The International English organ of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam based in Lahore. Presenting the Islam preached by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s). A rational, scientific, liberal, inclusive and peaceful Islam.
ِ ی م الرَّحم
ن
ِ
سب اہللِ الرَّْحم ٰ
ْ م ِ
The Light
2017
April
May
2016
International Organ of the Centre for the Worldwide
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam
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
Secret of Success 3
By Mustaq Ali
Islam and Zoroastrianism 5
By Ardeshir Spencer
The chapter Hijr of the Holy Quran. 9
By Zainib Ahmad
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 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
‣ Enlightenment and Islam
‣ A refutation of Dawkinism
‣ Position of Woman in the Holy Quran
‣ A Friday khutba by a lady
Interesting external links
‣ Muslims in the US military
‣ Reformation or Enlightenment?
‣ Is Passover a Myth?
‣ Civilising Spain
‣ If Alexander Got There, Why Not Jesus?
‣ Who Hold the Keys to Christianity's Holiest
Site?
External Links
The Light is not responsible for the content
of external sites. The inclusion of a link to an external
website should not be understood to be
an endorsement of that website, the views it expresses
or the site's owners (or their products/services).
Some links may have research, which disagrees
with our beliefs. It is for us to consider
such material and provide a rebuttal. Ignoring
it will not make it go away.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
May 2017 The
Light 2
The Call of the Messiah
by
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad,
The Promised Messiah and
Mahdi
Exhortation to the rich and wealthy
O you the rich, the kings, the millionaires,
there are few among you who fear Allah and remain
truthful and steadfast in all His ways. Most
are such that they attach their hearts to the
riches of this world, and spend all their lives in
this obsession without giving any thought to
death. Every rich man who does not address
himself to Allah in prayer, whose attitude to Allah
is one of carelessness, will bear the sins of
all those connected with him. Every rich man
who drinks will bear the sin of all those under
him who drink with him.
O wise ones! This world will not last forever.
Take hold of yourself and be steady. Give up
every excess. Leave all intoxicants. Wines, beer,
whiskey and the like are not the only harmful
drinks. Opium, marijuana, charas, bhanag, taree
1 and all other intoxicants to which you become
addicted all have a deadly effect on the
brain and ultimately prove fatal. You should
keep away from all such things. In fact, we cannot
understand at all how and why you make
the use of such things a habit. Things which, in
front of your own eyes, every year ruin thousands
of people and even bring about their
death. While the punishment to come in the
Hereafter is something different and in addition
to the harm which goes with these things here.
Become righteous and God-fearing, so that
you should live longer, and be blessed by Allah.
Over indulgence in luxurious, easy, irresponsible
living is a curse because as it is disrespectful
and cruel to be indifferent to the suffering of
others.
Every rich man is as answerable for
To convert forcibly to Islam is a belief
which brings disgrace to our religion . . .
Never oppress His creatures, with hand or
word of mouth
properly carrying out his obligations to his Creator
and his fellowmen as is a poor man. In fact,
a rich man is even more answerable. Indeed,
how unfortunate is he, who for the sake of this
brief life in this world, completely turns away
from Allah. The one who uses forbidden things
with such audacity as if they were quite lawful;
who, when angry, fulminates against people like
a madman, using abusive language, ready to
wound and kill; and who, in the quest of his lust,
becomes brazen to the extreme. Such a one will
never know real success.
My dear people! You. are in this world only
for a short time, of which a large part has already
passed. Do not displease your Master.
Even a temporal government, if displeased with
you, can destroy you. Therefore, how much
more is it incumbent on you not to displease
your Creator. No one can destroy you if you are
held righteous in the eyes of the Lord. He, Himself,
will protect you, and no enemy thirsting for
your blood will be able to harm you. Otherwise,
there is no protection for you, and you will have
to live in constant fear of your enemies, uneasy
and restless and full of forebodings, and the
later days of your lives will pass in great anguish
of mind. Allah, Himself, becomes the protection
of those who stand with Him. Therefore, come
to Him and leave off all kinds of opposition to
Him. Never be negligent in fulfilling the obligations
He has laid on you.
Never oppress His creatures, with hand or
word of mouth, and always remain in fear of the
wrath of heaven, for herein lies the only way to
salvation.
To the learned people of Islam
O you learned people among the Muslims!
Do not be hasty in rejecting me as false. There
are many profound secrets which man cannot
comprehend in a hurry or all at once. You
should not be ready to reject a thing the moment
you hear it, for this is not the way of the
righteous. Had there been no fault in you, and if
you had not interpreted certain sayings of the
Holy Prophet in a manner contrary to their real
meaning, then the advent of the Messiah, as a
1 Indian intoxicants
I Shall Love All Mankind.
آ
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judge and arbitrator among you, would not have
been necessary. … …
The mission you assign to this advent,
namely, that he will join forces with the Mahdi
to make war on all to convert them forcibly to
The Qur’an is replete with verses that there
can be no compulsion in religion . . .
Islam, is a belief which brings disgrace to our religion.
Where, in the name of goodness, is it
written in the Qur’an that war is permissible for
the sake of spreading one’s religion by force? On
the contrary, we find Allah saying in the Holy
Book: ۖ َلآ آ إِكْر اهآ ِفِ ٱلد ِ ينِ There is no compulsion
in matters connected with religion (2:256). So,
where will the Messiah, son of Mary, get the
right to use force to convert people to Islam?
The entire Qur’an is replete with verses teaching
us that there can be no compulsion in religion;
and it is clear on the point that when the
Holy Prophet took up the sword, he did not do
so to spread Islam by this means but only for the
following reasons:
1. As a fitting punishment for those who had
killed large numbers of Muslims, and had driven
out many others from their homes without just
cause. We read in the Holy Book:
يُق ت لُون بِأ نَّهُمْ ظُلِمُ وا۟ ۚ و إِنَّ ٱَّللَّ ع ل ىٰ ن صْ رِ هِ مْ
Permissionل has been given to those who ق دِ ير
fight because they had been oppressed, and Allah
indeed has the power to help them (22:39)
(despite the odds against them).
لِلَّذِ ين أ ُذِ ن
2. Or, those wars were defensive and were
waged against people who were leaving no
stone unturned to destroy Islam and to stop its
propagation, and were using the sword to do so.
3. Or, they were fought to assert legitimate
freedoms. Apart from campaigns undertaken
for these three aims, the Holy Prophet (may the
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and
his blessed immediate successors fought no
war, whatsoever. In fact, before taking up arms
in self-defence, Islam
bore oppression with silent
fortitude to such an
extent that there is no
example in the history of
other peoples of such
forbearance. Then, what
kind of a Messiah and Mahdi will these be who
will embark on their mission by putting their
opponents to the sword right from the start?
History bears testimony to the fact that
success does not depend on numbers.
(Kishti-i Nuh — Noah’s Ark, continued)
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Secret of Success.
by Mr Mustaq Ali
ۥ و آ َلآ تآَنآ آ عُوا۟ فآت آفْشآل ُوا۟
و آ أ آطِ يعُوا۟ آ ٱّلل آ و آ ر آ سُ ول آهُ
ُو ٓ ا۟ ۚ إِن آَّ آ ٱّلل آ م آ عآ آ ٱلص ِبِ ِينآَّ
و آ تآذْ هآب رِ حيُكُ مْ ۖ و آ ٱصْ ِبِ
And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do
not dispute (with one another) lest you lose
courage and your strength depart, and be patient.
Surely, Allah is with those who are As-
Sabirin (the patient). (8:46)
My short talk today it taken from of the
Quran entitled: Success does not depend on
Numbers. I thought that it is an interesting subheading
of the chapter Al Anfal- Voluntary Gifts,
which also means Spoils of war.
This chapter deals with the Battle of Badr,
the first battle that the Muslims had to fight. It
was fought on 13 March 624 (CE) so in a few
days will be the anniversary of this battle. Hazrat
Maulana Muhammad Ali used the literal
meaning of the Arabic word, Anfal, and gave the
title Voluntary Gifts to the chapter because the
Muslim state at that time, did not have an arsenal,
treasury, or army. So, the money and manpower
required to defend themselves were voluntary.
Their possessions and their life was offered
for this battle as voluntary gift to defend
this new Ideology (oneness of God) and a
prophet whose character earned him the titles,
Al Amin and As Sadiq- the trustworthy and the
truthful.
It is important to note a few facts about this
battle. The Muslims were 313 in number and
had no trained personnel with no sophisticated
weaponry. Unlike the Quarish, who were 1200
in number and had horses, and camels. The
Muslim army consisted of untrained youth and
a few elderly members.
The outcome of this Battle was victory for
the Muslims despite a small number of them
fought against a mighty and
well equipped Quraish army
A look at History
and thus set the stage for one
section of this chapter entitled
– Success Does not depend
of Numbers.
History bears testimony to the fact that success
does not depend on numbers. Let us look
at Abraham who, single handed, stood up to his
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father and his community. The Holy Quran tells
us: “And when his Lord tried Abraham with certain
commands he fulfilled them. He said:
Surely, I will make thee a leader of men. (Abraham)
said: And of my offspring? My covenant
does not include the wrongdoers, said He.”
Today the Abrahamic faiths represent almost
half of the population of the world in numbers.
So, Allah fulfilled his promise to Abraham
when he said: “Surely, I will make thee a leader
of men”. Abraham started alone but he was successful
in the end. His success did not depend
on numbers.
Jesus was rejected by his people and had to
undergo public humiliation and attempted
murder. He also came to tell the children of Israel:
“The Lord thy God is one.” (Deuteronomy
6 v 4). While they were happy to accept God as
one but when he told them he was the Messiah
sent to lead them to victory they humiliated
him. He was successful in the end but his congregation
was small in numbers.
Noah like the other prophets
mentioned above experienced the
same rejection, his message and
mission was rejected by his people
(Ch. 26 v 105) But they called him
a liar so we delivered him and those with him in
the ark. (Ch. 11 v 40) And they believed not with
him but a few.
Even his son publicly rejected him and the
message he brought to the people of Moses.
Thus, we read in the Quran: “And Noah called
out to his son, and he was aloof: O my son, embark
with us and be not with the disbelievers”.
We all know the outcome of the son, i.e. he
drowned.
Of interest in the story of Noah is his calling
upon Allah to save his son as any of us will do
even when our children are in the wrong but in
the response of Allah is a lesson for us-
Allah said: “O Noah, he is not of thy family;
he is (an embodiment of) unrighteous conduct.
So, ask not of Me that of which thou hast no
knowledge. I admonish thee lest thou be of the
ignorant.” (Ch. 11 v 46)
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Muhammad (s), like Jesus and Abraham before
him, was rejected by his own people, attempts
were made on his life, he was boycotted
with respect to trade and politically isolated. He
commenced his mission with the support of his
wife and cousin and a handful of followers but
lived to retake his ancestral home without resistance.
His famous words of steadfastness were “If
you put the sun in my right hand and the moon
in my left hand I will never give up the preaching
of Islam”.
Continuing with the trend of Rejection. In
Matthew 21:42 the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(s) is spoken of as the Stone the builders rejected.
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read
in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone. This is from the
Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? Therefore
I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken
away from you and given to a people who will
produce its fruit. . .”
HISTORY OF THE PROPHETS SHOWS
So, have we figured
it out yet? The
formula for success
is that small numbers
are rejected by
the masses and family but steadfastness in the
cause of the truth achieves success.
THAT THEIR SUCCESS DID NOT DEPEND ON
THE NUMBER OF THEIR FOLLOWERS BUT
UNITY AND STEADFASTNESS IN THE FACE
OF OPPOSITION.
Admonition from the Reformer of the
age
This Reformer of the age Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad has written: -
“My followers will be prevented from fulfilling
many of their aspirations but be not heavy
hearted.
“O my friends who have entered a covenant
with me, may God enable me and you to such
things as would please Him.
“Today you are small in numbers and are being
treated with contempt. You are passing
through a great period of trial. You will be harassed
in every way and you will have to bear with
all manners of talk. Each one of those who inflict
misery upon you with his tongue or with his
hands will do it in the belief that he is doing it in
the service of Islam. You will also be tried from
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heaven so that you are tried in every possible
way.
“For you the road to victory does not lie in dry
logic or in returning abuse with abuse . . . God Almighty
looks down and loathes upon this behaviour
. . .” (Izala Auham, p546-547)
This Jamaat (the AAIIL UK) is one of the
smallest in numbers, we are rejected every day
because of our stance — to hold religion above
the world, but we remain a thorn in the side of
those who pretend that religion is first in their
life. Those who reject us are the ones who cast
doubts into the minds of men but they could not
do this to the elders of our Jamaat as they possessed
a different kind of steadfastness and conviction.
They were not easily swayed by the
promise of worldly gains and they worked with
zealousness for the emancipation of the truth
and the elimination of falsehood.
Why don’t we have the same success, we are
small in numbers but great in means, where is
our success? None of us is hard up for a “few
bob”. The stories I have read about the friends
of the Promised Messiah was that sometimes
they did not have food in their house.
Our numbers are small, our doctrine is the
same, our rejection is greater, so what is lacking
is our steadfastness. We are too easily swayed
by those in authority and even family and thus
our power to love and stand by each other depreciates
and weakens us.
This is what the verse of the Quran means
when it states: “do not dispute with each other
least you lose courage and your strength departs”
When this happens then communities
fall apart, jamaats split and battles are lost.
Central to the avoidance of this sort of
breakdown is love for each other and love for
the Quran. This is the unique characteristic of
the Promised Messiah, i.e. his love for the
Quran. This led him to write a couplet which we
all know امجل و ِنسُح رقآن ونر اجنِ رہ املسمن ےہ which means:
the elegance and beauty of the Quran is the life
of every Muslim. And,
ےتہک ںیہ ِنسُحویفس دشکل تہب اھت نکیل
which means: “it is said that Joseph's beauty
had exceptional charm but the Quran has surpassed
everyone else in elegance and attractiveness.”
We need to hold fast to the rope of Allah and
be not disunited, as a Jamaat we need to have
the same goals and focus. We are admonished
elsewhere in the Quran about another aspect of
our being and that causes the loss of love
amongst us and that is fault finding-
“O, you who believe, let not people laugh at
people, perchance they may be better than they;
nor let women laugh at women per chance they
may be better than they. Neither find fault with
your own people nor call one another by nick
names. Evil is a bad name after faith and whoso
turns not these it is that are the iniquitous.” (Ch
49 v 11)
Finding fault with each other is the cornerstone
of a weak hearted person who does not
have the courage to correct themselves but sees
it fit to spot the weakness or fault in someone
else.
The Bible beautifully elucidates this in:
“Thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of
thine own eye and then shall thou see clearly to
cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew
7 v 5)
In the Hadith of Adu Dawood and Tirmidhi
our Prophet says: -"Each of you is the mirror of
his brother, so if he sees any fault in him he should
wipe it away." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1286)
Narrated Abu Barzah al-Aslami: The
Prophet (s) said: O community of people, who believed
by their tongue, and belief did not enter
their hearts, do not back-bite Muslims, and do not
search for their faults, for if anyone searches for
those who inflict misery upon you with his
tongue or with his hands will do it in the belief
that he is doing it in the service of Islam.
their faults, Allah will search for his fault, and if
وخیب و دِ ربلی ںیم بس ےس وسا ء یہیےہ
I Shall Love All Mankind.
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Allah searches for the fault of anyone, He disgraces
him in his house.” (Sunan of Abu Dawood,
Number 2283)
What harm can come because of fault finding?
The Prophet said, "Beware of suspicion, for
suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not
look for the others' faults and do not spy, and do
not be jealous of one another, and do not desert
(cut your relationship with) one another, and do
not hate one another; and O Allah's worshipers!
Be brothers (as Allah has ordered you)!" (Sahih
Al Bukhari, Vol. 8 Number 90)
If Allah mentions this trait of human frailty
in us, if our Prophet warns us against it, then
surely it must affect us in some way.
Psychologist Dr Joseph M Carver, PhD wrote
about the psychology of fault finding: “No person
on earth is “perfect” and everyone has flaws
and faults. This means that eventually you will
find fault with everyone around you and by your
own admission, you will then not only dislike
them, but dislike being around them. They will
irritate you. You will eventually reach a point
where you are uncomfortable in any social environment,
because someone there will have a
flaw. Keep in mind that being imperfect and
having a flaw is only by your interpretation of
what you see.
Those you identify as being imperfect and
having flaws cause you emotional distress. You
not only dislike (a negative emotional state) being
around them but find them irritating. Your
mood will be constantly changing — always to
the negative — based on those around you. As
this happens, your current friends will slowly
detach from you, you will interpret that detachment
as a flaw, you’ll then dislike them, and
you’ll be lonely. This current personality theme
has no positive impact on your life.
In an ironic twist,
your need to find fault
with people for failing
your personal standards
of perfection, then
personality.
allowing yourself to be
emotionally upset by
them, is a significant flaw in your personality.
your need to find fault with people
. . . is a significant flaw in your
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Perhaps the biggest irony is that your friends,
who probably experience your moods, negativity,
and frequent criticism of those around you,
accept your flaws and imperfection and remain
your friends.
This negativity puts you at higher risk for
depression, stress, anxiety, and even job/career
loss.
In the future, this is not a good characteristic
to have for many reasons. Under stress, our
natural personality is amplified. Dependent
people become more dependent and aggressive
people become more aggressive — that kind of
thing. Your hypercritical view of others, when
you find yourself under stress, will be amplified,
isolating you from those around you and eventually
turning on you, becoming self-critical.
This negativity puts you at higher risk for depression,
stress, anxiety, and even job/career
loss.
To prevent ourselves from falling into the
cycle of suspicion, fault finding and dissent, remember
the 6 C's. Always Compliment, Congratulate
and Commend; never should we complain,
criticise and have contempt.
The price we must pay now for success tomorrow
is - that we remain steadfast and unrelenting
in our duty to Allah and not find fault
with each other.
Islam and Zoroastrianism
By Ardeshir Spencer
(Editor’s note: This article by a Zoroastrian
compares Islamic and Zoroastrian religious
practice. The author’s object is to try to show
that Islam copied its practices from Zoroastrianism.
However, the Holy Quran says: “And
surely the same is in the Scriptures of the ancients.”
The Holy Quran (26:196) Islam is not a
new religion but perfects all earlier
religions.)
It would be appropriate if we
can discuss the startling similarities
between some practices of Islam
and Zoroastrianism. These
parallels go beyond coincident. I will endeavour
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to enumerate a few here:
Requirements of prayers: Islam enjoins its
followers to pray 5 times a day and is called by
the Muezzin to his prayers. These prayers are at
i) Dawn ii) Noon iii) Afternoon iv) Sunset v)
Night.
01. Zoroastrianism also enjoins prayers 5
times a day called "Geh". The devotee is summoned
by the ringing of a bell in the
AtashBehram / Agiary. These prayers are also at
the same time as in Islam and their respective
names are:
fast in the day and only break their fast after
sunset. In Zoroastrianism, the month of Bahman
has similar connotations wherein all are
requested to particularly abstain from flesh.
Perhaps in the age of the Sassanian dynasty the
month of Bahman was observed as Ramzan is
now.
06. Ascent into Heaven: The hagiography of
Islam assures us that Prophet Mohammad ascended
to heaven from Jerusalem on the mythical
beast Burrrak. He crossed the 7 spheres, exchanged
greetings with the patriarchs and beheld
the glory of God.
Islamic Time Zoroastrianism
Fajar Dawn Havaan
Zohar Noon Rapithwan
Asr Afternoon Uziren
Maghrib Evening Mazreem
Isha Night time Ushaen
02. Pre-requisites of Prayer: On entering the
mosque and prior to commencing prayers a
Muslim must cover his head and wash his face
and limbs. Similarly, a Zoroastrian on entering
the Agiary will cover his head, wash his face and
limbs and perform the Padyaab Kusti before
commencing his prayers.
03. The Prayers: Prayers in Islam are in Arabic
only, though translations/transliterations
are available. The liturgy must be conducted in
Arabic only. In Zoroastrianism too, prayers
must be recited in Avesta or in Pazend only. In
fact, in Aveatan prayers Pazend portions must
be recited in an undertone so as not to break the
seamless flow of Avestan Manthravani.
04. Sanctum Sanctorum and its veneration:
The holiest spot in a Mosque is the wall facing
Mecca and is called the Qiblah. In the
Atashbehram/Agiary the room where the Atash
Padshah is enthroned is also called the Keblaah.
A Muslim will perform the Sajdah in front of the
Qiblah and so also will the Zoroastrian perform
the Sezdah before his Keblaah. Both involve
kneeling and touching the forehead to the
ground.
05. A Holy Month: In Islam Ramzan is the
holy month in which all Muslims are required to
I Shall Love All Mankind.
The Dinkard tells us that at the entreaties of
Asho Zarthustra Bahman Ameshaspand transcendentally
elevated his consciousness to the
realm of heaven wherein Asho Zarthustra
looked at the refulgent majesty of God. A similar
journey was attributed to the virtuous Ardaviraf
who visited hell, purgatory and heaven during
his spiritual journey.
The above similarities are obvious. A more
careful research would reveal more parallels.
However even these points are too close to be
dismissed as mere coincidences. This means
Zoroastrianism has had an enormous impact on
Islam which is not acknowledged. Everyone
agrees Islam owes a lot to Judaism and Christianity
but I feel that the scholars of Islam borrowed
very heavily from Iran and this can be
perhaps attributed to that shadowy figure of
Dastur Dinyar (Salman Farsi). This debt is so
impressive that it had to be consistently downgraded
and later denied. After all, if Islam is supposedly
directly inspired by God it cannot be
seen to be acknowledging any debt to an older
faith, specially the faith of a nation which Islam
has defeated. This may perhaps explain the devotion
of your Persian Imams to my Faith.
07. Chinvat Bridge (The Siraat Bridge): According
to ancient Persian myth, when a person
dies, the soul remains by the body for three
days. On the fourth, it travels to Chinvat Bridge
(the Bridge of the Separator, also call Al-Sirat),
accompanied by gods of protection. The bridge
is "finer than a hair and sharper than a sword"
and spans a deep chasm teeming with mon-
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sters. On the other side of the bridge is the gateway
to paradise.
08. Hell: Demons guard the foot of the
bridge and argue with the gods over the soul's
fate. The actions of the dead person, both good
and bad, are weighed, and the soul is either allowed
to cross or denied access to the bridge.
Spirits whose evil outweighs their good fall into
the demon-infested pit to face eternal torment.
In this abyss of the damned, each soul is tortured
by a GHOUL that represents its sins in life.
Once fallen into the gulf, no soul can escape the
horrors of hell through its own power.
Zoroaster, a sixth century BC religious
leader, had warned his followers of this obstacle
to heaven but he promised to lead his flock
safely across. The ancient manuscript Gathas
(Songs of Zoroaster) explains that the Bridge of
the Separator "becomes narrow for the wicked,"
whereas the holy can easily pass unharmed. (In
Gathas, the fair god Rashnu is named as the
judge who helps determine who is worthy of
salvation and who must be damned.) All infidels
(non-believers) fall into hell, which the prophet
says has been created especially for the "followers
of the lie."
The legends are sketchy but assert that
Chinvat Bridge is located somewhere in the far
north. It is a place of filth where the damned endure
physical tortures and spiritual agony.
Souls who are unsuccessful in crossing the
Chinvat Bridge suffer these torments until Ahraman,
the evil god of Zoroastrianism, is destroyed
by the good god Orzmahd during the
Last Judgement. At this time, lost spirits are restored
to the truth since "the lie" has been eradicated,
or they face final annihilation.
at first, speak of the process of consecrating
these three grades of the sacred fire. For example,
he falls on his knees in his prayers; he lowers
his head and bows; he raises his hands towards
Heaven. All these ways or rites, which
symbolize service or obedience or homage to
God, are done occasionally.
The candidate is to say his prayers five
times during the day. He is expected to pass his
time in a religious or pious mood. The candidate
has, during these six days, to pass his time in
prayers during the five Gahs and to observe all
the observances of saying the grace at meals,
etc. He is not to come into contact with any non-
Zoroastrian.
The five periods for the performance of the
ceremony:
The Bui ceremony is performed five times
every day. It is performed at the commencement
of each of the five Gahs or periods of the
day which correspond to a certain extent, with
the canonical hours of the Christians.
These periods are the following:
(1) Hawan. It begins from early morning
when the stars begin to cease to appear, and
lasts up to 12 O’clock when the sun comes overhead.
Literally, it means the time when the ceremony
of pounding the Haoma is performed.
(2) Rapithwin. It runs from 12 o'clock noon
to 3 p. m. Literally, it means the pith (pithwa) or
the middle part of the day (ayare ).
(3) Uzerin. It runs from 3 p.m. to the time
when the stars begin to appear. Literally, it
means the time of the advancement of the sun.
The Five Ritual Zoroastrian Prayers
The five prayers were developed after the
Prophet Zoroaster.
1. There are three grades of the Sacred Fire-
(A) The Sacred Fire of the Atash Behram, (B)
that of the Atash, Adaran and (C) that of the
Atash Dadgah. These three have their different
rituals of consecration and different rituals for
the daily prayers at the five times (gahs) of the
day, when they are fed with fresh fuel. We will,
I Shall Love All Mankind.
(4) Aiwisruthrem. It runs from nightfall to
midnight.
(5) Ushahin. It runs from midnight to dawn
when the stars begin to cease to appear.
The priest performs the Kusti-padyab (i.e.,
performs ablutions and unties and puts on the
Kusti again with the recital of a prayer).
The Bui ceremony in an Atash Behram: A
priest who has performed the Khub ceremony,
May 2017 The
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performs the Kusti-padyab at the commencement
of each new Gah, i.e., the period of the day,
as described above, and then recites his Farziyat,
i.e., the necessary prayers, which are the
Srosh-baj, the Gah according to the time of the
day, and the Khwarshed and Mihr Niyayeshes
during the day periods, i.e., the above named
first three gahs.
During the night-periods which form the
last two gahs, the Khwarshed and Mihr Niyayeshes
are replaced by Srosh Yasht (Yasna
57) and Srosh Hadokht. He then goes into the
sacred chamber, puts on white gloves, places
some frankincense over the Sacred Fire, and
then the Ma chi, i.e., the six pieces of sandalwood
as said above. If sandalwood is not obtainable,
six pieces of any other kind of clean good wood
will do. (The Religious Ceremonies and Customs
of the Parsees by J. J. Modi, Bombay, 1922.
Part 3)
Surah Hijr - The Rock
Reflections on Section 1
By Zainib Ahmad
The name given to the 15th Surah of the
Quran may be understood in various ways. It
could refer to the dwellers of the Rock, mentioned
in verse 80 of the surah. The ruins of
Petra, as they are now called, were the dwellings
of the nation of Thamud, or the Nabataeans,
presently found in Jordan. The Prophet Salih
was sent to this nation, who were eventually
destroyed for persistent wickedness. These ruins
were on the route of trade caravans to Syria
in the time of the blessed Prophet Muhammad.
It must have served as a powerful message to
the people of those times, as shown by this hadith:
The concept of hijr, or rock, invites reflection
upon the rock cycle, a scientific process
through which various types of rock are formed
and broken down. There are three main types of
rocks: igneous, or rocks formed when magma
flows out as lava, and cools; sedimentary,
formed when rocks are broken down by weathering
and erosion and then compacted together;
and metamorphic, which are formed
when rocks are exposed to heat and pressure,
and they melt and change form.
Reference is made to the changing forms of
rocks in 2:74. “Then your hearts hardened after
that, so that they were like rocks, rather worse
in hardness. And surely there are some rocks
from which streams burst forth; and there are
some of them which split asunder so water
flows from them and there are some of them
which fall down for the fear of Allah. And Allah
is not heedless of what you do.”
If we consider rocks to be like the hearts of
people, or simply as types of people, we can say
that while we are all subject to challenges in life,
they change us in different ways, depending on
how we react. We can turn into precious stones
as a result of the tribulations we persevered
against. We can also crumble under the stress.
Overall, we can conclude that everything is
changing. Even something apparently immovable
and unyielding as a rock, is undergoing constant
change. The sand particles that we see
once used to be mighty rocks. Similarly, are giant
obstacles removed and the mighty reduced
to humility.
To summarize, rocks can be a metaphor for
the human heart, for faith, for the changes we
undergo in life, and for the obstacles that we
face in the path of our goals.
“The Messenger of Allah passed through Al-
Hijr on his way to Tabuk. He covered his head and
urged his camel to go faster, saying to his Companions:
Do not enter the dwellings of those who were
punished unless you are weeping, and if you do not
weep then make yourself weep out of fear that perhaps
what struck them may also strike you.” (Bukhari)
I Shall Love All Mankind.
This surah continues the themes of Surah
Ibrahim: strengthening the faith of the believers
by reinforcing important faith concepts, giving
them examples of people who followed those
concepts and lead a godly life, while warning
those who rebel to the point of harming the progress
of goodness.
1: I Allah am the Seer. These are the verses of
the book and a Quran that makes manifest. We
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often need a reminder that holding the Quran is
like holding a miracle in our hands. It is easy to
forget the awe and the majesty of the Quran,
since we have been blessed with easy access to
it. We have one on our bedside table, and our
bookshelf, nestled among other books. It is easy
to be unmindful of the fact that these are Allah’s
words on paper. Why is the
Quran important? It makes
things clear, open, visible. Allah’s
attribute of seeing is
stated in the beginning to emphasize
this point. Allah sees
the souls, the innermost of our thoughts, the reality
of everything, the past, and where we are
headed.
2: Often will those who disbelieve wish that
they were Muslims. This verse beautifully connects
to the first, telling us about matters Allah
knows and sees, but we may not see: those who
don’t acknowledge the truth about the reality of
the world, also called religion, often wish that
they knew it. They will wish that they were
among those who submitted and turned themselves
entirely towards Allah to get guidance
and strength, and then turned to people in their
lives to treat them well and act in the best manner
in all life situations. Another place in the
Quran this is described as “. . . whoever rejects
evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most
trustworthy hand hold”.
And, “Whoever assigns partners to Allah, it
is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds
had snatched him, or the wind had thrown
him to a far-off place. (22:31) In other words,
they are at the mercy of temporary things.
In our lives, the concept that being a believer
is a huge blessing, helps our faith stay
strong, when it is hard to hold on to faith, as our
blessed Prophet said, “The people will see a
time of patience in which someone adhering
to his religion will be as if he were grasping
a hot coal.” (Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2260)
When I talk to other parents of teenagers
and they hear that Islam does not endorse
drinking, dating, partying, they are surprised
and impressed and I can sense that they are
wishing that they had a faith that gave them
The Holy Quran is important
because it makes things
clear, open and visible for
everyone.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
such values. The research about addictions to
drugs, drinking and gambling shows that there
is a genetic component to addiction. The Islamic
teaching of staying away completely from harmful
things makes much more sense than “responsible
drinking”, or a culture which accepts
experimenting with drugs and wild partying, in
which a person may suffer irreparable
harm, and spend the rest of
their life fighting that addiction.
Since it is more beneficial to
apply the Quran to ourselves than
to some hypothetical “other”, this verse can refer
to the times in our lives when we don’t exert
ourselves to draw closer to Allah. When we neglect
our spiritual side, our soul, we will surely
regret it later and wish we had used all the precious
few days of our lives to strengthen our
connection to the Divine.
Verse 3: Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves,
and let (false) hopes beguile them, for they
will soon know. This verse answers the question
that, if people wish they were Muslim, why do
they not fully submit to Allah? What stops them.
The answer is clearly given: it is the allurements
and distractions of life. Enjoyment beyond what
is necessary to recharge ourselves, and excessive
consumption, rampant in modern society is
what keeps people away from an abiding commitment
to good. A carefree, casual, fun loving
attitude towards life without seriously considering
the reality of our existence is the path to
loss. We are reminded in surah Asr: if we are not
actively moving towards doing good, we are in
loss and time is our witness.
Verse 4: And never did We destroy a town but
it had a decree made known. This verse speaks
of the destruction that comes upon groups or
towns, when warnings and reminders go unheeded.
Allah is Just, Merciful, so He always
gives multiple warnings. If we take the analogy
of a teacher in a classroom, the test is not given
as a surprise, rather is announced ahead of
time, and quizzes are given, preparation techniques
are taught as much as possible. Allah
shares the pains our blessed Teacher Muhammad
took by saying in Surah Kahf: will you kill
yourself with grief if they do not believe? The
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decree of doom is not some arbitrary judgement,
but the result seen by someone who insisted
on advancing towards the fire despite all
warnings. May Allah protect us.
Verse 5: No people can hasten on their doom,
nor can they postpone (it). Verse further explains
the previous point, that the syllabus of
life is laid out and we are given the chance to
pass through various stages of development, in
the hope that we take charge of our lives and set
forth on the path of self-awareness and self-improvement.
A student who does not do well initially
is not expelled from the course or class,
but given other chances. Allah, the most Merciful
of all those who show mercy, gives us all the
chances and warnings, even if we throw them
away. Once our time is up, the doom comes as a
natural consequence because we were on a
crash course and refused to change direction. A
critical mass has been reached and the time for
results has come. There is tremendous wisdom
in the fact that there is a time for everything,
even when we cannot see it
Verse 6: And they say: O thou to whom the
reminder is revealed, thou art indeed mad. A dialogue
is often used to show attitudes in the
Quran. The first part is an accusation that the
prophet is mad, possessed. Those who speak
the plain truth will surely be scoffed at, made
fun of, their motives and their sanity questioned.
People laugh at and belittle those who
hold fast to religion in these times. We have all
heard things like:
You really believe that stuff? Aren’t you boiling
in all those clothes? Everyone is doing it, so
it’s weird if you don’t. What! You can’t eat all day
when you fast? Not even water? That’s crazy?
Verses 7 and 8: Why do you not bring the angels
to us, if you are of the truthful? We send not
angels but with truth, and then they would not be
respited.
We see in these verses the impatient attitude
of treating religion like an on-demand
movie channel or magic show. Making positive
change in our life is more like a lifelong science
experiment. We must stick with it and be meticulous
to see good results.
Verse 9: Surely, We have revealed the Reminder,
and surely We are its Guardian. This is a
very notable verse in the Quran. Among all the
I Shall Love All Mankind.
carping of what people say in ignorance, we are
reminded of the gravitas of the message, and
given a promise and prediction of success, that
ties into the preservation of the book.
I understood the preservation of the Quran
on 3 levels: The first level is preservation of the
actual words and book itself. We know that the
verses were written down as they were revealed,
and in the lifetime of the Prophet, they
were collected in the divinely inspired correct
order. In the Caliphs’ time, one standard copy
was made and distributed. The details can be
found in the introduction to Maulana Muhammad
Ali’s English translation of the Quran. The
physical words have also been preserved by
millions who memorize the entire Quran, and
this is phenomenon unique to this book. It is living
testimony to the sublime message of the
Quran, which unlike other books, has not been
deemed too sacred to read or understand.
The preservation of the spiritual meanings
is harder than the physical preservation. At
times throughout history the spiritual meanings
have seemed lost, as was evident from the
behaviour of Muslims. Allah took care of this by
regularly sending saints and mujaddids to revive
the spiritual meanings. In the 14th century
Hijrah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the one
who helped us put this holy text on our bedside
table, and to seek depth in its meanings.
The third preservation is the hardest of all.
It is the applicability of the Quran, even after a
long passage of time. There is not much use of a
book that we have physically with us, and can
understand the meaning, but we find we cannot
apply it to our modern lives. Allah has provided
for our every need, and so the Quran urges us to
reflect on nature, reflect in general on life and
its meaning, and to use our rational thought
process in the application of this book. This ijtihad,
or deciding about new matters in the light
of the Quran and hadith, is a way to find the applicability
of the Quran in all times. E.g. most of
us have memorized Ayat al Kursi, or the verse of
the Throne. We may also know what it means.
However, when we recite it after our obligatory
prayers, as advised by the blessed Prophet, do
we really understand how it applies to our
lives? What concepts are contained in it, that
when internalized, will lead us to heaven?
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Hence, out of the three types of preservation,
the first two have been done for us, and
handed to us on a silver platter. The actual
Quran and meanings are available. It is for us to
must engage in a lifelong struggle for the personal
understanding and application.
Verses: 10-13 And certainly we sent (messengers)
before thee among the sects of yore. And
there never came a messenger to them but they
mocked him. Thus, do we make it enter the hearts
of the guilty. They believe not in it; and the example
of the ancients has gone before.
These words remind us of the human struggles
in life, that one who tries to teach and reform
is ridiculed, and not taken seriously. Advice
from parents and grandparents is laughed
off by kids, as if it came from the Jurassic age.
The elders are not immune to the same attitude.
Often, they refuse to listen to new solutions and
points of view, as if everything new is corrupted
and not as good as the good old times.
Because of our own attitude, our hearts may
become hardened and they become like
parched, packed earth in which there is no room
for anything to grow. This condition of closed
and hard heartedness remains, no matter how
many signs are shown. We need to guard ourselves
against this dangerous attitude, and examine
ourselves. What is our first response
when we receive advice?
Verses 14 and 15: And even if We open to
them a gate of heaven, and they keep on ascending
into it, they would say: Only our eyes have
been covered over, rather we are an enchanted
people.
scenes we can scarcely believe. Science has
given us a microscopic view of life as well, no
less fascinating than that of space. Yet instead of
inspiring belief, for many it has done the opposite.
The Creator is obscured in the creation. In
the last verse, it is said their eyes have been covered.
We know from daily life that the heart sees
as much as the eyes. If the heart is closed, the
eyes are closed as well. If we want to see Allah’s
signature in everything, we don’t really need
any extraordinary apparatus.
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”
― William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
Yet those who mock and trivialize things do
not have the right mindset to learn anything. It
is a refusal to take responsibility for their own
decisions, a denial any control over their lives.
When life is all about taking the easy way out, it
is hard to find depth in it. And it refers to the
second verse. That those who disbelieve wish
they were Muslims. A time comes when there is
nothing but regret for the time wasted in life.
Points to ponder: What is our spiritual plan
for our lives. Are we going to regret our present
attitudes and how we spent our time? Rumi
says: Work as hard in your spiritual world as in
your physical world.
Allah has preserved the Quran for us. What
are we doing to preserve the Quran for ourselves,
to fully avail ourselves of its beauty and
gifts?
The gates of heaven have indeed been
opened for us. The cover of heaven has been removed,
as stated in Surah Takwir. We can see
detailed photographs of far off galaxies. The
Hubble telescope shows us amazing images of
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore (UK)
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I Shall Love All Mankind.
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