Author name: min_ad

“ALLAH HAS PROMISED THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND DO GOOD WORKS THAT HE WILL SURELY MAKE YOU SUCCESSORS IN THE EARTH AS HE MADE SUCCESSORS AMONG THOSE WHO WERE BEFORE YOU.” HOLY QUR’AN, 24:56 Caliphate is spiritual leadership. The Prophet Muhammad said that in this age Caliphate would emerge following on the footsteps of a Prophet. This prophecy has been fulfilled in the Ahmadiyya Caliphate. We live now with the Fifth Caliph, Mirza Masroor Ahmad. He represents the leadership and guidance Muslims around the world are crying out for with their disunity and discontent. The word Khilafat means succession, and the Khalifa is a successor to a Prophet of Allah whose goal is to carry to completion the tasks of reformation and moral training that were seeded by the Prophet. The community of followers of a Prophet of Allah continues to nurture its faith and practices under the blessing of the institution of Khilafat for as long as Allah wishes. Allah says in the Holy Quran: Allah had promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious. (Surah Al-Nur, Verse 56). Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra) writes: God Almighty does everything through wisdom and foresight, and there is always a good reason and logic behind it. According to nature’s physical laws, man has only a limited life span, but the task of reformation and training of society requires a much longer time. So, Allah has established the system of Khilafat after the system of Prophethood. The Khalifah continues and carries on the task of the Prophet. The seed sown by the Prophet is protected and nurtured by the Khalifah till it becomes a strong and sturdy tree. It shows that in fact Khilafat is an offshoot or branch of the system of Prophethood, that is why the Holy Prophet(sa) says that after every Prophet, the system of Khilafat is established. Just as Allah appoints a Prophet, it is He who appoints a Khalifa as well. He chooses the person who is most eligible to become a Khalifa, and guides a group of pious believers into manifesting His Will through a process of selection of the Khalifa. Thus, it may apparently seem that the Khalifa is chosen by a group of pious people, but it is in fact the Will of Allah that guides their faculties into choosing the Khalifa of His Choice. Once a Khalifa is selected, he remains a Khalifa for the rest of his life as a living testament to Divine Will. Khilafat establishes the authority of Allah on earth, and the Khalifa strives to uphold that authority within the community of followers. For the believers, Khilafat is an embodiment of Allah’s Unity, as they choose to take divine authority through the person of the Khalifa. The believers partake of the blessings of Khilafat by holding firm to their faith and practices, united under him. Unlike the concept of Caliphate found among extremists, the true Islamic Caliphate of this age is entirely apolitical and has no worldly ambitions. This is because the Promised Messiah of Islam, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, on whom be peace, came as prophesied without any political or worldly purpose. His whole purpose was to bridge the divide that had grown between humanity and God, and to teach mankind how to emulate God’s beneficent and beautiful attributes through service to God’s creatures. This is therefore the sole purpose of the Khalifas who continue his mission forward. We are currently living in the age of the 5th Khalifa of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who currently resides in London.

“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and the Messenger, and those who are in authority over you.” Holy Qur’an 4:60 The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have said ‘Love of one’s country is part of your faith.’ True Islam thus encourages us to love and support our neighbours — regardless of their faith, beliefs, or background. To support local communities in all good things is therefore an essential part of the Muslim character. he following are extracts from a lecture delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, current Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, at the Military Headquarters in Koblenz, Germany, 2012, to an audience of parliamentarians and military leaders. The images below are taken from that event. The full lecture can be found in the Caliphs book, “World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace.” First and foremost, a fundamental principle of Islam is that a person’s words and deeds should never manifest any form of double standards or hypocrisy. True loyalty requires a relationship built on sincerity and integrity. It requires what a person displays on the surface to be the same as what lies beneath. In terms of nationality, these principles are of the utmost importance. Therefore, it is essential for a citizen of any country to establish a relationship of genuine loyalty and faithfulness to his nation. It does not matter whether he is a born citizen, or whether he gains citizenship later in life, either through immigration or by any other means. Loyalty is a great quality, and the people who have displayed this attribute to the highest degree and best standards, are the Prophets of God. Their love and bond with God was so strong that in all matters they kept in view His commands and strived to fully implement them, no matter what. This illustrated their commitment to Him and their perfect standards of loyalty. Hence, it is their standards of loyalty that we should use as an example and model. However, before proceeding any further, it is necessary to understand what is actually meant by ‘loyalty’. According to the teachings of Islam, the definition and true meaning of ‘loyalty’ is the unequivocal fulfilment of one’s pledges and covenants at every level and under all circumstances, regardless of difficulty. This is the true standard of faithfulness required by Islam. At various places in the Holy Qur’an, Allah has instructed Muslims that they must fulfil their pledges and covenants, because they will be held to account by Him over all undertakings that they have made. The Muslims have been instructed to fulfil all covenants, including those made with God Almighty, and also all other pledges they have made, according to their respective degrees of importance. In this context, a question that could arise in the minds of people is that because Muslims claim that God and His religion are of paramount importance to them, thus it follows that their pledge of loyalty to God will be their first priority, and that their covenant to God will be what they value above all else and which they endeavour to fulfil. Therefore, the belief may arise that a Muslim’s loyalty to his nation and his pledge to uphold the laws of the land will only be of secondary importance to him. Thus, he may be willing to sacrifice his pledge to his country on certain occasions. To answer this question, I would firstly like to inform you that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself taught that the ‘love for one’s nation is a part of faith.’ Thus, sincere patriotism is a requirement in Islam. To truly love God and Islam requires a person to love his nation. It is quite clear, therefore, that there can be no conflict of interest between a person’s love for God, and love for his country. As love for one’s country has been made a part of Islam, it is quite clear that a Muslim must strive to reach the highest standards of loyalty to his chosen country, because that is a means of reaching God and becoming close to Him. Hence, it is impossible that the love a true Muslim holds for God could ever prove to be an impediment or barrier preventing him from displaying true love and faithfulness towards his country. Unfortunately, we find that in certain countries, religious rights are curtailed or even completely denied. Therefore, another question that can arise is whether those people who are persecuted by their state can still maintain a relationship of love and loyalty to their nation and country. With great sadness, I should inform you that these circumstances exist in Pakistan, where the Government has actually legislated against our Community. These anti-Ahmadiyya laws are practically enforced. Thus in Pakistan, all Ahmadi Muslims have been officially declared by law to be ‘non-Muslims’. They are, therefore, forbidden from calling themselves ‘Muslim’. The Ahmadis in Pakistan are also prohibited from worshipping in the way Muslims do, or acting in accordance with any Islamic practice or custom that could identify them as a Muslim. Thus, the state itself in Pakistan has deprived members of our Community from their basic human right to worship. Bearing in mind this state of affairs, it is quite natural to wonder how, in such circumstances, can Ahmadi Muslims follow the laws of the land? How can they continue to display loyalty to the nation? Here I should clarify that where such extreme circumstances exist, then the law, and loyalty to the nation, become two separate issues. We, Ahmadi Muslims, believe that religion is a personal matter for every individual to determine for himself and that there should be no compulsion in matters of faith. Thus, where the law comes to interfere with this right, undoubtedly, it is an act of great cruelty and persecution. Indeed, such state-sanctioned persecution, which has occurred throughout the ages, has been condemned by the vast majority. If we glance at the history of Europe, we find that people in

“And women and men’s fair rights over each other are equivalent…” Holy Qur’an 2:229 True Islam teaches that men and women are spiritually equal, and hold equal human rights. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that the best man was he who treated women best. He elevated the station of women in Arabia by granting them the right to education, the right to consent in marriage, the right to divorce and the right of inheritance, over a thousand years before the European West granted the same equality. It is indeed a great shame that many so-called Muslim governments today deny women the rights that the Founder of Islam championed. Who better to discuss the role of women in Islam, than Muslim women themselves? The following is an extract from a book published the Women’s Branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Pathway to Peace. This chapter gives a brief summary of Islam’s teachings on women. THE HOLY QUR’AN GUARANTEES EQUAL SPIRITUAL STATUS TO WOMEN AND MEN Treatment of Women in Islam Before discussing the position of women in Islam, it is important to understand what the condition of women was before the advent of Islam. In pre-Islamic Arabia, and in the rest of the world, their condition was equal to that of slaves and chattels with no rights. Women could neither own nor inherit property. In domestic affairs, they had no rights over their children or themselves; in fact, they could be sold or abandoned by their husbands at will. If they were abused by their husbands, they had no recourse to divorce. They had no real status in the society, not being respected as wife, mother or daughter. In fact, daughters were considered worthless and were often killed at birth. Women were given little or no education, and had no say in religious matters, being regarded as limited in spirituality and intellect. These abusive conditions existed well into the 19th century in most parts of the world, even in the United States, where some basic rights were given to women only in the beginning of the 20th century. But in Arabia, in the 6th century, with the advent of Islam the condition of women changed dramatically. Almost overnight, women were endowed with equal rights and put on the same level with men. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah makes it clear that He created men and women as equal beings. He says: “He has created you from a single being; then of the same kind made its mate.”(39:7) This single verse removes any taint of inferiority leveled at womankind by men, as in some other scriptures. The Holy Qur’an further ensures woman’s equality on the spiritual, intellectual, social and economic level. In addition, women’s rights were safeguarded by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), as he himself carried out the commands of Allah and treated women with great honor, kindness and dignity. UNIVERSITY OF AL QARAOUIYINE Spiritual Status of Women in Islam The most important change that Islam brought for women was to raise their spiritual status. Allah has clearly declared in the Holy Qur’an that woman has a soul, that she has the same spiritual capacity as man, and that she can attain equal spiritual rewards by her own efforts. The Holy Qur’an says: “But whoso does good works, whether male or female, and is a believer, such shall enter heaven…”(4:125) The Holy Qur’an is unique amongst all scriptures in that it repeatedly emphasizes this equality by addressing both men and women in many verses. It leaves no doubt as to the spiritual level of women. It says: “Surely the men who submit and the women who submit, and the believing men and the believing women, and the obedient men and the obedient women, and the truthful men and the truthful women, and the humble men and the humble women, and the almsgiving men and the almsgiving women, and the fasting men and the fasting women, and the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, and the men who praise God and the women who praise God, Allah has prepared for all of them forgiveness and a mighty reward.”(33:36) Intellectual Status of Women Another area where you will find that Muslim women have the lead over other women is in the field of education. Islam stresses that education for men and women is of equal importance, and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) laid down that education is compulsory for both. He said: “It is the duty of every Muslim man and every Muslim woman to acquire knowledge.” He also exhorted both to “seek knowledge even if you have to go to China,” and to “seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.” The Holy Qur’an says: “He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant good; and none would take heed except those endowed with understanding.”(2:270) In other words, only those who ponder can understand the signs of God and come closest to him. The Qur’an further teaches us a short prayer which simply says: “O my Lord, increase me in knowledge.”(20:115) In keeping with these commands, you will find that Muslim women, and especially Ahmadi Muslim women are well-educated. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) encouraged his wives to seek knowledge and once stated that “half the religion of Islam should be learned from Ayesha (his wife).” Indeed, after his death, the advice of his wives was sought by the entire Muslim community. Nowadays you will see Muslim women active in many professions, such as medicine, nursing and teaching. It is interesting to note that at the time Islam brought enlightenment for women, in Europe a woman displaying any kind of knowledge was in danger of being burnt at the stake for being a witch! Furthermore, most universities, even in the United States, did not admit women to higher

“And we have sent thee not, O Muhammad, but as a mercy for all peoples.” Holy Qur’an 21:108 The Prophet Muhammad was a true prince of peace. He was patient in persecution and forbearing in victory. As a subject, he gave due rights to his rulers. As a ruler, he gave due rights to his subjects. He ensured every people could practise their own religion freely. He uplifted women from a position of servitude into one of respect and dignity. He insisted upon education of children, fair treatment of orphans, and compassion for the elderly. He stamped out racism and institutionalised charity in the Islamic conscience. Surely, there is no people on Earth that have not benefited from his merciful message. The Prophet Muhammad in the Eyes of Non-Muslims We present below a series of testimonies from non-Muslim writers on the character and achievement of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. They are adapted from an article in the magazine Review of Religions, documenting a sermon of the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. We hope that they will serve witness to unprejudiced minds as to the grandeur of this prophetic personality. ALPHONSE MARIE LOUIS PRAT DE LAMARTINE Lamartine A French philosopher, FROM HISTORY OF TURKEY: (1) “If the grandeur of the design, the pettiness of the means, the immensity of the results, be the three measures of human genius, who would dare to compare humanly the greatest men of modern times to Mahomet? The most famous of them have agitated but armies, laws, empires; they have founded [when they founded anything] but physical potencies, often crumbled to the earth before themselves. Mahomet has recast armies, legislations, empires, peoples, dynasties, with millions of men, throughout a third of the inhabited globe. More than this, he recast altars, gods, religions, ideas, creeds, souls. He has founded upon a book, of which every letter is become a law, a spiritual nationality which embraces peoples of every tongue and race…” “Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may ask, is there any man greater than he?” MAHATMA GANDHI Mahatma Gandhi Leader of the Indian National Movement FROM IN YOUNG INDIA: (2) “I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind…. I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days, in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and not the sword, carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume [of a book on the Prophet’s biography], I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.” KAREN ARMSTRONG Karen Armstrong Renowned author & scholar FROM MOHAMMED: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE PROPHET: “Muhammad had to start virtually from scratch and work his way towards the radical monotheistic spirituality of his own. When he began his mission, a dispassionate observer would not have given him a chance. The Arabs, he might have objected, were just not ready for monotheism: they were not sufficiently developed for this sophisticated vision [that is Tauheed, belief in the Unity of God]. In fact, to attempt to introduce it on a large scale in this violent, terrifying society, could be extremely dangerous and Muhammad would be lucky to escape with his life. Indeed, Muhammad was frequently in deadly peril and his survival was a near-miracle. But he did succeed. By the end of his life he had laid an axe to the root of the chronic cycle of tribal violence that afflicted the region and paganism was no longer a going concern. The Arabs were ready to embark on a new phase of their history.” (3) REFERRING TO CHRISTIANITY AND THE WEST, SHE WROTE: “Finally it was the West, not Islam, which forbade the open discussion of religious matters. At the time of the Crusades, Europe seemed obsessed by a craving for intellectual conformity and punished its deviants with a zeal that has been unique in the history of religion. The witch-hunts of the inquisitors and the persecution of Protestants by the Catholics and vice versa were inspired by abtruse theological opinions, which in both Judaism and Islam were seen as private and optional matters. Neither Judaism nor Islam share the Christian conception of heresy, which raises human ideas about the divine to an unacceptably high level and almost makes them a form of idolatry.” (4) REVEREND BOSWORTH SMITH Reverend Bosworth Smith The famous Christian historian FROM MUHAMMAD AND MUHAMMADANISM, WROTE: “Head of the State as well as of the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretensions and Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammed, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports.” (5) “Those who knew him best, his wife, his eccentric slave, his cousin, his earliest friend – he who, as Mohammed said, alone of his converts, ‘turned not back, neither was perplexed’ – were the first to recognize his mission [that is, his prophethood]. The ordinary lot of a prophet was in his case reversed; he was not without honour save among those who did not know him well.” (6) “The practices that Mohammed forbade, and not forbade only, but abolished, human sacrifices [that is, sacrificing humans] and the murder of female infants, and blood feuds, and unlimited polygamy, and wanton