Contents July 2003, Vol.98, No.7 Editorial – Introducing the centenary of a noble man of great understanding who stood up for truth and made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan: Fazal Ahmad – UK . 2 Notes and Comment – Resiliance of children: Nature has endowed children with survivability but parents must address their spiritual needs as well. Fazal Ahmad – UK . 3 Martyrs of Afghanistan – Our lead article is an account of the life and times of Sahibzada Abdul Latif, his martyrdom a hundred years ago, and the prophecy made by the Promised Messiah(as): ‘the land of Afghanistan will see what consequences the shedding of his blood will entail: Muhammad Zafrulla Khan – UK) . 8 100 Years of Divine Retribution – The unfortunate land of Afghanistan contnues to pay a heavy price for the innocent lives lost there: Latif Ahmad Qureshi – UK).. 17 Efficacy of Repentance – Part 1 – When people forget God, God Almighty also becomes indifferent towards such people Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) . 21 QUESTION & ANSWER – Belief and Guidance – Is there room for a theocratic state; have more peopel been killed by religion?; why do we need prophets? Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(ru). 30 Europe’s Debt to the Islamic World – The renaissance of Europe arose form the legacy of Islam; the contribution of Baghdad. Zakaria Virk – Canada . 36 Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan: An Analysis Under International Law and International Relations: Continuing a detailed review of the background to the persecution of Ahmadis. Amjad Mahmood Khan – USA . 53 Chief Editor and Manager Chairman of the Management Board Mansoor Ahmed Shah Naseer Ahmad Qamar Basit Ahmad Special contributors: All correspondence should be forwarded directly to: Bockarie Tommy Kallon Amatul-Hadi Ahmad Farina Qureshi Daud Mahmood Khan The Editor The Review of Religions Fareed Ahmad Proof-reader: Fazal Ahmad. The London Mosque Shaukia Mir 16 Gressenhall Road Fauzia Bajwa London, SW18 5QL Mansoor Saqi Design and layout: United Kingdom Mahmood Hanif Tanveer Khokhar Mansoora Hyder-Muneeb © Islamic Publications, 2002 Publisher: ISSN No: 0034-6721 Navida Shahid Al Shirkatul Islamiyyah Sarah Waseem Saleem Ahmad Malik Distribution: Tanveer Khokhar Muhammad Hanif Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. 1 cerated, taken through a mock trial and then stoned to death, he Editorial never shirked from his mission to make the ultimate sacrifice for the July 2003 marks a century since sake of peace and love. Sahibzada Abdul Latif was martyred in Afghanistan for his Nowadays there are so many beliefs. myths about Jihad played out by the world’s media, and the view The brief account of his life of sacrifice is to take the lives of presented in this issue can barely others in a violent form for the do justice to the true spirit of sake of one’s faith. But this is sacrifice and martyrdom, and contrary not just to Islam but to all cannot be compared with pale true faiths. Abdul Latif’s sacrifice imitations that we see today. was as an individual standing up for truth and making the ultimate He was a man of great standing in sacrifice as a sign for others rather Afghanistan, respected by his than to hurt others. It was the type own people and by the British of inspirational account that we rulers. He was wealthy and could read in the case of Abraham(as) have lived a life of ease. However, when he was prepared to sacrifice when he was enthused by a his son for God. spiritual guide in the form of the P romised Messiah( a s ), he was Modern Afganistan is still going p re p a red to stand up for his through turmoil. Two years ago, beliefs. the same people destro y e d Buddhist statues, and have since He returned to his native land in been in conflict. May God give the sure knowledge that his belief them the wisdom to turn to the in the Promised Messiah(as), the truth, and may God be pleased true destiny of Jesus(as) and the with the soul of Sahibzada Latif. philosophy behind the Islamic Amen! teaching of Jihad would make him deeply unpopular in Afghanistan. Fazal Ahmad He knew that these ideas were better for his people and for his religion, and despite being incar- 2 The Review of Religions – June 2003 Notes & Comments Resilience of Children Even in our homes, we have seen Young children are dependent ch i l d r en do the most dangerou s upon their parents for their food, things. They fall down the stairs, security and development, and they push furniture on to yet, when faced with challenges, themselves, and yet, more often they have been blessed with than not, they get up, dust amazing resilience. themselves off and carry on playing. An adult in a similar In a recent tragedy, a plane was incident would have ended up taking off for Khartoum in an with broken bones and internal internal flight in Sudan. Soon bleeding. Children also seem after take-off, the plane m o re resilient emotionally experienced difficulties and t h rough marital breakups and crashed. All of the 116 passengers other issues. They suffe r , and yet, and crew on board were killed they find a way to cope. except for a solitary 2 year old child which survived, and God In contrast, when we look at Willing, is making a good adults and the elderly, we get recovery. stuck in our ways and find it hard to cope with change. We suffer In other natural disasters, we have emotionally and our bodies are seen that after terrible earthquakes less able to recover fro m in Japan, Algeria or Tur k e y , often traumatic events. the survivors pulled out of wr ecked buildings after a few days So what can we learn from this? ar e small children. They strug g l e d Parents spend a lot of time and sometimes for days without food e n e rgy trying to train and and water, and under extre m e develop children in their ability trauma, and yet somehow they to walk and talk, and in their found the mental strength and will ability to fit into modern life. to survive and rec o v e r . Parents worry about their child’s need to ride a bike, use a The Review of Religions – June 2003 3 Notes and Comments c o m p u t e r, play sports, make purpose of its creation beyond friends, learn well at school, get the need to eat and survive. good grades ..... and yet they also need to be given a strong spiritual Too often, this side is neglected, platform! and when the child has grown into an adult chasing a successful This is the one area which is often career, not caring about family, neglected. If a child is falling friends and community, then it is behind in its physical devel- already too late. opment, we worry straight away that it is too thin/ fat, too short, As we have seen several times, not walking properly, not talking children are resilient, and that is or reading early enough. There the time to give them guidance to are elaborate charts from which help them cope with the trials to compare the progress of a child that they will face in later life. against norms. These are all facets They need skills and attributes of a child that are visible both in the physical and spiritual externally. Also, when a child is domain to survive and thrive. A at school, we get pointers if the deficiency in either side upsets child is failing to keep up with its the balance. class. The child that cheated death on Is spiritual development as the flight in Sudan will no doubt important? It is the guidance that be pampered by its extended we provide in this area that helps family. God has given the child a the child to become balanced. It second chance. Let us hope that helps the child understand its its guardians give it the best role in society, responsibilities to possible development both its friends and family, neighbours physically and mentally, but also and the community in general. It spiritually to recover from this helps the child understand the ordeal and to live a fulfilled life. universe and creation, and Ameen. basically provides a framework in which it understands the goals Fazal Ahmad– UK of life. It sets a balance for the child in which it considers the 4 The Review of Religions – June 2003 Martyrs of Afghanistan By Muhammad Zafrulla Khan – UK A century ago in July 1903, Sahibzada Abdul Latif(as) became one of the most significant martyrs in the history of Ahmadiyyat. Just two years earlier, Maulvi Abdur Rahman(as) had become the first Ahmadi martyr. This is an account of the martyrdom of Sahibzada Abdul Latif(as) taken from the authors book ‘Ahmadiyyat - Renaissance of Islam’ published in 1978. Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latif was a Afghanistan and British India, descendant of the well-known which came to be known as the saint Hadhrat Sheikh Abul Hasan Durand Commission, after Sir Al Hajveri, who is generally Mortimer Durand who was the known as Data Ganj Bakhsh and senior British re p resentative on is buried in Lahore. Sahibzada the Commission. Abdul Latif's home was Sayyadgah in the Province of Sahibzada Abdul Latif had Khost in Afghanistan. He was a become aware fairly early of the very learned divine, a gre a t advent of the Pro m i s e d religious leader and a man of Me s s i a h (a s ) .