The Review of Religions: March 2010, Vol.105, No.

2 Editorial - In the Name of Allah

(Sarah Waseem)

7 Calendar of Religious Events and Festivals - 2010

8 The Victory of Islam – Part 4

A rallying call to Muslims to realise their responsibility to defend their faith and
be guided by the light promised to them by God Almighty
(Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi)

20 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies

The responsibility for spreading the concept of a barbaric Jihad rests with Muslim
scholars and certain Christian intellectuals
(Naseer Ahmad Qamar, UK)

51 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do

Religions do not cause dissension and discord. Which one should a person choose
to follow?
(Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul Masih II)

Cover pic: ©dreamstime.com

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EDITORIAL BOARD: Adam Walker • Amer Safir • Bockarie Tommy Kallon •
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 Editorial By Sarah Waseem
Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain;
for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name
in vain
(Exodus, 20:7)
And revile not those whom
they call upon beside Allah,
lest they out of spite, revile
Allah in their ignorance.
(Holy Qur’an, Ch.6:V.109)
Who owns the name of God? A
seemingly banal question
perhaps, but not so in Malaysia
where three years ago the
government banned the Catholic
Church using the Arabic word
Allah as a translation for God in
its Malay-language newspaper.
That ban was then overturned by
a High Court ruling that upheld
the constitutional right of the
church’s weekly Herald
newspaper to refer to Jesus
Christ(as) as the son of Allah.
The verdict has angered Muslim
groups who fear that some
2 The Review of Religions – March 2010
Muslims could be misled by
Christians using the word Allah.
They say the word should be
reserved for Islam alone.
However, according to Reverend
Lawrence Andrew, editor of the
Herald, there is no other
appropriate term for ‘God’ in
Malay. As we go to print a
Malaysian court has just
suspended that ruling in favour of
the government ban on the use of
the word Allah after the
government argued the decision
could cause racial conflict.
The Catholic Herald argues that
the word Allah has been used by
Malay-speaking Christians for
centuries, after the concept of a
single deity was introduced by
Arabic-speaking traders. The
newspaper has a circulation of
about 14,000 and is available
only in Catholic churches,
although some Muslims have
complained that it is possible to
look up Malay-language material
using the term Allah on the
Herald’s Web. The National
Union of Malaysian Muslim
Students contends that:
‘…the word Allah is
exclusive and only refers to
the concept of God that is
understood by Muslims…’
and have warned that allowing
the Herald to use Allah could
cause confusion among Muslims
who may leave their faith.
(http://www.washingtonexaminer
.com/world/80405892.html).
Government lawyers have argued
that Allah denotes the Muslim
God, is accepted as such around
the world, and is exclusively for
Muslims. If Catholics were
allowed to use Allah, then they
argue Muslims would be
“confused.” The confusion would
worsen because while Christians
recognise a “trinity of gods”
Islam is “totally monotheistic.”
They contend that the proper
word for God in the Malay
language is Tuhan, not Allah.
According to Malay-language
Utusan Malaysia, the mufti of
northern Perak state, Harussani
The Review of Religions – March 2010
Zakaria, termed the verdict “an
insult to Muslims in this country.”
The state news agency, Bernama,
reported former Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad as saying that
the authorities should set strict
conditions for non-Muslims using
the word Allah to avoid
provoking a Muslim backlash:
“What I am afraid of is that
the term ‘Allah’ might be
used in such a way that could
inflame the anger of
Muslims, if [non-Muslims]
were to use it on banners or
write something that might
not reflect Islam.”
Sadly, this prediction has come to
pass with attacks on ten churches
3
 Editorial
to date, most of them having been
fire bombed.
It is true that the word ‘Allah’
means the one and only true God,
but despite the pre-islamic
Arabian idol worshippers’ belief
in more than 300 Gods, they
believed in an entity above all of
them called ‘Allah’. Yet the Holy
Prophet(saw) never forbade the idol
worshippers to use the word
‘Allah’.
The concerns of the Malaysian
government over the use of Allah
by the Catholic Herald are rather
perplexing. How can Christian
newspaper articles using the term
‘Allah’ to refer to God, draw
Muslims away from Islam? Is it
because by referring to ‘Jesus son
of Allah’, Muslims will be
swayed into believing that Allah
is not one but three?
How ironic, for in the Holy
Qur’an Allah Himself has not
only defined His name and His
attributes but has also specifically
rejected the concept of trinity!
Surah Al-Ikhlas of the Holy
Qur’an emphatically proclaims
4 The Review of Religions – March 2010
the Unity of Allah:
Say, ‘He is Allah, the One;
Allah, the Independent and
Besought of all. He begets
not, nor is He begotten; and
there is none like unto Him.’
(Ch.112:Vs.2-5)
Allah has asserted His unity and
independence. ‘Allah’ is the
‘One’ and it therefore defies His
deity that He could have a son.
The Qur’an clearly rejects any
notion of trinity.
Again, the Qur’an declares:
…So believe in Allah and His
Messengers, and say not
‘They are three.’ Desist, it
will be better for you. Verily,
Allah is the only One God.
Far is it from His Holiness
that He should have a son. To
Him belongs whatever is in
the heavens and whatever is
in the earth. And sufficient is
Allah as a Guardian.
(Ch.4:V.172)
They are surely disbelievers
who say, ‘Allah is the third of
 Editorial
three;’ there is no God but
the One God. And if they do
not desist from what they say,
a grievous punishment shall
surely befall those of them
that disbelieve.
(Ch.5:V.74)
…and they falsely ascribe to
Him sons and daughters
without any knowledge. Holy
is He and exalted far above
what they attribute to Him.
The Originator of the
heavens and the earth! How
can He have a son when He
has no consort, and when He
has created everything and
has knowledge of all things?
(Ch.6:Vs.101-102)
Perhaps most strikingly the Holy
Qur’an itself has used the
utterances ‘Messiah, son of
Allah’:-
And the Jews say, Ezra is the
son of Allah, and the
Christians say, the Messiah
is the son of Allah…
(Ch.9:Vs.30)
Now if the Holy Qur’an can
The Review of Religions – March 2010
remind us of the utterances
‘Messiah son of God’ albeit to
deny that this could be possible,
why are Malaysian Muslims
afraid that if the Catholic Herald
does so, Muslims will be
confused about their own faith?
The Holy Qur’an tells us :
It does not befit the Majesty
of Allah to take unto Himself
a son. Holy is He. When He
decrees a thing, He says to it,
‘Be!’, and it is. Said Jesus:
‘Surely , Allah is my Lord
and your Lord. So worship
Him alone; this is the right
path.’
(Ch.19:Vs.36-37)
The Qur’an also reminds us that
Jesus(as) was not responsible for
the introduction of trinity into
Christian belief. It tells us how he
will respond to any accusations to
having promoted his own
Divinity.
And when Allah will say, “O
Jesus, son of Mary, didst
thou say to men, ‘Take me
and my mother for two gods
beside Allah?’”, he will
5
 Editorial
answer, “Holy art Thou. I
could never say that to which
I had no right. If I had said it,
Thou wouldst have surely
known it. Thou knowest what
is in my mind, and I know not
what is in Thy mind. It is only
Thou Who art the Knower of
hidden things. I said nothing
to them except that which
Thou didst command me –
‘Worship Allah, my Lord and
your Lord…’
(Ch.5:Vs.117-118)
So, not only has Allah Himself, in
the Holy Qur’an, defined the
meaning of His Name, but He has
also explained that the
introduction of the concept of
trinity was not propagated by
Jesus(as), and is instead a distortion
of the original message of Jesus
Christ(as)! One wonders, therefore,
how any Malaysian Muslim could
be drawn away from Islam if
‘Allah’ is used by a believer in the
trinity?
Now, what about the govern-
ment’s assertion that ‘Allah’
denotes the Muslim God, and is
exclusively for Muslims?
6 The Review of Religions – March 2010
Again, a reading of the Holy
Qur’an directs us to reject this. In
Surah Al-Naml we read:
The Queen said, “Ye chiefs,
there has been delivered to
me a noble letter.
It is from Solomon, and it is:
‘In the name of Allah, the
Gracious, the Merciful;
(Ch.27:Vs.30-31)
Hadhrat Sulaiman(as) himself used
the words ‘In the name of Allah’!
His advent predated Islam! So, if
the Holy Qur’an tells us that he
used the word ‘Allah’, what
exclusive right have present day
Muslims to stop other faiths from
using Allah’s name to refer to
God?
Malaysian Muslim leaders ought
not to worry that Muslims who
read the Holy Qur’an will be
misled if they see His name used
by other faiths.
 Calendar of Religious Events & Festivals
(March 2010)

Day Event Significance

Three day festival that takes place on first of
Lunar month, Chet, originally at Anandpur Sahib,
1 Hola Mohalla (Sikhism)
Punjab. Characterised by army parades, mock-
fights, music and poetry.

Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet

Milad un Nabi (Shia Muhammad(saw), 5 days after Sunni Muslims. The
3
Muslims) Qur’an and Hadith, however, do not approve of
this religious innovation.

Annual feast commemorating one of the Patron

St. Patrick’s Day
17 Saint’s of Ireland, St. Patrick. Marked by wearing
(Christianity) green, representative of the shamrock plant.

Jamshedi Noruz Zoroastrian new year celebration dedicated to fire,

21
(Zoroastrianism) occurring on the spring equinox.

Rama Navami Celebrating the birth of Lord Rama. Rama was

24
(Hinduism) believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu.

Feast marking the visit of the angel Gabriel to the

Annunciation
25 Virgin Mary, telling her the news that she would
(Christianity) bear Jesus Christ.

One of the most important dates in the Zoroastrian

Khordad Sal
26 year, celebrating the birth of Zoroaster marked
(Zoroastrianism) with feasts and gathering in temples.

Commemorating the birth of the Founder of

Mahavira Jayanti
28 modern day Jainism, Lord Mahavira, by gathering
(Jainism) in temples and listening to recitals.

Feast marking the freeing of the Children of Israel

First Day of Passover
30 by Moses(as) from Egypt. One of the most
(Judaism) important festivals in the Jewish calendar.

The Review of Religions – March 2010 7

 Final part of series of extracts from Victory of
Islam, an English rendering of the Urdu Fateh-e-
Islam, written by the Promised Messiah and Mahdi,
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as).

VICTORY OF ISLAM Part 4

The fourth branch of this The fifth branch of this great

Dispensation is the
correspondence written both by
the ‘seekers after truth’ or by the
antagonists. It is estimated that
during the past years, over ninety
thousand letters must have been
received and duly responded to,
except those that were
considered to be worthless or
unimportant. This work also
continues unabated. During each
month about three hundred to
seven hundred letters are
received and replied to. In some
months the number may reach a
thousand.
project established under the
express inspiration and
revelation of God is the
widening of the circle of
devotees and of those who take
the Oath of Initiation (Bai’at) at
my hand. At the time of the
establishment of this
Dispensation, God spoke to me
saying: The world is engulfed in
a storm of misguidance. During
this storm, you should construct
this ark. He who embarks on the
ark will be saved from drowning.
Death would await those who
continue to reject.

8 The Review of Religions – March 2010

 Victory of Islam – Part 4
And He said: Anyone who slips
his hand into your hand in
allegiance, slips it not into your
hand but rather into the Hand of
God.
And again God the Almighty
gave me glad tidings by saying: I
will cause you to die and then
raise you to Myself. But your
true followers and devotees will
always excel those who rejected
you, till the Day of Judgement.
These are the five branches of
this Dispensation established by
God with His own hand. A
person with a superficial
perception might consider the
writing and printing of books to
be the only important project of
this Dispensation, and consider
the other branches as unim-
portant and worthless. But in the
sight of God, all these branches
are obligatory. The great reform
which God intends to initiate
cannot be accomplished without
the coordination of these five
branches.
However, the success of the
project is entirely dependent
The Review of Religions – March 2010
upon the extraordinary support
and singular blessing of God. He
alone is sufficient for its
triumphant completion. It is His
heartening promises which grant
tranquillity and respite. But it is
also under His instructions and
incentive that the attention of the
Muslims is invited towards
monetary assistance. This appeal
is in keeping with the practice of
all the earlier Prophets of God
who appealed for such assistance
from their followers in times of
distress. It is solely for this
purpose, that I launch this
appeal…
…O ye Muslims, who are the
surviving vestiges and
descendants of resolute and
noble believers! Do not rush
towards the rejection and distrust
of this appeal, rather, dread that
epidemic which is fast spreading
around you. A multitude has
already been snared in its
treachery. Do you notice the
ferocity of the attempts to wipe
out the religion of Islam? Is it not
equally incumbent upon you as
well to strive in this cause? The
religion of Islam is not man-
9
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
made that it could suffer
desolation through the intrigues
of man. But woe to those who
are engrossed in attempts at its
extermination!
Alas! Muslims have enough to
spend upon their wives and
children, enough to squander
upon personal lavishness, but for
Islam their pockets are empty.
Ye sluggish and lethargic ones,
woe unto you! You do not
possess the ability to strengthen
the religion of Islam and
demonstrate its miraculous
powers, yet you fail to accept
with gratitude this Divine
Dispensation which has been
established by God to manifest
the dazzling truth of Islam.
Today, Islam is likened unto a
light that has been caged in a
chest or to a sweet fountain that
has been concealed by twigs and
leaves. That is why Islam is in
decline and its beautiful face is
shrouded from the world. Its
enchanting silhouette cannot be
seen. It was vital for the Muslims
to liberate Islam from this
10 The Review of Religions – March 2010
confinement at all costs. Not to
speak of financial sacrifices
alone, if so needed, they should
have shed their blood like the
pouring of water. But they failed
to do that. They are still
engrossed in their ignorance,
saying, ‘Are the previous books
not sufficient?’ They are
oblivious to the fact that to
combat new intrigues, fresh
techniques have to be devised.
At the onset of every spiritual
gloom, Prophets, Messengers
and Reformers have been
coming to the world. At the time
of their advent, were the
previous books not already
present? Brothers! It is therefore
essential that at the spread of
darkness, a heavenly light must
descend from heavens.
As earlier mentioned in this book,
God gives glad tidings to the
faithful in Surah Al-Qadr that His
Prophet and His revelation
descended from the heaven
during the period of ‘Lailat-ul-
Qadr’ (The Night of Decree).
Every Guide and Reformer who
 Victory of Islam – Part 4

Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as)

The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community
In 1891, he claimed on the basis of Divine revelation,
that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose
advent had been foretold by Muhammad, the Holy
Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) and by the scriptures of other faiths.

His claim constitutes the basis of the beliefs of the

Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

is commissioned by God always which normal human senses

appears during the Night of
Decree.
Do you understand what is meant
by the Night of Decree? The
Night of Decree or the ‘Lailat-ul-
Qadr’ is the name of a night when
spiritual darkness reaches its
ultimate gloom. That gloom,
metaphorically, demands a light
from heaven for its dissipation.
This night is symbolically called
the Night of Decree. In fact, it is
not a night but a period, referred
to as a ‘night’ because of its
intense darkness.
One thousand months is the
approximate life span of a human
being. It is also a period after
cease to function. The elapse of a
period of one thousand months,
following the demise of a Prophet
or his spiritual successor, also
signals the commencement of a
‘night’ of darkness. This ‘night’
triggers a fervour in the heavens
and the seeds of the birth of one
or more reformers is stealthily
sown. Thus, such a reformer or
reformers prepare to emerge at
the head of the new century. The
following verse is also an
indication by God towards this
phenomenon:
The Night of Decree is better
than a thousand months.
(Ch. 97:V.4)

The Review of Religions – March 2010 11

 Victory of Islam – Part 4
Meaning that anyone who
perceives the blessings of this
Night of Decree, or anyone who
benefits from the company of
the Reformer of the age, is better
than an eighty-year-old man
who failed to behold this blessed
time. Even if he witnessed a
single moment of this blessed
era, it was better than his past
one thousand months. Why is
that moment better? Because
during that period, in support of
the Reformer, the angels of God
and the ‘Ruh-ul-Qudus’ (Holy
Spirit) descend from the
heavens. They manifest
themselves upon the hearts of
the faithful for the purpose of
unveiling the path to guidance.
They remain fully engaged in
this endeavour until the gloom
of delinquency vanishes,
ushering in a dawn of piety.
Now O Muslims! Ponder over
these verses and observe how
God praises that blessed period
in which, at the hour of need, a
Reformer is sent unto the world.
Would you not acknowledge the
value of this period? Would you
view with ridicule and taunt the
12 The Review of Religions – March 2010
covenants of God Almighty?
So, O Muslims who have been
granted affluence, listen! I
convey the message to you that it
is obligatory for you to
wholeheartedly support this
Divinely inspired reformatory
Dispensation. You should hasten
to do justice to this scheme after
considering, with absolute
sincerity, all its aspects…
…Who is my companion? Who
is dear to me? He who
recognises my station. Who
recognises me? Only he who is
firmly convinced that I have
been sent by God.
He who accepts me in the same
way as those sent earlier are
accepted. The world cannot
accept me for I am not of this
world. But those whose inherent
nature has been gifted with a
portion of the knowledge of the
other domain are accepting me
and will continue to accept me.
He who forsakes me indeed
forsakes Him Who sent me. He
who is grafted onto me is grafted
onto Him from Whom I have
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
come. I hold a lamp in my hand.
Any person who comes to me
will certainly partake of the light
of this lamp. But those who flee
as a result of delusion and
distrust will be thrown into
darkness. I am the invincible
citadel of this age. Only he who
enters therein will be secure from
the scourge of swindlers, crooks
and ferocious beasts. But he who
prefers to stay away from my
periphery, will confront death
from all directions! Even his
corpse will not be secure.
Who is it who enters my citadel?
Only he who discards all vice
and instead embraces the path of
rectitude. He who gives up the
path of crookedness and treads
along the path of truthfulness.
He who cuts asunder from the
bondage of Satan and becomes
an obedient servant of God.
Everyone who does that is of me
and I am of him.
But only he succeeds in
accomplishing this feat who is
placed by God the Almighty,
under the shadow of a Muzakki
(Purifier). He then stamps out
The Review of Religions – March 2010
under his feet the hell of his ego.
The fire within him is quenched
and cooled as if there had never
been any fire. Then he begins to
accomplish brisk spiritual
progress till the spirit of God
Almighty dwells in him. And as
a result of a remarkable Divine
phenomenon, God, the Lord of
the worlds, firmly establishes
Himself upon his heart. Thus, his
old individuality is incinerated
and he is accorded a new and
purified temperament. For him,
God Almighty becomes a new
God, establishing a fresh and
unique attachment with him. He
is bestowed in this very world
with all the immaculate blessings
of a blissful life.
At this juncture, I cannot refrain
from expressing my intense
gratitude to the Almighty God,
Who out of His Grace and Mercy
never left me alone. Those who
developed a bond of brotherhood
with me by joining this
Community that was established
by God with His own Hand, are
imbued with a unique tint of love
and devotion. Such spiritual
souls satiated with sincerity that
13
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
are granted to me, were not
acquired by any act of diligence
on my part, but entirely due to
the distinctive blessing of God.
First of all, I experience an
immense fervour in my heart for
the mention of a spiritual brother
whose name Nur-ud-Din (The
Brilliance of Faith) is
synonymous with his brilliant
services. I have always cast
wistful looks at some of the
religious services which he
renders with his lawful earnings
for the propagation of Islam.
Alas! If only I too could perform
such services. The portrayal of
the unlimited power and
authority of God comes to mind,
when I ponder at the intensity of
his devotion towards Islam. I
marvel at how God attracts
people towards His cause. He
stands resolute and ever ready to
sacrifice all the wealth and
property at his disposal in
obedience to God and His
Prophet. It is my conviction
which is based upon experience
and not upon mere optimistic
speculation that, not to speak of
wealth alone, he is even ready to
14 The Review of Religions – March 2010
sacrifice his honour and life for
my sake. Had I permitted, he
would have given up everything
and come to live with me here.
Thus, he would be physically
close to me, as he is spiritually
close already…
…At this point, I consider it
appropriate to state that all who
have entered into the covenant of
Bai‘at are not such that I could
express a good opinion about
them. Instead, I view some of
them as the dry branches of a
tree, whom my God, Who is my
Guardian, will one day sever
from me and hurl into the pile of
firewood. There are others who
showed a certain amount of
devotion and sincerity in the
beginning but have now become
indifferent. They have lost the
glow of warmth and enthusiasm
associated with loving disciples.
Indeed, the intrigues of Bal’am
are all that remains in them. They
are likened to rotten teeth,
waiting to be extracted and
trampled upon. They became
exhausted with fatigue. This
corrupted world clenched them in
the snare of its deception. I say
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
this with conviction that very
soon they will be cut off from me,
except such among them whom
God chooses to save afresh with
His own Hand. There are those,
of course, whom God has
permanently handed over to me.
They are indeed the evergreen
branches of the tree of my being.
I shall, Insha Allah (God willing),
write about them on another
occasion.
It would be appropriate here to
dispel the conceited views of
some wealthy people who deem
themselves as having offered rich
sacrifices in the cause of God,
while they are extremely reluctant
to spend their wealth on the right
cause whenever it arises. They
say that had they been born in the
period of a true man sent from
God for the rejuvenation of faith,
they would have come forward to
help him and even be ready to be
sacrificed for him, but what can
they do in an age rampant with
swindlers and cheats?
But let it be clear to you that a
person has already been sent in
support of the faith but you
failed to recognise him. He is
The Review of Religions – March 2010
among you and it is he who is
addressing you now. But there
are heavy veils covering your
eyes. If your hearts are in search
of truth it should not be difficult
to verify the claim of one who
professes to be in communion
with God. Come to him. Stay in
his company for two or three
weeks, if Allah so wills, you
may also witness blessings being
showered upon him and many a
spiritual light which descends
upon him. It is he who seeks who
finds. He who knocks, it is for
him that the door is opened. If
you lament the absence of the
sun after having locked yourself
up in a dark closet with your
eyes shut, then your moaning
will be in vain.
O ye who are bereft of clear
vision! Open the door of your
closet and remove the covering
from your eyes so that you may
not only see the sun but may also
bask in its light.
Some claim that the founding of
Anjumans [Organisations] and the
opening of schools is sufficient
to promote the cause of faith. But
15
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
they fail to understand what faith
is, nor do they understand the
ultimate objective of our creation
or what the means of achieving
such objectives are. They should
realise that the ultimate goal of
this life is to attain a true and
certain bond with God – such as
would sever our ties with
relations based on animal
instincts. The paths leading to
such certainty and conviction
cannot be attained through
human deliberations and
schemes. Human devices and
philosophies are of no avail.
Rather, in the times of darkness,
this light always descends from
the heavens through His chosen
servants. He who comes from
heaven, it is only he who can
lead you to heaven.
Therefore, O ye who are buried
in pits of darkness and those who
are held in the claws of doubt
and suspicion and are slaves of
selfish desires! Do not pride over
the mere title or legacy of Islam.
Do not consider that the
formation of syndicates and
schools are the answer for your
true solace, genuine welfare and
16 The Review of Religions – March 2010
ultimate success. Basically, these
things are useful and can be
regarded as the initial steps, but
they are very far off from the
final objective. These exercises
may generate some intellectual
ingenuity, astuteness, intelli-
gence or debate. They may help a
person to be called a ‘sage’ or a
‘renowned scholar’. It is also
possible that a long and sustained
schooling might result in the
partial achievement of the
ultimate objective. But (as the
Persian saying goes)
Before the arrival of the
antidote from Iraq, the
snake-bitten victim may
succumb to the venom.
Therefore, wake up and be
vigilant! Lest you stumble and
find yourself in a state of apostasy
and disbelief as you traverse the
final journey to the hereafter.
Know for certain that salvation in
the hereafter does not entirely
depend on the acquisition of
conventional knowledge. The
manifestation of a Heavenly light
is essential for the removal of the
dirt of scepticism and lack of
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
conviction. It is indeed necessary
for the negation of the fire of
sensual obsession. It draws man
towards sincere love, true
affection and obedience to God. If
you confer with your conscience,
it is bound to respond by saying
that you do not possess that
genuine satisfaction and inherent
tranquillity that is essential for the
instantaneous spiritual
transformation. Therefore, how
unfortunate that you do not
possess even a minute fraction of
the keenness and enthusiasm for
the publication of literature
pertaining to this Divine scheme
that you possess for the printing
of works of mere customary
sayings and knowledge.
Generally, your life is devoted
towards such pursuits as have had
little relevance towards the uplift
of faith, or are of little
significance and very remote
from the ultimate objective. If you
were equipped with such
sensibilities and wisdom as stop
only at the essential scheme of
things, then you would not rest
until you had reached that
ultimate objective.
The Review of Religions – March 2010
O humankind! You are created
for the recognition, and the
consequent obedience to and love
of your true Creator, the One
alone who is truly worthy of
worship. Therefore, until the
ultimate and final purpose of
your creation does not fully dawn
upon you, you remain very
remote from true salvation. If you
are candid, you could be attesting
to your own internal state that
instead of the worship of God, a
gigantic idol of materialism
permanently dwells within you,
before which you prostrate a
thousand times each second! You
are so engrossed in the affairs of
the world that you do not have
the leisure of glancing at
anything else. Do you ever think
about the ultimate and final end
of this creation? Where are the
characteristics of justice? Where
is your integrity? Where are the
qualities of truthfulness,
sympathy, honesty and humility
towards which the Qur’an
beckons you?
Even during the years gone by, it
never ever occurred to you that
we indeed have a Creator. Have
17
 Victory of Islam – Part 4
you ever thought of your
obligations towards Him? The
plain truth is that you never
developed any concern, link or
affiliation with the God of
ultimate existence. Even the
very mention of His name is
cumbersome upon you.
Although in your worldly affairs
and concerns, you exhibit
extraordinary wisdom and
solemnity, yet your proficiency,
your deep and far reaching
insight end at the fringes of this
worldliness, and you cannot
visualise in the least that which
belongs to the other world, the
world your souls are created to
inhabit eternally. But in your
entire life you have never even
once reflected on the hereafter,
the happiness of which is
permanent and assured beyond a
shadow of doubt.
How unfortunate that you are
sitting absolutely unaware of
the most important issue that
matters in life, and your eyes
are completely shut to it, while
day and night you are madly
engaged in lustful pursuits
which are of matters only
18 The Review of Religions – March 2010
transient and are fit only to be
forgotten. You are fully aware
that, without doubt, an instant
will finally come which will
suddenly terminate your life
and all that you yearned for. But
this is a peculiar type of
callousness because of which,
despite having complete
knowledge, you continue to
waste your entire time in
worldly quests. And your
pursuit of materialism is not
confined only to lawful means;
you do not stop short of
employing falsehood, deceit
and even the ruthless murder of
truth to gain your objectives.
Despite all these ignominious
crimes, which are rampant in
you, you continue to assert that
there was no need for Divine
Light or a Divine Commission.
In fact you nurture an extreme
animosity towards it. You have
looked down with contempt at
this Heavenly Dispensation of
God, so much so that if you ever
mention these things, you do it
with words full of foul language
with eyebrows drawn with
arrogance and upturned noses.
 Victory of Islam – Part 4

You insistently demand to know you to remember my

how you can reach the stage of
certainty that this institution is
from God. I have just answered
this question: this tree can be
recognised by its fruit and this
luminary moon can be
recognised by its light. Now it
is up to you either to accept it or
reject it and again it lies with
admonitions or wipe them out
from your memories.
The qualities of a person
are not appreciated during
his lifetime, my dear ones.
You will remember my
admonitions after I am no more.

NOTE FOR THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS

Verse references to the Holy Qur’an item count ‘Bismillah...’ (In the
Name of Allah...) as the first verse of each Chapter. In some non-standard
texts, this is not counted. Should the reader refer to such texts, the verse
quoted in The Review of Religions will be found a verse earlier, i.e. at one
verse less than the number quoted in this journal.
For the ease of non-Muslim readers, ‘(saw)’ or ‘saw’ after the words,
‘Holy Prophet’, or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used normally in small
letters. They stand for ‘Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning ‘peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him’. Likewise, the letters ‘(as)’ or ‘as’ after
the name of all other prophets is an abbreviation meaning ‘peace be upon
him’ derived from ‘Alaihis salatu wassalam’ which are words that a
Muslim utters out of respect whenever he or she comes across that name.
The abbreviation ‘ra’ or (ra) stands for ‘Radhiallahu Ta’ala anhu and is
used for Companions of a Prophet, meaning Allah be pleased with him or
her (when followed by the relevant Arabic pronoun). Finally, ‘ru’ or (ru) for
Rahemahullahu Ta’ala means the Mercy of Allah the Exalted be upon him.

In keeping with current universal practice, local transliterations of names

of places are preferred to their anglicised versions, e.g. Makkah instead
of Mecca, etc.

The Review of Religions – March 2010 19

 RELIGIOUS TERRORISM
Causes and Remedies
By Naseer Ahmad Qamar
Chief Editor, Al-Fazl International
(Translated from Urdu)

Islam today is viewed by many Islam, who are gravely mistaken

in the West as an aggressive
religion that promotes terrorism.
Sadly, it is often the case that the
killing of innocent people,
suicide bombings, and terrorist
activities are carried out by
people who claim to be
Muslims; however, in reality,
the responsibility for such
malicious acts actually rests
with the so-called scholars of
20 The Review of Religions – March 2010
in their understanding of the
issue of Jihad. They consider
the unjustified killing of human
beings ‘by the sword’ as a
religious duty. These scholars
have deliberately misinterpreted
some of the Mutashabihat
(complex and multifaceted)
verses of the Holy Qur’an and
equated true Islamic Jihad to
rebellion for their own benefits.
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies

According to Hadhrat Mirza for these people considering

Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised them performing Jihad, I
Messsiah(as): say in truth that the one who
calls a rebellious person
‘Islam is such a religion that Ghazi, and praises those
does not need the support of who bring a bad name to
the sword for its Islam is an enemy of
propagation. Rather, the Islam… In England, France
inherent excellences of its and other European
teachings, its truth, countries, Islam is very
enlightenment, reasoning, harshly criticised for having
arguments, and the active been spread by the use of
assistance of God the force… The truth is that this
Exalted, the signs, and His rebellion has been spread
personal attention are such by the Maulawis (Islamic
matters that always drive its clerics), who are the unwise
progress and propa- friends of Islam. They did
gation…The message of not understand the reality of
Islam does not need any Islam, and provided an
compulsion for its propa- opportunity to others to
gation… To consider that raise objections because of
the Ghazis (Islamic their concocted beliefs. The
veterans of war) of the beliefs concocted by them
Frontier Region cause greatly aided the Christians.
rebellion in the name of Had they not deceived
Jihad is an absurd thought, others about Jihad or
and it is nothing but misunderstood the meaning
foolishness and ignorance of Jihad, no one would have
to call these rebellious taken advantage of the
people by the name of opportunity to criticise
Ghazi. If an ignorant Islam’.
Muslim harbors even the (Malfoozat, Vol. 3, pp.176-
least amount of sympathy 177)

The Review of Religions – March 2010 21

 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
Incorrect Interpretation of
Jihad
The Promised Messiah(as) has
analysed this issue in great detail
and writes:
‘The philosophy and true
nature of Jihad is a matter
both complex and subtle.
Grave errors have been
made both in our age and in
the middle ages [of Islam]
because people failed to
understand this subject. It is
with great embarrassment
that I am forced to admit that
these dangerous mistakes
have exposed the holy
religion of Islam, which is a
mirror of the laws of nature
and a manifestation of God’s
glory, to the criticism of its
opponents.
(The British Government
and Jihad)
It has been the tradition of the
orientalists to publish excerpts
from commentaries of the Holy
Qur’an by Muslims, and then to
use those excerpts to bring Islam
into disrepute and fuel opposition
against it.
22 The Review of Religions – March 2010
In recent times Maulawi Abul
A’la Maudoodi, the founder of
the Jama’at Islami, has been so
prominent in attributing false and
inappropriate interpretations to
the Holy Qur’an and the Holy
Prophet(saw), that their rever-
beration of his false comments
are often echoed in the writings
of Western authors. In his book,
God, Muhammad and the
Unbelievers – A Qur’anic Study,
David Marshal has erroneously
attributed incorrect meanings to
various verses of the Holy
Qur’an and has presented Islam
as a barbaric religion. He writes
that Muslims have been taught to
fight against the unbelievers,
until they either accept Islam, or
are killed. To support his
viewpoint, the author has quoted
excerpts from the books of
Maulawi Abul A’la Maudoodi,
stating that Maulawi Maudoodi
was the only such person who
truly understood the message of
the Qur’an. (God, Muhammad
and the Unbelievers – A
Qur’anic Study, pp.191-197)
The Promised Messiah(as) says:
‘The people who call
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
themselves Muslims, but are
convinced that Islam should
be spread by sword, are not
aware of the inherent
excellences of Islam, and
their actions are like the
actions of beasts.’
(Tiryaq-ul-Quloob, Ruhani
Khaza’in, Vol.15, p.167)
Similarly he writes:
‘The Promised Messiah
came to the world to remove
the notion of raising the
sword for the sake of
religion…Now God the
Exalted desires to remove all
the objections raised by the
wicked people against the
pure religion of Islam.’
(Malfoozat, Vol.3, p176,
published in London)
Today, in the footsteps of the
Promised Messiah(as), and in his
representation, the Fifth
Successor of the Promised
Messiah and the current Head of
the worldwide Ahmadiyya
Muslim community, Hadhrat
Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) has
undertaken the task to explain the
The Review of Religions – March 2010
real meaning of Jihad: that force
and violence cannot be used in
the name of religion. His
Holiness is consumed in the real
Jihad, which is the propagation
of the peaceful message of Islam
throughout the entire world, with
the help and support of God the
Exalted. He constantly
admonishes the members of the
community to spread the
message of the peaceful
teachings of Islam in the world.
Towards this end, the
Ahmadiyya Muslim community
has, despite its relatively small
size, translated the Qur’an into
more than 60 languages. It has
also established its own twenty-
four hour international television
station that hosts programmes
explaining the true nature of
Islam. The community has
published thousands of books
and other forms of literature, and
held countless interfaith events
around the world in which
leaders and followers of various
faiths, as well the general public,
are invited to come together and
remove the misunderstandings
between religions. All this
represents the practical imple-
23
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
mentation of the Promised
Messiah(as)’s mission to spread
Islam through purely peaceful
and intellectual means.
Hadhrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad (aba) presents the peaceful
teachings of Islam and the actual
meaning of Jihad in accordance
with the teachings of the Qur’an,
Hadith (Traditions), and the pure
life of the Holy Prophet(saw). This
is the true meaning of Jihad.
Rebuttal of the Concept of a
Barbaric and Bloody Jihad
As mentioned, the underlying
cause of religious extremism,
oppression, violence, and
terrorism by some Muslims, is
the erroneous interpretation of
Jihad preached by some of the
so-called Islamic scholars (or
Maulawis.)
The Promised Messiah(as) has
shed light on various aspects of
this issue in his writings; in
particular, in his books, ‘The
British Government and Jihad’
and ‘Damimah Risalah-e-Jihad’.
In addition to describing the real
meaning of Jihad with reference
24 The Review of Religions – March 2010
to the Qur’an, Hadith, and the
practice of the Hadhrat
Muhammad , he also refutes
(saw)
the erroneous concept of Jihad
practised by certain Muslims.
While pointing out who the real
perpetuators are of the wrongful
concept of Jihad, he describes
their crime, and the dangers
faced by humanity from them.
He also provides guidelines for
the eradication of religious
terrorism and the establishment
of general peace, without which,
religious fanaticism cannot be
eradicated. The Promised
Messiah writes:
(as)
‘Those who possess sight,
read the Hadith and ponder
over the Holy Qur’an should
understand well that the kind
of Jihad practised by many
of today’s barbaric people is
not Islamic Jihad. Rather,
these misguided activities
that have spread amongst the
Muslims are instigated by
the Nafs-e-Ammarah [self
that incites to evil] or by a
crude desire for Paradise.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
Similarly, he says:
..‘the tradition prevalent
among Muslims of attacking
the people of other religions,
which they call Jihad, is not
the Jihad of Divine religious
Law [Shariah]. Rather, it is a
grievous sin and a violation
of the clear instructions of
God and His Prophet(saw).
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Furthermore, he writes:
‘They should remember that
their understanding of Jihad
is not at all correct, and that
human sympathy is its first
casualty’.
(The British Government
and Jihad)
He says:
‘Is it not shameful that a
complete stranger should be
unjustly killed while
occupied in his daily affairs,
thus widowing his wife,
making his children
orphans, and turning his
The Review of Religions – March 2010
house into a funeral parlour?
Which Hadith or verse of
the Holy Qur’an authorises
such behaviour? Is there any
Maulawi who can respond?
Foolish people hear the
word Jihad, and make it an
excuse for the fulfilment of
their own selfish desires. Or
perhaps it is sheer madness
that inclines them towards
bloodshed.
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Today too, terrorists kill innocent
people in their places of worship,
on public transport and in public
gatherings, in the name of Jihad.
The Mullah (Religious
Scholar) is responsible for
Religious Fanaticism and
Terrorism.
The Promised Messiah(as) laid the
responsibility for religious
fanaticism, terrorism, and the
unjustified carnage on the
mullahs: both the Islamic
mullahs and the European clergy.
Mentioning the Islamic mullah,
he says:
25
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
‘It should be remembered
that today’s Islamic scholars
(who are called maulawis)
completely misunderstand
Jihad and misrepresent it to
the general public. The
public’s violent instincts are
inflamed as a result and they
are stripped of all noble
human virtues. This is in fact
what has happened. I know
for certain that maulawis
who persist in propagating
these blood-spattered
doctrines are in fact
responsible for murders
committed by ignorant,
egotistical people who know
nothing of why Islam was
forced to fight battles in its
early history.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Similarly, the Promised
Messiah says:
(as)
‘May God bring these
ignorant maulawis back to
the right path. They have
misled the populace into
believing that the keys to
Paradise lie in beliefs that
26 The Review of Religions – March 2010
are oppressive, cruel and
completely immoral.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
He further says:
‘They consider Jihad to be
obligatory in their hearts,
and few of them think
otherwise. They adhere so
strongly to their doctrine of
Jihad—which is completely
misguided and entirely
contradicts the teachings of
the Holy Qur’an and
Hadith—that they label as
“dajjal” [Antichrist] and
advocate the murder of
anyone who objects. A fatwa
[edict] of this kind was
pronounced against me
some time ago.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Today again we see that the
statements and edicts of Muslim
religious scholars receive wide
publication in the press and
media. The Holy Prophet(saw)
declared that these unfortunate
mullahs will destroy the image of
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
Islam and become the enemies of
their own people through their
recklessness, ignorance and evil
morals.
Source of Rebellion
Warning about the rebellious acts
of these mullahs one hundred
years ago, the Promised
Messiah(as) said:
‘They are the source of the
rebellions confronted by
every government. They
have power over the
common people and create
havoc by turning them in
whatever direction they
please.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The veracity of the Promised
Messiah’s(as) words are self-
evident. The cause of rebellions
for all governments today
(Muslims and non-Muslims) are
the actions and deeds of these
people. Through their fiery
speeches they ignite the flames
of hatred in moments, thus
relegating social peace to ashes.
The Review of Religions – March 2010
The Global Terrorist
The Promised Messiah (as)
pointed out the dangers of
international terrorism when he
wrote:
‘Unfortunately, the
Muslims – and the
maulawis in particular –
ignore all these events and
think of the whole world as
their prey. Many maulawis
are just like a hunter who
moves stealthily towards a
deer he is stalking in the
forest, shooting his gun at
precisely the right moment.
They know nothing about
compassion for humanity.
According to them, it is an
act of Islamic virtue to fire a
pistol or gun at an innocent
person.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Lies, Hypocrisy and the Signs
of the Duplicitous Mullah
Writing in The British
Government and Jihad’, the
Promised Messiah(as) has warned
us to be vigilant of the
duplicitous nature of these
27
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
mullahs. He advised in the
following words:
‘When these maulawis meet
present day rulers, they bow
down as if ready to
prostrate; but among their
own kind they insist
repeatedly that this country
is “dar-ul-harb” [a war
zone]. They consider Jihad
to be obligatory in their
hearts, and few of them
think otherwise.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The characteristics noted by the
Promised Messiah(as) make it very
easy for us to identify such
people. In the interest of personal
and material benefits, or because
of the fear of being caught, or
because of pressure, these
scholars sometimes make
statements before the authorities
or the international press to the
effect that they are not
proponents of the bloody concept
of Jihad, or of religious
fanaticism and extremism.
However, behind the scenes they
propagate these doctrines
28 The Review of Religions – March 2010
through their books, and
speeches, and in their schools.
Therefore, until their doctrines
change and until their books and
schools start teaching the true
Islamic concept of Jihad, their
statements cannot be trusted. A
rebellious ideology and doctrine
can never produce virtuous acts.
Therefore, without the refor-
mation of ideologies, doctrines,
and hearts, the peace and the
reformation of the nation are
nothing more than a fanciful
thought.
Here, it would be appropriate to
mention that we do not say that
all Islamic scholars subscribe to
these rebellious views.
Unfortunately the majority of
scholars do and their influence is
such that of the ones who are not
convinced of this bloody concept
of Jihad, there are very few who
have the courage to confront the
Jihadist mullahs, and preach the
true Islamic concept of Jihad.
Hidden Enemies of the
Government
The Promised Messiah(as)
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
declared that the mullahs, who
are convinced of the bloody
ideology of Jihad, are the hidden
enemies of the government, and
are criminals, as well as
disobedient in the sight of God
the Exalted. (The British
Government and Jihad)
Unfortunately, at the time the
authorities did not pay attention
to his words and did not identify
these hidden enemies. As a
result, they still continue to gain
strength. Furthermore, injustice
occurs when the governments of
certain countries establishes
close ties with these instigators
of rebellion, and use them
without any restriction for their
selfish gains and specific
political goals. They have backed
these mullahs in their instigations
and rebellious schemes, and
encouraged them, thus further
augmenting their vicious
abilities. As a result, the mullahs
have played games with the
blood of innocent people and
have openly caused mayhem in
society. It is only when these
murderers turned on their own
supporters that their eyes opened,
The Review of Religions – March 2010
and thus, declaring them to be
wanton killers and a threat to the
humanity, have they decided to
subdue and kill them.
European Mullahs (Christian
Preachers): Responsible for the
Criminal Carnage
The Promised Messiah(as), in ‘The
British Government and Jihad’
and ‘Damimah Risalah-e-Jihad’,
has placed the blame for
incidents of terrorism, on both
the European mullah (Christian
preachers) and the ignorant
Maulawis. Now as one hundred
years ago, that analysis still holds
true. The Promised Messiah(as)
says:
‘At this point I must with
great regret say that,
although ignorant maulawis
have instructed the ordinary
public to plunder and kill by
calling these actions Jihad,
Christian clerics have also
done something similar.
They have, in Urdu, Pashto
and other languages,
produced thousands of
publications, journals and
flyers alleging that Islam
29
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
was spread by the sword.
This literature, which has
been distributed by them in
India, Punjab and the
Frontier Region, wrongly
claims that Islam is
synonymous with violence.
The people’s penchant for
violence has increased as a
result of the combined
testimony of the maulawis
and Christian clerics’.
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The Promised Messiah(as), writes
that the reasons for the
unjustified killings are due to an
incorrect concept of Jihad . He
further says:
‘I believe with absolute
conviction that the barbaric
practices of the Frontier
Afghans, which result in the
almost daily killing of
innocent persons, have two
causes:
(1) First, those maulawis for
whom it is an article of faith
that killing people of other
religions – especially
30 The Review of Religions – March 2010
Christians – is an act of great
virtue and that such murder
opens doors of heavenly
reward that cannot be
achieved through obligatory
Salat [Prayers], Hajj
[Pilgrimage], Zakat
[obligatory charity] or any
other good deed. I am well
aware of the fact that these
maulawis secretly preach
this to the people. When
ordinary people hear such
sermons day and night, their
hearts – which differ little
from those of animals –
become deeply affected.
They become like beasts of
prey, with no shred of mercy
remaining within them and
commit horrendous acts that
make one shudder. Although
Afghanistan and the Frontier
Region are full of many
maulawis who regularly
preach in this way, it is my
opinion that the Punjab and
India are not entirely free of
such maulawis either. Our
noble government should
reconsider if it has come to
believe that this country’s
maulawis are innocent and
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
do not think along these
lines. I am of the opinion
that the majority of the
ignorant and short-tempered
mullahs of the mosques are
not free of these evil
thoughts. I would have
considered them blameless
were their opinions in
accordance with God’s Holy
Book because, in a way, one
is indeed helpless in matters
of faith. However, I speak
nothing but the truth when I
say that they ignore the
benevolence of this govern-
ment and are its clandestine
enemies in the same way
that they are culprits and
offenders in front of God. I
have explained in detail that
the Word of God in no way
commands us to spill the
blood of innocent people.
Those who are of this
opinion have turned their
backs on Islam.
(2) In my opinion, the
second cause of this criminal
bloodshed carried out in the
hope of becoming a ghazi, is
the preaching of Christian
The Review of Religions – March 2010
priests who have widely
publicised the claim that
Jihad is compulsory in
Islam. They claim that
killing people of other faiths
is a matter of great Islamic
virtue. I believe that the
people of the Frontier
Region were not even aware
of this doctrine until the
Christian priests embedded
it in their minds. My view is
supported by the fact that
there were no incidents of
this type before Christian
priests began the distribution
of journals, newspapers and
books in the Frontier
Region. In fact, ordinary
Muslims and the people of
the Frontier Region were
very pleased when the
British replaced the previous
Sikh Government. In 1849,
Reverend Pfander published
his book, Mizan-ul-Haq, in
India, the Punjab and the
Frontier Region. In it, he
uses offensive language to
attack Islam and its
Prophet(saw) and publicised
the claim that killing people
of other faiths is not merely
31
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
permitted but is in fact
considered to be worthy of
great Divine reward in
Islam. This drew the
attention of the barbaric
people of the Frontier
Region (who have no
knowledge of their religion)
and they came to believe
that Islam advocates the
killing of non-Muslims.
After careful consideration,
I have concluded that most
of the incidents in the
Frontier Region, and the
violent hostility that has
been created among its
people, are due to the
priests’ books, which use
excessively harsh language
and repeatedly draw
attention towards the
subject of Jihad. …..the
subsequent violent and
bitter writings of Reverend
‘Imad-ud-Din of Amritsar,
and some other foul-
mouthed priests, greatly
damaged goodwill and
reconciliation within the
country. The books of other
ministers, which we need
not mention in detail, have
32 The Review of Religions – March 2010
also sown seeds of hatred
within peoples’ hearts…’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
He further says:
‘We acknowledge with
great regret that Islam’s
maulawis have focused on
an improper definition of
Jihad and have taught the
frontier Region’s tribes to
unjustly harm this friendly
government by spilling the
blood of its honourable
officers. Nevertheless, we
are also disappointed with
the ‘mullahs’ of Europe –
namely the Christian priests
– for they have inflamed the
passions of the ignorant
masses with their harsh and
unjust publications. By
bringing up the issue of
Jihad a thousand times,
they have led ignorant
Muslims to believe that this
is an easy path to Paradise.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
‘Even if we assume that the
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
maulawis are largely
responsible for instigating
the public to Jihad, our
sense of fairness compels us
to point out that the
literature of the priests,
which offers almost daily
insults to Muslims, also
plays a part. It is regrettable
that after carrying out a
mischievous act some
ignorant people sit to one
side, leaving the British
Government to deal with
ensuing difficulties.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
In essence, the Promised
Messiah(as) also attributes blame
to certain Christian missionaries
as he does to the Muslim
Maulawis for inciting people to
commit acts of carnage and
terrorism and disturbing the
general peace. Readers should
note, however, that this
accusation does not apply to all
Christians and their spiritual
leaders. Indeed, the Promised
Messiah(as) also spoke with
admiration at the British
government of his time. His
The Review of Religions – March 2010
remarks then, as now, are
directed to a small proportion of
religious leaders who are
actively working to distort the
true message of Islam He says:
‘Woe on the Muslims of this
age as well, who have lost
the second part of the
Shariah (Islamic Law),
which consists of the
sympathy of mankind, love,
and service. They claim to
have belief in the Unity of
God, but are involved in
barbaric morals, which are
shameful… But regretfully
they face such petitions that
revive their barbaric
sentiments, which are the
writings of some less
sensible pastors which are
poisonous in nature, and are
filled with extreme insult
and denunciation of the
Holy Prophet(saw). These
books are such that if a
Muslim who does not enjoy
a high calibre of patience
and tolerance reads them, he
would be unintentionally
infuriated as these books are
full of harsh language as
33
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
opposed to academic
writings, and the common
Muslims have no patience
for them…
Even now, pastors often
publish such writings for
which the quick-tempered
and the fiery natured
Muslims have no patience
for. This is an extremely
dangerous activity, that on
one side, the pastors falsely
blame the Muslims that the
Qur’an contains perpetual
instructions to carry on
Jihad all the time, as if they
are reminding Muslims of
the practice of Jihad, and
(on the other side) they
incite them by their fiery
writings. I cannot
understand how simple-
minded these people are,
they do not comprehend
that the combination of
these two matters could
yield dangerous
outcomes…In essence, at
this point, how could we
criticise Maulawis, when
we also have complaints
against the pastors, as they
34 The Review of Religions – March 2010
did not adopt the path of
truthfulness either?’
(Damimah Risalah-e-Jihad,
Roohani Khaza’in, pp.30-
32)
The Promised Messiah (as)’s
analysis applies to today’s
circumstances. Those Christian
missionaries and scholars who
attack Islam, branding it a
tyrannical religion that teaches
compulsion and condones acts
of terrorism (e.g. Don
Richardson, 2003; Robert
Spencer, 2009) must share the
responsibility for the religious
fanaticism, extremism and
terrorism. When making such
accusations, their language is, at
times, deliberately indecent,
extremely inflammatory and
designed to hurt the feelings of
the Muslims by directing false
accusations at Islam, its founder
and the Holy Qur’an. These
preachers and their accomplices
including writers, artists, and
film producers, and Islamic
renegades – incite the unwise
and the unfortunate, by either
making insulting sketches of the
holy personages of Islam, or by
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
producing inflammatory films
about it. We have witnessed the
furore and violent reactions
generated by the publication of
the Satanic Verses, the Danish
cartoons, The Jewel of Medina,
and the film, Fitna.
In essence, as the Promised
Messiah(as) has said, today, the
responsibility of the terrorism
and the carnage lies on both
these two groups. If the Western
and the Eastern worlds are
sincere in their efforts to
establish true peace, then
Muslims scholars and the
Muslim public, and Western
governments and Christian
preachers and scholars and their
public need to listen to the
enlightened analysis of the
apostle of the time, Hadhrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the
Promised Messiah and Mahdi.
Role Played by Jihadi Camps
in Afghanistan and Adjoining
Frontier Regions in Spreading
Religious Extremism and
Terrorism
Today, wherever in the world
so-called Muslims are involved
The Review of Religions – March 2010
in incidents of suicidal attacks,
and terrorism, most of them also
have links with Jihadi camps
established in Afghanistan, or
the adjoining Frontier Regions.
The Pakistan Government itself
admits the existence of training
camps in its northern Frontier
Regions, and in Afghanistan,
suicide bombers are trained.
These camps serve as the
breeding ground for those who
spread terrorism in the name of
Jihad.
How ironic that over a hundred
years ago, during the time of the
Promised Messiah(as), it was the
same area of south Asia,
(Afghanistan and the North
West Frontier areas) that today
is also at the centre of corrupt
and merciless activities. Then,
as now, the blood of many
innocent people has been shed
as a result of religious
differences.
Important Suggestions for the
Ruler of Kabul
After pointing out the mistakes
of the scholars and the public in
relation to the issue of Jihad, the
35
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
Promised Messiah(as) drew the
attention of the Amir and the
caretaker of Kabul to take
necessary reformative steps:
‘Since the general public
knows that Islam does not
allow Jihad to be waged
without the sovereign’s
permission, it is possible
that some people who are
ignorant of the facts will
blame the Amir for such
events. The Amir must
therefore do his best to
prevent the issuing of these
erroneous Fatwas. The Amir
will exonerate himself
magnificently in this way.
God will also reward him
well because, after the
observance of duties owed
to God, there is no act of
goodness greater than
delivering the oppressed
from the swords of their
oppressors. The Amir has
been given an opportunity
by God to make this great
reform a part of his legacy
because it is mostly Afghans
who commit these acts and
wield the sword with the
36 The Review of Religions – March 2010
intent of becoming Ghazis,
and a sizable majority of
them live in his country.
These barbaric practices
defame Islam and the Amir
should do his best to cleanse
the Afghan nation of them’.
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Note how clearly his remarks
reflect the troubles of today!
The proposals that he presented
then resonate today, not only for
Afghanistan, but also for Muslim
rulers throughout the world. The
Promised Messiah(as) says:
‘As I have detailed
extensively in this booklet,
the tradition prevalent
among Muslims of attacking
the people of other religions,
which they call Jihad, is not
the Jihad of Divine religious
Law [Shari‘ah]. Rather, it is
a grievous sin and a violation
of the clear instructions of
God and His Prophet(saw). It
may not be easy for certain
Muslims to abandon this
custom since it is well-
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
established among some
tribes. In fact, because they
imagine themselves to be
Ghazis, they may even
become the mortal enemies
of one who counsels them
against this practice and seek
to kill him. One solution that
I can think of to this problem
is that His Majesty, the Amir
of Kabul, whose influence
over Afghan tribes probably
exceeds that of all previous
Amirs, should gather the
great scholars of religion and
convene a discussion on the
true nature of Jihad. These
religious scholars can then
educate the public about its
errors. In fact, the religious
scholars of this country
should compile a few
pamphlets in Pashto and
make them available to the
general public. I believe that
this type of activity will have
a tremendous influence on
people. The passions
instilled by the ignorant
maulawis will gradually
subside’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The Review of Religions – March 2010
This suggestion – full of
heavenly light and the Qur’anic
guidance – carries great
wisdom, and is a source for the
real and everlasting refor-
mations.
Rebellion and Dissension
Resulting from the Incorrect
Ideology of Jihad Cannot be
Eradicated by Force
The rebellion and dissension
spread by mullahs convinced of
a barbaric ideology of Jihad
cannot be eradicated by the use
of force. It is true that many
times, the punishment of tyrants,
rebels and criminals for their
crimes is necessary according to
the verses:
And the recompense of an
injury is an injury the like
thereof...
(Ch.42:V.41)
So whoso transgresses
against you, punish him for
his transgression to the
extent to which he has
transgressed against you...
(Ch.2:V.195)
37
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
But the policy of compulsion in
faith and oppression of a people
does not produce real peace in
the society. It is not possible to
change false and bogus
ideologies within a society
without directly addressing the
message underlying those
ideologies. Force can only
subdue dissension for a short
time, but it can never produce
long lasting peace. Short-term
victories can be achieved by the
use of the sword, but hearts
cannot be conquered by it. It is
for this reason that the Holy
Qur’an has advised against the
use of compulsion to propagate
and reform an ideology:
There should be no
compulsion in religion
Surely, right has become
distinct from wrong...
(Ch2:V.257)
At another place, it is said:
...So that he who had
already perished through a
clear Sign might perish, and
he who had already come to
life through a clear Sign
38 The Review of Religions – March 2010
might live...
(Ch.8:V.43)
So, only that person is alive for
whom there is a Sign, and he who
does not have a Sign for himself
is destined to perish. Only when
false and bogus ideologies and
beliefs are uprooted though the
application of logic and reason
will any lasting reformation
come about in a society.
The Qur’an directs us:
...And argue with them in a
way that is best...
(Ch.16:V.126)
Need for Discussion at an
International Level
The Promised Messiah(as) thus
proposed that a gathering of
prominent scholars should be
convened to discuss and to
educate them about the true
nature of Jihad. Those scholars
would then inform the public
about their former errors of
understanding. Today, as in the
times of the Promised
Messiah , it is still vital that
(as)
local influential scholars are
engaged in discussions, and then
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
encouraged to educate the
public about their misunder-
standings, for it is these scholars
who are the ones initially
responsible for spreading
misinformation.
Furthermore, journals printed in
local languages should be used
to explain the reality and the
truth about the Islamic concept
of Jihad. Indeed, all forms of
media, written, radio, TV, and
the Internet, should be utilised
to launch a continuous effort to
eradicate the false interpretation
of the ideology of Jihad.
Along with the scholars and
people of Afghanistan and the
adjoining Frontier Regions,
scholars and people of other
countries and places should also
be included in this movement,
and with the falsification of the
bloody ideology of the Islamic
Jihad, the reality of the true
Islamic Jihad should be
highlighted. When the same
message is promoted from all
directions, it will produce much
better results. The Promised
Messiah(as) has also suggested:
The Review of Religions – March 2010
‘…if the maulawis of
Punjab and India truly
oppose this notion of Jihad,
they should publish journals
about it, translate them into
the Pashto language, and
disseminate them among
the tribes of the Frontier
Region, for these would
certainly prove very
effective. However, all this
must be done with an
honest heart and
enthusiasm, not with
hypocrisy.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
To find out the truth about the
issue of Jihad and to understand
it in the light of the Holy Qur’an
and Hadith, it is essential to
seek guidance from the writings
of the Promised Messiah(as), and
the sayings of his Khulafa, as
these are the servants of God
who have been raised by Him in
this age for the revival of
religion. Further, the Promised
Messiah, and the Promised
Mahdi(as) is the holy and the
blessed person, about whom the
Holy Prophet(saw) said that
39
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
through him the world would be
filled with justice, righteousness,
and peace and honesty.
Dangers of Ignoring False
Interpretations of Jihad
The Promised Messiah(as) pointed
out the dangers of not paying
attention towards this false
interpretation of Jihad. We can
see today how his words have
been proved true. Addressing the
Amir of Kabul he said:
‘The Amir’s citizens will
surely suffer if he fails to pay
heed to this essential reform.
The government that ignores
such Fatwas from these
mullahs ultimately creates
problems for itself because
these days the maulawis
readily label people as
disbelievers over minor
religious differences,
applying to them all other
Fatwas that they apply to
disbelievers. In light of this,
even the Amir himself
cannot remain safe from
these Fatwas. It is quite
possible that the maulawis
may cast the Amir out of the
40 The Review of Religions – March 2010
pale of Islam by taking
offence over some trivial
issue, and then subject him
to the same Fatwa of Jihad
that they have applied to
others. A group that has the
power to declare a person to
be a believer or disbeliever
is dangerous, and the Amir
should not be complacent
with respect to them. They
are the source of the
rebellions confronted by
every government. They
have power over the
common people and create
havoc by turning them in
whatever direction they
please. It is therefore no sin
to free people from their
influence through gentle
education about the true
nature of Jihad.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
What a clear demonstration of
his truthfulness that his
predictions then were as true as
they are now today! We have
witnessed in the past, as indeed
now, that whoever disagreed
with the bloody ideology of
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
Jihad of Mullahs was made a
target of their wrath, and that
they opened declared a Jihad
against him.
A Warning and a Prayer
More than one hundred years
ago, the Promised Messiah(as)
advised rulers to conduct
educational programs about the
issue of Jihad to free the
Muslims from its barbaric
misinterpretation. He urged them
to make every possible effort for
this cause, and told them that it
was better for them to do so and
said:
‘…the time of the Promised
Messiah has arrived…now
God the Exalted will
produce such heavenly
means, where the world
which was filled with
oppression, and unjustified
blood-shedding, will now be
filled with justice, peace,
and reconciliation. Blessed
are the sovereigns and
kings who play a part in
achieving this objective.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The Review of Religions – March 2010
The last part of this warning and
prayer, “Blessed are those
sovereigns and kings who play a
part in it” contains a prayer. It
remains to be seen as to who are
those fortunate rulers who by
acting upon the advice of the
Promised Messiah(as) prove the
falsehood of this concept of a
bloody Jihad, and become the
recipient of his prayers, and
divine blessings.
Unfortunately, the effort
required to educate the masses
to reform them regarding this
wrong concept of Jihad was not
carried out by the Amir and the
ruler of Kabul, and he did not
value the advice of the Messiah.
It is this land where the noble
companions of the Promised
Messiah(as) were brutally
martyred because of their
religious differences with
people who believed in the
concept of a barbaric Jihad of
the Mullahs.
Hadhrat Maulawi Abdul
Rahman was martyred when a
cloth was wrapped around his
neck and he was suffocated to
41
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
death. Hadhrat Sahibzada Abdul
Latif, the chief of Khost, was
first heavily chained and
handcuffed, and then tortured in
a prison. His nose was pierced
to pass a rope through it, and
then he was dragged through the
streets by the rope to great
ridicule, abuse, and curse, to the
place of his murder. He was
buried in the ground up to the
waist, and stoned to death until
there was a huge pile of stones
over his head. After this heinous
crime, his wife and orphan
children were also brutally
tortured and some of them were
martyred.
None of the many rulers of
Afghanistan or Pakistan have
availed the opportunity to
denounce the ideology of a
bloody Jihad. Instead, they
labelled the Promised
Messiah a denier of Jihad, and
(as)
raised such a fierce storm of
hostility and dissension against
his community, that Ahmadis
have been subjected to
persecution with the backing of
the government and the
constitution. Scores of Ahmadis
42 The Review of Religions – March 2010
have been brutally martyred,
and many more have been
imprisoned. Their assets and
properties have been looted and
set on fire. Mentioning the
dreadful martyrdom of Hadhrat
Sahibzada Abdul Latif in his
book, the Promised Messiah(as) in
Tadhkirat-ush-Shahadatain
writes:
‘The land of Kabul will
witness what types of fruits
are born by this blood. This
blood will not be wasted.
Previously, poor Abdur
Rehman of my Jama’at was
persecuted and killed, and
God remained quiet. But
now He will not remain
quiet on this blood, and it
will have major
consequences.’
( Ta d h k i r a t - u s h
Shahadatain, Roohani
Khaza’in, Vol.20, p.74)
History is a witness that God did
not remain silent!
Today, the sufferings endured by
the people of this land are due to
their rejection of the true
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
ideology of Jihad, as explained
by the Holy Qur’an and the
Messenger of Allah. They did
not heed the warning of the
Messiah of the time, and have
been responsible for the unjust
shedding of innocent blood, in
the name of religion.
Unfair Behavior of certain
Christian Intellectuals and
Western Authors
Certain Christian preachers and
like-minded western writers and
scholars sometimes spread false
propaganda against Islam that,
God forbid, Islam is a terrorist
religion that teaches Muslims in
the name of Jihad for Allah to
shed the blood of innocent
people, and spread dissension
and rebellion on mere religious
differences. In order to prove
their false claims, such
preachers and so-called scholars
and researchers ignore the
context of the verses of the Holy
Qur’an, and the proven
historical facts, and distort the
events using every kind of
deception and misrepre-
sentation. They also commit the
grave offence of attributing their
The Review of Religions – March 2010
own choice of meanings to the
Holy Qur’an. In support of these
views, they present sayings and
commentaries of the so-called
scholars of Islam, who,
overcome by the passion of their
Nafs-e-Ammara (inciting-self)
and hungry for power, attribute
their own self-concocted
commentaries to the Holy
Qur’an, and spread the bloody
ideology of Jihad under the
pretext of the holy slogan of
Jihad. This practice of the
Christian preachers is definitely
not aligned with righteousness
and justice. It is clearly unfair to
hold Islam responsible for the
hypocritical acts of a few
misguided people.
We are aware that, addressing his
followers, Jesus(as) said:
‘But I say unto you, that ye
resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee
on thy right cheek, turn to
him the other also. And if
any man will sue thee at the
law, and take away thy
coat, let him have thy cloke
also. And whosoever shall
43
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
compel thee to go a mile,
go with him twain. Give to
him that asketh thee, and
from him that would
borrow of thee turn not
thou away. Ye have heard
that it hath been said,
Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine
enemy. But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and
persecute you; that ye may
be the children of your
Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust.’
(Matthew, 5:39-45)
But today, we see that the
Western nations who align
themselves with the teachings of
this chosen servant of God, act
completely to the contrary.
Instead, they make their enemies
the target of persecution and ill-
treatment. Using contorted
rationale, they viciously destroy
44 The Review of Religions – March 2010
their homes and lands and
persecute their prisoners of war
in a barbaric fashion. Is it then
fair to attribute the
responsibility of their actions to
Jesus(as), or to justify them
according to his pure teachings?
If not, then likewise, it is unjust
and unfair to blame Islam and its
founder for the terrorist
activities of the few so-called
Muslims.
Islam’s founder, Hadhrat
Muhammad , expressed com-
(saw)
plete disgust at those holding
these terrorist views and the
ones who carry out such acts.
The Holy Qur’an states in
several places that Allah the
Exalted does not love rebellious
people. He does not love those
who are unjust and does not like
dissension. As the Holy
Prophet(saw) was the mercy for all
the worlds, his blessed sayings,
and innumerable pure examples
shimmering in historical books
and the books about his life,
show that even the pain of his
sworn enemies would make him
restless. He possessed the
highest calibre of human
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
sympathy, justice, and other
moral virtues.
Many fair-minded Western
intellectuals and researchers
have paid tribute to the
excellences of the Islamic
teachings and the wisdom of the
sayings of the Holy Prophet(saw),
and attested that Islam is a
peaceful religion. Indeed, we
see that in the current times,
even the rulers of some
Christian governments, who
blindly drop bombs on Muslim
countries on the pretext of the
terrorism of the few so-called
Muslims extremists, and also
reluctantly admit that the views
of the people involved in
carrying out terrorist activities
in the name of Jihad are based
on distorted teachings of Islam.
They admit that these people are
defaming Islam. They also
accept that the majority of the
Muslims are peace loving, and
friendly, and they look at the
acts of these terrorists with hate,
and reject them. However at
other times they allow the
spread of propaganda to the
contrary; that Islam is actually a
The Review of Religions – March 2010
violent and bloodthirsty faith
and against peace. Such
behaviour is not based on
righteousness and justice, and it
does not help in the establish-
ment of social peace.
Advice to Preachers and
Christian Rulers
More than 100 years ago, the
Promised Messiah(as) advised the
Christian people and the
Christian rulers to act with
fairness, and stay away from
provocations. He writes:
‘I have written repeatedly
that Jihad is certainly not a
Qur’anic commandment.
The truth of the matter is
simply that some of Islam’s
early opponents wanted to
forcibly restrain or rather
annihilate it. Islam raised
the sword against them only
in self-defence. Only for
such enemies was it ordered
that they could be killed
unless they accept Islam.
This permission was for
specified circumstances and
not forever. Islam is not
responsible for the erro-
45
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
neous or self-serving
actions of the monarchies
that came after the time of
the Prophet (saw). Anyone
who raises the issue of
Jihad to deceive ignorant
Muslims, in fact, wants to
promote this poisonous
habit. It would have been
better if Christian clerics,
having duly examining
history, had emphasised that
there is no doctrine of such
Jihad in Islam, and that
there is no injunction to
convert people to Islam by
force. The Holy Qur’an is
the book that contains the
following verse:
There is no compulsion in
religion.
(Ch.2:V.257)
This means that there
should be no compulsion in
matters of religion. Can we
conclude that such a book
teaches warfare? What
complaint can we lodge
against the maulawis when
the Christian clerics have
also failed to adopt the path
46 The Review of Religions – March 2010
of truth, which would have
been beneficial in pro-
moting the policies of the
government?’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The Promised Messiah (as),
drawing the attention of the
British government in that age,
said:
‘The dangerous lies of the
Christian clerics create
unrest and rebellion and, in
my view, it is essential that
our government prohibits
them. Muslims will never
abandon Islam due to these
senseless fabrications. By
repeatedly calling their
attention to the doctrine of
Jihad, these sermons will
instead cause Muslims to
rise from their slumber.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Again and again he wrote to the
ruling authorities:
‘For an experimental period
of a few years, every group
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies

should be strictly forbidden the Frontier Region would

from using vicious notice that much mutual
language against other love and affection has been
religions, be it explicit or created between other
implicit, in their writings or nations, they would be
in their sermons.’ influenced by it and start
(The British Government treating Christians with
and Jihad) sympathy just as a Muslim
treats his brother.’
The Promised Messiah(as) further (The British Government
elaborating on this advice said: and Jihad)

‘In my opinion, the recently Similarly, he added:

adopted practice of the
Ottoman government is ‘I humbly request His
good. So, for an Excellency to ban this
experimental period of a practice of attacking the
few years, every group faiths of others for a period
should be totally forbidden of at least five years. These
from directly or indirectly practices are leading to
mentioning any other chaos in the country, so
religion in its writings or much so that friendly
speeches, but they would be meetings of different
allowed to describe the groups have ceased to
excellences of their own occur. At times, one group
religion to their heart’s with little real knowledge
desire. In this way, the new raises a baseless allegation
biases would not be seeded and offends the others.
and the old tales would be Sometimes this leads to a
forgotten, and people would riot. Criticism of the
turn towards mutual love Islamic concept of Jihad is
and reconciliation. And an example of this
when the barbaric people of phenomenon. Such criticism

The Review of Religions – March 2010 47

 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
refreshes sensitive memories
and results in disorder. I
believe that the poisonous
growth of envy and spite,
which is secretly
flourishing, will quickly
disappear if our wise
government passes a law
that: [a] prohibits all
parties, including the clerics
of the Church, from
indulging in negative
attacks on other religions
for a period of five years,
[b] asks all parties to live
together with love and
civility, and [c] encourages
all groups to focus on the
positive features of their
own religions. Such action
on the part of the
government will be
appreciated, will have a
beneficial impact on the
people of the Frontier
Region and will also
promote peace and
friendship.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
The Promised Messiah(as) said:
48 The Review of Religions – March 2010
‘If there is any truth in a
faith, it should be displayed.
One should not just
continue to recite the
deficiencies of other faiths.
Not every ruler or
administrator can imple-
ment or accept my
suggestion. Only a highly
astute administrator will
understand its true
significance.’
(The British Government
and Jihad)
Unfortunately, no one acted
upon these visionary guidelines
for the establishment of
religious tolerance, social peace
and friendship. As a result,
today, terrorist activities have
become the norm and the entire
world sinks deeper and deeper
in discord and dissension.
‘The rule is that when one
cannot attack another
religion with truth and
justice, a lot of people start
attacking using unjustified
accusations.’
(Chashma Masih, Ruhani
Khaza’in, Vol. 20, p.337)
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies
It is possibly in an attempt to
guide Muslims away from Islam
that its enemies raise false
objections on the Holy Qur’an,
and try to degrade Islam and its
founder, the Holy Prophet(saw).
Divine Decree
But now this scheme will not
last for long. According to the
Promised Messiah(as):
‘I have been sent at this
time to save Islam from
the attacks of the false
religions, and to present
the powerful arguments
for the truthfulness of
Islam. I certainly say that
Islam will be victorious,
and its signs have already
appeared. This is true that
no sword or gun is
required for this victory,
and neither God has sent
me with weapons. Anyone
who thinks otherwise is an
unwise friend of Islam.
The purpose of religion is
to conquer hearts, and it
cannot be done with the
sword. On many
occasions, I have shown
The Review of Religions – March 2010
that the sword picked up
by the Holy Prophet(saw)
was only for the sake of
self-protection and self-
defence, and it was done
only when the atrocities of
the opponents and the
deniers had exceeded all
limits, and the earth had
turned red with the blood
of the poor Muslims. In
essence, the reason for my
arrival is the victory of
Islam on other religions.’
(Lecture Ludhiana, Ruhani
Khaza’in, Vol. 20, p.293,
294)
So, with the coming of the
Messiah of the time, people
have started relinquishing false
doctrines. Today, this task of
presenting the truth of Islam is
being carried out under the
leadership of the Khilafat,
established after the demise of
the Promised Messiah(as).
We end with the message of the
Promised Messiah(as) to the
Muslims of the entire world:
‘Muslims should appreciate
49
 Religious Terrorism: Causes and Remedies

the enlightenments and the task. Allah the Exalted has

blessings descending from
the heaven at this time, and
thank Allah the Exalted. But
if they do not appreciate this
reward of God the Exalted,
God the Exalted will not
care about them at all, and
will certainly complete His
willed to wipe out the other
religions, and give victory
and strength to Islam. Now,
there is no hand or power
that can stand in the way of
the will of God the Exalted.’
(Lecture Ludhiana, Ruhani
Khaza’in, Vol. 20, p.290)

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What a Seeker
AFTER TRUTH Should Do
Address delivered by Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra),
Khalifatul Masih II, Second Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community
at Jammu, Kashmir

(Translated by S. Niaz). Adapted from The Review of Religions, 1930

edition

S ome friends have expressed to

me a desire that, for the benefit
of those who have not as yet
joined the Ahmadiyya Movement,
I should in a short speech, say
something which may help seekers
after truth and enable them to
come to a decision. The ways of
God always have a purpose behind
them. When I found that I could
not proceed on my journey, I was
afraid that this forced stay would
mean the wasting of a great deal of
time. But out of this unavoidable
delay, God has created an
opportunity of saying a few words
which perchance may show the
light of Divine guidance to some
among you who are anxious to
arrive at the truth.
To my way of thinking, it is not the
purpose and aim of religion to
create dissensions and discord. Its
aim, on the contrary, is to purify
and elevate human nature. If the
creation of strife, conflicts and
collisions was the thing aimed at,
there was scarcely any need for
God to create and develop such a
noble institution for that purpose,
because the desired result would
have worked itself out through
Satan and the forces of evil which
it symbolises. Religion, the
noblest and the loftiest of all
human institutions, has been
brought into being by Almighty
God for another purpose, which
befits it and is in complete accord
with the nature of this spiritual
institution. That purpose is the

The Review of Religions – March 2010 51

 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
development of the spirit of
concord and sympathetic and
loving service to each other.
It is an established fact of history
that the Holy Prophet(saw) spent the
prime of his life in the service and
betterment of the lot of his
countrymen. Keeping this cardinal
fact of his life history in view, no
sane man can, for a moment,
entertain the idea that such a man
could, in his ripe old age, stand up
to create dissensions among his
countrymen. There is an incident
in the Holy Prophet(saw)’s life, the
deep significance of which has
generally been overlooked by
historians. This incident occurred
during the Battle of Uhud. After
the Holy Prophet(saw) was wounded
in that battle, and for a moment the
enemy began to hope and some of
the Muslims began to fear that,
God forbid, the Holy Prophet(saw)
had been killed, Abu Sufian, who
was in command of the enemy
forces, began to shout: “Where is
Muhammad? Where is Abu Bakr?
and Where is ‘Umar?” meaning
thereby that they had all been
killed in battle and that the victory
of the Makkans was complete.
Hadhrat ‘Umar(ra) thereupon was
52 The Review of Religions – March 2010
about to open his lips in order to
reply, when the Holy Prophet(saw)
stopped him and asked him to
desist from making any rejoinder
in answer to Abu Sufian’s taunting
remarks about himself (the Holy
Prophet). But in his exultation, the
Makkan chief began to glorify
aloud his favourite idol, the Hubal.
The Holy Prophet(saw) could no
longer control himself then, and
looking towards his companions
said: “Why don’t you answer back
by saying ‘God is most High and
Exalted!’?” This complete dis-
regard of what people might say
about his person shows clearly that
he was not aiming at making a
name for himself, but was striving
only that God’s name might be
glorified by His creatures. In light
of evidence of this kind, I can
never entertain the idea that the
Holy Prophet(saw) ever strove to
win a name for himself, or that the
religion founded by him
encourages its followers to make
points of religion the basis of
quarrels and dissensions.
I therefore urge Ahmadis and the
Muslims of all the different sects
not to make their religious
differences a source of dissensions
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
and discord between them, but to
divest themselves of all prejudices
and strive to attain the Truth
through careful and diligent study.
The time at my disposal is very
short as after a while I am to
resume my journey. Certain
questions have been passed on to
me by some friends from among
the audience, but I am sure that
you will yourself see that it is
impossible for me to answer them
all in the limited time at my
disposal. I will, therefore, draw
your attention to one point of basic
and fundamental importance, a
proper grasp of which will enable
you yourselves to supply the
answers to the various questions.
This basic point is the boundless
love, far transcending any other
love which humanity knows of in
quality and depth, which Almighty
God has for mankind. All the
world religions are unanimously
agreed upon this point and they all
assert that, if there is a God Who
has created us and created the
world we live in for our benefit, it
follows from the very nature of
things that His love for mankind
must, necessarily, be far more
deep and abiding than the love of
The Review of Religions – March 2010
parents for their children.
Similarly, it is admitted by all
kinds and shades of religious
opinion that His solicitude to show
us the light of Divine guidance is
greater than the desire of parents
to keep their children from falling
into evil ways. Some time ago I
read a book by an American
atheist. In the introduction the
author addresses himself to
Christians and asks them to
explain why God, if there is any, is
not doing anything to save the
present-day groping humanity
from running headlong to its
destruction. It is, he says,
unimaginable and incompre-
hensible that a God who has
created a marvellous world of
beauty, full of objects of practical
and beneficial utility, all for the
benefit of man, should at the same
time be so indifferent to the
ultimate evil destiny which,
unaided by any celestial light, man
is sure to work out for himself. If I
try to poison myself, he says, my
parents and friends catch hold of
my wrists and snatch the fatal dose
out of my hands. But when I fall
into evil ways, how is it that God,
who loves me more than either my
friends or my parents, makes no
53
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
move calculated to check me in
my degradation? It may be urged
against me, he continues, that I am
fallen too low for God to be so
solicitous for my salvation and
that He has cut me off from His
Divine grace, just as parents so
often let a rebellious child work
out his own ruin. This, he says,
may be true in my case and
perhaps in that of a few others, but
it cannot be true in the case of all
the millions and millions of
Christians. In their mental outlook,
their daily conduct and behaviour
they are all like me, he says. How
is it then that there is not a single
individual who can honestly and
boldly stand up before the world
and say that he is in clear and
tangible contact and communion
with God – a relationship which
others also may be able to see ?
Here is the true and inner nature of
man speaking. When I read this
passage in the book, I felt a rush of
ethereal joy in my heart. Indeed, I
said to myself, Christianity cannot
satisfy the yearnings of a soul such
as this, but Islam can satisfy this
desire and bring peace and
contentment. The Almighty God
54 The Review of Religions – March 2010
says in the Holy Qur’an, Verily,
those who strive to find the paths
of Our pleasure, We, without a
doubt, reveal and show these unto
them; i.e., turn to God like that and
pray to Him that you did not want
to follow this religion or that,
merely because your parents and
your forefathers had held those
views before you, but that you
wanted to believe in and practise a
religion that may, in His sight, be
the real religion of Truth, and that
He may, out of His boundless
mercy and beneficence, Himself
guide you to such a religion. Your
prayers, I can assure you from
personal experience, will not
remain unheard and unanswered.
I have just said that I can assure
you from personal experience that
your prayers will not be wasted.
As a matter of fact there are many
people whom I know – from
among Muslims as well as non-
Muslims – who have adopted this
course, and to their deep and
infinite joy met with signal
success. If there are any among
you to whom reasoned arguments
have failed to bring conviction, or
if there be any among you who
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
have not the capacity, the means,
or the opportunity to study all the
different religions and arrive at the
Truth by comparison, they should
turn to God, and their
supplications will most surely be
heard and answered, provided
these prayers are heartfelt, earnest
and persistent enough to merit an
answer.
Sura Al-Fatihah, the Opening
Chapter of the Holy Qur’an, which
I recited just now, is a prayer that
is not meant for the exclusive use
of Muslims; non-Muslims as well
can derive equal benefit from it. It
teaches us what things to pray for
and moreover tells us the way and
the words in which we should
offer our prayers, i.e., to offer
supplications to be guided on to,
and to be given the strength of
purpose and perseverance to
pursue the right path – the path of
those who have merited Divine
favours and blessings, and not the
path of those who for their
misdeeds drew the wrath of God
upon themselves.
I would, therefore, once again,
impress it upon you that if you
The Review of Religions – March 2010
desire to be guided on to the right
path, you should, once and for all,
shed all prejudices, wrench your
minds free from the influence of
old accepted traditions, religious
ideas, opinions and beliefs, turn to
God alone for the solution of this
vital problem and leave yourselves
entirely in His hands. After
bringing your minds to this state of
complete absence of any bias or
inclination in favour of either this
or that sect or religion, you should
beseech and implore Almighty
God to dispel the surrounding
gloom and “those who set their
hearts upon coming unto Us, We
show them the way and make it
possible for them to achieve their
object.”
In these days, the number of
different religions and different
sects is so large that it is some task
even to count them all. Situated in
these circumstances, there is no
way out of the bewildering
labyrinth of paths and by-paths for
an honest seeker after truth, except
that he should kneel deep in
heartfelt prayer and ask to be led
out of the vast maze.
55
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
An incident in the life of a great
Sufi is full of a significant lesson
in this respect. It is said that when
one of the Sufi’s disciples was
about to leave him at the end of his
studies, the Sufi asked him what
he would do if Satan or the Evil
Spirit appeared in his way and
blocked further progress. The
disciple said that he would try to
overcome him and drive him
away. The Sufi thereupon said,
“But suppose Satan runs away for
a time but comes back to the attack
a little while later, what would you
do in that case?” The disciple
again answered that he would
again fight and try to drive him
away. Said the Sufi, “Suppose he
runs away a second time, but
returns yet again?” “ I will fight
him again,” said the disciple, “and
try to drive him away a third
time.” “But,” said the Sufi, “don’t
you realise that in this way the
whole of your life will be spent in
fighting the Devil, and that all
your time being taken up by that
struggle, you will have no chance
of making any progress towards
your goal!” The disciple thereupon
realised the truth of this remark
and humbly begged to be told
what he should do.
56 The Review of Religions – March 2010
The Sufi then asked him another
question. “What would you do,”
he asked, “if, on going to see a
friend at his house, you found that
his dog would not let you enter?”
The disciple said that he would
drive away the dog, but if he found
that he was unable to do that, he
would call out to his friend to hold
back the dog, so that he might be
able to enter. “Exactly,” said the
Sufi, “and the best way to fight the
Devil is very much the same.
When you find your way blocked
by him, call out to the Benefactor
and Friend that you are going to
see to call the dog away – when
that is done you will be able to
enter in peace.”
In my opinion, therefore, the best,
the easiest and the surest way to
find out the Truth is to turn
wholeheartedly to God and pour
out one’s perplexities before Him.
If you do so it will enable you to
see and recognise the spark of
divine light wherever it is.
Remember and always bear in
mind that God Who is our Creator,
Who is the Sustainer of all forms
of life upon earth, Who, in His
boundless mercy and love, does
not neglect even the meanest
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
worm that crawls in the dust, is
your greatest well-wisher and
benefactor. He is the root, the
essence and the converging point
of all kinds of Truth and He is the
source of all true guidance. If you
will knock at His door in true
humility of spirit and with the
deep honest anguish of your soul,
yearning and craving to be let into
His august presence, you will
never have to wait long before the
avenues leading unto Him are
clearly pointed out to you and the
doors flung open for you to enter
as soon as you may. This
prescription can be tried by
everyone no matter what his
religion or his creed may be, and, I
assure you most solemnly, it will
be found to be equally efficacious
and beneficial in every case. If I
try to prove the validity and truth
of my views by seasoned
systematic reasoning and logical
arguments, it is just possible that I
may be able to produce an
impression upon you and you may
even begin to be favourably
inclined towards my views.
But suppose someone else comes
to you after I am gone, and by
logical reasoning and arguments
The Review of Religions – March 2010
tries to prove that I was wrong, the
chances would, in many cases, be
about equal that he also may
succeed in making an impression.
There being so many divergent
views on points of religion, and
there being so many gifted
speakers and debaters, the issue is
likely to be confused more than
ever if the decision is to be arrived
at through reasoning and
arguments alone – I have,
therefore, invited your attention to
a method of arriving at the Truth in
which the decision will be made
by Almighty God Himself. This is
the way I chose for myself once
very early in my life, and this is
the way that I would choose again
if I were looking for guidance in
this sense.
But, as there are temperaments
which look for logical reasoning
and arguments in everything, and
as, if anything is capable of being
proved in this way, the truth of the
true religion ought to be capable of
being so proved, I take this
opportunity to draw your attention
to some of the points. It is our firm
conviction (and I am sure you will
agree that I am not exaggerating
things in any way) that the
57
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
deterioration of Muslims as
Muslims has of late reached the
lowest level to which any people
could sink. On the religious side,
their individual or national lives
show no trace of the influence of
Islam as an ethical and social force
controlling and regulating the
actions of their daily lives. They
are, no doubt, still called Muslims,
but there is no sign left of genuine
belief in Islam and of the desire to
act upon its principles. Whatever
there is, is no more than a blind
acceptance of certain traditions
and ceremonials, which in many
cases in themselves are openly in
conflict with the essence of Islam.
Now Islam, as we all know, is the
religion about which God has said
in the Holy Qur’an that it is the
final Law, the final religion, and
the Qur’an is the last book that
will ever be revealed for the
guidance of mankind. It stands to
reason in these circumstances that
God will not suffer Muslims to
stray away from the path of His
pleasure, or on account of their
foolishness, suffer them to let the
beauties of Islam become covered
up by and be hidden under the dust
of time. The advent of a reformer
58 The Review of Religions – March 2010
– of some Ma’mur (appointed) and
Mursal (one sent) – to re-establish
Islam once again upon earth, and
in the heart of Muslims, had
therefore become absolutely
indispensable. Hadhrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian(as) stood
up at this juncture and claimed that
he had been raised by God as the
Promised Messiah, the Ma’mur,
the Mursal and the Mahdi of the
age for the regeneration of Islam,
for shielding it from the attacks of
its enemies, for the refutation of
those charges which are brought
against it and for the purpose of
presenting it once again to the
world in its original purity and
glory.
Accordingly, we see that it was
through Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad(as) that the long-standing
charge of Islam’s expansion and
growth through use of force,
which had been continuously
urged against it for centuries was
first, but forever, clearly and
forcibly refuted. The Promised
Messiah(as) proved to the world
that the growth of Islam was not
due to the sword but to a potent
spiritual magnetism that the Holy
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
Prophet(saw) exerted upon all those
who came in contact with him – a
magnetism that transformed the
innermost essence of one’s being,
a magnetism which purified and
elevated. The argument which the
Promised Messiah(as) made use of
in order to prove this truth cut at
the root of this malicious lie from
two sides. On the one hand, the
Promised Messiah(as) proved that
the idea of compulsion in religious
matters is not only alien but runs
counter to the spirit and teachings
of Islam and that it has been
strongly and clearly denounced,
and on the other, he declared that
God had ordained that Islam
should overshadow all other
religions a second time and that
the mission for which he had been
sent was the regeneration of Islam
and the deliverance of humanity
from sin and iniquity through its
wide portals. He called upon the
world to take note of the fact that
he had no armed forces at his
command and that Islam would
make rapid progress all the same,
thus establishing the fact that the
truth of its teachings did not stand
in need of a sword for its
propagation. The weapon which
The Review of Religions – March 2010
the Holy Prophet(saw) made use of
was of a far different nature, and,
in order to demonstrate this truth,
God raised a Messenger from
among the followers of the Holy
Prophet(saw) who used the same
weapon with equal success once
again so that the world may
understand that, what a disciple
and a follower can do, the same
can certainly be accomplished by
the teacher and Master as well.
The Holy Prophet(saw) was our
teacher and we also believe that he
was the greatest and the best
teacher that mankind has known or
ever will know. This, of course,
means that by following his
guidance we can reach all those
heights which some other people
attained to before our time by
following the guidance of other
Masters; that moreover through
the superior excellence of the
teachings of that Master Prophet
we can soar even higher.
Otherwise his superiority over the
other prophets has no meaning
because it is in no way a
qualification to be proud of in a
teacher to say that none of his
pupils has ever got or ever can get
59
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
beyond the matriculation standard.
We believe that by acting upon the
Holy Prophet’s teachings one can
rise to the highest spiritual
eminence, even the exalted rank of
prophethood not being excepted.
The words, The path of those on
whom Thou hast bestowed Thy
Blessings occurring in Surah Al-
Fatihah, have been further made
clear in the Holy Qur’an by the
verse:
And whoso obeys Allah and
this Messenger of His shall be
among those on whom Allah
has bestowed His blessings,
namely, the Prophets, the
Truthful, the Martyrs, and the
Righteous. And excellent
companions are these.
(Ch.4:V.70)
In this verse, the people upon
whom God has showered His
blessings have been divided under
four heads: Nabi [Prophet],
Siddeeq [Truthful], Shaheed
[Martyr], Salih [Righteous one].
Studying these two verses together
we cannot but arrive at the
conclusion that one can rise to any
of these four spiritual ranks by
60 The Review of Religions – March 2010
following in the footsteps of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw).
On account of a lack of true
understanding of the meaning of
this verse, some people say that
the word occurring here is Ma‘a
[(with)], which shows that it is
possible to rise up to that point
only which may enable us to be
counted as being merely “in the
company of prophets,” and that
the word Ma‘a shows that we
cannot actually rise to the rank of
Prophethood. But it ought to be
borne in mind that the word Ma‘a
does not govern the word
Nabiyyeen (prophets) alone; it
governs the other three ranks as
well, so that if we understand it to
mean as saying that the utmost that
we can aspire to is to be regarded
as being “in the company of”
prophets we will have to accept
the same meaning of the word
when it is used with Siddeeqeen,
Shuhada and Saliheen. In this case
the verse would mean that there can
be no Siddeeq or Shaheed or Salih
among the followers of the Holy
Prophet; that the highest spiritual
excellence that Muslims can aspire
to attain is to be regarded as being
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
in the company of Siddeeqeen,
Shuhada and Saliheen. But it is
obvious that this cannot be the true
meaning of this verse. We therefore
cannot but take the word Ma‘a to
have been used in the sense of Min
[(from among)], particularly when
we find that this is not the only
place in which Ma‘a has been used
in the sense of Min. There are other
places as well in the Holy Qur’an
where the word has been used in
the sense of Min, i.e., to be counted
one of the number in a class or
group. For instance we read in the
Holy Qur’an, Tawaffana ma‘a-l
abrar, a prayer which means: O
God! Let death come to us at a time
when we are among i.e. included in
the blessed group of the truly
righteous persons. It should be
noted here that the word Ma‘a in
this verse can never mean “to be
merely in the company of,”
because in that case the verse
would mean: “O God! whenever
you cause any righteous men to die,
make us die along with them,”
which obviously is quite meaning-
less.
Therefore it is quite right to say
that the rank of prophethood can
The Review of Religions – March 2010
be acquired by following in the
footsteps of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad(saw). But it should be
remembered here that although the
Nubuwwah [Prophethood] of a
Nabi (prophet) who rises to this
rank by following the guidance of
the Holy Prophet(saw) will be as real
as that of the other prophets who
preceded the Prophet of Arabia,
when such a prophet will come to
be considered from the aspect of
his relationship with Prophet
Muhammad(saw) he will be
regarded only as an Ummati, i.e.,
as one of his followers, because
such a prophet will have risen to
this rank solely by following the
example of Muhammad(saw). The
rising to the rank of prophethood
in this sense of anyone from
among the followers of the Holy
Prophet(saw) is not at all derogatory
to him. There is a saying of the
Holy Prophet(saw) which runs as
follows: “If the prophets Moses(as)
and Jesus(as) had been alive in my
time they would have had to
follow my teachings.” It becomes
clear from this that it is in no sense
derogatory for one prophet to have
another prophet among his
followers.
61
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as),
although he claimed to be a
prophet, was nevertheless proud to
number himself among the
followers and disciples of the Holy
Prophet(saw). For instance, he says
in one of his poems,
‘Although the performance of
miracles has become extinct
in these days, come you here,
for you will see it among the
servants (disciples) of the
Prophet Muhammad(saw).’
Again he says in another place :
‘After the love of God, I am
lost in the wine of love for the
Prophet of Arabia; if this be
kufr (heresy) then by God I
am the greatest Kafir
(heretic)!’
The deep, overwhelming love
which the Promised Messiah(as)
had for the Holy Prophet(saw) and
his sense of sincere thankfulness
and gratitude was so intense and
strong that the Promised
Messiah(as) has written a number of
ecstatic poems in the Holy
Prophet(saw)’s praise. In contrast,
62 The Review of Religions – March 2010
the poems of the kind written by
Muslims before him read
hopelessly meaningless and
insipid. The poems which were
written before the Promised
Messiah(as) in praise of the Holy
Prophet(saw) no doubt deal at great
length with the physical charm of
the Holy Prophet(saw), but that is all
that they accomplish; of the
marvellous beauties of spiritual
excellence which Prophet
Muhammad (saw) combined in his
person there is no mention at all.
The poems of the Promised
Messiah(as), on the other hand,
dwell with a loving fondness upon
those qualities and traits of his
character which make the Holy
Prophet(saw) stand out with such
clear conspicuousness and raise
him so high above the others in the
blessed assemblage of spiritual
reformers and teachers of
mankind. These poems, while
they reveal an extraordinary
depth of insight and under-
standing and an overwhelming
admiration and appreciation of
the unparalleled greatness of the
Holy Prophet(saw), possessed by
their writer – an appreciation
which would be impossible
 What a Seeker After Truth Should Do
without the strong and intimate
bond that unites the disciple with
his master – they at the same time
tell us, in a language glowing
with the fire of deep and
boundless devotion, of the sense
of exultation and pride which the
Promised Messiah(as) felt in
having Prophet Muhammad(saw) as
his lord and master. But words
cannot give an adequate idea of
this comparison. This can only be
realised by actually studying
these poems.
A gentleman once asked me why
the poems written by Muslim
poets in praise of the Holy
Prophet(saw) always dwelt at such
length only on the physical
aspects of the charms of his
personality (such as the beauty of
his features and his casting no
shadow when walking in the sun,
etc.), without making any
mention of those qualities which
matter far more than the outward
physical appearance of a person. I
must confess that I felt ashamed
of this obvious drawback in these
poems and advised him to study
the poems written by the
Promised Messiah(as).
The Review of Religions – March 2010
To sum up, the writings of the
Promised Messiah(as) bespeak
clearly the love which he had for
Islam. Nobody who should read
them once would imagine for an
instant that such a man could
advance any claim which in any
way should take away the slightest
fraction from the dignity of the
Prophet Muhammad(saw). Can it be
possible that on the one hand he
should try to detract from his
dignity and on the other strive to
glorify him in so enthusiastic and
glowing a language?
In the end I once again advise you
to seek guidance from Almighty
God Himself in this matter of vital
importance. In order to do this you
should have recourse to prayer that
is offered in all humility and
earnestness. May God enable you
as well as myself to pursue the
right path – the path which, by
winning His pleasure, ultimately
leads to Him.
63
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