Review of Religions February 2016

Are Religious Parents Brainwashing Their Children? 14

Pray for Children Instead of Punishing Them 24

Apartheid of Ahmadis in Pakistan 32

The Economic System of Islam 50

vol. 111 - issue twofebruary 2016 www.reviewofreligions.org

Arereligious parents brainwashing Their children?

O my dear son! Observe Prayer, and enjoin good, and forbid evil, and endure patiently whatever may befall thee. Surely this is of those matters which require firm resolve. And turn not thy cheek away from men in pride nor walk in the earth haughtily; Surely Allah loves not any arrogant boaster.ISlAm, thE holy QuR’An, Ch.31:V.18-19.

Narrated by Hazrat Anas bin Malikra: “Said the Holy Prophetsa of Allah: Respect your children and cultivate in them the best of manners.”ISlAm, thE holy PRoPhEtSA, hAdIth of IBn mAjA.

I wish that, instead of punishing children, parents would have recourse to prayer, and should make it a habit to supplicate earnestly for their children; for the supplications of parents on behalf of their children meet with special acceptance.ISlAm, thE PRomISEd mESSIAhAS, The essence of Islam, Vol. 3, P. 335.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.judAISm And ChRIStIAnIty, thE BIBlE, PRoVERBS 22:6.

Supporting one’s father and mother, cherishing wife and children and a peaceful occupation; this is the greatest blessing.BuddhISm, SuttA nIPAtA, 262.

As the child, according to its natural disposition, commits thousands of faults, the father instructs and slights, but again hugs him to his bosom. SIkhISm, AdI GRAnth, SoRAth, m.5.

The Holy Prophet Muhammadsa prophesied that the Promised Messiahas would be raised near a white minaret, east of Damascus. This prophecy was fulfilled with the advent of the Promised Messiahas

from Qadian, India, a city directly east of Damascus.

The Promised Messiahas

& imam mahdi

© m

akhz

an-e

-tas

awee

r

founder of the review of religions

Children

world faiths

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi was born to a noble family in Qadian, India. From an early age he had a keen interest in religion and developed a love for the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. He was also known for his honesty, friendliness and resolve. Over time his knowledge and understanding of religion and its application to society deepened. Being a Muslim it was his firm belief that all religions were true at their source but with the passage of time had drifted away from their original teachings; he upheld the dignity of religion and demonstrated its relevance to everyone.

His earnest defence of religion was ultimately blessed when he started to receive direct revelation from Allah

– a blessing that he continued for the rest of his life.

His mission was to revitalise the truth that all religions held within them and to revive the teachings of Islam. It was through this that he would bring mankind together and establish everlasting peace.

In 1889, under Divine Guidance, Hazrat Ahmadas founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – a community that has since grown in its stature and strength and has remained active in conveying the message of Islam to the ends of the earth.

Hazrat Ahmadas had established himself as a respected writer and had written over 80 books. His writings have been translated into more than 60 languages and continue to inspire readers to this day. One of his greatest scholarly works was The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, prepared as a paper and read out at the Conference of Great Religions in 1896.

He also wrote a fascinating treatise in 1899 entitled Jesus in India, a book that uncovered remarkable evidence of Jesus’sas journey to India. In 1902, the Promised Messiahas initiated The Review of Religions which has covered a vast array of topics on religion, philosophy and contemporary issues of the day. It is the longest running English magazine in defence of Islam and the values it teaches.

From 1889 until the time of his demise in 1908 tens of thousands of people accepted him. This blessing has continued and will continue through his Khulafa (successors).

Currently under the fifth successor, we are seeing that the tide of acceptance is worldwide and that the message of Prophet Ahmadas has really reached the ends of the earth.

8 The Purpose of the Advent of the Promised messiahas

Hazrat Mirza GHulaM aHMadas, tHe ProMised

MessiaH and iMaM MaHdi

14 Are Religious Parents Brainwashing Their Children?

Atheists allege that religious parents who bring up their children in the same faith are “brainwashing” their offspring. But is this really the case?uMar nasser, london, uK

24 Pray for Children Instead of Punishing Them

Hazrat Mirza GHulaM aHMadas, tHe ProMised

MessiaH and iMaM MaHdi

28 high moral Qualities of the holy Prophet muhammadsa

Hazrat Mirza BasHir-ud-din MaHMud aHMadra,

tHe seCond CaliPH oF tHe aHMadiYYa MusliM

CoMMunitY.

32 Apartheid of Ahmadis in Pakistan

Presenting the second part of a Harvard lecture in which advocate Mujeeb ur Rahman discusses the erosion of the rights of Ahmadis in Pakistan.MuJeeB ur raHMan, PaKistan

50 The Economic System of IslamWhat are the flaws in communism? An Islamic perspective.Hazrat Mirza BasHir-ud-din MaHMud aHMadra,

tHe seCond CaliPH oF tHe aHMadiYYa MusliM

CoMMunitY

Front cover picture: © ZouZou | shutterstock.com

contents

february 2015 vol.111 issue two

50

14

32

ChIEf EdItoR & mAnAGER

Syed Amer Safir

ASSoCIAtE EdItoRS

Nakasha Ahmad, Tariq H. Malik

RElIGIon & SCIEnCE

Editor: Dr. Syed Muhammad Tahir Nasser

Deputy: Dr. Tauseef Khan

ISlAm & ContEmPoRARy ISSuES

Editor: Shahzad Ahmad

lAW & humAn RIGhtS

Editor: Qudsi Rasheed

Deputy: Ayesha Mahmood Malik

AnCIEnt RElIGIonS & ARChAEoloGy

Editor: Fazal Ahmad

Deputy: Rizwan Safir

ChRIStIAnIty

Editor: Navida Sayed

Deputy: Arif Khan

WomEn’S SECtIon

Editor: Aliya Latif

Deputy: Meliha Hayat

Book REVIEWS

Editor: Sarah Waseem

WEB tEAm

Mubashra Ahmad, Hibba Turrauf

SPECIAl CollECtIonS

Head: Razwan Baig

EdItoRIAl BoARd

Mansoor Saqi, Bockarie Tommy Kallon, Professor

Amtul Razzaq Carmichael, Murtaza Ahmad, Fiona

O’Keefe, Hassan Wahab, Jonathan Butterworth,

Munazza Khan, Waqar Ahmedi, Mahida Javed

SuB-EdItoRS

Munawara Ghauri (Head), Maryam Malik,

Nusrat Haq, Mariam Rahman

PRoofREAdERS

Farhana Dar (Head), Hina Rehman, Amina Abbasi, Aisha Patel

houSE StylE GuIdE

Maleeha Ahmad (Head), Sadia Shah

SoCIAl mEdIA

Tazeen Ahmad (Head), Mala Khan (Deputy), Nudrat

Ahmad, Hajra Ahmad, Mishall Rahman, Shumaila Ahmad

PRInt dESIGn And lAyout

Ahsan Khan

IntERnAtIonAl SuBSCRIPtIon & dIStRIButIon

Muhammad Hanif

ACCountS & mARkEtInG

Musa Sattar

ARt & CREAtIVIty

Zubair Hayat, Mussawir Din

IndEXInG, tAGGInG & ARChIVInG

Mirza Krishan Ahmad (Head). Amtus Shakoor Tayyaba Ahmed

(Deputy). Humaira Omer, Humda Sohail, Shahid Malik, Ruhana

Hamood, Mubahil Shakir, Adila Bari, Hassan Raza Ahmad

mAnAGEmEnt BoARd

Munir-Ud-Din Shams (Chairman), Syed Amer Safir (Secretary), Mubarak Ahmad Zaffar, Ataul Mujeeb

Rashed, Naseer Qamar, Abdul Baqi Arshad, Abid Waheed Ahmad Khan, Aziz Ahmad Bilal

The world is passing through turbulent times. The global economic crisis continues to manifest new and grave dangers at every juncture. The similarities of the current circumstances to the build-up of the Second World War are stark. Events appear to be moving us rapidly towards a Third World War. The consequences of a nuclear war are beyond our imagination.

In this book, the historic addresses of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba, Fifth Khalifah of the Promised Messiah and Supreme Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to prominent dignitaries at Capitol Hill, the House of Commons, the European Parliament and other notable locations around the world have been collated. The book also includes the momentous letters sent by His Holiness to the numerous world leaders. Over and over again, His Holiness has reminded all that the only means of averting a global catastrophe is for nations to establish justice as an absolute requirement of their dealings with others. Even if mutual enmity exists, impartiality must be observed at all times, because history has taught us that this alone isthe way to eliminate all traces of hatred and to build everlasting peace.

Read online at: www.alislam.org

Purchase the book here:http://store.alislam.org/

The

Promised Messiahas

& imam mahdi( g u i d e d o n e )


Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas

Earthquakes are a sign from God. Here, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah, writes about his mission to restore the relationship “between God and His creatures” and the significance of earthquakes in reformation.

The task for which God has appointed me is that I should remove the malaise that afflicts the relation-ship between God and His creatures and restore the relationship of love and sincerity between them. Through the proclamation of truth and by putting an end to religious conflicts, I should bring about peace and manifest the Divine verities that have become hidden from the eyes of the world. I am called upon to demonstrate spirituality which lies buried under egoistic darkness. It is for me to demonstrate by practice, and not by words alone, the Divine powers which penetrate into a human being and are mani-fested through prayer or attention. Above all, it is my task to re-establish in people’s hearts the eternal plant of the pure and shining Unity of God which is free from every impurity of polytheism, and which has now completely disappeared. All this will be accomplished, not through my power, but through the power of the Almighty God, Who is the God of heaven and earth.[1]

Why did The Promised messiahas Come?

Divine revelation has repeatedly employed the word ‘earthquake’ and has indicated that the earthquake will present a spectacle of doomsday, as described in Surah

Quotes of the Promised Messiah #1

(Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Zilzal, Verse 2). The Economic System of Islam

االلهااس ول اراام مد ااالله ااإلااإلهاالا

.[2] But I cannot say with certainty if it will in fact be an earthquake. It may not be an earthquake but some other dire calamity evoking the spectacle of doomsday, the like of which would not have been witnessed by this age, and which would bring about great destruction of life and property. However, if no such extraordinary sign appears and people do not openly reform themselves, then I shall prove to be a liar.[3]

endnotes

1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Lecture Lahore, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 20, p.180.

2. “When the earth is shaken with her violent shaking,…” (Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Zilzal, Verse 2).

3. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part 5, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 21, p. 151, footnote.

THE

PHILOSOPHY

OF THE

TEACHINGS

OF

ISLAM

MIRZA GHULAM AHMADTHE PROMISED MESSIAH & MAHDIAS

The Review of Religions serialised the famous treatise The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, by the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Initially written for the Conference of Great Religions on December 26-29,1896, each speaker at the conference was asked to present to the audience the beauties of their own religion based upon its scripture, proving that it was the true religion, based on the following topics:

• The Physical, Moral, and Spiritual States of Man

• What is the State of Man after Death?

• The Object of Man’s Life and the Means of its Attainment

• The Operation of the Practical Ordinances of the Law in This Life and the Next

• Sources of Divine Knowledge

SERIALISED IN The Review of Religions

Read online:

www.alislam.org/books/

Or purchase here:

store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

Bitcoin: On Behalf of The Future 14

Educating Our Children 24

The Difference Between True Islam & Extremist Groups 30

FGM’ – Not in The Name of Religion 50

VOL. 110 - ISSUE 1JANUARY 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

ERADICATING EXTREMISM

Why The Honeybee is Dying and What It Means for Life on Earth 16

Wonders Experienced Through Fasting 26

The Islamic Dilemma Should We Fear the Religion of Peace? 30

Atheism or Belief - Which is evidence Based? 42

VOL. 110 - ISSUE SEVENJULY 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

The

ISLAMICDILEMMAShould We Fear the Religion of Peace?

God - His Transcedence and Manifestation 12

Untold Stories 26

From the Archives: My Visit to Qadian 38

Preaching Activities of Jesusas in the East 46

VOL. 110 - ISSUE TWOFEBRUARY 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

EYES CANNOT REACH HIM...

The Sign of the Heavens 20

The Plague 58

A Murder in British Lahore: Closing the Case of Lekh Ram 80

World War One: Centenary of Fulfliment of a Grand Prophecy 102

VOL. 110 - ISSUE EIGHTAUGUST 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

EVIDENCE FOR THE

TRUTHYou be the Judge...

S P E C I A L 1 6 4 P A G E E D I T I O N

A Message of Peace 10

Legal Right Verses Moral Duty 38

Is it Permissable for Prisoners of War to be Executed? 56

The Life of the Prophet Muhammadsa 68

VOL. 110 - ISSUE THREEMARCH 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

REACTION to

CHARLIEHEBDO...?

SERMONon the

MOUNT


The Institution of Hajj 20

Mahmud’s Letter From the Land of the Dearest One [Muhammadsa] 24

The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophetssa

52

VOL. 110 - ISSUE NINESEPTEMBER 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

From the LETTERS of

MAHMUDRA

A HISTORIC JOURNEY TO THE HOUSE OF GOD

Firm Stance Against Terror At Peace Symposium 8

The Golden Principles for World Peace 16

Three Minutes and Counting 38

Has Science Rendered Religion Obsolete? 66

VOL. 110 - ISSUE FOURAPRIL 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

RAYOF HOPE?

SERMONon the

MOUNT

Halloween – Fear or Fun? 10

Shariah: A Semantic Oxymoron? 28

Connecting to Khilafat: A Guidance for Today’s Muslim Youth 36

Islam’s Response to the Destruction of Cultural Heritage 56

VOL. 110 - ISSUE TENOCTOBER 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

A Guidance for Today’s Muslim Youth

Connecting to Khilafat:

Is the Shroud of Turin a Medieval Photograph? 22

The Sudarium of Oviedo and the Shroud of Turin 40

A Brief Review of Recent CNN Documentary on the Shroud 56

The Oviedo Cloth by Mark Guscin: Book Review 66

VOL. 110 - ISSUE FIVEMAY 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

The RESURRECTIONShrouding The Truth?

Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra – An Early Ray of Western Sunrise 18

World Peace & Security - The Critical Issues of Our Time 38

Responsibilities of an Ahmadi Muslim 50


VOL. 110 - ISSUE ELEVENNOVEMBER 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

WORLD PEACE & SECURITY:THE CRITICAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME

The Race to Conquer the Secret of Life 14

The Spiritual Benefits of Fasting 24

Navigating Life in the 21st Century 32

Visits to Sacred Places 54

VOL. 110 - ISSUE SIXJUNE 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

NAVIGATINGLIFE in the21ST CENTURYSpirituality, Morality & Material Progress

Three Gradations of Doing Good 14

Is Religion Truly the Cause of Disorder in the World Today? 20

Apartheid of Ahmadis in Pakistan 52

Women’s Responsibilities: Fulfilling the Conditions of Bai’at 78

VOL. 110 - ISSUE TWELVEDECEMBER 2015 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

The BLAME GAME

Is religion truly the cause of

disorder in the world

today?

Is Religion Truly the Cause of Disorder in the World Today?

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Arereligious parents brainwashing Their children?

In a world where religion is constantly under scrutiny and many people are being misled by so-called religious leaders, do parents have the right to pass on religious beliefs to their offspring? Is teaching children religious ideals a form of indoctrination? We explore the arguments.

It is a question that has been raised too frequently over the last few years for reli-gious parents to ignore entirely: Is raising a child to hold religious beliefs a sinis-ter form of ideological indoctrination? Many outspoken atheists of today argue just this, with zoologist Richard Dawkins predictably leading the pack. Last year, in a detailed article specifically on this topic, he wrote:

“There really is an important difference between including your children in harmless traditions, and forcing on them un-evi-denced opinions about the nature of life or the cosmos.”[1]

In another interview he added:

“Children do need to be protected so that they can have a proper education and not be indoctrinated in whatever religion their parents happen to have been brought up in.”[2]

The full argument presented by some atheists asserts that raising a child with religious beliefs is a form of brainwash-ing, which exerts an undue influence on their future. A fairer approach, they pro-pose, would be to raise children without any religious beliefs at all, permitting them to reach intellectual maturity

whereupon they can choose their own faith or non-faith world-view.

At first glance, this position may seem reasonable; its logic however, is deeply flawed. Here are five reasons why reli-gious people have absolutely every right to raise their children according to their own religious convictions:

1. We all raise our children according to our personal beliefs - atheists included.

When we examine the aforementioned statements from Dawkins, the hypoc-risy of the stance becomes immediately apparent. It hinges on the idea that religious people hold ‘un-evidenced

Are Religious Parents Brainwashing Their

Children? The full argument presented by some atheists asserts that raising a child with religious beliefs is a form of brainwashing, which exerts an undue influence on their future.

By Umar Nasser, London, UK

c Yonatan Sindel for the Ministry of Tourism.

FEBRuARy 2016 | THE REvIEw OF RElIGIOns 17

its logical conclusion, would prohibit parents from discussing any of their political, economic, or social values with their children, for fear of their children inclining towards their parents’ political persuasions. Perhaps Dawkins would be in favour of mass genetic recombination too; one hates to see genetic traits being passed down so indiscriminately from parent to child.

2. Parents have their children’s best interests at heart.

All parents, whether they are religious or not, take a myriad of decisions on behalf of their children based on what they judge will be best for their progeny’s future. How many children have wailed and cried when their parents sent them to school, or felt that moving house away from their friends was ‘the worst thing ever?’ And yet, does anyone imagine that we should emancipate all such children in the glorious name of freedom of choice? Of course not, because we all accept that a parent’s judgment with regards to their children’s future must be respected. There is no reason why the rights which apply to the choices shaping a child’s social and academic future should not also be extended to a child’s spiritual future.

3. Islam upholds freedom of belief.

Of course, there is a limit to a parent’s right over determining a child’s future:

“There is no compulsion in religion...”[3]

Bearing in mind the profound import of

opinions about the nature of life or the cosmos.’ Does that not sound rather like an opinion in itself ? I do not think my beliefs are un-evidenced; after all, who does? We cannot all be right, but we all reserve the right to believe that we are. Who is to say that I do not deem athe-ism to be an un-evidenced stance which is harmful to the moral and spiritual wel-fare of my children? If so, how could I consciously deny my nearest and dearest the opportunity to spiritually develop in their youth? The argument essentially boils down to a petulant expression of anti-religious outrage: your belief is dif-ferent to mine, and I am obviously right, so how dare you teach your ignorant beliefs to your children. Thus, it is very clear; if Dawkins raises his children with the belief that naturalistic processes alone can and do explain any and all phenom-ena, then I have every right to raise my children with the belief that they cannot.

As a final argument in his writings, Dawkins repeatedly draws a compari-son with the apparent absurdity of labelling children according to their parents’ political inclinations, shrewdly pointing out that calling children ‘conservative’ or ‘socialist ’ would be ridiculous. Unfortunately for the pro-fessor, his argument, when taken to

All parents, whether they are religious or not, take a myriad of decisions on behalf of their children based on what they judge will be best for their progeny’s future…There is no reason why the rights which apply to the choices shaping a child’s social and academic future should not also be extended to a child’s spiritual future.

are religious parents brainwashing their children?

Religious parents are allowed to bring up their children in the faith they ascribe to in the same way that an atheist can. However, religious parents are stigmatised as forcing their children to believe in a particular way. © India Picture | Shutterstock.com

Parents always have their children’s best interests at heart and therefore use every means to guide them in the best way possible. This includes the moral, educational and spiritual upbringing of the child and maximising his or her potential.© rmnoa357 | Shutterstock.com

18 THE REvIEw OF RElIGIOns | FEBRuARy 2016 FEBRuARy 2016 | THE REvIEw OF RElIGIOns 19

spiritual satisfaction, the fulfilment of prayers and a relationship with God, then how can you possibly make an informed choice about religion’s truth? A truly informed choice is born out of experi-ence. If after such an effort one decides that spirituality’s promised fruits were non-existent, then one is free to leave. However, a rejection of religion without ever endeavouring to truly experience its benefits is meaningless.

5. If a religious upbringing means per-manent indoctrination, there would be no atheists.

Perhaps the greatest proof that this whole idea is flawed is the fact that most of the leading proponents of the New Atheism were born and raised in religious envi-ronments, before choosing to relinquish religion. After all, we all know that religiosity in the West is on the decline and atheism is on the rise. That simply would not be possible if raising a child in a religious environment inevitably cre-ated an indelible religious streak in him. We see then that this demand has no legitimate ground to stand upon. This notwithstanding, it is of course true that a minority of parents may seek to sup-press the faculty of critical reasoning in their children so as to make way for a

set of religious beliefs. Such mental coer-cion, however, is anathema to the true teachings of the Prophets—those who showed every sign of their truth, yet who valued freedom of conscience above all other freedoms.

“And say, it is the truth from your Lord,

this verse, I plan to raise my children with the religious beliefs that I hold to be true; so that they may taste the spiritual ben-efits that I have tasted, of which I could not dream of depriving them. However, when they reach intellectual maturity and should they find themselves truly unconvinced by the arguments in favour of these beliefs, then so be it. I have no right to force them to profess belief, not least because a forced belief is hollow. My commitment to do what I deem best for them in their youth does not translate to depriving them of their autonomy as they grow older. After all, the Prophet Noahas, with great anguish, beckoned his disbe-lieving son to the Ark, but he did not force him to embark with the believers.[4]

4. Being raised outside religion means you are not given an informed choice.

The premise upon which this idea is built is that it is fairer for a child to be raised without a faith because it leaves the door open for him to choose a religion in adulthood as and when he wishes. This, however, means that most people will end up atheists, and for all the ‘wrong’ rea-sons. Religion may have a very rational basis but many of its fruits are not purely intellectual, they are also experiential. If you grow up without having experienced


I plan to raise my children with the religious beliefs that I hold to be true; so that they may taste the spiritual benefits that I have tasted, of which I could not dream of depriving them. However, when they reach intellectual maturity and should they find themselves truly unconvinced by the arguments in favour of these beliefs, then so be it.

Islam gives the precedent that there is no compulsion in matters of faith so once any child is intellectually mature and can stand on his own feet, he or she is then able to judge for themselves whether they want to follow a particular religion or not.© Samet Guler | Shutterstock.com

The example of Richard Dawkins shows that after being brought up as a Christian until his teenage years, he then decided to cease believing in God and now continues to live his life having no faith. Therefore, being brought up with faith does not brainwash or bind the child to follow religion when they are more mature to decide for themselves.(Accessed via Wiki Commons)


wherefore let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve.”[5]

About the Author: Umar Nasser is a final year medical student at Imperial College, London. He is currently serving as Chair of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Students Association UK, and is the co-founder of Endofatheism.com, an initiative seeking to provide coherent answers to the questions posed by atheism in the modern age. He is also serving as co-editor of Student Review, a new blog jointly produced by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK and The Review of Religions.

endnotes

1. Richard Dawkins, “Don’t Force Your Religious Opinions On Your Children,” Foundation for Reason and Science, 19 February 2015, https://richarddawkins.net/2015/02/dont-force-your-religious-opinions-on-your-children/.

2. Joe Humphreys, “Richard Dawkins: Children Need to be ‘Protected’ From Religion,”The Irish Times, 24 February 2015, http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/richard-dawkins-children-need-to-be-pro-tected-from-religion-1.2116281.

3. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 257.

4. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Hud, Verse 43.

5. Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 30.


Your feedback is important to us

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22 THE REvIEw OF RElIGIOns | FEBRuARy 2016

The

Promised Messiahas

& imam mahdi( g u i d e d o n e )


Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas

How to properly raise children is a perennial question and concern for mothers and fathers everywhere. Here, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah, provides valuable insight and advice for parents.

I believe that beating children in a manner by which the ill-behaved child-beater pretends to be Allah’s partner in guiding and training children is a type of polytheism. [1]

When a hot-tempered person is provoked and pun-ishes a child, he takes on the role of an enemy in the stress of his anger and imposes punishment far in excess of the wrong which has been done. An individual with self-respect and control over himself, who is also forbearing and dignified, has the right

Pray for Children Instead of Punishing Them

I wish that, instead of punishing children, parents would have recourse to prayer, and should make it a habit to supplicate earnestly for their children; for the supplications of parents on behalf of their children meet with special acceptance.

to correct a child to a certain extent as the occasion demands or seek to guide the child. But a wrathful and hot-headed person who is easily provoked is not fit to be a guardian of children. I wish that, instead of punishing children, parents would have recourse to prayer, and should make it a habit to supplicate earnestly for their children; for the supplications of parents on behalf of their children meet with special acceptance.

True guidance and training belongs to God Almighty. To pursue a matter persistently and to insist upon it unduly and to rebuke children upon every matter indicates that such a person imagines himself to be the source of guidance and believes that he will bring the children to order by pursuing his own method. This kind of attitude savours of a hidden assump-tion of association with the Divine and should be avoided by the members of our community. I pray for my children and require them to follow a broad set of rules of behaviour and no more. Beyond this, I put my full trust in Allah Almighty in the confi-dence that the seed of good fortune inherent in each of them will flower at its proper time.

endnotes

1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 2, pp. 4-5 (English Translation: The Essence of Islam, Vol. 3, pp. 335-336).

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Suffer Pain to Bring Comfort to Humanity 10

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Khalifah of the Promised Messiah in Germany 40

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ISLAM A THREAT OR A SOURCE OF PEACE?CASE STUDY: GERMANY

Khalifah of Promised Messiah Sends Letter to Russian President 30

Syria - A Religious Heritage 34

Medical Consequences of Nuclear War 46

The World in Need of a Reformer 74

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SYRIA IN CRISIS

Chimes of Messiah 8

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Khalifah of the Promised Messiahas at the Houses of Parliament 46

Guests Reflect on the Houses of Parliament Event 62

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his Self-Control

He always held himself under complete control. Even when he became a sovereign he always listened to everybody with patience, and if a person treated him with impertinence he bore with him and never attempted any retaliation. In the East, one way of showing respect for a person whom one is addressing is not to address him by his personal name. The Muslims used to address the Holy Prophetsa as: “O Messenger of Allahsa,” and non-Muslims used to address him as “Abu’l Qasim[sa]” (i.e., Qasim’s father: Qasim being the name of one of his sons). On one occasion a Jew came to him in Medina and started a discussion with him. In the course of the discussion he repeatedly addressed him as “O Muhammadsa, O Muhammadsa.” The Prophetsa paid no attention to his form of address and went on patiently expounding the matter under discussion to him. His Companionsra, however, were getting irritated at the discourteous form of address adopted by his interlocutor until one of them, not being able to restrain himself any longer, admonished the Jew not to address the Prophetsa by his personal name but to address him as Abu’l Qasimsa. The Jew said that he would address him only by the name which his parents

had given him. The Prophetsa smiled and said to his Companions: “He is right. I was named Muhammadsa at the time of my birth and there is no reason to be upset at his addressing me by that name.”

Sometimes people stopped him on the way and engaged him in conver-sation, explaining their needs and preferring their requests to him. He always stood patiently and let them go on and proceeded only after they

© Masood T

had done so. On occasion people when shaking hands with him kept hold of his hand for some time and, though he found this inconvenient and it occasioned a loss of precious time also, he was never the first to withdraw his hand. People went freely to him and laid their troubles and difficul-ties before him and asked him for help. If he was able to help he never declined to do so. Sometimes he was pestered with requests and they were unreasonably pressed but he went on complying with them as far as he was able. On occasion, after complying with a request, he would admonish the

high moral Qualities of the holy Prophet muhammadsa

“He is right. I was named Muhammadsa at the time of my birth and there is no reason to be upset at his addressing me by that name.”

person concerned to have greater trust in God and to avoid asking others for relief. On one occasion a devout Muslim asked him several times for money and each time he complied with his request but in the end said: “It is best for a man to put his trust in God and to avoid making requests.” The person concerned was a sincere man. Out of regard for the feelings of the Prophetsa, he did not offer to return what he had already received but he declared that in future he would never make a request to anybody under any circumstances. Years later, he was taking part in a battle, mounted on a charger, and in the thick of it when the din and confusion and the clash of arms were at their highest and he was surrounded by his enemies, his whip fell from his hand. A Muslim soldier who was on foot, perceiving his predicament, bent down to pick up the whip for him but the mounted man begged him to desist and jumped from his horse and picked up the whip himself, explaining to the soldier that he had long since promised the Holy Prophetsa that he would never make any request to anybody and that if he had permitted the soldier to pick up the whip for him it would have amounted to his having made an indirect request and would thus have rendered him guilty of breaking his promise to the Holy Prophetsa.[1]

endnotes

1. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Life of Muhammadsa (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2013), 217-219.

A solitary voice, raised in Makkah, was, under Divine command, calling people

to the worship of one God and proclaiming that through responding to this call would humankind achieve true dignity, honour, prosperity and happiness both here and Hereafter.

That voice was the voice of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, the Seal of the Prophets. In this popular biography, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra outlines the life of the most influential man in history in an easy-to-digest manner.

Read online here: http://www.alislam.org/library/books/Life-of-Muhammad.pdf

Purchase book here: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

For years, Ahmadi Muslims have been treated as second-class citizens in Pakistan. Pakistani advocate Mujeeb ur Rahman explores the legal background.

After the Second Amendment was passed and Ahmadis were declared to be non-Muslim, the community took it in their stride. We said, “Alright, for the purposes of constitution and law, I am a non-Muslim, so what? I will lose some of my political rights. But I continue to be what I am with my faith. If I am reckoned as a Muslim with the Lord in Heaven, let the constitution deny me.” So we did not challenge it in court for whatever reason. But the clerics did not sit quiet. They said, “We have declared them non-Muslim and yet they pray as they did, they fast as they did and they read the Qur’an as they did, so what’s the point?” So there was a spate of litigation in the Province of Punjab and I had the honour to argue the cases: where cases were filed that Ahmadi mosques

“Alright, for the purposes of constitution and law, I am a non-Muslim, so what? I will lose some of my political rights. But I continue to be what I am with my faith. If I am reckoned as a Muslim with the Lord in Heaven, let the constitution deny me.”

Apartheid of Ahmadis in Pakistan

A Lecture by Mujeeb ur Rahman, AdvocateHarvard Law School

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (part 2 of 2)

Ahmadi Muslims have been persecuted for years under the rule of the Pakistani government, their rights have been usurped and they are disrespected for their beliefs. This is occurring in nation built on religious freedom and tolerance that has now become a place of social, political and religious turmoil.© Asianet-Pakistan | Shutterstock.com

The Review of Religions is pleased to present below the second part in a two-part series featuring a discussion on the legal status of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan by the advocate and lawyer, Mr. Mujeeb ur Rahman, at Harvard Law School. The event was co-sponsored by the Harvard Human Rights Program, Harvard Human Rights Law Journal, Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights, Harvard South Asian Law Students Association, and Ahmadiyya Muslim Lawyers Association USA, and moderated by Amjad Mahmood Khan, Esq. This second part of the series features a Q&A session which followed the lecture published in our December 2015 issue. This second part of the series starts with the discussion on the Second Amendment which was passed and declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims. It also features a Q&A session which followed the lecture published in our December 2015 issue.


in to argue the religious side of that case. I argued it for about 14 days, I think. That case yielded a masterpiece judge-ment by Justices Aftab Hussain and Samdani; they said Ahmadis are non-Muslim under the constitution, but they are non-Muslims of a special kind because they believe in the Qur’an, they believe in Hadith, they believe in Salat and all their practices are those of Hanafi Muslims, so we cannot stop them. They have been doing it for the last 100 years, and these particular practices, which have been banned now under ordinance XX of Zia–ul-Haq, each one of them was pro-tected and sanctified for Ahmadis – and the judge used those words. They said it has been argued before us that Azan and Salat and such things, are Sha’aer of Islam (Sha’aer means the symbols of Islam), and the judge said that they are as much the symbols of the Ahmadiyya faith, and it will be against their fundamental rights to deny them that. So that judgement ran about 120 pages. The clerics dare not take that case to the Supreme Court because it was a compelling case. So as a result of Abdul Rahman Mubashar Ahmad, for a while there was some peace again.

But the clerics waited, and they got an ally in the martial law administrator, Zia-ul-Haq. When he came, I remember

Zia-ul-Haq’s first comments, that phrase is in my ears even now. On his first tel-evision broadcast, he said in Urdu: “Don’t give up your faith and don’t touch other men’s faith.” So very neutral. Within a matter of two years, when he was gasping for the legitimacy of his political rule, he brought in this ordinance XX. The second section of the ordinance XX says: “notwithstand-ing any judgement of the court, or any other law for the time being enforced, this ordi-nance shall have effect.” This ordinance was meant to destroy what I had gained by

should be demolished, that they should be restrained from building minarets in their mosques, that they should be restrained from building domes on their mosques, that they should be restrained from calling Durud (blessings) on the Holy Prophetsa, that they should be restrained from calling Azan, the call to prayer, that they should be restrained from doing prostrations in Salat (prayer) – i.e., every part of religious practice was called into question; So there were many cases. 35 cases were brought in the Lahore High Court. One case decided was that of Abdur Rahman Mubashar Ahmad (and Professor Asad Ahmad sitting in front

of me would know that case and he has studied many other cases, though he has his own sociological angle). In that case, we had a compelling argument that the 1974 amendment was violative of fun-damental rights. But the counsel on the other side said: “Yes our constitution is the law, but Islamic law is also a body of law, and in Pakistan we are going to enforce Islamic law.” So under the Islamic law, the mosques belonging to the Ahmadiyya community need to be erased. He tried to rely on some historic event of Masjid-e-Zarar having been demolished during the lifetime of the Holy Prophetsa and certain Qur’anic verses. So I was called

I remember Zia-ul-Haq’s first comments, that phrase is in my ears even now. On his first television broadcast, he said in Urdu: “Don’t give up your faith and don’t touch other men’s faith.” So very neutral. Within a matter of two years, when he was gasping for the legitimacy of his political rule, he brought in this ordinance XX.

apartheid of ahmadis in pakistan

Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who established Ordinance XX which declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslims, meets with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1982. (Accessed via Wiki Commons).


Retired Duraab Patel of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He said the judge-ment was flawed because it was against the Supreme Court’s own case law. It had not considered the earlier case of Jivindranaat Kishore, a judgement by five judges. The five judges in Zaheeruddin could not overrule the earlier judge-ment of five judges. But that judgement was cited in court (I cited that judge-ment). Justice Fakhruddin Ibrahim, who was our lead counsel, also cited it. And yet it was not even discussed. The judges could have said we do not agree with that judgement; it needs to be overturned, but they did not even mention it. So Patel said that Zaheeruddin was bad because it has ignored the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling. The judgement was also bad on account of another case decided in the Supreme Court by five judges, which is known as Haqim Khan. In Haqim Khan’s case, one of the judges was also a judge sitting in the Zaheeruddin case, and in the prior case he said that Islamic law does not prevail over the constitution, and in the Zaheeruddin case, he said that Islamic law does prevail over the constitution. So, what do we consider his opinion [to be]? He signed the majority opinion. There was a Supreme Court lawyer in Pakistan, Misayadree Chaudhry, who said the ratio or nature of the division of opinion in

Zaheeruddin is not clear. In this particu-lar issue, two judges said that the Islamic provisions prevail and two judges said that the Islamic provision did not prevail, one judge who was in the earlier case. The division was two and two, which did not make a majority. There was also a com-ment by Karen Parker, a human rights activist in San Francisco, who said: “It’s a virtual diatribe against the Ahmadiyya belief.” Then there was a comment in the School of Oriental and African Studies in the U.K. by Martin Lau, who criticised the judgement and pointed out its legal flaws. I also wrote a short book about the judgment called Error at the Apex. Today, we are confronted with sociolog-ical and anthropological comments on the judgement. I still need to examine them and will not discuss them here in detail. But they try to maintain that there is some legitimacy about defining the appropriateness of “Muslim-ness” or a “foreignness within.” If there is a foreign-ness within your body, you need to throw it out; so, as the argument goes, Ahmadis are a foreign element within the Muslim body and must be thrown out. Now, we will have to examine the validity of this argument. There was another argument that this judgement, which all lawyers say was seriously flawed, was in the best of liberal traditions of Anglo-Saxon law.

the judgement of a court. So, the clerics had a victory in the Assembly, declared me non-Muslim, but they could not make me a non-Muslim. I call it legal fic-tion; some people have called it a paradox of identity. But I call it a legal fiction, and as lawyers I ask you, how far can you take a legal fiction? Legal fiction is saying that a man is a woman and a woman is a man; therefore, can I expect a man to deliver a baby? This matter has also been referred to in a different way by the Supreme Court of South Africa by a Jewish judge. In any event, they failed to make me a non-Muslim, so they wanted to make me a non-Muslim through a court of law. Though the National Assembly declared me to be non-Muslim, it could not make me a non-Muslim, because the amend-ment does not stop me from praying or calling myself a Muslim. They went to a court and went to parliament, but they failed. So they came through the martial law administration. So the martial law said, “Alright, you will not do this because you ‘pose as a Muslim.’” Now, how does one pose as a Muslim? Subsequently, the Zaheeruddin case came up, and after that, there were a series of comments on the appropriateness of the ruling.

If I was to summarise them, the first comment was, I think, by Justice

Not only Ahmadi Muslims who are persecuted in Pakistan; it is members of other minority groups are outcast by religious extremists and a government that rules with an iron fist against smaller communities.© Asianet-Pakistan | Shutterstock.com


Though the National Assembly declared me to be non-Muslim, it could not make me a non-Muslim, because the amendment does not stop me from praying or calling myself a Muslim. They went to a court and went to parliament, but they failed. So they came through the martial law administration. So the martial law said, “Alright, you will not do this because you ‘pose as a Muslim.’”


Answer:

I think it is. In Pakistan, the Christian community is an organised community, as are the Ahmadiyya community. The Pakistan Human Rights Commission is a secular voice, and there are certain other individuals who keep on raising their voices. For instance, Sherry Rahman (for-mer Ambassador to the U.S.) proposed a bill in the Assembly to amend some of the laws, and then the bill had to be taken away on account of outside pressure. She only proposed certain amendments in the blasphemy law, some procedural amend-ments. She said leave the law where it is, but at least make it more reasonable so that everybody does not go to court or the police station. But even that amend-ment could not be possible. Then, as a part of the strategy which was being very effectively pursued by the Ahmadiyya community, I know of the effort made by the Ahmadiyya community, but I also know that the Christian community had also been making good efforts, and at some points we also coordinated with one another. As a result of that, enough pressure was built by America and the European Union, as a result of which, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif both had been talking of amending the laws. After all that pressure, Pervez Musharraf

did in fact amend that law. Only a part of it; he first wanted to amend the blas-phemy law; there he did not succeed because he was also making some kind of coalition with the fundamentalist Muslim clergy’s political parties, but he did amend part of the electoral process.

The biggest harm, talking in political terms, is that I (and my fellow Ahmadis) have been disenfranchised. I have no right to vote. I cannot vote as an Ahmadi Muslim. To start with, in Pakistan’s

How? Because Ahmadis have a conflict of identity; their ontic identity is differ-ent from their legal identity. I may not have followed this argument thoroughly, but as I understand it, the court has to negotiate and give effect to one’s legal identity, not one’s ontic (actual) identity. But my ontic identity is my real identity; the legal identity has been forced upon me, it has been planted on me, I have

been tagged with that legal identity and when I challenge that legal identity you say, “But your legal identity and your ontic identity are different?”

Anyway, these are the few legal questions which I wanted to place before you in my talk, but let me stop here. I will be happy to take any questions if you have them. Thank you very much. [Applause].

Question:

I am Raj Guppal, I teach at MIT University and direct the Human Rights programme there. So given all the very enormous obstacles that you have laid out for the Ahmadis, what do you see as the next strategy? What is the path for-ward in terms of options for changing the system or rules, both within the country and also I was wondering as part of the strategy of response, whether you can speculate about the relationship between the Ahmadiyya community’s struggles for justice and other communities that might be facing similar sorts of issues; whether there have been alliances where there are mutual interests, those sorts of things, whether it’s part of a broader constitutional rebuilding movement in some way?

The biggest harm, talking in political terms, is that I (and my fellow Ahmadis) have been disenfranchised. I have no right to vote. I cannot vote as an Ahmadi Muslim. To start with, in Pakistan’s Constitution, we did not have separate Muslim and non-Muslim lists, there was one list; citizenship is indivisible

– Muslim, non-Muslim; they are all citizens and the voting right is the citizen’s right.


Pervez Musharraf passed the executive order which took away the most basic right of a citizen to vote. This bold move by the government aims to segregate the Ahmadi Muslims from the rest of Pakistan so that they have no chance of integration and live separate lives with none of the same rights as ordinary citizens.(Accessed via Wiki Commons)


both sitting down there and they want electoral reforms. So let us hope that these people see some reason when the electoral reforms come.

So Mr. Raj Guppal, we do interact, but as far as I am concerned, I live in hope. As far as the Ahmadiyya community, in their 100-year history, they have never adopted violent means and they will not go on street demonstrations. Their fight is a legal fight, and it is so both in the minds and hearts of the people not only in Pakistan but across the globe. That is our strategy.

Yes, I am happy to see you, Beena Sarwar. Beena is one of the voices of sanity that we often hear.

Question:

I am Beena Sarwar. Thank you so much, and I am honoured to meet you and to hear you speak. You gave a fantastic talk, and there is so much in there I wish we could have had a couple of hours here. Two specific cases I want to ask you about; one case is about that lecturer, that English lecturer, Junaid, I think his name is, who was a Fulbright scholar and he was at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan. The Jamaat-e-Islami concocted

a case against him, for which our friend Rashid Rahman was killed, the lawyer who took up that case. I want to ask what is happening with that case, if anything, and secondly, I want to ask you that one thing that really hurts us all as citizens of Pakistan who are “Muslims”—we are ‘real Muslims’ as opposed to you ‘fake Muslims’, so when we go to get a pass-port we have to state what our religion is. If you write Muslim over there (I cannot write atheist or non-practising, you have to write a religion) I have to sign that declaration that declares Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[as] to be an imposter and I know of people who have actually crossed that out and then signed it as a symbolic ges-ture. But not everybody can do that, and has that been challenged at all? That par-ticular case?

Answer:

The passport issue has been challenged at the administrative level and there have been changes time and again, sometimes when there is pressure from these coun-tries, that pro forma is withdrawn and a new pro forma is made. But as it is now, we are not required to sign a pro forma ourselves. Now the procedure is different, the signature is obtained, now everything is online. When I apply for a passport, I

Constitution, we did not have separate Muslim and non-Muslim lists, there was one list; citizenship is indivisible – Muslim, non-Muslim; they are all cit-izens and the voting right is the citizen’s right. So, Pervez Musharraf passed what is known as executive order 7 (2002). It said that henceforth there will not be a separate list, there will be a joint electoral list, so we had some relief after all. Why are elections so important? Because, if the minority community and the major-ity community do not interact, it works against the solidarity of the nation; it disintegrates. When the minority and majority community interact, then it

helps integration of the society and the nation at large. So, it was a welcome move because a member who wants to fight or contest in an election, will necessarily go to Muslims, Christians, Ahmadis, and Hindus. Hence, there will be interaction and then the candidate will also feel a responsibility to protect the minority’s rights in the Assembly. So Musharraf passed that, but then within a matter of weeks, Pervez Musharraf took that order back, and executive order number 15 of 2002 was passed. Now that presi-dential order 15, which was passed in 2007 governs, the elections of 2008 and 2013 are being conducted under the same executive order 15 of 2007. There was an Assembly who could have amended the order, but they did not. And the same law is being followed, and now there is a talk of amending the electoral pro-cedures. I want the international voice raised; I want the human conscience around the world to be awakened. We will lobby and work with many political actors to see that if the procedures are being amended. Maybe something can be done now, because we are experiencing a very strange kind of drama outside the Pakistan National Assembly; one Tahir-ul-Qadri from Canada and one Imran Khan, a cricketer from Pakistan and a man with great credibility it seems, are


I want the international voice raised; I want the human conscience around the world to be awakened. We will lobby and work with many political actors to see that if the procedures are being amended. Maybe something can be done now, because we are experiencing a very strange kind of drama outside the Pakistan National Assembly…


have that discussion with Allama Tahir–ul-Qadri. It is not an Islamic provision, but nevertheless the blasphemy law is there. So, the gentleman was killed and after that it was difficult to get lawyers for prosecuting the assailants. So, the issue was raised for quite some time, and thereafter I think it went quiet, I have not heard anything further.

Question:

I am just wondering about the case of the young man who was in prison for blasphemy.

Answer:

The person who was going to defend him has been killed. I know that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is work-ing on it, and somebody will defend him. Pakistan is not still that barren, some-body will come to defend him.

Question:

I am Ken Berkowitz, Chief of Police, Canton, Massachusetts. I just want to thank you for your comments, they are very enlightening. A couple of things; just sitting here as an American, as a police chief, it’s kind of inconceivable that the

police officers, as Amjad was saying before, were complicit with some of the torture and of some of the discriminatory practices against the Ahmadis over there. But do you think that the totalitarian-ism philosophy that’s being implemented over there empowers or even plants seeds for militancy?

Answer:

Empowers militancy you said? Yes. You see my view is that the militancy in Pakistan has increased over time

go to the passport office. He asks ques-tions and fills the form and it is on the computer. So if he asks me whether I am a Muslim or not, then I have to sign that which he prints. He prints it out; I have to sign it, if I say I am a Muslim. If I say I am an Ahmadi, it is very difficult for me to say I am not a Muslim. So what I do is, I say I am an Ahmadi, so he scores it out. There are cases to my knowledge where Ahmadis have gotten passports with Muslims written on their passport.

I do not have my passport in my pocket. In my passport, there is the endorse-ment ‘Ahmadi’ because I have declared my faith to be Ahmadi. But there are many Ahmadis whose passports I have seen and they are very unhappy about the designation. But there are obstacles, and I keep on going to the passport office and NADRA [Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority] because by default everybody is not that literate. By default, looking at my name ‘Mujeeb ur Rahman,’ the man filling the form will think, looks like a Muslim, he scores it out and if I am illiterate, I let it go by default. But it is difficult for an Ahmadi to get a passport as a Muslim. For an Ahmadi to get a passport as a Muslim and to sign that declaration is worse than death. So, he would never sign it. That is a genuine difficulty.

The other question that you asked was about Rashid Rahman’s case. The prob-lem is, at one of these lectures—I think at Columbia Law or somewhere—I am going to touch on the law of blasphemy in Pakistan and its validity under law, constitution and Islamic jurisprudence. The law of blasphemy in Islam is abso-lutely not based on Qur’an and Sunnah, and is absolutely un-Islamic. I could talk for hours on this subject and if necessary

When I apply for a passport, I go to the passport office. He asks questions and fills the form and it is on the computer. So if he asks me whether I am a Muslim or not, then I have to sign that which he prints. He prints it out; I have to sign it, if I say I am a Muslim. If I say I am an Ahmadi, it is very difficult for me to say I am not a Muslim. So what I do is, I say I am an Ahmadi, so he scores it out.


Ahmadi Muslims must declare on their passports if they associate with the Community and then are told they cannot call themselves Muslim if they wish to be a Pakistani citizen and obtain a passport. Therefore, the government has targeted the Ahmadiyya Community in particular and used every method to exile them from Pakistan.© Xubayr Mayo | Shutterstock.com


some action against them there will be a backlash, and that backlash will affect their government, so there is no polit-ical will. I am not in a position to say anything positive—but sometimes we, sitting outside, I mean the ordinary citi-zens, we feel that there is a difference of opinion amongst our establishment and our political government as to how to deal with fundamentalist attacks.

Question:

My name is Mauroof Sayed, and I am a graduate student here at Harvard and my question is more historical; you said that Pakistan was established on dem-ocratic principles and later on certain elements, certainly Jamaat-e-Islami, came to Pakistan and established its will and had various nefarious political alli-ances, but if you look—and correct me if I am wrong—but the establishment of Pakistan was also a move away from one person-one vote. So having this electoral division where non-minorities had special seats in Parliament, was that a slippery slope that started right from the beginning and led to this situation where, certainly, Ahmadi Muslims are completely disenfranchised? Also, was it right from the beginning and a sort of slippery slope that led to it?

Answer:

That is a very important question and many people do not really give it seri-ous thought. The point that Pakistan was envisioned as a secular state or a democratic state cannot be denied. This also cannot be denied that the Pakistan Constitution is the Federal Constitution Republic and in all its appearances it is structured as a democratic constitution. But, the other thing that you men-tioned is that in that constitution there were reservations for the minority seats, when Ahmadis had not been declared as a minority. However, there were other minorities—Christians, Hindus, Parsis and Sikhs, so there were reserved seats for them. I think that was a part of the colonial legacy and that also has its own wisdom according to the need of the time. Because this representation in India during the colonial period was on account of the clash of economic and political interests between Muslims and non-Muslims, that in order to protect the minorities—now this is very impor-tant and I have a thesis of my own and I have talked about it at length also—that the reservation for minority seats is in the ultimate analysis a process of inte-gration. Some minorities that have been left behind by the process of history, in

because of some of the legal and stat-utory provisions. To start with, if I say that I was maybe talking of my own case, but I am now absolutely, dispassion-ately, independently saying this: that the Second Amendment declaring Ahmadis non-Muslim started a process of frag-mentation of society. It was feared at that time that after Ahmadis it would be the turn of the Shias. So this bifurcation and fragmentation of society took place. Society was fractured, and the religious influence started coming in more and more. Because it was a religious influ-ence that brought that amendment, and the Taliban and the terrorist organisa-tions have their presence within Pakistan also amongst some Pakistan religious political parties, that fact cannot be denied. The Pakistan State, as such, does not acknowledge that terrorism is their state policy, but in Pakistan state, now I am saying it with quite a bit reserva-tion and I would say it with all possible due care and caution, that our Pakistan political government also does not have the political will to challenge terrorist organisational attacks. Now the absence of that political will could be due to mul-tiple reasons: number one; they may have a mental affinity with those people who are terrorists or fundamental[ist] organi-sations, or they think that if they take

Protests are held by ordinary citizens because of the increasing tension in Pakistan as well as the rising threat of terrorist attacks which has de-stabilised the nation and is destroying peace.© Asianet-Pakistan | Shutterstock.com

The Pakistan State, as such, does not acknowledge that terrorism is their state policy, but in Pakistan state, now I am saying it with quite a bit reservation and I would say it with all possible due care and caution, that our Pakistan political government also does not have the political will to challenge terrorist organisational attacks.



a collective community of minorities to work together to advocate for more freedom?

Answer:

I think given the circumstances in Pakistan, Ahmadis and Christians and other communities, they interact, they help one another, but they are not seen acting together. That is what raises your question; that they should be more vis-ibly together. In terms of logistics and in terms of ideas, in terms of work, they do interact and cooperate with one another. But in Pakistani society, some-times it can be counterproductive. When some Muslims work with Christians, Christians can be said to be working with Ahmadis who are not loyal Pakistanis. Yet, Christians are as much loyal as any other persons. We had that Squadron leader, Cecil Chaudhry, in the Pakistani Air Force; Charles Amjad Ali, the Bishop of Lahore and I, we have been interact-ing, meeting in the American Embassy, the German Embassy and some other European Embassies, so we have been working together.

Let me just again thank you so much for joining us today, thank you everyone, it’s great to see such a wonderful turnout.

Applause

Thank you so much again, you have done me a great honour. I am privileged to be at Harvard Law School, one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. If I may say so, many world leaders, judges of the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. presidents, came from here. So Harvard carries a great name and for a humble man like me to be in Harvard, speaking to this galaxy of students and academia, it has been a great pleasure. Thank you all for giving me such a patient hearing.

Applause

About the Author: Mr. Mujeeb ur Rahman is a lawyer and has practiced as an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan for more than 50 years. As a human rights activist, he has worked for the religious freedom of Ahmadis and has defended them in hundreds of cases, including two landmark cases in the Pakistan Supreme Court and the Federal Shariat Court, which have been published in law journals. As the author of several books, Mr. Rahman recently undertook a tour and delivered lectures at five Ivy League universities in the U.S. Islamic law and jurisprudence, with particular focus on blasphemy and apostasy are subjects of his special interest, and he is currently writing a book on these subjects.

India they called them the untouchables, they call them Dalit, they call them lower caste; in Pakistan we do not have low caste, but we have the Christian com-munity, which was left behind by the accidents of history. If they competed in the general elections, because of the overwhelming majority of Muslims, no Christian would be elected, no Hindu would be elected, so they would have no voice. So the separate seats were designed to give them a voice, so that they were part of a phased process of integration. Ultimately, it has turned out to be a pro-cess of disintegration, unfortunate as it is.

Question:

Hello, my name is Shanta Bahaan, I

attended here at Harvard a few years ago and I am actually a part of the Christian community in Pakistan, as is much of my family and so I appreciated your actu-ally addressing that issue. I was not aware that Christians and Ahmadis had actu-ally been working together to advocate, I think if it were possible to have more of the minority communities working together, there might be a greater voice. I know travelling toward the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I have seen some Sikh communities there as well, so there are other minorities and I am just wonder-ing what work is being done to bring all of them together so that they can have a collective voice? I say this also because Christian communities (my family is actually from a slightly more privileged community), are relegated and are safer in some areas that are, I don’t want to call them slum areas, but they are areas that are not quite so nice, they tend to be safer in those areas then they are in some of the wealthier districts. So I’m just wondering, what can we do to bring

The Pakistani diaspora has reached its climax with many fleeing the land and moving abroad to the West and other parts of the world. The map highlights the areas that Pakistani citizens are now living because of increased tension, corruption, violence and mistreatment in their homeland.(Accessed via Wiki Commons)


In recent times vested interests have launched a ‘crusade’ against Islam. Islam is labelled as a religion of terror, backwardness and suppression.

Based on Quranic teachings, the author of this book goes about disproving these notions and professes that Islam provides practical solutions to current issues; and argues that:

(1) Swords can win territories but not hearts, forces can bend heads but not minds; (2) The role of women is not of concubines in harems nor a society imprisoned in the four wall of their houses; (3) Richer nations provide aid with strings attached and yet the flow of wealth continues to be in the direction of the rich while the poorer sink deeper in the red; (4) Religion does not need to be the predominant legislative authority in the political affairs of the state; (5) Irrespective of the thawing of the cold war, the issue of war and peace does not only hang by the thread of superpower relationship. (6) Without God there can be no peace.

It also contains comprehensive discussion on interest; financial aid; international relations; and the role of Israel, America and the United Kingdom in a new world order.

The message of this book is timeless and chalks a blue print for the future prospects for peace.

Read online: http://www.alislam.org/books/

Purchase print copy: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

Among the world’s religions, Islam is the most detailed, encompassing a compre-hensive and complete law. It has a clear teaching on the devotion and worship due to God, a clear teaching in regard to the economic aspect of man’s life, his political activities, moral and ethical questions, social relationships dealing with employment, education, family life and business dealings, the law of inheritance, international affairs, judici-ary precepts and procedures and a host

of regulations designed to cover every conceivable contingency in human life. Each of these aspects demands a thor-ough study, which is impossible unless a body of capable men make it the object of their lives. If such persons were stamped out of existence, from whom would the ordinary people learn? What would they learn? And how would Islam spread in the world?

The Economic System of Islam [Islam] has a clear teaching

on the devotion and worship due to God, a clear teaching in regard to the economic aspect of man’s life, his political activities, moral and ethical questions, social relationships dealing with employment, education, family life and business dealings, the law of inheritance, international affairs, judiciary precepts and procedures and a host of regulations designed to cover every conceivable contingency in human life.

by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra

We continue with the serialisation of the epic lecture delivered by the Second Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, later published as a book titled, The Economic System of Islam. In this seventh part of the series, the difference between the economic system of Islam and that of Communism and the major flaw in the Communist model are discussed.

To read the first six parts, visit our website:

www.reviewofreligions.org

*The photos used in this article were not used in the original publication, but have been added to our serialisation by The Review of Religions to help illustrate the subject matter. The Review of Religions takes full responsibility for any errors in depiction.*

ra

THE ABOUT THE BOOK

‘�e Economic System of Islam’ is an English rendering of a lecture delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (Second Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) to a gathering of young scholars in Lahore, Pakistan in 1945. It is the �rst comprehensive account given by a Muslim scholar on the topic of Islamic Economics in the perspective of the post World War II era.

�e principles and philosophy of the Islamic economic system explained in the book are based entirely on the teachings of the Holy Quran, traditions and practices of the Holy Founder of Islamsaw and his successors. What is put forward here is not theoretical; rather it is a system that was practically implemented in the early years of Islam in the Islamic states and emirates of Arabia. �e author shows that the Islamic economic system is practical and e�cient. He argues that it combines the best aspects of capitalism and socialism, i.e., individual freedom as well as the care and protection of the poor and vulnerable. �e author asserts that Islam aims at establishing a welfare society in the true sense of the word by enabling man to contribute fully to society, yet not ignoring his individuality and self-esteem. �e author makes a critical evaluation of the inherent �aws in Communism which, he declares, was doomed to failure. He supplements his analysis with divine prophecies about the collapse of the Communist economic system—which the world has started witnessing in the last twenty years.

�e author demonstrates how the economic system of Islam is based �rmly on social and moral principles found in Islamic teachings. With the emerging greater interest in the subject both by Islamic countries and International institutions, this scholarly assessment of the Islamic economic system would bene�t all those who want to study this subject in depth.

Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad

TH

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SYSTEM

of ISLAM

Mirza Bashir-ud-D

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in countries like India, China and Arabia. The truth is that between Islam and the other religions, on one side, and Communism, on the other, there is a fun-damental difference in the conception of what constitutes work.

Our view is that a machine operator, a person propagating or teaching religion, and a recipient of religious education are all engaged in useful work. Communism, however, accords this status only to a machine operator, while those teach-ing or learning religion are regarded as parasites. To teach the alphabet is use-ful work according to the Communist view but to teach the profound truth—

Quotes of the Promised Messiah #1

(Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Zilzal, Verse 2). The Economic System of Islam

االلهااس ول اراام مد ااالله ااإلااإلهاالا “There is none worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger”—is a waste of time and energy.

Thus, while we are in accord with Communism that only useful work-ers may have their labour rewarded, we cannot accept at all that no work is to be considered useful unless the Communists so certify. In the estima-tion of Communists, to work for the betterment of one’s spiritual life is no work at all; to teach or learn the Holy Qur’an, hadith, fiqah, tafsir, tasawwuf, and to teach morality is no work. In the eyes

of a Muslim, on the other hand, these things are far more precious than life itself. To ensure proper study of religion and that adequate effort is made for its propagation, thousands of scholars are needed in a country like Soviet Russia, with its Muslim population of 30 million. But Communist Russia would only look upon them as shirkers, idlers and worth-less people, who are a burden on society and need to be quickly eliminated.

These two views stand poles apart; it is impossible to reconcile them. Undoubtedly, some do claim to serve religion, but they are impostors, who do

Tafsir (commentary of the Holy Qur’an) is a vast branch of learning in itself that cannot exist independently of competent scholars devoted to its study, involving a thorough grasp of the earlier works and traditions, a command over the lan-guage, its usage and grammar, familiarity with the hadith (sayings of the Holy Prophetsa), and a study of comparative religion, Arab and Jewish history, and the Bible. All this cannot be achieved with-out a lifelong effort, though, of course, a person might be blessed with this knowl-edge directly from the divine source. But this is very rare, perhaps once in a cen-tury. Others can acquire it only through diligent study based upon righteousness. In the Communist state, such work is

not considered work at all—it would not permit anyone to spend twelve years in studying and then a lifetime of teach-ing it to others. Such a person would be imprisoned or deprived of food and lodg-ing, as he is a useless burden on the State.

The situation is similar with respect to the branch of learning known as had-ith. It involves careful study of dozens of works and their expositions, Arabic usage and grammar, and careful scrutiny of the chain of narrators in the case of each hadith. Without a proper study of hadith—a life-long activity—adequate knowledge of the details of Islamic teaching is impossible. Similarly, in the case of the branches of learning known as fiqah (religious knowledge), qada (juris-prudence), history, tasawwuf (mysticism), and teachings of Islam in social and eco-nomic activities. All these are branches of study that cannot be ignored with-out turning Islam into a dead letter, and no Muslim worth the name could ever be reconciled to such a state of affairs. But there is no place for such scholars or their students under Communism. The state would consider them unpro-ductive and grant them no allowances. People themselves would have no means for supporting them through voluntary private donations—as is the experience

the economic system of islam

Islam gives the most comprehensive and clear guidelines for the economic aspect of society which covers all parts of man’s spiritual and material progress. © Luciano Mortula | Shutterstock.com

Communism does not credit students or scholars as having much benefit in a Communist society and it focuses on manual labour as the most important work that man can do. This means that funding would not be allocated for the growth of intellectual pursuits which could give deeper meaning to life.© Attila JANDI | Shutterstock.com


by Communism. But the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, Jesus Christas, Mosesas, Krishnaas, Buddhaas, Zoroasteras and Guru Nanakrh (God forbid) are consid-ered as parasites and dangers to society. They are not worthy of being called ‘workers.’

History provides no example that matches the selfless, ceaseless labour of love undertaken by these great moral benefactors of mankind. But for their toil and effort, humanity would have lacked social cohesion, which depends on the sense of moral obligations that developed only after colossal sacrifices on the part of these great teachers, who worked and suffered for the human cause day and night. Yet Communism condemns them as worthless people and places them far lower in the scale than drunkards and debauchers who work in factories for hardly eight hours a day, then give them-selves up to all sorts of low and vulgar pursuits.

In short, there is no place for these great and noble souls in the Communist sys-tem. I cannot speak for others, but I do know that in a state that provides no place for the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, there can be none for me. We can regard as ours only that country or regime that accords

to the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa a place of ultimate honour. A country closed to him must be a country closed to every true Muslim. Communism might cover up this stark reality from religious believ-ers to win their sympathy and allegiance,

not practise what they claim. But a per-son who really and truly serves religion at the cost of personal comfort and gain deserves to be recognised as a true leader; he holds a position similar to that of the soul in relation to the body; he is our greatest benefactor. To the Communist, however, such persons are only despic-able scamps or idlers, and traitors to the nation, who should be imprisoned or driven out of the country.

There is someone who, in our estimation, stands so high that the mightiest rulers of this earth carry less weight and value in our eyes than the dust on his feet. It is the deepest and fondest desire of our hearts to sacrifice our lives for him. He is Muhammadsa, the greatest benefactor of mankind, who illuminated the human soul with Divine Light. But according to the Communist way of thinking, he would be considered (God forbid) as a burden upon his people, as were all the chosen ones of God before him: Jesusas, Mosesas, Abrahamas, Krishnaas, Ramchandraas, Buddhaas, Zoroasteras, Guru Nanakrh and Confuciusas. The Soviet regime would, God forbid, send all such persons into workshops to make shoes or clothing for farm and factory workers or assign them the task of cut-ting other people’s hair. Failing that, they

would be deprived of food since accord-ing to them they are parasites and a burden on the national economy.

Communism does, however, recognise the work of painters and sculptors as ‘cre-ative artists,’ but considers work done to uplift people’s souls or morals as utterly useless. As we all know, man does not live by bread alone, and food by itself cannot give him the peace of mind. The world is full of people who, if prevented from praying to God, would have no peace, no matter what luxuries of life were placed at their disposal.

It is indeed odd that Communism rec-ognises it as work when labourers spend a few hours in factories, but then go out to dissipate themselves in drink, cinema or dance-halls. Photography and music, too, are considered useful pursuits, but moral improvement and purification of the soul constitute no work at all.

Some time ago, Marshal Malinovsky was asked about his sons’ interests. He responded laughing, “They are interested in photography, music and keeping rab-bits.” A child of fifteen, in other words, who spent his time in photography and music or in scampering after pet rab-bits deserves to be fed and taken care of


Communist rulers see great leaders and benefactors of mankind such as the Prophet Muhammadsa as possessing no more value than factory and farm workers even though he has singlehandedly helped the less fortunate, promoted peace and eradicated injustice.(Accessed via Wiki Commons)


plainly proclaims “Teach man what he did not know.” As soon as you have ruled out the possibility of teaching, you put those so deprived at a disadvantage, and place them in a position of the pre-Islamic days of ignorance, and prevent Muslims from carrying out their duty. There are some other points that arise in this connec-tion, but as I am not addressing aspects of Communism that are not related to economics, I shall not go into them here.

Apart from the harm flowing from its opposition to religion, Communism is defective when judged on the basis of reason and common sense as well.

It is not in human power to estab-lish complete equality for all, covering all aspects of life. Happiness does not depend on money alone, nor do content-ment, solace and peace of mind spring only from the satisfaction of material wants. Besides, given the same standards of living, the amount of pleasure derived must differ greatly from individual to individual. Given the same quality of meal, some people will eat it with greater relish than others at the same table. The sense of taste, smell, eyesight, or general health varies among people. Intellectual and physical capabilities are a great source of self-confidence and consequent

happiness, but no state action can make these factors equal for everyone. Our near and dear ones are a great source of hap-piness, but no regime can guarantee that wives, children, parents or friends of each individual would live equally as long. The presence of children around the hearth satisfies the deepest needs of human nature, but no one can guarantee that all married couples will have children, or have an equal number of children, or that the children will all live equally long, be equally healthy, or achieve equal suc-cess in life. The pangs of separation from a loved one can be a source of great pain.

but it can never attract them if the truth is told. Communists are prone to assert that they do not oppose any religion. The Communists might declare that they do not oppose religion, but in reality that is not the case. Their oral pronouncements are therefore no more than lies.

Regarding this point, it may be men-tioned that Russia obstructs religious education on the grounds that par-ents have no right to impart religious knowledge to their children and thereby influence their leanings. Communists

argue that it would be cruel to allow parents to influence their children, as they lack judgement to freely decide for themselves. Children must be allowed to choose for themselves about religion upon reaching adulthood. On the sur-face it seems to be a fair and reasonable demand, but in reality it is cruel and terrifying. All religions seek to propa-gate a positive message—the existence of God—whereas nonbelievers deny it. Those with a positive message have the responsibility to spread it; nonbelievers need do nothing. Thus, the Communist position is not one of equality, but is deceptive and unjust. It can be likened to a situation where a man is barred from telling his child that he is the father, but is then given assurance that no one else would be allowed to deny his fatherhood.

If a child is not taught the alphabet or history, he is bound to remain ignorant, similarly for religious education. As stated earlier, religion has a positive mes-sage to impart, but nonbelievers are just deniers. By not allowing religious educa-tion, the deniers are the ones who achieve their goal. Thus, while Communism claims to be impartial on religion, it is only committing treachery; this is not impartiality or equality in treatment, but fraud and deception. The Holy Qur’an


Workers in a Communist society have no chance of succeeding individually and their life is spent working for the greater good of society with very little incentive for individual progress. This eventually leads to frustration and anger among workers which results in sanctions and propaganda from the government to keep people in line.© Everett Historical | Shutterstock.com

It is not in human power to establish complete equality for all, covering all aspects of life. Happiness does not depend on money alone, nor do contentment, solace and peace of mind spring only from the satisfaction of material wants. Besides, given the same standards of living, the amount of pleasure derived must differ greatly from individual to individual.


A mother who has lost her only child will not relish a sumptuous meal, whereas a poor mother who holds her child in her lap will enjoy even a simple meal more than a feast.

The intensity of emotions in regard to dear ones may be judged from the follow-ing incident in Lenin’s life. The Russian Communist Party split into two groups at an early stage of its history because of some fundamental differences in view-points. The Mensheviks, who were led by Martove, held the view that on gaining political power, the Communist system must abolish capital punishment, but Lenin, who led the Bolsheviks—while

accepting the principle—wanted to delay its adoption until after the Czar had been executed. The basic reason for Lenin’s tougher stance was that the Czarist government had previously ordered his brother, to whom he was deeply attached, to be hanged in connection with a crime, and Lenin wanted to have his revenge on the Czar.

The suffering of our friends and relatives thus profoundly affects our happiness and no one can take out an insurance against such suffering. It is therefore beyond the power of man to remove or level up inequalities in the countless aspects of human life, and the kind of equality that Communism rants about is little more than a delusion. Abiding hap-piness comes from the relationship with God alone, because all contingencies are under His control. You may grant food and clothing in equal amounts, but the man who lacks the relationship with God can have no peace. There are countless things whose presence or absence cause dissatisfaction, but it is entirely up to God to grant or withhold them.

Join us next month for part 8 of this series, in which communism and its relationship to property rights will be discussed.

The official website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide.

You can find a huge collection of free online material, including translation and commentary of the Holy Qur’an and you can access literature of the Community including the books written by its founder, Hazrat Mirza ghulam Ahmadas.

www.alislam.org


Eveneven Lenin was swayed by his emotions to have his revenge on the Czar for the death of his brother.

© Everett Historical | Shutterstock.com

58 THE REvIEw OF RElIGIOns | FEBRuARy 2016

The English Rendering of the 5 Volume Commentary of the Holy Qur’an One of the most comprehensive commentaries of the Holy Qur’an ever written.

Commentary by Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra)

Read it online at: http://www.alislam.org/quran/Or Purchase the print version at: http://store.alislam.org/

© A

MA

GA

LLER

Y U

K

The world is passing through turbulent times. The global economic crisis continues to manifest new and grave dangers at every juncture. The similarities of the current circumstances to the build-up of the Second World War are stark. Events appear to be moving us rapidly towards a Third World War. The consequences of a nuclear war are beyond our imagination.

In this book, the historic addresses of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba, Fifth Khalifah of the Promised Messiah and Supreme Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to prominent dignitaries at Capitol Hill, the House of Commons, the European Parliament and other notable locations around the world have been collated. The book also includes the momentous letters sent by His Holiness to the numerous world leaders. Over and over again, His Holiness has reminded all that the only means of averting a global catastrophe is for nations to establish justice as an absolute requirement of their dealings with others. Even if mutual enmity exists, impartiality must be observed at all times, because history has taught us that this alone isthe way to eliminate all traces of hatred and to build everlasting peace.

Read online at: www.alislam.org

Purchase the book here:http://store.alislam.org/

notE ABout REfEREnCES

verse references to the Holy Qur’an count ‘Bismillah…’ (In the name of Allah…) as the first verse of each Chapter. In some non-standard texts, this is not counted. should the reader refer to such texts, the verse quoted in The Review of Religions will be found a verse earlier, i.e. at one verse less than the number quoted in this journal.For the ease of non-Muslim readers, ‘sa’ or ‘(saw)’ after the words, ‘Holy Prophet’, or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used normally in small letters. They stand for ‘sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning ‘peace and blessings of Allah be upon him’. likewise, the letters ‘as’ or ‘(as)’ after the name of all other prophets is an abbreviation meaning ‘peace be upon him’ derived from ‘Alaihis salatu wassalam’ which are words that a Muslim utters out of respect whenever he or she comes across that name. The abbreviation ‘ra’ or ‘(ra)’

stands for ‘Raziallahu Ta’ala anhu and is used for Companions of a Prophet, meaning Allah be pleased with him or her (when followed by the relevant Arabic pronoun). Finally, ‘rh’ or ‘(rh)’ for Rahemahullahu Ta’ala means the Mercy of Allah the Exalted be upon him. In keeping with current universal practice, local transliterations of names of places are preferred to their anglicised versions, e.g. Makkah instead of Mecca, etc.

tuesday 2nd februaryfaith: ChristianityEvent: Candlemas

The feast of Candlemas commemorates the presentation of Jesusas in the temple.

Forty days after the birth of Jesusas, Maryas and Josephas brought forth their newborn son to be presented to the Lord in the temple, as prescribed by the law of Mosesas. The day is considered a day of renewal, hope, and purification.

Wednesday 10th februaryfaith: ChristianityEvent: Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian Calendar, occurring 46 days before Easter.

It is the start of the season preparing for the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesusas on Easter Sunday. It derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful, as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes are typically gathered from the palms dedicated from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.

friday 12th february faith: HinduismEvent: Vasant Panchami

Vasant Panchami highlights the arrival of spring.

This day is dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science, and technology. Young girls wear bright yellow dresses to signify the brilliance of nature and the vibrancy of life.

monday 15th februaryfaith: BuddhismEvent: Nirvana Day

Nirvana Day, or Parinirvana Day, celebrates when Buddha is said to have achieved complete Nirvana upon the death of his physical body.

The importance of this day lies in the belief that since Buddha was enlightened, he was freed from the pain of physical existence. Friends and relations who have died during the previous year are remembered, and there is a focus on Buddhism’s positive approach to death and change.

cAlenDAr of reliGiousevents & FestivAls

february 2016

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The review of religions, in print since 1902, is one of the longest-running comparative religious magazines.

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Transcript of Review of Religions February 2016