2017 03 The Light March 2017

ْ م ِ اہللِ‏ الرَّْحم ٰ
سب
ِ ی م الرَّحم
ن
ِ
The Light
International Organ of the Centre for the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam
2017
April
2016
March
The only Islamic organisation upholding the finality of prophethood.
Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at
www.virtualmosque.co.uk
Editors
Shahid Aziz & Mustaq Ali – UK;
Zainib Ahmad – USA; Gowsia Selim - India
Contents
The Call of the Messiah 2
Concept of the Jinn in Islam 3
By Dr Jawad Ahmad
Maulana Nur ud Din and the birth 7
of Jesus
By Dr Zahid Aziz
The Causes of Extremism 9
By Yahya Saqib
The Lost Tribes of Jews in India 11
By Tamara Zieve
Broadcasts (UK time)
1. Skype Urdu lecture: Sunday 09:00
2. Live on www.virtualmosque.co.uk
‣ Friday Sermon 13:00
‣ First Sunday of month lecture 15:00.
3. Radio Radio Virtual Mosque
Websites
1. International HQ
2. Research and history
3. The Woking Mosque and Mission
4. The Berlin Mosque and Mission
5. Quran search
6. Blog
Our Recent English Broadcasts
‣ Man is The Best Of All Creature. Talha
Adnan looks at the man’s (and woman’s)
position amongst the creation.
‣ The Demand that UK Government Consider
Lahori-Ahmadis as Muslims. In South
Africa the Sunnis withdrew from Ismael
Peck v MJC because a non-Muslim court
could not decide who is a Muslim. Now
they are asking the UK government to do
that!
‣ Western Theory of Constitutional Law
is Based in Islamic Principles. We discuss
the origin of the Constitutional theory and
show that its fundamental principles are
found in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.
‣ Is the Holy Quran Only For Muslims?
We read out an extract from the writings of
the Promised Messiah to show that the Holy
Quran was revealed for the guidance of
the whole humanity and not just Muslims.
Interesting external links
‣ British Parliament Research Alcohol
Harm.
‣ British MPs Debate Alcohol Harm.
‣ Nun Receives Death Threats for Saying
Mary May Not Have Been a Virgin.
‣ Why Trump is Wrong About Islam?
‣ Is lying Permissible in Religion?
‣ Hate Breeds Hate.
I Shall Love All Mankind.

February 2017 The
The Call of the Messiah
by
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad,
The Promised Messiah and
Mahdi
Do not be satisfied with fables
Allah exists even now as He did in the past.
His powers, too, remain the same as they were
in the past, and He is still as capable of showing
signs as He was before. Then why should
you be satisfied with mere stories and fables.
That religion which contains nothing more
than stories of miracles shown in the past is
dead and destroyed, and dead also are those
people on whom Allah does not descend in
grace and mercy and whom the Divine Hand
itself has not come down to purify.
As a man is drawn towards the joys of this
world when he sees its attractions with his
own eyes, similarly is he drawn towards Allah
A religion which
contains nothing
more than
stories of miracles
shown in
the past is dead
when he comes to
know with perfect certainty
that the spiritual
joys are even sweeter.
The magnetism of
Divine beauty exercises
such a power on his
mind that everything
else appears to him to have no more value than
mere trash.
Man is freed from sin only when he comes
to know with perfect faith of the power of Allah
and the certainty of Divine retribution. Ignorance
is the root of every boldness and no
one will be found devoid of the fear of Allah
even to the least extent if he partakes of Divine
knowledge.
When a householder knows that a dangerous
flood is rising towards his house or that it
has been surrounded by fire on all sides, he
will at once flee from it. Then, how can you
dare to leave your ways of life unaltered if your
belief in the existence of Allah, in Divine retribution
and reward, has solidified into a firm,
Light 2
I Shall Love All Mankind.
unshakeable conviction? Therefore, open your
eyes and carefully study the law of Allah which
operates throughout the universe. Do not be
like rats which only continue digging and descending
deep into the earth; be like a dove
capable of soaring to the heavens - a dove
which feels happy only when it is flying in the
pure air of the loftier regions.
After taking the baiat of repentance at my
hand, make sure that you do not remain shackled
to your former sinful ways. Do not be like a
snake that remains as much of a snake after it
has shed its skin as ever it was before. Remember
death which approaches you every
moment, though you remain unaware. Do your
best to purify yourself, for a man can attain
nearness to the Source of purity par excellence
only when he himself becomes pure to the limit
of his capacity.
The way to attain purity is through
prayer offered in true humility of spirit.
The most important question is how to win
these blessings. To this question, Allah Himself
has given the answer. He says: Seek help from
Allah with prayer and perseverance (2:153).
What is salah? It is a prayer addressed to
Allah in true humility of spirit and with the
fullest awareness of His purity, His praiseworthiness;
His holiness, coupled with a burning
desire on the part of the devotee for Divine
forgiveness, and for blessing on the Holy
Prophet (s). Therefore, when you stand up for
prayer, do not, like ignorant people, limit yourself
to the prescribed Arabic text, for the prayer
and the istighfar (prayer for forgiveness) of
many people are only formal, with no substance
in it. Over and above the prayers found
in the Qur'an, which is the Word of God, and in
the Hadith, which is the word of the Holy
Prophet, address your petitions to the Lord in
your own language, with heartfelt humility
which should leave a lasting effect on your
mind.
(Noah’s Ark - continued)
After taking the baiat of repentance at my
hand, make sure that you do not remain shackled
to your former sinful ways.

February 2017 The
Concept of Jinn in Islam
By Dr Jawad Ahmad
(Text of talk delivered at the monthly
meeting at the UK Lahore Ahmadiyya
Centre, London on 5 February, 2017)
"And surely, We created man of sounding
clay, of black mud fashioned into shape. And
the jinn, We created before of intensely hot fire.
(15:26,27).
"And He created the jinn of a flame of fire.
Which then of the bounties of your Lord will
you deny?" (55:15,16).
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into the religion.
For example, people who still believe in the
coming back of Jesus Christ will look at the
heavens with pity and will never be able to
benefit from the reformation of the founder of
the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. Look what
has happened with the incorrect belief of Jihad,
which has caused so much of disrepute to Islam
and disruption in the rank and file of Muslims.
If belief and conviction is not present
then none of the prayers, religious ceremonies
or mosques will be able to bring about the
change that religion demands as is evident
around the world.
Belief is the foundation
Concept of Jinn
Belief is everything. Belief really is everything.
Without belief, nothing could be
achieved. We’d still be living in caves! Why?
Because, if we don’t believe, we don’t act! Simple
as that. And that can be a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
Think about it: If you didn’t believe your
company was going to pay you, would you go
to work in the morning? If you didn’t believe
the medicine was going to do you good, would
you take it? Similarly, in religious matters belief
holds a very important place and correct
belief with the right actions
leads to a virtuous
life that brings about
change in humans that
Allah wants and results in
a harmonious and peaceful
society in accordance
with the Laws of Allah
which are laid in the Qur’an for the Muslims.
So, correct belief and actions lead to peace
and harmony in this case. In any religion, belief
is the foundation of the building and if there is
a problem in the foundation the structure cannot
sustain itself and will ultimately collapse.
We are fortunate to be in the Jama’at of the
Reformer of the 14th century, and the role of
the Reformer is to purify the original and pristine
teachings of Islam and get rid of the false
concepts and doctrines which find their way
I Shall Love All Mankind.
There are many issues that we could discuss,
but today I will focus on the concept of
Jinn. It is a difficult concept to grasp as there
seems to be no clear-cut understanding surrounding
the topic.
Throughout history man has a deep attraction
for the supernatural and the unseen. The
existence of a world parallel to our own has
always fascinated people. This world is commonly
referred to as the spirit world. For some
people, these spirits are no more than the souls
of dead people - or ghosts. For others, spirits
are the forces of
In any religion, belief is the foundation
of the building and if there is a
problem in the foundation the structure
cannot sustain itself and will
ultimately collapse.
good or evil - both
battling against one
another to gain influence
over humanity.
However, both
these explanations
are more in tune with folk tales and fantasy.
The true explanation of such a world comes
from Islam. Like every other way, Islam also
claims to explain the realm of the unseen. The
Islamic explanation of the Jinn provides us
with so many answers to modern day mysteries.
So, who or what are the Jinn?
Are the Jinn beings created and living on
earth in a world parallel to mankind. The Arabic
word Jinn is from the verb ‘Janna’ which
means to hide or conceal. Thus, they are phys-

February 2017 The
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ically invisible from man as their description
suggests. The general concept about the Jinn
prevalent among the Muslims can be traced
from the Quran and the Sunnah.
Allah says: “And surely, We created man of
sounding clay, of black mud fashioned into
shape. And the jinn, We created before of intensely
hot fire.” (The
Quran, 15:26-27)
Thus, the Jinn were created
before man. As for
their physical origin, according
to a saying of the
Holy Prophet, “The Angels
were created from light and
the Jinn from smokeless
fire.” (Sahih Muslim)
Thus, in discussing Jinn it is generally said
that as they were created from fire, their nature
is fiery and if somehow, they are harmed
they enter into the human body and disturb
humans. If we study other verses of the Qur’an,
we get a different picture of a jinn as somewhat
similar to a being. Let us go through the verses
and see what picture of jinn emerges.
Chapter 6 verse 112: “And thus did We
make for every prophet an enemy, the devils
from among men and jinn, some of them inspiring
others with gilded speech to deceive
them… and the heart of those who believe not
in the hereafter may incline thereto.”
Then further on the Qur’an says in verse
128: “And on the day when He will gather
them all together: O assembly of jinn, you took
away a great part of people. And their friends
from the people will say: Our Lord, some of us
profited by others and we have reached our
appointed term which You appointed for us.
Allah will say: The Fire is your abode…”
And still further on in verse 130 of this
chapter the Qur’an says: “O community of jinn
and people, did not messengers come to you
from among you, relating to you My messages
and warning of the meeting of this day of
yours? They will say: We bear witness against
ourselves . . .”
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Maulana Muhammad Ali in his comments
on these verses says (Quote): ‘By the people
and Jinn here are apparently meant ordinary
people and the leaders, suggesting to each other
varnished tales of falsehood.
The word jinn is derived from janna, meaning,
covered, concealed or hidden. In the
Quran, the class of beings that come under the
term jinn are described as
evil spirits or beings that
The Arabic word Jinn is from the invite man to evil. Jinns are
verb ‘Janna’ which means to hide therefore presented as opposites
to the angels, who
or conceal. Thus, they are physically
invisible from man as their
invite to good, both are
description suggests.
however invisible to human
eye. But there is a wider use
of the word jinn in Arabic
literature as well as in the Qur’an.
One signification of the word is explained
under 72:1 where the word jinn is applied to
powerful leaders who, through their importance
and detachment from the masses,
remain distant or “hidden from their eyes”.
Verses 129 -131 show that jinn here means the
human leaders of evil.
This point has been further explained in v.
130, where by calling ‘the jinn and people a
single community’, the Qur’an makes it clear
that the jinn and people are not two different
classes of beings. Since the only messengers
spoken of in the Qur’an and other reliable histories
of prophets are those who belong to
mankind, it follows that the jinn spoken of here
belong to mankind, and not to any other class
of creation.’ (End of quotation)
When I tried to see, what is there on
Google about what Muslims generally believe
about Jinns, I found some really funny notions,
such as: Jinns can be Muslims or non-Muslims.
However, due to their fiery nature majority of
them are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim
Jinns form a part of the army of the most famous
Jinn, Satan.
Consequently, these disbelieving Jinns are
also called devils. Jinns can also become Muslims,
as they did in the time of the Holy Proph-

February 2017 The
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et when a group of them were amazed by the
recitation of the Quran. This is mentioned in
the Qur’an as the following: “Say (O Muhammad):
It has been revealed to me that a group
of Jinn listened, so they said: ‘Surely, we
have heard a wonderful Quran, guiding to
right way - so we believe in it. And we shall
not set up anyone a partner with our
Lord’.” (The Quran, 72:1-2)
The word Jinn in Quranic verses has
caused much confusion in understanding
its real meaning. According to Taj al-Arus,
nafar-an min al-jinn means a group of
three to seven people. Authentic traditions
narrate that it was a group of seven
Jews from Nasibain who asked the Holy
Prophet to meet him at a secret place at
Nakhla in the outskirts of Makkah where
they listened to the verses of the Qur’an. They
went back to their people and informed them
of the wonderful teachings of the Qur’an. It is
also mentioned that the next morning the Holy
Prophet showed his companions the marks of
their halting places and fire pits where they
had lit their campfires at night.
Dr Basharat Ahmad, on explanation of jinn
in Surah Nas in the Anwar-ul-Qur’an, writes:
Jinn are hidden beings. Any being or thing that
is hidden in Arabic is called Jinn.
According to the dictionary, it is a class of
spirits, lower than the angels, capable of appearing
in human and animal forms and influencing
humankind for either good or evil.
Elites or celebrities are also called Jinn as
they are not usually seen among the common
people and live a secluded life. People who live
in jungles and mountains are also called Jinn.
Germs and microbes are also termed as Jinn as
they are not visible to the naked eye but rather
need microscopes to be seen. Similarly, all
those inherent forces endowed to humans
which instigate animal passions are also
termed as Jinn as they are not visible.
It may be pointed out that man combines
in himself animal and angelic passions. Animal
passions include love, anger and other related
I Shall Love All Mankind.
forces etc. These motivational forces cause all
sorts of human activities.
On the other hand, intelligence, conscience
and high
morals
create in
man the
awareness
to
differentiate
between
right and
wrong to
regulate
his activities
and
make him
conscious of the accountability for his actions
in this life as well in the Hereafter.
Elites or celebrities
are also called Jinn
as they are not usually
seen among the
common people and
live a secluded life.
Consider animal passions as the engine for
the invisible powers within man that propel
the human engine to move and perform activities.
These invisible powers in the terminology
of the Qur’an are called Jinn. When the Qur’an
says that the jinn is created from fire, it means
to say that it creates energy which moves the
engine and it starts working. So conscience,
moral values and intelligence are used like
brakes to keep the engine on the right track
and regulate its speed so that it does not cause
an accident. These brakes in the terminology of
the Qur’an are called angels. However, when
the motivational forces cross their limits and
ignore control and instructions, in the Quranic
terminology these very powers - metaphorically
called Jinn - become Satan. So, Jinn when it
works in the right direction is Angel and when
it goes off the track and leads man to evil and
destruction becomes Satan.
The word shaitaan stems from shayt,
meaning destruction, and Shattan meaning
distance. Thus, the jinn which instigates human
emotions is called satan when it fails to
control it and allows it to destroy itself and
guides it away from its right course.

February 2017 The
Light 6
On the other hand, if the Jinn or invisible
forces or motivational energy are kept under
complete control by intelligence, conscience
and high morals then it will submissively follow
the right way and as such behave like a
The human brain not only works in mysterious
ways but sometimes, due to some disease
or shock, starts behaving in mysterious ways.
Scientific advancement in the field of medicine,
surgery and psychology etc. have found cure
for so many such diseases, but there are still
many which need cure.
The relevant
point is that all
forms of most ancient
bacteria draw
their energy directly
from heat. This is a
tribute of no small
magnitude to the
Quranic declaration
made over fourteen
hundred years ago.
Muslim. That is why it is mentioned in the hadith
that the Holy Prophet (s) said: “My Jinn has
become a Muslim.”
Unusual things are taken as magic
Unusual and mysterious things are usually
ascribed to magic or to the jinns. As we see
unusual feats of Prophet Solomon have been
taken to be the jinns who used to perform extraordinary
activities such as understanding
the language of the birds, causing unprecedented
speed of his merchandise, flowing of
molten brass, designing of huge synagogues,
manufacturing bowls as large as water-troughs
and huge cooking pots etc.
These feats in the days of Solomon must be
considered magical in those days, but we find
them happening in our times. Even the Holy
Prophet (s) because of his extraordinary intelligence,
impressive talk and unusual bravery
was called a magician and is even considered
by majority of Muslims as superhuman who
could see in every direction without moving
his head, did not have a shadow etc. In ordinary
parlance, anybody who is unusual in efficiency,
intelligence and strength is called a jinni.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Ignorance leads to myths
And it is recorded in an authentic hadith
mentioned in Tirmidhi, that the Holy Prophet
(may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: “Do not clean yourselves with dung
or bones for they are food for your brothers
among the Jinn.”
Abu Hurairah reported: “The Apostle of
Allah said: When any one of you wakes up from
sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his
nose three times, for the devil spends the night
in the interior of his nose.” (Muslim, vol. 1, no.
462 concerning Satan living in one’s nose).
The relevant point is that all forms of most
ancient bacteria draw their energy directly
from heat. This is a tribute of no small magnitude
to the Quranic declaration made over
fourteen hundred years ago.
According to the accepted scientific studies,
direct heat from fire had to play a vital role
in the creation and maintenance of pre-biotic
organisms. This, in fact, was the only mode of
transfer of energy for the consumption of organized
forms of existence during this era. As
they multiplied during their uninterrupted
proliferation lasting over billions of years, their
death must have polluted the oceans while
they decayed and fermented turning the
oceans into the primordial soup.
The human mind has created marvels in
present time. This shows in how many dimensions
the human mind can manifest its tremendous
power. The modern man does not
need any Alladin’s lamp to help him in doing
feats. Allah has created a human being to use
his faculties for the good of human beings.
This is the meaning of the word ya’budoon
in the verse: “And I have not created the jinn
and the people except that they should serve

February 2017 The
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Me.” God’s way to rule the world is by being
Beneficent and Merciful. And if human beings
instead of being ‘submissive’ becomes ‘obsessive’
like a jinni, then he will be thrown away
like the devil. That is why the Holy Qur’an has
warned the human being to remain within the
limits of a ‘servant’ and should not try to be the
Master: “O assembly of jinn and men, if you are
able to pass through the regions of the heavens
and the earth, then pass through. You cannot
pass through but with authority” (55:33). The
final authority lies only with the Almighty Allah.
The meaning being that man cannot escape
the laws and judgement of God whether
on the earth or anywhere beyond it.
Hazrat Maulana Nurud-Din’s
View
on the Birth of Jesus
Compiled and translated by Dr. Zahid Aziz
Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din wrote a book
entitled Nur-ud-Din in refutation of a book
Tark-i Islam (‘Leaving Islam’) written by a former
Muslim who left Islam to become an Arya
Samaj Hindu. In the book Tark-i Islam the author
had listed a large number of objections
against the Quran which, he said, were the
cause of his leaving Islam.
One of his reasons for leaving Islam (no. 74
in his list) was that it teaches that:
“A woman can give birth to a baby without
ever having seen a man, as happened in the
case of the birth of Jesus.”
Replying to this, Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-
Din wrote:
“(1) The Islam taught to us by that Scripture
of human nature, the Holy Quran, does not
say anywhere that Islam requires you to believe
that Jesus had no father.
(2) The Holy Prophet has not said that it is
a part of Islam to believe that Jesus had no father.
(3) Our beloved holy Companions, our four
leaders of jurisprudence, and other great
I Shall Love All Mankind.
The Islam taught to us by
that Scripture of human nature,
the Holy Quran, does
not say anywhere that Islam
requires you to believe that
Jesus had no father – Hazrat
Maulana Nur ud Din.
Imams, have nowhere instructed us that it is an
essential of Islam to believe that Jesus had no
fa ther.
(4) Our respected Sufi saints have not exhorted
us anywhere in their teachings that, in
Islam, to attain the ranks of Divine nearness, to
accomplish self-reform, and to acquire noble
morals, it is obligatory to believe that Jesus had
no father.
(5) Besides Jesus, there have been numerous
prophets, messengers and appointed ones
of Allah. Is the genealogy of any one of them
recorded in the Holy Quran? In fact, Allah says,
‘None knows the hosts of thy Lord, except He’.
So it is not necessary to know of the existence
of everyone, let alone how they were born.
Then in the Christian religion, the birth of
Jesus without a father is not an evidence of his
Divinity, because they believe that Melchizedek
and Adam were also born without a father. As
this teaching is not a part of Islam, how did this
make you leave Islam? This is one of those issues
which are matters of general investigation.
I myself, even though Islam is my faith
and my life, held this view for a long time, but I
do not hold it now.” (p. 181–182)
The full title of this book is Nur-ud-Din bajawab
Tark-i Islam, and it was published from
Qadian in 1904. News of its publication was
announced in Badr, 1 March 1904 (p. 8). In the
book itself, the Maulana writes on p. 184: “Today
is 11th December 1903”. According to
Badr, dated 24 February 1904, the name of this
book as Nur-ud-Din was chosen by Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad (p. 7).

February 2017 The
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It is abundantly clear from this extract that
its writer, Maulana Nur-ud-Din, believes that it
is not a prescribed doctrine of Islam, anywhere
at all, that Jesus was born without a father.
However, Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan,
the prominent writer and scholar of the Qadiani
Jama‘at, writes as follows in his
biography of Maulana Nur-ud-Din:
“The birth of Jesus without a father
had been a somewhat controversial
question. Maulawi Nur-ud-Din had
held the view that Jesus had a father.
The Promised Messiah, in his book
Mawahibur Rahman, announced that it
was part of his doctrine that Jesus had
been born without a father. On reading
this Maulawi Sahib discarded his view
and fell into line with the view propounded
by the Promised Messiah. He frankly
confessed this change of view in his book Nurud-Din.”
(Hadrat Maulawi Nur-ud-Din, second edition,
2006, p. 100)
Sir Zafrullah appears to draw this conclusion
from the Maulana’s words in the above
quotation: “I myself, even though Islam is my
faith and my life, held this view for a long time,
but I do not hold it now.” But his conclusion is
plainly and obviously wrong, as we show below.
The objector gave it as a reason why he left
Islam that, as a Muslim, he was required to believe
that Jesus was born without needing to
have a father. The Hazrat Maulana replied that
there is no authority in Islam which requires a
Muslim to hold this belief as a part of Islam.
Therefore, he asks the objector: How can you
give it as a reason for leaving Islam? He goes on
to say that this issue (whether Jesus was born
without a father) is a matter to be determined
by research and not on the basis of any religious
doctrine. Now after telling the objector
all this, it would be quite absurd for the Hazrat
Maulana to add that he himself used to believe
that Jesus had a father but now he holds
that Jesus was born without a father.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
If the Qadiani Jama‘at’s conclusion is correct,
it would mean that Hazrat Maulana Nurud-Din
is saying that he no longer considers
his points number (1) to (5) to be true. If so,
then why is he putting them forward in the
first place? And why does he not then say that
he has now found such and such authorities in
The Islam taught to us by that
Scripture of human nature, the
Holy Quran, does not say anywhere
that Islam requires you
to believe that Jesus had no father
– Maulana Nur Ud Din.
Islam which do require Muslims to believe as a
part of Islam that Jesus had no father?
On the other hand, the Qadiani Jama‘at may
say that the Hazrat Maulana still regarded his
points number (1) to (5) to be valid, but he had
personally come to realize that Jesus had no
father. But this means at least that, according
to the Hazrat Maulana, it is allowed in Islam to
hold the belief that Jesus had a father. Why
then does the Qadiani Jama‘at constantly raise
it as an objection that the Lahore Ahmadiyya
Jama‘at holds the belief that Jesus had a father?
The meaning of the Hazrat Maulana’s
words “I myself, even though Islam is my faith
and my life, held this view for a long time, but I
do not hold it now” is, in fact, the opposite of
what the Qadiani Jama‘at has suggested. He
clearly means that he used to believe that Jesus
was born without a father, the belief which has
driven the objector out of Islam, and that he
saw no inconsistency in holding this belief
with being a Muslim, but he does not hold this
belief now. Despite Islam being his faith and his
life, he has come to believe that Jesus did have
a father.
Some years later, when Hazrat Maulana
Nur-ud-Din was Head of the Ahmadiyya
Movement, in one of his Quran teaching sessions
he said:

February 2017 The
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“There is another debate, as to whether the
Messiah was born without father or not. I say:
Did 124,000 prophets have fathers or not? The
Shariah has not laid upon us the obligation to
make investigation about the mothers, fathers,
sisters and brothers of prophets. These matters
are not a part of your spiritual progress.”
(Ḥaqā’iq-ul-Furqān, under ch. 19, verse 38
of the Quran, vol. 3, p. 67; taken from Badr,
24th August 1911)
It is clear from this again that the view of
Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din is that Islam does
not require Muslims to believe that Jesus was
born without a father.
The Causes of Extremism
By Yahya Saqib
Text of talk delivered at the UK Lahore
Ahmadiyya Centre, Wembley, London
on 5 February 2017
My lecture today is one which isn’t an ideal
topic, but unfortunately, as this continuously
rears its head, from the hatred spewed by
some media outlets, and now even the socalled
leader of the ‘free’ world that has tried
to ban entry into the USA for those from Muslim
countries.
I’d like to share with you a narrative I
found online which explains extremism in
words better than I could have
“A key common question is why do they attack,
and why some Muslims in the West join
such extremist groups, so we compiled several
key factors that can push them to extremes and
can help explain their perspective.
1. Death of Muslims
Muslims have been witnessing the continual
slaughter of their brothers and sisters by
opposing forces in their lands. Instead of such
incidents abating with time, every few days a
new headline in some newspaper conveys the
death of more anonymous Muslim civilians.
This can encourage Muslims to sometimes
make quick and irrational decisions, often
I Shall Love All Mankind.
leading to innocent civilians being killed on the
other side. An actual quote from a reformed
extremist during his time spent as a terrorist
plotter - “We can’t just sit and watch them get
butchered while we sit comfortably behind our
screens. We have to do something!”
2. Attacks from The West
Some extremists may see the Western
world as their primary enemy because of their
attacks, invasions, support of oppressive regimes
and their killing of thousands of civilians
in Muslim lands in the last century. From the
invasion of Iraq to the military endeavours in
Afghanistan, from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo,
from the “War on Terror” to the “Patriot Act”, it
can become easier to convince an impressionable
mind into accepting the West versus Islam
paradigm (as if these two entities can be surgically
and neatly separated and defined). It’s not
hard for some Muslims to feel strong resentment
towards the West and this resentment
can push some to go to the extreme in retaliation,
consequently justifying taking the lives of
civilians on the opposing side. They killed our
people, so we should be able to kill theirs is a
common argument they use. (Jihadi John mentions
similar rhetoric before executing an aid
worker).
3. With Us or Against Us
Among extremist groups, you will see Muslims
who have adopted a very simplistic,
black/white view of the world. Either you are
on their side (side of these extremist Muslims)
or on the side of the disbelievers (the kuffars).
When they come across Muslims who have
condemned their group/actions (such as ourselves),
they will be quick to dismiss their arguments,
saying that they are “aiding the
kuffar”. They see their condemnation as them
betraying their own Muslim brothers and sisters
who are suffering in other countries.
4. Economic Frustration
Extreme frustration with the economic situation
of many of those involved in such
groups, coupled with a lack of hope in alleviating
their dismal situation. Years of poverty, op-

February 2017 The
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pression, unemployment, and greedy political
leaders in the Muslim world can push many of
the youth to take the matter into their own
hands. For those with no hope, fanaticism and
over-zealousness gives them some hope. When
there is no alternative, extremism becomes
normal.
5. Lack of Islamic Knowledge
A very common trait among extremist
fighters is that they are largely composed of
young, overzealous recruits that are relatively
new to Islam or have a very superficial understanding
of the faith. (Two arrested extremists
admitted to buying “Islam for Dummies” and
“The Koran for Dummies”. You could not ask
for better evidence to bolster the argument
that the 1,400-year- old Islamic faith has little
to do with the modern jihadist movement). A
quick read of the Quran and exposure to the
first Muslim group you encounter can easily
lead you to think that this group is on the right
Islamic path. The more Islamic knowledge you
have, the easier it is to recognize heretical
groups and movements and to avoid making
ill-advised choices.
6. Unwelcomed in the West
With each new terrorist attack, Muslims
living in the West prepare themselves for more
backlash from their community. Right after the
Charlie Hebdo incident, 50 anti-Muslim incidents
were reported in France in just
1 week. And many Muslims expressed
the difficulty they have experienced
with their neighbours after
9/11. Young Muslims may feel like
that they can never belong in the
West and may even question whether they
should be supporting the other side.
7. Distrust:
I Shall Love All Mankind.
You can find those who support these
groups online talking about how we should not
trust mainstream media on the topic of Muslim
terrorists, because of the previous lies these
sources have told us. There are those who honestly
believe that the extremist group they
support are in the right that they are only attacking
to prevent further harm. They will disregard
any source that counters these claims
despite how strong the evidence is against
their group.
8. Lack of Unity:
Religious leadership among Muslims is
disunited today; every loud voice can potentially
become a leader merely by shouting loud
enough. Anyone can potentially take on the
lead without understanding Islam and the contemporary
world or start takfiri 1 preaching
further dividing the Muslims into more smaller
segments. Since there is no official Caliphate,
you can find some smaller segments coming up
with their own pseudo-Islamic state or their
own pseudo-caliph. Lack of unity makes it hard
for actual Muslims to voice their condemnation
against any particular extremist group because
they cannot have an official opinion on a matter.
9. Misunderstanding Jihad:
The concept of jihad is a legitimate concept
if applied properly in Islam; and it can be a
type of terrorism if misunderstood and misapplied.
It is like a loaded weapon: it can be used
for good and to defend, and it can also be misused
for harming others. Many other faiths do
not have such a concept. Because Islam does, it
can and will be misapplied.
Religious leadership among Muslims is
disunited today; anyone can potentially
take on the lead without understanding
Islam and the contemporary world . . .
10. Silence on Jihad
Muslim teachers in the West are restricted
from speaking about physical jihad or have
classes where Muslims can learn the proper
context of battles in Islamic history, the conditions
for fighting, etc. Because of this silence,
young Muslims can be duped by extremist recruiters
into accepting the alternative view and
the permissibility of fighting with modern militant
groups. Someone can easily show them
1 Calling each other heretics.

February 2017 The
Light 11
hadith of the rewards of jihad while being
completely unaware of the major contextual
differences in our time and can convince them
of the greater good in fighting. When the only
voices that address issues of concern are the
voices of radical militant jihadis they find on
the internet, it is only natural that young and
impressionable minds will gravitate to these
voices.
11. The Media
The media empowers terrorist groups. The
more attention they
get, the more powerful
their threats become
and the more newrecruits
they can potentially
secure. Violent
groups, no matter how
small, will always get
more attention than
peaceful groups. We
can see this from both
sides of the American
election where both
extreme left and extreme
right groups
have been making
headlines for their attacks on one another.
Hundreds of Muslim scholars can condemn
terrorism, 10,000 Muslims can protest for
peace, but the 1 Muslim who blows himself up
or beheads a civilian, will be the person who
receives more attention in this age, and more
attention gives him a better chance for more
people to join his cause.
12. Scholars Are Ignored:
Muslims already supporting extremist
groups will ignore Muslim Scholars who comment
on their groups. Calling them “sell-outs”
or saying that they are “aiding the kuffar” because
they are condemning a Muslim group.
You cannot criticize those Muslims fighting! At
least those Muslims are doing something while
you are just living comfortably in your home.
Extremists are emotional and impatient, and
will not bother to take the time to read/listen
to the entire message of Muslim scholars who
often critique both sides and can explain to
The media empowers
Terrorist groups. The
more attention they get,
the more powerful their
threats become and the
more new-recruits they
can potentially secure
I Shall Love All Mankind.
extremists about their flawed understanding.
I would like to thank you all for listening to
what I have shared with you today, and would
like to summarise with this. The Muslim world
today is in an entirely different economic and
political context than the Western world. The
Muslim world lacks unity, suffers from poverty,
oppression, unemployment, greedy political
leaders, and have been subjected to witnessing
the continual slaughter of other Muslims by
opposing forces in their lands for decades.
These factors, along with others, can push
some to join extremist
groups. But I would like
to leave you with this
final message.
Our jamaat has always
promoted peaceful
living and integration
with other religions
and cultures.
Even in our own small
jamaat, we have different
walks of life, maybe
different political
views, different habits,
and different backgrounds.
But we are all
brought together for our love and appreciation
of our peaceful Islam and for one another. The
propagation, and expansion of our Islam can
only be a positive — not only for ourselves but
for the entire world. It is our responsibility to
do just that.
It seems that many passionate Muslims are
eager to die for the sake of Allah, but how
many are willing to live for the sake of Allah?
The Lost Tribe of Jews in India
By Tamara Zieve
(Attributed to www.jpost.com February
14th, 2017, this news item shows that the Jewish
religious authorities have accepted that
thousands of years ago, Jews migrated to India.
This is what The Promised Messiah said over
100 years earlier. Jesus had been sent by Allah
to preach to all the tribes of Israel. It follows
that if some Jewish tribes had migrated to In-

February 2017 The
Light 12
dia, Jesus would have gone to search for them
to complete his mission. History, once again,
proves the truth of what Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad.)
Over 100 members of Indian ‘lost Jewish
tribe’ to make aliya this week.
Thirty members of India's Bnei Menashe
Jewish community were set to land in Israel on
Tuesday evening, the first in a group of 102
due to immigrate to Israel this week. The aliya
is being facilitated by the Jerusalem-based
non-profit organization Shavei Israel, which
works to strengthen ties between the Jewish
people and descendants of Jews around the
world.
The 102 new immigrants arriving this
week all hail from the north eastern Indian
state of Mizoram, which borders Burma and
Bangladesh and is home to the second-largest
concentration of Bnei Menashe in India after
the state of Manipur.
This week's aliya marks the first time since
January 2014 that Bnei Menashe will be emigrating
to Israel from Mizoram. The olim plan
to make their homes in Nazareth Illit, Israel,
following in the footsteps of other members of
the Bnei Menashe community who have already
made the move.
Among those arriving this week is Mizmor
Sharon and her two children. Sharon’s husband,
Shomron, died two weeks ago, after a
long battle with cancer. “My children and I are
heartbroken that their father didn’t live to see
his dream of making aliya come true,” said
Sharon. “But we are excited to be making this
journey and to honor his legacy by building our
new lives in the Jewish homeland. I am sure
that he will be with us in spirit with every step
that we take on the holy soil of Israel.”
Shavei Israel Founder and Chairman Michael
Freund said this week's arrivals mark the
launch of Operation Menashe 2017.
“Over the course of the coming year, with
God’s help, we will bring a total of more than
700 Bnei Menashe immigrants to Israel — the
largest-ever airlift in a single year," Freund
added. “After 27 centuries of exile, this lost
tribe of Israel is truly coming home. But we
will not rest until all the remaining Bnei
Menashe still in India are able to make aliya as
well.”
The claim of the Bnei Menashe as descendants
of the tribe of Manasseh, exiled from the
Land of Israel more than 2,700 years ago by
the Assyrian empire, has stirred controversy in
Israel over the years.
The Chief Rabbinate initially did not consider
the Bnei Menashe to be Jewish, and their
immigration was halted at the beginning of the
21st century amid contention. But in 2005,
then-Sephardi chief rabbi Shlomo Amar formally
recognized the Bnei Menashe as descendants
of one of the Ten Lost Tribes, though
still requiring them to convert to Judaism.
In 2012, the government lifted a freeze on
aliya from the community and so far some
3,000 Bnei Menashe have made aliya with the
assistance of Shavei Israel. According to the
organization, another 7,000 Bnei Menashe remain
in India, and Freund hopes to eventually
bring them all to Israel.
(end)
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Light.
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I Shall Love All Mankind.