The Light — U.K. edition July 2008 The Lahore Ahmadiyya monthly magazine from U.K. 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 6th July 2008 Every Friday after Jumu‘a prayers. Time: 3.00 p.m. Meetings of the Executive: Speaker: Shahid Aziz First Sunday of every month at 2.00 p.m. Topic: Modern Technology Meeting of the Jama‘at: First Sunday of every month at 3.00 p.m. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Contents: Ahmad as Defender of Islam • Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as Defender of Islam — Speech by Zahid Aziz ...........................1 Speech at Darus Salaam, Lahore, • Khilafat resources list — contradicts own beliefs 6 Saturday 24th May 2008 • False statement by a Maulana of South Africa .... 7 by Dr Zahid Aziz • Photographs from the Convention ....................... 8 [Editor’s Note: The article below represents the speech which I delivered in Urdu at the Convention in Lahore, Before coming to the topic of my speech, I Pakistan, at the Centre of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Move- thank Almighty Allah that He has enabled us to ment, held on 24–26th May 2008 to commemorate the see this occasion, and gather upon it, where we are hundredth anniversary of the death of the Founder of commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death the Ahmadiyya Movement. It is not a word-by-word of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. We must also translation, and it also contains some extra matter that was omitted in the delivered speech.] express our gratitude for all those people, many of whom are no longer on this earth, who through “Surely We have revealed the Reminder their sacrifices and hard labour enabled this Move- and surely We are its Guardian.” — The ment to continue in existence for a 100 years after Holy Quran, 15:9 its Founder’s death. What particularly moves me to express this The subject that has been assigned to me by the thankfulness is that our Movement has reached this organisers of this convention is: “Hazrat Mirza point after passing through many calamitous Ghulam Ahmad as a Defender of Islam”. Hence I storms and crises which threatened to destroy it. In have recited this verse. the lifetimes of many people present here, the 2 The Light — U.K. edition, July 2008 events in Pakistan of the summer of 1974 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad strongly took occurred, which placed the very existence of our the view that to establish the truth of Islam it is Movement in doubt, particularly within this essential and vital to refute and reply to all country. Those friends can still be found who then objections against it. He writes: sincerely feared for the survival of this Movement, “It is undoubtedly true that Europe and those enemies can still be found who hoped that America have been given a huge collection this was the end of us, and those former members of objections against Islam by Christian also still exist who deserted this Movement to save clerics, and their philosophy and sciences themselves from drowning with this ship. But raise a separate kind of objections. I have thanks to Allah, and due to the struggle against all found that the modern age has produced odds of some devoted senior members, the ship about three thousand hostile criticisms pre- was saved and continues to sail in rough sented as objections against Islam. Were it conditions. not for the bad consequences of the When I pondered over the topic assigned to negligence of Muslims, the existence of me, ‘Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a Defender these objections poses no threat to Islam. of Islam’, I began to consider whether under this In fact, it was necessary that they should heading I could correctly convey the services come into existence so that Islam should rendered by him. This is because his mission was be seen shining with truth from every to make Islam triumphant, by arguments and aspect.” —Izala Auham, p. 772 writings, but ‘defending’ seems to be a negative It is a fact, which we have ourselves activity. Then there is also the saying that “attack experienced, that whenever some allegation is is the best form of defence”. Thinking about this, I made against Islam or its Holy Prophet (or against reached the conclusion that defence of Islam is, in the Ahmadiyya Movement or its Founder), and we fact, the way to make it triumphant. Regarding this carry out study and research in order to reply to it, saying, it may well apply in the business of the then not only do we discover a powerful reply to world, where by attacking you can best defend the allegation but we also learn some new and yourself, but in the field of religion attacking inspiring point which further proves the truth of another religion does not establish the truth of your the man or the system that we are defending. That own faith. Thus I leave this saying to the domain is a sure characteristic of the cause of truth. If a of army generals, of whom there are numerous in man is accused of some charge in court, then at this country, both serving and retired! most what may be established in his favour is that I first raise the question: Is the defence of he is not guilty of it and the charge is false. Islam at all important? You may be surprised to However, clearing him of the charge will not know that traditionally Islamic religious leaders further show that he is of impeccable character. have held that there is no need to respond to However, in case of a true cause or a man of truth, objections against Islam and it is not the duty of a answering accusations against them shows them Muslim to do so. According to them, as Islam is not only to be innocent of the charges but it also the true religion, it means that any criticism of it further reveals some new aspect of their greatness. must be false and need not be entertained. An Hazrat Mirza sahib has not only replied to American expert in Islam, Dr Freeland Abbott, in specific allegations against Islam and the Holy his book entitled Islam and Pakistan, published Prophet Muhammad but has also discussed the some forty years ago, compares the approach of philosophy of why such allegations arise and how the orthodox Muslim religious leader Maulana we ought to respond. In this connection I draw Maudoodi with that of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam your attention to a memorial he addressed to the Ahmad, and writes that while Mirza Ghulam Governor of the Punjab, the state in India in which Ahmad is anxious to prove the truth of Islam, he lived, in the year 1898. A Christian had written Maulana Maudoodi simply assumes it. a highly scurrilous book against the Holy Prophet, This is why we find that the usual response by entitled Ummahat-ul-Mu’minin, or ‘Mothers of the Muslims to any criticism of Islam or the Holy Believers’. A Muslim association, the Anjuman Prophet Muhammad is only to make some Himayat-i Islam of Lahore, appealed to the state protests, hold demonstrations, declare that the government for this book to be banned. Hazrat criticism is due to a conspiracy by anti-Islamic Mirza sahib in his memorial, dated 4th May 1898, forces, and even to threaten violence against the responded to the standpoint of this association and critics. opposed it. We quote some extracts from it below: The Light — U.K. edition, July 2008 3 “It is true that the author of Ummahat-ul- publish a refutation of it since it would be entirely Mu’minin has used deeply offensive lan- unreasonable and inappropriate to refer to the guage, and it is to be regretted even more contents of this book in the reply, as the book that despite these strong and foul words he would have been banned! Without a reply to the could not substantiate his allegations by book, the world will think that all that the Muslims referring to any reliable sources of Islam. could do was to get the book proscribed and “this Nonetheless, we must not, instead of causes even more damage to our religious honour explaining to this mistaken person in a than the opponent has tried to do by his abusive polite and calm way and replying to this writing” (p. 42). book in a rational way, adopt the method As to dealing with our offended feelings, he of persuading the government to stop its writes: publication, and believe that this would give us victory. This would not be a real “We assure the government that we hold victory. In fact, to run after such ways and fast to patience with a painful heart in the means would be an indication of our face of the abusive and harsh words used defeat and helplessness, and we would be by the author of Ummahat-ul-Mu’minin. guilty in a sense of using force to suppress We certainly do not wish to subject the someone’s voice. author and his associates to any legal penalty. Such a response is not worthy of Even if the government had this book those who claim to be well-wishers of burnt or destroyed, or took similar action, humanity and to be zealous to bring about we would forever be liable to the charge real reform.” (p.