Maryam - Oct - Dec 2019 (English)

OCT - DEC 2019 ISSUE 32

‘‘So there is only one way and that is the only one: to hand over our Waaqifeen and ourselves to Allah and start playing in His hands’’ Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IV (May Allah have mercy on him) on 1st December, 1989

“Whatever the work in hand, they should give preference to religion; their ultimate target should not be the gains of this world; it should be the gains of religion. That being the case, their worldly affairs will also become matters of religion.”

(Malfoozat, Volume 1, p.410, English Translation from ‘So Said the Promised Messiah (peace be on him)’, p.82)

From the Editor...

As Ahmadi Muslims we are extremely fortunate to have the continual guidance of the divinely appointed Khalifa of the time. One point on which Hazur-e-Aqdasaba, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, continually reminds us, particularly Ahmadi women, is the importance of gaining knowledge in order to be able to fulfil our roles within our families and within the community.

CHIEF EDITOR

Zanubia Ahmad ASSISTANT CHIEF EDITORS

When the Waqfe Nau scheme was launched by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh, he gave the following guidance:

Dure Jamal Mala

“Parents should ensure that their children have a vast knowledge. One way of attaining broad religious knowledge is to read the newspaper and magazines published by the markaz.” (Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IVrh on February 10th, 1989)

ENGLISH EDITOR

In January 2012 Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba launched Maryam Magazine, at this time beloved Hazuraba wrote a letter to the Waqfe Nau in which he said the following:

“It has given me great pleasure to know that a magazine has been launched for the Waqfe Nau girls from London. I pray that Allah Almighty may enable you all to write for it and to draw immense benefits from this magazine.”

This loving message from Hazur-e-Aqdasaba is not something to be taken lightly; we should strive to benefit from this Magazine not just by reading its vast contents regularly but we should also aim to provide material for it.

I pray we are all able to fulfil the expectations that Hazur-e-Aqdas us. Ameen.

aba

has of

Nayla Muzamil

Hina Ahmedi

ENGLISH SUB-EDITOR Hamooda Arif

EDITORIAL BOARD

Sabah Un Noor Tahir Hibba-Tul Mussawir Maleeha Mansur Meliha Hayat

Salma Manahil Malik Mashel Chaudhry

Samina Yasmeen Arif

Amatul Wakeel Maha Sameera Mirza Kashifa Qamar

Safina Nabeel Maham COVER DESIGN

Amendment Notice:

Dear readers, please note Maryam Magazine Issue 29 January-March 2019 contained the following error on page 31 with reference to the family tree of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra. One of the sons of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra and Hazrat Sayyedah Mahmuda Begumra was named as Mirza Zahoor Ahmad. However, the correct name is Mirza Azhar Ahmad. The Maryam team extends its sincere apologies for this mistake.

i Ahmed a n i H ENGLISH EDITOR

Soumbal Qureshi PAGE DESIGN & SETTING Soumbal Qureshi Naeema Amjad Atiyya Wasee Naila Fowad

Hina Farooqi PRINTED UNDER THE CENTRAL OFFICE WAQF-E-NAU

Do you have any comments, suggestions or want your article featured in our next edition?

Email us at: chiefeditor@maryammagazine.org

MANAGER

Luqman Ahmad Kishwar PRINTERS

Raqeem Press, Tilford UK

CONTENTS OCT - DEC 2019 | ISSUE 32

03. The Holy Qur’an

27. Disputed Matters - the Finality of Prophethood | Topic taken from the Waqfe Nau Syllabus

07. Hadith 32. Personal Reflections with Khilafat

08. Writings of the Promised

| Taken from the Diary of Abid Khan Sahib

as

Messiah

34. Kids’ Spread

09. Tarbiyyat Page

37. Book Review: Social Media

12. Life of Muhammad

saw

14. Waaqifaat-e-Nau in the Field: The

38. The Brilliance of Early Muslim Scientists | Aafia Shoaib

Truth about Waqf | Hibbat Mirza

44. Heartfelt Incidents from the Life

20. Blessings of Waqf-e-Zindagi in the Words of the Promised Messiah

of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh

22. Georgia – A Unique Country

45. Poem: Khilafat in Islam

Laden with Tradition, Culture and History | Tahmeena Shamim Tahir

46. Focus: How to be Free from Sin

as

26. Riddles! | Fun riddles for all ages!

﷽

���

��� Qur’an The Holy The Holy

Qur’an The Holy Qur’an ِ ِ The Holy ����﷽

ِ ِ ‫ُم‬ ِ ِ َ ِ ‫ک‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬ ۚ ‫ِن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ِن‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ِف‬ ِ َ ْ ُ ِ َ ْ ‫م‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ َ َ ۡ ّ َ ِ ِ َ ‫ک َما ۡ َ ۡ ّ ً َ ّ ّ ۡ ِاَ ْذ قَال َ​َت ا ْ َرا َُت ْ ٰر َن َر ّب ا ّ​ّن ۡن َ َذر‬ َ ِ ِۡ ّ ‫ِن ُ​ُم َ َّر ًرا فَتَقَب َّ ْل ِم‬ ِۡ ‫ک َما ِ​ِفۡبَ ْط‬ َِ َّ ‫ِن ۚ اِن‬ ‫ک اَن ۡ َت‬ َ َ ‫ِاِ ْذ قَال َ ِت ا ْم َرا َُت ع ْم ٰر َن َر ِ ّب اِ ِ ّ​ّن ۡن َ َذ ْر ُت ل‬ ُِ ۡ ‫لس ِمی ۡ ُع الْعَلِی‬ ‫م‬ َّ ‫ا‬

ِ ِ ِ ‫ُم‬ ِ ِ َ ِ ‫ک‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬ ۚ ‫ِن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ِن‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ِف‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ک‬ َ ْ ُ َ ْ ِ َ َ ۡ ّ َ َ ّ َ ِ َ ّ َ َ َ ‫ی‬ ‫م‬ ‫لس‬ َ ّ ۡ ً ۡ ُِ ۡ ‫ۡ ا َّ ۡ ُع الْعَلی‬ ‫م‬

)36: ‫عمرن‬ ٰ ‫ ٰال‬Translation: ‫(سورۃ‬

Translation:

)36: ‫عمرن‬ ٰ ‫(سورۃ ٰال‬

“Remember when the woman of ‘Imran said, ‘My Lord, I have vowed to Thee what is in my womb to be dedicated to Thy service. So do accept it of me; verily, Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’”

Translation:

“Remember when the woman of ‘Imran said, ‘M “Remember when the woman ‘Imran said, ‘My Explanatory Notes my wombofto be dedicated to Thy service. So d Translation: have vowed to Thee is in my womb to be ord, I have vowedLord, to IThee what is inwhat Important Words All-Knowing.’”

All-Hearing,

dedicated to Thy service. So do accept it of me; verily, cept it of me; verily, Thou aloneto art Meaning dedicated special service, is derived i.e. it becameof hot;‘Imran or “Remember whenfrom the‫ حر‬woman said, ‘

‫محررا‬ ‫حرر‬ ‫حرر رقبة‬ ‫حررابنہ‬

Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” he became free.

Explanatory Notes my womb to be dedicated to Thy service. So

Means, he wrote; or he wrote well and elegantly and accurately.

All-Hearing, Means, he freed aAll-Knowing.’” slave.

Important Words:

Explanatory Notesdedicated to special Meaning

Means, he dedicated his son for the worship of God and the service of the church or the temple; or he devoted him to that service as long as he should live.

Means freed from slavery; emancipated; a child devoted by the parent to the service of the church or the temple; or one divorced from all affairs of the Meaning is derived from & Jarir). It worlddedicated and dedicatedto to special the serviceservice, of the temple (Lane, Mufradat was i.e. a custom among the Israelites those who were dedicated to the it became hot; or hethat became free. service of the temple remained unmarried (Gospel of Mary, 5:6; and Bayan under 3:36).

‫محررا‬ ‫محرر‬ ‫حرر‬hot; or ice, is derived from ‫ حر‬i.e. it became ‫محررا‬ became free. ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ e well and elegantly and accurately. ‫امرأۃ‬ ‫حرر‬ ‫حررابنہ‬ he freed a slave. ‫حرر رقبة‬ ‫محرر‬ he worship of God and the service of the ‫حررابنہ‬

ords

Importan

Importan Means, he wrote; or he

Meaning dedicated to specia Me

Means, he wrote; or he Means, he dedicated his son orform the temple; or he d Imran.Means, In the present verse the is eitherwell thechurch abbreviated of ‫عمران‬ ‫آل‬ he wrote; orword he wrote M (the family of ‘Imran, father of Moses) just as they use the word "Israel" for

Meaning woman, is derived from ‫ مرأۃ‬i.e. it (the food) was wholesome. ‫ مرء‬or ٔ‫مرا‬means, a man. ‫ مرأۃ‬or ‫ امرأۃ‬means, a woman; a perfect woman; a wife (Lane).

‫عمران‬

and elegantly and accurately. "the Children of Israel" (see 2:41), or it refers to ‘Imran, the father of Mary. {See also commentary of 3:34}

ed him to that service as long as he should

Means freed slavery; Means, hefrom dedicated hisem son service of the church or the tem church or the temple; or he d world and dedicated to the ser

َ ّۡ ّ َ ً ّ ۡ َۡ َ َ َ‫محررا‬ ‫حرر‬ ‫محررا‬ ‫حرر رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ Means, he dedicated his so Explanatory Notes Meaning dedicated to specia ‫حررابنہ‬ Translation: Important Wor Important Words Important Words or the temple; or heMd ‫محررا‬ Important Words church ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ Importan Means,ofhe‘Imran wrote; or he‘ “Remember when the woman said, Meaning dedicated to special service Meaning dedicated to special service, Meaning dedicated to special service, isis d Means, he dedicated his so Means freed from slavery; em Meaning dedicated to special service, is derived from ‫حر‬ i.e. it be ‫حرر‬ my womb to be dedicated to Thy service.

So ‫محررا‬ ‫حررابنہ‬ Meaning dedicated to specia ‫محرر‬ derived from ‫محررا‬ ‫حر‬ i.e.‫محررا‬ it became hot; or he became church thechurch temple; or he he be hebecame becam he service oforthe or the ted free.

M ‫محررا‬ All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’” se free. world dedicated to the sea ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ Means, heand wrote; he wrote Means, he wrote; heor wrote well he wrote; oror he wrote well Means, he wrote; or he Means, wrote well and elegantly and accur Means, he wrote; or he Means freed slavery; em ‫حرر‬ ‫حرر‬ was a custom among the and elegantly‫حرر‬ and accurately.

Means, he from dedicated hisIsra so Explanatory Notes ‫حرر‬ ‫محرر‬ s derived from ‫ حر‬i.e. it became‫حررابنہ‬ hot; or service church or the ted temple remaine churchoforthe the temple; or he Means, he Means, he fre Means, he free Means, he freed a slave. me free. ‫رقبة‬ world and dedicated to the M se under 3:36). ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ ‫حرر‬ Importan ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ a slave. ‫ح‬elled and was a custom among the Isra elegantly and accurately.

Means freed from slavery; em Means, he dedicated his sof Means, he dedicated his son for th Means, he dedicated his son for the wo Means, he dedicated his son for the wor Meaning woman, is derived service of the temple remaine Means, he dedicated his son for the worship of God and the ser Meaning dedicated to specia ‫محرر‬ service of the church or the ‫حررابنہ‬ ‫حررابنہ‬ ‫حررابنہ‬ ‫حررابنہ‬ church or the temple; orhim hetem d ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ ‫محررا‬ rship ofchurch God and the service of the church or the temple; or he devoted church or the temple; or he devoted him church or the temple; or he devoted ٔ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ means, a man. ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ or ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ under 3:36). or the temple; or he devoted him to that service as long a world and dedicated to the se eed a slave. m to that service as long as he should live live.

Means,among he wrote; or he live. was a custom the Isra Means freed from slavery; em ‫حرر‬ Imran.

In the present verse ath Meaning woman, is derived f ‫عمران‬ Means freed from slavery; emancipat Means freed from slavery; emancipated; Means freed from slavery; emancipated; service of the temple remaine ‫محرر‬ Means freed from slavery; emancipated; a child devoted by the p ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ service of the church the tem worship of God and‫محرر‬ the service of‫ٔۃ‬the (the family of ‘Imran, ٔ‫مرا‬ means, a man. ‫ مرأۃ‬or orfather ‫امرأۃ‬M ‫محرر‬ ‫محرر‬ a childservice devoted the parent to the under 3:36). service ofchurch the church ortemple; the temple; o service the church the temple; on service ofofthe oror the oror one of by the the temple; or one divorced from all affai world and dedicated to the se ‫رقبة‬ ‫حرر‬ m to that service as church long asor he should "the Children of Israel" (see e divorced affairs oftoworld the world and dedicated toservice the Mufradat service of world anddedicated dedicated toIn the service of the and the of the ta was ato custom among the Isra worldfrom and all dedicated the service of the temple (Lane, Imran. the present verse th {See Means, he dedicated his so e. ‫عمران‬ Meaning woman, is derived f temple (Lane, Mufradat & Jarir).

It service oforIsraelites the temple remaine a custom among the Israelites th was a‫امر‬ custom among the Israelites that thd ‫حررابنہ‬ was a‫ا‬was custom among the that tho (the family of ‘Imran, father was a custom among the Israelites that those who were church temple; he ‫ٔۃ‬ ; a child devoted by the parent to the ٔ‫مرا‬ means, athe man. ‫ٔۃ‬dedicated ‫ مرا‬oror‫امرأۃ‬ m under 3:36). ose who were dedicated to the service of the "the Children of Israel" (see temple remained unma

“Remember when the Lord, woman of ‘Imran said, ‘My Lor “Remember when the woman ‘Imran said, ‘My Lord, “Remember when the woman ofof‘Imran said, ‘My Lord, I Ih dedicated to specia er when the woman of ‘Imran said, ‘My IMeaning have vowed to Thee wh Translation: All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’” tomy Thee what isbe into my womb be toservice.

Thy So do acce my womb be dedicated Thy service.

Sodo do accept womb toto dedicated totoThy So accept itito Importan bhave to bevowed dedicated to Thy service.

So dedicated do accept it of me;service. verily, Thou alon Means,ofhe‘Imran wrote;said, or he‘ “Remember when the woman of me; verily,All-Hearing, Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’”

All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’”

All-Knowing.’”

Explanatory Notes ng, All-Knowing.’” to specia my womb to beMeaning dedicateddedicated to Thy service.

So I have vowed to Thee what is in All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’”

M Explanatory Notes Explanatory Notes Importan Explanatory Notes atory Means, he wrote; or he it of me;Notes verily, Thou alone art Means, he freed a slave.

Means, he dedicated his son for the worship of God and the service of the church or the temple; or he devoted him to that service as long as he should live.

Means freed from slavery; emancipated; a child devoted by the parent to the service of the church or the temple; or one divorced from all affairs of the world and dedicated to the service of the temple (Lane, Mufradat & Jarir).

It was a custom among the Israelites that those who were dedicated to the service of the temple remained unmarried (Gospel of Mary, 5:6; and Bayan under 3:36).

serviceof ofthe thetemple temple remained unmarrie service remained unmarried servicefrom of thealltemple unmarried (Gospel of Mary, 5:6; a ne divorced affairsremained of the {See a d (Gospel of 3:36).

Mary, 5:6; and Bayan under 3:36).Means freed from slavery; em under 3:36). under 3:36).

Imran.

In the present verse th under ‫عمران‬ he temple (Lane, Mufradat & Jarir). It Meaning woman, is derived f service of theof church or father the te (the family ‘Imran, ٔ‫مرا‬means, a man. ‫ مرأۃ‬or ‫ امرأۃ‬m those who were dedicated to the world and dedicated "the Children of Israel" (see Meaning woman, isfood) derived from ‫أۃ‬se ‫مر‬ woman, is(the derived from ‫مرٔۃ‬ ‫مرا‬the i.e.

Meaning woman, derived from ‫أۃ‬to i.e. i Meaning woman, isMeaning derived from i.e. itis (the food) Meaning woman, is derived from ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ i.e. it was wholes ed (Gospel of Mary, 5:6; and Bayan was a custom among thea{See Isra was wholesome.ٔ‫مرءا‬ or means, a man. or it (the ٔ‫ا‬food) was wholesome. or ٔ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ means, a man. ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ or ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ means, aaa ٔ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ means, a man. ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ or ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ means, wo ‫مر‬ means, a man. ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ or ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ means, a wom Imran.

In the present verse th ‫مر‬means, a man. ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫مر‬ or ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ means, a woman; a perfect woman; ‫عمران‬ service means, a woman; a perfect woman; a wife (Lane).of the temple remaine man; a perfect woman; a wife (Lane). (the family of ‘Imran, father under 3:36). "the Children ofword Israel" Imran.

In the present verse the word Imran.

In the present verse the word isfor Imran.

In the present verse the is(see eie ‫عمران‬ ‫عمران‬ ‫عمران‬ Imran.

In the present verse the word is either the abbreviated e. it (the food) was wholesome. ‫ مرء‬or {See ither the(the abbreviated form of father ‫عمران‬ ‫(ٓل‬the ‫ ا‬Moses) family of ‘Imran, father ofword Mos (thefamily family ‘Imran, father Moses) (the ofof‘Imran, father ofofis Moses) jufja Meaning woman, derived family of ‘Imran, of just as they use the woman; a perfect woman; a wife (Lane). ust as they the word "Israel""the for Children ‫مر‬Israel" means, a‘Imran, man. ‫مرأۃ‬the or ‫ٔۃ‬fath ‫ا‬it ‫امر‬ "the Children of to Israel" (see 2:41), om "the Children Israel" (see 2:41), itre ofٔ‫ا‬of (see 2:41), oror "theuse Children of Israel" (see 2:41), or it refers In the present verse the word is either the refers to ‘Imran, theImran. father of Mary. {See also com {See alsocommen comme {See also {See also commentary of 3:34} abbreviated form (the familyImran. of ‘Imran, either the abbreviated form ofof ‫عمران‬ ‫ٓل‬ ‫ا‬ In the present verse th ‫عمران‬ ntary of 3:34} father of Moses) just as they use the word “Israel” for “the just as they use the word "Israel" for (the family of ‘Imran, father Children of Israel” (see 2:41), or it refers to ‘Imran, the "the Children of Israel" (see t refers to ‘Imran, the father of{See Mary. father of Mary. also commentary of 3:34} {See a entary of 3:34}

‫امرأۃ‬ ‫امرا‬ ‫امرأۃٔۃ‬

‫محرر‬ ‫امرأۃ‬ ‫امرأۃ‬

Commentary: Commentary:

Commentary:

In thisthe verse the of mother Maryname whose name was(Enc. Hanna (Enc. Inthis thisverse verse the mother ofMary Maryof whose name was Hanna (Enc. Bib.) hasBib.) beenhas been spoken  In mother whose was Hanna Bib.) has been spokenof ofas as‫عمران‬ ‫امرأۃٔۃعمران‬ ‫(امرا‬woman (woman of ‘Imran), whilein in19:29 19:29Mary Mary herself has been of (womanof of‘Imran), ‘Imran),while 19:29 Maryherself herselfhas hasbeen been addressed spoken addressedas as‫ھارون‬ ‫اخت ھارون‬ ‫(اخت‬sister (sister of Aaron).

‘Imran(Amram) (Amram)and andAaron Aaronwere wererespectively the addressed as (sisterof ofAaron).

Aaron).‘Imran ‘Imran (Amram) respectivelythe thefather fatherand andbrother brotherof ofMoses, Moses,while whilehe hehad hadalso also a sisternamed named respectively father and brother of Moses, while he had also aa sister sister named Miriam.

Miriam.

Miriam.

Beingignorant ignorantof ofArabic Arabicidiom idiomand andQur’anic Qur’anicstyle, style,Christian Christianwriters, writers,who whoascribe ascribe  Being saw Beingof ignorant of Arabic idiom and Qur’anic style, Christian writers, who ascribe saw, ,think think that inhis hisignorance ignorance theauthorship authorship of theQur’an Qur’an tothe theHoly HolyProphet Prophet the the to that in saw sister of Moses. heconfused confused Mary, mother of Jesus, with Mary orMiriam, Miriam, the theMary, authorship ofof the Qur’an toMary the Holy Prophetthe ,sister think of that in his ignorance he he mother Jesus, with or Moses.

Thus they pretend to have discovered a serious anachronism in the Qur’an–– an Thus they Thus they pretendMary, to have discovered a serious anachronism in the the sister Qur’an–– an confused mother of Jesus, with Mary or Miriam, of Moses. absurdcharge, charge,inasmuch inasmuchas asquite quiteaanumber numberof ofpassages passagescan canbe becited citedto toshow showthat that absurd pretend to have discovered a serious anachronism in the Qur’an–– an absurd charge, theQur’an Qur’anconsiders considersMoses Mosesand andJesus Jesusas astwo twoProphets Prophetsseparated separatedfrom fromeach eachother other the inasmuch as quite number of passages can be cited to show that the Qur’an byaalong longline line ofProphets Prophets (e.g.a2:88; 2:88; 5:44-46). by of (e.g.

5:44-46). considerswriters Mosesare and Jesus as two Prophets separated from other TheseChristian Christian writers are not thefirst first tomake make this"discovery". "discovery".

Theeach "credit" forby a long line  These not the to this The "credit" for goesto tothe theChristians Christiansof ofNajran Najranwho, who, aslong long(e.g. as1,350 1,350 years ago,raised raisedthe the of Prophets 2:88; 5:44-46). ititgoes as as years ago, sameobjection objectionand andreceived receivedaaprompt promptreply reply.. same

saw sent Mughirah to Najran, a saw onThese recordChristian thatwhen when theHoly Holy Prophet ItItisison record that the Prophet sent Mughirah to Najran, writers are not the first to make this “discovery”.

Thea“credit” for it Christianofofthat thatplace placeasked askedhim: him:"Do "Doyou younot notread readin inthe theQur’an Qur’anMary Mary Christian goes to the Christians of Najran who, as long as 1,350 years ago, raised the same (motherofofJesus,) Jesus,)being beingmentioned mentionedas asthe thesister sisterofofAaron, Aaron,while whileyou youknow know (mother objection and received a prompt reply. thatJesus Jesuswas wasborn bornaalong, long,long longtime timeafter afterMoses?"

Moses?""I "Idid didnot notknow knowthe the that answer,"says saysMughirah, Mughirah,"and "andon onmy myreturn returnto toMedina MedinaIIenquired enquiredabout aboutitit answer," saw It is on record when Holy Prophet sent Mughirah saw that saw theHoly Holy Prophet whoreadily readilythe answered, 'Whydid didyou you not tellthem them to Najran, ofofthe Prophet who answered, 'Why not tell a Christian ofto place him: “Do you not read in the Qur’an thatthe theIsraelites Israelites used tothat name theirasked children after their deceased Prophets that used name their children after their deceased Prophets Mary (mother of Jesus) being mentioned as the sister of Aaron, while and saints?'"(Tirmidhi). and saints?'"(Tirmidhi).

Infact, fact,there there actually tradition tothe theborn effecta that thehusband husband ofHanna Hanna and you that Jesus to was long, long time after Moses?”

“I did  In isisknow actually aatradition effect that the of and the father of Mary was named ‘Imran whose father, (i.e.

Mary’s grandfather) had the father not of Mary wasthe named ‘Imransays whose father, (i.e. “and Mary’son grandfather) know answer,” Mughirah, my returnhad to Medina I the name Yoshhim or Yoshim (Jarir & Kathir).

Thus this ‘Imran is differentfrom from the name Yoshhim or Yoshim (Jarir & Kathir). Thus thissaw ‘Imran is different enquired about it of the Holy Prophet who was readily answered, ‘Why the‘Imran ‘Imranwho whowas wasthe thefather fatherof ofMoses Mosesand andwhose whoseown ownfather fatherwas Kohath the Kohath did you not tellHanna’s them that the Israelites name their children (Exod.6:18-20).

6:18-20).

Thefact factthat that Hanna’s husband, orfor forthat thatused matterto Mary’s father, (Exod.

The husband, or matter Mary’s father, hasbeen beennamed namedJoachim Joachim inthe thedeceased Christianscriptures scriptures (Gospel ofthe theBirth Birth ofMary Mary after their Prophets and saints?’”

(Tirmidhi). has in Christian (Gospel of of

andthe theEnc. Enc.Brit.

Brit.under underMary) Mary)should shouldnot notperplex perplexus usas asJoachim Joachimisisthe thesame sameas as and Yoshimmentioned mentionedby byIbn IbnJarir Jariras asthe thefather fatherof of‘Imran.

‘Imran.The TheChristian Christianscriptures scriptures Yoshim In fact, there is actually a tradition to the effect that the husband of Hanna and the givethe thename nameof ofthe thegrandfather grandfatherinstead insteadof ofthe thefather, father,which whichisisnot notan an give father of MaryBesides, was named whose father, (i.e. Mary’s uncommon practice.

Besides, there‘Imran areinstances instances inthe theBible Bible ofone onegrandfather) personbeing beinghad the name uncommon practice. there are in of person knownby by twonames. names.

Gideon, for& instance, wasalso also called Jerubbaal (Judg.

7:1).

Yoshhim or Yoshim (Jarir Kathir).was Thus thiscalled ‘ImranJerubbaal is different from7:1). the ‘Imran who known two Gideon, for instance, (Judg.

So there should be no surprise if the second name of Joachim happened to be So there was should no surprise if the of Joachim happened to be the be father of Moses andsecond whosename own father was Kohath (Exod.

6:18-20). The fact ‘Imran.Moreover, Moreover,like likeindividuals, individuals,families, families,too, too,are aresometimes sometimesknown knownafter afterthe the ‘Imran. that Hanna’s husband, or for that matter Mary’s father, has been named Joachim in namesof oftheir theirdistinguished distinguishedancestors. ancestors.In Inthe theBible, Bible,the thename nameIsrael Israelsometimes sometimes names the Christian scriptures (Gospel of the Birth of Mary and the Enc. Brit. under Mary) standsfor forthe theIsraelites Israelites(Deut.

(Deut.6:3, 6:3,4) 4)and andKedar Kedarfor forthe theIshmaelites Ishmaelites(Isa. (Isa. 21:16; stands 21:16; 42:11). should not perplex us as Joachim is the same as Yoshim mentioned by Ibn Jarir as 42:11).

the father of ‘Imran. The Christian scriptures give the name of the grandfather instead of the father, which is not an uncommon practice. Besides, there are instances in the Bible of one person being known by two names. Gideon, for instance, was also called Jerubbaal (Judg. 7:1). So there should be no surprise if the second name of Joachim happened to be ‘Imran. Moreover, like individuals, families, too, are sometimes known after the names of their distinguished ancestors. In the Bible, the name Israel sometimes stands for the Israelites (Deut. 6:3, 4) and Kedar for the Ishmaelites (Isa. 21:16; 42:11).

 Similarly, Jesus has been Similarly, Jesus been the son of son David (Matt.

1:1).

So theSo words  Jesus Similarly, Jesus hascalled been called the of David 1:1). the words ‫ امرأۃ‬also mean ‫ران‬ ‫ عمران‬may  Similarly, hashas been called the son of David (Matt.

1:1).(Matt.

So the Similarly, Jesus been called the son of David (Matt.

1:1).

So the words ‫ٔۃ‬words ‫امرأۃ امرا‬ imilarly, Jesus hashas been called the son of David (Matt.

1:1).

So the words ‫ٔۃ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫امر‬ woman from the may also mean ‫عمران‬ ‫ ا‬woman ‫اۃ‬woman ‫امر‬ afrom woman from the family or of or a may also i.e.‫ٓل‬aa thefamily family of‘Imran, ‘Imran, or‘Imran, a perfect ٔ i.e. may‫عمران‬ alsomean mean ‫عمران‬ ‫اۃ آل‬a‫امر‬ i.e. from the of aperfect ‫عمران‬ ٔ woman may also mean ‫عمران‬ ‫ٓل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫اۃ‬ ‫امر‬ i.e. from the family of ‘Imran, or a ‫عمران‬ ٔ also meanperfect ‫عمران‬from ‫ٓل‬woman ‫اۃ ا‬the ‫امر‬ i.e. a woman fromofthe familyThis of ‘Imran, or a finds further ‫ عمران‬may perfect ٔ family fromthe thefact fact that the wo from the family ‘Imran. explanation strength woman of ‘Imran.

This explanation finds further strength woman from the family of ‘Imran.

This explanation finds further strength from perfect woman from the family of ‘Imran.

This explanation finds further strength erfect woman from the family of ‘Imran.

This explanation finds further strength  been Similarly, been calleb Qur’an onlyhas two verses from the fact that the words ‫ عمران‬of ‫‘ آل‬Imran) (family of ‘Imran) have byJesus the from that the fact that the words ‫عمران‬ ‫( آل‬family have beenby used by theused the words ( family of ‘Imran) have been used the Qur’an only two from the fact that the ‫عمران‬ ‫ٓل‬ ‫ا‬ (family of ‘Imran) been used by the rom the fact that the Qur’an words ‫عمران‬ ‫( آل‬family of ‘Imran) have been used byٓ the dropped owing to ‫ل‬t ٓ‫عمران ا‬ may alsohere mean ‫عمران‬ only two verses present Soٓ​ٓthe wordٓ​ٓ ‫ل‬was (family) was Qur’an only two verses before the before presentthe one.

So theone. word ‫( ال‬family) ٓ Qur’an only two verses before the present one.

So the word ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ (family) was ٓ​ٓ ٓ verses before the present one.

So the word (family) was dropped here owing to Qur’an only two verses before the present one.

So the word ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ (family) was ٓ​ٓ the mother of Mary, who perfect woman from the fami dropped owing to theofnearness of And reference.

And it isthat admitted that Hanna, dropped here owinghere to the nearness reference. it is admitted Hanna, dropped here owing to the nearness of reference.

And itadmitted is admitted that Hanna, dropped here owing to the nearness of reference.

And it is that Hanna, the House of Aaron and‫ن‬ the nearness ofwho reference.

And it is the admitted Hanna, the mother of Mary, who the mother of Mary, who was cousin that of(John’s Elisabeth (John’s mother) belonged tothe from the fact that words the mother of Mary, was the cousin of Elisabeth mother) belonged to mother of Mary, who was the cousin of Elisabeth (John’s mother) belonged to hethe mother of Mary, who was the cousin of Elisabeth (John’s mother) belonged to 36).Theonly vowtwo of Mary’s moth the Houseand of Elisabeth Aaron and through him tobelonged that(Luke of ‘Imran (Luke 1:5, Qur’an verses befor the House of Aaron through him to that of ‘Imran 1:5, 36). the cousin of (John’s mother) House of was Aaron and through him to that of ‘Imran (Luke 1:5, 36).to the House of Aaron and hethe House of Aaron and through him to that of ‘Imran (Luke 1:5, 36). who were gener  ofThe vow mother of Mary’s mother seems to have been taken under theof influence of the dropped here owing to the ne  The vow Mary’s seems to have been taken under the influence theEssenes through him totaken that of ‘Imran (Luke 1:5, 36). vow of Mary’s mother seems to have been under the influence of the TheThe vow ofEssenes Mary’s mother seems to have been taken under the influence of the who practised a Essenes wereheld generally held in high by the people of that time, the mother ofand Mary,celibacy who was who were who generally in high esteem by esteem the people of that time, and Essenes who were generally held in high esteem by the people of that time, and Essenes who were generally held in high esteem by the people of that time, and dedicated their and livesthrou to th whocelibacy practised celibacy andwomen excluded women their membership, and of Aaron who practised and excluded from their from membership, andthe House who practised celibacy and excluded women from their membership, and who practised celibacy and excluded women from their membership, and and Enc.).mother It is rema The their vow of Mary’s mother to have been under the ofJew. dedicated their lives toseems the service of religion and their fellow beings (Enc. Bib. influence The ofthe Mary’s se dedicated lives to the service of religion and theirtaken fellow beings (Enc. Bib.vow dedicated their lives to the service of religion and their fellow beings (Enc. Bib. dedicated their lives to the service of religion and their fellow beings (Enc. Bib. common with those of and Jew. Enc.).

It is remarkable that the teachings of the Gospels have much in who h and Jew. Enc.).who It is were remarkable thatheld the teachings of the Gospels have much intime, Essenes generally in high esteem by the people of Essenes that andwere generallyth Jew. Enc.).

Itremarkable is remarkable that the teachings of the Gospels have much in ndand Jew. Enc.).

It is that the teachings of the Gospels have much in ‫محرر‬ as given under Imp common with those of the Essenes.

It is also clear from the meaning of the word common with those of the Essenes.

It is also clear from the meaning of thewho wordpractised celibacy and ex whothose practised celibacy and women from their membership, common with of the Essenes.

Italso is excluded also clear from the meaning of the word and dedicated ommon with those of‫محرر‬ the Essenes.

It is clear from the meaning of the word dedication of hertochild’s as given under Important Words Mary’s mother had vowed dedicated theirthe lives the se ‫محرر‬ as given under Important Words above, thatabove, Mary’sthat mother had vowed the ‫محرر‬ as given under Important Words above, that Mary’s mother had vowed the their lives to the service of religion and their fellow beings (Enc. Bib. and Jew. Enc.). ‫ محر‬as given under Important Words above, that Mary’s mother had vowed the intended the child never of her life to the service of the temple, and suchJew. she Enc.). It is remarkab dedicationdedication of her child’s life child’s to the service of the temple, and as such sheas and dedication of her child’s life to the service of the temple, and as such she It isthe remarkable the teachings of the Gospels in with dedication intended of her child’s life tonever the that service of the andthat asshows such she to to the priestly intended the child never to temple, marry, which that Mary meant belong common with thoseclass. of theThis Ess child to marry, which shows Maryhave was much meantwas tocommon belong intended the child never to marry, which shows that Mary was meant to belong ntended the child never to marry, which shows that Mary was meant to belong of Aaron and not of Mos toofthe priestly isclear why,from elsewhere in the Qur’an, she is‫محرر‬ called sister the Essenes.

It isThis also theQur’an, meaning ofisthe word asthe given as given under Importan to thethose priestly class.

This class. is why, elsewhere in the she called the sister to the priestly class.

This is why, elsewhere in the Qur’an, she is called the sister o the priestly class.

This is why, elsewhere in the Qur’an, she is called the sister Moses was founder of Aaron not(19:29) of Moses (19:29) though both were realfor brothers, for whereas dedication herthe child’s life to of Aaron and not of and Moses though both were realhad brothers, whereas under Important Words above, that Mary’s mother vowed the dedication ofofher of Aaron and not of Moses (19:29) though both were real brothers, for whereas f Aaron and not was of Moses (19:29) though both real brothers, forhead whereas a Moses was the of were the Jewish Law, Aaron wasofthe of thepriestly Jewish intended the class child (Enc. neverBib. to m Moses the to founder offounder theof Jewish Law, Aaron was the thehead Jewish child’s life the service the temple, and as such she intended the child never to Moses was the founder of the Jewish Law, Aaron was the head of the Jewish Moses waspriestly the founder of theclass Jewish Law, Aaron was Brit. the head ofAaron). the Jewish Mary, mother Je priestly (Enc. Bib. andunder Enc. under totheThus priestly class.

This of is w class (Enc. Bib. and Enc. Brit.

Aaron). priestly class (Enc. Bib. and Enc. Brit. under Aaron). marry, which shows that Mary was meant to belong to the priestly class.

This is why, riestly class (Enc. Bib. and Enc. Brit. under Aaron). his in the(19 s  Thus Mary, motherwas of Jesus, wasofthe sisternot of Aaron not inthat the she sense thatreal shesister was of Aaron and not ofbut Moses  Thus Mary, mother of Jesus, the sister Aaron in the sense was Thus Mary, mother of Jesus, was the sister of Aaron not in the sense that she was Thus Mary, mother of Jesus, was the sister of Aaron not in the sense that she was elsewhere inin the she is called the sister of Aaron and notto ofthe Moses (19:29) priestly his but real sister but inthat, the sense that, like Aaron, sheto belonged Moses was .the founder of the order his real sister theQur’an, sense like Aaron, she belonged the priestly priestly his real sister but in the sense that, like Aaron, she belonged to the is real sister but in the sense that, real like brothers, Aaron, shefor belonged the priestly class (Enc. Bib. and E though both whereastoMoses was the founderpriestly of the Jewish . were order . order . order order.  Thus Mary, mother of Jesus, w Law, Aaron was the head of the Jewish priestly class his real sister but in the sense (Enc. Bib. and Enc. Brit. under Aaron). order.

Thus Mary, mother of Jesus, was the sister of Aaron not in the sense that she was his real sister but in the sense that, like Aaron, she belonged to the priestly order.

‫‪Hadith: A Saying of‬‬ ‫‪saw‬‬ ‫‪The Holy Prophet‬‬ ‫)‪(May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him‬‬

‫دحثیایبنلﷺ‬ ‫ال‪ :‬ب عثَِ​ِن رس ُ ِ‬ ‫َعن الْم ِغ ِ‬ ‫صلَّى هللاُ َعلَْي ِه َو َسلَّ َم إِ َ​َل ََْن َرا َن فَ َقالُوا‬ ‫ول هللا َ‬ ‫رية بْ ِن ُش ْعبَةَ قَ َ َ َ َ ُ‬ ‫ْ ُ َ‬ ‫ت هارو َن وقَ ْد َكا َن ب ِ‬ ‫وسى َما َكا َن‪ ،‬فَ لَ ْم أَ ْد ِر‬ ‫َْ َ‬ ‫يسى َوُم َ‬ ‫ِل‪ :‬أَلَ ْستُ ْم تَ ْق َرءُو َن َ​َي أُ ْخ َ َ ُ َ‬ ‫ْي ع َ‬ ‫ت إِ َ​َل رس ِ ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ال‪:‬أ َ​َ​َل أَ ْخ َ َْبَ​َتُ ْم‬ ‫صلَّى هللاُ َعلَْي ِه َو َسلَّ َم فَأَ ْخ َ َْبتُهُ فَ َق َ‬ ‫ول هللا َ‬ ‫َما أُجيبُ ُه ْم‪ ،‬فَ َر َج ْع ُ َ ُ‬ ‫أ ََّ​َّنُم َكانُوا يس ُّمو َن ِ​ِبَنْبِيائِ ِهم و َّ ِ‬ ‫ْي قَ ْب لَ ُه ْم‪.‬‬ ‫الصاِلِ َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ َْ‬ ‫َُ‬ ‫(الرتمذي‪ ،‬أبواب تفسري القرآن عن رسول هللا)‬

‫اصنریآابدےھت) اوہنں‬ ‫رتہمج‪:‬ریغمہنبہبعش(ریضاهللہنع)ےتہکںیہہک روسلاہلل ﷺ ےنےھجمرجناناجیھب (واہں‬ ‫ٰ‬

‫‪Translation‬‬

‫‪ra‬‬ ‫‪Hazrat‬اھتوهوت‬ ‫درایمن وجافہلص‬ ‫ومٰیسوٰیسیعےک‬ ‫ںیہنڑپےتھ؟بج‬ ‫أتخهارون)‬ ‫‪saw‬اہک‪:‬ایکآپ‬ ‫ےنھجمےس‬ ‫‪Mughirah‬‬ ‫‪Shu’bah‬ہک‪bin‬‬ ‫‪relates‬‬ ‫ںیم اي‪that‬‬ ‫(رقآن‪the‬‬ ‫ولگ‪Holy‬‬ ‫‪Prophet‬‬

‫‪sent‬‬ ‫‪they‬‬ ‫‪(Christians‬‬ ‫اپسآایاور‬ ‫‪ me‬ےک‬ ‫‪to‬ﷺ‬ ‫‪Najran‬ارکم‬ ‫‪and‬ولٹرکیبن‬ ‫دوں؟ںیم‬ ‫وجاب‬ ‫‪residing‬آایہکںیماںیہنایک‬ ‫)‪there‬ھجمسںیمںیہن‬ ‫‪asked‬وتق ریمی‬ ‫رعموفےہ۔اس‬ ‫‪me: “Do you not read in the Qur’an, Mary (mother of Jesus),‬‬

‫‪being‬انمراھک‬ ‫‪mentioned‬ےکانومںرپ‬ ‫ےلہپےکاایبنءواصنیحل‬ ‫آپوکاتبای‪،‬وتآپےنرفامای ‪ :‬متےناںیہنویکںںیہناتبدایہکوهولگاےنپےس‬ ‫‪as the sister of Aaron, it is well known that‬‬

‫روسلاهلل)‬ ‫ارقلآننع‬ ‫‪born‬ریسفت‬ ‫(ارتلذمیاوباب‬ ‫رکےتےھت۔‬ ‫‪Jesus‬‬ ‫‪was‬‬ ‫‪a long, long time after Moses?” I did not know‬‬ ‫‪how to respond. I returned to Allah’s Messengersaw and told‬‬ ‫‪him about that, whereupon Hesaw said, ‘Why did you not tell‬‬ ‫‪them that they (Israelites) used to name their children after‬‬ ‫”’?‪their deceased Prophets and Saints‬‬

Writings of the as Promised Messiah

“Why should it surprise you if, by way of metaphor or for some other reason, God has declared Maryas to be the sister of Aaronas? The Holy Qur’an has repeatedly mentioned Aaronas as a Prophet who lived in the time of Mosesas, and has mentioned Maryas as the mother of Jesusas, who was born some fourteen hundred years later. Do you wish to say that God was unaware of these facts, and that He has made a mistake by declaring Maryas to be the sister of Aaronas? How vile are the people who raise such objections and then rejoice upon them! Is it not possible that Maryas might have had a brother named Aaronas? ‘Absence of knowledge about something does not prove that it does not exist…..….The Holy Qur’an never says that Maryas was the sister of Aaronas, the Prophet. It only mentions the name ‘Aaron’ and there is no mention of ‘Prophet’. It was a custom among the Jews to adopt the names of Prophets as a blessing. Therefore, it is by no means inconceivable that Maryas had a brother named Aaronas, and it is sheer folly to question this statement.”

(An extract from the book Fountain of Christianity, p.27-29)

Tarbiyyat Page The following are some points taken from the translation of the Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih the IVra on February 10, 1989 on the training of Waqifeen-e-Nau children.

Teaching Extra Care in Financial Matters “To give them broad-based general knowledge, those who can learn typing should be taught typing. They should also be taught how to keep account, and as I have said before there should be great emphasis on honesty. Dishonesty in monetary matters in Waaqifeen is terrible and sometimes bears dreadful consequences. Honesty is exceptionally important for a Jama’at that is running wholly and solely on voluntary chandajaat (donations). In other words, honesty is important for the protection and safeguard of our jugular vein. The financial system of the Jama’at is functioning on the basis of trust and honesty. If, God forbid, the members of the Jama’at were to perceive dishonesty in Waaqifeen-e-Zindagi and those employed in the finance department, their opportunity of giving chanda will be strangulated and they will not be able to give chanda even if they wished to. Therefore the Waaqifeen should be particularly good in their financial dealings. This is closely related with accountancy. Those who cannot maintain account sometimes make mistakes in financial matters and the observers think they have been dishonest. Sometimes those who do not know how to keep account make financial mistakes and then act dishonestly and it is the concerned official who is held responsible. By the Grace of Allah, the people responsible for the management of the Jama’at finance have such an exceptionally high standard of honesty that is not paralleled by any other organization. Even then we can see certain shortcomings.

Instances of intentional dishonesty are extremely rare but there are many cases where someone did not know how to keep accounts. Or someone did not understand his responsibility when he put his signature (on some document) or did not know what he should look at (before signing). Acts of dishonesty often occur under the supervision of

a person who is not good at even elementary arithmetic and later on the poor man has to bear the blame. Sometimes after the investigation he is acquitted but often the matter remains unresolved and it can not be determined whether he was dishonest or not.

Therefore all the Waaqifeen children should know accounting from the very beginning.

That is why I have talked about arithmetic. They should be good at arithmetic and should be taught how to maintain an account of money. This training can be given through every day grocery shopping. The Waaqifeen children can be made perfect in honesty, if they are asked to purchase grocery from time to time. For example, sometimes when children are asked to buy grocery they do not return the few surplus coins that are left to the parents. They are not being dishonest, it is their parent’s money and they do not see why they need to return it. This is the time for their moral training. They should be told that when they are asked to do shopping they should return the balance, even if it is only one paisa. After that they may ask for ten rupees, there is no harm in that, but to pocket the one paisa left after the purchase sows the seeds of future (acts of) dishonesty and carelessness. Fall and rise of nations begins at home. Parents erect the great future (of the nation) in their homes when they take care of minute details in training their children. That is to say that great nations are made in their homes. Negligence in small matters (in childhood) often leads to big and serious consequences. Therefore, teach Waaqifeen children the subtleties of taqwa in financial matters because, whatever I have been saying is, in fact, related to taqwa. The obvious kind of taqwa is for the common people, the Waaqifeen children should be taught the most refined forms of taqwa in the minutest details in all matters.” {Sermons-on-Waqf-e-Nau,P.40-42,www.alislam.org}

Some Instructions to Prevent them from Stumbling ‘‘In addition from childhood the Waaqifeen should also be made strong and obedient to the Nizaam-e-Jama’at (administrative set up of Jama’at). It is very important to affiliate them with Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya, Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya and Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya. The responsibility of Ansar will come later. If the parents take good care of them up to the age of fifteen and as Khuddam, then the Ansar would rarely have any need to train them. When a bullet is fired with a gun that has a long barrel, it goes straight for a long distance. If the barrel of tarbiyat (training) would extend to the age of Khuddam then the child will remain on the right path till his death, except for what Allah wills.

It is essential to teach children respect of the Nizaam-e-Jama’at. Do not say anything about the Nizaam-e-Jama’at in your homes that sounds derogatory or complain about an official of the Jama’at. Never complain about a Jama’at official in front of your children even if your complaint is valid. It will harm your children. You can protect your faith in spite of complaining but (the faith of) your children will be seriously damaged.

Because in such a case, often the person involved suffers less injury, but the one who is watching nearby receives deeper wounds. The children of those parents, who criticize the Nizaam-e-Jama’at thoughtlessly are, more or less, definitely harmed and some are lost forever. This point should be explained to the Waaqifeen children and it should be emphasized that no matter what complaint they have against a Jama’at official, no matter how high were their expectations of him, they should not ruin their soul as a result of it. People usually have many expectations from the president of their Jama’at and if a certain expectation is not met with, then it should be explained to the Waaqifeen-eZindagi, that their soul should not be allowed to perish because of it. This is again a harm similar to the one I have mentioned earlier. It is the official who stumbles but it is the onlooker who falls into the pit. The one who stumbles can still save his faith. He can repent and reform himself and very often he does not perish, unless his mistakes are of a particular kind, but those who have a tendency to stumble, are perished due to these mistakes. They become averse to religion and spread the germs (of their disease) among others. At their gatherings they narrate what a certain person did and thus they cause the ruin of a whole nation. So, first of all protect your children from this evil. When they are a little older explain to them that real love is for Allah and His religion. So they should never say anything that can harm the Jama’at of Allah. If someone hurts them or inflicts a loss upon them they have no right to spoil their environment and damage the faith of their friends and their children. They should be patient and keep their grievance to themselves and seek redress through the ways prescribed by Allah but avoid talking about it in public.” {Sermons-on-Waqf-e-Nau,P.42-44,www.alislam.org}

The financial system of the

Jama’at is functioning on the basis of trust and honesty

LIFE OF MUHAMMAD (May Peace and Blessings of AllÄ h be upon him)

T H E P R O P H E T ’ S saw P U R I T Y O F M I N D A N D C L EA N L I N E SS O F B O DY

It is related of the Holy Prophetsaw that his speech was always pure and that he was (unlike most of his contemporaries) not given to the use of oaths (Tirmidhi).

This was something exceptional for an Arab. We do not imply that the Arabs at the time of the Holy Prophetsaw habitually indulged in foul language, but there is no doubt that they were in the habit of punctuating their speech with a generous measure of oaths, a habit that persists among them even to this day.

The Holy Prophetsaw, however, held the name of God in such reverence that he never uttered it without full justification. He was very particular, even punctilious, with regard to physical cleanliness. He used to brush his teeth several times a day and was so keen on the practice that Life of Muhammadsaw he used to say that were he not afraid that the ordinance might prove onerous, he would make it obligatory upon every Muslim to brush his teeth before every one of the five daily prayers. He always washed his hands before and after each meal and, after eating anything that had been cooked, he always rinsed his mouth and considered it desirable that every person who had eaten anything cooked should rinse his mouth before joining in any of the prayers (Bukhari).

In the polity of Islam a mosque is the only place of gathering prescribed for the Muslims. The Holy Prophetsaw, therefore, laid particular stress upon the cleanliness of mosques, especially on occasions when people were expected to collect in them. He had directed that on such occasions incense should be burnt in the mosques to purify the air (Abu Dawud).

He also gave directions that nobody should go to a mosque on the occasion of a congregation or gathering after eating anything that was likely to exhale an offensive odour (Bukhari). He insisted upon streets being kept clean and clear of twigs, stones, and all articles or matter which was likely either to obstruct or to prove offensive. Whenever he himself found any such matter or article lying in a street he would remove it, and he used to say that

A PERSON WHO HELPS TO KEEP STREETS AND R OADS CLEAN AND CLEAR, EARNS S P I R I T U A L M E R I T I N T H E S I G H T O F G O D. He is also reported to have enjoined that public thoroughfares should not be so used as to cause obstruction nor should any unclean or undesirable matter or article be thrown on to a public street, nor should a street be defiled in any other way, as all such acts are displeasing to God. He was very keen that all supply of water conserved for human use should be kept clean and pure. For instance, he prohibited anything being thrown into standing water which might befoul it and any reservoir of water being used in a manner which would render it impure (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab al-Birr Wassila).

Life of Muhammad, P.196-197

CLEANLINESS I S A P A R T O F FAITH - Sahih Muslim

Wa a q i f a a t ENa uI nt heFi e l d : THETRUTHABOUTWAQF

Hi b b a tMi r z a

' Yo uwe r eb o r nf o rag r e a tp ur p o s ea tag r e a tt i me ' ( Haz r atKhal i f at ul Mas i hI Vrh( Fr i daySer mon,Apr i l 31987) Thes ewor dshav epl ay edal ar ger ol ei nmyl i f e andi ti sonl yasIhav egot t enol dert hatIhav e bet t erunder s t oodwhatt heymean.Iam c ur r ent l yi nmyt hi r dy earofs t udyatYor k Uni v er s i t y ,i nt heHonour sFi l m –Sc r eenwr i t i ng pr ogr am.Pr ev i ous l y ,Igr aduat edf r om Senec a Col l egewi t hhi ghhonour si nBr oadc as t i ng Tel ev i s i on.Is pendmyt i medoi ngv oi c eov er s f orMTANews ,wr i t i ngf orv ar i ouspr oj ec t s ,and –byt heGr ac eofAl l ah-am headoft he Subt i t l i ng&Tr ans l at i ont eam her ei nCanada.

Mos ti mpor t ant l y ,Iam aWa q f e Na u .

myownpr es s ur eofbec omi ngac hemi s tl i k emy f at her ,al t hought r ut hbet ol d,mypar ent sk new Iwasnots ui t edt os c i enc eandt r i edt odi s s uade me.Whi l ei twasdefini t el yawarofat t r i t i onon mypar t ,i tt ookmeaboutfiv ey ear st ofinal l y admi tt omy s el ft hatIwasnotc ompat i bl ewi t h c hemi s t r y ,andt hatt her ewasnot hi ngwr ong wi t hc hangi ngone’ smi ndands t udy i ngwhat onei spas s i onat eabout ;bec aus euni v er s i t yi s notmeantt obeapl ac ewher ey ouf eell i k e y ou’ r el os i ngy ours oul .

Any way ,t hr oughoutmyy ear sofs t udy i ng Fr om av er year l yage,mypar ent sr emi ndedme c hemi s t r y ,myl ov ef orMTAandfil m di dnot t hatwhat ev erc ar eerIc hos e,Iwoul dul t i mat el y v ani s h.Iwoul dedi tv i deosf orf un,wor kon s er v et heJ ama’ at .I twasal way si nt hebac kof bac k gr oundsi nPhot os hop;i twasar el ax i ng mymi ndt hatIwoul dbes er v i nghumani t y ,bei t hobby .Whent heoppor t uni t yar os ei n2010t o asadoc t ororc hemi s t ,orany t hi ngel s e.I twas at t endt heUKJ a l s aSa l a naandc ompl et e notunt i lt het hi r dgr adeors ot hatIbec ame Wa q f e Ar z i ,It ooki t .Mys ol egoalwast o f as c i nat edwi t hMTA.Mypar ent sdi dnot v ol unt eeri nMTA.Is t ay edi nt heUKf orabout s ubs c r i bet oc abl e,s ot heonl yc hannel swehad t womont hs ,anddur i ngt hatt i meIwasabl et o wer et hr ought heant ennaandMTA. meetoneoft heSeni orL aj namember si nt he UKMTAt eam.Iwasal l owedt heoppor t uni t yt o Somewher eal ongt hel i ne,If oundmy s el f dov oi c eov er sf orMTANews ,aswel laswr i t e wat c hi ngMTA,s omet i mesi twoul dbes hows s c r i pt sf orI ns i ght–as c i enc eandt ec hnol ogy t hatIdi dnotev enunder s t and,l i k eLi q aMa ’ a l pr ogr am.Uponmyr et ur nhome,Ic ont i nued Ar a b .Thr oughout ,t her ewass omeat t r ac t i ont o wr i t i ngepi s odesf orI ns i ght .I twasonemy bec omi ngapar tofMTA.Wat c hi ngUr duCl as s f av our i t et hi ngst odoaf t ers i t t i ngt hr ough mademey ear nf ort hatr el at i ons hi pt hos e c hemi s t r yl ec t ur es .Bei ngabl et os eewhatI c hi l dr enhadwi t hKhi l af at .Iwant edt os eeHaz ur wr ot et r ans l at edt ot hebi gs c r eenwas s mi l eatme;Iwant edt hatk i ndofc l os enes s . i nc r edi bl e.Inev ert houghtIwoul dbeapar tof s omet hi ngs ov as t ;Iwasat i nyl i t t l egeari nt hi s Hi ghs c hoolopenedupmanyoppor t uni t i es .I hugemac hi ne.L at ert haty ear ,Iwasas k edi fI bec amemor eawar eofmys t r engt hsand woul dbei nt er es t edi nr ec or di ngnews weak nes s es ,andi tbec ameobv i oust hatMTA v oi c eov er sr emot el y ;Ij umpedatt hec hanc et o wast hedi r ec t i onIwant edt ogoi n.It ook beabl et ohel pi nanyc apac i t y . pl ent yofs c i enc eandmat hc our s es ,but al ongs i det hos e,f r om gr ade9t hr ough12,I I nApr i lof2011,Idec i dedt ol eav et he c ompl et edasmanyc our s esasIc oul di n c hemi s t r ypr ogr am.I twasadi f fic ul tdec i s i on;i t r el at i ont ofil mmak i ng,edi t i ng,phot os hop,web meantadmi t t i ngt hatIhadmadeami s t ak e. des i gn,andt hel i k e.Att hi spoi nt ,t hei deaof Whi l s thumi l i at i ng,ul t i mat el y ,i twast her i ght wor k i ngi nMTAt of ul filmywa q fhadbeen t hi ngt odo.Thi sal l owedmet of oc usmor eon c ement ed.Bot hmypar ent s ,es pec i al l ymy s c r i ptwr i t i ngf orI ns i ght–wher eIc oul dex pr es s mot herenc our agedt hi s . myi nt er es ti ns c i enc eandt ec hnol ogywi t ha s af ebuf f erf r om mat h.Dur i ngt hi sbr eakf r om Ofc our s e,nos t or yaboutfindi ngandr eal i s i ng s c hool ,Iwasabl et oedi tv i deosf ort heTal̀ i m y ourc ar eerorpas s i oni sper f ec t ,andnei t heri s depar t mentandmadet wos hor tdoc ument ar i es mi ne.Whi l eIappl i edt ot heFi l m pr ogr am at f ort hei rev ent s .Ial s owor k edonr ec or di ngs Yor kdur i ngmygr ade12y ear ,Ial s oc av edt o wi t hmymot her .

Af t eral otoft houghtandr es ear c hi ngpr ogr ams ,I final l ydec i dedt oappl yt oBr oadc as t i ng Tel ev i s i onatSenec aCol l egei nt hes pr i ngof 2014.Ik newt hati fIwast ogobac kt o pos t s ec ondar ys t udi esi twoul dhav et obe s omet hi ngt hatwoul ds er v eapur pos ei n f ur t her i ngmyambi t i onf orMTAandt hushel pi ng t heJ ama’ at .Ir ememberfil l i ngoutmyappl i c ant pr ofil ef ort hepr ogr am,andt her ewast he ques t i onofwher eIs awmy s el ffiv ey ear saf t er gr aduat i ngf r om t hepr ogr am.Thi swasmy r es pons e: Af t ergr aduat i on,Is eemy s el fc ont i nui ngt owor k wi t hMTAI nt er nat i onal ,doi ngdai l yv oi c eov er s , wr i t i ngs c r i pt sf orbot hMTANewsandI ns i ght , andai di ngi nt hedev el opmentofnew pr ogr ams .

I nfiv ey ear st i me,Is eemy s el fwor ki ngaspar tof t hel adi espr oduc t i ont eam atMTAI nt er nat i onal .

Wi t ht hepr ogr am r equi r i ngmet oc ompl et ea 140houri nt er ns hi p,Ir eques t edmypr ogr am c oor di nat ort oal l owmet oc ompl et et hem i n MTA.Thus ,Is pentt hes ummerof2015ai di ng t heMTAL adi esPr oduc t i ont eam.I twasf ul fil l i ng t obeabl et ohel pwi t hs uc hal ar ges c al eev ent andbepar toft het eam;nev erbef or ehadIbeen abl et oex per i enc et hebehi ndt hes c enest hat c amewi t hJ a l s aSa l a naUK.Bef or efly i nghome,I aba wasgr ant edamul aqatwi t hBel ov edHaz ur , wher eIwasabl et opr es ents omeoft he doc ument ar i esands hor tv i deosIhadmadei n aba c ol l egeaboutt heJ ama’ atandr eques tHaz ur ’ s pr ay er sf ormys t udi esandmyi nt ent i ont owor ki n MTA.

Byt heGr ac eofAl l ah,t hek nowl edget hatI gai nedf r om mypr ogr am atSenec af ur t her openedoppor t uni t i esf orme.Iwasas k edt o pr opos eat ec hnol ogy bas edpr ogr am f orVoi c e Al h a md o l i l l a h ,Iwasac c ept edi nt ot hepr ogr am, ofI s l am Radi oUK.Tec hTal k–whi c hIor i gi nal l y ev ent houghIhadappl i edl at e.Thet woy ear sI t i t l edTec hnos c i enc e–wasdev el oped.Iwas s penti nBr oadc as t i ngTel ev i s i onwer e gi v ent hec hanc et owr i t es c r i pt st hatwer et hen ex hi l ar at i ng.L ear ni nghowt or uns t udi o r ec or dedandbr oadc as t .Iwoul dbes entt he pr ogr ams ,aswel lasnewaudi oandv i deoedi t i ng r ec or di ngsandas k edf ormyf eedbac k ,aswel las pr ogr ams ,r emov i ngbadedi t i nghabi t s ,and hel pt obr ai ns t or mt opi c sf orf ut ur eepi s odes . under s t andi ngt hewor k flowt hatgoeswi t h Fur t her mor e,mypr opos alf orac hi l dr en’ s c r eat i ngandpr oduc i ngapr ogr am wasi nc r edi bl e. pr ogr am ‘ Sl eepyTi meTal es ’wasgi v ent he Dur i ngmyt i meatSenec a,MTAwasnev erf ar gr eenl i ght . f r om mymi nd.Ir ec or dedv oi c eov er sonmyday s of forwhenIhadal at es t ar t .Myfinalpr oj ec t sf or Asgr aduat i onnear ed,Iwasc er t ai nt hatIwant ed myfir s ty earwer eac ommer c i alf ort heAbdus t owor ki nMTA,al t houghwhatt hatmeantwas aba Sal am Sc i enc eFai randaPSAaboutt heJ ama’ at . s t i l lunc l ear .Ic ont i nuedt owr i t el et t er st oHaz ur i nhopest hati twoul dbeel uc i dat ed.

I nt heaut umnof2016-af t ermygr aduat i onaba Haz ur eAnwar v i s i t edCanadaf oranex t ended aba per i od,andwi t hHaz ur c ameat eam f r om MTA I nt er nat i onal .Cont ac t i ngt hem,Iwr ot eas hor t i nt r oduc t i onandt hepr ogr amsIhadwor k edon, andas k edi ft her ewasany t hi ngatal lIc oul dhel p wi t h.Iwashonour edwi t ht het as kofwr i t i ng s c r i pt sf ort heweek l ydoc ument ar yofev ent s aba Haz ur t ookpar ti n.

L at ert haty ear ,Iwasas k edt os t ar taSubt i t l i ng t eam i nCanadat hatwoul dai dt heUKt eam.

Knowi nghows mal lmys oc i alc i r c l ewas ,Idi dnot k nowwher et obegi n.Howev er ,Iam aWaqf–i t hasbeendr i l l edi nt omet hatonec annots ayno.

SoIs ai dy es ,I ns h ’ Al l a h ,wewi l ldoourbes t .The begi nni ngoft hi st eam al l owedmet ot es toutmy s k i l l sasapr oduc erandl ear nhowt omanageand t ak ec ar eofat eam.Wewer egi v enal ls or t sof pr oj ec t s ,s omet hatwer eneededwi t hi naf ew hour s ,ot her st hathadl ongert i mel i nes .I nf ac t , Ya s s a r na l Qu r ’ a nt r ans l at i onswer eamongs tourfir s t f ewpr oj ec t s .I twasonl yt hr oughAl l ah’ sbl es s i ngs aba andt hepr ay er sofHaz ur t hatIwasabl et os t ar t , mai nt ai n,andex pandt hi st eam.Ic annotbegi nt o ex pl ai nhowmanyni ght sIs t ay edupt r y i ngt o fini s horc or r ec tt r ans c r i pt i onst omeetdeadl i nes .

Wi t ht hes t ar tof2017,uponas ugges t i onf r om myf at her ;Iappl i edonc eagai nt ot heFi l m pr ogr am atYor kUni v er s i t yi nhopesoff ur t her honi ngmys k i l l s .Thepr ogr am hadc hangedf r om j us tbei ngFi l mt ohav i ngopt i onst os pec i al i s ei n ei t herSc r eenwr i t i ngorPr oduc t i on.

Ik newmyfir s tc hoi c ewasSc r eenwr i t i ng.Whi l eI l ov eal las pec t soffil mmak i ng,wr i t i nghasal way s s t oodoutt ome–bei ngabl et oex pr es sy our t hought sandf eel i ngst hr oughc har ac t er swas t her apeut i c .Bot hoft hes epr ogr amswer ev er y c ompet i t i v e.Att hatt i me,Sc r eenwr i t i ngonl y ac c ept edaboutt ens t udent sev er yy ear .

Bec omi ngoneoft hos et en,ort hi r t eenasIf ound outl at er ,wasduet oAl l ah’ sbl es s i ngand Kh a l i f a e Wa q t ’ spr ay er s .Ic annott el ly ouhow aba manyt i mesIhadwr i t t ent oHaz ur aboutmy s t udi esov ert hey ear s .Idi s t i nc t l yr emember aba manyofmyl et t er sas k i ngHaz ur t opl eas epr ay t hatIwoul dbeac c ept edi nt oYor kUni v er s i t y bac ki nmyc hemi s t r yy ear s( Iwasav i s i t i ng s t udentf r om Ry er s on) .I twasaf ul fil mentof aba bel ov edHaz ur ’ s pr ay er st hatfinal l yIwas ac c ept edi nt oYor kUni v er s i t yi noneoft hei r mor ec ompet i t i v epr ogr ams .

Amont haf t erIhads t ar t edmys t udi esi n Sc r eenwr i t i ng,MTAI nt er nat i onalCanadaSt udi os wasr es t r uc t ur ed.Ir ec ei v edal et t eri nf or mi ngme aba t hatHaz ur eAnwar hadgr ac i ous l yappr ov ed meast heHeadofSubt i t l i ng&Tr ans l at i onf or t heCanadaSt udi os .Readi ngt hel et t er ,If el tf ear ; aba Haz ur wasnowent r us t i ngmewi t ha depar t ment ,andt hatwasahuger es pons i bi l i t y .

Ther ei snos etmanualf ors uc hr ol es ,andwhi l eI hadbeenwor k i ngwi t hmyt eam f oral mos tay ear –t hi sf el tl i k enewt er r i t or y .Mypr epar at i onsasa Waqfwer eaboutt obeputt ot het es t–nott o ment i on,howwasIgoi ngt obal anc et hi swi t hmy s t udi es ?

Byt heGr ac eofAl l ah,manyoft hewor r i esIhad, f adedaway .What ev erwor kIwasgi v en,Iwoul d s ay‘ Yes ,I ns h ’ Al l a h ’ .Thr oughpr ay er s ,t hos et as k s woul dbec ompl et ed.It houghtofev er yobs t ac l e asanewc hal l enge,anews k i l lt ol ear n,and pr ay edt hatAl l ahwoul dgi v emet hes t r engt hand t hec apac i t yt of ol l owt hr oughandc ompl et emy obj ec t i v es .Theweek endwasdedi c at edt o as s i gni ngt het eam wi t ht r ans c r i pt i onsand t r ans l at i ons ,andc or r ec t i ngt r ans c r i pt sbef or e s endi ngt hem t ot heUK.Mor ni ngswer es pent r ec or di ngv oi c eov er s ,andt her es toft heweekI woul dbei nc l as swor k i ngonc our s eas s i gnment s andfil mi ng.Anyt i meIhadl ef t ,Iwoul dc hec k t r ans c r i pt i ons–of t enl at ei nt ot heni ght .

Onc et hes t udi owasbui l t ,Is pentwhat ev erday sI hadf r eet her e.Mos tofmyl as tt wos ummer swer e s penthel pi ngwi t hv ar i ouspr oj ec t sands pendi ng t i mec hec k i ngt r ans c r i pt i ons ,andnows ubt i t l es .

Al h a md o l i l l a h ,Iwasabl et obui l dmys ec ondand nowt hi r dy ears c hedul est oal l owmet odedi c at e f ourday swher eIam i nt hes t udi o,whi l et heot her t hr eear es pentatuni v er s i t ywor k i ngon as s i gnment sandat t endi ngc l as s es .Mygr ades hav enots uf f er ed.Iwasont heDean’ sHonourr ol l f orbot hmyfir s tands ec ondy ear ,andt hatI at t r i but et ot hebl es s i ngsofJ ama’ atwor k . ' Youwer ebor nf oragr eatpur pos eatagr eat t i me.

'Thes ewor dsc oul dnotbet r uer .Coul d any onef at hom bei ngabl et ogr owupwi t hMTA? Seei ngi tadv anc ef r om i t si nf anc yt ot hef or m we hav et oday ?Theoney ouc anac c es st hr oughy our s mar t phone,notr equi r i ngt hedi s hant enna.

Bei ngapar tofMTAhasgi v enmes ev er al oppor t uni t i est ohel pwi t hv ar i ouspr ogr amsand s omei ns pi r i ngdoc ument ar i es ,aswel lasgai n ex per i enc ei npi t c hi nganddev el opi ngpr ogr ams –oppor t uni t i est hats omeonef r es houtofc ol l ege mi ghts t r uggl et oget .I fany onewer et oas kme howIhav ebeenabl et oc ont i nuewi t hs uc ha s c hedul e–v oi c eov er s ,t r ans c r i pt i onc or r ec t i ons , uni v er s i t y ,aswel lasdev el opi ngpr ogr amsand nowc hec k i ngs ubt i t l es–Idonothav eanans wer , aba ot hert hanpr ay er sofHaz ur eAnwar andt he bl es s i ngsofAl l aht heAl mi ght y .

Ourt eam hasex pandedt oabout60peopl e,by t hes heerGr ac eofAl l ah,wi t hmember ss pr ead ac r os sCanada.Wedot r ans l at i onsi nFr enc hand hav ebeenbl es s edwi t ht r ans l at i ngs omeof aba Haz ur ’ s Waqf eNauc l as s es ,aswel las t r ans c r i bi ngol dDa r s u l Qu r ’ a nepi s odes .Weal s o hav eanumberofdedi c at eds ubt i t l er swho,al ong wi t hmy s el f ,hav ebeenl ear ni nghowt os ubt i t l e pr ogr amspr oduc edf r om ours t udi o.Mygoalhas beent oens ur et hatwear eac c ount abl ef orev er y weekoft hey ear .Al h a md o l i l l a h ,s i nc ebei ngt as k ed wi t ht hi sbl es s edwor k ,t hi sy ear( Apr i l2019)Iwas aba abl et ohav eamul aqatwi t hHaz ur eAnwar at t henewI s l amabadc ompl ex .Ihadwr i t t endown al lmypoi nt sont headv i c eofmyc ol l eagues ,and asl uc kwoul dhav ei t ,t hemul aqatwasemot i onal .

Somehow,Imanagedt os t umbl et hr ough r eques t sf orpr ay er sf ormy s el fandmyt eam,and t hev ar i ousot heri t emsIhadl i s t edont hat not ebook .Iam nev ergoi ngt of or gett hat aba amus edl ookHaz ur eAnwar hadwhenIt r i ed t os peakt hr ought ear sandr eques tt hos epr ay er s .

aba Haz ur l ov i ngl yhandedmeapen,s ay i ngt hatIs houl dwr i t eev er y t hi ngdownands endi t .I ti sbec aus e oft hos epr ay er st hatIam her ewor k i ngi nafiel dt hatIl ov e,andi ti sbec aus eoft hos epr ay er st hatno mat t erhowdi f fic ul tt hi ngsget–Ic ont i nuet owor kashar dasIc an.I t ’ seas yt ot hi nkt haty ouc angi v e upandfindanewj obbutbei ngaWaqfmeanst hatt hatopt i ondoesnotex i s t .

Wa q f e Na ui snotat i t l ewhi c hy ouar eguar ant eedj us tbec aus ey ourpar ent sdedi c at edy ouatbi r t h.I ti s r ededi c at i ngy our s el ft ot hes er v i c eofJ ama’ at .I ti smos tdefini t el yal otofhar dwor k .I ti sni ght ss pent wonder i ngi fy ouar el i v i ngupt ot hes t andar dss etbef or ey ou.I ti sk nowi ngandunder s t andi ngt hat J ama’ atwor kc omesfir s tnomat t erwhat .I ti nc l udest i meswher ey oumi ghts t ayupal lni ghtfini s hi nga pr oj ec t ,onl yt owak eupear l yt henex tdayt os t ar tanot herone.I ti sas k i ngAl l ahf orf or gi v enes sf or y ourmi s t ak esands hor t c omi ngs ,andnev erl et t i nggr udgesgeti nt hewayofy ourwor k .I ti sr emi ndi ng y our s el ft hat‘ I sAl l ahnots uf fic i entf orHi ss er v ant ’andbel i ev i ngi t .I ti nc l udest r i al sandt r i bul at i ons ,and i tmeansr emi ndi ngy our s el ft hatnoneofwhaty ouac c ompl i s hi sbec aus eofy our s el f ,i ti sbec aus eAl l ah al l owedy out heoppor t uni t y .I ti snev ergi v i ngup,nomat t erhowmuc hy ouwantt o,ands mi l i ngno mat t erhowhur ty oumi ghtbe.

' Yo uwe r eb o r nf o rama g ni fic e ntp ur p o s ea tama g ni fic e ntj unc t ur eo f t i me . ' Thes ewor dshav eal way sr emi ndedmet hatt heJ ama’ at ,Kh a l i f a e Wa q t ,andAl l ahwi l lal way sc omefir s t . aba Bei ngaWaqfi sat r ul yuni queas pec tofl i f e.Haz ur eAnwar s pendss omuc ht i mes pec i al l yt r ai ni ng Waqf eNaut obet hes ol di er soft heJ ama’ at ,aswear et heoneswhoar et os houl dert he r es pons i bi l i t i esoft hi sJ ama’ at .Ther ear emanyoutt her ewhoy ear nt ohav et hi st i t l e,t hi sbl es s i ngt hat wehav e.Donotl eti tbec omeat r ophyt hats i t sony ours hel fc ol l ec t i ngdus t .I ti sy ourdut yandy our obl i gat i ont of ul filt hepur pos ef orwhi c hy ouwer ededi c at ed.Bei ngaWaqfmeanst haty ouhav e dev ot edy ourl i f et os eek i ngAl l ah’ spl eas ur e,andt her ei snogr eat err ewar dt hant hat .Al way s r emember ,i nt hewor dsoft hePr omi s edMes s i ahas,t hat

“Thi si st het i mef ors er vi ngt hec aus eoft her el i gi onyouc l ai mt opr of es s .Real i z et heval ueof t hi sr ar eoppor t uni t yf ori fyoul eti ts l i pi twi l lnotof f eri t s el ft oyouas ec ondt i me” ( OurTeac hi ng,p.

35)

Blessings Of

Waqf-e-Zindagi

In The Words Of The Promised Messiahas

The Promised Messiahas has related many blessings of ‘Waqf-e-Zindagi’. A few are given below,

‘And Allah is compassionate to His servants.’ (2:208) “Devotion makes one a beloved of God; that is, those who give preference to their faith over the world are beloved of God. They dedicate their God given lives in the service of God and feel it their good fortune to sacrifice their wealth and their lives in the service of God.” (Malfoozat Vol. 1 Page 364)

Means of Comfort and Lasting Pleasure

“The fact is that people are incognizant of this fact and the pleasure that comes with ‘waqf’; they are absolutely ignorant. If they experience even a smidge of this pleasure and delight, they will flock to this field with anticipation. I myself am experienced in this field and only because of Allah’s blessings have I experienced this comfort and pleasure. I only wish that if I die and am brought back to life again, and then again, this process would be repeated, and I would dedicate my life in the service of Allah, and each time my desire would increase with pleasure.” (Malfoozat Vol. 1 Page 370)

Means of Shunning Laziness and Remaining Alert

“Remember that he who dedicates his life in the service of God is never rendered helpless. No, never. This dedication makes him alert, and laziness does not venture near him.” (Malfoozat Vol. 1 Page 365)

Means of a Pure Life

“Dedicate all your abilities in the service of God so that your life may become a pure one.”

(Malfoozat Vol.2 Page 90)

Means of Freedom From Worries and Sorrow

“A person who dedicates himself in the service of God and does good, will gain nearness to God and such a person does not experience fear or sorrow because God will liberate him from fear and sorrow.” (Roohani Khazain Vol. 2 Page 344) “Remember that this is a bargain of great profit because a person who dedicates his life does not lose it but instead receives reward from God. This ‘waqf’ bestows freedom from worries and sorrow. I wonder at the person who wants comfort and freedom from worries and sorrow, and yet does not try a prescription that is a cure for these ills. Has this prescription not proved effective for 1300 years? Did not the Companions of the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gain pious and everlasting lives because of this ‘waqf’? Why then is there hesitation in experiencing the benefit of this prescription?” (Malfoozat Vol. 1 Pages 369-370)

Prescription for a Longer Life

“A person who wants a longer life should dedicate his life for the service of the faith. Thus, there is no better prescription for a longer life than service of the faith. Dedicated servants are needed by the faith today and a life which is not spent in the service of God is uncertain and transitory.”

(Malfoozat Vol. 3 Page 563) “It is related in Ahadith that the lives of those who serve the faith will be lengthened in the time of the Promised Messiahas. He who cannot be a servant of the faith is like an old bullock which can be slaughtered by its owner at any time. He who is a true servant of God is close to God and God is reluctant to take his life. That is why Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: ‘but as to that which benefits men, it stays on the earth’” (13:18). (Malfoozat Vol. 2 Page 283)

Means of an Excellent Death

Hakim Aal Mohammadra came for an audience with the Promised Messiahas. In conversation, he stated that he was active in spreading the message of the divine Movement in Amroha and wished that his life would end while serving the faith. The Promised Messiahas said, “What greater service of the faith can be possible than that? Everyone has to die but it is an excellent death which comes while serving the faith.” (Malfoozat Vol. 3 Page 484)

Means of Inheriting the Prayers of the Promised Messiahas

“However, in accordance with the directive, ‘it is a guidance for the righteous’ one has not reached that level to which the Holy Qur’an wants to raise one to. That level is that man should devote his life entirely for Allah the Exalted and this is called ‘Divine Waqf’. When a person reaches this condition and status, his self becomes non-existent. He achieves perfection when all his movements and actions become for Allah and he is completely devoted to the service of mankind. In other words, we can say that the beauty of ‘spend out of that which we have provided for them’ (2:4) is that it is exactly in accordance with the objective of ‘a guidance for the righteous’” (2:3).

Status of Devotion for God

“A person cannot be considered fully and rightly guided until he dedicates his life in the service of God.” (Malfoozat Vol. 4 Page 612) (Taken from The Devotion of Life, It’s Importance and Blessings by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Ayaz, OBE, P.438-442)

GEORGIA A u ni qu e cou ntry l a d e n w i t h tra d i t i on , c ul t ur e an d h i s t ory

BY TAHMEENA SHAMIM TAHIR

Tbilisi at night

When I discuss Georgia with my European friends, their attention immediately turns to Georgia (USA), and then to an image of a backward, draconian country somewhere in the Soviet bloc. This maybe what came to your mind after reading the title. If you did, there’s no blame as it is not well known and has had a troubled history. But as they say, this is all in the past. Georgia is now a rising star and here is why.

Georgia is between Europe and Asia, bordering the Black sea, Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Although a small country with only a population of 3.7 million, it has amazing landscapes including mountains, forests, deserts, natural springs and coastal areas. The capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, has a rich mix of old historic buildings and new modern architecture (there is a great story behind how Tbilisi was discovered, but this requires an article in itself!). The capital is the largest city by population and size, and sees its fair share of tourists. The other major areas include Batumi in the west, Kutaisi and Borjomi in the central area, Kazbegi to the north and Sighnagi in the east. Each location is draped in history, adventure and beauty.

The language spoken in Georgia is Georgian (known as Kartuli locally), though many speak Russian and English. Georgian is one of the 10 oldest languages that is still spoken. It has 33 letters and a beautifully unique script; it definitely cannot be compared to any language.

Singing clock, Tbilisi

Georgia has a very rich history and culture.

It has been part of many empires and was, until recently, part of the Soviet Union.

Georgia only gained independence in 1991, but parts of the country are still occupied by Russia. The main religion in Georgia is Orthodox Christianity, and about 15-20% (depending on who you speak to) of the population are Muslim.

The inside of a mosque in Georgia

“Georgia has a very rich history and culture�

One of the famous churches in Tbilisi

The Georgians are proud of their food. One of the main dishes is called Khachapuri (kha-chapooree), which is bread filled with cheese. It has different variations in every region, but my favourite has to be the Adjarian khachapuri, which is a bread shaped like a boat with cheese inside and topped with a raw egg.

Another popular dish is Khinkali (Khin-kaalee), which is like a dumpling filled with meat, potato or cheese - equally as delicious!

Georgians are also very proud of their hospitality, which we have witnessed ourselves. Once some family members were visiting and went for a walk in the mountains.

This area was predominantly Christian and the visitors were dressed in traditional Muslim clothing. As they walked past some houses along a mountain track, one of the locals came out of the house and called them over in Georgian. Once they reached the gate of the house, without saying a word, the local went inside and brought fruit to share with the visitors! On another occasion, a member of the community was driving down a mountain along a single road. He stopped to let a car pass when some locals, who were also parked nearby eating some food, approached the car and offered food to the driver – out of the blue.

Khinkali

Adjarian Khachapuri

Georgia has a booming tourism industry, and given its growing popularity this keeps increasing. In 2004 there were a few hundred thousand tourists, whereas the figure is expected to exceed 8 million for 2019 - which is nearly double its total population! The summer (April – September) is comparable to a Mediterranean climate, where tourists enjoy the coastal areas and hikes in the mountainous regions, whist during winter tourists can enjoy winter sports in the numerous resorts.

Mountains in Georgia

By the grace of Allah and the prayers and guidance of Hazur-e-Aqdas (may Allah be his helper), Jama’at Georgia was established in December 2017. The Jama’at has held numerous book fairs, and last year hosted its first Peace Symposium, which attracted over 180 guests from 7 countries. The lack of education in Georgia on Islam is a huge challenge, and events like the book fairs and the peace symposium have worked well to start to dispel fears and misconceptions.

The Jama’at has worked hard to build relationships with the local community. In April 2019 a group of 22 Khudaam visited Georgia for Waqf-e-Arzi. They visited Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and some villages.

Books given in a village

National Peace Symposium

By the grace of Allah 80+ Georgians attended Jalsa Salana Germany 2019, including politicians. They all thoroughly enjoyed the 3 days, and were fortunate enough to have an audience with Hazur-e-Aqdasaba. For some, Hazur’saba presence really amazed them, and some were lucky enough to receive a pen from him. One of the ladies, who was not a Muslim, read prayers with us and great discussions were held with them.

Something unique about Georgia is that the animosity between the Muslim sects seen in other parts of the world does not exist. Here Muslims are seen working together, and they accept and work with our Jam’at – so much so that the Jama’at has been included in the National Religious Council. During Jalsa, Sunni and Shia Imams prayed behind Hazur-e-Aqdasaba – Alhamdolillah.

Although Georgia may be thousands of miles away from the UK, a return ticket can cost less than £100. All sisters are encouraged to visit, and experience the endless opportunities and potential this beautiful country has to offer yourself.

Batumi

Riddles!

1.

Re-arrange the letters, OOUSWTDNEJR to spell just one word. What is it?

2.

Mr. and Mrs. Mustard have six daughters and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the Mustard family?

3.

I am not alive, but I grow; I don’t have lungs, but I need air; I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?

4.

What is more useful when it is broken?

5.

A man rode out of town on Sunday, he stayed a whole night at a hotel and rode back to town the next day on Sunday. How is this possible?

7.

What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?

6.

I am full of holes but I can still hold water.

What am I?

8.

You can serve it, but never eat it? What is it?

Answers: 1. 'Just one word' 2. There are nine Mustards in the family. Since each daughter shares the same brother, there are six girls, one boy and Mr. and Mrs. Mustard. 3. Fire 4. An egg 5. His horse was called Sunday! 6. A sponge! 7. A teapot 8. A tennis ball

WAQF-E-NAU SYLLABUS:

Disputed Matters Some Points on the Finality of Prophethood Waqf-e-Nau Syllabus: Disputed - and Ahadith Argument of continuation and need of prophethood Matters from Holy Qur’an Syllabus: Matters SomeWaqf-e-Nau Points on the FinalityDisputed of Prophethood Argument of continuation and need of prophethood from Holy Qur’an and Ahadith Some Points on the Finality of Prophethood Argument of continuation and need of prophethood from Holy Qur’an and Ahadith Completion of Favour Completion of Favour Completion of Favour ؕ ًۡ َ َۡ ۡ ُ ُ َ

ُ َ ُ َۡ ُ َ ُ َ ُ ۡ ۡ َ َۡ ُ ◌ ‫ َو َرِﺿۡ=ﺖ ﻟﮑﻢ ا ِﻻﺳﻼم ِدﯾﻨﺎ‬:ۡ9ِ‫ۡﻌَﻤ‬7ِ ‫اﻟَﯿۡﻮَم اﮐَﻤﻠﺖ ﻟﮑۡﻢ ِدۡﯾﻨﮑۡﻢ َو اﺗَﻤۡﻤﺖ َﻋﻠۡﯿﮑۡﻢ‬ ؕ ‫ َو َ ﺿۡ=ُﺖ َﻟُﮑُﻢ اۡﻻۡﺳَﻼَم دۡﯾًﻨﺎ‬:ۡ9‫ۡﻌَﻤ‬7 ‫َاۡﻟَﯿۡﻮَم َاۡﮐَﻤۡﻠُﺖ َﻟُﮑۡﻢ دۡﯾَﻨُﮑۡﻢ َو َاۡﺗَﻤۡﻤُﺖ َﻋَﻠۡﯿُﮑۡﻢ‬ ◌ ِ your religion ِ favour upon you ِ ِ and completed My ِ you ِ ‫ ر‬for This day have I perfected

This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and and have chosen for you Islam as religion. (Holy Qur’an 5:4) have chosen for you Islam as religion. (Holy Qur’an 5:4) This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion. (Holy Qur’an 5:4) By presenting this verse of the Holy Qur’an, non-Ahmadi Muslim scholars try to prove By presenting this verse of the Holy Qur’an, non-Ahmadi Muslim scholars try to prove that as a religion, Islam has been perfected or completed, and the completion of favour that as a religion, Islam has been perfected or completed, and the completion of By presenting this verse of the Holy Qur’an, non-Ahmadi Muslim scholars try to prove means that Prophethood has now come to an end. This argument is proven false by the that as a religion, Islam has been perfected or completed, and the completion of favour favour means that Prophethood has now come to an end. This argument is proven following verse in Surah Yusuf: means that Prophethood has now come to an end. This argument is proven false by the false by ٰ the ٰۤ following following verse in Surah Yusuf: َ verse in Surah Yusuf: ۡ ۡ ّ َ

ُ َ ‫َﻌﻠُﻤ‬Mُ ‫ﮏ َو‬ َ K‫ﮏ َ ﱡ‬ َ ‫ۡﯿ‬J‫ﮏ َﯾۡﺠَﺘ‬ َ ‫َو ﮐٰﺬﻟ‬ َ ‫ َﻋﻠۡﯿ‬Uٗ‫ۡﻌَﻤَﺘ‬7 ‫ﻞ ا َﻻَﺣﺎدۡﯾﺚ َو ُﯾﺘﱡﻢ‬Qۡ‫ﮏ ﻣۡﻦ َﺗﺎو‬ ‫ۡﻌﻘۡﻮَب‬Mَ ‫ اِل‬YW‫ﮏ َو َﻋ‬ ‫ر‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ َِ ۡ ِ ٰۤ َ ۡ َ ۡ ِ َ َ ۤ َ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ ّ َ َ َ ‫ ۡ َ ٌﻋَﻠۡﯿ‬Uَٗ‫ ۡ َﻌَﻤَﺘ‬7‫ﺚ َو ُﯾ ﱠﺘ ﱡ َﻢ ﱠ‬ َ َ ۡ ُ َ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ‫ۡﻌُﻘۡﻮب‬Mَ ‫ ٰال‬YWٰۤ ‫ﮏ ۡ َ ٌو َﻋ‬ َ ‫ﱡ‬ َ ُ َ َ ‫ َﯿ‬J‫ﮏ ﯾ َﺠ ﱠﺘ‬ ‫ﺣﺎ ِۡد‬ ‫ﻌ‬MQ‫ﮏَﻮ ۡو‬ ِ ‫ِﮏ ﻋِﻠﯿﻢ ﺣِﮑﯿﻢ ۝‬K‫ َِﻖ ؕ ِا ِن ر‬eٰ‫ﯾ‬d ‫ﻞ َاﻢ َﻻو ِا‬ ‫ۡﯿ‬cِ ِ Q‫ﮏﻗ ِ ۡﻣﺒ ُﻦﻞ ِﺗا ۡﺎﺑ ِٰوﺮ‬ ‫ﮏِﻠِﻣﻤۡﻦ‬ ‫ اَﺑ‬YK‫ر‬W‫ﮏﻋ‬ ‫و ﮐﺬِﻟﮐَﻤﺎ اﺗ ۤﻤِ^ﺎ‬ َ K‫َﻖ ؕ اﱠن َ ﱠ‬eٰdۡ‫ۡﯿَﻢ َو ا‬c‫ﮏ ﻣۡﻦ َﻗۡﺒُﻞ اۡﺑٰﺮ‬ َ Qۡ‫ َاَﺑَﻮ‬YWٰ‫َﮐَﻤۤﺎ َاَﺗﱠﻤَ^ﺎ َﻋ‬ ‫ﮏ َﻋِﻠۡﯿٌﻢ َﺣِﮑۡﯿٌﻢ ۝‬ ‫ِ ر‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ

‘And thus, as thou hast seen, thy Lord shall choose thee and teach thee the interpretations ‘And thus, as thou hast seen, thy Lord shall choose thee and teach thee the of things divine and perfect His favour upon thee and upon the family of Jacob as He ‘And thus, as thou hast seen, thy Lord shall choose thee and teach thee the interpretations perfected it upon thy two forefathers – Abraham and Isaac. Verily, thy Lord is All-Knowing, interpretations of things divine and perfect His favour upon thee and upon the family of things divine and perfect His favour upon thee and upon the family of Jacob as He Wise.’ (Holy Qur’an 12:7) perfected it upon thy two forefathers – Abraham and Isaac. Verily, thy Lord is All-Knowing, of Jacob as He perfected it upon thy two forefathers – Abraham and Isaac. Verily, thy Wise.’ (Holy Qur’an 12:7) If the meaning of the ‘completion of the favour’ is taken to mean that Prophethood has Lord is All-Knowing, Wise.’ (Holy Qur’an 12:7) come to an end, this verse of the Qur’an would mean that Prophethood was given to the If the meaning of the ‘completion of the favour’ is taken to mean that Prophethood has Prophets mentioned in this verse again and again, and brought to an end again and If the meaning of the ‘completion of the favour’ is taken to mean that Prophethood come to an end, this verse of the Qur’an would mean that Prophethood was given to the again. However, even in this case we can prove that if Prophethood can come to an end Prophets mentioned in this verse again and again, and brought to an end again and saw? has come to an end, this verse of the Qur’an would mean that Prophethood was and then re-start again and again, why can it not re-start after the Holy Prophet again. However, even in this case we can prove that if Prophethood can come to an end sawto given to the Prophets mentioned in this verse again and again, and brought and then re-start again and again, why can it not re-start after the Holy Prophet ? an

Can a Book grant guidance on its own?

end again and again. However, even in this case we can prove that if Prophethood

Can a Book grant guidance on its own? can come to an end and then re-start again and again, why can it not re-start after

Some people raise the point that in the presence of a perfect book like the Holy Qur’an, there is no need for a prophet or spiritual guide, and now we can fulfil all of our the Holy Prophetsaw?

Some people raise the point that in the presence of a perfect book like the Holy Qur’an, requirements from this book alone. However, contrary to this notion, the Holy Qur’an there is no need for a prophet or spiritual guide, and now we can fulfil all of our states that a book and a teacher are two closely intertwined elements. requirements from this book alone. However, contrary to this notion, the Holy Qur’an ٰ ۡ ّ َ ۡ ◌ۙ ۡ ‫ٓ ٰ ٰ ٌ َ ۡ َ ۡ ٰ ُ َ ۡ َ ُ ۡ َ ﱠ َ َ ﱡ ُ ٰ َ ﱡ‬ َ ۡ َ ۡ states that a book and a teacher are two closely intertwined elements.

‫ِﺰ‬Q‫ ِﺻﺮاِط اﻟﻌِﺰ‬Ys‫ِ^ﻢ ِا‬Kِ‫ اﻟﻨﻮِر ِﺑِﺎذِن ر‬Ys‫ ِاﻟﯿﮏ ِﻟﺘﺨِﺮج اﻟﻨﺎس ِﻣﻦ اﻟﻈﻠﻤِﺖ ِا‬U‫اﻟﺮ۟ ِﮐﺘﺐ اﻧﺰﻟﻨ‬

If the meaning of the ‘completion of the favour’ is taken to mean that Prophethood has come to an end, this verse of the Qur’an would mean that Prophethood was given to the Prophets mentioned in this verse again and again, and brought to an end again and again. However, even in this case we can prove that if Prophethood can come to an end and then re-start again and again, why can it not re-start after the Holy Prophetsaw?

Can a Book grant guidance on its own?

Some people raise the point that in the presence of a perfect book like the Holy Can a Book grant guidance on its own?

Qur’an, there is no need for a prophet or spiritual guide, and now we can fulfil all of Some people raise the point that in the presence of a perfect book like the Holy Qur’an, our requirements from this book alone. However, contrary to this notion, the Holy there is no need for a prophet or spiritual guide, and now we can fulfil all of our requirements from this book alone. However, contrary to this notion, the Holy Qur’an Qur’an states that a book and a teacher are two closely intertwined elements. states that a book and a teacher are two closely intertwined elements.

ۡ ُ‫ﱡ‬ ٰ ۡ ۙ ‫َ ﱡ‬ َ ‫ اَﻟۡﯿ‬Uُ‫آﻟٰﺮ۟ ﮐٰﺘٌﺐ َاۡﻧَﺰۡﻟٰﻨ‬ َ ‫ﮏ ِﻟُﺘۡﺨﺮَج اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬ ‫ِﺰ‬Qۡ‫ ِﺻَﺮاِط اﻟَﻌِﺰ‬Ys‫ِ^ۡﻢ ِا‬Kِّ‫ اﻟﻨۡﻮِر ◌ ِﺑِﺎذِن َر‬Ys‫س ِﻣَﻦ اﻟﻈﻠٰﻤِﺖ ِا‬ ِ ِ ِ ۡ ‫ِﻤۡﯿِﺪ ۙ۝‬eَx‫ا‬

Alif Lam Ra. This is a Book which We have revealed to thee that thou mayest bring mankind out of the depths of darkness into light, by the command of their Lord, to the path of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy (Holy Qur’an 14:2) Alif Lam Ra. This is a Book which We have revealed to thee that thou mayest bring The status of a prophet in the eyes of those who claim that guidance can be achieved mankind out of the depths of darkness into light, by the command of their Lord, to the path merely by reading a book is nothing more than that of a mail-man, whose job is of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy (Holy Qur’an 14:2) merely to convey the book. The infidels of Makkah sought something quite the equal The status of a prophet in the eyes of those who claim that guidance can be achieved when they demanded that he may go to the heavens and bring them a book, which merely by reading a book is nothing more than that of a mail-man, whose job is merely they can read. to convey the book. The infidels of Makkah sought something quite the equal when they demanded that he may go to the heavens and bring them a book, which they can read.

ٰ َ َ َُّ َ ‫ اﻟﱠﺴَﻤٓﺎء ؕ َو َﻟۡﻦ ﱡﻧۡﺆﻣَﻦ ﻟُﺮﻗّﯿ‬Y> Y~ٰ‫ﮏ َﺑۡ=ٌﺖ ّﻣۡﻦ ُ ۡﺧُﺮف َاۡو َﺗۡﺮ‬ َ ‫َاۡو َﯾُﮑۡﻮَن َﻟ‬ ‫َل َﻋﻠۡﯿﻨﺎ ِﮐﺘًﺒﺎ‬Öِ Ñ‫ ﺗ‬:9‫ﮏ َﺣﱣ‬ ِ ٍ ‫ِ ز‬ ِ​ِ ِ ِ ِ ُ ۡ‫ﱠ‬ ◌ؕ ‫ﻧﻘَﺮؤٗە‬

‘Or, thou have a house of gold or thou ascend up into heaven; and we will not believe in thy ascension until thou send down to us a Book that we can read.’ (Holy Qur’an 17:94) ‘Or, thou have a house of gold or thou ascend up into heaven; and we will not believe in thy ascension until thou send down to us a Book that we can read.’ (Holy Qur’an 17:94) The word ‘naqra’u’ is worthy of special attention in this verse, which means, ‘we read’.

As a matter of fact, the Makkans asked the Holy Prophetsaw to simply give them a book and they shall read and understand it themselves, and that he should not teach it to them, nor impart to them wisdoms hidden therein.

The word ‘naqra’u’ is worthy of special attention in this verse, which means, ‘we read’.

As a matter of fact, the Makkans asked the Holy Prophetsaw to simply give them a book Contrary to this demand, Allah states that the function of a prophet is not merely to and they shall read and understand it themselves, and that he should not teach it to convey the message, but also its ‘tilawat’, or recitation, the expounding of its teachings and wisdom, as well as to purify the souls of the people. Therefore, along with a book, them, nor impart to them wisdoms hidden therein. the requirement of a divine teacher cannot be disregarded.

َ​َ ۡ ُۡ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ّ ًۡ ُ َ َ ّ ُّ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ ‫ُ َ ﱠ‬ َ ۡ ۡ ّ ُ َ ٰ ٰ that ٰ ۡ ُ ُ ُ ّ َ ُ َ Allah ‫ق‬Contrary not ‫ﮑَﻤﺔ‬eِx‫َو ا‬to‫َﺐ‬this ‫اﻟِﮑﺘ‬demand, ‫ﻌ ِﻠﻤ^ﻢ‬M ‫َﺰِﮐۡﯿِ^ۡﻢ و‬states ‫ و ﯾ‬Uٖ‫ﻠۡﯿِ^ۡﻢ اﯾِﺘ‬the ‫ﻮا ﻋ‬function ‫ ِﻣﻨ^ﻢ ﯾﺘﻠ‬of ‫ﻮﻻ‬a‫ﺳ‬prophet ‫ﻌ‬âmerely ‫ﻮ اﻟِﺬی‬cto ‫ن ر‬äٖ ‫ اﻻ ِﻣ‬Yis>ِ ‫ﺚ‬

َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ُ ۡ َ ۡ of its ۡ ُ teachings ‫ ٰ ﱡ‬expounding convey the message, but also its ‘tilawat’, or recitation,ۡ the ‫ٍن ۙ۝‬ä‫ﺎﻧﻮا ِﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ ﻟِﻔﯽ ﺿﻠٍﻞ ﻣِﺒ‬é ‫و ِان‬

and wisdom, as well as to purify the souls of the people. Therefore, along with a book, the requirement of a divine teacher cannot be disregarded.

‘He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom though before that they were in manifest error’ (Holy Qur’an 62:3) Even in our daily lives we commonly witness that by merely reading the books of

Contrary to this demand, Allah states that the function of a prophet is not merely to convey the message, but also its ‘tilawat’, or recitation, the expounding of its teachings and wisdom, as well as to purify the souls of the people. Therefore, along with a book, the requirement of a divine teacher cannot be disregarded.

‫ق‬

ّ َ ۡ ۡ ٰ َ ُۡ ۡ ً ‫ﱠ‬ ّ ٰ ۡ َ ُۡ َ ‫ﮑَﻤﺔ‬eِx‫َﻌ ِﻠُﻤُ^ُﻢ اﻟِﮑﺘَﺐ َو ا‬Mُ ‫ َو ُﯾَﺰِﮐۡﯿِ^ۡﻢ َو‬Uٖ‫ن َرُﺳۡﻮﻻ ِّﻣﻨُ^ۡﻢ َﯾﺘﻠۡﻮا َﻋﻠۡﯿِ^ۡﻢ اٰﯾِﺘ‬äّٖ‫ اﻻ ِّﻣ‬Y>ِ ‫َﻌﺚ‬âَ ‫َﻮ اﻟِﺬۡی‬cُ َ َ َٰ ُ َ ۡ ‫ٍن ۙ۝‬äۡ‫ﺎﻧۡﻮا ِﻣۡﻦ ﻗۡﺒُﻞ ﻟِﻔۡﯽ ﺿﻠٍﻞ ﱡﻣِﺒ‬é ‫َو ِان‬

‘He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves ‘He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Wisdom though before that they were in manifest error’ (Holy Qur’an 62:3) Book and Wisdom though before that they were in manifest error’ (Holy Qur’an 62:3) Even in our daily lives we commonly witness that by merely reading the books of professional fields such as medicine, engineering, law, computer science, etc., one cannot become an expert in that respective field. Quite the contrary, he is required to Even in our daily lives we commonly witness that by merely reading the books of learn from a proper teacher in that faculty of study, who not only explains difficult professional fields such as medicine, engineering, law, computer science, etc., one aspects of the textbook, but through his long experience, also teaches his students such beneficial things as are not mentioned in textbooks, which can only be acquired through cannot become an expert in that respective field. Quite the contrary, he is required deep study and experience in that field. If such is the case in worldly knowledge, then to learn from a proper teacher in that faculty of study, who not only explains difficult how can one acquire spiritual and divine knowledge without the presence of a teacher? aspects of the textbook, but through his long experience, also teaches his students

Does a Perfect Religious Law Necessitate the end of Prophethood? such beneficial things as are not mentioned in textbooks, which can only be acquired through deep study and experience in that field. If such is the case in worldly A common misconception spread by non-Ahmadi Muslim scholars is that, as Islamic Law is complete and the Holy Qur’an is the last Divine Book, therefore there is no more knowledge, then how can one acquire spiritual and divine knowledge without the need for a Prophet to come. As if Prophethood and Sharia are two closely intertwined presence of a teacher? elements, and Islamic Law being complete, therefore there is no more need for a

Does a Perfect Religious Law Necessitate the end of Prophethood?

A common misconception spread by non-Ahmadi Muslim scholars is that, as Islamic Law is complete and the Holy Qur’an is the last Divine Book, therefore there is no more need for a Prophet to come. As if Prophethood and Sharia are two closely intertwined elements, and Islamic Law being complete, therefore there is no more need for a Prophet. However, having a complete law is in no way a barrier for the coming of Prophets. The Torah was sent by Allah as a complete guidance for the Prophet. However, having a complete law is in no way a barrier for the coming of Prophets. The Torah was sent by Allah as a complete guidance for the Children for Children for Israel. Despite this fact many prophets were sent to them after it.

Israel. Despite this fact many prophets were sent to them after it.

َٓ َ ۤ ‫َ ﱠ‬ َ ُّ ً َۡ ‫ً ﱠ ﱠ‬ َ ٰ ۡ َ َٰ ُ ‫ًﺪی ﱠو َرۡﺣَﻤﺔ ﻟَﻌﻠُ^ۡﻢ ِﺑِﻠﻘﺎِء‬cُ ‫ٍء ﱠو‬:ۡìñ ‫ِّﻞ‬ï‫ اﻟِﺬۡی اۡﺣَﺴَﻦ َو ﺗﻔِﺼۡﯿﻼ ِﻟ‬YW‫ اﻟِﮑﺘَﺐ ﺗَﻤﺎًﻣﺎ َﻋ‬:ìíَ ‫ﺛﱠﻢ اﺗۡ=ﻨﺎ ُﻣۡﻮ‬ َ ُ ۡ ‫ِ^ۡﻢ ُﯾﺆِﻣﻨۡﻮن۝‬Kِّ‫َر‬

‘Moreover, We gave Moses the Book – completing the favour upon him who did good, and an explanation of all necessary things, and a guidance and a mercy – that they might ‘Moreover, We gave Moses the Book – completing the favour upon him who did believe in the meeting with their Lord’ (Holy Qur’an 6:155) good, and an explanation of all necessary things, and a guidance and a mercy – that

they might believe in the meeting with their Lord’ (Holy Qur’an 6:155) Does Every Prophet Bring a Law? The scholars who reject the idea of coming of a prophet, while a complete and perfect law is present, themselves also hold the view that Jesusas will return and will be a follower of Islamic Sharia. They also know full well that it is not necessary for every

Prophets. The Torah was sent by Allah as a complete guidance for the Children for

ٓ َ ُ ‫ُ ﱠ ٰ َ ۡ َ ُ ۡ َ ۡ ٰ َ َ َ ً َ َ ﱠ ۡۤ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ ۡ ۡ ً ّ ُ ّ َ ۡ ﱠ ُ ً ﱠ َ ۡ َ ً ﱠ َ ﱠ‬ ‫ۡﻢ ِﺑِﻠﻘﺎِء‬Israel. Despite this fact many prophets were sent to them after it. ^‫ﺪی و رﺣﻤﺔ ﻟﻌﻠ‬c ‫ٍء و‬:ìñ ‫ ِﻞ‬ï‫ اﻟِﺬی اﺣﺴﻦ و ﺗﻔِﺼﯿﻼ ِﻟ‬YW‫ اﻟِﮑﺘﺐ ﺗﻤﺎﻣﺎ ﻋ‬:ìí‫ﺛﻢ اﺗ=ﻨﺎ ﻣﻮ‬ َٓ َ ۤ ‫َ ﱠ‬ َ ُّ ً َۡ ‫ً ﱠ ﱠ‬ َ َ ٰ َ ۡ ۡ ُ ۡ َُ ۡ ُ ّ َ َ ۡ َ ٰ ‫ُ ﱠ‬ ‫ًﺪی ﱠو َرۡﺣَﻤﺔ ﻟَﻌﻠُ^ۡﻢ ِﺑِﻠﻘﺎِء‬cُ ‫ٍء ﱠو‬:ۡìñ ‫ِّﻞ‬ï‫ اﻟِﺬۡی اۡﺣَﺴَﻦ َو ﺗﻔِﺼۡﯿﻼ ِﻟ‬YW‫۝ﺗَﻤﺎًﻣﺎ َﻋ‬ ‫ِﻣاﻨﻟ ِﻮﮑﺘنﺐ‬:‫ﺆ‬ì‫ﯾ‬í‫ِ^ﻣﻢﻮ‬Kِ‫ﺛﻢ اﺗ=ﻨﺎر‬ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ُ ۡ َّ ‫ن‬ ‫۝‬ ‫ِ^ﻢ ﯾﺆِﻣﻨﻮ‬Kِ‫ر‬ Does Every Prophet Bring a Law?

‘Moreover, We gave Moses the Book – completing the favour upon him who did good, and an explanation of all necessary things, and a guidance and a mercy – that they might ‘Moreover, We gave Moses the Book – completing the favour upon him who did good, and The scholars who reject the idea of coming of a prophet, while a complete and perfect believe in the meeting with their Lord’ (Holy Qur’an 6:155) an explanation of all necessary things, and a guidance and a mercy – that they might law is present, themselves also hold the view that Jesusas will return and will be a believe in the meeting with their Lord’ (Holy Qur’an 6:155) Does Every Prophet Bring a Law? follower of Islamic Sharia. They also know full well that it is not necessary for every

Does Every Prophet Bring a Law? The scholars who reject the idea of coming of a prophet, while a complete and perfect prophet to bring a new law. law is present, themselves also hold the view that Jesusas will return and will be a The scholars who reject the idea of coming of a prophet, while a complete and perfect follower of Islamic Sharia. They also know full well that it is not necessary for every as will return and will be a law is present, themselves also hold the view that Jesus These scholars have deliberately spread this notion among the Muslims in order to prophet to bring a new law. follower of Islamic Sharia. They also know full well that it is not necessary for every prevent them from accepting the claim of the Promised Messiahas. The Holy Qur’an prophet to bring a new law.

These scholars have deliberately spread this notion among the Muslims in order to states very clearly that some Prophets were sent by Allahaswith Laws, some without and prevent them from accepting the claim of the Promised Messiah . The Holy Qur’an These scholars have deliberately spread this notion among the Muslims in order to states very clearly that some Prophets were sent by Allah with Laws, some without and many of them were followers of previous Shariahs. prevent them from accepting the claim of the Promised Messiahas. The Holy Qur’an many of them were followers of previous Shariahs. states very clearly that some Prophets were sent by Allah with Laws, some without and َ ُ‫ُۡ ۡ ﱠ ۡ َﱠ َ ﱣ‬ َ َ ۡ َ َۡ‫ۡ َ ﱡ ُ ُ َ ﱠ‬ many of them were followers of previous Shariahs. ۡ âَ YWٰ‫ﻀُ^ۡﻢ َﻋ‬ ؕ ‫ۡﻌﻀُ^ۡﻢ َدَرٰﺟٍﺖ‬âَ ‫ َو َرﻓَﻊ‬ò ‫ﻠﻢ‬é ‫ﺾ ۘ ِﻣﻨ^ﻢ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﻌ‬ ‫ﻌ‬â ‫ ِﺗﻠﮏ اﻟﺮﺳﻞ ﻓﻀﻠﻨﺎ‬ ٍ

َ ۡ َ َۡ‫ۡ َ ﱡ ُ ُ َ ﱠ‬ َ ۡ َ َ َ​َ َ ُ‫ُۡ ۡ ﱠ ۡ َﱠ َ ﱣ‬ ۡ âَ YWٰ‫ﻀُ^ۡﻢ َﻋ‬ ٰ ‫ﻀُ^ۡﻢ َدَر‬ ‫ ِﺗﻠ‬ ‫ﻌ‬â among ‫ﻞ ﻓﻀﻠﻨﺎ‬them ‫ﮏ اﻟﺮﺳ‬ ؕ ‫ﺖ‬ ‫ﺟ‬ ‫ﻌ‬ â ‫ﻊ‬ ‫ﻓ‬ ‫و‬ ò ‫ﻢ‬ ‫ﻠ‬ é ‫ﻦ‬ ‫ﻣ‬ ‫ﻢ‬ ^ ‫ﻨ‬ ‫ﻣ‬ ۘ ‫ﺾ‬ ‫ﻌ‬ ‫ر‬ ٍ ِ ٍ above others; ‘These messengers have We exalted some of them there

‘These messengers have We exalted some of them above others; among them there are those to whom Allah spoke; and some of them He exalted in degrees of rank.’ (Holy Qur’an are those to whom Allah spoke; and some of them He exalted in degrees of rank.’

‘These messengers have We exalted some of them above others; among them there are 2:254) (Holy Qur’an 2:254) those to whom Allah spoke; and some of them He exalted in degrees of rank.’ (Holy Qur’an َ ۡ ‫ ﱠ ﱡ ۡ َ ﱠ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ُ ۡ ﱠ ۡ َ َ ُ ۡ َ ﱠ ﱣ ﱡ‬2:254) َ ُ ُ ۡ َ ٌ ۡ ُ ‫ﱠۤ َۡ َۡ َ ﱠ ۡ ٰ َ ۡ َ ُ ً ﱠ‬

‫ﯿﻮن‬°ِK‫ﺎدوا و اﻟﺮ‬c ‫ﯿﻮن اﻟِﺬﯾﻦ اﺳﻠﻤﻮا ِﻟﻠِﺬﯾﻦ‬Jِ‫ﺪی و ﻧﻮر ۚ ﯾﺤﮑﻢ ِﺑ^ﺎ اﻟﻨ‬c ‫ﺔ ِﻓﯿ^ﺎ‬û‫ِاﻧﺎ اﻧﺰﻟﻨﺎ اﻟﺘﻮر‬ َ َ ۡ َۤ َ ‫ﱠ‬ ‫َ ﱠ‬ َ ُ ‫ﱡﯿۡﻮن‬°ِK‫ﺎُدۡوا َو اﻟﱠﺮﱣ‬cَ ‫ﱡﯿۡﻮن اﻟِﺬۡﯾَﻦ اۡﺳﻠُﻤۡﻮا ِﻟﻠِﺬۡﯾَﻦ‬Jِ‫ًﺪی ﱠو ُﻧۡﻮٌر ۚ َﯾۡﺤﮑُﻢ ِﺑَ^ﺎ اﻟﱠﻨ‬cُ ‫ﺔ ِﻓۡﯿَ^ﺎ‬û‫ِاﱠﻧﺎ اۡﻧَﺰﻟَﻨﺎ اﻟﱠﺘۡﻮٰر‬

‘Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets, who were obedient to US, judge for the Jews’ (Holy Qur’an 5:45) ‘Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the ‘Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets, Prophets,who were obedient to US, judge for the Jews’ (Holy Qur’an 5:45) who were obedient to US, judge for the Jews’ (Holy Qur’an 5:54) The Word Khatam used to mean Ring and Seal in Ahadith

The Word Khatam used to mean Ring and Seal in Ahadith In Bukhari, Book of Clothing, the narrations which speak of the rings and seals of the Holy Prophetsaw refers to them using the Arabic word “Khatam.”

In Bukhari, Book of Clothing, the narrations which speak of the rings and seals of the Holy Prophetsaw refers to them using the Arabic word “Khatam.” saw forbade us from wearing rings (Khatam) Bara` ibn ‘Azib narrates that the Holy Prophet

The Word Khatam used to mean made of gold.

Ring and Seal in Ahadath Bara` ibn ‘Azib narrates that the Holy Prophet forbade us from wearing rings (Khatam) saw

made of gold.

“Amin, is the Seal (Khatam) of the Lord of all the worlds placed on the tongues of believing In Bukhari, Book of Clothing,men.” the narrations which speak of the rings and “Amin, is the Seal (Khatam) of the Lord of all the worlds placed on the tongues of believing

seals of the Holy Prophetsaw refers to them using the Arabic word “Khatam.” men.”

Bara` ibn ‘Azib narrates that the Holy Prophetsaw forbade us from wearing rings (Khatam) made of gold.

“Amin, is the Seal (Khatam) of the Lord of all the worlds placed on the tongues of believing men.”

Anas abn Malik relates that the Holy Prophetsaw desired to send a letter to the leaders of foreign nations. Someone said to him that these people do not accept any letter unless it bears a seal (Khatam). Thereupon the Holy Prophetsaw had a signet ring (Khatam) made of silver, bearing the words “Muhammad Messenger of Allah.”

Discussion of the Holy Prophetsaw with Musailmah and Ibn Sayyad When these two claimants of Prophethood inquired of the Holy Prophetsaw whether or not he believed in them as true Prophets, he did not respond by saying that he is the last Prophet, how can they be prophets? Rather he said, “I believe in all Prophets of Allah.”

“If He Lived He Would Have Been A Prophet” At the death of Ibrahimra, son of the Holy Prophetsaw, he said, “If he had lived he would have been a prophet.” If the Holy Prophetsaw was the last prophet in every sense of the word, and considered himself as such then he could never have uttered these words.

Reference: https://www.alislam.org/articles/finality-of-prophethood-some-points/ https://www.alislam.org/articles/finality-of-prophethood-some-points-2/

Personal Reflections with Khilafat In this era, we Ahmadi Muslims are extremely fortunate to be led by the blessed institution of Khilafat. In order to guide the members of the Jama’at, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) regularly travels to different parts of the world to meet and guide the local Ahmadis. Certainly, the bond of love between the Khalifa and an Ahmadi is truly unique. During his tours, Hazur aba also spreads the message of Islam through various lectures, meetings and interviews. Dear readers, we hereby present some inspiring and emotional personal reflections and experiences with Khilafat pertaining to some of Hazur's aba tours.

These incidents and narrations have been taken from the diaries written by respected Abid Khan sahib, who has had the honour of travelling with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V aba on various occasions.

“Let me proclaim before the entire world that there is no doubt that the Imam Mahdi has come and his Fifth Khalifah is here today!”

That morning I was also able to spend some time with Sarjo Trawalley (52), originally from The Gambia, but living in the United States since 2000. He told me that his parents, who were not Ahmadis, had died when he was an infant. As a result, he was raised by his uncle and older brother who was Ahmadi and so Trawalley sahib considered himself to be a ‘born Ahmadi’.

During his life, Trawalley sahib had witnessed the blessings of obedience to Khilafat time and again, especially with regard to the health of his children.

Sarjo Trawalley sahib said: “When I was in The Gambia, we had a child born with a congenital heart defect and I wrote to the Fourth Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh to inform him that the doctors had said that our child will die. In response, the Fourth Khalifa rh wrote back that the child will be healed. As there was no treatment available in The Gambia, I

wrote back to ask if I should take my child to the UK or to Germany for treatment. In response, Hazurrh said to be patient and to keep praying and Allah Himself will provide the means for healing. A few weeks later, I received a letter that entirely unexpectedly a hospital in New Jersey in the United States had offered to sponsor the treatment of my child. So, we came here and received the treatment that, without the Help of Allah, would have been impossible.”

Some years later, Trawalley sahib’s wife was expecting a daughter in the United States but the doctors had informed that the child had tested positive for Downs Syndrome and asked the family if they wanted to keep the child or abort it. At that time of grief and confusion, Trawalley sahib sought the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba.

Sarjo Trawalley sahib said:

“The doctor told me we had just one week to decide if we want to have an abortion. I told the doctor that I will not make a decision until I have consulted my Khalifa in London. In reply, the doctor’s tone was quite dismissive and condescending. He said, ‘You are the father, not someone in London’.

Upon this, I told him that I do not make any major decision without my Khalifa. The doctor then handed me his business card and said somewhat indignantly ‘Give it to your Khalifa!’”

After writing to Hazuraba, Trawalley sahib waited for a response. Just one night before the abortion deadline was due to pass, he got a call from the Private Secretary’s office in London.

Narrating the message, Sarjo Trawalley sahib said: “The Private Secretary’s office conveyed Hazuraba’s clear message to me. The person on the phone said that Hazuraba has said that ‘If you are a sincere Ahmadi, do not abort your child. She will be fine, if you let her live!’”

As soon as he received the message, any doubt in the mind of Trawalley sahib was eliminated. He went and told his wife that they would keep the child. The next morning, he went to see the doctor to inform him that they would keep the child. However, before he could say anything, his doctor greeted him with a smile and said: “Congratulations”.

Sarjo Trawalley sahib said: “I could not understand why he was congratulating me, as our baby was sick. But then the doctor explained. He said they had taken another test at my wife’s last appointment and it showed that our baby was fine and the initial Downs Syndrome diagnosis was mistaken! It was then that I told him the message we had received the night before and that our Khalifa had given us the glad tiding already. The doctor, who initially had been dismissive of our desire to seek Hazuraba’s guidance, was genuinely

amazed. He took a lot of interest and so I was able to do Tabligh and tell him about the advent of the Promised Messiahas.

Now, over a decade later, my daughter is ten years old and just as Hazuraba promised, she is fine and healthy, Alhamdolillah!”

It had been faith inspiring to hear how Hazur aba’s words had come true. Only a person, who is divinely guided, can say with such confidence that a child, yet to be born, will be fine, when all medical evidence speaks to the contrary.

Thereafter, as we continued to sit in the courtyard of the Mosque premises, Sarjo Trawalley sahib told me he had once seen a dream in which he was fortunate enough to see the Promised Messiah as. He told me that in his dream he was standing in the blessed company of the Promised Messiahas by the very tree at Baitur Rahman that we happened to be standing next to now.

Narrating the rest of the dream, Sarjo Trawalley sahib said: “In the dream, the Promised Messiahas said to me that there is a journalist present and so you should tell him that the Imam Mahdi has come. We were standing exactly near the tree that you and I are standing at now. In my view, you are a journalist of our Jama’at and so my dream has come true.

Hence, let me proclaim before the entire world that there is no doubt that the Imam Mahdi has come and his Fifth Khalifa is here today!”

As he said these words, Trawalley sahib broke down in tears and kept repeating ‘Alhamdolillah’.

I had been grateful to meet him and to learn of the incredible way that Khilafat had touched his family’s life.

(Hazoor’s Tour of the United States and Guatemala, October-November 2018, part 3, A Personal Account by Abid Khan).

Kids’ Spread

You can do it! ^

Down

Across

1. Who was Hazrat Maryam’sas

2. Which prophet was Hazrat

3. Initially, the Waqfe Nau Scheme

4. Hazrat Maryamas had complete faith

it was made permanent.

everything she needed.

guardian?

was launched for ____ years before

4. In which month and year was

the Waqfe Nau Scheme started?

Maryamas the mother of?

in ______ to always provide her with

5. What is the name of the Surah which

mentions the birth of Hazrat Maryamas?

Find the following words:

Sacrifice

Waqf

Servants of Allah

Dedication Loyalty Moral Training Submission Lifelong

Religious Knowledge

Pledge

Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks in the following paragraph: Hazrat Isaaas, a prophet of God, was born to a pious woman named Hazrat Maryamas. Hazrat Maryam’sas ________ dedicated Hazrat Maryamas for the cause of _______ before her birth. This is mentioned in Chapter 3, verse ___of the Holy Qur’an. Hazrat Maryamas had complete trust and belief that Allah would always provide her with everything she needed. Just like Hazrat Maryam’sas mother devoted her child for religion when it was in the womb, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, the _____ Khalifa, started the _________ scheme and asked parents to devote their unborn children for the cause of faith.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba mentioned in an address on 7th April 2019 at the National Waqfeen-e-Nau Ijtema, that Waqf is a sacred, everlasting promise with Allah the Almighty to give away your ______ for the sake of your faith. He said we should always follow the example of the ___________ who devoted his entire life for Islam. Hazuraba said a true Waqfe Nau always ________ their parents by listening to them and praying for them, and treats their siblings with love, setting a good ______ for them.

Words

respects thirty-six Religion example Waqfe Nau lives Fourth mother Promised Messiahas 1. mother | 2. religion | 3. thirty-six | 4. Fourth | 5. Waqfe Nau | 6. Lives | 7. Promised Messiahas | 8. respects | 9. example

Answers Down: 1. Zachariah | 3. Two | Across: 2. Hazrat Isa | 4. Allah Fill in the blanks: as

| 5. Surah Imran 4. April 1987

B OOKRE VI E W: Si n c et h e2 0 t hc e n t u r y , wea r eb e n e f i t i n gf r o mt h ef a s ta d v a n c e me n t sma d ei n t h el a t e s tt e c h n o l o g ya n dc o mmu n i c a t i o ns y s t e ms .

Wh i l s tt h e s ema n ma d es o c i a l me d i ap l a t f o r msa r eab l e s s i n gg r a n t e db yAl l a ht h eAl mi g h t ya n dp r o v i d eu s wi t ht h e i rp r o s , t h e ya l s oc o mewi t hc o n s .

Th i sb o o kc o mp i l e st h ei n s t r u c t i o n s a b a a n dg u i d a n c et h a tHa z u r e Aq d a s h a sg i v e nu swi t hr e g a r d st ot h eu s eo fs o c i a l me d i a , h i g h l i g h t i n gi t sr i s k sa swe l la se mp h a s i s i n go ni t sp r o d u c t i v eu s et o a d v a n c eo u rs t e p si nt h ef i e l d so fTa b l i g ha n dTa r b i y y a t .

Al h a md o l l i a h , wea r eb l e s s e dt ob eb o r ni nat i mewh e r e : ‘ Tr e a s ur e so fk no wl e d g ea ndwi s d o mha v eb e e ns p r e a dt ot hes k i e sa ndc o me i nf r o nto fusa tt hep us ho fab ut t o n.

I ti so urj o bt or e a pt heg r e a t e s tb e ne f i t s a s f r o mt hek no wl e d g e , s a y i ng sa ndwr i t i ng so ft hePr o mi s e dMe s s i a h’ ( Ta ke nf r omt het r a ns l a t i onoft heFr i da ySe r monde l i ve r e dbyHa z r a tMi r z aMa s r oorAhma d, Kha l i f a t ulMa s i hVabaon15t hMa y2015)

a b a Ha z u r e Aq d a s h a sd e l i v e r e dma n ya d d r e s s e sd i r e c t e dt oJ a ma ’ a tme mb e r so f a l la g e s , i n c l u d i n gNa s i r a t , La j n a , At f a l , Kh u d d a m, a n dAn s a rb u tr e i n f o r c e si n h i se x h o r t a t i o n st oWa q f e e n e Na ua n dWa q i f a a t e Na u , t h a tt h e yn e e dt o e s t a b l i s ha n ds u s t a i nh i g h e rs t a n d a r d so fI s l a mi cp r i n c i p l e s .

Ev e r ywe e ko n a b a Fr i d a y , Ha z u r e Aq d a s r e mi n d su st oa c ta c c o r d i n gt oI s l a mi ct e a c h i n g s , wh i c h a r ea l wa y sb a s e do nwi s d o ma n ds t r o n gr e a s o n i n g .

Byr e a d i n gt h i sb o o k , y o u wi l lb ea b l et ou n d e r s t a n dt h eo b j e c t i v eo fh u ma nc r e a t i o na n dt h er o l eo fp a r e n t s i nt h et r a i n i n go fc h i l d r e n , a swe l la so b t a i ng u i d a n c ef o rt h ey o u t h , e s p e c i a l l y f o rWa q f e e n e Na ua n dWa q i f a a t e Na ui nr e l a t i o nt ot h er i g h ta n ds a f eu s eo f s o c i a lme d i a . a b a Tos u mma r i s e , i nt h i sb o o k , Ha z u r e Aq d a s h a se n c o u r a g e du sa tn u me r o u s o c c a s i o n st oe l e v a t eo u rs p i r i t u a lu n d e r s t a n d i n go fI s l a mt h r o u g hu s i n gt h e a s i n t e r n e tt oa c c e s sa n dr e a dt h eb o o k so ft h ePr o mi s e dMe s s i a h, s t u d y i n gt h e s a w t e a c h i n g so ft h eHo l yPr o p h e t a n dl i s t e n i n gt ot h eI ma mo ft h et i me s ’s e r mo n s , wh e r ee v e ri nt h ewo r l dh ema yb e .

Wh e nr e a c h i n gt h ee n do ft h eb o o k , b e a u t i f u l u n i q u ea n e c d o t e so fp e o p l eo p e n i n gu pt h e i rh e a r t st oAh ma d i y y a tt h r o u g h wa t c h i n gMTAa n dr e s e a r c h i n ga b o u tt h eJ a ma ’ a ta r en a r r a t e d , ma n i f e s t i n gt h e i mp o r t a n c eo fwa t c h i n gMTAr e g u l a r l y .

Ma yAl l a he n a b l eu st oa l lc o n n e c twi t hMTAa n di n c r e a s eo u rs p i r i t u a lg a i n s a b a f r o mi ta swe l la su t i l i s es o c i a lme d i af o l l o wi n gHa z u r e Aq d a s g u i d a n c e .

Ame e n .

Uz maKh a n

The

BRILLIANCE of Early Muslim Scientists B Y AAF IA SH OAIB

The growth of Islam in the seventh century sparked a golden age of scientific discovery. Building on the wisdom of ancient civilizations, Muslim doctors pushed the boundaries of medical science into bold new places.

Portrait of Avicenna (980-1037 CE). Depicted by Saber Baggal Asghari and Babak Kamal Gazani.

AVICENNA (980 – 1037): Avicenna, Arabic Ibn Sīnā, in full Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā, was one of

the most influential physicians and philosophers of his time. A lot of what we know about

Avicenna is from his personal account of his life, as communicated by his pupil al-Jūzjānī.

According to this account, Avicenna read and memorised the entire Qur’an by the age of 101.

He was 16 when he turned towards the field of medicine. When the sultan of Bukhara fell ill with an illness that baffled the court physicians, Avicenna (who was still young at the time) was called to his bedside and managed to cure him. The sultan was so impressed that he

opened the royal Sāmānid library to him, and this is where Avicenna gained mastery over his knowledge of philosophy and science1.

Avicenna shared his extensive knowledge

of philosophy and science through his many books which he started writing at the age of 21. His knowledge extended over various subjects which included mathematics,

geometry, astronomy, physics, metaphysics, and poetry. His books Kitāb al-shifā (Book of Cures) and Al-Qānūn fī al-ṭibb (The

Canon of Medicine) give deep insight into the depth of his knowledge regarding

A monument to Avicenna in Qakh (city), Azerbaijan

science of nature and the human body2. Al-Qānūn fī

al-ṭibb, for example, is divided into four parts: Book I covers aetiology and symptoms of various diseases, as well as hygiene, health, and sickness. Book II of the Canon is a “Materia Medica,” Book III covers

“Head-to-Toe Diseases,” Book IV examines “Diseases That Are Not Specific to Certain Organs” (fevers

and other systemic and humoral pathologies), and

Book V presents “Compound Drugs” (e.g., theriacs, mithridates, electuaries, and cathartics)1.

Avicenna was a devout Muslim and vigorously

sought to reconcile rational philosophy with Islamic theology. In his book, Al-burhan Al-siddiqin (Proof of the Truthful), Avicenna argued that a wajib alwujud (necessary existence) must exist for the

efficient and proper functioning of this world and

identified this with the Islamic conception of God. As per Peter Adamson, a present-day historian of

philosophy, the arguments presented in this book in favour of the existence of God are one of the most

The statue of Avicenna

in United Nations Office

in Vienna as a part of the Persian Scholars Pavilion donated by Iran.

influential medieval arguments for God’s existence,

and Avicenna’s biggest contribution to the history of philosophy3.

Avicenna’s contributions to science and philosophy

will forever be remembered. In Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, he is considered a national icon to date,

and is often regarded as one of the greatest Persians.

Statues and monuments that have been built in his

honour in these countries are testament to this. Many medical and research institutes have been named

after this great philosopher and physician some of

which include the biotechnology Avicenna Research Institute in Tehran (Iran), the Ibn Sīnā Tajik State

Medical University in Dushanbe, Ibn Sīnā Academy

of Medieval Medicine and Sciences at Aligarh, India, Avicenna School in Karachi and Avicenna Medical

College (Ibn Sīnā tibbi college) in Lahore, Pakistan.

Hence, it is no wonder that Ibn Sīnā is regarded by many as the father of modern medicine.

Avicenna statue in Milad Tower, Tehran, Iran

Portrait of Ibn Al-Haytham (Al-Hazen)

AL-HAZEN (965 – 1040): Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latin Al-Hazen, full name Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-

Haytham, regarded by many as “the father of modern optics”, was an Arab mathematician,

astronomer, and physicist4. Ibn al-Haytham was born during a creative period known as the

golden age of Muslim civilisation that saw many fascinating advances in science, technology and medicine. One of his most influential works included Kitāb al-Manāẓir (Book of Optics)

wherein he made significant contributions to the principles of optics and visual perception.

Ibn al-Haytham was the first to explain that vision occurs in the brain rather than the eyes and this happens when light is reflected off an object and then passes through the eye. In doing so, Al-Hazen paved the way for modern science of physical optics5.

Alhazen offered an explanation of the moon illusion, an illusion that played an important role

in the scientific tradition of medieval Europe. Many authors attempted to solve the problem of the moon appearing larger near the horizon than it does when higher up in the sky. Alhazen defined the problem in terms of perceived, rather than real, enlargement, i.e. an illusion.

He said that judging the distance of an object depends on there being an uninterrupted

sequence of intervening bodies between the object and the observer. When the moon is high in the sky there are no intervening objects, so the moon appears close. The perceived size

of an object of constant angular size varies with its perceived distance. Therefore, the moon appears closer and smaller high in the sky, and further and larger on the horizon. Through

works by Roger Bacon, John Pecham and Witelo based on Alhazen’s explanation, the moon illusion gradually came to be accepted as a psychological phenomenon6.

However, despite this matter being thoroughly researched by Ibn al-Haytham, the practical

science of optics remained in oblivion during the Islamic Middle Ages. Only one commentary on Ibn al-Haytham’s Optics was written in three centuries.

On the other hand, Ibn al-Haytham’s contributions in optical science were immortalised by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1320-1400) in “The Squire’s Tale” (Canterbury Tales):

“They spoke of Alhazen and Vitello, And Aristotle, who wrote, in their lives, On strange mirrors and optical instruments”.7

Therefore, there is no doubt that Ibn al-Haytham contributions towards the science of optics will forever continue to influence how we perceive vision and illusion for centuries to come.

Portrait of Al-Kindi

ALKINDUS (801-873): Abu Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī, better known as Al-Kindi,, was born in Kufa and educated in Baghdad. He was an Arab Muslim philosopher, polymath, mathematician, and physician8.

In the field of mathematics, Al-Kindi played an important role in introducing Indian numerals to the Islamic and Christian world. Al-Kindi was also one of the fathers of cryptography. His book entitled Manuscript on Deciphering Cryptographic Messages gave rise to the birth

of cryptanalysis, was the earliest known use of statistical inference, and introduced several

new methods of breaking ciphers. He is credited with developing a method of cryptoanalysis by frequency analysis whereby variations in the frequency of the

occurrence of letters could be analysed and exploited to break ciphers8.

Furthermore, using his mathematical and medical

expertise, Al-Kindi was able to develop a scale that

would allow doctors to quantify the potency of their

medication, based on the phases of the moon, to predetermine the most critical days of a patient’s illness.

According to many, his was the first attempt at serious quantification in medicine9.

Al-Kindi was one of the very first Muslim philosophers.

His major contribution was his establishment of

philosophy in the Islamic world and his efforts in

trying to harmonize philosophy along with the Islamic

The first page of al-Kindi’s

manuscript “On Deciphering Cryptographic Messages”,

containing the oldest known description of cryptanalysis by frequency analysis

theology and creed including nature of God, the soul

and prophetic knowledge. But despite the important role he played in making philosophy

accessible to Muslim intellectuals, his own philosophical output was largely overshadowed by that of other philosophers and very few of his texts are available for modern scholars to examine9.

Al-Kindi was a master of many different areas of thought and was held to be one of the

greatest Islamic philosophers of his time. His influence in the fields of physics, mathematics, medicine, philosophy and music were far-reaching and lasted for several centuries. Ibn alNadim in his al-Fihrist praised Al-Kindi and his work stating:

“The best man of his time, unique in his knowledge of all the ancient sciences. He is called the Philosopher of the Arabs. His books deal with different sciences, such as

logic, philosophy, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy etc. We have connected him with the natural philosophers because of his prominence in Science.”10

Therefore, much of what we know about mathematics and science is due to the struggles and efforts of these early Muslim scientists and philosophers. It is, therefore, our duty to

continue the legacy that they left behind to remind the world of these intellectuals and their contributions.

References: (1) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Avicenna (2) Saffari, M. and Pakpour, A.H., 2012. Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine: a look at health, public health, and environmental sanitation. Archives of Iranian Medicine (AIM), 15(12) (3) Adamson, P. ed., 2013. Interpreting Avicenna: Critical Essays. Cambridge University Press (4) Selin, H. ed., 2013. Encyclopaedia of the history of science, technology, and medicine in non-westen cultures. Springer Science & Business Media. (5) Al-Khalili, J., 2015. In retrospect: Book of optics. Nature, 518(7538), p.164. (6) Ross, H. and Plug, C., 2002. The Mystery of The Moon Illusion-Exploring Size Perception (p. 288). (7) https://en.unesco.org/courier/news-views-online/ibn-al-haytham-s-scientific-method (8) http://wwwgroups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Biographies/Al-Kindi.html (9) Adamson, Peter (10 January 2005). “Al-Kindī and the reception of Greek philosophy”. In Adamson, Peter; Taylor, Richard C. (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 32–51 (10) http://muslimheritage.com/al-kindi/

Heartfelt Incidents from the Life of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV (May Allah have mercy on him) Presenting a brief collection of accounts that illuminate the personality of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, taken from various members of the Jama’at, noted in the Syedna Tahir Souvenir Edition, published after his sad demise.

Hazurrh, the Author “Ever since his youth Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge; he would question the existence of everything, even the existence of God. He not only questioned, he tried to find the answers himself by reading everything that he could lay his hands on. But what made him truly remarkable and exceptional in his perception of the world’s need was the fact that he travelled far and wide and he used this knowledge of his experiences to devastating effect and would leave his audiences spellbound.

He could expound on any subject or topic; he could debate using to good effect his knowledge of the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith.

It was perhaps through a combination of all the above experiences that he was able to author numerous books, some of which have the stamp of greatness firmly embossed on them.”

Hazur’srh Enthusiasm for Lajna Research Teams “Hazurrh encouraged us Lajna members to come forward to partake in this work joining his team and on one occasion he said ‘by doing his work Insh’Allah you will become scholars in certain subjects

and represent the Jama’at, you can show the world, you are not oppressed women just sitting at home as the word imagines.’

Hazur’srh Charitable Nature “During the Bosnian Crises, Hazurrh was deeply moved by the plight of the victims. Many a delegation used to come and visit him at the London Mosque. It was related that a delegation of refugees came to see Hazurrh. They were in a pitiful condition having been beaten and exiled from their own homes. Hazurrh listened to them and counselled them.

They were fed and money was also given to them. When it came to clothes, Hazurrh himself went upstairs and brought down his own clothes. Indeed, he could not give these fast enough and beckoned assistance from his close relatives to bring his clothes down. It is certain that apart from what he was wearing, Hazurrh had given away all his clothes because for days afterwards Hazurrh continued wearing the same shirt. It must have been washed and worn again but until new clothes were obtained from Pakistan, he was not seen in different clothing. This was the magnitude of Hazur’srh generosity and his compassion for the poor and the destitute.”

Khilafat in Islam Is a way to success in Iman A source of strength and light

Whose guidance gives way to shine really bright

Like a strong rope It guides people through the globe

How blessed are we to have God’s rope in our grasp Which unites us uniquely all around The wave of love and guidance along which flows with elegant strides The Promised Messiah as and his khulafa The unlimited blessing of God that has been granted A special reward to His faithful followers A hope for a victorious and fortunate future A medicine for their spiritual illnesses

Give thanks to Allah for rewarding us with a spiritual healer Be grateful to Allah that you have been given the honour representing a religion which promotes Love for all hatred for none Remember not everyone is lucky to have been granted the eyes Which see the truth and light of Islam So pay heed to khilafat and read your daily namaz and tilawat This is your key to taqwa: righteousness As these are the commandments of Allah So value your treasure and keep a firm hold to it

For khilafat is a way to success Towards attaining nearness to Allah

By Maria Rana, 13 years

FO CUS TITLE: Gunah say Nija’at Kyun Kur Milsuktee hain AUTHOR: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas LANGUAGE: Urdu ENGLISH VERSION: How to be Free from Sin NUMBER OF PAGES: 23 YEAR PRINTED: 1902 PRINTED BY: Review of Religions Urdu edition of January 1902

B O O K S O F T H E P R O M I S E D M E S S I A H as

HOW TO BE FREE FROM SIN The first English translation of this article was published under the title ‘How to get rid of the Bondage of Sin’, in the English edition of The Review of Religions, January 1902. The current translation was prepared by Wakalat Tasnif, Rabwah, published by Islam International Publications Ltd and printed by Raqeem Press, Islamabad UK in 2008.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in 1835 in Qadian (India), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, The Promised Messiah and Mahdi, remained dedicated to the study of the Holy Qur’an and to a life of prayer and devotion.

Finding Islam the target of foul attacks from all directions, the fortunes of Muslims at a low ebb, faith yielding to doubt and religion only skindeep, he undertook vindication and exposition of Islam. In his vast corpus of writings (including his epoch-making ‘Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya’), his lectures, discourses, religious debates etc., he argued that Islam was a living faith and the only faith by following which man could establish contact with his Creator and enter into communion with Him. He announced that God had appointed

him the Messiah and Mahdi as mentioned in the prophecies of the Bible, the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith. In 1889 he began to accept initiation into his Community which is now established in more than two hundred countries. His more than eighty books are written mostly in Urdu, but some are in Arabic and Persian.

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

a poison or a snake, he would never even think of transgressing Divine commandments.

Under the special directions of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba concerted efforts were made to locate if any of the writings of the Promised Messiahas had been left out and not included in the set of Ruhani Khaza’in that had been compiled by Hazrat Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Shamsra. These efforts bore fruit, and hence this book has been added to Ruhani Khaza’in, edition of 2009. This contribution

The Promised Messiahas also argues that a true religion must be judged by its ability to lead its followers to certainty about the existence of God. The holy author makes a detailed comparison between Islam and other major religions, and concludes that Islam alone can lead man to perfect awareness and, consequently, to freedom from sin. [How to be Free from Sin, Introduction, pg.iii, iv]

of the Promised Messiahas was found in the very first volume of Review of Religions in the Urdu edition of January 1902. This contribution on a very important subject of “How to get rid of the bondage of sin?” is spread over 23 pages of the Review of Religions.

It became necessary for the Promised Messiahas to address this subject as the Christian missionaries were misleading simple Muslims with their own philosophy of salvation and attributing it to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ who they claim went to the cross to deliver the mankind into salvation.

[An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam, pg.318]

THE BOOK The Islamic concept of salvation differs from that of other religions,

Christianity

in

particular,

because Islam rejects the concept of Original Sin and declares man to be responsible only for his own sins. He, therefore, needs to free himself from his own sins in order to attain salvation. In this article, the Promised Messiahas answers the allimportant questions, why does man commit sin, and how can he free himself from it. The Promised Messiahas writes that man is by his very nature averse to things he believes to be harmful, and if he commits sin it is only because he does not truly believe in the existence of God and in the Day of Reckoning. Had he possessed the same certainty about the accountability of sin, as he does, for instance, about the harmfulness of

SPECIMENS OF WRITING FROM THE BOOK ‘HOW TO BE FREE FROM SIN’ “The Christians inhabit a part of the world that is known for its intellectual prowess. This should have been a source of great hope, but I regret to say that they have squandered their acquired knowledge of science and philosophy when it comes to matters of religion and the Unity of God. When we see their worldly projects and their systematic

methods and how they invent new industries virtually everyday, and then observe their pathetic understanding of God and how they have come to consider a humble human to be the Lord of the worlds, we are at a loss to understand how their intellect can work so wonderfully in worldly matters but fails them completely when it comes to recognising God!” (How to be Free from Sin, p.18) “The difference between the extreme views of the Muslims and the Christians is that, while many Muslims usurp the rights of their fellow beings, the Christians on the other hand infringe upon the rights of God. Muslims no longer have love and compassion for their fellow beings because their misconceptions about Jihad have made them hard-hearted.

Indeed, some vicious people among them readily kill innocent people for small personal gains or due to some satanic inspiration, nor do they refrain from humiliating people or seizing their property. By disregarding these essential human rights, they tarnish the very image of humanity. As for the Christians, they have infringed upon the rights of the Almighty in every possible way. They have unreasonably taken a humble person to be their God, but are no closer to achieving their purpose which was to attain salvation.” (How to be Free from Sin, p.18,19) “Most people do not have sufficient awareness about sin and, even though they consider them to be harmful, do not avoid

them as they would avoid a lion or a snake.

Deep in their hearts, they do not really believe that they will be punished for their sins. They even doubt whether God really exists, and, if He does, whether their souls will survive after death, and, if they do, whether or not they will actually be punished for their sins. Most people do harbour such thoughts without being aware of them.” (How to be Free from Sin, p.24)

SAMPLE GLOSSARY AS FALU S SAFILI: The lowest of the low CRU CIFIX IO N: Ancient form of execution in

which a person was nailed to a cross.

G H AZ IS : Champions of Islam

JIH AD: The literal translation of this word

is ‘striving’. The term is used to mean selfpurification as well as religious wars in some instances.

MAU LVI: Islamic term for a religious cleric MINARE T: A tall tower which was prophesied

to be one of the signs of the coming of the Messiah. The Promised Messiahas explains a minaret represents the holy, pure and resolute soul, which is given to that perfect man who is worthy of heavenly light.

“How to be Free from Sin” is available to read on www.alislam.org