does not mean always agreeing to the wants of the child. This is fine insofar as such requests benefit or at least do not harm a child spiritually, but where such requests run counter to a child’s spiritual wellbeing, parents need to refuse such requests and train their children in order that they alter their perception to what is wholesome and pure. Parents must reflect upon the teachings of the Qur’an, for in one place Almighty Allah states: “Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day and yet they love those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers, or their sons or their brethren, or their kindred. These are they in whose hearts Allah has inscribed true faith and whom He has strengthened with inspiration from Himself. And He will admit them into Gardens through which streams flow. Therein will they abide. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah’s party.

Hearken ye O people! it is Allah’s party who will be successful.”

the relative wants and needs of their children. Some children need more parental supervision than others and some children may want to marry sooner than others. Let us avoid reaching a situation wherein we sacrifice the genuine wants and needs of our children for our own selfish, or less important, desires as parents.

As Muslims, there are many things which non-Muslims take pleasure from which Muslims can also take pleasure from.

However, the one distinction is that for a Muslim all things must be halal. Thus, I can eat the very same piece of succulent lamb that a non-Muslim can eat; however, it is only that such meat should be prepared in a halal way and that I should remember Almighty Allah before and after eating it. In the same way, whereas a non-Muslim may enjoy a relationship with the opposite sex, including companionship, support, love, intimate relations and so on, this is also open to a Muslim so long as the relationship is conducted in a halal manner (i.e. under the institution of marriage).

Furthermore, the first and foremost purpose of such relationship should be to further each other’s closeness to Almighty Allah, “not the gratification of carnal passions”.

First (Ch.58:V.23) and foremost we Further, this training of our children must start from should cultivate a strong their birth. Olympic athletes train very hard for many bond with our Creator, Allah years and from a Every unmarried very young age to person should ask attain their goal themselves, am I the Almighty, through prayer. of reaching their a Muslim? If the peak performance answer is yes, then Secondly, we have to try and level; it does what do I intend not just happen to get out of having a overnight. It is a relationship the keep ourselves away from those opposite sex?withIf one balance of their diet, training, equipment, considers themselves circumstances which would psychology, finances, a Muslim then he is support systems, required to fulfil all of the coaching and so on. tenets Islam. Islam is not allow us to be exposed with a ‘pick andof mix’ Similarly, how can a parent religion, where expect their child to be a true one can choose what he likes and greater temptation. what he does not.There are, of course, servant of Almighty Allah unless they start training their children from an early age about what it means to be a true Muslim through obedience, sacrifice, prayer, kindness, steadfastness, financial sacrifice and so on.

One cannot suddenly command a child at 15 or 16 years of age to start praying, fasting or, in the case of a girl, begin wearing the headscarf. If a child does respond in such instances, it is more likely to be out of fear of their parents than due to real taqwa in the heart of a child. In the same way, if parents do not teach their children from an early age about the etiquettes of Purdah; about those boundaries that girls and boys, men and women, should maintain between them and not cross, about what constitutes halal and haram relationships, then how can one expect that when you pack them off to School each day or, more worryingly, off alone to university for several years that your child will not cross such boundaries.

Parents should continuously pray for their children, for indeed the prayers of a parent are sacred in the Eyes of Almighty Allah.

Furthermore, parents need to also keep an eye and monitor

varying degrees of Muslims, but we should aim to exhibit continuous obedience and improvement in all of the tenets of Islam. For those who do try to pick and mix, it will never work; if, for instance, you pray, pay Zakat, are good to your parents and so on, yet you are in a relationship with an unmarried partner then it will never work since such a major sin will act as a cancer and as any good doctor will tell you, a cancer may start in only one small isolated part of the body but without treatment it will spread to other parts of the body and eventually kill you; or in this case your iman (faith). You should also consider this, a person may be able to lie to all those around them including the Jama’at, and carry on as if everything is fine, but we cannot lie to ourselves and, more importantly, to Almighty Allah, the Knower of all things. Thus, by burdening yourself with such a big sin, how will you ever be able to acquire true and lasting sincerity in any of the good things you do.

I would also like to mention that having an illicit relationship is not something a person just falls into, or suddenly decides Tariq Magazine October 2010

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Articles one day to partake in. Rather, it is a consequence of many other actions and inactions. First and foremost as a preventative measure, we should have, and try to cultivate, a strong bond with our Creator, Allah the Almighty, through prayer. If we do not seek out Allah’s help then why should we expect Him to protect us from the many bad temptations of the world, and when faced with such temptation, to take the proper wholesome course of action. One must be mindful of the verse of the Qur’an: “The Hour will surely come; there is no doubt about it; yet most men believe not. And your Lord says: ‘Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer (ad’uni astajib lakum)’. But those who are too proud to worship Me will surely enter Hell, despised.”

(Ch.40:V.60-61) Secondly, we have to try and keep ourselves away from those circumstances which would allow us to be exposed with greater temptation. If we do not try to respect the boundaries of Purdah that Almighty Allah has prescribed for us in the Holy Qur’an and the teachings of our most beloved Holy Prophet [saw] then we only have ourselves to blame when we undoubtedly eventually succumb to such temptation. One should also keep in mind the beautiful guidance contained in the following Qur’anic verse: “And go not nigh unto adultery; surely, it is a manifest indecency and an evil way.”

(Ch.17:V.33) This verse not only forbids us from committing ourselves to illicit sexual acts but goes further and forbids us from even approaching such illicitness (la taqrabu). We are, therefore, forbidden from any environment or invitation that might lead us to illicitness.

An unmarried Muslim friend once confided in me that he had been in relationships with girls and that he was conflicted over such behaviour vis-a-vis his obligations as a Muslim. Once I started to delve further it turned out that he had fallen in with a group of friends who were in the habit of going to bars and clubs where he would be exposed to alcohol and members of the opposite sex. My initial advice was that he had to pray hard to Almighty Allah and seek His Protection from such temptation. I then advised that he had to immediately stop associating with such friends including going out with them to such places because if he was subjecting himself to such an environment then it was only natural that he would fall prey to its effects; if you put your hand into the fire then expect to get burnt.

Some of us may try to fool ourselves into thinking that we are stronger in our faith than others; that we can go to places and do things which expose us to temptation and yet be able to withstand such temptation and keep our beliefs intact.

However, in response I would say that Islam makes certain rules that are for the good of all people not just the majority or few, and Purdah is one such rule. Only Almighty Allah knows what is in our hearts and how strong we really are. Further, if we put ourselves in temptations way by disregarding Almighty Allah’s

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rules on maintaining Purdah, then how can we expect to gain Allah’s protection from Shaytan. A true Muslim would never be so arrogant as to think that they could remain pious without the continued support and succour of Allah the Almighty. The Holy Qur’an states: “Direct the believing men to restrain their eyes at looking at women outside the prohibited degrees so openly as to be sexually excited by them, and cultivate the habit of guarding their looks. For, instance, they should not listen to the singing or charming voice of women outside the prohibited degrees nor should they listen to descriptions of their beauty. This is a good way of preserving the purity of their looks and hearts. In the same way, direct the believing women that they should restrain their eyes from looking at men outside the prohibited degrees and should safeguard their ears against listening to the passionate voice of such men. They should cover up their beauty and should not disclose it to anyone outside the prohibited degrees.”

(Ch.24: V.31-32 as translated by the Promised Messiah [as] in The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam).

We live in a Western society where there is a constant temptation for people to be popular and fall in with the crowd whether that be amongst our non-Muslim friends, fellow students, work colleagues and so on. However, we have to always remember that first and foremost we are Muslims. We may be British, from a particular area, of a particular ethnicity and so on, but these are all just accidents of birth and/or a product of our environment. We are first and foremost Muslims, thus anything else which would expose us to a risk of compromising that fundamental fact should be eradicated from our lives. We should of course fully embrace the society in which we live and in a positive manner. After all, we have an obligation to help our fellow mankind and to share the sweet message of Islam.

However, where any such contact could potentially interfere with the proper practice of our religion, then we should refrain from such contact. I also suspect that when someone is looking to become engaged in a ‘non-Halal’ relationship the preaching of the sweet message of Islam is furthermost from his or her mind.

Finally, we should always remember the second Condition of Bai’it which states,: “That he/she shall keep away from falsehood, fornication, adultery, trespasses of the eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion, and will not permit himself/herself to be carried away by passions, however strong they might be.”

May Allah allow us to remain under His protection and to refrain from engaging in acts which would displease Him and take us away from our religion. May Almighty Allah grant us the strength to both remember and benefit from the following prayer: “Our Lord, grant us of our spouses and children the delight of our eyes, and make each of us a leader of the righteous.”

(Ch.25:V.75)

[ameen]

Articles

The Philosophy Behind the Migration undertaken by Godly Communities

By Mujeebur Rahman, Keighley Jama’at (based on a speech by Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra] Swaneh Fazle Umar, Vol 3) An incident took place between about 2,300 and 2,400 years ago. A man in Greece taught that there was only One God. And those deities and idols that people worshipped were false.

However, angels of God do exist and they are responsible for the proper functioning of different parts of the Universe. He also taught that the Will of God Almighty is manifested to His righteous servants and His angels manifest themselves to His pious believers and they continue to communicate revelations to them. He also taught that a citizen must be obedient and loyal to the government of the land. The citizen must demand his needs from the government in a peaceful manner if he wants to establish peace in the world. If he loses confidence in the government and he feels it is preventing him from practicing his faith and subjects him to cruelties in order to force him to give up his religion, then he must leave that country for one that gives its citizens the freedom to practice any religion. All these teachings are also found in the Holy Qur’an. This indicates that he was a Prophet of God. This man was known as Socrates.

When the government realised that the teachings of Socrates opposed the State, they took legal action and passed the sentence of death by poisoning. The State did not fix a date for his death, however, it was decreed that he would die on the day after the arrival of a certain a ship, which had set sail from a known destination.

Among the followers of Socrates were influential men who wielded some authority. They went to him and pressured him to leave the country.

Plato was also among the followers of Socrates. He writes in one of his books that one day a follower of Socrates by the name of Crito went to visit him in prison. Socrates was enjoying a peaceful sleep. He wore a cheerful expression and his body expressed an unusual calm and tranquillity. Crito sat beside him and gazed affectionately at his contented expression. His peaceful slumber left a deep impression upon him. He did not wake him but continued to gaze upon him in silence.

Socrates awoke to see Crito staring at him adoringly. He asked Crito when he had arrived and wondered how the keeper of the prison had let him in. He replied that he had come to see him. Socrates asked how he had arrived at the break of dawn.

Crito replied that the keeper of the prison was his friend and so he granted him access. He wanted to discuss a very important matter with Socrates. He said it seemed that Crito had been here some time ago but had not bothered to awaken him. Here is their dialogue.

Crito: When I entered the room you were sleeping and there was a cheerful expression upon your face so I did not awaken you but sat and stared at your expression. I was deeply moved

by the calm and tranquil sleep of a man condemned to death.

Socrates: Why Crito, can any man reverse the Will of God Almighty?

Crito: No Socrates: Are you not happy with the Will of God? Crito: Yes, we are happy with the Will of God. Socrates: Since God Almighty has ordained death for me and I am satisfied with His decision then why the need for aggravation. I should be happy that God wishes death for me.

Tell me what you came to inform me at this hour, Crito.

Crito: I come to bring you a message which is sad and painful.

The ship on the arrival of which you are to die has not actually arrived, but she will probably be here this evening and therefore tomorrow will be the last day of your life.

Socrates began to laugh.

Socrates: I do not think the ship will arrive today, it will be here tomorrow.

Crito: The ship is anchored at Sunium. A man has come from there by land and he tells us that the ship will be here this evening. Tomorrow is out of the question.

Socrates: No doubt the fellow has said the ship will be here this evening but when God Almighty has informed me the ship will be here tomorrow then so shall it be.

Crito: My Master! How do you know the ship will be here tomorrow?

Socrates: In a dream I saw a beautiful woman came to me, who called to me and said: O Socrates, be prepared! On the third day the gates of heaven will be open to you. Hence, the ship will arrive here tomorrow and I shall be sentenced to death the day after tomorrow.

Hence, this is exactly what happened. A storm came and the ship was delayed. It arrived the following day and he was killed the day after.

Crito: Why are you being stubborn? Be persuaded by me and do as I say. Do you not feel any remorse for us? If you stay alive we will benefit from you immensely. Would it not be better to escape to another country? For men will love you in other places to which you may go, if you like to go to them, they will value and protect you, and will give you no trouble.

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Articles Socrates: How can I escape from this country? Shall I disguise myself as a woman? People will say Socrates disguised himself as a woman to escape. Or should I disguise myself in animal hide? Will this be dignified behaviour?

Crito: That is true but we will get you out without such disguises.

I am a wealthy man. My means, which are certainly ample, are at your service. The army officers are my subordinates and ready to serve. I have agreed with them how they are to help me in this matter. They shall escort you to another land in a dignified manner.

Among the places he also mentioned Crete.

Socrates: Do you know what will happen then? A large sum will be charged by way of penalty. Do you think it is wise for me to financially ruin the life of one of my students for the sake of life and freedom?

Crito: Do not worry about this my Master. You have many students, if you have a scruple about spending all mine, here are strangers who will give you the use of theirs. Many others are prepared to spend their money in helping you to escape.

Socrates: This is all well and good but when the government finds out they will send you all to prison.

Crito: Yes Master, but they will release us after a short stretch.

Socrates: Would it be dignified to send my students to prison to save my life?

Crito: But think about it Master. You will teach people about virtue and show them the path that leads to God. This is such an honourable, glorious and lofty task that we are ready to forsake our freedom for it.

Socrates: All well and good and maybe this is something worth thinking about. But Crito, I am 85 years of age. If I die while migrating to another country, who will consider me wise?

What did I teach you about this government under whose laws you are a subject?

Crito: You always taught us to be loyal to the government of the day.

Socrates: I have been teaching you this all my life. If out of fear of death I escape from this country then the whole world will say that I was a deceitful hypocrite. I cannot repudiate my own words: the principles, which I have hitherto honoured and revered, I still honour. Is it right for us to break the law and escape from a government that is cruel? No government on earth considers itself cruel. If I play truant and escape to another country, what would be the impact and significance of my words on others. Everyone will say he did not follow his own teaching. I was born in this State under this government and after my claim I spent 40 years of my life here. Did I not have the chance to leave this country throughout the 40 years? The State will argue that if we were so cruel, why did he not migrate during the 40 years? On the contrary, he was so impressed with our sense of justice that he did not even leave the city. How will I answer these charges?‌In summary, I will remain here and will not take any action against the State.

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As has already been stated, Socrates claimed to be the recipient of Divine revelation. He provided a definite example of his revelation by professing that the ship would not arrive until the next day. He said my Lord has stated that on the third day the gates of heaven will be laid open to you. This shows that he was a man who benefited from God’s succour and support. He did not even think about escaping from his abode.

Some members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community also questioned Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra] over his decision to leave Qadian after the Partition of India in 1947. He had himself stated that he would not leave Qadian. Later in the 1980s, his illustrious son, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV [rh] was also faced with the question of migration. In this instance, the government had created a situation whereby he could no longer function as a Khalifa if he chose to stay in Pakistan. However, he was not prepared to leave the country in disguise.

The case of Socrates in Greece was similar to the case of the Hadhrat Musleh Maud [ra] in Qadian and Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad [rh] in Pakistan.

However, we also find another example of another prophet of God. It was decreed that prophet Jesus [as] would again establish the kingdom of the Jews in the earth. However, at one point he faced such dire circumstances that the whole country became his bitter enemy and their opposition took on a frightful and dangerous demeanour. The Jews bitterly complained about him before the representatives of the State.

Just as the magistrates in Greece judged Socrates a rebel, in the same way the Palestinian magistrates adjudged Jesus Christ [as] a rebel. Both faced similar charges. Socrates stayed to face the death sentence because it was according to the Will of God Almighty.

When Jesus Christ [as] was told he must die on the cross he said I am not ready to accept this. I will make every endeavour to escape from this punishment and this is what he did. He was taken down from the cross alive. He remained in the tomb for two or three days. He was removed from the tomb safe and sound. He met his disciples and journeyed though Nasibain (Nasibus), Iran and Afghanistan until he reached India. He first went to Madras and then onto Kangra. However, due to the inclement weather in Kangra he journeyed on through the mountains of Tibet until he reached Kashmir.

These incidents raise a fundamental question. Why did Socrates stay and face death while Jesus Christ [as] made every effort to escape? Both were prophets of God, both emanated from the same Divine source. Was Socrates an impostor or did Jesus Christas make a fatal mistake by going against the Will of God? The truth is that Socrates was sent to the very city which decided to murder him. Socrates was not sent as a reformer for those places to which his students were willing to smuggle him.

Socrates was not commissioned by God to take his message to other nations. However, Jesus Christ [as] was told that he must convey his message to all the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And these sheep, 10 out of the 12 tribes of Israel in fact, lived in Iran, Afghanistan and Kashmir.

6 Career Focus Banking

By Ahmad Salam

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful.

I was asked to write a few lines on how I managed to reach the stage I am at now in the hope that it may inspire a few of our youth, or, more importantly, help them to ensure they do not make similar mistakes in life.

Let me start off by saying that my generation did not have the access to the breadth of Jama’at professionals for advice and mentoring that is available now, by the Grace of Allah. We didn’t really have role models to whom we could turn for advice and support when we made mistakes and were called upon to make tough decisions for ourselves. The generation who reads this article, if any one does, has a great variety of professionals within the Jama’at, in almost every field; and the point is that if we don’t have that discipline within the members directly, we will know someone and so the power of the network becomes critical.

When I chose to do economics at Alevel, as it was in those days, I thought I wanted to make money and so something finance related could be a good start. I didn’t really have anyone to speak to who could give me some guidance as to what the City was like from the inside.

And of course the City of then was very, very different to the City of today. There were virtually no Pakistanis or Indians in those days; no non-white people. There were certainly no Muslims that I could find. But the City was also very different in one crucial respect; it was a place of integrity, of morals and where a man’s word was still his bond. And of course it was very male dominated.

I started at NM Rothschild, a prominent Jewish owned-bank, and I was asked as a Muslim, why would I want to join such a bank. My answer then and now was that whilst your University and the prestige and calibre of your University was your

passport to your first job; your first job and the platform it provided was the passport to your subsequent career, and I think the same still applies to this day; so Rothschild was one of the most prestigious names in the industry, and my view was if they were willing to hire me as a professional, then I should take the same view and join them. Their heritage and roots were of no consequence. They were one of the best.

I spent nearly four years at the bank and learnt a great deal as I was sent on a tour around the whole bank which lasted 6 months and this gave me great insight into the workings of merchant/investment banks. I also learned how to interact with people; to work to tight deadlines, to observe total confidentiality and to also make sure I observed the requirements of my Islamic faith. I do recall one instant when I was due to have lunch with a broker who serviced me, remember this was the time of lunches in pubs.

So when the broker called in the morning and said which pub would I like to meet in, and I replied, I don’t drink as I am a Muslim, there was a long moment of silence as the broker didn’t know what to say, then finally blurted out “well shall we go for a walk or something?” Just incredible now, but in those days the alcohol lunch was the norm.

I then joined another UK merchant bank, J. Henry Schroder Wagg, which again was another revered and prestigious name. This was the time of the greatest upheaval in the City, the “Big Bang” as it was known when the City regulations of ownership were loosened and foreigners were allowed in to buy UK Banks and brokers. It was a very exciting time and I stayed at Schroder’s for a couple of years working on the corporate desk. My job was to advise UK and international companies on what was happening in the currency markets; the bond and debt markets and helping these companies to invest their cash and also how to hedge

to minimise the market risks to their business. I enjoyed this advisory side and it allowed me to form trusting relationships with the companies themselves.

I managed to do a reasonable job and was headhunted to join Chase Manhattan Investment Bank, the big American power house. This was my first move into a big major league financial institution. It was a very different style of bank; people were aggressive, pushy, ruthless and very political. It was very different to the gentle old-fashioned world of UK merchant banking that I had come from.

Here you had to not only do your job very well and under huge pressure, but also know which person to stay close to and which person’s reputation was in the ascendancy and who would help promote your career. I wasn’t good at this as I simply wanted to get on with my job and didn’t want to play politics of sucking up to the right person. I had made the move because they were offering to double my salary and the prospect of working for a great deal more money etc was too tempting. With the benefit of hindsight if I had had the benefit of speaking to something and taking some sound advice, I may not have made this move and would have stayed at Schroder’s. I did not think necessarily in a long term constructive manner, but looked at a short term gain.

Chase was heavily exposed to large scale lending to South American countries and when they defaulted on these loans, the bank found itself in trouble and had to cut costs. I survived four rounds of redundancy and then by the fifth I could guess that my name would come up. I was not very good at the politics game.

I was right. The manner of their informing me was pretty cruel and ruthless and reflected the nature of the bank.

So I left and immediately began to think if I should do something else with my life. My thoughts included giving up my Tariq Magazine October 2010

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career in banking and maybe joining the United Nations or the World Bank. But the prospect of moving to the US did not fill me with excitement.

I want to make an important point here: I always knew, being the only son that my first priority in life was to my parents and their welfare and wellbeing.

Throughout my career I have had fantastic and life changing opportunities to move abroad and work either in Asia, the US, or the Gulf. This would mean uprooting my parents and losing that key link that I had with the community, the Mosque and the Khalifa. The option was always tempting, but my duty was to take care of my parents and so I always turned down every offer, knowing that I was taking a greater risk staying in the UK, but in the long term I was doing the right thing. I make no bones about the fact that some of my contemporaries who went abroad and have done very well in their careers and are financially very stable and independent. Indeed some have retired, but that was the price I was happy to pay for the spiritual and moral benefits I have gained.

So I stayed in London and spent 6 months trying to find a new job. By Allah’s Grace I was able to find a job with a large French investment bank; Paribas.

This was my first exposure to a European culture; it was much more restrictive and much more racist. I recall to this day that I remember asking one of the English guys I was closer to, why I had met 16 people so far and everyone seemed to

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want to interview me and he said “you have to remember we have never hired a Pakistani before!” Of course nowadays this comment would be totally illegal, but back then it wasn’t so clear cut. I accepted the job because by now I needed the money. I found it much harder to break into this European group and there were considerable cultural barriers to overcome. I didn’t feel comfortable and was lucky to be offered a chance to be part of a team move to CSFB. This was a great move to one of the true investment banking power houses. I stayed as long as I could manage; but as the bank was one of the first to move to Canary Wharf, I found the commute to be simply awful. Remember in those days Canary Wharf was only approachable by road.

There was no Jubilee line, no DLR, and so we were all given subsidised car parking spaces and my commute to Putney in those days took up to 3 hours a day.

There were none of the shops or amenities you see now and you would literally come in the morning at around 7.30am go into the building, and stay there all day until 7pm ish. Lunch was served in the staff canteen and the most one could do was go for a walk around the deserted building site that was Canary Wharf.

I had just recently got married and to come home tired and stressed wasn’t a great start to the relationship. So something had to go and I wisely chose the bank!

I decided that the big banks were great in terms of prestige etc, but they did

not respect human beings particularly.

You were just a simply a tool to generate revenues; the idea of going back to a smaller more focussed institution appealed which I did. I felt much more comfortable in an environment where I didn’t have to fight politics and my colleagues to gain “brownie points” with my bosses. I have never been good at playing politics and I finally recognised this.

I was much happier and settled. I continued my focus on the Gulf institutions and had developed a reasonable knowledge of how to business in the Gulf. I noticed the Gulf Arabs still had a huge preference to hire Anglo Saxon types and though their South Asian counterparts were often much more capable, more loyal and just better employees, they were not given much responsibility.

I also have to say that I have observed that whatever the title or seniority of an employee in a Gulf institution, the final decision is always made by the local individual. The Arabs are very loyal people and if you are fair with them, treat them with respect and be totally transparent, they will allow you to make mistakes and lose money; providing you keep them engaged. This sadly means that unscrupulous operators take advantage of their good nature and they have often been taken for a ride by a variety of people.

I then began my interest in Islamic Finance. In my next article I will write more about this industry and the issues around it.

7 Books of the Promised Messiah [as] In every issue of Tariq Magazine, 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 Brahin–i–Ahmadiyya.

Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya

The first and the second volumes of Brahinthat he got this challenge (with prize) printed in i-Ahmadiyya were published in 1880 CE, such bold letters that a page of almost 10” the third volume in 1882 and the fourth length had only seven lines on it and it volume in 1884. The fifth volume was spread over pages 24 to 52.

“Let it be clear to all the seekers took, under the divine scheme, a long time to be published. It saw When the Christians and the after truth that the reason why this the light of the day after 1905.

Hindus saw the first volume, book has been compiled is that the proofs they became furious and talked When the book started to most irrelevantly but none of of the truth of Islam and the proofs of the be written and published, them succeeded in taking up the British Government was the challenge sincerely. Hadhrat excellence of the Holy Qur’an and the proofs well established in the subAhmad [as] then explained to of the truth of the prophethood of the Holy continent of India and in its his readers that he never had any wake the Christian religion was intention to injure the feelings of Prophet [saw] are made known to getting itself entrenched with the people. What he actually wanted great force and speed. The statistics to do and what he was doing was to the people with the greatest clarity” show that whereas there were 91,000 prove intellectually that Islam was a Christians in India in 1851 CE, there better religion than every other religion. were no less than 470,000 in 1881 CE. The He said the days had passed when stories were increase in number was simply unprecedented. considered to be sufficient to prove that a religion was a living and practical religion.

The onslaught of the Christian missionaries was mostly directed towards the Muslims. Followers of some other religions, like Hadhrat Ahmad [as] has made mention of the following six Hinduism, also did not lag behind in attacking Islam. Arya points about this book: Samaj was particularly opposed to all that was connected with Islam and the Muslims.

1. It contains all the truths based on the principles of the knowledge of religion; all the truths that put together can It was in these circumstances that Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam be called Islam.

Ahmad [as] who later on claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, took up his pen to prove the truth of Islam and the 2. It contains 300 proofs: strong, conclusive and convincing of excellence of the Holy Qur’an. As for the reason why he wrote the truth of Islam. his book Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya, he says: 3. It contains answers to the allegations, accusations, objections “Let it be clear to all the seekers after truth that the reason why and whimsical views of the opponents of Islam like Jews, this book entitled Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya ala haqiqati kitabilla hil Christians, Magians, Aryas, Brahmins, idol worshippers, Qur ‘an wannubuwwatil Mohammadiyya (the proofs of the truth atheists, naturalists and non-religious people. of the Book of Allah - the Holy Qur’an, and the prophethood of Muhammad [saw] has been compiled is that the proofs of the 4. It contains a discussion on the basic religious beliefs of the truth of Islam and the proofs of the excellence of the Holy Qur’an followers of other religions. and the proofs of the truth of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet [saw], the Khatamun Nabiyyeen, may God’s choicest blessings 5. It contains the explanation of the secrets of the Word of be upon him, are made known to the people with the greatest clarity God. The wisdom of the Holy Qur’an becomes manifest and all those who do not believe in the sacred book and chosen throughout. prophet, are silenced with perfect intellectual proofs in a way that they cannot open their mouths any more.”

6. All the discussions have been penned with great coolness and fineness and in perfect accordance with the rules of Hadhrat Ahmad [as] offered a prize of 10,000 rupees to discussion; everything has been said in a lucid manner and anyone who could refute these proofs and give even one-fifth understanding has been made easy. of these proofs in favour of his own religion, scripture and Prophet. He was so anxious to make things clear to the people Tariq Magazine October 2010

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Books of the Promised Messiah [as] The third volume starts with a mention of the poor condition of the Muslims and Hadhrat Ahmad [as] has shown great concern for them. It contains the external and internal proofs of the truth and excellence of the Holy Qur’an. This topic has been discussed at length and quite a number of details have been mentioned in the marginal notes.

The fourth volume begins with the list of the topics discussed in the book. It makes mention of the proofs of the need of the Word of God (revelation) and asserts that the perfect faith and God realisation which is all important for salvation can be achieved through the revelation of God. It also mentions the excellent and unique interpretation of the Sura Fatiha and also some other verses of the Holy Qur’an; the teachings of Vedas are devoid of the idea of the Oneness of God; Pundit Dayanand silenced and the prophecy about his death of which many people were informed beforehand came to pass; the comparison of the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the New Testament; prophecies which many people were told beforehand; the miracles of Jesus Christ [as], and what is the real salvation and how it can be obtained.

At the close of the fourth volume, Hadhrat Ahmad [as] added a note which is entitled ‘We and our Book’. In it he says that when he started writing this book things were different from what they are now. He remarked that a sudden manifestation of God the like of which was shown to Moses [as] had been received by him and he had heard the voice of God Who said: ‘Verily I am your Lord’, and thereafter such secrets of spiritual heights were made known to him as could never be gotten through the medium of wit and intelligence. He further said that he now had no control over this book and it was God alone Who knew how it would proceed.

The fifth volume of Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya was published no less than 23 years after the publication of the fourth volume.

This volume starts with a description of the true and living religion and stresses the point that a true and living religion must have the miraculous manifestation of the words and deeds of the Almighty God. Any religion that is not true and is not living will certainly be devoid of these manifestations.

Hadhrat Ahmad [as] then continues to explain what a miracle really is and why it is essential that the miracles must take place. He adds that the living miracle and not merely the stories of the old are the sure sign of a living religion.

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In the second chapter of the volume, Hadhrat Ahmad [as] makes mention of the fulfilment of what had been outlined in the first four volumes, almost 25 years back. During this period a large number of prophecies had come to pass and hundreds of his revelations had been mentioned to the people with the result that all those people were witnesses to those revelations.

He also shows to his readers the succour that he had received from God on all the occasions. All these things, he says, are a proof of the truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace and blessings of Allah and also they, quite clearly, show that he (Hadhrat Ahmad [as]) was true in all the claims that he had made in respect of his having been commissioned

by God. There is a lengthy supplement attached to the book (Volume V).

In this supplement, Hadhrat Ahmad [as] has answered the objections raised by the people, especially by Mr. Muhammad Ikramullah of Shahjahanpur, Maulvi Abu Saeed Mohammad Hussain, Sayed Muhammad Abdul Wahid of Bengal and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.

He has also dealt with the death of Jesus Christ [as], basing his arguments on a number of verses of the Holy Qur’an.

After the supplement, Hadhrat Ahmad [as] wanted to write an epilogue. The short notes for this epilogue have been added to the book. These notes show that he wanted to explain what Islam really is, how excellent and perfect is the teaching of the Holy Qur’an, the fulfilment of the promises God had made to him as mentioned in the first four volumes of the book and, also, he wanted to explain what those revelations meant in which he had been called Jesus.

As for his claim, he says (and with that ends the fifth volume of Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya): “I deem it necessary to say this much about my claim that I have been sent by God at the most appropriate time. This is the time when most of the people have become similar to the Jews. They have not only abandoned the Fear of God (Taqwa) and purity of heart, they have become, like the Jews of the days of Jesus, the enemies of the truth. That is why, as a matter of contrast with them, God has given me the name of Messiah. It is not that just I call the people to myself, it is this Age that has called me (i.e. my advent is the need of the hour).”

Tariq Magazine October 2010

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