WHAT WE BELIEVE

“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

“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 Khilafat. We live now with the Fifth Khalifa, Mirza Masroor Ahmad. He represents the leadership and guidance Muslims around the world are crying out for with their disunity and and discontent.   A theocracy is a state in which religious law is made civil law, binding upon all of its citizens. We see this in the modern day most clearly in some muslim-majority countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. Religious precepts are forced upon citizens, leaving them religious by compulsion and not by choice. This is taken by many both within the Muslim world, and outside of it, as being representative of Islam’s teachings. It may surprise both groups therefore to discover that it is not. The Holy Qur’an states: “There is no compulsion in religious matters. Surely, right has been made distinct from wrong.”(Holy Qur’an, 2:257) “For me my religion, and for you your religion.”(Holy Qur’an, 109:7) “O Prophet, thou art only a warner over them — thou hast no authority to compel them.”(Holy Qur’an, 88:22-23) This means that there can be no situation permissible in Islamic law for a teaching of Islam to be forced upon its citizenship simply because it is written in the holy book of Islam. Not only is this discriminatory against the adherents of other beliefs, but it also undermines the entire system of religious spirituality. In religious spirituality, it is the very choice to act on the teachings of Islam that makes one worthy of merit. If one is forced to pray in the Islamic way, or wear the headscarf, then what merit does that person deserve in God’s eyes? Moreover, such a system is entirely counter-productive, for it engenders bitterness within the people towards the established faith. Thus the ‘religious police’ of such countries are in fact opposing God’s cause, not aiding it. Those who support a theocratic vision of Islam are refuted not only by the Qur’an, but by the practice of the Prophet Muhammad himself, peace be upon him. When he was chosen as the head of state for the metropolitan Medina, he found himself at the head of three major religious groups — the Muslims, the Jews, and the Pagans. What did he do? Did he make Islamic law binding upon them, compel Islamic professions, and enforce an Islamic dress code? Far from it. In fact, he drew up the historic charter of Medina. This charter was ratified by all the major groups of Medina, and enshrined responsibilities of each group to the others in shared citizenship. Rather than enforcing one religious law on others, the Prophet pledged to judge each group by their own laws — the Muslims by the Muslim law, the Jews by Jewish law, and the Pagans by their traditional law. He thus allowed the citizens of his state the right to self-determination, shunning the tyranny we see today in many muslim-majority countries. The Prophet’s time was one where people identified sharply along religious and ethnic lines. Today’s polity is more mixed, with blurring along the edges of traditional ethnic and religious lines. Thus translated into a modern context, his practice would require the citizens en masse to decide what laws they wanted to represent them — giving them the right to self-determination — as seen in theory by modern democracies. The Prophet’s example was thus thoroughly modern, indeed many hundreds of years beyond his time. A shining example of the separation between mosque and state is today seen in the Khilafat of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The Khalifa shuns all political allegiance, and provides a spiritual leadership that transcends nationhood. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current Khiafa, leads many millions of Muslims across over 200 countries in a worldwide spiritual fraternity.

“O ye people! Fear your Lord Who created you from a single soul and of its kind created its mate, and from them twain spread many men and women…” Holy Qur’an, 4:2 The Qur’an teaches that all people are equal in the sight of Allah. It says that all humans are descendants from the same original soul, and are therefore spiritually equal. True Islam does not consider God only to be the God of the Muslims, or the Arabs, or any particular people — rather it says that He is the ‘Lord of all peoples’ (1:2). It therefore cuts at the root of all racism, and brings all nations together in universal brotherhood and sisterhood. We present a short extract from Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan’s Islam & Human Rights showcasing the social values of the Holy Qur’an: SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLAH KHAN, AHMADI MUSLIM & RENOWNED DIPLOMAT Islam’s Social Values BY SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLAH KHAN All values affecting man are based upon the concept that every human being is capable of achieving the highest stage of moral and spiritual development and that his personality must be respected. The Quran takes note of diversities of race, colour, language, wealth, etc., which serve their own useful purpose in the social scheme, and describes them as Signs of God for those who hear and possess knowledge (30:23). But none of these confers any privilege or imposes any disability. The Quran says that God has divided mankind into tribes and nations for greater facility of intercourse. Neither membership of a tribe nor citizenship of a State confers any privilege, nor are they sources of honour. The true source of honour in the sight of God is a righteous life (49:14). In his Farewell Address, the Prophet said: “You are all brothers and are all equal. None of you can claim any privilege or any superiority over any other. An Arab is not to be preferred to a non-Arab, nor is a non Arab to be preferred to an Arab; nor is a white man to be preferred to a coloured one, or a coloured one to a white, except on the basis of righteousness”.(Hanbal V, pg. 411) Islam has established a universal brotherhood. It is stressed that true brotherhood can be established only by virtue of our relationship with one another through God. Other factors — common interests, common pursuits, common occupations-may help to foster friendship and brotherhood to a degree, but the very same factors may also engender jealousy and hostility. It is only the consciousness that mankind are all equally creatures and servants of God and that they must all constantly seek the pleasure of God, that can bring about the realization of true brotherhood, which can stand the test of all the contingencies to which life is subject. “Hold fast, all together, by the rope of Allah, and be not divided; and remember the favour of Allah, which He bestowed upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became as brethren; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah explain to you His commandments, that you may be rightly guided”(Holy Qur’an, 3:104).

“And as for those who strive in Our path–We will surely guide them in Our ways. And verily Allah is with those who do good.” Holy Qur’an 29:70 True Islam teaches that Jihad means to struggle for goodness. This generally means that we should personally struggle to become better people. In exceptional circumstances, Jihad can also mean to defend people of any faith or background when they are being threatened by tyrants. This military Jihad is known as the ‘lesser’ Jihad — the ‘greater’ Jihad is to strive for God through good deeds.   Given the controversy and misunderstanding around the concept of Jihad, we here present a speech by the present Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. This discourse, published in The Review of Religions, was given to an audience of German natives in 2008, at the annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Germany. In this single speech, all qualms will be removed, and all questions answered. True Concept of Islamic Jihad BY HAZRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMAD …Some people declare that through terrorism, Islam is destroying the peace of the world. It is most unfortunate that there is a group that has a poor understanding of the teachings of Islam, but is fanning the flames of this erroneous concept. Some educated non-Muslims have connected the concept of life after death and heaven and hell to Muslim extremists, terrorists and suicide bombers who believe, as if, there is somehow a shortcut to heaven for suicide bombers. So, the result is that the fatalist desire to enter paradise has awakened a peculiar concept of Jihad and of dying in the name of Allah, which has caused them to take up the sword and cause disorder in the world. These groups of today are in reality a by-product of this teaching and concept. In any case, while I admit that the acts committed by certain ignorant and over-enthusiastic Muslims have no doubt given a totally wrong impression of the teachings of Islam, I must also point out that the literature that has been written against Islam, without a proper understanding of Islamic teachings, has presented the same erroneous concept about Islamic Jihad. However, I will try to present the true teachings of Islam as they have been expounded by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadpbuh, whom we believe is the Promised Messiah, according to his understanding of the Holy Qur’an, the Traditions of the Holy Prophetpbuh and the history of Islam. First of all, I will explain the true concept of Jihad in the words of the Messiah of the timepbuh. It has been one hundred years since the Founder of the Ahmadiyya communitypbuh passed away. Therefore, no one can say that the Ahmadiyya Muslim community has made up a fanciful reply in response to the wrong impression created in the world today, and is now presenting something new. On the contrary, these are the very same teachings that are set out in the Holy Qur’an. The Promised Messiah pbuh says: ‘The prevailing practice found amongst Muslims of attacking people of other religions, which they call “Jihad”, is not a lawful war; for it is clearly against the commandment of God and the Prophet Muhammadpbuh and constitutes a grave sin.’ (1) Now see, what do the words “lawful Jihad” used by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya community mean?   HIS HOLINESS, MIRZA GHULAM AHMADPBUH In order to understand this, we have to very briefly glance at the conditions existing in that part of Arabia where the Founder of Islam, the Holy Prophet Muhammadpbuh, had proclaimed his divine mission and invited people to Islam. Remember, those people were illiterate and uncivilised. Animosities were borne out of ridiculous and petty matters over which they would continue to kill each other for years. When the Holy Prophetpbuh made his claim and invited the Arabs towards the One and only God, the intelligent amongst them, some of whom were his relatives, poor people and slaves, embraced Islam. When this movement grew, the disbelievers of Mecca increased their persecution. Their cruelty reached such heights that the believers were made to lie on the burning sands of Arabia. While baking-hot stones were placed on their chests, they were whipped; their limbs were tied to camels and the camels were then driven in opposite directions, rendering their bodies apart. The Holy Prophetpbuh and his group of believers were banished to a valley, and an embargo was placed on them; neither food nor water was allowed to be delivered to them. His Companions used to say that they would die in any case, so why not go down fighting? After all, these Muslims too came from among those who were ready to kill and cause bloodshed over the most trivial matters. But when anyone said: “Permit us to fight,” the Holy Prophetpbuh would say that he had not been commanded to fight, but to be patient. This patience was not due to any weakness; indeed, history later proved that a few hundred believers managed to defeat a force of thousands. This patience was shown only because the Holy Prophetpbuh had not been commanded by Allah the Almighty to fight. At last, the Holy Prophetpbuh allowed some oppressed ones to migrate. And then, after some time, he too migrated to Medina. By that time there were some inhabitants of that town who had become Muslims. On his arrival, a large number of people embraced Islam. The Holy Prophetpbuh entered into covenants with other tribes and faiths, and amongst them there were also some Jews. He established a State in which all subjects were granted freedom. If anyone was punished for some crime, that punishment was given according to his or her own religion or religious jurisprudence. Nevertheless, as subjects of the State, all of them held equal rights. On one occasion a Jewish tribe was expelled due to their breach of an agreement. At that time there were some local Muslims of Medina,

“Admonish therefore, for thou art but an admonisher. Thou hast no authority to compel them.” Holy Qur’an 88:22-23 The Qur’an is explicit in many places that belief is a matter of the heart, and not something that can be forced or controlled externally. The Qur’an prescribes no punishment whatsoever to be administered to those who give up religious beliefs. Indeed, it is the freedom of choice in having religious beliefs in the first place that makes them worthy of merit. We present below an article by the late Imam of the London Mosque, Bashir A. Rafiq, first published in the magazine Review of Religions:   Apostasy Not Punishable by Death By B. A. Rafiq Islam does not allow the taking of life of a person simply because he is a non-Muslim or has gone back from Islam to disbelief. The golden rule of Islam is: “there is no compulsion in religion” (2:257). Allah says in the Holy Quran: “And say: ‘It is the truth from your Lord; -wherefore let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve”(18:30). ‘Say: ‘O Ye men, now has the truth come to you from your Lord. So whosoever follows the guidance, follows it for the good of his own soul, and whosoever errs, errs only against it. And I am not a keeper over you”(10:109). These verses show clearly that in the matter of faith everyone is free in the choice of one’s religion. There cannot possibly be any compulsion in preventing people from accepting or renouncing Islam. Had it been proper to use force in any shape or form in the matter of religion, God Himself would have forced the people to enter Islam and to renounce all other faiths. God says in the Holy Quran: “And if thy Lord had enforced His Will, surely all men on the earth would have believed together. Wilt thou, then, force men to become believers?”(10:100). The Holy Quran has, on no occasion, prescribed death penalty for the apostates. Let us refer to some verses of the Holy Quran in this context: “Whoso disbelieves in Allah after he has believed—save him who is forced thereto while his heart finds peace in the faith, — but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is Allah’s Wrath; and they shall have a severe punishment. That is because they have preferred the present life to the Hereafter, and because Allah guides not the disbelieving people.”(16:107, 108) “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.” (4:138) “And they will not cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith, if they can. And whoso from among you turns back from his faith and dies while he is a disbeliever, it is they whose work shall be vain in this world and the next. These are the inmates of the fire and therein shall they abide.”(2:218). “Oh Ye who believe! whoso among you turns back from his religion, then let it be known that in his stead Allah will soon bring a people whom He will love and who will love Him; and who will be kind and humble towards believers, hard and firm against disbelievers. They will strive in the cause of Allah and will not fear the reproach of a fault-finder. That is Allah’s grace: He bestows it upon whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is bountiful, All-Knowing.”(5:55). “And he who turns back on his heels, shall not harm Allah at all. And Allah will certainly reward the grateful.”(3:145). “And whosoever takes disbelief in exchange for belief, has undoubtedly gone astray from the right path.”(2:109). “Many of the people of the Book wish out of sheer envy from their own selves that, after you have believed, they could turn you again into disbelievers after the truth has become manifest to them. But forgive and turn away from them, till Allah brings about His decree. Surely, Allah has the power to do all that He wills.(2:110) “And whoso seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he shall be among the losers.”(3:86). “How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their believing and after they had borne witness that the Apostle was true.” “Of such the reward is that on them shall be the curse of Allah and of angels and of men, all together. “They shall abide thereunder. Their punishment shall not be lightened nor shall they be reprieved; except those who repent thereafter and amend. And surely, Allah is most Forgiving, Merciful.”(3:87-90). Nowhere in the Holy Quran has it been laid down that an apostate is to be put to death. When we turn to Ahadith (sayings of the Holy Prophet) we find that he did not prescribe death penalty for the apostates. There can be no true Hadith in contradiction to the Holy Quran. The Holy Prophet had said that whenever anyone wanted to quote any saying of his, one should see whether it was in accordance with the Holy Quran. If so, then it would be from him, otherwise not. Thus it is quite clear from the Holy Quran that there is no physical punishment for an apostate in this world.

“And We have not sent thee but as a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner, for all mankind, but most men know not.” Holy Qur’an 34:29 A distinctive feature of Islam is that it addresses itself to the whole of mankind. Previous religions only addressed a particular people at a particular time. Islam however is the summit of religious evolution, and addresses itself to every nation on Earth, in whichever era they live. It is thus a unique religion in that it recognises the truth of other Prophets, such as Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster and others, while recognising that over time their messages may have been misinterpreted or distorted. Islam came to restore and excel whatever truth they had, while correcting the shortcomings that had crept into them. Thus a Muslim has nothing but love and affection for other religions, as it sees them all as having emanated from the same Divine Source. We present below an extract of writing from Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (May Allah have mercy upon him ), the Fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. This was originally published in his short book, Some Distinctive Features of Islam. A Universal Religion BY HAZRAT MIRZA TAHIR AHMAD (MAY ALLAH HAVE MERCY UPON HIM ) The very first leaf of the Holy Quran praises the Lord Who is the Sustainer of all the worlds, and its last passage urges us to pray to the Lord of mankind. Thus, both the first and the last words of the Holy Quran present the concept of the entire universe, and not merely that of a God of the Arabs or the Muslims. Verily, no one before the Holy Prophetsa of Islam had beckoned the whole of humanity, and no book before the Holy Quran had addressed the entire world. The first such claim was made in favour of the Holy Prophetsa of Islam in these words: ‘And We have not sent thee but as a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner, for all mankind, but most men know not.’(Holy Qur’an, 34:29) And then: “Say, ‘O mankind! Truly I am a Messenger to you all.’”(Holy Qur’an 7:159) And when the Holy Quran calls itself a message for all the worlds (8:128), it upholds itself as the guidance with which is linked the true development and advancement of mankind. The Holy Quran has repeatedly been called the Verifier of other Books and Muslims are admonished to believe in all other Prophets (pbut) in exactly the same manner as they believe in their own Prophetsa. In our faith, it is forbidden to make a distinction among any of them, much less to believe in some and reject others. The Holy Quran says: “All (of us) believe in Allah, and in His angels, and in His Books, and in His Messengers.”(Holy Qur’an 2:286) It may not be without merit to examine if universality in itself is a desirable feature, and why Islam has laid such great stress upon it. Ever since Islam has brought the message of the unity of mankind, the pace of the march towards such unity has continued to accelerate in every sphere. An example of this march in our times is the establishment of different international bodies and federations. Indeed, these are but milestones along the long and devious journey towards unity among all mankind. So, the need that is keenly felt by the advanced and civilised man of today had already been fulfilled by planting the seed of its solution in the message of Islam 1400 years ago. Today, of course, the rapid development of travel and communication has lent a new impetus to the march towards unity among peoples and nations. HAJJ, THE ISLAMIC PILGRIMAGE, IS THE ULTIMATE SHOW OF HUMANITY’S UNITY. © CAMERA EYE Differences and Contradictions among Faiths – Their Reality A question that arises is: if all religions were in fact founded by Messengerspbut from God, then why is there any difference in their teachings? Can the same God sends own different teachings? This question is answered by Islam alone, and this, too, is a distinctive feature of this religion. Islam holds that there are two basic causes of differences between various religions. First, that varying conditions had needed varying dictates and rules, and the All-Knowing and All-Wise God had provided guidance for different ages, regions and peoples in accordance with their respective needs. Second, the contents of various faiths faded and wilted under the vicissitudes of time; hence they were not preserved in their original form. In some cases, the followers themselves introduced innovations and variations to suit changing needs, and the originally revealed Books continued to be interpolated for this purpose. Obviously, such adulteration of the Divine Message ultimately mandated fresh guidance from the Original Source. As God has said in the Holy Quran: “They pervert the words from their proper places and have forgotten a good part of that with which they were exhorted.”(Holy Qur’an 5:14) THE HOLY QUR’AN, THE FINAL DIVINE BOOK If we examine the history of differences between various faiths in the light of the principles enunciated by the Holy Quran, we find that the differences tend to diminish as we reach nearer the source itself. For instance, if we limit the comparison of Christianity and Islam only to the life of Jesuspbuh and the four gospels in the Bible, then there will appear only very minor differences between the basic teachings of the Bible and the Holy Quran. But, as we travel further down the road of time, the chasm of these differences becomes wider and wider, till it becomes totally unbridgeable—and all because of human endeavour to revise that which was originally revealed. The history of other faiths also reveals the same basic reality, and we find strong corroboration of the Quranic view, that the direction of human changes and revisions of the Divine Message, has always been from the worship of one God to that of several, and from reality to fiction, from humanity to deification of human