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A H M A D I Y Y A G A Z E T T E C A N A D A 

Pearls of Wisdom 

Selected verses of the Holy Qur’an & Sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 

The Holy Qur’an 

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; And He will raise him among others of them who 

have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. That 

is Allah's grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases; and 

Allah is the Lord of immense grace. (62:3-5) 

Sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 

be upon him) 

Hadrat Abu Hurrairah (ra) narrates: "When Sura Jumaà 

was revealed to the Holy Prophet (sa) we happened to be 

there in his company. When he recited the verse ' others 

from among them and have not joined them', someone 

asked, 'who are they O Messenger of Allah?' The Holy 

Prophet (sa) did not respond to him unless that person 

repeated the question three times. At that time Salman (ra), 

the Persian was also sitting amongst us. The Holy Prophet 

(sa) put his hand on him and said, 'Even if faith ascended 

to the Pleiades, there would be someone or some men from 

his people who would restore it back.' (Bokhari) 

Pearls of Wisdom 1


Pearls of Wisdom 

Selection from the writings of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) 

The True Meaning of the Second Coming of Jesus 

God Almighty has now disclosed the true meaning of 

the prophecy, which is free from all contradictions 

and unreasonableness. He has thus furnished every 

fair-minded seeker of truth the opportunity to accept 

the prophecy and to look for its fulfilment, thus 

safeguarding himself against rejecting a clear and true 

prophecy. [Kitab-ul-Bariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 13, 

pp. 205-211, footnote] 

I am the Promised Messiah who is Divinely guided, 

and who follows the morals of the Messiah (peace be 

on him.) Everyone should judge me with reference to 

these morals and should purge his heart of all ill will 

concerning me. A careful consideration of the 

teaching that I have set forth during the last twenty 

years, from Brahine-Ahmadiyyah to Raz-e-Haqiqat, 

should testify to my innerpurity. I can prove that I 

have spread these books as far as Arabia, Turkey, 

Syria and Kabul. I utterly repudiate the doctrine that 

Jesus will descend from heaven to fight the battles of 

Islam, or that anyone who calls himself Mahdi, and 

appears from among the descendants of Hadrat 

Fatima, will be the monarch of the time, and that the 

two of them will start a reign of bloodshed. God has 

revealed to me that all these speculations are false. 

Jesus (peace be on him) died long ago and lies buried 

in Mohalla Khanyar in Srinagar, Kashmir. Thus as the 

descent of the Messiah from heaven is disproved, the 

appearance of any warrior Mahdi is also falsified. Let 

him who thirsts for truth accept this. [Haqiqat-ul- 

Mahdi, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 14, pp. 429-433] 

My statement concerning the Promised Messiah, 

whose descent from heaven and second advent into 

the world is awaited, which God Almighty has 

disclosed to me by His grace and mercy, is that there 

is no mention in the Holy Qur’an of the second 

advent of Jesus. According to the Holy Qur’an, Jesus 

has departed from this world forever. Some Ahadith, 

which are replete with metaphors, predict the second 

advent of Jesus. Their context indicates that they do 

not predict the second coming of Jesus, son of Mary, 

but comprise metaphorical statements which mean 

that in an age that would resemble the age of Jesus, 

son of Mary, a person will resemble Jesus, son of 

Mary, in his temperament, power and function. As 

Jesus, son of Mary, had revived the religion of Moses 

(as) and had set forth afresh the true teaching of the 

Torah, which the Jews had forgotten, in the same way 

this second Messiah would revive the faith of the 

Prophet who was like Moses (as) and was the Seal of 

the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon 

him.) This Messiah of the Prophet who was the like of 

Mosesas will completely resemble the Messiah of 

Moses (as) in the events of his life and in all other 

consequences that his people will experience on 

account of their obedience to him or their denial of 

him. God Almighty has revealed to me that I am that 

Promised Messiah. [Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza’in, 

vol. 3, pp. 121] 

Pearls of Wisdom 2


Guidance from Hadrat Khalifatul Masih V 

(may Allah strengthen his hands) 

Divine attribute of Ar Rahman (The Gracious) 

Summary of the Friday Sermon delivered on January 19, 2007 

In this Friday sermon, Hadrat 

Khalifatul Masih V (aa) discussed the 

divine attribute of Ar-Rahman (the 

Gracious). According to the Holy 

Qur’an 36:12, Allah’s Rahmaniyyat (the 

manifestation of the attribute of Ar- 

Rahman) is demonstrated through the 

granting of divine grace and favour. 

As it is universal, this beneficence 

applies to all His creation. According 

to the Promised Messiah (as), through 

the divine attribute of Ar-Rahman, 

Allah provides for His creation’s 

subsistence and basic needs. From 

amongst Allah’s creation, humankind 

receives preferential treatment as the 

rest of creation has been placed at its 

service. This phenomenon is grounds 

for humankind to be grateful to Allah, 

and yet, the majority of humanity 

ignores Allah’s beneficence. 

One aspect of Allah’s Rahmaniyyat is 

that He sends prophets as warners 

against evil and teachers of goodness. 

However, most people continue to 

shun their teachings and do not 

reform themselves. Such prophets 

experience anguish for their people, 

and as the Holy Qur’an states in 18:7 

and 26:3, no prophet felt more anguish 

for his people than the Holy Prophet 

Muhammad (sa). However, in order 

for spiritual reformation and 

development to take place, the Holy 

Qur’an 36:12 states “Thou canst warn 

only him who would follow the 

Reminder and fear the Gracious God 

in secret. So give them the glad 

tidings of forgiveness and a noble 

reward.” The Gracious God is ever 

inclined and ready to grant divine 

favours to His creation. He revealed 

His beautiful teachings and declared 

that there is no compulsion in it. If 

one’s faith is true, even in private, 

then one will be blessed with nearness 

to Allah. 

According to the Holy Prophet (sa) 

and the Promised Messiah (as), one of 

the ways to demonstrate our 

gratefulness to Allah for His 

Rahmaniyyat is to convey His message 

to others. Therefore, we should not be 

disheartened by people’s rejection of 

Allah’s message, but rather, we should 

be persistent by continuing to convey 

it. In doing so, we will undoubtedly 

find people who will be blessed with 

acceptance of the message and such 

people will be a source of blessing for 

us. 

Regardless of the obstacles we face, 

purely for the sake of achieving 

Allah’s pleasure, we must initiate a 

reformation of our inner selves and 

then convey Allah’s message to others. 

The only way to save people from 

destruction is to convey the message 

to them and teach them the proper 

understanding and appreciation of the 

Guidance from Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah strengthen his hands) 3

Gracious God. Our only role is to 

convey the message in the best 

manner possible leaving the results to 

Allah as only He can raise those who 

are spiritually dead. As Ahmadis, it is 

our duty and responsibility to convey 

Allah’s message to our fellow citizens, 

either through demonstrating it 

through our devotional practice or 

other effective means. 

The Holy Qur’an (19:45-46) provides a 

description of Hadrat Ibrahim (as) 

warning his father against idolatry. 

Idolatry persists in this day and age in 

many different forms and 

ungratefulness towards Allah is 

rampant, even amongst those who call 

themselves Muslims. The Holy 

Qur’an in 62:12 predicted such 

circumstances would occur in the 

latter days, and we see evidence of the 

truth of its fulfilment all around us 

today. Just as predicted, what appears 

as most fine is not the most fine, but 

rather, it leads to destruction and ruin. 

The rejection of the Imam of the age is 

also a result of the lure of Satan. One 

who is influenced by Satanic 

temptation is incapable of possessing 

a connection with Allah. To respond 

to Satanic temptation is, in effect, to 

worship him and be his follower. 

According to a Hadith Qudsi, Allah 

will maintain ties with one who 

maintains ties with his kindred and 

close relations and He will sever ties 

with one who severs ties with his 

kindred and close relations. In this 

Hadith Qudsi, the term Rahm (womb) 

is used, which is the root word for 

Rahman, thereby connoting close 

connection between family relations 

and Allah’s Rahmaniyyat. 

We must constantly engage in diligent 

self-reflection and self-assessment lest 

we say or do something that may 

cause Allah the slightest displeasure. 

We must heed the advice of Hadrat 

Ibrahim (as) and be meticulous about 

avoiding even the smallest errors lest 

we fall into any of the many traps laid 

for us by Satan. 

While Allah is Ar-Rahman, He is also 

Al-Jabbar (The Subduer) and Al-Qahhar 

(The Supreme), and it is through these 

latter two divine attributes that He 

punishes. These two divine attributes 

are invoked when, despite being 

granted a myriad of favours, people 

continue to be ungrateful and turn 

away from Allah. Such 

ungratefulness cannot persist with 

impunity and without consequence. 

Allah’s wrath does not contradict His 

Rahmaniyyat because such wrath 

would not have befallen but for 

persistent and stubborn 

ungratefulness and mischief. 

Only those who are persistent in their 

ungratefulness and mischief are 

punished. The Holy Qur’an 

repeatedly states that those who are 

remorseful and sincerely repent will 

be granted forgiveness. Therefore, in 

order to avoid Allah’s wrath, it is 

imperative that we engage in constant 

and sincere Istighfar (repentance). A 

number of Hadith were cited which 

provided examples of the Holy 

Prophet’s (sa) teachings regarding 

Istighfar. 

As Christianity relies on the notion 

that one person’s sacrifice was 

required for and resulted in the 

redemption of humanity, it necessarily 

rejects the notion of Allah as Ar- 

Rahman. According to this Christian 

doctrine of atonement, Allah is not 

gracious towards His creation and the 

sacrifice of the life of Jesus was 

necessary in order to inspire His grace. 

Under this doctrine, if not for the 

sacrificial death of Jesus, Allah’s grace 

would never be forthcoming and will 

be forever withheld to those who 

refuse to believe in it. That such a 

belief is fundamentally insulting to the 

honour of Allah should be 

communicated to Christians. 

In the Holy Qur’an (19:89-94), the 

notion of Allah begetting a son is 

considered so insulting and belittling 

of Him that the heavens and the earth 

could burst from the shock of its mere 

mention. Such a notion amounts to 

shirk (associating partners with 

Allah), a phenomenon that is 

prevalent in this day and age. Indeed, 

Allah’s purpose in sending the 

“Messiah of Muhammad (sa)” is to 

destroy the notion of Allah begetting 

or being begotten and to obliterate the 


Christian doctrine of atonement by 

conveying a correct understanding of 

the attributes of Allah, particularly His 

attribute of Ar-Rahman. 

The advent of the Promised Messiah 

(as), itself, is a manifestation of Allah’s 

Rahmaniyyat. To show our gratitude 

and in order to be the recipients of 

Allah’s divine favours, we must be 

committed to taking the Promised 

Messiah’s message to the world. 

Inspired by the announcement that 

Lajna Germany collected the funds 

necessary for the establishment of the 

Berlin Mosque, and by the desire to 

also obtain the spiritual blessings 

received by their ancestors (such as 

those from Lajna Qadian who raised 

funds for the original Berlin Mosque, 

which resulted in the building of the 

London Mosque), many Ahmadi 

women outside of Germany have 

expressed their desire to contribute to 

the fundraising for the Berlin Mosque. 

While a specific Tahrik (scheme) will 

not be established in this regard, any 

Ahmadi women around the world, 

who wish to participate in the 

fundraising, are certainly encouraged 

to do so. We pray that, despite the 

persistence of opposition against it, 

the construction of the Berlin Mosque 

continues under Allah’s divine 

protection. Amen! 

Divine attribute of Ar Rahman (The Gracious) 

Summary of the Friday Sermon delivered on January 26, 2007 

In this Friday sermon, Hadrat 

Khalifatul Masih V (aa) continued to 

discuss the divine attribute of Ar- 

Rahman. This sermon concentrated on 

discussing this divine attribute from 

the viewpoint of the Hadith of the 

Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) to 

demonstrate to us how he was the 

“mercy for all humankind” and our 

ideal model. 

According to the Promised Messiah 

(as), the Holy Prophet (sa) was the 

perfect earthly personification and 

embodiment of Allah’s Rahmaniyyat. 

The name ‘Muhammad’ means ‘the 

highly praised one’ and ‘Ar-Rahman” 

means ‘one who is most gracious’ or 

‘one who gives without being asked to 

do so’. One who possesses the 

qualities of Rahmaniyyat will 

undoubtedly receive great praise. 

Indeed, the Holy Prophet received 

such great praise, and deservedly so, 

on account of his kindness and 

compassion, and would not have 

received such praise, had he not 

provided the ideal human portrayal of 

Allah’s Rahmaniyyat. 

According to the Holy Prophet (sa), if 

one had true knowledge of the nature 

of Allah’s punishment, one would 

despair of Allah’s mercy. However, if 

one had true knowledge of the extent 

of Allah’s mercy, one would possess 

certain hope in receiving it. Allah’s 

mercy is withheld only from the 

extremely unfortunate and wretched. 

Therefore, one should never despair of 

receiving Allah’s mercy. Hope for 

receiving Allah’s mercy is the basis of 

faith – without such hope, one would 

not possess faith. 

Due to his or her taqwa 

(righteousness), a true believer 

comprehends Allah’s attributes and 

fears committing even the slightest 

error lest he or she receive His 

punishment. That is why, as 

described in the Holy Qur’an (7:24), a 

true believer constantly prays to be 

guided to the right path. A true 

believer fears Allah’s punishment 

despite having knowledge that His 

mercy encompasses all things. 

Indeed, the Promised Messiah (as) 

taught that we should constantly seek 

Istighfar (repentance) from all kinds of 

sin, both overt and covert, and that we 

should desire to pray in a manner that 

attracts Allah’s mercy. 

The mercy of Allah has one hundred 

parts, ten of which He distributed to 


His creation. Due to the mercy 

distributed to His creation, we 

experience and express love and 

affection for each other. Even the love 

and tenderness expressed between 

animals is a sign of the mercy of Allah. 

The remaining ninety parts of mercy 

were kept by Allah so that He could 

mete them out to us on the Day of 

Judgement. 

In a parable related by the Holy 

Prophet (sa), a wealthy man, while 

lying on his deathbed, inquired of his 

sons as to what sort of father he had 

been to them. They replied that he 

had been the best father to them and 

that they bore no complaints against 

him. Despite receiving this answer, 

the man expressed fear that he was 

destined to receive Allah’s wrath as he 

could not discern what good he had 

committed on the earth. Therefore, in 

order to escape Allah’s wrath, the man 

requested that, upon his death, he be 

cremated and his ashes spread 

throughout the earth by means of a 

swift wind. The man held fast to the 

hope that, as his remains would be 

scattered throughout the earth, they 

could not be collected again on the 

Day of Judgement and he would 

escape having to face Allah’s 

reckoning. Although his sons 

dutifully fulfilled their father’s 

request, the man still found himself 

brought before Allah on the Day of 

Judgement. When Allah asked him 

what motivated him to request his 

cremation, he replied, “Your fear.” On 

the basis of this answer, Allah had 

mercy on him and forgave him his 

sins. 

In another parable, the Holy Prophet 

(sa) related the story of a Jew who had 

committed ninety-nine murders in his 

lifetime but who had inquired from an 

ascetic monk as to how he could 

repent of them. The monk told him 

that, due to the high number of 

murders committed, repentance was 

impossible. In response to this 

answer, the Jew killed the monk 

making him his one hundredth victim. 

When the Jew inquired from another 

man as to how he could repent of his 

sins, he was advised to go to a 

particular village and make the same 

inquiry of an elderly wise man who 

resided there. While en route to that 

village, the Jew met his death. In the 

moment before his death, the Jew 

made one last effort to reach the 

village, and did so by turning his torso 

in its direction. Upon his death, the 

angels of mercy and of punishment 

descended upon him, each arguing 

amongst themselves as to whose claim 

over him was greater. The angels of 

punishment made their claim for the 

Jew on the basis of the murders he had 

committed. The angels of mercy made 

their claim on the basis that, at the end 

of his life, he was striving to attempt 

to seek repentance and they made 

reference to the final direction of his 

torso as support. When the matter 

was brought before Allah for decision, 

Allah ordered that the distance 

between where the Jew began his 

journey to the place of his death be 

measured and compared with the 

remaining distance to arrive at the 

elderly wise man’s village. If the Jew 

died in greater proximity to the 


for Allah’s mercy 

pursuant to the Holy 

Qur’an (39:54), one must 

feel remorse for one’s sins 

and take steps towards 

reformation and 

forgiveness. In addition, 

according to the Holy 

Prophet (sa), one must 

extend kindness and 

mercy to others, in order 

to be worthy of receiving 

Allah’s mercy. Allah will 

not have mercy on one, 

who is not compassionate 

to others, including his 

relatives and fellow 

citizens. 

village, he would be forgiven, but if he 

died in greater proximity to his point 

of origin, he would be punished. 

When the angels began taking their 

measurements, they discovered that 

Allah had ordered the size of the 

distance between the Jew and his 

place of origin to enlarge and the 

distance between him and the village 

to shrink. Upon the completion of 

their measurements, the angels found 

that Allah had caused the distance of 

the Jew to the village to be a mere 

fraction of the distance between him 

and his point of origin, and on the 

basis of his greater proximity to the 

village, Allah granted him forgiveness. 

Despite Allah’s all-encompassing 

mercy, the relentless sinner has 

received warning of Allah’s wrath and 

punishment. In order to be hopeful 

Some Ahmadis have 

complained that the 

Jamaàt’s system of 

reprimanding people is 

not consistent with its 

teachings regarding mercy 

and compassion – while 

many sermons and 

speeches are given 

regarding being merciful 

and compassionate, the 

complaint is that the 

administrative system of 

the Jamaàt does not 

demonstrate such mercy 

and compassion itself. It 

is true that the Holy 

Prophet (sa) advised 

mercy and compassion 

generally, and the Jamaàt 

must adhere to such advice. However, 

that is not to say that the Holy Prophet 

(sa) did not reprimand people, and 

where he did so, such people showed 

obedience and accepted his 

reprimand. Likewise, following the 

practice of the companions of the Holy 

Prophet (sa), once the Khalifa or the 

administrative system of the Jamaàt 


The Holy Prophet (sa) always 

prayed for his companions. For 

example, prior to leaving a 

gathering of them, the Holy 

Prophet (sa) would recite the 

following prayer: 

reprimands someone, that person 

should accept his or her reprimand. 

According to the Holy Prophet (sa), 

the dwellers of Paradise shall be of 

three types, (1) the ruler who is just, 

wise and gives alms, (2) a person who 

is kind to his relatives and to his or 

her fellow Muslims, and (3) a person 

who is in need but does not ask for 

alms but rather gives it. The Holy 

Prophet (sa) also stated that one who 

does not show kindness to the young 

and respect to his or her elders is not 

from amongst his ummah 

(community). Therefore, that 

Ahmadis show kindness to their 

relatives and fellow Muslims, as well 

as convey respect and deference to 

their elders, is incumbent upon them 

if they are to be the recipients of 

Allah’s mercy and be counted 

amongst the Holy Prophet’s (sa) 

ummah. 

According to a Hadith, if one is not 

thankful for a little, he is not thankful 

for a lot, and one who is not grateful 

to people is not grateful to Allah. In 

another Hadith, a Jamaàt is a sign of 

Allah’s mercy. Allah has extended His 

mercy to us by granting us the 

blessing of membership in the 

Ahmadiyya Jamaàt. Our gratitude 

can be shown to Allah by our 

undertaking to take its message to 

others and praying for them so that 

they may also partake of this blessing. 

According to the Holy Prophet (sa), 

the ummah is like one body such that 

when one part of the body ails, the 

whole body suffers and works 

towards healing. Therein lies a great 

teaching regarding love, compassion 

and affection within a true Islamic 

society. 

The Holy Prophet (sa) felt compassion 

for children and there are a number of 

Ahadith that provide evidence of the 

special kindness he extended to them. 

He also felt profound compassion for 

the suffering of animals, even for 

those who were destined to be 

slaughtered. Once, he happened upon 

a bird in distress because its eggs were 

stolen from its nest and he ordered 

that they be returned to 

it. 

Whenever the Holy 

Prophet (sa) was asked 

to curse a particular tribe 

or person, he would 

refrain from doing so, 

and instead would pray 

for them and their future 

generations. When 

asked to curse the 

idolaters, the Holy 

Prophet (sa) responded 

by stating that he had 

not been sent by Allah as 

a curse but as a mercy 

for humankind. If the 

Holy Prophet’s ummah 

followed his blessed 

model, they would 

surely be the recipients 

of Allah’s blessings and 

mercy. 

“O Allah grant us such awe and 

fear of You that would make us 

avoid disobedience to You. Enable us 

to be so obedient as would grant us to 

Your Paradise. Bestow on us such 

certainty that worldly troubles would 

seem easy for us. For as long as You 

grant us life, make us benefit from our 

ears, eyes and other senses and grant 

us successors from these senses. 

Retaliate for us against those who 

oppress us. Help us against those 

who have enmity against us. Do not 

try our faith and do not make this 

world our greatest concern. Do not 

make the one who conveys knowledge 

to us a malady for us and do not 

impose a person upon us who is not 


kind to us.” (Tirmidhi Kitab-ud- 

Da`waat, Ch. 79/82 – Hadith # 3502) 

This prayer should be recited by all 

Ahmadis who are subjects of unjust 

and oppressive rulers. 

Although the Holy Prophet was the 

perfect personification and earthly 

embodiment of mercy, and indeed, 

obtained perfection in so many other 

ways, he maintained that all salvation 

was in Allah’s hands alone. Even 

though the Holy Qur’an had him 

announce, “My Prayer and my 

sacrifice and my life and my death are 

all for Allah, the Lord of the 

worlds’ (6:163), he continued to hold 

that he himself would be granted 

salvation “only if Allah’s mercy 

envelopes me.” 

In order to receive Allah’s mercy, one 

must believe in Him, turn to Him, and 

ask for His mercy. May Allah enable 

us to be of those who believe in Allah 

and oft turn to and ask for His mercy! 

Amen! 

Life of the Promised Messiah (as) 

Summary of the Friday Sermon delivered on February 2, 2007 

In the last two Friday sermons of Hadrat 

Khalifatul Masih V, the divine attribute of 

Ar-Rahman and its human personification 

and embodiment in the Holy Prophet (sa) 

was discussed. In this Friday sermon, the 

following of the model of the Holy Prophet 

(sa) by his truest devotee, namely, the 

Promised Messiah (as) was the topic of 

discussion. (Editor) 

The Promised Messiah (as) occupied 

himself wholly to serving Islam by 

defending it against its enemies 

through his writings, organizing 

conferences and engaging in debates. 

Despite this time-consuming task, he 

was always eager to find time to 

convey and exemplify kindness and 

compassion, particularly to those who 

were poor, needy and sick. He did so 

out of an ardent desire to follow the 

model of the Holy Prophet (sa) and 

because Allah informed him that it 

was his duty to also be a model of 

kindness and compassion. 

Once Lala Shrampat Rai, a witness to 

many of the proofs of the truth of the 

Promised Messiah (as), fell ill due to a 

serious boil on his abdomen. When 

the Promised Messiah (as) came to 

visit him at his humble home and 

found him anxiety-ridden, the 

Promised Messiah (as) consoled him 

and returned the following day 

accompanied by a physician. He paid 

the physician’s fees. Then, he 

continued to visit Lala Shrampat 

regularly until his health was restored. 

Mehr Hamid was a meek and humble 

person who lived on the outskirts of 

Qadian and worked in the fields of the 

local landlords. When he fell ill, the 

Promised Messiah (as) would visit 

him and many members of the Qadian 

Jamaàt would accompany him. As 

Mehr Hamid lived in an area where 

the refuse of Qadian was dumped, 

fowl and offensive odours often 

wafted in the air. Despite the 

Promised Messiah’s refined nature, he 

tolerated these odours and continued 

to visit Mehr Hamid on a regular basis 

and met him warmly and 

affectionately. Indeed, many had 

noted that the Promised Messiah (as) 

appeared to care for Mehr Hamid 

more than one would typically care 

for one’s own relatives. 

While the Promised Messiah (as) was 

granted tremendous strength to 

withstand the mockery, disdain and 

persecution of his enemies, his heart 

would melt at and could not bear the 

sight of someone suffering and in 

pain. The Promised Messiah never 

declined an opportunity to visit a sick 

person. 

When Ayub Baig, one of the 

companions of the Promised Messiah 

(as), fell fatally ill and was on his 

deathbed, he felt an overwhelming 

desire to see the Promised Messiah 

(as) and sent him a letter and a 

telegram requesting him to visit. 

Unfortunately, at the time, the 

Promised Messiah (as) was himself ill 

and was thus unable to travel. 

Indeed, the Promised Messiah (as) 

was so ill that he could barely hold his 

pen to write a response to Ayub Baig. 

Nevertheless, he responded by 

expressing his regrets at not being able 

to visit and he assured Ayub Baig that 


he was fervently praying for him. The 

Promised Messiah (as) then proceeded 

to inquire as to Ayub Baig’s health on 

a daily basis. 

Not only did the Promised Messiah 

(as) never turn away a needy person, 

he would often anticipate people’s 

needs prior to their asking. For 

example, when the weather became 

cold, he would remember those who 

were needy and send them clothing 

and blankets so that they could keep 

warm. He did this regardless of 

whether the needy person was a 

friend, enemy, Muslim or Hindu. 

When someone came to visit him from 

a far and when time came for them to 

return home, he would offer to pay 

their return travel fare. 

Sheikh Muhammad Naseem Ahmad 

was an orphan who had been brought 

up in the care of the Jamaàt and who 

worked for a newspaper. At the birth 

of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih II’s (ra) 

first son, Naseer Ahmad (who later 

died in infancy), the Promised 

Messiah requested the services of 

Naseem Sahib’s wife as a wet nurse. 

When speaking to her, he inquired as 

to Naseem Sahib’s income, and upon 

determining that he found making 

ends meet difficult, the Promised 

Messiah (as) discretely placed a small 

bundle of money in Naseem Sahib’s 

room. 

Nihal Singh was a virulent opponent 

of the Promised Messiah (as). He had 

even resorted to suing the Promised 

Messiah (as). During the litigation, 

one of the female relatives of Nihal 

Singh fell ill and musk was required 

as her remedy. Having been 

unsuccessful through other avenues to 

obtain the remedy, Nihal Singh came 

to the door of the Promised Messiah 

(as) to ask for it. As the Promised 

Messiah (as) always kept Greek and 

Western medicines on hand, hurriedly, 

the Promised Messiah obtained the 

exact amount of musk that was 

required and delivered it into Nihal 

Singh’s hands. 

Poor and simple rustic women often 

came to the doorstep of the Promised 

Messiah (as) to call upon him for aid. 

Instead of ignoring them or sending 

them away, the Promised Messiah (as) 

always responded to their calls and 

came out to see them. The women 

came asking for medicine, which he 

would give to them, or they would 

relate their domestic hardships to him, 

to which he patiently listened. On one 

occasion, despite being under pressure 

to complete the writing of an 

important paper which was to be 

delivered at a 

conference, the 

Promised 

Messiah (as) 

tended to the 

concerns of 

these women 

for almost 

three hours. 

The Promised 

Messiah (s) 

w a s 

compassionate and kind towards 

children. He would often sit on a 

simple cot to listen to children’s 

stories or to study while they played 

around him. On many occasions, the 

children would inadvertently or 

clumsily shove him towards the end 

of his cot and would cause him 

physical discomfort. However, he 

always endured this disturbance with 

patience and never got annoyed. On 

one occasion, a small child fell 

critically ill and had died while being 

transported by his elderly mother to 

Qadian. The Promised Messiah (as) 

led his funeral prayers, and these 

prayers were so long that the 

participants began to feel dizzy. When 

asked afterwards as to the reason for 

such lengthy prayers, the Promised 

Messiah (as) stated that he did not 

want to end his supplications until 

Allah had provided him with the 

assurance that the child would be 

granted entry into Paradise, which He 


eventually did, and upon receipt of 

such assurance, the prayer was 

ended. 

The Promised Messiah (as) owned a 

large amount of land. Each year, a 

portion of the crop yield was set 

aside for the personal consumption 

of the workers of the land with the 

remaining yield going to the 

Promised Messiah (as) and his 

family. One year the rainfall yielded 

a poor crop and those who worked 

on the land claimed that it was 

sufficient only for their personal 

consumption. Therefore, they 

suggested that the Promised 

Messiah’s (as) share be obtained from 

the crop of the following year only. 

The Promised Messiah (as) agreed, 

and the following year, the crop yield 

was so abundant that making up for 

the pervious year’s insufficiency 

posed no problem. Hadrat Khalifatul 

Masih V advised that a lesson should 

be drawn from the Promised Messiah 

(as) in this regard and that Ahmadi 

landowners, particularly those 

residing in the Province of Sindh, 

Pakistan, should follow his model, 

especially when dealing with workers 

who come from the Thar region. 

The Promised Messiah (as) felt 

compassion and kindness for animals. 

On one occasion, he found young 

Mahmood Ahmad (later Hadrat 

Khalifatul Masih II, ra) trying to trap 

birds by shutting the door of the 

veranda behind them so they could 

not escape. The Promised Messiah 

(as) forbade him and stated, “Young 

man, one does not catch the birds that 

are around the house. One who does 

not have compassion does not have 

faith.” On another occasion, he saw 

children attempting to strike a stray 

dog that had entered his home and he 

restrained and scolded them. 

Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkoti’s 

apartment was situated directly above 

the Bai't-ud-Duà and he would often 

overhear the supplications of the 

Promised Messiah (as). Maulvi Sahib 

often remarked as to the heart-rending 

nature of these supplications, and on 

many occasions, the pain and anguish 

exhibited by them greatly alarmed 

him. Even though the plague had 

been sent by Allah as a sign of the 

truthfulness of the Promised Messiah 

(as), amongst his most fervent prayers 

was that people be spared from the 

suffering caused by it and that they 

instead be brought to see Allah’s light 

and comprehend His truth. Indeed, 

throughout his writings, the focus of 

the Promised Messiah (as) was to 

achieve the spiritual reformation of 

people and to save them from Allah’s 

wrath. The prayers of the Promised 

Messiah’s (as) for people are evidence 

of his having lived in accordance with 

the model and standard set by the 

Holy Prophet (sa). 

Due to the acceptance of the prayers of 

the Promised Messiah (as), the Nur-e- 

Muhammadi (the spiritual light of the 

Holy Prophet (sa)) is spreading 

throughout the world. As the 

servants of the Holy Prophet (sa), we 

must also pray for people in the 

manner that the Promised Messiah 

(as) prayed, adopt the teachings and 

model of the Holy Prophet (sa) and 

convey his message to the world. As 

the purpose of the Promised Messiah’s 

(sa) advent was to spread the Nur-e- 

Muhammadi, we must join together 

and raise the slogan raised in the Holy 

Qur’an at 3:53, “Nahnu 

Ansarullah” (“We are the helpers of 

Allah”), and ensure that we are 

amongst those who assist in spreading 

this spiritual light. May Allah enable 

us to do so! Amen! 



The Magnificence of the Messiah of Muhammad (sa) 

Hadrat Sufi Ghulam Muhammad (ra) 

The world was engulfed in 

spiritual darkness when the 

noblest human being, the Seal of 

the Prophets, Hadrat 

Muhammad (sa) was divinely 

commissioned. There wasn’t a 

country of the world at that time 

that was free from idol-worship 

and superstition. The Jews had 

come to regard their religious 

scholars and divines as “Lords, 

beside Allah”, whereas the 

Christians were worshipping 

Jesus and Mary. There was no 

limit to materialism and objectworship; 

the whole world had 

become morally corrupted. 

At such an hour, the mercy of 

God desired to once again cause 

the world to reverberate with the 

truth; so He sent Hadrat 

Muhammad (sa). He achieved 

the eradication of associating 

partners with God, and idolworship, 

from Arabia and firmly 

established the Oneness of God. 

He preached to the monarchs of 

his time, all over the region, by 

writing letters to them. 

Subsequently, his successors 

(khulafaa) continued the 

preaching and dissemination of 

the message of Islam such that 

the golden period of Islam 

stretched over a period of three 

centuries, since the advent of the 


It was followed by the period of 

spiritual “Dark Ages” (Faij-e- 

A`waj) and by the 13th Century 

the world was once again 

engulfed in spiritual darkness. 

At such an hour, Allah, the 

Exalted, sent the Promised 

Messiah (as) and fulfilled His 

promise that: 

Verily, We Ourself have sent 

down this Exhortation and most 

surely, We will be its Guardian 

(al-Hijr 15:10) 

The Promised Messiah (as) 

brought down the true faith that 

had ascended to Pleiades, so to 

speak, and established a 

community of millions of 

devoted followers, who are 

engaged in disseminating the 

Holy Qur’an and Islam in the 

whole world and, in so doing, it 

continues to offer sacrifices of 

life, wealth, and honour. 

There are some of them who 

have fulfilled their vow, and 

some who still wait …. (al- 

Ahzaab 33:24) 

After being divinely 

commissioned, the Promised 

Messiah (as) revived Islam, 

proved that Hadrat Muhammad 

(sa) was the ever-living Prophet 

and Messenger of God, and 

demonstrated that the Holy 

Qur’an was the ever-living and 

universal Word of God. 

God, the Exalted, granted me the 

good fortune of living humbly in 

the service of the Promised 

Messiah (as) for a number of 

years. I had come to Qadian for 

the Annual Conference (Jalsa 

Salana) of the year 1893 A.D., 

and when 1894 began I was in 

Qadian. I remained in the 

The Magnificence of the Messiah 12

presence and service of the 

Promised Messiah (as) from 1895 

up until his passing away in 

May 1908. I have had the 

opportunity to listen to the 

divine discourse of purity from 

the blessed lips of the Promised 

Messiah (as), almost on a daily 

basis, and witnessed the 

fulfilment of many divine Signs 

during his blessed lifetime. 

The fulfilment of the prophecy 

regarding Abdullah Aathim and, 

following his avoidance to take 

an oath, his death in the 7th 

month; the assassination of 

Pandit Lekhram foretold in the 

prophecy of the Promised 

Messiah (as); the Promised 

Messiah’s writing a treatise to be 

read out at the Great Religions 

Conference in Lahore: its being 

read out accordingly, and 

witnessing the fulfilment of the 

prior prophecy that the essay 

will remain victorious above all 

others; the Promised Messiah’s 

extempore delivery of the 

Revealed Sermon (Khutbah 

Ilhamiyyah) in Arabic language, 

in an eerily impressive tone of 

voice; his delivering speeches, in 

December, on the occasions of 

Jalsa Salana, in a manner that 

was completely free from any 

affectation of delivery style, or 

any contrived aloofness of 

manner; his walking about in the 

pathways of Qadian and, during 

every morning-walk, his relating 

the fresh Revelations from God; 

continuing his blessed discourse 

while proceeding on his morning 

walks, sometimes in the 

direction of the east, sometimes 

towards the west; the occasion of 

his sending his essay at the 

conference held by the Arya 

Samaj at the Vach’hovaali 

mosque—and, prior to that, his 

listening to me, read out the 

whole essay, in obedience to him, 

as we sat at Qadian’s Mubarak 

Mosque; and, when the Arya 

lecturers cast aspersions on the 

fair name of the Holy Prophet 

(sa), the Promised Messiah’s 

denunciation, in view of his 

sensitivity to any instance of 

profaning the Holy Prophet’s 

name, as to why did not the 

Ahmadi participants, present at 


that conference, immediately 

walk out in protest?; the 

earthquake of 4 April, 1905 that 

occasioned the Promised 

Messiah’s temporary relocation 

within the precincts of the 

garden; during the rampant 

epidemic of plague, the 

Promised Messiah’s declaring: 

‘Not even a rat within our house 

will have the plague’; the divine 

promise through the (Arabic) 

Revelation: “I will certainly 

protect whoever is within the 

precincts of your house”, and, in 

consequence, Qadian’s 

remaining free from fulminating 

incidence of the plague; launch 

of a newspaper by an opponent 

Arya resident of Qadian and the 

conversion to Ahmadiyyat by 

thousands of people; the 

Promised Messiah’s staying at 

Gurdaspur on account of legal 

cases instituted against him by 

the opponents, and witnessing 

the transfer orders, and even 

demotion, of the iniquitously 

disposed judges who were 

assigned to adjudicate the 

Promised Messiah’s case; the 

incident of walling-off of the 

Mubarak Mosque by the 

opponents, to make it 

inaccessible to the worshippers, 

and its subsequent demolition; 

the income-tax case; the legal 

cases instituted by Maulvi 

Muhammad Hussain Batalavi; 

the Promised Messiah’s delivery 

Promised Messiah (as) he says: 

Let it stay the way it is; this is 

how I was told by God. Several 

calligrapher-scribes 

simultaneously work day and 

night to transcribe the written 

script. There were certain books 

that were authored within a 

matter of a day and a half, and 

their printing and distribution 

was accomplished within just a 

few days. 

When the Promised Messiah (as) 

was granted divine revelation, or 

when he was divinely apprised 

of certain future incidents, he 

would immediately arrange for 

it to be publicized through 

quickly printed announcements 

Promised Messiah’s prophecy 

regarding his destruction, and its 

fulfilment; witnessing the rising 

death toll of the “leaders-ofproclamation-of-disbelief” 

in the 

Promised Messiah, as they fell 

victim to the plague; Pir Mehr 

Ali of Golrah’s acceptance of the 

Promised Messiah’s challenge to 

write a competitive response to 

his book, E`jaz-ul-Masih, and the 

scandalous discovery of Pir 

Mehr Ali’s plagiarism in that 

piece of writing, and the 

consequent notoriety that 

humiliated him; instituting of a 

legal case against the Promised 

Messiah (as) in Jhelum, by a 

vehement opponent, Karam Din 

of Bheen, occasioning the 

Promised Messiah’s journey to 

Jhelum and the consequent 

of lecture in Lahore (now known 

as “Lecture Lahore”) and in his 

proclamation that he was also in 

the image of Krishna, during his 

lecture at Sialkot (now known as 

“Lecture Sialkot”) — I am an 

eye-witness to all these incidents 

and Signs.. 

I have also witnessed the process 

of writing of books by the 

Promised Messiah (as). Imagine, 

for a moment, writing a book in 

Arabic language is underway; 

and renowned scholars and 

those adept in literature are 

proofreading the script written 

by the Promised Messiah (as). 

They are unable to find certain 

words, written in the script, in 

well-known Arabic lexicons. 

When they report this to the 

in the form of leaflets. The 

Promised Messiah included a 

bilingual published 

announcement, in English and 

Urdu languages, along with his 

to-be-published book, A’eena-e- 

Kamalat-e-Islam (i.e., A Mirror of 

the Miraculous Feats of Islam). 

In this announcement, he 

addressed himself to all the 

living leaders of the nations of 

the world, and priests, pundits, 

and maulvis that: Islam is the 

only true religion; all other 

religions were untrue. You can 

ascertain the truth of Islam by 

living in my company for a 

while. 


would write a book in Arabic 

language then, for a designated 


period of time, he would 

continue to present his challenge 

to all to write competitively with 

such eloquence vis-à-vis his 

miraculously inspired writing. 

But none dared come forward to 

accept the writing challenge. The 

Promised Messiah (as) was 

divinely taught, within the span 

of just one night, 40,000 words 

and word-roots of Arabic 

language. He issued a challenge 

to competitively write, opposed 

to him, the commentary of a 

portion of the Holy Qur’an, 

selected randomly by drawing 

lots. But no one could step 

forward to take him up on that. 

I have witnessed that his writing 

as well as his speech were 

always reinforced by the divine 

help. His personal mannerism 

was characterized by complete 

simplicity; he did not have even 

a shadow of any affectation or 

any contrived aloofness of 

manner. While sitting inside the 

mosque, he would occasionally 

utter the prayerful phrase, 

Subhaan Allah (i.e., Allah alone 

is free from all weakness or 

blemish) and he would lightly 

strike his hand on his thigh. 

I had an opportunity to ponder 

over all scenarios in the apparent 

daily life of the Promised 

Messiah (as). He was a great 

well-wisher and empathiser of 

his followers. I had the 

opportunity to position myself in 

close proximity to him when he 

would pray after conducting the 

oath of allegiance (Baiàt) for 

someone, to hear what, and how, 

he prayed. He would begin with 

Surah Al-Faatiha, followed by 

the invocation of blessings and 

salutations of peace for the Holy 

Prophet (sa), i.e., complete 

Dorood Sharif, as we recite in the 

daily prayers; then he prayed in 

the following words [Arabic]: “O 

our Lord! Forgive them their 

sins, and have mercy on them; 

and make them steadfast in their 

God-fearing and their faith.” 

The Promised Messiah’s getting 

up and sitting down; his walking 

and moving around; his 

treatment of his followers 

whether at his house or outside; 

his sleep as well as his being 

awake; his travelling as well as 

his stay; his hospitality and 

exercising great care in ensuring 

the comfort of his guests as well 

as those on a journey; and his 

conversing with people in a kind 

and compassionate manner— 

everything was purely for the 

sake of God. (Translated from: 

Daily Al-Fazl, Qadian; 5 December 

1941, pp. 10-11 - Translation by Dr. 

Saleem Rahman) 



Life of the Promised Messiah (as) – Treatment of Family 

Lal Khan Malik, Naib Amir II, Canada 

[Following is the text of a 

presentation delivered at the Jalsa 

Salana Canada, held on July 7-9, 

2006, in Mississauga, Ontario: 

Editor] 

“And those who say, ’Our Lord, 

grant us of our wives and children 

the delight of our eyes, and make us 

a model for the righteous.” (25:75) 

Recently, a rising trend of Ahmadi 

marriages ending in divorce has 

been noticed. This is an alarming 

situation. For the community of the 

Promised Messiah (as), even one 

marriage failing is one too many 

and should be a matter of great 

concern for us. 

What are the reasons? Why do 

marriages fail? 

The reasons for the failure of 

marriages relate to the mutual 

interaction of the spouses and in 

most of the cases are: 

Lack of consideration and sacrifice: 

The wife wants to have light in the 

bedroom at nighttime; the husband 

wants no light. 

Lack of magnanimity, lack of àfv 

i.e. forbearance: The wife makes a 

petty mistake, the husband, who 

should have ignored it, mentions 

and criticizes her conduct. 

Other reasons include, lack of 

patience, lack of tolerance, hot 

temper, verbal and physical abuse, 

pride and a superiority complex. 

Laying too many restrictions: Some 

husbands have a mistaken view that 

if they exercise strict control over 

their wives, it will help them to be 

more respected and cared for. This 

is far from reality! With a harsh 

discipline, one can force one’s wife 

to obey; but, one cannot receive love 

and respect from her. 

Lack of help: The husbands 

consider it against their dignity to 

help their wives in their daily 

routine work, washing the dishes, 

vacuuming, cleaning after the 

infant, etc., etc. 

Lack of Trust: Too much 

interference with the way wives run 

the expenses of the home. Some 

husbands investigate what was 

spent and where. 

By far, most of the bitterness that we 

find in our family lives is due to our 

failure to exercise tolerance and 

show consideration for the wives, 

insisting on being right, insisting on 

getting what is due to us and not 

caring for what is due from us. The 

truth is that long-term loving 

relationships cannot be built on 

such a mean spirited outlook 

towards family life. 

Sacrifice, being ready to forgive, and 

being on the look out for doing a 

favour here and there, are needed to 

nourish the family relationships. 

But it is difficult to find enough 

motivation for such consideration in 

a God-less society, in which what 

matters, is only “me, myself and I.” 

Only divine teaching and a very 

strong motivation, to earn Allah’s 

pleasure in doing so, can enable the 

spouses to show compassion and 

respect on a daily basis. It is only 

thus that we can find peace and 

happiness in our homes. 

The Holy Qur’an gives excellent 

guidance to the believers at various 

places on how to make our 

marriages successful. It exhorts 

them to “treat them (their wives) in 

an excellent manner:” (4:20) 

This divine injunction makes it an 

important religious duty for the 

believers to show kindness to their 

Life of the Promised Messiah (as) 16

Instances from the Life of the 

Promised Messiah (as): 

spouses. In these few words has 

been laid down the foundation of a 

happy family life. 

This divine guideline is visible in 

the most vivid form, in the glorious 

life of our beloved master, the Holy 

Prophet Muhammad, may peace 

and blessings of Allah be upon him! 

That is why Allah enjoins us to 

follow his excellent model by 

saying: 

“There is an excellent model for you 

in the Messenger of Allah, for him 

who hopes to meet Allah and the 

Last Day and who remembers Allah 

much.” (33:22) 

The Holy Prophet (sa) emphasized 

this subject by declaring: 

“The best among you is he who 

treats his family best, and I am the 

best of you in terms of treating my 

family.” (Tirmidhi) 

By saying so, the Holy Prophet (sa) 

has laid down the high standard of 

morals in our family relationships. 

None can hope to be considered a 

decent believer if his treatment of 

his family is wanting. 

The best example of how the 

excellent model of the Holy Prophet 

(sa) be followed in our age, is the 

glorious life of Hadrat Mirza 

Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the 

Promised Messiah and Mahdi, 

peace be upon him. 

He was so particular in following 

the Perfect Model of the Holy 

Prophet (sa) that in every situation, 

his first consideration would always 

be ‘how did the Holy Prophet (sa) 

do it?’ 

This afternoon, I am going to 

present before you, some glimpses 

from the sacred life of Hadrat 

Ghulam-e-Ahmad, the great Servant 

of Ahmad (as), on how he followed 

the Perfect Exemplar (sa) in the 

treatment of his family. 

Through these glimpses, we shall be 

able to see, how the Holy Prophet 

(sa) would have acted in similar 

circumstances. Also, we will be able 

to see where we stand, in our own 

lives, with reference to the supreme 

level of nobility established by the 


Ahmadiyya Culture: 

If there is such a thing as 

Ahmadiyya Culture, it would be a 

culture based on the pedestal of the 

lofty moral standards established by 

the Perfect Exemplar (sa). This 

Ahmadiyya Culture should be seen 

in Ahmadi homes, in the lives of 

men and women, in their daily lives 

– homes where spouses are loved 

and treated with kindness and 

respect. 

You may already know some of the 

incidents that I am going to relate 

from the life of the Promised 

Messiah (as). That should not 

matter. When you love someone, 

you love to listen about your 

beloved. You love to listen to the 

same things, again and again. 

Secondly, the purpose is not to tell 

stories, it is to ponder over these 

examples and compare our own 

conduct, in similar circumstances, 

with the excellent conduct of the 

Promise Messiah (as). 

Freedom of Women in Early 

Muslim Society: 

I start with an interesting incident 

from the blessed life of the Holy 

Prophet (sa). Hadrat Umar (ra) was 

discussing something with his wife. 

She forcefully argued with him her 

point of view. He exclaimed, in 

astonishment, “Despite being my 

wife, you are so forceful in your 

arguments with me!” She 

responded, “Umar, times have 

changed. Wives of the Holy 

Prophet (sa) freely discuss things 

with him and they support their 

point of view without any fear. 

And, the Holy Prophet (sa) lets 

them do that!” Hadrat Umar (ra), 

raised in a male-dominated Arab 

society, found it difficult to adjust to 

the degree of freedom and equality 

offered by the Holy Prophet (sa) to 

his wives and thus, through his 

model, to the women in general. 

But, did this freedom, granted to 

Muslim women, in early Islam, last 

through the ages? Alas! With the 

misinterpreted notion of hijab and 


purdah, some part of the freedom 

and equality granted to women was 

withdrawn by Muslim societies, 

under the influences of local 

cultures and women were restricted 

to homes, so much so that a women 

was not allowed to even walk in 

public with her husband. 

Walking in Public with Husband: 

An interesting incident will 

illustrate how embarrassing it was if 

one’s wife were to walk with him in 

a public place. 

Hadrat Maulawi Hakim Noorud- 

Din Sahib (ra) said, “What Hadrat 

Sahib is doing is right. I cannot say 

anything to Hudhur. If you are so 

uneasy, you can go and talk to 

Hadrat Sahib yourself.” With some 

hesitation, Maulawi Abdul Karim 

Sahib approached the Promised 

Messiah (as) and submitted his 

suggestion that Hadrat Begum 

Sahiba be requested not to walk 

with Hudhur (as). 

Hadrat Sahib said, “Maulawi Sahib, 

I do not consider anyone’s honour 

more important than the honour of 

the Holy Prophet (sa). The wives of 

the Holy Prophet (sa) and his 

companions used to accompany 

them in battles; they used to carry 

water for them and they did the 

nursing duty. I do not consider my 

honour and nobility higher than 

their honour and nobility. Rather it 


abolished all those unjust 

restrictions of purdah, which had 

come to be imposed on Muslim 

ladies in India under the influence 

of the Rajput Hindu Culture. He 

encouraged his wife, Hadrat Amma 

Jan (ra) to go for a walk with 

himself or, sometimes, with other 

ladies. 

During a journey, the Promised 

Messiah (as) was waiting, for the 

next train on a railway platform. 

Hudhur’s wife, Hadrat Ummul 

Mo’minin (ra) was with him. 

Hudhur (as) started walking on the 

platform with her. This was a 

strange, unimaginable spectacle for 

Hadrat Maulawi Abdul Karim Sahib 

Sialkoti (ra) who had particularly 

puritan views. Feeling very uneasy 

on what the people would think and 

say about what the Promised 

Messiah was doing in public, he 

approached Hadrat Hakim Maulawi 

Nooruddin Sahib (ra) and said, 

“Maulawi Sahib, please request 

Hadrat Sahib that Begum Sahiba be 

seated on the side. Friends and 

foes, all sorts of people, are present 

on the platform. What would the 

people think?” 

Mubarak (Blessed) Mosque, Qadian 


is a matter of great honour for us to 

follow their model. 

What would the people say? Would 

they say: Mirza Sahib is walking 

with his wife! Well, this is fine with 

me. I do not believe in such 

restrictive purdah that a women 

may not even walk with her 

husband.” 

Obviously, Maulawi Abdul Karim 

Sahib was very embarrassed. When 

he returned where his friends were 

waiting for the report as to what 

had transpired, Hadrat Maulawi 

Nooruddin Sahib (ra) asked him, 

“Maulawi Sahib, did you get your 

answer?” He said, “Yes, I got it!” 

A Spoiled Dish: 

How many a time, peace of a home 

has been shattered just because the 

husband did not like the meals 

prepared by his wife! This foolish 

reason is responsible for ruining the 

peace of many families. Let us see 

how the Promised Messiah (as) 

handled a similar situation. 

Hadrat Ummul Mo’minin (ra) 

relates an incident of the early 

period of her marriage. She 

says: 

“In the beginning when I came from 

Delhi, I learnt that Hadrat Sahib was 

fond of gur ke chawal, i.e. sweet rice 

made with dried molasses. 

Intending to give him a pleasant 

surprise, I arranged for cooking of 

the dish. I got some rice and added 

four times the amount of gur, i.e. the 

dried molasses. It became a thick 

sticky mass. When I took the pot off 

the stove and put the rice in the 

plate, I was shocked and deeply 

saddened when I realized that the 

rice had been ruined. It was almost 

mealtime and there was no time to 

prepare something else. I was not 

sure what to do? 

In the mean time Hadrat Sahib came 

in. When he saw my face, I was 

close to tears due to the 

embarrassment and the shock that 

there I was with a ruined dish for 

Hudhur. When he saw what had 

happened, he laughed and said: 

“Are you distressed because the rice 

did not turn out good?” 

Then he said: “No, this rice is very 

tasty. It is cooked according to my 

taste. I like it when it is more sweet. 

It is very good.” 

And then he ate happily. Hadrat 

Sahib said so many things to make 

me happy that I felt happy 

too.” (Seerat Hadrat Amma Jan, 

page 14) 

Extra Care for Wife’s Point of View: 

The Promised Messiah (as) used to 

consider Amma Jan (ra) as one of 

the signs of God and whatever she 

used to say, he tried his best to fulfill 

it. He used to say that wives should 

be treated with extra care. 

Let me relate an incident about the 

caring nature of Hudhur (as). In 

Darul-Masih, there was a courtyard. 

In the summer, at nighttime, 

Hudhur and all his family members 

used to sleep in that courtyard. But 

in the rainy season, it created a lot of 

problems, because all the beds 

needed to be taken into the rooms. 

Therefore, Hadrat Amma Jan 

proposed that a roof should be put 

on a part of the courtyard. Thus, a 

verandah should be made so that 

when it rains, all the beds should be 

pulled under it. Hudhur ordered 

that this should be done. Hadrat 

Maulawi Abdul Karim Sahib (ra) 

and a few other companions, who 

also lived in the same house, 

suggested that this should not be 

done as it will ruin the beauty of the 

courtyard. But after listening to 

every one, Hadrat Sahib said, 

“That’s fine. But, since my wife is 

one of the signs of Allah and she is 

the mother of my sons about whom 

God has given me glad tidings, 

therefore, I listen to whatever she 

says. This verandah should be 

constructed.” 

More Light in the House: 

Hadrat Amma Jan herself tells a 

story that when she came newly to 

Qadian, she was used to sleeping 

with the lights on. But Hudhur was 

used to sleeping with the lights off. 

When she would go to sleep, 

Hudhur used to put out the light. 

When she would wake up at night, 

the darkness would cause her 

anxiety and Hadrat Sahib used to 

put on the light again. Eventually 

Hudhur got used to sleeping in the 

light. Then it so happened that all 

the corners of the house were lit, 

stairs, bathroom, all the rooms, 

courtyard, all the places were lit and 

a servant was specially appointed 

for this purpose. Sometimes Hadrat 

Amma Jan used to remind Hudhur 

with love that: 

“Do you remember the time when 

you could not sleep in the light and 

now if all the corners of the house 

are not lit, you cannot sleep?” 

Hadrat Sahib would smile with 

happiness, in agreement. 


Value Opinion of Wife: 

Hadrat Maulawi Abdul Karim 

Sialkoti (ra) had a very keen sense of 

observation. He has written in his 

concise compilation “ Seerat Masih 

Mauùd (as)” that he had the 

vantage point of observing the 

domestic life of the Promised 

Messiah (as), as he lived in a part of 

his house for a long time. He 

writes: 

“The women of the country-side 

who visited frequently observed the 

conduct of the Promised Messiah 

(as) with amazement because it was 

totally different from the way they 

had seen other people behave 

towards their wives. They used to 

say: “Mirza Sahib respects the 

opinion of his wife a lot.” (Seerat, 

page 18) 

Doing Common Household Tasks: 

The Promised Messiah (as) had no 

hesitation in doing common 

household work. When he would 

find that people of the house were 

engaged in various tasks, he would 

get up and complete his personal or 

household tasks. If he would notice 

that the cleaner had not applied 

disinfectant in the washroom, he 

would himself do that. He would 

move the cots and make up beds. 

During summer at nighttime, in 

case of sudden rain, he would not 

wake up the children and would 

himself carry their cots, under the 

verandah, with the help of another 

person. 

Ignore Weaknesses: 

Once Maulawi Muhammad Ahsan 

Amrohi (ra) was staying in Qadian, 

in a room in the new guesthouse. 

He sent a boy to the Promised 

Messiah (as) asking for some 

charcoal for heating, since it was 

very cold. The Promised Messiah 

(as) asked Hadrat Amma Jan (ra) to 

give some coal to the boy. She was 

busy in doing something else, 

therefore, she could not attend to 

Hudhur’s instructions immediately. 

There was heavy rain and it was 

very cold. The Promised Messiah 

(as) left what he was doing and 

went to the storeroom and gave 

some coal to the boy. 

Being a Husband is a favour of 

Allah 

Hudhur used to say: 

“We consider it a matter of great 

shame that, despite being men, we 

should quarrel with women. God 

made us men and this, in fact, is a 

great favour of Allah on us. 

Gratefulness, in this respect, is that 

we treat the womenfolk with 

compassion and kindness.” (Seerat 

p. 18) 

Complete Trust in Wife: 

The Promised Messiah (as) reposed 

complete trust in his wife. He 

would never ask for an account of 

the home expenses, whether the 

whole amount had been spent or 

not. If it was spent, what for was it 

spent? Or, why too much was 

spent? Show me the detail of the 

expense account, etc., etc. Allah had 

granted him such a generous heart 

that such thoughts could not find 

any place in it. (Mujaddad A`zam, 

p. 1274) 

Ignore imperfections of Wife: 


say that one should ignore all 

imperfections of one’s wife, short of 

indecency. (Malfoozat, Edition 2003, 

Nazarat Nashro Ishaàt Qadian 

Vol. I p. 307) 

Patience and Benevolence for Wife: 

The Promised Messiah (as) never 

asked Hadrat Amma Jan (ra) why 

she had not carried out such and 

such of his instructions or why did 

she not care for proper preparation 

of his meals. His degree of patience, 

for ignoring such lapses, was 

astonishing to the people around. 

Hadrat Maulawi Abdul Karim (ra) 

says: 

“Some times the Promised Messiah 

(as) would express his wish for a 

particular meal and in view of his 

illness a special diet was needed for 

him. He would not eat the regular 

meals, waiting for the special dish 

he had requested. The dish would 

sometimes not arrive till it was time 

for the next meal. Hudhur would 

very softly ask whether the dish was 

ready. When he would be told that 

the dish could not be prepared due 

to such and such reason, he would 

just give a smile and again become 


that this may result in some benefit 

for our Beloved Master. I wished to 

support Munshi Sahib’s approach. I 

said: 

“Yes, Hudhur, Munshi sahib is right. 

You should also get your 

instructions followed with full 

force.” 

Hadrat Sahib looked at me, smiled 

and said: 

“Our friends must shun such 

behaviour.” (Seerat p.19) 

A view of Qadian in 1945 

We can imagine the embarrassment 

of Maulawi Abdul Karim Sahib (ra). 

busy in his work, as if nothing had 

happened.” (Seerat p. 31) 

“Our friends should not behave in 

this manner!” 

On mention of a member of the 

Jamaàt that he had treated his wife 

harshly, Hadrat Sahib was greatly 

displeased. He said: 

“Our friends should not behave in 

this manner.” 

“Our friends must shun such 

behaviour.” 

During one of his visits to Amratsar 

in connection with the debate with 

Deputy Atham, one day Hadrat 

Sahib was suffering from a 

headache. A large number of 

members of the Jamaàt had 

assembled to see him. Hudhur (as) 

came out to see them, despite being 

indisposed. During the 

conversation, Munshi Abdul Haq 

Sahib of Lahore suggested that 

Hadrat Sahib should give due 

attention to his diet. Since he is 

engaged in intellectual and 

scholarly work, hard work for long 

hours, special nutritional meals 

must be prepared for him every day. 

Hudhur (as) responded, “Yes, you 

are right and we have, on occasions, 

mentioned this also. But the 

womenfolk are so busy in their 

daily household routines that they 

do not care much for other matters”. 

Here, Munshi Abdul Haq Sahib (ra) 

had a chance to stress his point. He 

said, “Hudhur, you do not give such 

instructions with enough emphasis. 

You do not use your ru`b, 

(commanding influence). I make 

special arrangements for my meals, 

and, it is not possible that my 

instructions are ignored. There is 

not even a slight deviation from 

what I demand. Otherwise, we 

shall resort to other measures 

(Warnah hum doosari tarah khabar 

lay lein).” 

Maulawi Abdul Karim Sahib says: 

“I was keenly listening to Munshi 

Sahib and was feeling very happy 

Loud Remark for Wife: 

Hudhur talked on this subject 

further for some time. He said: 

“….The way I feel is such that once I 

called my wife in a loud voice, and I 

felt that the loud voice was the 

result of the sorrow of my heart. 

But, despite this, I did not utter even 

one harsh word. After this, I did 

istighfar for a long time and in 

complete humility offered nawafil 

and offered some Sadaqa (charity) 

also, because I realized that this 

mistreatment of my wife was the 

result of some hidden disobedience 

of Allah.” (Seerat p.20) 

Concern on knowing of 

Mistreatment of Wife by Someone: 


urge his followers that they must 

treat their wives and other relatives 

kindly. If he would know that one 

of his followers had mistreated his 

wife, he was greatly distressed. 

Once Hadrat Maulawi Abdul Karim 

Sahib Sialkoti (ra) was displeased 


with his younger wife and he 

scolded her angrily in a loud voice, 

which was overheard by the 

Promised Messiah (as) in the lower 

level of the house. He was very 

much disturbed. The same night, 

the Promised Messiah (as) received 

the revelation: “This is not the right 

conduct! Abdul Karim, leader of 

Muslims, should be stopped from 

this behaviour.” 

Interestingly, the next morning 

Maulawi Abdul Karim Sahib was 

feeling ashamed for this misconduct 

and people were congratulating him 

on having received the title of 

‘Leader of Muslims’ from Allah. 

(Mujaddad A`zam p. 1286) 

Regular Supplications for Wife: 

Hudhur said: “I regularly make 

some supplications: First, for myself 

that Allah may enable me to serve 

His cause in such a way that His 

Honour and Majesty may become 

manifest and that He may enable 

me to earn His pleasure. Secondly, 

for my wife that Allah may grant me 

delight of eyes from her and that 

she may follow the paths of His 

pleasure. Thirdly, for my children 

that they all become servants of 

faith. Then, for my sincere friends, 

one by one, and then for all those, 

who are in my community, whether 

we know them or we know them 

not.” (Seerat p. 38) 

The Conclusion: 

These incidents from the life of the 

Promised Messiah (as) provide the 

standard of good conduct of an 

Ahmadi husband towards his 

family. We should compare our 

own conduct against this measure. 

An important part of paradise, 

which has been promised to the 

believers in this world, is the 

peaceful and caring atmosphere of 

our homes. This atmosphere can be 

achieved and maintained only by 

following this noble example. 

Let us pray that Allah may enable 

me and enable each one of us, to 

follow the example of the Promised 

Messiah (as) in following the 

Excellent Model of the Holy Prophet 

Muhammad (sa) in treatment of our 

families! Ameen! 

Tombstone on the sacred grave of the Promised Messiah (as) 



My Nostalgic Visit to 

Hoshiarpur 

Dr. Ijaz Qamar 

Hoshiarpur city and the nearby 

village of Baroti is my ancestral 

home that I left as a child with my 

parents, in 1947, and migrated to 

Pakistan in the wake of the partition 

of the British Indian sub-continent. 

I always had a great wish to visit 

my ancestral home and I would 

pray for its realization. In December 

2006, Allah accepted my prayers 

and I was able to fulfill my wish. 

Alhamdolillah. 

After visiting Pakistan in mid- 

December 2006, I entered India on 

December 26 through Wagha-Atari 

border. Jamaàt volunteers, on both 

sides of the border, facilitated my 

entry for which I am grateful. From 

Atari, I boarded a bus to Qadian 

that was arranged by the Jamaàt. I 

reached Qadian just after the time of 

maghreb prayer and was put up in 

the UK Guest House, since Canada 

Guest House was allotted to guests 

from Kashmir this year. 

I recall visiting Qadian with my 

parents in my childhood, although 

my recollection of it is hazy. I have 

some recollection of how Hadrat 

Khalifatul Masih II (ra) used to 

deliver quite long and inspiring 

speech on the last day of Jalsa, 

which continued to sunset time, and 

the lights would be turned on. I can 

also recall my parents visiting and 

meeting Hadrat Mufti Muhammad 

Sadiq (ra) and Maulana Abual Ata 

Jallandhry during Jalsa days. In my 

adult life my late wife 

Bushra and I visited Qadian 

at Jalsa in 1977 when I 

made a brief speech about 

the activities of Canada 

Jamaàt at that time. 

The December 2006 visit 

was, in fact, a nostalgic visit 

to Qadian after about 30 

years. This time I saw the 

addition of four guest 

houses (Canada, USA, UK 

and Germany) 

in one walled-compound 

and a very impressive and 

spacious Sarai Tahir (Tahir 

Inn), just across from the 

guesthouses, which can 

comfortably accommodate 

over 6,000 guests. 

One highlight of 2006 Jalsa 

Salana, in my view, was the 

presentation of Sheikh Saeed 

Ahmad (a maternal grandson of 

Maulvi Muhammad Hussain 

Batalvi, an opponent of the 

Promised Messiah) during the 

speech of Maulana Ghulam Nabi, 

Missionary Incharge of Kashmir. 

His speech title was: The Truth of 

the Promised Messiah (as) in the 

My Nostalgic Visit to Hoshiarpur 23

Light of Prophesies of Warning and 

Good News. I had seen this 

gentleman, Sheikh Saeed Ahmad, 

earlier in the Ahmadiyya mosque in 

Jaranwala (near Faisalabad, 

Pakistan) in my college days. I 

came to know from the speech of 

Maulana Ghulam Nabi that 

government of the day had gifted 

some agricultural land to Maulvi 

Muhammad Hussain Batalvi in a 

village (chak # 123) near Jaranwala 

and his family had settled there. 

Another highlight of Jalsa 2006, in 

my view, was a speech in the 

Punjabi language by Maulvi Giani 

Tanvir Ahmad on the subject of 

Ahmadiyyat: The True Islam. Being 

a Punjabi myself, I enjoyed this 

speech thoroughly. This was my 

first time listening to a speech 

delivered in Punjabi from the stage 

of Jalsa Salana. 

On December 29, I left Qadian for 

Hoshiarpur, which is located at a 

distance of about two hours by taxi 

cab, in the company of Maulvi 

Nasrul Haq, Missionary of 

Hoshiarpur. We reached his 

residence and the Jamaàt Mission 

House located on Bank Bazar (near 

Old Kanak Mandi) by noon, well in 

time for the Friday prayer. This 

blessed and historic house is the 

same house where the Promised 

Messiah (as) spent 40 days in 1886 

in seclusion, supplicating to Allah, 

due to His command. This was a 

very emotional visit for me, being 

my first ever visit, to this house 

which I had not had an opportunity 

to visit although it was located in 

my ancestral city. 

This building consists of 

several different parts. On 

the street level are small 

shops owned by non- 

Muslims and a portion of 

the upper level is owned 

by the Jamaàt. The old 

staircase is also in the 

possession of the Jamaàt 

but now it does not lead to 

the street, and it is 

functionally closed. A 

garage-type room is also in 

possession of the Jamaàt. 

The upper level, which is 

in possession of the 

Jamaàt, has two sections. 

One section is used as the 

Missionary’s residence 

and its opposite side 

consists of a verandah and Entrance to the house from the street 

two adjoining rooms in 

east-west directions, which are used 

as a mosque. Out of these two 

The Promised Messiah (as) had a 

long time wish and intention to 

rooms, the western room (about spend 40 days in special 

12x12 ft) is the historic room where 

the Promised Messiah (as) did 

“chilla”—a 40-days solitary retreat 

supplication, like Hadrat Musa (as) 

did in his life, at a place where no 

body knew him so that he could 

for supplication to God in pious concentrate without human 

seclusion, following the command disturbance. In 1884 he had 

of Allah, the Exalted. I spent 24 

hours, out of my stay in Hoshiarpur, 

intended to go to Sojanpur (district 

Gurdaspur) for that purpose but 

in these two rooms. 

that journey was postponed 

according to the will of Allah. He 

The year of 1886 was a year of 

momentous incidents, full of Allah’s 

blessings, in which the Promised 

wanted for the divine light to guide 

him in the selection of the place to 

which he would go. Allah revealed 

Messiah (as) saw splendid to the Promised Messiah (as) in 

manifestations of special signs from Urdu “tumhari uqda kushaee 

Allah. He was divinely informed of Hoshiarpur mein ho gi”, (your 

many future happenings, including 

the birth of a Promised Son to him, 

which the world came to know as 

Hadrat Mirza Bashirudin Mahmud 

Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (ra). 

conundrum will be resolved in 

Hoshiarpur). As a result, in January 

1886, the Promised Messiah (as) left 

for Hoshiarpur in the company of 

Hadrat Maulvi Abdullah Sanori, 


Hadrat Sheikh Hamid Ali and Mian 

Fateh Khan (may Allah be pleased 

with all of them). Hudur stayed at 

the upper floor of the house which 

at that time was owned by Sheikh 

Mehr Ali. 

Because the Promised Messiah (as) 

had already become widely known 

due to the publication of Braheen-e- 

Ahmadiyya, people had wished to 

meet him in person. For that reason 

he had made public announcement 

through handbills (flyers etc.) that 

no one should meet him for 40 days 

and that afterwards he would stay 

there for 20 days when public will 

be able to meet him. 

After the passage of 40 days of 

secluded supplication, the Promised 

Messiah (as) issued a leaflet on 

February 20, 1886, in which he 

noted a number of prophecies about 

himself, his progeny, his relatives, 

his friends, and about Sir Syed 

Ahmad Khan as well as about 

Maharajah Daleep Singh. His 

prophecy about the Musleh Mauùd 

(the Promised Reformer) was 

especially highlighted. 

According to Hadrat Maulvi 

Abdullah Sanori (ra), (see, Seeratul 

Mahdi, Vol I, narration No. 88) he 

and his other two companions 

stayed in the lower portion of the 

building. The Promised Messiah 

(as) gave instructions to them that 

no one would take the initiative to 

speak to the Promised Messiah 

unless he himself spoke to someone 

to ask for something. There would 

be no other conversation. The 

Promised Messiah’s meals would be 

brought to him, upstairs. (This 

author saw this historic staircase 

which is not in use now. Instead a 

new staircase has been built, which 

opens onto the Bank Bazar at the 

street level.) Hudur also instructed 

that he would offer his daily prayers 

by himself, but for Friday prayers 

he asked them to locate a mosque 

that was not very much frequented. 

So a small mosque situated in a park 

was found outside Hoshiarpur city. 

Hudur used to deliver a short 

sermon and would quickly return to 

the house just after the Friday 

prayer. 

According to Hadrat Maulvi 

Abdullah Sanori (ra), he would go 

upstairs to deliver food to the 

Promised Messiah (as). Once, the 

Promised Messiah (as) said to 

him,”Mian Abdullah, these days 

numerous doors of Allah’s blessings 

have been opened for me and 

sometimes Allah converses with me 

for an extended period of time. If 

these are written down on paper, 

they will cover a lot of pages.” 

After 40 days of devotional worship, 

a number of people were waiting to 

meet the Promised Messiah (as). 

Some people exchanged religious 

discourses with him, the most 

famous one being a debate with 

Pandit Murlidhar, an account of 

which is given in the Promised 

Messiah’s book entitled “Surma 

Chashm Ariya”. 

After staying for a total of two 

months in Hoshiarpur, the Promised 

Messiah went back to Qadian, using 

the same route that he had used for 

Entrance to the room of 

"Solitary Retreat" 

coming to the city of Hoshiarpur. 

On the way back, Hudur stopped at 

the tomb of a holy person that was 

situated in a small garden, about 5 

to 6 miles from Hoshiarpur, and 

offered prayer at his grave. There he 

saw in a vision, the saintly person 

who was buried in that grave 100 

years ago. He gave a verbal 

description of his appearance saying 

that he had big eyes and was of 

somewhat dark complexion. This 

description of the holy man was 

confirmed by the caretaker of the 

tomb, who had heard about it from 

his forefathers. 

While staying in this blessed house, 

I toured the vicinity in which the 

Promised Messiah (as) had moved 

about. There is an open area (called 

old Kanak Mandi) just a few steps 


down the Bank Bazar where he held 

a Jalsa after his “chilla”. Now this 

area is occupied by some make-shift 

shops and a transport terminal for 

rickshaws. 

Then, in the company of Murabbi 

Nasrul Haq Sahib, I went to my 

ancestral village Baroti. This village 

belonged to our extended family of 

the Rajput clan and at the time of 

the partition of India we all left and 

only a few working class Hindus 

(now called adhartis) were left 

behind. This village, located 5 miles 

North-East of Hoshiarpur, is nestled 

in a very serene and picturesque 

setting of the foothills of Koh-e- 

Shiwalik (a part of the Himalayan 

range), with housing on the sloping 

hills and the farm land on the plains 

below. A history of the area is 

contained in a book entitled A 

Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of 

the Punjab and North-West Frontier 

Province complied by H.A Rose 

(1919, Low Priced Publications, 

New Dehli). The village history goes 

back to the Mughal Muslim period 

in India. During the ruler Mahmud 

Ghaznavi’s time, there were various 

fights that resulted in conquering 

and re-conquering of territories, as 

was the case at that time. In that 

period of history there was a person 

by the name of Rana Mal (a 

descendent of Nipal Chand, later 

called Naru Khan) who had five 

sons, who divided the territory 

under their control. One of his sons 

by the name of Bhojo got various 

villages and one of them was our 

village Baroti. 

My father, Chaudhry Dost 

Muhammad Khan (M.A. Gold 

Medalist – Aligarh University, B.T. – 

Punjab University) was the pioneer 

of Ahmadiyyat in our village, and in 

fact in the Hoshiarpur district of 

that time, by joining the Jamaàt in 

1931. He made history soon after 

1931 by organizing a successful 

propagational conference (tablighi 

jalsa) in the village of Baroti, against 

heavy odds. My father has written 

in his personal diary that Maulvi 

Badruddin of Faizullah Chak (near 

Qadian) was the featured Ahmadi 

speaker who explained the message 

of Ahmadiyyat very effectively. 

On this visit to my village, I was 

able to see the site of the abovementioned 

jalsa and also the 

location of our home and those of 

our extended family, which we had 

evacuated back in 1947. I was an 

elementary school child at that time 

and have just a hazy memory of 

these ancestral sites. I was able to 

find an elderly person in the village 

who became my tour guide for two 

hours I was in the village. It was 

another emotional moment for me 

when I saw the wells and a pond 

from where we used to draw water. 

Now with the span of over half a 

century, the village had significantly 

progressed, with running tap-water, 

electricity, roads and telephone 

lines. 

After I concluded my visit to my 

village, I returned to Hoshiarpur 

city and visited the clock-tower and 

the nearby school which I had 

attended. Luckily, I found a teacher 

on the school premises who took me 

around the school building and 

reminded me of the class room 

where I used to have wood working 

class (it was called “manual 

training” in those days). 

Then I stayed in the room next to 

the room where the Promised 

Messiah (as) had done his chilla in 

1886. Saying obligatory prayers and 

nawafil in the Promised Messiah’s 

room was a spiritual experience of 

unfathomable proportions. The next 

day, I headed for Pakistan via Atari- 

Wagha border in the company of 

Murabbi Nasrul Haq Sahib. On the 

way, I made a brief stop in 

Jallandhar city where my father 

taught high school and my sister 

Akhtarun Nisa Begum obtained her 

Maulvi degree from the well-known 

Madrasa-tul-Binat. Seeing our old 

house where we resided in 

Mohallah Pakka Bagh (near Rainak 

Bazar Chowk) and the school I went 

to was another occasion for my 

personal recollection of old times. 

I am deeply grateful to Allah for 

providing me with the opportunity 

to undertake this journey to 

Hoshiarpur and its vicinity, where 

the Promised Messiah (as) had spent 

two months on a Divine mission. 

References: 

Life of Ahmad, Part 1 By A.R. Dard, 

M.A. (A Tabshir Publication 1948), 

p.108. 

Hayat-e-Tayyiba (Urdu) By Hadrat 

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Saudagarmal 

(Nazarat Nashro Ishaàt, Qadian, 

2001), p.63-64 



Majlis Shr 

Dr. Syed Muhammad Aslam Daud 

Secretary Majlis Shura Canada 

and whose affairs are decided by mutual consultation 

And those, who hearken to their 

Lord, and observe Prayer, and 

whose affairs are decided by mutual 

consultation, and who spend out of 

what We have provided for them, 

(42:39) 

Shr is an Arabic word for 

"consultation." The word Shr is 

derived from connotations of giving 

one’s opinion after having purified 

oneself. According to the above 

mentioned verse of the Holy 

Qur’an, the true believers are those 

who observe prayer and who 

consult in communal matters, who 

reflect and then give an opinion and 

once a decision is made they 

cooperate and employ all their 

strengths to implement it. 

consult with his companions, but 

ultimately, to decide on his own. In 

the other, the community of the 

faithful is described as the one that 

(among its other attributes) 

administers its affairs by mutual 

consultation. For the first one, 

consultation is mandated but is not 

binding; whereas for the second, it 

is depicted as constituting the very 

process by which are reached 

binding decisions on public matters. 

Similarly in the first mode, the 

Prophet (sa), and by interpretation 

his representative, is personally 

involved, while in the second mode, 

it is the community deliberating on 

public matters collectively. 

The Holy Qur’an states: 

“And it is by the great mercy of 

Allah that thou art kind towards 

them, and if thou hadst been rough 

and hard-hearted, they would surely 

have dispersed from around thee. So 

pardon them and ask forgiveness for 

them, and consult them in matters 

While Islam enjoins representative 

democracy, it also requires 

submission to those in authority. 

This is a more traditional approach, 

characteristic of many centuries of 

Islamic history. 

Shr is a key principle of 

governance in Islam. However, a 

true Shr can only exist with 

guidance from Khilafat. In the Holy 

Qur’an, two modes of consultation 

are mentioned. In the one, the Holy 

Prophet Muhammad (sa) is asked to 

Majlis Shr 27

of administration; and when thou 

art resolved, then put thy trust in 

Allah. Surely, Allah loves those who 

put their trust in Him.” (3:160) 

Following the above commandment 

of Allah, the Holy Prophet 

Muhammad (sa) used to seek 

consultation and confer with others. 

However, if the final decision is 

contrary to the counsel and the 

opinions given, then Allah 

commands the Prophet (or in the 

present day, the Khalfa) to put his 

trust in Him and stay firm on his 

decision. 

The Holy Prophet (sa) said that the 

one who is consulted is a trustee 

and the one whose brother seeks his 

consultation and he gives it to him 

without due integrity betrays him. 

He enjoined his followers to consult 

those who are sensible and who are 

sincere worshippers, be they men or 

women. The Holy Prophet (sa) 

himself used to take advice from 

both men and women. 

Choosing the first Caliphs by Shr 

The first form of Majlis Shr 

(Consultative Body) was held at the 

demise of Holy Prophet 

Muhammad (sa) in 632 CE to 

discuss his succession. Hadrat Abu 

Bakr (ra) was selected with mutual 

consultation as his successor. 

Hadrat Umar Bin Khattab (ra), the 

second successor of the Holy 

Prophet (sa) established a splendid 

system of administration for the 

Islamic state including the 

establishment of Majlis Shr as a 

consultative advisory body to the 

Khalfa. In the light of Qura'nic 

guidance and the blessed model of 

the Holy Prophet (sa), Hadrat Umer 

(ra) said that there is no Khilafat 

without Shr. Hadrat Ali (ra) also 

said that counsel should be sought 

from those who are sensible and 

those who worship God. 

During and after Hadrat Ali's (ra) 

tenure as Caliph, the Muslim 

community fell into civil war. Power 

was eventually grasped by the 

Ummayad caliphs and then by the 

Abbasid caliphs. However, a few of 

the later caliphs had anything but 

nominal control over the many 

Islamic States. There were also rival 

caliphates in Egypt and Al-Andalus, 

which included most of today’s 

Spain. Later, the rulers of the 

Ottoman empire claimed the 

caliphate which was ultimately 

dissolved in 1924. 

None of the later caliphs or rulers of 

early Islam, after the righteous 

caliphate, were chosen by Shr; 

most came into authority by 

inheritance or by the sword. In 

practice, most Muslim rulers at that 

time were autocratic, listened only 

to powerful advisors and clergy, and 

rejected advice they did not like. 

One can cautiously attribute their 

failure to the lack of existence of a 

pious Majlis Shr. 

Shr and Contemporary Muslim- 

Majority States 

Some Muslim-majority states, like 

Turkey, are secular democracies or 

constitutional monarchies 

(Morocco). They could thus be said 

to be ruled by one version of Shr. 

Other states are dictatorship, 

secular, monarchic, or clerical. The 

bicameral Parliament of Pakistan is 

officially called the Majlis Shr, 

although the Constitution uses 

various spellings of the term. In 

Egypt, the Upper House of 

Parliament is known as the Shr 

Council. Most members are elected 

for a six-year term; however, all real 

power is held by the President. 

Saudi Arabia was given a Shr 

council in 1993 of which there are 

now 120 members. All real power is 

held by the King, who is elected by 

family members, with no input from 

the populace. Oman also has a 

Shr Council, but its members are 

appointed by the Sultan and they 

Majlis Shr 28

can only offer advice, which may be 

refused if the Sultan so pleases. Iran 

also practices Shr where the 

leader consults with other clergies. 

Majlis Shr in Jamàt 

Ahmadiyya 

In Jamàt Ahmadiyya, Majlis Shr 

is an advisory consultative council 

of the Jamàt. This institution was 

established in 1922 by Hadrat Mirza 

Bashirudin Mahmood Ahmed, 

Khalfatul Mash II (ra). 

International Majlis Shr normally 

convened annually to submit its 

recommendations to Hadrat 

Khalfatul Mash on such matters of 

international importance, as might 

be entrusted to it through the 

members of the Jamàt through 

their Amrs and Majlis `mila. 

Apart from International Majlis 

Shr, every country now holds its 

own National Shr annually to 

discuss and advise the National 

Amr on matters of national 

importance. The National Amr then 

forwards these recommendations to 

Hadrat Khalfatul Mash for his 

consideration and approval. The 

first Majlis Shura of Canada Jamaàt 

was held on December 24, 1977. It 

was also the first day of Jalsa Salana 

Canada. 

Members of Majlis Shr 

Majlis Shr is composed of the 

Presidents and elected 

representatives of the local Jamàts, 

members of the National Majlis 

`mila (including Central 

Missionaries working in any 

capacity) and other national office 

bearers. 

Proceeding of Majlis Shr 

The format of the session of Majlis 

Shr is as follows: 

• After the inaugural address by 

Hadrat Khalfatul Mash, or his 

representative as the case may be, 

a report of the Majlis Shr of the 

previous year is presented by the 

Secretary Shr. 

• The minutes of the previous 

regular annual Shr are 

confirmed by the Majlis Shr. 

• The approved agenda for the 

current meeting is presented by 

Secretary Shr. 

• If it is an election year (to elect 

office bearers of the Jamaàt), then 

national office bearers are elected 

for a 3-year term. 

• If required, sub-committees are set 

up for detailed consideration of 

the items/proposals on the 

agenda. It is to be noted that all 

the proposals on the agenda which 

could be submitted by any 

Auxiliary organization, Jamaàt, or 

National Majlis Àmila are 

reviewed and approved by Hadrat 

Khalifatul Masih. 

• The sub-committees submit their 

reports to the Shr for discussion 

and formulation of its 

recommendations. 

• After discussing the proposal and 

the report of the sub-committee, 

the Majlis Shura then formulates 

its recommendations by majority 

vote. 

The Amr submits the proposed 

recommendations to Hadrat 

Khalfatul Mash for his 

consideration and decision. Hadrat 

Khalfatul Mash, at his pleasure, 

generally accepts the 

recommendations made by the 

majority. However, if he is of the 

view that a recommendation ignores 

a principle, he explains the principle 

and rejects the recommendation. He 

may also, at his discretion, accept 

the proposal in a modified form. 

Etiquettes of Majlis Shr 

All delegates and participants are 

expected to observe certain rules 

and etiquettes of Majlis Shura, 

which is regarded as a highly formal 

session. During the proceedings, 

delegates speak when they are 

invited to do so. For secretarial 

purposes, they should clearly state 

their full name and the Jamàt they 

represent. They should seek 

permission from the chair by raising 

their hands before leaving the 

council while in session and can 

leave if the permission is granted. 

During the proceeding of the Shr, 

members should engage themselves 

in Istighfar (seeking Divine 

forgiveness) and invoke blessings 

on the Holy Prophet (sa), and try to 

keep one’s mind clear of any 

worldly thoughts. 

Participation in the Shr should be 

purely for the sake of Allah and one 

should be clear-headed and 

engaged in prayer throughout the 

proceedings. In addition to the 

above, the following should be 

specially observed during Majlis 

Shr: 

• The intention should never be to 

convince others of one’s opinion 

and others’ opinions should be 

carefully listened to. 

• The delegate should not give an 

opinion on someone’s behalf and 

should not concur merely because 

of whose opinion it is. One should 

give an opinion in view of 

whatever is under discussion with 

the best possible assessment and 

judgment. 

• The delegate should not be hasty 

to form an opinion. 

• The delegate should not follow 

emotions; rather facts and figures 

Majlis Shr 29

should be kept in mind and 

positive supportive arguments 

should be presented. 

• The delegate should only speak in 

the best interest of the religion and 

the community keeping in mind 

that the objective is to propagate 

Islam. 

• All advices should be based on 

Taqwa (fear of Allah). 

• The delegate should be mindful of 

the sanctity of the Shr and 

continually seek Divine help. 

• Those who are not official 

delegates may also attend the 

Shr, with permission, as 

“Observers.” However, they are 

not permitted to speak or 

participate in discussions. 

The system of Shr is in place 

under the guidelines of the Holy 

Prophet (sa). Therefore, the final 

decision lies with the Khalfa and 

the Shr assembly is only entitled 

to ‘propose’ issues rather than make 

decisions. However, a significance 

of the Shr is that it provides the 

Khalfa a yardstick to gauge the 

condition of various countries from 

the advice and counsel he receives. 

Three Major Benefits of Majlis 

Shura 

Hadrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) 

has pointed out three major benefits 

of Majlis Shr: 

• The Khalifatul Masih is able to get 

advice from members of Jamaàt 

and thus members of the Jamaàt 

are able to become part of 

decision-making process. 

• Due to Majlis Shr, members of 

the Jamaàt become aware of 

things of national interest and are 

able to assist in the progress of the 

Jamaàt. 

• Members of the Jamaàt get 

practical training of decision 

making and the system of the 

Jamaàt. Majlis Shr is most 

significant in helping the Nizame 

Jamàt (Administrative system of 

the Community) and the Nizame 

Khilafat. People who are elected as 

delegates are prospective advisors 

to the Khalfa, therefore, much 

care is needed in electing the 

delegates while electing members 

to participate in the Shr and 

represent a particular Jamaàt. 

Those who clearly and evidently 

appear undeserving or those who 

seek self-promotion should not be 

chosen at all. 

The responsibility of the Shr 

delegates is not just for the two or 

three days of the Shr conference, 

but for the whole year until the next 

set of representatives are chosen. 

Therefore, they need to continually 

self-reflect; they ought to be sincere 

worshippers of God who stand firm 

on Taqwa. 

Once the recommendations of the 

Majlis Shr proposal are approved 

by Khalfatul Mash then it is the 

duty of all the representatives to 

ensure and assist in its 

implementation. 

Majlis Shr 30


Abder Rahman III of Spain is 

arguably the most distinguished 

and brilliant Moorish ruler, having 

reigned for 49 years over a vast and 

wealthy empire. However, when he 

died in 961 CE he left behind a piece 

of paper on which he gave a brief 

yet poignant account of his life: 

I have now reigned about 50 years 

in victory or peace, beloved by my 

subjects, dreaded by my enemies, 

and respected by my allies. Riches 

and honours, power and pleasure, 

have waited on my call, nor does 

any earthly blessing appear to have 

been wanting to my felicity. In this 

situation, I have diligently 

numbered the days of pure and 

genuine happiness which have 

fallen to my lot. They amount to 

fourteen. 

Throughout almost a half century in 

the seat of power and glory, Abder 

Rahman III only experienced two 

weeks of happiness. How is it 

possible that a man who had so 

much in this world received such 

little joy from his life? 

Unfortunately, people today have 

more in common with Abder 

Rahman III than they realize. On 

average, 3 million Canadians have 

serious depression. A report 

published this year discovered that 

in British Columbia the use of 

prevalent antidepressants has gone 

up dramatically from 1996 to 2004. 

In fact, in 2002 the U.S. Agency for 

Healthcare Research and Quality 

found that two antidepressants 

were in the top 10 prescription 

drugs bought that year; Americans 

spent $2.2 billion on Paxil and $2.1 

billion on Zoloft. People are 

struggling to be satisfied and happy 

with their lives, and this is going to 

be a difficult battle that will not be 

won through antidepressants. This 

is because the World Health 

Organization has predicted that by 

2020 depression will be the second 

leading cause of disability 

worldwide after heart disease. Is 

“pure and genuine happiness” 

really so elusive? 

Most research to date has focused 

primarily upon negative states of 

the human mind (anxiety, 

depression, neurosis, etc) and great 

advancement has been made in 

understanding the intricacies of 

these complex psychological states. 

However, in the past decade alone 

there has been a concerted effort to 

focus scientific research on 

happiness. Positive Psychology is 

the new branch of psychology that 

has been created for this new 

direction that science is taking. 

Today, economists, biologists and 

psychologists are diligently working 

to uncover the secret behind leading 

a fulfilling and satisfying life. There 

is great promise that true happiness 

is not as elusive as it seems. 

ECONOMY OF HAPPINESS 

Economists have always measured a 

country’s progress through its GDP 

(Gross Domestic Product), which 

gauges economic activity. However, 

the shortcomings of such a measure 

has become a leading concern in this 

field, and research has been done to 

establish new and more realistic 

ways of quantifying a country’s 

well-being that take into account 

factors such as human and 

environmental welfare rather than 

just monetary factors. Bhutan is one 

country that has really made great 

strides to find ways of measuring its 

happiness. 

Bhutan is an east Himalayan 

Buddhist monarchy with a 

population of approximately 

800,000 people and unfortunately 

one of the least developed countries 

in the world. It was not until the 

late 1990’s that television and the 

Internet were allowed into the 

In Search of Happiness 31

country. However, its relatively 

poor status in comparison to much 

of the rest of the world is of no 

concern to the Bhutanese, as this 

country is obsessed with its state of 

happiness. The government of 

Bhutan is worried about the affect of 

globalization on its country and is 

therefore, concerned about 

protecting its unique culture. This is 

why the government is committed 

to establishing its GNH (Gross 

National Happiness) rather than 

improving its GDP and it believes 

that “GNH is more important that 

Gross National Product.” GNH is 

based upon social, environmental, 

and health indicators to better 

accurately represent the real 

conditions of society. As a measure 

of progress, GNH is based upon 

four values: the promotion of 

equitable and sustainable socioeconomic 

development, the 

presentation and promotion of 

cultural values, the conservation of 

the natural environment, and the 

establishment of good governance. 

World Health Organization has predicted that by 

2020 depression will be the second leading cause 

of disability worldwide after heart disease. 

In Bhutan, the fulfilment of these 

values will work to ensure the 

country’s overall happiness. 

Of course, there are critics of GNH, 

who do not believe that it is a 

proper scientific measure as it is 

quantitative; however, this is where 

other countries, especially Canada, 

have offered their assistance to 

Bhutan in finding scientific methods 

of measuring the country’s overall 

happiness. Canada, as well as the 

Netherlands, France and Germany, 

are all supporting the GPI (Genuine 

Progress Indicator), which is a 

qualitative measure in tandem with 

the GNH and proves that happiness 

can be measured on a large scale. 

The GPI takes into account the 

economic value of human, social, 

and natural factors on top of 

manufactured and financial capital. 

It assigns value to things like 

environmental quality, population 

health, livelihood security, equity, 

free time, educational attainment, 

unpaid voluntary and household 

work. What is innovative about GPI 

is that it balances the costs of 

economic activity (such as sickness, 

crime, pollution, family breakdown, 

resource depletion) to the benefits, 

which is more realistic than the 

GDP as studies have shown that 

people are more affected by losses 

rather than gains in their decisions. 

In other words, GPI answers the 

question of whether or not 

economic development harms or 

improves welfare of people. 

Although there is still a long way to 

go before GPI is an established 

indicator, it holds great potential for 

uncovering what actually makes a 

country happier and healthier. 

Real time quotes at a stock exchange 

BIOLOGY OF HAPPINESS 

In terms of biological research, the 

sensation of happiness and related 

mental states, such as hopefulness, 

optimism, and contentment, have 

been found to be centred in the left 

prefrontal cortex of the brain (an 

area of the brain behind the left 

forehead). Dopamine is a brain 

chemical that plays an important 

role in what makes us feel happy. It 

is released in the frontal cortex as a 

natural reward for the body 


whenever we do a certain activity 

such as eating, thereby reinforcing 

feelings of pleasure so that we 

remember and repeat the activity— 

this is also why this chemical has 

been central to drug addiction 

research. Happiness, like the high 

from any type of addiction, is 

fleeting and does not last long. For 

example, when a person eats, 

dopamine is released and they begin 

to feel good, but eventually they 

will start to feel hungry again. 

Although science is still struggling 

to understand whether the 

prefrontal cortex creates sensations 

of happiness or if it just reflects 

one’s general emotional state, 

behavioural geneticists have been 

trying to figure out if a “happiness 

gene” exists. Thus far, they have 

determined that everyone has a 

hedonic set point, which is our 

individual level of happiness. 

Everyday our feelings of happiness 

fluctuate up or down, but we each 

have a unique stable mid point to 

which our happiness level returns. 

Behavioural geneticists are 

interested in how much of the 

Reviewing MRI scan of the human brain 

What makes a person happy? Is it possible to 

increase your level of happiness? 

What do you think: Comment@AhmadiyyaGazette.ca 

difference between our hedonic set 

point is due to our genetic makeup. 

Essentially, the question they are 

trying to answer is how much of our 

happiness is under our control. 

Some scientists believe that genes 

contribute 80% to our hedonic set 

point, while others propose that it is 

only 50%. Regardless of this debate, 

it is clear that there is no specific 

“happiness gene” and it is not 

hereditary the way that eye colour is 

for example. Happiness is an 

“emergent property,” which means 

that it is a combination of many 

genes combined. Therefore, 

geneticists think that it is the 

arrangement of these genes that 

determines our behaviours, 

emotions and basic personality 

traits. What remains to be studied 

then is the interaction of these genes 

with each other and also with the 

world. However, there is a caution 

that should be highlighted in 

regards to the genetics of happiness. 

If happiness levels are set points 

that are influenced mostly by genes, 

then it can be concluded that it is 

impossible to improve your level of 

happiness. Such a conclusion raises 

the question of personal 

responsibility. For example, it can 

be claimed that a person who has a 

negative personality cannot 

improve because they are born this 

way. Such an assumption about 

genetic research is dangerous for 

society, because it can be easily 

misconstrued and people may 

assume that random chance has a 

part to play in our happiness, thus 

removing personal responsibility 

from the individual. This is why it 

is important to stress that most 

scientist believe that our 

environment contributes at least 

50% to our hedonic set point and 

therefore, it is possible to improve 

our happiness no matter what level 

our genes start us out at. This 

branch of genetic research is 

beginning to show that happiness is 

not a state that we are born with, 

but rather something that we can 

affect and change. 

However, there is no doubt that by 

understanding the neurophysiology 

of happiness and how positive 

emotions affect the body overall 

great advancement can be made in 


A person who incorporates religion into daily life is 

better off in two important ways: a greater 

frequency of positive emotions and a greater overall 

sense of satisfaction with in life. 

how to lead a healthy life. Several 

studies that have already been 

conducted have uncovered 

fascinating details about how 

happiness can drastically affect a 

person’s life. For example, it has 

been shown that “happy people” 

develop 50% more antibodies than 

average in response to the flue 

vaccine. Happiness has also been 

shown to reduce the risk or limit the 

severity of cardiovascular disease, 

pulmonary disease, diabetes, 

hypertension, colds, and upperrespiratory 

infections. It seems that 

happier people have lower levels of 

stress chemicals in their body. Stress 

chemicals like cortisol have been 

linked to abdominal obesity, Type 2 

diabetes, high blood pressure, and 

autoimmune disorders. In one 

study, after following 1300 men for 

ten years, it was found that the rate 

of heart disease amongst the 

optimists in the group was half of 

that of those who did not call 

themselves optimists. There have 

also been studies where people were 

asked to keep a daily journal listing 

what they were grateful for each 

day. Those who see life as a gift and 

display gratefulness have been 

shown to take better care of 

themselves. All of the research to 

date shows that positive emotions 

make the immune system function 

better, help battle disease, and 

ultimately ensure that we live 

longer. 

PSYCHOLOGY OF HAPPINESS 

Obviously then there are positive 

affects of happiness on our physical 

well-being; however, we are still 

back to the difficult question of 

where happiness comes from. What 

makes a person happy? And is it 

possible to increase your level of 

happiness? 

I recently asked several of my 

family and friends what they think 

is happiness. The responses I 

received were predictable in some 

cases and surprising in others. A 

few were worldly notions (money, 

music, candy, sunshine, shopping), 

but most responses revolved around 

familial relations and having a life 

of peace, security, and freedom from 

worldly pains and worries. My 

interviewees were of all various 

ages, cultures, and religions and in 

different stages of life, so 

understandably they generally had 

vastly different responses. Let me 

ask you to please take a moment 

and consider what you think is 

happiness. 

Now that you have your answer, 

you will be surprised to learn what 

it reveals about your level of 

happiness. To begin to even answer 

the question of what makes people 

happy, it is first important to 

understand what does not make a 

person happy. And unfortunately 

for most of the people who 

responded to my email studies have 

shown that a lot of what we would 

assume would make a person 

happy, such as money, family, 

youth, and sunny days, in reality do 

not do much for our level of 

happiness. Dr. Edward Diener of 

the University of Illinois has been 

studying what does and does not 

make people satisfied with life for 

the past twenty years. When it 

comes to wealth, he has shown that 

once a person’s basic needs are met, 

their satisfaction with life does not 

increase with additional income. As 

for the young, they are not as happy 

as is popularly believed. Studies 

have shown that people under 20 

years have the highest rates of 

depression. Older people are 

actually happier and they are less 

prone to dark moods. And finally, 

for all those who are holding on to 

their single status for dear life, 

generally speaking married people 

are happier than single people, 

physically and socially. A report 

published by the Center for Disease 

Control and Prevention showed that 

married people are less likely to be 

in poor-to-fair health, smoke or 

drink heavily, or suffer from such 

health problems as headaches and 

serious psychological distress. Also, 

Diener has demonstrated that 

people who are generally lonely and 

lack social interaction with others 

stand the most to gain from 

marriage. This is because people 

that are positive and content with 

life tend to get married and stay 

married. 

Obviously then, understanding 

happiness is not as simple as one 

might assume; however, neither is it 

as complicated as you may be 

thinking now. The Greek 

philosopher Aristotle believed that 


there are four levels of happiness, 

which begin with short-term 

happiness that is gained through 

self-serving activities and end with 

lasting happiness that is achieved 

by serving others. The first and 

lowest level is immediate but shortterm 

happiness that is gained 

through pleasurable activities that 

appeal to the senses like eating your 

favourite food or drinking tea on a 

cold day. The second is happiness 

that we achieve after reaching goals 

that we set for ourselves. Of course, 

the happiness that we receive after 

reaching that goal does not last very 

long. It is only when we turn our 

attention to the world outside of 

ourselves and contribute to society 

that a lasting happiness seems 

possible. Aristotle believed that we 

could receive a lot of joy from 

helping and serving other people. 

This is why the final level is about 

living life for an important purpose 

outside of our own existence (for 

example, peace, justice, etc). Here, 

we are contributing to a cause that is 

larger than ourselves and serves to 

help a lot of people. In this respect, 

the happiness we can achieve in this 

level is limitless and one that 

outlasts us. 

After reading Aristotle’s theory, I 

noticed a correlation with Hadrat 

Mirza Tahir Ahmad’s (r.h.) book 

Absolute Justice, Kindness, and Kinship 

—The Three Creative Principles, 

where he explains in great depth the 

three stages of human relationships 

as listed in the Holy Qur’an: 

“Indeed Allah requires you to abide 

by justice, to treat with grace and to 

give like the giving of kin to 

kin” (16:91). The first stage is Adl or 

absolute justice where what a 

person does is balanced by an equal 

reward; this is the least that Allah 

“Those who believe and do good works—happiness is 

decreed for them...(Holy Qur’an 13:30) 

expects of us. One level higher than 

this is Ihsan or kindness where we 

voluntarily grant someone more 

than his due through an act of 

beneficence. And finally, the highest 

level we can attain is Ita’i Dhil- 

Qurba, which is to spontaneously 

treat others with such grace and 

overwhelming benevolence just as 

one would treat their own family. In 

his analysis of this verse, Khalifatul 

Masih IV (rh) demonstrates that 

only through a gradual evolution 

through these stages of justice can 

human relationships reach a level of 

peace, security, and ultimate 

happiness. 

Scientific research today validates 

much of Aristotle’s theory as, thus 

far, psychologists seem to think that 

there are two things that will make 

us happy: religion and then friends. 

It may be astonishing but scientists 

believe that religion will make a 

person happy. Studies have found 

that religious people are less 

stressed and happier than nonbelievers. 

Apparently religion 

shields followers from worrying, 

and they are better able to cope with 

crises. The more that a person 

incorporates religion into their daily 

life (attending service, praying, 

reading scripture, etc) and the 

greater their religious certainty is 

(ie: their faith in God and the truth 

of their beliefs) the better off they 

are in two important ways: they 

have a greater frequency of positive 

emotions and they have a greater 

overall sense of satisfaction with 

their life. A 2002 study at the 

University of Illinois found that the 

happiest 10% of students (and those 

with the fewest signs of depression) 

were the ones with the strongest ties 

to their friends and family and who 

also had a commitment to spending 

time with them. As Diener has said, 

“Word needs to be spread. It is 

important to work on social skills, 

close interpersonal ties and social 

support in order to be happy.” 

HAPPINESS IN ISLAM 

Although science is pointing to both 

religion and friends as a source of 

happiness, it is only seeing the signs 

of the true source, which from the 

Holy Qur’an we learn is really 

Allah. What science has only 

revealed now, Allah clearly told us 

15 centuries ago in the Holy Qur’an: 

“Those who believe and do good 

works—happiness is decreed for 

them, and an excellent place of 

return” (13:30). With every study 

that is done on happiness, the 

validity of Islam teachings will only 

continue to be proven. It is 

surprising to learn that a person’s 

wealth, spouse, and kids do not give 

them lasting happiness, but these 

findings only lend support to the 

Holy Qur’an where humankind has 

been repeatedly told that the life of 

this world is fleeting and therefore, 

so is any happiness this world can 

potentially give us. For eternal and 

lasting happiness we need only to 

turn to the Creator of this world, 

Allah Almighty, Who has cautioned 

us that “The love of desired objects 

like women and children and 

stored-up reserves of gold and 


silver, and pastured horses and 

cattle and crops, appears attractive 

to people. All this is the provision 

of the hither life; and it is Allah 

with Whom is an excellent 

abode” (3:15). To think of happiness 

in relation to objects is indicative of 

our consumer culture: the more we 

have the happier we seem. 

Unfortunately, this could not be any 

further from the truth. If we take a 

moment to think about it, those 

things that we assume to give us 

happiness may do so for a short 

while, but that joy never lasts; it is 

always an imperfect happiness. For 

example, a greater income may be 

followed by a whole new set of 

problems while our children may 

not be as academically inclined as 

we would like them to be. The 

Promised Messiah (as) has clearly 

explained the plight of those who 

seem to be happy because of their 

wealth and luxurious lifestyle: 

What does a man wish for in this 

world? His greatest wish always is 

that he should live a comfortable 

and peaceful life. For this, there 

is only one way open to him and 

that is the way of Taqwa; in 

other words, it is called the way 

of the Holy Qur’an or the Siraati-Mustaqeem 

[the right path]. 

Let nobody think that the 

disbelievers also possess a lot of 

wealth and they also live a 

comfortable life, rather they are 

engrossed in luxuries, which 

make them intoxicated. I tell you 

the truth, these people seem to be 

happy only to those who are 

materialistic and who can only 

see the surface of things. The 

fact is that they are experiencing 

an intense burning and pain. You 

have only seen their faces, but I 

look to their hearts. It is as if they 

are chained and they are burning. 

God says, “Verily, We have prepared 

for the disbelievers chains and ironcollars 

and a blazing fire” (76:15). 

They cannot turn to virtue. They 

are so burdened under the chains 

that they seem to be worse than 

beasts. They are looking towards 

the worldly gains and they always 

incline towards the earth. In the 

heart of their heart they have a 

burning. If their amassed wealth 

decreases or they do not achieve the 

desired success, they are greatly 

despaired and they feel a type of 

burning. At times, while passing 

through this kind of circumstance 

they run mad and knock on the 

door of the courts. There is no 

doubt about it that he who only 

cares for worldly gains (he who is 

irreligious) is always having a sort 

of burning; he lacks satisfaction and 

contentment. It is just like an 

alcoholic who takes one peg and 

asks for another. He feels a sort of 

burning. The same is the case of the 

person who cares for nothing but 

worldly gains. His fire of greed 

cannot be quenched even for a 

moment. The real happiness is the 

lot of the Muttaqi [a righteous 

person] alone to whom God has 

promised two paradises. A Muttaqi 

can find happiness in a thatched hut 

while a worldly person cannot get it 

in grand and huge castles. The more 

he gets, the more troubles he has to 

confront. You must remember that 

true happiness is never the lot of a 

worldly person. Do not think that 

The fountainhead of true happiness is Taqwa. 

Promised Messiah (as) 

abundance of wealth and gorgeous 

dresses are the source of happiness. 

It definitely is not so. The 

fountainhead of true happiness is 

Taqwa. (Malfoozat, Vol. 1, p. 420-423) 

It can be easy to understand how 

one’s wealth does not ensure 

happiness as we all know that 

money comes and goes, but what is 

more difficult to reconcile with one’s 

heart is the notion that our family 

cannot give us lasting happiness. 

However, in The Philosophy of the 

Teachings of Islam, the Promised 

Messiah (r.a.) has explained the true 

nature of our love for our family 

and friends clearly: 


It is the attraction that the True 

Creator has implanted in the nature 

of man. The same attraction comes 

into play whenever a person feels 

love for another. It is a reflection of 

the attraction that is inherent in 

man’s nature towards God, as if he 

is in search of something that he 

misses, the name of which he has 

forgotten and which he seeks to find 

in one thing or another which he 

takes up from time to time. A 

person’s love of wealth or offspring 

or wife or his soul being attracted 

towards a musical voice are all 

indications of his search for the True 

Beloved. As man cannot behold 

with his physical eyes the 

Imperceptible Being, Who is latent 

like the quality of fire in everyone, 

but is hidden, nor can he discover 

Him through the mere exercise of 

imperfect reason, he has been misled 

grievously in his search and has 

mistakenly assigned His position to 

others. (pages 52-53) 

It must be remembered that the 

reason why we aim to tread the path 

of taqwa is to worship Allah. And it 

is only through taqwa that we can 

increase our level of happiness. To 

search for Allah and to find Him is 

the innermost yearning of the 

human soul and this is the real 

object and goal of life. It is only 

when this goal is attained that we 

can enjoy perfect peace of mind and 

everlasting happiness. 

It is no wonder then that scientific 

research is beginning to finally 

acknowledge the importance of 

religion that believers have 

understood all along. Studies have 

shown that religion is beneficial for 

four reasons. First is the social 

support that a religious organization 

gives. A person not only has a 

Can money buy happiness? Comment@AhmadiyyaGazette.ca 

strong connection with others, but 

they also have the belief that God 

will take care of them. We have 

only to look at our own Ahmadiyya 

Community as the perfect example 

of this. As an international 

organization, we are established in 

over 180 countries in every 

continent of the world. As 

impressive as this is, what is more 

remarkable is that an Ahmadi can 

travel anywhere in the world, and 

have comfort in knowing that they 

have a friend in their foreign 

surroundings, with Ahmadiyyat 

being the only thing in common 

between them. 

Second is spiritual support that 

gives us a sense of a connection to a 

community by doing good works 

through charity, prayer and 

meditation. There has been much 

research done, especially on 

Buddhists, that has found that the 

prefrontal cortex I discussed earlier 

is highly active during meditation. 

It is obvious then that there is a clear 

correlation between meditation and 

happiness. The Ahmadiyya 

Community, as large and 

widespread as it may be, is blessed 

with a strong social network 

because of the spiritual bond that 

ties its members together. The bond 

is so strong because we observe the 

five pillars of Islam, individually 

and as a community. These acts of 

worship are the Kalimah or the 

verbal Declaration of Faith (“There 

is none worthy of worship but 

Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger 

of Allah”), observance of Salat five 

times a day (preferably in 

congregation), the paying of Zakat, 

performing Hajj or pilgrimage, and 

finally, fasting for the month of 

Ramadhan. 

Thirdly, religion gives people a 

sense of purpose and meaning. It 

has been found that those who 

believe in life after death are 

significantly happier. Repeatedly in 

the Holy Qur’an, Allah has pointed 

to the insignificance of this world: 

“And whatever of anything you are 

given is only a temporary 


enjoyment of the present life and an 

adornment thereof; and that which 

is with Allah is better and more 

lasting. Will you not then 

understand?” (28:61). It is only for 

the believers to recognize that this 

world is not for them, that their 

happiness lies in the hereafter. On 

the Day of Judgement, Allah the 

Gracious, the Ever Merciful, will say 

to His true believers: 

O My servants, there is no fear for 

you this day, nor shall you grieve. 

Enter the Garden, you and your 

companions, delighted and joyful. 

Dishes and cups of gold will be 

passed round to them and in them 

will be all the heart desires and in 

which the eyes delight. Therein will 

you abide. This is the Garden to 

which you have been made heirs, 

because of that which you 

practised. Therein for you is fruit in 

abundance of which you will eat. 

(43:69-74) 

It is no surprise then that believers 

are happier than non-believers. 

This world is not paradise, and it is 

not the place of a true believer. 

There is a hadith that beautifully 

demonstrates this: 

Abu Sa’id Khudri relates that the 

Holy Prophet (s.a.) said: “Allah, the 

Lord of honour and glory, will call 

the dwellers of Paradise and they 

will respond: Here we are, our Lord, 

and all good is in Thy hands. He 

will ask them: Are you happy? They 

will answer: Why should we not be 

happy, our Lord, when You have 

bestowed upon us that which You 

have not bestowed on any of Your 

other creation. He will say to them: 

Shall I bestow upon you even better 

than that? They will inquire: What 

could be better than that? He will 

say: I bestow upon you My Pleasure 

and I shall never hereafter be wroth 

with you.” (Bokhari and Muslim) 

And finally, religion encourages the 

avoidance of risky and stressful 

behaviour, and thereby, simplifies 

our life. This is most true in the case 

of Islam where Muslims have been 

given clear guidance for all aspects 

of their lives in the Holy Qur’an. 

For example, Allah Almighty has 

instructed Muslims to “Recite that 

which has been revealed of the Book 

and observe Prayer. Surely, Prayer 

restrains one from indecency and 

manifest evil; and the remembrance 

of Allah is the greatest virtue. And 

Allah knows what you do” (29:46). 

A second source of guidance is the 

Ahadith, which are the words 

spoken by the Holy Prophet (sa) or 

the descriptions of incidents related 

to the Holy Prophet’s (sa) life. The 

following is a hadith that 

emphasizes the fundamental acts of 

worship in the lives of all Muslims: 

Abu Ayub Khalid ibn Zaid Ansari 

relates that a man asked: 

“Messenger of Allah, tell me that 

which will cause me to be admitted 

to Paradise and will keep me away 

from the Fire.” He answered: 

“Worship Allah and do not 

associate anything with Him. 

Observe Prayer; pay the Zakat and 

join the ties of kinship” (Bokhari 

and Muslim). 

As Ahmadis, we have been further 

blessed with guidance from our 

beloved Promised Messiah (as) and 

the institution of Khilafat. As our 

present Khalifah, Hadrat Mirza 

Masroor Ahmad (aa.), has 

explained, it is through the 

leadership and knowledge of the 

Khilafat that Islam enjoys many 

blessings and is guided on the right 

path. 

They give instructions in spiritual 

matters asking [Muslims] to 

populate the mosques, to establish 

Prayers, to give proper training to 

the children, to strengthen moral 

values, to foster courage and 

perseverance. They also make 

appeals for inviting others towards 

Allah and making financial 

sacrifices. All these need to be 

followed unfailingly. In other 

words, they fall in the category of 

obedience to the good. No Prophet 

or Khalifah shall ever ask you to do 

anything against the 

commandments of God or against 

the dictates of wisdom. They will 


not ask you to jump into fire or 

drown yourselves in the ocean. 

Not only is the Khalifah important 

for the health of the whole 

community, but for each individual 

on a personal level. It is incumbent 

upon every Ahmadi, children and 

adults alike, to form a relationship 

with the Khalifah even if it is just by 

writing regularly to him. Only by 

telling him about the good and the 

bad in our lives can we have peace 

in our own lives, because his 

spiritual support and guidance will 

lead us to happiness. 

Therefore, it is very clear in Islam 

that there is nothing or anyone that 

will give us greater pleasure in this 

world than Allah. Again, Allah has 

clearly explained: 

Keep in mind that the life of this 

world is only sport and pastime, 

and a display, and a subject of 

boasting among yourselves, and 

rivalry in multiplying riches and 

children. It is like vegetation 

produced by the rain which rejoices 

the tiller. Then it dries up and takes 

on a yellow colour, then it becomes 

broken particles of stubble. In the 

hereafter there is severe 

chastisement and forgiveness from 

Allah and His pleasure. The life of 

this world is but illusory 

enjoyment. (57:21) 

If this world will not last, how can 

we expect that it will give us 

happiness that will last? It is Allah 

Who is synonymous with 

happiness, not wealth, family, or 

anything else. This is why we have 

been told, “And call not on any 

other god beside Allah. There is no 

god but He. Everything will perish 

but He. His is the judgment, and to 

Him will you all be brought 

back” (28:89). And we have been 

told to “Put thy trust in the One 

Who is Ever Living and is the 

Source of Life, Who dies 

not” (25:59). By placing our trust in 

Allah (in regards to all aspects of 

our lives) we are bringing peace of 

mind to ourselves and freedom 

from worldly grief. As it is written 

in the Holy Qur’an: “Behold: 

indeed, those who are Allah’s 

friends, they have no fear, nor will 

they come to grief” (10:63). The road 

to happiness may not be a smooth 

ride, and we may make mistakes 

along the way, but once we 

recognize the importance of Allah’s 

role in our lives, we just may have 

more than 14 days of “pure and 

genuine” happiness in this world 

and eternal happiness in the next. 



Dark Energy & the Holy Qur’an 

Ansar Raza, Professor Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada 

We have firm belief that the Holy 

Qur’n is the word of God and 

science is the act of God and that the 

two cannot contradict each other. 

On the basis of the scientific 

concepts held so far about light 

energy and darkness believers used 

to amaze and the opponents 

criticize the following verse of the 

Holy Qur’an where darkness is not 

mentioned as mere absence of light 

but as another type of non-luminous 

energy created and put beside light, 

the luminous energy: 

All praise belongs to Allah Who 

created the heavens and the earth 

and brought into being darkness 

and light; yet those who disbelieve 

set up equals to their Lord. [6:2] 

Another verse of the Holy Qur’n 

draws our attention regarding light 

and darkness: 

So He completed them in the form of 

seven heavens in two days and He 

revealed to each heaven its 

functions. And We adorned the 

lowest heaven with lamps for light 

and provided it with the means of 

protection. That is the decree of the 

Mighty, the All-Knowing. (41:13) 

According to this verse, only the 

lowest Heaven has luminous 

energy, i.e., light. This means that 

some kind of non-luminous energy, 

i.e., darkness, exists in the six 

Heavens superimposed above the 

lowest one. 

The concept of ‘darkness’ in our 

minds, so far, was mere absence of 

light. Darkness is not considered as 

an entity itself. We know that light is 

an observable energy in the 

universe which can be created and 

diminished. On the contrary, it was 

widely accepted that darkness 

cannot be created. Until recent past 

even scientists held the same 

concept about darkness and they 

were unaware of any other form of 

energy. 

Another view held about darkness 

is that absolute darkness cannot be 

attained. Scientifically it is only 

possible to have a reduced amount 

of light. Darkness, in science, is a 

relatively low level of light. A dark 

object reflects fewer visible photons 

than other objects, and, therefore, 

appears dim in comparison. For 

example black paint does not reflect 

visible light and appears dark, but 

white paint reflects all visible light 

and appears bright. 

Scientists recently confirmed the 

existence of "Dark Energy", a 

mysterious repulsive force that acts 

in opposite to gravity. As the 

distance increases the attractive 

gravitational force decreases but this 

mysterious repulsive force 

increases. This repulsive force is 

pushing galaxies apart; the greater 

the distance the greater the 

repulsion. Scientists today do not 

know what this "Dark Energy" is, 

but they know that it exists 

independently and that it is causing 

the entire universe to expand at an 

increasing rate. 

Dark Energy & the Holy Qur’an 40

The magazine ‘Scientific American’ 

for February 2007 contains an article 

on “Dark Energy”. This article is 

written by Christopher J. Conselice, 

an astronomer and lecturer at the 

University of Nottingham in 

England, where he recently moved 

from the California Institute of 

Technology. 

He states that only in very recent 

past the dark energy has been 

discovered. He states. 

“Only in 1998 did astronomers 

discover we have been missing 

nearly three quarters of the contents 

of the universe, the so-called dark 

energy—an unknown form of energy 

that surrounds each of us, tugging 

at us ever so slightly, holding the 

fate of the cosmos in its grip, but to 

which we are almost totally blind.” 

He further states in that article: 

“Ironically, the very pervasiveness 

of dark energy is what made it so 

hard to recognize. Dark energy, 

unlike matter, does not clump in 

some places more than others; by its 

very nature, it is spread smoothly 

everywhere. Whatever the location 

—be it your kitchen or in 

intergalactic space—it has the same 

density, about 10-26 kilograms per 

cubic meter, equivalent to a handful 

of hydrogen atoms.” 

It is now a widely known scientific 

fact that the universe is constantly 

expanding. This fact is another 

testimony of the truthfulness of the 

Holy Qur’n which has informed 

more than 1400 years ago that this 

universe is ever-expanding. 

And the heaven We built with Our 

own powers and indeed We go on 

expanding it. [51:48] 

The dark energy is discovered when 

the astronomers realized that the 

rate of expansion of universe is 

increasing. Mr. Conselice states: 

“They reasoned that it [the 

expansion] should be slowing down, 

as the inward gravitational 

attraction exerted by galaxies on 

one another should have 

counteracted the outward 

expansion…One possible 

conclusion is that different laws of 

gravity apply on supergalactic 

scales than on lesser ones, so that 

galaxies’ gravity does not, in fact, 

resist expansion. But the more 

generally accepted hypothesis is 

that the laws of gravity are 

universal and that some form of 

energy, previously unknown to 

science, opposes and overwhelms 

galaxies’ mutual attraction, pushing 

them apart very faster. Although 

dark energy is inconsequential 

within our galaxy (let alone your 

kitchen), it adds up to the most 

powerful force in the cosmos.” 

The Heart Nebula 

Hadrat Khalifatul Masih IV (ra) in 

his great book, “Revelation, 

Rationality, Knowledge and Truth”, 

has described the scientific 

knowledge of the Holy Qur’n 

revealed upon the Holy Prophet (sa) 

more than 1400 years ago and 

proved today by modern science as 

valid. The topics he has discussed 

are: The Qur’an and Cosmology; 

Entropy and the Finite Universe; the 

Qur’an and the Extraterrestrial Life; 

Origin of Life and its Evolution; 

Nuclear Holocaust; Genetic 

Engineering and many prophecies 

of the Holy Qur’n fulfilled in this 

modern age. Now, in addition to 

this, by the grace of God, once again 

the act of God, i.e., science, has 

proved the truthfulness of the word 

of God, i.e., the Holy Qur’n, by 

acknowledging the existence of dark 

energy and dark matter in the 

universe. Now, we know, 

scientifically, that darkness is not 

mere absence of light, rather a 

creation in itself as enunciated by 

Allh, the Creator in His Holy Book, 

Qur’n, revealed more than 1400 

years ago to an unlettered Prophet 

(sa). 

Dark Energy & the Holy Qur’an 41


“Feed the Homeless Program” 

an initiative by Humanity First 

Humanity First is an international 

humanitarian relief organization 

working to provide disaster relief 

and community development 

services to several poverty-affected 

communities in Canada and around 

the world. To achieve this objective, 

help and support is provided in the 

form of basic necessities with the 

ultimate goal to build selfsustaining 

communities in the 

longer run. 

Humanity First Canada has 

launched various projects within 

Canada and in other underdeveloped 

countries. In Canada, 

“Feed a Family Program” and “Feed 

the Homeless Program” have 

already been started. On the 

international front, a detailed 

program is being formulated to 

execute the plans for following 

programs: 

Water for Humanity 

Vision for Humanity 

Computer Training Institutes 

in Africa 

Vocational Training 

Orphan Care 

In Canada, Feed the Homeless 

Program was launched by 

Humanity First on the eve of 

Christmas 2006. “The area of 

Feed the Homeless - Humanity First 42

downtown was selected 

as most of the homeless 

people live in and 

around that area” 

explained Dr. Aslam 

Daud Chairman 

Humanity First Canada. 

While commenting on 

the details of the 

program, he said, 

“After initial survey, it 

was decided to prepare 

soup and bread for 

about 200 people. HF 

team coordinated with a local 

organization that helped us in 

identifying the exact places for food 

distribution and also gave us some 

other items like warm clothing etc 

for distribution.” 

HF team started distribution of food 

on the evening of 24th of December. 

The food was distributed through a 

mobile kitchen van with Humanity 

First banners on it. There were 

different spots for distribution of 

food. Mirza Naseem Ahmad, Project 

in-charge giving details of the 

program said, “We were shocked to 

see people in this country living 

under the bridges, parks, narrow 

dirty streets where we were even 

feeling afraid to go. In most of the 

cases, homeless 

people were 

waiting for any 

humanitarian 

aid on those 

places.” 

The recipients 

were very 

pleased with 

the service. The 

homeless were 

satisfied with 

the food and 

were clearly impressed by the 

courtesy and nice gesture offered by 

the volunteers of Humanity First. 

“The timing of this service couldn’t 

have been better as most of the 

shops and other charitable 

organizations were 

closed because of the 

Christmas Eve.” said 

one homeless. 

Humanity First team 

traveled over 80 

kilometers before 

serving the last 

recipient at about 2:00 

a.m. The same service 

was repeated on the 

Christmas day. 

This experience was such a success 

and encouraging that Humanity 

First has decided to make this 

program as a regular event and run 

it on a regular basis in various parts 

of the province on as and when 

needed basis. 

Feed the Homeless - Humanity First 43


Raising Respectful Children In A Disrespectful World 

Book Review by Maqbool Sheikh 

In this straight forward, easy to read 

book Jill Rigby gives practical 

everyday examples and options on 

“how to” best deal with what may 

be the most challenging and 

rewarding of all roles we may play 

in this world – being Parents. 

In light of the verse from the Holy 

Qur’an, chapter 6 verse 141, this 

book is recommended to help 

achieve knowledge and apply it to 

practical day to day skills and 

activities. The verse reads, “Losers 

indeed are they who slay their 

children foolishly for the lack of 

knowledge…” 

It has also been narrated by Hadrat 

Abu Umamah that the Holy Prophet 

(sa) said, “The parents are the 

Heaven or Hell for their children”. 

This clearly indicates the powerful 

influence we as parents play in 

shaping, and building our children’s 

characters. It also reminds us that 

we play a very crucial role in 

creating an atmosphere of love, 

respect, harmony (Heaven) in our 

homes or quite the opposite. 

With regards to raising children, the 

author of this book places full 

responsibility squarely on the 

shoulders of parents. It is up to us 

parents to rise to the challenge of 

creating an atmosphere that 

replicates Heaven on earth by 

fulfilling our responsibilities to our 

children. One of the very refreshing 

themes throughout the book is how 

Rigby consistently drives from 

Islamic teachings. She places God as 

the highest priority in any family 

and encourages prayer. “Let the 

children catch you talking to God”. 

For us, this very clearly reminds us 

to set the example of offering 

prayers five times a day, following 

the articles of faith, and reading the 

Qur’an on a daily basis. In other 

words, set the example you expect 

from your children or perhaps 

better said, BE the person you want 

your children to become! 

Further more, it reminds me of a 

quote which I find to be very true 

and helpful when talking about 

raising children “Remember, we are 

not raising children, we are raising 

young adults.” The point here being 

that when we focus on what we 

want our children to become, we 

start treating them, teaching them, 

respecting them and praying for 

them differently. 

The book covers some of the 

challenges children face and reveals 

how desperately they are seeking 

answers to the truth in how to deal 

with these challenges. Some very 

important life lessons come from 

this, and as a result, “respectful 

children”. However these results are 

conditional. The condition is that as 

parents we must be willing to do the 

following: 

Raising Respectful Children 44

You must be willing to follow 

God’s principles. 

Be the person you want your 

children to become. 

Find contentment so your 

children can be filled with 

gratefulness. 

Abandon old notions of building 

self-esteem, and enroll your 

family in the School Of Respect. 

Help your children find their 

purpose and use perseverance to 

fulfill that purpose. 

Use encouragement to motivate 

your children. 

Set boundaries without building 

walls between you and your 

children. 

Do all you can to protect and 

shield your children from the 

garbage of our culture. 

Engage your children in 

meaningful activities, not useless 

entertainment. 

Listen with your heart to your 

children’s needs. 

Rigby then describes what the 

current situation is, asking “where 

have all the parents gone?” She 

suggests that parents today have 

abdicated their responsibility to 

“parent” in favour of pursuing other 

interests. Our community is not 

immune from this phenomenon. I 

am sure you are all aware of 

families who fall into this category, 

and perhaps you can relate to those 

parents who are so busy working, 

chasing money to pay a mortgage 

that they end up neglecting their 

family, and our future! This reminds 

me of another quote which 

emphasizes the point, “The 


understanding and implementing 

the practical advice found in this 

book we are one step closer to 

achieving this goal. 

answers are simple. It’s parents who 

are difficult.” 

In order to better understand this 

next section I highly recommend 

you read the full description in the 

book. The following is a brief 

outline of the key goals and related 

training suggested by age. The 

stages are as follows: 

The book goes on to cover how we 

should deal with the negative 

influence of visual images and 

messages seen in movies, television 

and on the Web. She gives a specific 

check list of practical advice on 

protecting children from accepting 

deviant behaviour as “normal.” 

The book ends with thoughts on 

how to engage your children versus 

“entertaining” them, teaching them 

gratefulness, not greediness and 

what may be the most powerful tool 

of all – listening to our children. 

According to Dr. Laura Schlessinger 

– Internationally Syndicated Talk – 

Show host and author – “This is the 

book every parent should read to 

ensure that their children become 

blessings to the world” 

It is critical that we all fulfill our 

obligations as parents and raise 

respectful children because they are 

our future, our next generation, and 

they will be the future leaders of 

our Jamaàt. It is our duty to leave 

this world a better place than when 

we came, and by reading, 

We learn from this book that not 

only do we need prayers; we must 

have and provide a structure to our 

children. This book is affordable and 

available online at Chapters.ca. 

Published by Howards Books, a 

division of Simon and Schuster, it 

retails from $12.99 to $18.99 and can 

easily be found by typing in the title 

or author: “Raising Respectful 

Children In A Disrespectful World” 

– Author Jill Rigby. 

I end this review by reminding 

myself and you that the most 

important thing we can do in this 

Jihad – this struggle, is to earnestly 

pray for ourselves and our children. 

Chapter 25, verse 75 states: And 

those who say “Our Lord, grant us 

of our wives and children the 

delight of our eyes, and make us a 

model for the righteous.” 

This is a must read for all parents 

and parents to be. 



Announcements 

Announcement: 

"InshaÀllah, this year the 

National Majlis Shura Canada 

will be held on April 28-29, 2007 

at Masjid Baitul Islam. A number 

of important proposals will be 

discussed. 

As members of the Jamaàt you 

are invited to attend this blessed 

event as "Observers". At Shura 

you will have the opportunity to 

learn about the system of the 

Jamaàt and see how the 

delegates, representing their 

respective Jamaàts, participate 

in the planning of Jamaàt 

activities and its ongoing 

progress. Members of the 

Jamaàt are also requested to 

pray for the success of this 

important event. 

If you are interested in attending 

the National Majlis Shura as an 

"Observer", please forward your 

name through your Sadr 

Jamaàt." 

Dr. Syed Aslam Daud, Secretary 

National Majlis Shura Canada. 

Corrections: 

Following picture was taken on 

the occasion of Jalsa Musleh 

Mauùd in Delhi. It was held in 

1944. Incorrect date appeared in 

last issue of the Gazette. 

Our reader Mr. M. Ziaul Haque 

Jattala has provided additional 

information on an historic 

picture published in last issue of 

the Gazette . He confirmed that 

"... the person on the left is an 

Italian who was a prisoner of 

war from "Youl camp". The 

P.OW Camp was located near a 

village named "Youl near 

Dharam Shala” in the 

mountainous area of Punjab. 

He was an Engineer by 

profession and due to his good 

behavior was allowed a two 

weeks leave from the camp 

where during the stay he got 

hold of some books of the 

Jamaàt as such books of all the 

religions were distributed by 

prison authorities to the P.O.W's 

He decided to come to Qadian 

for a visit where in Dar ul Ziafat 

he was made to share a room 

with me for the purpose of 

providing him a translator. 

His name was "Piano-peo". He 

accepted Ahmadiyat at the 

hands of Hadrat Khalifatul 

Masih II (ra) and was named as 

Muhammad Farooq." 

Announcements 47

The 1882 revelation of the 

Promised Messiah (peace be 

upon him) continues to be 

fulfilled in every corner of the 

World. By the Grace of Allah, 

two guest houses have been 

built by the Canada Jamaàt 

to better serve the guests of 

the Promised Messiah (as). 

By the Grace of Allah, construction of the 

Baitun Nur Mosque in Calgary is 

progressing on schedule .

Ahmadiyya Gazette Canada

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