ِ ی م م الرَّح
ن
ِ
سب ا ہللِ الرَّْحم ٰ
ْ م ِ
The Light
International Organ of the Centre for the Worldwide
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam
2017
June
April
2016
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
Revision of the English Translation
of Holy Quran by Dr Zahid Aziz 2
Identity Theft – I
By Iain Dixon 6
Female Circumcision
By Shahid Aziz 8
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
During Ramadan – Daily English
Lectures at 13:00 (Prof Tariq Ramadan)
and 20:30 (Shahid Aziz).
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
We Wish All our Brothers and
Sisters a Blessed and Fulfilling
Ramadan.
Our Recent English Broadcasts
‣ Cutting off of hands in the Holy Quran. -
Part 1
‣ Cutting off of hands in the Holy Quran. -
Part 2.
‣ Hypocrisy of Free Speech
‣ The Holy Quran, the News, the Bankers and
the Boat People.
Interesting external links
‣ Biblical Translation changed to Take
Account of Scientific Evidence
‣ Christians and the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(s)
‣ Non-Muslims in a Muslim Country.
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.
June 2017 The
Light 2
The Call of the Messiah
by
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad,
The Promised Messiah and
Mahdi
Religious leaders of the country
Similarly, the hereditary heads of the socalled
spiritual orders and the pirs (religious
leaders) of this country are so far removed from
Islam and so engrossed day and night in their
pernicious innovations, that they have no idea
of the difficult times through which Islam is
passing. If you attend their assemblies, instead
of the Holy Quran and the Hadith, you will find
them bending and swaying to the tune of musical
instruments and qawwali (songs) with numerous
innovations in evidence. But, in spite of
all this, they claim to be religious leaders and
followers of the Holy Prophet (s).
Indeed, anybody can claim that he loves Allah,
but only he truly loves Allah to whose love
heaven itself should bear witness. Everybody
claims that he is a follower of the true religion,
but true is the religion of that man alone who
obtains light in this very life itself. And everybody
says that he will get salvation, but only he
who is given light in this earthly life itself is justified
in making this claim
This is the time for rendering service
to the cause of religion.
My dear people! This is the time for serving
the cause of the religion you claim to profess.
Realise the value of this rare opportunity, for if
you let it slip, it will not offer itself to you a second
time.
You are the followers of an incomparably
great and exalted Prophet, so why do you lose
heart? Be firm of faith, and set an example that
even the angels in heaven should wonder at
your strength and steadfastness, and should
pray for blessings on you.
With this I conclude, and pray that this
teaching of mine will be fruitful and beneficial
to you and will generate a change in your hearts.
(Kishti-i Nuh — Noah’s Ark, concluded)
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
completes the revision of his
English Translation of the Holy
Quran for the 1951 edition
Compiled by
Dr Zahid Aziz
Compiler’s Note:
In June 1947 Maulana
Muhammad Ali
embarked upon his
last major literary
project, the revision of his English translation
and commentary of the Holy Quran which had
been first published in 1917. The revised edition
was published in 1951, shortly after the
death of Maulana Muhammad Ali on 13 October
1951.
The main part of the revision work was
completed in two years. Maulana Muhammad
Ali announced the completion in a Friday sermon
(khutba) in Karachi on 19th August 1949,
delivered in Urdu. The khutba was published a
few days later in the Lahore Ahmadiyya Urdu
periodical Paigham Sulh, 7 September 1949, p.
5–6, under the heading ‘The second important
occasion of happiness in my life’. The following
English translation of this sermon has been
done by Dr Zahid Aziz. The headings are as in
the original publication.
The second important occasion of
happiness in my life
We acquired knowledge of the Quran
by sitting at the feet of the Promised
Messiah.
You must benefit from this inherited
knowledge and take the Quran to the
world
Friday khutba by Maulana Muhammad Ali, Karachi,
19 August 1949
After reciting the Sura Fatiha, the Maulana
said:
Faith in Allah bestows tranquillity and
solace
It is, in any case, usual for us to praise Allah
June 2017 The
Light 3
and thank Him five times a day, or even more
frequently. Even when we are facing difficulties,
and trials and tribulations, or suffering from illness,
we are taught to say: Al-hamdu li-llahi
Rabb-il-‘alamin (“Praise be to Allah, the Lord of
the worlds”). It is greatly consoling to be reminded
by this, that within our problems and
difficulties Allah has placed the means of our
betterment. There is nothing else that can bring
as much solace and comfort to the heart as does
faith in God. He who believes and is convinced
that the suffering which is upon him contains
the means of his welfare and improvement truly
finds peace in his heart, and the pains and afflictions
which make life intolerable are, to him, a
source of contentment.
Success in life
If there is a secret of success in this world, it
is just this, that man must not panic at the time
of difficulty and trials. He who believes and is
certain that God brings us difficulties for our
own good will definitely lead a successful life.
The teachings given by God seek to create such
a belief and conviction within us, which is why
we are required to praise Allah in prayers five
times a day even in the midst of suffering and
affliction.
Praising Allah with real feeling
However, some events take place which lead
a man to say: Al-hamdu li-llahi Rabb-il-‘alamin
with greater emotion and passion. Each person
fixes some aims in life, and he attains pleasure
by achieving them, according to what they are.
The person who has high aims receives pleasure
from attaining high things. The one who has
low aims is pleased at the attainment of inferior
things.
The second occasion of happiness in
my life
The verse I have recited today, Al-hamdu lillahi
Rabb-il-‘alamin, I have recited on a specially
joyous occasion. In my life there have been
many other happy moments but this is the second
occasion of special happiness. The first occasion
was when I completed the English translation
of the Holy Quran, and today it is the second
when I have completed the revision of the
I Shall Love All Mankind.
translation. I have come after finishing it at
about 1.45 pm today. The reason for happiness
is that man’s life is very uncertain. Many a time,
he faces circumstances in which he could lose
his life.
Starting such a monumental task and taking
it to completion depended entirely on the grace
and favour of God. Many friends had been asking
me for several years for this revision, but at
my age I could not muster the strength required
for this stupendous hard work. It was a task
both huge and difficult. My earlier experience
was there, when I had worked day and night for
seven years. But those days were different.
Then I had much more physical strength and
energy than I have now. I used to work twelve
or even fourteen hours daily. When I got tired
sitting down, I would work standing up. Now
due to my age on the one hand, and the magnitude
of the revision work on the other, I did not
feel I had the strength to do it. But Allah’s grace
and mercy knows no bounds, and with His help
and enablement this work has been completed
today.
How the resolve for revision came to
me
By coincidence, when I wrote Living
Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad, the gist of
the teachings of the Quran on most subjects appeared
in this book, and many points were included
in it which had not occurred to me when
I was doing the translation and commentary of
the Holy Quran. This new light that thus illuminated
my mind created a renewed strength
within me, and a determination arose in my
heart that, whatever the difficulties, I should
begin the work of revision. As to how much
change I have made in this revision, you can find
out from three friends who are at this time doing
the typing as honorary work only for the
sake of Allah, namely, Chaudhry Khushi Muhammad,
Muhammad Hasan Khan and
Chaudhry Ghulam Rasul, or you will see after
the translation is published.
Difficulties and obstacles faced during
work
I started this work on 25th June 1947 when
I was staying at Dalhousie. Hardly had I worked
June 2017 The
Light 4
for a month and a half when calamity befell. 1 For
those who were residing far from large populations,
as the handful of us were, as we were living
three miles away from the centre of Dalhousie,
escaping safely was only by the grace of God.
Merely three or four men, that is, myself, Mian
Ghulam Rasul, Shaikh Mian Muhammad, Khan
Bahadur Mian Afzal Husain, were living cut off
from the world in a place like a wilderness. The
jealous opponents of the Muslims had us
marked as targets, so much so that their first action
after we left was to burn down the residences
of myself, Mian Muhammad and Mian
Maula Bakhsh. They had this in mind since long
before. Some men came to me, about whom I
suspected that they had ulterior motives.
So, such was the disaster that was faced just
a month and a half after starting this work that
it had to be postponed for a long time. Then I
took it up again and continued it in Quetta [during
the summer] last year. There I went through
another ordeal [of illness] but I was granted a
new lease of life by the grace of God. Having
passed through these two difficult phases, completing
the revision of the translation of the
Quran is a source of tremendous joy for me.
Service of the Quran is the best service
of humanity
On this joyous occasion I have read the
words: Al-hamdu li-llahi Rabb-il-‘alamin. The
service of the Holy Quran is the work by which
we can best serve mankind. It must be remembered,
with the fullest faith in the heart, that the
welfare and betterment of the world lies nowhere
but in the Word of God which He revealed
to his last Messenger. Nothing can rescue the
world from its present troubles except the
Quran. It is absolutely true that the reason for
my happiness is not that Allah has granted me
some further knowledge of the Quran, but that
with His help I had the opportunity to place the
Holy Quran before the world in a way which
shows that it contains a solution for its present
problems. Perhaps this may serve as a source of
guidance for the world and illumine the hearts
of people with the light of God.
Treasures of Quranic knowledge lie
within the depth of meaning of its
words
Reading the Quran illuminates your heart,
but this depends on the concentration with
which you read this word of God. The more you
concentrate on it, and the deeper you go into it,
the more it will enter your heart. This can be
made clearer by the following example. Just as
pearls are found in the depths of the oceans,
likewise the boundless treasures of knowledge
contained in the Quran, which will continue to
be unfolded till the Day of Judgment, are to be
found in the depths of the meanings of its
words. It is an ocean that no one is denied access
to, but to obtain those valuable pearls from
it, which give us light to solve our problems, is
dependent on how much effort and exertion we
put in for their acquisition.
Try to solve the problems of the world
from the Quran
Therefore, I advise my friends to try to find
solutions to the problems of the world from the
Holy Quran. Apply thought to these problems
and then ponder over the Quran. Remember
this principle that the solution of the problems
of the world lies in developing faith in God, and
nothing else can create as much faith in God as
can the Holy Quran. But to develop faith requires
a struggle. Faith and striving have a reciprocal
relationship. Faith creates the desire to
strive, as a result of which a person sees the
truth and can shed light upon it for others.
Knowledge of the Quran is an inheritance
of the Lahore Jama‘at from the
Mujaddid
I must tell you that the true knowledge of
the Holy Quran has in this age been disclosed
particularly to your Jama‘at, and this blessing is
in reality due to that man at whose feet we
gained this knowledge. He set us on the right
path. To gain true knowledge, a balanced mind
1
The events mentioned here occurred at the partition
of India. Many Muslims from the Punjab used to
spend the summer in Dalhousie, a salubrious place in
the mountains. It was in an area which at partition
I Shall Love All Mankind.
was awarded to India, and many Muslims had to flee
from it, as from many other such places, to the new
state of Pakistan.
June 2017 The
Light 5
is required, and it is the blessing of God that this
Jama‘at has maintained its mental equilibrium.
This is why the Promised Messiah’s intellectual
heritage has passed to this small Jama‘at.
Why didn’t the Qadiani Jama‘at inherit
sufficiently?
The larger, Qadiani Jama‘at has not been
able to benefit from it sufficiently because, on
the one hand, through exaggeration it elevated
a Mujaddid to the rank of prophethood, and on
the other hand due to its system of blind obedience
by the followers to the leader, it lost its
mental balance. Its own leader complains that
his Jama‘at has lost its mental equilibrium. Followers
come under complete control of their
spiritual leader just as animals are under the
control of man. Their potential for development,
placed in human nature by God, is suppressed
and their development comes to a halt.
You will observe that the circumstance which
deprived the Muslims of knowledge, and reduced
them to a stagnant, static state, was just
this blind following of religious leaders which
paralysed the human brain and darkened the
light of their intellect, making them incapable of
further progress.
Differing with the Promised Messiah in
secondary matters
It is perfectly true that we accepted Hazrat
Mirza sahib as Mujaddid, as Mahdi and as the
Messiah. However, we never accepted him as
one to be followed blindly. We used to differ
with him sometimes. The Nawab of Mongrol felt
much attraction and love for this Movement. To
a large extent he believed the Ahmadiyya Movement
to be true. When once we were with him,
a Maulvi tried to incite him against us and said
to him: ‘These people whom you respect and
honour so much, who believe Mirza sahib to be
the Promised Messiah, they have differences
with their own Promised Messiah; he did not
believe that Jesus was born of a father, but these
people believe he had a father.’
Messiah has declared the Holy Quran to be supreme
over everything. So, if we see something
clearly in the Quran, then in a secondary matter
we consider it permissible to hold a different interpretation
from the Promised Messiah, provided
it is supported by strong arguments. We
have learnt the Quran from the Promised Messiah
but he did not shut the doors of knowledge
upon us; rather, he opened them. The words of
Hazrat Umar deserve to be written in letters of
gold which he uttered when a woman drew his
attention to a verse of the Quran according to
which there can be no limit to the amount of
mahr that a wife is given by the husband. Hazrat
Umar said: “The women of Madina have more
understanding of religion than Umar”.
After the founder of the religion, difference
with anyone is allowed
Therefore, it is no sin to differ, even with the
greatest of persons. Of course, one cannot differ
with the founder of the religion, the Holy
Prophet Muhammad. After him, one can differ
with anyone from Hazrat Abu Bakr to Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The concept that such
differences are not allowed caused Muslims to
become stagnant. Prior to that, the Muslims
were racing on the path of progress, in terms of
both knowledge and deeds. They led the world
in all aspects of life. But when this nation got
stuck in the mire of taking religious leaders “for
lords besides Allah” (the Quran, 9:31), it went
into decline.
Read the Quran with understanding
You must read the Holy Quran, and read it
with thought and concentration. Only God
knows to whom He will grant knowledge for the
benefit of His creatures. Allah has given a brain
to everyone and placed a light within each person
as well. As you take more and more interest
in the Quran, and make your connection with it
stronger, the things in it which appear remote
and distant will seem to be emerging from your
own heart.
The Nawab sahib put this question to me. I
replied that this just shows that we have not accepted
the Promised Messiah without thinking,
but after thinking and understanding, with
open eyes, which are still open. The Promised
I Shall Love All Mankind.
After revision, the stage of printing
and publication
I have related to you my experience, that Al-
June 2017 The
Light 6
lah accepted my effort and enabled me to complete
this work. There remains another stage,
which is the crucial one. There is not only the
question of printing, for which the manuscript
has yet to be prepared, but there is the question
of its dissemination in the world. The Holy
Quran is already in our homes. If, after translation,
it remains confined to our homes, will it
reach the world? The real objective is its propagation.
Idea of translation occurs to a recluse
of Qadian
I look with amazement as to how the idea
occurred to a recluse living in Qadian, occurring
at the same time as he made his claim, that the
Quran should be translated and sent to the peoples
of Europe and America. Perhaps the second
resurgence of Islam would take place by their
hands. It would not be surprising if Islam
spreads among them and makes them the more
capable of serving the Quran.
Serve the Quran along with your other
work or business
So, the other task is to spread the Holy
Quran. In this, every one of you can participate,
whether you are great or small. You can do
whatever work you wish to, but make this task
the aim of your life. There are some people who
devoted their lives entirely to the service of Islam
and the Quran. There are others who carry
on their own business or employment, and
along with that they serve the faith. Dr Basharat
Ahmad, although he was in employment, devoted
his life to the service of the Quran, and the
light of the Quran had brightly illuminated his
heart. Anyone who reads his commentary on
two parts of the Quran can feel that. It brings
such enjoyment and contentment that one’s
faith in God is revived.
Try to acquire and pass on knowledge
of the Quran
Those people who are employed in jobs can
follow whatever profession they wish. But each
one, according to his aptitude, can also perform
service of the Quran at the same time. Try to acquire
knowledge of the Quran and pass it on. Allah
never wastes anyone’s effort and struggle.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
The brains of all human beings have more or
less the same capability. The difference is in
man’s effort. The person of average intelligence
can achieve through effort what a highly intelligent
man cannot achieve without effort.
(From the Paigham Sulh, 7 September 1949, 5–
6)
Identity Theft!
(Part 1)
By Iain Dixon
Asaalamu alaikum!
May the peace of Allah be
upon you!
I have been told that the expression Allahu
Akbar means ‘God is great’, or more accurately
‘God is greater than anything, His greatness is
beyond and above anything and everything’.
Wow! What praise for God! Surely these are
beautiful words that should only be reserved for
the beautiful Creator of heaven and earth! The
words Allahu Akbar provide an eternity of contemplation
for the believer, majestic praise that
is higher than the highest mountain, a source of
joy that is deeper than the deepest mountain,
praise that is more radiant than the brightness
of all the stars of the universe put together! And
yet, something has gone horribly wrong in the
world today. Rather that, Allahu Akbar being a
refrain of praise, or a symphony of love and adoration
for the greatness of God, something sinister
has occurred. The hearing of these words
has sent, and is continuing to send, a chill of fear
in the hearts and minds of its hearers around
the world. For many, Allahu Akbar has become a
death cry, and are words that are uttered just
before a bomb is set off, or innocent people are
shot down, slaughtered in an instant. As a candle’s
gentle flame is snuffed out in a moment, so
those uttering Allahu Akbar are extinguishing
light and love in the lives of those who are loved
and treasured by Allah. Somewhere, somehow,
people have traded in love for God and mankind,
with pure hatred. Allahu Akbar has become
a death sentence, and a label that has ‘rebranded’
the Creator of the universe as a God of
hate, who delights in destruction. I call this –
Identity Theft.
In this, and further articles, I want to share
June 2017 The
Light 7
with you what I have learnt from my own personal
reflections on the character of Allah that I
have discovered in reading the pages of the
Honoured Quran. I am a follower of Jesus, and
do not ‘belong to the Islamic faith’ as text books
would define a ‘Muslim’. But I am someone who
thinks, reflects, and has an incredible love and
respect for my Muslim brothers and sisters. I
know the great promises and prophecies in the
Bible scriptures which foretold the growth and
spread of Islam, and how God promised to protect
and bless them, and use them mightily in
the unfolding of his purposes. I am also aware
of the bad press Islam has received in the hands
of the media, and also in the hands of those who
have been guilty of the Identity Theft. May the
words that I write restore honour to Allah, the
Lord of the worlds, and ‘take back’ the beauty
that belongs only to Him, a beauty that has been
stolen by those supposedly acting in His name
— a beauty that has been tarnished and vandalised
like a beautiful painting that has been ruined
by graffiti and spray paint.
Those that are guilty of Identity Theft have
not noticed how often the pages of the Honoured
Quran refer to Allah as most Gracious,
most Merciful! Each chapter of the Quran (except
one) begins with the words In the name of
Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. Does
this sound like the character of the God represented
by suicide bombers around the world, or
those brandishing machine guns, gunning down
other Muslims in mosques because they believe
in a slightly different doctrine? Surely the qualities
of mercy and grace should abound in the
hearts and lives of those who openly declare to
be worshippers of the one true God. We are told
in the pages of the Quran: kind words and covering
of faults are better than charity followed by
injury. 2 Those who have committed Identity
Theft have forgotten to follow Allah’s advice in
abounding in kindness and in the covering of
faults of others. Instead, they have traded these
noble qualities for intolerance and abusive
words, condemning hearts and fault finding in
others. Anyone who disagrees with them is to
be exterminated! Should we not rather treat all
people kindly, especially towards those who do
not see things the way we do?
The Quran instructs us to clothe ourselves
with kindness, forgiveness and mercy towards
others, even if they do not see things the way we
do. The chapter with the title “Those who disagree”
3 is a direct challenge to those who have
committed Identity Theft. Rather than exterminating
those who disagree with us in religious
belief, we are told "Say: O ye that reject
faith, I worship not that which ye worship, nor
will ye worship that which I worship, and I will
not worship that which ye have been wont to
worship, nor will ye worship that which I will
worship. To you your way, and to me mine." 4
People have different beliefs. We are also all
at different stages in grasping spiritual truth.
How tragic it would be to destroy a beautiful
flower before it has come into full bloom! Imagine
crushing what appears to be a lifeless seed,
or cutting down an unimpressive green stem
because we don’t see yet a beautiful flower!
Those who commit Identity Theft do not allow
people to change or give them time to come into
full bloom of all that Allah intended them to become.
Instead they are impatient and intolerant
of others. How different this is to the way of Allah!
In the Bible, we are told “But the path of the
just is as the shining light, that shineth more
and more unto the perfect day.” 5 . Just as the sun
rises gradually each day, and moment by moment
more light is unfolded, so too does our
spiritual light and understanding take time to
grow and mature. We don’t believe it all, get it
all, or know it all — all at once. How sad, that
those who commit Identity Theft have taken
upon themselves to judge others and to take
away the precious gift of life from others — all
in the name of Allahu Akbar. Those who misrepresent
the character of God have never truly recognised
the greatness of God, and His merciful
purposes.
(To be continued in the next issue)
2 Surah Al-Baqarah 2:263.
3 Surah Al-Kafirun 109:1-6
4 The Arabic word deen, translated here as worship, has
a wider significance. It means the way you live and includes
all aspects of life. Thus, this chapter may be
translated as: “O you who disagree with me, I will not
I Shall Love All Mankind.
live the way you do and you do not want to live the way
I teach. So, let each one of us live the way we want to
and we will see the result.” — Editor
5 Proverbs 4:18
June 2017 The
Light 8
Female
Circumcision
Is it prescribed by
Islam?
By Shahid Aziz
Introduction
Female circumcision is known in the West
as FGM, which stands for Female Genital Mutilation.
It is an ancient practice where parts of a
girl’s genitalia are removed to eliminate sexual
desire and pleasure in a woman. Although, people
usually just talk about FGM, there are four
categories.
Type I: Partial or total removal of the clitoris
and/or the prepuce (clitoridectomy).
Type II: Partial or total removal of the clitoris
and the labia minora, with or without excision
of the labia majora (excision).
Type III: Narrowing of the vaginal orifice
with creation of a covering seal by cutting and
positioning the labia minora and/or the labia
majora, with or without excision of the clitoris
(infibulation).
Type IV: All other harmful procedures to the
female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for
example: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping
and cauterization.
It originated in pre-Islamic Africa and was
referenced by the Greek geographer Strabo during
a visit to Egypt around 25 BCE.
UNICEF estimates that 200 million
women are violated by FGM and that
every ten seconds a woman or girl is
subjected to it. It is a common practice
in some countries in Africa and the
Middle East. Inhabitants of those
countries practice FGM regardless of
their faith. For example, Ethiopia is a
predominantly Christian country and
yet FGM is a common practice. Somalia
is a predominantly Muslim country
and FGM is practiced there. In Nigeria,
Muslims and Christians are almost equal in
numbers and both practice FGM. Those who
practice it and those who oppose it both say that
it is prescribed by Islam. This paper is based on
two Friday sermons delivered at the UK headquarters
of the Lahore-Ahmadiyya Movement,
which showed that female circumcision or FGM
is against Islamic teaching.
We find that not only is female circumcision
not practiced in most of Muslim majority countries
such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh etc. In
fact, it is not even known in those countries and
when mentioned, people express astonishment.
In these countries, it is only the small community
of Bohras who practices FGM. In Saudi Arabia
itself, it is only on the Southern tip around
Yemen where FGM is practised by Saudis. Others
who practice FGM in Saudi Arabia are immigrants
from countries such as Egypt.
The Hanafi and Malaki schools of jurisprudence
regard female circumcision as permitted
and the Shaafi and Hanbali schools regard it as
obligatory. Saudis follow the Hanbali school of
jurisprudence, yet we find that it is only a small
minority that indulges in this practice. 6 However,
the fatwahs of these schools are human interpretations
of what they believe to be the
Commands of the Holy Quran and the Prophet
Muhammad (s). Therefore, these opinions are
not binding upon Muslims. Here, we are not
concerned with their interpretation. We are going
to look at the Holy Quran, the Sunnah and
Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s), to
determine whether, just like male circumcision,
female circumcision is also a part of Islam.
6 http://www.arabnews.com/node/263988
I Shall Love All Mankind.
ر
ٌۭ
June 2017 The
Light 9
The Holy Quran
The Holy Quran states: “Then We revealed
to thee: Follow the faith of Abraham, the upright
one; and he was not of the polytheists.” 7 This
shows that the Divine Command to the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (s) was to follow the faith
of Abraham. Therefore, we must look at the
practice of the Jews in this regard. We know that
the Prophet Abraham was circumcised and that
it is Jewish tradition to circumcise males. We
have no evidence to show that any female related
to the Prophet Abraham himself or among
the Jewish people is circumcised. Thus, if Muslims
are to follow the faith of Abraham, then
males are to be circumcised and females are not
to be circumcised.
This is supported by the Holy Quran where
it is said: “And certainly I will lead them astray
and excite in them vain desires and bid them so
that they will slit the ears of the cattle, and bid
them so that they will alter Allah’s creation. And
whoever takes the devil for a friend, forsaking
Allah, he indeed suffers a manifest loss.” 8
Here Satan is saying that he will lead astray
Allah’s creation. One of the ways in which he
will do so is to “bid them so that they will alter
Allah’s creation”. This shows that mutilation of
living things, whether human or animal is forbidden
by Islam – it is the devil’s work. This is
one reason, among others, that Muslims oppose
post-mortems. It may be asked: why are operations
allowed? The answer is the same as in ordinary
law in the West. Grievous body harm is a
criminal offence. Yet, what a surgeon, during an
operation, subjects a patient to is grievous body
harm. But, even if the surgeon kills the patient,
the surgeon will not be charged with any criminal
offence unless a lack of care in carrying out
the operation can be shown. Thus, if there is a
medical reason then the surgeon is safe because
the surgeon is subjecting his patient to the
trauma of being cut open to save the patient’s
life or relieve him of some illness. Recently, a
surgeon who carried out operations without
any medical reason was charged with criminal
wounding and sent to prison.
The same reasoning applies to the Islamic
injunctions. This principle is derived from the
Quran, which states emphatically that injuring a
human without justification is punishable by a
similar act to deter others. It says, “. . .and we
have ordained therein for them that a life for a
life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear
for an ear, a tooth for a tooth and a wound is
punishable equal for equal.” 9
It may be said the male circumcision does
not fall into this category because the children
are perfectly healthy and they are being subjected
to the trauma of an operation. It may be
added that medical benefits of male circumcision
may apply to only a few children and the
rest go through un-necessary pain. This logic
can be applied to any vaccination programme.
Not all the children are going to get smallpox or
TB or whatever other disease they are being
vaccinated against. But, all the children are vaccinated
to remove the danger of any of them
contracting the illness. The same applies to
male circumcision — all the Muslim male children
are circumcised to eliminate the danger to
some. So, male circumcision does not violate
this injunction of the Holy Quran. But there is no
medical reason for female circumcision. On the
contrary, female circumcision leads to physical
and psychological problems. This has been conclusively
established, making female circumcision
not just un-Islamic but also a criminal offence.
The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (s)
This refers to the actions of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (s). The Holy Quran says:
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a
good example to follow. . .” 10
7
ثُمََّ أ وْ ح يْن اَ إِل يْك َ أ نَِ ٱتَّبِعَْ مِ لَّةَ إِبْر هِيم َ ح نِيفًۭ ا ۖ َ و م ا ك ان َ مِن َ ) النحل)
chapter 16, verse 123 ;ٱلْمُشْرِ كِ ين َ
و ْل ُضِ لَّنَّهُمْ َ و ْل ُم ن ِي نَّهُمَْ و ل ء امُر نَّهُمَْ ف ل يُب تِكُنََّ ء اذ ان َ ٱْلْ نْع مَِ (النساء )8
ٱّللََِّ َ
و ل ء امُر نَّهُمَْ ف ل يُغ ي ِرُنََّ خ لْق َ ٱّللَّ َِ ۖ َ
و م ن ي تَّخِ ذَِ ٱلشَّيْط ن َ و لِيًۭا مِن
دُونَِ
ف ق دْ خ سِ ر َ
Chapter 4, verse 119 خُسْر انًۭا مُّبِينًۭا
و ك ت بْن ا ع ل يْهِمَْ فِيه اَ أ نََّ ٱلنَّفْس َ بِٱلنَّفْسِ َ و ٱلْع يْن َ بِٱلْع يْنَِ و ٱْلْ نف َ ) المائدہ ( 9
I Shall Love All Mankind.
بِٱْلْ نفَِ و ٱْلْ ُذُن َ بِٱْلْ ُذُنَِ و ٱلسِنََّ بِٱلسِن َِ و ٱلْجُرُوح َ قِص اصًۭ َ ۖ َ ف م ن ت ص دَّق َ بِهِۦ ف هُو َ
ك فَّار ةًَۭ ۥ لَّهُۖ َ و م ن لَّمْ ي حْكُم بِم اَ أ نز ل َ ف أُو۟ ل ئِك َ هُمُ
َ ٱّللََُّ َ ٱلظَّلِمُون َ
Chapter 5, verse
45
َ ) االحزاب ( 10
َّوْ مَّ ٱلْ ء ى َّاخ رَّ وَّ ذ َّكَّرَّ ٱّللََّ َّ
ي َّرْ جُ وا۟ ٱّللََّ َّ وَّٱل ْي
َّن ك َّانَّ
ل ََّق َّدْ ك َّانَّ ل َّكُ مْ ِفى رَّ سُ ولى ٱ ّللََّ ى أُسْ وَّةٌ حَّ سَّ ن ٌۭ َّةٌ َّلى
Chapter 33, verse 21 كَّثىي ا
June 2017 The
Light 10
If female circumcision is an obligatory Islamic
practice then there must be evidence that
the Holy Prophet Muhammad engaged in it. We
know that there were girls in the Holy Prophet’s
(s) family. Hazrat Fatima (r) was his daughter.
There is no evidence that any woman in the
family of the Holy Prophet (s) was circumcised.
However, in a Hadith Aisha (r), one of the wives
of Prophet Muhammad (s), said, “The Prophet
circumcised Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein on the
seventh day after their birth.” 11 Further, there is
evidence that adult males were circumcised
when they embraced Islam. In a Hadith, Abu
Hureira (r) related: “the Prophet (s) said,
“whenever a man becomes a Muslim he must be
circumcised.” 12 But there is no evidence that an
adult female was circumcised upon embracing
Islam.
Hadith
Words of the Holy Prophet (s) through inspiration
from Allah and with religious implications,
known as wahy khiffi, form part of the
Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (s). And, many religious
practices were established through his
sayings. This is based on verses of the Holy
Quran, such as: “. . . Nor does he speak out of (his
own) desire.” 13 Those who claim that female
circumcision is obligatory in Islam use such
verses and rely on some reports of sayings of
the Holy Prophet (s).
But the difficulty is that the hadith or what
the Holy Prophet (s) said was not written down
for a long time after the Holy Prophet’s demise.
The first collection of his sayings was produced
about a century after the demise of the Holy
Prophet. The most well-known collections of
his sayings appeared after, approximately, another
century. The report of what the Holy
Prophet (s) is supposed to have said are in two
parts; one sanad or a chain of narrators and the
second, matan or the text. When considering
the authenticity of a hadith both parts are considered.
For example, the reliability of the reporters
is considered. If a reporter’s evidence
would not be acceptable to a court of law then
what he reported is weak or unreliable. Similarly,
if the text of a report contradicts the Holy
Quran or natural law then the hadith is not considered
reliable. We now evaluate the sayings of
the Holy Prophet (s) used to support FGM, in
this light.
Five ahadith are used to support this practice.
Each of these five ahadith is analysed to see
if female circumcision can be justified on the authority
of any of these reports.
The First Hadith
In this hadith, reported on the authority of
Abdullah bin Umar, it is said that the women of
the Ansar 14 were enjoined to practice FGM by
the Holy Prophet (s). This is very strange, even
if the hadith is correct. Why is it that only the
women of Madinah are being asked to practice
female circumcision? This alone is enough to
cast doubt on its authenticity.
The main objection to this hadith is that it is
regarded as being weak because of the weakness
of the chain of narrators. “Ash-Shawkany
has said that it is related by Abu Naim with a
chain of transmitters that contains Mindal ibn
Ali who is deemed weak in narration. Ash-
Shawkany also adds that such a hadith is related
by Ibn `Addiy with a chain of transmission having
Khalid ibn Amr Al-Qurashi, who is deemed
weaker than Mindal.” 15 From this it can be
safely concluded that we can reject this hadith.
Second Hadith
Reported in Siha Sitta 16 , on the authority of
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (r), it is said: “"Acts of natural
disposition are five: circumcision, removing
the pubic hair, shaving the moustache, cutting
the fingernails, and plucking the armpit
hair.”
11 Al-Baihaqqy in his book Sunan-al-kubra (The Major
Traditions) vol. 9 pg 299 and pg 303.
12 Al-Hafidh, At-talkhis – The Summary
Chapter 53, verse 3 وَ مَآٰيَنطِقُٰٓعَنِٰٓٱلْهَوَ ى ٰٓ ) النجم ( 13
14 Ansar literally means Helpers. The word became synonymous
with people of Madinah who helped the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (s) and his companions (r) when
they arrived there.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
15 Female Circumcision from an Islamic perspective,
page 6.
16 Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Nasai, Ahmad
and Tirmidhi
June 2017 The
Light 11
Although this is an authentic hadith it does
not mean that all acts mentioned here apply to
both men and women. Women do not have a
moustache, so they cannot be required to trim
it.
Further, the word used here for circumcision
is khitaan, which means male circumcision.
In Arabic, khitaan is not used for female circumcision.
Thus, we can safely say that circumcision
mentioned here does not apply to both men and
women but only to males.
Third Hadith
The Prophet (s) was reported to have said:
“Circumcision is an act of Sunnah for men and
an honourable act for women.” In his commentary
on the book The Revival of the Religious Sciences,
AL Hafiz Al-Iraqi has judged the concerned
Hadith as weak, which is the same judgment
of Al-Bayhaqy, Ibn Abu Hatim, and Ibn Abdul-Barr.
Further, all the narrations of this Hadith
are traced back to Al-Hajjaj Ibn Arta’ah
whose narrations are not to be taken as a proof
of a legal ruling for being dishonest in his narration.
In his book Talkhis Al-Habir fi Takhrij
Ahadith Ar-Rafi`y Al-Kabir, AlHafiz Ibn Hajar has
spoken of the weakness of such a Hadith citing
the saying of Al-Bayhaqy that it is weak and disconnected.
Ibn `Abdul Barr has also stated in his
work At-Tamhid Lima fi Al-Muwatta' min Al-
Ma`ani wa Al-Asanid that the narrations of the
Hadith in question are taken from an unreliable
narrator. Ibn `Abdul-Barr has maintained in the
same book, “Such a Hadith is taken as a proof of
the permissibility of circumcision by those
deeming such an act as one of Sunnah despite
that this Hadith is originally received from Al-
Hajja j Ibn Arta’ah whose reports are not to be
taken as a proof in case he is the only narrator
of such reports; that is to say such reports . . .” 17
A further problem with this hadith is that
the word khitaanu is used, which, as has been
pointed out means male circumcision. In addition,
the construction of the sentence is such
that even by stretching the imagination one
cannot say that it includes female circumcision.
Why not just say that circumcision is obligatory
on both the male and female, rather than adopting
the convoluted instruction.
The Fourth Hadith
The most common saying of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (s) used as justification is
what he said to a woman called Umm ‛Attiyyah
who used to circumcise females in EL Medina El
Menora: “O Umm ‛Attiyyah, take a little part and
do not exaggerate; doing so will preserve the
fairness of the woman’s face and satisfy the husband”
“This Hadith has been narrated by Al-Hakim,
Al-Bayhaqy and Abu Dawood with similar
wording but through weak chains of transmitters.
Al-Hafiz Zayn Ed-Din Al-Iraqi in his Commentary
on Al-Ghazali's book The Revival of the
Religious Sciences agrees with this. Abu
Dawood, whose narration of this Hadith is different
in wording, comments on the Hadith saying,
“It is reported with the same meaning and
the same chain of transmitters by Ubaydullah
ibn Amr on the authority of Abdul Malak; moreover,
it is not of a strong chain of transmitters as
one of its narrations is Mursal (i.e., has no companion
in its chain of transmitters). Above all,
Muhammad Ibn Hassan, the narrator of this
Hadith, is anonymous and the Hadith itself has
been categorized as a da`if (weak) Hadith.”
Imam Shams Ed-Din Al-Haqq Al-Azim Abady
comments on the saying of Abu Dawood, “This
Hadith is not strong because of the weakness of
the narrator ‘Muhammad Ibn Hassan Al-Kufi . .
.’”. Ibn Aidyy and Al-Bayhaqy have attested to
the anonymity of Muhammad ibn Hassan, the
narrator, while Al-Hafiz Abdul-Ghany Ibn Said
disagrees with them about the narrator saying,
“He is Muhammad ibn Said who was crucified
for being an atheist. He is a weak and an unreliable
narrator.” Whether being Muhammad Ibn
Hassan or Muhammad ibn Said, the narrator is
a liar as scholars maintain that he fabricated
four thousand Hadiths and attributed them to
the Prophet (s). About him, Imam Ahmad says,
“Al Mansur killed and then crucified him as a
punishment for atheism.” In addition, some of
the contemporaries have compiled all narrations
of this Hadith and concluded that all the
17 Female Circumcision from an Islamic perspective,
page 4.
I Shall Love All Mankind.
June 2017 The
Light 12
ways through which this Hadith is transmitted
are weak and cannot be considered a proof of a
legal ruling. In his thesis on female circumcision,
Muhammad Lutfy As-Sabbagh, Professor
in Islamic Studies in Riyadh University, says,
“See, may Allah guide you, how the two great
Imams, Abu Dawood and Al-Iraqi, have judged
this Hadith to be da‛if. The da‛if hadith is the one
lacking authenticity criteria.” 18
Fifth Hadith
It is reported on the authority of Hazrat
Ayesah (r) that the Prophet (s) said: “if the two
organs to be removed by circumcision are met,
then performing Ghusl (ritual bath) is obligatory.”
19
Although this is regarded as an authentic
hadith, the objections to it are the same as discussed
above. It uses the khitaanani as the dualplural.
It has been pointed out already that this
means male circumcision. So, it is not saying
when these “circumcised” organs of both the
male and female meet then they should take a
bath. Also, the hadith is found in the chapters
related to purification.
The idea that this hadith shows female circumcision
is allowed is based on a misunderstanding.
Such dual-plurals are applied in Arabic
to two things which, though different, share
some attribute. Here are some examples.
i. Al-umareyn - (the two Umars) referring to
two close companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(s) (Abu bakar and Umar (r)). The
Prophet (s) called these two companions
“Umareyn,” yet they were two different individuals.
ii. Al-Bahreyn - (two seas) referring to the
sea (bahr) and river (nahr)
iii. Al-qamareyn - (the two moons), referring
to the sun (al-Shams) and the moon (al- qamar).
iv. Al-ishaeyn - (the two ishas) referring to
Isha and Maghrib prayers.
v. Al-aswadeyn - (the two black things) referring
to water and dates. 20
Recent Scholars
In several Muslim countries, the government
has legislated to try and outlaw FGM. In
the 1950s, the Egyptian government tried to
stop midwives from performing the custom,
while allowing doctors to do so — fearing that
otherwise the daughters of the families who insisted
on circumcising would have the operation
carried out in unsafe conditions. But in
1996, the health minister imposed a total ban
on the practice.
Religious authorities have also given decrees
against this practice. Egypt's two top Islamic
clerics, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, the
Grand Sheik of Al-Azhar, the foremost theological
institute in the Sunni Muslim world, and
Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, attended a conference
to discuss this issue, which drew scholars from
as far afield as Russia. 21 They both spoke
against FGM.
From the above discussion, it can be concluded
that female circumcision, or FGM, is not
sanctioned by the Holy Quran or the actions of
the Holy Prophet. The ahadith on which supporters
of FGM rely are unreliable or they have
been mistranslated. Indeed, one can go further
and argue that the Holy Quran forbids FGM.
(end)
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
Centre: 020 8903 2689 ∙ President: 01793 740670 ∙ Secretary: 07737 240777 ∙ Treasurer: 01932 348283
E-mail: info@aaiil.uk
Websites: www.aaiil.org/uk | www.ahmadiyya.org | www.virtualmosque.co.uk
Donations: https://www.cafonline.org/charityprofile/aaiiluk
ٰٓ
18 Female Circumcision from an Islamic perspective,
from Islam by USAID, page 11
page 3.
21 http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/muslim-
19 Malik, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and others
20 Delinking Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting
scholars-rule-female-circumcision-unis-
lamic/2006/11/24/1163871589618.html
I Shall Love All Mankind.
Change language