The Economic System of Islam

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 Ahmad^ra later published as a book titled, The Economic System of Islam. In this final part of the series, he discusses the prophecies of the Promised Messiah^as regarding Russia.
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*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.*

Prophecy of the Promised Messiah^as Regarding Russia

Now let me turn to a prophecy about Russia that God revealed to the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, informing him that Russia’s Czar was about to face a very serious calamity¹ The day is coming when the Czar of Russia would be reduced to a very miserable plight. As we all know, the reigning Czar and his family were captured and killed after the Red Revolution after suffering untold privations and humiliations. It is one of the most painful and tragic episodes of human history.

Another prophecy made by the Promised Messiah^as in regard to Russia was recorded by him as follows:²

On January 22, 1903, I saw in a vision that the sceptre of the Czar of Russia had come into my hand. It was very long and beautiful. But examining it carefully I found that it was a gun, though it had not the appearance of one. It had secret barrels and outwardly appeared to be no more than a sceptre, while it was also really a gun. (al-Hakam, no. 4, vol. 7, January 31, 1903, p. 15:3)

Being given the sceptre of a country, in a revelatory vision, signifies that the recipient will be granted power and influence over that country. Thus Prophet Ezekiel’s prophecy informs us that God is not in favour of the establishment of the Communist rule, and if the new rulers do not seek God’s forgiveness, but continue to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations, they will face God’s wrath and severe punishment. But the Promised Messiah^as has given us the glad tiding that the direction and control of Russia’s affairs would one day pass into the hands of Ahmadis who would be assigned the responsibility of reforming the system.

These prophecies from God Almighty were made at a time when there were few indications of their being fulfilled, and this is so even today. I place these prophecies before the thousands of people gathered here today to listen to my address.

The words of the Prophet Ezekiel were given to the world six hundred years before Christ; in other words, more than two thousand and five hundred years ago. At that time, very little was known of Russia, and it was unimaginable that it would assume such power and influence over other countries. The more we think, the more we are struck by the grandeur of the prophecy.

Then there is the prophecy of the Promised Messiah^as regarding the extinction of the Czar’s reign, whose fulfilment has been witnessed by the whole world. The Promised Messiah’s second prophecy foresees the collapse of Soviet rule and the handover of its guiding control into the hands of the Promised Messiah^as.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa was shown in a vision that the keys of the treasuries of the Roman and Persian Empires had been put into his hands, but they actually came into the hands of his followers, during the days of Hadrat Umar^ra. In a similar way, the sceptre of Russia would one day pass, according to this prophecy, into the hands of the Promised Messiah’s followers. Prophecies made by God’s Prophets are not necessarily fulfilled in their own time, but later as the history of religions shows, at the hands of their followers.

It is not a fanciful dream but our conviction that God has put us in charge of removing Russia’s evils and reforming the Soviet system and that one day the Russian people will embrace Ahmadiyyat and establish the system we have described. Sooner or later, the danger that Communism poses will disappear and the world will come to realise that the only remedy for the world’s ills and afflictions lies in adopting the Islamic teachings.

A Dream Bearing upon the Destruction of Communism

Twenty-four years ago I saw in a dream that I was standing in the middle of a vast plain and a monster in the form of a huge serpent was approaching in the distance. Its proportions might have been as much as twenty yards in length and a thickness of the trunk of a giant tree. As the monster approached, it seemed that it had started from one end of the earth, devouring everything along the way. When it reached the point where I was standing, it turned towards an Ahmadi, who started to run to escape the reptile. At that moment, I grabbed a big staff and started to chase the monster in order to rescue the Ahmadi. But I found that the monster was running so fast that I had no chance of overtaking it. All the same, I continued to run, and then I saw that the Ahmadi had reached a tree, which he started to climb in haste. But before he could climb high enough, the reptile reached him and swallowed the Ahmadi in a single mouthful. Then the monster turned in anger at me for having tried to rescue its prey. But as it ran to attack me I saw the frame of a charpai (Indian bedstead) lying close to where I stood. As soon as the serpent came close, I jumped on to this frame and managed to stand astride on its two opposite bars. As the reptile came closer, I heard some people asking me how I could hope to fight it when the Holy Prophet^sa had said that there was no one who could subdue it.

I realised then that this monster was none other than the Gog and Magog to whom this hadith referred and that the monster was in fact the dajjal. At that point, I raised both hands towards heaven in prayer for God’s help and protection. Responding to the Ahmadis by my side who had pointed out to me the futility of trying to fight the monster, I said that I did not seek to fight it through my own powers, but through the power of prayer; and that victory by this means was not precluded by what the Holy Prophet^sa had said. As I prayed, I noticed a change was coming over the serpent, just like little mountain insects that start to melt when salt is poured over them. I noticed that it had started to lose its fire and speed, until it became completely dormant. It then assumed a jelly-like form, which melted into watery liquid that began to flow away. I turned to my companions and said, “Did you observe the power of prayer? Of course, I did not have the strength to overcome the danger I faced, but my God certainly had the power to remove it.”

Concluding Observations

It must be kept in mind that we, the Ahmadis, bear enmity to no one; we desire the good and well-being of all. Even for our worst enemies we do not bear the slightest feeling of ill will. All we wish to see is that good character prevails in the world, man’s spiritual life progresses, and the Kingdom of God and His Apostle gets established. We desire that whatever social, economic, cultural or political system is adopted in the world, it should leave to God and His Apostle the sphere of human life that rightfully and properly belongs to them; that people who wish to live by God’s laws should not be made to deny them.

We bear no enmity against Russia, or Communism. I personally harbour deep sympathy for this great country, and sincerely wish that the Russian people, who have been victims of extreme cruelty for centuries, should march forward and witness prosperous times. But I or any other freedom-loving person cannot bear to watch that a misconceived social order and political philosophy become an instrument of subjugating other people. As such, we would look upon any system that incorporated in itself the Islamic principles in regard to these matters as our own and shall endeavour to support it to the best of our ability. Otherwise, we are duty bound to oppose systems that seek to push religion out of its proper sphere in the life of human beings. Hunger, no doubt, involves terrible suffering for those who have to bear its pangs; but we are not prepared to sacrifice our religion even for the sake of keeping off hunger and want from our hearths and homes.

In my presentation this afternoon, I have greatly compressed the subject and have left out many things. But even so, I have taken a good deal of your time. Now that I have brought out the contrast between essential economic principles as visualised by Islam, on one side, and Communism, on the other, I trust that you will consider these issue more thoroughly and will not get carried away by mere hearsay or slogans. Intellectual progress requires that before adopting any course of action, careful and critical consideration be given to all aspects of an issue. Thus, in adopting any path or system, we must use our minds and have our eyes open. And it is essential that whatever views we adopt we should adopt after the most careful scrutiny; whatever course we follow, we should follow it with our eyes open. This is the only way that one can find truth and bring an end to unrest and disorder.

May Allah have mercy on me and enable me to follow the path of His guidance and pleasure. May He give to you as well the wisdom and strength to follow the path full of blessings for you and for your generations to come both in your spiritual and religious life as well as your secular life. I conclude with: All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.

Endnotes

1. Barahin-e-Ahmadiyyah, part 5, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 21, p. 152

2. In Tadhkirah second English edition a reference to this vision/dream appears on p. 591 with some variation of words, under the date January 30, 1903. (Publishers)