Light and ISLAMIC REVIEW Exponent of Islam and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for Over Ninety Years January – March 2013
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“Call to the path of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with people in the best manner.” (Holy Quran, 16:125) The Light AND ISLAMIC REVIEW Exponent of Islam and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for over ninety years January – March 2013 In the spirit of the above-cited verse, this periodical attempts to dispel misunderstandings about the religion of Islam and endeavors to facilitate inter-faith dialogue based on reason and rationality. Vol. 90 CONTENTS No. 1 Spiritual Development in Islam . 3 By Fazeel S. Khan, Esq. Islam and War . 5 Analysis and Commentary of Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut’s treatise, “Quran and Fighting” By Justin Elias Exaltation of Jesus . 11 By Prof. Mahmud Shaltut The Woking Muslim Mission, 100 Years Later . 14 By Dr. Zahid Aziz The Jihad of Promoting Islam’s Message of Peace and Reconciliation to the World . 17 A Special Message for Members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement By Maulana Muhammad Ali Published on the World-Wide Web at: www.muslim.org N Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore Inc., U.S.A. N P.O. Box 3370, Dublin, Ohio 43016, U.S.A. 2 THE LIGHT AND ISLAMIC REVIEW I JANUARY – MARCH 2013 The Light was founded in 1921 as the organ of the AHMADIYYA ANJUMAN ISHA‘AT ISLAM (Ahmadiyya Association for the Propaga tion of Islam) of About ourselves Lahore, Pakistan. The Islamic Review was published in England from 1913 for over 50 years, and in the U.S.A. from 1980 to 1991. The present Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore periodical represents the beliefs of the worldwide branches of the has branches in many countries including: Ahmadiyya Anju man Isha‘at Islam, Lahore. U.S.A. Australia ISSN: 1060–4596 U.K. Canada Holland Fiji Editor: Fazeel S. Khan, Esq. Indonesia Germany Suriname India Circulation: Mrs. Samina Malik. Trinidad South Africa Guyana Philippines Contact information: ‘The Light’, P.O. Box 3370, Dublin, Ohio 43016, U.S.A. Achievements: Phone: 614 – 873 1030 • Fax: 614 – 873 1022 The Anjuman has produced extensive literature on Islam, originally in English and E-mails: [email protected] Urdu, including translations of the Website: www.muslim.org Holy Quran with commentaries. These books are being translated into other languages, including French, German, Spanish, Dutch, The main objective of the A.A.I.I.L. is to present the true, original message Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. The Anjuman of Islam to the whole world — Islam as it is found in the Holy Quran and has run several Muslim missions around the the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, obscured today by grave mis - world, including the first ever in Western conceptions and wrong popular notions. Europe. Islam seeks to attract the hearts and minds of people towards the truth, by means of reasoning and the natural beauty of its principles. History: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (d. 1908), our Founder, arose to remind the 1889: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founds world that Islam is: the Ahmadiyya Movement. 1901: Movement given name Ahmadiyya International: It recognizes prophets being raised among all nations after Holy Prophet Muhammad’s other and requires Muslims to believe in them all. Truth and goodness famous name Ahmad. can be found in all religions. God treats all human beings equally, regardless of race, nationality or religion. 1905: Hazrat Mirza appoints central body (Anjuman) to manage th e Movement. Peaceful: Allows use of force only in unavoidable self-defence. 1908: Death of Hazrat Mirza. Succeeded by Teaches Muslims to live peacefully under any rule which accords Maulana Nur-ud-Din as Head. them freedom of religion. 1914: Death of Maulana Nur-ud-Din. Tolerant: Gives full freedom to everyone to hold and practise any Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam creed or r eligion. Requires us to tolerate differences of belief and founded at Lahore as continuation of the opinion. original Anjuman. Maulana Muhammad Ali elected as Head. Rational: In all matters, it urges use of human reason and knowledge. Blind following is condemned and independence of thought is 1951: Death of Maulana Muhammad Ali granted. after fifty years of glorious service to the cause of Islam. Maulana Sadr-ud-Din Inspiring: Worship is not a ritual, but provides living contact with a (d. 1981) becomes Head. Living God, Who answers prayers and speaks to His righteous ser- 1981–1996: vants even today as in the past. Dr Saeed Ahmad Kha n, an emi- nent medical doctor and religious schol- Non-sectarian: Every person profes sing Islam by the words La ilaha ar, led the Movement, at a time of ill-Allah, Muhammad-ur rasul-ullah (There is no god but Allah, intense persecution. and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) is a Muslim. A Muslim 1996–2002: Prof. Dr Asghar Hameed, a cannot be expelled from Islam by anyone. distinguished retired University Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad taught that no prophet, old or new, is to arise Professor of Mathematics, and learned Islamic scholar, served as Head. after the Holy Prophet Muhammad. However, Mujaddids will be raised by God to revive and rekindle the light of Islam. 2002: Prof. Dr Abdul Karim Saeed Pasha elected Head. JANUARY – MARCH 2013 I THE LIGHT AND ISLAMIC REVIEW 3 Spiritual Development in bringing about peace in this life, so that one may attain closeness to God. And the Quran illustrates this in the Islam following verse: By Fazeel S. Khan, Esq. It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or the West (i.e. ritualistically follow par- [This article comprises part of the material presented by ticular ideologies), but righteous is the one who the Editor to inmates in correction institutions through- believes in God, and the Day of Reckoning, and out central Ohio who are participants in the Horizon the angels and the scriptures and the prophets, and Prison Initiative (a nonprofit organization of which the gives away wealth out of love for Him (God) to Editor is also a board member). The lecture presenta- the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and tion is accompanied with powerpoint slides and short th e wayfarer and to those who ask and to set video clips. In addition to the presentation, group exer- slaves free, and keeps up prayer and gives to char- cises are conducted in which the participants are pro- ity; and the performers of their promise when they vided a variety of fact patterns containing moral dilem- make a promise, and the patient in distress and mas, and then discussions in small groups ensue about affliction and in the time of conflict. These are the various considerations that are raised in resolving they who are truthful, and these are they who keep them. The presentation along with the group exercise their duty. (2:177) aims at laying a foundation for appreciating that moral/spiritual development is not easily att ained and This is salvation in Islam! It is a spiritual journey to rather requires constant struggle with one’s conscience attain closeness to God by developin g the divine attrib- in everyday challenging situations.] utes within one’s self through the doing of good works. The Objective of Islam The Holy Quran refers to the person who has achieved this state of total peace as the “soul at rest”: To start, what does the word Islam mean? The word “Islam” is derived from the Arabic word “silm”, mean- O soul that art at rest, ing “peace”. So, the religion is neither named after its Return to your Lord, well pleased, founder nor the place from which it originated, as is the well pleasing, case with other faiths, but rather is titled after the objec- So enter among My servants, tive to which it aspires. The attainment of peace – with- And enter My Garden. (89:27-30) in the individual, amongst people, and between man and God and His Attributes God – is the lofty goal Islam prescribes as the very pur- Now, if, as I had said, the development of the soul is the pose of life. “Peace”, therefore, is the very essence of objective of life, and the soul is in fact the spirit of God, the faith. As the Quran (the holy scripture of Islam) there is an obvious need to understand what God is. states: According to Islam, there is only One God, Who has no O you who believe, enter into complete peace. associate or companion. This monotheistic belief is the (2:208) very foundation of the Islamic faith. Interestingly, the Quran acknowledges Abraham as the archetype of this And God invites to the abode of peace. (10:25) monotheistic faith. Abraham is repeatedly pointed out Peace Achieved Through Development of Soul as comprehending that the True, Supreme, All- And how is this peace to be achieved? Well, the Quran Powerful, Perfect God is One, and that it is to this One states that the human “soul” is the “spirit of God” God that man is to submit himself completely. And it is breathed into every human: this Abrahamic model of faith that Islam endeavors to reestablish: Then He (God) made him (i.e. man) complete and God speaks the truth; so follow the religion of breathed into him of His spirit ... (32:9) Abraham, the upright one. And he (Abraham) The Spirit of God within man means that the divine was not one of the polytheists (3:95). attributes of God exist within each of us. And it is And who is better in religion than he who submits through the doing of good works that these attributes himself entirely to God while doing good (to oth- may be developed.