Al Hakam - 5 May 2023

Was Prophet Muhammad’s demise a result of poisoning?

Solomon: A most excellent servant of God

A letter to the Viceroy, 1930 Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s efforts in preventing Indian Muslims from indulging in agitation and violence

Propagation of Islam Ahmadiyyat in Bolshevik Regions

Page 8

Page 11

Page 14

Page 16

A

THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 | Issue CCLXVIII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396

‘Feel pride in your religious beliefs and be confident in the expression of your faith’ Huzoor addresses UK Waqifeen-e-Nau and Waqifaat-e-Nau Ijtemas 2023 On Saturday, 29 April, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand, arrived at the Baitul Futuh Mosque and led the Zuhr and Asr prayers before proceeding to the Tahir Hall to address the concluding session of the UK Waqifaat-eNau Ijtema 2023.

Upon arrival, after conveying salaam to all attendees, Huzooraa invited Adeeba Sadaf Sahiba to recite a portion of the Holy Quran.

The selected verses were 37-38 of Surah Aale-Imran. Rasheeqa Khan Sahiba presented the English translation.

Bushra Ghalib Sahiba was then invited to recite an Urdu poem written by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra – Ehed shikni na karo, ehle-wafaa ho jao.

Huzooraa then asked Dr Maleeha Mansur Sahiba, Secretary Waqifaat-e-Nau UK, to present the ijtema report.

Maleeha Sahiba thanked Huzooraa for gracing the gathering with his presence.

She informed Huzooraa and the audience about the schedule of the day starting from 10am and about the various group discussions and workshops that took place, for example, how to write letters to media outlets and how to better serve the Jamaat.

1,213 waqifaat-e-nau were in attendance this year, as compared to 1,154 waqifaat in 2019, when the ijtema last took place.

The ijtema commenced at 10am with the opening session, chaired by Dr Fariha Khan Sahiba, Sadr Lajna Imaillah UK. Thereafer, according to Huzoor’saa guidance, the ijtema programme was based on group discussions. These workshops included how to fulfil our role as waqifaat-e-nau,

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

understanding how Islam champions the rights of women, the importance of developing a strong attachment to Khilafat, and a careers guidance workshop for older nasirat. Tabligh workshops included how to respond to common allegations and

how to partake in Jihad of the Pen, which included a practical session on writing letters to newspaper editors. A panel discussion was held for older waqifaat on striking a balance with the many roles they Continued on next page >>

Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa

Travelling during holidays to seek knowledge

َ َ ْ َُ ُ ُ َ َ َ �َ �َ‫ ﻗﺎل ﻛ ْﻨﺖ أﺗ ْﺮ ِﺟ ُﻢ ﺑ‬،‫ﻋ ْﻦ أ�ِ� َﺟ ْ� َ�ة‬ َّ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ​َ ‫ﺎس ﻓﻘﺎل ِإ ّن َوﻓﺪ‬ ِ ‫ﺎس وﺑ�� اﻟﻨ‬ ٍ ‫اﺑ ِﻦ ﻋﺒ‬ َ ّ ٰ َّ َ َّ ُ َ َ ْ َ ْ ْ َ ‫اﻟﻨ ِ� ّ� َﺻﻠﻰ ا�� ُ� َ�ﻠ ْﻴ ِﻪ‬ ‫ﺲ أﺗﻮا‬ ِ �‫ﻋﺒ ِﺪ اﻟﻘ‬ َ َ َ َ َّ َْ ُ ْ ْ ‫ َﻣ ِﻦ اﻟ َﻮﻓﺪ؟ ـ أ ْو ـ َﻣ ِﻦ اﻟﻘ ْﻮ ُم؟‬:‫َو َﺳﻠﻢ ﻓﻘﺎل‬ َ َ َ َ​َ ُ َ َ ُ َ َْ ‫� ْ� َﺣ ًﺒﺎ ﺑِﺎﻟﻘ ْﻮ ِم ـ أ ْو‬:‫ ﻓﻘﺎل‬.‫ﻴﻌﺔ‬ ِ‫ﻗﺎﻟﻮا رﺑ‬ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ ‫ﺑِﺎﻟﻮﻓ ِﺪ ـ ﻏ�� ﺧﺰاﻳﺎ و�� ﻧﺪ‬ ‫ ﻗﺎﻟﻮا ِإﻧﺎ‬.‫اﻣﻰ‬ َّ ُ َ َْ َ َ ‫ َوﺑ َ ْﻴ َﻨ َﻨﺎ َوﺑ َ ْﻴ َﻨﻚ‬،‫ﻧﺄﺗِﻴﻚ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺷﻘ ٍﺔ ﺑ َ ِﻌﻴﺪ ٍة‬ ْ َ َ ُ ‫ َو��َ � َ ْﺴ َﺘ ِﻄ‬،�َ �َ ‫ا��َ ُّﻰ ِﻣ ْﻦ ُﻛ َّﻔﺎر ُﻣ‬ ‫ﻫﺬا‬ ‫ﻴﻊ‬ ِ ْ َْ َ َ َ ْ َ َّ َ َ ْ َ �ٍ �‫ام ﻓ ُ� ْ�ﻧﺎ ﺑِﺄ‬ ٍ ‫أن ﻧﺄﺗِ َﻴﻚ ِإ�� �ِ� ﺷ� ٍﺮ ﺣ َﺮ‬ َ َ ْ ُ ُ َْ َ​َ َ َ ْ َ ُْ .‫ ﻧﺪﺧﻞ ﺑِ ِﻪ ا��َ ّﻨﺔ‬،‫اءﻧﺎ‬ ‫�� ِ� ْ� ﺑِ ِﻪ ﻣﻦ ور‬ َ ُ َ​َ َ َ َ ُ َ ُ َ​َ �ْ ��َ �‫ أ‬،�ٍ َ ‫ َوﻧ َﻬﺎ� ْ� ﻋ ْﻦ أ ْرﺑ‬،�ٍ َ ‫ﻓﺄ� َ�� ْ� ﺑِﺄ ْرﺑ‬ َّ َ َ ّ ٰ ْ َ َ َ َُ َ ��‫ﺑﺎ‬ ‫ ﻫﻞ‬:‫ ﻗﺎل‬.‫ﺎن ﺑِﺎ�� ِ� ﻋ ّﺰ َو َﺟﻞ َو ْﺣﺪه‬ ِ ‫ﻳﻤ‬ ِ ِ ٰ ُ َ َُ ّ ُ َ َ َ ُ َْ ‫ ﻗﺎﻟﻮا‬.‫ﺎن ﺑِﺎ�� ِ� َو ْﺣﺪه‬ ‫ا��ﻳﻤ‬ ِ ‫ﺗﺪرون ﻣﺎ‬ ٰ َ َ ُ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ْ َ ُ ُ ُ َ َ ُ ّٰ �َ �‫ﺎدة أ ْن �� ِإ‬ ‫ ﺷﻬ‬:‫ ﻗﺎل‬.‫ا��� ورﺳﻮ�� أ�ﻠﻢ‬ ٰ ُ ُ َ ً َّ َ ُ َّ َ َ ُ ّ ٰ َّ ُ َ‫ َوإﻗ‬،�ِ ّ��‫ا‬ ‫ﺎم‬ ‫ِإ�� ا��� وأن ��ﻤﺪا رﺳﻮل‬ ِ َ ُ َ َ َ َّ َ ‫ َو َﺻ ْﻮ ُم َر َﻣ َﻀ‬،‫ا���َﺎة‬ ،‫ﺎن‬ ‫ و ِإﻳﺘ‬،‫اﻟﺼ�� ِة‬ ِ ّ ‫ﺎء‬ ْ ُ ُْ َ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ��‫ا‬ ‫ َوﻧ َ َﻬﺎ� ْ� ﻋ ِﻦ‬.�ِ �‫ﻤﺲ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻟ َﻤ ْﻐ‬ ‫وﺗﻌﻄﻮا‬ َ ُ ُ َ َ ّ ْ َ َْْ َ ُّ ‫ ﻗﺎل ﺷ ْﻌ َﺒﺔ‬.‫ﺖ‬ ِ ‫اﻟﺪﺑّﺎ ِء َوا��ﻨ� ِ� َواﻟ ُ� َ�ﻓ‬ َّ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َّ ُ .�ِ �‫ َو ُرﺑّ َﻤﺎ ﻗﺎل اﻟ ُﻤﻘ‬،�� ِ ‫رﺑﻤﺎ ﻗﺎل اﻟﻨ ِﻘ‬ َُ َ َ ْ َ ُ ُ َْ َ ُ ُ َ ْ َ َ .‫اء� ْﻢ‬ ‫ اﺣﻔﻈﻮه وأﺧ ِ��وه ﻣﻦ ور‬:‫ﻗﺎل‬ Continued on next page >>

2

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

<< Continued from previous page

It is narrated by Abu Jamra, “I used to interpret between the people [of Persia] and Ibn ‘Abbasra. Once Ibn ‘Abbasra said, ‘A delegation of the tribe of ‘Abd al-Qays came to the Prophetsa and he asked them, ‘Who are the delegates?’ – or he said – ‘Which tribe are they from?’

They replied, ‘We are from the tribe of Rabi‘ah.’ Then, the [Holy Prophetsa] said to them, ‘Welcome, o people’ – or said – ‘O delegation [of ‘Abd al-Qays]!’

– ‘Neither will you have disgrace nor will you regret.’ They said, ‘We have come to you from a faraway land and there is the tribe of the disbelievers of Mudar between us and you and we cannot come to you except in the sacred month. So, please tell us something, that we may also inform our people about, whom we have left behind, so that we may enter Paradise [by acting on it.]’

[The Holy Prophetsa] ordered them to do four things and forbade them from doing four things. He ordered them to believe in Allah, the Lord of Honour and Majesty, alone and said to them, ‘Do you know what it means to believe in Allah alone?’ They replied, ‘Allah and His

Messengersa know best.’ Thereupon, [The Holy Prophetsa] said, ‘[It means] to give testimony that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad[sa] is His Messenger; to observe the salat, to pay the zakat, to fast in the month of Ramadan and to pay the-fifth of the spoils of war.’

Then, he forbade them four things, namely ad-dubba’, al-hantam, almuzaffat – and Shu‘bah said, perhaps he also said – an-naqir – or perhaps he said – al-muqayyar. [These were the names of pots in which alcoholic drinks used to be prepared.] [The Holy Prophetsa] further said, ‘Remember these [instructions] and tell them to the people whom you have left behind.’’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-‘ilm) Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

Acceptance of prayers “God Almighty has addressed me on numerous occasions and has said, ‘When you pray, I will listen to it.’” (Al Hakam, 24 May 1904, p. 4)

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

<< Continued from previous page

are blessed to have. Morever, for nasirat, fun and activity zones were held to develop their bond of sisterhood.

Following the report, at 17:15 BST, Huzooraa took to the stage to deliver the concluding address.

Huzooraa said that it was with the grace of God that the UK National Waqfe-Nau Ijtema was taking place once again.

Huzooraa reminded everyone that they were specifically dedicated to the service of Islam before their birth. Thus, their utmost

priority must always remain their faith above all worldly things. Huzooraa said that he would be talking about what it actually meant to give precedence to faith.

Huzooraa said: “Once you comprehend what it means to prioritise and value your faith over all else, it will have a profound effect on how you live your life. It will drive you towards a process of self-reformation and enable you to serve the Jamaat in the best possible way.”

Huzooraa said that a person who gave precedence to their faith would naturally be inclined to lead a moral life and instil within

themselves the values that Islam advocated.

While the world continues to be Godless, it becomes incumbent on the waqifaat-enau to prove themselves to be true servants of God’s religion and for this, one must recognise their true status and values.

Waqifaat-e-nau are girls who can and should bring about a moral and spiritual revolution in the world, just as our lord and master, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, brought about a revolution.

The Holy Prophetsa had said that when the Muslims would experience spiritual malaise, at such a time a Messiah would appear who would revive faith and bring people back to their Creator. The Promised Messiahas called Muslims and non-Muslims alike to the true religion, Islam, and as his servants, having dedicated their lives for the service of their religion, waqifaat-e-nau had an even greater responsibility than other Ahmadi Muslims to be examples and living models of the true Islamic teachings. They ought to strive to establish God’s teachings in this world so as to encourage others to follow suit.

“Through your words and especially your deeds, you must educate and inspire others towards the fact that as human beings, we must fulfil each other’s rights and live in peace and harmony. You must guide others about the importance of upholding human values and treating one another with love and kindness and respect. However, you cannot expect to influence others until you yourselves are acting upon Islam’s teachings.

“In this regard, the foremost duty of a Muslim is to worship Allah as He desires.

Accordingly, as members of the waqifaat-enau scheme, you must always protect and safeguard your prayers. Consider salat to be your constant companion.

“It should not be that you delay or miss prayers because of your worldly affairs or education. Do not be lazy or fall prey to weak excuses that take you away from Allah’s worship; rather, ensure that you offer salat on time and with deep care and concentration.

“Occasionally, due to bad weather or other genuine reasons, Zuhr and Asr or Maghrib and Isha can be combined, but even then they should be offered at the earliest possible time. Furthermore, a Muslim should recite and ponder over the Holy Quran each day and strive to act upon its teachings.

“As waqifaat-e-nau, you have pledged your lives for the service of your faith and so, it is especially incumbent upon you to study the Quran and identify its various teachings. Every command of the Quran is vitally important and must not be taken lightly.”

Huzooraa then said that the Holy Quran reminded us of our many duties, for example in respect to parents and our duties towards them, purdah and guarding one’s modesty from men and wearing the hijab.

“It is true that in the non-Muslim world, the concept of purdah and hijab has long been criticised. Yet now, certain nonMuslims are actually calling for safeguards that mirror Islam’s teachings. They are coming to realise the need for caution following reports of countless cases of men harassing and abusing women at all levels of society.

“Relatively recently, a survey found that

97% of women aged between the ages of 1824 in the UK had been harassed by men.

Across all age ranges, 70% of women said they had faced sexual harassment in public.

As a result, there have been calls to establish safe spaces for women or to have womenonly events.

“Similarly, recently a new report found that many women and girls in the UK were leaving sports and exercise because they felt uncomfortable as though they were being sexualised by being forced to wear sports kits that exposed much of their bodies.

“Thus, you should never harbour any form of inferiority complex or embarrassment regarding hijab or any other of Islam’s teachings. Instead, you should feel pride in your religious beliefs and be confident in the expression of your faith.

Certainly, there is no Islamic injunction or restriction that is without reason or logic.

Each Islamic teaching is based upon human nature and the means for ensuring societal peace and harmony.”

Huzooraa said that immodesty was rife in society, whether it was on television, social media or outside in parks and beaches etc.

Every waqifa-e-nau girl must show a strong character and “seek to embody Islam’s teachings in all respects”.

Another aspect of Islam’s teachings Huzooraa wished to highlight was speaking the truth. Even when joking, one should not be deceptive or lie.

“Furthermore, Islam teaches that a person should treat his relatives with love and affection and waqifaat-ezindagis and waqifaat-e-nau should try to manifest this quality even more than others.

“With the grace of Allah, the Waqfe-Nau scheme has reached a stage where many of the early waqifaat-e-nau girls are now mothers. Indeed, even many of those born some years later are now married and starting their families. The responsibilities of such waqifaat-e-nau are much increased.

Where before they had to concentrate primarily on their own moral state, now they are also directly responsible for the training of the next generation of the Jamaat. To fulfil this duty, Ahmadi mothers must manifest the highest standards of worship of Allah and inculcate within themselves the very best morals.

“Most of you have been brought up and educated here and so you understand this society and recognise its ills and vices.

Utilise this knowledge to not only save yourselves from its ill effects but also to guide your children so that they avoid the moral pitfalls and traps that await them as they grow and develop.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, it is a great challenge of the time for Ahmadi mothers to ensure that our future generations remain attached to their religion. Moreover, be ever mindful of your duty to bring people towards God.” Huzooraa then said: “Every waqifa-e-nau must start with their own home. Treat your younger siblings and children with love and care and strive to nurture a love of Allah within their hearts.

Thereafter, reach out to your neighbours, friends and the wider world. Never waver in your efforts to develop a righteous society in which the teachings of Allah the Almighty reign supreme. Be ready for every sacrifice for the sake of your faith and take inspiration from those noble women from the past who

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 attained the highest spiritual ranks.”

In every age, righteous women had played a massive role for the sake of their faith and belief in Allah. Huzooraa gave the example of the female disciples of Jesusas who excelled in their faith and showed immense courage for their belief. It was Mary Magdalene and two other women who came to the help of Jesusas when he spent three days in a tomblike cave following his deliverance from the cross.

The Holy Quran specifically mentions two very pious women – Hazrat Maryamas and the wife of the Pharoah. In the case of the latter, “she remained faithful to Allah even though she was the wife of a disbeliever”.

During the blessed era of the Holy Prophetsa, the sacrifices of women reached new heights and shall forever remain examples for times to come. They bore untold grief and suffering for the sake of their faith. Huzooraa then outlined how cruel treatment was meted out to the early Muslims.

“Once the Holy Prophetsa observed a Muslim husband and wife – both of whom were slaves – being horrifically tortured in this way by their merciless master. They were forced to lie in the blistering heat upon boiling sands and were relentlessly beaten and hard stones were placed upon them all the while their owner demanded they renounce their belief in the Holy Prophetsa.

Despite their agony, they never once wavered in their faith.

“Upon observing their torment, the Holy Prophetsa became overwhelmed with emotion and grief and turned to Allah in prayer. The Holy Prophetsa addressed the Muslim husband and wife and consoled them to remain patient and gave them the glad tiding that they would receive the greatest of Allah’s reward and bounty soon.

“Ultimately, as a result of the incessant torture, the husband lost his life. At that moment, when the Muslim lady had lost her husband, her owner still failed to show any mercy. Instead, he took a spear and violently pierced open her stomach, causing her death.

“In worldly terms, that woman had no rank or status. Indeed, as a slave, she was part of the weakest class of society and considered no more than a chattel or property of their owner. Yet due to her absolute conviction in the truth of the Holy Prophetsa and her impeccable standards of faith, that lady who the world looked down upon scaled the highest spiritual peaks and her noble status has been etched indelibly in history forevermore.

“Another awe-inspiring example from early Islam is that of Hazrat Umm-eAmmarara who demonstrated outstanding bravery and steadfastness, far beyond many Muslim men during various battles in the early period of Islam.

“Likewise, we have before us the extraordinary example of Hazrat Umar’s sister who tolerated the wrath of her enraged brother in order to ensure that the sanctity and dignity of the Holy Quran was preserved. Seeing his sister’s supreme level of faith moved Hazrat Umarra and proved a watershed moment in his life leading him to accept Islam.

“Moving forward to this era, with the grace of Allah, many Ahmadi women have also rendered great sacrifices for the sake of

3

their faith.

“In Pakistan, it is not only Ahmadi men who have embraced martyrdom. Ahmadi women have also given their lives for the sake of their faith. With unwavering courage, they remained firm in their faith till their last breath and never yielded to the brutalities and cruelties they were subjected to. In reality, history is replete with the magnificent role Muslim women have played for the sake of their faith and they serve as role models for all those waqifaate-nau who have pledged in this era to give precedence to their faith over all worldly matters.

“Always remember that such stories are not just for us to read about or to consign to the history books; rather, they ought to inspire us to remain firm in our faiths and navigate the challenges of modern society.

Accordingly, every Ahmadi lady and girl, especially members of the waqifaat-enau scheme must understand that now it is their turn to take up the mantle of being ready for every possible sacrifice for the sake of their faith.

“There are countless moral ills and vices

matters and spending your lives in the service of Islam.

“May Allah the Almighty grant you all the ability to do so. May you all fulfil your duties and be amongst those who bring about a true and everlasting revolution in the world. Amin.”

Thereafter, Huzooraa led everyone in silent prayer before departing at around 17:51 BST.

prevalent in today’s society and increasingly, people are abandoning religion. Under such circumstances, waqifaat-e-nau must take a stand for the sake of Allah the Almighty.

You must strive to eradicate all traces of worldliness from your minds and ensure that you do not fall prey to the superficial attractions and glamour of the world.

Instead, seek to live your lives according to Islam’s teachings.

“Be ever willing by giving precedence to your religious convictions. Guard your faith and seek to establish an everlasting living bond with Allah; bow before Him in all humility and sincerely pray that you can effect a profound change in the world through tabligh and your righteous conduct.

Strive every day to play your role in uniting mankind under the banner of the Holy Prophetsa so that the people of the world join together as one in prostration before Allah the Almighty. If you rise to this challenge, you will fulfil the objective of your life and be able to claim that you are waqifaat-e-nau, not just in name but far more importantly in spirit and deed.

“Whether young or old, I reiterate that you must always seek to fulfil the righteous pledge made by your parents before your birth which you later affirmed, of giving precedence to your faith over worldly

Hazrat Isma’ilas. The Urdu translation was presented by Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib and the English by Mashood Ahmad Sahib.

An Urdu poem by Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra was then read by Sohaib Ahmad Sahib. The English translation of the couplets was read out by Mabroor Farukh Sahib.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then invited Anas Rana Sahib, Secretary Waqf-e-Nau UK to give the Ijtema report. Anas Sahib said the Ijtema was being held after 4 years. The waqifeen-e-nau were split into 5 groups during the Ijtema to cater for the large numbers. Each group had leaders and an array of activities to participate in.

Apart from the academic competitions, participants benefitted from workshops such as “Islam and me” and tabligh workshops.

There were presentations from MTA International, The Review of Religions and Waqf-e-Nau International. Sports and activity zones were also present. Amir Sahib UK also delivered a speech on “Khilafat – A Divine Institute”. Anas Rana Sahib said the total number of waqifeen-e-nau (boys) in the UK – above the age of 7 – is 3751. The total attendance of this year’s ijtema was 1552 – this compares to the 2019 ijtema attendance figure of 1394. 168 guests also attended this year’s ijtema.

On Sunday, 30 April, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah strengthen his hand, arrived at the Baitul Futuh Mosque and led the Zuhr and Asr prayers before proceeding to the Tahir Hall at approximately 17:00 BST to address the concluding session of the UK Waqifeen-e-Nau Ijtema 2023.

On arrival, after conveying salaam to all attendees, Huzooraa invited Ehsan Ahmad Sahib to recite a portion of the Holy Quran.

The Quranic verses were from Surah asSaffat, verses 100-112 and spoke of the great sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahimas and his son,

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa then took to the podium to deliver his address.

Huzooraa said that with the grace of Allah, the national waqf-e-nau ijtema of the UK jamaat was taking place and its purpose was for “waqifeen-e-nau to join together to enhance their moral state, to increase their religious knowledge, to better understand their objectives and above all, to be inspired towards developing an everlasting bond with Allah the Almighty.

“The programme has been arranged to facilitate your religious training and spiritual development so that you become closer to Allah the Almighty as seeking His nearness is the ultimate objective for every waqif-ezindagi – rather, every true Muslim.

“As you are all aware, your parents made a decision before you were born to dedicate and devote your lives to the service of the Jamaat. Nonetheless, waqifeen-enau are not compelled to remain in this scheme, rather, upon reaching an age of maturity, all members of Waqf-e-Nau must determine for themselves if they wish to renew the pledge made by their parents and continue their waqf. Many of you have already reached adulthood or are rapidly approaching it. Indeed, some of you are married with children and are no longer dependent upon your parents.

Consequently, most of you are no longer at an age of ignorance or immaturity, and so, should be able to fully comprehend and grasp the gravity of the undertaking you have taken as members of Waqf-e-Nau. In general terms, if you make a promise or pledge to any person, you must try your level best to fulfil it, otherwise, you will be guilty of deceit and betray the other person’s trust.

“As waqifeen-e-nau, the pledge you have made is on a different level entirely as it is not made with any person, but directly with Allah the Almighty. You have each promised to spend your lives in His service and be ready for every sacrifice and hardship for His sake.

“Hence, today I wish to mention the spirit and level of sacrifice required to successfully fulfil and honour the demands of the pledge of Waqf-e-Nau. “First and foremost, it is imperative that you continually strive to elevate the standards of your faith in Allah the Almighty and His religion. Only by attaining the love and nearness of Allah the Almighty can members of Waqf-e-Nau fulfil their pledge of bait to the Promised Messiahas and the demands of their waqf.

“The covenant you have made demands absolute faith and trust in Allah and requires you to constantly strive to build a living connection with Him. It demands that you be ready for every sacrifice for the sake of Allah and be utterly faithful, sincere and loyal to Him in every aspect of your life.”

Huzooraa said that once the Promised Messiahas – speaking about what constitutes true faith – referred to the faith of Hazrat Ibrahimas mentioned in the Quran: “And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [the commandments].” (Surah an-Najm, Ch. 53: V. 38) In relation to this Quranic verse, the Promised Messiahas said that Allah the Almighty has testified to the supreme obedience and sincere loyalty of Hazrat Ibrahimas” – he not only made a pledge but also fulfilled it.

“As I have said, your pledge is of utmost

4

seriousness and magnitude. In essence, you have affirmed before God that you will be ready for every possible sacrifice and hardship for His sake and will, until your dying breath.”

“I firmly believe that if every member of the Waqf-e-Nau scheme, with a purity of heart, lives up to this pledge, then, together, you can bring forth a great spiritual revolution in the world and liberate society from the chains of moral decay in which it has become shackled.

“However, for this, you will need the help and love of Allah the Almighty and to attain that you must give precedence to Him over everything else.”

The Promised Messiahas said that to attain the love of Allah, one must manifest absolute loyalty to Him – this is what Hazrat Ibrahimas showed. The Promised Messiahas said that Hazrat Ibrahimas showed absolute sincerity and loyalty to Allah. One must be ready to give every kind of sacrifice and endure all kinds of hardships to Allah to attain absolute sincerity towards Allah.

“It requires a person to willingly withstand humiliation and rejections, to be ready for all possible sacrifices.”

“As waqf-e-nau the onus is on you even more than other Ahmadis, to be faithful and obedient to Allah the Almighty in every respect. Yet, the path to Allah the Almighty is not straight or simple. Indeed, the Promised Messiahas has stated that with every turn and corner, there are worldly attractions that can corrupt a person’s faith.

“In fact, the Promised Messiahas has equated anything that takes a person away from God to be a false idol.”

The Promised Messiahas has stated that idolatry is not just worshipping a tree or a stone, rather, anything which acts as an obstacle towards God is an Idol. “Man harbours so many idols within himself that he does not even realise that he is guilty of worshipping them.”

The Promised Messiahas said that “Until a person does not sincerely become God’s and until he is not ready to endure every trial and tribulation in His way, it is extremely for him to develop true fidelity and sincerity with God.” The Promised Messiahas stated that Hazrat Ibrahimas was given a high rank in the Quran because of his will to give up everything for His sake, even his own son.

The Promised Messiahas said that Allah desires the practical manifestation of one’s faith and this demands struggle, trials and

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM tribulations.

“It is quite easy to proclaim that you are loyal to Allah the Almighty and willing to tolerate everything for His sake, but true faith is actually demonstrated when a person is tested and where real sacrifice is required.”

Huzooraa said every waqif-e-nau must be ready to endure every hardship and sacrifice in Allah’s way. If they do this, they are truly those who devote their lives purely for Allah’s sake.

Huzooraa said: “Always keep in view the extraordinary way in which Hazrat Ibrahimas fulfilled his pledge. Similarly, you should look to the Companions of the Holy Prophetsa who displayed incredible levels of faith and devotion. They surrendered all personal desires and were ever-ready to give their lives for the sake of their faith. Similarly, the companions of the Promised Messiahas also showed exemplary standards of sacrifice.

Amongst his followers were those who relinquished all material pursuits and worldly opportunities for the sake of their faith. They included exceptionally welleducated people who had gained Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees – which was extremely rare at that time and for whom there was a huge demand in society. Instead of seeking fame and fortune, they left behind everything and came into the service of the Promised Messiahas. They devoted their lives to the service of Islam and fulfilled their pledges without a second thought for what they had left behind.”

“It is with this mindset that the waqifeene-nau and the waqifeen-e-zindagis should seek to live their lives. If not, their claim of having devoted their lives will be hollow and not based on truth.

“I reiterate that you must all recognise the value and significance of your pledge and for this, the most crucial element is to develop a personal bond and loving relationship with Allah the Almighty.”

“Every waqif-e-zindagi and waqif-enau must offer the five daily prayers each day with punctuality and should carefully reflect upon the meaning of each prayer.

“The Holy Prophetsa explained that a Muslim should prostrate in sajdah with complete humility. Hence, you should offer every namaz with due care, as prescribed by the Holy Prophetsa, rather than quickly going through the motions. “[…] a waqif-e-nau should be regular in offering nawafil, voluntary prayers so that their relationship with Allah the Almighty

becomes stronger. Only when a personal and living bond with your Creator develops within you, will you start to attain the standard of loyalty required of a person who fulfils his pledge or pledges and who has vowed to dedicate his life for the sake of his faith.”

“Similarly, as waqifeen-e-nau, you must recite the Holy Quran daily and read its translation. In addition, you should study the commentaries of the Promised Messiahas and the Khulafa so that your understanding of its teachings increases.”

Huzooraa said if one does not understand the Holy Quran’s teachings, they will not be able to spread them.

Huzooraa said, “It is the obligation of those who have devoted their lives to demonstrate the highest possible moral standards and to seek to adopt every kind of virtue. In your daily lives, you should observe the best morals and etiquettes when you are with your family, friends, and fellow students […] always hold fast to the truth and never permit yourselves to engage in falsehood. Speak to others respectfully and kindly.”

With regard to marriage, Huzooraa said waqifeen-e-nau should “prioritise righteousness and piety when it comes to finding a wife so that your home environment is religious and according to the teachings of Islam.” This would only happen when one is religious-minded. Once married, a waqif-e-nau must exhibit the best morals with their wives and children. This will safeguard the next generation of the Jamaat.

Huzooraa said that modesty was essential for boys and men as well. In a society of indecency and vulgarity, Muslim men should lower their gaze. Avoiding all immoral and obscene content on social media, television or elsewhere was essential. Exposure to such content could easily corrupt one’s mind and studies have shown that exposure to pornography or similarly vulgar material is hugely damaging.

Huzooraa said those who have dedicated their lives for Allah’s sake must pay particular attention to upholding modesty.

All waqifeen-e-nau should take part in Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya and Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya and attend all of their events.

“When you attend such events, it should be your firm intention to increase your religious knowledge” and improve the practice of your faith.

Huzooraa said that people will

understand true Islamic teachings when they observe waqifeen-e-nau as having true Islamic morals.

Huzooraa said all waqifeen-enau should be sincere and obedient to Khilafat. He said: “If you are sincere with Khilafat, it will not only benefit you personally and be a means of gaining the rewards of Allah, it will ensure that the unity within our jamaat will grow ever stronger.”

Huzooraa said waqifeen-e-nau should abandon all sorts of arrogance and should instead be humble. The Promised Messiahas was always the epitome of humility, despite his great status.

Allah said that He liked the Promised Messiah’sas “humble ways.” We must strive to be like the Promised Messiahas and instil those qualities and virtues fundamental to righteousness.

Huzooraa said that the Promised Messiahas had stated his followers should seek to learn about the world and gain its insight. “Accordingly, apart from religious studies, waqifeen-e-nau must also strive to excel in their secular education. Always seek to increase your knowledge and do not waste time on trivial things. Consider how you can benefit humanity and advance human understanding.

“The waqifeen who enrol in Jamia Ahmadiyya should also – alongside their religious studies – try to increase their secular knowledge. It is vital for missionaries to have an understanding of what is happening in the world so they can relate to other people. “[…] Those waqifeen-e-nau studying or working externally, particularly in research, should endeavour to climb to the pinnacle of their respective fields of learning.”

In the end, Huzooraa prayed: “May you be counted amongst the most faithful servants of the spiritual army of the Promised Messiahas, whose mission is not to conquer lands or territories but rather to win the hearts of mankind and to bring the people of all nations, races and beliefs towards Allah the Almighty.

“May all of you, as waqifeen-e-nau, come to play an outstanding role in conveying the message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat to every corner of the world.

“May Allah enable you to do so. Amin.”

At 18:01 BST Huzooraa concluded his address and led everyone in silent prayers.

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023

5

Let’s make it a never-ending Ramadan M Adam Ahmad Al Hakam

Consistency, steadfastness and perseverance are the key to success; be it in matters of faith or worldly endeavours. The teachings of Islam lay great emphasis on this. The five daily prayers, for example, are incumbent on every Muslim to offer at specific times each day and performing salat throughout one’s life with consistency is regarded as one of the most significant acts of worship In Islam.

The Holy Prophet’ssa hadith, “The best of deeds is that which is done consistently,” (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-zuhd) also sheds light on the significance of remaining consistent in one’s efforts to perform good deeds. This saying is a constant reminder for us that one must remain consistent in righteous actions to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.

God Almighty says:

in the same way as the Holy Prophet[sa] is commanded to do. The high moral standard to which believers are required to rise is thus the one set up for the Holy Prophet[sa] himself. It is clear that the verse does not say that believers are to be upright in the way in which they themselves are commanded but that they have to act uprightly in the way in which the Prophet[sa] is commanded.

This definitely shows that believers are to

َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َُۤ​َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ‫اب َم َعک‬ ‫فاست ِقم کما ا ِمرت ومن ت‬

“So stand thou upright, as thou hast been commanded, and [also] those who have turned [to God] with thee.” (Surah Hud, Ch.11: V.113) In the Five Volume Commentary, under the above verse, it is stated: “The words, ‘So stand thou upright as thou hast been commanded, and also those who have turned to God with thee’, mean that the Faithful are to act uprightly

take the Holy Prophet[sa] as their exemplar and have to try to come up to his standard.”

(Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 1405) When it comes to performing good deeds and kind acts, the Holy Prophetsa was the epitome of steadfastness. He not just brought mankind out of darkness into the light but also showed them his own example

Eid reception held in Malta: Promoting interfaith harmony and brotherhood Laiq Ahmed Atif President, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Malta

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Malta held an Eid reception on 23 April 2023, which was also attended by 50 non-Muslim guests from Nanniet Malta or “Grandparents’ Foundation of Malta”.

The event started with the recitation from the Holy Quran followed by speeches by the founder of Nanniet Malta, Mr Philip Chircop, and my humble self.

After this, a documentary, titled ‘One Community One Leader’ was shown. It is an MTA documentary discussing why every community needs one leader and

focuses on how the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community works under one leader – Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa.

After the formal programme, traditional lunch was served to the guests.

Some guests shared their comments and personal experiences and thanked the Jamaat for their hospitality and friendship. Then, a question and answer session was held and guests asked various questions about fasting during Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, the philosophy of Islamic festivals, ways of celebrating Islamic festivals, Islamic purdah, polygamy, interfaith harmony, and brotherhood. The question-and-answer session continued for about an hour.

of how to maintain and remain consistent in the way of God Almighty. He perfectly translated his sayings (ahadith) into practices (sunnah) and firmly established to his followers that being steadfast is vital to building a strong relationship with Allah the Almighty.

Muslims around the world observed Ramadan over the last month. In this regard, the Holy Prophetsa also set an example for us all to remain consistent in our devotion to Allah. He set the highest standard of observing fasts and performing an array of good deeds in the month of Ramadan.

However, he did not limit the virtuous acts performed during Ramadan to just one month, as he said on one occasion that if you knew the excellences of Ramadan and the ways in which God Almighty manifests His mercy, you would have wished that Ramadan was extended to the entire year so that you may gather the blessings of God Almighty all year long. (At-Targhib watTarhib, Kitab as-saum; Al Hakam, 7 June 2019, Issue 64, p. 12) This saying of the Holy Prophetsa emphasises the importance of Ramadan for Muslims and encourages them to make the most out of this blessed month.

Moreover, it highlights that Muslims ought to carry the spirit of Ramadan with them throughout the year, continuing in their good deeds, and consistently striving to improve their character and behaviour.

We observe in our daily lives that to achieve any goal, one must develop habits and consistency. For example, regular exercise and maintaining a good diet are required to improve physical and mental health. However, without consistency and dedication, one’s progress may be hindered, leading to limited or no noticeable improvements in overall wellbeing. Furthermore, if one stops exercising or maintaining a good diet altogether, they may experience a decline in physical fitness, increased health risks, and missed opportunities for improved well-being and mental health. Likewise, if good deeds are only performed during Ramadan and neglected throughout the rest of the year, we cannot truly achieve the purpose of fasting and may even experience a regression in our spirituality.

Advising on keeping the spirit of Ramadan alive throughout the year, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said: “Out of twelve months, people consider Ramadan, i.e., fasting, to be limited to only one month, but for us [Ahmadis] the entire year should be Ramadan and our whole life should be spent like it.” (Khutbat-eMahmud, Vol. 27, p. 531) The discipline and self-control achieved while fasting during Ramadan can be of benefit if we keep up the same momentum

with consistency. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his helper, said: “We should strive in all those matters which we have been reminded of during the month of Ramadan and all the virtuous deeds which we were able to carry out during the month, and continue them even after Ramadan. In fact, we ought to try and excel in them. Otherwise, if we do not maintain these virtuous deeds and pious changes and do not excel in them, then there is no benefit in us simply passing through the month of Ramadan.” (Friday Sermon, 7 May 2021; Al Hakam, 4 June 2021, Issue 168, p. 31) Hence, we should never let the spirit of Ramadan fade away lest our achievements go in vain. To get the most out of this blessed month, we should make it a neverending Ramadan and “we should continue offering prayers after Ramadan with the same care and attention as we did during this month. Only then will we become true recipients of Allah the Almighty’s mercy and help.” (Ibid.)

Allah says in the Holy Quran, ‫وللآخرة‬ ‫“( خيرلك من الأولى‬Surely [every hour] that follows is better for thee than [the one] that precedes.”) [Surah ad-Duha, Ch.93: V.5]), which teaches us that our spiritual state shall never become stagnant. We should rather try to hold fast to our good deeds, which we acquired during Ramadan, with steadfastness and keep moving forward every step of the way. This subject has also been expressed in the Holy Quran as follows:

ۡ ۡ َ ۡ ّٰ َ َ ۡ َ ‫اع ُب ۡد َر ّبک َحتی یَا ِت َیک ال َی ِقی ُن‬ ‫و‬

“And continue worshipping thy Lord, till death comes to thee.” (Surah al-Hijr, Ch.15: V.100) While speaking about steadfastness, the Promised Messiahas said: “The true and perfect grace that conveys a person to the spiritual world depends upon steadfastness, by which is meant that degree of sincerity and faithfulness which cannot be shaken by any trial. It means a strong relationship with the Divine which a sword cannot cut asunder and fire cannot consume, nor can any other calamity damage it.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, 2017, p. 111) Thus when we inculcate the good habits of worship and sacrifice, which we acquired during the blessed month of Ramadan in our daily routines with steadfastness, only then will we establish a lasting relationship with our Creator.

May Allah the Almighty enable us to make continuous progress. May we become those who truly fulfil the rights of Allah and His creation with compassion and humility.

6

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

This Week in History A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and the then-prime minister of Sierra Leone. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 26, pp. 61-62)

6 May 2007: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa addressed a reception held in relation to the launch of MTA3 Al-Arabiyya. (Al Fazl International, 25 May 2007)

7 May

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa addressing a reception held in relation to the launch of MTA3 Al-Arabiyya

5 May

6 May

5 May 1893: On this day, the Promised Messiahas issued an announcement explaining the superiority of Islam over all other religions. Huzooras derived his argument from the following verse of the Holy Quran in Surah ash-Shams: “Surely, he prospers who augments his soul.” (Majmuah-e-Ishtiharat [2019], Vol. 1, pp. 442-443)

6 May 1935: On this day, a team of three missionaries from Qadian – Maulvi Ghulam Hussain Ayaz Sahib, Sufi Abdul Ghafur Sahib and Sufi Abdul Qadeer Nayaz Sahib – departed for Singapore, China and Japan respectively. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 7, p. 201)

5 May 2006: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivered his Friday Sermon which marked the commencement of New Zealand Jamaat’s 17th Jalsa Salana. It was the first Jalsa of New Zealand in which a Khalifatul Masih was present. For the first time in history, Huzoor’saa speech was broadcast live from New Zealand to the entire world. (Al Fazl International, 23 June 2006, pp. 2, 11) 5 May 2016: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa was welcomed to Denmark

by Hon Helle Adelborg, Mayor of Hvidovre, and Councilors Annette Sjobeck, Maria Durhuus, and Kenneth Christensen. During the meeting, Huzooraa spoke about the need to unite in an effort to establish world peace. (“Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community welcomed to Denmark

by Mayor of Hvidovre”, www. pressahmadiyya.com)

7 May 1907: On this day, the Promised Messiahas directed his followers through an open announcement to refrain from all sorts of agitation as exhibited by their fellow countrymen irrespective of their religion.

Huzooras reiterated that he had been admonishing the people of the land that the British Raj had been a blessing in terms of religious freedom. The Magazine

8 May 8 May 1970: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh inaugurated the Nazir Ahmad Ali Mosque in Sierra Leone. On the same day, Huzoorrh graced a reception held in his honour by the Muslim Congress of Sierra Leone. (Tarikhe-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 26, pp. 63-64) 8 May 2005: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa was interviewed by a Kenyan national newspaper. On the same day, in the next leg of the visit, Huzooraa travelled to Tanzania by air. This was Huzoor’saa first visit to Tanzania. In the evening, Huzooraa also inspected the arrangements for Jalsa Salana Tanzania. (Al Fazl International, 3 June 2005, p. 16) 8 May 2006: On this day, during

6 May 1955: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a Friday Sermon in Damascus. The Jamaat had arranged a photographer who captured many photos for archiving this historic moment.

Huzoorra delivered a short Friday Sermon in Arabic highlighting the revelation vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas nearly 50 years ago:

ّٰ ُ َ َ َّ ُ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ْ ‫یدعون لک ابدال الشا ِم و ِعب‬ ‫اد الل ِہ ِم َن ال َعرَ ِب‬

“The abdal [devotees] of Syria and the servants of Allah from among the Arabs are supplicating on your behalf.” (Tadhkirah [English], p.

160; Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 16, p. 508)

6 May 1966: On this day, the foundation of the first Ahmadiyya mosque in Denmark, Nusrat Jahan Mosque, was laid by Sahibzada Mirza Mubarak Ahmad Sahib.

(Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 23, p.

534) 6 May 1970: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh granted audiences to the acting governor

Press Qadian printed and widely circulated this much-needed voice of a religious leader – the Imam of the Age. (Majmuah-e-Ishtiharat [2019], Vol. 3, pp. 451-454)

7 May 1955: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, and went to visit the ancient remains of Baalbek. (Tarikhe-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 16, pp. 509-510) 7 May 2005: On this day, during his visit to Kenya, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih’s Vaa granted an audience to the then Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Hon Kalonzo Musyoka. (Al Fazl International, 27 May 2005, p. 9)

his tour of the Far East, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa arrived in Tokyo, Japan after an 11hour flight from New Zealand.

Huzooraa was warmly welcomed by Ahmadis at Japan’s Narita airport.

(Al Fazl International, 30 June 2006, p. 3)

9 May 9 May 2005: On this day, Jalsa Salana Tanzania commenced.

This was the first Jalsa Salana of Tanzania in which a Khalifatul Masih was present. (Al Fazl International, 3 June 2005, p. 11) 9 May 2016: On this day, Hazrat

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023

5 - 11 May

7

‘Seal of the Prophets’: Transmission and authenticity of

Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivered the keynote address at a special reception held in his honour at the Hilton Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. (“Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community delivers historic address in Copenhagen”, www. pressahmadiyya.com)

10 May 10 May 2013: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivered a historic Friday Sermon from the Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, California, as his first visit to the West Coast of the United States of America continued. (“Historic Address Delivered by Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in California”, www.pressahmadiyya.com) 10 May 2016: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa arrived in Malmö, Sweden after completing a six-day visit to Denmark. On this day, Huzooraa was interviewed by Denmark’s Radio24syv. (“‘Ahmadi Muslims sympathetic to all of mankind’ – Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community”, www. pressahmadiyya.com)

11 May 11 May 1948: On this day, an Ahmadi missionary Rashid Ahmad Chughtai Sahib met with King Abdullah I of Jordan. During the meeting, he conveyed the well-wishes and message of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, to which the king replied positively. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 12, p. 11) 11 May 1970: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh delivered an address at the Ahmadiyya Secondary School in Bo, Sierra Leone, and distributed prizes. (Tarikh-eAhmadiyyat, Vol. 26, pp. 65-67) 11 May 2013: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivered the keynote address at a special reception held in his honour at the Montage in Beverly Hills, LA. (“Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat delivers Historic Address in Southern California”, www. pressahmadiyya.com) 11 May 2016: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa was interviewed

by Sveriges Television (Swedish TV) at the Mahmood Mosque in Malmö, Sweden. (“‘True Integration is to love the country in which you live’ – Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community”, www. pressahmadiyya.com)

a key tradition by Hazrat Aisha Iftikhar Ahmed Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre

One of the traditions that the Promised Messiahas cited in order to explain his status as the Messiah promised by the Messengersa of Allah, is the following saying of ‘A’ishara (d. 58/678), one of the honourable wives of Allah’s Messengersa and beloved mothers of the believers. She said:

َ ُ ُ َ َ ّ َّ ُ َ ُ ُ ‫ لا ن ِ� ّ�َ بَ ْع َد ُه‬:‫ ولا تقولوا‬،‫ين‬ ‫ خاتم الن ِب ِی‬:‫قولوا‬

“Say, ‘The Seal of the Prophets,’ and do not say, ‘There is no Prophet after him’.”

(Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. 2022. Malfuzat.

Engl. trans. Vol. 10. p. 538.)

This particular tradition, which is also frequently cited by Ahmadi Muslims in general, is found, among other sources, in the exegetical secondary source ad-Durr al-manthur by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti (d.

911/1505). In the beginning, Ahmadi Muslims cited this quotation exclusively from this source. as-Suyuti writes:

َ​َ َ َ​َ َ ْ ‫ َع ْن‬،‫ َح ّدﺛنا َجرِیرُ ْب ُن حازِ ٍم‬:‫قال‬ ،‫َح ّدﺛنا ُح َسي ُن ْب ُن ُم َح ّم ٍد‬ َ َ ‫عاﰱِشة‬

“Husayn b. Muhammad narrated to us, he said: Jarir b. Hazim narrated to us from ‘A’ishara, […]”.

This chain can, for example, be found in the following editions of Ibn Abi Shayba’s al-Musannaf: (1) 1981. ed. Mukhtar Ahmad an-Nadwi.

Bombay: ad-Dar as-Salafiyya. Vol. 9. p.

109.

(2) 1989. ed. Kamal Yusuf al-Hut. Beirut: Dar at-Taj. Vol. 5. p. 336.

(3) 1995. ed. Muhammad ‘Abd as-Salam Shahin. Beriut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya.

َ ّٰ َ ‫وأخرج ْابن أ�ي‬ […] ‫ﺷیبة َعن عاﰱِشة ر�� الل ُہ عنها‬

“And Ibn Abi Shayba reports from ‘A’ishara […]”. (as-Suyuti. 2003. ad-Durr al-manthur fi t-tafsir bi-l-ma’thur. ed.

‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-Muhsin at-Turki.

Vol. 12. p. 64.)

So, as-Suyuti is actually quoting Ibn Abi Shayba (d. 235/849) here, that is, from his work al-Musannaf. However, since asSuyuti did not provide or cite a chain of transmission and an edition of Ibn Abi Shayba’s work was not available for a long period of time, it became an easy target for non-Ahmadi critics to wholly dismiss the tradition very early on.

It, nevertheless, is a damning indictment of the competency of those critics that they conveniently ignored the fact that many eminent scholars of early to late times engaged with this tradition and in its interpretation (ta’wil) instead of rejecting it. (Cf. Ibn Qutayba. 1999. Ta’wil mukhtalif al-hadith. ed. Muhammad Muhyi d-Din alAsfar. Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami. pp. 271f.)

The matter took a first turn, when, in the latter half of the twentieth century, the first editions and publications of alMusannaf began to emerge. Since a chain of transmission was now generally accessible, this tradition was also brought forward along with it by Ahmadi Muslims. This then heralded the next level of criticism of this tradition, namely on the basis of a critique of the authenticity of the chain of transmission.

The following is the chain of transmission found in early editions of al-Musannaf:

However, as the story would turn out, this was a misjudgement based only on the fact that the previous editors had done abysmal work when it comes to their editorial practice. There is a missing link between Jarir b. Hazim and ‘A’ishara, namely Muhammad b. Sirin (d. 110/729), who is actually present in the manuscripts. So, the actual chain of transmission is the following:

َ​َ َ َ​َ َ ْ ‫ َع ْن‬،‫ َح ّدﺛنا َجرِیرُ ْب ُن حازِ ٍم‬:‫قال‬ ،‫َح ّدﺛنا ُح َسي ُن ْب ُن ُم َح ّم ٍد‬ َ َ َ ‫ُم َح ّم ٍد َع ْن عاﰱِشة‬

“Husayn b. Muhammad narrated to us, he said: Jarir b. Hazim narrated to us, from Muhammad [b. Sirin], from ‘A’ishara, […]”.

This complete chain can, for example, be found in the following editions of Ibn Abi Shayba’s al-Musannaf: (1) 2004. ed. Hamad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Jum‘a; Muhammad b. Ibrahim alLahidan. Riyadh: Maktabat ar-Rushd.

Vol. 8. p. 620.

(2) 2006. ed. Muhammad ‘Awwama.

Jeddah: Sharikat Dar al-Qibla; Damascus: Mu’assasat ‘Ulum al-Quran.

Vol. 13. p. 522.

(3) 2008. ed. Abu Muhammad Usama b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad. Cairo: alFaruq al-Haditha li-t-Tiba‘a wa-n-Nashr.

Vol. 8. p. 622.

(4) 2015. ed. Sa‘d b. Nasir b. ‘Abd al‘Aziz Abu Habib ash-Shathri. Riyadh: Dar Kunuz Ishbiliya li-n-Nashr wa-tTawzi‘. Vol. 14. p. 521.

This poor editing work is also noted in the more recent editions. For example, footnote 2 in (3) after Ibn Sīrīn’s name, states:

‫زیادة من الأصول سقطت من المطبوع‬

Vol. 5. p. 337.

The objection was that, because of the fact that, according to these editions, Jarir b. Hazim (d. 170/786) apparently narrated directly from ‘A’ishara, the chain of transmission was interrupted (munqati‘), as Jarir b. Hazim was born in the year 85/704, which makes the gap between his birth and ‘A’isha’sra death twenty-seven years. This is why, for example, Bakr b. ‘Abd Allah Abu Zayd (d. 1429/2008), a leading Saudi Salafi scholar, wrote about this tradition:

“An addition from the original sources that was omitted from the [previous] printed edition[s].”

And in (4) it says in footnote 3 on the name of Ibn Sirin: .[‫ ]ه‬:‫سقﻂ من‬ “Omitted in ha’.” i.e., omitted in the edition of ad-Dar asSalafiyya.

Having resolved this issue, the critics then came up with their next contention, i.e., that this is a mursal tradition. For example, the al-Faruq edition writes in footnote 3, which was added to the end of the tradition:

– ‫وهذا الأﺛر منقطع؛ جریر بن حازم لم یسمع من عائشة‬ ّٰ – ‫ر�� اللہ عنها‬

��‫ محمد بن سيرین لم یسمع من عائشة ر‬،‫إسناده مرسل‬ ّٰ .‫اللہ عنها کما قال أبو حاتم وغيره‬

“And this tradition in interrupted (munqati‘). Jarir b. Hazim did not hear [any traditions] from ‘A’ishara.” (Bakr b. ‘Abd Allah Abu Zayd. 1996. Mu‘jam al-manahi al-lafziyya. Riyadh: Dar al-‘Asima. p. 698.)

“Its chain of transmission is mursal.

Muhammad b. Sirin did not hear [any Continued on page 10 >>

8

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

Was Prophet Muhammad’s demise a result of poisoning?

Qamar Ahmed Zafar London

Introduction A YouTube content creator has alleged that after the conquest of Khaybar in 6/7 AH, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa was presented with poisoned meat by a lady from Khaybar as a form of revenge. The lady also wanted to see if the Holy Prophetsa would die if he ate the poisoned meat. She was of the idea that if he died, he would be a false Prophet.

Alternatively, if he survived, she would have learnt that he is a true Prophet. So, now we must see whether God saved Prophet Muhammadsa against assassination attempts or whether God failed to protect him.

Failed assassination attempts against the Holy Prophetsa A noteworthy point to make here about the isolated assassination attempt by poisoning at Khaybar is that this is not the only time the opponents tried to assassinate the Prophet Muhammadsa, in fact, there were many more failed attempts, some of which are as follows: 1. We find one attempt by the Jews to kill him when he was just an infant staying with Halima Sa’diyya. (Sunan Abi Dawud, 3004)

2. Abu Jahl plots to kill him but flees when angels intervene. (Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah – The Life of Muhammad, trans.

A. Guillaume, Oxford University Press, Seventeenth Impression, 2004, pp. 133ff.)

3. The people of Ta’if throw stones at Prophetsa, leaving him drenched in blood.

He survives and the people of Ta’if accept Islam instead. (Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khanra, Muhammad: The Seal of Prophets, Islam International Publications, 2012, p.

66) 4. Umar plots to kill the Prophetsa but instead accepts Islam and is now buried next to him. (Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, Life of Muhammadsa, Islam International Publications, 2013, p.

38) 5. A party of disbelievers puts a cloth around the Prophet’ssa neck and drags him to kill him, however, this was intervened by his companions. (Ibid, p. 17) 6. The Meccan tribes try to kill the Prophetsa before he migrates to Medina. They wait outside his house all night, however, he has already left. (Ibid, p. 50) 7. A bounty is put on the head of the Prophetsa during the migration of Medina.

Suraqahra b. Malik locates the Prophetsa, but rather than killing him, he eventually accepts Islam. (Ibid, p. 52)

8. The Prophetsa is confronted by a man with a sword while he is resting under a tree. The man says to the Prophetsa ‘Who will save you now?’. The Prophetsa replies ‘Allah’. Rather than killing him, the man drops his sword and becomes a supporter of Islam. (Rashid Choudhry, Stories from Early Islam, Islam International Publications, 1990, p. 121) 9. Banu Nadir appoint ‘Amr b. Jahsh to throw a boulder on the head of the Prophetsa from a cliff. The Prophetsa is informed by Angel Gabrielas about this, and their plan fails. (William Muir, The life of Mahomet and history of Islam to the era of the Hegira, Vol. 4, 1861, Smith, Elder & Co., p. 308) 10. A hypocrite plans to kill the Prophetsa: Ibn Hajar states, “Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr mentioned in his Kitab ad-Durar that the Prophetsa passed by him while he was intent on suddenly attacking him, and so the Prophetsa asked, ‘What are you thinking about?’ He said, ‘Nothing.

I was engaged in the remembrance of Allah.’ The Prophetsa laughed and said, ‘I seek forgiveness from Allah for you’ then placed his hand on his chest. ‘Fadala said, ‘By Allah, he had not even lifted his hand from my chest until I did not find anyone more beloved to me on the face of the earth than him.’” (Sharh Sahih alBukhari, Book 93, Hadith 599)

11. The botched assassination attempt of ‘Aqaba 9 AH mentioned in Dala’il anNubuwwah, al-Bayhaqi, V. 5, p. 256, Darul-Isha‘ah, Karachi, 2009) 12. The failed attack on the Prophetsa in the valley of Hunayn. The Prophetsa returned stating: ‘I am the Prophet, there is no untruth about it’. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-maghazi, 4316) 13. And finally, the poisoning attempt at Khaybar.

These are just but a few failed attempts at the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.

Can anyone, after reading this, stand up and say that God did not indeed protect the Prophetsa?

We will now investigate the main point of discussion, i.e., no. 13, which inevitably has the same outcome as the 12 before it.

The isolated case of the poisoning attempt at Khaybar Like all the incidents above, this incident also testifies only to the truth that indeed God was with the Holy Prophetsa. Let us now delve into the sources.

Everything hinges on a series of varied narrations found in the books of Hadith regarding the incident of Khaybar in which the Holy Prophetsa was presented with some poisoned meat. This event took place in 6/7 AH. The various narrations are as follows: 1. Abu Hurayrahra narrated, “When Khaybar was conquered, a roasted poisoned sheep was presented to the Prophetsa as a gift [by the Jews]. Allah’s Messengersa said, ‘Let all the Jews who have been here, be assembled before me.’ The Jews were gathered and Allah’s Messengersa said, ‘Will you now tell me the truth if I ask you about something?’ They replied, ‘Yes.’ He asked, ‘Have you poisoned this sheep?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He asked, ‘What made you do that?’ They said, ‘We wanted to know if you were a liar in which case we would have got rid of you, and if you are a Prophet then the poison would not harm you.’” ( Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab atttibb, 5777) 2. Anasra reported, “A Jewess came to Allah’s Messengersa with poisoned mutton and he took of that what had been brought to him. He called for her and asked her about that, whereupon she said, ‘I had determined to kill you.’ Thereupon he said, ‘Allah will never give you the power to do it.’” (Sahih Muslim, 2190a) 3. Abu Hurayrahra narrated, “When Khaybar was conquered, a (cooked) sheep containing poison, was given as a

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 present to Allah’s Messengersa.” (Sahih alBukhari, Kitab att-tibb, 4249) 4. When the Prophetsa had rested, Zaynab, the daughter of al-Harith, the wife of Sallam b. Mishkam prepared for him a roast lamb, having first inquired what joint he preferred. When she learned that it was the shoulder she put a lot of poison in it and poisoned the whole lamb. Then she brought it in and placed it before him.

He took hold of the shoulder and chewed a morsel of it, but he did not swallow it. Bishrra b al-Bara’ b. Ma‘rur who was with him took some of it as the Prophetsa had done, but he swallowed it, while the Apostlesa spat it out, saying, ‘This bone tells me that it is poisoned.’ Then he called for the woman and she confessed, and when he asked her what had induced her to do this she answered: ‘You know what you have done to my people. I said to myself, ‘If he is a king I shall ease myself of him and if he is a Prophet he will be informed [of what I have done].’ So the Prophetsa let her off. Bishrra died from what he had eaten. (Life of Muhammad, Ibn Ishaq, Translated by A Guillaume, Oxford University Press Karachi, 1998, p.

516) 5. The Conquest of Khaybar occurred in 7 A.H. (Life of Muhammad, Ibn Ishaq, Translated by A Guillaume, Oxford University Press Karachi, 1998, p. 510)

What we know about the incident of the poisoning attempt These are the most authentic narrations which mention this incident, and even in that, there are variations. So it seems that narrators have different opinions and collective memories of how things actually happened. What we do know from the following narrations is this: 1. The event happened at the fall of Khaybar.

2. Cooked sheep was presented to the Holy Prophetsa as a gift.

3. It was either presented by a lady of Khaybar or a group of Jews. The lady may have been Zaynab bint al-Harith.

4. The meat was poisoned as a test to see if the Prophetsa would die or survive as a test of his truthfulness.

5. The Prophetsa put the meat in his mouth.

6. The Prophet Muhammadsa immediately realised that the meat was poisoned.

7. He spat the meat out and/or did not continue to eat the meat.

8. The lady/Jews witnessed that he did not die and admitted that it was a test which was unsuccessful.

9. The Prophet Muhammadsa informed the woman that she would never have been successful in trying to kill him.

10. Another companion called Bishrra died from eating the poisoned meat.

It is clear from the narrations that the test itself and the attempt to murder the Prophetsa on the occasion completely failed. Not only this, the Jews were absolutely stunned as to how the Prophetsa could have possibly found

9

out about the poison. This strongly infers that they were convinced of the fact that he had Divine support with him. Hence, this event actually supports the argument that the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa was a true Prophet of God because even the Jews, who tested him, were unable to see the success of their assassination attempt. Rather, they had no choice but to admit to how their plan had gone in vain.

Did the poison kill Prophet Muhammadsa?

If we look further into the narrations, we find that although the poison failed to kill the Prophetsa, it did, however, lead to the martyrdom of his companion, Bishrra b. al-Bara’. This is further testimony that the poison really had the power to kill a person, however, despite that, the Prophetsa still did not die from it. Who other than God was behind such a miracle?

This detailed narration presented by the Musleh-e Maud, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra is also given below: “A Jewish woman asked the Companionsra what part of an animal the Holy Prophetsa preferred to eat. She was told that he preferred the shoulder of lamb or goat. The woman slaughtered a goat and made cutlets on hot stones. Then she mixed with them a deadly poison, especially in pieces cut from the shoulder, believing the Holy Prophetsa would prefer them. The Holy Prophetsa was returning to his tent, having led the evening prayers in congregation.

He saw this woman waiting for him near his tent and asked, ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’ ‘She said, ‘Yes, Abul-Qasim, you can accept a present from me.’ The Holy Prophetsa asked a Companion to take whatever the woman had brought. When the Holy Prophetsa sat down to eat his meal, this present of roasted meat was also laid before him. The Holy Prophetsa took a morsel. A Companion Bishrra b. al-Bara’ b. Ma‘rur also took a morsel. The other Companions present at the meal stretched their hands to eat the meat. But the Holy Prophetsa stopped them saying, ‘My hand has informed me that the meat has been poisoned.’”

He further writes, “The Holy Prophetsa then sent for the woman and asked her if she had poisoned the meat. The woman asked the Holy Prophetsa how he ever got to know about it. The Prophetsa was holding a piece of the goat in his hand, and said, ‘My hand told me this,’ The woman then realised that the Holy Prophetsa had discovered the truth.

The woman admitted what she had done.

The Holy Prophetsa asked, ‘What made you commit such a heinous act?’ She replied, ‘My people were at war with you and my relations were killed in this battle, I decided to poison you, believing that if you were an impostor, you would die and we should be safe, but if you were a Prophet, God would save you.’

Hearing this explanation, the Holy Prophetsa forgave the woman. Otherwise, she would surely have been given the death penalty.

This incident shows that the Holy Prophetsa was ever ready to forgive those who attacked him and his followers, and punished only when punishment was necessary when it was feared the guilty one would continue to cause mischief and strife.” (Dibachah-yi Tafsir-ul-Quran, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 20, pp. 327ff.)

The same is also found in al-Tabaqat alkubra: During the Battle of Khaybar, Bishrra also ate the poisoned goat meat alongside the Holy Prophetsa, which was given to them as a gift by a Jewish woman. When Bishrra swallowed a piece of the meat, he had not yet moved from his place when all of a sudden, his facial complexion changed and became like a taylasan – a cloth which was predominately black in colour. The pain was so severe, that for an entire year, he was unable to turn over in bed without assistance and eventually, he passed away in this painful state. It is also stated [in other narrations] that the poison was so deadly that he had not yet moved from his place when after a short while of eating the meat, he passed away. (Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat alkubra, Vol. 3, p. 291, Dar Ihya’ at-Turath al‘Arabi, Beirut, 1996) Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa critiques the view that the Prophet Muhammadsa died from poison and states: “Some enemies of Islam allege that the Holy Prophetsa passed away due to this poison. This has also been discussed in certain books of history and biographies of the Holy Prophetsa. Certain historians are willing to accept the narrative that the Holy Prophetsa passed away due to this poison, as they wish to declare the Holy Prophetsa as a martyr. However, this is contrary to the facts. The research cell has also sent a report and I will mention that here. It is written that irrespective of what is said in any book of history or biography of the Holy Prophetsa or any Hadith, the Holy Prophet’ssa demise was not due to poisoning. If someone asserts this, then either they are ignorant of all the narrations, or they are mistaken. It should be remembered that the incident of the poisoning took place during the Battle of Khaybar, which occurred at the end of 6 AH or the beginning of 7 AH and the Holy Prophetsa remained alive for approximately four more years. He lived a healthy life just as he did before the incident and even went to battles. There was not even the slightest change in his routine with respect to his worship or other daily activities. To pass away after approximately four years, owing to a fever and a migraine, no rational individual would assert that his death was due to the effects of poisoning.

In actuality, there is a hadith [saying of the Holy Prophetsa] recorded in Sahih alBukhari as well as some other books of Hadith and owing to not understanding the translation correctly, people have inferred from it that the Holy Prophet’ssa demise was due to the effects of poisoning, whereas this is incorrect. The hadith mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari is as follows – I will mention the translation:

“‘A’ishahra narrates that during his last days, the Holy Prophetsa would say, ‘O ‘A’ishah! I have always felt the effects of what I ate at Khaybar. Even today, I feel as if my insides have been greatly affected due to the poison.’ (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab almaghazi, Bab marad an-Nabisa wa-wafatihi, Hadith 5073) “From this hadith, some Muslims – exegetes and scholars of hadith – have inferred that the Holy Prophetsa passed away due to the effects of the poison. Some of them then explain that owing to this, the Holy Prophetsa can be deemed as a martyr, whereas this narration does not support this viewpoint. In this narration, the Holy Prophetsa simply expressed a sense of pain he felt. Everyone is aware that an injury or [specific] pain can revert at times owing to certain factors. If one analyses the details regarding the narrations about the Holy Prophetsa eating poisoned meat at the time of Khaybar, it is also written that the Holy Prophetsa put the poisoned meat in his mouth but did not swallow it. Even if he did swallow it, the fact that he lived a healthy life is proof that his death was not a result of the poison. Indeed, the poison would have had a severe effect on the stomach or intestines and this is a natural consequence of it.

Likewise, since the morsel was placed in his

mouth, it would have affected the uvula and owing to this he may have occasionally felt pain whilst eating.

“All the details regarding this incident can be found in the ahadith [sayings of the Holy Prophetsa]. It is also written that the Holy Prophetsa knew that the meat had been poisoned and he stopped his Companionsra from eating it. When the Holy Prophetsa Continued on next page >>

10

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM << Continued from previous page

called the woman responsible for it and asked her, she said she added poison to see that if the Holy Prophetsa was a true prophet of God, he would be saved. Otherwise, they would be rid of him. The Jews even admit to the fact that the Holy Prophetsa survived.

The poison that was used was fatal, yet the Holy Prophetsa survived. In fact, according to some narrations, this woman then accepted Islam. Nevertheless, the Jews themselves admit that the Holy Prophetsa survived and consider this to be a miracle.

Therefore, it is utterly false to assert that the Holy Prophetsa passed away due to the effects of the poison.” (Friday Sermon, 29 November 2019, al-Hakam, Issue 93, p. 18)

Is the death or martyrdom of a Prophet objectionable?

Such an event would still have no bearing on his truthfulness as the Quran emphatically states that Muslims should not hold this as an excuse for rejecting a Prophet: “And Muhammad is only a Messenger.

Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he die or be slain, will you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels shall not harm Allah at all. And Allah will certainly reward the grateful.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, Ch.3: V.145)

An objectionable translation Some present the following hadith in an attempt to suggest that the Prophet Muhammadsa felt his aorta being cut towards the end of his life due to the poison.

Ummul-Mu’minin ‘A’ishahra narrated, “The Prophetsa, in his ailment in which he died, used to say, ‘O ‘A’ishah! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaybar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-maghazi, 4428) They try to infer that this means he was a liar, God forbid, according to the following verses of the Holy Quran: ‘And if he had forged and attributed any sayings to Us, We would surely have seized him by the right hand, And then surely We would have severed his life-artery, And not one of you could have held Us off from him.’

(Surah al-Haqqah, Ch.69: V.45-48) First of all, the words referring to the veins in the Quran and the Hadith speak of two different veins or arteries. When looking at the Arabic text (the Quran uses “al-watin” while the Hadith uses “alabhar”). This alone disproves the claim; as the Prophetsa did not feel any pain in his al-watin according to any narration. You don’t need to be a scientist to know that the human body has countless veins and arteries, this verse only speaks of the jugular vein.

If anything or any part was false or forged, it would have been a swift punishment or occurrence of having the aorta cut, which would cause instant death. It would not be delayed until after the message of Islam had been completely delivered, and in this case, perfected as Allah later revealed in the Quran: “This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.”

(Surah al-Ma’idah, Ch.5: V.3) Ibn Kathir says in his tafsir:

“Allah further says, ‘And not one of you could have held Us off from him.’ [The Holy Quran, Surah al-Haqqah, Ch.69: V.48]” This means, “None of you could have held Us off from him (Muhammadsa), even if you wanted to.” This means that Allah has the power to protect His Prophet from any harm, and He supports him with clear miracles and evidences.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Ch. 69: V.47, Vol. 5, Hudaibiyah Publications, p. 422) If the Holy Prophetsa was a liar Godforbid, why did God not seize him and destroy him on the multiple occasions people tried to kill him, why would God wait for his message and mission to be successful? So ponder, O people of understanding!

A note to Muslims There are some who believe the Prophetsa was a martyr because he died from poison, God forbid. As we have already expounded upon above, this is not the case.

If such Muslims focused on the narration of Sahih Muslim regarding this event they would have realised that the Prophetsa had already condemned any fatal effects of the poison at the very moment he met the woman who cooked the meat: Anasra reported, “A Jewess came to << Continued from page 7

traditions] from ‘A’ishara as Abu Hatim and others have stated.”

A tradition is mursal (pl. marasil/ mursalat) when a tabi‘i does not name the direct source from which he transmitted it. The emergence of mursal traditions can be attributed to the fact that early Muslim scholars did not place as much emphasis on providing detailed chains of transmission for every report. This tendency was prevalent in the first few generations of Muslims, and scholars at that time would, for example, sometimes reference the Prophet’ssa traditions while discussing a legal issue informally without necessarily providing a chain of transmission.

And indeed, as two experts on hadith criticism, namely Ibn Ma‘in (d. 233/848) and Abu Hatim ar-Razi (d. 277/890), affirm, Ibn Sirin did not in fact hear any traditions directly from ‘A’ishara (See: Yahya ibn Ma‘in.

1985. Ma‘rifat al-rijal. ed. Muhammad Kamil al-Qassar. Damascus: Majma‘ alLugha al-‘Arabiyya. Vol. 1. p. 127. And: Ibn Abi Hatim. 1998. Kitab al-marasil. ed. Shukr Allah b. Ni‘mat Allah Quchani. Beirut: Mu’assasat ar-Risala. p. 188.)

Since mursal reports have incomplete chains of transmission and one cannot be sure from whom a tabi‘i is narrating, these traditions are mostly considered unreliable by hadith critics. However, after extensive research on mursal reports of some early transmitters, hadith critics approved of the mursal reports of certain transmitters.

This was precisely the case with the mursal reports transmitted by Ibn Sirin.

Imam Ahmad (d. 241/855), for example, said:

.‫ حسنة المخرج‬،‫مرسلات ابن سيرين صحاح‬ “The mursal traditions of Ibn Sirin are authentic reports (sihah), with good sources [of narration].” (Abu Ya‘la. 1993.

Allah’s Messengersa with poisoned mutton and he took of that what had been brought to him. He called for her and asked her about that, whereupon she said, ‘I had determined to kill you.’ Thereupon he said, ‘Allah will never give you the power to do it.’” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab-us-salaam, 2190a) The above narration infers that Allah would never allow the poisoned meat to kill the Prophet Muhammadsa, i.e. “Allah will never give you the power to do it”. Then how can any Muslim adhere to such a belief?

miserably. An undeniable testament to the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammadsa.

To conclude, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas states: “Therefore, it is evidently clear that the survival of the Holy Prophetsa from these dangerous events is clear evidence that he was, in reality, truthful, and God was with him.” (Chashma-e Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, pp. 263-264, footnote)

Why did God allow all of this to happen?

“And Allah will protect thee from men” (Surah al-Ma’idah, Ch.5 V.68) So, why would God allow the Prophetsa to come to so much harm? Why all these assassination attempts?

The answer is clear. God wanted to illustrate to the world that despite every attempt at the life of the Prophetsa, the opponents still failed and returned

Research has now been presented, highlighting the fact that the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa did not die an accursed death, God forbid. However, it may be considered ironic that the Trinitarian “Christians”, who have raised this allegation, hold the blasphemous and erroneous belief that their “god”, died an accursed death on the cross according to their own scriptures, i.e., “Anyone who is hanged is a curse of God.” (Deuteronomy, 21:23) Of course, as Muslims, we place Jesus, may peace be upon him, far above dying an accursed death on the cross. He was a pious prophet and a humble servant of Allah the Exalted. The Holy Quran states, “They slew him not, nor crucified him.” (Surah anNisa’, Ch.4, V.158)

al-‘Udda fi usul al-fiqh. ed. Ahmad b. ‘Ali Sayr al-Mubaraki. Riyadh: al-Mamlaka al‘Arabiyya al-Sa‘udiyya. vol. 3. p. 924.)

The renowned hadith scholar Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr was the most explicit in elaborating the quality of the mursal reports of Ibn Sirin. He said:

Ibn Sirin’s mursal reports are considered authentic by them, just like the mursal reports of Sa‘id b. al-Musayyab.” (Ibid. Vol. 24. p. 48.)

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) regards a particular mursal report that is narrated by Ibn Sirin as highly authentic. He says:

Now, we know about the various attempts on the life of the Prophet Muhammadsa which all failed. However, Allah the Almighty has said:

َّ َ َ ُ ۡ َ ُ ّٰ َ ‫اس‬ ِ ‫واللہ یع ِصمک ِمن الن‬

Conclusion

‫ ومحمد وكل من عرف أنه لا يأخذ إلا عن ثقة فتدليسه ومرسله‬.‫وهذا الإسناد من أصح إسناد على وجه الأرض‬ ‫ ومراسيله من أصح مقبول فمراسيل سعيد بن المسيب ومحمد بن سيرين‬،‫بن سيرين من أورع الناس في منطقه‬ ‫وإبراهيم النخعي عندهم صحاح‬ .‫المراسيل‬ “And every narrator about whom it is known that he only took from trustworthy transmitters (thiqa), his tadlis and mursal transmission is accepted, so the mursal traditions of Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, Muhammad ibn Sirin and Ibrahim anNakha’i are in their view authentic reports (sahih).” (Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr. 1967. at-Tamhid li-ma fi l-Muwatta’ min al-ma‘ani wa-lasanid. ed. Mustafa b. Ahmad al-‘Alawi; Muhammad ‘Abd al-Kabir al-Bakri. Rabat: Matba‘at al-Fadala. Vol. 1. p. 30.)

And he said that there was a consensus (ijma‘) among hadith scholars to accept Ibn Sirin’s mursal reports:

“And this chain of transmission is one of the most authentic chains of transmission on the face of the earth. Muhammad b. Sirin is one of the most scrupulous individuals in his speech, and his mursal reports are among the most authentic mursal reports.”

(Ibn Taymiyya. 1986. Minhaj as-sunna annabawiyya: fi naqd kalam ash-Shi‘a wa-lQadariyya. ed. Muhammad Rashad Salim.

Riyadh: Jami‘at al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sa‘ud al-Islamiyya. Vol. 6. pp. 236f.)

He also repeats that Ibn Sirin exclusively transmits from reliable narrators:

“The hadith scholars unanimously agree that Ibn Sirin was the most reliable of the tabi‘un in transmitting mursal reports, and that he only narrated and took reports from trustworthy transmitters, and that his mursal reports were authentic.” (Ibid. Vol. 8. p. 301.)

He further said:

from trustworthy sources, such as Sa‘id b. al-Musayyab, Ibrahim an-Nakha’i, and Muhammad b. Sirin, and those who were known to transmit from unreliable sources”. (Ibn Taymiyya. 1998. Iqtida’ assirat al-mustaqim li-mukhalafat ashab aljahim. ed. Nasr b. ‘Abd al-Karim al-‘Aql. Riyadh. Dar Ishbiliya. Vol. 2. p. 350.)

Further details and more on the specific reasons why scholars accepted Ibn Sirin’s mursal reports can, for instance, be found in this work: Hissa bint ‘Abd al-‘Aziz asSaghir. 2000. al-Hadith al-mursal bayna l-qabul wa-r-radd. Jeddah: Dar al-Andalus al-Khadra’; Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm.

،‫ومنهم من يميز بين من عادته لا يرسل إلا عن ثقة‬ ،‫ ومحمد بن سيرين‬،‫ وإبراهيم النخعي‬،‫كسعيد بن المسيب‬ ‫أجمع أهل العلم بالحديث أن ابن سيرين أصح التابعين‬ ‫وبين من عرف عنه أنه قد يرسل عن غير ثقة‬ ‫مراسل وأنه كان لا يروي ولا يأخذ إلا عن ثقة وأن مراسله‬ “[A]nd some of them distinguish between ‫صحاح‬ those who were known to only transmit

‫ورواه محمد بن سيرين عن عائشة وما أظنه سمعه منها‬ ‫ومراسيل ابن سيرين عندهم صحاح كمراسيل سعيد بن‬ ‫المسيب‬ “And Muhammad b. Sirin narrated this from ‘A’ishara, and I do not think that he heard it directly from her. However,

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023

11

ََْ َ ْ َ َ​َ ‫ﻭﻟﻘﺪ ﺑﻌﺜﻨﺎ ﻓِﻰ‬ ً ُ ‫ُ ﱢ ُ ﱠ ﱠ‬ ‫ﺔ ﺭﺳﻮﻻ‬ ٍ ‫ﻛﻞ ﺃﻣ‬

Prophets of

Allah

Solomon: A most excellent servant of God “And We did raise among every people a Messenger”

Jalees Ahmad Al Hakam

Prophet Solomonas, also known as Sulayman [‫]سلیمان‬, was a Prophet of Allah and the son of Prophet Davidas. He was the heir of Davidas and was bestowed special knowledge and, as all prophets, was favoured by Allah the Almighty. His people carried trade on sailing boats (Surah al-Anbiya’, Ch.21: V.82) and he, Solomonas, is known famously for the palace (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.45) which shall be discussed further in the article. Like all Prophets, Solomanas was diligent in turning to Allah and was bestowed a high rank.

Prophet Solomonas, who was an excellent servant of God and would often turn to Him, is a well-known and prominent figure mentioned in the Holy Quran. He is considered one of the four great world-rulers in Arab history; renowned for his wisdom and justice.

Like all prophets, his knowledge was vast and deep, and even at an early age, he excelled in administering justice with the “[right] understanding” of matters (Surah al-Anbiya, Ch.21: V. 80). When his father, Prophet Davidas, passed away, Solomonas was chosen as his successor due to his admirable qualities and esoteric knowledge granted to him by God. ( The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Leiden E.J. Brill, 1986, Vol. 9, p. 822) When we remember Prophet Solomonas, one thing which directly comes to mind is his vast empire which spanned from northern Syria to the Persian Gulf; he also commanded a powerful navy.

Solomon’sas reign marked the zenith of Israelite wealth, power, and prestige. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol.4, pp. 26032604)

Winds were subjected for Prophet Solomon Prophet Solomonas was said to possess the ability to understand the speech of birds (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.17), the true purport of which has been discussed already in the article about his father, Prophet Davidas.

He was also believed to have command over a strong wind, which blew for a month in the morning and a month in the evening. (The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Leiden E.J. Brill, 1986, Vol. 9, p. 822) The verse presented for this is as follows:

“And We subjected to Solomon the violent wind. It blew, at his bidding, toward the land which We had blessed.

And We have knowledge of all things.”

(Surah al-Anbiya, Ch.21: V.82) Upon studying this verse, it should not

‫ﺳﻠﻴﻤﺎن‬

‫ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ‬

be understood that Solomonas, at his own will and command, had control over the ّ (wind), wind. Alluding to the word ‫الریْح‬ used in the verse quoted above, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira has explained that this probably refers to Prophet Solomon’sas vessels which sailed under his command.

(Haqaiq-ul-Furqan [2005], Vol. 3, p. 133) It implies that his people carried on trade in sailing boats. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states that “Hazrat Solomon’sas vessels used to come down with goods from the upper region of Syria; that is, towards Palestine.” (Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 417) Further, it seems that Prophet Solomon’sas vessels navigated through the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, facilitating regular trade between Palestine and the surrounding countries located around the Persian Gulf and these two seas. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2104) In Surah Sad, Ch.38: V.37, we read: “So We subjected to him the wind, blowing gently by his command whithersoever he desired to go,” (Surah Sad, Ch.38: V.37) In light of this, the Five Volume Commentary explains, “‫ حيرلا‬means, (1) wind, (2) a good and pure thing, (3) mercy, (4) aid against an enemy, (5) victory or conquest, (6) predominance and power, (7) a turn of good fortune, etc.” And thus, ّ in this verse, the words ‫ح ۡي ّرلا ُه َل ا َن ۡر خ َس َف‬ (“So We subjected to him the wind”) have been used, which means: “1. God granted to Solomonas good

and pure things of the world; 2. He aided Solomonas against his enemies; 3. He was merciful to Solomonas; 4. Solomonas made great conquests and won victories over his enemies; 5. Solomonas possessed great power, prestige and predominance.

6. The words also signify that Solomonas possessed a large and powerful navy.”

(Five Volume Commentary, Vol.4, p. 2726)

“Jinn and men and birds”: Three divisions of Solomon’sas army “And there were gathered together unto Solomon his hosts of Jinn and men and birds, and they were formed into [separate] divisions,” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: Ch.18) This verse clearly highlights that Soloman was preparing his army in rows.

This verse appears to be referring to the military personnel of Solomon’sas army. The three words used – ‫( نج‬jinn), ‫( سنا‬men), and ‫( ريط‬birds) – may represent three different departments within his army. It seems that Prophet Solomonas, through his might, was able to conquer and subjugate some wild tribes, which formed an important part of his army responsible for carrying out various difficult tasks for him. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p.

2398) After reading the word “Jinn”, it should not be inferred that Prophet Solomanas possessed some extraordinary creatures.

For a better understanding of the verse, we must have an overview of the teachings of Islam and the life of the Holy Prophetsa and see what we learn about “Jinn”. With regards to the Holy Prophetsa, we read: “And [remember] when We turned towards thee a party of the Jinn who wished to hear the Qur’an and, when they were present at its [recitation], they said [to one another], ‘Be silent [and listen],’ and, when it was finished, they went back to their people, warning [them].” (Surah al-Ahqaf, Ch.46:V.30) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira has stated that the “party of the Jinn” probably refers to mountainous Jewish residents of Nusaybin. (Haqaiqul-Furqan [2005], Vol.3, p. 579) It seems this group was concerned about the Meccans’ resistance and thus met Allah’s Messengersa secretly at night.

After hearing the recitation of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet’ssa speech, they embraced Islam and conveyed the message to their people who also accepted

it willingly. These men went back to their people and said, “‘O our people, we have heard a Book, which has been sent down after Moses.” (Surah al-Ahqaf, Ch.46: V.31) This verse confirms their Jewish identity. It also suggests that they were influential among their community. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol.5, p. 2913) Further, we read: “And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind; its morning course was a month’s [journey], and its evening course was a month’s [journey] too. And We caused a fount of molten copper to flow for him.

And of the Jinn were some who worked under him, by the command of his Lord.

And [We had told them that] if any of them turned away from Our command, We would make him taste the punishment of burning fire.” (Surah Saba, Ch.34: V.13) The verse reflects the vastness of Prophet Solomon’sas empire and its peace and prosperity. It spanned from northern Syria to the Persian Gulf and boasted a powerful navy. Solomon’sas reign marked the zenith of Israelite wealth, power, and prestige. “The expression. ‘And of the jinn were some who worked under him’ shows that Solomonas had conquered and pressed into service wild and rebellious mountain tribes who worked for him day and night. Incidentally, the verse shows that Solomon’sas rule was firm and strong.”

(Five Volume Commentary, Vol.4, pp.

2603-2604) Further, we read in the Bible that Prophet Solomonas built ships in Eziongeber on the Red Sea shore in Edom, and Hiram sent his skilled shipmen to join Solomon’sas servants on the fleet. (1 Kings 9:26-28) The Holy Quran states: “They made for him what he desired; palaces and statues, and basins like reservoirs, and large cooking vessels fixed in their places: ‘Work ye, O House of David gratefully;’ but few of My servants are grateful.” (Surah Saba’, Ch.34: V.14) In Surah al-Anbiya’ we read:

12

“And [We subjected to him] deep divers who dived for him, and did other work beside that; and it was We Who guarded them.” (Surah Surah al-Anbiya’, Ch.21: V.83) َّ Here, in this verse, the word ‫ِن ۡی ِط ٰی شلا‬ has been used for deep divers. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, explaining this, said, “In the Quran, the word Satan is used for rebels and recalcitrant people. The same is meant here. The rebellious people living on the shores of the Persian Gulf were engaged in his service, extracting pearls for him, which are largely produced from Bahrain and the region of Muscat.”

(Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 418) And thus, according to these verses, Prophet Solomonas was able to conquer and control mountain tribes who were resistant and wild. He made them work for him and forced them into his service.

Did Prophet Solomonas understand the language of ants?

After we read about the three divisions of Solomon’sas army, the Quran states: “Until when they came to the Valley of An-Naml, a Namlite said, ‘O ye Naml, enter your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you, while they know not.’

“Thereupon he smiled, laughing at her words, and said, ‘My Lord, grant me [the will and power] to be grateful for Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do [such] good works as would please Thee, and admit me, by Thy mercy, among Thy righteous servants.’” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27:V.19-20) Before reaching the Valley of anNaml, a Namlite warned his fellow people to return to their homes to avoid being crushed by Prophet Solomonas and his army unknowingly. The Namlite’s words made Solomonas smile, and he prayed to God, asking for the ability to be grateful for the blessings bestowed upon him and his parents, and to do good deeds that would please God. He also prayed for His mercy and to be among the righteous servants.

This verse should not be understood that the Namlites were actually ants.

Nor should it be taken to mean that

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM Prophet Solomanas was able to speak and understand the language of ants. Here, the term Naml refers to a specific tribe and is a proper noun. Therefore, “The Valley of Naml” does not mean “the valley of ants,” as it is often misinterpreted, but rather it is the valley where the Naml tribe resided.

(Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2399) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira gives the example from the dictionary, al-Qamus, in which, under the entry for ‫برق‬, it states: ‫الابرقة من میاہ النملة‬, which means that Abraqah is a spring in Namlah. (Haqaiqul-Furqan[2005], Vol.3, p. 285; for further detail, see: Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol.7, p. 368) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states: “The Valley of Naml is a real valley on the coast opposite Jerusalem from Damascus towards the Hijaz, metaphorically called the Valley of Naml.”

(Tafsir-e-Saghir, p.486) Just like how Mazin, which literally means “the eggs of ants,” is the name of an Arab tribe, Naml is also the name of a tribe. It was a norm in Arabia for tribes to be named after animals and beasts, such as Banu Asad, Banu Taghlab, Banu Kalb, and Banu Naml. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2399) Thus, with this information, it is clear that the verse is referring to people and not ants in its literal sense.

Hudhud and the incident with Bilqis, the Queen of Saba’ To understand Prophet Solomon’sas journey to Sheba and back and the matters dealt with and mentioned about it in the Quran, it will be incomplete without the mention of Hudhud, the commander of Solomon’sas forces (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.21).

When one misunderstanding leads to another, various tales and fables are concocted to merely paint a picture, even if the picture is untrue. After misunderstanding the word “bird”, “naml”, and various others that have already been discussed above and in the article about Prophet David, some commentators have once again misunderstood the story and the reality of Hudhud. As Hudhud is also a name of a type of bird, they say that Hudhud was a bird under Solomon’sas

command who he employed as a message bearer. (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol.7, p. 370) Studying the verses collectively, we begin to see the true image. The Holy Quran states: “‘How is it that I do not see Hudhud?

Is he among the absentees? I will surely punish him with a severe punishment or I will slay him, unless he bring me a clear reason [for his absence].’ And he did not tarry long [before Hudhud came] and said, ‘I have comprehended that which thou hast not comprehended; and I have come to thee from Saba’ with sure tidings.”

(Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V21-23) The verses suggest that the Prophet Solomonas is wondering why he cannot find Hudhud and speculating that he may be absent. He then threatens to punish or kill him unless he can provide a valid excuse for his absence. However, Hudhud appears quickly and explains that he has information that Prophet Solomonas does not possess, having travelled from Saba to share this knowledge.

It is false to say that the great ruler and Prophet, Solomonas, would have been angry with a bird. Further, Huhhud, also known as the hoopoe, is not a bird that can fly great distances. Hence, it is inconceivable that such a bird would be employed for such a mission if it be the case.

Thus, with this, it is apparent that Hudhud was not a bird, but rather a man. He held an important political role as a trusted officer of the state who was assigned a mission by Solomonas to visit the Queen of Sheba. “The practice of exchange of envoys seems to be quite popular in Solomon’sas time. It is also a known fact that men are named after birds and animals. ‘Hudhud’ appears to be a very popular name among Solomon’sas people.

The word seems to be the Arabicised form of Hadad, a Biblical name. It appears to have been the name of several Edomite kings who ruled immediately before the first Israelite king and who defeated Midian. One of the courtiers of Solomonas was also named Hudhud. A son of Ishmael, too, bore this name. Similarly, an Edomite prince who fled to Egypt for fear of Jacob’s massacre was known by this name (1

Kings 11:14).” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol.4, p. 2401) Thus, there should remain no room for error to suggest that Hudhud was a bird Prophet Solomonas used as a message bearer. He was, in fact, a commander of Soloman’sas forces (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.21) who was absent at that time.

As Hudhud arrived, he reported to Solomonas saying “I have come to thee from Saba’ with sure tidings. I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given everything and she has a mighty throne.” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V23-24) Saba’, or Sheba, was a city in Yemen.

The Queen of Sheba was given might and a high degree of civilization. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2402) Hudhud’s absence at the time when Prophet Solomonas was checking his army tells us that he was at Saba’ collecting information so as to report to Prophet Solomonas.

Hudhud then goes on to provide details about the location that Prophet Solomonas was headed to. The phrase “she has been given everything” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.24) indicates that the Queen of Sheba was in charge of a highly prosperous and civilised society. As a powerful monarch, she possessed all the necessary resources to maintain her reign.

Hudhud further reported: “I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan has made their works [look] beautiful to them.” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V25) Be it known, “The Sabaeans worshipped the sun and the stars, a creed which in all likelihood had been imported into Yemen from Iraq with which the people of Yemen were in close contact by way of the sea and the Persian Gulf.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2403) Solomonas replied: “‘We shall see whether thou hast spoken the truth or whether thou art one of those who lie.’” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.28) It is an understood fact that birds are not capable of speaking in the way that humans do, and they do not possess the

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 cognitive abilities required to understand the concept of truth or lies; hence, another verse that emphatically proves Hudhud was not a bird. Solomonas then handed a letter to him and said to take it to the Queen. The letter was concise yet held a powerful warning against revolt and an invitation to the Queen to submit to him to avoid bloodshed. (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V32) It also encourages her to embrace the true faith and abandon idolatry.

The Queen read the letter before the chiefs and sought their advice on the matter. She further explains, “‘Surely, kings, when they enter a country, despoil it, and turn the highest of its people into the lowest. And thus will they do.” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V35) The Queen, Bilqis, then opted to send an ambassador with a gift for Solomonas.

(Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.37) It is clear that Solomonas disliked the Queen’s doing of sending him presents that appeared to include a throne. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2406) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained that in the olden days, it was common for kings or queens, when faced with more powerful rulers, would persuade them by bribery. When the gifts of Bilqis reached Prophet Solomonas, he understood that she had declared him to be of such bad character that he would accept bribes.

Hence, he expressed his displeasure at this act. (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol.7, p. 392) Solomanas responded, “We shall surely come to them with hosts against which they will have no power,” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V38) and asked his men, “‘O nobles, which of you will bring me a throne for her before they come to me, submitting?’”

(Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.39) The throne, here, symbolises the one built by Prophet Solomonas for the Queen as per the customs of that era. During those times, it was common practice for a ruler to have a throne constructed for welcoming a visiting monarch. Solomonas had a throne built specifically for the Queen’s arrival, hence it is referred to as “a throne for her” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V39) This implies that the throne was designed exclusively for her use. (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2407) In response, a stalwart from among the Jinn said, “‘I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy camp; and indeed I possess power therefore and I am trustworthy.’”

(Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.40) Before we continue with this particular incident, it will not be out of place to mention Ifrit.

The original verse, of which the translation has been quoted above, is as follows:

َُ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ​َ ۡ َ ‫ال ِعف ِریۡ ٌت ِّم َن ال ِج ِ ّن انا ٰا ِت ۡیک ِب ٖہ ق ۡب َل ا ۡن تقوۡ َم ِم ۡن‬ ‫ق‬ ٌ ّ ٌ‫َّمقَام َک ۚ َوان ۡی َع َل ۡیہ لَقَو ّی اَمیۡن‬ ِ​ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ

In the Five Volume Commentary, in light of Ifrit, we read: “‫( عفریت‬stalwart) is derived from ‫عفر‬.

They say ‫ عفرہ‬i.e. he covered him with dust; he threw him on the ground. ‫‘( عفرہ‬affara) means, he humbled or abased him. ‫ عفریت‬is a word which is used for men, the jinn and the devils and means, (1) strong and powerful; (2) sharp, vigorous and effective in an affair, exceeding ordinary bounds therein with intelligence and sagacity; (3) a chief; (4) evil in disposition and

13

malignant; (5) insolent and audacious in pride, and in acts of rebellion and (6) one who rolls his adversary in the dust (Lane & Aqrab).” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2407) Regarding ‘Ifrit, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa states: “[...] To accomplish the diverse tasks of Hazrat Sulaiman’sas kingdom, Allah made several nations subservient to him, for whom the Holy Quran has used various words. In Surah Saba, verses 13– 15, the term ‘jinn’ is used for such people, while in Surah Saad, verses 38–39, as well as in Surah al-Anbiya verse 83, the term ‘shayatin’ is used. In fact, these terms refer to the wicked and corrupt nations that Hazrat Sulaimanas defeated with Allah’s help and support and appointed to carry out various tasks for his empire. Among them, ‘Ifrit was also one of the leaders of a similar nation who held a high rank during the reign of Hazrat Sulaimanas.”

(For further details, see: Answers to Everyday Issues: What does the term ‘ifrit

throne for her that was more beautiful and superior to her own, highlighting his greater power and material and spiritual gifts from God. “The entrance to the palace was paved with slabs of glass, below which ran a stream of crystal clear water. When the Queen entered the palace she mistook the transparent glass for water and uncovered her shanks, which in view of the Arabic expression ‫ اھیقاس نع تفشک‬signifies that the sight of the water perplexed her and she did not know what to do.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, pp. 2410-2411) The palace’s entrance was also designed to show the queen’s error of her ways, as she mistook glass slabs for water, emphasising that the sun and celestial bodies she worshipped were not the true sources of light. (Haqaiq-ul-Furqan [2005], Vol. 3, p. 294) Through these methods, Prophet Solomonas succeeded in his goal, as the Queen renounced her idol worship and became a devout follower of the One True God. She said, “‘My Lord, have I indeed wronged my soul; and I

me of my Lord.’” (Surah Sad, Ch.38: V.33)

Prophet Solomon’sas vision Prophet Solomonas saw in a vision an incapable son as his successor.

“And We did try Solomon and We placed on his throne a mere body.” (Surah Sad, Ch.38: V.35) Hazrat Mulseh-e-Maudra has explained that a lifeless body means that the heir will be a son bereft of heavenly enlightenment (Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 600).

In another verse, the words, “a worm of the earth that ate away his staff ” have been used. (Surah Saba, Ch.34: V.15) In light of this verse, the Five Volume Commentary explains: “The reference in the words ‘a worm of the earth’ is to Solomon’sas worthless son and successor, Rehoboam, under whose weak rule the great and mighty kingdom of Solomonas fell to pieces.

Besides leading a life of ease and luxury, he was surrounded by foolish and selfish counsellors whose bad advice led him to pursue a policy which brought about the ruin and downfall of the kingdom which had been reared on firm and sound footing by his great father. The wild mountain tribes realizing that the strong hand which had held them under subjection was no more, rebelled and revolted, with the result that disorder and chaos followed and Solomon’sas mighty kingdom cracked and crumbled.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2606)

Prophet Solomon’sas prayer

Ruins of the Temple of Awwam at Ma’rib, the former capital of Saba’

mean?, Al Hakam, Issue 265, pp, 6-7.)

Following on with the incident, Prophet Solomonas ordered to “‘Make her throne unrecognisable to her’”, (Surah anNaml, Ch.27: V.42). The wisdom behind this was to make it far grander than her own throne which she was very proud of.

“Solomonas did so in order that she might realize that he was God’s favourite and had been endowed with material and spiritual gifts in far greater abundance than those given to her.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 2410) As she arrived, she was asked if her throne was similar. She replied that it was as if it were the same (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.43). Then, she entered the palace and thought it to be a “great expanse of water” and so bore her shanks (Surah anNaml, Ch.27: V.45). Seeing this, Solomonas said that it was just a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass.

Prophet Solomonas, as all prophets do, desired people to abandon idol worshipping. He, owing to his noble judgement and character, aimed to convert the Queen to the true faith by adopting wise means. He prepared a grand

submit myself with Solomon to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.’” (Surah an-Naml, Ch.27: V.45)

‘I love the love of horses because they remind me of my Lord’ Prophet Solomonas, naturally, being a commander of force with capable men, also took a liking to horses “of noblest breed and swift of foot” (Surah Sad, Ch.38: V.32) Solomonas, as mentioned throughout the article, was blessed with power and wealth from God, allowing him to rule over a vast kingdom. To safeguard his God-given and far-reaching empire, he maintained a strong army, with a formidable cavalry forming a crucial part of it. Given the significance of these horses, he developed a great fondness for horses of good breed. However, this was not merely a passion for racing or breeding.

Instead, it stemmed from his love for God, as he recognised the importance of horses in fighting for righteousness and truth.

The Quran records him saying, “‘I love the love of horses because they remind

In a hadith narrated by Abdullahra ibn Amr, we read that Allah’s Messengersa said that when Prophet Solomonsa, – the words used by the Holy Prophet for Prophetَ ّٰ َ ‫أ َّن ُس َل ْي َم‬ Solomonas are: ‫ان ْب َن َد ُاو َد صلى الله عليه وسلم‬ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ ‫ – لما بنى بيت المق ِد ِس‬son of David, constructed the Sacred House, he prayed to Allah Almighty for three things. Firstly, Solomonas requested that his judgement aligns with Allah’s judgement, which was granted. Secondly, he sought a kingdom that no one else would possess after him, and he was granted that too. Lastly, upon completing the foundations of the Mosque, Solomonas beseeched Allah Almighty to grant that whoever came to the Mosque with the sole intention of praying, would have their sins erased, similar to the day they were born from their mother, and Allah granted this as well. (Sunan an-Nasa’i, Kitab al-masajid, Hadith 693)

Harut and Marut During the reign of Solomonas, we read about Harut and Marut - ​​both of which are descriptive names. (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.103) This verse has been surrounded by numerous unwarranted legends that are not supported by the Quran or the Hadith, and some of them even contradict these sources. Therefore, it would be unreasonable to interpret this verse based on such myths. Readers are requested to stay tuned for an upcoming article in the near future, which will, God-willing, delve into a comprehensive and detailed explanation of Harut and Marut. This topic is extensive enough to warrant its own dedicated piece.

14

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

A letter to the Viceroy, 1930 Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s efforts in preventing Indian Muslims from indulging in agitation and violence Ata-ul-Haye Nasir Al Hakam

Background Under the Montagu-Chelmsford Reform Scheme of 1918, the British government had decided that after ten years, a commission would be sent to India to examine the effects and operations of the constitutional reforms and to suggest more reforms for India. On 8 November 1927, an announcement was made by the British government that the Indian Statutory Commission (also known as Simon Commission) will be sent to India under the presidentship of Sir John Allsebrook Simon. This aroused a huge controversy and various sections of India decided to boycott the Commission, since it did not include even a single Indian.

Even some prominent Muslim leaders like

The Englishman | 5 January 1928

Jinnah supported this boycott. Upon this, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra advised the Muslims that the boycott would be more detrimental for Muslims, compared to the Hindus.

Anyhow, the Simon Commission arrived and began its work in 1928. The details of the Simon Commission and Huzoor’sra guidance to the Indians in general and Muslims, in particular, have already been mentioned in an article, titled “The Simon Commission, First Round Table Conference and Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad’sra valuable guidance” (Al Hakam, 26 November 2021, Issue 193, pp. 16-17).

When the Viceroy of India put forward a suggestion of a Round Table Conference in London, to resolve the problems, the then Governor of the United Provinces Sir Malcolm Hailey advised him that any conference would have to be advisory and not authoritative. Moreover, John Simon also disputed the proposed conference, asserting it would undermine his report.

Later on, after thorough discussions, John Simon agreed to the idea of holding the Conference. The Viceroy of India also made clear that the solution for India’s political problems would heavily rely on the Simon Commission’s report. (“Conferencing the International”, www.nottingham.ac.uk) On the other hand, the Indian National Congress passed a resolution on 31 December 1928, giving the deadline of 31 December 1929 for the British government to commit to Dominion Status, or face a movement of civil disobedience. (Habib, Irfan. “Civil Disobedience 1930-31.” Social Scientist 25, no. 9/10 (1997): 43–66. https:// doi.org/10.2307/3517680.)

On 5 June 1929, Ramsay MacDonald had his first meeting as the British Prime Minister, with King George V. The new Labour government was a source of great encouragement for the Indians, due to the fact that on 2 July 1928, Ramsay MacDonald had said at the British Commonwealth Labour Conference in London: “I hope that within a period of months rather than years, there may be a new Dominion added to the Commonwealth of our nations; a Dominion of another race, a Dominion that will find self-respect as an equal within this Commonwealth. I refer to India.” (Jinnah: Creator of Pakistan, Hector Bolitho, London, 1954, pp. 96-97) The Viceroy of India drafted a proposal for a declaration that the intention of the British Government was to confer Dominion Status for India eventually and that after the completion of the Simon Commission’s report, a Round Table conference of Indian leaders would be held in Britain.

On 16 October 1929, Sir John Simon, head of the Simon Commission, also suggested to British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald: “It seems to us that what would be required would be the setting up of some sort of conference [...] [in which] His Majesty’s Government would meet both representatives of British India and representatives of the States [...] for the purpose of seeking the greatest measure of agreement for the final proposals which it would later be the duty of His Majesty’s Government to submit to Parliament.” (Ibid, p. 97) On 31 October 1929, the Viceroy of India made a declaration, agreeing to a Round Table Conference of representatives of the British government and Indian parties.

(Habib, Irfan. “Civil Disobedience 1930-31.”

Social Scientist 25, no. 9/10 (1997): 43–66. https://doi.org/10.2307/3517680.)

On 23 December 1929, various Indian leaders including Gandhi, Motilal Nehru and Jinnah met with the Viceroy and put before him certain demands on behalf of the Indians. The Viceroy refused to offer anything beyond his own declaration about the Round Table Conference. Hence, it

became apparent that the deadline of 31 December 1929, given by Congress a year ago, for the government to commit to the Dominion Status of India, would pass without any satisfactory agreement to break the ice. (Ibid)

Civil Disobedience in British India The writing on the wall suggested that Congress was in no mood to partake in any further negotiations. The political atmosphere in British India continued to worsen due to the lack of a satisfactory agreement between the government and political parties, and thus, on 6 April 1930, the Indian National Congress initiated civil disobedience. Though some Muslim organisations such as Majlis-e-Ahrar and Jamiat-ul-Ulema favoured this initiation, the Muslims as a whole, refrained from this movement.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra guidance and efforts for peace The efforts of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra played a huge role in preventing the Muslims of India, as a community, from indulging in

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023

15

Ji, Pandit Motilal Nehru, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mr Sen, Mr Iyengar, Dr Stya Paul, etc.

Moreover, India is our country, as it belongs to them, and our hearts are passionate with the love for the country and freedom of speech, just like their hearts. Therefore, we can never accept the notion that we have no love for India in our hearts, or that others should be considered more passionate than us in this regard.” (Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 12, pp. 380-381) Huzoorra continued by saying that on one hand the Islamic teachings and worldly principles suggest that it is unlawful to rebel against an established government, and on the other hand, “the feelings of patriotism, the educational and economic needs of the country, and human dignity and honour are compelling one to strive for the country’s freedom. [...] To find a way in between these two aspects is a very delicate matter, but no doubt, this is the correct pathway.” However, Huzoorra said, the people of India are not following this pathway and indulging in such acts which have neither proved beneficial in the past nor will they be fruitful now: “Freedom is very good [demand] in itself, however, while achieving this, the application of such a method which may potentially enslave [a nation] forever, can never be correct.” (Ibid, p. 383) Huzoorra continued by saying that disrespecting the law of the land in an attempt to achieve freedom is an act which would enslave India forever. (Ibid)

Huzoor’sra letter to the Viceroy

The Times of India | 5 June 1930

such chaos. In his Friday Sermon on 2 May 1930, Huzoorra spoke about the ongoing situation and advised the Indian leaders to follow peaceful and constitutional means to achieve their objectives and to refrain from any kind of violence or chaos. Huzoorra categorically declared: “We are also desirous of the freedom and independence of India, as are Gandhi

The atmosphere within the country was continuously worsening, the government began to arrest people, and the movement of civil disobedience began to spread all over the country. In light of such a situation, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra wrote a letter to the then Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, on 2 May 1930. Huzoorra presented the following proposals in relation to the establishment of peace and harmony within the country: A conference should be called to consult with the representatives of all those parties of the country who desire peace and justice, as to find a way to ensure that the law of the land is respected and there are no complaints from the Indians about the use of violence against them by the government.

A conference should be called of all the governors, and a unanimous pathway needs to be proposed for the whole of India. The regulatory laws about the Press are essential to a certain extent, however, the demand for high amounts of security bonds is unbearable for the Urdu Press and will intensify the chaos. Therefore, they should be cautioned at first, then a small amount of security bond can be demanded, and then if the issue is not resolved, the amount of security bond can be increased. The government should announce that the ongoing arrests are not to hinder the Freedom Movement, but rather, to foster a suitable atmosphere for that objective and that the Dominion Status will surely be granted to India. The Muslims, as a community, have remained aloof from the current disorder, however, during the chaos in Peshawar - which took place on 23 April 1930 when two Congress leaders from the NWFP were arrested - the government made a huge mistake and the local authorities did not show restraint. The government should compensate for its mistake. In this regard, an announcement will be beneficial that

the NWFP will also be granted reforms on the same scale as the other provinces of the country. The Muslims are suspicious that the government will suppress their rights under the influence of the majority Hindus, and thus, this issue must be settled. (Tarikhe-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 5, pp. 194-195) The Times of India reported: “CONFERENCE OF SUPPORTERS OF PEACEFUL PROGRESS. “A Suggestion to the Viceroy.

“Muslim Fear Lest the Govt. Should Yield to Hindu Agitators.

“A suggestion that the Viceroy should call a conference of leaders who believe in peaceful progress was made by the head of the Ahmadiyya community in a letter explaining the Muslim attitude towards the present political situation.

“The letter voices the suspicion prevalent among Muslims that in the final settlement of India’s future constitution, the Government might yield to Hindu agitators, ignoring the claims of the Muslims.

“His Excellency, in his reply, [...] observes that the ‘time may come when some form of formal conference of those who desire the peaceful progress of the country may be considered desirable.’ He also announces consulting local governments regarding the Sarda Act. “The suspicion among the Muslims that in the final settlement of the future constitution of India, the Government will yield to the Hindu agitators and fail to concede to Muslims their due rights was one of the factors that prompted His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Ahmed, Head of the Ahmadiyya community, to address a long letter to His Excellency the Viceroy offering a few suggestions with regard to the present political situation in India. In sending to us copies of his letter and the Viceroy’s reply to it, the Foreign Secretary of the Ahmadiyya community observes that His Excellency’s reply proves that the attitude of the Government is not as unreasonable as it is generally believed to be and that, while holding its prestige, the Government is prepared to give sympathetic consideration to any reasonable proposals that may come from any quarter.

“His Holiness, in the course of his letter, expresses the opinion that the desire for freedom among Indians is widespread and that the strength of the movement cannot be ignored. He assures His Excellency that the members of the Ahmadiyya community are staunch supporters of the idea of freedom for India within the Empire on the one hand and that they regard respect for, and obedience to the law of the land as part and parcel of their religion. He offers the community’s assistance to the Government in all just and rightful measures to fight the campaign of civil disobedience and suggests, in that connection, that a conference should be held to which representatives should be invited of all such communities and classes as are desirous for peaceful progress. His Excellency should preside over this conference and ask for their views on the measures that should be adopted to reestablish respect for law and to maintain peace and order without giving the people ground for suspecting that the Government is resorting to a policy of repression.

“A UNIFORM POLICY. Continued on page 17 >>

16

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

Pioneer Missionaries

Part IX

Propagation of Islam Ahmadiyyat in Bolshevik Regions A series looking at pioneer missionaries and devotees of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat who gave precedence to faith over the world.

Awwab Saad Hayat Al Hakam

On 14 August 1923, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih ra II and published an essay titled: � �� composed � � ������ � ��‫ا‬ � �� �‫��و‬ � � (Propagation of Ahmadiyya in the Bolshevik Region). In the essay, after mentioning the preaching efforts of Fateh Muhammad Sahib and missionary Mian Muhammad Ameen Sahib, Huzoorra advised members of the Jamaat to bear the difficulties that come with propagating Islam Ahmadiyyat.

An incident from 1919 involving an Ahmadi in the English army Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra recounted an incident that took place in 1919. He explained that an Ahmadi, who was employed in the English army, went to Iran.

From there, the army was ordered by the higher authorities to enter the territory of Russia to prevent the Bolshevik sedition and stayed there for some time. These events, Huzoorra explained, are not generally known to the public because the interests of that time required that the advance of the English troops in Russian territory be kept hidden. The name of this person, Huzoorra wrote, was Fateh Muhammad, and he held the rank of corporal in the army. Through his preaching efforts, he was able to convert another person with him to Ahmadiyyat while in the army. On one occasion, the new convert was sent with a few soldiers to a place some distance ahead of the camp to ascertain the movements of the Russian troops. Upon his return, he narrated what he witnessed to Fateh Muhammad Sahib, saying that they had gone to a dome-shaped building where some people lived outside the city.

A discovery of shared beliefs with people in a dome-shaped building Further building on this incident, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra wrote that the new convert reported that upon reaching the dome-shaped building, they observed signs similar to those found in mosques, however, here, chairs were arranged inside. When the new convert inquired about this, the local people present explained that they were preachers and that Russians and Jews who came to visit them preferred not to sit on the ground. Therefore, chairs were provided and removed during prayer.

This man, the new convert, was curious about the people he encountered in the dome-shaped building and asked who they were. They responded by saying that they were Muslims. Thus, the new convert saw

this as an opportunity to preach to them and asked if they believed Prophet Jesusas was alive in the heavens. The local people replied that he had passed away in the same manner as other prophets had. The new convert then asked about the second advent of the Messiah, and they confirmed that the Latter-Day Messiah was from this Ummah.

Upon hearing this, the new convert said that the teachings and beliefs of the people in the dome-shaped building were similar to the beliefs of a group held in India who followed Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian whom he had accepted. Upon sharing this observation with them, the people inside responded by stating that they too were followers of him.

Fateh Muhammad Sahib’s investigation in Russia Ashgabat and encounter with the Ahmadis When Fateh Muhammad Sahib heard these things from his friend, the new convert, he felt a desire in his heart to investigate this matter by himself. Incidentally, after a few days, he was also ordered to go ahead, and he went to Russian Ashgabat. There, he inquired from the people whether there were any Ahmadis in the area. People flatly denied this. Fateh Muhammad Sahib then asked if there were people who believed that Prophet Jesusas passed away. In response, the local person replied, “I see, you are referring to the Sabians; they are here.”

The local person gave the address of a tailor who worked in a shop nearby. Thus, Fateh Muhammad Sahib paid him a visit.

When he met the tailor, the tailor said they were indeed Muslims and the locals called them Sabians out of prejudice, just as the enemies of the Holy Prophetsa treated them.

When Fateh Muhammad Sahib asked the reason for the opposition, the tailor replied that they were opposed because they believed that Prophet Jesusas had passed away and that a person among the Muslim Ummah had been raised as the Promised Messiah, who was born in India. Hence, he said that this was the reason why people opposed them and considered them out of the pale of Islam. He added that in the beginning, they were subjected to severe hardships. False reports were given to the Russian government against them, labelling them as rebels, and many of their men were imprisoned. However, he added, upon further investigation, the Russian government found that they were not rebels but loyal to the government. He said that through their preaching efforts, they had brought many Christians and Jews to Islam, but few Muslims had believed. They were

more busy opposing them, he added.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra recalls a prophecy of the Promised Messiahas Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra then narrated that when this person came to know that Fateh Muhammad Sahib also belonged to the same group, he was very happy.

The background to the conversion of these people, as narrated by the local Ahmadi, is that an Iranian went to India, where he found the books of the Promised Messiahas. After reading them, he believed in his message and began preaching to many people. Gradually, members of their jamaat continued to grow.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra explained that Fateh Muhammad Sahib had written about these circumstances and sent them to him. As it had been a long time, Huzoorra couldn’t recall if the events were in the same order, but he remembered the essence of the story.

Huzoorra expressed that when he received this news in his letter, there was no end to his joy. Huzoorra explained that he understood that the following prophecy of the Promised Messiahas was being fulfilled: “January 30, 1903 “The same night I saw in a dream as if the sceptre of the Czar of Russia was in my hand and hidden inside it was the barrel of a gun and thus it served two purposes. Then I saw that the bow of the king who reigned at the time of Bu ‘Ali Sina [Avicenna] was in my hand and I had shot an arrow at a tiger. It appears as if Bu ‘Ali Sina and the king were also with me. [Notebook of the revelations of the Promised Messiahas, p. 4]” (Tadhkirah: English rendering of the divine revelations, dreams and visions vouchsafed to Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, The Promised Messiah and Mahdi, on whom be peace, p. 261)

The passing of Fateh Muhammad and the sending of Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra expressed that he had a deep desire to write to Fateh Muhammad Sahib to conduct further research on the jamaat there. Unfortunately, Huzoorra explained that he received devastating news from Fateh Muhammad Sahib’s relatives that he had passed away due to a bullet wound sustained on the battlefield.

Huzoorra expressed that the news of Fateh Muhammad Sahib’s passing had shattered his hopes, and as a result, his plans had to be postponed. Nevertheless, his

desire to obtain information about the area persisted and grew stronger in his heart. By the end of 1921, Huzoorra made the decision to acquire information about the area through any means possible.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra stated that at that time, a significant challenge emerged due to a strained relationship between the English and Russian governments.

There was a strong suspicion between the two, leading to a difficulty that seemed insurmountable. However, Huzoorra was resolute in his determination to push forward with his plans. He selected Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib, a man who had devoted his life to the cause of Islam, to undertake the task despite being aware of the difficulties involved. Huzoorra informed him that he would not be able to provide any financial assistance, and Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib willingly agreed to the task and commenced immediately.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra explained that on the day Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib set out, it was extremely cold, and he had to travel by rail to Quetta, passing through snowy areas. Despite enduring these harsh conditions, Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib made it to Iran within two months, even though he did not have enough supplies with him. From there, he left for Russia to continue his mission.

Huzoorra shared that he had received a letter from Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib in March 1922, but had not received any communication from him thereafter.

However, on 9 August, of the same year, Huzoorra finally received a response, which contained some good news. As per the contents of the letter, the Ahmadiyya Jamaat had developed in the country.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih’s call for sincerity and sacrifice Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra shared that Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib had written briefly about the sensational situations he had encountered after entering Russian territory. Despite the brevity of the writing, there was enough detail for someone with vision to understand. Huzoorra expressed his desire that other brothers could benefit from Mian Muhammad Amin Sahib’s experiences and grow in their sincerity, and be prepared for every kind of sacrifice for Islam. Huzoorra emphasised that true success lies in subduing one’s ego in the path of God. This entire episode demonstrates how the pioneer missionaries of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat displayed an incredible Continued on next page >>

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 << Continued from page 15

“A conference of the Governors and administrative heads of the various provinces should also be convened and, in consultation with them, the Viceroy should settle a uniform policy for the whole of India. He invites His Excellency to make it clear that the arrests which are being made at present are not intended to check the movement for freedom, but are meant to produce a better atmosphere for the same and that the Government will remain true to their oft-repeated declaration concerning the grant of Dominion Status to India.

“Although the Muslims have, as a community, remained aloof from the present agitation, His Holiness proceeds, the Government has made a mistake in regard to the disturbances of Peshawar in which Muslims have greatly suffered.

He alleges that the local officials did not exercise adequate restraint and suggests that the Government should adopt a policy of conciliation towards Muslims and considers it desirable that the Government should issue a statement declaring that in the future constitution of India, the North-West Frontier Provinces would be granted reforms on the same scale as other provinces.

“CONTROL OF THE PRESS. “While agreeing that a stricter control of the press in India is desirable, His Holiness thinks that to demand heavy securities from Indian newspapers would only serve to augment unrest and agitation. If the papers close down in consequence, people would receive no news of the happening in different parts of the country and baseless rumours will in consequence go around, giving rise to a feeling that revolts and uprisings occur all over the country. His Holiness suggests that in the first instance offending newspapers must be warned and that subsequently light securities should be demanded of them.” (The Times of India, 5 June 1930, p. 10)

Viceroy’s reply In response to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra letter, a reply was received from the Private Secretary to the Viceroy. The Times of India wrote: “VICEROY’S REPLY. “DESIRE TO GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE SHAPE TO INDIAN ASPIRATIONS “To this letter, the Private Secretary to His Excellency the Viceroy has sent the following reply: “‘His Excellency desires me to acknowledge, with many thanks, your letter of 3rd May, to which he has given his careful << Continued from previous page

amount of passion by leaving their homeland and entering unfamiliar areas to spread the teachings of Islam. These resilient souls faced various challenges, including language barriers, cultural differences, and even danger to their lives. However, as history testifies, their unwavering commitment to Islam and Khalifatul Masih enabled them to attain remarkable feats in new lands and introduce Ahmadiyya to people who might have otherwise never encountered them.

Indeed, their legacy continues to inspire people to this day.

17

consideration. “‘His Excellency is glad to receive the assurances which you, as head of the Ahmadiyya community, give regarding the loyalty and cooperation of the community.

Those assurances are in consonance with the past traditions and admirable record of that community. “‘His Excellency is well aware of the depth of the feeling among Indians generally for advance and for the realization of representative and selfgoverning institutions; and the successive pronouncements of His Majesty’s Government since October last and his own declarations have, he hopes, made clear beyond possibility of doubt, the desire to give these aspirations a constructive shape on wise lines at the earliest possible moment. His Excellency since his return from England has kept in constant touch with prominent persons in India representing the different communities and he believes the Governors of Provinces maintain similar touch with leading men in their respective provinces. The time may come when some form of formal conference of those who desire the peaceful progress of the country may be considered desirable and your suggestions in that connection will be borne in mind. If in the meantime you have any constructive suggestions to make for immediate application, His Excellency suggests that you might bring them to the notice of the Governor of the Punjab. “‘MAINTENANCE OF ORDER. “Nothing could be further from the thoughts of Government than to stifle legitimate aspirations for advance; and such measures as misguided violations of the peace and attacks on constituted government have forced Government to take, have been taken solely with the purpose of maintaining law and order and the peaceful administration of the country and protecting the private rights of citizens against excesses. “‘His Excellency has noted your views with regard to the administration of the Press Ordinance. He believes that in many cases friendly warnings have been given with good effect before taking any steps for demanding security. He also understands that, where it is found imperative to require security, the amount of security is fixed with due regard to the extent of the offence, the circulation of the paper and other special considerations affecting the particular case of the newspaper concerned. “‘As regards the Peshawar disturbances, I think that you are aware that [the] Government, in accordance with the declaration of Sir Norman Bolton, is appointing a committee of two High Court Judges to inquire. The results of their inquiry must be awaited.” (Ibid.)

The newspaper continued: “CONFERENCE PROBABLE. “The Foreign Secretary of the Ahmadiyya community, drawing attention to important points in His Excellency’s reply, considers that, although the Viceroy may not at present be prepared to convene a conference of selected leaders of the people to discuss with them the ways and means for creating a better atmosphere and for combating the spirit of defiance of law and authority, one can easily find, reading between the lines, that His Excellency does not consider the holding of such a

conference quite improbable and that it is possible that an opportunity to bring this about may present itself any moment.

The Head of the Ahmadiyya community is already corresponding with responsible leaders on this weighty question and he intends again to address His Excellency about it. [...]

“APPEAL TO MUSLIMS “The Foreign Secretary earnestly appeals to all sane and level-headed Indians and his co-religionists, in particular, to abstain from participating in movements that are at once demoralising and subversive of the established order and to secure an equitable settlement of their rights by legitimate and constitutional means. He continues: - ‘A wise and united nation can never be kept, indefinitely deprived of its just rights. And a person who thinks that a country with an enormous population like India will not succeed in getting its deserved rights unless it resorts to unconstitutional and illegitimate means and unless its elders, by banishing from the minds of the coming generation all respect for law and constituted authority, make them wholly irresponsible and unprincipled, not only disgraces his nation and country but disgraces humanity itself. We should exercise our brains to find out the solution to the knotty problems that confront us and scrupulously avoid all those methods which may lend temporary strength to our cause, but would eventually give a death blow to our moral existence.

Such methods, by rendering impossible the establishment of any kind of Government, foreign or indigenous, instead of helping it to rise to the highest principles of political progress and development, would only bring chaos and anarchy for centuries to come. In pursuance of the directions of the Ahmadiyya community, I declare on its behalf that we are as loyal to our country and as solicitous of its progress and prosperity as other people are and that we are quite prepared to make all sorts of legitimate sacrifices and lawful and constitutional efforts to secure for our beloved country true and real independence; but at the same point I should fervently appeal to my countrymen to steer clear of all movements

that bring nothing but ruin and disaster in their wake.” (Ibid.)

Huzoor’sra response to an objection It is important to mention here that in those days many would object that why a religious community like Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya interferes in political matters. Responding to such objections, during his Friday Sermon on 30 May 1930, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra said: “For those who object that why we interfere in political matters, I have three responses: “Firstly, we were occupied in our [religious] work, however, you disturbed and troubled us and repeatedly objected, ‘Why are you silent [on the country’s situation]’, therefore, we were compelled to express the opinion which we deem to be correct.

“Secondly, our Jamaat is present, by the grace of God Almighty, in all parts of India and foreign countries as well, and many of those members do not get the opportunity to visit Qadian for years. Therefore, to give them guidance and suitable direction, it is essential for us to express our views in relation to the country’s situation through our own press and the other [non-Ahmadi] press as well.

“Thirdly, we are preachers, and our duty is to propagate whatever we consider to be true. [...]

“If our views are incorrect, there is no reason for our opponents to worry about them, since people would themselves reject once they hear [those views]. However, we cannot be deprived of our right to propagate our views just like they [opponents] are doing. [...] The Promised Messiahas urged his opponents to organise such jalsas in which people may narrate the distinctive features of their respective religions. He did not say that ‘Since I have been appointed by God Almighty, thus, all other people should shun the preaching of their Faith.’ [...] He did not do so, because he knew that other people also have the right to preach [their respective Faith] just like him.” (Khutbat-eMahmud, Vol. 12, pp. 417-418)

Representatives from Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Kosovo meet Municipal Director for Security and Emergencies Besmir Yvejsi Kosovo Correspondent

On 19 April 2023, two representatives from Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo had a meeting with Mr Lulzim Fushtica, the Director of the newly-established Directorate for Security and Emergencies in the municipality of Prishtina. The Directorate, established in March 2023, is responsible for ensuring security in both urban and rural areas of Prishtina, in collaboration with the Kosovo Police, local communities, and Community Safety Forums.

During the meeting, Mr Fushtica, who possesses 25 years of experience in security management and coordination of programmes for the prevention of

extremism, terrorism and violent radicalism, was provided with comprehensive information about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. The representatives highlighted the peaceful teachings of Islam propagated by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa and the slogan “Love for All, Hatred for None”, which deeply impressed Mr Fushtica.

Mr Fushtica was also briefed about the humanitarian efforts of Humanity First in Kosovo and around the world, particularly in the field of disaster relief, which is directly relevant to the work of the Directorate he leads. Both parties agreed to enhance the frequency of meetings and explore potential avenues for cooperation to further promote general security for the citizens of Prishtina, both in urban and rural areas.

18

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

100 Press reports from America and

Years Singapore, and Ahmadiyya news abroad Ago...

The Moslem Sunrise, April & July 1923

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra (1872-1957)

Newspapers and magazines The agents of the Associated Press in a recent interview with me took a detailed account of our Mission work in this country. [Their] report has been published in many daily and weekly papers throughout the United States and Canada with my photo and that of the Mission House. This publicity has brought in correspondence from many inquirers in different localities.

1. The Muslim of Singapore for February, 1923, writes: It gives us unmixed pleasure in seeing the efforts of the Muslims to lay before the Western World the beauties of Islam.

Among other instances in this direction, we find that Dr Mufti Muhammad Sadiq has taken upon himself the arduous task of carrying the message of Islam to the people of America. He has pitched his missionary tent in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and as we write we have before us The Moslem Sunrise, a quarterly which is edited by him. It is an attractive and instructive little magazine printed on excellent paper and contains many photographs of the American converts to the ranks of Islam. Dr Sadiq has, so far, met with great success in the New World and is sanguine of gathering a still richer harvest in the near future. We greatly appreciate his zeal in the good work he has undertaken.

2. Los Angeles Examiner of 18 April 1923 gives the following note: Followers of the Mohammedan religion, of which there is a number in Los Angeles, according to Mohammed Abdul Haqq, local minister of that faith, will soon celebrate a month’s fast, termed by the Mohammedans the “Month of Ramazan”.

The months’ fast is described by Mohammed [Abdul] Haqq as a period in which those of the faith change their routine so as to observe the Feast of the Spirit. Ritualistic features of the religion are also observed during this month.

“This is a ‘Fast of the Sensual’,” Mohammed [Abdul] declared. “Those of the faith practically abstain from eating, taking just enough food to tide them over the month. The time is given over to rest of mind and body. Much of speech is also refrained from by the followers. In fact, all efforts are centered in at month’s observance of the Spirit of Allah.

“The object of the Ramazan month is to create a general fast.”

3. Minneapolis News, the Knoxville News and many other papers have given the following note with my picture and the

Mosque’s photo: Mufti Muhammad Sadiq [...] is the pastor of what is thought to be the only Mohammedan Mosque in the United States [...]. Muhammad’s parish is in a crowded district in Chicago. He says he is drawing many converts.

4. St. Louis (Missouri) Star prints the following communications from Sheik Ahmad Din (Mr Nathaniel Johnson): (a) I read with interest the letter of Mr Tizoions in last Sunday’s Star, and in regards thereto will say: That it never pays to abandon the Holy Faith of Islam in order to gain the goodwill of others, whether they be Jew, Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist.

My Dear Brother, you should have stuck to your guns by all means. This would have at least proved that you were an honest soul; and those whom you thought, were your enemies, would have proven to have been your dearest friends. When you apostatized, it merely betrayed weakness on your part and revealed your dishonesty. The Holy Koran says: “How shall God guide one who, after they had believed and bore witness that the Holy Prophet was true, and after that clear proofs of his mission had reached them, they disbelieved? God guideth not the people who transgress.”

As for those who say they do not believe anything; take their sayings with the usual grain of salt, for you will find that there is something hidden under, their egotism, their vanity, their bombast, and basso, they do believe.

I advise you: Ask Allah for forgiveness and mercy, return to the straight path of Islam, be a good Moslem, and peace of mind will certainly be yours and you will find many friends. Remember the slogan of the Faith – La ilaha ill-Allah, Muhammadur Rasoolullah. (b) Moslem View of Color Line: Editor, The St. Louis Star: The late “Baptist Soul-Saving Campaign”, in one

respect, is one step forward. The feeble attempt to erase the color line from religious worship was commendable, but the way it ended was pitiful, tragic and almost ridiculous.

I am a Moslem, and I understand that true religion should always be free from the question of race or color, not for one day, one week or two weeks, but for all time. A few days after the drive ended.

I saw black people walking past two and three white churches, in order to reach his own church before he dares [to] stop to say his prayers. And I saw white people walking and riding past dozens of black churches before they would stop to say their prayers. Some Christian spirit this! Comic opera of the highest order.

The question of color must be erased from the church service, in the factory, in the shop and everywhere.

purposes. There will be no war with the Turks. That is the opinion of Mufti Muhammad Sadiq of India, a missionary of Moslem in the Ahmadia movement, who arrived in Buffalo this morning from New York. He was interviewed at No. 450, Seneca Street, by The Enquirer.

Dr Sadiq will lecture in Buffalo during his stay and then will go to Chicago, his missionary headquarters. Many Arabs called on the missionary from India this morning. Attired in his turban and a full-length garment of dark grey, the missionary explained to The Enquirer the religion he is bringing to America, and to which he claims already 500 converts.

He has been a missionary in the United States for three years, but this is his first visit to Buffalo.

Much interest shown in Islam missionary

“We believe in all of the prophets and all of the books of the Bible, both old and New Testament,” explained. Dr Sadiq.

“We believe that Jesus[as] was not divine, but came as a prophet of God. He died like the other prophets and is not sitting in the highest. There is a tradition [...] that Jesus[as] is buried in Cashmere, a state in the north of India with a climate cold like Syria and Palestine. It is called the Palestine of India. The tradition is that Jesus[as] was not dead when he was taken

His Belief

5. Dr Sadiq heard here with interest by many exchangites and guests last night.

At a meeting of the Grand Haven Exchange club last evening, many interested persons listened to Mufti Mohammed Sadiq, the only accredited missionary of Islam to this country, talk on his religion, Dr Sadiq is very learned in his particular faith and gave many sidelights on comparisons between his religion and that of the Christians.

Notwithstanding a difference of opinion. Dr Sadiq’s talk was enjoyed by all and a new idea of Mohammedanism [Islam] was gathered by many who previously had a very hazy understanding of this religion which is believed by so many people on the continents of Asia and Africa.

Following his lecture, Dr Sadiq stated that he was very well pleased with the reception which was accorded him and that the Grand Haven people whom he spoke before, compared very favorably with any other representation that he has spoken to in America.

He also said that he would be glad to come here to give another lecture if at any time there was a call for it. (Grand Haven Daily Tribune, dated 28 November 1922) 6. The Turkish war threats in Smyrna will be carried up to, but not into, warfare. They are Ahmadiyya mosque, Chicago 4448 Wabash Avenue, 1922 being made simply for financial

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 from the cross by his friends but had fainted from his wounds. He was taken to a cave, where he recovered and left the country, going to India, where he lived for 120 years. The tomb of Jesusas] is there now. [...]

“We believe in the continuation of the prophets because after Jesuas]s came another prophet Muhammad[sa]. That was 700 years after Jesusas] died. The Scriptures say, ‘I will send you a comforter,’ and Muhammad[sa] came like Moses. He brought a book of laws and like Moses, he fought with his opponents. As Moses saved the Israelites from Pharaoh, Muhammad[sa] saved his people from idolatry and caused them to believe in one God,” explained the missionary from India.

“We pray five times a day, morning, noon, afternoon, at sunset and before retiring.

During one month each year we fast and do not take any food, take any water [...] during the day. At night, we may eat anything we would ordinarily eat during the daytime. April is the month to fast this year. It is similar to the Lenten season in your churches.

“Every member of our faith [of Islam] who has any wealth must give two and one half per cent of his annual income as [financial contribution i.e., chanda,] to be used for the poor, the travellers and in religious work.

“Ahmad[as] is the prophet who came recently and whose religious belief I follow. The new [sect of the] religion [of Islam] teaches us to have no religious wars. There are 700,000 members of that order. They take no part in politics,” the missionary stated. Then he told of the movement among the sect which is similar to the woman suffrage movement here. (Buffalo Enquirer of 12 February 1923)

Moslem mullah in mission to Chicago 7. Aged Dr Sadiq claims 500 converts to Mohammedanism here [in America].

In a little room at 4448 St., Wabash Av., made into a miniature mosque, an aged man kneels. He is garbed in severe clerical costume and his head is wrapped with a green turban. His dark face is fringed with gray whiskers and horn-rimmed spectacles surmount a thick nose.

The aged priest’s head is bowed toward Mecca as he leads his disciples, mostly [African Americans], in supplication to Allah. He is Dr Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, and claims to be a descendant of Mohammed. “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allah is the greatest of all,” he chants above the kneeling forms facing the East.

It is quiet and peaceful in the little prayer room. The “messenger’s” followers evince sincerity in the faith expounded by the kneeling figure in the mosque.

During the short time he has been here, Dr Sadiq says he has converted 300 persons to the Mohammedan faith. Three hundred of these are [African Americans].

(Chicago Herald & Examiner, 11 March 1923) 8. The Jewish paper, The Day, of New York City, printed in the Jewish language a lengthy account of our work.

19

Ahmadia news abroad The headquarters, Qadian, India, are busy raising funds for the building of a Mosque in Berlin, Germany. Twelve thousand dollars ($12000) is the estimated cost of the building, the site for which has already been secured in a very respectable quarter.

This fund, as desired by the blessed Leader, [Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra], is to be wholly subscribed by the ladies of the Movement at home and abroad, and already the sum of eight thousand dollars ($8000) has been promised and donated in the form of cash and jewelry. The Ahmadia ladies deserve our greatest thanks for this spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion.

Another sum of twelve thousand dollars ($12000) is being raised to reclaim the Muslim Rajputs of UP, India, who are in danger of being inveigled into other camps owing to their complete ignorance of their Moslem faith. The Holy Leader of the Ahmadia Movement has made a call upon each of his followers who are to go out at their own expense and help in reclaiming those whose ignorance and poverty have exposed them to the blandishments of others. Batches of such men have already left for work among those people under the leadership of Mr Fateh Muhammad Sayal[ra] MA, formerly Ahmadia Missioner in London and now in-charge of the Propagation Department at Qadian.

A donation list, for the Berlin Mosque, being opened here, the following are the first few donors: Sadiqah Sadiq, $10; Mrs Abdul Hakim (Agusto), $7; Sister Fatima (Mrs Russell), $5; Faruq (Mrs Ellis) $7; Mrs Abraham Holasi, $10; Sister Saeeda (Mrs Joseph), $5; Miss Romeesa Rahman, $5; Sister Zeineb (Mrs Watts), $1; Mrs William McSwain, $4; Mrs Andrew Jacobs, $2; Mrs Anna B Ross, $5, and Mrs W Hill (Nejmad Deen), $4.

The complete list will be printed in the next issue of this magazine.

Maulvi Mubarak Ali Maulvi Mubarak Ali who is now in Berlin, Germany, made an extended tour of that country. He is very sanguine of success among a people whom defeat and humiliation have sobered a good deal, and whose hearts are now turned from materialism to things spiritual. The brother has bought a piece of land for the erection of a great Mosque for which the Ahmadia ladies are showing much zeal and keenness.

Most of the highly educated people, such as professors of Universities and the i ntel l i ge nt s i a are evincing a keen interest to know the truth and the religion of Islam as portrayed in “The Teachings of Islam,” by the holy Founder of the Movement, [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas], and the claims and truths of the Missions of Muhammad[sa] and Ahmad[as] as briefly but beautifully described in “A Present to

the Prince of Wales,” by the present leader of the Movement. Both books are gaining widespread appreciation. May Allah accord His success to our brother’s efforts in the cause of the spread of Truth.

Abdur Rahim Nayyar Profess or Nayyar, we regret to learn, has been ordered out of West Africa on medical advice. He is now in England and the latest advices of him show that he has made a marked improvement in the salubrious climate of South England. While out for health this zealous missionary of truth has been devoting his time in holding meetings and delivering lectures, and moreover, he is carrying on his educational work in West Africa through correspondence. Imam Shodende is carrying on the propagation work within Lagos in our brother’s absence. The “West Africa” of London in its issues of 16 September 1922, and 20 January 1923 publishes photos of Ahmadia Movement women’s section at prayer. Mr AR Nayyar, Mr FR Hakeem, [and] some of the young members of the Ahmadia Community, Lagos, [arranged] farewell gatherings of teachers and pupils of the TI Ahmadia School, Lagos, on the departure of Professor Nayyar for Nigeria.

Fazal Rahman Hakeem Our missionary in Gold Coast is also pushing on with his missionary and educational work.

He has a hard task before him, for converting is a simple matter as compared to the teaching, the real conversion and assimilation work.

We wish our brother all success in the arduous task set before himself.

Hafiz Ghulam Muhmmad BA and Hafiz Obeidullah Brothers Hafiz Ghulam Muhammad BA and Hafiz Obeidullah are also devoting their whole time and energy to teaching the truth to the people of Mauritius. Both the brothers have a big community to look after, and it is to the brothers’ credit that their community is contributing so much to the advancement of truth. A good many of the members are highly educated and well-to-do people, and they are everzealous to promote the interests of faith.

One of the Mauritius young men,

Zeinul Abideen, has qualified himself in higher theology at the headquarters, while another, S Ghulam Hussein who passed through the High School course at the headquarters, is now studying medicine at Edinburgh, Scotland.

Misbahuddin Ahmad Brother Misbahuddin Ahmad, in the absence of M Mubarak Ali in Germany, in addition to his other duties, has been holding the weekly meetings in the Ahmadia Mosque, London. Professor Nayyar’s arrival has given a great impetus to this work.

Brothers, Sayyed Mahmudullah Shah BA and Ali Muhammad have also been lending a helping hand, especially the former who sometimes lectured in Hyde Park, and read a paper on Islam at the Mosque.

Shaikh Mahmud Ahmad Shaikh Mahmud Ahmad is actively carrying on his work in Egypt in addition to his own duties. He deserves our greatest thanks for pushing on the sale of the “Moslem Sunrise”, and his wide ambitious plans and schemes for the spread of truth. Through his untiring efforts, ten more persons have joined the holy Ahmadia Movement.

H Musa Khan Mr H Musa Khan, Australia, has sent, to date, one hundred fifty-six communications to different papers in that country. As our readers already know, he names his articles “Muslim Sunshine” and they find their way into different periodicals and papers in and out of Australia. His is the only labour of love we know of, for though infirm and weak, suffering from cold and asthma, without possessing any fixed home or habitation, earning his own living to keep body and soul together, yet at a great cost and expense to himself, he has been doing a yeoman’s work in the cause of Islam. To understand his difficulties, it is sufficient to record that his bedroom is his office and visiting room; his knees and his pillow his writing desk; and his bedstead his chair; yet in spite of this, this heroic soul carries on undauntedly his work of evangelization, and there is no place in Australia where he has not carried the message of Allah. May Allah bless him!

Berlin Mosque One very interesting incident in connection with the raising of the Berlin Mosque fund that will be a source of great gratification for all inquirers after the truth is that a respectable family of nine persons had to openly declare themselves as Ahmadis in order to be able to contribute their quota to this sacred work, as no donation was accepted from non-members.

(Transcribed and edited by Al Hakam from the original, published in The Moslem Sunrise, April and July 1923)

20

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

Friday Sermon Baitul Futuh Mosque, Morden, London, UK

7 April 2023 Islam: The perfect religion; Quran: The perfect Book After reciting the tashahhud, ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated: Allah the Almighty perfected religion and the sharia through the Holy Prophetsa and stated in the Holy Quran:

ُ ُ َ ۡ َ ُ َ ُ ۡ ۡ َ َۡ ‫ال َیوۡ َم اک َمل ُت لَک ۡم ِدیۡنک ۡم َوات َم ۡم ُت َعل ۡیک ۡم نِ ۡع َم ِت ۡی َو َر ِض ۡی ُت لَک ُم‬ ً َ َۡ ۡ ‫ام ِدیۡنا‬ ‫الاِسل‬

“This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.”

(Surah al-Maidah, Ch. 5: V. 4) Thus, this is a great favour of Allah the Almighty upon the Muslims in that He has granted them a perfect and complete sharia. It is only Islam that has made such a claim and no other religion has done so; that is, that the final religion is Islam and this religion is one that is dearest in the sight of Allah the Almighty. Now, if one wants to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty, they have no other choice but by accepting Islam and by acting upon its teachings. Allah the Almighty announces that it is only through the teachings of the Holy Quran that one can attain moral and spiritual progress. In fact, this teaching is so perfect that even to attain worldly success one can only do so by adhering to this teaching. Thus, in relation to its teaching, when Allah the Almighty states:

ۡ َۡ ‫ا ک َمل ُت‬

It means that all of one’s abilities, be they moral, spiritual and physical, can only be perfected by adhering to the Holy Quran. If one truly desires to attain, then this perfect teaching can only be acquired through the Holy Quran. And by stating:

َۡ ‫ا ت َم ۡم ُت‬

It emphatically states that it is the Holy Quran alone that can fulfil every aspect of one’s needs.

There is not a single need which the Quran has not addressed, whether it pertains to one’s material needs or spiritual needs or how to attain different stages of morality. Whatever one searches

for can be found in the teachings of the Holy Quran, provided one ponders over it with justice. Thus, in light of this verse, mankind’s survival is dependent upon following the teachings of the Holy Quran.

Furthermore, all the teachings that were revealed through prophets in the past were only temporary and relevant to that era alone; they were not for the entire world.

The Promised Messiahas has openly announced that this is proof of the fact that the purpose for the Holy Prophet’ssa advent has been fulfilled. He was the perfect and final prophet on whom the

perfect teaching was revealed. Thus, this is our belief and this is what we stand for wholeheartedly. Those who level allegations against the Promised Messiahas allege that if this is what we believe, and we accept that the Quran is the final law, and the Holy Prophetsa is the final prophet, then what is the significance of the Promised Messiah’sas claim and what was the reason for his advent? There are many ways to answer this and in one instance the Promised Messiahas has answered this in the following manner that if they [Muslims] were acting upon the Islamic

teachings then there would be no need for his advent. However, the general state of the era, and of the Muslims in particular, are calling out that there is a need for a mu‘allim [i.e. one who can teach the faith].

Furthermore, with regards to the [Muslims] forgetting these teachings, the Holy Prophetsa himself stated that for its rejuvenation a mujaddid [reformer] would appear in every century. He prophesied that in spite of the Holy Quran being a complete teaching, the Muslims will forget its teachings, new innovations will appear among them, and so to revive the faith,

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 reformers will continue to appear, and in the Latter Days the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi will appear, who will bring faith back down to earth from the Pleiades.

The Promised Messiahas has written throughout his literature, writings and books that in subservience to the Holy Prophetsa he has come to propagate the sharia and religion of the Holy Prophetsa and the teachings of the Holy Quran in the world, and that the faith has been perfected through the Holy Prophetsa. The Promised Messiahas stated that he has been sent to propagate this very teaching to every corner of the earth. The perfection of faith was completed through the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Holy Prophetsa, and as there were not the [same] means at that time to propagate this guidance, therefore in accordance with Allah the Almighty’s promise, He sent the Promised Messiahas, the ardent devotee of the Holy Prophetsa in this era for its propagation. This is the task which the Promised Messiahas carried out, and to continue this, the Ahmadiyya Community was established.

The Ahmadiyya Community is carrying out this task in accordance with his literature and explanations of the Holy Quran.

Every single Ahmadi must therefore pay attention as to what degree they are fulfilling this objective. As a Community, there are programmes for this, but one should also do this on an individual basis. Thus, the purpose of our pledge of allegiance will only be fulfilled when we keep this objective in mind. In order to do so, we must always pay attention to reading and understanding the Holy Quran. The best way to do so is through the books and writings of the Promised Messiahas.

I have been stating the qualities and excellences of the Holy Quran in light of the writings of the Promised Messiahas for some time now. Today, I shall present his writings in relation to the perfection of the Holy Quran and its teachings.

The Promised Messiahas states: “It is well established that the Holy Quran has duly perfected the faith, as it affirms itself:

ُ ُ َ ُ ۡ ۡ َ َۡ َۡ ُ َ ‫ال َیوۡ َم اک َمل ُت لَک ۡم ِدیۡنک ۡم َوات َم ۡم ُت َعل ۡیک ۡم ن ِۡع َم ِت ۡی َو َر ِض ۡی ُت لَک ُم‬ ً َ َۡ ۡ ‫ام ِدیۡنا‬ ‫الاِسل‬

“‘This day have I perfected your religion for you and have completed My favour unto you, and am pleased to choose Islam as your faith.’ Thus there is no need for any other book after the Holy Quran, for it sets out all that is needed by man. Now only the door of converse with God is open.”

Indeed, Allah the Almighty speaks to His special servants and so the door of converse remains open, however, it [i.e. the revelation] is not a new teaching.

The Promised Messiahas further states: “[The door of converse is open] but not automatically. True and holy words which are clearly imbued with Divine help and comprise many hidden matters, are acquired after the purification of the soul only through following the Holy Quran and obeying the Holy Prophetsa.”

(Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 80) It is a perfect book, therefore, it is by following it and in complete obedience to the Holy Prophetsa that one can attain the paths to develop a bond with Allah the Almighty. There is no other avenue

21

or means besides this. The Promised Messiahas stated that the station he has been granted was due to this.

Then, in relation to the perfect guidance of the Holy Quran, the Promised Messiahas further states: “The Holy Quran does not require one to merely abandon sin and therefore deem themselves a person of excellence (abandoning evil alone does not enable one to attain excellence), rather, it desires to bring one to the highest stages of perfection and excellent morals.”

The Holy Quran does not only require one to abandon sin, it also desires to produce a high level of excellence and good morals in them. That is to say, one must forsake evil, and in their place adopt high morals. “Such actions are then carried out which are for the benefit of and sympathy to mankind, and as a result of these, Allah the Almighty is pleased with them.”(Malfuzat [1984], Vol. 7, p. 270) The pleasure of Allah Almighty should be the result.

Hence, in accordance with Quranic teachings, this is the mindset one should adopt. We must reflect if we possess this mindset. Are we only claiming to read it like others, or are we also truly inculcating these changes with us? Are we developing a special relationship with Allah the Almighty? The Holy Quran is [especially] recited during Ramadan, and people listen to the dars [lectures on the Quran]. To inculcate these in one’s life is also necessary, and we have also promised to do this in our oath of allegiance. It is mentioned in the ten conditions [of Bai‘at] that one will wholly accept the authority of the Holy Quran for themselves. Therefore, during this Ramadan, if each and every one of us pledges to act upon this and makes a firm resolve to act upon the teachings of the Holy Quran, then not only will we be progressing in our spirituality, but our society will also become like a paradise.

Furthermore, the disputes and arguments that arise from time to time at home and among families, will transform into love and affection.

Furthermore, whilst elaborating on the fact that the seed of Divine sharia reached its apex at the time of the Holy Quran, the Promised Messiahas states: “The Holy Quran is perfect and complete in its commandments of goodness and prohibitions of evil. (It definitively guides toward deeds that one should perform and elucidates on practices one should abstain from.) Thus, through the Holy Quran, God desired to bring about the reformation of all evil – even after human nature has reached the depths of depravity and people have exceeded the bounds of misguidance and immorality. In light of this, God revealed the Holy Quran at a time when such evil in fact had taken root in humankind and, with the passage of time, sinful beliefs and practices pervaded the human condition.

Divine wisdom demanded that God’s perfect word should descend at such a time because if this teaching was revealed before such ills had even emerged amongst people, who were completely unaware of such ill practices then this would be, in other words, inciting them to those ills.”

If one were to be informed from before that there are such and such kinds of ills

and people previously did not even have any concept of them, then this would in fact become a means of spreading them.

These days, we observe this in the educational system. Children are taught about matters such as physical relations, of which they have absolutely no concept.

They are troubled and bewildered by [such matters]. Now, parents have also raised their voices against what is being taught. In fact, the Ministry of Education has also acknowledged this concern.

Some teachers have crossed the limits and have introduced ideas and concepts to children that they cannot grasp until they have reached a mature age. This is the difference between the law of sharia and secular law. This principle distinguishes the guidance found within the Holy Quran in that it gives guidance and elucidation based on an individual’s age. It does not impart everything openly [for all ages].

Many commentaries have gradually emerged from its words according to the intelligence and understanding of various people. The Promised Messiahas further states, “The seed of God’s revelation was planted at the time of Prophet Adamas, and this same seed of God’s sharia arrived at its final stage and developed into a large tree at the time of the Holy Quran.” (Chashmae-Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, pp.

219-220) Thus, as more vices spread, their remedy also manifested according to the time. This is another feature of the Holy Quran; there is a remedy found in its teachings for all the vices that are prevalent in every era, and we are informed of this by the pious servants of Allah the Almighty who write its commentaries.

The Promised Messiahas states: “Since this perfect book was destined to bring about perfect reformation, it was necessary for the spiritual disease to be at its peak at the time and place of its revelation as well. This was so that a perfect remedy could be provided for each and every malady. As such, this peninsula (i.e. in Arabia) was home to ailing people of all sorts, who suffered from every spiritual illness that was to afflict the people of that age or those of future generations.”

Here it has been further explained that these spiritual ills were either present at the time or were going to become prevalent in the future generations and the Holy Quran provided a teaching for all of these.

Since the sharia was being perfected and so whatever spiritual ills were to appear in the future were also explained as well because the time for these was not too far ahead. This is why the exegetes of the Holy Quran explained the Holy Quran in accordance with the circumstances of the time and were told to what extent they were to explain and expound upon the Holy Quran.

The Promised Messiahas continues: “This is why the Quran brought all religious law to its perfection. At the time of the revelation of other books, neither was this needed, nor did they possess such a perfect teaching.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 1, pp. 37-38) The Promised Messiahas here proved that the Jews and Christians themselves were acknowledging that the era was one which had become extremely corrupted and there was a need for a religious law at

the time.

Then, whilst explaining that the Holy Quran can certainly not be likened to any work of a human, the Promised Messiahas presents an example and states: “To illustrate, it should be quite obvious to every reasonable person that if various writers were to write (i.e. those who speak and write well), utilizing the best of their intellectual prowess, a piece of prose – free from frivolity, falsehood, meanness, unwarranted verbosity, satire, and every kind of ambiguous and uncouth language, and all such defects that conflict with wisdom, lucidity, and eloquence; and is also completely pure and free from all such grave defects that are contrary to perfection and comprehensiveness, (that is, to be free from all kinds of trivialities, falsehood, vain and immoral things and also mockery and derision, etc. and those things which are worthless and do not even make any sense and are devoid of wisdom and eloquence.

A person who is a good writer will try to write something which is free from all these things. This is the hallmark of a good writer that its writing is free from all kinds of immoralities and frivolities) and at the same time is absolutely comprehensive and truthful, and is full of wisdom, lucidity and eloquence, truths and verities – then the one who would stand out above all of them will indeed be the one who possesses the greatest intellectual prowess, extensive general knowledge, expertise in deep intellectual subjects, and who is also the most skilled in the art of writing prose, (i.e. only a person who is well-educated, a scholar and well-experienced can write such a piece of prose of this standard and which is free from all such ills). In no event would it be possible for a person who is inferior to him in ability, knowledge, skills, experience, mind and intellect to be able to equal him in respect of the eloquence of his writing.”

One who does not possess these abilities cannot write something of an equal standard. The Promised Messiahas further states: “Another example is that of a physician who is an expert in his profession, (i.e. an expert doctor who) has acquired proficiency in the diagnosis and treatment of disease over many years of experience (and has complete knowledge of the illness and is able to diagnose its different stages effectively), and is also outstanding in his knowledge of literature and has achieved outstanding pre-eminence as a writer and a poet, (i.e. this is another quality he possesses). Now, when this physician explains the causes, nature, and symptoms of a disease, he will be able to do it far more accurately, truthfully, lucidly, and eloquently than a person who is not even remotely acquainted with medicine and is also absolutely ignorant of the subtleties of literary expression.”

The other person who does not possess such qualities will not be able to explain these as eloquently as compared to the one who possesses knowledge and expertise in his field and also the skill of being able to express himself and the art of research. The one with limited knowledge will not be able to match him in this regard and will be inferior to him. The Promised Messiahas further states: “It is an obvious and easily

22

understandable fact that there is always a difference to some extent between the discourse of the ignorant and the wise; and a man’s intellectual excellence is always reflected in his scholarly exposition, just as a face is reflected in a clear mirror. The words that a person utters in his exposition of truth and wisdom are considered a yardstick for measuring his intellectual abilities. The words that flow from the spring of the vastness of knowledge and perfect reason and those that emerge from narrow, constricted, dark, and limited thought are as clearly distinct.”

One’s discourse can be likened to a spring of knowledge and verities, whilst the other’s discourse is very superficial and the difference can be clearly observed. The Promised Messiahas further states: “The difference is apparent just as fragrance is distinct from the foul smell, provided that one’s sense of smell is not congenitally defective or temporarily impaired. You may reflect and ponder over it as much as you wish, you will not find any flaw in this truth, nor find any chink in it, from any perspective.

“Now that it has been established from every angle that differences that lie concealed in literary and intellectual prowess will indeed be reflected in one’s speech, and it is on no account possible that those who are most excellent and superior in reason and knowledge should be equal to others in the lucidity of expression or exaltedness of meaning, and that no distinction remains between them. (Those who possess knowledge and wisdom will always be superior in this regard and cannot be equal in rank to an ordinary person.) This truth entails yet another truth; namely, that the Word of God has to be the most excellent, and superior to, and incomparable vis-à-vis, the word of man – both in its external and internal excellences.”

Through this example, it proves that the Word of Allah the Almighty is superior to everything for it is Allah the Almighty Who possesses every knowledge and no one has more knowledge than Him. The Promised Messiahas further states: “This is because no one’s knowledge can equal the perfect knowledge of God.

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

This is what God refers to in the verse:

ۡ ُ ۤ َّ َ ۤ َ ۡ َ ۡ ُ َ ۡ ُ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َّ َ ّٰ ۡ ‫ف ِالم یست ِجیبوا لکم ف‬ ‫اعل ُموۡا ان َما ان ِﺰ َل ِب ِعل ِم الل ِہ‬

“Meaning that, if the disbelievers fail to produce anything like this Quran, and are unable to take up its challenge, know then that this Word [i.e., the Quran] has not flowed from man’s knowledge but from the knowledge of God. (Since they cannot even produce a single example like this then it is obvious that this is not the work of any man but the Word of God.) And in comparison to whose boundless and perfect knowledge all human knowledge is worthless and insignificant. This verse uses a kind of inductive argument to prove the existence of the cause from the existence of the effect. To put it briefly in other words, it says that divine knowledge, on account of its perfection and comprehensiveness, can never be similar to the defective knowledge of man. Thus, it is essential that the word which springs from perfect and incomparable knowledge must itself be perfect and incomparable, and must possess a perfect distinction over the words of man. This is the very perfection that is demonstrated in the Holy Quran.”

(Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya [English], Part 3, pp. 28-30) The Holy Quran has claimed to be perfect in every respect and there is no one that can challenge it either now or in the future. The Promised Messiahas then states that the Holy Quran has reached perfection in ranks of knowledge and in the ranks of conduct. The Promised Messiahas states: “Just as the Holy Quran conveys one to the highest degree of perfection in the ranks of knowledge, in the same way, one also attains perfection in the ranks of conduct through it. (It conveys one to perfection in both knowledge and conduct.) The signs and light of being accepted by the One True God have always appeared – and continue to appear – in those who follow this Holy Word, but they never appear in the others. In conclusion, this proof which one can observe with one’s own eyes, is sufficient for a seeker after truth; that is, those heavenly blessings and divine signs are found only in the perfect followers of the Holy Quran.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya [English], Part 4, p. 92)

If one completely adheres to the teachings of the Holy Quran, then one will also witness signs. People often ask that they have not witnessed any signs or that even though they prayed for so long their prayer was not answered. In regards to this Allah the Almighty states that for this one needs to hearken to His words and have perfect belief in Him and act upon His guidance. When one does this, then their prayers shall also be answered by Allah the Almighty. This is also a quality of the Holy Quran in that those who follow the teachings of the Holy Quran, attain extraordinary blessings.

The Promised Messiahas states that the Holy Quran has encapsulated all the truths and verities in a perfectly concise manner.

The word ‫[ ایجاز‬Ejaz] here does not mean miracle, but rather has been spelt with ‫ا‬ [Aliph], ‫[ ي‬Yaa] and ‫[ ج‬Jeem] which means to cover in a concise manner. In relation to this, the Promised Messiahas states: “The Holy Quran has demonstrated its fluency and eloquence in keeping with the norms of truth and wisdom and true need; and has, with the utmost conciseness, comprehended all religious verities, and thus, it is full of clear proofs for silencing every opponent and denier.

And one sees flowing through it a deep and limpid river of thousands of subtle points [of wisdom] and verities for the perfection of the believers’ certainty. In whatever matter it has seen disorder, it has striven for the reformation of these very matters. With whatever intensity it has found the habit of going to extremes, it has countered it with equal strength.

It has provided remedies for all kinds of maladies that were widespread, wiped out all the false doctrines of false religions (it has removed all the doubts raised by the false religions), and answered every objection. There is no verity that it does not mention and no misguided sect that it does not counter, (i.e., all those who are misguided, it has refuted their arguments as well. There are clear commandments in this regard). And what a wonder it is that it does not contain a single sentence that is unnecessary, any statement out of place, or a single word of frivolity. Notwithstanding due regard to all these matters, it has

displayed such a degree of fluency—more than which cannot be imagined. (It has covered all aspects in a very concise yet eloquent and articulate manner.) It has raised eloquence to the highest level of perfection by encompassing all past and future knowledge within a small book by virtue of an excellent arrangement, brevity, and a closely reasoned discourse.”

It contained knowledge for those who came in earlier times just as I have explained earlier where the Promised Messiahas mentioned that the Arab Bedouins were also able to understand the Holy Quran and they became spiritual and well-educated people, and at the same time, those who possessed knowledge were also able to understand it in accordance with their intellect. Moreover, it is not just for those who came before but also for those who came later. The teaching of the Holy Quran is such that its commentaries give new meaning to each word of it in every age and provide guidance for us in every age. The Promised Messiahas further states that all of this knowledge has been placed in a small book: “So that man – whose life is short and whose works are many – may be relieved of many a headache, and so that its eloquence may benefit Islam in the dissemination of its doctrines, and it may be easy to memorize and remember it.” (Barahin-eAhmadiyya [English], Part 4, p. 283, sub footnote number 3) People even memorise the Quran, especially children at a young age. In his book, Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, the Promised Messiahas has proven that with respect to its written composition and eloquence, only the Holy Quran can present such verities which are unparalleled, and scriptures such as the Bible etc., can no longer be deemed divine owing to human interpolation.

With regards to the miracle of the Quran’s succinct composition, the Promised Messiahas says: “When a just person reads the Holy Quran, he will immediately find that the Holy Quran has accomplished such a marvel in brevity of expression – an essential requirement of eloquence – (i.e. the Quran has superbly explained things in a concise but clear manner) that, despite comprising all essentials of the faith and completely satisfying all proofs and arguments, it is so small in size that a person can easily read it in a few hours from beginning to end. (The words are concise so that people can read it with ease) Look! What a great miracle the Holy Quran’s eloquence is in that it encapsulates a raging ocean of knowledge within three or four juzw’ [part] and encompasses an entire universe of wisdom within a few pages. Has anyone ever seen or heard of a book of such small size that contains eternal truths for all times? Can the intellect of any wise man assign to any man the grand status of capturing an ocean of wisdom in a few words wherein no truth pertaining to religious knowledge is left out?” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya [English], Part 4, p. 332, sub footnote number 3) Here, the Promised Messiahas draws a comparison to the Vedas, the holy book of Hindus. He proved that the Vedas have not been composed in the manner as the Holy Quran has. Moreover, the Vedas have long

AL HAKAM | Friday 5 May 2023 was necessary. The Promised Messiahas continues: “However, the Holy Quran does not require for there to be another book after it, because there is no level beyond perfection. If, for the sake of conversation, it so happened that at some point the true principles of the Holy Quran were turned into polytheistic principles like those of the Vedas or the Gospels and the teachings of God’s Unity were altered and distorted; or, hypothetically, there comes a time when the millions of monotheistic Muslims around the world adopt polytheism and worship the creation, then it can be accepted that another law and messenger would be required.” (Barahine-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 1, pp.

101-102, [footnote number 9]) If such conditions come about then this will certainly happen, however, both such notions are merely hypothetical, because it is impossible, in light of the fact that Allah the Almighty has promised to protect this law Himself. This was the very purpose for which the Promised Messiahas was sent and this is exactly what our duty is as well.

Then, the Promised Messiahas states: “As Allah the Almighty has repeatedly stated, the necessary requirements for salvation are that firstly, one believes Allah the Almighty to be One and without any partner, believes in the Holy Prophetsa to be a true prophet, and believes the Holy Quran to be the Book of Allah and that this book is such that after it, no other law can come. In other words, there is no need for any book or law after the Holy Quran.”

(Malfuzat [1984], Vol. 6, p. 236) Regarding the greatness of the Quranic revelation, the Promised Messiahas states: “God’s curse be on those who claim that they can produce something similar to the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran is a miracle, the like of which cannot be produced by any man or jinn. It possesses such knowledge and excellences which cannot be brought together through human knowledge. In fact, its revelation is unmatched by other revelations, even if the Merciful God were to send down other revelations after it. This is because God manifests Himself through His revelations, and it is known for certain that the manner in which God Almighty manifested Himself to the Seal of the Prophetssa was never manifested to anyone before, nor will it ever be manifested to anyone ever again. The greatness of the Quranic revelation cannot be compared with the degree of revelation received by the Auliya [friends of Allah/pious people]. (The Auliya can certainly receive revelation, but it cannot match the same greatness [as that of the Holy Quran]), even if some words resembling the words of the Quran are revealed to them. This is why the scope of Quranic knowledge encompasses all others, for every kind of knowledge, intricate and hidden matters are gathered within it while its finer points are at the highest degrees of depth. It supersedes all others in presentation and proofs and it possesses the highest degree of knowledge; that is the miracle of God the likes of which none have ever heard, and its grandeur cannot be matched by the works of jinn or men. The example of the Quran and other works is like that of a vision seen by a just, brave and wise king (if an example is to be taken then it can

be of a king who was very just and brave who saw a dream), and a similar dream was seen by an ordinary person who was unintelligent and cowardly, (i.e., another person who was not of the same stature but was a common person who was not very intelligent or brave). There is no doubt that although the dream seen by the king and the dream seen by the ordinary person appeared to be the same (the dreams were similar), a wise person having knowledge of interpretation would not consider them to be the same (an intelligent person who knows how to interpret will say that these dreams are not the same) because the interpretation of the just king is of a high standard, generally applicable, beneficial, in favour of all people, full of good and blessings and clearly current. (His dream has a wide scope.) However, in most cases, the ordinary person’s vision is not free from being muddled in impurities. Aside from him, it does not impact anyone beyond their children, parents, or a handful of friends.”

Its scope is limited to their family, children, father or other relatives and friends. If there is anything beneficial then it is limited only to them. The Promised Messiahas further states: “Perhaps even travellers who are strangers, (i.e., even travellers can be included, as the Promised Messiahas says that a dream seen by an ordinary person can be impactful to others as well), albeit only to those who are in proximity, and it is still limited to those that the person knows. They come down from their saddles and crawl into nests. (The Promised Messiahas used this idiom meaning that they become limited, and they cannot have a wider scope.) However, the state of those embarked upon the Holy Quran is such that they traverse every boundary of the dwelling (i.e. it has a wide scope of its

impact). The Holy Quran is the single book under which flow streams of knowledge and no one’s eloquence can soar above it, (i.e., no one can mention anything greater than it). Every treasure keeper finds their treasures and blessings from it, and in my estimation, without incurring this debt, every person who has [divine] communion is left empty-handed. (If one does not take benefit here, then there is no other book that can be deemed correct either.) A loan is strictly demanded [to be paid] with great effort to the extent that one is even taken before a judge to obtain its payment.

However, the Holy Quran gives alms to those who are poor and eliminates all of their difficulties. In fact, it grants blocks of gold to those who are sincere.”

People start legal battles with those they have given loans to, however, the Holy Quran provides such knowledge which causes its streams of knowledge and understanding to continuously flow. It is as if one is receiving gold blocks. The Holy Quran does not boast its favours to those it has given loans, rather it encourages people to collect “gold”, as it were. The Promised Messiahas states: “[…] First we were made vessels, then we were satiated by the stream of the Quran. If you ask me, at first, I was a mere vessel and I filled myself with water from the stream of the Holy Quran.” (Al-Huda, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, pp. 275-278) This is a passage in Arabic which is why it has been written in a unique style and it has been translated accordingly as well.

The Promised Messiahas states: “In my view, may God’s curse be on those who reject the brilliance of the Quran whilst deeming their own words and works to be everlasting. By God, we drink from that fountain and are adorned with its beauty. This is why in our words there is light and purity and our speech

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

passages which are difficult to read. The Promised Messiahas challenged all faiths to come forth and he would demonstrate these qualities of the Holy Quran. In this era, no one besides the Promised Messiahas has posed such a challenge to the whole world. Despite this, the allegation is levelled against us that we, God forbid, dishonour the Holy Quran.

The era in which the Holy Quran was revealed necessitated a perfect teaching.

The Promised Messiahas states: “It is the Holy Quran alone that imparts a perfect teaching, and it was only during its time that such a teaching would be revealed. (This has been briefly mentioned earlier as well.) Thus, it is the Holy Quran alone that can claim to impart a perfect teaching, and no other divine scripture besides it has made such a claim.”

(Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya [English], Part 5, p.

4) The Promised Messiahas states: “In my view, a believer is he who truly adheres to the Holy Quran and believes it to be the Seal of Books. This is the hallmark of a believer; to believe this sharia brought by the Holy Prophetsa to be everlasting; to never alter even an iota of its message; to become completely and selflessly absorbed in its adherence; to sacrifice every particle of their being for it; and to ensure their actions and ideologies do not conflict with its sharia.” (Malfuzat [1984], Vol. 10, p.

267) If one accomplishes this, then one can be considered a true Muslim. Thus, we must evaluate ourselves in this respect.

Regarding the Holy Quran being the final book, the Promised Messiahas states: “The advent of the Holy Quran came at a time when every need that could possibly arise had come about. In other words, everything pertaining to morals, beliefs, words, and actions had corrupted, while every sort of excess and disorder had reached its limit. It was for this reason that the teachings of the Holy Quran were revealed to the greatest degree. This is exactly why the law of the Holy Quran was deemed complete and perfect while previous laws were incomplete, because the disorders in previous eras which those revealed scriptures came in had not reached their pinnacle, whereas they had at the time of the Holy Quran.”

Many people, children, or those stepping into adolescence ask questions about this; this is the response for them.

[The disorders in] previous eras had not reached their pinnacle, whereas in this case [at the time of the Holy Quran] they had reached their peak which is why the teaching also reached the pinnacle and hence the Holy Quran was revealed. This is how, through the Holy Prophetsa, the foundation of Islam was laid. The Promised Messiahas further states: “Therefore, the distinction between the Holy Quran and other revealed scriptures is that even if the previous scriptures were to remain pure from any sort of distortion, because they presented an incomplete teaching it was still necessary that a complete teaching, in other words, the Holy Quran, manifest at some point.”

They had not even faced certain things so how could they have addressed them?

The earlier teachings were incomplete, which is why the advent of the Holy Quran

23

24

Friday 5 May 2023 | AL HAKAM

sparkles with light, healing, freshness and beauty. Aside from the Quran, there is none other who has done a favour upon me. It has nurtured me in a manner that cannot be replicated by a mother or father.

Hence, God gave me that pleasant water to drink and we found it to be enlightening and helpful.” (Ibid, p. 279) The Promised Messiahas states: “If I did not have any Signs of God with me and was not accompanied by the help and support from Him; or if I had carved out a path distinct from that of the Holy Quran, or if I had intruded into or modified the Quranic commandments and sharia or had abrogated it; or if I had advocated a new path beside that of following the Holy Prophetsa; then it would have been justified and the objection of the people would have been reasonable and worthy of being accepted that this person is, in reality, an enemy of God and the Messengersa of God, and a denier of the Holy Quran and of its teachings, and one who abrogates them. (The Promised Messiahas says that if there was something that he had said which was contrary to the Holy Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa, then it was their right to say these things) – that he is a transgressor, a sinner and an apostate. But I have not made any changes in the Quran, or altered even a dot or an iota of the current sharia brought by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.

Quite to the contrary, I am dedicated to the service of the Quran and the Quranic commandments and the pure religion of the Holy Prophetsa, and have devoted my entire life to this path. Moreover, I firmly believe that salvation is not at all possible without the Holy Quran – which is the perfect, complete, and comprehensive Book – and without its perfect obedience, and without following the Holy Prophetsa.

I believe that anyone who adds or subtracts anything from the Quran or refuses the yoke of obedience of the Holy Prophetsa, is an infidel and an apostate. (The one who removes themselves from the obedience of the Holy Prophetsa and removes the yoke of submission from their neck, are an apostate and a disbeliever.) So this being

the case, and in spite of the manifestation of thousands of Signs (it is not a mere claim of the Promised Messiahas, rather Allah the Almighty has manifested signs for him, the prophecies of the Holy Prophetsa regarding the Promised Messiahas have been fulfilled and so have the prophecies of the Holy Quran. Similarly, the prophecies vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas by Allah the Almighty were fulfilled, and they are being fulfilled now as well) and in spite of the manifestation of thousands of Signs in the heavens and the earth from God in support of my truthfulness, if a person still calls me a liar [kadhib], a fabricator [muftari], and the Great Deceiver [dajjal], or does not show deference to me and does not lend an ear to my call, he should know for certain that God will never ever leave him without calling him to account for it.”

(Malfuzat [English], Vol. 10, p. 394) They will be held accountable for it at some point.

Thus, this is the claim of the Promised Messiahas and we firmly believe that it is only through him that the Quranic knowledge and verities have made their way to us, that he has completely adhered to the Holy Quran and that he has imparted its true understanding to us. Those who claim that, God forbid, the Promised Messiahas and his community dishonour the Holy Quran should be fearful. These are the words of one who has been chosen by God Almighty. Those who do not cease in their opposition will not be spared by God and will be brought into account. Allah the Almighty knows better how He will punish them and hold them accountable.

In many instances, the Promised Messiahas has discussed matters in relation to some of the commandments of the Holy Quran. I will make mention of a few of these instances. In respect to the lofty teaching of upholding justice, the Promised Messiahas states: “It is exceedingly difficult to demonstrate justice toward nations who unjustly cause harm, pain, and bloodshed, and who maliciously pursue others and kill children and women – as did the disbelievers of Mecca – and do not desist in stirring conflict. (Despite such peoples’ cruelties, we have teachings to demonstrate justice – a truly arduous task.) However, the teachings of the Quran do not discard the rights of even the bitterest of enemies and give injunctions for justice.” (Nur-ulQuran, Part 2, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 9, p.

409) This is a principle that can bring about peace in society and guarantee peace in the world. If the nations of today engaged in worldly wars come to understand this principle, then peace can be established.

Otherwise, the circumstances developing right now are leading the world towards a catastrophic destruction. Whether a single nation makes this effort or its counterparts, or whether leaders visit other nations such as China, etc., but if they do not establish justice then there will be certain destruction. At another instance, the Promised Messiahas presents another example and states:

“If one examines the world at the time in which the Holy Quran was revealed, one would observe the practice of having an extreme number of wives. (Many marriages would take place and men would have up to 80, or even 100 wives.) Women would be subjected to many injustices (and face many cruelties). One must admit that the Holy Quran bestowed the world the favour of ending all such injustices.” (Arya Dharam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 10, p. 45) It is a favour of Allah the Almighty and the Holy Quran that through its teachings, He brought an end to all such wrongdoings.

[Prior to Islam], women were given no respect; there were no restrictions to marriage; there were no rights. It was the Holy Quran that established these rights of which there was no concept prior to Islam.

The Promised Messiahas then states: “The Holy Quran is not confined merely to knowledge gained through continuity of hearing, it contains well-reasoned arguments which carry conviction. Not one of the doctrines and principles and commandments that it sets forth is sought to be imposed merely by authority (there is no compulsion in the commandments). ۤ ۡ Allah the Almighty states: ‫ِنۡي ِّدلا يِف َهاَرکِا اَل‬.

Islam does not try to inculcate anything by compulsion, but sets forth reasons in support of everything.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, p. 185) And explains everything through arguments and encourages one to accept it.

Then, whilst issuing a challenge to the world with regards to the perfect teachings of the Holy Quran, the Promised Messiahas says: “Indeed, our Benevolent God, Who knows the secrets of the hearts, is my witness that I am willing to be put to death if someone can find even an iota of error in the teachings of the Holy Quran, or can prove that his own scripture contains even the minutest merit contrary to, and better than the teachings of the Holy Quran.”

(Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya [English], Part 3, p. 236) This is such a grand claim that one cannot make unless one has perfect faith and absolute conviction. The Promised Messiahas says, “If a person believes in God Almighty, and then ponders over the commandments mentioned in the Holy Quran, then a person would abandon the world and become wholly devoted to God.” (Malfuzat [1984], Vol. 7, p. 28) If a person has perfect faith and then deliberates over the Quran, then a person’s attention would turn towards God instead of being immersed in worldliness. May Allah the Almighty grant everyone this cognisance.

The Promised Messiahas says: “[…] Of all the scriptures in the world today, the Holy Quran is the only one whose divine origin can be established with irrefutable arguments. It is the only one whose principles regarding salvation are based on truth and human nature; whose doctrines are comprehensive and firmly grounded in truth and are confirmed by powerful arguments; whose commandments are nothing but the dictates of truth and whose teachings bear

no blemish of idolatry, human innovations and false deities. Its teachings zealously promote the Oneness, Greatness and Excellence of God; and it is filled to the brim in establishing the Oneness of the Glorious God. It does not impute to Him anything that is contrary to His Oneness or attribute to Him any blemish, shortcoming, or unworthy attribute. It does not impose any teaching upon us. (It does not force one to accept its teachings, rather presents proof for it.) It first provides adequate proof in support thereof and explains each of its principles with proofs and clear arguments and leads its followers to perfect certainty and understanding.

“It removes, through clear and unequivocal arguments, all the corruptions, impurities, defects and distortions that have found their way into people’s beliefs, actions, sayings and deeds; and teaches all ethical and moral norms, the knowledge of which is essential for becoming truly human. (In order to become a civilised person one is in need of certain teachings, all of which can be found in the Holy Quran.) It resists every prevalent evil that is prevalent in each era with equal force; (it is not the case that the Quran’s teachings address the disorder of one era, rather it repels each evil with the same force it is spread in that era. For example, the evil that is rampant today, its remedy is also prevalent in the same force) and its teachings are straightforward, well-founded and flawless, as if they were the very reflection of the laws of nature and a true picture of human conscience. Indeed, they are as the sun for the illumination of mind and heart, and make good the deficiency inherent in reason and reform all harm of it. It explains in detail all rational points that are explained in few words and prevents from harm.” (Barahin-eAhmadiyya [English], Part 2, p. 95) May Allah the Almighty enable us to become those who truly follow the Holy Quran and act in accordance with its guidance: May He enable us to understand the Holy Quran and live our lives in accordance with its teachings.

Even after Ramadan, make an effort to derive benefit from its blessings as you are doing so in Ramadan. In the month of Ramadan, pray especially to be safeguarded from the evil of the enemies of the Jamaat; may Allah stop the hands of every evil one and seize them.

Pray also for the world to be protected from disorder and turmoil. Similarly, there is unrest in Palestine these days, pray for the Muslims in Palestine; may Allah protect them from the cruelties of the oppressors. May Allah the Almighty grant wisdom to the leaders of the Muslim world so that they put their personal interests aside and protect the interests of the Muslims at large. In this Ramadan, may Allah the Almighty open the doors of His Mercy and blessings for us more than before.

(Official Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 28 April 2023, pp. 2-7.

Translated by The Review of Religions.)

Editor-in-chief: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Executive editors: Ataul Fatir Tahir, Aqeel Ahmed Kang | Research coordinator: Awwab Saad Hayat | Associate editors: Jalees Ahmad, Ata-ul-Haye Nasir Translations: M Adam Ahmad | Design: Tahmeed Ahmad | © Al Hakam 2023