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The Light

International Organ of the Centre for the Worldwide

Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam

2018

April

2016

May

The only Islamic organisation upholding the finality of prophethood.

Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at

www.virtualmosque.co.uk

Germany

Guyana

India

Sweden

Suriname

Editors

- Amir Aziz

- Abd ul Muqtadir Gordon

- Gowsia Saleem & - Prof. Shahab

Shabbir

- Kaleem Ahmed

- Robbert Bipat M.D, PhD

South Africa-Ebrahim Mohamed

UK

USA

- Shahid Aziz & - Mustaq Ali

- Zainab Ahmad

Contents

The Call of the Messiah 2

Fasting by Dr Reza Ghafoerkhan 3

Holy_Prophet_MuhammadGrants_Human_Rights

by Mr Salman Tufail 4

Claim_of_Hazrat_Mirza_Ghulam_

Ahmad by Mr Ebrahim Mohamed 9

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

Our 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

Broadcasts from and about us

‣ www.virtualmosque.co.uk

‣ Audio of the Holy Quran

‣ Charity a social obligation by Mr

Nasir Ahmad

‣ Man - The Best of Creatures by

Talha Adnan.

Interesting external links

‣ The Future Evolution of Political Islam.

‣ Stemming Extremism by the Saudis.

‣ Is the queen a descendant of the Holy Prophet

(s)?

‣ Muslims and Christians celebrate Mary!

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.

We welcome all scholarly contributions to

The Light.

I Shall Love All Mankind.

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May 2018 The

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The Call of the

Messiah

by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam

Ahmad

The Promised Messiah and Mahdi

(Editor’s note: Any quotations from the Quran

are translated from the author’s explanations

and are not literal translations of the verse

quoted. This extract is from the English translation

of a lecture he delivered in the city of Sialkot,

now in Pakistan, taken from the Lahore Ahmadiyya

publication ‘Essence of Islam’.)

Arya Samajist view of Salvation Analysed

We will next take the Arya Samaj and consider

the means which it proposes for release

from the bondage of sin. Here again, as in the

case of Christianity, we meet with a plain denial

of Divine revelation and heavenly signs, a denial

based on the authority of Hindu sacred books,

the Vedas. It is vain, therefore, to look in this direction

for the complete satisfaction which the

heart of man finds in the sweet Words of God,

the acceptance of his prayers and the manifestation

of heavenly signs which reveal to him the

face of the living God.

But if all these sources of certainty cannot

be accessed, then a man shall have to depend

upon reason only according to the Vedic doctrine.

But reason, as shown above, is not a

source of perfect certainty. It cannot make a

man attain the perfect Divine knowledge which

is equivalent to seeing God. This is the

knowledge which, by generating true love and

fear of God, burns the chaff of sin, mortifies the

sensual passions and working a holy transformation

in the life of man, cures all defects and

washes away all the impurities of sin. But as

most men do not care for the perfect purity of

life which frees a man from every stain of sin, so

they do not even aspire after a holy life. Their

hearts are so dead to it that they do not ever feel

its need. On the other hand, they are ready to

fight when the truth is told because of their excessive

bias towards a particular set of dogmas.

The position of the Arya Samaj is extremely

deplorable. It denies revelation, heavenly signs

I Shall Love All Mankind.

and acceptance of prayers, the only means to a

perfect knowledge of God, and bases the whole

superstructure of its beliefs on the slender bases

of reason. But its principles do not hold even

when judged from the standpoint of reason. For,

as shown above, the only argument for the existence

of God that can be derived from the

source of reason, is that this universe could not

have come into existence of itself and that it

must have a creator. But the Arya Samaj teaches

the doctrine that matter and soul are self-existent

and eternal and that God has created nothing.

Hence the only argument that reason could

give for the existence of God fails given the principles

inculcated by the Arya Samaj.

This vital objection against the teachings of

the Samajists is sometimes sought to be removed

by the assertion that though matter and

soul are self-existent, the combination of the

particles of matter and the soul could not be

effected without the power of God. But the

absurdity of this idea is clear on the face of it.

For, when it is assumed that the particles of

matter and the soul have in them the inherent

quality which has made them self-existing and

self-supporting from eternity, it is nothing but a

total mistake to assert that some external

power is needed for their union and

combination; to assert, first that every particle

of matter existing in the universe is with all its

qualities a self-existing thing, and that,

similarly, every soul with all its attributes and

power is self-existent, and to deny then that the

power of combination in the particles of matter

and the power of the union in matter and soul

belongs to them is contradictory. No sensible

person can hold this position for a single

minute. The holder of such a belief is easy prey

for atheism, and it needs very little effort on the

part of an atheist to win over an Arya Samajist

to his side. It grieves me much to see that the

Arya Samaj has, in formulating its doctrines,

committed serious errors in both branches of

Law. About God, the Aryas hold the belief that

He is not the Author of the universe and the

source from which all blessings flow, but that

matter and soul with all their properties and attributes

are self-existent and not in any way under

obligation to God. If this is true, it is meaningless

to acknowledge the existence of God,

and even if His existence is assumed, it does not

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May 2018 The

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appear why He deserves to be worshipped, on

what grounds He is to be taken as the All-powerful

Being, and how and by what methods He

is to be recognised. Can anyone answer these

questions? If only there were a heart capable of

receiving this message of sympathy! If only

someone sat in the corner of solitude and

pondered over these words! Almighty God!

Have mercy on these people who are our neighbours

of old. Turn the hearts of most of them to

the truth so that they should know it and accept

it, for to You belongs all power. Ameen. (Return

to contents)

Fasting in Summer and

Winter

A Spiritual Approach

by Reza Ghafoerkhan

The month of Ramadan is approaching, and

especially in areas with very early sunrise and

late sunset, the fasting hours may be very long.

Hence, some Muslims will be unwilling or

physically unable to fast such long hours. In this

Note, we will try to express an alternative view

on fasting in summer, which may enable these

brothers and sisters to fast in Ramadan as well.

First, we would like to quote a part of Maulana

Muhammad Ali's comment on verse 2:187

of the Quran:

"An important question arises here regarding

countries in which the days are sometimes

very long, where it would be beyond the power

of ordinary men to abstain from food from the

breaking of the dawn to sunset. There is a report

according to which the companions of the

Prophet are related to have asked him about

their prayers in a day which extended to a year

or a month, and the Prophet is related to have

answered that they should measure according

to the measure of their days (AD 36:13). From

this it would follow that in countries where the

days are too long the time of fasting may be

measured by the length of an ordinary day, or

where practicable postpone the fasts to shorter

days of about normal length."

Based on this view of the Maulana, we

would like to provide the reader with some

I Shall Love All Mankind.

more arguments to fast shorter hours in the

case of very long days.

The first point is the spiritual meaning behind

the rituals we perform. Quran 2:183 tells

us that fasting should lead us to greater taqwa

(to guard ourselves against evil). The goal of

prayer, as well, is to strengthen our taqwa.

Quran 29:45 states: “Prayer keeps one away

from indecency and evil.” Also, in the case of

sacrifice, as 22:37 states, it is not the flesh or

blood (the physical part) that is most important,

but the observance of duty. And several

hadith (traditions from the Prophet Muhammad)

on fasting show us that our fast is not

complete if we find ourselves in false talk and

illicit conduct during fasting (Bukhari, Muslim).

So, it is not the outer acts of fasting that are

more important, but the inner part.

The second point is that fasting and prayer

keep us away from indecency and evil. Indecency

and evil to whom? Most likely not to ourselves,

but to others. Therefore, if we should desist

from doing evil to others, our fasting should

cover at least that period in which we are in

contact with other people.

There is a hadith which tells us that the

Prophet disliked having conversations after

Isha prayer (late night prayer) (Maulana Muhammad

Ali, Manual of Hadith, chapter 9, hadith

10). This is probably because the Prophet

wanted Isha to be the last action of the day. The

advice to his followers is not to have conversations

(after Isha) to avoid the risk of getting involved

in unnecessary talk. Isha enables us to

make up for the mistakes of the day just before

going to sleep. So it is our last action after having

social contact with others, and Fajr is our

first action before our social interacting. Between

Fajr and Isha are our social activities,

with emphasis on the time just after Fajr and

just before Maghrib at ‘normal’ sunrise and sunset

times (the working hours).

Thus, if fasting should keep us away from

committing evil against others, then there will

be no need to start fasting at 3:00 a.m. (for example),

as we will have little or no social contacts

until a few hours later.

In winter, the situation can be reversed.

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May 2018 The

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Some are not willing to fast the long hours of

summer but take the opportunity to fast the

very short hours in winter. We are of the opinion

that in winter the fast should also cover at

least the period in which we are involved in social

activities, which is most likely between 6:00

a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (at least). For example, in

December in Holland, one would fast less than

10 hours if calculated from dawn till sunset.

iftaar (breaking of fast) would be around 4:30

p.m., while the time for social activities will not

yet have passed (in Europe, social activities,

even work, go on till 6:00 p.m. in many cases).

Therefore, in this case, fasting should be extended

until at least after 6:00 p.m.

We should also note that Islam is not a religion

of either extreme, but of remaining moderate

and in the middle. In high latitude countries

(higher than 50 degrees), fasts in the summer

are at one extreme where they become difficult

for many to undertake, and fasts in the winter

are at the other extreme where a fast does not

feel like a fast. In the UK in the summer the fast

can be as long as 19 hours, and in the winter as

short as 9 hours. It is a basic teaching of Islam

to avoid going to opposite extremes in religious

observances (and other matters). See Quran

20:81, among others.

Furthermore, 2:187 of the Quran permits to

enter one's wife in the nights of Ramadan. This

permission will not be valid if we keep fast in

the mid of summer between dawn and sunset.

Allah desires ease and not a hardship for us. If

we take fasting between dusk and dawn literally

in summer, we put a hardship on ourselves

against Allah's will (Quran 2:185).

For salaat times as well, it would be an option

to fix these around the period in which we

are involved in social activities (in case of nonstandard

times of sunrise and sunset). There is,

for example, no need to perform Fajr at 3:00

a.m. and go to sleep again. Even if sunrise is at

3:00 a.m., people may consider performing Fajr

between 5:00 and 6:00, just before starting

their social activities.

The same goes for Isha. It can be performed

before going to bed, even if the sky is not yet

dark.

For example, in June, sunset will be after

I Shall Love All Mankind.

10:00 p.m. in Holland and the end of twilight

will be after midnight. According to a hadith, the

Prophet disliked sleeping before Isha (Manual

of Hadith, chapter 9, hadith 10). In our opinion,

there is no point in staying awake till after midnight

to perform Isha and then get up only four

hours later for Fajr. Furthermore, this short

period does not leave much space for those who

would like to perform the voluntary night

prayers, Tahajjud salaat. (In particular, these

people might not find spiritual fulfilment in the

short summer nights when seeking for the

Lailat al-Qadr, the blessed night in which the

revelation of the Quran started). In fact, going to

sleep after Maghrib and getting up for Isha after

midnight will give the Isha salaat the characteristics

of Tahajjud prayer. Remember that the

main goal of praying is not to keep certain

hours, but to stay away from indecency and evil

(Quran 29:45).

These are our opinions, in case of nonstandard

times of sunrise and sunset. To keep

fast at least during the period covering our

social activities, with a maximum of 15 hours

and a minimum of 13 hours approximately (15

hours is about the longest fasting time in

Makkah), and to keep the prayer times around

these times as well. Of course, this is only our

opinion, based on Quran and Hadith, and if one

chooses to match his or her fasting or prayer

times according to sunrise and sunset, one may

do so according to the literal interpretation of

the verses. This Note is meant for those in the

first place, who planned not to fast due to the

long hours in summer, to get them an opportunity

to fulfil their duties more easily. (Return_to

content)

THE HOLY PROPHET’S (S)

DIALOGUE

with the Christian Delegation from

Najran

The first Muslim State granted Religious

Freedom and Basic Human

Rights to non-Muslims.

by Mr Salman Tufail

It was in 1983 that I first heard about the

Christian Delegation from Najran having a

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May 2018 The

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dialogue with the Holy Prophet Muhammad in

Madina when he was virtually head of the Arabian

Peninsula in the closing speech of the

Ninth Convention of the Lahore Ahmadiyya

Anjuman, Trinidad by the late Maulana Sheikh

Muhammad Tufail.

The speech marked the end of a Convention

that will always be remembered for the bombing

and attempted murder of all of the participants

who were there on the opening day of

12th August 1983. The events of 12th August

1983 can be viewed as a precursor of what was

to come. If the ideology at the heart of the attack

was not rebutted, but, as can be seen, this

ideology has taken hold of extremist elements

among the Muslims, and the brutal attacks in

Europe and other parts of the Muslim world are

a testament to this.

Moreover, this false narrative about Islam is

not only being disseminated by extremists but

also by politicians who have used it to further

their political agenda and views. The results of

this have led to 57.5% of all voters in

Switzerland (2010 poll) supporting a constitutional

amendment banning the construction of

any new minarets (on Mosques). And the anti-

Islam Freedom Party of MP Geert Wilders has

publicly demanded that the Quran be outlawed

and that Muslim women who wear headscarves

are taxed.

The passionate speech of Maulana Tufail

was important for many reasons. Firstly, unknown

to all of us, it was the last speech he

made; and it was fitting, as it was in his muchloved

Caribbean Island of Trinidad. Secondly,

what he was indicating and pleading for Muslims

to do, was to reject the extremist views of

the radical Muslims. It mattered not that he was

speaking at an Ahmadiyya Convention since his

message was for all to push back against the

corrupt interpretation of Islam being

propagated. It was significant that he

mentioned the meeting of the Holy Prophet

with the Christian delegation from Najran as an

example of the true nature and message of

Islam. Thus discrediting the extremist concepts

and views.

Though the contents of the speech are very

I Shall Love All Mankind.

important to me, personally, the mention of the

Christian Delegation from Najran is particularly

important, especially in this age when persons

of different faiths are being killed in the name of

Islam. The encounter of the Holy Prophet with

the Christian Delegation from Najran totally dispels

any doubts that those Muslims are absolutely

wrong who believe it is acceptable to

kill people of other faiths because their beliefs

are different to Islam.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad said that

differences of opinion are a blessing for society.

The Christian Delegation from Najran

in 631 AD

The territory of Najran was located south of

Bani Khatham near Yemen, about 450 miles

south of Medina. In this area of the Arabian

Peninsula, numerous Christian tribes lived, and

it appears that the Yemeni Christians followed

the Melchite Orthodox rite - Byzantine rite -

whose centre was Constantinople. Najran Christians

had a highly organised religious system,

and it is not surprising that initially, few Christians

embraced Islam. In reaction to this ‘failed

attempt’ at conversion, Prophet Muhammad

sent another representative to Najran, Mughira

ibn Shu‘ba, who was meant to elaborate on this

new religion called Islam. Intrigued by Ibn

Shu‘ba’s message, the Najran Christians sent a

delegation of sixty people to visit the Holy

Prophet in Medina. The delegation consisted of

about forty-five scholars and fifteen assistants

Significance of the Dialogue.

The date of the visit of the Christian Delegation

from Narjan to the city of Medina is not precisely

known but it is thought that it was 631AD,

and some sources, such as Ibn Hisham, the earliest

historian, seem to think it was before the

Battle of Badr. But the exact date matters little,

as what is important is the message that emanated

from the encounter.

The meeting with the Najran Christians is

perhaps the most important interfaith meeting

between Christians and the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

The religious leaders from Najran

(Yemen) arrived in Medina to question the Holy

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May 2018 The

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Prophet about the new religion of Islam and the

status of Jesus.

During the dialogue with the delegation

from Najran, the Holy Prophet answered their

questions and indicated that Islam was a continuation

of the prophetic message of Jesus but

rejected the doctrine of Trinity and invited

them to worship One God and accept Islam in

the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.

The Quran mentions the similarities and the

difference between the religions, and at the beginning

of the third surah ‘’Al-i ‘Imran’’ (The

Family of Imran)

‘’I, Allah, am the best knower. Allah, there is

no god, but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-subsisting,

by Whom all subsist. He has revealed to you

the Book with truth, verifying that which is before

it, and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel

aforetime, as guidance for humanity; and He sent

the Discrimination [the Quran]” (3:1-4).

This revelation confirms that the Books did

indeed come down to Mankind through both

Moses and Jesus and, importantly, that it is in

the same monotheistic tradition as the Quran.

Further on there are details of the terms of the

invitation made to the Christians;

“Say: O People of the Book, come to an equitable

word between you and us, that we shall

serve none but Allah; and that we shall not associate

aught with Him, and that some of us shall

not take others for lords besides Allah. But if they

turn away, then say: ‘’Bear witness, we are Muslims.”

(3:64).

The above affirms God’s oneness but rejects

Trinity and rejects the status of priests in Christianity.

However, to me, the most important aspect

of this meeting at which the Muslims and

Christians debated with each other, is that the

Christians refused to accept the message of

Islam and there was no repercussion, and

the Christians were free to leave without suffering

any harm. There is no hint of any

forced conversion or threat.

The Holy Prophet’s example was that Islam

demands that Muslims should learn to listen,

respect and tolerate other persons’ views. It is,

I Shall Love All Mankind.

however, argued by scholars that the word ‘tolerance’

is inadequate to describe the relationship

that the Holy Prophet’s action represented,

and the real message is that of an egalitarian relationship

of mutual respect. Moreover, the Holy

Prophet, realising that the Christians, did not

have a place to worship, allowed them to

pray in the Mosque itself. Some

commentators are of the view that some people

were even given refuge in the same Mosque.

Religious Pluralism in Islam

Some scholars described this historical

event as a classic example of religious pluralism

in Islam. They suggest that religious pluralism

embodies: 1) energetic engagement with diversity;

2) understanding across religious traditions;

3) encounter of commitments; 4) interfaith

dialogue. Each characteristic was on display

during the meeting between the Christian

delegation from Najran and the Prophet of Islam.

The Holy Prophet engaged with those Christians

in a theological conversation about the

status of Jesus in the light of the teachings of Islam.

Both groups sought to understand the perspectives

and narratives of the other side. The

Holy Prophet Muhammad opened the doors of

his mosque to give Christians a safe space to

pray, an unprecedented example of engagement

with religious diversity. And when they left Medina,

they left in peace.

The meeting was a perfect example of the

Quranic command, “There is No compulsion

in religion’’ (The Quran 2:256).

The Qur’an further says: “You will find the

nearest in friendship to believers [Muslims] to be

those who say, We are Christians. That is because

there are priests and monks among them and because

they are not proud” (5:82).

What is happening in Yemen, Syria, Libya

and Iraq is anti-Islamic and against the teachings

of the Quran and the Holy Prophet. The

West also carries immense responsibility in

causing this disaster with their intervention in

Iraq, Libya and Syria and has, in my view, given

the extremists the oxygen and space to carry

out these most heinous acts.

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Religious freedom is a well-known Islamic

principle. So, it is clear that each person should

be allowed to find his path in life. People of

other religions are free to practise their faith, as

Islam does not force anyone to embrace it.

Our Islamic heritage advanced the concept

of religious freedom over 1,000 years before

America was founded, and the famous political

writings of the early American scholars John

Locke and Jean-Jacque Rousseau strongly resonate

with this concept of freedom of worship.

Not only does Islam demand freedom to

practise religion, but also to be treated justly

and kindly as any other fellow human being.

Quran 60:8. Here is what the Qur’an says in this

regard: “Allah does not forbid, about those who

do not fight you for religion, nor drive you forth

from your homes, that you show them kindness

and deal with them justly. Surely Allah loves the

doers of justice” (60:8).

Regarding the protection of churches, Allah

says: “And if Allah did not repel some people by

others, surely cloisters and churches and synagogues,

and mosques in which Allah’s name is

much remembered, would have been pulled

down. And surely Allah will help him who helps

Him” (22:40).

The text of the Covenants made with

the Christian Delegation from Najran

“In the Name of Allah, the most Gracious,

the most Merciful.

This is a security document from Allah and

His Messenger. It is written to those who have

been given the Book from among the Christians,

those who follow the creed of Najran and

whoever follows the beliefs of Christianity

authenticated by Muhammad son of Abdullah,

the Messenger of Allah to all people, a covenant

to them from Allah and His Messenger.

It is a covenant which is entrusted to the

Muslims after him (after the Prophet’s demise)

and which they must comprehend, recognise

and safeguard for them. Neither a ruler nor any

man who is strengthened by the authority of a

ruler has the right to revoke it, nor to replace it

with something else, nor to over-burden the believers

(Muslims) with anything other than the

terms stated in this document. Anyone who

safeguards it, observes it and fulfils its contents

is surely on the straightforward covenant and is

loyal to his commitment to the Messenger of Allah.

And anyone who reneges on it or changes it

to something else or substitutes it with

something else shall bear the burden of his sin.

And he is one who betrays the trust of Allah,

who reneges on his pledge, who disobeys Him

and disobeys His Messenger, and Allah counts

him among the liars:

First: That I protect the Christians. I defend

them, their churches, places of worship, places

of their prayers, places of the monks, the

(sacred) areas which they tour wherever they

may be, in a mountain or a valley or a cave or a

city or a plain or a sandy track.

Second: That I guard their religion and

their faith wherever they may be, on dry land or

sea, east or west, with whatever I guard myself

and whatever belongs to the followers of Islam

and me from my creed.

Third: That I include them in my trust, in

my covenant, in my security against any harm

or anything shunned or any burden or any

responsibility. And that I shall be behind them,

to protect them from any enemy that intends to

harm them and do so with my self, with my

supporters, with my followers, with the people

who follow my creed.

Fourth: That I keep away from them any

harm of burdens which people who perform jihad

bear, from any assault or khiraj (land tax)

other than what they pay willingly without being

forced or coerced into doing any such thing.

Fifth: That I do not remove a bishop from

his bishopric, nor a monk from his monastery,

nor a pilgrim from his pilgrimage, nor demolish

any of their churches, nor let any construction

of a mosque infringe on their buildings, nor

should any house of the Muslims do so. Anyone

who does any of these things reneges from his

covenant with Allah, disobeys His Messenger

and swerves from the covenant of Allah.

I Shall Love All Mankind.

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Sixth: Neither a monk nor a bishop, nor any

of them who worships or wears woollen clothes

or seeks solitude in the mountains or in areas

that are isolated from cities should ever be required

to pay jizya (protection tax) or khiraj

Seventh: Whoever follows the Christian

faith must not be forced into becoming a Muslim.

Mercy must be shown for them, and anything

harmful must be kept away from them

wherever they may be in the land.

Eighth: If any Christian commits a crime or

a serious offence, the Muslims must help him.

Prevent harm from reaching him, protect him

and not let him bear the brunt of what he

commits. Preferably, you must find a settlement

between him and his victim. Either pardon him

or pay ransom on his behalf.

Ninth: They (Christians) must not be rejected,

betrayed or neglected because I have

given them Allah’s covenant that they should

have what the Muslims have and be obligated to

the Muslims’ obligations.

Tenth: Muslims must carry out their obligations

towards the pact which the covenant obligates;

they should protect sanctities, and they

should keep away every harm from them

(Christians), so they may become partners with

the Muslims: They have what the Muslims have

and are obligated to what the Muslims are obligated.

Eleventh: They may if they need repairs to

their churches and places of worship or

anything related to their interests and creed, get

assistance from the Muslims to make such

repairs. They must be assisted, and this must

not be regarded as a debt against them but as

support in the interest of their religion and as

the fulfilment of the covenant of the Messenger

of Allah, as a gift to them and a boon from Allah

and His Messenger to them.”

The Ahmadiyya Perspective

We in the Ahmadiyya Movement have

always subscribed to and upheld this concept

and have embraced diversity even within Islam.

This was seen when, during an Eid

congregation at the Shah Jehan Mosque

Woking, Surrey, England, a Shia Muslim was

asked to lead the prayer, thereby setting a

precedent which, if it could only be followed

I Shall Love All Mankind.

by Muslims, would bring so much harmony.

But, sadly the events of the Middle East are the

exact opposite, and different Muslim groups are

locked in war with each other, and the other

faiths have been caught in this most brutal conflict.

It is significant that the theme of the 9th Ahmadiyya

Convention 1983 in Trinidad was the

promotion of interfaith dialogue and harmony,

very much in line with the Holy Prophet’s practice.

It consisted of many interfaith meetings,

which included representatives of all the major

faiths and delegations from throughout the Caribbean,

Kashmir in India, the United Kingdom

and the USA. The multi-faith dignitaries were to

contribute to the session, in their invaluable

way, to the ideal and precedence envisaged by

the covenant entered into by the Holy Prophet

with the Christian Delegation from Najran in

631 AD.

Historically, these covenants were written

after the Holy Prophet had a serious discussion

about the teachings of Islam and the status of

Jesus. In spite of the fact that Christian representatives

had no answer to the questions put

forth by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Holy

Prophet, on the instructions of Allah, invited

them to a Mubahala to which they did not agree,

and then this Covenant was drafted. (Details of

the Discussion are given elsewhere in this issue.)

I, for one, do not recognise the Islam that is

being portrayed by the extremists or the media

reporting of Islam, and we collectively must do

as much as possible to push back on the corrupt

narratives about Islam. (Return_to content)

The claim of the Mujaddid of

the 14 th Islamic century

(Divinely ordained Reviver of

the Faith) and his Movement

established from the Holy

Quran

A Friday sermon

by Ebrahim Mohamed, South Africa

‘He it is Who sent His Messenger with the

guidance and the Religion of Truth (Deen ul

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May 2018 The

Light 9

Haqq) that He may make it prevail over all religions.

And Allah is enough for a witness.’ – (Holy

Quran chapter 48, Surat ul Fatḥ, The Victory,

verse 28).

For three hundred years after the demise of

the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s), the Religion

of Islam here referred to as Deenul Haqq, the Religion

of Truth, was dominant in Arabia, a small

part of Europe and Africa. Then a decline of

1000 years set in. The Holy Quran makes mention

of this as follows:

“He orders the Affair (i.e. Islam) from the

heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him

in a day the measure of which is a thousand

years as you count.” – (The Adoration, 32:5)

The mathematics is simple, 1000 plus 300 =

1300 that takes us to the 14 th Century Hejira

which spans parts of the 19 th and 20 th centuries

A.D. This is the age which, according to the

above calculation, will introduce the dawning of

a ‘spiritual enlightenment’ in the world. But let

us see if the Holy Quran supports this assertion.

Indeed, we find in surah Al Takwil, the Folding

Up, chapter 81 verses 17-18 the following:

“And the night when it departs

And the morning (subuh) when it

brightens.”

Commenting on these verses, Maulana Muhammad

Ali, in his famous English translation

of the Holy Quran, explains: “The departing of

the night and the rise of the bright morning is

the disappearance of the darkness of ignorance,

giving place to the bright light of the sun of Islam.”

These might seem to the casual observer

as common statements often made in the Holy

Quran. But if we look at the context in which

these verses appear, we find that they are

preceded by several prophecies that point very

accurately to the 14 th century Hejira (i.e. years

1300 -1400 Hejira coinciding with the years

1878 – 1978 A.D., i.e. the 19 th – 20 th centuries

A.D.)

In the light of this phenomenon, let us examine

some of these prophecies:

And when the camels are abandoned – 81:4

In AD 1886 (1304 Hejira) the first petrol or

gasoline powered auto-mobile the Benz Patent-

Motorwagen was invented by Karl Benz * This

steadily led to the replacement of camels with

petrol-driven vehicles and steam-driven locomotives

for the purpose of transportation.

And when the cities are made to swell – 81:6

Sociologist Kingsley Davis in his famous

book, The Origin and Growth of Urbanization in

the World, writes: “Urbanized societies, in

which a high proportion of the population lives

in cities, developed only in the nineteenth and

twentieth centuries.”

And when men are united – 81:7

The League of Nations was formed in 1920

replaced by the United Nations in 1945, both

within the 14 th century Hejira. Graham Bell invented

the telephone in 1876 which

revolutionised communications bringing diverse

communities into contact as never before.

In 1895, a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi

invented what he called “the wireless telegraph”

which led to the invention of the radio

further enhancing communication across national

boundaries and uniting them as never before,

thus introducing the birth of a ‘global community.’

The advanced technology such as the

‘internet’ of today came about as a result of the

technological inventions of the 19 th /20 th century.

And when the books are spread – 81: 10

Improved printing presses increased the

production and spread of books all over the

world. Although the printing press was

invented around 1440, it was only around 1864

that the Hoe’s 6-cylinder rotary press was

created which led to improved printing processes.

Together with the inventions of improved

land and air conveyance during this period

the spread of books dramatically increased.

*

Wikipedia

I Shall Love All Mankind.

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May 2018 The

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And when the heaven has its covering removed

– 81:11

The creation of advanced telescopes and

technology unveiled new knowledge of space

and introduced space travel. The knowledge of

the universe grew rapidly in the late 19 th century

with the invention of advanced telescopes.

Although the telescope comes from way back in

the 1600’s, the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (USA) acknowledges:

“In 1879 George Ellery Hale revolutionised

the study of heavenly bodies when he was

responsible for the Yerkes Bay refracting

telescope -- with its 40" lens, still the biggest

ever -- and a series of mirror telescopes atop Mt.

Wilson and (later) Mt. Palomar in southern

California, with a 100" on Mt. Wilson (Edwin

Hubble's telescope) and the 200" Mt. Palomar

telescope which Hale did not live to see

completed.”

The new knowledge of the hidden secrets of

the heaven that came with the invention of

these advanced telescopes in the 19 th century is

what is meant by the prophecy “when the

heaven has its coverings removed.”

As stated, the fact that these prophecies are

followed by the statement: “And the night when

it departs. And the morning (subuh) when it

brightens” (81:17,18), indicate that we are at

the stage of the “dawning” of the revival and ascendance

of Deenul Haqq, the Religion of Truth

which will steadily triumph over all the forces

of falsehood and corruption. This begs the question

who then is the one that started this charge

of the triumph of Truth over Falsehood in the

14 th century Hejira as alluded to in the Holy

Quran? And who are the ones continuing to do

so? All expectations are that it had to be one

“rightly guided” by the Divine Hand (this is the

meaning of Mahdi); one possessed of deep

knowledge and inspiration, armed with the

true, uncorrupted teachings of Islam. This tells

us it had to be the work of a divinely ordained

Mujjaddid (Reviver of the Faith) whose advents

were prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad

(s) and not the work of just any scholar.

Most scholars and clerics for generations, especially

during the 14th century Hejira, have been

I Shall Love All Mankind.

postulating un-Quranic teachings or such based

on erroneous interpretations of Islamic scripture;

teachings which are now proving to be an

embarrassment for all right-minded Muslims

and are undermining and not uplifting the image

of Islam in any way. For example, we often

hear them teach that:

• Jesus (regarded by Christians as the son of

God) is alive in heaven and will come to save

the Muslims in the latter days after killing all

unbelievers.

• Verses of the Holy Quran have and can be

abrogated.

• Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) and opinions

of jurists (fatwas) have precedence over the

Holy Quran.

• Jihad means war with infidels and justifies

forced conversions.

• Female gender discrimination and keeping

sex slaves are justified.

• The non-prophetic revelation has stopped

• Death sentences should be applied to apostates

and adulterers, despite Quranic teachings

to the contrary.

• A Muslim who professes his faith in the Holy

Kalima can be deemed a kafir (unbeliever)

based on differences of opinions. - (takfir)

So the ulema (religious scholars) who teach

these things cannot be the ones who will make

Islam prevail over all other religions. On the

contrary, their beliefs are busy destroying the

beautiful image of Islam as contained in the

Holy Quran and taught by the Holy Prophet Muhammad

(s) to the joy of Christian evangelists

and Jewish fundamentalists. So Alhamdulillah,

(praise be to Allah) Almighty Allah raised a

Mujaddid. He removed all these errors that

steadily crept into Islam over the 1000 years of

decline and corruption and restored once again

the true, pure and beautiful teachings of Islam;

teachings that will bring about the prevalence

of the Religion of Truth over all other religions

as clearly stated in the Holy Quran – 48:28

The Mujaddid of the 14 th Century Hejira

In the year 1885 A.D., coinciding with the

year 1302 Hejira (i.e. the 14th Century Hejira),

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (b. 1835 – d.

1908), announced that Almighty Allah had

raised him as the Mujaddid (Reviver of the

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May 2018 The

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Faith) for the Muslims. Up till today no one else

has come forth with such a claim or produced

work that would support such a claim.

In 1891 A.D. (1308 Hejira) he announced

that he had come to fulfil the prophecies of the

Holy Prophet Muhammad (s) regarding the

Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The man who will

be raised from amongst the Muslim community

to break down using arguments and scriptural

proofs the pagan-inspired doctrines of the

religion of the ‘Cross’ (referred to in authentic

Hadith as ‘breaking of the cross’) and establish

the real Truth (Deenul Haqq) in the world.

However, to do this enormous task effectively,

like the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s) did

at Hudaibiyah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad called on

people to pledge their commitment by joining

him in this noble service of the defence and

propagation of Islam. For the first time in the

history of Islam, an organisation was established

to do this work in an ‘organised’ manner

under the auspices of the Mujaddid himself.

Thus in 1888 A.D. (1305 Hejira), Hazrat

Mirza Saheb formed the Ahmadiyya Movement

to assist him in this work. This work entailed

leading an exemplary life of righteousness;

obtaining full knowledge of Islam and all other

faiths; defending Islam with one’s life, by

conducting debates, lectures, preaching and

above all the production of written works,

which encompasses the translation of the Holy

Quran into English and all other languages; the

publication of well researched literature on

Islam and other faiths and spreading it

throughout the world. The name ‘Ahmadiyya’

was taken from the Holy Prophet’s name Ahmad

meaning ‘he who praises Allah much.’ This

dedicated group, led by the Mujaddid, was like

no other at the time. The poet Iqbal once declared

in a lecture that if you wanted to see true

Islam in practice, you have to go to Qadian (this

is where Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and his

close companions stayed). Dedicated devotees

who later joined the cause such as Khwaja

Kamal ud Din, Maulana Muhammad Ali, Dr Basharat

Ahmad and many others also described

the atmosphere at Qadian as that of solemn, sincere

prayerfulness. They would witness Hazrat

Mirza Saheb regularly performing tahajjud (a

I Shall Love All Mankind.

voluntary mid-night prayer) and often he could

be heard crying for Divine help for Islam even

during bitterly cold winter nights. There were

always people in the mosque and their lodges

making tahajjud. This was very much the life of

the Holy Prophet (s) and his companions in the

early days of Islam too.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote several

books in defence of Islam. He ably rebutted all

attacks of the Christian missionaries and the

virile Hindu Arya Samaj that were constantly

lambasting Islam and the noble character of the

Prophet Muhammad (s). He, for once and all,

settled the age-long mystery regarding Jesus by

declaring, with solid proofs from the Holy

Quran, that he (Jesus) had completed his mission

to the Israelites and died a natural death

and is buried on earth together with his mother

Mary (Mariam). This drove a nail in the coffin of

active Christian proselytisers in the region and

saved thousands of Muslims adopting pagan

inspired Christianity as their preferred faith.

So, it is not a coincidence that the Holy

Quran, by way of prophecies, points to the 14 th

century Hejira as the timing of the start of the

disappearance of the ‘night’ of unbelief, ignorance,

and corruption and the ushering in of the

morning (subuh) of the ‘bright light’ of the

Religion of Truth (Deen ul Haqq). The importance

of the 14 th -century Mujaddid, based on

these prophecies, is therefore far greater in

scope than all other previous Mujaddids because

through his teachings and ‘enlightened’

interpretations the true message of Islam has

been revived and steadily on its way to gain predominance

in the world.

The Ahmadiyya Movement

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the

Ahmadiyya Movement for the sole purpose of

the peaceful propagation of Islam. It aimed to

invite the West to Islam using good literature on

Islam, of which the Holy Quran was at the top of

the list. This required the hard work of a team

of dedicated men and women. This work was

ground-breaking and pioneering at the time

and much so today as none of this level of propagation

was ever undertaken in the history of

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May 2018 The

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Islam before. The Movement under the guidance

of the inspired Mujaddid produced several

unique scholars and researchers who were bold

enough to challenge the outdated mindsets and

exegeses of conservative mainstream clerics

and scholars. For the first time, organised missions

were established on British and European

soil and large amounts of literature shipped to

those regions. Today, more than a century later,

it is not uncommon to hear the desperate call of

enlightened Muslim academics for such brave

scholars produced by the Ahmadiyya School. It

thus comes as no surprise that such significant

work and those dedicated to it - much like the

timing of these events are alluded to in the Holy

Quran as pointed out above - are also hinted at

in the Holy Quran. Thus, we find in the following

descriptions in The Scatters (of Truth), 51:1 - 4

“By those scattering broadcast!

And those bearing the load!

And those running (or sailing or travelling)

easily (yusran)!

And those distributing the Affair!”

“Bearing the load” (which by the way also

means becoming pregnant with knowledge)

and “scattering” and “broadcasting” and “by

those distributing the Affair” — Isha’at Islam

(propagation of Islam) — are prominent features

of the Ahmadiyya Movement founded by

the Mujaddid of the 14 th century Hejira. The

ease (yusran) of travelling referred to above no

doubt points to an age of advanced modes of

travelling that made transportation easy. This

was made possible by inventions made during

the 14 th century Hejira and referred to in the

Holy Quran (81: 4) as pointed out above and not

a feature of 7 th century Arabia.

Like all revivalist and reformist personalities

and movements throughout the history of

humankind, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and

the Ahmadiyya Movement were subjected to all

kinds of false allegations and persecuted for

their beliefs by their co-religionists who were

unable to give up erroneous, archaic interpretations

and beliefs as pointed out above. The Holy

Quran addresses these opponents in the same

surah:

“Cursed be the liars! …

Taste your persecution! (fitna) This is what

you hasten on” – (51:10, 14)

The Quranic narrative continues with a description

that is reminiscent and comparable

with life at Qadian (referred to above) during

the time of Hazrat Mirza Saheb and his devoted

followers:

“Surely the dutiful are amidst Gardens and

fountains …

They used to sleep but little at night –

And in the morning they asked (Divine)

protection” (51:15, 17, 18)

This section of the surah, fittingly, concludes

using an oath:

“And by the Lord of the heavens and the

earth! It is surely the truth, just as you speak.” –

(51:23)

Since we are still at the dawn of a global

‘Spiritual Revival’ initiated by the Mujaddid of

the 14th century Hejira, whose advent, as

shown, has been testified to in the Holy Quran,

our duty as Muslims is to carry on with his work

of making the ‘Religion of Truth’ predominant

in the world in a manner that is peaceful and

inspirational with a sense of respect and dignity

for all.

May Almighty Allah guide us all with His

Light! Ameen.

All humanity is one nation and the only superiority

people have over each is in goodness.

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

I Shall Love All Mankind.