What is the meaning of the two angels descending with the Son of Mary (as)?
Someone from Kenya wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that regarding the hadith that the Son of Mary will appear from Heaven in the company of two angels, has this hadith been fulfilled in the person of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh)? His mother’s name is Maryam and MTA was launched through him. Do the two angels refer to the audio and video systems? Is my deduction correct?
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa), in his letter dated 23 November 2023, granted the following guidance on this matter:
“This is your own subjective interpretation. The actual interpretation of this hadith is the very one which the Promised Messiah (as) has elucidated in his various books and sayings. Accordingly, whilst expounding upon this hadith in his work Fath-e-Islam, the Promised Messiah (as) states:
“‘I have descended from Heaven with those holy angels who were on my right and left, whom my God, who is with me, shall cause – nay, is causing – to enter every willing and worthy heart to accomplish my mission. Were I to remain silent and should my pen cease to write, even then, those angels who have descended with me could not stop their work. Within their hands are massive maces which have been granted to break the Cross and demolish the temple of creature worship. Perhaps some uninformed person might wonder what is meant by the ‘descent of angels’. Let it be clear that the practice of Allah has always operated in this manner that whenever a Messenger, Prophet, or Muhaddath descends from Heaven for the reformation of mankind, such angels inevitably descend with him and alongside him who instil guidance in willing and worthy hearts and bestow upon them a desire for virtue. They continue to descend until the darkness of disbelief and misguidance is dispelled and the dawn of faith and righteousness makes its appearance, as Allah the Glorious has said:
تَنَزَّلُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ وَالرُّوۡحُ فِیۡہَا بِاِذۡنِ رَبِّہِمۡ ۚ مِنۡ کُلِّ اَمۡرٍ ۙ سَلٰمٌ ۟ۛ ہِیَ حَتّٰی مَطۡلَعِ الۡفَجۡرِ
“‘[‘Therein descend angels and the Spirit by the command of their Lord with their Lord’s decrees concerning every matter. It is all peace, till the break of dawn.’ (Surah al-Qadr: Ch.97: V.5-6)]
“‘So, the descent of the angels and the Holy Spirit – that is, their coming down from Heaven – takes place only when a man of magnificent glory, donning the robe of Khilafat [successorship] and being honoured with Divine discourse, descends upon the earth.
“‘The Holy Spirit is bestowed upon this Khalifah in a special way, and the angels who accompany him descend upon willing and worthy hearts throughout the entire world. Thereupon, the rays of that light descend upon deserving gems wherever they are found in the world, and a refulgence radiates throughout the entire world. Through the purifying effect of the angels, virtuous thoughts spontaneously proceed to arise in [people’s] hearts and Tauhid [the Oneness of God] begins to appear attractive. A spirit of love for righteousness and pursuit of truth is breathed into upright souls, and the weak are granted strength. A kind of breeze begins to blow in every direction, which extends support to the aim and objective of that Muslih [Reformer].
“‘People are naturally moved towards virtue through the prompting of a Hidden Hand, and a restlessness begins to stir across nations. Thereupon, the ignorant folk surmise that the inclinations of the world have reverted to righteousness on their own, but in reality, this is the work of those angels who descend from Heaven alongside the Khalifatullah [Vicegerent of God] and bestow extraordinary abilities for the acceptance and understanding of truth. They awaken those in slumber, they sober up those who are intoxicated, and they open the ears of the deaf. They breathe the spirit of life into the dead and raise those lying in graves. Thereupon, people suddenly begin to open their eyes and their minds begin to perceive those insights which had heretofore remained concealed.
“‘In reality, these angels are not distinct from the Khalifatullah. They are the light of his very countenance and the manifest marks of his very resolve, who – through their magnetic energy – draw every worthy one towards themselves, whether he be physically near or far, whether he be an intimate friend or a complete stranger unaware of so much as his [i.e. the Khalifatullah’s] name.
“‘In short, whatever movement takes place towards virtue during that age and whatever zeal is generated for embracing truth – whether that zeal be generated in the Asian people, the inhabitants of Europe, or those living in America – is really brought about through the promptings of those very angels who descend with the Khalifatullah. This is the law of God wherein you will find no deviation. It is very clear and easy to understand, and it will be your misfortune should you fail to ponder over it.
“‘As this humble one has come from God Almighty with truth and rectitude, you will find the Signs of truthfulness from everywhere. The time is not far – nay, it is very near – when you will witness armies of angels descending from Heaven upon the hearts of Asia, Europe, and America. You have come to know from the Holy Quran that it is essential for angels to descend along with the descent of the Khalifatullah so that they may direct the hearts towards truth.
“‘Await ye, therefore, this Sign. If the descent of angels does not occur and you do not see the clear effects of their descent in the world, or you do not find the movement of hearts towards truth to be more than ordinary, then you should know that no one has descended from Heaven. However, if all these things come to pass, then desist from denial lest you be deemed a rebellious nation in the estimation of God Almighty.’
(Fath-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, pp. 11-14, footnote)
“Similarly, whilst expounding upon this hadith in the light of the writings of the Promised Messiah (as), Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“‘By the two angels are meant two kinds of unseen support for him, upon which the conclusive establishment of the truth of his claim [itmam al-hujjah] depends: first, divinely bestowed knowledge relating to reason and transmitted sources, which will be granted to him without personal effort or acquired learning and by means of which the decisive proof will be completed; second, the conclusive establishment of the truth through signs that will descend from God without any human intervention.’
(Khuda Ke Firistadey Par Iman Lao, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 1, p. 409)
“Thus, the actual interpretation of this hadith is the very one which the Promised Messiah (as) himself articulated after receiving knowledge from God Almighty, or which his Khulafa have expressed in the light of his writings and sayings.”
Why does Allah use the masculine pronoun ‘He’?
A lady from the UK sent an enquiry to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), asking why God Almighty has used the masculine pronoun “He” for Himself, even though He does not belong to any gender.
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa), in his letter dated 23 November 2023, granted the following reply to this question:
“In the diverse languages of the world, masculine and feminine pronouns are used to differentiate between the sexes among humans. However, the Being of Allah the Exalted is One without a partner and is transcendent of such divisions. Indeed, to facilitate our understanding, Allah the Exalted has stated certain matters regarding Himself, but all such descriptions are metaphorical in nature; otherwise, Allah the Exalted is neither male nor female and He is free from every kind of gender.
“Similarly, in almost all societies of the world, the female is considered weaker compared to the male. At the advent of Islam, the same notion was also found in Arabia. Accordingly, Allah the Exalted states in the Holy Quran regarding the disbelievers that they have chosen sons for themselves whilst assigning daughters to Allah the Exalted. That is, they referred to the angels in the feminine and declared them to be the daughters of Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted states regarding this that it is an exceedingly unjust division they make. He states:
اَلَکُمُ الذَّکَرُ وَلَہُ الۡاُنۡثٰی تِلۡکَ اِذًا قِسۡمَۃٌ ضِیۡزٰی
“‘“What! for you the males and for Him the females!” That indeed is an unfair division.’ (Surah an-Najm: Ch.53: 22-23)
“Thus, from the very dawn of creation, the feminine has been perceived as weak and the masculine has been regarded as supreme and powerful. In the Arabic language as well, the masculine form denotes one possessing perfect strength and power. For this reason, Allah the Exalted, Who is the Source of all powers and the Master of transcendent powers, has used for Himself that form which is deemed the closest to His Being even in the eyes of mankind.
“Otherwise, all the similitudes described in the Holy Quran and the Hadith concerning the Being of Allah the Exalted serve as metaphors, because the Being of Allah the Exalted is the true manifestation of لَیۡسَ کَمِثۡلِہٖ شَیۡءٌ, as He states:
فَاطِرُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ ؕ جَعَلَ لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ اَزۡوَاجًا وَّمِنَ الۡاَنۡعَامِ اَزۡوَاجًا ۚ یَذۡرَؤُکُمۡ فِیۡہِ ؕ لَیۡسَ کَمِثۡلِہٖ شَیۡءٌ ۚ وَہُوَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡبَصِیۡرُ
“‘[He is] the Maker of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you pairs of your own selves, and of the cattle also [He has made pairs]. He multiplies you therein. There is nothing whatever like unto Him; and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’ (Surah ash-Shura: Ch.42: V.12)
“Whilst expounding upon the exegesis of this verse, the Promised Messiah (as) states:
“‘Keeping to the middle in relation to God means that in expounding Divine attributes one should not lean towards negating Divine attributes nor describe God as resembling material things. This is the way that the Holy Quran has adopted with reference to Divine attributes. It affirms that God sees, hears, knows, and speaks; and as a safeguard against His being understood as resembling His creation it also affirms:
لَیۡسَ کَمِثۡلِہٖ شَیۡءٌ […]
“‘Meaning there is nothing like unto Him. […] This means that there is no partner in the Being and attributes of God.’
(Islami Usul Ki Falasafi, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 10, pp. 376-377)
“Furthermore, he stated:
“‘Since eternity and since times ancient, God possesses two [kinds of] attributes: one is the attribute of similitude [tashbihi] and the other is the transcendent attribute [tanzihi]. Since it was essential to articulate both attributes in the Word of God, meaning the tashbihi attribute as well as the tanzihi attribute, God described His attributes of the hand, eye, love, wrath and so forth in the Holy Quran to express the tashbihi attributes. Then, lest any notion of anthropomorphism arise, He declared in some places: …لَیۡسَ کَمِثۡلِہٖ [i.e. there is nothing like unto Him].’
(Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 277)”
Do the commentaries of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) and Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) differ regarding the punishment of misleaders in Hell?
A missionary from Canada wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that it had emerged from his research that Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) held the view that one who deliberately leads others astray would receive a double punishment, whereas Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) stated in the Tarjamat-ul-Quran Class on Surah al-A‘raf that, when the disbelievers in Hell say, “Give our leaders a double punishment,” Allah will reply that all of them will receive a double punishment. What is the answer to this?
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa), in his letter dated 26 November 2023, gave the following reply to this enquiry:
“The fact of the matter is that you have not studied the issue properly and, after only cursory research, have assumed that there is a contradiction between the translations of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh), whereas there is absolutely no contradiction between them.
“Thus, in Tafsir-e-Saghir, the translation of this verse of Surah al-A‘raf is given as follows:
“‘[…] until, when they have all entered it [the Fire], the last of them [the group entering later] will say regarding the first of them, “Our Lord, these are the ones who led us astray; so give them a punishment in the Fire many times greater.” He will say, “Everyone is receiving an increased punishment*, but you do not know.”’
“Furthermore, the footnote to this translation states: *‘Punishment always appears greater [to the one suffering it]. To such an extent that every sick person thinks that perhaps their illness is greater and the other’s is less.’
“Similarly, in Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV’s (rh) translation of the Holy Quran, this verse is rendered as:
“‘[…] until, when they are all gathered together therein, those who come later will say regarding those who came before them, “Our Lord, these are the ones who led us astray; so give them a double punishment of the Fire.” He will say, “Everyone is receiving a double punishment, but you do not know.”’
“Furthermore, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) states while explaining this verse:
“‘When any people enter it, they will heap curses upon their fellows, until, when they are all gathered together therein, those who come later will say of those who came earlier: “Our Lord, these are the ones who led us astray, so give them a double punishment of the Fire.”
“‘Here, one can also discern their nature: it is a vile nature. They have no real bond with their companions – قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ شَتّٰی [their hearts are divided]. Instead of feeling compassion for them and saying, “O God, forgive us and forgive them too; both were great sinners,” both are afflicted with sadism. They derive pleasure from seeing someone else suffer pain and torment. Since they cannot cool their own fire, they say, “There would at least be some satisfaction in this – that they burn more than we do. Since they came before us and were responsible for us, give them a double punishment.” He will reply, “What do you know? Everyone’s punishment is exceedingly severe; it is doubling and tripling. Only the one who experiences it truly knows. You have your suffering and they have theirs, but you are unaware of what the other is feeling.”’
(Tarjamat-ul-Quran Class, No. 88, Surah al-A‘raf, V. 39)
“Thus, both translations speak of both groups in Hell receiving a greater punishment. Therefore, there is no contradiction or discrepancy of any kind between these two translations and explanations.”
Is cosmetic surgery allowed in Islam?
A lady from the UK wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that nowadays women undergo bodily alterations through surgery, such as reducing or enlarging their noses, lips and the like. Is this permissible?
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa), in his letter dated 12 December 2023, granted the following reply to this question:
“If there is a physical defect which is intended to be removed, then to seek treatment for that defect through this medical procedure is permissible. However, such procedures are not permissible when undertaken purely for fashion. This is because the Holy Prophet (sa) prohibited such practices when done solely for the sake of beautification, amounting to an attempt to alter the creation of God Almighty. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-libas, Bab al-mutafallijati li l-husn)
“Another reason underlying this prohibition is that during the time of the Holy Prophet (sa), sexual immorality was rife among the Jews, and centres of vice also existed in Medina. The women involved in such vice would resort to practices such as tattooing their bodies, removing facial hair, creating gaps between their front teeth and attaching hair extensions to attain beauty in order to attract men towards themselves. For this reason, Allah’s Messenger (sa) expounded upon the abomination of these acts and forbade believing women from engaging in such practices.
“Whilst clarifying a hadith of this nature, Hazrat Aisha (ra) states that al-wasilah [the woman who attaches hair extensions] does not mean the woman you perceive it to mean. For there is no harm if a woman has very little hair, so thin that the skin of her scalp is visible and she attaches braids of black wool or a plait to her hair. Remember, such a woman is by no means an al-wasilah. In reality, an al-wasilah is one who was a prostitute in her youth and when she grows old, she attaches a plait to her head to work as a procurer. [Because of her old age] no client comes to her. And [if any old client comes to her] both of them [this woman and her client] are introduced to one another due to this immorality. (Kitab ad-Du‘afa al-Kabir by Al-Uqayli, Bab ash-shin, Hadith 717)
“Thus, Islam has based the outcome of actions upon intentions. Therefore, if there is a physical defect or an illness and a surgical treatment of this nature is adopted to rectify that physical flaw, that is permissible. However, such acts are not permissible when done merely for outward display before others.”
(Compiled by Zaheer Ahmad Khan, Head of Records Department, Private Secretariat, London and translated by Al Hakam)