Contents March 2002, Vol.97, No - Review of Religions€¦ · Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian...

Special contributors:Amatul-Hadi AhmadFarina Qureshi

Proof-reader:Shaukia Mir

Design and layout:Tanveer Khokhar

Publisher:Al Shirkatul Islamiyyah

Distribution:Muhammad Hanif

Mansoor Ahmed Shah

Basit Ahmad.

Bockarie Tommy Kallon

Daud Mahmood Khan

Fareed Ahmad

Fazal Ahmad

Fauzia Bajwa

Mansoor Saqi

Mahmood Hanif

Mansoora Hyder-Muneeb

Navida Shahid

Sarah Waseem

Saleem Ahmad Malik

Tanveer Khokhar

Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

All correspondence shouldbe forwarded directly to:

The EditorReview of Religions

The London Mosque16 Gressenhall RoadLondon, SW18 5QL

United Kingdom

© Islamic Publications, 2002ISSN No: 0034-6721

Editorial – An invitation to study the claims of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad – the Promised Messiah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Comments – Acceptance of the Promised Messiah(as) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The future of Life on Earth – Our feature length article looks at the remarkable way Holy Qur’an deals with the scenario of continuous evolution on earth, resulting in the creation of a species belonging to an order higher than man: Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Assessment of Belief (prt IV) – The time appointed for the advent of the Mahdi has arrived.Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Ahmadiyat – A brief introduction to Ahmadiyat: By Bilal Atkinson – UK . . . . . . . . . 24

QUESTION & ANSWER: Belief in the Hereafter – Some issues concerning heavenand hell, life after death and re-incarnation are answered.Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad¡. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Fasting in Religions – A brief look and comparison at the religious aspects concerning fasting of the major religions. By Dr. Abid Ahmad – UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Islam for the Modern Woman – A brief look at how Islam have always provided rights forwomen long before western cultures introduced them. By Mrs Mansoora Hyder-Muneeb – UK. 42

Are the mountains Moving like the Clouds? – Mountains may appear to be finally fixed but their motion is similar to the movement of the clouds. A fresh look at the verses of the Holy Qur’an and their current scientific interpretation. By Dr.Mian M Abbas – USA. . . . 50

Contents March 2002, Vol.97, No.3

1

Chief Editor and Manager Chairman of the Management BoardNaseer Ahmad Qamar

113 years ago, on 23 March1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslimcommunity commenced itsnascent development at thehands of its Founder, HadhratMirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian(1835-1908). He claimed that hehad been commissioned by GodAlmighty as the Pr o m i s e dMessiah and the Promised WorldReformer awaited by followersof all revealed religions of theworld.

The truth of his claim was to befound in the method prescribedfrom time immemorial and inthe words of the Founder of theworldwide Ahmadiyya Muslimcommunity as follows:

‘If you doubt my claims andwish to know the truth, thenit is very easy to remove anydoubts because the truth ofa prophet might be known inthree ways:

First, through reason i.e.when a Prophet or Messengerclaims to have come,

consider whether reasonaffirms that a Prophet orReformer should appear atthat time and whether or notthe condition of mankinddemands a Reformer.

Second, prophecies ofprevious Prophets i.e. weshould see whether or notany of the past Prophets hadprophesied concerning hisappearance or concerningthe appearance of someProphet at the time of hisadvent.

Third, Divine help andheavenly support i.e. itshould be considered whe-ther or not the claimant isaccompanied by heavenlysupport.

These three conditions havebeen laid down from ancienttimes for discerning thetruth of the claims of onecommissioned by God. Godhas had mercy upon you andhas established all threeconditions in my support andit is up to you to accept meor not. If you want to testfrom the point of view ofreason, then reason is most

2 Review of Religions – March 2002

Editorial

certainly pointing out thatMuslims stand in need of aReformer from on high. Thestate of affairs within andwithout are both dangerous.It is as if the Muslims standon the precipice of a cliff orare caught up in an eddy. Ifyou search past prophecies,Prophet Daniel, peace beupon him, has prophesiedconcerning me and this ageand the Holy Prophet, peaceand blessings of Allah beupon him has also said thatthe Promised Messiah wouldappear from amongst hisfollowers. If somebody doesnot know this, he can studythe Sahih Bukhari or SahihMuslim and see the prophecyabout the appearance of aReformer at the beginning ofeach century. If you want tosearch for divine help withregards to me, thenremember that thousands ofsigns have manifestedthemselves in support of myclaims.

Amongst those signs is theone written in the BarahiniAhmadiyya 24 years ago andwas written when not asingle person had any con-

nection with me by havingpledged allegiance to me nordid anyone undertake anyjourney to meet me. Thatsign is that Allah says thatthe time is coming whenfinancial help would cometowards me from alldirections and thousands ofpeople will flock to me. TheHe adds that people wouldcome in such multitudes thatyou would be amazed bytheir numbers, so be notunkind to them nor tire inmeeting them.’ (Lecture Sialkot, pp 50,51;Roohani Khazain Vo l . 2 0pp.241,242)

There are millions of peoplewho join this growingcommunity of true believerseach year and one of thearticles in this edition providesa brief introduction to thisdynamic movement. We areprivileged that Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmad also initiatedthis magazine, in its centenaryyear of publication. We inviteeveryone to study his claims.

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Editorial

Review of Religions – March 2002


Opposition of the non-AhmadiMuslim to the AhmaddiyyaCommunity has grown intenselyover the last hundred years.H o w e v e r, the greater has beenthe hostility, the greater has beenthe progress of the AhmadiyyaC o m m u n i t y. The correlationbetween the advancement of theAhmadiyya Community and theopposition shown to it by itsopponents has been so consistentand apparent that we wonder whyit has not been registered bythose who oppose it.

M o r e o v e r, the past hundred yearshas also witnessed the decline ofthe power of Muslim States. Atthe time of the Promised Messiah,that is the during the latter partof the nineteenth and beginningof the twentieth centuries, theOttoman Empire was still inexistence, though showing signsof degeneration in the sphere ofits social and moral values.

N o w, the past glory of the Islamic

empires has become nothing butthe stuff of memories for theMuslims. Their empires havecrumbled, having become subjectnations of Western Imperialismand the subsequent independencehas been assured only with thesupport and complicity of theWestern powers, who havemaintained their political andmilitary hold over thesecountries. None dare to opposethem. Those who do are quicklycut down.

The plight of the Muslims is sad tosee. Currently, although we feelfor the anguish of the Pa l e s t i n i a n sand the injustices they continueto endure, we cannot condonethe un-Islamic response to suchinjustice. Palestinians havereached such a point ofdesperation that even Pa l e s t i n i a nwomen are prepared to blowthemselves up in support of theircause in order to avenge in somesmall way the tyranny of theirrulers, as has been witnessed only

Notes & Comments ACCEPTANCE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS)

by Basit Ahmed – UK

5Review of Religions – March 2002

r e c e n t l y. However, in the processit is the lives of innocent men,women and children that arebeing threatened. Such acts ofdesperation lead only to evergreater suffering for otherinnocent Palestinians, since theIsraeli government will alwaystake its revenge, ‘ten eyes forone eye and ten teeth for onet o o t h ’ .

It is regrettable and sad thatMuslims who are the followers ofsuch a great Prophet, the HolyProphet Muhammad( s a ) of Islam,that they seem unable to findsupport and sustenance from thegreat teachings and advice of theHoly Founder of Islam. Incircumstances such as theirs,where they are without power toresist tyranny with force, theywould do well to turn to God andseek justice from Him and Himalone—instead of reacting toinjustice with injustice. The HolyProphet of Islam( s a ) advised therulers to be wary of the prayer ofthe wronged and the oppressor tobe mindful of the All-Seeing GodAlmighty who helps and supportsthose who turn to Him. It was Hewho released the Jews from theclutches of the great Pharaoh andit was the Almighty God who gavethe early Muslims victory over

their powerful oppressors.Re m e m b e r, also the fire that waslit for the Prophet Abraham( a s ) a n dput out by the hand of God. Thecondition is only that thesuffering people should obey thecommands of God.

Thus it is that Muslims will find itwell nigh impossible to regaintheir lost power and glory unlessthey begin to obey the commandsof God as prescribed in the HolyQ u r’an and made clear by theHoly Prophet Muhammad ofI s l a m( s a ). Consequently, theprophecy of the Holy Pr o p h e t( s a )

regarding the appearance at thehead of the fourteenth centuryHijri of the Promised Mesiah andMahdi needs to be given due careand attention. Until they acceptand follow such an Imampromised to the Muslim Umma byGod and His Prophet, for Muslimsthere can be no hope.

It is such an Imam, who in theguise of Hadhrat Mirza GhulamA h m a d( a s ) of Qadian, has claimedto be the Reformer of this age. Itis he who claims to be the ImamMahdi and the Promised Messiahfor the Muslims. He makes such aclaim based on revelation andsupports his claim with nothingother than the Holy Qur’an and

Notes & Comments


the Ahadith. The numerous pro-phecies made by Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmad( a s ) of Qadian thathave come true can only providestrength to the believers. Theyalso provide good reason tobelieve that the many otherprophesies made by him for thefuture would also be fulfilled. Forthe one who doubts his truth, thefulfilment of his very numerousprophecies should provide amplegrounds to accept the truth of hisclaim to be the Promised Messiahand Mahdi.

The Promised Messiah( a s ) was onceasked by a non-Ahmadi Muslim:

‘What will be the fate of theMuslims living in Arabia, Syria,Egypt and India, who are opposedto Mirza Sahib— will they everprogress in the world or wouldthey be destroyed?’

The Promised Messiah( a s ) r e p l i e dthat [as stated in the Ahadith] atthe time of the Messiah only thosewill be saved who follow thePromised Messiah. Those whoreject and oppose him will slowlybe wiped out. The remaining fewwill suffer disgrace like the Jews[who rejected their Messiah]. TheMuslims who reject the Pr o m i s e dMessiah will lose their Empires

and Islam will spread swiftly inthe West. It will be the peoplewho accept the Promised Messiahand become true Muslims, be theyof the West or of the existingMuslim nations, who will rule overEgypt, Syria and India. ThenPromised Messiah( a s ) f u r t h e rstated that this work is beingdone by God and it has beendecided in the heavens that theCommunity of the Pr o m i s e dMessiah will spread and no onecan halt its progress.‘Unfortunate are those who havestayed away from our Jama’at.Within three hundred years it willcome to pass that the AhmadiMuslims will replace [the nationsof] non-Ahmadi Muslims and theremaining non-Ahmadi Muslimswill be of no consequence’,(being so small in number) .

Notes & Comments


Does man represent the final stage of development or will there beanother creation after man? Is there any possibility of a new speciesevolving from Homo sapiens with improved or added senses, that isable to perceive new dimensions, with the capacity to develop a higherintelligence? Again, could it be possible for that new species to appearin a completely different form and shape with an entirely new lifepattern? To the best of our knowledge, these questions have not beenexamined as such by any religion other than Islam.

For the philosophers or scholars of previous ages, this was entirelybeyond the scope of their intellect. Even modern science can onlydiscuss this issue in a vague way. No serious methodology within ascholastic framework has been developed to examine these possibilities.

It is an amazing distinction of the Holy Qur’an that it raises and resolvessuch questions and predicts such possibilities. The issue of life afterdeath is different, discussed traditionally by almost all major religions.None, however, has even hypothetically examined the possibility ofother forms of life here on earth evolving before or after Doomsday.

Having said that, we beg to remind the reader that although otherscriptures also share the description of Doomsday, the Qur’anicterminology is much wider and varied in its application. There aremany prophecies in the Qur’an regarding some epoch-making futureevents like great revolutions and upheavals. All these are referred toby the same term Al-Qiyamah or its synonym Al-sa’ah. All the same,

The Future of Life on Earth

This is an extract taken from the bookRevelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Tr u t h,written by Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad.


these terms also cover that which is commonly understood by theexpression ‘Doomsday’ which indicates the coming to an end of theentire mankind. It is this meaning which is shared by the otherscriptures when they speak of Doomsday.

But although the term ‘Doomsday’ is generally interpreted by theadherents of these religions to be the be-all and end-all of theuniverse, the Holy Qur’an does not employ the term entirely in thesame sense. The earth according to it, is a small part of the vastuniverse. A great upheaval of gigantic global dimension can create vastdestruction, wiping out all life from the face of the earth. Yet, it doesnot imply that the entire earth itself will be completely annihilated norcan it result in the total annihilation of the entire universe.

Before proceeding further, let us give an outline of what is to come inthis chapter in relation to the future of man here on earth, orelsewhere in the other worldly existence, according to the Qur’anicteachings. There are some verses which speak of events to take placein this world, beyond the occurrence of Doomsday. These mention thechanging of man’s form into something different after death as he israised into a new life. Then there are verses distinctly apart from themwhich speak of a future beyond Doomsday, but not in the Hereafter.They clearly present the scenario of continuous evolution here onearth, resulting in the creation of a species belonging to an orderhigher than man. This latter concept is not to be confused with, orlinked to the former, i.e. resurrection after death.

Let us begin with the study of the verses relating to the Hereafter, otherthan those which discuss the possibility of a completely new form ofintellectual life here on earth. Addressing those who are sceptical of theidea of life after death, the Qur’an reminds them that they should bemore sceptical of their own existence here on earth than their life afterdeath. One thing which they most certainly know is that they came fromnowhere. It was non-existence which preceded them. Having beencreated from nothing, why should they doubt that they may be createdagain from something which they now are. The proposition of their beingre-born out of what they are today, is evidently far more logical than the


9



proposition of their materializing out of nothing. This is the import ofmany verses of the Qur’an on the subject of man’s scepticism regardinglife after death, but it is merely like the opening of a door for furtherinvestigation. In itself, it is never meant to be an argument to prove theexistence of life in the hereafter: it is only meant to disprove thejustification of scepticism. The Qur’an further reminds man that thehigh level of consciousness which he has gained should have been asource of light for him rather than that of darkness. His awareness of hissurroundings and what lies beyond should have convinced him of theexistence of his Creator to whom he raises his head in defiance instead.Yet if he believes in Him his denial of the hereafter could have sprungmerely from his amazement – it is far too wonderful to be true. In realityh o w e v e r, his first creation is far more amazing and unbelievable than hissecond creation.

Turning to a deductive argument, the Qur’an first lays its foundationby declaring that no direct witnessing of the hereafter is possible forhumans on earth. Beyond the end of his life, from man’s vantage point,nothing can be seen but utter void and emptiness. Look at the wisdomof man: he believes himself to be born out of this total void and doesnot raise an eyebrow in incredulity. Yet, when he is told that he willrise again after death, he refuses to accept this suggestion asabsolutely absurd and senseless. The comparison is so powerful that itdoes not require a great philosopher to comprehend the strength ofthis argument.

No better witness therefore, than man himself, can be brought totestify against his own denial. The Holy Qur’an in dealing with thissubject first builds precisely and accurately, the viewpoints of thedisbelievers in the clearest terms, then it turns to their rebuttal. Thefollowing are some of the relevant verses:

And they say, 'There is nothing but this our present life; we



die and we live here; and nothing but time destroys us.' Butthey have no knowledge of that; they do but conjecture.1

(Ch.45:v.25)

Does he promise you that when you are dead and havebecome dust and bones, you will be brought forth again?Far, far from truth is that which you are promised.There is no life other than our present life; we were lifelessand now we live, but we shall not be raised up again. 2

(Ch.23:vs.36-38)

And says man, ‘What! When I am dead, shall I be broughtforth alive?’3

(Ch.19:v.67)

And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that Allah willnot raise up those who die. Nay, He will certainly raise themup a promise He has made binding on Himself, but mostpeople know not.He will raise them up that He may make clear to them thatwherein they differed, and that those who disbelieved mayknow that they were liars.4

(Ch.16:vs.39-40)

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And he coins similitudes for Us and forgets his own creation.He says, 'Who can quicken the bones when they are decayed?5

(Ch.36:v.79)

Have We then become weary with the first creation? Nay, butthey are in confusion about the new creation.6

(Ch.50: v.16)

And they were wont to say, 'What! when we are dead andhave become dust and bones, shall we indeed be raisedagain, 'And our fathers of yore too?’7

(Ch.56:vs.48-49)

We ordained death for you and We shall not be prevented.From changing your forms altogether and raise youunto something of which you have no knowledge.And you have certainly leamt as to how you wereraised during your first creation, why then do younot contemplate?8

(Ch.56:61-63)



Thus the Qur’an facilitates for man his belief in the hereafter, but thatis not all the argument there is to it:

Your creation and your resurrection are only like the creationand resurrection of a single self. Verily Allah is All-Hearing,All-Seeing.9

(Ch.31:v.29)

This is the verse which builds the subject further and opens up a newvista for man’s understanding of the life after death.

The phenomenon of resurrection is related to the phenomenon of thebirth of each individual. If one visualizes the initial embryonic stage ofthe fusion of the sperm with the ovum and tries to conceive from thatvantage point the end product — the birth of a fully developed child,it would seem impossible to believe that it would happen. Imagine thegigantic transformation from that insignificant fertilized egg into thelive and kicking wonder of a baby, delivered at the end of nine months.A viewer who has not witnessed this transformation repeatedly couldnot at all imagine it to have happened just by looking at the first fewstages of fused embryonic cells. Life after death is likened to thisamazing process — a transformation from almost nothing to a highlydeveloped and organized form of life.

The difference between the origin of man as a mere bio-unit to whathe has become, is a fantastic transformation. It is impossible for therudimentary life forms to envision the future of evolution culminatingin man, even if granted the sense to do so. Their awareness of whatthey are is so insignificant, that it is extremely difficult for humans torefer to it as awareness. This is a profound statement, so short yet sofar-reaching, covering the entire span of evolution from end to end.The message given here is that between you as you exist now, and youat the time of resurrection, the difference will be as vast as thedifference between the origin of life on earth and you in your presentform. The transformation will be colossal. It is impossible for you to

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comprehend the nature of what you may be raised into after death.Yet, you can in no way escape the inevitable conclusion that your firstcreation is far more unbelievable than the second one that you reject.Perhaps it will take a billion years or so for the resurrected soul toreach its final perfected form of spiritual evolution. We draw thisinference because the resurrection is likened unto the first phase ofhuman creation from nothingness. We know now that it took at leastone billion years, if not more, for man to evolve from his first ancestralelementary form of life. Hence, if this phase of his creation is similarto the second phase of his resurrection, it is not unlikely that thesimilarity may also cover the span of time between the first and thesecond creation.

To prove the point further the Holy Qur’an enters a unique style ofdeductive logic. We do not plan to fully illustrate this point here withreference to the relevant verses because many of them have alreadybeen discussed in other chapters. Here we only want to explain thestyle of this argument. Speaking of some future events of this world ata time when no human could envisage them, the Qur’an simultaneouslybegins to speak of the life after death, sometimes in a language whichhas two concurrent meanings. The prophecies contained in theseverses can be read as applicable to here as well as to the Hereafter.When the events of this world, mentioned therein, clearly andirrefutably become realized, the fulfilment of the events of theHereafter becomes only a matter of time. The same superhumanagency which is proved right with the unfolding of the events of thisworld must also be trusted concerning that which remains to befulfilled in matters pertaining to the Hereafter. This is as far as anyargument can go regarding the life to come, otherwise it is impossibleto prove by any other means before death.

THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS BUILT WITH THE TRUTH, SO ALSO IS THE

CREATION OF MAN – THE VERY SUMMIT OF CREATION. QUITE

DISTINCT FROM THE SUBJECT OF LIFE AFTER DEATH, THE HOLY

QUR’AN ALSO SPEAKS OF A DIFFERENT FORM HERE ON EARTH

WHICH WILL SUPERSEDE HUMANS:



Having discussed the possibility of an evolved form of existence afterdeath, some verses of the Qur’an clearly depict the appearance of anew form of life here on earth, replacing humans and being distinctlydifferent from them.

Seest thou not that Allah created the heavens and the earthin accordance with the requirements of truth (Haq)? If He sopleases, He can remove you and put in your place a newcreation. And that is not at all hard for Allah.10

(Ch.14:vs.20-21)

These verses simply cannot be applied to the case of life after death.The use of the conditional preposition in which means if, clearlyimplies that life after death is not intended otherwise this conditionwould put to doubt the definite existence of the hereafter — while theentire Qur’an speaks of it as an absolute unconditional reality. Theverse under discussion does not speak of replacing man with others likehim. It clearly mentions the bringing into being of a new creation,khalq and speaks of the whole of mankind to be changed into adifferent entity.

The whole universe is built with the Truth, so also is the creation ofman – the very summit of creation. Quite distinct from the subject oflife after death, the Holy Qur’an also speaks of a different form hereon earth which will supersede humans:

We created them and strengthened their make; and when Wewill so decide, We will change their form to somethingcompletely different.11

(Ch.76:v.29)

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And again:

But nay! I swear by the Lord of the easts and of the wests, thatWe have the power to substitute in their place others better thanthey, and We cannot be frustrated in Our plans.12

(Ch.70:41-42)

The substitute creation is not mentioned as another nation qaum noras another generation of humans. The conditional use of if implies thatif man reforms himself and begins to behave properly, he may notnecessarily be wiped out as a species to make room for another betterone.

Thus, the Qur’an raises the possibility of more advanced forms ofcreation developing, with superior sensory faculties or even newsenses in addition to our five. Although the Qur’an does not state thatthis will definitely happen, yet it affirms God's power to produce suchchanges as are within His plan. It does not present an idea of blindevolution based on accidental events. This possibility of continuousevolution, as mentioned here, is one of the greatest tributes to theWisdom and Knowledge of the Qur’an’s Author. It further proves thatall that has been attributed to the Qur’an in the previous chaptersconcerning the evolution of life must have been true. Otherwise, itcould not have mentioned the possibility of man evolving into anotherspecies – a subject not discussed in any other secular or religiousliterature. Such statements could only be made from a platform ofabsolute knowledge and certainty.

We may not yet completely grasp the possibilities of our continuingevolution or that of a completely new chain of evolution beginningwith a fresh start. Our understanding can only reach the periphery ofpresent knowledge and for us it remains a part of the unseen. However,the unknown is constantly being transformed into that which is known



or understood. This is the natural process of education. God is the Lordof all that is seen and all that is unseen. Gradually He broadens ourhorizons so that our vision is constantly enlarged with the coming intoview of that which previously lay beyond the curtain of darkness.

References1. Translation of Ch.45:v.25 by Maulawi Sher Ali.

2. Translation of Ch.23:vs.36-38 by Maulawi SherAli.3. Translation of Ch.19: v.67 by Maulawi Sher Ali.4. Translation of Ch.16:vs.39-40 by Maulawi Sher Ali.5. Translation of Ch.36:v.79 by Maulawi Sher Ali.6. Translation of Ch.50:v.16 by Maulawi Sher Ali.7. Translation of Ch.56: vs.48-49 by Maulawi Sher Ali.8. Translation of Ch.56:vs.61-63 by the author.

9. Translation of Ch.31:v.29 by the author.10. Translation of Ch.14:vs.20-21 by the author.11. Translation of Ch.76:v.29 by the author.12. Translation of Ch.70:vs.41-42 by Maulawi Sher Ali.

[Translator’s Note: All references to theverses of the Holy Qur’an are given inArabic as they occur in the text. TheEnglish translation, presented in Italics istaken from the translation of the HolyQ u r’an by Hadhrat Maulvi Sher AliSahib(ra). Where the Promised Messiah(as)

has himself stated a certain inter-pretation of the Arabic verse, this isincorporated in the main body of thetext].Translated by Amatul Hadi Ahmad

(Continuation of address given on31 August 1901 by Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmad, the PromisedMessiah(as) and Mahdi)

Without doubt, falsification ofGod becomes a necessaryconsequence of rejection of meand my acceptance indicatesacceptance of God’s Truth andleads to a firm and consolidatedbelief in the existence ofAlmighty God. Moreover, rejec-tion of my claim is not merely afalsification of me, it is afalsification of the Holy Prophet


Presented below is a translation of the address delivered by Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah(as) and Mahdi, on 31August 1901 on the occasion of the visit to Qadian of the MunicipalCommissioner of Vizirabad, Janab Babu Ghulam Mustafa Sahib. For thepurpose of translation, the original Urdu script of this address has beentaken from Malfoozat, vol. 4, pp.15-20.

The founder of the AhmadiyyaMuslim Community was

Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

In 1891, he claimed, on the basisof Divine revelation, that he wasthe Promised Messiah and Mahdiwhose advent had been foretoldby the Holy Prophet of Islam(peace be upon him) and by thescriptures of other faiths.

His claim constitutes the basis ofthe beliefs of the AhmadiyyaMuslim Community.

Assessment of Belief – Part IV

M u h a m m a d( s a ). Hence, beforesomeone now dares to falsify me,he should think deeply and askfor a fatwa from his own heart asto whom exactly is he falsifying.

[The question here arises as to]how it is that the falsification ofthe Holy Prophet(sa) is implicit [infalsification of my claim]? It is soin view of the fact that the HolyPr o p h e t( s a ) prophesied theappearance of a Reformer at thehead of every century and[rejection of me as the Reformerof the present century] impliesthat, God forbid, his promise wasnot fulfilled. Furthermore, thestatement of the Holy Prophet(sa)

Imamukum minkum, that is,‘your Imam [Mahdi] would befrom among you [the Muslims]’would also, God forbid, appear tobe incorrect. In addition, theprophecy of a Messiah and Mahdiwho would appear at the time ofthe threat posed by the Cross,would also, God forbid, appear tobe false because the threat is

present but the Imam is not. Doesit not then follow that a personwho chooses not to accept me [asthe Reformer of this age]becomes in practice a falsifier ofthe Holy Prophet(sa) himself?

I, therefore, say it again andstate it clearly that falsificationof my claim is no easy matter.Before accusing me of being aKafir [an infidel] such an accuserwould have to become a Kafirhimself and before accusing meof being faithless and misguided,he would have to acknowledgehimself as being misguided anddisgraced. Before anyone canaccuse me of having abandonedthe Qur’an and the Hadith, theywould themselves have toabandon the Qur’an and theHadith—and such people wouldcertainly have to abandon theQur’an and the Hadith. I am theone who is the Verifier and Prooffor the Qur’an and the Hadith—Iam not misguided. I am the one

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IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT IF A PERSON TURNS TO GOD FOR THE

MANIFESTATION OF TRUTH, HAVING PURIFIED HIMSELF OF ALL PREJUDICE

AND STUBBORNNESS, FORTY DAYS WOULD NOT PASS BEFORE THE TRUTH

OF THE MATTER IS MADE CLEAR TO HIM. HOWEVER, THERE ARE VERY FEW

INDEED WHO SEEK A JUDGEMENT FROM GOD HAVING FULFILLED THESE

CONDITIONS AND DUE TO THEIR STUBBORNNESS AND PREJUDICE THEY

REJECT A MAN OF GOD, THUS NEGATING THEIR OWN FAITH.

who is the Mahdi [that is, onewho has been divinely guided]. Iam not Kafir—in fact, I am theactual proof of Ana awwal-ulMo’mineen, that is, I am firstamong the believers. I state onlythat which God has mademanifest to me as the truth. Hewho holds a firm belief in Godand believes His Pr o p h e t[Muhammad](sa) to be true, forsuch a one it is sufficient as acomplete argument based on thetruth that he should hear what Ihave to say, and hearing it remainsilent. However, what cure canthere be for him who is withoutany sense of honour or shame anddares to speak [against me]? Godwill attend to him and hisunderstanding. That is why I wishthat you should ponder carefullyover this matter for the sake ofGod and advise your friends to dothe same that they should notdeal with this matter in haste.They should consider it withsincerity and with a clear mind.You should turn to God and prayfor His guidance in this matterthat He should make the way oftruth abundantly clear. It is myfirm belief that if a person turnsto God for the manifestation oftruth, having purified himself ofall prejudice and stubbornness,forty days would not pass beforethe truth of the matter is made

clear to him. However, there arevery few indeed who seek ajudgement from God havingfulfilled these conditions and dueto their stubbornness andprejudice they reject a man ofGod, thus negating their ownfaith. This is so because whenthere is no belief in the fact thatthere are men who are close toGod, who are referred to as Wali,then their belief in Prophethoodis also negated because a Wali[provides a firm link toProphethood and as such] actslike a ‘nail’ to the [concept of]Prophethood and, consequently,rejection of a Prophet is arejection of God and in this waythe faith of a person is totallynegated.

At this time it is necessary thatserious consideration is given tothe question as to whether thethreat posed by the Cross is suchthat it represents the prophecycontained in the Qur’anic verse:

They shall hasten forth fromevery height.(Ch.21: v.97)

19



The challenge posed by the Crossis that it is leading astraythousands of people with the helpof different forms and methods ithas adopted for publicising itsmessage. Now is the time toprovide an answer to the questionas to what title has been given bythe Holy Pr o p h e t( s a ) to theReformer who would meet thischallenge? The influence andstrength of the ‘cross’ is everincreasing and its bases are beingestablished all around. ItsMissions are being formed andbeing established in far off landsand it is spread wide to thecorners of the earth. Hence, evenif there were no other proof, wewould have had to acknowledgethat at this time there is a graveneed for a Reformer who wouldput out the fire of thistribulation. However, we areeternally grateful to our God thathe has not limited thecommission that I have beenentrusted with merely to theobserved needs of the time. Forthe manifestation of the highesteem and noble status of theHoly Pr o p h e t( s a ), God hadpreviously vouchsafed manyprophecies for this time fromwhich it is clearly deduced thatthe one who is to come will havethe title of Masih-e-Ma’oud, thatis, the title of the ‘Promised

Messiah’, bestowed upon him andthe task he would be entrustedwith would be Kasr-e-Saleeb, thatis ‘to break the Cross’, [in otherwords to defeat the challengeposed by the Cross].C o n s e q u e n t l y, every [Muslim]person who possesses a good andwholesome nature would have toaccept here that there is no wayout of this argument except toaffirm that a divinely guidedperson should appear and his taskshould be that of Kasr-e-Saleeb.H o w e v e r, the matter thatrequires further attention here isto consider the use of the phraseK a s r- e - S a l e e b—what exactly ismeant by this phrase, [which, in aliteral translation, means‘breaking of the Cross’]? When itis stated that the task entrustedto the Promised Messiah would be‘the breaking of the Cross’, doesit mean that he will break awooden cross and moreover whatwill be the purpose or benefit ofsuch an act? It is evident that if[the Promised Messiah] were togo about breaking up woodencrosses, he would be undertakinga task that is not of any greatesteem nor can there be anyapparent benefit in it. If he didbreak wooden crosses, theChristians could make crosses ofgold, silver and other metals.Moreover, [in history, it has been

20



the case that when someChristian people accepted Islam,their crosses were broken andleaders such as] Hadhrat AbuB a k r, Salahuddin and Bayazidbroke many such crosses. Didthey, as a result, become thePromised Messiah? No, they mostcertainly did not!

Hence, we now know that by theterm Kasr-e-Saleeb is not meantthe wooden cross that someChristians wear round their necksand these are not the crosses thatthe Promised Messiah is to goaround breaking. On the contrary,there is a very deep truthcontained in this phrase and thattruth is supported by the words ofa Hadith in which the phraseYaza-ul-Harb, meaning ‘he wouldlift war or end war’ has beenused. Here, the point that needsto be carefully considered is thaton the one hand the task of thePromised Messiah is to bring anend to war such that fighting inthe name of religion would beconsidered impermissible while itis also clear that the time of thePromised Messiah would be atime of peace when there wouldbe rule of a just government. Thelatter fact in itself supports thepoint that fighting at that timewould be considered impermis-sible. Consider now the two

aspects [of the propheciesalready vouchsafed] that therewould be no wars and breaking ofthe cross would be the task of thePromised Messiah. A carefulconsideration of these pointswould reveal the truth of myargument that by ‘breaking of thecross’ is not meant the physicaldestruction of the wooden ormetallic crosses of the Christians.On the contrary, the use of theterm [K a s r- e - S a l e e b] points toanother truth that has beentaught by me. I have openlyproclaimed that jihad, that is,fighting for religion, is no longerpermissible—it is not permissiblebecause one of the tasks of thePromised Messiah is to end war. Ifbreaking of the cross is the taskof the Promised Messiah so isending of war. In view of the taskof ending war, it was necessarythat I, [as the Promised Messiah]should issue the fatwa o freligious war now being imper-missible. Hence, I state that atthe present time raising thesword or any other weapon of warin the name of religion isimpermissible and is a grave sin.

I feel deep regret when I hear ofincidents taking place almostevery day in the region of theFrontier which are nothing butacts undertaken for financial gain

21



but in so doing they not onlydisgrace the name of Islam, theyalso interfere in the peace of theland. A true Muslim should nothave any sympathy for suchunruly and unprincipled people.

In view of the above, what then isto be the meaning of the termYa k s a r- a s - S a l e e b, that is, ‘hewould break the cross’? Theanswer to this should be paid verycareful attention. The time ofappearance of the Pr o m i s e dMessiah was to be the time ofwidespread power of the Crossand he was to be appointed tobreak the [power of the] Cross.The meaning is very clear—thatthe purpose of the appearance ofthe Promised Messiah was to bethe total falsification of thereligion of the Christians [whoworshipped the Cross instead ofthe one true God]. The PromisedMessiah was to bring wisdom,supported and strengthened bydivine signs, such that the truthand logic of his argument wouldbe complete, leaving no room fordoubt. He would thus prove theworship of the Cross to be afalsehood in such a manner thatit would become evident to theworld and thousands uponthousands of souls wouldacknowledge that in reality the

Christian religion is not a religionthat can become the source ofmercy for human beings. This isthe reason for all my attentionbeing focused on the ‘Cross’ andis there any doubt still remainingin the defeat of the ‘Cross’? Theissue of the death of the Messiahalone has ‘broken the Cross’ intosmithereens because when it hasbeen proved that the Messiah didnot even die on the Cross andthat he died a natural death inKashmir, having journeyed to thatland, then some wise personshould tell us what remains of theCross after this!

If prejudice and stubbornness hasnot totally darkened the heart ofa person and rendered his mindunable to discern, then even aChristian would have to admitthat with this issue the whole ofthe Christian religion becomestotally untenable.

In short, [from the previousprophecies] this much is veryclear that God was to appoint thePromised Messiah at a time whenthe Cross would have supremepower which means that thechallenge posed by the religion ofthe Cross would be at its height.For the spread of this religion,there would be employed all

22



forms and methods of publicisingtheir teachings. There would bespread in the world the zulm[injustice], a word that also hasthe meaning of ‘darkness’, thatwould be spread through shirk,that is worship of things otherthan God the Almighty. At such atime, God was to appoint aperson whose task would be topurify the world of such darknessand to save it from the acts ofworship of the dead and worshipof the Cross. Such acts have theconsequence of distancing manfrom God—it is in this sense thatthe Promised Messiah was to‘break the Cross’

The two tasks of the PromisedMessiah may appear to becontradictory in that he is to endwar as well as ‘to break theCross’ when ‘breaking of theCross’ would in itself require war.However, such a contradiction ispresent only for shallow mindedpeople who have clearly notunderstood the purpose of theappointment of the Pr o m i s e dMessiah. The term Yaza-ul-harbin itself reveals the true nature ofthe term Kasr-e-Saleeb that itcannot imply the breaking up ofcrosses made of wood or othermaterials—it refers to the defeatof the people of the Cross.

Moreover, this defeat is to be aclear and evident defeat throughclear argument based on truth asGod has stated in the HolyQur’an:

So that he who had alreadyperished through a clear signmay perish.(Ch.8: v.3)

In any case, our opponents aregiven to making great exagger-ations on this issue. If they wereto consider this matter with acool head and with a firm beliefthat they would one day faceGod, they most certainly wouldhave followed me, realising thatthe head of the century was uponthem. Nineteen years have nowpassed since the start of thefourteenth century [of theIslamic calendar]—and it isessential that a Reformer of thiscentury should appear. otherwise[God forbid] the Holy Prophet(sa)

would appear to be falsified [as itwas he who had prophesied theappearance of a Reformer at thehead of every century].

23



The name Ahmadiyyat indicatesthe renaissance of the religion ofthe Holy Qur’an and is ar e-statement presented underDivine guidance by the Founderof the Ahmadiyya Movement. Thenames Ahmadi and Ahmadiyyatare meant only to distinguishAhmadi Muslims from otherMuslims who still await thePromised Mahdi and Messiah.Ahmadi Muslims believe theFounder of their Community to bethe Promised Messiah(as).

Today, the followers of all thegreat religions of the world areawaiting the second coming oftheir founders. Will the messageand function of every one of thembe identical? Or, will each ofthem have his own message,different to and in conflict withthe messages of the other greatteachers in their Second Advent?If the messages of all of them areto be identical, then not morethan one would be needed toconvey that message and to setan example in conformity with it.If the messages were to beconflicting, the advent of so

many teachers, instead ofpromoting unity, peace, accordand spiritual fulfillment, wouldonly foster hostility, discord,enmity and chaos.

The Holy Qur’an, like the HolyBooks of other faiths, containsgrand prophecies of the appear-ance of a universal teacher andreformer in these latter days,who will revive and rejuvenatebelief in God and bring aboutu n i t y, peace and spiritualfulfillment. The Muslims, like theChristians, were looking forwardto the return of the Messiah andalso the advent of the Mahdi. TheBuddhists were expecting Buddhaand the Hindus were expectingthe return of Krishna. All theseprophecies were to find theirfulfillment in the advent of oneperson. For God is One, truth isindivisible and guidance formankind and the remedy for theills of the age must be uniform,comprehensive and consistent.

In 1835, in the village of Qadian,in the Punjab area of India, wasborn a boy named Ghulam


AhmadiyyatBy Bilal Atkinson – UK

A h m a d( a s ), who in later life washailed as the Reformer of the ageby many Muslim scholars. Thechild was no ordinary child. Hisparents were Muslim and he grewup to be no ordinary Muslim. Fromearly life, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad( a s )

had been deeply interested in thestudy and service of Islam. Oftenhe met Christians, Hindus andSikhs in public debate and spokeand wrote about them. This madeall religious communities inter-ested in him and he became wellknown to the leaders of thec o m m u n i t i e s .

All of them, Sikh, Hindu Christianand Muslim, agreed that he hadalways led a blameless life, hadshown the utmost kindness andconsideration to others and hadbeen consistently truthful andhonest in all his dealings. He wasuniversally trusted. In short,those who knew him knew him asthe most honourable andtrustworthy person, one whowould never compromise withtruth and justice. ThoughChristians, Hindus and Sikhsstrongly disagreed with him onreligious matters, they testifiedto the purity of his personal lifeand character. Even great Islamicscholars looked upon him as theChampion of Islam.

Hadhrat Ahmad ( a s ) began toreceive revelation from GodAlmighty at an early age and astime passed his experience ofrevelation multiplied progres-s i v e l y. Every one of his reve-lations was clearly fulfilledaccording to its due time, somerelating to future events, stillawait fulfillment. His announce-ment of being the Mahdi andMessiah in late 1890 waspublished throughout the worldand his claim was received, ashas always been the case of theDivine Reformers such as Jesusand Muhammad, peace be uponthem, with widespread oppo-sition. Prior to his announcementof being the Promised Messiah(as),God Almighty assured him withthe revelation:

‘I shall carry thy message tothe ends of the Earth’

This revelation set forth assur-ances of Divine support and theprogressive spread of theMovement initiated by him withinthe body of Islam. In obedienceto God’s command, HadhratA h m a d(as) claimed to be theMessiah for the Christians, theMahdi for the Muslims, andKrishna for the Hindus etc. Inshort, he was the Pr o m i s e d

25

Ahmadiyyat


Prophet of every nation and wasappointed to unite all mankindunder the banner of one faith.Muhammad(sa), the Holy Prophetof Islam ( s a ) was a universalprophet with a universal teachingand this man Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmad(as) who claimed tobe the Promised Messiah, alsoclaimed to be subordinate to anda reflection of Muhammad, theSeal of all the Prophets.

Describing the object of hisadvent the Promised Messiah(as)

said:

‘The task for which God hasappointed me, is that Ishould, by removing theobstacles which have been setup between man and hisM a k e r, re-establish in thehearts of men, love anddevotion to God and bymaking manifest the truth,should put an end to allreligious wars and strife, andthus lay the foundation ofabiding peace and shouldacquaint mankind with thespiritual truths which it hadforgotten and should demon-strate to the world the truespiritual life which had beendisplaced by material desiresand should, in my own life,manifest those divine powerswith which man has beenendowed, but which can bemanifest only through prayerand devotion and above all,that I should permanentlyre-establish the bright pureUnity of God, purified from allpolytheistic ideas which hadentirely disappeared from thehearts of men.’ (Lecture on Islam, p.34)

26

Ahmadiyyat


The Promised Messiah(as)

The Promised Messiah(as) stressedthe cultivation of moral andspiritual qualities and conformingto them strictly in every sphereof life. The result was that hesucceeded in building up acommunity whose members,under his instructions andfollowing his example, illustratein their daily lives thebeneficence of Islamic teachingsaccording to their faculties andcapacities. The patterns andtraditions established by himhave become like the naturaltexture of their lives, so that itmight be said that theCommunity founded by him istoday the only one that illus-trates in the lives of the greaterpart of its members, the truepurpose of human life and themanner of its achievement.

After the death of the Pr o m i s e dM e s s i a h( a s ) in 1908, AhmadiMuslims have elected hisSuccessors or Khalifas. Khilafat isa great Divine blessing, whichfollows a prophet and brings abouts o l i d a r i t y, cohesion and unityamong the believers. The Khalifais the spiritual and administrativeHead of the Ahmadiyya,Movement in Islam. The presentSupreme Head of the Wo r l d - w i d eAhmadiyya Community, Hadhrat

Mirza Tahir Ahmad, is based inLondon and was elected as thefourth Khalifa of the Pr o m i s e dM e s s i a h( a s ) in 1982. He is spirituallygifted and divinely guided, full ofknowledge, wisdom and humility.His knowledge of history and theMuslim world spring from alifelong study of Islam. He is awidely travelled man and a keenobserver of other cultures andsocieties. He has deliveredcountless lectures on religioustopics and has answered manythousands of questions on keyissues of the contemporary age.

With the guidance of the Khalifa,the community has alwaysremained at the forefront of theservice and welfare of humanity.It has established many schools,hospitals and clinics in manycountries. In these hospitals thepoor and less well off are treatedfree of charge. At times ofnatural disasters and calamitiesthroughout the world, thecommunity has always worked ona voluntarily basis and helped theaffected, both financially andphysically, irrespective of theirfaith colour or creed and will,God willing, continue to do so.The Community has also estab-lished its own global satellitetelevision station, MTA Inter-

27

Ahmadiyyat


national, and broadcasts twenty-four hours per day in severallanguages. This service isprovided free of charge to anyviewer. In whichever country theyreside, Ahmadi Muslims obey thelaws of that land and are faithfulto that land and to the people ofthe land.

This world, which has seen somuch tragedy during the lastcentury and is facing furthertragedies at the moment, is onthe brink of a catastrophe, whichis sure to take place, due togreed, selfishness, prejudice andmost importantly because of lackof true and absolute justice.

The Promised Messiah( a s ) h a sguided the people of these latterdays, on how we should conductourselves within our worldwidecommunities in order to attainpeace and harmony. ThePromised Messiah(as) has said:

‘My advice to you is that youshould become a model ofevery virtue. You shouldneither be negligent in doingyour duty to God nor youshould be negligent in doingyour duty to your fellowbeings.’ (Malfoozat Vol. II, p.298)

The Promised Messiah (as) was toldthat his message would reach allcorners of the earth. From such aremote area, Ahmadiyyat has, bythe Grace of God, spread to morethan 170 countries of the worldand its population is everexpanding; so much so that 80million people entered the fold ofAhmadiyyat last year. I myselfaccepted Ahmadiyyat more than14 years ago and I have neverregretted it for one moment;indeed, I thank God every day forleading me to the universalteaching that is Islam. I was notattracted to it by force, becauseyou cannot force a heart to love.I was attracted by the beautifulteachings of Islam and the peoplewho put those teachings intopractice and who call themselvesAhmadi Muslims.

The Ahmadiyya MuslimCommunity believes it is anembodiment of the true Islam. Itseeks to unite mankind with itsCreator and to establish peace atboth individual and collectivelevels. I commend it to those whoseek the true meaning of life.

28

Ahmadiyyat


Could you, please, explainthe concept of heaven andhell—where are they andwhat are their chara c -teristics?

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad: In what terms would you describethe concept of waves that existall around us? Are you able totouch them? Are you able to smellthem or feel them in any waywhen it is a fact that this room isfilled with thousands of suchwaves which can be received bytelevision or radio and othersimilar instruments. However,one cannot deny their existencesimply because one is unable toactually see them without the aid

of special instruments, eventhough they belong to the fourdimensions that we know of hereon earth. Moreover, scientistshave begun to understand andbelieve in the existence of thingsthat are of yet different dimen-sions.

According to the Holy Qur’ a nwhich was revealed aboutfourteen hundred years ago, thiswas exactly the concept ofheaven and hell presented to theworld. It is amazing that the HolyQur’an speaks of Jannah, that isheaven or paradise, as occupyingthe whole of the universe. It wasamazing for a book of fourteenhundred years ago to havedeclared that the heaven orparadise is everywhere, even at


Belief in theHereafter

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the FourthHead of the Ahmadiyya Movement inIslam, from time to time offers topeople of all nationalities, faiths andbeliefs the opportunity of askingquestions and raising issues that are ofinterest to them. Presented below areanswers to questions that were askedin a session held in London, on 25February, 1998.

Prepared by Amatul Hadi Ahmad

QUESTIONER

the places which people of thatage occupied. It was so extra-ordinary a declaration for thepeople of that time who had verylimited understanding of theuniverse, that one of theCompanions of the Holy Pr o p h e t( s a )

stood up and raised a question.His question was posed in a verydifferent but interesting way. Heasked that if paradise is spreadall over the universe, where thenis hell? The Holy Prophet(sa) was soenlightened by Allah that heunderstood the concept ofdifferent dimensions otherwisehe could not have given thea n s w e r, which he gave. Hereplied that ‘hell is also presenthere in the same universe but youcan not understand’. Indeed thepeople of that time were not ableto understood such a notion butthe man of today can understandthis to a degree that if there arethings possessing differingdimensions, they can coexist inthe same, so called, space. Theydo not interfere with each otherand they do not relate to eachother. It is as if one exists and the

other does not but they can stillcoexist. This is the idea of heavenand hell that has been presentedin the Holy Qur’an.

Do you believe that thereis life after death? Beliefin life after death isc e n t ral to the Christianfaith. What form doesspiritual life take?

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad: We believe in life after death asan essential and integral part ofour belief. If one does not believein life after death, one does notbelieve in anything. This is sobecause not believing in thehereafter gives license to dowhatever one likes here on earthand death is seen as a road toredemption.

Whatever crime is committedhere by a person, if he does notbelieve in the hereafter, he willnot see himself as being answer-able to anyone and in this way it

30

Belief in the Hereafter


QUESTIONER

‘WE BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH AS AN ESSENTIAL AND INTEGRAL

PART OF OUR BELIEF. IF ONE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER

DEATH, ONE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN ANYTHING’.

is his road to redemption. Acriminal may have murderedhundreds of people and at times,by exploding bombs, one personcan be responsible for killingthousands of innocent people.When he is hanged or other formsof capital punishment need to beapplied only once, he cannot behanged a hundred times or athousand times. Hence he getsaway with all the damage he hasdone in life. This is the reasonwhy in Islam there is such a greatemphasis on the belief in thehereafter and that is why, as Ihave stated before, all thedivinely revealed religions do payspecial importance to thequestion of life after death.

The ideas may, however, differand the ideas may become greatlydistorted because it is the casethat people do not wish to bepunished for long. For instance,many Jewish people believe thatif they are punished at all theywill be punished for three daysand that will be all. This is a wishon their part but God does notfollow human wishes.

Allah knows best whom He wouldforgive and whom He will not, butgenerally speaking, a man whohas lived a life of sin here on

earth, unless forgiven by God,would face a punishment that willbe an extension of his life here onearth. It is the case that suchpeople are given numerouschances and options during theirlife to turn to God and toabandon their evil way. Theseoptions appear before themrepeatedly but if they continue toignore the voice of theirconscience and continue to live alife of sin, how should they bedealt with? Despite the numerouschances and opportunities theyare granted, they do not returnto a life of goodness and in such acase we can say that death endedtheir vicious life—a life that mayhave continued in its evil ways tilleternity had they been permittedto live for an eternity.

Hence, the belief in life afterdeath, in my view, is of great

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‘THE BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER

DEATH, IN MY VIEW, IS OF

GREAT IMPORTANCE AND ITS

SIGNIFICANCE IS A REALITY. IFIT WERE NOT A REALITY, THEN

RELIGION WOULD NOT BE A

R E A L I T Y—I T W O U L D B E

MEANINGLESS’.

importance and its significance isa reality. If it were not a reality,then religion would not be areality—it would be meaningless.

What is the Islamic vi e wabout re-incarnation? Doesour spirit exist before weare born? If so, can itchoose its parents?

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad: We do not believe in re-incarnation in any form. We donot believe that souls live withGod permanently and eternally.This is a Hindu mythology and thewestern people tend to believe init only because they do not fullyunderstand this mythology. Theywish to be able to live and re-liveamong their friends and relatives.This desire is wishful thinking ontheir part and it leads them towant to believe in this mythology.There are no souls existingindependently—all the soulsoccupy a body and are born of thebody that we have here.However, once they leave thebody, then they go to God. Theydo not have any choice to returnto this earth. They go to God andHe decides as to how they are tobe judged in accordance with the

acts performed here on earth.Hence, there is no return fromthe hereafter.

This is the belief that Jesus(as)

held —this is the belief that allthe divinely revealed religionshold. Against this, the rest is justmythology and wishful thinking—that is all.

32



QUESTIONER

Fasting is the practice ofabstaining from food, eithercompletely or partially, for aspecified period. It is an ancientpractice found in most religionsof the world. Recent scientificresearch suggests that fasting ishealthy for a person and whenengaged in carefully, may bringabout heightened states ofconsciousness and sensibility.Traditionally, fasting has been awidely used practice observed forthe purpose of purifying theperson or of atoning for sins andwrongdoing. Most religionsdesignate certain days or seasonsas times of fasting for theiradherents. Prayer is supposed toaccompany fasting in mostreligions.

Fasting is also an excellent formof training for the physical, moraland spiritual development ofman. Although fasting exists insome form or another in mostworld religions, none of the otherfaiths attach so much importanceto it as Islam. According to theHoly Qur’an, fasting had beencommanded in religions prior to

Islam. So which are thesereligions and how does the fastingcompare to that undertaken inIslam?

‘O you who believe! Fasting isprescribed for you as it wasprescribed for those beforeyou, so that you may guardagainst evil.’(Ch.2: v.184)

Fasting in ChristianityThe ssubject of fasting inChristianity is very difficult todiscuss, simply becauseChristianity as a whole is short onreligious laws. Besides, there isfundamental disagreement amongthe scholars to whether Jesus( a s )

commanded fasting. Fasting inChristianity seems to havechanged with time and is affectedby social, political, and economicf a c t o r s .

Lent is the period of fasting for40 days and penitence tradi-tionally observed by Christians inpreparation for Easter. Thehistorical significance of the fortydays may be traced to the time of


Fasting in ReligionsBy Dr.Abid Ahmad – UK

the prophets Moses(as) and Eliaswho, only approached God onSinai and Horeb after purifyingthemselves by a fast of forty days.(Exodus 24:18, Kings 19:18).

Jesus fasted 40 days (Matthew4:2) before starting hispreaching. He would also havefasted on the Day of Atonement,which was an established tra-dition in Judaism. There aretraditions of fasting which differgreatly according to the countryin which Christians live. Someabstain from meat, while othersfrom fish. Some will not eatfruits, eggs or luxury foods; somejust fast on white bread. Somewill abstain from all these items.The intake of fluids is allowedduring the fast.

Fasting in Christianity isparticularly linked with self-humiliation in repentance (I Kings21:27, Psalms 35:13). It is alsobrought into a close connectionwith prayer (Matthew 17:21)especially in the seeking of God.Christians also view fasting as atime of temptation (Matthew 4:1)and therefore of testing with aview to gaining greater strength.

The Bible also warns of thedangers of fasting. The fast may

be regarded by some as a meansof getting things from God (Isaiah58:3). Fasting may be substitutedfor genuine repentance (Isaiah58:5) and become a mereconvention (Zechariah 7:5).Fasting also performed the wrongway may be seen as a parade ofreligion or an act of showing off(Matthew 6:16-18), which shouldnever be the true intention of anyf a s t .

Fasting in JudaismYom Kippur (Day of Atonement) isthe holiest day of the Jewishyear. Yom Kippur is a day of ‘self-denial’ (Leviticus 23-27) so thatJews may be cleansed of theirsins. It is observed eight daysafter Rosh Hashanah (start of theJewish New Year). It is believedthat on Rosh Hashanah Godinscribes all of the Jews names inthe ‘books’, and on Yom Kippurthe judgement entered in thesebooks is sealed. Yom Kippur is,essentially, the Jews last chanceto demonstrate repentance andchange the judgement.

Yom Kippur is the only fast daydecreed in the Torah. It is acomplete 25-hour fast beginningbefore sunset on the eveningbefore Yom Kippur and endingafter nightfall on the day of Yom

34

Fasting in Religions


Ki p p u r. Jews are supposed torefrain from eating and drinkingall fluids. It is a day set aside to‘afflict the soul,’ to atone for thesins of the past year.

On Yom Kippur the focus is onspiritual elevation. One way to dothis is to abstain from food, work,material possessions, and super-ficial pleasures. More specifically,five physical activities forbiddenon Yom Kippur are eating anddrinking, marital relations,washing, wearing leather shoesand applying lotions.

According to the Talmud, eatingthe day before Yom Kippur is ablessing equal to the blessing offasting on the day of Yom Kippur.The festive meal before the fastis called Seudah Mafseket (finalmeal). Meat is not eaten duringthis meal, but poultry can beeaten. It is traditional to havesoup, but important to put as

little salt and seasoning in thesoup as possible. Most Jews breakthe fast with dairy food. Familyand friends often break the fasttogether at someone’s home.

Fasting in Hinduism (includingBuddhism and Jainism)Buddhism and Jainism were bothfounded around 500BC in Indiaand can be regarded as off-shootsfrom Hinduism. Hence the fastingin these three religions is verysimilar.

Fasting in Hinduism indicates thedenial of the physical needs ofthe body for the sake of spiritualgains. According to thescriptures, fasting helps createan atonement with the gods byestablishing a harmonious rela-tionship between the body andthe soul. This is thought to beimperative for the well-being of ahuman being as it nourishes bothphysical and spiritual demands.

35



THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE BEHIND FASTING IN HINDUISM IS FOUND IN

AYURVEDA. THIS ANCIENT INDIAN MEDICAL SYSTEM STATES THE BASIC

CAUSE OF MANY DISEASES IS THE ACCUMULATION OF TOXIC MATERIALS IN

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. REGULAR CLEANSING OF TOXIC MATERIALS KEEPS

ONE HEALTHY. BY FASTING, THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS GET REST AND ALL

BODY MECHANISMS ARE CLEANSED AND CORRECTED. A COMPLETE FAST IS

GOOD FOR HEALTH.

Hindus believe it is not easy topursue the path of spirituality ino n e ’s daily life. Worldly indul-gences do not allow Hindus toconcentrate on spiritual attain-ment. Therefore worshippers muststrive to impose restrains onthemselves to get the mindfocused and one form of restraintis fasting. However, fasting is notonly a part of worship, but a greatinstrument for self-discipline too.It is a training of the mind and thebody to endure and harden upagainst all hardships, to persevereunder difficulties and not give up.According to Hindu philosophy,food means gratification of thesenses and to starve the senses isto elevate them to contem-plation. Hinduism teaches thatwhen the stomach is full, theintellect begins to sleep, wisdombecomes mute and the parts ofthe body restrain from acts ofr i g h t e o u s n e s s .

Hindus fast on certain days of themonth such as Purnima (fullmoon) and Ekadasi (the 11th dayof the fortnight). Certain days ofthe week are also marked forfasting, depending on individualchoices and on one’s favouritegod and goddess. On Saturday,people fast to appease the god ofthat day, Shani or Saturn. Some

fast on Tuesdays the auspiciousday for Hanuman, the monkeyGod. On Fridays devotees of thegoddess Santoshi Mata abstainfrom taking anything citric.Fasting at festivals is common.Hindus all over India observe fastson festivals like Shivratri andKarwa Chauth. Navaratri is afestival when people fast for ninedays. Hindus in West Bengal faston Ashtami, the eighth day of thefestival of Durga Puja.

Fasting in Hinduism can alsomean abstaining from takingcertain things, either for religiousreason or for the sake of goodhealth. For instance, some peo-ple refrain from taking salt onparticular days. It is commonknowledge that excess salt causeshigh blood pressure. Anothercommon kind of fast (known asphalahar) is to forego takingcereals and only fruits are eaten.

The underlying principle behindfasting in Hinduism is found inAyurveda. This ancient Indianmedical system states the basiccause of many diseases is theaccumulation of toxic materialsin the digestive system. Regularcleansing of toxic materials keepsone healthy. By fasting, thedigestive organs get rest and all

36



body mechanisms are cleansedand corrected. A complete fast isgood for health. Additionally,since the human body, asexplained by Ayurveda, is com-posed of 80% liquid and 20% solid,like the earth, the gravitationalforce of the moon affects thefluid contents of the body. Itcauses emotional imbalances inthe body, making some peopletense, irritable and violent.Fasting acts as antidote, for itlowers the acid content in thebody which helps people to retaintheir sanity.

From a matter of dietary control,fasting has come to be a handytool of societal control. It is a non-violent form of protest (Gandhioften fasted as a means ofpeaceful protest). A hunger strikecan draw attention to a grievanceand can bring about a remedy. Thepains of hunger that oneexperiences during fasting makeone think and extend one’ssympathy towards the destitutewho often go without food. In this

context fasting functions as asocietal gain wherein people sharewith each other a similar feelingof hunger. Fasting provides anopportunity for the privileged togive food to the less privileged.

Fasting in SikhismSikhs do not participate in anyform of fasting, as they regard itas a pointless act with no benefit.It is worth pointing out that theSikh founder, Guru Nanak wasactually a Muslim, who didregularly fast. It wasn’t until the10th Guru or successor of the Sikhfaith, Guru Gobind Singh cameinto power in 1675, that fastingwas dropped from the practicesof Sikhism.

COMPARISON TO FASTING INISLAMIslam, has taken the lead inreforming the institution offasting. This was a radical reformin the meaning, rules and purposeof the fast. It made the fast easy,natural and effective. Fastingwas a symbol of sadness, mourn-

37



ISLAM RADICALISED THIS DOOM AND GLOOM CONCEPT OF FASTING,INTO AN ENLIGHTENED CONCEPT OF SELF PURIFICATION. THE

MONTH OF FASTING IN ISLAM IS A MONTH OF WORSHIP MUSLIMS

WELCOME EACH YEAR WITH ENERGY AND HAPPINESS. THIS IS

CONTRARY TO THE ATMOSPHERE OF MOURNING.

38



RELIGION WHEN THEY FAST HOW THEY FAST WHY THEY FAST

During Ala, the 19thmonth of the Baha'í year,March 2-20.

Abstain from food anddrink from sunrise tosunset.

To focus on love of Godand spiritual matters.

Catholics fast on AshWednesday, all Fridays inLent, and Good Friday.Catholics were forbiddento eat meat on all Fridays,but since the mid-1960s,Friday fasting has been amatter of local discretion.

On Ash Wednesday & GoodFriday, 2 small meals and 1regular meal are allowed;meat is forbidden. OnFridays in Lent, no meat isallowed. For the optionalFriday fast, some peoplesubstitute a differentpenance or special prayerinstead of fasting.

Teaches control of worldlydesires, penance for sins,and solidarity with thep o o r. The Lenten fastprepares the soul for agreat feast by practisingdiscipline. The Good Fridayfast commemorates theday Christ suffered.

Several fast periods, Lent,Apostles' Fast, DormitionFast, and the Nativity Fast.Several 1-day fasts. EveryWed and Fri is considered afast day, except those thatfall during designated‘fast-free weeks.’

In general, meat, dairyproducts and eggs areprohibited. Fish isprohibited on some fastdays and allowed onothers.

Strengthens resistance togreediness; helps open aperson to God's Grace.

Several fast periods, Lent,Apostles' Fast, DormitionFast, and the Nativity Fast.Several 1-day fasts. EveryWed and Fri is considered afast day, except those thatfall during designated‘fast-free weeks.’

In general, meat, dairyproducts and eggs areprohibited. Fish isprohibited on some fastdays and allowed onothers.

Strengthens resistance togreediness; helps open aperson to God’s Grace.

Commonly practised onNew Moon days & duringfestivals such as Shivaratri,Saraswati Puja, and DurgaPuja. Women in N. Indiaalso fast on the day ofKarva Chauth.

Depends on the individual.Fasting may involve 24hours of complete absti-nence from any food ordrink, but is more often anelimination of solid foods,with an occasional drink ofmilk or water.

A way to enhanceconcentration duringmeditation or worship;purification for the system;sometimes considered asacrifice.

Yom Kippur is the best-known fast day. The Jewishcalendar has 6 other fastdays as well, includingTisha B'Av, the day onwhich the destruction ofthe Jewish Temple tookplace.

On Yom Kippur and TishaB'Av, eating and drinkingare forbidden for a 25-hourperiod, from sundown tosundown. On the other fastdays, eating and drinkingare forbidden only fromsunrise to sundown.

Atonement for sins and/orspecial requests to God.

Bahai

Buddhist

Catholic

EasternOrthodox

Hindu

Jewish

The first Sunday of eachmonth is a fast day.Individuals, families, orwards may hold other fastsat will.

Abstaining from food anddrink for 2 consecutivemeals and donating food ormoney to the needy. Afterthe fast, church membersparticipate in a ‘fast andtestimony meeting.’

Closeness to God, concen-tration on God andreligion. Individual orfamily fasts might be heldto petition for a specificcause, such as healing thesick or help with making adifficult decision.

Mormon

ing, atonement for the sins, areminder of disasters as well asself-mortification in Judaism andChristianity. Islam radicalised thisdoom and gloom concept offasting, into an enlightenedconcept of self purification. Themonth of fasting in Islam is amonth of worship Muslims wel-come each year with energy andhappiness. This is contrary to theatmosphere of mourning.

The Islamic laws that governfasting are fair and universal. Forexample, fasting was for specialclasses of people in the previousreligions. For the Brahmin class inthe Hindu religion, fasting ismandatory only for the highpriests. In some Latin religions, itis only women who must fast andthere are no exceptions. Islamhas made fasting for all adultsirrespective of social class orstatus.

39



RELIGION WHEN THEY FAST HOW THEY FAST WHY THEY FAST

Ramadhan is a mandatoryfasting period. Muslimsmay perform optional fastson any other days of theyear except on Eid day.Some Muslims fast onMondays and Thursdaysbecause Muhammad(sa) wassaid to do this, and somefast the 6 days after Eid-ul-Fitr.

Abstain from food, drinkand martial rights frombefore the break of dawnuntil sunset. This is donefor all 29 or 30 days ofRamadhan. Optional fastsare governed by the samerules.

Helps train the mind andbody, encourages prayer,reading of the Qur’an andgiving money to the poor,helps refrain from evil,liberates the spirit todetach from worldly affairsto increase ones faith anddevelop a closerrelationship with God,restores ones health.

No organised fast days, butsome pagans choose to fastin preparation for Ostara(Spring Equinox).

At the discretion of theindividual. Some totallyabstain from food, othersreduce how much they eat.

Intended to purify a personenergetically; used to raisevibrational levels aspreparation for magicalwork. Ostara fasting is usedto cleanse oneself fromheavier winter foods.

At the discretion ofindividuals, churches,organisations, orcommunities.

Though some peopleabstain from food or drinkentirely, others drink onlywater or juice, eat onlycertain foods, skip certainmeals, or abstain fromtemptations, edible or

not.Fast for spiritualnourishment, solidaritywith impoverished people,a counterbalance tomodern consumer culture,or to petition God forspecial needs.

Small part of the tradition,but fasts can be held at thediscretion of communities,churches, other groups,and individuals.

Discretion of those fasting. For spiritual improvementor to advance a political orsocial-justice agenda.

Never Not Applicable View it as a pointless actwith no benefit

Muslim

Pagan

ProtestantEvangelical

ProtestantMainline

Sikhism

The tradition of sehri (meal beforethe fast starts) is a good exampleof Islam making the fast easy forpeople. One who is fasting isallowed eat food until just a fewminutes before morning prayer.S i m i l a r l y, when it is time to breakthe fast, the rule is to break assoon as the sun sets, with nod e l a y. Sleeping and resting duringthe day are all allowed. Working isnot stopped and businesses arenot closed down for the fast. InJudaism, working during theperiod of fast is prohibited.A d d i t i o n a l l y, a person who makesa mistake in fasting is notpunished, and the one who forgetsand eats is forgiven.

...Allah desires ease for youand He desires not hardshipfor you.... (Ch.2:v.186)

Fasting in some other religions isbased on a solar (Gregorian)c a l e n d a r. This demands vastknowledge of calculation andastronomy in the making of acalendar. Besides, the months arefixed in a specific season, they donot rotate or change. Fasting inIslam is based on the lunarcalendar and is tied to thesightings of the new moon. Allahstates:

They ask thee about the newmoons. Say: They are meansfor measuring time, for thegeneral convenience ofpeople...(Ch.2:v.190)

And the hadith: ‘Eat until you seethe crescent and break not untilyou see the crescent. If it iscloudy calculate the period of themonth.’ (Sahih Muslim)

This enables Muslims in everycorner of the earth, east andwest, north and south, and all inbetween, in remote villages, onmountains, in conditions ofilliteracy or literacy, in jungles ordeserts to start and end the fastall at the same time, withoutdifficulty. Why the moon insteadof the sun as the basis for startingand ending the fast? There areseveral reasons:

The lunar year is always ten oreleven days less compared to thesolar. Thus, if Ramadhan 2001began on November 17th,Ramadhan in 2002 would beginaround November 6th.Consequently, in the course of 36years, every Muslim would havefasted every day of the year, theshort days of the year, the longdays of the year, the hot days and

40



the cold days of the year. Muslimsin different regions of the worldwould have had total equality inthe number of days they fasted,and would have had an equalamount of seasonal and climaticchanges. They would have anequal amount of cold or mildweather Ramadhans. If the fastwere based on the solar calendar,the Muslims in hot summerclimates would have Ramadhanduring hot weather every year,f o r e v e r. Some Muslims wouldhave fasted long days whileothers short days, because solarcalendar months are fixed andimmobile. Additionally, fastingbased on the solar system meansone may miss certain fruitsvegetables in certain seasons, butby the end of the circle a Muslimwould have tasted and trieddifferent fruits during Ramadhan,whereas fasting based on thesolar calendar would haveprohibited some fruits duringRamadhan, forever. This is whyMuslims did not change themonth of Ramadhan, nor did theydistort it by increasing ordecreasing days, nor did theychange it to different months.

ConclusionThroughout history, in almost allreligions of the world, fasting has

long been promoted as a spiritualmeans for intensifying prayersand faith. People have fasted asit is an obligation to God, leadingto good health and spirituality.Fasting brings great spiritual,mental, emotional and physicalhealth. Fasting is now generallyaccepted as an effective and safemethod of detoxifying the body, atechnique that men have used forcenturies to heal the sick. Itpurifies the body of theaccumulated toxic poison andwaste. Fasting regularly, helpsthe body heal itself as well asawakening the mind and soul.Fasting is now medically provento be a healthy act and offersnumerous benefits to us, somewhich we know about and somewe don’t. As Allah says:

…And fasting is good for you,if you only knew.(Ch.2:v.185)

41



Islam is for the modern womanand she actually came intoexistence with the advent ofIslam some 1500 years ago. It maysurprise you that it is throughIslam that a woman can becomemodern and attain her full rights,rights which unfortunately othersare still fighting for even today.

The common image of a Muslimwoman is that of a suppressedwoman, forced into a marriageshe did not agree with, tied tothe whims and dictates of hermasterly husband and extendedf a m i l y, not allowed to beeducated nor allowed to voice anopinion, nor allowed to leave thehome without the veil and make-up totally forbidden. But let meclarify, this is not the true imageof a woman of Islam.

What attracts a woman to Islam issimply that Islam is the onlyreligion that gives true equality -true freedom and - rights.

As far back as the ancient historyof the Greek and Roman Empires,women were considered far infe-

rior to men and enjoyed nofreedom. Even the religious lawsthat were to follow centurieslater gave little relief to thewomen of that time: Genesis 3:16states ‘Your desire will be foryour husband and he will ruleover you.’

Again up until the 6th centuryconditions declined andworsened.

‘In pre-Islamic Arabia, and therest of the world, their(women) condition was equalto that of slaves and chattelswith no rights. Women couldneither own nor inheritproperty. In domestic affairs,they had no rights over theirchildren or themselves; in factthey could be sold orabandoned by their husbandsat will. If they were abused bytheir husbands, they had norecourse to divorce. They hadno real status in the society,not being respected as wife,mother or daughter. In fact,daughters were consideredworthless and were often killed


Islam for the Modern WomanBy Mrs Mansoora Hyder-Muneeb – UK

at birth. Women were givenlittle or no education, and hadno say in religious matters,being regarded as limited inspirituality and intellect.’(Pathway to Paradise)

Whereas many of theseconditions still remained in theWest up until the 19th and 20thCentury, with the advent of Islamthe modern woman came intoexistence.

Islam is a religion of peace. Thename Islam itself means peaceand submission – submission tothe Will of God. This religion is acomplete code of life for thewhole of mankind, for all times tocome. A person who follows theselaws and guidelines is a Muslim. AMuslim believes that God hascreated us for a purpose andgiven us His direction andguidance so that we can strive toworship Him, obey His commandsand to serve humanity. The HolyQur’an states:

I have not created the Jinnand the men but that theymay worship Me.(Ch.51: v.57)

A Muslim believes that God willjudge his/her deeds and actions

in this life and he/she will berewarded and dealt withaccordingly in the life afterdeath. God has provided theguidance for this life in the formof a Holy Book, the Qur’an, and inthe teachings of Holy Prophet ofGod, Muhammad (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him).

To understand the role of aMuslim woman in modern societyone must understand the conceptof equality between men andwomen in Islam. The Qur’ a ncategorically declares the equal-ity of men and women even as farback as their point of creation.

He has created you from asingle being; then of the samekind made its mate.(Ch.39: v.7)

The Qur’an states that womenare equal to men in spiritualcapabilities as well:

But whosoever does goodworks, whether male orfemale, and is a believer,shall enter Heaven, and shallnot be wronged even as muchas the little hollow in theback of a date-stone.(Ch.4: v.125)

43

Islam for the Modern Woman


In Islam a woman is equal instatus, however, diversity stilldoes exists, and these differencesarise as a result of their design.If this diversity is not taken intoaccount then there should not bediscrimination: in sportingevents, for example, a manshould be allowed to competeagainst a woman, and a womanshould have the right to competeagainst a man. For that matter afemale boxer should be allowedto fight with a male boxer and afemale football team. But we willnot find any such examples. Andit is not possible as nature hascreated men and woman withdifferent designs, functions,capabilities and with differentneeds. Thus their tasks and rolesin society would differ too. TheHoly Qur’an states:

And follow the nature madeby Allah – the nature in whichHe has created mankind.There is no altering thecreation of Allah(Ch.30: v.31)

One of the examples of differingfunctions and capabilities is thata woman can bear childrenwhereas a man cannot. It is onlyshe who has the physiological andpsychological design to do so. Shealso has the additional qualitiesof patience, tenderness and aunique bond established duringthe pregnancy that makes hermore suitable for the upbringingof the children. Islam thereforeencourages a woman to stay athome and take care of her family.

Men however are designedphysically and emotionallys t r o n g er and therefore are betterequipped to sustain the rigour ofthe outdoors and as such Islamassigns them the role of aguardian, protector and provider:responsibilities in line with theirneeds. As a husband, man is aguardian over his family andregarded as the head of thehousehold. It is not a matter ofman’s superiority or a woman’sinferiority; it is about naturalcapacity and proper functioning.

44



ISLAM HAS ESTABLISHED THE ECONOMIC POSITION OF A WOMAN AND

GIVEN HER THE RIGHTS TO POSSESS HER OWN WEALTH AND

PROPERTY – A RIGHT ONLY ACHIEVED BY WOMEN IN EUROPE IN 1882

SOME 13 CENTURIES LATER AS BEFORE THIS ANY PROPERTY SHE HAD

WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BECOME HER HUSBAND’S.

It is about the role assigned tomen and women by nature.

Many Muslim women who followthese guidelines confirm thatthey enjoy a dignity, stability andfulfilment in their lives – factorswhich are often missing fromsocieties of today.

Islam has established theeconomic position of a womanand given her the rights topossess her own wealth andproperty – a right only achievedby women in Europe in 1882 some13 centuries later as before thisany property she had wouldautomatically become herhusband’s.

Islam provides economic securityto the woman and has freed herfrom bearing any sole res-ponsibility of being a bread-winner. Nevertheless, a Muslimwoman can work if she so desiresas long as it is within theperimeters of the teachings ofIslam and as long as her functionsand her duties towards her homeand family are not affected. Ifshe chooses to work, then herentire earnings are solely her’s todo whatever she wishes. Shouldshe wish to contribute to therunning of the household then it

is seen as an act of kindness onher part. This right for a Muslimwoman gives her absolutefinancial freedom, peace of mindand comfort, a right that manywomen of today’s societies wouldcherish to have.

Again at the time of marriageIslam further protects theeconomic status of a woman bythe system of the dowry. Here ahusband is instructed to give acertain amount of money to hisbride. Marriage is perhaps the mostimportant institution, as thefamily is the basic unit in as o c i e t y. The Holy Prophet ofIslam, Hadhrat Muhammad(peace and blessings of Allah beupon him) said: ‘Conjugal life isour way, he who turns aside fromour way is not one of us.’ In theabsence of marriage a woman canbe misused as a mere instrumentof indulgence. And thus Islamensures that through marriage abond of commitment is formedwhich provides a woman withrights that no other form offriendship or partnership canreplace. The Holy Qur’ a ndescribes husband and wife asgarments for each other, that isto say a means of security, dignityand ornament for each other.

45



The purpose of marriage in Islamis:

‘1. to enable a man and awoman to live together andexperience love andhappiness, fulfilment andcontentment within Islamiclaw;

2. to produce children andprovide a stable andrighteous environment fortheir upbringing;

3. to provide a legal unionwhich safeguards societyfrom moral and socialdegradation.

Islam regards marriage as themeans by which man’s naturalurges and needs, both physicaland emotional are controlledand satisfied at the same time.Uncontrolled and uninhibitedsatisfaction of physical desireis simply not permitted inIslam. Adultery and fornication

are a grave sin. A Muslim mancannot go to any woman andmerely satisfy his physicaldesires; he has to do so througha legal contract of marriage,which carries with it theadditional responsibilities,duties and liabilities of familyand children for the rest of hislife’. The result of thisrestriction is a creation of asociety whose morals andstability is safeguarded.’(Pathway to Paradise)

On the issue of divorce Islam gavea woman the right to seek adivorce. Nowhere else in theworld had any woman enjoyedsuch independence at this timeand it was not until as recent asthe 19th century that women inFrance and the UK were able togain this independence.

Islam permits plurality of wivesbut restricts the number to onlyfour whereas in many othersocieties and religions the

46



THE CURRENT MISCONCEPTION SURROUNDING POLYGAMY THAT IS MERELY

FOR LUST AND FUN IS INCORRECT. IN FACT, ISLAM PERMITS POLYGAMY

ONLY UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS AND A MAN HAS TO

UNDERTAKE FULL MORAL AND FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY WOMAN

AND SUBSEQUENT CHILDREN HE MAY HAVE....THUS ISLAM PREVENTS THE

UNOFFICIAL POLYGAMY THAT IS PRACTISED IN THE MODERN SOCIETIES OF

TODAY.

number of wives is not specif-ically prohibited. The currentmis-conception surroundingpolygamy that is merely for lustand fun is incorrect. In fact, Islampermits polygamy only undercertain conditions and restric-tions and a man has to undertakefull moral and financialresponsibility for any woman andsubsequent children he mayhave. The Holy Qur’an states:

And if you fear that you willnot deal justly with themmarry only one.(Ch.4: V.4)

Thus Islam prevents the unofficialpolygamy that is practised in themodern societies of today wherea man may have any number ofmistresses, one-night-stands, andaffairs etc. In the absence ofmoral restraint, monogamy isabused.

The two world wars led to amoral degradation in Europe andAmerica where the ratio of menand women at some places wasreduced to 1 man to 3 women.With the system of polygamy,Islam, therefore, safeguards themoral and spiritual values of awoman and society as a whole. In Islam, acquiring knowledge is

compulsory for both men andwomen. The Prophet of Islam,Hadhrat Muhammad (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him)said: ‘it is the duty of everyMuslim man and every Muslimwoman to acquire knowledge’.

Knowledge enables one to thinkwith logic and reason. Throughknowledge one gains under-standing which enhances wisdom.In fact education is veryimportant for a woman, as she isresponsible for the upbringing ofthe future generation. Whileeducation was being promotedamongst the women of Islam, if awoman in the West displayed anytype of knowledge, she waslabelled as a witch and hundredsof thousands were burnt alive atthe stakes.

In fact it was not until 1866 thatany woman could sit on theCambridge Exam Board and notuntil 1948 that she could attain adegree from Cambridge. Most ofyou would be surprised to learnthat no woman was admitted inOxford university before 1920.Until 1953, women teachers werepaid less as compared to theirmen counterparts working in thesame faculty for the same periodof time. And until 1955, an

47



educated woman working in thecivil services was paid less thanher male counterparts and suchbattles are still continuing today.

Nothing generates morediscussions than the piece ofcloth that a Muslim woman wearsover her head. There is amisconception that the veil is asign of repression and restrainbut to a Muslim woman it is a signof protection, respect anddignity. The veil is not a sign ofman’s authority over a woman. Itis meant only for her protectionand to guard her against theharms of society. The Holy Qur’anstates:

And say to the believingwomen that they restraintheir eyes and guard theirprivate parts and that theydisclose not their natural andartificial beauty except thatwhich is apparent thereof,and that they draw their headcoverings over their bosoms…(Ch.24: v.32)

Islam provides the precautionarymeasures so that a woman is notmisused. Prevention is the bettercure. The guidelines on adoptingmodest dress and coverings helpsto reduce the attraction and

temptation of a man towards awoman and consequently she isprotected from a host ofproblems that today’s society isfacing, for example, victims ofrape and date rapes, earlypregnancies, abortion, AIDS etc.

Also, the veil provides peace ofmind for both partners. Asgatherings are segregated,women do not have to worry as towho may be making advances attheir husbands and vice versa.The aspects of segregation andthe veil reduces the jealously andinferiority complexes betweenwomen which otherwise arisenaturally in the presence of men.

History and facts have led me tobelieve that Islam is a modernreligion and it is the societywhich keeps on drifting away on atrial and error basis and thenfinally keeps reverting back towhat Islam had advised centuriesago.

What seems modern to us in factwas given to us 1500 years ago.So contrary to modern beliefs aMuslim woman has dignity,fulfilment and contentment andis not stopped from pursuing acareer or any form of healthyactivity. She can play sports, run

48



marathons, run businesses, largeco-operations, become a doctor,lawyer, engineer, diplomat, shecan even stand for president. Shehas the right to choose a partnerof her choice, who is bound toprovide for her and her familyneeds, she can choose to divorce,she can marry again, she cancome and go as she pleases andcan partake in anything her heartdesires - as long as she remainswithin the limits of the veil andabides by the teachings of Islam.She can just choose to relax athome and enjoy her economicfreedom.

I am a British born Muslim. I amnot suppressed. I am notrestrained. I am not backwards. Ihave complete freedom andliberation through Islam and thusI conclude: that Islam is for themodern woman and she cameinto existence with the advent ofIslam some 1500 years ago.

References: 1. The Holy Qur’an. Arabic Text and

English Translation by the lateMaulavi Sher Ali. 1989 IslamInternational Publications Ltd. UK.

2. The Holy Bible. New King James’sVersion. Thomas Nelson. USA

3. Pathway to Paradise. A guidebook toIslam. Lajna Immaillah U.S.A.Wo m e n ’s Auxiliary. AhmadiyyaMovement in Islam.

4. Al-Fazal. 18th January 2002: Addresson Status of Women in Islam byHadhrat Kahifatul Khalifatul Masih IVat Jalsa Salana on 26th July 1986.

5. Review of Religions. ‘My Role andRights as a Muslim Woman’ by MrsAziza Rahman. September 1999, pp.29-45.

6. Woman in Islam. Sir MuhammadZafrullah Khan. Islam InternationalPublications Ltd.

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Frequent references to the earth’smountains have been made in theHoly Qur’an with graphicdescriptions about their nature andusefulness for human life. Thepurpose of this article is to presenta brief discussion of some versesabout the mountains in view of therecent scientific investigationsabout their origin and formation.Since this topic is intimately relatedto interpretation of the verses ofthe Qur’an about the creation ofthe universe and the naturalphenomena in general, we beginwith a discussion of the moregeneral subject of the conformity ofthe Qur’anic verses with scientificknowledge.

The Qur’an and Science The Holy Qur’an claims to be abook of guidance for the righteousas revealed to the Holy Prophet ofIslam(sa) more than 1400 years ago.It presents its teachings in arational and philosophical mannerin order to create a firm belief in

the existence of God and His divineattributes.

This is a perfect book; there isno doubt in it; it is a guidancefor the righteous.(Ch.2: v.3).

It recognises the superiority ofthose with knowledge over thosewho do not have knowledge(Ch.39: v.10), and encouragesreflection on the vast naturalphenomena around us as a proof ofthe existence of a Creator andSustainer. It is estimated that thereare about 750 verses of the Qur’anthat exhort the readers to reflecton and study the naturalphenomena around us withfrequent examples referring tosubjects dealing with many fieldsof knowledge including astronomy,cosmology, physics, and biology.

In the creation of the heavenand the earth and in thealteration of the night and the


Are the Mountains Moving likethe Clouds? – Amazing Revelations of the

Holy Qur’an about Mountains

By Dr. Mian M. Abbas – Alabama, USA

day, there are indeed Signs forpeople of understanding. Thosewho standing, sitting or lyingdown on their sides bear Allahin mind, and reflect over thecreation of the heavens andthe earth, and say ‘Our Lord!Thou has not created thiswithout purpose.’(Ch.3: v.191).

It is one of the basic premises ofthe teachings of the Qur’an that adeep study of the nature of theearth, the heavenly bodies, theorigin of the universe, and theorigin of life, leads to abundantevidence of the existence of God.The more one studies the creationsand the natural phenomena in theuniverse, the more reasons andproofs one will find in support ofthe belief in the existence of Godand His attributes. The funda-mental assumption here is thatthere cannot be any conflictbetween our discoveries of the lawsof nature, or science, and therevelation from God or the Qur’ a n i cteachings and descriptions of thephenomena of nature.

While exhorting the readers toponder over God’s creation of theuniverse and all that exists therein,the Qur’an provides many graphicdescriptions and insights into thecreation of the earth, the heavenlybodies, and the diversity of natural

phenomena. Some of the versesmay have literal interpretations,while others may be considered tobe only metaphorical in naturewith spiritual interpretations ordealing with prophesies about thefuture. More often, however, theQur’anic verses have literal as wellas spiritual interpretations. Whendealing with topics that are eitherpoorly understood or about whichonly speculative knowledge exists,literal interpretations that may beacceptable are made in accordancewith the know-ledge of the times.With acquisition of new know-ledge, the interpretations are sub-sequently revised with deeperinsight into the subject.

The interpretations of the Qur’anicverses, however, are not arbitrary.The general guidance and rules forinter-pretation have been laiddown by the Qur’an(1) itself byidentifying two classes of verses:those that are clear in meaning anddecisive, and others that are notdefinitive and may have differentinterpretations. We have:

He it is Who has sent down tothee the Book; in it there areverses that are decisive inmeaning (muhkam) – they arethe basis of the Book – andthere are others that areallegorical (m u t a s h a b i h a ) .(Ch.3: v.8)

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Are the Mountains Moving Like the Clouds


The allegorical verses falling in thesecond category may involvespiritual analogies or may containprophecies whose exact nature andtime of fulfillment are yet bedetermined. The general ruleemphasized by the Qur’an forinterpretation of such verses thatmay be indecisive or subject todifferent interpretations, is thattheir meaning must be corroboratedby the decisive verses and must notbe in contradiction to any otherverse of the Qur’an. The HolyQ u r’an is the ultimate commentatorand interpreter of itself.

Qur’anic Verses on the Nature ofMountainsThe purpose of this short article isto discuss some verses of theQur’an referring to the nature ofthe mountains, in the light ofrecent scientific knowledge oftheir origin and evolution.Frequent references to the natureand usefulness of mountains havebeen made in the Qur’an, and wedraw particular attention to thefollowing verses in view of theirgraphic descriptions, and differentinterpretations that they havebeen subjected to:

He has set in the earth firmmountains lest it roll beneathyou, and rivers and pathwaysthat you may find your way.(Ch.16: v.16)

Have we not made the earth abed, and the mountains aspegs? (Ch.78: v.8)

And when the mountains aremade to move. (Ch.81: v.4)

And the earth – We have spreadit out, and made in it firmmountains and causedeverything to grow in it inproper proportion. (Ch.15:v.20)

And He placed in the earth firmmountains, rising above itssurface, and blessed it withabundance, and providedtherein its foods in propermeasure in four periods, alikefor all seekers.(Ch.41: v.11)

And you see the mountains as ifthey were firmly fixed,whereas they are moving likethe clouds. This is the work ofAllah who has perfectedeverything.(Ch.27: v89)

The above Qur’anic verses may beinterpreted in a spiritual sense,with the mountains referring toworldly powers or spiritually greatpersonalities such as the prophetsof God, and thus contain

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prophecies that have been fulfilledor will be fulfilled in due time.Physical interpretations have alsobeen given in view of theknowledge of the times and havebeen discussed in detail in someexcellent commentaries of theQur’an (2–4).

In this article, we focus only on thescope of the physical or literalinterpretations in view of thecurrent scientific knowledge. Acareful study and reflection on theabove quoted verses leads us to thefollowing general Qur’anic conceptof the mountains revealed some1400 years ago:

1. The earth’s surface on whichwe live is subject to motionsunderneath us.

2. The mountains play a rolesimilar to those of pegs orstakes dug in the ground forresisting the motion of anobject.

3. The formation and existence ofmountains plays a role in thecreation of pathways, rivers,drinking water, human food,and other needs for existence.

4. The mountains appear to us tobe stationary and firmly fixedon the surface of the earth,whereas in fact they are

moving and their motion issimilar to those of clouds.

The Qur’anic overview outlinedabove, in particular the verse( C h . 2 7 : v.89], appears to becontrary to the commonly heldviews about the rigidity of theearth and the mountains, and haspresented considerable diffi-cultyto earlier commentators. However,during the last few decades anenormous amount of informationhas been obtained about thee a r t h ’s formation, structure,geologic history and its interiorprocesses. The earth is now viewednot as a solid and rigid body, but asa dynamic, ever changing andliving planet. As a result ascientific field of study referred toas plate tectonics has evolved. Thediscoveries in this field arerelevant to the subject of theQur’anic verses under discus-sion,and we review the basic features ofthis theory that are now wellaccepted by the scientificc o m m u n i t y. Although an attempthas been made to keep this reviewas simple and brief as possible,readers not interested in scientificdetails may wish to skip the nextsection and move on to thefollowing section!

Plate Tectonics The unbelievable idea that themajor landmass continents (such as

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Asia, Europe, North America) arenot rigidly fixed on the surface ofthe earth and have been movingaround was expressed some threecenturies ago. However, it was onlyin 1912 that the German scientistAlfred Wegener published hishighly controversial view about thecontinental drift that some 300million years ago all the majorcontinents were connected in onebig land mass, and have beendrifting apart ever since. The onlysignificant proofs of his ideas atthe time were the jigsaw fitting ofthe geological structures of theadjoining continental landmassesand similarities of the plant andanimal life. His theory, however,was generally considered to beabsurd during his lifetime, and itwas not until the 1960’s that itstarted receiving serious attention.With subsequent investigationsinvolving many scientific dis-ciplines including satelliteobservations form space, the newfield of study of plate tectonics hasevolved. A summary of the basicfeatures of the theory and ourcurrent knowledge of the earth’sgeological processes is outlinedbelow. Detailed descriptions can befound in the references [5–8].

1. The interior of the earthconsists of two inner and outercores of hot molten iron andnickel at a temperature of

some 5500 degrees. This regionis surrounded by a cooler andmuch thicker region ofsomewhat mellow rockymaterial of about 2000 milesthickness called the m a n t l e .The outermost region of theearth is a thin region and isreferred to as the crust. I tfloats on the mantle much likea raft floats on a pond of water.It is of two types; thecontinental crust, on which weall live, is lighter and is about60-70 miles thick; and theoceanic crust consisting of adenser rocky material that liesunder the oceans.

2. The crust is divided into atleast 12 plates, such asEurasian, African, and NorthAmerican plates that float onthe inner mantle. The platesare forced to move in acomplex circulatory pattern,with some plates movingtowards, some away and somesliding along other plates.Although the speed of themoving plates is too small to beobserved by the human eye,being only of the order of a fewcentimeters a year, over aperiod of hundreds of millionsof years it results in very largedistances such as we findbetween the continents today.

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3. When two continental platesmoving towards one anothercollide, the mate-rial near theedges of the plates rises abovethe surface level and moun-tains are formed, while theoceanic plates moving towardsor away from each other leadto the formation of ridges andtrenches under the oceans.Thus, the mountains have beenformed by the movement andcollision of continental plates.The Indian plate having brokenoff the African plate some 200million years ago and collidingwith the Eurasian plate, forexample, has formed the greatHimalayan Mountains. Thegiant continental plates alongwith the great Himalayas arestill moving and the mountainsare still getting taller to thisday.

4. The exact nature of the forcesthat lead to the motion of thegiant tectonic plates is still notclearly understood, and is asubject of intense investi-gations. However, it isgenerally agreed that theseforces arise from convectionprocesses and circulation of themantle material driven fromthe hot inner core of the earth.This process is similar to thecirculation of hot water in a potheated from below with a

b u r n e r. Amazing as it mayseem, the physical laws and thebasic processes involved in thecirculation of the mantle in theearth’s interior are the same asin the circulation of air in theatmosphere rising upwards inthe hot tropical regions anddescending in the cooler highlatitude regions. Suchprocesses are also res-ponsiblefor the formation and motion ofclouds in the earth’satmosphere.

5. The interior of the earth hasbeen and continues to be adynamic and very much alivemedium ever since itsformation some 4.6 billionyears ago, continuouslychanging. The motion of thetectonic plates leads to theformation and destruction oflandmasses, mountains abovethe surface of the earth, andridges and trenches under theoceans. Without the motion oftectonic plates, the landmasseswith all its mountains wouldhave disappeared a long timeago with the constantlyoccurring erosion processes.The whole earth would then becovered with the oceans. Theland creatures and the humanlife as we see it today on thesurface of the earth, withrivers, drinking water, food and

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other needs for man’s existencewould not have been possiblewithout the motions associatedwith the tectonic plates, andthe existence of mountains.

Are the highly unusual ideas andprocesses summarized abovemerely a conjecture, based onsome newly formulated ‘theory’yet to be tested and validated? Dowe have sufficient observationalevidence to make such novel andrevolutionary ideas believable? Thebrief answer is that there is now anover-whelming amount of evi-dence, obtained in widely diversefields of study (such as geologicalstructures, mag-netite, fossils,plant and animal life, etc.) thatthe main features of the platetectonic theory are now wellestablished. This has hap-penedduring the last 50 years or so. Themost persuasive evidence has comein the form of direct observation ofthe motion of the continents withground-based and satellite-borneinstruments. All such observationsmade with great precision,indicate that the continents aremoving with respect to onea n o t h e r. The North Americancontinent, for example, isobserved to be moving away fromEurope by about an inch everyyear. Although this motion appearsto be very small, it leads to theentire width of the Atlantic Ocean

over a period of some 300 millionyears!

Qur’anic Revelations aboutMountains A comparison of our most recentknowledge about the nature ofmountains based on the basicelement of plate tectonics outlinedhere, with the description in theQ u r’anic verses listed above,indicates a most astonishingvalidation of the Quranic versesrevealed some 1400 years ago.Besides any metaphorical interpre-tations, we do know the Qur’anicdescriptions of mountains haveproved to be literally true,however incom-prehensible theymay have been in the past. Fromscientific investigations, today wedo know that:

1. Although the mountains arestationary, they appear to bephysically moving with respectto other objects on the surfaceof the earth, despite theirenormous mass and rigidity.

2. The mountains do indeed play arole similar to that of pegs orstakes in the ground to resistthe motion of movable objects,even though the pegs or themountains are moving.

3. The physical processes leadingto the motion of the mountains

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are indeed strangely similar tothe processes that lead to theformation and motion ofclouds, namely the convectionand circulation of air mass inthe earth’s atmosphere.

4. The formation of mountains hasled to the existence oflandmasses, pathways andmodes of land borne trans-portation as well as theproduction of rivers and freshwater. Human and other animallife as we see it today on thesurface of the earth would nothave been possible without theprocesses that lead to thecreation of mountains.

The revelations and validation ofthe hidden secrets behind thenature and formation of themountains are absolutely amazing.A clear and graphic description ofthe nature of the mountains layopen to the readers of the HolyQur’an for some 1400 years and yetit is only in recent times that theinterpretations of the Qur’ a n i cverses have become fully clear.From another point of view, theverses of the Holy Qur’an continueto be validated in every age withnew knowledge and discoveries,continually providing powerfulproofs and strengthening the beliefof its Divine origin.

We conclude with two highlyprophetic verses of the Qur’ a ntouching on these two aspects:

We Ourself has sent down thisExhortation, and We will mostsurely safeguard it. (Ch.15: v.10)

This verse contains in it one of themost wonderful prophesies of theQur’an, the fulfillment of which isa continuing testimony to its Divineorigin. It has always been held thatthe promise of safeguarding in thisverse refers not merely to thepreservation of the purity of therevealed text from subsequentchanges and interpolations, butmore importantly to the validity oftheir meanings and interpretationswith the passage of time. That thephysical text of the Qur’an is wordby word identical to the Qur’anthat was revealed and that existedat the times of the Holy Prophet ofIslam has been well established byall scholarly studies and is beyondany dispute. It is the promise ofpreservation of the validity of theinterpretations, and the intelle-ctual content of the verses of theQur’an that is being fulfilled in thepresent age. The accelerated paceof accumulation of new scientificknowledge, is providing testimonyto its Divine origin in accordancewith the claim:

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Will they not then meditateupon the Qur’an? Had it beenfrom any one other than Allah,they would surely have foundtherein much contradiction. (Ch.4: v.83)

References

1. The Qur’an: The chapter and theverse references are given withthe convention of counting thefirst verse (In Qur’ans where thefirst verse is not numberedsubtract one from the versenumber given). The quotedEnglish translation has beenchosen by the author from acollection of translations, inparicular: The Holy Qur’an, withEnglish translation and Shortcommentary, Ed. Malik G. Farid,Islam International publications,London, 1994; The Qur’ a n,Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, CursonPress, 1970;

2. Commentaries: The Holy Qur’an,with English Translation andC o m m e n t a r y, Vol. 1-5, Alhaj.Mirza Bashir-ud-Mahmud Ahmad,Islam International Publ., London,1988.

3. Revelation, Rationality,Knowledge, and Tr u t h, pp.307-311, Mirza Tahir Ahmad, IslamInternational Publ., London, 1998.

4. The Bible, the Qur’an and

Science, Maurice Bucaille, Dar AlMa’arif, Egypt, 1977.

5. This Dynamic Earth, W.Jacquelyne Kious, and Robert I.Tilling, U.S. Geological SurveyPublication, Wadhington, D.C.,1999.

6. The Dynamic Planet, W. G. Ernst,Columbia University Press, NewYork, 1990.

7. Continents in Motion, W. Sullivan,McGaw-Hill, New York, 1991.

8. Physical Geology, N. K. Coch, andA.Ludman, Macmillan, New York,1991.

Ch.16: v.16 is translated as: ‘Andhe has placed in the earth firmmountains to sustain you andrivers and paths so that you keepto the right path’.

Likewise Ch.41: v.11 is translatedas: ‘He set therein firmmountains rising above itssurface, and placed blessingstherein and finely balanced itsmeans os sustenance in fourperiods – alike for all who seek’.

Finally Ch.28: v.89 is translatedas” ‘And you see the mountains

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imagining them to be stationary,while they are floating like thefloating of the clouds. Such is theworth of Allah, Who has madeeverything firm and strong.Verily, He knows full well whatyou do’.(The Holy Qur’an, translation bythe late maulvi Sher Ali,published under the auspices ofHadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, 1997,Islam International Publications.

For an alternative view, the readeris also invited to R e v e l a t i o n ,Rationality, Knowledge and Truthby Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad whoanswered a number of questions onthis and related subjects some ofwhich we have featured in theReview of Religions in the past (Editor)

About the AuthorProfessor Dr. Mian Abbas Ph.D is aspace scientist/astrophysicist,currently at the NASA marchallSpace Flight Centre in Alabama. hehas written a number of treatiseand his research has beenpublished in a number of scientificand technical journals.

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Contents March 2002, Vol.97, No - Review of Religions€¦ · Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian...

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Transcript of Contents March 2002, Vol.97, No - Review of Religions€¦ · Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian...