Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues that Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, has given on various occasions in his written correspondence and during MTA programmes is being published officially below for everyone’s benefit.
If God protects His prophets, does He also predestine their opponents to be evil?
Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, and asked: “Since Allah the Exalted Himself protects the Prophets and shields them from the assaults of Satan, does Allah the Exalted also send the opponents of the Prophets? For their existence is also necessary. Is it not, then, their misfortune that they became opponents?”
In his letter dated 26 March 2023, Huzoor-e-Anwaraa provided the following answer to this question:
“The Holy Quran has elucidated with great clarity that there is no compulsion of any kind in matters of faith. The paths of good and evil, along with their respective benefits and detriments, have been made manifestly clear and mankind has been granted absolute choice to select for itself whichever path it desires. Whichever path one walks, the outcome will manifest for them accordingly. (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.257-258)
“Furthermore, this world, being the Abode of Trial [dar al-ibtila’], is a place wherein impulses towards good and evil have been created for the testing of mankind, because no higher station can be attained without a trial. Hence, just as Satan strives to lead people astray in this world, so too does Allah the Exalted create impulses towards goodness in the hearts of men through His angels.
“Thus, when a person chooses a path for themself, Allah the Exalted manifests the outcomes for that person in accordance with that very path. Therefore, when the opponents of the Prophets, despite the existence of clear and open proofs in their favour, choose the path of opposition, they do so entirely of their own volition. There is no compulsion upon them from Allah the Exalted. However, since these people cast aside the impulses originating from the angels and instead accept the satanic impulses, they fall into the clutches of Satan.
“Consequently, the opponents’ refusal to accept the Prophets is in fact due to their falling into the grasp of Satan and the arrogance found within them, which denies them the divine grace to advance towards righteousness. They imagine that the followers of the claimant to prophethood, who calls towards God the Exalted, are but very poor people, whereas they consider themselves to be great, possessors of knowledge, and more learned in matters of faith. They wonder, therefore, how they could possibly join such a community or take the oath of allegiance [bai‘at] at the hand of such a person. This is the very same reason that people today are not accepting the Imamas of the Age.
“In this regard, the Promised Messiahas states:
“‘Arrogance is such a calamity that it does not leave a person’s side. Remember, arrogance comes from Satan and turns the arrogant one into a satan. Until a person distances themself completely from this path, they can never attain the acceptance of truth and divine grace, because this arrogance becomes an obstacle in their path. Therefore, one must not show arrogance in any way, neither on account of knowledge, nor wealth, nor prestige, nor caste and family, nor lineage and pedigree, for arrogance is mostly born of these very things. Until a person purifies themself of these conceits, they cannot become favoured and chosen in the sight of Allah, Great is His Majesty (jalla sha’nuhu). Nor are they granted that divine cognisance [ma‘rifat-e-ilahi] which incinerates the worthless matter of carnal passions, because this conceit is Satan’s portion and Allah the Exalted does not like it.’ (Address at the Annual Convention, 29 December 1904, as cited in Tafsir-e-Masih-e-Maw‘udas, Vol. IV, p. 189)”
Is tabarruk tantamount to shirk?
Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, and asked: “Is having something blessed for the purpose of tabarruk [seeking blessings] an act of shirk [i.e., associating partners with Allah]?
“Further, a hadith states that the prayer of a woman who comes to the mosque wearing perfume is not accepted until she performs a ghusl. Yet, women today do wear perfume. What, then, is the explanation of this hadith?”
In his letter dated 26 March 2023, Huzoor-e-Anwaraa provided the following guidance on these matters:
“Numerous ahadith exist regarding the permissibility of blessing something by way of tabarruk or having items blessed for this purpose, from which it is known that the Companions used to keep items belonging to the Holy Prophetsa in their possession as a tabarruk. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-wudu’, Bab al-ma’i lladhi yughsalu bihi sha‘ru l-insan). The Holy Prophetsa himself also used to bestow items upon the Companions as a tabarruk. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-hajj, Bab bayani anna s-sunnata yawma n-nahri an yarmiya thumma yanhara…)
“Through the blessings of the Holy Prophetsa, Allah the Exalted also bestowed upon his most ardent devotee, the Promised Messiahas, who was sent in this age for the revival of the faith, the following glad tiding by way of revelation:
’’’میں تجھے عزت دوں گا اور بڑھاؤں گا اور تیرے آثار میں برکت رکھ دوں گا یہاں تک کہ بادشاہ تیرے کپڑوں سے برکت ڈھونڈیں گے۔‘‘‘
“‘I shall grant you honour and shall multiply you. I shall invest your relics with blessings, such that kings shall seek blessings from your garments.’ (Asmani Faislah, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 4, p. 366)
“Therefore, the blessing that has reached Khulafa-e-Ahmadiyyat through the medium of the Holy Prophetsa and his spiritual son, the Promised Messiahas – the blessing that people obtain from these personages owing to their love for Khilafat and their connection with it – contains nothing of shirk, nor is there any harm in it. In our ordinary, daily lives, we also observe that people keep the belongings of their elders and loved ones with them out of love and reverence. If it is considered natural for people to keep belongings of their elders and loved ones for the sake of the blessings associated with them, then why should it be deemed objectionable for them to obtain blessings from the exalted personages established on the seat of Khilafat-e-Haqqah Islamiyyah Ahmadiyyah – the very institution founded for the renaissance of Islam?
“My general practice is that when someone asks me for tabarruk, I touch the item to the ring of the Promised Messiahas, which is a source of blessing due to its having been in the use of Huzooras for a long period. This is because the true source of blessing is his person and his belongings, and it is through him as a medium that this blessing has reached the Khulafa’ as well.”
What is the ruling on women wearing perfume?
“As for the matter of women wearing perfume, there is also a saying of the Holy Prophetsa that one should apply perfume on Friday, even if it means taking some from one’s wife’s perfume. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-jumu‘ah, Bab at-tibi wa s-siwaki yawma l-jumu‘ah). Here, the question arises: if women were not permitted to wear perfume, why did they keep perfume for themselves in their homes?
“Similarly, it is found in a hadith that, on the occasion of a man’s daughter’s wedding, the Holy Prophetsa gathered perspiration from his arms with a tree branch into a vial and gave it to him, instructing him that when his daughter wished to apply perfume, she should dip the branch into the vial and use that fragrance. (al-Tabrani, Al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, Bab al-alif, Bab mun ismuhu ibrahim)
“Thus, a clear prohibition on women wearing perfume is not mentioned in the authoritative ahadith. As for the ahadith in which a prohibition on women wearing perfume is found, Imam al-Bukhari did not include such ahadith in his Sahih.
“Furthermore, we should also bear in mind that not all narrations are absolutely sahih and that certain rulings found therein were contextual to the time and place they were given. It is, for example, possible that someone may have had an allergy to a particular type of perfume and a woman was prohibited from using that specific fragrance.”
How should Ahmadi missionaries proceed when they have a theological question?
A murabbi wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa and cited the following verses of the Holy Quran:
“But for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his evil desires, the Garden will be a resort. They ask thee concerning the Hour: When will it arrive? What concern hast thou with talk of it? Thy Lord alone knows the ultimate limit of its happening.” (Surah an-Nazi‘at, Ch. 79, V.41-45)
He then enquired, “Is the meaning here that, after reading these verses, the thought that arises in a person’s heart about when they will receive the reward for their deeds and witness victory – that Allah the Exalted has stated here that one should not think about that Hour, but simply continue to perform good deeds and not try to determine its time?”
In his letter dated 3 April 2023, Huzoor-e-Anwaraa provided the following guidance in this regard:
“The commentaries on the aforementioned verses as articulated by the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh are all available. They are also present on the Alislam.org website. You are a missionary of the Jamaat; you ought to find the answers to your questions yourself by studying these commentaries. This is because when you read a book for the answer to one question, many other subjects will also pass before your eyes, which will certainly increase your knowledge, a very necessary thing for a missionary of the Jamaat. Therefore, instead of asking questions, cultivate the habit of reading and researching for yourself.”
What is the interpretation of the Quranic verses about angels fighting in the Battle of Badr?
Someone asked Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, how one could explain to an atheist that angels fought on behalf of the Muslims against the disbelievers of Mecca in the Battle of Badr. […]
In his letter dated 3 April 2023, Huzoor-e-Anwaraa provided the following answer to this question:
“Where the subject of the Muslims’ aid by means of angels is mentioned in Surah al-Anfal of the Holy Quran, it does not mean that angels came down to earth in their personal forms to fight the disbelievers. Rather, it is allegorical speech, and its meaning was to give the believers the glad tiding of help and victory from God the Exalted. It is for this reason that, at the end of the verse, Allah the Exalted states that Allah sent down this news merely as a glad tiding so that their hearts might be at rest thereby, and that help comes only from Allah.
“In his commentary on this verse, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states that here, ‘It did not mean that angels would actually fight these disbelievers. Rather, if the help of angels is seen in a vision [kashf], its meaning is that God the Exalted will help, and in this way, the believer receives a glad tiding.’ (Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 220, footnote under verse 11 of Surah al-Anfal)
“Expounding upon verse 13 of Surah al-Anfal, i.e., ‘At the same time thy Lord commanded the angels: I am with you; so make firm the steps of those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. O ye who believe, strike at their necks and strike at every pore and tip,’ the Promised Messiahas writes:
“‘That is, captivate their hearts and infuse them with the words of steadfastness. In other words, say to them, ‘Fear not, nor grieve,’ and convey other such words by which their hearts may find reassurance. Thus, all these verses indicate that Allah does indeed speak to His chosen friends [auliya’] and addresses them, so that their certainty and spiritual insight may increase, and that they may be among those who are deeply content.’ (Hamamat-ul-Bushra, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 7, p. 299, translated from the Arabic)
“Therefore, the divine glad tidings of the believers receiving the help of angels were, in fact, based on metaphorical language, and the appearance of angels to the Holy Prophetsa and some Companions on the battlefield of Badr were all visions [kashf]; it is not correct to take them as literal reality. Accordingly, Hazrat Syed Zain-ul-Abidin Waliullah Shahra, in his commentary on the ahadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari’s ‘Kitab al-maghazi’ or ‘Book of Military Expeditions’ under the chapter ‘Kitab al-maghazi’ or ‘The Angels’ Presence at Badr’, writes:
“‘The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate the weakness of the narrations from Bayhaqi and others, in which it is mentioned that the disbelievers killed by the angels at the Battle of Badr were recognised by the marks of the wounds on their necks. These narrations are unreliable and are related in connection with the commentary of a verse in which the command to strike the necks is given. Darb ar-riqab (striking the necks) and darb kulli banan (striking every pore and tip) refer to a forceful attack in which the accuracy of the target is kept in view. The mention of the presence and sighting of the angels in the narrations under this chapter is of the nature of visions [mukashafat], and their fighting is also of a kind that is suited to their state, not one of arrows and muskets. And their sighting occurs with spiritual vision, not the physical eye. The Holy Prophetsa also witnessed this, as did the Companions, and such a vision is also granted to the friends of Allah [auliya’ullah]. […] At the site of Badr, the enemy’s encampment on the high ground of the sand dune; the Holy Prophet’ssa descent into the low-lying part of the valley; the small number of the Companions remaining hidden from the enemy’s sight; the appearance of wind and rain; every single arrow of the Companions landing precisely on its mark and proving fatal; the enemy’s panic and the Companions’ resolute courage – all this was the marvel of the influence of the angels of Allah’. (Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari by Syed Zain-ul-Abidin Waliullah Shahra, Vol. VIII, pp. 71-72) […]”
(Compiled by Zaheer Ahmad Khan, Head of Records Department, Private Secretariat, London and translated by Al Hakam)