Oct 2007.qxd 20/11/07 14:15 Page 1 MANAGEMENT BOARD October 2007, Vol.102, No.10 Mr Munir-ud-din Shams (Chairman) CONTENTS Mr Mansoor Shah (Secretary) Mr Naseer Ahmad Qamar EDITORIAL Mr Mubarak Ahmad Zafar Mr Mirza Fakhar Ahmad Introduction to The Review of Religions Mr. Abdul Baqi Arshad special editions on Khilafat. By Mansoor Shah – UK. ..................................... 2 CHIEF EDITOR AND MANAGER Mansoor Ahmed Shah ESSENCE OF ISLAM – Part 24 EDITORIAL BOARD What is Revelation? Basit Ahmad Bockarie Tommy Kallon A fascinating insight into Revelation by one Fareed Ahmad. who has experienced it first hand. Fazal Ahmad Fauzia Bajwa Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) ...................... 3 Mansoor Saqi Mahmood Hanif Mansoora Hyder-Hanif KHILAFAT IN ISLAM Navida Shahid Sarah Waseem Our curtain raiser review of the concept of Saleem Ahmad Malik Khilafat as presented in Islam. A Khalifa is a Tanveer Khokhar Vicegerent and is appointed by God. Can Khilafat SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS be perpetuated by a corporate entity? What is the Amatul Hadi Ahmad difference between prophethood and Khilafat, Farina Qureshi Successors of the Holy Prophet(saw) and the PROOFREADERS Promised Messiah(as)? Abdul Ghany Jahangeer Khan Shaukia Mir Fareed Ahmad – UK ........................................... 17 DESIGN AND LAYOUT Tanveer Khokhar PUBLISHER Al Shirakatul Islamiyyah DISTRIBUTION Muhammad Hanif All correspondence should be forwarded to the editor at: The Review of Religions The London Mosque 16 Gressenhall Road London, SW18 5QL United Kingdom Email: [email protected] © Islamic Publications, 2007 ISSN No: 0034-6721 Cover photo: Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Qadian. Muslim Community Oct 2007.qxd 20/11/07 14:15 Page 2 EDITORIAL Commencing with this issue, The another. We never punish until We Review of Religions is publishing a have sent a Messenger. series of monthly special editions (Ch.17:V.16) leading up to our expanded edition in May 2008, the first centenary of the ...And as for those who disbelieve, establishment of the institution of disaster shall not cease to befall Khilafat in the Ahmadiyya Muslim them for what they have wrought community. The centenary itself, like or to alight near their home, until all other centenaries commemorated the promise of Allah comes to by the community, is not a time of pass. Surely, Allah fails not in His pomp or merriment but one of sincere promise. (Ch.13:V.32) thanksgiving that this bounty promised to the true believers of God A sign of the latter days is that man has taken root and continues to would have forgotten his Creator and flourish. would have steeped to bestiality in his cruelty. Past Prophets have foretold Ever since the creation of man, it has that there would be many disasters in been the way of God that He has sent this age, no doubt a reflection of Prophets who have served as spiritual punishment man is receiving due to teachers for the guidance of those his spiritual malaise. The above verse whom the Prophet addressed. Some however makes clear that God’s people follow this guidance and do punishment is preceded by the good works and others disbelieve and appearance of His Prophet, so has continue in their evil ways. When God kept His promise and sent a such cruelties exceed all limits, God’s Reformer and a Warner that the world punishment descends upon them, as is so desperately needs? set out in the Holy Qur’an: The Promised Reformer and Warner He who follows the right way has certainly appeared. His name is follows it only for the good of his Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), own soul; and he who goes Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim astray, goes astray only to his community. He advent was also own loss. And no bearer of accompanied by the glad tiding that burden shall bear the burden of he would be followed by a Khilafat – 2 The Review of Religions – October 2007 Oct 2007.qxd 20/11/07 14:15 Page 3 EDITORIAL the Second Manifestation of Divine success of His Prophets. Once a glory contained in the verse in the Prophet has passed away, the bright Holy Qur’an revealed in Madinah: light of his teaching is enveloped by darkness. His opponents think that Allah has promised to those this is the end of his chapter. In this among you [the followers of vacuum, the Prophet’s followers are Muhammad(saw)] who believe and immersed in fear, but God manifests do good works that He will surely His glory once again. A bright moon make them Successors in the appears that comforts the believers. earth, as He made Successors The works undertaken by the Prophet from among those who were are thus completed by his Successors before them; and that He will or Khalifasi who follow him as surely establish for them their evidenced by the Khilafat Rashidah, religion which He has chosen for the Rightly-Guided Khalifas who them; and that He will surely give appeared after Prophet them in exchange security and Muhammad(saw). peace after their fear. They will worship Me, and they will not As mentioned earlier there is no time associate anything with Me. Then limit for Khilafat in Islam and it whoso is ungrateful after that, would be a great folly to say that this they will be the rebellious. bounty was only limited to a period of (Ch.24:V.56) thirty years after the demise of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw). Many If a person reflects upon the above verses of the Holy Qur’an and verse, then he will realise that God Traditions give Muslims the glad Almighty has clearly promised tiding of a permanent Khilafat. Islam Muslims a permanent succession, is not a dead religion whose blessings since the verse does not restrict itself are confined to the past. Its blessings to any particular time period. The only continue. The Mosaic dispensation, requirement for them is to believe and that was sent to guide the Israelites, do good works, i.e. accept His Prophet had this blessing for hundreds of and following his guidance. years so it would have been illogical if the followers of Prophet The institution of Khilafat also Muhammad(saw), a Messenger who reminds us that man is mortal, but such was sent as a mercy unto all mankind, limitations have no bearing on God’s should have been deprived of this design that ensures the continued blessing after a mere thirty years. The Review of Religions – October 2007 3 Oct 2007.qxd 20/11/07 14:15 Page 4 EDITORIAL Khilafat is a kingpin of Islamic unity readers will find these editions highly and the driving force of a discipline informative. By way of a foretaste based on absolute obedience and read our lead article in this edition loyalty that alone can bring about the that focuses on the concept of true progress of Islam. There are Khilafat in Islam. many in the Muslim world, like the Hizb-ut-Tahrir, who have tried to Mansoor Shah revive Khilafat but their attempts have failed because they are trying to put the cart before the horse. Like i. The Arabic word for a Successor or many before them, they believe that Vicegerent is Khalifa. The plural is God spoke before but does not reveal Khulafa, but in these editions we have permitted the use of the word Himself anymore. But once you Khalifas. Another meaning of Khalifa deprive yourself this bounty, you do is a great King. A third meaning is not merit any other and you certainly that Imam above whom there is no do not merit Khilafat, as that is an other Imam. According to Aqrab Al- office that provides a living example Muwarid, one meaning of Al-Khilafa of communion with the Divine. It is (the office held by the Khalifa) is Al- also a holy manifestation that is Amara (government or rule); or An- established only by a Prophet of God Niyaba, meaning to undertake a task and not by man. It is therefore being performed by someone who is impossible for this to be revived by not present then or who has died and his work needs to be continued as his human effort alone – it necessitates deputy or vicegerent or successor. We Divine help and Divine converse. have used the word Khilafat in lieu of The perpetuity of this divine bounty the slightly less well-known Arabic was re-established, as prophesied by word Khilafa sometimes spelt as the Holy Prophet(saw), by the Promised Khilafah for the institution or the Messiah(as) who is the prophet of the office held by the Khalifa; we have latter days and was tasked with refrained from the anglicised use of Islam’s revival. the word Caliph unless part of a quotation. Our special issues in this and the next few months will focus on the life, tenure and principal achievements of those who succeeded the Holy Prophet(saw) and the Promised Messiah(as). We are confident that our 4 The Review of Religions – October 2007 Oct 2007.qxd 20/11/07 14:15 Page 5 ESSENCE OF ISLAM: Part 24 – What is Revelation? This series sets out, in the words of the Promised Messiah(as), Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a summary of his exposition of four outstanding topics: ISLAM; ALLAH, THE EXALTED; THE HOLY PROPHET(saw) and THE HOLY QUR’AN. The original compilation, in Urdu, from which these extracts have been translated into English, was collated with great care and diligence by Syed Daud Ahmad Sahib, Allah have mercy on him and reward him graciously for his great labour of love.