the light (english) december 2013

8/13/2019 The Light (English) December 2013

1/8

December

2013

Editors:

Shahid Aziz

Mustaq Ali

Contents: Page

The Call of the Messiah 1

Eid-ul AdhaSermon

byMr Mustaq Ali, Editor 4

Call of the Messiah

byHazratMirza Ghulam Ahmad,

the Promised Messiah and Mahdi

A prayer proves Gods existence

Every fair-minded and honest man can under-

stand from what we have stated above that, just

as in hundreds of matters, notwithstanding the

doctrine of predestination, the Divine practice is

to determine a reward for every effort and exer-

tion, in the same way the effort that is made in

prayer will never be unavailing and futile. God

Most High, for the purpose of knowing and rec-

ognizing Him, has at one place in the Holy Quran

specified this sign, that your God is He who an-

swers the prayers of the restless and uneasy; He

says , that is, He Whoanswers the distressed one when he calls upon

Him. Since God Most High has adduced the fact

of acceptance of prayer as an argument for His

existence, how can a sane and sensible man

imagine and doubt that no clear effects of the

acceptance of prayer are set in order and deter-

mined, and that it is merely a ceremonial in

which there is nothing of spirituality? I am of

the opinion that no person of true faith will

ever commit such a sacrilege. When God Most

High says that, just as the One True God is

known and recognised by reflecting upon the

attributes of earth and heaven, in the same way,

belief in Him is induced by seeing the accep-

tance of prayer. If there is no spirituality in

prayer, and no apparent good or grace de-scends upon it as a matter of fact, how can it

become such a means of knowing God as are

the physical entities in the heavens and the

earth? Rather, it appears from the Holy Quran

that prayer is the most sublime and excellent

means of recognizing God and that a perfect

knowledge of the existence of God and of His

perfect attributes can be achieved only through

prayer, and by no other means. The phenome-

non which, like a flash of lightning, pulls man

out of the pit of darkness into the openness of

light, and causes him to stand face to face with

God Most High is nothing else but prayer. It is

by means of prayer that thousands of evil doers

return to goodness and virtue, and thousands

of vicious people become rectified and re-

formed.

There are, however, two great difficulties in

the way of prayer, on account of which the

grandeur and greatness of prayer often re-

December

2013

Webcasting on the worlds first real-time Islamic service at

www.virtualmosque.co.uk


2/8

2

December

2013

mains hidden from human hearts. The first con-

dition is that of honesty, righteousness and fear

of God, as stated by Him in the verse , that is, Allah accepts the prayer of thedutiful; again,

, that is, When Myservants ask thee concerning Me as to what is

the argument for the existence of God, the reply

is, Surely I am nigh that is to say, no bigger

arguments are needed, and My existence can be

known and realized by the ready argument that

when a suppliant calls on Me, I answer his

prayer, and through My revelation give him the

glad tidings of his success, which induces belief

not only in My existence, but also in My al-

mightiness and omnipotence; but it is funda-mentally necessary that people should create

within themselves a sufficient state of fear of

God and piety for me to hear their voice; it is

also necessary that they should repose faith in

Me, and acknowledge and admit, before getting

full knowledge, that God is, and possesses all

power and might, for it is only the man of faith

who is given the ultimate knowledge of God.

Definition of faith

Faith means to acknowledge and accept, even

though knowledge has not yet reached its high-

est degree of perfection and a fight is still going

on against doubts and suspicions. Hence, the

man who attains to faith that is, despite weak-

ness and a lack of all of the reasons for belief,

accepts it on the basis of strong probability is

considered to be honest and true by God Most

High and is granted, by way of bountifulness,

complete knowledge of things Divine and given

to drink, after faith, the cup of wisdom and dis-cernment. And it is for this reason that an hon-

est and God-fearing man, when he hears the call

of the prophets and the apostles of God does not

like to launch any attack from any side in the

very beginning, but takes that portion of the call

that can be easily understood with the help of

clear arguments to be a strong proof of the

claimants having been raised by God, as the ba-

sis of his acceptance and belief, and regards the

other portion, which is not understood, follow-

ing the example and practice of righteous and

good persons, as a figure of speech or a meta-

phorical statement and, removing in this way,

the seeming inconsistency, engages and com-

mits his faith in a simple and sincere manner.

Then God Most High, being merciful in view of

his condition and pleased with his faith, and an-

swering his prayers, opens for him the door of

perfect Divine knowledge and brings him, by

means of revelation, visions and other heavenly

signs, to the stage of perfect belief and certainty.

But a prejudiced man, full of ill-will and animos-

ity, does not act not in this way. He looks upon

all those matters that can serve as means to the

recognition of Truth with disrespect and con-tempt, pokes fun at them and ridicules them;

but such matters as are still doubtful and ob-

scure to him, he makes the basis and instrument

of his charge. And this has always been the prac-

tice of unjust and bigoted persons.

An example

The prophecies uttered in respect of a coming

prophet by the foregoing prophets always con-

sisted of two parts:(1) clear, lucid statements, without any fig-


3/8

December

2013

3

which required the guidance of a prophet, and the

time of his advent appointed in the prophecies,

came to the correct conclusion that he was, in fact,

the same prophet who had been promised to the

Israelite nation, and they reposed their faith in himand suffered with him different kinds of pain and

persecution, and displayed their truthfulness and

sincerity before God Host High,

The other group, which had within its ranks

evil-minded and unfortunate people, paid no re-

gard to the clear signs and arguments, and cared

not to cast even a glance on the wretched state of

the age, but with a vicious motive seized upon the

second part consisting of metaphorical expres-

sions, and most insolently hurled abuse at that

holy man, calling him an infidel and heretic; and

they said that he had perverted the meanings of

the sacred text and wrongly interpreted the second

coming of the prophet Elias, twisting the clear

words out of their literal significance. The Jews

also accused him of calling their divines deceitful

dissemblers and hypocrites. They contended, most

wickedly, that not a single syllable of the prophe-

cies uttered by the prophets had been fulfilled in

him, that he had not come as a king, fought with

the foreign nations or delivered them from theyoke of foreign rule, and that Elias, too, had not

descended from the clouds before him; how, then,

could he be the Promised Messiah? In short, these

wicked and vicious people were unwilling to pay

any attention to the light and signs of Truth, and

adduced again and again the metaphorical part of

the prophecies, imposing upon them their literal

interpretation.

The Holy Prophet

A similar misfortune befell most of the Jews at the

time of our Holy Prophet (peace and the blessings

of God be upon him). Following in the footsteps of

their forefathers, they, too, did not want to benefit

from that part of the prophecies which contained

clear arguments and signs, but placing before their

eyes the portion containing metaphorical state-

ments, or laying stress upon the prophecies that

had been tampered with and corrupted, they be-

came deprived of the wealth of discipleship of the

Great Prophet, the Lord of both the worlds, spiri-tual and physical. And the Christians also acted in

ure of speech, which needed no interpretation;

(2) metaphorical statements which stood in

need of interpretation and elucidation, in that

some had been made obscure beneath the veil of

allegory and parable.

Then, when the foretold prophets made their

appearance, people would divide themselves into

two groups, in the first place the noble and august

souls who, noting the clear, lucid arguments, did

not hesitate to put faith in and accept them, and

either interpreted the metaphorical part in the

light of the basic statements, or waited patiently as

to how things would come to pass, and they found

Truth in this way, and did not stumble. The very

same thing happened in the time of the prophetJesus (peace be upon him). In his case there were

two kinds of prophecies in the ancient scriptures:

(a) that he would appear in the garb of the

poor and meek, under the rule and realm of a for-

eign power, from the seed of David, conduct and

comport himself with humility and gentleness, and

show signs;(b) that he would be a king and fight like kings

and deliver the Jews from the yoke of foreign rule;

that the prophet Elias would first descend from

heaven and that the Messiah would not make his

appearance until Elias had returned to this earth

for a second time.

When Jesus the Christ appeared on the scene,

the Jews divided into two groups, one which was

in a very small minority finding Jesus to be from

the seed of David, seeing his righteousness andhumility and beholding the heavenly signs which

accompanied him and the condition of the age


4/8


5/8

December

2013

5

Then they head for the Greater Akaba area

to throw seven stones (at Satan as a gesture of

cursing him) and offer the sacrificed animals.

The throwing of the seven stones at Shaitan

symbolises an acknowledgement of the rootcause of their sins and readiness to destroy that

source.

Maybe the pebbles should be directed at

ourselves instead of a rock which has no bearing

on our situation in the hereafter. After purging

themselves of past sins they then become like

the sacrificial animal and are willing to submit

their soul to the Lord of the Worlds to be their

friend and protector. The wearing of two pieces

of white cloth and shaving of the head is also a

symbol of the removal of the distinctions of ego,

status, wealth and nationality as the pilgrims

stand before the Master of the Day of Judgment.

Hence they chant labbaik Allahumma lab-

baik, la-sharika laka labbaik, meaning Here I

am, O Allah, at thy service.

The day of Arafat also holds great impor-

tance in Islam since this is the day when Allah

completed his revelation to His Messenger

(saw). It is reported in the Sahihain(i.e., Sahih al

-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), from Umar ibn al-

Khattab (radhi Allah anhu) that a Jewish man

said to him: O Amir al-Muminin (O Head of the

Muslims)! There is a verse in the Quran which,

if it had been revealed to us, the Jews, we would

have taken that day as an Eid (festival). Umar

asked, Which verse? He said, This day I have

perfected your religion for you, completed My

favour upon you, and chosen for you Islam as

your religion (Surah al-Maidah, 5:3). Umar (r)

said: We know on which day and in which placethis was verse revealed to Allahs Messenger (s).

It was when he was standing in Arafat on a

Friday.

Self-realisation through sacrifice

What are you asked to sacrifice- your baser self,

your money, your time, an animal, your wife and

children or your love of this world?

As Muslims we sacrifice during the long

hours of Ramadhan for 29 or 30 days. despiteour time spent in salah, giving of charity and

zakat, despite giving up all that is halal during

Ramadhan, this day is considered to be the

greater of the two Eids. We are told that Allah

himself rewards our fasting, so how is it that this

is considered to be the Greater Eid?

This festival is associated with Abraham the

great Patriarch (the Father of the Prophets),

who is also called the Friend of Allah or Khalil-

Allahbecause of his willingness to sacrifice the

thing which he loved most allegedly his son

Ishmael.

The modern thinkers could surmise that it

was actually Ishmael who was ready to sacrifice

his life for the cause of God. And a close study of

the Quran would reveal that it was not a

command of God to perform such a sacriice, but

it was Abraham narrating a dream to his son

(37:101).

What an example of true sacrifice, a young

man, possibly in his teens, ready and willing to

give up his life and possessions! An example for

the youth of today.

Honouring the sacrifice of Hagar

However, a study of the family of Abraham


6/8

6

December

2013

would show that HazratHagar had a vital role in

all of these celebrations and every year a part of

her role is enacted in remembrance of her sacri-

fice as well. What great reverence is given to a

woman, millions of pilgrims running betweenSafa and Marwa remembering her ordeal in

search of water for the infant Ishmael.

It is important to remember that she was a

handmaid (slave) given to Abraham by his wife.

Which other faith pays such homage to their

female personalities? Does Christianity or Juda-

ism show the same reverence to Sarah the

mother of Isaac, whom they consider to be the

first-born of Abraham? Perhaps we can say that

if it was not for Hagar we would not be Muslims

today.

Traditionally, sermons given on this day

highlight the slaughter of an animal as our will-

ingness to slaughter our baser self for higher

spiritual aspirations.

We read in the Quran, Neither their flesh

nor their blood reaches Allah, but to him is ac-

ceptable observance of duty on your

part(22:37).Interestingly, this verse goes deep into the

concept of sacrificing an animal and the lesson

that should be learnt from this permission. It

says, Neither the flesh of the animal nor the

blood reaches Allah. Why would the Quran talk

about the blood of the animal something

which is impure and abhorrent? In the Encyclo-

paedia of Religion it highlights that some Hindu

cultures used to sacrifice cows at the shrines of

idols and bathe the idols with the blood. They

would also cook the meat and offer it to the dei-

ties.

Allah admonishes them in the Quran when he

says: And the cattle are made lawful for you, except

that which is recited to you, therefore avoid the un-

cleanness of the idols and avoid false words." (22:

30)We see also that even then these people also

observed the Quranic verse which states:

Surely Allah commands you to sacriice a cow

(2:67, Moses speaking to his people).

And in relation to them offering food to the dei-

ties, Allah says, I have only created jinnand men,

that they may serve Me. No sustenance do I require

of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me.

For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance, Lord of

Power,, Steadfast (for ever) (51:5658).We also see the concept of sacrifice existed in

other cultures and faiths before Islam. We read in

the Quran: "And to every nation We appointed acts

of devotion that they may mention the name of Al-

lah over what He has given them of the cattle

(quadrupeds); so your God is One God, therefore to

Him should you submit; and give good news to the

humble (22:34).

Even the concept of zabah (the mentioning of

the name of Allah before slaughter) was given tothose before us. The second aspect of sacrificing an

animal is the human beings taking control of an

animal and making it submit to his will. On submis-

sion, the animal fulfils its duty for which it was cre-

ated. But what about the highest of Gods creation

us do we submit ourselves in a similar manner or

are the animals superior to us in this respect?

The Quran gives great detail about these ani-

mals:

"And (as for) the camels, We have made them ofthe signs of the religion of Allah for you; for you

therein is much good; therefore mention the name

of Allah on them as they stand in a row, then when

they fall down eat of them and feed the contented

and the beggar; thus have We made them subservi-

ent to you, that you may be grateful" (22:36);

And verily in the cattle there is a lesson for

you. We give you to drink of what is in their bellies

from between faeces and blood, pure milk and

agreeable to those who drink it (16:66);And the cattle, He has created them for you. You


7/8

December

2013

7

have in them warm clothing and (other) advan-

tages, and of them you eat.

And therein is beauty for you, when you drive

them back (home) and when you send them out (to

pasture).

And they carry your heavy loads to regions

which you could not reach but with distress to

yourselves. Surely your Lord is Compassionate,

Merciful.

And {He has created} horses, mules and don-

keys for you to ride and as an adornment. And Hecreates (other) things of which you have no knowl-

edge. (Surat-an-Nahl, 16:58).

Economic and medical benefits

of quadrepeds

The benefits of these animals for mankind are nu-

merous. From cattle we get milk and meat, use the

skin in drums and decorations and even for food.

The dung is used for fertilizer and fire and for

housing. We can also get biofuel for cooking and

electricity from the methane gas produced from

their waste. In medicine we can use the heart

valves in humans. In some African countries the

bones of goats and sheep are used in surgery.

Amongst tribal people and the bedouin it is a sign

of great wealth to have herds of cattle, sheep and

goats. They were used to trade and barter and weregiven as dowries. The camel is famously known as

the ship of the desert, able to travel long dis-

tances without water.

Intention behind the sacrifice

We could well ask what is the point of sacrificing

an animal if our intention is misplaced; does God

really want our money or misplaced intention? If

we have all the basics of life and do not have finan-

cial difficulties then it is easy for us to slaughter an

animal. When this becomes easy for us we lose the

real essence of the sacrifice. When we struggle to

find the means to perform a sacrifice and in spite

of this we do it, this is true sacrifice. In connection

with this the Quran beautifully explains:

Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as

much as you can, and hear and obey and spend; it

is better for your souls; and whoever is saved from

the greediness of his soul, these it is that are the

successful.

If you set apart for Allah a goodly portion, He

will double it for you and forgive you; and Allah is

the Multiplier (of rewards), Forbearing (64:16

17).

Historically, the concept of sacrifice was a duty

incumbent on the sons of Adam. In the Bible we

read in Genesis 4:35: "And in the process of time

it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the

fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought

of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the

Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did

not respect Cain and his offering."

The Bible clearly questions the intention be-

hind Cains Sacrifice and goes on to say in He-

brews, 11:4:By faith Abel offered God a better

sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was com-

mended as a righteous man, when God spoke well

of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even

though he is dead.

Indeed here we see congruity between the

Quran and the Bible in questioning our intention

behind our sacrifice, hence the Quran says: to


8/8

8

December

2013

Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore (UK)

The first Islamic Mission in the UK, established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission

Dar-us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, UK, HA0 4JQCentre: 020 8903 2689 President: 020 8529 0898 Secretary: 01753 575313 E-mail: [email protected]

Websites: www.aaiil.org/uk | www.ahmadiyya.org | www.virtualmosque.co.uk

Donations: www.virtualmosque.co.uk/donations

Allah is acceptable your observance of duty . It is

the intention behind the sacrifice that really means

the most to God.

Similarity between our Jamaat

and the Family of Abraham

Abraham, Ishmael and Hagar also had their Hijra

when they left their people, land and other posses-

sions.

Whereas Abraham was tried as a youth, having

to stand up against his father and his people, Ha-

gar, being a handmaid also had to make sacrifices

and give up everything for the sake of Allah more

than once. The first time was when she was left by

Abraham in the desert with the baby Ishmael and

the second was when Abraham was making prepa-

rations to sacrifice Ishmael. There are lessons here

for our Jamaat. Our predecessors and their children

made similar sacrifices for this Jamaat. They left

their family, land and possessions, even careers for

the sake of religion.

Now, in the 21st Century, similar and even

greater sacrifices are required of the grandchildren

and future generations. Look at our predecessors

and see what fruits their work has brought and con-

tinues to do so.

Their life and work are embodiments of the

word wa-nhar from the Arabic root word nahr

which [in Urdu pronunciation Editor] means

sacrifice as well as river. Combining the two

meanings of the word nahr(sacrifice and river)

[i.e., as these words are pronounced in Urdu, the

two h sounds being distinct in Arabic Editor]

gives essentially a translation to thesurahI recited

at the beginning:

Verily We have given to you the Abundance.

So pray to thy Lord and (let your) sacrifice

(be like a river).

Indeed your enemy is the one who is cut off.

Just as a river starts as a trickle high up in the

mountains, so too, our sacrifice should start small.

These trickles forms tributaries and merge into a

river; as we develop our spiritual power our sacri-

fice should increase. As a river sustains life forhumans and animals, our sacrifice should do the

same and eventually the river culminates in the

ocean: this represents the gift of all our sacrifices,

which is a never-ending source of Abundance from

Allah for our hard work.

Just as Allah has given the Holy Prophet in

abundance, so too he has given us. Hence our sac-

rifices should match that of Allah and be in abun-

dance.

Let our lives be a river of sacrifice that hashumble beginnings and whose end culminates with

sacrificing all the pleasure and comforts of this life

for something which we have not seen or heard,

and of which our hearts can never conceive that

isjannat.

If we fulfil these sacrifices then we will be the

embodiment of the verse of the Quran, I will

make you leaders of mankind (2:124) and thus

become the spiritual progeny of the Family of

Abraham. What greater way can we pay homage tothe Family of Abraham?

the light (english) december 2013

Documents