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Opinion: Compromising our data, the new gold

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Opinion: Compromising our data, the new gold

Jazib Mehmood, Student Jamia Ahmadiyya Ghana

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The culture of the new world demands that we share our lives with the rest of the world in a rather revealing fashion. We contribute to the survival of social media by constantly feeding it information about ourselves, knowingly and unknowingly. But what we don’t realise is just how valuable our data is!

Over two years ago, it was found that we create 2.5 million terabytes of data every single day. With more people using the internet today, that figure has most certainly increased. No wonder data is called the oil of the 21st century!

Data is known to now be more valuable than oil. By having access to the heartbeat and mentality of nearly everyone on the planet, the big tech companies at Silicon Valley have given us a visual representation of what an Orwellian government would be like. This Orwellian government – unlike Big Brother – doesn’t openly dictate what people do but is rather disguised as the greatest invention of the Information Age.

There is no doubt that tech companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook have made our lives easier. Google has made access to information as easy as it could possibly be imagined. Amazon delivers us products to our doorstep while all we have to do is literally lift a finger.

Facebook has given us products like WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, which have made communication across continents incredibly easy. Twitter has created a global platform where everyone has a voice. What many people might not know is that Google collects incredible amounts of data on its users and has access to incredibly private information which users themselves offer. By expanding services across devices and buying services like Android and YouTube, they have access to more data more than ever. This is not without repercussions.

Google has been fined more than $9 billion since 2017 for violating antitrust laws. Amazon Web Services (AWS), which nearly half the internet runs on, makes enormous revenue and generated net sales of $25.7 billion in the 2018 fiscal year. Amazon is thought to be a global monopoly. Even though Europe is now using anti-trust laws to keeps these companies in check, the rest of the world is slow on the uptake.

Facebook, which bought WhatsApp for $19 billion, is completely free to use just like WhatsApp and has been convicted numerous times for playing with the privacy of users.

The reason I have mentioned the price for which WhatsApp was bought is that one wonders that a product clearly incredibly valuable to Facebook is seemingly free for us to use. This begs the question – how does WhatsApp earn profit?

Remember, when something is free to use, more often than not, you are the product that is being sold. Facebook also owns Instagram, which collects a lot of data on you which you supply willingly by using the app and entering private information on it.

Twitter is not without its privacy flaws either. And as the past few years has revealed, Twitter can pose quite a few legal risks as well. Yet there is an alarming reliance on these services. We have sold ourselves for convenience. The enormity of these companies makes it impossible for smaller tech companies to compete with these giants.

When there is a lack of competition, there is no motivation to make products safer for consumers to use. Why should Facebook care if your privacy is respected? Where else will you and the other two billion people chat and share their lives? The reason they get away with scandalous miscarriages of justice is simple. They are providing us with an irreplaceable service, whose benefits no one can deny and whose disadvantages are made disputable.

Germany’s top antitrust enforcer, Andreas Mundt, asked a room full of lawyers, academics and regulators last year to imagine a wall filled with their personal information collected by Facebook and Google. He told them to picture it stocked with their data broken up into categories like finances, location, relationships and hobbies. “That is you”, Mr Mundt said. “And I promise you this wall knows you better than your wife.”

Few listened to Mr Mundt when, a few years ago, he began raising alarms about the data collected by the tech giants. While online services like Facebook and Google did not charge a dime, people paid a high price by giving the companies so many personal details, he argued. And the people had no choice because the companies had no real competitors. (New York Times, 7 July 2019)

Let’s face it! No one bothers to read the terms and conditions. The Brexit scandal and the allegations on Facebook for interfering in the 2016 Presidential election and the Cambridge Analytica scandal are only a few examples in a vast array of allegations, which the tech giants have faced over the years. But the reason so little is being done is that many people are okay with their data being stored by these companies and used in ways more or less unknown to them.

Perhaps even you, the reader, feel that it doesn’t really affect you since you’re not doing anything wrong. Many people merely shrug and go “well, what can you do? They provide a service I rely on”.

Others argue that since they provide an essential service some allowances must be made so that they can do their job well. But I ask: like the dozens of sites that watch your every move online, would you let dozens of people watch your every move in real life? Or your children who basically live online? Or your family and friends? The answer must surely be no. And yet, there is something about peering at life through a window that can ultimately abstract us from our actions and limit any meaningful confrontation with the consequences, says Edward Snowden in his book, Permanent Record.

“Ultimately, saying that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different from saying you don’t care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say. … Or that you don’t care about freedom of religion because you don’t believe in God”, another argument Snowden makes in his book.

Many people don’t even know what exactly Cambridge Analytica did or how exactly they interfered with elections or the scope of their interference. Carole Cadwalladr, who was a key player in revealing the crimes of that data company, said, “We have sufficient information to know that Facebook’s platform was used to subvert and undermine elections in the US, the UK and many other countries”. (The Guardian, 26 October 2019)

Before the rise of social media, we didn’t feel like telling the world what we had for breakfast or what our favourite book was or what we liked to do in our free time. We were private people. Our photos remained within family and friends. We felt no need to show them to our neighbours or tell the whole neighbourhood what we did on a specific day or what interesting pursuits we were involved in.

So why do we do it now? Why do we feed this toxic culture? Why do we not care that a triumvirate of tech companies i.e. Google, Facebook and Amazon are perpetually documenting our every move?

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has also drawn the attention of our Jamaat towards the vices of social media and how it can drive one to materialistic pursuits. Perhaps the idea of having more followers of Instagram heals some insecurities we have of ourselves or maybe more retweets strengthens our notion of social acceptance. Whatever the case, this cycle is addictive and it is a bottomless vessel.

This is why Huzooraa has always advised us to use these technologies with caution. Huzooraa has expressed his concerns over Facebook that it “encourages immodesty” and “shatters the boundaries among people, boundaries from one another, boundaries around secrets. It exposes secrets and invites indecency.” (Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, Social Media, p. 36)

While Huzooraa has not condemned Facebook outright, he has stated that “it has more harms and very few benefits.” (Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa, Social Media, p. 39)

In our world today, you cannot live without having some form of these new technologies. If you do, you’re cut out from the world. And if there’s something people fear, it’s the fear of missing out. So we conform.

To keep up with a world that changes with each twist of the kaleidoscope is proving to be a hard-set task and a downright dangerous trend in every way imaginable. But we do it because everyone is doing it. A day will come when that answer just won’t be good enough.

The world might be a global village, but at what cost? My reason for writing this is not to raise alarms or to completely discourage the use of social media. I simply wish to draw our attention towards caution in a realm where there is so much trust.

Although we spend a significant amount of time online, we don’t seem to realise that our actions on our screens can have real-life consequences.

HF Germany and local Jamaat donate disinfectant tunnel in Kosovo

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HF Germany and local Jamaat donate disinfectant tunnel in Kosovo

Besmir Yvejsi, Secretary Ishaat, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo

Three months have passed since the announcement of the first few cases of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kosovo. During the last week, the number of infections has increased significantly and according to specialist doctors and microbiologists, there is a possibility of a second wave of coronavirus returning to Kosovo.

Therefore, the main advice of doctors is that we should sanitise our hands, put on masks and gloves and keep a considerable distance from others. Among the most frequented places in our country are hospitals and surgeries. For this reason, at these places, it is necessary that facilities be disinfected as well as the persons who visit them. The Family Medicine Center is one of the most frequented medical centers in Prishtina.

Dashuri për të gjithë Urrejte për askënd English translation Love for all hatred for none

Thus, Humanity First Germany and Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo, seeing this need, on 15 June 2020, donated a disinfectant tunnel to the Family Medicine Center in the Municipality of Prishtina.

The inauguration was attended by officials from the municipality of Prishtina, the director of the directorate of health Dr Bujar Gashi, the representative of the Directorate for Social Welfare Mr Premtim N. Fazliu, Acting Deputy Director of this Center Dr Rrezart Halili and the representative of Humanity First and its volunteers. Dr Bujar Gashi and Mr Premtim N Fazliu, on behalf of the directorate of health and the directorate of social welfare respectively thanked the Humanity First for this necessary donation, while Dr Spec Rrezart Halili, on behalf of the Family Medicine Center, thanked and expressed gratitude for the donation.

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Humanity First and Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo, with their motto “Love for all, hatred for none”, also expressed gratitude for this institutional cooperation of the directorate for social welfare and the directorate of health of the municipality of Prishtina, which gave them the opportunity to help this Family Medicine Center.

According to the organisation, this donation will benefit thousands of citizens who visit this centre for their needs. The disinfectant tunnel contains sensors that are activated in its pre-entrance and stops when the person passes the tunnel. The tunnel has an advanced disinfection system with a reservoir and a capacity of 1,000 litres, which manages to disinfect about 6,000 to 7,000 times.

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Kosovo is one of the many countries that Humanity First helped during this pandemic. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the media coverage for this project was amazing. More than 60 newspapers and official persons published articles on their websites or social media pages about this donation and more than 7 million people followed this successful project, alhamdolillah.

Detroit Jamaat attends 8th Congressional District Interfaith Roundtable with Rep Slotkin

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Detroit Jamaat attends 8th Congressional District Interfaith Roundtable with Rep Slotkin

Syed Shamshad Nasir, Missionary, USA

Muhammad Ahmad Sahib of Detroit reports that the Regional Missionary, Shamshad Ahmad Nasir attended the 8th Congressional District Interfaith Roundtable with Rep Slotkin on 11 June 2020 at 4:30pm.

The interfaith programme was organised by the Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan’s 8th district to discuss the current situation of Covid-19 and get feedback from the interfaith communities of the area.

The programme was kicked off by the congresswoman where she provided an update about the status of Covid-19 in the state of Michigan. She provided a summary of the various actions she had taken as the representative of Michigan’s 8th district.

After the initial remarks, the forum was opened for questions from the attendees. A representative of a local Hindu temple enquired about how we could protect our communities from the pandemic and what her recommendations were in this regard.

To this, Rep Elissa Slotkins detailed the actions she had taken, including the legislation push regarding Covid-19.

Shamshad Nasir Sahib, in his comments, thanked the representative for holding such a talk on the important issue of Covid-19 via a virtual forum and also thanked her for participating in Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit’s centennial celebrations held on 9 May 2020.

Shamshad Nasir Sahib then gave details of the activities of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Detroit regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have distributed food, homeopathic medicine, donated blood for the needy as part of our centennial celebration”, said Shamshad Nasir Sahib.

He further stated that the Jamaat had been busy doing their part in serving humanity in this region and across the country by reaching out to people, providing them with essential items. The youth auxiliary especially had been engaged and helping neighbours and communities.

Shamshad Nasir Sahib joined the virtual conference from Masjid Mahmood where the mosque’s mehrab showed the background with the kalima that was seen by approximately 30 attendees.

Muneera Farooqi Sahiba, a Muslim representative of IAGD, commented that as Shamshad Nasir Sahib had mentioned earlier, they had also been helping people in the community during the pandemic.

Another participant asked a question about how to go about safely opening community buildings, community centres and schools during the election.

Rep Elissa Slotkin responded that they are going to wait and follow the directions from the federal as well as state authorities.

One of the participating rabbis commented that we should protect people of our congregations during the time of the pandemic of Covid-19, which is the need of the time.

He referred to what Shamshad Nasir Sahib had said about saying the call to prayer in mosques and offering prayers alone and said that he had been doing the same in his synagogue. In response to another question regarding the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Rep Elissa Slotkins said that they were working very diligently to reform police and a lot progress was being made via the new legislation so that police could discharge their responsibilities without any discrimination of race and colour.

Another Muslim attendee, Sr Nishat of IAGD said that we should be involved as to how we can help the Afro-American people in our communities.

At the end, Shamshad Nasir Sahib thanked the congresswomen for inviting and holding such a wonderful conference and led the silent prayer to end the meeting. He read verses of Surah al-Fatihah and other Quranic prayers and prayers of the Holy Prophetsa for difficult times.

There were approximately 30 representatives of various interfaith communities joining and attending this conference and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat was delivered during the conference.

Opinion: Continuing education during a pandemic

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Opinion: Continuing education during a pandemic

“And say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (Surah Ta Ha, Ch.20, V.115)

Kholood Tahir, King’s College London

In the past few months, we have lived through very unprecedented times, which will make it to the history books.

Covid-19 has rattled the world in such a way that people from all walks of life – the elderly, young, rich, poor – are all left fearing for their lives. Although viral infections are quite common, what made Covid-19 so dangerous was its nature to spread easily and the lack of any vaccine or treatment.

On 23 March, the UK entered lockdown with only essential travel being permitted and key workers going to work. This indeed took a great toll on the lives of many, including students.

For some, the news of lockdown brought a temporary pause to their daily routines, with exams being postponed until September or being cancelled altogether; for others, education continued through a remote format with assignments and exams being conducted online.

For the second type of student, whilst the world was trying to learn new skills – baking the tastiest banana bread or whipping up the perfect dalgona coffee – the only thing on their mind was to prepare for the strangest exam season of their lives.

At King’s College London, most of the senior lecturers for medicine are also clinicians or doctors, so they were pulled away from their teaching duties to serve at the front lines.

Therefore, we, as first year medics, were given access to the previous years’ lecture recordings, as well as seminar worksheets with answers – an email of “good luck” was also sent to us to complete the rest of the year by ourselves.

It was a challenge for us to complete units such as neuroscience, epidemiology, genomics etc. on our own. Where normally teaching would be supported with anatomy practical sessions, we tried to make do with YouTube videos and turned to resources on the internet to help us through this time.

Many of us who were accustomed to studying in quiet spaces away from home, were left with no choice but to clear the clutter from our bedroom desks and transform our rooms into libraries. Personally, the arrival of Ramadan for me was God’s gift to help me get through those increasingly stressful days preceding my exams.

During the day, I endeavoured to fulfil the rights of God by fasting and spending my time in the remembrance of Allah the Almighty. During the nights I would endeavour to fulfil the rights of mankind by studying the various systems of the human body and the biochemical pathways that take place to keep us alive.

One of my favourite modules to revise was nutrition and metabolism as it was interesting to learn, in depth, the processes that take place in the body whilst fasting and the many physical benefits attached.

More than anything, the experience of living through a global pandemic taught me the value of service to humanity and the incredible role all key workers have played for the well-being of the country and the world.

All worldly activities, such as retail, transport, leisure and social activities, came to a stop, however the service to humanity continued.

The Holy Prophet of Islam, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, taught us that spiritual advancement is intrinsically linked to serving humanity and so a Muslim cannot attain the love of God Almighty just through worship and prayer, rather the love of God Almighty requires Muslims to serve humanity.

Post-Covid-19: Is Islamic economics the way forward?

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Post-Covid-19: Is Islamic economics the way forward?
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The last three months have seen all sorts of data flying just as much around as the coronavirus. Pew Research Center, Womply, 7Park Data and numerous other surveyors and data providers have worked as sources to back up news stories.

From number of deaths to number of infections, from job loss to furlough schemes, from superb profits of supermarkets to terminally ill global markets, statistical data has been the bedrock of information and news.

While there has been a great variety in analyses based on such data, data providers have unanimously agreed on one analysis: The global economy is on a ventilator! World leaders must be, in the heart of their hearts, much thankful to the coronavirus, which has happily taken the role of their scapegoat.

For leaders who wanted to shut their borders with certain countries or those that had only just broken away from the European Union with no clear road-map; or those who had no answers for their failing economy; or those that were helplessly watching their health systems fail, the coronavirus seems to have come to help in taking all blame.

Every country has been affected by the outbreak of the deadly pandemic in different ways, but the one common blow – or megablow if you like – has been to their economies.

Standing at the slippery cliff of economic disaster, every nation is worried about where to start. While some nations have just plunged into opening up industries and retail outlets, others think that this alone may not be a sufficient enough measure to resuscitate an economy that might still seem alive, but is virtually, clinically dead.

Wiser are those nations whose economic advisers have understood the fact that capitalism is no longer going to work. Major powers are now looking at China’s model and considering it as a prototype in their own way forward. China, on the other hand, has suffered bitterly at the hands of a communist economy and borrowed much from capitalism. The state still dominates the economy, while allowing a controlled structure of free-market – a hybrid model of communist and laissez-faire economies.

Western economists sometimes like to call the Chinese model a “third way”, but the fact of the matter is that the third way is yet to be explored. Why the Chinese model cannot be called a third way is for its capitalist inspiration, where a flimsy cloak of communism is only there to save face.

The “third way” is yet to be explored by the world economy and that is none else but the Islamic economic structure.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat has been calling for this consideration for a very long time, but strong, proud and flamboyant economies of the world have always brushed it away. Now that the global economy has experienced and seen for themselves that they cannot fall back on capitalist economies with the hope to bounce back, we thought that now is the time to get our message across again, while the high-flying, arrogant economies seem to be walking on earth.

Hazrat Mirza Bashiurddin Mahmud Ahmadra, the second Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, has very clearly outlined how Islam, allowing free-market to flourish under state control, is the only answer to the failure of capitalism and communism, both.

The Economic System of Islam is a lecture he delivered in 1945. Where free-market flourishes, yet the state oversees the well-being of the nation as a whole is the ideal and only system that can lead the way in terms of economy. Interest has to be replaced with other forms of incentive to allow borrowing, yet curb economic exploitation of the weaker sections of society.

It is only in the Islamic economic structure that the privileged are bound to contribute towards the welfare of the less-privileged, i.e. through the institution of Zakat.

Coming to the Ahmadiyya Islamic economics, the system of Wasiyyat – where 10% of all assets are paid for upholding the ideal of an Islamic welfare state – is the only unique example, where property and assets remain in personal ownership but are still contributed towards the solidarity and well-being of the state. The details of this can be read in another great work of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, titled, Nizam-e-Nau (The New World Order).

During a meeting of 20 most powerful economies of the world – more commonly known as G20 – the German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble made it very clear to the mastermind economists of the world:

“Islamic finance is growing in importance for the global economy. It is therefore important that international financial institutions consider questions related to integrating Islamic finance into global finance.”

We will be writing on this topic in greater detail very soon. In the meantime, we leave our readers for some food for thought.

Divine signs: Acceptance of the Promised Messiah’s prayers

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Divine signs: Acceptance of the Promised Messiah’s prayers
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The Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was given the miracle of acceptance of prayer. On many occasions, Arya Samajists, Hindus and Sikhs etc. used to ask the Promised Messiahas for prayers and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat used to inform them beforehand that his prayers regarding the requested matters had been accepted by Allah.

Consequently, the prayers of this messenger of God Almighty were fulfilled exactly as he had foretold. Hence, the Promised Messiahas states:

“Some divine prophecies are listed below…:

No. 1

“Name of Arya Samajist: Keson wala Arya [i.e. having five Ks, kesh (uncut hair), kangha (wooden comb), kara (iron or steel bracelet) and kachh (cotton undershorts) and kirpan (sword)] Bhai Kishan Singh of Qadian.

“The revelation or vision that was witnessed: The acquittal of Judge Muhammad Hayat Khan from a crime regarding which he was accused and suspended for a period of time after awkwardly coming under the criticism of the government was an unimaginable thing. Hence, in those days I prayed a lot for him because he had a somewhat sincere connection with our family, so by the grace of God, his matter was revealed to me and about five or six months before it happened, I conveyed the news of his exoneration to an estimated 60 or 70 men from among the Hindus and Muslims, as well as this Arya, in such a critical time while terrible rumours were circulating about Hayat Khan that some were fearful of him being hanged. Thus, if this statement is not correct according to this witness, then he should swear in a proposed Jalsa in such manner, ‘I bear witness to my Parmeshar and I swear sincerely that this prophecy was not told to me at all. And if it has been reported to me and I have told a lie, then, O Sarv shakti maan [Omnipotent God], send down your warning on me and on my family through any affl iction.’

No. 2

“Name of Arya Samajist: Lala Malawamal Khatri of Qadian.

“The revelation or vision that was witnessed: Malawamal was afflicted with tuberculosis and when his condition became dangerous I supplicated on his behalf and received the revelation:

قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا

“That is, ‘O fire of fever, cool down.’

Then I saw in a dream that I had pulled him out of the grave. He was informed both of the revelations and of the dream before the events occurred. Hence, after a few weeks, he recovered. Then, one morning, it was revealed that money would be received from some relative of Arbab Lashkar Khan on that day. In order to test, the same Arya Sahib went to the post office and brought the news of receiving ten rupees, which were sent by Arbab Sarwar Khan, son of Lashkar Khan. If this statement is not true, then Malawamal should swear in a proposed Jalsa in such manner: ‘I bear witness to my Parmeshar and I swear sincerely that this prophecy was not told to me at all. And if it has been reported to me and I have told a lie, then, O Sarv shakti maan [Omnipotent God], send down your warning on me and on my family through any affliction.’ It should be noted that Malawamal, in his letter dated 14 August 1885, written on behalf of Mir Abbas Ali Sahib, which is in our possession, has acknowledged the authenticity of these two prophecies.

No. 3

“Name of Arya Samajist: Lala Sharampat Rai Khatri of Qadian.

“The revelation or vision that was witnessed: Lala Sharampat Rai’s brother was accused in a criminal case. There was an appeal in the Chief Court. Lala Sharampat asked for prayer. Hence, aft er carrying a lot of prayers, finally the prayers were accepted and it was revealed from the Knower of the unseen that misal [records] would return from the Chief Court for reinvestigation and then he would be released, but his other Brahman friend, whose name is Khushal, would not be released until he served the complete prison sentence. Thus, this news was told to Lala Sharampat in a time of great fear and danger before its occurrence and then when it was fulfilled, he was reminded through a written statement, to which he replied in writing, ‘This matter was revealed to you because you are a pious person.’

“Second, he [Lala Sharampat] was told about Dalip Singh before the event that it had been disclosed to me that he was not destined to arrive in the Punjab. He would either die or be humiliated but would not achieve his purpose. Third, concerning Pandit Dayanand, Lala Sharampat was informed two months before his demise that his end was very near. Actually, in my vision I had seen him dead. Fourth, regarding a land case which was filed with the collaterals and reached the Chief Court through various courts after many years, I received this revelation after praying:

اُجِیْبُ کُلَّ دُعَائِکَ اِلَّا فِیْ شُرَکَائِکَ

“That is, ‘I shall accept all your prayers that you have beseeched but not in the matter of your collaterals.’ Thus, the cognates won this case in the end. At first, they were defeated in the primary courts, but ultimately, they won in the Chief Court. Probably more than 50 people are aware of this revelation, including Lala Sahib, who was foretold this revelation at the beginning of the trials. Fifth, on one occasion, I received the following revelation in the mosque about the time of Asr:

میں نے ارادہ کیا ہے کہ تمہاری ایک اور شادی کروں

“‘[I have determined to arrange another wedding for you.] I will make all the arrangements Myself and you will not be put to any trouble.’ This was accompanied by a Persian couplet:

ہرچہ باید نو عروسے راہماں سامان کنم

و آنچہ مطلوب شما باشد عطائے آں کنم

“Some revelations also indicated that the family [into which I would be married] would be high and noble. Hence, one revelation said, ‘God has provided you with a noble descent and has arranged your marriage in a noble family.’ All this was communicated to Lala Sharampat long before the event. He knows well that without any effort on my part, God arranged this relationship in a high and noble family … of Syeds and made provision for all connected matters and expense in such a manner that I did not undergo any trouble in that regard. To this day, He continues to fulfil this promise. Sixth, the prophecy mentioned at the outset of which Keson wala Arya is the witness, Lala Sharampat is also among the witnesses. Now I say that if Lala Sharampat does not consider all the said prophecies to be true and believes them to be utter slander, then it is incumbent upon him to hold a public Jalsa and swear before us in this manner, ‘I bear witness to my Parmeshar and I swear sincerely that I am not aware of a single prophecy which have been mentioned and none was told to me and nothing was fulfilled before my eyes. And if I have told a lie in this statement, then, O Sarv shakti maan [Omnipotent God], send down your warning on me and on my family through any affliction.’

No. 4

“Name of Arya Samajist: Bishan Das Brahman son of Hera Singh.

“The revelation or vision that was witnessed: Bishan Das Brahman son of Hira Singh was informed by this revelation that today a letter by the name of Abdullah Khan Sahib is coming from Dera Ismail Khan and he will also send some money. So this Arya went to the post office for verifying and brought a letter sent from Abdullah Khan Extra Assistant, which came from Dera Ismail Khan with ten rupees. Thus, in the same manner of swearing, the said Bishan Das should be enquired. The man also confessed to witnessing the revelation in front of Harnam Das Arya of Batala.

No. 5

“Name of Arya Samajist: Baijnath Brahman son of Bhagt Ram.

“The revelation or vision that was witnessed: Baijnath Brahman son of Bhagt Ram was informed, on the basis of a vision, that in the space of a year he would be afflicted with some misfortune and there would also be an occasion for joy. Thence, I obtained his signature to this prophecy, which I still have with me. Thereafter, within one year his father died at an early age. On the same day there was a happy occasion, that is, someone’s wedding was being celebrated. He should also be enquired about this prophecy under oath, but by an oath of the same kind [as mentioned above].” (Shahna-e-Haq, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 2, pp. 380-384)

The readers should bear witness to God Almighty with full sincerity of their hearts and ask themselves whether these events are evidence of the Promised Messiahas being from Allah or whether they prove him to be insane and delusional.

Inviting to spiritual competition, the Promised Messiahas states:

“Now if anyone is a seeker of truth, whether he is a Hindu or a Christian or an Arya Samajist or a Jew or a Brahman or anyone else, this is a great opportunity for him to stand up against me. If he is able to compete with me in revealing the unseen and the acceptance of prayers, I swear by Allah Almighty that I will hand over all my real estate property, which is close to ten thousand rupees or I will console him in paying the ransom in any way he wishes. My God is the only witness that I will not be unfair in my dealing and even if there is death penalty, I will embrace it with all my heart. I say this from my heart and Allah Almighty knows that I am telling the truth. If anyone has any doubt and does not believe in my suggestion, then he should offer a good ransom offer and I will accept it. I will not make any excuse. If I am a liar, it is better that I die with a severe punishment and if I am truthful, then I wish that some of the dead should be saved at my hand.

“O clergymen, who are honoured and distinguished among their people. I swear by Allah Almighty that you should pay attention to this. If you have an iota of love of this righteous man whose name is Jesus Christ, I swear to you that you must stand up against me. I swear by that God who created Jesus from the womb of righteous Mary, who revealed the Gospel, who caused Jesus to die but did not place him in the dead, but joined him with His living Jamaat of Abraham and Moses and John and the other prophets. He revived him and brought him to those in the Heavens who were revived before him. So that you may stand up against me if the truth is with you. If the truth is with you and Jesus is the true God, then you have the victory. But if he is not God and he is a humble and weak man and the truth is in Islam, then God will hear me and He will manifest that matter at my hand what you are not capable of showing. If you say, ‘We do not contest, nor do we possess the signs of the believers,’ then let us look at the one-sided work of God Almighty on the condition of converting to Islam.

“Let every one of you who is well-known, a leader and respected among his people, or one of them, compete me. If you are unable to contest, just promise me that you will become a believer after witnessing something that cannot be done by a human being and accept Islam. Ask me to see a sign and they should publish their promise as an announcement with twelve testimonies of Christians, Muslims and Hindus, that is, four Christians, four Muslims and four Hindus should put their oath on it. Send an announcement to me as well and if God Almighty shows an extraordinary spectacle of nature which is above human powers, then accept Islam without reluctance. Thereafter, if they do not accept, then the second sign is that I will ask my Almighty God to send down a terrible affliction on such a person in a year’s time, like leprosy or blindness or death. If this prayer is not accepted, then I will pay any kind of suggested ransom as a punishment. The same condition is presented before the Aryans that if they believe their Veda as the word of God Almighty and consider our Divine book, the Holy Quran, as a slander of man, then they should contest. They should keep in mind that they will be greatly disgraced during the competition. They possess atheistic views and unlimited cleverness in abundance. However, God will prove to them that He is, and if they do not compete, then let they see a one-sided sign from me without any absurd condition. It would be sufficient for my sign to be from Allah that if an Aryan who has witnessed a sign does not accept Islam soon after, I will execrate against him and if he does not suffer from leprosy, blindness or death in a year, then I am ready to take any kind of punishment. Same conditions apply to the rest of the people and if still they do not turn towards me, then God Almighty’s demonstration has been established over them.” (Aina Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 276-278)

The Promised Messiahas, on another occasion, said:

“God Almighty bestows three blessings on His perfect servant through His revelation. First, most of their prayers are accepted and they are foretold about their fulfilment. Secondly, God informs them about many unseen matters. Thirdly, many verities of the Holy Quran full of wisdom are disclosed to him through revelation. Thus, whoever denies this humble one and then claims that these abilities are found in him, I swear by God Almighty to compete with me in these three things. Both the parties should write a commentary of seven verses of the Holy Quran which are unanimously approved, i.e. the opposing party should compose insightful points from his divine inspiration and I should write from my revelation. Moreover, he should present some revelations in advance which carry the good news of the acceptance of prayer and that prayer should be beyond the power [of man]. I would present in the same way. He should also disclose some unseen matters that are related to the future and so should I reveal so in the same manner. This statement of both parties should be published through announcements. Then, each party’s truth and falsehood will be exposed. However, it should be borne in mind that they will never be able to do so. The curse of God is on the hearts of the deniers. God will not show them the light of the Quran, nor will their prayers carrying the news of fulfillment beforehand be accepted in front [of me], and He will not inform them about the unseen matters.

فَلا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا إِلّا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِنْ رَسُولٍ

Thus, now I have presented this announcement. A person who neither competes with me in the rightful manner after this nor refrains from denying, they are under the curse of God, the curse of the angels and the curse of all the righteous ones.” (Appendix Anjam-e-Atham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 11, p. 303)

The Promised Messiahas repeatedly drew the attention of his opponents to the subject of the verse:

لَّا یَمَسُّہٗۤ اِلَّا الۡمُطَہَّرُوۡنَ

“None shall touch it except those who are purified” (Surah al-Waqiah, Ch.56: V.80), that if he was a liar according to the opinion of the people, then what is the reason that such sublime divine knowledge is granted to him and not given to his opponents?

The founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat invited leaders and scholars of various religions time and again to compete with him in the acceptance of prayer and challenged them that Allah Almighty shall surely help Islam to triumph.

Despite repeated cries and calls, no one came forward because they knew that the Messiahas of Muhammadsa was supported by God and they were not.

100 Years Ago… – Lectures in Richmond, Dr Luke’s conversion to Islam and a sincere letter of Abdullah Bottomley

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100 Years Ago… – Lectures in Richmond, Dr Luke’s conversion to Islam and a sincere letter of Abdullah Bottomley

Al Fazl, 17 June 1920

Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra

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Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra

First lecture in Richmond

It has been stated in the previous London’s letter that three lectures of Maulvi Fateh Muhammad Sayal MA, missionary of Islam, are due to be held in Etherington Hall.

The first of these lectures took place on 3 May [1920] with all its glory. Regarding this lecture, which is the first lecture in this series, Richmond Times writes:

Islam and the British Empire

“Maulvi Fateh Muhammad Sahib Sayal MA, Qadian, Punjab, gave the first lecture of the proposed series of speeches on Islam and the British Empire (3 May at 8pm) at Etherington Hall. The speaker said that while studying Islam, the first thing that attracts the attention of the seeker of truth is that this religion is a historic religion and its prophet is a historic prophet. This is a matter in which no other religion or any other founder of religion can compete with Islam. There is no denying the fact that the Prophet of Islam acted as a messenger in the world. The world knows where Muhammadsa was born and under what circumstances [God’s] authority employed his services. How he lived as a boy, as a young man, how he got married, how he contributed to the government and culture in his hometown, what mental struggles he had to pursue for enlightenment and how, eventually, the final light emanated from the original source of light.

“What was Islam? It was a strong, vibrant and progressive religion. Therefore, this religion spread rapidly around the world.

“One hundred million Muslims live in the British Empire. Therefore, the peace and honour of this kingdom depend on mutual relations of love between the Muslims and the British. The literal meaning of the word Islam is obedience or harmony. The basic tenets of all religions are found in Islam in their pure form. Islam, as some European authors believe, is not only a combination of the [purest] teachings of Judaism and Christianity, but also contains the best of Egyptian, Babylonian, Iranian and Hindi teachings. Muslims are commanded to follow Divine attributes in their lives so that they treat God’s creation with compassion.

“The second lecture will be held on Monday evening at 8 pm.” (Richmond Times, 8 May 1920)

The second lecture

The second lecture in the above series took place on 10 May at the scheduled time. After an interesting one-hour speech, which was listened to attentively by the educated upper class, the question and answer session continued for about half an hour. As the representatives of local newspapers took notes of the lecture and we hope that they will publish a detailed account of the occasion, the description of this lecture will be gifted to the readers next week, insha-Allah.

Dr Luke Faruq

An educated young man from Trinidad and a resident of America, after studying Teaching of Islam and other Ahmadiyya literature and conversing with missionaries for nearly two months, left Christianity and converted to Islam on 12 May, and … became an Ahmadi and [changed his name to] Muhammad Faruq from Luke. Praise be to Allah who made it all possible.

A detailed report will be given next week, insha-Allah.

Demolition of churches

These days, newspapers in London are criticising a report published by a commission appointed by the Bishop of London on the churches in the city of London. The commission has recommended that 47 churches are too many for 13,000 people and that the Church of England cannot afford to keep 47 churches.

Therefore, 19 of these churches should be demolished. Although superannuated minded Christians do not want churches to be demolished, but newspapers write:

“Whatever happens, some churches will be demolished because the church must take part in this sacrifice, which has resulted from the ‘consequences of time’ and the people of London should be pleased about it.”

The readers of Al Fazl should not be surprised, as many churches have been demolished before, while some have become the worship places of Jews [synagogues], some are warehouses and one of the churches displays motion pictures. Christianity is automatically melting before the effects of time.

Now, there is no need for an external attacker. God’s angels are covertly putting an end to human worship.

Al Fazl, 21 June 1920

Second lecture in Richmond

Richmond and Twickenham Times writes about Maulvi Fateh Muhammad Sayal’s second lecture:

“The second interesting lecture in a series of lectures on the subject of Islam and the British Empire, which began at Etherington Hall, took place on Monday evening.

“Mr Edmund, president of the gathering, told the audience that his personal knowledge of Islam is that it is a driving force in teaching morals and a very high standing religion and the current declining condition of Muslims is the result of turning away from Islam. The speaker, Maulvi Fateh Muhammad Sayal MA, stated that the Messenger of Islam attested the truths taught by Jesus and other prophets, and declared that these heads of religions, as their followers have or did believe, were not Gods but had been appointed as tutors by God, and so Muhammadsa presented these heads of religions in their actual status.

“Christianity is grateful to Muhammadsa because the devotion of the Islamic world towards Prophet Jesus is the result of the teachings of this Prophet and Muslims who share their feelings of respect about Prophet Jesusas with their Christian brethren are inspired by the Prophet Muhammad’s guidance. Friendly relations between Islam and the British Empire can bring good results and may lead to the advancement of both the groups.

“Since Islam is a simple, natural and progressive religion and will surely spread across the globe, therefore it is the duty of the British people on the one hand to study Islam and on the other hand, it is the duty of the Muslims to appreciate those virtues which they have received from the UK. Muslims need Western knowledge and Europe needs Islam. The nations that considered it a disgrace to meet other nations and did not care to exchange views, fell into disgrace.

“New inventions in warfare and present day modern destructive equipment are making it clear that either the world will now end wars or be destroyed.

“A very interesting series of questions and answers followed the speech.” (Richmond Times, 15 May 1920)

New Muslim converts

Trinidad’s young, intelligent, polite, Dr A Luke, mentioned in the previous letter, is writing detailed reasons for his conversion to Islam, which shall be gifted to the readers of Al Fazl in an upcoming letter, insha-Allah.

In addition to brother Luke, the following brothers have recently become members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and have earned the honour of becoming Muslims from Christianity:

1. John William – Mubarak

2. John Lingo – Yahya

3. Thomson William – Zahid

Speech at Hyde Park

As the weather is bright, warm and clear and it is a blessing for the people of London to have such a weather, large numbers of men and women come to Hyde Park for their afternoon walk. Speakers express their views at the park entrance.

Most of these Christian preachers are men and women who call, “Come to Christ.”

Among them, Ahmadi missionaries call to the “One God” and keep calling, “Come to Ahmad.”

This call was made for three consecutive hours last week and free-spirited English men and women listened intently. Catholics, Protestants and Christian clergy came [after us] from different angles one after the other, but I swear in the name of the One God that they were embarrassed and defeated at the hands of Ahmadi missionaries. All praise belongs to Allah.

Sincerity of beloved Bottomley

Respected Brother Abdullah Bottomley, may Allah safeguard him, writes about his wife’s conversion to Islam, the giving of the name, Hameeda and on the suggestion of circumcision of the baby, Bashir:

“Alaikumussalam! Thank you for your letter and for naming my wife after your daughter Hameeda.

“Hameeda (wife of Mr Bottomley) is coming to spend holidays in Portsmouth with little Bashir. I hope that Allah the Almighty will make this change of atmosphere beneficial for the mother and the son. Given the circumstances, I request that the circumcision of the child be postponed for some time. If I had been at home, this duty would have been carried out much earlier than today because I think it is important for every child to be circumcised after birth.

“I’m glad to know that we have good friends and that we have finally been led to the light. Now, our lives will be spent in doing good on this earth and spreading the news of the coming of the Messiah and the teachings of Huzooras.

“Today’s world seems to be experiencing the shocks of the earthquakes and it is warding off the laziness in which it used to be. The world’s men and women are now struggling to see the light. I am hopeful that millions from these doubtful people shall bow down their heads and acknowledge Allah as the God of all universes.

“I hope you are in good health and you will not have to leave London, where so many people love you.

“Your brother, Abdullah Jacques Bottomley.”

Brothers! Pray for respected Abdullah Bottomley, respected Hameeda Bottomley and little Bashir Bottomley. This sincere English family is the most precious from the white birds of the Allah the Almighty’s Messiah. One of the phrases from the translation of the letter I have given above is as follows:

“Insha-Allah, our lives shall be dedicated to doing good upon this earth and spreading the news of teachings of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).”

Azan in the ear of another Ahmadi child

God has given another boy to brother Mr Carr. The ceremony of the call to prayer in this child’s ear and the prayer for the parents was held last Friday. Members of the Jamaat will be happy that after dear Musa Faith, God has given another Ahmadi boy within three months.

May Allah bless us with many more. The circumcision and aqiqah [Islamic tradition of sacrifice on the occasion of a child’s birth] of this child will be done this week, insha-Allah.

The message of the Messiah

The Review of Religions (English), June 1920

Muhammad Dilawar Khan

Bannu,

14th May, 1920.

My dear Khan,

…

The message of truth, which I had the good opportunity to convey to you, I hope you remember still. Much can be gained by invocation and by constantly praying to God to open our understandings. If you will only do this you will find at an early stage the light of God coming to dwell in your heart.

Vain are the treasures and dignities of this life. Blessed are those who try to prepare themselves for the life of ages – the life where there are no sorrows, nor lust of the vain treasures and dignities of this our temporal life.

Brother, remember and bear it in your mind that there can be no happiness – that bliss and tranquillity of mind which we are all so fond of achieving in our life – until we really believe in the blessed Messiah, Ahmad, of Qadian. Let not the world and all its paraphernalia become a stumbling block in our way to find life, which Ahmad brought down for us.

Great is the reward for us undoubtedly, but great also is the sacrifice which Ahmad has demanded of us. Without sacrifice and without a spirit of self-abnegation, there can be no spiritual attainment. The world has had great visitations from God; but I tell you that greater calamities, more terrible pestilences, earthquakes and hurricanes are still in store for the world; for “God sent a warner to the world but the world accepted him not, but God has accepted him and will manifest his truth by mighty onslaughts.”

Let the world laugh at the warner of God. The world has always laughed at the chosen ones of God. This warner from God, this our Messiah, who came in the fullness of time, did warn us of all these disastrous calamities – some of which the world has already experienced; while others sufficient to smash the so-called civilisation of proud man, are near at hand, even at our door.

Shall we not even now turn to God with a heart full of contrition, full of longing to create true affinity with Allah through this, His Messiah, the Warner, who came to warn the world and foretell the time when Heaven will open the vial of its wrath to punish the seed of Adam for their vile crimes? That day has come upon us. Arise, throw off your shackles.

Let not the world and its allurements impede you on your way while running to drink at the fountain of life which the Messiah has opened for you. Behold, his disciples are going far and wide to give the water of life to those who are thirsty for it.

These are the Heavenly spirits who will bring the “mighty West” to the feet of Muhammad, peace be upon him. It is now futile to talk of conquering the world by the sword. The days of sword have passed away. The spirit of truth is shining today from the “Minaret” of God at Qadian, illuminating East and West with its grand celestial light. A new era has begun, a new Adam has come among us.

God has brought into existence from him a great family; a family which may well be called cosmopolitan in its true Meaning, nay, a family of God’s humble servants. It is now through these that the spiritual banner of Islam will be carried right and left to every home.

Let us hasten to join the fold of the Messiah in order to escape the coming wrath of God. Verily disasters are at the door. None will be saved except those who come to the warner with a humble heart; for he said more than once, that every one that would not believe in him would be cut off from the world.

Rejoice therefore, that even in these days of sorrow and pain there has come among us a Saviour, to warn and teach. Shall we not join his fold to be saved? Glory be to God – Lord of the Universe who sent the Messiah to redeem the world; but the world accepted him not, but God has accepted him and will manifest his truth by mighty onslaughts.

19-25 June

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19-25 June

In this third year of Al Hakam, we will present a selection of incidents from the blessed life of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, this time, with some more details

19 June 1887: The Promised Messiahas informed Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira through a post card that he was leaving for Ambala Cantonment, where his father-in-law, Hazrat Mir Nasir Nawabra was then staying. Hazrat Mir Sahibra had conveyed earlier to Huzooras that his wife’s health was not stable and on this delicate moment, Huzooras wished that his wife and their daughter, Hazrat Nusrat Jehan Begumra must be present in their company. Huzooras always displayed an excellent example in his compassionate behavior and warm dealing with his wife and in-laws.

20 June 1886: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra sharing some personal issues. In it, Huzooras also discussed the overwhelming effects of extra and fragile responsibilities, which fall upon one’s life owing to polygamy. Moreover, Huzooras commented in this letter on Hakim Sahib’s job security.

20 June 1890: Through a letter, the Promised Messiahas informed Hazrat Mian Abdullah Sanaurira that he was planning to spend some weeks in Ludhiana and his departure would be in a week or so. Hence, this devout companion could come and visit Huzooras there after completing his assigned duties.

20 June 1899: The Promised Messiahas shared his health conditions, particularly about his heart and low blood pressure, with Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khanra, in reply to a letter. Despite being severely ill, Huzooras guided Hazrat Nawab Sahibra in detail about the usage of a certain medicine he had acquired. This letter hints towards the depth of knowledge Huzooras had about human health and different cures.

20 June 1905: The Promised Messiahas received an Arabic revelation:

اَنْتَ مِنِّىْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ عَرْشِىْ۔ اَنْتَ مِنِّى بِمَنْزِلَةٍ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا الْخَلْقُ۔ صَلٰوةُ الْعَرْشِ اِلَى الْفَرْشِ۔ اَنْتَ مِنِّىْ وَ اَنَامِنْكَ۔

“You are to Me like My Throne. You have a standing with Me of which the people have no knowledge. Blessings from the Throne to the earth. You are from Me and I am from you.”

21 June 1883: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Mir Abbas Ali Sahib of Ludhiana. In it, Huzooras aptly responded to a misconception regarding the diet of Holy Prophetsa of Islam after sharing updates about the printing of the book, Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. Moreover, Huzoor’sas comprehension of the Vedas is also evident from this letter, as Huzooras shared one of his revelations about the Vedas here too. At the end of the letter, Huzooras clearly instructed Mir Sahib that if he should come across any opposition regarding Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and experience any antipathy for the writer of this book, under no circumstances should he refuse to display good morals.

21 June 1885: The Promised Messiahas wrote to Hazrat Pir Siraj-ul-Haq Numanira answering his question about fasting and journeying in the holy month of Ramadan.

21 June 1889: The Promised Messiahas, with regret, said that he would not be able to attend the wedding ceremony, which he was invited to by Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira. Huzooras cited many occupations and described the tight schedule of those days. Moreover, Huzooras mentioned the coming visit of Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddinra as he was planning to visit Ludhiana and Qadian from his workplace in Jammu Kashmir.

22 June 1885: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Mir Abbas Ali Sahib of Ludhiana. In this detailed letter, Huzooras examined the religion of Hinduism; its scriptures, beliefs and sects. This extended piece covered many misunderstandings of Pandit Dayanand, Dara Shikoh, Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janaan etc. regarding Vedas.

22 June 1891: The Promised Messiahas wrote to Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra and urged him towards the careful handling of Muhammad Baig Sahib, who was under treatment with Hazrat Hakim Sahibra. Huzooras also hinted to convey to Baig Sahib that after the full restoration of his health, he would help him in finding a suitable job.

22 June 1904: The Promised Messiahas received these revelations in Arabic:

“Make your friendship excellent. I shall soon make your matter easy. Never shall you attain to righteousness unless you spend out of that which you love.”

23 June 1897: On the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the Promised Messiahas issued a leaflet on 7 June asking his followers to reach Qadian. In response, 225 men gathered at Qadian from distant parts of India. Meetings were held and lectures were delivered in six languages – Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English, Punjabi and Pashto. The speakers included Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddinra, Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Karim Sialkotira, Hazrat Maulvi Burhanuddin Jhelmira and Maulvi Jamal Din of Syedwala (District Nankana Sahib). Prayers were offered and the poor people of the town were entertained. Streets, mosques and houses were all lit up on 22 June, while a congratulatory telegram was sent to Lord Elgin, the Viceroy, on 20 June. A beautifully bound copy of Hazrat Ahmad’sas book, Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah [A Gift to the Queen] was sent to Queen Victoria through the Deputy Commissioner in commemoration of the auspicious occasion. Copies of the book were also sent to the viceroy and the lieutenant governor of the Punjab. These special celebrations continued till this date.

24 June 1885: The Promised Messiahas informed Mir Abbas Ali Sahib of Ludhiana about his ill health. Earlier, Mir Sahib had sent some questions asking for their answers from Huzooras relating to some spiritual topics.

24 June 1896: The Promised Messiahas informed Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira that a proposed trip towards Dalhousie was postponed owing to the illness of his youngest son, who remained critically ill due to dysentery and the situation of the child had not yet fully stabalised.

25 June 1890: The Promised Messiahas replied to a letter of Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira informing him about his health and coming trip towards Ludhiana. Huzooras expressed his desire for Munshi Sahibra to come and see him there.

25 June 1892: The Promised Messiahas instructed his friend Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira that whenever he chose to avail his leave, he should find time to see Huzooras as they had not met in a long time. Munshi Sahibra belonged to a respectable family of Madar, Jalandhar. He joined the police and retired as a court inspector. He was well known for his honesty and integrity. He was one of the most devoted followers of Hazrat Ahmadas. On retirement, he came to Qadian where he breathed his last on 11 January 1909.

25 June 1897: The Promised Messiahas published the details of a matter that arose with the newspaper, Chaudhween Sadi. This 12-page long announcement carried almost all necessary points and God’s promises about the bright future of the Jamaat in the face of all adversities. This piece contained clear wording of a warning for every opponent.

25 June 1904: Hazrat Nawab Amatul Hafeez Begumra was born in the blessed house of the Promised Messiahas. Huzooras wrote:

“Today, 25 June 1904, which is a Saturday, the night that comes after Friday, 10 Rabi‘ al-Thani 1322 AH and 10 Harh 1956 [Bikrami], a girl was born to me and was named Amatul Hafeez. This is the girl about whom I had received the revelation:

واللہ مخرج ما کنتم تکتمون

Tilawat competition held across Benin

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Tilawat competition held across Benin

Mirza Farhan Ahmad Baig, Benin Correspondent

At the end of the month of Ramadan, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Benin successfully organised an online competition of recitation of the Holy Quran.

On 18 May 2020, the first audition was taken online, in which 27 candidates participated from across Benin. Recitations were available for voting for 24 hours. After the first round, seven participants came forward for the final round.

On 21 May 2020, the final competition was held online as well and it was available for voting for 30 hours. Ahmadis from 10 different countries voted for the competition and the top 3 position holders were chosen as winners, alhamdolillah.

May Allah the Almighty increase the love and knowledge of the Holy Quran in our hearts. Amin.

Humanity First Germany and Jamaat Kosovo help General Hospital in Peja

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Humanity First Germany and Jamaat Kosovo help General Hospital in Peja

Besmir Yvejsi, Secretary Ishaat, Jamaat Kosovo

During the ongoing crisis of Covid-19 in Kosovo, many different associations and organisations have helped the people of Kosovo with food products, protective and hygienic materials. Among these organisations is Humanity First, which is offering its full support and help to the poor and vulnerable people in many countries during the pandemic. They have helped the people of the city of Peja for the second time now.

Last month, Humanity First Germany, together with Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo, assisted the Kosovo Police in the Peja region, with protective materials against coronavirus.

On 11 June 2020, Humanity First Germany, along with the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo donated protective equipment to the staff of the General Hospital in Peja. This donation includes, 2,000 pairs of gloves, 250 surgical masks, 300 hand sanitisers, 250 bottles of alcohol, 40 litres of medical floor detergent and 20 surgical gowns.

HF Peja 1

During the donation ceremony, the management staff of the hospital, representative of Humanity First, representative of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosovo and volunteers were present.

On behalf of the General Hospital in Peja, the Medical Director, Dr Muhamet Haliti thanked for this donation and said:

“Each donation and gratitude are additional motives for the staff of the General Hospital in Peja. Thank you Humanity First and I hope our cooperation will be long lasting.”

In the end, the two sides exchanged gratitude with each other.

In April of this year, Humanity First also assisted the medical staff of the regional hospital and the main family medicine centre of Gjilan Municipality with the basic and much needed equipments.

The official Facebook page of the General Hospital Peja thanked Humanity First for this valuable donation. This successful project was also accompanied by a huge media coverage. 12 newspapers have published articles about this donation on their websites and social networks. Around a million people followed this donation, alhamdulillah.

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Al Hakam is a weekly English newspaper for members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat around the world. Its aim is to provide Ahmadis with content regarding the beliefs of the true Islam, reintroduced to the world by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, peace be on him.

Contact us: info@alhakam.org

© 2019 Al Hakam