The Light 2018 05 May Issue

May 2018 The
Light 8
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