Muslim Advisor

Islamic ideology of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 15:40:00 -0700

The beliefs of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement are the same as those held by other Muslims, namely, that:

the Holy Quran is the word of God which is to guide mankind forever,

and

the Holy Prophet Muhammad was the perfect model of Islamic teachings whose example shall forever be binding on every Muslim to follow.

We believe that, as the principles and teachings of religion reached perfection and completion in the Holy Quran and the example displayed by the Holy Prophet, it follows that the Quran is the final Book of God, and Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) is His Last Prophet, after whom no prophet can appear.

The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement highlights certain features of the Islamic teaching which have been ignored over the course of time, but which are now crucial to the needs of the age. We summarise below the main aspects of Islam which the movement has thus brought to the fore.

We proclaim that Islam is:

1. International -- God raised Prophets in all nations, not only among the Israelites (as already accepted by Muslims) but also in India, China, Persia etc. A Muslim must believe in and respect all these prophets and their scriptures. Islam restores the original purity of the eternal truths taught by them, and broadens the scope of their national teachings to provide a faith for all humanity. Goodness, good people and truth may be found in all nations. God is equally just to all human beings, irrespective of their race, nationality or religion.

2. Tolerant -- It gives full freedom to everyone to hold, practise and adopt any belief and religion. Differences of belief and interpretation, with whomsoever these may occur, must be tolerated. Criticism against Islam must be answered only by word, and any offence felt must be borne with patience; responding by physical violence is alien to the teachings of Islam. The common image of Islam as an intolerant faith is completely false.

3. Peaceful -- It condemns all use of force except in unavoidable self-defence. All battles of early Islam were purely defensive. Muslims must live peacefully under any rule which grants them freedom of religion. The impression that Islam urges its followers to wage war or rebellion to establish its rule is entirely wrong. The concept of Jihad is greatly misunderstood: it primarily signifies a spiritual, intellectual and moral struggle to reform oneself and others.

4. Non-sectarian -- Any person professing the words "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" must be treated as one's fellow Muslim. No inquisition is allowed into anyone's beliefs or motives. Issuing so-called rulings, on some pretext, to expel from Islam those who profess the Kalima is entirely against Islamic teachings.

5. Rational -- It urges use of reason and knowledge in all matters, including religious affairs. Blind following and acceptance are disallowed, and independence of thought is granted. Blind, unthinking obedience to religious leaders is condemned.

6. Living -- Acts of worship are not rituals to be performed without thought or feeling. They are meant to put the human soul in living contact with a Living God. We must know the purpose of prayer, fasting, etc. and carry them out in their true spirit. God listens to man's supplications and answers his prayers. In every age there arise, among Muslims, saints who have closeness and communication with God. Their example shows others that there is a Living God Who speaks to man.

7. Supporter of women -- A great deal of misunderstanding prevails on this point, mainly due to local customs being confused with the teachings of Islam. According to Islam, a woman is a full, responsible human being, just as a man is. She should have the same control over determining the course of her life (including matters of marriage and divorce) as a man has over his life.

8. Highly moral -- It requires Muslims to develop the highest personal moral virtues, and display these qualities even at the cost of personal or national interest. An Islamic society is not created by imposing laws and regulations on people. It is only created by reforming the character of individuals through moral training and example, and this was what the Holy Prophet Muhammad did.

9. Heart-winning -- It seeks to conquer hearts and minds by showing the logic, truth and beauty of its teachings, in a gentle, loving spirit. It condemns force or coercion to spread the faith or make people conform to it.

10. Complete -- The Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet provide complete and perfect guidance for all mankind, for all time to come. The Holy Prophet is the perfect exemplar of the highest moral virtues. After him, no prophet or authority is to arise. As Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, wrote:

"I firmly believe that our Holy Prophet Muhammad is the Last of the Prophets, and after him no prophet shall come for this nation, neither old nor new." (Nishan Asmani, p. 28).

Second shipment of 20,000 Russian Holy Qurans distributed in Russia, December 1999

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:41:00 -0700

By the grace of Almighty Allah twenty thousand copies of the Russian translation of the Holy Quran were shipped and distributed in Russia in the month of Ramadan, December 1999.

I left Columbus, Ohio, on the 11th of December and arrived in Moscow on the 12th. Dr. Alexander Sadetsky and Dr. Tanya Sadetsky were waiting for me at the airport having come on an earlier flight from Quebec, Canada.

From the airport we went to register at the Foreign Guest Hostel of the Russian State University for the Humanities where we were going to stay.

The next day, Monday, was a Public Holiday and all Government offices were closed. Dr. Alexander Sadetsky, Dr. Tanya Sadetsky and I went to the Hilal Foundation for a meeting with Mr. R. Bayazitov, the President of the Foundation. He had especially flown into Moscow for the meeting. The discussions during the meeting centered around the distribution of the Holy Quran and the need for Islamic Literature in Russian. During the meeting, by the grace of Almighty Allah, I was able to persuade Mr Bayazitov to give our jamaat an office and a one bedroom flat in the Hilal Foundation complex for a Mubaligh. From there our Mubaligh could carry out the work of propagating Islam in Russia. Alhamdolillah. In the meeting Mr. Bayazitov also expressed his gratitude thanks to the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for supplying such an excellent translation of the Holy Quran. He said that till now they had not received such a valuable contribution which would benefit so many people.

I also met an Egyptian brother, Mr Hafeez Muhammad, who also resided in the same complex. When he learnt that we believed in the Finality of Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib never claimed prophethood, he was very pleased. He said that it was a great injustice to call us non-uslims, and he offered to arrange a meeting for us with the Saudi Embassy so we could explain our views to them.

The next morning at 8:00 accompanied by brother Rustam we went to the Customs Office. We went to fifteen different places to get the proper signatures on the release papers for the Holy Quran shipment. By 5:00 p.m, by the grace of Almighty Allah, the last papers were signed and the shipment was released. Almighty Allah blessed these efforts further, for when the Ministry of Culture learnt that the books were for free distribution, they waived the 20% duty on the shipment, Alhamdolillah. On learning this, my eyes filled with tears, and I thanked Almighty Allah for His grace and mercy shown to our Jamaat.

Winter's darkness had descended when finally with two loaded trucks we pulled out of the custom warehouse. On the way the trucks fell behind us, and we reached the Foundation before and waited for the trucks. Several hours passed but there was no sign of the trucks, and we began to get quite anxious. Finally, brother Rustam, who had been riding in one of the trucks, arrived in a taxi and informed us that the trucks had been stopped at the intersection by the police who became suspicious on seeing the large consignment of the Qurans They wanted to see the shipping and custom clearance documents, but as the documents were not with brother Rustam, he was unable to produce them, and therefore the police refused to let the trucks go. Brother Rustam picked up the necessary documents, rushed back, presented the documents to the police and got the trucks released.

After some time the trucks finally pulled into the Hilal Foundation compound. It was a joyful sight to see the Quran boxes being unloaded and carried into the basement of the building, where soon a mountain of cartons filled a large part of the basement. All praise is due to Almighty Allah Who removed all the obstacles in accomplishing this momentous task.

The Holy Qurans were also loaded onto trucks from the outlying regions which had come to pick up their share of the consignment.

We had several meetings with the Imams of the Hilal Foundation and also met people who had come from other areas of Russia. They all praised the translation and were extremely impressed by the translation and footnotes of Maulana Muhammad Ali, and appreciated very much the hard work and excellent translation of Dr. Alexander Sadetsky.

On Friday I attended the Jumu'a Prayers at the Hilal Foundation. After the Jumu'a Khutba I was asked by the Imam to speak to the congregation of 800 people about the Ahmadiyya Movement and Islam. They listened attentively, and I explained to them that there were two groups of the Ahmadiyya Movement, and that we believed in the Finality of Prophethood. I stressed the fact that Hazrat Mirza Sahib never claimed prophethood and his claim was only of Mujaddid, Promised Messiah and Mahdi.

The Imams and other people expressed their gratitude to the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for supplying them with the Holy Quran and other Islamic Literature which was so urgently needed. Many of them had tears in their eyes when they thanked the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman for valuable gift of the Holy Qurans.

They requested that we also send them literature about the Holy Prophet and books on basic Islam. I promised to send them Islam the Religion of Humanity, The Prophet of Islam and Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad which we already had translated into Russian and had stocks of. I assured them that we would also translate other books into Russian.

On Friday night we flew to St. Petersburg. The President of the Hilal Foundation had made arrangements for us to meet the Mufti, Zaffar Hazrat, of St. Petersburg's largest Mosque. We were received at the airport by the Mufti's son and brother Rinat Valier who checked us into a hotel. In the afternoon brother Rinat picked us up from the hotel and took us on a tour of St. Petersburg. In the evening we went for Iftari (breaking of fast in Ramadan) to Mufti Zaffar's residence which was situated next to the Mosque.

The Mufti gave us a tour of the Mosque. This beautiful Mosque patterned after the Mausoleum of the Ameer of Gur in Samarkand was built from 1910-1914 by funds supplied by the Ameer of Fergana. It was capable of holding fifteen thousand people.

During the Soviet era the condition of the Mosque deteriorated badly as no funds were given for its up keep. In the 1970s the Soviets wanted to close the Mosque as they felt that the poor condition of the Mosque posed a danger to the people inside. The Mufti however refused to close the Mosque, and said he would take personal responsibility for any injuries caused in the Mosque. He prayed hard to Almighty Allah, and by Allah's grace and mercy, no accidents occurred, and the Mufti was able to collect funds for the repair of the mosque against all odds.

During the Iftari and afterwards, we had a long discussion on Islam and the need for Islamic literature and education in Russia. I explained to the Mufti the views of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, that we believed in the Finality of Prophethood, and that Hazrat Mirza Sahib never claimed prophethood. Dr. Sadetsky did a marvelous job as interpreter and translated for several hours inspite of being very tired. The Mufti was impressed by the views of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, and said that we must advertise the Lahore Ahmadiyya view about prophethood in order to dispel any misunderstanding among people about the Ahmadiyya Movement. He also said that he would issue a certificate stating that the Lahore Ahmadis are Muslims. He said that if we came in June he would arrange for us to hold a conference for a day in the Mosque about the Islam and Ahmadiyya Movement .

I donated forty copies of the Holy Quran and promised 2000 copies for the Mosque of St. Petersburg. Both the Mufti and his wife were in tears when they heard that we would supply them 2000 copies of the Holy Quran for free distribution.

After Iftari, we prayed the Maghrib and Isha prayers in the Mosque. Following the prayers, I gave a short lecture on the Ahmadiyya Movement, again emphasizing our views on the finality of Prophethood. On Sunday night, the Mufti picked us up from the hotel and took us to the airport where we boarded our flight for Moscow.

The next day we met with Taala the Librarian who was in charge of mailing the Holy Qurans to Libraries. She gave us a report of her activities to date and showed us the registered receipts and acknowledgments from all the Libraries to which she had sent the Qurans. The acknowledgments were full of praise for the quality of the translation and said that this was a very valuable addition to their collection of books. We gave her an additional 2500 copies of the Holy Qurans to dispatch to the Libraries in the surrounding newly independent Muslim States.

The distribution of the Holy Quran is the first step in the fulfillment of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's prophecy of the spread of Islam and the Ahmadiyya Movement in Russia.

Dr. Tanya Sadetsky was extremely helpful. Among other things she arranged for our stay in the University Hostel and did all the video taping and Photography.

Once again I would like to thank Dr. Alexander Sadetsky and Dr. Tanya Sadetsky for their great help and sacrifice in assisting with the project of distributing the Holy Qurans. May Almighty Allah bless them and reward them for their efforts!

I thank Almighty Allah for giving me this opportunity to work with the Russian Muslims.

This project of supplying the Holy Quran in Russian was started with the encouragement and prayers of our late Hazrat Ameer Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan sahib. May Almighty Allah reward him abundantly.

Also I would like to thank Mr. Bayazitov, the President of the Hilal Foundation and his members for their valuable help, and the President and directors of the U.S.A. Jamaat for their confidence in me to carry out this task.

And last but not least, I would like to thank all those who donated and sacrificed their wealth for this project and Hazrat Ameer Dr. Asghar Hameed sahib, present Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, and those who prayed for its success. May Almighty Allah accept their sacrifice and prayers and grant them a great reward!

Our next project will be to supply fifty thousand copies of Russian Holy Quran, Inshallah. Members are asked to pray for this project and take part in this great Jihad by donating generously. Please send your contributions to: Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore U.S.A.

The Berlin Mosque photographed in the 1920s

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:35:00 -0700

Two views of the Berlin Mosque in the late 1980

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 13:31:00 -0700

Two views of the Berlin Mosque in the late 1980s

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 13:28:00 -0700

Mr. Rashid Pierkhan addressing the Convention. Seated is Maulana Kamal Hydal of Trinidad

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Wed, 3 Jun 2009 14:14:00 -0700

Mr. Rashid Pierkhan, President of our Jamaat, right, with the President of Suriname, left

noreply@blogger.com (muslimadvisor) — Wed, 3 Jun 2009 14:02:00 -0700