The Promised Messiah’s (as) Love of the Holy Qur’an

49The Review of Religions – September 2006 The verse of the Holy Qur’an from Sura Al-Furqan (Chapter 25) holds a prophecy about the latter days. The prophecy was: And the Messenger will say, ‘O my Lord, my people indeed treated this Qur’an as a thing to be discarded.’ Our Master Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa(saw) had given the glad tidings of the advent of The Promised Messiah(as) and the Blessed Guided One, who would hold the principal mission of exposing the superiority and excellences of the Holy Qur’an and its dissemination and promulgation. The Holy Prophet(saw) said, ‘When faith will rise to the Pleiades, then a man from Persia will bring it back’. In some other narrations it is mentioned that knowledge of the Holy Qur’an will vanish and the Holy Qur’an will be discarded. That exactly was the scenario before the advent of the Promised Messiah(as), and in accordance with the saying of the Holy Prophet(saw) that nothing will remain of the Holy Qur’an except its name, the Holy Qur’an was no more than a piece of decoration kept on the shelf and a number if ill-fated customs and rituals were associated with it. Perilously, both by virtue of meaning and by virtue of practice, it had been completely forsaken. It was the time of the fulfilment of that great prophecy of the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet of Islam(saw), and Allah The Exalted raised that true and devoted lover of the Holy Qur’an, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah(as) and the Guided One, who with fathomless depth of love and devotion submerged into the waters of the Holy Qur’an and secured such precious and priceless gems which were the need of the time. Love of the Promised Messiah(as) for the Holy Qur’an Based on a speech delivered by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Ayaz OBE, at the Annual Convention of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, July 2006 50 The Review of Religions – September 2006 The Promised Messiah(as) was constantly devoted to the cause and study of the Holy Qur’an. His unflinching loyalty and devotion to it and the intense feelings with which he expressed his love of the Holy Qur’an leaves one bewildered, perplexed and breathless. His knowledge of and reliance on the Holy Qur’an as a potent source of guidance was only as a result of fervent prayers in solitude, through which he addressed his Lord and Creator. Once, it was discovered that whilst studying and reflecting upon the Holy Qur’an the Promised Messiah(as) was intently addressing God prayerfully: ‘O my Creator, this is Your message and I can appreciate it only if You teach me’ (Hayat en Nabi). Every fibre of his being and every thought which dominated his heart was his intense love for the Word of God and every interest of his life was immersed in this. When compiling his masterpieces of writings he would walk up and down his room with the Holy Qur’an in his hands, reading and meditating upon it. He always had a copy of the Holy Qur’an with him which he used to recite and mark at relevant places. It could be said without exaggeration that he had read it thousands of times. Unlike other writers, scholars or speakers who would refer to relevant literature when preparing their works, the Promised Messiah(as) invariably referred to the Holy Qur’an. That is why in all his writings one cannot help noticing Qur’anic verses being profusely quoted. In short, the entire literature produced by him is a treasure of exhaustive commentaries of the Holy Qur’an. The knowledge of the Holy Qur’an he exposed and the way he inspired and prepared his followers to cling to it and make it the order of their lives, is an astonishing achievement, the like of which the world has never witnessed. The Promised Messiah(as) states in one of his writings: ‘The light of the Holy Qur’an has penetrated to my heart and I could not have acquired it by any other means. And Allah is my witness that if there had been no Qur’an I would have found no pleasure in life’. (A ina-e -Kamala t -e – I s lam, LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 51The Review of Religions – September 2006 Ruhani Khazain, vol. 5, pp. 545- 546). In this context, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV(ru) said: ‘The presentation of the Holy Qur’an as understood by the Promised Messiah(as), is the most attractive way of preaching and the strongest possible way’ (Majlis Shoora Pedrobad, Spain, Sept. 1982). Not only did the Promised Messiah(as) read, study and meditate upon the Holy Qur’an but he advised his followers to do likewise. He also loved to listen to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Once, he went for a walk when someone told him that the son-in-law of Haji Habib-ur-Rehman Sahib, amongst the party, recited the Holy Qur’an in a melodious voice. The Promised Messiah(as) sat down by the roadside and requested him to do so which he willingly did. While listening to the recitation, tears rolled down his cheeks. His unparalleled love and devotion to the Holy Qur’an also found vivid expression at the Conference of Great Religions when his monumental work Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam was read before a mammoth audience. This was a masterful exposition of the five assigned themes of the Conference from the Holy Qur’an by the Promised Messiah(as). Those around him felt that the entire existence of the Promised Messiah(as) was for the cause of the Holy Qur’an. An old lady by the name of Hayat Bibi, daughter of Late Fazal Deen Sahib, narrates that her father was very close to the Promised Messiah(as). He used to collect and deliver food to Huzur. He said that Huzur would go inside, close the door and sit in the courtyard reading the Holy Qur’an. Sometimes he would go into lengthy prostrations and cry so much that the ground would become soaked by his tears. The Promised Messiah(as) says: ‘It is not possible that a person should believe fully in God Almighty except through the Holy Qur’an. For this characteristic is special to the Holy Qur’an that by following it perfectly all obstacles that exist between man and God are removed. God, Who is hidden LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 52 The Review of Religions – September 2006 from the entire world, is seen only through the Holy Qur’an’ (Chashma-e-Marifat, Ruhani Khazain, vol. 23, pp. 271-272). And by God! we are a witness that so many of his companions and so many in Jamaat Ahmadiyya today, by Allah’s Grace, have experienced God in their lives through their devotion and dedication to the Holy Qur’an. This is the revolution which the Promised Messiah(as) created through his love for the Holy Qur’an. And this distinguishes him as the most outstanding unique lover and servant of the Holy Qur’an in this age, beyond compare. The son of the Promised Messiah(as), Hadhrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad (Allah be pleased with him), narrates that the Promised Messiah(as) was most of the time absorbed in studies and he particularly concentrated on the Holy Qur’an. Those who saw him found him reading the Holy Qur’an with such attention and devotion that he would be completely engrossed in its meaning. It is said that a non-Ahmadi tax- collector, Munshi Adbul Wahid from Patiala, was a frequent visitor to Qadian to see Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Murtaza Sahib, father of the Promised Messiah(as). He knew the Promised Messiah(as) from an early age. He testified that when the Promised Messiah(as) was about the age of 14 or 15 years, he spent almost his entire day reading the Holy Qur’an and writing notes on it in the margins. The father of the Promised Messiah(as) commented that he was not concerned about anything else and spent his day reading the Holy Qur’an in the mosque (The Review of Religions, Urdu, Qadian, January 1942, p. 4). Once, the Promised Messiah(as) was travelling in a Palanquin from Qadian to Batala. The journey took about five hours. Just as he left Qadian, the Promised Messiah(as) opened his pocket edition of the Holy Qur’an and started reading the first Chapter, Sura Al-Fatiha and for five hours he was completely absorbed in the study of this short Chapter as if it was a vast deep ocean in which he was diving to great depths in search of the pearls of love and mercy of his eternal beloved- the Holy Qur’an (Seerat- ul-Mahdi, vol. II). Deep and true love for the Holy LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 53The Review of Religions – September 2006 Qur’an and by the blessings of devotedly following it, the Promised Messiah(as) was granted intimate knowledge of the Holy Qur’an by Allah. The fact is that the Promised Messiah(as) was sent for the service of the Holy Qur’an. He himself states: ‘God Almighty has raised me so that I expose to the world those buried treasures of the Holy Qur’an and purify and cleanse them of the vicious filth of objections heaped upon them by the opponents of Islam. Allah’s torrential passion for the care of the honour of the Holy Qur’an at present is over-whelming and Allah is determined to sanctify and safeguard the honour of the Holy Qur’an against the tarnishing objections of the wretched enemy’ (Malfoozat vol.I, p.38). After the Promised Messiah’s(as) divine commission, the Holy Qur’an furthermore became the order of his life. God Almighty revealed to him: ‘Every kind of goodness and blessing can only be found in the Holy Qur’an’. And he abundantly benefited from that goodness and blessings throughout his life. He dived deep into the ocean of the wisdom and knowledge of the Holy Qur’an and surfaced such pearls and jewels which left the world dumbfounded and stunned. It was the intensity of his love that he presented the Holy Qur’an before the world as a perfect and living scripture. In his grand publication Baraheen- i-Ahmadiyya, he splendidly estab- lished forever the verity, veracity, truth and perfection of the Holy Qur’an by irrefutable arguments and convinced the world that it was the only scripture that would live till the Day of Judgement. He called upon followers of all other religions to contest the superiority of the Holy Qur’an regarding any matter on the condition that their claims and their arguments must be based on their religious scriptures. It was such a valiant challenge that it reduced all other faiths to silence. No one has ever accepted that challenge to this day, and no one will ever have the courage to do so till the Day of Judgement. That is the legacy he left behind for the Ahmadiyya community, and in fact for the entire humanity. To ensure that it lasts till the Day of Judgement LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 54 The Review of Religions – September 2006 in its pristine purity, Allah graced him with the re-establishment of the system of divine succession (Khilafat). Today, we are blessed with the fifth chapter of Khilafat and we find the gems of the Holy Qur’an offered to us by our beloved Khalifa (may Allah support him with His mighty help), to reform and enrich our lives and enjoy the real, everlasting prosperity. We have at our disposal, over eighty books of the Promised Messiah(as) which unfold for the world the authenticity, truth and wisdom of the Holy Qur’an. It is a legacy of immeasurable treasure provided to us to publicise the Holy Qur’an all over the world and resolutely respond to any objection against it. The Promised Messiah(as) was immersed in the love of the Holy Qur’an on account of its unique message and uncountable beauties. But the founding sentiment of his love for the Holy Qur’an was in reality the love of God, as he says in an Urdu couplet: ‘The beauties of the Holy Qur’an are conspicuously obvious, but the real cause of my love for it O my heavenly Master. Is that it has come from Thee, and my heart remains restless to kiss and circuit it over and over again.’ (Qadian ke Arya aur hum) It is indeed the love of Allah from which sprouts the love of the Holy Qur’an. To the Promised Messiah(as), the Holy Qur’an was the remedy to all ills, whether physical or spiritual. Hadhrat Dr. Mir Mohammad Ismail Sahib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that on the day when the Ambassador from Rome was visiting Qadian; after Maghrib prayer, when Huzur was sitting on a seat, he felt pressure in his head so he lay down on a mat on the floor. The Companions moved in to press his head but Huzur soon stopped them and when most of them had left, he requested Maulvi Adbul Karim Sahib(ra) to recite some portion of the Holy Qur’an. Maulvi Sahib compiled and continued to recite in a melodious voice until Huzur said that he felt better (Seerat-ul-Mahdi, Narration No. 459). The Promised Messiah(as) inun- dated mankind with the gushing LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 55The Review of Religions – September 2006 rivers of the teachings and wisdom of the Holy Qur’an. He presented the Book of Allah as a living Book. He unveiled the real holy and radiant face of the Holy Qur’an by exposing the light of wisdom and knowledge granted to him by Allah. In all his publications and speeches, he vehemently proved by powerful reasoning that each and every letter and word of the Holy Qur’an is safeguarded and will be meti- culously preserved from any sort of interpolations till the Day of Judgement. Addressing the Jama’at, the Promised Messiah(as) states: ‘I am repeatedly admonishing you that genuine love and obedience of the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet(saw) turns a person into a man of miracles and the doors of the unseen are opened upon such a perfect soul’. (Zameema-i-Anjam Atham, p.61) How many outside the panel of Ahmadiyyat today can dare to make such a claim and produce even one person who by the blessings of the Holy Qur’an has become a man of miracles and the doors of the unseen have been opened upon him? This is an exclusive honour for those who in the footsteps of the Promised Messiah(as) have moulded their lives in the template of the Holy Qur’an. The Promised Messiah(as) further states: ‘By raising me at the head of the fourteenth century, Allah the Exalted commissioned me to revive and rejuvenate the vigorous faith of Islam. It is my mission that during these tumultuous times I manifest the beauties and the greatness of both the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet of Islam(saw), and with all the light and blessings and miracles and divine knowledge Allah has given me, defend Islam against the attacks of all its enemies’ (Barakatud Dua, p.36) This remains the primary mission of Jama’at Ahmadiyya today. There are no people on this earth today beside the Ahmadiyya Jama’at who are ever ready to lay their lives for the honour and sanctity of the Holy Qur’an. Indeed, it is the Ahmadis who have been slain and tortured and locked up in the terrifying dark cells for expressing their love and devotion to the Holy Qur’an. They have been made victims of LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 56 The Review of Religions – September 2006 blasphemy by those who have totally discarded the Holy Qur’an and their example, practice and behaviour, tarnishing the very name of the Holy Qur’an, and who, by writing misconceived com- mentaries of the Holy Qur’an, continue to strengthen the hands of the opponents of Islam and are in fact themselves a disgrace to Islam. Whatever they do, let them know that each and every Ahmadi, man and women, old and young, is ever ready to offer every sacrifice for the honour of the Holy Qur’an. It is through this Jamaat and only this Jama’at that the Holy Qur’an will become the order of this world soon. With the blessings of the knowledge bestowed upon him by Allah the Exalted, the Promised Messiah(as) inundated mankind with the gushing rivers of the teachings and wisdom of the Holy Qur’an. He presented the Book of Allah as a living Book. He unveiled the real holy and radiant face of the Holy Qur’an by exposing the light of wisdom and knowledge granted to him by Allah. In all his publications and speeches, he vehemently proved by powerful reasoning that each and every letter and word of the Holy Qur’an is safeguarded and will be meti- culously preserved from any sort of interpolations till the Day of Judgement. The Promised Messiah(as) says: ‘I hereby assure the audience that God, on whom depends the salvation and everlasting prosperity of man, cannot be found other than through following the Holy Qur’an. Understand with conviction that just as it is not possible for us to see without eyes, listen without ears or speak without a tongue, similarly it is not possible to set our eyes on that Beloved without the Holy Qur’an’ (Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam) Stating the excellences and the greatness of the Holy Qur’an, the Promised Messiah(as) says: ‘The Holy Qur’an has expressed its eloquence and richness by its truth, wisdom and encom- passing all the rightful needs of humanity, and in an amazing manner has absorbed the truths of all faiths. There is no truth which is not contained in the Holy Qur’an. The beauty of it is that not even a single word in the Holy Qur’an is excessive LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 57The Review of Religions – September 2006 and there is nothing that is irrelevant. Its luminous style is beyond imagination. Its bound- less richness is absolute-ly fabulous, reflected in the beauty of its arrangement, succinctly covering mountains of know- ledge from the beginning to the end’. (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Vol IV) As such, the Promised Messiah(as) firmly relied on the Holy Qur’an to retaliate and defend Islam against the attacks of the opponents. Whichever part, or verse of the Holy Qur’an was targeted by the opponents, the Promised Messiah(as) responded promptly in a smashing manner, completely crushing the enemy’s will to move any further. Such an awe inspiring way of protecting the grandeur of the Holy Qur’an manifests the infinite passion and love of the Holy Qur’an with which he was inebriated. His love was not limited to expressions of sentiments; he brought forth the miraculous power of the Holy Qur’an in such a forceful manner that the entire world of religion was spellbound. A Christian Priest, Imaduddin, wrote a book by the name Zain-ul- Aqwal specifically criticising and vilifying the Holy Qur’an. In reply, the Promised Messiah(as) wrote the book Noor-ul-Haq, in which he profusely revealed the depth of knowledge and distinguished teachings of the Holy Qur’an. There are not a few, but several such instances found in his publications, where he proved the falsehood of untrue religions from the Holy Qur’an. Accordingly, he exhorted every believer to always base the claims of faith and support reasoning on the Holy Qur’an. Those who love and take that passion to its ultimate heights always eulogize and portray their beloved in various ways and sing in praise of its beauties and attributes. In the same tone, the Promised Messiah(as) revealed glimpses of the intensity of his love for the Holy Qur’an in various ways. For instance, Hadhrat Yusuf(as) is said to be exceptionally handsome, but in the sight of the Promised Messiah(as) the Holy Qur’an is far superior in its attractiveness, beauty, charm and elegance. He says: ‘It is said that the beauty of Yusuf(as) was very attractive, but the Holy Qur’an is unique in its LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 58 The Review of Religions – September 2006 LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN quality and charm; You have heard that Yusuf fell into a gorge but this Book rescues those who are in the gorge and that is its claim’. (Durrisameen, Urdu) And he says: ‘The elegance and beauty of the Holy Qur’an is the soul of every Muslim. Crescent is the moon of others; Our moon is the Holy Qur’an’. The Promised Messiah(as) writes: ‘I always felt my heart inclined towards the subtleties, intri- cacies and vastness of the knowledge of the Holy Qur’an and I was enamoured by its fathomless beauty. I have seen that it gives me the knowledge and so many different kinds of fruit of wisdom which will never run out and neither shall I ever be deprived of those. It is my conviction that the Holy Qur’an strengthens faith and enriches belief. By God! It is a priceless, matchless pearl. Its inner self is light and its outer self is light and its each and every word is light. It is a spiritual garden whose clustered fruits are within easy reach and through which streams flow. Every fruit of good fortune is found in it and every torch is lit from it. I was magnetised towards it and it is firmly lodged in my heart. It has nurtured me like a baby is nurtured in its mother’s womb. It has an astonishing impact upon my heart. Its beauty has charmed me. I have seen in a vision that all honours and blessings are irrigated by the waters of the Holy Qur’an which is a surging ocean of the elixir of life. He who drinks from it comes to life; Indeed, he brings others to life. By God! Its face is more beautiful than everything else. It is a face which has been moulded in the template of beauty and crowned with splendour’ (A ina-e -Kamala t -e – I s lam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp.545- 546). Regarding the authenticity of the Holy Qur’an, the Promised Messiah(as) said, the Holy Qur’an is superior to Hadith and is a divine arbiter to check the validity and authenticity of a Hadith. However, he further stated that: 59The Review of Religions – September 2006 LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN ‘It is incumbent upon our Jama’at that if a Hadith, that is a saying of the Holy Prophet(saw) is not against the Holy Qur’an and practice, then whatever its rank, it should be accepted and followed in practise and given priority over man-made juris- prudence’. (Al-Haq Ludhiana Debate, 1891, Review Debate Chakralvi, p. 506). Before the advent of the Promised Messiah(as), several Muslim sects believed that some verses of the Holy Qur’an had been abrogated and were not worth practice anymore. They were there merely for recitation and it was not incumbent to follow them in practice. The incandescent fervent love of the Promised Messiah(as) for the Holy Qur’an could not stand this abrogation of the verses of the Holy Qur’an and with utmost conviction he proclaimed that not even a dot of the Holy Qur’an had ever been repealed and it would never be repealed. He was that ardent and genuine lover of the Holy Qur’an who was bent upon protecting the Holy Qur’an and strived in announcing that today only those would be honoured in Heaven who would honour the Holy Qur’an. His doctrine is that the Holy Qur’an superseded all previous scriptures and laws, but itself it can never be abrogated as it is the Word of God. The earth and the heaven can vanish, but the Law, the Commandments and any verse of the Holy Qur’an can never be altered. He stated that if someone believes in abrogation, he is in hissight excluded from the group of believers and is a non-believer heretic. The Promised Messiah(as) states: ‘The Holy Qur’an is that authentic, pure and final word of God in which man has absolutely no involvement, not even to the extent of a dot or stroke. In all its contexts, in all its words and meaning, it is from Allah the Exalted in totality, and no sect of Muslims has any excuse not to accept it as such. Its each and every word has an excellent order of continuation and succession. It is an immutable revelation- the letters of which have been counted and because of being a miracle in itself, it will always remain safe from any kind of change or interpolation’. (Azala i Auham, Vol.2, P.219) 60 The Review of Religions – September 2006 LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN Hence, the Promised Messiah(as), with his profound sentiments of love for the Holy Qur’an, eradicated and eliminated all misconceptions about the Holy Qur’an, and restated its irrevocable honour. The Promised Messiah(as) not only himself gained mastery over the knowledge of the Holy Qur’an, but also provided assured guidance to others to understand the Holy Qur’an. Undoubtedly it was an adorable service to the Holy Qur’an. There was a time when people thought that no one can either understand the Holy Qur’an, nor follow it in practice, but he unleashed and scattered before the world all the secrets and gems of its understanding. The Promised Messiah(as) says: ‘The one who as a devoted follower of the Holy Qur’an genuinely pursues and perseveres in pure love and enhances it to limits, is graced as a shadow to manifest the attributes of Allah the Exalted. All that is the result of that ferocious power and impact that we witness in the discourse of the Holy Qur’an. Such an overwhelming effect cannot be found in any other book which is considered revealed by any other faith’. (Zamima Chashma i Maarfat, page 59) In each and every book of the Promised Messiah(as), there are glimpses of the love of the Holy Qur’an in one way or another. His versified writings in Urdu, Arabic and Persian, equally demonstrate the depth of his boundless passion and love for the Holy Qur’an in such a touching manner that there is no example of its kind anywhere else. He says: ‘The light of the Holy Qur’an is a light more clear and bright by far than any other kind of light! And Holy indeed is He, Who is the source of this veritable river of radiance! O Lord! Does Thy Word constitute only a book? Or is it a Universe in itself? For, whatsoever was indispensable for mankind, for progress of the human mind, we find amply provided in this marvellous scripture!’ (Durrisameen, Urdu) 61The Review of Religions – September 2006 LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN Similarly, in an Arabic verse, the Promised Messiah(as) says: ‘A holy book which is the embodiment of all distinctions, it causes its faithful to drink cups of knowledge and never stops providing more. We have observed in it, manifest signs of guidance and we have found in it wisdom which saves from destruction and blesses with prudence’. (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya) To express the beauty, the glow, the enticement and captivation of the beloved, the lovers correlate it with the sun and the moon. But the Promised Messiah(as) beautifully expresses his innermost sentiments for his beloved, the Holy Qur’an, in a Persian couplet when he says: ‘The eye that has not accessed light from the Holy Qur’an, By God! It will never be relieved of spiritual blindness all its life. I cannot compare this light with the light of the sun because I can see that hundreds of Sun are encircling the Holy Qur’an’. (Durrisameen, Farsi) The Promised Messiah(as)’s attach- ment and fondness of the Holy Qur’an was limitless. He says: ‘Ay ye those who read Ummul Kitab, that is Sura Al-Fatiha! Now watch this sun with my eyes. Ponder upon the supplication of Al-Fatiha again and again. It manifests the reality of it all.’ (Durrisameen, Urdu) He further says: ‘The light that is emanated by the Holy Qur’an exceeds that of a thousand Sun.’ (Durrisameen, Urdu) Addressing the Jama’at, the Promised Messiah(as) exhorts: ‘You should study this Holy Scripture with the utmost attention and deepest delib- eration and cherish it with love. You should love it as you have never loved anything else. Indeed, God has conveyed to me: “All good lies in the Qur’an”. All kinds of good is to be found in it and this is the truth. Unfortunate indeed are those who give preference to other things over it. The Holy Qur’an is the fountainhead of all 62 The Review of Religions – September 2006 salvation, for all betterment and success. There is not a single spiritual need which has not been met for you in this Holy Book. It is the Holy Qur’an that, will testify the truth or falsehood of your faith on the Day of Judgment. Appreciate therefore the value of blessings bestowed upon you. It is a precious blessing and a great treasure. Without the Holy Qur’an, the whole world would have been no better than a dirty clot of half-formed flesh. Indeed, it is a book compared to which all other sources of guidance amount to nothing’ (Noah’s Ark, p.36-37) During the time of the Promised Messiah(as), a journalist once visited Qadian and he was amazed to see the earnestness and fervour of everyone for the Holy Qur’an. He wrote: ‘The genuine and true love for the Holy Qur’an that I saw in this Jama’at in Qadian, I have never seen anywhere else before. After morning prayer in the Mubarak Mosque, I went round for a walk and saw everyone without exception, young and old, sitting by a lantern reciting the Holy Qur’an. It was a truly capti- vating scene’. In a nutshell, he said that ‘in Ahmadiyya Qadian I could see nothing but the Holy Qur’an everywhere’. (AlHakam, Qadian, reproduced Alfazl, Rabwah, 4-01-2006) That is the atmosphere we need to revitalise and sustain in our lives everywhere. Our true love for the Promised Messiah(as) can best be expressed through our love for the Holy Qur’an and the devotion of our life to its service. The inestimable meritorious service of the Holy Qur’an inaugurated by the Promised Messiah(as) is being vehemently pursued and developed by Jamaat Ahmadiyya today. The Jama’at is restless to continue and accomplish the mission of the Promised Messiah(as) to uphold the honour, purity and superiority of the Holy Qur’an and ensure that it reaches each and every household on this planet, and its dazzling light obliterates darkness for ever from the hearts of mankind. Let me conclude with a heart rending Persian couplet of the Promised Messiah(as): ‘O ye ignorant, tighten up your LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN 63The Review of Religions – September 2006 belt for the service of the Holy Qur’an before you hear that so and so is dead.’ (Durrisameen, Farsi) Let us take that message to our hearts. Let us live for the Holy Qur’an. There should be none amongst us who misses on the daily recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Each and every one of our household should remain perfumed with the fragrance of the Holy Qur’an. Let us put our heart and soul into its understanding. Let us follow its teachings faithfully in our lives so delete we are accepted into the fold of the beloveds of Allah. Remember, that, that is the only way to the love of Allah. Let us be amongst those chosen to illuminate the entire world with the glow of the Holy Qur’an and bring lasting peace to the world through its teachings and lead humanity out of darkness into the ever shining light of Islam Ahmadiyyat. Allah enable us to do so. That then would indeed be an honourable tribute to the love of the Promised Messiah(as) for the Holy Qur’an! LOVE OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH(AS) FOR THE HOLY QUR’AN Advertise your business in The Review of Religions and see sales scale to new heights. Existing adverts can be placed and sponsorship on regular features is available in this longest running worldwide Muslim monthly magazine in the English language. 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