The Lahore Martyrs - May 2010 - Ahmadiyya Gazette Canada
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A H M A D I Y Y A<br />
<strong>Gazette</strong><br />
C A N A D A<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2010</strong> | WWW.AHMADIYYAGAZETTE.CA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Lahore</strong> <strong>Martyrs</strong> - <strong>May</strong> <strong>2010</strong><br />
Aamir Latif Paracha - Abdul Rasheed Malik - Abdul Rehman - Ehsaan Ahmad Khan -<br />
Akram Baig Mirza - Anees Ahmad - Arshad Mahmood Butt - Ashraf Bilal - Asif Farooq -<br />
Ateeq ur Rehman - Capt Naeem uddin Mirza - Ch iIyas - Ch Mohammad Maalik -<br />
Ch Muhammad Ahmad - Ch Muhammad Nawaz Jajja - Ch Muzaffar - Ch. Ejaz Nasrullah Khan -<br />
Ch. Hafeez Ahmed Advocate - Ch. Imtiaz Ahmad - Dr Tariq Bashir - Dr. Asghar Yaqoob -<br />
Dr. Omer Anas - Ejaz Baig - Ejaz ul Haq - Fida Hussain - General Nasir Ahmad -<br />
Haji Muhammad Akram Virk - Hassan Khurshid Awan - Irfan Ahmad Nasir - Kamran Arshad -<br />
Khalil Solangi - Khawar Ayub - Lal Khan Nasir - Mahmood Ahmad - Mahmood Ahmad Mirza -<br />
Mahmood Ahmad Shad - Malik Ansar ul Haq - Malik Maqsood Ahmad -<br />
Malik Mohammad Yahya Khan - Malik Waseem Ahmed - Malik Zubair - Mansoor Ahmad -<br />
Masood Ahmad Bajwa - Masood Ahmad Bhatti - Mian Laeeq Ahmad - Mian Mubashir Ahmad -<br />
Mian Munir Umer - Mirza Mansoor Baig - Mirza Mohammad Amin - Mirza Zafar Ahmad -<br />
Mohammad Rasheed Hashmi - Mubarik Ahmad Tahir - Mubarik AIi Awan - Mubashir Ahmad -<br />
Muhammad Anwar - Muhammad Ashraf Bhullar - Muhammad Aslam Bharwaria -<br />
Muhammad Hussain - Muhammad Hussain Malhi - Muhammad Saeed Dard - Muhammad Shahid -<br />
Munawar Ahmad - Munawar Ahmad Khan - Munawar Qaisar - Munir Ahmad Sheikh -<br />
Nadeem Ahmad Tariq - Nasir Mahmood Khan - Nazir Ahmad - Nisar Ahmad Gill - Noor UI Amin -<br />
Prof Abdul Wadood - Saeed Ahmad Tahir - Sajad Azhar Bharwana - Sardar Iftikhar ul Ghani -<br />
Shabil Munir Mirza - Shaikh Shamim Ahmed - Sheikh Muhammad Ikram Athar -<br />
Sheikh Muhammad Yunas - Sheikh Sajid Naeem - Syed Irshad Ali - Syed Laeeq Ahmad -<br />
Tahir Mahmood Prince - Umair Ahmad Malik - Waleed Ahmad - Waseem Ahmad - Zafar Iqbal -
Renewal of the Pledge of Loyalty<br />
We the members of the Ahmadīyya Muslim Jama`āt <strong>Canada</strong> offer our deepest<br />
condolences to our beloved Imam Hadrat Khalifātul Massih V aa , and the families of<br />
the martyrs, regarding the martyrdom of our innocent brothers in the context of the<br />
terrorist attack on the Ahmadīyya mosques in <strong>Lahore</strong>.<br />
On this occasion, we renew our pledge of loyalty and offer our lives, wealth, time, and<br />
honour in the cause of Islām. If we were called upon to offer our blood in the cause of<br />
this path of loyalty, we will be fully prepared, like our martyred brothers, to make this<br />
offering. We will, Insha Allah, advance with greater zeal, spirit, and unflinching faith<br />
for keeping the flag of Islam, the staff of Hadrat Muhammad sa and the banner of the<br />
Promised Messiah as flying high.<br />
It is our firm belief that Ahmadīyyat indeed is the true Islām, and this is the path of<br />
Hadrat Muhammad sa and that of the Muslims of the earliest era; and this is indeed the<br />
same rank of martyrdom which the Prophets and their true devotees had longed for.<br />
We firmly believe that Ahmadīyyat will certainly be victorious and the designs of the<br />
enemy will surely be foiled. Insha Allah.<br />
We would like to submit very humbly to our beloved Imam, with the genuineness of our<br />
heart and certainty of belief that although our hearts are saddened due to the incident<br />
of <strong>Lahore</strong> but we are not, by any means, broken-hearted. Although our eyes have tears<br />
but they do not an expression of helplessness. While we are in agony and pain for our<br />
brothers but at the same time we are also very proud of our brave martyrs. Under the<br />
inspiring leadership of the Khilāfat in Ahmadīyyat, our morale is high, our faith is<br />
firmly entrenched, our determination is strong and our footsteps are firm. We shall<br />
strive for the victory of Islam, under the banner of Khilāfat in Ahmadīyyat, fighting<br />
on the right and left, and front and back of our beloved Imam, using the arrows of our<br />
prayers, the spears of our morals, and the swords of our pens, and we shall indeed<br />
triumph because such is the decree of God.<br />
We supplicate before our Lord that O our Eternal God, grant us steadfastness in our<br />
footsteps, do not let us go astray from the path of loyalty, and enable us to offer all<br />
manner of sacrifices for the supremacy of the Faith of Hadrat Muhammad sa . O our<br />
Lord, make us among the brave soldiers of the contingent of our Messiah and Imam<br />
Mahdi of the Latter Days (on whom be peace) and enable us to continue to be the true<br />
and ardent devotees of the institution of Khilāfat in Ahmadīyyat. Ameen!<br />
O our Lord, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate! Pray do open for us the<br />
doors of countless blessings and bounties, and mercy, for the sake of the martyrs of<br />
Islam and Ahmadīyyat and their progeny; and enable us to witness with our own eyes<br />
the signs of the victory of Islam and Ahmadīyya, and grant us the power to fly the<br />
standard of Holy Prophet Hadrat Muhammad sa at the highest level.<br />
O our Lord, do grant that this may be so. O our beloved God, pray do grant that this<br />
may be so. O Lord of All the Worlds, do grant that this may be so. Ameen!<br />
(We are the members of the Ahmadīyya Muslim Jama`āt <strong>Canada</strong>)
<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong> <strong>Canada</strong><br />
An Educational and Spiritual Publication<br />
Volume 39 - No. 7-8 - July/August <strong>2010</strong><br />
Rajab-Sha`aban 1431 AH and Wafa-Zahoor 1389 HS<br />
Pearls of Wisdom<br />
Selection from the Holy Qur’ān and Ahādīth p.2<br />
Writings of the Promised Messiah as p.3<br />
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa<br />
Summary of Friday Sermons p.4<br />
Articles<br />
<strong>The</strong> Promised Messiah as Says About Ramadan p.14<br />
Religious History of Fasting p.16<br />
46th Jalsa Sālāna South Africa – <strong>2010</strong> p.24<br />
A Tabligh Trip to Northern Ontario p.28<br />
In the Press... p.30<br />
Articles in French<br />
Direction de Hadrat Khalifatul Messie V aa p.32<br />
Les Dires du Messie Promis as p.33<br />
Amīr Jamā`at:<br />
Lal Khan Malik<br />
Chief Editor:<br />
Prof. Hadi Ali Chaudhary<br />
Editors:<br />
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Table of Contents
<strong>The</strong>y desire to extinguish the light of Allah with<br />
the breath of their mouths, but Allah will perfect<br />
His light, even if the disbelievers hate it. He it is<br />
Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance<br />
and the Religion of truth, that He may cause it<br />
to prevail over all religions, even if those who<br />
associate partners with God hate it.<br />
(Chapter 2 - Al-Saff Verse 9-10)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Holy Qur’ān<br />
Hadīth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa<br />
Narrated Anas bin Malik ra :<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prophet sa said, “Nobody who dies and finds good<br />
from Allah (in the Hereafter) would wish to come<br />
back to this world even if he were given the whole<br />
world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who,<br />
on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to<br />
come back to the world and get killed again (in Allah’s<br />
Cause).”<br />
(Bukharī Kitābul Jihād)<br />
2 Pearls of Wisdom
So Said the Promised Messiah as<br />
As God Almighty has distinguished me with special resources and has raised me in an age which<br />
is most conducive and helpful in carrying out the service of propagation to its completion, He<br />
has also given me the glad tidings, by His grace and beneficence, that from the beginning it had<br />
been destined that the spiritual fulfillment of the above quoted verse [That is Allah’s grace; He<br />
bestows it upon whomsoever He pleases.—Al-Ma’idah, 5:55] and also of the verse: [But Allah<br />
will perfect His light.—Al-Saff, 61:9] should take place through me. God Almighty will Himself<br />
convey to my opponents the reasons and arguments and everything that I have written for their<br />
benefit and will thus fulfill the meaning of this verse by exposing the frustration, confusion and<br />
defeat of my opponents.<br />
[Brahin-e-Ahmadīyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 1, pp. 596-597, sub-footnote 3]<br />
Pearls of Wisdom<br />
3
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masih V aa<br />
Patience and Prayers on<br />
Great Sacrifices of the <strong>Lahore</strong> <strong>Martyrs</strong><br />
Summary of Friday Sermon delivered on June 4 th , <strong>2010</strong><br />
On 4th June, <strong>2010</strong>, Hadrat Khalīfatul<br />
Masīh V aa delivered the Friday<br />
Sermon at Baitul Futūh Mosque,<br />
London. After reciting verses 31-33<br />
of Sūrah Ha Mim al-Sajdah, which<br />
are translated as follows:<br />
4<br />
“As for those who say, ‘Our<br />
Lord is Allāh,’ and then remain<br />
steadfast, the angels descend on<br />
them, saying: ‘Fear ye not, nor<br />
grieve; and rejoice in the Garden<br />
that you were promised. ‘We<br />
are your friends in this life and<br />
in the Hereafter. <strong>The</strong>rein you<br />
will have all that your souls<br />
will desire, and therein you will<br />
have all that you will ask for<br />
— ‘An entertainment from the<br />
Most Forgiving, the Merciful.’ ”<br />
(41:31-33)<br />
Hudūr aa said: During the last<br />
week I have received thousands<br />
of letters expressing sorrow and<br />
commiseration for the martyrdom<br />
of Ahmadīs in twin attacks in<br />
<strong>Lahore</strong>. <strong>The</strong>se letters are not only<br />
coming from Pakistan but from<br />
all over the world. Hudūr aa said: I<br />
have spoken by telephone to nearly<br />
all the families of the martyrs and I<br />
have found everyone—their wives,<br />
brothers, mothers and fathers—<br />
content and at peace with the Will<br />
of God. <strong>The</strong>y told me that these<br />
sacrifices are nothing; they are<br />
ready to sacrifice everything for the<br />
Jama`āt of the Promised Messiah as .<br />
Hudūr aa said: At the time of the<br />
martyrdom, our shuhada showed<br />
exemplary courage and fortitude<br />
and merited eternal lives. As they<br />
courageously gave up their lives,<br />
durud sharif was on their lips.<br />
Referring to the aforementioned<br />
verses, Hudūr aa said: Those who<br />
show fortitude in the way of Allāh<br />
are granted peace and contentment<br />
and are given glad tiding of victory<br />
and of Divine succour. Blessed is the<br />
Jama`āt of <strong>Lahore</strong> for showing such<br />
courage. <strong>The</strong> Promised Messiah as<br />
received the following revelations<br />
regarding the Ahmadīs of <strong>Lahore</strong>:<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re are pure members of our<br />
Jama`āt in <strong>Lahore</strong>.” And “We have<br />
pure and dear friends in <strong>Lahore</strong>.”<br />
Hudūr aa said: This is an honour<br />
which the Ahmadīs of <strong>Lahore</strong><br />
should always cherish.<br />
Hudūr aa said: I believe that the<br />
enemy’s intention was not only to<br />
cause loss of life but also to harm<br />
the Jama`āt in other ways, which<br />
they failed to do. <strong>The</strong>y do not know<br />
that Ahmadīs have been granted<br />
patience and fortitude by their Lord<br />
and they pray to Him and seek His<br />
protection and with Him alone they<br />
rest all their affairs.<br />
Hudūr aa cited various examples of<br />
the courage shown by the shuhada<br />
in <strong>Lahore</strong> and also by their loved<br />
ones who survived them. Hudūr aa<br />
said: Such are the people and<br />
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa
such are the mothers that are born<br />
in the Jama`āt of the Promised<br />
Messiah as . <strong>The</strong>y remained calm in<br />
the face of the martyrdom of their<br />
own children and spent their time<br />
praying for the Jama`āt as a whole.<br />
Ahmadī women must never let go<br />
of this spirit. As long as this spirit<br />
is kept alive the enemy can do no<br />
harm to the Jama`āt.<br />
Hudūr aa said: <strong>The</strong>se atrocious<br />
events have been widely covered<br />
by the Pakistani media. <strong>May</strong> Allāh<br />
reward them and give them the<br />
courage to keep telling the truth.<br />
We have also received messages of<br />
commiseration from the press and<br />
governments of many countries<br />
around the world. <strong>May</strong> Allāh bless<br />
them all.<br />
Hudūr aa urged members to<br />
repeatedly recite certain prayers<br />
taught by the Holy Prophet sa<br />
and the Promised Messiah as . <strong>The</strong><br />
Jama`āt should also pray for the<br />
full and quick recovery of those<br />
who were wounded in the attacks,<br />
one of whom, Dr. Umar Sahib, has<br />
died of his wounds today. Hudūr aa<br />
also informed the Jama`āt of the<br />
martyrdom of Ne‘matullah Sahib of<br />
Narowal and the injuries suffered<br />
by his son. Hudūr aa prayed: <strong>May</strong><br />
Allāh grant all the ‐martyrs a lofty<br />
station in heaven, and grant speedy<br />
recovery to the wounded. Hudūr aa<br />
led the Namaz Janazah Gha’ib of all<br />
the martyrs after the Jumu‘a prayer.<br />
At the time of the martyrdom, our shuhada showed exemplary<br />
courage and fortitude and merited eternal lives. As they<br />
courageously gave up their lives, durud sharif was on their lips.<br />
Biography of some of the <strong>Martyrs</strong> of 28 <strong>May</strong> <strong>2010</strong><br />
Summary of Friday Sermon delivered on June 11 th , <strong>2010</strong><br />
On 11th June, <strong>2010</strong>, Hadrat<br />
Khalīfatul Masīh V aa delivered the<br />
Friday Sermon at Baitul Futūh<br />
Mosque, London.<br />
Hudūr aa said: I have been asked by<br />
many people to establish a fund<br />
to help the families of those who<br />
have been martyred in the way of<br />
Allāh. I would like to remind the<br />
Jamā‘at that a fund was created for<br />
this purpose by Hadrat Khalifatul<br />
Masih IV rh by the name of Syedna<br />
Bilal Fund, and I, too, have appealed<br />
for donations in this fund. Whoever<br />
wishes to help in this cause should<br />
make donations in Syedna Bilal<br />
Fund.<br />
In this sermon Hudūr aa spoke<br />
individually about the martyrs<br />
of the brutal attacks in <strong>Lahore</strong>,<br />
shedding light on their family<br />
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa<br />
backgrounds, their services, their<br />
devotion to the Jama`āt and their<br />
personal qualities.<br />
(1) Munir Ahmad Sheikh Sahib,<br />
Amīr of <strong>Lahore</strong>, was among<br />
those martyred in Dārul Zikr,<br />
<strong>Lahore</strong>. He was an LL.B. who<br />
served as a civil judge, as<br />
a special judge in Customs<br />
and also in the National<br />
Accountability Bureau.<br />
(2) Major General (r) Nāsir<br />
Chaudhary Sahib was the son<br />
of a martyr. He was a longtime<br />
worker of the Jama`āt and<br />
served in various capacities. He<br />
was 91, and was martyred in<br />
Model Town, <strong>Lahore</strong>.<br />
(3) Muhammad Aslam<br />
Bharwana Sahib, of Jhang, was<br />
a Chief Engineer in Pakistan<br />
Railways. He was 59 and was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
(4) Ashraf Bilal Sahib was also<br />
a devoted member who was<br />
ever ready to make financial<br />
sacrifices. He was an engineer<br />
by profession. He was hit<br />
by a bullet and his devoted<br />
companion, Nisar Ahmad, was<br />
also martyred as he tried to<br />
save Ashraf Bilal Sahib.<br />
(5) Capt. (r) Mirzā Naeemuddin,<br />
56, was martyred at Dārul Zikr.<br />
He had joined the army as a<br />
soldier and rose to the rank of<br />
Captain.<br />
(6) Kamran Rasheed Sahib, 38,<br />
was martyred at Dārul Zikr. He<br />
was a graduate and a composer<br />
by profession. He worked<br />
voluntarily for MTA <strong>Lahore</strong>.<br />
5
“I believe that the enemy’s intention was not only to cause loss<br />
of life but also to harm the Jama`āt in other ways, which they<br />
failed to do. <strong>The</strong>y do not know that Ahmadīs have been granted<br />
patience and fortitude by their Lord and they pray to Him and<br />
seek His protection and with Him alone they rest all their affairs.”<br />
His uncle Muzaffar Ahmad<br />
Sahib was also martyred in the<br />
same attack.<br />
(7) Ijaz Baig Sahib, 39, was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr. He was<br />
a very humble, soft-spoken and<br />
courageous person.<br />
(8) Mirzā Akram Baig Sahib, 58,<br />
was martyred in Dārul Zikr. He<br />
was very regular in his worship,<br />
fearless and punctual.<br />
(9) Munawar Ahmad Khan<br />
Sahib, 61, was martyred at Dārul<br />
Zikr. He ran carpet business.<br />
(10) Irfan Nāsir Sahib, 31, was<br />
martyred outside Dārul Zikr<br />
where he was controlling<br />
the traffic. He was very duty<br />
conscious and had a great zeal<br />
for serving the Jama`āt.<br />
(11) Sajjad Azhar Bharwana<br />
Sahib, 30, was a nephew of<br />
Muhammad Aslam Bharwana<br />
Sahib. He was a railway<br />
employee.<br />
(12) Masood Akhtar Bajwah<br />
Sahib, 72, was a retired WAPDA<br />
officer. He was martyred at<br />
Dārul Zikr.<br />
(13) Asif Farooq Sahib, 30,<br />
was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He had done graduation in<br />
mass communication and<br />
was actively serving in MTA,<br />
<strong>Lahore</strong>.<br />
(14) Sheikh Shamim Ahmad<br />
Sahib, 38, was an employee<br />
of Bank Al-Falah. He was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
(15) Muhammad Shahid Sahib,<br />
28, was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He was on security duty in the<br />
Mehrab, near Amīr Sahib.<br />
(16) Professor Abdul Wadood<br />
Sahib, 55, was professor of<br />
English at Government College,<br />
Baghbanpura, <strong>Lahore</strong>. He had<br />
also suffered confinement in the<br />
way of Allāh.<br />
17) Walid Ahmad Sahib, 17, was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr. He was<br />
a first year medical student.<br />
(18) Muhammad Anwar Sahib,<br />
45, was a retired soldier. For<br />
the last ten years he had been<br />
serving as security Guard at<br />
Baitun Nur, Model Town.<br />
(19) Ansarul Haq Sahib, 63, was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr. He was<br />
a store keeper in Pakistan Army.<br />
(20) Nāsir Mahmood Khan<br />
Sahib, 39, was martyred in<br />
Dārul Zikr. He ran a printing<br />
agency.<br />
(21) Umair Ahmad Malik Sahib,<br />
36, was martyred in Baitun<br />
Nur. He had been serving as<br />
President of the Association<br />
of Ahmadīyya Computer<br />
Professionals, <strong>Lahore</strong> Chapter,<br />
for the last three years.<br />
(22) Sardar Iftikharul Ghani<br />
Sahib, 43, was martyred in<br />
Dārul Zikr.<br />
Hudūr aa prayed that Allāh may<br />
grant all the martyrs a lofty station<br />
in heaven andbring peace and<br />
solace to the hearts of their families.<br />
And may Allāh keep all Ahmadīs<br />
under His protection. Āmīn.<br />
6 Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa
Biographies of the <strong>Martyrs</strong> of <strong>Lahore</strong> (Part II)<br />
Summary of Friday Sermon delivered on June 18 th , <strong>2010</strong><br />
On 18th June, <strong>2010</strong>, Hadrat<br />
Khalīfatul Masīh V aa delivered the<br />
Friday Sermon at Baitul Futūh<br />
Mosque, London.<br />
In this Sermon Hudūr aa spoke<br />
about some more of the Ahmadīs<br />
martyred in the <strong>Lahore</strong> attacks<br />
and shed light on their family<br />
backgrounds, their services and<br />
devotion to the Jama`āt and their<br />
personal qualities.<br />
(23) Malik Abdur Rasheed<br />
Sahib, 64, was martyred<br />
in Dārul Zikr. He was the<br />
grandson of Hadrat Maulawi<br />
Mehr Din Sahib, a Companion<br />
of the Promised Messiah as .<br />
(24) Muhammad Rasheed<br />
Hashmi Sahib, 78, was martyred<br />
in Dārul Zikr. He was the great<br />
grandson of Hadrat Shah Din<br />
Hashmi Sahib, a Companion of<br />
the Promised Messiah as .<br />
(25) Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib,<br />
73, was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He was the son-in law of Mian<br />
Alam Din Sahib, a Companion<br />
of the Promised Messiah as .<br />
(26) Mian Mubashar Ahmad<br />
Sahib, 65, was martyred in<br />
Dārul Zikr. He belongs to the<br />
family of Mian Nuruddin Sahib,<br />
a Companion of the Promised<br />
Messiah as .<br />
(27) Fida Hussain Sahib, 69, was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr. He as the<br />
cousin of the aforementioned<br />
Mian Mubashar Ahmad Sahib.<br />
(28) Khawar Ayyub Sahib, 50,<br />
was martyred in Dārul Zikr. He<br />
accepted Ahmadīyyat in 1985.<br />
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa<br />
(29) Sheikh Muhammad Yunus<br />
Sahib, 63, was martyred in<br />
Baitun Nur, Model Town. He<br />
was the son of Sheikh Jamil<br />
Ahmad, a Darvesh of Qādiān.<br />
He also served in Sadr Anjuman<br />
Ahmadīyya, Rabwah.<br />
(30) Masood Ahmad Bhatti, 33,<br />
was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He was a contractor and a very<br />
active member of Khuddam-ul-<br />
Ahmadīyya.<br />
(31) Haji Muhammad Akram<br />
Wirk Sahib, 74, was martyred in<br />
Dārul Zikr. He had served as an<br />
employee of the government’s<br />
Auqaf Department.<br />
(32) Mian Laeeq Ahmad Sahib,<br />
66, was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He was an electrician.<br />
(33) Mirza Shabil Munir Sahib,<br />
19, was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He had completed his B.Com<br />
and was preparing for BBA.<br />
He was a great grandson of<br />
Hadrat Ahmad Din Sahib, a<br />
Companion of the Promised<br />
Messiah as .<br />
(34) Malik Maqsood Ahmad<br />
Sahib, 80, was martyred in<br />
Dārul Zikr. He was the maternal<br />
grandson of Hadrat Malik Ali<br />
Baksh Sahib, a Companion of<br />
the Promised Messiah as .<br />
(35) Chaudhary Muhammad<br />
Ahmad Sahib, 85, was martyred<br />
in Baitun Nur, Model Town. He<br />
had retired from the army.<br />
(36) Ilias Ahmad Aslam Qureshi<br />
Sahib, 76, was martyred<br />
in Baitun Nur. He was the<br />
president of Johar Town<br />
Jama`āt.<br />
(37) Tahir Mahmood Ahmad<br />
Sahib, 53, was martyred in<br />
Baitun Nur, Model Town.<br />
(38) Syed Irshad Ali Shah Sahib,<br />
80, was martyred in Baitun Nur,<br />
Model Town. He was a paternal<br />
grandson of Hadrat Khaseelat<br />
Ali Shah Sahib, and a maternal<br />
7
grandson of Hadrat Mir Hamid<br />
Shah Sahib Sialkoti, both of<br />
whom were Companions of the<br />
Promised Messiah as .<br />
(39) Nurul Ameen Sahib, 39,<br />
was martyred in Dārul Zikr. He<br />
was serving in Pakistan Navy.<br />
(40) Chaudhary Muhammad<br />
Malik Chaddhar Sahib, 93, was<br />
martyred in Baitun Nur. He<br />
was a farmer.<br />
(41) Sheikh Sajid Naeem Sahib,<br />
59, was martyred in Baitun Nur.<br />
He had retired as manager from<br />
MCB bank.<br />
(42) Syed Laeeq Ahmad Sahib,<br />
72, was martyred. He also<br />
retired as manager from MCB.<br />
(43) Muhammad Ashraf Bhullar<br />
Sahib, 47, was martyred in<br />
Baitun Nur. He was an uncle to<br />
Chaudhary Fateh Muhammad<br />
Sahib, ex-Nā’ib Amīr of <strong>Lahore</strong><br />
District.<br />
(44) Mubarak Ahmad Tahir<br />
Sahib, 57, was martyred. He<br />
was the son-in–law of the late<br />
Maulana Dost Muhammad<br />
Sahib, Historian of the Jama`āt.<br />
He was serving as vicepresident<br />
in National Bank.<br />
(45) Anis Ahmad Sahib, 35, was<br />
martyred in Dārul Zikr. He was<br />
in the business of computer<br />
hardware.<br />
(46) Munawwar Ahmad Sahib,<br />
30, was martyred in Dārul Zikr.<br />
He was the younger brother<br />
of the aforementioned Anis<br />
Ahmad Sahib.<br />
(47) Saeed Ahmad Tāhir Sahib,<br />
37, was martyred in Baitun Nur.<br />
He belonged to Takht Hazara in<br />
Sargodha.<br />
Hudūr said that the list would<br />
continue in the next Sermon.<br />
Hudūr also spoke about the sad<br />
demise of Dr. Muhammad Arif<br />
Sahib, Waqif-e-Zindagi, of Qādiān<br />
and his devotion and services for<br />
the Jama`āt.<br />
Hudūr aa led his Namaz Janazah<br />
Gha’ib after the Jumu‘a along with<br />
that of Saeed Ahmad Tāhir Sahib<br />
who was injured in <strong>Lahore</strong> and<br />
later died of his wounds.<br />
Biography of the <strong>Martyrs</strong> of <strong>Lahore</strong> (Part III)<br />
Summary of Friday Sermon delivered on June 25 th , <strong>2010</strong><br />
On 25th June, <strong>2010</strong>, Hadrat<br />
Khalīfatul Masīh V aa delivered<br />
the Friday Sermon at Mannheim,<br />
Germany.<br />
Hudūr aa said: By the grace of Allāh,<br />
the 35th Jalsa Sālāna of Jama`āt<br />
Germany is starting with my<br />
Friday sermon. <strong>May</strong> Allāh bless this<br />
gathering in every respect. Amīn.<br />
Hudūr aa said: We need to realize<br />
the importance of our pledge of<br />
allegiance to the Promised Messiah as<br />
and keep in mind the objectives<br />
of the Jalsa. <strong>May</strong> we continue to<br />
increase in faith, give preference to<br />
the love of God and His Prophet sa<br />
over all others, advance in<br />
spirituality and treat each other with<br />
love and compassion since these<br />
were a few of the objectives of the<br />
Jalsa Sālāna specifically mentioned<br />
by the Promised Messiah as .<br />
8<br />
Hudūr aa said: Remember the<br />
Pakistani Ahmadīs in your prayers,<br />
for they are being persecuted<br />
with ever increasing cruelty. Also<br />
pray that Allāh may vouchsafe<br />
steadfastness to all Ahmadīs,<br />
strengthen their faith and show<br />
some extraordinary sign on account<br />
of the sacrifices being made by<br />
them.<br />
Hudūr aa said: <strong>The</strong> participants of<br />
the Jalsa should fully cooperate<br />
with the administration and follow<br />
the guidelines issued by them. In<br />
addition, the participants should,<br />
in view of the prevailing security<br />
situation, be vigilant and watch out<br />
for any possible danger. <strong>May</strong> Allāh<br />
keep everyone in His protection<br />
and enable us to attain maximum<br />
benefit from the Jalsa. Amīn.<br />
Hudūr aa said: I would now like to<br />
mention the names of a few more<br />
Ahmadīs who were martyred<br />
in the <strong>Lahore</strong> Attack on 28 <strong>May</strong><br />
<strong>2010</strong>, and who, by sacrificing their<br />
lives, opened to us new avenues of<br />
spiritual progress. <strong>The</strong> names and<br />
age of the martyrs are as follows:<br />
• Mr. Khalil Ahmad Solangi<br />
(aged 51); Mr. Ijaz Nasrullah<br />
Khan (83) were martyred at<br />
Dārul Zikr.<br />
• Mr. Chaudhry Hafiz Ahmad<br />
Kahloon (83) was martyred at<br />
Baitun Nur, Model Town.<br />
• Mr. Chaudhry Imtiaz Ahmad<br />
(34); Mr. Ijaz-ul- Haq (46); Mr.<br />
Sheikh Nadim Ahmad Tariq<br />
(40); Mr. Aamir Latif Paracha,<br />
and Mr Mirza Zafar Ahmad (56)<br />
were martyred at Dārul Zikr.<br />
• Mr. Mirza Mahmood Ahmad<br />
(58) was martyred at Baitun<br />
Nur, Model Town.<br />
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa
“Remember the Pakistani Ahmadīs in your prayers, for they<br />
are being persecuted with ever increasing cruelty. Also pray<br />
that Allāh may vouch safe steadfastness to all Ahmadīs,<br />
strengthen their faith and show some extraordinary sign on<br />
account of the sacrifices being made by them.”<br />
• Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Akram<br />
Athar (66) was martyred at<br />
Dārul Zikr.<br />
• Mr. Mirza Mansoor Baig (29);<br />
Mr. Mian Muhammad Munir<br />
Umar (70), a grandson of<br />
Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I were<br />
martyred at Baitun Nur, Model<br />
Town.<br />
• Dr. Tariq Bashir (57) was<br />
martyred at Dārul Zikr.<br />
• Mr. Arshad Mahmood Butt (48);<br />
Guidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aa<br />
Mr. Muhammad Hussain Malhi<br />
(68) were martyred at Baitun<br />
Nur, Model Town.<br />
• Mr. Mirza Muhammad Amin<br />
(70) was martyred at Dārul Zikr.<br />
• Mr. Malik Zubair Ahmad (61)<br />
was martyred at Baitun Nur,<br />
Model Town.<br />
• Mr. Chaudhry Muhammad<br />
Nawaz (80) was martyred at<br />
Dārul Zikr.<br />
• Mr. Shiekh Mubashir Ahmad<br />
(47) was martyred at Baitun<br />
Nur, Model Town.<br />
Hudūr aa said: <strong>May</strong> Allāh raise the<br />
station of these martyrs, protect their<br />
wives and children and enable their<br />
parents to bear with this tragedy<br />
with patience and steadfastness.<br />
<strong>May</strong> Allāh strengthen the faith of<br />
their new generations and cause<br />
them to be firm in their belief in<br />
Islām and Ahmadīyyat. <strong>May</strong> Allāh<br />
keep all of us under His protection.<br />
Amīn.<br />
9
Think not of those, who have been slain in the cause of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living, in the presence of<br />
their Lord, and are granted gifts from Him. Jubilant because of that which Allah has given them of His bounty; and<br />
rejoicing for those who have not yet joined them from behind them, because on them shall come no fear, nor shall<br />
they grieve. <strong>The</strong>y rejoice at the favour of Allah and His bounty, and at the fact<br />
the believers to be lost. (<strong>The</strong> Holy Qur’an Chapter 3 - Verses 170-172)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Blood <strong>The</strong>se Men was shed<br />
Due to the Sincerity of their Love.<br />
Beneath Swords, as Though it were<br />
Ilyas Ahmad<br />
Qureshi<br />
Muhammad Aslam<br />
Bharwaria<br />
Mahmood<br />
Ahmad Shad<br />
Munir<br />
Ahmad Sheikh<br />
Sajad Azhar<br />
Bharwana<br />
Umair<br />
Ahmad Malik<br />
Ch. Imtiaz Ahmad<br />
Munawar Ahmad<br />
Qaisar<br />
Kamran<br />
Arshad<br />
General<br />
Nasir Ahmad<br />
Khalil<br />
Ahmad Solangi<br />
Munawar<br />
Ahmad<br />
Ch. Ejaz Nasrullah<br />
Khan<br />
Mahmood<br />
Ahmad<br />
Muhammad<br />
Anwar<br />
Asif<br />
Farooq<br />
Abdul<br />
Rehman<br />
Abdul<br />
Rasheed Malik<br />
Sardar<br />
Iftikhar ul Ghani<br />
Mian Munir Umer<br />
Dr. Asghar<br />
Yaqoob Khan<br />
Arshad<br />
Mahmood Butt<br />
Anees<br />
Ahmad<br />
Mirza<br />
Akram Baig<br />
Muhammad<br />
Ashraf Bhullar<br />
Ch. Muhammad<br />
Ahmad<br />
Aamir<br />
Latif Paracha<br />
Malik<br />
Zubair<br />
Nasir<br />
Mahmood Khan<br />
Ch. Muzaffar<br />
Ch. Muhammad<br />
Nawaz Jajja<br />
Ch Mohammad<br />
Maalik<br />
Khawar<br />
Ayub<br />
Sheikh<br />
Sajid Naeem<br />
Ejaz ul Haq<br />
Irfan<br />
Ahmad Nasir<br />
Malik<br />
Ansar ul Haq<br />
Mahmood<br />
Ahmad Mirza<br />
Shaikh<br />
Shamim Ahmed<br />
Lal Khan<br />
Nasir<br />
Masood<br />
Ahmad Bajwa<br />
Mansoor<br />
Ahmad<br />
Malik Mohammad<br />
Yahya Khan
Malik<br />
Maqsood Ahmad<br />
Muhammad<br />
Saeed Dard<br />
Mian<br />
Mubashir Ahmad<br />
Mian<br />
Laeeq Ahmad<br />
Masood<br />
Ahmad Bhatti<br />
Mirza<br />
Mansoor Baig<br />
Prof. Abdul<br />
Wadood<br />
Mubarik<br />
AIi Awan<br />
Mirza<br />
Zafar Ahmad<br />
Sheikh<br />
Muhammad Yunas<br />
Mirza<br />
Mohammad Amin<br />
Ashraf<br />
Bilal<br />
Sheikh Muhammad<br />
Ikram Athar<br />
Mubashir<br />
Ahmad<br />
Haji Muhammad<br />
Akram Virk<br />
Dr. Omer Anas<br />
Muhammad<br />
Hussain Malhi<br />
Muhammad<br />
Hussain<br />
Hassan<br />
Khurshid Awan<br />
Munawar<br />
Ahmad Khan<br />
Syed Laeeq<br />
Ahmad<br />
Shabil<br />
Munir Mirza<br />
Mohammad<br />
Rasheed Hashmi<br />
Capt Naeem uddin<br />
Mirza<br />
Nadeem<br />
Ahmad Tariq<br />
Ch.Hafeez<br />
Ahmed<br />
Ateeq ur Rehman<br />
Tahir<br />
Mahmood Prince<br />
Syed Irshad<br />
Ali<br />
Zafar<br />
Iqbal<br />
Waleed<br />
Ahmad<br />
Mubarik Ahmad<br />
Tahir<br />
Fida<br />
Hussain<br />
Nisar<br />
Ahmad Gill<br />
Noor ul Amin<br />
Muhammad<br />
Shahid<br />
Ejaz<br />
Baig<br />
Saeed<br />
Ahmad Tahir<br />
Ehsaan<br />
Ahmad Khan<br />
Waseem<br />
Ahmad<br />
Malik Waseem<br />
Ahmed<br />
Mansoor<br />
Ahmad<br />
Dr. Tariq<br />
Bashir
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
<strong>May</strong> 28, <strong>2010</strong><br />
by Bint e Mahmood<br />
Just an hour ago he had looked and smiled at his<br />
young bride, at his newborn child taking leave<br />
from his aging mother, one last time he had<br />
wished them all goodbye before heading outside<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
Grenades exploded, bullets sprayed,<br />
all this as our brothers prayed<br />
blood, gore, carnage everywhere<br />
yet not a single word of despair<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
<strong>The</strong> attack so sudden, devastating terror<br />
the calm, the bravery fuelled with prayers<br />
the resilience, the fortitude, the courage<br />
these tales I’m sure will be told for years<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
He called his father, his mother, his wife<br />
I’m hurt he said, I may not survive.<br />
<strong>The</strong> phone is ringing no one answers…<br />
Oh Allah, oh Lord please, please keep him alive!<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
Brethren seven seas away pray as they watch in<br />
utter dismay <strong>The</strong>ir fervent midnight cries and<br />
woes for God Almighty to punish the foes<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
Shoes all around, lying unclaimed<br />
<strong>The</strong> house of Allah is blood stained<br />
<strong>The</strong> shattered walls tell amazing stories<br />
of unblemished wills and future glories<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
This is my son, I know his hand<br />
said the mother, barely able to stand<br />
From mine to Allah’s lap he goes<br />
Have you ever heard of courage so grand?<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
<strong>The</strong> only brother of sisters three the father who<br />
fought to keep the nation free the judge, the<br />
general, the doctor was he taken in a wicked<br />
killing spree<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
<strong>The</strong> wrinkled face smiled as the well wishers<br />
filed <strong>The</strong> young widow so composed<br />
as she caressed her unborn child<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
<strong>The</strong> mother weeps, the baby sleeps the sister<br />
sighs, the wife wipes the corners of her eyes<br />
the supplication, the tears, the heart-wrenching<br />
prayers reserved only for the Lord of the earth<br />
and the skies<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
Farewell, farewell, our martyrs farewell!<br />
You knelt before Him and in His name you fell<br />
In the Gardens of Heaven you shall dwell<br />
Paradise awaits, for you have served Him well<br />
His call came as he knelt in Prayer<br />
12
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<strong>The</strong> Promised Messiah as<br />
Says About Ramadān<br />
Salāt Purifies the Spirit<br />
and Fast Illuminates the Heart<br />
This verse indicates the greatness of the month of<br />
Ramadān. <strong>The</strong> Sufis have recorded that this is a good<br />
month for the illumination of the heart. One who<br />
observes the fast has frequent experience of visions<br />
in this month. <strong>The</strong> Salāt purifies the spirit and the fast<br />
illumines the heart. <strong>The</strong> purification of the spirit means<br />
that one may be delivered from the passions of the self<br />
that incites to evil; and the illumination of the heart<br />
means that the gates of vision may be opened so that<br />
one may be able to behold God.<br />
[Malfuzāt, Vol. IV, pp. 256-257]<br />
On one occasion I began to reflect on the purpose of the<br />
prescribed expiation of missing a fast and I conceived<br />
that the expiation is prescribed so that one may be<br />
bestowed the capacity and the strength to observe the<br />
fast. God Almighty alone can bestow such strength<br />
and everything should be sought from God Almighty.<br />
He is the All-Powerful; if He so wills He can bestow the<br />
strength for observing the fast on one who is afflicted<br />
[with tuberculosis] ‘<strong>The</strong> month of Ramadān is that<br />
in which the Qur’ān was sent down.’—Al-Baqarah,<br />
2:186. <strong>The</strong> purpose of the prescribed expiation is that<br />
one may be bestowed the strength for the observation<br />
of the fast, and this can be achieved only through the<br />
grace of God Almighty. One should supplicate: Lord!<br />
this is Thy blessed month and I am being deprived of its<br />
blessings. I know not whether I shall be alive next year,<br />
or would find the opportunity of observing the fasts<br />
that I am missing. Do Thou bestow upon me, by Thy<br />
grace, the strength that should enable me to observe<br />
the fast. I am sure that one with such a heart would be<br />
bestowed the needed strength by God Almighty. If God<br />
Almighty so wished He would not have prescribed<br />
limitations for the Muslims as He had prescribed for<br />
earlier peoples; but the purpose of the limitations is<br />
the promotion of the welfare of the people concerned.<br />
According to me the principle is that when a person<br />
supplicate God Almighty with perfect sincerity that he<br />
should not be deprived of the blessings of the month<br />
of Ramadān, he is not so deprived, and if such a one<br />
should become ill during the month of Ramadān his<br />
illness becomes a source of mercy for him, inasmuch as<br />
the value of every action is determined by the motive<br />
that inspires it. It behoves a believer that he should<br />
prove himself brave in the cause of God Almighty. He<br />
who is heartily determined that he would observe the<br />
fast but is held back from doing so on account of illness<br />
while his heart yearns after the observation of the fast<br />
would not be deprived of the bounty resulting from<br />
the observation of the fast and angels would observe<br />
the fast in his place. This is a subtle matter. If a person<br />
finds the observation of the fast difficult on account of<br />
the slothfulness of his spirit and imagines that he is not<br />
in good health, and that if he misses a meal he would<br />
suffer from various types of disorders, such a one,<br />
who imagines that a Divine blessing would sit heavy<br />
on him, would not deserve any spiritual merit. On the<br />
other hand, a person who feels happy at the approach<br />
of the month of Ramadān and is eager to observe the<br />
fast, but is held back by illness from doing so, would<br />
not be deprived of the blessings of Ramadān.<br />
Many people merely seek excuses and imagine<br />
that as they can deceive their fellow beings they<br />
can also deceive God. Such people make their own<br />
14 Ramadān
O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those<br />
before you, so that you may guard against evil. (Holy Qur’an 2:184)<br />
interpretations and deem them correct, but they are<br />
not correct in the estimation of God Almighty. <strong>The</strong><br />
field of such interpretations is vast and a person given<br />
to them might become accustomed to the performance<br />
of the Salāt throughout his life in a sitting posture and<br />
may abstain altogether from observing the fast. But<br />
God is well aware of the motive and design of a person<br />
whose conduct is inspired by sincerity and devotion.<br />
God Almighty knows that his heart is eager and He<br />
bestows plentifully upon him, for the eagerness of<br />
the heart is valuable in the estimation of God. Those<br />
who seek excuses rely on their interpretations, but<br />
such interpretations have no value in the estimation<br />
of God Almighty. On one occasion when I continued<br />
observation of the fast for six months I met a company<br />
of the Prophets in a vision who admonished me against<br />
imposing so much hardship on myself and directed me<br />
to desist. Thus when a person imposes hardship upon<br />
himself for the sake of God, He takes pity on him like<br />
the parents of a child and directs him to desist.<br />
[Malfuzāt, Vol. IV, pp. 258-260]<br />
<strong>The</strong> Purpose of Fasting is Purification<br />
I have already spoken of the Salāt. Next in order is<br />
worship in the shape of the fast. It is a pity that some<br />
who call themselves Muslims at this time desire to<br />
modify these forms of worship. <strong>The</strong>y are blind and<br />
are not aware of the perfect wisdom of God Almighty.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se forms of worship are essential for the purification<br />
of the spirit. <strong>The</strong>se people seek to intervene absurdly in<br />
a sphere of which they have no knowledge and devise<br />
false schemes for the improvement of a territory that<br />
they have not visited. <strong>The</strong>ir lives are devoted to worldly<br />
affairs; of spiritual matters they have no notion. To be<br />
moderate in eating and drinking and to bear hunger<br />
and thirst are necessary for the purification of the spirit<br />
and promote the capacity for visions. Man does not live<br />
by bread alone. To discard all thought of eternal life is<br />
to invite Divine wrath. It should be remembered that<br />
the fast does not mean merely that a person should<br />
abstain from food and drink over a certain period.<br />
During the fast one should be occupied greatly with<br />
the remembrance of God.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Holy Prophet sa occupied himself greatly with<br />
worship during the month of Ramadān. During that<br />
month one should discard one’s preoccupation with<br />
eating and drinking; and cutting asunder from these<br />
needs should address oneself wholly towards God.<br />
Unfortunate is the person who is bestowed material<br />
bread and pays no attention to spiritual bread. Material<br />
bread strengthens the body, and spiritual bread<br />
sustains the soul and sharpens the spiritual faculties.<br />
Seek the grace of God, as all doors are opened by His<br />
grace.<br />
[Speech at Jalsa Salana, 1906, pp. 20-21]<br />
Ramadān<br />
15
Religious History of Fasting<br />
Zia H Shah MD<br />
“O ye who believe! Fasting is<br />
prescribed for you, as it was<br />
prescribed for those before you,<br />
so that you may guard against<br />
evil.” (Al Qur`ān 2:184)<br />
Explaining this verse, in the<br />
Friday sermon of June 10, 1983<br />
Khalīfatul Masih IV, Hadrat Mirza<br />
Tahir Ahmad rh said, “In this<br />
verse ‘those before you’ implies<br />
that there is no religion in which<br />
fasting was not prescribed, and<br />
this ismentioned and recorded in<br />
historical records. <strong>The</strong>refore, the<br />
Encyclopedia Britannica writes<br />
that all the religions of the world<br />
mention fasting. <strong>The</strong>re is not even<br />
one religion that is without the<br />
concept of fasting. Even though<br />
such research is easy in this day<br />
and age as historical records are<br />
freely available in the book form<br />
but when this verse was revealed<br />
to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa ,<br />
he did not have any access to the<br />
information about the majority of<br />
the world’s religions. <strong>The</strong>refore, the<br />
first issue that this verse diverts our<br />
attention to is that what a marvelous<br />
prophet and what a spectacular<br />
book is being revealed to him, that<br />
he makes a claim about the whole<br />
world, a claim for which there<br />
is apparently no logical secular<br />
reason present; yet, he with great<br />
confidence makes an assertion and<br />
it is proven to be true over time. So,<br />
what the man of this age is finding<br />
to be the case after major academic<br />
pursuits had been revealed 1400<br />
years ago.” 1<br />
According to the eleventh edition<br />
of the Encyclopedia Britannica<br />
(1911), under the heading of<br />
‘fasting,’ fasting is “of special<br />
interest when considered as a<br />
discipline voluntarily submitted<br />
to for moral and religious<br />
ends. As such it is very widely<br />
diffused. Its modes and motives<br />
vary considerably according to<br />
climate, race, civilization and<br />
other circumstances; but it would<br />
be difficult to name any religious<br />
system of any description in which<br />
it is wholly unrecognized.”<br />
According to Wikipedia:<br />
“Fasting for religious and<br />
spiritual reasons has been a<br />
part of human custom since<br />
pre-history. It is mentioned in<br />
the Bible, in the Old Testament<br />
and the New Testament, the<br />
Qur’ān, the Mahabharata,<br />
and the Upanishads. Fasting<br />
is also practiced in many<br />
other religious traditions and<br />
spiritual practices.”<br />
According to present day<br />
Encyclopedia Britannica online,<br />
“Fasting has been practiced<br />
from antiquity worldwide by<br />
the founders and followers of<br />
many religions. In the religions of<br />
ancient peoples and civilizations,<br />
fasting was a practice to prepare<br />
persons, especially priests and<br />
priestesses, to approach the deities.<br />
In the Hellenistic mystery religions<br />
(e.g., the healing cult of the god<br />
Asclepius), the gods were thought<br />
to reveal their divine teachings in<br />
dreams and visions only after a fast<br />
that required the total dedication<br />
of the devotees. Among the pre-<br />
Columbian peoples of Peru, fasting<br />
often was one of the requirements<br />
for penance after an individual<br />
had confessed sins before a priest.<br />
In many cultures, the practice was<br />
considered a means to assuage<br />
an angered deity or to aid in<br />
resurrecting a deity who was<br />
believed to have died (e.g., a god of<br />
vegetation).<br />
In the religions of traditional or<br />
preliterate peoples, fasting is<br />
often practiced before and during<br />
a vision quest (e.g., among the<br />
North American Indian peoples<br />
of the Great Plains and the Pacific<br />
16 Religious History of Fasting
Northwest). Among the Evenk (also<br />
called Evenki, formerly Tungus)<br />
of Siberia, shamans (religious<br />
personages thought to have the<br />
power to heal and to communicate<br />
psychically) often receive their<br />
initial visions not with a quest but<br />
rather after an unexplained illness;<br />
after the initial vision, however,<br />
they fast and train themselves to<br />
see further visions and to control<br />
spirits. Priestly societies among the<br />
Pueblo Indians of the American<br />
Southwest fast during retreats<br />
before major ceremonies connected<br />
with seasonal changes.<br />
Fasting for special purposes or<br />
before or during special sacred<br />
times is a characteristic of the<br />
major religions of the world. In<br />
Jainism, for example, fasting<br />
according to certain prescribed<br />
rules and practicing certain types<br />
of meditation leads to trances that<br />
enable individuals to disassociate<br />
themselves from the world<br />
and reach a transcendent state.<br />
Buddhist monks of the <strong>The</strong>ravāda<br />
school fast on certain holy days<br />
(uposatha) of the month. In China<br />
prior to 1949, it was customary to<br />
observe a fixed period of fasting<br />
and abstinence before the sacrifice<br />
during the night of the winter<br />
solstice, a time when the heavenly<br />
Yang (positive energy) principle<br />
was believed to begin its new cycle.<br />
In India, Hindu sadhus (holy men)<br />
are admired for their frequent<br />
personal fasts for various reasons.<br />
Among the Western religions,<br />
only Zoroastrianism prohibits<br />
fasting, because of its belief that<br />
such a form of asceticism will not<br />
aid in strengthening the faithful<br />
in their struggle against evil. <strong>The</strong><br />
other Western religions—Judaism,<br />
Religious History of Fasting<br />
Christianity, and Islām—emphasize<br />
fasting during certain periods.<br />
Judaism, which developed many<br />
dietary laws and customs, observes<br />
several annual fast days, primarily<br />
on days of penitence (such as Yom<br />
Kippur, the Day of Atonement) or<br />
mourning. Christianity, especially<br />
Roman Catholicism and Eastern<br />
Orthodoxy, has observed a 40-day<br />
fast period during Lent, a spring<br />
period of penitence before Easter,<br />
and during Advent, a penitential<br />
period before Christmas. Among<br />
Roman Catholics the observance<br />
has been modified since the second<br />
Vatican Council (1962–65) to allow<br />
greater individual choice, with<br />
mandatory fasting only on Ash<br />
Wednesday and Good Friday<br />
during Lent. Protestant churches<br />
generally leave the decision to fast<br />
to individual church members.<br />
<strong>The</strong> month of Ramadān in Islām<br />
is a period of penitence and total<br />
fasting from dawn to dusk.”2<br />
So, the present day Encyclopedia<br />
Britannica online has mentioned<br />
numerous religions including<br />
several religions among the<br />
aborigines of North and South<br />
America that carry the institution<br />
of fasting. However, it has also<br />
mentioned one exception and that<br />
is Zoroastrianism or Parsee religion.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir claim about Zoroastrianism<br />
may be misinformation. For<br />
example, it is mentioned in the<br />
Journal of the Asiatic Society of<br />
Bombay by Asiatic Society of<br />
Bombay, Royal Asiatic Society of<br />
Great Britain and Ireland Bombay<br />
Branch, in the Centenary Memorial<br />
volume, “<strong>The</strong> Desatir, of which we<br />
have spoken above, and which is<br />
considered to be a semi-Zoroastrian<br />
book by some, refers to fasting as a<br />
good institution.” <strong>The</strong> full volume<br />
of this book is available on Google<br />
in the books section. <strong>The</strong> authors<br />
then try to explain away the fact,<br />
but as is said, ‘cat is out of the bag.’<br />
According to Wikipedia, “<strong>The</strong><br />
Dasatir-i-Asmani is an old Persian<br />
work related to Zoroastrian. … It<br />
contains fifteen sections which are<br />
said to have been revealed to<br />
fifteen successive prophets, the<br />
first of whom is Mahabad and<br />
the last Sasan. At the end of each<br />
section, with the exception of the<br />
last one, there is a prophecy about<br />
the next prophet. It is thought<br />
to have influenced Dabestan-e<br />
Mazaheb. A translation of it into<br />
the old Dari dialect of Persian<br />
language is supposed to have<br />
been discovered in Persia early<br />
in the 19th century, and was<br />
edited by Mullah Firuz of Bombay.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dating of the Dari translation<br />
is held to be the time of Khosrau<br />
II (590-628 A.D.). <strong>The</strong> scholars are<br />
divided over its authenticity; some<br />
consider it to be a work by Azar<br />
Kayvan in the period of the Mughal<br />
ruler Akbar.”<br />
As Parsees are fast disappearing<br />
from the world, by attrition, in India<br />
and Iran, it will be worthwhile to<br />
do more detailed research into their<br />
original religious scriptures and<br />
other sources in a timely fashion.<br />
17
Ahmadī Muslims believe that all<br />
ancient religions were from the<br />
same God so we can find common<br />
theme in all of them if we go to<br />
their very roots. So, fasting is no<br />
exception and this institution is<br />
present in all religions.<br />
18<br />
ZOROASTRIANISM<br />
Zoroastrianism is a major ancient<br />
and pre-Islāmic religion of Iran. For<br />
over a thousand years, from around<br />
549 BCE to 652 CE, the religion<br />
taught by Zarathustra flourished<br />
as the state religion of three mighty<br />
Iranian empires. Amongst the many<br />
subjects of the Achaemenian Empire<br />
were the Jews, who adopted some<br />
of the prophet›s main teachings<br />
and transmitted them in due course<br />
to Christianity.<br />
Zoroastrianism is a religion<br />
founded in ancient times by the<br />
prophet Zarathustra, known to the<br />
Greeks as Zoroaster. «Arising out of<br />
the polytheistic traditions of ancient<br />
India and Iran, he was one of the<br />
early monotheists in the recorded<br />
human history. Zarathustra<br />
preached that there was one God,<br />
whom he called Ahura Mazda.<br />
Ahura means «Lord,» and Mazda<br />
means «Wise,» so Zoroastrians<br />
call God the «Wise Lord.» No one<br />
knows exactly when Zarathustra<br />
lived. <strong>The</strong> modern estimate of<br />
Zarathustra’s date is anywhere<br />
from 1500 to 1000 BC. Desatir or<br />
the Sacred Writings of the Ancient<br />
Persian Prophets in the original<br />
tongue with commentary of the fifth<br />
Sasan by Mullah Firuz Bin Kaus, is a<br />
scarce book which is a collection of<br />
the writings of the different Persian<br />
prophets who flourished from the<br />
time of Mahabad to the time of<br />
fifth Sasan. In the chapter named,<br />
<strong>The</strong> book of Shet Sasan the First, we<br />
read, “Sekander during his reign<br />
translated into Yunani this Great<br />
Book, and afterwards other Books:<br />
and I have here given an extract<br />
from it that the young student<br />
might understand it, and know his<br />
God (Dadar) by proofs deduced<br />
from reason. Let him afterwards,<br />
with God›s assistance, go onto the<br />
large commentary which I have<br />
written on the respected Desatir,<br />
and draw all his knowledge from<br />
it: after which let him, with the<br />
grace of Ized devote himself to the<br />
worship of Yezdan and by means<br />
of seclusion and watchfulness,<br />
and fasting and meditation on<br />
Yezdan, let him see Yezdan and<br />
those who are nigh onto the Most<br />
Just (Dadar).”<br />
CONFUCIANISM<br />
In his epic making book, Revelation,<br />
Rationality, Knowledge and Truth,<br />
Hadrat Khalāfatul Masih IV rh writes,<br />
“Although many Chinese consider<br />
it to be a religion on the pattern of<br />
other divinely revealed religions<br />
of the world, there are others<br />
among them who view it as a mere<br />
philosophy.” He adds, “From an indepth<br />
study of classical Confucian<br />
literature, it is not difficult to prove<br />
that Confucianism is not a manmade<br />
philosophy at its origin. It did<br />
embrace the idea of one immortal<br />
God, from Whom its teachings<br />
originated and Who is believed to<br />
govern the universe. «Heaven» is<br />
a manifestation of that God, and<br />
as such sometimes He Himself is<br />
referred to as Heaven.”<br />
According to Stanford<br />
Encyclopedia of Philosophy,<br />
“Book X of the Analects consists<br />
of personal observations of how<br />
Confucius comported himself as a<br />
thinker, teacher, and official. Some<br />
have argued that these passages<br />
were originally more general<br />
prescriptions on how a gentleman<br />
should dress and behave that<br />
were relabeled as descriptions of<br />
Confucius. Traditionally, Book X<br />
has been regarded as providing an<br />
intimate portrait of Confucius and<br />
has been read as a biographical<br />
sketch. <strong>The</strong> following passages<br />
provide a few examples. When<br />
fasting in preparation for sacrifice<br />
he must wear the Bright Robe, and<br />
it must be of linen. He must change<br />
his food and also the place where<br />
he commonly sits. He does not<br />
object to his rice being thoroughly<br />
cleaned, or to his meat being finely<br />
minced. (Lunyu 10.7, 10.8)” 3<br />
According to <strong>The</strong> Analects,<br />
attributed to Confucius, 551-479<br />
BCE, “Confucius, in his village,<br />
looked simple and sincere, and as if<br />
he were not able to speak.…..On the<br />
first day of the month he put on his<br />
court robes, and presented himself<br />
at court. When fasting, he thought<br />
it necessary to have his clothes<br />
brightly clean and made of linen<br />
cloth. When fasting, he thought it<br />
necessary to change his food, and<br />
also to change the place where he<br />
commonly sat in the apartment. 4<br />
Religious History of Fasting
BUDDHISM<br />
Prior to attaining Buddhahood,<br />
prince Siddhartha (Buddha)<br />
practiced a regime of four years<br />
of strict austerity during which he<br />
consumed very little food. <strong>The</strong> two<br />
major Sanskrit works on the life<br />
of Buddha that mention this are<br />
Lalitavistara and Buddhacharita.<br />
Buddhist monks and nuns following<br />
the Vinaya rules commonly do<br />
not eat each day after the noon<br />
meal. This is not considered a fast,<br />
but rather a disciplined regimen<br />
aiding in meditation. Fasting is not<br />
practiced by lay Buddhists because<br />
it is seen as a deviation from the<br />
Middle Path.<br />
According to <strong>The</strong> Complete Idiot’s<br />
Religious History of Fasting<br />
Guide to Fasting by Eve Adamson<br />
and Linda Horning, “Buddhism<br />
has many different branches, but<br />
most of them include fasting in<br />
their spiritual practices. For some,<br />
fasting occurs on full moon days<br />
or Buddhist holidays. On these<br />
days they abstain from all solid<br />
foods. ...Buddhists fast for several<br />
reasons. ... Some Buddhists fast to<br />
help free the mind from the world<br />
of the senses so it can more easily<br />
comprehend ultimate truth. In this<br />
way, fasting becomes a partner in<br />
meditation.”<br />
CHRISTIANITY AND BIBLICAL<br />
DESCRIPTION OF FASTING<br />
<strong>The</strong> fasts of Jesus Christ before his<br />
receiving the heavenly Call are<br />
mentioned in the Bible. (Matt 4:2)<br />
Lent in the Christian church is a<br />
period of penitential preparation<br />
for Easter. In Western churches it<br />
begins on Ash Wednesday, 61/2<br />
weeks before Easter, and provides<br />
for a 40-day fast (Sundays are<br />
excluded), in imitation of Jesus<br />
Christ’s<br />
fasting in the wilderness. In Eastern<br />
churches Lent begins on the<br />
Monday of the seventh week before<br />
Easter and ends on the Friday that<br />
is 9 days before Easter. This 40-day<br />
“Great Lent” includes Saturdays<br />
and Sundays as relaxed fast days.<br />
According to Encyclopedia<br />
Britannica online, “Lent is since<br />
apostolic times a period of<br />
preparation and fasting that has<br />
been observed before the Easter<br />
festival. It was a time of preparation<br />
of candidates for baptism and a time<br />
of penance for sinners. In the early<br />
centuries fasting rules were strict,<br />
as they still are in Eastern churches.<br />
One meal a day was allowed in the<br />
evening, and meat, fish, eggs, and<br />
butter were forbidden. <strong>The</strong> Eastern<br />
Church also restricts the use of wine,<br />
oil, and dairy products. In the West<br />
these fasting rules have gradually<br />
been relaxed. <strong>The</strong> strict law of<br />
fasting among Roman Catholics<br />
was dispensed during World War<br />
II, and only Ash Wednesday and<br />
Good Friday are now kept as Lenten<br />
fast days. However, the emphasis<br />
on penitential practice remains.”5<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are several mentions of<br />
fasting in the Bible. On three<br />
occasions in the Bible, people<br />
fasted for forty days. This is not<br />
a prescribed practice; these were<br />
very unusual circumstances. <strong>The</strong><br />
first occasion was when Moses<br />
received the Ten Commandments.<br />
(Exodus 34:28) <strong>The</strong> next occasion<br />
was when Elijah encountered God<br />
before the anointing of Elisha. (1<br />
Kings 19:8) <strong>The</strong> third occasion for<br />
such a fast was when Jesus was in<br />
the wilderness. (Matthew 4:2)<br />
Abstaining from food is the typical<br />
kind of fast. (Daniel 6:18) <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are occasions when people abstain<br />
from both food and drink, though<br />
this is not common. (Ezra 10:6)<br />
Typically, fasts are one day in<br />
length. (Judges 20:26) Sometimes,<br />
they are three days (Esther 4:16),<br />
or even seven days; “And they took<br />
their bones, and buried them under<br />
a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven<br />
days. (1 Samuel 31:13)<br />
Distressing or difficult times are<br />
reasons for fasting. Fasting is a<br />
19
way of communicating feelings<br />
of fear, anxiety, distress or grief<br />
to God. Self-denial is one way<br />
of expressing genuineness or<br />
sincerity. It’s also a way of making<br />
a spiritual contribution to relieving<br />
the situation, a way of showing<br />
God a willingness to do our part<br />
and asking Him to make up the<br />
difference. (See Esther 4:3) Fasting<br />
is sometimes used as a sacrifice<br />
when asking God to intervene in<br />
a situation. “But as for me, when<br />
they were sick, my clothing was<br />
sackcloth: I humbled my soul with<br />
fasting; and my prayer returned<br />
into mine own bosom.” (Psalms<br />
35:13)<br />
Bereavement was once a common<br />
reason for fasting, though it is not<br />
so much anymore. <strong>The</strong> fasting may<br />
have been incidental in some cases<br />
but was often a way to feel closer to<br />
God during a particularly difficult<br />
time. “And it came to pass, when I<br />
heard these words, that I sat down<br />
and wept, and mourned certain<br />
days, and fasted, and prayed before<br />
the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4)<br />
Fasting can also be a way of<br />
expressing sorrow or regret for sin.<br />
God doesn’t ask us for this sacrifice<br />
but He is pleased by it. “And they<br />
gathered together to Mizpeh, and<br />
drew water, and poured it out<br />
before the LORD, and fasted on that<br />
day, and said there, we have sinned<br />
against the LORD…”(1 Samuel 7:6)<br />
When this kind of sacrifice is made<br />
as a sincere gesture of sorrow or<br />
penitence, it is accepted by God.<br />
When Christians seek guidance<br />
from God fasting may be an action<br />
that is helpful. <strong>The</strong> idea is to use the<br />
time we spend on food to spend<br />
with God instead. It provides extra<br />
time to spend in prayer, worship<br />
20<br />
and listening. It is also a way of<br />
preparing for a spiritual event or<br />
change. It’s an act of submission, a<br />
way to get our desire out of the way<br />
in order to allow the spirit to work.<br />
(Acts 13:1-3)<br />
Fasting can be a form of worship.<br />
“And she was a widow of about<br />
fourscore and four years, which<br />
departed not from the temple,<br />
but served God with fasting and<br />
prayers night and day.” (Luke 2:37)<br />
Surrendering comfort as an act of<br />
worship is not necessary but it is<br />
pleasing to God if it is sincere. It is<br />
much like saying, “Thank you God<br />
for giving Your Son for me. Let me<br />
be a little uncomfortable for Your<br />
sake.” Here again fasting is an act<br />
of sacrifice. Moses fasted for forty<br />
days and forty nights while he was<br />
on the mountain with God. (Exodus<br />
34:28)<br />
<strong>The</strong> people of Nineveh in response<br />
to Jonah’s prophecy fasted to<br />
avert the judgment of God (Jonah<br />
3:7). <strong>The</strong> Jews of Persia, following<br />
Mordechai›s example, fasted due<br />
to the genocidal decree of Haman.<br />
Queen Esther declared a three-day<br />
fast for all the Jews prior to risking<br />
her life in visiting King Ahasuerus<br />
uninvited (Esther 4). <strong>The</strong> Pharisees<br />
in Jesus› time fasted regularly, and<br />
asked Jesus why his disciples did<br />
not. Jesus answered them using<br />
a parable (Luke 5:33-39, Matthew<br />
9:14-15, Mark 2:18-20, see also Mark<br />
2).<br />
Jesus also warned against fasting<br />
to gain favor from men. He warned<br />
his followers that they should fast<br />
in private, not letting others know<br />
they were fasting (Matthew 6:16–<br />
18).<br />
JUDAISM<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prophet Moses fasted prior to<br />
receiving the Ten Commandments.<br />
(Exod 34:28 and Deut 9:9) Fasting for<br />
Jews means completely abstaining<br />
from food and drink, including<br />
water. Brushing teeth is forbidden<br />
on the major fast days of Yom<br />
Kippur and Tisha B›Av (See below),<br />
but permitted on minor fast days.<br />
Taking medications is generally not<br />
permitted, except where a doctor›s<br />
orders would forbid abstaining.<br />
Observant Jews fast on up to six<br />
days of the year. With the exception<br />
of Yom Kippur, fasting is never<br />
permitted on Shabbat, for the<br />
commandment of keeping Shabbat<br />
is biblically ordained and overrides<br />
the later rabbinically-instituted<br />
fast days. Yom Kippur is the only<br />
fast day which is ordained in the<br />
Torah. Yom Kippur is considered<br />
to be the most important day of the<br />
Jewish year and fasting as a means<br />
of repentance is expected of every<br />
Jewish man and boy above the age<br />
of bar mitzvah and every Jewish<br />
woman and girl above the age of<br />
bat mitzvah. It is so important to<br />
fast on this day, that only those who<br />
would be<br />
put in danger by fasting are exempt,<br />
such as the ill, elderly, or pregnant<br />
or nursing women, as endangering<br />
one›s life is against a core principle<br />
of Judaism. Those that do eat on<br />
this day are encouraged to eat as<br />
little as possible at a time and to<br />
Religious History of Fasting
avoid a full meal. For some, fasting<br />
on Yom Kippur is considered more<br />
important than the prayers of this<br />
holy day. If one fasts, even if one is<br />
at home in bed, one is considered<br />
as having participated in the full<br />
religious service. In addition to<br />
fasting and prayer, Yom Kippur -- as<br />
the «Sabbath of Sabbaths» – has the<br />
same restrictions regarding work as<br />
the Sabbath, such as striking a fire,<br />
carrying objects outside the home,<br />
using tools, and so on. Traditionally,<br />
leather shoes are not worn on this<br />
day.<br />
It is traditional for a bride and<br />
groom to fast on their wedding<br />
day before the ceremony as the day<br />
represents a personal Yom Kippur.<br />
In some congregations, repentance<br />
prayers that from the Yom<br />
Kippur service are included<br />
by the bride and groom in the<br />
service before the ceremony.<br />
<strong>The</strong> second major day of<br />
fasting is Tisha B’Av, the<br />
day nearly 2000 years ago<br />
on which the Romans<br />
destroyed the Holy Temple<br />
in Jerusalem and the Jews<br />
were banished from their<br />
homeland. Tisha B›Av ends a<br />
three-week mourning period<br />
beginning with the fast of the<br />
17th of Tammuz. Unlike the<br />
fast of Yom Kippur, there are<br />
no restrictions on activities,<br />
although one should try to<br />
avoid doing regular work<br />
the first part of the day, sit in<br />
a low chair or on the floor, and wear<br />
no leather shoes. This is also the day<br />
when observant Jews remember the<br />
many tragedies which have befallen<br />
the Jewish people, including the<br />
Holocaust. <strong>The</strong> atmosphere of this<br />
holiday is serious and deeply sad.<br />
Religious History of Fasting<br />
Both of these holy days are<br />
considered major fasts and are<br />
observed from sunset to sunset the<br />
following day by both men and<br />
women. <strong>The</strong> remaining four fasts<br />
are considered minor and fasting<br />
is only observed from sunrise to<br />
sunset. Men are expected to observe<br />
them, and women should observe<br />
them, but a rabbi may often give<br />
dispensions if the fast represents<br />
too much of a hardship to a sick or<br />
weak person.<br />
On the two major fast days sexual<br />
relations are also forbidden. Aside<br />
from these official days of fasting,<br />
Jews may take upon themselves<br />
personal or communal fasts, often<br />
to seek repentance in the face<br />
of tragedy or some impending<br />
calamity. For example, a fast is<br />
sometimes observed if the scrolls of<br />
the Torah are dropped. <strong>The</strong> length<br />
of the fast varies, and some Jews<br />
will reduce the length of the fast<br />
through tzedakah, or charitable<br />
acts.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are several references to<br />
fasting in the Old Testament<br />
including, Isaiah, 58:1-13; Joel, 2:12-<br />
18; Leviticus, 23:27,29,32; Numbers,<br />
29:7; Leviticus, 26:14- 41; Esther,<br />
4:3,16; Jonah, 3:7 and Isaiah 66:10.<br />
HINDUISM<br />
In Hinduism fasting is commonly<br />
practiced on New Moon days and<br />
during festivals such as Shivaratri,<br />
Saraswati Puja, and Durga Puja<br />
(also known as Navaratri). Women<br />
in North India also fast on<br />
the day of Karva Chauth. <strong>The</strong><br />
style and intensity of fasting<br />
depends on the individual.<br />
Fasting may involve 24 hours<br />
of complete abstinence from<br />
any food or drink, but is more<br />
often an elimination of solid<br />
foods, with an occasional<br />
drink of milk or water.<br />
According to Wikipedia:<br />
“Fasting is a very integral<br />
part of the Hindu religion.<br />
Individuals observe different<br />
kinds of fasts based on<br />
personal beliefs and local<br />
customs. Some are listed<br />
below.<br />
Some Hindus fast on certain<br />
days of the month such<br />
as Ekadasi or Purnima. Certain<br />
days of the week are also set<br />
aside for fasting depending on<br />
personal belief and favorite deity.<br />
For example, devotees of Shiva<br />
tend to fast on Mondays, while<br />
devotees of Vishnu tend to fast on<br />
21
Fridays or Saturdays. Thursday<br />
fasting is very common among<br />
the Hindus of northern India. On<br />
Thursdays devotees listen to a<br />
story before breaking their fast. On<br />
the Thursday fasters also worship<br />
Vrihaspati Mahadeva. <strong>The</strong>y wear<br />
yellow clothes, and meals with<br />
yellow color are preferred. Women<br />
worship the banana tree and water<br />
it. Food items are made with<br />
yellow-colored ghee.<br />
Fasting during religious festivals<br />
is also very common. Common<br />
examples are Maha Shivaratri<br />
or the 9 days of Navratri (which<br />
occurs twice a year in the months<br />
of April and October/November<br />
during Vijayadashami just before<br />
Diwali, as per the Hindu calendar).<br />
Karwa Chauth is a form of fasting<br />
unique to the northern part of India<br />
where married women undertake a<br />
fast for the well-being, prosperity,<br />
and longevity of their husbands.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fast is broken after the wife<br />
views the moon through a sieve<br />
after sunset.<br />
In the state of Andhra Pradesh, the<br />
month of Kaarthika, which begins<br />
with the day after Deepavali is<br />
often a period of frequent (though<br />
not necessarily continuous) fasting<br />
for some people, especially women.<br />
Common occasions for fasting<br />
during this month include Mondays<br />
(for Lord Shiva), the full-moon day<br />
of Karthika and the occasion of<br />
Naagula Chaviti.<br />
Methods of fasting also vary widely<br />
and cover a broad spectrum. If<br />
followed strictly, the person fasting<br />
does not take any food or water<br />
from the previous day›s sunset<br />
until 48 minutes after the following<br />
day›s sunrise. Fasting can also<br />
mean limiting oneself to one meal<br />
22<br />
during the day and/or abstaining<br />
from eating certain food types and/<br />
or eating only certain food types. In<br />
any case, even if the fasting Hindu<br />
is non-vegetarian, he/she is not<br />
supposed to eat or even touch any<br />
animal products (i.e. meat, eggs)<br />
on a day of fasting. (Milk is an<br />
exception for animal products).”<br />
JAINISM<br />
According to Wikipedia:<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are many types of fasting in<br />
Jainism. One is called Chauvihar<br />
Upwas, in which no food or water<br />
may be consumed until sunrise the<br />
next day. Another is called Tivihar<br />
Upwas, in which no food may<br />
be consumed, but boiled water is<br />
allowed. <strong>The</strong> main goal of any type<br />
of Fasting in Jainism is to achieve<br />
complete Non-Violence (ahimsa)<br />
during that period. Fasting is<br />
usually done during Paryushana<br />
but can be done during other times.<br />
If one fasts for the eight days of<br />
Paryushana, it is called Atthai,<br />
and when it is for One Month, it<br />
is known as Maskhamana. Also, it<br />
is common for Jains not to fast but<br />
only to limit their intake of food.<br />
When a person only eats lentils and<br />
tasteless food with salt and pepper<br />
as the only spices, the person is said<br />
to do Ayambil. This is supposed to<br />
decrease desire and passion. Selfstarvation<br />
by fasting is known as<br />
Sallekhana and is supposed to<br />
help shed karma according to Jain<br />
philosophy.<br />
NATIVE AMERICANS AND<br />
AUSTRALIANS<br />
According to <strong>The</strong> Complete Idiot’s<br />
Guide to Fasting by Eve Adamson<br />
and Linda Horning, “In North<br />
America the Native Americans<br />
have traditionally used fasting as a<br />
sacred ritual. Young boys sent off on<br />
their vision quests in the wilderness<br />
alone would fast, and fasting was<br />
a part of other ceremonies and<br />
observations. Other native cultures<br />
around the globe have also used<br />
fasting as a way to purify the body,<br />
prepare it for visions, or to honor<br />
the creator.”<br />
According to present day<br />
Encyclopedia Britannica online:<br />
“Among the pre-Columbian<br />
peoples of Peru, fasting often<br />
was one of the requirements for<br />
penance after an individual had<br />
confessed sins before a priest.<br />
In many cultures the practice<br />
was considered a means to<br />
assuage an angered deity or to<br />
aid in resurrecting a deity who<br />
was believed to have died (e.g.,<br />
a god of vegetation).<br />
In the religions of traditional<br />
or preliterate peoples, fasting<br />
is often practiced before and<br />
during a vision quest (e.g.,<br />
among the North American<br />
Indian peoples of the Great<br />
Plains and the Pacific<br />
Northwest). Among the Evenk<br />
(also called Evenki, formerly<br />
Tungus) of Siberia, shamans<br />
(religious personages thought<br />
to have the power to heal and<br />
Religious History of Fasting
to communicate psychically)<br />
often receive their initial visions<br />
not with a quest but rather after<br />
an unexplained illness; after<br />
the initial vision, however,<br />
they fast and train themselves<br />
to see further visions and to<br />
control spirits. Priestly societies<br />
among the Pueblo Indians of<br />
the American Southwest fast<br />
during retreats before major<br />
ceremonies connected with<br />
seasonal changes.”6<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
Indeed, We have sent thee<br />
(Muhammad) with the truth, as<br />
a bearer of glad tidings and as a<br />
Warner; and there is no people<br />
on earth in any age who did not<br />
receive a Warner from God. (Al<br />
Qur’ān, 35:25)<br />
As all prophets, be they Buddha,<br />
Krishna, Ram, Zoroaster,<br />
Confucius, Jesus, Moses or the<br />
prophets in North and South<br />
America or Australia are from God,<br />
so it is possible to trace a common<br />
thread between all religions at their<br />
sources. However, the details of<br />
worship may differ to some degree,<br />
as is mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān,<br />
“For every people We have appointed<br />
ways of worship which they observe;<br />
so let them not dispute with thee in the<br />
matter of the Islāmic way of worship;<br />
and call thou the people to thy Lord, for,<br />
surely, thou art on the right guidance.’’<br />
(Al Qur’ān, 22:68)<br />
According to Khalīfatul Masih IV rh ,<br />
in his epic making book Revelation,<br />
Rationality, Knowledge and Truth,<br />
in the chapter, <strong>The</strong> Concept of God<br />
among the Aborigines of Australia:<br />
“Australia is a continent whose<br />
culture, social and religious history<br />
can be traced back to at least<br />
Religious History of Fasting<br />
twenty-five thousand years. Many<br />
scholars extend it to forty thousand<br />
years or beyond. According to<br />
some researchers, however, this<br />
period could extend even to a past<br />
as remote as one hundred and<br />
thirty thousand years of unbroken,<br />
unadulterated and undisturbed<br />
growth of religion.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Australian continent is not only<br />
unique in having been completely<br />
broken off from the rest of the world,<br />
it is also unique in containing within<br />
it hundreds of social islands, each<br />
comprising tribes that remained<br />
entirely isolated from each other. It<br />
is known that between five hundred<br />
to six hundred such tribal units had<br />
their own independent history of<br />
social and religious development,<br />
throughout an age of twenty-five to<br />
forty thousand years, in complete<br />
isolation from each other except for<br />
occasional marginal contacts at the<br />
boundaries of their territories.”<br />
So, the diversity of Australia<br />
provides a very fertile area of<br />
research for us on the topic under<br />
discussion and the related subjects,<br />
especially on the subject of there<br />
being only one God and not three!<br />
Stressing other aspects of the main<br />
verse under discussion, in the<br />
Friday sermon of October 7, 2005,<br />
Khalīfatul Masih V, Hadrat Mirza<br />
Masroor Ahmad aa highlighted our<br />
responsibilities in Ramadān, and<br />
how it should inculcate fear of God<br />
in our lives. He said:<br />
“In this Ramadān we should<br />
reflect upon whether we<br />
have maintained the spiritual<br />
development we attained<br />
during the previous Ramadān<br />
or not? We need to analyze if<br />
we have drifted away from<br />
the gains made in goodness in<br />
the previous year. If we have<br />
lost the gains of the previous<br />
Ramadān then where is the<br />
advantage? What can we hope<br />
to achieve from this or any<br />
future Ramadāns? Whereas,<br />
Allah has said that He has<br />
prescribed fasting, so that<br />
we can grow in piety and<br />
righteousness and come closer<br />
to Him; but, what is this that we<br />
have not progressed in morality<br />
and spirituality? Allah’s claim<br />
cannot be wrong. <strong>The</strong> fault lies<br />
with man! So, the fact of the<br />
matter is that vulnerability is<br />
ours. Either we did not benefit<br />
from the Ramadāns that have<br />
passed away or earned only<br />
temporary benefit and over the<br />
year drifted back to square one.<br />
What is expected of a believer is<br />
that whatever stations of piety<br />
and Taqwa he achieved in the<br />
previous Ramadān the next<br />
Ramadān should incrementally<br />
take him to a higher station of<br />
morality, piety and Taqwa.”<br />
1 http://www.alIslām.org/archives/<br />
2 “fasting.” Encyclopedia<br />
Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia<br />
Britannica Online. 22<br />
Aug. 2008 .<br />
3 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/<br />
confucius/<br />
4 http://www.international.ucla.<br />
edu/eas/documents/lunyuCh10.<br />
htm<br />
5 “Lent.” Encyclopedia Britannica.<br />
2008. Encyclopædia Britannica<br />
Online. 26 Aug. 2008<br />
.<br />
6 “fasting.” Encyclopedia<br />
Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia<br />
Britannica Online. 22 Aug. 2008<br />
.<br />
23
46th Jalsa Sālāna South Africa – <strong>2010</strong><br />
Zaid Ebrahim, General Secretary Ahmadīyya Muslim Jamā’at South Africa<br />
By the grace of Almighty Allāh,<br />
Jamā’at Ahmadīyya South Africa<br />
held their 46 th Jalsa Sālana on<br />
Friday & Saturday, April 2-3, <strong>2010</strong><br />
in the College hall of Cape Town,<br />
Crawford campus, Kromboom<br />
Road, Athlone. <strong>The</strong>re were four<br />
sessions and 13 speeches delivered.<br />
Lajna Imā`illah, also held one<br />
session on Saturday morning, where<br />
four speeches were delivered. <strong>The</strong><br />
approximate attendance was a little<br />
over 200 people.<br />
It is important to remember that the<br />
Promised Messiah as has invited us<br />
to the Jalsa Sālana, therefore, while<br />
at Jalsa we will remain the guests of<br />
the Promised Messiah as . It is only<br />
through the blessings of the prayers<br />
of the Promised Messiah and<br />
Mahdi as that Jamā`ats throughout<br />
the world have been achieving<br />
successful Jalsa Sālanas.<br />
All praise belongs to Allāh; our<br />
Jalsa Sālana of <strong>2010</strong> was a great<br />
success. <strong>The</strong> program included<br />
recitations of the Holy Qur’ān with<br />
English translation, Urdu poems<br />
with English translation, speeches<br />
dealing with aspects of Allāh the<br />
Living God, the Holy Prophet<br />
Muhammad ’s , Islām, the System<br />
of Khilāfat, Qur’ānic Prophecies,<br />
Upbringing of Children, Rights &<br />
Obligations of Women, Concept of<br />
Salvation, etc. <strong>The</strong> program also<br />
included a Question and Answer<br />
session.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Friday program started with<br />
Tahajjud prayer, followed by Fajr<br />
prayer and Darsul Qur’ān in the<br />
headquarter of the Ahmadīyya<br />
Muslim Jamā`at South Africa at<br />
Masjid Baitul Awwal, Cape Town.<br />
Friday April 2, <strong>2010</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> first session started with<br />
recitation of the Holy Qur’ān with<br />
English translation, by Mr. Rayaan<br />
Allom. After that an Urdu poem<br />
was presented by 5 children of<br />
the Atfal-ul-Ahmadīyya, Safeer<br />
Ahmed, Muhammad Hashim,<br />
Abdul Qayyum, Ihsaan Said and<br />
Tariq Said.<br />
First Session<br />
<strong>The</strong> National President &<br />
Missionary in charge, Ahmadīyya<br />
Muslim Jamā’at South Africa,<br />
Maulana Zahir Ahmed Khokhar<br />
Sahib delivered his opening<br />
address, after which he led silent<br />
prayer. His opening speech dealt<br />
with the institution of the Jalsa<br />
Sālana by the Promised Messiah as<br />
and the spiritual importance of<br />
attending it. Mr. Badruddin Jafar,<br />
Senior Vice President AMJ South<br />
Africa continued the first session as<br />
chairman.<br />
Inspirational speeches dealing with<br />
various subjects were delivered<br />
during this session. Mr. Nazeer<br />
Hargey spoke on the topic of, ‘Our<br />
God is a Living God.’ He quoted<br />
a number of extracts from the<br />
writings of the Promised Messiah as<br />
to establish that Our God, Allāh, is<br />
indeed a Living God. A speech on<br />
the Future of Islām relating to the<br />
System of Khilāfat was delivered<br />
by Mr. Tahir Ahmed Hargey. He<br />
beautifully outlined how the future<br />
of Islām is related to the system of<br />
Khilāfat. He laid emphasis on how<br />
true Allāh is to His promise and<br />
that the system of Khilāfat will be<br />
reestablished and ultimately will<br />
ensure the victory of Islām.<br />
Guest Speaker -<br />
<strong>May</strong>or of Cape Town<br />
<strong>The</strong> Friday morning program was<br />
also graced with the presence of a<br />
very important person of the city of<br />
Cape Town, the Executive <strong>May</strong>or<br />
of Cape Town, Mr. Alderman<br />
Dan Plato. We were indeed very<br />
grateful to the <strong>May</strong>or for spending<br />
a few precious hours with us. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>May</strong>or also addressed the Jamā’at<br />
with a few heartwarming and<br />
inspirational words. One of the<br />
encouraging items he mentioned in<br />
his address was that he assured us<br />
that the Ahmadīyya Jamā’at played<br />
24 46th Jalsa Sālāna South Africa – <strong>2010</strong>
a very meaningful and progressive<br />
role in Cape Town, even though we<br />
might be unaware of it.<br />
Another pleasant item was the<br />
rendering of the National Anthem<br />
of South Africa in three languages<br />
(Xhosa; English; Afrikaans) by about<br />
twenty children of the townships,<br />
where Tablīgh is being done on<br />
a regular basis. <strong>The</strong>se children<br />
and their parents were invited<br />
to attend our Jalsa Sālana. Some<br />
of these families have accepted<br />
Islām Ahmadīyyat. <strong>The</strong> <strong>May</strong>or in<br />
particular enjoyed the rendering<br />
of the National Anthem by these<br />
children. He<br />
appreciated the<br />
idea that we<br />
had opened up<br />
our Jalsa Sālana<br />
program to give<br />
these children an<br />
opportunity to<br />
participate and<br />
contribute to the<br />
program of the<br />
Jalsa Sālana.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next item<br />
in the program<br />
was Friday and<br />
‘Asr prayers,<br />
after which lunch was served. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>May</strong>or also sat in the Friday prayer,<br />
and later enjoyed lunch with the<br />
Jamā’at and with this, the first<br />
session ended.<br />
Second Session<br />
This session began with the live<br />
broadcast of the Friday Sermon<br />
of Hadrat Khalīfatul Masih V aa at<br />
Basharat Mosque from Pedro Abad,<br />
Spain.<br />
April 3, <strong>2010</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Saturday program also started<br />
with Tahajjud prayer, Fajr prayer<br />
and Darsul Qur’ān as usual in<br />
Baitul Awwal Mosque.<br />
Third Session<br />
<strong>The</strong> third session started with<br />
recitation of the Holy Qur’ān<br />
with English translation, by Tahir<br />
Ahmed Hargey. <strong>The</strong> session was<br />
chaired by Mr. Abbas Bin Sulaiman,<br />
Missionary of Swaziland. Dr. Irfān<br />
Hargey delivered a speech on<br />
the great role the Holy Prophet<br />
Muhammad sa exemplified against<br />
the extreme obstacles which were<br />
placed in the way of truth by the<br />
opposition. Mr. Dawood Sadique<br />
Arthur, Missionary of Lesotho,<br />
<strong>The</strong> last speech of this session was<br />
delivered by Mr. Zaid Ebrahim on<br />
the Economic System of Islām. <strong>The</strong><br />
speech concentrated on the Qur’ānic<br />
teachings that wealth must remain<br />
in constant circulation among all<br />
sections of the community, thus<br />
securing the widest and most<br />
beneficent distribution of wealth.<br />
<strong>The</strong> speech also highlighted the<br />
divine guidance vouchsafed to<br />
the Promised Messiah as as laid out<br />
in his book Al-Wasiyyat, as the<br />
nucleus of a fool-proof system that<br />
offers a real solution to the global<br />
economic crisis.<br />
Question and Answer Session<br />
<strong>The</strong> session concluded with a<br />
Question and Answer session. A<br />
panel consisting of the National<br />
President & Missionary in charge,<br />
Maulana Zahir Ahmed Khokhar<br />
Sahib, Mr. Dawood Sadique Arthur,<br />
Missionary of Lesotho and Mr.<br />
Nazeer Hargey<br />
conducted this<br />
session.<br />
<strong>The</strong> third session<br />
ended with the<br />
combining of<br />
Zuhr and `Asr<br />
prayer. After<br />
that, lunch was<br />
served.<br />
Ladies Session<br />
<strong>The</strong> Lajna<br />
session, was<br />
held on Saturday<br />
National Anthem with <strong>May</strong>or Cape Town<br />
m o r n i n g<br />
spoke on the concept of salvation as exclusively for women. <strong>The</strong><br />
laid down by the beautiful teachings chairperson was the Naib Sadr<br />
of Islām compared to the teachings Lajna Imaillah South Africa,<br />
of other religions. After that, a short<br />
prayer in the Xhosa language was<br />
presented by two Xhosa speaking<br />
children.<br />
Sister Zuleigha Said Sahiba. Sister<br />
Amatul Wadūd Sahiba opened the<br />
session with recitation of the Holy<br />
Qur’ān and Sister Gafsa Abdullatief<br />
Sahiba read the English translation.<br />
Sister Saira Sahar Ahmed Sahiba<br />
rendered an Urdu poem and its<br />
English translation.<br />
Three speeches were presented<br />
in this program. <strong>The</strong> first speech,<br />
Righteousness and Youth, was<br />
delivered by Sister Naazia Said<br />
46th Jalsa Sālāna South Africa – <strong>2010</strong><br />
25
Sahiba. <strong>The</strong> second speech which<br />
was delivered by Sister Aziza Jafar<br />
Sahiba, dealing with Qur’ānic<br />
prophecies as a guide for the future<br />
of mankind. <strong>The</strong> third speech,<br />
Rights and Obligations of Women,<br />
was delivered by Sister Ragiema<br />
Jaffer Sahiba.<br />
silent prayer.<br />
Fourth and Final Session<br />
<strong>The</strong> National President &<br />
Missionary in charge, Maulana<br />
Zahir Ahmad Khokhar Sahib,<br />
chaired the final session. <strong>The</strong><br />
session began with the recitation<br />
of the Holy Qur’ān followed by<br />
morally, mentally and spiritually<br />
stable human beings, and thereby<br />
establishing future communities of<br />
a high moral and spiritual fiber. He<br />
also laid stress on the role parents<br />
play in molding the moral and<br />
spiritual character of the child.<br />
A very informative and interesting<br />
After these speeches, a Qaseeda<br />
and its English translation was<br />
rendered by Sister Saleema Dawry<br />
Sahiba. <strong>The</strong> session concluded with<br />
the rendering of an Urdu poem by<br />
Sister Durre Sameen Sahiba with a<br />
few other Lajna members. Finally<br />
the chairperson, Mrs. Zuleigha Said<br />
gave a few words of thanks to the<br />
Lajna. After this, she requested the<br />
special guest of this session, Mrs.<br />
Tahira Hadi, wife of Mr. S.H. Hadi<br />
Sahib, Editor of Ahmadīyya <strong>Gazette</strong><br />
<strong>Canada</strong>, to end the program with<br />
26<br />
its English translation by Mr. M. S.<br />
Dawry.<br />
After that Mr. Rayaan Allom,<br />
Barrister delivered a very<br />
inspirational speech, Upbringing<br />
of Children with Islāmic Teachings<br />
in Western societies. His speech<br />
dealt with extracts from the book,<br />
the Way of the Seekers, by Hadrat<br />
Khalīfatul Masih II ra . He expounded<br />
26 principles and beautiful<br />
teachings of Islām with regard to<br />
the upbringing of children into<br />
item was included in this session.<br />
<strong>The</strong> program included the<br />
Editor of the Ahmadīyya <strong>Gazette</strong><br />
<strong>Canada</strong>, Mr. Hidayatullah Hadi,<br />
who shared with us the founding<br />
and establishment of Jamā`at<br />
Ahmadīyya in <strong>Canada</strong> and how it<br />
developed in many regions of the<br />
country, with the establishment of<br />
mission houses, prayer centers and<br />
the beautiful building of mosques,<br />
and the growth of the community’s<br />
population. Mr. Hadi was also very<br />
kind in supplementing his speech<br />
46th Jalsa Sālāna South Africa – <strong>2010</strong>
with a PowerPoint presentation<br />
with vivid pictures. He explained<br />
in chronological order from year<br />
one up to present day development,<br />
progress and achievements of<br />
Jamā`at Ahmadīyya <strong>Canada</strong>. Mr.<br />
Hadi’s presentation was indeed<br />
very informative, interesting and it<br />
served as an encouragement to the<br />
members of South Africa Jamā’at.<br />
This was followed by a speech<br />
by Mr. Abbas Bin Sulaiman,<br />
Missionary of Swaziland, under<br />
the title, Philosophy of the Pillars of<br />
Islām. He beautifully outlined, one<br />
by one the five pillars<br />
of Islām, namely, the<br />
profession of faith<br />
(Kalima Shahādah),<br />
prayer (Salāt),<br />
almsgiving (Zakāt),<br />
fasting (Saum), and<br />
pilgrimage (Hajj).<br />
Concluding Address<br />
<strong>The</strong> program was<br />
concluded with the<br />
National President<br />
and Missionary-incharge<br />
of South Africa,<br />
Maulana Zahir Ahmad<br />
Khokhar Sahib,<br />
delivering his closing<br />
address in the form of<br />
a very inspirational<br />
speech. <strong>The</strong> speech<br />
laid emphasis on the<br />
need of Islām the true<br />
religion, the Perfect<br />
Reality of Islām as<br />
well as the blessings of<br />
Islām. <strong>The</strong> speech was<br />
beautifully structured<br />
upon the writings of the<br />
Promised Messiah as as<br />
recorded in the Essence<br />
of Islām expounding<br />
the verse of the Holy<br />
46th Jalsa Sālāna South Africa – <strong>2010</strong><br />
Qur’ān in Surah Al-Maida, “This<br />
day have I perfected your religion<br />
for you and completed My favour<br />
upon you and have chosen for you<br />
Islām as religion” (5:4), as well<br />
as certain prophecies of previous<br />
scriptures like in the Torah,<br />
Deuteronomy 18:18, which sets<br />
out God’s commandment that, “I<br />
will raise them up a Prophet from<br />
among their brethren, and put My<br />
words in his mouth and whosoever<br />
will not hearken unto My words<br />
I will require it of him.”, and the<br />
Gospels, John 16:12-13, “I have yet<br />
many things to say, but ye cannot<br />
bear them now but that when the<br />
Paraclete is come he will lead you<br />
to the whole truth.”<br />
Maulana Zahir Ahmad Khokhar<br />
Sahib then finally led the silent<br />
prayer. After this, light refreshments<br />
were served. All praise belongs to<br />
Allāh that our 46 th Annual Jalsa<br />
concluded with great success.<br />
27
A Tabligh Trip to Northern Ontario<br />
In compliance with the instruction<br />
of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih aa , a team<br />
consisting of 11 members visited<br />
five towns of Northern Ontario<br />
including Sudbury; Sault Saint<br />
Marie; Terrace Bay; Thunder Bay;<br />
and Timmins. <strong>The</strong> objectives of this<br />
trip were to meet dignitaries like<br />
mayors, police chiefs and media;<br />
to distribute flyers in these towns;<br />
and to explore the opportunities to<br />
establish a centre of Jama`āt in these<br />
towns. <strong>The</strong> team endeavored to<br />
pave the way for holding inter-faith<br />
seminars in these towns; to dispel<br />
myths and misunderstandings<br />
about Islām; and to convey the<br />
message of Islām/Ahmadīyyat. This<br />
team included 8 Jamia students:<br />
Faran Rabbani; Mujib Ahmad;<br />
Yousaf Khan; Mudassir Salam;<br />
Shahrukh; Hammad Ahmad;<br />
Nadeem Ahmad; and Asfand<br />
Suleman Ahmad. Team, headed by<br />
Ansar Raza, missionary and editor<br />
Ahmadīyya <strong>Gazette</strong>, also included<br />
Muhammad Hanif Sahib, Secretary<br />
Tabligh Brampton Flower Town,<br />
Rizwan Rabbani and Ataul Waheed<br />
Shakir. All arrangements of this<br />
tour, appointments with mayors<br />
and media were exceptionally<br />
made by Rizwan Rabbani Sahib.<br />
28<br />
SUDBURY<br />
On July 13, <strong>2010</strong> the team reached<br />
Sudbury and met <strong>May</strong>or John<br />
Rodrigus in his office. Introduction<br />
of AMJ and purpose of our visit<br />
was presented to the <strong>May</strong>or.<br />
He welcomed the team and<br />
appreciated that AMJ has taken this<br />
step to create peace and harmony<br />
among the followers of different<br />
religions. He assured of his full<br />
support. <strong>May</strong>or Rodrigus provided<br />
information about a multi-cultural<br />
association in Sudbury and a<br />
Christian radio-station. <strong>The</strong> office<br />
of multi-cultural association was<br />
visited and information left for its<br />
president, as he was not available.<br />
Later, the president, Mr. Meho<br />
Hilimich called and offered his<br />
support for inter-faith seminars.<br />
Similarly, radio-station was<br />
contacted but no progress was<br />
made due to unavailability of the<br />
president. After this team members<br />
scattered in the city and distributed<br />
flyers.<br />
SAULT SAINT MARIE<br />
Team left Sudbury on July-14,<br />
<strong>2010</strong> for Sault Saint Marie where<br />
a meeting with a reporter, Mike<br />
Pervus, of a newspaper, Sault Star,<br />
was scheduled at 2 pm. <strong>The</strong> purpose<br />
of our visit and the background of<br />
AMJ was explained to the reporter.<br />
This news-item appeared the same<br />
day on the website of Sault Star with<br />
a picture of team members and next<br />
day appeared in print form with<br />
positive remarks. After this, team<br />
members went to different areas of<br />
the town and distributed flyers.<br />
TERRACE BAY<br />
Our next destination was Terrace<br />
Bay which is 6-hours drive away<br />
from Sault Saint Marie. We left at<br />
4 am in the morning as a meeting<br />
with the mayor of Terrace Bay was<br />
scheduled on July-15, <strong>2010</strong> at 10 am.<br />
<strong>The</strong> police chief of the town also<br />
attended the meeting. Introduction<br />
of AMJ and the purpose of our visit<br />
was explained. Both of them were<br />
very excited about our visit and<br />
thanked us for picking Terrace Bay.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y assured us of their full support<br />
and cooperation. <strong>May</strong>or told us<br />
that city has bought a Catholic<br />
school which is being renovated<br />
as community Hall and library. He<br />
said that this community hall can<br />
be used to hold inter-faith seminar.<br />
Later, he, along-with one of his<br />
assistants, gave us a tour of the<br />
site and explained all the facilities<br />
available there. After this meeting,<br />
team members distributed flyers in<br />
different parts of the town.<br />
THUNDER BAY<br />
Team left Terrace Bay the same<br />
day for Thunder Bay and reached<br />
A Tabligh Trip to Northern Ontario
here in the evening. On July-16,<br />
<strong>2010</strong> meeting with Deputy <strong>May</strong>or<br />
and Deputy Police Chief was<br />
scheduled. Representatives of<br />
local TV, TB TV were also present<br />
there. Introduction of AMJ and the<br />
purpose of our visit was explained.<br />
Deputy <strong>May</strong>or and deputy chief<br />
of police welcomed the team and<br />
assured us of their full support.<br />
Local TV not only covered the<br />
meeting but also interviewed Ansar<br />
Raza. This coverage and interview<br />
was played that day at least five<br />
times in the local news segments.<br />
CBC radio also interviewed Ansar<br />
Raza and played it the same day.<br />
After this the team members<br />
distributed flyers in the city. Some<br />
local people to whom flyers were<br />
given, mentioned the interview.<br />
CBC interviewer provided the<br />
contact info of Lakehead Unitarion<br />
Fellowship and recommended<br />
Ansar Raza to meet them as they<br />
provide their forum to people of<br />
different denominations to speak<br />
about themselves. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />
contacted and prospects of future<br />
seminars were discussed. While<br />
the team members were offering<br />
Juma prayer in a park beside Lake<br />
Superior, an old lady came and said<br />
that pray for her recently deceased<br />
husband and also for herself. A<br />
mosque of non-Ahmadī Muslims<br />
was visited. <strong>The</strong> mosque was open,<br />
but no one was there, even at 1.30 pm<br />
on Friday. Another visit of mosque<br />
was made later. An Arab man, Mr.<br />
Noori, was met and the purpose<br />
of our visit was explained to him.<br />
He asked to come again at Maghrib<br />
time at 10 pm. Team reached there<br />
at that time. More than 40 people<br />
gathered for prayer. After the prayer<br />
Mr. Noori introduced the team to<br />
congregation. This humble one<br />
explained the purpose of our visit<br />
and requested the congregation<br />
and the office-bearers of Muslim<br />
association to cooperate with us<br />
to hold joint sessions. Association<br />
agreed in principle but a couple<br />
of belligerent members of their<br />
congregation severely attacked<br />
Ahmadīyyat. A senior member and<br />
Imam-us-Salāt stopped them. <strong>The</strong><br />
president of the association told<br />
us that he listened our program on<br />
CBC radio as well as watched us on<br />
TB TV. On Saturday, tea members<br />
distributed flyers in the city the<br />
whole day. Some more people<br />
mentioned that they watched us on<br />
TV and listened our radio program.<br />
TIMMINS<br />
On Sunday July 18, <strong>2010</strong>, the<br />
team left for Timmins at 8 am and<br />
reached Timmins at 5 pm. After an<br />
hour an so, team members started<br />
distributing flyers in the town<br />
till 9.30 pm. Next day team was<br />
divided in two parts: one part led<br />
by Rizwan Rabbani Sahib went<br />
to distribute flyers and the other<br />
team headed by Ansar Raza, went<br />
to meat Media and the <strong>May</strong>or<br />
of the town. Representative of<br />
the newspaper, Timmins Daily<br />
Press, interviewed leader of the<br />
group, took pictures and recorded<br />
video. She also joined the team at<br />
the meeting with the <strong>May</strong>or and<br />
took pictures. <strong>The</strong>se details were<br />
uploaded on the website of the<br />
newspaper. <strong>May</strong>or assured the<br />
team of his fullest cooperation and<br />
assistance to hold seminars. After<br />
the successful completion of tour,<br />
the team reached home on July-19,<br />
<strong>2010</strong>.<br />
A Tabligh Trip to Northern Ontario<br />
29
In the Press...<br />
Dispelling Myths<br />
Article featured in “Timmins Daily<br />
Press” By Kate McLaren<br />
A backlash from the 2001 attack on<br />
the World Trade Center has seen<br />
Muslims mistakenly tarred with the<br />
same brush as violent extremists.<br />
"Muslims are not terrorist people,"<br />
Ansar Raza, a member of the<br />
Ahmadīyya Muslim Community<br />
which is the leading Islāmic<br />
organization to categorically reject<br />
terrorism in any form. "In our<br />
community, we do not believe in<br />
holy war."<br />
Members of the Ahmadīyya Muslim<br />
Community visited Timmins on<br />
Monday to spread their message of<br />
peace and unity.<br />
"We want to introduce our<br />
community and also dispel the<br />
myth that religion is the root of<br />
all evil, and it can be used to unify<br />
different faiths and cultures," said<br />
Raza.<br />
As part of a Northern Ontario<br />
tour with stops in Sudbury, Sault<br />
Ste. Marie, Terrace Bay, Thunder<br />
Bay and Timmins, 12 Ahmadīyya<br />
members met with community<br />
leaders and law enforcement<br />
representatives.<br />
Raza explained the group's<br />
secondary goal while touring the<br />
North is to educate people about<br />
the Islāmic culture.<br />
"<strong>The</strong>re are so many commonalities<br />
between the faith we practise and<br />
other religions such as Judaism and<br />
Christianity."<br />
Based in Maple, Ont., the<br />
Ahmadīyya community practises<br />
"jihad by the pen" to defend<br />
Islām, teaching moderation and<br />
restraint, not violence, in the face of<br />
opposition.<br />
While in Timmins, the group met<br />
with <strong>May</strong>or Tom Laughren to<br />
discuss holding future seminars in<br />
the city.<br />
"I give them a lot of credit for<br />
doing what they're doing," said<br />
Laughren. "We talked a lot about<br />
multiculturalism in Timmins<br />
and I think their message is one<br />
that people would definitely be<br />
receptive of."<br />
He added that learning about<br />
different cultures and religions is a<br />
good thing.<br />
"We would have no problem if they<br />
wanted to come back and help to<br />
educate people about this."<br />
Seminars are designed to dispel<br />
myths about religion, present the<br />
Islāmic faith and values and prove<br />
that people of different faiths can<br />
give together in harmony.<br />
Raza explained the group's<br />
Northern tour was an important<br />
step in laying the groundwork for<br />
future visits.<br />
"We wanted to visit, to talk to<br />
30 In <strong>The</strong> Press
leaders, talk to the authorities and<br />
let them know why we're here and<br />
what we're doing.<br />
"People see a bunch of Muslim<br />
guys in a small town and they often<br />
wonder what they're doing here."<br />
He said aside from the Islāmic<br />
culture being linked to terrorism,<br />
the biggest misconception is their<br />
treatment of women.<br />
Muslim Missionaries<br />
Seek to Dispel Myths,<br />
Promote Harmony<br />
Article featured in “<strong>The</strong> Sault Star”<br />
By Michael Purvis<br />
Five Muslim men made their way<br />
to Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday<br />
on a mission to dispel myths about<br />
Islām and promote harmony with<br />
other faiths.<br />
Ansar Raza, an Ahmadīyya<br />
missionary leading the group, said<br />
he is trying to teach Canadians<br />
of other faiths that Islām is not a<br />
"religion of terrorism," while at the<br />
same time pointing out common<br />
ground with other faiths.<br />
"We try to tell them this is not what<br />
Islām says, this is what (some)<br />
Muslims say to other people when<br />
"People think that our religion<br />
causes us to suppress women -and<br />
this is totally wrong. We work<br />
shoulder to shoulder with women.<br />
"In some Third World countries,<br />
yes, women are mistreated but<br />
that's because of the culture, not the<br />
religion."<br />
With the Ahmadīyya community<br />
expanding over the past few years,<br />
the group has not visited Northern<br />
Ontario before. Raza said fears of<br />
they are in power," said Raza.<br />
<strong>The</strong> missionaries, members of the<br />
Ahmadīyya Muslim Community,<br />
which has its national headquarters<br />
in Maple, Ont., are on a Northern<br />
Ontario tour, speaking with<br />
mayors, police chiefs and members<br />
of other religions.<br />
Having met with officials in the<br />
Sault in September, Raza said he<br />
expected Wednesday's visit to focus<br />
on the multi-faith community.<br />
Part of the reason for the trip is<br />
to try to shore up support in the<br />
West for members of the minority<br />
Ahmadīyya Muslim community<br />
in Pakistan and other countries,<br />
where they are often denounced by<br />
other followers of Islām.<br />
Raza said Ahmadis face persecution<br />
in their home territories, where<br />
mixed reactions from the various<br />
towns visited went unfounded.<br />
"We've had a great response and full<br />
co-operation from everyone. People<br />
have welcomed us with open arms.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> communities we've visited are<br />
absolutely beautiful. We've taken<br />
lots of snapshots. Now the plan is<br />
to go back down south and make<br />
a plan to come back and host some<br />
seminars."<br />
their activities are officially banned<br />
and their teachings prohibited. In<br />
<strong>May</strong>, an attack on an Ahmadīyya<br />
mosque in <strong>Lahore</strong>, Pakistan, killed<br />
more than 100 people.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> snipers killed more than 86<br />
people while they were gathered<br />
for prayer," said Raza.<br />
He said Ahmadis are also trying to<br />
point out the many commonalities<br />
that exist between faiths.<br />
"We need to tell the Christian<br />
priests and Jewish rabbis that we<br />
have so many things in common,"<br />
said Raza.<br />
Raza's group met with Sudbury<br />
<strong>May</strong>or John Rodriguez on Tuesday<br />
and were to arrive in Terrace Bay,<br />
Ont. on Thursday to meet with<br />
officials there.<br />
First <strong>The</strong>y Came...<br />
By Martin Niemoller<br />
In <strong>The</strong> Press<br />
First they came for the communists,<br />
and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;<br />
<strong>The</strong>n they came for the socialists,<br />
and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;<br />
<strong>The</strong>n they came for the trade unionists,<br />
and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;<br />
<strong>The</strong>n they came for the Jews,<br />
and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;<br />
<strong>The</strong>n they came for me -<br />
and there was no one left to speak out for me.<br />
31
Les Dires du Messie Promis as<br />
L’aide divine te sera accordée et Dieu honnira et humiliera tes adversaires<br />
Tu domineras et ta communauté s’imposera sur ses adversaires.<br />
Les véridiques qui émanent de Lui, revivent même après leur mort, car ils jouissent toujours la main des grâces<br />
divines. L’esprit de vérité réside chez eux. Ils ne sont point détruits même si le monde entier complote contre eux<br />
pour les anéantir. Même s’ils sont écrasés par les épreuves et rendus comme de la poussière et même si les gens<br />
les maudissent de partout. Pourquoi ne sont-ils pas écrasés ? C’est grâce au vrai attachement qu’ils ont avec le<br />
véritable Bien Aimé. Dieu les éprouve plus que tous les autres, non pas pour les détruire mais pour qu’ils fructifient<br />
davantage. C’est la loi de la nature que chaque élément qui a du potentiel, encaisse d’abord les chocs…. depuis<br />
l’antiquité la même pratique divine se fait à l’endroit des hommes choisis de Dieu. C’est-à-dire qu’ils subissent<br />
des ennuis démesurés, mais non pour les submerger par des chagrins mais plutôt pour qu’ils puissent avoir<br />
accès aux perles et aux diamants qui se trouvent au fond de la mer de l’unicité divine. Ils sont jetés dans le feu<br />
mais non pas pour être calcinés plutôt pour manifester les pouvoirs divins. Ils subissent des moqueries, les gens<br />
les maudissent, ils sont martyrisés et fatigués de toutes les manières. Ils sont maltraité et des propos absurdes<br />
leurs sont lancés. Les soupçons leurs sont attribués à tel point que beaucoup n’ont même pas la moindre idée de<br />
leur véracité. Mais celui qui les persécute et les martyrise pense faire une chose de grand mérite divin. Bref, cela<br />
dure ainsi pendant assez longtemps. Si quelque fois, à cause de la faiblesse humaine, une impatience s’installe,<br />
Allah les conforte en disant : « Aie patience comme ont eu ceux qui t’ont précédés.» Il dit : « Je suis avec toi,<br />
J’entends tout et Je vois tout.» Alors, il demeura dans la patience. Jusqu’à ce que l’affaire destinée touche à son<br />
destin. C’est à ce moment-là que la jalousie divine se manifeste en faveur de ce pauvre et d’un seul coup brise<br />
tous les ennemis en morceaux. De ce fait le premier tour est pour les adversaires et le tour final L’appartient.<br />
De même, Dieu m’a fait comprendre à plusieurs reprises que la moquerie aura lieu, les gens maudiront et<br />
martyriseront mais en fin de compte l’aide divine m’appartiendra. Dieu rendra les adversaires dominés et les<br />
honnira […] Dieu, à travers des milliers de révélations répétées et de visions, m’a fait clairement savoir, comme les<br />
rayons du soleil, « la victoire finale, Je te l’accorderai. Je te blanchirai de toute accusation, tu auras la prépondérance<br />
et ta communauté prévaudra sur les autres jusqu’à la fin du monde.» Il dit : « Je ferai éclater ta véracité à travers<br />
les assauts extrêmement puissants». Retenez bien que ces révélations ne sont pas écrites afin qu’on les accepte<br />
subitement mais parce que chaque chose appartient à un temps donné. Lorsque le temps de ces révélations se<br />
manifestera, à ce moment là ces écritures susciteront la foi, la tranquillité et la certitude pour les esprits potentiels.<br />
(Anwarul Islam Rouhani Khazaïne vol 9 page 52 à 54)<br />
32 Les Dires du Messie Promis as
Direction de Hadrat Khalifatul Messie V aa<br />
Les Ahmadis ont offert leurs vies pour la cause divine en implorant Allah et en<br />
invoquant les bénédictions (Daroud) sur le Saint Prophète sa<br />
Traduit par Abdul Rashid Anwar,<br />
Missionnaire <strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> à Montréal, <strong>Canada</strong><br />
Le Khalifatul Massie aa prononça le<br />
sermon du vendredi 4 juin <strong>2010</strong> à la<br />
mosquée de Modern Baitoul Futouh<br />
à Londres. Le sermon fut diffusé en<br />
direct par les canaux de la MTA en<br />
différentes langues.<br />
Houdhour Anwar récita et traduisit<br />
les versets 31 à 33 du chapitre Hamim<br />
sajda du Saint Coran. Il a ensuite<br />
mentionné que la semaine dernière il<br />
avait reçu plusieurs milliers de lettres<br />
qui exprimaient les sentiments des<br />
fidèles sur les sacrifices extraordinaires<br />
des Ahmadis pour la cause divine.<br />
Hudhour ajouta qu’il recevait<br />
toujours des lettres similaires de tous<br />
les pays du monde. Il ajouta qu’il a<br />
personnellement téléphoné chez les<br />
familles des martyrs pour essayer de<br />
partager leurs douleurs et qu’il trouva<br />
que les veuves, les enfants, les frères,<br />
les mères et les pères de ces martyrs ne<br />
se plaignaient pas de la volonté divine.<br />
En quelque sorte, ils déclaraient que<br />
ces sacrifices à part, la dernière goutte<br />
de leur sang est prêt à être versée pour<br />
la communauté du Messie Promis as .<br />
Hudhour Anwar déclara : « les martyrs<br />
se sont présentés auprès d’Allah<br />
en faisant preuve d’une résistance<br />
exemplaire et jouissent d’une vie<br />
éternelle. Ces vaillants membres de la<br />
Jama’at ont fait offrande de leurs vies<br />
en implorant Allah et en invoquant les<br />
bénédictions sur le Saint Prophète sa ».<br />
Hudhour Anwar ajouta que dans les<br />
Direction de Hadrat Khalifatul Massih V aa<br />
versets récités au commencement de<br />
ce sermon, il est dit : « ceux qui font<br />
preuve de résistance au moment des<br />
souffrances, les anges les réconfortent<br />
et ils jouissent de la protection divine<br />
». Ils méritent les bonnes nouvelles de<br />
la victoire et du soutien divin. Mais<br />
une persévérance s’impose. Bénis sont<br />
les gens de <strong>Lahore</strong> qui ont fait preuve<br />
de fermeté. Le Messie Promis as avait<br />
eu une révélation : « Nous avons de<br />
vertueux membres à <strong>Lahore</strong> » «Et Nous<br />
avons des gens angéliques qui nous<br />
sont chers». (Tadhkira p.482). Hudour<br />
Anwar en s’adressant aux Ahmadis<br />
de <strong>Lahore</strong> dit : «C’est votre distinction<br />
vous devez la préserver».<br />
Hudhour Anwar déclara que les<br />
adversaires n’avaient pas uniquement<br />
l’intention de causer des dégâts<br />
physiques, ils avaient aussi d’autres<br />
objectifs tel que semer la terreur au<br />
sein des Ahmadis mais ils ont voué à<br />
l’échec. Ils ignoraient que par la grâce<br />
d’Allah, les Ahmadis sont des gens<br />
qui implorent l’aide d’Allah à travers<br />
la patience et ne cherchent que la<br />
protection divine. Nous ne confions<br />
nos affaires qu’à Dieu seul.<br />
En citant les histoires inspirantes des<br />
sacrifices courageux des martyrs et<br />
ensuite en détaillant les sentiments<br />
des ainés, des mères, des sœurs, et<br />
des frères, Hudour dit : « Ce sont<br />
des gens, ce sont des mères, qui ont<br />
été élevés par le Messie Promisas.<br />
Ils forment un exemple parfait du<br />
sacrifice. Elles ne se soucient pas de<br />
l’état de leurs enfants qui se sont<br />
donnés pour la cause divine, elles ne<br />
font qu’invoquer les supplications<br />
à l’endroit de la communauté toute<br />
entière. En interpellant les mères<br />
Ahmadies Hudour Anwar dit : «ô les<br />
mères Ahmadies, ne laisser jamais<br />
faner ce zèle et ces sentiments nobles<br />
et purs. Aussi longtemps que ce zèle<br />
restera intact aucun ennemi ne pourra<br />
faire le moindre mal à la jama’at ».<br />
Houdhour Anwar poursuivit en disant<br />
« le média pakistanais aussi a fait<br />
mention de ces actes de barbarisme.<br />
Qu’Allah les récompense aussi et<br />
que dorénavant aussi II leur donne le<br />
courage de dire la vérité. On a aussi<br />
reçu les déclarations et les messages<br />
de condoléances de plusieurs pays.<br />
Qu’Allah leur accorde, à tous, une<br />
récompense extraordinaire. Hudhour<br />
Anwar indiqua aussi quelques<br />
invocations à pratiquer constamment.<br />
Hudhour Anwar attira également<br />
l’attention sur les prières à l’endroit des<br />
blessés. Il ajouta que ce matin Dr Oumar,<br />
qui faisait parti des blessés, a rendu<br />
l’âme pour la cause divine. Hudhour<br />
Anwar apporta une correction quant à<br />
la lettre d’un Ahmadi. Il détailla aussi le<br />
sacrifice de Monsieur Naimatoullah de<br />
Nārowāl et l’état critique de son enfant<br />
blessé. Hudhour Anwar motiva les<br />
gens à prier pour l’élévation du rang de<br />
tous les martyrs et pour une prompte<br />
guérison de tous les blessés. Il officia<br />
aussi la prière funèbre (janaza Ghaib)<br />
de tous les martyrs après la prière du<br />
Jumu’ah.<br />
33
Au nom d’Allah le Gracieux le Miséricordieux<br />
Le Renouvellement du pacte de fidélité<br />
A la suite des événements tragiques de <strong>Lahore</strong>, nous, membres de la Jama’at islamique<br />
<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> du <strong>Canada</strong>, présentons nos regrets et nos condoléances à l’endroit de notre bien<br />
aimé chef, le Khalifatul Messie le V ab , En cette occasion, nous renouvelons l’engagement<br />
de notre fidélité, en proclamant que nous offrons nos vies, nos biens, nos occupations,<br />
notre honneur dans la voie de l’Islam. Si cette voie de fidélité exige d’avantage de sang,<br />
nous resterons attentifs à cette offrande. Nous promettons, Insha’Allah (si Dieu le veut),<br />
d’avancer avec plus de zèle, d’enthousiasme et de certitude pour rehausser le drapeau de<br />
l’Islam, celui du Saint Prophètesaw, et aussi les couleurs du Messie de Mohammad sa . Nous<br />
croyons avec une ferme conviction que c’est l’<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> seule qui représente le vrai<br />
Islam. C’est elle seule qui est la voie du Saint Prophètesaw et aussi des musulmans des<br />
premiers siècles. C’est le statut du martyrium qui avait été convoité par les prophètes et<br />
par ses véritables serviteurs. Nous sommes certains que l’<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> vaincra finalement<br />
et infailliblement. Et, Insha’Allah, (si Dieu le veut), l‘ennemi ne ferra que vouer l’échec.<br />
Nous déclarons sincèrement et certainement, de manière humble, que nous sommes<br />
offusqués certes, mais nous ne sommes pas abattus. Nos yeux pleurent, mais nous ne sommes pas<br />
pitoyables. Nous sommes chagrinés par le départ de nos frères, mais nous ne nous<br />
lamentons pas. Sous le commandement du Califat de l’<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong>, notre courage est à beau fixe,<br />
notre certitude est immuable, notre détermination est renforcée et nos pas sont<br />
plus fermes que jamais. Sous l’auspice du Califat, nous combattrons à la droite<br />
de notre bien aimé Imam, et à sa gauche. Nous braverons l’adversaire, devant et<br />
derrière notre Imam à travers les flèches des prières, les javelots des mœurs et les<br />
épées sous forme des plumes dont nous nous servirons pour rehausser le drapeau<br />
de l’Islam. Nous réussirons sans aucun doute, car c’est la promesse de Dieu.<br />
Nous supplions notre Dieu, notre Seigneur le Miséricordieux et le<br />
Compatissant, de nous rendre tenaces et de ne pas nous laisser dévier de la voie de la fidélité.<br />
Accorde-nous le pouvoir de tout sacrifier pour le rehaussement de la religion de<br />
Mohammadsaw. Fais de nous de vaillants soldats de l’armé du Messie et Mahdi des<br />
derniers temps. Compte-nous parmi de véritables dévoués du Califat de l’<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong>. Amin.<br />
O notre Dieu, Miséricordieux et Compatissant, grâce aux martyrisés de l’Islam<br />
<strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> et grâce à leur progéniture, ouvre nous les portes de Tes Grâces et de Tes<br />
immenses bénédictions. Fasse que nous soyons des témoins oculaires de la victoire de l’Islam<br />
et accorde nous le pouvoir de hisser le drapeau de Mohammad plus haut que tout autre drapeau.<br />
Ô Dieu, qu’il en soit ainsi, ô Notre cher Dieu, fais que cela soit ainsi. O Maitre de tous les<br />
mondes, fais que cela soit ainsi. Amine thumma Amine.<br />
Nous sommes les membres de la Jama’at Islamique <strong>Ahmadiyya</strong> du <strong>Canada</strong>.
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<strong>2010</strong><br />
Think not of those,<br />
who have been slain in the cause of Allah, as dead.<br />
Nay, they are living, in the presence of their Lord<br />
<strong>The</strong> Holy Qur’an - Chapter 3 - Verse 170