The Light — U.K. edition November 2007 The Lahore Ahmadiyya monthly magazine from U.K. Contents: • Nearness to God and Prayer — • The name ‘Ahmadiyya’ and its necessity, Khutba, 12th October, by Zahid Aziz ............. 1 by Maulana Murtaza Khan.............................. 6 • Dr Mohammad Ahmad Hami, U.K. — • Berlin Mosque Open Day — A biographical note........................................... 3 Photographs of visitors..................................... 8 • More books on website — Valuable additions to www.aaiil.org ................ 5 Published from London by: Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore (U.K.) The first Islamic Mission in the U.K., established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission Darus Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, HA0 4JQ (U.K.) Centre: 020 8903 2689. President: 020 8524 8212. Secretary: 01753 692654. E-mail: [email protected] ♦ websites: www.aaiil.org/uk • www.virtualmosque.co.uk Assalamu alaikum: Our next meeting — Regular activities: Darus-i Quran and Hadith: Date: Sunday 4th November 2007 Every Friday at 2.30 p.m. Time: 3.00 p.m. Meetings of the Executive: Speakers: Mustaq Ali First Sunday of every month at 2.00 p.m. Topic: For the love of God Meeting of the Jama‘at: First Sunday of every month at 3.00 p.m. critics of Islam that the concept of God in Islam is Nearness to God and prayer that of a remote, stern and authoritarian figure, Khutba on Friday 12th October 2007, London, Whose orders come from a great distance on high, by Dr Zahid Aziz and these must be obeyed without developing any connection with Him. This verse plainly says that I quote the following verse of the Holy Quran God is near. Moreover it is expressed in the first which occurs in connection with fasting: person singular, using “I” rather than the plural “We” or the third person “He”. So Allah Himself “And when My servants ask you (O says to those human beings asking about Him: Prophet) concerning Me, surely I am near. I “surely I am near”. answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should hear My call Nearness to God is connected here with fasting and believe in Me that they may walk in the by Islam. This is because fasting is an effective aid right way.” — 2:186 to achieving this nearness. The act of fasting, and then persevering with it through the hardships that it An allegation against Islam is immediately entails, are matters confidential between an answered by this verse. It is considered by the 2 The Light — U.K. edition, November 2007 individual and God. There is no human agency that by responding to His call, developing true faith in can enforce the observance of the fast. Even the the heart and walking in the right way. Notice here “moral police” that exists in one or two Muslim that Allah is so Beneficent that He fulfils His side of countries cannot watch Muslims to ensure that they the agreement first, and then asks us to fulfil our do not secretly eat or drink at any time during the side. The way God has put it here is not to say: “if fast. You enforce it on yourself, believing that you you respond to My call then I will, perhaps, cannot cheat or deceive God. This creates the consider answering your prayer”! He says that He feeling in the heart that God is near. already answers our prayers, so we too should respond to His call, but this is not for His benefit, That feeling and realisation should be carried rather it is so that we may benefit by walking in the through to our daily lives and activities outside right way. fasting. Fasting is an aid to achieving nearness to God, but it does not have an effect automatically, Islam has disclosed a complete philosophy and without our conscious participation. We need to code that governs prayers and their acceptance. In make an effort to use it as an aid. It is just as in the modern times, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad case of prayer the physical postures of bowing and expounded this subject in great detail. Prayer is not prostrating are an aid to creating humility in the merely asking God to bestow upon you whatever heart. But they can only produce that effect if we you desire. It is certainly not to ask God to make consciously use them as an aid. Just adopting these you successful in some dubious or corrupt venture. physical postures, without trying to create a Yet, surprisingly, this is just what many people do corresponding feeling in our hearts, does not have in effect. Not that anyone says such a prayer in so the intended effect. many words, but we sometimes find people using the expression inshallah (if God wills or if God The verse I quoted goes on to refer to the pleases) in a ritual way even about an act of answering of prayers by God. Unfortunately, many cheating, lying or deception that they are intending people regard praying for some object as a way of to commit. They are not conscious of the meaning getting their desires fulfilled, regardless of whether of this expression which they are uttering merely in the desires are good or bad. All they want is to get a customary fashion. It is obvious that one cannot some material favour, and if they can get it by ask for God’s assistance in making one successful asking God they will pray for it. That is not prayer in some act that is prohibited by God. as taught by Islam. If we are really praying to God, with the Islam has taught us not only to pray to God but realisation that He is near us, the question which the chief objectives to pray for. Without that, no should dominate our minds is: how does the thing doubt everyone would simply pray for whatever we are asking God to grant us, fit into the kind of they considered were their over-riding needs. It is life He wants us to lead? If I pass this exam, if I get clear from Sura Fatiha that the main objective to this job, if my business is successful, etc., for which seek through prayer is guidance on to the right path. I am praying, how will I use my success to do In fact, the verse quoted above indicates the same in things that God approves of? If you pray with this in the words: “…that they may walk in the right way”. your mind, then even if you don’t achieve the Islam does allow us to pray for more mundane and immediate object you were praying for, you could material needs but the prayers it teaches us in this still achieve the real object of leading a more godly regard link the material gain that we seek with life than before. spiritual aims. A clear example of this is the well- known prayer: One of the basic rules of praying for some object is that we must also work hard to achieve the “Our Lord, grant us good in this world and same end. This means that if you are praying for it good in the Hereafter, and save us from the in the real sense, and not as a custom, then in your chastisement of the Fire.” — 2:201 efforts for it you will adopt only legitimate means By this prayer we ask for good in this world, but we and stop short of ways that are forbidden. remind ourselves in the same prayer that we must Moreover, even though you strive hard yourself, yet use that worldly good, when granted, to earn good if you are successful you will not attribute it to your for the hereafter. We must not let that material good own effort, skill and ingenuity but will regard it as a create within our hearts greed, envy and jealousy, gift from God, to be used for the purposes He has which burns inside us in this life and manifests approved. itself as fire in the hereafter. The code which governs prayer also shows us In the verse we are discussing, Allah says that that God sometimes tells His righteous servants, as He answers our prayers, we should reciprocate that is the prophets and the saints, not to pray for a The Light — U.K. edition, November 2007 3 certain object because God has made a decision in the matter and they must accept His decision and Dr. Mohammad Ahmad not pray to have it set aside. An example of this is Hami, M.Sc., Ph.D. (UK) the prayer of Noah for his son mentioned as follows in the Quran: A biographical note “And Noah cried to his Lord and said: My Lord, surely my son is of my family, and Your promise is true, and You are the most Just of the judges. He said: O Noah, he is not of your family; he is (an embodiment of) unrighteous conduct. So ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge. I admonish you lest you be one of the ignorant.” — 11:45–47 Praying for guidance of others Apart from praying for one’s own guidance as the chief object of prayer, a Muslim is required to pray for the guidance of others — those around him, those further afield, his community, all Muslims and the whole of humanity. The words of Sura Fatiha in the plural, “guide us on the right way”, themselves show that the person praying is praying not just for him or herself.