2017 05 The Light May 2017
The International English organ of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam based in Lahore. Presenting the Islam preached by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s). A rational, scientific, liberal, inclusive and peaceful Islam.
The International English organ of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam based in Lahore. Presenting the Islam preached by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s). A rational, scientific, liberal, inclusive and peaceful Islam.
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ِ ی م الرَّحم<br />
ن<br />
ِ<br />
سب اہللِ الرَّْحم ٰ<br />
ْ م ِ<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Light</strong><br />
<strong>2017</strong><br />
April<br />
<strong>May</strong><br />
2016<br />
International Organ of the Centre for the Worldwide<br />
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam<br />
<strong>The</strong> only Islamic organisation upholding the finality of prophethood.<br />
Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at<br />
www.virtualmosque.co.uk<br />
Editors<br />
Shahid Aziz & Mustaq Ali – UK;<br />
Zainib Ahmad – USA;<br />
Gowsia Selim - India<br />
Contents<br />
<strong>The</strong> Call of the Messiah 2<br />
Secret of Success 3<br />
By Mustaq Ali<br />
Islam and Zoroastrianism 5<br />
By Ardeshir Spencer<br />
<strong>The</strong> chapter Hijr of the Holy Quran. 9<br />
By Zainib Ahmad<br />
Broadcasts (UK time)<br />
1. Skype Urdu lecture: Sunday 09:00<br />
2. Live on www.virtualmosque.co.uk<br />
‣ Friday Sermon 13:00<br />
‣ First Sunday of month lecture 15:00.<br />
3. Radio Virtual Mosque<br />
Websites<br />
1. International HQ<br />
2. Research and History<br />
3. <strong>The</strong> Woking Mosque and Mission<br />
4. <strong>The</strong> Berlin Mosque and Mission<br />
5. Quran search<br />
6. Blog<br />
Our Recent English Broadcasts<br />
‣ Enlightenment and Islam<br />
‣ A refutation of Dawkinism<br />
‣ Position of Woman in the Holy Quran<br />
‣ A Friday khutba by a lady<br />
Interesting external links<br />
‣ Muslims in the US military<br />
‣ Reformation or Enlightenment?<br />
‣ Is Passover a Myth?<br />
‣ Civilising Spain<br />
‣ If Alexander Got <strong>The</strong>re, Why Not Jesus?<br />
‣ Who Hold the Keys to Christianity's Holiest<br />
Site?<br />
External Links<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Light</strong> is not responsible for the content<br />
of external sites. <strong>The</strong> inclusion of a link to an external<br />
website should not be understood to be<br />
an endorsement of that website, the views it expresses<br />
or the site's owners (or their products/services).<br />
Some links may have research, which disagrees<br />
with our beliefs. It is for us to consider<br />
such material and provide a rebuttal. Ignoring<br />
it will not make it go away.<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2017</strong> <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Light</strong> 2<br />
<strong>The</strong> Call of the Messiah<br />
by<br />
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam<br />
Ahmad,<br />
<strong>The</strong> Promised Messiah and<br />
Mahdi<br />
Exhortation to the rich and wealthy<br />
O you the rich, the kings, the millionaires,<br />
there are few among you who fear Allah and remain<br />
truthful and steadfast in all His ways. Most<br />
are such that they attach their hearts to the<br />
riches of this world, and spend all their lives in<br />
this obsession without giving any thought to<br />
death. Every rich man who does not address<br />
himself to Allah in prayer, whose attitude to Allah<br />
is one of carelessness, will bear the sins of<br />
all those connected with him. Every rich man<br />
who drinks will bear the sin of all those under<br />
him who drink with him.<br />
O wise ones! This world will not last forever.<br />
Take hold of yourself and be steady. Give up<br />
every excess. Leave all intoxicants. Wines, beer,<br />
whiskey and the like are not the only harmful<br />
drinks. Opium, marijuana, charas, bhanag, taree<br />
1 and all other intoxicants to which you become<br />
addicted all have a deadly effect on the<br />
brain and ultimately prove fatal. You should<br />
keep away from all such things. In fact, we cannot<br />
understand at all how and why you make<br />
the use of such things a habit. Things which, in<br />
front of your own eyes, every year ruin thousands<br />
of people and even bring about their<br />
death. While the punishment to come in the<br />
Hereafter is something different and in addition<br />
to the harm which goes with these things here.<br />
Become righteous and God-fearing, so that<br />
you should live longer, and be blessed by Allah.<br />
Over indulgence in luxurious, easy, irresponsible<br />
living is a curse because as it is disrespectful<br />
and cruel to be indifferent to the suffering of<br />
others.<br />
Every rich man is as answerable for<br />
To convert forcibly to Islam is a belief<br />
which brings disgrace to our religion . . .<br />
Never oppress His creatures, with hand or<br />
word of mouth<br />
properly carrying out his obligations to his Creator<br />
and his fellowmen as is a poor man. In fact,<br />
a rich man is even more answerable. Indeed,<br />
how unfortunate is he, who for the sake of this<br />
brief life in this world, completely turns away<br />
from Allah. <strong>The</strong> one who uses forbidden things<br />
with such audacity as if they were quite lawful;<br />
who, when angry, fulminates against people like<br />
a madman, using abusive language, ready to<br />
wound and kill; and who, in the quest of his lust,<br />
becomes brazen to the extreme. Such a one will<br />
never know real success.<br />
My dear people! You. are in this world only<br />
for a short time, of which a large part has already<br />
passed. Do not displease your Master.<br />
Even a temporal government, if displeased with<br />
you, can destroy you. <strong>The</strong>refore, how much<br />
more is it incumbent on you not to displease<br />
your Creator. No one can destroy you if you are<br />
held righteous in the eyes of the Lord. He, Himself,<br />
will protect you, and no enemy thirsting for<br />
your blood will be able to harm you. Otherwise,<br />
there is no protection for you, and you will have<br />
to live in constant fear of your enemies, uneasy<br />
and restless and full of forebodings, and the<br />
later days of your lives will pass in great anguish<br />
of mind. Allah, Himself, becomes the protection<br />
of those who stand with Him. <strong>The</strong>refore, come<br />
to Him and leave off all kinds of opposition to<br />
Him. Never be negligent in fulfilling the obligations<br />
He has laid on you.<br />
Never oppress His creatures, with hand or<br />
word of mouth, and always remain in fear of the<br />
wrath of heaven, for herein lies the only way to<br />
salvation.<br />
To the learned people of Islam<br />
O you learned people among the Muslims!<br />
Do not be hasty in rejecting me as false. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are many profound secrets which man cannot<br />
comprehend in a hurry or all at once. You<br />
should not be ready to reject a thing the moment<br />
you hear it, for this is not the way of the<br />
righteous. Had there been no fault in you, and if<br />
you had not interpreted certain sayings of the<br />
Holy Prophet in a manner contrary to their real<br />
meaning, then the advent of the Messiah, as a<br />
1 Indian intoxicants<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.
آ<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2017</strong> <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Light</strong> 3<br />
judge and arbitrator among you, would not have<br />
been necessary. … …<br />
<strong>The</strong> mission you assign to this advent,<br />
namely, that he will join forces with the Mahdi<br />
to make war on all to convert them forcibly to<br />
<strong>The</strong> Qur’an is replete with verses that there<br />
can be no compulsion in religion . . .<br />
Islam, is a belief which brings disgrace to our religion.<br />
Where, in the name of goodness, is it<br />
written in the Qur’an that war is permissible for<br />
the sake of spreading one’s religion by force? On<br />
the contrary, we find Allah saying in the Holy<br />
Book: ۖ َلآ آ إِكْر اهآ ِفِ ٱلد ِ ينِ <strong>The</strong>re is no compulsion<br />
in matters connected with religion (2:256). So,<br />
where will the Messiah, son of Mary, get the<br />
right to use force to convert people to Islam?<br />
<strong>The</strong> entire Qur’an is replete with verses teaching<br />
us that there can be no compulsion in religion;<br />
and it is clear on the point that when the<br />
Holy Prophet took up the sword, he did not do<br />
so to spread Islam by this means but only for the<br />
following reasons:<br />
1. As a fitting punishment for those who had<br />
killed large numbers of Muslims, and had driven<br />
out many others from their homes without just<br />
cause. We read in the Holy Book:<br />
يُق ت لُون بِأ نَّهُمْ ظُلِمُ وا۟ ۚ و إِنَّ ٱَّللَّ ع ل ىٰ ن صْ رِ هِ مْ<br />
Permissionل has been given to those who ق دِ ير<br />
fight because they had been oppressed, and Allah<br />
indeed has the power to help them (22:39)<br />
(despite the odds against them).<br />
لِلَّذِ ين أ ُذِ ن<br />
2. Or, those wars were defensive and were<br />
waged against people who were leaving no<br />
stone unturned to destroy Islam and to stop its<br />
propagation, and were using the sword to do so.<br />
3. Or, they were fought to assert legitimate<br />
freedoms. Apart from campaigns undertaken<br />
for these three aims, the Holy Prophet (may the<br />
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and<br />
his blessed immediate successors fought no<br />
war, whatsoever. In fact, before taking up arms<br />
in self-defence, Islam<br />
bore oppression with silent<br />
fortitude to such an<br />
extent that there is no<br />
example in the history of<br />
other peoples of such<br />
forbearance. <strong>The</strong>n, what<br />
kind of a Messiah and Mahdi will these be who<br />
will embark on their mission by putting their<br />
opponents to the sword right from the start?<br />
History bears testimony to the fact that<br />
success does not depend on numbers.<br />
(Kishti-i Nuh — Noah’s Ark, continued)<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
Secret of Success.<br />
by Mr Mustaq Ali<br />
ۥ و آ َلآ تآَنآ آ عُوا۟ فآت آفْشآل ُوا۟<br />
و آ أ آطِ يعُوا۟ آ ٱّلل آ و آ ر آ سُ ول آهُ<br />
ُو ٓ ا۟ ۚ إِن آَّ آ ٱّلل آ م آ عآ آ ٱلص ِبِ ِينآَّ<br />
و آ تآذْ هآب رِ حيُكُ مْ ۖ و آ ٱصْ ِبِ<br />
And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do<br />
not dispute (with one another) lest you lose<br />
courage and your strength depart, and be patient.<br />
Surely, Allah is with those who are As-<br />
Sabirin (the patient). (8:46)<br />
My short talk today it taken from of the<br />
Quran entitled: Success does not depend on<br />
Numbers. I thought that it is an interesting subheading<br />
of the chapter Al Anfal- Voluntary Gifts,<br />
which also means Spoils of war.<br />
This chapter deals with the Battle of Badr,<br />
the first battle that the Muslims had to fight. It<br />
was fought on 13 March 624 (CE) so in a few<br />
days will be the anniversary of this battle. Hazrat<br />
Maulana Muhammad Ali used the literal<br />
meaning of the Arabic word, Anfal, and gave the<br />
title Voluntary Gifts to the chapter because the<br />
Muslim state at that time, did not have an arsenal,<br />
treasury, or army. So, the money and manpower<br />
required to defend themselves were voluntary.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir possessions and their life was offered<br />
for this battle as voluntary gift to defend<br />
this new Ideology (oneness of God) and a<br />
prophet whose character earned him the titles,<br />
Al Amin and As Sadiq- the trustworthy and the<br />
truthful.<br />
It is important to note a few facts about this<br />
battle. <strong>The</strong> Muslims were 313 in number and<br />
had no trained personnel with no sophisticated<br />
weaponry. Unlike the Quarish, who were 1200<br />
in number and had horses, and camels. <strong>The</strong><br />
Muslim army consisted of untrained youth and<br />
a few elderly members.<br />
<strong>The</strong> outcome of this Battle was victory for<br />
the Muslims despite a small number of them<br />
fought against a mighty and<br />
well equipped Quraish army<br />
A look at History<br />
and thus set the stage for one<br />
section of this chapter entitled<br />
– Success Does not depend<br />
of Numbers.<br />
History bears testimony to the fact that success<br />
does not depend on numbers. Let us look<br />
at Abraham who, single handed, stood up to his
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father and his community. <strong>The</strong> Holy Quran tells<br />
us: “And when his Lord tried Abraham with certain<br />
commands he fulfilled them. He said:<br />
Surely, I will make thee a leader of men. (Abraham)<br />
said: And of my offspring? My covenant<br />
does not include the wrongdoers, said He.”<br />
Today the Abrahamic faiths represent almost<br />
half of the population of the world in numbers.<br />
So, Allah fulfilled his promise to Abraham<br />
when he said: “Surely, I will make thee a leader<br />
of men”. Abraham started alone but he was successful<br />
in the end. His success did not depend<br />
on numbers.<br />
Jesus was rejected by his people and had to<br />
undergo public humiliation and attempted<br />
murder. He also came to tell the children of Israel:<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Lord thy God is one.” (Deuteronomy<br />
6 v 4). While they were happy to accept God as<br />
one but when he told them he was the Messiah<br />
sent to lead them to victory they humiliated<br />
him. He was successful in the end but his congregation<br />
was small in numbers.<br />
Noah like the other prophets<br />
mentioned above experienced the<br />
same rejection, his message and<br />
mission was rejected by his people<br />
(Ch. 26 v 1<strong>05</strong>) But they called him<br />
a liar so we delivered him and those with him in<br />
the ark. (Ch. 11 v 40) And they believed not with<br />
him but a few.<br />
Even his son publicly rejected him and the<br />
message he brought to the people of Moses.<br />
Thus, we read in the Quran: “And Noah called<br />
out to his son, and he was aloof: O my son, embark<br />
with us and be not with the disbelievers”.<br />
We all know the outcome of the son, i.e. he<br />
drowned.<br />
Of interest in the story of Noah is his calling<br />
upon Allah to save his son as any of us will do<br />
even when our children are in the wrong but in<br />
the response of Allah is a lesson for us-<br />
Allah said: “O Noah, he is not of thy family;<br />
he is (an embodiment of) unrighteous conduct.<br />
So, ask not of Me that of which thou hast no<br />
knowledge. I admonish thee lest thou be of the<br />
ignorant.” (Ch. 11 v 46)<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
Muhammad (s), like Jesus and Abraham before<br />
him, was rejected by his own people, attempts<br />
were made on his life, he was boycotted<br />
with respect to trade and politically isolated. He<br />
commenced his mission with the support of his<br />
wife and cousin and a handful of followers but<br />
lived to retake his ancestral home without resistance.<br />
His famous words of steadfastness were “If<br />
you put the sun in my right hand and the moon<br />
in my left hand I will never give up the preaching<br />
of Islam”.<br />
Continuing with the trend of Rejection. In<br />
Matthew 21:42 the Holy Prophet Muhammad<br />
(s) is spoken of as the Stone the builders rejected.<br />
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read<br />
in the Scriptures: ‘<strong>The</strong> stone the builders rejected<br />
has become the cornerstone. This is from the<br />
Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? <strong>The</strong>refore<br />
I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken<br />
away from you and given to a people who will<br />
produce its fruit. . .”<br />
HISTORY OF THE PROPHETS SHOWS<br />
So, have we figured<br />
it out yet? <strong>The</strong><br />
formula for success<br />
is that small numbers<br />
are rejected by<br />
the masses and family but steadfastness in the<br />
cause of the truth achieves success.<br />
THAT THEIR SUCCESS DID NOT DEPEND ON<br />
THE NUMBER OF THEIR FOLLOWERS BUT<br />
UNITY AND STEADFASTNESS IN THE FACE<br />
OF OPPOSITION.<br />
Admonition from the Reformer of the<br />
age<br />
This Reformer of the age Hazrat Mirza Ghulam<br />
Ahmad has written: -<br />
“My followers will be prevented from fulfilling<br />
many of their aspirations but be not heavy<br />
hearted.<br />
“O my friends who have entered a covenant<br />
with me, may God enable me and you to such<br />
things as would please Him.<br />
“Today you are small in numbers and are being<br />
treated with contempt. You are passing<br />
through a great period of trial. You will be harassed<br />
in every way and you will have to bear with<br />
all manners of talk. Each one of those who inflict<br />
misery upon you with his tongue or with his<br />
hands will do it in the belief that he is doing it in<br />
the service of Islam. You will also be tried from
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heaven so that you are tried in every possible<br />
way.<br />
“For you the road to victory does not lie in dry<br />
logic or in returning abuse with abuse . . . God Almighty<br />
looks down and loathes upon this behaviour<br />
. . .” (Izala Auham, p546-547)<br />
This Jamaat (the AAIIL UK) is one of the<br />
smallest in numbers, we are rejected every day<br />
because of our stance — to hold religion above<br />
the world, but we remain a thorn in the side of<br />
those who pretend that religion is first in their<br />
life. Those who reject us are the ones who cast<br />
doubts into the minds of men but they could not<br />
do this to the elders of our Jamaat as they possessed<br />
a different kind of steadfastness and conviction.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were not easily swayed by the<br />
promise of worldly gains and they worked with<br />
zealousness for the emancipation of the truth<br />
and the elimination of falsehood.<br />
Why don’t we have the same success, we are<br />
small in numbers but great in means, where is<br />
our success? None of us is hard up for a “few<br />
bob”. <strong>The</strong> stories I have read about the friends<br />
of the Promised Messiah was that sometimes<br />
they did not have food in their house.<br />
Our numbers are small, our doctrine is the<br />
same, our rejection is greater, so what is lacking<br />
is our steadfastness. We are too easily swayed<br />
by those in authority and even family and thus<br />
our power to love and stand by each other depreciates<br />
and weakens us.<br />
This is what the verse of the Quran means<br />
when it states: “do not dispute with each other<br />
least you lose courage and your strength departs”<br />
When this happens then communities<br />
fall apart, jamaats split and battles are lost.<br />
Central to the avoidance of this sort of<br />
breakdown is love for each other and love for<br />
the Quran. This is the unique characteristic of<br />
the Promised Messiah, i.e. his love for the<br />
Quran. This led him to write a couplet which we<br />
all know امجل و ِنسُح رقآن ونر اجنِ رہ املسمن ےہ which means:<br />
the elegance and beauty of the Quran is the life<br />
of every Muslim. And,<br />
ےتہک ںیہ ِنسُحویفس دشکل تہب اھت نکیل<br />
which means: “it is said that Joseph's beauty<br />
had exceptional charm but the Quran has surpassed<br />
everyone else in elegance and attractiveness.”<br />
We need to hold fast to the rope of Allah and<br />
be not disunited, as a Jamaat we need to have<br />
the same goals and focus. We are admonished<br />
elsewhere in the Quran about another aspect of<br />
our being and that causes the loss of love<br />
amongst us and that is fault finding-<br />
“O, you who believe, let not people laugh at<br />
people, perchance they may be better than they;<br />
nor let women laugh at women per chance they<br />
may be better than they. Neither find fault with<br />
your own people nor call one another by nick<br />
names. Evil is a bad name after faith and whoso<br />
turns not these it is that are the iniquitous.” (Ch<br />
49 v 11)<br />
Finding fault with each other is the cornerstone<br />
of a weak hearted person who does not<br />
have the courage to correct themselves but sees<br />
it fit to spot the weakness or fault in someone<br />
else.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bible beautifully elucidates this in:<br />
“Thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of<br />
thine own eye and then shall thou see clearly to<br />
cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew<br />
7 v 5)<br />
In the Hadith of Adu Dawood and Tirmidhi<br />
our Prophet says: -"Each of you is the mirror of<br />
his brother, so if he sees any fault in him he should<br />
wipe it away." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1286)<br />
Narrated Abu Barzah al-Aslami: <strong>The</strong><br />
Prophet (s) said: O community of people, who believed<br />
by their tongue, and belief did not enter<br />
their hearts, do not back-bite Muslims, and do not<br />
search for their faults, for if anyone searches for<br />
those who inflict misery upon you with his<br />
tongue or with his hands will do it in the belief<br />
that he is doing it in the service of Islam.<br />
their faults, Allah will search for his fault, and if<br />
وخیب و دِ ربلی ںیم بس ےس وسا ء یہیےہ<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.
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Allah searches for the fault of anyone, He disgraces<br />
him in his house.” (Sunan of Abu Dawood,<br />
Number 2283)<br />
What harm can come because of fault finding?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prophet said, "Beware of suspicion, for<br />
suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not<br />
look for the others' faults and do not spy, and do<br />
not be jealous of one another, and do not desert<br />
(cut your relationship with) one another, and do<br />
not hate one another; and O Allah's worshipers!<br />
Be brothers (as Allah has ordered you)!" (Sahih<br />
Al Bukhari, Vol. 8 Number 90)<br />
If Allah mentions this trait of human frailty<br />
in us, if our Prophet warns us against it, then<br />
surely it must affect us in some way.<br />
Psychologist Dr Joseph M Carver, PhD wrote<br />
about the psychology of fault finding: “No person<br />
on earth is “perfect” and everyone has flaws<br />
and faults. This means that eventually you will<br />
find fault with everyone around you and by your<br />
own admission, you will then not only dislike<br />
them, but dislike being around them. <strong>The</strong>y will<br />
irritate you. You will eventually reach a point<br />
where you are uncomfortable in any social environment,<br />
because someone there will have a<br />
flaw. Keep in mind that being imperfect and<br />
having a flaw is only by your interpretation of<br />
what you see.<br />
Those you identify as being imperfect and<br />
having flaws cause you emotional distress. You<br />
not only dislike (a negative emotional state) being<br />
around them but find them irritating. Your<br />
mood will be constantly changing — always to<br />
the negative — based on those around you. As<br />
this happens, your current friends will slowly<br />
detach from you, you will interpret that detachment<br />
as a flaw, you’ll then dislike them, and<br />
you’ll be lonely. This current personality theme<br />
has no positive impact on your life.<br />
In an ironic twist,<br />
your need to find fault<br />
with people for failing<br />
your personal standards<br />
of perfection, then<br />
personality.<br />
allowing yourself to be<br />
emotionally upset by<br />
them, is a significant flaw in your personality.<br />
your need to find fault with people<br />
. . . is a significant flaw in your<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
Perhaps the biggest irony is that your friends,<br />
who probably experience your moods, negativity,<br />
and frequent criticism of those around you,<br />
accept your flaws and imperfection and remain<br />
your friends.<br />
This negativity puts you at higher risk for<br />
depression, stress, anxiety, and even job/career<br />
loss.<br />
In the future, this is not a good characteristic<br />
to have for many reasons. Under stress, our<br />
natural personality is amplified. Dependent<br />
people become more dependent and aggressive<br />
people become more aggressive — that kind of<br />
thing. Your hypercritical view of others, when<br />
you find yourself under stress, will be amplified,<br />
isolating you from those around you and eventually<br />
turning on you, becoming self-critical.<br />
This negativity puts you at higher risk for depression,<br />
stress, anxiety, and even job/career<br />
loss.<br />
To prevent ourselves from falling into the<br />
cycle of suspicion, fault finding and dissent, remember<br />
the 6 C's. Always Compliment, Congratulate<br />
and Commend; never should we complain,<br />
criticise and have contempt.<br />
<strong>The</strong> price we must pay now for success tomorrow<br />
is - that we remain steadfast and unrelenting<br />
in our duty to Allah and not find fault<br />
with each other.<br />
Islam and Zoroastrianism<br />
By Ardeshir Spencer<br />
(Editor’s note: This article by a Zoroastrian<br />
compares Islamic and Zoroastrian religious<br />
practice. <strong>The</strong> author’s object is to try to show<br />
that Islam copied its practices from Zoroastrianism.<br />
However, the Holy Quran says: “And<br />
surely the same is in the Scriptures of the ancients.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Holy Quran (26:196) Islam is not a<br />
new religion but perfects all earlier<br />
religions.)<br />
It would be appropriate if we<br />
can discuss the startling similarities<br />
between some practices of Islam<br />
and Zoroastrianism. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
parallels go beyond coincident. I will endeavour
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to enumerate a few here:<br />
Requirements of prayers: Islam enjoins its<br />
followers to pray 5 times a day and is called by<br />
the Muezzin to his prayers. <strong>The</strong>se prayers are at<br />
i) Dawn ii) Noon iii) Afternoon iv) Sunset v)<br />
Night.<br />
01. Zoroastrianism also enjoins prayers 5<br />
times a day called "Geh". <strong>The</strong> devotee is summoned<br />
by the ringing of a bell in the<br />
AtashBehram / Agiary. <strong>The</strong>se prayers are also at<br />
the same time as in Islam and their respective<br />
names are:<br />
fast in the day and only break their fast after<br />
sunset. In Zoroastrianism, the month of Bahman<br />
has similar connotations wherein all are<br />
requested to particularly abstain from flesh.<br />
Perhaps in the age of the Sassanian dynasty the<br />
month of Bahman was observed as Ramzan is<br />
now.<br />
06. Ascent into Heaven: <strong>The</strong> hagiography of<br />
Islam assures us that Prophet Mohammad ascended<br />
to heaven from Jerusalem on the mythical<br />
beast Burrrak. He crossed the 7 spheres, exchanged<br />
greetings with the patriarchs and beheld<br />
the glory of God.<br />
Islamic Time Zoroastrianism<br />
Fajar Dawn Havaan<br />
Zohar Noon Rapithwan<br />
Asr Afternoon Uziren<br />
Maghrib Evening Mazreem<br />
Isha Night time Ushaen<br />
02. Pre-requisites of Prayer: On entering the<br />
mosque and prior to commencing prayers a<br />
Muslim must cover his head and wash his face<br />
and limbs. Similarly, a Zoroastrian on entering<br />
the Agiary will cover his head, wash his face and<br />
limbs and perform the Padyaab Kusti before<br />
commencing his prayers.<br />
03. <strong>The</strong> Prayers: Prayers in Islam are in Arabic<br />
only, though translations/transliterations<br />
are available. <strong>The</strong> liturgy must be conducted in<br />
Arabic only. In Zoroastrianism too, prayers<br />
must be recited in Avesta or in Pazend only. In<br />
fact, in Aveatan prayers Pazend portions must<br />
be recited in an undertone so as not to break the<br />
seamless flow of Avestan Manthravani.<br />
04. Sanctum Sanctorum and its veneration:<br />
<strong>The</strong> holiest spot in a Mosque is the wall facing<br />
Mecca and is called the Qiblah. In the<br />
Atashbehram/Agiary the room where the Atash<br />
Padshah is enthroned is also called the Keblaah.<br />
A Muslim will perform the Sajdah in front of the<br />
Qiblah and so also will the Zoroastrian perform<br />
the Sezdah before his Keblaah. Both involve<br />
kneeling and touching the forehead to the<br />
ground.<br />
<strong>05</strong>. A Holy Month: In Islam Ramzan is the<br />
holy month in which all Muslims are required to<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Dinkard tells us that at the entreaties of<br />
Asho Zarthustra Bahman Ameshaspand transcendentally<br />
elevated his consciousness to the<br />
realm of heaven wherein Asho Zarthustra<br />
looked at the refulgent majesty of God. A similar<br />
journey was attributed to the virtuous Ardaviraf<br />
who visited hell, purgatory and heaven during<br />
his spiritual journey.<br />
<strong>The</strong> above similarities are obvious. A more<br />
careful research would reveal more parallels.<br />
However even these points are too close to be<br />
dismissed as mere coincidences. This means<br />
Zoroastrianism has had an enormous impact on<br />
Islam which is not acknowledged. Everyone<br />
agrees Islam owes a lot to Judaism and Christianity<br />
but I feel that the scholars of Islam borrowed<br />
very heavily from Iran and this can be<br />
perhaps attributed to that shadowy figure of<br />
Dastur Dinyar (Salman Farsi). This debt is so<br />
impressive that it had to be consistently downgraded<br />
and later denied. After all, if Islam is supposedly<br />
directly inspired by God it cannot be<br />
seen to be acknowledging any debt to an older<br />
faith, specially the faith of a nation which Islam<br />
has defeated. This may perhaps explain the devotion<br />
of your Persian Imams to my Faith.<br />
07. Chinvat Bridge (<strong>The</strong> Siraat Bridge): According<br />
to ancient Persian myth, when a person<br />
dies, the soul remains by the body for three<br />
days. On the fourth, it travels to Chinvat Bridge<br />
(the Bridge of the Separator, also call Al-Sirat),<br />
accompanied by gods of protection. <strong>The</strong> bridge<br />
is "finer than a hair and sharper than a sword"<br />
and spans a deep chasm teeming with mon-
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sters. On the other side of the bridge is the gateway<br />
to paradise.<br />
08. Hell: Demons guard the foot of the<br />
bridge and argue with the gods over the soul's<br />
fate. <strong>The</strong> actions of the dead person, both good<br />
and bad, are weighed, and the soul is either allowed<br />
to cross or denied access to the bridge.<br />
Spirits whose evil outweighs their good fall into<br />
the demon-infested pit to face eternal torment.<br />
In this abyss of the damned, each soul is tortured<br />
by a GHOUL that represents its sins in life.<br />
Once fallen into the gulf, no soul can escape the<br />
horrors of hell through its own power.<br />
Zoroaster, a sixth century BC religious<br />
leader, had warned his followers of this obstacle<br />
to heaven but he promised to lead his flock<br />
safely across. <strong>The</strong> ancient manuscript Gathas<br />
(Songs of Zoroaster) explains that the Bridge of<br />
the Separator "becomes narrow for the wicked,"<br />
whereas the holy can easily pass unharmed. (In<br />
Gathas, the fair god Rashnu is named as the<br />
judge who helps determine who is worthy of<br />
salvation and who must be damned.) All infidels<br />
(non-believers) fall into hell, which the prophet<br />
says has been created especially for the "followers<br />
of the lie."<br />
<strong>The</strong> legends are sketchy but assert that<br />
Chinvat Bridge is located somewhere in the far<br />
north. It is a place of filth where the damned endure<br />
physical tortures and spiritual agony.<br />
Souls who are unsuccessful in crossing the<br />
Chinvat Bridge suffer these torments until Ahraman,<br />
the evil god of Zoroastrianism, is destroyed<br />
by the good god Orzmahd during the<br />
Last Judgement. At this time, lost spirits are restored<br />
to the truth since "the lie" has been eradicated,<br />
or they face final annihilation.<br />
at first, speak of the process of consecrating<br />
these three grades of the sacred fire. For example,<br />
he falls on his knees in his prayers; he lowers<br />
his head and bows; he raises his hands towards<br />
Heaven. All these ways or rites, which<br />
symbolize service or obedience or homage to<br />
God, are done occasionally.<br />
<strong>The</strong> candidate is to say his prayers five<br />
times during the day. He is expected to pass his<br />
time in a religious or pious mood. <strong>The</strong> candidate<br />
has, during these six days, to pass his time in<br />
prayers during the five Gahs and to observe all<br />
the observances of saying the grace at meals,<br />
etc. He is not to come into contact with any non-<br />
Zoroastrian.<br />
<strong>The</strong> five periods for the performance of the<br />
ceremony:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bui ceremony is performed five times<br />
every day. It is performed at the commencement<br />
of each of the five Gahs or periods of the<br />
day which correspond to a certain extent, with<br />
the canonical hours of the Christians.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se periods are the following:<br />
(1) Hawan. It begins from early morning<br />
when the stars begin to cease to appear, and<br />
lasts up to 12 O’clock when the sun comes overhead.<br />
Literally, it means the time when the ceremony<br />
of pounding the Haoma is performed.<br />
(2) Rapithwin. It runs from 12 o'clock noon<br />
to 3 p. m. Literally, it means the pith (pithwa) or<br />
the middle part of the day (ayare ).<br />
(3) Uzerin. It runs from 3 p.m. to the time<br />
when the stars begin to appear. Literally, it<br />
means the time of the advancement of the sun.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Five Ritual Zoroastrian Prayers<br />
<strong>The</strong> five prayers were developed after the<br />
Prophet Zoroaster.<br />
1. <strong>The</strong>re are three grades of the Sacred Fire-<br />
(A) <strong>The</strong> Sacred Fire of the Atash Behram, (B)<br />
that of the Atash, Adaran and (C) that of the<br />
Atash Dadgah. <strong>The</strong>se three have their different<br />
rituals of consecration and different rituals for<br />
the daily prayers at the five times (gahs) of the<br />
day, when they are fed with fresh fuel. We will,<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
(4) Aiwisruthrem. It runs from nightfall to<br />
midnight.<br />
(5) Ushahin. It runs from midnight to dawn<br />
when the stars begin to cease to appear.<br />
<strong>The</strong> priest performs the Kusti-padyab (i.e.,<br />
performs ablutions and unties and puts on the<br />
Kusti again with the recital of a prayer).<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bui ceremony in an Atash Behram: A<br />
priest who has performed the Khub ceremony,
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performs the Kusti-padyab at the commencement<br />
of each new Gah, i.e., the period of the day,<br />
as described above, and then recites his Farziyat,<br />
i.e., the necessary prayers, which are the<br />
Srosh-baj, the Gah according to the time of the<br />
day, and the Khwarshed and Mihr Niyayeshes<br />
during the day periods, i.e., the above named<br />
first three gahs.<br />
During the night-periods which form the<br />
last two gahs, the Khwarshed and Mihr Niyayeshes<br />
are replaced by Srosh Yasht (Yasna<br />
57) and Srosh Hadokht. He then goes into the<br />
sacred chamber, puts on white gloves, places<br />
some frankincense over the Sacred Fire, and<br />
then the Ma chi, i.e., the six pieces of sandalwood<br />
as said above. If sandalwood is not obtainable,<br />
six pieces of any other kind of clean good wood<br />
will do. (<strong>The</strong> Religious Ceremonies and Customs<br />
of the Parsees by J. J. Modi, Bombay, 1922.<br />
Part 3)<br />
Surah Hijr - <strong>The</strong> Rock<br />
Reflections on Section 1<br />
By Zainib Ahmad<br />
<strong>The</strong> name given to the 15th Surah of the<br />
Quran may be understood in various ways. It<br />
could refer to the dwellers of the Rock, mentioned<br />
in verse 80 of the surah. <strong>The</strong> ruins of<br />
Petra, as they are now called, were the dwellings<br />
of the nation of Thamud, or the Nabataeans,<br />
presently found in Jordan. <strong>The</strong> Prophet Salih<br />
was sent to this nation, who were eventually<br />
destroyed for persistent wickedness. <strong>The</strong>se ruins<br />
were on the route of trade caravans to Syria<br />
in the time of the blessed Prophet Muhammad.<br />
It must have served as a powerful message to<br />
the people of those times, as shown by this hadith:<br />
<strong>The</strong> concept of hijr, or rock, invites reflection<br />
upon the rock cycle, a scientific process<br />
through which various types of rock are formed<br />
and broken down. <strong>The</strong>re are three main types of<br />
rocks: igneous, or rocks formed when magma<br />
flows out as lava, and cools; sedimentary,<br />
formed when rocks are broken down by weathering<br />
and erosion and then compacted together;<br />
and metamorphic, which are formed<br />
when rocks are exposed to heat and pressure,<br />
and they melt and change form.<br />
Reference is made to the changing forms of<br />
rocks in 2:74. “<strong>The</strong>n your hearts hardened after<br />
that, so that they were like rocks, rather worse<br />
in hardness. And surely there are some rocks<br />
from which streams burst forth; and there are<br />
some of them which split asunder so water<br />
flows from them and there are some of them<br />
which fall down for the fear of Allah. And Allah<br />
is not heedless of what you do.”<br />
If we consider rocks to be like the hearts of<br />
people, or simply as types of people, we can say<br />
that while we are all subject to challenges in life,<br />
they change us in different ways, depending on<br />
how we react. We can turn into precious stones<br />
as a result of the tribulations we persevered<br />
against. We can also crumble under the stress.<br />
Overall, we can conclude that everything is<br />
changing. Even something apparently immovable<br />
and unyielding as a rock, is undergoing constant<br />
change. <strong>The</strong> sand particles that we see<br />
once used to be mighty rocks. Similarly, are giant<br />
obstacles removed and the mighty reduced<br />
to humility.<br />
To summarize, rocks can be a metaphor for<br />
the human heart, for faith, for the changes we<br />
undergo in life, and for the obstacles that we<br />
face in the path of our goals.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Messenger of Allah passed through Al-<br />
Hijr on his way to Tabuk. He covered his head and<br />
urged his camel to go faster, saying to his Companions:<br />
Do not enter the dwellings of those who were<br />
punished unless you are weeping, and if you do not<br />
weep then make yourself weep out of fear that perhaps<br />
what struck them may also strike you.” (Bukhari)<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
This surah continues the themes of Surah<br />
Ibrahim: strengthening the faith of the believers<br />
by reinforcing important faith concepts, giving<br />
them examples of people who followed those<br />
concepts and lead a godly life, while warning<br />
those who rebel to the point of harming the progress<br />
of goodness.<br />
1: I Allah am the Seer. <strong>The</strong>se are the verses of<br />
the book and a Quran that makes manifest. We
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often need a reminder that holding the Quran is<br />
like holding a miracle in our hands. It is easy to<br />
forget the awe and the majesty of the Quran,<br />
since we have been blessed with easy access to<br />
it. We have one on our bedside table, and our<br />
bookshelf, nestled among other books. It is easy<br />
to be unmindful of the fact that these are Allah’s<br />
words on paper. Why is the<br />
Quran important? It makes<br />
things clear, open, visible. Allah’s<br />
attribute of seeing is<br />
stated in the beginning to emphasize<br />
this point. Allah sees<br />
the souls, the innermost of our thoughts, the reality<br />
of everything, the past, and where we are<br />
headed.<br />
2: Often will those who disbelieve wish that<br />
they were Muslims. This verse beautifully connects<br />
to the first, telling us about matters Allah<br />
knows and sees, but we may not see: those who<br />
don’t acknowledge the truth about the reality of<br />
the world, also called religion, often wish that<br />
they knew it. <strong>The</strong>y will wish that they were<br />
among those who submitted and turned themselves<br />
entirely towards Allah to get guidance<br />
and strength, and then turned to people in their<br />
lives to treat them well and act in the best manner<br />
in all life situations. Another place in the<br />
Quran this is described as “. . . whoever rejects<br />
evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most<br />
trustworthy hand hold”.<br />
And, “Whoever assigns partners to Allah, it<br />
is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds<br />
had snatched him, or the wind had thrown<br />
him to a far-off place. (22:31) In other words,<br />
they are at the mercy of temporary things.<br />
In our lives, the concept that being a believer<br />
is a huge blessing, helps our faith stay<br />
strong, when it is hard to hold on to faith, as our<br />
blessed Prophet said, “<strong>The</strong> people will see a<br />
time of patience in which someone adhering<br />
to his religion will be as if he were grasping<br />
a hot coal.” (Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2260)<br />
When I talk to other parents of teenagers<br />
and they hear that Islam does not endorse<br />
drinking, dating, partying, they are surprised<br />
and impressed and I can sense that they are<br />
wishing that they had a faith that gave them<br />
<strong>The</strong> Holy Quran is important<br />
because it makes things<br />
clear, open and visible for<br />
everyone.<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
such values. <strong>The</strong> research about addictions to<br />
drugs, drinking and gambling shows that there<br />
is a genetic component to addiction. <strong>The</strong> Islamic<br />
teaching of staying away completely from harmful<br />
things makes much more sense than “responsible<br />
drinking”, or a culture which accepts<br />
experimenting with drugs and wild partying, in<br />
which a person may suffer irreparable<br />
harm, and spend the rest of<br />
their life fighting that addiction.<br />
Since it is more beneficial to<br />
apply the Quran to ourselves than<br />
to some hypothetical “other”, this verse can refer<br />
to the times in our lives when we don’t exert<br />
ourselves to draw closer to Allah. When we neglect<br />
our spiritual side, our soul, we will surely<br />
regret it later and wish we had used all the precious<br />
few days of our lives to strengthen our<br />
connection to the Divine.<br />
Verse 3: Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves,<br />
and let (false) hopes beguile them, for they<br />
will soon know. This verse answers the question<br />
that, if people wish they were Muslim, why do<br />
they not fully submit to Allah? What stops them.<br />
<strong>The</strong> answer is clearly given: it is the allurements<br />
and distractions of life. Enjoyment beyond what<br />
is necessary to recharge ourselves, and excessive<br />
consumption, rampant in modern society is<br />
what keeps people away from an abiding commitment<br />
to good. A carefree, casual, fun loving<br />
attitude towards life without seriously considering<br />
the reality of our existence is the path to<br />
loss. We are reminded in surah Asr: if we are not<br />
actively moving towards doing good, we are in<br />
loss and time is our witness.<br />
Verse 4: And never did We destroy a town but<br />
it had a decree made known. This verse speaks<br />
of the destruction that comes upon groups or<br />
towns, when warnings and reminders go unheeded.<br />
Allah is Just, Merciful, so He always<br />
gives multiple warnings. If we take the analogy<br />
of a teacher in a classroom, the test is not given<br />
as a surprise, rather is announced ahead of<br />
time, and quizzes are given, preparation techniques<br />
are taught as much as possible. Allah<br />
shares the pains our blessed Teacher Muhammad<br />
took by saying in Surah Kahf: will you kill<br />
yourself with grief if they do not believe? <strong>The</strong>
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decree of doom is not some arbitrary judgement,<br />
but the result seen by someone who insisted<br />
on advancing towards the fire despite all<br />
warnings. <strong>May</strong> Allah protect us.<br />
Verse 5: No people can hasten on their doom,<br />
nor can they postpone (it). Verse further explains<br />
the previous point, that the syllabus of<br />
life is laid out and we are given the chance to<br />
pass through various stages of development, in<br />
the hope that we take charge of our lives and set<br />
forth on the path of self-awareness and self-improvement.<br />
A student who does not do well initially<br />
is not expelled from the course or class,<br />
but given other chances. Allah, the most Merciful<br />
of all those who show mercy, gives us all the<br />
chances and warnings, even if we throw them<br />
away. Once our time is up, the doom comes as a<br />
natural consequence because we were on a<br />
crash course and refused to change direction. A<br />
critical mass has been reached and the time for<br />
results has come. <strong>The</strong>re is tremendous wisdom<br />
in the fact that there is a time for everything,<br />
even when we cannot see it<br />
Verse 6: And they say: O thou to whom the<br />
reminder is revealed, thou art indeed mad. A dialogue<br />
is often used to show attitudes in the<br />
Quran. <strong>The</strong> first part is an accusation that the<br />
prophet is mad, possessed. Those who speak<br />
the plain truth will surely be scoffed at, made<br />
fun of, their motives and their sanity questioned.<br />
People laugh at and belittle those who<br />
hold fast to religion in these times. We have all<br />
heard things like:<br />
You really believe that stuff? Aren’t you boiling<br />
in all those clothes? Everyone is doing it, so<br />
it’s weird if you don’t. What! You can’t eat all day<br />
when you fast? Not even water? That’s crazy?<br />
Verses 7 and 8: Why do you not bring the angels<br />
to us, if you are of the truthful? We send not<br />
angels but with truth, and then they would not be<br />
respited.<br />
We see in these verses the impatient attitude<br />
of treating religion like an on-demand<br />
movie channel or magic show. Making positive<br />
change in our life is more like a lifelong science<br />
experiment. We must stick with it and be meticulous<br />
to see good results.<br />
Verse 9: Surely, We have revealed the Reminder,<br />
and surely We are its Guardian. This is a<br />
very notable verse in the Quran. Among all the<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.<br />
carping of what people say in ignorance, we are<br />
reminded of the gravitas of the message, and<br />
given a promise and prediction of success, that<br />
ties into the preservation of the book.<br />
I understood the preservation of the Quran<br />
on 3 levels: <strong>The</strong> first level is preservation of the<br />
actual words and book itself. We know that the<br />
verses were written down as they were revealed,<br />
and in the lifetime of the Prophet, they<br />
were collected in the divinely inspired correct<br />
order. In the Caliphs’ time, one standard copy<br />
was made and distributed. <strong>The</strong> details can be<br />
found in the introduction to Maulana Muhammad<br />
Ali’s English translation of the Quran. <strong>The</strong><br />
physical words have also been preserved by<br />
millions who memorize the entire Quran, and<br />
this is phenomenon unique to this book. It is living<br />
testimony to the sublime message of the<br />
Quran, which unlike other books, has not been<br />
deemed too sacred to read or understand.<br />
<strong>The</strong> preservation of the spiritual meanings<br />
is harder than the physical preservation. At<br />
times throughout history the spiritual meanings<br />
have seemed lost, as was evident from the<br />
behaviour of Muslims. Allah took care of this by<br />
regularly sending saints and mujaddids to revive<br />
the spiritual meanings. In the 14th century<br />
Hijrah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the one<br />
who helped us put this holy text on our bedside<br />
table, and to seek depth in its meanings.<br />
<strong>The</strong> third preservation is the hardest of all.<br />
It is the applicability of the Quran, even after a<br />
long passage of time. <strong>The</strong>re is not much use of a<br />
book that we have physically with us, and can<br />
understand the meaning, but we find we cannot<br />
apply it to our modern lives. Allah has provided<br />
for our every need, and so the Quran urges us to<br />
reflect on nature, reflect in general on life and<br />
its meaning, and to use our rational thought<br />
process in the application of this book. This ijtihad,<br />
or deciding about new matters in the light<br />
of the Quran and hadith, is a way to find the applicability<br />
of the Quran in all times. E.g. most of<br />
us have memorized Ayat al Kursi, or the verse of<br />
the Throne. We may also know what it means.<br />
However, when we recite it after our obligatory<br />
prayers, as advised by the blessed Prophet, do<br />
we really understand how it applies to our<br />
lives? What concepts are contained in it, that<br />
when internalized, will lead us to heaven?
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Hence, out of the three types of preservation,<br />
the first two have been done for us, and<br />
handed to us on a silver platter. <strong>The</strong> actual<br />
Quran and meanings are available. It is for us to<br />
must engage in a lifelong struggle for the personal<br />
understanding and application.<br />
Verses: 10-13 And certainly we sent (messengers)<br />
before thee among the sects of yore. And<br />
there never came a messenger to them but they<br />
mocked him. Thus, do we make it enter the hearts<br />
of the guilty. <strong>The</strong>y believe not in it; and the example<br />
of the ancients has gone before.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se words remind us of the human struggles<br />
in life, that one who tries to teach and reform<br />
is ridiculed, and not taken seriously. Advice<br />
from parents and grandparents is laughed<br />
off by kids, as if it came from the Jurassic age.<br />
<strong>The</strong> elders are not immune to the same attitude.<br />
Often, they refuse to listen to new solutions and<br />
points of view, as if everything new is corrupted<br />
and not as good as the good old times.<br />
Because of our own attitude, our hearts may<br />
become hardened and they become like<br />
parched, packed earth in which there is no room<br />
for anything to grow. This condition of closed<br />
and hard heartedness remains, no matter how<br />
many signs are shown. We need to guard ourselves<br />
against this dangerous attitude, and examine<br />
ourselves. What is our first response<br />
when we receive advice?<br />
Verses 14 and 15: And even if We open to<br />
them a gate of heaven, and they keep on ascending<br />
into it, they would say: Only our eyes have<br />
been covered over, rather we are an enchanted<br />
people.<br />
scenes we can scarcely believe. Science has<br />
given us a microscopic view of life as well, no<br />
less fascinating than that of space. Yet instead of<br />
inspiring belief, for many it has done the opposite.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Creator is obscured in the creation. In<br />
the last verse, it is said their eyes have been covered.<br />
We know from daily life that the heart sees<br />
as much as the eyes. If the heart is closed, the<br />
eyes are closed as well. If we want to see Allah’s<br />
signature in everything, we don’t really need<br />
any extraordinary apparatus.<br />
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand<br />
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,<br />
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand<br />
And Eternity in an hour.”<br />
― William Blake, Auguries of Innocence<br />
Yet those who mock and trivialize things do<br />
not have the right mindset to learn anything. It<br />
is a refusal to take responsibility for their own<br />
decisions, a denial any control over their lives.<br />
When life is all about taking the easy way out, it<br />
is hard to find depth in it. And it refers to the<br />
second verse. That those who disbelieve wish<br />
they were Muslims. A time comes when there is<br />
nothing but regret for the time wasted in life.<br />
Points to ponder: What is our spiritual plan<br />
for our lives. Are we going to regret our present<br />
attitudes and how we spent our time? Rumi<br />
says: Work as hard in your spiritual world as in<br />
your physical world.<br />
Allah has preserved the Quran for us. What<br />
are we doing to preserve the Quran for ourselves,<br />
to fully avail ourselves of its beauty and<br />
gifts?<br />
<strong>The</strong> gates of heaven have indeed been<br />
opened for us. <strong>The</strong> cover of heaven has been removed,<br />
as stated in Surah Takwir. We can see<br />
detailed photographs of far off galaxies. <strong>The</strong><br />
Hubble telescope shows us amazing images of<br />
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore (UK)<br />
Founders of the first Islamic Mission in the UK, established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission.<br />
Dar-us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, UK, HA0 4JQ<br />
Centre: 020 8903 2689 ∙ President: 01793 740670 ∙ Secretary: 07737 240777 ∙ Treasurer: 01932 348283<br />
E-mail: info@aaiil.uk<br />
Websites: www.aaiil.org/uk | www.ahmadiyya.org | www.virtualmosque.co.uk<br />
Donations: https://www.cafonline.org/charityprofile/aaiiluk<br />
I Shall Love All Mankind.