Review of Religions April 2014

Distinction Between
Creation and Command
8
Religious Trends
in Japan
20
Shintoism in Japan
28
The Reality of Islam for
the Japanese People
34
VOL. 109 - ISSUE FOURAPRIL 2014 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
LAND OFTHE RISING SUN
SPECIAL COVERAGE

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 Messiahas
& imam mahdi
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.
©makhzan-e-tasaweer
founder of
the review of religions

And the true servants of the
Gracious God are those who walk
on the earth humbly and when the
ignorant address them, they avoid
them gracefully by saying, ‘Peace!’
ISLAM, THE HOLY QUR’AN,
CH.25:V.64.
Harithah ibn Wahb al-Khuza’i
tells how he heard the Prophetsa
say, “Have I not taught you how
inhabitants of Paradise will be all
the humble and the weak, whose
oaths God will accept when they
swear to be faithful? Have I not
taught you how the inhabitants
of hell will be all the cruel beings,
strong of body and arrogant?”
ISLAM, THE HOLY PROPHET
MUHAMMADSA
, HADITH OF
BUKHARI.
The God to Whom we call is very
Benevolent, Merciful, Modest,
True, Faithful and Compassionate
to those who are humble. You
should also become faithful and
supplicate with full sincerity and
loyalty so that He should have
mercy on you. Withdraw from
the tumult of the world and do
not make your faith a matter of
personal contentions. Accept
defeat for the sake of God so
that you might become heirs to
great victories. God will show
a miracle to those who pray
and will bestow extraordinary
favour upon those who beg.
ISLAM, THE PROMISED
MESSIAHAS
, THE ESSENCE OF
ISLAM: VOLUME II, P.227.
Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth.
CHRISTIANITY, MATTHEW,
5:5.
A rabbit that a huntsman brings,
They pay for it the proper price;
But none will give a betel nut
For the corpse of a ruler of
the land! A man’s body is
less worth than a rabbit’s.
HINDUISM, BASAVANNA, 158.
Without merit am I; all merit is
Thine.
Thine, Lord, are all merits—
by what tongue have I
power to praise Thee?
SIKHISM, ADI GRANTH,
WADHANS, M.5, P.577.
The fool who knows that he is
a fool is for that very reason a
wise man; the fool who thinks
he is wise is called a fool indeed.
BUDDHISM, DHAMMAPADA,
63.
Humility
WORLD FAITHS

8 The Distinction Between
‘Creation’ and ‘Command’
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS
, THE PROMISED
MESSIAH AND IMAM MAHDI
20 Religious Trends in Japan-
Non-Religious in a
Religious Culture
Japanese people often identify
with more than one religion.
TAZEEN AHMAD, MARYLAND, USA
28 Shintoism in Japan
Shintoism has always been a part of
Japanese civilisation and culture.
AIZAZ AHMAD KHAN, PEACE VILLAGE, CANADA
34 The Reality of Islam for
the Japanese People
How Islam can benefit
the people of Japan.
HAZRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMADABA
, HEAD OF THE
WORLDWIDE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY,
KHALIFATUL MASIH V
44 A Message of Peace in the
Land of the Rising Sun
A global Muslim leader visits Japan.
ADAPTED FROM AN URDU ARTICLE
BY ABDUL MAJID TAHIR
54 Worship Requires Service
to Humanity
The first purpose-built mosque
in the southern England
county of Kent opens.
HAZRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMADABA
, HEAD OF THE
WORLDWIDE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY,
KHALIFATUL MASIH V
72 Guests Reflect on Gillingham
Mosque Opening
APRIL 2014 VOL.109 ISSUE FOUR

The English Rendering of the
5 Volume Commentary of the
Holy Qur’an
One of the most insightful commentaries of the
Holy Qur’an ever written.
Commentary by
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra)
Read it online at: http://www.alislam.org/quran/
Or Purchase the print version at: http://store.alislam.org/
©AMAGALLERYUK

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E D I T O R I A L B O A R D
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Ahmad, Hassan Wahab, Hibba Turrauf, Jonathan Butterworth,
Mansoor Saqi, Munazza Khan, Murtaza Ahmad, Nakasha
Ahmad, Navida Syed, Sarah Waseem, Tariq H. Malik
W E B D E V E L O P E R & I T
Hibba Turrauf, Mubashra Ahmad
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S U B - E D I T O R S
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Sub-Editors: Ayesha Malik, Nusrat Haq, Maryam Malik,
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S TA F F W R I T E R S & R E S E A R C H E R S
Arif Khan, Tazeen Ahmad, Harris Zafar, Meliha Hayat
D I S T R I B U T I O N / S U B S C R I P T I O N
Head: Mohammad Hanif
Team: Sami Ullah, Musa Sattar
A R T E D I T O R
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T W I T T E R
Hibba Turrauf, Mala Khan, Nudrat Ahmad
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 ‘Raziallahu 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.

The Distinction
Between ‘Creation’ and
‘Command’
hazrat mirza ghulam ahmadas
,
the promised messiah and imam mahdi
I tell you truly that every door can be closed but the door of the
descent of the Holy Spirit is never closed. Open the doors of your
hearts so that it might enter into them.

We present extracts from the writings
of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the
Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdias
,
on revelation.These are republished from
the second volume of Essence of Islam.
The Distinction between Creation
and Command
It may be asked from whom and where-
from proceed the good and bad designs
that arise in one’s mind as the result of
reflection and observation? The answer
is that such thoughts are the creation
of Allah and not His command. There
is a difference between creation and
command. By creation it is meant that
God Almighty produces something
through physical means and attributes
it to Himself because He is the Cause of
causes.Command is that which proceeds
directly from God Almighty without the
intervention of any means. Revelation,
which descends from God,proceeds from
the world of command and not from the
world of creation. Thoughts that arise
in peoples’ minds as a consequence of
observation and reflection, all proceed
from the world of creation in which the
Divine power operates behind the veil
of means. God has created men in the
world of means equipped with diverse
types of powers and faculties and has
invested them with the characteristic that
when they employ their reflection in a
good or bad matter, their minds alight
upon appropriate plans. As it is part of
the law of nature that when a person
opens his eyes he can see something and
when he directs his ear towards sound
he can hear something; in the same way
when he reflects on the way of success in
a good or bad design, some plan arises
in his mind. A good man, by reflecting
upon good designs,thinks of good things,
and a thief,by reflecting upon the various
ways of robbery,invents a plan to commit
robbery. Just as a man can think of deep
and devious evil designs,in the same way
when he uses his faculty in a good way,
he can think of good designs.As his bad
thoughts however deep and effective they
may be, cannot be held to be revelation,
in the same way, his thoughts which he
deems to be good are not revelation. In
short, whatever good thoughts occur to
good people and whatever bad thoughts
or designs arise in the minds of thieves
A good man, by reflecting
upon good designs, thinks of
good things, and a thief, by
reflecting upon the various
ways of robbery, invents a
plan to commit robbery.
APRIL 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 9

and robbers and murderers and adulter-
ers and forgers as the result of reflection
and observation are all the result of the
exercise of natural qualities.Because God
is the Cause of causes,they are called the
creation of God and not His command.
They are the natural qualities of man, as
in the case of some vegetables the quality
of purgation or the quality of constipa-
tion and other qualities are natural to
them. As God has invested other things
with different types of qualities, He has
invested man’s power of reflection with
the quality that it helps man whenever he
requires its help in a good or bad design.
A poet who seeks to lampoon anyone
finds his mind working in that direction
and he is able to produce such poetry.
Another poet seeks to praise the same
person and commendatory verses come
to his mind. This kind of good or bad
thought is not the mirror of the Divine
Will and cannot be called His word.
God’s holy word is the word which is
far above human faculties and is full of
perfection and power and holiness. The
very first condition of its manifestation
is that human faculties should be entirely
suspended and rendered useless. There
should be neither reflection nor observa-
tion and the person concerned should be
dead like a corpse. All means should be
cut off and God Almighty,Whose being
alone is actual and real,should cause His
word to descend upon the heart of some-
one by His special design.
It should be understood that as the light
of the sun comes only from heaven and
cannot be produced in the eye, in the
same way the light of revelation descends
from God and by His design, and does
not arise from inside a person. As God
truly exists and sees, hears, knows and
speaks, His word should descend from
Him and should not be the product of
man’s mind. From our minds arise the
same thoughts,good or bad,which dwell
within us according to our nature; but
God’s limitless knowledge and bound-
less wisdom, cannot dwell in our hearts.
What greater denial of God could there
be than for a man to think that all the
the distinction between
creation & command
Works of fiction contain
many affecting passages
and the minds of authors
are able to produce a series
of writings on purely
fictitious subjects, but they
cannot be called revelation.
10 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | APRIL 2014

Divine treasures of knowledge and wis-
dom and hidden mysteries are present
in our hearts and surge up in them.
This would mean that we ourselves are
God and that there is no Being outside
of us, Who is Self-Existing and pos-
sesses Divine attributes,Who should be
called ‘God’. For if God truly exists and
His unlimited knowledge is special to
Him, of which our hearts cannot be the
measure, then utterly wrong and sense-
less would be the observation that God’s
limitless knowledge fills our hearts and
all the treasuries of His wisdom dwell
therein, as if God’s knowledge is lim-
ited to that which is contained in our
hearts.This would amount to a claim of
Godhead itself,but is it possible that the
heart of man should comprehend all the
excellences of the Divine? Is it permis-
sible that a particle should become the
sun? Certainly not!
We have already stated that the charac-
teristics of the Divine,like His knowledge
of the unseen and His comprehen-
sion of wisdom and other natural signs,
cannot be manifested by man. God’s
Word should be characterised by God’s
Greatness,God’s Power,God’s Blessing,
God’s Wisdom and God’s Peerlessness.
All these characteristics are found in the
Holy Qur’an,the proof of which we shall
set forth at its proper place. If those of
Brahmu Samaj[1]
still persist in denying
the existence of revelation, which com-
prehends the unseen and other proofs
of power, they should study the Holy
Qur’an with full attention, so that they
should come to know that in this Holy
Word surges a whole ocean of matters
that are unseen and manifestations of
power, which are beyond the strength of
man. If they are unable, through lack of
insight,to discover these Qur’anic excel-
lences themselves, they should read this
book of ours with attention, so that they
might discover as a sample some of the
treasures of hidden matters and power-
ful mysteries,which fill the Holy Qur’an.
They should also know that as proof of
the existence of Divine revelation that
descends from God and comprehends
hidden matters,there is another way that
is open and that is that God Almighty
always creates from among the Muslims
who base themselves upon the true faith,
such people who receive revelation from
God and disclose such hidden matters
the disclosure of which is not within the
power of anyone except God, the One,
without any associate. God Almighty
bestows this holy revelation only on those
of the faithful who truly believe in the
Holy Qur’an as the Word of God,and act
upon it with full sincerity and who believe

in Muhammadsa
, the chosen one, as the
true and perfect Prophet, who is better
and higher and more exalted than all the
prophets and is Khatam-ul-Rusul,[2]
and
accept him as their guide. Such revela-
tion is not vouchsafed to the Jews and
Christians and Aryas and Brahmus, but
has always been vouchsafed to the per-
fect followers of the Holy Qur’an and is
now vouchsafed to them and will con-
tinue to be vouchsafed to them.Though
prophetic revelation has been cut off as
no longer needed, the revelation that is
vouchsafed to the sincere servants of the
Holy Prophetsa
will never be cut off.This
revelation is a grand proof of the revela-
tion which is special to Messengership
and humiliates every opponent of Islam.
As this blessed revelation, with all its
blessing and honour and greatness and
glory, is vouchsafed only to those hon-
ourable servants who are included among
the Muslims and are the servants of the
Holy Prophetsa
,the followers of all other
sects are deprived of this perfect light,
which carries the good news of nearness
to God and of acceptance by Him and
of His pleasure.Thus this holy revelation
not only proves its own existence,but also
proves that the Muslims alone are the
people who are acceptable to God and
who base themselves on the true faith;
that all other people worship falsehood
and are misguided and are under the
Wrath of God. Ignorant people will say
all sorts of things on hearing this and
will shake their heads in denial or will
ridicule me like foolish and wicked per-
sons. They should know, however, that
denial and ridicule are not the ways of
those who possess nobility and are seek-
ers after truth, but are the ways of those
wicked people who have nothing to do
with God and truth.
There are thousands of things in the
world which possess qualities that can-
not be understood by reason and are
known only by experience. It is, there-
fore,the way of the wise that when some
quality of a thing is manifested repeat-
edly by experience,they no longer doubt
its existence. He who persists in denial
creation & command
What could be greater than
a recipient of revelation
conversing with the Being
Who is the Creator of heaven
and earth? The beholding
of God in this world is
to converse with God.

after repeated experience is an absolute
fool. For instance, rhubarb is a cathartic
and a magnet has the power of attrac-
tion. Although there is no reason why
they should possess these qualities, yet
when repeated experience manifests that
they have these qualities, every reason-
able person has to admit that rhubarb is
a cathartic and a magnet has the power
to attract. If anyone should deny this on
the grounds that there is no reason for it,
such a one would be condemned as mad
or insane. So we submit to the Brahmus
and other opponents that whatever
we have stated concerning revelation,
namely, that it is even now the experi-
ence of perfect individuals among the
Muslims and is confined to them and is
not to be found in any others,is not with-
out proof, but can be demonstrated to
every seeker through test and experience,
like thousands of other truths which are
being discovered by these means.If any-
one should be a genuine seeker after
truth, we undertake to demonstrate this
to him, provided he should make a sin-
cere promise in writing that, in case of
proof,he would accept Islam and should
then turn to us with sincerity and in good
faith.
[3] 
Revelation and Psychic Phenomena
Some people put forward the objec-
tion that there are many groups like
astrologers, soothsayers, physicians, and
palmists,who claim to reveal the unseen.
Sometimes they foretell things, some
of which come to pass, and that more
recently some people have been able to
reveal hidden matters through mesmer-
ism.Then how could the revealing of the
unseen be conclusive proof of the Divine
origin of revelation?
The answer is that all these groups speak
from conjecture, guesswork, and indeed
from superstition; they possess no cer-
tain knowledge nor do they claim to have
certain knowledge.Their so-called proph-
ecies are based upon signs and doubtful
indications which have no relationship
with certainty and which are not above
suspicion and error.Very often,their pre-
dictions are proved baseless and false,on
account of which those predictions lack
all honour and acceptance and helpful-
ness and success. Those who indulge in
those predictions are generally poverty-
stricken and unfortunate, are held in no
honour,and are coward,mean,unsuccess-
ful and without any merit. They cannot
convert the unseen to come into accord
with their predictions and in their own
circumstances they exhibit the signs of

creation & command
Divine wrath and they possess no bless-
ing or honour or help from the Divine.
But the Prophets and Auliya’[4]
do not
merely disclose the unseen like the astrol-
ogers, but with the Grace and Mercy of
God, which always accompany them,
they make such prophecies in which the
lights of acceptance and honour shine
like the sun and which consist of the
good news of honour and Divine help,
and not that of misfortune and adversity.
Consider the prophecies of the Holy
Qur’an and you will find that they are
not like the predictions of the astrologers
or others but are full of majesty and glory.
All those prophecies are characterised
by declaring the honour of the recipi-
ents and the disgrace of their enemies,
their glory and the humiliation of their
enemies, their success and the failure
of their enemies, their victory and the
defeat of their enemies, and their pros-
perity and the ruin of their enemies.Can
any astrologer or soothsayer or mesmer-
iser put forth such prophecies? Certainly
not.Always to proclaim one’s own good,
and the decline of the opponent and to
refute whatever the opponent says and to
promise the fulfilment of that which is in
one’s favour, can only be from God and
cannot be the doing of man.[5]
Man’s Knowledge of the Universe is
Defective
Though man has been trying strenu-
ously for thousands of years to discover
God’s powers through natural sciences
and mathematics,yet his knowledge is so
defective that he can only be described as
hopeless and unsuccessful in his search.
Hundreds of hidden mysteries are dis-
closed to those on whom visions and
revelation are vouchsafed and they are
borne witness to by thousands of the
righteous; but the philosophers continue
to deny them. The philosophers base all
thinking and reflection on the brain,but
those who have experience of visions
have discovered through their spiritual
experiences that the fountainhead of
reason and understanding is the heart.
For thirty five years,I have observed that
revelation which is the source of spiritual
understanding and of the knowledge of
the unseen descends upon the heart.Very
often a voice strikes the heart with force,
as a bucket is thrown with force into a
well full of water, and that water of the
heart surges up like a closed blossom
and arriving near the brain blooms like
a flower and gives birth to words which
are words of the Divine. These spiritual
experiences establish that the brain is
not concerned with knowledge and true
understanding.It is true that if the brain

is healthy and suffers from no defect it is
benefited by the secret knowledge pos-
sessed by the heart,and as the brain is the
centre of the nervous system it is like a
machine which can pump up water from
the well. The heart is the well which is
the fountainhead of hidden knowledge.
This is a secret that has been discovered
by men of truth through true visions and
I myself have experience of it.[6]
I have been honoured with Divine con-
verse for nearly eleven years and I know
well that revelation descends from
heaven. If one were to illustrate revela-
tion by reference to some worldly object
one could perhaps compare it with the
telegraph which itself discloses every
change that occurs in it. My experience
is that at the time of the descent of rev-
elation,which is vouchsafed to me as the
revelation of the Auliya’, I feel that I am
under the control of an external force that
is very effective. Sometimes this control
is so strong and envelops me so forcefully
in its light,that I find myself drawn to it
compulsively and no faculty of mine can
stand up to it. In this condition, I hear
clear and bright words. I sometimes see
angels and observe the power and awe
of truth.The words that are conveyed to
me often comprehend matters that are
unseen and there is such extraordinary
control and seizure which is proof of the
existence of God Almighty.To deny this
would amount to murdering a self-evi-
dent truth.[7]
I call God to witness that it is the truth
that revelation falls upon the heart from
heaven as rays of the sun fall upon a wall.
It is my daily experience that when the
Word of God is about to descend on
me, then at the first stage I feel a sort
of helplessness and experience a change.
Although my senses are in a manner
working, I find that a powerful force has
taken my whole being in its grip and I
feel that all the arteries of my being are
in the control of that force and all that
is mine is no longer mine but belongs to
it. When I am in that condition first of
all God Almighty presents those of my
thoughts to me on which He intends to
cast a ray of His words. Those thoughts
come before me one after the other in
a strange guise, and it so happens that
when a thought passes through my
mind—for instance, whether a certain
person will recover from his illness or
not—then suddenly a Divine phrase falls
like a ray and often with its falling the
whole of my body is shaken. Then this
is succeeded by another thought and as
soon as it appears a piece of revelation
falls upon it like an archer shooting an

creation & command
arrow on every quarry that appears before
him. Just at that time, it is felt that this
chain of thoughts is generated by our
natural capacity and that the words that
fall upon it descend from above.
Although poets and thinkers, etc., also
receive suggestions on reflection, there
is no relationship between revelation
and such suggestion, for that suggestion
is a consequence of thinking and reflec-
tion and is received within the limits of
human understanding, in the full pos-
session of one’s senses. But revelation is
received when the recipient comes under
the full control of God Almighty with
all his being, and his own senses and
reflection do not intervene in any way.It
appears as if one’s tongue is not one’s own
and is being used by some other strong
power. This should make clear the dis-
tinction between natural capacity and
that which descends from heaven.[8]
endnotes
1. Brahmu Samaj is the societal component of
Brahmoism,a monotheistic reformist and renais-
sance movement of Hindu religion.
2. Seal of the messengers.
3. ‘But if they turn away, then remember that
Allah knows the mischief-makers well.’— Holy
Qur’an, Surah Al-e-‘Imran, Verse 64.
4. Auliya’ is an Arabic word usually translated as
friend, helper, supporter, patron or protector. Itis
often used to designate the status of a saint.
5. Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol.
1, pp. 232-242, footnote 11 (Eng. Translation,
Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, pp. 56-62).
6. Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khaza’in,Vol.23,
pp. 282-283 (Eng. Translation, Essence of Islam,
Vol. 2, p. 63).
7. Barakat-ud-Du‘a, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 6, p.
26 (Eng.Translation,Essence of Islam,Vol.2,pp.
63-64).
8. Barakat-ud-Du‘a, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 6, pp.
22-23,footnote (Eng.Translation,Essence of Islam,
Vol. 2, pp. 64-65).
I have been honoured
with Divine converse for
nearly eleven years and I
know well that revelation
descends from heaven.

THE
PHILOSOPHY
OF THE
TEACHINGS
OF
ISLAM
MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD
THE PROMISED MESSIAH & MAHDIAS
The Review of Religions
serialised the famous treatise
The Philosophy of the Teachings
of Islam, by the founder of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community. Initially written
for the Conference of Great
Religions on December 26-
29,1896, each speaker at the
conference was asked to present
to the audience the beauties
of their own religion based
upon its scripture, proving that
it was the true religion, based
on the following topics:
• The Physical, Moral,
and Spiritual States of Man;
• What is the State of
Man after Death?
• The Object of Man’s Life and
the Means of its Attainment;
• The Operation of the Practical
Ordinances of the Law in
This Life and the Next;
• Sources of Divine Knowledge
SERIALISED IN
The Review of Religions
Read online:
http://www.alislam.org/books/
Or purchase here:
http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html

LAND OFTHE RISING SUN
SPECIAL COVERAGE

Religious Trends
in Japan
Non-Religious in a
Religious Culture
by tazeen ahmad, potomac, maryland, u.s.a.
Aerial view of Tokyo at night.
© skyearth | shutterstock.com

The religious landscape of Japan is largely
characterised by syncretism – meaning
that people identify with more than one
religion and at times with a combina-
tion of two or more. For many Japanese,
Shinto, Christianity and Buddhism are
all mixed together. As a child, one is
taken to Shinto shrines and as an adult;
one attends both Christian chapel wed-
dings and Buddhist funerals.[1]
The most commonly linked religions,
however, are Shinto and Buddhism,
and most Japanese do claim some kind
of adherence to both or to neither. The
difference between these two faiths
according to Kevin Doak, a professor
at Georgetown University, Washington,
D.C., specialising in Japanese studies,
is that Buddhism focuses on death and
funerals because of its explicit doctrine
on life after death while Shintoism is
more a celebration of life and rites of
passage:
‘They can still call on Buddhist monks
for funerals and Shinto officials to ‘bless’
major life events,’Doak said.
Religion in Japan is a blend of traditions
that stem from the early teachings of
Shintoism and Buddhism as opposed to
a set of specific beliefs and doctrines that
are practiced on a daily basis. Today in
Japan,people observe rituals and festivals
ranging from ‘memorial visits to graves,
to New Year visits to shrines and tem-
ples.’Purchase of amulets and other lucky
Traditional wedding in Meijijingu in Tokyo,
Japan. Meiji Jingu is the Shinto shrine. Most
of the Japanese have a Shinto wedding and
a Buddhist funeral to respect both religions.
© BEEE | shutterstock.com
Religion in Japan is a blend
of traditions that stem
from the early teachings of
Shintoism and Buddhism
as opposed to a set of specific
beliefs and doctrines that are
practiced on a daily basis.

charms, visits to diviners and belief in
miracles are all commonplace in Japanese
society.[2]
This ability to easily navigate
between religious beliefs precludes the
need to commit to any particular faith,
reinforcing the concept of ‘mushukyo,’
which literally means ‘a lack of religious
beliefs.’
The result is a diminished role for insti-
tutionalised religions in the everyday lives
of a large percentage of Japanese people
today. Fifty-two percent of the nation’s
population identify themselves as non-
religious, 41 percent as Buddhists, with
Shintoism and Christianity tied at 3 per-
cent according to a 2012 poll by the Pew
Research Centre.
The Pew figure showing Shinto followers
at 3 percent of the population is, how-
ever, disputed by scholars of Japanese
culture who say that an estimated 80
percent (if not more) practice Shintoism
in their daily lives alongside Buddhism
and sometimes even Christianity. They
attribute the low number to the fact that
many do not perceive Shinto as fitting
into the category of religion. Shinto as a
non-religion has been written about by
many Japanese intellectuals,dating back
to the 1800’s, when the Euro-American
concept of religion was first popularised
in Japan.
‘I haven’t penetrated this thing called
Shinto completely yet, but what I can
say for sure is that it is not a so-called
religion [shukyo].’ - Shimaji Mokurai,
1872[3]
But while it is true that a majority of
people in Japan see themselves as Shinto
and non-religious at the same time,only
a few actually reject the value of religion
or are atheists. In fact, among those that
say they are non-religious, about 75
percent feel that a religious attitude is
important.[4]
Because Japanese people,at
large, do not operate with the category
of ‘Religion,’ many Westerners assume
incorrectly that they are atheist. In fact,
“The dominant ‘religious’
culture in Japan is ‘paganism’
(Shinto) which as a world
historical phenomenon
predates the idea of ‘religion,’
as we think of it today.The
nature of pagans is not that
they refuse to believe in
something but rather that
they believe in everything,”
religious trends in japan

religion plays a bigger role among the
Japanese people than it appears to the
cursory observer.
“The dominant ‘religious’ culture in Japan
is ‘paganism’ (Shinto) which as a world
historical phenomenon predates the idea of
‘religion,’ as we think of it today.The nature
of pagans is not that they refuse to believe
in something but rather that they believe in
everything,” Doak said.
‘Shinto/paganism as a natural orientation
to the divine in everyday life permeates
Japanese life to a great degree,’ Doak
said.‘Even before eating, every Japanese
will (often putting his hands together)
say ‘itadakimasu’,which literally means ‘I
receive’,but which is better translated as
‘I receive this food from the divine with
gratitude.’’
While Shintoism is as old as Japanese
culture, Buddhism was imported from
Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa visible in Tokyo,
Japan. Senso-ji Temple, also known as
Asakusa Kannon is the most important of
Tokyo temples. Its history starts in the year
628 when a shrine dedicated to Kannon, the
Buddhist goddess of mercy was first errected.
In 645 was transformed into a temple by
Shokai. The ancient buildings were destroyed
during the World War 2, but they have been
reconstructed according to original plans.
© Sean Pavone | shutterstock.com

China and Korea in the 6th
century, and
spread rapidly throughout the country.
The Buddhism brought to Japan was
Mahayana – the broader communion,
together with its many sided cults and
philosophical systems. The Japanese,
who were prone to neutralise extremes
and extravagances, quickly adapted the
various phases of Buddhism to meet their
needs.What resulted was a very distinct
branch of Buddhism that differed from
any of the continental types.[5]
Today, 71.4 percent of the population is
affiliated in some way with Buddhism.[6]
The religion has had a major influence
over the centuries on Japanese culture
and its development and also contin-
ues to be of major influence in today’s
Japanese society. St. Francis Xavier, SJ,
who landed in Kagoshima City, intro-
duced Christianity,practiced by 3 percent
of the population, to Japan in 1549.[7]
With the arrival of Xavier and Jesuit
missionaries,thousands of Japanese con-
verted to Roman Catholicism.However,
with the arrival of the Protestants in
1600 and when the religious wars of the
post-reformation period reached Japan
Monk at a Buddhist Temple
© photocrack77 | shutterstock.com

its ruler, Shogun Tokugawa expelled
the Catholics and severely restricted
Protestants to non-religious activities.
Japanese Christians and the few foreign
Catholics were mercilessly persecuted
and martyred. It was not until 1873
that Western powers were able to wield
enough influence to prevent Japan from
persecuting on the basis of religion.
‘In 1889 religious freedom was guar-
anteed by Article 28 of the Meiji
Constitution…and many influential
Japanese became Christian,’ Doak said.
‘Religious freedom has remained the law
in Japan since then,even at the height of
World War II.’
Of the other religions represented in
Japan, Islam takes the lead with an esti-
mated 70,000 – 100,000 followers.There
are approximately 15,000 Baha’i, and
smaller numbers of Hindus, Sikhs and
Jews. While there are isolated records
of Islam in Japan in 1853, one of the
first properly recorded contacts was of
a Portuguese ship sailing from Malacca
to Japan in 1555, which brought with it
an Arab passenger who preached Islam
upon his arrival.[8]
In the late 1870’s, the
life of the Prophet Muhammadsa
was
translated into Japanese helping Islam
spread and reach Japanese people.
However, despite these earlier contacts
and others over the years, the Muslim
population in Japan was relatively small
until the mid-1980s, which brought a
large influx of foreign Muslim workers.
A 2008 report by the Asia Policy shows
that 80 to 90 percent of the Muslim
population in Japan is foreign-born; with
Indonesians,Pakistanis,Bangladeshis and
Iranians making up the largest subgroups.
[9]
It is estimated, though, that there are
anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 ethnic
Japanese Muslims.Japanese society poses
Entrance of Kyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan.
It is one of the most famous landmarks
of Kyoto with UNESCO World Heritage.
© Pigprox | Shutterstock.com

unique challenges for Muslim minorities,
whether they are foreign-born or ethnic
Japanese. Like Christianity, Islam is not
compatible with syncretism that is preva-
lent among a majority of its members.[10]
But while the significant growth of the
Muslim population has been a relatively
new phenomenon,it is interesting to note
that according to Sheikh Muhammad
Ahmad Mazhar,author of an article pub-
lished in the June, 1964, edition of The
Review of Religions, the main Japanese
language is ‘clearly traceable to Arabic,
with precision and certainty.’
In the article titled ‘Arabic is the Mother
of All Languages – Japanese Traced to
Arabic’, Mazhar writes that he has
traced about 2,000 Japanese words to
Arabic and out of these 600 are con-
nected with Qur’anic roots.[11]
Japan’s connection with Islam is deeply
rooted in its history and as the number
of Muslims in the country increases,
Muslim leaders hope that Islam’s influ-
ence on Japanese society will also grow.
The world-wide head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community and fifth Khalifah,
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, in
a recent visit to Japan, said that the
Japanese people ‘have great civility as
well human sympathy and already abide
by the Islamic teachings of doing good
in return for good.’He also expressed his
desire that the beauty of Islam be shown
to the Japanese people.
‘If we can offer them anything it is con-
necting them to God,’his Holiness said.
‘We can tell them how God listens to
prayers.We can tell them how God talks
to his people.’[12]
religious trends in japan
Did you know?
Arabic is the mother of all
languages - there are traces
of it even in Japanese...

endnotes
1. Toshimaro Ama, Why are the Japanese
Non-Religious (Lanham: University Press of
America, Inc., 2005), vii.
2. Ian Reader and George Tanabe, Practically
Religious (Honolulu: University of Hawaii
Press, 1998), 5.
3. Jason Josephson,The Invention of Religion
in Japan (Chicago: The Chicago University
Press, 2012), 92.
4. Toshimaro Ama, Why are the Japanese Non-
Religious (Lanham, Maryland: University Press
of America, Inc., 2005), 1.
5. Masaharu Anesaki, History of Japanese
Religion: With Special Reference to the Social
and Moral Life of the Nation, (London: Kegan
Paul,Trench,Trubner & Co., Ltd., 1930), 8.
6. “The World Factbook”, Central Intelligence
Agency, 2013, https://www.cia.gov/library/
publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html.
7. Kevin Doak, Xavier’s Legacies: Catholicism
in Modern Japanese Culture (Vancouver: UBC
Press, 2011), 1.
8. Donald Lach, Asia in the Making of
Europe, Vol I: The Century of Discovery, Book
2 (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,
1965), 518.
9. Emile Nakhleh, Keiko Sakurai, Michael
Penn,“Islam in Japan: A Cause for Concern?,”
The National Bureau of Asian Research, 71,
January 2008, http://www.nbr.org/publications/
asia_policy/Preview/AP5_IslamJapan_preview.
pdf.
10. Emile Nakhleh, Keiko Sakurai, Michael
Penn,“Islam in Japan: A Cause for Concern?,”
The National Bureau of Asian Research, 92,
January 2008, http://www.nbr.org/publications/
asia_policy/Preview/AP5_IslamJapan_preview.
pdf.
11. Sheikh Mazhar,“Arabic is the Mother of
All Languages – Japanese Traced to Arabic,”
The Review of Religions, June 1964, https://
www.alislam.org/topics/arabic/Japanese%20
traced%20to%20Arabic.pdf.
12. “Friday Sermon: Be a man of God,”The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, November 8,
2013,
http://www.alislam.org/friday-ser-
mon/2013-11-08.html#summary-tab.

Shintoism
in Japan
by aizaz ahmad khan, peace village, ontario, canada
Symbol of Shintosim, the Floating Otorii gate at Miyajima, Japan.

Introduction
If Japan’s major religions were likened
to a tree, Shintoism would be its roots.
Shinto, commonly defined as, ‘Japan’s
indigenous religion’, is as old as Japan
itself.[1]
Its roots and origins trace back
to the latter part of the Stone Age,when
it is said that the Japanese first began
inhabiting the Japanese Islands.[2]
The
ancient Japanese clan Yamato initially
believed in Shinto only as a tribal religion
but,as they grew in number,proceeded to
propagate it as a means to establish and
solidify their reign.[3]
Since those ancient
times, Shinto has been influenced by an
influx of various religions into Japan from
surrounding regions.The notable arrival
of Buddhism into Japan in the 6th
century
CE had a significant impact on Shinto
doctrine; thus, it was only to distinguish
itself from Buddhism that the term
Shinto was initially coined.Consequently,
most Japanese (85 percent) culturally
practice a mixture of Shintoism and
Buddhism.[4]
Globally, up to 3 million
people recognise themselves religiously
as Shintoists and although Shinto ritu-
als are still widely practiced throughout
Japan, only a minority of Japanese iden-
tify exclusively with it.[5]
Nevertheless,
Shinto beliefs and practices are firmly
embedded in the civilisation of Japan
and continue to remain an integral part
of Japanese culture today.
Core Beliefs
• Concept of Kami (God)
At the heart of Shinto ideology is the
concept of the Kami,commonly defined
as, ‘gods’ or ‘deities’. Heavenly deities,
most notably the sun goddess Amaterasu
Omikami, are primarily treated as Kami,
but the wider scope of the concept also
recognises objects of reverence to be
acknowledged as objects of worship; such
as illustrious ancestors, forces of nature,
animals, and even rocks.[6]
The Kami are
seen as beings who exhibit qualities of
harmony and cooperation and who assist
people in accomplishing their objectives.
[7]
Thus, Shintoists seek and worship the
Globally, up to 3 million
people recognise themselves
religiously as Shintoists
and although Shinto rituals
are still widely practiced
throughout Japan, only
a minority of Japanese
identify exclusively with it.

respective Kami who are particular to
their needs and wishes.
• Creation Myth and Rituals
Shinto beliefs and rituals are founded
mainly upon creation myths surrounding
the birth and development of the sacred
Japanese Islands. It is said that Izanagi
and Izanami (Heaven and Earth) were
a pair who gave birth to the Japanese
Islands and various deities.The sun god-
dess Amaterasu was produced from the
left eye of Izanagi and the moon god
Tsuki Yomi from his right.[8]
The prin-
ciples of progress and a harmonious life
were understood through the actions of
such Kami and, having perceived the
existence of a life-force,ancient ancestors
of the Japanese developed a sense of the
functioning and blessings of the Kami.
As such, they were deemed individually
endowed with divinity and the ability to
respond to prayer.[9]
Since these ancient
times,offerings are presented to the Kami
at Shinto shrines all throughout Japan
and religious vows are taken in order to
secure some natural benefit, or to give
thanks for something already received.[10]
Philosophy and Moral Precepts
Shinto places great emphasis not only
on personal virtues such as loyalty and
honesty, but also on achieving “makoto
no kokoro” (“a heart of truth”). As a basic
attitude towards life, it is generally
considered more important to achieve
purity of heart, upon which one’s per-
sonal virtues are naturally manifested.[11]
Shinto philosophy and teachings were
influenced and shaped by the arrival
of Confucianism and Buddhism into
Japan.Confucian philosophy is compat-
ible with Shintoism, therefore allowed
both to coexist in a diffused form.[12]
Shinto shrine at Itsukushima, Japan.

Alternatively, in the case of Buddhism,
it is said that initially Shintoism merely
gave shelter to Buddhism,only to have its
house entirely occupied by the latter.[13]
Sacred Scriptures
Although Shintoism has no officially rec-
ognised scripture, two notable books are
regarded as sacred due to their histori-
cal value i.e. Kojiki (Record of Ancient
Matters) and Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of
Japan).The earliest existing manuscripts
of these books date back to 712 and 720
CE, respectively, and both are compila-
tions of ancient Shinto’s oral traditions,
mythology, and folklore.[14]
No ancient
scripture exists which documents or
verifies the religious teachings of Shinto.
The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki convey the
details surrounding Shintoism’s creation
myth in the birth and establishment of
the Japanese Islands, but both seem to
differ radically in elements of the nar-
rative. The earlier Kojiki is never quoted
in the Nihon Shoki and it is unknown
why Nihon Shoki was compiled so soon
after Kojiki.[15]
Other than the Kojiki and
Nihon Shoki,approximately twenty books
are also deemed significant due to their
documentation and preservation of his-
torical records, outlining key events in
the history of Japan and achievements
of various Japanese emperors.[16]
Significance of Emperors
The Emperor and ruler of Japan holds a
significant rank in Shintoism.According
to early Shinto mythology, the Emperor
was previously regarded as divine because
he was a representative of the Kami and
a conveyer of their words.[17]
A descend-
ent of the sun goddess Amaterasu,named
Jinmu (alt.Jimmu),is said to have become
the first human Emperor of Japan.
Folklore depicts that Jinmu inherited
the magical powers and sacred treasures
of the Kami and carried out the task of
unifying the Japanese Islands.[18]
All
subsequent emperors in Shinto history
have been direct descendents of Jinmu.
Currently, Emperor Akihito is the 125th
emperor to rule Japan. He ascended the
Shinto philosophy and
teachings were influenced
and shaped by the arrival
of Confucianism and
Buddhism into Japan.
Confucian philosophy is
compatible with Shintoism,
therefore allowed both to
coexist in a diffused form.

throne in 1989,makes no claim to divin-
ity, and is known as ‘the symbol of the
State and of the unity of the people.’[19]
Shrines
Today,people visit Shinto shrines at their
own convenience but usually do so on
occasions of rites and festivals, seeking
blessings of the Kami. Various Shinto
rites of passage are observed in Japan and
at each occasion, beginning from birth
up until marriage, shrines are visited to
give thanks for the Kami’s protection and
to pray for prosperity.The Japanese usu-
ally hold weddings in Shinto style and
pronounce their wedding vows to the
Kami. Each Shinto shrine also has sev-
eral festivals throughout the year, which
usually include purification rites, prayer,
ritual music and dance, and feasts.[20]
The most significant Shinto shrine in
Japan is the Grand Shrine of Ise. It is
the chief place of worship of the sun god-
dess Amaterasu.
Conclusion
Shintosim has forever been a part of the
Japanese civilisation, so much so that a
study of its development over thousands
of years can rightfully be considered
reflective of the history of Japan itself. It
beautifully teaches its adherents a phi-
losophy of morals that removes human
evils and vices from the root. Shintoism
is an optimistic faith and the fact that
Shinto itself has endured the test of
time in Japan defends and maintains
this outlook.
The Meiji Emperor of Japan aka
Mutsuhito. Image source: Harper’s
Monthly, september 1876.
© Stocksnapper | shutterstock.com
shintoism in japan

endnotes
1. Mark Teeuwen and Bernhard Scheid,
“Tracing Shinto in the History of Kami
Worship,” Japanese Journal of Religious
Studies 29, no. 3/4 (2002): 196
2. Miyaji Naokazu, “What is
Shinto?,” Contemporary Religions
in Japan 7, no. 1 (1966): p.40.
3. Ayaz Najeebullah. “Introduction to Japan’s
Major Religions,” Alfazl Daily, 14 March 2013.
5. “The Global Religious Landscape:
A Report on the Size and Distribution
of the World’s Major Religious Groups
as of 2010,” Pew Research Center
(2012), 40, http://www.pewforum.org/
files/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf.
6. Norman Girardot, “Shinto,”
Encyclopedia of World Religions (Chicago:
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006) 630.
7. Naofusa Hirai, “The Principles of
Shrine Shinto,” Contemporary Religions
in Japan 1, no. 1 (1960): 42.
8. Edmund Buckley, “How a Religion
Grew in Japan,” The Biblical World
25, no. 3 (1905): 174,176.
in Japan 1, no. 1 (1960): 42-43.
10. Edmund Buckley, “How a
Religion Grew in Japan,” The Biblical
World 25, no. 3 (1905): 176,178.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006), 1000.
12. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh
, Revelation,
Rationality, Knowledge and Truth (Tilford, UK:
Islam International Publications, 1998), 153.
13. Miyaji Naokazu, “What is
Shinto?,” Contemporary Religions
in Japan 7, no. 1 (1966): 44.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006), 998.
15. John Breen and Mark Teeuwen,
A New History of Shinto (Chichester:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), 30.
in Japan 1, no. 1 (1960): 46.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006) 999.
19. Mark Teeuwen and Bernhard Scheid,
“Tracing Shinto in the History of Kami
Worship,” Japanese Journal of Religious
Studies 29, no. 3/4 (2002): 168-169.
20. Norman Girardot, “Shinto,” Encyclopedia
of World Religions (Chicago: Encyclopedia
Britannica, 2006) 1000-1001.

The Reality of Islam for
the Japanese People
Keynote Address by
Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
in Nagoya, Japan
hazrat mirza masroor ahmadaba
khalifatul masih v
head of the worldwide ahmadiyya muslim community

Nagoya’s Mayor, Mr. Takashi Kawamura
Communist Party Leader, Mr. Yoshiyaki Shiji
Mr Akio Najima, Prominent Lawyer and
Human Rights Activist greeting His
Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad
T
he worldwide Head of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community and Fifth
Khalifah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
addressed an audience of
more than 100 Japanese dignitaries
and guests on 9th
November 2013
at a special reception held at the
Mielparque Hotel in Nagoya,Japan.
During the event various dignitar-
ies also took to the stage including
Nagoya Mayor, Kawamura Takashi,
Congressman Kudo Shouzo, and
Member of City Parliament, Mr
Yoshiaki Shouji. All of the dig-
nitaries took the opportunity to
welcome Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
to Japan and praise the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s
commitment to peace and serving
humanity. The dignitaries particu-
larly spoke of their appreciation at
the relief efforts conducted by the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in
the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunamis.
We present below the keynote
address delivered by His Holiness,
Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

“Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem – In
the Name of Allah, the Gracious, Ever
Merciful.
All the distinguished guests,
Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah wa
Barakatohu - peace and blessings of Allah
be upon you all.
First of all I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all of the guests
for accepting our invitation to this even-
ing’s reception.The Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community in Japan is very small and
the majority of our members who live
here are either of Pakistani origin or from
other non-Japanese backgrounds.
Yet despite this, you are attending our
function,and so certainly this proves your
open-heartedness and kindness.This ges-
ture is even more praiseworthy given that
you have come to attend an event hosted
by a Muslim sect, at a time when a great
fear and mistrust of Islam has developed
in much of the world. And so, bearing
all of this in mind, it is essential I offer
my gratitude to all of you.
In society it is very normal to say thank
you or to express appreciation as a cour-
tesy to others. However, those people
The Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
, taught
that a person who does
not express thanks to his
fellow human beings is also
ungrateful to God Almighty.
the reality of islam
for the japanse people

who follow the true teachings of Islam do
not express gratitude out of any formality,
but do so because our master, the Holy
Prophet Muhammadsa
,taught that a per-
son who does not express thanks to his
fellow human beings is also ungrateful
to God Almighty. Thus, to offer thanks
is an essential part of faith for any true
Muslim.
Islam’s true teachings are so complete and
beautiful that at every level they guide
believers towards an enlightened path
lit up with love, affection and brother-
hood.However regretfully,there is a large
group of Muslims who have forgotten
these teachings and are now involved in
entirely wrong acts.They are being led by
their so-called religious scholars or lead-
ers who are misguiding them for purely
selfish reasons and only to fulfil their own
vested interests.
They justify such acts in the name of
Islam, even though what they teach has
nothing to do with its pure and noble
teachings.Islam’s very name means peace
and brotherhood.The Arabic word from
which the word ‘Islam’ derives means to
spread peace and security and to spread
compassion and love. These teachings
form the reality of Islam.
Furthermore, Allah the Almighty com-
mands Muslims to not only adopt these
attributes themselves but also to spread
peace,love and affection throughout the
world.
Allah has emphasised such compas-
sionate teachings to such an extent that
He has commanded that a Muslim
should not exhibit any form of injustice
even against his most ardent enemy. In
Chapter 5, Verse 9 of the Holy Qur’an,
Allah the Almighty states:
“O ye who believe! Be steadfast in the
cause of Allah,bearing witness in equity;
and let not a people’s enmity incite you to
act otherwise than with justice.Be always
just, that is nearer to righteousness.”
Furthermore, for the sake of establish-
ing the highest standards of fairness
and equality, Allah commands Muslims
in another verse of the Holy Qur’an to
become witnesses in the cause of justice
for Allah, even if it means they have to
testify against themselves, their parents
or their loved ones. Thus, these are the
standards of justice advocated by the
Qur’an and they underpin Islam’s desire
to prevent all forms of cruelty.

Throughout the Holy Qur’an, Allah has
given teachings of love, affection and a
spirit of reconciliation. In today’s world
we find that some so-called Muslims
are involved in the most barbaric and
horrific crimes, whereby they are even
killing innocent women and children
indiscriminately through suicide bomb-
ings and terror attacks. How tragic and
sorrowful it is that they are committing
such heinous acts.
Certainly what they are doing is com-
pletely against the teachings of Islam.
Indeed, the Qur’an says that the killing
of just one innocent person is akin to
killing all of mankind and so under no
circumstances does a Muslim have the
right to commit such atrocities.
One crime which Islam has deemed even
worse than murder is to create disorder
and strife.The reason for this is that the
harm caused by those who seek to create
disorder can reach unimaginable levels.
Disorder and strife can easily escalate,
causing huge conflicts to erupt at what-
ever level of society is targeted - be it
the family home, the town or city, the
wider society or in terms of the relations
between different nations.
The result of such conflicts can be
extreme bloodshed and violence from
both sides. And so that is why Allah has
said in the Qur’an that those who create
disorder are committing a crime that is
even greater than unlawful killing.Hence
these are the beautiful teachings of Islam
and it is these very teachings that the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community adopts
and spreads to all parts of the globe.
You should not think that our teach-
ings are a new form of Islam. Indeed as
I have already said,they are found in the
Holy Qur’an. It is not a different teach-
ing; rather, the reality is that these are
the teachings of the Founder of Islam,
the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
. And
about the latter days,the Holy Prophetsa
prophesied that a time would come when
Muslims would be consumed by dark-
ness and would deviate entirely from the
teachings of the Holy Qur’an.
Allah has said in the Qur’an
that those who create
disorder are committing a
crime that is even greater
than unlawful killing.

He said at that time, a person would
appear who would be truly guided by
Allah, and who would impart the true
Islam and establish the real character
of the Holy Prophetsa
to the world. The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes
that our Founder,Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
of Qadian,was that very person
who was sent for the spiritual reforma-
tion of this era and whose task was to
spread the true message of Islam to the
corners of the world.
It is to fulfil these objectives that we
Ahmadi Muslims translate the Holy
Qur’an into various languages of the
world, build mosques, establish mission
houses and preach our message wherever
and whenever we can. Our mosques are
symbols of peace and beacons of light.
Normally, those who do not know
real Muslims are sometimes afraid of
mosques. But remember that mosques
are beacons of light that illuminate their
surroundings.
And so in our mosques, apart from the
worship of God, the rights of God’s
creation are fulfilled and schemes are
developed to serve humanity and those
in need.Thus, our mosques are not built
to cause any pain to mankind,but on the
contrary, are built for the sake of pro-
tecting and loving all people. If we look
back at the very early history of Islam,
we see that during the first 13 years
of his prophethood, the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
and his followers were sub-
jected to the most brutal persecution at
the hands of the disbelievers of Makkah.
As a result of the sustained opposi-
tion the Holy Prophetsa
was eventually
forced to migrate to the city of Madinah.
However despite being driven out of
their homes,he and his companions were
not left alone in peace, but rather some
18 months later the disbelievers travelled
from Makkah and waged war in an effort
to entirely eliminate Islam and to kill the
Holy Prophetsa
and his followers.

Upon such circumstances, Allah com-
manded the Holy Prophetsa
to raise an
army of Muslims to fight back against
the Makkan forces.However,within this
command,there was a shining example of
Islam’s beauty that is truly unparalleled.
Allah said in the Qur’an, that permis-
sion to fight was given because those who
wished to kill the Muslims were not just
opposed to Islam but were opposed to
all religions. Thus, Allah said that if the
Muslims did not respond to their attack,
then no churches, no synagogues, no
temples, no mosques, nor indeed any
places of worship would remain safe.
And so permission for this defensive
war was given as a means to protect the
people of all religions. Consequently,
whenever and wherever in the world the
Ahmadiyya Community builds a Mosque
we do so with the belief and conviction
that it is our duty to protect the places of
worship of all religions.And the doors to
the mosques which are for the worship
of the One God are always open for the
people of all religions.
It is certainly the case that our mosques
and our teachings are filled entirely
with peace, love and affection. We wish
to serve and assist all people who are in
any form of distress or difficulty.We wish
to alleviate their suffering, because that
is true Islam.That is why we are running
humanitarian projects on a permanent
basis in the poor countries of the world.
We are also helping those people who ar
suffering from any type of natural disas-
ter. This is why our teams have worked
and are still working in the areas affected
by the tsunami and other natural disas-
ter-hit areas.
In today’s world at all levels people are
raising their fingers and accusing one
another of destablising the world and
destroying its peace. And at a political
level, some nations are accusing oth-
ers of acting in this way. Indeed, it is a
cause of great regret that some Muslim
countries are riven with conflict,whereby
the leaders and the people are fighting
one another. They are involved in such
extreme bloodshed,even though the need
Islam is not an extremist
or harsh religion, though it
cannot be denied that evil
and utterly wrong practices
have developed amongst
certain so-called Muslims.

of the time is for establishing peace and
to stop unnecessary accusations and criti-
cisms of one another.
Having witnessed the cruel acts of some
so-called Muslims, I am sure many of
you will have reservations or even a fear
of Islam and consider it to be a religion
of terrorism. But the truth and reality of
Islam is what I have explained to you and
not what is commonly portrayed.Islam is
not an extremist or harsh religion,though
it cannot be denied that evil and utterly
wrong practices have developed amongst
certain so-called Muslims. What they
profess and how they act are completely
wrong, yet to deem the religion as bar-
baric is surely unjust.
Thus, where it is said that Islam is a
religion of terrorism and extremism, it
can only cause great pain and distress to
Ahmadis and other Muslims who seek to
follow the true teachings of the religion.
Therefore, people should not unjustly
injure the feelings of innocent Muslims
by calling Islam an evil or cruel religion,
when nothing could be further from the
truth.
In my capacity as the Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, I have
been constantly warning the people and
nations of the world that it is impera-
tive that we spread love and affection
in today’s world, rather than spreading
hatred and igniting grievances amongst
one another. The need of the time is for
us to step forward with a spirit of rec-
onciliation because if we do not become
true ambassadors of peace a great calam-
ity could easily befall the world.
Today,even a number of smaller nations
have come to possess nuclear weapons
and it is quite possible that they could
eventually end up in the hands of extrem-
ists who do not care or realise what
devastation can be caused by such weap-
ons. As I said, I am trying to make the
world aware of the grave risks that exist
and so I request all of you to also try your
utmost to promote peace in the world.

You should make all parties aware that
rather than treading a path of cruelty
and severity and rather than looking at
each through a lens of hatred,we should
all look at one another through a lens
of love and peace. Where cruelty exists
we should make efforts to bring it to
an immediate end. The Japanese nation
and its leaders comprise those people
who understand the necessity for world
peace more than any other people. You
are those people who know the full dev-
astating effects of the nuclear weapons
and the carnage that ensues.
You are the people who know better than
any other the horrific consequences of
modern warfare. Thus, I would request

you all to play your effective role in this
regard. Play your effective role in bring-
ing peace in the world. It is my prayer
that may Allah grant the leaders and peo-
ple of the world the ability to act with
wisdom, so that a collective effort can
be made to stop all cruel and barbaric
elements of society from their heinous
activities.
Whilst every government claims they
wish to end all forms of cruelty and
save the world from destruction, yet it
looks as if two blocs are being formed
in the world before our very eyes. The
opposing blocs are engaged in claims
and counter-claims against one another
and through such statements the friction
between them is increasing by the day.
The only possible result of such acts will
be increasing hostilities and peace will
become an ever more distant dream.
Thus, once again I pray that may Allah
grant the world wisdom and sense. I
pray that instead of spreading malice
and hatred, all parties join together and
make a collective effort to end all forms
of evil,so that our future generations can
be saved from the indescribable destruc-
tion that would certainly arise if nuclear
weapons were ever used again by any
country.
At the end, I would like to once again
thank all of you for taking the time to
attend this event and for listening to
what I have said today. May Allah bless
you all and may Allah bless this great
nation of Japan.Thank you very much.”
Nagoya, Japan.
© Sean Pavone | Shutterstock.com

A Message of Peace
in the Land of the
Rising Sun
A global Muslim leader visits Japan.
Adapted from Official Urdu Reports by
Abdul Majid Tahir
Translated by
Professor Amtul Razzaq Carmichael

The Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community and Fifth Successor
to the Promised Messiahas
,Hazrat Mirza
Masroor Ahmadaba
,undertook an historic
trip to Japan in November 2013. This
was His Holiness’s second visit to the
island nation. As part of his one week
tour, amongst other engagements, His
Holiness addressed a press conference
attended by more than 64 journalists
and media members. On 9th
November,
His Holiness delivered a keynote address
on Islam and the Qur’anic principles of
peace, at an historic reception held at
the Mielparque Hotel in Nagoya. In
addition to promoting the true teach-
ings of Islam, His Holiness’ visit mainly
focused on enhancing the spiritual and
moral training of the members of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. This
visit to Japan was the final stop of a four-
country tour of Singapore, Australia,
New Zealand and Japan.
Ahmadiyyat in Japan
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, the
Promised Messiahas
, expressed his wish
to publish a concise book in Japanese
containing a summary of all the basic
facts about Islam, in order to convey
the message of Islam to the people of
Japan. Ahmadiyyat was first established
in Japan in 1935, during the era of
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud
Ahmadra
, the Second Worldwide Head
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Under the auspicies of Tahrik-e-Jadid (a
scheme devoted to the establishment of
Ahmadiyya missions worldwide in order
to lay the foundations for propagating
the message of Islam),Sufi Abdul Qadeer
Niaz arrived in the Japanese city of Kobe.
He was later supported by the services
of Maulawi Abdul Ghafoor. However,
both had to leave Japan with the onset
of World War II. A Japanese native,
Muhammad Awais Kobayashi,embraced
Ahmadiyyat and visited Rabwah in
1959. In October, 1945, the Second
Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community,saw a dream which
suggested that the Japanese nation would
respond to the call of Islam and flocks
of them would enter the fold of Islam
Ahmadiyyat was first
established in Japan in
1935, during the era of
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-
Din Mahmud Ahmadra
,
the Second Worldwide
Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community.

akin to the flocks that responded to the
teachings of Prophet Abrahamas
.In 1966,
Mirza Mubarak Ahmad, the Director
of Foreign Missions of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community, visited Japan. The
first Ahmadiyya Mission House was
bought in Nagoya in September 1981,
which is comprised of a two-storey build-
ing. In 1989, the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community’s efforts to propogate its
beliefs, received a dramatic boost with
the publication of the Japanese transla-
tion of the Holy Qur’an.In the same year,
Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh
,the Fourth
worldwideHead of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community, visited Japan and
delivered the first ever Friday Sermon by
any Khalifah of the Promised Messiahas
in that country, in Nagoya. In 2006,
, the
Fifth and current worldwide Head of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,visited
Japan and for the first time in the history
of Ahmadiyyat, the Friday Sermon was
relayed live from Japan across the globe
through Muslim Television Ahmadiyya
(or ‘MTA’ – the official channel of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community head-
quartered in the UK). His Holiness
motivated the Community in Japan to
build their own mosque; recently an
excellent property has been acquired by
them for this purpose.
ATypical Day of His Holiness in Japan
During this six-day tour of Japan, His
Holiness commenced his day by leading
the dawn (Fajr) prayers in congrega-
tion. His Holiness spent the better part
of his mornings attending to his offi-
cial commitments, which include, inter
alia, responding to thousands of letters
from Ahmadis worldwide,seeking guid-
ance and prayers and overseeing official
reports with respect to the activities of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim missions in
204 countries. Moreover, His Holiness
granted a private audience to hundreds
a message of peace
in the land of the rising sun
In October, 1945, the
Second Worldwide Head
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, saw a dream
which suggested that the
Japanese nation would
respond to the call of Islam
and flocks of them would
enter the fold of Islam
akin to the flocks that
responded to the teachings
of Prophet Abrahamas
.

of Ahmadis; listening to their problems,
providing them with moral and spir-
itual support and aiding them through
prayers and advice. His Holiness also
attended Ameen (the celebration of
the first complete reading of the Holy
Qur’an) and Nikah (the legal solemni-
sation of marriage according to Islamic
teaching) ceremonies during his visit.
These activities were scheduled around
the five daily prayers offered in congrega-
tion. His Holiness concluded his day by
leading the evening (Maghrib and Isha)
prayers (generally offered around 9pm)
in congregation.
Arrival; 5th
November 2013
His Holiness arrived in Japan at 5pm
accompanied by his entourage.Upon his
arrival, dignitaries from the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community in Japan and other
local officials greeted His Holiness.
His Holiness resided at the Ana
Intercontinental Hotel,Tokyo,during his
visit.After leading the evening (Maghrib
and Isha) prayers in congregation in one
of the halls in the Hotel, His Holiness
retired to his suite.
Trip to Nagoya; 6th
November 2013
His Holiness departed for Nagoya fol-
lowing a silent Prayer. During this
picturesque journey, His Holiness’
motorcade took a short break for lunch
in a restaurant at the foot of Mount Fuji,
from where the snow-capped moun-
taintop was clearly visible. His Holiness
admired the natural splendour of the
landscape, and took photographs and
made a video thereof. Following lunch,
His Holiness led the afternoon (Zuhr and
Asr) prayers in congregation.During this
350-km journey, His Holiness stopped
at Ashinoko Lake — located in the
Hakone area of Kanagawa Prefecture
in Honshu, Japan, a spot of breathtak-
ing natural beauty. Upon his arrival in
Nagoya, a crowd of devotees and the
local MP, Hon. Miyake Isao, greeted
His Holiness.That evening,His Holiness
visited the Ahmadiyya Muslim Centre,
wherein he received a warm welcome
by Ahmadi men, women and children
and led the evening (Maghrib and Isha)
prayers in congregation.As His Holiness
was departing in his car,he was presented
with a bouquet of flowers by the owner
of the local printing press who has been
involved in printing many of the publica-
tions of the Community.
Educating the Youth; 7th
November
2013
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba
presided
over a class with Khuddam (an auxil-
iary organisation for male members of

the community aged fifteen to forty)
and Atfal (an auxiliary organisation for
boys aged seven to fifteen),during which
the children gave various presentations.
The presentations were followed by a
Question and Answer session, during
the course of which His Holiness shed
light on the exalted status accorded to the
Holy Prophetsa
in Islam. On the ques-
tion of undertaking research into the
Christian Faith,His Holiness related an
incident of Hazrat Maulana Hakeem
Nur-ud-Dinra
,the first worldwide Head
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
and Khalifatul Masih who was debating
the concept of the Holy Trinity with a
Christian leader.At the end of their dis-
course, the clergy tried to conclude the
discussion by saying that the concept of
the Holy Trinity was such that Asian
minds were unable to grasp it, to which
the Ahmadi scholar rejoined that Jesusas
was also of Asian origin and perhaps he
also failed to grasp the concept of the
Holy Trinity!
Furthermore, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih
Vaba
enumerated that while God cannot
be seen by the naked eye, we can still
appreciate the power and glory of His
Creation. His Holiness quoted Mount
Fuji as an example of the manifestation
of the Power of God. Shedding light
on his daily mail, His Holiness revealed
that he receives nearly 500-2000 letters
a day.He reads each letter or a summary
thereof and responds to them.He stated
that he personally signs 700 of such let-
ters every day. When asked what his
childhood career or ambition was,Hazrat
Khalifatul Masih Vaba
responded by say-
ing that he wished to become a doctor
or join the armed forces.
This class was immediately followed by
a class with Lajna Imaillah (an auxiliary
organisation for ladies above the age of
15) and Nasiratul Ahmadiyya (an auxiliary
organisation for girls between 7 to 15
years).These young women gave presen-
tations espousing the religious trends in
Japan,Ahmadis’ambitions to increase the
Islamic community and their passionate
Furthermore, Hazrat
Khalifatul Masih V aba
enumerated that while
God cannot be seen by the
naked eye, we can still
appreciate the power and
glory of His Creation.
a message of peace

desire to convey the peaceful message of
Islam to the Japanese people.
Thereafter, His Holiness granted a pri-
vate audience to 123 members of the
Community and an official delegation
from Korea.
Friday Sermon, meetings with the
Executives; 8th
November 2013
After delivering the Friday Sermon,
which was relayed live across the globe
via MTA, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba
gave an interview to a well-known jour-
nalist from The Asahi Shimbun (one
of the five national newspapers in cir-
culation in Japan) and cast light on the
peaceful message of Islam.
Thereafter, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih
Vaba
held a meeting with the National
Executive Body of Ansarullah (an auxil-
iary organisation of the Community for
men aged over 40).His Holiness advised
them to increase their religious knowl-
edge and to undertake concerted efforts
to spread the message of Islam in Japan.
reiterated
the principle that the power of prayer
must underpin all such efforts.
The meeting with members of Majlis
Ansarullah, was followed by a meeting
with the National Executive Body of
Lajna. His Holiness directed the Lajna
members to circulate the salient points
of the Friday Sermon every week to
all their members and to learn a short
book of the Promised Messiahas
, Our
Teaching, to consolidate their religious
knowledge. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih
Vaba
further directed that all Lajna meet-
ings must be conducted in Japanese and
to make earnest efforts to integrate all
female new converts within the system
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Following some administrative questions,
this meeting concluded at 7pm.
Following the conclusion of this meeting,
visited the
Baitul Ahad Mosque complex – a build-
ing purchased at the cost of $800,000,
and discussed plans with respect to
its renovation with local architects.
Thereafter,His Holiness attended a bar-
beque with local Ahmadis before retiring
to his residence.
Reception with Japanese dignitaries;9th
November 2013
At 12:15pm, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih
Vaba
held a meeting with the National
Executive Body of Majlis Khuddamul
Ahmadiyya. His Holiness directed
them to ensure that they possess a full

understanding and knowledge of the
ethos of their organisation,hold National
Refresher Courses and be regular in offer-
ing the five daily prayers. Furthermore,
His Holiness advised them to study the
books of the Promised Messiahas
, to
accelerate efforts to proselytise and fast
track the process of publishing relevant
literature in the Japanese language.At the
conclusion of this meeting at 12:45pm,
met with
the Translation Committee, which is
overseeing the revision of the Japanese
translation of the Holy Qur’an,and ren-
dered valuable support and guidance.
That evening, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih
Vaba
attended a reception attended by 117
guests,including Members of Parliament,
local leaders, professors, doctors and
lawyers. Speakers at the Reception paid
tribute to the services rendered by the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to
the people of Japan, including those by
Chaudhry Sir Muhammad Zafarulla
Khanra
,(a renowned politician,statesman
and international jurist – who became the
first Muslim Asian and only Pakistani
President for both the UN General
Assembly and the International Court of
Justice), in restoring a respectable status
to Japan,following the end of World War
II and for the humanitarian assistance
provided during the natural disasters of
1995 and 2011.
It is noteworthy to mention here that,
when the treaty of peace with Japan
was signed in San Francisco, 8
September 1951, at the 1951 San
Francisco Peace Conference, Pakistan
was the only major country invited from
South Asia (as China was not invited,
and India and Burma stayed away from
the Conference for their own reasons).
At the conference, Pakistan delegation
led by Foreign Minister Chaudhry Sir
Muhammad Zafarullah Khanra
,strongly
argued for treating Japan with respect.Sir
Zafarulla Khanra
said:
“The peace with Japan should be premised on
justice and reconciliation, not on vengeance
and oppression. In future Japan would play
an important role as a result of the series
of reforms initiated in the political and
At the conference, Pakistan
delegation led by Foreign
Minister Chaudhry Sir
Muhammad Zafarulla
Khanra
, strongly argued for
treating Japan with respect.
a message of peace

social structure of Japan which hold out a
bright promise of progress and which qual-
ify Japan to take place as an equal in the
fellowship of peace loving nations.”
Return to Tokyo; 10th
November 2013
His Holiness left Nagoya for Tokyo by
train – a crowd of Ahmadi men, women
and children gathered in his hotel lobby
to bid farewell to their revered leader.
travelled
via the Nozomi Super Express, which
can reach speeds of 300 km/h.The train
arrived in Tokyo just after 12:30pm,
whereupon members of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community in Tokyo received
His Holiness with a warm welcome.
stayed at
the Ana Intercontinental Hotel and led
the afternoon (Zuhr and Asr) prayers in
congregation in one of the hotel halls.
addressed a
Press Conference attended by 64 guests,
journalists, Members of Parliament,
professors, doctors and other dignitar-
ies. Addressing the occasion, Dr. Jimi
Shozaburo, MP, expressed his grati-
tude towards the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community for its services rendered to
aid victims of the tsunami and earth-
quakes in Japan. He also mentioned
the landmark speech by Chaudhry Sir
Zafarulla Khan in a meeting held in San
Francisco in 1951, opposing all unfair
sanctions against Japan subsequent to
the events of World War II.
Historical Tokyo; 11th
November 2013
His Holiness visited the Asakusa neigh-
bourhood of Tokyo, best known for its
many temples,the oldest and most nota-
ble being the Buddhist Asakusa Kannon
Temple (also referred to as the Sensoji
Temple).This part of Tokyo is extremely
popular among tourists. As it happened,
a couple who live in the vicinity of the
Fazl Mosque, the first mosque built in
London, were also visiting Tokyo at
the time and were overjoyed to see His
Holiness there. They approached His
Holiness and took pictures with him.
Later that afternoon, His Holiness
granted a private audience to 87 mem-
bers of 24 Ahmadi families from Korea,
Japan,Thailand and Pakistan.Following
the conclusion of this session, His
Holiness presided over several offi-
cial meetings and thereafter chaired a
The peace with Japan should
be premised on justice
and reconciliation, not on
vengeance and oppression.

meeting for Executives of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community in Japan. His
Holiness directed that an appreciation
and understanding should be promoted
for the institution of Chanda (a scheme
whereby members of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community worldwide make
financial contributions for funding the
various religious and charitable activities
undertaken by the Community glob-
ally), which must not be perceived as a
tax. Instead, Ahmadis should partake
in this scheme at the prescribed rate, in
order to reap Allah Almighty’s Blessings.
Advising on the common challenge of
motivating Ahmadi youth to participate
in religious activities,His Holiness stated
that young members of the Community
should be taught in Japanese and in
an engaging manner. His Holiness
emphasised the need to persevere in our
efforts and focus on prayers. Moreover,
he underscored the need for the young
generation of Ahmadis to understand the
true concept of God in this fast moving
and busy world by studying the works of
the Promised Messiahas
. An ambitious
idea of building a mosque in Tokyo was
also discussed.Following the conclusion
of this meeting, His Holiness attended
an Ameen ceremony before leading the
Maghrib and Isha prayers in congregation.
Farewell; 12th
November 2013
After a heartfelt and emotional farewell,
departed
for Tokyo Airport in order to take his
return flight to the UK. Upon his arrival
at Heathrow Airport, His Holiness was
received by various dignitaries from the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, UK.
A large number of dedicated Ahmadi
men, women and children were present
to welcome their revered Khalifah back
to the Fazl Mosque in London.
Advising on the common
challenge of motivating
Ahmadi youth to participate
in religious activities, His
Holiness stated that young
members of the Community
should be taught in Japanese
and in an engaging manner.
a message of peace

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Worship Requires
Service to Humanity
The first purpose-built mosque in the southern
England county of Kent opens.
A keynote address by
hazrat mirza masroor ahmadaba
khalifatul masih v
head of the worldwide ahmadiyya muslim community

Helping the Community in Gillingham
– The Nasir Mosque
Another New Mosque Opened by the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community!
Gillingham in the South East of
England was the location for an intrigu-
ing function to celebrate the opening
of a new mosque. Gillingham in Kent,
is a county located on the Southern
Eastern most border of the British
Isles, and therefore is the nearest point
of Britain to Continental Europe. It is
situated between London and the Port
of Dover, the entry point to England
from Europe by sea. The “Garden of
England” is the accolade traditionally
awarded to Kent due to its vast farm-
land, blossoming orchards and splendid
public gardens. The Nasir Mosque was
built in Gillingham by the Ahmadiyya

Muslim Community, one of the oldest
Muslim communities in Britain who
also built London’s first mosque.The site
of the Nasir Mosque, Kent’s first pur-
pose-built mosque,has been used by the
local Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
as a prayer hall since 1975 but due to
a desire of the local members to have
a purpose-built mosque, the hall was
demolished and thereafter construction
of the new mosque began in July 2012.
The mosque can accommodate around
280 worshippers.
To mark the opening, the world-
wide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, His Holiness Mirza
Masroor Ahmadaba
, Khalifatul Masih V,
opened the mosque on 1st March 2014.
His Holiness officially inaugurated the
mosque by unveiling a commemorative
plaque and then offering a silent prayer in
thanks to God Almighty.A special recep-
tion dinner was hosted by the Ahmadiyya
Community that evening.More than 180
dignitaries and guests attended including
neighbours from the local community,
religious, faith and community leaders,
city mayors,Members of Parliament and
representations from the military and
navy.Those attending included Viscount
De L’Isle MBE, the Lord-Lieutenant
of Kent, Councillor Josie Iles, Mayor of
Medway, Mr. Rehman Chishti MP and
Brigadier D W Southall OBE.
Before the Keynote Address by
His Holiness, Various Dignitaries
Delivered Brief Remarks
ViscountDeLisleMBE-HerMajesty’s
Lord-Lieutenant of Kent
“Your Holiness, other distinguished
guests; thank you for inviting Lady De
Lisle and myself to this great occasion.
I would like to extend a warm welcome
to His Holiness on what I understand
to be his first official visit to Kent and
Medway. We are a large county with a
population of 1.7 million people. Our
geographical position has given us the
nickname of the ‘Frontline County.’The
Muslim faith is alive and well and flour-
ishing here in Kent, along with other
faiths. Medway has a proud history of
integration of all its communities.There
are over 5,000 Muslims in Medway,
extending compassion to the
people of gillingham

making it the second biggest religion
after Christianity; next are 3,846 Sikhs
and 2,750 Hindus. All of our commu-
nities coexist in a fully cohesive society
across Kent and Medway.Your motto of
‘Love for All, Hatred for None’ is one
that we should all aspire to. Today we
are here to celebrate the opening of this
fine new building. Undertaking the task
of rebuilding what was here before was
an act of faith in itself. I congratulate
you on achieving this fine structure. I
am certain that this mosque will stand
the test of time and come to serve many
generations.May I wish all who worship
here,now and in the future,my very best
wishes!”
Councillor Josie Iles - Mayor of
Medway
“Your Holiness, distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen, it is a delightful
and unique privilege to be here with
you all on this special occasion. Local
Muslim communities have been in the
Medway towns for 50 years and as you
celebrate this golden anniversary year, I
should like to thank you for the service
you have given and continue to give to
the local community.Your hard work and
efforts involve charity collections, blood
giving donations, homeless feeding ses-
sions,woodlands cleanups and volunteer
services in Medway Hospital and many
other local projects. Medway truly
appreciates what you do! You underline
the very essence of its motto, ‘Forward
Together’ and I quote, ‘By encouraging
everyone to work together, to make the
area a better place in which to live, work
and play.’ Moreover, this is so strongly
linked with your own motto, ‘Love for
All, Hatred for None’, a desire for cohe-
sion and peace, that we can see a good
and respectable interrelationship that
Local Muslim communities
have been in the Medway
towns for 50 years and as
you celebrate this golden
anniversary year, I should like
to thank you for the service
you have given and continue
to give to the local community.

benefits us all.As we celebrate the unveil-
ing of this beautiful new building, that
you have worked so hard to transform,
I offer you every sincere wish, that your
aspirations will be enhanced by its pres-
ence and as you open its doors to anyone
who wishes to enter it, the Mosque will
beam out your message of cohesion and
peace to all its neighbours, visitors and
passersby.I wish you all the very best for
the future.Thank you!”
Rehman Chishti - MP Gillingham and
Rainham
“Assalamo Alaikum, Ladies and gen-
tlemen, colleagues and friends. I am
delighted and privileged to be here today.
But before I say my few words,can I just
say it’s a real honour and privilege to have
His Holiness here in Gillingham and
Rainham and for me, as a Member of
Parliament, when you have the head of
a leading faith in the international com-
munity here in Gillingham and Rainham,
it can only be a good thing so it’s a real
privilege and honour for you to be here,
Your Holiness.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
here may only be a small community,
but it’s a community which has con-
tributed so much to community life. If
one looks back to 1964, the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community used to worship
on Arden Road, in the cellar of Qari
Muhammad Yasin. In a cellar, 1964 on
Arden Street, just down the road and
through aspiration, hard work, determi-
nation, perseverance, we are here today
with a fantastic mosque for the com-
munity,where the community can come
together because I certainly believe, it’s
about where faith communities,places of
worship which bring people together and
by having such a fantastic Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community mosque here in
Gillingham, that can only be a good
thing!
The other good things which I say
and which is very prominent with the
Ahmadiyya Community is that they
have contributed to so many aspects of
community life. I remember reading an
article about the 500 people here taking
part in a very long walk to raise money
for charity…it shows what they do,apart
from simply faith, it’s about community,

it’s about society. The issue of human
rights was touched earlier and as col-
leagues here may be aware, we recently
had a debate in parliament on the issue of
persecution of Christians abroad. I took
part in that debate, and my debate was
focused on Pakistan and in that debate,I
said, in parliament that the government
in Pakistan should abolish the blasphemy
laws. It should; because those are used
to persecute minority communities;
the Christian Community but also the
Ahmadiyya Community who are being
persecuted by those laws. So my views
on interfaith, faith, freedom of worship
are very clear. And so therefore, where
there is an issue of oppression, in rela-
tion to faith, then I think we all have a
responsibility to ensure that we stand up
and do the right thing and say, “That is
not right!” We have to ensure that eve-
ryone can come together and integrate
as we see here in Medway. One of the
greatest things about Medway is where
people from all different faiths,all differ-
ent backgrounds have together to make
our towns fantastic, vibrant and safe
towns. I want to see that continue for
many, many, many, more years. I know
the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will
play their role and when I was once a
young lawyer; a judge said to me,“Brevity
is a virtue, not a vice. Keep it short!” so
tonight those are my few words to you
today and I look forward to working with
you in the future.”
Brigadier David W Southall OBE
- Commandant of the Royal School of
Military Engineering Group
“Assalamo Alaikum.Your Holiness,Lord
Leftenant,distinguished guests,I’m very
grateful for the opportunity to say a few
very brief words at this splendid evenings
celebration marking the inauguration of
your new mosque. I first wish to thank
your Ahmadiyya Muslim Association,
The other good things
which I say and which is
very prominent with the
Ahmadiyya Community is
that they have contributed
to so many aspects of
community life.

not only for the kind invitation to this
reception, but also for the wider sup-
port you have given so generously to our
servicemen and women.This has ranged
from significant fund raising and sup-
port for the Royal British Legion to
a raft of support for the poppy appeal
collections across London last year. I
believe your community work, in so
many ways,mirrors the values and stand-
ards we hold so dear in the Army and
the Royal Engineers. We both set great
store by the principals of selfless com-
mitment and respect for others and our
motto of “Service not Self,”that ethos is,
I believe, common ground for us both.
At a local level, my staffers, my Royal
Engineers, also have a historical link
with your community. I understand, in
1990, Royal Engineers from Chatham
visited your headquarters in Southfields,
near Putney, in London. We were asked
to check and confirm the direction of
Makkah and after a very detailed sur-
vey, the mosque alignment, having been
accurately measured, was changed by a
few degrees.
At all levels, like your Association, we
draw strength in the army from our
breadth and depth; we’re a team! We are
built from different people,with different
skills but working towards common goals
and in this sense,I believe,as your armed
forces, we will always reflect society as
much as we defend and serve it. Thank

you again for inviting me here today.I do
feel very honoured to be part of the cel-
ebrations on this very special evening,not
only marking the inauguration of your
new mosque, but also in celebrating the
50 golden years and your anniversary. I
hope you all have a super evening! Thank
you all!”
then
took to the podium to deliver his key-
note address.
After reciting Tashhahud,Ta’awwuz, and
Bismillah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba
said:
“All distinguished guests - peace and bless-
ings of Allah be upon you all.
First of all I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all of the distin-
guished guests,who have come here this
evening to attend the inauguration of
our new mosque, and by doing so have
demonstrated their strong ties and close
relations with Ahmadi Muslims. I have
particularly mentioned this strong rela-
tionship because in today’s world only
those who care for the feelings of others
and have a strong personal connection
with them would accept an invitation to
a purely religious event.
Thus your attendance is extremely praise-
worthy and has increased the love and
respect we hold for all of you in our
hearts. These are not just superficial

words on my part, given as a courtesy,
but rather true gratitude requires for
feelings of love and respect to develop
in a person’s heart. Further, the religion
that we Ahmadi Muslims believe in and
follow - Islam - teaches us that a per-
son cannot reach God until he displays
mutual gratitude wherever it is due and
becomes an exemplary model of showing
thankfulness to the people of the world.
Consequently,it is only possible to form
a close bond with God Almighty and
to please Him when we become those
who please and love His Creation. An
ordinary worldly person does not believe
that pleasing God is anything special or
important and certainly sees no need to
strive or endeavour towards doing so.
However, a person who believes in God
Almighty and believes his religion to
be a means of reaching Him, will and
should certainly consider pleasing God
to be a very great objective based upon
the teachings of his religion.This is espe-
cially true from the perspective of a true
Muslim whose purpose is, and should
always be, to please His Creator and to
become attached to Him.
Thus from the perspective of a true
Muslim,my thanks is not a mere courtesy
or gesture,but is actually an essential ele-
ment of my faith in order to please God
and to develop a close union with Him.
As I have already mentioned,the overrid-
ing objective of a religious person should
always be to please God. When I study
the Holy Qur’an, which Muslims con-
sider to be the direct Word of God and
Rather, the purpose of worship
can only be fulfilled, when a
person comes to follow and act
upon all of God’s commands.
And God’s commands entail
fulfilling the rights of both
God and also of His creation.

Review of Religions April 2014

Review of Religions April 2014

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Review of Religions April 2014