Al Hakam - 1 May 2020

A warner came unto the world

An epidemic from “Pole-Evac”

The Queen, the British Government and Christian Missionaries were all warned about the surge of pandemics

When an Ahmadi doctor turned the tide with wisdom and prayer

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Early life Truthfulness of the Promised Messiahas

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“Worst contraction in history” Economic hit of Covid-19 in the UK

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THE WEEKLY

www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 1 May 2020 | Issue CXI Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL. UK info@alhakam.org | F: +44(0)208 544 7673

The world under siege: A time for introspection

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

Praying at night in Ramadan Hazrat Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Whoever prayed at night in it [the month of Ramadan] out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all their previous sins will be forgiven.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words

Two forms of old age

It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that never before has a news story occupied headlines and been given constant coverage on news channels for such a long period of time as has Covid-19.

With the fear of being affected by the pandemic and losing loved ones already lurking the minds of many, another fear has, in recent days, taken us all in its grip: the

fear of losing our livelihood.

It is said that the global economy is, and will be, taking a huge blow due to the lengthy lockdowns across the world and can supposedly result in 1.6 billion people – nearly half the global workforce – losing their jobs.

The Eurozone has been badly hit, its second largest economy, France, is officially

in recession after its GDP contracted by 5.8%; the worst contraction since World War II. Italy followed and saw its GDP shrink by 4.7% which has led to recession.

The coronavirus lockdown has had huge effects on the growth of our economies.

Continued on page 3

Man is faced with a time when his physical form begins to weaken and this is known as old age. At this time, the eyes lose their ability to see, while the ears are unable to hear.

In summary, every part of the body becomes almost useless and incapable.

Remember that there are two forms of old age: natural and unnatural. The natural form is as we have described just now. The unnatural form is when a person neglects the illnesses that they suffer from. In turn, such a person grows weak and begins to enter into old age prematurely, as it were. As this is the phenomenon in the physical realm, so too is the case in the inner, spiritual realm. If a person does not endeavour to transform their immoral ways into exemplary morals and good qualities, their moral compass is shattered completely. The guidance of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the teaching of the Holy Quran, clearly prove the fact that every illness has a cure. However, if indolence and sloth overtake a person, what other avenue is there except for ruin? If a person leads a life of carelessness like an old person, how can they be saved?

(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, p. 133)

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

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This Week in History 1 - 7 May In this third year of Al Hakam, we will present a selection of incidents from the blessed life of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, this time, with some more details

1 May 1893: The Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas issued a detailed notification about Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Hazrat Ahmadas was informed that some buyers were still waiting for the next parts of the book as promised earlier.

3 May 1886: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter to Mir Abbas Ali of Ludhiana expressing grief on the death of Mir Sahib’s son. Huzooras highlighted the true Islamic approach in times of such tough occasions.

holy personalities of Islam.

Huzooras took the logical and most successful line, unlike the Anjuman Himayat-eIslam Lahore and the likes of them, to confront these kind of publications and series of literature in future.

Earlier, in September 1886, Huzooras announced that as the original plan of the book was altered, he did not think it necessary to produce the 300 parts he had intended and still later, when he found that he could not complete the book at all on the previous lines – as God had commissioned him as a Reformer – he announced that he was prepared to return the money received for the book if its published portion was duly returned to him. Many people took advantage of the offer and got their money back.

3 May 1890: Hazrat Ahmadas dictated a letter from Lahore for Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira, where Huzooras travelled to get some medical treatment from Dr Muhammad Hussain Sahib.

Huzooras indicated that he would be back in Qadian in a few days.

Huzooras was staying at the residence of his eldest son Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib in Lahore.

This announcement was repeated several times; in 1895 and on 15 December 1900 etc. Huzooras had never intended to make money out of this holy undertaking and it is a fact that he did not gain any monetary profit out of it.

3 May 1898: The Promised Messiahas replied to the letter of Hazrat Haji Allah Rakha Abdur Rahmanra and advised him to update him on the developments regularly so Huzooras could remember him in prayers.

1 May 1896: The Promised Messiah wrote a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira asking him for 20 rupees in advance for his pledge of his monthly Chanda, citing some urgent expenditure. Huzooras applauded his monetary sacrifices as he was regularly sending one fourth from his monthly salary.

3 May 1907: The Promised Messiah wrote a letter to Hazrat Seith Ismail Adamra expressing condolences on the demise of his wife. Huzooras advised him to be patient in those trying times and elaborated the importance of a blissful family life.

as

1 May 1897: The Promised Messiahas wrote an announcement exposing the deceitful notification of Maulvi Muhammad Hussain of Batala about the murder of Pundit Lekhram.

Maulvi Sahib, who was the editor of Ishaatus Sunnah and a bitter foe of the Promised Messiahas, took the same path as Ganga Bashan had taken earlier and wished to settle the matter through oath. Huzooras took notice of his insidious approach and guided him to the right path.

2 May 1887: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra. In it, Hazrat Ahmadas expressed great relief after reading that Hazrat Maulvi Sahibra had pledged a handsome amount for setting up a printing press in Qadian.

Huzooras prayed fervently for his magnanimous endowments and shared that he saw a dream about the matter of the printing facility some days earlier, an issue being faced due to limited funds, and his recent letter was the best interpretation of it.

5 May 1884: The Promised Messiahas answered a letter of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira. In it, Hazrat Ahmadas stated that patience is the real identity of a believer, after detailing some contemporary issues.

as

4 May 1904: The Promised Messiah’sas companion, Hazrat Qazi Zia-ud-Dinra passed away.

4 May 1893: The Promised Messiahas wrote a notification depicting the ongoing feeble situation of Maulvi Muhammad Hussain of Batala and his ever increasing rage to “destroy” the mission of the Promised Messiahas. At the end of this given announcement, Huzooras shared his prediction about the future of Maulvi Sahib.

4 May 1897: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter sharing expenditure details and pace of work with Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khanra about the ongoing construction project in Qadian.

4 May 1898: The Promised Messiahas prepared and dispatched a memorial addressing Nawab Lieutenant Governor about a foul book written by a Christian doctor, Ahmad Shah, titled, Ummahat-ul-Momineen.

Huzooras commented on the real culprit behind this disturbing project. Huzooras also led the Muslim population of the subcontinent from the front during this painful battle about the

5 May 1893: The Promised Messiahas wrote a notification explaining the victory of Islam over all rival religions. Huzooras derived his argument from a verse of the Holy Quran in Surah al-Shams: “Surely, he prospers who augments his soul”.

5 May 1906: The Promised Messiahas, through an announcement, accepted the call of mubahala (prayer duel) by a Christian missionary named Ahmad Masih of Delhi. Huzooras added some basic terms for engaging in the duel.

6 May 1889: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira congratulating him on his transfer to a new police station. Huzooras also expressed his amazement on the rising number of letters he was receiving and on the other hand, his persisting weak health.

6 May 1902: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter to Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira. In it, Huzooras shared some local updates regarding the epidemic of the plague and approaching harvest season. Huzooras stated that owing to the pandemic, the jeopardy in everyday business was touching new levels for locals and that sometimes, they found it hard to even bury their deceased relatives.

7 May 1907: The Promised Messiahas directed his followers through an open announcement that they must refrain from all sorts of agitations as exhibited by their fellow countrymen irrespective of their religion.

Huzooras reiterated that he had been admonishing the people of the land that the British Raj was a blessing in terms of religious freedom. The Magazine Press Qadian printed and widely circulated this much needed voice of a leader of hundreds of thousands.

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM Continued from page 1

In the UK, a Bank of England’s policy maker, Jan Vlieghe, said the UK economy is suffering the fastest and most severe slump in “possibly several centuries”.(The Guardian, 23 April, 2020) The International Monetary Fund forecasted that the USA will witness an economy shrink close to 6% this year alone.

At the same time, unemployment in the USA has rocketed to its highest levels in more than 70 years – millions are without work.(The Guardian, 28 April, 2020) Governments across the world are trying to keep businesses afloat and employees paid, otherwise the economic hit would have been much worse. However, the coronavirus is far from over and experts forecast further, possibly catastrophic, outcomes for our economy.

Al Hakam has had the good privilege of playing a humble role in keeping the global family of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat closely knit during this precarious time. With repeated media coverage being given and Ahmadis sharing their stories during lockdown, we wish to also highlight an important aspect that can be best understood, especially in the prevailing circumstances.

For many of us, more than ever before, due to being in lockdown and deriving benefit from the blessings of Ramadan, we have touched base with our spiritual and religious duties and are currently undergoing a study of understanding our responsibilities through the Holy Quran, ahadith and writings of the Promised Messiahas.

When one browses the various subjects the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas covered in his literature and talks, a recurring theme is always noticed: the need to understand the true value of this life and to prepare for the Hereafter.

The current climate has left everyone

clinging on to a fine thread of hope to continue living – a basic instinct of every human – however, as Ahmadi Muslims, it is crucial that we understand the reality of this life and the life to come, especially as the Promised Messiahas repeatedly draws our attention to this.

Addressing his Jamaat, Hazrat Ahmadas says: “Time is short and there is no telling how long one shall live. Make haste – for twilight will soon descend. Consider over and over what you shall present before God, lest it be deemed so inadequate that it is no more than waste, no more than a foul and defiled offering unfit for presentation before the Royal Court.” (Noah’s Ark, p. 41) The Promised Messiahas continues: “How unfortunate is one who places their trust in this short span of life and completely turns away from God and makes use of those things prohibited by God with such impudence as if they were lawful for them.” (Noah’s Ark, p. 114) He further admonishes his community by saying: “My dear ones! You have only come to this world for a short while, much of which has already passed. Thus, do not displease your Lord. An earthly government of great might can annihilate you if you displease them. Reflect, how then is it possible for you to escape the wrath of God Almighty?”

(Ibid) Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa also addresses this issue by saying: “We search for everything in this world and do not give a thought to the Hereafter, whereas if we are to compare, then we find that the reward and punishment of the Hereafter is so vast that a person should remain constantly concerned for it. On the other hand, however, we chase after the world – whose significance is not even the same as that of a water droplet in comparison with the ocean.” (Friday Sermon, 7 May 2004) Huzooraa continues:

َ َّ ً َ َ ْ َّ َ َ َ ْ َّ َ َ ‫و ِمن الي ِل فتهﺠد ِب ِه نافِلﺔ لﻚ‬ ً ُ ْ َ ً َ َ َ ُّ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫عﺴى أن يبعثﻚ ربﻚ مقاما مﺤمودا‬ And wake up for it (the Quran) in the latter part of the night as a supererogatory service for thee. It may be that thy Lord will raise thee to an exalted station The Holy Quran - 17:80

“It is narrated that a person once came to the Holy Prophetsa and said, ‘Please give me a concise and comprehensive advice.’

The Holy Prophetsa replied, ‘When you stand to offer your prayer, then offer it in the manner of the one who is about to depart this world. Do not utter such statements from your mouth that if asked about it on the Day of Judgment, you are not able to give any clarification. Become completely indifferent to the wealth and property of others.’ (Mishkat, Kitab al-Riqaq, al-Fasl al-

Thalith) “The very first thing mentioned here is that Namaz should be offered as if you are shortly about to depart this world. The fear of leaving this world affects many such people who have done tremendous wrongs in this world so much so that they show great humility at the time of death.” (Ibid) May Allah enable us to understand our responsibilities – which is of crucial importance – and then set our lives according to the desire of Allah and the guidance issued to us. Amin.

Jamaat Bulgaria helps the most vulnerable Asad Hameed Mohtamim Ishaat, MKA Bulgaria

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Bulgaria launched a project to help the most vulnerable. More than 1,750 euros worth of food products and protective equipment were donated to those in need. The event was held in the city of Sandanski as well as several other settlements in southwest Bulgaria on the 24 April 2020.

The help packages were prepared with the help of volunteers who, for several days, worked tirelessly to prepare them while adhering to the required hygiene and sanitary conditions.

Protective equipment such as masks, gloves, disinfectants as well as food products of the highest necessity, enough for about a week per family were transported from a clean and disinfected room, then sorted and packaged in separate boxes. All the goods

except potatoes (which were distributed in plastic bags) were distributed equally in 205 boxes. The boxes were handed over to

anyone in need, regardless of their origin, nationality, beliefs or religious affiliation, to their home.

May Allah the Almighty bless everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this event. Amin

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

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A warner came unto the world The Queen, the British Government and Christian Missionaries were all warned about the surge of pandemics Asif M Basit

America’s leading scientist and President Trump’s key scientific advisor, Dr Anthony Fauci had warned three years ago about the “surprise outbreak” of a mysterious pandemic. Speaking at a Georgetown University Medical Centre event, he had clearly predicted that the Trump administration would face an unprecedented challenge in the “arena of infectious diseases”.

With the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan and then its surge towards the West and then its worst attack on America, the words of Dr Fauci have echoed in the collective memory of not only the American nation but in the wellinformed circles of the whole world. Those less-informed (or less-bothered about America) were reminded of Dr Fauci’s words by the media that almost everyone has been clinging onto in the helpless state of lockdowns.

How did this guy know? How could he foretell? Why was heed not paid to?

These and similar questions are crossing the minds of the general public; members of which are losing jobs, seeing their businesses collapse like a sinkhole, seeing children sit at home as the academic year flies by and are having to stay away from their elderly loved ones in these uncertain times.

There is a similar story being told here in Britain. The Sunday Telegraph revealed on 19 April 2020 that Downing Street had been warned by epidemiologists from University College London back in 2016 about the possibility of an outbreak.

The briefing was quite thorough (and quite prophetic in all honesty), going into

the finer details of how the series of events in the pandemic could possibly unfold.

The bleak picture we all get to see in news, painted by the all-too-real pandemic – four years on – is not much different to what the UCL experts had predicted: hospitals, mortuaries, social services and the economy all overwhelmed, helpless and at the brink of a total collapse. This cabinet briefing of 2016 was codenamed Exercise Cygnus.

When The Sunday Telegraph requested, under the Freedom of Information Act, for the findings of Exercise Cygnus to be released, the government plainly declined.

How did the UCL experts know? For them to brief the cabinet, their findings must have carried some weight! Why was the public never informed of the threat?

Why are the details not being released?

So here we are again with the poor lot called general public asking all sorts of innocent questions. “Where ignorance is bliss,” once said Thomas Gray, “‘tis folly to be wise.” How wise of him!

So why is it that any such predictions are put to a side by the worldly powers who continue to march on the weak bridges of their artificially sculpted economic prosperity?

Eyebrows have also been raised on Scott Burns’ 2011 movie titled Contagion; how he was able to only “predict” a pandemic; how he could turn his prediction into screenplay with a level

of resemblance (that rubs shoulders with accuracy) with what we see in the outbreak of coronavirus. Scott Burns said in a recent interview that he is being called all sorts of names on social media as well as being accused of “having access

to God”.

That the fictitious virus in Contagion, MEV-1, also originated in bats and got transferred to humans, is perplexingly astonishing for mirroring the case of Covid-19. When asked, Scott Burns points to the abundance of real-life evidence that his scientific advisors provided for the plot.

The coronavirus can be novel, but this problem of not paying heed is not. Dr Fauci’s warnings and UCL’s predictions are

only three- and four-years old, Contagion is almost ten.

But there was a whole set of prophecies and predictions about such calamities that now dates back to more than a century.

All ignored by world leaders in their lust for power, the fake sense of authority and obsession for control; with claims to have mastered everything on land, in seas and even in heavens.

Now let us go back to the century-old warnings given by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas – a resident of British-Indian Punjab – who was well known to the public and the government authorities as one who warned them about calamities that were to befall the world.

The local government authorities of

Gurdaspur district, in the Gazetteer of the Gurdaspur District of 1891-92 and published by the Punjab Government, had mentioned Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian as “a man of great eloquence”, “a distinguished preacher” and one who claims “to be the Messiah … directly inspired by the Almighty”.

This notification of the British government came at the very onset of his mission. Hazrat Ahmadas had, in 1889, formally announced his claims and warned the world of the perils that it faced if all wrong was not shunned and all evil was not forsaken. Only a couple of years on, his mission was still in its infancy but was being rapidly becoming known to the masses and to the government officials.

Hazrat Ahmadas claimed that his mission of warning the world and showing the path of salvation was not restricted to a certain region of the world but for the entire world. For this, he needed to bring his logistics at par with technology which was, like his mission, at the onset of its boom. For this, he acquired a printing press at Qadian and started publishing his works.

The first work to be printed at this press was Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, or Reflections of the Beauties of Islam, published in 1893. The contents of the book were in line with what the title suggested and followed by a message to Queen Victoria, Empress of the British Empire. Having outlined the troubles faced by the world and how Islam was the only way to salvation from the calamities that were waiting to befall the flamboyant mankind, Hazrat Ahmadas addressed the Queen in the following words: “… What is the matter with thee that thou canst not see in the broad daylight?

Know thou, O great one (may God help thee), that the religion of Islam is the centre of all light and the source of all streams and the orchard of all spiritual fruit. My Lord has sent me that I may call His creatures. He has given me clear signs so that I may call them to His religion. So, glad tidings to those who accept me…”

(Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam) Hazrat Ahmadas, as subject of the British dominion of India, had always

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM cherished and respected Queen Victoria for the religious freedom that all faiths enjoyed under her rule. He would always remind Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs of the persecution that all faiths faced at the hands of others before the British Raj took over.

It was for this respect that Hazrat Ahmadas, as an expression of gratitude, celebrated the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in Qadian. This celebration was not by way of traditional partying, but through expression of gratitude to Allah for bestowing a ruler that was just in her dealings and compassionate towards the adherents of diverse religions under her reign.

Travelling from distant parts of India, followers of Hazrat Ahmadas gathered at Qadian where this celebration was held on 21 and 22 June 1897. Speeches were delivered in Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English, Punjabi and Pashto; all to thank God for the benevolent queen and to invite the queen to Islam – the only path to salvation for all mankind.

AR Dard, a biographer of Hazrat Ahmadas, records this in the following words: “… a congratulatory telegram was sent to Lord Elgin, the Viceroy, on the 20th.

A beautifully bound copy of Ahmad’s book Tuhfa-e-Qaisariyya was sent to Queen Victoria through the Deputy Commissioner in commemoration of the auspicious occasion. Copies of the book were also sent to the Viceroy and the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab.” (Life of Ahmad) This book was a concise account of what Islam stands for, the reconstruction of Islam through Hazrat Ahmadas as the Promised Messiah, how natural disasters were on their way and how Allah the Almighty offers protection to mankind.

“The punishments of God, which

descend on the world in the form of calamities, are for sure deferred through charity, alms-giving, prayer, repentance, lowliness and humility. In the same way, when the fire of an epidemic flares greatly, all nations of the world naturally engage in prayer, repentance, seeking forgiveness and charitable giving. A natural movement takes place to turn to God, showing that it is a natural phenomenon for the human conscience to turn to God Almighty in the times of calamities. Repentance and prayer at times of calamities have proven beneficial for man, that is, deferred through repentance and seeking forgiveness, just as the punishment of Prophet Jonah was deferred. In the same way, the punishment of Israelites was

deferred several times through the prayers of Moses….

“People of the world will not understand this matter because they lack faith in heavenly mysteries but the ones who have experienced them will certainly find this truth.” (Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah (A Gift to the Queen), Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 12, pp. 262-273) Come 1898 and the epidemic of bubonic plague was, in full swing, sweeping across the Bombay presidency, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives and, as foretold by Hazrat Ahmadas, heading towards the Punjab. He had pointed to this surge of the plague through a tract published on 6 February 1898 and had it circulated widely. (Majmua-e-

Ishtiharat, Vol. 3) In the tract, he urged his followers and countrymen to follow the precautionary advice given by the government and to cooperate with officials in any shape or form required by them. Alongside this, Hazrat Ahmadas pointed out how to curb the ill effects of the epidemic and how to stay safe of more that waited to attack mankind in future.

“The fear of God seems to have vanished from most hearts and they have taken pandemics to be a negligible test that can be passed with a few measures. Sins are openly and shamelessly committed…

“This [epidemic] is an alterable decree and can be can be worn off by repentance, remorse, piety and abstinence from sins;

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

6 by giving alms and charity; by bringing about a pure change of heart.

“Hence, every person is hereby urged to become virtuous, indulge in good acts and quit all that is bad and transgressive…. perform pious acts and refrain from discourteousness. Have fear of the God whose wrath can diminish the whole world in the blink of an eye.” (Majmua-eIshtiharat, Vol. 3, pp. 6) This pamphlet was widely circulated in the general public as well as government circles.

As the epidemic continued to spread aggressively, Hazrat Ahmadas called for a general meeting of his followers, and also any other members of the public who wished to attend, by the name of the Plague Meeting, in Qadian. He advertised the conference and its objectives through a tract that was printed and circulated in, yet again, the general public and government authorities. It also caught attention of the press in India. This tract, published on 22 April 1898, outlined the objectives as follows: 1. The public to be made aware of the government’s prescribed precautionary measures and to convince them to abide by them 2. Those attending should convey the advice to those not present 3. To advise the government to take whatever action it deemed appropriate, despite any resistance from the public 4. To advise the government to educate the masses so that implementing the measures becomes more feasible and productive 5. To pray to Allah the Almighty to rid the world of the epidemic (Ibid) The plague meeting was held in Qadian on 2 May 1898 on the day of Eid-ul-Adha. In his sermon, Hazrat Ahmadas spoke on the dreadful nature of the disease and dealt with the objections raised against the government’s measures of quarantine and isolation. He explained why such measures were necessary and how they helped in controlling the spread of the epidemic. He urged members of the public to comply with all that was demanded of them by the authorities.

The central idea of Hazrat Ahmad’sas address was that everyone, be they members of the public or government officials, should turn to Allah the Almighty to seek his forgiveness and for him to steer humanity of the devastation of the epidemic. He urged that while physical cleanliness is vital as a prevention against the disease, everyone should cleanse themselves morally, socially and spiritually also. (Al Inzar by the editor of Al Hakam, Qadian, 1898, being a report of the proceedings of the Plague Meeting) Hazrat Ahmadas emphasised that such calamities are penalties inflicted upon the individual, family or nation because of sin. He said that in this complex world of ours, even medical cures require the grace and mercy of God in order to be effective; so, “let us turn to Him for help, protection and guidance”.

The report of this meeting was prepared by Sheikh Rahmatullah and sent off dispatched to the press and to the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab.

The Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, in its 10 June 1898 issue covered the proceedings of the meeting and Hazrat Ahmad’s address in the following words: “… The gist of the address was to the effect that Government was actuated solely by dictates of humanity in its measures for the suppression of the disease; that those measures are necessary, that stories that Government desires to poison the people are both lies and foolish and should not be believed for a moment by anybody with pretensions of being sensible, and that for females to put aside purdah in so far as to come out of the house into the open for segregation purposes with the face properly veiled is no violation of the principles of Islam in time of imminent danger such as visitation by the hand of God.” Upon receipt of the report, the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab’s office wrote back to Hazrat Ahmadas: “I am directed by His Honour the Lieutenant Governor to say that he has read with much pleasure the account of the proceedings of a meeting held at Kadian on 2nd of May 1898 and the address delivered by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Rais of Kadian, in connection with the measures taken by Government for the suppression of bubonic plague.

“His Honour desires me to convey his acknowledgment of the supports rendered to the Government by the members composing the meeting.

“I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant [signed] HJ Maynard

Junior Secretary to the Government of the Punjab” The proceedings were published in book form by the Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani, editor of Al Hakam, Qadian in September 1898. This booklet, titled Al Inzar, was again circulated in the public and government circles.

By this time, his oracles regarding natural calamities, their divine connection and the way to salvation through salvation had become very well known to the government in India and England.

The British press would take particular interest in publishing his beliefs, warnings and proposed solutions.

Christian missionaries had known Hazrat Ahmadas from the days of the great debate of Amritsar, popularly known as Jang-e-Muqaddas (Holy War) where he had clearly defeated the Christian protagonists. Intelligence reports back home to the Church Mission Society had mentioned him as “a remarkable man” and confessed that he had presented some “novel arguments” that the missionaries had never before encountered. (Church Missionary Intelligencer, Vol XLV, Church Mission Society, London, 1894) Towards the latter part of Hazrat Ahmad’s life, the renowned missiologist Rev HD Griswold (1860-1945) had analysed Ahmad’s mission in the form of a book, which he presented it before the Philosophical Society of Great Britain in London. “The Messiah of Qadian” being the title, Griswold read it out before this gathering of the most learned people on 15 May 1905, with Colonel Thomas Holbein Hendley CIE in the chair.

The concluding remarks of his paper call for special attention. Having mentioned how Hazrat Ahmadas, taking it

to be the end of times, had prophesied the eschatological signs of apocalyptic nature, Griswold concluded: “The vigour and enthusiasm with which the Messiah of Qadian, in season or out of season, publishes his own name and sounds forth his own praises, puts us to shame whose holy mission it is to make known the name of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and Saviour of the world.

“And finally, the Mirza Qadiani’s own impressive diagnosis of the moral and spiritual evils of the day…ought to help constrain us, not indeed to give thanks that the promised deliverer has already come and is in our midst, but rather to lift our eyes with longing and pray to God that soon, whether through a personal appearing in glory to rule the earth in righteousness, or through a widespread and powerful outpouring of His Spirit, the Christ of God may come”.(Journal of the transactions of The Victoria Institute, or, Philosophical Society of Great Britain, Vol XXXVII, published by The Victoria Institute, London, 1905) The paper was followed by a lengthy discussion among the audience that was left with a mixture of feelings. A Mr JO Corrie’s remarks were the last ones to come from the audience where he confessed that Hazrat Ahmad’s claims “point to a longing in humanity for a spiritual leader”.

He asked the house: “Does not a like consideration apply to this widespread desire for a spiritual leader?” (Ibid) Rev Julius Richter (1862-1940) was a German missiologist who won global acclaim and esteem in the world of evangelical mission summed up his observations of Christian missionary activity in his book A History of Missions in India. He laid out the teachings of Hazrat

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM Ahmadas and the warnings regarding the future of the world.

He had to admit that “Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian is a … mixture of elements, an extraordinary plant of the marshes, grown in the weed-covered labyrinth of Muhammadan theology, and at the same time nurtured by the light and sun of Christianity. Ghulam is a remarkable man. He writes clever books, and in such elegant Urdu, Persian, and Arabic that he is able to challenge his opponents in the most graceful Arabic literary articles to admit or to disprove his divine mission.

“He has not only read the Old and New Testaments thoroughly, but is likewise acquainted with certain apocryphal works such as, e.g., the ‘Gospel according to Barnabas’…

“He claims to be the Christian Messiah, returned according to His promise, and likewise the promised Mahdi of the Muhammadans – at one and the same time! And it is really most remarkable to see how he justifies such high assumptions…”

Richter clearly mentions Hazrat Ahmad’s claim that “God has sent him in fullness of time, and therefore all prophecy must find its fulfilment in him”.

(Julius Richter, A History of Missions in India, Fleming H Revell Company, London, 1908 After the demise of Hazrat Ahmadas, his caliphs continued to remind the world of pandemics, earthquakes and other calamities that could ascend the forgetful world as a reminded of the Omnipotent and Almighty God. When Prince Edward the Prince of Wales visited India in 1921-22, the then caliph of Hazrat Ahmadas, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, presented him with a booklet titled “A Present to the Prince of Wales”. The contents of the book revolved around the teachings of Islam and the claims of prophecies of Hazrat Ahmadas.

He wrote: “… the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace and blessings of God) published a revelation which he had received from on high that diseases would multiply and that lives would be lost: and then proclaimed that God had told him that there would spread … a new kind of epidemic to which the people … would ask with wonder what was going to happen and that there would appear a severe and fearful kind of plague which would spread in India as well as other countries and would strike men with terror and that this pestilence would particularly visit Europe and other Christian countries.”

He referred to the Spanish Flu of 191819 to one fulfilment of the prophecy and warned that more would follow, should the warning not be heeded.

Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmadrh, the third successor of Hazrat Ahmadas, addressed a gathering of dignitaries in London on 28 July 1967, reminding them of the prophecies of pandemics and other calamities that could befall the world as an expression of the wrath of God Almighty.

“Let us not forget that this prophecy,

like all prophecies, is a warning and its fulfilment can be delayed or even averted provided man turns to his Lord, repents and mends his ways. He can yet advert Divine wrath if he stops worshipping the false deities of wealth, power and prestige, establishes a genuine relationship with his Lord, refrains from all transgression, does his duty to God and man, and learns to work for true human welfare. It all depends on the nations that dominate the world today and who are intoxicated by the heady wine of wealth, power and prestige.” (A Message of Peace and a Word of Warning, Nazarat Nashr-o-Ishaat, Qadian, 2008) Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, the fourth successor of Hazrat Ahmadas, made it very clear again to the world that natural calamities are not mere accidents, but manifestations of what Hazrat Ahmadas had warned against: “The Promised Messiah had warned them well ahead of time and through very clear and precise prophecies had alerted mankind…

“If the world does not bow before the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam then God Almighty will pile up disaster after disaster, one after the other to shake and awaken the world from its slumber…”

(Natural Disasters or Divine Punishment?, Review of Religions, April 1994) Then arrived the era of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, the fifth Caliph of Hazrat Ahmadas. Exactly 17 years ago, in April 2003, he assumed office as caliph; a time when the prophecies of

Hazrat Ahmadas were unfolding at an unprecedented scale. Natural disasters seemed to have to queued up that came Para-trooping towards the world.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa has been invited by various bodies of national and international significance in almost all parts of the world. He has spoken to the materialistic leaders and has very directly warned them of where the world might unfortunately be heading to. He has also given them the remedy – the same one that Hazrat Ahmadas had prescribed – for them to stay safe of such disasters: turn to the One, Almighty Creator.

“In today’s materialistic world, his [Hazrat Ahmad’s] words hold even greater importance because people are moving away from faith and becoming increasingly materialistic…”

“We need to understand the reasons of this phenomena of increased natural disasters. Worldly and materialistic people may not accept or understand this, however we, Ahmadi Muslims, should understand that this is an expression of the displeasure of Allah the Almighty.

We must inform others that the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) warned of these calamities a hundred years ago and the only means of averting such widespread disasters was by coming towards God Almighty.” (26 October 2018, Texas USA, accessed at www. khalifatulmasih.org on 25 April 2020) So the word of warning issued by Hazrat Ahmad, the Promised Messiahas, was there all along. Queen Victoria was

aware of it, so was the British government and so were the religious circles of England and America based mission societies.

All of these circles still attend the events where Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa speaks about these century-old warnings and that too in very straight forward terms. His advice can be found in his book World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace, hundreds of Friday sermons, hundreds of meetings with dignitaries.

O great powers of the world! You have ignored the words of a Warner for far too long. What he prophesied is now at your doorstep. It has actually broken in and is beginning to wreak havoc. But it still isn’t too late!

So when superpowers finally decide to pull out recordings of Dr Fauci’s prediction, files of UCL’s Exercise Cygnus and scripts of Contagion, we hope they will remember that there are more files to draw out and view: the works of a warner that are still around just as is the advice of his successor Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa.

I end with the blessed words of Allah the Almighty that he revealed to my beloved master, Hazrat Ahmadas: “A warner came unto the world, but the world accepted him not; yet God will accept him and demonstrate his truthfulness with mighty onslaughts.”

(The Will, 1905)

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

8

Responding to Allegations

Early life Truthfulness of the Promised Messiah Part I

Ahmadi Muslims point to the pure and pious life of Hazrat Ahmadas before he made any claims, as proof of his truthfulness.

In response, opponents of Jamaat-eAhmadiyya assert that it is impossible to examine his early life because he lived a life of obscurity. Further, they say that one reason (God forbid) Hazrat Ahmadas was not truthful was because he said his book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya contained 300 arguments for the truthfulness of Islam, but only a handful of arguments are to be found.

A befitting response to these allegations would be to present the following verse of the Holy Quran: ْ َ َ َ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ ّ َ َ ُ َ ْ ْ َ َ ٰ َ ْ ُ َ َ ‫اءنا ائ ِت‬ ‫ات ۙ قال َال ِ ُذين لا يرجون ل ِق‬ ٍ ‫وإِذا تتلى علي ِهم آياتنا ب ِين‬ َْ َْ ُ ‫ب ُق ْرآن َغيْر ٰه َذا أَ ْو بَ ّدل ْ ُه ۚ ُق ْل َما يَ ُك‬ ‫ون لِي أ ْن أبَ ِّدل َ ُه ِمن ِتلقا ِء نف ِسي ۖ إِ ْن‬ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ُ َ ْ َ َ َ َ ّ َ ُ ْ َ َ ْ ُ ‫وحى إل َ ّيَ ۖ إن ّي أَ َخ‬ ٰ ُ‫أَ ّتَب ُع إلَّا َما ي‬ ‫يم۔ قل‬ ِ ِ ٍ ‫اف َإِن ع ُصيت َرب َِي ع َذ ْاب يو ٍم ُع ِظ‬ ِ ُ َ ُ َ َ ّٰ َ ِ َ ِ ْ َّ ‫لو ش‬ ‫اء الل ُه َما تلوْت ُه َعل ْيك ْم َولَا أ َ ْد َراكم ِب ِه ۖ فق ْد ل ِبث ُت فِيك ْم ُع ُم ًرا ِّمن‬ ُ َ َ َ ‫ق ْب ِل ِه ۚ أفلَا ت ْع ِقلوْ َن‬ “And when Our clear Signs are recited unto them, those who look not for the meeting with Us say, ‘Bring a Quran other than this or change it.’ Say, ‘It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. Indeed, I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of an awful day.’ Say, ‘If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you.

I have indeed lived among you a whole lifetime before this. Will you not then understand?’” (Surah Yunus, Ch.10: V.1617) This is an argument that the Holy Quran has given to prove the truthfulness of the Holy Prophetsa and it is a great criterion for verifying the truth of every

righteous person’s claim.

The actual presence of the sun is an irrefutable argument of its existence.

Thus, the strongest argument to prove the truthfulness of a righteous and honest person is his own self which calls out and asks the opponents and associates, strangers and acquaintances, outsiders and confidants, to look at him and before forming a judgment, think whether he can be called a liar. As, by calling him a liar, they will lose all the means by which one can find out the truth about somebody.

Everything in the world passes through gradual processes and stages. Goodness cannot reach its perfection by abandoning the intermediate stages, nor can evil reach its extremity by abandoning the middle stages. Then, how is it possible for a person running towards the west to suddenly find himself on the far side of the east? Or how can a person heading towards the south find himself standing at the North Pole?

Claimants of prophethood announce that they spent all their life amongst people; they were children who grew up in society’s hands. They were young and attained maturity before their very eyes.

People are also aware of their solitude.

None of their actions or promises were hidden from them. Consequently, nobody can claim that such people ever lied or wronged or deceived or beat anyone or desired any pride or governance. Prophets proclaim that people test them in every field and observe them in every situation, but they always see their footsteps in moderation and find them free from every defect. The prophet even gets the title of amin (trustworthy) and sadiq (truthful)

from their enemies and friends. Then, how can such a change take place that, one day, they become the worst of the worst? There was a time when he never lied to men and then suddenly, he supposedly began to lie in the name of Allah? Is there any precedent in the law of nature for such a change?

If it was a matter of a day or two, the opponents could have said that he managed it through deceit. Even if it would have been a matter of one or two years, they could have been right in saying that he did so by cheating, but he spent his entire life with them. Hence, opponents cannot declare it to be night, while looking at the sun and should not complain of darkness in the presence of light. What argument do they need other than his own self? Witnessing his previous chaste life, what other proof is needed?

By little introspection, the heart and mind of an opponent should bear witness to the fact that a prophet’s life is a testimony to his truthfulness. His example is like the sunrise, which itself is proof of the sun’s existance.

This same undeniable argument pierced the heart of Hazrat Abu Bakrra and it has always taken root in the hearts of truthful people.

When the Holy Prophetsa claimed to be the Prophet of Allah, Hazrat Abu Bakrra was visiting a friend’s house at the time. A free slave girl reported to him that his friend’s wife said that her husband had claimed to be a prophet, similar to that of Mosesas. He immediately got up and went to the house of the Holy Prophetsa and asked him about the claim. The Holy Prophetsa replied, “I am the Messenger of God.” The moment Hazrat Abu Bakrra heard him say that, he accepted him. For this reason, the Holy Prophetsa said about his faith: “Whenever I called someone towards Islam, they always showed some reluctance, hesitation and deliberated over it. However, Abu Bakr was the only person who accepted Islam without any hesitation”. (Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya).

So, what compelled Hazrat Abu Bakrra to believe in the Holy Prophetsa without witnessing any sign? It was indeed the pure personage of the Holy Prophetsa that was a testimony of his truthfulness.

Hazrat Khadijara, Hazrat Alira and Hazrat Zaidra bin Harith also believed in the prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa in the same way. In fact, Hazrat Khadijara mentioned the good deeds of the Holy Prophetsa as a reason for her faith. When

the Holy Prophetsa saw an angel in the cave of Hira and said to her, “I am afraid for my life”, at the time, Hazrat Khadijara replied, “Do not worry! I swear by Allah that He will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, shoulder the burden of helpless, support the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Bad‘ulWahi) Hence, the first clear proof of the truthfulness of a prophet is his own self and his past life is so strong a testimony to his truth that no other miracle or verse is needed at the time of his claim. This same argument was sent down by Allah the Almighty to prove the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas.

He was a resident of Qadian, where the followers of three different religions of India – Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam – lived.

His family relations with these people were not such that they had any sympathy for him because in his early life, the country was occupied by the British and with their arrival, the people of Qadian, who were the subjects of his ancestors, took advantage of the new government and started their struggle for independence. All the townspeople began to file lawsuits against his father and disputes arose.

It was not that the Promised Messiahas was isolated from these cases, but in spite of his solitude, his father had appointed him to pursue these cases for some time, which apparently made him a rival of the people.

The Sikhs of the time were especially hostile to his family because, for a while, they pushed his family out of the area and became rulers. Therefore, the progress of his family was hard on them.

The Promised Messiahas had a passion for the service of Islam from an early age. Through literature and speeches, he continuously debated Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, which made the followers of these religions naturally envious of him.

Despite the fact that the Promised Messiahas had relations with all religions and was opposed because of his religious interests, everyone, whether Hindu, Sikh, Christian or Muslim, admitted that his life before his claim was flawless, pure and he had a high level of moral virtues.

He never gave up the truth and people’s trust and confidence in him was so high that even the enemies of his family sometimes insisted on settling those matters about which they disagreed upon by appointing Ahmadas as the judge. No matter what the decision, they used to accept it. Hence, people well-informed about his virtuous nature trusted him in everything and acknowledged him as an epitome of truth and righteousness. Christians, Hindus and Sikhs had religious differences with him, but they admitted that his life was holy and chaste.

We present an example of the opinion of the people about the Promised Messiahas from the pen of a man who later became a fierce opponent and upon his claim, he was the first to issue a fatwa-e-kufr against him.

Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM was not an ordinary person, but the leader and head of Ahl-e-Hadith. While reviewing the book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya written by the Promised Messiahas, he testified about him in his magazine, Ishaat-us-Sunnah: “The extent to which we are aware of the circumstances and views of the writer of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya is such that there would perhaps be very few from among our contemporaries who are so wellinformed. The writer is of the same area as ours, in fact, in our early days (when we used to read Qutbi and Sharah Mulla), he studied with us.” (Ishaat-us-Sunnah, Vol. 7, p. 176 [1884]) This statement is related to the fact that his testimony is not unreliable as it originates from long experience and relationship with the Promised Messiahas.

He further states: “In our view, this book [Barahin-eAhmadiyya], at this time and considering the present circumstances, is such that so far, the like of it cannot be found in [the history of] Islam. Nothing can be said of the future: َ َ َ ُ ّٰ ‫ل َ َع َّل الل َه يُ ْﺤ ِدث بَ ْع َد ذل ِﻚ أ ْم ًرا‬ “[‘It may be that thereafter, Allah will bring something new to pass.’ (Surah alTalaq, Ch.65: V.2)] “The author [of the said book] has also been so persistent in the service of Islam, with his money, life, writings, speeches and personal actions that very few parallels can be drawn among Muslims.” (Ishaat-usSunnah, Vol. 7, pp. 169-170) This is the opinion of a person who was much like the people of Mecca, in that his mouth would go dry in calling the him truthful and honest; not only did he later reject his claim of Messiah, but also spent the rest of his life in disbelief, denial and opposition of the Promised Messiahas.

However, opposition after the claim of a prophet has no credibility as Allah the Almighty states: َ �ُِ �‫ال الْ�َا‬ ٌ ‫ون َه َذا َﺳا� ٌِ� َﻛ َّذ‬ َ ‫َو َق‬ ‫اب‬ “And the disbelievers say, ‘This is a magician, a great liar.” (Surah Saad, Ch.38: V.5) The Holy Quran expresses that it is not possible for a person to confess his truthfulness through every friend and foe, in spite of being in the grip of opponents and enemies like a tongue in teeth, and then one day forge a lie against Allah. God Almighty is not unjust to reward a person who has confessed his flawless life even to an enemy and make him a scoundrel in a single day.

Just as the Holy Prophetsa challenged his opponents to point out any flaws in his past life or whether he was immoral and that he did not have an exceptionally high moral life and no one came up against him, the Promised Messiahas too claimed that Allah the Almighty had told him that no opponent would ever be able to tarnish his reputation. The Promised Messiahas said: “People regard and have faith in the exhortations of men according to the measure of their piety and righteousness.

Now ponder over how God has furnished thousands of signs in support of my claim so that you may determine and judge the truth and the calibre of him who is inviting you to this Jamaat and that you may

weigh his spiritual worth and weigh his arguments. You cannot point out any moral slips and weakness in my life, nor have I ever indulged in fraud or deceit so that you may have cause to suspect my integrity. Is there anyone among you who can point out shortcomings and weaknesses in my life?

It was the blessing of God that made me tread the path of righteousness from the very beginning. This is a sign for those who contemplate.” (Tadhkira-tul-Shahadatain, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 20, p. 64) On another occasion, the Promised Messiahas states: “It was around 1884 that God vouchsafed to me the revelation: ُ ْ َ ْ َ​َ َ �ُ ‫ﺖ ﻓ ْﻴ ُﻜ ْﻢ ُﻋ ُ� ً�ا ِّﻣﻦ ﻗَ ْﺒ�� ۔ أَﻓَ�َ� ﺗ َ ْﻌﻘ‬ ‫�ن‬ ِ ِ ‫َوﻟﻘﺪ ﻟ ِﺒﺜ‬ ِ​ِ “[‘I have lived a whole lifetime among you before this, then do you not understand?’].

“This was an indication on behalf of God the All-Knowing, that no opponent of mine would be able to point to any default in my life. Accordingly, up until now, when I am about 65 years of age, no one, whether living close to me or far, can point to any stain in my past life. Indeed God Himself has made my opponents bear witness to the purity of my past life. For instance, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain has, on many occasions, praised me and members of my family in his journal Ishaat-us-Sunnah and has claimed that no one is better acquainted with me and my family than him. Then, to the extent that he understood, he praised me. In this way, an opponent, who became the originator of my condemnation as a non-believer, has confirmed the truth of the prophecy, ُ ْ َ َ ‫ولَق ْد ل َ ِبث ُت فِ ْيك ْم‬. ” (Nuzul-ul-Masih, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, p. 590) According to the above claim, the Promised Messiahas repeatedly challenged his opponents to speak out against his holy conduct or to prove that they did not consider his conduct from childhood to old age to be of high and exemplary levels. In spite of repeated incitement of opponents, no one spoke against him. On the other hand, despite strong opposition, they could not hide the fact that the conduct of the Promised Messiahas was astonishingly high and, according to many Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, his childhood and youth was a picturesque representation of Godly people.

Hence, just as the Holy Prophet’ssa past life was a great proof of his truthfulness, which Allah the Almighty has presented in the Holy Quran as an argument before the opponents, in the same way, the early life of the Promised Messiahas is a proof of his truth, which no one can deny.

The above brief descriptions dispel the objection of the opponents that the Promised Messiahas lived a life of obscurity.

[In Part II, we will explain the circumstances that led to the publishing of only the first few pages of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, while the rest of the pages, containing scores of arguments in favour of Islam, were lost and burnt in an accident]

Fasting during the pandemic in Detroit, USA Shamshad Nasir Missionary, USA

Muhammad Ahmad Sahib from Detroit reports that the holy month of Ramadan has started on 25 April 2020. While we are going through the Covid-19 pandemic and the state’s stay-at-home orders have been extended until 15 May 2020, it is a very different Ramadan for Muslims across the state of Michigan and USA this time.

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Rochester Hills used to have daily activities during the month of Ramadan in the past years since they moved into their new Mosque and Community Centre in Rochester Hills some 15 years ago. The activities would include heightened focus on prayers, daily Dars-ulQuran (teaching of the Holy Quran) and food preparation for breaking the fast.

“This is the first time we would not be able to gather and pray together during these blessed days as a community”, said Maqbool Tahir Sahib, President of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Michigan. However, we are trying to use technology to keep the community connected and engaged and continue our tradition of Ramadan during these difficult days.

While social distancing guidelines are in place, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Rochester Hills will continue the tradition of the month of Ramadan via the use of technology. The community had made arrangements for members to join remotely via Zoom to participate and listen the daily Dars-ulQuran (lectures of the Holy Quran).

Regional Missionary, Shamshad Nasir Sahib is conducting the daily Dars via Zoom and members are joining in large numbers to benefit from these sessions. The Sessions are being broadcast daily from the Mosque in Rochester Hills. More than 150 families/ members are joining daily to benefit from these sessions.

This is also to be remembered that in each home the five daily prayers are being offered in congregation and any elderly person or young man who knows how to lead the salat, is leading them in each home.

Another key feature of the month of Ramadan would be the annual “Ramadan Open House Dinner” where many public officials, interfaith leaders and the community at large would gather and break bread with members of the Jamaat.

Unfortunately, that would not be able to take place this year. Instead the community will be hosting a virtual interfaith prayer event where interfaith leaders will join via Zoom for virtual reflections on the power of prayers during the pandemic. The “Virtual Interfaith-Prayer” event is scheduled for 9 May 2020. Details will be circulated along with the Zoom link soon.

Members of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya USA are trying their best to reach out to those who are needy and less fortune, distributing food and other useable things for people like food items etc. We are also urging members to pray that may God Almighty save all from this pandemic and remove the hardships.

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

10

An epidemic from “Pole-Evac” When an Ahmadi doctor turned the tide with wisdom and prayer Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre

Various revelations and dreams predicting a multitude of plagues, wars, epidemics, earthly and heavenly sufferings etc. were vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas and that occurred in the past as prophesied.

Even today, the world is experiencing many catastrophes and outbreaks.

On the other hand, the holy founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat established a devout and selfless community which continues to carry out a Jihad of service to mankind, under the leadership of Khalifatul Masih. It emerges that their motto is to envision this poetic attribute of the Promised Messiahas which is stated in the following couplet of his: ‫دخِتم قلخ اتس‬ ‫رما وصقمد و ہولطمب و ہانمت س‬ ‫� ر مم ہ ی‬ ‫� ابرم ی‬ ‫� اکرم ی‬ ‫ہ ی‬ ‫� رامہ‬ “My purpose, yearning and heartfelt desire is to serve humanity; this is my job, this is my faith, this is my habit and this is my way of life.”

Citizen of Two Worlds, first published in 1960, is the autobiography of Mohammad Ata-Ullah

After the sad demise of the Promised Messiahas, World War I soon broke out.

Rough estimates suggest that the war (1914-1918) claimed 20 million lives.

This was followed by the 1918 influenza epidemic, which was the most severe pandemic in recent history and was caused by an H1N1 virus. In the United States, it was first identified amongst military

Shipload of Polish soldiers and civilian refugees arrive in Iran from the Soviet Union

personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with influenza. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide.

Then came World War II, which lasted for around six years from 1939 to 1945 and annihilated another 85 million people around the world.

God forbid, if any disease, pandemic or any other health catastrophe had surfaced after these disastrous six years, the suffering would have been unimaginable.

Col Muhammad Ata-Ullah was born in the early 1900s, to a devout Ahmadi family. After studying medicine in Lahore and London and graduating in 1928, he served as a doctor in the Indian Medical Service of the British Army before the partition of India and Pakistan.

During his rich career as a doctor, an army officer both in the British Raj and with the Pakistan Army, as a remarkable mountaineer (joining the American expedition to K2) and finally as a philosopher, he unarguably achieved many remarkable milestones.

After the creation of Pakistan, Col Ata-ullah became the first Director of Health Services in Azad Kashmir and continued his career in helping wounded troops both in Japan and Korea. Here we shall highlight one of his highly acclaimed accomplishments, which relates to our present day as well.

So here, we produce an account of an Ahmadi who helped prevent an outbreak during World War II. He was a frontline army officer deployed in Iran. This account is directly taken from his autobiography: A Citizen of Two Worlds.

Once, Ata-Ullah Sahib was assigned with a novel task called “Operation PoleEvac”, as he states: “On a certain day I was hurriedly wakened in the middle of my siesta to attend an emergency conference called by General Lane in premises of the British Embassy, who has just returned from General Headquarters at Baghdad with an instruction to set up ‘Operation Pole-Evac.’

Actually, in the earliest days of World War II, the central European nation Poland’s natives Poles displayed the unequal fight, first against Hitler and then against the Russians, who captured vast numbers of prisoners. One group of over two hundred thousand Poles has been held for the last three years in a certain area of Soviet Central Asia.

“But at that stage of war, we are pointing at, the Poles and the Russians were not enemies, but allies in their

Col Muhammad Ata-Ullah

common war against the Germans. Many Poles were already fighting on the front. It was decided that the Poles now in Soviet Central Asia will be brought to the Middle East and formed into new armies to reinforce us. But many problems intervene.

The distances are long; communications are primitive. So this Polish evacuation will be a lot of fuss and bother; it is going to be the devil. This new war was going to be fought on the southwest corner of the Caspian Sea. This is the port of Pahlevi, two hundred miles from Teheran on a dirt road. The Russians will bring the Poles by railroad to the port of Krasnovodsk, and then across the Caspian to Pahlevi. On landing at Pahlevi, [they will] become British responsibility. The main supply centers are a long way off in Iraq, from which Pahlevi is a difficult sixteen-day round trip. British organizers must quickly move the Poles back nearer to our supply centers. Too many must not accumulate at Pahlevi, though the British Army must be ready to deal with any hold-ups.”

Col Ata-Ullah Sahib recalls: “Each of those present in conference was told his responsibility in detail. I was alternately fascinated and frightened.

I felt I was a piece in a human jigsaw puzzle, and that if I made any mistake the thing would no longer fit. This was my first important assignment since getting unexpected promotion from major to lieutenant colonel, and I was as worried as an unprepared student at his final examination. But there was a heartening note of confidence in the general’s tone; he seemed to have thought of everything.

The important question about Pole-Evac was this: What would be the peak number of Poles in Pahlevi at any one time? This depended on how fast the Russians brought them, and how fast our transport moved them to the rear areas. On both these points there was some uncertainty.

The road out of Pahlevi was a narrow dirt track, and no one knew how it would stand up to heavy traffic or bad weather.

We had about a hundred lorries, and for the distances involved, these would take away about two thousand Poles a day, when things went well. The Russians had said that once the evacuation began, about five thousand Poles would land every day. Fortunately, this was considered impossible by our intelligence staff.

“There was only a single-track, lowcapacity railroad into Krasnovodsk. The

11

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM Soviet merchant fleet on the Caspian Sea was small and even with the whole of it on the Pahlevi-Krasnovodsk run, the Russians could not carry more than a quarter of the numbers they had promised.

This was a great relief, since otherwise the bottleneck out of Pahlevi would inevitably lead us into rapid chaos. Soon General Lane was addressing me: ‘Ata-Ullah, the medical side will be your responsibility, and you will be hard pressed. Our medical services are badly stretched out in the battle areas of the Western Desert. I can get you no reinforcements. Do the best with what you have already got.’ ‘Can I at least hope, sir, that all these Poles will generally be in good health?’ was my embarrassed comment. ‘I am afraid I cannot be definite’, replied the general. ‘We did ask the Russians about their health, but we got no reply. Like millions of others in Russia, these Poles have probably been getting insufficient food. The possible effect on their health you can judge for yourself. There are vague reports of some typhus fever, though presumably no one will travel while actively suffering from such a disease.’

“I was asked about my existing resources, and it was agreed that they

with no effective cure. It is an ever-present danger when overcrowded people do not have enough clothing and lack washing and bathing facilities. It is very infectious, and once out of hand it spreads like a prairie fire, often decimating entire populations.

It is carried from person to person by lice, which, under such conditions, grow by the million in the clothes and hair of helpless, unwilling human hosts.

“If the Poles did bring in typhus, our most desperate need would be to get rid of their lice at once. This was before the days of DDT and I wanted to give a pair of hair clippers to each arriving family and request them to put these to vigorous use.

But unfortunately, the combined efforts of the regiment did not buy us more than one per cent of our needs. Having cleared Teheran of hair clippers, we proceeded to the British Embassy. The pass from the Russians had not arrived, so I was told to go on without the pass. The Russians assured us that their commanders on the route had orders to let us go to Pahlevi. I did not like this much. However, this was not the case as we travelled to our destination.

“My first sight of Pahlevi was depressing; it was even smaller and more ramshackle than I had imagined. The one

were small. Including me, we had nine doctors; our enlisted men were mostly litter bearers. As the normal function of my regiment was only to give first aid or emergency treatment, we were not equipped or staffed to take continuous care of patients. At Pahlevi we would need a hospital, and until one could be brought up, I asked for more doctors. My plea was brushed aside with a courteous smile. ‘I know all that’’ said the general.

‘You may expect more medical supplies shortly, and in the meantime I give you unlimited authority to buy anything you want urgently and can find in Teheran and Pahlevi. Use local resources; improvise; but do not waste your breath in asking for more doctors. War is war.’

“By noon on the following day, I was ready to leave for Pahlevi with Maula Bux and Shambhu Ram, my personal driver.

The rest of the regiment would move up later. On the way, I had to pick up, at the British Embassy, a permit for travel into the zone of Russian occupation. Also, I wanted to use the authority given to me

by General Lane to buy ten thousand hair clippers. What worried me most about Pole-Evac was typhus, a dreaded disease

thing of significance that we saw as we drove in was a small walled-in factory called Iranryba, widely known for its good caviar.

“I met the local Russian commander, Major Kadimoff, who knew of the Polish evacuation, and I briefly explained my own place in it. ‘My resources are very limited’, I said, ‘and you and the Persian medical people must help in every possible way. This is a common problem, not only for humanitarian reasons, but also because none of us can afford an epidemic.’

“But the whole Russian side was providing me one Persian doctor. I was trembling. Even he had been rushed to Pahlevi in a hurry with only a vague idea of what he was to do. Finding a sympathetic professional colleague, he readily unburdened his woes. ‘I have been given no staff ’, he explained bitterly, ‘so what can I do here anyway?’ ‘Nothing’, I agreed. I then suggested that he pool his resources with mine, and let me take over the local hospital. ‘Gladly’, he said. ‘Perhaps I will then be allowed to go back.’

“The hospital was a small well-built place, with room for about twenty patients.

It was surrounded by spacious open lawns.

But there were no patients, no equipment, no staff. The Persian doctor was glad to give me immediate possession of the empty hospital, and also of the open lawns as a campsite for my medical regiment.

We then went around the whole town, but found little of any use either for love or money. My only luck was to find two establishments with running hot water, and I eagerly signed them up for exclusive use during the Polish evacuation. One was the small solitary Turkish bath of the town, and the other was the shower room of the caviar factory. Apart from some office rooms no buildings were available.

The arriving refugees would have to stay on the open beaches until they could move out.

“Three days later, late at night, I received a message from Kadimoff that the first shipload of Polish refugees was due at Pahlevi at dawn. About an hour before its expected arrival, I walked down to the jetty where she was to berth. The jetty was without any shelter; it was only a paved, open space with some wet wooden benches here and there. I walked over to the corner where my medical regiment had set up a first-aid post to take care of anyone who might have fallen ill on the voyage from Krasnovodsk. Someone spread out a blanket on one of the benches and invited me to sit down. A few minutes later, a thickset figure wrapped in a greatcoat appeared out of the mist and came in my direction. This was Ross. He joined me on the bench. ‘I have good news for you’, he said. ‘The chief of the Polish medical services is on board this ship. His name is General Szarecki. I knew him well when I was in Warsaw, where he had a great reputation. He is sure to be bringing many doctors and other medical staff with him, and we can let them take care of their own sick. They will need your advice on local conditions and your help in emergencies; but generally you should have an easy time’. ‘That is good’, I replied. ‘I feel much relieved. Do we know now how many refugees will come in today, and how many of them will need urgent medical care?’

‘No, we can’t be sure of anything until they are here. We have scanty information, as the Russians have chosen to tell us little.

But we shall know as soon as the first Poles come in.’

“Suddenly I felt a peculiar unpleasant smell in the air. Ross sniffed and agreed.

I tried hard to place the smell, but could not put a name to it. To catch it better, I turned in the direction of the splash, which had seemed somewhere in the swamp. But I found that the smell was coming from the opposite side, from the direction of the open sea. I walked over to the first-aid post. ‘What is this bad smell?’

I asked. ‘Are there any foul sweaty clothes lying about? We must do something about it at once. We must find where this smell comes from.’ ‘That’s what we have been asking ourselves,’ replied one of the soldiers. ‘It seems like a putrefied dead body.’ ‘More like the stink from a bad latrine’, suggested another. The smell was increasing. It seemed to be a mixture of many different odors, all intensely foul.

Soon it had become unbearable. Someone suddenly announced that the Russian ship

was in the harbour and would be coming alongside any moment.

“By now, a few other persons had also arrived at the jetty: Kadimoff as the guardian of law and order; the Persian doctor to see that none of the refugees brought in infectious disease; some Polish officers to welcome their compatriots; a representative of the American Red Cross; some officers and men of Ross’ staff.

“Everyone was holding their nose against the foul smell. Suddenly it overpowered me. I felt a writhing upheaval in my stomach and my legs began quivering from weakness. I was just able to reach a corner of the first-aid post, where I vomited violently. I was brought round from my misery by a loud chinking of chains and looking up in the bleak light of that misty dawn, I saw that the dimly lighted ship was alongside. It was a tanker.

Its open top deck and all other space were packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder with hardly any room to move.

They were mostly men, but there were women and children too and babies in arms.

“Their clothes were tattered, their shoulders drooping, their heads bowed, their ashen faces shriveled, drawn and silent; they were the picture of utter and abject misery. I do not know what I had expected, but I was aghast at that sight.

Here was the source of those foul and revolting odors which had puzzled us.

Here was a mass of humanity, filthy, diseased, exhausted, utterly broken.

Someone tried to raise a cheer in welcome, but it only sounded a discordant note in that atmosphere of stark tragedy.

“There was not even a feeble response from the exhausted multitude on the ship. Their lusterless eyes in their sunken sockets looked at us without any show of interest. I felt like a dumb, helpless, weary spectator at a funeral who wants to run away, but does not have the courage to defy appearances. I tried to withdraw myself from those unbearable sights and smells, and to think of other things. But one thought returned again and again to my mind: my own immediate responsibility toward these people.

“My medical regiment had been sent to Pahlevi to look after them. I had been anxious to find out how many sick persons we would have to care for, and so far I had got no reliable information. Now the plain, unmistakable answer was staring me in the face. Every one of these refugees was sick, in mind and in body. Every one of them would need prolonged medical care. If this shipload was a sample of what was to follow, it was quite beyond the worst that I had expected. We would be overwhelmed. “‘This is terrible’, I heard Ross say softly at my side. ‘I do not know how you are going to cope with it.’ ‘Nor do I’, was my despairing reply. ‘The second ship is due in a few hours’ he went on, ‘and the Russians want the first one emptied quickly. We must make some immediate plans to deal with the situation.’ ‘Yes, we must I agreed.

Give me half an hour to recover from this shock, and to think things out. After that let us meet with Szarecki and get all the details. I greatly fear that we have a serious epidemic on our hands.’

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

12 “I walked back to the grounds of the small local hospital where my medical regiment was in camp. It was a relief merely to get away from the close neighborhood of the ship, though there was no escape from that foul smell, which was now everywhere. As soon as I entered my tent, I felt an irresistible desire to scrub and wash myself. And then for my pent-up fears and anxieties, I sought comfort in a long and anguished prayer.

“General Szarecki soon confirmed my worst fears. ‘We had epidemics of typhus and dysentery at all the camps at which we have stayed’, he told us. ‘We have suffered these epidemics for the past four or five months. Conditions were such that we were able to do nothing to stop them.’ My heart sank as I asked him the questions uppermost in my mind: ‘But I hope you have left behind those who were suffering from such diseases at the moment. The Persians would not like any epidemics introduced into their country.’ ‘I am afraid it was impossible to leave anyone behind’, answered Szarecki in a melancholy voice.

‘We had to bring out everyone, young or old, sick or well. The Russians insisted on that. As for us Poles ourselves, it was clearly now or never; and none of us was willing to remain behind. This is like the exodus of Israel from Egypt. We decided not to leave behind even women in childbirth, even men on their deathbeds. Everyone had to move with his group.’

“Szarecki then told us of the tortures suffered on the journey. It was generally known that conditions in the Polish camps inside Russia had always been bad. That matters became worse when the most productive parts of the country were overrun by the advancing German armies was understandable. But I found the inhuman story of that journey out of the Soviet Union, as now related by Szarecki, cruel and grim beyond belief.

“The first part of the journey was by railroad. For this we had open cattle trucks, where everyone was given standing room only. The trucks were packed until there was no room to move. Personal belongings were not allowed beyond what could be carried by hand. Food, water and toilet arrangements were almost nonexistent, even though in some cases the train journey lasted over two days. Many had to go on board this tanker straight from the cattle trucks, with no chance for any rest, wash or sleep.

“The sea journey was a never-to-beforgotten nightmare. Here again there was no more than standing room, but as we were packed more tightly, the feeling of being strangled and suffocated was worse than in those cattle trucks. Many were continuously seasick; and they could do nothing but vomit where they stood.

Those who had the strength and the will to struggle got to the edge of the deck to answer the calls of nature, but few had that much strength. In that worse than animal existence, it was impossible to keep up human decencies and soon the place was solid with urine, faeces and vomit. Many found the stink of filth and the stench of disease unbearable and fainted. At least they found temporary deliverance, though it was impossible to do anything for them.

“They stayed where they were, often held up in their sagging unconscious state by the pressure of human bodies around them. Eighty out of every hundred are so ill that they need long hospital care.

And there are many emergencies. Two women have had abortions, one has given birth to a living baby during the journey.

There were two deaths from typhus, and about ten persons seem too far gone to be saved unless you can do something for them quickly. Ship after ship is to follow us, until two hundred thousand Poles are landed in Pahlevi. They will all be in the same condition.

“My heart sank at this fearsome responsibility and I did not even know where to begin. But I knew there was no escape. The urgent need was to stop the epidemic by isolating all the Poles until they could be examined one by one. Szarecki confirmed my worst fears: that everyone was infested with lice, both on their bodies and in their clothes. We would have to get them clean and into new clothes. What they wore now were mere rags; these must immediately be burned. Fortunately, Ross had good supplies of soldiers’ uniforms and blankets. With good discipline and a twenty-four-hour working day at the Turkish bath and the factory shower room, we might avert a bad disaster. ‘How about the seriously ill?’ asked Ross, putting into words the question that I was dreading. I felt like a criminal, but I could give only one answer. ‘Many patients were brought to hospital straight from the jetty’ I explained. ‘More followed soon afterward.

When the beds were gone, we put them on litters in the corridors. When the corridors were full, we moved the Indian soldiers out of their tents and turned the tents into wards. Even they are full. We have now closed the hospital to everyone.’ ‘Even to a person on the point of death?’ asked Ross incredulously. ‘Yes’, I said sorrowfully. ‘But in a day or two, when General Szarecki has reinforced us by his available doctors and nurses, things may be better. Even then we must select the patients whom we can hope to really help.’

“The fact was that we had to set up priorities, and those beyond help had to be allowed to die peacefully in some corner of the beach. I remember few details of the next twenty-four hours. For the whole of that period, every officer and man of the medical regiment was continuously on his feet, continuously at work. Until the arrival of the first Polish ship, typhus had been primarily a name to most of us. Neither I,

nor any of the other doctors at Pahlevi, had seen more than an occasional case of the disease, and then always in the organised safety of special infectious-disease wards.

I now recalled my first contact with typhus as a medical student and found myself gripped with fear. I had read up on the disease again, but the latest literature also showed frightening gaps in the scientific understanding of the disease. It could take different forms with many variations in signs and symptoms. It could catch you suddenly, but it could equally creep up on you insidiously from minor beginnings.

A harmless itch, a pain or ache anywhere in the body, the mildest fever or cold and your imagination ran wild with fear if typhus was about. No cure was known. All that the doctors could do was to deaden the sufferings and the pains while the disease ran its unyielding, unpredictable course. By the time of Pahlevi, however, a preventive vaccine had been produced which was believed to confer a useful though not a high degree of immunity.

Unfortunately, our supplies were small.

After Ross and the key members of his staff had received their injections, there was only enough for about a quarter of the personnel of the medical regiment.

“I discussed this at an officers’ meeting and invited views on who in the regiment would run the greater risks. There was no agreement. This was not surprising, and since all of us would be in great enough peril there seemed little point in making fine distinctions. So the sickening, agonising decision about who would receive that injection and who would go without it was left to me. My own mind was quickly made up and I gave necessary instructions: ‘Act on first come, first served, or draw lots if you wish.’

“Szarecki, it soon became clear, would not be able to reinforce us much. He sent us a few doctors and nurses, but they were semi-invalids themselves. They would be part patients and part staff and I invited them to decide for themselves how they could best serve their sicker countrymen.

That the medical regiment would carry the burden practically unaided in that crucial early stage was doubly sad; it dimmed my hopes for a quick stop to the epidemic; it lessened the chance of succor for those already in the grip of the plague.

“I felt cornered, trapped and desperate.

And then, suddenly, a merciful providence blanked out Pahlevi from my mind, and I was deep in the vivid recollection of the scene that had taken place six months ago

at the railroad station of Qadian. Father seemed to be again with me, holding me in his loose embrace. I was bending low for his kiss; he was telling me that God never turns down a cry in distress. Surging through my mind was that familiar passage from the Holy Book: ‘When My servants ask about Me, tell them that I am always near. I answer the supplicant whenever he calls Me, only let him do My bidding and have faith in Me, so that he may be rightly guided.’

“Father had a simple philosophy about the place of prayer in the scheme of things.

‘Do you want to know’ he would ask, ‘how quickly God’s love responds to prayer?

Then let a mother tell you how fast rises the milk in her breasts when her helpless infant utters a hungry cry. No genuine prayer is fruitless, though for our own good the result is often different from our wishes. Beware of being like a child who doubts his mother’s love when she holds him from the irresistible lure of the flame.’ “‘There are laws of nature made immutable by divine will, but within their scope prayer can work miracles. You will ask in vain for the dead to be returned to life, but prayer may so tame the winds and waves that their own murderous fury deposits you on the shore. What you get from prayer will depend on what you take to it. Offer humility and you will find strength; offer grief and you will find solace. It will bring you peace instead of vanity in worldly gains. At best it will lift you beyond the stars in the skies, and always it will sustain the sanity of your spirits. In your greatest trials, pray and you will find sources of inner strength that you had not even dreamed of before.’

“Amidst the woes of Pahlevi, the memory of that farewell scene came to me like a breath of fresh life. One instant I was baffled, desperately agitated; the next my mind was cool, my spirits calm and peaceful. No longer did I feel paralyzed and crushed. What if it seemed beyond my resources to control things properly? That was no reason why I should not meet the challenge to the utmost of my ability.

“By early afternoon, order began to replace the chaos both in my surroundings and in my inner self. The few hours that had passed since that grim arrival of the tanker at dawn seemed like days. All that I had heard and seen in the meantime had confirmed my first tragic assessment.

“The medical regiment threw itself into the work wholeheartedly and by evening, a pattern had been set which continued uninterruptedly on the beaches and streets of Pahlevi for over a fortnight. The plan was simple. Immediately on landing, all the refugees were escorted to a special ‘dirty’ camp on the beach. They were guarded like prisoners and forbidden to go out until they had been through the cleansing process. For this we took the women and children to the Turkish bath and sent the men to the shower room of the caviar factory. Their rags were taken away and burnt, they were shorn of their hair and rid of their lice, their dirty bodies were soaked and scrubbed clean.

Each person was given new blankets and a soldier’s uniform and sent back to the beach to another camp. This was the ‘clean’

13

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM camp, and here in greater liberty he waited his turn to leave Pahlevi.

“Under normal conditions we should have gone further and kept the inmates of the ‘clean’ camp also under guard for another ten days. Many might be incubating the disease without outward signs of it. But I decided not to attempt the impossible, and to concentrate all resources where they would be most effective. In the early stages, we had to forget those incubating the disease, just as we had temporarily steeled our hearts against those who were too ill.

“Many times during that day, I made the rounds of the main scenes of activity, cheering and praising and comforting and exhorting; giving a symbolic helping hand in one place and in another ordering off duty those about to drop from fatigue.

Ross and his staff worked wonders in their own field. In the evening I went over to see him and to compare notes, and then together we walked over to see Kadimoff.

“For ten long days and nights, the Poles poured into Pahlevi like a flood.

How many were to come on any particular day was never known beforehand. One day only a hundred; on the next, many thousands. There was a merciful day when no ship came at all, but there was another, which, even though years have gone by, I still recall with a shudder. On this tragic day, twelve thousand human wrecks were flung ashore. The flimsy organisation of the medical regiment broke down and Pahlevi became a seething chaos for twenty-four hours. But powerfully aided by many of the Poles who had arrived earlier and whose gallant spirits now gloriously burst out of the limitations of their sick bodies, we were soon in control again.

“General Lane had talked of two hundred thousand Poles in Soviet Central Asia. The senior Polish officers in Pahlevi said that there were many more. But to our great surprise, on the tenth day of the evacuation Kadimoff announced that it was at an end. Only forty-three thousand Poles had reached us so far.

“This caused consternation among the Poles, though my own first feeling was of great relief. Transport out of Pahlevi had been slow; thirty thousand Poles were still on our hands. Our ‘dirty’ camp was hopelessly congested. Even with no more arrivals it would be another week before everyone could be given his first hot bath in two years and put into clean clothes. To our sorrow and shame, the sick had been badly neglected. Many had died on the beaches and on the road during their first day’s journey out of Pahlevi without being seen by a doctor.

“But at last the worst was over; we were over the hump.

“Soon we turned our attention to organising and expanding the hospital.

Additional equipment and supplies were now reaching us from Baghdad and we were getting increasing help from the refugee doctors and nurses. Once again we had a few empty beds. Everyone was greatly relieved; but most of all, the officers and men of the medical regiment. We found ourselves caring for our patients with a deeper tenderness, perhaps in unconscious atonement for having

neglected them so far.

“But our resources remained limited, and we made this clear in the notice we now put up at the hospital gate. In large bold letters this was our new announcement: THIS HOSPITAL IS NOT FOR THE SICK. Tucked away underneath in small inconspicuous type was the addition, ‘It is only for the very sick.’

“Soon there was news of high-level negotiations with the Russians for repatriation of the Poles still remaining in Central Asia. Then we heard of an agreement that another hundred thousand Poles would come out to Pahlevi ‘as soon as possible.’ This from the Russians, hard pressed by the Germans as they were at the time, could mean a month, a year or never. And in the meantime the medical regiment was ordered to stay at Pahlevi and wait for the second evacuation.

“Through all those months at Pahlevi there was one predominant mood and at the back of my mind, there was one constant question. The mood was a great thankfulness; my regiment had done their duty to the typhus-ridden Poles and yet not one had fallen victim to the disease. The question that clamored for an answer was the obvious one: was our savior the blind million-to-one chance, or was my father right and had God heard my cry in distress?

Yet I can attempt no answer. We had taken all possible care, but in the conditions at Pahlevi, not much care was possible. We did succeed in preventing a bad epidemic, but unlike us, many Persians who had less contact with the Poles got typhus and died of it. Perhaps we were more efficient than I had thought. Perhaps I had been unduly scared and had overestimated the risk.

Maybe our good army health had given us immunity. Perhaps it was not a miracle, only a miraculous coincidence.

“I remember arguing with my father once about a similar experience of his own: the cure of a young boy named Karim from the invariably fatal hydrophobia of dog bite. I was at college at the time, captivated body and soul by the beauty, the rigor and the remorseless logic of the scientific method. I was intolerant about accepting anything as true until proved in the same mathematical manner. ‘That God listens to us, that He loves us, may well be true, father,’ I had said, ‘but where is the rigorous proof?’ ‘You mean in the sense in which two and two make four?’

‘Exactly’, I replied. ‘In that sense there is no proof. But tell me, do you believe in your parents’ love for you?’ ‘Of course, yes.

What a question to ask.’ ‘But judged by the scientific method, what is the foundation for your belief in our love? We have given you much, but we have also denied your wishes, and even punished you at times.

By the impersonal standards of science everything could have happened to you just the same in a commercial orphanage.’

‘Oh, no’, shouted my heart deep down.

Outwardly I remained silent, baffled by the dilemma. For against all logic, the unproven love of my parents meant all the world to me. And despite all logic I did not much care if two and two made four or made five.” (Taken from Citizens of Two Worlds, Mohammad Ata-Ullah, pp. 82109)

100 Years Ago...

American newspapers reports on arrival of Mufti Sadiq Al Fazl, 26 April 1920 Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra One of the benefits that became manifest after being stranded on the shore for a few days, before I officially entered the country is that without any effort on my part and without spending a dime, my portraits and accounts of the Jamaat have been published in the most prominent and famous newspapers over here. These papers are printed in their millions.

By 14 March 1920, 14 articles have been published in various newspapers and four times, my photographs have been printed. There are some details in these articles that are present in almost all of them. Thus, I shall briefly translate them as a whole: “The American ship [SS] Haverford arrived in Philadelphia on the evening of 15 February [1920].

There were many Chinese people on board, who were dropped off at Halifax and from there, the ship came here. The ocean was mostly windy and stormy. There were some army captains and other officers as well, but the most notable passenger of this ship is Mr Mufti Muhammad Sadiq. He is a preacher of a reformed sect of Islam called Ahmadiyya and he has come to this country alone to convert America to Islam. He has great faith in the truth of his beliefs. The centre of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat is Qadian, which is located in district Gurdaspur of the province of Punjab, India ... The name of the present Imam of Ahmadiyya is Mahmud.

“Prophet Ahmad claimed that he was the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi. He made many prophecies that were fulfilled.

One of them was about the last war and the destruction [of the] Russian Tsar,

which was published many years before the start of the war. The people of this sect do not believe in jihad. They believe that the truth of a religion should be proven with the help of reasonable arguments and signs. There are about 600,000 Ahmadis in India and other countries.

“Mr Sadiq has been working for the Ahmadiyya Mission in London for the

past three years and converted a large number of English men and women to Islam. He wears a green turban on his head and a brown suit. The style of his coat is not English, but rather a unique kind of his own. He speaks very fluent English in a scholarly tone. His general knowledge is extensive and he knows seven languages.

He has received numerous diplomas and degrees from London’s colleges and Continued on next page >>

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

14

Atheism on Trial

New Atheism: Blind faith and a shadow universe Part I Sabahat Ali Rajput Missionary, Mexico

“Faith, unsupported by evidence, is a lethal weapon.” (Richard Dawkins) “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” (Helen Keller) Sweeping allegations have been levelled against Islam that it commands its followers to adopt such beliefs as have no empirical, rational or otherwise reasonable bases. Prof Dawkins, in his best-selling book, The God Delusion, writes: “An atheist … is somebody who believes there is nothing beyond the natural, physical world.” (Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, p. 15, Bantam Press [2006]) Amazingly, New Atheists have become so engrossed in their opposition to “blind faith” that they fail to see that science is one of the greatest proponents of

<< Continued from previous page

academic societies. Initially, he plans to establish his headquarters in New York and then he will give lectures across the country. Philadelphia will be included in the circle of these lectures.

“A strange thing about their beliefs is that they do not believe Jesus Christ to be alive and his [physical] ascension towards the heavens. They believe that he died, not on the cross, but was taken down from the cross in a state of unconsciousness and then went to Kashmir after recovering from his wounds. At that time, Jews used to live there. There, he died a natural death.

His grave is still in the city of Srinagar, which is confirmed by the traditions and history of the country of Kashmir.

“Mr Sadiq was barred from entering the country by immigration inspectors because he did not have certain documents and for being a preacher of a religion that allows polygamy. However, he did not accept the inspectors’ decision and appealed to the secretary of state. He has been placed at the immigration station pending an appeal.”

These were common details. Now, I will present those phrases as a sample that some newspapers have written separately: 1. Philadelphia Record, dated 22 February 1920: “Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib has been stopped because he came from a country where a person cannot come to work in this country according

believing in the unseen, i.e. things beyond the physical and the tangible. In fact, scientific enquiry demands it at nearly every level of investigation.

So, what does Islam mean when it invites us to believe in the unseen? The fact is that Islam categorically rejects blind faith without supporting arguments or empirical proofs.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra explains: “The word [ghaa‘ib] used in the Quran does not mean, as assumed by some hostile critics, imaginary and unreal things, but real and verified things, though unseen (see Ch.49: V.19; Ch.32: V.7). It is, therefore, wrong to suppose … that Islam forces upon its followers some mysteries of faith and invites them to believe in them blindly.”

He goes on to expound the actual word used in the Holy Quran: “The word ghaa‘ib, as stated above, means things which, though beyond

the comprehension of human senses, can nevertheless be proven by reason or experience. The super-sensible need not necessarily be irrational. Nothing of ‘the unseen’, which a Muslim is called upon to believe, is outside the scope of reason.”

(The English 5-Volume Commentary, Vol. 1, pp. 32-33) Elaborating the nature of the unseen in relation to different points in time, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh explains: “All hidden knowledge of perceivable

to the law of interior. However, preachers, professors and doctors are allowed. The departmental officers in the Washington will now decide whether Mufti Muhammad Sadiq can be included in the exemption.” (Washington is the capital of this country, where the president and his secretary reside.)

2. Public Record, dated 10 February 1920: “Authorities have sent a telegram to Hindustan, enquiring if Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib has one or more wives. After the reply comes from there, it will be decided if he can work here [or not].

Being stopped like this is annoying for him. However, in and around his house, he has made a lot of friends and everyone praises him for being an intellectual and good-natured man.”

3. North American newspaper, dated 7 March 1920: “Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib, an Ahmadi preacher, whose picture is being published here is stuck thus far.

The last letter of his name is ‘Q’ and not ‘G’ as some newspapers have written. Also, he is not a Hindu. Indeed, he is a Muslim who belongs to India. In India, Muslims are not called Hindus. ‘Sadiq’ means righteous.

There is nothing wrong with his passport, but he does not have a written certificate from his missionary body, which is required in this country. He claims that he does not work on his own, but rather the organisation of his Jamaat pays all his expenses. After working in London for almost three years, he has handed over

that work to two other missionaries. Their names are Mr Sayal and Mr Nayyar. He has a wife and four children. They live in India.”

4. Bulletin, dated 19 February 1920: “Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, a missionary of a reformed Islam called Ahmadiyya, has travelled thousands of miles all alone to reach the shores of America with the aim of converting this country to Islam.

Having a beautiful face and wearing a green turban and a long coat, he intends to promulgate Ahmadiyyat in this country and then return to India via Arabia. He is a member of a committee of translators of the significant translation of the Holy Quran, which is being published in India.”

5. Evening Bulletin, 17 February 1920: “This Muhammad wants our country to become a follower of the new Muhammadan sect.”

6. Public Ledger, 17 February 1920: “Mufti Muhammad Sadiq is the most prominent of [SS] Haverford passengers, who converts the disbelievers to Islam.

His church [sect] is a reformed church.

His appearance and dress show that he is a learned man. He did not bring a sword, rather he brought arguments. According to their religion, the door to revelation is always open and obedience to the government is the duty of every person.”

7. Newspaper, The Press, dated 19 February 1920: “The handsome chief missionary of Ahmadis, Sadiq has been stopped by the authorities but he is hopeful

that he will convert America to Islam. His photo is published in this newspaper.

The obstacles here did not put Sadiq in despair. In fact, he is full of faith and belief. Prophet Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, competed with Dowie, the American claimant of prophethood, in prayer [duel]. After that, Dowie died with humiliation and his legacy perished.

Mr Sadiq speaks scholarly English and is an experienced and courageous person.

His words are very precise and serious.

The movement of his hands emphasises the meaning of his words. Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya sect, was a Muslim, a follower of the Holy Quran, a true admirer of Muhammadand a reviver and reformer of Islam.”

At present, my address for correspondence will be: C/O Mr Rosanthall, 65 W 116 Street, New York (US America) There is a separate address for telegrams. It has been sent to the office of Ishaat. The stamp on the letter from India to America costs two and a half annas [a unit of currency formerly used in the subcontinent, equal to 1/16 of a rupee] and the postcard stamp costs one anna.

Thus far, I have not been allowed to enter the country and I request prayers from members of the Jamaat.

Muhammad Sadiq America, 17 March 1920

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM things, whether it pertains to the past, the present or the future, lies within the scope of this category. In other words, we are required to believe in the existence of things which are not known at a given point in time but do exist and may become known at another point in time.

This belief cannot be dubbed as blind faith. The Quran does not require the believers to have faith in anything which is not supported by irrefutable arguments.

“Hence, the unseen covers only such things as may become accessible through the instruments of reason, rationality and deductive logic. The point to be noted here is that the unseen as defined, though not directly perceivable by the senses, is yet verifiable. The rationale of this Quranic injunction is fully supported by human experience.

(Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, pp. 272-273) Science is sightless without blind faith Brian Greene, a well-known physicist and author of both The Elegant Universe and Fabric of the Cosmos, observes that “exploring the unknown requires tolerating uncertainty.”

Just because a realm of knowledge cannot be directly observed does not nullify grounds for belief in it. The intellect of man is but finite; it was never meant to grasp and comprehend infinities in their entirety. The physical, intellectual and indeed neurological faculties of man are so restricted, that, for instance, even micro-organisms are invisible to him without the aid of technology.

As Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra observes: “There are many things in the world which, though unseen, are yet proven to exist by invincible arguments and nobody can deny their existence. God cannot be perceived by the physical senses.” (The English 5-Volume Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 33) The mystery of dark matter lights up the way Despite the stunning scientific advancements of the 21st century, even the most decorated scientists at NASA know that there is quite possibly – what they refer to – as a “shadow universe”, which they are seeking earnestly. (“The First Glimpse of the Shadow Universe Around Us”, National Geographic, January 2015) It is established that everything that has been directly observed using the most highly developed space-exploration technology comprises only 5% of the observable universe. Yet, not one scientist in this field can deny the existence of what remains to be directly observed.

Otherwise, there would be no motivation to investigate something that one knows is not there. Still, it is central to the scientific method that reasonable evidence by way of deduction also warrants an unbiased investigation.

According to the leading experts at the CERN in Switzerland paired with the University of Stanford: “The invisible majority [of the universe] consists of 27 percent dark

matter and 68 percent dark energy. Both of them are mysteries. Dark matter is thought to be responsible for sculpting the glowing sheets and tendrils of galaxies that make up the large-scale structure of the universe – yet nobody knows what it is. Dark energy is even more mysterious; the term, coined to denote whatever is accelerating the rate at which the cosmos expands, has been called a ‘general label for what we do not know about the largescale properties of our universe.’ “…Theorists working in what is called supersymmetric quantum physics have conjured up lots of unobserved varieties of matter, one or more of which might turn out to be dark matter.

“Dark matter’s aloofness makes it challenging for experimenters to catch – even if, as some scientists estimate, dark matter particles are so commonplace that billions of them pass through every human being every second.” (Ibid) Since the 1930s, colossal efforts and resources have been consumed in trying to understand the phenomenon of dark matter, a particularly subtle and elusive energy source, which scientists know is there, but cannot produce tangible or empirical evidence for it. Yet, scientists are ecstatic to discover more about it, always hoping that fine-tuning their machinery, investing more time, capital and greater brainpower in thought and reflection will reap promising results.

Professor Risa Wechsler of Stanford University is an astronomically seasoned scientist and exorbitantly accomplished astrophysicist. She is Director at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology and an Elected Fellow to the American Physical Society. Just two months ago, during her TED Talk, she began her explanation of dark matter in the following words: “One of the strangest things we have learned is that most of the material in the universe is made of something entirely different than you and me. But without it, the universe as we know it wouldn’t exist.

Everything we can see with telescopes makes up just about 15% of the total mass in the universe. Everything else – 85% of it – doesn’t emit or absorb light. We can’t see it with our eyes. We can’t detect it with radio waves or microwaves or any other kind of light. But we know it is there because of its influence on what we can see.” (The search for dark matter and what we’ve found so far, Ted via YouTube, retrieved 21 April 2020) Dark matter, as defined by NASA, is so shrouded in mystery, that astronomers know little to nothing about it.

More is unknown than is known.

We know how much dark energy there is because we know how it affects the universe’s expansion. Other than that, it is a complete mystery. But it is an important mystery. It turns out that roughly 68% of the universe is dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 27%. The rest - everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter – adds up to less than 5% of the universe.

Come to think of it, maybe it shouldn’t

be called “normal” matter at all, since it is such a small fraction of the universe. (“Dark Energy, Dark matter.” NASA. Accessed December 2018) Evidently, dark matter is something that, despite the best efforts of the world’s greatest scientific minds and the most advanced technologies, is far from directly observable, and its investigation requires us to invest multitudes of resources, combined with decades of patience, hope, and hard work. It needs to be observed indirectly, through its interaction with what is known: gravity.

And even gravity – the basis from which the existence of dark matter is recognised – is not directly observable but is known by its effect and influence on mass and vice-versa. This furnishes compelling evidence that the greater and more powerful a force, the more evasive it is. The more profound its effect is on the universe, the more subtle it is – hence, why something as substantial as dark matter and as ambiguous as Dark Energy must be observed by their respective effects on other things.

Entire chains of non-physical, intangible forces exist and no one so much as flinches at the fact that they are not directly observable. Imagine – gravity

is not directly observable but is known by its complex and subtle effect on things, yet dark matter is known by its even more elusive and undetectable interaction with the ghost of gravity – and this is perfectly scientific.

One is astonished at the criticisms levelled against Islam’s invitation to believe in all those things which are not directly observable by the naked eye. Even today, every single fair-minded atheist believes in the unseen with a conviction and certainty that he does not even realise he has. The mystery of dark matter has forced scientists to elasticise the extremities of their belief in the unseen to unprecedented levels. In doing so, they have reached unequalled frontiers of discovery and insight, proving the genius behind the Holy Quran’s invitation to always believe in the unseen.

The unknown always is gleaned by what is known The University of Harvard’s Chandra Observatory describes dark matter as the following: “Although it cannot be observed directly, dark matter does interact via gravity … Capitalising on this interaction, astronomers have studied the effects of

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

16 dark matter using a variety of techniques …”

When something cannot be observed directly by the human faculties, it is observed through its interaction with what is known and perceivable. This is the only logical and practical way to understand the unknown. Even still, the New Atheists are not willing to study God by way of His interaction with what is known. And yet, when gravity, which itself is a scarcely understood concept, is seen reacting to a totally invisible force (dark matter), no one hesitates to acknowledge the existence of this invisible force.

In fact, scientists immediately prepare to (quite literally) study it to the ends of the cosmos, calling it “the force behind the expansion of the universe”, and this is considered science at its best. Yet, according to New Atheists, when a “force” literally articulates countless verities and sublime realities of astrophysics, geology, biology, evolution, psychology, law, totally unforeseeable future events and so much more, to an unlettered man 1400 years ago in a desert, this “interaction” between man and this invisible force does not warrant an investigation. At what point does it remain scientific to have such vacuum blind faith?

The knowledge vouchsafed to Muhammadsa warrants investigation Scientists know that the universe is expanding and they have named the “energy” that goes on expanding it, “Dark Energy,” despite not being able to see it. All they see is that the universe is progressing outward. The discovery of the expansion of the universe is among the single most significant scientific milestones of our time.

According to A History of Science: “The recognition that the universe is expanding is one of the greatest ever discoveries in Cosmology. It is generally acknowledged that modern Cosmology is crucially founded on this discovery, which … served as cosmologies main observational basis.” (“Who Discovered the Expanding Universe?” History of Science [Journal]. Accessed 22 April 2020) If a man who lived in 7th century Arabia, a thousand years before the first recorded patent of any telescope, who could not read or write, pronouncedly declared before the world that the universe is expanding and that there is an extremely subtle and physically imperceptible force going on expanding it, it would take entire galaxies of bias to ignore such an earthshattering revelation.

Amazingly, this concept of the expansion of the universe has already been laid out in the Holy Quran 1400 years ago and God Himself states that He is the force behind both the creation of the universe and its expansion. Thus, the Holy Quran declares, َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ‫اها بﺄَيْد َوإنَّا ل َ ُموﺳ ُع‬ ‫ون‬ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ‫والﺴماء بنين‬ “And We have built the heaven with Our own hands, and verily We have vast powers.” (Surah al-Dhariyat, Ch.51: V.48) For any fair-minded person, the mere fact that an “unknown” force, whatever it is, informed a desert-Arab of the seventh

century that the universe is expanding at all, at a time when no living person possessed the faintest notion of it (not to mention the fact that no one had any concept of this for over 1200 years that followed as well), is sufficient evidence to warrant a very serious investigation into Who exactly gave the Prophet Muhammadsa this information.

Another point that must be acknowledged is that when it comes to the actual beginning of the universe, i.e., what preceded the Big Bang; what force caused the Big Bang to happen at all; what preceded the known Universe; scientists are at a complete loss, as has been established in part one of this series entitled “An introduction to New Atheism.”

The Promised Messiahas writes: “Consider, for instance, the case of a person who has never seen a magnet and is unaware of a magnet’s power of attraction.

If he were to claim that a magnet is only a piece of stone; that he has never witnessed any such power of attraction in any stone and therefore, in his opinion, it is wrong to assert that a magnet has such a power – for it is contrary to the law of nature – then would his vain assertions cast any doubt on the well-established quality of a magnet?

“Certainly not. All that his assertion would prove is that he is absolutely stupid and ignorant and considers his own lack of knowledge to be a proof of the nonexistence of a reality and does not accept the testimony of thousands of people who have experienced it. How can we possibly lay down as a general condition for the laws of nature that they must be personally tested by every individual?

“God has created the human species with great diversity in their external and internal faculties. For instance, some people possess very good eyesight, while others have weak eyesight, and some are altogether blind. When those who are weak-sighted find that those with good sight have perceived a thing from afar – for instance, they have sighted the crescent – they do not deny it; rather, they think that their denial would only humiliate them and expose their weakness. (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part III, (English) pp. 141-43) Similarly, today, if the experts at CERN and NASA convey findings about the inner-most workings of the universe, the rest of mankind will trust them because they are the professionals who have delved far into the subtle-most matters of everything from supersymmetry to quantum mechanics. We will believe them – truthfully speaking – blindly.

What a deplorable state of affairs, then, that despite their loud claims to curiosity and fair investigation, New Atheists are blinded by bias and prejudice. Here is a force practically banging at the door of mankind, itself elucidating 1400 years ago the most significant scientific realities known to man. Surely, if this force is literally expressing such complex secrets as the expanding universe, then the other claims which it makes, if not immediately

taken at face value, at the very least warrant a very serious investigation – but our Atheist friends will not even do that much. What’s more is that this “force” unravels such secrets of the universe in numerous fields of study, for which even now, despite the best efforts of science, man has no answer.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh writes: “It should be remembered that the concept of the continuous expansion of the universe is exclusive to the Quran.

No other Divine scriptures even remotely hint at it. The discovery that the universe is constantly expanding is of prime significance to scientists, because it helps create a better understanding of how the universe was initially created. It clearly explains the stage by stage process of creation, in a manner which perfectly falls into step with the theory of the Big Bang.”

(Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, p. 303) A final dilemma – the telescopes within us How unfortunate that our New Atheist friends totally fail to factor in the final dilemma. If discovering God Almighty were confined to the electron

microscopes of today and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, or if mankind needed to wait for the completion of the muchanticipated James Webb telescope to find God, then what of the rest of mankind for thousands of years before us?

Logic demands that if God Almighty exists, then He should have planted the instruments for investigating, discovering and experiencing Him within the biology of man thousands of years ago. Therefore, the telescope of prayer, which was sown into the nature of man millennia ago, has always been an incontrovertible sign against those who seek to deny and oppose the faithful.

Hence, it is a point to ponder – what if looking inside is even more important than looking outside? Surely, the invisible force which has always backed the true prophets of God warrants an investigation?

After all, what is this undeniable force which has always granted unthinkable victories to seemingly helpless Prophets throughout mankind’s history?

(To be continued…)

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

100 Years Ago...

First newborn Ahmadi in UK, Turkish Sultan and Nigerian Ahmadi converts Al Fazl, 3 May 1920 Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra

Recent converts Christian preachers in West Africa, working diligently and using all sorts of legitimate and illegitimate means, have made many simple-minded young men, whose ancestors were Muslims, to verbally believe in the divinity of son of Mary. However, this “structure”, standing on sand, cannot endure the strong blow of Islam and is slowly collapsing.

Below are the names of those Nigerian friends who have accepted the truthfulness of Muhammadsa of Arabia and the advent of the Promised Messiahas and had the honour of accepting the truthful faith after repenting from the Christian religion: Christian name and Muslim name Thomas William - Zahid John William - Mubarak John Sango - Yahya All of these friends came under the influence of Ahmadi missionaries through Brother Aziz Brown, secretary of United African Brotherhood. They courageously accepted Islam by believing in the One God. May Allah grant them steadfastness.

Our political position The fragile state of affairs in the East and the rising tide of Muslim sentiments towards the Caliphate in Turkey demanded that on one hand, the Ahmadiyya Jamaat should have expressed sympathy towards Turkey and on the other hand, its religious and political position, with respect to the issue of Khilafat, should have been clarified. Therefore, the address that was recently given by the Punjab Jamaat to His Excellency, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Sir Edward MacLagan, was reprinted by the London Jamaat and sent to the authorities and the press, along with the following letter in print form: “Ahmadiyya Community, London Branch, 4 Star Street, Edgware Road, W2 “Dear Sir! Along with this letter, we send that address which has recently been presented before His Honourable, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab by the Ahmadiyya Community of Punjab (where the centre of the community is also located).

“The Ahmadiyya Jamaat is a new

movement in Islam and since this community is spreading rapidly across various British colonies, we consider it our duty to inform you about the political views of this community, especially in these days when there is unrest and elements of insurgency in the West.

“One of the ten conditions laid down by Hazrat Ahmadas for entering his community was that his followers, wherever they may be, should remain loyal to the government of that country under which they are living.

“Fateh Muhammad Sayal, MA, Ahmadi Missionary “Abdur Rahim Nayyar, Ahmadi Missionary and Secretary.”

The Times and the Ahmadiyya Jamaat One of those newspapers of England that has taken notice of the above mentioned letter and address is this country’s largest newspaper, The Times. It states in the issue of 29 March [1920]:

Government and offers the cooperation of the community to the new Lieutenant Governor. The community concerns itself with politics only when preservation of the peace so demands. Its attitude differs from that of most Indian Moslems, in that it admits no allegiance to the Sultan in a religious sense – ‘Our Sultan is His Imperial Majesty King George V.’” Lecture in West and East Studio, London In order to provide an opportunity to the East and the West to study each other’s thoughts and feelings and to connect the people of the East and the West in a harmonious relationship, a scholarly and a knowledgeable mystic lady has established the society mentioned in the heading.

Chaudhry Sahib’s lecture was also held here. On 26 March, my speech was on the mosques of India, which, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, deserved to be called successful in view of many of my friends.

“Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyar is a missionary of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. He is a mystic. He has travelled over the length and breadth of India. He is an accomplished speaker.”

Speech After this introduction, I started my speech about mosques of India and explaining in detail the definition of a mosque, what takes place in a mosque, the purpose of a mosque, the meaning of azan [call to prayer] and the place in mosques for women worshipers, I showed pictures of some of the major mosques in India and narrated a few eye-witness stories about them. Finally, by mentioning the mosque and minaret of Qadian and by elaborating that the meaning of a mosque is jamaat [community] in the knowledge of divine vision, I mentioned the coming of the Promised Messiahas and drew the attention of the audience to the call of the prince who descended with glory and invited them to come and offer prayers in the mosque build by God. Post speech sentiments After the speech, some questions were asked about the current political situation in Turkey. The objection on Islam about the forceful confiscation of other [religions’] worship places was removed.

The gathering ended with a vote of thanks and one by one praise of the speech by the audience, including Lady Cockburn, and taking leave after saying goodbye. All praise belongs to Allah Who made this successful.

“The Indian Ahmadiyyahs “Sir Edward Maclagan, who last year became Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, received an address of welcome from the Ahmadiyyah community. This body is not numerically strong and its members are not wealthy, but its address breathes unshakable loyalty to the British

Alhamdolillah!

Prior to the speech The hall was full with members of the society and the president gave a detailed introduction of this humble one in the following words:

Ahmadiyyat in Birmingham Respected Muhammad Suleiman Faith and his brother, David Faith went to Birmingham for trading business. From there, we have received their following telegram: “My brother and his wife and son accepted Islam and signed Bai‘at.”

After this telegram, Brother Suleiman reported that another of his nephews has also converted to Islam. This is the fourth, the eldest and the most prosperous tradesman brother of Muhammad Suleiman, who has embraced Islam.

Continued on next page >>

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

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Preaching in Denmark while mosques remain closed during Ramadan Naimatullah Basharat Denmark Correspondent

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Denmark, as in some other countries, places of worship of all religions, including mosques, are closed for all kinds of worship on the instructions of the government.

A few days before Ramadan, the health department also issued the instruction that during the days of Ramadan, daily prayers, Friday prayers, Eid prayers, E’tikaf and Iftar programs should be held only at homes. All mosques will be closed during these days.

Alhamdolillah, despite the closure of mosques, Allah the Almighty enabled us to propagate our message regarding worshiping in Ramadan according to the current situation across the country.

First, Region Zealand’s Radio P4 contacted the Nakskov Jamaat and requested for an interview. Therefore, on the instructions of Muhammad Zakaria Khan Sahib, Amir and Missionary incharge Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Denmark, the local missionary of the Nakskov Jamaat gave the interview in which he explained that they would be performing prayers in this blessed month of Ramadan, while the mosques are closed in compliance with government’s orders. This interview was aired on 23 April 2020, in the News Bulletin.

DR 1, a Danish national television channel also contacted the Jamaat and came to the mosque and conducted an interview with the missionary of Nakskov Jamaat, which was aired on 23 April 2020. << Continued from previous page

Consequently, twelve members of this family have become Ahmadis. All praise belongs to Allah who made this possible.

Sunday’s Jalsa Last Sunday, my lecture took place in the Ahmadiyya Lecture Hall on Three Levels of Spiritual Development. Mr Hassan Rosh was the chairman of the Jalsa and there were some educated people in the audience who were particularly impressed by the speech. Alhamdolillah!

It was stated in the interview that we have the guidance of the Holy Prophetsa that in certain circumstances, it is permissible to offer congregational prayers at home, so in the current situation when it is not possible for us to offer congregational prayers in mosques, we all worship in our own homes. This TV channel is watched all over the country.

TV2 News, another Danish national TV channel, requested to interview the Amir and Missionary in-charge of Jamaate-Ahmadiyya Denmark. On this, Amir Sahib directed Imaduddin Sahib, Press Secretary, to give this interview. Therefore on 23 April 2020, the journalists of this TV channel along with the photographer came to the Nusrat Jahan mosque, from where the live interview was broadcast. At the beginning of the interview, the journalist introduced the mosque and said that the Nusrat Jahan Mosque was built 53 years ago and it has never been closed since. But now the mosque is closed for all kinds of worship due to coronavirus.

The five daily prayers, Friday prayers and Eid prayers, which were offered in this mosque will now be offered at homes. After this introduction, the journalist asked how the Friday prayers will be performed, as Friday was approaching and Ramadan had also started. Imaduddin Sahib said that in the light of government’s instructions, all the members have been informed to perform Friday prayers and all other prayers at their homes during Ramadan.

In response to a question about social relations, he said that the real purpose of Ramadan is to perform acts of worship

Work of a new convert As our esteemed brother, Muhammad Suleiman is doing his best to establish the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Birmingham.

Likewise, our devoted sister, who recently accepted Islam, Aziza, has persuaded an orphan boy, who works in her hotel and is about 14 years old, to accept Ahmadiyyat with her kind conduct. I will give the details of all the new Muslim converts, including the former brother of Southsea, in the next letter, insha-Allah!

and establish a personal relationship with God Almighty.

TV2 East, a television channel of Zealand Region, also recorded an interview with the missionary of Nakskov Jamaat, at the Baitul Hamd mosque, which was aired on 23 April 2020, in pictures of Baitul Hamd Mosque were prominently displayed. It was informed in the interview that the mosque is closed for congregational prayers due to the coronavirus, so all the members of the Jamaat will perform prayers at their homes.

The Ramadan calendar containing the times of Suhur, Iftar and prayers has been sent to all the members at their homes, so

that they can perform their worship on time. He also said that communication and teaching religious knowledge to the members of the Jamaat will continue through digital media during Ramadan.

The interview was shown on TV for three to four minutes. Following the interview, the pastor of Nakskov Church and some other Danish people sent congratulatory messages on the arrival of Ramadan.

On the morning of 23 April 2020, a journalist from TV2 East, interviewed the missionary of Nakskov Jamaat over the phone which was published on their website as an article on the same day.

Request for prayer The UK missionaries request prayers for their health and for the London mosque to be completed soon. Allah the Almighty is bestowing conditions to build two mosques in London instead of one.

delivered the call to prayer and conveyed the message of tawhid [oneness of Allah] is the second son of our brother Muhammad Suleiman Faith.

He was born this week.

His circumcision and aqiqah [Islamic tradition of sacrifice on the occasion of a child’s birth] will be held on Saturday, and on the same day, he will be named as well, insha-Allah! Pray for the long life of this child and also for the increase in faith, sustenance and wealth of his parents and relatives. May this child be a source of guidance for many. Amin thumma amin!

First newborn Ahmadi child By the grace of Allah, there are a lot of Ahmadi children, so many that we have even celebrated Children’s Day. However, the first child who came into this world after the conversion of his parents to Islam and in whose ears the Ahmadi missionary

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

“Worst contraction in history” Economic hit of Covid-19 in the UK

Shahzeb Athar Jamia Ahmadiyya UK

The world as we know it has drastically taken a turn into unprecedented waters, a turn so uncharted that the entire economic outlook seems dire and calamitous.

I, nevertheless, deem it quite hard to believe that anyone could have predicted an epidemic clothed in the robes of a potential recession of this scale.

Jan Vlieghe, one of the Bank of England’s (BoE) top policy maker and a member of the BoE’s interest-rate setting committee, said that the UK was “experiencing an economic contraction that is faster and deeper than anything we have seen in the past century, or possibly several centuries”. (Bank of England warns of worst contraction in centuries, as economic activity slumps – as it happened, The Guardian.com, 23 April 2020) One of the world’s largest economies, America, is also showing cracks of economic instability. A Bloomberg economist reported that the chance of a recession now stands at 100%. This may be attributed, but not limited to the fact that 26.4 million have now filed for unemployment; this accounts to more than 15% of the US workforce. The astonishing pace of losses means more people have been put out of work in the last month than in the two years of the last recession.(The US economy has wiped out all the job gains since the Great Recession, CNBCbusiness.com, 23 April,

2020) Now a prudent individual would beg the question, do the banks even have a contingency plan in place when such events occur?

The answer is quite unambiguous and evidently, it seems that the banks weren’t ready; the banks were prepared for a crisis but not one of such a magnitude.

The New York Times reports, “Government overseers would test whether European banks could survive a hypothetical perfect storm that included a steep economic downturn, plunging stock prices and a collapse in consumer spending. But before bank regulators could begin their planned stress test this year, they were confronted with the real thing.” (European Banks Prepared for a crisis. But Not This One, nytimes.com, 6April, 2020) The truth is, no one really anticipated an epidemic of such a calibre.

The most significant commodity in the world has taken a huge blow as of 21 April – the price of a barrel of Brent Crude oil has plummeted to an 18-year low, but what is to be noted is that this is the future price of oil which means that this not only tells us the economic situation at present but more importantly represents the future outlook for the economy. As the head of research at Henderson Rowe (a UK based investment management company) explains, “The Covid-19 crisis is destroying the global demand for energy and without a timeline on the end of the lockdown in the

developed world, the market is suffering from chronic oversupply.” (Why oil is still most important price in the world, bbc. co.uk, 22 April, 2020) It seems problems occur when there is an excess supply and even though supplies have been cut by 10%, the price of oil keeps on dropping, effectively becoming the first domino to fall. If we compare the last financial crash of 2008 with the current one, the economy lost 5% of output in one full year, whereas it is now facing 20% to 30% contraction in only one month.

(Covid-19 has become an ‘economic crisis’ says chief economist, bbc.co.uk, 21 April 2020) The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) based in the UK estimated a deficit for this year of 14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), whereas the worst year of the financial crash reached 11%.

Another domino which seems to have fallen is the property sector, according to Zoopla (a UK based house listing website) the number of new property sales agreed in the UK has dropped by 70% since the start of the coronavirus restrictions. The banks and mortgage providers have also taken a hit as repayments of mortgages have been allowed to be deferred, lenders have agreed that 1.2 million homeowners can delay repayments as jobs are cut and wages reduced. (Kevin Peachey, BBC Business, 21 April 2020) The number of deferrals in place have more than tripled in the two weeks between 25 March and 8 April, growing from 392,130 to 1.24 million. This is an increase of nearly 850,000. Were they all to

take a three-month break, a total of about £2.6 billion would have been deferred.

(Ibid) But what about the rental market? Well, millions of people will most certainly see a dip in income and although the banks have agreed to a deferral of mortgage payments, the rental sector stands at a precarious place.

The residential landlord’s association based in the UK have said landlords should allow rent to be paid later assuming the tenant has a good payment history. However, the government is also temporarily making the housing benefit system more generous by increasing it to cover 30% of the market average rent in each area, effectively easing of the pressure for the tenant. The UK government has also prohibited the eviction of tenants for a total of three months. (Ibid) This effectively means that as of the 21 April, businesses as a whole have put a million employees on furlough in just a single day, something that has never happened before. Although such measures which have been introduced by the Chancellor for the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, seem to be the light at the end of this prolonged tunnel, the question still remains as to how long will the conservative British government try to bear the burden of an economy which is on the verge of collapsing and who will cover the bill which accumulates to more than £330 billion?

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

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Humanity First Germany continues to help in Kosovo Besmir Yvejsi Secretary Ishaat, Jamaat Kosovo

Kosovo is one of the countries affected

by Covid-19 and the management of the situation is very good, thanks to the many states and organisations that are helping it institutionally. So far, the number of people affected by coronavirus has reached over 650.

One of the organisations that is helping Kosovo in this pandemic, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, is Humanity First Germany. In the beginning of this week, the Directorate for Social Welfare received a donation of protective products for the staff of the People’s Kitchen in the Municipality of Prishtina. This donation includes protective materials such as medical gloves, masks and hand sanitisers.

Also present at the time of receiving the donation was the Project Coordinator at the Directorate for Social Welfare, Mr Premtim N Fazliu.

Regarding this donation, he said: “Kosovo, like the whole globe, has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We, as the Municipality of Prishtina have already taken measures which aim to prevent the further spread of coronavirus. Measures taken so far, from the Municipality of Prishtina have been successful, but we have always expressed our readiness to cooperate with our various partners. As always, this time also, we have found extraordinary cooperation and understanding with Humanity First and the organisation AMJ (Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat).

“Finally, we have accepted a donation of various medicinal products that prevent

the spread of coronavirus. The donation is dedicated to three different institutions, starting from the Municipality of Gjilan, respectively to the Regional Hospital of Gjilan, also to the Regional Police of Prishtina, but also to the Cultural and Social Centre for the Elderly, where on a daily basis, we offer warm meals to all families in need. Consequently, we seek to continue our partnership and seek further support from you. At the same time, on my own behalf, on behalf of the citizens of the Municipality of Prishtina, the Municipality of Gjilan and the Police Staff, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for your contribution. Thank you!”

Humanity First Germany has also presented another donation of hygienic equipment to the Kosovo Police, through the Municipality of Prishtina. In the offices of the Kosovo Police, we were received by the President of the Kosovo Police Union for the Region of Prishtina, Mr Imer Zeqiri. After receiving the donation, which included 100 packages of medical gloves, 300 masks, 40 liters of hand sanitiser and 8 liters of floor sanitiser, he said: “As president of the Association for the Prishtina Region of the Kosovo Police Union, I thank you for the help given for protective measures during this pandemic for the Kosovo Police, such as a significant amount of medical gloves, masks and disinfectants for hands and floors. In this case I want to thank the director of the Directorate of Social Welfare Mr. Dren Kukaj, because initially we contacted him and asked for (funds) due to the lack of funds initially for protective measures that

we partially lacked. So, once again thank you very much for both the donor and the officials of Prishtina”.

Mr Dren Kukaj, who is the director of the Directorate for Social Welfare in the Municipality of Prishtina, was also present during the donation, as a sign of gratitude, he said: “This is not the first time that Humanity First stands by the Municipality of Prishtina. This time, this organisation helped us with protective equipment in this extraordinary time of emergency, not only in the Municipality of Prishtina and its People’s Kitchen, but also the Police Officers who are on duty and on the front line. I want to take this opportunity to thank once again the whole organisation of Humanity First, which is not, I repeat, it is not the first time they helped us. I hope to have such help in the future as well. Thank you very much”.

Another city affected by coronavirus is the Municipality of Gjilan, which is about 50 kilometres away from the capital of Kosovo – Prishtina. The Deputy Mayor of Gjilan, Mr Arber Ismajli together with Dr Ukshin Ismaili has received a valuable donation from Humanity First Germany, as support with basic hygienic and necessary equipments for the Regional Hospital and the Main Family Medicine Center in the Municipality of Gjilan.

During the donation, the Deputy Mayor of Municipality of Gjilan, Mr Arbër R. Ismajli said: “Thank you very much on behalf of all municipal institutions in Gjilan. It is the second time that the Municipality

of Gjilan has received a donation from Humanity First Germany. It is a special pleasure and an inspiration for us to be at battle with Covid-19. I hope that the help and assistance of this organisation will be continuous for all institutions. Thank you very much once again cordially for all that you have done for us and for the city of Gjilan”.

On Facebook, thanking the donor, among other things he said: “We are very grateful to the organisation of Humanity First for the donation, considering it very vital for the needs that the current time requires. This support of this organisation will meet some of the needs and requirements of doctors, to make their work and operation throughout the pandemic situation as easy and safe as possible. Also, for the successful management of the pandemic situation on the part of the Municipality of Gjilan, but also the Regional Hospital, we received an acknowledgment as a sign of gratitude for the effort we are doing on the fore front of the operation against Covid-19 Pandemic”.

17 online newspapers and officials have posted the news on social media and on their websites, and the total viewership is over 270,000 followers or viewers.

We request all readers of Al Hakam to pray for the people of Kosovo that God Almighty protect them and that they get rid of this pandemic as soon as possible and return to normal life. Amin.

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

Friday Sermon 3 April 2020 Men of Excellence After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:

In light of the present situation and in accordance with the rules the government has put in place, the Friday sermon cannot be delivered before a congregation, in which usually the worshippers are seated in front. Nevertheless, remaining within the laws that are in place, arrangements have been so that I can deliver the Friday Sermon from the mosque. Even if there is no congregation sat before me in the mosque, there are still thousands, if not hundreds of thousands who are listening to it at this moment all around the world.

We must always strive to maintain this unity and continue praying in this regard.

May Allah the Almighty improve the situation and remove this pandemic so that the beauty and liveliness of the mosque may return once more.

Now I shall turn to the topic of today’s sermon. I narrated the accounts in the life of Hazrat Talhara bin Ubaidullah two sermons ago, and his martyrdom, which took place during the Battle of the Camel [Jang-e-Jamal] and I mentioned that shall speak about this in future. Therefore, today I shall speak about this and to a certain degree, answer the questions that arise with regards to the Battle of the Camel.

Prior to his demise, Hazrat Umarra formed a committee for the election of Khilafat. With regard to this, there is a detailed account found in Sahih Bukhari: “When the time of Hazrat Umar’sra

demise was near, the people said to him, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! Appoint a successor after you as part of your will.’

Hazrat Umarra said, ‘I do not find anyone more suitable for the station of Khilafat than the following persons whom the Holy Prophetsa had been pleased with before he passed away’. Then Hazrat Umarra mentioned the names of Hazrat Alira, Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Zubairra, Hazrat Talhara, Hazrat Saadra and Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf and said, ‘Abdullah bin Umarra will be a witness to you, but he will not be entitled to the station of Khilafat.

This was said in order to grant comfort to

Abdullah bin Umarra. If Khilafat is granted to Saadra, then he will be Khalifa: otherwise whoever becomes the Khalifa should continue to seek assistance from Saad because I have not removed him from his position owing to any incompetence or dishonesty on his part.’

Hazrat Umarra added, ‘I recommend that my successor takes care of the early Muhajireen [those Muslims who migrated to Medina]; to know their rights and to protect their honour. I also urge to show kindness to the Ansar, for they allowed faith to enter their homes in Medina even before the arrival of the Muhajireen. I

recommend that he should accept their good works, and I recommend that he should do good to all the people of the towns, as they are the protectors of Islam and the source of wealth and a means of frustrating the enemy. I also recommend that nothing be taken from them except from their surplus with their consent.

I also recommend that he do good to the Arab Bedouins, as they are the natives of Arabia and they make up the core following of Islam. He should take that from among their possessions which they are not in need of and distribute it amongst their needy. I also recommend him concerning those people who are under the protection of Allah and His Messengersa; to fulfil the covenants that have been established with them and to defend them and not to overburden them with what is beyond their ability.’ When Hazrat Umarra passed away, we walked out whilst carrying him. Abdullah bin Umarra greeted Hazrat Aishara and said, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab seeks permission to enter.’ Hazrat Aishara said, ‘Bring him in.’

He was brought in and buried beside his two companions.

When he was buried, the individuals who were named by Hazrat Umarra gathered together. Abdur Rahmanra then said, ‘Select any three candidates among you for Khalifat.’ Hazrat Zubairra said, ‘I give up my right to vote to Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf.’ Abdur Rahman

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

22 then said to Hazrat Uthmanra and Hazrt Alira, ‘‘Whichever of you withdraws their name, we will entrust him with the responsibility [in regards to who will be granted leadership] and Allah and Islam will be their guardian and Allah Almighty will choose the one Who He deems most worthy.’ Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra said, ‘Will you both leave this matter to me, and I take Allah as my Witness that I will not choose, but the better of you?’ Both of them agreed. So Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra took the hand of one of them and said, ‘You are related to Allah’s Messengersa and you hold a lofty status within Islam, which you are aware of. I ask you by Allah to promise that if I select you as our leader will you do justice? And if I select Uthmanra as our leader, will you listen to him and obey him?’ Then Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra took the other aside and said the same to him.

When Hazrat Abdur Rahman secured this covenant from both of them, he then said, ‘O ‘Uthmanra! Extend your hand.’ Thus, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra took the pledge of allegiance followed by Hazrat Alira and the members within the household also came and pledged their allegiance.” (Kitabul Fazail Ashabin Nabi, Hadith 3700) This narration is found in Bukhari.

With regard to the election of Hazrat Uthmanra as Khalifa, Hazrat Musleh-eMaudra has stated the following: “When Hazrat Umarra was injured and realised that his demise was imminent, he nominated six persons and advised them to elect the Khalifa from among themselves. They included Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Alira, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Saadra bin Abi Waqas, Hazrat Zubairra and Hazrat Talhara.

In addition to them, he included Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra as an advisor, but did not declare him entitled to Khilafat. He also admonished that these people should give their verdict within three days, and Suhaibra should lead the prayer during that period of time.

“He appointed Miqdad bin Al-Aswadra to oversee the consultation and election process and directed him to gather the Electoral College at one place and to guard them. He issued more directions, the people should take the Bai‘at of the person who is elected by the majority of votes, and if any one declines to do so, then he should be killed. If there be three votes on each side, then Hazrat Abdullah bin Umarra would recommend who the Khalifa should be. If the members of Electoral College do not agree to the decision of Abdullah bin Umarra, then the person favoured by Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf should be appointed as Khalifa.

“These five companions discussed this matter”, as Talhara was not in Medina at that time, “but could not come to any conclusion. After a lengthy discussion, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf asked if anyone wanted to withdraw his name, but all of them remained quiet. On this, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf withdrew his name, then Hazrat Uthmanra withdrew his name and then two others did the same.

Hazrat Alira remained quiet, however he then took a pledge from Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf that he (i.e. Hazrat

Abdur Rahmanra) would be completely impartial, and entrusted the responsibility of making the decision to him. Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra to act accordingly and for three days, Hazrat Abdur Rahmanra bin Auf visited every house in Medina to obtain the opinion of every man and women in regard to who they thought should be elected as Khalifah. All of them expressed their agreement to the Khilafat of Hazrat Uthmanra. Thus, he gave his verdict in favour of Hazrat Uthmanra and he became the Khalifa.” (Khilafate-Rashida, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 15, pp.

488-489) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has narrated this using various historical references.

It is stated in Fath-ul-Bari, the commentary of Sahih Bukhari that Hazrat Talhara was not present when Hazrat Umarra was giving his counsel. It is possible that he returned only when Hazrat Umarra had passed away. On the other hand, there are narrations which state that he arrived when the consultation has not come to its conclusion yet. According to another narration, which is regarded as more reliable, Hazrat Talhara returned after Hazrat Uthmanra had been elected as the Khalifa. (Fath-ul-Bari Sharah Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, p. 69, Hadith no. 3700, Dar-ul-Marifah, Beirut) Whatever the case, Hazrat Uthmanra was elected as Khalifa and the matters returned to normal. When Hazrat Uthmanra was martyred, everyone rushed to Hazrat Alira, among whom were the companions and Tabi‘een [the generation of Muslims who saw the Companions] and said that Hazrat Alira is the new Leader of the Believers [Amir-ul-Momineen]. They all went to his home and expressing their wish to take the pledge of allegiance, they asked him to extend his hand as they regarded him to be the most deserving of this lofty station. In response, Hazrat Alira said, “You do not have the right to make this assumption. This is the responsibility of the Companionsra who participated in the Battle of Badr. The Khalifa can only be whoever they are pleased with”. Hence, all of the Badri Companionsra came to Hazrat Alira and said, “We see no one more worthy than you in this matter, so extend your hand so that we may pledge our allegiance.” Hazrat Alira said, “Where is Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra” and thus Hazrat Talhara was the first to make the verbal pledge and Hazrat Saadra was the first to pledge his allegiance at the hand of Hazrat Alira. When Hazrat Alira saw this, he went to the mosque, climbed to the pulpit and the first person to come up to him to pledge his allegiance was Hazrat Talhara. Thereafter, Hazrat Zubairra and other Companions took the pledge of allegiance at the hand of Hazrat Alira.

(Usdul-Ghaba Fi Marifat Al-Sahaba, Vol. 4, p. 107, Kutub-ul-Al-ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003) With regard to whether or not Hazrat Talhara, Hazrat Zubairra and Hazrat Aishara pledged their allegiance to Hazrat Alira, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra discusses this matter in one of his speeches in which he responds to the allegations of Khawaja Kamaluddin Sahib. This reference is of

vital significance, which is why I will mention it here. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra stated: “Do not come under the impression that Hazrat Talhara, Hazrat Zubairra and Hazrat Aishara did not take the pledge of allegiance and hold this as an argument in your favour.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra is responding to Khawaja Kamaluddin Sahib. “They did not reject his [i.e. Hazrat Ali’s] Khilafat, rather their issue was with regard to the killers of Hazrat Uthmanra.

I also say to you that whoever told you that these individuals did not pledge their allegiance to Hazrat Alira is mistaken.

Hazrat Aishara went and sat in Medina as she confessed her error and Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra did not pass away till they pledged their allegiance. In this regard, some historical references are presented below.”

It is mentioned in Khasa‘is Kubra, volume 2 – I shall read the translation of the Arabic portion: “Hakim narrates that Thaur bin Majzaa narrated to me an incident, saying, ‘On the day of the Battle of the Camel I passed by Hazrat Talhara when he was in a state close to death.’ He asked me, ‘Which group are you from?’ I answered, ‘I am from the party of Hazrat Alira, the Leader of the Believers.’ He then said, ‘Then extend your hand that I may take the oath at your hand.’ So he pledged his allegiance at my hand and then passed away. I related the entire incident to Hazrat Alira. Having heard this, he said, ‘Allahu Akbar [Allah is the Greatest], the Messengersa of Allah has spoken the truth! God Almighty did not wish for Hazrat Talhara to enter paradise without first pledging his allegiance to me.

He was among the ten people vouchsafed paradise.’ “… Once, the Battle of the Camel was mentioned in the presence of Hazrat Aishara. She said, ‘Do the people speak about the Battle of the Camel?’ One person replied, ‘Yes, that is what we are discussing’. Hazrat Aishara then said, ‘Alas, if only I remained sat like the people who remained behind that day. This would have pleased me more than if I had 10 children from the Holy Prophetsa, each of whom were like Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham.’ “… Furthermore, Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra are from among the Ashara Mubashara who were given the glad tidings of entering paradise by the Holy Prophetsa. Indeed, the Holy Prophet’s glad tiding is certain to be fulfilled. In addition to this they later repented for separating themselves.” (Al-Qaul-ul-Fasl, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 2, pp. 318-319) Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has also mentioned this account.

Expounding on the martyrdom of Hazrat Usmanra, the oath of allegiance to Hazrat Alira and the Battle of the Camel, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra says: “Various groups of the assassins dispersed to different areas. To shield themselves from being convicted of Hazrat Uthman’s murder, they began deflecting blame upon others. When they learnt that the Muslims had given the oath of allegiance to Hazrat Alira, it gave them

a perfect opportunity to point fingers.

It is true that from among those around Hazrat Alira were some who were involved in assassinating Hazrat Uthmanra. This gave the hypocrites an ideal chance to lay blame on someone else. The party that was heading towards Mecca convinced Hazrat Aishara to announce Jihad to avenge the murder of Hazrat Uthmanra.

Therefore, Hazrat Aishara declared Jihad and searched for Companions to support her. Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra pledged allegiance to Hazrat Alira on the condition that he would swiftly dispense punishment for the murderers of Hazrat Uthmanra. Their interpretation of ‘swift’ was contrary to Hazrat Ali’s view given the circumstances at the time. Hazrat Alira felt the priority was to first consolidate order in the regions and then turn attention towards punishing the assassins.

He felt the primary objective had to be safeguarding Islam and that there was no harm in delaying punishment for the murderers.

“There were also differences of opinion about the identity of the murderers.

Hazrat Alira did not suspect those who had first approached him – who showed deep remorse and sorrow and expressed their concern of discord among the Muslims – to be the architects of this mischief. However, there were others who had doubts about these same people. As a result of these contrasting viewpoints, Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra felt that Hazrat Alira had rescinded his promise to them. They had pledged allegiance to Hazrat Alira on one condition, and now they deemed that the condition had not been fulfilled. “Therefore, they made their own decisions considering themselves to be free from their oath of allegiance to Hazrat Alira.

“After learning about Hazrat Aisha’sra declaration they too joined forces with her and all of them set out for Basra.

The governor of Basra tried to prevent people from joining with them. However, when the residents came to know that Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra had pledged allegiance to Hazrat Alira on a particular condition, therefore the majority joined them. When Hazrat Alira was notified of this, he also prepared an army and advanced towards Basra.

Arriving in Basra, Hazrat Alira sent a person to Hazrat Aishara, Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra. The individual first spoke to Hazrat Aishara and asked what her intentions were. Hazrat Aishara replied that she only sought reconciliation and nothing else. The individual then asked Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra if they had also set out for battle for the same reason, to which they replied in the affirmative. The individual explained, ‘If this is your intention, then your recourse to action is mistaken and this would only lead to discord. The current circumstances in the land would mean should you kill one person, a thousand more would rise up in defence. Thus, reconciliation can be achieved by first uniting the people on one hand. Then after that, mete out punishment to the mischievous party.

Dispensing punishment in the current

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Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM climate would be akin to wreaking further havoc and disorder. Let law and order first establish itself and then carry out retribution. Hearing this, they said they were ready to meet Hazrat Alira based on this notion.’ This individual informed Hazrat Alira of the outcome. Both parties finally met and resolved that war was the wrong path to adopt and instead reconciliation should be met.

“When this news reached Abdullah bin Saba’s men, who had perpetrated the killing of Hazrat Uthmanra, they became extremely anxious and a party among them gathered in secrecy for consultation.

After consultation, they concluded that if the Muslims were to reconcile with one another, it would prove extremely unfavourable for them because they knew that they would only evade punishment for the killing of Hazrat Uthmanra, as long as the Muslims continued to fight against one another. They knew that if there was peace and harmony amongst the Muslims, they would have no escape, therefore, no matter what, they could not allow this to happen. In the meantime, Hazrat Alira also arrived and on the second day after his arrival, he and Hazrat Zubairra met.

Hazrat Alira stated to Hazrat Zubairra, ‘You have indeed prepared an army to fight against me, but have you also prepared a justification for this which you shall present before your Lord? Why are you all adamant to destroy Islam with your very hands which you once served by endangering your own lives? Am I not your brother? Why is it that spilling the blood of one another was deemed unlawful before and yet now it has become permissible? It would be understandable if a new injunction had been revealed, but when that is not the case, why then do you stand in opposition?’

“Hazrat Talhara was also with Hazrat Zubairra at the time and replied, ‘You incited those who killed Hazrat Uthmanra.’ “‘I curse all those who were involved in the killing of Hazrat Uthmanra!’ said Hazrat Alira. Addressing Hazrat Zubairra, Hazrat Alira then stated, ‘Do you not recall that the Holy Prophetsa once stated, “By God, you will fight against Ali and you will be amongst the transgressors.”’

“Upon hearing this, Hazrat Zubairra returned to his army and vowed that he would not fight against Hazrat Alira and admitted that he had erred in his interpretation of the affairs. When this news spread amongst his army, they were content that battle would no longer take place between them and in fact, the two parties would reconcile. However, the rebels who sought to spread mischief became anxious, therefore in order to prevent them from reconciling, when night fell, those who had infiltrated in Hazrat Ali’sra army, launched an attack against the army of Hazrat Aishara, Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra, whilst those who had infiltrated in their camp, did vice versa. Consequently, this led to chaos and both armies assumed that the other had deceived them, but in actuality, this was a ploy of Abdullah bin Saba’s men. Once the battle had commenced, Hazrat Alira called for someone to inform

Hazrat Aishara as perhaps God Almighty may quell the disorder through her.

Subsequently, Hazrat Aisha’sra camel was brought forward but this led to an even more perilous situation because the rebels, fearing that their ploy was going to fail once again, began to shoot their arrows in the direction of Hazrat Aisha’s camel. Hazrat Aishara began to loudly proclaim, ‘O people, cease fighting and recall Allah the Almighty and the Day of Reckoning.’ However, the rebels failed to pay heed and continued to shoot arrows at Hazrat Aisha’s camel. The people of Basra were with the army of Hazrat Aishara and upon witnessing these scenes and dishonour towards Ummul Momineen – Hazrat Aishara – they became extremely infuriated and drew out their swords and launched an attack against the opposing army. Subsequently, Hazrat Aisha’s camel became the focal point of the battle. Many Companionsra and valiant men stood around the camel, and one by one they began to be slain, but they remained in control of the camel’s reins.

“Hazrat Zubairra did not take part in the battle and had distanced himself to one side, however a wretched individual went from behind whilst he was in a state of prayer and martyred him. Hazrat Talhara was martyred in the battlefield and was killed at the hands of the rebels. When the battle intensified, some of the men realised that the only way to stop the battle was by removing Hazrat Aishara from the battlefield. Therefore, they cut the legs of the camel and placed the saddle in which Hazrat Aishara was sat, onto the ground.

It was only then that the battle stopped.

Upon witnessing this entire incident, Hazrat Ali’s face became red with sorrow but there was nothing else that could be done either. When Hazrat Alira witnessed the body of Hazrat Talhara amongst those who were martyred during the battle, he expressed deep sorrow.

“From these events, it is evidently clear that the Companionsra were at no fault in this battle and this was all owing to the evil ploy of those rebels who had killed Hazrat Uthmanra. Moreover, Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra passed away whilst in the Bai‘at [oath of allegiance] of Hazrat Alira because they had turned back from their original intentions and had resolved to support Hazrat Alira, however they were killed at the hands of the rebels. Hazrat Alira cursed those who killed them.”

(Anwar-e-Khilafat, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 3, pp. 198-201) Whilst mentioning the Battle of the Camel [Jang-e-Jamal] and Hazrat Talha’s martyrdom in another place, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states: “When prophets appear in the world, those who accept them in the very early days of their claim are in fact considered amongst the most eminent. Every Muslim knows that after the Holy Prophetsa, it was Hazrat Abu Bakrra, Hazrat Umarra, Hazrat Usmanra, Hazrat Alira, Hazrat Talhara, Hazrat Zubairra, Hazrat Abdur Rehmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Saadra and Hazrat Saeedra who were considered amongst the eminent companions. However, being considered as most eminent did not mean that they

enjoyed the most comfort, rather it was owing to the fact that they endured greater hardship than anyone else for the sake of their faith. Hazrat Talhara remained alive after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa and witnessed the era when dissention began amongst the Muslims after the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthmanra. Hazrat Talhara, Hazrat Zubairra and Hazrat Aishara were leaders of the party which was of the opinion that revenge should be sought against those who killed Hazrat Uthmanra. On other hand, the other party was led by Hazrat Alira and were of the opinion that man was indeed a mortal being [with reference to Hazrat Uthmanra martyrdom], but since Muslims had become divided, therefore the foremost need was to unite the Muslims in order to re-establish the glory and grandeur of Islam and revenge could be taken later. This disagreement escalated to such an extent that Hazrat Talhara, Hazrat Zubairra and Hazrat Aishara alleged that Hazrat Alira wanted to grant refuge to those who had martyred Hazrat Uthmanra.

Hazrat Alira, on the other hand, alleged that they were giving preference to their personal interests and were not thinking of what was beneficial to Islam. This disagreement went to the most extreme level and resulted in a battle between them. A battle in which Hazrat Aishara took command of one of the armies.

“Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra were also part of this battle. As mentioned earlier that they initially were amongst those who opposed Hazrat Alira, however Hazrat Zubairra heard what Hazrat Alira had to say and thus decided to leave, and Hazrat Talhara also wanted to reconcile but the rebels hatched an evil ploy.

Nevertheless, there were two groups which took part in the battle. Whilst the battle was taking place, a companion approached Hazrat Talhara and said, ‘O Talhara! Do you remember on such and such occasion, you were sat in the company of the Holy Prophetsa and he stated, “Talha, there will come a time when you will be part of an army and Ali will be part of a different army, however Alira will be on the side of the truth and you will be the one in error.”’ Hazrat Talhara heard this and immediately realised and said, ‘Yes, I recall this.’ He then left the army at once and as he was walking away from the battle so that he could fulfil the words of the Holy Prophetsa, a wretched individual who was fighting from Hazrat Ali’s army, went from behind and stabbed Hazrat Talhara in the back resulting in his martyrdom.

“Hazrat Alira was in his camp and thinking that he would receive a great reward, the killer of Hazrat Talhara ran towards Hazrat Alira and said, ‘O Leader of the Faithful [Amir-ul-Momineen]!

I give you tidings that your enemy has been killed.’ Hazrat Alira asked who was the enemy? He replied, ‘O Leader of the Faithful, I have killed Talhara.’ Hazrat Alira replied to him, ‘I also give you tidings from the Messengersa of Allah that you will be thrown into the Hellfire, because the Holy Prophetsa once said in a gathering in which Talhara and I both were present, “O Talha!

For the sake of the truth and establishing

justice, you will have to endure indignity and you will be killed by an individual who God Almighty will cast into Hell.”’

“During this battle, when the armies of Hazrat Alira and Hazrat Talhara and Hazrat Zubairra were facing one another, Hazrat Talhara began to present arguments in his favour of his stance – this is prior to the time when a companionra reminded him about a saying of the Holy Prophetsa, as a result of which he left the battlefield.

Hazrat Talhara began presenting reasons in his favour, when all of a sudden, someone from the army of Hazrat Alira said, ‘O paralysed one, remain silent!’ One of his hands had become completely withered and did not function at all. When he tauntingly referred to him as disabled and told him to remain silent, Hazrat Talhara said, ‘You may have told me to remain silent and referred to my paralysed hand, but do you even know how this came to be in such a condition? During the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslims became dispersed, there were only 12 companions around the Holy Prophetsa. An enemy, three thousand strong, had surrounded us from all four corners and fired a burst of arrows in the attempt to kill the Holy Prophetsa, thinking that if this was achieved it would bring an end to the matter. At the time, each enemy archer had their bow pointing towards the Holy Prophetsa and they would fire the arrows towards his face. It was during this time when I placed my hand in front of the face of the Holy Prophetsa. All the arrows from the enemy struck my hand, to the extent that it became incapacitated and paralysed, but I never moved my hand away from the Holy Prophet’s face.’” (Ainda wohy qaume izzat payen ge jo maali aur jaani qurabinio main hissa lein gi, Anwar-ul-Ulum Vol. 21, pp. 149-151) Regarding this incident of Hazrat Talhara during the Battle of the Camel [Jang-e-Jamal], on one occasion, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra stated: “Someone cried out that the paralysed one had been killed! One companionra who heard this said: ‘O wretched one, do you even know how his hand came to be paralysed? During the Battle of Uhud, when owing to a misunderstanding, the Companions dispersed from the battlefield, the enemies learnt that the Holy Prophetsa was still in the battlefield with only a few companions around him. All of a sudden, an army of 3,000 disbelievers attacked the Holy Prophetsa. Hundreds of archers took up their positions and targeted their arrows in the direction of the Holy Prophet’ssa face in order to attack him. On that occasion, the one who safeguarded the blessed countenance of the Holy Prophetsa was Talhara. He placed his hand in front, and thus every arrow that would have struck the Holy Prophet’s face landed on Talha’s hand. Arrows would continue to fall and the wound would only deepen, resulting in permanent damage to the tendons and blood vessels of Hazrat Talha’s hand, which became paralysed as a result. Thus, the one whom you look upon with contempt owing to his paralysis, we consider it to be a blessing that each one of us yearns to attain it.’” (Khutabat-e-

Friday 1 May 2020 | AL HAKAM

24 Mahmud, Vol. 26, p. 386, Friday Sermon, 28 September 1945) Rib‘ee bin Hiraash narrates: “I was sat next to Hazrat Alira when Imran bin Talha came to see him. He greeted Hazrat Alira with the Islamic greeting, to which Hazrat Alira replied: ‘Marhaba, Imran bin Talha, Marhaba’.

Imran bin Talha said: ‘O Leader of the Faithful! You greet me with the words ‘Marhaba’ [Welcome] however you killed my father and took my wealth.’ Hazrat Alira replied, ‘Your [share of that] wealth has been allocated for you and is in Baitul-Maal [treasury]. Kindly take it in the morning.’”

In another narration, it is stated that Hazrat Alira said, “I took that wealth under my control lest other people usurp it. As for your statement that I killed your father, then I am certain that your father and I would be counted amongst those people regarding whom God Almighty stated: ً ْ َ َ ْ ٰ ُ �َ ‫َو ن َﺰ ْعنا َما فِ ْى ُﺻ ُد ْورِ ِه ْم ِّم ْن ِغ ٍ ّل ِاخوَانا َع ٰلى ُ� ُ� ٍر ّم َتق ِب ِلي‬ ‘And We shall remove whatever of rancour may be in their hearts so that they will become as brothers seated on thrones, facing one another. (Surah al-Hijr, Ch.15: V.48)’” (Al-Tabqat Al-Kubra Li Ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 169, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Illmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) Muhammad Ansari narrates on the

authority of his father that on the day of the Battle of the Camel [Jang-e-Jamal], an individual came to Hazrat Alira and asked if the one who had killed Talha had permission to enter [to see him]? The narrator states, “I heard Hazrat Alira say: ‘Inform him (i.e. the killer) that he shall be cast into hell.’” (Al-Tabqat Al-Kubra Li Ibn Saad, Vol. 3, p. 169, Dar-ul-Kutub AlIllmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) When Hazrat Talhara was martyred and Hazrat Alira saw his body, he began to wipe away dust off Hazrat Talha’s face and said, “O Abu Muhammad! It pains me greatly to see you lying here in the dust, beneath the starlit sky.” He then said, “I entrust my anguish and shortcomings before God Almighty”. He then prayed for Hazrat Talhara and said, “If only I had departed from this world twenty years earlier.” Hazrat Alira and those with him cried profusely. On one occasion, Hazrat Alira heard someone recite the following couplet Hazrat Talhara: ٰ ْ ْ َ َ ًَ � ‫ﻓﺘﻰ‬ ‫ﺎن ﻳُﺪﻧِ ْﻴ ِﻪ اﻟ ِﻐﻨﻰ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺻ ِﺪﻳْ ِﻘ ِﻪ‬ ُْ َ ُ ُ ْ ُ َ ٰ ْ َ ْ َ ُ َ َ ‫اِذا ﻣﺎ ﻫﻮ اﺳﺘﻐﻨﻰ و ﻳﺒ ِﻌﺪه اﻟﻔﻘﺮ‬

“He was a youth that would enjoy spending time with his friends when he was wealthy and affluent. But during straitened times, when he was in need, he would avoid their company.”

Upon hearing this couplet, Hazrat Alira

said, “This couplet can only be regarding Abu Muhammad – Talhara bin Ubaidillah.

May Allah have mercy on him.” (UsdulGhaba Fi Marifat Al-Sahaba, Vol. 3, p.

87, Talhara bin Ubaidillah, Kutub-ul-Alilmiyyah, Beirut) This concludes the accounts relating to Hazrat Talhara.

With regard to the present situation, I will read an extract of the Promised Messiahas.

On one occasion, the Promised Messiahas said to Mufti Sahibra: “Allow light to enter the home”; this was referring to the time when there was an outbreak of the plague, “and ensure they are kept clean. One should also ensure their clothes are clean.”

The Promised Messiahas then further said: “These are difficult times and the air is contaminated. Cleanliness is also a Sunnah [practice of the Holy Prophetsa].

Similarly it is stated in the Holy Quran: ْ ‫الرُ ْج َﺰ َف‬ ّ ‫َو ِﺛ َيابَ َﻚ َف َﻄ ّه ْر۔ َو‬ ‫اه ُﺠ ْر‬ ِ [And thy clothes (i.e. your close friends) do thou purify, and uncleanliness do thou shun].” (Malfuzat, Vol. 4, pp. 272-274) On another occasion, the Promised Messiahas said: “Where the plague has spread to a certain town or village, those residents

should not leave their towns and travel elsewhere. Keep your homes clean and also keep the houses warm. Adopt all the possible preventative measures. Above all, repent in earnest and by bringing about a pious transformation within yourselves, reconcile with God Almighty. Awaken in the night to perform the Tahajud [pre-dawn voluntary] prayer and offer supplications.”

The Promised Messiahas then said: “… Only by bringing about a true transformation within oneself can one be safeguarded against this Divine Punishment. ‫َون ِْع َم َما قِ ْي َل‬ (Malfuzat, Vol. 3, p. 234) During these days, may Allah the Almighty enable every Ahmadi to focus their attention towards prayers. Everyone ought to follow the guidelines issued by the government; keep the homes clean and incense should also be burnt. Also continue to use Dettol [disinfectant] sprays, etc. which are available. May Allah the Almighty bless everyone and shower His mercy. In these days, pay special attention towards supplications, may Allah Almighty enable everyone to do so.

(Original Urdu published in Al Fazl International, 24 April 2020, pp. 5-8.

Translated by The Review of Religions)

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