the review of religions (june 2013)

A Message of Peace - Part 2 8

‘A’ishahra – Noble Wives of Prophet Muhammadsa Series 18

Historic Opening of Mosque in Valencia 48

Khalifah of Promised Messiah in Spain 56

VOL. 108 - ISSUE SIXJUNE 2013 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG

THE RE-EMERGENCE of ISLAM in SPAIN

The Holy Prophet Muhammadsa prophesied that the Promised Messiahas would be raised near a white minaret, east of Damascus. This prophecy was fulfilled with the advent of the Promised Messiahas

from Qadian, India, a city directly east of Damascus.

The Promised Messiahand imam mahdi and founder of

the review of religions

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi was born to a noble family in Qadian, India. From an early age he had a keen interest in religion and developed a love for the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. He was also known for his honesty, friendliness and resolve. Over time his knowledge and understanding of religion and its application to society deepened. Being a Muslim it was his firm belief that all religions were true at their source but with the passage of time had drifted away from their original teachings; he upheld the dignity of religion and demonstrated its relevance to everyone.

His earnest defence of religion was ultimately blessed when he started to receive direct revelation from Allah

– a blessing that he continued for the rest of his life.

His mission was to revitalise the truth that all religions held within them and to revive the teachings of Islam. It was through this that he would bring mankind together and establish everlasting peace.

In 1889, under Divine Guidance, Hazrat Ahmadas founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – a community that has since grown in its stature and strength and has remained active in conveying the message of Islam to the ends of the earth.

Hazrat Ahmadas had established himself as a respected writer and had written over 80 books. His writings have been translated into more than 60 languages and continue to inspire readers to this day. One of his greatest scholarly works was The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, prepared as a paper and read out at the Conference of Great Religions in 1896.

He also wrote a fascinating treatise in 1899 entitled Jesus in India, a book that uncovered remarkable evidence of Jesus’sas journey to India. In 1902 the Promised Messiahas initiated The Review of Religions which has covered a vast array of topics on religion, philosophy and contemporary issues of the day. It is the longest running English magazine in defence of Islam and the values it teaches.

From 1889 until the time of his demise in 1908 tens of thousands of people accepted him. This blessing has continued and will continue through his Khulafa (successors).

Currently under the fifth successor, we are seeing that the tide of acceptance is worldwide and that the message of Prophet Ahmadas has really reached the ends of the earth.

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Say, “Nothing shall befall us save that which Allah has ordained for us. He is our Protector. And in Allah then should the believers put their trust.”ISLAM, THE HOLY QUR’AN, CH.9:V.51

Narrated Abu Hurairara: Allah’s Apostlesa said, “Adamas and Mosesas argued with each other. Mosesas said to Adamas, ‘You are Adamas, whose mistake expelled you from Paradise.’ Adamas said to him, ‘You are Mosesas whom Allah selected as His Messenger and as the one to whom He spoke directly; yet you blame me for a thing which had already been written in my fate before my creation?’” Allah’s Apostlesa said twice, “So, Adamas overpowered Mosesas.”ISLAM, THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMADSA, HADITH OF SAHIH BUKHARI.

If someone is in doubt because some prayers are not accepted and are apparently ineffectual, I would say that the same is also true of medicines. Have medicines closed the door of death, or is it impossible for them to fail in their purpose? And yet can anyone deny their effect? It is true that Predestination comprehends everything, but it has neither rendered the sciences useless nor has it shown the means to be unreliable. If you reflect deeply enough, you will see that the physical and spiritual means are not outside the sphere of Predestination.ISLAM, THE PROMISED MESSIAHAS, BLESSINGS OF PRAYER, P. 18

I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.JUDAISM & CHRISTIANITY, EXODUS 33:19

The Lord’s Favours cannot be forced out of His hand; some even while awake attain them not; on others He confers these, shaking them awake.SIKHISM, ADI GRANTH, SRI RAGA MAHALLA 4, M.1, P. 83

No man bruises his finger here on earth unless it was so decreed against him in Heaven.JUDAISM, TALMUD, HULLIN, 7B

Fate

WORLD FAITHS

18 36

48

CONTENTS

T H E P R O M I S E D M E S S I A H

8 A Message of Peace – Part 2We feature the penultimate installment of the Promised Messiah’s treatise on establishing peace and harmony.HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS, THE PROMISED

MESSIAH AND IMAM MAHDI

H I S T O R Y

18 The Noble Wives of the Holy Prophetsa Series

The relationship of deep love and affection between ‘A’ishahra and Muhammadsa. HAFIZ MUZAFFAR AHMAD, RABWAH, PAKISTAN

36 The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets – Chapter IX

We continue our exclusive serialisation of the epic biography.HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR AHMADRA

F E A T U R E S

T he Re-Emergence of Islam in Spain

48 A Symbol of Peace and Harmony

Historic inauguration of mosque in Valencia, the city which was amongst the most affected when Muslims were forcibly expelled from Spain. What purpose will this mosque serve?HAZRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMADABA, HEAD OF THE

WORLDWIDE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY,

KHALIFATUL MASIH V

56 Re-emergence of Islam in Spain Through a Peaceful Message – Final Part

The Khalifahas of the Promised Messiah undertook an historic tour of Spain to further the mission of re-establishing Islam in the country. ORIGINAL URDU REPORTS BY ABDUL MAJID TAHIR

TRANSLATION BY PROFESSOR AMTUL RAZZAQ

CARMICHAEL.

JUNE 2013 VOL.108 ISSUE SIX

The Review of Religions is serialising the brand new translation of Seerat Khatamun Nabiyyin, the Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets, Volume II, prior to its release in book form.

Turn to page 36.

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literature of the Community including the books written by its founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas.

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A Message of Peace

hAzrAt mIrzA ghULAm AhmADAS, thE promISED mESSIAh AND ImAm mAhDI

We present extracts from the writings of the Promised Messiahas and Imam Mahdi, whose advent had been eagerly awaited by the followers

of the main religions of the world.

PART II OF III

Paigham-e-Sulh (A Message of Peace) is the last written work of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi and Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, completed a day before his demise on May 25th, 1908. The prin-ciples of harmony laid down in the work are applicable to all countries where various religions co-exist.

Now we return to the original subject of discussion: the age when one religion was unaware of the existence of the other. In that general state of ignorance, it was but natural that every people should have considered their own religion and their own book to be the only one. Eventually when countries came into contact with each other through the spread of knowl-edge, this trend of monopolising God resulted in the creation of another obsta-cle in the path of mutual understanding. People began to expect the religions in every other country to agree with theirs, or else they stood rejected. It was no easy task to rid such religions of the poetical exaggerations built around them over the ages. So the followers of every religion braced themselves to vehemently oppose the other. So, also, the religion of Zend-Avesta raised the flag with the claim that, “No one else is like us” and they monop-olised the institution of prophethood for

their own family. They related such a long history of their religion, that those who used to pride the longevity of Vedic his-tory were put to shame.

In their turn, the faith of the Hebrews crossed every limit when they asserted that Israel was declared to be the eter-nal seat of God’s sovereignty and that only the pious among them would be considered worthy of being sent for the reformation of the world. But in effect, the work of reformation remained limited to the House of Israel, and the revelation of God became the prerogative of only their House under the seal of God. All others who rose with a claim were con-sidered liars and imposters.

Likewise, among the Aryas, similar views to those which were widespread among the Israelites gained favour. According to their belief, God is the King of the Aryas alone; a king of the type who is totally unaware of the existence of others. And without rhyme or reason, it is believed

It was no easy task to rid such religions of the poetical exaggerations built around them over the ages.

JUNE 2013 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 9

that God had forever set His heart on the Arya climate. Little does He care to visit other countries once in a while, to inquire about the state of the miserable people living there whom He had once created only to forget them forever.

Dear friends! I appeal to you, in the name of God, to consider whether such views can really be entertained by human nature. Or if any conscience could find room for them within its bounds! I fail to understand what kind of logic it is that on the one hand God is conceived to be the Lord of the whole universe and, on the other, it is claimed that He has with-drawn His hand of providence from a large part of the world, and that His gaze remains fixed on a particular people and one section of a particular country. O you who possess wisdom! Please decide with justice if, in the entire realm of physi-cal laws created by God, there is a single piece of evidence in favour of this. Why then should His spiritual laws be based on such biased attitudes?

If the faculty of reasoning is employed, the good or evil of anything becomes manifest from the fruit it bears. Needless for me to discuss the consequences of abusing and reviling the holy Prophets of God, who have been seen and accepted

by hundreds and millions of people; there are hardly a people who have not them-selves witnessed the outcome of the bitter fruit of such practices.

O Dear Ones! Age-old experience and repeated trials have established, with-out question, that to insult and abuse the Prophets and Messengers of dif-ferent countries and peoples is such a deadly poison, which not only destroys the body but also kills the soul, thereby ruining worldly prospects as well as the spiritual. A country whose inhabitants are always after finding faults in the leaders of others, and constantly assas-sinate their characters, can never rest in peace themselves. Such people can never achieve true unity who, individually or mutually, refer to each other’s Prophets or saints or divines with malice or foul lan-guage. Who would not be outraged at the insults hurled at their Prophet or leader? In particular, Muslims are such people who, although they do not believe their Prophet to be God or the son of God, do regard himsa to be the most revered of all the holy men born of a human mother. To make peace with a sincere Muslim is not possible unless during discussion, their Holy Prophetsa is mentioned with respect and refined language.As for us, we never use indecent language

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10 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | JUNE 2013

with regard to the Prophets of other peoples. In fact, we believe that for all the Prophets who have come to differ-ent peoples of the world and have been accepted by millions of people in all parts of the world, and love for them and their greatness has been firmly established in any one part of the world, and further that this state of devotion and love for them has endured the test of time, is evi-dence enough of their truthfulness. Had they not been from God, they could not have been accepted on such a wide scale by millions upon millions of hearts. God does not bestow such honour upon those whom He favours not. If an imposter aspires to occupy their position, he is soon brought to ruin.

By virtue of the same logic, we believe the Vedas to be divine in origin and we consider their saints to be venerable and holy. We do so despite our observation that Vedic teaching has not succeeded, nor could it ever succeed, in turning any section of its followers into true worship-pers of God. The people in this country who worship idols, fire, the sun, the Ganges, or thousands of deities, or who are adherents of Jainism or the Shakta faith, all claim their religion to originate from the Vedas. The Vedas are so vague that they permit all sects to deduce from

them whatsoever they wish. However, in accordance with what we are taught by God, we believe that the original Vedas were not man’s fabrication. A human fab-rication lacks the power to establish a lasting order. Although we do not find any mention of stone worship in the Vedas, without a doubt, Vedic teaching is full of the mention of the worship of fire, air, water, the moon, the sun and so on. There is no verse that prohibits the worship of these objects. Who is to say that the older sects of Hindus are false and only the new sect of Aryas is the true one? People who, by referring to the Vedas, worship these objects, are armed with the powerful argument that there is clear mention of such worship and nowhere is there any prohibition. To say that these are the names of God, is a claim that has not as yet been clearly settled. Had it been settled, what reason could there have been for the scholarly

Such people can never achieve true unity who, individually or mutually, refer to each other’s Prophets or saints or divines with malice or foul language.


pundits in Benares and other cities to have rejected the beliefs of the Aryas? Despite efforts over the past thirty to thirty-five years, very few Hindus have accepted the Arya faith and in compar-ison with the Sanatan faith and other Hindu sects, the followers of the Arya faith number so few that they are insig-nificant, nor do they have any influence on the remaining Hindu sects. Similarly, the teachings of nyog, which is attributed to the Vedas, is abhorrent to human dig-nity and the human sense of honour. As I have already stated, we cannot accept that it is a genuine Vedic teaching. In fact, our well-meaning intentions make us strongly inclined to believe that such teachings must have been introduced later from sensual motives. Since thou-sands of years have passed since the original compilation of the Vedas, it is possible that in different times some scribes added to or subtracted from it.

For us it is proof enough that the Arya faith has had millions upon millions of followers for thousands of years who have held it to be the word of God. It is not possible that the work of an imposter could enjoy such honour.

So when, despite all these obstacles, purely out of fear of God, we accept the Vedas to be divine revelation in its ori-gin and assume all the false teachings to be the work of scribes, what justification can there be for the Holy Qur’an to be made the target of such brutal attacks? It is full of injunctions from cover to cover speaking only of the worship of one God. Nowhere does it require man to worship the sun, the moon etc. In fact there are clear statements to the contrary:

[And among His Signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Prostrate not yourselves before the sun, nor before the moon, but prostrate yourselves before Allah, Who created them, if it is Him Whom you really worship. Ch.41:V.38]

In other words, do not worship the sun, the moon, or any work of creation, but worship only Him, Who has created you. Apart from this, the Holy Qur’an is itself a testimony to God through its old and new signs. It is a mirror which shows

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We, the members of the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at, will testify to the truth of the origin of the Vedas, and will speak of the Vedas and their Rishis with respect and love...


God’s existence. Why should it be made the target of such ferocious attacks? Why are we not treated in the same spirit as we treat the Aryas? And why is the seed of enmity and hatred sown in the soil of this country? Do they really expect that the outcome of such behaviour will be good? Is it decent to hurl stones at one who offers flowers or to splash urine on one who offers milk?

If Hindus and those belonging to the Arya faith were prepared to make a complete truce whereby they accept our Prophetsa to be a true Prophet of God and in future agree to refrain from contempt and slander, then I am ready to be the first to sign the following treaty:

We, the members of the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at, will testify to the truth of the origin of the Vedas, and will speak of the Vedas and their Rishis with respect and love, and if we do not honour our part of the contract, we will be liable to pay a fine of not less than three hundred thousand rupees to the Hindu community.

If the Hindus genuinely desire to affect a compromise with us, then they should also write it as a declaration and sign it; its subject matter being as follows: We believe in the divine message and

Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa Rasulullahsa [the chosen one, the Messenger of Allah] and deem him to be a true Prophet and Messenger. From now on we will remember him with reverence and respect as befits a believer. If this is not adhered to, a large fine of not less than three hundred thousand rupees will be paid to the leader of the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at.

It should be remembered that at present, the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at numbers not less than four hundred thousand. Hence, the collection of three hundred thousand rupees should not be considered too great a task for such an important cause. The majority of people who are outside the fold of our Jama‘at are disunited in their views and are diverse in their nature. They do not follow a leader, obedience to whom they would consider incumbent. This is why I cannot undertake anything on their behalf; as yet they consider me to be a kafir [imposter] and dajjal [dis-sembler or antichrist]. But I trust that when the Hindus enter into an agree-ment with me, they [the other Muslims] will also not be so daring as to abuse the Book and the Rishis of such a civilised people and thereby invite the abuse of the Holy Prophetsa in retaliation. Such abuses will then be rightly blamed on


those who act irresponsibly. As such action is contrary to modest and virtuous behaviour, I do not expect that after this treaty they would permit their tongues to wag. It should be mandatory that to make the contract binding, ten thousand adult representatives from both parties should sign it.

My dear ones, there is nothing like peace and compromise. Let us unite with the blessing of this treaty and be one nation. You know full well that denial on both sides has thrown us apart and that our country is suffering greatly. Visualise how blessed it could prove to testify to each other’s truth. Come, give this a try now. This is the best course for achieving peace. Pursuing any other course would be like ignoring a dangerous abscess: merely because it looks clear and shiny, while in reality, it contains rotten and putrid matter.

I need not elaborate on the ever-increas-ing, mutually hypocritical attitude and discord between the Hindus and Muslims. This is rooted not in religious differences alone, but has also second-ary causes which pertain to worldly ambitions. For instance, the Hindus have always shown their desire to have more say in the affairs of government

and country. They have been demanding that they should, at the very least, always be consulted in such affairs and that the government should always pay special attention to their demands. They also desire that they be posted at the higher-ranking offices as the British are. The Muslims made the blunder of not join-ing this campaign of Hindus out of fear that they were small in numbers. They were afraid that whatever benefit was to be had from such campaigns would be drawn by the majority Hindu commu-nity and not the Muslims. So they not only abstained from joining this cause, but they also obstructed the passage of Hindu efforts by openly opposing it. Thus mutual enmity increased.

I admit that such factors contributed to furthering the enmity which had already existed. But I cannot accept them to be the real reason. I beg to differ with those who believe that religious disputes are not at the root of Hindu-Muslim enmity and discord, and that the disputes are in fact political in nature.

Everyone can easily understand why Muslims are reluctant to join forces with Hindus in demanding their due rights and why they have been refusing to join Congress and why again, having

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perceived the soundness of the Hindu strategy, they began to follow the same path step after step while maintaining a distinct and separate entity, taking great care not to be identified with them. They did not join the Hindus, but created a similar but separate Muslim organisa-tion. Dear Friends! I reassert that the underlying factor responsible for this behaviour is religion, and nothing else. If today the same Hindus embrace the Muslims while pronouncing the Kalimah Tayyibah; [there is none worthy of wor-ship except Allah and Muhammadsa is His Messenger], then Muslims would cease to oppose them forthwith. Conversely, if Muslims renounce Islam and embrace Hinduism and start worshipping fire, air, etc., in accordance with the Vedic injunc-tions, then those differences which are labelled as political will suddenly vanish as if they had never existed.

It is thus evident that the underlying fac-tors in all enmities and grudges are the religious differences. It is such religious differences that since times immemorial reach a climax and then invariably give way to extensive bloodshed.

O Muslims, I say: If Hindus treat you as a different nation merely because of religious differences and you respond to

them in the same manner, the matter will not end here. How can you achieve a sound, healthy relationship unless you take appropriate remedial measures against this root cause? It is possible that you may temporarily enjoy a friendship, but only superficially. The ultimate sin-cerity of heart, worthy of being called sincerity, can only be achieved if you genuinely change your attitude towards the Vedas and the Vedic Rishis by accept-ing them to be from God. Likewise, the Hindus should also change their niggardly attitude by testifying to the truth of our beloved Holy Prophetsa. Remember, and remember it well, that this is the only principle which can estab-lish a genuine truce between you and the Hindus and this is the only water which can wash away all malice embittering

It is thus evident that the underlying factors in all enmities and grudges are the religious differences. It is such religious differences that since times immemorial reach a climax and then invariably give way to extensive bloodshed.


your relationship. If the hour has finally come when these two nations, who have for so long fallen apart, are destined to be reunited, then God will open up their hearts to this purpose as He has already opened up our hearts to the same.

It is essential, however, that you treat Hindus with sincerity and kindness and let decent behaviour be your second nature. Refrain from all such measures as would cause them pain, except those that are essential or obligatory accord-ing to our faith. Consequently if the Hindus sincerely accept the proposition of testifying to the truth of our Holy Prophetsa and of having faith in his truth, then what remains regarding the split on the issue of cows can be dispensed with. Remember if we are permitted to eat something, it does not follow that we have to eat it. Everything permis-sible is not obligatory. There are many things which we know to be lawful, yet we do not necessarily practise them. To treat Hindus with decency and kindness is one of the important Islamic injunc-tions. If for the sake of achieving a higher goal one forgoes a right, it will not be against the spirit of the Divine law. To consider something to be lawful is one thing, to utilise it is another. The spirit of piety requires that you abstain from

whatever God has forbidden; to actually pursue the path of gaining His favour and to have the welfare of His creation at heart; to treat others with goodness and sympathy and to respect all the holy Prophets and Messengers from God, and to accept them as reformers and to not discriminate between them; and to serve all mankind irrespective of denomina-tions. This is the essential requirement of our faith. How can we ever be at peace with such people who – without justi-fication and without regard for the fear of Allah – speak of our Holy Prophet, Hazrat Muhammadsa with disrespect, and abuse him and refrain not from the use of foul language? In truth, I declare that it is possible for us to make peace with the serpents fed on brackish soil and the wolves of the wilderness, but not with those who make wanton attacks on our Holy Prophetsa who is dearer to us than our lives, our mothers and our fathers. May Allah cause us to die as Muslims. We are not willing to do anything at the cost of our faith.

( The third and f inal part of A Message of Peace will feature in the next edition)

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The Noble Wives of the Holy Prophetsa

by hAfIz mUzAffAr AhmAD,rAbWAh, pAkIStAN

NEWSERIES

© Illustrations by Masood Tahir (Waqfe Nau), London, UK.

Mother of the Believers – Hazrat ‘A’ishahra

p A r t 3 of 3

Justice with WivesMuhammadsa loved ‘A’ishahra due to her piety, righteousness, intelligence, ora-tory and humanity but he also strove to discharge the rights of all his wives in as equitable a fashion as humanly pos-sible. When setting out to fight battles, he would draw names to decide which of his wives would accompany him and would take along whoever’s name was then drawn.1

In the Holy Qur’an, Muahmmadsa was told:

“Thou mayest defer the marriage of any of them that thou pleasest, and receive unto thyself whom thou pleasest; and if

thou desirest to take back any of those whom thou hast put aside, there is no blame on thee. That is more likely that their eyes may be cooled, and that they may not grieve, and that they may all be pleased with that which thou hast given them. And Allah knows what is in your hearts; and Allah is All-Knowing, Forbearing.”2

According to this verse, Muhammadsa had the option of postponing any one of his wives’ turns and allow whoever he wished a place with him; however, he never once exercised this right. ‘A’ishahra used to state: “If I had this option, I would have only used it in his favour.”3

The fact is that the Holy Prophetsa had been elevated to such a state of righteous-ness that despite the fact that he tried

The lives of the Prophet Muhammadsa, his wives and the women of early Islam are often portrayed by numerous Western historians and scholars largely based on inaccurate historical material or without consulting original sources. This misinformation has been disseminated in the media, magazines and news reports forming an adverse image of the women of early Islam to the world. The Review of Religions has commissioned a special series on the wives and female Companions of the Holy Prophetsa to present the true life stories of the noble women of early Islam. Our purpose is not to individually respond to such historians, but only to present the actual history and to let our readers make up their own minds. This article details the life of A’ishahra.

Translated from the Urdu by Murtaza Ahmad


to treat them all equally, if he ever felt more inclined towards any of his wives over the others, he would fear lest God become angry with him. He would pray, “O Allah! You know and see that as far as humanly possible, I try to treat them in an equitable manner and that I have absolved myself from using my right. My God! I have no control over my heart. If my heart inclines towards any qualities or worthy distinctions, please forgive me.”4

An Understanding Wife In the company o f ‘A’ i shah ra, Muhammadsa felt a sense of peace and calmness.

Near the end of his life, when he was in distress because of his illness Muhammadsa, would continually ask, “When is ‘A’ishah’s turn?” Sensing his discomfort, his wives permitted him to receive treatment at ‘A’ishah’sra house.5

‘A’ishahra states that after mutual con-sultation, the rest of the wives felt that because the Holy Prophetsa was ill, for the sake of treatment, he needed peace and calm. So they said to him, “O Messenger of Allah! We now wish that you receive treatment only at the house of ‘A’ishah.” Therefore, during his last days, ‘A’ishahra continuously cared for the Holy Prophetsa. She used to recount, and aptly so, that she took great pride in the fact that the Holy Prophetsa passed away in her house and within her bedroom in a condition where his blessed head lay upon her lap.

Once, while the Holy Prophetsa lay in her house, ‘A’ishahra’s brother, ‘Abdul Rahman paid a visit. He had a miswaak6 in his hand. Due to his illness, the Holy Prophetsa had not been able to brush his teeth (using the miswaak) as regularly as usual. ‘A’ishahra realised that he wanted to use the miswaak and took it from ‘Abdul Rahmanra and softened it by biting into it. She then gave it to the Holy Prophetsa

and he then used it.

‘A’ishahra used to say: “The Holy Prophetsa passed away while he was resting his head upon my bosom. The following words were flowing from his tongue: ‘I am now going to my Exalted Friend, The Great

thE NobLE WIVES of thE hoLy prophEtSA

The Holy Prophetsa stated that if the knowledge of all the women in the Islamic faith were to be gathered together, ‘A’ishah’sra knowledge would exceed them all.


and to my Best friend.’ As he uttered this, he departed from this world.”

Station of Knowledge Muhammad’ssa major objective in marry-ing ‘A’ishahra was so that she could acquire knowledge from the beneficence of his companionship and training, thereby enabling her in the future to become a teacher for all Muslims. This purpose was perfectly fulfilled. The Prophetsa noted that half of the faith could be learnt through ‘A’ishahra.

Imam Zuhri narrates that on one occa-sion, the Holy Prophetsa stated that if the knowledge of all the women in the Islamic faith were to be gathered together, ‘A’ishah’sra knowledge would exceed them all.

‘Urwahra was ‘A’ishah’sra nephew and like a son to her. Somebody once said to him, “You have memorised many verses which you read eloquently.” He responded, “My value is worthless as compared to my aunt, ‘A’ishahra, who recites verses with the perfection and eloquence of the Arab poets in any incident or circumstance.”

On another occasion, ‘Urwahra said to ‘A’ishahra, “O Mother of the Faithful! Your knowledge of Fiqh7 does not

surprise me, since you are the noble wife of the Holy Prophetsa and you have learnt the issues throughout your life. Nor does your appreciation of poetry, literature, your interest in Arabic and understand-ing of the history against which battles were fought, surprise me, for you are indeed the daughter of Abu Bakrra, who was very learned. But where did you learn the science of medicine?”

‘A’ishahra replied, “O my nephew! During the latter part of the Holy Prophet’ssa life, as he became ill, delegations would come very frequently from different areas. They would suggest various remedies for the Holy Prophetsa and I used to prepare those remedies with my own hands. It was during this period that I developed an interest and skill in medicine.”

Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira used to say that whenever the companions of the Prophetsa would be confronted with a difficulty concerning any matter, they would consult with ‘A’ishahra. This illus-trates how great her memory was. Amir Mu‘awiyah, who was a prolific speaker himself, said, “I have never heard any speaker more eloquent than ‘A’ishahra nor anyone more intelligent.”

As mentioned above, ‘Urwahra noted


that he had never seen anyone whose knowledge of the Qur’an, Islamic juris-prudence, poetry and literature, expertise on medicine, the history of the Arabs, and the science of genealogy, had sur-passed that of ‘A’ishahra, who possessed full competence over all these sciences.

Similarities with the Knowledge of ‘Alira The extraordinary knowledge which had been bestowed to ‘A’ishahra by God was a result of her being in Muhammad’ssa company from a young age. In this respect, she also shared a similarity with ‘Alira, since he too acquired a vast amount of knowledge, thus exemplifying the

words of the Muhammadsa, “I am the city of knowledge and ‘Ali is its door.”

It is a matter of surprise that some writ-ers only refer to certain disputes between ‘Alira and ‘A’ishahra that late arose, but do not pay attention to the similarities in their knowledge and their dispositions.

Indeed, their scholastic views can guide us on important and difficult issues per-taining to knowledge. For instance, one important issue is the question of what the real meaning of Khatm-e-Nubuwat is. Both of these revered personali-ties expanded on its meaning. ‘Alira



instructed the teacher of his children, “Do not allow my children to read the word Khatam as Khatim in the expression ‘Khatamunabiyeen.’” This was because the word Khatam (which appears in chap-ter 33, Al Ahzab, verse 41 of the Holy Quran) means a signet-ring; a seal or stamp and mark. Khatim means one who terminates and ends something.8 Similarly, ‘A’ishahra also drew the atten-tion of the Muslim community towards this important subject by saying, ‘‘Say, by all means that he is Khatamun Nabiyyeen – The Seal of the Prophets – but do not say that there will be no prophet after him.”9

Another example of their similar stance on matters is as follows: It was ‘Ali’sra opinion that the verse, “O Prophet! Say to thy wives, ‘If you desire the life of this world and its adornment, come then, I will provide for you and send you away in a handsome manner,’”10 did not refer to divorce; rather, to a preference to choose the world or the hereafter. This was also the view held by ‘A’ishahra 11.

In addition, both Alira and ‘A’ishahra agree that the Holy Prophetsa worshipped at night, in that he used to offer voluntary prayers throughout the night at differ-ent times.12

Both ‘A’ishahra and Alira also state that whenever Muhammadsa would visit a sick person he would recite the prayer: “O Lord of the men! Ward off the ill-ness. Bestow cure for the ailment! For thou art the only granter of cure. There is no cure save thine. Grant such a cure as leaves no illness!”13

‘A’ishahra and ‘Alira also had a mutual bond of respect [for each other]. Miqdaad bin Shareehra narrates from his father: “I asked ‘A’ishahra, ‘Could you tell me a person who I could ask about the issue of ‘Masaa alaal Khaffain?’ [wiping the hands over the shoes or leather socks]. She replied, ‘Go to ‘Ali, he had such a close

‘Urwahra noted that he had never seen anyone whose knowledge of the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, poetry and literature, expertise on medicine, the history of the Arabs, and the science of genealogy, had surpassed that of ‘A’ishahra, who possessed full competence over all these sciences.


relationship with the Holy Prophetsa and most of his time was spent in the com-pany of the Holy Prophetsa.’ I went to Ali and asked him. He responded, ‘The Messenger of Allahsa instructed us to per-form the Masaa over stockings (or shoes) on journeys.’”14

Generosity and Spending in the Way of AllahAside from being an excellent scholar, ‘A’ishahra was extremely God-fearing and had perfect trust in God and spent in His way graciously and was also a rather generous woman. One, Abdullah bin Zubairra sent her two sacks of Ashrafees [coins] containing one hundred and eighty thousand dirhams. That day, ‘A’ishahra was fasting, and she sat down and did not get up again until every sin-gle dirham had been distributed. At Iftari [opening of the fast] time, her servant said, “O Mother of the Faithful! If you had at least kept a Dirham for yourself, you could have bought some meat and then opened your fast.” ‘A’ishahra replied, “If you had reminded me, we could have kept one.” In other words, she did not care even for her own needs and spent everything in the way of God.15

On one occasion Amir Mu’awiyyah sent a necklace to ‘A’ishahra that was worth a

hundred thousand dirham. Although she accepted it, she distributed it (its value) equally among all the wives. This high-lights not only how just and selfless she was, but also shows her care for all the other wives of the Prophetsa. She had respect for them all.16

‘A’ishahra would not save anything for the future. When something came, she would give it all to charity. This is a lesson she had learnt from the Holy Prophetsa, who even during his last period of illness in ‘A’ishah’sra house, stated, “O ‘A’ishahra! Where are those dirhams which I had left with you?” He instructed for the money to be brought to him and he gave this last amount to charity as well.17

‘A’ishahra states: “At the time of the demise of the Holy Prophetsa there was nothing to eat in the house other than one sack of barley. Eventually God the Exalted put so many blessings in the sack that they would seem to never end. One day, the thought occurred to me, let’s at least check to see how much barley remains. When I took it out and meas-ured it, it finished in only a few days.”18 It seems that God the Exalted conferred a blessing therein.

Prayer and Interest In Worship



The Holy Prophetsa would continue to find particular opportunities to train his wives. In one such incident, with ref-erence to nurturing in their hearts the love of God and cultivating an interest of remembering God and worship, ‘A’ishahra states that once the Holy Prophetsa said, “O ‘A’ishah! I know of an attribute of God the Exalted; if a prayer is made with the pronouncement of this, Allah the Exalted will certainly accept it.” ‘A’ishahra responded with great immediacy and interest, “O Messenger of Allahsa! Please, you should certainly inform me of that attribute.” The Holy Prophetsa answered, “O ‘A’ishah! I deem it not apt to inform you of this attribute lest you use it to ask for a worldly thing.” ‘A’ishahra, as if she took offense, sat in a corner. When the Holy Prophetsa did not pay attention to

her for some time, she arose and kissed the forehead of the Holy Prophetsa. It was as if she were trying to beg him, and she said “O Messenger of Allah! Look, please tell me that attribute.” The Holy Prophetsa

said, “O Aishah! I have already told you that I do not think it proper that you seek or implore a worldly thing by means of this attribute. Thus, I do not wish to dis-close this to you.” ‘A’ishahra, once again, became agitated and sat aside in one cor-ner and said, “If you are not willing to tell me, then fine.” She then performed ablution and laid out the prayer mat. In her prayer, she prayed, “O Allah! In the name/for the sake of all your names and attributes; those attributes which I know and also those which I know not, please deal with your servant compassionately.”

During this prayer, the Holy Prophetsa was sitting to one side, listening to ‘A’ishahra, and was very pleased. And he stated that ‘O ‘A’ishah! That attribute is one from among them, which you have just included and recounted.”19

Spiritual RankThe spiritual rank of ‘A’ishahra is evident from the coming and going of angels in her house. Once, ‘A’ishahra saw the angel Gabrielas and the angel Gabrielas con-veyed his ‘Salam’ [peace] unto ‘A’ishahra.20

Abdullah bin Zubairra sent her two sacks of Ashrafees [coins] containing one hundred and eighty thousand dirhams. That day, ‘A’ishahra was fasting, and she sat down and did not get up again until every single dirham had been distributed.


‘A’ishahra states:

“Once I saw the Holy Prophetsa mounted upon a horse. There was also a man mounted on a horse with him. He had placed his hand upon the mane of the horse and his countenance resembled Dahya Al-Kalbira, who was a very hand-some companion of the Holy Prophetsa. The Holy Prophetsa was talking to him. I mentioned to the Holy Prophetsa that I saw him speaking to Dahya Al-Kalbira.”

He replied, “O ‘A’ishah! That was Gabrielas and he was saying “Salam” to you.” Aishahra said, “O Messenger of Allah! May Allah the Exalted reward him. Please convey my “Salam” to him as well.’”21

‘A’ishahra relates another incident: “The Holy Prophetsa was offering his prayers. I noticed a man standing outside wearing white clothes. I mentioned it to the Holy Prophetsa and he went outside and said that he was Gabrielas.” For some reason, he did not enter the house, but he con-veyed “Salam” to ‘A’ishahra through the Holy Prophetsa. This was that blessed household of the Holy Prophetsa, where owing to the presence of the Holy Prophetsa angels descended and there were meetings with angels who would

convey their message of Salam (saluta-tion of peace) to ‘A’ishahra. 22

Humility and Meekness Despite this great status and rank, ‘A’ishah’sra state of humility and meekness was quite incredible, and was a lesson she had learnt from the Holy Prophetsa.

During her latter days when she was in poor health, ‘A’bdullah bin ‘Abbasra wanted to visit and enquire about her health. ‘A’ishahra was hesitant to grant him permission because he used to come and praise her and this was something she could not tolerate as it was contrary to her disposition; however, ‘A’ishahra sent for him.

Upon his arrival, Abdullah bin Abbasra said, by way of consolation and encour-agement, “It is now only a matter of the soul departing from the body to meet the


Do not talk about my innocence and piety. By God! I would like that I become a thing forgotten and that there is no trace of me and that I just disappear.”


Messengersa of Allah and other beloveds. You were the most beloved wife of the Prophetsa. What doubt is there concern-ing the choice of the Holy Prophetsa that it was of a really elevated status; what worries could you possibly have?” She asked, “Is there anything else you would like to say?” Abdullah bin Abbasra said, “How many blessings were granted to us through you! The instruction to perform Tayammum was given to us when you lost your necklace.”

Moreover, Allah the Exalted mentioned her in the Qur’an and with reference to clearing her from the charges he revealed various verses in Surah Al-Nur (Chapter 24 of the Holy Qur’an). Upon hear-ing all these things, ‘A’ishahra said with the utmost meekness and humility, “O Abdullah bin Abbas! Leave these things alone, will you? Do not talk about my innocence and piety. By God! I would like that I become a thing forgotten and that there is no trace of me and that I just disappear.”23

The Morals of the Messenger ‘A’ishahra studied the morals and the life of the Holy Prophetsa and stated that his morals were the Qur’an. In great detail, ‘A’ishahra conveyed a treasure in terms of relating the practices of the Holy

Prophetsa and his example by narrating 2200 Hadith.24

‘A’ishahra would frequently mention that she was most impressed by the pas-sion that the Holy Prophetsa had for the worship of God. She repeatedly said that the Holy Prophetsa lived like an ordinary person in his home. He would help in the household chores; however, when it was the call to prayer, the Holy Prophetsa would be pulled towards prayer in such a way that upon hearing the word prayer, he would jump, stand up and leave all the household chores.25

‘A’ishahra has also mentioned his wor-ship at night, saying, “Whether it was the month of Ramadan or not; how lengthy his prayers and worship would be!” She mentions that:

“The prayer would be extremely beautiful and lovely. Many a time, I would ask, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Your feet are swol-len. Why do you go through such effort and burden?’ He responded, ‘O ‘A’ishah! Should I not be thankful to that God who bestowed so many favours unto me!’ 26 This was a mention of the discharge of the rights of Allah the Exalted.” On the other hand, he would also take care of the household in the same way.


As has been mentioned, when ‘A’ishahra was asked about the morals of the Holy Prophetsa, she responded by saying, “His morals were the Quran.” That is to say, all the commands or morals laid down in the Qur’an were present in the Holy Prophetsa to a degree of perfection. In other words, he was a practical illustration of the teachings of the Qur’an. When she was asked how the Holy Prophetsa used to engage himself while he was in the house, ‘A’ishahra states that his lifestyle was like the common man who displayed no arrogance nor was there any great-ness. While he was living in the house, he would do his personal work himself. He would patch the clothes himself. He would milk the goats himself, and laid out the fodder. He would repair shoes, fill the buckets of the house and patch the clothes. Upon returning home at night from religious duties or gatherings, he would not wake his family up and create discomfort for them. Rather, he had some

milk to drink or ate some food or drink and went to sleep. He was very mind-ful of the training of the people in his house.27

‘A’ishahra states that upon waking up for prayer, he would pray for a long time, and then, when there was a little time remaining until sunrise, “he would awaken us as well so that we could also offer some voluntary prayers, etc.” 28

Polygamous MarriagesAmong the wives of the Holy Prophetsa, Khadijahra has the honour that during her lifetime, the Holy Prophetsa did not marry anyone else. After her, he was married to Saudahra and then ‘A’ishahra. ‘A’ishahra was the only virgin wife of the Holy Prophetsa. His other wives were widows or divorcees. With his marriage to ‘A’ishahra, polygamous marriages were allowed.

In Islam, marriage to more than one wife is not a commandment; rather, it is an exception, the permission of which was given in certain circumstances for attaining the objectives of the Nikah and for the appropriate fulfilment of the needs of procreation. Islam has made it a necessary condition of marrying more than one wife that a man be able to do


As has been mentioned, when ‘A’ishahra was asked about the morals of the Holy Prophetsa, she responded by saying, “His morals were the Quran.”


justice to all of them. Otherwise, one wife should suffice for him. Furthermore, this convenience was granted in Islam at a time when Arabs would marry as many wives as they wished. During this period, every person could keep an unlimited number of wives. Based on these circum-stances, then, Islam limited this to four wives, with the condition that justice be maintained and a man keep his obliga-tions to each of his wives.

As far as the number of women the Holy Prophetsa married, it must be remem-bered that as a religious head and leader, his marriages also served specific objec-tives such as bringing to an end some of the ignorant traditions practiced by the Arabs. One example is his marriage to Zainab bint Jahshra, which ended the custom of Mutabanna.29

The second major objective of the mar-riages of the Holy Prophetsa was the education and training of Muslim women. Through him the foundation of a new law, civilization and way of life was about to be laid; thus, the Holy Qur’an declared him an exception to the limit of the number of wives allowed to Muslims.30

Had the marriages of the Holy Prophetsa

taken place for carnal pleasures the Holy Prophetsa would not have married older women, widows and divorcees. And in fact, when the Holy Prophetsa married Saudahra, his first wife after Khadijahra, she was past her child-bearing years.

The following incident should make even those who object to the Prophet’ssa mar-riages, question whether his marriage to ‘A’ishahra was one for the purposes of ful-filling carnal pleasures rather than just the pleasures of the soul.

Abdullah bin Umarra narrates that once he asked ‘A’ishahra to share something admirable and beautiful concerning the Holy Prophetsa. ‘A’ishahra said that “Each action of his was admirable. One night, it was my turn to be with him; he came and entered my bed with me. His body started touching my body. Then, he said, ‘O ‘A’ishah! Will you permit me to spend this night in worshiping my Lord?’ I said, ‘Your wish is dear to me.’” ‘A’ishahra says, “‘Then he stood up, performed ablution from the water-sack, stood in prayer and started reciting the Qur’an. Then he began to cry to the extent that the edges of the garment became wet with water. Then he leaned on his right side and waited a little and started crying so much that the floor was drenched with


his tears. In the morning, Bilalra came to make the call for prayer. He saw him cry-ing and asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Do you cry as well? Even though Allah has forgiven you?” He replied, ‘Should I not be a thankful servant of Allah?’ He then said, ‘Why should I not cry while this night the following verses have been revealed to me:

“In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding…”’31 He read these verses from the last section of Aal-e-Imran and said that ‘Curse be onto the person who recited these verses and did not ponder over them.’” 32

These are the facts, which are accepted by even those most hostile to the Holy Prophetsa.

Karen Armstrong writes, in response to objections of polygamous marriages:

“But, seen in context, polygamy was not designed to improve the sex life of the boys. It was a piece of social legislation. The problem of orphans had exercised Muhammad since the beginning of his career and it had been exacerbated by the deaths at Uhud. The men who had died had left not only widows but daughters, sisters and other relatives who needed a new protector. Their new guardians might not be scrupulous about admin-istering the property of these orphans: some might even keep these women unmarried so that they could hold on to their property. It was not unusual for a man to marry his women wards as a way of absorbing their property into his own state.”33

Laura Veccia Vaglieri writes:

“Enemies of Islam have insisted in depicting Muhammad as a sensual individual and a dissolute man, trying to find in his marriages evidence of a weak character not consistent with his

They refuse to take into consideration the fact that during those years of his life when by nature the sexual urge is strongest...he was married to one woman alone Khadija who was much older than himself, and that for twenty-five years he was her faithful, loving husband.



mission. They refuse to take into consid-eration the fact that during those years of his life when by nature the sexual urge is strongest, although he lived in a society like that of the Arabs, where the institu-tion of marriage was almost non-existent, where polygamy was the rule, and where divorce was very easy indeed, he was mar-ried to one woman alone Khadija who was much older than himself, and that for twenty-five years he was her faithful, lov-ing husband. Only when she died and he was already fifty years old did he marry again and more than once. Each of these marriages had a social or political rea-son, for he wanted through the women he married to honour pious women, or to establish marriage relations with other clans and tribes for the purpose of open-ing the way for propagation of Islam. With the sole exception of Ayesha, he married women, who were neither vir-gins, nor young nor beautiful. Was this sensuality?”34

Mirza Bashir Ahmadra writes in his epic biography The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets:

“It should be understood that in their prejudice, opponents have raised allega-tions against many principles of Islam, but have never contemplated their reality

with a cool heart, nor have they examined them in light of experience or observa-tion. Among them, polygamy is also one issue, which is generally considered to be against nature. In this regard, first and foremost, it should be understood that ‘nature’ is no doubt a light, which Allah the Exalted has instilled into every human being for the purpose of guidance. However, at times, this light, suppressed by conflicting elements, is weakened or exhausted, and in the following case, its verdict cannot be accepted, until it is purified of prejudice. Thus, regarding the concept of divorce, the Christian nature was weakened by the suppression of con-flicting elements. Consequently, to this day, the precedent verdict has been that with the exception of a wife committing adultery, it is unlawful to seek divorce. Therefore, Christians made alterations to their laws accordingly. However, now, after being jostled by observation and experience, their sleeping nature has awakened to some extent. They are beginning to realise that, not only adultery, rather, other circumstances in this world can also make it difficult for a husband and wife to live together in domestic harmony. Therefore, in accord-ance with Islamic teachings, Christian countries are now beginning to pass laws regarding divorce.


The fact of the matter is that there are many things which seem beneficial to the ear and the heart experiences an inclina-tion towards them, but in actuality they are deception, because the secrets of their reality are revealed in the practical world. Among them is the issue of divorce, which has been mentioned above, and among them is the issue of polygamy, about which this brief note is being writ-ten. As a mere assertion, it seems like a very good teaching that in all events, an individual keeps only one wife, and should not have the permission to keep more than one wife in any circumstance. However, if we contemplate further, and look towards the various requirements of mankind, it must be accepted that,

in certain cases, man is confronted with such circumstances as not only himself, but the prosperity and benefit of society demand that he marry more than one wife. For example:

There is a man who has one wife, but due to a physical defect, she is unable to bear children. She does have children, but due to an ailment of the mother, the children die time and time again. There is a man whose wife has fallen victim to a disease, due to which she is deserv-ing of her husband’s special sympathy and attention, but is no longer capable of rightful spousal intercourse. A man, on account of his unique circumstances, cannot maintain his level of righteous-ness and morality with one wife alone. With a man’s second marriage, there is a domestic or national benefit attached. In a particular era, if the circumstances of a country or people demand that men generally marry more than once, for the progression of progeny or for the pro-tection of national morality. If there are any other reasonable grounds behind a second marriage, which common sense declares permissible. In such circum-stances, the conscience of any man in his rightful mind, provided that it has not been suppressed by prejudice and died, will not only accept polygamy as lawful,

When Umarra was attacked, he sent her the message, “O mother of the faithful! How wonderful it would be if I were granted permission to be buried along- side my friends.” ‘A’ishahra replied, “I had reserved this place for me but I give preference to you over myself.”



but will deem it necessary. Moreover, in such circumstances, it shall be expected of both men and women that they pre-pare themselves to sacrifice their passions for the acquisition of higher purposes.

Islam is a practical religion and fulfils the lawful requirements of mankind. Furthermore, gratitude is due here for the fact that after centuries of stumbling, the Christian world is slowly but surely progressing towards Islamic teachings. That day is not far when the entire world shall realise that the pure and complete teaching, which remained the target of allegations for centuries on account of religious prejudice and politics, is the only one which is capable of establishing the true foundation of peace by satisfying all of the lawful requirements of mankind.

Alas! Opponents have falsely concluded, without due consideration and contem-plation, that the Islamic issue of polygamy is God forbid a pathway to pleasure and lust, opened by Islam for its followers. If the conditions with which Islam has permitted polygamy are closely analysed, it becomes evidently apparent that for a true Muslim, a second marriage cannot be a means of pleasure and lust. Rather, in actuality, this is a sacrifice which must be made under special circumstances and

requirements. If a Muslim breaks these conditions and marries more than once for the fulfillment of his pleasure and lust, this is his individual action, and cannot be considered Islamic conduct. He com-mits a deed, just as the liberal people of other religions do, who do not permit polygamy in any case, but incur dis-honour upon themselves here and there through illicit intercourse, while their wives remain at home. In addition to this, it must not be forgotten that Islam has not commanded polygamy, in other words, it has not been declared obligatory that every Muslim must marry more than once. Instead, this is an exception, which has been made lawful in special circum-stances. However, practically, a better part of the Muslims today limit themselves to one marriage alone.”

Demise‘A’ishahra passed away on the 17th day of the month of Ramadan, 58 years after the migration, around half a century after the Holy Prophetsa. Abu Hurairahra was the Ameer of Madinah at the time, on the authority of Marwan. She was bur-ied in Janatul Baqee according to her will. In fact, she had reserved a place for herself in her room where the Holy Prophetsa and Abu Bakrra were buried. When Umarra was attacked, he sent her


the message, “O mother of the faithful! How wonderful it would be if I were granted permission to be buried along-side my friends.” ‘A’ishahra replied, “I had reserved this place for me but I give preference to you over myself.” Prior to her death, her will was that she did not desire for any preference over the rest of the wives. Thus her will was to be buried among the rest of the noble wives of the Prophetsa in Janatul Baqee.

ENDNotES

1. Bukhari Kitaabul Jihaad baab Hamlul Rajul Imratuhu fil ghazwa2. The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Ahzab, Ch.33:V.523. Bukhari Kitaabut-Tafsir Surah Al-Ahzaab 4. Abu Daud, Kitaabunikaah filqismi bainanisaa5. Bukhari Kitaabul Manaaqib Baabu Fadhle ‘A’ishah6. Teeth cleaning twig made from a twig of the Salvadora persica tree7. The study of Islamic jurisprudence8. Tafsir Durr-e-Manthur by Imam Suyuti on the verse Khatamunabiyeen. V. 6 p.6189. Compiler Ibn Abi Shaiba V5 p.336; and Al-Durrul Manthur V6 p.618 10. The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al Ahzab, Ch.33:V.29

11. Musnad Ahmad, V.1, p.78; V6, p.18512. Musnad Ahmad, V.1, p.147; V6, p.18513. Musnad Ahmad, V.6, p.44; V1, p.7614. Musnad Ahmad, V.1 p.11815. Tabaqatul V8, p.6716. Mustadrak Hakim V.4, p.1517. Majmaul-Zawaid V.3, p.30818. Bukhari Kitaabul Khumus Baab Nafqatul Nisaa19. Ibn Majah Kitaabul Duaa Baabu ismillah ila izm20. Bukhari Kitabu Badul Khalqi Babu Dhikrul Malaikah21. Bukhari Kitabu Badul Khalqi Babu Dhikrul Malaikah22. Muslim Kitabul Libaas Baau La tadkhulul Malaikah23. Tabaqaatul Kubra V.8, p.17424. Azwaajunabi p.12525. Bukhari Kitaabul Adabi baab kaifa yakunu alrajulu fi ahlihi26. Bukhari Kitabul Tahajjud Baabu Qiyaamunabi27. Muslim Kitabul Ashribati Baabu Namaaz Baby Ikraamuzaif; Musnad Ahmad, V.5, p.116; V.6 p.256 28. Bukhari Kitabul Ilm Babul Ilm wal azyatu billayli29. During the time of the Holy Prophetsa, it was a widespread belief among the pagan Arabs and many other sections of society that a Mutabanna i.e. an adopted son was equal to that of a real/physical son, not only with respects to



his rights to becoming heir to properties but also his biological relationship (Mahrem) with other members of the family. The fact of the matter is that Zainabra was first married to Zaid bin Haarithara. Eventually they divorced owing to their incompatible circumstances. The Holy Prophetsa then decided to marry Zainab bint Jahshra for the purpose of ending this question of whether or not one is permitted to marry the the wife of the adopted son. The Qur’anic verse to this effect is: Surah Al-Ahzab:V.5 [This topic will be taken up in greater detail in the author’s forthcoming article in the series regarding Zainab bint Jahsh—Ed]30. Holy Qur’an, Surah Ahzab, Verse 5131. Holy Quran, Surah Al Imran, Verse 19132. Tafseer Durrul Manthur V2 pp.19533. Karen Armstrong; Muhammad A Biography of Prophet, (London:Phoenix Press, 2001) 180.34. Laura Veccia Vaglieri, An Interpretation of Islam, Volume III (New Delhi: Goodword Books, 2004), 24, 28, 67, 68.


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volume 11

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra

c h a p t e r i x

Masjid Quba, the first Mosque built in Islam

N E W A N D E X C L U S I V E

Exile of the Banu Nadir - Rabi‘ul-Awwal 4 A.H.When a nation is doomed to days of misfortune, its vision falls weaker and it does not pay due attention towards tak-ing a lesson and warning from events. As such, instead of taking admonition from the exile of the Banu Qainuqa‘, and refraining from acts of mischief and disturbance; and instead of allowing the Muslims to live in peace and living their own lives in peace, the remaining two tribes from among the Jews did not change their behaviour. In hiding, they continued to kindle flames of mischief against the Muslims, and continued to conspire with the Quraish of Makkah as well. As a matter of fact, after the exile of the Banu Qainuqa‘, the hostility of the Jews grew even more than before, and their plans began to take on a more dangerous state day by day. As such, not long after the incidents of Raji‘ and Bi’r-e-Ma‘unah, when the course of events

took on a more critical state, for his own protection, the Holy Prophetsa was com-pelled to take military action against the Banu Nadir, due to which, this tribe was ultimately exiled from Madinah as well. Describing the causes leading up to this Ghazwah, experts of Hadith and Sirat have presented varying factors. Due to these varying views, a difference of opin-ion has also arisen with respect to the era of this Ghazwah. Ibni Ishaq and Ibni Sa‘d, who I have followed here without any specific investigation, have placed

First ever serialisation of the newly translated Volume II of Hadhrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra’s outstanding biography, Seerat Khatamun Nabiyyin, on the life and character of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. In this section, we explore the circumstances surrounding the exile of the Banu Nadir tribe.

Translated from the Urdu by Ayyaz Mahmood Khan

When a nation is doomed to days of misfortune, its vision falls weaker and it does not pay due attention towards taking a lesson and warning from events.


the Ghazwah of Banu Nadir after the battle of Uhud and the incident of Bi’r-e-Ma‘unah. In support of this view, they write that on his way back to Madinah, ‘Amr bin Umaiyyah Ḍamrira , who was taken captive and then released by the disbelievers in the incident of Bi’r-e-Ma‘unah, encountered two men from the tribe of Banu ‘Amir, who had entered into a treaty with the Holy Prophetsa . Since ‘Amr was unaware of this treaty and agreement, upon finding an opportunity, he killed these two men in retribution for the martyrs of Bi’r-e-Ma‘unah, whose deaths were owed to a chieftain of the Banu ‘Amir, named ‘Amir bin Tufail, even though, as mentioned earlier, the people of Banu ‘Amir had themselves refrained from this murder and bloodshed. When ‘Amr bin Umaiyyahra arrived to Madinah, he submitted the entire account to the Holy Prophetsa , and told him about the killing of those two men as well. When

the Holy Prophetsa was informed of the killing of these two men, he was very displeased by this action of ‘Amr bin Umaiyyahra , and said, “They were our confederates.” The Holy Prophetsa

immediately sent the blood-money of both these men to the respective fam-ilies. However, since the people of the Banu ‘Amir were allies of the Banu Nadir, and the Banu Nadir were allies of the Muslims, by virtue of treaty, the Banu Nadir were also liable to bear an equal share of the blood-money. As such, along with a few of his Companions, the Holy Prophetsa went to the settlement of the Banu Nadir and explaining the entire incident, he asked for their share of the blood-money. Apparently, it seemed as if they were joyous upon the arrival of the Holy Prophetsa, and asked him to sit while they went and arranged for the money at once. As such, the Holy Prophetsa took a seat in the shade of a wall along with his Companions, and the Banu Nadir retired to one side in order to deliberate. They apparently made it seem as if they were arranging for the money, but instead of this, they actually schemed that this was a perfect opportunity. They thought that as Muhammadsa was sitting in the shade of a house up against its wall; if someone were to climb to the top of the house from the opposite side

thE LIfE & ChArACtEr of thE SEAL of prophEtS

The Holy Prophetsa immediately sent the blood-money of both these men to the respective families.


and throw a large stone upon the Holy Prophetsa, he could be finished once and for all.1

From among the Jews, an individual by the name of Salam bin Mashkam opposed this idea and argued that this was an act of treachery, and violated the terms of their agreement with the Holy Prophetsa, but the others did not pay heed.2 Finally, a Jew by the name of ‘Amr bin Jahhash climbed to the top of the house with a very large stone and was about to roll it off from above, but it is narrated that God the Exalted informed the Holy Prophetsa about this sinister plan of the Jews by way of revelation. The Holy Prophetsa stood up immedi-ately, and this was so unexpected that his Companions as well as the Jews thought that the Holy Prophetsa had stood up to attend to an immediate matter. Hence, they continued to calmly sit and wait for the Holy Prophetsa. However, the Holy Prophetsa made way to Madinah at once. The Companions waited for the Holy Prophetsa for some time, but when he did not return, they stood up in concern, and during the course of their search for the Holy Prophetsa, ultimately saw their way to Madinah as well. It was then that the Holy Prophetsa informed the Companions of the dangerous

conspiracy of the Jews.3 After this, the Holy Prophetsa called upon Muhammad bin Maslamahra, a chief of the Aus tribe and said:

“Go to the Banu Nadir and speak to them about this issue. Tell them that since they have gone too far in their acts of mis-chief and their treachery has reached its extreme limit, it is no longer appropri-ate for them to remain in Madinah. It is better that they leave Madinah and take up residence somewhere else.”

The Holy Prophetsa gave them a time limit of ten days. When Muhammad bin Maslamahra went to them, they behaved most arrogantly and said, “Tell Muhammadsa that we are not prepared to leave Madinah, do what you may.” When the Holy Prophetsa received this response from the Jews, he spontaneously said, “God is the Greatest, it appears as if the Jews are prepared for war.”4 The Holy Prophetsa instructed the Muslims to pre-pare and stepped into the field of battle against the Banu Nadir with a group of his Companions.

Most historians have adopted the above-mentioned narration, to the extent that this very narration has become gener-ally renowned and prominent in history.


However, in contrast to this, an authen-tic narration has been transmitted by Imam Zuhri. This narration states that after the Battle of Badr (the exact year and month are not known), the chief-tains of the Quraish wrote a letter to the Banu Nadir saying, “Declare war against Muhammadsa and the Muslims, or we shall wage war against you.” Upon this, the Banu Nadir mutually consulted and decided that they should tactfully assassinate the Holy Prophetsa. To this end, they schemed to invite the Holy Prophetsa by some excuse, and then find an opportunity to murder him. As such, they sent word to the Holy Prophetsa that they would like to arrange a religious dia-logue between the Holy Prophetsa and their own scholars.5 They claimed that if the truth of the Holy Prophetsa became evident to them, they would accept him; therefore, the Holy Prophetsa should come along with thirty Companions so that an exchange of religious views could take place with thirty Jewish scholars.6

On the one hand, they conveyed this message to the Holy Prophetsa, while on the other, they consolidated their scheme and fully prepared accordingly. They conspired that after the Holy Prophetsa

had arrived, these very same “schol-ars,” secretly possessing hidden daggers, would find an opportunity and assassi-nate the Holy Prophetsa. However, a lady from the tribe of the Banu Nadir trans-mitted timely information with respect to the evil motives of her people to a man from the Ansar, who was her brother. The Holy Prophetsa had only just left his resi-dence when he received this news and returned.7 The Holy Prophetsa immedi-ately commanded mobilisation, and set out towards the fortresses of the Banu Nadir. As soon as he reached there, the Holy Prophetsa besieged them and sent a message to their chieftains that under the circumstances which had come to light, they could not be permitted to remain in Madinah, until they were to settle a new treaty with the Holy Prophetsa and assure him that they would not violate their treaty and commit treachery again. The Jews, however, plainly refused to settle another treaty, and in this manner, war commenced. The Banu Nadir very arrogantly took to their fortresses. On the following day, the Holy Prophetsa

received news, or perhaps gathered from


Upon this, the Banu Nadir mutually consulted and decided that they should tactfully assassinate the Holy Prophetsa.


the circumstances that the other tribe of the Jews, known as the Banu Quraizah was also displaying signs of rebellion. The Holy Prophetsa took along a detachment and marched towards the fortresses of the Banu Quraizah and besieged them as well. When the Banu Quraizah saw that their secret had been leaked, they became fearful and seeking forgiveness, settled a new treaty of peace and security, and a mutual alliance with the Holy Prophetsa. Upon this, the Holy Prophetsa lifted the siege and returned to the fortresses of the Banu Nadir. However, the Banu Nadir persisted in their obstinacy and hostility, and a proper state of war commenced.8

These are the two varying narrations which have been related with respect to the cause of the Ghazwah of Banu Nadir. From a historical perspective, the latter narration is more correct and authentic, and other narrations also support this in principle. However, the first narra-tion has been more widely accepted by historians and various authentic Ahadith have also alluded to its authenticity. As such, although Imam Bukhari has given precedence to the narration of Zuhri, he has still mentioned the blood-money of the two people who were killed from the ‘Amir tribe.9 Therefore, in our opinion, if both narrations are deemed to be correct

and taken together, there is no harm in this. Albeit, as far as the era of this Ghazwah is concerned, one narration must be given preference from among the two, because in this respect, both nar-rations cannot be correct. It appears as if on various occasions, different causes for war were created by the Banu Nadir, and the Holy Prophetsa continued to grant them respite and dealt with them in a forgiving manner. However, when the final cause arose after the incident of Bi’r-e-Ma‘unah, the Holy Prophetsa reminded them of all their previous designs and finally took military action against them. In other words, all the causes which have been mentioned are correct in their own right, but the final motivating factor was the one that took place when the blood-money was demanded for the two men killed from the Banu ‘Amir.10

It should also be remembered that Ka‘b bin Ashraf, whose execution has been alluded to above and who had ignited a fire of hostility against the Muslims was also from the Banu Nadir.

In any case, the Jewish tribe of the Banu Nadir violated their treaty and acted treacherously, and conspired to


assassinate the Holy Prophetsa. When they were told that under these circum-stances it was no longer appropriate for them to remain in Madinah and that they should leave, they behaved arro-gantly and rebelliously. Furthermore, they refused to settle a new treaty and became prepared for war. For this rea-son, the Holy Prophetsa had no other choice but to step into the field of battle. As such, in his own absence, the Holy Prophetsa appointed Ibni Maktumra as the Imamus-Salat for the settlement of Madinah. With a group of Companions, the Holy Prophetsa set out from Madinah himself and besieged the village of the Banu Nadir. According to the custom of warfare at the time, the Banu Nadir took to their fortresses. It was perhaps on this occasion that ‘Abdullah bin Ubaiyy bin Sulul and the other hypocrites of Madinah sent word to the chieftains of the Banu Nadir saying, “Do not fear the

Muslims at all, for we shall support you and shall fight on your behalf.” However, to the surprise of the Banu Nadir, when war practically commenced, these hyp-ocrites could not muster the courage to openly enter the field of battle in opposition to the Holy Prophetsa11; nor could the Banu Quraizah dare to step into the battlefield against the Muslims and openly aid the Banu Nadir either, although they were with them at heart, and would aid them in secret as well; and the Muslims had even become aware of this.12 In any case, the Banu Nadir did not openly take to the field in opposition to the Muslims and retired to their for-tresses instead. However, according to the circumstances of that era, their fortresses were very strong and for this reason, they were confident that the Muslims would be able to do them no harm whatsoever, and would themselves become frustrated and lift the siege. There is no doubt that according to the circumstances of that era, to conquer such fortresses was a very difficult and strenuous task, and demanded a very long siege. As such, the Muslims continued the siege for many days, but there was no outcome. After a few days had passed, and no out-come came about; and the Banu Nadir remained bent upon conflict as usual, the Holy Prophetsa issued the order that some


When they were told that under these circumstances it was no longer appropriate for them to remain in Madinah and that they should leave, they behaved arrogantly and rebelliously.


of the date trees belonging to the Banu Nadir, which were situated in the exterior grounds beyond their fortresses should be cut down.13 These trees which were cut down bore a type of date known as Linah,14 which is a very low-grade date and whose fruit cannot generally be consumed by humans.15 The intention behind this order was so that the Banu Nadir would become awe-stricken at the sight of these trees being cut down, and so that they would open the gates of their fortresses; in this manner, with the loss of a few trees, the loss of countless lives, as well as conflict and rebellion in the country could be prevented. Hence, this strategy proved to be successful and only six trees had been cut down16 when the Banu Nadir began to raise a hue and cry, perhaps under the assumption that the Muslims would cut down all their trees, which included those bearing high-quality fruit as well. Nonetheless, as the Holy Qur’an has elaborated, only a few trees were permitted to be cut down, and even those were of the Linah date. With respect to the remaining trees, however, it was instructed that they be safeguarded.17

Even under normal circumstances, the Muslims were not permitted to cut down the fruit-bearing trees of their enemy.18 In any case, this strategy proved to be suc-cessful and being struck with awe, after

a siege of fifteen days, the Banu Nadir opened the gates of their fortresses on the condition that they would be permit-ted to leave with all of their property and belongings in peace and security.19 This was the very same offer which the Holy Prophetsa had already presented. Since the only desire of the Holy Prophetsa

was the establishment of peace, turn-ing a blind eye towards the hardship and expenses, which the Muslims had been made to bear in this campaign, even now, the Holy Prophetsa accepted the condition of the Banu Nadir and appointed his Companion Muhammad bin Maslamahra to supervise the depar-ture of the Banu Nadir from Madinah in peace and security.20 As such, with great pomp, splendour and magnificence, the Banu Nadir took along all their movable belongings and possessions. They even demolished their own homes with their own hands, and dislocated their doors, door-frames, and wood and took them along as well.21

It is written that these people left Madinah with such joy, pomp and show, singing and playing their instruments, as if they were a marriage procession.22

However, their equipment of war, their immovable property, such as orchards, etc., came to the hands of the Muslims.


Since this wealth had been acquired without any practical war, in light of the Islamic Shari‘at, the privilege of its division was solely in the hands of the Messenger of Allah. The Holy Prophetsa

mostly divided this wealth among the poor Muhajirin,23 whose means of sus-tenance was still being borne by the properties of the Ansar, according to the initial system of brotherhood. In this manner, the Ansar indirectly became partners in this wealth of spoils as well.24

When the Banu Nadir were departing from Madinah under the supervision of the Companion Muhammad bin Maslamahra, some of the Ansar attempted to restrain those people who were actu-ally from the progeny of the Ansar, but had become Jewish due to vows made by the Ansar, and the Banu Nadir desired to

take them along. However, this demand of the Ansar was against the following Islamic injunction:

“There should be no compulsion in the matter of religion.”25

Hence, the Holy Prophetsa decided against the case presented by the Muslims and issued a verdict in favour of the Jews saying, “We cannot stop any person from leaving who is a Jew and desires to leave.”26 Albeit two men from the Banu Nadir became Muslim of their own choice and remained in Madinah.27

There is a narration which relates that the Holy Prophetsa ordered the Banu Nadir to move towards Syria, i.e., that they should not remain in Arabia. However, despite this, a few of their chieftains such as Salam bin Abil-Huqaiq, Kinanah bin Rabi‘ and Huyaiyy bin Akhtab, etc., and a segment of their commoners as well, resettled to the north of Hijaz in the renowned Jewish village of Khaibar. The people of Khaibar welcomed them with open arms28 and as shall be mentioned later at its appropriate place, these peo-ple ultimately became the cause of very dangerous sedition and incitement of war. The Banu Quraizah, who ignored all of


Hence, the Holy Prophetsa

decided against the case presented by the Muslims and issued a verdict in favour of the Jews saying,

“We cannot stop any person from leaving who is a Jew and desires to leave.


their treaties and agreements, and acted treacherously towards the Holy Prophetsa

and abetted the Banu Nadir, were for-given by the Holy Prophetsa as an act of benevolence.29 However, the manner in which these wretched people repaid this compassionate treatment shall be men-tioned ahead.

The incident of the Banu Nadir has been alluded to in Surah Hashr of the Holy Qur’an. The entire Surah is, more or less, related to this Ghazwah.

ENDNotES

1. *As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, p. 605, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir. Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)*At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahisa Banin-Nadīr, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)2. *At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahsa

Banin-Nadir, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)3. *As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 605, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)

*At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahisa Banin-Nadir, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)4. * At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahisa

Banin-Nadir, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)

* As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)5. They knew full well that the easiest and most definitive means by which the Holy Prophetsa

could be motivated was by the ploy of ‘preaching.’6. Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitabul-Kharaji Wal-Imarati, Babun Fi Khabarin-Nadir Hadith No. 30047. Sharhul-‘Allamatiz-Zarqani ‘Alal-Mawahibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allamah Shihabuddin Al-Qastalani, Volume 2, p. 510, Hadithu Banin-Nadir, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)8. Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitabul-Jihad, Babun Fi Khabarin-Nadir Hadith No. 30049. Sahihul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi, Babun Hadithu Banin-Nadir10. And Allah knows the truth best (Publishers)11. As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, p.


606, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)12. Sahihul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi, Babun Hadithu Banin-Nadir, Hadith No. 4028Sahīhul-Muslim, Kitābul-Jihād, Bābu Ijlā’il-Yahūdi Minal-Hijāz, Hadīth No. 459213. *As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, pp. 605-606, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir..., Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)

* At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahisa

Banin-Nadir, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)14. *Al-Hashr (59:6)15. *Ar-Raudul-Unufi Fi Tafsiris-Siratin-Nabawiyyati libni Hisham, By Abul-Qasim ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Abdillah bin Ahmad, Volume 3, p. 388, Ghazwatu Banin-Naḍīri Wa Ma Nazala Fiha / Qat‘ul-Linati Wa Ta’wiluhu, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition16. *Sharhul-‘Allamatiz-Zarqani ‘Alal-Mawahibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allamah Shihabuddīn Al-Qastalani, Volume 2, p. 512, Hadithu Banin-Nadir, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)17. *Al-Hashr (59:6)18. *Al-Muwatta, By Imam Malik bin Anas, Kitabul-Jihad, Bābun-Nahyi Min-Qatlin-Nisa’i Wal-Wildan, Hadith No. 98219. *As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu

Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, p. 606, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)*At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahisa Banin-Nadir, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)20. *At-Tabaqatul-Kubra, By Muhammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 278, Ghazwatu Rasulillahisa

Banin-Nadir, Daru Ihya’it-Turathil-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)21. *Talkhisus-Sihah [527/6]22. *Tarikhur-Rusuli Wal-Muluk (Tarikhut-Tabari), By Abu Ja‘far Muhammad bin Jarir At-Tabari, Volume 3, p. 91, Thumma Dakhalatis-Sanatur-Rabi‘atu Minal-Hijrah / Khabaru Jala’i Banin-Nadir, Darul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)23. *Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitabul-Jihad, Babun Fi Khabarin-Nadir, Hadith No. 300424. *As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, p. 606, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir..., Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)*Sharhul-‘Allamatiz-Zarqani ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allamah Shihabuddin Al-Qastalani, Volume 2, pp. 519-520, Hadithu Banin-Nadir, Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) - 25.

*Al-Baqarah (2:257)26. *Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitabul-Jihad, Babu Fil-Asīri Yukrahu ‘Alal-Islam, Hadīth No. 268227. *As-Siratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abu



Muhammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hisham, pp. 606-607, Amru Ijla’i Banin-Nadir..., Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)28. *Tarikhur-Rusuli Wal-Muluk (Tarikhut-Tabari), By Abu Ja‘far Muhammad bin Jarir At-Tabari, Volume 3, pp. 90-91, Thumma Dakhalatis-Sanatur-Rabi‘atu Minal-Hijrah / Khabaru Jala’i Banin-Nadir, Darul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)29. *Sahihul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi, Babu Hadithu Banin-Nadir, Hadith No. 4028Sahihul-Muslim, Kitabul-Jihadi Was-Siyar, Babu Ijla’il-Yahudi Minal-Hijaz, Hadith No. 4592 (428/4) Write to us with comments,

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A Symbol of Peace and Harmony

Historic Opening of Mosque in Valencia, Spain

On 3rd April 2013, the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at and Fifth Khalifah,

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba, addressed a Special Reception held to celebrate the recent opening of the Baitur Rahman Mosque in Valencia.

During his address, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba explained true Islamic teachings of peace, justice and tolerance. Numerous guests attended the reception, including a range of politicians and dig-nitaries, some of whom also addressed the audience.

Her Excellency Mari Carmen Contelles Llopis, the Lady Mayor of Pobla de Vallbona, the town where the new Mosque is located, said she was delighted to welcome so many guests to her town. She praised the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for “always promoting peace and tolerance in the world”.

Jose Maria Alonso MP, said he had been greatly impressed when meeting His Holinessaba a few months earlier at the European Parliament and when listening to his address in Brussels. The MP said it was imperative that inter-faith rela-tions between Muslims and Christians continued to develop.

Luis Santamaria, Head Representative of Spanish Government in Valencia, also spoke of the need for inter-faith dialogue. He said that Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba had always promoted Islam’s message of peace. He added that “all peo-ple of goodwill were welcome in Spain”.


Juan Cotino, President of Valencia’s Regional Parliament, called the new Mosque a “truly beautiful building” and said the event itself was a “symbol of good-ness” as people of different faiths and beliefs were joined together.

Keynote Address by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba, Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Bismillah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba said:

“All the guests, Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahe Wa Barakatohu – peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

Before I say to you a few words about the inauguration of this mosque, I would first of all like to thank all of you guests, who are mostly non-Muslims, for attend-ing this event. It is our pleasure to have

you with us. You are attending this event despite the fact that in Europe and the West, Muslims and the religion of Islam are looked upon with apprehension, and the followers of this religion are con-sidered to be extremists or fanatics. It is also believed that a Muslim dislikes non-Muslims – and does not consider them worthy of interaction. With this viewpoint about Islam and Muslims, having you here with us specifically for the event of a Muslim community, being held in its mosque, and the event being the inauguration of the mosque, shows your openheartedness. Though people do come together to participate in the events of different communities and religions, yet your coming here is still worthy of praise. It is possible that you are attend-ing this event due to a curiousity of learning about what we have to say or a curiousity about Muslims in general; however, whatever the reason I am very grateful for your presence, for taking the time to grace this auspicious event.

It is also my religious duty to be grate-ful for and to thank all those who have accepted our invitation. The Holy Prophetsa of Islam said that anyone who is not grateful to his fellow human beings cannot be grateful to his Creator. Islam says that if a person does not show

A SymboL of pEACE AND hArmoNy


humility and gratitude to his fellow human beings, and instead only pro-fesses his gratitude and humbleness to God, such a person is not sincere to God as well. Hence, with these few words, I would once again like to say that we, as members of the Ahmadiyya Community, are grateful for your presence.

Now I would like to present to you a few Islamic teachings with regards to the mosque and as well as the rights we owe our neighbours. First of all, I am grateful to our neighbours, councilors and the mayor of the town for allowing us to build this mosque. In addition to the mosque being a place of worship for us, I would also like to point out that the construction of this mosque is also a means of beautifying your area as it is architecturally an eye-catching building. When driving on the motorway, motor-ists can see and observe the beauty of this mosque. Another thing I would like

to mention is that some neighbours had apprehension about the building of this mosque. They felt that by this addition the peace and quiet of their commu-nity would be affected, there would be increased traffic on the roads, people would throw litter around and disturb their surroundings. It is my hope and belief that their apprehensions would not prove to be right. You all must have

Not only is your immediate neighbour on the either side of your house a neighbour, but also even locations on each side as far as a 100- house distance are considered to be neighbours. A person travelling with you in a train, or car, or bus and even your work colleague, is a neighbour.


noticed that in the past few weeks there has been a lot of activity going on in this mosque. A lot of people have been gathering here, lots of food has been prepared and lots of people have been eating here, but I believe this would not have been a disturbance to the locals. At least in my view, I do not think I have seen any such litter lying around in this area. I believe the only extra work must have been for the council’s refuse col-lection truck, which would have had to pick more refuse bags than usual - and I apologise to them.

A true Muslim has been thoroughly advised by his religion that cleanliness

is a part of religion. Not only is outwardly cleanliness enjoined, but also deeper, thorough cleanliness is advised. In fact, when the New Year dawns, when most people celebrate the occasion by party-ing through the night, we help our local community councils in cleaning up the streets and provide manpower to help them clean up after all such celebrations. This we do because we have been told to do so by our religion. It is our duty to help our neighbourhood and ensure they are not inconvenienced in any way.

The Holy Prophet of Islamsa said that he has been repeatedly told by Allah to help and assist your neighbours. And this has been emphasised so much, that he said that sometimes I think that a neighbour is even going to be entitled to our inher-itance, such is the importance that has been placed on caring for our neighbours.

One thing I admire about the Spanish people is that they lay importance on cleanliness. Women not only clean their homes – which I am sure they must do – but they also come out to clean the pavements outside their homes. When driving past I have seen women sweeping the area outside their homes. Indeed, the neighbours of this mosque might have reservations about the level of cleanliness

Whoever comes here, be it a Muslim or non-Muslim, with pious intentions, will have the doors of the mosque always open for him or her. This mosque has been named Masjid Baitur Rahman that is a House of God Who is ever gracious, Who shows kindness to His creation, without any conditions.

A SymboL of pEACE AND hArmoNy


that will be maintained with the intro-duction of this mosque and the increase in the number of people seen in the area. However, I would like to assure you that we will ensure that we will not give you a cause to complain.

Whilst speaking about neighbours, I would also like to define to you what a neighbour means. Not only is your immediate neighbour on the either side of your house a neighbour, but also even locations on each side as far as a 100-house distance are considered to be neighbours. A person travelling with you in a train, or car, or bus and even your work colleague, is a neighbour. In this way, the definition for a neighbour is very vast. We have been taught that we should never act in a way to cause our neighbour any inconvenience. Hence, we are not here to cause you any disturbance, but rather, are here to serve you. We are here to share with you our community, join you in your activities and live peace-fully and happily with you.

Today, the Ahmadiyya Musl im Community is established in more than 200 countries. And everywhere we go we spread the message of ‘Love for All, Hatred for None.’ We preach to every-one to show love and kindness to the

people. No one should be hurt by any of our deeds. In one of his sayings, the Holy Prophet of Islamsa said a true Muslim is one from whose hand and whose tongue every peace-loving person is safe. Hence, we Ahmadi Muslims try to live according to this teaching and would also like the entire world to live accordingly; that is to live in peace and harmony with fellow human beings regardless of their faith or race.

The Holy Qur’an has taught us that we have to not only discharge the rights due to God, but also have to discharge the rights due to our fellow human beings. We have to show true justice in all our dealings, because by being unjust, you distance yourselves from God. In one instance the Holy Qur’an teaches us that if we have to give testimony against our self, our parents, our family and dear ones, we should do it. We will only be considered to be true Muslims when we live according to this teaching.

There is not enough time to present to you the detailed teachings of the Holy Prophetsa and the Holy Qur’an. However in short I would like to mention that in today’s world Islam is wrongly portrayed and considered to be a religion of aggres-sion. Of course, this wrong projection


has been made by a minority of extrem-ist Muslims no doubt, but in the time of the Holy Prophet of Islamsa, and his early four true Khalifas, there was never an occasion when the Muslims were the first to initiate war or do any aggression, rather they dedicated their time to serv-ing humanity, and spread the peaceful message of God Almighty. War was only allowed to the Muslims when they were persecuted and were driven from their homes in Makkah and migrated to Madinah. It was when they were fol-lowed and attacked in Madinah that they were allowed this right to defend themselves.

The Holy Qur’an also says that we have given you this permission to fight back simply because if you do not do so now, no place of worship, be it a church, or synagogue, or mosque or any temple will remain safe from the aggressors. Hence, with this permission, not only has Islam and the mosque been protected from atrocities, but other religions and places of worship have been provided safety with this decree. A true Muslim is not only told to protect a mosque, but also told to protect the places of worship of other religions. Hence, true Muslims have never caused damage to the places of worship of other religions in time of


war. Permission to fight back in war has only been granted in situations where people have been plotting against the government, and have been known to be a threat to the country.

All that I have presented to you today is the true teaching of Islam. Some of you might disagree with me on some aspects of how history has been men-tioned, but this is due to how history has been wrongly presented to us by some historians or orientalists, who have not done justice to history or reality. I am not saying that Muslim governments have never been in the wrong and have never

caused disorder in their respective coun-tries or with their neighbours, but there were situations when they were treated in the same way by non-Muslim gov-ernments and history bears testimony to this fact.

Regardless of this I would like to say that this mosque has been built to serve as a place of brotherliness and unity. Whoever comes here, be it a Muslim or non-Mus-lim, with pious intentions, will have the doors of the mosque always open for him or her. This mosque has been named Masjid Baitur Rahman – that is a House of God – Who is ever gracious, Who shows kindness to His creation, without any conditions.

We, who have built this mosque, will ensure that we continue to serve and help the communities we live in and continue to serve God’s creation, so that we con-tinue to receive as much graciousness as possible from the ever-gracious God.

In the end I would like once again to thank you all for gracing this event with your presence. It is my prayer that the unity and bond between the Muslims and non-Muslims in this community strengthens. Thank you very much.”


Islam and Spain:

Spanish land; lost by the sword; Spanish hearts won by the message of peaceIn 1946, Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Second worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, pas-sionately vowed that if enabled by God, he would send missionaries to Spain in order to spread the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat and conquer Spain for Islam once again by winning over the hearts of people; thus peacefully avenging the humiliating defeat, forced conversions and eviction of Muslims from Spain.

Reviving Islamic Eminence in Spain

Through A Message of Peace

Khalifah of the Promised Messiahas Visits Spain – part 11 of 11

orIgINAL UrDU rEportS by AbDUL mAjID tAhIr

Translated by Professor Amtul Razzaq Carmichael


Since 1936, missionaries from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have been working to spread the peaceful message of Islam to the people of Spain. To keep expanding this holy mission, the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaba, visited Spain in March-April 2013 to inaugu-rate a newly built mosque in Valencia, Baitur Rahman. This is the second and final part of the tour report of Khalifatul Masih Vaba.

30th of March 2013

In the morning, His Holiness led for-mal prayer (Fajr) in congregation and attended to his wide and varied duties as the head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. At 11:30 AM His Holiness presided over a meeting of National Majlis Amila Ansarullah (national executive council of Ahmadi men over forty), France. The meeting started with silent prayers. His Holiness encouraged the Ahmadiyya Community France to make a concerted effort towards the preaching of Islam, particu-larly along the French-Spanish borders. His Holiness encouraged elders of the community to be motivated to serve the community in an active manner. He

instructed officeholders to explain to their membership the concept of being an Ansar (which literally means “helper of Allah”), and make them realise their responsibilities.

This meeting was followed by family Mulaqaat, (a private audience with His Holiness), after which Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the afternoon prayers in congregation. In the evening, His Holiness graciously attended an Amin ceremony (ceremony of the first reading of the Holy Qur’an), and led the con-gregational evening prayers in Baitur Rahman.

31st of March 2013

After leading the congregational early morning prayers, His Holiness spent

His Holiness encouraged Ansar to try to grow beards; His Holiness said that once the true status of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa is appreciated, then Ansar would grow beards out of love and dedication.


the rest of the morning attending to his official duties. At 11:30 AM, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba chaired a class of Waqfe Nau youth, (young people who have pledged their life to the service of Islam). The Spanish youth made excel-lent presentations about a wide range of topics, such as the building of mosques, the writings of the Promised Messiahas and the expulsion of Muslims from Spain. During the 13th and 17th centuries, Muslims were evicted from their homes, forced to convert to Christianity, brutally killed at the hands of Christian soldiers and had their children taken away from them and enslaved. After the presenta-tions, His Holiness gave career advice to the youths. His Holiness emphasised that sincere dedication is the absolute key in the service of the Community. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba explained to those who wished to join Jamiah (Ahmadiyya

School of Theology), that the Jama’at can only afford to pay them a modest living allowance and that they should prepare themselves to live within these means. Emphasising the importance of their mission, His Holiness said that these experts of theology will spread the true picture of Islam to the whole world and Islam Ahmadiyyat will pro-gress. This class finished at 12:25 PM and immediately afterwards, there was a class with female Waqfe Nau youth. Most graciously, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba answered the questions of these dedicated young ladies. His Holiness explained that if one is not able to focus in Prayer properly, then one should offer lots of Istaghfar (a prayer for repentance). His Holiness explained that the task of a Murabbi is to train people and the job of a Mubbaligh is to conduct the preaching. Lajna are Murabbi in their own sphere as


they train their children. This class was followed by meetings with families from Spain, Norway, and Portugal until 2:20 PM. Then His Holiness led the congre-gational afternoon Prayers. After this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba went for a walk in the afternoon.

In the evening at 8:10 PM, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba presided over a meeting with the National Majlis Amila Lajna Ima’illah (national executive coun-cil of Ahmadi women over fifteen) Spain. The meeting started with silent prayers. His Holiness gave instructions regarding a syllabus for the new converts to give them clear concepts about the teachings and traditions of the Jama’at. A brief summary of the guidelines imparted by His Holiness are summarised below:

• A newsletter should be widely circulated.

• The attendance of the moral training class should be improved.

• The officeholders should encourage attendance with love and politeness; non-attendees should be encouraged to attend with love and affection.

• Mothers should be encouraged to teach

their children the Holy Qur’an and watch Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA) programs; His Holiness said this is really important and greater focus should be placed on this.

• The target for Bai’at (initiation) should be increased and concerte efforts should be made to achieve this goal.

• The funds collected for service to mankind should be preferably sent to Africa.

• Women should be encouraged to increase their income by using their sewing skills through the department of Trade and Industry.

• More women should be encouraged to take part in regular exercise.

• It is important that the younger girls get into the habit of reciting the Holy Qur’an every day.

• Once again His Holiness explained that it is mandatory to cover the body and hair as part of Purdah, along with top of the forehead and chin.

• Regular seminars should be organised to train for preaching.


His Holiness encouraged the Spanish Ahmadi women by saying that they have the potential to become the model com-munity; they have an added advantage that their executive committee mem-bers running the administration of the Community are chosen from all across Spain. This meeting concluded at 8:45 PM. After this, His Holiness went to the makeshift catering facility/kitchen and graciously tasted the food for the evening. At the end of the day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the evening congregational prayer and retired to his residence.

1st of April 2013

After leading the congregational morn-ing prayers, His Holinessaba attended to reports and letters from all over the world, gave directions and guidance and attended to other administrative duties as the Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Community. After leading the congre-gational afternoon prayers, His Holiness spent some time with his family by tak-ing a relaxing long walk. On his way back he visited the apartments of his entou-rage and graciously conversed with them. Later, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the evening prayers in congregation and retired to his residence.

2nd of April 2013

After a busy morning leading congre-gational prayers and attending to his administrative duties, His Holiness went to the local beauty spots of Calp and Javea for a picnic with his entou-rage and family. In Calp, the motorcade of His Holiness was received by a police escort and the mayor hosted the visit of His Holiness. At the end of the visit, the mayor kindly offered His Holiness a souvenir detailing the history of the town. His Holiness gave him as a pre-sent the Spanish translation of the Holy Qur’an and the epic book, The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam. After this, His Holiness’ motorcade went to the Penyal De Ifach, where the park directors hosted the visit. Later, His Holiness travelled to Javea and stopped for lunch and after-noon prayers at a local restaurant. At 5:15 PM, His Holiness returned back to Valencia and led the evening prayers in congregation at 9:00 PM. After this, His Holiness retired to his residence.

3rd of April 2013

After the routine of the morning, His Holiness attended to his wide and varied official duties. He led the congregational afternoon prayers at 2:00 PM and in the

rEVIVINg ISLAmIC EmINENCE IN SpAIN throUgh A mESSAgE of pEACE


evening attended the reception to mark the inauguration of the Baitur Rahman mosque, in Valencia. This reception was attended by the president of the assembly of Valencia, along with many members of parliament, mayors and official dignitaries. During the pre-recep-tion meeting with the VIP dignitaries, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba had a free and frank exchange of ideas about pro-moting peace in the world. His Holiness said that he had sent a message of con-gratulations to the newly elected Pope and would be very happy to meet and work with the Pope towards establish-ing peace in the world. His Holiness said that we Ahmadis are always ready to join in with anyone to serve human-ity and promote peace. His Holiness thanked all the officials who helped to complete the project of the mosque. The president of the parliament said that he

was a staunch Catholic, at which Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba said that he likes people who have strong faith; belief takes one to God and helps one to serve God’s people. His Holiness said that his mes-sage was that we can work together to establish peace in this part of the world, despite belonging to different religions. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba empha-sised that Muslims should integrate in the society they live in; Muslim men should treat their women and children in the best possible manner. This meet-ing ended at 7:15 PM, following which the proceedings of the formal reception commenced. The reception was addressed by the female mayor of Pobla De Vallbona, Valencia, National Member of

Mayor in Calp meeting His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at.


Parliament for Cantabria, representatives from the Government of Spain and the presidents of the Provincial Assembly of Valencia. His Holiness addressed the occasion thanking the participation of the audience, explaining the important Islamic teaching of maintaining a good relationship with neighbours and other peaceful teachings of Islam. His Holiness praised Spanish women for working hard to clean their houses and even the streets outside their homes. His Holiness explained that Islam teaches us to fulfil the rights of God as well as the rights of people and refrain from any form of injustice. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba explained that Islam allows its follow-ers to retaliate in the event of an attack; the main aim of this is self-defence and to protect all places of worship. At the end of the reception His Holiness led the late evening prayers in congregation and retired to his residence.

4th of April 2013

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the early morning prayers at Baitur Rahman Mosque, Valencia. Most of the day was spent responding to official documents, posts and reports about the activities of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, with a break for the after-noon prayers. In the evening, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba went out for a relaxing walk in the suburbs of Valencia. The official day of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba concluded by leading the late evening congregational prayers.

5th of April 2013

After leading the early morning prayers, His Holiness spent the rest of the morning attending to his wide and var-ied official duties. At 1:00 PM, Hazrat


Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the Friday Jumah prayers and delivered a histori-cal sermon that was relayed worldwide, live through MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International). His Holiness expressed the importance of adhering to Islamic teachings; practicing true Islam has become even more important after the inauguration of the mosque. In the afternoon, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba continued with meeting Ahmadis fami-lies. A delegate from Marrakesh came to seek an audience with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba and sought advice and guid-ance. Families from Barcelona, Madrid, Pedro Abad, Valencia and Naval Carneo, as well as Portugal, had the honour of a private audience with His Holiness. The meetings were concluded at 9:40 PM; then Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the evening prayers before retiring to his residence.

6th of April 2013

After his extensive morning commit-ments, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba visited the town of Valle De Alcala in Alicante. The mountainous part of Alicante used to be a refuge for belea-guered Muslims in Spain, for centuries. The cruel Christian rulers ordered the eviction of Muslims from their homes

in the cities and incarcerated them in this mountainous region; later these Muslims were either killed or banished from the country altogether.

A part of the journey to this part of Alicante was on the motorway and the remainder continued on narrow winding roads with sharp bends; the drive to the township took two hours and ten min-utes. An academic specialising in Spanish history, Professor Girones, accompanied Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba on this trip. He explained that Muslim refugees in this mountainous region established a system of terraced farming to sustain themselves. In September 1609, hundreds of thousands of innocent and unarmed Muslims were ordered to leave the coun-try. It was announced that the properties belonging to Muslims were to be handed over to the Christians; Christians were allowed to take whatever they liked of the belongings of Muslims. To add to this callousness, any Muslim caught attempt-ing to burn his house or possessions was punished with the death penalty.

From the harbour Muslims were then evicted to North Africa, where they were attacked by pirates and killed; if they made it to land they were treated harshly by the locals. During the voyage, many


men, women and children died because of the harsh conditions on board. The professor explained that some historians suggest that many Muslims were thrown into the sea just a few miles off shore; this was because the Christian army had only a few ships in which to evict Muslims. It was also explained that Muslim chil-dren were taken away from their parents and enslaved into Christian families, after their parents were killed or evicted from the country. Muslim women faced incredible brutality and some of them resorted to jumping from the tops of the hills, and were barbarically murdered when attempting to escape the attacks of Christian soldiers. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba visited the

town of Valle De Alcala, an archaeologi-cally preserved Muslim town. The Mayor of the town welcomed His Holiness. In response to a question, His Holiness said that the journey was long and uphill lead-ing to some light-headedness, but after visiting the region and meeting the mayor he felt refreshed. The mayor explained to His Holiness that the mayoral office used to be a mosque, which was converted to a church by the ruler of the area called Azraq.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba wrote in the book of honour. His Holiness wrote:“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and ever Merciful. I’m happy as well as very emotional today that I have come to town where Muslims endured severe hardship; they were evicted from their homes and the children were taken away from them to be brought up in Christian families. As a Muslim, the attitude of people here and in particular the warm welcome by the Mayor make me hopeful that from now on Muslims will always be welcome here. I am particularly grateful to the Mayor and may Allah the Exalted reward him.”

The afternoon prayers were offered in a local restaurant, where arrangements for lunch were made. It was thought that the

He explained that Muslim refugees in this mountainous region established a system of terraced farming to sustain themselves. In September 1609, hundreds of thousands of innocent and unarmed Muslims were ordered to leave the country.



restaurant used to be the place of resi-dence of a Muslim ruler, because of its size and magnificence. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba took pictures of the restaurant with his personal camera.

Later, His Holiness visited Despoblats De Adzuvieta, which are the archaeo-logical ruins of a Muslim town. Muslims were evicted from the place in 1609, and the tragic reminders of this pain-ful expulsion can be found everywhere. The homes from which Muslims were driven out are still standing; the doors and windows were taken away by the Christians. Clearly saddened by this dis-tressing view, His Holiness went from the ruins of one home to the next, taking pictures of this tragic archaeological site. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba asked two members of his entourage to recite the Call for Prayers from the highest wall of the ruins. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba directed an Arab member to say Azaan (Call for Prayers), because it was the Arabs’ descendants who were evicted from this town. With the recitation of Azaan, the name of God and his Prophet were again raised, after four centuries of pain and suffering in this valley. As the Call for Prayer was raised from this town of tragedy and bewilderment, with the Grace of God, a highly spiritual

incident was observed. Soon after the Azaan was said, it started to hail for a short time, at which Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba mentioned the revelation of the Promised Messiahas, “Again came the spring and we saw Tulg,” (which means hail, snow, extreme cold and also means a state of perfect peace of mind and tranquillity which is achieved regarding a certain objective. The natural outcome of such peace and tranquillity is happi-ness and contentment). Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba expressed his hope to the pro-fessor that the first steps for the return of Muslims to this part of Spain had been taken. With the Grace of Allah the Exalted, to follow in the footsteps of the Khalifatul Masihaba, dedicated Ahmadi Muslims will once again fill this valley with the light of Islam, and the chant of “Allah is the Greatest” shall be called out. Islam will prevail and Durud (blessings) will be invoked on the Holy Prophetsa.Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba arrived back at his residence after 5:00 PM and after a short break, he returned to the Baitur Rahman Mosque to lead the evening prayers. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba also graciously attended a Nikah (mar-riage) ceremony and led silent prayers, after which His Holiness retired to his residence.


7th of April 2013

In the morning, His Holiness led the morning prayers and attended to his wide and varied official duties, includ-ing responding to the worldwide post and reports of the numerous activities of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, and he issued various directives.

At 11:30 AM Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba presided over the National Executive Meeting of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Spain. The meeting started with silent prayers led by His Holiness, and the salient directives issued dur-ing the meeting are briefly summarised below:

• Census (Tajneed) of the membership should be fully up-to-date.

• All new converts should be integrated into the activities of the Community and developed into effective members of the Community.

• A complete record should be main-tained of the educational achievement and activities of the students. Those who are unable to continue their stud-ies because of lack of funds should also be identified (for potential help).

• The Secretary of Education of the Community has the responsibility to encourage students to seek higher education and promote university education.

• Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba directed that the centre should help the Spanish Ahmadiyya Jama’at to develop their activities pertaining to arranging mari-tal relationships.

• His Holiness directed that the depart-ment of moral training should be more proactive; they need to encourage people to focus more on Prayer, the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, making a bond of connection with the mosque and reading the books of the Promised Messiahas.

• His Holiness encouraged the Secretary of External Affairs to have more effec-tive connections with the Council, refugee department, lawyers and judges. His Holiness directed that the monthly Persecution Report should be translated into Spanish and sent to all concerned.

• The Secretary of Audio-Video is a Waqfe Nau youth; Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba directed him to visit



London for a week and learn how pro-grams are made for MTA and gain an understanding of the required standard. Then they should record programmes for MTA.

• Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba addressed the Secretary Tabligh (for the propoga-tion of Islam) that there is a need to make significant progress. Along with the scheme to hand out leaflets, they need to arrange seminars and confer-ences. His Holiness explained that in the beginning only a few dignitaries and local officials will attend, but in due course more connections will be developed.

• Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba encour-aged the Secretary of Publications to print leaflets in the Spanish language; the addresses of His Holiness on the topic of peace should be widely circu-lated in the Spanish language.

• His Holiness directed that in the mosques and Salat centres all five Prayers should be offered daily.

At the end, His Holiness directed that the Executive Council should work hard, present itself as a role model and only then will people be attracted to the

teachings of Islam. This meeting con-cluded at 12:30 PM.

Then the Executive Council of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Spain (young men between the ages of 15 and 40) had the privilege of a meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba. The salient points of the meeting are as follows:

• Work should be done in an organised manner from the Central Office.

• His Holiness encouraged youth to be active in the field of preaching Islam and to learn the skills to effectively deal with the accusations and allega-tions against the Jama’at.

• Preaching lectures should be organised in universities; preaching efforts should be carried out in villages.

• All youth should take part in the exam of a book of the Promised Messiahas.

• Those members who are drifting away should be encouraged to engage in the activities of the Jama’at.

• Promote social work, arrange for hos-pital visits, help the needy and engage with the elderly.


• Activities involving sports should be encouraged.

• The Finance Department should have a full and complete record; letters should be sent to raise Chanda.

• The moral training of Atfal (boys, seven to fourteen years of age) should be mainly focused on making them regu-lar in Prayers and the recitation of the Holy Qur’an.

• Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba gave valuable advice regarding the planned website by the youth in Spain.

• His Holiness said that the link to the MTA website can be a useful tool for Preaching, as well as recordings of the program Rah e Huda (Urdu discussion show).

After this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba

led a meeting with the Missionaries in Spain. His Holiness gave directions regarding increasing the preaching activities in Spain by approaching the Moorish population, arranging exhi-bitions in libraries and council houses, holding Qur’an exhibitions, meeting journalists and following up new con-nections. All three missionaries should plan the activities, identify the chal-lenges and difficulties and work out the solutions. The missionaries should also show fortitude and manage people with patience and perseverance. If they notice anything that is against the interest of the Jama’at, then they should try and resolve it immediately; if missionaries encounter any problems in these matters they need to report to the Ahmadiyya Centre.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba spent the rest of the afternoon engaged in meet-ing Ahmadi families. Later, His Holiness planted an olive and pear tree in the courtyard of the mosque and led the afternoon prayers in congregation. In the afternoon, His Holiness went for an hour-long walk in the suburb of Valencia. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba led the evening prayers in congregation before retiring to his residence.

His Holiness explained that in the beginning only a few dignitaries and local officials will attend, but in due course more connections will be developed.



8th of April 2013

After leading the morning prayers, His Holiness returned to his residence. At 9:00 AM after leading a long and emo-tional silent prayer, His Holiness bade farewell to the Ahmadis in Valencia. His Holiness took a train from Valencia Station to Madrid. At Madrid station, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba was given full protocol. His Holiness travelled from Madrid Station to the airport by car. After lunch at a local restaurant, afternoon prayers were offered in congre-gation. At the airport, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba was given full protocol and after the formalities of immigration, His Holiness boarded the British Airways flight to London. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba arrived at Heathrow Airport after 6:00 PM, where he was welcomed by the dignitaries of the UK Jama’at. After the formalities of immigration, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba left the airport for the Fazl Mosque in London, where he was welcomed by many dedi-cated and committed Ahmadis, who were delighted to receive their Khalifah back home.

Edited by Hibba Turrauf and Ayesha Malik


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NOTE ABOUT REFERENCES

Verse references to the Holy Qur’an count ‘Bismillah…’ (In the Name of Allah…) as the first verse of each Chapter. In some non-standard texts, this is not counted. Should the reader refer to such texts, the verse quoted in The Review of Religions will be found a verse earlier, i.e. at one verse less than the number quoted in this journal.For the ease of non-Muslim readers, ‘sa’ or ‘(saw)’ after the words, ‘Holy Prophet’, or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used normally in small letters. They stand for ‘Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning ‘peace and blessings of Allah be upon him’. Likewise, the letters ‘as’ or ‘(as)’ after the name of all other prophets is an abbreviation meaning ‘peace be upon him’ derived from ‘Alaihis salatu wassalam’ which are words that a Muslim utters out of respect whenever he or she comes across that name. The abbreviation ‘ra’ or ‘(ra)’ stands for ‘Radhiallahu Ta’ala anhu and is used for Companions of a Prophet, meaning Allah be pleased with him or her (when followed by the relevant Arabic pronoun). Finally, ‘rh’ or ‘(rh)’ for Rahemahullahu Ta’ala means the Mercy of Allah the Exalted be upon him. In keeping with current universal practice, local transliterations of names of places are preferred to their anglicised versions, e.g. Makkah instead of Mecca, etc.

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Tuesday 25th JuneFaith: Judaism Event: Fast of 17th of Tammuz

This is a Jewish fast day to commemorate the date when the walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz.

Saturday 29th JuneFaith: Christianity Event: St Peter and St Paul’s Day

This day is a liturgical feast to honour the martyrdom of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is one of the oldest saints’ days, with ancient origin.

CALENDAR OF RELIGIOUSEVENTS & FESTIVALS

JUNE 2013

The Review of Religions, in print since 1902, is one of the longest-running comparative religious magazines.

The objective of the magazine is to present the teachings of Islam, reflecting its rational, harmonious and inspiring nature. It also brings together articles and viewpoints on different religions and seeks to make discussions on religion and religious philosophy accessible to a wider readership.

The magazine is devoted to promoting intellectual and lively debate that is based on respect for all prophets and religions. Islam repeatedly stresses the need to seek knowledge and The Review of Religions provides a unique platform for people to acquire, and share knowledge.

Yearly subscription is only £15 sterling or $30 for overseas customers.

To subscribe, or for more info, visitwww.reviewofreligions.org/subscription


© ISLAMIC PUBLICATIONS, 2013

ISSN NO. 0034-6721

the review of religions (june 2013)

Documents