Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam

July 2017 Editor: Nasir Ahmad B.A. LL.B. Vol. No. 12, Issue No. 7

IN MEMORY OF JALAL-UD-DIN AKBAR IBN-I ABDULLAH, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

CONTENTS Page ANNOUNCEMENT AND PROGRAMME: 1 IST EUROPEAN INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL CONVENTION (LAHORE AHMADIYYA MOVEMENT IN ISLAM) 1 Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at-i Islam, Berlin (Germany) INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH CONFERENCE 2 HIJACKING OF THE BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER OF ALLAH 5 Iain Dixon NEWS FROM BERLIN MOSQUE, GERMANY 7 Amir Aziz, Imam, The Berlin Mosque A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF LATE KHWAJA ABDUL HAMIED 11 Founder of CIPLA, Mumbai, India

IST EUROPEAN ANNUAL CONVENTION OF LAHORE AHMADIYYA MOVEMENT IN ISLAM (Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at-i Islam, Germany)

On 15, 16 & 17 September 2017 at the Berlin Mosque at 7/8 Brienner Str. Wilmersdorf, Berlin 10713 ON 16 SEPTEMBER 2017 WILL BE AN INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH CONFERENCE

PROGRAMME OF THE INTERFAITH CONFERENCE

Subject: The future of mankind in view of radicalism

Speakers: Recitation of the Holy Qur’an & Introductory Remarks: 16:30 Key Note: Prof. Dr Abdul Karim Saeed (Worldwide President & Ameer of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam)

Prof. Dr Gerdien Jonker (Erlangen Center for Islam and Law in Europe (EZIRE) Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg)

Rabbi Prof. Dr Walter Homolka PhD (King’s College London), PhD (University of Wales Trinity St. David), DHL (Hebrew Union College, New York), Professor of Modern Jewish Thought and Executive Director of the School of Jewish Theology (University of Potsdam ,Germany)

Break

Dr Thomas M. Schimmel Franziskanische Initiative 1219. Religious and Cultural Dialogue (Head)

Mr Mohamed Taha Sabri Imam, Dar-as-Salam Mosque, Neuköllner Begegnungsstatte e.V Awarded the Order of Merit of Berlin 2015 by Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD)

Mr Emmanuel Luther Ratiq Presidential award winner, writer and senior journalist (Sweden)

2 | Page Mrs Roline Twahira Samsoedein Minister of Physical Planning, Land and Forest Management, Chairperson of the Women’s Commission of the SIV, Former District Commissioner in Suriname

Closing Remarks & Prayer: 19:30

Dinner ***

INVITATION AND PROGRAMME

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Assalamu ‘aliakum I hope to find you well. I am sending you programme of Ist European Convention Berlin for your information. You are requested to inform beforehand about your arrival to help us in making better arrangements.

Thursday 14 September All guests will assemble at the Mosque at 18:30 for dinner. Then Maghrib and Isha’ congregation- al prayers will be offered. We will wait for our guests from Holland who will be coming in group by coach, in case they arrive late.

Friday 15 September Friday prayer will be at 13:30 . All participants are requested to be in the mosque in time. After Friday prayer tea snacks will be served.

Afternoon session will start at 16: 30 followed by dinner at 19:30 hosted by sister Nasma Nasrullah from Rotterdam, Holland. May Allah bless her for this generous offer

Saturday 16 September Peace Demonstration Peace Demonstration against Terrorism will be held at Europa Center, Berlin from 12:30 to 14:00. All participants and local people will gather there. It will be the first public demonstration by members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Community and friends of the Berlin Mosque.

Local and foreign delegates and participants are requested to bring handy flags of their respective countries to be waved on that occasion. This will be a public procession so all members are requested to be there in time.

Tea and snacks will be served at the Berlin Mosque at 15:00. Interreligious Programme will start at 16:30 at the Mosque Dinner will be at 19.30

Page | 3 Afternoon Session: Interfaith Conference 16:30

Sunday 17th September

Convention will start at 10:00 am. It will finally conclude at 12:30

Immediately afterwards the guests from Holland will start their return journey, but afternoon session will be held as usual.

Important Please bring small flags of your countries to represent it.

If you have any suggestion to make about The Peace Procession to make it more impressive or if you have any suggestion regarding slogans or banners or the theme of the Interfaith Conference, please let me know so that we can incorporate them in our programme.

Programme is attached.

Looking forward for your confirmation With regards, Amir Aziz Imam, the Berlin Mosque Brienner Strasse. 7.8 Wilmersdorf, Berlin 10713 Phone: 00-49-30-8735703. Mobile & Whatsapp : 00-49-15175629668

(English translation & designing: Courtesy Bro. Selim Ahmad, Bro. Muhammad Ali)

***

4 | Page IDENTITY THEFT (3) – THE FINAL PART

HIJACKING OF THE BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER OF ALLAH

IAIN DIXON

“They have obedience [merely] on their lips.” – (The Qur’an, 4:81) Jesus said: “This people draws nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” – (The Bible, Matthew 15:8)

My frustration In this short series of articles, I have tried to convey my frustration that people have misrepresented the beautiful character of Allah, hijacking His loving nature, and turning it instead into something repulsive.

A moth gladly flutters towards a lightbulb, but cockroaches will flee from the light emanating from the same bulb. How has the Creator of Heaven and Earth been represented to a watching world? Has Allah been painted as loving, compassion- ate, full of tender mercy towards His creation? Are we drawn to Him as a moth is drawn to the light? Or have we in the same breath said “Allahu Akbar” and represented Allah as pure evil, desiring to crush, kill and destroy? Just as cockroaches run from the light, have we portrayed Allah in such a way that people want to flee from Him, rather than run to Him? We are reminded in the Honoured Quran that “those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will Allah, Most Gracious, bestow love” (19:96). We are also told “He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion” (16:90).

Mockery in the name of Islam Much that is done in the name of ‘Islam’ makes a mockery of much that is written in the Quranic Scriptures. Allah is looking for a people who will represent His character, a people who will reflect His love, compassion and mercy. Just as a fingerprint reveals the unique identity of its possessor, so too we are to be ‘the fingerprints’ of Allah, bearing His beautiful image to a broken world.

People have dishonoured Allah and His law through their actions. Pride for status, selfishness, and a disregard for His righteousness have caused havoc in the world. It is pure rebellion towards the Creator of Heaven and Earth, a rebellion that drives people away from encountering the beauty of Allah, a rebellion that leads people into darkness and captivity. As the Bible expresses it: “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9); “We all, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Have we followed the way of Iblis and become rebellious, defiant? “He refused and was haughty, he was of those who reject faith” (Qur’an, 2:34).

Unfortunately, the way of true Islam, true submission to Allah, is hard to find today. But it exists! Don’t be fooled by looking to great organizations, sects or religions. Begin by turning your own face to Allah. When I hear the Azaan (call to prayer) I am reminded of a compass point pointing north, in that it brings direction and focus in all the chaos we call ‘the map of life’ – a life filled with changes

Page | 5 and turnings, dead ends and roadblocks. The compass points ‘true north’ and helps us recalibrate our lives. The Azaan challenges all the distractions of life, and there is a call to come out of the world and point our hearts in the direction of Allah.

In the Bible, we are told of a worldwide ‘Azaan’. Although people have misrepresented the character of Allah there is a worldwide call to return to the true God, a call that leads us to worship Him in submission and truth. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgement has come, and worship Him that made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters’ ” (Revelation 14:6-7).

Did you notice that “the hour of His judgement has come”? I wonder if that phrase could be inter- preted in two ways. Sure, Allah’s eyes are upon us now, and He sees our thoughts and actions. We are being judged. But have you ever thought that Allah Himself is being judged by an unbelieving and sceptical world? Has the misrepresentation of His character resulted in Allah being laughed at, scorned, hated? Not taken seriously? Is this worldwide Azaan a challenge for us – so love God, so obey Him, so serve Him – that people would begin to recognize the magnificence of our Creator?

I find it interesting that Jesus himself lived to give glory to Allah. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, beaten and scarred, it was not as a defeated person. He lived and breathed integrity to Allah. The DNA of Jesus’ life was “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). He was the embodiment of true Islam. Many centuries before he was born into this world, it was said that: “He will magnify the Law, and make it honourable” (Isaiah 42:21). Jesus did everything to bring honour to Allah, despite being mis- understood and mistreated. We are given his example to follow: “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:21-22).

Let us be genuine signposts It is well-known that during wartime road signposts are turned round to point people in the wrong direction and to confuse them. As we watch the media, and read reports of violence and shameful things done in the name of Allah, may we take up the challenge to be a genuine signpost, pointing others to the true worship of Allah, and not follow those who have committed ‘identity theft’. These people have twisted signposts of Allah’s character, and have pointed people in the wrong direction. We can choose to be different. And Allah can help us change. We are told in the Honoured Qur’an that “it is He Who created you from clay” (6:2). Allah is a master potter! Not only did He make and fashion each one of us, but He can ‘re-shape’ our hearts too. Will we ask Him to? Wearing long beards, niqab, and praying in a correct manner may look good to an outsider, but Allah sees the hearts of all. With far too many, obedience to Allah’s word is only on the lips. “They have obedience [merely] on their lips” (4:81). Jesus put it rightly when he said: “This people draws nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).

Longing for righteousness What I see in the Lahore Ahmadiyya community is a people who are constantly examining them- selves, constantly reaching out for more, constantly trying to be a better people, a people longing for a raiment of righteousness. “But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among

6 | Page the signs of Allah” (7:26). This reaching up, this longing for righteousness, is a beautiful longing. So different from those who have committed ‘identity theft’.

***

NEWS FROM THE BERLIN MOSQUE

Report of activities for June & July 2017

BY AMIR AZIZ, IMAM, THE BERLIN MOSQUE

JUNE 2017

Iftar in a local church 3 June. The Imam of the Berlin Mosque was invited by a local church, which hosted a grand Iftar programme for the Muslims of Berlin, and included people from all walks of life. Mr Amir Aziz, the Imam, was asked to give a lecture on the significance of Ramadan. By the grace of Allah, it was appreciated. Later, he also led the Maghrib prayer. Muslims from various Muslim countries attended the Iftar. It was very well attended and provided a good opportunity to present the true significance of Ramadan and its message to followers of other faiths.

Students of Freie University visited the Berlin Mosque 6, 9 June. A group of students from Freie University, Berlin visited the Mosque. A similar group of students had visited the Mosque a few months ago and showed interest in its history and activities. We are pleased to note that groups from this university visit the Mosque frequently. After the nor- mal presentation about the history of the Mosque, a question/answer session was held, which went very well. Another group from the same university visited on 9th June.

It is Allah’s blessing that interest of various societies, schools, universities, and governmental and non-governmental departments visit the Mosque and are impressed by its history and the message of Islam as presented by the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.

Programme of an Islamic organization at the Berlin Mosque 12 June. Ramadan is a month of great activities and festivity for Muslims in Berlin. The Islamic Organization, Berlin, organized a grand Iftar programme in which people of all faiths participated. Mr Amir Aziz, Imam of the Berlin Mosque, was also invited. In a brief talk, he explained the spiritual and social aspects of Fasting. It was a good opportunity to meet members of various faiths and people became aware of the significant work the Mosque was doing for interfaith harmony and understanding.

Participation in 70-year anniversary of AKR 23 June. The AKR Foundation, an international interfaith organization, celebrated its 70th anniversary. It is one of the oldest interfaith organizations, of which the Berlin Mosque has been an active member. The Imam was invited to participate in the ceremony which was arranged in a big church.

Page | 7 It was quite an impressive programme. Mr Amir Aziz was introduced as the Imam of the oldest mosque which has been an active participant in the organization’s activities for a long time, and in which now, Alhamdulillah, it has regained its prominent position.

Eid-ul-Fitr 25 June. Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with great jubilation at the Berlin Mosque. This year, the gather- ing was very impressive. Muslims from Germany, China, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Africa, Yemen, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Egypt, Singapore, Brazil, Pakistan, Syria, Mali, Poland and Sudan at�- tended. The congregation and the Eid activities were recorded by various media organizations. The programme, as usual, was broadcast on TV in the evening by the RBB channel in Berlin.

It was a very exciting time at the Berlin Mosque as a grandson and a great-grandson of the late Dr Khwaja Abdul Hamied specially visited us from Mumbai, India. The late Dr Khwaja was the person who had recited the Qur’an at the inauguration ceremony of the Mosque in 1927. A year later, he married a Jewish lady at the Mosque. The nikah was performed by our Imam, the late Fazlul Karim Durrani, who was a learned person and who was fluent in both English and German. It was through the nikah certificate that Dr Khwaja Abdul Hamied’s family was able to locate the Berlin Mosque as the venue of the wedding, and they visited it on the special occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. (For more details, see the note below.)

Dr Gerdien Jonker, a research scholar and a great friend of the Mosque, is writing a book on this family, who has Jewish connections.

Berlin and Woking were centres for Muslims in Europe from in 1912 and 1922 respectively. The latter, till 1968, had been, and the former is still, serving the cause of Islam by presenting its rational and universal message. It is through the blessings of Allah that the Berlin Mission is still serving the Muslim community with the same devotion and dedication, and after the unification of Berlin it has emerged as a distinguished Islamic centre in Europe promoting interfaith understanding and harmony.

Guests from Ukraine 25 June. Dr Manzoor Ahmad Khalil, son of a very devoted member from Sufaid Dheri, Peshawar, the late Abdul Bari Khan Advocate, visited the Mosque with his family for one week. He is a neurosur- geon in Ukraine. It was very nice to have these devoted members at the Mosque. His two children, son Taimur and daughter Maryam, helped the Imam in managing various activities at the Mission House and the Mosque. The Imam expresses his thanks to the family and hope they will visit again.

Visit of students of a local school 27 June. A group of students from Evangelische Grundschule (Primary School) Wilmersdorf, Berlin visited the Berlin Mosque at 9.00 am. Then at 11:00 am, another group from a high school visited with their teacher. After a presentation by the Imam, many students were given a practical demonstration on how to perform and how to lead the prayer. All the students enjoyed the trip and found it informative.

It is the blessing of Allah that the message of Islam and the efforts of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement are showing youths in the West the practical aspects of the teachings of Islam in a way it

8 | Page is proving effective, and such visits are on the increase. Hopefully, these humble efforts will go a long way in inculcating better understanding and harmony among followers of other faiths in the West. Germany is generous in offering shelter to a large number of Muslim refugees and there is an urgent need of such concerted efforts to bring mutual understanding and harmony.

Interfaith programme 29 June. HWPL, an Korean based international interfaith organization, held an interfaith dialogue on “How far present Scriptures are Trustworthy”. Representatives of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam participated. Dr Manzoor Ahmad Khalil from Ukraine and Mr Amir Aziz of the Berlin Mosque represented Islam. The latter also presented the Lahore Ahmadiyya point of view on this sensitive subject.

Visit of students from a church 30 June. Another group of students of Evangelic Grundschule (Primary School), Wilmersdorf visited the Mosque with their teacher. They were given a presentation, and this was followed by an interest�- ing question/answer session.

JULY 2017

One-day Workshop on Dementia 1 July. A one-day workshop about Dementia was held in our Mosque. It was arranged by a church organization. The organization had held a similar workshop last year on the same topic in our Mosque, and, having liked the atmosphere so much, they decided to do it again this year. More than 63 people attended. In the beginning, Mr Amir Aziz, theImam , made a presentation, and this was followed by a question/answer session. All the participants were given flyers, and many asked for the German translation of the Holy Qur’an. More than 25 copies were distributed on that day.

Programme at the Evangelic St Thomas Church 8 July. The Imam of the Berlin Mosque was invited by the Evengelich St Thomas Church to attend an important programme. The work of a famous calligrapher, Mr Shahid Alam, about Quranic and Arabic calligraphy, was exhibited at the church. It was appreciated by all. Representatives of all religions recited and translated selected portions from their respective Scriptures. Mr Amir Aziz was provided with an opportunity to introduce the Berlin Mosque and its efforts for the cause of Islam in Germany.

Peace Demonstration byImams of Germany and France 9 July. The Imams of Germany and France took part in a demonstration condemning terrorist attacks and showed unity with others for peace. The Imam of the Berlin Mosque was invited to participate in the procession, at which Muslims of various countries were present. An interesting point was that the President of the Imams from France introduced Mr. Amir Aziz as the Imam of the Berlin Mosque to all the delegates who came with him. They invited him to go with them on the bus trip for one week as all the Imams went to France join a demonstration for showing unity against the terrorist activities. Unfortunately, Imam Amir Aziz could not accompany them as next day, 10th July, he had an appointment with the doctor.

Page | 9 Visit of students from a High School 11 July. A group of High School students visited the Mosque. After a presentation by the Imam, there was a question/answer session which lasted for almost two hours. Most of the students asked questions and were satisfied with our answers. A copy of the Holy Qur’an was presented for the school library and some copies were also given to interested persons.

Invitation to attend a programme in a school 13 July. The Imam was invited by the teachers and students of Löcknitz Grundschule School, who had previously visited us. The students prepared a very good project to remember all the famous personalities of Germany. Each student laid a brick with details written on it, to build a wall. It was a very interesting programme. The Principal, teachers and students thanked the Imam for his contri- bution and for conducting the programme.

Visit of a Roman Catholic group 15 July. It was a very busy day. First, Dr Gerdien Jonker visited with her guests and we discussed for one hour how to preserve the archives of the Berlin Muslim Mission. Then at 17:00 a group com- prising both Muslims and non-Muslims, visited the Mosque. The group was part of a walk organised by the Roman Catholic Academy, Berlin. Dr Thomas Würtz was the leader of the group. He is a very well-known personality and takes an active part in interfaith programmes. After a presentation by the Imam, Dr Würtz addressed the audience and presented to the Imam a very interesting book about the oldest Roman Catholic Church for the Mosque library. In response, the Imam presented a copy of the German translation of the Holy Qur’an. All participants were pleased to know about the history of the Mosque and the work of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in presenting Islam and forging understanding and harmony among followers of various religions.

An Evening of Urdu Short Stories 15 July. Urdu Bazm-e Adab, Berlin organised an Evening of Afsana (short stories) programme in which Mr Amir Aziz, the Imam of the Berlin Mosque, was invited to read his short story. It was entitled Zinda Lash (A lifeless person) and was appreciated by the participants. Details of the programme were reported in many newspapers.

Interview published by VICE Deutschland 24 July. An interview with Mr Amir Aziz, Imam of the Berlin Mosque, entitled “10 Questions for an Imam”, was published by VICE Deutschland, an online youth magazine. It was well-received. After that, another interview was also conducted, and will be published in another magazine. The interview, in German, can be read at following link: https://www.vice.com/de/article/qvp9q5/10-fragen-an-einen-imam-die-du-dich-niemals-trauen- wuerdest-zu-stellen

A visitor from Thüringen 24 July. A lady from Thüringen, a city a great distance from Berlin, visited the Mosque with her granddaughter. She wanted to show her the mosque and to give her a glimpse of Islamic architec- ture. She said that she herself is non-religious but that she wanted her granddaughter to know about all religions. The Imam explained to them the salient features of Islam and gave the lady a copy of the Holy Qur’an.

10 | Page Alhamudlillah, the name and work of the Berlin Mosque is reaching distant cities of Germany and other countries.

Guest from Poland 28 July. A brilliant young and devoted student, Mr Muhammad Abdullah, son of Major Iqbal Ahmad, visited the Mosque from Poland. He is in Poland for his internship. Mr Muhammad Abdullah stayed for a few days and helped the Imam a great deal in conducting visits to the Mosque. Mr Abdullah is son of a dedicated father, Major Iqbal, and great-grandson of the late Master Asghar Ali Sahib who, for some years, served at the Woking Mission, Woking, England. Major Iqbal is a devoted Ahmadi and voluntarily looks after the mosque in Karachi and delivers Friday and Eid sermons.

It is always a pleasure to welcome our members to the Berlin Mosque and to watch them rendering assistance to the Mosque and the Mission. May Allah bless the young Muhammad Abdullah for his service, and we wish him a bright future in his studies.

Interfaith programme 28 July. HWPL, an international Interfaith organization, held an interfaith dialogue on the subject “Guidance about Good and Evil in every Scripture”. Representatives of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam participated in the discussion. Mr. Amir Aziz, Imam of the Berlin Mosque, represented Islam and explained the concept of good and evil as described in the Holy Qur’an.

*** A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

DR KHWAJA ABDUL HAMIED (1898-1972)

FOUNDER OF CHEMICAL, INDUSTRIAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL LABORATORIES (CIPLA) MUMBAI, INDIA MARRIED A JEWISH GIRL AT THE BERLIN MOSQUE IN (WILMERSDORF) BERLIN IN 1928 HIS SON, YUSUF K. HAMIED, AND HIS GRANDSON ATTENDED THE EID-UL-FITR CONGREGATION AT THE MOSQUE IN JUNE 2017

(In the Berlin Report published in this issue, it is mentioned that Dr Khwaja Abdul Hamied, a research scholar in 1928s at Berlin University, made recitation of the Holy Qur’an at the opening of the first purpose-built mosque, the Berlin Mosque, in the Wilmersdorf area of Berlin in 1927. His son, Mr Yusuf K. Hamied, and his grandson, visited the Berlin Mosque on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. We are reproducing below for the interest of our readers a brief life history of the late Dr Khwaja Abdul Hamied and his family, with some details of the pharmaceutical business which he set up after re- turning to India in 1935. – Ed.)

Dr Khwaja Abdul Hamied, a nationalist and a great humanitarian, said:

Page | 11 “The study of religion is my special hobby and the basic attributes of this mysterious power, by whatever name we call it, are the same in all religions.” – (Inter-Religious Seminar, Delhi October 11, 1971) “An ideal man must be a good man by virtue of his actions in society (and) may belong to any religion so long as he follows the tenets of his religion.” “If the Jews, with their wealth, knowledge and scientific skill, and the Arabs made a common cause, they would have a strong empire covering West Asia and the entire coast of South Mediterranean.” “The Arabs and the Israelis should see the necessity of getting out of this whirlpool of Russian and Western power politics and sit together at a round table conference away from Western powers to thrash out their differences and carve out a new future based on ancient friendship, alliance and mutual regard.”

Mr Yusuf Khwaja Hamied (Y. K. Hamied), the chairman of one of India’s largest pharmaceutical firms, Cipla Inc., is the son of an aristocratic Muslim scientist from India and a Jewish Communist from what is now Lithuania.

Defined by his parents’ extraordinary marriage, he unites his father’s scientific skills, business acumen and Indian patriotism with his mother’s -com passion for the less-fortunate.

He charges the Western pharmaceutical industry with “holding three billion Late Khwaja Abdul Hamied people in the Third World to ransom by using their monopoly status to charge higher prices,” and has devoted himself to making life-saving inexpensive ge- neric medications for the inhabitants of poorer countries.

Yusuf’s father: Khwaja Abdul Hamied (1898 - 1972) Yusuf Hamied’s father, Khwaja Abdul Hamied (K.A), was born in Aligarh. His paternal grandfather, Khwaja Abdul Ali (1862-1948), traced his lineage through spiritual guides to the Mughal emperors of India back to Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar (1403-1490), a great Naqshbandi Sufi in Uzbekistan.

His mother, Masud Jehan Begum (1872-1957), came from the family of Shah Shuja ul-Mulk, the pro-British Amir of Afghanistan (1803-1809 and 1839-1842), whose family fled to India after his assassination in an anti-British uprising. Khwaja Abdul Ali’s uncle was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1819- 1898), the great Muslim educational and social reformer.

Khwaja Abdul Ali entered the judicial service of the British Government in India, but his son, K.A. Hamied, passionately opposed “the evils of foreign rule”. When Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement called for a boycott of government-run educational institutions, Hamied organised a strike at his school, Muir Central College. As a result, he was expelled from the university, then arrested when he tried to disrupt graduation ceremonies.

Hamied then returned to Aligarh, where Muslim nationalist leaders founded a new university, Jamia Millia Islamia, which refused government funding. Hamied taught chemistry there. He also supervised the production and sale of khadi, or homespun cloth, which Gandhi had made a central

12 | Page element of Indian nationalism. At his maternal uncle’s home, he first met Gandhi, as well as Motilal Nehru and his son, Jawaharlal.

While teaching at Jamia, K. A. Hamied began a lifelong friendship with Zakir Husain, who went on to become the President of India. Hamied and Hussain later left for Germany to pursue graduate studies. Hamied studied with one of the world’s leading chemists, Professor A. Rosenheim.

Mr. Khwaja Abdul Hamied speaking at a Congress meeting with Dr. Zakir Hussain who late became president of Bharat Yusuf’s mother: Luba Derczynski (1903 - 1991) One day in 1925, Hamied joined some friends on a lake cruise near Berlin. One of the passengers on the boat was a young woman named Luba Derczyanska. Luba was born in Wilno in Russian Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania) and had come to Berlin to study. From their first meeting, the romance between Abdul Hamied and Luba Derczyanska blossomed.

In 1928, K. A. Hamied married Luba in Berlin’s only Khwaja Abdul Hamied addressing a conference chaired by Dr. Zakir Hussain. The latter became president of india mosque [the Berlin Mosque in Wilmersdorf] and the following year they were again married in the Choral Synagogue in Wilno, and the marriage was “solemnised” at a Register Office in London. Luba was -ac tive in Communist circles in Berlin, and sought to bring her Indian beau into the movement. The first gift that she ever gave Hamied was a postcard of Lenin, and for a time the couple were regulars at party meetings. (Later in life, Hamied had very strong reservations and concerns about Communism.) Hamied was a prominent member of Indian revolutionary circles in India.

Their parents were open-minded and welcoming, and the warmth with which Luba’s parents, Rubin and Paulina, greeted Hamied on his first visit to Wilno was matched by the welcome extended to Luba by Abdul Ali and Masud Jehan when she went to Aligarh. Their son, Yusuf, was born in Wilno during his parents’ last visit there before the Holocaust. A month after his birth, Yusuf’s parents took him back to Bombay.

Though Luba was not an observant Jew, her son Yusuf chose to memorialise her in the most active Indian synagogue. He heavily supported the reconstruction of the Shaar Hashamaim Synagogue in Thane.

Religious views In a speech to the Inter-Religious Seminar in Delhi on October 18, 1971, Mr K. A. Hamied said that the “study of religion is my special hobby” and that “the basic attributes of this mysterious power, by whatever name we call it, are the same in all religions”. He said that “an ideal man must be a good man by virtue of his actions in society (and) may belong to any religion so long as he follows the tenets of his religion”.

Page | 13 Mr Hamied always enthusiastically urged a partnership between Jews and Muslims. He loved to talk about Islamic Spain, where Jews and Muslims had joined to create a golden age, and once said that “if the Jews, with their wealth, knowledge and scientific skill, and the Arabs made a common cause, they would have a strong empire covering West Asia and the entire coast of South Mediterranean”.

He always emphasised that “the Arabs and the Israelis should see the necessity of getting out of this whirlpool of Russian and Western power politics” Handwritten marriage certifi- and “sit together at a round table conference away from Western powers cate issued by the then Imam to thrash out their differences and carve out a new future based on ancient Fazlul Karim Durrani friendship, alliance and mutual regard”.

Mr. K. Yusuf, grandson of late Mr. Khwaja Abdul Hamied with his wife and son at the Berlin Mosque on the eve of Eid al-Fitr 2017 The Holocaust The horrors of the Holocaust were to touch Hamied and Luba directly. In June 1941, Nazi troops occupied Wilno, and almost immediately began the extermination of the city’s Jews.

Luba’s siblings survived: her brother, Zorach, was working for Hamied in Bombay, and her Communist sisters had escaped to Moscow before the coming of the Germans.

However, the Nazis murdered her elderly parents who were unable to emigrate. Hamied tried to obtain visas so that his in-laws could come to India. The papers finally came through two weeks after the Derczyanskis were killed. Their son, Yusuf, was very moved when, in 2008, during a visit to his birthplace, Vilnius, he went to the Ponary Forest, where German units massacred up to 100,000 people, the great majority of them Jews.

The Cipla journey After several years in India, K. A. Hamied gained success as a business- man, and in 1935 he founded the Chemical, Industrial and Pharmaceutical Laboratories or Cipla. It has since become one of India’s most important pharmaceutical companies.

K. A. Hamied had written in The Times of India on December 1964 ,11 “that patent law should enforce ‘compulsory licensing’ to other manufacturers to prevent monopolistic predatory pricing.”

Mr K. Yusuf, grandson of late Khwaja Abdul Hamied wih his Later, Yusuf picked up this same battle in the case of the astronomical pricing wife and a child at the Berlin of AIDS medications by patent holders. By retro-engineering the first medi- Mosque on the eve of Eidul Fitr 2017 cation and antiretroviral cocktail effective against HIV and AIDS and selling them at a fraction of the price, he helped in saving millions of lives.

[Courtesy: Dr R. Jahangiri (USA). Blog Lahore Ahmadiyya.org; Times of India, 1992; Daily Dawn, January 27, 2016 (Kenneth X/Robin McLeod)]

14 | Page A group of students from Evangelic Grundschule School at the Imam of the Berlin Mosque participated in the 70 years’ celebra- Berlin Mosque tion of the AKR Foundation, Berlin

Dr Manzoor Ahmad Khalil from Ukrain giving Azan at the Imam of the Berlin Mosque attended a grand Iftar dinner for Mosque. He and his son helping the Imam representatives of various Muslim Organizations held in a church

A group of students from the Freie University at the Berlin Mosque Another group of students from the Freie University at the Berlin Mosque.

Page | 15 Students and teachers from Freie University at the Berlin Mosque. Students from Freie University, Berlin at the Mosque

A group of students from Evangelic Grundschule Primary School Imam of the Berlin Mosque attended Iftar dinner organized by at the Berlin Mosque. Arab Muslim Organizations

Students and a teacher from Evangelic Grundshule Primary School, Wilmersdorf, Berlin visited the Mosque

16 | Page One-day Workshop on Dementia at the Berlin Mosque

A group of teachers and students from a local High school at the A group of students and teachers from Evangelic Grundschule Berlin Mosque. Primary School, Wilmersdorf, Berlin at the Mosque

‘An Evening of Short Stories’ organized by the Bazm-i Students of the Freie University with the Imam at the Adab, Berlin Berlin Mosque

Page | 17 A group from Roman Catholic Academy at the Berlin Mosque. A grandmother with her granddaughter from Thuringer, Berlin to learn about Islam and Islamic culture

Teachers and students of Locknitz-Grundschule School.

Local media covering students of Locknitz-Grundschule School Imams from Germany and France staging a Peace Demonstration working on the project of building a wall of bricks with brief details against the terrorist activities in Germany of well-known personalities of Germany

18 | Page One-day workshop on Dementia at the Berlin Mosque

Eid-ul-Fitr lunch in the lawn of the Berlin Mosque 2017

Eid-ul-Fitr 2017

Page | 19 blessings of Allah be on him). LOVE also generates peace and happiness in the society. Follow the commandments of ALLAH and His Messenger, the Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD and earn an ever-lasting life here in this world and in the Hereafter.

May Allah bless you all.

Ahmad Nawaz, Hayward, California I have just finished reading the February 2013 issue of the HOPE Bulletin dedicated to the memory of the late Br. Akbar Abdullah. I must say that your team has worked very hard to collect facts about the life and contributions made by our late Br. Akbar. The formatting of the Bulletin and photographs have made it very impressive and visual. Br. Akbar deserved such a beautiful dedication.

Rbb televisionI wish takingto congratulate interview of youthe Imamfor making of the Berlinthe Bulletin Mosque moreThe than Imam just anda news Mr. Christianbulletin. Fessel, well-known photographer of Berlin at the Mosque The brief life history of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by our new sister in the fold of Islam, Christiane Backer, is very impressive and shows how his Perfect Example has inspired her thoughts and behaviour. I am sure her book “From MTV to Mecca” must be worth reading. Thanks for introducing the autobiography of a highly popular figure in the Western media, who, by her own study, has adopted Islam, and is facing challenges with firm faith and conviction.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The HOPE Bulletin E-mail address: [email protected]

ISLAM stands for: I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND

Photographs : Mr. Amir Aziz & Mr. Christian Fessel Design & Formatting : Erwan Hamdani, Jakarta, Indonesia

http://www.aaiil.org http://www.Lahore.ahmadiyya.org For Books on Islam and the Ahmadiyya Movement: Translations of the Holy Quran in Urdu, English, German, French, Russian, Indonesian, Dutch, Spanish and Turkish. Visit our websites.

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