Al Hakam - 9 September 2022

Was Napoleon Bonaparte a Muslim?

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The UK leadership crisis: A British problem or a global political pandemic?

‘God has given you an opportunity for sacrifices which no one else will ever have’ Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s advice to Ahmadi youth

Zikr-e-Habib: A beloved remembered Part I

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022 | Issue CCXXXIV Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7388

In times of economic crises, develop contentment and connect with your faith Amila of Lajna Imaillah Italy meets Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

The national amila of Lajna Imaillah Italy was blessed to have a virtual meeting with Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, on 4 September 2022.

The meeting started with a silent prayer led by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa, after which Huzooraa spoke to the amila members and gave them valuable advice.

Speaking with the general secretary, Huzooraa instructed that monthly reports should be sent to the markaz without any delay. Huzooraa said, “You are a small majlis; therefore, you should be an ideal one.”

Secretary tajnid reported there were 137 Lajna members and 31 nasirat and a total of 11 majalis – the largest being Bologna with 32 Lajna members.

Speaking with naib secretary Nasiratul Ahmadiyya, Huzooraa said the nasirat should be divided according to the set age group categories and the syllabus and competitions should be set accordingly.

Advising another amila member, Huzooraa said: “Take care of the Lajna; make their syllabus and teach them the whole Lajna syllabus.”

Addressing secretary nau-mubai‘aat (new converts) – who converted to Islam Ahmadiyyat 11 years ago – Huzooraa said the new converts should receive adequate tarbiyat and a plan should be in place for this. Huzooraa advised the secretary to use her experience as a convert herself to devise the programme.

Continued on next page >>

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

The gravest of sins

َ ْ َ ْ َّ ‫َﻋ ْﻦ َﻋ ْبﺪ‬ ،‫ا��ح ٰم ِﻦ ﺑْ ِﻦ أ�ِ� ﺑَﻜ َرة‬ ِ َ َ ُ ْ َ ُ ّٰ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ‫ﻋﻦ أﺑِﻴ ِﻪ ر ِﺿﻰ اللہ ﻋﻨﻪ ﻗﺎل‬ َّ َ ّ ٰ َّ ُ َّ َ َ ‫الﻨ ِب ّي َﺻلﻰ الل ُہ َ�ل ْﻴ ِﻪ َو َسل َﻢ‬ ‫ﻗﺎل‬ َ​َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ ُ ُ ّ َ ُ َ َ ًَ َ ‫أ�� أﻧ ِبﺌﻜﻢ ﺑِﺄﻛ� ِ� ا��بﺎﰱِ ِر ﺛ��ﺛﺎ‬ ُ َ ْ ْ َ َ ّٰ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ ‫ ﻗﺎل ا� ِ���اك‬.‫ﻗﺎلوا ﺑلﻰ ﻳﺎ رسول الل ِہ‬ َ َ �‫ َو َﺟل َ َﺲ َو‬.‫ّٰ َ ُ ُ ُ ْ َ َ ﻳْﻦ‬ ‫ﺎن‬ ِ ‫ وﻋﻘوق الوال ِﺪ‬،‫ﺑِﺎلل ِہ‬ َ​َ َ َ ُّ ُ ْ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ً َّ ُ ‫ ﻗﺎل ��ﺎ‬. ‫ا��و ِر‬ ‫ﻜﺌﺎ ﻓﻘﺎل أ�� وﻗول‬ ِ ‫ﻣﺘ‬ َ َ ْ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ‫زال ﻳُﻜ ّ ِر ُ�ﻫﺎ َح ّﺘﻰ ﻗل َﻨﺎ ل ْﻴ َﺘﻪ َسﻜت‬ Hazrat Abu Bakrra narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said thrice, “Should I inform you of the gravest of the grave sins?” They said, “Yes, O Allah’s Messengersa!” He said, “Setting up equals to Allah and being disobedient and undutiful to parents.” The Prophetsa then sat up, leaving the cushion he was leaning against, and said [with great force], “Hearken!

And lying.” And he repeated this so many times that we wished he had left it off at that [and not strained himself so much.]

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Shahadat, Hadith 2654)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

The criterion for Divine revelation “It is unfortunate that some arrogantly flaunt small and insignificant fragments of revelation and dreams, and are unable to comprehend the criterion which establishes any revelation as being divine and free from satanContinued on page 2

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

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ic adulteration. The touchstone is that a revelation from God is accompanied by divine succour, knowledge of the unseen that glistens with divine power, and is reinforced with a powerful prophecy.

Otherwise, such ‘revelations’ are nothing but absurd statements, which can give no benefit to mankind.”

The Promised Messiahas said: “If an individual seated at a distance from a gathering only partially grasped the words of a magnificent king, and then proceeded to assert that they had heard the words of that king, what benefit would such a transmission be to the rest of the people?

The words related by those who enjoy nearness to the King are distinguishable, and when a well-informed person hears them, they will be able to proclaim that such and such person is addressed directly by the King and receives his good wishes.”

The Promised Messiahas said: “If my revelations too were ordinary and worth-

<< Continued from previous page

With regard to chanda, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said all Lajna members should know how much they were contributing, even if their husbands paid on their behalf.

Huzooraa said Lajna Imaillah should know how much their overall contribution was to the various chandas – this information should be recorded and used in an appropriate manner.

Advising secretary talim, Huzooraa said every Lajna member should be given an exact portion of page numbers to read from a book of the Promised Messiahas in the language they understood. In this way, the syllabus should be tailored according to every demographic and then an annual test should be held for them.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa spoke with secretary tabligh and said every member of her team and those preaching should aim to convert at least one person a year. A detailed and comprehensive plan that included literature distribution, demographics, personal contacts and seminars should be drawn up for tabligh to women. Huzooraa urged the secretary to encourage the Lajna members to be active and to get out and make personal contacts for tabligh: “Don’t just sit at home and spend your time cooking or listening to what the men have to say – go out yourself as well. Tell the men, ‘It is our job to do what you do as well. Yes, we will arrange for your meals etc.

– that’s a given – taking care and doing the tarbiyat of the children is our responsibility as well; however, along with this, carrying out tabligh is also our responsibility.”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said there were great tasks yet to be accomplished and he presented great examples of female Companionsra in his addresses so that Lajna Imaillah were motivated by them and followed their examples. Huzooraa said Lajna should not set small goals for achieving new converts. Huzooraa said the various nationalities of Lajna members

less fragments, and if each and every one of them had not contained knowledge of the unseen and prophecies manifesting divine power, I would consider them to be nothing.”

Then, the Promised Messiahas said: “Let someone present even a single prophecy that is comparable to the one I made about Lekhram.”

The Promised Messiahas said: “My revelations benefit not only the people but also the religion of Islam. This standard in itself is a very fundamental criterion which proves that my revelations are from Allah.”

Then, the Promised Messiahas said: “The ways in which God Almighty deals and interacts with me, and manifests signs in my favour, are astonishing. Some of these relate to my own person, others relate to my children, some relate to my family, some relate to my friends, some relate to my opponents, while others still relate to mankind at large.”

Photo courtesy of Suhaib Ahmad

Continued from page 1

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 2, pp. 28-29)

should be given targets; Arabs, Africans, Pakistanis, etc.

With regard to Ahmadis of different nationalities and ensuring there was true unity amongst everyone within the Jamaat and Lajna Imaillah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa instructed secretary tarbiyat that the Pakistani Lajna members should sit, spend time and eat with the Lajna members who were from other nationalities; such as Arabs and Africans. Huzooraa said that currently, Lajna did not integrate with members who were from different nationalities and neither spent time with them.

“Sit and eat their bread and hummus with them. Sit with African [Ahmadis] and eat their banku, kenkey and smoked fish, etc. with them. As a result, they will know that we are all one. Establish an Ahmadi society where there is no differentiation between Pakistanis, Arabs […] or Africans.

We are to live together, as one.

“If you establish a true Ahmadi society, a truly Islamic society in which there is no differentiation between nationalities – they are all one; Muslims and Ahmadi Muslims – then all the issues will be resolved.

“This is a grand task. Along with [the five daily] prayers, this is also a challenge you have to achieve for tarbiyat; to unite everyone and fulfil the purpose and target of the Promised Messiahas to gather together all the Muslims on one religion. [Tazkirah, p. 793] “And wherever there is a lapse, you need to find out why it exists […] and wherever the problem lies, try to resolve it.” Huzooraa said this was the responsibility of all the secretaries of tarbiyat.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa also said the tarbiyat and tabligh departments should utilise the educated Ahmadi Lajna students as well. He advised that seminars should be held for the friends and colleagues of those lajna students.

Advising secretary sanat-odastkari (industry and handicraft), Huzooraa said Lajna members should make products

themselves and sell them – there should not only be store-bought products available at Lajna events.

With regard to the Lajna newsletter, Huzooraa instructed secretary ishaat to produce a newsletter every month in which there was content in Urdu, Italian, English and Arabic – all four languages were to be included, Huzooraa said.

With regards to producing content and writing articles, Huzooraa said the Arab Lajna should write and send articles in Arabic, the Africans in English, those who could write in Urdu should contribute, and those who were acquainted with Italian should also write articles in Italian for the newsletter – “gather all of them in one place”, Huzooraa said.

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa asked secretary ziafat what she had prepared for the amila members. She said there was chicken with chickpeas along with biryani and ice cream for dessert. Huzooraa smiled and asked if everyone ate biryani to which secretary ziafat replied in the affirmative.

Addressing secretary sehat-e-jismani, Huzooraa asked how much she walked every day. Secretary sehat-e-jismani said she managed three kilometres a day by walking one kilometre after every meal.

To this, Huzooraa said it was advised not to walk after lunch and to rest a little instead – however, in the morning and after dinner, it was fine to walk.

Huzooraa referred to the adage: “After lunch, rest a while; after dinner, walk a mile.”

Huzooraa asked about how many Lajna members exercised and the different sports competitions held. During the conversation, Huzooraa said Lajna should try to play all sports, for example, netball and volleyball, and if someone knew martial arts, they could teach it. Huzooraa also said the amila members should walk or exercise at home on a regular basis – even if a little – to ensure good health.

Huzooraa then enquired about family

disputes and advised that if secretary tarbiyat came to know of any family disputes lajna were experiencing, she should – with great confidentiality – let the murabbi know so that the issue could be resolved. Huzooraa stressed this should be in full confidence without anyone else finding out.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then opened the floor for any questions the amila members had.

The first question was about those Lajna members who had done their wasiyyat prior to getting married but their husbands could not pay it after marriage. To this, Huzooraa said: “Firstly, the wife has done the wasiyyat, not the husband – why should he pay the chanda?” Huzooraa continued by saying that whatever income the wife was giving wasiyyat on prior to marriage, she should continue giving. After marriage, “She should save money from the household expenses and […] give chanda [wasiyyat] from the allowance she receives, if the husband gives it to her. And if he does not give an allowance, she should tell him that ‘I am going to give this amount of chanda wasiyyat from the household expenses.’”

Huzooraa said chanda wasiyyat applied to the mahr as well – so when the husband gave the mahr, the wife should pay her chanda wasiyyat on that. If the husband did not give the mahr and other issues continued within the household, then the only option left was to tell the jamaat that she could not give chanda wasiyyat and therefore to cancel her wasiyyat. However, Huzooraa emphasised that whatever the wife was giving prior to marriage, she should continue.

Huzooraa noted that money was spent on cosmetics and food, etc., which meant chanda wasiyyat could be given as well.

Another question asked was how to deal with inactive Lajna who would not respond when contacted. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “The thing is, you only contact them for jamaat-related work: You say, ‘There is a

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022 jamaat meeting today, a jalsa, an ijtema, etc., so attend.’ Or you say, ‘give chanda’ or ‘take part in this initiative’. Don’t contact them for jamaat work first, contact them to develop a relationship first. When you will establish a personal relationship with those Lajna, they will realise you are not only coming to collect chanda or some other reason.”

Huzooraa said those who were from Pakistan could be told that they had not come to Italy due to some personal skill or ability, rather it was due to the Jamaat. They should be thankful for this grace of Allah by being involved in jamaat programmes.

Huzooraa said this would take time and that a relationship should be developed first.

“The approach should be correct”, Huzooraa emphasised.

An amila member said some husbands did not cooperate with Lajna members with regard to Lajna events. She asked what wives could do in such a situation. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said such men should be reported to the local sadr and murabbi and advised. He then continued: “Educate your sons in such a manner that they grow up to become good husbands and positive members of the Jamaat.” Huzooraa said this was the first step to take so that the next generation’s tarbiyat was taken care of as it was the responsibility of mothers to do the correct tarbiyat of their children.

Secondly, Huzooraa said wives should ask their husbands what their problem was and address it. If the husbands complained about their wives being out all day in the name of “Jamaat work” and that their household was not taken care of, for example, taking care of children and preparing food etc., then the husbands were in the right, Huzooraa said.

“For this reason, divide your tasks appropriately and plan properly. Analyse ‘how are we to fulfil the rights of our husband and children and take care of the household and then, with the time left available, serve the Jamaat through Lajna [Imaillah].”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa emphasised Lajna should devise a proper plan and then handle these issues accordingly. Huzooraa also said Lajna members must fulfil their responsibilities first; taking care of the household, the upbringing of their children and taking care of their husband too. “It should not be that a wife says ‘I am going for Lajna work, make the food yourself ’.

This should not happen as only quarrels will break out in the house”.

Huzooraa emphasised: “I am by no means saying you should quarrel at home and create conflicts.

Women should also work with wisdom and if they want to admonish [their husbands], they can do so.”

Another amila member said there were some born Ahmadis who lacked religious knowledge and this trait was beginning to seep into their children too. She asked how one could protect future generations and advise such Ahmadis.

Huzooraa said the guidance he had given to secretary tarbiyat should be followed. Further, those women who lacked religious knowledge should be taught by Lajna Imaillah and their children as well – constant effort was needed. Huzooraa said that by teaching their children, the next generations would be taken care of.

However, if such people fell into worldliness then they should know that apart from destruction, in the end, there was

nothing else that worldliness could offer.

Huzooraa said such Lajna members should be exhorted with love and after developing a personal relationship with them. Huzooraa said the Lajna members in Italy were not so much and those members who had poor religious knowledge were fewer in numbers, therefore, the tarbiyat issues should be resolved immediately.

“The Jamaat’s work cannot happen through force – they will be completed through love and harmony. This is also what Allah the Almighty instructed the Holy Prophetsa – this is the commandment in the Quran – to act with love and affection, and bring these people closer to you. […] If you are strict, they will disperse away from you.”

The next questioner said that due to Covid-19 and the current economic condition of the world, expenses were increasing and many were under the strain of financial worry. She asked Huzooraa what advice he would give to those who had financial worries.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said: “The whole world is moving towards these conditions. Develop contentment – this is what Allah the Almighty has instructed; to develop contentment within yourself. If one becomes content, unnecessary spending and unjustified wants will reduce.

“Now, if a woman demands she wants a particular kind of expensive make-up or that she will only wear certain designer clothes, then obviously frustrations will build.” However, a content person would not

demand such things.

Huzooraa said, “Gas supplies are set to reduce, fuel prices have risen and will continue to do so and shortages will also develop, as a result, other prices will also be affected. This isn’t just a question of Ahmadi women, it is a question of every single person. Therefore, you will have to adjust yourself.

Huzooraa said: “Those who are religious do not drown in worldly greed. You are to guide the world that ‘instead of chasing worldly greed, usurping each other’s rights, stealing, creating disorder and violence in the country against governments and holding protests, develop contentment within yourself and use your money in the most effective way’.

“If Ahmadis carry out their own tarbiyat in this way, they will be able to do the tarbiyat of the rest of the world too.

“This is a constant effort that you will have to exert. According to your circumstances there create a plan of action.

I have given a general plan of action many times: Develop contentment, connect with your faith, and as a result, worldly desires reduce. Otherwise worldly desires never end, they continue to increase. It is an ailment like itching – a person continues to itch, enjoys it and in the end, wounds himself. And so, ultimately, worldliness will only result in injuring oneself.

“Therefore, contentment and Allah’s remembrance – attention to salat – will resolve everything else. Develop a connection with Allah and all other ailments

will be resolved as a result.”

Another amila member said most girls who got married quit their studies after marriage. She asked Huzooraa what one should do about such a situation.

Huzooraa said the primary responsibilities of married Lajna should be to take care of their homes. “If the husband says to leave education, then it is better – to avoid conflicts – to leave it. And if they have children, then the tarbiyat of the children is mandatory first.”

Huzooraa said if a woman was in a beneficial professional education that would benefit humanity – like becoming a doctor – then after seeking permission from her husband, she could continue her education after having children. Or prior to even getting married, a girl could make it a condition that she would be permitted to complete her education after marriage as it was a beneficial, professional education.

“Conflicts are avoided in this way”, Huzooraa said.

However, if the husband did not like for them to continue their studies and there was no such agreement prior to getting married either, then “agree to what they say and take care of the home and pay attention to the tarbiyat of the children.”

Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then conveyed his salaam to everyone and the meeting successfully ended.

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

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This Week in History

9 - 15 September

9 September 9 September 2011: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned Nasim Ahmad Butt Sahib of Faisalabad, Pakistan who was martyred on 4 September. His younger brother Wasim Ahmad Butt Sahib and paternal cousin Naseer Ahmad Butt Sahib were also martyred in 1994 and 2010, respectively.

10-11 September 10 September 2004: During his Friday Sermon on this day, delivered from Belgium, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa spoke on the reasons behind the failure of the UNO and other such organisations.

11 September 2009: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated that the theory which was presented

by Dr Abdus Salam Sahib, also testifies to the Oneness of God Almighty and the Holy Quran’s truthfulness. Therefore, Huzooraa advised, Ahmadi scientists and researchers needed to ponder over the Holy Quran, which would certainly pave new avenues for their research.

12 September 12 September 2003: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa spoke in detail about the ninth condition of bai‘at, which is: “That he/she shall keep himself/ herself occupied in the service of God’s creatures for His sake only and shall endeavour towards the beneficence of mankind to the best of his/her God-given abilities and powers.”

Huzooraa stated that service to humanity was a distinctive feature of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya.

Huzooraa urged Ahmadi teachers, lawyers, doctors and specialists in various fields to help and support the poor and needy people with more zeal.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivering an address at Jalsa Salana Belgium 2004

13 September 13 September 2013: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa spoke about the ongoing war in Syria and shed light on the situation of the world in general and Muslims in particular.

Huzooraa prayed: “May Allah the Almighty quickly bring the whole of Arabia under the flag of the Messiahas of Muhammadsa, and may the agitation of the Arab world – which is termed as ‘the Arab Spring’ by the world – transform into spiritual benefits for them instead of material ones. May they become those who pray for the Promised Messiahas, and by following him, propagate the true teachings of Islam, which are of love, compassion and peace.”

14 September 14 September 2007: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned Saeeda Begum Sahiba, wife of Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin

Shamsra, who passed away on 5 September at the age of 94.

She was the daughter of Hazrat Khawaja Ubaidullah Sahibra.

true Islamic teachings. Huzooraa said that it was not befitting for a person like the Pope to falsely attribute such things to Islam.

Huzooraa also mentioned Saeeda Begum Sahiba, wife of Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari, who passed away on 6 September, at the age of 95. She was the daughter of Hazrat Maulvi Muhammad Abdullahra of Batala.

Huzooraa commented on the Pope’s statement in detail and narrated the peaceful teachings of Islam to refute the false allegations. Huzooraa also presented the sayings of various orientalists in which they had appreciated the Holy Prophet’s role in the establishment of peace.

Huzooraa then mentioned Nasira Begum Sahiba, daughter of Hazrat Chaudhry Faqir Muhammadra, who passed away at the age of 84.

14 September 2012: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned Muhammad Nawaz Sahib of Karachi, who was a police employee and was martyred while on duty.

15 September 15 September 2006: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned that a day earlier, during a lecture at a German University, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned some Islamic teachings which had no relation at all with the

15 September 2008: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned Dr Abdul Manan Siddiqui Sahib, who was martyred in Pakistan on 8 September. Huzooraa said that by sacrificing his life in his youth, he had left behind a great legacy for the younger members of the Jamaat to fulfil their oath of bai‘at to the Promised Messiahas to the letter, even if they had to sacrifice their lives.

Huzooraa also mentioned the martyrdom, sincerity and sacrifices of Seith Muhammad Yusuf Sahib, Amir District Nawabshah, who was martyred on 9 September.

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022

Answers to Female imams, tarawih, reciting Everyday basmalah aloud when leading salat, Issues odd numbers, Allah’s pronouns, levels Part XL

of Paradise and universal salvation

Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues – which Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa has given on various occasions in his written correspondence and during MTA programmes – is being officially published below for everyone’s benefit.

A hafizah leading male relatives in tarawih prayer A female memoriser (hafizah) of the Holy Quran sent some questions to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa. She asked: “1. Can I lead my father in tarawih prayer?

2. If the recitation of the Holy Quran is to be started from its beginning in [tarawih] prayers, will the recitation of Surah al-Baqarah be started after reciting Surah al-Fatihah twice in the first rak‘ah?

3. Should an imam recite the basmalah out loud before reciting any Surahs during audible prayers (as-salawat aljahriyyah)?”

Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 25 July 2021, provided the following reply to the questions: “In Islam, only men are obligated to observe salat in congregation. Women’s observing salat in congregation has the status of a supererogatory act of worship.

Therefore, in the presence of men, a woman cannot become their imam and lead them in congregational prayers. Neither the Holy Prophetsa nor any of his successors after him ever assigned a woman to the position of an imam of men. Likewise, whenever the Promised Messiahas, who is the Hakam ‘Adl

of this age, used to offer his prayers at home due to some illness, he used to lead the prayers himself despite being unwell.

“Thus, whether it is a case of nafl or fardh prayers, if both men and women are present in a place and a congregational prayer is to be offered, then the imam of that salat must be a man.”

Quran from its beginning when [leading] the [tarawih] prayer; that is after reciting Surah al-Fatiha, which is usually recited in every [rak‘ah of] salat, the recitation of Surah al-Baqarah would be started immediately without repeating Surah al-Fatihah.

However, the Islamic jurists [fuqaha] have allowed that when finishing a complete reading of the Holy Quran [at the end of the tarawih prayers in the month of Ramadan], if a person wants to recite some earlier part of the Holy Quran again after Surah anNas, he may restart [the recitation of the Holy Quran] with Surah al-Fatihah and then recite a portion of Surah al-Baqarah.

There is nothing wrong with that. However, the repetition of [the complete] Surah alFatihah [by an imam], at the beginning [of a complete reading of the Holy Quran], is even considered by some fuqaha to warrant sajdatai as-sahw i.e. the two prostrations due to forgetfulness.”

Surah al-Fatihah during the first tarawih prayer of Ramadan

Loud or silent recitation of the basmalah by an imam

“The usual method would be adopted even when starting the recitation of the Holy

“Both the practices i.e. reciting the basmalah

aloud or quietly before starting the recitation of a Surah in salat are correct and validated by the practice of Allah’s Messengersa.

Hence, Hazrat Anasra narrates, ‘I observed prayer along with Allah’s Messengersa and with Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with all of them), but I never heard any one of them reciting the basmalah aloud.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab assalat, Bab hujjati mun qala la yujharu bi l-basmalah) “Nu‘aim al-Mujmir narrates, ‘I prayed behind Hazrat Abu Hurairahra and he ٰ ّ َ ّ ْ ٰ ْ ّ َ recited, ‫یم‬ ِ ‫( ِبس ِم الل ِه الﺮﺣم ِن لﺮ ِﺣ‬aloud). Then he recited Umm al-Quran (Surah َّ َ َ ۡ ۡ al-Fatihah) َ ُ َۡۡ َۡ َ ِّ‫الﻀاۤل‬ and when he reached �‫ی‬ ‫وب َعلی ِہم ولا‬ ِ ‫ﻏیرِ المﻐﻀ‬, he said, ‘amin’ and the people also said, ‘amin’. And every time he prostrated he said, ‘Allahu Akbar’ and when he stood up from sitting after two rak‘ahs he said, ‘Allahu Akbar’. And after he had said the salam he said, ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul!

My prayer most closely resembles the prayer of Allah’s Messengersa.’’ (Sunan an-Nasa’i, Kitab al-iftitah, Bab qira’ati bi-smillahi r-rahmani r-rahim) “Hazrat Abu Hurairahra narrates that

the Holy Prophetsa used to recite bi-smillahi r-rahmani r-rahim out loud. (Al-Mustadrak ‘Ala al-Sahihayn by Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri, Kitab al-imamati wa salati l-jama‘ah, Bab atta’min) “Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira states, ‘It is permissible to recite the basmalah in both ways; aloud or quietly. Our Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Kari m Sahib (may God forgive him and have mercy on his soul) was of an energetic nature. He used to recite the basmalah aloud. Hazrat Mirza Sahib [i.e. the Promised Messiahas] did not use to recite it aloud. I also recite it quietly. Among the Companionsra there are two schools of thought in this regard. I advise you not to quarrel over how anyone recites it. The same is the case for amin; it too is permissible to be said in both ways. In some places, the Jews and Christians used to dislike the Muslims’ saying amin. So, the Companionsra used to say it very loudly. I enjoy both methods.

One can recite it aloud or quietly.’ (Badr, No. 32, Vol. 11, 23 May 1912, p. 3) “Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanaurira narrates, ‘I never once observed the Promised Messiahas practising raf ‘ alyadayn i.e. the raising the hands during prayer, nor heard him saying amin audibly, nor did I hear him reciting the basmalah out loud.’ This humble one [i.e. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra] submits that the practice of the Promised Messiahas was exactly the way Mian Abdullah Sahibra has described.

However, our practice as Ahmadis since the time of the Promised Messiahas and even after that until now has been that nobody picks anyone up on this matter. Some recite Amin out loud, others do not. Some practice raf ‘ al-yadayn, but the majority abstains from it. [...] Some people recite the basmalah audibly but the majority do not.

The Promised Messiahas used to say that, in reality, all these ways can be found in the practice of the Holy Prophetsa. However, the practice that the Holy Prophetsa adhered to on more numerous occasions is the one that was also the practice of Hazrat Sahib [i.e. the Promised Messiahas].’ (Siratul Mahdi, Vol. I, pp. 147-148, narration no. 154, [February 2008])”

Odd numbers (witr) A lady asked Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa the following: Continued on next page >>

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

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<< Continued from previous page

“1. Why does Allah the Exalted like odd numbers?

2. Why has Allah the Exalted used masculine pronouns for Himself in the Holy Quran?

3. Is it true that people at higher levels in Heaven will be able to meet those at lower levels than them, but those at lower levels will not be able to meet those at higher levels than them?”

4. How can one explain to an atheist that Allah the Exalted will ultimately forgive humans and grant them entry into Paradise?”

Huzoor-e-Anwaraa replied: “The answer to your first question is also stated in a hadith, namely that since Allah is One and the digit of one (1) is odd, therefore Allah likes odd numbers. Hence, it is narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairahra that the Holy Prophetsa said: ْ ْ ُ ُ ْ ّٰ َ ‫ِإ ّن اللہ ِوت ٌر ي ِح ّب ال ِوت َر‬ “‘Verily, Allah is One [witr] and He loves witr.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab az-zikri wa d-du‘a’i wa t-tawbati wa l-’istighfar, Bab fi ’asma’i-llahi ta‘ala wa fadli mun ’ahsaha) “Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra elaborates on this subject in the following manner: “‘We observe this in Allah’s law that He likes odd-numbered things. The Holy Prophetsa always used to say that Allah loves odd-numbered things. He Himself is One and He likes things that are odd-numbered.

Hence, we see this wisdom everywhere.

However, this is a separate and vast subject which cannot be explained at this time.

Otherwise, the fact is that Allah the Exalted has established singularity in all the laws of nature: It dominates every one of His laws. We also learn from the idioms of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophetsa that the number seven is particularly associated with perfection. Hence, it is mentioned in the Holy Quran that Allah the Exalted created the world in seven days. Similarly, there are seven periods of human spiritual development. Then, for the heavens too, the phrase ‫[ سبع سموات‬seven heavens] appears in the Holy Quran, which is an odd number.

So, the odd number has special wisdom in the sight of Allah the Exalted and we see its demonstration in all the laws of nature.’

(Daily Al Fazl, Qadian Dar al-Aman, 7 April 1939, p. 5)”

Allah’s pronouns in the Holy Quran “In the different languages of the world, masculine and feminine pronouns are used to differentiate between the sexes. However, Allah the Exalted, Who is One without any partners, is above such distinctions. It is to only help us understand, that Allah the Exalted has used certain phrases to describe Himself, but they are all metaphors.

Otherwise, Allah the Exalted is neither male nor female and He is above all kinds

of gender.

“Moreover, in almost all societies of the world, the female is thought of as weaker than the male. At the time of the advent of Islam, the same concept was prevalent in Arabia. Hence, in the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted says about the disbelievers that they prefer sons for themselves but daughters for Him, referring to how they used to call the angels by feminine pronouns and used to call them the ‘daughters of God’. Allah the Exalted says about this that it is a very unfair division that they do. Thus, he states:

َ َّ ُ َ ٰۡ ٌ ً َ ۡ ٰۡ ُ ‫الَک ُم الذک ُر َو ل َ ُہ الۡانثی ِتلک ِاذا قِ ۡس َمۃ ِضیزی‬

“‘What! for you the males and for Him the females! That indeed is an unfair division.’ (Holy Quran, Surah an-Najm, Ch. 53: Vs. 22-23) “Thus, from the beginning of creation, ‘feminine’ has been perceived as weak whereas ‘masculine’ has been viewed as supreme and powerful. In the Arabic language too, the masculine pronoun denotes perfect strength and power. That is why Allah the Exalted, Who is the Source and Master of all powers, including those that are transcendent, has used that pronoun for Himself which is considered the most befitting of His nature even in the eyes of humans. Otherwise, all the similes described in the Quran and the Hadith about the Being of Allah the Exalted are allegorical, because the Being of Allah the َ ۡ َ Exalted is ‫ ل َ ۡی َس ک ِمثل ِٖہ ش ۡی ٌء‬i.e. not whatever like anything, as He states:

َ ً َ َۡ ۡ ُ ُ َۡ ۡ ّ ۡ َُ َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٰ ٰ َّ ُ َ ‫اجا ّو‬ ‫ض ؕ جعل لکم ِمن انف ِسکم ازو‬ ِ ۡ ‫فاطِر َ ۡالسمو ۡ ِت و الار‬ ۡ ُ َ َ ُ ً ‫ِم َن الۡان َعا ِم اَز َو‬ َ‫اجا ۚ یَذ َرؤک ۡم فِ ۡی ِہ ؕ ل َ ۡی َس ک ِمث ِل ٖہ ش ۡی ٌء ۚ َو ُھو‬ ۡ ۡ ُ َّ ‫الس ِم ۡیع ال َب ِصی ُر‬

“‘(He is) the Maker of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you pairs of your own selves, and of the cattle (also He has made) pairs. He multiplies you therein.

There is nothing whatever like unto Him; and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’

(Holy Quran, Surah ash-Shura, Ch. 42: V. 12) “The Promised Messiahas interprets this verse as follows: “‘Keeping to the middle in relation to God means that in expounding Divine attributes one should not lean towards negating Divine attributes nor describe God as resembling material things. This is the way that the Holy Quran has adopted with reference to Divine attributes. It affirms that God sees, hears, knows, speaks; and as a safeguard against His being understood as resembling His creation it also affirms:

َ ۡ َ ‫ل َ ۡی َس ک ِمث ِل ٖہ ش ۡی ٌء‬

“[...] Meaning there is nothing like unto Him.’ (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam [English], pp. 101-102 ) “He also stated: “‘God has two [overarching] attributes since eternity and since there was nothing.

One attribute is that of similitude [tashbihi], while the other attribute is transcendent [tanzihi]. And since it was necessary to describe both the attributes in the Word of God, i.e. the tashbihi as well as the tanzihi attributes, therefore God described the attributes of his hand, eye, love, anger, etc. in the Holy Quran to express the tashbihi attributes and then when a misgiving about [a misbelief in true]ۡ similitude arose, He َ َ used the phrase ‫[ ل ۡی َس ک ِمث ِل ٖہ‬i.e. there is

nothing like unto Him] in some places.’

(Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 277)”

Interaction between the people at different levels of Paradise “Where the people of Paradise and the people of Hell are mentioned in the Holy Quran, there is also the mention of a barrier between them, which is proof that the people of Paradise and the people of Hell will not be able to meet each other. However, in the same place, there is mention of them being able to observe each other, the purpose of which seems to be that, upon seeing the inmates of Hell, the dwellers of Paradise may express gratitude for the favours of their Lord, Who kept them on the right path and made them the heirs of the blessings of Paradise, and so that the people of Hell may feel envious of the blessings received by the people of Paradise and therefore sorry for the evil deeds they committed during their worldly lives. This subject has been elucidated in detail in Surah Al-A‘raf, verses 41 to 51.

“However, as far as the meeting of people from different levels of Paradise is concerned, different places and stages of Paradise have been mentioned in the Quran and the Hadith, but there is no mention of any obstacles in the meeting of those who live in these different places and levels of Paradise. On the contrary, Allah the Exalted says in the Holy Quran that ‘those who believe and whose children follow them in faith — with them shall We join their children. And We will not diminish anything from (the reward of) their works.’

(Surah at-Tur, 55:22) “Likewise, it has been mentioned in a hadith that those whose three young children die, Allah will have mercy on those children and will admit their parents into Paradise along with them. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-jana’iz, Bab fadli mun mata lahu waladun fahtasab) “Apart from this, it is also worth mentioning that the separation of the permanent residence of the people of

different levels in Paradise is another matter, and it is another thing for those of different levels to mix with each other, about which there is no mention of any kind of obstacle in the Quran or the Hadith. Rather, the Holy Quran has stated the following fact about the people of Paradise:

ُ ‫ل َ ُہ ۡم فِ ۡی َہا َما یَ َش‬ ‫ٓاء ۡو َن‬

“‘They will have therein what they wish for.’ (Surah an-Nahl, Ch. 16: V. 32) “It further states:

ۡ ُ ‫ل َ ُہ ۡم َّما یَ َش‬ ‫ٓاء ۡو َن ِعن َد َر ِّب ِہ ۡم‬

“‘They will have with their Lord whatever they desire.’ (Surah az-Zumar, Ch. 39: V. 35) “It also states:

ُ ُ ُ َۡ ُ َۡ َ​َ ‫َو لَک ۡم فِ ۡی َہا َما تش َت ِہ ۡۤی انف ُسک ۡم َولَک ۡم فِ ۡی َہا َما ت ّد ُعوۡ َن‬

“‘Therein you will have all that your souls will desire, and therein you will have all that you will ask for.’ (Surah Ha Mim asSajdah, Ch. 41: V. 33) “Thus, these verses prove that if the heavenly dwellers of different ranks want to meet any of their loved ones, then their wish shall be fulfilled in Heaven.”

Universal salvation and the finite nature of the punishment of Hell “Every day, we observe that if a person makes a mistake, his punishment is not permanent, rather it ends at some point as well. When this is the case with us humans and the laws we have made, then how can we ever reconcile ourselves to the idea that God would continue to make people suffer from the punishment of Hell for their mistakes and sins forever? He is God in Whom are found all the most excellent, pure and praiseworthy attributes, Who is the Most Exalted, Who manifests Himself on the highest station of holiness and Who has made a promise about Himself that: َ َ َ ْ َ َ ‫ِإ ّن َر ْح َم ِتي غل َبت غض ِبي‬ “Verily, My mercy prevails over My wrath. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab bad’i l-khalq, Bab ma ja’a fi qawli-llahi ta‘ala wa huwa llazi yabda’u l-khalqa thumma yu‘iduhu wa huwa ’ahwanu ‘alayh)

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022

Ahmadi delegation in Sweden meet Ardalan Shekarabi, Minister for Social Security and discuss true Islam Kashif Virk Missionary, Sweden

“Moreover, He is the One Who loves his servants far more than a kind mother. [Thus, how can we even think of Him in that way?]

“Hell is a hospital where the sick will be treated and discharged after their recovery.

This is the reason why Allah the Exalted has also used the word umm, i.e. mother, in relation ٌ َ toُ ُ َ Hell in the Holy Quran, as He said, ‫( فا ّم ٗہ ہا ِویَۃ‬Surah al-Qarai‘ah, 101:10), which means that Hell will be his mother.

One does not live in the mother’s womb forever. Rather, when the development of the fetus is complete, it comes into the world from there.

“Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, while explaining the interpretation of this verse, says: “‘To refer to Hell [hawiyah] as mother [umm] points to the fact that one is attached to the mother until one is fully developed and trained. After having received the training, one is separated from the mother.

This word [umm] indicates that the inmates of Hell will be delivered from it after having lived in it for a long period of time.’ (Haqaiqul-Furqan, Vol. IV, p. 446) “Similarly, it is also mentioned in the Hadith that there will come a time upon Hell that there will be no human being left in it and the gates of Hell will make a rattling noise on account of the blowing winds.

(Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 14, Hadith No. 39506) “Hazrat Ibn Mas‘udra narrates that the Holy Prophetsa while describing the condition of the last person to be taken out of Hell, said: “‘The person who will be the last to enter Paradise will come out of Hell, falling, stumbling and crawling while the fire of Hell will be burning him. Then, once he is out of the hell, he will look back towards the hell and address the hell and say, ‘Blessed is He Who has saved me from thee. Allah has given me something He has not given to any one of those in earlier or later times.’ “‘Then a tree would be raised up for him and he will say, ‘O my Lord! Bring me near this tree so that I may take shelter in its shade and drink of its water.’ Allah, the Exalted and Great, would say, ‘O son of Adam! If I grant you this, you will ask Me for something else.’ He would reply, ‘No. my Lord.’ And he would promise Him that he would not ask for anything else. His Lord would excuse him because He sees (such bounties of Paradise) what he cannot help desiring; so He would bring him near it, and he would take shelter in its shade and

(quench his thirst) by drinking of the water (and the nectar of its fruits). “‘Afterwards, a tree more beautiful than the first would be raised up before him and he would say, ‘O my Lord! bring me near this tree in order that I may drink of its water and take shelter in its shade and I shall not ask Thee for anything else.’ He (Allah) would say, ‘O son of Adam! If I bring you near it you may ask me for something else.’ He would then promise Him that he would not ask for anything else. His Lord will excuse him because He would see something (of the blessings) he cannot help desiring. So He would bring him near it and he would enjoy its shade and drink its water. “‘Then a tree would be raised up for him at the gate of Paradise, more beautiful than the first two. He would say, ‘O my Lord! bring me near this (tree) so that I may enjoy its shade and drink from its water. I shall not ask Thee for anything else.’ He (Allah) would say, ‘O son of Adam! Did you not promise Me that you would not ask Me anything else?’ He would say, ‘Yes, my Lord, but I shall not ask Thee for anything else.’ His Lord would excuse him for He sees something (of the blessings of Paradise) the temptation of which he could not resist. He (Allah) would bring him near to it, and when He would bring him near it he would hear the voices of the inhabitants of Paradise. He would say, ‘O my Lord! Please admit me to it.’ He (Allah) would say, ‘O son of Adam! What will bring an end to your requests to Me? Will it please you if I give you the whole world and a like one along with it?’ He will reply, ‘O my Lord!

Art Thou mocking me, though Thou art the Lord of the worlds?’

“At this, the narrator of this hadith, Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘udra, laughed and said to the audience, ‘Why don’t you ask me why I laughed?’ The people asked, ‘Why did you laugh?’ He replied that the Holy Prophetsa also laughed in the same way and the Companionsra asked him, ‘O Allah’s Messengersa! Did you laugh for some reason?’ Upon this, he replied, ‘I laughed because of the laughter of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. When that person will say, ‘You are mocking me despite being the Lord of the Worlds’, Allah will say, ‘I am not mocking you but I can do whatever I will.”

(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-iman, Bab akhiri ’ahli n-nari khurujan)” (Compiled by Zaheer Ahmad Khan, Head of Records Department, Private Secretariat, London. Translated by Al Hakam)

On 21 August 2022, a delegation from Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Sweden met with the Minister for Social Security, Ardalan Shekarabi and another member of parliament, Anders Östberg. They are both representatives of the Swedish Labour party.

The delegation consisted of the Jamaat president of Stockholm Jamaat, missionaries, local secretary of external affairs, local qaid Majlid Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, president of Lajna Imaillah Stockholm and other Lajna members.

The agenda for the meeting was to introduce the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community locally and globally. We presented the global efforts for peace and guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa in this regard.

The local initiatives to create a better society were also mentioned, such as work

by Humanity First, campaigns such as #AskAMuslim and inter-faith dialogues.

The minister was also briefed about the ongoing persecution of Ahmadis globally.

Towards the end of the meeting,

certain topics of social importance were discussed, including freedom of speech and Islamophobia.

Recent events in Sweden where copies of the Holy Quran were burnt in public were mentioned, through which the misuse of this freedom only served to increase hatred and unrest in society. On the contrary, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s peaceful response through social outreach campaigns representing the true teachings of Islam was highlighted.

The minister was gifted with a Swedish copy of the Holy Quran as well as the book, World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace.

Help for Ukrainian refugee families in Burgas, Bulgaria Ata Ul Hayee Sohail Mohtamim Ishaat, MKA Bulgaria

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Bulgaria had the opportunity to donate 80 sacks of clothes for children and adults of all ages to the Dobro Charity Fund.

Burgas is the largest city in South-East Bulgaria and the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Charitable fund “Dobro” is providing help to the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria. Most of these refugees are women and children, elderly people and people with disabilities.

Currently, in the Burgas region, there are about 30,000 Ukrainian refugees who are in dire need of living essentials. The volunteering bases organised two assistance centres within the region.

A donation was successfully completed by the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and the Dobro Foundation expressed its gratitude by saying: “The Dobro Foundation expresses its great gratitude to you for the charity that will make the lives of our compatriots more comfortable and happier, and thousands of families will be provided with clothes, shoes and everything they need. We are families stuck in a foreign country and we all need the care and support of caring people with good hearts, like yourselves.

Our team expresses its sincere gratitude to you. We want to wish you to be surrounded by people as generous and kind as you.

In the future, we hope for friendship and cooperation with you, as well as assistance in the implementation of socially important projects for Ukrainian children. Our volunteer centre has been helping refugees in Bulgaria from Ukraine for five months now. Every day, 200 people come to us – these are mothers with children, large families, pensioners and disabled people.

And we have the opportunity to help them, thanks to organisations like the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.”

In addition to the donation to the Ukrainian refugees, they sent a request to the Jamaat for the need for clothes from the [management of] “Sheltered Housing for People With Intellectual Disability” in the Burgas municipality. We had the opportunity to help them too and as a gesture of gratitude, they handed us a letter of thanks on behalf of the manager, which reads as follows: “We offer you our most heartfelt thanks for your kindness and sympathy towards our efforts. It is an honour and a privilege to work with people for whom tolerance and empathy are not only leading human virtues but are also manifested in their actions.”

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

8

Zikr-e-Habib ‫ﺫﮐﺮ ﺣﺒﯿﺐ‬ Part

A beloved remembered

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahibra was born on 13 January 1872 in Bhera, British India. He was a companion of the Promised Messiahas and was deeply devoted to his beloved master. He was the first Ahmadi missionary to America and converted hundreds of Christians to Islam Ahmadiyyat. He launched The Moslem Sunrise magazine in America to spread the message of true Islam in the West and also served as the editor of Badr newspaper. He also had the opportunity to preach Islam in England. He served as the private secretary and

Early life of my parents

Desire to meet a prophet

First mention of Prophet Ahmadas The city of Bhera, a very ancient city of Punjab, is situated on the river Jhelum and is 213 miles from Qadian by train via LahoreLala Musa-Malakwal. It is my birthplace and childhood home. My late father spent his entire life there.

In this very city of Bhera, there was a pious man named Hakim Ahmad Din, may Allah have mercy on his soul. I heard the name of the Promised Messiahas for the first time in my childhood days from him.

I was around 13 years old when I met the late Hakim Sahib along with some of my friends. During the conversation, he said, “There is a Mirza Sahib in Qadian who receives revelations. He apparently looks like a simple ordinary person.” I wondered if someone could still receive revelations in this day and age. Hence, the name of the first person from whose mouth I heard the name of Hazrat Ahmadas was also Ahmad.

Company of Hazrat Nuruddinra Thereafter, when my late father (Mufti Inayatullah Qureshi Usmani Sahib) left me in Jammu and Kashmir to study the translation of the Holy Quran from Hazrat Maulvi Hakim Nuruddin (Khalifatul Masih Ira) and I spent almost six months in his blessed company, I would hear about the Promised Messiahas from time to time.

The Promised Messiahas was not widely

Owing to his intense love for the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sahibra wrote a book titled Zikr-e-Habib (A Beloved Remembered) on the life and character of his holy master. As he was blessed with the company of the Promised Messiahas, he narrated many unique incidents. reformer is about to appear.” The Promised Messiahas replied, “Your letter was received in which you have sought the interpretation of a dream, but as I am sick these days, I cannot fully focus on this [vision]. If you will remind me at a later time, I will write you a detailed reply.”

I thought that as Hazrat Maulana Sahibra had explained, the interpretation was quite clear, and if the Promised Messiahas had wanted, he would have attached it to himself, but he did not do that, so this made me feel more positive about him. By that time, the Promised Messiahas had published an announcement about bai‘at and the series of taking the oath of initiation had started.

May Allah have mercy on my mother and grant her a high place in Paradise. She always had a keen interest in serving those pious elders who were known for their worship, ascetic discipline and nearness to God. I also inherited this practice from my late mother.

I was perhaps 10 or 12 years old when, one day, I said to my friends, “We are born in a strange era. There is neither a prophet in this age, nor a king. We read about all such things in stories, but there is nothing to actually witness.” I think, because I and the children of my generation were to witness a prophet and king in our lives, its longing was already present in our hearts.

nazir (director) of external affairs as well. He passed away on 13 January 1957 in Rabwah. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra led his funeral prayer and he was buried in Bahishti Maqbarah.

First journey to Qadian known at that time because he had not (onbai‘at, whom be peace) started to take nor had he built the “Noah’s Ark” to save the people from the storm of the age; moreover, he had not yet made his claim of the Messiah and Mahdi in public. However, due to the fact that I was a pupil of Hazrat Maulvi Hakim Nuruddinra, I had already formed a good opinion about the Promised Messiahas.

First vision It was probably 1889 when I was studying in the high school of Bhera. It was summer and I was sleeping on the top floor of my house. It was late into the night and I saw a vision which left a deep impression on my heart. I saw a star rising from the east and as I looked, it continued to rise. As it rose, its height and light increased until it reached the top of the sky. At that time, it appeared as big as the moon and got very bright. On reaching there, it started circling. Each of its circles was larger and completed faster than the previous one until its circle reached the horizon where the earth and the sky meet.

Its circling happened so fast and it became so bright that its awe awakened me and I immediately got up.

In the morning, I wrote that vision to my honourable teacher, Maulvi Hakim Nuruddin Sahibra in Jammu, and to the Promised Messiahas in Qadian. I sought its interpretation from both these sages.

Hazrat Maulana Sahibra wrote in reply, “This kind of divine vision is shown when a great

In 1890, I passed the entrance exam and went to Jammu. I got employed in a school. Another teacher, who was of the same name as mine (the late Maulvi Fazil Muhammad Sadiq Sahib) used to live with me. In those days, the Promised Messiah’s book, Fath-e-Islam (The Victory of Islam), reached Jammu. (It was probably sent for proofreading to Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra before publication.) In this book, the Promised Messiahas, for the first time, openly mentioned the death of Jesusas of Nazareth and his claim of being the Messiah. This book was read by me and Maulvi Muhammad Sadiq Sahib together, and I wrote some questions after [studying] it and sent them to the Promised Messiahas.

In reply, the late Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sahibra, who was in Jammu during those days, told me verbally that another book would be published soon and all those questions would be answered.

After that, during the [winter] holidays at the school, I went to Qadian. It was the winter season and probably December 1890. I came alone from Batala on a horsedrawn carriage and paid a fare of 12 annas [a unit of currency formerly used in the subcontinent, equal to 1/16 of a rupee].

Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra had given me a letter of recommendation to present to the Promised Messiahas.

Upon reaching the abode of the Promised Messiahas, I immediately presented the letter. The Promised Messiahas quickly came out and said, “Maulvi Sahib has spoken

highly of you in his letter.” He then asked me whether I had eaten or not. We sat for a while and then went inside the house. There was only one other guest aside from me (the late Syed Fazl Shah Sahib), and the late Hafiz Sheikh Hamid Ali Sahib was serving the guests. The Gol Kamrah (a drawing room named after its circular shape) served the guest room and the teen diwari [a place with three walls] that is now present in front of it was not there at that time. At night, this humble one and Syed Fazl Shah Sahib slept in the gol-kamrah.

At the time of prayers, the Promised Messiahas would come to Masjid Mubarak, which is generally called Choti Masjid. The blessed beard of the Promised Messiahas was dyed with henna. His face was reddish and bright, his head was covered with a heavy white turban, and he had a staff in his hand.

The next morning, the Promised Messiahas came out of the zenana [women’s] side of the house.

First walk with Prophet Ahmadas The Promised Messiahas came out and said, “Let’s go for a walk.” Syed Fazal Shah Sahib, Hafiz Hamid Ali Sahib and I accompanied him. Walking through the fields and the outer paths of the city, we reached the eastern side of the village. During this first walk, I said to the Promised Messiahas, “What is the remedy to avoid indulgence in sins?

Remedy to avoid sins The Promised Messiahas replied: “One should always remember death.

When man forgets that he has to die one day, an unending desire arises in him.

Consequently, a person begins to have lingering hopes that they will do so-and-so, and then they become audacious about sins and negligence takes root.”

Sunrise from the West Syed Fazal Shah Sahib asked, “It is mentioned that the Promised Messiah would appear when the sun would rise from the west. What does this mean?”

The Promised Messiahas said: “It is a natural phenomenon that the sun Continued on next page >>

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022 << Continued from previous page

rises from the east and sets in the west, and this cannot change. So, [the hadith] means that the people of Western countries will start accepting Islam in this age. Recently, it has been heard that a few British people have converted to Islam in Liverpool.”

Of all the things that happened during that walk, I remember the aforementioned two things.

I cannot say what it was that attracted me to accept the Promised Messiah’sas truthfulness and take his bai‘at, other than the fact that his blessed countenance was such that it was impossible for me to believe that he was a liar.

(When I started to publish a quarterly magazine for the spread of Islam in America, keeping in view the above-mentioned hadith, I named that magazine The Moslem Sunrise and on its cover page, a rising sun was shown on the map of America.)

Bai‘at On the second or third day [of my stay in Qadian], I told Hafiz Hamid Ali Sahib that I wanted to take bai‘at. The Promised Messiahas took me to a separate house. This [house was located] on the land that now has the country house of Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib. It once had the central library in its lower compartment and Dr Hashmatullah Sahib used to live in its upper portion. (Nowadays, i.e. August 1935, it is being used as a guest house.)

In those days, there was a cattle shed belonging to the Promised Messiahas on that land, and cows, oxen, etc., were kept in it. A doorway would lead to it through a street. In front of the inner door of that house was the entrance door of the cattle shed and that corridor was located where the large library office room is situated today. The Promised Messiahas took me into that room and closed the door from the inside. In those days, each person’s bai‘at was taken separately. There was a charpoy.

The Promised Messiahas asked me to take a seat on it. I complied and he also sat on it.

The Promised Messiahas took my right hand in his hand and took allegiance from me to abide by the 10 conditions of bai‘at. I did not repeat all the 10 conditions of bai‘at, but just said the words that, “[I will abide by] the 10 conditions of bai‘at.”

(The late Mirza Ayub Baig Sahib Kalanwari, brother of Dr Mirza Yaqub Sahib of Lahore, was a very dear friend of mine. One of his sisters is the wife of Nasir Shah Sahib Nazim Imarat Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya Qadian. Mirza Ayub Baig Sahib is the only fortunate person who, though he passed away many years before the foundation of Bahishti Maqbarah, the Promised Messiahas allowed to be brought in a box from Fazilka, Ferozepur district to be buried in Bahishti Maqbarah. May Allah grant him high ranks in Paradise. In around 1892, he took bai‘at of the Promised Messiahas in Lahore. He used to say, “When I entered a separate room to take bai‘at, the Promised Messiahas said at the time of taking the pledge to say, ‘I will abide by the 10 conditions of bai‘at.’ I responded that I did not know what those 10 conditions were. The Promised Messiahas then made me repeat all those conditions one by one.)

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in Zikr-e-Habib, pp. 1-5)

The UK leadership crisis: A British problem or a global political pandemic?

Romaan Basit Graduate, Jamia Ahmadiyya UK

The new Prime Minister for Britain has recently been announced – or imposed, as some might say.

Our former one, Boris Johnson, became a staple name in the headlines, more often for the wrong reasons. Controversy has always surrounded him, with Partygate being his most recent and arguably biggest tussle. Lockdown regulations were flouted, just as they were by his former chief advisor Dominic Cummings – all whilst people watched loved ones die over Zoom. With the public infuriated, he gradually lost the trust of his nation and even his own party – hence the no-confidence vote. Cutting

the long story short, he ended up resigning, and now Liz Truss takes his seat.

The UK has been through a leadership crisis. Whether I was right to use the past tense or not, only time will tell. Trust in those on top is plummeting, and more people are beginning to question the efficacy of democracy and even the very validity of the concept behind it.

A recent study by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that 63% of Britons saw politicians as merely “out for themselves”, and roughly the same amount, around 60%, were unhappy with the functionality of democracy. If our leaders do not act in the national or public interest, and rather for personal gain, the system of democracy is, naturally, destined to

crumble. The “for the people, by the people” slogans turn into nothing but a cliché from a bygone era.

Global leadership pandemic and dwindling trust in democracy What is, or should be, more alarming, is the fact that this is not just a British problem.

In America, public trust in the government has tumbled to a staggering 20% according to a PEW Research report. Even though President Biden was nationally elected, 70% of Americans don’t want him to stand for re-election. The battle between Macron and Le Pan in France boiled down to the lesser of two evils for many – the policies of both Continued on next page >>

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

10 << Continued from previous page

being more problematic than the other. And in Pakistan, although one thinks twice about whether to even discuss it as a democracy, Imran Khan was removed as Prime Minister to make way for Shahbaz Sharif, who was elected in his place. The list of such nations goes on.

Hence, the leadership crisis seems to have turned into a global pandemic. Such crises are picked up by the media instantly, especially when they happen in Western democracies.

Why? Because democracy, Western in particular, has always been deemed the most successful form of leadership; in fact, to some, the only form of leadership. And now with the increasing mistrust of people in this system of governance, the entire institution of democracy seems to be falling apart. This is made clear by the research cited above.

In a democratic system, people vote for their representatives in the government.

However, in most cases, it is more about party loyalty than loyalty to the individual running for the post. Thus, we end up strengthening a certain political party in essence, regardless of the individual holding their ticket. This can be understood from some parts of the map turning blue, or red, as newscasters announce election results as they come in on an election night.

The recent UK debacle is an example of this problem. Boris Johnson, who came to power with the largest mandate in recent British history, was coerced to leave and when he left – along with his mandate – the party remained.

The new prime minister had to be the new chairman of the Conservative party, and in the running were a small handful of people to choose from. The choice was limited as was the number of people deciding who was to chair their party. In the final round, where party members chose one out of two contestants, the British population – with no say in such an important matter – sat at home, in front of their tellies, waiting to be told who their new “democratic” leader was.

Does perfect leadership exist?

So, there is strong evidence to suggest that democracy is failing. The quest to find the perfect leadership strategy has always been difficult. Dictatorships tried and failed, and are now abhorred for what they stand for.

Theocracies have also failed the test of time.

Religious leaderships of many sorts have also been tested and left aside. Take Muslims for example. Guidance is sought from the Holy Quran for all affairs. Some Muslim leaders and clerics, however, promote their stark misinterpretations of the text as “original Islamic teaching”. Quranic commentary has become a free-for-all with anyone interpreting, or misinterpreting, any verse to suit the leadership’s agenda.

An example is Khomeini’s edict on Salman Rushdie – which was evidently against the teachings of Islam – but was generally accepted by many Muslim circles.

This situation begs the following questions: Where do we go from here?

Is there any form of true and successful leadership in the world?

This is simply why the head of a Muslim sect chose to write to world leaders many

years ago – when it was the right time. The tide of this global leadership crisis could have been turned if heed was paid to the simple and pragmatic message of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

It was a set of solutions that he provided to the major world leaders, but the one that tops the list is: No justice, no peace.

The golden principle: No justice, no peace His Holiness described to world leaders not only the remedy to the ailing state of the world but also how he had diagnosed it. He identified that leaders were putting their political gains first before addressing national problems. And if nations were stable or “developed”, they were eating up other nations by usurping their rights and depriving them of their independence.

His conclusion, painful as it is, has been that no one seems to care for humanity as a whole. No leader or superpower sees that humanity as a whole needs to progress and not a single nation or political party.

His message is just as unique as it is effective. Just as every nation needs a leader, humanity as a whole is in dire need of streamlined leadership, spearheaded by one leader. Not one with political motives or personal desires, but one who leads with an agenda of God. Why is this necessary?

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa explains: “Human intellect is not perfect, and is in fact limited. […] God’s Law, however, is perfect with no vested interests or unfair provisions. This is because God only desires for the good and betterment of His creation and therefore, His Law is based entirely on justice. The day the people of the world come to understand this crucial point will be the day that the foundation for true and everlasting peace will be laid.” (World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace, p. 85)

Solutions presented by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V to establish global peace Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masihaa has seen that greed, be it of a leader to cling on to power or a nation usurping the rights or resources of another, lies at the heart of the global unrest: “Greed for any envy of the wealth of others is a cause of increasing restlessness in the world. […] Greedy competition on a national basis started and led to the destruction of world peace. This is proven by history and every sensible person can assess that the desire for the wealth of others causes envy and greed to grow and is the source of loss.” (Ibid, p. 18) On countless occasions, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa has travelled to congresses and parliaments all over the world spreading this message of the Holy Quran. In Capitol Hill, he spoke about the importance of truthfulness and setting aside personal interests for the common good: “The Holy Quran states that even if you have to testify against yourself, or your parents or your most loved ones, then you must do so in order to uphold justice and to uphold the truth.” (Ibid, p. 87) We see that this is lacking greatly in the international political theatre, where no leader and nation is ready to admit their mistakes. Hazrat Khalifatul

Masihaa has always highlighted this as a solution to all problems – personal to national, transnational to international.

In the same address at Capitol Hill, he spoke on the relationship between strong and weak nations: “Powerful and rich countries should not usurp the rights of the poor and weaker countries in an effort to preserve their own rights, and nor should they deal with the poorer nations in an unjust fashion.” (Ibid, p. 87) The Holy Quran has made it clear that the only superiority one can have over another is piety and righteousness. All other worldly bases of superiority are left null and void. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa has reminded world leaders many a time: “In the Holy Quran, God Almighty has made it clear that whilst our nationalities or ethnic backgrounds act as a means of identity, they do not entitle or validate any form of superiority of any kind.” (Ibid, p. 86) He has made it clear that the Islamic way of achieving global peace is by putting aside any personal interests and striving for global

justice and harmony: “In short, if we desire for peace to be established in the world, then we must leave aside our personal and national interests for the greater good and instead we must establish mutual relations that are based entirely on justice. Otherwise, some of you might agree with me that due to alliances, blocs may be formed in future—or I can even say they have started forming—and it is not unlikely that disorder will continue to increase in the world, which will ultimately lead to a huge destruction.” (Ibid, p. 91)

The world must heaken While the world has tried all forms of governance, it is about time that political leaders turn to the message given by the man with no vested interests or political goals; the man who sees humanity as one large family; the man who stands for the rights of humanity and not a particular people or social class or nation; the man who calls on the Holy Quran to seek deliverance from the political and social pandemics that have engulfed the entire world.

‘Living connection with Allah’: Muslim youth from USA hold 52nd annual Ijtema Syed Shamshad Nasir Missionary, USA

On 19 to 21 August 2022, Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya and Majlis Atfal-ulAhmadiyya USA gathered at the Baitur Rahman Mosque for their 52nd annual Ijtema.

The topics and discussions of the Ijtema revolved around the theme for this year “Living Connection with Allah”, given to the majlis by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa at the start of the year. The Ijtema began on Friday morning with various activities including a Khidmat-e-Khalq meal-packing activity where Khuddam packed 48,000 meals for distribution to those in need.

This year’s Ijtema also included a new concept known as the “MKA Hub”. This was a special section that included different activities for Khuddam to enjoy and featured an exhibition on Khilafat, a station to write letters to beloved Huzooraa, areas for asking various questions from the missionaries and additionally numerous games and a bazar.

One of the biggest highlights of this MKA Hub was the English poem competition that was held on Saturday afternoon and drew a large number of Khuddam who enjoyed the session.

Additionally, amongst the formal MKA Hub sessions, there was a virtual call with a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist from Los Angeles who joined us to discuss a career in journalism while sharing some stories from his experience. MKA also worked with The Review of Religions to inspire and encourage Khuddam to subscribe to the magazine.

The opening session was presided over

by Naib Amir Jamaat USA, Faheem Younus Sahib.

The special message from beloved Huzooraa was read out, which was followed

by the khuddam pledge and a speech by Sadr Majlis, Madeel Abdullah Sahib.

The programmes for Khuddam and Atfal were held separately in parallel so that each auxiliary received tailored content of their specific interest.

On Friday evening, Khuddam enjoyed a session from The Review of Religions “Existence Project” team.

The Saturday programme was filled with academic and sports competitions.

On Saturday afternoon, we were fortunate to be joined by Amir Sahib USA, Sahibzada Mirza Maghfoor Ahmad Sahib.

Khuddam hosted Amir Sahib and other national amila members for the regional BBQ competition. The evening session included a question and answer session with Amir Sahib where Khuddam had the opportunity to ask various questions.

On the final day, Amir Sahib joined the Atfal for their closing session and prize distribution, which was live streamed for parents at home to join in and watch.

Khuddam were joined by naib Amir Sahib and Missionary-in-Charge, Azhar Haneef Sahib for the closing session. At the end of the closing session, all Khuddam and Atfal were fortunate to join in on the live concluding address of Jalsa Salana Germany delivered by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa.

The total attendance for this year’s Ijtema was 160 Khuddam, Atfal and guests.

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022

100 Years Ago...

Daily diary of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II: Reality of Heaven and Hell and the exceptional style of the Holy Quran Al Fazl, 24 August 1922

17 July 1922 […] Reality of Heaven and Hell A friend asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], “Is the reality of Hell, Heaven and hurs [women of Paradise] the same as is generally understood or is it different?”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “As far as the names are concerned, they are correct, but their reality is different, as the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said about the things of paradise that no eye has ever seen them, no ear has ever heard about them and its absolute reality can never be perceived by the mind and heart of any human being.

“It is said that a child asked his father about the definition of a king. The father simply said that a king is one whose orders can never be refused. Coincidentally, the father had a fragile nature and the mother was very strict. As soon as the child heard that definition of the king from his father, he immediately said: ‘So father! Then it means that my mother is the king. As the father could not fully describe the king before the child because he could not understand the deep complexities, he simply said whatever could be comprehended by the child but the child’s mind instead of perceiving the reality moved towards his mother’s kingship. In the same way, these words [i.e. hell, heaven, hur, etc.] are correct, but the people due to their lack of knowledge perceived that the fruits, houses, etc., [of Paradise], will be like those of this world.

“In fact, to understand the things of the next world, a much higher level of senses than the existing senses is needed.

Otherwise, the present senses are like explaining the problems of philosophy to a buffalo or asking the buffalo about the taste of grapes. For a buffalo, grapes are its fodder. Another example is that of parents

who say to encourage a child to study that if he studies, he will get laddus [Indian sweets]. However, when a child completes his education, if a plate of laddus is placed in front of him and he is told that this is the reward for his studies, he will certainly laugh because what he acquired through education is more valuable and superior in degree than those laddus.

“This does not mean that the things we will get [in the next world] will merely be an illusion of the mind, no, but there will be actual rewards. However, their reality will be different from what comes to our minds in this world. In fact, there will be more advanced things and rewards [in the next world], though we get similar things. We come to know from the Holy Quran that the true reward we will actually be blessed with is Liqa’ Allah [the communion with Allah].”

17 July 1922 Meaning of “‫”ﻫو‬ [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said]: “The commentators [of the Holy Quran] have interpreted the word ‘‫ ’ﻫو‬as ‘the fact is this’. This is a very fine interpretation. These meanings draw a very wonderful picture.

[Owing to this interpretation], it seems that there is a gathering in which people of every religion and nationality are present. [In this gathering], the Zoroastrians say that there are two gods, one is Ahura Mazda and the other is Ahriman. The Jews say that God is only one, but he has given his powers to some humans and so they also have divine powers. The Christians say there are three Gods, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The Hindus say that everything is God. All these people [of different religions] are presenting their own claims [in the gathering], but then God Almighty says to the Holy Prophetsa:

ُ ‫ق ْل‬

‘You should also speak.’ The Holy Prophetsa says, ‘What should I say?’ Allah the Almighty tells the Holy Prophetsa to say, ‘Whatever you [Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, Hindus, etc.] present is unreasonable. The fact is that God is One.” “It is a very delightful statement. [God Almighty] rejected all the claims with just one word [‘‫]’ھو‬. It was as if there was a debate going on with all those religions and the arguments were being presented, and finally, the decision was mentioned in the Holy Quran that the fact is that God is One, and everything else you say is unreasonable.”

Divine pearls of the Holy Quran [Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said]: “There are so many pearls of wisdom

Khilafat Centenary Special Edition—Part 3: Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II TARIQ | 187

and insights in every single word of the Holy Quran that while studying it, I feel the same like the famous villager who [was awestruck] when he went to a crystal palace.

I experience such delight that I cannot even explain it. This is the reason why when I started writing points in August for the notes and the dars [of the Holy Quran], so much time was spent that thus far, I have only been able to write the points of two and a half parts of the Holy Quran. From each verse of the Holy Quran, my heart yearns to get knowledge of every single aspect.

Consequently, a lot of time is spent in this way.”

By way of illustration, explaining the greatness and excellence of the subjects of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said: “God Almighty said:

ٰ َّ ۡ ُ َ ٰ ّ ُ ّٰ ُ َ ۡ َ ّٰ َ َّ َ ُ ُ ‫الص َدق ِﺖ ؕ َوالل ُه لَا یُ ِﺤ ّﺐ � َّل کفا ٍر ا ِﺛ ۡی ٍم‬ ‫یمﺤﻖ الله الﺮِبوا ویﺮ ِبی‬

[‘Allah will abolish interest and will cause charity to increase. And Allah loves not anyone who is a confirmed disbeliever and an arch sinner.’ (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.277)] “This style of elucidation is exceptional.

God says that We will abolish riba [interest] and increase charity. That is, interest, which is something that apparently increases, will be wiped out, and charity, in which it is considered that the wealth is being decreased, will be increased. It is as if an object present on the top of a mountain is picked up and thrown on the ground, and the other object lying on the ground is picked up and placed on the top of the mountain. Indeed, it is an excellent style.”

(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 24 August 1922 issue of Al Fazl)

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

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‘God has given you an opportunity for sacrifices which no one else will ever have’ Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s advice to Ahmadi youth Ata-ul-Haye Nasir Al Hakam

On 21 October 1950, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra delivered his inaugural address at the annual ijtema of Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya.

During his address, Huzoorra said: “I wish to call the attention of khuddam towards those permanent duties that have been made incumbent by Allah the Almighty, not only since the beginning of Islam but since the creation of this world.

The basic fundamentals have been the same since the beginning, though their interpretations may vary [in different eras], and no prophet has ever acted against them.

“The first and foremost of those fundamentals is faith. Faith does not mean merely reciting the kalima [Islamic creed], rather faith is the name of that quwat-emutaharrika [driving force] and certainty, which is created as a result of reciting the kalima. Just like sugar cane needs to be squeezed to get its juice, similarly, a belief without a driving force is of no avail. A ‘belief ’ is what we believe, however, the word ‘faith’ is used when we begin to benefit from that [‘belief ’].

“Therefore, the combination of belief and the driving force is called ‘faith’.

[Meaning that] once a person strengthens their belief to the extent that it brings about a transformation within themselves, it is called ‘faith’. Hence, the first and foremost thing which needs to be inculcated after becoming an Ahmadi, is faith, which is the combination of a true belief and a driving force.

“Faith is then followed by actions, without which the faith cannot bring any revolution. The actions testify to the presence of faith, and thus, faith creates a revolution within a person.

“The third aspect is truthfulness, which in itself is a natural phenomenon. When a person avoids speaking the truth, they actually rebel against their nature. [...] By abandoning truthfulness, one casts aside human nature, hence, it is your duty to always adopt truthfulness. [...]

“Therefore, humanity and religion both demand for one to be truthful. Just like religion and kufr [disbelief] cannot merge together, in the same way, religion and falsehood can never join together.” (Al Fazl, 25 October 1950, p. 2) On 23 October 1950, while addressing Majlis-e-Shura of Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra said: “You should all recognise your responsibilities, which are incumbent upon you for being a khadim [member of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya]. Only those

nations are able to flourish whose members strive to get better than their previous generation in dedication, sacrifice, discipline and spirituality. [...] Always remember that you have been blessed with an era of Islam’s progress, which will never come again. As it is right to say that Islam will never regress again as much as it did in this era, similarly, it is also certain that the progress Islam will achieve in this era will never take place again in the future. Moreover, God has given you an opportunity for sacrifices which no one else will ever have.” (Al Fazl, 31 October 1950, p. 3) Huzoorra further said that in this era, materialistic people had moved away from God and did not give any importance to His Being: “Today, it is your duty to once again establish in this world the honour and glory of your God. The sacrifice for which you are being called has no status as compared to the reward which has been decreed for you in return. [...] Therefore, do not consider this duty to be less important, rather it has great importance, and thus, you are required to offer sacrifices in accordance with the nature and importance of this duty. [...] It is the responsibility of the youth to be better than their predecessors in offering sacrifices.” (Ibid) While speaking about tabligh, Huzoorra said one should preach to those who were willing to listen and who understood

the arguments with seriousness, rather than wasting time on preaching to those who continued to quibble and indulge in meaningless debates.

While advising in regards to serving humanity, Huzoorra said: “You need to instil within you a passion to provide solace and support to others, in its true essence. Moreover, you are also required to advise the Muslims to be regular in prayers, to offer Zakat, to follow other Islamic commandments and to avoid vices.”

(Ibid, p. 4) Huzoorra advised khuddam to learn swimming, and that everyone should try to learn at least one skill. Huzoorra added that the youth was required to attain education as much as possible in accordance with the needs of their country and nation.

Towards the end, Huzoorra said: “Our opposition is getting dangerous now. It is your duty to be steadfast and to instil within yourself a spirit to be fearless and to face the opposition according to the standards of believers.” (Ibid) On 12 October 1951, while addressing the Ijtema of Majlis Khuddam-ulAhmadiyya, Huzoorra said that it was a distinctive feature of believers to sacrifice their personal desires for the sake of Allah the Almighty.

Huzoorra continued: “Always remember that the Holy Quran is the fountain of all disciplines [ulum],

and without it, one can never attain true knowledge. Every person remains limited to their own personal perspective and thoughts, and thus, can never master all perspectives held by other people. [...]

However, the Holy Quran is revealed by that Being Who possesses a deep knowledge of all the sentiments and perspectives of human beings. Therefore, the need for all sorts of knowledge and capabilities has been fulfilled [in the Holy Quran]. Hence, all people can benefit from this [book] as per their own personal capacities. [...]

“Even in this era, it is only the Holy Quran which can fulfil the needs of this world. The world tried hard for the establishment of peace – established the League of Nations and the United Nations – however, they are proving to be unsuccessful since these efforts are not based on spirituality, rather personal interests and rights have been kept in mind.

“In reality, the solution to the world’s problems lies in the establishment of pure morals, and pure morals cannot be established through worldly efforts, but rather in accordance with the teaching presented by the Holy Quran.

“Therefore, make a habit of reading and contemplating upon the Holy Quran, and then to teach the Holy Quran to others as well. As a result, the doors of the Holy Continued on next page >>

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022

100 Years Ago...

Stanley Edward Lane-Poole: ‘A portrait of Muhammad and a unique instance of forbearance’ The Review of Religions [English], September 1922

Stanley Edward Lane-Poole (1854-1931) was a renowned historian and a British orientalist. He was born in England, worked as a researcher on Egyptian archaeology and also had a chair at Dublin University as a Professor of Arabic studies. He wrote the following about the great personality and character of the Holy Prophetsa in 1922:

A portrait of Muhammad We know very little about what Muhammad[sa] did, but we hear only one voice as to what he was. Up to the age of 40 (forty), his unpretending modest way of life had attracted but little notice from his townspeople. He was only known as a simple upright man, whose life was severely pure and refined, and whose true desert sense of honour and faith-keeping had won him the high title of El-Emeen, “The Trusty”.

Let us see what fashion of man this was who was about to work a revolution among his countrymen and change the conditions of social life in a vast part of the world.

The picture is drawn from an older man that we have yet seen; but Muhammad[sa] at forty and Muhammad[sa] at fifty or more were probably very little different. He was of the middle height, rather thin, but broad of shoulders, wide of chest, strong of bone << Continued from previous page

Quran’s knowledge and blessings will be opened for you, and every time you read it, you will learn new meanings and verities.

“We have a huge objective in front of us; people conquer countries, however, we have to establish the Kingdom of God by [spiritually] conquering the whole world.

Such a huge milestone is impossible until we attain the required power, and that power can only be obtained from the Holy Quran.

Since the fulfilment of this huge task has been decreed to be through us, therefore, Allah the Almighty has also provided the means for us to get the required power. It will be our misfortune if we do not strive to attain [this power] despite having the ability.” (Al Fazl, 16 October 1951, p. 2) On the second day of ijtema, Huzoorra advised the khuddam and atfal to serve their respective country with utmost passion. He said: “You should make the world aware of the fact that the Ahmadi youth are ever ready to offer every possible sacrifice for safeguarding their country, and upon need, they will be at the forefront, insha-Allah.”

(Al Fazl, 25 October 1951, p. 4) Further, Huzoorra instructed Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya to activate its majalis to make them more productive and strengthen the organisation. (Ibid) May Allah the Almighty enable Ahmadi youth to act upon these golden principles.

and muscle. His head was [large], strongly developed. Dark hair, slightly curved, flowed in a dense mass down almost to his shoulders. Even in advanced age, it was sprinkled by only about twenty grey hairs – produced by the agonies of his revelation.

His face was oval-shaped, slightly tawny of colour. Fine, long, arched eyebrows wore divided by a vein which throbbed visibly in movements of passion. Great black restless eyes shone out from under long, heavy eyelashes. His nose was large, slightly aquiline. His tooth upon which he bestowed great care, were well set, dazzling white. A full beard framed his manly face. His skin was clear and soft, his complexion red and white, his hands were as silk and satin, even as those of a woman. His step was quick and elastic, yet firm, and as that of one “who steps from a high to a low place.” In turning his face, he would also turn his full body. His whole gait and presence were dignified and imposing. His countenance was mild and pensive. His laugh was rarely more than a smile.

In his habits, he was extremely simple, though he bestowed great care on his person. His eating and drinking, his dress and his furniture, retained, even when he had reached the fulness of power, their almost primitive nature. The only luxuries he indulged in were, besides arms, which he highly prized, a pair of yellow boots, a present from the Negus of Abyssinia.

Perfumes, however, he loved passionately being most sensitive of smell. Strong drinks he abhorred. […] He was gifted with mighty powers of imagination, elevation of mind, delicacy and refinement of feeling. “He is more modest than a virgin behind her curtain,” it was said of him. He was most indulgent to his inferiors, and would never allow his awkward little page to be scolded, whatever he did. “Ten years,” said Anas, his servant, “was I about the Prophet[sa], and he never said as much as ‘uff ’ to me.” He was very affectionate towards his families. One of his boys died on his breast in the smoky house of the nurse, a blacksmith’s wife.

He was very fond of children. He would stop them in the streets and pat their little cheeks. He never struck anyone in his life.

The worst expression he ever made use of in conversation was, “What has come to him?

– May his forehead be darkened with mud!”

When asked to curse someone, he replied, “I have not been sent to curse but to be a mercy to mankind.”

He visited the sick, followed any bier he met, accepted the invitation of a slave to dinner, mended his own clothes, milked his goats, and waited upon himself, relates summarily another tradition. He never first withdrew his hand out of another man’s palm, and turned not before the other had turned.

He was the most faithful protector of

those he protected, the sweetest and most agreeable in conversation; those who saw him were suddenly filled with reverence; those who came near him loved him, they who described him would say, “I have never seen his like either before or after.” He was of great taciturnity, but when he spoke it was with emphasis and deliberation and no one could ever forget what he said. He was, however, very nervous and restless withal, often low-spirited, downcast as to heart and eyes. Yet he would at times suddenly break through these broodings, become lighthearted, talkative, jocular, chiefly among his own. He would then delight in telling little stories, fairy tales, and the like. He would ramp with the children and play with their toys.

He lived with his wives in a row of humble cottages, separated from one another by palm branches, cemented together with mud. He would kindle the fire, sweep the floor and milk the goats himself. Aisha[ra] tells us that he slept upon a leathern mat, and often clouted his shoes, with his own hand. For months together, he did not get a sufficient meal. The little food that he had was always shared with those who dropped in to partake of it. Indeed, outside the Prophet’s house was a bench or gallery, on which were always to be found a number of the poor, who lived entirely on his generosity, and were hence called “the people of the bench.” His ordinary food was dates and water or barley bread; milk and honey were luxuries of which he was fond, but which he rarely allowed himself. The fare of the desert seemed most congenial to him, even when he was sovereign of Arabia.

An instance of forbearance […] The final keystone was set in the eighth year of the flight (AD 630), when a body

of Quraysh broke the truce by attacking an ally of the Muslims; and Muhammad[sa] forthwith marched upon Mecca with ten thousand men, and the city, defence being hopeless, surrendered. Now was the time for the Prophet[sa] to show his [alleged] bloodthirsty nature. His old persecutors are at his feet. Will he not trample on them, torture them, and revenge himself after his own cruel manner? Now the man will come forward in his true colours? We may prepare our horror and cry shame beforehand.

But what is this? Is there no blood in the streets? Where are the bodies of the thousands that have been butchered? Facts are hard things; and it is a fact that the day of Muhammad’s greatest triumph over his enemies was also the day [... when he] freely forgave the Quraysh all the years of sorrow and cruel scorn they had inflicted on him, he gave an amnesty to the whole population of Mecca. Four criminals, whom justice condemned, made up Muhammad’s proscription list when he entered as a conqueror the city of his bitterest enemies.

The army followed his example, and entered quietly and peaceably; no house was robbed, no woman insulted. One thing alone suffered destruction. Going to the Kaaba, Muhammad[sa] stood before each of the three hundred and sixty idols and pointed to it with his staff, saying, “Truth has come and lying has been undone”; and at these words, his attendants hewed it down, and all the idols and household gods of Mecca and round about were destroyed.

It was thus that Muhammad[sa] entered again his native city. Through all the annals of conquest, there is no triumphant entry like unto this one.

(Transcribed by Al Hakam from the original published in The Review of Religions, September 1922)

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

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Was Napoleon Bonaparte a Muslim?

Napoleon at Borodino, where there was a battle between Napoleon and the Russians on 7 September 1812

Awwab Saad Hayat Al Hakam

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa visited France in October 2008. It is reported that on 9 October 2008, during a meeting with new converts of the Jamaat, a member stated that she had heard Napoleon Bonaparte accepted Islam and became a Muslim in 1798. She asked if Huzooraa could confirm this. In response, Huzooraa said: “I have also heard this; however, I do not know for sure whether this is true or not. But it doesn’t seem likely. (Al Fazl, 18 October 2008, p. 6) Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French military leader and conqueror who later became the ruler of France, was ranked 34th in the list of the most influential people in the book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael H Hart.

Napoleon was born on 15 August 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. Records of his death show he died on 5 May 1821 in Saint Helena, a small island in the South Atlantic.

After the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was imprisoned by the British authorities and died there, allegedly of cancer. However, around the same time, it has been proven that Napoleon’s death was not due to cancer or any other disease but was the result of poisoning.

If one carefully examines the references and records of Napoleon Bonaparte’s assumed acceptance of Islam and his adherence to the religion, we find there are both opinions for and against it.

A study of Napoleon’s life shows that he was a courageous, intelligent and successful

ruler and had a special skill in adopting policies according to the situation. He had the ability to adapt according to any situation.

For example, the territory of Corsica was annexed to the French Empire just 15 months before Napoleon Bonaparte’s birth.

And the France that Napoleon became ruler of was the same France that was considered

by Napoleon to be an oppressive and occupying force in the early years of his life, when he preferred to call himself a Corsican.

Despite all this, he completed his education at French military training institutions, where he joined the French Army as a second lieutenant after graduating in 1785.

Just four years later, the famous French Revolution began.

Napoleon first gained fame when the French recaptured the city of Toulon, France from the British forces in 1793. In this battle, commonly known as the Siege of Toulon, Napoleon was in charge of the artillery. From here, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. And then in 1796, Napoleon was given command of the French forces in Italy where he achieved continuous success due to his superior military tactics and bravery. He returned to France as a hero.

Before setting out for his expedition to Egypt, Napoleon instructed his secretary, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, to compile a library (with the intention of learning more about Egypt and its surrounding lands). This library was divided and ordered into six categories: (i) Arts and science (ii) Geography and travels

(iii) History (iv) Poetry (v) Romance (vi) Politics and morals In the latter category, Napoleon had, in his collection, the Holy Quran, the Vedas, the Torah and the Bible. (The French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte [Urdu translation], p. 56) In the account of Napoleon’s military expedition to Egypt, it is written that Napoleon spent his time in the management of Egypt and the modification of the empire and managed the affairs of Egypt in such a way that the inhabitants were soon blessed with peace and comfort which the populace was unacquainted with for a prolonged period. Napoleon adopted the Turkish dress to win the hearts of the inhabitants of Egypt, but then, seeing that his chiefs humoured his act, he eventually abandoned it.

Napoleon adopted the attire of the Muslims and supported them. Later, when he arrived in St Helena, he said Egypt was in every way worthy of his wearing the attire embraced

by Muslims. (The French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte [Urdu translation], p.

65) Almost all historians are convinced of the genius and cunning intelligence of Napoleon Bonaparte during the testing and difficult military campaign in Egypt, his stay there and the formulation of policy according to the needs and objectives of the country. There, Napoleon attributed the reason for his adopting the Muslim attire to the conditions in Egypt and not to himself converting to Islam or having any kind of relation to the religion.

In connection to Napoleon’s entry into Egypt, we find that he entered Cairo, Egypt on a June morning in 1798. He was accompanied by 36,000 troops. Napoleon had studied the history of Islam extensively before his campaign in Egypt and knew how to channel the emotions of the Muslims living there and also learnt some basic Arabic words to make him more agreeable to the locals.

Napoleon told his generals to fight what he called militancy by the Muslims.

Whilst in Egypt, he also invited around 60 scholars of Jamia Al-Azhar to his military headquarters for a meal. After the meal, Napoleon began his address in which, it is said, he mentioned the greatness of Islam, its truth and various aspects of the personality of the Holy Prophetsa. During the speech, whenever he mentioned the name of the Holy Prophetsa, he would bow slightly.

(Daily Express Faisalabad, 19 October 2008, p. 2) Before Napoleon returned from Egypt and became the ruler of France, it is recorded that whenever he went out, people would be eager to see him. Napoleon was very good at attracting people to his side. (The French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte [Urdu translation], p. 80) It is also recorded that Napoleon knew that his goals could be achieved by appealing to the emotions of people: “Napoleon was also well aware of the importance of propaganda, so he publicised his achievements to the world in order to make himself appear extraordinary. Public opinion was manipulated in Napoleon’s favour in such a way as to cement in the minds of the people that Napoleon was their saviour.” (Napoleon Bonaparte, Rubine Naz, pp. 8-9) On the other hand, many of Napoleon’s military campaigns, after his return from Egypt, and then as King of France, clearly oppose and go against the idea that he accepted Islam and became a Muslim. His decisions and personal actions seem to be the opposite of the lifestyle of a true Muslim.

Without going into its details here, only a few issues of the expeditions of Napoleon Bonaparte are being mentioned as a sample.

After the invasion of Egypt and gaining a little foothold there, Napoleon set out against Syria. It is written that Napoleon left Egypt and attacked Syria merely for military success. There, to encourage his troops before a difficult attack, he called for the Bible, and, by reading passages from the book of Joshua, he raised the spirits of his weary and discouraged army and incited them to a fierce battle.

During his expedition to Syria, he ordered the execution of all the prisoners of Jaffa. 3,000 horsemen had surrendered themselves to Napoleon’s generals at Alania, on the condition that their lives be spared.

Yet, despite being aware of this promise, Napoleon ordered to have them all executed.

These unfortunate prisoners were showered with bullets on the banks of the river; their bones lay on the ground for several days.

The Jaffa Massacre proved to be damaging to Napoleon’s reputation throughout Europe at the time.

With the then growing resistance in Syria and back in Egypt, Napoleon ordered raising the siege in Syria. As a result, Napoleon’s soldiers committed many atrocities. They burnt ready crops and

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Napoleon Bonaparte

committed atrocities which would’ve surely been known to Napoleon and even if he was unaware, it was a shortcoming on his part as the army chief.

In Egypt, Napoleon left his wounded generals and exhausted soldiers to die in the desert and showed no sympathy to them despite their repeated pleas. As for the wounded chiefs who were initially carried by the soldiers, Napoleon ordered them to be thrown to the ground.

In one case, during his return to Cairo, an epidemic struck the French army.

Napoleon ordered the killing of his soldiers under treatment in the Jaffa hospital. Such drastic steps do not represent any true Muslim leader.

Historians allege that after witnessing a weakening government in France, Napoleon secretly left Egypt with the intention of usurping the French throne. Leaving his forces in ruin, he withdrew secretly with a few men.

These historical accounts show that Napoleon could not have converted to Islam as his actions were far from Islamic teachings.

Those who believe Napoleon converted to Islam during his military campaign in Egypt argue that in David Pidcock’s book Satanic Voices - Ancient and Modern (1992, p. 61) it is written that a government newspaper, Le Moniteur, had published that Napoleon accepted Islam in 1798. The newspaper said his new Islamic name was Ali Napoleon Bonaparte. It was said that Napoleon also told his commander, Jacques-François de Menou, about this and he too converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdallah de Menou. The same general later married an Egyptian woman, Siti Zubaydah, who was said to belong to the family of the Prophetsa of Islam. The newspaper stated that Napoleon not only acknowledged the virtues of the Islamic Sharia himself but was also willing to implement them throughout his empire later.

Further, it is recorded that Napoleon spent the last days of his life as a captive in St Helena, where he revealed his thoughts and outlook on life. A book titled The Thoughts of the Prisoner of the Island of St. Helena was published after his death. This is the period when Napoleon, after attaining all his glory as a commander, was living the life of a mere prisoner. It is recorded that here, Napoleon said the existence of One God was certain but all religions were creations of mankind.

Similarly, the following sayings of Napoleon are found from which some

people infer he was a Muslim. It is recorded that Napoleon said: “Moses has revealed the existence of God to his nation. Jesus Christ to the Roman world, Muhammad to the old continent […]

“Arabia was idolatrous when, six centuries after Jesus, Muhammad introduced the worship of the God of Abraham, of Ishmael, of Moses, and Jesus. The Ariyans and some other sects had disturbed the tranquillity of the east by agitating the question of the nature of the Father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. Muhammad declared that there was none but one God who had no father, no son and that the trinity imported the idea of idolatry […]

“I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness.”

(Bonaparte et l’Islam, d’Après les Documents Français et Arabes, Christian Cherfils, Ed., Paris, France, 1914, pp. 105125. Original References: Correspondance de Napoléon Ier. Tome 5) The famous researcher and distinguished writer, Allama Abul Kalam Azad, has written the following in Jami al-Shawahd fi Dakhool Ghair al-Muslim fi al-Masjid: “When Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt and conquered it, and it was occupied by the French for two and a half years, Napoleon himself and most of the officers of the army accepted Islam in the Azhar Mosque, participated in Friday prayers and also adopted Islamic names. However, the French army was considered to be Christians and would often enter the mosques. A discussion started on this whether nonMuslims should be allowed to come to mosques or not. Some Maliki scholars at the Al-Azhar said that it was not permissible.

But Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti, in Tarikh Ajaa’ib al-Asar, has written a special magazine and confirmed that within the Maliki School of thought the permission [of a non-Muslim entering a mosque] can be granted if a Muslim permits a non-Muslim.

Therefore, Christians should not enter without the permission of Muslims. They can enter the mosque with the concession of respect and reverence. This entire incident was written by Sheikh Abdullah al-Sharqawi in Tuhfat al-Nazareen, who was Sheikh AlAzhar at that time. But I do not have the said book at the moment.” (Jami al-Shawahd fi Dakhool Ghair al-Muslim fi al-Masjid, pp.

90-91) The Promised Messiahas describes the merits and superiority of Islam and says that the secret to the success and advancement of Islam was that people would naturally be attracted to the words and message of the Holy Prophetsa because the message was so simple and clear, so much so that even Napoleon is claimed by some authors to have testified to its simplicity and accepted Islam. (Malfuzat, Vol. 2, (1988), p. 60) However, when we look deeper into the alleged conversion of Napoleon, we can understand why some of those authors may have made the claim about his conversion.

Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, a French diplomat, is famous for his Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, a work based on years of intimate friendship and professional association. In that work, he writes: “It has been alleged that Bonaparte,

when in Egypt, took part in the religious ceremonies and worship of the Mussulmans; but it cannot be said that he celebrated the festivals of the overflowing of the Nile and the anniversary of the Prophet. The Turks invited him to these merely as a spectator; and the presence of their new master was gratifying to the people. But he never committed the folly of ordering any solemnity. He neither learned nor repeated any prayer of the Koran, as many persons have asserted; neither did he advocate fatalism polygamy, or any other doctrine of the Koran. Bonaparte employed himself better than in discussing with the Imams the theology of the children of Ismael.

The ceremonies, at which policy induced him to be present, were to him, and to all who accompanied him, mere matters of curiosity. He never set foot in a mosque; and only on one occasion, which I shall hereafter mention, Mahometan costume.

He attended the festivals to which the green turbans invited him. His religious tolerance was the natural consequence of his philosophic spirit. [...]

“Doubtless Bonaparte did, as he was bound to do, show respect for the religion of the country; and he found it necessary to act more like a Mussulman than a Catholic.

A wise conqueror supports his triumphs by protecting and even elevating the religion of the conquered people. Bonaparte’s principle was, as he himself has often told me, to look upon religions as the work of men, but to respect them everywhere as a powerful engine of government. However, I will not go so far as to say that he would not have changed his religion had the conquest of the East been the price of that change. All that he said about Mahomet, Islamism, and the Koran to the great men of the country he laughed at himself. He enjoyed the gratification of having all his fine sayings on the subject of religion translated into Arabic poetry, and repeated from mouth to mouth. This of course tended to conciliate the people.

“I confess that Bonaparte frequently conversed with the chiefs of the Mussulman religion on the subject of his conversion; but only for the sake of amusement. The priests of the Koran, who would probably have been delighted to convert us, offered us the most ample concessions. But these conversations were merely started by way of entertainment, and never could have warranted a supposition of their leading to any serious result. If Bonaparte spoke as a Mussulman, it was merely in his character of a military and political chief in a Mussulman country. To do so was essential

to his success, to the safety of his army, and, consequently, to his glory. In every country he would have drawn up proclamations and delivered addresses on the same principle.

In India he would have been for Ali, at Thibet for the Dalai-lama, and in China for Confucius.” (Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, edited by R W Phipps, Vol. 1, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1889, pp.

168-170) On the subject of Napoleon’s alleged conversion to Islam, Bourrienne also quotes Bonaparte from his Voices from St. Helena in which he wrote, “I never followed any of the tenets of that religion [Islam]. I never prayed in the mosques. I never abstained from wine, or was circumcised, neither did I ever profess it. I said merely that we were the friends of the Mussulmans, and that I respected Mahomet their prophet, which was true; I respect him now. I wanted to make the Imaums cause prayers to be offered up in the mosques for me, in order to make the people respect me still more than they actually did, and obey me more readily.”

He goes on to say that he asked the Muslim clerics if he could be a Muslim without following any of Islam’s tenets. The clerics deliberated for months and only when they agreed to his becoming a “Muslim” without having to actually profess or follow Islam, he sates, “I then told them that we were all Mussulmans and friends of the Prophet, which they really believed.[...]” (Ibid.)

Thus, just as many famous scholars like Sir George Bernard Shaw, Bertrand Russel, Dr William Draper, Thomas Carlyle, Phillip Hitti, praised Islam and the founder of Islam; so too, we find some phrases of praise

by Napoleon Bonaparte praising Islam.

However, it is more reasonable to assume that his “conversion” may have been no more than a political strategy.

The list of those who bear witness and praised the greatness of the founder of Islam, the Holy Prophetsa is far too many to count; as it is written that during the blessed life of the Holy Prophetsa himself, the Emperor of Rome, Caesar said: “If I could reach him [Holy Prophet Muhammadsa], definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.” (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Bada’u al-Wahi, Hadith no. 7) Thus, after researching various books and references along with other available evidence, we once again recall the words of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa with regards to Napoleon being a Muslim – it is claimed he was a Muslim, however, “it doesn’t seem likely.”

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Friday Sermon 12 August 2022 Jalsa Salana UK 2022: Blessings, gratitude and review After reciting the tashahud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:

All praise is due to Allah, Who enabled us to hold Jalsa Salana UK last week [on 5-7 August 2022]. We witnessed innumerable favours of Allah the Almighty during the three days. Even this year, we thought that due to the widespread pandemic, we should hold the Jalsa on a smaller scale, similar to last year. However, during the last month leading up to the Jalsa, it was decided that all Ahmadis residing in the UK should be permitted to attend the Jalsa. Upon making this decision, the organisers were initially worried. Nonetheless, they began making preparations, and as I have stated, we witnessed the blessings of Allah the Almighty shower down upon us.

The Jalsa is a highly anticipated event and there is anticipation for it all year long. The organisers have to make a lot of preparations, but when the event starts, the three days pass by in the blink of an eye. This year as well, people had some reservations

with respect to different aspects. Some also wrote to me and expressed their concerns. They were praying a lot and I was also praying as were the members of the Jamaat. Nonetheless, Allah the Almighty turned all such reservations and fears into peace. One such reason for these concerns was the spread of the Covid pandemic.

Although this might have impacted some of the participants, in general, Allah the Almighty bestowed His immense blessings.

Nevertheless, at present, I would like to say a few words in relation to the Jalsa. In the Friday sermon following the Jalsa, I usually express my gratitude to the workers, relate the sentiments of the participants and also mention the blessings of Allah the Almighty with regard to the Jalsa.

First of all, I would like to thank all the workers, who have worked selflessly from the preparation of the Jalsa until its windup and are still engaged in its windup in some

shape or form. During the Jalsa, the male and female workers of various departments generally worked according to their capacities and they discharged their duties well, for which every participant should be grateful. These are the very Islamic morals that you should be grateful to whoever benefits you in any form or is helpful to you. Furthermore, being grateful to people enables a person to be grateful to Allah the Almighty as well. Children, adults, women and girls, all tried their utmost to do justice to their responsibilities.

Some shortcomings and weaknesses came to light. However, such shortcomings can occur in such large arrangements.

Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the organisers to remove these weaknesses and shortcomings. For instance, some complaints have been received regarding the Lajna’s department of serving food and regarding some other aspects well. I am

forwarding the letters I have received in this regard to the organisers so that they can look into this as they come and also make a note of these shortcomings in their red book.

Every department should try and implement these and improve their organisation the following year. Nevertheless, in general, the volunteers worked very hard and discharged their duties well. Children also did justice to their duties and I express my gratitude to all of them.

MTA also provided really good coverage of the Jalsa. This time, they even prepared the entire studio by themselves and thereby saved several thousands of pounds. This year, many developed and developing countries were united during the Jalsa through which those sitting here could also see their brothers in other countries. There was unity, which we witnessed through the camera lens of MTA. This is a great blessing of Allah the Almighty and for this, the

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AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022 workers of MTA deserve our gratitude as they showed the unity of the Jamaat through MTA to the entire world and silenced the opponents.

Nevertheless, I will now present the impressions of some non-Ahmadis as well as Ahmadis. I will mention the blessings of Allah the Almighty and how He conveyed the message of Islam to the world through the Jalsa.

Abu Bakr Sini Sahib of Niger is a nonAhmadi scholar. He is also the imam of a mosque in the city of Niamey. He says: “What impressed me the most is the people’s relationship of love and affection with their Khalifa of the time and how they were demonstrating their absolute obedience to every instruction of the Khalifa. There was absolute silence during the speeches.” He further says, “It seemed as if God Almighty Himself had instilled this love in their hearts as this was absolutely free of pretence.”

Then there is another non-Ahmadi, Ishaq Sahib of Burkina Faso, who says: “The Jalsa today was incredible, and there is nothing like it. It is no less than a miracle for so many people to gather in one place and the Jalsa is truly unique in its example of where everyone follows one Imam. Whether one wishes to believe it or not, today it is Ahmadiyyat which is the true Islam, and the day is not far when people will recognise this truth and enter its fold.”

These are the impressions of nonAhmadis, who are Muslims and whom Allah the Almighty is guiding towards us.

There is a non-Ahmadi Syrian in French Guyana who witnessed the Jalsa for the first time. There were arrangements in the mosque for the Arab-speaking people to watch via MTA al-Arabiyyah. He says: “This is the first time I am hearing the message of the community and it is also the first time I have listened to an address of your Khalifa. I am very impressed that there is such an organisation among the Muslims which is propagating the true message of Islam to the world and which is operating all around the world under the oath to one Khalifa. I shall most certainly read more about your community and carry out further research.”

Another non-Ahmadi Muslim from French Guyana attended to listen to the proceedings. He says: “This was my first time listening to the Jalsa Salana UK proceedings and I am very impressed. Your Jamaat is an international community. I am originally from GuineaConakry. During the Jalsa, I saw how many people were participating in the Jalsa via the live stream, but I couldn’t see Guinea-Conakry. I had only just thought of this when all of a sudden the video of the community in Guinea-Conakry showed up on the screen and I was delighted to see that you also have a community there.” He then says, “The rights of women which your Khalifa mentioned really made me proud to be a Muslim.”

There was a guest from Liberia who was a non-Muslim, Bob M Dolo Sahib. He works as a manager in the electricity sector and is a very well-educated person. He says: “I was very impressed by the address of the Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Community.

Prior to this, I thought that Islam didn’t give any rights to women, but after listening to this address today, I learnt that the rights

of women in Islam have been mentioned with great detail, and which are not found in any other religion. I had heard previously about how organised the Ahmadiyya Muslim community is, but today I was able to witness with my own eyes how the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is united at the hand of one leader and is actively trying to spread peace in the world.”

Katebule Sahib of Zambia, who is a pastor, says: “I listened to the concluding address of your Khalifa on the final day of Jalsa Salana and I was very moved by it. The address of your Khalifa was astonishing. I was completely unaware of the manner in which Islam grants rights to women. I was under the impression that Islam deprives women of their rights and provides them with no freedom at all. I believed that Islam confines women to their homes, but after listening to the address today my view has changed completely. I am not ashamed at all to say that Christianity has not afforded women the rights which Islam has given to them.”

This is a Christian pastor who is saying this.

He then says, “The rights which Islam has given to women haven’t even been granted to them by Christianity. We needlessly wrong our women and deem them our servants. Your Khalifa is absolutely right when he stated that men are able to acquire their rights in some way or another through means of their strength. Today I have learnt that Islam does not impart extremist teachings; rather, the teachings of Islam are very beautiful.”

Then there is a person from Ivory Coast who is being preached to. He says: “I have been learning about the community through various means, but the Jalsa Salana has presented it in a very unique manner.” This was his first time watching Jalsa live on television and he was very impressed by the organisation of the Jalsa.

He then says, “To have such a large number of people participate in the programme in such an organised and structured manner proves that the training of the Khalifa has had a profound impact on them.”

He says, “I was not aware as to how people used to pledge their allegiance at the hands of the Holy Prophetsa, but witnessing the people pledge their allegiance at the hands of the Khalifa today had a deep effect on my heart and I cannot describe my state.”

He says, “I will now regularly listen to the sermons of your Khalifa.”

The immigration department representative of Congo Kinshasa came and watched the Jalsa. The people there listened to my address. He said that this address made him think as to why he hadn’t yet become an Ahmadi Muslim and before leaving, he promised to continue visiting the mission house in future and to do further research about the community.

Hence, moral training is also provided to the people via MTA. There were also arrangements to watch the Jalsa UK proceedings in the Maroua mission house. Maroua is a community in Cameroon. Among those who came to watch the Jalsa was a woman named Ummul from a nearby village. She benefited from watching the programme on all three days.

After the Jalsa Salana came to a conclusion she said to all the people present there: “We are so fortunate to have MTA here.

It is not merely a TV channel; rather, it is

a school and university through which one can learn something every day. We have learnt so much in these three days, and we all have the cable for MTA at home” – they have MTA available there via cable – “so we should all benefit from it.”

She gave this advice and regularly encouraged that people watch MTA and children should also watch it so that they can all increase their Islamic knowledge.

[She also encouraged that] the sermons of the Khalifa should most certainly be listened to in order to increase one’s faith.

There is another account from Congo-Kinshasa. The Ilebo Jamaat of the community invited an imam of Hanbali Muslims to watch the Jalsa proceedings.

Upon the completion of Jalsa, he said: “In my opinion, the manner in which the Ahmadiyya Community has presented the true teachings of Islam – given to us by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa – is the distinguishing feature of this community. I wish, by some means, I could become part of this community at this instant. May Allah enable me to do so.” May Allah the Almighty enable him to do this.

There is an Albanian Muslim girl by the name of Vilma who is being preached to.

She said: “The Jalsa Salana UK was an incredible convention of which the number of attendees was extraordinary. I have not yet joined the Jamaat, but this Jalsa has motivated me to give serious thought to the importance and truthfulness of this community. And upon listening to the address of the Khalifa of the time, I found myself agreeing with his words. The way in which he presented the different topics increased my faith. My desire is that I can attend conventions like this in-person in the future.”

There is an Afghan lady in French Guyana who came to listen to the concluding address with her children. She said: “We knew a little bit about your community before; however, listening to your Khalifa’s address at the UK Jalsa brought about a wonderful feeling. We felt such comfort to hear how Islam, our faith, takes great consideration to afford women their due rights.” She continues, “Perhaps I was feeling this more because, in Afghanistan, where the Taliban seeks to establish Islam, women have no status, whereas, in reality, Islam fully guarantees women their rights.”

There was a non-Muslim guest from Liberia, Amos Wonseah Sahib, who is a CID commander in the police force and a well-educated man. He attended the Jalsa upon invitation. He said that he was greatly impacted by my address on the second day [of Jalsa]. He was invited to attend on the second day. On the third day, he came to attend of his own accord, and after listening to the [concluding] address, he expressed: “I had very negative thoughts about Islam, some of which were due to the misdemeanour of some Muslims. However, after witnessing the proceedings of the Jalsa, I have found Islam to be a peaceful religion, and that the Ahmadiyya Community is engaged in the service of humankind in every respect. After today, my thoughts about Islam have changed and all my reservations have been removed.” He also said, “If the Ahmadiyya Community came to this area earlier, many people would have accepted Islam because of the community.”

There were arrangements made by the Jamaat in French Guyana to gather and listen to the Jalsa proceedings. It is a small jamaat of the community and a small number of people had gathered. Two Christians from Haiti who are being preached to came there to listen to the concluding address.

They said, “We were astonished at the topic your Khalifa chose to speak about”, that is, women’s rights, “because it is the same topic we have been discussing amongst one another for the past two days, wondering what Islam says about the rights of women.

We were not aware that Islam gives such a complete and comprehensive teaching regarding the rights of women. If we had not heard your Khalifa’s speech today, then perhaps we would never have learned about these beautiful and complete teachings. In today’s day and age, a lot is said about the rights of women; however, only Islam truly explains the responsibilities of both men and women.” These days, they are reading [the book] Life of Muhammad and have also requested more literature.

There is also a report from Mauritius, where members gathered to listen to the [Jalsa] proceedings. A member of parliament, Tania Diolle Sahiba, also attended. She is also the Parliamentary Private Secretary.

She said, “What an amazing scene! I had a wonderful experience witnessing the events of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and their culture. It has greatly impacted me how you are holding such a large religious event in a city like London.” She further says, “It is also true that in light of the economic and social climate prevalent today, religion has become of great importance. To have this large gathering where people have come together to evaluate themselves all for a spiritual purpose is a great feat. This is especially true because we are all passing through a time when the world faces many crises. In my opinion, such gatherings greatly help society to tread in the right direction and to preserve high values. This was a wonderful experience for me. I have learnt many things here. At the same time, these experiences have also drawn my attention to pay heed.”

New converts [to Islam Ahmadiyyat] have also shared their experiences. Hawwa Sahiba, a new convert from Burkina Faso, says: “The clear and unequivocal words of the Khalifa of the time are telling us that after understanding that Ahmadiyyat is the true Islam, we have not taken the pledge of allegiance simply to bring others to Ahmadiyyat, but also to learn how we must become exemplary Ahmadis in society; we must make our words one with our actions, strengthen our faith and progress in our belief.”

Some claim today that the people of Africa are uneducated. This is a woman who said that we must bring about a change within ourselves such that our words become one with our actions. This is something every Ahmadi needs to think about, whether they are educated, consider themselves to be educated, or live in Europe or developed nations, they must ponder over how they can make their words one with their actions.

There is a convert from Indonesia who says: “The Jalsa Salana UK is an extraordinary event.” She further says, “I am a new

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

18 convert, and this is an opportunity for me to increase my spirituality as part of this divine community. I have seen people come in crowds to participate in this blessed Jalsa.

Although I have only witnessed this Jalsa on television, my heart and mind were present at the Jalsa in the UK. This Jalsa has increased my faith in this divine community, and I will continue to better myself in the future.”

There is also a report from CongoBrazzaville, stating that after listening to my address during the ladies’ session, the Lajna there had pledged to prepare themselves and their children to offer any sacrifice for propagating Islam Ahmadiyyat. A new convert from amongst them also said, “We have spent three days in a spiritual atmosphere, but we desire that every day should be like this so that we can continue to enjoy this spiritual environment.”

A new convert from Indonesia, Erry Himawan Sahib, says: “I am a new convert. After viewing the Jalsa Salana UK on live stream, I have but one word to say: Amazing. I am astonished to see that there is only one Muslim organisation worldwide whose branches are spread all across the world. Alongside this, they also have a TV channel that is broadcast 24/7. I used to ask myself whether there was an Islamic organisation similar to that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and the Adventist SDA Church. These are all Christian organisations that have hundreds of thousands of followers working across hundreds of countries. However, I have found my answer; the Ahmadiyya Community is the one Islamic community that is spread all across the world, and I am very happy to be a member of this organisation. Only this organisation suits my character and personality. By becoming an Ahmadi, I can become a useful person and advance in my physical and spiritual progress.”

Bugobayoos Dorin Sahib from Kazakhstan says: “The Jalsa has had a unique impact on my heart. I watched the proceedings of the Jalsa Salana with my wife in a spiritual atmosphere. I cannot express in words the profound impact the addresses of the Khalifa of the time have had on my heart. Similarly, the speeches of other speakers were also very good. Ahmadis from all over the world were able to watch the Jalsa proceedings via MTA. May Allah the Almighty grant all the volunteers and organisers His choicest reward.” He also requested prayers for himself, that may Allah the Almighty keep these spiritual sentiments and feelings strong until next year’s Jalsa and forever.

When a new convert from Zambia heard my address, he was unable to control his emotions and he began to cry. The person sitting next to him wanted to ask as to why he was crying but he was unable to reply and so he went outside the hall for a few minutes. After wiping his tears, he returned and upon enquiry, he said, “I am seeing the Khalifa for the first time in my life and listening to his voice and for this reason, I could not hold back my tears.” He further says, “I am now 80 years old and I have spent my entire life living amongst wolves”, i.e. among cruel people. “Now, after entering the fold of Ahmadiyyat I have learnt that the real teaching of Islam is to spread love as opposed to spreading hate.” Then, one day, after the dars [sermon] following the

Fajr prayer, he stood up and addressed the congregation and said, “Ensuring this mosque is full of worshipers is not only the duty of the missionary, but this responsibility falls on all of us. All of us ought to propagate the message.”

Esaw Gebre Sahib is a new convert from Australia who although had done the bai‘at [initiation]; however, he would become swayed by the allegations levelled by nonAhmadis, especially the allegation that the Jalsa is an innovation. He took part in the international bai‘at in the Bait al-Masroor Mosque and said: “All my doubts and reservations have now been removed because I can see clearly that the Jalsa was organised purely for the sake of Allah. This occasion was a chance for me to rejuvenate my faith. During the bai‘at, having joined the Khalifa in the prayer [following the bai‘at], I am convinced that my prayers will be accepted.” Watching the Jalsa proceedings is a means for people’s faith to become strengthened.

Mikias Gebre Sahib, who is a new convert from Australia writes: “The international bai‘at was a truly remarkable experience for me. I have never experienced such a spiritual state as I did at the time. It was such a spiritual atmosphere that it filled me with the satisfaction of the heart and spiritual pleasure.”

Yusuf Labisa Sahib, a new convert from Lesotho says: “This is my first Jalsa and I have seen the Khalifa for the first time. The way in which he mentioned the evils and ills of society and the way in which he highlighted their reform through the lofty teachings of Islam is something that I have never heard before, nor did I learn it from Christianity. When I was researching Ahmadiyyat and when I saw the picture of the Khalifa for the first time, during that time, Allah the Almighty told me in a dream that this is the true religion.

In actual fact, my turning to Ahmadiyyat and accepting the true Islam is only because of the guidance from Allah the Almighty, which was bestowed to me after seeing the Khalifa of the time. Having witnessed the Jalsa for the first time, and seeing the faithinspiring event of the bai‘at ceremony and being a part of it, I feel a change within me as if I have been given a new life.”

Pellumb Beja Sahib, who is a history teacher in Germany, did bai‘at 3-4 years ago.

He says: “We joined the Jalsa virtually, but it was as if I was physically present there. The atmosphere of the Jalsa and the address of the Khalifa had such an extraordinary impact that it felt as if I was physically part of the Jalsa. The international Jalsa is living proof that the Jamaat is united. All Ahmadis around the world are united at the hand of one Khalifa and all the Ahmadis desire to understand their own responsibilities.”

He further says: “Everyone is eager to listen to the guidance from the Khalifa and strive to act upon them.” He then says, “In the concluding address, he imparted clear guidance in very simple words and they were something that every member of society could easily understand. This address reminds us clearly of our responsibilities, especially in the Albanian society that we live in, where women face many issues with regards to their rights.”

Then, Guidan Roumji Sahiba, from a

region of Niger says: “Having listened to the address in the Ladies Jalsa Gah, I have learnt about the true rights of women and the responsibilities of women. And when the Khalifa mentioned how Hazrat Amma Janra would look after the children and the way she would ensure their exemplary moral training, from that moment I vowed that I would also pay particular attention to the moral training of my children so that they become exemplary servants of their faith.” Just observe how Allah the Almighty brings about changes in people.

Atif Zahid Sahib, who is a missionary from Adelaide [Australia] writes: “The time difference between Adelaide and London is 8.5 hours. All the programmes of Jalsa were to be broadcast late at night [according to Adelaide time]. There was a worry that people would not turn up and attendance would be poor. However, people demonstrated extraordinary levels of sincerity and despite Friday being a working day, people came to the mosque to listen to the sermon and people were present during the international bai‘at. People stayed up till 3 am to listen to the concluding address. The love everyone had was clearly visible, and we are also grateful to MTA.” Gulyan I Makina Sahiba of Kazakhstan writes: “With the blessings of God, the Jalsa came to a conclusion successfully. The addresses of the Khalifa and also the speeches by other speakers on an array of topics were very interesting and beneficial. These speeches have left a lasting impression on me. I also learnt of new ways to propagate the message of Islam. I am sure the other listeners also got the answers to their questions. Through this [Jalsa], Allah the Almighty enabled me to reaffirm my pledge of allegiance. May Allah the Almighty open the hearts and eyes of the people and may they have the opportunity to accept the true guidance.”

Shema Qasim Sahiba from Yemen says: “We watched the Jalsa proceedings. It seemed as if we were in Paradise, and that it was as if the sun of Islam, as it were, has shone over us once again, and our hearts and souls were given a new lease of life. The spirit of true faith, love, unity and morals was breathed into us. Although physically we may have been far apart, our hearts were right beside you. We were all present under the same roof, and nobody aside from an Ahmadi can feel these sentiments. Despite the fact that there is torrential rain in our country at the moment, during the three days of Jalsa the weather was perfectly fine.

By the grace of Allah, we were able to watch all the Jalsa proceedings. O Allah! Bless Khilafat until eternity, for without it we have no existence nor any purpose to life.”

Then another Arab lady, Dua Sahiba from Kababir, says: “I tried to take notes of your addresses.

I am very grateful for the attention you drew to women’s rights in the concluding address. I am a follower of that religion which safeguards my rights and sentiments.

I feel proud relaying all these points to my non-Muslim friends. Then you informed us about the rights of men from a woman’s perspective, from which I can assess whether or not I have fulfilled the rights due to my father, brothers or my husband. During the bai‘at ceremony, it felt as if we were with the Khalifa and as if there was no country or

ocean separating us. I was so happy that it was nigh that my heart would burst because of all the emotions.”

Amtul Shafi Sahiba has written from Jordan: “I heard your address on the opening day of Jalsa and upon realising our immense responsibilities, my entire body began to tremble. During the programme on the second day, I witnessed the love Ahmadis from the village of Waganda had for the Promised Messiahas and the Khalifa.

Even though this village was extremely impoverished and its residents are deprived of some of the basic necessities of life, hearing the words of one of its chiefs brought tears to my eyes. He said that he loved Allah, His Messengersa and the Promised Messiahas.

Although these words he uttered were very simple they had a profound impact upon my heart.”

Marwah Abdullah Sahiba from Egypt writes: “Amir-ul-Mu’minin [Leader of the Faithful], your addresses and the speeches of the various speakers have enriched our hearts with the wealth of spirituality.

During this time, I began to spiritually fly in the heavens and was anxious to meet my Lord. It is my heartfelt desire to attain the stage which you mentioned whereby the soul is at peace. My heart desires that I become so immersed in the love of God and in my ardent desire to meet Him that I become completely unaware of what is happening around me. Though my physical body would be visible to the people, my soul would be floating in the heavenly abode of God and His Messenger’ssa love.”

The Arabs have a particular quality of being able to articulate their words in order to express their sincerity and loyalty. May Allah the Almighty enable her to progress in her faith and belief.

Nazlan Azgan Sahib from Malaysia is a new Ahmadi. He is very humble and lives a very simple life and his financial situation is not very good. He did not have enough money to view the Jalsa on the internet.

So he picked some mangoes from the tree opposite his house and sold them. He then purchased data for internet from the money he acquired from the mangos and then watched the proceedings of the Jalsa.

Asini Balde Sahib, who is a non-Ahmadi from Guinea Bissau watched the Jalsa proceedings. He said: “Until this day, I have never seen such a programme where people listen to their leader with such great love and respect. Also, the scenes from the international bai‘at were extremely beautiful.”

He had only seen the scenes from the international bai‘at where the entire Jamaat was united at one hand. [He further states,] “After witnessing these scenes I am convinced that the Ahmadiyya Jama’at shows utmost obedience to its Khalifa and this is the secret to its success. The Ahmadiyya Jamaat is indeed a true Jama’at and you are all on the right path.”

Surayya Gomez Sahiba from Mexico says: “I had the opportunity to listen to the various addresses of Jalsa Salana UK. I found the concluding address to be the most interesting in which the rights of women were mentioned and how to improve the atmosphere within our homes. I will try to implement these Islamic teachings in my

19

AL HAKAM | Friday 9 September 2022 life. Apart from this, I became extremely emotional on the occasion of the bai‘at ceremony and those feelings cannot be put into words, but I was experiencing great joy and peace.”

A new Ahmadi from Guinea Bissau brought her non-Ahmadi friend, Zaib-ulNisa to watch the Jalsa. She says: “She watched all the programmes of the three days of Jalsa and particularly heard your addresses. On the last day, she announced (i.e. the non-Ahmadi lady), ‘I had many reservations about the Ahmadiyya Jamaat but upon hearing the addresses of your Khalifa, all of my reservations have been removed and I announce that I enter the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and I will also dedicate my son to serve the Ahmadiyya Jamaat.’”

Kamba Kita Sahiba lives in a village in Guinea Bissau and watched the proceedings of Jalsa UK. When she heard about the international bai‘at, she enquired more details about it from the local muallim.

The local muallim told her about the ten conditions of the bai‘at. Following this, she took part in the bai‘at ceremony and repeated all the words of the bai‘at and also heard the concluding address. In the end, she said: “I accepted Ahmadiyyat as soon as the international bai‘at took place; however, after this address, I wish to announce that if there is anyone who can today save the Muslim ummah then it is Khilafat-eAhmadiyya and today I announce that I enter the fold of Ahmadiyyat and I will also advise my children to accept Ahmadiyyat as well because Ahmadiyyat is the true Islam.”

The missionary serving in Congo Brazzaville writes that various jamaats had the opportunity to collectively watch all the proceedings of the Jalsa live on MTA Africa and the addresses had an impact on many people. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, due to listening to the proceedings of the Jalsa and the addresses, 23 people had the opportunity to do bai‘at during these days.

Mboura Ben Jeli Sahib from Congo Brazzaville who is a Christian was invited to watch the Jalsa. He watched the proceedings of the Jalsa for two days and said: “For the last two days, I have been listening about the rights owed to Allah and His creation, righteousness and seeking forgiveness which have become deeply rooted in my heart. I am experiencing a change in myself. In our church, apart from mentioning how to ward off magic spells or to get rid of evil spirits, we are not told anything. I have decided to enter your Jamaat because I experienced a spiritual tranquillity here.” And so, he did the bai‘at and entered the community.

A new Muslim convert from Burkina Faso, Gnisse Bessa Sahib says: “This was my first time seeing Khalifatul Masih live. I have only recently joined Islam and this thought would always enter my mind that the world certainly has to become united under one leader. When I saw the members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, I could see the unity and that is why I started to offer my prayers in the Ahmadiyya mosque.

Today, I took part in the Jalsa Salana UK and the international bai‘at ceremony where all the Ahmadis had joined through MTA. After witnessing this all, I felt at peace and the idea that everyone needs to unite under one hand which I would always ponder over was something that I was able to witness

before my very eyes and found the answer to this question. Thus, I announce that I accept Ahmadiyyat and I will also tell my family members to follow the Khalifa.”

The president of the jamaat in Sri Lanka writes about the acceptance of Ahmadiyyat.

He writes: “Arrangements were made in the local jamaats to collectively watch the Jalsa proceedings. Despite the difficult circumstances the country is passing through and extreme difficulty in transportation, 50 people, including Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis, attended the jamaat centre in Colombo and watched the Jalsa and the international bai‘at ceremony.

On this occasion, two people did the bai‘at and entered the Jamaat. Similarly, members collectively watched the Jalsa via live streaming in Negombo, Pasyala, and Polonnaruwa and all the programmes were translated into the Tamil language. As a result of these programmes, four people had the opportunity to accept Ahmadiyyat.

The report from Albania is that they were playing the proceedings live on YouTube in the Albanian language and it was being viewed by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Germany, etc.

Albert Sahib, who is a Muslim and currently under tabligh, took part in the concluding session of the Jalsa Salana UK for the first time. Upon the conclusion of the Jalsa, he said: “The address of Khalifatul Masih was filled with Quranic verses, accounts from the life of the Holy Prophetsa and rational arguments, but at the same time, it was delivered in very simple words. The allegations which people raise with regards to the rights of women were all answered in this address.”

A short while after leaving from there, he called and continued to express his sentiments with regard to the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and the Jalsa. He said: “The Ahmadiyya Jamaat is the true Islam.” When the 10 conditions of bai‘at were mentioned, he referred to a book of the Jamaat in the Albanian language which mentioned the 10 conditions of bai‘at and he said that he had read them and was now ready to enter the Jamaat and thus, he entered the Jamaat.

The local muallim from Congo Brazzaville writes: “The husband of Biyoko Stevie had already accepted Ahmadiyyat and it was his desire that his wife may also accept Islam.

He was preaching to her as well as praying; however, his wife was not willing to leave the church. She was invited to watch the proceedings of the Jalsa Salana. She watched all three days of the Jalsa proceedings. On the final day of the Jalsa, she said, ‘For the last three days, I have been comparing what my priest and your Khalifa say. I have come to the conclusion that the words of the Khalifa carry great significance and every word he says enters the heart, whereas we listen to our priest every day but never have we felt that his words have impacted our hearts.’” And so, she did the bai‘at and entered the Jamaat.

These were just a few accounts I have narrated. As you would have seen during the Jalsa proceedings that notable personalities also sent their messages. A total of 126 messages were received from various politicians and leaders from all around

the world. Out of these messages, 101 were video messages and 25 were written messages and these included messages from ministers and MPs as well. Apart from the UK, messages were received from the USA, Canada, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Liberia, New Zealand, Spain and Holland. Arrangements to watch via live streaming were made in 53 countries, that all participated in the Jalsa UK, including Europe, Africa and Asia.

There were 80 different locations amongst these 53 countries where people gathered to watch the Jalsa.

In relation to the Press and Media coverage, invitations were not sent out due to Covid-19; however, two media outlets made a special request to attend and they were granted permission. The Press section felt that it would be a huge challenge to inform the world of the Jalsa Salana; however, Allah the Almighty provided the arrangements Himself and two media outlets came, including the BBC and one other channel. Apart from this, BBC, ITV, Metro, LBC, BBC Radio Surrey, BBC South Today, BBC news website, etc. all gave coverage and other media outlets also gave coverage based on these reports. Also, eight regional media outlets also provided coverage. Apart from this, 28 websites published news reports or articles about the Jalsa. These websites have a reach of more than 20 million users. As for print media, there were 14 articles printed in newspapers regarding the Jalsa and the readership of these newspapers is 1.2 million. The Jalsa Salana was covered on various TV channels spanning 32 programmes. The viewership of these TV channels is more than 12 million.

Jalsa Salana UK was mentioned in 33 radio station programmes; the audience of these radio stations is more than one million.

Through social media, various media outlets, journalists and public figures posted messages about the Jalsa which has a reach of more than 12 million people.

The Press and Media department made videos which they posted on social media, reaching more than 234,000 people. With all of this combined, the Jalsa coverage reached more than 57.5 million people. Since journalists could not attend, the Press and Media department collaborated with the UK Jamaat’s tabligh [outreach] department and sent food from the langar to 32 journalists which were positively received and greatly appreciated. A journalist from BBC South, Edward Sault, said: “I had a great time at the Jalsa, the hospitality was excellent and I enjoyed listening to the various speeches. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

Another journalist, Tevy Nitha, said, “I was astonished by your community’s openheartedness.”

A journalist named Natasha Devon said: “In reality, all religions are similar. Good people use religion to unite one another and to help the poor, whereas evil people use religion for evil purposes. Jalsa Salana is certainly an example of the good people.”

In terms of coverage by MTA, a total of 1,885 posts, pictures and videos were posted to social media, which reached four million people. 213,000 people “liked” these posts and left comments. 1,236 videos were uploaded to social media which were watched by 231,000 people. If the total time spent watching these videos is calculated, it comes to 470,000 hours.

The MTA website was visited by 24,000 people 90,000 times. MTA Africa reports that the live Jalsa Salana proceedings were broadcast on 20 different channels. Some of these were state channels while others were public channels. There were also some private channels which are watched throughout the country. These channels include Gambia National TV, Sierra Leone National TV, Liberia National TV and many other private channels. The international bai‘at was also broadcast on these channels.

My addresses were shown on 20 TV channels which reached 35 million people.

Aside from the live coverage of Jalsa, various news items about the Jalsa were prepared and sent throughout Africa, and 15 channels played news stories regarding the Jalsa on all three days, which reached 15 million people.

There was also a lot of coverage done by The Review of Religions. Their coverage was done through social media and YouTube.

There were 40 articles written related to Jalsa, 12 videos were made and more than 110 posts were made [on social media]. This coverage of Jalsa reached 300,000 people.

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the Jalsa was granted great success by Allah the Almighty. As I mentioned, I have only presented a few examples of the various incidents and sentiments which have been received. May Allah the Almighty increase every Ahmadi’s belief and conviction and rather than being temporary, may the impacts of Jalsa be everlasting.

After the Friday prayer, I will lead the funeral prayers of some members and will mention them.

The first mention is of respected Nusrat Qudrat Sultana Sahiba, wife of respected Qudratullah Adnan Sahib of Canada. She recently passed away at the age of 55.

َ ‫إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِه َوإنَّٓا إل َ ۡي ِه ٰرج ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

[“Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”]

She was regular in offering prayers, she would regularly offer tahajjud and was a very virtuous, sincere and pious person.

While she was in the hospital, there was not a single doctor to whom she did not propagate [the message of Islam]. There was an Arab Muslim doctor who used to visit Nusrat Sahiba to listen to her reciting the Holy Quran, and she would recite Surah Ya Sin for her. She would bring up Khilafat in every conversation; she was extremely loyal to Khilafat. Many of her relatives are not Ahmadi and are Sunnis, and she preached to all of them as well, saying that they should pledge allegiance to the Imam of the time.

She is survived by her husband and three children. One of her sons is Raziullah Noman, a student of Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada; he has a brother and a sister.

Her husband says, “My wife spent her life like a life-devotee. She spent all of her energy and strove for the upbringing of our children. She had a great deal of love and a bond with Khilafat.” As I mentioned, she had a special passion for tabligh and she instilled this same passion within her children as well, hence, all of her children have a passion for propagation and I have observed that this is no ordinary passion but is quite extraordinary. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, these children were raised in a special manner and they have a special inclination toward studies. Allah the

Friday 9 September 2022 | AL HAKAM

20 Almighty has granted them these special capabilities and many people convert as a result of their efforts. As I mentioned, one of her sons, Raziullah Noman is in Jamia and is doing excellent work. May Allah the Almighty enable him, and all of her children to always selflessly serve the faith in the future as well and to be the inheritors of their mother’s prayers.

Her son, Jariullah Adnan says: “Our mother was a pious, virtuous, righteous and exemplary Ahmadi lady. She had a special connection with Allah the Almighty. She was always concerned with the upbringing of her children and she would always turn to Allah the Almighty.

She took great care of orphans. She had a firm belief in God since her childhood. She had cancer, and when she was diagnosed, she was content with the will of God. In fact, she would tell us that we needed to be strong and that our faith in Allah the Almighty should strengthen. She would say to her doctors that life and death are no great matter, in fact, what really matters is that a person should live their life in a way that everyone is pleased with them and the person themselves is content with their conduct.” May Allah the Almighty elevate

her station.

The next funeral is of respected Chaudhary Latif Ahmad Jhumat Sahib who also recently passed away at the age of 79.

َ ‫إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِه َوإنَّٓا إل َ ۡی ِہ ٰرج ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

[“Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”]

He was a musi, by the grace of Allah the Almighty. Ahmadiyyat was established in his family through his grandfather, Hazrat Chaudhary Muhammad Din Wasil Baqi Nawees Sahibra, whose name is recorded in the list of 313 companions in the book Anjam-e-Atham, Ruhani Khaza’in, volume 11, page 325 at number 3, where the name Mian Muhammad Din of district Gujrat, is written. Chaudhary Latif Jhumat obtained his MSc in mathematics in 1966 from Punjab Lahore University. He then became a part of the department of education. From 1966 to 1968, he served in Talimul Islam High School Rabwah as a teacher. Similarly, from 1968 to 1994, for about 26 years, he worked in the education department of Sierra Leone. He served as a teacher and principal in an excellent manner. He was a life devotee; after returning from Africa, he served for about five years as Naib Wakilul

Maal Thani and then he served for seven years as Naib Wakilul Maal Thalith. As I mentioned, he served as a teacher at the Ahmadiyya school in Sierra Leone. He formally dedicated his life in 1971. On 1 January 2007, he was appointed as Wakilul Maal Thalith. Hence, his total period of service spanned more than half a century.

His wife, Rasheeda Latif Sahiba says: “My husband was in Sierra Leone and I went there after we got married. Upon my arrival, he advised that it would be difficult for a life-devotee to buy Asian foods there and so a life-devotee and his wife should eat the local food, and so I should learn to cook the local foods. This afforded us great ease in the future. He was very simple and caring.” Those who worked with him have also mentioned the kindness with which he treated them. Everyone has praised him. May Allah the Almighty grant him forgiveness and mercy and elevate his station. May He grant patience to his family; he has one son and one daughter. One of his children passed away in childhood. May He enable his children to carry on his virtues.

The third mention is of Mushtaq Ahmad Alam Sahib, son of the late respected Muhammad Alam of Meera Bharka, Mirpur

Azad Kashmir. He passed away on 19 July 2022 at the age of 60.

َ ‫إنَّا ل ِ ّٰل ِه َوإنَّٓا إل َ ۡی ِہ ٰرج ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

[“Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”]

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, he was a musi. He is survived by his wife, six sons and two daughters. Three of his sons and a son-in-law have committed the Holy Quran to memory. Three of his sons are missionaries, one of whom is Hafiz Musawwar Ahmad Muzzammil who is serving in Senegal in West Africa. The second son is Hafiz Akhlaq Ahmad and the third son is Abdul Khaliq Sahib who is specialising in archaeology. His son in Senegal could not be present for the funeral. May Allah the Almighty grant him patience and fortitude and grant mercy and forgiveness to the deceased.

As I mentioned, I will offer their funeral prayer in absentia after the [Friday] prayer.

(Official Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 2 September 2022, pp. 5-12.

Translated by The Review of Religions.)

In this inspiring and authoritative collection of short essays, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra calls on the Muslim world to accept the message of the Promised Messiahas and eschew the doctrine of the second coming of Jesusas in order to bring about the revival of Islam. In a lively, vibrant and insightful manner, Huzoorra captures the attention of the reader with the cogency of his arguments and the passion of his words.

Editor: Qaasid Muin Ahmad | Design & Layout: Jalees Ahmad | Sub-Editorial: Ataul Fatir Tahir, Aqeel Ahmed Kang | News: Ata-ul-Haye Nasir | © Al Hakam 2022