Guidance regarding basic Islamic issues that Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa has given at various occasions in his written correspondence and during various MTA programmes is being officially published below for everyone’s benefit
Philosophy of Islamic punishments
Huzooraa was sent a quote from the Promised Messiahas wherein he states, “There is a clear injunction in the Holy Quran to amputate the hand of a thief and to stone the adulterer”.
Huzooraa was then asked that while the former was mentioned in the Holy Quran, there was no mention of stoning an adulterer in any of the verses. Huzooraa was asked for guidance on the matter.
Huzooraa, in a letter dated 15 October 2018, gave the following reply:
“There are generally two aspects to Islamic punishments: a severe punishment and a comparatively moderate punishment. The main purpose of these punishments is to prevent evil and to serve as an admonition for others.
“Therefore, we see that during the time of the Holy Prophetsa and the Khulafa-e-Rashideen, not all kinds of thieves were punished with amputation of their hands. This punishment was, for example, never applied for the theft of food and drink. However, if a thief, while snatching a woman’s jewellery, injures her hand or ear or causes injury to any part of her body in such a way that she becomes disabled, then such a thief is punished according to the crime. This also includes the punishment of the amputation of the hands.
“Likewise, if adultery or fornication is committed by mutual consent and it is proven by the Islamic method of witnessing, then the concerning parties are sentenced to a hundred lashes. However, in the case of rape, which is of extremely barbaric nature, or if a rapist has committed this heinous act by abusing young children, then the punishment for such a person cannot be merely a hundred floggings. Such an adulterer or rapist can then be given the extreme punishment such as killing and stoning according to the teachings mentioned in Surah al-Maidah [chapter 5], verse 34 and Surah al-Ahzab [chapter 33], verses 61-63 of the Holy Quran. However, the right of meting out this punishment is given to the ruling government of the time. This teaching has merely given them an option in general.
“Therefore, it is in light of these Quranic verses that the Promised Messiahas has also stated that the punishment mentioned in the Holy Quran for such an adulterer or rapist was stoning.”
Profit through bank accounts in Pakistan
Huzooraa was asked regarding the personal use of profits earned through depositing money in banks in Pakistan.
In a letter, dated 26 November 2018, Huzooraa gave the following reply:
“Banks in Pakistan usually accept deposits on the basis of the PLS method, which is a participatory banking system based on profit and loss sharing. Any wealth gained by depositing money into such a system does not fall under the category of interest.
“Similarly, profits gained through the money deposited in state-owned banks are not considered interest because they invest their capital on philanthropic projects, as a result of which various schemes are devised for the benefit of the citizens of the country, the economy grows and employment opportunities are generated. Therefore, the profits from such banks can be utilised for personal needs.
“As far as interest is concerned, the Promised Messiahas has defined it as follows: an individual lending money to another solely for their own benefit while predetermining the loan repayment as interest. When these conditions apply, then it is considered interest.
“Islam prohibits interest which takes advantage of the helplessness of the poor by fixing a certain amount of interest in advance when lending to them, thereby subsequently burdening the poor with interest upon interest and putting them in the chains of never-ending debt and interest. However, in the present times, if a person cannot afford to repay a loan and is forced to file for bankruptcy, then that debt can be dissolved.
“This is why the Hakam and Adl of the age, the Promised Messiahas has said, ‘Now, most of such matters in this country have turned upside-down. Every trade has an aspect or two that are based on interest. This is why renewed ijtihad is needed in this era.’
“In light of this guidance of the Promised Messiahas, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat continues to investigate and research into various issues in this regard whenever they arise and even currently, further research is being conducted on this matter.”
Names of people in Jamaat books who leave the Community
Huzooraa was asked regarding the revised edition of Fatawa Masih-e-Maudas and it was suggested that the name of the original publisher, Fakhruddin Multani Sahib, and the preface by him should be removed from the revised edition because he later left Jamaat.
In a letter, dated 26 November 2018, Huzooraa gave a beautiful answer, most befitting to the values and traditions of the Jamaat and said:
“The book contains the fatawa [edicts] of the Promised Messiahas and was compiled by Fakhruddin Multani Sahib in 1935. This book was used in Jamaat literature for a long time but there were numerous errors in the typesetting and the quotations. Therefore, errors relating to the composition and quotations have been corrected in this new edition.
“However, since the original publisher and author of this book was Fakhruddin Multani Sahib, if we were to remove his name and the preface by him from this new edition, it would not be right. Although some friends of the Promised Messiahas had separated themselves from the Jamaat after his demise due to their recklessness, they had been able to serve the Jamaat in various tasks during the blessed time of the Promised Messiahas.
“Thus, their names are included in the written history of Ahmadiyyat. As for your suggestion that we should remove the names of all these individuals and their services from the history of Ahmadiyyat, this is against the ethics and traditions of the Jamaat.
“By the grace of Allah, the Jamaat has now published a book entitled Fiqhul Masih, which contains even more guidance and edicts of the Promised Messiahas than Fatawa Masih-e-Maudas.”
A revelation of the Promised Messiahas regarding Bengal
During a virtual mulaqat of the missionaries of Bangladesh with Huzooraa on 8 November 2020, a missionary requested Huzooraa to shed some light on the following revelation of the Promised Messiahas which states that the people of Bengal will be consoled and comforted:
پہلے بنگالہ کی نسبت جو کچھ حکم جاری کیا گیا تھا اب اُن کی دلجوئی ہوگی
“Concerning the order that had been issued with regard to Bengal, they will now be consoled.”
Huzooraa replied:
“Comfort and reassurance has been given to the people of Bengal for 130 years now, but now the people of Bangladesh have to do something and prove themselves so that they may be given this consolation and comfort. Serve and demonstrate this through your actions. Elevate the level of righteousness within yourselves, increase your passion for serving faith and then demonstrate this through your actions. Endeavour to bring about a transformation within the country.
“As far as the opposition is concerned, remember that opposition acts like fertiliser and a seed. The Jamaat is being introduced to people even more so [through opposition]. The more the Ahmadis are persecuted, the more the Jamaat is being introduced to people. Ahmadis are attacked and persecuted in Pakistan, which leads to more exposure of the Jamaat in the outside world and even inside Pakistan.
“Initially, the Jamaat faced opposition in the cities of Pakistan and so people in the cities were acquainted with Ahmadiyyat, but now there is opposition in villages and smaller areas resulting in everyone becoming acquainted with Ahmadiyyat.
“As a result of this exposure, the outside world is also learning about Ahmadiyyat and there are people with a virtuous and pious disposition within Pakistan who are also developing the realisation that they should do their own research to find out about what the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat actually is; what our views are about Islam; what our connection is to Islam; what we believe about the rank of the Holy Prophetsa and how we interpret and understand the Word of God. When they do their research, they get the opportunity of coming closer to the Jamaat due to their own interest and curiosity. So, this opposition serves as fertiliser for you and you should try to benefit from it.
“When you will offer sacrifices, then you will certainly be consoled and granted reassurance. And by the grace of Allah, you have offered sacrifices; bombs have exploded in your mosques; one of our missionaries lost one of his legs and people were injured or martyred. Such incidents occur from time to time and I continually pray to Allah the Exalted for the conditions to improve and I remain concerned for everyone’s wellbeing.
“However, along with all of this, in order to attain comfort and reassurance, you too have to endeavour in this regard. Therefore every murabbi and mu‘allim should pledge that he will spend his days whilst instilling the fear of Allah and spend his nights with taqwa and fulfil the responsibility entrusted upon him to spread the message of Ahmadiyyat in every corner of the country with a special passion and zeal.
“Most importantly, you must demonstrate your own practical examples as role models. You must instil the quality of being content and whatever little resources and facilities you are provided by the Jamaat, you must derive maximum benefit from them and consider them to be ample and abundant. You must continue to raise the standards of your sacrifices. You must continue to strengthen your relationship with Allah the Exalted. You must wake up during the nights to pray.
“It is the duty of every murabbi and mua‘llim to offer the Tahajud prayer for at least one hour. Reflect on your conditions and ask yourselves whether you offer Tahajud prayer for an hour. Are you waking up at night and offering nawafil and profusely weeping before Allah the Exalted and praying that He may create ease for the Jamaat and grant you the means for its progress?
“Also, make it a habit to study and deeply ponder over the Holy Quran. You will not benefit from simply reading a few ready-made essays on the topic; rather, you must broaden the scope of your knowledge as much as possible. This is the very thing that will be useful for you in the future, insha-Allah, and you will be able to use this to your benefit whilst debating with other scholars and to also inform the general public.
“It may well be that the non-Ahmadi scholars have studied more books of Islamic jurisprudence, tafsir [commentary] of the Holy Quran and ahadith in comparison to you and can also quote them to others.
“However, you are the ones who are to explain the true verities which have been taught to us in this day and age by the Promised Messiahas, who is the Hakam and the Adl. It is his understanding of Islamic jurisprudence, his tafsir of the Holy Quran and his interpretation of the ahadith that we have to establish in this world and inform others about it.
“For this, you will need to strive, broaden the scope of your knowledge and then seek help from Allah the Exalted. Seek help from Allah the Exalted for broadening the scope of your knowledge and also for your spiritual progress. Also, seek help from Allah the Exalted in order to spread the message of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in your country. Also seek help from Allah the Exalted that He may remove the opposition and hostility you face. Seek help from Allah the Exalted in order to save your country from His wrath and punishment.
“So there are many types of supplications that a person ought to offer. You should offer these prayers with great passion, zeal and fervency and then you will see for yourselves the revolutionary change you bring about in Bangladesh. And though you will also have to endure hardships and difficulties in this, Allah the Exalted will then say that they have endured enough difficulties, ‘Now console and comfort them.’ It is only after this that you will be granted comfort and solace.”
Tabligh to non-Ahmadi Muslims who are indifferent about Islam
In the same mulaqat with Huzooraa, dated 8 November 2020, another missionary asked Huzooraa how to preach to people who claim to be Muslims, yet they have no link to Islam.
Huzooraa answered this with the following:
“You should tell them that irrespective of whether they accept the message of Ahmadiyyat or not, they still claim to be Muslims and it is the commandment of Allah and His Messengersa that they should be able to recite the Holy Quran which Allah the Exalted has revealed to us and they should learn how to offer the five daily prayers; they should believe in the pillars of Islam and also act upon them.
“Explain to them that they are Muslims, therefore their belief in the Messengersa of Allah can only be complete when they act in accordance with his sunnah. Tell them how to read the Holy Quran, which is the Shariah that Allah the Exalted has revealed. If they do not know how to recite the Holy Quran and they need to learn it, then you should tell them that we are ready to teach you. Furthermore, teach them what Allah and His Messengersa have said and also teach them how to read the Holy Quran.
“At this stage, there is no need to ask them to become an Ahmadi first because when they learn about the teachings of Islam, they will themselves take the next step. They will say that their own clerics were not teaching them anything, but rather you are the ones who are teaching us. So, they will want to know more about us. Thus, in this way, your interaction with them will begin and further avenues of tabligh will also open. You should pray also for them. It was prophesied regarding this very era that only the name of Islam would be left.
رہا دین باقی نہ اسلام باقی
اک اسلام کا رہ گیا نام باقی
‘What remains is neither faith, nor Islam; What remains is just the name of Islam.’
“It was for this very reason that the advent of the Promised Messiahas and Mahdi took place in order to once again bring people closer to Allah the Exalted and to draw their attention towards fulfilling the rights of each other.
“People have forgotten these fundamental principles and this is the reason for the advent of the Promised Messiahas in this very age. This is the very mission of the Promised Messiahas and also the duty of those who follow the Promised Messiahas. It is also the duty of those who have undertaken a deep study of the Faith and have devoted themselves to the service of Islam in order to spread the message and to morally train others. This relates to all of you. Therefore, convey to them the teachings and message of Islam and explain to them what true faith is.
“This is in exact accordance with the prophecy of the Holy Prophetsa in relation to the signs of the era in which the advent of the Promised Messiahas was to take place, in which the Holy Prophetsa stated that people would only bear the title of being a Muslim but would have completely disregarded its teachings. They verbally proclaim, ‘There is no God except Allah …’ however, they have no understanding of what it truly means. They proclaim, “… and Muhammadsa is the Messenger of Allah”; however, they have no knowledge of the blessed example and character of the Messengersa of Allah.
“Thus, it is our duty to inform people of this. And for this, we will need to make a concerted effort. We will first need to explain to them about the teachings of Islam and then they will automatically learn about Ahmadiyyat. Therefore, if they have forgotten the teachings of their faith and Islam remains merely a title for them, then this in fact is fulfilling what Allah the Exalted and His Messengersa had foretold.
“These people simply follow their religious clerics, who teach them nothing but to cause harm to the Ahmadis by injuring them, taking their lives, destroying their mosques and damaging their properties. This is all they can do; what else do they have? However, in response, we ought to explain to them with love and affection. This is what Allah the Exalted has taught us that if we act with love and affection, then they will become like our best friends.”
Huzoor’s experience of being imprisoned in the way of Allah
Another missionary asked Huzooraa in the same mulaqat about his experience as a prisoner in the way of God Almighty (aseer-e-rah-e-Maula).
Huzooraa replied with the following:
“What can I tell you? I did not even realise how quickly my days had passed during my time in prison in the way of God. All I could witness were the blessings of Allah.
“It was summertime and Allah the Exalted would cause the heat to turn into a cool breeze. We remained in jail behind bars, without any kind of feelings of worry or stress. In my heart, I knew that the penalty for the [false] charges that had been brought against me was either life imprisonment or the death penalty – I was going to receive one of the two. So, I decided that it was Allah alone Who I was going to seek help from and to win His pleasure.
“I thought that if I was going to be handed punishment for the sake of the Jamaat, then this would be a great blessing indeed. However, Allah the Exalted had decreed something else and He enabled me to be released from jail after 10 or 12 days. So, what more can I say? I did not do anything extraordinary. I did nothing.”
Huzoor’s prayers for the Jamaat and our responsibilities
At the end of this virtual mulaqat, the amir of Bangladesh Jamaat requested Huzooraa to offer a special prayer for Bangladesh that may bring about a revolutionary change.
In response, Huzooraa said:
“Why should I only pray for Bangladesh and not the entire world? Why are you limiting my prayer, whereas I pray for the entire world? Besides this, Allah the Exalted has decreed a certain time for everything and when that time comes then, insha-Allah, a revolutionary transformation will also occur.
“Once, someone requested the Holy Prophetsa to pray for him in regard to a particular task. The Holy Prophetsa told him that he would pray for him and then he called him back to tell him that he should pray as well and in this way, he should support his prayer for him.
“Therefore, as I have already explained, it is also your duty that you should wake up during the nights to pray. Each murabbi and mu‘allim should make it incumbent upon himself to offer the Tahajud prayers. You should work selflessly. You should fulfil the rights of Allah and the rights of His people. You must consider the services for faith as a blessing of Allah. You must not expect any reward or any kind of appraisal for this service. If you continue to work with this spirit, then Allah the Exalted will shower His blessings abundantly upon you all and you will see that He will do so very soon, insha–Allah.
“May Allah the Exalted enable all of you to do this and may He enable you to be successful in your respective fields. Amin.”
(Translated by Aqeel Ahmad Kang, London)