Codex Singularity: Search for the Prisca Sapientia
Review of Religions October 2014
1. The Purpose of the
Jalsa Salana
10
Unity vs Trinity Part II
14
Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community Unites
Under Caliph
42
Islam in the West
82
VOL. 109 - ISSUE TENOCTOBER 2014 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
WHY THE WORLD
NEEDS RELIGION
God is Alive Today Also and Speaks
to Those Who Seek Him
3. WORDS & NUMBERS
206countries in
which the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community is now established
2new countries in the past
year: Belize and Uruguay
586mosques new mosques
to help convey a message of peace
183new mission
houses established
2808total Ahmadiyya
mission houses in the world
73languages in which the Holy
Qur’an has been translated by the
Ahmadiyya Jama’at – this year it was
translated in the Maori language
143newspapers
and periodicals regularly
printed in 28 countries
2235exhibitions held
on the Holy Qur’an, Prophet
Muhammadsa
and other topics
to convey the true teachings
of Islam to the world
3826articles printed in
500 newspapers with readership
of around 3 million people
18eBooks created
2new online applications
launched, including for the
Al-Fazl Urdu newspaper
16Ahmadi radio stations in
Africa including 11 in Mali & 4 in
Burkina Faso, which spread Islam’s
message of love and compassion
681schools operating
in different countries helping
the poor attain education,
irrespective of faith and creed
1200hand pumps
installed to bring clean water
to people in Africa
43countries in which
Humanity First is registered
1632free eye operations
carried out to people indiscriminately
$968,000raised through charity walks
and given to numerous charities,
including non-muslim ones
555,235people converted to Ahmadiyyat
– The True Islam
Snapshot of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community in the Past Year
4. 10 The Objectives and Purpose
of the Jalsa Salana
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS
, THE PROMISED
MESSIAH AND IMAM MAHDI
14 From the Archives –
Unity vs Trinity (Part II of II)
Jesusas
could not have been Divine
according to his mission.
28 Life & Character of the
Seal of the Prophets – Vol II
We continue with the chapter on
Islam’s emancipation of slaves. Why
were all the slaves not freed at once?
HAZRAT MIRZA BASHIR AHMADRA
42 Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community Unites under the
Guidance of their Caliph
33,000 gathered in Hampshire
from over 90 countries for the
48th
Annual Convention UK,
known as the Jalsa Salana.
MELIHA RAFIQ HAYAT, LONDON, UK
52 The Need for Religion
Religion means the path one adopts
in life. Even people who deny God’s
existence adhere to certain beliefs
and doctrines, which in essence
is their religion. Which path is
the right one to choose from?
HAZRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMADABA
, WORLDWIDE
HEAD OF THE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY
82 Islam in the West
The Review of Religions interviewed
young Imams and Missionaries,
recently graduated from the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s
Jamia Ahmadiyya, about their efforts
in helping to diffuse radicalisation.
SHAHZAD AHMAD, LONDON, UK
94 Guest Speakers at the
Jalsa Salana
42
34
14
CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2014 VOL.109 ISSUE TEN
82
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NOTE ABOUT REFERENCES
Verse references to the Holy Qur’an
count ‘Bismillah…’ (In the Name
of Allah…) as the first verse of each
Chapter. In some non-standard texts,
this is not counted. Should the reader
refer to such texts, the verse quoted in
The Review of Religions will be found a
verse earlier, i.e. at one verse less than
the number quoted in this journal.
For the ease of non-Muslim readers, ‘sa
’
or ‘(saw)
’ after the words, ‘Holy Prophet’,
or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used
normally in small letters. They stand
for ‘Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning
‘peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him’. Likewise, the letters ‘as
’ or ‘(as)
’
after the name of all other prophets
is an abbreviation meaning ‘peace
be upon him’ derived from ‘Alaihis
salatu wassalam’ which are words
that a Muslim utters out of respect
whenever he or she comes across
that name. The abbreviation ‘ra
’ or ‘(ra)
’
stands for ‘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.
6. A
ll sincere souls who have entered
the fold of this humble one
should know that the purpose
of pledging allegiance is to dampen
the worldly ardour, so that the heart is
engulfed in the love of the Bountiful God
and of the Holy Prophetsa
,and to develop
such a state of detachment that the Final
Journey does not seem an unwelcome
prospect. But in order to achieve this,
it is necessary to stay in my company
and to spend a portion of one’s life in
this cause, so that—if God Almighty so
wills—through witnessing some definite
signs, weakness, infirmity and tardiness
may be overcome and perfect faith may
be born, resulting in fervour and pas-
sionate ardour.One should always strive
to achieve this goal and pray that God
may grant this opportunity. Until this
happens, it is essential to meet me now
and then. Bai‘at is devoid of all blessings
and is a mere formality if one does not
care to meet me. Since—due to physi-
cal inability, lack of resources, and long
distances—it is not possible for every-
one to stay in my company or to visit me
a few times every year, and most hearts
are not yet endowed with such ardent
desire that they should bear the greatest
troubles and hardships for the meet-
ing, it seems appropriate, therefore, that
three days of every year should be fixed
for a gathering in which all my devoted
followers should—God willing—be pre-
sent, with the condition of health, time
and absence of strong impediments.
So, in my opinion, these dates should
be from 27th
to 29th
December. Hence,
from this day,30th
December 1891,if we
live to see the 27th
of December, all our
friends should, to the best of their abil-
ity,come and listen to Divine words and
to join us in supplication for the sake of
Allah.This gathering will be devoted to
the exposition of such truths and spiritual
insight as are necessary for the promo-
tion of faith and certainty and spiritual
understanding, and there will be special
prayers and attention for the participants.
And to the best of our ability we shall
This gathering will be
devoted to the exposition of
such truths and spiritual
insight as are necessary
for the promotion of faith
and certainty and spiritual
understanding, and there
will be special prayers and
attention for the participants.
The Objectives &
Purpose of the
Jalsa Salana
hazrat mirza ghulam ahmadas
,
the promised messiah and imam mahdi
We present extracts from the writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad,
the Promised Messiahas
, on annual conventions held within the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 11
7. Allah yields reward to the sincere per-
sons at every step of their way, and no
labour and hardship, undertaken in His
way, ever goes to waste. I re-emphasize
that you must not rank this convention in
the same league as other,ordinary,human
assemblies. This is a phenomenon that
is based purely on the Divine Help, for
propagation of Islam.[3]
I conclude with the prayer that eve-
ryone who travels for [attending] this
Convention that is for the sake of Allah:
May Allah, the Exalted, be with him,
reward him in abundant measure, have
mercy on him, ease up for him his cir-
cumstances of hardship and anxiety and
eliminate his anguish and grief.May He
grant him freedom from every single
hardship and lay open for him the ways of
[achieving] his cherished goals,and raise
him up, on the day of Judgment, among
those of His servants who are the recipi-
ents of His blessings and Mercy. May
He be their Guardian in their absence
until after their journey comes to an end.
O Allah! O Sublime One and Bestower
of bounties, the Ever Merciful and One
Who resolves all problems, do grant all
these prayers, and grant us victory over
our opponents with scintillating signs,
because You alone have all the prowess
and power. Ameen! Ameen![4]
endnotes
1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, The Heavenly
Decree, pp. 73-75.
2. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, Ishtihar 7
Dec. 1892, Majmoo’ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 340.
3. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, Ishtihar 7
Dec. 1892, Majmoo’ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 341.
4. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, Ishtihar 7
Dec. 1892, Majmoo’ah Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 342.
endeavour to supplicate at the threshold
of the Most Merciful that He may draw
them towards Him,may accept them and
may bring about a pious change in them.
An additional benefit of these gather-
ings will be that each year new entrants
to the Jama‘at shall, by being present
on the fixed dates, get to know their
brethren who had joined earlier. And
these meetings will lead to progressive
strengthening of the bond of mutual love
and affection.Prayers for absolution will
be offered for brothers who will have
passed away in the interim, and suppli-
cations shall be made at the threshold
of the Glorious God that He may unite
all these brothers in spirit and banish all
estrangement, dryness and differences
from amongst them.
This spiritual convention will have many
other spiritual benefits which will become
manifest from time to time. Those suf-
fering from paucity of means would be
well-advised to plan ahead for attending
this Jalsa. If they lay by a small sum on
a daily or monthly basis, through plan-
ning and saving, they will have enough
provisions for the journey, and it will
seem as if the journey was undertaken
free of cost. Those who approve of the
proposal should inform me now in writ-
ing so that a separate list can be made
of those who are resolved, for the rest
of their lives, to attend the gathering on
the specified dates with all their heart
and soul and with the greatest resolve—
unless it is simply beyond their power
and means to undertake the journey.May
Allah grant a goodly reward to those
who underwent the travails of travel to
attend the convention which was held on
27th
December 1891 for the purpose of
religious consultations. May He reward
every step they look upon this journey.
Amen, Amen.[1]
The primary purpose of this Convention
is to enable every sincere individual to
personally experience religious benefits;
They may enhance their knowledge and
due to their being blessed and enabled by
Allah,The Exalted - their perception [of
Allah] may progress.Among its second-
ary benefits is that this congregational
meeting together will promote mutual
introduction among all brothers, and it
will strengthen the fraternal ties within
this Community.[2]
It is essential for all those who can afford
to undertake the journey, that they must
come to attend this Convention which
embodies many blessed objectives.They
should disregard minor inconveniences
in the cause of Allah and His Prophetsa
.
the objectives & purpose
of the jalsa salana
Your feedback is
important to us
Write to us with comments,
feedback and suggestions at
info@reviewofreligions.org
12 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 13
9. unity vs trinity
eminent Prophets. I shall quote verses
from the Gospel and the Holy Qur’an
to show to the reader’s satisfaction
which of the two manifested a magna-
nimity of soul, a general sympathy and
a yearning after the love of mankind, in
preaching the Word of God, and whose
liberality and kind-heartedness have
their scope limited to a few houses of
his own tribe and kinsmen. For it is a
mark of the purity of the soul and of the
complete manifestation of the Divinity
of God that one’s sympathy should be
so extensive, one’s purpose so lofty and
one’s kind-heartedness so general as to
embrace all individuals and peoples in
one’s kind intentions. It is the man with
these extraordinary qualifications,whom
we can reasonably regard as possessed of
Divine attributes and as being the image
of God, whose benevolence for his kind
walks side by side with the Divinity and
Grace of God, which manifest them-
selves irrespective of all distinctions.
Searching for evidence as to the extent
of Jesus’as
mission,the only verses plainly
bearing on this point which we meet with
in the pages of the four Gospels,are those
in which Jesusas
either positively asserts
that he is not “sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel”(Matt,5:24) and can-
not receive others (whom he calls dogs)
in the fold, or directs his disciples not to
preach to the Gentiles or the Samaritans
but only to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel (Matt,10:6).But the Holy Qur’an
teems with verses clearly indicating that
the Prophet Muhammadsa
had been sent
for all people.Thus it says and elsewhere
“Say that I have been sent as an apostle
of God for the reformation of all people”;
and, “we have sent thee as an incarnation
of Mercy for all the people.” In the matter
of preaching salvation and eternal hap-
piness,therefore,the Prophet’ssa
mission
has not left out any corner of the world
which may be inhabited by men. It has,
on the other hand,invited both men and
jinn to the path of guidance,and has not
been sparing in bringing salvation to the
in open words that his mission like the
Deity of God was universal. In setting
the loftiness of purpose displayed by our
Holy Prophetsa
against the narrow-mind-
edness shown by Jesus Christas
, I shall
produce evidence from books respectively
recognised by the followers of the two
Mosaic of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
If Jesusas
was Divine, his mission
should not have been limited to the
Jewish Tribes, but rather should have
extended to the whole world.
It is the man with these
extraordinary qualifications,
whom we can reasonably
regard as possessed of Divine
attributes and as being
the image of God, whose
benevolence for his kind
walks side by side with the
Divinity and Grace of God,
which manifest themselves
irrespective of all distinctions.
16 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 17
12. unity vs trinity
means one who travels much, he should
therefore have thus been true to his name
in this sense of the word. His example
would then have been worthy of emu-
lation, and every admirer of his would
have longed to follow in the footsteps of
the great exemplar and do service to his
nation and country,patiently bearing the
hardships of long and solitary journeys,as
Jesusas
did.Such a noble deed on his part
would indeed have deserved to be written
by the following generations in letters
of gold. The silent stone on his tomb in
some distant land would have spoken to
the following generations that he was
the kind and self-sacrificing Reformer
who travelled into far and distant coun-
tries that he may lend a helping hand to
his people and reclaim them from the
power of Satan.He would also thus have
fulfilled the Divine law of flight, which
every great prophet had had to observe.
And, in addition to all this, he would
then have been honoured on earth as well
as heaven in accordance with the words
which he spoke that a prophet is not
without honour save in his own coun-
try and house (Matt. 13: 57). But alas!
that he did not pay any heed to all those
advantages to himself and his people,but
leaving undone the duty with which he
had been entrusted, took rest in heaven
as if he was tired of his mission upon
earth and preferred a life of seclusion to
the troublesome office of apostleship.We
are sorry to note that he did not prove
equal to the occasion, and his conduct is
not only unjustifiable but far from the
nobility and self-denial which we should
expect in a true Reformer.
In short, a strange contrast is brought
to light when we witness, on the one
hand, the failure of Jesus Christas
in the
discharge of his duty towards a limited
community,and see,on the other,the zeal
and enthusiasm with which our Holy
Prophetsa
preached his universal mis-
sion. It clearly leads to the conclusion
that the Holy Prophetsa
pre-eminently
possessed the noble quality of mercy
as a lasting monument of his noble sac-
rifice. Then would every sensible person
have praised him for the trouble and
hardships which he bore for his people,
and then would his death in the effort
to reclaim his tribe been termed a true
redemption.But the unmeaning doctrine
of atonement, which is offered by the
Christian missionaries,is quite a mystery
to us.Millions of the Israelites for whom
Jesusas
came, were as yet quite ignorant
of his appearance but he without doing
any creditable work, chose an accursed
death for himself. Such a course for a
redeemer is extremely unphilosophical.
If A were suffering from severe head-
ache, it would avail him little if B were
to break his own head in perplexity, and
no intelligent person would take this rash
action of his in any way beneficial to the
sufferer.Likewise,if Jesusas
really felt any
sympathy for his people and had a mind
to render them a service,the only course
for him was that he should have will-
ingly submitted himself to the hardships
of travel and exposed himself to cold and
heat, hunger and thirst, in search of his
benighted people, and thus made a true
sacrifice of all his interests to deliver oth-
ers. And further as the word Masih also
The silent stone on his tomb
in some distant land would
have spoken to the following
generations that he was the
kind and self-sacrificing
Reformer who travelled into
far and distant countries that
he may lend a helping hand to
his people and reclaim them
from the power of Satan.
22 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 23
13. unity vs trinity
plain words that he had come for none
but the Jews, there was no room for him
to forward an altogether inconsistent
statement and say that he had been sent
not for the Israelites alone but for the
whole world.Suppose,for instance,a wit-
ness deposed before a Judge in the first
instance that a certain rich man (John)
had made, over to him one million ster-
ling to buy an estate and make it over to
one Peter who should be its sole owner,
and that no other person should have a
farthing’s worth in that estate. He then
deposed in the supplement of his state-
ment that the money was made over to
him with the direction that the estate
bought with it should not be the sole
property of Peter, but that he should
be its joint owner with fifty others who
should have equal rights with him.Shall
the Judge then on the strength of the wit-
ness’s latter statement award the estate in
joint ownership to all the persons? Shall
he not arrest the witness for giving false
evidence and require him to state which
of his allegations was true? In the same
manner, to attribute to Jesusas
two con-
tradictory statements which,if made in a
Court of Justice,would bring the punish-
ment of law upon the head of the author,
is to do him the greatest injustice. But
the pity is that the Christian missionaries
in their greediness to make Jesusas
pass
for a God, are blind to all serious objec-
tions and do not consider that, in their
efforts to raise him to Deity they reduce
him below ordinary mortals and heap up
contradictory statements in his sayings
of this there are many other instances in
what relates to Jesusas
. For instance, they
would allege,on the one hand,that Jesusas
is a perfect God,and on the other,that he
is a perfect man.To human understand-
ing, this is an insoluble mystery. For a
perfect assumption of humanity it was
necessary for him to be like to us in all
points and to possess all the inclinations
and weaknesses natural to humanity,
and this is diametrically opposed to the
attributes of a perfect Divine Being. On
the one hand, we must consider Jesusas
towards all, and that he combined in his
Holy Person all the merits which form
necessary qualifications of a great and
universal reformer,and that Christas
sadly
lacked the quality of philanthropy as well
as the other merits which make a univer-
sal preacher.The absence of magnanimity
made Jesusas
limit the sphere of his mis-
sion to the unbelievers of his own tribe,
for his very nature had not been endowed
with more elevated qualities, and with
this brief task ended his mission. But as
the spirit and nature of the Holy Prophet
(Muhammadsa
) were sympathetically
inclined towards all human beings with-
out distinction of creed or color, and as
his very soul had been so created that all
other souls might avail themselves of its
goodness, therefore his unlimited sym-
pathy and high-mindedness could not
rest contented with limiting his mission
either to the Quresh or even to Arabia,
but he invited the whole human race
to accept the religion he preached. This
expression of sympathy distinctly showed
that the pure and perfect nature within
him had been given an ardour and a
zeal to do good to all intelligent beings
breathing on the face of the earth.
The truth is, that the idea of a universal
mission, extending to the corners of the
earth,and an anxiety for the reformation
of the various people who as distinct sects
and tribes had permanently settled in
distant lands with little or no connec-
tions with one another, thus inviting
them all alike to the path of righteous-
ness, is peculiar to the Holy Prophetsa
of
Arabia, and no prophet before him ever
laid the foundation of such a universal
mission. In narrowing his mission to a
particular community,Jesusas
is no excep-
tion to the former prophets, and cannot
claim any superiority in that respect.The
limit was removed by the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
, who laid the foundation
of a universal and all-embracing mission.
The noble office of a universal Reformer
was granted to him alone,for he was the
only person naturally fitted to bear that
heavy burden.Therefore so far as men are
concerned, the apostolic mission of the
Prophet spreads out the skirt of its gar-
ment as wide as the Providence of God.
Jesusas
, being himself God, should have
looked to the care of all his creatures,but
his sympathies were limited only to his
blood-relations. To avoid the difficulty,
if it be suggested that although at first
Jesusas
admitted that his message was
solely directed to the Israelites, yet later
on he gave up the narrow view and laid
claim to be a preacher to all nations, the
fact betrays only fickleness and feebleness
of mind.For,when he had once stated in
Even supposing that such
words came from the lips
of Jesusas
, it was the duty of
every earnest enquirer to try
to reconcile the two statements,
which to superficial and
ignorant readers might strike
as apparently contradictory.
Such reconciliation can
be effected easily.
24 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 25
14. unity vs trinity
Israel to whom it was his primary duty
to preach the Gospel, were quite una-
ware of his appearance, what reason had
he to neglect them and trouble his head
about other people? In short, judge it
however you will, the claim of Jesusas
to
a universal mission cannot stand. With
the subversion of this claim,all argument
as to the alleged Godhead falls to the
ground,and so does the favorite doctrine
of atonement.
If, as is alleged, evil cannot be avoided
nor salvation attained except some one
be hung upon the cross, the blood of
the Jewish Messiah shall only atone for
the house of Israel and like blood flow-
ing from the veins of another Messiah
is urgently needed to wash off the sins
of the rest of mankind, and purify the
human race,if purify it can.Nay,not only
one but two other atonements are needed.
It cannot be denied that Jesusas
could not
fulfil the object of his life, but leaving it
in an imperfect state took rest on heaven,
before even conveying the message with
which he had been charged to the lost
Jewish sects. His substitute is, therefore,
now needed to undertake for him that
heavy and important task which one God
so utterly failed to accomplish,viz., travel
over distant lands and visit the impen-
etrable tracts of land where the Jews were
scattered at the time of their dispersion,
deliver to them the message with which
his great predecessor had been charged,
and at last give up his ghost on cursed
wood.A third Messiah is needed to suffer
crucifixion for the rest of human race,the
favored Israelites alone being excepted.
Having clearly shown that Jesusas
never
asserted the universality of his mission,
and that such an assertion was put for-
ward in clear and distinct words by our
own Holy Prophetsa
, it is clear that even
in this respect Jesusas
does not possess any
peculiarity which may furnish the least
ground for his highly exaggerated claim
to be the divine being.
to be subject to all the human weak-
nesses, ignorance, forgetfulness and, on
the other, we must believe him to have
been eternally free from all ignorance and
above all weakness.How these contradic-
tory qualities may be assumed to exist in
one and the same person at one and the
same time,has never been and never shall
be made clear.
In brief, it is highly objectionable on the
part of the defenders of the Christian
faith that to put a gloss upon the doc-
trine of Incarnation, the wise sayings of
Jesusas
should be made a jumble of non-
sense and contradictory statements, and
new material furnished to the Jews for
animadversion. It is an attack upon the
master to attribute to him two apparently
irreconcilable statements,for in doing so,
we shall be guilty of injustice and dis-
respect towards a righteous prophet of
God. Even supposing that such words
came from the lips of Jesusas
, it was the
duty of every earnest enquirer to try to
reconcile the two statements, which to
superficial and ignorant readers might
strike as apparently contradictory. Such
reconciliation can be effected easily.
What Jesusas
gave out was that he had
been sent only to the Israelites. When,
therefore, he was rejected by the Jews of
Syria and saw their obstinate wickedness,
he saw another way of discharging the
duty he had been entrusted with. He
made up his mind to preach the Word of
God to the Israelites who had settled in
lands far from the centre,as the settlers in
Greece,India,Kashmir and Afghanistan.
This interpretation commends itself to us,
not only because it removes an apparent
inconsistency and acquits Jesusas
of the
blasphemous charge of artfully devising a
new scheme after his failure in his imme-
diate mission, but also for its plainness
and naturalness. Jesusas
was well aware
that his mission embraced the whole
house of Israel, and not a particular sec-
tion of it. Therefore when the Syrian
section rejected him with obstinate and
proved themselves hopelessly deaf to the
reformers voice,it was his natural that he
should have turned his attention to the
other sections of the Community who
had taken their abode in distant lands.
Even if we were to suppose that the
Founder of Christianity, when he gave
up all hopes of the conversion of the
Syrian Jews, did not turn his footsteps
to the lost sheep of Israel, but in direct
opposition to his own words commanded
his disciples to preach the Kingdom of
Heaven to the heathen world, we shall
have to face another objection seriously
damaging Christ’s uniformity of char-
acter. For, while as yet the ten tribes of
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26 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 27
15. Prior to bringing this discussion to a
close, it is necessary to answer the ques-
tion that if Islam brought a message of
the freedom and liberation of slaves,why
then did the Holy Prophetsa
not order
the manumission of all existing slaves
at once? As such, the brief and simple
answer to this is merely that the Holy
Prophetsa
did not do this because he was
a true friend of slaves. Furthermore, the
task of the Holy Prophetsa
was reforma-
tion, not ostentation. Hence, the Holy
Prophetsa
did not take any such step,
which apparently seemed to possess a
nature of friendship, but was actually
harmful to slaves and injurious to the
progress of the country and civilisation.
Every sensible individual can under-
stand that in light of the circumstances
of that time, to free hundreds and thou-
sands of slaves all at once would have
been equivalent to leaving them in such
a helpless and insecure state as could have
proven to be dangerous for them in many
respects. In light of the circumstances
of that time, the definite result of this
immediate and universal manumission
would have been that one segment of
these slaves would have starved to death
due to poverty.Then, the other segment
would have become unemployed and
inclined towards criminality; and thus
become a means of their own moral
destruction, as well as a means of caus-
ing disorder and unrest throughout the
country and nation. Irrespective of how
pleasant proposals of reform may seem
at times from an emotional aspect, but
actually in most cases they do not prove
volume 11
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra
c h a p t e r v
Why Were All Slaves
Not Freed at Once?
(Continued)
Masjid Quba,
the first Mosque
built in Islam
First ever serialisation of the newly translated Volume II of Hazrat
Mirza Bashir Ahmad’sra
outstanding biography, Seerat Khatamun
Nabiyyin, on the life and character of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
.
Translated from the Urdu
by Ayyaz Mahmood Khan
Every sensible individual
can understand that in light
of the circumstances of that
time, to free hundreds and
thousands of slaves all at once
would have been equivalent to
leaving them in such a helpless
and insecure state as could
have proven to be dangerous
for them in many respects.
OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 29
16. beneficial free lives,they would definitely
continue to be freed as well. In light of
the circumstances at that time,it was this
very true method of reformation, which
could have been adopted with the great-
est hope of promising results.As a matter
of fact, an in-depth study of this system
does not leave even an iota of doubt that
this was an unparalleled system; the like
of which cannot be seen in any era prior
to this,nor has any nation until now been
able to present such an example to the
world thereafter.
At this point, the doubt may arise that
in the previous century many European
and American reformers have appeared,
who as if, devoted their entire lives to
the liberation movement of slaves and
due to their endeavours, the system of
slavery was abolished all together from
most countries of the world; for example,
Abraham Lincoln, who in his time was
President of the United States, granted
freedom to hundreds and thousands of
black slaves at once, and no negative
result came about due to this immediate
and universal manumission; as a matter
of fact this service of Abraham Lincoln is
looked upon with great approval.Firstly,
the answer is that there is a difference of
heaven and earth between the circum-
stances of fourteen hundred years ago
and today.Furthermore,this teaching of
Islam regarding the gradual manumission
of the slaves of that era was in light of the
circumstances of that era,and the perma-
nent teaching of Islam in this respect was
something else,which shall be mentioned
ahead; therefore, logically this compari-
son cannot be deemed correct in any
case.Hence,in the circumstances of this
era, if immediate and universal manu-
mission did not prove to be harmful,
this does not categorically substantiate
that this practice would also not prove
to be harmful in previous eras and in
circumstances which differ to those of
today. In the era of the Holy Prophetsa
,
the moral and societal state of slaves was
immensely abject. Moreover, the culture
and civilisation of the world was com-
pletely different from the culture and
civilisation present in the world today.
Therefore, in light of the circumstances
of that era, it was more appropriate to
employ a method of gradual manumis-
sion instead of immediate and universal
manumission, otherwise, the outcomes
would have definitely been detrimental
instead of beneficial.This is a fundamen-
tal answer which can be given to this
allegation. However, the truth is that
the proposals employed by Islam, were
far more advantageous and beneficial in
any case.Furthermore,any unprejudiced
to be beneficial. Rather, in some cases
they result in a dangerous effect on the
habits and qualities of individuals, as
well as on the collective life and civilisa-
tion of the nation. The Holy Prophetsa
was a true Reformer and desired to do
for slaves what was truly beneficial and
blessed for them. Therefore, he did not
tread a path as would cause a destruc-
tive earthquake in the Arab society, and
instead of benefitting slaves,was a means
of harm. Contemplate well that in light
of the circumstances of that time,to free
hundreds and thousands of slaves at once
without a far-sighted system, definitely
would have led to the life of these slaves
being destroyed, as well as their religion.
In other words, as far as their lives were
concerned, most of them would have
been left completely helpless and with-
out a means of livelihood. Furthermore,
they would have also been left without
opportunities to learn a trade. From
a religious perspective, this immedi-
ate and universal manumission would
have taken a very detrimental toll on
their morals and habits. In specific, due
to a very lengthy era subjected to cruel
slavery, they had developed ignobility,
hard-heartedness, and other bad morals
of this nature. Who knows what turn
these morals would have taken and what
effects they would have brought about
as a result of immediate manumission.
Then, the other harmful effects, which
could have taken their toll on society as
a result of this universal manumission are
in addition to the ones previously men-
tioned.Hence,with the utmost wisdom,
on the one hand,Islam proposed that for
the future,all cruel forms of slavery were
prohibited and thus brought a halt to any
further expansion of this sphere (which
shall become evident in the discussion
hereafter). On the other hand, taking
temporary circumstances into consid-
eration, it employed practical strategies
for the moral,societal and financial refor-
mation and well-being of existing slaves.
Along with this, it also proposed that as
these slaves became capable of living
life & character of the
seal of the prophets
The Holy Prophetsa
was a
true Reformer and desired to
do for slaves what was truly
beneficial and blessed for
them.Therefore, he did not
tread a path as would cause
a destructive earthquake
in the Arab society, and
instead of benefitting slaves,
was a means of harm.
30 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 31
17. irrespective of the fact that due to this
universal freedom, the country became
engulfed in a dangerous fire of civil
war, even today, has the black slave of
America truly received emancipation?
Rather, we ask that even to this day, is
there a single law within the country,
which can grant true freedom to the
black slave of America? Does the white
man of America not practically consider
his freed black slave as being more des-
picable than even the worst slaves in the
world? Then, does this freed black man
truly consider himself as being free in
America? Indeed, relations between the
white emancipators of America and the
black emancipated are the worst exam-
ple of international relations found in the
world today.This state of affairs is due to
the fact that in freeing these slaves, such
a method was employed whereby slaves
were emancipated by name, no doubt,
but they were unable to attain true free-
dom. No reformation took place in the
minds of the emancipators or the eman-
cipated. In comparison to this, those
people who were freed according to the
Islamic method,although they were freed
gradually, but after their manumission,
they were truly free.In other words,their
bodies were free, their souls were free,
their thoughts were free, their intellects
were free, and such relations of love and
sincerity had been developed between
these freed slaves and their emancipa-
tors,as puts the real brotherhood of today
to shame.When I cast a glance upon the
African-American ‘Tom’ of today, and
the Abyssinian-Arab Bilalra
of fourteen
hundred years ago, a strange spectacle is
to be witnessed.Both of these individuals
were of African descent and both were
freed slaves. However, when the Arab
slave (i.e.,Bilalra
) went to visit the King of
that time (i.e., ‘Umar bin Al-Khattabra
),
on that occasion,despite there being very
eminent Arab chieftains waiting at the
entrance to meet the King, upon receiv-
ing news of the arrival of Bilalra
,the King
did not summon those Arab chieftains,
who were also Muslims,rather,he imme-
diately invited Bilalra
instead. When
Bilalra
had finished his meeting, it was
only then that these Arab chieftains
were given their turn. In the audience
of that King, when the name of Bilalra
was mentioned, the King stated,‘Bilal is
our chief.’[1]
However, in comparison to
this, what status was given to ‘Tom,’ the
freed American slave? The world knows
that he would be kicked about by the
feet of his emancipators and in gather-
ings, he would be made to sit in places
of dishonour,endure all sorts of cruelties
and could not even utter a word. Why
this difference? Undoubtedly,the reason
individual who contemplates this issue
with a cool heart shall reach the con-
clusion we have just mentioned.There is
a very true saying of Jesus Christas
, that
a tree is recognised by its fruits. Hence,
we should study that from among these
two methods, which one has resulted in
being more advantageous and favourable.
Is it the method employed by Islam four-
teen hundred years ago or the method
employed in the current age by various
European and American reformers?
At this point, we cannot engage in an
elaborate discussion. We only desire to
briefly mention that the results of the
relative merit of both these methods can
be compared in two ways: firstly, which
method from among these two methods
brought about more true freedom; sec-
ondly, which method resulted in freed
slaves attaining greater success.We confi-
dently affirm that in the context of these
two perspectives, the method adopted
by the Holy Prophetsa
fourteen hundred
years from today was much more ben-
eficial than the one employed by various
Western reformers of this era. It is obvi-
ous that merely freeing a slave by name
while failing to abolish the actual spirit
of slavery cannot be considered to con-
stitute an act of true freedom. However,
if one looks closely, the reform imple-
mented by Western reformers is no
way different than the ‘so-called’ reform
just mentioned. Undoubtedly, they may
have freed hundreds and thousands of
slaves by a single order, but they were
unable to abolish the true spirit of slav-
ery. Rather, even after this freedom, the
spirit of enslavement continued to live on
just as before in the hearts and minds of
the emancipators and the emancipated.
As a result of this, slavery could not be
truly abolished and relations between
masters and their slaves became severely
tense.Take the example of America. No
doubt, apparently in the United States,
hundreds and thousands of black slaves
received freedom at once. However,
Take the example of America.
No doubt, apparently in the
United States, hundreds and
thousands of black slaves
received freedom at once.
However, irrespective of the
fact that due to this universal
freedom, the country became
engulfed in a dangerous fire
of civil war, even today, has
the black slave of America
truly received emancipation?
life & character of the
seal of the prophets
32 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 33
18. Companions who were appointed among
the Muslims by the Holy Prophetsa
to
teach the Holy Qur’an,and were deemed
worthy enough to be his representa-
tives in this respect. Similarly, after the
Companions,Nafi‘ the freed slave of Ibni
‘Umarra
,‘Ikramah the freed slave of Ibni
‘Abbasra
, Makhul bin ‘Abdillah, ‘Ata’ bin
Abi Rabah, ‘Abdullah bin Mubarak and
Muhammad bin Sirin, were accepted
as leaders in the field of Hadith and
Jurisprudence. Many eminent people
would consider it a means of pride to be
among their pupils. Then, Hasan Basri
and Mujahid bin Jubair were consid-
ered to be unparalleled in the fields of
Mysticism and ‘Ilmi-Qira‘at[2]
respectively.
The most learned teachers in the field
of history were Musa bin ‘Aqabah and
Muhammad bin Ishaq, and the world
would bow before their academic prow-
ess.All of these people however,attained
their status after being ordinary slaves.[3]
Then,the Indian dynasty of slaves whose
various members developed excellence in
politics and government, do not require
any introduction. These radiant exam-
ples, which have been presented only by
way of example (as the history of Islam
is replete with such examples), are fruits
of the Islamic system of manumission.
However, in comparison to this what
is the outcome of Western reformers?
Is there even a single example in the
whole of Europe, America, the whole of
Africa or Australia of a freed slave who
attained such a status of leadership and
ascendancy in any field where even the
nation who freed him began to accept
him as a guide? We do not claim to
be an expert on the history of nations,
but to our knowledge, we are unable to
find a single example from among the
freed slaves of Christian nations, where
any such person attained such a level of
distinction. Rather, all that can be wit-
nessed is that these people continued
to remain insignificant, which is proof
of the fact that the Islamic method of
manumission was definitely far more
beneficial and far more blessed. In these
circumstances, to present the name of a
current-day reformer in competition to
the reform of the Holy Prophetsa
is an
insult of the truth. Invariably, we look
to the work of these people with regard
as well and praise their efforts.However,
the effort of every individual possesses a
certain status and the truth is that the
reforms instituted by the Holy Prophetsa
possess such a status as cannot be com-
pared to the effort of any other person.
Fourteen hundred years from today,when
the world considered slavery to be their
birthright and the state of slaves was
worse than animals, the Holy Prophetsa
is that the method adopted by Islam for
the manumission of slaves was in fact the
true method of reformation.Hence,true
freedom was established as a result of
this, but the reform of Western reform-
ers was defective, and their method was
incorrect.As a result of the latter method,
freedom was no doubt attained by name,
but death did not come upon the actual
spirit of slavery, and mindsets remained
unaltered.
The second manner, in which this ques-
tion may be analysed, is by looking at
which method from among these sys-
tems resulted in more progress for freed
slaves. As such, after the above-men-
tioned discussion, the answer to this
question no longer remains difficult to
determine either. The reason being that
naturally,the path which would result in
more progress for slaves would be the one
which afforded them more true freedom.
This path as the one offered by Islam.
However, even practically, we see that
from this perspective as well,the Islamic
method is found to be more successful
and beneficial. The reason being, that a
very large number from among those
people who were freed according to the
Islamic method were found to be of such
people who reached the very highest level
of success in all fields, and assumed the
status of being Muslim leaders in vari-
ous areas. For example, as mentioned
above, Zaid bin Harithahra
was a freed
slave, but he developed such ability that
the Holy Prophetsa
appointed him as the
commander in many Islamic campaigns.
Highly eminent Companions and even
accomplished generals the like of Khalid
bin Walidra
, were positioned under him.
Then, there was Salim bin Ma‘qalra
,
who was an ordinary freed slave of Abu
Hudhaifah bin ‘Utbahra
. However, he
progressed in his knowledge and wisdom
to the extent that he was among the four
Fourteen hundred years
from today, when the world
considered slavery to be
their birthright and the
state of slaves was worse
than animals, the Holy
Prophetsa
raised a voice
in support of slaves. He
employed immensely sagacious
strategies to practically
improve the state of existing
slaves, by completely
abolishing all cruel practices
of slavery for the future.
life & character of the
seal of the prophets
34 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 35
19. of slaves continued to move forward very
rapidly.Millions of slaves were delivered
from the misfortune of slavery by the
efforts of Muslims. However, as men-
tioned above, during that era, there was
a countless and limitless number of slaves
throughout the world.There was no civi-
lised country in the world where slaves
did not exist in great abundance.Hence,
prior to the depletion of this inexhausti-
ble store,on the one hand the progression
of Islamic conquests gradually weakened,
and ultimately came to a halt completely.
On the other hand, due to a distance
from the prophetic era, that light of
prophethood, which was the cause of all
this bloom and blossom, began to fade
in the hearts of the Muslims. That vig-
orous passion of understanding the true
Islamic doctrine and adherence to it,
with which the Companions stood up,
and which was given to future genera-
tions by the Companions as inheritance,
gradually began to vanish from the hearts
of the Muslims.As a matter of fact,dur-
ing this Dark Age,such people were born
who, due to their ignorance or material-
ism, distorted religion and disfigured it
completely.The result of this was that in
the likeness of other nations, who still
practiced a very repulsive form of slav-
ery,Muslims also abandoned the Islamic
teachings and traditions and resorted to
that very cruel form of slavery, which
Islam actually stood to uproot.However,
even in the era of this crooked mindset
and unbecoming conduct, as a whole,
the state of slaves in Islamic countries
remained comparatively better than in
other countries. Moreover, at the outset,
even though Muslims kept slaves, they
were never supporters of the actual spirit
behind slavery. Contrary to this, in the
Christian country of Abyssinia, such a
horrific form of slavery exists even today
that upon witnessing it, mankind is put
to shame. Even today, death has not
come upon the spirit of slavery in the
cultured and civilised Christian countries
of Europe and America. Nonetheless,
the miserable state of a neighbouring
nation cannot wash away the blemish
of our own deterioration. There is an
immediate and dire need for Islamic gov-
ernments and Islamic societies to engage
in abolishing this cruel practice of slavery,
with full concentration and effort. They
must once again, bring the world back
to that blessed nucleus, which the Holy
Prophetsa
and his Companions wished
to gather it in,and the purpose of which
was to eradicate slavery and its spirit
from the world; and thus, establish true
freedom and true equality.
raised a voice in support of slaves. He
employed immensely sagacious strate-
gies to practically improve the state of
existing slaves, by completely abolish-
ing all cruel practices of slavery for the
future.Then,in addition to emphatically
advocating the manumission of slaves,he
instituted such a wise system by which
these slaves could continue to improve
their own state and then naturally con-
tinue to be freed as well. He also made
it an obligation of the State to strictly
oversee the work of reforming the state
of slaves as well as to administer their
gradual, but compulsory manumission.
Then, the Holy Prophetsa
managed this
system so marvelously that those slaves
who were freed, and their numbers ran
into the millions, not only truly became
free,but also became extremely beneficial
citizens of the country and nation as well.
Such people were then born among them
who attained the status of being com-
manders and leaders among the Muslims.
Even the necks of those who had freed
them bowed before them. This is the
work undertaken by the Holy Prophetsa
,
and it is this work of which no parallel
can be found in the history of the world.
Hence,to raise an allegation in the man-
ner of ignorant people as to why the Holy
Prophetsa
did not free all slaves at once
as Abraham Lincoln or other Western
personalities have done, is merely a
superficial outburst of human emotions,
which possesses no depth at all.
Why Did Slavery Continue to Remain
in Islamic Countries?
At this point, the question has also been
raised that if the actual intent of the
Islamic teaching was that slaves should
be gradually freed, why then did the
practice of slavery continue to remain
in Islamic countries up until the current
era? The answer to this is that on the one
hand,until the Islamic State continued to
progress and the sphere of its influence
continued to expand; and the Muslims
also continued to understand the true
essence of the Islamic teachings and
adhere to them,the liberation movement
At this point, the question
has also been raised that
if the actual intent of the
Islamic teaching was that
slaves should be gradually
freed, why then did the
practice of slavery continue to
remain in Islamic countries
up until the current era?
life & character of the
seal of the prophets
36 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 37
20. Ma‘rifatis-Sahabah, Volume 1, Bilalubnu Rabah,
Darul-Fikr (Beirut, Lebanon: 2003), 285.
* ‘Izzuddin Ibnul-Athir Abul-Hasan ‘Ali bin
Muhammad, Usdul-Ghabah Fi Ma‘rifatis-
Sahabah, Volume 2, Suhailubnu ‘Amrin
Al-Quraishi, Darul-Fikr (Beirut, Lebanon:
2003), 347.
2. Science of Qur’anic Recitation Style
[Publishers]
3. * ‘Izzuddin Ibnul-Athir Abul-Hasan ‘Ali
bin Muhammad, Usdul-Ghabah Fi Ma‘rifatis-
Sahabah, Volume 2, Salimun Maula Abi
Hudhaifah, Darul-Fikr (Beirut, Lebanon:
2003), 170.
* Abu ‘Umar Yusuf bin ‘Abdillah bin
Muhammad, Al-Isti‘abu Fi Ma‘rifatil-Ashab,
Volume 2, Salimubnu Ma‘qal, Darul-Kutubil-
‘Ilmiyyah (Beirut, Lebanon: 2002), 135-136.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad
bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib,
Volume 2, Zaidubnu Harithah, First Edition,
Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah
(Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 234-235.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad
bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib,
Volume 5, Mujahidubnu Jabar, First Edition,
Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah
(Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 373-374.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad bin
Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib, Volume
5, Nafi‘un Al-Faqihu Maula Ibni ‘Umar, First
Edition, Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-
Ka’inah (Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.),
606-607.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad bin
Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib, Volume
4,‘Ikrimatu Al-Bariri, First Edition, Da’iratul-
Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah (Hyderabad,
Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 167-171.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad
bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib,
Volume 5, Makhulush-Shami, First Edition,
Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah
(Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 529-530.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad bin
Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib, Volume 5,
Muhammadubnu Sirin, First Edition, Da’iratul-
Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah, (Hyderabad,
Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 139-140.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad bin
Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib, Volume
3, ‘Abdullahibnul-Mubarak, First Edition,
Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah
(Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 247-248.
A Final Testament of the Holy
Prophetsa
Regarding Slaves
I end this discussion with those
immensely beautiful words, which
were the last words uttered by the Holy
Founder of Islam in a world of material-
ism.Hazrat ‘Ali bin Abi Talibra
and Anas
bin Malikra
relate:
Life & Character - September 2014
1
ِهْيَلَع اهلل ىَّلَص اهلل ِولُسَر ِةَّيِصَو ُةَّامَع َناَكَمَّلَسَو
َةالَّالص :ِهِسْفَنِب ُرِغْرَغُي َوُهَو ُةاَفَوْلا ُهْتَرَضَح َنيِحاَمَو
ْمُكُناَْأْي ْتَكَلَم.
2
ْمُكُناَْأْي ْتَكَلَم اَمَو َةالَّالص.
Meaning,“The last words which were heard
upon the blessed tongue of the Holy Prophetsa
in a state when death was about to overtake
him were, ‘O ye Muslims! My last testa-
ment to you is,
Life & Character - September 2014
1
ِهْيَلَع اهلل ىَّلَص اهلل ِولُسَر ِةَّيِصَو ُةَّامَع َناَكَمَّلَسَو
َةالَّالص :ِهِسْفَنِب ُرِغْرَغُي َوُهَو ُةاَفَوْلا ُهْتَرَضَح َنيِحاَمَو
ْمُكُناَْأْي ْتَكَلَم.
2
ْمُكُناَْأْي ْتَكَلَم اَمَو َةالَّالص. that you
must never forget my teaching relevant to
the obligatory prayers and slaves.’”[4]
At the time when the Holy Prophetsa
uttered these words,his wives who stood
by his side in every difficulty and hard-
ship as his life partners were also present.
His beloved daughter and her children,
as well as other friends and relatives
of the Holy Prophetsa
were also before
him. The loyal Muhajirin, in whose sin-
cere companionship the life of the Holy
Prophetsa
had passed were present as well.
The devoted Ansar, who irrigated the
plant of Islam by the water of their blood
were also nearby. Moreover, this was a
time when the Holy Prophetsa
would
not have had any further opportunity to
advise anyone else. The Holy Prophetsa
also knew and felt that an admonition
made at such a time would outweigh all
other exhortations. Yet, the eyes of the
Holy Prophetsa
did not settle upon any
one of the people mentioned just now.
If there was a single person in the world
who the Holy Prophetsa
remembered
and this recollection made him uneasy
even in his final moments before death,
it was this immensely oppressed slave.
Goodness gracious! What a true friend of
slaves.What a compassionate and sincere
friend was bestowed upon the world by
God,but alas,the world did not give him
his due value.
endnotes
1. * Ahmad bin ‘Ali bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani,
Al-Isabatu Fi Tamizis-Sahabah, Volume 3,
Suhailubnu ‘Amribni ‘Abdi Shams, Darul-
Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah (Beirut, Lebanon: 2005), 178.
* ‘Izzuddin Ibnul-Athir Abul-Hasan
‘Ali bin Muhammad, Usdul-Ghabah Fi
life & character of the
seal of the prophets
38 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 39
21. * Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad
bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib,
Volume 4,‘Ata’ubnu Abi Rabah, First Edition,
Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah
(Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 128-129.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad
bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib,
Volume 1, Al-Hasanubnu Abil-Hasani
Yasarin Al-Basri, First Edition, Da’iratul-
Ma‘arifin- Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah (Hyderabad,
Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 481-484.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad bin
Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib, Volume
5, Muhammadubnu Ishaq, First Edition,
Da’iratul-Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah
(Hyderabad, Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 28-32.
* Al-Imam Shihabuddin Abul-Fadl Ahmad bin
Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Tahzibut-Tahzib, Volume
5, Musabnu ‘Uqbah, First Edition, Da’iratul-
Ma‘arifin-Nizamiyyatil-Ka’inah (Hyderabad,
Dakkan: 1326 A.H.), 574.
4. * Sunanu Ibni Majah, Kitabul-Wasaya, Babu
Hal Ausa Rasulullahsa
, Hadith No. 2697
* Al-Imam Jalaluddin bin Abi Bakr As-Suyuti,
Al-Jami‘us-Saghiru Fi Ahadithil-Bashirin-
Nadhir, Volume 1-2, Hadith No. 5172,
Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah (Beirut, Lebanon:
2004), 319.
life & character of the
seal of the prophets
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brand new translation of Seerat Khatamun
Nabiyyin, The Life and Character of the Seal
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40 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014
22. T
he scenic farmlands of
Hampshire, England were
brought to life as tens of thou-
sands of people gathered in a make-shift
city,for an international religious gather-
ing organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community UK.The event is called Jalsa
Salana,a formal annual gathering that is
held over the course of three days,and is
attended by a number of religious lead-
ers, parliamentarians, civic leaders and
diplomats from across the globe. The
Convention took place at a 200 acre
farm in Alton, Hampshire known as
‘Hadeeqatul Mahdi’.
Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community Unites
under the Guidance of
their Caliph
meliha rafiq hayat, uk
The Jalsa Salana in UK is
now in its 48th
year and
is thought to be the largest
convention of its kind in the
UK, uniting over 33,000
participants including
Ahmadis and people from
all different religious and
political backgrounds from
97 countries across the globe.
23. He addressed the gathering through-
out the three-day Convention. His
Holiness’s speeches over the course of
three days were relayed to all men and
women attending and covered various
topics including the misconceptions held
against the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
as well as highlighting the principles of
Islam and the role religion could play in
bringing peace to the modern world:
“The Qur’an has deemed the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
as the ‘Mercy for Mankind’
– and his mercy and compassion was not
limited to Muslims but encompasses every
person, in every place, in every time. Thus,
the mission of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community is to spread the mercy and com-
passion of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
to
the corners of the world,” said His Holiness
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
.
This year the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community celebrated its 125th
anniver-
sary since its establishment in 1889 by
Founder Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
in Qadian, India. The Jalsa was inaugu-
rated by raising the Flag of Ahmadiyyat
(Lawai Ahmadiyyat) alongside the Flag
The Jalsa Salana in UK is now in its 48th
year and is thought to be the largest
Convention of its kind in the UK, unit-
ing over 33,000 participants including
Ahmadis and people from all different
religious and political backgrounds from
97 countries across the globe.Millions of
people around the world also watched
live coverage of the Jalsa through the
community’s television station MTA
International[1]
.
The event was translated in approximately
14 different languages including Arabic,
English, Bosnian, Persian, Turkish,
French, Russian and German. Ghana
and Sierra Leone TV also provided
national coverage of the three day event
in various countries throughout the
African continent.
The event aims to ‘convey the principals
of Islam and promote a sense of peace
and unity between all faiths.’
“Terrorists who seek to justify their hateful
acts in Islam’s name can only be condemned.
They are motivated by a selfish desire to fulfil
their own personal interests and ambitions...
ignorant of the true teachings of Islam – of
peace and tolerance” said His Holiness
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, the
Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community during one of his
five addresses at the Jalsa Salana.
“The Qur’an has deemed the
Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
as
the Mercy for Mankind – and
his mercy and compassion was
not limited to Muslims but
encompasses every person, in
every place, in every time.”
44 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 45
25. are going through and can help them. Since
doing this duty I have made a lot of good
friends here who I never knew before from
different countries around the world. That
is the beauty of Ahmadiyyat.We are like one
big family” said Anila.
Saima Khalid is an Assistant Accountant
by profession; but throughout the three
day Convention she volunteers her time
to the huge kitchen department, serv-
ing food in the mothers and children
marquee.
“The spirit of Jalsa and the presence of our
beloved Khalifah (Caliph) inspires the teams
to work tirelessly and sometimes in very dif-
ficult circumstances to make everything run
smoothly.This is the true spirit of our Jalsa.
This spirit also encourages all teams to work
for a common goal which is to make the Jalsa
enjoyable and spiritually uplifting for all
our guests who have travelled from far to
be a part of this unique event,”said Saima.
“Huzur [Huzur means His Holiness, and
is term generally used by Ahmadis when
referring to their Caliph] wants the youth
of the Community to come forward and take
part in every aspect of the Jalsa and work
in every department, it’s a blessing to know
that he cares so much about us and gives
us so much guidance because a community’s
success is closely bound with the success of its
youth. Our Khalifah has taken special care
to nurture this process and we continue to
see Allah’s blessing as a result,”said Anum
Khan, a volunteer from the European
food health and safety department.
The highlight of the event was the
Congregational Pledge [Bai’at] cer-
emony, where the entire Community
united to re-new their faith and vows to
Ahmadiyyat Islam under the hand of the
Caliph,Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
.
The participants formed a human chain
leading to the Caliph as they reaffirmed
their commitment to the Community’s
principals of brotherhood, charity and
goodwill towards others.They pledge to
sacrifice everything for the sake of their
faith and country and in doing so reaf-
firm they loyalty to their religion and
country.
Ahmadiyya Jama’at who has shown the
world what Islam truly means, and that
is Love for All and Hatred for None,” said
Saira Khan,a university student who had
willingly volunteered to be part of the
team helping clean the toilet facilities
on site.
Saira represents just one of the 4000 vol-
unteer workers both men and women,
all working tirelessly behind the scenes
to make the Convention a success.
Imran Ali is head of the Sound System
department throughout the Jalsa. His
department ensures that everyone on site
is able to listen to all the speeches deliv-
ered in all the languages provided.Apart
from the main marquees his department
covers the kitchens,reception,crèche and
car park.
“As this is such a huge event the success of
the Jalsa very much demands an excellent
sound and visual system. Over many years
we have now developed a team who may
not be necessarily working in this field but
have become true professionals through on
job training over many years. Jalsa unites
people in a way that no other event can,
people from all different professions and
backgrounds and different countries come
and volunteer their efforts and are will-
ing to do whatever they can. It’s important
for younger members to be part of the team
because they learn a lot; they learn about
how our entire Jalsa system works which is
important because they will be responsible
for it in the future,”said Imran.
Around 1500 of the volunteers working
on site are women,they cover all depart-
ments on the women’s side from on-site
security to accommodation,kitchens and
work in the MTA television studios.
“Women play a big role in society and fam-
ily life, so it shouldn’t be a surprise when
Muslim women play a big role in Islamic
events like this. It’s not only the men who
take part in organising the event, women
have just as much responsibility; Ahmadi
women are not in the shadows at all,”
said Anila Orchard. Her family joined
the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
through her grandfather Lt James Bryan
Orchard,a British soldier,who converted
to Islam Ahmadiyyat in March 1945 and
became the first European Missionary
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
“My duty at Jalsa involves looking after
the new converts. We welcome them, reg-
ister them and go through the programme
with them, if they need translation headsets
we provide those for them. I enjoy this duty
because I feel like I understand what they
ahmadiyya muslim community unites
under the guidance of their caliph
48 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 49
26. “Having attended the Jalsa I realised that
every member of the Jama’at had sentiments
of love and affection for each other and eve-
ryone greeted each other with a smile and
was ever ready to help each other. I have
been a journalist for eighteen years and could
say without hesitation that only the Jama’at
Ahmadiyya was displaying the true Islamic
model. Men and women both greeted guests
with love and friendliness and I had never
seen this at any other Islamic event.”
The tradition of Jalsa Salana was first
established by the Founder of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
. In 1889 he
claimed under Divine guidance to be
the Promised Messiahas
, whose advent
was awaited by the major religions of
the world.The first ever Jalsa Salana was
held in Qadian in 1891 with an attend-
ance of 75 people. The Community has
since gained millions of followers and has
spread to 206 countries throughout the
world.
Britain hosted their first Annual Jalsa
Salana in 1966. In 1984 the Caliphate
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
was forced to move from Pakistan to
Britain as a result of persecution in
Pakistan, where Ahmadis were officially
declared non-muslims in 1984 and
forbidden by law to practise Islamic rit-
uals and customs.Today National Jalsas
are held annually in countries around the
world where Ahmadiyyat is established,
however the International Jalsa is held
in the UK because the Caliph of the
Community resides in London.
references
Press release.
http://www.alislam.org/egazette/press-release/
more-than-550000-people-join-ahmadiyya-
muslim-community-in-past-year/
Quotes internal reports.
endnotes
1. http://www.mta.tv/live/- Sky Channel 787.
2. Taken from English summary Huzur’s
Friday sermon dated 29th
August 2014 English
powerpoint page 7 http://www.alislam.org/
friday-sermon/index2.php?d=2014-08-29
During the Jalsa, His Holiness
announced that more than 550,000 peo-
ple had joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community during the past year.He also
announced that the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community was now established in 206
countries of the world with communities
in Belize and Uruguay being established
for the very first time. The Community
has now also translated the Holy Qur’an
in to 72 languages, the latest translation
being the Maori Language.
One of the key teachings of Islam is to
help the poor and needy.The Community
under the guidance of their Caliph works
actively in the third world to provide food,
clean water,education and medical assis-
tance where needed.Humanity First and
the International Association of Ahmadi
Architects and Engineers (IAAAE) play
a key role in providing such facilities.
Some of their projects were displayed at
exhibition during the Convention. The
progress of the Community over the last
125 years was also captured and exhib-
ited in a pictorial display at Jalsa by the
Makhzan-e-Tasaweer department.
Despite the unpredictable British
weather people came to Jalsa in high
spirits.The fields were covered by grand
white domed tents; the flags of each
represented country decorated the skyline
above the hustle and bustle of men and
women alike. People from all different
faiths and countries united in celebration
in a global village fully equipped with
accommodation, kitchen, food, bazaar,
library, book stalls, and TV and radio
stations.
Some of the guests expressing their
thoughts about Jalsa said:
“It was my first visit to Jalsa and I observed
the entire proceedings including inter-
national Bai’at. I felt everyone at Jalsa
interacted with each other as old friends…
I was amazed at the organisation of Jalsa
where no one ever spoke in a raised tone
and even small children served drinking
water most lovingly. Children usually like
to have everything for themselves but the
Ahmadiyya Jama’at has thus trained its
young children that they put the comfort of
others first. After attending Jalsa I went to
my embassy and told the ambassador that
I had attended many a conference but had
never seen one with as excellent organisa-
tion as I witnessed at the Jalsa,” said the
Speaker of the Assembly from Kinshasa,
Congo.
A journalist from Nigeria also gave her
views on the Convention:
ahmadiyya muslim community unites
under the guidance of their caliph
50 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 51
30. in approximately 60 to 70 million deaths,
including innocent women and children.
Entire cities were reduced to piles of
ashes. Was this a religious war?
Religion does not kill, it only warns and
admonishes people that they must estab-
lish peace and security – at least this is
the teaching of our religion. Its every
injunction is laced with sentiments of
love and compassion for all mankind.
The Qur’an has informed us that every
Prophet brought the same message,
which is that cruelty,injustice,oppression
and persecution should be eliminated.
The Prophets admonished people to
instead adopt love and sympathy for one
another,or otherwise face God’s punish-
ment.God says in the Qur’an that He is
slow to punish people and is not hasty in
unfurling His wrath.Even when punish-
ment is mete out, it is for the purpose of
bringing about reformation.
When man has shed blood he has done
so for his personal motives and gain. If
any people have had to suffer extraordi-
nary calamities it has been as a result of
their own cruelties and injustices. If for
a moment we assume there is no God
and religion does not exist,will the earth-
quakes and floods all come to an end?
How will they describe these then? What
category will such critics of religion place
these calamities in? God is immensely
kind and benevolent, such that He has
said that if man follows His commands,
it is possible for Him to avert the occur-
rence of calamities or save a person from
the harm and injury of its impact.
The Promised Messiahas
Arrives to End
Injustice
Let us look (at an example) not from
ancient times, rather from (the recent
past) and only the last century. We
shall look at the era in which God
sent His Appointee, the Promised
Messiahas
[Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
of Qadian], to the world as the
Representative of the Holy Prophetsa
.The
Promised Messiahas
was sent by God to
admonish mankind to ending all cruelty,
oppression, injustice and transgression.
This Chosen One of God warned that
if people did not reform, earthquakes
would appear and thus he advised them
to purify themselves so they could be
merciful to their own selves. This Imam
of the Age said that if people failed to
reform and instead increased in their
injustices and disobedience to God,there
would be an outbreak of an exception-
ally fierce plague. Thus, he counselled
the people to reform so they could
cause of bloodshed and so to successfully ven-
ture through our era of science and progress,
and to rid the world of murder and mayhem,
it is necessary to view religion with revul-
sion. Religious followers are bent on blindly
attributing everything to God.
There are two major religions in the world,
Christianity and Islam and the scriptures
of both religions are replete with teachings
about promoting war. According to religious
books themselves, God wiped away people
and nations under His wrath. Although no
wars are occurring here; however, the lives
of innocent people are needlessly being lost.
What kind of God and religion is this that
has caused so many people to be drowned
in floods, burnt in fires and first-born
Egyptians to be killed?
One such critic, Steve Wells, calculates
that according to the Bible 2,476,000
were killed [under Divine Wrath],but he
says that the Bible’s figure is wrong and
according to his estimate the actual num-
ber is far greater, which he calculates as
25 million. Now, the question one must
pose to him is that while he believes sci-
ence to be far superior,far more advanced
and to be the substitute of religion, has
science not resulted in far greater deaths
than religion? Religion enjoins its fol-
lowers to adopt peace, reconciliation
and purity. While objections are raised
against Muslims, the Qur’anic message
regarding peace, harmony and morality
are teachings of the highest order. Were
the world to act upon them, peace and
security would extend to all directions.
To wage Jihad may indeed be a com-
mandment,however only if war is forced
upon one first.
Scientific devices and inventions such
as chemical weapons lead to widespread
devastation and nothing else.Stretching
the figure as much as possible he [Steve
Wells] has reached the figure of 25
million deaths, which he attributes to
religion. Did the death toll of just the
Second World War alone not cross his
mind? It was the scientific machinery,
equipment and inventions that resulted
Religion does not kill, it only
warns and admonishes people
that they must establish peace
and security – at least this is
the teaching of our religion.
Its every injunction is laced
with sentiments of love and
compassion for all mankind.
the need for religion
58 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 59
