The Light & Islamic Review
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.,Call to the path of thyLord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with people in the best possible manner." (Holy Quran 16:125) • • Exponent of Presents Islam Islam as: and the PEACEFUL Lahore The Light Ahmadiyya TOLERANT Movement & Jsla,mic Review RATIONAL for over INSPIRING seventy • years• November - December 1996 Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement passes away. Loss of a great saint, servant of Islam and the AhmadiyyaMovement. See-pages 3 - 5. Vol. 73 CONTENTS No.6 ■ HauatAmir Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan passes away - Sketch of life of a great man and his services, by the Editor. : . 3 ■ Maudoodi on Takfir- Calls Takjir a crime against Muslims and Islam, Translation of Urdu article . 6 Speeches at August /996 Columbus Convention: ■ The Shroud of Turin, by Ayesha Rahman, U .S.A. 11 ■ Character building and itsresults in daily life - by Raqib Joeman, Netherlands. 12 ■ Woman's role in Islam and Ahmadiyyat - by Sabiha Pasha Saeed, Pakistan. 13 ► Ahmadiyya Anjuman lsha 'at Islam Lahore Inc. U.S.A. ◄ 1315 Kingsgate Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221-1504, U.S.A. www.alahmadiyya.org 2 THE LIGHT ■ NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 1996 The Light was founded in 1922 as the organ of the AHMADIYYA ANJUMAN ISHA 'AT ISLAM(Ahmadiyya Association for the propaga About ourselves. tion of Islam) of Lahore,Pakistan. The Islamic Review waspublished The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam in England from 1913 forover 50 years, and in the U.S.A. 1980 to Lahore has branches in the following 1991. The present periodical represents the beliefs of the world-wide countries: branches of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam, Lahore. U.S.A. Canada. ISSN: 1060-4596 England. Germany. Editor: Dr. Zahid Aziz. Format & Design: The Editor. Holland. South Africa. Circulation: Mrs. Samina Sahukhan, Dr. Noman I. Malik. India. Indonesia. I Australia. Fiji. Articles, letters and all enquiries should be sent to: Trinidad. Guyana. 'The Light', 1315 Kingsgate Road, Columbus, Suriname. OHIO 43221 - 1504. U.S.A. The Movement has members and supp I orters in many other countries as well. In E-mail: [email protected] Berlin, it has a large historical mosque Internet: http:/ /members. aol.corn/aaiil constructed in the mid-1920s. Beliefs and aims. Achievements: The main object of the A.A.1.1.L. is to present the true, original The Anjuman has produced extensive literature on Islam, originally in English message of Islam to the whole world - Islam as it is found in the and Urdu, including translations of the Holy Quran and the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, obscured Holy Quran with commentaries. These today by grave misconceptions and wrong popular notions. books are being translated into other lan Islam seeks to attract the hearts and minds of people towards the guages, such as French, German, Spanish, truth, by means of reasoning, good moral example, and the natural Russian, Chinese and Japanese. beauty of its principles. It neither aspires to gain political power, nor The Anjuman has run several Muslim allows the use of forcein support of the faith. missions around the world, including the first-ever in Western Europe. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), our Founder, arose to remind the world that Islam is: The Movement's unique contribution to Islamic thought is summed up in the International: It recognizes prophets being raised among all column on the left. nations and requires Muslims to believe in them all. Truth and History: goodness can be found in all religions. God treats all human beings equally justly, regardless of race, nationality or religion. 1889: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya Movement. Peaceful: Allows use of force only in unavoidable self-defence. 1901: Movement given name Ahmadiyya Teaches Muslims to live peacefully under any rule which accords after Holy Prophet Muhammad's other them freedom of religion. famous name Ahmad. 1905: Hazrat Mirza appoints central body Tolerant: Gives full freedom to everyone to hold and practise (Anjuman) to manage the Movement. any creed or religion.Requires us to tolerate differencesof belief 1908: Death of Hazrat Mirza. Succeeded and opinion. by Maulana Nur-ud-Din as Head. Rational: In all matters, it urges use of human reason and 1914: Death of Maulana Nur-ud-Din. knowledge. Blind following is condemned and independence of Ahmadiyya Anjuman lsha'at Islam thought is granted. founded at Lahore to continue the orig inal Anjuman, to preserve Hazrat Inspiring: Worship is not a ritual, but provides living contact Mirza's real mission. Maulana with a Living God, Who answers prayers and speaks to His Muhammad Ali elected as Head. righteous servants even today as in the past. 1951: Death of Maulana Muhammad Ali after fifty years of glorious service to Non-sectarian: Every person professing Islam by the words Lii the cause of Islam. Mautana Sadr-ud iliiha ill-Alliih, Muhammad-ur rasul Allah (There is no god but Din (d. 1981) becomes head. Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) is a Muslim. A Muslim cannot be expelled from Islam by anyone. 1981-1996: Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan, an eminent doctor and religious scholar, led He also taught that no prophet, old or new, is to arise after the the Movement, at a time of intense Holy Prophet Muhammad. However, Mujaddids will be raised by persecution and opposition. God to revive and rekindle the light of the faithof Islam. THE LIGHT ■ NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 1996 3 Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan passes away Life-long devoted service to Islam, Ahmadiyya Movement, and humanity for most of the twentieth century End of the era of the Companions of the Promised Messiah It is with the deepest of regret that we report the death of Hazrat Amir Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan, Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement and President of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore, which occurred ·on Friday 15th November 1996 in Lahore, Pakistan - innii li-lliihi wa innii ilai-hi riiji'iln ('We belong to Allah and to Him do we return'). He was 96 years of age. Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan had been Head of the Movement since 1981, and was previously the senior Vice-President for several years. Although restricted by illness and infirmity in the last 3 years or so, he continued to attend to some of his duties to an incredible extent, beyond what his health really allowed. Till the final days of his life, he remained abreast of the activities of the Movement, gave valuable advice as well as spiritual guidance, and received visitors. He continued to perform the open ing and closing of the annual gatherings, delivering a keenly-awaited address to the audience, even at the very last such function of his life in December 1995. A great turning point in his life, and in the history of this Movement, was his coming to settle in Lahore, at the Centre of the Anjuman, from his home revival led to the establishment of many new in Abbottabad in 1974, following the anti-Ahmadiyya branches and centres. Among the countries outside riots of the summer of that year in Pakistan. As a Pakistan which Dr. Saeed Ahmad visited where he result of this move, he was able to travel abroad to will be especially remembered are: U.K., U.S.A., visit Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama 'ats in several other Holland, Canada, Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname. countries almost every year for the next ten years. Perhaps the most historic achievement for which These visits breathed new life into the members of posterity will remember Dr. Saeed Ahmad is that he the Movement living in these countries, and this 4 THE LIGHT • NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 1996 consolidated the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in its sense, of having seen his time, but more importantly most critical hour in the period following the decla in being one of his true followers. ration of Ahmadis as non-Muslims in the Constitution Dr. Saeed Ahmad was born at the turn of the of Pakistan in September 1974. He was the standard twentieth century into a family renowned for its high bearer and focal-point around whom gathered those spiritual and scholarly standing belonging to the persons who believed in the continued existence of Hazara area of the North-West Frontier of India (now this Movement. It was a time when our members in Pakistan). His father, Maulana Muhammad Yahya, Pakistan and outside were severely shaken. There was and uncle, Maulana Muhammad Yaqub, had already doubt and uncertainty everywhere about the survival joined the Ahmadiyya Movement. His father is of the Movement. Ahmadis were not only facing mentioned in the writings of the Promised Messiah. physical attacks against their persons and property, At the age of six, when some people from his village but also the more insidious attempts of so-called were sending a postcard to Qadian to take the bai'at •sympathizers', including non-Ahmadis and former of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Dr. Saeed Ahmad Ahmadis, who were urging us to drop the name also put his name on the card for taking the bai 'at. •Ahmadiyya' so as to be accepted as Muslim. Dr. Saeed Ahmad was the embodiment of standing In December 1907 he went to Qadian with his firm and resolute in the face of this most intense father and stayed there for some threemonths. It was attack and pressure from those who wished to make during this period, as referred to above, that he was Ahmadis slip and slide. regularly in the company of the Promised Messiah (who died in May 1908). By his personal example of fortitude, and by providing a lead and rallying point for others, He went to visit Qadian again in 1912, during the Dr.