“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 January – March 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. 1 Ahmadiyyat – A Movement for Spreading and Defending Islam . .3 By Hazrat Ameer, Professor Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed Pasha Islam and Democracy . .7 By Fazeel S. Khan Ten Misrepresented Quotations from the Writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Clarified . .12 By Dr. Zahid Aziz Published on the World-Wide Web at: www.muslim.org ◆ Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore Inc., U.S.A. ◆ P.O. Box 3370, Dublin, Ohio 43016, U.S.A. 2 THE LIGHT ■ JANUARY – MARCH 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] • [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 object of the A.A.I.I.L. is to present the true, original message of Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. The Anjuman Islam to the whole world — Islam as it is found in the Holy Quran and the has run several Muslim missions around the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, obscured today by grave misconcep- world, including the first ever in Western tions 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. JANUARY – MARCH 2005 ■ THE LIGHT 3 Ahmadiyyat — him. There will, however, remain the need to remove any deviations that have occurred in the religion as a result of A Movement for Spreading misinterpretations or introduction of wrong traditions into and Defending Islam Islam, especially those that are against its basic concepts and teachings. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be on him, foretold this. By Hazrat Ameer, Professor Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed Pasha We believe that the person who was chosen by Allah to present to the world the true picture of Islam, to defend [On 24th September 2003, the Lahore Ahmadiyya it against the onslaught of propaganda, misrepresentations Convention in Indonesia commenced with a one-day and misinterpretations; to rouse it from slumber and spread International Symposium at Yogyakarta with the theme of it again as a living religion was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of ‘Islam and Civil Society’. This article is a transcript of the Qadian. He did not bring any new religion or a new sect in keynote speech, delivered by the Head of the Lahore Islam. This is apparent from the fact that Mirza Sahib did Ahmadiyya Movement, Hazrat Ameer, Professor Dr. Abdul not give his Movement any name for about twelve years Karim Saeed Pasha. This article defines ‘Ahmadiyyat, and after it was founded. However, by this time many people examines in more detail its two chief characteristics, that had started referring to his followers as “Mirzaees”. Since is ‘spreading’ and ‘defending’ Islam.] he had no desire to have any group of Muslims to be asso- And from among you there should be a party who ciated with his personal name, Hazrat Mirza Sahib issued invite to good and enjoin the right and forbid the an announcement giving his Movement the name wrong. And these are they who are successful. ‘Muslims of the Ahmadiyya Section’. The rationale for this name, he explained, was that ‘Ahmad’ was one of the And be not like those who became divided and dis- two names of the Holy Prophet (the other name being agreed after clear arguments and come to them. And Muhammad). The names ‘Ahmad’ and ‘Muhammad’ sym- for them is a grievous chastisement. (Holy Quran, bolised the inner and outward glory of Islam, respectively. 3:104-105) Therefore, it was appropriate that the Movement, which The three key words used in the title are Ahmadiyyat, believed that Islam’s mission in the present age was to defence and spreading. In my talk, I will give an introduc- show the beauty of its teachings by gentle preaching, tion of the Ahmadiyya Movement and highlight the role it should be given the name Ahmadiyya. Founding of a has played in defending and spreading Islam. Jama‘at [Movement] also fulfilled the requirement of the Quranic verses I recited at the beginning. Ahmadiyya The Origins of the Ahmadiyya Movement Movement are the party from among the Muslims who Right in the beginning, I would like to clarify that invite to good and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. Ahmadiyyat is neither a new religion nor a new sect in Distinguishing Characteristics Islam. It indeed is Islam in its purest and original form. As of the Ahmadiyya Movement its Founder (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian) writes and I quote: Ahmadiyyat is a spiritual movement that believes that spir- itual experiences are actual, objective realities and it stress- Our religion is the same Islam. It is not new. There es the necessity of man attaining nearness to God. Yet, it is are the same prayers, the same fasts, the same pil- also a rational movement, which applies the test of reason grimage and the same zakat. But the difference is in understanding belief, and does not accept blind faith nor that these duties are now performed in outward form accounts of miracles and supernatural occurrences when only, without any true spirit in them; we want to these are unsubstantiated and without purpose. infuse in them the spirit of sincerity. We want these duties to be performed in such a way and manner It is a liberal movement in the interpretation of Islamic that they are effective. (Talk on 12th July 1907, teachings and law, but it derives its liberal stance from the reproduced in Malfoozat,vol. 9, p. 312.) Holy Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Ahmadis firm- In this context, I would like to draw your attention to ly and totally adhere to the injunctions of the Quran and the fact that as Muslims and Ahmadis we firmly believe the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace and that Allah Almighty has sent prophets for the guidance of blessings of Allah be upon him.