Basharaat 2015 Q1,2 - Muslim · 1/2/2015 · A Quarterly International News Magazine of Ahmadiyya...

Basharaat-E-AhmadiyyaA Quarterly International News Magazine of Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam (Lahore) USA

P.O. Box 3370, Dublin, Ohio 43016 U.S.A.Phone 614-873-1030 • Fax: 614-873-1022

Email: [email protected] • Website: www.muslim.orgVol. 2015-1, 2 January-June 2015

IN THIS ISSUEEditor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Local activities of the USA Jama’at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Work in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Visit to Fiji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Lectures / Meetings / Book Distribution in Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Work in the Philippines & Thailand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14New “Text Only” version of The Holy Quran in E-book format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Arabic Translation of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s Holy Quran Footnotes Complete . . . . . . . . . . .16Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan speaks to Australian Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16News from the South Africa Jama’at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Friday Sermon by Maulana Muhammad Ali (April 16, 1948) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Initiative to deliver major works to Libraries & Theology Professors Worldwide

See pages 7-13

THE HOLY Q

UR’ÅN

with English

Translation

and Comment

ary

Maulana Mu

hammad Ali

TheReligion of IslamA Comprehensive Discussion

of the Sources, Principles and Practices of Islam

byMAULANA MUHAMMAD ALICertified by Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy

�Foreword to the Arabic Editionby Sheikh Muhammad Tantawi,

The Grand Imam, Al Azhar Al Sharif

NEWDATES FOR

USA CONVENTION:

Aug 13-162015

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.muslim.org

2 BASHARAAT AHMADIYYA NEWS — 2015 / #1

WE THANK ALMIGHTY ALLAHthe Most Merciful for all the opportu-nities He gives us to serve Islam andthe Ahmadiyya Movement.

This issue of the Bashaaraat docu-ments propagation work done in theUnited States, Australia, New Zealand,Thailand, the Philippines and Germanysince the beginning of this year.

Here in the United States we arevery fortunate to have a dedicated andactive member in Fazeel S. Khan, thesecretary of the Ahmadiyya AnjumanIshaat Islam Lahore, USA. Despite hisbusy schedule as a practicing attorney,Fazeel always gives priority to theAnjuman’s work. In addition to hisduties as secretary of the USA Jamaat,he is also editor of the Light andIslamic Review, the quarterly publica-tion of the Lahore AhmadiyyaMovement.

Fazeel is also responsible for organ-izing the USA Jamaat’s program at itsannual conventions. Most non-Muslimand non-Ahmadi Muslim attendees atthe convention are there because oftheir close relations with Fazeel.Through his friendly association andinteraction with both Muslim and non-Muslim groups, he has been able to

Editor’s Noteby Dr. Noman Malik

raise the Anjuman’s profile in theColumbus religious community, and inthe process has removed many mis-conceptions about Islam and theAhmadiyya Movement. His activities,and those of Dr. Ahmad and LubnaAhmad, who also are involved ininterfaith initiatives, are detailed in theUSA Jamaat report.

The sale of our literature in the USAis doing very well. Dr. Ahmad and sis-ter Lubna do most of the packing anddispatching of books from our ware-house in Dublin.

Another significant activity inwhich Fazeel is involved is a discus-sion via e-mail with the QadianiAhmadiyya Jamaat on the issue ofHazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad andProphethood. The discussion clarifiesthe stand of both Jamaats on the issueof Prophethood.

The tone of the discussion is politeand friendly, and we intend, inshallah,to publish the exchange in book formfor the benefit of all those interested inthis subject.

Al-hamdulillah! Our visit to Aus-tralia was very productive. Our projectto supply libraries and professors oftheology and Islamic studies world-wide with the English Translation ofthe Holy Quran and the Religion ofIslam or their translations continueswith the mailing of these books to alllibraries in Australia.

We are very grateful to Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan and his wife Naz forallowing us to store and mail the booksfrom their house in Canberra. MayAlmighty Allah Reward and Bless himand his family for their support.

The lectures we delivered on Jihadwere very well received by audiencesin both Australia and New Zealand,and we hope to duplicate them in othercountries.

Dawah work continues in the

Philippines and our translation work ison track in Thailand.

The news from South Africa is veryencouraging. Brother EbrahimMuhammad and other members of theJamaat are busy propagating anddefending Islam in South Africa inmeetings, lectures and through articlesin the print media. They also partici-pate very actively in Interfaithactivities, as these provide an excellentforum for removing misconceptionsabout Islam and promoting interfaithharmony. May Allah Taala Bless andReward this Jamaat for its efforts toserve Islam and the Ahmadiyya Move-ment. Ameen!

The Stichting Ahmadiyya Jamaatcontinues to produce more translationsof our literature in the Dutch language.Brother Shabbir Hoeseni is primarilyin charge of the translation work. MayAlmighty Allah Reward him for hishard work and dedication to this trans-lation project.

We hope and pray that Allah, theMost Exalted in His Beneficence andMercy continues to provide us withmore opportunities to serve His religionin the future.

Ameen!

BREAKING NEWS!Al-hamdulillah just as the maga-zine was going to press wereceived the joyous news that theArabic translation of the Englishcommentary of the Holy Quranhad been completed.

We pray to Almighty Allah thatthis translation will, inshallah, fur-ther the cause of peace by bringingabout a correct understanding ofthe Holy Quran. Ameen!

See page 16 for full story.

Editor: Dr Noman MalikDirector/Treasurer, USAJama’atCirculation: A.A.I.I.L. U.S.A.Production: MEGG EnterprisesNews, letters and views are wel-come, and should be sent to:

The Editor, Basharaat-e-AhmadiyyaP.O. Box 3370Dublin, OH 43016 U.S.A.Phone 614-873-1030Fax 614-873-1022Website www.muslim.orgE-mail [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

2015 / #1 — BASHARAAT AHMADIYYA NEWS 3

Alhamdulillah, in addition to itswork internationally, the USA Jama’at(which goes by the name of LahoreAhmadiyya Islamic Society) has beenactive in various spheres domesticallyagain this year.

Quran in Conversation

As some of you are aware, our Sec-retary Fazeel S. Khan is a contributorto a recently published book titled“Quran in Conversation” (http://www.baylorpress.com/Book/419/Qur%27an_in_Conversation.html). The book“Quran is Conversation” comprises 25interviews conducted by ProfessorMichael Birkel (of Earlham College)with American Muslim leaders andscholars about the Holy Quran. Thoseof you who attended the USA Jama’atannual convention last year had theopportunity to meet Professor Birkeland hear him speak during theauthor’s night session.

The book, masha Allah, is receivingrave reviewers and is on the PublishersWeekly Top Lists (http://www.publishersweekly.com/9781481300971 andhttp://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/summer-reads-2014/top-10#book/book-3). Fazeelfocused his contribution on the topic of“Finality of Prophethood”. This, inshaAllah, will not only educate non-Mus-lims about the status of the HolyProphet Muhammad according toIslam, but also go a long way in help-ing clarify to Muslim readers theLahore Ahmadiyya position on thisissue and distinguish our beliefs fromthat of the Qadian section of theAhmadiyya Movement.

A panel discussion was held in Jan-uary at Earlham College (Richmond,Indiana) to celebrate this new work.The video recording of the event hasrecently become available and may be

Local Activities of the USA Jama’at

viewed at: https://vimeo.com/119500244. The entire recording is about 90minutes long. Each of the panelistsspoke for about 7-8 minutes on theirexperiences with the book, and thenthe panelists answered questions fromattendees. The Program entailed:

• Professor Birkel is the first speaker(after the introductory remarks) andhis talk begins at around the 7:15minute mark;

• Fazeel is next and his talk is atabout the 16:30 minute mark.

• After that, the two other panelistsspoke (one is a Professor of IslamicStudies at Michigan State Universityand the other is a Professor at EarlhamCollege who has a Religious Studiesbackground).

• The Question and Answer sessionstarts at about the 42:00 minute mark.

We pray that we will be grantedmany more opportunities to be part ofthe public discourse on Islam so thatwe may present the views of ourMovement.

Muslim Student Association(MSA)

Fazeel S. Khan was requested againthis year to be keynote speaker for anevent sponsored by the Muslim Stu-dents Association (MSA) atOtterbein University. Last year’sevent was to inaugurate the formationof the new MSA at the university, con-sisting of a small but very passionateand purposeful group of students. Theevent was titled “Five Pillar Feast:Diversity in Islam”. The programincluded a keynote address by Fazeel,a panel discussion in which questionswere fielded from the audience of over85 students and faculty members, anda dinner in which middle-eastern foodwas served. The keynote address wastitled “Islamic Pluralism” and focused

on the connection between the goal ofunity and the means of diversity.Fazeel spoke about Islamic mono -theism, and how, despite God beingOne, He is understood through diverseattributes or names. And similarly,how mankind is one, but comprised ofdifferent types of people based on race,tribe, nationality, religion, etc., so thatpeople may learn from one another.And lastly, the role of Prophet Muham-mad being the final prophet, the oneprophet for all people, was addressed.It was explained that the significanceof this role of being the final prophet iscentered on the diverse life experiencesof the Holy Prophet, such that he wasthe “perfect exemplar” for all peopleand not just one particular group ofpeople or for people of one specific timeperiod.

Church Presentations

The month of March in particularwas very busy. In addition to the MSAevent at Otterbein University men-tioned above, we presented on Islamfor two church congregations. The firstwas for Covenant Presbyterian. Fazeelwas asked to present an introductorycourse on Islam to members of thecongregation. Masha Allah, the atten-dees were greatly appreciative ofFazeel’s presentation and enthused tohave follow-up presentations. In addi-tion to speaking about thefundamentals of Islam and the spiritualaspects to the five pillars, Fazeel alsospoke about the work the LahoreAhmadiyya Islamic Society is engagedin throughout the world. The attendeeswere very impressed and a few eveninquired as to how they could help inour efforts to educate people about thetrue, peaceful, spiritual teachings ofIslam. The second presentation was forthe First Community Church. Members

http://www.baylorpress.com/Book/419/Qur%27an_in_Conversation.html

http://www.publishersweekly.com/9781481300971

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/summer-reads-2014/top-10#book/book-3

https://vimeo.com/119500244


of this church are dear old friends; wehave spoken at their church on manyoccasions, and many of their membersregularly attend our annual sympo-sium. Fazeel gave a talk and held adiscussion about “Being Muslim inAmerica”.

Many thoughtful and sincere per-spectives were related, and respectfulconversations ensued. We are trulygrateful for the gracious invitations wereceive from churches that want tolearn more about Islam and developfriendly relations with their neighbors.

Interfaith Activities

Our members continue to be activeparticipants in the Horizon Prison Ini-tiative. As mentioned in previousissues, this initiative focuses on pro-viding programs for prisoners incentral Ohio. In addition to providingeducational programs – such as offer-ing the opportunity to obtain a GED,learning computer skills, acquiringconflict resolution skills, etc. – the pro-gram also caters to the spiritual needsof inmates. This holistic approachoffers inmates opportunities to notonly obtain practical skills to assist intheir reintegration into society whenreleased, but also to lead healthy liveswith others and develop a positive atti-tude towards life. The program hasbeen extremely successful, with therecidivism rate of participants droppingto about a quarter of that of the generalinmate population.

Dr. Mohammad Ahmad and Sr.Lubna Ahmad regularly attend correc-tional facilities and meet with Musliminmates. They offer Islamic educationand our Jama’at literature, and also areavailable for inmates to talk with andreceive good advice. Fazeel is on theorganization’s board of directors andalso provides an interactive class toinmates on spiritual development froman Islamic perspective. This classincludes a lecture, a small group work-shop and time for questions andanswers.

Another program that our membersregularly participate in is the monthlySpiritual Sharing Program hosted bythe Interfaith Association of Central

Ohio, held at the main downtownlibrary in Columbus, Ohio. Members ofdifferent faiths and traditions partici-pate. The atmosphere is extremelycordial, with the purpose of promotingrespect, tolerance, mutual learning andunderstanding. Topics, ranging fromrespect for parents to the existence andattributes of God, are discussed. Dr.Mohammad and Sr. Lubna Ahmadhave been attending these meetingsregularly for the past five years. Manyattendees have benefited from Dr.Ahmad’s and Sr. Lubna’s participation,gaining a much better understandingof the true teachings of Islam.

Friendly Discussions with Qadian Jama’at

A very interesting developmentoccurred last year as a result of theUSA Jama’at participating in the Lon-don Book Fair in 2013. As wereported, we developed very positiverelationships with some of the mem-bers of the Qadian Jama’at that werealso hosting a booth thereat. This pro-vided us with the opportunity to haveinformative and civil discussions aboutthe reasons for the split in the Move-ment and the beliefs held by HazratMirza Sahib. Later, we received corre-spondence from leading members ofthe Qadian Jama’at stating they wouldlike to continue these discussions viae-mail and title the set of correspon-dences “A Peaceful Talk”. Certainly,discussions between members of thetwo Jama’ats have been taking placeon an informal basis for many years,especially since internet use became soprevalent. However, what distin-guishes these current discussions fromthe others is that members of theQadian Jama’at that are engaged inthis discussion have the formalendorsement of Mirza Masroor AhmadSahib (the khalifa of the QadianJama’at) to do so. In fact, Mirza Mas-roor Ahmad Sahib had advised theparticipating members as to which top-ics in particular to discuss. Fazeel S.Khan and Dr. Noman Malik have beenengaged in this discussion via e-mailcorrespondence for over a year. MashaAllah, the discussions have resulted in

understanding of various areas of com-mon ground; regardless of theoutcome, though, we believe the cor-respondences will serve as a valuableeducational tool for all Ahmadis. Thereal success through this process hasbeen an illustration of how such topicsmay be discussed in a respectful andconsiderate manner.

Publication and Distribution

The lifeline of our work as a Jama’atis the distribution of our literature.Masha Allah, the USA Jama’at hasbecome a premiere Islamic book pub-lisher and distributor, with its literaturebeing carried by the largest retail out-lets throughout the country (andinternationally) and a thriving transla-tion venture that comprises projects inover 20 languages. What is sometimesforgotten, though, is the regular volun-tary work that is done locally tomaintain this venture.

Dr. Mohammad Ahmad and Sr.Lubna Ahmad work tirelessly to meetthe demand for our books by takingcare of orders and physically packingbooks in the Jama’at warehouse. Lastsummer, the Columbus Dispatchreported on the Lahore AhmadiyyaIslamic Society and its work. The arti-cle (picture of which is shown here,and also available with a short videoat: www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/07/islamic-society.html) shows a glimpse of the practicalwork that is being done, internation-ally as well as locally, in ourwarehouse.

MARKYOUR

CALENDARS!There’s been a change! We havemoved the dates for the USA Con-vention to August 13 - 16, 2015.

We would appreciate if youcould let us know your arrival dateand the number of people in yourgroup, so we can book the hotel foryou.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/07/islamic-society.html


Work in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines

by Sister Samina MalikNOMAN AND I LEFT PAKISTANfor New Zealand on December 31,2014, and after transiting throughBangkok Thailand and Sydney Aus-tralia, arrived in Auckland NewZealand, January 2, 2015 late at night.

The next day we attended a jalsaorganized by Mr. Shabbir Buksh, Mr. Zahur ur Rahman and Dr. Sham-sudean Sahukhan held in a meetinghall at a local hotel. Approximately 50people attended the jalsa. Besides

jama’at members, non-Ahmadi Mus-lims and non-Muslim guests werepresent.

The proceedings began with a HolyQuran recitation by Mr. Zahur ur Rah-man. He was followed by Mr. ShabbirBuksh who welcomed the audienceand introduced Noman and me.

Noman, who delivered the keynotespeech on True Conception of Jihad inIslam. The audience was very pleasedwith Noman’s presentation andexpressed their gratitude for the correctconcept of Jihad imparted to them.

Next, I spoke about the work beingdone by the USA Jama’at to propagateIslam and the Ahmadiyya Movementin the world by translating and spread-ing the invaluable literature producedby Maulana Muhammad Ali and otherbuzurgs of our Movement, and byestablishing centers in other countriessuch as the Philippines, France andAlbania. Audience members were veryinspired by learning of our propagationefforts.

The next speaker was Mr. Zahoor urRahman, who lectured about the HolyProphet Muhammad as the best exem-plar. The audience was greatly movedand inspired by accounts of the high

moral and spiritual attributes of theHoly Prophet Muhammad (May thepeace and blessings of Allah be uponhim).

Mr. Rahman was followed by Dr.Shamsudean Sahukhan who deliveredthe concluding speech thanking thespeakers and audience. The lecturesession was followed by a deliciousdinner.

The next afternoon we went to thecenter of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman

Dr. Noman Malik delivering lecture onTrue Conception of Jihad in Islam inAuckland New Zealand.

Samina Malik giving the accounts of thework of the USA Jama’at.

Dr. Samshudean Sahukhan delivering the vote of thanks to the speakers andaudience.

Mr. Shabir Buksh welcoming the audience.

Mr. Zahoor ur Rahman delivering a lecture on the Prophet Muhammad as the perfect exampler.


Ishaat Islam Lahore New Zealand toattend a jalsa arranged by board mem-bers of the Jama’at in our honor.

The jalsa began with a Quran recita-tion by Mr. Shahid Raza. Mr. MehboobRaza then welcomed us and informedjama’at members of the world-widepropagation work we are doing.

Noman, who again was the keynotespeaker, gave a lecture on Surah Ikhlaswhich was greatly appreciated by theaudience.

Next, I spoke about the propagation

work of the USA jama’at. The jama’atmembers were inspired to hear of thework we are doing in different coun-tries and by our translation andpublication projects. Mr. MehboobRaza then delivered the concludingaddress. After the speech session adelicious dinner was served.

We thank Almighty Allah that allLahore Ahmadiyya members partici-pated in both jalsas in a spirit of unityand brotherhood. May Almighty AllahBless them all and make them unite towork in the service of Islam andAhmadiyyat.

Ameen!

Audience at the lecture.

Mr. Mehboob Raza welcoming Nomanand Samina.

Noman delivering the lecture on SurahIkhlas in the New Zealand Center.

Noman and Mr. Firoz Jan.

THE FOLLOWING DAY WE LEFTfor Fiji where we visited BrotherMehboob Raza, President of the FijiJama’at.

We had long and fruitful discussionsabout the work of the LahoreAhmadiyya Movement and ways inwhich we could help and co-operatewith each other. Mr. Mehboob Razadonated $2,000 Fijian for the publica-tion and translation work of the USAjama’at.

Mr. Mehboob Raza has frequentlydonated to publication and translationprojects of the USA Jama’at. MayAlmighty Allah Bless and Reward

brother Mehboob for his generousdonations.

We next visited brother Jalal udDean and his esteemed mother. She is95 years old, and by the Grace ofAlmighty Allah, is in reasonably goodhealth. We also meet with and enjoyedsome interesting discussions withbrother Nizam-ud -Dean and his wife.

A day before we left Fiji, Mr. FirozJan from Ba, Fiji, invited Noman togive a lecture on the The True Concep-tion of Jihad in Islam. 120 people, allnonAhmadies attended. They were

Visit to Fiji

Noman delivering the lecture on the TrueConception of Jihad in Ba Fiji.


Audience at the lecture of Noman Malik.

very pleased with Noman’s lecture andparticipated heartily in a question andanswer session after the talk. Mrs. Janprepared a very delicious dinner whicheveryone enjoyed.

Mr. Jan is a very sincere anddevoted Muslim and is a very closefriend of the Senior HusseinSahukhan’s family. Although he is nota member of the Lahore AhmadiyyaJama’at he supports the liberal andenlightened teachings of the LahoreAhmadiyya Movement. He was agreat friend and admirer of the lateHafiz Sher Muhammad. Five years agohe had also invited Noman to give alecture at his house. May AlmightyAllah Bless and Reward him for theIslamic work he is doing.

We also met Mr. Nazeem Sahukhan,currently working as an Attorney in

Nadi, Fiji. It was very kind of him tovisit us at the hotel where we werestaying in Nadi.

The next day, January 19, we left

Fiji and returned to New Zealand. Westayed for another three days in NewZealand and met with jama’at mem-bers for some important work.

Lectures and Book Distribution in Australiaby Sister Samina Malik

Sydney

On January 22, we flew to Sydney.Mrs. Nur Alam, President of the Aus-tralia Jama’at, received us at theairport. While in Sydney, we wereguests of Sister Nur and her motherMrs. Chand Sahukhan. They took verygood care of us, and we thank them fortheir gracious hospitality.

On January 23, we attended theJumma prayer at the AustraliaJama’at’s Center. Mr. Usman Sahukhandelivered an inspiring jumma Khutba.We were impressed with the excellentrenovation of the center by the Aus-tralia Jama’at.

On January 24, a talk on The TrueConception of Jihad in Islam wasgiven by Noman at the Center. AfterNoman’s lecture, I gave a powerpointpresentation of the world-wide workbeing done by the USA Jama’at. Themembers present appreciated the lec-Samir Khan introducing the speakers.

Noman Malik giving lecture on True Conception of Jihad in Islam.

Samina Malik giving an account of thework of the USA Jama’at.

ture and learning about the work beingdone by the USA Jama’at. The eventwas chaired by Mr. Samir Khan, secre-tary of the Australia Jama’at. We had

discussed the Ahmadiyya Movementand Islam with him and wereimpressed by his dedication to thejama’at.

Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan andhis wife, Sister Naz, had driven the285 km from Canberra to attend theSydney meeting.

Audience at the lecture on Jihad by Noman in Canberra.

Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan welcomingthe guests.

Noman delivering the keynote address atthe Multicultural Center in Canberra.

Audience at the lecture on Jihad by Noman in Sydney.

Successful Work in Canberra

On January 25, Mr. and Mrs. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan drove Noman andme to Canberra. We were guests attheir house during our stay in Can-berra.

Mr. Sadr ud-Dean, who is presidentof the Interfaith Association, hadarranged for Noman to speak on TheTrue Conception of Jihad in Islam at ameeting of the organization on January31. Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan is afounding member of the InterfaithAssociation in Canberra. He is widelyrespected and loved for his dedicationand sincerity in promoting interfaith


dialog, his tolerant views and hisrespect for all religious traditions. Hefrequently lectures in interfaith forumsand has been asked to speak aboutIslam and represent the Islamic view-point in various parliamentarycommittee hearings. The lecture,attended by about 120 people, washeld at the Multicultural Center.

The audience included members ofdifferent faith traditions, leaders oflocal Muslim organizations and mem-bers of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama’at— some of whom had driven fromSydney to attend the event.

The proceedings began with a cere-mony honoring members of theinterfaith association for their long serv-ice and dedication to the organization.

After the honoring ceremony, Mr.Sadr-ud-Dean introduced Noman.Noman’s presentation was divided intotwo parts. The first lecture was about“The True Conception of Jihad inIslam” and the second was about therelated topics of Terrorism, Suicide

Bombing, Apostasy and Blasphemy.Coffee and delicious savories wereserved in the ten minute intermissionbetween lectures.

The audience was very pleased withboth of Noman’s lectures, andexpressed their appreciation during thequestion and answer session. BothNoman and Mr. Dean participated inthe question and answer session and

were able to clear up many misconcep-tions about Islam and violence inreligion.

The booklet True Conception ofJihad in Islam was distributed amongthe audience. The booklet is anexcerpted chapter on Jihad fromMaulana Muhammad Ali’s monumen-tal work, The Religion of Islam.

A very delicious dinner, prepared by

Ms Julia Jones, member of ACT Parliament, and shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

(L to R) Mr. Firoz Sahukhan, Dr. Noman Malik, Mrs. Samina Malik and Sadr-ud-DeanSahukhan.

Dr. Noman Malik and Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan answering questions on Jihad lecture.

Audience at the lecture on Jihad by Noman in Canberra.



Mrs. Naz Sahukhan and other mem-bers of our Jama’at, was served afterthe lecture. For a week prior to themeeting, Sister Naz had been busypurchasing groceries and other items

for the conference, and cooking foodfor the dinner.

May Allah Bless her and others whocontributed to the success of the con-ference.

We would especially like to thankMr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan for hishard work in making arrangements forthe Conference and bearing all theexpenses for the event.

Participants enjoying the delicious dinner.

Mr. Harry Oppermin offering closingremarks and thanking all for their participation.

ON FEBRUARY 24, MR. SADR-UD-DEAN SAHUKHANtook us to meet with Mr. Nic Manikis, Director, CommunityParticipating Group with Community Services Directorate.Mr. Manikis is also the senior executive for the office of mul-ticultural affairs, women, aging and youth engagement. Heprovides government policy to the Minister for the Govern-ment of the day in relation to constituency groups.

We were very cordially received by Mr. Manikis in hisoffice. Noman presented him with the English Holy Quranand the Religion of Islam which he was very pleased toreceive. Mr. Manikis briefed us about the work he did. Wewere very impressed by his efforts to promote interfaith har-mony in Australia.

Sister Samina, with Noman presenting Mr. Nic Manikis, theDirector of Community Service Directorate, with copies of TheHoly Quran and The Religion of Islam.

Meeting with Mr. Nic Manikis, Director, Community Services Directorate


Distribution of copies of the English Translationof the Holy Quran and The Religion of Islam to

Libraries and Professors in Australiaby Sister Samina Malik

THE USA JAMA’AT HAS UNDER-taken a project to distribute free, two ofMaulana Muhammad Ali’s majorworks, the English Translation of theHoly Quran and The Religion of Islamto all libraries and professors of Reli-gion and Theology in English speakingcountries. Sets of these books havealready been mailed to libraries andprofessors in the United States andtheir distribution has started in theUnited Kingdom. The USA Jama’at hasalso sent 1000 copies of The HolyQuran and The Religion of Islam to theSouth Africa Jama’at for free distribu-tion to libraries and professors in thatcountry. This distribution is beingduplicated in non-English-speakingcountries in the languages of which wehave published The Holy Quran andThe Religion of Islam, namely Ger-many, France, Austria, Switzerlandand Italy.

The main reason for our visit to

Australia was to initiate the same proj-ect in that country. Mr. Sadr-ud-DeanSahukhan very kindly offered his res-idence in Canberra as a base formailing the books. Brother Sadr-ud-Dean has built a large room attachedto his house which functions as aMosque and meeting place.

Two months before our arrival inCanberra we made arrangements toship 1,000 copies each of the Englishtranslation of The Holy Quran and TheReligion of Islam, to Mr. Sadr-ud-DeanSahukhan’s residence in preparationfor the project. The shipment, sched-uled to arrive in Canberra by January24, was delayed due to unavoidablecircumstances, and the arrival datewas delayed to February 19, 2015.

Meanwhile, we obtained a mailinglist of all the libraries and professors ofTheology in Australia and purchasedmailing supplies of bubble wrap andpre-paid courier packs from the Post

Office in preparation for mailing. Theeasiest and least expensive way to shipparcels in Australia is by courier.

We had a wait of 20 days before thebook shipment arrived in Canberra. Wehad originally planned to visit Thailandand the Philippines after completingthe project in Australia, but because ofthe delay, we decided to visit thePhilippines and Thailand in theinterim. Please see page 11 for newsfrom that visit.

When we returned to Australia fromour successful visits to the Philippinesand Thailand, the books had arrived inCanberra.

With the help of Saleha and HusseinSahukhan we prepared 600 packagesfor mailing. Each package contained acopy of The Holy Quran and The Reli-gion of Islam.

The packages were then put intopostal sacks which, when filled, eachweighed about 50 pounds. Noman and

Books to be shipped to the Australian libraries.


Saleha, Noman and Samina taking the books out for packing.

Hussein loaded these sacks into a carand transported them to the back doorof the post office where they unloadedand carried them into the mail room. Ittook several trips to transport theentire shipment. Hussein did most of

the lifting of the heavy sacks. Noman and I are very grateful to

Saleha and Hussein for their muchneeded help. They both did the workcheerfully and enthusiastically, with asmile on their faces. May Almighty

Allah Bless and Reward them for theirhard work.

I would like to thank Sister NazSahukhan for all her help. We kept herbusy driving us to the post office topurchase pre-paid courier envelopesand to office supply stores to makecopies of the letter included in thepackages, and purchasing bubbleenvelopes and other shipping suppliessuch as tape, scissors, box cutters etc.

We are very grateful to brother Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan for allowing us theuse of his house to store and ship thebooks to the libraries. May AlmightyAllah Bless and Reward the wholefamily abundantly for their unwaver-ing support in this extremely importantwork of spreading the books The HolyQuran and The Religion of Islam andfor their untiring service to Islam andthe Ahmadiyya Movement.

We would also like to thank thewhole family for the love and hospital-ity shown to us during the three weekswe stayed with them. They made ourstay very comfortable and we felt com-pletely at home.

I would also like to ask otherJama’at members to participate in thisgreat Jihad of spreading The HolyQuran and The Religion of Islam. Thegreatest jihad is to take the Quran to allcorners of the world. When we leavethis world we will be answerable toAlmighty Allah, as we have the litera-ture produced by the Mujaddid of thisage and his followers in our hands,and have taken an oath to spread thisliterature in the world.

We should look at the example ofSaleha and Samina helping Hussein to load the car with books ready to ship.

Noman, Samina and Saleha Sahukhan checking the packed books before shipment.


the Holy Prophet Muhammad and seethe sacrifices he made to deliver themessage of Allah, and how numerouspeople converted to Islam as a result.We should try to emulate his inspiringexample. Do you think we can callourselves true and sincere Muslims ifwe do not follow the Sunnah of ourown beloved Prophet?

Our dear Maulana Muhammad Alitranslated the Holy Quran into Englishwith its valuable commentary in 1917and then revised the whole work in thelast years of his life. He finished thislaborious task on his death-bed asdescribed in the foreword to the trans-lation: “‘On arrival of the proofs fromEngland,’ write his biographers ‘theMaulana would get his head raised in

his bed, and with hands quiveringwould correct the proofs and give thefinal touches.’ The final proofs werecorrected on October 8, 1951, and fivedays later he breathed his last. He diedin harness in the service of the Quran.”

Why is it that we do not try tospend our money for the propagationof the Quran in spite of these inspiringexamples. We have a project to sendThe Holy Quran and The Religion ofIslam to all libraries and professors ofReligion and Theology in the world.The project is costly, especially in theUnited States where there are manymore libraries and professors than inother countries.

In the only recorded audio tape ofMaulana Muhammad Ali, a jummah

khuba, he says “We have all the liter-ature for the defense and thepropagation of Islam. What is the prob-lem that we do not spread it in theWorld?” In this khutba he repeatedlystresses the need to spread the HolyQuran and other literature in the world.We are very fortunate to belong to thejama’at of Hazrat Mirza Sahib, but, asMaulana Muhammad Ali states in hiskhutba “what is the use of our beingin the jama’at if we do not participatein the work of propagatng Islam?”.Brothers and Sisters, help us in thisgreat jihad; this will benefit you. It willbring you closer to Allah Almighty onthe day of judgment.

The USA jama’at is spending morethan $150,000.00 to send the sets ofbooks to libraries and theology profes-sors in the United States.

Giving your time and money for thepropagation of the Holy Quran is thebest jihad in the world. We do not askfor all your savings, but try to donateat least 10% of it to the jama’at for thepublication projects.

Please send your donation to theUSA jama’at for the free distribution ofthe Holy Quran and other books.

All donations may be sent to:Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat IslamLahore USA. P.O.Box 3370, Dublin,Ohio, 43016. If you would like to wirethe money, let us know, and we willsend you the necessary bank informa-tion for the wire transfer.

(L to R) Samina Malik, Saleha Sahukhan and Hussein Sahukhan arranging the packages to be taken to the Post Office.

The Australia Jama’at placed an orderto purchase books from the USAJama’at. When brother Sadr-ud-Deancame to know of this, he very gra-ciously donated $2,500 AD for thecost and shipping of the books.Alhamdulillah!

Sadr-ud-Dean and his wife Naz alsodonated $2,500 AD for the publication

projects of the USA Jama’at on behalfof his late parents Mr. and Mrs, HusseinSahukhan and sister Naz’s late brotherEbrahim Buksh.

Brother Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan isa regular attendee and speaker at theUSA Jama’at convention. We all enjoylistening to his informative and inspir-ing lectures.

Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan purchasesbooks for the Australia Jama’at


Work in the Philippines & Thailandby Sister Samina Malik

Members at the Cagayan de Oro Philippine Mosque for Noman's lecture.

WE LEFT FOR THE PHILIPPINESfrom Australia on February 3rd. Aftera night stop-over in Thailand, wearrived in Manilla, Philippines on Feb-ruary 5th. We stayed a day in Manilato attend to some official work regard-ing the registration of our jama’at. Wearrived Cagayan de Oro on February6th.

We were very happy to see the ren-ovation of our center and the mosque.We had a Sunday gathering in whichNoman gave a Quran Dars and heldclasses for the members. The meetingfinished with the combined Maghriband Isha prayers. Members were very

happy to see us again after threemonths since our last visit. We thankAlmighty Allah that we have a Jama’atand Center in the Philippines.

Sister Nena Mendosa, Brother Jaffar,and other members are very active indawa work. They have a plan to visitall the neighborhoods and talk to themabout Islam and Ahmadiyyat. Theyalso would like to invite communitymembers to our Sunday classes whichNoman gives via Skype.

We pray to Almighty Allah that Hebless this small jama’at in every way.Inshalalh, we will be there in anotherfew months time to hold a symposium.

The translation and publicationwork in Thailand

On our return from the Philippines,we stayed for several days in Thailandwhere we met with our translators. Weare thankful to Almighty Allah that wehave a very good team of translatorswho are working hard to translate ourbooks into the Thai language. Ourbooklets the Prophet of Islam andIslam the Religion of Humanity andthe books the New World Order andMuhammad the Prophet have beentranslated.

We are now endeavouring to get theprint and e-book versions of thesebooks ready. Alhamdulillah! The HolyQuran translation is doing well, andinshallah, should be ready in twoyears.

Please pray to Almighty Allah thatthe literature that we have translatedinto Thai will help new converts whoare accepting Islam. There are almost300 Thai converting to islam everymonth. We pray to Almighty Allahthat He guides more people to Islam.

Soon available in E-book

THE HOLY QUR’ÅN

English Translation“Text Only”

ByMaulana Muhammad Ali

Renowned author ofseveral classic works on Islam

Work is nearly complete on our “Text Only” version of the Holy Quran English Translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali

This format, which omits the extensive footnote commentaries has been in high demand by our members and others, and we are pleased to be able to say that, Inshallah,

the production of this important work will be complete in the coming days.

Ideal for daily reading during the Holy Month of Ramadan!Please watch our website www.muslim.org for updates.



BY THE GRACE OF ALMIGHTYAllah, the Arabic translation of theEnglish footnotes of the Holy Quranhas been completed.

The translator, Dr. Hussein, is pro-fessor of English in a leadinguniversity in Egypt. He obtained hisPhD. in English in the United Kingdomand taught in England for severalyears before returning to his nativeEgypt.

Arabic Translation of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s English Commentary

of the Holy Quran Completed

Dr. Hussein began the arduous anddemanding task about two years agoand completed it a few days prior tothe writing of this article. Alhamdolil-lah! May Almighty Allah Bless andReward him for his hard work.

The translation has been checkedby two professors in Al-Azhar AlSharif. We have begun typesetting thework and will, inshallah, publish it ina few months.

Inshallah, the correct concept ofQuranic teachings which are present inthe footnotes will greatly contribute tospreading peace in the strife torn Mid-dle East. Ameen!

The USA Jama’at would like tothank Sister Samina Malik for herefforts in finding a translator of DrHussein’s caliber and working withhim to successfully complete the proj-ect.

MR. SADR-UD-DEAN SAHUKHANattended The United Nations InterfaithHarmony Week at the ParliamentHouse in Canberra. The conveners ofthe Parliamentary Friends of Multicul-turalism, the Member for Calwell,Maria Vamvakinou and the Memberfor McMillan, Russell Broadbent, com-memorated the United Nations

Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan speaksat the Australian Parliament

Interfaith Harmony Week with aninterfaith dialog in partnership with theCanberra Interfaith Forum and Reli-gions for Peace Australia in ParliamentHouse Canberra on Wednesday, Febu-rary 11, 2015.

Attendees included SBS chairpersonNihal Gupta, and Deputy Chair of theJoint Standing Committee on Migra-

tion, and Professor Des Carhil, Presi-dent for Religions, for Peace Australia.

Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan, whois President of Canberra InterfaithForum was the featured speaker at theconference. He gave an excellentspeech about the essence of interfaithco-existence which was greatly appre-ciated by conference attendees. The

Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan addressinginterfaith delegates in the Parliament.

Maria Vamvakinou MHR opens proceedings

Russell Broadbent MHR delivers thePrime Minister’s Message.


Religious intolerance in society hascreated many problems — millions ofpeople have been killed; many peopleare discriminated against every day, ifnot murdered because of their religion;many nations have been divided onreligious lines. There is much discordin the world.

Religious harmony holds the key toa peaceful and progressive world. Reli-gious harmony is the need of the hourbecause we are children of the sameGod. Holy books of various religionsare filled with Divine knowledge; if weare religiously tolerant and study theseholy books and practise their teachingsin our daily life then our world can bea better place for all.

Let us work together to create reli-gious harmony in our world byknowing and practising our own faithwhile respecting the faith of others.

Religious harmony holds centrestage for peace and prosperity in ourmulti-faith and multi-cultural world.Let’s pledge to love and respect every-one in the world of good will,irrespective of, and indeed specificallybecause of, one’s religion, caste, creed,sect, colour, ethnicity, language, gen-der, nationality and any otherdifferences. The basis for InterfaithHarmony stems from humanitywhich is ‘Love of God and Love ofthe Neighbour’ or ‘Love of theGood and Love of the Neighbour’.

Let’s pledge to work in the interestsof Australia and the world, towardsbringing Religious Harmony and cre-ating a peaceful and prosperous world,together.

The title page of Sadrud deanSahukhan’s thesis for his Master’s inIslamic Studies is reproduced below:

gist of his speech is reproduced below:Unfortunately, or rather regrettably,

religion has become, or is used as asource of all conflict and animositytowards each other. One can under-stand the wisdom of King Abdullah IIof Jordan when he, on September 23,2010, in proposing a World InterfaithHarmony Week at the Plenary Sessionof the 65th United Nations GeneralAssembly in New York said: It is [also] essential to resist forces

of division that spread misunder-standing and mistrust especiallyamong peoples of different religions.The fact is, humanity everywhere isbound together, not only by mutualinterests, but by shared command-ments to love God and neighbour; tolove the good and neighbour.

Religion plays a very crucial andcentral role in life. Religion guides usto the path of honesty, integrity andhigh morals and inspires us to live arighteous life. Many people around theworld are guided by their religion tokeep themselves away from evil and todo good.

At various points in time, manyProphets, Saints and religious leadershave appeared to teach us the truemeaning of religion and to guide ustoward a noble life. Holy books inspireus to keep away from evil and live alife of good deeds.

But a close look at the history of theworld demonstrates that many people,for their own vested interest, have mis-used religion. Some still do, with tragicresults. These people divide society inthe name of religion, caste and creedfor their own vested interest.

Interfaith delegates at Australian Parliament House.

Mr. Sadr-ud-Dean Sahukhan’s thesis

for his Masters Degree in Islamic Studies

We congratulate Mr. Dean for thisgreat achievement. After reading Mr.Dean’s thesis, his professor was soimpressed that he suggested it shouldbe published in an academic journalafter some modification.

To be able to attain a Masters degreewhile working as a busy attorney isindeed a great achievement, and itdemonstrates Mr. Dean’s love anddevotion for Islam.

Is Takfir (excommunication)allowed in Islam?

Sahu Khan

11504544

Charles Strutt University


The Centre

We are thankful to the USA Jama’at fordonating a Centre to our Jama’at. With-out their help we were unable topurchase a centre in Cape Town. MayAlmighty Allah Bless the USA Jama’atdirectors for their great help to ourJama’at. We continue to have regularFriday Jumuah prayers and meetingsat the Centre.

Youth Programme

Anwar Abrahams and Siraj Mohamedhave set up scheduled talks for theyear for the youth and other interestedparties on selected topics. On March21, Siraj presented on the role of theAhmadiyya Movement and Anwartalked about the “Death of Jesus” inApril.

Donation of the Holy Quran, Religion of Islam and other booksby the USA Jama’at

We thank the USA Jama’at for sendingus 1000 hard cover copies of the Eng-lish Holy Quran and 1000 hard covercopies of the Religion of Islam. Anadditional pallet containing most of thebooks by Maulana Muhammad Aliand other authors printed by the USAJama’at has been shipped from theUSA to us.

The Good News

Our January publication was entitled“Not in the name af Islam” dealingwith the tragic events of extremistswho falsely claim inspiration fromIslamic teachings for their deeds.

Propagation

Once we receive the new consignmentof books donated by the USA Jama’at,we will plan the next phase of distri-bution of Qurans and Religion of Islamto selected libraries, theological profes-sors and educational institutions.

The February edition covered “TheTreatment of Women in Islam” Thistopic sparked a response from an anti-Islamist source claiming the Quranindeed teaches female domination bymen. The writer is busy with a rebuttalwhich he will share.

Reply to the Jesus in Quran Video

Sister Ruwaida Zain wrote a very com-prehensive rebuttal to the “Jesus inQuran” video she received from aChristian friend, which went viral onthe Internet. The video was widely cir-culated on social media to the delightof local Christians. The video, using aso-called Muslim convert to Christian-ity as narrator, tries to prove Jesus’superiority over Muhammad using the

Quran. A copy of Ruwaida’s rebuttalwill be shared under separate cover.After more than a month of receivingher reply, the person who sent her thevideo still did not respond.

Interfaith

On February 5, 2015 the writerattended a talk organized by the CapeTown Jewish Board of Deputies on thetopic “The Challenges of Interfaith ina world of Hate” The keynote speakerwas the Most Reverend Stephen Bris-lin, Archbishop of Cape Town. I had achat with the Archbishop and told himof our work and donated a copy of theHoly Quran to him, which he acceptedwith delight.

On February 16, 2015, Scheegaand I attended a very interesting talkon the topic “Faith and the Family”.The talk was organized by the SufiMovement. The Sufi Movement is nottied to any Tariqa like the traditionalmovements currently in vogue in theMuslim community. Although theypay allegiance to the teachings ofHazrat Inyat Khan, they are open to allmembers of the community regardlessof Faith. The speakers consisted of aMuslim, Hindu and Jew. The talks werefollowed by a very interactive sessionwhere we shared our backgrounds and

News from South Africaby Ebrahim Mohamed, President, AAIIL South Africa

Brother Ebrahim (left) with the Archbishop of Cape Town(right). Brother Ebrahim taking questions from the floor.


Brother Ebrahim taking questions from the floor (above and below)

views with the topics presented.On February 19, 2015, the writer

gave a talk on “Muslims’ response toanger – Islam teaches Tolerance”

I was invited to give a talk onIslamic tolerance with specific refer-ence to Muslims’ response to anger, amuch debated topic that came about asa result of the “Charlie Hebdo” incidentin Paris. The talk was arranged by theUniversity of the 3d Age, an Interfaithgroup in the southern suburbs ofAthlone, Cape Town. I was accompa-

nied by Scheega, Faheem, Naeem andMiesqa. The audience comprisedmostly local Sunni Muslims and Chris-tians. The talk was very well receivedand the organizers thanked me andasked if I could assist in their monthlytalks. I agreed to assist as far as possi-ble.

A well-known columnist, Dr QassimDarcy of a local Sunni newspaper, TheMuslim Views, congratulated me on apresentation he felt was free of theusual trimmings and ambiguities you

come across in the sermons of the localulema.

Some Christians expressed theirthanks for enlightening them about thetrue teachings of tolerance in Islam –one commented that he felt it wasrefreshingly free from dogma and biaswhich was very encouraging. E-mailaddresses of members of the groupwere added to my “Good News” mail-ing list and two copies of the HolyQuran and Religion of Islam weredonated to their library.

[This article (translated from the orig-inal Urdu into English by Dr.Mohammed Ahmad) comprises aJummah khutba (Friday Sermon) byMaulana Muhammad Ali delivered onApril 16, 1948. In this khutba,Maulana Muhammad Ali discusses themeaning of true forgiveness and itsimportance as an essential attributefor spiritual development and for fos-tering brotherly relations in anorganization and among humanity ingeneral. We are thankful to Dr. Ahmadfor translating these khutbas for thebenefit of all those who revereMaulana Muhammad Ali but cannotaccess his works in Urdu. Dr. Ahmadhas translated more than a hundredkhutbas and the first fifty of these arein the final phase of checking and will,inshallah, be printed as volume 1.May Almighty Allah reward and blesshim for this much needed noble work.]

I bear witness that none deserves tobe served besides Allah and I bear wit-ness that Muhammad is the servantand messenger of Allah.

After this, I seek the protection ofAllah from the accursed devil.

In the name of Allah, the Benefi-cent, the Merciful.

And let not possessors of graceand abundance among you

swear against giving to the nearof kin and the poor and thosewho have fled in Allah’s way;and pardon and overlook. Doyou not love that Allah shouldforgive you? And Allah is Forgiv-ing, Merciful. (24:22)

In the last Friday sermon, I men-tioned that Allah the Most High andHis messenger have also given greatimportance to the temporal authorityand order in society and rebellionagainst it has been prohibited. OurHoly Prophet has stressed that even ifthose in authority take away what isyour due and are guilty of inequity, donot rebel against them. The words ofone Hadith go so far as to state,“When you are involved in Jihadagainst the enemy, you should not bethinking about the character of yourImam (leader). It is incumbent uponyou to strive along with all those inauthority whether your Imam is mostpious (birun) or most sinful (fujurun).Even if he is guilty of a major sin donot part with him during the striving.”The Arabic word bir is used first in thisHadith to indicate that the Imamshould preferably be the one who isthe best in piety. If, however, his elec-tion was faulty, misplaced, beyondyour control or his character deterio-rated afterwards (the Arabic wordfujur, indicating the breadth in wrong-doing), you are still to obey hisauthority and continue to support himin the striving.

Incidents of use of languagecritical of the righteous Caliphs

It is true that we find some incidentsnarrated in the Hadith where the com-panions of the Holy Prophet werecritical of the Imam. There is also one

Hadith that states: “Speaking the wordof truth before the iniquitous ruler isthe greatest Jihad.”1 The ruler is callediniquitous because he will not acceptthe truthful word but will becomeangry upon hearing it. Thus speakingthe truth under these circumstances isconsidered a Jihad. There are alsoexamples in the Hadith where peopleused strong language to criticize therighteous Caliphs. These were peoplewho had great strength of faith. WhenHazrat Umar delivered a sermon insupport of curtailing the amount ofdowry given to women, a womanstood up and said, “O son of KhattabAllah is giving us while you are takingaway from us.” With this reprimandshe quoted the Quranic verse:

“And if you wish to have (one)wife in the place of another andyou have given one of them aheap of gold, take nothing fromit” (4:20).

There is also another well-knownincident regarding Hazrat Umar whenhe commanded that the Amir shouldbe obeyed. A man stood up andresponded with very harsh criticism ofhis order. Pointing towards the cloakthe Caliph was wearing, he said: “wewill not obey your command until youexplain the source of the cloth fromwhich your cloak has been made. Thematerial that you received as warbounty would not have been sufficientfor this purpose.” In response HazratUmar did not say that you are veryrude to accuse me of dishonesty.Instead he asked his son to respond tothe query. Hazrat Umar’s son stood upand explained that he had given hisshare of the cloth to his father fromwhich the garment was made.


Friday Sermon by Maulana Muhammad AliApril 16, 1948

The Commandments of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet Muhammad regarding the Temporal and Spiritual authority,

maintenance of order and forgiveness.

Those in authority to be obeyedin all matters except disobedienceto Allah and His authority

This incident seems to indicate thatthose in authority can be criticized anddisobeyed even for minor infractions.Remember, however, that what wassaid by the Holy Prophet cannot becompared to individual behavior.Whatever the Holy Prophet stated isindeed correct and rests on a firm foun-dation. He said obey them unless theycommand disobedience to God and Hismessenger. Even if you suffer personalloss or those in authority are corrupt.There is only one exception, and thatis as long as you are not prohibitedfrom obeying God and His messenger.Today the Promised Messiah has alsoput great stress upon this. Those inauthority should be obeyed unlesstheir command is contrary to the wordof God and His messenger.

Obedience when those inauthority are Non-Muslim

Today the forty or fifty million Muslimsremaining in India have no choice butto obey and submit to authority. Thefifty or sixty million Muslims in Chinaalso have no recourse but to submit tothose in authority. Now some sover-eign Muslim states are coming intoexistence. Muslims have, however,lived for centuries under the rule ofNon-Muslim authorities. This wouldnot have been possible without obedi-ence to those in authority. The onlyexception being that if the ruler com-mands disobedience to Allah and Hismessenger, he is not to be obeyed.

The Commandment of the HolyQuran regarding Spiritual matters

I have stated that a temporal system ofgovernance can function only if itsauthority is accepted. There is a spiri-tual domain also. This is not under theauthority of a king or a government. Asystem is also, however, needed forthis to function and it is essential tofollow it. For this purpose one has tomake sacrifice. The spiritual order infact demands greater sacrifice than thetemporal. In my previous sermon I dis-cussed in detail the temporal order. I

commented on this verse of the HolyQuran:

“And dispute not one withanother, lest you get weak-hearted and your power depart”(8:46).

The command regarding the spiri-tual order is even more exalted. Inorder to draw your attention to it Ihave recited these words of the HolyQuran from the chapter Al-Noor:

“And pardon and overlook. Doyou not love that Allah shouldforgive you?”

Slander against Hazrat Aisha andthe establishment of herinnocence

When were these words revealed? Thisrevelation came after an incidentoccurred amongst the Muslims of suchgravity that the honorable wife of theHoly Prophet, Hazrat Aisha was thesubject of slander. As is customary,such gossip spreads from one personto another and some Muslims alsoassociated themselves with the slan-derers. The Word of God ultimatelyestablished her innocence with the rev-elation of these words:

“Why did they not bring four wit-nesses of it? So, as they have notbrought witnesses, they are liarsin the sight of Allah.” (24:13).

Connected with this incident was acompanion of the Holy Prophet by thename of Mistah who had taken part inspreading the false reports againstHazrat Aisha. He was a relative ofHazrat Abu Bakr and was indigent.Hazrat Abu Bakr had been giving hima stipend for his maintenance. Afterthis incident, Hazrat Abu Bakr sus-pended his financial assistance. It wasat this juncture that the Divine revela-tion came:

“And let not possessors of graceand abundance among youswear against giving to the nearof kin and the poor and thosewho have fled in Allah’s way;and pardon and overlook. Doyou not love that Allah should

forgive you? And Allah is Forgiv-ing, Merciful.” (24:22).

The command was for a full pardonas if nothing had happened and theargument given for it was:

“Do you not love that Allahshould forgive you?”

Forgive the faults of others,without them asking forforgiveness

These are the words of the Holy Quranthat impress and bring about a changeof the heart. Such a grievous sin, theslandering of a chaste woman! Awoman no other than the noble wife ofthe Holy Prophet and the daughter ofHazrat Abu Bakr. The person who par-ticipated in this slander hadnevertheless been of some service tothe cause of Islam. He was fromamongst the emigrants and had partic-ipated in the battle of Badr. Hence theDivine command to forgive him. If youlove that Allah forgive you then youshould learn to forgive His servants.One who is himself seeking Allah’s for-giveness, his desire to be forgiven isfalse if he does not forgive the servantsof Allah. This also shows that Allahthe Most High desires to imbue us inHis coloring. This is the lesson of thecommand, “create Allah’s moralswithin yourselves.” Allah is Forgivingbut His forgiveness is for those whoforgive His servants. The Holy Quranreminds us of two of God’s attributes,He is the:

“Forgiver of sin and Acceptor ofrepentance”(40:3).

Allah the Most High is The Forgiverof sins even without repentance andalso accepts repentance when some-body repents. Just as Allah forgiveswithout a person asking for His for-giveness you should also be at thespiritual level where you should for-give people without their seeking yourforgiveness. He who pardons whenpardon is sought is not doing anythingextraordinary. True greatness lies inforgiving even when forgiveness is notasked for.


Choose to be called a liar even ifyou are telling the truth

The Imam of the age has also laidstress upon your choosing to be calleda liar even if you are telling the truth.This does not mean that you randomlyaccept being called a liar. What thismeans is that although you are truthfulin a matter, do not expect accusers tocome and ask for your forgiveness.Take advantage of the power of for-giveness within you and forgivespontaneously. Some people have thetendency to become upset over smalldifferences and cut off relations untiltheir forgiveness is sought. This is notthe right way and the Holy Quran andthe Holy Prophet forbid it. The Prom-ised Messiah prohibits it.

It is only through forgiveness ofyour brethren that your organizationcan survive. Remember well that thisis a spiritual order. If you want to buildand strengthen your organization youneed to follow the principle of forgivingyour brethren and embracing themunconditionally. Let not the thoughtenter your heart: “why should you bethe one showing humility?” Discordworsens because ‘A’ always considers‘B’ at fault and vice versa. In order tosustain order in your organization,even if you think that your position isbased upon righteousness, forgivethose who are unrighteous. Your ben-efit lies in this. This is what will resultin the resolution of your internal con-flicts and the maintenance of order andharmony within your organization.

Be strong in opposing the enemyand show humility to yourbrethren

Remember well that the Imam of theage has laid the foundation of a tem-poral and a spiritual order amongst us.Both of these systems can only be sus-tained if we manifest completeobedience and submission and do notexaggerate the shortcomings of ourbrethren. You are endowed with twostrengths, the strength to fight backand the power to be humble. Use yourstrength to fight back against the dis-believers and remain firm in your

effort. Use the power of humilityamongst yourselves. Be humble beforeyour friends, even if your friends are atfault. This is the meaning of the verse:

“Muhammad is the Messenger ofAllah, and those with him arefirm of heart against the disbe-lievers, compassionate amongthemselves.” (48:29).

If the power to oppose is usedagainst your friends, it will losestrength and you will not be able tostand up to disbelievers, therefore it isincumbent that you preserve yourstrength.

Remind yourselves of thegoodness of those who work andpardon their shortcomings

This is a very useful principle, to worktogether within the system of yourorganization and to pardon each oth-ers’ shortcomings and mistakes. I amreminding you of this because yourfounder Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadhas entrusted you with a great andnoble task. Do not think of what youcould accomplish in Pakistan? Pak-istan is a mere skeleton — you have toreform its spirit and character to bringit to life. This is the purpose that Allahthe Most High sent Hazrat Mirza Ghu-lam Ahmad with, to inculcate faith inthe hearts and minds of people. It wastheir faith in Allah that enabled theMuslims to become capable of runninga huge terrestrial empire. There is nodoubt that major cracks have appearedin the moral fabric of this nation. It isalso possible that the closer we look,the more apparent these cracksbecome. Only Allah has the true esti-mate of this. It is your duty to overlookthe faults of others and focus upontheir redeeming qualities. Take the caseof Mistah. There is no doubt that hewas guilty of a grave calumny but Godgave preference to his one good deed.He was amongst the companions ofthe Holy Prophet during the battle ofBadr. It is my observation that we our-selves commit grave errors andoverlook them. We are, however, swiftin our verbal tirades against peoplewho have accomplished magnificent

works. This is not appropriate. Whenjudging others always put more weightto their good deeds and overlook theirweaknesses.

The overall strength of ourorganization

God knows better that when I estimatethe overall strength of this organiza-tion, I find many exemplary qualitiesin it. When these people pass awayone would only wonder if there wouldbe others like them. Look at KhwajaKamal ud Din. We had differences withhim. During one annual convention italmost appeared that the organizationwould be there no longer. The workthat he did is highly exalted. Wherecan we find people like him today?Remember well that all those whowork for this organization are humanbeings and not angels. There is nodoubt that they have shortcomings butyou should look at their work andignore their weaknesses. You shouldappreciate the great job they accom-plish and overlook their faults: “Doyou not love that Allah should forgiveyou?” Strengthen this principle and beaware of your own shortcomings.Many great prophets cried out in theirprayers, “I have been unjust to mysoul!” Everyone is answerable to Godand we all seek His protection. So ifsomeone wants to be forgiven, heshould overlook the faults of hisbrethren; if he doesn’t, he cannotexpect God’s forgiveness. I have saidthat this organization has amongst itsmembers people whose good qualitiesgo far beyond their shortcomings. Thisorganization as a whole appears to dis-tinguish itself from others. Theircharacter and morals are exalted andtheir deeds are exemplary. If I startcounting, the list would be a long one.There is no doubt that there have beenmany amongst this organization whowere of highly exalted spiritual status.

The Appreciation of the works ofthis organization by others

Some of you may have attended theannual awards ceremony of the Mus-lim High School yesterday. You mayhave observed how impressed the


higher authorities were by the worksof your organization. When we wereconstructing the building for this HighSchool we asked the government forassistance. Of those who wereassigned this task, one senior officerquestioned whether we would be ableto raise half the funds for the construc-tion of this building. One of hissubordinates advised him that this wasa very active organization and thatthey will be able to accomplish every-thing. His words were proven true andthe school building was completedwithin three months. So you musthave observed yesterday the goodopinion authorities of this governmenthave of your organization. They knowwell what kind of people are needed tobe of service to Pakistan. That is whythe chief guest attending this cere-mony was of the opinion that thisorganization should establish a college.The graduates of this college will beamongst the best to serve Pakistan.What is, after all, the distinguishingfeature of this school? It is a school ofthe same organization that is subject toso much name-calling by the people.

Why is it that they send their childrento get educated here? It is because theyrealize that their children get the besteducation here.

The breadth of the promisedMessiah’s vision, his strength ofknowledge and action

Remember well that Hazrat Mirza Ghu-lam Ahmad accomplished astupendous task by forming this organ-ization. I wish the word had not beenused by a part of this organization thatturned off many people otherwisemany would have joined its ranks. Weobserved many great qualities ofHazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Hisvisionary insight was such that fewsince the time of the Holy Prophet havebeen gifted with it. Many of the condi-tions of this age foretold by the HolyProphet were also revealed to him. Hisstrength of knowledge was such thatwhosoever got close to him became ascholar and a strong protagonist oflearning. And he had another gift —his strength of action. He accomplishedwhatever task he undertook. Peopleclaim that we have destroyed this

organization and struck the last nail inits coffin. It will stay alive as long asthe knowledge base given by HazratMirza Sahib remains alive — theprophecies that he made about this ageare still being fulfilled. Search the pagesof history and you will not find suchbreadth of vision or strength of knowl-edge and action. You will not find thesethree elements together! Do not assumethat the world does not recognize this.The world acknowledges, but we havenot appreciated Hazrat Mirza GhulamAhmad. Just as we have not truly rec-ognized the Holy Prophet Muhammad.You should keep up your effort, theharder you work, the more you willreap the fruits of your labor. You areseeing how much hold evil has overthe world and how rampant briberyand corruption is. Try your best toreform the character and create goodmorality in the world. Spend your fulleffort in this quest and then observe thegood effects of your labor.

Note:

1. Tariq bin Nasai 2nd vol. page 186book Al-baiati.


Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society USA

Annual Convention 2015from August 14-16 at the Embassy Suites, Dublin, Ohio

Classes on selected topics on August 13

Please mark your calendar and do participate

Basharaat 2015 Q1,2 - Muslim · 1/2/2015 · A Quarterly International News Magazine of Ahmadiyya...

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