Editor: Nasir Ahmad B.A. LL.B.January 2016

IN MEMORY OF JALAL-UD-DIN AKBAR IBN-I ABDULLAH, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Vol. No. 7, Issue No. 32

OUR GUIDE –THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD 2Br Mushtaq Ali

BELIEF AND BEHAVIOUR 6Dr Jawad Ahmad

A MUSLIM STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY 11Faizaan Ahmad

HOLY PROPHET’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN NEW ZEALAND 12Mr Shabir Baksh, General Secretary, New Zealand

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OUR GUIDE –THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD(Peace and blessings of Allah be on him)

BR MUSHTAQ ALI

(TEXT OF TALK DELIVERED AT THE MONTHLY MEETING OF THE LAHORE AHMADIYYA CENTRE, WEMBLEY, LONDON IN DECEMBER 2015)

“Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the LatterDay, and remembers Allah much”(33: 21).

The Arabic word suswatunhasanah,which mean ‘excellent exem-plar’,stands for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).Surprisingly, the same expression has been used for the Prophet Abraham:“Indeed, there is for you a good example in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people”(60:4). So at one point in history the Abrahamic faith shares the same method of fast, the same Qiblah, the same form of sacrifice,and a similarform ofprostration, etc.

Perfect guidanceAs Muslims, we have been blessed with a perfect Book which has can-didly pointed out discrepancies found in the previous revealed Books.It has also challenged mankind to produce a chapter like it. The shortest chapter, Al-Kausar, consists of only three verses. History tells usthat

Arab poets of the Jahiliyyah period recognised that it was not the work of a man after reading the three linesand determining their comprehensive meaning when the chapter was put on the wall of the Holy Ka‘bah.

The Perfect Book has been revealed to us so that we may always get guidance and support at every step of our lives if we experience illness, hunger, political isolation,desertion by our relatives,threats are made on our lives for professing that Allah is One, we are driven from our homes, or if we lose our children in infancy or we suffer difficulties in our trade. We see that our beloved Holy Prophet went through all these situations admirably.

Why havewe taken the Holy Prophet Muhammad as the best exemplar? Why did God choose an orphan, an unlettered man, a shepherd and an ordinary trader to be an exemplar for the entire world? What was unique or special about this unknown person, who spent years in meditation and hardship in the Cave of Hira near the Ka‘bahto seek ways and means to reform his people who were steeped in idolatry and internecine battles and immoral habits?

The history of his childhood with his foster parents tells how blessed he proved to them such as the goats which belonged to them gave more milk etc. What do all of these unexplained phenomena mean? Are they unique to the Holy Prophet Muhammad or is it to do with the relationship that Allah and His angels have with human beings? We also see another example of these unexplained phenomena at the beginning of the Hijrah when the Holy Prophet and HazratAbu Bakr sought refuge

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in a cave and a spider spun its web closing the entrance to the cave and a dove sat in its nest undis-turbed, thus saving the lives of the Prophet and Hazrat Abu Bakr.

These apparently strange occurrences have to do with the love a human being had for Allah and the responsibilityhe undertook, as ismentioned in the Qur’an:“SurelyWe offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to be unfaithful to it and feared from it, and man has turned unfaithful to it. Surely he is ever-unjust,ignorant” (33:72).

True love for GodThe Imam of the age, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, has explained this verse in the following words:“That is, We offered a trust, a trust of love and devotion to God of facing up to trials for His sake and to remain steadfast in submission. We offered the trust to the angels in heaven and to many orders of creation in the earth, to the mountains apparently mighty in body and power. Everyone in turn refused to carry the trust. They shied away from the responsibility. But man agreed. Why? Because of two qualities: 1. he is capable of denying and oppressing his own self for the sake of God; and 2. he can raise the quality of his love for God to a point where everything other than God is forgotten, forgotten utterly” (Taudih-iMaram).

So, mankind possesses great potentials despite having other bad qualities such as “weakness” (4: 28), “hastiness” (21: 37), and “creating mischief in the land and causing bloodshed”(2: 30).

Despite of all these faults man has the potential to imbue himself with the attributes of God (2: 138).

Certainly to raise our love for God to this level is hard work and requires great sacrifice. God has told us in the Qur’an how to seek assistance with patience and prayer:“Surely, it is hard except for the humble” (2: 45).

We are also advised in the Qur’an:“If you love Allah, follow me[the Holy Prophet Muhammad]: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (3:31).

We see this quality of love in Hazrat Abu Bakr when he gave all his possessions for the cause of reli-gion. When he was asked what he had left for his family, he replied:“I have Allah and His Messenger.”

How to achieve love of GodSo, how do we as human beings raise our love for Allah and His Messenger and experience what is called spiritual blessings?One way of understanding this relationship is when a blacksmith places a horseshoe in fire. The metal,when heated to a point,takes on the colour of the fire, then it is in a state to be shaped by the blacksmith into something higher and more beneficial. That is, the metal,at some point after suffering the heat of fire,acquires the state where it immerses itself in the fire and acquires some of its properties.

Let me explain it further by giving you the example of the Adhan, the call to prayer. It says: “Hayya‘alassalaah, hayya‘Alalfalaah.” (Come to prayer and come to success.)The word falaahused here means to toil hard to achieve success, especially for self-improvement. Falaah and fellah come from the same Arabic root. The word literally means to uncover. When a farmer plants a seed into the earth, only thendoes he discover its potentials. The seed grows, blooms into flowers, and ultimately

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bears fruit. However,in order to grow the seed into a seedling,the farmer has to nurture it, pull out the weeds, give water at proper timings, and take all other possible care until it bears fruit.

Similarly, we too have to work hard for spiritual success, for example, starting the fast at 3:30a.m. and breaking it at 9:30 p.m. Thisphysical exercise has to be consistent and maintained even after the month of fasting in one’s day-to-day life. Responding to the call of Allah fosters man’s spiritual faculties to rise to higher stages of moral and spiritual progress. The Qur’an points to this life-giving process in the following words:“O you who believe, respond to Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah comes between a man and his heart (desires)” (8:24).

The station of the Holy Prophet MuhammadThis position is so unique and significant that European and Americanwriters have acknowledgedit. Let me just quote one such well-known scholar and play-writer, George Bernard Shaw:“I believe if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring much needed peace and happiness.I have studied him – the man – and in my opinion he is far from being an anti–Christ. He must be called the Saviour of Humanity.I have prophesied about the faith of Mohammad that it would be acceptable in the Europe of tomor-row as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”

In more recent times,Michael H. Hart wrote a book,The 100 – A ranking of the 100 Most Influential Persons in History. He has ranked the Holy Prophet Muhammad as the most influential person in the history of the world, followed by Isaac Newton and then Jesus:

“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament.Since the Koran is at least as important to Moslems as the Bible is to Christians, the influence of Muhammad through the medium of the Koran has been enormous. It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity.Furthermore, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as a religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the most influ-ential political leader of all time.”The Qur’an has beautifully explained the role of the Holy Prophet Muhammad,regarding him“the sun and the moon” for human beings: “By the sun and his brightness!And the moon when she borrows light from him! And the day when it exposes it to view!And the night when it draws a veil over it!” (91:1-3).

The concepts explained here are both for the physical and the spiritual world. The sun is a source of lightand it possesses its own light. Without it, nothing in the universe can exist. The moon also

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affects the physical world and it influences the ocean tides. However, whereas the moon changes its phases, the sun does not. The moon does not possess its own light but it borrows light from the sun.

In the spiritual world, the Holy Prophet Muhammad is likened to a sunand his life was an embodi-ment of the light and knowledge of Allah. We,as humble human beings,can borrow light from him.

He is also likened to a moon, as he borrows light from Allah and by his example makes others emit the same spiritual qualities as his.So, by following the Holy Prophet Muhammad we can become a source of spiritual light for others. And this is what is lacking in the world today. To become a source of light is difficult, but not impossible.This is why Allah sent an unlettered human being with no university education to be a seeraajammuneera –a light-giving sun.

So these verses sum up that the human being is indeed a microcosm of the universe. That is,just as the Holy Prophet borrows light from Allah and then emits itto us, so too we can borrow light from the Holy Prophet Muhammad and ourselves become a source of spiritual light for others. Just as the moon influences the high and low tides in the physical world, we too can have a positive change on the highs and lows in the spiritual lives of our fellow men.In order to imbibe the light we too have to obey the commandments revealed in the Qur’an, whichsays:“O you who believe, when [the adhan] is sounded on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you know” (62:9).

Coming back to the Adhan, one becomes like the farmer(fallah) that has to go to toil and uncover the beauty hidden in the seed. The Adhan aligns the believers five times a day around the world. They face the same direction,the same Kab‘ah, and remember Allah much the same way. Just as the magnetic field in an MRI scanner aligns the protons in our cells so it can take the necessary pictures in order to diagnose and commence a cure, so too the five-timesAdhan allows us the opportunity to present ourselves as a spiritual picture to our Maker so He can guide us to a cure.

Relationship of man with GodThe Holy Prophetexhorted us that salah is the mi‘raj of thebelievers. If we truly love our Prophet,then this is the stage we should aspire to reach. This special relationship is described by the Imam of the Age as the position of “union” with God. Maulana Muhammad Ali has regarded this as a “two-fold perfection”; that is, his nearness to Allah and his humility to human beings. The prayers we recite towards the end of each prayer in theTashahud are very significant:“All services rendered by words and bodily actions and sacrifices of wealth are due to Allah. Peace be on thee, O Prophet,and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be on us and on the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.”

This prayer was a part of the glorification with which the Holy Prophet addressed the Most High Allah when he was face to face with Him on the day of Mi‘raj. And what is so special about this prayer is the high appreciation and salutations returned: “O Prophet! Peace be on thee and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.”And in the last part of the concluding prayer, while our Prophet was in the presence of Allah, he did not forget“the parents, his Companions and all the believers till the day of Resurrection.” This is what is special about our Prophet, who is known in the Qur’an as a Mercy to the Nations,and this is attested to by the previous prophets,as well. Prophet Jesus says: “I

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have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:12, 13).

We further read in the Psalms:“You are the most excellent of men;grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever;in your majesty ride forth victoriously on behalf of the truth, humility and righteousness.You love righteousness and hate wickedness therefore your God has set you above your companions” (45:2, 7).

The Holy Prophet Muhammad was a trader and was known for his honesty. He said: “The best among you is he who is best to his family.”

He used to play with children. He said: “Anyone who does not have compassion for others is not entitled to compassion from Allah.”

We recently celebrated the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas). Let us focus this year on celebrating his life and let the Prophet Muhammad be our examplein word and in action.

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BELIEF AND BEHAVIOURDR JAWAD AHMAD

(TEXT OF A FRIDAY SERMON DELIVERED AT THE LAHORE AHMADIYYA CENTRE, WEMBLEY, LONDON IN DECEMBER 2015)

“Have you seen him who belies religion? That is the one who is rough to the orphan, and urges not the feeding of the needy. So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayer! Who do good to be seen and refrain from acts of kindness” (107-1-7).

Significance of the word deenI have just read the Arabic text and translation of Surah Al-Ma‘un. Apparently, it draws our attention to the social aspect of Islam. In my opinion, it outlines and defines the parameter of religion. In other words, it tells us the dimensions of religion which regulate the social and physi-cal functions of individuals in a given society. For this purpose, we should understand what is the significance of the word deen in this context. In this Surah, in the very first verse the word deen has been mentioned. The surah tells us that a person who does not do the following acts is belying the deen. In other words, all his actions which are devoid of this element of human consciousness, or we can say that lack spirituality, mean going against the spirit of deen.

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In Islam, the word deen has been used in a vast sense which covers all human activities and attitudes. In fact, it draws to our attention again and again that an organised social life depends entirely on following a set of rules motivated by conscious human behaviour. There is no doubt that rules serve as guidance to achieve certain objectives and also serve as motivation and incentive to develop a particular conscious behaviour. For example, a Muslim believes that Allah is All-Powerful and every-thing belongs to Him. So when he starts eating food he immediately become conscious that the food he is eating is the blessing of Allah and that is why we are enjoined to sayBismillahwhen we begin eating and when we finish we say Alhamdulillah. Now, belief in Allah we have adopted as a basic rule of life and saying Alhamdullillah is the behaviour we have developed as a result of that belief.

Let us first see what is the significance of the word deen. We find this word has been used at five places in the Qur’an:

1. In 1:3:Maa-li-ki yaw midd-deen. (Master of the Day of Requital or Day of Judgement.)2. In 107:1:A-ra-ay-tal la-zee yu-kazz-zi-bubidd-deen. (Have you seen him who belies religion?)3. In 109:6:La-kumdee-nu-kumwa li-yadeen. (For you is your recompense or reward and for me is

my reward.)4. In 2:193:Waya-koo-naddee-nu lill-laah. (And religion is only for Allah.) This, in other words,

teaches tolerance. And the Qur’an guarantees freedom of religion in these words: “Laaik-raa-ha fidd-deen.” (There is no compulsion in religion.)– (2:257)

This shows that the word covers various aspects of religion:

1. A belief in the life hereafter. It means that we are accountable for our deeds in this world as well as in the hereafter. The reward for good deeds and punishment for evil deeds have also been figuratively explained as Heaven and Hell.

2. The primary significance of deen is that it provides guidance – guidance towards a nobler and more humane way of life. It covers all aspects of one’s individual and collective activities. The fundamental beliefs must be translated into fundamental practices. The three practices ofsalah, fasting and pilgrimage are to elevate nobler faculties in man for him to rise above his own self and widen his vision.

Belief in other prophets not only facilitates tolerance towards followers of other faiths but also promotes religious freedom, guaranteeing respect and protection to their places of worship. The Qur’an has rightly enjoined: “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:257).

Doing or promoting of good is the basic object of every religion. There is a beautiful pronouncement made by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) which sums up what is the spirit of religion.He said: “Al-‘az-ma-tulill-laah wash sha-fa-qa-tu li-khal-qill-lah.” That is, highest regard for the commands of Allah and love and affection for His creatures. Here, the love is not confined to human beings only but it extends to cattle, birds and other animals. Simply put, the highest regard for the command-ments of God should result in generating extensive love and affection for His creatures.

Elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah clearly says that the very object of “creating jinn and human beings is that they should serve Me” (51:56). A question arises: Does Allah need our services? Or do our services in any way benefit Him? Allah clarifies this point in the following verses: “And remind the

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believers, for reminding benefits them” (51:55); “I desire no sustenance from them, nor do I desire that they should feed me. Surely Allah is the Bestower of sustenance, the Lord of Power, the Strong” (51:57, 58).

Service to othersBeing of service to others is a way of life that leads to happiness. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is reported to have said:“Verily, Allah will say to His slave when He will be taking account of him on the Day of Judgement, O son of Adam, I was hungry and you did not feed Me. He will answer: How could I feed you? You are the Lord of the worlds! He will say: Did you not know that My slave so-and-so was hungry, and you did not feed him? Alas, had you fed him you would have found Me with him. O son of Adam, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink. He will reply: How could I give You drink? You are the Lord of the worlds! He will say: Did you not know that My slave so-and-so came to you and he was thirsty and you did not give him drink? Alas, if you had given him, you would have found Me with him. O son of Adam, I became sick and you did not visit Me. He will answer: How can I visit You? You are the Lord of the worlds! He will say: Did you not know that my slave so-and-so became sick and you did not visit him? Alas, had you visited him, you would have found Me with him.”

So, worship of God does not mean mere glorification of Allah because it does not serve either God or His creation. It should result in some positive action. Worship of Allah should make a believer stron-ger in love for Allah as well as for His creatures, as the Qur’an says in chapter 2:165. The Holy Prophet also emphasised that love of God should be to serve His creatures: “A man asked the Messenger of Allah what Islam is the best one. He said: That you feed the poor and offer salutation to whom you know and whom you do not know” (Bukhari: 2:2)

There is another saying of the Holy Prophet which throws further light on the point that worship of God not only strengthens faith but should result in nurturing virtue in human beings. The Holy Prophet said: “Surely truth leads to virtue and virtue leads to Paradise, and a man continues to speak the truth until he becomes thoroughly truthful.”

Ma‘un or small acts of kindnessThe word ma‘un in this chapter carries a special significance. Bukhari explains it as every good or kind deed or act. Some have regarded zakah as its highest form, and the lowest is lending of a thing or giving any useful thing to another.

The rootma’nmeans a useful or easy thing. Keeping in mind what has been talked about in the previous verses, ma‘un includes all acts of kindness done to fellow beings.

Apparently, it is surprising that the giving away of things of daily use or small acts of kindness have been given such importance that not only the name of the chapter is Acts of Kindness but it ends with the emphasis that even “one who refrains from acts of kindness” belies the very religion. The fact is that this Chapter gives expression to the prominence which Islam gives to helping the needy and uplifting the poor. Anyone who does not pay attention to this is spoken of as belying religion. Praying to God and helping the poor are spoken of in the Holy Qur’an as the two foundations of Islam, but we are told that even prayer is a mere show if it does not generate feelings of love and sympathy for humanity.

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Again, it has several aspects: somebody can ask for help or you can offer help to him without his asking for it. Or it may be that you don’t like a person or the person has done some wrong to you and you may refrain from helping him or maybe you ask others to desist from helping him.

Doing good – a divine commandThe concept of doing good or an act of kindness is not just a matter of choice or a spontaneous reaction in Islam. It is a duty imposed by Allah irrespective of whether you like it or not. Such an act is for the love of Allah. This is the sort of kindness which Allah wants us to develop in our attitude and behaviour. And salah, fasting and other rituals are important exercises prescribed by Islam to develop such selflessness and outright love and sympathy for fellow beings. In Chapter 90 of the Qur’an, Allah mentions the purpose of creating human beings for a definite purpose and has also pointed out the importance of the duty assigned to him of caring for the deprived classes of society and has rightly regarded it is as an “uphill road”:“We have certainly created man to face difficulties. Does he think that no one has power over him? Does he think that no one sees him? Have we not given him two eyes, a tongue and two lips and pointed out to him the two conspicuous ways? But he attempts not the uphill road. And what will make you comprehend what the uphill road is? – It is to free a slave, or to feed in a day of hunger an orphan nearly related, or the poor man lying in the dust. Then such a one is of those who believe and exhort one another to patience and exhort one another to mercy” (90:4-17).

Please note the tone of these earliest revelations: the service of humanity along with the service of God are the paramount concern. The doing of good to the oppressed, the poor, and the orphan is called an uphill road or a high mountain because of the difficulty of doing it.

Highest regard of serving humanityThe God of Islam attaches the highest regard to serving human beings. Here I would like to quote a glorious incident from early Islamic history which has been recorded in the Qur’an.It so happened that immediately after the Battle of Ahzaab (the Trench) which took place in 6 A.H. the Holy Prophet had to lead another expedition to counter the dangerous designs of the BanuMustaliq and HazratAishah was accompanying him. It is called GhazwahBaniMustaliq. After a successful operation, the Muslim army was returning to Madinah. On the way the caravan stopped. Hazrat Ayesha went out to answer the call of nature, but when she returned, she found that she had dropped her necklace on the way. So she again left her camel and spent some time in searching for it. Meanwhile, the camel-driver thought that she had returned and set off with the army. When HazratAishah returned she found that the caravan had left. Safwan ibn Mu’attal was travelling in the rear. When he saw her stranded, he brought his camel and made it kneel so that she could ride upon it, then he set out leading the camel until they caught up with the army.This gave rise to baseless suspicions. Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites, exploited this incident and fabricated slander against HazratAishah. Mistah, a relative of Abu Bakr, took an active part in this malicious campaign. Besides Hazrat Abu Bakr, the Holy Prophet was also greatly distressed at this slander against his beloved wife. As a result, Abu Bakr vowed to discontinue financial support to Mistah. But the following verse was revealed which enjoined him to continue it:“And possessors of grace and abundance among you should not swear against giving to the near of kin and the poor and those who have fled in Allah’s way; and pardon and overlook them. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (24.22).On that, Hazrat Abu Bakr said, “Yes, by Allah, O our Lord! We wish that You should forgive us.” So Abu Bakr re-started financial support to Mistah.

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Kindness– the crux of IslamKindness in Islam is a dominant factor underlying all its principles and practices. Primarily it is zakah, after which it has been recommended in various other forms such as sadaqah, fidyah, fitraanah, kaffaarah, feeding a poor, entertaining a traveller, etc.

Kindness is not just a term. It is an attribute of Allah and we need to focus on it with much concern. There is no more beautiful and life-giving act than imbibing the colours or attributes of Allah. The Qur’an draws our attention towards it: “Take Allah’s colour. And who is better than Allah at colour-ing. And we are His worshippers” (2:138).

A well-known social philosopher says: “Your greatness is measured by your kindness; your educa-tion and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices, and your real calibre is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others.Deprived people are under mental and physical stress. This stress can generate hatred and various other com-plexes which may lead to social and behavioural problems.”

This small chapter deals with some of the major factors which cause physical and mental stress.

Kindness in the light of modern medical researchThese days research is being done in the West on how human behaviours such as kindness, gener-osity and good social relationship affect the human mood and physical betterment.They have found that there is a reason why being kind to others is good not only for your own selves but also for others. They say that it can be traced to a specific nerve called the vagus. There are twelve pairs of cranial nerves which perform the sensory and motor functions in the body. The vagus nerve connects our brainstem to the body, due to which the brain receives, controls and monitors several body functions automatically. The vagus nerve forms a sort of electrical circuit while linking our heart, lungs, and gut to the brain-base. It encompasses the major nervous system and contributes to motor control of physiological functions, including gut mobility and heart rate.It may also play a role in regulating glucose levels and immune responses. In addition, the vagus nerve is intimately tied to how we connect with one another. It links directly to nerves that tune our ears to human speech, coordinate eye contact and regulate emotional expressions. Studies have also found that higher vagal tone is associated with greater closeness to others and more devotion to the welfare of others.

While carrying out experiment on a class,Barabara Fredrickson, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA, assigned an experiment which she called “loving-kind-ness meditation”. The participants were instructed to sit and think compassionately about others by starting to contemplate their own worries and concerns and then moving out to include those of their social contacts. Participants were also taught to silently repeat phrases like: May you feel safe, May you feel happy, May you feel healthy, May you live with ease” and keep returning to these thoughts when their minds wandered. It was found that the participants showed an overall increase in positive emotions, like, joy, interest, amusement, serenity and hope. And they also found that these emotional and psychological changes were correlated with a greater connectedness to others. Consequently, it improved theirvagal function as seen in their heart-rate variability.

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What is exciting about this study is that it suggests that every positive interaction we have with people is a miniature health tune-up. Being a good friend and being compassionate toward others may be one of the best ways to improve our own health.

We as Muslims should be thankful to Allah for telling us of ways which not only earn His pleasure but also make us instrumental in bringing peace and happiness to people around us.

May Allah grant us the wisdom and ability to make a resolution that we may contribute in our hum-ble way to the peace, happiness and comfort of individuals and society as a whole.

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A MUSLIM STUDENT AT UNIVERSITYFAIZAAN AHMAD

Stepping on to universityUniversity is a big change. All of a sudden you are living on your own; you have to cook for yourself, clean for yourself, wake up on your own, and plan your own routine. But everyone goes through this change; it’s no different for anyone. However, in my case and the case of many others currently and soon to be in this room,Insha’Allah, we are Muslims. Many people speak of the difficulties of being a Muslim in a Western country and the difficulties faced at university. But so far I haven’t faced too many.

Pressure of ‘openness’I’ve read many articles online discussing the difficulties for Muslims in terms of peer pressure. When you join a society at university, like a sport team or an arts-based society, there are always socials going on that contain a lot of drinking, and partying, etc. I have seen that many people away from home, without the proper guidance, collapse under the pressure and end up doing things they would come to regret.

The Holy Qur’an has implicitly drawn our attention to such a situation in the following verse:“And they say: Obedience. But when they go out from thy presence, a party of them plan by night doing otherwise than what thou sayest. And Allah writes down what they plan by night. So turn aside from them and trust in Allah” (Surah An-Nisa, 81).

The first words of this verse beautifully tell us what is ‘lip-service’ to obedience and how one should resist ‘polite temptation’.

This nicely sums up how one should act, in my opinion. I get a lot of brilliant answers at university: “I’m a relaxed Muslim” was one of the best ones I heard. What does that even mean?!

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But once again, as I can tell you, you can have the exact same experience; in fact, a better experience at university without any of the things that may seem necessary to a weak part within you. Being a Muslim doesn’t hinder your ability to make friends; it doesn’t hinder your performance.In fact, many people at my university repeatedly mentioned how to them Muslims seemed to be the most calm and collected people on campus.

But I would just like to finish with a warning. All universities nowadays also have an Islamic society, or ISOC for short. These societies not only help the first-year students tremendously, in terms of exam preparation and insider knowledge; they also provide a place to come for people who may be shy or find it harder to socialise. However, you must be careful sometimes. I have heard about and know of universities where these Islamic societies teach the wrong message. A lot of the time they expect all the members to make a tightknit community in which they can share information and ideas. One thing I found slightly worrying was the lack of integration. Many of the ISOC members state the fact that all our friends are within the ISOC, and that these are our true friends. Not only is this a very ignorant view, it also highlights one of the problems many Muslims create. I also found them to use the volume of their speech rather than the content to get their points across.

Al-hamdulillah! Our Jama‘atis a very welcoming and open Jama‘at, and this is how it should be. We all live our lives socialising and working amongst non-Muslims, and living in a Western country this is essential. I’m lucky that at my university the ISOC isn’t full of fundamentalists so it’s quite relaxed and actually their talks are very thought-provoking and interesting. So to all the younger people out there, if and when you come across an ISOC at university, by all means go to their events, and obviously the congregational prayers they hold, especially Jumu‘ah, but from my personal experi-ence don’t get too involved as I fear that radicalisation is a problem that can very well arise from these environments.

But just to leave it on a less depressing note, I hope that our Jama‘at continues to thrive and that all the younger generations, no matter what their interests are, continue to flourish and excel in their studies at school, university and beyond, so that we can continue to make this Jama‘at an educated one, where we propagate our message with the content of our speech and not the volume.

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HOLY PROPHET’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN NEW ZEALAND

Mr. SHABIR BAKSH, GENERAL SECRETARY, NEW ZEALAND

The Ahamdiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i Islam Lahore (South Auckland) New Zealandcelebrated the Holy Prophet’s birthday on 16thJanuary, 2016 at the Universal Peace Federation Hall in Auckland. The program went well and there was a lot of positive feedback from guests.

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MrShabirBaksh chaired the meeting. Br Sadr-ud-Din SahuKhan and Br Zahoor-ur-Rahman were the main speakers. Dr Shams-ud-Din Sahu Khan delivered the vote of thanks.

Some of the guests present were Justice of Peace, Ambassador of Peace, Police Officers & Community liaison police officers.

At the conclusion of the program, dinner was served.

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blessings of Allah be on him). LOVE also generates peace and happiness in the society. Follow the commandments of ALLAH and His Messenger, the Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD and earn an ever-lasting life here in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allah bless you all.

Ahmad Nawaz, Hayward, California I have just finished reading the February 2013 issue of the HOPE Bulletin dedicated to the memory of the late Br. Akbar Abdullah. I must say that your team has worked very hard to collect facts about the life and contributions made by our late Br. Akbar. The formatting of the Bulletin and photographs have made it very impressive and visual. Br. Akbar deserved such a beautiful dedication. I wish to congratulate you for making the Bulletin more than just a news bulletin. The brief life history of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by our new sister in the fold of Islam, Christiane Backer, is very impressive and shows how his Perfect Example has inspired her thoughts and behaviour. I am sure her book “From MTV to Mecca” must be worth reading. Thanks for introducing the autobiography of a highly popular figure in the Western media, who, by her own study, has adopted Islam, and is facing challenges with firm faith and conviction.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The HOPE Bulletin E-mail address: thehopebulletin@hotmail.com

ISLAM stands for: I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND

Photographs : Mr. Shabir Baksh, New ZealandDesign & Formatting : Erwan Hamdani, Jakarta, Indonesia