2017 07 The Light July 2017

ِ ی م م الرَّح 

ن 

ِ 

سب ا ہللِ‏ الرَّْحم ٰ 

ْ م ِ 

The Light 

2017 

July 

April 

2016 

International Organ of the Centre for the Worldwide 

Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam 

The only Islamic organisation upholding the finality of prophethood. 

Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at 

Editors 

Shahid Aziz & Mustaq Ali – UK; 

Zainib Ahmad – USA; 

Gowsia Saleem - India 

www.virtualmosque.co.uk 

Our Recent English Broadcasts 

‣ Bring Your Children to the Mosque. 

‣ Refuting Dawkins 

Contents 

The Call of the Messiah 2 

Hazrat Ameer’s Eid Message 3 

Theory_of_Evolution Tijana Radeska 3 

Ban_on_Theory_of_Evolution 5 

James Williams 

Lailat_ul_Qadr Ebrahim Mohamed 7 

Identity Theft Iain Dixon 9 

Stellar Artistry Shazia Ahmad 10 

Broadcasts (UK time) 

1. Skype Urdu lecture: Sunday 09:00 

2. Live on www.virtualmosque.co.uk 

‣ Friday Sermon 13:00 

‣ First Sunday of month lecture 15:00. 

3. Radio Virtual Mosque 

Websites 

1. International HQ 

2. Research and History 

3. The Woking Mosque and Mission 

4. The Berlin Mosque and Mission 

5. Quran search 

6. Blog 

‣ Evidence of Conspiracies against the Muslims 

‣ A Call for a Jihad against Trump. 

Interesting external links 

‣ Is Muslim heritage being destroyed? 

‣ Who wrote these books of the Old Testament? 

‣ Don't tell people Muhammad Ali was a 

Muslim! 

‣ Call for a jihad against Trump. 

External Links 

The Light is not responsible for the content 

of external sites. The inclusion of a link to an external 

website should not be understood to be 

an endorsement of that website, the views it expresses 

or the site's owners (or their products/services). 

Some links may have research, which disagrees 

with our beliefs. It is for us to consider 

such material and provide a rebuttal. Ignoring it 

will not make it go away. 

We welcome all scholarly contributions to 

The Light. 

I Shall Love All Mankind.

July 2017 The 

Light 2 

The Call of the Messiah 

by 

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam 

Ahmad 

The Promised Messiah and 

Mahdi 

The aim and end of religion is to know the 

true and living God Who created the world, to 

attain to that stage of perfection in His love at 

which the love of others besides Him is completely 

consumed, to have full sympathy with 

His creatures and to lead a life of true and perfect 

purity. But I see that this aim is utterly neglected. 

In fact, most religious creeds are, in fact, 

one form or other of 

atheism. Almighty God 

is not known and recognised, 

and hence the increasing 

boldness upon the commission of sin. 

For, it is plain that unless we have knowledge of 

a thing, there is no love or fear of it on our part. 

The prevalence of sin in the world is, therefore, 

due to an absence of true knowledge concerning 

the Divine Being. 

The chief criterion of a true religion is that 

it should point out the means to a true 

knowledge of God, so that through knowledge 

men may be kept back from sins, and realising 

the Divine beauty and glory, they may so love 

God as to deem even a momentary estrangement 

from Him more painful than the severest 

tortures of hell. The truth is that freedom from 

sin and the love of God are the highest aims of 

man’s life, and in these lies in fact the true bliss 

which is known as the heavenly life. Every desire 

which goes against the pleasure of God, is 

really a flame of hell-fire, and to indulge in such 

desires is to lead a hellish life. 

The aim and end of religion is . . . to 

have full sympathy with His creatures 

. . . 

I Shall Love All Mankind. 

The question hence arises, how can a man 

be saved from this hellish life? I answer this 

question with the knowledge which I have received 

from God, that no one is saved from this 

fire except by a true and perfect knowledge of 

God. The flood of passions and desires rages 

high and nothing but the embankment of a perfect 

knowledge of God can withstand it. Salvation, 

which means a freedom from the control of 

passions and desires, cannot, therefore, be attained 

unless our faith is based on the impregnable 

fortress of perfect knowledge which no 

flood can destroy. 

The fact that our appraisement of a thing or 

our love or fear of it, depends only upon our correct 

knowledge of it, needs no argument. Give a 

diamond worth a million pounds to a young 

child and he would not set upon it a higher value 

than a mere plaything. If honey mixed with poison 

is given to a person who is ignorant of the 

fact, he would take it for honey and eat it with 

pleasure, not knowing that the effect would be 

fatal. But you cannot thrust your hand into a 

hole which you know to be the hole of a serpent, 

for you know that such an act might bring about 

your destruction. Similarly, no one would dare 

take poison with a 

knowledge of it, for he 

knows that it must 

cause his death. What 

is the reason then that you do not fear the death 

which the transgression of Divine commandments 

must certainly bring down upon you? 

Only that you have not such knowledge of the 

effect of your transgressions as of the biting of a 

snake or of poison. 

It is certain then that the knowledge of loss 

or injury deters a man from doing the deed 

which involves such loss or injury, and no belief 

in redemption can act as such deterrent. Is it not 

true that even the most daring and habitual burglar 

would not break into a house where he is 

sure to be caught and punished? Are not the 

most violent passions subdued when their effect 

is known to be sure and certain destruction? 

A robber would not in broad daylight dare 

to lay his hand upon a bag of money lying in a 

shop when he knows that there is a sufficient 

guard of armed police watching the shop. Are 

criminals restrained from theft and extortion 

because of their firm faith in the redemption of 

sins, or because their hearts feel the awe of execution? 

Or is it truer that the police and the fear 

of punishment are the real deterrents? This is a 

principle the truth of which is witnessed not 

only in the case of men, but also of animals. Even 

a lion in fury would not throw himself into 

burning fire though he sees his prey on the 

other side of it. A wolf would not fall upon a 

sheep at whose head is standing a guard with a 

drawn sword and a loaded gun. (end)



Hazrat Ameer’s Eid ul Fitr 

Message 

Know that Allah gives life to the earth after 

its death (57:17) 

Dear Sisters and Brothers, 

Assalaam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa 

Barakaato Hoo. 

As we celebrate Eid ul Fitr, I praise Allah for 

providing us with the opportunity to fast and 

pray in the Holy month of Ramadan. He has prescribed 

fasting for the Muslims as He did for 

those before. The purpose for enjoining fasting 

is the attainment of taqwa, a state of complete 

submission to Allah. In the state of taqwa, a person 

perceives a sense of regret if he fails to carry 

out the commands of Allah. Islam, which literally 

means submission and complete obedience 

to Allah, expects every Muslim to be muttaqi – 

one who submits completely to the Will of Allah. 

instructions on diet, exercise and regular adherence 

to the drug therapy. 

On the day of Eid our spirit is back to good 

health but we have a great role to play to keep it 

that way. We must make every effort to continue 

the close relationship with Allah that we have 

developed during Ramadan. The regular prayers 

and recitation; and above all understanding 

and acting on the injunctions of the Holy Quran 

that we adhered to during Ramadan must be 

continued. Thus, Eid is the day of resolve to 

keep alive the achievements of Ramadan. 

I pray that we succeed in keeping our resolve. 

Please pray for peace amongst all peoples 

of the world. I wish you all a very Happy Eid ul 

Fitr. 

The First Theory of Evolution 

600 years older than Darwin 

By Tijana Radeska 

Our soul and body are closely connected. 

Both have their own life with health, illness and 

death. In the verse cited above Allah has said 

that He can give life to the dead earth. We observe 

annually the death of trees in autumn and 

then their revival to life in spring. The human 

soul can be similarly revived. The wellbeing of 

the soul is directly dependant on the way it is 

nurtured. Allah has instituted the month of 

Ramadan as an opportunity for humans to fast 

and pray and thus help the sick soul to health or 

even restore it to life after it has become lifeless. 

The soul can be likened to a chargeable battery. 

Ramadan charges the soul through the process 

of fasting and prayer. On Eid day, we could say 

that the battery is fully charged. Now it is up to 

us to keep it forever in that state by charging it 

regularly. 

Let me give you another example. Think of a 

gravely ill patient brought to a doctor who diagnoses 

it as a state of unconsciousness due to diabetes. 

With the correct diagnoses and treatment, 

the patient is back to good health. However, 

the state of unconsciousness is likely to return 

if he ignores the doctor’s advice. To stay 

healthy, he will have to continue following the 


(From Administrative Corner Featured Instant 

Articles News Aug 27, 2016 

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/27/priority-first-theoryevolution-600-years-older-darwin/ 

) 

Nasī r al-Dī n Tu sī 

was a Persian polymath 

and prolific 

writer: An architect, 

astronomer, biologist, 

chemist, mathematician, 

philosopher, 

physician, 

physicist, scientist, 

theologian and 

Marja Taqleed. 

He was of the Ismaili, 

and subse- 

Nasī r al-Dī n Tu sī 

quently Twelver Shī ‘ah, Islamic belief. The Muslim 

scholar Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) considered 

Tusi to be the greatest of the later Persian 

scholars. 

Tusi has about 150 works, of which 25 are 

in Persian and the remaining are in Arabic, and



there is one treatise in Persian, Arabic and Turkish. 

During his stay in Nishapur, Tusi established 

a reputation as an exceptional scholar. 

Tusi’s prose writings represent one of the largest 

collections by a single Islamic author. 

Writing in both Arabic and Persian, Nasir al- 

Din Tusi dealt with both religious (“Islamic”) 

topics and non-religious or secular subjects 

(“the ancient sciences”). His works include the 

definitive Arabic versions of the works of Euclid, 

Archimedes, Ptolemy, Autolycus, and Theodosius 

of Bithynia. 

In his Akhlaq-i-Nasri, Tusi put forward a 

basic theory of the evolution of species almost 

600 years before Charles Darwin was born. He 

begins his theory of evolution with the universe 

once consisting of equal and similar elements. 

According to Tusi, internal contradictions 

began appearing, and as a result, some substances 

began developing faster and differently 

from other substances. He then explains how 

the elements evolved into minerals, then plants, 

then animals, and then humans. Tusi then goes 

on to explain how hereditary variability was an 

important factor for biological evolution of living 

things: 

and help each other.” 

Tusi recognised three types of living things: 

plants, animals, and humans. He wrote: 

“Animals are higher than plants, because 

they are able to move consciously, go after food, 

find and eat useful things. […] There are many 

differences between the animal and plant species, 

[…] First, the animal kingdom is more complicated. 

Besides, reason is the most beneficial 

feature of animals. Owing to reason, they can 

learn new things and adopt new, non-inherent 

abilities. For example, the trained horse or 

hunting falcon is at a higher point of development 

in the animal world. The first steps of human 

perfection begin from here.” 

The Astronomical Observatory of Nasir 

al-Dī n Tusi. 

“The organisms that can gain the new features 

faster are more variable. As a result, they 

gain advantages over other creatures. […] The 

bodies are changing as a result of the internal 

and external interactions.” 

Tusi discusses how organisms are able to 

adapt to their environments: 

“Look at the world of animals and birds. 

They have all that is necessary for defence, protection 

and daily life, including strengths, courage 

and appropriate tools [organs] […] Some of 

these organs are real weapons, […] For example, 

horns-spear, teeth and claws-knife and needle, 

feet and hoofs-cudgel. The thorns and needles 

of some animals are similar to arrows. […] Animals 

that have no other means of defence (as 

the gazelle and fox) protect themselves with the 

help of flight and cunning. […] Some of them, for 

example, bees, ants and some bird species, have 

united in communities to protect themselves 


Tusi then explains how humans evolved 

from advanced animals: 

“Such humans [probably anthropoid apes] 

live in the Western Sudan and other distant corners 

of the world. They are close to animals by 

their habits, deeds and behaviour. […] The human 

has features that distinguish him from 

other creatures, but he has other features that



unite him with the animal world, vegetable 

kingdom or even with the inanimate bodies. […] 

Before [the creation of humans], all differences 

between organisms were of the natural origin. 

The next step will be associated with spiritual 

perfection, will, observation and knowledge. 

[…] All these facts prove that the human being 

is placed on the middle step of the evolutionary 

stairway. According to his inherent nature, the 

human is related to the lower beings, and only 

with the help of his will can he reach the higher 

development level.” (end) 

Turkey Bans Teaching of 

Evolution 

Science is More Than a Belief System 

By James Williams 

Lecturer in Science Education, 

Sussex School of Education and Social 

Work, University of Sussex 

(http://theconversation.com/turkey-bansteaching-of-evolution-but-science-is-morethan-a-belief-system-80123) 

in science are more difficult than evolution, yet 

they still get taught. 

Creationist arguments 

Evolution, creationists argue, is just a theory 

– it’s not proven and so up for debate. Evolutionary 

trees (especially for humans) are regularly 

re-drawn after new fossil discoveries, 

showing how poor the theory is. After all, if the 

theory was correct, this wouldn’t keep changing. 

Often, creationists will pose a challenge for 

science to prove how life started, knowing that 

there is not yet a firm, accepted theory. Finally, 

there’s the king of all arguments: if we all 

evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys? 

These arguments are packed with factual 

inaccuracies and logical fallacies. Evolution 

doesn’t need an explanation of how life started. 

It simply describes how life develops and diversifies. 

Humans did not evolve from monkeys – 

we’re great apes. Modern apes, including humans, 

evolved from now extinct pre-existing 

ape species. We’re related to, not descended 

from, modern apes. 

In the US, there have been many attempts to 

expunge evolution from the school curriculum 

or demand that creationism – the idea that all 

life was uniquely created by God – is given equal 

treatment in science textbooks. While all these 

have failed, the government in Turkey has now 

banned evolution from its national curriculum. 

US creationists want 

both views to be presented, 

to let children decide 

what to believe. Bids 

to reject this are wrongly characterised as attempts 

to shut down debate or free speech – to 

promote a scientific, atheistic, secular, ideology 

over a more moral, ethical, common sense religious 

worldview. 

Turkey’s decision goes much further. This 

isn’t about claiming equal treatment, it’s an outright 

ban. The government justifies it by claiming 

evolution is “difficult to understand” and 

“controversial”. Any controversy however is one 

manufactured by ultra-religious communities 

seeking to undermine science. Many concepts 

. . .evolution itself is not a theory. 

Evolution happens. 


Key creationist misconceptions 

Darwin led a massive step forward. Creationists 

fail to understand that evolution itself is 

not a theory. Evolution happens. Life develops 

and diversifies, new species come into existence. 

We can see intermediate life forms right 

now, such as fish that 

are transitioning to living 

on land and land 

mammals that recently 

transitioned into 

aquatic life. The “theory of evolution” explains 

how evolution takes place. Charles Darwin and 

Alfred Russel Wallace first described the mechanism 

that drives the change — natural selection 

— in 1858. 

Creationists also fail to understand the difference 

between a theory and a law in science. 

This is something that even science graduates 

suffer from, as I’ve noted in my own research. 

Theories explain scientific concepts. They are 

evidenced and accepted by the scientific community. 

Theories are the pinnacle of scientific



explanation, not just a hunch or a guess. Laws 

however have a different role, they describe 

natural phenomena. For example, Newton’s 

laws of gravity do not explain how gravity happens, 

they describe the effects gravity has on 

objects. There are laws and theories for gravity. 

In biology however, there are few laws, so there 

is no law of evolution. Theories do not, given 

sufficient proof, become laws. They are not hierarchical. 

A third issue is the lack of understanding of 

the nature of science. Science aims not to find 

some objective truth, but to elicit an explanation 

of natural phenomena. All scientific explanations 

are provisional. When new evidence is 

found that contradicts what we think we know, 

we change our explanations, sometimes rejecting 

theories that were once thought to be correct. 

Science is always working to try and falsify 

ideas. The more those ideas pass our tests, the 

more robust they are and the greater our confidence 

is that they are correct. Evolution has 

been tested for nearly 160 years. It’s never been 

falsified. Science only deals with natural phenomena, 

it doesn’t deal with or seek to explain 

the supernatural. 

Why the ban is dangerous 

Banning good science undermines all science, 

especially considering evolution’s place 

underpinning modern biology, with plenty of 

evidence to support it. For mainstream scientists, 

the fact that evolution happens is neither 

seriously questioned nor 

controversial. Any controversy 

in discussions of 

evolution resides in the 

role natural selection has 

in driving diversity and 

change, or the pace of that 

change. 

This ban on teaching 

evolution in Turkish 

schools opens the possibility 

that alternative, unscientific ideas may enter 

science teaching, from those who believe in 

a flat earth to deniers of gravity. 

How do we deal with the apparent schism 

Read in the name of thy 

Lord Who creates- Creates 

man from a clot, 

Read and thy Lord is 

most Generous, 

Who taught by the pen, 

Taught man what he 

knew not 


between religious belief and scientific evidence? 

My research and approach has been to distinguish 

between religion, a belief system, and 

science, which works on the acceptance of evidence. 

Beliefs, including but not limited to religious 

beliefs, are often held irrationally, without 

evidence, and are resistant to change. Science is 

rational, based on evidence and is open to 

change when faced with new evidence. In science, 

we accept the evidence, rather than 

“choose to believe”. 

Turkey’s move to ban the teaching of evolution 

contradicts scientific thinking, and tries to 

turn the scientific method into a belief system 

— as if it were a religion. It seeks to introduce 

supernatural explanations for natural phenomena, 

and to assert that some form of truth or explanation 

for nature exists beyond nature. The 

ban is unscientific, undemocratic and should be 

resisted. (end) 

The Significance of Lailatul 

Qadr 

The Night of Majesty 

By Ebrahim Mohamed 

I begin in the name of Allah the Beneficent 

the Merciful. 

Surely, We revealed it on the Night of Majesty 

And what will make thee comprehend what 

The Night of Majesty is? 

The Night of Majesty is 

better than a thousand 

months The angels and the 

Spirit descend in it by the 

Permission of their Lord – 

for every affair- Peace! It is 

till the rising of the morning. 

(97:1-5) 

Lailatul Qadr or the 

‘Night of Majesty’ is the 

name given in the Holy Quran to that eventful 

night when the first five verses of the Holy Quran 

was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad 

(peace be upon him). He was sitting alone in the



cave of Hira when he heard the angel Jibreel announce 

to him Iqra - Read! He said: Fa qoel toe 

maa annaa bi qaari ‘I am not one who can read.’ 

Again Jibreel said Iqra - Read! and again he said: 

Fa qoel toe maa annaa bi qaari ‘I am not one that 

can read.’ And a third time the Angel Jibreel said 

Iqra - Read! and again he said: Fa qoel toe maa 

annaa bi qaari ‘I am not one that can read.’ 

Then Jibreel revealed the following words to 

the Holy Prophet (s): 

Read in the name of thy Lord Who creates- 

Creates man from a clot, 

Read and thy Lord is most Generous, 

Who taught by the pen, 

Taught man what he knew not – (96:1-5) 1 

It is indeed noteworthy that these very first 

verses revealed to the Holy Prophet (s) do not mention 

anything about worship but instead appeal to 

the human intellect and draw attention to man’s 

creation from an insignificant clot of blood. Instead 

it contains the command to ‘read’ the Divine 

Wisdom of which unfolds as we proceed through 

the Holy Quran and we come to realize that worship 

amounts to nothing if not accompanied with 

true understanding and knowledge of a Superior 

Being, that we cannot see with our physical eyes. 

It thus becomes imperative to study and observe 

the works of our Creator and study His nature and 

attributes as manifested in the world we find ourselves 

in, to attain (haqqal yaqeen), absolute certainty 

of His existence. We are commanded to read 

with the assistance of our Rabb, the One Who 

nourishes and sustains us through various stages of 

evolution to perfection. So, our Rabb is our Guide 

along the path to perfect knowledge and absolute 

certainty of His existence. This is the foundation 

on which we are commanded to build our faith in 

Him. Without such a solid foundation of true divinely 

guided knowledge, our faith will be like the 

roots of a tree, which are so weak that. the slightest 

occurrence of a severe 

storm will eventually cause 

it to topple. Sure, 

knowledge of our Rabb, on 

the other hand, strengthens 

the roots of our faith in Him and renders us capable 

to weather all storms of opposition with solid arguments 

in His defence and serves as a shield for 

us against sin. 

This revelation indeed brought about a revolution 

of light and learning in a dark world. Therefore, 

its timing is called ‘Lailatul Qadr’ the Night 

of Majesty. The night refers to the moral and spiritual 

darkness the Arabs, the Jews, and the Christians, 

nay civilization found itself in at the time. 

The revelation on that majestic night sort of unleashed 

a ‘Big Bang’ of spiritual awakening that 

brought about a flurry for knowledge tempered 

with a deep spirituality never experienced before. 

As the Holy Quran says: 

Tannazalul malaai katoe wa ruhu feehaa bi 

idhni Rabbi him min kulli amr 

The angels and the Spirit descend in it by the 

permission of their Lord — for every affair. 

Although the revelation of the entire Quran 

took twenty-three years, the euphoria and majesty 

that accompanied the first revelation that came to 

the Holy Prophet (s) on the night of Lailatul Qadr 

was more glorious than any other time and that is 

why the Holy Quran says, ‘it is better than a thousand 

months.’ A thousand months means a very 

long period of about 83 years which is approximately 

the average life span of a normal human being 

on earth. 83 years is also approximately the 

timing when spiritual revolutions occur in the universe 

with the advents of Mujaddidiyya or spiritual 

Revivers of the Faith raised by Almighty Allah 

Himself. With the advent of a Mujaddid which 

usually coincides with an age of dark nights of corruption 

and irreligion, we again find a spiritual resurgence 

on a large scale. Therefore, it is said that 

when the souls of such holy persons are enlightened 

the ‘angels and the spirit’ again descend on 

the earth like rain by which humble and sincere 

souls, not 

Do men think that they 

will be left alone on saying, 

We believe, and will 

not be tried? 

blinded by ego 

and pompousness, 

are inspired 

1 There is consensus amongst most scholars that the 

last two verses were also part of the first verses revealed. 




and find themselves naturally drawn to such spiritual 

luminaries. We also find with the assignment 

by Almighty Allah of such Revivers of Faith the 

trials and tribulations which the Holy Prophet and 

his companions had to face, resurfacing once again 

as a ‘faith building’ test for the believers. This is 

how Almighty Allah in His Wisdom strengthens 

the believers. The Holy Quran makes it quite clear: 

from today are owing to those pioneer Muslim 

scholars. The question we sadly ask is, ‘Where are 

the scholars of such calibre today?’ Nay most 

scholars today engage in tedious religious debates 

often of a petty and shallow nature with each one 

trying to outdo the other, while the West are already 

on the way to the next galaxy in search of 

knowledge. 

Do men think that they will be left alone on 

saying, We believe, and will not be tried? And indeed, 

We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly 

know those who are true and He will know 

the liars. – 29:2,3 

Here the generations of Believers that will 

come after the era of the Holy Prophet (s) and the 

rightly guided Khalifas, are addressed. Their firmness 

under trial will be tested like those before 

them. Like those before them there will be those 

who will be firm under these trials and those who 

will fall by the wayside. 

The command ‘Iqra’ - ‘Read’ must have baffled 

the Arabs who were not a nation known for its 

literary prowess like 

the ancient Greeks 

for example. In fact, 

they are referred to in 

the Holy Quran as an 

ummi people, meaning 

they were not literary 

well-endowed. 

So, this commandment, to seek true knowledge, is 

for all times even in an advanced age like today. 

History, however, bears out that when this command 

was transmitted to the people by the Holy 

Prophet (s) those Arabs who had abandoned all 

forms of idolatry and adopted Islam as their faith, 

became the torch-bearers of learning and 

knowledge which lasted for many centuries, because 

they were moved into action by these commands. 

The lesson in this is that it is not enough 

merely to make lengthy duas and recite lengthy surahs 

these nights; nay one should also resolve to 

carry into action what we are called upon to do 

here in these verses revealed to the Holy Prophet 

(s) on the night of Laylatul Qadr, to gain the true 

benefits of the guidance provided by the Holy 

Quran. Much of the sciences which we benefit 


By Almighty Allah granting true knowledge to 

humankind is meant His attribute - Raheem, i.e. 

His Mercy that comes in the form of the endless 

benefits humanity derives by putting to good use 

their human faculties and the embellishments their 

Lord has provided them with through His Rahma 

i.e. His Beneficence which knows no boundaries. 

He gives it to whom He pleases whether you are a 

Believer in Him or not. That is why the Quran says, 

‘Thy Lord is Most Generous’ after the command to 

‘Read’. This means that true knowledge is NOT a 

hand-out; rather, it is a reward that comes with hard 

labour. 

The mention of the ‘pen’ in seventh century 

Arabia leaves 

much to ponder 

about. Who would 

have thought, then, 

that there would 

come a time when 

the might of the 

pen would be far 

superior to the 

might of the sword in the defence of Islam? The 

great general in the army of Muhammad (s) in this 

age, Hazrat Mirza Sahib, declared a Jihad bil 

Qalam i.e. a Jihad with the pen in his defence of 

Islam and not a Jihad with the sword or guns and 

bullets. Though he was condemned for this peaceful, 

yet most effective stance he took at the time, 

today everyone agrees that the pen is indeed mightier 

than the sword. The ‘qalam’ or pen, however, 

has a deeper significance in the verse; it is symbolic 

of knowledge of all the perceivable sciences 

not just that pertaining to religion. Nevertheless, 

although we have seen how advanced technology 

has raised the material standards of civilization — 

we have internet; cell phones; televisions etc — we 

can also destroy ourselves intellectually and physically, 

if we do not heed the moral code laid down 

for us to follow by our Rabb (Creator) in His Book, 

Who would have thought, then, 

that there would come a time 

when the might of the pen would 

be far superior to the might of 

the sword in the defence of Islam?



the Holy Quran. 

After the first revelation on the night of 

Laylatul Qadr, there came a lapse of about six 

months during which there was no revelation 

which pressed heavily on the Holy Prophet (s). Finally, 

chapter 74 of the Holy Quran al Muddathir, 

‘The One Who Is Enwrapping Himself,’ was revealed. 

He was commanded thus: 

O Thou who wrappest thy self up 

Arise and Warn – 74:1-2 

This indeed signalled the dawning of a new 

age that would encompass not just certain nations 

but the entire world. The Holy Prophet Muhammad 

(peace be upon him) was charged with the 

completion and perfection of Islam and to take it 

to the whole world. Our Prophet’s lifetime was the 

time when the angels and the spirit were descending 

on earth. On the one hand, the Holy 

Quran was being revealed, and on the 

other hand, the hearts of the believers 

were being suffused with spiritual life. For 

every act of sacrifice and selflessness 

there flowed a constant stream of assistance 

and support – angels descended, 

faith was revived and strengthened, hearts 

were invested with spiritual power – and 

even during all these dangers, the message of 

peace was silently working its way into the hearts 

of people to such an extent that eventually the dark 

cloud of unbelief was lifted, and the divine light of 

guidance spread its glorious rays all over the 

world. 

Over the last thousand years, Islam witnessed 

a temporal and spiritual decline amongst its followers 

of the worst kind. Again, we find ourselves 

in an age where there is a need for transformation 

that will bring back the glorious days of Islam. 

During these last few days of Ramadan we should 

we find ourselves in an age 

where there is a need for 

transformation that will 

bring back the glorious 

days of Islam. 


increase our prayers and pray for our spiritual welfare 

and the world at large. We should pray for the 

victory of the true Islam as it existed during the 

time of the Holy Prophet 1400 years ago and restored 

to its pristine purity by the Imam of this 

Age, to whom we owe our full support with honesty 

and sincerity of heart as called upon by none 

other than the Messenger of Allah, the Prophet 

Muhammad (s). (end) 

Identity Theft 

Part 2 

By Iain Dixon 

Asalamu aleikum! 

May the peace of Allah be upon you! Isn’t it 

sad that Islam has been used by many as a vehicle 

of terror across the earth, instead of a vehicle 

of blessing? People have ‘hijacked’ the loving 

"Great is the LORD, and greatly 

to be praised, and his greatness 

is unsearchable!" Psalm 145:3 

character of God. Not only have they stolen His 

identity, but they have warped, twisted, and reshaped 

it into something that no longer represents 

His beauty and splendour. It is like someone 

walking into an art gallery and defacing a 

beautiful painting with graffiti. Allahu Akbar becomes 

the battle cry of the vicious and violent, 

rather than the symphony of the servant. In the 

Honoured Quran we read a simple, but powerful 

statement: “We gave to David (the gift of) the 

Psalms.”— Al Isra 17:55 (Yusuf Ali Translation) 

The Psalms were given by inspiration to David, 

and were intended to be sung for the worship 

and praise of Allah. In the Holy Bible in Psalm 

145:3 the prophet David declares the majesty of 

Allah: “Great is the LORD, and greatly to 

be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable!” 

This is the real “Allahu Akbar” 

— Allah’s greatness is beyond 

measure, unsearchable. The reality of Allah 

is not to be found in bullets and 

bombs, but rather as David says: “The 

LORD is gracious and full of compassion, 

slow to anger and of great mercy. The



LORD is good to all, and his tender mercies are 

over all his works.” — Psalm 145:8-9. 

It is true that there are verses in the Honoured 

Quran (and the Holy Bible) that could be 

used to justify violence, but we need to understand 

context, and why things were originally 

said, rather than using a few isolated verses to 

describe who Allah is and how we should behave. 

When I was younger, my parents had 

thirty clocks in the home. Big clocks, little clocks 

… clocks that ticked, and clocks that even made 

bird sounds on the hour! Very occasionally, 28 

clocks would be telling us it was 2.30pm. But 

two clocks for example, might have stopped, or 

were running a little slow. But just because one 

clock was saying it was midnight, or one clock 

was saying it was ten to three in the afternoon, 

we knew the real time was 2.30pm because of 

the testimony of the vast evidence of the other 

clocks! No one would have ever suggested it was 

midnight or ten to three! Similarly, those who 

have committed ‘identity theft’ may try and justify 

their violent actions by looking at one or 

two verses in the Quran, rather than knowing 

the true character of Allah by reading everything 

else that is said. 

It is commonly said that “the heart of the 

problem, is the problem of the heart.” I wonder 

sometimes, if the real cause of evil mistakenly 

performed in the Name of Allah is not just found 

in misrepresenting and misreading a text in the 

Honoured Quran. 

Terrorism has no religion. 

Gardeners often 

speak of the perils 

of Japanese Knotweed. This weed is aggressive, 

and spreads rapidly. In summer, its bamboo 

like stems can shoot up to seven feet, and 

can choke and suppress the growth of good 

plants. In this climate of fear and violence all 

done in the name of religion (even by those declaring 

“Allahu Akbar”), maybe we need to understand 

the nature of spiritual Japanese Knotweed. 

What is it that can turn hearts that are as 

pure as ice, to hearts that are as black as the 

darkest cave with no stars or sunlight visible? 

Terrorism has no religion. 

In the Honoured Quran, we read: “And behold, 

We said to the angels: ‘Bow down to Adam’ 

and they bowed down. Not so Iblis, he refused 

and was haughty: He was of those of who reject 

Faith.” — Al Baqarah 2:34. Those who “reject 

faith” — these are strong words. Could it be that 

the real problem of those who are guilty of 


‘identity theft’ (and distortion) of Allah’s character 

have also followed the haughtiness of Iblis 

… refusing to truly submit to Allah? Could 

haughtiness be like spiritual Japanese Knotweed, 

crushing and distorting hearts that were 

created to surrender to Allah the Lord of the 

Universe? A true surrender that honours God’s 

Law, and wants to willingly follow it? 

(To be continued) 

The Holy Quran 

Stellar Artistry 

By Shazia Ahmad 

At the age of seven, I felt I had done my duty 

by reciting from the beginning to the end a set 

of words that meant nothing to me; triumphant 

on completion, I shut the book, never believing 

that it would re-enter my life in subtle ways. 

In the 1980’s, I went through a haze believing 

this book to be nothing more than a set of 

edicts. A book of rules. However, at university, 

the haze began to clear; a smiling young woman 

set me on my journey, No, she countered; it is a 

book of arguments. This intrigued me; argument 

is an intellectual concept which I had 

never associated with the Quran. I started to attend 

lectures in and out of campus to learn 

more. 

I was startled when 

ideas that I was coming 

across in Mathematics 

started enigmatically to appear in the Quranic 

surah’s I was encountering at the time, e.g., the 

concept of axioms or foundational facts upon 

which further facts can be built or the ideas of 

existence and uniqueness — for example in Surah 

Ikhlas one of the last surah’s in the Quran, 

Allah (swt) declares 

Say: He is Allah who is One (here Allah is 

stating the fact that- He exists) 

The eternal refuge 

He begets not and is not begotten 

Nor is there to him any equivalent 

(Here Allah is making a statement of 

uniqueness) 

Structurally it is in the right place in the 

Quran, as the ayah’s and surah’s that have gone



entire surah’s within the Quran are in 

ring formation. 

before offer proofs of His existence and uniqueness. 

It is interesting to note that the verse itself 

is also in logical order: He exists is declared before 

His uniqueness. One cannot show that 

something is unique until you can prove it exists. 

Magnetised, I explored further. I learnt that 

the first recipients of these recited words were 

mesmerised; believers and non-believers felt its 

impact. The bloodless conquest of Makah and 

the spread of Islam across the Arabian Peninsula 

happened in an unbelievably short burst of 

time. Al Aziz, the Mighty, one of the many titles 

of Allah Taala given in this book, had overpowered 

these people. By all accounts, it is a unique 

event in history. How wonderful it would be if I 

could get some sense of that impact, I thought. 

In this revered month, I would like to share 

with you some illuminating research that is going 

on in the literary aspects of the Quran. 

In France, Germany and here in the UK researchers 

are embarking upon a field of study 

focusing on the organisation of the Quran. It is a 

pursuit being taken up by Muslims and non- 

Muslims alike. 

Before I begin, I need to acknowledge my 

source: the Bayyninah blog, that goes into much 

more detail than I will be here. It also lists a set 

of books and authors studying this aspect of the 

Quran. I also need to explain some terms. 

To begin simply, I will introduce you to word 

parallelism. Here is a quote from Malcolm X: 

A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. 

Here opposite words: Stand, fall, Nothing, 

Anything- connect the 

two parts of the sentence 

a man who with words, sentences, themes or 

A ring composition has a centre 

stands for nothingideas 

radiating out but connected 

will fall for anything 

in reverse order focussing on the 

Chiasmus is reverse 

parallelism. 

idea at the centre. 

I 


will explain this with an 

example. In Matthew 

19:30 Jesus says: ‘But 

many who are first will be 

last, and the last will be first’. Here the term in 

the first clause: first will be last, is repeated but 

in reverse order (last will be first), tying the two 

clauses together. 

Whole books can be in written chiastic 

structure. The one newly discovered in the 

Quran is called the ring composition. A ring 

composition has a centre with words, sentences, 

themes or ideas radiating out but connected 

in reverse order focussing on the idea at 

the centre. 

I will try to explain this using Surah Yusuf. 

The following is the sequential order of the trials 

of Yusuf (AS). 

A. Joseph’s (AS) dream (vv. 4-6) 

B. The brothers’ plot against Joseph (vv. 7- 

22) 

C. Minister’s wife attempt to seduce Joseph 

(vv. 23-29) 

D. Lynch pin of the whole incident 

A similar attempt by some ladies (vv. 

30-34) 

E. Joseph’s imprisonment (vv. 35-42) 

F. The king’s dream (vv. 43-44) 

F’: The king’s dream interpreted (vv. 45- 

49) 

E’. Joseph’s release from prison (v. 50) 

D’. Confession of the Egyptian ladies (v. 

51a) 

C’. Confession of minister’s wife (vv. 

51b-57) 

B’. The brothers learn their lesson (vv. 

58-99) 

A’. Fulfilment of Joseph’s 

dream (vv. 

100-101) 

And now the 

ring structure: 

The surah opens



Surah Baqara has rings within rings. 

with Joseph’s dream, this is connected to the 

last part with the fulfilment of his dream. The 

trials begin in the 2 nd part of the story B, the resolution 

to this part can be found in the 2 nd last 

part B’ 

The 3 rd part of the story . . . 3 rd Last etc 

6 th part King’s dream, 6 th last… The reason 

for the trials that Yusuf (AS) underwent. 

Perfect symmetry; and there are other balances 

as well. For instance, the story begins 

with a dream sequence and first half of the ring 

completes in a dream sequence. The 2 nd half of 

the ring begins with the realization of the king’s 

dream and the 2 nd half ends with the grand reality 

of Hazrat Yusuf’s dream. 

What the French and English researchers 

are finding is that entire surah’s within the 

Quran are in ring formation. 

Surah Baqara has rings within rings or sub 

rings. A YouTube channel gives a good visualisation 

of this, called Remarkable structure of the 

Qura: The ring composition. 

In Suratul Baqara a Structural Analysis, Dr R 

K Farrin states: 

descending piecemeal in response 

to events unfolding 

in the life of the prophet (s) 

and the community around him. A seeming randomness 

of events was dictating the revelations. 

Moreover, the honoured Prophet (s) was receiving 

revelations right up towards the end of 

his life. He had no idea what the next word, next 

ayah, next surah would be as this was dictated 

by external events. 

Yet, researchers are finding precision in the 

placement of each surah, each ayah even down 

to each word. Subhan Allah. 

I want to leave you with a verse to ponder 

over. In light of the current research work, it 

seems to me that Allah is alluding to this remarkable 

precision in positioning within the 

Quranic text by using the imagery of stars. 

Sura Waqia v 75-77 

فَلَ‏ 

No, I swear by the لنُّجُو ‏ِم 

ٱ بِمَوَ‏ قِعِ‏ أُقْسِ‏ ‏ُم 

placement of the stars 

وَ‏ ۥ إِنَّهُ‏ لَقَسَم لَّ‏ ‏ْو تَعْلَمُو ‏َن 

in- and that is عَظِيم 

deed a mighty oath, if you but knew. 

no- That (this) is indeed a كَرِ‏ يم ۥ إِنَّهُ‏ لَقُرْ‏ ءَان 

ble Qur'an(end) 

Indeed, this chapter exhibits marvellous justness 

of design. It is precisely and tightly arranged, 

. . . even the section lengths fit perfectly 

in the overall scheme. Moreover, the precise 

structure serves as a guide, pointing to key 

themes in the chapter. These occur, according to 

the logic of the pattern, at the centre of individual 

rings and particularly at the centre of the whole 

chapter. 

What is astonishing is that the ayahs were 

Ameer of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya 

Movement arrives in the UK 

on 22 July 2017. He leaves on 14 th 

August 2017 for Holland. Members 

are requested to make special efforts 

to contact him, attend Friday 

prayers and other meetings 

at the Centre and other places to 

benefit from his spiritual insights. 

Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore (UK) 

Founders of the first Islamic Mission in the UK, established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission. 

Dar-us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, UK, HA0 4JQ 

Centre: 020 8903 2689 ∙ President: 01793 740670 ∙ Secretary: 07737 240777 ∙ Treasurer: 01932 348283 

E-mail: info@aaiil.uk 

Websites: www.aaiil.org/uk | www.ahmadiyya.org | www.virtualmosque.co.uk 

Donations: https://www.cafonline.org/charityprofile/aaiiluk

2017 07 The Light July 2017

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