Al Fazl, 4 June 1926
Muhammad Yusuf Khan, USA
We are immensely grateful to Allah the Almighty that, through the efforts of the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah (as), our Gracious Lord has today granted even the inhabitants of this land of disbelief the opportunity to accept Islam. God has not only bestowed upon them the ability to embrace Islam, but, through His grace and through the blessings of the prayers of His appointed one and his successor, He has also granted them the strength to observe the commandments of Islam.
Among the new convert Muslims in America were some individuals who completed the entire fasts of Ramadan. The names of those who fulfilled the injunctions of the month of Ramadan are as follows:
Mr Abdul Haq Francis, Mrs Aisha Francis, Mr Corf Scenery, Mr Latif Woodland, Professor Barkatullah William, Brother Abdul Hakeem Augustus (Advocate) and Mrs Nimatullah Rice.
Eid-ul-Fitr in Chicago
Here, Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on Tuesday, 13 April 1926, concerning which an announcement had been made in advance. Accordingly, people arrived on time as announced and our brother, Lutfur Rahman Sahib, led the Eid prayer.
Thereafter, I delivered the Eid sermon, in which the issues and injunctions relating to Eid were explained. Subsequently, our brother Chaudhry Abdul Hamid Sahib (BS Mechanical Engineer) rose and delivered an impassioned speech, the essence of which was that until we succeed in making the whole of America Muslim, our Eid will not be a true Eid. In other words, he expounded the following verse in detail:
رہا دین حق زیر ہے مدتوں تک
کرینگے ہم اس کو زبر دیکھ لینا
“For long has the True Faith [of Islam] remained suppressed; we shall raise it above all else – wait and see.”
At the end, it was the turn of our brother Abdul Haq Francis. He also delivered a brief address in which he stated that the presence of even a single Ahmadi student in Chicago is sufficient to fulfil the prophecy of the Promised Messiah (as). Zion City, too, is a sign of the Muhammadan Messiah.
In conclusion, he said that while other people celebrate their respective birthdays and anniversaries, he and his wife celebrate the day of their acceptance of Islam. Islam is dearer to him than his own life, his wife and his children.
After the speeches, food was served to all and the number of attendees was between forty and fifty.
Consistency in work
As the scope of our tabligh [preaching] continues to expand, our duties and responsibilities are likewise increasing. In the beginning, when a mission is first established, the work is limited. The missionary’s attention is confined only to lectures and the correspondence of the Jamaat. However, the work then gradually begins to expand: lectures, correspondence, meetings, the moral supervision of new converts, their religious instruction and training, and keeping them organised, among other responsibilities.
In yesterday’s mail, I received a blessed letter from my master, Hazrat Mahmud Ahmad [ra], containing extremely excellent instructions regarding tabligh. If only these instructions had been acted upon from the very outset, Ahmadiyya missions would by now have been established in many cities across America. Nevertheless, what is past is past; caution for the future.
Even now, may our Gracious Lord grant us the ability to act upon these instructions, through which the sphere of tabligh will expand and gain strength. Until we adopt consistency as our principle, we shall by no means attain our objectives.
Previously, I had been striving according to my own understanding. Now that these valuable instructions have become available, my preliminary proposals will, God willing, assume the form of an organised system and produce better results.
I am always concerned lest the American people might reshape Islam in a different form. As Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] once stated in a sermon, “I am not concerned with how Europe will accept Islam; I am concerned with how I shall safeguard Islam from their hands.” In truth, this is a matter deserving deep reflection and consideration. If it is neglected, the Western nations will do to Islam what they have done to Christianity.
The appeal for Zakat and the response
Two weeks ago, I made an appeal regarding Zakat and the first person to respond to this call was Mrs Nimat Din Rice, who paid her Zakat. May Allah the Almighty grant her the best of rewards. It is hoped that, gradually, others too will be inspired and will seek to fulfil their responsibilities after recognising them.
The first publication of the American Muslim Publishing Society
It has already been mentioned in a previous report that we established here a society under the name American Muslim Publishing Society. By the grace of God, all members paid their contributions, through which the first leaflet will be published. Though it is only a single sheet, every undertaking begins with a small foundation. When the American Bible Publishing Society was established, its foundation too was laid with only a few coins, yet today there is virtually no limit to the extent of its publications.
Ahmadiyya Mission of Trinidad
Shaikh Ibrahim Sahib Mondezi writes:
“I am fully occupied in the tabligh of Islam Ahmadiyyat and many people frequently enquire about Islam. However, I do not possess any literature that I can give to them. At the request of the people, I deliver a lecture every month at Liberty Hall and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, I am hopeful that we shall soon establish ourselves here on a firm footing.”
Mr Jarrett of Central America
Islamic literature is sent to Mr Jarrett from time to time, which he continues to distribute among the people. He writes:
“I remain engaged in spreading the message of Islam according to my ability, yet I am often astonished as to why these people are unable to comprehend such a simple and beautiful religion. The reason is that the [Christian] clergy have presented Islam before the world in a highly distorted form and have filled people’s hearts with such poison that some time is required to remove it.”
The hostility between science and Christianity
With the advancement of science, people’s aversion to Christianity continues to increase. The clergy know very well that when the world turns towards scientific knowledge and begins to progress, their livelihood will be threatened. For this reason, they have consistently sought to obstruct the advancement of science in every possible way.
Science says that the Earth is round, whereas the Bible says that the Earth is flat. Science teaches that no man can ascend to heaven [with their physical body], whereas Christianity says that their Jesus Christ ascended into heaven.
When railways were first introduced in America and a railway company sought to purchase land for laying railway tracks in Chicago, the clergy opposed it and declared that the railway was a satanic invention and contrary to the will of God. Their argument was that the railway had been invented to enable human beings to travel more quickly; if God had intended mankind to travel swiftly, He would have made all people like birds, enabling them to fly and cover great distances in a short time. Since God had not done so, it was evident, in their view, that the railway was contrary to the will of God.
An incident from last year illustrates this further. The clergy throughout the country united in an effort to have a law passed prohibiting the teaching of the science of evolution in schools, and to this day, the case remains under consideration before the Supreme Court.
Last week, one of America’s prominent scientists passed away. He had rendered distinguished services in the Agricultural Department and had also undertaken extensive research work. When he lay upon his deathbed, a clergyman came to hear his confession of sins. However, he replied: “I only regard Jesus as a servant of God and it is my belief that my salvation depends upon my deeds and not upon atonement.”
Thereupon an uproar arose throughout the country. The clergy branded him an unbeliever and declared it unlawful to conduct his funeral service. From such incidents, friends may judge how deep Christianity’s hostility towards knowledge truly is.
Foreign priests expelled from Mexico
During the previous month, all European and American missionaries were expelled from Mexico by order of the Mexican Government, because they were secretly interfering in the political affairs of the country. I have already written in an earlier report that missionaries often clear political pathways in foreign lands under the guise of religion. In reality, these people are sheep outwardly but wolves inwardly. However, they were expelled from Mexico within a matter of hours because they were considered highly detrimental to the peace and progress of the country.
Mailing address
If any friend requires information or advice concerning America, correspondence may be addressed to me at the following address: M Y Khan, Moslem Ahmadi Missioner, 4448 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA. – Muhammad Yusuf Khan, Chicago
Al Fazl, 18 June 1926
A message from Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud to the Ahmadis of Bengal
Friends will be aware that our Bengali brethren, through great effort and perseverance, have been publishing a monthly magazine in the Bengali language entitled “Ahmadi”. For the first issue of its new year, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] sent a message addressed to the Ahmadiyya Community of Bengal. A copy of this message was forwarded by brother Muhammad Abdul Hafeez Sahib from Calcutta [now Kolkata] for publication in Al Fazl. We reproduce it below with gratitude.
[Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (ra) stated]:
“Brothers of Bengal!
“Assalamu alaikum.
“Thirty-five years have passed since the advent of the Promised Messiah (as) and eighteen years have elapsed since his demise. During this long period, what have we accomplished and what still remains before us to be achieved? This is a question that ought to arise in the heart of every sincere Ahmadi.
“During these thirty-five years, no more than a few hundred thousand souls have entered the Ahmadiyya Community. As for those who are active workers and who take part in the system of the Jamaat for its propagation, they do not number more than fifty to sixty thousand. How regrettable is this rate of progress!
“There is no doubt that the Ahmadiyya Jamaat has been established by Allah the Almighty, and there is no doubt that He Himself is responsible for its progress. Yet there is also no doubt that Allah causes works connected with mankind to be carried out through human beings. Had He intended to turn people towards the truth Himself without human agency, He would never have raised a prophet, nor would He have commanded the formation of a separate Jamaat. It is precisely for this reason that God chooses prophets from among human beings and establishes communities, for He desires that His work be carried out through us. Therefore, the thought that this work belongs to God should not become a means of making us indolent; rather, it should make us more active. For do we not perform the work of our loved ones with even greater eagerness and enthusiasm than we perform our own?
“What is kufr [disbelief]? It is a dark cloud accompanied by lightning, whose thunder is capable of shaking hearts. And who are the disbelievers? They are our beloved ones, the very pieces of our hearts, wandering astray in the wilderness, far removed from the path, drenched continually by the rain and exposed to the danger of lightning. Shall we watch these dear ones perish in this manner and make no effort whatsoever to save them?
“Listen, O sons of Bengal! The Messiah of God descended in Western India and with loving eagerness he turned towards you, the inhabitants of Eastern India. He sprinkled upon you the water of life and brought some among you to life; he cast the light of divine understanding and awakened some who were asleep.
“Now Punjab is eager to meet Bengal, but between them stands a barrier like the Wall of Alexander. Yes, the wall of disbelief stands between Punjab and Bengal – a wall which even six hundred years of Pathan and Mughal rule could not demolish. Just as Islam chose Punjab and Bengal for its growth and development, so too has Islam Ahmadiyyat chosen Punjab and Bengal. Yet the regions lying between them remain empty. Kingdoms could not break down this wall, but two loving hearts shall surely succeed in removing this obstacle.
“Arise, O brothers! Arise with hearts filled with love. Rise like the clouds that drench a land in an instant. Rise like the storms that sweep away all chaff and debris within a moment. Rise like the floods that carry away houses, towns, and cities before them. Yes, rise like the sun whose light dispels every darkness and, carrying the message of God throughout your land, proceed along the banks of the River Ganges towards that region from which the forefathers of your people once turned eastward. From this side, Punjab is striving. Who can prevent the hands of these two sisters, whose hearts beat with the emotions of love, from meeting one another? Yes, who can prevent them? God is with those who truly love; indeed, He becomes their vanguard.” – Mirza Mahmud Ahmad
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu, published in the 4 and 18 June 1926 issues of Al Fazl)