October – December 2005
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“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 eighty years October - December 2005 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. 82 CONTENTS No. 4 An “Ever Recurring Happiness”: Eid-ul-Fitr Khutba 2005 . .3 By Dr. Noman Malik Treatment of Women in Islam . .6 By Barry White (Muhammad Sadiq) The Need for the Holy Quran . .8 By Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad The Purpose for the Existence of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement (in the words of Maulana Muhammad Ali) . .14 Compiled by Fazeel S. Khan, Esq. 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 OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2005 The Light was founded in 1921 as the organ of the AHMADIYYA ANJUMAN ISHA‘AT ISLAM (Ahmadiyya Association for the Propagation 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 Anjuman Isha‘at Islam, Lahore. U.S.A. Australia ISSN: 1060–4596 U.K. Canada Holland Fiji Editorial Board: Directors of AAIIL, Inc., USA Indonesia Germany Suriname India Circulation: Mrs. Samina Malik. Trinidad South Africa Guyana 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 the 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 religion. 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 Khan, an emi- nent medical doctor and religious schol- Non-sectarian: Every person professing 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. OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2005 I THE LIGHT AND ISLAMIC REVIEW 3 may be a source of happiness and gain, these benefits An “Ever Recurring are transitory. Ultimately, every source of worldly hap- Happiness”: piness, be it good health, wealth or political power, must come to an end. At times misfortunes occur during a Eid-ul-Fitr Khutba 2005 person’s lifetime and these worldly sources of happi- ness are lost sooner, and at times they eventually end By Dr. Noman Malik with death. [This article comprises the Eid-ul-Fitr khutba delivered In contrast to material happiness, however, spiritual in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. by Dr. Noman Malik. Dr. happiness lasts for ever and is not destroyed by death. Malik explains the significance of religious festivals in The most valuable and precious gift that Almighty Allah Islam by examining the true meaning of ‘Id’ or an ‘ever has granted human beings is not any material benefit; recurring happiness.’ He further distinguishes the tem- rather, it is the immortal divine soul. God breathed His porary nature of material benefits with the permanency own spirit or ruh into every human being of spiritual progress, thereby concluding that it is the spiritual food and not the material food that provides This soul survives death, and depending upon the life man with true happiness]. it has led in this world may become fit for an eternal life of happiness with God. This eternal life is the ultimate O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, true success, and is the ever recurring happiness which as it was prescribed for those before you, so that God Almighty, in His infinite love and mercy has you may guard against evil (2:183). bestowed on man as stated in the following Quranic Today is the festival of Id ul fitr which marks the end verses: of Ramadan, the month of fasting. And the soul and its perfection! — Significance of Religious Festivals in Islam So He reveals to it its way of evil and its way of good; The two great festivals in Islam are known as Id ul fitr He is indeed successful who causes it to grow, and Id ul Adhza. In other religions, festivals are com- And he indeed fails who buries it (91:7-10). memorative, marking important events such as the birth or death of some divine personage or a significant his- O soul that art at rest, torical occurrence. Examples of such are Christmas, Return to thy Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing, celebrating the birth of Jesus; or the Jewish festivals So enter among My servants, And enter My Garden (89:27-30)! Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukah marking historical events. And as for those who are made happy, they will be in the Garden abiding therein so long as the heav- Although, there is no dearth of religious personalities ens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord or events in Islam, no such festivals are celebrated by please — a gift never to be cut off (11:108). Muslims. Perhaps no religious personage is more revered and loved by his followers than the Holy In order to reach the spiritual state mentioned in the Prophet Muhammad by Muslims, but neither the birth verses above, one must develop ones soul. All that is nor the death of the Holy Prophet is celebrated in Islam. necessary for man’s spiritual development and journey Furthermore, miraculous instances in the early history to God are found in the verses of the Holy Quran relat- of Islam, when God’s help against tremendous odds is ing to Ramadan, the month of fasting. These elements clearly demonstrated, like victory in the battle of Badr, are: 1) belief in a living God, 2) guidance provided by the Hijrah (migration of the Holy Prophet from Mecca the Holy Quran, and 3) practical demonstration of that to Madina), the conquest of Mecca etc., are not celebrat- guidance in one’s life and prayer. ed by Muslims with festivals. Belief in a Living God Instead Islam attaches a totally new significance to The one absolutely essential and fundamental require- religious festivals. Rather than celebrating personages ment for spiritual development is belief in the reality of or events, it celebrates the completion of a duty which God. Unless God becomes a living reality in a person’s is necessary for spiritual development. Thus the com- life, spiritual progress is impossible. The verses relating pletion of fasting in the month of Ramadan becomes a to fasting themselves explain how fasting brings about cause for celebration.