Current Affairs

Current Affairs (Rashid Ahmad Chaudhary) The provincial Minister for Auqaf and Local Bodies, Punjab, Malik Khuda Bux Tiwana, in a public meeting recently, at Khushab, has declared that: “The present Government is determined to eradicate the evil of Mirzaiyyat (derogatory term for Ahmadiyyat), and is duty-bound to uproot it completely. A Committee has already been set up for this purpose.” In this public meeting, the Deputy Commissioner Khushab, Superintendent of Police, Administrator Auqaf, civil and police officers, along with various other dignatories of the city were present. The statement of the provincial Minister speaks amply about the Government intentions and is in line with the central government policy towards Ahmadis. The statements of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, respectively, to the effect that: and, “We will Insha Allah (God willing) persevere in our efforts to ensure that the cancer of Qadianism is exterminated” , “We have taken strong measures in Pakistan to undo this problem. We hope that the whole Muslim world will take appropriate measures to crush this curse with full force”, make it abundantly clear that the Government of Pakistan has embarked upon a total annihilation of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan. A new legislation is in the pipeline which reportedly envisages liability of capital offence for the utterance or writing of anything which seems to insult the status of the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) in the eyes of a sect with a particular doctrinal bias. The fact remains that Ahmadi Muslims do not believe in anything but the true Islam and that no Ahmadi can even imagine utterance of a single word which could even indirectly and inadvertently mean an iota of insult to the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH). In the present situation in Pakistan, however, General Zia’s regime, in collusion with mullahs of a particular j , I } CURRENT AFFAIRS 47 brand of Islam, are portraying a totally misleading picture of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community to augment political gains for themselves, completely conniving to the fact that how genocidally this legislation could be abused by every next person in power with his interpretational variation of the religion of Islam out of the seventy-three sects! The Deputy Attorney General of Pakistan, in his submissions to the Federal Government Shariyyat Court has already gone as far as stating that: “It is not necessary that the Government should take action; on the contrary, any Muslim can take the law in his own hands.” In the light of the above-mentioned state of affairs, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan have genuine fears and apprehensions regarding their lives and property. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, UK, strongly urges all the civilized governments of the world to put pressure on the Government of Pakistan to stop persecuting a tiny God-fearing minority. Allah Answers Prayer Allah it is Who answers the cry of the distressed person when he calls upon Him and removes the evil. (Ouran 27:63) Dedication to God I urge you to fear God. Stick to the Law of God. Listen to him upon whomsoever God has entrusted your affairs-and obey him, for he who will obey him will get rid of low passions, greed and unwieldy anger. Do not feel proud. It does not behove that he who is created from dust and has to go back to dust should display pride; he has to be eaten up by worms. Today he is alive and tomorrow he will be dead. Every moment that passes, carries him nearer to the time of his death. (Hazrat Abu Bakr) Attributes of Allah Allah – there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them; and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He pleases. His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth; and the care ofthem burdens Him not; and He is the High, the Great. (Ouran 2:256.) 48 Quran on preaching Say, “0 People of the Book! Come to a word equal between us and you – that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him, and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah”. But if they turn away, then say “Bear witness that we have submitted to God”. (3:65.) Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation and argue with them in a way that is best: (16:126.) But speak to him a gentle word, haply he might take heed or fear. (20:45.) And warn thy nearest kinsmen. (26:215.) And argue not with the People of the Book except with what is best as an argument, but argue not at all with such of them as are unjust. And say, “We believe in that which has been revealed to us and that which has been revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit.” (29:47.) And who is better in speach than he who invites men to Allah and does righteous deeds and says “I am, surely, of those who submit?” (41:34.) And good and evil are not alike. Repel evil with that which is best. And 10, he, between whom and thyself was enmity, will become as though he were a warm friend. (41 :35.) And keep on exhorting; for verily, exhortation benefits those who would believe. (51:56.) r—————————————————–~ ARTICLES WELCOME READERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT ARTICLES WHICH WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS What is Islam? Islam literally means Peace, surrender of one’s Will; and to be in amity and concord. The significance of the name Islam is the attainment of a life of perfect peace and eternal happiness through complete surrender to the Will of God. The Quran – the Holy Book of the Muslims – interprets it to be the religion whose teachings are in consonance with human nature. Islam, as the Quran has stated (5:4), is the completion of the religion inaugurated by God in the beginning of the world, on His sending the Quran through the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be on him). As a child is taught his alphabet, so God taught the religion to the world gradually and little by little, by sending His prophets at different times and to different peoples. When the world reached that stage of understanding when it was ready for the final lesson, He sent the last and complete Book through the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be on him). This Book not only corrects the errors which had found their way into various religions, but preaches the truths which have not been preached before, on account of special circumstances of the society or the early stage of its development. At the same time it gathers together in itself the truths which were contained in any Divine revelation granted to any people for the guidance of men (The Quran 98:4). Lastly, it meets all the spiritual and moral requirements of an ever advancing humanity. This is Islam which is wrongly called Muhammadanism. According to Islam, the object of man’s life is its complete unfoldment. Islam does not support the idea that man is born in sin. It teaches that everyone has within him the seed of perfect development and its rests solely with a person himself to make or mar his fortune. We created man in the best make says the Holy Quran (95:5). The cardinal doctrine of Islam is the Unity of Godhead. There is none worthy of worship but the one and only God, and Muhammad is His Prophet. He is free from all defects. Holy and Transcendent. He is All Good, All Mercy and All Power. He has no partner. He neither begets nor is He begotten, because these are the traits of frail and weak humanity. Furthermore, Islam helps us to establish a permanent relationship with God and to realise Him during our earthly life as our Helper in all our affairs and undertakings. This Unity of God is the first and foremost pillar of Islam and every other belief hangs upon it. Islam requires belief in all the prophets, including Abraham, Moses. Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Confucious and Zoroaster. We regard them all (and many more not mentioned here) as heavenly teachers born to reform and regenerate man and lead him to God. Adherents of some other religions may consider it an act of piety to use disrespectful words and heap abuse on the prophets of other religions, but if a Muslim were to show the slightest disrespect towards the founder of any other faith, he does so at the cost of his own faith. He has to utter the respectful benediction Alaihis-Salam (peace be on him) after mentioning the name of every prophet. Thus Islam establishes peace between all religions. The REVIEW of RELIGIONS The Review of Religions is the oldest magazine of its kind published in the English language in the Indo-Pakistan Sub-Continent. Its first issue was published in 1902 and it has been continuously published since. It bears the distinction that it was initiated under the direction of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah himself. During more than eighty-three years the message of Islam has been conveyed through this magazine to hundreds of readers and many fortunate persons have recognised the truth of Islam and accepted it through studying it. The articles published in it deal not only with the doctrines and teachings of Islam but also set forth a comparative appreciation of the teachings of other faiths. One of its outstanding features is the refutations of the criticism of Islamic teachings by orientalists and non-muslim scholars. It also presents solutions in the light of Islamic teachings of the problems with which the Islamic world is from time to time confronted. A study of this magazine is indispensable for the appreciation of the doctrines of the Ahmadiyya Movement and the teachings of its holy Founder. Printed by The Eastern Press Ltd, London and Reading Published by The Review of Religions, The London Mosque, 16 Gressenhall Road, London, SW1850L