2017 05 The Light May 2017

ِ 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 


آ 



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



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) 


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



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 




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 


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



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 


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-



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, 


(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,



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) 


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



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. 


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



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 


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?



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) 

Founders of the first Islamic Mission in the UK, established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission. 

Dar-us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, UK, HA0 4JQ 

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E-mail: info@aaiil.uk 

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