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

2 Editorial – Attacking our peoples of the past who rejected

Values – Dividing a divided
World
(Abid Khan, UK)
5 Notes and Comments:
Fighting and Fatwas
(Sarah Waseem)
10 A Message of Peace – Part 3
The Qur’an teaches that believing in
the truth of all prophets of God lays
the foundation of peace between
nations
(Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the
Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi)
20 The Muslim Adhan – Call to
Prayer
A brief but vivid account of how the
Adhaan came into inception, and the
underlying philosophy behind its
words
(Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din
Mahmud Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul Masih II,
Second Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
community)
26 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The
Means of Safety and Salvation
An account of the destruction met by
Messengers sent to them and arguing
that only Ahmadiyyat provides the
means of protection from
catastrophes today
(Bilal Atkinson, Hartlepool, UK)
40 Religious Freedom in America
Should American Muslims be loyal to
America?
(Amjad Mahmood Khan, California,
USA)
50 Is Islam a Threat to Poland
and World Peace?
An in-depth exposition in which the
author argues that the true and
peaceful teachings of Islam must be
drawn from the Qur’an and Muslim
scriptures rather than the distorted
interpretations of a small minority of
fanatics
(Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, London, UK)
61 Letters to the Editor
63 Calendar of Religious Events
and Festivals – September 2010

MANAGEMENT BOARD: Munir-ud-din Shams (Chairman) • Mansoor Shah All correspondence should be
(Secretary) • Naseer Ahmad Qamar • Mubarak Ahmad Zafar • Mirza Fakhar Ahmad forwarded to the editor at:
• Abdul Baqi Arshad The Review of Religions
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CHIEF EDITOR & MANAGER: Mansoor Ahmed Shah 22 Deer Park Road
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EDITORIAL BOARD: Adam Walker • Amer Safir • Bockarie Tommy Kallon •
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Sarah Waseem • Tanveer Khokhar TELEPHONE AND FAX:
+ 00 44 20 8544 7614
PROOFREADER: DISTRIBUTION: Views expressed in this
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DESIGN AND LAYOUT: PUBLISHER: Al Shirkatul of the Ahmadiyya
Tanveer Khokhar Islamiyyah Muslim Community © Islamic Publications, 2010
ISSN No: 0034-6721
 EDITORIAL
Attacking our values – Dividing a
divided world
“On September 11th, 2010, from
6pm - 9pm, we will burn the
Koran on the property of Dove
World Outreach Center in
Gainesville, FL in remembrance
of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to
stand against the evil of Islam.
Islam is of the devil!”
(Dove World Outreach Center,
www.doveworld.org)
“The world needs peace, love and
brotherhood. The world needs an
end to wars. Instead of walls of
hatred being erected we need
peace to prevail and for this to
occur people of all faiths must
join together. There is nothing
wrong with debates but they
should take place in a peaceful
and respectful environment.”
(Hadhrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad(aba), Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at,
Press Release 22 August 2010)
The statements above are
diametrically opposed. One
represents fanaticism and extremism,
and the other, a message of love and
2 The Review of Religions – September 2010
By Abid Khan, – International Press
Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim community
tolerance. It may surprise some that
the message of peace comes from a
Muslim leader and that the message
of hatred comes from a so-called
Christian movement. The media has
invariably portrayed Islam as a
religion steeped in warfare, hatred
and barbarism. Although such
sensationalism sells newspapers, the
facts are far from reality. Regrettably,
the media has either failed to
understand the true message of Islam
or having understood has purposely
chosen to misrepresent it on the basis
of the acts of a few misguided evil
souls.
We are now, however, seeing signs
that the shoe may be on the other foot.
In Florida, a small organisation that
calls itself the Dove World Outreach
Center and describes itself as a ‘New
Testament Church – based on the
Bible’ has announced amid much
media fanfare that on 11 September
2010 it will burn as many copies of
the Holy Qur’an as it can acquire.
By combating extremism with
extremism is the cause of Christianity
being advanced or is it being dragged
back into the dark ages?”
 Editorial
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community
has always maintained that there is no
such thing as ‘Islamic terrorism’.
Principally, this is because the term
suggests that terrorism is justified or
inculcated by Islam. To suggest that
the true teachings of Islam were a
motivating factor would be wholly
unjust. In fact the Holy Qur’an is
unequivocal on this issue and
declares absolutely that:
There should be no compulsion in
religion. (Ch.2:V.257)
In the current era in various parts of
the world we find examples of
extremist organisations and
individuals. The Dove World
Outreach Center must be similarly
categorised for they have embarked
upon a campaign of hate and
intolerance designed to create
division amongst communities and
fury throughout the world’s Muslim
population. As in Islam, true
Christian teachings are also of love,
brotherhood and amity. The fact that
over centuries these teachings have
been distorted and misrepresented
does not legitimise associating the
religion with the evil deed. What the
Dove World Outreach Center plans to
do has nothing to do with true
Christian teachings. Did Jesus(as) burn
the Old Testament?
The Review of Religions – September 2010
The main objection raised by the
Dove World Outreach Center against
the Qur’an is that Islam affirms that
the Crucifixion was not a source of
salvation for mankind. Rather it is the
deeds of each individual person that
will determine his or her fate. The
Dove World Outreach Center does
not understand that Jesus(as) himself
taught this. There are a number of
passages in the Bible which clearly
refute the false notion of the divinity
of Jesus(as) as has been conclusively
proven by the Promised Messiah(as).
Abraham(as) being cast into fire, and
Joseph(as) being abandoned by his
brothers in the well etc. were equally
great moments, yet God miraculously
saved Abraham(as) and Joseph(as), as
indeed he saved Jesus(as). It is a
fallacy to believe that someone
should strike his head with a hammer
and cure someone else’s headache.
Likewise the concept of salvation as
is currently practised was never
preached by Jesus(as) himself.
Burning the Holy Qur’an or any other
religious or sacred scripture will
never achieve anything positive. As
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V(aba) said
in his recent Friday sermon of 20th
August 2010, to burn the Holy
Qur’an would be directly opposed to
the teachings of the Bible. It is
heartening that many Churches have
condemned this proposed burning
3
 Editorial
and so too have people of other faiths
and religions.
We live in a divided world where
politics and the pursuit of wealth have
superseded the principles of justice
and honesty. People seek fame and
fortune instead of investing in a
spiritual life and perhaps that is what
is motivating this so called Church. If
its aim was to gain fame and exposure
it has achieved that, but at what cost?
Billions of Muslims and non-
Muslims across the world will be
offended, angered and deeply grieved
if this attack on civility goes ahead.
Freedom of expression is a universal
right, however, like all freedoms it
must be used with responsibility.
Social cohesion and a respect for
what others hold sacred must always
be maintained.
For these reasons we call on the Dove
World Outreach Center to withdraw
its plans immediately.
Over the past decade the date 11
September has come to symbolise a
dark chapter in the ongoing story of
mankind. On that date nine years ago
thousands of innocent people,
including many Muslims, were killed
in senseless attacks in the United
States. Do we really want in future for
the date to symbolise yet another
barbaric attack, this time on the
4 The Review of Religions – September 2010
sentiments and feelings of Muslims
worldwide?
Currently there is also a debate
ongoing in the United States about
whether permission should be granted
to build a mosque near Ground Zero.
This is a local civic issue and
whatever decision is made by the
authorities should be respected. If
permission is granted then it is hoped
that in the same locality as the
proposed mosque, a church, a
synagogue and the places of worship
of all other religions are also built.
That would show that from a horrific
act of terrorism the world had
emerged with greater understanding
and unity. Surely that would be a
fitting tribute to the people who were
killed nine years ago. What would not
be an honourable legacy would be the
burning of a scripture that is sacred
beyond compare to every sincere
Muslim.
Let us hope that common decency
prevails. The entire world is currently
engulfed in turmoil. From floods in
Pakistan, to mudslides in China and
raging fires in Russia we find that the
world is suffering. Our efforts should
be directed at bringing relief to those
in need and bringing peace to the
world, and not at setting new fires.
 NOTES & COMMENTS
By Sarah Waseem – UK
“Violence is violence. It has no
place in Islamic teaching, and no
justification can be provided to
it.”1
Readers of The Review of Religions
are accustomed to the above words in
the pages of this magazine published
by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community
whose motto is ‘Love for all, hatred
for none’. The author of the above
words however, is Muhammad Tahir
ul-Qadri, founder of the Minhaj-ul-
Quran.
In March this year Tahir ul-Qadri
issued a fatwa, or religious edict,
declaring that suicide bombers are
destined for hell. His 600-page fatwa
has been described as “arguably the
most comprehensive theological
refutation of Islamist terrorism to
date,” according to the Quilliam
Foundation, a London organisation
that describes itself as a counter-
terrorism think tank.
Tahir ul Qadri has set up an “anti-
terror camp”: “Al-Hidayah,” (meaning
the guidance) an Islamic retreat at the
University of Warwick, in the UK,
billed as a summer camp for Islamic
learning, especially for the younger
The Review of Religions – September 2010
generation. This year the focus is
exclusively on fighting extremism.
All attempts by Muslims to condemn
violence are to be applauded and Tahir
ul-Qadri’s fatwa condemns the
indiscriminate killing of civilians.
Writing in the only English online
translation of the fatwa (60 pages as
opposed to 600) Tahir ul-Qadri says of
terrorists:
‘These people justify their actions
of human destruction and mass
killing of innocent people in the
name of Jihad (holy struggle
against evil) and thus distort, twist
and confuse the entire Islamic
concept of Jihad.’2
Interestingly, a search of the English
‘Introduction to the fatwa’ reveals the
word ‘jihad’ which came up thirteen
times, three times on the same page.
No definition is presented in the
English introduction as to what jihad
is.
Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens &
Houriya Ahmed applaud the fatwa
writing:
‘Dr Qadri’s ruling also goes
5
 Notes & Comments
further than most previous edicts
by describing terror acts as so
morally unjustifiable that they
represent acts of “kufr” (disbelief).
Most previous rulings only go as
far as calling terrorism “haraam”
(forbidden). Kufr acts are so
serious that those committing
them essentially forfeit their right
to call themselves Muslims.’3
Speaking to CNN Dr Qadri said:
“The reality is that [Muslims] were
waiting for a long, long time to get
this kind of voice,”
“Their hearts had become desert
and their spirits and their souls
were thirsty. And unfortunately,
the peaceful people are always
silent. They don’t create news.”
Commentators have pointed out that
the issuing of fatwa’s against terrorism
is not new. In 2008, 6000 Indian
Muslim clerics endorsed an anti-terror
fatwa. Qadri himself was among the
170 Islamic scholars from various
sects who signed an anti-terrorist
fatwa in Amman in 2005.4
But none of these fatwas has stopped
terror. The Amman fatwa was
delivered a day before four British
suicide bombers killed 52 people on
London transport.
6 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Terrorism perpetrated by the so called
Muslims is not a new phenomenon.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community’s
founder wrote about jihad over a
hundred years ago and said that in
accordance with the prophecy of the
Holy Prophet of Islam(saw), he had
come to totally ban wars in the name
of religion. The Promised Messiah(as)
also presented cogent arguments about
the true nature of jihad.
Explaining the true concept of jihad,
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV(ru) writes:
‘So the greatest Jihad of every
Muslim is to strive for the victory
of Islam with whatever lies in his
capacity by way of the Qur’anic
teachings or by way of an
example, beautiful example, set
before the people by acting upon
the Qur’anic teaching.
…the second Jihad mentioned in
the Holy Qur’an and also in
Hadith is Jihad against your own
evil dispositions, evil inclinations
etc. and to continue to wage a war
against your bad-self which would
continue to drag you to all that is
satanic and that is the Jihad
between light and darkness.
[The third from of jihad] is to
protect the right of worship.’
(Q&A Sesssion with Hadhrat
 Notes & Comments
Mirza Tahir Ahmad(ru), Khalifatul
Masih IV, Fourth Successor to the
Promised Messiah(as) held on 5th
November 1995 in London).
The Promised Messiah(as), over one
hundred years ago, presented the
following solution to address
terrorism:
‘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 Promised Messiah(as) also wrote
about the danger of the issuing of
fatwas on jihad by religious scholars:
The Review of Religions – September 2010
‘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.’
Referring to the events of his time in
Afghanistan, the Promised Messiah(as)
explains:
‘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)
Since the time of the Promised
Messiah(as) the Ahmadiyya community
has worked ceaselessly to explain the
true nature of jihad and to condemn
terrorist activities.
7
 Notes & Comments
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II(ra) writes:
‘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.’
(From address delivered by
Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din
Mahmud Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul
Masih II, Second Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim community at
Jammu, Kashmir)
A further problem for Tahir ul-Qadri is
that he does not speak for all sects of
Islam. Whilst his fatwa may be
accepted by his followers, that does
8 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Over 100 years ago the Promised
Messiah(as) had explained the true
meaning of Jihad according to Islam
in his book
not encompass the Muslims majority.
However, believing Muslims do not
need fatwas to understand their faith.
Until such time as the majority of the
Muslims accept the guidance of the
Messiah of the age, Hadhrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad(as), they need to read
the Holy Qur’an and reflect on its
teachings. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih
II(ra) has provided clear advice for
those ‘seekers after the truth’
‘I would, therefore, once again,
impress it upon you that if you
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
 Notes & Comments

vital problem and leave yourselves show them the way and make it
entirely in His hands. After possible for them to achieve their
bringing your minds to this state of object.’
complete absence of any bias or (From address delivered by
inclination in favour of either this Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din
or that sect or religion, you should Mahmud Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul
beseech and implore Almighty Masih II, Second Head of the
God to dispel the surrounding Ahmadiyya Muslim community at
gloom and “those who set their Jammu, Kashmir , featured in The
hearts upon coming unto Us, We Review of Religions, 1930)
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sheikh-issues-fatwa-against-all-terrorists-
1915000.html
2. http://media.minhajuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/fatwa-88pages_final2.pdf, p26
3. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/alexander-meleagrouhitchens—houriya-
ahmed-to-be-be-effective-this-fatwa-needs-to-find-popular-purchase-1914779.html
4. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1969662,00.html

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 – September 2010 9

 A Message
of Peace: Part 3
The final part of Paigham-e-Sulh (A Message of Peace), the last
written work of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the Promised
Messiah and Imam Mahdi and Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
community, completed a day before his demise on May 25, 1908.

H ere, I do not wish to censure any

particular people nor do I intend
to hurt anyone’s feelings. But, with a
deep sense of mortification, I
observe that Islam, being a religion
of peace, never attacked the founder
of any religion. The Qur’an is that
revered book which laid the
foundation of peace between nations
and acknowledged the truth of all
Prophets belonging to all the
different nations. It is the Holy
Qur’an which enjoys the unique
distinction of teaching us with
regards to the Prophets of the entire
world that:
[…We make no distinction
between any of them, and to Him
we submit. [Ch.3:V.85]]
Therefore, O Muslims, you should
declare: We believe in all the
Prophets of God belonging to this
world and we do not discriminate
between them as to reject one and
accept the others. Name one book
like the Holy Qur’an which is so
dedicated for the cause of peace. The
universal beneficence of God has not
been confined by the Qur’an to any
specific House. It acknowledges the
Prophets of the House of Israel, one
and all, be they Jacob(as), Isaac(as),
Moses(as), David(as) or Jesus(as). And it
acknowledges the Prophets of other
nations regardless of whether they
dwelt in India or Persia. None of
them have been labeled as deceitful
or imposters. On the contrary, it
clearly proclaims that Prophets
appeared in every nation and in
every township and laid the
foundation of peace between all the
peoples. Alas, this Messenger of
peace is abused and treated with
contempt by all peoples alike.

10 The Review of Religions – September 2010

 A Message of Peace: Part 3
O my dear countrymen, I have not
expressed this view to offend you or
to hurt your sensibilities in any way.
But I do desire to submit, in all
sincerity, that those who have made
it their second nature to vilify the
Prophets of other faiths and consider
this unjustified behaviour to be a part
of their faith commit an act of
unwarranted interference in the
affairs of others. They not only sin
against God, but they are also guilty
of sowing the seed of discord and
enmity among mankind. Now
answer me with hand on heart: if
someone abuses another’s father or
accuses another’s mother of unchaste
conduct, will this not be tantamount
to assailing the honour of his father
himself? If anyone retaliates with
similar abuses, will it not be
appropriate to say that in reality the
blame lies with the person who
initiated it? In that case he himself
would be the offender of his parents’
honour. God, through the Holy
Qur’an, has cultivated refined and
respectful etiquettes. He
admonishes:
[…revile not whom they call
upon beside Allah, lest they, out
of spite, revile Allah in their
ignorance… [Ch.6:V:109]]
In other words, do not even abuse the
The Review of Religions – September 2010
idols of the non-believers lest they
abuse your God out of ignorance.
Now consider that this is the
Qur’anic teaching despite the fact
that it treats idols as of no
significance. Yet God teaches the
Muslims to abstain from insulting
even the idols and admonishes them
instead to adopt a course of gentle
persuasion lest the idolaters should
be provoked, in turn, to abuse God.
The Muslims would then be
responsible for such abuses. What
manner of people are they who revile
the name of this great Prophet of
Islam and speak of him with utter
disrespect, brutally assailing his
honour and tarnishing his spotless
character. He is the highly revered
Prophet whose name is held in such
awe as when uttered the great
Muslim kings vacate their thrones
and bow their heads to his
commands. They consider it an
honour to be counted among the
humblest of his servants. Is this
respect not a bounty of God? Those
who dare insult the recipient of such
honour do, in fact, quarrel with God
Himself. The Holy Prophet
Muhammad(saw) holds such a high
station with God that to prove his
truth He has shown the world great
miracles. Is this not the work of His
Mighty hand, which has bowed the
heads of 200 million people before
11
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
Muhammad(saw)’s threshold? Granted
that every Prophet had many a
heavenly signs in his support, but the
peerless signs shown in
Muhammad(saw)’s support outnumber
them all. They continue to appear
even today as they were manifested
in the past.
Alas, you cannot understand an
argument as plain as this: when the
earth is filled with sin and becomes
uncouth and when wickedness,
debauchery, and impertinence weigh
heavier on the scale of God than acts
of righteousness, it is then that God’s
mercy requires of Him to send one of
His servants who would set the
disorder right. Sickness and disease
call for a healer. You of all people
should be able to understand this
better than others. You hold the view
that the Vedas were not revealed at a
time when the ocean of sin was in
spate, but that they were revealed,
instead when the calm of sinlessness
prevailed over land and sea. Do you
then consider it inconceivable that a
Prophet should appear when the
flood of sin rages high and rapidly
inundates every country of the
world?
I do hope that you are not so ignorant
of the facts of history. When our
12 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Holy Prophet(saw) honoured the office
of prophethood with his advent, the
age had plunged into utter darkness
and no aspect of human conduct was
free from the blemish of sin and false
beliefs. Pundit Dyanand writes in his
book Satyarath Prakash, that even in
the land of Aryavart [which takes
pride in its monotheistic beliefs]
idolatry had replaced the worship of
God, and the Vedic faith had become
extensively corrupted.
Reverend Pfander, a European priest
and a staunch defender of the
Christian faith, also endorses these
views in his book, Mizan-ul-Haq. He
observes that at the time of the
inception of Islam, the Christians had
become the most corrupt among all
the religious denominations. The
lewd and wanton conduct of the
Christians of the time was a source of
shame and dishonour for
Christianity. The Holy Qur’an,
justifying its revelation, speaks of the
same in the following verse:
[Corruption has appeared on
land and sea… [Ch.30:V.42]]
That is: corruption has appeared on
the land and the sea. This verse
implies that every nation, whether in
a state of ignorance or whether it
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
presumed itself to be wise, was not
free from corruption. Thus it is
established on the authority of all
testimonies that the entire mankind,
during the age of Prophet
Muhammad(saw) were they oriental or
occidental, those belonging to the
land of Aryas or those who were
dwellers of the Arabian desert, so
also those who inhabited islands, had
all become moral destitutes. There
was not one among them whose
relation with God was without
blemish. Evil practices contaminated
the entire earth. Why then cannot a
man of sound mind understand this
simple matter of commonsense that
it was the right time and the right
age, with reference to which human
reason can accept, that an
exceptionally eminent Prophet must
be raised?
As to the question concerning the
reformation which this Prophet
brought about with his advent, none
can answer like a Muslim with
reference to the overwhelming
evidence of the great reformation
brought about by the Holy Prophet of
Islam(saw). It is beyond the scope of a
Christian, Jew or Aryan to answer
this question with such clarity and
with the support of such irrefutable
evidence.
The Review of Religions – September 2010
The first phase of the Holy
Prophet(saw)’s reformation began with
that of the Arabs. The Arabian
Peninsula was in such a hapless state
that it was hard to refer to its
dwellers as humans. Name an evil
which they did not exhibit; name a
form of idolatry which they did not
practise. To steal and rob was the
order of the day, and committing
pointless murder was like trampling
an insignificant ant under their feet.
They murdered innocent children
and usurped all that belonged to
them. It was not rare for them to bury
their daughters alive. They took
pride in fornication and boasted of it
in their songs. Drinking was so
common among them that there was
no house without cellars of wine.
They led the whole world in
gambling. Beasts would feel
ashamed at being likened to them
and snakes and wolves would be
disgraced if called Arabs. When our
Prophet(saw) stood up with a resolve to
reform them and decided to cleanse
their hearts with all his spiritual
intent, within a matter of a short time
they displayed such rapid changes as
transformed them from beasts into
humans and then from ordinary
humans into a cultured people and
from a cultured people they became
Godly and became totally immersed
in the love of God. For the sake of
13
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
that love they suffered every torture
as though their sense of pain had
been paralyzed. They were subjected
to extreme suffering by different
modes of torture and were ruthlessly
flogged. They were made to lie on
burning sand and imprisoned. They
were deprived of food and water
until they reached the verge of death;
but at every trial they continued to
march forward.
There were so many among them
whose children were slain before
their very eyes and there were many
among them who were themselves
crucified in front of their children.
The singular devotion with which
they laid down their lives is such that
even to think of it agitates one to
tears. If it is not the command of God
and the power of spiritual attention
of His Prophet(saw), which worked
magic on their hearts, what else
could it have been which gravitated
them so irresistibly towards Islam?
What magic transformed them and
made them bow on the threshold of a
humble man who had once treaded
the streets of Makkah without any
kind of friendship, wealth, or power?
There had to be a spiritual hand
which lifted them from such lowly
depths to such dazzling heights.
Even more amazing is the fact that
many among them were those who,
14 The Review of Religions – September 2010
in their earlier stages of rejection,
were sworn enemies of the Holy
Prophet(saw) and thirsty after his
blood. I see no greater miracle than
this that one so helpless, poor and
penniless as he, could wash their
hearts of all the stains of enmity and
hatred and draw them so powerfully
towards himself. So much so that
they cast away their royal garments
willingly for the sake of God and
accepted the humility of being
clothed in sackcloth.
Some, in their ignorance, blame
Islam for Jihad to spread its message
and of gaining converts at the point
of sword. They claim that these
converts were forced to change their
religion under the threat of the
sword. Woe to them a thousand
times! They have exceeded all limits
in their injustice and in their efforts
to conceal the truth. O pity! What is
wrong with them, that they wilfully
turn away from realities? Our Holy
Prophet(saw) did not appear in the land
of Arabia in the capacity of a
monarch. It, therefore, cannot be
suspected that he had royal majesty
and power with him, such that the
people gathered under his banner for
fear of their lives. Now the question
one faces is simply this: When he
waged his lone spiritual battle for the
pronouncement of God’s Unity and
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
for the establishment of the truth of
his ministry in a state of utter
helplessness and poverty, then where
was that sword which struck terror in
their hearts, and coerced the meek
into submission? And had they
refused to believe or had they
persisted in their rejection of him,
from which king did he beg for a
contingent army to be sent to his aid
so that they may be forced to yield?
O seekers of truth! Rest assured that
all these allegations are fabrications
by those who are sworn enemies of
Islam. Cast a glance at history.
Muhammad(saw) was that same
orphan whose father died shortly
after his birth and whose mother
passed away leaving him behind as a
child of only a few months. That
child on whom God had extended
His hand of support was nurtured in
His care without any other
patronage. During those hard times
of orphanhood, he tended goats
belonging to others. None was his
mentor except God. And even up to
the age of twenty-five, none of his
uncles were willing to offer their
daughter’s hand in marriage to him
as it appeared that he would be
unable to meet even the basic
household expenses. Moreover, he
was unlettered and was not trained in
any skill or profession. As he
The Review of Religions – September 2010
approached the age of forty, lo, there
he was with his heart powerfully
drawn towards his Lord, Allah, the
Gracious. There was a cave, a few
miles from Makkah by the name of
Hira. It was here that he would retire
by himself and, concealed from the
eyes of men, become lost in the
remembrance of God. One day, in
that very cave, while he was praying
in seclusion, God revealed Himself
to him, and he was told: The people
have turned their backs on the path of
Allah and the earth is befouled with
sin. So I [God Almighty] appoint you
as My Messenger and send you to
the world, so that you may warn the
people that they should turn back to
their Lord before His punishment
befalls them.
Being unlettered, he was frightened
by this command and beseeched
God: I know not how to read and
write. Then God filled his bosom
with all faculties of spiritual
knowledge and enlightened his heart.
With the blessing of his quwwat-e-
qudsiyyah [power of purification],
the humble and meek started
entering the circle of obedience to
him. But the powerful leaders
mustered all their forces to oppose
him tooth and nail. They went even
to the length of plotting to kill him
and many men and many women
15
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
were put to agonising death. As a last
measure they surrounded the house
of the Holy Prophet(saw) with intent to
murder him. But who can touch him
whom God protects. God revealed to
him: leave this town forthwith and I
will remain with you at every step.
Accordingly he left Makkah and
took Abu Bakr(ra) along and remained
in hiding for three nights in the cave
of Thaur. The enemy gave chase,
and with the aid of a tracker were led
to the cave. That tracker traced their
footsteps right up to the entrance of
the cave, telling them: here the track
ends, so search for him in this cave.
If he is not to be found here then the
sky must have swallowed him. Who
can limit the boundless wonders of
God’s creation? In a single night,
God so manifested His will that a
spider spun its web across the mouth
of the cave from end to end and a
pigeon built its nest at the entrance of
the cave and even laid its eggs
therein. When the tracker urged the
Makkans to enter the cave, an old
man thus retorted: this tracker must
be mad. I have been seeing this web
across the mouth of the cave since
the time when Muhammad(saw) was
not even born. At this, people began
to disperse and gave up the idea of
searching the cave.
16 The Review of Religions – September 2010
After this, the Holy Prophet(saw)
travelled to Madinah secretly. The
majority of the inhabitants of
Madinah accepted him, causing the
people of Makkah to seethe in rage,
lamenting: our prey has slipped out
of our hands. They then became
occupied in plots to murder the Holy
Prophet(saw). A small party from
among the Makkans who had
accepted Muhammad(saw) also left
Makkah and migrated to different
countries. Some took shelter under
the Emperor of Abyssinia.
Some, however, were left behind in
Makkah as they lacked adequate
provisions for such journeys; they
were tormented to the extreme. The
Holy Qur’an mentions how they
wailed and moaned day and night to
God.
The cruelties of the infidels from
among the Quraish exceeded all
bounds. They started to murder the
helpless, poor women and orphaned
children. They went to the extent of
killing some women with such
ruthlessness as to have bound their
legs each to different camels tightly
and driving them in opposite
directions. Thus they died as they
split in two.
When the transgression of these
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
merciless infidels reached this stage,
God, who turns to His servants with
mercy revealed to His Messenger:
The supplications of the afflicted
have reached Me. Thus this day, I
permit them to stand up to their
persecutors and remember that a
people who raise their sword against
the innocent will themselves perish
by the sword. Yet, transgress not,
because God does not befriend those
who transgress.
This is the spirit and essence of
Islamic Jihad which has been
maliciously portrayed in the wrong
light. God is forbearing, indeed, but
when the mischief of a people
crosses all limits, then He does not
let the transgressors go unpunished.
Then He Himself creates conditions
which result in their destruction. I
know not how and from where our
opponents heard that Islam was
spread by the might of the sword.
God in the Holy Qur’an pronounced
that there is no compulsion in Islam:
[There should be no compulsion
in religion….[Ch.2:V.257]]
That is: The religion of Islam does
not permit any compulsion in matters
of faith. Who commanded the
application of force and what were
the means of coercion available to
The Review of Religions – September 2010
them? And again, such people as are
coerced into changing their faith do
not display such dedication and such
quality of belief that without any
financial returns and despite being a
mere few hundred they dare to
confront the army of thousands.
When the same reached the number
of one thousand, they somehow
acquired the strength to defeat
enemies running into hundreds of
thousands. They readily offered their
lives in defence of their faith, to be
slaughtered like sheep and goats.
They stamped the testimony to the
truth of Islam with their own blood.
Moreover, they became so
enamoured with the task of
spreading the Unity of God that,
willingly accepting all kinds of
hardships like ascetics, they crossed
the deserts of Africa to disseminate
the message of Islam so that their
blessed teachings should bear the
fruit of truth. Thus they succeeded in
converting tens of millions of
Chinese people to Islam.
Then they entered India in the style
of dervishes wearing sackcloth and
succeeded in converting many from
the Arya faith to Islam. They even
reached the frontiers of Europe and
raised loud and clear the message:
[There is none worthy of
17
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
worship except Allah [Muslim
creed]]
Can you claim in honesty that such
as these are really the fruits of the
sword of Islam, whose hearts remain
infidel while the tongues alone
profess the faith. Nay! It is the work
of those whose hearts were filled
with the light of faith. Nothing but
God dwelled in their hearts.
Now we turn our attention to the
study of Islamic teachings and its
true nature. It should be clearly borne
in mind that the predominant
purpose of Islamic teachings is to
establish the Unity and Majesty of
God on earth, to completely
eradicate idolatry and to gather all
scattered religious denominations
around a single article of faith and
turn them into one people.
The religions which appeared before
Islam and the Prophets and
Messengers who came were
confined to the reformation of their
own respective nation and country;
whatever they did for their moral
uplift was all aimed for the benefit of
their own people. This is why
Jesus(as) unambiguously admitted
that his teachings were for the House
of Israel alone. It is reported that
when a woman who did not belong
18 The Review of Religions – September 2010
to the Israelites beseeched him with
humility for him to show her ‘the
way’, he rejected her plea. The poor
woman even went to the extent of
likening herself to a dog to evoke
pity, and implored guidance. He
again rejected her plea on the ground
that he was sent only for the sheep of
the House of Israel. Finally, she was
silenced. But our Prophet(saw)
nowhere pronounced that he had
been sent only for the Arabs. On the
contrary, the Holy Qur’an
commands him to say:
[Say ‘O Mankind! Truly I am a
messenger to you all from
Allah…[Ch.7:V.159]]
That is, tell the people that I am a
Messenger to you all from Allah. It
should be remembered that it was no
fault of Jesus(as) that he gave such a
curt answer to the woman. The time
had not yet come for a universal
teaching. This was the teaching
vouchsafed to Jesus(as) by God: You
are specifically sent for the House of
Israel. You have no concern with
others. As I mentioned above, the
moral teachings of Jesus(as) were
confined to the Jewish people. The
Torah taught “a tooth for a tooth, an
eye for an eye, and an ear for the
ear”1. The purport of the teaching
was to provide a commandment to
 A Message of Peace: Part 3
the Jews to establish justice and
prevent them from committing
transgressions and excesses. This
was necessary because having spent
four hundred years in slavery, cruelty
and meanness had become their
second nature. Hence the profound
Wisdom of God so planned that to
counter the overemphasis of cruelty
and revenge in their natures, the
teachings of forgiveness and love
was highly stressed to the same
degree. Hence the moral teaching
found in the Gospels is specifically
for the Jewish people and not for the
whole world as Jesus(as) had no
concern with other people.
The teaching which Jesus(as) brought
did not only have the drawback of
not being addressed to all mankind,
but it also had another shortcoming.
As the Torah overemphasises
revenge to one extreme, the Gospels,
turn to the other extreme as regards
the teaching of forgiveness. Both
these scriptures fail to bring into
focus all the possible branches of
human nature. As for the Torah, it
remains concerned with only one
branch, while the Gospels hold fast
to the other exclusively. Both
teachings lack balance. As it is
evident that to punish on every
occasion is not appropriate nor is it in
accordance with the dictates of
The Review of Religions – September 2010
justice, likewise to forgive and to
overlook faults indiscriminately is
contrary to the spirit of human
reform. In view of this the Holy
Qur’an does not entirely agree with
either, but instead proposes the
following:
[The recompense of an injury is
the like thereof, but whoso
forgives and his act brings
about reformation, his reward is
with Allah. [Ch.42:V.41]]
So an injury can only be avenged to
the extent of the injury received, as is
taught by the Torah. But whoever
prefers to forgive, as is taught by the
Gospels, then such forgiveness is
only permitted when the person
forgiven is likely to respond with
reform and the final outcome is
positive and healthy and the whole
episode ends up well. Otherwise, the
routine teaching remains the same as
that of the Torah.
Notes
1. See (Exodus, 21:24), (Leviticus,
24:20), and (Deuteronomy, 19:21).
[Publisher]
19
 The Muslim
Adhan
Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud
Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul Masih II, Second
Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
community.

From The Review of Religions July 1925

edition, No.VII, Vol.XXIV

T o say prayer in congregation is

regarded as one of the most
important principles in all religions.
The Hindus in their temples, the
Jews in their synagogues, and the
Christians in their churches say
their prayers in congregation. Islam
has laid extra emphasis on this
religious rite, and it is incumbent
on every Muslim to say his prayer
in congregation in the Mosque five
times a day.
For the proper observance of
commandment, by which
Muslims of a specified area
required to assemble in
Mosque, it was necessary that they
should be informed of the time of
prayer by some means or other. The
followers of different religions
have adopted various modes of
call. The Christians ring bells and
the Jewish people blow horns made
from sea shells at the time of their
prayers, which may be considered
good means of informing people of
the time of prayer, but it is only a
meaningless noise without any
reality behind it. When Islam made
this it obligatory on Muslims to say
all their prayers in congregation, the
are question naturally arose, how
the should they be made to assemble in

20 The Review of Religions – September 2010

 The Muslim Adhan
the Mosque at the time of prayer.
Some suggested the blowing of
conchs or shell-fish, while others
proposed that in accordance with
the Arabs’ custom, fire should be
lighted on a high place. None of
these proposals appealed to the
Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) as a
proper means of calling men to
prayer, but as a last resort he
decided in favour of blowing a
conch.
Next morning one of the
Companions of the Holy
Prophet(saw) related to him a dream
in which some one had taught him
the way of calling people to
prayer. It was:
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
Ash hadu Al-la-Ilaha il Lallah
Ash hadu Al-la-Ilaha il Lallah
Ash hadu anna Muhammadar
Rasulullah
Ash hadu anna Muhammadar
Rasulullah
Hayya ‘alas-salah
Hayya ‘alas-salah
Hayya ‘alal-falah
The Review of Religions – September 2010
Hayya ‘alal-falah
Allahu-Akbar Allahu-Akbar La-
ilaha il-Lallah.
i.e.
(Allah is Most Great! Allah is
Most Great! Allah is Most Great!
Allah is Most Great!
I bear witness there is none
worthy of worship except Allah.
I bear witness there is none
worthy of worship except Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is
the Prophet of Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is
the Prophet of Allah.
Come to prayer.
Come to prayer.
Come to success.
Come to success.
Allah is Most Great! Allah is
Most Great! There is none
worshipable but Allah.)
When the Holy Prophet(saw) heard
this dream, he said that it was a true
vision, and ordered that before
21
 The Muslim Adhan
every prayer a man should repeat
these words with a loud voice
standing on a high place so that
Muslims should know that the hour
for prayer had come.
Though the words of the Adhan
were not directly revealed to the
Holy Prophet(saw), yet as it was
taught in a vision it should be
looked upon as a result of divine
commandments, and its beauty and
excellence are to be attributed to
that Supreme Being who is the
source of all excellences.
In addition to the manifold
superiorities which Islam possesses
over other religions, as all its
teachings are founded on reason
and are pregnant with deep
meaning, it claims, with justice and
propriety, another excellence in its
mode of the call to Prayer over
them all. Whereas the means by
which other religions call their
followers to prayer are entirely
bereft of any reality or meaning
behind them, the Islamic mode of
call to prayer is the essence and
kernel of the whole teachings of
Islam by means of which it is
proclaimed to the world five times
a day.
22 The Review of Religions – September 2010
The words of the Adhan embody
seven basic principles of Islam
which are the pith and summary of
all its teachings:
1. The first principle is presented
before the world in the ‘Allahu
Akbar” which means God is Most
Great. The exaltation and
glorification of God constitute an
integral part of Islamic teachings.
No sane person would ever seek
after a thing unless he is satisfied
that it is worth his attention and
seeking after. Without this
satisfaction he could never
conceive of trying to get that thing.
So one aspect of the Islamic
teachings is that it establishes and
inculcates the glorification and
exaltation of God.
2. The second stage is that of unity,
when all distinctions of superiority
or inferiority vanish and man
becomes so much engrossed in
divine love and establishes such a
real and deep connection with his
Creator that in everything he sees
Him manifested. The expression
“Allahu-Akbar” (God is the
Greatest) is followed by the phrase
“Ash-hadu al-la-ilaha il-lallah”
(there is none worthy of worship
 The Muslim Adhan
except Allah), which signifies that
there is none else beside Allah who
is even worthy of our attention and
fit to be made the object of our
search. He is above all comparison.
Every beauty and virtue emanates
from Him and returns to Him. He
is the source of all excellences and
the fountainhead of all grace.
3. Besides these two principles,
which prove beyond all doubt the
truth that God is the perfect and the
only source and origin of all
virtues, the Islamic Adhan turns
our attention to the fact that God is
not only perfect in Himself, but He
wishes to make man perfect as
well. To accomplish this end He
has been sending from among
mankind His messengers to invite
them to real communion with Him,
and the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (saw) was the last
messenger of God to invite
humanity to the love of their
Creator. The expression, “Ash-
hadu anna Muhammadar
Rasulullah” (I bear witness that
Muhammad is the Prophet of
Allah) proclaims the truth that
God, notwithstanding His being
inconceivably higher than man,
has not forsaken him to his low
The Review of Religions – September 2010
state, but He wishes to ennoble him
and perfect him through His
messengers, and this gives the
incontestable proof of His love for
His creatures.
4. The fourth question that
naturally arises is; what are the
means by which man is morally
and spiritually perfected? The
answer to this question has been
given in the fourth sentence, and
what a sublime and true answer is
this, i.e., “Hayya ‘alas-salah!” O
man, come to worship, prayer,
work, and activity. The only way to
fulfil the object of the coming of
God’s messengers, and the means
of seeing Him and to commune
with Him is that man should try by
right methods, and should purify
himself by constant struggle
against temptations and evil
propensities. No other way, no
superstitious belief, no relation
with anybody, and no atonement
for his sins can in any way
contribute to his inner and spiritual
purification. There is one way and
only one way is open, and that is
the way of self-sacrifice and self-
annihilation and the treading on the
right paths.
23
 The Muslim Adhan
5. So long as man does not move
with utmost circumspection and
vigilance in the right path he
cannot attain to his object. The
Prophets are not intermediaries
between man and his Creator.
Their mission is only to lead man
on the right path and encourage
him and raise his drooping spirits
in his spiritual journey by their
personal examples; otherwise
every man shall have to carry his
own cross and bear his own
responsibility. Along with this
exhortation for constant struggle
the spiritual wayfarer is taught
that he should supplicate with
utmost humility to God and
implore for His mercy and Grace
so that His love may be excited
and He may be his Guardian and
Protector at every stage of his
journey, and may remove unfore-
seen impediments in the way of
his advancement and progress.
The fifth principle of the deepest
import is contained in the words,
“Hayya alal-falah” (come to
success). It purports that all the
divine commandments and
precepts are designed for the
benefit of man only, and God in
no way profits by them. Neither
are they meant to put man into
24 The Review of Religions – September 2010
trouble; they are not a burden for
man; nor is their object to test the
love of man for his Creator; but
they serve as spiritual cure
without applying which the soul
of man cannot enjoy immunity
from spiritual maladies. They are
not purposeless and the means
which their assiduous application
produces accrues to him only who
uses them, and the deeds and
actions of man can never fail to
bring about results.
6. After this expression the first
sentence, “Allahu-Akbar” (God is
Most Great) is repeated, not for
the sake of repetition, but to
explain what sort of success is
going to befall him and to show
that the belief in the exaltation and
supreme eminence of God, which
is at first the result of reason,
takes the form of personal
observation and experience when
Islamic teachings are acted upon,
and the real success of man,
according to Islam, lies in the fact
that he believes in the
incomparable sublimity and
unapproachable excellence of
Islamic teachings on the basis of
his personal observation and
experience and connection with
 The Muslim Adhan
Him after he had believed in it
only on the grounds of reason.
7. The last stage in the spiritual
progress of man is explained in
the second sentence of Adhan,
which is put at the end of it again,
i.e., “La-ilaha il-lallah” (there is
none worthy of worship except
Allah)
After all his spiritual journeys and
experiences he comes to the
conclusion and the reality is
disclosed to him that beside God
everything else is perishable and
unreal, and that He is eternal and
everlasting and the real object of
his search.
At first he believed in this truth
compelled by the force of reason,
but now, after losing his self in his
Creator, and after reaching the
highest stages of spiritual perfec-
tion, he sees with divine light
bestowed upon him that except his
Creator all things are in their
nature destructible, and they
depend for their existence on the
grace of God. All the chains of
cause and effect are unmasked
before him and, emerging from
the dark plain of materialism. He
The Review of Religions – September 2010
stands upon a bright pedestal of
union with his Creator where the
most obscure laws of nature
become to him as a book wide
open. At this stage he loves God
solely for His beauty, excellence,
perfection, and His oneness,
which is beyond any interference,
and is jealous of allowing
anything to abrogate independent
existence to itself.
These are the seven principles
which are the essence of the
teachings of Islam, and which the
Muezzins (those who call for
prayer) all over the world
proclaim with loud voice five
times a day. Could there be any
better, shorter, or more effective
way of promulgating the
teachings of a religion? The
Adhan of a Muezzins is a call to
prayer and a sermon at the same
time. He does not do anything
useless and purposeless. He is
taught that his every deed and
movement should impart a deep
meaning.
25
 ISLAM AHMADIYYAT
The Means of Safety and Salvation
By Bilal Atikinson, President North East Region, Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK
“Ahmadiyyat is the means of safety
and salvation” is a bold claim in
itself. In light of the abominable and
unprovoked attacks on two Ahmadi
Mosques in Lahore earlier this year,
where many innocent and
defenceless Ahmadi Muslims were
cruelly and senselessly murdered
during Friday prayers, any worldly
person might indeed initially think –
“How is it possible that Ahmadiyyat
can claim to be a means of safety and
salvation?”
86 Ahmadis lost their lives in the
attacks on two Lahore mosques
The attacks on these Mosques were a
direct consequence of the denial of
God, His Messengers and His
teachings, not only by the
perpetrators of the attack but by all
26 The Review of Religions – September 2010
those who violently oppose and
attempt to destroy any community
founded by a Prophet raised by God
only for the benefit of mankind.
The main purpose of the advent of
Prophets and the objective of their
teaching and preaching is that
mankind should recognise God and
be saved from a life of hell and ruin,
which is known as a life of sin. The
Prophets of Allah are chosen from
among human beings. They set the
best examples of moral and spiritual
conduct. They lead mankind to Allah
by conveying to man Divine
revelation, and also by their own
example of purity and righteousness.
They are the most truthful of men.
Their hearts are full of love of Allah
and His creatures. All of them
proclaim the Oneness of Allah and
ask people to submit to Him
completely.
History recalls that all Prophets of
God are initially denied by most of
the people they were sent to reform.
They and their early followers
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
encounter all manner of ostracism,
persecution, ridicule and even death
at the hands of some of the
disbelieving people, especially from
the chiefs of those people.
The Holy Qur’an refers to this and
states:
And there never came to them
any Messenger but they mocked
at him.
(Ch.15:V.12)
History also records that true
prophets of God never fail in their
Divine mission and that their bitter
enemies who violently and wilfully
oppose them eventually meet with
disgrace in one form or another.
Commenting on this subject, Hadhrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the
Promised Messiah and Mahdi, has
written:
‘Mere simple rejection of a
prophet does not entail
punishment in this life. But when
a disbeliever transgresses beyond
the limits of humanity and good
behaviour and has recourse to
shamelessness and abuse and
designs every kind of persecution
and carries it to the limit, the
jealousy of God Almighty is
The Review of Religions – September 2010
aroused and He destroys the
wrongdoer out of regard for His
Messenger as He destroyed the
people of Noah(as) and the people
of Lot(as).
Such chastisement is inflicted
only on account of the
persecution and cruelties to
which God’s Messengers and
their followers are subjected.
Mere rejection is not punished in
this life. God has reserved
another world for such
punishment. If a person confines
himself to the position that he is
unable to accept [the messenge
of God] as he has not yet fully
understood the matter, such
denial does not attract punish-
ment because it results from
simple lack of understanding.
I affirm truly that if the objection
of the people of Noah had been
presented in a decent manner
God Almighty would not have
seized them’ ……
(Essence of Islam vol.2, p.374 –
Malfoozat vol.3, pp.162-163)
There are several instances regarding
the fate of certain peoples throughout
the ages who violently rejected their
prophets, their message and their
practice.
27
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
One of the first recorded instances of
a nation incurring the wrath of God
can be found in the Old Testament
and in the Holy Qur’an and refers to
the time of the advent of the Prophet
Noah(as).
Like Christians and Jews, Muslims
also believe in the flood of Noah(as).
Noah(as)’s people were corrupt and
led sinful lives: they lied, they
cheated, they worshipped idols and
in so doing they disobeyed God.
When he (Noah(as)) attempted to
teach his people better ways of
behaviour, they dismissed him,
calling him a ‘madman.’ The Holy
Qur’an states:
The people of Noah rejected the
truth before them; aye, they
rejected Our servant and said,
‘A madman and one who is
spurned.’
(Ch.54:V.10)
Noah(as) employed all means to make
his people listen to the Divine
message – but to no avail. The people
of Noah(as) did not like him preaching
to them and told him that if he did not
stop they would stone him. He told
them that there was no other God but
Allah and that they should worship
only Him. He later also told them
that if they continued to reject Allah
28 The Review of Religions – September 2010
and His message he feared an awful
punishment would befall them.
They carried on worshipping idols
and treated Noah(as) with great
contempt. Only a few people
believed and followed him, even his
wife and one of his sons did not
believe him.
After so much preaching and
numerous warnings Noah(as) realised
that there was nothing more he could
do. So, in great distress, he prayed to
Allah for help and guidance. Allah
the Almighty gave Noah(as) news of
an imminent, devastating flood and
told him to build an ark. Noah(as) was
faithful to God and according to
Divine guidance began to build the
ark.
When the great flood came, Noah(as),
his closest companions, some family
members as well as the animals and
other provisions, entered the Ark.
They were saved, whilst the wicked
and arrogant people perished,
including Noah(as)’s wife and one of
his sons.
The Holy Qur’an states:
But they rejected him, so We
saved him and those who were
with him in the Ark. And We
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
made them inheritors of the
land, while we drowned those
who rejected Our Signs. See
then, how was the end of those
who had been warned!
(Ch.10:V.74)
Other examples of God’s punishment
for persistent sin and wrongdoing
against His Messengers are the
nations of ‘Ad and Thamud. The
nation of ‘Ad populated vast areas of
southern Arabia and the nation of
Thamud populated the north west of
Arabia. Because of their persistent
denial and torment of their respective
prophets and their followers, the
people of ‘Ad were destroyed by a
sandstorm that raged for 7 nights and
8 days. The people of Thamud for
whom the prophet Salih(as) was sent,
were destroyed in an earthquake
because of their arrogance and
mischief.
Again, the people of the Prophet
Lot(as) who lived in Sodom are
described notoriously in both the
Holy Qur’an and the Bible. They
performed acts of a lewd sexual
nature that were not known before
that time, but have since openly
reappeared and are being practised
in this modern age. According to
the Holy Qur’an an earthquake
destroyed the people of Lot, who
The Review of Religions – September 2010
persecuted him and his followers.
The Holy Qur’an states:
Then the punishment seized
them at sunrise. We turned it
upside down, and We rained
upon them stones of clay.
Surely, in this are Signs for
those who can read signs. And it
lies on a road that still exists.
(Ch.15:Vs.74-77)
This last reference may indeed even
refer to the people of this age, as that
self and same practice of the people
of Lot(as) is more prevalent
throughout the world today. As a
result of failure to heed this Divine
warning, fatal diseases are taking
their toll in all parts of the world,
especially in Africa, where both
innocent and guilty parties are being
affected because of the sin of man
and society in general.
Jews, Christians and Muslims alike
are all aware of the fate of the
Pharaoh who tried to destroy Moses
and his people. He pursued Moses(as)
and the Israelites as they fled his
tyrannical reign. His purpose was to
destroy the Israelites and especially
Hadhrat Moses(as), but God had
different designs and it was the
Pharaoh and his army that was
29
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
destroyed when they were engulfed
by the fast approaching sea water.
Jesus Christ(as) was raised as the
Messiah for the Jews – and as history
records, he and his followers were
severely persecuted. Jesus(as) was a
teacher and practitioner of the Laws
of Moses(as), but the people he was
sent to reform completely rejected
him. He warned them of the
consequences of their disobedience
to God and denial of His Messenger,
but to no avail.
He was crucified, but as Ahmadi
Muslims, we are aware that he did
not die on the cross. The Jews did not
defeat or kill this Messenger of God.
Jesus(as) had warned the Jews that
they would be thoroughly banished
from Jerusalem and that Jerusalem
would be controlled by the Gentiles
for a set period of time. In 65 AD an
epidemic of plague erupted and
covered the areas where the
message of Jesus(as) had reached and
had been denied. In 70 AD
Jerusalem was destroyed and the
Jews were scattered and exiled.
Some 52 years later, the Jewish
people tried to regain their freedom
but were crushed by the Roman
Emperor Hadrian. The Jewish
people were put to the sword and
scattered captive to all marauding
30 The Review of Religions – September 2010
nations. In 167 AD the plague
struck again and covered a much
wider area including Asia Minor
and European countries.
Allah the Almighty never allows His
Messengers to fail in their mission.
He has power over all things and He
can use His power whenever He
pleases, either to reward or to
chastise whenever the need arises.
His Law applies to the spiritual and
physical worlds.
Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din
Mahmud Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul
Masih II writes:
‘Laws of God are laws through
which God helps His chosen
ones, those whom He loves;
through them He disgraces and
destroys the enemies of His
friends. If there were no such
laws, could weak and friendless
Moses(as) have triumphed over a
cruel and mighty Pharaoh? Could
Moses(as) succeed and Pharaoh
fail, whilst Moses(as) was weak
and Pharaoh strong?’
If there are no laws other than the
laws of nature, how could the
Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw)
have triumphed against an
Arabia determined to put an end
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation

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.

to him and his mission? In every
encounter God helped the Holy
Prophet(saw) and made him
triumph over his enemies. Every
attack the enemies made ended in
failure, and at last, with ten
thousand saints, he re-entered the
valley out of which ten years
before he had had to flee for his
life in the company of only one
self-sacrificing friend. Can laws
of nature account for such
events? Can they permit such
things? Laws of nature only
guarantee the success of the
strong against the weak;
conversely, the failure of the
weak against the strong.’
(Dawat-ul-Amir, English trans-
lation: Invitation to Ahmadiyyat,
first edition, pp.4-10, by Hadhrat
Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud
Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul Masih II)
initially the most persecuted of all of
God’s Messengers. He was sent by
Allah the Almighty as Rahmatul lil
‘Alameen, a ‘mercy for all of
mankind’ and as such he was able to
overcome his most bitter opponents.
He was able to soften the hardest of
hearts. He and his followers suffered
all manner of torment from the
unbelievers. All basic rights were
denied them and they were
eventually driven into exile.
Vast armies came time and again to
destroy him and his followers but
they all met with ultimate defeat in
one form or another and the religion
of Islam, the religion of peace,
spread rapidly. Increasing numbers
of tribes and nations, hearing of the
word and practice of this most noble
Messenger became Muslim and
became obedient to the Will of God.

The Holy Prophet of Islam(saw) was Jesus(as) and especially the Prophet

The Review of Religions – September 2010 31

 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
Muhammad(saw) prophesied that in
the Latter Days a Messiah and
Mahdi would be raised by Allah the
Almighty for the benefit of the
whole of mankind and that great
signs would appear in the heavens
and the earth in support of his
claim.
Ahmadi Muslims have accepted
this claim of Hadhrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad(as), the Holy
Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Jama’at. He was born in 1835 in
Qadian, India.
From an early age he received
revelation from God, as well as
visions and true dreams. It was in a
state of relative seclusion and
anonymity that he received the
revelation,
‘Thy God is well pleased with
what thou hast done. He will
bless thee greatly, so much so
that Kings shall seek blessing
from thy garments.’
(Baraheen-e-Ahmadiyya, vol. 4,
p.520)
The flow of revelations and visions
continued when in 1882 he received
the revelation which made manifest
God’s design that he was to be the
appointed one, the one com-
32 The Review of Religions – September 2010
missioned by Allah the Almighty to
serve His cause as a Divine
Reformer.
In obedience to Divine command he
declared that he was the Mujaddid
(reviver) of the 14th century of the
Islamic era. In 1891 he claimed, on
the basis of Divine revelation, to be
the Promised Messiah and Mahdi,
whose advent had been foretold by
the Holy Prophet(saw). His contem-
porary theologians rejected his
claims and as in the case of all Divine
reformers, he met a storm of violent
opposition.
In light of Divine revelation given to
him of the approaching chastisement
for mankind, and out of a deeply
moved and disturbed heart, he, like
his predecessors and especially the
Holy Prophet(saw), admonished
humanity to discard the worship of
false gods. In modern days idols had
been replaced by modern idols of the
acquisition of wealth and money. He
advised man to turn in sincere
repentance to the One True God. For
example, in one of his famous
writings, he states:
‘Those who repent shall find
security and those who fear
before calamity overtakes them
shall be shown mercy. Do you
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
think you will be immune from
these calamities? Or can you
save yourselves through artifice
or design? Indeed not. That day
all human schemes shall fail.
Think not that earthquakes
visited America and other
continents but that your own
country shall remain secure.
Indeed, you may experience a
greater hardship. O Europe, you
are not safe and O Asia, you too,
are not immune. And O dwellers
of Islands, no false gods shall
come to your rescue. I see cities
fall and settlements laid waste.
The One and the Only God kept
silent for long. Heinous deeds
were done before His eyes and
He said nothing. But now He
shall reveal His face in majesty
and awe. Let him who has ears
hear that the time is not far. I
have done my best to bring all
under the protection of God, but
it was destined that what was
written should come to pass.
Truly do I say that the turn of this
land, too is approaching fast.
The times of Noah shall reappear
before your eyes, and your own
eyes will be witnesses to the
calamity that overtook the cities
of Lot. But God is slow in His
wrath. Repent that you may be
The Review of Religions – September 2010
shown mercy! He who does not
fear Him is dead, not alive.’
(Haqiqatul Wahi, Ruhani
Khaza’in, vol.22, pp.268-269)
In February 1898, the Promised
Messiah(as) received revelations
about an impending plague. He
immediately published this critical
warning through newspapers and
pamphlets to the world at large. The
Promised Messiah(as) was clearly
informed that this plague would
devastate large areas in the Punjab,
and that village after village would
be emptied of life. Qadian, the town
where he himself dwelled, would be
no exception; it would strike all
around his house, but would not be
permitted to step within its four
walls.
For those who sought and cared for
his shelter, he made it clear that this
promise of security would not be
confined only to such as occupy his
house physically but would also
cover those who dwell in his spiritual
home – the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community. He, his wife and
children, and all his followers living
in Qadian and elsewhere in the
country did not have any inoculation
against the plague. Indeed God
Almighty saved His Messenger, his
family and all of his faithful
33
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
followers as foretold in the prophecy:
“I will protect all those who are
within the periphery of your
house”(Kishti Nuh, p.4, October 5th,
1902)
During the period of seven years, or
thereabouts, that the plague
remained active in the Punjab,
many of his adversaries died.
However, the plague touched
neither him nor his wife nor his
sons or daughters. Nothing
happened to him and to those who
lived within the boundaries of his
physical and spiritual abodes of
peace and security. As for the
members of the Community outside
Qadian, they were spared by the
plague to an exceptional degree.
The death rate among the non-
Ahmadis who died of the plague
stood far higher by comparison to
the very rare cases of Ahmadi
deaths in the same villages.
By the end of September 1903 the
number of plague victims reported
in the Punjab amounted to nearly
400,000. By the year 1904, the
Ahmadi population had grown to
two hundred thousand. By 1906,
the year when the plague finally
subsided, the number of Ahmadis
had risen to near four hundred
thousand. From 1898 to 1918,
10.25 million deaths from plague
34 The Review of Religions – September 2010
were officially recorded in India.
Considering this statistic it is truly
remarkable how few Ahmadis were
amongst these casualties. (Plague:
Conquest and Eradication by Seal
S.C., 1987, published by Indian
Council of Medical Research)
When a Prophet is raised by God,
both he and his early followers are
mercilessly persecuted in one form
or another. In the year 1903, Hadhrat
Sahibzada Abdul Latif(ra), a
Companion of the Promised
Messiah(as) who held high rank in the
court of the Amir of Afghanistan,
was stoned to death as a result of his
recognition and acceptance of the
Promised Messiah(as).
His death was demanded by the
fanatical religious leaders of that
country and the Amir decided in their
favour; hence he was stoned to death.
The day after the stoning, a severe
epidemic of cholera broke out in
Kabul that killed thousands of
citizens including close relatives of
the Amir. The Amir himself and his
brother Nasrullah Khan were both
assassinated and later on his family
was forced to go into exile. The
Promised Messiah(as) was very
distraught at the news of the death of
Hadhrat Sahibzada Abdul Latif(ra)
and later proclaimed:
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
‘O Land of Kabul (Afghanistan)!
You are witness to the heinous
crime committed on your soil. O
miserable land! You have, in the
sight of Allah, been condemned
as you are the scene of this most
atrocious crime.’
(Tadhkiratush Shahadatain by
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad , the Promised Messiah
(as)
and Mahdi, p.70)
Afghanistan has been in turmoil ever
since Hadhrat Sahibzada Abdul
Latif(ra) was martyred and the
subsequent prophecy of the
Promised Messiah(as) has been
fulfilled. The whole world is witness
to the fate of the land of Afghanistan
and its people. Even today, armed
forces from around the world are
stationed in that troubled land to try
and establish peace.
The Promised Messiah(as) of this
age wrote in 1907:
‘Remember, God has informed
me of many earthquakes. Rest
assured, therefore, that as
earthquakes have shaken America
and Europe, so will they shake
Asia. Some of them will resemble
the Day of Doom. So many
people shall die that rivulets of
blood shall flow. Even the birds
The Review of Religions – September 2010
and the beasts will not be immune
against this death. Havoc shall
sweep the surface of the earth
which shall be the greatest since
the birth of man. Habitations shall
be demolished as if no one had
ever lived in them. This will be
accompanied by many other
terrible calamities which the earth
and the heavens will send forth,
till their extraordinary nature will
become evident to every
reasonable man. All the literature
of science and philosophy shall
fail to show their like.
‘Then mankind shall be sorely
distressed and wonder what is
going to happen. Many shall
escape and many shall perish. The
days are near, in fact. I can see
them close at hand, when the
world shall witness a terrible
sight: not only earthquakes but
also many fearsome calamities
shall overtake man, some from
the skies and some from the earth.
This will happen because
mankind has stopped worship-
ping their true God and has
become lost in the affairs of the
world with all their heart and their
effort and intent. Had I not come,
these afflictions would perhaps
have been delayed a little. But
with my coming the secret
35
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
purposes of an affronted God
which were hidden so far, became
manifest. Says God: “We never
punish unless We send a
Messenger.”’
(Haqiqatul Wahi, Ruhani
Khaza’in, vol.22, pp.268-269)
The prophecies not only refer to
literal earthquakes that destroy life
and property within a matter of
minutes, but also earthquakes of
titanic proportions in the way of
world catastrophes.
On April 15th, 1905 the Promised
Messiah(as) announced that it had
been revealed to him that the world
would soon be overtaken by a
terrible calamity; the most emphatic
warning delivered by him to the
world about the First World War.
He declared that it would overtake
the world suddenly. The world
would be shocked. Empires would
be overthrown and cities would turn
into graveyards. He indicated that the
Tsar of Russia would also lose his
power and meet his demise.
In 1905 the Tsar was the most
powerful and affluent monarch on
earth. The prophecy was spectac-
ularly fulfilled when the First World
War broke out and in 1918 the Tsar
36 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Nicholas II – Tsar of Russia:
The Promsied Messiah(as)
prophesied his decline
was wiped out along with his family
by the Bolshevik revolution. (Al-
Badr, vol.1, no.3, April 20th 1905 –
Tadhkirah [English translation]
p.706)
This holocaust was to be followed by
another World War of even greater
scale and deadlier consequences.
Millions more people were killed
and many millions more were left
destitute and homeless as a result of
the Second World War.
The Promised Messiah(as) had also
prophesied that a Third World War of
even greater proportions would
follow the second. It will come with
such suddenness that everyone will
be caught unawares. Death and
destruction will rain from the sky
and fierce flames will engulf the
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
earth (in other words it refers to
atomic warfare). The colossus of
modern civilisation will tumble to
the ground – a bloodbath – that will
leave mankind shaken and
chastened.
This prophecy, like all prophecies, is
a warning and its fulfilment can be
delayed or even averted provided
man turns to his Lord, repents and
mends his ways.
In the whole history of religion no
people are known to have benefited
so much by the warning of
impending Divine punishment as did
the people of the Prophet Jonah(as).
When they were warned that they
would be visited with punishment if
they did not behave and believe in
Jonah and did not mend their ways,
they at once repented and believed in
him with the result that the
threatened punishment was averted.
This repentance of the people of
Jonah so pleased God that they were
not only forgiven, but their case is
held up in the Qur’an as an example
for disbelievers of all Prophets of
God (Ch.10:V.99)
In an address delivered in Zurich in
1982, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir
Ahmad(ra), Khalifatul Masih IV
cautioned against the dark, social
The Review of Religions – September 2010
tendencies of so-called modern man,
and warned of the severe calamity
which might await him if, in his
delusions of grandeur, he continues
to violate the limits prescribed by his
Maker. He went on to beautifully
summarise the main purpose of life
of the Ahmadiyya Movement in
Islam, and our determination to fulfil
our purpose:
“We affirm that we have been
brought into being to set the time
right and rescue humanity from
ruin and destruction.
We claim that if the world will
listen to us and will sincerely
accept that to which we invite it,
the dangers that threaten it would
be averted. We have been raised
for the purpose of pointing out
the way by treading along
which human-ity can safeguard
itself against the terrifying end
that threatens it and this world
can become a region of peace,
security, comfort, joys and
delights.
We desire intensely that we may
be blessed with success in this
effort and we are determined
that we shall be ready and
prepared to sacrifice our all in
this struggle, and even if we are
37
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
put an end to in the course of it
we would deem it a great good
fortune for ourselves.”
(A Message of Hope, part 1, The
Review of Religions, January
2005 Edition, pp.25-26)
The present Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at,
Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba),
commenting on consolidating love
and mutual tolerance within society
remarked that the Promised
Messiah(as) has taught that to
achieve these goals two principles
had to be followed.
The first was that people should
grow closer to God Almighty and
the second was that people should
care for their fellow man and act
justly at all times. These teachings
are the basis of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Jama’ats oft repeated motto
of – Love for All, Hatred for
None.
He further commented that if
Qur’anic teachings were followed
then all hatred would be removed
from the world. People would live
together side by side in harmony
rather than in fear. He said that the
world was moving towards another
world war and that to prevent such
an atrocity action had to be taken:
38 The Review of Religions – September 2010
He said:
“The current situation pre-
vailing in the world indicates
that despite the fact that we
understand that if there is
another world war, the entire
world will be affected by its fall
out, we are, nevertheless slowly
moving towards it…my prayer
is: May God Almighty enable
man to discharge his duties to
Him and His Creation so that
the world can be saved from
this horrific destruction that
looms over us.”
(Inauguration of Baitul Afiyat
Mosque, Sheffield, UK, 8th
November 2008)
There have been many earthquakes
since the time of the Promised
Messiah(as), as well as devastating
floods. In the first four months of this
year (2010) there have been 4
disastrous earthquakes in the world
(Haiti, Chile, Mexico and China)
where hundreds of thousands of
people perished. The frequency of
earthquakes throughout the world
may not have changed but what has
changed is that they are striking more
populated areas and consequently
leading to more death and
destruction.
 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
Alas, as mentioned earlier, a most
heinous and dastardly crime was
committed this year (2010) against
the followers of the Promised
Messiah(as). In two mosques in
Lahore, about 2000 defenceless
Ahmadi Muslims were attacked.
Eighty-six were slaughtered and one
hundred and fifty wounded – many
seriously. They were martyred simply
because they believed in and
accepted a Prophet of God.
Unfortunately, successive
Governments of Pakistan have
disregarded the human rights of
minority groups, especially Ahmadi
Muslims, and have supported, both
covertly and overtly, the malicious
intentions of those who seek to
destroy violently the community of
the Promised Messiah(as).
The Promised Messiah(as) states:
‘The manifestation of signs has
been going on from the very
beginning. Anyone who stays in
my company can witness some of
them upon the condition that he
remains truthful and steadfast. In
future, too, God will not leave
this Jama’at [Ahmadiyya Muslim
community] without His signs,
nor will He withdraw His
support. On the contrary, He will
The Review of Religions – September 2010
continue to show fresh signs at
their proper time and in
accordance with His holy
promises. This He will do till He
has made manifest beyond doubt
the differences between good and
evil. He Himself said of me:
“A Warner came to the world but
the world did not accept him, but
God will accept him and will
make manifest his truth through
powerful onslaughts.” (The
Heavenly Decree [Asmani
Faislah, 1891] pp.41-42 by
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as)
the Promised Messiah and
Mahdi) (Nuzul-ul-Masih –
Ruhani Khaza’in (1984) vol.18,
pp.466–467)
World disasters can be prevented if
we repent and accept the Way of God
– as God is Most Merciful. A morally
stronger society living in a most
peaceful environment can be
achieved by re-establishing this
connection with God and His
Messengers. My prayer is for all of
mankind to turn in obedience to its
Creator and to enter the Ark of the
Promised Messiah(as) that it may be
saved from any impending torment.
Amin.
39
Religious There should be no compulsion
in religion. Surely, right has

Freedom in become distinct from wrong….

(Holy Qur’an, Ch.2:V.257)

America In July, America celebrated its 234th

year as a nation. As members of the
By Amjad Mahmood Khan, Los Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, we
Angeles, USA proudly joined in this celebration. For
some Americans, a showing of
loyalty by American Muslims might
come as a bit of a surprise. With
America mired in two wars with
Muslim majority nations (Iraq and
Afghanistan), and recent Gallup polls
showing an unprecedented level of
discrimination against Muslims of
America, it would appear difficult for
American Muslims to take pride in
the country they live in.

Yet despite all the polls and negative

media attention paid to Islam in
America, there probably is not a
better time in our history to be proud
to be an American Muslim. Consider
for a moment the state of religious
freedom for Muslims in Europe over
the past few months.

Last November, 57.5% of all voters

in Switzerland supported a
constitutional amendment banning
the construction of any new minarets
(an Islamic symbol found on
Mosques).

The Review of Religions – September 2010

 Islam Ahmadiyyat – The Means of Safety and Salvation
In June in the Netherlands, the anti-
Islam Freedom Party of MP Geert
Wilders won 23 seats in Parliament.
Wilders has publicly demanded that
the Qur’an be outlawed and that
Muslim women who wear
headscarves be taxed.
In July, the French parliament
approved a ban of the burqa (or full
Islamic veil) by a vote of 336 to 1.
Support for a ban on the burqa is
now widespread across Europe. For
American Muslims, these headlines
emanating out of Europe may come
as somewhat of a shock. Compared
to European Muslims, American
Muslims appear to be progressing
much better in terms of upholding
religious freedom and liberty for
people.
US President Barack Obama
recognised this very fact in his
speech to the Muslim world in Cairo
last year when he said:
“Freedom in America is
indivisible from the freedom to
practise one’s religion. That is
why there is a mosque in every
state of our union, and over 1200
mosques within our borders.
That is why the U.S. government
has gone to court to protect the
right of women and girls to wear
The Review of Religions – September 2010
the hijab, and to punish those
who would deny it.”
No state in America has laws that
ban minarets, headscarves, or any
other kind of Islamic custom or
practice of the kind France,
Switzerland and other European
nations seek to implement. In 2004,
Oklahoma passed a law seeking to
ban the wearing of headscarves in
public schools, but a federal court
ruled that it was unconstitutional. In
April this year, Oregon ended an 87-
year-old ban on teachers wearing
headscarves in schools.
What is it about America that
enables American Muslims to
exercise their faith more freely than
anywhere else in the world?
America’s early founding reflects a
deep commitment to religious
freedom. Most of the European
settlers who came to North America
in the Seventeenth Century fled
Europe to seek religious freedom.
The early immigrants to America –
the Puritans – sought desperately to
practise their own brand of
Christianity. They founded
Massachusetts as the “new Israel” –
a new commonwealth based on a
covenant between God and his
people.
41
 Religious Freedom in America
The Mayflower transported Pilgrims
from Europe seeking religious
freedom in the 17th century
But the Puritanical vision of a “holy
society” was quickly met with
resistance. The first and most
famous dissenter, Roger Williams,
himself a Puritan minister,
disagreed with the state interfering
with religion. He put forth the first
American case for freedom of
conscience for all. He founded
Rhode Island – the first American
colony to grant the freedom of
conscience to people of all faiths.
The Rhode Island experiment
slowly grew strength and
momentum in the rest of early
America. For example, William
Penn, a Quaker, famously founded
the colony of Pennsylvania in the
Eighteenth Century as a “holy
experiment” to preserve religious
liberty for all.
42 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Roger Williams
was the first
American
proponent of
religious freedom
and separation
of Church from
State
In 1776, the Declaration of
Independence established America
as a nation and declared
emphatically the principle of
equality for all people. But even the
Declaration of Independence did not
explicitly refer to religious liberty or
religious tolerance.
For the next eleven years,
America’s founding fathers
wrestled with the idea of religious
liberty and its inclusion in the US
Constitution. James Madison, in
particular set forth a powerful
defence of religious freedom as an
inalienable right. His ideas formed
the basis for the First Amendment to
the US Constitution, ratified in
1791.
On 14 November, 1785, the citizens
of Chesterfield County signed an
 Religious Freedom in America
The United States Declaration of
Independence
unprecedented and ground-breaking
petition for religious freedom,
which they submitted to the Virginia
State Assembly. The Library of
Congress has preserved this petition
in its archives and it reads:
‘Let Jews, Mehometans and
Christians of every denom-
ination enjoy religious
liberty… … It is men’s labour
in our Manufactories, their
services by sea and land that
aggrandize our Country and
not their creeds. Chain your
citizens to the state by their
Interest. Let Jews,
Mehometans, and Christians of
every denomination find their
The Review of Religions – September 2010
advantage in living under your
laws.’
These sentiments ultimately found
their way to the Bill of Rights just a
few years later. The first words of
the Bill of Rights consist of the two
religion clauses of the First
Amendment: ‘Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof…’ Taken together,
these two clauses safeguard
religious liberty by protecting
religious beliefs from government
interference or control.
220 years later, the religion clauses
of the First Amendment remain
intact and continue to safeguard
religious beliefs from government
interference or unlawful
restrictions.
The concept of religious freedom in
America has a rich history. But the
essential ingredients of this concept
are definitely not new. They are
inspired in large part by the famous
political writings of John Locke and
Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
And they strongly resonate with the
Islamic concept of religious
freedom. In fact, Islam advanced the
concept of religious freedom over
43
 Religious Freedom in America

The starting point for this analysis

must begin with the verse:

There should be no compulsion

in religion. Surely right has
become distinct from wrong…
(Ch2:V.257)

Among all other revealed texts, only

the Qur’an stresses religious
freedom in such unambiguous
terms. In Islam, compulsion is
incompatible with religion. Faith is
John Locke
an individual concern and
commitment; it is a voluntary act
borne out of conviction and
freedom. Believing Muslims should
not compel anyone to believe in
Islam because they have earned no
such right. All people must be
permitted to find the truth through
their own path.

Elsewhere, in the Qur’an, we read:

And if thy Lord had enforced His

Jean-Jacques
will, surely, all who are on the
Rousseau
earth would have believed
together. Wilt thou, then, force
1000 years before America was men to become believers?
founded. (Ch.10:V.100)

Let me now turn to the Islamic This verse demonstrates that

concept of religious freedom. religious freedom is part of Allah’s
design in Islam. Indeed, Allah

44 The Review of Religions – September 2010

 Religious Freedom in America
admonishes Muslims not to use
force in matters of faith. Forced
faith is no faith at all.
Finally, an entire chapter of the
Qur’an, Surah Al-Kafirun (Ch.109),
specifies the prescribed conduct of
Muslims with non-believers. Allah
demands in this chapter that
believers declare emphatically that
they will not force anyone else to
believe: For you your religion, for
me my religion. Again, this is a
strong and unambiguous proof of
religious tolerance in Islam.
These Qur’anic verses are not just
theoretical pronouncements. They
form the basis for true Islamic
governance and protection of
religious freedom. Indeed, the
Prophet of Islam, Muhammad(saw),
cherished these Qur’anic pro-
nouncements and practically
enforced them throughout his life.
The Prophet Muhammad(saw)
actively promoted peace, tolerance
and compassion for all non-Muslim
minorities living in Arabia. He did
not simply demand religious
tolerance of his followers; his
Sunnah (Practice) was to provide
legal and constitutional protections
for religious minorities.
The Review of Religions – September 2010
This is perhaps best illustrated by
two historic documents prepared by
Prophet Muhammad(saw).
The first document is the Charter of
Madinah written in 622 AD – a
formal agreement between Prophet
Muhammad(saw) and all of the
significant tribes and families of
Madinah, including Muslims, Jews
and non-Muslim Arabs. Many
scholars refer to this document as
the first ever written constitution of
a nation-state. The Charter of
Madinah pre-dated the English
Magna Carta by almost six
centuries. It was executed and
implemented for 10 years (622-632
AD) and applied to 10,000 citizens
living in Madinah at that time.
Remarkably 45% of the total
population in Madinah consisted of
non-Muslim Arabs, 40% consisted
of Jewish persons, and only 15%
consisted of Muslims. These
numbers were recorded by Prophet
Muhammad(saw) himself through a
census that he commissioned. In
others words, Prophet
Muhammad (saw) penned the Charter
of Madinah as a minority sovereign.
His express goal was to govern a
multi-religious pluralistic society.
The Charter consists of 47 clauses
which set forth the formation of a
45
 Religious Freedom in America
sovereign nation-state with a
common citizenship for all
communities. The Charter protects
fundamental human rights for all
citizens, including equality,
cooperation, freedom of conscience
and freedom of religion. Clause 25
specifically states that Jews and
non-Muslim Arabs are entitled to
practise their own faith without any
restrictions. In short, the Charter of
Madinah was the first document in
history to establish religious
freedom as a fundamental
constitutional right.
The Prophet Muhammad(saw)’s
commitment to religious freedom
did not just stop with the Charter of
Madinah.
With Islam’s rising influence in
Arabia by 626 A.D., Jewish and
Christian tribes endured severe
struggles with certain Muslim
forces near Madinah. The Prophet
Muhammad(saw) sent a series of
letters to various kings surrounding
the Arabian peninsula declaring his
intention for peace and cooperation.
One such letter was written to the
monks of the Saint Catherine
Monastery of Mount Sinai in 628
A.D. and known today as the
“Charter of Privileges.”
46 The Review of Religions – September 2010
The letter reads:
‘This is a message from
Muhammad, son of Abdullah, as
a covenant to those who adopt
Christianity, near and far, we are
with them. Verily I, the servants,
the helpers, and my followers
defend them, because Christians
are my citizens; and by Allah! I
hold out against anything that
displeases them. No compulsion
is to be on them. Neither are
their judges to be removed from
their jobs nor their monks from
their monasteries. No one is to
destroy a house of their religion,
to damage it, or to carry
anything from it to the Muslims’
houses. Should anyone take any
of these, he would harm God’s
covenant and disobey His
Prophet. Verily, they are my
allies and have my secure
charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel
or to oblige them to fight. The
Muslims are to fight for them. If
a female Christian is married to
a Muslim, it is not to take place
without her approval. She is not
to be prevented from visiting her
church to pray. Their churches
are to be respected. They are
neither to be prevented from
repairing them nor uphold the
 Religious Freedom in America
sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation of
(Muslims) is to disobey the
covenant till the Last Day (end
of the world).’
The Western Islamic scholar,
Marmaduke Pickthall, comments on
this letter as follows:
“The Charter which Muhammad
granted to the Christian monks
of Sinai is a living document. If
you read it, you will see that it
breathes not only goodwill, but
also actual love. He gave to the
Jews of Madinah, so long as
they were faithful to him,
precisely the same treatment as
to any Muslims. He never was
aggressive against any man or
class of men . . . The story of his
reception of Christian and
Zoroastrian visitors is on record.
The Review of Religions – September 2010
View of the Saint
Catherine
monastery from
Mount Sinai in
Egypt
There is not a trace of religious
intolerance in any of this.’
The Saint Catherine Monastery at
Mount Sinai, which is now in
present day Egypt, has been
designated by UNESCO as a
“World Heritage Site” and is
considered to be the oldest active
Christian monastery in the world. In
fact, the official website of the Saint
Catherine Monastery at Mount
Sinai proudly commemorates
Prophet Muhammad(saw)’s letter of
protection.
The original version of the letter can
be found at the royal treasury in
Constantinople in Turkey. A copy is
preserved on display at Mount Sinai
– a discovery mentioned by the
Fourth Khalifa of the Promised
Messiah(as), Hadhrat Mirza Tahir
Ahmad(rh), in his various writings
47
 Religious Freedom in America
about Prophet Muhammad(saw). To
this day, the Saint Catherine monks
continue to practise their faith
without restriction based on the
protections granted to them by the
Prophet Muhammad(saw) over 1400
years ago. And the entire world
stands as a witness to Prophet
Muhammad(saw)’s sublime act of
religious tolerance!
The United States Constitution and
Islam demonstrate a similar
approach to religious freedom. It is
an approach grounded in absolute
freedom of conscience and belief,
the free exercise of religion for all
people, freedom from state control
of religion and mutual respect,
cooperation and peace.
What a tragic irony that much of the
Islamic world has lost sight of
Islam’s true and essential teachings
concerning religious freedom.
Countries such as Indonesia, Egypt
and Pakistan all currently have laws
that suffocate the rights of religious
minorities.
In Lahore, on 28 May 2010, the
world witnessed a brutal crime
against humanity. Armed gunmen
massacred 86 members of the
peace-loving Ahmadiyya Muslim
48 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Community and injured hundreds
more. But this was not a random act
of religious violence in Pakistan.
This was a direct by-product of
decades of state-sponsored
institutionalised persecution of
religious minorities. Pakistan is the
only Muslim country to explicitly
define who is or who is not a
“Muslim” for purposes of the law. It
is the only Muslim country to have
a constitutional amendment that
denies the right of a minority
Muslim community to call itself
“Muslim.” It is the only Muslim
country to criminalise fundamental
religious practices by punishment of
death. It is the only Muslim country
to require its passport applicants to
declare a minority community to be
non-Muslim and its Founder, God
forbid, an imposter.
How would the Prophet of Islam,
Muhammad(saw), react to this state of
affairs? Would he even recognise
Pakistan as an Islamic nation? What
would he say to the so-called
Muslims who sent teenagers to
Lahore to bomb hundreds of
worshipers attending the Friday
prayers; to the so-called Muslims
who burned alive eleven Christians
in Gojra last year; or to the so-called
Muslims who bombed a Sufi
religious shrine in Lahore last
 Religious Freedom in America
month? The same Prophet
Muhammad(saw)’s life was spent in
vigorous defence of the oppressed,
the orphans and the minorities; the
same Prophet Muhammad(saw) gave
refuge to a Christian delegation
from Najran at his own mosque in
Madinah; the same Prophet
Muhammad(saw) championed the
constitutional rights of Jews and
non-Muslim Arabs and the same
Prophet Muhammad(saw) said that
differences of opinion are a blessing
for society. When will Pakistan
heed the example of the founder of
Islam?
What are the obligations of
American Ahmadi Muslims? We
are proud to be American. Whilst
we may not agree with every
decision taken by the government,
we nonetheless profess loyalty to
America and pledge to make every
effort to support it because the
Prophet Muhammad(saw) said that
loving one’s nation is an important
part of faith. We cherish and enjoy
freedom of religion more than any
other nation on earth. The United
States Constitution permits fol-
lowers of other religions to build
places of worship and practise their
faith freely, whilst certain Muslim
countries only allow mosques to be
built and Islam to be openly
The Review of Religions – September 2010
practised, whereas the Holy
Prophet(saw) allowed religious
freedom for all faiths. We are
witnessing the erosion of religious
freedom in the world. We witnessed
our fellow Ahmadi Muslims
massacred for practising their faith.
But Allah will never let the
sacrifices of the Ahmadi martyrs go
to waste. Their memories are alive
in all of us. We must step forward
and safeguard the original teachings
of Prophet Muhammad(saw). For we
are the Muslims who believe in the
Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad(as) of Qadian, who came to
rescue Islam from the clutches of
ignorance and militancy.
We believe in religious freedom for
all people. We must not rest until the
Islamic world rids itself of the laws
that embolden those who kill the
innocent and vulnerable. American
Ahmadi Muslim youth have a
special responsibility to not sit idle
and watch atrocities such as the
Lahore attacks to continue
unabated. They must heed the
words of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih
V(aba) and carry the torch of religious
freedom to our leaders and
lawmakers and demand a change in
the Islamic world.
49
 Does Islam Pose
a Threat to
Poland and
World Peace?
T his important topic incorporates
two different sentiments. One is
the feeling of love and affection the
Polish people have for their beloved
country. Obviously no Polish citizen
would ever like their country to
encounter any threat to its peace and
stability. Secondly, it has an element
of fear in it that Islam and its
increasing influence and impact in
the world may be posing a threat to
their cherished country. While I
fully appreciate their feelings of
patriotism, I would like to briefly
comment on their apprehensions
about Islam.
There are two different perceptions
of Islam. One is the true and real
face of Islam, which I will discuss
later. The other image is the one
being projected nowadays through
the media. Most probably the topic
is related to this perception of Islam.
If my assumption is right, then I
would like to say that if you are
50 The Review of Religions – September 2010
This lecture was delivered by Maulana
Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, Imam of the
London Mosque, at the University of
Warsaw, Poland. Professor Solanta
Sierakowska-Dyndo, Dean of Faculty of
Oriental Studies, chaired the meeting
afraid of an Islam which is
responsible for terrorism and
bloodshed of innocent people by
explosions and suicide bombings;
or promotes hatred and enmity
between followers of various
religions and wants to spread its
message by force; or due to
fanatical views and actions of some
extremist elements who commit all
these atrocities in the name of
Islam; or that believes in enforcing
Shari’ah laws upon non-Muslims
living in Muslim countries; or
denies basic human rights and treats
women and non-Muslims
horrifically, subjecting them to
torture and disgrace; if these are
your concerns and based on this
perception of Islam you think that
Islam does pose a threat to Poland,
then you are truly justified. Not only
you but I would say that all people
of the world have the right to feel
threatened by such an Islam. I
myself would hate and run away
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?

from such a barbaric

‘Islam’.

However, I want to assure

you that this is a grossly
distorted image of Islam
that has absolutely nothing
to do with the true and real
Islam. Islam is simply
opposed to all the vicious
things mentioned above.

It should be understood in
no uncertain terms that the
real Islam is that faith
which is mentioned in the Holy
Qur’an, the Muslim Scriptures, and
which can be witnessed in the
practical noble example and
statements of the Holy Prophet of
Islam(saw). Anything contrary and
opposed to that is not Islam.
Therefore you have to make a clear
distinction between the real
teachings of Islam and the self-
styled views and practices of those
who are abusing the name of Islam.
It is indeed very sad that a large
number of people have failed to
recognise the beauty of Islam in this
age. Islam is like a beautiful
diamond of peace. From whichever
angle it is viewed, it is absolute
peace, pure peace and nothing but
peace. What makes Islam a religion
Location of Poland on map of Europe
of peace? The very name of Islam is
unique as for the first time in the
entire history of religion, a religion
has been given a name that literally
means peace. It also has the
meaning of total submission to the
will and command of God.
One who truly believes in and
faithfully follows Islam is called a
Muslim. A concise definition of a
true Muslim has been given by the
Founder of Islam, the Holy Prophet
Mohammad(saw); he said:
“A Muslim is that person from
whose hands and from whose
tongue all people are absolutely
safe.”
(Sunan Nasai, Vol.8, Kitabul
Iman)

The Review of Religions – September 2010 51

 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
Unfortunately, Islam nowadays is
being equated with a religion of
terror and bloodshed, and a large
number of people actually consider
it a religion which promotes hatred
between peoples and between
nations. The fact is that Islam is the
greatest proponent of peace and the
Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) was
the greatest champion of peace for
all times, promoting the message of
peace for the whole of mankind.
I would like to take up what the
Holy Qur’an says about these
issues. This will help you to
understand that Islam is truly the
message of Peace, far from being a
message of hatred, terror, violence
or bloodshed.
Freedom of Faith
First of all, the Holy Qur’an makes
the emphatic statement:
There should be no compulsion
in religion…
(Ch.2:V.257)
It categorically declares that people
of the whole world are totally free to
choose their faith, whichever they
like, to which they are happy to
subscribe. There is nobody on earth
who can in any way compel or force
anybody to accept the religion of
52 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Islam. The Holy Qur’an declares
that freedom of belief is the basic
right of all human beings. They can
believe in any religion they like and
they can become the member of any
faith they choose.
The Holy Qur’an states:
And say, ‘It is the truth from
your Lord; wherefore let him
who will, believe, and let him
who will, disbelieve…
(Ch.18:V.30)
Islam is a truth manifested. As for
those people, who like to believe in
it, let them do so and as for those
who do not like to believe in it, let
them deny it. There is no
compulsion in matters of faith.
People are given a free choice;
Islam does not have any instrument
of coercion or compulsion to
convert any person into the fold of
Islam.
Punishment for Apostasy
Some people, including, unfor-
tunately, some Muslims, think that
an apostate should be beheaded.
The reality is exactly the opposite.
Nowhere does the Holy Qur’an
mention that the punishment of
apostasy is to kill a person. The
Holy Qur’an states:
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
Those who believe, then
disbelieve, then again believe,
then disbelieve and then
increase in disbelief, Allah will
never forgive them nor will He
guide them to the way.
(Ch.4:V.138)
Had the punishment of apostasy had
been death, then how can a person
who renegades come back into the
fold of Islam for the second time?
The Holy Qur’an clearly states that a
Muslim who leaves his religion for
some reason, may come back to his
faith, if he so desires. The choice and
option to return is always available.
There is neither any wordly
punishment for apostasy nor is any
element of compulsion permissible
to force a person in any way to
accept Islam and then to remain a
Muslim throughout his life.
According to Islam, religion is a
matter of choice. If people are happy
with the truth of Islam and are fully
satisfied with its teachings then they
are most welcome to join Islam; but
if they decide not to accept Islam,
then there is no compulsion on them.
Even after joining Islam, they may
leave it if they so choose. God
Almighty will take this matter in His
own hands in the hereafter, but
nobody has the authority to dispense
The Review of Religions – September 2010
any punishment for apostasy in this
present life.
Punishment for Blasphemy
The next question very frequently
asked is regarding the punishment of
blasphemy in Islam. It is said and
believed by many people, including
unfortunately many Muslims, that
the punishment for blasphemy is
death. Such an assertion is totally
incorrect.
The Holy Qur’an mentions nowhere
that the punishment for blasphemy is
death, nor even a lesser punishment.
As a matter of fact, there is no
worldly punishment for this crime.
No doubt, according to Islam
blasphemy is a very despicable and
offensive crime, but the punishment
for it is entirely in the hand of God
Almighty. He may punish the culprit
here in this life, or in the hereafter.
We believe that every person will be
answerable to God. On the Day of
Judgment, God Almighty will decide
the fate of each person, but He has
not authorised anybody in this life to
give any punishment whatsoever in
this regard.
Relations with Other Religions
Another question that bothers the
minds of many is regarding the
Islamic teachings about dealings
53
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
with the followers of other religions.
Does Islam teach the Muslims to
hate or to show respect and kindness
towards them?
The Holy Qur’an provides ample
guidance on this matter. It states:
Say ‘O People of the Book!
Come to a word equal between
us and you – that we worship
none but Allah, and that we
associate no partner with Him,
and that some of us take not
others for Lords beside Allah...’
(Ch.3:V.65)
On the same subject, the Holy
Qur’an further states:
…And help one another in
righteousness and piety; but
help not one another in sin and
transgression… (Ch.5:V.3)
It is worth noting that there is no
mention of religion here. The Holy
Qur’an says that you should always
accept the invitation to join in
performing a good deed for a noble
cause, whether such an invitation is
from a Jew, a Christian, a Hindu, a
Buddhist or follower of any religion
or even from an atheist; Islam
requires Muslims to come forward
and cooperate with such people.
54 The Review of Religions – September 2010
They should look only at the cause
for which they are being invited; they
should not look at who is inviting
them.
Islam has laid down a golden
principle that can be followed and
benefited from by all mankind. Islam
teaches that all dealings should
always be based on justice. The Holy
Qur’an states:
O ye who believe! Be steadfast
in the cause of Allah, bearing
witness in equity; and let not a
people’s enmity incite you to act
otherwise than with justice. Be
always just, that is nearer to
righteousness. And fear Allah.
Surely Allah is aware of what
you do. (Ch.5:V.9)
This makes it abundantly clear that
Islam enjoins on its true followers to
always behave justly even with
enemies. Is there any possibility that
such a religion promotes this
beautiful teaching of harmony and
cooperation, can ever promote
violence or hatred against other
people?
Obedience to the Laws of the
Land
In Islam, obedience to the law of the
land is a religious duty. The Holy
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
Qur’an commands Muslims to
remain faithful not only to Allah
and the Holy Prophet
Muhammad(saw), but also to the
authority they live under. It states:
O ye who believe! Obey Allah
and obey His Messenger and
those who are in authority
among you...
(Ch.4:V.60)
This duty has been further explained
by Hadhrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad(aba), Khalifatul Masih V,
Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya
Muslim community, who said:
“A true Muslim can never raise
his voice in hatred against his
fellow citizens, nor for that
matter against the ruling
authority or government of the
time. It is the responsibility of a
true Muslim that he should
remain loyal and fully abide by
the laws of the land of which he
is a subject.”
(Address at the opening of the
Baitul Futuh Mosque in
Morden, Surrey, October 2003)
What is Jihad?
Jihad is an Arabic word that means
striving for a noble objective. In the
Holy Qur’an when Allah calls upon
The Review of Religions – September 2010
people to engage in Jihad this refers
to striving for a noble cause.
According to Islam Jihad can be
carried out in many ways – all of
which seek to establish and promote
peace in society.
The greatest Jihad is to struggle
against selfish temptations such as
greed, lust and other worldly
desires. It requires one to become
more self-disciplined. It is
incumbent upon all Muslims at all
times.
Preaching the message of Islam
with wisdom, tolerance and respect
for others and their beliefs and
without recourse to any coercion or
force is another form of Jihad.
Helping those in need, irrespective
of their colour, creed or race, is yet
another form of Jihad that not only
helps to alleviate the suffering of
mankind but also establishes social
peace and harmony between the rich
and the poor.
Another form of Jihad is to engage
in self-defence. It can only take
place in certain circumstances. The
Muslims can take up arms in self-
defence only if they have suffered
oppression, faced a threat to their
55
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
life and been driven out of their
homes simply for practising their
religion.
When the Prophet of Islam(saw) was
forced to migrate from Makkah to
Madinah, the people of Makkah did
not leave him and his followers in
peace. Rather they attacked him
time and again; and almost all the
battles took place in the vicinity of
Madinah. This clearly indicates as
to who the aggressor was.
It should be noted that even this
permission to fight back in self-
defence was granted to the
Muslims, for the first time in the
history of Islam, when they were
actually under attack. They were
permitted to defend and protect their
honour, property, life and religion.
The Holy Qur’an states:
Permission to fight back is
given to those against whom
war is made, because they have
been wronged – and Allah
indeed has power to help them.
(Ch.22:V.40)
Even in case of this permission,
look at the humane and
magnanimous teachings of Islam:
that this permission should never be
misused to cross the limits. The
56 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Holy Qur’an categorically states:
…whoso transgresses against
you, punish him for his
transgression to the extent to
which he has transgressed
against you. And fear Allah
and know that Allah is with
those who fear Him.
(Ch.2:V.195)
Islam, being the greatest champion
of peace, has made sure that even
the reaction and response to the
aggression does not go beyond
justified limits. Although Muslims
are permitted to fight back the
aggression, it instructs them that as
soon as the aggressors stop their
hostilities and wish to go for a
cease-fire, Muslims, whether they
are winning or losing, are required
to agree to discontinue their
defensive action. The Holy Qur’an
states:
But if they desist, then remember
that no hostility is allowed
except against the aggressors.
(Ch.2:V.194)
It is important to note that for a
Muslim, a battle can only be
defensive and not an offensive one.
This is re-affirmed in the Holy
Qur’an that states:
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
And fight in the cause of Allah
against those who fight
against you, but do not
transgress. Surely Allah loves
not the transgressors.
(Ch.2:V.191)
Should the need for a defensive
battle arise then Islam also
provides Muslims with clear
instructions regarding what can
and cannot be done, e.g. civilians
who are not actively fighting
against Muslims are not to be
attacked, property such as crops or
other sources of food and water,
hospitals, orphanages, places of
worship (of all religions) are not to
be destroyed and women, children,
the old and the disabled are to be
left untouched. Hence, it is very
clear that the purpose of any such
battle is to restore peace and not to
promote aggression. Jihad in all its
forms is, therefore, a means to
promote peace both in ourselves
and in our society. Any action that
does not promote peace cannot be
referred to as Jihad.
Terrorism
Some people nowadays commit
various acts of terrorism,
unfortunately, in the name of Islam.
Those are only a few who betray
their own religion through their
The Review of Religions – September 2010
actions which are diametrically
opposed to Islam. As such, they are
the defaulters who are doing a great
disservice to their own faith. Those
who commit these atrocities and
acts of terrorism against other
people in the name of Islam should
never be allowed to hijack the
beautiful name of Islam nor be
taken as ambassadors and
representatives of Islam. They are
the violators of their own religion
and deserve to be strongly
condemned and severely punished
for the acts of aggression and
tarnishing the beautiful image of
Islam.
The Fourth Khalifa of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim community,
Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(rh), has
explained Islam’s view on
terrorism in the clearest terms. He
said:
‘As far as Islam is concerned, it
categorically rejects and
condemns every form of
terrorism. It does not provide
any cover or justification for any
act of violence, be it committed
by an individual, group or
government.... I most strongly
condemn all acts and forms of
terrorism because it is my
deeply rooted belief that not
57
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
only Islam but also no true
religion, whatever its name, can
sanction violence and bloodshed
of innocent men, women and
children in the name of God.’
(Murder in the Name of Allah,
pp.116, 119)
I have presented here only a few
examples of the teachings of Islam
as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
This establishes clearly that Islam
has nowhere mentioned any
teachings promoting terrorism or
war against other people. It also
establishes that only a peaceful
person can be truly a Muslim and
the people who commit atrocities,
aggression and other barbaric acts
like suicide bombings, even if
committed in the name of Islam, do
not deserve to be called Muslims.
To say that a Muslim is a terrorist or
to use the ill-conceived term of
‘Muslim Terrorist’ is certainly like
putting light and darkness, fire and
water or death and life together.
They are completely opposite to one
another. I assure you that a true
Muslim can never be a terrorist and
a terrorist can not be called a
Muslim! Islam has got no room for
terrorism and the whole concept of
terrorism is totally alien to the
teachings of Islam.
58 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Introduction to Islam
Ahmadiyyat
Some of you might be wondering if
there is any such Muslim
community in the world today that
really believes in and practises
such Islam?
There is such a Muslim
community. Its name is the
Ahmadiyya Muslim community. It
is a Divinely inspired global
community, dedicated to the
revival of the true message of Islam
as contained in the Holy Qur’an, a
verbal revelation of God Almighty
given to the Holy Founding
Prophet of Islam, Prophet
Muhammad(saw). The same message
was practically demonstrated and
verbally explained by the Holy
Prophet of Islam(saw).
In the latter days, God Almighty
had destined to send a spiritual son
of the Holy Founder of Islam(saw) in
the person of the Imam Mahdi, the
rightly-guided leader, and the
Promised Messiah in Islam to
revive the religion of Islam which
embodies the true message of
salvation for the whole of mankind.
All this was fulfilled through the
advent of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad(as) who was born in Qadian,
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
India in 1835 and passed away in
1908. Under divine instruction and
guidance, he laid the foundation of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community on 23rd March 1889.
This community is an embodiment
of the benevolent message of Islam
in its pristine purity that promotes
peace and universal brotherhood. It
is a purely religious community
with no political objectives,
thoroughly committed to the
welfare and service to mankind in
all parts of the globe. Its motto
“Love for All, Hatred for None”
beautifully epitomises the essence
of Islam. The community is
involved in building hundreds of
schools and colleges, establishing
clinics and hospitals – open to all
and providing help to deserving
students and patients. Its charity,
“Humanity First”, recognised by
the UNO, is always at the forefront
of providing humanitarian
assistance to suffering mankind
irrespective of colour, creed, race
or religion.
The community is also tirelessly
engaged in spreading and sharing
the peaceful life-giving message of
true Islam throughout the world. It
has produced translations of the
Holy Qur’an in more than 69
languages and other Islamic
The Review of Religions – September 2010
literature in 120 languages of the
world. The community runs a 24
hour global (satellite) transmission
network called MTA – Muslim
Television Ahmadiyya
International, which takes its
message in world languages to the
farthest ends of the earth. A
powerful website called
“Alislam.org” is visited by more
than one million people every
month.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, from its modest
beginning some 121 years ago, has
now grown to be acknowledged as
the most dynamic denomination of
Islam in modern history. It has
active branches in more than 195
countries. The mission in Poland
was re-established after World War
II in 1990.
An outstanding distinction of the
community is the system of
Khilafat: a spiritual system of
leadership which is Divinely
established, inspired and guided.
The head of the system is known as
Khalifa who is the spiritual,
religious and administrative head
of the global community. The
current Khalifa, the supreme head
of the community, Hadhrat Mirza
Masroor Ahmad(aba) is the 5th
59
 Does Islam Pose a Threat to Poland and World Peace?
successor to the founder of the
community. This system of
Khilafat, which is rooted in the
teachings of the Holy Qur’an and
based on the sayings of the Holy
Prophet of Islam(saw), is the real
motivating and unifying force
behind all the achievements of the
community. No other Muslim
organisation shares this distinction.
Conclusion
I have tried to explain the peaceful
teachings of Islam and in which
Muslim Community you can see the
practical manifestation of these
peace-giving teachings. Islam, the
final message of guidance given to
mankind and the definite recipe of
salvation, is a message of love and
peace and not a message of terror
and warfare.
Lay aside all the fears that you may
have in your hearts, looking at the
horrible experience of atrocities
being committed by a bunch of
terrorists and extremists. They are
in no way the representatives of
Islam. They are not the standard
bearers of Islam. There can be
nothing more wrong than to take
them as the yardstick of under-
standing Islam. Traitors and
defaulters can never be the
ambassadors of their religion.
60 The Review of Religions – September 2010
Rest assured that true Islam is that
which carries the stamp of authority
from the Holy Qur’an, the absolute
word of God; and is in conformity
with the sayings and the noble
example of the Holy Prophet(saw), the
founder of Islam. This Islam is
nothing but peace.
All Polish people need not be afraid
of the real and peaceful Islam. It is
not at all any threat to the peace and
stability of your great country. Do
not be taken in by the misleading
and horrifying doings of these
extremists, the hidden enemies of
Islam. Islam is a religion of hope
and life for every one.
My dear Polish friends! Come
forward and study the Holy Qur’an,
the real basis of Islam. You will find
in it only love, peace, harmony and
eternal salvation. May God bless
you all abundantly and also your
beloved country.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Let’s Get the Basics Right!
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
boasts that it has a considerate
attitude towards minorities. Pakistan
however, has little to show to support
this claim. To be able to deal with a
problem, one has to be aware of its
root causes. The government of
Pakistan does not seem to even
understand the very definition of the
word ‘minority’, let alone minority
issues.
A minority is a group of people who,
for various reasons, feel left out of the
mainstream decision-making society.
Minority rights apply to ethnic,
religious, linguistic gender or age
differences from the mainstream.
Examples would include children’s
rights, women’s rights and refugees’
rights. These rights are normally
preserved in a legal framework
designed to ensure that a specific
group that has a vulnerable,
disadvantaged or marginalised posi-
tion in society, is able to achieve
equality and is protected from
persecution. It is the minority
community then that seeks its rights
under that legal framework, unlike as
in Pakistan, where a community is
deemed to be a minority and laws are
made to discriminate and punish that
The Review of Religions – September 2010
minority and the executive denies all
protection to it. In a society where the
rights of the minority are protected,
neither the minority nor the majority
encroach on the rights of each other
but encourage dialogue to bring about
understanding, tolerance and respect.
Sadly, the majority in Pakistan has
entrusted this function to a handful of
extremists to represent them, and
because the extremists are totally
bereft of understanding, tolerance and
respect, it continues to encroach in
ever widening circles on the rights of
the minority.
The Second Amendment to the 1973
constitution of Pakistan clearly shows
how confused Pakistan is about its
minorities. This amendment has been
a source of great embarrassment for
Pakistan in the international com-
munity. A religious community, the
Ahmadis, were forced to accept non-
Muslim minority status even though
that community has always (and
continues to) insist they are Muslims.
The Third Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim community appeared before
the National Assembly and presented
the case of his community, which was
nothing more than an effort to prove
that Ahmadis are Muslims. The
assembly still went on to declare that
61
 Letters to the Editor
Ahmadis were non-Muslims and
enshrined that in the Constitution of
Pakistan.
This was the first ever incidence that
a parliament, comprising mainly of
members from a mix of feudal,
agnostic, pseudo-religious and
extremist backgrounds, decided the
faith (and fate) of a community.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community
was established in 1889. Ever since it
was founded, it has faced opposition
of ideological nature. Debates were
held, fatwas were issued by clerics
and differences were brought to light.
But this was not specific to Ahmadis.
This was a common practice among
the spectrum of Islamic sects
coexisting in the Indian Subcontinent
at that time. Hatred was never so
pivotal a part of it as in more recent
times.
It was not until this Second
Amendment that ways were paved for
extreme hatred against Ahmadis to
cultivate. The then rulers of Pakistan
were as short sighted as their
successor, General Zia-ul-Haq who
www.Review Of Religions.org
info@reviewofreligions.org
62 The Review of Religions – September 2010
nourished a Wahabist militancy in
Pakistan but did not envisage that the
same militants would one day point
their guns against Pakistan. Similarly,
his predecessor, Zulfiqar Bhutto,
despite being a modernised, educated
politician did not envisage that the
sectarianism he was sowing would
reap in to a hell, not only for
Ahmadis, but also for the whole of
the nation.
Today, while Pakistan struggles for
survival on foreign life support, are
its leaders thinking of getting some
basics right? The only way to put the
basics right is by redefining Jihad,
minority, freedom, civic rights and
above all, Islam. All these terms need
a serious reconsideration. Pakistan
has sadly got them all wrong, and life
in that country has gone all wrong.
Putting them right can help put
everything right. At least, it can unite
a fragmented society!
Asif M Basit
Member, Board of Directors
Muslim Television Ahmadiyya
International, London, UK
 Calendar of Religious Events & Festivals
(September 2010)

Day Event Significance

Janmashtami -
Celebrating the birth of Krishna, who Hindus
Thur. 2 Krishna Jayanti
deem to be an avatar of Vishnu.
(Hindu)

Paryushana is the most important Jain festival in

celebration of the birthday of Mahavira, founder
Sun. 5 Paryushana (Jain)
of modern day Jainism. It involves eight to ten
days of concentrated fasting and reflection.

Rosh Hashanah Jewish new year festival commemorating the

(Jewish) creation of the world. It is also believed by some
Thur. 9
to be judgment day for Jews, when God decides
the fate of a person.

Rastafaris consider Ethiopia their spiritual

Ethiopia’s New Year
Sat.11 homeland and its adherents worship Haile
Day (Rastafari) Selassie I of Ethiopia as the Second Advent.

Begins with first sight of new moon in sky, hence

in some countries will be celebrated on Friday
10th, or Sunday 12th September. Marks the end of
fasting and Ramadan. Day begins with special
Sat. 11 ‘Eid ul Fitr (Islam)
prayer performed in congregation in an open area
or mosque. Muslims wear their best clothes and
hold feasts; reciting prayer throughout the day and
feeding of poor people are advocated on this day.

Day of Atonement, most sacred day in Jewish

Sat. 18 Yom Kippur (Jewish) calendar, marked by abstinence from food and
drink and prayers in the synagogue.

Feast in honour of the archangel Michael, one of

Saint Michael’s Day
Wed. 29 only two angels mentioned in the Bible (Gabriel is
(Christian) the other).

The Review of Religions – September 2010 63

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